Author: Christine Wyrtzen

When We Need To Re-live Beautiful Moments

Published on by Christine Wyrtzen1 Comment

Jesus was left alone with the woman standing before Him.  Jesus straightened up and said to her, “Woman, where are they?  Has no one condemned you?”  She said, “No one, sir.”  And Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you.  Go your way, and from now on do not sin again.”  John 8:9-11

Jesus did not do away with the law of Moses.  He simply applied it to the woman’s accusers.  They desired to see her pay for her sin but all the while, they turned a blind eye to their own sinfulness; sins that also required judgment by law. God does not pro-rate sin.

As the sun continued to rise in the early morning dawn, the judges disappeared.  The voyeurs fled.  The accusers vanished.  Stones hit the ground one by one and as they fell, I can imagine the woman’s disbelief.  The iron grips on her arm loosened as the vengeance of the hot blooded Pharisees began to dissipate under the convicting presence of Jesus.

Within minutes, there were only two people left standing there.  The warming rays of the sun bathed the encounter between Jesus and the woman as they faced each other.  She had never seen such a pure gaze that resonated nothing but love and compassion.

John revealed Jesus in the beginning of this book as ‘full of grace and truth.’  Never did a story showcase this better than this particular one.  Jesus was gracious and truthful.  He withheld condemnation but, simultaneously, told her the truth about a needed change in her lifestyle.   “Go, and do not sin again.”  

I do not know what happened to the woman when she went home.  Did her friends continue to point the finger?  Did her family shun her?  Would the man with whom she’d been involved with punish her for turning him down the next time?  If so, she would gain strength as she re-lived those beautiful moments with Jesus.  She would remember how He addressed her tenderly and gave her a gift no one had ever given her; love, forgiveness, and a fresh start.

Sometimes, others never forget our sins.  But you, Lord?  I rehearse the beautiful moments you touched me and forgave me.  Amen

What Happens In Your Invisible?

Published on by Christine Wyrtzen1 Comment

By faith he left Egypt, not being afraid of the anger of the king, for he endured as seeing him who is invisible.  Hebrews 11:27

What happened in Moses’ invisible world took him far.  He left his adopted family, forfeited his place in the line of royalty, and then took on the responsibility for leading over 603,000 children of Israel out of Egypt and across the desert to their new homeland.  He endured stresses most of us will never feel, suffered the love/hate relationship with a fickle people who worshipped God one day and Baal the next, and he did all this while enduring the many griefs of his own personal story.  What carried him through it all and gave him the strength to endure?  Connection with the One who was invisible.

What happens in the unseen realm, in the life of every child of God, cannot be underestimated.  It’s what propels us into the line of fire, some even into martyrdom.  It gives iron to the weak.  A revelation of God, through Christ and through His Word, shapes things not visible to the naked eye.  Right now, as you are reading this, the Holy Spirit is working in your own invisible realm to guide your thoughts, personalize this scripture, and lead you to be different five minutes from now than you are now.

As you and I interact with God and His Word today, here are just a few of things that will happen that are imperceptible to others.  God will reveal Himself and enlarge our view of Him.  God will disclose things to our minds, and hearts, that will bring inner change.  God will give me a word to speak that will plant heaven’s seeds on earth’s soil.  (It will prosper because His Word trumps all other forces at work.)  God will re-direct me when I am starting to wander off into wrong lines of thinking and feeling. God will revive me through a whisper when I sink under the pressures I can’t yet anticipate.  God will reward my obedience with peace and confidence.  All of this is invisible.

Scripture speaks of God’s child residing in peace and safety.  Does God keep His promise when I look into my external circumstances and see turmoil and danger?    Let us not doubt.  Peace and safety are the bedfellows of any of us who keep our eyes on the invisible God.  Like Moses, we  are constantly changing in the presence of the Almighty.  We endure.  We do not fear.  We rise out of the ashes.  We think soundly.  We speak wisdom in the presence of the foolish.  And like Peter and John, we stand before others and give testimony in such a way that others perceive we have been with Jesus. (Acts 4:13)

Let these scriptures be our benediction.

