RULES: I dare you to stop following them...

Source: flickr.com via Gabriele on Pinterest

It's been almost a year since the painful root of rebellion was ripped from my flesh, it was excruciating but sweet and freeing at the same time. I SO AM GRATEFUL. As God continues to open my eyes, he does more than just gently reveal the crap the needs to be tilled from my core, He gives me glimpses of the freedom and powerful story he has for my future. As I let go of the things that have tethered me in fear for the past 30 years, my eyes are opened to the intense furnace of anger and pride and bitterness I still harbor, and He speaks to me so gently as if He is coaxing a scared, injured animal out of a corner. He reminds me of his promises for my life, He reminds me that I am created to do EVEN more than He did in his short ministry on earth. And as I hear his truth and bury it like a seed in my guts, my clenched fists are slowly slowly starting to let go of the past, the heart break and rejection, the humiliation and feeling so incredibly insignificant.... and as I let go each day I experience just a little more of the freedom He has for me. I AM SO GRATEFUL.

You have died with Christ, and he has set you free from the spiritual powers of this world. So why do you keep on following the rules of the world, such as,  “Don’t handle! Don’t taste! Don’t touch!”?  Such rules are mere human teachings about things that deteriorate as we use them.  These rules may seem wise because they require strong devotion, pious self-denial, and severe bodily discipline. But they provide no help in conquering a person’s evil desires. -Colossians 2:20-23

Here's my point. We all have crap we know needs to be out of our lives. But real transformation can ONLY come from the prompting of the Holy Spirit... and that prompting for change is always about growth and freedom and being built up by the Creator of the universe. Guilt and condemnation come from man made rules and judgmental legalism. It's important to know the difference... it's important to remember GUILT IS NOT FROM GOD. And when a spirit filled transformation starts... look out... because YOU WILL BE TRANSFORMED! YOU WILL HAVE VICTORY!

Man made rules, aka rules of this world, can make us feel good about ourselves, but I honestly believe they are a trap designed by the enemy. If we feel we are "good enough"... why would we ever think we need to be transformed in Christ? If I can check church and my quiet time off my list, I'm good right? If I can prove that I never watch a rated R movie and never have anything to drink... I'm good right?? I'm not knocking the personal conviction some people feel about these areas... AT ALL... but at the end of the day they are just rules... MAN MADE... and if we seek rules out of fear of what could happen, we could totally bypass the whole step of being transformed by the power of Christ.

If this makes you squidgy... if you're thinking WHOA she just crossed the line... maybe it's time to pray for God to reveal the areas of your life He wants to transform... the areas that need to be rooted out in the name of FREEDOM and GRACE and GROWTH. Because when these things happen the fruit of your life will scream and radiate the intimate relationship you're experiencing with our creator, and there will be no need for rules... no need for safety. It won't be enough for you anymore, once you've tasted true victory and freedom and grace and God's mighty power you won't be able to go back and live a life of checklists and merely meeting christian expectations. Today I dare you to stop being a rule follower ... because Jesus wasn't a rule follower He was a radical, He couldn't settle for the status quo and neither should we.