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.

While the Waves May Roll

“I made the sand a boundary for the sea, an everlasting barrier it cannot cross. The waves may roll, but they cannot prevail; they may roar, but they cannot cross it” Jeremiah 5:22. “But I have spoken to you again and again...Each of you must turn...and reform your actions...Then you will live in the land I have given to you” Jeremiah 14b-15.

The other night Bruce and I enjoyed the evening at the home of some friends who had invited us over for dinner. When we arrived there were two amazing appetizers for us to enjoy as we caught up on each other lives. I looked over and noticed that she had already prepared everything required to pull together shrimp and grits, one of my favorite dishes. I spent the next hour eating so much of the appetizers that I was already getting miserable. By the time I sat down to my favorite dish my stomach was already full of what was intended to be a little of something delightful.

Why is it that we take God’s gift of something and overdo it every time? Is it greed? Is it fear? It is a lack of self-discipline? It is probably all of those things and more. God made it clear from the beginning of Creation...if we don’t set our own boundaries He will set up circumstances to ensure that we have them. He set a boundary around the tree of life with Adam and Eve. He set a boundary of Sabbath rest even for Himself on the 7th day. From our passage we see that He set a boundary between the sea and the land. God told His children over and over again to never cross the boundary of having other gods before Him. According to our passage He repeatedly spoke to them about the same thing, yet they did not respond. They continued to return to their old actions...old behaviors...old sins.

Is God speaking to you over and over again regarding the same message? God will always bless faith over fear and reform over old habits. Just as my friend wanted to bless us with that amazing entrée God wishes to give us the full portion of His blessings, not just an appetizer to gorge on. Once we set up boundaries and walk them out daily He will give us the land that He prepared for us.

“Stand at the crossroads and look...ask where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls” Jeremiah 6:16.

When Stones Move

“Can they bring the stones back to life from those heaps of rubble – burned as they are?” Nehemiah 4:2.

I have written how many years ago God woke me up at 4:00 am to admit to my husband I had excessive hidden debt. The realization of how I had hurt him, deceived him and disrespected him was etched in the deep sadness of his eyes. I’ll never forget how rotten and guilty I felt for the months following that disclosure as I was trying to repair our wounded relationship...heaps of rubble...trust burned up. Our marriage went into a state of crisis and thankfully Bruce had a heart of love, forgiveness and reconciliation...He had the heart of Christ. What a mess of trouble I had placed upon our marriage and how scared I was that through my secret spending I had stoned my marriage to death.

But that is what our God does best...He takes dead stones and brings them back to life! He senses what is worth resurrecting and builds upon its strengths. He uses the best parts of our circumstances and weaves them into a beautiful tapestry of new birth, new faith and breathes life back into dead places.

What circumstances are you facing that seem to be losing pulse? Can you even imagine that the heavy stones of burden could be removed? Are you burned out...dead within...empty of hope? God is the rebuilder of walls and the repairer of hearts who will not allow lifeless stones to stay quiet forever. No matter what your circumstances there will be a day when the stones begin to move and heart begins to heal. There will be a day in your situation when the Lord will blow His mighty trumpet signaling that all things have come together for His deliverance. Our part is to believe...our part is to listen...our part is to respond to His call when the trumpet is blown. We all have circumstances that make us feel all alone and removed from others. But we are all in this together and must use everything we experience to bring glory to God and others to the fight. Oh the work is extensive for sure but nothing that the Lord cannot handle and He invites us to join Him.

“The work is extensive and spread out, and we are widely separated from each other along the wall. Wherever you hear the sounds of the trumpet, join us there. Our God will fight for us!” Nehemiah 4:19.20.

Leaky Cisterns

“For my people...have dug for themselves cracked cisterns that can hold no water at all!” Jeremiah 2:13.

Years ago, I became dehydrated when I was pregnant with our third child and was hospitalized to receive fluids. I remember asking the doctor how does one become dehydrated and his answer was astonishing to me. He explained that as the water in our bodies are depleting it triggers our thirst. He went on to say that when we ignore that thirst at some point our bodies no longer feel thirsty. When our thirst has evaporated so has our physical health.

The same is true of our spiritual thirst. We face our challenging circumstances and try to dig our way out in our own power and wisdom. We manipulate situations shoveling piles of spiritual dirt aside as we dig ourselves even deeper. We realized that what we have dug has neither the ability to comfort or save us...it is cracked...it is dry...it leaves us thirsty. It seems that we will always default to the flesh if we don’t have intentional time with the Living Waters. It does not matter how long and deep and wide we love Jesus, we will always have to push through the flesh to make time with Him. Even when we don’t feel Him there we must believe He is and dig into His word.

