Through Holy Barre, we pray God ignites a fire in your heart, soul, mind AND body to BURN BRIGHT for Jesus and in His love. But what does it mean to ‘burn bright’?
PART ONE
I remember waking up in an ambulance early one morning very confused. My mind was fuzzy, but I recalled being just at the gym on the treadmill. I had started getting light headed but kept going . . . pushing myself . . . striving to finish my pre-determined mileage . . . then I had passed out while running. My body was thrown back into the machine behind me. My thoughts immediately went to, ‘Man, how embarrassing!’ ‘Libby, you should have known better.’ ‘Take better care of yourself.’ Regardless of the fact that I was in the middle of a tough season of life, my response was one of failure and not doing enough, being enough.
But then I felt the Lord say, ‘You tired yet, Libby? I want ALL of you, your heart, soul, strength, and mind. And I truly want ALL of you – the good, the bad, and the ugly.’
Several years later and several struggles later, the Lord ignited a fire in my soul when He lovingly revealed this truth to me, ‘stop shining in your own effort. Let me burn bright within you.’
Every since I was young, I’ve always loved the idea of ‘shining’ . . .to be a bright light, a positive person, and a ray of sunshine. Yet the more I pursued this desire to shine, the more I felt tired, discouraged, anxious, and guilty. Over the years, I have realized truly shining for Christ has nothing to do with our striving but everything to do with our sacrificing, sharpening, and ultimately surrendering. It is not in our power or purposeful pursuits but in His power and our purposeful posture that God is truly glorified!
Join us as we dive deeper into our desire to ‘burn bright, better together’!
But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
2 COR 12:9-10
Discussion Questions:
1. What does it mean ‘to shine’ to you?
2. Share about a time when you felt weak.
3. What does 2 Cor 12:9-10 personally mean to you?
PART TWO
In order to burn bright, we must be living sacrifices as stated in Romans 12:1. Now I get that the word sacrifice is not happy or even pleasant to think about. You’re talking to the girl who squirms when reading in the Old Testament about the animal sacrifices and the blood being poured out intentionally on the alter. I don’t even like hunting and all that follows once an animal has been shot. I could go on but for the sake of our stomachs, I’ll redirect . . .
While a variety of things may come to mind when reading the word ‘sacrifice’, the meaning that truly ignites my soul is our acknowledging that we need less of ourselves and more of Jesus. If we are the ‘living sacrifice’, our Lord’s open, strong, loving hands are the altar. We’re going to jump all in, seek Him first, replace lies with His truth, honor our bodies as His temple, and realize His love and grace bring true freedom. The phrase ‘Spirit-led’ might sound churchy, but I’ve learned ‘me-led’ is exhausting and doesn’t have much impact. By pressing ‘pause’ to step back, get out of His way, and ask, ‘Spirit, lead me in this,’ we can move forward with greater peace and passion.
When we pursue the eternal rather than the worldly, sacrificing our immediate desires for His righteousness, our heart, soul, strength, and mind are transformed and renewed in a freedom like no other. When we let God refine us and burn us holy, our light cannot be put out!
Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.ROMANS 12:1-2
The dictionary defines the word shine as ‘to reflect light AND perform well’. Culture has shifted the pure meaning of shine to striving. When Jesus used the word ‘shine’, it was in regards to reflecting our God. But it’s now super tricky to reflect only Him and not the world. Plus, in a world that celebrates performing well and striving to succeed, I’d rather shift my focus.
So instead let’s burn. The definition of ‘burn’ is to be consumed, to contain gas or light, or the spiritual definition would be to be filled with the fire of the Holy Spirit.
As we look at Romans 12:1-2 and Paul’s reference to being a living sacrifice, we must fully grasp and live in the grace and truth of Jesus. Romans 1-11 share the Gospel, the story of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection, the power of His love for ALL people! It is because of His mercy, grace, and truth that Romans 12:1 begins with ‘therefore . . . in light of His mercy . . . ‘ For a fun review of the good news of Jesus, play this song!
