From Peril to Peace

When our children were very young we owned a pontoon boat and frequently went out on the lake.  I remember one day in particular the sun was brightly shining and the skies were clear.  We had moved through the smooth water to the furthest point of the lake.  Suddenly, a storm came upon us out of nowhere, and we were sitting ducks in the aluminum vessel.  We became an attractor for trouble and I hurried the kids into our tiny bathroom on the pontoon.  Bruce had to navigate through the storm as it raged with thunder, lightning and the tossing of the boat.  I remember peeking out of the bathroom at one point and he was standing up in the captain’s seat because he couldn’t see.  He was using the ceiling of the vessel to shield his eyes from the pelting water.  I sat in that tiny bathroom with my arms tightly around my babies and prayed.  Thankfully, through God’s mercy we were safely delivered home.  I felt so vulnerable as I wasn’t prepared for that storm. 

In remembering this story today, it dawned on me that we rarely are prepared for our storms of life.  I believe it is because we were not made for storms.  In Genesis, it is written that God made us for unhindered dwelling in paradise.  He made us to rule over everything on the earth and gave us a beautiful dynasty to enjoy.  But that wasn’t enough for the heart of mankind, and we snatched what wasn’t ours, inviting sin and death into our beautiful world.  This is why we are not equipped and prepared for storms…we were never meant to endure them.  But God in His love is the one who navigates through our storms.  He tells us to take shelter in Him and that our job is to trust that He will steer the ship through the thunder and lightning of life.  As long as we give Him the control He will be faithful in taking us from tumult to peace…drenching rains to sunny skies…painful times to indescribable joy.

Storms are inevitable as occupational hazards of life but we cannot be attractors of trouble.  He allows into our lives what we need to grow in the image of Christ.  We cannot thwart the storm, we cannot deny its power but we can have confidence that God holds the power over all of our challenging times.  Storms will come and our worlds will be rocked but God holds the power over every circumstance.

“He made the storm be still, and the waves of the sea were hushed.  Then they were glad that the waters were quiet, and he brought them to their desired haven.” Psalm 107:29-30.

Sibling Rivalry

“Wisdom has built her house…she has also set her table...she takes her seat on the highest places.  ‘Leave your simple ways and you will live; walk in the way of understanding’…the fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom…The woman Folly is loud; she is undisciplined and without knowledge…she takes a seat on the highest places… calling to those who pass by… ‘Whoever is simple, let him turn in here!’” Proverbs 9:13-14.

Wisdom and Folly…they are spiritual sisters who will always be at odds.  They live estranged from each other and neither delights in the other.  And yet they are called to walk out the same journey but they make very different decisions.  One methodically and intentionally invests in the future while the other lives in the now.  Wisdom builds her house on the spiritual truths of God while Folly builds her foolish reputation by walking in the impulses of the world.  Wisdom carefully sets the table for her guests serving baskets of righteousness and goblets of grace.  Folly is too busy shouting temptations and chasing after things that are of no substance.  Both sisters take their seats in the highest places of our minds and hearts.  Who will we hear? 

The translation for simple in this passage is without moral direction and inclined to evil. Of course, as long as we are on this earth we still qualify for simple living.  I couldn’t help but be amused by the contradiction of the word and its lifestyle.  Our lives are anything but simple when we fail to use a moral compass in our daily walk.  Lady Wisdom tells us that life really doesn’t begin until we walk away from our sin or weakness.  She also understands that her name originates by living a life revering God.  Her sister Folly deserves no special title because Folly walks in the foolishness of the world. 

Both ladies send us invitations to visit their home.  Both ladies call out to us from their desire to share their offerings.  Lady Wisdom wishes to give and Folly only knows how to take.  Let us choose well when considering where our time will best be spent.

‘But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.’ Matthew 6:33.

From Deserts to Destinies

“Jesus…was led by the Spirit in the desert, where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing during those days, and at the end of them he was hungry.” Luke 4:1-2.

I’ve heard the story of Satan tempting Jesus in the desert many times but one fact escaped me until this morning. Although Satan tempted Jesus throughout the timeframe it was at the close of this time when the 3 toughest temptations in Luke occurred. It was when Jesus’ hunger was greatest and His resistance was probably lowest. The Bible states that He was led into the desert by the Spirit and then later in Luke 4:14 led by the Spirit out of the desert.

