Really, is it about Jesus? Or me?

Years ago I had a dream. I was in my physical house and the Lord hovered over me. I saw my curling iron plugged into the kitchen outlet. The blender was plugged into the bathroom outlet.

The Lord said, "You can't exchange your experience for truth, or you feelings for faith."

Experience and feelings are valid, but they must be viewed through the light of the Word and the faith that comes from Jesus, and the Spirit that dwells within us.

Our struggles and successes should always, always, always point to Jesus and that He has set us free. How He is the way, the truth, the light. The magnificent healer and deliver.

If we're living in the past, we reflect nothing of His divine nature.

Beloved, look up! Look to Jesus. Tell the world how He's set you free. If you can't, are you really free? Is your Christianity based more on your experienced and feelings than the truth of Him?

I struggle daily with this! Despite my desires for success, I must want, I must crave Jesus to shine more from me... than me.

God's perfecting good work

I've found comfort and truth in the Word lately. Reading in Philippians this morning, Paul admonishes us, "and He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus."

I read the verse a second and third time, then I wrote it down in my journal, and prayed over it, making it personal and about me, and my family.

God is doing a good work in me. Yay, I need it.

God will perfect His own work. Sigh of relief because I'm pretty sure I'm incapable of perfecting anything, let alone myself.

God will be with me, working in and through me until the day of Jesus. This means I'm never abandoned no matter what my circumstances look like. No matter how I feel.

This is Good News!

I've observed over the past decade that many make rules, laws, exceptions to life, to the Gospel based on their experiences and feelings rather than truth.

We embrace sin because of something we did in the past. Or because of someone we love. Beloved, this cannot be.

Our President wants to take over heath care because of what his mother went through. While I'm sympathetic to suffering, there are so many extenuating circumstances to health care, why people do or do not have provision. We must ask all the questions. Consider all circumstances.

We can't run this country based on emotion and I fear we are. That, and a thirst for power.

But God who began a good work in me, also began one in my country. He will perfect it until the day of Christ!

I am comforted by the enormous perfect of His heart and love.

Believing based on truth

We live in a world where the truth is well... relative. Not like a cousin or an aunt "relative" but more like "if I choose to agree it's truth" relative.

Now I know there's some "relatives" we all have we'd like to believe are not "true" but that's another story. ;)

This morning I was talking to a friend and while she loves Jesus, she struggled over a certain situation she'd observed most of her life. A sin issue. Well, what the Bible calls sin.

"I just don't judge," she said.

While hearing her heart to love those who feel left out by the "church" I also heard a disagreement with God.

"Who am I to speak?"

She's the very person who should speak up. Because her heart is about love and compassion. Because she is not judging their eternal soul, only their actions.

We've watered down the Faith by judging God's Word according to our own circumstances and experiences.

Then we say God tells us not to judge. But He does tell us to judge according to His Word.

Zechariah 8:16 ". . . speak the truth to one another, judge with truth and judgment for peace in your gates."

Look, I can want stealing to be a righteous act. I may have a solid reason for stealing - I lost my job and my kids are hungry - but it doesn't change God's Word. It's a sin.

I can have a sound basis to lie. If I tell the truth, people will be disappointed, or get hurt. More likely, I won't get what I want. So, I lie. What's a little, teensy lie?

God calls is sin. My circumstance, my experience doesn't change God's Word. I have to adjust my thinking, my value system to align with His.

I had a dream once where I plugged my curling iron in a kitchen socket and my blender into the bathroom.

They both functioned, but not efficiently and not well. The bathroom is not the place to blend food. In the midst of this, God spoke to me in the dream.

"You can't plug faith into your experience, or truth into your circumstances."

If you don't know about something, dialog with God. He's listening. He's waiting for you to come to Him. I ask Him a lot of questions starting out with, "God, I don't understand this. I see in Your Word this, but how does that line up with the testimony of others who disagree?"

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. Seek Him, His righteousness, the rest will come.

Blessings!

Hi, my name is Rachel Hauck and I. . .

. . . am a rule bender.

Yes, I bend rules. Not major ones now. I'm a stickler for integrity and honesty, but yeah, I bend a few rules. Mostly personal ones.

But I've bent universal rules like, "no drinks in the sanctuary but water." I mean, my Diet Coke isn't going to hurt anything, is it?

Yes, I plan on getting up for exercise. . . bend, bend.

I did put down for two hours of prayer today. . . bend, bend.

But the truth is, bending rules can go too far. And, if someone were to confront me, "what are doing in here with a soda?" I'd back out of the room with an apology.

Most of us are rule benders in some way. Though I know a few of you who are not. You're my friends and I love you. You remind us all rules have a purpose.

How does this apply to our faith? We start bending God's rules. Is homosexuality a sin? Is God's Word really true? "I mean, do I have to do all it says?"

We've started to let people bend the spiritual rules. There's a church movement doing this. They're questioning if it matters Jesus was born of the virgin, Mary, of the line of David. They ask, "Why does it matter?"

It matter's a lot. If he's not born of a virgin in the line of David, then He's not God. Prophesy is not fulfill and we are without hope.

We have to confront the rule benders. Not in a harsh or judgmental way, but in love and truth. "You many struggle with homosexuality, but God calls it sin. We are to turn from sin, hate what He hates. Let me help you walk through this toward truth."

To say your sin is okay is to call God a liar.

