Sovereignty Experienced

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I introduced the term “Personal Sovereignty” in the past week and I want to revisit the topic and give a bit of personal experience on this subject. Personal Sovereignty is not to me some political notion or linked to some group or process. I am simply exploring a concept that I think has significant spiritual and personal implications and which we do well to think about.

I explained last time that Personal Sovereignty, as far as I am looking at it, is the right and responsibility of each person to stand before the Living God. That, I assert, is an amazing privilege afforded every person on the planet. It is a level of personal sovereignty which cannot be taken away from us.We have to submit to authority, as a parent to a child and wife to a husband. But that does not preclude our complete access to our personal sovereignty before God. A slave, prisoner, refugee, paralytic, cripple, child or illiterate fool has the same innate right that the most educated and powerful people on earth are afforded. They can come into God’s presence and ask for God’s help, face God’s judgement and otherwise do business with the God of all eternity.

That’s awesome to me. That’s a level of personal privilege which is inalienable – it can’t be taken away from us. Bankruptcy, death row, the lunatic asylum, torture or any hideous predicament can’t take from us our right to deal directly with the God who created the entire universe.

Now, I promised to share about the first time personal sovereignty was experienced in my life – at least this is a significant moment when I found my personal sovereignty – even though I did not understand the concept specifically at that time. This is the short version. If you get to hear me in public, you may get to hear the ‘colourful’ version.

As a young married man I attended a small church. The pastor was at times quite confronting toward his flock. If he saw a problem he would follow it up, visiting people’s homes to track down gossip, or to otherwise deal with something he deemed out of order. During this season I made it my business to adopt a “guilty until proven innocent” approach. By that I mean that I was very willing to accept that I may have been wrong, even if I didn’t think I was wrong, since the human heart has a way of telling us we’re OK, when we have been out of order.

Several times I was challenged by my pastor over attitudes he perceived I carried. To my wife’s annoyance I always accepted the charge and happily apologised and put things “right”, even if Susan was sure I wasn’t wrong.

One fateful day, however, my pastor visited with some issue he felt I needed to deal with and I came to the conclusion I really was innocent. I politely accepted my pastor’s suggestions, but, rather than assuming I was wrong I responded differently. I said, “I’ll certainly pray about that and see what God says.”

After my pastor left my home I stood in the middle of my humble living room, under the light fitting, and looked up. I said, “Lord, I hear what my pastor says, and You know my heart. If I have been out of order I want to put it right. But I don’t have any conviction that I am out of order. So I present myself to You. I ask You to judge me and to convict me if I am wrong. You know that I will respond as soon as you do. But until you do convict me I’m going to treat this as a non-issue. Amen”

That moment had great impact on me. I never did get convicted about the thing. I don’t even remember what it was. But I knew that I had stepped into something significant. I had stepped before God’s throne instead of before my pastor’s office. I had walked into a new experience of my personal sovereignty. 

Personal Sovereignty

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This might be an unusual or foreign concept to you, but I think it is much more significant than you might at first think. It is a subject about which I have given thought over the years, but which has recently come back to my attention.

I note that the notion of sovereignty is linked to various political or social aspirations and I need to say up front that my interest in this subject relates to the concept as it applies to humans who stand before God. I do not understand nor pursue the case of those who seek to use the concept of sovereignty to counter the laws of their land. Having made that disclaimer, allow me to continue. 

Here’s an insight that I think is exciting. We are created by God and given by Him a degree of personal sovereignty. That means we are able to be the King of our own life, in a measure. A king is called a Sovereign, because he rules over things. We are able to rule over ourselves and so we too are a ‘Sovereign’. We are each a sovereign citizen. In our most basic condition we have various privileges given us by God. These privileges are ours whether we are man or woman, adult or child, rich or poor, dumb or smart, pink, polka-dot or skinless. It is our principal sovereign privilege to stand directly before God and to be accountable to Him.

Now, to a person who is worthy of God’s wrath and judgement it may hardly be deemed a privilege to stand before God. But think about it. You, who ever you are, can present yourself before the Living Lord God of all eternity, the Creator of Heaven and Earth. You may not be able to get an appointment with your President, or even a local official, but you have the right to go WAY above their heads, directly to God, Himself. That’s Awesome!!

