A Call to Stand Firm on the Solid Ground of Jesus Christ

“Be on guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong. Do everything in love.”

~1 Corinthians 16:13-14

“Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord’, and do not do what I say? As for everyone who comes to me and hears my words and puts them into practice, I will show you what they are like. They are like a man building a house, who dug down deep and laid the foundation on rock. When a flood came, the torrent struck that house but could not shake it, because it was well built. But the one who hears my words and does not put them into practice is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. The moment the torrent struck that house, it collapsed and its destruction was complete.” ~Jesus, Luke 6:46-49

I recently injured a nerve and some muscle tissue on the top of my right foot. I would like to say it occurred during a kickboxing class or while I was running a marathon, but as it would be, I injured it wearing a new pair of really cute but unsupportive sandals. I didn’t know if I was more upset about my injury or that I wouldn’t be able to wear those cute but expensive sandals anymore. Either way, I didn’t realize at the time of my injury, God was going to get my attention through it and was going to call me and fortify me in a deeper way that I wasn’t expecting. To give you a little background of my own foundation, most of my life has been like wearing those cute sandals. I built and stood on a foundation that may have been cute and acceptable to others and myself but it was unsupportive and at some point, it cost me and others a lot; it also injured my own stance and how I saw myself. It wasn’t until God drew and called me to His solid ground in Jesus Christ that I began to start building on a stronger foundation and become more identified in His truths.

Up to my foot injury, God had really established my identity in Christ. I had been fortified and delivered from many lies and many layers of strongholds; condemnation, anxiety, self-righteousness, works of the flesh, insecurity, selfish ambitions, my own plans, my own strength, and many other self-centered shortcomings were just a few things God had delivered me from. But it was going to be through this foot injury that God was going to deliver me from the main predominant stronghold that has been the bedrock of so much destruction in my identity: a BIG root of rejection. I had overcome a lot leading up to this injury and really knew who I was in Christ but God was going to fortify me in a deeper way and call me to stand firm on His solid ground of acceptance. You see, it wasn’t going to be me that enabled me to stand firm. It wasn’t going to be my strength that kept me there. It wasn’t going to be whether people accepted or rejected me that enabled me to stand firm in Christ. It was going to be because God fortified my faith to stand firm IN HIM—IN His Strength; IN His Acceptance.

It just so happened a week after my foot injury, I was scheduled to attend a class at a ministry called Journey U to learn about the spiritual gifts of Holy Spirit. 1 Corinthians 12 is a great chapter to read about the different gifts of Holy Spirit: In fact, 1 Corinthians 12:27-28 says: “Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it. And God has placed in the church first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healing, of helping, of guidance, and of different kinds of tongues.” As we went through the many gifts of Holy Spirit, we came to the gift of healing. Laura Bradshaw was leading the class and wanted to demonstrate the gift of healing on my foot. I was more than willing to allow Holy Spirit to come and begin a process of healing my injury. As Laura approached me, I thought a simple prayer would be prayed over me and then we get back to the teaching. But God had other plans. It wasn’t going to be about healing my foot, but healing me from a root of rejection that had caused my stance in God to be weak and injured. I had walked in and with rejection for SO long and sadly, it had become a companion of familiarity and comfort to me. But God knew I was ready to "boot" this long-time companion out of my life and He was going to use this class and fellow believers to help me do it. It was probably one of the most vulnerable but powerful experiences I have ever had with the body of Christ. You see, I was used to more traditional ways of healing—ask someone you know to pray for you and then go to the doctor. I was also more comfortable with hiding in the pews at church and “hope for God’s best” as I hid in the shadows of doubt and "I don't know if I am good or strong enough" kind of faith. But not today. Today God was calling me out of rejection—calling me out of hiding in the shadows of “being less than and relying on my own strength”. He was calling me out of timidity and being under the oppression of intimidation that comes from a spirit of rejection.

When Laura boldly came to lay hands on my foot and began to pray and ask Holy Spirit for healing, there was something going on in the heavenly realms right above us; as I surrendered to what Holy Spirit was doing (which was beyond me), I came to the end of myself and allowed my brothers and sisters in Christ to stand in the gap for me. What I couldn’t do alone because I had to surrender myself, God did through His people. As Laura began to pray over me, I was compelled to share how I felt my injury was a spiritual wound from a root of rejection. I went on to tell them that even though I had overcome so much, the enemy still had a foothold on me that I didn’t know how to shake off. I realize now that I couldn’t overcome rejection by myself; I needed the antidote to rejection, which is the acceptance I have in Christ. It was at this moment with my fellow believers that God was going to break off rejection through my surrender and through the acceptance I had in Christ Jesus and through the faith of His people. Where the church had previously rejected me as a child and often growing up, God was reversing the works of the enemy by imparting acceptance to me through the body of Christ and through the gifts of Holy Spirit as they delivered me from the root cause of my injured stance (physically and spiritually).

As Laura was praying over my foot and as the other believers were joining Laura in their own prayers, a bold brother-in-Christ named Wesley called out the lie attached to my injured stance: “You are afraid of knowing who you really are in Christ and who you will become in Him; you are afraid of the unknown and where God wants to lead you; you have made rejection a companion and it has become your place of comfort so you don’t have to walk in the fullness of who you are in Christ.” At that moment, the lie that had been hiding in the shadows of my identity was completely exposed. Wesley then went on and told me to kick rejection out, not just once but several times. As I came to grips with the reality of what was going on, I felt like my body and soul were just trying to keep up with what Holy Spirit was doing in and through my spirit. I did as Holy Spirit led through His people and I told rejection it had to leave me and that I receive and embrace the full acceptance of Christ and that I give King Jesus dominion over my identity and life.

It has been two weeks since that powerful day and my mind, body and soul is still processing the work of Holy Spirit that was imparted in me through His people. My foot is just about healed as I continue to care for it, but EVEN MORE than that, my soul and my stance in Christ is healing and is truly embracing and standing on the solid ground of Christ full acceptance and in His strength. And that my friend is the greater glory God desires to do in all of us as we look to Him to reconcile us to Himself more and more.

2 Corinthians 1:21-22 NIV

[21] Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, [22] set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.

Ephesians 1:11-14 NIV

[11] In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will, [12] in order that we, who were the first to put our hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory. [13] And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, [14] who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God's possession---to the praise of his glory.

1 Thessalonians 5:23 NIV

[23] May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

John 14:12-13 NIV

[12] Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. [13] And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son.

2 Corinthians 5:17-19 NIV

[17] Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! [18] All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: [19] that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people's sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation.