Hope

For the third time in 24 hours, the question of hope has come up for me, and even I am smart enough to figure out that it means I need to pay attention! Thank You, God, for being willing to be so direct!!! :)

Here's the verse for today: "I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit" Romans 15:13 (NLT).

The last couple of days have been challenging. I've felt that general feeling of "blah" that I so dislike, and my thoughts have been in constant battle with fear and perseverating worries. I felt pretty sure that I was under attack from the enemy; and I know the answer is to battle back with scripture, prayer and faith. I just was feeling a little lost about exactly what that needed to look like.

I asked for clarity about the ground over which I was fighting. I could feel the attack; I just wasn't sure what base was under fire. Turns out, I believe, it was the "hope" base (I should add that it's possible that this is the "base" that's always under attack! At least for me...). I was putting my hope in other places, aside from the Lord alone. It's amazing how subtly and how frequently I can shift away from reliance upon Him. I was putting my hope in a few different places. Not the least of these was my own ability to follow God, and human capability for submitting to Him! It seems perhaps like splitting hairs, but it really is different.

When my safety is rooted in my belief that I can stay close to Him, I am hoping in me. When my sense of safety and peace is grounded in knowing that He always stays close to me, I am hoping in Him. The shift is subtle, but powerful. I was reminded last night that, although the enemy is real and his powers are sometimes strong, I am sided with the One who is stronger than all! And He is for me!

Yes, we are fighting powers of darkness; I have felt that clearly (again) in the last few days. AND, we fight with weapons beyond any darkness. God is the source of hope. ALL hope. He IS hope. If we trust in Him, if I trust in Him, He promises to keep me in perfect peace (Isaiah 26:3).

I want to overflow in confident hope! That's exactly my heart's desire in all things! I'm so thankful I have the key!

Let Me Not Step Aside

I've been thinking lately about willful sin. I remember doing a study on this topic a year or so ago and thinking, honestly, that I didn't ever sin in ways that I knew, in advance, was intentional and willful sin. Wow, I could not have been in more denial! I certainly do; and it's not just once every year or so.

It's the little things... the tiny adjustment to the way I tell a story, even though I might be trying to spare someone's feelings. The truth is the truth. Adjustments to it (and sometimes omissions from it) make it untruth, and speaking falsehoods...well, that'd be sin right there.

And although I won't go into them here, there are certainly other areas in which I've willfully disobeyed the Lord. Sometimes it's clear and direct contradiction to the Word, and sometimes it's just not doing whatever He's put upon my heart to do. Either way, it's willful disobedience.

I'm struggling a little bit with in myself for an understanding of how I'm meant to approach these topics. I know I should not do them. Obviously. :) I also know that if it were just as simple as quickly deciding not to ever sin, well, I would have done that by now! I was praying last night for guidance on this topic, wisdom and insight. I know it's not always quite as easy as "just don't do it" (although sometimes it definitely is!).

In my devotions this morning, here's a verse that caught my attention:

"With my whole heart have I sought You, inquiring for and of You and yearning for You; Oh, let me not wander or step aside [either in ignorance or willfully] from Your commandments. Your word have I laid up in my heart, that I might not sin against You" Psalms 119:10-11 (AMP).

It amazes and humbles me to remember just how easily I can begin to rely upon myself again. Even in trying to obey Him, God is my strength and my only hope in living through the Spirit and therefore living beyond what I am capable of on my own!

Lord, let this day be about me trying less and yielding more. Yielding to you, yielding to Your word, guidance and will. Thank You for allowing Your Spirit to be with me and for giving me a chance of living up to Your will for me today! I love You, Lord! Amen.

A Word for the Coming Year

I was speaking with a woman at church recently, and she was telling me about the word she received from the Lord for 2008, and how the last few months had seemed to be the enemy's fight against what the Lord had brought so far this year. She went on to say that, just that morning, she'd received her word for 2009.

In reflecting on this conversation later, I thought about how I'd never really had "a word" for a specific year... I didn't let this concern me; I just realized it and moved on in my thoughts.

Well, what do you know? The Lord is funny about these things, isn't He? Last night, part way through a movie, I had what felt very much like the enemy trying to plant poisonous thoughts in me. I knew I needed to take captive those thoughts and turn to the Word for truth in order to do so. The Lord led me to a specific passage; the end of the passage, I feel, was given to me as....you got it, my word for 2009. :)

This will likely be a familiar passage to many of you, however, most of us know the beginning better than the end:

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you," declares the Lord, "and will bring you back from captivity. I will gather you from all the nations and places where I have banished you," declares the Lord, "and will bring you back to the place from which I carried you into exile"' Jeremiah 29:11-14 (NIV).

This verse encouraged my heart in the moment; I was reminded that all the captors that can exist in my life - all tools of the dark one, are no match for the Lord my God. For He who is within me is more powerful than him who is in the world (1 John 4:4). Praise God!

Then, this morning, I woke up with a passage on my heart. Now this is not a very common occurrence for me; in fact, I'm not sure it's ever happened before... nonetheless, I woke up and went straight to Acts 23. It's about Paul's transfer between prisons, as he's being plotted against by the Jews. I asked the Lord for insight; what am I supposed to take from this?

His answer came quickly and plainly: I can be captive to one thing, or another. I can be bound in one prison cell, and break free, but I will simply be transferred to another if I do not take care. I can live cell-to-cell, but (praise God!), I don't have to. It is Him who sets me free. It is in His word that I find truth. It is that truth that, as the Bible tells us, will set us free.