For some, sin isn't call out sin anymore. They're trying to fold lies into the gospel. The good news is God is able to redeem His name and reputation. I just don't want it to be because of me, my action, my sin. I don't want to sully His name.

The "church" does need to reach out to the poor and hurting. I agree we've let doctrine hinder our methodology. We're so comfortable in our churches, with our preaching and fellowshipping among ourselves. (It's the way of most sects of society.)

Getting outside the church walls is messy. It's not always successful. It's hard work. But we can't lower the bar to make it easy for ourselves. Sin is sin and we have to call it. Otherwise, how will the world know to repent and change. We leave them in worse bondage by not speaking out the truth.

My name is Rachel Hauck, a recovering rule bender.

Matthew 22

Jesus tells a story in Matthew 22 about a King who threw a wedding feast for His son. On the exact day, He sent out His servants to gather the invited guests.

But they were busy, on their way home from work, eager to stop by the pub for a pint, or kick back at home with the remote.

Disappointed, the Kings said, "Bump 'em," and sent His servants to invite strangers passing on the highway, those who would be honored to sit at the King's table. The servants brought both upstanding citizens as well as the undesirables. Both good and evil.

Among the merriment, the King strolled, observing the guests at His son's party. Suddenly, he saw a man in unfit attire. He wasn't dressed in wedding clothes.

"And he said to him, 'Friend, how did you come in here without wedding clothes?' And the man was speechless. Then the king said to the servants, 'Bind him hand and foot, and throw him into the outer darkness; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.' For many are called, but few are chosen."

This guest came to the feast in his own clothes, in other words, his own righteousness. He'd not taken on the garments of his host, his "groom." He wanted to wear his own deeds, works, and self-righteousness.

We cannot come to Jesus in our own religiousness and righteousness. Our entrance to the wedding feast (Rev 19:9) is not based on what we do or what we think, or how we define faith, or right thinking, but how HE defines it.

We live in a culture where "what you believe is what you believe" is a popular, accepted concept. But is what you believe what He believes? It's His wedding feast. He has the final say.

Recently some friends were discussing abortion. One said, "upstanding, moral people are pro-choice, for abortion."

Moral according to whom, to what? From where do they derive their morals? Are you living according to your own righteousness or His?

To be honest, from what I read in the Word, I cannot see me asking Jesus, "So, you're cool with me being for abortion, right? I mean, pregnancy may come at a time when it's just not right for some women."

I imagine He'd not say a word, but turn and show me His whipped, torn and deeply wounded back.

"Ah, yeah, right. Maybe not."

Or, for the one who thinks adultery or sex out of marriage is fine and dandy, or homosexuality. Or adheres to white lies, or subtle cheating.

Look, I know mistakes are made. I've made them. Still do. I know people struggle. But if we are in Christ, we are not alone. We have a GREAT High Priest who prays for us!

We do not give Him and His Cross enough power and faith. He can take our worst situations and some how make them right. Or give us grace to endure.

We cannot show up at the wedding feast in our own works and righteousness. So why do we continually try? We have to put on His garments of faith, salvation and peace. He's given them to us by the Cross.

If you ever doubt His love or availability to you, close your eyes and gaze at the Cross. Don't let lies and doubt win.

Hearing God

Recently some friends were discussing the topic of hearing God. During prayer, how do we know the answer we seek is from God, ourselves or Satan?

Good question!

I know a lot of Jesus-lovers who say they've never heard Him speak to them. My guess is He has, they just don't know it.

But the older we become in our faith, the more we should be able to discern His voice. There are a lot of books written on hearing God. But the best one is the Bible. There are a lot of verses on hearing God.

First, though, we have to believe He wants to speak to us. Too many Christians, even pastors, claim God doesn't speak to them, and why should He? We are lowly, sinful humans and He's God of the Universe. He doesn't owe us anything.

Okay, yeah, good point. But that sort of thinking completely nullifies the Cross. If we are lowly, unworthy, sinful humans, why did Jesus bother to hang on the Cross? Endure the shame? Take the beating and humiliation?

Because He LOVES us and part of the plan is for mankind to be in relationship, fellowship with the Uncreated God. This my, friends, is an amazing, wonderful mystery!

So, let's go back to the premise of God wanting to talk to us.

We have to go no farther than Genesis to see God's heart for His creation, especially man. Genesis tells us God fellowshipped with Adam in the "cool of the day."

Song of Solomon is devoted to the heart of the believer, a picture of God's love for us individually as well as corporately. "Draw me after you and let us run together."

God created man for fellowship with Him. So why would He not want to speak to us? I know every friend I have, speaking is part of the deal. Sharing our hearts, our desires, our wants and needs.

We see Jesus, the God-Man, desiring the fellowship and comfort of His friends in the Garden before His betrayal.

That same God-Man now sits risen from the dead at the right hand of God the Father. Still desiring fellowship with us.

Yes, we are weak. Yes, we sin. But if we desire Him, desire to live Godly, say Yes to obedience, He draws us near.

Amos 3:7 says, "Surely the Lord does nothing unless He reveals His secret counsel to His servants the prophets."

In today's world, that's me and you! Does God need to reveal His secrets? No! But I believe He's looking for hearts who are tender and yielded, believing and longing to stand in His counsel.

Don't know about you, but I want to be His friend, to stand in His counsel.

Tomorrow, part two on hearing God.

"He's not the distant God of a Bette Midler song."