I am His. I have been bought with the precious blood of Jesus Christ. I have value and worth. I am His daughter; His princess. My worth does not hinge on my accomplishments, how well spoken I am, my talents, or what I do today. My worth is found in Jesus Christ. I do not have to gain my worth. It has already been given to me. I am His! If I fail, I am still His. If I fall, I am still His. He loves me in my weakness and becomes my strength. I do not have to prove anything to Him. He is my high priest and my advocate. All He desires from me, is me. He desires my relationship. He desires my heart and my love. He wants me! He wants all of me, just the way I am, pouring myself into Him. Head pressed against His chest, arms wrapped around Him, leaning on Him, trusting Him, listening to Him, loving Him, communing deeper and deeper with Him, walking with Him. Not in front of Him, not behind Him, but beside Him. He is my portion forever and I will trust Him. He is the lifter of my head and in Him I will place my hope. He is my oasis in a dry and weary land. He is refreshment to my soul. I love Him!
And you, this is not just for me! This is for you too!
You are His. You have been bought with the precious blood of Jesus Christ. You have value and worth. You are His daughter; His princess. Your worth does not hinge on your accomplishments, how well spoken you are, your talents, or what you do today. Your worth is found in Jesus Christ. You do not have to gain your worth. It has already been given to you. You are His! If you fail, you are still His. If you fall, you are still His. He loves you in your weakness and becomes your strength. You do not have to prove anything to Him. He is your high priest and your advocate. All He desires from you, is you. He desires your relationship. He desires your heart and your love. He wants you! He wants all of you, just the way you are, pouring yourself into Him. Head pressed against His chest, arms wrapped around Him, leaning on Him, trusting Him, listening to Him, loving Him, communing deeper and deeper with Him, walking with Him. Not in front of Him, not behind Him, but beside Him. He is your portion forever. Trust Him. He is the lifter of your head. Put your hope in Him. He is your oasis in a dry and weary land. He is refreshment to your soul.
If you struggle with depression, low self-worth and value, please contact me. I want to be praying for you. If you do not know Jesus as your personal saviour, contact me. I want to tell you more about Him. He loves you! He desires you! So many years it has taken for me to understand my worth in Him. There is freedom from the bondage of depression and lack of self-worth. That is not His desire for you. He desires that you find rest in Him and a life of joy that is made complete in Him. Come to Him. Listen. He is calling your name.
"Come unto me all ye that labour and are heavy-laden, and I will give you rest." Matthew 11:28
Monday, May 23, 2011
Saturday, May 21, 2011
Held in the Palm of God's Hand
I have recently started reading a book called Captivating by John and Stasi Eldredge, which by the way, I would recommend for every woman to read. A good friend of mine suggested that I read it, and I have not regretted it yet. It has a quote in it that says, "But beneath it all, behind it all, is a simple truth: women dominate and control because they fear their vulnerability." and following it is the verse, Romans 14:23, "Whatever is not from faith is sin." Wow. Those are convicting words. And the truth. It got me started on a couple of days of "chewing the cud", so to speak.
God has spoken so much to me about rest and trust. It is a theme that does not leave me. Over and over and over again, He speaks to me about it. In the Bible, when God repeats something, it is because He really wants us to get it. I think that must be what is going on with me too. "Daughter, I want you to get this. I want you to understand. This is important." A couple of months ago, He gave me a phrase, Trust, Rest, Listen, Obey. This past week, He showed me how they all intertwine with each other. When we trust, we are able to rest. At rest, we are quiet and listening. And obedience, though difficult sometimes, is do-able, because we are trusting. What a beautiful cycle.
In order to rest in Jesus, we must trust Him. How can we truly rest, if we are constantly questioning and second guessing God's hand in our lives, the path He has placed us on, or the circumstances we are asked to walk through? Questioning is not resting. It is fighting, struggling, and grappling with the very hand that is desiring to hold us. It doesn't always feel like we are being held and protected, because of the discomfort that we may be in or the direction our lives are taking. When things don't make sense to us or are painful or are not going our way, our question always is, "If God really loves me then how could He allow this to happen to me?"
That question was answered so clearly for me the other day. I was standing in our kitchen with my son Colin. As I was talking to him, I noticed that he had been chewing his nails . . . again. I have talked to him about this before. This time, I felt I needed to be a bit more clear about teaching him to stop this bad habit. So, I told him that if the behaviour continues, he would loose his Wii privileges. As an afterthought I added, "Colin, we do not discipline you to be mean, but to help teach you. I would never do anything to you that would harm you." As soon as the words left my mouth, I could hear God rewind the tape and replay for me what I had just said to Colin. I can imagine a little smile played across His lips and a chuckle came out from the deepest part of His love for me. And He said, "I would never do anything to you that would harm you!"
I am an imperfect parent. If out of my imperfection and imperfect love for me son, I would teach him (knowing what is best for him whether he can see it or not), discipline him, and ask him to do something he does not want to do, then how much more would my perfect heavenly Father whose love for me exceeds anything I can ever imagine, not do for me what I need. How much more would He teach me, discipline me, and even ask me to walk through unpleasant circumstances, because He loves me with an everlasting love, knows exactly what I need before I ever ask Him, and sees the big picture and what is ultimately best for me!?!?!?