Lord, I ask for a fresh washing in truth today. Sometimes it is so hard to separate out the truth from the chaff. I know that it is for freedom that Your Son has set me free; help me to know what it means, and how it looks to "stand firm" so that I am not again taken captive! Lord, I heard Your word for me. You have come for me; I am being carried from the place in which I have been in exile. Help me to plant this word deep in my heart, Lord. Send away any and all doubt and disbelief that may creep in around this word. Help me plant it deeply in my heart, and to nurture it and allow it to grow! I love You, Lord. Thank You! Amen.

Standards

I think fairly regularly about the idea of being holy, of being "set apart" and what it means in the world. What does it look like it my daily life? What can others see that is "set apart" about me? Can others see anything at all? The Bible instructs us by saying that, "Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit" Galatians 5:25 (NIV). But what does that really mean?

I think being set apart, as we so often discuss it, is one thing. I think that living in step with the Spirit can be another thing entirely. I think it's useful to even consider the phrasing here: walking in step with the Spirit. Imagine the very essence and Spirit of God walking through your life; now imagine doing your best to keep in step with it - to walk, stride for stride, in the same ways, directions and paths as the Spirit. I don't know about you, but when I look at my life, I certainly fall short of that ideal - even though I may be living in a way that is set apart from the essence of the world around me.

Now, I want to be careful not to send (or receive for myself!) a message of "try harder" and "you're not doing good enough." These are messages I can too often find in just about any teaching, and they can be footholds for Satan to whisper lies into my ear. It's easy for me to be distracted by my own failings. That, however, is not the point. This verse comes just after the very well-known verses about the fruit of the Spirit. The point is not that I should (or even could!) try harder to epitomize those qualities. The point is that the Spirit bears the fruit that is recognized by those qualities; I needn't "try harder" to "do better." What I can do is strive to yield ever more to the Spirit. The fruit is a natural by-product.

So, in light of that, the instruction to keep in step with the Spirit makes sense all the more so. My job is to keep the Spirit as my leader. I can easily begin the rationalization process of what is set apart and how what I may be doing is different than the world, etc etc. It's not that it's bad to recognize these things, and to strive for a life set-apart. It's that the essence of what life in the Spirit is about has little to do with me sizing up and evaluating where I fall in line compared to the world around me. After all, I suspect I'm a poor judge of these things.

My challenge for myself today, and for you should you so desire, is to not try harder, but to try less and yield more. With the Spirit at the proverbial reigns, I am certain to walk in His steps, and to live out the fruit that makes my goal and vision of being "set apart" a beside-the-point by product of a life lived in Him.

Lord, help me yield to Your Spirit today - and every day. Let this day be one in which those around me see YOU in me. Let them see the by-products of Your Spirit lived out in me, and let it bring glory to Your holy name! I praise Your Lord!

Letting God Lead

As I begin to write today's thoughts, I am asking God for the ability to clearly convey what He's placed in my heart and mind today. I hope you hear what He intends; I'm putting this in His hands.

I've spent a lot of time lately thinking about, praying about and learning to better understand the ideals of a Biblical marriage. There was a short sermon series on this at my church recently, I've been doing my own study, and I now have a new book to read that addresses exactly this topic. I have a feeling that, especially having come up so "in the world" in my thinking on this topic, that I have a lot to learn.

I am grateful to be learning that a wife's submission to her husband does not mean slavery or subservience, and that, quite the contrary, submission is not about a division of power. It's about a wife coming along her husband, and working with him. In many ways, it is about unity.

As I begin to dive in here, please humor me and let me give a brief disclaimer. First, I am very certain that I am about 2 inches down what is a very long path in terms of this topic. I know practically nothing. For that reason, I'm hesitant to even write this entry! However, as we flush this out, I think it will become clear why I am. Secondly, I'm not even married! I feel a little bit like a sports fan who sits on the couch shouting enthusiastically at the professionals on TV. I'm not sure I can even see the sidelines yet, let alone consider myself a player with any real expertise. So, take those for what you will... I still felt led to write this today. :)

Okay, back to the true topic at hand. What I'm learning is that a husband, as a spiritual leader, is meant to give direction, lovingly, while keeping utmost in his mind what it is that will be best for his wife and his marriage. As I consider what it means to be a wife, for myself, I am starting to see that there is something very, very key in making a decision to let myself be led. It's a yielding of sorts, and, quite frankly, a yielding of the sort that I probably need!

The verse that spoke to me this morning was one in which the Lord speaks through Hosea and refers to Himself as Israel's husband. It reads, "In that day," declares the Lord, "you will call me 'my husband'; you will no longer call me 'my master. '" Hosea 2:16 (NIV). What came to me while I was reading this was this idea of believing that God is not out to make our lives a boring exercise in slave-like subservience. Instead, He is a God that has direction for us so that we can be brought into the greatest possible good. His laws and guidance are not His venue for trying to show that He's the boss; they're His way of trying to save us from ourselves.

This verse made me think about the idea of submitting to the will of God, not because He'll punish us if we don't, but because His will is intended to bring about the greatest good. Of course, He has an ability to do this in a way that an earthly husband may not; after all, He did speak the universe into existence... but the point is still the same. As our husband, the Lord asks us to make a choice to yield absolute control of our own wills to His, but not because He has the power (although He does), but instead, because we - in doing so - affirm that He loves us, and is actively choosing to guide us in ways that are for our greater good.

In choosing to submit to the Lord, I am actively saying, "I believe that You are watching out for me, and that you want what's best for me." In essence, I'm saying, "I trust You." And He's designed a world in which I have that choice to make - that choice of submission, that choice of inherent trust - again and again on an ongoing basis.

