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.

Tethered to Dusty Walls

“But I have raised you up for this very purpose, that I might show you my power and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth” Ex 9:16.

This morning as I was meditating on my Bible Study I couldn’t help but to think about where I’ve been, and the ways in which I’ve been bound by something.  We are told to remember our past, not to hold onto guilt or regret but to maintain a fresh awareness of the power of God.  We are exhorted to meditate on our past enslavements not to be depressed but to be reminded of the brutality of things that used to master over us.  This gives us a fresh heart for gratitude and worship to God.  God raises us up and out of our circumstances to reveal His love, power and faithfulness.  His transforming work in our lives is the proclamation of His name.

‘The whole point of remembering [the Israelites] slavery was to help them automatically become conscious of their current state of freedom.  Relief was meant to sweep over their souls as they thought back to the shackles that had once tethered them to dusty walls and barren posts.  A spring of gratitude would well up inside them because now they were liberated’ Breathe, p. 94.  I was thinking about the things that once enslaved me and how God showed me the power of deliverance.  I was pondering the days of ‘dusty walls and barren posts’…dirty little secrets in my spending…a barren heart when my daughter was in a life of destruction.  I was so tethered to the darkness that it was easy to lose hope, but then hope arrived!  God showed me what He was made of…showed me the hand of the King of Glory!

What are you tethered to this morning?  What dusty walls and barren posts have you in a state of little hope?  Whatever it is we must tether ourselves to Jesus instead of our circumstances for Jesus is the key to freedom.  He came to set us free from this temporary dwelling called earth, and we are all called to eternity.  God’s desire is for every one of us to join Him in His kingdom and be rid of pain and sorrow once and for all. 

‘The LORD said, I have indeed seen the misery…I have heard them crying out…I am concerned about their suffering.  So I have come down to rescue...and to bring them up out of that land into a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey’ Ex 3:7-8.

Our Flesh's Memory

“When the LORD your God brings you into the land…a land with large, flourishing cities you did not build…good things you did not provide…vineyards and olive groves you did not plant…be careful that you do not forget the LORD, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery” De 6:10-12.

Can I just say that I miss my mind!  It is so ridiculous the time I waste trying to recover thoughts that have temporarily escaped me.  Even things that should never be forgotten seem to be hazy like a picture out of focus.  I think I try to recall those forgotten things to be intentional and exercise my mind.  Our spiritual memory is no different.  Why is it that our flesh seems to have a better memory than our spirit?

You know what I’m talking about.  Our flesh remembers the bad that others did to us while our spirit celebrates the kindness received.  Our flesh remembers what is owed to them while our spirit is grateful to receive anything.  Our flesh remembers our past habits, and seem to lure us back to those old ways that enslaved us.  We claim victory over the worry and fretting only to remember the what-ifs.  We form healthy habits and new disciplines only for the flesh to remind us of the benefits of picking up the old ways.

God knows the importance of recalling His past goodness.  He wants us to marinate in the past deliverances and miracles to cement our spiritual progression.  It’s easier to see the transforming progress of our faith by looking back and taking time to exercise our spiritual memory.  I may not be where I want to end up but I’m farther than I’ve ever been.

Father, please exercise our spiritual memory so we can be in a constant state of healthy worship and praise!

Raining Bread

“Then the LORD said to Moses, ‘I will rain down bread from heaven for you. The people are to go out each day and gather enough for that day. In this way I will test them and see whether they will follow my instructions. On the sixth day they are to prepare what they bring in, and that is to be twice as much as they gather on the other days’” Ex 16:4-6.

One of the most repeated stories from the Bible is the story of the manna that God provided in the desert for the Israelites. It has been told so many times it is easy to lose sight of the enormity of the miracle. These people went out daily and gathered the same amount as they became accustomed to what their individual household needed. It’s not like they had to work harder on the 6th day to receive a double portion. It’s not that they worked longer hours on the others days to receive the double portion. They received the double portion because they obeyed God and trusted Him for His word…their provision would be enough and it would take the same amount of time to gather it. They had a choice…they could believe or they could strive and search…they could be blessed or miss the blessing. 

And yet, we experience our own bread falling from heaven…our own provisional miracle day after day. Most times receiving that supernatural divine activity is predicated upon our obedience and belief. Will we remain in our tents and recognize the double portion of God’s grace…mercy when we don’t deserve it…energy when we are tired…comfort when we are anxious…money when we are broke…all double portions. 