In Luke 11, Jesus is teaching His disciples about prayer. . . . "ask and it shall be given to you". Jesus talks to them about how a father will give to his child what the child needs and then He says in verse 13, "If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him?", Hebrews 12:4-11 (vs. 9-10) "Furthermore, we had earthly fathers to discipline us, and we respected them; shall we not much rather be subject to the Father of spirits , and live? For they disciplined us for a short time as seemed best to them, but He disciplines us for our good, that we may share His holiness.", and James 1:12-17 (vs. 17), "Every good thing bestowed and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation, or shifting shadow." Jesus will always give us what is best for us. He loves us!
Mike Monson and Doug Schwartz have been sharing these ideas with us the last couple of weeks at Firm Foundation Ministries. Often the things that we go through, do not seem like they can possibly be coming from a loving heavenly Father, because they cause us pain, discomfort, or do not match up with our plans for our life. How could they possibly be from God? However, and here comes the cud that God gave me to chew on, if I believe, really believe, that God holds me in the palm of His hand, than how can I possibly believe that He is not in control of my life and my circumstances, no matter how unfortunate they feel to me. He is the PERFECT Father! He does not ask us to go through trials in order to harm us, but to bring us a hope and a future (Jeremiah 29:11), not to bring us death, but to bring us life, not to weaken us but to strengthen us.
Our response is what makes it or breaks it. Are we going to trust our heavenly Father to care for us? In everything, through every circumstance, through every pain and every trial? It is so easy to trust in joyful and prosperous times. We say, "see what God has done! He loves me! Look at how He has blessed me!" Are we going to trust, or are we going to beat against Him, fighting Him and cursing Him?
God is so good! After He shared this with me, He decided that it would be a good idea for me to apply these truths to my life :) God brought to my mind a very painful experience that I have been through, that I still question Him about, that I still have a hard time seeing the good in, or even how it is beneficial to me. He said, "If you believe what you wrote this morning, then that means . . . . this experience you went through was not out of My control. It means it was for your own good. It means I have a perfect plan even in this pain. It means this experience was good and not bad, not a mistake." Regurgitate and chew the cud again. Wow!
Trusting God, leads to rest. Resting in the fact that my God will supply all of my needs (pay close attention to the next part) ACCORDING TO HIS RICHES AND GLORY (Philippians 4:10-19), that He cares for me (1 Peter 5:6-11), He holds me in the palm of His hand (John 10:27-29), and He will never do anything or allow anything in my life that will harm me . . . . ever.
On a side note, Colin has not been biting his nails! :)
God has spoken so much to me about rest and trust. It is a theme that does not leave me. Over and over and over again, He speaks to me about it. In the Bible, when God repeats something, it is because He really wants us to get it. I think that must be what is going on with me too. "Daughter, I want you to get this. I want you to understand. This is important." A couple of months ago, He gave me a phrase, Trust, Rest, Listen, Obey. This past week, He showed me how they all intertwine with each other. When we trust, we are able to rest. At rest, we are quiet and listening. And obedience, though difficult sometimes, is do-able, because we are trusting. What a beautiful cycle.
In order to rest in Jesus, we must trust Him. How can we truly rest, if we are constantly questioning and second guessing God's hand in our lives, the path He has placed us on, or the circumstances we are asked to walk through? Questioning is not resting. It is fighting, struggling, and grappling with the very hand that is desiring to hold us. It doesn't always feel like we are being held and protected, because of the discomfort that we may be in or the direction our lives are taking. When things don't make sense to us or are painful or are not going our way, our question always is, "If God really loves me then how could He allow this to happen to me?"
That question was answered so clearly for me the other day. I was standing in our kitchen with my son Colin. As I was talking to him, I noticed that he had been chewing his nails . . . again. I have talked to him about this before. This time, I felt I needed to be a bit more clear about teaching him to stop this bad habit. So, I told him that if the behaviour continues, he would loose his Wii privileges. As an afterthought I added, "Colin, we do not discipline you to be mean, but to help teach you. I would never do anything to you that would harm you." As soon as the words left my mouth, I could hear God rewind the tape and replay for me what I had just said to Colin. I can imagine a little smile played across His lips and a chuckle came out from the deepest part of His love for me. And He said, "I would never do anything to you that would harm you!"
I am an imperfect parent. If out of my imperfection and imperfect love for me son, I would teach him (knowing what is best for him whether he can see it or not), discipline him, and ask him to do something he does not want to do, then how much more would my perfect heavenly Father whose love for me exceeds anything I can ever imagine, not do for me what I need. How much more would He teach me, discipline me, and even ask me to walk through unpleasant circumstances, because He loves me with an everlasting love, knows exactly what I need before I ever ask Him, and sees the big picture and what is ultimately best for me!?!?!?
In Luke 11, Jesus is teaching His disciples about prayer. . . . "ask and it shall be given to you". Jesus talks to them about how a father will give to his child what the child needs and then He says in verse 13, "If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him?", Hebrews 12:4-11 (vs. 9-10) "Furthermore, we had earthly fathers to discipline us, and we respected them; shall we not much rather be subject to the Father of spirits , and live? For they disciplined us for a short time as seemed best to them, but He disciplines us for our good, that we may share His holiness.", and James 1:12-17 (vs. 17), "Every good thing bestowed and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation, or shifting shadow." Jesus will always give us what is best for us. He loves us!