Even Jeremiah vacillated between feeling God’s presence and not being able to feel His spirit. ‘O Sovereign LORD! You made the heavens and earth by your strong hand and powerful arm. Nothing is too hard for you!” Jeremiah 32:17. “Why is my pain unending and my wound grievous and incurable? Will you be to me like a deceptive brook, like a spring that fails?” Jeremiah 15:18.

We must be Jeremiahs in this world and push through the emotions of our souls, drenching ourselves in God’s word. We must dig our cisterns with holiness and faith so that when God fills us up our cisterns do not leak. Don’t ignore the warning signs of your spirit resulting in the need for spiritual IV’s to replenish your spirit.

“Come...Whoever is thirsty, let him come; and whoever wishes, let him take the free gift of the water of life” Revelation 22:17.

Dare to Hope

“Cursed is the one who trusts in man, who depends on flesh for his strength...He will dwell in the parched places...But blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, whose confidence {hope} is in him...He will be like a tree planted by the water...leaves are always green...and never fails to bear fruit” Jeremiah 17:5-8.

This passage is one of my all-time favorite passages as the Lord gave the second half to me when He established Emerging Life Ministries in 2008. February of 2006 marks the crossroads of where cursed and blessed crossed. The Hebrew word for ‘trust’ is batach which translates as safe place. Before 2006 my safe place was secret spending which was certainly a curse. Before 2006 my safe place was my relying on my own strength as my daughter went through her season of darkness. My safe place was to serve, serve, serve out of my desire to be loved and approved. All of these safe places stripped me of energy, robbed me of peace and stunted my spiritual growth. For sure I use to dwell in parched places...dry faith...empty results...cursed living.

“Yet I still dare to hope when I remember this: The faithful love of the LORD never ends! His mercies never cease. Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each morning. I say to myself, ‘The LORD is my inheritance; therefore, I will hope in him!’” Lamentations 3:21-24. When we turn away from our flesh and plant ourselves by Living Waters daily we come in for the blessings of the love of God...the unceasing mercies of the Father...the unchanging greatness of His faithfulness.

What do you still dare to hope for? Will you dare to hope for physical healing? Will you dare to hope for your marriage to be restored? Will you dare to hope that God will bring you mercifully and graciously out of your present circumstances? Will you dare to hope in the will of God instead of the will of your flesh? God will be faithful in bringing peace, mercy and comfort in all of our circumstances. His promises will not be empty or void – they will accomplish what His heart intends them to accomplish. Believe in His goodness...Believe in His plan...Believe in the power of Eternity!

Dare to hope!

Shocking the Heavens!

"Dear children, keep away from anything that might take God’s place in your hearts” 1 John 5:21.

As gently as John states these words we cannot lose the important truth that this is a strong command from God: ‘I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of slavery. You shall have no other gods before Me. You shall not make for yourself an idol’ Exodus 20:2-4. This command is found throughout the Bible when God is dealing with His children which tells me that we need to be cautious in our day to day lives. It is easy to identify obvious idols that come as faces of sin like excessive drinking, eating, or spending but idols are also built in the good things God has given us.

What about the person who places their children above everything else? What about the person who allows their spouse to control their decisions instead of God’s? What about the job/ministry that we allow to consume us beyond healthy boundaries? These are all wonderful blessings from God that we distort into something negative. We move our blessed living in this gifts to cursed living as they enslave us and move us away from fellowship with God. ‘We know a good thing has become a counterfeit god when its demands on you exceed proper boundaries...to practice idolatry is to be a slave’ Counterfeit Gods, Timothy Keller. If we are all completely honest with ourselves we don’t have to search to find our false gods any further than our behavior and habits. Melissa Spoelstra author of Jeremiah – Daring to Hope in an Unstable World writes, ‘There is no end to the list of things that can take God’s place in our hearts. Something crosses the line into idolatry based on its elevation in our heart and mind’ p. 50.

What does this look like for us? Elevating worry over God’s faithfulness...Habitually doing anything in excess over enforcing God-given boundaries...Allowing work to bleed into time with our family who God entrusted and blessed us with...Using our mouths to tear down instead of our words to build up. We must focus on our behaviors and choices to recognize our idols and then do something about it. We must ask God to reveal them to us and then remove them from our lives. If we have idols that we know about and continue to serve them and pour out to them God will discipline us and take actions to remove them. ‘Yet my people have exchanged their glorious God for worthless idols! The heavens are shocked at such a thing and shrink back in horror and dismay, says the LORD' Jeremiah 2:11-12.

If we are going to shock the heavens let us shock them in amazement of how we smash our idols and destroy their high places in our lives!

