What Comes with Boldness, James 5

     There have been times in my life that I’ve viewed those not living for Christ’s lives more alluring. I’ve looked at their careless, thoughtless actions in envy. They have the power to go out and do things my convictions won’t allow. James 5 opens up and addresses my erroneous assumptions in verses 1 through 6.
     James addresses these verses to the rich, nonbelieving who were known to persecute the economically hurting Christ followers of this time. “Your gold and silver have corroded, and their corrosion will be evidence against you and will eat your flesh like fire” (James 5:3). “You have fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter” (James 5:5).  These verses remind me of the emptiness of those who are not following Christ. The lies they’re being told and the lies that fool me, too. Those careless, thoughtless actions hold no worth in comparison to the freedom I reside in with knowing Christ. Luckily, knowing Christ has no exclusivity, and I pray that those of you who are wrestling with those uncertainties have the courage to seek answers Christ has to offer.
     These next verses are addressed to believers, saying patience is a must with steadfastness, with unwavering determination. James reminds us of Job. For those of you who haven’t read the book of Job, I highly consider it. If you think you have it rough, check what God put this guy through to prove his unwavering determination to The Lord. And with this faith, let us be faithful in our prayer. Some of my favorite prayers are in Ephesians.
     “I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers, that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of Him, having the eyes of your heart enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which He has call you, what are the riches of His glorious inheritance in the saints” (Ephesians 1:16-18)
     “For his reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, that according to the riches of His glory He may grant you to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God” (Ephesians 3:14-19).
     What Paul is praying about in both of those prayers are his fellow believers in Ephesus. In the first prayer, he prays that we may have a spirit of wisdom, the eyes of your heart enlightened, and to know the hope to what God has called you to. This seems plausible that Paul would want us to strive. Now, in the second prayer, what Paul is basically praying for his fellow believers is that we can experience God in a way that is plainly impossible. Paul is praying that we may comprehend God’s love, which is incomprehensible. What’s the point? You can measure your faith by the boldness of your prayers. Paul isn’t praying for cupcakes, he’s praying for the impossible, which with God is nothing but.
     James 5:17 talks about Elijah and his bold prayers. It says Elijah prayed so passionately for drought and it didn’t rain anywhere on the earth for 3 and a half year. In verse 18 it says he prayed again and heaven gave rain. Elijah had the confidence in God that He would provide. I want to have the steadfastness of Job and the boldness of Elijah.
     Like every book in the bible, James gives us guidance on how to live our lives. Explore what God has for you to see and be steadfast as you chase after it.

Our Selfish God, James 4

     I know the book of James is kind of mean, but I think that’s why I like it so much. It reminds me that I’m no one special, which is good for me. I sometimes think of myself like St. Louis fans think of the Cardinals. Like I’m the best thing to come to the Midwest since peanut butter and people actually care to listen to my fandom on an hourly basis. Pride: can be good for sports teams (even if they are the Cardinals), but no good for my humility in Christ.
     James 4 opens up by saying, essentially, we’re doing it wrong. James addresses our desires and passions that don’t line up with God’s Will for us, yet we still chase them and find trouble in doing so.
    “You wouldn’t think of just asking God for it, would you? And why not? Because you know you’d be asking for what you have no right to. You’re spoiled children, each wanting your own way. You’re cheating on God. If all you want is your own way, flirting with the world every chance you get, you end up enemies of God and his way.” James 4:2-4, The Message). Verse 5 jumps in and reminds us of the scripture that says “He yearns jealously over the spirit that He has made dwell in us.” God is jealous for me.
     I remember when I first became a Christian, thinking God was the most selfish…“thing” for asking us to worship and please Him with our lives. This God is asking me to devout my life to whatever He wants me to do. It was mentioned to me, referenced by an author I cannot remember now, that God, being the most important Being, has every right to be selfish. When you’re the creator of the universe and all other universes, being the center of all everything, you have to be selfish. God desires us to desire Him, because he is, period. If God is who we claim He is, He is the most significant belief and being accepted by Him should be the most yearning part of our lives.
     Now, think of it that way. The center of all universes is jealous for your undivided attention. He doesn’t want to share you with sin or your selfish ambitions; He desires to make you new in His image. As a Christian, we are no longer sinners saved by Jesus; we are the righteousness of God. We can’t identify with the sin that used to be a part of us, that part died when we accepted the new clothing Christ’s blood offers us.
     I read James a lot when I first started following Christ; it is one of the most clear instruction manuals I found on how to live. One of the verses that stuck out to me while reading James this time around was the last one, verse 17. “So whoever knows the right thing and fails to do it, for him it is sin.” I think, sometimes, we think we have to have all of our stuff together when we draw near to God. I think, sometimes, we think we have time to wait until later to submit to God, because right now is just too fun and “I’ll have to quit living the way I do” if we follow God right now. God wants us just the way we are. Christ isn’t only accepting to those who have it all together, no one has it all together, but through a relationship with Him, we’ll change to see the light. With spiritual growth comes spiritual maturity and the more time we spend with God the more we should be changing. With that being said, this verse also reminds us that have been Christians for a while we don’t have an excuse to sin. We know better and with that we should resist the devil and wash our hands and purify our hearts by drawing near to God (James 4:7&8). Spend some time with God and wrestle where your submission is yielded.

