dunamis
by Elizabeth DeBarros
To truly live,
we must walk in the
power of the resurrection.
____________
“I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened
in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you,
the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people,
and his
incomparably great power
for us who believe.
. . .
That power
is the same as the mighty strength
he exerted
when he raised Christ from the dead
and seated him at his right hand
in the heavenly realms,
far above all rule and authority,
power and dominion,
and every name that is invoked,
not only in the present age but also in the one to come.”
- Ephesians 1:18-21
___________________
Doing good, following rules, no matter how sincere, cannot save. Adhering to creeds and memorizing catechisms can be wonderfully useful, but still they’re external to genuine salvation. Religion is man’s best effort at pulling God down. But Christ already came down. Now we each must come alone to the cross of Christ in repentance for the forgiveness of sins, finding in Him mercy and grace through the blood of Christ, shed on the cross. The reality of this faith involves utter death to oneself. Then, and only then, we may walk in the newness of life.
But what is this newness of life? Can it be found in the sweet by-and-by of a church hymnal? The dutiful but tired schlep of “doing the doing”? Or is it hard-won by pleasing men in the name of obedience? Artifice. Newness of life is found in the power of God that is promised to His chosen ones. The rescuing and transforming, informing and empowering, igniting and setting-a-soul-on-fire power of God that redeems men from the eternal grip of sin, death, hell, and the grave. Dunamis.
And this is the flash point: Unless it becomes reality, futility will be the lot of every Jew and Gentile until they’re reconciled to Christ — submitted in love to Him, heart, soul, mind, and strength. While this isn’t done perfectly this side of heaven, there remains the possibility of not loving Him aright — to as yet not know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, to as yet not be filled with all the fullness of God:
For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith— that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.
- Ephesians 3:14-19
________________________
Ten Years Ago
I once loved God with what I thought was all my heart. But the crash and burn of mounting stressors caused me a hard fall. Prolonged mental anguish was the trial that proved my mind was not aligned and submitted to His Word. A two-year plunge into a pit of paralyzing fear, anxiety, and depression was the holy confrontation that changed me for good — leaving me weak and flat on my back with my face to the ground. Where I learned to take off my shoes.
Holy is His Name.
What I realized only after that wrestling match was this: God was jealous for me. What it took — terrors by night and a coaxing, fragile anxiety by day — to eventually break me of my willful intellect, heal me of my scarred mind. Each synapse led me to the door of defeat, every neurotransmitter fired straight into the gutter, missing the mark. I wouldn’t know what a little depression looked like. Mine was a full-on assault for the ruin and obliteration of my mind. The world was too small; the sky, too big. This stranger wasn’t well. Staring into the abyss, darkness was my closest friend.
After many rivers to cross, my cry for deliverance reached God’s ears. He heard my feeble whisper from His holy hill on His timetable, not mine. There were lessons for me to learn before He was to rescue me from myself and the demons’ fiery darts that plied for my demise. Struck down, but not destroyed. Once He had me where He wanted me, He reached down from on high and held out His hand to help me up. By sheer grace, I grabbed on. Transformation began as He worked to overhaul my mind, helped train my thoughts to rest squarely upon the truth of His Word. Both sleeves were rolled up elbow-high, mainly His.
It took time, but like the dawn, a formidable strength came — what seemed a glorious marble slab built upon the city with foundations and stretching into eternity — was placed under my feet. Blessed assurance, settled in the heavens, had now been poured out on earth. I was learning to walk in the power of God.
“For God has not given us a spirit of fear,
but of power and of love and of a sound mind.”
-2 Timothy 1:7
To those who know what it is to struggle, let me say this:
Come, be reconciled to God: heart, mind, soul and strength. Make your repentance complete in the sight of God. Go to Him on bended knee, receive cleansing for sin, let Him make peace through His blood. He’s your Freedom Fighter. Renounce all lesser strengths, lesser hopes, lesser thrones. Be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Agree with the Word of God. Trust Him alone as you throw off everything that hinders. Believe and trust in His Name and Word alone. The power of God will be yours.
Am sitting alone in the dark with my little tablet gadget, checked my e-mail, saw your post, was about to simply delete it…instead I read. I don’t even know if this was about you or someone else.
I don’t need to give you details of how I have allowed the enemy to camp in my head, the details are gray…it’s name, depression. I knew better…or I thought I did.
You’re right on…not trusting God is the bottom line. I haven’t been able to worry our sons into salvation, or change my husband or anything else. It’s hurt friendships, relationships, my body….everything because I’ve withdrawn, continued to say “fine” when asked how I am, etc….
