Fancy Footwork

“Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path” Psalm 119:105.

I am a huge fan of the music of Michael Jackson although he lived a very controversial life. One of my favorite songs and video that he performed was Billy Jean. The image of him strategically lighting up the squares with the touch of his feet is an image I will always remember. I heard an account the other day regarding the back story of that production. When Michael was recording that dance they had to continuously stop because he would not confine his dancing to the pre-lit squares. Their explanation was that they had gone before him, and pre-lit certain squares. Unless he placed his feet on the preordained squares they would not illuminate. They told him to reign in his fancy footwork, follow the guided lights and walk the path laid out before him.

I cannot think of a better analogy for following the light of God’s word. We all have fancy footwork when navigating through our lives. We impatiently make decisions before lingering on the square and waiting for God to light up the next move. We dance to the left of God’s plan and moonwalk backwards when He has clearly instructed us to avoid a square. We beg...we disobey...we negotiate and debate Him as to which squares will get our attention. We can easily dance ourselves right out of His will. When we mature in our faith we will not only avoid the same dark squares but we will enjoy the freedom of the restricted ones. How much better is the light of His plan than the dark plans of man?

We can do a beautiful dance in the illuminated areas where God has gone before us. Our lives will reflect purpose and our movement will reflect the light of His glory. At the end of our lives our spiritual videos will leave a legacy like none other.

Chiffon Dresses and High Heels

“Stand [firm] therefore, having girded your waist with truth” Ephesians 6:14.

Last year our daughter got married and it was a beautiful day despite my embarrassing mishap. She decided that as her dad walked her down the aisle they would stop at my row and have me join them as they gather down front. Beautiful, meaningful, symbolically powerful, right? Not so much thanks to the dress and heels in which I had dressed myself that day. As I began the walk (short walk thankfully) the high heel of my shoe punctured through the chiffon overlay of my dress and caused me to stumble. As I stood up front it remained bound, so I fumbled with it until it was released. For the rest of the evening I was well aware of the danger and embarrassment that could happen again. So I bound up the front of my dress in my hand as I moved around through the evening. I was reminded of this image today when reading our verse.

In this verse, Paul was referring to the image of a soldier readying himself for battle. Because their armor weighed over 70 pounds it was important to have a substantial belt at the waist to support everything else. In addition to this the belt was a part of the armor in which they would tuck the front of their tunic so they would not stumble as they walked. To gird means to bind...to make fast...to surround, provide and equip. We as people of flesh dress ourselves in all kinds of cumbersome materials...fabrics of emotions...outer garments of entitlement...inner garments of pride. We wear shoes of judgment as we trample over others, and forget the call to care as God instructs in Ephesians 4:29, ‘Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful in building others up according to their needs.’ On Sundays we tuck in our emotions and our desire to live more holy, but do we carry our Sundays into Mondays? Do we allow the same old fabric of sin to hang around our feet, or do we apply the Word of God to our temptations and weaknesses?

God’s word is complete and for every action there is a command. How can we move around in freedom... unbound and unencumbered...if we do not apply His word in every thought, feeling and action? I heard a powerful statement in my Bible Study Video this morning. Feelings don’t have intellect. Let us be smart in the Lord and gird our spiritual core with the truths of His word. We can’t be people who go around tripping over our emotions, feelings and habitual flesh behavior. We must be people who are ready to run into battle against the enemy with nothing to trip us up. We can either wear the cumbersome material of the flesh or the self-disciplined material of the Spirit.

“Keep my decrees...Do not wear clothing woven of two kinds of material” Lev 19:19.

Weavers and Deceivers

“Put on the armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes” Ephesians 6:11.

I have always loved the story of The Emperor's New Clothes. It is a short tale by Hans Christian Andersen about two weavers who promise an Emperor a new suit of clothes that is invisible to those who are unfit for their positions, stupid, or incompetent. When the Emperor parades before his subjects in his new clothes, no one dares to say that he doesn't see any suit of clothes until a child cries out, ‘But he isn't wearing anything at all!’ How could this man of royal position be so duped into believing that his nakedness was covering up anything at all? He dressed himself in pride, believing his own press by the confirmation of the deceivers. Only a small child was uncorrupted by the culture’s lack of courage to call him out on his nudity.

We are also people of royal position in Christ and must be on guard for ‘weavers and deceivers’ who tell us what we want to hear. The enemy uses our society to fill our heads with lies and misappropriations. We fall for it because we have built self-made castles and become lazy in our spiritual growth. We strut around uncovered and vulnerable to the ultimate deceiver who convinces us we are entitled to stroll instead of serve...to walk without spiritual impact instead of running the race for the kingdom. ‘Our enemy celebrates lethargic Christian living. When we’re giving up on relationships, disregarding the purity of our reputations, yielding to our appetites without putting up much resistance, he can basically go unchecked...The call to victorious Christian living is a wake-up call out of laziness, urging you to rise up and take serious action. The strength you need for resisting and standing firm depends on it. Satan and the demons of darkness are hoping you’ll be disengaged and disinterested instead of alert, aware, and active...The armor must be put on now. Daily. Consistently. Faithfully. If we want to see our resolve strengthened and our stance made firm, we need to realize that spiritual warfare doesn’t take a day off’ The Armor of God, p. 26.

Our society is certainly not going to call us out on the truth of how we are living. The reality of our spiritual nakedness will be the small inner voice of the Holy Spirit who yells out, ‘Don’t kid yourself. You aren’t wearing anything at all!’ We must dress ourselves daily with the full wardrobe of God. Just as we wouldn’t leave home with our shoes or pants we cannot forget to put on certain pieces of the armor. When we are lazy we forgot to lace up the readiness our feet are supposed to have. When we give in to the same temptation we left our breastplate of righteousness at home. When we start believing society who contradicts God’s word we realize that we can’t remember where we placed our sword of the Spirit. Every piece of the armor is fully required to have the full protection of God over our lives and the lives of our family.

‘Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm...With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints, and pray...’ Ephesians 6:13-19.

Sitting for Everything...Standing for Nothing

“Stand strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might...so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes...so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground” Eph. 6:10-13.

The word schemes or tactics refers to deceptive strategies...dirty tricks...manipulation...distorted truths. For the majority of Christians we will never engage in what we consider as blatant evil such as murder, violence or stealing. It is easy to take a stand against these obvious and destructive behaviors. The devil knows he has to be much craftier than that when dealing with God’s children. What he wants to do is more subtle that will keep a barrier between child and Father, Kingdom apathy and spiritual impact. His evil ways deal more with indifference in the work of God. He dangles the same old temptation our way that has controlled us for years. His ways are convincing us that we don’t have the resources to help, the time to serve or the ability to make an impact. He discourages us from spending daily time in God’s word lulling us into a false sense of security. We can be good Christians without serving and spending time in the Word, right? Wrong!

