“God, who knows the heart, showed that he accepted them by giving the Holy Spirit to them, just as he did to us. He made no distinction between us and them, for he purified their hearts by faith. Now then, why do you try to test God by putting on the necks of the disciples a yoke that neither we nor our fathers have been able to bear? … We have heard that some went out from us without our authorization and disturbed you, troubling your minds by what they said. Therefore we are sending…to confirm by word of mouth what we are writing…” Acts 15:8-10; Acts 15:24
The Book of Acts is one of those books in the Bible that I have scanned through with minimal concentration…until now. I have always perceived this book as a book of politics within the church. God led me to the Bible Study of James, the brother of Christ, who was a leader in the church. What I am finding in Acts is a parallel to what I see occurring in 2011…Christians drawing lines in the spiritual sand in attempts to define who is chosen by God. These invisible lines are man-made and not God-drawn.
It is the work of the enemy to set up man-made divisions within the children of God. We view others who may not go to church as less than ourselves ‘in the name of God.’ We criticize people who contradict our view of a perfect Christian ‘in the name of God.’ We proclaim our belief that it is by faith we are saved and not by works, all the while judging what he or she is not doing. We assign faith to those who look like our design of a Christian and discredit those who do not.
God did not sacrifice His only Son to cover some people. His Son hung on the cross lifeless for that man who doesn’t go to church but believes in God. He took on the sins of the addict, the prostitute and the sexually immoral. God is God for all once a child is brought into the family through the acceptance of Christ Jesus.
We must realize that putting other Christians to the test is the same as putting God to the test as in the early church. Just as in the early church, we as Christians must stand up and right the wrongs of the stinging judgment of others. We must encourage those who are new to the faith by reminding them of the truth. When our actions as Christians discourage, cast judgment upon or tear down the attempts of others trying to build their faith we become stumbling blocks for them. 'We put no stumbling block in anyone's path, so that our ministry will not be discredited.' 2 Co. 6:3.
The only spiritual lines drawn by God are the intersecting lines of the cross – those whom accept salvation through Christ Jesus and those who reject the cross.
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
Monday, November 28, 2011
Our Spiritual Scales
“But you his son…have not humbled yourself, though you knew all this. Instead, you have set yourself up against the Lord of Heaven…you did not honor God who holds in his hand your life and all your ways…Therefore he sent the hand that wrote the inscription…Mene: God has numbered the days of your reign and brought it to an end. Tekel: You have been weighed on the scales and found wanting. Peres: Your kingdom is divided and given…” Daniel 5:22, 23, 26-28.
This king was the son of King Nebuchadnezzar who undoubtedly knew the history of the seven year temporary insanity that God brought to his dad. His father had made a very public proclamation regarding the way God humbled him. Anything that occurs in our family history that brings on despair and devastation is generally communicated to the following generation. In this case, the next generation heaped more on the family scales instead of using them to balance his life.
We have the opportunity to witness to others in an effort to encourage them to avoid our spiritual pitfalls. We can communicate how God has moved in our lives to transform a heart of ‘anything goes’ to a heart of ‘He reigns.’ God will look at each of our hearts in an effort to weigh its motives. ‘All a man’s ways seem right to him, but the LORD weighs the heart.’ Prov. 21:2.
We cannot load up our scales with the things of this world which will never honor God. Our lives represent a set of scales which God will keep in balance. If one side gets too heavy God will determine that it is time for a new season to be ushered in – a season to regain balance. These seasons seldom bring comfort and peace but rather a realignment of His ways. Any area of our life that God determines we are spiritually off balance will be reworked, reshaped and molded into a more balanced life in Him.
We must be so aligned with God and His ways that our spiritual scales only move when He moves.
This king was the son of King Nebuchadnezzar who undoubtedly knew the history of the seven year temporary insanity that God brought to his dad. His father had made a very public proclamation regarding the way God humbled him. Anything that occurs in our family history that brings on despair and devastation is generally communicated to the following generation. In this case, the next generation heaped more on the family scales instead of using them to balance his life.
We have the opportunity to witness to others in an effort to encourage them to avoid our spiritual pitfalls. We can communicate how God has moved in our lives to transform a heart of ‘anything goes’ to a heart of ‘He reigns.’ God will look at each of our hearts in an effort to weigh its motives. ‘All a man’s ways seem right to him, but the LORD weighs the heart.’ Prov. 21:2.
We cannot load up our scales with the things of this world which will never honor God. Our lives represent a set of scales which God will keep in balance. If one side gets too heavy God will determine that it is time for a new season to be ushered in – a season to regain balance. These seasons seldom bring comfort and peace but rather a realignment of His ways. Any area of our life that God determines we are spiritually off balance will be reworked, reshaped and molded into a more balanced life in Him.
