Tiniest of Seeds
"He told me all that I ever did." - the Samaritan woman in John 4:39
Yes, life is messy and integration of Jesus and faith with life often doesn’t look like what we thought it was “supposed” to or think it "should" look like. Are we shocked? We are literally told by Jesus that this life is full of trials. Yet we as we show up we can heal and grow in ALL God promises. He has after all, overcome. We can too.
He saved me. I can’t say it more clearly than that. Yes, Jesus has proven to me to be the ultimate answer. Has it been easy? No. It’s been 25 years of a winding road that he has made straight. As I continue to walk it out, I can’t help but testify - and to talk with others in their own unique places on the discipleship road. How amazing.
“Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen." Ephesians 3:20-21
Tiniest of Seeds
Freedom? We Often Settle For Far Less Than What Jesus Won For Us
How simple it is, yet how hard we make it. Yes, because we are human! There is so much grace and mercy that is ours, and yet we so often settle for far less than the truth Jesus won for us on the cross. We CAN indeed walk in more and more realization of the freedom we have. This episode is packed with scripture to encourage you to persevere and grasp hold of what is yours. The Word is alive and active, so join me in this exhortation.
Welcome to the Tiniest of Seeds podcast. My name is Laurine Decker and today I'm going to be talking about freedom. And as I look around our world, our church, there's a lot of unrest. I don't see a lot of joy. And personally, I have come to know the joy and the freedom and the peace of the Lord Jesus Christ. Now I want to tell you it has not been an easy journey. It has been long. There have been multiple points where I have walked through the valley of the shadow of death, even recently. There have been some times when I feel that I cannot make it. I have been desperate knowing that unless I have the strength of the Lord Jesus Christ, I cannot do it. Paul says his power is perfected in our weakness. Jesus says in John in this world you will have many trials and tribulations, but don't be afraid. I've overcome the world and today I'm here to implore you to consider the scriptures and to receive the more of the freedom that the Lord Jesus Christ has for you. He has truly conquered sin and death. He has purchased your freedom.
Laurine:Second Corinthians says when one turns to the Lord, the veil is removed. It says now the Lord is the spirit. And where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we all, with unveiled face beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit. That is the truth. You guys and I'm experiencing it more and more we do have to wrestle. We don't wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities and powers and the spiritual forces of darkness.
Laurine:This podcast is gonna be packed with a lot of scripture. I hope and pray that you will take the time to listen to the word of truth. The word is living and active. It is sharper than a two-edged sword and it can divide bone. And active. It is sharper than a two-edged sword and it can divide bone and marrow. We cannot discern the own motives of our hearts, and our hearts are desperately wicked. None is righteous, not one, it tells us in Isaiah.
Laurine:That is why the Lord Jesus Christ was always plan A. He came to set us free from the law of sin and death. He did not come to abolish or nullify the law. He came to fulfill it. Why? For our freedom? Why For glory to God. Why? So that we could truly fulfill the first and greatest commandment to love the Lord, god, with all of our heart, soul and strength. Do you? I still don't always feel that I do, and in fact I have suffered from a lot of condemnation in my life because I was striving so hard for that freedom. I had put the law on top of my own capacity for personal freedom.
Laurine:I was raised in a church that was very theologically grounded, but it did not emphasize or believe necessarily in the power of the Holy Spirit. When we look in the scriptures, god, the Father, son and Spirit are always together, from Genesis 1, the Spirit hovering over the face of the waters, and later on in John, where it says In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God and the Word was God. That's the Lord Jesus Christ, and he is the one that actually spoke the world into being. So the triune God God the Father, son and Spirit were always together. The Lord Jesus Christ was led by the Spirit, and I think that we forget that that power that is needed to bring glory to God is available to us through the Holy Spirit.
Laurine:2 Timothy talks about a form of godliness denying its power and I submit to you today that I believe much of the church has forgotten the power of the Lord Jesus Christ that has truly overcome the grave. It is for freedom. He has set us free. Going back to 2 Corinthians, he commands us to walk by the Spirit and he says that we will have the fruit love, peace and joy. We will have freedom. Does it mean that we will do it perfectly? Absolutely not. Does it mean that we do not have to wrestle on the sanctification road? Absolutely not. We do have to fight. We have to pick up our cross and follow him. We look at the Lord Jesus Christ, our example. He picked up his cross and he submitted to the point of death, even death on a cross. He was despised, he was mocked, he was taunted, he was rejected.
Laurine:The Bible says unless you leave father, mother, sister, brother, you cannot be my disciple. But you know what it's. I have come to learn that obedience does equal joy. It doesn't always make sense, you guys. Proverbs 3, 5, and 6 says Trust in the Lord, acknowledge Him, he will keep your path straight. I feel like now.
