Pure and undefiled religionin the sight of our God and Father is this: tovisit orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained bythe world.
We also often limit this to what we understand of orphans and widows in the natural. But the reality is that many people fall into this category if we would only have eyes to see.
By looking at the definition of the original Greek, we can see more clearly:
ORPHANS: those of uncertain affinity, parentless, comfortless, fatherless
(To be of uncertain affinity means not being connected on common ground; not belonging anywhere or to anyone specific.)
WIDOWS: those who are deficient, lacking a husband, having a chasm, vacancy, impassable interval, gape or gulf
These definitions in a spiritual sense, include many more people than one would realize.
In pure and undefiled religion, these are the people we are instructed to visit.
VISIT:to inspect; to select; by extending ourselves, go see and bring relief
But too often we don’t recognize them when they are right in front of us.
They are in your church
They are on your job
They live in your neighborhood
They could be in the mirror
Many have grown up in two-parent homes
Many have never been married
Many have been divorced
Many have been ostracized for various reasons such as race, social class or gender
Many have lost loved ones other than a spouse
We cannot identify them by traditional definitions. We must identify them by their FRUIT. This orphan spirit is crippling many inside and outside of the church today… it is like a hidden shard of glass that has the potential to cut them, make them bleed and make them unable to walk in their destiny.
Could you or someone you know be struggling with an orphan spirit?
There is hope!
John 14:18 says:
I will not leave you as orphans (with uncertain affinity, parentless, comfortless, fatherless); I will come to you.
Rom 8:14-17
…those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship (placed into immediate kinship; adoption) And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.”The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children.Now if we are children, then we are heirs — heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ…
John 8:32
“Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
Come and learn the CHARACTERISTICS of the ORPHAN SPIRIT and other HIDDEN SHARDS OF GLASS so you can be FREE to be all God has called you to be.
I’ve been pondering my life’s journey lately and been overwhelmed by the sovereignty and faithfulness of God in spite of myself. While I didn’t even know Him (or care to know Him), He was still strategically orchestrating things on my behalf…all designed to bring me to a place of knowing and desiring Him. WOW!
Once that happened in my life, it happened in a BIG way. I didn’t just decide to start going to church so I’d have somewhere to “belong” on Sundays… I didn’t just decide I should go to church or be a Christian because it was the right thing to do… I didn’t just decide to alter my behavior to line up with what the Bible says pleases God. No… I was RADICALLY CHANGED ON THE INSIDE, which continues to MANIFEST DAILY ON THE OUTSIDE. (you can read my full testimony here:http://www.maryloveslife.org/about.html )
In 2006, God told me to start blogging my journey. The RADICAL journey He began to take me on back in January 1999 was now going to be recorded for others to witness. This can be a good thing and a bad thing. The good thing is that others can learn from what I go though. The bad thing is that there is a price for transparency.
In recent days I have been thinking about what it means to be SOLD OUT for CHRIST. What does it mean to be RADICAL? I have often quoted the definition of RADICAL in my blog posts (departing markedly from the usual or customary; extreme) and today I want to list SEVEN THINGS a RADICAL LIFE FOR CHRIST will get you. Of course it requires us to SURRENDER many things, but here are some things you will GET.
(I’m sure there are more, but here are seven I could think of off the top of my head – in no particular order. This blog post has not come from any particular experience, but many. It’s something I’ve found myself pondering often over the years and thought I’d share.)
A RADICAL LIFE FOR CHRIST will get you…
CRITICIZED. You will be labeled as being “overboard,” “extreme,” “weird,” or “too religious.”
LONELY. Let’s face it, not all Christians are ready for RADICAL. You may even stand out among “church-folk” as being extreme…lol. Others should be excited for you and wish they were as radical, but sadly, some get convicted and criticize you. Don’t worry… God will be faithful to bring you other RADICAL friends so you don’t feel so alone, but in most larger church gatherings, you’ll be a loner.
A RADICAL SPOUSE. [FOR THE SINGLE FOLKS] It may take patience to wait for them, but RADICAL attracts RADICAL and is attracted to RADICAL. You can’t match up a SOLD-OUT believer with a LUKEWARM believer or you’ll be miserable. (So FYI…you won’t likely find your RADICAL spouse in a WORLDLY place. ~ CAUTION: RADICAL often attracts non-radical too because they secretly admire your “radicalness” and secretly desire it for themselves. They can roll with you for a while, but in the end, they may not be willing to lay it all down. Make sure you test the fruit! YOU WILL KNOW THEM BY THEIR LONG-TERM FRUIT!)
