Holy Uprising - Wed Mar 24

Jesus is BIGGER Than evil! (Part 2)


Luke 8:26-39:

26 So they arrived in the region of the Gerasenes, Other manuscripts read Gadarenes; still others read Gergesenes; also in 8:37. See Matt 8:28; Mark 5:1.

">* across the lake from Galilee. 27 As Jesus was climbing out of the boat, a man who was possessed by demons came out to meet him. For a long time he had been homeless and naked, living in a cemetery outside the town.

28 As soon as he saw Jesus, he shrieked and fell down in front of him. Then he screamed, “Why are you interfering with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? Please, I beg you, don’t torture me!” 29 For Jesus had already commanded the evil Greek unclean.

">* spirit to come out of him. This spirit had often taken control of the man. Even when he was placed under guard and put in chains and shackles, he simply broke them and rushed out into the wilderness, completely under the demon’s power.

30 Jesus demanded, “What is your name?”

“Legion,” he replied, for he was filled with many demons. 31 The demons kept begging Jesus not to send them into the bottomless pit. Or the abyss, or the underworld.

">*

32 There happened to be a large herd of pigs feeding on the hillside nearby, and the demons begged him to let them enter into the pigs.

So Jesus gave them permission. 33 Then the demons came out of the man and entered the pigs, and the entire herd plunged down the steep hillside into the lake and drowned.

34 When the herdsmen saw it, they fled to the nearby town and the surrounding countryside, spreading the news as they ran. 35 People rushed out to see what had happened. A crowd soon gathered around Jesus, and they saw the man who had been freed from the demons. He was sitting at Jesus’ feet, fully clothed and perfectly sane, and they were all afraid. 36 Then those who had seen what happened told the others how the demon-possessed man had been healed. 37 And all the people in the region of the Gerasenes begged Jesus to go away and leave them alone, for a great wave of fear swept over them.

So Jesus returned to the boat and left, crossing back to the other side of the lake. 38 The man who had been freed from the demons begged to go with him. But Jesus sent him home, saying, 39 “No, go back to your family, and tell them everything God has done for you.” So he went all through the town proclaiming the great things Jesus had done for him.

Evil tells you, ‘you’re not good enough, you’ll never amount to anything’ and little by little, you begin to believe it. At first you fight against the temptation to give into the lies of Satan, but you become tired and worn out until one day you find yourself asking, “how did it get this bad, how did I get here?”. You know the answer but it’s hard to accept. It’s hard to face the many sinful choices, attitudes and actions that got you here, it’s much easier to blame circumstances or others. You resign yourself, evil must have been right all along and now, there’s just too much to overcome, too many things you’ve done that need forgiving, too many wrongs that need to be right, too big a mess to clean up! I think that is how this man in Luke 8 must have felt and Praise God he was wrong!

We read about a large herd of pigs nearby on a hillside. This man is possessed by a legion of demons, so many they are no longer known by their individual names, but the collective name of Legion. We are not told what evils had stacked up in this man’s life to get him to the day that is recorded here, but we can guess: lies, gluttony, lust, pride, greed, anger, hatred . . . . It seems easy for us to guess because they are the same evils that are still around, tempting us all to give into their control. And slipping into our lives.

We know this man’s life has been a big mess, we read he has separated himself from all others and he lives off of the wilderness. If ever someone’s life seems too far gone, too complicated to be fixed it would seem it is his. But all hope is not lost and it never is, today God would provide just the right amount of hope + desire to = complete healing. It would take every ounce of desire left in this man's heart, soul and mind and every single pig in the herd!

On this day, this man decides to let go of the need to reconcile, ‘how did it get this bad’ with the desire to seek out permanent change. He seeks out Jesus and he brings evil to the one with the power to banish it. Jesus sends the legion of evil out of this man into the large herd of pigs and apparently, it takes the whole herd to carry all of the past mistakes, bad choices, wrong decisions, misplaced trust, lies, envy, greed, anger, and all of the other evils that have stacked up in this man’s life. Luke 8 tells us the ENTIRE herd,that is now possessed by the evil that this one man had been carrying around, plunges over a cliff and this man is restored to his right mind! Thank you Jesus, that there were enough pigs!

What seems so big or so overwhelming in your own life right now, that you think perhaps there are just not enough pigs to fix it? Do you realize that's a lie? There is nothing too big for Jesus.

Will you bring it to Jesus? Just lay it down in front of Him like the man.