We must be so aligned with God and His ways that our spiritual scales only move when He moves.
Friday, November 25, 2011
Shadow Puppets
“Don’t be deceived…Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.” James 1:16-17.
When I was a little girl there was a french door off of my bedroom leading onto a balcony. We lived in the middle of five acres with many large trees around the house. There were nights when I would fall asleep to shadows on my wall that had been cast through the trees and glass panes. Through the night I would awaken only to find the benign shadows on the wall had shifted and plastered scary and disturbing images. I can remember the paralyzing fear as I tried to determine if the subject of the shadow was real or just that…a distortion. The more intensely I would focus on the image the more my mind would determine it was real.
When going through the eight years of my daughter’s drug use I lived in the constant shadows of paralyzing fear. What God had promised in the light of day was not what my faith reflected in the darkness. The shadows would shift from hope to despair and the distortion in my mind made it crippling. My focus was on the scary shadows of what may be than the promises from God of what was! In addition to my own fear was the vulnerability that gave the enemy a stronghold. He took pleasure in making shadow puppets with my circumstances. Focusing on fear over faith took him on a thrilling ride that he wanted to keep on enjoying.
Praise be to the heavenly Light who made the ride stop and threw him out of the park. I was deceived by my circumstances and allowed the enemy to shift the truth of who God was to how He was absent. The shadows were tall and ominous but the daylight returned and the truth was revealed once again…hope, promise, a miracle and restoration.
While our circumstances may change, our God will never shift. He is the same God in the daylight as He is in the darkness, despite the shifting images of our situation.
Don’t be deceived!
When I was a little girl there was a french door off of my bedroom leading onto a balcony. We lived in the middle of five acres with many large trees around the house. There were nights when I would fall asleep to shadows on my wall that had been cast through the trees and glass panes. Through the night I would awaken only to find the benign shadows on the wall had shifted and plastered scary and disturbing images. I can remember the paralyzing fear as I tried to determine if the subject of the shadow was real or just that…a distortion. The more intensely I would focus on the image the more my mind would determine it was real.
When going through the eight years of my daughter’s drug use I lived in the constant shadows of paralyzing fear. What God had promised in the light of day was not what my faith reflected in the darkness. The shadows would shift from hope to despair and the distortion in my mind made it crippling. My focus was on the scary shadows of what may be than the promises from God of what was! In addition to my own fear was the vulnerability that gave the enemy a stronghold. He took pleasure in making shadow puppets with my circumstances. Focusing on fear over faith took him on a thrilling ride that he wanted to keep on enjoying.
Praise be to the heavenly Light who made the ride stop and threw him out of the park. I was deceived by my circumstances and allowed the enemy to shift the truth of who God was to how He was absent. The shadows were tall and ominous but the daylight returned and the truth was revealed once again…hope, promise, a miracle and restoration.
While our circumstances may change, our God will never shift. He is the same God in the daylight as He is in the darkness, despite the shifting images of our situation.
Don’t be deceived!
Wednesday, November 23, 2011
Our Spiritual Storehouses
“While Belshazzar was drinking his wine, he gave orders to bring in the gold and silver goblets that Nebuchadnezzar his father had taken from the temple in Jerusalem, so that the king and his nobles, his wives and concubines might drink from them.” Daniel 5:2.
Imagine the scene. Many years after King Nebuchadnezzar left the throne, his son is ruling in his place. He is throwing a huge party and the wine is flowing. He invites the women which is extremely uncustomary and remembers that his dad plundered the temple of God many years before. He considered how in his father’s storehouse of treasures there were many expensive things. He summoned his officials to get a few of the things dedicated to the God of the Israelites from his dad’s possessions. I am sure he thought that it was a good thing his father left them lying around.
What is it that we possess as parents which we have stored up for our children to borrow…prejudice, pride, emotional abuse, anger? The list goes on and on. They have grown up knowing it is there even if we are not around. Belshazzar could have stopped the legacy, the legacy that served himself over God. Instead, he continued the cycle of self first, all else second. Not only did he borrow his dad's sin but built on the sin that already existed.
I was so blessed to have a storehouse of spiritual treasures for which I surrounded myself thanks to my grandparents and parents. These treasures glistened so beautifully and were used to glorify God. They were not closed up in some closet but rather displayed for the beauty for which they possessed. These treasures of God were always used to exalt God and to encourage others to build a storehouse of their own with God at the center.
It doesn’t matter what spiritual legacy from which we come, the treasures of God are for all. As I have heard my mother say, God doesn’t have grandchildren. Every child is a direct son or daughter of God and has access to the amazing treasures of our Father. Let us all examine our storehouses and get rid of the things that lead to sin before our children decide to borrow them.
