Welcome to "Fan the Flame" Friday.
This is a weekly post that will be "short and sweet" (kinda like me...)
Just a word and a phrase, a sentence or a question...just a little something to "fan the flame" of your creativity!
Today's word: broken
Have you ever felt broken in the presence of the Lord?
Do you think being broken is necessary to repentance? To obedience?
How has God ever healed your broken spirit?
Let me know what you think!!
"This is why I remind you to fan into flames the spiritual gift God gave you…For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline." (2 Timothy 1:6-7)
BLOG = "Blessedly Leaning On God!"
Repentance is a turnaround and brokenness is a turnaround from togetherness so they go hand in hand. However, I think we can repent without brokeness emotionally. We know right from wrong and can quickly repent when wrong. Brokenness hurts so bad, yet wonderful spiritual growth happens as Jesus puts us back together again, so it's good in the end. Does this make sense? It's only 5:30 a.m. and I wanted to be the first one to comment! LOL.
ReplyDeleteIn a way I think brokenness always goes hand in hand with repentance. It isn't necessarily the huge sobbing breakdown, but don't you have to break the ties that bind you to whatever sin to really change your mind about it and repent?
ReplyDeleteI've been broken before the LORD in a state of complete conviction. He was/is a the lifter of my head.
I've also been utterly broken in spirit. I was rereading something that I wrote during my most broken time recently and cried as if it were happening in real time. I saw how far God has brought me from that moment, but I also realized that I have some huge scars that need some Holy Mederma. There are scars we have that shape and mold us, and then there are ones that just paralyze us. Mine are the second kind. Frankly, I'm weary of living with them.
I think my family is, too.
All I know is there have been times I've felt broken and I turn to God a lot more then - sometimes I'm not as close as I should be when things are going better! My own fault.
ReplyDeleteSandie
this is an interesting word today, Sharon. A hard one too to come up with a meaningful answer, I'm going to have to think about this one........
ReplyDeletebetty
Hi Sharon....He did heal me...He didn't cause what happened although I used to get really angry at Him. I know in my heart...He was the one who healed me....made a difference when nothing else worked. Being broken had nothing to do with Him...being healed had everything to do with Him. ☺
ReplyDeleteHi Sharon -
ReplyDeleteWhat readily came to mind when I read your word broken today is Japan and Libya and other places of major unrest.
May our God save souls, heal the brokenhearted and console the grieving people. May He send help to minister to people in every necessary way. Most of all, may GOD send his people to love on those who have major turmoil in their lives.
Were you affected by the tsunami? I read that it has affected California and Oregon. My prayers are with all who are affected.
Mary - You made perfect sense! Agree with you - when Jesus knits back together our brokenness, it's a wonderfully blessed thing!
ReplyDeleteDebbie - I like how you said that it's necessary to break the ties with sin before you can repent of it. And, I so appreciated the rest of your words. You had some really good stuff to say. You said you had some scars that paralyze you. Me, too - except I would call them wounds. Scars would mean that they've healed, and a few things I just can't seem to get past - I just keep hurting...(I'm thinking of a post about Holy Mederma maybe??)
Sandie - Such a commentary on all of us! We turn to God when we hurt, we tend to rely on ourselves when things are good. C.S. Lewis called pain the megaphone of God. Apt description. However, I'm working on listening to the still, small voice a little better!
Betty - Thanks for stopping by. I'll tell you what - not speaking spiritually, I was broken by the news about Koda. But, I'm praying for God's healing...
Sarah - Oh, so well said! Though I am so very sorry about the pain you've had in your life, you are such a powerful testimony to the miracle of God's healing hand. I agree that sometimes we cause our own brokenness - I have often done that. However, it's never the end of the story. There's always that ending that starts with the wonderful words, "But God..."
Sandra - First of all, the tsunami didn't affect me (I'm about 30 miles inland from the ocean) - and my family, who lives at the beach, are also safe. May God minister mightily to the broken people of Japan, who have now had such devastation in their land.
Been out of town for a couple of days - sorry it's taken me so long to get back to everyone!
GOD BLESS!