Sometimes I seek information directly from the Lord using a journal. At my house, we call this writing process “Journaling with Jesus.” It is based on a book by Wendy Backlund titled “Changing Your Reality” (Backlund, 2014). And in this recent journaling process, He said to me that He wants this website, thaddachille.net, to “be a city on a hill – and to provide hope for others.” This was a reference to Matthew 5:14. (Since He cited His Word, and it was positive and therefore good, as it says in Jeremiah 29:11, I felt very comfortable that it was from Him. As an additional side note, we are told to test all the spirits in the scripture, so it is always important to be thinking about who is speaking with you at all times – 1st John 4:1.)
Like I was saying, it seemed to be His Word directed to me, and it said several things at once. Primarily, He wants me to craft this website into a beacon of hope for others. It also meant to me that, in today’s world, which is increasingly defined by the love of self (2 Timothy 3), the Lord wants me to direct my focus toward improving the condition of my own heart, so I can be a better witness to others by displaying humility.
Compassion Points: Acknowledging Our Shared Need
The Lord went on to say to me specifically that He wants me to provide “Compassion Points” to others on this website. These are transparent ideas where I discuss how I fall short of the Glory of God. It was a vital reminder to me that:
- All Sins are Equal: In the eyes of the Lord, our mistakes are not measured on a human scale; we are all in equal need of His grace.
- The Covering of the Blood: When we follow Christ, we are not blameless because of our own perfection, but because we are covered by the Blood of Jesus.
- Love Over Aggression: The Lord expressed a deep concern regarding the anger and aggressive protests often seen within the Church toward trending societal topics. He showed me an image of an angry protester. In this image He shared how He despises displays of force that manifest as hate rather than love. He reminded me that our call is not to exert dominance, but to walk in the mission of loving others.
The Power of Authentic Testimony
What I took from my conversation with Him is that it is most effective in the Kingdom not when we project an image of perfection, but when we share our testimony. An authentic testimony includes:
- Sharing the love of Christ with others.
- The love we can share with others is our shortfalls and the reality that we have been forgiven by Christ Jesus.
- Loving others is also showing an honest admission of our mistakes and how He has walked us out of our pitfalls and blunders (our sin).
Scripture tells us that when we hide our flaws to appear “holy,” our hearts become “puffed up,” placing us in a position where the Lord stands against us (Luke 18:9–14).
The Danger of the “Puffed Up” Heart
God hates when we look at others and see ourselves as greater or more important. In fact, Jesus illustrated this perfectly in the Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector in Luke 18:9–14. In these verses Jesus said, “The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, ‘God, I thank You that I am not like other men—extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this tax collector…’”
In the explanation provided by Christ Jesus, He said that the man was actively evaluating his own morality against the perceived failings of others. The Lord strongly dislikes a heart propped up by self-righteousness. As the scripture concludes in verse 14: “For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”
Conclusion: Our True strength is in Him Alone
The true strength of a “city on a hill” is not its height, but the light it emits. If I offer pride or judgment, I will not provide light to others. To be a clear and effective disciple of Christ, I cannot add to the darkness of the world. But if I share my light, which is rooted in His love, like it says in 1st John 4:18, “There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love,” the honesty of my own struggles, will become a sanctuary for others.
Reference:
Backlund, W. (2014). Changing your reality. Backlund Ignite Publishing.