Category: Teaching Topics

Abba’s Place

Published on by Christine WyrtzenLeave a comment

Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine. Isaiah 43:1

There’s nothing worse than being parented by someone who is not good and who, ultimately, has it in for me. Every decision made on my behalf carries questionable motives. But there’s nothing better than belonging to Abba. He sincerely loves me. Every decision He makes concerning me flows from that love. With Him, I can finally breathe, no longer wondering whether He will change His mind about me. There was no honeymoon stage. It started well, and it will end well.

Some children live every day in fear as fickle parents demand performance for the privilege of belonging. Others exist in marriages where an unstable spouse turns love off and on like a faucet. You never know which version of that person you will encounter in the morning. Belonging to someone in either of these settings can feel like a prison sentence.

Oh, but daughter of God, you never need fear belonging to Abba. He loved you before you ever loved Him. You were precious to Him when your heart was still turned away. He gave His Son to make your adoption possible. His love is not sustained by your performance, so your failure cannot dismantle it. Once He sets His covenant love upon His child, He does not become fickle.

Finally, you and I have a place to belong that is wonderful. No matter how out of step we are with our world, we know where home is. No matter how poorly we fit within our earthly families, there is a family in which our belonging is settled. No matter what powerful person rejects us here, there is another kingdom more real and more permanent than this one. God calls us by name and says, “You are Mine.” He is a jealous God, and His jealousy can be trusted because it is holy. He guards what He loves.

The spiritual orphan lives as though everything depends upon being chosen again today. Each day is “good” or “bad” according to who loves her and who does not. She wanders from person to person looking for somewhere to belong. She peers through the windows of seemingly happy homes and wonders what it would feel like to live inside one.

Ah, but she already has a home in God. Nothing can shake loose the terms of her adoption or undo her spiritual birthright. Heaven’s legal papers were permanently signed in red.

At my new birth, Jesus took my hand and drew me out of exile. His voice pierced something ancient in my soul, and He brought me home to His Abba Father. The effect was thunder. The call was a whisper.

I am Yours and You are mine!  I will forever speak of the wonder of belonging to You. Amen

When We Can’t Relate To Others Deeply

Published on by Christine Wyrtzen1 Comment

Have you struggled with these questions? I would love to be close to someone, but how do I know when close becomes too close? When is it healthy to need a friend, spouse, or child, and when has my need become too heavy for them to carry? Can people sense the emptiness in me? Does it make them pull away?

Those questions rarely begin in adulthood. When there has been early familial dysfunction, relationships can become distorted long before I have words for what is happening. If love was inconsistent, intrusive, critical, withholding, or unpredictable, I may grow up longing desperately for closeness while simultaneously mistrusting it. I can become overly alert to tone, distance, silence, and changes in affection. I may cling, withdraw, over-explain, over-give, test loyalty, or ask one relationship to repair wounds it did not create.

Before I can love another person freely, I have to learn what it means to live as a daughter before God. He is the teacher and keeper of my heart. He does not shame my neediness or ration out His welcome. I cannot tire Him out. In His presence, my longings are reordered. What once felt desperate becomes quieter. What I demanded from people, I begin learning to receive from Him first. This does not make me independent of human love. It makes me less likely to misuse it.

In the safety of belonging to God, I learn intimacy without possession. I learn when to speak and when to wait. I learn when to ask for help and when not to make another person responsible for stabilizing me. I also learn the painful truth that people will sometimes fail me. When they do, I do not have to collapse or retaliate. I can return to the Father who remains steady when human love proves limited. He longs to heal me when humans are flawed if I will just live with Him in His presence. 

Who is like my God?  No one.  He said in Isaiah 46.  Listen to me, I have cared for you since you were born. Yes, I carried you before you were born.  I will be Yours throughout your lifetime—until your hair is white with age. I made you, and I will care for you. I will carry you along and save you.

Intimacy.  We all need it like water.  I found it, first, in You. Thank you. Amen

Reliving Beautiful Moments For Strength

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 abolish the law of Moses. He simply turned its searching light toward the woman’s accusers. They wanted to see her pay for her sin while remaining strangely blind to their own. God does not prorate sin according to how public or scandalous it appears.