‘When we curtail our efforts and interests in obedience to the Spirit’s conviction – resisting the gnawing sense of guilt or compulsion to keep pressing beyond the boundaries, beyond that which honors God – He will bless our obedience and sustain us. He will miraculously give twice the harvest, twice the fulfillment, twice the return, even though we haven’t done anything more to garner it…Believing that doing less can somehow produce more requires a resilient faith. It takes an unshakeable, concrete trust in God to maintain the confidence that allows you to stop, even when everything in you and around you says keep going. Keep pushing. Keep gathering. Keep persisting. That’s hard for a slave’ Priscilla Shirer, Breathe, p. 66-67. We must take God at His word and believe that the bread falling from heaven today is enough for our needs for tomorrow.
 
‘…and in the morning you will see the glory of the LORD’ Ex 16:7.

Confronting Our Pharaohs

“Then the LORD said, ‘Get up early in the morning and confront Pharaoh…This is what the LORD says:  Let my people go…I will deal differently in the land…where my people live…I will make a distinction between my people and your people.’”  Ex 8:20-22.

We have all been there and some of you are ‘there’ right now.  You awake only to have the weight of a burden on your mind and heart.  When your eyes open the reality of your circumstances are immediately before you…your situation is your Pharaoh that has the possibility of enslaving you.  Is it a tough and challenging job?  Is it the loss of a loved one?  Is it the inability to become pregnant or no sign of a significant partner?  All of these are pharaohs that must be confronted daily.

The Lord instructs us that if we confront our pharaohs with what He says about the circumstances we will be given everything needed to navigate through our situations.  We are to face our circumstances with God’s word.  We are to believe that God will deal with the details of our situation when we live in the land of trust and faith.  He knows which children belong to Him and can distinguish between those who walk by the Spirit instead of the flesh.  There will always be pharaohs that command our emotions and zap our spiritual energy.  That is why we must rely on God to empower us to speak truth into our circumstances.  These truths are as simply as affirmations from the Word.

God will never leave me nor forsake me in my present situation.

God will give me the daily provisions I need in this experience.

God will rescue me from this temporary wilderness

God will redeem and restore either on earth or in heaven.

God works everything to eventually bless and benefit me.

God is love…always…forever!

If we going to feel the weight of something, let us choose the weight of Glory!

Busier Than Jesus

“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” Gal 5:1.

Most likely, we have all sat with jaws dropped as we watch the incredible stories of hoarders. It is a disorder that is tough to understand. The saddest of these stories is when the homeowner finally opens up their mind and heart to rid themselves of the practices that were unhealthy. They examine the individual behaviors that cluttered up their space and overtook their lives. We go through the journey with them as they methodically and intentionally rid their space of the clutter. Such joy and appreciation belongs to them for their hard work and revelation…until the cameras darken and the accountability pulls away. Then day by day the clutter returns…the intentionality disappears…the disciplines are lost.

We are no different when considering our own lives. God has given me a wonderful gift of vocation and calling. Last week I turned in 99 hours for 14 days and I can’t believe that delighted Him. He did not call me out of one thing to be enslaved to another. There was nothing in my heart that felt good about turning those hours in because it came at a price. Fewer prayer walks…less physical exercise…minimal human contact. This morning I was convicted that Christ didn’t climb up on that tree to give us freedom for us to thank Him during church once a week, walk away from the altar and returned to captivity.

God gave us Sabbath rest as a command, not a suggestion. Do not kill…do not steal…do not covet and envy…give a tenth to the Lord out of everything…keep the Sabbath holy. ‘Observe the Sabbath by keeping it holy, as the LORD your God has commanded you. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work… Remember that you were slaves…and that the LORD your God brought you out of there with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm. Therefore the LORD your God has commanded you to observe the Sabbath day’ De 5:12-15. When we see a passage from the Lord that anchors the same command we had better make sure obedience is our response.

When Jesus walked this earth there had never been and will never be a greater purpose than His purpose on earth. But even Jesus ceased from healing by entering into Sabbath rest…even Jesus refrained from teaching the important message of the Kingdom by carving out Sabbath rest…even Jesus paused from the pressures of daily work by taking time to fellowship with God, His friends and family. Who of us is willing to say that our work is more important than the redeeming work of Christ? Who of us is willing to say that we are busier than Jesus was as people clamored just to touch Him as He walked from point A to B?

If we are to be enslaved to anything let it be to Jesus and not to food, drink, money, power or work. May it be our daily prayer and obedience to not hoard the things of this world and clutter the space of rest in our lives.