Power of a Story

The power of life and death resides in our tongues.  Words created this world…and we reveal and create reality by speaking.  We reveal the reality of what lies in our hearts by the words we speak.  We expose others to that reality–and sometimes they receive it as their own.  That is a daunting thought!  Everything we say brings life or death.  In that context, I’ve got to tell you, I LOVE a good story…a story that shows me the Word of God in living color.  And I want to be sure each person knows the pages of their story are written every day by Christ Himself!  Look at the power God says our stories have:

And they have defeated him by the blood of the Lamb and by their testimony…  Revelation 12:11

The previous verse tells us who is defeated…do you know?  It is the evil one himself; that devil who lives to steal, kill and destroy.  We are not his victims; we are victors in the story written by Christ!

Victory comes when we determine to see and share the glorious things God IS doing in our world because of the completed work of Jesus Christ!  Our experiences do not bring the victory; the victories come because they are the visible evidence of the Word working in daily life. Scripture only promises that God will honor the Word…it is not our work, it is Jesus’ work that brings results.  Our part is to know His Word, to know how He works and to walk in His ways.  Then we have the joyous privilege of being a mouthpiece for His glory!

We were created for love; when we learn to walk in His love, we enter His purposes.  Too often, we insist on writing our own story, doing things our way.  We see those examples around us every day; sometimes we are those examples.  The pharisees and lawyers are the biblical example, and the Word says, “They rejected the purposes of God.”  Ouch!  We never mean to do that; God loves it when we finally see what we are doing.  He isn’t mad!  He says, ‘Come on into my story!’

Embracing the author’s story line is the way to go.  All we have to do is turn (repent) from our stubborn insistence on the things we believe are best and throw it all to the wind to chase Jesus.  The more we learn about the story He is writing, the greater our courage.  Eventually we will be like Job and say, “Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him.”  We’ll be the victorious ones of Revelation 12:11 who went on to say:

…And they did not love their lives so much that they were afraid to die.  Revelation 12:11

Sometimes we can not even see the story being written….or it feels too ugly to be a God story.  We must remember:  His ways are not ours.  In Joel we read that God Himself sent the locusts that destroyed the crops.  Reading on we understand His purpose:  to draw the people back to Him. When His purpose was accomplished, He promised to restore even the lost years–the years the people had been in rebellion!

The times we can not see or feel Him are when we need someone to listen and give us a glimpse through the lens of Scripture.  If you are struggling to see the goodness of God in your life, I would be honored to hear your story and share what I hear in the midst.  Words of hope help us press forward.  Your story has a beauty no other story will ever have.  Infusing it with the Light of the Word gives it power.   I invite you to dig into your story and craft into a piece you can share with others–or not!

What might change if you looked at your life as a story written by the Savior?