Satan knows that he cannot destroy us. It’s too late for that if we are believers thanks to the work Christ accomplished on the cross. ‘The best thing he can do is to make our time on earth futile and unproductive, to suffocate us with temptation and sin, insecurity, fear and discouragement until we are unable to live freely and fully. He can’t unseat us, but he can intimidate and render us ineffective and paralyzed.’ The Armor of God, Priscilla Shirer, p. 20. Why would God caution us in the Bible so many times to stand strong against this force? His warnings are clear that when the day of scheming comes we must be prepared and armed. How can we stand strong when all we do is sit on our own agenda and desires? We must get out of the habit of being spiritually lazy, get out of our comfortable and cozy lives, and be willing to be a little inconvenienced for God. These are the attitudes that help us stand our ground and be strong in the Lord. We are being strong when we are focusing on His work instead of our desires. We are standing firm when we do things for others when we don’t feel like it. We are standing our ground when we leave our cozy homes and engage in the suffering of others. We protect our testimonies when we respond differently to the same old sin that binds us. We have everything we need in Christ to stand against the enemy.

"No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it" 1 Co 10:13.

Drowning Out Voices

“Be strong in the Lord and the strength of His might” Eph. 6:10.

During this season in our lives, Bruce works in Augusta, Georgia and comes home on the weekends. We set him up in a little patio home where he stays during the week. About a month ago when he was home we got a call from our alarm system company informing us that the back door sensor had been compromised. Someone had kicked in the door, robbed him and fled the scene never to be caught. I went down there for the next two weekends to support him and be available during the workdays for the repairs. One morning he told me he didn’t sleep well at all just thinking about the possibility of the criminal returning. He asked me why I wasn’t more fearful and I explained that my confidence apparently lies in him. As long as he was with me I felt protected, secure and confident that I wouldn’t have to fight the robber if he returned. My confidence and strength was not in my own abilities but because I was in relationship with someone who had the abilities.

While we are engaged in a spiritual war we must only engage ourselves as much as God calls us to the battle. Our confidence in this war is not in any one thing we do or any one person on earth. Our confidence must be in the One who goes before us (“The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged” De 31:8.) Our faith has to be grounded in the One who walks behind us guiding us in every step ("Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, This is the way; walk in it" Isaiah 30:21.) The enemy uses the voices of the world to compete for our peace, our security and our confidence. The world promotes selfishness, fear, anxiety and insecurity. It screams we are not protected enough...capable enough...smart enough...rich enough...loved enough.

The only way to quieten the enemy’s voice is to turn up the volume on God’s voice. We must believe Him for what He promises, fellowship with Him to learn His character and pray to Him to determine His plan for the battle. Just like I had confidence and security because of my relationship with Bruce, we have everything we need in every situation through our association with Christ.

But will we believe?

“Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us...” Eph. 3:20

Whack a Mole...Smack a Puppet

“For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places” Ephesians 6:12.

I’ve begun a new Bible Study from Priscilla Shirer and I’m already worn out this morning! The Bible study is The Armor of God and she shares a powerful analogy of an experience she had at a Harvest Festival in her hometown. One of the games at the festival was a table set up with a curtain on top with 6 openings where puppets kept popping up. The object was to take a mallet and pop the puppet back down in the hole. A little 4 year old boy became so frustrated that the puppets kept popping back up he tore the curtain off of the table and revealed the 6 adults controlling them. Exposed were the controllers and depleted was the power of the pop ups.

I can’t tell you how many times I take a swipe at those pop ups...angry at a person who has wounded... anxious about decisions my grown children are making...taking credit for something out of my desire to be visible. Whack a mole...smack a puppet. But we need to be clear about our efforts which is what Paul was saying in Ephesians. He was saying that our war isn’t against our loved one for something they did or did not do, it’s against Satan who manipulates the circumstance. He was saying that we are not to fight sin with sin, hurt with anger, wounds with slander, but our weapons must be more spiritual than earthly. We can whack our circumstances with hurtful words but they are not the root. We can throw money at our loneliness but the issue is much deeper. We can work ourselves into an early grave, but the battle will not be won. We must expose the darkness of the battle waged against us, and live with an awareness that our issue is with the controller, not the pop ups in life. When we live and walk in this awareness we realize things that are important for our success. ‘Satan wants us unstable, our mind and heart in a state of utter peacelessness, riddled with chaos and confusion. He wants our most vital and potent relationships divided with discord and dissention permeating throughout them. He wants you and me to be lulled to spiritual sleep, with apathy and indifference so we are not making a difference in the spiritual realm and experiencing abundant life. People and things are not our problem...spiritual darkness is our problem. We cannot be distracted by the things we can see and feel, because the real issue and fight is against the enemy we cannot see’ The Armor of God video, Priscilla Shirer. Our spiritual minds are huge in this battle and we must be confident in certain truths.

Satan is not God's peer or equal. Only God is omnipresent, omniscient, omnipotent and eternal.

‘Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil’ Ephesians 6:10-11.

Stepping Away

“He has withdrawn from them” Hosea 5:6. “Come, let us return to the LORD. For He has torn us, and He will heal us; He has wounded us, and He will bind up our wounds” Hosea 6:1.

So much can be lost in translation when studying the Word. We are told in Bible studies, church, and by spiritual leaders that God will never leave us and will always be with us. So when I read something that seems to contradict that promise I want to find out the true translation. I trust His word and I am confident in His character so I was blessed to discover what was meant by withdrawal. While God will never leave us, there are seasons when He must withdraw the fullness of His presence. He has the ability to limit the degree of presence we feel in Him. I remember in year 6 of my daughter’s 8 year season of darkness I pulled back from our fellowship. It was a way of giving her over to herself, and removing myself from time with her. She was still 100% my daughter and me withdrawing from her did not affect my love for her. That is my best analogy with God withdrawing from us.