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, only two people remained standing. The sun’s warming rays bathed the encounter as Jesus and the woman faced each other. She had never seen such a pure gaze—one that knew everything about her and still held nothing but love and compassion.

John revealed Jesus at the beginning of his Gospel as “full of grace and truth.” No story showcased this more beautifully. Jesus was gracious and truthful. He withheld condemnation while refusing to call her sin anything other than what it was. “Go, and do not sin again.” Grace did not excuse her past. It released her from being defined by it.

I do not know what happened to the woman when she went home. Did her friends keep pointing fingers? Did her family shun her? Would the man she had been involved with punish her for turning him down the next time? If so, she could draw strength by reliving those beautiful moments with Jesus. She would remember how tenderly He addressed her and how He gave her something no one else could give—love that knew the truth, forgiveness without humiliation, and permission to begin again.

Sometimes others never forget our sins. But You, Lord? When accusation rises, help me rehearse the beautiful moments when You touched me, forgave me, and lifted my face. Amen

Pouring Out One’s Soul

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While Jesus was here on earth, he offered prayers and pleadings, with a loud cry and tears, to the one who could rescue him from death.  Hebrews 5:7

How many people communicate their thoughts and feelings without filtering themselves first? How many can say what hurts, what scares them, what makes them angry, and know they will not be mishandled? Precious few. To be completely honest and completely safe at the same time is a rare gift.

Scripture uses the phrase pour out your soul, and I love how physical that sounds. It is not measured nor is it neat and tidy. It is tipping the heart and letting everything spill out before God. Jesus did this in Gethsemane. He cried, pleaded, and wept. He told His Father plainly that He did not want what was coming. There was no performance in His prayer, only raw truth.

And yet we often feel the need to edit ourselves with God. Anger gets softened into disappointment. Fear becomes mild concern. Feelings of abandonment are covered up with less desperate language. But God already knows what’s underneath the careful wording. He hurts for us when we present a polished version of what He already sees in full.

What if our prayer lives progressed to a place where our souls finally stopped managing themselves? What if we consistently poured out the whole contents of our heart, the grief, resentment, dread, confusion, even our longings, and trusted that perfect Love will hold all of it without turning away?

Hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us. Romans 5:5

Finally, I am riveted by the beauty of two things: 1.) Running to Abba, tipping my heart toward Him, and pouring out everything I have been swallowing. And, 2.) Envisioning what will happen on the other side of surrender when Abba pours Himself back into the emptied places, flooding my heart with His love through the Holy Spirit.

Lord, I pour out what I’ve been holding in. Pour into me what will hold me steady. Your love. Your grace. Your compassion. Amen

Abba ~ My Soft Place To Fall

Published on by Christine Wyrtzen1 Comment

The name of the LORD is a fortified tower; the righteous run to it and are safe. Proverbs 18:10

When a child is scared at night, he runs to his parent’s room. When he is angry, he looks for them to hear what has upset him. When he is hurt, he expects a compassionate response.  But when he has no one to turn to, spiritual orphan-ness is formed.

In many ways, this was my story.  I learned that not many would emotionally be there for me.  I’d need to take care of myself.  It was terrifying to think of taking down the walls for anyone, even God.  But Abba’s voice  began to chip away at my fearful heart.  Knowing that Jesus turned to His Father for connection and comfort when no one was there for Him made an impact on me.  I understood that Abba’s arms were a soft place to fall and I could run into His name – for many reasons.

  • When life was chaotic and the stress was more than I could bear, I ran home to Abba. He calmed the beating of my heart until I could breathe normally again.
  • When my heart had been broken by unloving people, I ran home to Abba’s arms. He smoothed the ragged edges of disappointment and tempered my desire to withdraw from people.
  • When caring for others left me depleted, I ran home to Abba.  No matter how empty, He filled every crevice with the fullness of Himself.

There is absolutely nothing that can keep me from Abba’s invitation to run home. Always, in every situation imaginable, He is my soft place to fall.