Imagine the scene. Many years after King Nebuchadnezzar left the throne, his son is ruling in his place. He is throwing a huge party and the wine is flowing. He invites the women which is extremely uncustomary and remembers that his dad plundered the temple of God many years before. He considered how in his father’s storehouse of treasures there were many expensive things. He summoned his officials to get a few of the things dedicated to the God of the Israelites from his dad’s possessions. I am sure he thought that it was a good thing his father left them lying around.
What is it that we possess as parents which we have stored up for our children to borrow…prejudice, pride, emotional abuse, anger? The list goes on and on. They have grown up knowing it is there even if we are not around. Belshazzar could have stopped the legacy, the legacy that served himself over God. Instead, he continued the cycle of self first, all else second. Not only did he borrow his dad's sin but built on the sin that already existed.
I was so blessed to have a storehouse of spiritual treasures for which I surrounded myself thanks to my grandparents and parents. These treasures glistened so beautifully and were used to glorify God. They were not closed up in some closet but rather displayed for the beauty for which they possessed. These treasures of God were always used to exalt God and to encourage others to build a storehouse of their own with God at the center.
It doesn’t matter what spiritual legacy from which we come, the treasures of God are for all. As I have heard my mother say, God doesn’t have grandchildren. Every child is a direct son or daughter of God and has access to the amazing treasures of our Father. Let us all examine our storehouses and get rid of the things that lead to sin before our children decide to borrow them.
Tuesday, November 22, 2011
Choking on Smoke
“…let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.” Hebrews 12:1-3
Ask any firefighter and you will be told that when entering a burning building many times the greater hindrance is the smoke. The smoke chokes, blinds and disorients preventing them from the immediate fire. They must work through the smoke to tackle the fire. The same is with our spiritual life as we battle our own burning buildings. We cannot see God’s fire for all of the smoke for which we have created between us and His will. Our bitterness, resentment and self-will dizzies and disorients causing a barrier between our agenda and the will of God. We become entangled with our own sin of self, depleting our energy and losing sight of our faith. We claim that we believe that God is in control but we choke on our own smoke.
Whether our entanglement with sin is our own doing or the doing of another we are affected by its circumstances. Every one of us approaches our trials with our own agenda, past experiences and preconceived ideas for how we should respond. We build in our minds and hearts what should happen, what had better happen and how we will respond. We will face a crisis of belief when we stand at the crossroads of surrendering ‘what I think’ and picking up ‘what I believe God says.’ Our hearts must be open to all possibilities when approaching God instead of the resolution that we feel we must have. We must pray for God to reveal any stubbornness or tightly fisted power we are holding onto. We must be willing to hear and obey his decision even if it goes against everything we believe should happen. We must recite what we really believe about God.
‘A crisis of belief is not a calamity in your life but a turning point where you must make a decision. You must decide what you truly believe about God. The way you respond at this turning point will determine whether you become involved with God in something God-sized that only He can do or whether you will continue to go your own way and miss what He has purposed in your life…The way you live your life is a testimony of what you believe about God.’ Experiencing God, p. 134.
In the words of my grandmother, God is LORD of everything or LORD of nothing!
Ask any firefighter and you will be told that when entering a burning building many times the greater hindrance is the smoke. The smoke chokes, blinds and disorients preventing them from the immediate fire. They must work through the smoke to tackle the fire. The same is with our spiritual life as we battle our own burning buildings. We cannot see God’s fire for all of the smoke for which we have created between us and His will. Our bitterness, resentment and self-will dizzies and disorients causing a barrier between our agenda and the will of God. We become entangled with our own sin of self, depleting our energy and losing sight of our faith. We claim that we believe that God is in control but we choke on our own smoke.
Whether our entanglement with sin is our own doing or the doing of another we are affected by its circumstances. Every one of us approaches our trials with our own agenda, past experiences and preconceived ideas for how we should respond. We build in our minds and hearts what should happen, what had better happen and how we will respond. We will face a crisis of belief when we stand at the crossroads of surrendering ‘what I think’ and picking up ‘what I believe God says.’ Our hearts must be open to all possibilities when approaching God instead of the resolution that we feel we must have. We must pray for God to reveal any stubbornness or tightly fisted power we are holding onto. We must be willing to hear and obey his decision even if it goes against everything we believe should happen. We must recite what we really believe about God.
‘A crisis of belief is not a calamity in your life but a turning point where you must make a decision. You must decide what you truly believe about God. The way you respond at this turning point will determine whether you become involved with God in something God-sized that only He can do or whether you will continue to go your own way and miss what He has purposed in your life…The way you live your life is a testimony of what you believe about God.’ Experiencing God, p. 134.
