Created with Purpose

    

     Sunday afternoon I had the chance to sit on the ground near some flowers in
our yard. The kids joined me a while as we watched a butterfly sipping on some nectar.  The kids were fascinated by it's little "straw" it drank through. It was such a
refreshing moment, just to take in His creation, His beauty, His peace. It
really refreshed me in a way that I have missed so often. Just to sit full
of wonder at something so simple yet so divinely complex and intricate. A
butterfly on a flower. It occurred to me that they have such purpose and
they know and fulfill their purpose with such quiet dignity and grace.
Something may come at them - a gust of wind for instance - but they reset
their course and keep on flying, seemingly unscathed by the blast of air
that tries to push them off course. They seek out a patch of flowers and get back to their purpose.

     So often we step from a peaceful garden into the rushhour of "life" - busy,
polluted, and loud. We allow our joy and peace to slowly be stripped away
from our grasp, our purpose to become clouded. All sorts of voices work to
deceive and lure us into believing lies - about ourselves, about God, about
life. The voices work to distract us from worship, from community, from
purpose. The moment we make a poor choice, the voices begin highlighting our
failure, suggesting the improbability that His grace could cover us,
reminding us of our history of screw ups. Then, in shame, we run from
freedom and into prison cells. Sometimes, it's someone else's mistake that
pushes into the prison - the vehicle delivering us there is called
unforgiveness.

     Either way, prison is not the place for children of God to
dwell. It is not the intended lifestyle we were created to have. No - we
were created for freedom, for abundant life, for love and for great purpose.
Nevertheless, we end up duped into the life of bondage and numb ourselves to
the pain and grief we feel at our separation from our Father. We imagine Him
angry and "over us", our mistakes too much for Him to handle - again. But
He hasn't changed - we have. Out of pride or disbelief or blindness or
apathy, we often sit imprisoned in a web of lies and hopelessness, rather
than planting our two feet firmly on His foundation and accepting His
forgiveness and grace and promises. Do we believe the Word of God or don't
we?

     He says that "as far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our
transgressions from us." (Psalm 103:12) Let's take that to heart! He also
says, "neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be
able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord."
(Romans 8:39) When we experience "separation" or distance from God, don't
look at Him as the culprit. Look no further than a mirror. We have to be
responsible with what He's given us. 2 Tim 1:14 says, "Guard the good
deposit that was entrusted to you—guard it with the help of the Holy Spirit
who lives in us." He has given us grace, mercy, love, purpose, and an
inheritance. He has commissioned us to go out and share the Good News, make
disciples, and heal those who haven't received from Him yet. We have what
it takes and are equipped with all we need. "For this reason I remind you
to fan into flame the gift of God…" (2 Tim 1:6)

     I'm speaking to my own spirit, body and soul as I write this. It's time to
wake up! To fully engage in what God has in front of me right now. It may
not be the final position or place He has me in, but it's where I am now.
It's where I have authority and influence right now. Not tomorrow when I
get it all together. Not tomorrow when this or that lines up. Not when I
have more time. No - now. Lives are at stake all around us, souls bent on
destruction rather than salvation that need to hear from the Lord. He so
desires to partner with us in His work. His Spirit beckons us…let's respond
with a resounding YES, Lord!

"Encourage one another daily, as long as it is called 'Today', so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness. We have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original conviction firmly to the very end…'Today, if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts as you did in the rebellion.'" (Hebrews 3:13-15)

Kerri Barfield
8/14/12

Wrestling Match

Every now and again I find myself in a wrestling match. It’s a tension between knowing His promises but not seeing the reality of them. I came across this verse and it brought some peace to me. 

Philippians 3:20 "But we are different, because our citizenship is in heaven. And from there we eagerly await the coming of the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ"

We are citizens of heaven. We are being made into the likeness of our holy God more and more every day.  While the transformation is not complete, we do see glimpses of Kingdom life more and more. We read His promises and see His provision in greater and greater ways. 

Yet here we are on the earth. We see people get hurt, enslaved, killed. We see our homeland assaulted by terrorism. We see our leaders argue and assault each other's heart. This is not our home. It's growing more and more hostile here. I'm not sure it's worse than times long ago, but it seems worse to me. Perhaps because I've transferred my citizenship to heaven. Perhaps because my measuring stick is Christ. My grid is Kingdom. The focus is becoming the permanent instead of the temporal. 

And when it isn't...that's when I fall into the wrestling match. I do those things which I don't want to do. I agree with unfavorable thoughts and my focus gets shifted to something of lesser worth.  I overreact to my circumstances. I get frustrated with myself and the way I respond to it all. I fall out of rhythm in my dance with God. My faith weakens. "Why so downcast oh my soul? Trust in God" is the psalm that passes through my mind. 

And so I focus in on the scriptures and I turn on the worship music. I begin to remember that I know God is good and God is present. God is sovereign. He is faithful. He is just. He is peace and He is love. And He has promised salvation to those who trust in Him. His word doesn't return void but accomplishes what it was meant to. I remember that my life is in His.  And I am comforted and my focus realigned. 

Sometimes I need my brothers and sisters to redirect my thoughts. In a place of prayer and ministry, I am refreshed and renewed. I get back on track and regain my steadiness. Encouragement from fellow believers is essential to my walk. I need them. 

If you find yourself caught in this tension, take heart. While the world may be wasting away, we who are in Christ can wholeheartedly trust the One who is Faithful and True to save, heal and deliver us from the clutches of evil. One day we will walk in unhindered freedom. One day we will walk where the streets are gold and the lion lays down with the lamb. One day we will have every tear wiped away. One day there will be perfect peace and joy and love and we will live in harmony. That is our hope. That is what helps us endure the wait. 