Laurine:Often we think we need the knowledge or the understanding. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom and it comes back to what we were created for, which is worship. I've had a lot of people say to me things like Well, you can't literally pray without ceasing, or well, you know, it doesn't mean God cares about every little detail of your life. But I submit to you yes, he does. We are created to pray without ceasing and that means to be remaining in a posture of worship, to remain in the vine. And again, we look at Jesus as our example. He walked and talked with God and with the disciples. He entered into life. That communion, that community, was not interrupted because he was God and he laid down his omniscience, his knowledge, his power. He laid down those things to enter in so that he could suffer all things as we suffer. We do not have a high priest that cannot sympathize with our weakness. Yet he was perfect, he was without sin and you know what he purchased our perfection and victory on the cross Romans 6, 7, 8,. I love it. Victory on the cross Romans 6, 7, 8, I love it.
Laurine:The apostle Paul goes on quite a discourse about sin and grace and how we are dead to sin and alive to Christ and we've been baptized into his life and victory. And yet we wrestle. And I love it because that is where Paul says why do I do what I don't want to do? But praise be to God. There is no condemnation. So we see right there this picture of Paul having to stand and choose his freedom. He has to choose his freedom. How do we choose it? We choose it through surrender, romans 12,. I quote it a lot. So submit yourselves, therefore, to God as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable, which is your reasonable act of worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind that you will know what is the good and acceptable and perfect will of God. That's why I love the word freedom, because it is so that we can walk in things that bring us life.
Laurine:We are meant to enjoy life no matter what our circumstances are, and I have had a lot of externally difficult circumstances in the past couple of years and I'm not going to go into detail about them. And, as I've shared many times, I have struggled and had many challenges walking out of addictive coping mechanisms I have had both food and alcohol dependency and addiction and for me to be able to walk with freedom. Yesterday I got to go with my daughter to visit one of her clients up in Seattle and afterward I was reflecting to her the miracle that I can actually go into someone's home, eat macarons, drink dairy and not be self-destructive and binge afterwards. I'm telling you that because the freedom that has been won for me is to be able to love and to enter in without the distress and destruction and disruption to myself over my body and some of you may or may not understand that, but my level of control and anxiety managing my life was so high I was not able to enter in with love and you know that is what God created us for. We can indeed walk as his temple. We can indeed walk in love. Walk as his temple. We can indeed walk in love.
Laurine:I mentioned last week with Katie Karpain how it's not something that minimizes your feelings or smacks theology or legalism on top of things when Christ commands us to do certain things such as forgive or think about things that are good, pure and lovely. That's what Paul says in Philippians. He says rejoice. He says in everything, give thanks, cast your cares upon him and give thanks. It's not minimizing or stuffing, it is actually walking in the truth that Christ has provided for us and I can testify that as I continue to show up and practice what Christ has won for me on the cross through the application of the word and prayer and worship, submission, surrender to the spirit. Practically speaking, it looks like Lord, god, I'm here today. Fill me with your spirit so that I can worship you in spirit and truth. Equip me, help me. I want to love you and I want to love others. I want to die to myself, and you know there's a verse in Corinthians that talks about no temptation overtaking you, but such as is common to man, and God will provide a way of escape. And there is another verse that talks about taking captive every thought that sets itself up against knowledge of Christ, that is, knowing Christ. Jesus talks about taking the plank, looking at the plank in your own eye. Every single thing that distracts us from being able to presently remain in the peace that the Lord provides is something that he wants to deliver us from or expose.
Laurine:On Sunday, I had an opportunity to lead worship at my church and, for reasons that I won't go into afterward, I felt such extreme shame, humiliation it goes back to my family of origin story with my performance and my perfectionism and some of the specific lies that the enemy has perpetrated over my life. Like you are not good enough, you have to be perfect. That was not acceptable. You were a distraction, that was an embarrassment. Anyway, long story short, those things are irrelevant as we look to the cross of Christ. Now, not irrelevant in that they don't have meaning or import, but because Christ has healing. Sunday, I was wrecked Monday. Sunday, I was wrecked. Monday I was wrecked. Tuesday I was wrecked. Wednesday, I received the joy and inspiration to step back into a place of being willing to lead worship. I get to lead it again on August 11th, but my point is it does not minimize our story. He has healing. He has healing, he has freedom.
Laurine:When something is exposed that feels too painful to endure, we get to do what Jesus did and we get to say here I am, lord, I'm going to pick up my cross again, knowing that I can endure it. I can endure and despise the shame, despise the shame. I can endure the situation and know that nothing, nothing can prevent me from receiving that freedom that you have. Christ dismantled, the evil one. We get to stand in the authority of the Lord, jesus Christ, and receive that joy, because you know what In his presence is fullness of joy. What is preventing me from remaining in his presence? And that is where, you guys, we get to feel those pains, we get to suffer.