In the words of my grandmother, God is LORD of everything or LORD of nothing!
Monday, November 21, 2011
Losing Our Mind
“For even his own brothers did not believe in him.” John 7:5; “When his family heard about this, they went to take charge of him, for they said, ‘He is out of his mind.’” Mark 3:21; “Your mother and brothers are outside looking for you.” Mark 3:32; “Whoever does God’s will is my brother and sister and mother.” Mark 3:35.
OUCH! If any of my children were to say this regarding our family my earthly feelings would be hurt. But, at a very tender age of 12, Jesus determined His family to be those who were vertical to God. ‘Didn’t you know I had to be in my Father’s house?’ Luke 2:49.
We are told that Jesus experienced everything on earth that we experience so He can relate to our suffering. Introduced in our passage is sibling rivalry in its purest form. The brothers of Jesus did not buy what their oldest brother was selling. To them, He was most likely a renegade…a loose canon. So they ran to their mother and convinced her that her eldest and supernatural blessing from God has lost His mind! Being a mom, she rushes to His side in an effort to save Him. The teachers of the law communicated to the family of Jesus that Satan himself has entered Jesus, giving Satan credit for driving out the demons in the miracles of Jesus.
Jesus immediately drew a line in the sand concerning His true family. Oh, His biological family was accurate in determining He had lost His mind. For the mind He found was the mind of God. Every thought, every action and every word came from our Father in Heaven. Jesus lived the perfect life of a Son aligned with God as His Father and determined His mother, brother and sisters are those who pursued this same family.
If we are to pattern our lives after Jesus, let us lose our mind to God.
OUCH! If any of my children were to say this regarding our family my earthly feelings would be hurt. But, at a very tender age of 12, Jesus determined His family to be those who were vertical to God. ‘Didn’t you know I had to be in my Father’s house?’ Luke 2:49.
We are told that Jesus experienced everything on earth that we experience so He can relate to our suffering. Introduced in our passage is sibling rivalry in its purest form. The brothers of Jesus did not buy what their oldest brother was selling. To them, He was most likely a renegade…a loose canon. So they ran to their mother and convinced her that her eldest and supernatural blessing from God has lost His mind! Being a mom, she rushes to His side in an effort to save Him. The teachers of the law communicated to the family of Jesus that Satan himself has entered Jesus, giving Satan credit for driving out the demons in the miracles of Jesus.
Jesus immediately drew a line in the sand concerning His true family. Oh, His biological family was accurate in determining He had lost His mind. For the mind He found was the mind of God. Every thought, every action and every word came from our Father in Heaven. Jesus lived the perfect life of a Son aligned with God as His Father and determined His mother, brother and sisters are those who pursued this same family.
If we are to pattern our lives after Jesus, let us lose our mind to God.
Monday, November 14, 2011
You Are The Man!
“You, O king, are that tree...Renounce your sins by doing what is right…It may be that then your prosperity will continue.” Daniel 4:22, 27. “Than Nathan said to David, ‘You are the man!’ 2 Samuel 12:7.
Have you ever noticed how easy it is to see the sins of others but are blind to our own sins? This was the case with King Nebuchadnezzar and King David but the responses were miles apart. Daniel pled with the king of Babylon to repent of his sins and care for the poor and oppressed in an effort to show God the remorse for his pride and compassion for others. Daniel knew that more was required than simply lip service…it was time for action if God was going to change His mind. King David, however, immediately repented before the Lord with a broken heart. His pride was dismantled by the heart breaking experience of losing his child to death.
God will not allow His children to sit in pride. If we have wrapped ourselves in this garment of self-focus and status seeking, we will be stripped and re-clothed in humility. I know this story too well...I waited too long. I do not wish this season on anyone for the humility will always lie in the areas for which we have doted on the most, those areas in which we feel most entitled. God will determine the avenue of this dismantling after a season of warning. God never cuts us back without giving us ample time to cut ourselves back. He knows the condition of our hearts and determines if we are going to be unwilling to surrender ourselves. At that point, He will arise from the throne and with loving but firm discipline set up the circumstances for our dissent down.
We must examine our lives and our priorities and measure them against the walk of Jesus when He was on earth. Our lives either reflect the comparison to Jesus or the contrast. This is how we know if we are living a life of pride or a life of humility. So in the spirit of Daniel we should all identify the areas where we are that tree and flee from pride.
…and it may be that then….