Mike Monson and Doug Schwartz have been sharing these ideas with us the last couple of weeks at Firm Foundation Ministries. Often the things that we go through, do not seem like they can possibly be coming from a loving heavenly Father, because they cause us pain, discomfort, or do not match up with our plans for our life. How could they possibly be from God? However, and here comes the cud that God gave me to chew on, if I believe, really believe, that God holds me in the palm of His hand, than how can I possibly believe that He is not in control of my life and my circumstances, no matter how unfortunate they feel to me. He is the PERFECT Father! He does not ask us to go through trials in order to harm us, but to bring us a hope and a future (Jeremiah 29:11), not to bring us death, but to bring us life, not to weaken us but to strengthen us.
Our response is what makes it or breaks it. Are we going to trust our heavenly Father to care for us? In everything, through every circumstance, through every pain and every trial? It is so easy to trust in joyful and prosperous times. We say, "see what God has done! He loves me! Look at how He has blessed me!" Are we going to trust, or are we going to beat against Him, fighting Him and cursing Him?
God is so good! After He shared this with me, He decided that it would be a good idea for me to apply these truths to my life :) God brought to my mind a very painful experience that I have been through, that I still question Him about, that I still have a hard time seeing the good in, or even how it is beneficial to me. He said, "If you believe what you wrote this morning, then that means . . . . this experience you went through was not out of My control. It means it was for your own good. It means I have a perfect plan even in this pain. It means this experience was good and not bad, not a mistake." Regurgitate and chew the cud again. Wow!
Trusting God, leads to rest. Resting in the fact that my God will supply all of my needs (pay close attention to the next part) ACCORDING TO HIS RICHES AND GLORY (Philippians 4:10-19), that He cares for me (1 Peter 5:6-11), He holds me in the palm of His hand (John 10:27-29), and He will never do anything or allow anything in my life that will harm me . . . . ever.
On a side note, Colin has not been biting his nails! :)
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
Guarding My Sabbath
When I think about Sunday, I think of rest. I think of taking a nap, ceasing from work, and having time with the family. I think of all of the things that I should not do and should not HAVE to do. It often irritates me, if dishes need to be done or a load of laundry needs to be cared for. I don't want to do those things on Sunday! Partly, because of how I was raised but more so because I deserve at least one day of rest! Right?! I try to guard my Sunday's, though I often find something that is threatening my Sabbath - laundry, dishes, picking up the living room, or . . . . .
Last week, I was reading in Nehemiah. In Chapter 13, Nehemiah is dealing with people threatening the Sabbath rest. These people wanted to come to Jerusalem and continue their work and sell their goods. This was upsetting to Nehemiah because the Sabbath was not being set apart. He confronted the nobles of Judah and told them to knock it off! Had they not learned anything from their forefathers who had made this same mistake? God had brought calamity on the city and here they were repeating history and stirring up more wrath against Israel. Nehemiah ordered for the doors of the city to be closed until the Sabbath was over and he stationed guards at the gates so that no loads could be brought into the city. A couple of times, some of the merchants spent the night outside of Jerusalem waiting for the first break of dawn on the first day of the week to commence their work. Nehemiah threatened them. "I will lay hands on you, if you ever do this again!" He guarded the gates furiously.
As I read this, I thought, "what if we were just like Nehemiah and worked hard to follow all the Sabbath regulations as well as all of the regulations of the Bible? How would our lives be different? If we did it right, what a difference there would be in our lives! We would be blessed and at rest!" I quickly realized this was a works mentality. These kinds of thoughts will only take me back to trying to be obedient enough to gain the blessing of God. And that's not right. That's not what I have been learning. Plus, it wouldn't take me long to fail one of the regulations. Where would that leave me? Unblessed? This line of thinking jumbles up the point of the Sabbath. It turns the Sabbath into more work, to try not to work, in order to somehow obtain rest. It is missing the point all together.
Through Jesus' death on the cross and through His Resurrection , I have been offered a Sabbath rest which I have obtained through belief and faith in Jesus Christ. This rest has been given to me so that I may rest from my work. (Hebrews 4:9-11) Which is, my striving to be perfect enough, good enough, and do enough to gain favor with God. This Sabbath is not just about a day of the week in which I try to do my best to do nothing. It is a daily Sabbath and a daily rest found only in Christ. And just as Nehemiah guarded the gates of Jerusalem from merchants desiring to come in and desecrate the Sabbath rest, so I must also guard the gates of my Sabbath . . . . daily.
Since I have read this, God has continued to bring this thought back to me. How am I guarding my Sabbath? A thought, a wrong attitude, circumstances can so easily rob me of my Sabbath. They barge into my heart and my mind causing restlessness, frustration, anger, annoyance all very much disturbing my rest. How quick am I to confront these "merchants" that desire to march through the gates of my heart? Their wagons loaded down with a burden that I do not wish to purchase . . . desecrating the rest, the Sabbath that has been given to me by Jesus. How quickly do I say to them, "get out of here and if you come back again, I will lay hands on you!"
1 Corinthians 10:3-5 says, "For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have DIVINE POWER to DEMOLISH STRONGHOLDS. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we TAKE CAPTIVE EVERY THOUGHT to make it obedient to Christ."
and
Philippians 4:8 says, "Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable-if anything is excellent or praiseworthy-think about such things."
I desire to guard the gates of my heart. To not allow anything in that will distract from my Sabbath rest in Christ. It is the question I ask myself, "does this threaten my Sabbath?" If the answer is yes, then I will lay hands on it, take it captive, and make it obedient to Christ.
