Just As I Am
11/4/15
This phrase has been used for as long as I can remember and of course used in a wide array of capacities. This phrase itself represents a powerful stance and one that could end our life as we know it. To God, it is the perfect condition of the human heart in which He can work with, to change it for the better. But do we really understand the meaning of this phrase and what it would mean if we place our physical “wants” into its content? From the sounds of it humans have no idea the importance of this phrase and what it actually means in our lives. However, there are two eternal beings that do understand it and each entity’s motives are quite clear and it is up to us to make the choice to use this phrase accordingly.
Some time ago God shared with us an article called, “Don’t Sing The Songs”. If you have not read this article I would invite you to do so because it ties in with what this article is going to be about. God has a way of continuing certain ideas in order to get His complete message out to everyone who is willing to hear, and His timing never ceases to amaze me either. The song “Just As I Am” will be the main example of this article used and while not every word will be explained the overall concept of what the writer intended will be and it will shed light onto a subject that we are readily ignoring today, the truth in our words when it comes to God.
I remember this particular song quite vividly and it is one that shall never leave my heart. When I was a kid, my family moved from Salinas, California to Mobile, Alabama. Our time in California had been good for the most part but for some specificities my father and mother needed a short break for a while. We packed up the family house and moved back to the South, a place where our entire family was familiar with. It was an interesting trip and hopefully sometime down the road I will be able to tie some of that trip into an article; it was quite hilarious on many aspects.
My brother had already moved down to Mobile some time before we did and had already established himself as a resident there. The local Assembly of God church is where we planted our spiritual roots and while my parents were not the fondest of this church we did attend there for the most part. This subject too is an interesting story and I am confident that God will shed more light on it as time goes long, because it involves my stubbornness in some areas as well. First Assembly was the church that I really understood that I needed God and that it was time for me to turn my life over to Christ. It was not a Sunday morning service, but a Sunday evening one and it was when the song “Just As I Am” was playing that the pastor made the invitation for those who wanted to change their lives forever.
I have to admit that I was struggling with this decision but as I look at it was not a true struggle on my part but it was the battle between two kingdoms that was taking place that evenings. At the time, I had no idea of what was occurring within my life and for my life but all I did know was that it was time for me to accept Christ into my life, permanently. The battle was strong enough that my father, who was not sitting with me, came over and asked if he needed to go with me down to the altar. I declined and then voluntarily stepped out into the aisle and walked forward where the pastor met me and began praying with me. It was a night that I shall never forget, even down to the song that was playing when I made this incredible choice.
Every time I hear the song “Just As I Am” my mind immediately turns back to that Sunday night when I was in 5th grade and when I think about it I draw more encouragement and strength from that life changing moment. Up until a few years ago I really did not understand some of the words that lyricists used in their songs, but as my love for music grew and God took over my life in this capacity, I began to understand them fervently through the messages that God wants us to hear. This song is one of those songs and its words have more meaning today for the entire world, for the world is blindly using these words in such a manner in which they are detrimental for they are opening doors that they do not understand.
The title of this song says it all and it serves as the focal point of many people today. “Just As I Am” is a powerful and exemplary phrase and a provocative statement all wrapped into one. This proclamation is just that, a statement of condition that the individual recognizes they are currently situated. It is an active statement, meaning the current conditions of that person are ongoing and that person knows exactly what has transpired to reach this specific state or condition in their lives. It is a conscious realization of the situation and it defines a specific point in that person’s life and the song title in truth says it all because when someone declares this status that means they are stating to that person that I am here and I am ready for a change.
“Just as I am, and waiting not to rid my soul of one dark blot” is an article in itself but it serves as an important step in identifying why this statement is vital for us to understand. Our enemy wants nothing more to hide the truth from us and he will stop at nothing to ensure that we never fully understand what is ongoing around us. As long as he can continue to manipulate the truth and hide it from us we can not accurately recognize this phrase of the song. For if we do not realize that there is any dark spot within our lives then we will have no reason to proclaim this truth and it serves as the beginning point of our life in Christ and out of the world.
The next phrase in this stanza states: “to thee whose blood can cleanse each spot” which declares the only means by which our lives can be changed and fulfills the prophecy that God gave to the serpent in the Garden of Eden. It is this point when Satan loses control over a person’s life and a part of his kingdom, which is already defeated, is pushed back, for the truth and the light bring forth life into that person’s existence. It represents a new beginning for that person and a chance to shed more light into the dark and dying world around them.
