Captivity

Isaiah 5:13

"Therefore my people have gone into captivity,
Because they have no knowledge;
Their honorable men are famished,
And their multitude dried up with thirst."

I have really enjoyed writing this blog. It has affected me in many ways. One thing that I didn't expect was the way other people would open up to me as a result of reading about my experiences. You can't imagine how eye-opening that has been for me. Girls, we all have so many things that we struggle with in private. Not a single one of us is exempt. Just when I start to think that I am the only person in the world who needs so much help, along comes someone else who wants to open up. And I'll cry sometimes and pray. But more than anything, I'll be encouraged to keep plugging along. Because there is a solution, an answer to all of those struggles. The answer is truth, God's truth, exchanged for the lies that this world grinds into our heads.

It really does matter what you believe. I have heard lots of people say things along the lines of, "I don't think it matters what you believe about God (in other words-theology), just as long as you believe that Jesus died on the cross for our sins." OK, I get that. Yes, the most basic truth in the Christian faith is important, vitally important. You will never hear me say otherwise. But, listen, the rest matters too. What you believe has a direct impact on how you live your life, how deeply you enjoy God, and your ability to serve Him.

Let me give you an example. I spend some time reading blogs that are written by other women. One blog in particular always makes me cry, because the woman who writes it seems to have gotten more than her fair share of pain in this life. Recently she shared a story of a friend who did not believe that she was saved because she could not forgive someone who hurt her badly.

Would you be able to pinpoint the error in that train of thought? If a friend came crying on your shoulder with that dilemma, could you offer her real comfort? Comfort based on truth?

Yes, truth matters. Understanding the truth of God's written, revealed Word matters. The more I learn about God, through reading the Bible, the more deeply I am affected by Him. You can be a Christian and never bother with learning any more than the basics. But don't you want more than that? Don't you want to actually enjoy the power and promises of God? How would you like to live your life like this:

Isaiah 58:10-11

"Then your light shall dawn in the darkness,
And your darkness shall be as the noonday.
The LORD will guide you continually,
And satisfy your soul in drought,
And strengthen your bones;
You shall be like a watered garden,
And like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail."

There is nothing I want more! And, there is nothing that I want more for other women. None of us gets to choose how we will serve God, or how He will use us for His glory. God is in complete control of that. But He has given me a passion for one specific thing--to show other Christian women the riches that are supposed to be their's in Christ. Some people have a passion for evangelism, others for hospitality or service. Me? I want to share the deep, abiding joy and passion that I have in Christ, specifically with women who are already Christians.


This statement is not meant to be applied to everyone I know. Forgive me for sounding arrogant if I do, but I see Christians all over the place who suffer from lack of knowledge about God. They are famished, and dried up with thirst just as described in Isaiah 5:13. They have no knowledge, or very little anyway. And do you know what you find every time there is lack of knowledge? Captivity. That is why truth matters. Truth is the only way out of captivity.

Isaiah 61:1

"...He has sent me to heal the brokenhearted,
To proclaim liberty to the captives,
And the opening of the prison to those who are bound..."

Did you know that reading this verse from Isaiah was Jesus first public declaration of who He was and why He came? You can find an account of it in Luke 4:18. Jesus proclaimed liberty. He opened the prison doors. Come on out.