Identify

identify (verb)
1. to know and say who someone is
2. to find out who someone is
3. to show who someone is
(according to Merriam-Webster's simple definition)

This is exactly what Christ calls us to do in Luke 9.23 "And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me."

We are so eager to identify with a sports team or a state or country...yet we mask our identity in Christ. We become undercover spies instead of unashamed saints. But Christ calls us to do the opposite. We are to identify with Him, regardless of the culture around us.


1. DENY YOURSELF
To deny is to disown. We are to disown ourselves, giving full ownership rights to God; we represent Him "But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof" (Romans 13.14) This is a complete change in lifestyle. Denying oneself is an act of humility which is complete opposite to our prideful nature. This does not mean that we should think lowly of ourselves - after all, we were created by God and in the image of God (Genesis 1.27) - but rather to transfer our thoughts to Christ, instead.

If you remember, the first definition of "identify" is listed as "to know and say who someone is." When we disown ourselves, we have the privilege to know God. When we know God, we realize that we have nothing to offer if it isn't through what He has done in and through us, causing us to speak of Him and ridding us of our self-centered nature.

2. TAKE UP YOUR CROSS DAILY
As Jesus carried the cross that should have been ours, He identified Himself with us. The holy God who was big enough to create the heavens and earth and all within it made himself small enough to associate with lowly, sinful people like us (Philippians 2.7-8).

Christ tells us to take up our cross. Our cross is not just an illness, an unsaved spouse, financial trouble, or a stressful job; it is much more than that. We were not all called to die on a cross, but we are all called to be willing. To bear our cross is to simply be willing to pay any price for Christ, even if it means going completely against culture and "the norm." No two people's cross will be the same; the length and intensity will vary, but nonetheless, we are commanded to carry our cross, and carry it DAILY.

3. FOLLOW HIM
To truly identify with Christ, we must also pattern our lives after Him. We can carry our cross, but if we don't follow Christ, the cross becomes unbearable. He is our rest "for my yoke is easy and my burden is light" (Matthew 11:28).

We cannot come to God on our own terms and in our own time. If we are to serve Him, we are called to follow Him (John 12.26). There is no "grey area" where we can mesh God and the world. We can try to justify anti-Biblical laws as "social acceptance" and claiming to show "no respect of persons." But this is not God's plan. We either give Him all or He doesn't want us: "And he that taketh not his cross and followeth after me, is not worthy of me." (Matthew 10.38).


In his book, Forward in the Face of Fear (set to release April 4, 2016), Edgar Feghaly tells of his life and ministry in Lebanon. He gives a good example of how a Christian should view his life, even in a society where identifying with Christ is far from fashionable:

"To me, carrying the cross daily had to do with my identity with Christ. Christ was not popular in His day; He reminded the disciples that He was hated by the world (John 15:18). So I determined not to worry about what the world thought but to be identified with my Saviour. And because I knew those around me were watching me and I realized my life could either be salt and light to show the glory of my Saviour or it could bring reproach to His name, I determined to have a good testimony before the world."

How well do you identify with Christ?

Noisy Blenders

We always have something to do. There is always somewhere we have to be, something to cook, something to clean, something to prepare. Paperwork, bank stuff, the house, food, family, work...the activities that make up our everyday lives.

It seems like we never have time for us. But most importantly - we don't have time for God. Well, actually: we don't MAKE time for God.

Think of the Bible story of Mary and Martha (found in Luke 10.38-42).

I consider myself a Martha. I run everywhere going crazy and don't realize that what I need and what is going to make my life more enjoyable is to sit at Jesus' feet to listen.

God has not put us on this earth to be stressed and to suffer. When he created Adam and Eve, his purpose for them was that they enjoy Him and what He had created.

How then can we enjoy if we are always busy?

We know we need to work, take care of family, do the monotonous things of life, but we allow that to take up too much time in our lives. The stress we put on ourselves of "doing and doing" should not take away the time we have to stop and enjoy the life God has given to us.

Please don't misunderstand me.

I am not saying that we should not do anything. On the contrary. The Bible tells us that if "any would not work, neither should he eat" (2 Thessalonians 3.10). When God created Adam, he told him to care for the garden and to eat and enjoy it: "And the LORD God took the man, and put him in the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it." (Genesis 2.15-16).

Working is part of life, but once it takes God's place it turns into sin.

Psalm 46.10 Be still and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth.

