Being a youth pastor for a number of years I came to recognize something that became extremely dangerous in the hearts of young people...now being a lead pastor, I find that it's not much different in the hearts of adults. We are prone to mountain top experiences that seem to be followed by falling into deep pits...The enemy comes quickly to rob anything God might have spoken directly to our hearts. Have you experienced that before?
The enemies language is self doubt...insecurity...the 'Who am I' attitude...a mocking voice...FEAR. Have you ever heard any of that before? One of the reasons we succumb so quickly to the pitfall of these voices is that we suffer from SGML...What is SGML? I'm glad you asked! It means short-term God memory loss. God speaks with power in our lives and we forget...Have you ever struggled in a situation even though God has brought you through that very situation before? I have as well... Have you ever wondered if God really spoke desires into your heart and if He has the power to fulfill them? I've been there...
In the Old Testament they did something pretty cool. They set-up altars. All throughout the Old Testament they set-up altars where they would offer sacrifices to God as a way of thanking, honoring, remembering...At that moment when the sacrifice was made God was the focus of the heart for those making the sacrifice...It was a place of covenant where you were committing your heart to God and recognizing the awesomeness of who He was.
We don't need to make sacrifices like they did in that day (no animals needed) but if we throw this concept to the winds and just think of it as "Old Testament Theology" then we lose what God is trying to establish in our lives.
Christ was sacrificed so that life was given. He gave you life. He established a new covenant in our lives that set us free from the law of sin and death. Christ was the last blood sacrifice ever made and is the last blood sacrifice ever needed...however...sacrifice did not end.
Listen to this...
Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship. Romans 12:1
We become living sacrifices...and the altar are those moments that we put God first...that we give Him our attention and time. The reality is that every moment of our lives should be an altar to God...our lives, not a one time sacrifice...but a lifetime sacrifice. It comes back to abiding (remaining) in Christ that I have been talking so much about recently.
When you abide in Christ...and your life is a living sacrifice to Him...you don't lose sight of His promises...you don't forget the good that he's done and is doing. Life loses a bit of it's rollercoaster effect because you find Him in every moment of your life and you find every moment of your life in Him (beautiful and ugly). He's always right there...and you're always with Him...It's impossible to forget something that is at the center of your life.
I admit...I still claw out of the pit at times...I haven't figured this out perfectly yet...but I am purposefully choosing to put myself on the altar daily so that I can find that place of really remaining in Him. Yes...in good moments and bad...and as I do that I find that it becomes easier...and I also find that when life get's tough...I don't forget who He is and how He loves me and joy is still present.
What will my story be? God is continuing to shape it through my sacrifice and abiding in Him...I am excited and no one can take away the desires that he has placed in my heart...no matter how impossible they seem at times...no matter how great the odds look...It doesn't matter to a really BIG GOD who accepts my sacrifice and loves me with abundance...THE SAME IS TRUE FOR YOU.......................
What struck me was "he accepts my sacrifice".. Really made me think. What am I bringing to the table. The sacrifice table. Struck a deep chord in me.
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