Are you as shocked as I am these days to see what Godly women post on their Facebook pages? It seems our current political climate has brought out the worst of what lies at our core, and I'm no better. While I try to be careful not to hurt anyone with my words and actions, I can pass judgement, with the pound of my gavel on the bench of my own self-righteousness, with lightening speed. I place myself in a position of thinking I know the motives or mind of those who say such-and-such and shake my head in disbelief at their carelessness, while tisking my tongue at their smallness. All the while that very position of mine, condemns me. Who do I think I am? Do I have such a pure heart and mind as to place me above anyone else? NO!!
I am realizing more and more that I am only responsible for my own words, my own actions and my own decisions. Duh! But not a truth lived out in the past. The God of the angel armies is making it clearer and clearer that I am called to be an encourager to those around me. I am NOT truth for anyone else - I can only be a vessel in which God's truth is lived out and revealed by the power of the Holy Spirit to a world whose moral compass is broken - and in many cases, this includes most of us church-folk. My job is not to be in the seat of the Holy Spirit. My job is to be a vessel that God can use to bless others. I'm just an old cracked pot God has chosen to use, nothing more and nothing less. I'm cracked because of my own flaws but in the hands of the Master, I have value and usefulness in the Kingdom. I need to leave the Judgement seat for God! How can a cracked pot think it can be the judge? James 3:9 says:
"But the human tongue can be tamed by no man. it is (an undisciplined, irreconcilable) restless evil, full of death-bringing poison. With it we bless the Lord and Father, and with it we curse men who were made in God's likeness! Out of the same mouth come forth blessing and cursing. These things my brethren, ought not to be so." (The Amplified Bible Version)
So, during this political firestorm, I will not engage. I will not hurl insults, make caddy remarks, or stand silently while ensuring my body language speaks for me, toward anyone across the political aisle. They are not my foe. I can have an opinion and share it in such a way that speaks for me personally without judgement, without crassness, and without guile. I am determined to show love. Otherwise, I am defiling the Imago Dei, the image of God, in both myself and of the one I speak against. I will listen more than speak, and remain silent when my words can't be tempered. Otherwise, I am striking a match and setting an entire forest ablaze because I didn't like the position of one elm!
Father God, I want the tongue I use to bless YOU, not to be defiled by me. May the meditations of my heart and the words of my mouth be pleasing and acceptable to you, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer! Remove the poison from my words and let them become words of sweet encouragement.
Wednesday, January 18, 2017
Thursday, January 12, 2017
Hurry Up and Wait!
I don't know about you but there is NOTHING harder or more exasperating than to be put on "perma-hold" with customer service. Service being the operating word here. I want service, but instead, I'm on hold and they are, I don't know, taking a lunch break! Along the same vein, standing in one of the only open check out lines at the big blue box-store waiting, waiting and waiting. Generally I start looking around to see why the other three employees standing talking at the Customer Service area can't, jump on register without being told, is beyond me, because I want SERVICE! Why have 43 check out lanes and only have three open, I don't know. To say nothing of the doctor's office who has you wait 4o minutes in the waiting room for an appointment made months ago and then want to send a bill if I they are 10 minutes late! What???
Let's face it friends, waiting is not easy. We've grown accustomed to our microwave world and we want fast food, fast gas, fast service, and fast answers! In this time of doctors, hospitals and tests with Wes, I'm learning the art of "waiting." Oh, don't get me wrong, that doesn't mean by any means that I am waiting patiently. Uh, nope, not at all. In fact, yesterday was just such a day. "We will call you tomorrow" does NOT actually mean they will call tomorrow, so we wait. It's what I do in the waiting that really tells the tale, doesn't it. Am I employing the fruit-of-the-Spirit patience, or am I allowing my anxiety to build? Am I trusting in the Lord, or is my flesh nature in control? I learned a long time ago that if I want to measure my growth in the Lord, I should measure my reactions not my actions. Let me explain.
It's one thing to say, "Well, I am faithful to church attendance and my church responsibilities, I go on mission trips and welcome the stranger." And, it's another thing all together to check my reactions; how I treat others when I'm impatient, uptight or ticked off! If I'm still able to manage myself and my reactions to the negative stimuli around me, then I can really see how much I've grown. Or if I give myself permission to speak ugly to the lady who, in my opinion, could move faster, shows how immature I still am. Okay, so now for true confession. Yesterday after waiting all day and still not hearing anything I went upstairs to my office, mad! I stewed in it for some time. But finally, I came to the place where I began to hear the Lord speak to my heart, "Settle down and wait patiently, it's all in My hands and My timing." I was reminded of His Word from Isaiah 40:31 that says:
"But those who wait for the Lord -- who expect, look for and hope in Him -- shall change and renew their strength and power; they shall lift their wings and mount up [close to God] as eagles [mount up to the sun]; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint or become tired." (The Amplified Bible Version)
I spent more wasted time waiting for, expecting and hoping in, a call from John's Hopkins, than I did in expecting, waiting for, and hoping in, what God was doing. And because of that, I felt more and more drained as the day wore on. And yet, this passage of Scripture teaches that if I want to be lifted above my circumstances, I need to learn to wait in the Lord. I need to put my trust, and hope in what God is up to instead of the report of the doctor. NO THIS IS NOT EASY TO DO, but that doesn't mean it isn't doable. When I do that, then I am energized for the journey.