There are seasons in all of our lives when God must get our attention and limit His presence. He will lessen the fellowship we experience with Him in an effort to place an intimate pursuit of Him in our hearts. No one goes looking for anything until they realize they have lost or misplaced it. Many times when God has sent the same message multiple ways the only thing left is His temporary withdrawal. ‘God will pull back and leave us to ourselves. Usually we don’t even notice at first, but when things don’t go our way, we start to notice God has stepped away. Hosea promised Israel that they would experience the emptiness of God’s absence if they didn’t repent and seek Him with their whole hearts.’ Hosea – Unfailing Love Changes Everything, p. 140.

God states in His word that He sends people to warn others and speak on His behalf. I know that He operates the same way in my life today. There have been times when others have told me things that I knew were coming from the Lord. “‘For they have not listened to my words,’ declares the LORD, ‘words that I sent to them again and again by my servants’” Jeremiah 29:19. We were never meant to live life by our own wisdom, but operate out of God’s wisdom. When we are making our own decisions apart from His step by step guidance we run the risk of lessening His presence. It takes great patience and deep spiritual maturity to trust Him, wait upon Him and obey when He says to act.

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declared the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future” Jeremiah 29:11...a beautiful promise from a beautiful God.

On The Auction Block

“The LORD said to me, ‘Go, show your love to your wife again, though she is loved by another and is an adulteress. Love her as the LORD loves...’ So I bought her...” Hosea 3:1-2a.

This is quite a heartbreaking image when we really understand what was happening in this passage. Gomer had prostituted herself to men to the point that she had sold herself into slavery. Someone owned her other than the one who loved her. Hosea had a broken heart and had to deal with everything that came along with it...betrayal...rejection... abandonment. And yet, his first love was God who instructed him to go to the auction block, bid on what used to be his and surrender his hurt and heartbreak. This must have seemed impossible...to lay down his own rights and entitlement, picking up the will of God. How nervous he must have been standing there waiting for them to bring Gomer up on the platform for bidding. Did his heart break a little more when he first saw her and she was covered with shame, dirt and all of the markings of the world? Did the emotions of hurt and disbelief come flooding in again when their eyes met? What bridged this unity allowing them to receive each other again? That bridge was the love of the Lord and we have that same love to work through all of our own hurts and betrayals.

The morning after I revealed to my husband how much we were in debt I felt like I was standing on that auction block, undeserving of his grace and forgiveness. I had been loyal to the world and disloyal to the one who had chosen me in love and honor. It was through the gracious love and forgiveness of God that Bruce was able to reinvest in our marriage and begin trusting me again. What does that love look like that enables us to love when trust has been dashed...to give grace when it is undeserved...to invite someone who has wounded us back into our lives? It looks like a Son hanging on a cross in our place. It looks like a Father, who for a fleeting moment, was forced to look away at the atrocious injustices being done to His child. It looks like a Savior who paid the ransom for all of us when we deserve to stand on that auction block ourselves.

What is our part in return?

“And He said to him, ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the great and foremost commandment’” Matthew 24:37-38.

One Gold Earring Away

“Aaron answered them, ‘Take off the gold earrings...and bring them to me...He took what they handed him and made it into an idol...Then they said, ‘These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you out of Egypt.’ Afterward...they got up to indulge...” Exodus 32:2-6.

In reading this familiar story this morning I am struck by new application in today’s world. Aaron didn’t approach the people with the idea of casting a new god...he was just a weak leader who couldn’t control those who were entrusted to him. He wanted a quick answer to a long-running problem ...dissatisfaction... discontentment...impatience. He wanted to give them what they wanted to make the problem go away. Instead of waiting on the Lord and encouraging them to do the same, they all reacted to the problem instead of responding in prayer and trust. Each person threw in their own offering to feed the fire that constructed the idol.

For me I turned to the stores and asked them to create a god for me who could fulfill my desires. Gold earring after gold earring I threw into the fire feeding the flame of my false god. Secretly I would toss another earring into the flame when no one was looking, and finally one day this golden calf arose out of the fire. As I stood there glaring at the enormity of my false god it glared back with empty eyes. It could not provide what was lacking in my heart. For it to go with me I had to drag it behind me. It eventually became too heavy of a burden and I could no longer carry its load. Faithfully, God broke me from its weight, and gave me freedom in that area for the most part. I will always have tendencies to reach for my gold earring, but faithfully God always convicts...always reveals...and always blesses when I am faithful for believing Him.

We all have the tendency to want to be delivered from our own Egypt so we turn to idols because we are tired of waiting on God. We choose over-spending, over-drinking, over-eating, or over-working as a means to deliver us...to satisfy us...to complete us. Anything we do in excess is our way of telling God that we don’t trust Him to be God and to provide all that He promises. Our culture will always stoke the fire of false gods, using what we hand them to create calves. I am so grateful that the God who truly goes before me loved me too much to allow my idol to destroy me. I never take His deliverance for granted, because without the constant awareness of Who saved me, I am one gold earring away from another calf.

Faulty Bows

“I long to redeem them...They gather together for grain and new wine...They do not turn to the Most High; they are like a faulty bow” Hosea 7:13b-16.

I can’t help but to notice that our passage talks about God’s people gathering together for grain and new wine. But the intent is not to commend them for this, but to convict them for their misguided efforts. What is their faulty bow? It is using their own wisdom and their own agenda to aim towards a desire. God desires to redeem them, and give them the answers they need. But they handle things in their own way, coming up with their own ideas before giving God the time to speak to them. They ready ...aim...release and the bow is wobbly at best, detouring into a target that harms instead of helps. Why? Because they did not turn to the Most High and wait on Him to reveal His way, His will and His purpose.

How many times do we take the bow into our own hands with good intent and aim and release only to skewer another heart? In what ways do we gather our thoughts, and develop a plan to escape a predicament we are in before turning to God for the answers? I read the most beautiful explanation of being a bow in the hand of God. Jennifer Rothschild, author of Hosea – Unfailing Love Changes Everything writes “A faulty bow can’t shoot straight. Bent to go our own way, we land in places we don’t want to be – places of stress, shame and slavery to habits. God has a better way. God is the Archer – He chose us. We are in His hands. He has a best scenario for us. He knows what our hearts long for, and He knows how to get us there. God is the master Archer. You are the bow. Your gifts abilities, desires and calling are the arrows” p.128-129.

When we truly turn every decision over to God, trust in His timing and watch Him work in the situation we will hit the target every time. When we align God’s will to become our will no matter how long it takes we share the same desire...the same target...the same purpose. It’s easy to say we’ll pray about something but when we make decisions before hearing from God our bows are destined to miss. The results can hurt others, make our situations worse and delay God’s best for our lives.

May we all lay down our faulty bows, be the bows we were created to be, allowing the Archer to bend us so that our aim will be His perfect plan for us.