Lord, help us trust in and wait for Your return to bring us to our true home with You. Help us to run our race here with courage. Give us a steadfast spirit. Give us eyes to see You in everything.  We need You and love You. Amen. 

Kerri Barfield
6/17/16

Love Overtake Me

"Let love overtake me and flow through my veins."

Here's a line in a worship song I have been listening to. I'm making it a daily prayer for myself.  For Love to flood me. God is love.  So may God's Holy Spirit overtake me and flow in and through me...so I can surrender to His masterful leading. 

Once while at a church conference, we heard several speakers talk about love and community. One woman shared many personal experiences that encouraged my heart greatly.  One of the phrases she kept repeating over and over was "insert love here".  She would share about people (herself included) messing up or making mistakes and how community around them would ‘insert love’ in those moments of failure - showing grace and honor, knowing it could just as easily happen to them. 

We all screw up. Make mistakes. Stumble.  I believe community is imperative so that when our mistakes bring us discouragement and condemnation and shame, we have someone to pull us up out of the mud. Let's face it - sometimes our shame and condemnation drowns out God's voice of grace and forgiveness. We begin believing the lie that we are no longer worthy or that restoration is impossible - that this mistake was just too big.  We need friends and family to show us grace and encourage us to get back up, dust off and keep running the race. Someone to remind us who we are and Whose we are. 

Love covers a multitude of sins. And Jesus modeled this for us - His unquenchable love flowed over us to cleanse us of all iniquity. And we are commissioned to follow in His footsteps. 1 Peter 4:8 says "Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins."

When we run into Love, we are changed.  Being loved brings freedom, healing to our brokenness and a renewal of hope. Hope in God's plan for us, in our salvation and restoration, in the goodness of God and His creation, and hope in relationship with God and others. 

Like slipping on a coat, we need to wear love. Wrap up in it and wrap it around others, too. It's safe, warm and thick, protecting us from the storms and the cold. It keeps our hearts soft. 

What would it look like if everyone dressed themselves in love?  And took up residence in a loving, grace-filled community?  Maybe a little like heaven...

1 Corinthians 13

 If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal.  If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing.  If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.  It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away.  For we know in part and we prophesy in part,  but when completeness comes, what is in part disappears. When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me.  For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.

And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love. 

Kerri Barfield

November 11, 2011

Help in the Desert

I find it so interesting that Jesus entered a period of fasting in the desert just after He was declared Son of God and baptized. Scripture says there was a voice from heaven that spoke, "this is My Son..." and the Holy Spirit landed on Him like a dove. (Matthew 3:16-17)  Then in Matthew 4:1 we see Jesus going into the desert with the Holy Spirit as His guide.

The thought pops into my head that we must know who we are in Christ in order to survive the desert. We have to understand that God made us, longs to be with us, and did something to guarantee we could be with Him. He bridged the gap of our sins with His Son.  He invited us to be adopted into His family as sons and daughters. 

When we become aware that we have been grafted into His family, we become committed to the discovery of Who He is and what that means for us.  His promises are revealed like treasures.  His Word shines like a light to our path.  We see His goodness and mercy.  We see His plans for us - plans that are full of hope.  As our vision becomes clear, we are settled into a deep peace and trust in Him that breaks the power of temptation in the dry places. 

If Jesus had to fast in the desert and face the devil, we can probably assess we will too. Life is not guaranteed to hand us lemonade everyday. Sometimes we get tossed the whole lemon. But our Father can turn that sour lemon into sweet lemonade when we partner with Him and submit to His recipe. Knowing you are a daughter (or son) diffuses the temptation to doubt God and His intentions. Knowing He is a good Father snuffs out many of those fiery darts that tempt us to believe otherwise - that make us doubt He will provide, protect and remain our Father.  

Isn't it so typical of satan to try to make us doubt our Father?  He did it to Adam and Eve in the garden and has been trying ever since to make us doubt God and His promises. He tries to make us think we need to take care of ourselves, provide for ourselves, protect ourselves, promote ourselves, plan our own future. 

Knowing our identity and knowing our Father is critical. It is not done in a day. He introduces Himself to us constantly - new facets of His character. It is a journey and story of a lifetime.  It’s a relationship that lasts.  He asks us to let go of our misconceptions and preconceived notions of who He is, and asks us to be in fellowship with Him so He can show us Who He is.  

The good news is Jesus survived the desert and overcame the devil's tempting. He knew Who He was and He trusted in His Father.  Was it easy?  I doubt it. Fasting 40 days, becoming hungry, and then being faced with the tormenter and his aggravating temptations?  But He had the Holy Spirit and the Word of life inside of Him...and He placed His faith in His Father.   

Once Jesus ascended into Heaven, He sent the Spirit to teach and remind us of truth, comfort us, and help us in our journey. The Word is our sword, and the Spirit teaches us to wield it.  We must learn to dance with God in such a way that we give God the freedom to be Who He is...and where He can teach us to be who we are meant to be. Then we will be able to stand strong against temptation.  We will be able to see the “way of escape” God provides.  “No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.” 1 Cor 10:13

Jesus, we need Your Holy Spirit to strengthen and empower us to withstand the temptations that come our way.  We need the Spirit to show us the way to go.  We need the Word deep in our hearts to keep us from withering in the desert places.  We will not trust in ourselves to keep us from falling, we will trust in You.  We will depend on You to be our shield and our strong tower.  You are so good and so faithful and we love that You’re our God!  You alone are worthy of worship!