I recently received a newsletter from Neil Crofts, who promotes authentic leadership. In this newsletter he talks about the importance of status, and how conflict and untruth rise up from our strive for status.
Neil says that often the real reason behind conflict more is about status then greed or religious differences. All luxury goods are based on desire for status.
Why is status so important? Status represent our value and the feeds our identity. Status reflects our identity, and if the status are destroyed, so are our facade, dignity and self value connected to our identity.
God take stuff away from us
So why would God take stuff away from us, instead of blessing us? Well, first of all, by taking the stuff away, he is blessing us. God always act out of love, because that’s who He is.
Also he takes stuff away, because He wants to change our identity. By removing our status, it shakes our identity.
If I now longer possess the status, I need to seek status and value somewhere else. Namely He wants us to seek our Kingdom identity. He wants us to realise that our value is not connected to earthly status, but to Kingdom value.
The items of status can be really anything that feed our ego. It can be our career, car, house, education, business. And what can be even more difficult to understand: It can be our service for God, posture in our church and our view and relationship with God.
Because our earthly service and posture in church is not the same as our Heavenly identity.
Related posts:
- What is your identity? As humans we often put our identity in earthly things. However God has a higher calling for us. Our identity...
- Freedom is the reward Learning has an aim in the Kingdom. Learning will learn us the truth, and set us free. In John 8:31-32...
- Find your Kingdom purpose All of God’s creation has a purpose. Finding your Kingdom purpose is critical for your spiritual development and survival. The...
Follow me on Twitter
JesusTweeter.com (© 2009) is a blog about revival in Norway and Europe.
We want to bring Norwegians as well the world a view to the emerging revival.
Be inspired!
Where do you come up with this stuff? Why would the Great I Am consider your status has to be messed with? And if it did isn’t that a job for Satan and not God?
Hi Steve,
Thanks for commenting.
It’s from my own life, other Christians’ life and the Bible. That God permits suffering, especially in preparation periods, is very biblical.
Why? Read the message again and this:
John 15:2:
He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful.
Paul went blind when Jesus spoke to him on the way to Damacus. His life thereafter wasn’t exactly easy either.
Zechariah went stum by the hand of the angle Gabriel until the birth of John the Baptist, even he was upright in the sight of God (Luke 1).
What about the 12 apostles, that themselves had to leave everything behind, sacrificing all for the Kingdom, to follow Jesus?
What about Joseph (in jail)? Moses (in desert)? Job? Abraham (asked to kill his son, the promise by God)? The list is endless.
To really follow Jesus is no picnic, but well worth it.
I recently had this discussion with a friend of mine. He thought that since I tend to focus on the blessings of God, that I was saying that trials and tribulations never come. No! Jesus promised that they would come, but that they had already been overcome and they have been stripped of their power to harm us!
I don’t spend a lot of time dwelling on what’s been “taken away” from me. God only takes the things that weren’t good for me anyway. If it appears he “takes” something good away, it’s only to replace it with something better. I look unto Jesus, the Author and Finisher of my faith, who for the joy that was set before Him (the blessing), endured the cross (the trial), despising the shame (the tribulation), and is set down at the right hand of Majesty on high (the reward!)
There can never be a crown without a cross; there should never be a cross without a crown!
Hi Josh,
Welcome and thanks for comment!
Good stuff. The flip side of the cross is both victory and God’s peace.
I know the peace. It takes all the thorns away from our lives. It’s sweet and incredible. However unfortunally, as a human, sometimes I fail to stay in the presence.
Then I learn in the suffering that the pain isn’t real. Because my real identity is in Christ. And in Christ there is peace. His load is light.
Wow, He’s amazing.
This is a very touchy subject. Why would God take things away. I know for my life He has taken things away that I thought I really wanted or needed. then to find out later that these things were in the way of my relationship with God. I am a fighter and I will always try to hold on. This is one of the things that God loves about me. But he did have to teach me what to grab on to.
But when satan tries to step into my life and take things away, know we are talking about something differant. God ’s power is so strong, that even I, stand in AWE as I watch God work.
My daughter drowned in a pool, the doctors said she wouldn’t last the night. God not only resurrected her, twice, But he put her back together, WHOLE.
My Son was shot with a shotgun and flown out, In the helicopter, I asked Jesus to tell what is going to happen to my boy. He had said “No one will ever be able to tell anything has happened to him” 4 years later He is perfect and WHOLE.
Satan attacked my husband with drugs and abuse….That curse is broken..I have four kids and none of them are on drugs and one is getting her Bach, the others are in high school and focusing on college.
God is our redeemer and you are right…We must seek the difference between, God putting the stoppers on us or Satans attack…
To understand the difference will make the outcome right.
His path is the right path…and we must stay attached to the vine
Anne
Wow, Anne, I’m in lack of words. Your message touched my heart.
I wrote more about this in the post “suffering”. Thank you.