As I was just writing here on this blog yesterday, I've found that when I sometimes don't feel the way I think I ought, I can still act as if I do. And that, by doing that, I open myself back up to the feeling. I don't know how that works, but it has been my experience. So, in this context, I am reminded that when I feel afraid of obeying God, when I feel afraid of doing what it is He directs (like writing an entry that parallels marriage as an inexperienced, ignorant single!), I am called to do it anyway. And it is in that action that I learn whatever it is I am meant to learn, and also open up my heart for that fear to disappear and more trust to be grown. And this works because, like Hosea wrote, He is more than just my master. He is my husband.

I love You Lord! Your amazing teachings heal me. Thank You for being THE Way. May I give this day to You in absolute submission, in trust. You are a Holy God! Amen.

Falling Down

One of my devotional readings this morning was about the transfiguration. It was this passage that caught my mind's attention: "While he was still speaking, behold, a shining cloud [ composed of light] overshadowed them, and a voice from the cloud said, This is My Son, My Beloved, with Whom I am [and have always been] delighted. Listen to Him! When the disciples heard it, they fell on their faces and were seized with alarm and struck with fear" Matthew 17:5-6 (AMP).

Think about this... during the transfiguration, Jesus is lifted up, shines with an incredible and unearthly light and then, the voice of God speaks out over Him. Whoa. I can really understand why the disciples there to hear it would immediately fall on the ground. And the word "fear" here, as with elsewhere in the Bible, is really used in a way to connote awe and respect. They fell face down in awe.

There was certainly a time in my life (a long one) during which I would not have been able to really relate to this in my heart at all, but I am so grateful to be able to say that in the last couple years, the Lord has worked in my heart with His power, and that I certainly have times now - with some consistency - in which the only response my heart can seem to muster is the urge to fall flat on my face and just be humble before the Lord. These days, I am so often overwhelmed with how good He is, and how amazingly He acts in our lives - in my life. It's incredible.

What I also want to mention though today is that I have very deliberately gotten down on my knees, and yes, on my face (literally!) many times when my heart was not overcome by a desire to fall in reverence. I went through a very difficult season a couple years ago in which I just started getting myself flat on the ground, face down, in an intentional show of reverence. It wasn't a moment of desperate plea, nor was it a moment of "I can't help but fall down and praise you, Lord." Instead, it was, "I don't feel it, but I know You are good; I know You deserve me down flat on my face in reverence and awe, Lord." And I'd do it. Not every day, not even every week probably, but I did it, and I did it regularly.

My point is this: I know not everyone is crazy about the idea of "fake it till you make it", but I can say that my own life has been incredibly impacted by the idea of "acting as if." If I don't feel awe and reverence, but I have a desire to do so, I'd get on my face and act as if I did have that desire. Not in an artificial way, and not without great clarity in my prayers about what my purpose was. I wouldn't pretend to feel something I did, but I'd act how I would have acted if I did feel that particular feeling, and then I'd do it again and again, saying, "This is to show you that I revere You, Lord" or something to that effect. The exact words - and really, words at all - were the least important part. The point was action. I've learned that action is an incredible producer. So, I have learned to act as if I did feel/want/believe/trust something or some way. And I've found that if my intention is true and my action came through, more often than not, I began to find my heart opening up to that feeling. And, as I've shared, I have times in my life - and somewhat regularly - when, truly, my heart just wants to lay flat down on the ground and revere Him and His glory!

Friends, I'm not sure exactly what the "point" is of this post today. I don't love the idea of getting on my computer and telling people how to be or do or anything. I can only share what my experience has been, and I do feel that I was led today to share this way. So, take from it what You will, and I will trust that His leading me to write it will also produce whatever His intention is in it being written. An act of obedience. He is certainly worth to be obeyed. Thanks for being on the journey with me!

On our Behalf

In reading Psalm 97 this morning, I was struck by this verse: "Light is sown for the righteous, And gladness for the upright in heart" Psalms 97:11 (NKJV). What I noticed about it (and this is just the kind of thing I notice!) is the way the sentence is structured, and what that teaches us.

First, looking at what is actually being said... Light is sown in our lives, and gladness too! Sounds pretty good, right? I'm imagining God looking about and around at the landscape of my life, and carefully digging open little pockets here and there. I'm imagining His precious finger circling into the dirt to create a tiny perfect pocket for the seeds He's sowing - seeds of light! Imagine how the seeds sown by the Maker Himself must respond in His hand!

And gladness for the upright in heart... In my imagination (and, really, this is all just imaginary literalism - it helps me sometimes really appreciate the Word), the seeds of gladness are sort of like Mexican jumping beans; all wiggly and unable to be contained.

So, more so than just the concepts, what actually caught my heart was the phrasing: these things are sown for us. They're sown on our behalf, and not by us. The Lord, in His abundant mercy and graciousness is the sower. He pulls out His hoe, and his trowel and burrows the holes; He plants the seeds, and you can bet that the Gardener of light and gladness also sends rain and sunshine to nourish His plantings.

Lord, that I may look around my life today and see with Your eyes! That I may see trees of light and the hedges of gladness that You have planted and tended for my benefit. Lord, You do the work! You plant the seeds and You are the Gardener. Thank You, Father, for tending to me. Thank You that I do not have to go in search of the seed; You are right here, and planting away. May this day bring honor and glory to Your name, Lord...and may it make You smile! Thank You, thank You, thank YOU, Lord! I love Your Holy Name!!!

Not of the World

As I met up with the Lord this morning, I was struck by a very simple verse in one of my favorite chapters in the Bible: "I pray for them. I do not pray for the world but for those whom You have given Me, for they are Yours" John 17:9 (NKJV). Here, Jesus is praying. The opportunity to have such intimate access to the prayers of Jesus, the conversations between our Savior and His Abba, our Abba, is a moving and precious gift.

What struck me this morning is that, as Jesus prays, He clearly makes a distinction between the world and those of us who belong to Him. He even goes on to say quite plainly, "They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world" John 17:16 (NKJV).