 I solemnly charge you in the presence of God, who gives life to all things, and in the presence of Christ Jesus, who made the good confession before Pontius Pilate, to keep all His precepts without stain or reproach until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ.  He alone possesses immortality and lives in unapproachable light, whom no man has ever seen or can see. To Him be honor and eternal power and dominion! Amen.  I Timothy 6:13-16 AMP

When I Hold Myself Responsible

Published on by Christine WyrtzenLeave a comment

But they have not all obeyed the Gospel.  For Isaiah says, “Who has believed what they have heard from us?”  Romans 10:16

How much does this passage reveal about the personal responsibility Paul felt for other’s rejection of Christ?  For any who open their mouth to share the Gospel with their heart fully engaged, there are minefields emotionally.  No matter how much you invest beforehand, there will be times when few respond. For the one who preached, that can be internalized as personal failure.

This was my Achilles heel for many years. If I had worked hard to prepare to teach, if I had engaged others to fast/pray for me and for the group I was speaking to, if I had asked God for a fresh anointing before traveling, then I had an expectation of tangible, successful results.  When I didn’t see signs of the impact I had expected, I took it personally.  I concluded that something had to be wrong with what I had done.  I cited the examples from the New Testament when the apostles went out in the power of the Spirit and thousands believed but I failed to take into account that this was the exception.  More often than not, a few were converted but the majority rejected the Gospel.

The Spirit of God had to set me free from this destructive stronghold in my thinking.  He worked within me to help me define ‘effective’ teaching.  He reminded me that Jesus was certainly effective, yet He told His disciples that the masses would walk the road to destruction while a few would walk through the narrow gate.  Regarding those who shrug their shoulders and walk away, I am not responsible.  God bears the burden and invites me to ‘shake the dust off my feet’ when the message is not received.  Bearing the burden for other’s spiritual blindness is a plot Satan has conceived.  Jesus is the lifter of our heads.

Set other perfectionists free and use my story of failure, Lord.  Amen

Getting Out Of Obedience

Published on by Christine WyrtzenLeave a comment

And Noah did all that the LORD had commanded him. Genesis 7:5

This is such a short verse in the entire dramatic account of Noah; one could almost miss it.  Noah did every single thing that the Lord had commanded him. It’s not like God told him to do just one thing either.  God gave him 120 years of detailed instructions.  Noah didn’t deviate at all from the blueprint.  He didn’t take shortcuts when something got hard.  Who had ever built an ark or a ship of any kind?  There were no people to call on for advice.  His onlookers were only scoffers.  When stumped, Noah had God and the collective input of his family to figure things out.  That’s it.

When it was time to make room for the animals, he did exactly what God said to do.  I’m one who can easily think, “I’m tired.  I’ll obey but I’ll do that tomorrow.”  I don’t see anywhere in this story that Noah rationalized and/or procrastinated.

I won’t live 120 years.  In that span of time, Noah did every single thing God asked.  I’m half that old but in the span of time I have lived, I have failed to do a few things God told me to do.  I am absolutely struck by the stark comparison.  How many times did I sense God asking me to do something where I responded, “Really, Lord?  Am I hearing you right?”  Quite a few.  In 2019, when God asked me to do something I considered radical, I questioned it.  But, I sought His face over a long period of time for confirmations and made a choice to obey.  Oh, He has blessed me and my family because of it.

At the end of my life, I pray it will be said that I followed God, though it has taken time for me to get it right.  As I understand more clearly why Noah is in the ‘hallmark of faith’ chapter in the Bible (Hebrews 11), I am deeply inspired.

What can I say?  Though some might say I’m being too hard on myself, I don’t believe I’m being hard enough.  I vow to do better and give you instant, and exact, obedience.  Amen

God’s Wisdom ~ Will You Defend Me?

Published on by Christine Wyrtzen2 Comments

In your heart, honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect.  I Peter 3:15

Nothing defeats evil faster than My love-sick bride.  Her passionate words and vehement defense of My character leaves no room for discordant words from My foes.  Do not be afraid to say, ‘Please don’t say that of the One I love!’  Remind the one who disparages my reputation of who I am and whose you are.

I defend you daily from the insults and accusations of your accuser.  You see, we are both fighting for the one we love.

 

    The Enemy Is An Editor

    Published on by Christine WyrtzenLeave a comment

      He was a murderer from the beginning, and has nothing to do with the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies.  John 8:44

      My storytellers can be people around me but I can also be one as I process things with or without God.  Satan is also a storyteller and I will be lied to.  His default language is lies.  A default language is what someone speaks instinctively. Satan lives and breathes falsehood.  In our justice system, someone is considered innocent until proven guilty.  But with the devil, I better realize that he is always guilty. The paradigm is flipped.

