Chariot July 2005 - Norm Wakefield

Many new resources are now available! 

All of Norm's individual messages are now available in MP3 format. We also have a new book, The Spirit and Presence of Christ, by Norm's spiritual mentor, Jerry White. You can read a review by Norm of this incredibly challenging and encouraging book here. The first DVD of a series for parents of special needs children, Fearfully and Wonderfully Made is now available, entitled, Life With Amanda.

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Identity Principles - Part 3  

    Knowing one's identity provides security and direction in life. That's why I have focused on identity principles in the last two issues of The Chariot of Fire. This third part in a series of four builds on the first two principles:

1.      Identity has to do with the one(s) to whom you belong.

2.      Identity has to do with power.

    You can find the first two articles on our website: www.spiritofelijah.com. I hope you have taken advantage of the suggestions for family devotion times. Each is designed to help you and your family apply the identity principles to your lives and grow from the experience. They are:

1.      Make a list of the people with whom you sought to identify or connect during your life.

2.      Using the above list, consider why you wanted to connect with each one.

3.      List some advantages to belonging to Jesus Christ.

4.      What power does He offer to those who belong to Him?

What Happened to our Son?

    The deacon and his wife were troubled about their son, Eric, age 12. Recently, he had displayed attitudes of disrespect and unusual, almost addictive interest in a particular electronic game. They discovered Eric's obsession one evening when they tried to enter his bedroom and the door was locked. Eric opened the door after repeated demands. His loving, concerned parents sought explanation for why the door was locked. After a few lame excuses and hemming and hawing around, Eric finally revealed the cause: he was engrossed in an electronic game of which he knew they wouldn't approve.

    This event prompted an important discussion about their relationship and recent events in Eric's life. What had happened in his life that fostered the recent deterioration in respect? Where did he get the game? Why didn't he ask them about the game? Had they done something to damage their relationship? Did Eric think God was pleased with the game that involved immodestly dressed characters and violence?

    The problem Eric and his parents were facing illustrates the third identity principle that combines the first two principles.

Principle Three: The source of identity shapes one's life.

    In last month's article, we discussed the fact that when we wish to connect with or identity with someone, we do so because we believe there is something to be gained from the association. They have a power we don't have, and subconsciously (or perhaps consciously) we deduce that we can have that power if we are connected to them. Once we conclude there's something to be gained, we begin to look for ways to connect with them.

    For Eric, becoming good at the popular electronic game was his avenue to connect with Jason, the most popular kid in his class–as well as all of his friends. It wasn't the only way he tried to fit in with Jason's world. He adopted Jason's attitude toward authority (thus the disrespect to parents), began using crude and filthy language, developed an appetite for pornography, acquired new clothing styles, and imitated a host of other qualities and activities he had observed in Jason. The deacon and his wife had only seen the tip of the iceberg that evening when they happened upon Eric's locked bedroom door.

    Once we pick a source with which or with whom to identity, we let them shape our lives! Numerous illustrations come to mind. Consider the affect of the military, gangs, fraternities and sororities, and a boyfriend or girlfriend. Do you remember when you first thought your husband or wife was someone to whom you wished to be connected? What a power they held over our lives!         

Illustrations From Scripture

    We've been studying the passage in Matthew 16 when Jesus and Simon Peter were discussing identity. Jesus had asked his disciples who they considered Him to be. Simon responded, "You're the Christ, the son of the living God." Surely Jesus' reply astounded Simon. "Blessed are you, Simon Barjona, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of Hades will not overpower it" (17-18). Not only was Jesus implying that Peter belonged to His father, but also that His father was going to shape his life. Furthermore, the entire church, the true church of Christ, would be shaped by the power of His father's revealing work.

    Like Christ, it should be obvious to others who our father is: the living God. When we read the gospels, we can't help but notice Who controlled Jesus' life: the Word and will of His father. As we've studied in past articles, Jesus' source of identity was the living God. He declared more than once that He and the Father were identified with each other (John 10:30; John 14:9). Jesus never spoke on His own initiative (John 12:49; 14:10; 16:13) nor acted without perfect conformity to the will of His father (John 5:30; 8:28). Jesus' life here on earth was entirely shaped by the life of His Father because He was the source of identity and power for the Son.