Pray: God I admit to you it’s scary to let go of the things that have control over me, the things that are not of you. They are my excuse, my reasoning away of the sinful choices and decisions that make my life spin out of control. I need your strength to let go of them, I need your encouragement to bring them to you, I need your peace that it’s not so bad and so overwhelming that you cannot heal me from it completely. Jesus I need you. Amen

Holy Uprising - Tue Mar 23

Jesus is BIGGER Than evil! (Part 1)

Luke 8:26-39

26 So they arrived in the region of the Gerasenes, Other manuscripts read Gadarenes; still others read Gergesenes; also in 8:37. See Matt 8:28; Mark 5:1.

">* across the lake from Galilee. 27 As Jesus was climbing out of the boat, a man who was possessed by demons came out to meet him. For a long time he had been homeless and naked, living in a cemetery outside the town.

28 As soon as he saw Jesus, he shrieked and fell down in front of him. Then he screamed, “Why are you interfering with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? Please, I beg you, don’t torture me!” 29 For Jesus had already commanded the evil Greek unclean.

">* spirit to come out of him. This spirit had often taken control of the man. Even when he was placed under guard and put in chains and shackles, he simply broke them and rushed out into the wilderness, completely under the demon’s power.

30 Jesus demanded, “What is your name?”

“Legion,” he replied, for he was filled with many demons. 31 The demons kept begging Jesus not to send them into the bottomless pit. Or the abyss, or the underworld.

">*

32 There happened to be a large herd of pigs feeding on the hillside nearby, and the demons begged him to let them enter into the pigs.

So Jesus gave them permission. 33 Then the demons came out of the man and entered the pigs, and the entire herd plunged down the steep hillside into the lake and drowned.

34 When the herdsmen saw it, they fled to the nearby town and the surrounding countryside, spreading the news as they ran. 35 People rushed out to see what had happened. A crowd soon gathered around Jesus, and they saw the man who had been freed from the demons. He was sitting at Jesus’ feet, fully clothed and perfectly sane, and they were all afraid. 36 Then those who had seen what happened told the others how the demon-possessed man had been healed. 37 And all the people in the region of the Gerasenes begged Jesus to go away and leave them alone, for a great wave of fear swept over them.

So Jesus returned to the boat and left, crossing back to the other side of the lake. 38 The man who had been freed from the demons begged to go with him. But Jesus sent him home, saying, 39 “No, go back to your family, and tell them everything God has done for you.” So he went all through the town proclaiming the great things Jesus had done for him.

Legion was his name or at least that is the name the demons gave him. We never learn his given name but we do learn a lot about him in Luke 8 because his story is nothing short of incredible. It’s the kind of story you’d expect to see in a Hollywood Horror movie! Legion was a homeless man, who had been living in the cemetery completely cut off from his community. Legion had lost himself and his identity to evil. Evil controlled his actions, when folks would try to restrain him, he would ‘simply’ break free and run to the wilderness. Evil apparently even controlled his common sense because he didn’t clothe himself.

But this day would be different in Legions tortured life, today grace would overpower evil and Legion would be healed. Jesus arrived on the shore of Gerasenes, where Legion lived. As Jesus was climbing out of the boat Legion came out to meet him, unclothed, wild and shrieking loudly. What a scene that must have been, a man locked in a struggle coming out to meet with Jesus and the struggle was within himself. The struggle was between the man God created him to be and the evil that was now in control of him. The Demons inside where screaming at Jesus, yet the man inside of him, whose desire it was to meet with Jesus, was propelling him forward, towards the shore. Somehow, as if by instinct, this man was finally able to overpower the evil living inside of him.

Can you see it in your mind’s eye: The physical battle, the emotional struggle, the spiritual torturous walk towards the one and only one who could provide healing and hope for a restored and transformed life. Evil has no power over Jesus, even the many demons within Legion knew this. They knew they the battle for this man’s soul was over when he decided to make his way, no matter the cost, to the Savior.

Our lives may not be as lost to evil as Legions, but the raw honest truth is we all have areas of our lives where we allow evil to control instead of Jesus! As I type, areas of my own life are popping into my mind and I can feel that internal struggle starting…’bring it to Jesus’….’no, no, I'm just fine the way I am’.

Jesus longs for us to come to Him and seek healing from those evils that control us. He doesn’t want us to allow it to get so out-of-control that we are living scared, tortured lives apart from community.

What area of your life do you need to bring to Jesus and beg him to drive out the evil and take control?

How have you gotten away from the kind of life-giving community that helps us stay connected to God? What's your first step to getting back in community?

Pray: Father, help us to flee temptation and deliver us from evil. Give us the strength to run from the temptations that, little by little, allow evil to move in and please deliver us from the sin, and struggles that are the result of the times when we lose the battle with evil. Deliver us from lives that are out of your control! Your power is the power we desire to claim forever and ever. Amen!