The example of Jesus is one to which we are to follow. We certainly won’t be perfect in our pursuit but we can be intentional in our response to temptation since we are fall prey to them. Just like Jesus, we must realize that sometimes we find ourselves in the desert by no fault of our own. Most times we are led into the desert to teach us something about hearts. Other times it is the vehicle God uses to prepare us for ministry just like He did Jesus. Jesus was also spiritually savvy in the fact that any retort to Satan’s tempting was met with God’s words, not the words of Jesus. When we are at our lowest or weakest, that is not the time to speak our own words. We must press on in prayer for the Lord to give us the grace and discernment to operate within our weaknesses. We must be on high alert that when we find ourselves in the wilderness we are not alone. We are surrounded by God and His many provisions, but we are to be shrewd in understanding that Satan is an opportunist. The closer we get to the crossing from desert to destiny, Satan will throw the books at us to distract us from crossing over. It will be at the closing of our tough season that he becomes desperate, pulling out all stops. But God is stronger and relentlessly resolute, because He sees where He is taking us. He is ready to take our hand, look up ahead and walk us into our beautiful destinies.

Your wilderness won’t last forever but don’t resist the heart-work that God intends on accomplishing during this time. Get in the word, arm yourself with God’s provisions and prepare for greatness! ‘He humbles us before the harvest so that we know it’s His power and glory, not ours.’ Steadfast Love, Lauren Chandler, p. 55.

Chasing Lovers

“When the LORD began to speak through Hosea, the LORD said to him, ‘Go, take to yourself an adulterous wife…of unfaithfulness, because the land is guilty…in departing from the LORD…She will chase after her lovers but not catch them…Therefore I am going to allure her; I will lead her into the desert and speak tenderly to her. There I will give her back her vineyards, and will make the Valley of Anchor (Trouble) a door of hope.” Hosea 1:2, Hosea 2:7-15.

God looked upon Israel and saw how they were betraying Him. They had lost their love and loyalty for Him through their disrespectful behavior. God writes this beautiful but sorrowful story in the call on Hosea’s life. In this call, Hosea was asked to take a faithless wife to represent how unfaithful God’s people were being towards Him.

This story always puts me back in time when I secretly mounted tons of debt in my marriage. I would continue to spend money on things trying to compensate for something which I couldn’t figure out… ‘chasing her lovers but never catching them.’ Then one night, the Lord woke me up and demanded that I wake up Bruce and completely come clean. That night He led me into the wilderness and for the next 6 months showed me ways that my spending had betrayed Bruce…had disrespected Bruce…broken loyalty with Bruce. It felt like punishment but now I can see that it was a Father who wanted more for His daughter and His son. It was an effort to return love, loyalty and life into a fractured marriage. Just as God was with Hosea equipping Him in love and forgiveness, so was He with Bruce. Bruce not only forgave me and showed me such enveloping grace but helped me find a new way to deal with my discontentment. God reminded me that He gave Bruce to me to love and cherish above all others and all other things. He had given me one of my greatest blessings only for me to recklessly love. ‘She has not acknowledged that I was the one who gave her the grain, new wine and oil, who lavished on her the silver and gold.’ Hosea 2:8. But, God is a God of many chances and thankfully He turned my Valley of Anchor which held me down into a beautiful door of hope which healed my heart and marriage.

Whatever valley you are experiencing is exactly where God has led you. He loves you too much to allow you to walk in a lesser version of who He created. If ears are attuned, we will hear the tender life-giving words of our Father. He will place life in those dead places in our hearts, and contentment in those restless hidden parts of our lives. We can trust Him to restore us to full fellowship. He has His own vows to us if we will return to faithfulness.

‘I will betroth you to me forever; I will betroth you in righteousness and justice, in love and compassion. I will betroth you in faithfulness, and you will acknowledge the LORD.’ Hosea 2:19-20.

Howling Prayers

“How long, O LORD? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me? How long must I wrestle with my thoughts and every day have sorrow in my heart? How long will my enemy triumph over me?” Psalm 13: 1-2.