Who Cut In On You?

“It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery...The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love...You were running a good race. Who cut in on you and kept you from obeying the truth?” Galatians 5:1, 6-7.

I remember when my father-in-law lived with us his final year with Alzheimer’s. It was an impossible time as far as the emotional, mental and spiritual toil it took on me. I was reminded of this tough journey while at one of my best friend’s home the other day. For me, I would wake up early, spend time in deep prayer and study God’s word as my oxygen for the day. For two hours each morning I would arm myself for battle because the war waged against me wasn’t my father-in-law or his illness...it was war the enemy waged against me. I have never battled so hard against my emotions as I did during that time. The enemy tried cutting in on me at every turn telling me how selfish my thoughts were about my comfort. He ran me off the road a million times, and a million times the Lord would have to remind me of who I am in Him. Every day I would pick up the enemy’s mirror and once again take his yoke, the yoke of condemnation...the yoke of failure...the yoke of heaviness.

God’s love and reminder of who I am was the only thing that got me through that time. I had to have faith in His expression of love to me, and truly believe His truth. The truth that I can walk in freedom when my circumstances say otherwise. The truth that I am not who my emotions say I am. The truth that I am not defined by my flaws but made strong in His strength.

We cannot allow the enemy to take away conquered land and cut in on our spiritual property. We must stake our claim in the land where God has set us free. To reclaim previously conquered land is like losing the same 5 pounds over and over. One of Satan’s greatest weapons is to use our own brothers and sisters in Christ to cut in on our journey. The truth is as believers, we are all family in Christ and the only thing that counts is the love we are called to express through our faith. When we walk in the Spirit instead of the flesh our attitudes will display the fruit.

‘So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature...But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control’ Galatians 5:16, 22

Where Is This Fellow?

“When the people saw that Moses delayed in coming down from the mountain, they...said ‘Come, make us gods who will go before us...As for this fellow...we don’t know has happened to him”’ Exodus 32:1.

Miracle upon miracle was displayed when the Lord delivered the Israelites from Egypt, and established His chosen people. Their leader was legitimate and the people followed Moses right out of captivity into the freedom of God. They had a visible guide in a cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night. We should be so blessed to have that constant and visible guidance. But what did they do with that blessing? Their impatience and faulty wisdom allowed them to both consider and invite other gods into their camp after a month or so. They couldn’t even wait 40 days to get God’s message for them. It was not that they overtly denied God, but they chose to include other gods to cover all the bases. They decided that the safest thing to do was to embrace many idols while keeping God in their back pocket.

Don’t we do the same thing? We have asked God for something but we have not heard from Him. We are begging to be moved out of a situation but God keeps us where we are. We pray for contentment and yet we are discontent...unsatisfied...angry...just plain bored. Nothing changes and we get tired of waiting on God and experiencing His silence. ‘As for this Fellow...we don’t know where He is...’ And so, we become impatient and reach out in our wisdom and create other gods... the god of spending...the god of drinking...the god of money...the god of entitlement.

We are not prone to wait well without the settling of the Holy Spirit. When we do not meet God daily as a priority and die to our own will, we slowly begin embracing other gods into our lives. To protect ourselves from erecting false idols we must die daily to what we want, when we want it and how we go about getting it.

Our confidence is in the One whose death and resurrection saved and redeemed us...Jesus Christ. For everything He sacrificed, and for every way He suffered, can’t we give Him our patience and trust? Christ didn’t climb up on the cross to be our crisis manager, but gave up His life on earth to be our daily Bread. I believe that one of the sweetest gifts that we can give back to God is our confidence in all circumstances. When we wait well we say to God I trust you...I love you...Thy will not mine...you are my One and only God.

‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is heaven. Give us today our daily bread...And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one’ Matthew 6:9

Shamers and Stone Throwers

“The teachers of the law & Pharisees brought in a woman...They made her stand before the group...” John 8:3.

Last night I was texting with a friend when she began telling me about a Christian woman who called her, and began tearing her down about things that are closest to a woman’s heart. I was incensed that she would be attacked like that, and had to experience the rantings of a modern day Pharisee. If you don’t believe the Bible is relative you only need to read John 8:3-11 and look around at all of the pointing fingers today. Some days unfortunately we are at the end of someone else’s pointing finger like my friend. Either way we have no right to drag others into the middle of our accusations like the Pharisee’s used to do.

Using His own finger, Jesus responded to these finger pointers who sought to shame her...to discredit her...to expose her. ‘But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger’ John 8:6b. What did the message say? For whom was it intended? Did it encourage the woman with love and grace... ‘I do not condemn you...Go now and leave your life of sin’ John 8:11. Was His message directly to the accuser...‘Therefore you have no excuse, O man, every one of you who judges. For in passing judgment on another you condemn yourself’ Roman 2:1. Or was it a message for us all that cuts straight to our heart...‘because judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment’ James 2:13.

No one knows what the message was for it was intended for those particular people in that particular time. What we do know for sure is that the only way to know what His message is for us is to do like my friend did and take it to Jesus. He sees us for who we are and not for who others say we are. When we commit our hurts to Him we will exchange accusations for grace, and a Pharisee for a Savior. It is in those private times when we are loved the most.

‘...only Jesus was left, with the woman standing there’ John 8:9.

Delightful Inheritance

“‘I will go after my lovers, who gave me my food and my water, my wool and my linen, my oil and my drink’ Hosea 2:5. ‘She does not recognize that it is I who gave her the grain, the new wine, and the oil. I lavished silver and gold on her, which they used for Baal’” Hosea 2:8.

We don’t have to read far in our passage this morning to understand what was standing in the way of Gomer’s contentment, satisfaction and joy...her own self-focus. The very things she sought after were the very things she was already receiving from her husband. In that one short sentence she referred in some way to herself 9 times. How could she possibly see the truth of her blessings when she was focusing on what she lacked? We know she had these things but maybe she wanted more... instead of chicken she wanted steak...instead of her present wardrobe she wanted new clothes...instead of silver and gold that would last a year she wanted enough to last a lifetime. She had an ungrateful heart and a lack of discipline for setting boundaries.