Friends, those of you who are on this journey with me, let me say this. Insight isn't learning! It only becomes learning when we put into practice (whether we succeed at it or not) those things God is giving us insight into. The more we practice the insight, the more we grow from the learning.
Precious Almighty God, may it be that I learn from the insights You gave me about waiting. May I put into practice those things You want me to learn. Right now, You want me to learn how to wait on YOU. When I do, I'll find I'm less and less weary and more and more filled with what I need to get through the journey. Amen!
Let's face it friends, waiting is not easy. We've grown accustomed to our microwave world and we want fast food, fast gas, fast service, and fast answers! In this time of doctors, hospitals and tests with Wes, I'm learning the art of "waiting." Oh, don't get me wrong, that doesn't mean by any means that I am waiting patiently. Uh, nope, not at all. In fact, yesterday was just such a day. "We will call you tomorrow" does NOT actually mean they will call tomorrow, so we wait. It's what I do in the waiting that really tells the tale, doesn't it. Am I employing the fruit-of-the-Spirit patience, or am I allowing my anxiety to build? Am I trusting in the Lord, or is my flesh nature in control? I learned a long time ago that if I want to measure my growth in the Lord, I should measure my reactions not my actions. Let me explain.
It's one thing to say, "Well, I am faithful to church attendance and my church responsibilities, I go on mission trips and welcome the stranger." And, it's another thing all together to check my reactions; how I treat others when I'm impatient, uptight or ticked off! If I'm still able to manage myself and my reactions to the negative stimuli around me, then I can really see how much I've grown. Or if I give myself permission to speak ugly to the lady who, in my opinion, could move faster, shows how immature I still am. Okay, so now for true confession. Yesterday after waiting all day and still not hearing anything I went upstairs to my office, mad! I stewed in it for some time. But finally, I came to the place where I began to hear the Lord speak to my heart, "Settle down and wait patiently, it's all in My hands and My timing." I was reminded of His Word from Isaiah 40:31 that says:
"But those who wait for the Lord -- who expect, look for and hope in Him -- shall change and renew their strength and power; they shall lift their wings and mount up [close to God] as eagles [mount up to the sun]; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint or become tired." (The Amplified Bible Version)
I spent more wasted time waiting for, expecting and hoping in, a call from John's Hopkins, than I did in expecting, waiting for, and hoping in, what God was doing. And because of that, I felt more and more drained as the day wore on. And yet, this passage of Scripture teaches that if I want to be lifted above my circumstances, I need to learn to wait in the Lord. I need to put my trust, and hope in what God is up to instead of the report of the doctor. NO THIS IS NOT EASY TO DO, but that doesn't mean it isn't doable. When I do that, then I am energized for the journey.
Friends, those of you who are on this journey with me, let me say this. Insight isn't learning! It only becomes learning when we put into practice (whether we succeed at it or not) those things God is giving us insight into. The more we practice the insight, the more we grow from the learning.
Precious Almighty God, may it be that I learn from the insights You gave me about waiting. May I put into practice those things You want me to learn. Right now, You want me to learn how to wait on YOU. When I do, I'll find I'm less and less weary and more and more filled with what I need to get through the journey. Amen!
Sunday, January 8, 2017
Ministering Angels!
What does a preacher do on a Sunday when church has been called off due to icy road conditions? You would think sleep in, right? You might even think I'd get up and fix a nice hot breakfast, since that NEVER happens. But no, I didn't do that either. Instead, I got up at 5 am as usual, came into my office and began clearing my desk: finished entering year end computer work in preparation for the new year, filed that stack of paperwork I hadn't filed in the last six-months, and straightened bookshelves. STRAIGHTENED BOOKSHELVES! WHY? Why couldn't I have slept in, rested the morning away and gone downstairs to spend time with Wes? I asked myself those exact questions.
