Spiritual Reflections by Di

Music for the Soul

2012-02-29T17:30:00.000-08:00

Nearer My God to Thee, a favorite hymn of mine, is preformed by Steven Sharp Nelson, one of the The Piano Guys, on the Cello . . . his playing inspires me. As you watch you can tell the music comes from the depths of his soul—every fiber of his being captures each note as he plays.

Watch a moment then close your eyes and listen and let the music infiltrate your soul as you meditate on God's greatness and His desire to draw near to us, the very reason he sent His Son Jesus. This is what I am doing!

"I Will praise you, O LORD, with all my heart; before the "gods" I will sing your praise. I will bow down toward your holy temple and will praise your name for your love and your faithfulness, for you have exalted above all things your name and your word. When I called, you answered me; you made me bold and stouthearted," (Psalm 138: 1-3).

My prayer for us:

Our Father,
How easy it is to forget how near you are to us. You are not a distant God by no means. All we have to do is call out your name and you answer us. You say those who seek you will find you. I know also you love to show your self strong to those who are in need. Draw near to your people, Lord and cause us to be aware of your presences. In Jesus, Amen!

Do You Know Where to Find Encouragement? Consider Talking About the Coming of Christ . . .

2012-01-27T17:53:00.000-08:00

"When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all theangels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory," (Matthew25:31).

When I was a kid, during the hot summer days, we'd play until our parents wanted us home. We had no cell phones for them to call us on or to send a text . . . no my father blew a horn—his ahooga horn, whichsounded something like an old Model T's horn.I'd say resourceful parents for the fifties.

This ahooga blasted throughout our vicinity—that sound meantget home and fast. If you missed the third ahooga call, you missed dinner orspent time in lock down (your bedroom) for being late. It only took one missedahooga for me to be sure I was on time.

There is another sound I don't want to miss and that's whenJesus sends, " . . . His angels with a great sound of a trumpet" togather the elect.

As Christians we are told, " . . . let us encourage one another—and all the moreas you see the Day approaching," (Hebrews 10:25).

How often do Christians converse about the coming of theLord or encourage each other with the knowledge that the Day of the Lord isapproaching. Not often I presume. I mean I don't think it's regular coffeeshop talk, sermon messages, or something we encourage friends with when faced with trials.

What would that conversation sound like anyways?

Hey Henry, heard your car broke down. So sorry to hear youlost your job too and can't pay your mortgage. Chin up my man, the Day of the Lordis soon approaching.

POSSIBLE REASONS WE DON'T TALK ABOUT HIS COMING

Now I don't mean to be condescending but consider it for amoment, for generations people have been saying Jesus is coming back . . . theyears have come and gone. Troubles, conflicts, and trials still knock at ourdoor. Therefore, perhaps we neglect to encourage one another with the mysteriesof the coming of Christ because we either:

Don't believe it's true
Are pretty sure it won't happen in our lifetime
People keep saying Jesus is coming yet it hasn't happened
It's the farthest subject from our mind

The apostle Paul said, "We will not all sleep, but wewill all be changed in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the lasttrumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, andwe will be changed," (1 Corinthians 15:51, 52).

That is something to chat about. There will be Believers whoare alive when Christ returns. He will bring with Him those whose perishablebodies were dead and decayed—those in worse shape then a zombie, but will bechanged to imperishable. This will happen in a flash, in a twinkling of an eye,like some super hero discarding his outward garments and glasses, revealing theauthentic man.

LOOK HE IS COMING . . .

Many years ago, I was taking a much-needed nap. Deep inslumber, I suddenly heard the sound of a trumpet call; it was so loud that Ileaped out of bed with my heart racing much like when you receive a call at 3AM. Thefirst thought, which entered my mind was . . . Am I ready? Am I ready forChrist's return . . .?

"For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, witha loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call ofGod, and the dead in Christ will rise first," (1 Thessalonians 4:16).

That is going to be one boisterous day. All shall hear:

A loud command
The voice of the archangel
The trumpet call of God

There will be no question whatsoever that the Day of theLord has arrived—that our magnificent, majestic, and mighty Lord has come totriumph over the evil of this world. Jesus, our King, comingto liberate His Church from the shackles of earth. However, until then, we are toencourage one another with this truth—JESUS IS COMING!

"Look, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye willsee him . . . and all the peoples of the earth will mourn because of him. Soshall it be! Amen," (Revelations 1:7).

CHRIST ARRIVAL, A WIN-WIN FOR THE DEAD AND THE LIVING INCHRIST

The secret to our encouragement, I submit, is found in thisscripture:

"And He will send His angels with a great sound of atrumpet, and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from oneend of heaven to the other," (Matthew 24:31; NKJV).

The "when" of Christ's arrival is nonessential butthe fact is He is coming and the elect, those sleeping or alive; those who have placed their faith inthe Lord Jesus Christ as the Son of God—it is those who will be gatheredtogether, changed in a twinkling of an eye, who will see Jesus as He is, faceto face and enter into immortality.

Now that is our encouragement. For the Christian, the Comingof Christ is a win-win whether our body is deep in a grave for a century orliving on earth at the Coming of the Lord.

We also find encouragement in the coming of Christ as theapostle Paul shared, "Therefore, we do not lose heart . . . For our lightand momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighsthem all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. Forwhat is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal," (2 Corinthians4:16 -18).

Hence we can cheer ourselves, and people like our Henry, with thesetruths pertaining to the Coming of the Lord:

Don't lose heart in adversity
God is achieving for us eternal glory, which outweighs any trail we experience
Faith is focused on what is not seen rather then what is seen
God is working all things together for our good
All hardships are temporary, in other words, this to will pass
Our home, which is in heaven, is eternal

Lets then encourage one another with the wonderful news thatthe Day of the Lord is fast approaching, maybe today, tomorrow, or a hundred years from now. The truth is He is returning as He said. (see John 14: 1, 28).

Certainly centuries have passed andChristians have longed for His coming. To God a day is like a thousand years and a thousand years is like a day. . . whether we are absent from our body and present with the Lord, either waywe will witness the Coming of Christ. What a fearful, awesome, and surreal day that will be. (See 2 Peter 3:8; 2 Corinthians 5:8).

"I am the Alpha and the Omega," says the Lord God,"who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty," (Revelation1:8). Amen!

Suggested questions to stir talk about the Second Coming of Christ

What will that trumpet call of God sound like?
How will everyone see Jesus at the same time, all around theworld?
What will that look like as the elect are caught up into thesky with Jesus, being changed in a twinkling of an eye?
What will the elect be changed to?
Do you feel ready if Christ were to return today?
What perplexes you the most about the Coming of Christ?
How do you find encouragement in his return?

Thank you for reading . . . I do hope you were blessed, inspired, and given some food for thought! God bless you my friend . . .

The Gift

2011-12-20T12:48:00.000-08:00

I drove my van into the driveway of the mobile homeand took a deep breath. Soon a young woman with wet long hair opened the screendoor and stepped out-side. Her belly was swollen, her face sunken and pale.

The guy behind her, with tattoos and missing teeth,seemed cordial as he smiled. What am I getting myself into? The use of street drugs played its toll on them.Now she faced homelessness and a pregnancy. As I greeted her it appeared shelacked proper nutrition and her glassy eyes indicated she’d used recently.

We couldn’t find anyone else who wanted to help her;after all she was released from jail for drug trafficking and petty theft. Myhusband and I were taking a risk moving her into our home. Were we invitingtrouble? Putting our children in harm’s way? No sooner did doubt surface, awave of peace rushed through me. Then an overwhelming sensation of lovefiercely assaulted me, for a person I didn’t know. What did that mean?

Weeks before my first encounter with Brianna, I did a“What if?” What if a homeless family knocked on our door, smelly and hungry,needing a place to sleep? Would I politely refer them elsewhere or providehospitality without fear and judgment?

Now my what if stood before me. Suddenly, an unconditional love, which impregnated myheart, subdued my uneasiness. Within days Brianna became a

memberof our family. Yet I still couldn’t understand why the uncanny connection tosupport her, so filled my being.

We celebrated the birth of her daughter, Athena, midOctober 1987. We worked with her to be free from her addiction, get a job andapartment. Unfortunately her cravings for heroin siphoned every ounce of herwill to fight—even a recovery home did little to conquer this demon.

Within eight months of Brianna being on her own, wereceived a frantic call from the Santa Barbara County jail. “Please, go getAthena . . . Don’t leave her with my boyfriend,” her voice shameful but her soulpleading.

Her boyfriend refused to release Brianna's baby to us. The Policefound him with her in a run down house with drug paraphernalia and no runningwater. They estimated she sat in her car seat drenched in urine and feces formore then 12 hours. Once Brianna’s baby was placed into a transition home, wepetitioned the court and within three weeks became Athena’s foster parents.

Again we helped Brianna work toward healing—working,living on her own, and doing well without drugs. But to our dismay, after sixmonths, her partner was released from jail, reintroducing drugs into her life.Her visits with her daughter decreased and we lost connection.

On one particular Sunday, I received a call, “Can Icome see Athena?” The tone in her voice engaged my sixth sense—something wasup. “Of course you can, we’ve missed you.”

Upon her arrival we embraced and visited as she fedher baby lunch. Then suddenly she said she had to go. Perplexed by the shortvisit, I walked her out, noticing her expressions were guarded. Halfway up ourdriveway she turned, catching my gaze. She didn’t have to say a word, I knew. Iknew she came to say goodbye, for good. Her eyes beckoned me to care and loveher child as my own. My heart agonized for her. Was my discernment correct?

Within several days we received a call from Arizona’swomen’s prison. This confirmed what I knew to be true. She was saying goodbyethat Sunday afternoon. Although I knew she wanted to crawl out of her abyss ofhopelessness, I understood she felt powerless to battle her monster. And I alsosensed she felt she was not ready to mother, yet the painful idea to releaseher child for adoption was more than she could bear.

Then it became clear to me—why I had that tremendousunconditional love for her, only a power greater than I, could know a person’sthoughts and anguish, one needing care, love, and people she could trust withher child. My spirit connected with hers, as God knew I’d become her child’smother. My what if turned into alife altering, faith building challenge of reaching into the heart of anotheronly to be honored with the gift and job of raising her child, a thought that nevercrossed my mind.

In acting upon my what if we received the gift of a friend, a child, and now23 years later, the blessing gift of two beautiful grandchildren.

Today Brianna is recovered and doing well. She willforever be bonded to our family.

(Nameshave been changed)

Hezekiah, Battle Plan Tactics 101

2011-11-16T06:30:00.000-08:00

I found a message I gave in 2002, which was a requirement for the courses I was taking through the Berean School of the Bible A Division of Global University. I would love to share it with you. To listen set aside thirty minutes, grab a cup of tea or coffee and join me virtually. Click on the message below to begin listening, it will open in a new window, but you can come right back hear and read the notes as you listen. I hope you'll be strengthened in your faith. I've posted the handout notes for this message.

This messages is taken from 2 Chronicles 31:20, and 32:1-22, NKJV, please read along if you choose.

Click Link to listen

It is the Process and the Preparation
A principle we can learn from Hezekiah is it's not so much that his enemy attacked, but the process he took in preparation for the battle and the final outcome.

Hezekiah's faithfulness was steadfast in spite of his enemy's attack because:

He had a deep personal faith in his God
He experienced God
He witnessed God's mighty power to save

The Enemy's Battle Tactics
1) Satan uses: Doubt
"On what are you basing this confidence of yours? You say you have strategy and military strength . . . but you speak only empty words," (2 Kings 18:20).

The Devil knows that doubt causes indecision and confusion.

2) Satan uses: Discouragement
"Do you not know what I and my fathers have done to all the people of the other lands? How then can your god deliver you from my hand," (2 Chronicles 32:14).

The Devil is a bully, he wants to knock us down and take our lunch money. He came to steal, kill, and destroy.

3) Satan uses: Fear
" . . . then they called out in Hebrew to the people of Jerusalem who were on the wall, to terrify them and make them afraid in order to capture the city," (2 Chronicles 32:18).

We are instructed to "be on the alert," have your spiritual antennas on.

4) Satan attacks: God's character and ours
"Now do not let Hezekiah deceive you and mislead you like this . . . Sennacherib wrote letters insulting the LORD, the god of Israel saying, "the god of Hezekiah will not reassure his people from my hand," (2 Chronicles 32:15, 17).

Satan wants us to lose sight of who God is, and who we are in Christ.

The Believer's Battle Plan Tactics
1) He recognized his enemy's schemes to wage war.
"Hezekiah saw that Sennacherib had come and that he intended to make war on Jerusalem," (2 Chronicles 32:2).

Take note of your thought patterns, and do a self evaluation.

2) He gathered reinforcements by consulting others.
"When Hezekiah saw that Sennacherib had come and that he intended to make war on Jerusalem, he consulted with is officials and military staff . . ." (2 Chronicles 32:2, 3).

Do not rely on your own wisdom, but seek the wisdom of others.

3) Repair the broken places.

"Then he worked hard repairing all the broken sections of the wall and building towers on it. He built another wall outside that one and reinforced the supporting terrace of the City of David. He also made large numbers o weapons and shields," (2 Chronicles 32:5).

Unresolved emotional wounds create spiritual strongholds, emohealing helps to reinforce our spiritual walls.

4) Cry out to God in prayer.

"King Hezekiah and the prophet Isaiah son of Amoz cried out in prayer to heaven about this," (2 Chronicles 32:20).

Prayer, worship, the Word of God, and the powerful name of Jesus are our best arsenals.

