“Tell Them I’m Serious”

Dear Christian ~ Right on cue, the weightiness of the words God gives me to deliver has grown since early January. It is a fine line between discerning what He wants shared and when and how to share it. In lieu of a ‘word for the year’ as 2020 dawned, I sensed quiet but strong the directive –
“Tell them I’m serious.”

In January the past three years, the Lord birthed a theme of messages to be written through Wellspring of Life. Each had its own measure of ‘serious’.

First, there was Reflections of An Election Heart as 2016 drew to a close and 2017 arrived. Then, 2018 and More of What Matters, coalesced with 2017’s emoting. 2019 brought forth 18 letters in this Dear Christian series. Now 2020, there are more letters to write. (And I don’t have to change my cover picture 😊)

When I began to write ten years ago, the Lord gave me a mandate I knew not to ignore; not if I was going to represent Him with my words. “Point them to Me.” No one can say I haven’t pointed to Him over and over. A decade and a new year later, He’s upped the ante; with this wellspring, but also for you as water carriers.

 

 Life in the Middle

The Lord has always had a much larger playing field He’s working from than what you or I have daily perceived. He is devoted to His own cause and He will have the final word. How we relate with Him in the middle is our life.

Before any of our causes or words have much redemptive effect in our life or anyone else’s, what we think or perceive about who He really is gets challenged. Causes don’t gain much traction and words fall on deaf ears.

Others may come and go in our lives based on our causes and our words, but may it not be that we, dear Christian, continue to lump Christ in the same category as others who hold sway over our emotional history, including Satan himself. We can fall prey to endorsing the chief liar more than being empowered by the Holy Spirit. Simply because we do not place our Living Lord in His righteous and rightful seat of dominion in our life.

We are quick to profess that we are seated with Him in heavenly places (Eph. 2:6) Profession is only half of it, beloved. Colossians 3:1-17* commends us to the Holy Spirit who teaches, convicts, and enables us to put away our former way of life and enthrone Christ in our heart and mind. He works to bring forth life’s redeemed fruit.

The deceiver loves to lounge against the prison bars we have erected and reinforced in our ways of thinking, all the while with the doors wide open. Ever-present Holy Spirit is there too, speaking the Father’s truth in love, wanting to show us a more excellent way. (I Cor. 12:31) A way for our life that leaves the grave clothes behind.

 

“Tell them I’m serious.”

I think Oswald Chambers was convicted along similar serious lines. He wrote, “Never ask another person’s advice about anything God makes you decide before Him. If you ask advice, you will almost always side with Satan.”

I don’t ask others’ advice about what to write; Holy Spirit holds that honor. I can attest that there are things God has made me decide before Him, both in my life before writing and since. Some days, I’m just the messenger:

“Tell them I’m serious” about the things that continue to be indulged that are not of Me.” (Messenger note: He’s not kidding).

“Tell them I’m serious” about the things I have been orchestrating in their life that are of Me.” (Messenger note: He’s not kidding!)

  

Shoes Come in a Pair

Ten years of “point them to Me” left plenty of room for the “if the shoe fits, wear it” approach.

“Tell them I’m serious” means both shoes fit, beloved.

These are no longer the days of build first and forget the foundation. Cracks and fissures, leaning or collapsing, have a way of becoming the tell-tale evidences in our lives and endeavors of not taking God seriously, enough.

On the other foot, God is not unjust where now revived, we have invested ourselves in putting on the new self.*

I know this: He works in both realms. I can testify that His and our greater joy comes with our willing submission to and cooperation with the Holy Spirit clothing us in the beautiful character of Christ. Beginning with two shoes.

It is the simultaneous cause and effect of putting off old habits and ways of thinking and experiencing the activity of the Holy Spirit for good in our lives, that is behind His quiet but strong word: “Tell them I’m serious.”

 

Testing of Your Faith

What is and what is not of Him in your life, dear Christian? James 1 is a splendid chapter to help gauge your “taking God seriously” level. You might want to remove your shoes. The Word of God is holy ground.

~ Gracefully Free

P.S. “He seriously loves you.”

Photo Credit: Tirachard Kumtanom from Pexels │©2020  Nancy Bentz │Wellspring of Life