Now before we go and judge her we must look at our own ‘me and my’ pursuits and weigh them against what God’s word states. When I say:

‘I am lonely’ - He says ‘I am continually with you’ (Psalm 73:23)

‘I am hungry’ – He says ‘Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.’ (Matthew 5:6)

‘I am worried’ – He says ‘Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear...’ (Matthew 6:25)

‘I am through’ – He says ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” (2 Co 12:9)

We cannot focus on our ways, our wants and our wisdom or we will take detours off the path the Lord has laid before us. We must recognize the boundaries He has set around us and trust Him for the rest. We must guard our hearts and minds so that when we are in our ‘me and my thinking’ we replace it with ‘Thee and Thy thinking.’ I love the phrase that Jennifer Rothschild said in my Bible Study this morning. She said that where our heart gravitates our feet will navigate. There is only one Lover who we should pursue, and it is the Lover of our soul who has given us everything we need to be victorious over this life. It is up to us to fix our eyes on Him and set our boundaries upon His wisdom.

‘The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; I have a beautiful inheritance’ Psalm 16.6.

Family Snapshots

“But you have planted wickedness, you have reaped evil, you have eaten the fruit of deception” Hosea 12:13.

It is no secret that one of my children went through a really dark time when she was a teenager.  She wrestled internally with issues of the heart, leaving her vulnerable and preyed upon by Satan.  Satan didn’t miss this opportunity to taunt me with lies such as my failure as a parent.  He certainly strutted around in victory as I laid upon my bed in despair and heartbroken.  I remember that he was so triumphant in painting a picture of death for my sweet one.  He stoked the embers of my emotions and encouraged me to respond in abandonment ...resentment...anger.  One day when I couldn’t stand the feelings any longer I decided to put a picture of her on my refrigerator of when she was 5 years old.  Any time my heart felt hardened and I wanted to turn away I would see her tiny face smiling back at me, and I remembered a sweeter time...a time before she forgot who she really was...a time when she clearly knew she was our beloved daughter.  My compassion would once again be stirred....

We have a Father who has all of our pictures on His heavenly refrigerator.  Our sins arouse His anger... our waywardness and unfaithfulness break His heart.  He vows to pour out His wrath upon us when we walk in the earthly flesh instead of our spiritual destinies.  Then He sees us for who we are... the little ones He chose with whom to share His family.  ‘How can I give up on you...How can I hand you over...My heart is changed within me; all my compassion is aroused, I will not carry out my fierce anger, nor will I turn and devastate...For I am God, and not man – the Holy One among you...When he roars, his children will come trembling’ Hosea 11:8-11.

Because of His great love we are welcome home.  In our most wicked state He remembers first and foremost that we are His.  He doesn’t forget that we are not defined by our sins, but sealed by His love.  We are called to extend the same love to those who have forsaken us...those who have wounded us.  We are never justified in our unforgiveness, and are called to receive everyone back in love.  It is not our job to determine who belongs and who doesn't - that's God's job. “The LORD said to me, ‘Go, show your love...again, though she is loved by another...Love her as the LORD loves the Israelites, though they turn to others’ Hosea 3:1a.

When we have been hurt and forsaken by others maybe, just maybe we should try to picture them as one of God’s children who has gone astray like a little lamb.  We should see them as one who God is pursuing to bring back into the fold.  And then perhaps our compassion will be stirred and we can respond as the Lord did in Hosea to the Israelites.

‘I led them with cords of human kindness, with ties of love, I lifted the yoke from their neck and bent down to feed them’ Hosea 11:4.

Delightful Inheritance

“‘I will go after my lovers, who gave me my food and my water, my wool and my linen, my oil and my drink’ Hosea 2:5. ‘She does not recognize that it is I who gave her the grain, the new wine, and the oil. I lavished silver and gold on her, which they used for Baal’” Hosea 2:8.

We don’t have to read far in our passage this morning to understand what was standing in the way of Gomer’s contentment, satisfaction and joy...her own self-focus. The very things she sought after were the very things she was already receiving from her husband. In that one short sentence she referred in some way to herself 9 times. How could she possibly see the truth of her blessings when she was focusing on what she lacked? We know she had these things but maybe she wanted more... instead of chicken she wanted steak...instead of her present wardrobe she wanted new clothes...instead of silver and gold that would last a year she wanted enough to last a lifetime. She had an ungrateful heart and a lack of discipline for setting boundaries.

Now before we go and judge her we must look at our own ‘me and my’ pursuits and weigh them against what God’s word states. When I say:

‘I am lonely’ - He says ‘I am continually with you’ (Psalm 73:23)

‘I am hungry’ – He says ‘Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.’ (Matthew 5:6)

‘I am worried’ – He says ‘Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear...’ (Matthew 6:25)

‘I am through’ – He says ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” (2 Co 12:9)

We cannot focus on our ways, our wants and our wisdom or we will take detours off the path the Lord has laid before us. We must recognize the boundaries He has set around us and trust Him for the rest. We must guard our hearts and minds so that when we are in our ‘me and my thinking’ we replace it with ‘Thee and Thy thinking.’ I love the phrase that Jennifer Rothschild said in my Bible Study this morning. She said that where our heart gravitates our feet will navigate. There is only one Lover who we should pursue, and it is the Lover of our soul who has given us everything we need to be victorious over this life. It is up to us to fix our eyes on Him and set our boundaries upon His wisdom.

‘The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; I have a beautiful inheritance’ Psalm 16.6.

Shifting Shadows

“Stay here for the night, and in the morning if he wants to redeem, good; let him redeem. But if he is not willing, as surely as the Lord lives I will do it. Lie here until morning” Ruth 3:13.

I love how the word of God brings a new message no matter how many times we have read the Scripture. Such was the case for me this morning as I read our highlighted verse which wasn’t the first time to be sure. The beautiful blessing that jumped off of the thin skin pages of Ruth is one that I have learned the hard way over my adult life. There have been times when I pushed my own agenda onto my circumstances and forced something to happen. There have been other times since I’ve developed a more mature faith that I sat back and watched what God would do with my set of circumstances. Sometimes He gave in to me and other times I gave in to Him. What was the result? When I gave in to His plan what He eventually gave me was so much better than what I was trying to attain or accomplish with my own plan.

Both Ruth and Boaz could have easily forced the issue by following their impulses and desires that night in the dark. But instead they left space for God’s plan to play out...they took the way of legitimacy, proper channels and protocols. They didn’t take matters into their own hands and force an outcome, but rather trusted that God would work out everything according to their good and His plan.

