For the last 12 years, I have had the honor of leading worship and teaching at the annual youth weekend at Blue Mt. Christian Retreat in New Ringgold PA.
www.bmcr.orgDuring our time of worship Saturday night, Oct. 27, the Spirit of the Lord instructed me to share the following word; I publish it here to encourage all who read it and ask you to consider passing it on to a teenager, youth leader or anyone you know who needs a word of encouragement.
The following word of prophecy was delivered by Pastor Mark on Sat., October 27, 2007 at the Youth Weekend at Blue Mt. Christian Retreat New Ringgold, PA:
A generation worn out by hypocrisy. A generation weary of religion. A generation of untapped potential and a generation of destiny.
Destined to be upon the earth for just such an hour. Destined to encounter an enemy with weapons that are sufficient to defeat that enemy.
But carrying your weapons will not win the battle, and studying your weapons will not win the battle. It is when you earnestly employ your weapons that you will advance the cause of the Kingdom.
When you see My Kingdom as the only one worth fighting for;
when you raise up the shield of faith;
when you hold up the sword of the Spirit;
when your armor is My salvation, when your armor is My righteousness, when your armor is My truth- you will know victory!
For some, it will be your first taste of real victory.
For others, it will remind you of how far you have fallen and where you need to be again.
Do not delay another day or minute; but rise up NOW-
Stand up NOW!
Come up NOW out of your hiding place!
And wage war upon your enemy the devil!
And you will know My Mighty Right Hand!
You will know it is I whom you serve and you will believe again that all things are possible-
because in Me, says the LORD, they are!
It seems like where ever you go in America it won't be long before you see a reflection of yourself in a mirror somewhere. Take a ride on the escalator, look to your left; "hey, there I am going up!". Return trip, look to your right, "hey, there I am going down!" The mirror is definitely a part of our architecture and interior design that we take for granted. When TIME magazine awarded its "Person of the Year " award for 2006, the cover featured a computer with a mirror-like monitor, because the award winner was "YOU"! Did you know that you won?
From the time we are old enough to turn our head there is a mirror on the side of the crib and once we're up and moving, there's a mirror in just about every room of the house. I think it's pretty safe to say that mirrors were not as plentiful when James wrote these words:
22Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.
23Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror 24and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. James 1:22-24 NIV
The mirrors of James' day were highly polished bronze or brass objects, not readily available to the "common man". So on those rare opportunities to "have a look" at yourself, the thinking was, "take it in, grasp it, and remember it because it may be a while before you get another look".
In an age of still and video cameras and abundant mirrors, it's hard for us to comprehend the idea of "forgetting" what we look like; but apparently it happened to the casual "gazer" in New Testament times.
As I consider these verses it occurs to me, that my Bible inventory would most likely out-number my mirrors. Not that I've ever taken the time to count, but I promise you- it would be close.
25But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it-he will be blessed in what he does. James 1:25 NIV
James tells us to look with intent. There are many things that I do everyday out of habit and others that I must do intentionally. While it's good to have a habit of daily Bible reading, it's far better to intentionally read my Bible everyday. What's the difference?
The Greek words found here speak of some one "stooping down to intentionally gaze upon an object". Imagine someone getting down on hands and knees seeking to catch a glimpse of themselves in a reflective pool of water. When we become still and stoop down to gaze into the Word of God, it's not a reflection of our current appearance that we should be looking for; but rather a reflection of our Creator in whose image we were created and the image of His Son, into whose image we are being re-created.
Like the man in James' example, I too can be forgetful. That's why I need to return to the looking glass several times a day. I make myself available to God's reminders of what one of His own is supposed to look like in this world that has it's own "fun-house mirrors". Do you remember those? They would distort your image and make you laugh. "Here's what I'd look like if I were 8 feet tall or 8 feet wide!" The problem is, the world, without the perfect mirror thinks the distorted reflections are normal and acceptable and if I'm not careful I'll adopt and recall those reflections as my own.
not forgetting...but doing it
When I find my way to the mirror every morning and bravely take look, it's really just a waste of time if I don't do something about what I see. The stubble needs to be shaved, the hair needs to be re-pointed in the right direction; you get the picture. This is precisely the step that is most often overlooked in our spiritual mirror-gazing. It stops at the mirror and that's where it stays.
26If anyone considers himself religious and yet does not keep a tight rein on his tongue, he deceives himself and his religion is worthless. 27Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world. James 1:26-27 NIV
In the remaining verses of the chapter, James defines true and valuable religion
as what we do with what we've heard. How we speak, how we respond to those in need and what we do with the pollution of the world, is supposed to provide a reflection of Jesus to everyone who gets close enough to gaze into our lives.
Every time you see a mirror today, think about the image you are reflecting to your family, friends, co-workers, students and strangers. If you're like me, you'll recognize that we all need to make frequent trips to God's perfect mirror, in order to make the necessary adjustments. That should really give people something different to look at.