Counterfeit

What the enemy most often tries to do in our lives is mimic God. However, God intends for events, situations, encounters to grow us, prepare us. What the enemy of our souls intends to do is use events, situations, and encounters that are a twisted version of the real thing to wound us and eventually destroy us and the plan that God has for our life. At the very minimum, his goal would be to derail us from the Greater Plan and Purpose meant for our lives.

Abraham faced a situation in which this was incredibly apparent. God had told Abraham that he would be the father to a great nation. (See Genesis 12) Abraham was a man of faith, and took God at His word. However, after time had passed it didn’t seem possible for the Lord’s promise to come true. Abraham and Sarai still had no children. At this point, God specifically told him that his heir would be his very own flesh and blood (See Genesis 15:4).

Wow! A direct and specific word from God! You would think that this would be enough to propel Abraham forward and keep him focused on God’s promise. That’s an easy assumption looking in from the outside. But have you ever had what you thought was a promise from God on your heart? Then have you ever waited as it looked like that promise would never come to pass? Time stretched on and on…wonder started to play on your mind…Did you hear God? Were you supposed to do something to help it along? It’s a difficult place. It’s difficult not only for the person with the promise, but for the people around that person that all have opinions on what they think God’s plan should be….

Take a moment and examine your own life. Do you, like Abraham, have a specific promise? Or does someone you know feel that they have a certain Word or promise? What has been your response during the wait?

Waiting Here for You

Tonight I have so many things swirling through my head. So far I haven't been able to successfully get it all down on paper in a form that makes sense. There are just so many things that God is doing, and ways that He is broadening my faith. I am watching Him move; but I still wait for one very specific thing. I know it's almost here....I can feel it. We are on the 1 yard line getting ready to make it into the end zone. Will I do a dance when we make it--you'd better believe it! :)

In the meantime, here is a song that is speaking volumes to me right now. Enjoy the lyrics and the music. Time to turn up the speakers and get some praise on!

If faith can move the mountains
Let the mountains move
We come with expectation
Waiting here for you, I’m waiting here for you

You’re the Lord of all creation
And still you know my heart
The Author of Salvation
You’ve loved us from the start

Waiting here for You
With our hands lifted high in praise
And it's You we adore
Singing Alleluia

You are everything You’ve promised
Your faithfulness is true
And we're desperate for Your presence
All we need is You

Waiting here for You
With our hands lifted high in praise
And it's You we adore
Singing Alleluia

Singing Alleluia
Alleluia, singing alleluia, alleluia

Waiting here for you
With our hands lifted high in praise
And it's You we adore
We're singing Alleluia

I'm singing Alleluia
Waiting here for you
With our hands lifted high in praise
And it's You we adore
Singing Alleluia
Singing Alleluia

Lyrics courtesy of Christy Nockels, Waiting Here for You

Life Interrupted??

I sent this to a friend of mine yesterday, because I felt the need to share with her what I had read during part of my quiet time. This excerpt from Priscilla Shirer's Life Interrupted (all about lessons from the life of Jonah) speaks volumes to a situation of someone that we both love very much. However, I couldn't shake the nudging that I felt I needed to share it en masse--maybe you are like we were & needed the reminder to help encourage you and give you hope for someone you have on your heart, or maybe you need it for yourself. Regardless, I am certain that her words will move you and help give you hope--even if you feel like you are in the belly of the whale.

"But what seems like it’s been designed to kill us may actually be God’s way of preserving us, rescuing us from what could be a far more dire consequence. Maybe, just maybe, the more vast the consequences we face, the more vast the work He plans to perform through us after it eases up or passes. When we feel His correction particularly heavy upon us, it’s sometimes not so much in proportion to past or recent sin as in proportion to the great task awaiting us when He’s done, when we’ve endured it.

I love the way pastor John Piper says it: “Adversity is redemptive; it’s not merely punitive,” God isn’t out to hurt you; He’s out to redeem you. He’s out to get you back to your senses, back to where you realize you’ve been headed the wrong direction, back where you’re desperate to turn this misstep around if given the opportunity. Back to a place where you want His forgiveness as badly as you wanted your independence, where you crave accountability the way you used to crave your freedom, where the things you once cherished about your life with Him become the things you now desire more than life itself.

See, if you’re a child of God, then the frustration, impatience, anger, and all those other things your interruption has purged to the surface are not the only occupants living inside your heart. You also house the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, who continually seeks the things of God even when you’re not particularly wanting to. So just as trials and interruptions are capable of exposing the resistant tendencies and temperaments that still hang out in your life, they can also mark the moment when something else bubbles to the surface—your deep sense of need for God’s deliverance, your too long forgotten fondness for the Father. …………

………There’s always something about forgoing the privilege of prayer that almost always leads us into the fish’s belly. And yet being in the fish’s belly is bound to lead us back to it. In fact, I’m convinced that’s one of the main things it’s designed to do.

