Out of bounds

I want to propose to something to you today, a line of thought that quite often is vastly overlooked. something that many people ignore and don't think about. Firstly the title 'out of bounds' I mean what do you think about when those words come to your mind? Is something out of bounds in your life?

When I think about it, I think specifically that Satan can run freely totally out of bounds in life. That he can get into places in life where he doesn't belong. That he can take the complete freedom that we have in Jesus and turn it into partial freedom, he tries to shrink the amount of freedom we have. Sometimes because we have a narrow view on certain things in life and we are not open to other angles Satan can take advantage, for example he can run out of bounds in our health. So many christians believe they can do nothing about the suffering they have in life like that flu that comes around at Christmas or the migraines that pop into our heads and pester us trying to steal our peace, these are just a few of the smaller examples.

If we look deeper into where sickness comes from and search for a starting point we can see where it comes from. Some people think God lets them have sickness to teach them lessons and they have to work through it, others believe that there is nothing they can do but to just go with it and take it. Yet it is written that God loves us to the point that he sent his own to die for us. I find it impossible to think that a God who loves us that much would wish any sickness on us to teach us lessons. So if its not God then who is it? The obvious answer is Satan. Most people however miss this and think they have to bear sickness and then they start to complain and moan about how they are under the weather and feeling miserable letting Satan run freely out of bounds in their circumstances.

I personally think that when a sickness comes God says, 'You have my authority, so what are you gona do about it? are you gona let Satan who I have already beaten walk all over you?
I think its the same scenario as in sports, when a sports team totally annihilates another team, the losing team doesn't come over after the game and start gloating and pushing their weight around, so why should  this be any different? Satan is trying to make you think that he has more authority than hes actually due.

So when God says to you 'What are you gona do about this? because if you think I have given you my full authority just so you can come running to me every time the enemy I have beaten gets in your face, you have another thing coming, what are YOU, not me, YOU gona do about it? What are YOU gona do about this sickness, this financial situation in your life, this pain thats got in your face after it has been beaten.

God has given us his perfect love, his grace and we represent him in this world, we are more than conquerers. Which doesn't mean as a result of our struggles we win, or as a result struggling through sickness we get the victory. It means IN our struggles we have the victory, during our struggles we are victorious. Never forget that you have already gained freedom through Jesus, not partial freedom that Satan makes us think we have, that everything Jesus was on the Earth has been given to us. So next time  Satan is out of bounds in your life, use your God given authority, get in his face and tell him to get out in Jesus name!

Its not about the perfection of the artwork, its about the relationship to the artist

When we take a look at ourselves, each person represents something different, something unique. One could say that everybody's individuality could be similar to that of a painting. We all know that each painting to look at is different. Through even basic observation each painting looks totally unique, even though similar techniques have been used, similar brush strokes, similar mindsets behind them and yet they still are totally unique to each other. Their creator has uniquely put them together. They are unique just as each person in this world is unique.


So its not about the perfection of the artwork. 


Acting on our own thoughts and earthly desires, trying the achieve the best for ourselves is totally overrated. We don't benefit from our own works, we can do the best we can do and its still not enough. We try to achieve perfection by ourselves, we try to demand it. We try to comprehend what perfection is and try to get our thinking around it. Little do we know that all the things we try to accomplish for ourselves, the perfection that we want to know will only give us temporary satisfaction if even that. In other words it won't last.
Sometimes we can try and do the artists work for him, we give our ways of doing things to him expecting that it will be enough, rather than trying his way. People aren't happy with how their life is, what they look like. They ignore their gifts and talents that have been purposely painted into their life as they feel insecure in who they are. They feel as if they are an ugly painting in the worlds big gallery and thats why they thrive in achieving perfection. It's almost as if they mixed up the artist's signature and have instead put their own name at the bottom of their life. It's as if the the creator has totally been cut out.


So its about the relationship to the artist.


We have to observe here that every painting has had a lot of time, effort and thought put in. Also that with closer observation its clear that the artist has proudly bared his name, his mark on each painting, its so that every painting gives glory to the artist. That upon looking at the painting its evident that everything the artist stands for has been poured out with love, care and passion for the finished work of the picture. That by looking at the painting its evident who made it. So the painting should boldly boast of its artist. So it can glorify its creator for all to see.


So I would ask to you today, how does your life show the name of your artist? how does it glorify the work put into making you who you are today? do you realise how much of who you are was thought about in the creation process. that you were created from the inside out, accurately planned just as paintings are created from measured drawings. that your creator knows your inmost being, exactly who you are. That he is so proud to have made you, that his mercies will surround you at all times wherever you go. That his love, joy and peace will pour into your life only if you put his name at the bottom of the painting and glorify him for everything he has done.


Because its not about the perfection of the artwork, its about the relationship to the artist.