Mislabeled No More

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a

new creation; the old has gone,

the new has come!”

II Corinthians 5:17 (NIV)

The jacket the woman was wearing was beautiful – a soft shade of pale yellow with a hint of cream and brown swirled throughout. But what caught my eye in just seconds was a strip of masking tape on the back, just below the left shoulder. On the tape was written “$5.00 – C.R.”

Obviously the woman had purchased the jacket at a garage sale. There is nothing wrong with that – some of my best treasures have come from those sales – but suddenly instead of seeing the beauty of the jacket, my focus was on the garage sale label that was stuck to it.

And I began to wonder what to do next:  take off the label or leave it and act like it wasn’t there.

We all wear labels, don’t we. Maybe they aren’t as obvious as the one on the woman’s jacket. But they can become a part of our lives without our even realizing it.

Do any of these labels sound familiar? Worthless, loser, failure, unloved, neglected, afraid, defeated, depressed, broken, ashamed. Sometimes others may speak them about us – but many times we label ourselves.

Today’s Scripture from II Corinthians 5:17 throws out those labels once and for all. It says “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” A new creation!

That’s the label we should be wearing as Christians. But unfortunately we allow Satan to not only whisper mistakes we may have made in the past but try to stick those labels on us today. If we allow him to succeed, it will affect our witness to others as well as how we view ourselves as children of the Creator.

Today, this very minute, stand up and shout “I cannot change the past but I CAN change the future. I belong to Christ. He lives in me.”

And the labels? Praise God, they are transformed!

  

• Worthless becomes Treasured!
• Loser becomes Winner!
• Failure becomes Success!
• Unloved becomes Cherished!
• Neglected becomes Nurtured!
• Afraid becomes Brave!
• Defeated becomes Conqueror!
• Depressed becomes Comforted!
• Broken becomes Whole!
• Ashamed becomes Joyful!

Do not let Satan’s lies stick to you like that piece of masking tape on the beautiful jacket. Let Jesus pull off that old label and throw it away!

You are not mislabeled. You are a beautiful new creation in Christ!

Father, thank you for labeling me as your child, valuable and worthy of your love, mercy and forgiveness. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

R.A.P. it up . . .

Reflect

• Have you ever felt like you have no value because of what happened in your past or how you are living now?

Application

• Journal a column of every label either you or someone else has tried to give you. Leave a blank space beside each one.

• Now read God’s Word and in the blank spaces write down the labels that God the Creator has given you. Place a huge X over each old label and remind yourself that you belong to the God of the Universe.

Power Verses

• II Corinthians 5:17 (NIV) “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!”

• Galatians 2:20 (NIV) “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”

• Isaiah 60:3a (NIV) “. . . and provide for those who grieve in Zion – to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair.”

• Ephesians 2:10 (NIV) “For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”

• Psalm 139:14 (NIV) “I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.”

Weapons for the War Room

“For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any

double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing

soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges

 the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.”

 Hebrews 4:12 (NIV)

The movie “War Room” impacted my prayer life more than anything I had ever seen. In the movie, a marriage was failing as a husband and wife found they were growing apart in their personal, spiritual and professional lives. And neither seemed to notice that their daughter was struggling too.

Until Miss Clara prayed. In her war room. And lives were turned upside down as never before.

Miss Clara was a friend who had an actual room in her home where she could shut the door, kneel before the Lord and bring her prayer requests to Him. Her prayers were a battle plan against Satan and she spent many hours presenting them to the Lord. He heard and answered and a marriage was renewed, a daughter was encouraged and lives were completely changed and refocused – all because of prayer in a war room.

I began to think about a war room in my home and finally chose a closet in the hallway. I moved out blankets, pillows and wreaths hooked on shelving. Everything in the closet was replaced with 3 by 5 note cards on which I wrote the date, person’s name and my prayer request and thumbtacked them to the wall.

Early each day I would go in, add cards as needed, look at the prayer requests and pray over each one. As prayers were answered, I wrote the date on that card. But at the same time, prayers for healing for a neighbor, a positive pregnancy test for a couple and a revived marriage for good friends were not answered.