But if we aren’t careful, we can allow it to have the opposite effect. Whether from the extraordinary discomfort, the overwhelming shame, the hopeless frustration, or any combination of emotions, we face the cruel temptation to hole up in our hardship and consider ourselves abandoned. Forgotten. Unforgiven. Unforgivable.

Yet here we see Jonah—a spiritual leader of Israel who had hightailed it to Tarshish in front of God and everybody (as well as endless generations of Bible readers) –seizing on this opportunity to do business with God, to turn and look into His face from the thick darkness of his current condition, to cry out to Him in the midst of his despair, knowing that the Lord was his only hope of rescue. He could have resigned himself to this fate, and yet he didn’t. He chose to cry out to the Lord “from the stomach of the fish” (v.1).

No better place than here. No better time than now.

If you’ve been there—if you are there—hear God’s Word to you today:

The LORD longs to be gracious to you, and therefore He waits on high to have compassion on you. For the LORD is a God of justice; how blessed are all those who long for Him. (Isa. 30:18)

While His tough-loving discipline may have been required to help you recognize the extent of your running or to spotlight the place where you blocked Him from working in your life, repentance and restoration are near. Christ has won the right to declare you approved and acceptable in the eyes of the Father—as usable as ever—now that you’ve acknowledged your fault, accepted your discipline, and asked forgiveness. A forgiven sinner is always welcome at the throne of God.

A place called Grace.

If you’ve been running from God and you know it, if you’ve brought some consequences on yourself that are painful to endure, if you’ve caused others to suffer for your failure to live in full surrender to God’s will and way, you can still call out to Him. You can seek a sure reconciliation with the One you’ve offended. ……..

…………God has brought you here to redeem you, my friend, not to destroy you. And your restoration and renewal need not wait another second.”

Excerpt from Life Interrupted, by Priscilla Shirer

If you would like to purchase Priscilla's book, here is a direct link to purchase straight from her website. There is also a companion workbook for Bible study.

Death of a Dream

Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. ~John 12:24

And I will restore to you the years that the locust hath eaten, the canker-worm, and the caterpillar, and the palmer-worm, my great army which I sent among you. ~Joel 2:25

Have you ever experienced the death of a dream? Have you ever seen something that you had believed for die right in front of you? It is during times when we experience what feels like theft of a promise that our belief is really tried.

There are plenty of examples of experiencing the death of a promise or a dream in the Bible. Here are just a couple of them that speak so much to me:

Lazarus & his sisters- While Mary & Martha never had a specific promise from Jesus before Lazarus’ death, they knew that Jesus could heal him. Since Jesus could heal him and he loved Lazarus, it was an easy assumption for them to trust that Jesus would get there when they requested his presence to heal their sick loved one. However, Jesus didn’t come and heal Lazarus. In fact, he delayed himself purposefully. Mary and Martha watched their brother die, and they buried him. I’m sure their hearts were broken from Jesus’ seemingly insensitive absence.

Abraham & Isaac- Abraham had been promised that he would be the father of a great nation through his very own seed and Sarah’s womb. He had to wait 20 years for the fulfillment, but Isaac was his promise. Years later, Abraham had to have a hundred things rushing through his mind as God asked him to take his son to be sacrificed by his own hand. Did Abraham believe God would intervene….or did he simply pray and hope that he would?

There is one thing that we must remember above all else—God is always faithful and always true to His promises.

He remembers His covenant forever, the word He commanded for a thousand generations. ~Psalm 105:8

Because of the LORD's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. I say to myself, "The LORD is my portion;
therefore I will wait for him." ~Lamentations 3:22-24

May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The one who calls you is faithful and he will do it. ~I Thessalonians 5:23-24

Jesus told the disciples that Lazarus was only “sleeping,” and he told Mary and Martha that he would be raised. They were unable to comprehend what he was saying to them, but nonetheless, Lazarus was raised from the dead after having been sealed in a tomb for four days. Just as Abraham raised the knife to slay his dearest promise, God himself stopped him, and Abraham received the ram to sacrifice instead.

We don’t always know how the promise will come to pass….we just know that IT WILL. But what we do know is that it will “bear much fruit.” When a dream (a promise) is resurrected & restored, God always uses it in a mightier way—it becomes more powerful than it ever would have been otherwise, brings Him more glory, and points others to the person of Jesus Christ.

Waging War- The Battle Plan

And that about wraps it up. God is strong, and he wants you strong. So take everything the Master has set out for you, well-made weapons of the best materials. And put them to use so you will be able to stand up to everything the Devil throws your way. This is no afternoon athletic contest that we'll walk away from and forget about in a couple of hours. This is for keeps, a life-or-death fight to the finish against the Devil and all his angels.