For the Love of Humanity, James 3

     "Dear brothers and sisters, not many of you should become teachers in the church, for we who teach will be judged more strictly. Indeed, we all make many mistakes. For if we could control our tongues, we would be perfect and could also control ourselves in every other way. We can make a large horse go wherever we want by means of a small bit in its mouth. And a small rudder makes a huge ship turn wherever the pilot chooses to go, even though the winds are strong. In the same way, the tongue is a small thing that makes grand speeches. But a tiny spark can set a great forest on fire." (James 3:1-5).
     While discovering my spiritual gifts, James 3 has convicted me a lot. Exhortation is something God has woven into my identity. He has called me to urge and encourage people by the way I live, the way I speak goes under that as well. I don't think it's only important to those specifically gifted to exhort, but to all believers.
     A couple weeks ago, I was around a group of teenage Christians, who spoke to one another that was in no way pure, lovely, just, worthy of praise, or honorable. They said things that offended me. Calling each other names like, fag, telling each other to go kill themselves or commenting on their  skinny, anorexic body. Even passively condemning others on the other end by saying things like, "Are you really going to eat another piece of cake?"
     LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, let me say this loud and clear: you have no idea what kind battles people are facing. This is partly because we live in a culture that teaches us we shouldn't be vulnerable, because vulnerability shows weakness, and weakness is for girls, which also ticks me off, but I don't have enough time for that, too. You may not know someone's back story and even if you do that doesn't mean you should just avoid those topics when talking to them, you should steer clear of them with everyone. I have a friend who has a past with anorexia and I have felt the awkwardness from the what seems like harmless jokes other people make in her presence. Even when she's not around it makes me uncomfortable. Your words can not only hurt those around you, but they disrespect yourself. They show more of what you think of yourself than the rest of humanity. It does not only harden your heart, but it destroys your credibility as a follower of Christ. As Christians, do you not understand we have a higher calling? People don't hate Christ, they hate who we've made Him out to be. So, make your words and make your actions true, honorable, just, pure, lovely, commendable, excellent, worthy of praise. That's not an Alyssa Hicks Checklist, that's a Philippians 4:8 Checklist and I ask you to write that on your hearts and recognize, truly enlighten yourselves on the way you speak. Talking less of others isn't going to make you better, being negative won't change the way you see yourself, but it just may ruin how someone sees themselves.
     If you're not living by Philippians 4:8, I'm not going to give you a 1-800 number to call, I'm simply going to challenge you to dig up the sin under the sin. Ask yourself why you speak the way you do, because you can be funny without crushing others in the process; trust me, I'm hilarious. What in your heart needs to be refined to make you fully satisfied in who Christ has created you to be? And with this, you'll gain wisdom. OMG, how ironic.
     Which brings be to the second half of James 2, where it's all about the wisdom. Wisdom is to be proclaimed humbly and wisdom from above produces peace. Verses 17 and 18 state, "But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere. And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace." How are you pursuing God's wisdom? How can you pursue God's wisdom in your talk? Take a moment and allow yourself to be transformed, there's nothing special about averageness.