 I found myself becoming discouraged as I looked at the wall and unanswered prayer requests. That was when the Lord whispered to my heart: “You are focusing on each situation and not on me. Don’t look at each card as a win or loss. Look at them as opportunities to allow my power to work in those lives. Look around this room. What are you forgetting?”

Instantly I realized what I had been doing. I had prayer requests everywhere but not one spot on my wall was reserved for the Word of God! I was looking at the situation, and praying, yes, but I was not drawing on the one huge weapon that God has for His children: Scripture from His Word.

Miss Clara had Scripture written all over her war room and spoke it with confidence every single time she entered that room! How could I have forgotten how important the Bible was and is?

The wall of my war room changed drastically that day. I went straight to my Bible and began to write Scripture on note cards and place them among my prayer requests. On January 20, 2016, I wrote Exodus 14:14 “The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still” and placed it beside a card for a man struggling with cancer. 

On February 16, 2016, I wrote Isaiah 26:3-4 “You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast. Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord, the Lord, is the Rock eternal” on a card and prayed as I tacked it beside one whose marriage was falling apart.  Every day new Scripture was placed among the prayer requests until the wall was almost completely covered.

 Today my war room has become a precious place for me to kneel before our Father and share my prayer requests. But it is also a place where I can pull out my weapon – the Word of God – and praise Him for what He is going to do in the lives of each person on my note cards.

Father, thank you for your words of encouragement and comfort for us, your children. Help us to focus on you no matter what we face in our lives. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

R.A.P. it up . . .

Reflect

·         When you pray, where is your focus? On the situation or the Savior?

Application

·         Find a closet/small room in your home that you can use as your war room.

·         For every prayer request that you tack to the wall, write Scripture on a note card and place it beside that request. Praise the Lord for His answer.

Power Verses

·         Hebrews 4:12 (NIV) “For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.”

·         Ephesians 6:12 (NIV) “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.”

·         2 Corinthians 10:3-4 (NIV) “For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds.”

·         Ephesians 6:18 (NIV) “And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.”

·         I Peter 5:8 (NIV) “Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.”

           

           

Like A Child

“And he said: ‘I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little

 children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.’”

Matthew 18:3 (NIV)

We could all see it coming. My son-in-law had only seconds before said “Nothing good is going to come from this” as we all watched through the window while seven year old Jude built a ramp out of boards and a card table and then ran to get his bike.

Oh, he had a helmet on but that did nothing to protect the rest of his body as he raced up the makeshift ramp and immediately fell off the side. He hopped up and gave us all a thumbs up but quickly grabbed his left wrist.

His mom and dad immediately checked him out but he reassured them that he was just fine and it only hurt a little. However the next day, the wrist hurt even more and he was unable to move it without a quick intake of breath and a grimace of pain.

I volunteered to take him to the doctor since both parents were working. I was not at all surprised that, after an examination, the doctor wrote an order for an x-ray.

 Jude was very concerned about what the outcome might be. “I start flag football on Saturday, Grandma,” he said. I’ve waited all my life (7 years) to play football and if it’s broken, I can’t play!”

I took him by his unhurt hand as we walked into the hospital to the x-ray department. “Jude, God knows that you have waited to play football ‘all your life.’ Maybe it’s just a sprain or it’s jammed. I am going to pray right this minute that it’s not broken.”

He glanced up at me. “You are just NOW praying, Grandma? I’ve been praying since I fell on it yesterday.” Ouch.

When did I forget that I needed to become like a little child before my Father as today’s Scripture says? I confess that I worried about his arm. I pictured the worst that could be wrong, like a major fracture and surgery. But I did not pray about it until I heard the fear in my grandson’s voice that his wrist might be broken.

How about you? When faced with a situation that could possibly have a bad outcome, do you pray immediately like Jude did? Or do you worry, become anxious and picture the worst BEFORE you pray – like I did?

“Become like little children.” That’s my encouragement for all of us. When something happens, right then is the time to pray. Not as an afterthought. Not if all else fails. Nope. Pray immediately. Our faithful Father hears and He answers.