As we journey on, desiring to burn bright, I’d love to share these various resources with you. To be transformed by the renewing of our mind, let’s fill our minds with the things of the Lord!
Discussion Questions:
1. What do you think of when hearing the word ‘sacrifice’?
2. What does the word ‘burn’ mean to you?
3. When listening to the song This Is the Gospel, what truth seems the loudest?
PART THREE
Ya’ll there is so much to process around the idea of ‘burning bright.’ So many thoughts, conversations, scriptures, text messages, etc have contributed to this content, but I pray that you process it all for yourself and seek the Spirit’s guidance as a believer to hear what His message is for you. Because here’s the deal: we’re all struggling in some way or another, we’re all experiencing the uncomfortable feelings, we’re all feeling like we need to change ourselves or others, we’re all considering truth and lies, we’re all wondering how things can get better . . . please stop. Please take a deep breath . . . and repeat this prayer:
I give everyone and everything to You, Jesus.
John Eldridge
I had the honor of attending a Hope Is Alive luncheon last week in Oklahoma City. I am left in awe after hearing the incredible stories of the participants and the freedom, restoration, and true hope they now have. And listening to all their stories, there were several common themes that seemed to be present in what led them to their addiction:
Being unable to process pain and stress or hurt in a healthy way.
Believing the lies of the enemy.
Becoming more and more isolated.
Not being able to dive deep into their feelings.
And each relapse is bigger and tougher. It took them truly hitting rock-bottom, and being in a place of full surrender that their life began to change. It was in seeking Jesus alone, getting professional help, and being in genuine community that lives changed. The catalyst was often from a child saying their addict parent could no longer see their grandchild. Or a spouse moving out for a period to get the addict’s attention about the seriousness of all they are losing.
So many of those common themes are relatable to ALL of us. We are ALL broken and in need of a Savior. Just some go-to ‘drugs’ and vices are more socially acceptable or less chemically dependent than others. But as I saw at that luncheon, HOPE IS ALIVE!
In light of the hope we have in Jesus, let’s dive a little deeper into what it means to BURN as a ‘living sacrifice’. Over the next several posts, we’ll discuss the ideas of living, sacrifice, eternity, obedience, and better together with scripture, thoughts, and examples for each.
Living
While the word ‘sacrifice’ may be associated with death, Paul encouraged us to be ‘living sacrifices’ in Romans 12. Those two words paired together might seem conflicting, yet that’s just one of the beautiful ironies of the story of Jesus! Jesus chose to die to be our Ultimate Sacrifice so that we can fully live! And now, we can chose to live each day as the living dying, living in His love while dying to our own sinful desires.
Just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glorious power of the Father, now we also may live new lives.
ROMANS 6:4, 13
Do not let any part of your body become an instrument of evil to serve sin. Instead, give yourselves completely to God, for you were dead, but now you have new life. So use your whole body as an instrument to do what is right for the glory of God.
This LIVING out the gospel and enjoying our new life in Christ requires intentional processing, praying, and praising. Our feelings and thoughts must be laid on the altar so that His consuming fire of love can refine and purify.
The truth, however, is that if you have not hit the point in your life of full surrender, like so many participants in Hope Is Alive, you might not understand your need to do any of this. As you read through the contents of this posts and the ones that follow, please consider your own brokenness, your own need for a Savior, your own struggles and sins, your real pain, and your pride and insecurities. We must feel all the feelings in order to burn brightly.
While I was driving our old (yet new to us) jeep a couple weeks ago, this happened. Yup, a back tire actually fell off. Thankfully, the couple in the car behind told me to pull over right as the wheel came off and rolled 100 yard down the street. I am so grateful for how this all played out as things could have been so much worse. And while there were actions and tasks required like calling a tow truck and getting it repaired, I’m learning that it is also important to feel all the feelings. Because for the hours that followed this incident, I experienced all the feelings. Pure fear from what just happened. Pure joy no one got hurt. Pure anxiety knowing my kids sometimes don’t even buckle up when we drive the jeep around the neighborhood. But pure gratitude knowing my husband safely drove the jeep to and from work on the highway just last week. I felt His pure love and protection, knowing how things could’ve gone so wrong.
