“Run After Father! Take the Land!”

Okay, so I buy it. I want the “life that is truly life.” I want the extravagance whether in plenty or pain, the authenticity without agenda or arrogance. I want all of Father God and what he wants me to know and experience. I want sight! I believe that he calls me by name and loves me. I can see now those that have walked before me that have tasted of this “life.” And I certainly see the love of Brother Jesus in the word and his ways. I believe that he did come so that I could “have life, and have it to the full” John 10:10. I am tasting the love, and I want The Whole Peach.

So, what’s the problem? What will prevent me from experiencing this “life?” Is there a pitfall in this pursuit?

The answer is yes. In the words of C.S. Lewis, we occupy “enemy territory” (Mere Christianity 51), and “your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour” 1 Peter 5:8. His strategy: he spins the lies and entices us to buy them! “When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies” John 8:44. Eldredge says that Satan “suggests to us – as he suggested to Adam and Eve – some sort of idea or inclination or impression, and what he is seeking is a sort of ‘agreement’ on our part. He’s hoping we’ll buy into whatever he’s saying, offering, insinuating. . . . The Evil One is still lying to us, seeking our agreement every single day” (Waking the Dead 152). Satan uses the first person to speak these lies, and it might go something like this in your head and heart.

He is the immediate gratification of the Turkish delights in The Chronicles of Narnia. I deserve this. I just need a break. No one understands what I am going through, and I’m not hurting anybody.

He is the self-centeredness that I am my own God. He holds the allure of personal worth tied to my position or possessions. This is all about me. I want to be liked, sought after, and appreciated. The affection and applause is all I need.

He is the illusion that God is too late; he is not delivering on his promises. So, you need to take this deal in your own hands and deliver. Your issues really aren’t that important in the grand scheme of things. I have missed my window. Life has not turned out the way I thought it would.

He is the condemnation that I am ill-equipped, and I don’t have what it takes. He is the dreams of not having enough, being enough or knowing enough. I am a bad mother, friend, spouse, etc. Who am I kidding? Look at all the mistakes I have made. I have no right to talk about God. I have nothing to offer.

He is the religion that numbs the heart and distracts the mind. Donald Miller in Blue Like Jazz says it like this: “I believe that the greatest trick of the devil is not to get us into some sort of evil but rather have us wasting time. This is why the devil tries so hard to get Christians to be religious. If he can sink a man’s mind into habit, he will prevent his heart from engaging God” (13).

Satan “himself masquerades as an angel of light” 2 Corinthians 11:14 We are tempted with Satan’s offering of God-ship, but we are not defeated. Just let me tell you that again! We are not defeated. As children of Father God, we are a new creation through the sacrifice of Jesus (1 John 3:1 and 2 Corinthians 5:17). “The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work” 1 John 3:8. We don’t have to walk in these lies and fall victim each day to this bondage. These words that race around your head and keep you tied up can’t keep you. Check out Revelation 3:18-20 in The Message. This is the truth that dispels these lies. Father God has given us the gift of sight.

“Here’s what I want you to do: Buy your gold from me, gold that’s been through the refiner’s fire. Then you’ll be rich. Buy your clothes from me, clothes designed in Heaven. You’ve gone around half-naked long enough. And buy medicine for your eyes from me so you can see, really see. The people I love, I call to account–prod and correct and guide so that they’ll live at their best. Up on your feet, then! About face! Run after God! Look at me. I stand at the door. I knock. If you hear me call and open the door, I’ll come right in and sit down to supper with you.”

If you believe the Bible, then let these words rest on you. Father God desires to “supper with you.” He wants to clothe you in extravagance, heal your blind eyes and give you the best! If you want to live The Whole Peach, then run, run after God and accept these gifts.

“See the Lord your God has given you the land. Go up and take possession of it as the Lord, the God of your fathers, told you. Do not be discouraged; do not be afraid” Deuteronomy 1:21. Take the land! Take the land of immediate gratification, self-centeredness, illusion, condemnation and religion! Choose the gift not the lie! Don’t agree with Satan anymore. You are a child of God bought with a price and have been given an identity in Christ. Father God will not abandon you. He is faithful and will pursue you with his love every time. You are no longer a sinner but a saint! Stand up and walk in the freedom of his love and his “life to the full.” Take the land, friend! Run after Father!

Can you taste it!

Questions for conversation:
1. Which lies bind you up?
2. Talk through the verses. What are gifts we receive?