Contentment v. Settling, James 2

     As I continue to read through James, I'm reminded that the only way I'll be made complete, lacking in nothing is to walk by faith and submit. Submission seems scary. I'm awful with commitment, it just freaks me out. From dating to jobs to gym memberships, when I hear the word commitment, I've been known to literally run the other direction. Submission is not only asking commitment out of me, but obedience. I'm a free bird, yet for some reason, I think God doesn't understand that. If He did, he wouldn't ask for me to be patient. He created in me that desire for spontaneity, yet in my submission, in my obedience, I will gain freedom. Following Christ is more about saying yes than no. That's where I start with James 2.
     This first part of James 2, verses 1 through 13, is entitled "The Sin of Partiality." A lot of the time, I write off these verses by my own interests. It's not that I'm showing partiality, it's that I don't have anything in common with those people, so I don't associate with them. When I see someone sitting alone, even at a Christian event, I'll just wait for someone else to take care of it. In all actuality, what I'm doing is missing one of the many opportunities I've prayed for to serve like Christ.
     When most people think of Christianity, they think of all the things Christians have to say "no" to. No drinking, no smoking, no swimming until 30 minutes after eating. In reality, God has a much better plan for us. To renew our minds and make us more like Christ, to say "yes" to His will. Setting apart others in our thoughts is closing a door God has opened for us. If we have faith, but don't act on it, what's the point?
     The second part of James 2 calls us out of our shells and out on the water. By faith we are saved, but by works we are justified. "Do I hear you professing to believe in the one and only God, but then observe you complacently sitting back as if you had done something wonderful? That’s just great. Demons do that, but what good does it do them? Use your heads! Do you suppose for a minute that you can cut faith and works in two and not end up with a corpse on your hands?" (James 2:19&20 Message).
     While reading this, I tried to think of the areas in my life where I just let my faith live. The areas that I support and have hope in, but I keep my hands out of, hoping the next Christian who walks by steps in. Where does God want all of me and how can I change my settled heart to truly desire Him?
     Don't write off your sinful nature as untouchable to God. I think, a lot of times we just settle because, "it's how I've always been," but change is good.
     If I were to stand in front of a room of people and say, "I've always been a rude, prideful jerk who only cares about herself. That's just who I am, that's who God's created me to be." There would be no applause for me, no one happy that I am embracing this essence of worldliness. "Oh, that's so great Alyssa can embrace she's such an arrogant jerk, I'm so happy for her!" No, people would look at me apathy in their eyes and would want me to change, they'd want better for me. Loving God with all your heart, mind and soul shouldn't look the same as it did the first day you accepted Him. After spending time with God, in His Word and praying, you cannot leave the same. God desires to change us to look more like Christ, but we must submit to be changed. We must be changed to immerge in freedom.