We have to feel the feelings. And that is not natural for me. Typically I would have forced through the day I had planned and acted like everything was fine because I was physically fine. But as tears ran down my face, and I processed and prayed and praised Him about it all, I was reminded of how our marriage counselor is walking us through how to handle our feelings. And even more deeply, the reality that our feelings, and the processing of our circumstances, allows us to draw near to the Lord, to come to the altar, to surrender the things out of our control, to experience true love and protection, and to truly burn bright!
When we ignore our feelings, we aren’t truly living. Negative feelings and struggles are what you’re supposed to lay on the altar to keep the fire burning. Yet it’s a conscious choice to process, reflect, pray, and praise and use our feelings as a compass, pointing us back to Christ. As we live intentionally in His Spirit and Truth, we have a friend for our feelings.
Reading through the Psalms in the Old Testament reveal tons of raw emotions and powerful processing of the struggles we all experience. Yet the Psalms are also full of praises and joyful truth. I encourage you to read through some this week, slowly taking in the richness of the words.
As we conclude this post, moving on to a discussion about ‘sacrifice’ next time, let’s pray and process these words of Psalms 51. Our brokenness and ability to bring our real, humble, surrendered feelings to the Lord is the sacrifice He truly desires. This is the beginning of truly living.
You do not desire a sacrifice, or I would offer one.
PSALMS 51:16-19
You do not want a burnt offering.
The sacrifice you desire is a broken spirit.
You will not reject a broken and repentant heart, O God.
Look with favor on Zion and help her;
rebuild the walls of Jerusalem.
Then you will be pleased with sacrifices offered in the right spirit—
with burnt offerings and whole burnt offerings.
Then bulls will again be sacrificed on your altar.
Discussion Questions:
1. How are you today? Really?
2. Identify and share three feelings you have experienced this week and why.
3. How can we pray for you today?
PART FOUR
We renew our minds through surrender, prayer and praise, not through striving or shining through excellent performances. This is Paul’s message in Romans 12:1-2. And the same point is made in Psalms 51:16-19 that was used to conclude the previous post about ‘living’.
You do not desire a sacrifice, or I would offer one.
PSALMS 51:16-19
You do not want a burnt offering.
The sacrifice you desire is a broken spirit.
You will not reject a broken and repentant heart, O God.
Look with favor on Zion and help her;
rebuild the walls of Jerusalem.
Then you will be pleased with sacrifices offered in the right spirit—
with burnt offerings and whole burnt offerings.
Then bulls will again be sacrificed on your altar.
While burning bright sounds wonderful, the truth is burn out is real and relevant. Our current mental health crisis is overwhelming as so many turn to things of this world to cope. As we struggle, we do and fix and work harder or we ignore reality and stick to the superficial or we give up and believe the lies.
I’ll be the first to admit I’ve done all of the above and pass no judgment are all those facing burn out and fighting very real and significant mental battles. If you’re struggling, PLEASE get help now. DO NOT tackle this on your own! Check out my friend Lori’s post about her recent story of having an overwhelmed mind.
Confession is the first step to freedom. And the first part of sacrifice.
I John gives us some insight into this truth. Below is I John 1:9 in The Passion Translation as well as the notes included in the Bible app.
But if we freely admit our sins when His light uncovers them***, He will be faithful to forgive us every time. God is just to forgive our sins because of Christ, and He will continue to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
*** Confession of sin is the way to find restoration and unbroken fellowship with God. It cleanses the conscience and removes every obstacle from communion with Christ. Confession does not gain God’s acceptance, for that was won for us forever by the sacrifice of Christ. It is on the basis of being His dearly loved children that we restore intimacy with God through our tenderhearted confession before Him. God will always be faithful to restore our first-love passion for Him. There is no need to confess the same sins over and over, for that is ignoring the blood of Jesus that cleanses us. All of our sins were paid for on the cross, and we can do nothing to remove them, but confession acknowledges God’s faithfulness to restore our intimacy with Him. Our Father and our forgiving Redeemer fill the heavens with grace toward every believer, even when we sin.