The Victory is Ours
1. God annihilated the army of the Assyrian King.

". . . the LORD sent an angel, who annihilated all the fighting and the leaders and officers in the camp of the Assyrian king," (2 Chronicles 32:21).

God will defeat our enemy when the time is right. Remember we know the end of the story!

2. God caused the enemy to withdraw in disgrace.
"He withdrew to his own land in disgrace . . ." (2 Chronicles 32:21).

God will cause the enemy to withdraw because at the name of Jesus Christ demons are driven out.

3. The LORD saved his people.
"So the LORD saved Hezekiah and the people of Jerusalem from the hand of Sennacherib kind of Assyria and from the hand of all others," (2 Chronicles 32:22).

Facing a battle? Strengthen your hands, recognize the enemy's attack, repair your broken walls, cry out to God in prayer and worship, because God has saved his people.

"Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes,"

(Ephesians 6:10-11; NIV)

Please leave a comment, I'd like to know your thoughts and how you were encouraged.

Where Comfort is Found . . .

2011-10-12T07:00:00.000-07:00

Comfort. When Ireflect on comfort, childhood memories come to mind. Like the smell of mymother’s pot-roast cooking, the scent and feel of clean sheets, and sitting onmy daddy’s lap.

One can find comfort inall shapes, sources, and sizes. But not all of them provide comfort,which is good for us. The wrong source of comfort—for stress and fear, cancreate addictions, which could have devastating consequences.

We might easilyequate comfort for those who are sick, grieving loss, or the modern comforts ofhome. Yet we overlook the need for comfort daily. That could be a hug, a touch, a smile, or kind words in the midst of frustration. Although these acts of comfort are beneficial, they may not be long lasting.

Real comfort is from God, which is deeper and provides substance, which is not found elsewhere.

When the weather is too hot and I start to complain, I remember a scene from Schindler's List. A line of boxcars crammed with Jewishpeople in the heat of the day, preparing to take them to their final and fataldestination, the concentration camps. I can’t imagine the feeling ofsuffocation and smells of stench. Then my mind shifts to a man whose compassiondrove him to do something—Mr. Schindler negotiates with the guards to allow him to shower theboxcars with water from a hose. Of course he was ridiculed. Yet he continued tocomfort and ease the people from the scorching heat inside those boxcars.

Although I cannot undo time, by heartweeps for those who suffered in such a way. I thank God my heat wave will only last till the car cools down orI’m inside my air conditioned home.

Comfort isEssential to Human Growth

In an article, TheComfort of a Mother’s Touchthe writer states, “For babies, close contact with their mothers is anaffirmation of her presence and a comforting feeling of security and love . . .Neurologists have found that the caress of a mother may set in motion certainactivities in the brain associated with learning and development,” (http://parentingsquad.com/the-comfort-of-a-mothers-touch,by Fred Lee).

Dr. CarolineLeaf, author of Who Switched Off My Brain said, “ . . . if children don’t get enough loving touchand eye contact during the first three years of life when their brains areorganizing for independence, their emotional development will be stunted.”

Essentially,besides needing love, comfort is a viable, valuable, and required act people mustextend to each other of all ages. For the largest to the smallest of problems.

The worddeclares, “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Fatherof compassion and the God of all comfort,” (2 Cr. 1:3).

I find these twophrases: Father of compassion, and the God of all comfort, interesting. Was thisdeliberate to define God as the God of comfort and the Father as the Father ofcompassion?

This is whatcomes to my mind and maybe it might render a different way to you—God “fathered”compassion, it’s his seed, a part of who he is . . . God is compassion,compassion is God. For him to be the God of all comfort he must be“compassion.” God as the God of comfort translates to me he is the Ruler of allcomfort—the be all and end all of comfort. What more could we ask for?

Doomsday Foretelling and Life Stresses

The other day Iread several articles bearing unpleasant news. More often than not our news issaturated with dismal headlines. We hear stories of economic recession, joblosses, home foreclosures, and tensions in the Middle East, failures in the economies of countries, babies beingkidnapped, and Mother Nature reaping havoc against her self in naturaldisasters.

Then there aredoomsday stories in which California will have a great earthquake and fall intothe ocean, or the Asteroid Toutatis smashing into earth thus causing the end ofthis world, supposedly December 2012.

Closer to homewe find: sickness, inadequate finances, disjointed relationships, and thosebarely hanging on to their sanity while looking for a job. Some days the clouds are darker than others.Fear for our future floods our peace.

For some, all theabove mentioned can cause great inner stress and worry, especially if they do not knowthe Father of compassion and the God of all comfort.

Set Our Sights Above

As Christians,to reverse doom and gloom, we must set our sights much higher. The Christian’sbelief is based on the faith and facts that Jesus died and rose again. Jesus isthe first resurrection, giving us hope. As believers we not only put assuranceinto Christ our resurrected Lord but the promise of his return, (Revelations22:7 & 12).

The Word states,“ . . . we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left till the comingof the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. For theLord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice ofthe archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ willrise first. After that, we who are still alive our life will be caught uptogether with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will bewith the Lord forever. Therefore encourage each other with these words,” (1 Thessalonians 4-14-18 NIV; italicsmine).

Also we arepromised though we walk “through the valley of the shadow of death,” we do notneed to fear evil because God is with us and his rod and staff, they “comfort”us, (Psalms 23:4). Strong’s concordance stipulates that this comfort is Piel,which means tocomfort, and “Itsometimes includes the notion of help put forth, when used of God.” Comfort provides encouragement,compassion as well it consoles.

When we set oursights above we put our world into perspective. “ . . . though the earth giveway and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roarand the mountains quake with their surging. There is a river whose streams makeglad the city of God, the holy place where the Most High dwells. God is withinher, she will not fall; God will help her at break of day,” (Psalm 46:2-5).

In our troubledtimes, we need comfort. Comfort stimulates positive chemicals in our brains,and gives us a sense of well-being. We find that most people and things areinept to comfort us; the only comfort, which consoles and encourages us is that ofGod’s.

You might beasking how do I get that comfort when my life is falling apart?

You ask for it (Matthew 7:7)
You believe in the God who provides it (Hebrews 11:6)
You draw near to Christ who is our peace and comfort (Romans 5:1)
You set your sights on what will be not what is (2 Corinthians 4:18)
You remember earth is only your home away from home (Philippians 3:20)
You have faith that the best is yet to come (1 Corinthians 2:9)

Let us comfort and encourage each otherwith this knowledge:

Jesus died and rose again (Acts 10:41)
Jesus is the resurrection and the Life (John 11:25)
At the trumpet call of God the dead in Christ will be raised as Christ descends from Heaven (1 Thessalonians 4:16)
Those who are alive on earth will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air (Halleluiah!) (1 Thessalonians 4:17)
And so we will be with the Lord forever (Amen, 1 Thessalonians 4:18)

Our Father inHeaven, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, cause us to fixour eyes on Heaven above, not the trials here on earth. Remind us of yourSovereignty.

We thank youFather for providing us comfort in the resurrected Christ. Help us to looktoward our Lord that we may see you, know you, and most of all trust you thatwhat is, is only a fraction of our life here on earth when compared to alleternity in which we will live with you.
Also we askFather that in your mercy you comfort the hurting, the sick, the poor, andthose being mistreated around our world. Grant us the ability to comfort otherswith the comfort we have received from you.

In Jesus Name, Amen!

God Hears You . . . and wants you to know

2011-09-05T12:44:00.000-07:00

Do you ever wonder if God; the Almighty King of the Universe, would go out of his way to get your attention?

I am certain that if the Lord had a day planner he would have written for last week: Diane needs to know I am listening and seeing what is happening in her world. She doesn’t know she needs this reassurance but I do—I’m her God. I want my beloved daughter to feel secure, at peace, and remembered by me, her Father.

GOD'S ATTENTION GETTING METHODS

In my experiences, when God desires to get my attention or reassure me about something, he repeats a phrase or serious of phrases three times or more depending on how hard of hearing I am at the moment. I've learned that when I hear a similar expression, especially within a few days, I'm almost sure God is wanting to encourage me that he is going out of his way to show me he is guiding me. I stop and take notice as I don't want to miss what God is doing.

Remember the story of Samuel, found in 1 Samuel 3:5-8:

Then the LORD called Samuel. Samuel answered, "Here I am."
And he ran to Eli and said, "Here I am; you called me." But Eli said, "I did not call; go back and lie down." So he went and lay down.
Again the LORD called, "Samuel!" And Samuel got up and went to Eli and said, "Here I am; you called me." "My son," Eli said, "I did not call; go back and lie down."
The LORD called Samuel a third time, and Samuel got up and went to Eli and said, "Here I am; you called me." Then Eli realized that the LORD was calling the boy.

Eli, after the third time of Samuel saying "Here I am," finally discerned that the LORD was knocking on Samuel's door with a message tailored for him.

GOD KNOCKS THREE TIMES

God seems to knock on the door of my spiritual heart three times. My experience is not so much like Samuel's, but my experience last week went like this: I read a post on Facebook where an individual encouraged another to not be disheartened—God hears our prayers she wrote. She posted a video from You Tube. The video touched my heart so that it stayed with me most the morning. Then as I listened to my car radio that day—a secular station I might add—interviewed a woman who recently published a book, she in exchange to the announcer’s question answered, God hears our prayers. My ears perked, hum that was the same phrase said earlier.

This is just one incident of several experiences I've had with God going out of his way to let me know he is still here. God has helped me through many rough spots in my faith; therefore, I've learned to ask, Lord are you trying to get my attention?

The next morning as I did some research for a workshop, guess what?

Yep, I did . . . I ran across that phrase again in a book, God hears our prayers. So Lord, I said, I think you want me to know that even without my asking you, you want me to understand and remember that you hear my prayers, even the prayers I might not be praying yet.

HOW TO DISCERN GOD WANTS YOUR ATTENTION

When I think God is talking to me, I like to:

Stop and take note of the words
Reflect on what the words mean to me
How the phrase applies to what is going on in my life
What am I unconsciously saying in my soul or ignoring
I ask God what it means, if I don't know already
Confirm it bears witness with my spirit

Then I know the Lord is speaking to my inner being.
I love it when God steps down from his mighty throne to give me a short sweet message that he has not forgotten me, or gives me encouragement about a direction I might need to take, or a promise he is going to fulfill in my life. It reassures me, gives me peace, and reminds me I am on God’s mind.

GOD IS A HEARER OF PRAYERS

Our Father wants us to know he is a hearer of prayers. Our prayers might feel like they bounce back at us like a rubber check, or hit the ceiling with a thud, but they do not. The fact is God in his infinite omnipresence knows what is going on in our day-to-day lives. What we worry about, what we don't pray about, what makes us happy, and what spiritual support we need because he is the “Author and Perfecter” of our faith (Hebrews 12:2).

This cliche’ is worth repeating as it focuses on the Lord hearing and answering prayer: God is never late, never early, he is always on time. The simple message is . . . he is aware of our needs and he is not slow in keeping his promises to us.

GOD WILL MAKE IT CLEAR

This is what my Father encouraged me with, in regards to this little phrase, God hears our prayers:

Our Father is listening to our hearts before we even speak

“ . . . Would not God have discovered it, since he knows the secrets of the heart? (Psalm 44:21).

Our Father is listening when we do speak to him

“The righteous cry out, and the LORD hears them; he delivers them from all their troubles,” (Psalm 34:17).

Our Father is preparing to act on our behalf

“ . . . I call on the LORD in my distress, and he answers me,” (Psalm 120:1).

Our Father will answer our prayers in our time of need

“Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need,” (Hebrews 4:16).

GOD CREATES COINCIDENCES

My challenge to you is to not shrug off those little “coincidences” that seem to be repeated in your every day challenges.

Start asking is God seeking your attention. If so, take note. Most often it is because he wants to encourage you, build your faith, show you he is still on your side, and most of all that you are his child, whom he loves.

Even if God is silent know he is listening! And recognize that God can use any source to speak to us. If he used a donkey to challenge Balaam then he can also use other media, people, Sunday sermons, songs, hymns, billboards, or books to speak a message meant only for your ears. (Story of Balaam found in Numbers 22).

So listen up . . . God is hearing and answering.

“This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us,” (1John 5:14).

The Power of Mercy

2011-08-11T18:00:00.000-07:00

As I was contemplating this subject for my blog, I thought of Schindler’s List, a movie directed by Steven Spielberg, a powerful rendering of the Holocaust.

I want to share a scene from Schindler’s List, which has played in my mind. Schindler befriended Amon Goeth, a Nazi commander, who killed Jews for amusement. Schindler who had compassion on the Jewish community, used his position with Goeth to share how, "true power is the ability and willingness to show grace,” (Taken from Jacket Cover). Watch the clip.

Mercy Provides Do-Over-Days

Everyday we awake is a new day in where God has activated his mercy on an undeserving people. This should ignite in us the desire to love him with all our heart, soul, strength and spirit. When the sun rises, God provides another demonstration of his long suffering, no matter who we are.

God’s benevolence is this, “ . . . He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous,” (Matthew 5:45). God’s loving-kindness affords all human beings a do-over-day, a second chance to right our wrongs, to change a behavior, forgive or love someone more deeply, and to know we are vigorously loved by him. “ . . . 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).

His “compassions,” which “never fail” gives people, all over the world, another chance to accept or reject his Salvation through Jesus Christ. Or to drop the seed of hope into the life of another.