OFF THE INVITE LIST. There are plenty of events that friends, family & church-folk won’t invite you to because they know you “won’t go there” or your presence will make them uncomfortable while they have their fun…lol. It’s just as well. It saves you from having to decline the invite. Not being included can be considered an honor in many cases.
PHONE CALLS DURING LUNCH BREAKS OR AT MIDNIGHT. Okay, so they think you’re “extreme” or “overboard” but that’s only when things are going good for them. Let them have a crisis or tragedy and you’re the first one they call for prayer and counsel. They know the real deal when they see it and truth be told they’re glad you’re there ‘just in case’. (Oh, and they secretly hope you’re praying for them too. Make sure you are!)
PEACE THAT SURPASSES ALL UNDERSTANDING! There is nothing like RADICAL OBEDIENCE to Jesus Christ. When the whole crowd goes left and God says go right, you may feel left out for a brief minute, but the PEACE that floods your soul is priceless!
JOY UNSPEAKABLE! As you embark on an unusual, extreme journey that departs markedly from the customary, you will come to know and hear the Lord in an incredible way. Your relationship with Him will BLOSSOM and BLOOM and become more intimate than you could ever know.
ARE YOU READY TO BE RADICAL FOR CHRIST?
Luke 14:33 – In the same way, any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be my disciple.
2 Cor 6:17 – Therefore come out from them and be separate, says the Lord.
Matt 16:24-26 – If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it.What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul?
John 17:14-15 – I have given them your word and the world has hated them, for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world. My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one.
TO YIELD: to give up possession of on claim or demand: as to give up (as one’s breath) and so die:
to surrender or relinquish to the physical control of another:
to hand over possession of:
to surrender or submit (oneself) to another:
to give (oneself) up to an inclination, temptation, or habit:
to relinquish one’s possession of (as a position of advantage or point of superiority):
to give up and cease resistance or contention:
to give way under physical force (as bending, stretching, or breaking):
to give place or precedence:
to acknowledge the superiority of someone else:
to be inferior:
to give way to or become succeeded by someone or something else:
to bear or bring forth as a natural product especially as a result of:
to produce or furnish as return ..:
to be fruitful or productive:
I YIELD myself to you, Oh Lord my God. I completely surrender myself, my ideas, my plans, my desires and my will to yours. I desire to walk in your ways Oh God and not that of my own. Lead me Oh Lord down ancient paths, that I may know you as Abraham, Isaac and Jacob knew you. May I know you Lord and feel your tangible presence as the disciples did in the upper room. I know Lord that to know you this way requires less and less and less of me, so I YIELD to you Lord!
I know it won’t be easy. I know it won’t always seem fair. I know I won’t always agree. Yet…I YIELD every fiber of my being to YOUR plan. May I hear your voice at every turn and may I have the boldness to obey your every command.
May any command you give that is illogical by human reasoning be boldy obeyed without hesitation. May fear, anxiety, worry, doubt and unbelief be bound up from me and may FAITH overwhelm my being and propel me instantly into bold, radical obedience. May the criticism of man not move me. MAY NOTHING MOVE ME BUT YOU LORD! I YIELD to you Lord! I YIELD! CONSUME ME! IGNITE ME WITH YOUR HOLY FIRE! BURN AWAY THE CHAFF! GIVE ME DOVES EYES MY LORD MY KING!
Lay me on the altar as a burning sacrifice… MAY SAVED SOULS AND SOLD-OUT, COMMITTED CHRISTIANS STAND IN THE WAKE OF THE SMOKE OF MY BURNING FLESH… A RESULT OF THE DEEP, INWARD WORK THAT DRAWS ME CLOSER TO YOU.
I bow humbly before you now, my God, my King.
Have YOUR way.
(originally posted by me on May 13, 2009. ~ always worth revisting )
Had a circle of strangers prophesy over me 2day in a class. They could only say 1 word. 1 said RADICAL & another said INFUSION! NO JOKE!... 23 hours ago
We often hear people talk about James 1:27:
WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING….