Sacrifices...of another kind

Have you ever thought about the things you sacrifice? Probably so. I have a new perspective on sacrifice today that I’d like to share with you.

My day began as usual. I always wake up to exercise at 5am, but I had planned to take today off. However, I woke up at my normal time, without the alarm, only to find that my exercise clothes had not made it to the dryer. So why did God have me up so early? Then it hit me…quiet time. And that makes me smile, that God would call me from sleep just to spend some time with Him. So, I made my coffee and sat down with God. I read a devotion from Breaking Free by Beth Moore and this is what it said.…

I urge you to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God. Romans 12:1

To be liberated in Christ, we’ve got some sacrifices to make. And as long as He is the one asking us for them—not our own guilt or legalistic tendencies—any sacrifice we make in our quest for freedom will be wholly consumed by God as a sweet sacrifice. He will bless it.

We fear making sacrifices. But the irony is that we also make a lot of sacrifices when we are not living in the will of God. How many things have we placed on the altar of Satan’s kingdom? Don’t we live sacrificially when we’re outside the will of God, giving up all sorts of things that were meant to be ours in Christ?

In my battle with food since September of 2010, I have never once considered sacrifice in this way. I have for nearly 9 months only considered the food I am sacrificing in terms of it being a sacrifice to me. Giving up my favorite binge foods has been in fact a difficult, uncomfortable and unpleasant sacrifice. It has often felt impossible. But, to be told that when I disobey, or make poor food choices I am instead sacrificing something even greater? Now that’s a fresh approach to the concept of sacrifice.

Keep this in mind while you read Malachi 1: 6-14, and brace yourself.

6 “A son honors his father, and a slave his master. If I am a father, where is the honor due me? If I am a master, where is the respect due me?” says the LORD Almighty. It is you priests who show contempt for my name. "But you ask, ‘How have we shown contempt for your name?’ 7 “By offering defiled food on my altar. “But you ask, ‘How have we defiled you?’ "By saying that the LORD’s table is contemptible. 8 When you offer blind animals for sacrifice, is that not wrong? When you sacrifice lame or diseased animals, is that not wrong? Try offering them to your governor! Would he be pleased with you? Would he accept you?” says the LORD Almighty. 9 “Now plead with God to be gracious to us. With such offerings from your hands, will he accept you?”—says the LORD Almighty. 10 “Oh, that one of you would shut the temple doors, so that you would not light useless fires on my altar! I am not pleased with you,” says the LORD Almighty, “and I will accept no offering from your hands. 11 My name will be great among the nations, from where the sun rises to where it sets. In every place incense and pure offerings will be brought to me, because my name will be great among the nations,” says the LORD Almighty. 12 “But you profane it by saying, ‘The Lord’s table is defiled,’ and, ‘Its food is contemptible.’ 13 And you say, ‘What a burden!’ and you sniff at it contemptuously,” says the LORD Almighty. “When you bring injured, lame or diseased animals and offer them as sacrifices, should I accept them from your hands?” says the LORD. 14 “Cursed is the cheat who has an acceptable male in his flock and vows to give it, but then sacrifices a blemished animal to the Lord. For I am a great king,” says the LORD Almighty, “and my name is to be feared among the nations.

Defiled offerings? Lame and diseased sacrifices? God showed me through the combination of these scriptures, ever so clearly, how my repeated poor choices not only cost me all that He intends for me, but have also repeatedly dishonored him.

I can see so clearly that, though desperate for freedom, my efforts have been somehow ill-equipped, even half-hearted, and that I had not previously “set my heart to honor God.” This is not to say I had not previously on my journey heard these very same words even, but today God walked with me through my quiet time, to Sunday school class and into church service. It also doesn’t mean I had not been convicted of the sin factor in my food issues. Because I am and have been for 9 months. And it doesn’t mean I didn’t fight like a tangled dog trying to break free. Because I did.

I can also see now that I have placed defiled food on His precious altar. I have offered lame sacrifices when I had better ones to give. I have dishonored God. I say with great anticipation that this stops…yesterday. Not today or tomorrow, but yesterday.

You might wonder how this revelation is suddenly going to change anything for me. Well, journey into the church service with me, where Brett taught on the story of David and Goliath. This story is more than the story of your youth; it’s a picture of God vs. evil, and EVIL DOES NOT WIN. GOD WINS. EVERYTIME. In this familiar story, David fights, armed with his slingshot, against a 9-foot tall bronze serpent opponent named Goliath. He not only wins, but he beheads Goliath and parades his head through town to show everyone just who God had empowered him to conquer.

This is an dead-on portrayal of what I want to do. I am determined to beat my Goliath and parade his bloody head through town, showing everyone exactly who God has defeated in my life.

What have I learned over the past 48 hours?

In all of this, God has reminded me not-so-subtly that I am in His loving, protective care. He is in control of this battle. He is bigger than my battle. I have a spiritual enemy who is seeking to destroy me. My God, the one true God, is always victorious.

I am declaring boldly this afternoon that I will be free. I am so close to freedom right now, I can feel it and sense the winds of change bristling around me. I already feel free. I am rebuking demons and claiming my freedom. I am arming myself, dropping my chains, setting my heart to honor God, right now, and walking into freedom.

The Armor of God
10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 13 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. 18 And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people. 19 Pray also for me, that whenever I speak, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, 20 for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should.