I often wonder why God bestowed mercy on a world that is hateful, unholy, ungrateful, and selfish and one that refuses to acknowledge his omnipresence. Yet God sent his Beloved Son, Jesus Christ, as a catalyst for his grace, mercy, and love.

Just as God is love, he is mercy. A.W. Tozer wrote in The Attributes of God, “There is only one answer to why God loved you: because God is love. And there is only one answer to why God has mercy on you: because God is mercy, and mercy is an attribute of the Deity.”

“Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior. But now he has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation—,” (Colossians 1:21-22).

Abraham Pleads for God's Mercy For Lot

As I reread the story of Abraham, in Genesis chapter 18, where God told Abraham, “The outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is so great and their sin so grievous . . ..” he chose two angels to destroy the city. I thought that God has to be merciful to allow Abraham to approach him and question his decision to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah.

Abraham, knowing his nephew Lot lived in Sodom and Gomorrah, reasoned with the LORD, “What if there are fifty righteous people in the city? Will you really sweep it away and not spare the place for the sake of the fifty righteous people in it?” God told him he would not. Abraham continues—what about 45? How about 30? What if you found 20? One last question God, what if you only find ten righteous would you spare them? And God said, “For the sake of ten, I will not destroy it,” (See Genesis 18: 27-33). God was merciful because Abraham stood in the gap for Lot and his family.

You can read the whole story in Genesis chapters eighteen and nineteen. The part I’d like to mention is when it came time to leave Sodom, Lot hesitated; however, scripture says, “ . . . the men [Angels] grasped his hand and the hands of his wife and of his two daughters and led them safely out of the city, for the LORD was merciful to them,” (Genesis 19:16; Brackets and Italics mine for clarification & emphasis).

Mercy is Wrapped in Love and Grace

The New Century Dictionary of the English Language says of mercy that it is: “Compassionate or kindly forbearance shown toward an offender, an enemy, or other person in one’s power; clemency; [and] leniency . . ..” Obviously Sodom and Gomorrah’s wickedness received the other side of God’s mercy, because he is a Holy God he must judge habitual sin. Today; though, we are under grace and where sin abounds God’s grace abounds all the more. Why? Because God desires reconciliation not destruction. (Read Romans 5:20; 2 Corinthians 5:17-18).

This is what God has done for us. He has shown compassion on a wicked people, he has shown forbearance, as he is patience with us all desiring that none should perish (Read 2 Peter 3:9). He uses the power of his love to show clemency to all, and especially those who call out for it. “Turn to me and have mercy on me, as you always do to those who love your name,” (Psalm 119:132).

God wants to talk about how much he loves us and his mercy is one way he speaks of his love. We often think of 1 Corinthians 13 as the love chapter and rightly so; however, when considering God’s mercy, I submit, his forbearance with mankind has to be wrapped in love and compassion, in order for mercy to be mercy: In love there is:

Patience
Kindness
No envy
No boastfulness
No pride
No rudeness
No keeping records of wrongs
Does not delight in evil
Rejoices in truth
Always protect, trusts, hopes, and preservers
Does not fail

And love never fails because of God’s magnificent mercy, which chooses to redeem rather then to extinguish, like in the day of Noah or the city of Sodom and Gomorrah.

Jesus in his famous sermon—The Beatitudes, said, “Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy,” (Matthew 5:7).

Let us not only thank God for his mercies, which are new every day but let us be merciful as well.

Have Mercy O' Lord!

Heavenly Father,

We are grateful beyond words that your mercies are new every morning. Thank you for do-over-days and second chances to get this life right. Help us to remember that, “*If we confess our sins,” you are “faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” Let your mercy pour from our lives to others out of love for you.

In Jesus Name Let it be so!

* 1 John 1:9

Pray for Patience, I Double-dog Dare You . . .

2011-07-06T18:56:00.000-07:00

I’ve not prayed for patience in eons. Maybe because I’ve bought into the notion, if I pray for patience, an abundance of trials will skyrocket from Heaven, thus relentlessly pounding into me the value of this virtue. Yet, “But let patience have [its] perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing,” (James 1:4 NKJV) keeps creeping into my thoughts, most likely because I’m finding myself a tiny bit impatient these days. Okay . . . I'm credibly impatient.

Patience is a curious thing; it’s like trying to herd a hundred cats at once, into the same space. Patience is defined as, “Perseverance, persistence, endurance, tenacity . . . determination, resolve, resolution, resoluteness.” It certainly would take a whole lot of tenacity and determination to corral a hundred cats into one space.

An attribute of the fruit of the Spirit is patience and follows love, joy, and peace (Galatians 5:22). We might ask ourselves if we're feeling “impatient” . . .

Do we lack love?
Do we lack joy?
Do we lack peace?

When my impatience reaches boiling level, the Spirit reminds me, “Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near,” (Philippians 4:5). Conviction! Unfortunately, I do not always heed that warning. No sooner does the rebuke enter my hearing it exits as fast. And my inner world is swarming inside like angry bees.

I am befuddled that this gentle reminder, coming from a patient God, is not enough to release an ounce of calmness in me. My spirit is willing but my flesh is weak (Matthew 26:41). Not to excuse my behavior but . . . my impatience can get the better of me.

Here are a few possible impatient triggers:

Waiting in line when in a hurry
When people or things consume our time with trivial stuff
Being repeatedly interrupted when focused on a project
Messes others make and don’t pick up
Rude or uncooperative people
Screaming and out-of-control kids
Waiting at a doctors office to long
Slow drivers (Are you with me?)

When impatient our body, mind, and emotions react, usually with:

Irritation
Frustration
Anger
Resentfulness
Moodiness
Aggression

All these emotions, when not harnessed, cause in us toxic emotions and thoughts, which can affect our health. The more we become impatient, the easier it is for us to snap in to that mode—at least that is my experience. In my humble opinion, I find it is easier to lose my patience than to exhibit tenacity or perseverance in some situations.

For instance, we once had a Siberian husky named Samson. He was a smart dog but enjoyed running away. In his escapades, he became friends with two other dogs, which were killing the neighbor’s chickens—bad company corrupts good morals. Samson would bring his trophy home and bury the dead chicken’s head in the front yard, with the rest of the body exposed. A friend mentioned perhaps God gave me this dog to teach me patience. I didn’t appreciate the challenge. I grew exceedingly more impatient with Samson after trying all the “other remedies” for him to break this bad habit.

On one particular morning my patience surpassed its threshold. Upon seeing Samson wagging his tail next to his buried chicken head, I marched outside and snatched that chicken from the ground and beat the dog with it numerous times, yelling all the while. I'm sure if anyone was watching, they'd thought I'd lost my noodles.

Allowing our impatience to develop beyond being a tiny bit frustrated can cause us to verbalize unkind words. It also can cause us to act in ways we might not normally act as well it releases negative chemicals in our body. Instead of reverting to beating the dog with a dead chicken, our body language speaks for its self. What are others seeing or learning about us when we “lose” our patience?

So what is the answer to our impatience?

Saint Augustine said, “Patience is the companion of wisdom.”

Learning to take a deep breath while waiting or in the midst of an upheaval is wisdom. We are demanding and selfish people if we’re honest. We live in a “get it now” world. But wisdom says wait, relax, take time out, and if needed keep thy mouth shut.

Barbara Johnson an American best-selling writer stated, “Patience is the ability to idle your motor when you feel like stripping your gears.” And I might add stripping someone else’s gears. As we practice keeping our “motor idle” and not getting our engines revving, we can feel more composed in a situation. Of course, this reuires daily practice and a willingness to change.

I also found this quote, “The secret of patience is doing something else in the meanwhile,” (author unknown). This is true. If we can quickly divert our attention to something else, or learn to walk away while we settle what is causing our impatience, everyone will be better for it. Knowing we cannot change the moment or the person; we can only change our perception and pray for God to help us cope with what we cannot control.

When we do not allow patience to become an attribute of our character, it’s like we gather little stones along the way and before we know it, those little stones turn into a gigantic boulder, which will either crush us or worse crush someone else.

“Now may the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God and into the patience of Christ,” (2 Thessalonians 3:5).

Go ahead pray for patience, but don’t forget love, joy, and peace as I believe these first three characteristics will " . . . let patience have [its] perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing."

I Need Thee Every Hour . . .

2011-05-25T12:53:00.000-07:00

When I was a busy director, for a local pregnancy support center, my theme song was I Need Thee Every Hour a hymn written in the early 1800 by Annie Sherwood Hawks. This song resonated with my soul as the vision and passion for the ministry rested on me.

I’ve not sung that song for a while. You’d think I would as I’ve traveled through our son’s mental illness and other of life’s trials since then. Yet the song buried itself away in the crevasse of my mind. Until recently.

We often say, as Christians, God will not give us more then what we can handle; however, I think the truth of the matter is God isn’t looking to see how much burden you or I can carry as Jesus himself says, “for my yoke is easy and my burden is light,” (Matthew 11:30).

Let me say it this way—God, in my humble opinion, does not look from Heaven and say, Oh, yes there, I see Diane . . . I think she can handle this crisis, she’s one strong gal so here take that.

No, I think God is looking to see where we will fix our eyes in the times of testing, trails, and life circumstances that can mercilessly pour upon our world. Who will we call upon? Where will we put our faith? In whom will we trust?

Life, as it is, has a way of taxing us. We find that in the gospel of James when he writes, “Consider it all joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything,” (James 1:2-3).

Life happens. I often wonder what other people do that do not have the Lord in their life. Where do they go to find the strength to carry on through the muck and mire? Total self-reliance has to come into play. “Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God,” (Psalm 20:7). In other words strength and trust is found in “other” things rather than the Almighty God.

When I step into self-reliance, my inner world scatters into pieces. I often revert to self-reliance before I call out to God . . . I need Thee! Especially when stuff happens, disrupting my organized universe. This week with the arrival of my youngest daughter from Texas, and her health issues, which sent us to the ER twice, her two sick children ages 5 years and baby 9 months, my on-going lung infection, and did I mention her Boxer dog and my four stressed out cats? All this has spun me into a self-reliance mode, needing somehow to manage the chaos, which I can wallow in emotionally and spiritually.

Then out of my pandemonium comes the song, “I need Thee every hour, Most gracious Lord; No tender voice like Thine Can peace afford . . . I need Thee every hour, In joy or pain; Come quickly and abide, or Life is vain . . .”

As I researched the history of this song, I found a quote by Annie. She said, “I remember well the morning . . . when in the midst of the daily cares of my home . . . I was so filled with the sense of nearness to the Master that, wondering how one could live without Him either in joy or pain, into my mind, the thought at once taking full possession of me . . . For myself the hymn was prophetic rather than expressive of my own experience at the time it was written . . ..”

Often those who pursue ministry outside or inside the Church might have a mind-set that this is it, “putting faith with good works.” But I have learned that ministry is not about a program or organization set apart to do good for the Lord—ministry is as Anne said, “ . . . when in the midst of the daily care of my home . . .” you know where the rubber meets the road? That is where the good work of Christ can be manifested as we draw from him to help us carry out the tasks of the day and interact with individuals both dear and near and not trusting in self to accomplish what is deemed most valuable, relying on our Savior—I need Thee every hour, Most Holy One; O make me Thine indeed, Thou blessed Son.”

In all things it is, “Every hour I need Thee” in the midst of our strewn and stressed out days. And as we lend ourselves to sing God’s presences into our moments, life is calmed by his peace, which only Christ can give. Does that mean I won't have pull-hairing moments? Certainly not. But when I call on my Loving Father, it is “the peace of God, which transcends all understanding,” that “will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus,” (Philippians 4:7). It’s God’s peace, which comes over us and helps us to get through this hour to the next, while persevering and exercising faith that God will carry and bring us through to the next hour—“No tender voice like Thine Can peace afford . . .”

“I need Thee, O I need Thee; Every hour I need Thee! O bless me now, my Savior, I come to Thee.”

My goal, this week and others, is to continue to invite God into my overwhelming moments as I minister to family, hopefully in a Christ like manner!

Fickle Christianity

2011-05-15T17:46:00.000-07:00

It amazes me sometimes how fickle I can be when it comes to my relationship with the Lord. I believe even our best intentions are influenced by what is happening around us. By nature we are an inconsistent people, just read the accounts of the apostles and the Israelites as they journeyed through the desert for forty years.

Fickleness, I submit, can be summed up in the Apostle Paul’s statement, “For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do . . . For in my inner being I delight in God’s law; but I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members . . .” (Romans 7:15).

This fickleness led me to consider my four felines. (Yea, I know what your thinking, wow what a stretch Diane, but bare with me). As you may know, you can’t force a cat to do something it does not want to do. Suddenly they turn their nose up at the food they once favored. One moment they’re affectionate toward you the next they’re rather impetuous.

Let me introduce my four fickle felines and then show how I think we can be like them toward our relationship with the Lord:

Sunshine is a jet-black cat and there is not an ounce of sunshine oozing from her personality. You cannot hold, pet, or nuzzle her without a scolding. If you manage to pick her up, she’ll shriek as if you are performing some tortures act. Sunshine remains near but aloof; she has a spot on the master bed that is hers and hers alone. Once I’m all tucked into bed she’s licking my hand with fondness and encouraging me to stroke her. She wants love but on her terms.

Midnight, sister to Sunshine but longer and leaner, her name fits her well. She lurks in the shadows, she gives real meaning to fraidy-cat. Midnight is a talker and wants constant attention—that is when she is not napping—Pet me, pet me but when I reach to touch her velvety black fur, she scatters like a bird being chased. In seconds she’s back pawing, pet me! She prefers to be massaged by my feet, not hands. I think I know why. My feet provide a distance where she cannot be snatched in my arms into an uncomfortable place she’d rather not be. She longs for closeness yet she fears the very closeness she seeks.