As I reflected, I began to pray. In that moment something unusual and awe-inspiring happened. I was deep in thought, thinking about our upcoming eight-weeks at John's Hopkins, thinking about my two churches and how they would fare in my absence, thinking about finishing up CPE and this final phase of Provisional Membership before ordination; thinking, thinking, thinking! That's when it happened. Something outside the window that I face at my desk, caught my eye. It was a million small particles of frost and snow that the wind hurled off the roof of the house. They danced at the window for what seemed minutes and yet I know it was only seconds. It was an amazing swirl of up and down drafts, blowing to and fro, while glistening in the sunlight like sparkling bits of diamond-dust. But the most amazing part is that each small particle or tiniest flake was well distinguished, not like dust at all, but more like a microscopic glimpse of the Heavenly Host. Then, as I was entranced by the image, the beauty and the wonder of it, God spoke. I heard the scripture from Hebrews 1:14, which says:
"Are not the angels all (servants) ministering spirits, sent out in the service [of God for the assistance] of those who are to inherit salvation?" (The Amplified Bible)
As I reflected, I began to pray. In that moment something unusual and awe-inspiring happened. I was deep in thought, thinking about our upcoming eight-weeks at John's Hopkins, thinking about my two churches and how they would fare in my absence, thinking about finishing up CPE and this final phase of Provisional Membership before ordination; thinking, thinking, thinking! That's when it happened. Something outside the window that I face at my desk, caught my eye. It was a million small particles of frost and snow that the wind hurled off the roof of the house. They danced at the window for what seemed minutes and yet I know it was only seconds. It was an amazing swirl of up and down drafts, blowing to and fro, while glistening in the sunlight like sparkling bits of diamond-dust. But the most amazing part is that each small particle or tiniest flake was well distinguished, not like dust at all, but more like a microscopic glimpse of the Heavenly Host. Then, as I was entranced by the image, the beauty and the wonder of it, God spoke. I heard the scripture from Hebrews 1:14, which says:
"Are not the angels all (servants) ministering spirits, sent out in the service [of God for the assistance] of those who are to inherit salvation?" (The Amplified Bible)
What a special promise. In fact, I think had I listened any harder, I would have heard the angels at my window singing, "Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord, God of power and might, heaven and earth are full of Your glory!" I was being ministered to by angels! I couldn't see them but they were there! All around me, swirling to and fro, in a dance of protection, ministry of peace and service to my soul, assisting God in comforting me, and ushering in a sense of well-being. The kind of peace that passes all understanding (Philippians 4:7). That kind of peace comes only from heaven! This peace, has continued to surround me all day, and I've been bathed in it. Gone is the stress, gone are the questions, gone is the fear of the unknown. All this replaced by the reality that God's got this. Whatever it is...God's got it.
So, today was a reality check. More real than cancer, is the God who carry's you through whatever He brings you to!
Thank you Precious Lord for the grace you gave me today. Thank you for opening a window of heaven and for pouring me out a blessing that is uncontainable! For, today I saw heaven, even if it was a glimpse of it, and I give You thanks!
Friday, January 6, 2017
Stop and Breathe!
Go forward 12 steps. No. Reverse 2 paces. Turn to the left. No. Turn to the right. Wrong, step up. No, that won't work, sit back. Quickly, get it together. Hold on, it's spinning out of control. Wait, I'm in control. Say what? No one is in control! Oh snap, that's not right -- only God is in control! STOP and breathe!
Yesterday, was just such a day with its multiple phone calls from John's Hopkins that said we were to be there on Monday. So, I email my professor saying I won't be in class on Monday and I rearrange my schedule. No, wait (I write him back), they have called again and changed that. Now it's Tuesday, so I will be in class on Monday, again, I rearrange my schedule. I paid the bills, proofed the bulletins and the Power-points for Sunday, created a "care coverage chart," set up folks to do my shut-in visitation, etc., etc., etc. I've got this. Who am I fooling, I don't got this!
Hear that? That's the quirky hidden side of me I don't want folks to see. It's that part of my brain that wants to remind me of how small I am, how incapable I am of keeping up the façade that I am on top of it all. A confidant, capable, secure woman of God able to leap tall buildings with a single bound. Able to slay the fire-breathing dragons charging toward me, all the while, keeping the plates spinning in my juggling act of life. Yep, I can bring home the bacon, fry it up in a pan. But don't expect that I will put up the gas nozzle before pulling away from the pump! I do dumb things like that!
What's up with that? How is it I can be so darned capable and forget to put away the gas nozzle? That's the other side I'm talking about. And, when that side starts to unravel and leave a dangling trail of thread that lets you know, I DON'T actually have it all together, I'm unnerved! Why? Because, the world has convinced me that my value is found in my doing.
Value isn't in the things done for others. Value can't be earned. True value and worth are found in the eyes of the creator, the One who died for me simply because I was worth it! All the rest of my busyness, is only empty vanity. Yesterday, in a moment of feeling like I was unraveling, I used a life-line and phoned a friend. She said, "Gayle, first of all, stop and breathe." Simple instructions that remind me I need to stop and consider that growing anxiety within me. How else will I know until it's too late, and in my frayed state, say or do something I will later regret. It's in times like this that the scripture found in Deuteronomy 32:10-11 really speaks to me:
" He sustained him in a desert land, in a howling wilderness waste; he shielded him, cared for him,
guarded him as the apple of his eye. As an eagle stirs up its nest, and hovers over its young;
as it spreads its wings, takes them up, and bears them aloft on its pinions." (New Revised Standard Version)
Yesterday, was just such a day with its multiple phone calls from John's Hopkins that said we were to be there on Monday. So, I email my professor saying I won't be in class on Monday and I rearrange my schedule. No, wait (I write him back), they have called again and changed that. Now it's Tuesday, so I will be in class on Monday, again, I rearrange my schedule. I paid the bills, proofed the bulletins and the Power-points for Sunday, created a "care coverage chart," set up folks to do my shut-in visitation, etc., etc., etc. I've got this. Who am I fooling, I don't got this!