This thought brings me hope!

Now that we are in Christ, ransomed and redeemed, we are no longer of the world. We're not just people living normal worldly lives with a little side bonus of Jesus-y goodness on the side. We are completely and wholly changed in our inmost beings. We cease to be what we knew, what we were and what, in many ways, defined our very essence, and we take on and take hold of the essence of the Spirit that embodies what we were intended to be on this earth.

I am not of the world! This is a shout of victory for me. When I go through my day today, I will be tempted (no doubt) to feel frustrated, burdened or even irritated by the daily matters of a normal day. There will be hustling and bustling people at work, all convinced of the urgency of matters that, I assure you, are quite daily and very much so "of the world." I have certainly fallen prey to adopting this same sense of false urgency myself. Don't get me wrong; it is important to do my job well. In fact, as a Christian in the workplace, it is perhaps one of my greatest opportunities for testimony. What grace that someone might look upon me, associate me with my King, and also recognize a commitment to working with excellence, humility and devotion.

At the same time, I am not of the world. I am simply an inhabitant, temporarily. It's like a really, really unfortunate vacation. I'm just a visitor here, and this is not my home. So however tempted I may be to allow myself to live as if the urgent worldly matter of my moment is all there is, it simply is not even the tip of the iceberg.

I'm not sure what good this word may do in application in your life today, but I am certain that the perspective shift is one that I can use. This, for me, is a reminder that never is over-done.

Thank You, Lord, for reminding me that I am Yours...here to do Your will, but only stopping by in this place. Thank You for the home You have prepared for me; may I bring honor and glory to Your name today, as I sojourn through this earthly day! Amen.

The Power to Demolish Strongholds

Oh my friends, it is a wonderfully humbling gift that I have felt led to share with you in these little eSnippets of my own journey. If you've been reading much of this blog at all, you will know that unbelief is a sin with which my heart of hearts struggles, and is a frequent focus of my own prayer and efforts these days.

In a Bible study I am doing, a passage of scripture has come to new light and holds new meaning and power for me. The passage is 2 Corinthians 10:3-5. Some (or all) of this passage may be very familiar to you. This morning, as I re-read these verses, the middle verse spoke to me in a clear and loud voice: "The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds" 2 Corinthians 10:4 (NIV). Praise the Lord!!!

When I sometimes reflect on the strongholds and battlegrounds of my life, I admit that I sometimes feel discouraged and uncertain of what outcomes may await. They sometimes seem like such big obstacles, such overwhelming foes... hence, I suppose, the term "stronghold." This verse, though, is perfectly and plainly clear. The weapons with which we fight, with which I fight are bigger and badder and more powerful by far than the weaponry of the world, and by that token, the weaponry of the enemy. THEY HAVE THE POWER TO DEMOLISH STRONGHOLDS. The word translated here as "demolish" translates most literally to "pulling down." And doesn't that seem to fit?

The strongholds and inner-fortresses within me have been built up slowly over years and years of distance from the Lord, fortified by the enemy's lies - which also form the foundation. These strongholds can be pulled down. The word also implies extinction or, in other words, permanence. My heart this morning soars to be reminded by the Holy word of the One that the walls I sometimes feel I'm scrambling to scale can be torn down into nothingness, and stay that way! His power is something beyond comprehension, friends. Join me in believing Him for it today!!!

For His Glory...

"The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn, and provide for those who grieve in Zion-- to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of his splendor" Isaiah 61:1-3 (NIV).

The first three verses of Isaiah 61 are verses familiar to me, and verses that hold special importance in my heart. I've read them many times, studied them and meditated on them. This morning, however, the Holy Spirit did what I love: He brought something anew to my eye in one of these familiar verses. In writing about the transformation that can occur in the hearts of God's people, the last part of the third verse reads, "...that they may be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified" Isaiah 61:3 (ESV).

Now, what struck me here? The very last phrase, which is slightly different in the ESV than the other translations with which I am more familiar. "That He may be glorified." Ahh, what a wonderful reminder! And that may perhaps be because I am so familiar with this passage. It's a passage that has always spoken to me in encouragement about what it is that Jesus can and does do in the lives of His people; it's a passage that talks about what it is He can, desires and will do in my life (and in yours!).

This last phrase caught my heart this morning.... The Lord does these things and restores our brokenness because He loves us, and because we are His. But He also does these things for an even more important purpose: so that He may be glorified.

Even with all the healing and restoration I have seen in my life, even with all the incredible ways in which God has rescued me from the pit again and again, it is still easy for me to focus on and wonder and worry about the areas in which I still see bondage in my own life. It's a wonderful blessing to have a passage in Scripture to remind my heart that, yes, Jesus is about setting captives free, breaking the bondage of prisoners and binding my broken heart. Praise God and Thank You! What's more important is to remember that it's not about my agenda. The greater purpose, of which I am a willing servant (when I remember to think about it this way!) is to bring glory to the Glorious One!

Lord, whatever Your timeline, whatever Your vision, whatever Your plans, I submit myself to You. I believe You, Lord, for complete and total freedom from strongholds and areas of bondage in my life - no matter how big or small! I also pray in agreement with Your designs for when and how those chains will fall! I believe they are falling already, Lord. And I pray with all my heart that their final clanking to the ground might bring glory and honor and praise to Your name from every corner of the world! To You belongs all the glory! Help me to be a part of the realization of Your praiseworthy Name! I love You Lord! And I give You my life. Lord, I give You my day. I am Yours. Amen.

Mighty to Save

I have to admit it; although I would rather have any other answer as my truthful answer, the fact of the matter is that there are times in which I doubt God's ability and/or willingness to rescue me from that which wages war against me.