Shadows of Darkness, James 1

     The book of James is one of my favorite books of the New Testament. As I read through it this time around, I thought I'd share my thoughts and what sticks out to me during this season of my life. Everyday until Friday, I'll walk through each chapter of James and dwell on what God has shown me. I welcome your thoughts, as well. I'd love to hear what God spoke to you while reading. Well, here it goes:
     I've hung out with a lot of different Jesus's in my walk. I've been with the One who died on the cross, whom I've sat in front of humble. I've had lunch with the One who gave the Sermon on the Mount, who spoke in metaphor, gave me life lessons and confused me while still preparing a way for me later on. I've hung out with the One who heals, delivers signs, walks on water. Though, lately, I've spent a lot of time with the Jesus who came into the temple and knocked over tables. The Jesus who spoke truth to the people in the church selling animals for sacrifice (Matthew 21:12-17).
     I've been reading through James, and I feel like the table-flipping Jesus is the one who walks me through this book. It seems that most of the time God tries to get my attention, it's in that way. I ask for big signs, grand gestures and God provides, let me tell ya. While reading the first chapter, I was reminded of my faith, or lack their of at times. "Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness" (v. 2&3). Steadfastness:  adj. resolutely or dutifully firm and unwavering. Resolutely: adv. showing firm determination or purpose.When trouble comes your way be joyous, for when your faith is tested it produces an unwavering determination.
     Most of the time, when I face trouble, the first thing that comes to my mind isn't joy, it's usually not even God. It's self-loathing and fleeing and anger and self-loathing and no part of me is happy I'm facing this junk. James isn't telling us to be happy because of trouble, he's telling us our strong faith produces an unwavering determination and with that we should be joyful. Our prayer life shouldn't be asking God to make things easy, no one is compelled by a life full of cupcakes, trials are a blessing. Trials are God's time to shine.
     "Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, and slow to anger; for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God. Therefore put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls" (v. 19-21). The first time I heard these verses, I thought I was being told every Christian should be pushovers who are soft-spoken and get their lunch money taken. What James is really telling us is that we can't play God. Let me say that again, when we allow our anger to take over, our anger that is not God's righteous anger, we're playing God. Romans 12:19 makes it clear by saying, "Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, 'Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.'" It's God's job to defend us, that doesn't make us pansies, that makes all the more victorious.
     I was reading an article last week about David Wise, the US gold medalist for freestyle skiing. A 23-years-old Christian who is married with a daughter and the news referred to his adult life as an alternative lifestyle. I read it and loved the sound of that. We as Christians are not of the world, the bible makes that clear. We're called out of darkness into light, to look different, even in our anger.
     James 1 ends with my summarized version of verses 22-27: "if you are only a hearer of the word and not a doer it's like you look into a mirror, see your face and then two minutes later don't recognize yourself. v. 25--But if you look into the perfect law, the law of liberty and persevere, not only hearing but doing, you will be blessed in your doing. v. 26--If you think you're religious, but you sound like a sailor driving down the highway in a semi-truck reading lines from the movie Good Fellas, you're religion is worthless. Religion that is pure and undefiled before God looks like visiting the orphans and widows. It looks like David Wise who is 23 and not indulging in the "perks" of having a gold medal."
     If we look pure and undefiled to only people watching, God still gets glory, but you're the same piece of sinful junk as you were yesterday, live in the light, even in your language, which I'll be talking much more about in the upcoming days. We should look different from the world, because shadows always follow.

     Let me leave on a positive note and say this: God loves our junk. He wants to better us, but for Him to do that we have to show Him the molded parts in our life before we're brought to life. God makes our junk look good. So, as I continue through James, I want this picture to stand out to you.

I'm just a sinner whose pile of junk only builds daily. But God makes beauty out of that, He builds and makes new constantly. God wants every aspect of us, submit and be transformed.

Yeah, yeah, God's comfort.