Hear that? That's the quirky hidden side of me I don't want folks to see. It's that part of my brain that wants to remind me of how small I am, how incapable I am of keeping up the façade that I am on top of it all. A confidant, capable, secure woman of God able to leap tall buildings with a single bound. Able to slay the fire-breathing dragons charging toward me, all the while, keeping the plates spinning in my juggling act of life. Yep, I can bring home the bacon, fry it up in a pan. But don't expect that I will put up the gas nozzle before pulling away from the pump! I do dumb things like that!
What's up with that? How is it I can be so darned capable and forget to put away the gas nozzle? That's the other side I'm talking about. And, when that side starts to unravel and leave a dangling trail of thread that lets you know, I DON'T actually have it all together, I'm unnerved! Why? Because, the world has convinced me that my value is found in my doing.
Value isn't in the things done for others. Value can't be earned. True value and worth are found in the eyes of the creator, the One who died for me simply because I was worth it! All the rest of my busyness, is only empty vanity. Yesterday, in a moment of feeling like I was unraveling, I used a life-line and phoned a friend. She said, "Gayle, first of all, stop and breathe." Simple instructions that remind me I need to stop and consider that growing anxiety within me. How else will I know until it's too late, and in my frayed state, say or do something I will later regret. It's in times like this that the scripture found in Deuteronomy 32:10-11 really speaks to me:
" He sustained him in a desert land, in a howling wilderness waste; he shielded him, cared for him,
guarded him as the apple of his eye. As an eagle stirs up its nest, and hovers over its young;
as it spreads its wings, takes them up, and bears them aloft on its pinions." (New Revised Standard Version)
You see, I'm just a lump of clay, there's no real value in me. Except in the hands of the potter who shapes, fashions and creates something valuable out of me. I am the apple of my Father's eye! He takes care of my every need when I'm in the desert place in the howling wilderness waste! Not only that, but He shields me from the fire-breathing dragon. God's so adores me, that He hovers over me as a mother eagle hovers over her nest. But, how will I notice it in my over-functioning business, as if I can manage the howling wilderness myself! How would I notice God's desire to bear me up above the clamor of craziness and angst, unless I stopped long enough to breathe in the breath of life?
Keep me Jesus, as the apple of Your eye, a valuable treasure. Remind me to stop and breathe, which is self-care and balance. Focus my eyes that I might see how valued I already am, apart from my doing and activity.
Comment and let me hear how God is speaking to you about being the apple of His eye.
Wednesday, January 4, 2017
Hallelujah NOT!
Years ago, when my oldest granddaughter was about 4, she and her parents lived with me for a time right after my son was discharged from the Army. I lived in Abilene, Texas and tornados were a part of life. Now mind you, I was told when I moved there that, "we haven't had a tornado hit Abilene in over 20 years!" That did NOT bring me comfort. In fact, in an odd way it actually had the opposite effect. It seemed reasonable to me that if they had not had a tornado in over 20 years, they were due one, right?! I lived in the church parsonage that didn't have a basement. However, just a few blocks away was Dub and Evlyn Allen's cellar, behind their house, built by his loving hands years before. They were elderly parishioners who welcomed us to their cellar any time we felt the need or we heard the tornado sirens blow.
Naturally, the day after Easter the skies grew black, the clouds rolled low over-head and the conditions were right for the spawning of tornados -- and I was ever watchful. My daughter-in-law was in a panic that quickly spread to us all, but most of all, to Katelynn. I was holding myself together as the brave grandma that I was, for Katlynn's sake. Suddenly, the siren's began to blow and bravery was out the window! You never saw anything like it! We ran wildly to the car, headed for the Allen's house, ran 2 red lights - while the rain and hail blew sideways. Evlyn was waiting for us on the porch with an open door ready to usher through the house, across the yard and down into what she called, "Dubbie's playhouse." Katelynn was NOT impressed. We tore through the yard and down the steps into the dark-dampness of that musty hole in the ground, while our feet hardly landed on the steps. For a moment we relaxed in the safety of that haven, but not Katelynn. She bounced from adult to adult as we tried to calm her until the deafening rumble seemed to roll right over us. and then it was silence. Dubbie opened the door and the sky was blue again, the birds were singing praises to God, and all was well. No downed trees, the house still in tact, and we were unharmed and safe. After a quick inspection, the men-folk gave us the - all clear. Once out of the cellar, Evlyn said, "well Hallelujah!" Katelynn whipped her head around to Miss Evlyn, cocked her head to one side, placed her hands on her hips and spurted out, "Hallelujah NOT, that was scary!"