Rationally, consciously and intellectually, I absolutely believe that God has all power and that He wants the absolute best for me. And yet, when it comes to a dark moment in a quiet place, the lies of the enemy sow seeds of doubt in my heart.

Could this ever really be different? Could this particular stronghold ever really go away...I mean, completely? I'm just being honest here, friends. These are the secret wonderings of my heart in some of those moments.

And what am I to do with such a doubting heart? Well, His Word instructs me to take captive my thoughts for Christ. The same passage in 2 Corinthians 10 tells me that the weapons I have at my disposal, the weapons and power of the God most high, do have the power to demolish strongholds. Not just the power to hold them at bay, if I try really, really hard...the power to destroy them absolutely.

Sometimes, I think, my wandering heart also fights against the lies that say that God can rescue me, but that maybe He's just real busy right now, or perhaps I am just not on His radar in terms of rescue. This, too, is a lie.

The verse that jumped out to me this morning speaks directly against both of these lies; and His Word is the most powerful weapon I could have in my own hands: "The Lord your God is with you, He is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing" Zephaniah 3:17 (NIV).

Friends, you may have a steadier faith than I do; and I pray that you do! However, if not, let this verse soak into the fibers of your soul today. He is mighty to save. He takes great delight in me. He takes great delight in you. His love - His love - has not only the power, but the desires to quiet our hearts. He rejoices over us with singing. Wow. Can you imagine the Lord of Hosts rejoicing and singing...over us?

Lord, that I may do anything worthy of Your song! Help me, Lord, with my unbelief. You know my heart; You know the places of doubt and fear and hesitation. Help me. Eradicate the dark places where the enemy tries to plant his feet. Help my heart and soul and mind and entire being KNOW that You are mighty to save, that You take great delight in me, and that out of Your love for me, You quiet my heart. Lord, again, that I may bring Your heart a reason to sing! Thank You Lord; thank You!

Restoration

I recently had the incredible privilege of going to work on a short term missions trip to India. I had gone expecting to be utterly depressed by what there was to see. And yes, there were many painful sights, and I did (and still do) shed tears of heartbreak over the many forms of injustice being lived out there. At the same time, I came out of that trip with a new and powerful reverence for the transformative and restorative power of our God. He IS the God of redemption, of restoration and of wholeness.

Psalm 30 contains several verses that extol the marvelous name of our marvelous Maker. I am debating, even as I write this, as to which verse to use this morning; there were several that called to my heart. However, for now, let's look at verses 11 & 12: "You have turned my mourning into dancing for me; You have put off my sackcloth and girded me with gladness, To the end that my tongue and my heart and everything within me may sing praise to You and not be silent. Oh Lord my God, I will give thanks to You forever" Psalm 30:11-12 (AMP). Amen!

Friends, my life hasn't looked a single thing like some of those whose suffering I witnessed in India. At the same time, my life has not been easy in many ways. I came out of adolescence a hurting, angry and self-destructive young woman. I spent years spinning my wheels in attempts to find some ground to stand on. I was miserable and utterly crushed by how lost I had become; what was worse was that I had no idea how to be found.

Thankfully, Jesus and Our Father were pursuing me, even in my darkest hours in the pit, and truly, truly, truly, I can say to you that He has turned my mourning into dancing for me. I didn't do it! He has taken off the drab and destroyed layers that were over me and put on me a cloak of joy and gladness. And why? One, it's because He loves me. But as this verse teaches, it's also so that I can praise Him and bring glory to His name. I am living proof of His power. I am a walking testimony of what can come from damaged, broken and wandering heartbreak.

My life today continually humbles me and has me on my knees in prayers of overwhelmed gratitude. There are gifts pouring into my soul that I had never, ever dreamed would be available to me. I am restored. I am His work, and He has brought the healing power of His love to me a million ways over.

I will sing His praises! I will give thanks...forever!

Friends, no matter what comes into our lives and no matter what grips the enemy may hold us in, we are HIS, and in the very exhalation of His breath, He is greater than all the tricks of the enemy bound together. Verse 2 of this same Psalm says, "O Lord my God, I cried to You and You have healed me." He has healed me, and He is still healing me in many ways. Our God is in the business of healing and restoration! May your heart be filled with every conviction of just that! And may your voice and mine join together in praises for the restoration He has carried into our hearts and lives - and that which is yet to come! He is a good God; praise Him!

Keeping an Eye on the Fruit

In all honesty, I'm feeling a little reluctant about writing today's post. I'm feeling a sense of conviction, and am not at all sure how to capture it or convey it here in a way that's appropriate. I suppose I will just let the Holy Spirit take that action item. :)

Here's the verse that spoke to me today: "Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or make the tree bad and its fruit bad; for the tree is known by its fruit" Matthew 12:33 (NASB).

There are two elements to this verse that grabbed me: first, the tree is known by its fruit. This is how we are recognized. As believers, as truth-tellers, as oaks of righteousness. Not by who we say we are, not by the books on our nightstand, and not even by the deep secret whisperings in our hearts. We are recognized in the world by that which comes forth from the lives we live and the decisions we made. We're seen and evaluated by our actions, our external realities and our outward behaviors.

This, frankly, isn't a truth I'm crazy about. I fail, at least on a daily basis, to live up to the reputation deserved by Christ. Sometimes I fail big. One way the enemy helps me along sometimes is to lead me toward rationalization. Enemy or not, though, it's me who chooses to accept whatever compromised position I sometimes take. That leads me to the second element: this verse clearly directs the reader to "make" the tree one way or another. There's a clear indication here of power, action and intent. Make it good. And the fruit is part and parcel with the tree; there's no room here for a great tree with really shabby fruit.