Ginger is a fluffy feline and loves to be loved. She tags along like a faithful mutt. She sits on the floor behind my chair as I write. She rolls on her back to have her tummy scratched. When I get up in the middle of the night, she guards the door to the bathroom and follows me back to bed. She is reliable and often brings me a sacrifice of rodent, lizard, or whatever the catch of the day is. She wants recognition; she wants to be noticed but left alone to her own doings.

China is a tuxedo cat and has a broken mee-oow when she speaks. Affectionate, she jumps right on my lap or sits next to my computer or walks across my keyboard for attention. Or she casually perches her long lanky self on top of the back of my chair. She’ll let me carry her over my shoulder and hug and kiss her whenever. When China wants affection she reaches out for it and when her love tank is full, off she goes about her business.

So how are we as people fickle like my four feline friends?

We Tend to Remain Aloof From God

We want to be self-sufficient people. Maybe we are angry about past hurts or have a wrong perception of who God is. Perhaps we want all the benefits of belonging to the Master yet do not allow ourselves to be totally known and loved by him—even though he knows us better then ourselves. We may believe God loves us but internally we question does he like us? Could it be we feel we can’t measure up to his name . . . or we don’t qualify for Kingdom use; therefore it is easier to remain aloof then do the hard work to grow nearer to God. We might go as far as saying God doesn’t really need me. The truth is, he doesn’t need us but he wants us. Aloofness keeps us from being connected and used for God’s kingdom.

Longing For Closeness but Fearing Intimacy

We are created for relationships, horizontally with others and vertically with God. Yet the one thing we fear is becoming to intimate. It can be the fear of loving then losing. The fear of rejection. The fear of failure or fear of vulnerability—being exposed as the human beings we are. What will happen if someone “really” knows the real us? Although we long for closeness with God and others, we allow our fears to keep our relationships at bay, so that we can manage them and not feel out of control. It is a game we play for various reasons: safety, security, and self-preservation.

Faithfulness Needs Recognition 

To often we make sacrifices for God thinking all will go well with us. There is almost a sense of self-entitlement. You know, good behavior begets good results; yet when the mud slithers down the mountain getting our yard dirty, we become mystified. But God I did everything right . . . why is this happening to me?
There are Christians who abandon the faith when tragedy befalls them because they misplace their hope in rewards for “doing good” rather then faith in the Giver of Life. If I do this, God will do that. I love recognition myself, but I know I must keep it in balance and remember that God has already accredited me my prize through the salvation of his Son Jesus Christ. God alone is our reward. His grace is sufficient for all our needs, wants, and desires.

God, Here I am 

We fall in love with God and give wholehearted affection. I am here God. See I’m sitting at your feet like Mary. I want to learn, be filled, and—
But then life happens and our affections flow from this to that. I don’t mean to say we stop loving God, but we get what we need for the moment and then we are off . . . off to our world of whatever flows our fancy. We require balance, plain and simple.

So what is the remedy for our fickleness? I think the answer is we simply forge on, consciously replacing:

1. Aloofness for Nearness: We draw near to God because he promises to draw near to us (James 4:8; Romans 10: 8-11; Psalms 73:28)

2. Fear for Freedom: We realize as Christians we’ve died to sin and are raised with Christ, gaining spiritual freedom and wholeness (Ephesians 2: 4-8; Psalms 146:7).

3. Recognition for Grace: We know that God’s endearment brings lasting love and grace to his people (2 Corinthians 12:9; Isaiah 30:18; Ephesians 2:5).

4. Busyness for Balance: We seek God’s kingdom first and trust that all other things will follow (Matthew 6:33; 2 Timothy 1:7).

The apostle added to his question, “ . . . Who will rescue me from this body of death?” And no sooner did he ask he answered, “Thanks be to God—Through Jesus Christ our Lord!” (Romans 7:24-25).

It is Christ alone who can deliver you and I from our fickle ways, " being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete [it] until the day of Jesus Christ . . .” (Philippians 1:6).

The Magnitude of God

2011-04-26T17:00:00.000-07:00

Image via Wikipedia

I spent the majority of my childhood in the thriving metropolis of Barstow, California—a part of the Mojave Desert. What I loved most was our simmering summer nights, that’s when the sky seemed clearer. I’d lounge on the cool grass and gaze into the night sky, which was lit by zillions of vivid stars. I’d wonder if any one could count those stars or how many there were . . . to numerous for me to count, for sure.

The Milky Way Galaxy contains over 200 billion stars, including our sun. How do we, with our limited minds, comprehend 200 billion stars? Besides the Milky Way Galaxy, there are millions upon millions of galaxies with countless stars. Someone said counting stars is like counting the grains of sand on a beach.

Yet God “ . . . counts the number of the stars; He gives names to all of them,” (Psalm 147:4).

Essential to our faith and trust in whom God is, we must pause from our hectic and stormy lives, to consider the One who counts the stars and gives each of them names. Most times, we neglect to interrupt our chaotic day to dwell on God’s magnificent sovereignty . . . I am guilty.

The Magnitude of God

Our God is infinite. He cannot be measured. The galaxies, which we cannot see with the naked eye, cannot compare to God’s infinitude. He is more vast then the stars and the depths of our solar system and those beyond our galaxy. God extends outside of time. Scientist can do their math of volume per something or another, to measure or count the stars but they cannot measure God nor actually count the grains of sand or the stars—it is humanly impossible. Still our magnificent God has numbered them because he created and arranged them. Scripture says, “But God made the earth by his power; he founded the world by his wisdom and stretched out the heavens by his understanding,” (Jeremiah 10:12).

All things were made by His power, wisdom, and understanding, oh the mind of God is beyond our conception. “For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen . . . ” (Romans 1:20). Not only does creation proclaim God’s grandness, so does the universe. And it is no wonder King David said, “O LORD, what is man that you care for him, the son of man that you think of him? Man is like a breath; his days are like a fleeting shadow,” (Psalm 144:3).

God Takes Notice Of You

There are events in our lives when we might wonder if God knows our address or our zip code. Does he even care about the trials life is tossing our way? My answer is yes he does. “Cast your anxiety on him because he cares for you,” (1 Peter 5:7). But most often, in our struggles, we fail to remember the grandeur of our God. When we take into perspective the enormity of God, he is incomprehensible—like trying to number the stars in the entire universe. And yet he, the Great I AM, cares for us.

In the spectrum of life, we might feel we are but a grain of sand and at times our problems consume us like a tidal wave. It might be we feel God does not take notice us, as we are speckled with trillions upon zillions of other grains of sand, that is not truth, nor is it a fact. You may feel God distant but he is not. Unfortunately, we let our feelings overrule the facts about who God is and what God can do. I know—I do it often. This is where, in our Christian journey, we should exercise Faith and Trust that our God is a can-do-God and one who draws near to us.

Did you know “ . . . indeed even the very hairs on your head are numbered,” (Luke 12:7). The funny side of that is God is subtracting the hairs we loose! His count is always accurate. Even so we struggle to trust him in all things, to trust he will not let the ocean swallow us.

Have you ask why God bothers counting the hairs on your head? I suggest he bothers because he desires for each of us to know that he knows you intimately—after all he was the one knitting us together in our mother’s womb (See Psalms 139).

God’s Greatness Fills Everything

There was a song, years ago, by Bette Midler, entitled “From a Distance.” The refrain sings, “God is watching . . . from a distance.” Distance implies aloofness, coldness, a gap between him and us. However, beautiful and touching the song is, God is not a God of distance but closeness.

Isaiah saw a vision of the LORD seated on his throne. There were “ . . . seraphs [angels of high rank], each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying. And they were calling to one another: “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty: the whole earth is full of his glory,” (Brackets mine for clarity).

The whole world is FULL of his glory. Let’s look at the word “full” for a bit. The Hebrew word for full, used in this scripture is * “melo” meaning fullness, that which fills. We could say that the earth is filled up, brimming, filled to capacity . . . with Yahweh, the LORD Almighty. And you and I are in this world that God’s glory fills.

That does not sound like a God who surveys his creation from a remote place—in far, far away space. The most popular scripture that describes this best is Psalms 139, “Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.”

He is here, right here with us, especially for those who believe He is the LORD our Father, and for those who call out his name. God is the One who beckons us to call him Abba-father. Abba is translated to mean a relationship of personal intimacy with him. Some define Abba as daddy. How personal is that?

We are His

God seeks to be near to his beloved—you and me. I’ve always treasured the verse, which describes God walking, in the Garden of Eden, with Adam. How would our faith change if we actually grasped the idea God wants and will take a stroll with us in the garden and valleys of our life? Yet our ocean waves sweep over us and we forget the magnitude, infinitude, and grandeur of our God.

When you stare into the heavens and see the stars; remember our Creator placed them there, numbered and named them. If he, God, took the time to do so, how much more will he act on the part of those created in his image? We are not just a speck of sand . . . we are his.

The promise is that the God who is vaster than the heavens, deeper than the deepest part of the sea, and fills heaven and earth says, “ . . . neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else is all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord,” (Romans 8:38-39).

Our Father,

We have no words that can proclaim how astounding you are and how grateful we are that you have chosen us to not only be created in your image, but to be imitators of your love. Though we cannot fathom your immensity, help us to remember you alone are our source, and that if you’ve counted the stars and given them names, how much more will you do for the people who love you and are called by your Name.

In Christ Jesus, Amen

Our Infinite God . . .

2011-03-14T17:00:00.000-07:00

The Attributes of God, Chapter One, God’s Infinitude,

by A.W. Tozer, published by Christian Publications, Inc., 1997

Tozer wrote, “Christianity is a gateway into God. And then when you get into God, “with Christ in God,” then you’re on a journey into infinity, into infinitude. There is no limit and no place to stop . . . God is infinite.” (Scripture Colossians 3:3).

When meditating on this word, “infinite,” it literally boggles my mind. The thought that God is vast, he is endless, boundless, and he is immeasurable, makes my head spin. Neither you nor I can calculate God. There is no finish to him—he is forever and is never ending. Our finite mind is unable to fathom the totality of God’s infinitude. He is an all-knowing, all wise, and all-loving God. He is perfect in all his ways. If he were not, then he could not be God.

To enter into as well as to gain some understanding of the never-ending God, one must comprehend the Trinity—God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. This, through the ages, is difficult for some people to embrace—how can God be three people in One? Well, the simple side of it is, HE is God!

I like the metaphor of the Trinity being H2O, which can have three different forms:

Water
Ice
Steam

H2O is what it is, H2O in any shape it forms. I think of what God said to Moses, when he questioned God about who he should say sent him to free the Hebrews from the Egyptian Pharaoh, “ . . . God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you. (Exodus 3:14; KJV).

Unless a person comes to a place of faith that, “ . . . The LORD is our God, the LORD is one!" (Deuteronomy 6:4). The truth of the gospel will seem as foolishness to them. They will not understand the meaning of “ . . . your life is hid with Christ in God,” (Colossians 3:3; KJV).

Tozer quotes Lady Julian of Norwich who said, “Suddenly the Trinity filled my heart with joy. And I understood that so it shall be in heaven without end.” Lady Julian wrote this six hundred years ago. Without the understanding that God is Jesus incarnate, and he is the Spirit—there is no understanding, no faith to capture it, no mind to perceive that the Father, the Son and the Spirit are One and the same (See 1 John 4:12-15). That takes faith, and that faith is the pillar and foundation of our Christian belief that God does exist and he is who he says he is—THE GREAT I AM.

This very claim, that God and Jesus are one, is what led Jesus to being labeled a heretic and eventually crucified.

What does it mean to know a God who is infinite? A God who is boundless and knows no limits?

I like how Tozer defined God has being infinite, “What God is, and He is without boundaries. All that God is, He is without bounds or limits.” Is your head hurting? Mine is.

God cannot be measured . . . “God is self-existent and absolute; everything else is contingent and relative.” Tozer goes on to say, “There is nothing very big and nothing very wise and nothing very wonderful. It’s all relatively so. It is only God who knows no degrees."

Tozer quoted an poet who penned, “One God, one Majesty. There is no God but Thee. Unbounded, unextended unity,” in this phrase Tozer came to interpret the writer meant that, “God doesn’t extend into space; God contains space,” (Italics mine for emphasis).

Is that not awesome or what? When I read that my spirit energizes. I get the sense, the true sense of being part of someone much more elaborate and intriguing then my faith and my feeble mind allows me to know and understand.

In this chapter Tozer gives an illustration, which C.S. Lewis gave in helping us to grasp the idea that God contains space. Lewis’s illustration was to take a piece of paper and draw a one-inch line on it—that would be the representation of time. When you begin your line on the sheet of paper that is the beginning of time and when you stop your pencil that is the end of time and so Tozer wrote, “And all around, infinitely extended in all directions, is God.” Wow! Is all I have to say about that illustration. God encompasses everything.

The image is that the God who encompasses everything, the God who contains space, as sent us an invitation through his Son to have fellowship with him, to take part in his divine nature. Tozer wrote so well, “The infinite Godhead invited us into Himself to share in all the intimacies of the Trinity. And Christ is the way in.”

Think about that for a moment, “invited us . . . to share in all the intimacies of the Trinity.” God wants us to know him and to know him is to know his Son. There is no way around that.

Jesus said, “My prayer is not for them alone, I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me,” (John 17: 20-21).