Feel free to read that a few times to let it soak in before going on . . . so so rich and powerful.
Jesus’s sacrifice is recorded throughout the New Testament. So what does this have to do with all the sacrifices in the Old Testament, especially all the details listed out in Leviticus?
Glad you asked! I have been wondering the same thing! 🙂 So I went to my two favorite sources – The Bible Project Guys and The Bible Recap with Tara-Leigh Cobble.
The Bible Project explains the Old Testament sacrifices this way:
When reading through Leviticus with The Bible Recap, this clear point was made:
‘Sacrifices cost you, serve as a substitute, and make us draw near to God.’
Tara-Leigh Cobble
So sacrifices are designed to draw us near through confession, repentance, and gratitude. We come before the Lord from a place of humility and brokenness, acknowledging our dependence on Him. We seek Him to receive forgiveness and grace and truth. We ask for help and guidance. The five types of sacrifices laid out in Leviticus were all for these purposes.
The main difference is the ‘serve as a substitute’ that The Bible Recap mentioned no longer applies because of Jesus! He gave His life as the Ultimate Sacrifice and substitute! Which allows us to be rather ‘living sacrifices’ as we go about each day praying and praising.
My soul smiled when I realized through scripture there are references to making sacrifices morning and night as well as praying, praising, and meditating on His word day and night. What if our prayer times, devotional time, praises are our daily sacrifices? The components of all are ultimately the same.
When we feel the feelings, confess our sins, focus on His truth, draw near humbly in our brokenness through prayers and praises, seeking to obey His word, we are living sacrifices.
However, the enemy draws us away from Him. The lies of the world tell us to pursue other things to find fulfillment and hope. For example, I turn towards my physical nature. When I feel guilt or shame, my instinct is to exercise and sweat as a release. Or to fast or eat only certain things. Both can be seen as control or comfort in an attempt to not only detox my body but cleanse my soul. But only our Lord can do that. He is my strength and my salvation! Not my own works! He sanctifies and purifies!
We’ll talk more about the lies of the world next post. For now, read through the commands found in the scriptures below about living each day as sacrifices.
Despite their fear of the peoples around them, they built the altar on its foundation and sacrificed burnt offerings on it to the Lord , both the morning and evening sacrifices.
EZRA 3:3
Instead, his delight is in the Lord’s instruction,
PSALM 1:2-3
and he meditates on it day and night.
He is like a tree planted beside flowing streams
that bears its fruit in its season,
and its leaf does not wither.
Whatever he does prospers.
May my prayer be set before you like incense; may the lifting up of my hands be like the evening sacrifice.
PSALM 141:2
Discussion Questions:
1. How have you viewed the Old Testament sacrifices in the past? Relevant? Gross? Cool?
2. Share a prayer request and a praise with the group.
3. Read Psalm 1:2-3 together. What do you picture while processing the verses?
PART FIVE
Burning bright and being living sacrifices are founded on a perspective of eternity. If our focus and purpose are centered on things of this world, then striving and moving proudly forward in our own efforts align. But the ways of Jesus are quite different. We are not created for this world, and our new life in Christ is not a worldly birth but an eternal one.
Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.
2 Corinthians 4:16-18
The enemy’s main weapon and hinderance towards burning bright are lies. So many messages of the world go against the truth of His word, and as our communication channels expand, these lies are viewed more and more as truth, or shall I say ‘your truth’. Here’s an application of this point in light of Holy Barre’s audience.