Be prepared. You're up against far more than you can handle on your own. Take all the help you can get, every weapon God has issued, so that when it's all over but the shouting you'll still be on your feet. Truth, righteousness, peace, faith, and salvation are more than words. Learn how to apply them. You'll need them throughout your life. God's Word is an indispensable weapon. In the same way, prayer is essential in this ongoing warfare. Pray hard and long. Pray for your brothers and sisters. Keep your eyes open. Keep each other's spirits up so that no one falls behind or drops out. ~Ephesians 6:10-18 (MSG)

The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. ~2 Corinthians 10:4

Even a little boy playing “army” in the backyard knows that you need a battle plan when you are waging a war. How much more true this is as we battle for the dear treasures we have been promised? The battle I choose to fight is not one where I will stomp my feet or demand to get my way. The treasure I seek is much too precious for manipulative game play of which our world is accustomed. The situations I battle against I have no power to change. I am not big enough, strong enough, or influential enough to cause a shift. In all reality—I don’t want to be. I know that if I am big enough to change something, then I am also big enough to mess it up. If I am incapable of changing something, then I know any change that occurs is because of my God intervening in the situation.

Write this letter to the angel of the church in Philadelphia. This is the message from the one who is holy and true, the one who has the key of David. What he opens, no one can close; and what he closes, no one can open. ~ Revelation 3:7

That’s the kind of battle strategy I am going for. I want the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords to fight for me. I want him to be the One that brings about change.

The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still. ~Exodus 14:14

This is a tough concept for us as humans. Our natural inclination is to “do something,” to “force the issue.” Does this mean that I am to sit idly by and just passively wait to see what happens? Absolutely not. My job is to seek, to fall on my face and humble myself before the One that makes all things possible. My job is to keep myself in right standing before Him, to ask Him to purify my motives with His fire. Seek more. Trust more. Sacrifice more.

And so I tell you, keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. ~Luke 11:9

You've Messed Up One Too Many Times.....

Do we really believe what we say we believe? We say:

- Jesus replied, "What is impossible with men is possible with God." ~Luke 18:27

- Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! ~2 Corinthians 5:17

- See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland. ~Isaiah 43:19

Do we really believe what we say we believe? We believe that God can do anything, that nothing is impossible with God. Yet so often we only want to apply this to our own lives, and not to the lives of those that we disagree with, or that have hurt us. Church…do you really believe that God can make all things new? Then let’s believe for those that are trapped in the most unattractive sins to be set free and made whole.

What do we do when we are given a real live opportunity to love unconditionally? Do we point the finger, say that they are doing exactly what we knew they would do, and then turn our backs. Or do we try to lovingly point them to the only One that can truly change a heart? We can’t be a gracious lighthouse & an accusatory judge at the same time.

Want to see how God can transform even the most far-fetched candidate into a passionate follower? Check out Saul's conversion story. Think of your "least likely candidate" for change....and ask God to challenge your heart.

Everyone needs compassion

A love that's never failing

Let mercy fall on me

Everyone needs forgiveness

A kindness of a Savior

The hope of nations

Savior

He can move the mountains

My God is Mighty to save

He is Mighty to save

Forever

Author of salvation

He rose and conquered the grave

Jesus conquered the grave

So take me as You find me

All my fears and failures

Fill my life again

I give my life to follow

Everything I believe in

Now I surrender

Yes I surrender

Savior

He can move the mountains

My God is Mighty to save

He is Mighty to save

Forever

Author of salvation

He rose and conquered the grave

Jesus conquered the grave

Shine your light and let the whole world see

We're singing for the glory of the risen King...Jesus

Savior

He can move the mountains

My God is Mighty to save

He is Mighty to save

Forever

Author of salvation

He rose and conquered the grave

Jesus conquered the grave

You were mighty to save

Lyrics courtesy of Laura Story, Mighty to Save

Fly Like an Eagle...

This is the second of two posts from two years ago. These words actually hold more meaning for me now, than they did at the start of the journey....

Strength to Endure the Journey

"But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint." Isaiah 40:31 KJV

"But those expecting Jehovah pass to power, They raise up the pinion as eagles, They run and are not fatigued, They go on and do not faint!" Isaiah 40:31 Young's Literal Translation

Enduring the journey is often a difficult task. We may question the direction we are heading, asking God if we are going the right way. The Lord never promised that we would not have to endure difficult roads or long journeys. In all actuality, Paul equated our time on this earth with running a race. It is a race of length, a journey, a test of endurance.

I have always quoted the King James Version of Isaiah 40:31. It is the one most commonly referenced. I came across Young's Literal Translation this morning, and it gives a refreshing new view on this scripture.

"But those expecting Jehovah to pass power..."
Jehovah is a special, significant name for our God. The meaning of this special name appears to be "the unchanging, eternal, self-existent God," the "I am that I am," "a covenant-keeping God." He is constant. He will always keep His promises. He is forever.

Expecting Him to pass power reflects an expectancy for God to act. If it is power passed by God, that means that we are unable to accomplish this task without Him.....it requires His power. Our strength alone is not sufficient.

"They raise up the pinion as eagles"
The pinions of an eagle are the primary feathers used for flight. They control the lift and directional movement of the bird. The strength of these feathers is unparalleled, and the follicle of each feather must endure the extreme atmospheric pressure encountered during flight. Interestingly, these feathers also provide insulation preserve the eagle's body heat in the cold, as well as shielding against overheating. When an eagle raises or spreads its primary feathers, it reduces the drag on the bird's flight. Drag is an aerodynamic force that reduces the forward motion of any object.