Have you ever noticed how easy it is to see the sins of others but are blind to our own sins? This was the case with King Nebuchadnezzar and King David but the responses were miles apart. Daniel pled with the king of Babylon to repent of his sins and care for the poor and oppressed in an effort to show God the remorse for his pride and compassion for others. Daniel knew that more was required than simply lip service…it was time for action if God was going to change His mind. King David, however, immediately repented before the Lord with a broken heart. His pride was dismantled by the heart breaking experience of losing his child to death.
God will not allow His children to sit in pride. If we have wrapped ourselves in this garment of self-focus and status seeking, we will be stripped and re-clothed in humility. I know this story too well...I waited too long. I do not wish this season on anyone for the humility will always lie in the areas for which we have doted on the most, those areas in which we feel most entitled. God will determine the avenue of this dismantling after a season of warning. God never cuts us back without giving us ample time to cut ourselves back. He knows the condition of our hearts and determines if we are going to be unwilling to surrender ourselves. At that point, He will arise from the throne and with loving but firm discipline set up the circumstances for our dissent down.
We must examine our lives and our priorities and measure them against the walk of Jesus when He was on earth. Our lives either reflect the comparison to Jesus or the contrast. This is how we know if we are living a life of pride or a life of humility. So in the spirit of Daniel we should all identify the areas where we are that tree and flee from pride.
…and it may be that then….
Thursday, November 10, 2011
Rocky Paths
“The king said to Daniel, ‘Surely your God is the God of gods and the Lord of kings…’” Daniel 2:47; “King Nebuchadnezzar made an image of gold…whoever does not fall and worship will immediately be thrown into a blazing furnace.” Daniel 3:1,6; “Then Nebuchadnezzar said, ‘Praise be to the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego…’ Daniel 3:28; “(He is called Belteshazzar, after the name of my god, and the spirit of the holy gods is in him.)” Daniel 4:8.
What in the world is wrong with King Nebuchadnezzar? One chapter he is praising God with the passion and zeal of a man who has experienced a life-altering event only to grow cold the next chapter. Time goes by and he experiences another life-altering event with the same God of the universe. Chapters in the Book of Daniel separate the chapters of the king’s life. He praises, he receives and once again he forgets as he travels through his life. Now let’s not judge ol’ King Neb too harshly for we may be no better. His spiritual condition is what is described in Mark as Jesus beautifully described in a parable.
‘Others, like seed sown on rocky places, hear the word, and at once receive it with joy. But since they have no root, they last only a short time.’ Mark 4:16-17. How many times in our own lives has an urgent need been offered in prayer to God and lovingly met by God? For a while, we are praising His name to all and sharing our testimonies, but then like our king our stories become cold. We return to our self-focused lives and praise to our God ‘only lasts a short time’ until the next urgent need arises.
When we experience God in any situation, that revelation will live fresh in our hearts only if we have allowed God access to grow deep roots. We must spend time in His word, prayer and meditation if we are to build fertile soil upon His truths. Let us not live on spiritual trampolines bouncing around emotionally not anchored in anything, responding to Him only in times of rocky moments.
As we travel chapter to chapter in our lives, let us praise God with more consistency and continuity than that of our wayward king.
What in the world is wrong with King Nebuchadnezzar? One chapter he is praising God with the passion and zeal of a man who has experienced a life-altering event only to grow cold the next chapter. Time goes by and he experiences another life-altering event with the same God of the universe. Chapters in the Book of Daniel separate the chapters of the king’s life. He praises, he receives and once again he forgets as he travels through his life. Now let’s not judge ol’ King Neb too harshly for we may be no better. His spiritual condition is what is described in Mark as Jesus beautifully described in a parable.
‘Others, like seed sown on rocky places, hear the word, and at once receive it with joy. But since they have no root, they last only a short time.’ Mark 4:16-17. How many times in our own lives has an urgent need been offered in prayer to God and lovingly met by God? For a while, we are praising His name to all and sharing our testimonies, but then like our king our stories become cold. We return to our self-focused lives and praise to our God ‘only lasts a short time’ until the next urgent need arises.
When we experience God in any situation, that revelation will live fresh in our hearts only if we have allowed God access to grow deep roots. We must spend time in His word, prayer and meditation if we are to build fertile soil upon His truths. Let us not live on spiritual trampolines bouncing around emotionally not anchored in anything, responding to Him only in times of rocky moments.
As we travel chapter to chapter in our lives, let us praise God with more consistency and continuity than that of our wayward king.
Wednesday, November 9, 2011
A Collision with Insecurity
“I, Nebuchadnezzar, was at home in my palace, contented and prosperous.” Daniel 4:4
‘Contented and prosperous’…two pursuits that seem to elude us as we chase them through life. Capturing these ghosts is as hard as identifying what makes up these words. The bottom line of this pursuit is our belief that they will bring us security.
