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(Note:
The following message is a companion article to a message
which aired on Autism One Radio. To hear the broadcast
at any time, please go to:
http://autismone.org/radio/default.cfm?archive=897&bg=&FromA1
and click on the arrow above “Listen to Jack and
Rebecca Sytsema.”)
THE
RESTORATION OF LIFE
“The
thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and
to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and
that they may have it more abundantly.”
(John 10:10, NKJ)
WHEN
YOU ARE THE PARENT of a child with special needs, your
faith often takes a beating and your life, at least
for a while, seems fraught with fear for the future
and grief for the dreams you have lost. And to the parent
of a child with autism, your life can easily become
consumed in efforts to understand the disorder and to
try to redeem as much as you can of the child locked
within. Life can seem to become desperate and dry. You
may even relate to Job as he says, “Oh, remember
that my life is a breath! My eye will never again see
good” (Job 7:7). We have certainly felt that way
from time to time.
But even in the midst of our daily struggles with autism,
somewhere we need to allow ourselves to remember that
God does not intend for us to remain in a desperate
and dry state. Psalm 71:20-21 says, “You have
allowed me to suffer much hardship, but you will restore
me to life again and lift me up from the depths of the
earth. You will restore me to even greater honor and
comfort me once again.”
To restore means to revive and return to life or to
bring back to a former or original condition. This definition,
however, falls short of all that restoration in God
means. God intends to do more than bring us back to
a former or original condition. He intends to multiply
and increase us beyond that point. He longs for our
latter days to be greater than our former days. God’s
plan for you and for your family is restoration!
LIFE
MORE ABUNDANTLY
What is it, then, that God is longing to restore to
us? Simply put, He wants to restore life—the life
that He destined for us. His primary method of restoration
is through the redemptive work of Jesus. In order for
us to have an adequate understanding of what life in
Jesus means, let’s take a look at a familiar passage.
In John 10:10 Jesus says, “. . . I have come that
they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.”
This passage of Scripture is full of tremendous promises
and certainly bears the need for a closer look.
First, this passage promises “that they might
have.” The “they” referred to here
becomes clear as we read the context. Jesus is speaking
of Himself as the good shepherd and “they”
are the sheep of His pasture. This passage, therefore,
is written to include every one of us who are His sheep.
If you have accepted Jesus as your Savior and follow
Him as your Lord, the promises of this passage are for
you, regardless of any diagnosis you or a member of
your family has received!
“Might have” is a key phrase in this passage
that includes the idea of having or holding in one’s
hand or in the sense of wearing as a piece of clothing.
Included in the meaning is to own or possess external
things such as property or riches; to be joined by the
bonds of natural blood, marriage, friendship, duty or
law; to lay hold of a thing, to adhere or cling to;
to be closely joined to a person or thing. This life
that Jesus promises to bring is meant to be our possession—so
much a part of us that it is bound to us and we to it.
So, what exactly is life? Physically, life is the property
in animals, plants, and humans which makes it possible
for them to obtain supply that will produce energy,
create growth, adapt themselves to their surroundings,
and reproduce their kind. While this may be a strict
definition of life, Jesus is talking about much more
than simply having existence and reproducing. The Greek
word zoe is what has been translated in this
passage as life. Zoe means to be possessed
of vitality; to have life active and vigorous; to be
devoted to God; to be blessed; to be among the living
(not lifeless, not dead); to enjoy real life, true life
worthy of the name; to pass life on to others; to be
fresh, strong, efficient, active, powerful; to be endless
in the kingdom of God. From this definition Jesus is
clearly referring to physical life and spiritual life
rich in quality and quantity, since this word also denotes
eternal life in the kingdom of God.
But Jesus does not stop there. Not only are we to enjoy
such a quality of life and a future hope of eternity,
we are to have it “more abundantly.” Abundant
means excessive, overflowing, surplus, over and above,
more than enough, profuse, extraordinary, more than
sufficient, superior, more remarkable, more excellent.
In summary, God’s intentions for us are truly
amazing. He longs to take us from a place of judgment,
desolation, and fruitlessness to a place of abundant
restoration and increase of life!