Think about those concepts......God promises that we will be able to rise above the situation and will be able to move in a concerted direction. We won't be subject to whichever way the wind blows. We will have the strength to endure, and will be protected against the extremes. While we may encounter cold or heat, they will not be allowed to overcome us. Also, He will help us to continue forward. We were built to move forward, to move on toward the goal.

They run and are not fatigued, They go on and do not faint!"
God doesn't promise that everything will come to us. We will move toward the goal, even running to the goal at times. Remember, he built us for forward motion. He did not build us to stay in one place or to move backward. Even though our journey may be long, he will provide the endurance required when we trust in Him.

Eagles travel long distances by climbing high upon a thermal current and then gliding to catch the next thermal. While we often see and think of eagles as solitary birds, during long journeys they will sometimes travel in thermals together. Endure your journey by rising above the circumstances. While your journey may not be exactly the same as someone else's, remember that God has placed others in our lives to help us complete the length of the course.


God provides amazing promises in His word, and He is always true to them. It is His very nature. The condition of these promises???........"Those who trust in the Lord." It boils down to one word--TRUST.

Do you trust the Creator of the universe to direct your path and give you the strength to endure the journey? Ask the Lord to strengthen your trust in Him--it is the fuel necessary to complete your journey.

Don't Stop Believin'!

I actually shared the following post exactly 2 years ago today. I realize that I have already posted today. However, I was looking through some old emails looking to gain perspective on a topic. As I sifted through exchanges with a trusted friend, I realized one thing....what has been placed on my heart hasn't waivered, and has actually grown stronger. The same thing I dealt with then, I deal with now....only in a different leg of the journey. As I pray that the finish line for this part of the race comes quickly, looking back at the "start" of the journey gives me endurance to go the next stretch. Tomorrow morning I will also be sharing a post that was dated from 5/2/2009. As for tonight's retrospective, I hope you enjoy!

**********************

"One of the primary reasons Helen Kellar never gave up on herself was that Anne Sullivan never gave up on her." p. 59, Never Give Up by Joyce Meyer

How often do we "give up" on people? Perhaps they are difficult, they are going through trying circumstances, or we feel like we don't have "time" to deal with what is going on. Maybe they have made the same mistake more than once. We can come up with a laundry list of justifications. But how appropriate is that response?

Consider the story of Helen Kellar from the book The Miracle Worker. Helen Kellar had many characteristics that would made her situation "messy" or difficult to deal with. She was both deaf and blind, and as a result of the frustration she felt from these issues, she would become violently angry, lashing out at those closest to her. Multiple people had already given up on her, and deemed her situation as "hopeless."

Anne Sullivan could have very easily done the same and decided that this assignment was too hard, that God would never ask her to endure such a thing. She could have justified that Helen had too many difficulties, and that she would never be able to overcome all the struggles she faced in her life. Instead, what she chose to do was walk with Helen through her struggles, and ultimately to a changed life.

Did Anne "fix" everything wrong with Helen? Was she the full reason that Helen Kellar became the person she was later in life? No. While Anne helped Helen in the ways that she was led, it was God's work inside Helen that ultimately changed her. Anne was there, though, never giving up on Helen.

We cannot change anyone. We cannot fix someone else's problems, issues, or difficulties. It is only when we lay them on God's altar and allow Him full reign to do what He needs to do in their lives that real and lasting changes occur. God may call you to walk beside someone in their time of trial. He may call you to "be there" from a distance. You may be called to remain an unknown prayer warrior on that person's behalf. The response is still the same......if God has placed that person on your heart, never give up on them.

The Bible teaches us that God knows every moment of every day of our lives, before we even are born on this earth (see Psalm 139). That means God knows the past, present, and future of both you & the person he has laid on your heart. Do you trust God's wisdom in directing you who to pray for or be there for, or is your logic and human understanding superior to the Almighty's omniscience?

If he calls you to stand beside or pray for someone through their storm, he will give you the strength for that. 1 Thessalonians 5:24 states, "The one who calls you is faithful, and He will do it." God will give you the strength to continue to pray, to stand beside, or to be there as a witness for that person. Don't feel, however, that you are the one that must make things happen. That is not our role. God is the source of healing, redemption, and change.

Who has God laid on your heart today & in what capacity? Be obedient to His call; He will be true to his promise.

Wooing the Heart of God

What is your view of God? Do you picture Him as some mighty Zeus-type figure in the sky that is ready to zap you and force His will and plans upon your life, no matter how miserable they cause you to be? Truth is, the Bible paints a very different picture. The Bible displays that God seeks relationship with you and me, and He listens to our cries and petitions. This morning, my connections class pastor mentioned starting a new series on the story of King Hezekiah soon. I love his story for a few different reasons, but perhaps the reason I love it most is because it shows just how God listens to those that earnestly love and seek Him. Let’s take a look at a few details about Hezekiah and his life.