When there is a decision to be made for all of us it would be in our best interest to ‘lie there until morning’...until God shines His light of wisdom onto our set of circumstances. Part of the beautiful principle of our verse this morning is the principle of waiting on God. When we move ahead of Him and force something to happen on our own terms we can possibly miss His best. We must be like Ruth and Boaz...leaving space for God’s grace, waiting on His plan and trusting Him for His best. When we panic and fear that we are getting ready to lose our perfect ....(fill in the blank) we are basically not trusting God. He determines what is good and perfect for each of us.

“Don’t be deceived, my dear brothers. Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows” James 1:16-17.

Risky Business

“Ruth approached quietly...and laid down... ‘I am your servant...Spread the corner of your garment over me, since you are a kinsman-redeemer” Ruth 3:7b-9.

If I have ever seen a risky move it was this one.  Ruth was laying it all on the line and banking on Boaz living up to his promise of being the closest kin, responsible for the care of those who had lost their spousal providers.  She in essence was proposing to him asking that he cover her in protection, love and provision for the rest of her life.  She came based on the authority of the promise and surrendered her own comfort, pride and agenda.  Quietly she slipped to her knees, surrendered her own plans, waited for his response, and asked him for the very thing he could give her...new life...new hope...redemption after losing everything...well worth the risk. 

We also have a kinsman who can redeem our lives because He lost His life for each of us.  Through the surrender of His life we have the authority and invitation to claim God as our Redeemer.  Our part is to approach Him in gentleness, humility and trust.  We must recognize like Ruth that we are servants to a great King who has reserved a place for us.  We are to expose our vulnerabilities and frailties before Him asking for God to cover us, heal our hearts, expose our flaws and transform our spirits.  We can claim all of these things through the power of Christ who went before us.  When we finally lay down our own agenda and lie at the feet of Christ we take on His yoke, one that is gentle and humble, one that will give us rest.  ‘The place of surrender is the most freeing of places to be and the hardest to get to’ Kelly Minter, Ruth – Loss, Love and Legacy, p. 103.

‘Come to me all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.  Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls’ Matthew 11:28-30.

In My Haste

“...the Almighty has made my life very bitter. I went away full, but the LORD has brought me home empty. Why call me Naomi when the LORD has caused me to suffer and the Almighty has sent such tragedy upon me?" Ruth 1:20-21.

If we are all honest with ourselves Naomi expresses in words what our hearts sometimes express in feelings.  When we really believe that God is who He says He is it comes with an awareness that God has the power to prevent, change, and alter all circumstances.  Because of this reality, sometimes the greater our faith the harder the fall.  We are well aware that God has the power to save...the wisdom to act...the capacity to prevent.  And yet, sometimes He doesn’t and that just leaves us bitter.  Grief in whatever form searches for a perpetrator and many times points its finger at God.

Blame and hurt is part of loss and it cannot be reconciled and settled by the Holy Spirit until it is taken to God.  He knows our hearts anyway so we might as well share our honesty, but we must allow our emotions to be a temporary detour and not a destination.  When we lose something important we can have complete faith that God is continuously working in our situations.  God will work through our emotions to heal, restore and move us into a healthier walk if we will allow Him space in our hearts.  We will never understand how God works because His thoughts and ways are so much higher than ours.  When we can’t trust His plan we can trust His heart in all situations.  He sent me a beautiful message when my sister was taken from us.  He gently and lovingly answered that our loss was her heavenly gain and He was ready to give her everything.  It was a wonderful gift for God to take my grief and shift my focus from me to her.  Grief shines its light on the one who loses, not the one who gains.  I can relate to the Psalmist in chapter 31:22.

“In my haste I said, ‘I am cut off from your sight!’  Yet you heard my cry for mercy when I called to you for help.”  Even Naomi’s heart was transformed as written in Ruth 2:20, “He has not stopped showing his kindness to the living and the dead.”

Those are the beautiful words of a healing heart on a journey that all leads to Heaven.  

Lord, Do Something!

“O LORD, do something...for our backsliding is great...why are you like a stranger in the land, like a traveler who stays only a night?   Why are you...like a warrior powerless to save?” Jeremiah 14:7-9.

When my daughter was involved in the dark things of the world, on occasion she would promise me that she was going to give up the life.  We would have wonderful talks and I felt hope rising, only to have it dashed upon the rocks realizing she had drifted back.  We would get calls from the police telling us that she was in jail and we needed to come and get her.  Once she became an adult, we were powerless to save her and she was incarcerated in Raleigh for 7 months.  She took the power to save out of our hands by her continuation of a dark lifestyle. 

The people of God were no different as they continued to backslide in their loyalty and love for Him.  They made decisions and life choices that shut Him out and opened up their worship of other gods.  When things got difficult they had the audacity to blame Him for not being there for them.  They called Him a stranger in their land... unrecognizable.  They compared Him to a wandering traveler who would not stay at their home for more than a night...illusive.  Ultimately, their words would sting as they accused Him of being incapable of removing the hardship from their lives... powerless.  Are we really any different?

We choose things on Sundays to do other than resting in the Lord.  Like a host, we only open our hearts to Jesus one day a week instead of inviting Him to move in.  We backslide in our time with Him and forget His power to save, comfort and heal our hearts. Then we turn on Him in blame and demand answers that are not ours to know.  They are the things of God and He shares them with those who spend time, resources, service and intimacy with Him.  We all have this availability and privilege if only we would approach Him during the calm as desperately as we approach Him in our troubles.  We must repent from our sin of backsliding.  ‘Repentance is not just admitting our sin; it is turning from it.  God wants more than words. Real faith reveals itself through actions.  When our mouths say one thing but our actions reveal something else, we are only lying to ourselves.’ Melissa Spoelstra, Jeremiah – Daring to Hope in an Unstable World, p. 160.

"My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me; and I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of my hand.…” John 10:47.

Worn Out!

“You have said, ‘I am overwhelmed with trouble! Haven’t I had enough pain already? And now the Lord has added more! I am worn out with groaning and can find no rest’” Jeremiah 45:3.

In my 20’s, I worked for a man who dictated all of his correspondence while I transcribed in shorthand. Sometimes I would get caught up in what he was communicating to his intended recipient and would lose my focus. On some occasions I could not believe the tone and the words that my boss was using. I would be embarrassed for him, irritated at him and hated writing it down knowing someone was going to be on the other side of this message. Our passage today was from a person who also took dictation while his friend shared the message God wanted to communicate to His children. Day after day, year after year the message always seemed to have the same theme. My children have turned from me and are chasing after idols, I have given them chance after chance, and now destruction is coming. I cannot even imagine the heaviness of both hearing this message of destruction and staying focused on getting it down to be read at a later date. No wonder he was overwhelmed with trouble and felt like God was picking on him. He was worn out, sleep deprived and sick in his soul. How did the Lord answer? ‘Are you seeking great things for yourself? Don’t do it!’ Jeremiah 45:5.