I am going to leave this message here today; it's simple, but sometimes that's the priceless part. Let the Lord speak through it in whatever way He intends for you today. Be well.

Love Like a Fountain

We are so blessed to serve a God of love. His greatest commandments are to love Him with all we've got and to love one another sacrificially. Simple, but not easy. And yet, what a wonderful gift even these commands are!

I find again and again that the more intention I put into action and the more I love those around me - even when it's hard, even when I don't feel loving, the more love there is inside of me. What an amazing irony; the more love I give away, the more love I have!

I was fortunate enough to do a word study on Love once - looking at the different forms and uses of the word throughout the Bible and learning what we could from them. It was incredible! God's love for us, first of all...well, my eyes are welling up just thinking about it! And what that enables us to do in our own hearts and what we can then pour into the lives of others... wow. It's an honor and quite the gift.

These days, I am personally spending quite a bit of time thinking about love and what it means to love intentionally, what it means to love sacrificially, and what it means to love in service.

This is the verse that caught my eye this morning: "For you have been called to live in freedom, my brothers and sisters. But don’t use your freedom to satisfy your sinful nature. Instead, use your freedom to serve one another in love" Galatians 5:13 (NLT). The word "liberty" is used in other translations. Because of Christ, and by the Grace of our Abba-Father, we are set free in Him. No doubt the world encourages us to believe that freedom is about being unattached to and let loose from others. I believe the message of Biblical, Godly love is more the opposite. We are given freedom. We are also given the freedom of choice. The greatest path to freedom (and this isn't theology, but my own suspicions based on both the Word and my own experience) is to exercise that choice and to choose to be bound in service and in love. We are each to be bound in loving servitude to the Lord, but also to one another.

Love is an action - not a feeling. I find that the more I live out the actions of love, the more I feel love. But, if I only acted lovingly when I was feeling lovingly, I'd miss many, many opportunities to serve the lives of others, and quite frankly, to fill up my own heart. We are free. Hallelujah, we are free! And never is freedom more glorifying to the heart of God than when we choose to give from our place of liberty. And the more we give it away, the more we have to pour out. What an amazing God we serve!

Faith is the Opposite of Fear

I have been so blessed by God's choice to speak into my heart through the Holy Spirit. My theory is that He knows me so well, He knows that I do much better with a little time to get used to certain things before they actually come to pass. So, often, He gives me a little spiritual nudge inside that helps me to know what direction He's taking me. Trust me; it's an incredibly sweet concession on His part. I need the heads up!

To take it one step further, sometimes I feel Him speak firmly in my heart, and every now and then, the things He speaks about and the things I feel myself to hear are so concrete, direct and clear. He promises me things; He reminds me of His promises, and most frequently, He just re-speaks His Word into my soul.

There have been many times - often when I feel gripped with fear or doubt -that I will hear this word from Him in my heart. My soul immediately relaxes, fear is released and I am free again in the arms of the Prince of Peace. Now, please let me be clear. These occurrences don't happen on every topic; they're not every day moments and neither can I order them up at will! It's all about Him and His timing!

That said, I do have a couple areas in my life in which I've heard this clear promise of the Lord that are still "current" areas for me. Just last night, in fact, I was finding myself feeling fearful again about an area in which He's promised me, really promised that He was going to follow through. I lifted the area up to Him, and slept peacefully last night, but felt myself under attack again upon waking today.

Then I saw this verse in my morning quiet time: "He said to his disciples, 'Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?'" Mark 4:40 (NIV), and I was reminded of a saying I've heard many times. That fear is the opposite of faith. And by that same token, faith is the opposite of fear.

When I find myself feeling fearful, I am reminded that my fear - always - is a demonstration of my own unbelief and lack of faith in a God who breathed all of creation into existence. This couldn't be more true than when I feel doubtful about whether or not the enemy will overpower me in a situation in which He's already promised me victory. I hear this question of Jesus and my heart feels deep conviction. Just last night in church I was praising the Lord for all He's done in my life. If there was ever an example of His re-creating and restoration, I am it. He has, and truly does continue to work in my life in miraculous ways. And that's not a word I use lightly.

I could waste time and energy wondering how it is that I can find doubt in my heart? I can berate and chastise myself for my faithlessness and unbelief. However, I believe a more productive (and more Biblical) response is to instead simply confess my unbelief, and immediately turn from it. I have wondered many times how it is that I am supposed to believe God if and when I don't feel like I trust Him. And frankly, I've felt untrusting of Him many, many times. Not because of who He is, but because of me and the impacts of living in a fallen world.

The answer? And please bear with me as I share this; I feel as if I am only beginning to really "get it" in my own life. But the answer I'm starting to grasp is that it's simply a matter of choice. Repentance, in its simplest form, is turning around and going the other direction, right? I have a visual image in my mind of our pastor walking to one end of the stage, stopping in his tracks and turning 180 degrees to walk decisively in the other direction. This was his word picture for us of repentance. It's simply choosing to pursue a different route.

I can repent in this same way of my unfaithfulness and unbelief. As my mind (along with the help of Satan) is tempted to conjure up scary scenarios and possible future pitfalls, I need to take captive those thoughts, call on the powerful love of the MOST Powerful One, and then choose to think something different.

Frankly, it may not always "take" that my feelings are immediately changed. That anxiety and fear sometimes lingers as a feeling. However, what I'm realizing in my own life is that it isn't about feeling like I can believe a certain thing consciously and then letting the thoughts and beliefs flow from that feeling. I think that's the approach the world teaches. Rather, it's the exact opposite. I need to intentionally take captive my thoughts, choose to believe Him and the feelings of belief and trust flow from there. I've heard it said this way: "act as if." If I don't feel trusting, I need to act as if I do. And believe me, my thoughts are just as much "action" as running a marathon. I can't choose my first thought, but I can make conscious decisions about which paths of thought I nurture and pursue. Absolutely, I can!

