The Son’s Affect.

Ecclesiastes 11:7: “Light is sweet, and it pleases the eyes to see the sun.”

        Last time, I mentioned that for the iceberg (The whole of our mental and physical being) to be truly affected in a positive way, with the goal to reduce the berg, prevent shark attacks, and warm the water, there must be a powerful force from outside of the environment. That outside force is the Sun (Son), which gives warmth and light and sends its warming wind upon the earth.

           Of course, I am speaking of Jesus, who is the light of the world, giving warmth to our being. The word Spirit is defined as breath or wind, which likewise gives warmth to the air. Revelation 21:23 tells us that the Lord is the sum who gives light to the New Jerusalem; “The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp.”

        An iceberg can do nothing to correct its course, shrink in size, or determine water temperature. It has no power to prevent the effect of freezing water. It is indeed at the control of the environment around it. The Son shines on all creation, giving to all its warmth. Paul wrote in Romans 1:19-20

For what can be known about God is plain to them because God has shown it to them. 20 For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse.

        Only when the Son sends the Spirit (the Wind) upon us do we feel His power, and the opportunity for change is opened for a heart change. Jesus told Nicodemus in John 3:5-8 this important truth.

 Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.”

        The Spirit brings the power to change the being by taking away the old self and bringing about a new way of thinking, which is heavenly and rightly discerning. Again, we look to Paul, who tells us to “put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds,  and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.”

        The old manner, deceitful desires, and corrupted mind are parts of the Iceberg, before or apart from God’s light and the work of renewal done through the Spirit. The work done to us is supernatural, taking away pain and hurt and warming our hearts. Here is the promise we have from God found in Ezekiel 36:25-27 “I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your impurities and from all your idols. I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws.”

        The bad news is that life is filled with pain; we are all broken people. We have all been impacted by the environment of cold water (trauma) and the effect on other people. The Good News is that God can change all of that, taking away the pain, and giving you hope.

        The warmth given by the Son and Wind creates another valuable part of our healing process. God warms the water, which likewise has the power to reduce the iceberg and give us the tools to control our own lives. 

These questions are designed for you to think about the blog. They are not intended for you to share the answers in the comments, but you are welcome to share them with me. 

Questions:

        ·         In nature, how does the sun warm us?

        ·         What are things you like about being warm?

        ·         Have you felt the warmth of the Son?

        ·         How does His light give you warmth inside?

        ·         How could or does the Spirit give you power to be renewed from the inside, and change the patterns on the lower iceberg?

        What has kept you from the light if you have never experienced the son and found faith in Jesus?

Shark Attack

         Imagine the daily life of a seal. He wants to play with his friends and eat a little fish daily. Yet, there is danger lurking in the water, a deadly foe, looking to devour our seal friend.

It only takes one encounter with a shark for our little seal to meet his doom, or have a chunk of tail bitten off. The predator is a real threat to those who are the most vulnerable.

1 Peter 5:8 tells us “Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.” Be always on the alert for the devil; looking to consume you is Peter’s warning. Note his direction to remain sober-minded… how much happens to people when they are impaired and unable to use good judgment?

Children are the most vulnerable. While they want to play, they are at risk of a bear or shark attack. Both are predators looking to harm the prey. Satan (the Devil) not only orchestrates the traumatic events on the innocent, but he likewise twists the events using lies.

Our adversary aims to implant lies in a child's mind, and humans will reinforce the lie, directly affecting the iceberg. The lies have a sprinkle of truth but are so powerful they can devour a person, harming them for life. Common lies are:

    ·         You are worthless,

    ·         You are stupid,

    ·         You deserve to be treated poorly because you are trash,

    ·         You caused this to happen because you are…

    ·         No one loves you,

    ·         You are ugly,

    ·         If people really knew you and what you have done…

    ·         You are unlovable.

All of these lies directly affect the iceberg because they relate to our core beliefs, thoughts, attitudes, and emotions. The response becomes something like this: “Why should I try? No one loves me, and I don’t deserve love; I am worthless. I don’t care, so why try.”

This becomes a self-defeating cycle of lies, reinforced every time the person suffers a setback. The outcome is the behavior or actions resulting from the lies and trauma. This can seem hopeless; apart from an outside source, it will perpetuate itself forever.

 

These questions are designed for you to think about the blog. They are not intended for you to share the answers in the comments, but you are welcome to share them with me. 

Questions:

Take a minute and reflect on your life.

·         What Lies have you believed since you were a child?

·         Is this lie tied to a traumatic or other life event (memory)?

·         How has the lie shaped your lower iceberg?

·         Has the lie ever affected your actions or behavior due to believing the untruth?