When we focus on our troubles and circumstances God knows that we will carry burdens we were never meant to carry. I believe that seeking great things for ourselves can also mean having a set of expectations that do not come about. We think if we are Christians, we will not experience trouble which is not biblical. We feel we are entitled to our feelings when we experience disharmony in our relationships. We live our lives expecting others to do for us what we do for them...people have free will so this expectation falls flat in many cases.

Instead of seeking for ourselves we should walk out Matthew 6:33 which states, ‘But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.’ What are all these things? Physical food for nourishment and drink for refreshment...grace when we sin...comfort when we are upset...healing when we lose a loved one to heaven... forgiveness when we don’t deserve it...the promise and certainty of heavenly reunions and beautiful forever's. We are all guilty of these feelings because as long as we are on earth we walk in the flesh more readily than the spirit. I notice for myself it takes intentional hard work to walk in the Spirit and many times surrendering my own comfort and agenda. I'm ashamed to admit that I'm one of those people who look around at others who seem to have it easy and aren't really that rigorous in serving others and sharing the gospel. I look at my sacrifices and how much I try to impact the Kingdom for God and can't understand why I have a husband who was called to another state to work, a job that takes me out of every comfort I have along with some secret heartbreaks. Its all flesh and its all human nature so I must intentionally deny myself and comfort and 'take captive every thought' that is contrary to the spirit. I CANNOT wait until I cross over the threshold of heaven and claim:

Face to face with God
My reunions with my family
My peace and unchanging joy
My enduring happiness

But until then, we can be both confident and thankful that when we do slip into those flesh feelings we have a God to run to and promise of a comforter who lives inside our hearts to settle our emotions. Praise God!When we focus on the things of God and the transforming work in our hearts through the Holy Spirit it will help us soar above challenging temporary troubles. Thank God we are not citizens of this world but citizens of a city to come.

“But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ' Philippians 3:20.

His Delights

“Hear and pay attention, do not be arrogant, for the LORD has spoken” Jeremiah 13:15.  “This is what the LORD says... ‘but let him who boasts boast about this:  that he understands and knows me, that I am the LORD, who exercises kindness, justice and righteousness on earth, for in these I delight,’ declares the LORD.’” Jeremiah 9:23-24.

There is nothing more destructive than pride, and the flesh hungers and thirsts for its presence.  Pride is talked about from Genesis to Revelation.  I read a definition of pride this morning in my Bible study which really resonated with me.  Melissa Spoelstra defines pride as an elusive thing that takes many forms.  Simply stated pride is an obsession with self.  ‘Apart from God’s work in our lives, every one of us will make decisions to serve our own interests – to paint ourselves in the best light and work out situations to our benefit,’ Jeremiah, Daring to Hope in an Unstable World, p. 148.

The manner in which my pride took form was taking credit for things in the past.  My pride was fueled by insecurity and my pursuit of self-worth.  For me, when I would talk about the things I had accomplished it was my need to be accepted and validated that was crying out through my boasting.  This too was pride for it demonstrated my disbelief in the value that Christ claims I possess.  Only through pushing deeper in my relationship with Him was I able to see the prideful areas.  As I get to know Him better and understand what He stands for I can release trying to gain the approval of others.  We are told what things that He delights in...exercising kindness to all...working on behalf of the least of those to bring about justice, and pursue a life of righteousness.

Pride screams I don’t have time...pride echoes someone else will help and pride masquerades in many different masks.  We must root ourselves in Christ so He can show us the transforming heart work that each of us must do.  Apart from Him we can do nothing.

“Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches.  Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit.  For apart from me you can do nothing.” John 15:5.

A Basket of Figs

“The LORD showed...two baskets of figs placed in front of the temple of the LORD.  One basket had very good figs, like those that ripen early; the other basket had very poor figs, so bad they could not be eaten” Jeremiah 24:1b-2.

As Christians we have already reconciled the message of the cross.  We have accepted Jesus Christ as our Savior who went before us, reconciled our sins through His death and rose to join God in eternity.  In our hearts we have settled our salvation and accepted the life dedicated to God.  In Jeremiah’s day God’s people also showed their reverence to God by approaching the front of the temple, leaving offerings of their harvest.  This particular illustration was a harvest of figs, some which were the ripe ones and some which were already rotten.  The offerings in this vision that God gave to Jeremiah represented those believers who had a halfhearted devotion to God verses those who wholeheartedly gave the first of everything to God. 

‘The figs talked about in this passage were located at the front of the Temple.  This is where people brought their offerings to the Lord.  They were supposed to give God the best of what they had harvested.  When people lost their faith in God’s power, they kept the best for themselves and put their rotten leftovers in the offering baskets.  Similarly, our offerings to God reveal what we really believe about Him.  We need to pursue God wholeheartedly’ Melissa Spoelstra, Jeremiah – Daring to Hope in an Unstable World, p. 127. 

In considering this message this morning I began wondering about my own relationship with Christ.  Does my life represent the basket of good figs or the basket of rotten figs?  Do I offer Him the first of everything when I approach Him?  Offering the firstfruits means giving Him the first moments or hours of our day.  The basket of good figs will contain the first 1/10 of every penny we bring in.  By offering the firstfruits we might be the one in a situation to show grace first.  There are many things that make up a basket of good figs if we follow God fully devoted to Him instead of devoted to ourselves...our comforts...our agenda.  I will continue to be aware of rotten figs in my life so they will not spoil the good ones.

Who Can Understand It?

“The heart is deceitful among all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it? I the LORD search the heart and examine the mind, to reward a man according to his conduct, according to what his deeds deserve” Jeremiah 17:9-10

I am constantly amazed that no matter how deeply we walk with Jesus our heart can mislead us and misguide us.  It seems every day I'm reconsidering something I said to someone I love.   Each morning I include in my prayers to settle my emotions from the previous day and night.  The question is asked in Jeremiah, ‘Who can understand it?’ The answer is that God is the only one who can truly understand our heart. He understands when it has been broken...He understands when our dreams have been dashed...He understands when we are walking in such fear we almost seem paralyzed.  He understands what motivates our words and actions, both good and bad. Through His understanding He comforts, convicts, loves and sustains our hearts with His amazing grace.

