Tag Archives: surround

Do you feel besieged?

 

The book of Daniel is an awesome description of what a life of a disciple looks like. There are so many lessons here, but I decided to go with the very first verse and call it my first lesson.

In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came to Jerusalem and besieged it. – Daniel 1:1  ESV

The Babylonians create a frightening space where the enemies of God surround you – besieged. Even though I may not wander away from God, if I am with others who have, I will be caught in the siege as well. To be a follower of Jesus now means to follow Him in the presence of enemies.

Peter gets what this looks like too. He gave some great examples on how to handle suffering in our day to day lives. I love the fact that his example was Jesus.

For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps. He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth. – 1 Peter 2:21-22  ESV

I think Jesus had to learn to discern God’s will and to learn obedience. He was quoted a few times saying, “Not My will, but Yours, be done.” Each day He was tempted in all points as I am. He chose everyday to humble Himself and suffer in the flesh (deny His self-will and the demands of sin), instead of giving in to sin. As a result of His incredible faithfulness to God, He committed no sin, there was no deceit, He never fell out of love, purity and goodness. This is my teacher, my example – for me to follow in His footsteps.

Peter has a special description of what the Church looks like. Church is an assembly of people who have been gathered out of darkness into the light of Jesus Christ. Church is a collective noun, a collection of smaller units such as the word “herd” or “flock” would mean to describe the gathering of certain cows or birds.

But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. – 1 Peter 2:9-10  ESV

If this description describes me, I belong to a gathering of certain people – the Church – there I find strength when I find myself besieged.

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Voices

 

Lauren Daigle – You Say

 

How crazy are the voices that surround you?  It is okay if these voices are those you have come to understand and know, your ability to weed out the weird and accept the love has a proven track record. But what if you started a new job, started attending a new church, or even moved into a new neighbourhood, how would you handle those voices?

 “Do you think, because David has sent comforters to you, that he is honoring your father? Has not David sent his servants to you to search the city and to spy it out and to overthrow it?” – 2 Samuel 10:3  ESV

The Ammonites had a new leader and the voices around him did something that wreaked havoc into his life and at the end of the day, his life was destroyed. It matters that I know the voices around me and it matters that I am listening to the right voice.

However, I get it that sometimes there is a voice that somehow takes control, supersedes God’s voice. How can that happen when He is your rock, your truth, and your life. I think there is a need that comes up and somehow that voice meets that need – in a very human way. Maybe it doesn’t meet your need, you just need it and want it, and you hope it meets your needs eventually. We actually exchange the real for the counterfeit.

Lately, I have discovered that I have been listening to a voice at work and I have been believing that the voice of approval with what I do is more important than God’s voice. At least I seek it more and listen more and want it more than God’s voice. It would seem that I know already from Him that I am special, loved, unique, called and gifted by Him. I now want to hear it from people. Not a good place to be because in order to get it, I have to lose some of me and what God has purposed me to be.

I pray today that my discernment of the motivations of what I hear will stay true to who I am in Christ and that I do not allow the new voices around me to be more important or a higher priority in my life as a disciple of Jesus.

 

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