Tozer uses the analogy of the earth and moon and relates to the reader that we never see both sides of the moon—that would be an impossible task. I’d never thought about that before. So it is with God, we can’t know all there is to know about him, nor see every aspect of him—even with daily reading of our Bible—God’s expansion of who he is, is beyond our limited understanding. Yet, he provided his Son, Jesus Christ, to be the catalyse for our knowing of his love and care for mankind.

Tozer says, “God has a manward side, just as the moon has an earthward side. Just as the moon always keeps that smiling yellow face turned earthward, so God has a side He always keeps turned manward, and that side is Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ is God’s manward face . . . Jesus, is the way God sees us.”

When I share the gospel, to a ready heart, I love sharing the idea that the God who created all things—who made the earth and all that is in it, and made the heavens and all that is in it—has come to earth to live in our spirit, just by placing faith in Christ his Son—who then imparts to us his Holy Spirit who is a deposit guaranteeing our salvation. This means we are no long under the burden of our sin. The fact that the Almighty God wants to inhabit our spirit should overwhelm us (See John 3 on being born again).

Jesus said, “Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me,” (Revelations 3:20).

The Godhead: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit each have a role in the salvation of mankind. God is our Creator, Jesus is our Redeemer, and the Spirit is our Teacher. Every believer contains the trinity—who is without measure.

Our Father,
Give us the ability to allow Your Deity to live strong within us so that our faith will expand and our strength will be renewed so that the world will know You. May we be filled with joy! What an honor that You have chosen mankind, in all his faults, to be Your object of love, which abounds in Your grace. We rejoice that Your desire is for us to be one with You, just as You and Your Son are One. We are grateful.
In Jesus name, Amen!

Q4U: What does it mean to you to be on “a journey of infinity” with God?

Intentional Christianity—Do You Seek to Please the Lord?

2011-03-08T19:56:00.000-08:00

Remember being a kid and wanting to do something special to please your parents? Bringing them breakfast in bed; cleaning the yard, house, or car. Making a gift or doing a drama. I recall choreographing dances for my father and mother, using their favorite records. I'd spend hours perfecting my dance.

Kids want to please their parents and show their love. Their actions are intentional in these occasions. I know I wanted to delight my father and mother, and of course show off my dancing skills.

My two granddaughters, Mia and Aalillyah, recently drew me pictures—certainly Picasso's in the making. They presented their master pieces to me with gleaming eyes and big smiles, which grew as they saw my pleasure in their scribblings; and even more so, as I posted them on the wall. They were pleased that I was pleased. Joy describes that moment.

When I’ve read, “ . . . find out what pleases the Lord,” (Ephesians 5:10) it felt like a mystery I had to solve. Like looking for hidden treasure or playing hide and seek—find out, seek it, and look for what pleases the Almighty God. As I meditated on this facet, I could not imagine that God meant for this “finding” to be a mystery to us.

We only have to admire the world around us, or study the anatomy of our bodies to know that God is an intentional God. His creation is a testimony to his desire to bring pleasure and provide aesthetic surroundings for us to enjoy. Therefore, it seems to me, out of God’s character—as a Father, to say, Hey you . . . go find out what pleases me, without giving us some sort of direction. And I say this because God the Father formed us to be relational with with him and each other. That was intentional on his part.

Early in our Christian faith, certain disciplines are impressed upon us like:

Reading our Bible
Going to Church
Tithing
Doing good
Praying

These "disciplines" can become rules, which become legalistic guardians of our heart. Our inner world falls apart because we did not . . . ! This can build a sense of not measuring up. There is nothing wrong with these disciplines; however, when they become the “we have to” or else we'll fall short—they become a form of religiosity, instead of living in freedom. We then are over taken by a:

Guilty heart
Fearful heart
Striving heart

For sure, this state of being focuses our mind and heart elsewhere and become tools in the enemy's hand—who wants to rob us of enjoying all that God desires for us. Guilt, striving, and being fearful blocks us from being intentional of finding out what pleases him. These emotions choke love, our inspiration, our creativity, and approaching our Father with a child like faith—we lose sight of desiring to make him smile.

How do we go about discovering what pleases the Lord? First we must let go of fear, guilt and striving to earn God's pleasure. Then we must think outside of our Christian "must do box."

As I meditated on this subject, I decided that what pleases the Lord is broader and deeper than the disciplines we do because that is what we've been taught or have always done.

In my thirties, I had a surgery, which kept me so drained I could not read my Bible, go to church, or even pray for six long weeks—everything felt like such a chore and took so much energy. Guilt crept in my heart as I felt I was not doing-that-which-I’m-supposed-to-do. It was then that God taught me the lesson that he loves and takes pleasure in me, because I am created in his image. It’s not what I do or do not do, as it relates to Christian disciplines; but who I am in him through his Son Jesus.

So what pleases the Lord? What is acceptable in his sight? Here are a few references I found:

Praying for everyone, including those in authority (1 Timothy 2:1-4; see also Proverbs 15:8).

The purpose of this, is so that we well live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness.

Praising God’s name in song and glorifying him with thanksgiving (Psalm 69:29).

This pleases the Lord more than sacrifices.

Faith that God exists and that he will reward those who earnestly seek him (Hebrews 11:6).

It’s impossible to please God without faith.

Giving gifts to missionaries (Philippians 4:18-19).

Paul told the Philippians that their gifts were “fragrant offerings, and a acceptable sacrifice, pleasing to God.

Looking after orphans and widows in their distress (James 1:27).

Keeping one self from being polluted by the world.

Children are to obey their parents in everything (Colossians 3:20).

Of course, we know that “everything” would not be "anything" that is unlawful.

Also when Paul and Timothy spoke to the Corinthians they told them that, “ . . . we make it our goal to please him, whether we are at home in the body or away from it,” (2 Corinthians 5:9). In other words, in life or in the afterlife, their goal was to please God their Father. Their goal was motivated not by duty but by love.

In my study, I did not find God praising those who had a perfect church attendance, a steady tithing record, a bible reading regiment or those filled with scholarly knowledge. On the contrary, I discovered what pleases the Lord is not a mystery—it’s intentional Christianity. Sure, God is pleased when we fellowship and spend time in his word and prayer but what he deems particularly acceptable is when we do the stuff that really matters most in life, and not out of duty but out of a heart of affection toward him and our fellow man.

This includes caring for the destitute, the widows and orphans, praising God and having a thankful heart, having faith in God’s existence, keeping one self from the pollution of the world, giving to missionaries, praying for everyone, and for children—obeying their parents, and this all comes out of a heart, which loves God.

Solomon said, “To the man who pleases him, God gives wisdom, knowledge and happiness, . . .” (Ecclesiastes 2: 26a).

I hope to be more intentional in pleasing my Father in heaven, that I may receive wisdom, knowledge and happiness in this life and I hope you will join me.

Our Father,
Help us to intentionally seek to do those things in life, which brings pleasure to your heart. Not looking after our own needs but looking after the needs of others. Let our spirit be guided by our affections toward you and a desire to make you smile.
In Jesus Name, Amen!

What do we do With The VILLIANS in Our Life?

2011-02-25T15:44:00.000-08:00

Do you enjoy action movies where the villain finally gets what he deserves? The good guy wins and the bad guy losses. I find myself shouting—don’t let him get away with that? A whole other side of me seeps through and I want justice, vengeance, and recompense—I want blood!

In the story of our life we all have a few villains or antagonist we engage with. By villains, I mean people who wrong us, people who hurt us and are clueless concerning their actions; they’re family, co-workers, a pastor, a member of our church, a husband or wife, father or mother, a child.

When in life, we are mistreated; we might desire to see swift justice. That is normal human behavior. I chuckle when I read this scripture where the apostle Paul said, “Brothers, if I am still preaching circumcision, why am I still being persecuted? In that case the offense of the cross has been abolished. As for those agitators, “I wish they would go the whole way and emasculate themselves!” (Galatians 5:11-12/Italics mine).

I’ve had that thought toward a couple of people in my life. I’ve also been disciplined by this verse, “Do not gloat when your enemy falls; when he stumbles, do not let your heart rejoice,” (Proverbs 24:17). RATS!

Coming home from a trip, I sat with a Christian woman on the airplane. Our small talk soon turned into sharing our life’s history. She revealed her father had molested her and her sisters for years—hers stopped when she left for college. Her father was her villain. I asked how she came to terms with this horrific experience. She surprised me, when, from her heart came grace and forgiveness for a man—her father—who stole her childhood innocence and betrayed his role as a daddy to his daughter—although that grace and forgiveness came overtime.

Our antagonist is either intentional or unintentional, as they afflict our inner world. My newly found friend’s villain was intentional. The sexual abuse of his daughter was planned and thought out. Yet this woman found a place in her heart where she could, later in life, face him and challenge his behavior and through the power of Christ, heal her deep wounds.

The Word of God is full of directives like:

“Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,” (Matt. 5:44)
“Do not repay anyone evil for evil . . .” (Romans 12:17).
“Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you,” (Ephesians 4:32).
“Finally, all of you, live in harmony with one another; be sympathetic, love as brothers, be compassionate and humble,” (1 Peter 3:8).

If we are honest, we have to admit, these directives are difficult to implement for certain situations? Loving our villains, not repaying evil for evil, being kind, and finding compassion and humility stretches us beyond our own capabilities. God did not put an “easy button,” in our heart when it comes to forgiving others and relinquishing our hurts. He is aware of our nature and sent his Holy Spirit as our helper (See John 16).

A person I knew continued to make inconsiderate remarks to me on more then one occasion. Maybe he thought he was joking but his remarks cut to my heart. A couple of times, I thought if I were a man I’d have walloped him in the nose. I finally cried out to the Lord, in anger, saying if this person represents your love, I want nothing to do with it. Often we can disfigure God’s love by the actions of others. Or even feel abandoned and rejected by God.

When I asked my airplane seatmate if she blamed God for her father’s actions, she said no. Most do, so I asked her why she did not. She remarked that God didn’t rape her, her father did.

What do we do with the villains of our life? I’ve found five venues I’ve used through the years:

1. Pray for them

I’d pray for them but this was not always a prayer of blessing. A woman, my family knew well, would say the most awful untruths about our son and us. So one day I got my Bible out and found a few scriptures suitable for the situation. I prayed them and asked God not to allow her to use her hateful words. It was reported later that her husband asked her to close her mouth. “And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests . . .” (Ephesians 6:18).

2. Have a Proper Perspective

The ground is level at the cross and we will all be judged for the good and bad done in the body—no matter who we are. Our Christian brothers and sisters are children of God and he disciplines those he loves—in his time.

Many moons ago a church friend felt I had done her an injustice. I prayed and knew my conscience was clear and although I apologized for the sake of reconciliation—nothing changed. Yet six months later the Lord convicted her. She called and apologized. [God] “Who shows no partiality to princes and does not favor the rich over the poor, for they are all the work of his hands? (Job 34:19).

3. Keep a Distance

There is nowhere in the Bible, which says we have to fellowship with those that hurt us; or whom we disagree with. Boundaries are a good thing and putting boundaries in place, to protect our self, is certainly okay. If I knew there would be an interaction with that person, I’d make sure I was prayed up and in the right mindset. The choice to be around this type of person was up to me. Further, when I found I could not emotionally deal with that personality, I’d keep my distance from the relationship.

The Apostle Paul and Barnabas, “ . . . had such a sharp disagreement that they parted company,” (Acts 15).

4. Speak the Truth in Love

Sometimes something needs to be said to our Antagonist and it’s never easy. A family member of ours continued to hurt other family members; yet, no one called him on the carpet. Being who I am, I strongly felt his hurtful remarks needed to be addressed. He had already chosen to break his family ties. So there was nothing to lose or gain.

As long as our motive is directed by truth and love, not to do further harm, and to provide another’s point of view, than we must risk sharing what is on our mind and heart. This can be done in a letter, face-to-face, or in the presence of a mediator. Other times, it might be best to say nothing as the Lord warns—

“ When words are many, sin is not absent, but he who holds his tongue is wise,” (Proverbs 10:19).

5. The Goal, Let Go

There was a time I was angry with a clergy who continued to hurt and scold people as if he were their father. His leadership was more autocratic then a humble servant and shepherd. Many years later when speaking to a pastor about the hurt I felt—I experienced the Lord’s affirmation and knowledge that he saw. The significance that God was not “clueless on his throne” helped me to let go of needing to see justice. Letting go is releasing the need to see the individual get what he or she deserves. However . . . this is a process, which happens as we journey through healing as well submit the matter to God, sometimes with clenched teeth.

I think of Sarah and her handmaiden Hagar—who bore Ishmael for her, as Sarah was impatient waiting for God to fulfill his promise. Sarah’s jealousy caused Abraham to send Hagar and his son out to wander in the desert. But God comes on the scene, “ . . . Then the angel of God called to Hagar out of heaven, and said to her, “What ails you, Hagar? Fear not, for God has heard the voice of the lad where he is,” (Genesis 21:17). Sometimes we forget that God is El Roi—The God who sees.

All of us have villains; perhaps we’ve been villains ourselves. That is why Jesus said, “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?” (Matthew 7:3). What he really is saying is, we all have a plank in our eye. There is a right and wrong . . . but it is not always up to us to “help” that person see their wrong, unless that is, God has confirmed and directed us to do so. I’ve always felt, when I’ve needed to confront someone, my responsibility was to first seek God’s direction before I acted, seek the counsel of wise people, then step out in faith and leave the results to God. And when I did, I had peace.

