SCRIPTURE:

2 Corinthians 10:5
5 We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.

John 8:36
36 So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.

DEVO:

Over the last three days we’ve talked about two keys to positioning ourselves for redemption: (1) immersing ourselves in the presence of God (through regular church attendance, bible reading, and worship) and (2) surrounding ourselves with the people of God. We’ve spent a considerable amount of time exploring these two things because they each help us cling to the final key to position us for redemption -- reminding ourselves of the promises of God. The catalyst to getting swept up in the current of God’s grace and redemption is keeping our eyes on His promises and not letting go until we see those promises fulfilled.

The issue is we can so easily lose sight of God’s promises when we’re neck-deep in problems. And before you know it, you’ll begin placing labels on your life that reflect your problems more than they do His promises.

Labels become a major limiter for us. We can only rise to the words we speak over ourselves and the words we allow to be spoken over us. At the beginning of time, God created the heavens and the earth, the sky and the water, the animals and the plants, and human beings by speaking. He breathed the logos (the Word of God) infused with the ruah (the Spirit of God) into chaotic nothingness and, in so doing, created order. What we must understand as believers, as people who have received the forgiveness of sins made available by the finished work of Jesus on the cross, is that we are endowed with that same Spirit. The same Spirit that created something out of nothing, the same Spirit that re-created when He raised Jesus from the dead, lives inside of each of us. Scripture tells us that our words hold the power of life and death (Prov. 18:21). We can either construct or tear down with what we speak. Perhaps this is most important when we think about the words we use to speak over ourselves.

How often do we label ourselves by our situation? How often do we label ourselves by our mistakes or our shortcomings? How often do we say things like, “I am a widower,” “I am divorced,” “I am unemployed,” or “I am an addict?” How often do we set limitations on ourselves with phrases like I can’t, I’m too afraid, I’m too ashamed, I’m too anxious, I’m too depressed, I’m a screw-up. I believe whole-heartedly the key to walking in the redemptive plan God has for us is rather than labeling ourselves by our hurts, habits and hangups, we begin believing and speaking out loud what our Healer says about us.

You see, Naomi’s name means “sweet.” No doubt before these tragedies befell her life this was a perfect descriptor of her. I can almost smell the aroma of joy coming from her sweet disposition. In fact, when her friends in Bethlehem saw that she had returned, the excitement in their tone was unmistakable, “Is this Naomi!? (Ruth 1:19)” She was a woman of contagious faith that, prior to her departure, had had a profound impact on everyone she came in contact with.

However, upon her return, everyone noticed something had changed. She was forlorn, quiet, somber, and borderline depressed. The vivaciousness and vigor for life that once characterized Naomi was no longer there. And now she was asking everyone not to call her Naomi? Now they were to call her Mara? The name Mara means bitter. This was a decided and significant moment for Naomi -- a moment we will all encounter when walking through a valley. We will all be confronted with this quandary. Will I let this tragedy define me? I realize these trials and tragedies we face can be overwhelming to the point that it seems to overtake us. But God wants us to partner with Him so that these circumstances refine us rather than define us.

Throughout scripture, we’ve seen God change people’s names. Abram to Abraham. Jacob to Israel. Simon to Peter. Saul to Paul. But in each of these examples, God changed their names from something that had previously characterized each of them to a name that would speak a new hope-filled destiny. God was using the logos and ruah to create a new future for these men, a greater future. Let me show you:

Abram (“Exalted Father”) to Abraham (“Father of Many”)

Jacob (“Heel-Grabber, Deceiver, Supplanter”) to Israel (“One on whose behalf God wrestles”)

Simon (“Shifty”) to Peter (“Rock, Stable”)

Saul (“Ask/Question”) to Paul (“Humble”)  

Let’s go back to the power God has to create with a word. After creating Adam, God told him and Eve to exercise dominion over the animals and the earth. The task he gave Adam to carry out this responsibility was to name the animals. Don’t miss this. The one who names has dominion. This means the way you and I gain dominion over a given circumstance or emotion that seems overwhelming is to label it. Speak it out loud. Call it what it is. Take it captive. As long as it stays inside in the dark, it will lord over us. 

But that’s just the first step. Once we rightly label it, we have to subdue it. We have to put it in its rightful place. We have to regain God-given agency over our circumstances and the ensuing emotions. This is why scripture tells us to take “every thought captive and make it a slave to Christ (2 Corinthians 10:5).” We have the authority to do this because Jesus gave it to us when He gave us the Holy Spirit. 

Have you ever seen the name of a major sports stadium, or concert venue change? It can be very disorienting. I still call a certain concert venue in Indianapolis the Klipsch Music Center even though it’s been called the Ruoff Home Mortgage Center for several years now. What happened to cause that name change? A company came in and paid a high price to purchase the naming rights for the venue. Did you know that over 2000 years ago Jesus purchased the naming rights for your life with the price of his own life? He died on the cross to buy you and me back from the claim and dominion of the enemy, Satan. Did you know that when Jesus was raised from the dead he subdued death, put sin under his dominion, made shame His slave, and gave pain an eviction notice? Did you know that He has authority over all of it and that he has gifted us His Spirit to partner with Him in that authority?

And that same power we have to create and shape reality with our words is the power we have to also limit our reality with our labels. Rather than labeling ourselves by our situation, let’s be labeled by our Savior. Rather than focusing on our problems, let’s focus on the promises of God . . . and let’s begin speaking those over our lives. I believe Naomi’s decision to change her own name had graver consequences on her life than the text implies. It’s at this point we see Naomi fade into the background as a minor character in the plot as the spotlight shifts to Ruth. And we’ll explore more about her tomorrow.

QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION AND JOURNALING:

1. What labels have you put on yourself or your situation? How has that limited you from positioning yourself for redemption?

2. How have the labels you’ve come to believe colored your countenance, spirit or life? What underlying beliefs are attached to the labels you’ve fixed upon yourself?  

3. Name and subdue the circumstance or emotion that has left you feeling too overwhelmed. What promises does God’s word offer that can help you recognize God’s authority in the situation? 

PRAYER:

Lord, help me to see my situation as You see my situation. Help me to see me as You see me. I don’t want to place labels on my life that would limit me from experiencing the healing and redemption that You have for me. Empower me to take every wayward thought captive and subdue it under Your promises for my life.