And from that act - that step or leap of faith, if you will - I close the door on Satan's foothold in my heart, and make room for Truth and Light to enter. And once they enter, I continue to nurture them (thank You, Lord, that I have Your word to feed on and repeat...my little watering can for my garden of belief!). The more they're nurtured, the more they grow and bloom. My feelings (which are so transient and untrustworthy, friends!) are simply the fragrance that reflects what's growing in my garden. When I plant seeds of Him and work at tending that flower, I find I feel more and more trusting. I can also choose to do the exact opposite.

Lord, oh Lord... You see the unbelief and fear in my heart. I confess my lack of faith; I confess my doubt and mistrust. You have spoken great words of life into this world, and even specifically into my heart. Please forgive me for doubting You, for doubting Your intentions, for doubting Your power and grace. Help me to recognize the thoughts of doubt at their onset and to pray and battle against them with Your strength. He who began a good work in me will be faithful to complete it. Praise You, Lord! In the authority of Your Son, I speak death to the fear and doubt the enemy tries to harvest in me. I affirm that You, Lord of All, are good and faithful and that Your loving benevolence for me never changes nor fades. Help me to turn resolutely away from the lies of the enemy; Help me to embrace truth and to let Your Word live in me richly. Help me to feed from Your truth, and I thank You in advance for the fruits of glory You will grow in response. May it bring You much joy, my Lord. I love You! Thank You for loving me and never giving up on me!

My Weakness is a Gateway

I struggle sometimes with feeling like my fear and my worry are problematic signs of my lack of faith about a certain subject. And, in truth, this weakness and faithlessness is usually a signal that I am not trusting and believing God for something; it does show a lack of true faith in my heart. However, my position this morning is that it may not be such a bad thing after all.

In his second letter to the Corinthians, Paul, speaking of Christ, wrote, "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" 2 Corinthians 12:9 (NIV). His power is made perfect in my weakness. The Greek word that's translated as "perfect" indicates completion, accomplishment and fulfillment.

In other words, the more weakness I have in and of myself, the more opportunities there are for Jesus to make clear His power in my life. Woo hoo! It may seem silly to celebrate weakness, but the fact of the matter is, I'm weak whether I like it or not. I have many areas in which the enemy tries to get a foothold; he whispers lies into my heart and sometimes he gets that little ground and I feel afraid. I worry about things. I worry about life.

I am learning (albeit slowly sometimes!) that when I feel this fear, I can pray against Satan's lies, and I can ask for protection, strengthening and liberation from One who is far greater than he. However, I can easily be sidetracked by thoughts that I shouldn't be afraid in the first place (another clever tactic of the enemy!). A favorite saying of mine is, "it is what it is." I use that to remind myself that I can't will the past to be different. In essence, what happened 10 seconds ago in my heart - fear, doubt or gloried worship - is not mine to change. It is what it is.

My emotional reactions of fear, or my feelings of doubt are not something within my control. They sometimes pop up out of seemingly no where! What is within my control is how I then act in response. Do I nurture and tend the fear, growing it and stoking the fire of doubt? Or do I take captive my thoughts, pray for a renewing of my mind and a changing of my heart, and then move on in faith that the situations over which I was fearing will be handled rightly and lovingly by my God? Don't get me wrong, there is sometimes a part I also need to play, but surrendering the situation to Him is always a good first step!

My weak moments, my fears, my doubts, my anxieties are efforts by the evil one who pushes constantly for infiltration. Sometimes he gets more ground than others. However, the Word this morning teaches me that they are also so much more. They are opportunities for Glory itself to be made known. I've heard the phrase that "God never wastes a hurt." I love that. The enemy will bring what he can to the table, but none of his attacks are without an option for us to allow God to show us what He's made of.

Lord, I praise You for Your power! I thank You for Your willingness to step into my weak places and demonstrate that all real power is in You. When I am attacked today, Lord, and when I am afraid, please bring in Your power. And even when I forget this simple message - even if it's only minutes from now - please, Father, I ask that You would bring Your magnificence into view in ways that will surprise, astound and humble me. For You are the Lord of ALL, and Your power is brought to fullness in the cracks within my armor. Thank You, Lord, for taking care of me. In the name of Jesus Christ, I speak death to the lies of the enemy. By the authority of Jesus the Messiah, I speak death to the spirits of fear and doubt. Lord, You are Power itself. May the metaphoric rocks and stones of my day cry out in recognition of Your amazing glory!

He Hears & He Listens

It is easy for me to fall prey to several of Satan's lies that can consistently work together to attack my faith and well-being. First, I can believe his lie that I am on my own. This puts me into a state of mind (often so quickly and so quietly that I don't even realize I'm there!) that prompts me to try to figure things out on my own. I spring immediately into action-mode, and in that mode, I am essentially relying upon not only my own strength, but also my own wisdom. Trust me when I tell you that it is not a place in which my best interests are served.

A second lie that the enemy often whispers to me is that my prayers are little more than wispy ramblings that float up to a God who sits far from me and then pass on into nothingness. According to the Word, this is far from the truth.

The Bible tells us that "the prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective" James 5:16b (NIV). It also tells us again and again that God hears us, and that we are remembered by Him because of our prayers. When we call out to Him, He hears us. What is more awesome is that not only does He hear us as I might hear a passing train, but He also listens. He is present and engaged in our prayers. Isaiah 65:24 tells us that before we call, He will answer, and that while we are still speaking, He will hear us! Hallelujah! The words that are translated here into His answering and His hearing combine to imply careful attentiveness.