TEN
THINGS THAT KEEP US FROM ABUNDANT LIFE
Just as we need to be aware of what abundant life is,
we also need to be aware of those things that can keep
us from the abundant life God has for us.
1. IGNORANCE. Often times we as Christians
simply do not know that God has an abundant life for
us to possess. We also may not understand that the Holy
Spirit wants to move us into a new season. The enemy
longs to capture us in yesterday so that we don’t
move forward in God’s timing.
2. POVERTY MENTALITY. A poverty mentality keeps
us from entering our full potential. Those bound by
expectations of poverty never look beyond the narrow
scope of the immediate lack in order to find God’s
rich promises for the future. If anyone expects to live
in poverty, whether physically or spiritually, they
will not be disappointed. Poverty says, “God is
not capable!” Another issue of poverty is found
in Proverbs 21:5 which says, “The plans of the
diligent lead surely to plenty, but those of everyone
who is hasty, surely to poverty.” We must learn
to wait on God. To wait means to see the door of opportunity
opened to you. If you become hasty and get out of God’s
timing you miss your door of opportunity and are you
are held in poverty.
3. FALSE HUMILITY. False humility will
cause us to say, “I know God has more, but I just
don’t deserve it.” Not one of us deserves
all that God has given us. We have all fallen short.
But out of His grace and love for us, and because He
has a covenant with us, the Lord offers us life abundantly—no
matter what you have come out of.
4. LAZINESS. While most of the parents
of children with autism we have met are anything but
lazy, it is still something that needs to be mentioned
as laziness leads to poverty of life. Proverbs 20:13
says “Do not sleep, lest you come to poverty;
open your eyes, and you will be satisfied with bread.”
If we do not resist and break free from laziness it
will lead to poverty. If we break free from this spirit
we will begin to see a new level of supply.
5. FEAR. There may be some who do not
want to take a risk that may be required to move forward
into abundant life. I know of couples who, after a miscarriage,
are so devastated by the experience that they do not
try for more children simply because of the fear of
the same thing happening again. Fear can be a gripping
and immobilizing force that keeps us from even trying
to reach beyond our present circumstances into a future
that is unknown. Ask God to break the back of any fear
that immobilizes you so you can move into abundant life.
6. PAST HURTS. Just as fear can immobilize
us, so can past hurts. If we feel we have been treated
unjustly, we may not be able to trust God or others
enough to move into abundance of life. We can also easily
fall into a pattern of blaming God for those things
that do not seem right in our life, even if He had nothing
to do with it. We must ask the Lord to help us come
to a place of forgiveness and then allow God to heal
and soothe those places where we have been too wounded
to move forward. If we do not, we will not be able to
move into abundant life.
7. PRESUMPTION. Satan would love to capture
us in one of two ways—either through unbelief
or presumption. Many fall into the latter snare by presuming
to know what God has for them and how He wants to accomplish
His purposes. No one can know exactly what God has in
store for them. Even if we know in general where the
Lord wants to take us, we must allow Him to set our
path to get there. Furthermore, we must be prepared
that our “there” may not look like we imagined.
God’s ways are far above ours. And His plan of
redemption and abundance in our lives are far more complete
and fulfilling than whatever plan we come up with on
our own.
8. UNBELIEF. The other way Satan captures
us is through unbelief which says, “God cannot
do it” or “God can do it, but He won’t
do it for us.” If we allow Satan to kill our faith
in God through unbelief, we will not be able to move
into the real, zoe life God has for us. If you experience
unbelief, ask the Lord to restore your faith in Him
and to remove any areas of unbelief that are holding
you back from His promises.
9. REBELLION OR AUTHORITY PROBLEMS. We cannot
move into abundant life until our authority structures
are in place. That means that God is on the throne of
our lives and that we submit not only to Him but to
those who are in authority over us here on Earth. If
we have a problem with rebellion and with submitting
to biblical authority structures, we must ask the Lord
to reveal the root of the problem to us so we can pluck
it up. God has given us these structures not just so
we can be lorded over, but so that we can be protected
and kept safe.
