I have to admit, my first draft of this post included some beating around the bush. I feel like I'm in Harry Potter world in which we all fear "He Who Must Not Be Named." We may not even acknowledge that he exists. Who? You know who. Voldemort. No. No. I'm kidding. It's not Voldemort for us. Let's try it again. That "evil one" we avoid mentioning. The "dark side" that we often forget or believe does not exist. Satan. Duh duh duh! I said his name! Think of Satan with this Harry Potter/Voldemort analogy (please forgive me devout Harry Potter book lovers, it has been a while since I read the series. And please forgive me, those who do not know Harry Potter world). Voldemort starts off as "He Who Must Not Be Named" or "You Know Who." He is a sort of "deadish" figure in the first book. He is very abstract, so much that he doesn't even have his own body. As the seven books unfold, Harry learns more and more about Voldemort. He learns other names for him such as "Tom Riddle." He learns that Voldemort is divided into many forms known as horcruxes. Eventually, He Who Must Not Be Named is referred to as Voldemort. And eventually, for Harry, Voldemort isn't even Voldemort. He is just Tom. He isn't some all-powerful evil force that is unstoppable. He is just little Tom Riddle. I'm going to switch things drastically now to real stuff--not imaginary stuff that holds realistic themes. Jesus! Think about it: God in the Old Testament comes to Moses as the burning bush. When Moses asks God what His Name is, God says, "I AM WHO I AM" (Ex 3:14). It is the Divine Name YHWH that the Israelites do not even utter, it is so sacred. God seems kind of abstract to me with just reading Genesis or Exodus. I'm no bible scholar, but when I add in the prophetic books, and the wisdom literature, and the historical accounts, and I start learning all sorts of names for God, from the common "Lord God," to "my King and my God" (Psalm 5:2) "the Holy One of Israel" (Isaiah 41:16), and "Almighty Lord" (2 Maccabees 3:30), I more fully know His identity. And by the New Testament, we have the big, obvious, Holy Name. Jesus. The one whom Isaiah calls, "Wonder Counselor" (9:6) and "Immanuel" (7:14). Jesus, Who repeatably says, "I Am..." (insert your preference of he, way, truth, life, good shepherd, gate, light, vine, resurrection, bread of life). We start learning all sorts of names and attributes for God from Him being called Our Father, to the Holy Spirit, Who accompanies us when Jesus ascends to His Father. The Names for God are never-ending. We have the one "Lord, Jesus Christ" (1 Corinthians 8:6) in Paul's letters and by Revelation...boy, Revelation...we have the typical Old Testament "Lord our God the Almighty," but we now have Him Who is called the "Lamb" (19:7) and "The Word of God" (19:13). One more, then I promise I'm done: "I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end." (Revelation 21:6). The Bible is such a beautiful book! From Genesis to Revelation, we come to know God through Jesus Christ, revealed to us by the Holy Spirit. We come to know His identity! Identity, yes, that was the point of this blog post. When we identify something or someone and call it/he/her for what it is, we become free. Satan is no longer some mythical creature or some omnipresent force we can't escape, but he is a real powerless little fallen angel. God is not some foreign Being up in the sky but is Flesh and Blood, Spirit and Life. I'm going to give you a personal example in which identification has helped me become free. It is very common for me as it is common for most people, to have lots of thoughts, feelings, attitudes, and experiences. I go through my day, and all sorts of things happen around me and within my brain. To put it bluntly, on some days, I walk into church to visit Jesus, and thoughts come to my mind such as, "You are worthless. I don't want you here. Get out of my sight." Initially, such thoughts are absolutely terrifying! Jesus doesn't want me to visit Him? I am such a bad sinner that He doesn't want me to come near Him? I start feeling really down and depressed and conflicted. Obviously, I should not be here if God doesn't want me here and I am not good enough to stand in His presence. Yep, the thoughts are atrocious until, praised be to God, I identify them. Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD). The lie of worthlessness. The spirit of condemnation. I identify that my OCD is having a tantrum over imperfection, that I am being told by Satan a common lie that I am worthless, and that "jesus" aka Satan is saying I'm going to hell. Here's another example: I may be really mean and nasty to a person and I'm not quite sure why. I may be annoyed and irritable when around him/her and feel like I can't control it until I recognize that I have an attitude of judgment hanging around me. Condemnation and human judgment is not of God. God is salvation. Jesus came to save the world, not to condemn it (John 3:17). It is wrong for me to judge. I must call it for what it is--not of God, sin, and temptation from He Who Must Not Be Named--I mean Satan! Identification doesn't just help us become free from sin, temptation, and illness, it gives us grace, faith, hope, and love. For example, I may be driving in the car. I identify that I am hungry and tired, causing me to feel irritable and angry. Then, I come upon a beloved Michigan turn-around, which usually takes forever to get through (and by forever, I mean five minutes). But this one time that I'm driving, I don't even have to wait. The coast is clear. I turn onto the road and I'm home five minutes earlier. I identify that God just gave me a gift. And when given a gift, I am designed to identify it and praise and thank the giver for it. Anyway, I've identified that I'm hungry and tired, as is common for us humans, but that God has placed events, experiences, and encounters around me to be loved by Him and for me to love Him. So, I am learning to identify stuff. To pull out the weed by its roots and not just the tip of the plant that is obvious to see (that is very true for my garden job as well). Sometimes, I need to identify that I hold a resentment in my heart and need to forgive a minor or major thing someone did to me (or I need to forgive myself for my minor or major imperfections). When someone does an act of service for me, I need to identify it, appreciate it, and show them my gratitude (or maybe I need to acknowledge that yes, I am a good person and I do make good choices). This identification is a part of what's known as discernment of spirits or even examination of consciousness. It is paying attention to what is of God, what is of us, and what is of Satan. If you are interested in learning more, here are some book suggestions: Unbound: A Practical Guide to Deliverance by Neal Lozano
1 Comment
Chris Beltowski
7/14/2018 03:57:55 am
Well done!! Keep up the great witness!
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AuthorJacqueline St. Clare: I spent six months in a cloistered convent, and now I'm a college student! Archives
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