I discovered this morning that this Psalm has been referred to as the Howling Psalm. It likens itself to that of a lonely and longing wolf, lifting his cry as it echoes across the landscape. Howling is a communication device used by wolves to connect with the rest of the pack over long distances. Quite a powerful image of David’s response to his predicament. ‘David howls his plea for deliverance. He feels far from God. He feels forgotten; even worse, he feels as if God is hiding from him. He is stricken with anxiety and his enemy seems to have the upper hand.’ Steadfast Love, Lauren Chandler, p. 41.

How many of us can relate to this when dealing with our own set of present circumstances? We know in our hearts what we want to happen, and the days drag by and by with life seemingly standing still. The ‘nothingness of action’ reminds us that God has not moved in our situations, or perhaps tempts us to believe that God is not listening. We ask ourselves ‘How long?’ How long will it be before a job is offered? How long will I walk in my grief unable to move forward? How long will it be before I find my partner or become pregnant with my child? How long must I sit in this wait? How long? How long? Howling prayers…howling hearts…just wanting to connect… feeling so far away from a resolution. ‘We have all known loneliness and longing. God sees us. He hears us. The Lord welcomes our lamenting. Lamenting is a deep response to real pain in our current condition, and longing for restoration…we cry out to the Lord to make good on His promise to us. It’s a vertical act. We point our faces up like a howling wolf and lift our voices to the only One who is able to deliver us.’ Steadfast Love, 42.

God will never desert us in our time of need. The Bible echoes God's promises right back to our howling prayers and turns them into goodness and mercy in the wait. But we must be willing to give Him our time and hearts for Him to minister to our greatest needs.

“But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope: The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. The LORD is my portion, says my soul, therefore I will hope in him.” Lamentations 3:19-24.

From Guts to Glory

“But Moses said, ‘Who am I, that I should go…?’ ‘O Lord…I am slow of speech and tongue.’  Moses returned to the LORD and said, ‘O Lord, why have you brought trouble…Is this why you sent me?  Ever since I went to…speak in your name…you have not rescued…at all.  ‘I am the LORD, and I will bring you out from under the yoke…I will free you from being slaves…I will redeem you…I will be your God.’” Exodus 3:11, 4:10, 5:22, 6:6-7.

I can’t help but smile when reading these verses today.  Moses was just as flawed of a human as I am as he wrestled with who he was, what God wanted him to do and who God was.  Between Chapters 3 and 5 Moses began doubting everything God was asking him to do.  He was blind to his own identity in God, and was insecure of his abilities.  We then read that after he did what God asked him to do, he marched through the throne doors and accused God of not living up to His word.  And yet, Moses has significant ink throughout both testaments as one who was in the top 5 of Who’s Who in the Bible.  So how does this settle in this flawed woman’s heart?

Relief…relief that who we see in the mirror is not who God sees.  Courage…courage that what He calls us to do will be matched with the equipping from the One who calls.  Authority…authority that when our hearts break we have permission to approach Him.  Confidence…confidence that our demands in prayer will not offend God, but will open the door of honest fellowship.  Comfort…comfort that when God speaks a promise into our heart He doesn’t mind reminding and reassuring us of that promise.

God didn’t break His promise to Moses, but broke the timeline of Moses’ expectation.  Hearts had not yet been changed, circumstances had not yet played out and the day of the great delivery was not yet upon him.  If God has whispered a promise into your ear, He cannot forsake Himself by failing to fulfill.  Keep going back to Him in all of your emotions, giving Him full permission to complete the heart-work He has begun.  His reminders are as beautiful as His heart.

“And I will bring you to the land I swore with uplifted hand…as a possession.  I am the LORD.” Exodus 6:8.

Functional Saviors

“Then God said, ‘Let us make man in our image, in our likeness’” Genesis 1:26a.