I’ve discovered through my scruffs, it’s my responsibility to:

Take care of my heart
Speak the truth when needed
Have a spirit of humility
Know that God knows, sees, and cares
Remember that God shows no favoritism
Assure that my conscience is clear before God
Ask God what I need to learn from this situation
When my mind revisits the matter, give it back to God every time
I must strive to see my villain through the eyes of my Lord—yet another exercise in trust and faith

Furthermore, I know that I’m not “bad” for feeling anger, wanting blood, or feeling the need to wallop someone in the nose. The difference is, I don’t act upon those strong emotions—it might take me years but God gives me the ability and understanding to be free of my villains insensitivity, rudeness, and disrespect or anyway they have offended me without an admission of guilt. I’ve learned that I can still love the person but not like what they do. There is a difference.

Father God,

You are merciful, gracious, and loving . . . May we desire to be more like you. Allow us the time to put into proper perspective that you alone are our source and nothing that happens to us is out of your sight or reach. You can heal, produce peace, and help us to know your love that surpasses all understanding—“that we may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God,” (Ephesians 3:19).

Wandering in the Desert of Spiritual Dryness

2011-01-31T17:27:00.000-08:00

Several times within my Christian journey, I have experienced a spiritual desert. My spiritual path blended with the horizon of barrenness. The dust, as I walked, clouded my vision. I walked along the parched, cracked ground, hoping to find a sip of water to quench my thirsty soul; yet I pretended life was going well.

The more I struggled in my dry spiritual desert, the more I allowed shame and guilt to overcome me. How did I get here? Why was I here? The dry desert sapped the vigor out of my:

Worship
Prayer
Time in God’s Word
Fellowship
Life

I thought of the Israelites who wandered forty years because of their ignorance. Was I in an ignorant place? Would my spiritual dryness be forty days, or forty years? God forbid. What if other, fellow believers knew how desolate my inner soul felt?

The Israelites complained constantly. I believe we tend to concentrate on their faithlessness and ungratefulness—we equate our desert experience as a soulless place. Christians have, in my humble opinion, a misguided view of being in a spiritual dry place. Somewhere, an untruth was assumed that being in a desert was dishonorable and detestable—a sinful place to be. But I learned something as I dredged through my dry parched desert—several times in my life: God was there, continually. There is nothing that can separate us from the love of God (Romans 8:39).

Personally, I’m a little worried about Christians who smile incessantly, praising the Lord as if they live on the Island of Joy—as if that is the only emotion Christians can have. I don’t judge them. Some personalities are just “up” and I accept that. I feel this image, however, is not a true picture of what walking with God is supposed to be like.

Paul the apostle wrote to the Corinthians, “ . . . We commend ourselves as ministers of God: in much patience, in tribulations, in needs, in distresses, in strips, in imprisonments, in tumults, . . . in sleeplessness . . . ” (2 Corinthians 6:3-4). These words: tribulations, distress, sleeplessness, and tumults—do not seem to describe a happy, carefree walk with God; and we know the apostle Paul learned to be content in all circumstances. To me, these words—distress, sleeplessness, tribulations, and tumults—sound like desert wandering words, much like the loud voices in our head telling us we are failures, that God has abandoned us.

What we fail to see is when the Israelites wandered in the desert, grumbling all the while, God still provided for them. The Spirit of God even drove Jesus into the desert for forty days and forty nights (Mark 1:12-13; Matt. 4:1-11). The Israelites were tested. Jesus was tested. We too are tested. To me, desert=struggle=growth=faith to preserve through temptations and to know God deeper. The desert teaches us to see what is in our character and where we might have misguided faith.

Quoting from A Center of Quiet- Hearing God When Life is Noisy, by David Runcorn, he refers to a man named John Richards who wrote a “booklet on this theme.” David said that John, “suggests that these times of dryness and struggle are not a negative denial of blessing but a ‘Positive preparation for ministry.’”

When I left the ministry of the pregnancy support center, my heart was crushed, yet I knew God was calling me into a new place. I even had several people confirm to me that God was taking me into the “field of preparation.” Of course, my thought was, oh, God is going to teach me all the wonderful things about writing and speaking and all those good things I’d need to know for this “new place” I was going. You see, God had also whispered in my ear audibly, “For I know the plans I have for you,” (Jeremiah 29:11). He also gave me this Scripture: “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze,” (Isaiah 43:2). However, I was clueless to what that had to do with my “field of preparation.”

My field of preparation involved our son’s first manic-depressive episode, his arrests and drug use. There were times I felt we were a “Jerry Springer” family—crushed that my daughter-in-law was also walking down a hurtful path. I contended with a rebellious daughter, home schooling, working for a church that provided some troubling insights into the business of church, the death of my mother, turbulence in my marriage, a pregnant-confused daughter and the unstable relationships she entertained. And let’s not forget menopause!

What I thought was going to be my “field of preparation,” walking in a field of tulips and singing the Hallelujah chorus, was rather like walking in a field of thorns, stickers, and drinking water from a very bitter well. Yet, God knew what was coming and he knew exactly how he would use the thorns and thistles of my life to complete my preparation for the plans he has for me. And remember, the rest of the verse God spoke to Jeremiah; His plans are not for calamity but for prosperity.

At times, Christians believe that because something is negative or a struggle, it must not be God’s will. We must lay that idea aside and know that in our struggle, in our negative world, and the pain that accompanies it, is the place where God meets us most often.

Do we need God as much when life is happy-go-lucky? Ah, we’d like to say yes, but the truth is, we don’t. We will certainly turn our face from him and walk in our own strength during the good times. But when adversity strikes, we go running to the Father to fix it. We certainly don’t tell our brothers and sisters, least they judge us.

What God showed me in my spiritual desert was:

He is ever present
He is providing
He is comforting
He is teaching
He is fathering
He is nourishing
He is patient

There has to be a moment in the believer’s life in which he or she learns to embrace the desert, not just the scorching heat of the day, but also the darkness of the desert night. David Runcorn put it this way:

“Unless we accept this, there is a danger that our worship and prayer may be a desperate clinging to the light because we are afraid of the dark. Darkness is assumed to be a defeat and failure.” I agree with David when he says, “There is nothing sadder than a Christian fellowship where every song must be of victory . . . every member always smiling and joyful.” He continues, “It is an exhausting pretense to keep up for long, and it condemns those who cannot hide from their fears to further pain of failure and inadequacy. It is actually dishonest.”

Maybe this is why our church services are not overflowing with new converts to Christianity.

Let me leave you with this: Being driven to the desert by life’s circumstances is normal. There is no shame or guilt to be had, that is, unless you are in a dry, desolate desert because of outright disobedience and rebellion. There is no shame in the desert itself.

These are some of God’s promise for the desert journeys:

“The desert and the parched land will be glad; the wilderness will rejoice and blossom … they will see the glory of the Lord, the splendour of our God . . .” (Isaiah 35:1-2).

“He turns a wilderness into pools of water, and dry land into watersprings,” (Psalms 107:35).

What has God taught you about being in the desert? Have you believed that being in a spiritual desert as negative or positive?

(Quotes from: A Center of Quiet- Hearing God When Life is Noisy, by Daivd Runcorn, published by InterVarsity Press, 1990)

Edited by: First Impressions Writing Services, Jeanette Morris http://www.firstimpressionswriting.com/

You are Beautiful in Christ . . .

2011-01-14T14:08:00.000-08:00

I am lovely!

Mirror, mirror on the wall, are you REALLY sure I look okay?

What woman doesn’t ask:

Do I look good in this?
Does this outfit make me look fat?
Does my butt look big in these pants?
Is my hair okay?

Certainly you've taken a second peek in the mirror before you've left your house? Or have you gone to do a quick errand, wearing your grubs, hoping no one sees you—lest you be ostracized to the grubby hall of fame—forever? Have you ever apologized for being caught in your not-so-appealing clothes?

Why do we surmise our appearance defines us? I think it has to do with thinking what others might be thinking because we are thinking they care how we look—because after all we care!

I’ll never forget a time when my family and I visited a church; then I was considerably thinner. As we entered into the church foyer, the woman greeting us at the door scanned me from head to toe. Immediately, I felt self-conscience and wondered what was wrong. Egad was my dress on backwards, slip showing, did I put make-up on only one eye? What?

Looking back, it is silly that I allowed that moment to bother me and I found every time I was around that woman I was self-conscience. Why is our approval wrapped in our appearance? That reminds me of this verse in which the Lord spoke to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height . . . The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart,” (1 Samuel 16:7).

We, by nature, are attracted to the attractive. We judge our selves, even though we know better, by what we see advertised around us. Image becomes first place rather then seeing beyond the heart of someone.

Are you wondering yet what does this have to do with spiritual musing. I’ll tell you.

How We are Made Beautiful

I had an epiphany this last Sunday concerning Christian women and the status of “being beautiful” (sorry guys). Some of the songs we sang had to do with the beauty of Christ.

My first thought was this verse, which foreshadows Christ, “ . . . He [Jesus Christ] has no form or comeliness; and when we see Him, there is no beauty that we should desire Him,” (Isaiah 53:2; NKJV; brackets for clarification).

If Jesus “had no beauty that we should desire him (He most likely didn't have blonde hair and blue-eyes), what made him attractive? I’m glad I asked.

If you were to describe Christ, what descriptors would you use? I’d say:

Kind
Gentle
Healer
Nurturer
Protector
Confidant
Peace giver
Wise teacher
A servant
Seeks the good of others
Sensitive to the needs of others
Loves unconditionally, at-all-times

Being that we’ve not seen Christ in person, we can only picture him through the Logos of God, reading the Bible. Through the Word we can grasp the beauty of our Savior. His love, compassion, and his desire for us to know our Father God more deeply, to reconcile us back to the heart of God, to experience the love God has for us—that is his beauty. Jesus says, “If you really knew me, you would know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him,” (John 14:7). His love and gentle kindness, all that he is—as the Son of God—gravitates us toward him, like bees to flowers.

God's Heart=Christ's Heart=the Holy Spirit's Heart

Women are instructed, “Do not let your adornment be merely outward—arranging the hair, wearing gold, or putting on fine apparel—rather let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in the sight of God,” (1 Peter 3:3-4).

I’m still looking for and developing the “hidden person of the heart,” and I hope I find her soon, as I’m tired of wrestling with my flesh to be outwardly pleasing to a standard I can’t define—and allowing a “gentle and quiet spirit” to manifest through me.

The truth, which God reminded me is that the Holy Spirit of Christ inhabits the Christian—inhabits the Christian woman. As we know, the moment one acknowledges and places faith in Christ, the Holy Spirit is given to us as a deposit—guaranteeing our salvation; therefore, because the heart of the Holy Spirit is the heart of Christ, and Christ's heart is the heart of God, we are made beautiful.

The Beauty of the Lord

“One thing I ask of the Lord, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to seek him in his temple” (Psalm 27:4).

The transliteration of the word beauty is from the root word na`em, which is a verb. The masculine form is a noun: no`am, which means: “1) kindness, pleasantness, delightfulness, beauty, and favor,” (*See source below).

For every Christian woman, who struggles with her “outer beauty,” know that you and I have the potential for greater beauty by our conduct. Most importantly, we are already made beautiful because our Lord and Savior—who is alive within us—is all together lovely. Christ is the fragrance of life, and that life—his heart—dwells within us through his Spirit (2 Corinthians 2:16). The beauty of Christ is kindness, pleasantness, delightfulness, and favor with God.

I’ll leave you these two verses to medicate on this week:

“And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit,” (2 Corinthians 3:18).

“Charm is deceitful and beauty is passing, but a woman who fears the LORD, she shall be praised,” (Proverbs 31:30).

Mirror, mirror on the wall,
I am fairest after all,
My lover is Christ,
Who dwells in me,
He reflects his beauty
For all to see.

* (Blue Letter Bible. "Dictionary and Word Search for no`am (Strong's 5278)". Blue Letter Bible. 1996-2011. 14 Jan 2011. < http:// www.blueletterbible.org/lang/lexicon/lexicon.cfm?
Strongs=H5278&t=NIV >

Three Avenues by Which we can Reshape a Difficult Relationship: Conflict, Change, and Choice

2011-01-07T10:40:00.000-08:00

Do you know someone; you dearly love, who rubs on you like sandpaper? I have—my younger adult daughter and it would be safe to say I rub her like sandpaper too. Our relationship could be compared to sardines on chocolate cake. With the sardines overpowering the delightful decant chocolate

Often I’d complain, “Can’t she understand what I'm trying to tell her?” Or I’d grumble, “I know I didn’t raise her that way.” I also found that when my daughter ignored my sensible advice; my inner peace would unravel. Certainly, “…the good that I wish [wished], I do [did] not do …” (Romans 7:18-20; brackets mine).

Ugh! My conduct became those smelly sardines on the chocolate cake adding to the stinky aroma of our relationship. I answered her rudeness with insensitive comments or followed her lead, I confess, and allowed profanity to pass through my lips as well. And I admit felt good at the time!

My behaviors, in those moments, were contrary to my desire to imitate Christ; therefore, I found myself doing what I didn’t want to do. How I wanted to stop my relentless nagging and frenzied frustrations toward her—I felt overwhelmed and helpless

Deep in my heart, I knew our lingering conflict granted the enemy a foothold in my thoughts (See Ephesians 4:26-27). I also realized I was training my brain to capture the negative rather than the positive, as my negative thoughts were engaged more often. It didn’t take much for my frustration level to reach Mount Saint Helen’s potential. My good intentions often became twisted by our scathing situation, and our interactions continued to remain unhealthy—a lose-lose situation for us both.