Hezekiah trusted in the Lord, the God of Israel. There was no one like him among all the kings of Judah, either before or after his time. He remained faithful to the Lord in everything, and he carefully obeyed all the commands the Lord had given Moses. So the Lord was with him, and Hezekiah was successful in everything he did. ~2 Kings 18:5-7a

Hezekiah had a track record of going to God whenever he needed advice or assistance. He stayed connected to God. The Lord was with him & Hezekiah was successful BECAUSE he was faithful and obedient to God. It’s a good model for our own lives. If you go back and look at 2 Kings 18:5, the Bible reiterates that Hezekiah trusted God & that there was no one like him among all the kings. That’s a pretty great endorsement of his relationship with the Lord. Later in Hezekiah’s life, his pattern for seeking the Lord became truly a life or death situation.

About that time Hezekiah became deathly ill, and the prophet Isaiah son of Amoz went to visit him. He gave the king this message: “This is what the Lord says: Set your affairs in order, for you are going to die. You will not recover from this illness.”

When Hezekiah heard this, he turned his face to the wall and prayed to the Lord, “Remember, O Lord, how I have always been faithful to you and have served you single-mindedly, always doing what pleases you.” Then he broke down and wept bitterly.~2 Kings 20:1-3

God listened to Hezekiah and something truly amazing happened.

But before Isaiah had left the middle courtyard, this message came to him from the Lord: “Go back to Hezekiah, the leader of my people. Tell him, ‘This is what the Lord, the God of your ancestor David, says: I have heard your prayer and seen your tears. I will heal you, and three days from now you will get out of bed and go to the Temple of the Lord. I will add fifteen years to your life, and I will rescue you and this city from the king of Assyria. I will defend this city for my own honor and for the sake of my servant David.’” ~2 Kings 20:4-6

God said to Hezekiah that He heard his prayer and saw his tears. What had looked like done deal (Hezekiah was told by God’s prophet Isaiah that he would die) was reversed! I don’t know about you, but this brings me hope!

My God, the creator of the universe, listens to my prayers. He not only listens to my prayers, but He is moved by my prayers and my tears. I know this, and have known this for quite some time, but as I reflect on this truth it moves me and humbles my heart. Psalm 56:8 says,

You keep track of all my sorrows. You have collected all my tears in your bottle. You have recorded each one in your book.

He knows every tear that has fallen as I have prayed and interceded. As I continue to petition to the heart of my God and seek intersession for those I love, it encourages me. It gives me strength to continue on the journey. I feel confident that my God will soon say to me,

“I have heard your prayer and seen your tears,”

And He will grant my heart’s petition, which I believe originated from Him as well.

Standing against the Naysayers

David said to Saul, "Let no one lose heart on account of this Philistine; your servant will go and fight him." ~I Samuel 17:32

Have you ever had to stand against the crowd? When we must stand up for ourselves, it can be a tough battle. However, have you ever been called by God to stand firm for someone else? What happens when you must stand firm in the face of even well-meaning naysayers and act as an armor bearer for someone else?

This was a question I felt posed in my spirit on my drive home tonight. As I thought about it, I didn’t even know if it made any sense. You see, I wasn’t actually sure what an armor bearer did in biblical times. I had to do a little research. I found that armor-bearers:

• Were chosen for their bravery and loyalty
• Did “bear” the armor for the king, but also did much more—They were essentially the king’s “right-hand-man”
• Required a deep sense of respect for the leader
• Instinctively understood the leader’s thoughts and heart
• Were willing to sacrifice for the leader
• Served in the role to refresh, assist, and protect the leader
• Aided the leader in combat (physical, emotional, mental, or spiritual)
• Protected and defended the leader against false accusations
• Kept watch while the leader would rest
• Were to “stand in the gap”

Suddenly it hit me. I had recognized quite some time ago that I had been called to be a “watchman on the wall” for a particular person. I knew I was called to stand in the gap for them, and I have been actively interceding in prayer on their behalf for quite some time. But tonight I realized—the armor-bearer serves in all of these capacities.

People may select their own armor-bearers, just like Saul chose David. However, there are times when God selects armor-bearers for individuals when they don’t know to select one for themselves. When you are called by God, you are equipped by God. As I ticked down the list of the qualities of an armor-bearer I realized two things. 1) I have been able to fulfill these roles against all logic or circumstance, and have been essentially unable to waiver in these roles, even when it would have been easier to fold under the pressure, and 2) I recognize that there is no way I could have the capacity to have been able to sustain this on my own. It is only through God that I have been able to sustain and keep any level of peace and joy through all of the difficulty.

During the times when I take my eyes off of what God has placed on my heart, I wonder if I actually heard and understood Him. It’s just the honest truth. What’s on my heart doesn’t make logical sense. It’s orderly….but it doesn’t add up in our typical finite human minds. When I look at all of these things together, and acknowledge my own humanity in the midst of it all—I know and truly recognize that for me to be in the position I am is solely through divine intervention. I don’t have an infinite amount of love, patience, peace, joy, goodness, kindness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control—nor are they able to be offered on an unconditional basis on my own.