As a mom, fewer things make me happier than hearing someone say one of my children look just like me.  It has nothing to do with how I think I look (because I don’t know many women who are satisfied with that!).  It is more about the love and shared fellowship I have with my children as they represent my family.  ‘In our image’ means the ability to share in similar joys and grow together in our own uniqueness.  God didn’t make us as robots but individuals with different likes, dislikes and personalities.  Because we cannot understand at this point what the image of God (and the Trinity) really is, we must assign God’s heart to the creation of man/woman.  His desire to create us was rooted in love and established in the hope that we would return His love with intimacy…just like we did when the decision to have children filled our hearts.  His initial creation was for us to be in the image of God, representing Him within creation.  My Bible Study asks the poignant question, ‘How is mankind doing at representing God on earth?’  Steadfast Love, Lauren Chandler, p. 18.

She writes, “Even if you love God and seek to worship Him, it’s a struggle to resemble, represent, and relate with Him in a way that honors Him, isn’t it?  The image of God was marred and all creation suffered.  Adam and Eve’s choice to believe the serpent over God resulted in a fracture that makes resembling, representing, and relating to God in the way He intentioned impossible on our own.”  But that is the beauty of God…through Him all things are possible, and He never leaves us on our own.  Martin Luther once wrote that ‘whatever your heart clings to and confides in, that is really your God, your functional savior.’  That is why we must pursue holiness through the example of Christ, who is our Anchor, and keeps us from floating towards the image of the world.  Everyone is holding on for dear life to something as we walk out our lives.  In this broken world and with broken hearts, we cling to false anchors all of the time.  A false anchor is anything to which we turn to gain satisfaction and contentment other than God.  A false anchor promises but never delivers.  A false anchor takes more of our soul than what it gives.  A false anchor keeps us in broken relationship with God who created us to be in relationship with Him.  The author of this study ends today with a beautiful prayer which I will leave with you.

‘My prayer for you is that you will let God use the seasons of pain, struggle, and uncertainty expose the false anchors.  And in exposing the false, you are able to see, cling to, and confide in the true Anchor – the God of steadfast love.’

The Winds That Move Us

“For he commanded and raised the stormy wind…they reeled and staggered…and were at their wit’s end. Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress. He made the storm be still, and the waves of the sea were hushed. Then they were glad that the waters were quiet, and he brought them to their desired haven. Let them thank the LORD for his steadfast love, for his wondrous works…extol him…praise him.” Psalm 107:25, 29-32.

Even if you barely know me, if you have read a few of my blogs you know that I have spent the biggest part of my life pursuing the approval and acceptance of others. It has been an insatiable beast and no matter how much I have loved…supported…fellowshipped…the truth always came back around. Approval and acceptance of man are fickle companions for they always have an expiration date. Only God’s approval and acceptance never changes…never wanes…never expires. My desired haven was to quit chasing the illusive ghost of making decisions based on the approval of others. God commanded and raised a stormy wind which left me reeling and staggering, making it difficult to stay on top of the waves of despair.  So many days and nights I felt as if I were drowning.  It was no doubt one of the toughest times in my entire life but, in His gracious love and faithfulness, He heard my cry and comforted me. He stilled my storm, hushed my emotions, and brought me the desired haven I didn’t even know I wanted.

We all have those set of circumstances where God is trying to do work in us to take us to our desired place. What are those desired havens? For one, it is the release of perfectionism. For another, it is to give control of our children’s lives over to God. Another haven is to lay down that habit or behavior that is disrupting our lives. A tough one is to accept the life God has given us and learn to live in His joy, neither being driven nor defined by our circumstances. Whatever it is, God knows what we need to live in freedom from ourselves. When those storms pop up we can know that God is doing something important in our lives to move us to better places. We can trust in His plan what we are experiencing is what He has commanded for us to experience. We can have both confidence and gratitude that every bit of progress is the grace of God.

‘Don’t despise these days; God is doing a deep work in you.’ Steadfast Love, Lauren Chandler, p. 16.

Following Our Coffins

“When the Lord saw her, his heart went out to her and he said, ‘Don’t cry.’ Then he went up and touched the coffin, and those carrying it stood still... ‘I say to you, get up!’” Luke 7:13-15.

I have never noticed until this morning the different levels of love Christ extended in this morning’s passage. Jesus was going about His business and Scripture tells us that as He approached the town gate He saw this scene playing out. There was a woman who had just lost her son and his body was being carried in a coffin as she followed. She was a stranger to Him but it is written that as soon as He saw her, His heart went out to her. He approached both the woman and the coffin and comforted her. He touched the vessel carrying the dead and commanded the dead to rise. Life was given back and the testimony of Jesus was shared throughout the land.