Today after Wes and I returned home from meeting with the radiation oncologists about his cancer, I sort of felt like Katelynn. It was another of those "fearful tornado moments," that threatened certain destruction. Panic set in at the over-whelming news of a fifty-percent chance of survival. My faith responded, "Hallelujah, that's a fifty-percent chance of beating this thing," while my flesh cried out, "Hallelujah NOT this is scary! That's a fifty-percent chance of not!"
In that moment God reminded me of David's words in Psalm 42:11, that says:
"Why are you cast down, O my inner self? And why should you moan over me and be disquieted within me? Hope in God and wait expectantly for Him; for I shall yet praise Him Who is the help of my countenance, and my God." (The Amplified Bible)
Matthew Henry's commentary on Psalm 42 with regard to this section, verses 6-11 wrote, "the way to forget our miseries, is to remember the God of our mercies." Is that not an incredible quote? O how often we get trapped in our miseries, our fears, our circumstances, and forget the God of our mercies. His mercies are NEW EVERY MORNING! Every morning our loving Creator God, creates for us a new day filled with new mercies. Not yesterday's mercy, not last weeks mercy and not even tomorrows mercy. Instead, every day, our daddy God meets us where we need it the most. There is mercy for the moment, mercy for the hour, and mercy for the day.
King David the psalmist, does a little self-reflection and finds that his soul is downcast. He is feeling restless and filled with sorrow, but he doesn't give in to it. Instead, David has what my Grandma would call a "come to Jesus meeting" with himself, and demands his feelings to put their hope in God. He reminds his feelings, his flesh, and his very soul to be patient, hopeful, and even expecting of God's favorable outcome. David's cure for the blues, is praise, not self-pity! He banishes the blues by singing praises to God who is the only One who can speak to a storm and calm the raging sea. When my flesh wants to cry out, "Hallelujah NOT!" I will do the opposite and experience the power of praise for this I know, He's the lifter of my head! (Psalm 3:3)
Most people know the first few words of the first verse of "His Eye Is On The Sparrow," and most can sing the chorus. But, very few know the third verse that says:
Whenever I am tempted,
Whenever clouds arise,
When songs give place to sighing,
When hope within me dies,
I draw the closer to Him,
From care He sets me free:
His eye is on the sparrow,
And I know He cares for me;
His eye is on the sparrow,
And I know He watches me.
Hallelujah! His eye watches over me and over YOU!
Comment and share with me, how He watches over you!
Naturally, the day after Easter the skies grew black, the clouds rolled low over-head and the conditions were right for the spawning of tornados -- and I was ever watchful. My daughter-in-law was in a panic that quickly spread to us all, but most of all, to Katelynn. I was holding myself together as the brave grandma that I was, for Katlynn's sake. Suddenly, the siren's began to blow and bravery was out the window! You never saw anything like it! We ran wildly to the car, headed for the Allen's house, ran 2 red lights - while the rain and hail blew sideways. Evlyn was waiting for us on the porch with an open door ready to usher through the house, across the yard and down into what she called, "Dubbie's playhouse." Katelynn was NOT impressed. We tore through the yard and down the steps into the dark-dampness of that musty hole in the ground, while our feet hardly landed on the steps. For a moment we relaxed in the safety of that haven, but not Katelynn. She bounced from adult to adult as we tried to calm her until the deafening rumble seemed to roll right over us. and then it was silence. Dubbie opened the door and the sky was blue again, the birds were singing praises to God, and all was well. No downed trees, the house still in tact, and we were unharmed and safe. After a quick inspection, the men-folk gave us the - all clear. Once out of the cellar, Evlyn said, "well Hallelujah!" Katelynn whipped her head around to Miss Evlyn, cocked her head to one side, placed her hands on her hips and spurted out, "Hallelujah NOT, that was scary!"
Today after Wes and I returned home from meeting with the radiation oncologists about his cancer, I sort of felt like Katelynn. It was another of those "fearful tornado moments," that threatened certain destruction. Panic set in at the over-whelming news of a fifty-percent chance of survival. My faith responded, "Hallelujah, that's a fifty-percent chance of beating this thing," while my flesh cried out, "Hallelujah NOT this is scary! That's a fifty-percent chance of not!"
In that moment God reminded me of David's words in Psalm 42:11, that says:
"Why are you cast down, O my inner self? And why should you moan over me and be disquieted within me? Hope in God and wait expectantly for Him; for I shall yet praise Him Who is the help of my countenance, and my God." (The Amplified Bible)
Matthew Henry's commentary on Psalm 42 with regard to this section, verses 6-11 wrote, "the way to forget our miseries, is to remember the God of our mercies." Is that not an incredible quote? O how often we get trapped in our miseries, our fears, our circumstances, and forget the God of our mercies. His mercies are NEW EVERY MORNING! Every morning our loving Creator God, creates for us a new day filled with new mercies. Not yesterday's mercy, not last weeks mercy and not even tomorrows mercy. Instead, every day, our daddy God meets us where we need it the most. There is mercy for the moment, mercy for the hour, and mercy for the day.