Jude did not have a break; his wrist was jammed. As we climbed in my car, I turned around to see Jude, hands together and eyes looking upward as he thanked the Lord for His answer.

Lord, please help me to be like this little child Jude.

Father, I desire to be as a little child and trust you completely with everything in my life. May I always react first with prayer. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

R.A.P. it up . . .

Reflect

• What is your immediate response to a tough situation? Panic or prayer?

Application

• Journal situations or problems you have had for the last month and beside each one write your first response: prayer or panic.

• If you wrote “panic” beside any of them, determine whether or not that helped resolve the situation. Then decide that your first response from now on will be prayer.

Power Verses

• Matthew 18:3 (NIV) “And he said: ‘I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.’”

• Psalm 107:28 (NIV) “Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble, and he brought them out of their distress.”

• Philippians 4:6 (NIV) “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.”

• Matthew 19:14 (NIV) “Jesus said, ‘Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.”

• Psalm 8:2 (NIV) “From the lips of children and infants you have ordained praise because of your enemies, to silence the foe and the avenger.”

Her One Beauty

“Pleasant words are a honeycomb, sweet to

the soul and healing to the bones.”

Proverbs 16:24 (NIV)

The young woman in the yellowed picture caught my attention as I was looking through some old albums a few days ago. Her thick hair was quite wavy, brushing her shoulders, and appearing, in the black and white photo, to be red or medium brown. Her skin was naturally flawless and reminded me of the “finished” look that Hollywood actresses spend hundreds of dollars trying to achieve.

 

She was wearing a button-down cardigan with a dark scarf tied around her neck. Her eyes appeared to be pale and she was looking, not at the camera, but rather off to the right.

But what caught my attention was her smile: it was non-existent. Her lips were pressed together almost as if she was gritting her teeth. I wondered if she simply did not like having her picture taken but I found that hard to believe because she was lovely.

I turned the picture over to see if there was any information about her and read the following: “September 1949. Ruth Adele, age 19 years. Johnny’s latest “hobby” is photography. This is a Kodak picture taken on our front porch. Not too good, but at least you can see how she has grown. Her hair is her one beauty, red gold, and naturally curly. Very fair skin and gray-green eyes. She is several inches taller than I.”

“Her hair is her one beauty . . .” No wonder she wasn’t smiling in the picture. But then I wondered if the person writing those words realized how they sounded. Were they meant kindly? To someone just picking up the picture, they did not read that way. And since they were written down, they were captured for anyone to read years later and wonder, as I did, who the pretty young lady was with no smile.

I have to ask myself how many times I have made a comment like the one made about Ruth Adele without stopping to think about how hurtful it might sound. And what about the emails I have sent with comments that did nothing to build up, but rather tore down the person I was writing about. Unfortunately I know the answer and I am ashamed.

My prayer is that we will all stop and think about what we say – or write – about those around us. Let these words of wisdom be at the beginning of every comment we make and every email we send: “May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer.” Psalm 19:14 (NIV).

So many times, Father, I have spoken or written words that were hurtful. Forgive me. Please help me to stop and think…and then stop and think again…to make sure that what I am saying or writing only reflects you. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

R.A.P. it up . . .

Reflect

• Have you ever made a comment or sent an email and then immediately wished that you could take it back?

• Why? What did you say or write that made you feel that way? Did it build up or tear down?

Application

• When you find yourself wanting to make a comment, either verbally or written, that might offend or hurt, stop and do a heart check with the Holy Spirit. Will what you have to say build someone up or tear them down?

• Is what you want to say or write something that really needs to be shared at all or if it is, can you say it in a different way that will not be hurtful?

Power Verses

• Proverbs 16:24 (NIV) “Pleasant words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones.”

• Proverbs 21:23 (NIV) “He who guards his mouth and his tongue keeps himself from calamity.”

• Ephesians 4:29 (NIV) “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs…”

• Colossians 4:6 (NIV) “Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.”

• Psalm 19:14 (NIV) “May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer.”