There are hurting and wounded people who have laid to rest their hearts. They keep their hearts enclosed in a protective vacuum, sealed up and without pulse for life. Things have happened and they have never recovered, so they live their lives following their coffins. But Jesus came to mend the broken hearted and to save them from death. He never intended for us to follow our coffins but rather to follow Him. It is important to see the actions of Jesus in our story and understand that He is the same Jesus for us, offering us the same life. First of all, Jesus sees us in our pain like He did the woman in the story. He feels our pain as He looks upon our suffering. He comforts us in His strength, not our own. Most importantly, He gives life back where we feel death.

Is there anything you have laid to rest in your coffin…any dream that didn’t come true…any hurt that has prevented you from realizing the joyful life God still offers? We are all going to follow something whether it be our fears, our losses or our God. Which will it be for us? Will we allow God to lay His healing hands on our hearts or will we carry around death? We have two choices but the first step is allowing Jesus to ‘approach and touch the coffin.’

‘The dead…sat up and began to talk, and Jesus gave him back…’ Luke 7:15.

Choosing a Horse

“I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you to live in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel…Am I now trying to win the approval of human beings, or of God?  Or am I trying to please people?  If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ.” Galatians 1:6, 10.

Paul, who had previously persecuted both the people of God and the message of Christ, was living out his days sharing the gospel.  He had spent time with the Galatians and had worked diligently explaining God’s truths.  He had moved on to other places but apparently received word that false doctrines had infiltrated the church at Galatia.   He communicated his shock at how quickly their hearts turned to pleasing the people who were giving them a new set of doctrines that contradicted God’s message.  He explained to them that they have one of two paths to pursue – the approval of man or the approval of God. 

I remember when we went to Bruce’s dad for advice of whether to start a business or for Bruce to accept employment from a company.  Bruce laid out both paths with their benefits and opportunities before his dad.  His father looked Bruce straight in the eyes and told him, ‘Son, you have a foot on two horses…you must choose a horse and ride.’  We are not left to our own choosing in our lives as Christians.  God has given us the horse to ride and it’s not the approval of man.  He has laid out His heart on every subject throughout the Bible.  ‘Many Christians are kept from new potential in Christ because the fear of man controls our hearts.  We don’t parent in strength because we fear not being loved.  We make decisions based on pleasing people we’re afraid to disappoint.  We make pleasing people more important than pleasing God.  The opinions of others guide our choices.  Co-dependency is fearing we have to be attached to a certain person.  Every time we worry more about pleasing man more than pleasing God, we are sacrificing the potential growth, potential fruit, and potential freedom God wants to bring into our lives.’ Redeemed, Angela Thomas-Pharr, p. 171.s

Based on the benefits that could be ours, I would think that it should be easy ‘to choose that horse and ride.  And yet it is not for I have spent a lifetime making the wrong choice.  Only through the strength and power of God are we equipped to choose Him.   Seeking God’s approval over man’s, isn’t a one-time choice, it is a constant awareness of the crossroads at every turn. 

“To fear the Lord means putting God in putting God in His rightful place in our lives.  That means God must become bigger than people.” Redeemed, p. 171.

Dropping the Mike

“‘Lord,’ Martha said to Jesus, ‘if you had been here, my brother would not have died.’” John 11:21.

How these words haunt the very chambers of our believing hearts.  Though a few thousand years have passed, the hearts of believers’ grapple to process when the miracle doesn’t come…time is up… the dream or loved one is dead…Jesus chose something different.  I believe the greater the faith the harder the fall sometimes.  Martha said in her great faith, ‘But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask’ (John 11:22).  We secretly whisper the same in our hearts.  We are confident in His ability to intervene so it’s a tough pill to swallow when He doesn’t.  It is tempting to doubt His love and heart when we have complete confidence His ability. 