King David the psalmist, does a little self-reflection and finds that his soul is downcast. He is feeling restless and filled with sorrow, but he doesn't give in to it. Instead, David has what my Grandma would call a "come to Jesus meeting" with himself, and demands his feelings to put their hope in God. He reminds his feelings, his flesh, and his very soul to be patient, hopeful, and even expecting of God's favorable outcome. David's cure for the blues, is praise, not self-pity! He banishes the blues by singing praises to God who is the only One who can speak to a storm and calm the raging sea. When my flesh wants to cry out, "Hallelujah NOT!" I will do the opposite and experience the power of praise for this I know, He's the lifter of my head! (Psalm 3:3)
Most people know the first few words of the first verse of "His Eye Is On The Sparrow," and most can sing the chorus. But, very few know the third verse that says:
Whenever I am tempted,
Whenever clouds arise,
When songs give place to sighing,
When hope within me dies,
I draw the closer to Him,
From care He sets me free:
His eye is on the sparrow,
And I know He cares for me;
His eye is on the sparrow,
And I know He watches me.
Hallelujah! His eye watches over me and over YOU!
Comment and share with me, how He watches over you!
Tuesday, January 3, 2017
Resisting the Devil
Today is one of those days that I "just don't wanna." I don't want to walk on the treadmill, I don't want to get out of the house and face all the load of the day, I don't want to think about what to eat, how to eat and least of all, I don't want to BLOG! Have you ever had one of those days?
It's a cold, rainy, dreary day. I'd much rather sit with a huge bowl of popcorn, curled up in my favorite chair and read a book between naps. That's all I want to do today. But, instead, here I sit forcing myself to be obedient and fighting the kind of fight, spiritually with the devil, who gives me every reason to call off the day, as if I were wrestling with a dragon. But, it turns out, the dragon is my own will and my will is that which HAS to be submitted to God! So, I began with scripture, setting my mind on the things above so that I might be pulled out of this lulled and lazy place. And, it never ceases to amaze me how God's Word does just that! Take for instance this scripture for the day, from James 4:7.
"So be subject to God. - Stand firm against the devil; resist him and he will flee from you." (The Amplified Bible)
That's it. That one small sentence. It's one small sentence that is chock full of clear instruction. And, can I just say, bummer! I'd rather hear, "Sit firm, say a prayer and the God of the heavenly armies will swoop down and take up the fight for you. And, before you know it, my child, you'll perk up and.'feel like it' again." But no, that is NOT what it says. Instead, the burden is on me before it's on God. You see, I have to decide to stand firm, be unmovable in the quest. I have to be resolute in the challenge. I have to be wholly dedicated to the stand of obedience I've declared. I've declared war on the enemy and apathy is his best weapon. I've been pierced with an apathetic arrow and everything in me wants to give in to it. But, I'm called to take a stand AGAINST the attack of the enemy. But, it doesn't stop there. I am called to resist him and the best weapon I have in my arsenal is scripture. Resistance is best done by quoting scripture to the devil, such as, "I can do all thing through Christ who strengthens me!" (Philippians 4:13). Once, I resist, I am then called to flee. Fleeing implies movement in the opposite direction from where the attack is coming from when what I would rather do is the opposite. So, just the moment I am done with today's blog, I will get on the treadmill and be faithful to my daily mile, head downstairs for my shower and begin my day. Never mind that I've wasted my morning, more importantly, that I grabbed ahold of the feeling and responded in faithfulness to my Temple Training.
Did you notice all those words? Stand, resist, flee? Those three words are my words for the day, the are all action words. When you look at them don't they look like oxymoron's? Don't they contradict themselves? Stand and flee? To me, the word "stand" is a static position that is fixed, unchanging; lacking in action. While "flee" seems to be dynamic, moveable, not fixed. And, I would be right if I were to look at this verse simply from the point of view of the English language. But, this verse means so much more than that. It's more of a command from God that says, "Stand up, get up and get out of this stuck place that holds you to failure. Stand up and resist the urge to stay here, the place you've been, the place you hate, the place you've grown weary of. And run like thunder away from it, in the other direction. Do something, anything toward the goal and desires you've set." And, friends when we do that, the devil doesn't stand a chance! The devil has to flee! Why? Because, "Greater is He who is in me, that he who is in the world!" (1 John 4:4).
So, today I stand. Today I resist. Today I flee! Let the Temple Training Challenge continue!!!
Great, is the victory, great is the victory, oh glorious victory that overcomes the world!
Thank you Father God for reminding me of this verse and this song, for great is Your victory. Thank you for helping me to overcome. I surrender this day and my will to YOU! In Jesus name, Amen.
Comment and let me know how God is speaking to you through this challenge, we're in this together!
It's a cold, rainy, dreary day. I'd much rather sit with a huge bowl of popcorn, curled up in my favorite chair and read a book between naps. That's all I want to do today. But, instead, here I sit forcing myself to be obedient and fighting the kind of fight, spiritually with the devil, who gives me every reason to call off the day, as if I were wrestling with a dragon. But, it turns out, the dragon is my own will and my will is that which HAS to be submitted to God! So, I began with scripture, setting my mind on the things above so that I might be pulled out of this lulled and lazy place. And, it never ceases to amaze me how God's Word does just that! Take for instance this scripture for the day, from James 4:7.
