Transparent Freedom

so…was yesterday’s post enough?

if not, no biggie, it hasn’t ended yet.

back to monday,

i got a call from a great friend at about 6 pm my time.

i was in class & couldn’t answer, but when i got out-i called him back.

he said…

“hey, you posted something earlier about hindrance to Christ or something like that…

what does that mean?”

i went on to explain the extreme power & danger that exists both

inside the church & outside the church

from “elder brothers” (term taken from luke 15).

these moralistic hypocrites kill the spreading of Christ

in themselves,

in other believers,

and in non-believers.

my friend then said:

“well, man…i don’t know if you know…

(silence)

(deep breath)

(hint of a tear)

i don’t know if you know this…

(tears)

(heavy breathing)

give me a second…”

i had no idea what to think at this point, but i felt very comfortable …

which is really strange b/c this scenario normally would make somebody very uncomfortable (worried, concerned, scared, etc)

then he continued after a deep breath:

“i don’t know if you know this,

but i have questioned you a lot;

i have questioned your work ethic;

i have questioned your abilities as a husband;

i have questioned God’s guidance in your life;

i have questioned your maturity;

i have questioned your ability to provide for your family.

and

i am sorry.”

wow.  praise God.

i was speechless.

i was in awe of our great King.

he uses even the most broken means to work:

my thoughts + twitter …

now with more breath, he said:

“i don’t know if you were talking to me when you posted that this morning,

but that’s what i felt like.

i felt like you were talking straight to me.”

ok.

you need to understand something here.

this friend is one of (if not the) most encouraging people i know.

so, no…i wasn’t thinking of him at all when i tweeted that “silly” little thought that exposed death.

the Holy Spirit of God convicted this friend of evil in his life.

maybe he was bitter.

maybe he was uncertain (that turned into sin).

maybe he was doubting.

maybe he was gossiping.

maybe he was jealous.

i’m not sure exactly what sin it was, but it was evil and it was killing him.

he came to realize this.

i recently heard a quote that went like this:

not forgiving somebody is like drinking rat poison, & waiting for the rat to die.

the Spirit convicted him of some sin in his life,

and this is the beautifully captivating part:

he did not run from it,

he did not hide it,

he did not pretend that it wasn’t there,

he did not say, well i’ll deal with it later.

he straight up grabbed his semi-automatic 12-gauge and unloaded on that beast (to steal from a sermon i heard this last weekend).

praise God for that courage because i know that

i have been in a situation like that before,

and i have taken off – just like a coward would.

yea, it hurt him temporarily.

yea, there were tears temporarily.

Jesus turned those tears into a healing ointment of his heart.

there was growth that was eternal.

check out james 5:16

therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed.

that’s what we did.

the Holy Spirit convicted.

he confessed.

we prayed.

God healed.

incredible.

my friend (if you are reading this), you are not an elder brother, you are a child of the light:

A child of the light will confess sin instantly and stand completely open before God http://bit.ly/mu0323

-oswalt chambers

you are a sinner, just like me.

you might struggle with characteristics of “elder brothers,” just like me.

but the Holy Spirit will convict you of that-be open to this, even ask for this,

and if you continue to confess instantly & stand open before God,

the power of satan in the form of “elder brotherness” will have a hard time finding a place to rest in your heart.

my plea:

don’t be a hindrance. be humble.

i need this too-do not for a second think that i do not struggle with this.

so, let’s battle this together.

let’s be vulnerable by getting real transparent (Jesus promises freedom will ensue).

open up the door for God to cleanse us through confession & repentance

by asking each other some questions…

before you do though, if you are in a position that is going to defend or become bitter or get upset at the person speaking to you, don’t ask the questions just yet.

go to God and ask Him to get your heart ready,

ask Him to prepare you for battle,

and load your spiritual shotgun (be prepared to attack at all costs, otherwise-the sin will kill you)

because your flesh is going to be attacking in full force-discomfort, denial, frustration, worry, anxiety, sadness, helplessness, worthlessness, anger, apathy…

remember that Jesus even promised this but followed with a promise of His own:

In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.

john 16:33

right now, go find whomever you trust & who loves Jesus more than they do you and ask them these questions:

what about my life reflects the same kind of character that that lawyer whom Jesus was woe’ing did (see luke 11:52)?

can you see anything in me that looks a little “elder brother”-ish? and please be real for the sake of my soul and yours.

do you see any sin in my life? help me.

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