10. ONGOING SIN ISSUES. Sin is the
enemy’s most effective and immediate weapon for
robbing us of blessings and stopping God’s purposes
in our live and in the lives of the generation that
follow us. Remember, we have all sinned and fallen short
of the glory of God. As we apply the blood of Jesus
to those sins we can be made clean and move on. If you
have ongoing sin issues, repent for the sin, ask the
Lord to reveal what hook Satan has in you that causes
you to be vulnerable in that area, and then ask the
Lord for a strategy to remove the hook. God will not
be angry with you as you come and ask for His help—instead
He will be faithful to help rescue you out of a pit
and set you on a path toward abundant life!
As you read through the list, it may have occurred to
you that autism was not one of the ten things listed.
Even though life may look different than you anticipated,
and even though autism was not part of your plan for
a rich, full life, autism does not have to keep you
or your child from an abundant life. God can work all
things – that means everything – together
for good for those that love Him and have committed
themselves to His purposes (Romans 8:28). Our prayer
for you is that you will allow God to fulfill His promises
for you and move you into a rich, new season of abundant,
zoe life!
Jack
and Rebecca Sytsema
(Portions
of this article have been adapted from the book, Possessing
Your Inheritance, by Chuck D. Pierce and Rebecca
Wagner Sytsema, published by Renew Books, 1999).
©2006,
Children of Destiny. All rights reserved.
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THE
RESTORATION OF LIFE
SCRIPTURE GUIDE
“Now listen! Today I am giving you a choice between
prosperity and disaster, between life and death. Today
I have given you the choice between life and death,
between blessings and curses. I call on heaven and earth
to witness the choice you make. Oh, that you would choose
life, that you and your descendants might live! Choose
to love the LORD your God and to obey him and commit
yourself to him, for he is your life. Then you will
live long in the land the LORD swore to give your ancestors.”
(Deuteronomy 30:15,19-20, NLT)
Have
compassion on me, LORD, for I am weak. Heal me, LORD,
for my body is in agony. I am sick at heart. How long,
O LORD, until you restore me? Return, O LORD, and rescue
me. Save me because of your unfailing love.
(Psalm 6:2-4, NLT)
You
have allowed me to suffer much hardship, but you will
restore me to life again and lift me up from the depths
of the earth. You will restore me to even greater honor
and comfort me once again.
(Psalm 71:20-21, NLT)
Restore
us, O God; make your face shine upon us, that we may
be saved.
(Psalm 80:3, NIV)
The
LORD says, "I will rescue those who love me. I
will protect those who trust in my name. When they call
on me, I will answer; I will be with them in trouble.
I will rescue them and honor them. I will satisfy them
with a long life and give them my salvation."
(Psalm 91:14-16, NLT)
Yes,
the LORD has done amazing things for us! What joy! Restore
our fortunes, LORD, as streams renew the desert.
(Psalm 126:3-4, NLT)
Wisdom
is more precious than rubies; nothing you desire can
compare with her. She offers you life in her right hand,
and riches and honor in her left. She will guide you
down delightful paths; all her ways are satisfying.
Wisdom is a tree of life to those who embrace her; happy
are those who hold her tightly.
(Proverbs 3:15-18, NLT)
The
LORD will guide you continually, watering your life
when you are dry and keeping you healthy, too. You will
be like a well-watered garden, like an ever-flowing
spring.
(Isaiah 58:11, NLT)
“But
I will restore you to health and heal your wounds,”
declares the LORD,
(Jeremiah 30:17, NIV)
As
for you, because of the blood of my covenant with you,
I will free your prisoners from the waterless pit. Return
to your fortress, O prisoners of hope; even now I announce
that I will restore twice as much to you.
(Zechariah 9:11-12, NIV)
The
thief's purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My
purpose is to give life in all its fullness.
(John 10:10, NLT)
In
his kindness God called you to his eternal glory by
means of Jesus Christ. After you have suffered a little
while, he will restore, support, and strengthen you,
and he will place you on a firm foundation.
(1 Peter 5:10, NLT)
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