Out of My Mind
"If we are out of our minds in a blissful, divine ecstasy,
it is for God, but if we are in our right minds,
it is for your benefit."
The Apostle Paul to the Corinthian church
. . .
Have you ever wanted to giggle during a heavy conversation? I’m guilty of this.
A young woman I mentor caught me in the act. After our group broke from prayer, she said, “When everyone else was frowning and serious, I heard a tiny giggle from you. As if you knew everything was going to be just fine.”
She read me right. I was sensing God’s more desirable future, which caused me to see beyond the situational reality and rejoice amid the foreboding prayers. But like the Apostle Paul, I’ve gotta learn to be more in my ‘right mind’ during certain conversations, which is tough for me! Why? Firsthand experience. I am indisputably convinced of the work Jesus Christ accomplished on the cross. I’m without-a-doubt sure of His ability to heal and to bring any surrendered soul into freedom—freedom from fear, worry, bitterness, anger, disease, unhealthy thinking, addictions…
I’ve tasted too much of God’s goodness to entertain a bitter taste in my mouth for very long. And I don’t believe in begging as a form of prayer. Instead, I desire to release that which the Father is already doing into our earthly reality.
Don’t get me wrong! I’ve been in the pit of Despair. I experienced a season where the pain was so unbearable that I didn’t want to live. Some nights I went to bed weeping and then awoke the next morning only to cry again. My adrenals gave out because of the pressure placed on me, not by my own doing. I literally had to crawl because I couldn’t stand.
I withdrew into a time of seclusion so I could heal emotionally and mentally, all the while enduring hits from individuals firing false accusations and judgments—even from people I’d never met…
(Some of you might remember my therapy artwork on FB. During that intense season, my soul was capable of very little—painting, worship, walk, read the Bible, visit my therapist…repeat. I had become intimate with the deep-cutting pain of betrayal and slander, abuse and confusion, but chose not to live there. I aggressively pulled back the veil on every area of my heart, knowing that humility, transparency, and surrender are keys to healing and wholeness through Christ. Holy Spirit walked me through forgiveness, repentance, and restoration for every wound. And God restored my voice through those paintings.) His grace was sufficient.
Anyway…
Today, an overflowing love of Christ fuels my passion and motivates me to love others, without any agenda. If you know Jesus intimately, you cannot help but experience the new and abundant life made possible only by His death. Yet how many believers fake their freedom?
You know you’ve reached freedom when you’re no longer interested in a self-absorbed lifestyle. Kingdom living is not about me (or you). It’s about Jesus, and actively loving others in ways that urge them into His kingdom to be reconciled with our Father.
The better I understand God’s perspective of me the better perception I have of you — or anybody I meet. Outward appearances are deceiving. What good comes when one man judges another? I’d rather see you as the person God created and called, because His vision of you is glorious … even if you’re not walking in it just yet.
Why desire freedom through Christ? Because mistakes, imperfections, failures—the areas you’re still maturing in—have no power to hold you back. If by chance you do stumble, His angels are right there to pick you up again (Psalm 91)
Of course, there are evil, unrepentant people in the world. But their rebellion is not mine to condemn. My focus remains on God’s outrageous kindness and His ability to change human lives.
This is not positive thinking. That’s a cover-up that gets your soul nowhere, like putting a Sesame Street bandaid on a ballistic wound.
Attaining freedom takes a sober heart change; it’s deliberately coming into alignment with the Father’s heart and will, which is the only perfection in our imperfect world. It’s allowing Him to transform you into the embodiment of His truth, His reality.
So if we’re ever in a conversation and you catch me grinning at the wrong time, excuse me for being out of my mind. Just know that I am either seeing the wonderful you God is fashioning, I’m laughing at the devil, or I’m tipsy with joy over the work God is already doing to counter any “disaster” presented.
How often are you out of your mind and in divine ecstasy?
Sowing Seeds of Bravery
