What is shaping you?

What is shaping you?

Imagine with me the last time you went into a clothing shop and needed to stand in one of those incredibly accusatory changing stalls. I don’t know how they think they’re going to sell us anything, when you look into those mirrors all you see is every tiny little flaw, and for those of us passed 25ish, each droop, each wrinkle, lump of cellulite and skin so pale and sickly you start wondering if you should pop across the road to the doc and have a check up just as soon as you manage to peel off those pants and get your own more comfortable well loved clothes on again! Of course you can rest assured if you manage to look good in THOSE mirrors—you’re a stunning sight out in the real world and sunlight!

When we look at ourselves we see our humanness, our own brokenness. No one else knows better than us, exactly how awful, ghastly and horrid we are, inside and out.
And we are convinced that what we look like, or more importantly, how we are perceived is the most important aspect of who we are to others.

The real crux though is the very real fear that lurks behind our eyes when we look into those mirrors:
“Is what I see here, what everyone else can see when they look at me?”
"Can you see in my eyes the pain, the scars I carry? Is it possible you might know?"

We are convinced that these things are why we can’t or won’t be used by God, or perhaps can’t or won’t be forgiven or free. That there is no where to go to release the pain or the hurts, that we’re stuck like this, in our awful earth suits, without relief or release, forever, or at least certainly till we die.

Matthew 11:28—30
28"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."

Isaiah 53:5
But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed.

Matthew 8:16
When evening came, many who were demon-possessed were brought to him, and he drove out the spirits with a word and healed all the sick.

Matthew 9:22
Jesus turned and saw her. "Take heart, daughter," he said, "your faith has healed you." And the woman was healed from that moment.

I guarantee that everyone in this room is carrying something that they are terrified someday everyone might know about.
Things we wouldn’t dare share for the condemnation would be more than we could bear.

Wait, I seem to remember something...

Romans 8:1
Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus,[a]

"Ah!" You say, "well of course, God doesn’t condemn you….but PEOPLE, well now that’s a very different story."
I agree, the opportunity to let go of your burdens in the safety of relationship with your members of your church family, is a very rare thing indeed.

John 8:7
But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger. When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, "If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her."

Isn’t it interesting that it was a women in this story — aren’t we usually the first to throw the stones?

Many of us are held captive by hurts and scars from years of lies, trespass against us, verbal, physical, sexual or even things we did that we are so ashamed of, if someone knew, we just know it would make us curl up and die.

Some of us have been brave enough to share those things but the chains are still there, holding us back outside of God’s presence, far from his face.
Every woman chained is ashamed, cowering away from her family, partner, community and each just outside of the circle of light desperate to be in that light but terrified of what the light will reveal of herself.

You need to know that we as women are particularly unique and special in the scheme of God’s great plan, let me tell you some things about you:

You were formed with purpose and plan
Jeremiah 1:5 (NIV)
 5 "Before I formed you in the womb I knew [a] you,
       before you were born I set you apart;
       I appointed you as a prophet to the nations."

You were created I the image of God - it’s right at the beginning of the bible cause it’s really important!
Genesis 1:26
26 Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, [a] and over all the creatures that move along the ground."

You are amazing and wonderful
Psalm 139:13-16,
13 For you created my inmost being;
       you knit me together in my mother's womb.
 14 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
       your works are wonderful,
       I know that full well.
 15 My frame was not hidden from you
       when I was made in the secret place.
       When I was woven together in the depths of the earth,
 16 your eyes saw my unformed body.
       All the days ordained for me
       were written in your book
       before one of them came to be.

God does not see what men see when he looks at you
1 Sam 16:7
 7 But the LORD said to Samuel, "Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart."

Woman is the only creation God made that was not made from dust—You’re special, different, set apart.
Genesis 2:22
22 Then the LORD God made a woman from the rib [a] he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man.

Ashamed is not a natural state for a woman to be, it was a result of the fall
Genesis 2:25
25 The man and his wife were both naked, and they felt no shame.

Your outer appearance is not what makes you beautiful
1 Peter 3:3-4
3Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as braided hair and the wearing of gold jewelry and fine clothes. 4Instead, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God's sight.