“Just as I am, though tossed about with many a conflict, many a doubt” is a profound statement and is a perfect description of what the world has to offer. The world shall always leave one confused and with pain. Every example of God and Jesus within the Bible gives us a specific peaceful setting, it is through our choices that we tend to stray away and cause the wilds of the world to dominate our lives and to cause the confusion and pain. God never forces us to choose Him, He always gives us the choice to accept Him and to allow Him to change our path. Look at the people that love the world, it does not take too long to find that they are struggling to make their personal ends meet, not just financially but all around. They are miserable, but put on a fake smile; this is easy to tell. They are bruised internally and externally and know no way out of their situation.
“Just as I am, thou wilt receive, wilt welcome, pardon, cleanse, relieve;” and here is where the truth is revealed about the world and what God wants for our lives. This verse proves that God sees our hearts and knows our lives better than we do and no matter what we have done in our lives, He is willing and faithful to accept us just as we are so that He may improve us by shedding our sinful ways of the world and separate us from our sinful origins. He sees what the world has done to us and He feels our pain and agony through the spiritual and physical separation from Him, but God is willing to clean us up if we choose Him, no matter how badly we are bruised.
The last portion of the song that I am sharing is “Just as I am, thy love unknown, hath broken every barrier down”. This is a huge statement in the person who chooses to accept Christ as their Savior. First off it states that God and Jesus have no qualms about what you have ever done in the past, for they forgive you of your confessed sins; while this is tough for some of us to accept, God has no problems with this since He is going to change you in every way. Secondly, it states that you have allowed God to take control of your life even though you have no idea about what He stands for yet. Thirdly, this statement says that Jesus will break every barrier down, this means every substance that brings division shall be torn down so that you can be restored.
Lastly, each stanza ends with these words: “O Lamb of God, I come, I come”. There is no forcing by God from these words, it is strictly by the choice of the person to come to God. The words say nothing about conditional acceptance by God nor does it say that guilt shall remain, only peace, love and joy added into the restoration process to become a lamb of God. This type of love and acceptance the world does not have the capability to understand or give only God can do this process.
How many of us are born without sin? That is an easy question to answer, none of us. None of us are perfect in any way, shape or manner yet for some reason God loves us unconditionally and gives us every opportunity for us to realize this fact. When we come to Christ and accept Him, what is the condition of our lives? They are in ruins, full of shortfalls and selfish desires which we have included into our lives. No one is full of joy and excitement, for one cannot live in such agony without it portraying outwardly. It is at this point that god sees our needs and wishes to take us away from what the world has done, yet many of us still refuse Him for an additional amount of time.
When I was sitting in the Sunday night service that time long ago, I knew that many of the things that I had done, even though I was a young boy, were not right and I recognized that I needed help in my life. I was alive in the world and trying my best to keep happy, but continually looking over my shoulder to see others who might be of God all-the-while basing my relationship on God through their presence. That was not a relationship, I had no clue about who God was and had no intentions of finding out who God was either, just living a lie. If one looks at this title of the song more deeply, one will realize that it is through my condition at that time that serves as the definition and foundation of the song “Just As I Am”.
For those of you who are saved, stop and think about the moment that you accepted Christ as your savior, what kind of life were you leading? It was at that point in your life you reached “Just As I Am”. It was at that point when you allowed God to show you the light of truth, to break down all barriers that divided you and Him and then allowed Him to begin to heal your bumps, breaks, and bruises. You then could move forward with a direction and purpose in life.
God has never done things halfway, He is always been 100% in all things. Everything that His Word states prove this to us each second of every day, all we need to do is to open our hearts back to the spiritual connection with God and allow Him to show it to us. When we allow the “Just As I Am” declaration to ring from our hearts God will come running with arms open wide and if we allow Him, He will take every bit of the world from our lives and restore what He originally created. What does the world offer? Read the Bible and one will see. But as you study God’s Word it will be evident that there is an alternative path that can be taken and it is our choice to do as such.
God does accept you just as you are, but if you are not sincere in your condition then you will stay just as you are. However, if you really allow God to change your life and allow Him to penetrate your deepest sanctuaries, He will radically restore your life inside and outside. It is true that God wants you as you are, but His presence in your life will not allow you to stay in that condition. God cannot have anything to do with the world, He wants purity, holiness, happiness and truth to be in your life and only He can provide these perfect things.
DLB
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