One thing that breaks my heart is seeing others believe the lie that being thin will make them happy and their life worthwhile. Or that getting older is a bad thing we should cover up. No matter what the cost. I spent years studying and researching what makes effective marketing messages. While money drives SO MUCH of the messages we receive constantly, these messages about our appearance could not be further from His truth and actually hinder our happiness and lives! But they make corporations, celebrities, and social media influencers lots of money!
Technology allows our minds not to work as hard and doesn’t encourage the critical thinking skills valuable to help us identify truths and lies. It’s even been called a ‘luxury plateau’, allowing more space for the negativity and lies. Technology makes us idle – not living and active! And following Jesus while burning bright is not a spectator sport!
What worldly ways of thinking slip into your heart and mind? Do you know you were created in His image for His purpose? Do you believe you were created for eternity? What ways of the world tempt you the most? What lies and negative thinking about yourself are you allowing to consume you rather than His consuming love?
There’s a reason God is called a Consuming Fire in scripture.
As living and active sacrifices, burning bright, we seek His truth, surrender our own, and allow His consuming fire to fill us rather than the messages of our world. Next post we’ve dive into obedience, but I want us to lay a firm foundation on His love and power, not our own. Obedience can quickly look a lot like striving if our focus isn’t on Him. Obedience is more about our heart and our worship than our results.
I love the phrase ‘let God’ in the verse below . . . we don’t do the transforming, He does. And it’s for our own good, protection, peace, and freedom in Christ! So let’s guard our hearts and minds, identifying the lies of the world and replacing them with His truth. Let’s be living sacrifices, burning bright!
Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person.
Romans 12:2
Discussion Questions:
1. What is a lie do you struggle with? (Others, share a truth that comes to mind to replace the lie.)
2. How can you ‘let God’ like it says in Romans 12:2?
3. Pray together for the Lord to consume each of you and guard your hearts and minds.
PART SIX
“I’m writing to encourage you to fan into a flame and rekindle the fire of the spiritual gift God imparted to you when I laid my hands upon you. For God will never give you the spirit of fear, but the Holy Spirit who gives you mighty power, love, and self-control. So never be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor be embarrassed over my imprisonment, but overcome every evil by the revelation of the power of God!”
2 Timothy 1:6-8 TPT
‘Fan into a flame and rekindle the fire’ to burn bright as living sacrifices could look like:
- Obeying His commands (hint hint, meditate on His word morning and night)
- Staying connected to the Vine/Spirit (click here to explore)
- Putting on the Armor of God (click here to suit up)
- Viewing your body as His Temple (more here)
- Walking in faithfulness and integrity, willing and ready
- Living life better together! (More on this next post!)
I love these scenes in The Chosen and Jesus’ words. We much keep our lamps trimmed and burning brightly. This is done through obedience and living in integrity.
I’m trying my best to walk in the way of integrity,
Psalm 101:2
especially in my own home.
But I need your help!
I’m wondering, Lord, when will you appear?
Food and exercise and to-do lists and relationships and projects and so many other things have been my attempted source of comfort and control and strength and sufficiency in the past! And I still can seek these to fan my flame! But they burn out sooooo quickly!
But Jesus!
Lord, thank You for desiring to be our ultimate Savior and Friend and Source of all good things. Forgive me for seeking so much of the world when I was made for more. May we go to You for comfort and strength!
Those who look to Him are radiant; their faces will not be covered with shame.
Psalm 34:5
Discussion Questions:
1. Which point in the bulleted list above have you found valuable? How so?
2. Have you seen The Chosen? What’s one of your favorite scenes?
3. How can you stop trying and start trusting?
PART SEVEN
Back in February, I shared some specifics about our being better together in general, but I’d love to spend some time applying it to our discussion about burning bright. In recent posts, we have focused on Romans 12:1-2. But let’s keep reading . . .
And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him. Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.
Romans 12:1-13
Because of the privilege and authority God has given me, I give each of you this warning: Don’t think you are better than you really are. Be honest in your evaluation of yourselves, measuring yourselves by the faith God has given us. Just as our bodies have many parts and each part has a special function, so it is with Christ’s body. We are many parts of one body, and we all belong to each other.