I must continue to trust and be willing to surrender to the One that is my source. When I empty myself, and allow my God to fill me with His abundance…that’s when everything flows. It’s only through that filling that I will be able to continue in my role as an armor-bearer. I made the vow to my friend and to my God….and my God is the One that will continue to equip me for the journey.

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. ~Galatians 5:22-23

Until....

Is it unfair to say that You are leading,
Then try and face this mountain on my own,
Why am I scared, I've never stopped believing,
And You never left me alone.
Well, I can get ahead of where you've led me to,
But I will trust Your heart enough to wait for You ...

Until this mountain moves,
Until the path is clear,
Until Your voice is the only one I can hear.
Until I see Your hand,
Until I know Your heart,
Until I trust the grace that's carried me this far
I will be still, until ...

How could I have never seen this coming,
It's not like I've been running from Your will,
Tell me why each day's another mystery,
Waiting for Your truth to be revealed,
I try to tell my heart to trust what I believe,
And wait on You through all of my uncertainty ...

Until this mountain moves,
Until the path is clear,
Until Your voice is the only one I can hear.
Until I see Your hand,
Until I know Your heart,
Until I trust the grace that's carried me this far
I will be still, until ...

Be still my heart of worry,
Be still my restless soul,
Be confident and certain,
Be still and know

Until this mountain moves,
Until the path is clear,
Until Your voice is the only one I can hear.
Until I see Your hand,
Until I know Your heart,
Until I trust the grace that's carried me this far
I will be still, until ...
Oh, I will be still, until

Lyrics courtesy of Mark Harris

What Matters Most....

"Things which matter most must never be at the mercy of things which matter least." ~Goethe

My heart breaks this morning. As I hear the reports coming out of Vilonia and Northwest Arkansas, it causes me to pause and take note. Vilonia was my hometown’s “rival” growing up, and I consider Northwest Arkansas my second home after my years up there during both college and parts of my graduate education. The towns and especially the people, even those I don’t know, hold a special significance for me. So far, everyone I know is okay, although many have suffered extreme loss.

Times such as these cause me to reflect on my own life and the people that I hold most dear to my heart. We are not promised a certain number of days on this earth. Life is fragile, even though we like to think of ourselves as invincible. Possessions, while they can hold practical and even sentimental value to us, are poor facsimiles for what is truly dear to our hearts. If I am choosing to be completely honest this morning, my heart aches today for those that I want to protect—some from elemental dangers, some from other forms of it.

However, as I woke up this morning, I watched the sun streaming in my windows and one thing came to my mind, and it comforted me.

Because of the LORD’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. ~Lamentations 3:22-23

This scripture is from the book of Lamentations, and is actually in the middle of a heartbreaking cry from the writer. The writer still felt pain. The situation was still difficult—heartwrenching even. Those my heart aches for is unfortunately amplified today. I can’t change their situations. I can’t rescue. What I want to do out of instinct is futile. But my heart still trusts and it still hopes…and it still waits.

Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope: Because of the LORD’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. I say to myself, “The LORD is my portion; therefore I will wait for him.” ~Lamentations 3:21-24

Are you Ready??? Lessons in Love...

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails. ~1 Corinthians 13:4-8a

This week is leading me to reflect quite a bit on love—what it is, what it isn’t. One of my absolute favorite passages in the Bible is the “love passage” in 1 Corinthians. I don’t love it for the mushy, gushy reasons that some people do. To me, if it seems all warm-fuzzy to you, you haven’t ever really been challenged in this area to truly love someone. This isn’t just a set of verses read at all of your friends’ weddings. It’s an honest assessment of what REAL love is supposed to be, and a challenge to those of us that claim to be in Christ to actually walk it out. If you’ve been tested in your love walk, it’s a set of truly poignant verses that are quite humbling. It may sound odd, but I count it as a privilege to have encountered such difficult trials in this area.

I know I have written on this subject before (see What’s Love Got to do with it?), but it’s one that I think is often looked at in passing. My goal today is to essentially give you some food for thought to digest over this weekend—to challenge you AND to challenge me. Also, with this weekend being Easter, our greatest example of love is plainly staring us in the face. God’s love for us through Christ is THE lesson in love.

Look again at Paul’s description of love from 1 Corinthians. At a recent conference, Beth Moore stated “True love always possesses a longing.” Joyce Meyer said today on her facebook feed “You can’t walk in love for free….it costs something.” Are you willing to face the longing if it’s never met? Are you willing to pay the price to walk in love?

Could you truly love someone if it cost you what meant most to you? What if it were a child, a family member, or a relationship you’ve prayed about? Can you love someone to the point of complete selflessness? The honest answer is that you and I are incapable of this kind of sustained selfless love on our own. It is only through the One that IS love that we can love someone even when we must die to self.

It’s a love that each of us is craving, and we become frustrated when the people around us cannot give us that truly unconditional, self-sacrificing love. We must first receive that love from our Heavenly Father before we are able to give it to others. This type of love requires motives to be checked regularly. You can’t “fake out” God when it comes to matters of the heart.