Further to that, no one can take that privilege from you. They can hate you, throw you in prison, beat you up, take your possessions, and do other heinous things, but they cannot take your personal sovereignty from you. They can never make you into someone who has to stand in line waiting for another person to talk to God on your behalf.

Now, some of you already have the cogs turning at about this point. Personal sovereignty is clearly something that is taken off people by various means, personal, political and religious. And, yes, we do actually have a Vicar of our soul. Vicar refers to one who stands in for someone else. Jesus Christ stands in on our behalf, especially in terms of standing in for our just punishment. Yet that does not deny us the right and privilege to exercise our personal sovereignty and to enter God’s presence and do business with Him.

Note my earlier remark about us having a “degree of personal sovereignty”. We obviously can’t resist the laws of nature. Nor can we overthrow the impact of our own sin. We cannot make God take us to heaven when we are worthy of hell. We can choose not to believe in God, but that has zero power over God or over us and our future. Our personal sovereignty is subject to God’s rule over us. Therefore it is also to be subject to those who God places over us. This includes our parents over their children and a husband over a wife. Personal sovereignty isn’t anarchy. It is the right to be who we were created to be, “under God”, which requires us to submit to every ordinance of God.

Next time I pick up this subject I’d like to discuss the moment when I probably took my first real step toward applying personal sovereignty, even though I didn’t understand the concept at that time. Keep an eye out for future posts on Sovereignty. 

A Whimsy on Women

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A reflection on the Commercialisation of Motherhood – written in 1986.

I suppose it was back in primeval days that womankind was honoured for such qualities as tenderness and grace.
It could only have been most primitive man who would have found wonder in devotion and a compassionate face.
Now, in these more modern days a questing man would focus his earnest and most tender gaze, deep into his woman’s …… Kitchen Cupboards!!
For therein, if I perceive the matter well, are the clues that her greatest virtues tell. How do I love thee, let me count the ways.
With Palmolive hands, Colgate smile and non-irritant fly-sprays.
Your choice of bread and how it’s spread, the soap you make me use,
My breakfast treats, and midday sweets! I love the things you choose! And how to tell a perfect mum is these days simple too.
Just watch the things she does and what she buys for you. 
When faced with clothes in filthy piles she breaks into her broadest smiles.
For washing doesn’t make mum drab – she tackles it with Preen and Fab! Good on ya mum, you’re ridgy-didge,
with frozen wonders in the fridge. 
Grace and charm and love are SLOP!
We know you’re great by the way you SHOP! (for those who remember ….
If my thoughts seem just a little harsh…
Know dear, I’d rather you, than Madge or Mrs Marsh!)

 

 

Extra Baggage on Your Honeymoon

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Is your wife addicted to buying shoes?

At a recent Valentines Day session I presented to married couples from the Philippines, one wife admitted she has a weakness for buying shoes. I called it the “Imelda Marcos Anointing”, after the wife of Philippines President Marcos, famous for her many shoes. A huge shoe collection, however, is not the worst of what people bring into their marriage. Often far more subtle things have more profound impact.

At a recent Parenting Course a pastor confided that one of his members had recently wed and has married badly. The couple were both very talented and seemed to work well together in the area of their skills. That fact gave them confidence their marriage would work well. One of them, however, brought unexpected baggage into the marriage. Past drug taking and unwise lifestyle choices had taken a large toll, and the person was not yet properly restored in their inner life. Their ability to perform well in areas of their talent did not mean they could perform well in responsibility, commitment, and the challenges of married life.

Each person entering marriage brings their hopes, fears, expectations, pre-conceived ideas, family programming, attitudes, values, weaknesses, vulnerabilities and pain on the Honeymoon and into the marriage. Some of those things are not even understood by the people themselves, let alone by their spouse.

However, God designed marriage to be robust enough to survive these surprises. Proper respect for God, faith in God, humility before God, godly character, godly wisdom, application of God’s grace, willingness to put “self” aside, and the application of Biblical principles empower people to work through the unexpected baggage.

I encourage you to recognise the baggage which you and your spouse brought into the marriage. It’s no use ignoring it or pretending it isn’t there.