Helped many others, unable to break free myself. Most of the time life still seems bizarre and pointless – and yet – but GOD. I know He’s not deserted me…He’s waiting and watching. How foolish we are to waste a moment outside His perfect lovely will for us…
I want things to change so then I can be “happy” at last, again, I do know better. Where did it start, this wandering away? Was it an event, a series of disappointments, what? Maybe it was menopause or the deaths of so many I loved… can’t pinpoint it, and does it really matter now, anyway?
I’ve rambled
I know where my Hope lies, I do know. I am hoping this journey is coming to an end, pray for me? By that I mean restored to a right relationship with Jesus, my Lord Savior and refuge. Robyn
Dear Robyn,
Your comment, this is one of the reasons I still blog. Maybe someone else will benefit, perhaps God might use my words to bring someone encouragement, bolster their faith, help them to take hold of hope. Surely our sufferings are not in vain.
Dear sister, your words are honest. They are not far from His ears. I will pray for you. Be blessed.
-E
You post, I’ll read
thank you for your reply and for your honesty as well. Off to get ready for church….Robyn
I needed this today. Really.
Thank you, Friend.
You’re more than welcome, Becky. It means much.
Like a turned-up radio on a summer’s day — are your words today. In spite of the bitter cold temps here, I felt a balmy breeze that speaks — all is well with my soul when I entrust all to Him. Thanks for this, Liz…beautifully written.
As I like to say, “Dunamis!”
Without it, we’d be toast.
Love you,
-L
You know how the “renewing of the mind” is starting a transformation in our household…this verse brought me to tears.
Keep blogging, please! If we walked away from the world after our own miracles of renewal, no one on the other side of theirs would have anything to hope for.
True, Tammy. We’re His witnesses, even unto the ends of the earth–
and sometimes right smack dab in the middle of our own households.
Shalom,
-L
Powerful, powerful post – written by someone who KNOWS whom they have believed, who has seen, heard, looked on and touched this Christ. Bless you for being a true witness and testifying to, and proclaiming with a full heart, the fullness of this powerful gospel message. How we as a church need to know the full height, depth, breadth and length of this love and power of Christ. How easily satisfied we are! May He cause us to hunger and thirst to know Him more, to join Paul as he cries out, “I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead.” (Phil 3:10-11).
Bless you, sis.
Praise God, Diana. Thank you as always for your comment–it reminds me of how our appointed sufferings are such that God ordains them specifically for us, using them to conform us into His likeness. But without the power of God running through our lives, we wouldn’t even be able to surrender to them–we are all too weak and they are all too hard! But God…
He’s the God of all grace and comfort, and the gospel is the power of God unto salvation.
Thank you for this, Liz
I have been there….that place where there is only Him….I wrote this
My June 25, 2007 Poem
Awash in anxiety and in angst,
Advancing but not to tasks,
Aimlessly striving accomplishing naught,
Adrift with despair, in masks.
Belittled by life, the powers that be,
Beholding to all that own,
Bested efforts slain like sinister jokes,
Beauty withheld, skinless bone.
Carrying fear as a weight girded strong,
Carefree thought a rumor be,
Cavern echos with a blackness so still,
Caresses and laughs at me.
Deflecting taunts from the child within,
Deluded sense of value,
Deserving not the subsistence of worth,
Delineates somber hue.
Existential moments of choice realized,
Experiential points see,
Empirical themes illuminate now,
Empty existence of me.
Facing giants without weapons of might,
Falling as an unseen leaf,
Faltering steps look like dance to all who see
Foaming wave smashed on the reef.
Ghosts of failures replace the light of hope,
Gaping holes of my being,
Ghastly grasping grappling inadequate,
Gone, the light for my seeing.
Highest Lord of Heaven, Almighty God,
Honor, praise be to your Name,
Holy Savior enthroned above all earth,
Hope for deliverance, Reign!
My dear Cindy,
Thank you for sharing your poem. Pain is honest, but expressing that pain is more honest. Out of Zion comes our Deliverer!
For some reason, your poem reminded me of Christina Rossetti’s poem:
A Better Resurrection
I HAVE no wit, no words, no tears;
My heart within me like a stone
Is numb’d too much for hopes or fears;
Look right, look left, I dwell alone;
I lift mine eyes, but dimm’d with grief
No everlasting hills I see;
My life is in the falling leaf:
O Jesus, quicken me.
My life is like a faded leaf,
My harvest dwindled to a husk:
Truly my life is void and brief
And tedious in the barren dusk;
My life is like a frozen thing,
No bud nor greenness can I see:
Yet rise it shall – the sap of Spring;
O Jesus, rise in me.
My life is like a broken bowl,
A broken bowl that cannot hold
One drop of water for my soul
Or cordial in the searching cold;
Cast in the fire the perish’d thing;
Melt and remould it, till it be
A royal cup for Him, my King:
O Jesus, drink of me.
-by Christina Rossetti (1830-1894)
All to Him,
-L
WOW! This is me! Thank you, thank you, thank you!