     God's asked a lot out of me lately. At least it feels that way. Maybe it's rooted in laziness, maybe He has something that fits right in line with my gifts, or maybe He's just asking a lot out of me right now. May I even go as far and select D) all of the above, who knows? What I do know is that I've really felt moved to create an identity statement for myself. Find points in scripture that line up with my gifts, people in scripture that I relate with and passions of mine that I can honor God with. As I've wrestled to discover who God is, who I am and why I even exist, this whole God-thing has gotten tremendously more complex. Don't laugh at me, but for a minute there, I thought I had this figured out.
     While I try to discover who I am according to scripture, I look at the importance of even creating an identity statement. Gateway, my church back home, has always emphasized on them and Jesus had all kinds of "I AM" statements, I want one! I decided to seek some council in this area. I went home last weekend and was able to meet with someone who has a firm identity statement and feed off of how she got started. She walked me through the steps she was walked through. What are my spiritual gifts, who do I relate to in scripture? Having an identity statement is a reminder of what God has called you to. When opportunities arise, you can easily decipher whether God would call you to it or not. I was reminded that I didn't only need to know myself, but I need to know God (this was after that minute I thought I had it all figured out).
     Too often I limit God to my own experience with Him. Too often, I assume that God can only save people from circumstances that are of equal or lesser value than the ones He saved me from. But even there I'm only talking about one aspect of Him, there are so many other facets I haven't even looked at.
     It's been three months since my pastor Joey Butler passed away. The other day I was in the car listening to 10,000 Reasons, one of Joey's favorite songs, and I found myself overwhelmed with grief. I was upset because I was reminded that I wasn't going to see Joey when I went home, he wasn't going to be there and he won't ever be there again. Mostly, I was upset because only three months had passed by and I had forgotten, if even for a moment, that he had died. Trying to hold up those emotions, I tried to redirect my thoughts. The feeling of distance I felt from Joey at that moment was the same distance I remember feeling from God when I wasn't following Him. It was right then when God told me I'll never have to feel that way about Him. God will never leave me, He will always be at home when I get there, in class, my car or at Target. I was shown a facet of God I tend to flee from: His comfort.
     Everyday I choose to be more like Christ and everyday I die to myself in the process. It's radically healing. I've realized the power that lives within me and the tools God has equipped me with according to the grace that has been given to me (Romans 12:6a). God has called me to speak truth and exhortation. I have been called as an ambassador for Christ (1 Thess. 5:9) who is being transformed (2 Cor. 3:18) through God’s grace. I am called to Jesus Christ (Rom 9:24), chosen of
God (Col. 3:15), confident (Phil 1:6) and worthy of that calling.

     God has pulled me out of and continues to pull me out of the junk in my life. He has turned my crummy conditions into something beautiful. All of us have a story and God has set aside a plan for your life, not despite of those things, but because of them. The King of the universe desires to know you, desires to comfort you; figure out who He is and find yourself in the process.

What are you afraid of?

     I've been reading through Romans and I'd kind of been loathing it. The beginning is just a lot of big words and feels like Old Testament stuff (sorry, Amy V :)). I was struggling through chapters 2 and 3, but persevered because I knew there was a chapter 6 and 11 and 12, even better stuff later on. I prayed that God would make these passages alive to me and point out the things I needed to hear.
     I was answered almost too soon. Nothing makes me kick myself harder than when God answers my "quiet" prayers. You know, the prayers you kind of mumble under your breath because you're too much of a sissy to say loud enough for Him to actually hear you? The ones you want to grow up to be, but just not quite yet. Yeah, that was Romans for me.
     I'm in Romans 12 today. I was excited but also reluctant. I've read Romans 12, I've heard it spoken over, I have a chunk of it written on my wall. I've dissected it passed its point of understanding and was being Arrogant Alyssa. I assumed God had shown me everything there was to be written within those margins. Arrogant Alyssa is almost as bad as the Mumbling Alyssa from above and boy, are they two an awful combination.

    While reading Romans, chapters 1, 5, 6, and 10 really stuck out to me. During this season of my life, Romans 11:29 has rung in my ears:

For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.

      Today, as I read through Romans 12, I was reminded to be a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God. For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable. To be transformed by the renewal of my mind, that by testing I may discern what is the good and acceptable and perfect will of God. For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable. I read that we as members of the body of Christ have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them. For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable. To let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable. Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.

     Sometimes I think God will come into my comfort zone. Sometimes, I don't view God as a coach, but a really crappy running partner who agrees to go to dinner with me and just "talk" about running instead. Sometimes, I see the giftings He's woven perfectly into my circumstances, but sometimes, I'd rather teach my mother how to use online banking than jump into the middle of the street blindfolded into God's calling. For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.

     So, what are you afraid of? What are you hiding from? Because the gifts and the calling God has for you are irrevocable. If we have chosen Him, He wants all of us and will relentlessly pursue our hearts. To bless us and mold us and create new within us. To be offered up as living sacrifices, to be transformed, to love genuinely. For we are His chosen priesthood. Don't flee from that.