Isaiah 61:1

“ But to really understand Grace you have to do more than study it academically or quantify it theologically. To Get what Grace is, you have to have it offered to you in a moment when you are so repulsed by your own sin that you expect anyone who knows to be equally repulsed. “
The above came to my desk in the form of an e-mail to my husband from a pastor for a church all the way across the country. I don’t know this man, nor do I know what fellowship he was pastor for, but I know my heart breaks for him and his family. His wife and his three children are gone, the house where they lived empty. He has no home, no job and no family. Why? Because Satan won a major battle in his life and there was no one there to snatch him back from the abyss. And this story is being repeated in one form or another over and over again all over this land.

Why does Satan hold such sway over every segment of society? Where are the Christians, where are the churches who are supposed to be modeling, sharing, passing out in abundance the love of a God who wants to heal a broken heart? Please read with me a paragraph from John Eldridge’s book ‘Waking The Dead.’ “Satan realized he couldn’t stop the church. Oh, he tried. He arranged to have Jesus killed as a babe. He tried to seduce Him as a man. He tried to marginalize His message by having the religious establishment discredit Him. Finally, he had Him crucified. It backfired. Badly. Then he tried to stop the young church through intimidation and through death, having most of them killed. It also backfired. So he turned to a backup plan. If you can’t beat ‘em...join ‘em. Infiltrate their ranks dressed as an angel of light. Then slowly bring a veil over all that is good and beautiful and true. Take them captive through their own religion.”

And so, here we are today with churches of every creed and kind protecting their own way of thinking, sequestered with their own ki nd, and if they reach out at all it is to persuade others to think like them. And no one is fighting the war against Satan. Indeed, most of us would not feel like we were part of a war, or if we do, we have mis-identified the enemy. And mis-identified the battle field - in our own hearts. Would we be like Jesus? Then we must ‘heal the brokenhearted, proclaim liberty to the captives and open the prisons of those who are bound.’ Isaiah 61:1.

Look again at what my hurting brother said: “ But to really understand Grace you have to do more than study it academically or quantify it theologically. To Get what Grace is, you have to have it offered to you in a moment when you are so repulsed by your own sin that you expect anyone who knows to be equally repulsed. “

When is the last time you have been repulsed by your own addictions, your own sins? When is the last time you have tried to lift a hurting soul up by telling them how God is helping you with your addiction, your sin?

‘But I have no addictions.’ you say.. Then that makes you better than Paul, way better than David. And lots better than me. I have several and each one is more serious than chocolate!!