The Lord is not some far off entity passively hearing our rumbling prayer in the distance. No, He is a best friend, leaning in close to us as we speak, drinking in our words and opening His heart to what we share.

The primary verse for me this morning was 1 Peter 5:7: "Cast all your care upon Him; for He careth for you" (KJV). The language choices here are wonderful. Casting our cares upon Him literally implies a very active hurling of our cares. This speaks to me and tells me that not only can I share my burdens with the Lord, but I can remove them from my own shoulders and throw them - with all the force they may inspire - upon Him. He can carry the load, and He will.

As the second part of the verse tells us, He cares for us. And this word doesn't imply really a simple passive interest, as it may in English. Instead, it implies that I am something under His care. I am a thing of the Lord's for which He has taken responsibility; I am within His care. Like a sick invalid or a small child, He is the One who is my Caretaker. Praise You, Lord. I know I need it! I need You, Lord. Care for me!

As I wake this morning, there are rumbling fears and anxieties waiting in the wings. The stronger my faith grows, the more energy the evil one puts into standing in my way. The lies get more and more fervent, and the attacks become more and more frequent. However, I am letting the Word abide in me richly, and I know I have nothing to fear. For HE is caring for me. As I turn to Him in prayer, He hears me and He takes into His concern my concerns. As the Bible and my own experiences have shown me again and again, when He cares, He also acts.

Lord, help me to cast my cares upon You today. Help me to fling them completely from my own worrying grasp, and to turn to You, resting in the knowledge that YOU are involved and at work. Thank You, Lord, for listening to me! And I thank You, truly, for the authority You've given us in prayer. As I pray against the lies of the enemy today, and pray in the power and authority of Your name, help my heart to know beyond all doubts that my prayers are a weapon of death to the lies of the evil one, for You and Your Spirit are at work in them! I praise Your Lord for Your loving attentiveness to me! Thank You for always loving me and bestowing on me more blessing than I could ever deserve! I love You!!!

Psalm 23

Psalm 23 is a familiar one to many of us... I know that long before I really started my journey in the Word, I knew some of its culturally familiar phrases. This morning, however, I've read it again and it has struck me anew. He has struck me anew. Rather than my usual format, I'm going to simply paste the Psalm here. I encourage you to read it aloud, perhaps several times, as I will this morning. Let it minister to your heart. There is a word here for you today; I feel sure of it.

This world we live in is the valley of the shadow of death... He is beside us, and leading us and restoring us both.

The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.
He makes me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside quiet waters.
He restores my soul; He guides me in the paths of righteousness For His name's sake.
Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil , for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.
You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You have anointed my head with oil; My cup overflows.
Surely goodness and lovingkindness will follow me all the days of my life, And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. Psalm 23 (NASB)

He is my comforter. He is THE Comforter. We are anointed by His oil. Friends, truly, our cups overflow. Goodness and lovingkindness do follow us - each and every day. We dwell in His house; we dwell in Him. Forever. Lord, I praise Your holy name. Thank You. Thank You!

When I am Overwhelmed...

All of Psalm 61 spoke to me this morning, and I encourage all to read (and re-read!) this short Psalm today. As many of us head back into a busy work week after a longer holiday weekend, it brings a refreshing reminder that is doubly relevant as we head into the full-swing of the Christmas season.

Psalm 61:2 reads, "From the end of the earth I will cry to You, When my heart is overwhelmed; Lead me to the rock that is higher than I" (NKJV).

There are so many thoughts that come to me simultaneously about this verse - all of which make me love it! First, it's a plea. When my heart is overwhelmed, I often can forget to seek the Lord immediately. It's so easy for me to just get into "go mode" and my human tendencies can take over, attempting to run roughshod over life. It's seldom very effective. This verse is a prayer that asks, "Hey, when I get to that place of being maxed out, please help take me back to You." I don't know about you, but I can certainly use that help!

Secondly, this verse reminds me that I can cry out to Him in anything. The Psalmist's use of "from the end of the earth" reminds me that no matter where I am in my heart, in my day or in my physical being, I can always cry out to the Lord. And I praise God that He always hears me! What a gift to have a loving Father who is never out of reach.

Thirdly, this verse reminds me that I will become overwhelmed. Even the Psalmist was overwhelmed sometimes it seems! Phew! I'm human... just like the rest of us. :) Seriously, though, I do have a remarkable ability to forget just that at times. I will become overwhelmed. I will become tired and worn out. There are days when I will feel like I am at the ends of the earth. It's okay. And, thankfully, no matter what may come my way, I am not alone, and I can live in the shadow of the wing of the God who created the heavens and the earth. I am never out of His reach, and He can simply imagine a whole new existence into being if it should ever come to that!

Lastly, this verse affirms that the Lord is a rock, and that He is higher than I. Yahweh Tsuri is a name used for God in the Old Testament. It means "the Lord is my Rock." The same root word is used here for rock, and conjures with it the sense of a mountain. God is BIG. Bigger than me (thankfully!) and waaaay bigger even than any problem, feeling or fear I could ever have. And He is higher than I. When I come to the end of me (which I pray comes more and more easily, Lord!), He is there, and He extends far beyond my tiny limitations.

Thank You, Lord, for being You. You are God the Rock, You are Higher than I. You are safety in the storm, shelter in the blowing winds of life. Thank You for being my only place of true refuge. Lord, when the swirl of life overwhelms me and threatens the peace that Your Son brings, please call my heart to You. Compel me to take a breath and to shelter in You, Lord. Remind my stubborn heart to call out to You, and to seek Your refuge and peace. Lead me to You, Lord, the Rock. And thank You, thank You, thank You for being that unchanging place of perfection in the storm. You are holy, Lord! I praise Your wonderful name!