God tells us to have a quiet heart, in peace, trusting in Him. There is so much noise in our lives that we don't hear God. He is not going to yell at us until we listen. We ask Him to help us, to give us the strength and health to do what we need to get done, but we don't get to the point where we hear Him and learn from Him.

I am not just talking about spending time with God. I am taking about spending time with ONLY God. 

Talking to my husband from the kitchen while I am cooking is different than looking at him in the eye, talking and conversing. When I am in the kitchen, I am not giving him my full attention, but when we are on the couch concentrated the one on the other - it is completely different. 

The only way to be able to spend time ONLY with God is to have a quiet heart free from distractions. Only in complete peace are we able to hear God. Even when we are going through something difficult, we can point our hearts towards God.

My husband gave me this illustration a few days ago:

He works in a coffee shop where we sell coffee (obviously) and fruit smoothies. Right now we are having trouble with the blenders. One is broken and when the other one is used it sounds like a train coming through.

The phone rings often (too much). Now that we have nicer weather, we are busier and Gerson, who works alone, doesn't have time to make all the coffees and smoothies, and restock the fruits and ice creams. Attending to the phone during these busy times has been an almost impossible task.

When we have a lot of people and lots of calls, the easiest thing to do is to ignore the phone. The solution is simple: turn on the blender to drown out the phone calls!

Go ahead and laugh, or get mad...but think:

This is exactly what we do with God many times. We have so many things to do that they turn into "noisy blenders" and make it easy to ignore God's call. Many times, the things we busy ourselves with are good, but when they take priority over God, it is sin.

How do YOU talk to God? Do you yell at Him from the kitchen? Or simply turn on your blender of sin to ignore him?

What we should do is found in Isaiah 26.3-4: "Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee. Trust ye in the LORD for ever: for in The Lord JEHOVAH is everlasting strength."

This passage is not directly written to Christians, but since the promises of God and His qualities do not change, I felt this an appropriate verse. Not much explanation is needed: God will keep us in perfect when our thoughts are on Him. When He is our priority, our hearts can be in peace and we can communicate with Him.

Lessons from a Vacuum Cleaner

I like having my house clean. The smell of fresh sheets, the dust-free furniture, the shiny bathroom, the mopped floors, the spotless kitchen...its such a feeling of accomplishment! One of my favorites is to see the lines in the carpet parallel from vacuuming (if you are slightly OCD like I am, you know how hard this is to accomplish). For the past few weeks our vacuum cleaner had been making a funny noise. I checked it for a loose connection and cleaned out the dust container. It didn't fix the noise, but since it still turned on, I continued to vacuum attempting to line up the marks in the carpet and make it look as neat as possible. I soon got used to the noise and didn't think anything else about it. Two days ago, it was time to empty the dust container again. As I did this, I found the filter and saw that it was black and filthy. I scraped at the dust and found yet another layer of filth underneath. I managed to get it clean and let it dry. I reassembled the vacuum and vacuumed the house again. What a difference it made! The noise was gone and the carpet was clean!

You may not think much about this event, other than "Priscilla, how gross! How do you not clean out the filter?" but it caused me to reflect.

Psalm 147.10
"He delighteth not in the strength of the horse, he taketh not pleasure in the legs of a man."

I want to draw your attention to the phrase "he taketh not pleasure in the legs of a man." This phrase speaks of how God is not impressed with our strength, abilities or attempts to live a life pleasing to Him.

My vacuum experience reflected my life. I had tried to work properly, perform effectively and keep all the lines straight in my life, but my filter was dirty. I outwardly "worked" and looked good, but the results of my attempts did not meet the quota. God was not impressed with this. My filter needed cleaning. The answer is verse 11: "The LORD taketh pleasure in them that fear him, in those that hope in his mercy." Until I began to truly fear the Lord again, my attempts to please Him were futile.

Psalm 112:1
"Praise ye the LORD, Blessed is the man that feareth the LORD, that delighteth greatly in his commandments."

We cannot fear God if we do not delight in His Word. This is the key. The way we love our Bible determines how we love the Lord. Only through the Word of God can our filter be rid of gunk, only through His Word can we delight in his commandments and fear Him. And only then can we fulfill our true purpose and please the Lord outwardly as well as inwardly. We need to stop trying to please God our way and start learning to do it His way. Let us refuse to run on a dirty filter and let us refuse to do less than what God will enable us to do.