Take a few moments to look at the relationships in your life. Give an honest self-assessment of how your love walk is looking with these people. What is the number one way you can seek to increase your love walk right now? Go to the Lord to receive His love as a free gift….in return He will strengthen you to love those around you in ways that will astound you.

Impossible??? It’s Just a Matter of Perspective.

Have you ever faced a situation that looked impossible, yet at the end the “impossible” was defeated? Our God is one that specializes in this type of situation—situations when the odds are stacked against someone, when there is an underdog, when the least likely candidate becomes the one used. Just look through the Bible…we can easily pick out any number of situations and people that were unlikely for the task or up against “impossible” odds.

-Abraham had the promise to be the father of a great nation; yet it was after Abraham was an impotent 90-year-old man that the promise came to pass. Sarah, his wife, was also barren. Not candidates for the most fertile couple on the planet….

- Paul had been Saul….arguably one of the top persecutors of Christians. Turning the biggest adversary into the biggest evangelist—probably not a move most of us would attempt.

- A runty shepherd boy named David going into head-to-head battle on behalf of his entire race of people against a literal giant with a track record of brutally destroying his opponents. Sending a young boy that spends his days tending sheep was certainly not in the “Successful Battle Plan Manual.”

- A man named Lazarus, dead for 4 days and then walking out of his grave after his name was called. Talk about a tough story to explain to your friends that came to the funeral….

- The man who had come to be Savior of the world is tortured and crucified. It looked like the promised Messiah had been overcome by evil and death.

The obvious common thread in these situations is the nature of impossibility. They are ludicrous situations in which “success” or any hope of it was futile—BUT GOD. In each of the situations, God intervened only AFTER it seemed that all hope was gone.

-Abraham and Sarah had been given their promise when they were already “advanced in years,” but as if that wasn’t enough, they had to wait another 20 YEARS.

- Paul was actually on his way to Damascus to act on a plot to trap and arrest more church leaders when He was stopped by God himself on the road there.

- The Israelite army had been taunted for 40 days by a 9 foot tall giant man and the Philistine army. The king’s greatest trained warriors were too fearful to face Goliath in a representative battle with the Philistines.

- Mary and Martha had requested Jesus come when their brother was ill. They knew Jesus could heal him. But Jesus waited where he was for another 2 days before he even left. He knew Lazarus had died at this point. They would arrive after the burial.

- Jesus was buried and sealed in a tomb, much like his friend Lazarus had been. His followers disbanded and found themselves distraught. They couldn’t see any glimmer of hope.

There is a statement that I heard from Beth Moore when she was teaching in Fort Worth last fall, and it has stayed at the forefront of my mind ever since, “Blessed are you when what happens in the natural for others happens supernaturally for you.” Beth discussed how when people are able to go through impossible situations with God, He can then use the situation and the people for incredible kingdom impact. He receives greater glory in those situations because of their impossible nature. In I Corinthians 1:27 it says,

But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God has chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; (AKJV)

If Abraham and Sarah would have been in their 20s or 30s, having a baby and seeing a nation come from their offspring goes from miraculous to just a neat story of something great that happened to a regular couple and a regular baby. If David would have been a large adult man that had been groomed and trained by the best warriors, his win over Goliath would have just been another war story. If Lazarus would have been healed while he was sick, it could have been attributed to other factors. If Christ had not conquered death and the grave, there would be no hope for you & me.

Most of us wouldn’t knowingly sign up for the “impossible” assignment. It means that the situation becomes completely heart-breaking and unbearable. You are tested to your limits. Think of the 20 years Abraham sat on the promise of a nation from his seed to be born of his wife’s womb. What about the pain and anguish of two sisters that had to watch their brother die and be buried? Or how about the angst of a mother watching her son, the Messiah, die a painful & brutal death after having witnessed a lifetime of miracles even from the point of his conception?

BUT GOD. God has a way of restoring and resurrecting those things that seem lost. Abraham and Sarah DID give birth to Isaac, and saw the formation of a powerful nation. Mary & Martha were able to witness the life-giving power of Jesus first-hand. And Jesus has overcome & the grave is overwhelmed! He is risen & has paid the price for our sin once and for all!

If you find yourself in an “impossible” situation to be resurrected, get ready. It’s not for the faint of heart, and will require much sacrifice and obedience that seems futile—until the promised baby is born, the heart is changed, the battle is won, the dead is brought back to life.

He has a plan…one greater than you or I could grasp. If your impossible situation turns into the miraculous, get ready and be willing to be used of God in mighty and humbling ways. And remember it is only through Him that all things are possible (see Luke 1:37).

When the Expected Unexpected Comes

I remember once as a little kid falling off the monkey bars and landing on my back. All these years later I can still clearly remember the feeling of the wind being knocked out of my chest. I felt that same feeling yesterday morning, only I didn’t fall off the monkey bars this time. I received a piece of news that was unexpected. However…even though I didn’t expect this particular news, I knew that God had been preparing me to face this situation. (See Surrendering to the Blindfold Parts I & II.)