Laurine:Christ suffered and agonized in the garden of Gethsemane. He said Father isn't there another way, he sweat drops of blood. And so we see he cried, he agonized. It is not a stuffing or a minimizing of feelings, it is a wide, open heart to say yes, and there is more, because you conquered sin and death, you purchased my freedom. You said walk in peace and joy. You said you are not despised or rejected and you don't need to be ashamed. Well, you know what, guys, I am not going to be ashamed. I'm not ashamed of the gospel of Christ. It is a power of God and to salvation to everyone that believes. And salvation is now. Jesus said the kingdom of God is here, the kingdom of God is in your midst. Jesus said eternal life is to know God.
Laurine:And so we put on our armor, we continue to stand, and when we can't, we reach out. Love God, love others. We can address our needs. We do not need to be ashamed of our feelings and we also don't need to overanalyze or ruminate, because guess what? The Lord, god, the Holy Spirit, is our counselor. He is the one that convicts us as to sin and righteousness. That's not to say we don't need human counselors. Sometimes we definitely. This past week, you guys, I reached out. I have a number of very special women who have got my back in prayer.
Laurine:It's taken time and persistence to build that trust, and people will always disappoint us in some manner or another. But you know what doesn't disappoint the love of the Lord, jesus Christ. People get to be human and we can walk in freedom and trust because of what he has won for us. And so I'm really passionate about this, because I feel like so many are suffering in ways that are not necessary right now. Those external things, they will always be here. The apostles, the disciples, they were all martyred, they were killed. It certainly was suffering to be stoned, and yet we have the strength and the ability, by the power of the Holy Spirit, to remain intact, to be able to love presently, to be able to have joy in our situation. And you know, I am experiencing that and so I cannot be quiet.
Laurine:Paul says in Philippians he's talking I love Philippians and he talks about Jesus and humbling himself to the point of death, even death on a cross. And then he talks about how we are also supposed to love and serve one another, and that is not being a doormat, but we get to experience freedom and joy as we love and as we serve. Jesus washed Judas' feet right before Judas went out to betray him. We get to listen to the shepherd and we get to obey, and he will keep our paths straight. Listen to the shepherd and we get to obey, and he will keep our paths straight. And you know what it is a personal salvation. The Lord, jesus Christ, came to save you so that those streams of living water could flow out of you by the power of the Spirit. We are joint heirs with Christ. We have been seated with him in the heavenly realms. We are clothed with robes of righteousness, even now. Will you receive it? I want to and I will. And you know what If you don't feel that loving God with all your heart is possible?
Laurine:I certainly have not felt like that much of my life. Often it drove me into condemnation, drove me into self-destruction, because you know what, I can't ever measure up. But what has shifted for me is the recognition that, through him, I do. John, when he was exiled on the island of Patmos, got that revelation. That is in the book of Revelation, and in chapter three he's talking to one of the churches I think it was the church of Laodicea and he said I would that you were either hot or cold, you're lukewarm, and I will spit you out of my mouth.
Laurine:He says for you, say I'm rich, were either hot or cold, you're lukewarm, and I will spit you out of my mouth. He says for you, say I'm rich, I don't need anything. But he says don't you know that you're poor and pitiable and blind, and we can come and buy the gold refined by fire so that we can be rich. So I just want to say, if you are finding that you're lukewarm, if your eyes are not fixed upon Jesus, he has everything you need for life, and godliness tells us that in 2 Peter, we are meant to add to our faith virtue and knowledge and self-control, and you know what that ends up with Love, love for God and love for others, an ability to walk presently in this life with fullness of joy, because we can remain in his presence. And so that's my imploring to you Trust him, take him at his word. He has more, exceedingly, more abundantly than you can ask or think, and it's present and it's for today.
Laurine:So any area of your life that you are stuck that seems hopeless. He is bigger. He is more. He has defeated the grave. He is resurrected. He is more than a conqueror. We are more than conquerors in Christ Jesus. Nothing can stand against him, nothing. Who can stop the Lord Almighty? Not by might, not by power, but by your spirit.
Laurine:Lord God most high, will you receive it today with me?
Laurine:Listeners, pray for me.
Laurine:I'm praying for you that we would walk like Jesus did with the father, by the power of the spirit, that he would lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil.
Laurine:His kingdom come, his will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Lord God most high, you have won our freedom. You, holy, you are worthy to be praised. You said on the cross, lord Jesus, it is finished, lord. I pray that my listeners would receive in fuller measure what you have won for them, lord God, that you would strengthen and equip them to fight where you are asking them to fight, to not expend their energy on things that you are not asking them to expend energy on. I pray in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, for a fresh revelation, counsel, conviction of the Holy Spirit, so that we can love you, lord God, with all of our heart, soul and strength, and love others as ourselves. We can only do it with you, and your power is indeed perfected in our weakness. In Jesus' name, amen, be blessed today and go in the joy and the peace and the blessing of the Lord.