"So be subject to God. - Stand firm against the devil; resist him and he will flee from you." (The Amplified Bible)
That's it. That one small sentence. It's one small sentence that is chock full of clear instruction. And, can I just say, bummer! I'd rather hear, "Sit firm, say a prayer and the God of the heavenly armies will swoop down and take up the fight for you. And, before you know it, my child, you'll perk up and.'feel like it' again." But no, that is NOT what it says. Instead, the burden is on me before it's on God. You see, I have to decide to stand firm, be unmovable in the quest. I have to be resolute in the challenge. I have to be wholly dedicated to the stand of obedience I've declared. I've declared war on the enemy and apathy is his best weapon. I've been pierced with an apathetic arrow and everything in me wants to give in to it. But, I'm called to take a stand AGAINST the attack of the enemy. But, it doesn't stop there. I am called to resist him and the best weapon I have in my arsenal is scripture. Resistance is best done by quoting scripture to the devil, such as, "I can do all thing through Christ who strengthens me!" (Philippians 4:13). Once, I resist, I am then called to flee. Fleeing implies movement in the opposite direction from where the attack is coming from when what I would rather do is the opposite. So, just the moment I am done with today's blog, I will get on the treadmill and be faithful to my daily mile, head downstairs for my shower and begin my day. Never mind that I've wasted my morning, more importantly, that I grabbed ahold of the feeling and responded in faithfulness to my Temple Training.
Did you notice all those words? Stand, resist, flee? Those three words are my words for the day, the are all action words. When you look at them don't they look like oxymoron's? Don't they contradict themselves? Stand and flee? To me, the word "stand" is a static position that is fixed, unchanging; lacking in action. While "flee" seems to be dynamic, moveable, not fixed. And, I would be right if I were to look at this verse simply from the point of view of the English language. But, this verse means so much more than that. It's more of a command from God that says, "Stand up, get up and get out of this stuck place that holds you to failure. Stand up and resist the urge to stay here, the place you've been, the place you hate, the place you've grown weary of. And run like thunder away from it, in the other direction. Do something, anything toward the goal and desires you've set." And, friends when we do that, the devil doesn't stand a chance! The devil has to flee! Why? Because, "Greater is He who is in me, that he who is in the world!" (1 John 4:4).
So, today I stand. Today I resist. Today I flee! Let the Temple Training Challenge continue!!!
Great, is the victory, great is the victory, oh glorious victory that overcomes the world!
Thank you Father God for reminding me of this verse and this song, for great is Your victory. Thank you for helping me to overcome. I surrender this day and my will to YOU! In Jesus name, Amen.
Comment and let me know how God is speaking to you through this challenge, we're in this together!
Monday, January 2, 2017
H.O.T. (Holy Obedience Training)
Years ago when I was working in children's ministry, I used a curriculum called, "HOT, HOT, HOT!" I don't remember who put the materials out, but I'm thinking it was Willie George Ministries out of Oklahoma (but don't hold me to that). That title has been running through my mind these last few days, since that is exactly what I've begun, "Holy Obedience Training."
After reading several my recent posts on Facebook, folks have repeatedly asked me, "So, you're on a new diet?" That's a fair question, I'm always on a new diet. But, what God is showing me is that you can't diet your way to obedience, but you can obediently follow a diet. This challenge for me is NOT a diet, anything but,\! It's thinking deeper, being more honest with myself than ever before, and facing truth with new eyes.
The fact is, I have NOT been faithful to my body, God's dwelling place, the temple of the Holy Spirit! For many, their disobedience in this same area of sin, doesn't show up visibly on their body. My disobedience does! My Heavenly Father has been revealing truths to me, about ME. I deeply care about the welfare of others. In fact, to that end, I've been an over-functioner and when you over-function in one area of your life, just like a teter-totter, you under-function in another. Sure enough, that is what I've done and now my journey is all about - balance. That place of peace found only in the balance of Godly wisdom, through prayer, meditation on the Scriptures, and healthy living. Today, I want to look at this verse found in Romans 12:1:
"I appeal to you therefore, brethren, and beg of you in view of [all] the mercies of God, to make a decisive dedication of your bodies - presenting all your members and faculties - as a living sacrifice, holy (devoted, consecrated) and well pleasing to God, which is your reasonable (rational, intelligent) service and spiritual worship." (The Amplified Bible)
It is useful for us to note that the author of the book of Romans, was Paul, whom God blinded in order to give him sight, and insight, you might say. That blinding moment was a moment of realigning for Paul. It was an awakening to the truths of God in every aspect of his life. This Godly encounter affected Paul physically, spiritually and emotionally - and from that day forth Paul was obedient to the things of God. In the same way, I've had a blinding moment with God. Recently God has impressed upon me how I've allowed childhood hurts to actually shape me; body, soul and spirit! They shaped the way I thought, the way I responded (to food and other stimuli), and even distorted the image of God, in me. Through a class on Bowen's Family Systems and a study on Emotional Intelligence, God blinded me, so that I might see! Soon, my vision became clearer and clearer and I saw that my spiritual worship was even affected by my previous vision of who I was. I knew in an instant that I was going to have rebuke the enemy, rebuff my body, and renewed my mind through scripture; in order to walk in the liberty God so desired for my life! My current lifestyle with it's heavy influence on meeting everyone else's needs was no longer sustainable.