Then seek godly wisdom for dealing with each thing. Fears can be dealt with through God’s love, since “perfect love casts out fear”. Pride can be dealt with by humbling yourself. Pain can be dealt with by letting God heal the broken heart and bind up the wounds.

Understanding that baggage exists and what your baggage is does not bring fear, but gives direction to your spiritual journey as you work through the challenges, with God’s wisdom and grace.

If you are facing challenges in these areas and would like some additional input, email our team to see what we would suggest in your situation.

Address your questions to: Questions@familyhorizons.net

Being a Wife & Mother

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One of the most vibrant churches I have ever ministered to was a “Youth Church” in Kuching, Sarawak. The building was jam packed with youth who were hungry for God. They stood to worship and sat on the floor to hear my teaching. That night was special, not just because of the  response of the youth and Unistudents, but because of the reaction of the leaders as well. The things I shared were eye-opening and answered questions that had defied solution.

One of the key issues I like to point out to youth is that of “insecurity”. In the transition from child to adult most Western youth are left without sufficient clarity and direction to bring them through their insecurities. Insecurity, in turn, makes people vulnerable.

If a young man is insecure about his arrival at manhood then he can be manipulated. An insecure young man can be led astray into various actions which he is told will “prove” his manhood. He may succumb to social values, peer values or the expectations of those who have his attention.

Similarly a young woman may be told that she has to attract male attention to prove her womanhood. This sets her up for moral danger and sells her short of her divine destiny.

Much of Western culture promotes insecurity, in order to exploit the vulnerable. If a young man is content in his appearance, course of action, selfworth, career path and so on, then he will only acquire those things he needs to pursue that path.

But if the culture can make him insecure about his looks he can be sold just about anything from fashion clothes to hair gel and acne lotions. If he is made to feel insecure about his ability to attract female attention, then he falls prey to a whole bunch of products and services which marketers want him to buy.

“Insecurity” oils the wheels of Western marketing. And for people who are trying to find their feet in a new dimension of life, that of adulthood, insecurity is an area of ready exploitation.

So, what is the solution? Finding a source of meaning and direction from God and parents is a fantastic way to be immune from the demands of the culture, peer-group and marketing machinery.

When a young man or woman is committed to fulfilling God’s will in their life, despite the cost and only for God’s approval, not man’s, they are liberated from slavery to insecurity and from exploitation and manipulation by the culture at large.

So, how does the devil set young people up for insecurity, where they can’t be protected through faith in God or by their parents? You should be able to work that one out yourself. It’s “rebellion”!

As each child grows they are given ample opportunity to be disappointed with their parents and to resent the expectations and limitations those parents impose. When a child succumbs to independence, resentment or rebellion they are successfully severed from the protection and direction that their parents provide.

So then, when they reach the season of change and insecurity strikes, they do not have the anchor which God provided for them. They will have a weak and possibly broken relationship with their parents. They will be trapped by pride, self-will and sin, and not be able to humble themselves and accept advice and direction from their parents.

Oh, and the other thing that goes hand in hand with that is when the child looks to their peers for approval, rather than their parents. When the peers at school or at play dictate the values, and the parents object, the child must choose whether to honour the parents or to break God’s law and honour the peer-group instead. When the child chooses to break the fifth commandment, that they are to obey their parents, that child becomes a slave to the sin of rebellion. You see, you become enslaved by the sins you serve (see John 8:34 and Romans 6:16).

Most Western young people have no escape from their insecurities and the manipulations of the world. The source of their identity, through their parents, has been cut off and they have sold their soul to the approval of their peers, which are the mirror of the culture.

What do you do about it? I’m glad you asked. You humble yourself. You repent. You ask God to forgive you for breaking His Commandment about honouring your parents (Ephesians 6:2). You commit yourself to God, to live for Him, as a living sacrifice (Romans 12:1). You then break from the demands of the culture, revoking your previous commitment to seek people’s approval. Then you seek God, read the Bible and find out from godly people, what it is that God has for you. As you live for Him, not yourself or your culture, you will be able to throw off the cultural demands and finally be yourself.

There is a pretty exciting world of adulthood waiting for today’s young people. My heart is that they find that world, in wholeness and freedom from every compromise and slavery, so they can live the wonder of impacting their world for God’s Kingdom.