The thing is, imagine your life, family, job, work situation, without you in it. Can you see lost people, what if you never existed, how many people would no longer exist if you hadn’t been. I bet Jesus’ mother didn’t think she was all that, but if she hadn’t been, we’d all be doomed.
In women, lies the future, life and the nations. We have been bestowed with the amazing ability to bring life.
Man can not do this, it is our destiny alone. In addition we’ve been bestowed with the strength to withstand the process of giving life and nurturing it. It is sad that in many minds we have been limited to this role and the role itself has diminished in the eyes of the world until there is no awe or respect for it. but God has anointed us to be the instrument to bring his new life to the world, generation after generation. How amazing!

I’m not just talking about giving birth either, it’s not women who go off to fight battles or destroy nations, conquering or battling. Women are the nurses, the educators, the care givers, the survivors. If it weren’t for women, the men of the world would have blown themselves up in the first round and cancelled the human race before it even began! Cain and Abel certainly tried their best to establish that pattern as early on as possible.

Now—if you’re thinking along these lines now, do you begin to see a different picture flickering in the mirror?

See, if we’re keeping the balance, giving life and nurturing, healing, growing, feeding and educating, the people of God are uplifted, equipped and ready for battle, but if the women are wiped out the men will never rally, and they’ll lose the battle. We are called helpers because they NEED our help. We’re essential to the Spiritual war. And the men are crippled because we’re all home dismantling our self images and caught up in our own wound licking.

But why are we so riddled with wounds you ask?

An excellent question:
If you don’t know you’re under attack are you likely to fight back?

1 Peter 5:8 (New International Version)
8Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.

He’s sneaking up on you, making you think your enemy is the church, your boss, your husband/boyfriend, the world, your father, your mother, your siblings, the cosmo models, the prof that’s requiring the impossible of you…

The question swimming in your mind now must be, but why am I so plagued with all these thoughts of inadequacy and brokenness then, if I’m so special?
Well ‘cause you’re special, of course! Huh?

You see if God bestowed on you the most important purpose of conveying, nurturing and sustaining life, then you’re key to the battle plan, right? and if the Devil can take the troops down before they’re even born by crippling the life-givers, well, hell! Of course he’s there like a bear!

If he can convince you of your ugliness, your inadequacy, your failure, your disgusting awfulness, then he can cut you down and destroy you and make you completely ineffective in the great battle plan God has laid out.

For some of us, all it takes is a harsh word, straight at the old scar we first received when we were 5 years old in the playground from that mean bully who told us we were fat, or even from our mother at 12 when we first tried make up and was told we looked like a tart. For some, an odd look or lack of respect or a raised eyebrow, contempt or distain. Or perhaps years of wearing down through constant pressure. Or maybe we believed the lie that we were unlovable because our family was the kind that never hugged.. Every rejection big and small just confirmed the lie after that.

Are you caught in the chain of lies that the scheming and deceitful enemy has carefully, strategically, incrementally wrapped around your heart and soul, chaining you to your demons and pain? Did you know it really easy to break free, you just need to have faith.

Faith in what? Things unseen.

Yes, you need to be honest with yourself of course, confess your strongholds, the places where the enemy has his claws in you, recognise them for what they are, even perhaps have someone pray with you for God to heal the lie in your past to free you from the roots of the chains, but then believe you have been set free even if you don’t feel free immediately, as I did. And live wisely after, watching for the attacks, recognising them for what they are and actively doing warfare in your defense.

But warfare isn’t our thing! Well no, but that scripture, “run the good race, fight the good fight” doesn’t start “Men run the good race…” nor does it end “.. And women make the tea.”
Each of us needs to put on the armor of God, put on Christ (Rom 13:24), remembering always that every weapon Christ had at his disposal is ours too. And more powerful than anything the enemy can bring against us is the guy on our side standing right behind us, the Creator of the UNIVERSE!

Isaiah 58:8
8 Then your light will break forth like the dawn,
       and your healing will quickly appear;
       then your righteousness [a] will go before you,
       and the glory of the LORD will be your rear guard.

Deut 33:27,
27 The eternal God is your refuge,
       and underneath are the everlasting arms.
       He will drive out your enemy before you,
       saying, 'Destroy him!'

2 Sam 22: 20,
20 He brought me out into a spacious place;
       he rescued me because he delighted in me.