Even when You don’t fix my circumstances, You stand behind the promises of Fatherhood.  Thank you!  Amen

When I Fear I’m Still Condemned

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There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. Romans 8:1

If I’m no longer condemned, then why do I sometimes feel like I am? Because Satan entices, then he prosecutes. He reports my sin to the Father and demands that the sentence of the Law be carried out against me. Oh, how he dreams of justice without mercy!

But when he arrives in heaven to accuse me, He meets Jesus, clothed in righteousness, standing in the presence of His Father. “Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess.” Hebrews 4:14

And my Savior is ready with my defense. He does not deny that I have sinned. He answers with something greater. He lifts His wounded hands and says, “She’s forgiven. She’s justified. She is Mine.”  This is the moment when the accuser loses his footing.

Satan is a sore loser. Having lost his legal case in heaven against me, he’ll then come to me directly to voice the same accusations.  If I forget my defense and my Defender, I am vulnerable to condemnation. Satan is cunning. He knows how to mimic the voice of my conscience. But the blood has spoken, once and for all, at the cross.  So what is my strategy when the accuser comes?  I do not answer Satan with my feelings, because my feelings fail me. I answer him with this ~  I have been bought, cleansed, pardoned, and declared righteous before God.  Condemnation is relegated to my history.

You’re Not Alone

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Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.  Matthew 6:13

We are engaged in a battle with the enemy of our souls.  Temptations abound.  Condemning thoughts threaten our peace.  Doubts erode our confidence in Abba.  Fear cripples our faith.  Anger undermines our belief in God’s justice.

This is a global war, not a solitary one.  Forgetting that, I can fail to disclose my struggles to my spiritual sisters. I can begin to think that something is wrong with me if I battle temptation, fear, anger, and doubt.  I can easily view myself as someone who disappoints God.  I can assume others are more advanced spiritually.  I can be inclined to feel a sense of shame over the things that plague me.

This perception is untrue.  We are all in the same predicament.  Spiritual power to resist our enemy and achieve victory is collectively ours if we bare our burdens to one another with discretion.  We’re family.  The same royal blood courses through our spiritual veins.  War has been declared on us simply because of Whom we belong to.  We need to be vulnerable with each other.  We can stand firm as long as we stand together.

You will come against arrows of opposition today.  They may be numerous, causing you to believe that the power behind them is formidable.  But you do not fight alone.  I link my arm with yours.  We sing a song of deliverance.  The song is contagious, for as our voices are heard, more daughters begin to learn this song of hope.  There is strength in numbers.  The battle is transformed from a senseless massacre to an overwhelming victory.

Together with my sisters, Lord, we create a daunting line of defense.  Amen

Jesus and His Arch-Enemy

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For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil. I John 3:8

Wait, didn’t Jesus come to die to redeem mankind? Yes. But God’s over-arching mission was that the works of the devil would be destroyed through Jesus’ incarnation, through His survival as a toddler under Herod’s murderous rampage, through the crucifixion of the innocent Lamb, and through His resurrection unto glory. Throughout His ministry, Jesus didn’t ignore His enemy. He engaged him.  He imposed limits on his freedom. (“Do this, not that.  Go here, not there.”) He engaged him, too, by relentlessly delivering people from sickness and demon oppression.

In Luke 4, Jesus engaged Satan in the desert, giving us a template for how to handle temptation. He looked behind Satan’s smokescreen, identified the real intent, and quoted scripture strategically to shut down Satan’s specific agenda.

  • Satan said, “If you are the son of God, turn this stone to bread.” Behind the smokescreen was this ~ “Prove you are God and fill your stomach now.” The issue was not hunger but getting Jesus to do something God didn’t tell him to do.
  • Satan said, “I’ll give you all this authority and its glory.” Behind the smokescreen was ~ “Waiting is hard and I’ll give you kingly rule early if you worship me.” Satan’s desire for worship was what originally caused him to defect from his place in heaven.
  • Satan said, “Throw yourself down and see if angels will take care of you.” Behind the smokescreen ~ “Let’s just see if God takes care of you.” This time it was Satan who quoted scripture, “For He shall give his angels charge over you, to keep you in all your ways.” Psalm 91:11 Jesus was savvy and quoted Deuteronomy 6:16 back at him. “You shall not test the Lord your God.”