In our lives, we all build palaces surrounding those beliefs of what it is that will secure our happiness. We build things and relationships around those who feed our insecurities giving us doses of our prescribed fixes. For me, my insecurity has always dealt with attainment of the approval and love of others. Very early in life, I decided that the more I did for people the better the chance they would approve of me. The problem came when I entered a season where my insecurity had a head-on collision with another person’s insecurity.
The more I served in that season in attempts to get my insecurity fix the more it triggered her life-long insecurity. I was consistently attacked verbally and emotionally and had never worked so hard serving in my entire life. This cycle continued for almost a year…nobody was receiving their dose of medicine.
It wasn’t until I surrendered my emotional condition to God that He was able to prescribe the perfect medicine…His love and approval no matter what. I gave myself permission to accept the fact that not everyone is going to love me or even like me. God showed me in that season that my service should be measured against the approval of God, not man. He freed me up from an emotional condition that I had nursed my entire life. ‘Am I now trying to win the approval of men, or of God? Or am I trying to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a servant of Christ.’ Gal. 1:10.
Seeking the approval of others over the approval of God will no longer reside in my palace. My content and security will be in the Lord alone. ‘My soul finds rest in God alone…He alone is my rock…he is my fortress.’ Psalm 62:1-2
I, Brenda, am at home in my palace in Him, contented and prosperous!
‘Contented and prosperous’…two pursuits that seem to elude us as we chase them through life. Capturing these ghosts is as hard as identifying what makes up these words. The bottom line of this pursuit is our belief that they will bring us security.
In our lives, we all build palaces surrounding those beliefs of what it is that will secure our happiness. We build things and relationships around those who feed our insecurities giving us doses of our prescribed fixes. For me, my insecurity has always dealt with attainment of the approval and love of others. Very early in life, I decided that the more I did for people the better the chance they would approve of me. The problem came when I entered a season where my insecurity had a head-on collision with another person’s insecurity.
The more I served in that season in attempts to get my insecurity fix the more it triggered her life-long insecurity. I was consistently attacked verbally and emotionally and had never worked so hard serving in my entire life. This cycle continued for almost a year…nobody was receiving their dose of medicine.
It wasn’t until I surrendered my emotional condition to God that He was able to prescribe the perfect medicine…His love and approval no matter what. I gave myself permission to accept the fact that not everyone is going to love me or even like me. God showed me in that season that my service should be measured against the approval of God, not man. He freed me up from an emotional condition that I had nursed my entire life. ‘Am I now trying to win the approval of men, or of God? Or am I trying to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a servant of Christ.’ Gal. 1:10.
Seeking the approval of others over the approval of God will no longer reside in my palace. My content and security will be in the Lord alone. ‘My soul finds rest in God alone…He alone is my rock…he is my fortress.’ Psalm 62:1-2
I, Brenda, am at home in my palace in Him, contented and prosperous!
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
It Is My Pleasure...
“It is my pleasure to tell you about the miraculous signs and wonders that the Most High God has performed for me.” Daniel 4:2
There is nothing more powerful than the testimony of a child of God whom has been brought through the fire by the hand of God’s power. King Nebuchadnezzar spoke these words at the end of a seven year season of insanity due to his pride. God restored what was temporarily removed from his rule at the point when the king acknowledged the sovereignty and exaltation of the one true God in heaven. He went from glorifying himself to glorifying God. God will never share His glory with anyone else.
I traveled through a season that seemed like insanity in my own personal life. It was a time when I believe God allowed Satan to sift me and strip me from everything I believed about myself. Leading up to that horrible season if my words were to be written my verse would have said, ‘It is my pleasure to tell you about the wonders that I have done for …….’ The way I rolled out the tongue like a red carpet for myself sickens me. I praise God for that season of sifting and never want to be that person of pride again.
Pride is one of the hardest conditions of the heart to break. The flesh encourages us to compare, size up and predetermine others. Pride convinces us of our entitlement based on our own accomplishments and achievements. Pride puffs up while humility kneels. And as if this were not enough, the puppeteer of pride is satan. He pulls the strings of our minds and we move to his urgings of prioritizing our hearts to the ‘me first and everyone else second’ mentality. Pride yells "Look at me!" while humility kneels and points to Him.
The essence of giving glory is drawing attention so who do you give glory to?
There is nothing more powerful than the testimony of a child of God whom has been brought through the fire by the hand of God’s power. King Nebuchadnezzar spoke these words at the end of a seven year season of insanity due to his pride. God restored what was temporarily removed from his rule at the point when the king acknowledged the sovereignty and exaltation of the one true God in heaven. He went from glorifying himself to glorifying God. God will never share His glory with anyone else.
