BE PERFECT

by Tammy Phillips
March 6, 2023

 “And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the LORD appeared to Abram, and said unto him, I [am] the Almighty God; walk before me and be thou perfect.”  (Gen 17:1 KJV)

What a visit 99-year-old Abram had with God!  We are never too old to have an encounter, nor assignment from God.  The Lord  introduced himself  for the first time as Almighty God, All-Sufficient, the Most Powerful, and  God Who Is More Than Enough. He was in fact letting Abram know He was more than enough to keep all His 25-year-old promises to make Abram a Father of many nations and powerful enough to make them happen.   He charged Abram to walk in His presence and be perfect. Eek!   In Genesis 17:5 God even changed his name from Abram to Abraham.  He called him what he was not at that time, a father of many nations. 

When I think of Abraham, perfect does not come to mind. He had flaws, just like you and me.   When I think of Tammy Phillips, perfect is definitely not the first thing I think of.  Perfect to me has always meant flawless. God had to change my way of thinking just like he had to change Abrahams. 

It was in the early 2000’s when I found my life verse. “You are complete in Him!”(Col 2:10 NKJV)

This word changed everything for me.  I learned it was all about God and not me!  It was about who I was in Him, complete, “full filled” to the top, and  perfected. About 14 years later, I learned in Job 1 that the Hebrew word for perfect is “tam,” and it means healed, whole and complete. God gave me a new name in Him.  He called me what I definitely “was not,” but “was to be” in Him.  I say by faith, “I am Complete.  I am Healed. I am Whole and I am Perfect. I was dead inside, but He made  me alive with Him, forgave all my trespasses, wiped out the handwriting and list of charges against me.  He took it ALL away and nailed it to the cross.”  We are not supposed to recall our list of flaws.  We are to live.  We are to breathe. We are to be.

Yesterday, at this point I came to a screeching halt.   Holy Spirit challenged me, “What does it mean to be perfect?”  (You cannot make this stuff up!)   I had researched “be perfect”  and had a list of verses for this encouragement but after spending an hour or so trying to write, I was at a brick wall, and not progressing.  I stopped, prayed, and thought about it all day!

This morning I pulled up the “Be Perfect”  document to work on but decided to journal about yesterday instead.  I was thinking about someone I have let get under my skin.  I wrote in my journal, “Be the better person! Be the better person!”   Then Holy Spirit dropped, “Turn the other cheek” into my spirit.   My thought was:  “Seriously, God?”   I googled “turn the other cheek” to find its place in scripture.  First word that appeared was Mathew 5:43,44…48:

“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy,’ but I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven…. Therefore, you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.” (Mat 5:48 NKJV, and of course this was one of the verses on my list, boldly highlighted, for this encouragement.)

I stopped and laughed at Holy Spirit’s sense of humor.  The Breaker had given me the breakthrough I needed.  I guess we were finishing this encouragement after all.  I said, “Hello, Lord!  This is not the ‘turn-the-other-cheek’ verse!”

I heard Him laugh and say, “Oh, but it is.  Keep looking!” 

Holy Spirit had a little more to say.  Just above Mathew 5:48, I found…

“You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I tell you not to resist an evil person. But whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also. If anyone wants to sue you and take away your tunic, let him have [your] cloak also.  And whoever compels you to go one mile, go with him two.” (Mat 5:38-41 NKJV)

Jesus is perfect and we are  to follow Him and His example. The word “perfect” in Matthew 5:48 means complete, finished, grown up, and mature.  Think about this. Paul’s thorn in the flesh could have been another person.  When someone physically or mentally slaps us or a loved one, naturally, we want to slap back, or at least give them a piece of our  mind.  The “perfect” thing to do is be mature about it.  Remain, whole and complete.  Do not lose it, nor allow the “enemy” to move us from our place of peace.  We should readily give them our peace of mind, Jesus.   

How can we be perfect? Complete? Whole? Healed?  Like Abraham,  we have to walk,  live and be mature in the presence, and face of God.  We cannot take our eyes off Him.  We can only  be perfect, complete, and mature in Him.

I enCOURAGE you…finally, brothers and sisters…be glad, be well, and be cheerful.  Be perfect, be complete, become mature, be restored, be repaired, mend what has been broken, and put things in order.  Be comforted and be encouraged.  Be of one mind!  Be at peace!   Live in peace!  and the God of love and peace shall be with you. (2Co 13:11 KJV)

My prayer for you is Hebrews 13:20-21…

Now, may the God of peace who brought up our Lord Jesus from the dead, (The God who can do anything!)  that great Shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, ²¹ make you complete, whole healed and perfect,  in every good work to do His will, working in you what is well pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom [be] glory forever and ever. Amen.

Viva Magenta: Be cheerful!  Live! Breathe!  Be…Perfect!