Papa God, I praise you with my sister, who has had breakthrough in her pain cycle. I agree with her for complete healing for Echo's body. Father, reveal to Echo Your undying love for her and Your great affection for her, not because of what she does but because she is Your precious daughter. Father, I thank you for daily teaching me to rest in Your grace and Your peace. Give me courage and complete faith for Your provision for the coming weeks. ~Amen.
Tina, I just found out today that my client wants me to hold off on working for him until he can make some changes to his manuscript. This could take some time, as he has a full-time job. As of today, this was the only source of income besides the $500/month I make from my brother for this month. Rent will be due on November 4th, and I don't yet see how it's going to get paid. Though I am confident that He has led us here and that He won't drop us, I confess that I am not completely resting securely in His arms about this. We have never taken it this far, and I'm nervous that there won't be enough when we need it. Please lift us both up in your prayers. Eric has had great peace and confidence and has received much encouragement and vision for our future, but it won't pay the bills right now. In fact, it will require resources to pull it off. He also said that he feels good about shifting gears starting Monday and looking for a part-time job. I feel good about it, and it seems like the right timing. I am confident that God will bless him and open just the right doors. In fact, I received a prophetic word at church that doors would be opening for him this week. I'm trusting that those doors have actually opened, and he will just be stepping into them on Monday. But again, I am not at perfect peace about all of this, and I desperately long to be. Thank you for your prayers. ~Angela
2:12 "All who sin apart from the law will also perish apart from the law, and all who sin under the law will be judged by the law."
I wrote a note in the margin next to this verse in 1994. It says, "Safety for unbelievers and those in other countries?" I think I was onto something. "Perish apart from the law..." I don't really know what it means, and it sounds good to my soul. But the next verse adds to my confusion...
2:13 "For it is not those who hear the law who are righteous in God's sight, but it is those who obey the law who will be declared righteous."
Father God, what is the message? Ahhh!! It's coming...sin. I think it's just a continuation of the same message in a different way, and it hearkens back to chapter one, where he's talking about how no one has an excuse. It makes me think of the verse in John (16:8-10), where it says "When [the Holy Spirit] comes, He will convict the world of guilt in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment; in regard to sin, because men do not believe in me; in regard to righteousness, because I am going to the Father, where you can see me no longer; and in regard to judgment, because the prince of this world now stands condemned."
Yes, I think this is the key right here for me...Especially since the work has been finished by Jesus' death on the cross, men really are without excuse. The Holy Spirit has truly fallen on all flesh, and all men have His law written upon their hearts (testified to by their consciences). I don't know how it was before, but I know how it is now...God has finished all the work He set out to do...Jesus is the door by which we all access the Love of the Father in all its fullness. His Spirit convicts every person of sin, and Jesus has made it possible for every one of us to experience the righteousness of the Father. There is no excuse left, yet it is still through His kindness that men are led to repentance, not by judgment. According to Jesus' own words, judgment pertains to the enemy. It is the enemy our judgments are supposed to be focused on as believers. When we fix our judgments on men, we fall under the law. But when we fix our judgments on the works of the devil, we come into agreement with heaven and the power of darkness is broken over those we intercede for.
2:14-15 "(Indeed, when Gentiles, who do not have the law, do by nature things required by the law, they are a law unto themselves, even though they do not have the law, since they show that the requirements of the law are written on their hearts, their consciences also bearing witness, and their thoughts now accusing, now even defending them.)"
I did read this before I wrote the previous paragraphs, but just at a cursory glance. I think this just sums up more succinctly what I just said about the last verse. Haha!
2:16 "This will take place on the day when God will judge men's secrets through Jesus Christ, as my gospel declares."
God will judge men's secrets. I have actually been thinking about this concept of secrets for several days, really ever since Echo e-mailed me and asked me about women in 1 Corinthians 11. I have been praying and meditating on the passages she asked about, and God keeps leading me back to the woman at the well. I was thinking about how the woman at the well must have perceived Jesus, both at the beginning of their encounter and at the end. The only thing the passage relates that Jesus actually said to her about her was that she was not married and was living with a man who was not her husband. Later, she goes on to tell everyone that she was actually transformed when Jesus told her everything she had ever done. He was telling her secrets, to her. I realized that even though it was always implied by teachings, or even overtly taught that he told her all the bad things she had done, I no longer believe that's what He revealed to her. I believe He revealed all the secrets...the good and the bad, and the reasons behind the good and the bad. Sin is really just a wrong perspective on Father God's feelings toward us, after all. I bet He revealed all the secret motivations (the lies she believed and how the enemy had bound her all these years from receiving and understanding God's full unconditional love for her). Isn't this the real sin? Isn't this the real tragedy of every person who is unable to receive the full measure of God's love for them? And doesn't this really truly end only in judgment against the enemy? Not that I truly understand it all, not that I'm ready to say that evil and wicked people will not be judged if they do not partner with Jesus against the enemy in their lives, but I am not sure any of us really understand the full heart of God on this matter, and I'm not sure we really can. What I am convinced of now is that my job is not to judge, but rather to show and promote the kindness of God. And by so doing, I will be treading on serpents and destroying the works of the devil, just as Jesus did. (1 John 3:8)
~Angela
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