But the story didn’t end with a heartless Jesus who failed to act.  It is written that when He saw the one He loved weeping he was deeply moved in spirit and troubled.   Just like with our children, when we hurt Christ hurts.  Sometimes in life when a stone is placed over the opening of hope we must allow our hearts to grieve.  We must believe that whatever seems dead in our lives God potentially is doing something new.  In Christ, nothing is really ever dead…it’s just different.  When our loved ones die on earth they become more alive than they have ever been.  When a dream must be laid to rest God will resurrect a new one.  When work winds down God is orchestrating something great winding up.  Jesus met Martha at the opening of the tomb with the stone firmly in place.  He asked her roll away the stone.  I love the King James Version of her response in John 11:39. “Lord…he stinketh.” 

It stinks when something has died in our lives whether it is our hope, our health, our jobs, our relationships, and the list goes on and on.  But, Christ wants to meet us at our tombs and show us that we can remove the stone…that we can witness life again…with Him we can expect healing in places where we have previously grieved.  Martha’s story didn’t end at the grave and neither should ours.  We must believe that ‘even now God will…’ and He it is a matter of time before His perfect plan is revealed.   I saw a wonderful plaque on the wall at a restaurant with the definition of ‘believe’.  My favorite word on this hanging is to conclude.  To determine that there is nothing more to say…we confess our belief …we walk it out…we drop the mike…we trust wholly in Him.

When Love Called My Name

“I am the LORD your God…You shall have no other gods before me…for I the LORD your God am a jealous God…but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments.” Exodus 20:1, 6.

I don’t know why it happened…not sure how it happened…can’t pinpoint when it happened. All I know is that I have lived the majority of my life in search of the approval and acceptance of others. Whether it was anchored in insecurity or some other weakness I didn’t understand that was the motivation of all my actions. My idol continued to produce rotten fruit in this pursuit of approval for many years. When we have a deep idol that elevates our hearts above God we will bear rotten fruit although it might look delicious for the moment. Because I wouldn’t deal with my heartsickness of sin, God did. My past idols created a set of circumstances that culminated in things happening in my life that were out of control. I wanted THINGS to change but God wanted ME to change! So, He began a heart campaign that was like no other. Little did I know the journey would be life changing like open heart surgery.

My Bible Study this morning described our hearts as disordered. ‘We struggle with sin because we have disordered hearts. We have made the lesser things the main things. We have put something we love before the God we should love supremely. Our love priorities are out of whack. When our loves are out of order, the Bible calls it idolatry.’ Redeemed, Angela Thomas-Pharr, p. 135. She goes on to describe two types of idols in our lives, deep and surface idols. One is usually the fruit of the other. My deep idol was the desire for approval, acceptance, and control. My surface idols were my children, grandchildren and overspending. I think the deep idols are the altars we erect and the surface idols are those things that we worship at the altar. A.R. Bernard defines idolatry as seeking security and meaning in someone or something other than God. It is so easy for me to put my children as the main things over God who should be the supreme thing. I am tempted to satisfy my longings with things instead of His comfort. Since the heart campaign, I am thankful that most times, though not all times, I recognize when something is beginning to take on idol worshipping. I immediately ask the Holy Spirit to settle my heart and reorder my loves. We cannot reorder the loves we do not acknowledge. God is patient but God wants more…He wants your complete love and heart and He will stop at nothing until He has it. There is a date on the calendar for everyone…a date when Love will call your name…a date when your life will be redeemed…a date when your idol will be removed and God will be at the center.

We might have eternal life but God wants more than that. He wants the full abundance for your life in the here and now.

The Gradual Slope

“For we were utterly burdened beyond our strength that we despaired of life itself. Indeed, we felt that we had received the sentence of death. But that was to make us rely not on ourselves but on God who raises the dead.” 2 Co 1:8-9.

Let’s face it – LIFE HURTS! We have all felt those times when we were burdened beyond our strength. We have all had circumstances that were disparaging and made life unbearable. Seasons are filled with blessings and difficulties that come and go, escalating our emotions over our faith. We have little control over what flows into our lives and out of our lives. But what we do have control over are our responses to life’s challenges. That is why we must take our emotions to God every time and rely on His character to build the appropriate heart responses. While we might not still be actively sinning, we still drag around broken chains…our flesh nature. God has everything we need to break our chains for a better life, a life anchored in Him. Christ is our example and the journey is progress…not perfection. Perfection comes at the end of our lives.