    During those heated conversations between Jesus and the Pharisees, Jesus used this third principle of identity. Who shaped the lives of the Pharisees? It was their father, the devil. Because they were identified with him and he was their source of power, they could not and would not identify with Jesus and His father. Jesus understood the root of their actions and words: the source of their identity.

Who Shapes(d) Your Life?

    When you think about the list of people or groups with whom you wished to identify, consider what you desired to gain from them. What affect did they have on your life? Like Eric, were you introduced to people who were bad influences and introduced you to destructive attitudes, activities, and habit patterns? Do you still participate in some of those activities today without realizing where the root lies?

    We had been studying these identity principles in our men's meetings for a number of weeks. Tom (not his real name) was a relatively new addition to our fellowship. One Sunday morning, in walked Tom without his trademark ponytail. I had never known him without it, and I was shocked by his neatly trimmed haircut. Out of belief that changes like that need to be led by the Holy Spirit and not social pressure, I questioned him as to why he cut his hair. I was hoping it wasn't because someone had put a guilt trip on him with a goal to get him to conform to self-righteous standard.

    I was relieved and excited as he told me how the Holy Spirit had applied the first three identity principles to his life. He had never realized until the week before that the reason he had long hair in the first place was because he wished to identify with the rebellion of the 70's. Tom told me how he had grown his hair long as a statement that he wasn't a part of the old establishment. As he grew older, matured, and came to Christ; he separated from the rebellious youth culture. He no longer wished to be connected to that movement. In fact, he was ashamed of it! During the meeting the week before, the Holy Spirit had revealed to him that his long hair was a matter of rebellious pride. He grew it long in order to connect with a sub-culture with which he no longer wished to be identified. He knew in his heart that God was asking him to cut his hair as a testimony that he belonged to Him. Although he had worn his hair long for 20 years, he wanted to do it! Tom had already settled the issue that his life was going to be shaped by his relationship with Jesus Christ. He just hadn't made the connection yet in this area of his life.

    By the way, for those of you who have long hair, I'm not suggesting from this illustration that all men having long hair are rebellious and proud. I'm merely giving an example of how this third principle may be used to produce sanctification and a greater identity with Jesus Christ. For Tom, one application was his hair length. For you and your children, it may be something else. The questions are these:

1.      Why do you do what you do?

2.      Who shapes your life?

3.      What do you do today that began because you wanted to identify with someone years ago?

4.      In what ways did the people on my list shape my life? In what way am I allowing Jesus Christ to shape my life if I belong to Him?

    If Eric's parents understood these first three principles, they would know why he was doing what he was doing–Eric was trying to identify with someone at school. Often when I travel, I stay in homes. And if there is a teenager in the home, I usually displace him/her for a few nights. Bedrooms of teens can be quite revealing! The pictures on the walls, the CD's and DVD's on the shelves, the clothes in the closet, and the accessories tell a story. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to deduce with whom or what the teen is identifying. Their lives reveal it.

    It's true for all of us, isn't it? I hope you'll continue the discussion about identity in your family time this month by asking the questions above. Next month, we'll look at the fourth and last identity principle. It answers this question: Who gave those people on your list the power to shape your life? You might be surprised to discover that it was…

New Resources for Your Family 

    On Fire for the Gospel:  

*   What Sets a Man on Fire? 

*   How Does a Man Burn for God?

*   What Has the Gospel Changed, Part 1 and 2

*   The Gospel Applied to Relationships  

*   The Doxology of the Gospel  

*   What Do You Do in Troubled Times?  

*   The Gospel in a Sentence  

*   Thirsting for Jesus  

Would you like to be on the Elijah Ministries Prayer Team?

    The backbone of Elijah Ministries is the prayer team who pray diligently for God to turn the hearts of men to Himself, their wives, and their children. Before I leave to speak, I send out a prayer team invitation to those who will intercede for God to work for His glory in us as a team for the Kingdom. Not only is it a blessing to those whom I speak and myself; but it is also a reminder to the team about the direction of their own hearts. If you would like to enter into the labor together with me, you may go to my website and click on "Prayer Team".

    If you haven't visited our website, www.spiritofelijah.com, please stop by sometime. You'll find:

*   Resources to equip you and your family

*   Previous Chariot articles

*   Norm's speaking schedule

*   Free MP3 downloads  

*   Various pages translated and available in Spanish  

*   An online store to purchase resources and make tax-free contributions by credit card