Last week, I was reading in Nehemiah. In Chapter 13, Nehemiah is dealing with people threatening the Sabbath rest. These people wanted to come to Jerusalem and continue their work and sell their goods. This was upsetting to Nehemiah because the Sabbath was not being set apart. He confronted the nobles of Judah and told them to knock it off! Had they not learned anything from their forefathers who had made this same mistake? God had brought calamity on the city and here they were repeating history and stirring up more wrath against Israel. Nehemiah ordered for the doors of the city to be closed until the Sabbath was over and he stationed guards at the gates so that no loads could be brought into the city. A couple of times, some of the merchants spent the night outside of Jerusalem waiting for the first break of dawn on the first day of the week to commence their work. Nehemiah threatened them. "I will lay hands on you, if you ever do this again!" He guarded the gates furiously.
As I read this, I thought, "what if we were just like Nehemiah and worked hard to follow all the Sabbath regulations as well as all of the regulations of the Bible? How would our lives be different? If we did it right, what a difference there would be in our lives! We would be blessed and at rest!" I quickly realized this was a works mentality. These kinds of thoughts will only take me back to trying to be obedient enough to gain the blessing of God. And that's not right. That's not what I have been learning. Plus, it wouldn't take me long to fail one of the regulations. Where would that leave me? Unblessed? This line of thinking jumbles up the point of the Sabbath. It turns the Sabbath into more work, to try not to work, in order to somehow obtain rest. It is missing the point all together.
Through Jesus' death on the cross and through His Resurrection , I have been offered a Sabbath rest which I have obtained through belief and faith in Jesus Christ. This rest has been given to me so that I may rest from my work. (Hebrews 4:9-11) Which is, my striving to be perfect enough, good enough, and do enough to gain favor with God. This Sabbath is not just about a day of the week in which I try to do my best to do nothing. It is a daily Sabbath and a daily rest found only in Christ. And just as Nehemiah guarded the gates of Jerusalem from merchants desiring to come in and desecrate the Sabbath rest, so I must also guard the gates of my Sabbath . . . . daily.
Since I have read this, God has continued to bring this thought back to me. How am I guarding my Sabbath? A thought, a wrong attitude, circumstances can so easily rob me of my Sabbath. They barge into my heart and my mind causing restlessness, frustration, anger, annoyance all very much disturbing my rest. How quick am I to confront these "merchants" that desire to march through the gates of my heart? Their wagons loaded down with a burden that I do not wish to purchase . . . desecrating the rest, the Sabbath that has been given to me by Jesus. How quickly do I say to them, "get out of here and if you come back again, I will lay hands on you!"
1 Corinthians 10:3-5 says, "For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have DIVINE POWER to DEMOLISH STRONGHOLDS. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we TAKE CAPTIVE EVERY THOUGHT to make it obedient to Christ."
and
Philippians 4:8 says, "Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable-if anything is excellent or praiseworthy-think about such things."
I desire to guard the gates of my heart. To not allow anything in that will distract from my Sabbath rest in Christ. It is the question I ask myself, "does this threaten my Sabbath?" If the answer is yes, then I will lay hands on it, take it captive, and make it obedient to Christ.
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
Songs
The last couple of days, I have had a list of things that I needed to get done. However, as I have headed out of my living room to go upstairs after breakfast, I have been stopped by God to sit down and play my piano. Yesterday, as I sat down to play, I reached for my worship team folder that is fat with songs. But, I drew back my hand as a thought went across the ticker tape of my mind, "just play. Just worship." As I began to play, a tune began to emerge and words came to mind.
This morning, I again had a list of to dos. My mom has Kara for the day and I was going to tackle a lot of errands and chores. As I passed the piano, though, I felt an urge to sit down and play the song from yesterday. As I played today, another tune rang out and a new set of words came to my mind. So much for getting the items on my list crossed off! But who cares about lists, when I can spend time in worship! So, here they are to share with you.
Holy
Based on Psalm 29 and Hebrews 13:15
You are king, you are King and to you our voices raise
You are Lord, you are Lord and we magnify your name
You deserve, you deserve all the glory due your name!
Lord we bring our praise to you
Here we bring our offering
At your feet we worship you
Your the king of Kings!
With our lips we confess
King of Kings
Lord of Lords
Your name is Holy!
Lamb of God
Based in Revelation 4
Holy Lamb of God
Oh we worship you
We cry Holy is the Lamb
Holy is the Lamb
We cry Holy is the Lamb
For sinners slain
Worthy Lamb of God
Oh we worship you
Who was and is and is to come
Righteous and Holy one
The beginning and the end
Forever reign
Glory and honor, power and dominion
Sovereign in all your ways
Creator, Redeemer, Lord God Almighty
Oh we worship you
We cry Holy is the Lamb
Holy is the Lamb
We cry Holy is the Lamb
We worship you
This morning, I again had a list of to dos. My mom has Kara for the day and I was going to tackle a lot of errands and chores. As I passed the piano, though, I felt an urge to sit down and play the song from yesterday. As I played today, another tune rang out and a new set of words came to my mind. So much for getting the items on my list crossed off! But who cares about lists, when I can spend time in worship! So, here they are to share with you.
Holy
Based on Psalm 29 and Hebrews 13:15
You are king, you are King and to you our voices raise
You are Lord, you are Lord and we magnify your name
You deserve, you deserve all the glory due your name!
Lord we bring our praise to you
Here we bring our offering
At your feet we worship you
Your the king of Kings!
With our lips we confess
King of Kings
Lord of Lords
Your name is Holy!