Holy Uprising - Mon Mar 22

TODAY!


"Great is his faithfulness;

his mercies begin afresh each morning." (Lamentations 3:23)

"This is the day the Lord has made;

let us rejoice and be glad in it." (Psalm 118:24)

"Better is one day in your courts

than a thousand elsewhere." (Psalm 84:10)

"Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal." (2 Corinthians 4:16-18)


At the moment these verses all have new meaning to me after last week. I woke up early Monday morning with a 'rumbly tumbly' and ended up finding myself in bed for most of the week with a stomach that wouldn't quit giving back!

I felt miserable. It was my kids spring break and I was just a whiny, grumpy mess. On top of it all I was able to have NO coffee, ALL stinkin' week! Need I say more.

Kidding aside, I felt nauseous, unproductive, grumpy . . . and disconnected from God. All week in a funk. It's my fault. I didn't have to go all the way in there, but I did. You ever been there?

But when I look at these verses they remind me that today begins the rest of my life. That TODAY God's love for me is new and fresh. (Kind of like the fresh sunshine that is all over Corpus today after the storms we had yesterday!)
That I can live THIS DAY in His presence with no penalties or reminders of past stuff.
That if I will allow Him, everything that happens to me today will be used for future glory.

All of that makes me thankful?

Why don't you begin your day with thanks. Just take a few minutes and thank God for everything you can think of. While you're at it thank Him for the new beginning that you have today.

Now, go live in the sunshine!

Holy Uprising - Sat Mar 20

Desiring God or Desperate for God?


"Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is yourSome manuscripts our

"> life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory." Colossians 3:1-4

Powerful words, 'Christ who, is your life.' God's expectation is that Jesus will be the very focus of who we are. But it goes further . . .

I like what Francis Frangipane wrote below:

For many, Christianity is simply the religion into which they were born. For others, although Jesus is truly their Savior, their relationship with Him is hardly more than a history lesson, a study of what He did in the past. For those who truly love Him, however, Christ is Savior and more: He is their very life (Col. 3:4). When Jesus is your life you cannot go on without Him.

There is a story of a man who, in search of God, came to study at the feet of an old sage. The master brought this young man to a lake and led him out into the shoulder-deep water. Putting his hands upon his pupil's head, he promptly pushed him under the water and continued to hold him there until the disciple, feeling he would surely drown, frantically repelled the old man's resistance. In shock and confusion the young man resurfaced. "What is the meaning of this?" he demanded. His teacher looked him in the eyes and said, "When you desire God as you desired air, you shall find Him."

Was this not the attitude of psalmist when he wrote, "As the deer pants for the water brooks, so my soul pants for Thee, O God" (Ps 42:1)? You see, there is a place in seeking God where our heart goes beyond the limits of desire, where the actual issue becomes one of survival. I need Christ as a drowning man needs air and as a parched deer needs water. It is here, where we feel we cannot exist without seeking and finding the reality of God, that our deepest passion is fulfilled.

Is Jesus a desire? How much so? How do you know?

Is He your hope for survival?

Holy Uprising - Fri Mar 19

"He gives strength to the weary
and increases the power of the weak.

³⁰ Even youths grow tired and weary,
and young men stumble and fall;

³¹ but those who hope in the LORD
will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
they will run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not be faint." Isaiah 40:29-31

Recently I challenged the high school girls (GNO) with this verse - to take these 40 days and see where they are right now.

Are you soaring? Do you continually feel God's presence? Do you have full confidence that He not only hears your prayers but He is answering them as well? Do you see God's hand of blessing in your life? When an eagle soars, it's effortless - it lets the wind currents do the work for it. When we are soaring, we let God do the 'work' for us - we simply stay obedient to reading His word, prayer, and accountability. I think Jesus was soaring when he performed miracles! If you're soaring right now, enjoy it! Rest in His blessings!

Isaiah also says we may be running. Maybe you are in His word, you are praying, you are being obedient, but every day feels like you're against the wind. At times you get out of breath with the struggles, but as you persevere, you hit those times when your breathing gets back into rhythm and you know you'll make it to the finish line. I think Jesus may have felt like this in the Garden of Gethsemane - frustrated that his best friends couldn't stay awake, yet knowing He was fully in the presence of God. If you're running today, keep going! Keep praying, stay in God's word, find someone to be accountable to! Don't envy those who are soaring - find the lessons God wants you to learn in the frustrations. Maybe you need to take the focus off yourself and serve others - with simple acts of kindness or even a note of appreciation.