God's call for me is to make a decisive dedication regarding my body; what I put in it, how I exercised it, how I was spiritually fed, and the amount of rest, sleep and renewing, I gave it. This living sacrifice had to make the top of my priority list, and it I had to do it NOW! I want to be well pleasing to God! God isn't pleased with my "performance, performance, performance," for all the wrong emotional reasons. God is not pleased with my people-pleasing skills. God isn't even impressed with all my doing in His name, NOT AT ALL! God is pleased by my obedience and sacrifice. From God's perspective, the body of His son was given for me, the least I could do is surrender mine to Him! It is my reasonable service, and when that is done and I have compassion and service for others, THEN God is not only pleased, but well pleased!
So, here's to another week of right eating, a mile on the treadmill, and meditating on His Word daily! That is the Temple Training Challenge! And, blessings to you who join me! Comment and let me know how God is speaking to you!
"Creator of my body, Almighty God and Heavenly Father, I ask today that you give me the grit I need to get through this week as faithfully as I did last week. May my sacrifice be pleasing to you as I engage in this Holy Obedience Training. Amen."
After reading several my recent posts on Facebook, folks have repeatedly asked me, "So, you're on a new diet?" That's a fair question, I'm always on a new diet. But, what God is showing me is that you can't diet your way to obedience, but you can obediently follow a diet. This challenge for me is NOT a diet, anything but,\! It's thinking deeper, being more honest with myself than ever before, and facing truth with new eyes.
The fact is, I have NOT been faithful to my body, God's dwelling place, the temple of the Holy Spirit! For many, their disobedience in this same area of sin, doesn't show up visibly on their body. My disobedience does! My Heavenly Father has been revealing truths to me, about ME. I deeply care about the welfare of others. In fact, to that end, I've been an over-functioner and when you over-function in one area of your life, just like a teter-totter, you under-function in another. Sure enough, that is what I've done and now my journey is all about - balance. That place of peace found only in the balance of Godly wisdom, through prayer, meditation on the Scriptures, and healthy living. Today, I want to look at this verse found in Romans 12:1:
"I appeal to you therefore, brethren, and beg of you in view of [all] the mercies of God, to make a decisive dedication of your bodies - presenting all your members and faculties - as a living sacrifice, holy (devoted, consecrated) and well pleasing to God, which is your reasonable (rational, intelligent) service and spiritual worship." (The Amplified Bible)
It is useful for us to note that the author of the book of Romans, was Paul, whom God blinded in order to give him sight, and insight, you might say. That blinding moment was a moment of realigning for Paul. It was an awakening to the truths of God in every aspect of his life. This Godly encounter affected Paul physically, spiritually and emotionally - and from that day forth Paul was obedient to the things of God. In the same way, I've had a blinding moment with God. Recently God has impressed upon me how I've allowed childhood hurts to actually shape me; body, soul and spirit! They shaped the way I thought, the way I responded (to food and other stimuli), and even distorted the image of God, in me. Through a class on Bowen's Family Systems and a study on Emotional Intelligence, God blinded me, so that I might see! Soon, my vision became clearer and clearer and I saw that my spiritual worship was even affected by my previous vision of who I was. I knew in an instant that I was going to have rebuke the enemy, rebuff my body, and renewed my mind through scripture; in order to walk in the liberty God so desired for my life! My current lifestyle with it's heavy influence on meeting everyone else's needs was no longer sustainable.
God's call for me is to make a decisive dedication regarding my body; what I put in it, how I exercised it, how I was spiritually fed, and the amount of rest, sleep and renewing, I gave it. This living sacrifice had to make the top of my priority list, and it I had to do it NOW! I want to be well pleasing to God! God isn't pleased with my "performance, performance, performance," for all the wrong emotional reasons. God is not pleased with my people-pleasing skills. God isn't even impressed with all my doing in His name, NOT AT ALL! God is pleased by my obedience and sacrifice. From God's perspective, the body of His son was given for me, the least I could do is surrender mine to Him! It is my reasonable service, and when that is done and I have compassion and service for others, THEN God is not only pleased, but well pleased!
So, here's to another week of right eating, a mile on the treadmill, and meditating on His Word daily! That is the Temple Training Challenge! And, blessings to you who join me! Comment and let me know how God is speaking to you!
"Creator of my body, Almighty God and Heavenly Father, I ask today that you give me the grit I need to get through this week as faithfully as I did last week. May my sacrifice be pleasing to you as I engage in this Holy Obedience Training. Amen."
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