“Every reaction we have to life flows from the heart. Whatever’s going on in your heart will determine how you respond to your problems and your struggles.” Redeemed, p. 131. That is why you and I must do the heart work with the Holy Spirit. We cannot ignore one part of our life in which we are living in disobedience and expect to partner with the Holy Spirit. He does not impose His work upon us, but invites us to participate in Him in setting us free. This cooperation is intentional, time-consuming and gut-wrenching but will be the very activity that will set us free. We will continue to live out hell on earth until we surrender our weaknesses to the One who can turn them into strengths. Maybe Uncle Screwtape knew what he was talking about in his letter. ‘Indeed, the safest road to Hell is the gradual one – the gentle slope, soft underfoot, without sudden turnings, without milestones, without signposts. Your affectionate uncle Screwtape.’ The Screwtape Letters, C.S. Lewis.

Thank God that we have the ultimate Signpost – the Holy Bible that is God’s word on all things. Through His character we will respond to life's challenges with the love, grace and mercy that flows into our hearts from God.

The Abandoned King's Castle

“…being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” Philippians 1:6.

Decades ago there was a place near my home that built up in splendor and grandeur like nothing else I had seen. It was the ministry of Jim and Tammy Bakker at Heritage USA. They began a powerful and effective teaching of God’s message and built an environment of worship and spiritual growth. But at some point, they allowed the temptations of this world to creep into God’s space and corruption entered the ministry with devastating results. I’ve been back since then as it is now a space for different organizations. Some of the hallways are empty and the outside buildings are cracking from neglect and disrepair. God began a powerful ministry that man tore apart. Below is a picture of the abandoned King's Castle as they named it.

When we each became Christians, God began creating good work in each of our lives. He has blessings upon blessings that are reserved for us as we walk out the life He destined for us. We are His building where He resides so how are we caring for His dwelling place? Are we giving that relationship full attention and care or do our lives reflect neglect and disrepair? We have all been given a certain number of days on this earth and then we are done. What are we doing with the remaining days of the good work that God began long ago in us? The author of my Bible Study posed this question today: “If God is faithful to complete what He begins in us will we be faithful to grow in Him? Will you coast to heaven with all the consequences it brings, or will you commit to grow in your faith?” 

 What will our spiritual buildings look like at the end of our lives? Will the halls be empty with echoes of what could have been? Will the foundation be crumbling by ignoring the work to keep it healthy and solid? Will our lives show as a snapshot of our abandoned King's Castle?

God’s desire is to dispense the abundance of His fullness, not portions with blessings left behind. We were not called to a life of self-focused convenience. We were called to life of effectiveness and fruitfulness. It is the way we are recognized as His people.

‘God sees your life in ways you cannot. He sees what you can become. Not only does He have the power, but He is also creative beyond your wildest imagination.’ Redeemed, p. 127.

Kiss the Book, Have No Love

“But don't just listen to God's word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves.”  James 1:22

When my children were little they knew how I felt about everything as it related to right and wrong.  Any of their actions or behavior were rarely out of lacking the knowledge of what to do.  It was more about making a decision to walk out right or wrong.  They chose to either hear and do what was right, or hear and do what was wrong.  As a result, they walked out the consequences of their choices.  It was pretty cut and dry…black and white.

As adults, we tend to make God's black and white ‘50 shades of gray’ when living out His commands.  (No, I didn’t read that book.)  We rationalize, calculate and manipulate to get what we want.  C.H. Spurgeon describes this living perfectly.  He explains through his writing that ‘There must be knowledge of God before there can be love to God:  there must be a knowledge of divine things, as they are revealed, before there can be an enjoyment of them.’  He further explains this morning’s verse in a powerful picture for those of us who claim we are His followers but knowingly continue to sin in some behavior.  He explains ‘We may kiss the book and have no love to its contents, we reverence the letter and yet really have no devotion towards the Lord who speaks to us in these words.’  When we choose things of this world to occupy our time instead of sitting before the Lord ‘we will kiss the book and have no love’ towards to message.  The 'book' says that God wishes to reveal things to us but we will devote time to ourselves instead of Him.  For me, many times I must pray for God to settle my heart and emotions so that I can hear Him more clearly.  I approach Him with honesty and humility when I really don’t feel like praying.  Many times I know what He is going to say, but I need Him to tell me again the way He wants me to live.  Repetition was extremely important when my children were little and repetition (not perfection thankfully) is paramount in my walk with God.  We must not just say what we want without doing the work to receive it or we are just deceiving ourselves.  50 shades of gray will never deliver black and white and we will lose out on the beautiful blessings of God.

“Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and acts on them is like a wise man who built his house on the rock.” Matthew 7:24.

Dead Blooms

"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear…So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them.”  Matthew 6:25-32.

I have always loved roses and even spent some time years ago trying to produce beautiful rose bushes that would always have blooms.  The problem was my gardening laziness.  I wanted roses but didn’t do the time-consuming and tedious work of caring for the actual dirt, trunk and stems.  I didn’t treat the soil, prune the bushes or pinch off the dead growth.  As a result of limited care, I enjoy limited blooms.    Instead of me putting in the time I spent my focus on many other things, finding myself purchasing something that I had the ability to produce on my own.

Our relationship with God is no different.  We sit around and see the areas of our lives that are in shambles no matter how hard we want a different life.  We distract ourselves with wants.  We run after status, image and the things that this world offers our flesh…all dead blooms.  We must kneel before the plant and carefully partner with God to prepare the soil of our soul.  We must give Him the shears and allow Him to cut back those areas in our lives that keep sabotaging our desires.  We must give Him freedom to pinch off those things that lead to death every time.  Once our focus is on the Gardner the blooms will be beautiful and numerous always producing beauty.  How do we do this?  We focus on His word, not our wants.  We ask for His kingdom to come, not our kingdom.  We surrender the temporary to gain the permanent by denying ourselves of things we use to pursue.  Our permanent will be freedom from that which holds our lives captive.  Our blooms will be healthy and plentiful because they will be rooted in the One who creates and redeems.

“God has a plan to redeem all that concerns you, and He intends to begin with your heart.  Will you receive His offer to redeem?  Will you believe in His steadfast love?  Or will you spend another year with your arms crossed, muttering to yourself something about how you’d do things differently?” Redeemed, Angela Thomas-Pharr, p. 63.

“But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” Matthew 6:33.

Culinary Nightmares

“He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. Even though I walk through the darkest valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies…Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.” Psalm 23:3-6.

Bruce and I have been part of a dinner club for over 20 years. Over the years I have prepared my turn with exact details. I would pour over recipes when planning the meal, and shop intentionally for unique things. I would set the table with special dinnerware and always adorn the house with beautiful flowers. Every placed item was orchestrated by my hands in preparation for my friends. But what if someone told me I needed to give that same attention to detail and work, but my guests would be my enemies? How would I feel if I knew I was going to share my time in my personal space with those whom I avoid?

Many times, the table He prepares for us is a culinary nightmare for us to digest and share with others. Our enemies who join us at the table might be loneliness, guilt or even sickness. God might invite those most difficult to love into our lives to develop our hearts and character. I have read Psalm 23 too many times to count and it wasn’t until this morning that I discovered a possible answer for why God allows so much pain and despair. I’ve never noticed that the entrance gate to the valley of suffering is the opening to righteousness. It is the narrow path to dwell with the Shepherd, but He guarantees we already possess everything needed for that season. His rod of authority is what led us there and will continue to guide us. His staff is what comforts us as we walk through the dark times. But valleys are meant to traverse through, not to set up house in for the duration of time. Just as God leads us into these dark times, when the work of righteousness is done we will be led out on the other side. We will have seen another facet of God who taught our hearts to trust. He will follow us out of the valley and we will ascend with Him to greater places. Places of freedom and fields of grace for others.

But we will not get out of our valleys as long as we keep repeating the same things. We will circle the fence a million times and continue to miss the Gate. It is when are eyes are focused on Him that we will recognize where He is taking us and follow Him all the way to freedom…our personal ‘surely goodness and love land.’

“For the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.” 2 Co 3:17.