Lamb of God
Based in Revelation 4
Holy Lamb of God
Oh we worship you
We cry Holy is the Lamb
Holy is the Lamb
We cry Holy is the Lamb
For sinners slain
Worthy Lamb of God
Oh we worship you
Who was and is and is to come
Righteous and Holy one
The beginning and the end
Forever reign
Glory and honor, power and dominion
Sovereign in all your ways
Creator, Redeemer, Lord God Almighty
Oh we worship you
We cry Holy is the Lamb
Holy is the Lamb
We cry Holy is the Lamb
We worship you
Thursday, April 28, 2011
The Power of Praise: An Act of Faith
It is so incredibly easy to praise God when things are going really well, isn't it? When I see the hand of God working in my life, when I receive answers to my prayers, when my life is going pleasantly, then "Praise ye the Lord!!!" But what about those times that things are not going well? When it doesn't appear the hand of God is anywhere near my life, when I don't receive answers to my prayers, when my life is not going pleasantly, then "Praise ye the Lord!!!!" does not come pouring off of my lips so easily. I begin to fret and worry, complain and grumble; begging God to please straighten out the mess, to take it away from me, and to quickly fix it. I want to be in the middle of the solution, because then I feel something is being done. However, in the midst of all this, I am prompted to do something unthinkable, something that goes against all of my feelings. I am prompted to praise.
I have been sick. I counted it up the other day. 5 times in 5 months. It has stopped a lot of my activity and changed my days. My focus is no longer on getting a list done, but more on getting out of bed, taking a shower, and hopefully getting the basics done. I have no idea why I have been so sick and it is completely out of the norm for me. I'm a once a year sick person . . . not 5 times right in a row. I found myself last week, sick again. I found myself completely at the end of my strength, slouched in a kitchen chair, crying; so tired of being sick. And yet, prompted to praise. God had been so good in teaching me about focusing on the unseen and not on what is seen. Focusing on Him in the midst of the trial and praising Him. Focusing on the promise of what happens to me in this physical world has no affect on my spiritual life. What a promise!
The first couple of days, it felt a little easier to tackle this challenge. However, as the days have gone on, the more negative thoughts have come. With each thought, though, I would capture it, say no to it, and replace it with praise or with a verse. Have I reacted to everything perfectly? Noooooo, I haven't. I would love to tell you that I have been perfect in this. But, I have snipped at my husband, been a bit more grumbly, and I have had shortened patience. I would like to tell you that if you do steps one, two, and three in praising God during the tough times that everything mellows out, the problem gets fixed, and life goes back to normal. That is the thing, it isn't a magical formula and we can't treat it like one. Sometimes things still remain unchanged and unseen. But that is where the rest of it fits in.
A couple of days ago, I was reading in 2 Chronicles and came across the 20th chapter. I got all fired up reading it. An army was coming to attack Judah. Judah sought after God, God answered them, they praised God, and God defeated the enemy. AMEN! Hallelujah! I was so excited about the power that is in our praise to God . . . and yet, I kept feeling like I was missing something. One verse kept bugging me. The question kept coming back to me, but what about when we can't see the victory taking place? What about when we still feel like we are struggling? I have praised, praised, praised, recited verses over and over . . . . but right now I am still sick. Right now, I still feel at the end of my rope. And this is what I felt God share with me today:
There is power in praise. Not because it is magical or super christian of us to do it, but because our praise in the midst of storms, trials, sickness, and before we ever see the victory, speaks of a strong faith settled way down inside of our Spirits. 2 Chronicles 20 records of a time in King Jehoshaphat's life, in which he was at the end of his rope. A vast army was coming to attack Judah. He did not know what to do, so He called out to God. "Help us! We are not capable of defeating this enemy. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are fixed on You!" (Paraphrase mine) God responded so beautifully. He said "Do not be afraid, do not be shattered or broken. Do not feel like this is the end of your life. You will not need to fight. This battle is not yours, it is Mine. Set yourselves firm, stand still, and watch me save you." (Paraphrase mine) All of the kingdom fell down in worship and the Levites stood up and began to praise God. King Jehoshaphat appointed singers to be on the front lines as they approached the enemy. The singers sang, "Give thanks to the Lord, for his love endures forever." As they began to sing, the Lord set ambushes for their enemies. This is the part that originally got me fired up! Yeah, as they began to praise, God conquered their enemy! There is power in our praise! Yes, I will praise and God will conquer all my issues for me . . . . but then why I am still feeling defeated, frustrated, and weak? Harumph.
It is two verses down, that has answered my question. It is the verse that bugged me. 2 Chronicles 20:24 says, "When the men of Judah came to the place that over looks the desert and looked toward the vast army, they saw only dead bodies lying on the ground; no one had escaped." I had imagined in my mind that Judah was able to watch God defeat their enemy. Yeah! The way that we like it, right? We like to watch God give it to our enemies good. Come on, be honest. I can't be the only one that likes to have those moments. We like to see justice done. But that is not what happened here. They didn't get to watch it. When the men of Judah got to the Desert of Tecoa, the enemy had already been conquered. They had no idea of the battle God was fighting on their behalf as they praised God and marched to face their enemy. The power of their praise came in their faith in God to fight a battle they could not even see.