The question I have been faced with over & over the last couple of weeks has been “What do you do when things don’t turn out the way you expected?” I knew the particular situation of which the question inquired …and it made me uncomfortable.

It was difficult to consider all the possibilities of how things could turn out differently. You see, I felt that I had a very specific promise from God that had been affirmed and reaffirmed over the last 2 years. I didn’t quite know how to resolve that in my finite mind. But I made a decision…I didn’t have to understand it all (some of you can’t quite appreciate how far I have grown in this area), and I would trust God, trust His heart.

I didn’t have to wait long…one week after my first blog post on the subject I found out what the question meant. And it was certainly an unexpected turn that could have thrown me for a major loop had God not been preparing me for 2 weeks prior. Suddenly why it was accompanied by the verse in Habakkuk also became clear. The unexpected doesn’t always speak of the end—sometimes it can come in the form of a major left-turn that, if you weren’t prepared for it, could throw you completely off course.

In case I didn’t “get it,” yet again I open my email inbox this morning, & a scripture is staring me in the face…this time from the Living Proof Live prayer team blog:

“For still the vision awaits its appointed time; it hastens to the end—it will not lie. If it seems slow, wait for it; it will surely come; it will not delay.” (Habakkuk 2:3, ESV)

At this point certain things are starting to make sense to me: I know the promise that God has laid on my heart. I know God’s character, and that His promise lines up with His Word. I know that this may or may not be the last unexpected turn on this portion of the journey. I know my God is faithful, and that He will never leave me, never abandon me, and will give me the strength to walk through this when I lean & rely on Him.

Things I don’t know right now: When is the “end?” When does the promise come? What is the ultimate “end” of all of this?

So what does that mean for me today? It means that today I surrender to the blindfold once again. I will ask and trust that my Lord will guide me through today’s situations. I choose to trust. I choose to obey—even when it’s hard, even when I don’t know the result. I will continue to seek Him and ask for wisdom, discernment, and boldness. In Jeremiah 33, God talks to Jeremiah about a promise of restoration after Israel has been destroyed, and all looks hopeless.

In Jeremiah 33:3 the Lord says, “Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.”

I have experienced His faithfulness in this promise…and I will continue to ask and trust.

Surrendering to the Blindfold- Part II

*If you are just now joining us, this is the conclusion to yesterday's blog. Please see Surrendering to the Blindfold- Part I.

To further complicate my ability to find understanding…the verses from Habakkuk and 2 other stories that have held a special significance for me have bombarded me over the last week…The story of the stone being rolled away before Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead, and the story of Abraham & Sarai conceiving Isaac even after it was impossible for them to have children. Could it all be about a situation looking like it is completely dead and without hope—not turning out how I expected…but not being the end of the story. Possibly. I still have no definitive answer. And quite honestly, short of revelation from God, I won’t. But I have made a choice. I trust the One who holds my future; my times are in His hands. (see Psalm 31:15-16)

Who would volunteer to lose their sight & depend upon another? Not many. To trust anyone “blindly” requires an explicit level of trust. You must have 100% complete trust in the other & know that everything they guide you through is absolutely for your good….for your wisdom, experience, strengthening, and growth. When submitting to this type of a blind faith-walk with God, you must be a 100% committed Romans 8:28 Christian:

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

This includes trusting and knowing that when harmful things come they are not from the One guiding you. Rather, the One guiding you knows they are coming and how to not only help you navigate through the situation, but to use anything that someone else intended to harm you to bring you to a greater, stronger, more powerful, more influential, more trusting place.

It is when we go through the tough times with someone that we grow closer to them. Bonds that are built under pressure and heat are not easily broken. Take for example when you glue something together versus when something is welded together. Whatever forces that substance will be later required to withstand determines the process of bonding…how it is held together & the process it must undergo to achieve that result. The same holds true of with us and our God.

The bottom line for me—I trust my Father. After truly examining my heart, I know that what I want more than anything else is for God to receive the highest honor and glory from the situation and to draw the largest crowd that will be able to attest to the mighty things He has done. If that means that I have an unexpected end result, then I know that He will give me the strength and grace to effectively deal with that. Does that mean that I won’t feel pain. Unfortunately—no. However, I know that whatever happens He will be faithful to cause it to work out for my ultimate good.

I can now also honestly answer at this point that my trust is not based upon circumstance. My faith will not be shaken based on circumstance. My trust is in my God. He promises,

Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken nor my covenant of peace be removed," says the LORD, who has compassion on you. [Isaiah 54:10]

Regardless of the answer and regardless of the surrounding situations, my God promises to hold true to His unfailing love for me, and to keep me in His peace. That is the peace that passes all understanding that I revel in right now. That peace is rooted in a trust that is dependent only upon the deep and intimate knowledge of the character of One I am trusting—not in outcomes, not in circumstances, not in answers; just His heart.

What is your deepest prayer right now? What do you do if the answer isn’t what you have expected? Ask the Father to help you grow in trust of His heart. He is faithful.