      If he’s whispering his version of my own story in my ears, how will I know it?  He will say anything that puts me in bondage.  The most important thing on his agenda is to corrupt my trust in God.  The lies usually start with that goal in mind.  “See, your faith is in vain. God can’t be trusted. You’re foolish to believe His promises.  They’re not for you.”  On it goes.  If trust is breached, my relationship is fractured to the point where I am left completely vulnerable.  If I shut my ears to God, they’re wide open for someone else to fill them.

      If I want to know if I’ve succumbed to the enemy’s re-write of my own story, I need to look for the symptoms that point to the lies; despair, hopelessness, depression, unresolved anger, jealousy, futility.  If any of these have taken over my soul, I can be sure there has been an editor from the pits of hell interpreting my story.  I need to be on guard, take every thought captive, and remember that life is one sifting exercise after another.  Thoughts come in ~ I examine them ~ then I keep them or throw them away.

      I used to believe that certain events, or certain people, ruined parts of my life. It wasn’t true. Yes, they caused pain but it was my interpretation of the events and what I concluded about myself and God that put me in long term bondage. Jesus was never tormented about who His Father was.  He never stopped believing that He was God’s beloved Son.  He was never trapped by futility and despair.  Though He suffered more than any human being, He never believed lies about his pain.  He knew that everything He suffered was redemptive and would lead to glory.

      Each of us need to figure out where we’ve been lied to and renounce it.  We will have a list of things to discard.  We will be telling God, “I used to believe ‘that’ but I renounce it as a lie.  Now, I believe ‘this’.”  I state the lie and replace it with a truth-telling scripture.  The enemy’s stronghold is broken, legal ground is taken back, and abundant life and freedom become mine.

       The only version I crave, and will believe, is Yours.  Amen

      Adapting To Change

      Published on by Christine WyrtzenLeave a comment

      God is not human, that he should lie, not a human being, that he should change his mind.Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfill?          Numbers 23:19

      Too many changes in one’s life, all at once, put a person in a fragile place emotionally. It seems too much to process. When I initiate the changes, it’s easier. But most change is what happens to me and I have no control over it.

      How do you handle change? Do you have a strategy? It’s easy to conceive man-made ones. 1.) Deal with today and don’t borrow tomorrow’s trouble. 2.) Lean on family and friends.  This is usually the best that we can initiate without God. If things are really hard though, these won’t sustain. Inner stability will deteriorate.

      There is a certain kind of personality that thrives on change but I contend that it’s change they control. No one likes an unexpected knock on the door that brings tragic news. I’ve had my share of seasons where someone brought bad news. I’ve found that difficult times rarely seem to last a year, but five years, twelve years, even twenty-two years. I’ve learned that I must draw close to Jesus and follow His lead to develop spiritual strategies.

      What did Jesus do when he felt the pressures of his life? He got alone with His Father to pray,  He reviewed the scriptures and His Father’s history. This is the prescription for any of us today who know that the only stability available to us is the foundation of our faith in God.

      • God knows all things future. He’s not wringing His hands over this change in my life.
      • God already knows the outcome and, if I’m willing, will lead me safely to the other side.
      • God is unchanging. Though my life shifts, He is always the same. I cling to Him and not temporal things.
      • God is still a righteous Judge even when it appears evil is winning.
      • God is faithful and true, and good.

      “It is well for us that, amidst all the variableness of life, there is One whom change cannot affect; One whose heart can never alter, and on whose brow mutability can make no furrows.” Spurgeon

      I Can’t Hold Things Together

      Published on by Christine WyrtzenLeave a comment

      He [Jesus] upholds the universe by the word of his power.  Hebrews 1:3

      God is a God of order. Jesus, God in the flesh, holds all things in place. As the Word, He once spoke and all things came into being; perfectly connected, in perfect working order, one molecule perfectly connected to the next one.  There cannot be the slightest disorder in what God creates because He is perfect and everything He touches is perfect. 

      Because I am not divine, I can’t consistently hold things together nor can I speak anything into existence. I can’t orchestrate even one element of my life and make it run with perfection.  I can’t speak over people and cause them to change or to walk in a perfect state of sanctification.  I can’t even make myself do it! 

      I can’t make anyone love me who doesn’t love me.  You know the frustration and the pain of that, right?  Who doesn’t!  But the one whose love I need the most already loves me deeply and completely.  Just one small implication of today’s scripture is that God holds his love for me together and not one thing can break it, not even my disobedience. He declared His love, backed it up with the giving of His Son’s life and He will not, and cannot, end it.  The covenant He spoke into existence rules and upholds it. 