We often feel we have to do something big to prove and show our faith. We need to be part of performing a miracle, speaking in tongues, cast out a demon. It can almost become a bragging point. "I had enough faith, so the healing happened", or I had enough faith so God gave me the ability to speak in tongues". These kinds of statements only bring condemnation to those who have not had these experiences. It is easy to respond sadly and with a bit of pity to those who have not experienced something like that, "well, you must not have had enough faith." If we are one of those people, it is easy to beat ourselves up for not having enough faith. But the Bible says, all we need is faith the size of a mustard seed and we can move mountains. A mustard seed is a teeny, tiny package with the promise of a very large result. Faith is believing without seeing. It is steadfast, set firm, staying still, while allowing God to do His work whether we can see it or not.
I am not saying that there is anything wrong with miracles, signs, and wonders. They most definitely have their place. However, we cannot use signs and wonders as a comparison about who has the most faith or who can perform the most miracles. It is a misuse of them. The focus is on faith the size of a mustard seed. A small package, filled with a big promise.
Praising God, especially in the hard times, can seem like such a small thing. We want to be a part of something "big", in the middle of the action, part of the solution. Instead, I can see Jesus gently picking us up, moving us to the sidelines, out of view of the battle, saying: "you don't have to fight. This battle is mine and I will fight this battle for you. You stay here, set yourself firm, be still and watch me save you!"
So then, let us praise Him! Our feet set firm on the Solid Rock, with our voices raised high; praising the One whom we have put all our faith in to fight our battle for us whether we can see it or not! Praise can seem like a small act in the midst of turmoil and trouble. No matter how small an action it seems to us, though, it is filled to the brim with faith in our warrior Jesus Christ, our Alpha, our Omega, our El Shaddai, our Jehovah Jireh! That is the where the power of praise comes from. Our faith.
I have been sick. I counted it up the other day. 5 times in 5 months. It has stopped a lot of my activity and changed my days. My focus is no longer on getting a list done, but more on getting out of bed, taking a shower, and hopefully getting the basics done. I have no idea why I have been so sick and it is completely out of the norm for me. I'm a once a year sick person . . . not 5 times right in a row. I found myself last week, sick again. I found myself completely at the end of my strength, slouched in a kitchen chair, crying; so tired of being sick. And yet, prompted to praise. God had been so good in teaching me about focusing on the unseen and not on what is seen. Focusing on Him in the midst of the trial and praising Him. Focusing on the promise of what happens to me in this physical world has no affect on my spiritual life. What a promise!
The first couple of days, it felt a little easier to tackle this challenge. However, as the days have gone on, the more negative thoughts have come. With each thought, though, I would capture it, say no to it, and replace it with praise or with a verse. Have I reacted to everything perfectly? Noooooo, I haven't. I would love to tell you that I have been perfect in this. But, I have snipped at my husband, been a bit more grumbly, and I have had shortened patience. I would like to tell you that if you do steps one, two, and three in praising God during the tough times that everything mellows out, the problem gets fixed, and life goes back to normal. That is the thing, it isn't a magical formula and we can't treat it like one. Sometimes things still remain unchanged and unseen. But that is where the rest of it fits in.
A couple of days ago, I was reading in 2 Chronicles and came across the 20th chapter. I got all fired up reading it. An army was coming to attack Judah. Judah sought after God, God answered them, they praised God, and God defeated the enemy. AMEN! Hallelujah! I was so excited about the power that is in our praise to God . . . and yet, I kept feeling like I was missing something. One verse kept bugging me. The question kept coming back to me, but what about when we can't see the victory taking place? What about when we still feel like we are struggling? I have praised, praised, praised, recited verses over and over . . . . but right now I am still sick. Right now, I still feel at the end of my rope. And this is what I felt God share with me today:
There is power in praise. Not because it is magical or super christian of us to do it, but because our praise in the midst of storms, trials, sickness, and before we ever see the victory, speaks of a strong faith settled way down inside of our Spirits. 2 Chronicles 20 records of a time in King Jehoshaphat's life, in which he was at the end of his rope. A vast army was coming to attack Judah. He did not know what to do, so He called out to God. "Help us! We are not capable of defeating this enemy. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are fixed on You!" (Paraphrase mine) God responded so beautifully. He said "Do not be afraid, do not be shattered or broken. Do not feel like this is the end of your life. You will not need to fight. This battle is not yours, it is Mine. Set yourselves firm, stand still, and watch me save you." (Paraphrase mine) All of the kingdom fell down in worship and the Levites stood up and began to praise God. King Jehoshaphat appointed singers to be on the front lines as they approached the enemy. The singers sang, "Give thanks to the Lord, for his love endures forever." As they began to sing, the Lord set ambushes for their enemies. This is the part that originally got me fired up! Yeah, as they began to praise, God conquered their enemy! There is power in our praise! Yes, I will praise and God will conquer all my issues for me . . . . but then why I am still feeling defeated, frustrated, and weak? Harumph.
It is two verses down, that has answered my question. It is the verse that bugged me. 2 Chronicles 20:24 says, "When the men of Judah came to the place that over looks the desert and looked toward the vast army, they saw only dead bodies lying on the ground; no one had escaped." I had imagined in my mind that Judah was able to watch God defeat their enemy. Yeah! The way that we like it, right? We like to watch God give it to our enemies good. Come on, be honest. I can't be the only one that likes to have those moments. We like to see justice done. But that is not what happened here. They didn't get to watch it. When the men of Judah got to the Desert of Tecoa, the enemy had already been conquered. They had no idea of the battle God was fighting on their behalf as they praised God and marched to face their enemy. The power of their praise came in their faith in God to fight a battle they could not even see.