I traveled through a season that seemed like insanity in my own personal life. It was a time when I believe God allowed Satan to sift me and strip me from everything I believed about myself. Leading up to that horrible season if my words were to be written my verse would have said, ‘It is my pleasure to tell you about the wonders that I have done for …….’ The way I rolled out the tongue like a red carpet for myself sickens me. I praise God for that season of sifting and never want to be that person of pride again.
Pride is one of the hardest conditions of the heart to break. The flesh encourages us to compare, size up and predetermine others. Pride convinces us of our entitlement based on our own accomplishments and achievements. Pride puffs up while humility kneels. And as if this were not enough, the puppeteer of pride is satan. He pulls the strings of our minds and we move to his urgings of prioritizing our hearts to the ‘me first and everyone else second’ mentality. Pride yells "Look at me!" while humility kneels and points to Him.
The essence of giving glory is drawing attention so who do you give glory to?
Friday, November 4, 2011
Never Shaken...
“When I felt secure, I said, ‘I will never be shaken.’ O LORD, when you favored me, you made my mountain stand firm; but when you hid your face, I was dismayed.” Psalm 30: 6-7
One of the most convincing lies from Satan is the manipulation of our minds that we can do all things in our strength, power and wisdom. He sends idea upon idea luring us into calculating without God and running things around in our mind for which we chew on, digest and feed upon. David knew about this when he stated these words. Notice that he assigned his condition of confidence as being a feeling…not a fact.
We can easily be hypnotized by our own feelings assigning ourselves the job of resolving problems so much larger than our abilities. It is only when we assign our mountain to our God that we can assess the steadfast footing of which David speaks. When we determine our own fixes outside of the strength of God we will be despaired at the lack of results. But when we turn our face to the mountain of God we worship Him alone instead of the altars that we set up.
‘My soul finds rest in God alone…He alone is my rock…he is my fortress. I will never be shaken.’ Psalm 62:1-2. ‘…but now he has promised, “Once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens. The words ‘once more’ indicate the removing of what can be shaken – that is, created things – so that what cannot be shaken may remain. Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our “God is a consuming fire.”’ Hebrews 12:26-29.
If anything is to be shaken, let it be the actual mountain instead of our faith in the mountain Mover!
One of the most convincing lies from Satan is the manipulation of our minds that we can do all things in our strength, power and wisdom. He sends idea upon idea luring us into calculating without God and running things around in our mind for which we chew on, digest and feed upon. David knew about this when he stated these words. Notice that he assigned his condition of confidence as being a feeling…not a fact.
We can easily be hypnotized by our own feelings assigning ourselves the job of resolving problems so much larger than our abilities. It is only when we assign our mountain to our God that we can assess the steadfast footing of which David speaks. When we determine our own fixes outside of the strength of God we will be despaired at the lack of results. But when we turn our face to the mountain of God we worship Him alone instead of the altars that we set up.
‘My soul finds rest in God alone…He alone is my rock…he is my fortress. I will never be shaken.’ Psalm 62:1-2. ‘…but now he has promised, “Once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens. The words ‘once more’ indicate the removing of what can be shaken – that is, created things – so that what cannot be shaken may remain. Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our “God is a consuming fire.”’ Hebrews 12:26-29.
If anything is to be shaken, let it be the actual mountain instead of our faith in the mountain Mover!
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
Blessed Are We....
“Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly…but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night. He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth its fruit in its season, whose leaf also shall not wither; and whatever he does shall prosper.” Psalm 1:1-3.
Billy Graham correctly observed, ‘Integrity is the glue that holds our way of life together. We must constantly strive to keep our integrity intact. When wealth is lost, nothing is lost; when health is lost, something is lost; when character is lost; all is lost.’ God has called each and every one of us to live a life exemplified through the earthly walk of Jesus.
As Christians we focus on the life of Jesus as being a life of teaching and ministry. It certainly was all of this and more. We rarely focus on His day to day living since we are given snapshots of the life experiences of Christ in the Bible. There are snapshots of miracles, written accounts of seasons in the life of Jesus and testimonies of His suffering at the end. It is easy for us to lose sight of the fact that He walked this earth for 33 years. He was fearful of future events as testified in His relentless prayer life. He was separated from His parents early in life which had to leave him lonely for their presence. His ministry took Him away from the siblings with whom He had grown up. He had to experience such loneliness and fearfulness.
The level of His prayer life was directly related with the level of His challenges as Jesus walked this earth. He chose integrity over worldliness, faith over fear, and His Father’s agenda over His own. Sound familiar?
Jesus Christ had a 33 year season on earth and the fruit He brought forth is everlasting fruit for you and for me. We must walk a life of integrity with a goal of building the character of Christ in our lives producing lasting fruit and faith that will not wither.