Like an erupting volcano, so was my inner peace. Instead of forgive me AGAIN God, I ventured a new prayer and asked for His wisdom. He showed me not one, but three avenues on how my inner world, emotionally and spiritually, and my relationship with my daughter could be reshaped through: conflict, change, and my choices

CONFLICT

Conflict can indicate that something needs to change. Just like anger, conflict screams something is broken—fix it. You can't keep filling the water balloon, without the balloon eventually bursting. My continuing conflict shrieked change, now, today, if I wanted my sanity that is

A weeklong stay with my daughter in her new home, in another state, became a tool in God’s hand to carve the negative from my heart. Needless to say, it was a most painful week. And isn’t that like our Father to put us somewhere where we cannot run, especially when he wants to teach us a valuable lesson?

Besides asking God for wisdom, I decided I needed to enlist my friends to pray for me. A short note from one friend was packed with profound wisdom. “Show love, tender mercies even when they are undeserved.

“I don’t think so,” I responded as I read the note. But the more I continued to correct my daughter’s unacceptable behaviors, the more stressful I became. “Lord,” I entreated, “I’ve shown love and tender mercies. She’s still alive, isn’t she? So what am I not doing?”

God impressed on my heart, You’re not loving her with unconditional kindness. Whoa! Not loving her with unconditional kindness? I shouted. However, an epiphany struck at that moment; the more I tried to convict her, the more I took over the role of the Holy Spirit in her life. Even though I’m might be right—I am only Mother—not God. Masquerading as the Holy Spirit deprived her and I of inner peace. I could see how God’s advice to practice unconditional kindness in the midst of conflict, would cultivate peace in the relationship, even if my daughter did not deserve it, for that’s how God loves me. Conflict became the catalyst to bring about change.

CHANGE

So essentially, God, you’re saying I must change first? Isn’t it funny how we want change, except we think it’s the one who exasperates us who needs the kick in the pants? But unless we understand that we have a choice to conquer our self-made stress, we are left untouched and so well be the relationship.

The Christian principles I believe in were buried deep in guilt and frustration. My high opinion of “mother-knows-all” required a demotion. I needed to evaluate my attitude and judgments (Romans 12:3). My thoughtful analysis revealed my need to allow the fruit of the Spirit to flow through me, to resist the devil’s scheme to shatter my relationship with my daughter, and to “be transformed by the renewing of [my] mind” toward her (Romans 12:2). Yes, I needed to change.

CHOICE

I've got to make a choice. My relationship must be more important to me then saving face or being right (even when I know I am). The safekeeping of our relationship behooves me to learn to respond with unconditional kindness. I don’t want to smell like stinky sardines. In my heart, I desire the fragrance of Christ to permeate my interactions with others, including my most difficult and loved relationships; therefore I must make some choices.

Love does not stand alone in transforming our difficult relationships, but is the means by which we learn to respond toward others with unconditional kindness—and that is a choice. And so is learning to, “be harmonious, sympathetic, … kindhearted, and humble in spirit; not returning evil with evil, or insult with insult …” (1 Peter 3:8-9)

God transformed me by our conflict, by showing me the need to change, and the importance of making different choices to build the relationship rather then tearing it down. Change exists only in the choices I make in our communications, especially in tense moments. By choosing to actively show unconditional kindness, I learned to:

· Redirect the conflict

· Change my behavior

· Make choices that honor God

When we are motivated by unconditional kindness, we demonstrate respect for the relationship. Our inner peace flourishes and we foster an increased anticipation to restore or improve the relationship, but more importantly transforming ourselves, as we chose to practice unconditional kindness.

“Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children; and walk in love, just as Christ also loved you, and gave Himself up for us, an offering and sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma (Ephesians 5:1-2).

Are You Letting the Troll Keep you from Crossing the Not-Guilty-Bridge to Guilt Free Living?

2010-12-29T11:39:00.000-08:00

The Purpose of Guilt

When we experience guilt, it should overcome our conscience thus prodding us to take action for whatever deed that is causing us guilt. Genuine guilt will lead us to sincere repentance. When our repentance is from the heart, it allows us to experience the faithfulness of God “to forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness,” (1 John 1:9; Italics mine for emphasis). This gives us freedom to boldly walk in God’s grace—His grace is His unmerited favor toward us.

I love this scripture, which shows how God exonerates our guilt, “He [God] will again have compassion on us, and will subdue our iniquities. You will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea,” (Micah 7:19 NKJV; brackets mine for clarity).

The word subdue, gives me a picture of God wrestling down our sin like crocodile Dundee wrestling a crock, bringing it under submission.

Once God has subdued our sin—through our faith in His Son's death, He heaves it deep into the ocean. Our sin, and the guilt that accompanies it, are gone completely. Did you know that according to geology.com, “The greatest ocean depth is 35,840 feet (10,924 meters).” That’s deep! However, I propose that the ocean God has in mind is deeper still.

When we take action to resolve our guilt we gain freedom, forgiveness, and oddly enough favor with self and God. When we hang on to our guilt, it creates an unrelenting troll inside us—one that will not allow us to cross over the not-guilty-bridge to our liberty in Christ.

You’ve heard, “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus,” . . . (Romans 8:1-2)? But being guilty for a reason we’ve already been forgiven for, is like giving the troll custody of our freedom—with which he is able to flood our conscience with condemnation as he pleases.

On Being Guilty

When our troll is granted permission to flood us with condemning guilt, this causes us to wallow in shame and regret—and in doing so heaps on us unnecessary baggage harmful to our emotional and spiritual well-being. At times we might fool ourselves into thinking we’ve made peace with our unrelenting troll and God; yet, we have not—and that is evident by the way we live or by our thinking that can consume our soul.

My theory is, our troll is clothed with legalism and legalism feeds our guilt. Legalism says we must be this or do that: attend church three times a week, pray unceasingly, be kind always—there is no allowance to be human. Every thing about our Christian life must be perfect. This develops a mindset that pushes us to “work” to prove we are flawless or it will show our faith as futile—even when we know it’s our faith in Christ, which saves us. Our righteousness is not found in our humanness—it is only found in and through the sacrifice of Christ (Read Philippians 3). When we neglect this truth, we feed our troll who is feasting on our freedom, faith, and joy as we strive to be something we think we should be, thus fertilizing our guilt.

Why do we Continue to Feed Our Troll?

I’ve thought of ten possibilities:

Not understanding and accepting the entirety of God’s grace
The need to feel punished
The feeling of unworthiness
The continued thinking, “I’m bad”
Taunted by our past
Taking on the guilt of something that happened to us (rape, incest)
Shame, I wish I’d not done that
Regret, Why did I do that?
Unable to let go
Not knowing/reading/memorizing scripture

This list is not all exhaustive; maybe you have a few to add as well.

How to Know we are Held Captive to Our Troll

You might be thinking I don’t wallow in my guilt. I’m not feeding any troll.

So let’s take a quiz:

Do you lack inner peace?
Do you feel you don’t measure up to others?
Do you think about the past, often?
Do you regret what you’ve not done or have done?
Do you find your spiritual life stunted?

If you’ve answered yes to four out of five, I’d guess you are struggling with guilt. You see, we might pretend to have peace on the outside but inside we are a raging storm. When we are bound by guilt—for whatever reason—we become stagnated in our spiritual growth.

Perpetual guiltiness keeps us in an unending battle of wishing and wishing we didn’t or we should have. In this wishing, the ability to experience total freedom in Christ is shadowed by the over powering troll—who charges us a hefty fee to cross the bridge to freedom; therefore, keeping us under his accusing finger.

I believe that the Holy Trinity’s desires are that we would no longer be “burdened again by a yoke of slavery,” (Galatians 5:1). When we continue to indulge our guilt, we become its slave. It ties us to the past, rather than the future where God’s grace erases all evidence of I wish I didn’t or only if . . . allowing us to defeat the troll and cross the bridge into new areas of God’s blessings.

What could we be Guilty About?

This is a good question to ask yourself if you are overcome by guilt all the time.
What am I guilty about? Is it?

Past sins I can’t forget
Present sins I can’t overcome
Something I think I ought to be doing but don’t
An expectation unfulfilled
The choices of others

How to Conquer the Troll

How do we stop paying the troll’s tax to cross the bridge? Could it be a simple matter of our thinking, our knowledge and understanding of God’s total grace in our lives?

Here are ten suggestions to stop paying a toll to your troll:

Praise God that you’ve been forgiven every time your troll or Satan reminds you of your past or present wrongdoings or flaws
Thank God that you are a new person in Him
Remind yourself that the blood of Christ covers a multitude of sins—past, present, and future
Remember that you cannot change the past, only the present
Meditate on how God, through Christ, has changed you (or can change you) from within
See your whole self through the eyes of God, who sees you only through the eyes of His Son
Remember you asked for forgiveness and are forgiven by God—your sins are 35,840 feet under the sea and then some
Rehearse who you are in Christ
Accept facts not feelings, Christ died for your sins, period
Walk in grace—not judgment of self—only Christ is perfect and we are not Him

The troll will only keep you from crossing the bridge if you let him. Stop paying the troll before he devours:

Your joy
Your prayer life
Your freedom in Christ
Your knowledge of who you are in Christ
Your desire to become all that Christ hopes for you

This New Year, I hope you well walk guilt free, unless you have something you need to repent of—do so, and move forward into the new things God has waiting for you. I’m going to!

Here’s to conquering our troll and crossing the not-guilty-bridge to freedom!
May you have a new sense of joy for the New Year.

The Truth About Blessings

2010-12-21T20:50:00.000-08:00

Holidays! A time to reflect upon the blessings we are most grateful for: Family, friends, homes, and other stuff we deem important for a better quality of life. Right? I’ve been mulling this around in my head . . . what is the truth about "being blessed?"

This phrase, I am so blessed, catches my ears now and again and usually is proceed by the person listing their entire blessings one by one (excuse the pun). This causes me to ask, do American Christians only feel blessed by God when good things come their way? And if we are blessed only by what seems good and pleasing to us, what happens to our faith when the “blessings” turn a shade of gray? When the fine stuff, or dreams we have, are thrashed against the adversities of life—twisting and contorting them into what seems like curses rather than blessings.

WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE BLESSED BY GOD?

My online dictionary says it’s to be, “found with favor and protection from God.” When I hear Christians talk about how blessed they are, I think of those outside of the Christian faith, and I see them blessed also. And are we to say those less fortunate then us are not blessed? Scripture states, “But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous,” (Mat 5:44 & 45 NASB; Italics mine for emphasis).

I recall reading Psalm 73, written by a man named Asaph. He was conflicted when he “saw the prosperity of the wicked.” He was bothered that they did not struggle like most people of his time in Israel. To him the wicked and arrogant seemed free from afflictions and not beset by human tribulations. It was not until Asaph, went into the sanctuary of God, in which he understood the true meaning of life, he wrote, “When I tried to understand all this, it was oppressive to me till I entered the sanctuary of God; then I understood their final destiny,” (Psalm 73:16-17). The fact is, certain blessing do fall upon the forgiven and unforgiven alike.

Have you not thought, hey I do everything I'm supposed to do but my ungodly neighbor prospers more than I do?

The scriptures say. “What does it profit a man to gain the whole world but lose his soul?” (Mar 8:36). Prosperity does not equal blessings from God; although, “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows,” (James 1:7). I see balance. Every perfect gift is a blessing from God but seeking to gain more can bring destruction.

As I reflect on blessings, I think of the simple aspects of life, which are continually with us; yet we take for granted or disregard. Blessings to me, when I lay aside all material belongings, are:

Waking each morning to another day
Receiving new mercy from God every day
Having running water to drink, wash my hands, and bathe with
Breathing air
Food to eat
The ability to use my senses: seeing, hearing, tasting, touching, smelling
Being loved and loving back
Experiencing pain so that I can know the comfort of God
Knowing God through Christ His Son

WHAT DO THE BLESSED LOOK LIKE?

Could it be that we mistake being blessed with prosperity? And yet again, is prosperity confused with material wealth rather then spiritual wealth? Jesus said, in Matthew 5, blessed are:

The poor in spirit
The meek
Those who mourn
Those who thirst and hunger for righteousness
Those who are merciful
Those who are pure in heart
Those who are peacemakers
Those who are persecuted because of righteousness

With each of those, mentioned above, those receiving blessings are not the rich; the corporate CEO, the celebrity, or Christian who goes to church, reads the Bible, and tithes ten percent or the mega-church preacher—though they may feel blessed. True blessing is upon the meek, the poor in spirit, the merciful, the pure in heart, the peacemakers, and those who are persecuted for righteousness sake.

The promised blessing that follow these individuals are:

The poor in spirit will receive the kingdom of heaven
Those who mourn will be comforted
The meek who will inherit the earth
Those who hunger and thirst for righteousness will be filled
Those who show mercy will receive mercy
The pure in heart will see God
The peacemakers will be called son’s of God
To the persecuted belongs the kingdom of heaven

When God’s people mirror these qualities they are blessed—blessed with the privilege of partaking in God’s kingdom, His righteousness, His mercy, and being known by Him as His child.

CAN BLESSING BE FOUND IN SUFFERING?

What would it sound like if we said things like; I’m blessed—My car broke down; I’m blessed—I can’t pay rent; I’m blessed—my mother passed away; I’m blessed—my cancer is back. Wouldn't that feel odd, as blessing are associated with good and not unpleasant happenings? Odd because each of these situations bring about pain and sadness; however, I think we neglect that these circumstances are an opportunity to trust in God and to watch His Hand work a blessing out of these difficulties.