We often feel we have to do something big to prove and show our faith. We need to be part of performing a miracle, speaking in tongues, cast out a demon. It can almost become a bragging point. "I had enough faith, so the healing happened", or I had enough faith so God gave me the ability to speak in tongues". These kinds of statements only bring condemnation to those who have not had these experiences. It is easy to respond sadly and with a bit of pity to those who have not experienced something like that, "well, you must not have had enough faith." If we are one of those people, it is easy to beat ourselves up for not having enough faith. But the Bible says, all we need is faith the size of a mustard seed and we can move mountains. A mustard seed is a teeny, tiny package with the promise of a very large result. Faith is believing without seeing. It is steadfast, set firm, staying still, while allowing God to do His work whether we can see it or not.
I am not saying that there is anything wrong with miracles, signs, and wonders. They most definitely have their place. However, we cannot use signs and wonders as a comparison about who has the most faith or who can perform the most miracles. It is a misuse of them. The focus is on faith the size of a mustard seed. A small package, filled with a big promise.
Praising God, especially in the hard times, can seem like such a small thing. We want to be a part of something "big", in the middle of the action, part of the solution. Instead, I can see Jesus gently picking us up, moving us to the sidelines, out of view of the battle, saying: "you don't have to fight. This battle is mine and I will fight this battle for you. You stay here, set yourself firm, be still and watch me save you!"
So then, let us praise Him! Our feet set firm on the Solid Rock, with our voices raised high; praising the One whom we have put all our faith in to fight our battle for us whether we can see it or not! Praise can seem like a small act in the midst of turmoil and trouble. No matter how small an action it seems to us, though, it is filled to the brim with faith in our warrior Jesus Christ, our Alpha, our Omega, our El Shaddai, our Jehovah Jireh! That is the where the power of praise comes from. Our faith.
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
The Heart of the Matter
Recently, I have come across a couple of different passages in the Bible that have caused me to stop and ask a few questions. There have been two instances, that I have read about, in which God has become angry at a king for actions he took. Now normally, if the king or person has done something wrong, I don't question God's anger. But in these situations, I have read the scripture and I think . . . . "now what was wrong with that? If I had been in the same situation, I might have done the same thing."
One of these instances was with King David in 1 Chronicles 21 and the other was with King Asa in 2 Chronicles 16. Both of these men loved God and followed His commandments. However, both of them made decisions that angered God. King David took a census and King Asa made a treaty with another king to help him protect Judah from the King of Israel. In both of these instances, I had to ask the question, what was so wrong about what they did?
I began to explore this more and talked to a couple of people about it. The answer I recieved to this question was both of these men had an issue of the heart which God was dealing with. God was angry with them because they had both turned to something or someone else for support instead of Him. The issue was not necessarily the action they chose to take, but who or what they were putting their hope and trust in.
I have asked myself, ALOT, as I have walked through the journey of eating disorders, why?
*Why have I been given such specific directions on how I should eat?
*Why have I been made like this?
*Why don't other Christians have to eat like me? Why is it ok for others, but not for me.
*Why do I have to be different!?
*Isn't the way that I am eating, if I stick to it strictly, being legalistic?
God has given me answers to these questions.
*I have been given specific directions because I cried out to God for His help. So, He gave me specific directions on gaining freedom.
*Who am I to question how I have been made, because I know that I have been fearfully and wonderfully made.
*Others don't have to be just like me because God is taking me on a journey, which by the way, He does for all of us. Our journey's are not always the same. He is a very personal and specific God and knows exactly what we each need to bring us closer and closer to Him.
*I cannot compare myself with others. God made me to be me, not someone else. (Profound, I know!)
*No, it is not legalistic, it is called obedience.
The heart of the matter in all of these questions; which if I am being extremely honest with myself I only ask because I am throwing a little . . . ok a big. . . fit about what I have been instructed to do, is this. God is teaching me about the same issue He was dealing with in King David's life and King Asa's life. He wants me to fully rely on Him, fully hope in Him, fully trust in Him to be my provider, sustainer, peace, and my everything. He does not want me to ever turn to any other person or substance to fix my problems. He wants me to turn to Him and Him alone.
God was looking for full reliance on Him from King David and from King Asa, and that is what He desires from me as well. The thing is, no matter how much I turn to food or others to fill the holes in my life left from painful situations, it cannot satisfy me like God can. He is and always will be the only one that will fill my every need. He desires me seeking Him, desiring Him, and relying on Him for everything.
The heart of the matter is God is concerned about our heart posture . . . . our heart attitude behind our every action, thought, and word. When we begin to put our hope and faith in something other then God, and begin to rely on something or someone other then God to fix our problems, then we are committing idolatry. Wow. That sounds harsh to me as I write it . . . but it is the truth.
One of these instances was with King David in 1 Chronicles 21 and the other was with King Asa in 2 Chronicles 16. Both of these men loved God and followed His commandments. However, both of them made decisions that angered God. King David took a census and King Asa made a treaty with another king to help him protect Judah from the King of Israel. In both of these instances, I had to ask the question, what was so wrong about what they did?
I began to explore this more and talked to a couple of people about it. The answer I recieved to this question was both of these men had an issue of the heart which God was dealing with. God was angry with them because they had both turned to something or someone else for support instead of Him. The issue was not necessarily the action they chose to take, but who or what they were putting their hope and trust in.