There are numerous ways for me to deal with my enemy as well. When I rise up to use conferred authority, with scripture, and in Jesus’ name, limits are placed on Satan’s activity. When I ask God for the spiritual eyesight to see behind the smokescreen of every temptation, the Holy Spirit equips me with strategy and the courage to apply specific arrows of scripture.  Our loving Father does not leave His children defenseless but we must press in to become savvy children-warriors.

Lord, our enemy is not acting like a defeated foe. But he is. He acts like he has all power. But he doesn’t. With Your Word, make my mouth a sharp sword. Amen

Relating To A Disciple

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Follow me. Matthew 4:19

How does Jesus think of me in relation to Himself? What can I anticipate in this sacred relationship?  Jesus ~

  • Calls me to something for which I’m unqualified. Four fishermen became evangelists and teachers. One was a tax collector.  My calling is always God-sized because no skill set can achieve supernatural results.
  • Builds the relationship on love and promises of faithfulness. My relationship with Him began with forgiveness, love and acceptance, followed by promises that won’t ever be broken. This love has turned into fuel and His promises give me boldness.
  • Centers the teaching on faith-growing and character development. Each life lesson at the feet of Jesus grows my faith and makes me more like Him. When I’ve mastered one skill, there are always bigger ones to come. The faith tests get more difficult but infinitely more rewarding.
  • Requires of me a good faith effort, not perfection. As Kevin DeYoung reminded an audience recently, Jesus is aware of my present maturation level and is pleased with my best at whatever stage I am in my journey.
  • Extends mercy before I sin. Jesus told Peter that he would deny him three times. When Peter was visibly shaken, Jesus told him not to be worried and upset but to believe God. There was mercy before the sin. I am forgiven in the past, in the present, and in the future.
  • Forgives without reservation. I will have times of failure in the relationship. That’s inevitable. Jesus forgives no matter how many times I say I’m sorry.
  • Allows testing to reveal our flaws. Jesus was tested in the wilderness. His disciples are tested, too. It equips me with strategies in my use of the scriptures.
  • Is always out front ~ showing me the way home. I’m in the yoke with Jesus. He’s right there, a little in front, bearing the weight and responsibility for my needs.

Disciple me – all the way home. Amen

 

 

He Loves Even The Arrogant

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God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong. I Cor. 1:27

There are people who say, in response to everything said to them, “I know it!”   It’s a poor relational skill as it kills any desire to have a conversation with them. Their need to know it all drives their behavior in every single relationship. This person is usually very vocal in meetings and controlling within a committee. It doesn’t take long for him/her to get under everyone’s skin. The shy person withdraws and avoids them if possible. The extrovert might fall into the temptation to argue and correct them. Neither response is productive nor is it like Jesus.

Jesus did not avoid arrogant people. The Pharisees get a bad wrap for collectively being on Jesus’ bad list. Not true. I can forget that Jesus grew up in synagogues and was constantly in the company of Pharisees. When He was twelve, He stayed in the temple to be in their company. And when He was in active ministry for the last three years of His life, He usually went where they were. Many were close-minded but some believed. Therefore some of the Pharisees were saying, “This man is not from God because He does not keep the Sabbath.” But others were saying, “How can a man who is a sinner perform such signs?” And there was a division among them. John 9:16

To those who rejected Him, Jesus ~

Exposed their hearts.  The strongest language Jesus ever used was directed against them. He said they were hypocrites not practicing what they preached.   The Pharisees tie up heavy, cumbersome loads and put them on other people’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them.Matthew 23:4

Recited the scriptures.  He told them they didn’t know God.  So Jesus proclaimed, as he taught in the temple, “He who sent me is true, and him you do not know.  John 7:28

Extended an invitation to his enemies to believe.  “If anyone, any Pharisee, any chief priest, any officer trying to arrest me, any offended person—if anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink.”  John 7:37

Do you remember when Jesus lamented?  “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you would not!”  Matt. 23:37    Jesus loved them. Even the spiteful, hateful, and arrogant.  He came to serve even the Pharisees rather than be served. 

Give me Your steady heart, humble enough to serve, strong enough to speak truth, and free enough to love without needing to defend myself. Amen