      How do I internalize this?  I am motivated, in a new way, to let the God who holds the universe together hold my life together by arranging and directing everything that pertains to me.  Anything I build on my own, as well planned as I think it may be, is flawed and fragile.  It is simply disordered because my mind and ingenuity have been touched by the fall.  I realize this morning that when I am in control of my life, never am I more insecure and vulnerable.

      God begs for my obedience because He longs for my world to be touched by kingdom order and divine security.  He tells me the kind of person to call a friend, the kind of person to marry. He tells me how to function in a business, or even how to live as a good citizen. He tells me how to exercise the power I have over others and even has a lot to say about how to exercise leadership within a ministry or organization. As long as I follow His lead, I know that His plans, done His way, will be upheld by the same hands that sustain the universe.  Today, my prayer is this ~  

      “Speak Holy Spirit.  Declare Your Word over me and the life You gave me. Amen”

      New Wine That Tastes Sour

      Published on by Christine WyrtzenLeave a comment

      You have made love for hire on every threshing floor. The threshing floor and the winepress shall not feed them, and the new wine shall fail in her.  Hosea 9:2

          Have you ever been so desperate for a breakthrough that you did everything you could to manufacture it yourself through whatever means you thought it might come to you?  Israel was so hungry for blessing and prosperity again that they practiced idolatry on the threshing floor, the place where they processed grain.  They really believed it would help the harvest.  Not only was it sinful, it was superstitious.  God cursed it.  He will not share His glory with anyone, especially with some sinful ritual.

          What is it that eludes you today?  More money?   No amount of problem solving outside of prayer will bring a provision that will perfectly fit the puzzle you’re constructing with your life. Manipulating a distant relative will cause the money to burn in your hands.  Extorting a raise from your boss will do the same.  Need recognition?  No heroic act originating from self-centeredness will bring the adulation that will fill your soul to overflowing. The praise you receive by setting others up to adore you will be short lived.  Tomorrow, you’ll need to do it again to get the same thrill.  The only One who satisfies us is God, in Christ.  The only pathway to contentment is resting in His love and abandoning all other striving.

          The new wine overflows.  It is the new covenant of Christ’s love, demonstrated so powerfully on a hill, on a cross.  His blood flowed freely to offer a new way to live to anyone who has the courage to put Him to the test.  No longer is love for hire.  It can not be earned but is received as a gift.  This good news is not for the fainthearted.  Only as we give up our propensity to earn it and feel better about ourselves will we know the power of this gift of Love.  Only when I identify with the Servant who denied Himself and walked a difficult path of obedience will my life flow with new wine.  “A breakthrough” will be the last thing I think about.  Yet, that is often the very hour He gives it.

      Oh Jesus, the sweet wine of Your love quenches my thirst completely.  

      Is Pondering Self-serving?

      Published on by Christine WyrtzenLeave a comment

      The heart of the righteous ponders how to answer.  Proverbs 15:28

      Someone who is shy is very hard to get to know.  It takes a long time for them to feel safe in a relationship. They move slowly toward others and intimacy is not quickly achieved. Many hurt deeply from the wounds of past relationships and, as a result, pull inward to prevent more pain. They are hard to read, safely veiled behind a stoic exterior. They rarely express how they feel about an issue for fear of rejection.  Pondering before answering is a way of life but this is not what Solomon describes.  A fearful person does not ponder for the sake of righteousness.  Considering his words carefully is self-protective and has little to do with God.

      Someone who is manipulative is also careful with his words.  He ponders before opening his mouth in order to successfully posture himself for an advantage. He endeavors not to be genuine, but to say whatever will benefit him. Most every conversation is self-promoting.  He is ambitious, even to the point of ruthless. Beware. His speech is like butter and the flattery he offers, while it feels wonderful, is calculated and well rehearsed. Manipulative pondering is also not what Solomon describes.

      A righteous person ponders before he speaks so that God will be glorified.  He knows that if he expresses himself thoughtlessly, his words will be soul-ish, even foolish.  He understands the power of the tongue and, by God’s grace, exercises the discipline of restraint.  He is neither self-protective nor self-promoting.  His passion is to think like Jesus and, therefore, talk like Jesus. The wisdom that flows out of the heart of the righteous child of God is cultivated in secret. It is the result of many hours spent at the Rabbi’s feet.

      Search me at the place of my motives.  Let my pondering be a holy thing, not self-promoting or self-protecting. Show me how to think like You as You write Your Word in my heart.  In Jesus’ name, Amen