But He also understands the bitterness of our hearts. He understands when our hearts carry anger and entitlement. He understands when our hearts are closed towards a person or a situation. He invites us to bring those heart feelings to Him for repentance and freedom from them. God does not expect our feelings to be perfect but He does invite us to bring our questions and emotions to Him in humility and honestly. ‘We are never completely blameless in any conflict. We can’t fix others, but we can evaluate our own hearts and repent...Asking questions and taking time to understand our feelings begins the process of allowing God to do His transforming work in our hearts. If we don’t acknowledge the hurt or the hate, we can’t move on to the healing.’ Jeremiah, Daring to Hope in an Unstable World, p. 104-105.

Melissa Spoelstra gives us specific ways to allow God the process of softening our hearts and settling our emotions. She challenges us to ask God to help us understand our feelings. She encourages us to seek wise counsel to help us draw out our heart issues. She instructs us to then repent and confess our feelings to God. If we will surrender our sinful hearts to Him He offers us a new heart...a softened heart like the heart of Christ.

His Turn To Talk

“My heart has heard you say, ‘Come and talk with me.’ And my heart responds, ‘LORD, I am coming.’” Psalm 27:8.

Bruce has taken a temporary assignment for work in Augusta, Georgia where he resides Sunday – Thursday. When we are reunited each week it seems we have tons to talk about just to catch each other up on our lives. Last Friday night, we went to our favorite restaurant and I began to pour out my week in the conversation. I laugh looking back because we must have looked like THAT couple...you know the one...she talks and he sits there dazed over. I finally looked at him and advised him that it was now his turn to talk.

All joking aside, how much of our prayer life is similar to that restaurant image? We go several days without really talking to God, and when we finally decide to sit still we go on and on about our life. We talk...we ask...we beg...we plead but do we even give Him a chance to answer? Do we determine when it is His turn to talk or do we grab the spiritual check and determine it’s time to leave? God pursues time with us not just to hear us talk, but to reveal to us things we don’t even know we need. He wants to share His heart with us not just His ears. God is the greatest listener there is, but He is even a better communicator if we will just give Him the chance to talk.

What if we listened first and then spoke? What if our words to Him were in response to His words to us? Any great dialogue is made up of talking and listening. We must carve out time with our precious Father who has the keys to life and peace for our hearts. His words are the beginning and the end of everything we need to know to navigate through our tough circumstances.

‘Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know’ Jeremiah 33:3. When He calls to us may we have the same heart of Jeremiah and answer, ‘Lord, I am coming!’

The Things We Do For Love

“Go and buy a linen belt and put in around your waist, but do not let it touch water. So I bought a belt, as the LORD directed...Then the word of the LORD came to me... ‘Take the belt and hide it there in a crevice in the rocks.’ So I went and hid it... ‘Go now...and get the belt...’ So I went...and dug up the belt” Jeremiah 13:1-7.

This passage made me laugh when I thought about how God works when dealing with us. It reminded me of how I came to be a constant part of On Eagles Wings Ministries. At the beginning I did nothing more than my pastor asked of me. Then I was playing a game on my phone when a notification popped up that Emily F wanted to play with me. I was startled because I never played with anyone much other than my daughter, who at the time was in college. I felt God instruct me to accept her game request and play with her. I was somewhat entertained by the fact that God spent time making sure I played a game on my phone. Wasn’t there disasters to be interrupted and conversations with world leaders that God should be orchestrating? But I did it. She accepted and I felt God command that I ask her for her telephone number, so with reluctance I asked this stranger for her phone number explaining that God told me to. Thankfully, she had been the recipient of strange God-requests for years so she accepted. Two years later I find myself as her Director of Development, something I have never professionally done before. I still am fulfilling daily requests from God, some strange and some exciting!

The more intimate we become with God the more we trust Him for the illogical and not just the logical. We will be led to accept things, deny things, surrender things and approach things that seem to propel us from where we want to be. Can you imagine Jeremiah with the seriousness of the situation? One moment God is instructing him to prophesy wrath and destruction among His people with the next minute telling him to buy a new belt, bury it and dig it up. What swirled through Jeremiah's mind during the different steps? We cannot know for sure but we can be certain Jeremiah pondered over these things. The important part was that he did not require an explanation from God prior to obeying God. As far as Scripture states, we have no proof that He ever even questioned God...he simply went and did.

God is going to ask us to do things that seem futile, senseless, impossible and sometimes even ridiculous. Our part is not to gain understanding but to obey and be blessed by the trust and fellowship we share with Him.

Reconsidering the Good

“And if another time I announce that a...kingdom is to be built up and planted, and...it...does not obey me, then I will reconsider the good I had intended to do for it...Reform your ways and your actions...But they will reply, ‘It’s no use...We will continue with our own plans; each of us will follow the stubbornness of his...heart’” Jeremiah 18:9-12.

I must admit that Jeremiah is a tough book to study because it conjures up emotions that swing in the extreme. One reason is that God swings from the depth of love to the depth of grief when dealing with His children. The passage above is one example of how deep His love and wonderful His plans are for us followed by His renouncement of blessings. The important thing to remember when dealing with these tough biblical truths is that God is first and foremost love...sovereign...for us and not against us. However, that does not mean that He does not give us what we need when we turn a deft ear to Him. He had repeatedly spoken to His children through many vessels. He had warned them over and over again until their lack of reform forced His hand.

God has amazing plans to bless us in our God-given kingdoms but will not entrust and grow our land until we adhere to the message He is sending us through prayer, Scripture, circumstances and godly counsel. What is the message you seem to be hearing repeatedly in your own life? Are you turning a deft ear to that message? Is the message lining up with biblical truths? If we could really comprehend the unlimited storehouse of blessings that God intends for each of us we would never again return to that certain behavior...ignore the messages of those we trust...continue with our own plans.

God changes the manner in which He deals with us based on the opportunities He has given us. Just because He does something one way for a season does not mean He will not require something different from us in another season. We must have moldable hearts and allow God to work us into His vessel. ‘Can I not do with you as this potter does...Like clay in the hand of the potter, so are you in my hand’ Jeremiah 18:5-6. ‘We control the consistency of our clay. Are we stiff and resistant like the stubborn people of Judah, with closed ears, or are we soft and moldable, to endure pressure, trimming, and fire in order to become vessels for His use?’ Melissa Spoelstra, Jeremiah – Daring to Hope in an Unstable World, p. 79.

If we are hearing a consistent message most likely God is requiring change. May we all lay down our ways, trust Him for everything and allow Him to mold us and build up our kingdoms according to His purposes.