I have asked myself, ALOT, as I have walked through the journey of eating disorders, why?
*Why have I been given such specific directions on how I should eat?
*Why have I been made like this?
*Why don't other Christians have to eat like me? Why is it ok for others, but not for me.
*Why do I have to be different!?
*Isn't the way that I am eating, if I stick to it strictly, being legalistic?
God has given me answers to these questions.
*I have been given specific directions because I cried out to God for His help. So, He gave me specific directions on gaining freedom.
*Who am I to question how I have been made, because I know that I have been fearfully and wonderfully made.
*Others don't have to be just like me because God is taking me on a journey, which by the way, He does for all of us. Our journey's are not always the same. He is a very personal and specific God and knows exactly what we each need to bring us closer and closer to Him.
*I cannot compare myself with others. God made me to be me, not someone else. (Profound, I know!)
*No, it is not legalistic, it is called obedience.
The heart of the matter in all of these questions; which if I am being extremely honest with myself I only ask because I am throwing a little . . . ok a big. . . fit about what I have been instructed to do, is this. God is teaching me about the same issue He was dealing with in King David's life and King Asa's life. He wants me to fully rely on Him, fully hope in Him, fully trust in Him to be my provider, sustainer, peace, and my everything. He does not want me to ever turn to any other person or substance to fix my problems. He wants me to turn to Him and Him alone.
God was looking for full reliance on Him from King David and from King Asa, and that is what He desires from me as well. The thing is, no matter how much I turn to food or others to fill the holes in my life left from painful situations, it cannot satisfy me like God can. He is and always will be the only one that will fill my every need. He desires me seeking Him, desiring Him, and relying on Him for everything.
The heart of the matter is God is concerned about our heart posture . . . . our heart attitude behind our every action, thought, and word. When we begin to put our hope and faith in something other then God, and begin to rely on something or someone other then God to fix our problems, then we are committing idolatry. Wow. That sounds harsh to me as I write it . . . but it is the truth.
Saturday, April 23, 2011
"But take Heart! I have overcome the world" Part 2
When I wrote the last post, I did not realize how very quickly I would be given the opportunity to put into practice what God had spoken to me. Thursday night I went to bed with an extremely sore throat. I assumed that it came from the 3 hour chior practice that I had just been at. I was sure my throat was just raw and it would be better by morning. I woke up at 3 AM with pain and took Excedrine Migraine, the only pain meds I could find in my groggy, half awake state of mind. For the rest of the night I tossed and turned. I got up in the morning feeling somewhat ok. However, as my day progressed things just got worse and worse. I took the kids with me to go get groceries (which is not ever a very pleasurable experience with all three of them since none of them want to be at the grocery store). Somehow, an extremely short grocery list turned into almost a 2 hour expedition in which I had to stop several times to discipline and reprimand my energetic children. My patience felt thin and my body began to feel even weaker. On the way home, I began praying for strength to get through my day and decided that I would refuse to give into the temptation to complain, but that I would praise God. I would trust Him to give me what I needed for today.
By the time we made it home, I had made lunch for the children and put away the groceries, I discovered that I had a 101.8 fever. My whole body was aching and my throat was killing me. I texted a couple of friends to be praying for me as I felt at the end of my rope with not feeling well. I have been sick a lot this year, which is not normal for me. I finally took a moment to sit down and take some medicine and the tears just started coming as I felt God place on my heart the verse that He had given me earlier in the day. 2 Corinthians 4:16-18. These trials on earth are momentary compared to eternity with Jesus. I continued to cry out to Jesus and continued to praise Him, reciting verses that would come to my mind and doing a lot of rebuking towards Satan.
I was overcome by how personal my Jesus is! How He speaks so personally to me. He continued to lay verses and songs on my mind and heart throughout the day. One of those verses was Isaiah 54:10:
"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."
Truly, if God is for me then who can be against me! No sickness, no death, no angels, no demons, no heights, no depths, nothing can ever seperate me from the love of God! He is here and He is able to carry us through our deepest trials and our weakest days. His strength is enough and His power is made perfect in weakness. He has overcome and is greater then he that is in this world! Thank you Jesus for overcoming death, sin, and sickness! Thank you for grace that is sufficient for me! Thank you for being my everything!
By the time we made it home, I had made lunch for the children and put away the groceries, I discovered that I had a 101.8 fever. My whole body was aching and my throat was killing me. I texted a couple of friends to be praying for me as I felt at the end of my rope with not feeling well. I have been sick a lot this year, which is not normal for me. I finally took a moment to sit down and take some medicine and the tears just started coming as I felt God place on my heart the verse that He had given me earlier in the day. 2 Corinthians 4:16-18. These trials on earth are momentary compared to eternity with Jesus. I continued to cry out to Jesus and continued to praise Him, reciting verses that would come to my mind and doing a lot of rebuking towards Satan.
I was overcome by how personal my Jesus is! How He speaks so personally to me. He continued to lay verses and songs on my mind and heart throughout the day. One of those verses was Isaiah 54:10:
"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."
Truly, if God is for me then who can be against me! No sickness, no death, no angels, no demons, no heights, no depths, nothing can ever seperate me from the love of God! He is here and He is able to carry us through our deepest trials and our weakest days. His strength is enough and His power is made perfect in weakness. He has overcome and is greater then he that is in this world! Thank you Jesus for overcoming death, sin, and sickness! Thank you for grace that is sufficient for me! Thank you for being my everything!
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