Contentment in Jesus

“Yet true godliness and contentment is itself great wealth...So if we have enough food and clothing, let us be content. But people who long...fall into temptation and are trapped by many foolish and harmful desires that plunge them into ruin and destruction...And some people...have wandered from the true faith and pierced themselves with many sorrows” 1 Timothy 6:6-10.

Boy do I know this one! There was a season in my life when I could not get enough, shop enough, wear enough, hide enough...I lived my life in secret as I hid receipts, grabbed the mail, stuffed shopping bags in the back of my closet and other destructive activities. This passage jumped from the page to my behavior and almost ruined my marriage, not to mention my spiritual health.

Why is contentment so hard to attain? Why can’t we just be satisfied with what we have? I would love to say that I have mastered this sin (which is what it is) but it still creeps into my heart occasionally. Even this past October I allowed it to master over me again when searching for a mother-of-the-bride dress. Thankfully, my husband was well aware of it all and it wasn’t done in secret this time. This pursuit became such an obsession that I’m embarrassed to even remember it. I recall finally thinking that if I searched for Jesus as much as I had searched for that perfect outfit my faith would be 3 levels higher! But thankfully, the Lord convicted me of misguided pursuits, empty purchases and the sin in which it was shrouded.

We must remember this essential truth in every destructive behavior we possess: It takes the hand of God to set us free but it takes our daily fellowship with God to keep us free.

Mouthpieces

“When your words came, I ate them; they were my joy and my heart’s delight...I sat alone because your hand was on me” Jeremiah 15:16-17.

Jeremiah was a prophet called by God to bring a tough message to the nation of Israel. It wasn’t just for a short season...his message of doom and gloom spanned decades. It fractionally reminds me of being called into sharing the message of human trafficking. More times than not people are left with disbelief that this grievous sin is so prevalent. It’s really a message that no one likes to hear, and certainly a message that is not easy to share. The only way to face being used by God in difficult situations with tough messages is to follow Jeremiah’s example. The two things that kept him going in His calling were digesting God’s word daily and not conforming to the soft message. He understood that God’s hand was upon Him through the calling placed on his life.

When we are walking in the will of God many times it is a difficult message, a message that many will not want to hear. Like Jeremiah we cannot sugarcoat it but deliver it with certainty, intentional thought, and through the guidance of God. God calls us to share messages for others when they require growth, correction, and a newness in their journey. Those called with a message have a huge responsibility to not say anything until the Lord instructs them to share the message. Our messages are to be digested first, and medicated upon through prayer and guidance from God. We must share His message with love first, wisdom second and continue pursuing God’s heart on the matter.

Whether we are the one sharing the message or receiving the message we must take it to God and allow Him to be our mouthpiece.

“If anyone speaks, they should do so as one who speaks the very words of God. If anyone serves, they should do so with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen” 1 Peter 4:11.

Abiding in Cisterns

"But the LORD said to me, ‘You must go...Do not be afraid...for I am with you and will rescue you’ declares the LORD” Jeremiah 1:7. “They lowered Jeremiah by ropes into the cistern; it had no water in it, only mud, and Jeremiah sank down into the mud” Jeremiah 38:6.

Jeremiah was never in doubt about what God was asking him to do. The call was clear but the path would be difficult. Every day walking out God’s purpose for his life would be met with loneliness, opposition and exhaustion. He eventually was thrown into a cistern where it seemed as if he might starve to death in the dark. But where there is darkness God brings the light.

Back in 2010 my husband and I knew that the Lord was urging us to bring my father-in-law with Alzheimer’s to live with us. We had an overwhelming sense of peace in the decision but the day to day of living it out was something we couldn’t ever imagine. The daily call in the trenches was sometimes too much to bear. Many days I felt like I had been lowered into a hole of mud sinking deeper and deeper every day. The one thing that kept me going was knowing that I was walking out the call of God for that season. That was my anchor...the knowledge that I was where He intended me to be. I knew in my heart that it was a temporary season which also was a lifeline He threw. Then one day that season was complete and we all were rescued. My father-in-law was rescued from one of the most horrendous diseases that exist, and we were rescued from the pain of watching him in that state. We were freed up from the physical, emotional and spiritual challenges that had marked its daily place on our calendar for the previous year.

God has now called my husband and me to another cistern. We are not sure how long our calling with be but once again we have been called together. I’m so grateful that while the journey might be a little out of focus, the calling is crystal clear.

What have you been called to endure that is a challenge to walk out each day? Please be encouraged that the God who calls is the One who will rescue. ‘...and they pulled him up with the ropes and lifted him out of the cistern. And Jeremiah remained in the courtyard of the guard’ Jeremiah 38:13.