Through our faith in God, our character in Christ and the integrity of our actions we will always prosper in whatever He calls us to accomplish.
Blessed are we…
Billy Graham correctly observed, ‘Integrity is the glue that holds our way of life together. We must constantly strive to keep our integrity intact. When wealth is lost, nothing is lost; when health is lost, something is lost; when character is lost; all is lost.’ God has called each and every one of us to live a life exemplified through the earthly walk of Jesus.
As Christians we focus on the life of Jesus as being a life of teaching and ministry. It certainly was all of this and more. We rarely focus on His day to day living since we are given snapshots of the life experiences of Christ in the Bible. There are snapshots of miracles, written accounts of seasons in the life of Jesus and testimonies of His suffering at the end. It is easy for us to lose sight of the fact that He walked this earth for 33 years. He was fearful of future events as testified in His relentless prayer life. He was separated from His parents early in life which had to leave him lonely for their presence. His ministry took Him away from the siblings with whom He had grown up. He had to experience such loneliness and fearfulness.
The level of His prayer life was directly related with the level of His challenges as Jesus walked this earth. He chose integrity over worldliness, faith over fear, and His Father’s agenda over His own. Sound familiar?
Jesus Christ had a 33 year season on earth and the fruit He brought forth is everlasting fruit for you and for me. We must walk a life of integrity with a goal of building the character of Christ in our lives producing lasting fruit and faith that will not wither.
Through our faith in God, our character in Christ and the integrity of our actions we will always prosper in whatever He calls us to accomplish.
Blessed are we…
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
Who Is Equal to Such a Task?
“The king’s command was so urgent and the furnace so hot that the flames of the fire killed the soldiers who took up Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, and these three men, firmly tied, fell into the blazing furnace.” Daniel 3:22.
We can only imagine this scene in our minds as we read the story of these devoted men of God being ushered to what appeared would end in death. They climbed the stairs to the mouth of the furnace bound and fully dressed as they prepared to die for their wholehearted devotion to God. The men who worshipped Nebuchadnezzar led them up the steps with the heat of the furnace intensifying with every step. The soldiers couldn’t even take the heat of the mouth of the furnace, as we are told they were killed. Our amazing men of God however not only survived the heat of the entrance but survived the full fury of the fire without ‘burns or even the smell of smoke.’
Every one of us will peer into the mouth of the furnace and some of us will actually fall directly into the fire. The degree of our burns will be determined by the level of intimacy for which we possess with Christ. We can be destroyed at the beginning of the fire if our faith is flimsy. It is only when we are walking with God in the midst of the fiery furnace that we are able to escape the flames’ lasting effects. We will not be consumed by the heat of the season but will be carried right out of the mouth of our furnaces triumphantly.
Like the soldiers of Nebuchadnezzar, when we worship something other than God it becomes instantly clear when the fire engulfs us that we will be burned. But when we live our lives ‘firmly tied’ and led by the Trinity we will not fear but be delivered from our sentence of death. We will possess the aroma of Christ instead of the smell of smoke from our fires. ‘But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of him. For we are to God the aroma of Christ…To the one we are the smell of death; to the other, the fragrance of life. And who is equal to such a task?'
And who is equal indeed?
We can only imagine this scene in our minds as we read the story of these devoted men of God being ushered to what appeared would end in death. They climbed the stairs to the mouth of the furnace bound and fully dressed as they prepared to die for their wholehearted devotion to God. The men who worshipped Nebuchadnezzar led them up the steps with the heat of the furnace intensifying with every step. The soldiers couldn’t even take the heat of the mouth of the furnace, as we are told they were killed. Our amazing men of God however not only survived the heat of the entrance but survived the full fury of the fire without ‘burns or even the smell of smoke.’
Every one of us will peer into the mouth of the furnace and some of us will actually fall directly into the fire. The degree of our burns will be determined by the level of intimacy for which we possess with Christ. We can be destroyed at the beginning of the fire if our faith is flimsy. It is only when we are walking with God in the midst of the fiery furnace that we are able to escape the flames’ lasting effects. We will not be consumed by the heat of the season but will be carried right out of the mouth of our furnaces triumphantly.
Like the soldiers of Nebuchadnezzar, when we worship something other than God it becomes instantly clear when the fire engulfs us that we will be burned. But when we live our lives ‘firmly tied’ and led by the Trinity we will not fear but be delivered from our sentence of death. We will possess the aroma of Christ instead of the smell of smoke from our fires. ‘But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of him. For we are to God the aroma of Christ…To the one we are the smell of death; to the other, the fragrance of life. And who is equal to such a task?'
And who is equal indeed?
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