And then Isaiah says some of us will simply walk. One foot in front of the other. When all seems hopeless, keep walking. When Jesus carried his cross, he stumbled, but he kept going. You may be depressed, fearful, unmotivated to even get up in the morning. Serving others doesn't even seem like an option. Keep walking - He will keep you from fainting! Keep hoping, keep being faithful and He will renew your strength. Take one step each day.


Now, read the passage again. Recognize where you are and claim His promises. HE, will make you soar!

Holy Uprising - Thur Mar 18

Repentance and Forgiving Others


"Anyone who claims to be in the light but hates his brother is still in the darkness. Whoever loves his brother lives in the light, and there is nothing in himOr it

"> to make him stumble." 1 John 2:9-10


When I was a young girl I grew up in a church where you would reach an age of accountability, requiring you to receive the sacrament of confession, or penance.
What this meant was you became aware that you were a sinner, saved by grace, and must confess your sins to a priest, who then would offer you a penance, requiring absolution of your sins. I struggled as a child at age twelve, wondering what sins that I needed to confess. I often would prefabricate just in order to go through the requirements. So, long ago. And now as a grown woman…I do not have to think up sins, I sin daily, and know that I am a sinner, saved by grace, and as a priest before Christ, I am forgiven.

In reflecting on forgiveness, the theologian John Koenig defines forgiveness this way: “Forgiveness turns out not to be a work or a pronouncement but a discovery that grows out of our realization that we and the people from whom we are estranged are not very different after all.”

Forgiveness begins with an awareness of our shared humanity, recognition of the tremendous capacity that we have to both destroy and bless one another. The apostle Paul understood the complexity of our human nature—how we struggle to make the right choices, and how we sometimes do the very thing we despise: “For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I do.”
If we acknowledge the potential that we have for harming others, then we can have more compassion for those who hurt us.

As we read John's word's in Matthew 3: “I indeed baptize you with water…but He…will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.”
Oswald Chambers explains, “Repentance does not cause a sense of sin—it causes a sense of inexpressible unworthiness. When I repent, I realize that I am absolutely helpless, and I know that through and through I am not worthy even to carry His sandals.

A great question Chambers asks: Have I repented like that, or do I have a lingering thought of possible trying to defend my actions? The reason God cannot come into my life is that I am not at the point of complete repentance.

Conviction and Forgiveness: James 5:16 says, “Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.”
Frances J. Roberts explains this passage in scripture as such, “Man cannot forgive sin…Confess your faults one to another, and pray for one another that you may be perfected. I do not love you because you are sinless, but I am able to receive you into my fellowship and bring you close to my heart on the merits of the shed blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. Here rests your hope of cleansing and acceptance. Here is the only door of access between sinful man and a holy God. But here indeed is all you need.”








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Holy Uprising - Wed Mar 17

Renewing Unconditional Love

Part of Repentance and Renewal for many (if not all) of us is recognizing how we respond to others. Jesus said that following Him was all about loving God and loving others. How do you do with the least of those around you? Those with no voice and very few advocates?

Read Matthew 25:31-46

“When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory. 32 All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33 He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.

34 “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. 35 For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36 I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’

37 “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38 When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39 When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’

40 “The King will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.’

41 “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. 42 For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, 43 I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’

44 “They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’

45 “He will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’

46 “Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”

I grew up being taught not to give a beggar money, because they would just go buy booze, and not to look them in the eye because they might attack you. My attitude developed to a point that I would just ignore the homeless or condemn them as lazy vagrants to be kept in the shadows. Perhaps if I was feeling especially generous, I would come down from my $50K+ salary perch to 'bless' them with enough money to buy them a hamburger I would never eat.

During the past week, God has shown me that this is completely opposite from His heart for humanity. All people are God's creation, worthy of love, dignity and compassion...especially the "least of these". They are worthy of the same grace God gave to me through Christ. The "least of these" are NOT worthy of my judgment or condemnation.

I challenge you to meditate and pray on those who are the "least of these" that God places in your path. If you give $5 to a homeless man, do you give it freely, or with strings attached (i.e. "only if you use it to buy food")? Do you show the homeless man that you consider him a person by speaking to him, asking his name? Do you "know what's best for him" and offer a ride to the shelter, or do you take the time to ask him what he actually needs...then help meet that need?

Christ's words extend beyond the homeless...the single mom trying to make it, the chronically sick with no visitors, the elderly with no family. All of us can drive to certain parts of Corpus Christi, turn on the news, or just look into our own lives and see people broken hearted, oppressed, homeless, depressed, jobless. Unconditional love has no strings attached, and while you might feel taken advantage of, this love is the essence of Christ's death.

I imagine most of the 'goats' will be those just like me: that praised God Sunday morning, then neglected the "least of these" on my way home. Will you take Christ's message beyond reading your Bible by actually doing what it says?