In his grace, God has given us different gifts for doing certain things well. So if God has given you the ability to prophesy, speak out with as much faith as God has given you. If your gift is serving others, serve them well. If you are a teacher, teach well. If your gift is to encourage others, be encouraging. If it is giving, give generously. If God has given you leadership ability, take the responsibility seriously. And if you have a gift for showing kindness to others, do it gladly.
Don’t just pretend to love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Hold tightly to what is good. Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other. Never be lazy, but work hard and serve the Lord enthusiastically. Rejoice in our confident hope. Be patient in trouble, and keep on praying. When God’s people are in need, be ready to help them. Always be eager to practice hospitality.
When reading scripture, it is so valuable to look at the verses before and after some key statements as they typically provide more explanation and even richer meaning. Just as Romans 11 is all about God’s mercy, Romans 12 is kind of the ‘now what?’ of the gospel truth. Shall I be super cheesy and say that even scripture is ‘better together’?! 😉
Yet in order to live Romans 12 out freely and lightly and abundantly as Christ designed, we must do so together. Together with His Spirit and together with each other!
I pray by now our message has revealed to you the power of the Holy Spirit living inside of you and how His Spirit is what truly burns bright from within! As we move into June, we are going to explore His Spirit more deeply in light of the Fruit of the Spirit. Stay tuned and subscribe below if you haven’t already. Even the characteristics of His fruit are produced in lives through He alone!
We are created for community with our Lord and with each other. And if you’re unsure, just think about how one of the enemy’s main goals is to isolate each of us. So whether its marriages, mother/daughter relationships, friendships, coworkers, PTOs, women’s ministry, etc, the enemy is using his lies to pull us apart. Because as NEED EACH OTHER!
Fanning the flame and continuing to burn bright cannot be done in our own effort. We need each other’s support, encouragement, confidence, vulnerability, trust, and faith. I love the analogy of the shield of faith and often share through Holy Barre that sometimes we can hold our shield of faith high on our own and sometimes we need to walk behind the shield of faith of our beautiful sister soldier.
Just as our acts as a living sacrifice require authenticity and vulnerability to confess and be real before our King, we need to have those trusted relationships in our lives where we can share and support each other through the good and the bad. The more real we are with each other, the brighter we burn.
In addition, consider the ways the Lord has equipped you with skills, passions, experiences, and gifts to make others better. We all have something to contribute! What started a faith-based barre LifeGroup has now been a place of encouragement and support, inspiring a yoga instructor, a pilates instructor, a functional nutritionist, a water color artist, and so many more! Because WE ARE BETTER TOGETHER!
There have been plenty of seasons of weakness and pain when I needed those around me to fan my flame. And plenty of times when I can think back and realize that if it wasn’t for biblical community, who knows where I’d be. My faith is brighter because my friends burn bright. My marriage is brighter because my husband and I choose to burn bright. Holy Barre is brighter because it’s full of women desiring to burn bright, better together. Because the joy of the Lord is our strength!
Will you join us? Follow us on social media. Listen to our playlist on Spotify. Join our weekly YouVersion Reading Plans. Subscribe below to our weekly updates. And if you’re in central Oklahoma, PLEASE join either of our weekly classes or special events. Or consider our Holy Barre Instructor training to bring this burning bright ministry to your community!
Discussion Questions:
1. Share about a time when you’ve experienced what it means to be better together.
2. Read all of Romans Ch 12 individually. Share a verse that connects with you today.
3. How can we pray for you?
RESOURCES
As we journey on, desiring to burn bright, I’d love to share these various resources with you. To be transformed by the renewing of our mind, let’s fill our minds with the things of the Lord!
Music – Holy Barre #00 & Burn Bright
Workouts – Burn Bright Playlist on YouTube
YouVersion Bible Reading Plans –
Burning Bright! 