Show Me Your Heart, And I can Tell Who Your God is!

“So Jesus said to them, “When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am he, and that I do nothing on my own authority, but speak just as the Father taught me. And he who sent me is with me. He has not left me alone, for I always do the things that are pleasing to him.” As he was saying these things, many believed in him. So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” John 8:28-32. (ESV)

Imagine – You have been assigned to a war zone far away from home.  The Sergeant assigns tasks and provides clear instructions for the mission.  Knowing the capabilities and limitations of your platoon, the Sergeant assigns an intelligent Officer who will supervise by providing morale support, monitoring safety, and maintaining the platoon’s retention.  Your task – represent your Sergeant and your team well. Adhere to the instructions. Maintain a united front with your squad on the battlefield and return to base safely. The problem is that not all members of your squad are looking forward to returning home. You are each responsible for one another. The platoon will lose the battle if the enemy locates a member in isolation. Your reward in succeeding in battle is measured by how many of your platoon members return to base.

You may say to yourself; we are not in a war zone.  I can agree! Life is fine.

What about spiritual wars? Do we believe we are at war? The Christian journey is one of war! It is the battle for your soul. Because spiritual wars aren’t seen with our physical eyes, they are both difficult to see and harder to fight.  Spiritual wars can camouflage as the neighbor you want to avoid, the boss who despises your spirituality, the family member who blames you for anything, the child who tests your patience, or the spouse who does not want anything to do with God.  Ephesians 6:12 reminds us, “we do not wrestle against flesh and blood.”  In other words, the fight is not against people or circumstances.  The real battle is unseen.  The pain of life teaches the disciplined disciple the sovereignty and the patience of God.  It reminds us that spiritual battles are part of the journey.  We recognize that people and circumstances are a platform to truly represent Christ.

Let us examine how a disciplined disciple of God represents Christ in these scenarios:

To the irritable neighbour – they represent the peace of Christ.  Peace results from allowing the Holy Spirit to work in our hearts and minds.  When we have peace, even when the circumstance is far from tranquillity, like a nosy, complaining, irritable neighbour, the fruit of peace from the Holy Spirit will encourage their heart and tend it towards Him (God). Jesus encouraged His followers in John 16:33, “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace.  In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world”.

To the mean boss – they represent God’s kindness.  Romans 2:4 reminds us that God’s compassion leads us to repentance, not judgment.  Kind treatment of those without moral integrity awakens their curiosity about the God you serve.  The Holy Spirit enables us to have moral integrity with kindness and not get trapped in self-righteousness and judgment.

To the obnoxious family member – they represent God’s patience. Through the Holy Spirit, we can wait longer with them.  We become “long-tempered” rather than “short-tempered.”  Like the Apostle Paul (1 Timothy 1:16), we have all benefits from Christ’s immense patience with us.  The evidence of the Holy Spirit in our lives is seen in our ability to be patient and persevere with others (Ephesians 4:1-2).

To the stubborn child – they represent Christ’s Joy and Gentleness.  The disciplined disciple of Christ displays meekness, despite having a disposition of strength but having a position of weakness, where they persevere without giving up.  The Holy Spirit enables humility in us to stand firm yet in vulnerability to understand that we were once stubborn children.  Jesus describes himself as gentle and encourages us to take on his yoke, learn from him, and find rest for our souls (Matthew 11:29 NIV).  It is in this rest that we gain strength to continue in perseverance because the joy of the Lord is our strength (Nehemiah 8:10 NIV)

To the unsaved people – they represent God’s Love and Faithfulness.  However, God’s perfect love is far beyond what we can display. We can express the deep love and interest of a perfect Being (Christ) towards the unsaved. The unsaved see and get to know Christ based on our commitment to remain faithful to Him and express reverential love towards Him and unconditional love for others.

The disciplined disciple of Jesus Christ knows not only of the daily spiritual battle of the Christian journey but is alert in executing the mission exactly as instructed.  It is not enough to be called a Christian while despising the process that makes you a Christian.  It is not enough to know God when others around you can’t attest to the God you serve.

Antidotes to winning the Spiritual battling:

1. Recognize you are under God’s authority – Jesus said to his followers, “I do nothing on my own authority” (Matt 8:28). Make every effort to understand your vulnerabilities, limitations and position in Christ. Recognize, like Jesus, that we operate under God’s authority,

2. Fight as instructed – Jesus’s mission on earth aimed to bring glory to the Father, as the Father glorified him (John 17:1-2 NIV).  Aim to glorify our Father who is in Heaven. In pleasing the Father, others may believe in Him (Matt.8:29-30).

3. Depend and Trust the process – God’s original intent includes us being with one another. We are truly His “If” we abide in His word. Only then will our knowledge be enlightened to Truth and obtain freedom (Matt 8:28).