The truth about being blessed is we are blessed—always—in good times and bad. This Christmas season, I hope to remember that blessings can also come out of tribulations, heartache, and suffering. And I can be grateful that I've dredged through them in one piece.

I am not just blessed by what I have but I am favored by whom I know—God the Father, the Ultimate Blessing Giver, who sanctified us with salvation through the gift of His Son, Jesus Christ.

Like Siemon, Are You Waiting for the Fulfillment of a Promise?

2010-12-14T13:28:00.000-08:00

Recently I reread the story of Simeon, in Luke chapter two. The name Simeon means “hearing.” I began to consider the promise he had heard through the Holy Spirit, which was, “ . . . he would not die before he had seen the Lord’s Christ,” (Luke 2:26). He knew about God’s gift and I'm sure lived in anticipation of seeing this gift.

Reading how Simeon heard the Holy Spirit reveal the promise to him—rekindled a memory from 22 years ago—when I too heard the audibly voice of the Holy Spirit speak to me, or maybe an angel. Whoever spoke, I knew it was from God and the same phrase was spoken at five different times in unexpected moments of the day over a period of three months. He said, “The child will be yours.” At this point, my husband and I were caring for an unwed mother and her child. I can’t recall how many times I stormed heavens gates for the protection of this baby and her mother—but I know it was often and sincere.

I knew the lifestyle of the mother at that time and the company she kept, which was unhealthy for the both of them. I’d pray, “Oh God please, if this mother cannot care for her child, please place this child into a good Christian home. But please help her to be the mom she needs to be.”

Simeon, who was considered a “Righteous and devout man,” also must have prayed continually for the salvation of his people (Luke 2:25). He must have agonized over their need for a savior, for the Messiah to come and save his nation, to save a people who perhaps were far from understanding and experiencing God’s great love and His covenant to them.

Before the Holy Spirit whispered the news, that the child I was praying for would be mine, He had given me this verse of hope, “I say: My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please . . . what I have planned, that I will do,” (Isaiah 46: 10-11). Even though I did not understand what that actually meant, I knew it was God’s promise to me and for Athena. He would take care of this child and he would take care of her mother. Whatever plans He had for them would be fulfilled no matter how enormous their circumstances seemed.

The first day I met Athena's mother, Brenda, I was in love. Her blonde hair was straggly, and straight. Her eyes worn, deep, and empty. She appeared lost and alone. My heart welled with a love, which I cannot explain—a love beyond my own capabilities. When looking back, I see God's desire to connect my heart with hers, as the child she was carrying in her womb—unknown to me—would one day be mine.

Simeon was an old man by the time he witnessed Joseph and Mary at the temple. They came to offer their purification sacrifice, which was to be done 40 days after the birth of the first-born son (this made Jesus about six weeks old). I wonder how long Simeon waited for his promise to be fulfilled—ten, twenty, thirty, forty years? Was he ever tempted to give up hope? Or was he certain that he knew what he knew. Did Simeon’s righteous and devout reputation develop as he was, “waiting for the consolation of Israel,” (Luke 2:25)? Does waiting help us to become more righteous and devout Christians? I think so, as it teaches us to trust what God says.

I also wonder if he told others, I well see God’s salvation before my eyes close in death. If so, did his fellow Jewish friends think he’d gone mad? Or was it something he too pondered in his heart in silence and with great patience, like Mary did?

I did not tell others what the Holy Spirit said to me; least they think I was, you know, a bit off my rocker in not just hearing a voice but claiming to hear the voice of God. But I also knew that I knew I heard God speak to me. I found it actually frustrating, as I had no idea what God meant by the child will be yours, or how He was going to make that happen and why. The child and her mother no longer lived in our home. On the contrary, it was not our goal to take a child from her mother.

Simeon was waiting for the promise of God’s, “consolation.” In other words he was waiting for the comfort of Israel. The promise of peace and he knew God’s promise would come in the form of a child. Did Simeon comprehend how God was going to do that? Or did he simply trust his Jehovah. God's Word says the, “Holy Spirit was upon him,” doubting would be far from Simeon's mind, as he knew the God who said, “My purpose will stand . . . what I have planned, that I will do," (Luke 2:25, Isaiah 46: 10-11).

Busy, and all alone at work, the familiar voice spoke again, starling me. I turned to see who was in the room. There was no one, just the lingering of those words, spoken four times before, which said, “The child will be yours.” After this fifth declaration, I felt confused by what God intended. Why I did not do this before I don't know, but I finally asked the Lord, "What do you mean the child will be mine?" That evening we received a call from Athena’s mother telling us she was in jail and would we please go get her daughter. Right away, of course, I whispered, "Ah God, that’s what you meant—we will take care of her daughter until she’s out of jail." And that settled that. We became foster parents.

When Simeon was moved by the Holy Spirit to go into the temple, he saw the consolation of God. The angel Gabriel told Mary her baby’s name would be, Jesus, which in Hebrew means Yeshua. Yeshua is a form of Joshua and the literally meaning is “salvation.” Therefore when Simeon cradled God’s Promise in his arms, he literally was holding the salvation of the world. Did the infant Jesus gaze back into Simeon’s eyes when Simeon praised God saying—

“Sovereign Lord, as you have promised, you now dismiss your servant in peace. For my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the sight of all people, a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to your people Israel,” (Luke 2: 29-32).

I’ll never forget the day we went to pick Athena up from Social Services, she had been in a transition home for three weeks—she was ten months old. We sat in steel chairs in a plain tan room, filled with nervous anticipation—would she remember us? They brought her into the room and she was wailing until such time the worker placed her in my arms. Athena looked at me then looked at my husband, then looked at me and back at him. She sighed deeply and literally collapsed in my arms, as to say I’m safe now. Peace settled in her heart and the comfort she needed was there in the arms of people she recognized.

I wonder if Simeon memorized every facet of the Christ child’s face. I would as there is nothing like the face of a newborn. Was Simeon overwhelmed with peace for all humanity? Was there a deep sigh of relief, as he knew his people were saved? Hope delivered. Hope revealed. Love given. A promise fulfilled in this little bundle of human flesh he held and blessed in his arms.

Three years, through unfortunate circumstances, we were given the opportunity to adopt Athena. On April 26, 1991, God fulfilled his promise, which he spoke to me, “The Child will be yours.”

As I reflect on Simeon, I rejoice that God fulfilled his promise to all mankind, “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace,” (Isaiah 9:6 KJV).

Christmas, to me, is a time to rejoice in the revealing of God’s love He promised through His One and only begotten Son. Just as Simeon anticipated he would not see death until he saw “ . . . the Lord’s Christ,” (Luke 2:26)—we too wait in great expectation of the promise declared by himself, “Behold, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to everyone according to what he has done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End,” (Revelations 22:12-13).

Are you waiting for a promise to be fulfilled? If so, I pray God will find favor with you. I pray you will hear God's voice of hope, the voice that promises He can do more then what we ask or imagine (See Ephesians 3).

Peace, Hope, and Love be yours this Christmas.

Do As the Atheist say, "This Season, Celebrate Reason"

2010-12-07T22:18:00.000-08:00

The American Atheists Society put up a billboard recently, which pictures the three wise men and the manger scene, it reads:

“You Know it’s a Myth—This Season, Celebrate Reason.”

I wonder if their thought is We want believers to stop believing their silly notions of a God who created the earth and supposedly sent his son to save the world—be logical and rational for god’s sake—there was this big bang and we evolved from a tadpole and became intelligent beings.

Bill Maher, in his movie *Religulous, stated, “ . . . it has not been proven there is a Jesus.” Through Bill's reasoning it seems there is not enough proof to assert that Christ existed, which is interesting as other religions—which do not accept Christ as the Son of God—recognize Jesus as a good prophet.

Individuals like Bill Maher, seem to struggle with the birth of Christ because logically they cannot fathom (reason):

How God could impregnate Mary, a virgin
How a virgin could give birth to a baby and still be a virgin
How God could make himself into a man

Bill Maher said, “It’s surprising something as important as the virgin birth, is not in all the four of them [gospels] . . . No one who ever wrote about Jesus, never met him” (Brackets mine for clarity). Obviously, because the four gospels do not mention Christ’s birth, Jesus is non-existent. Bill Maher obviously has not heard about the disciples who walked with Christ, who also authored a few of those books in the Bible.

The theology of the Christian faith seems irrational to people like Bill Maher. More so, because according to science, God’s existence cannot be proved. This means to them that the authenticity of Christ’s birth is degraded as a myth like the Greek god, Zeus.

I respect Bill’s truthfulness in which he says, “I preach the gospel of I don’t know.” He says he is not “ . . . questioning God,” he just does not understand “why believing in something, without evidence, is good?” The Bible says, “For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing . . .” (1 Corinthians 1:18).

Without the birth of Christ there would be no cross of redemption.

It is through reason that Christians celebrate the birth of Christ. With our reasonable mind, we’ve discovered (led by God's Spirit) to the truth of the gospel, “Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ,” (Romans 10:17). When we heard the gospel message, we reasoned the facts through our mind—as we heard, we responded, and our faith ignited into belief.

The evidence is our changed lives.

The birth of Christ put in motion God’s deliverance of sinful man. For Christians, the nativity gave us a new spiritual birth into a living hope, which is Christ Jesus. We celebrate through reason, as we know God said, “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith-and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God,” (Ephesians 2:8).

Christmas is about the gift God gave us.

Bill asks, “Why is faith good?” How would you answer his question? The writer of Hebrews says, “Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see,” (Hebrews 11:1). We did not witness the birth of Christ but our spirit confirms its truth.

Faith is good because faith is beyond our own capability to comprehend the totality of what God has done for us in sending His Son—we realize we cannot save ourselves. We understand there is someone greater then ourselves and we call him God, Yahweh, Almighty God, The Great I AM, who came to earth as the Prince of Peace.

Faith is good because it allows us to reach beyond our human “reason” with certainty that the hope we have in the birth, death, and resurrection of Christ is our salvation from the wrath of a Holy and Just God—who will one day separate the goats and the sheep come judgment day.

Faith is good because we are blessed by believing without seeing. “Then Jesus told him, "Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed," (John 20:29).

Through reason we celebrate the birth of Christ, as we know through him we have experienced God's grace; we know that God’s abounding love beckons all sinners to come to know Him through His Son (See John 4:42).

Our reasoning leads us to the knowledge of God’s love, which does a greater work beyond our comprehension. His Spirit infiltrates our soul and spirit so that it’s not just “head knowledge” but a deeper awareness that we can approach a Holy God and relate to Him as Father, Friend, Savior, Helper, Provider, Peace-maker, and Overseer of our soul because God came in the flesh and walked among men, through Jesus.

Reasoning allows us to identify the Spirit of Truth and the spirit of falsehood. “This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world,” (1 John 4:2-3).

Mr. Maher says, “ . . . I’m here promoting doubt—that’s my product. The other guys [Christians, preachers, religions] are selling certainty. Not me. I’m on the corner of doubt,” (Brackets mine for clarity). Bill Maher, Agnostics, and Atheist, in my humble opinion, are doubters. The book of James states that the man who doubts in like the “waves of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind . . . he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does,” (James 1:5-8). They cannot wrap their mind around the mystery, majesty and generosity of God.

This Season, Celebrate The Reason for the Season. As we know Christ Jesus is the Truth, the Way and the Life (John 14:6).

He is Immanuel, God with us (Matthew 1:23). This season, and every season after, Christians will continue to celebrate Jesus as the reason behind the Christmas season,” whether he was born December 25 or not!

Fairy tales have happy endings. Jesus was beaten and nailed to a tree for claiming to be the Son of God, for declaring to be God in the flesh. He did not ride off into the sunset; not until, that is, after his resurrection and ascension into Heaven, where he now sits at the right hand of God, waiting his return to earth.

Jesus left the splendor of Heaven to come to earth to seek and save the lost (Luke 19:10).

Christmas reminds us of a God who “reasoned” that His love was greater then His wrath and chose to reconcile mankind through the birth of Himself as a man. “For nothing is impossible with God,” (Luke 1:37).

This Christmas Season, Celebrate The Truth—The Word became flesh and lived for a while among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son who came from the Father, full of grace and truth,” (John 1:14).

(*all quotes by Bill Maher are from his movie, Religulous)

Merry Christmas!

Learning to Embrace Your Not-so-lovable Self

2010-11-22T14:23:00.000-08:00

Self-discovery is a Necessity

When it comes to self-discovery—learning to embrace the shadowy side of our persona is difficult. Generally we fall into one of three categories of people:

Those who like to self-reflect—dig soul deep to do the dirty work
Those who consider the past the past—why drudge up the negative
Those who ignore the promptings—that’s just heartburn

Self-discovery is a crucial component to our wholeness because it causes us to get in touch with attitudes or unresolved issues we don’t like to face. Some might behave in a certain manner and not understand the root causes. Taking time to do some self-discovery: why I do what I do, or think the way I think—can bring about freedoms and a new look on life.

Yet you might say, I can’t look at those aspects of my soul, it gives me the heebie-jeebies, and those places are just too dark. Anyhow, you say, I’ve locked the door and thrown away the key. I know what you mean—I call that self-preservation. And self-preservation does three things:

Hides from self
Hides from others
Develops perfectionism

There are other reasons, too, with which people develop a perfectionist persona, or want to hide, but for space I’m just focusing on thoughts in which we try to develop flawlessness to hide what we don’t like about ourselves, and especially the stuff we do not want others to know about.

Perfectionism demands that:

I must do all things well
I must never let anyone know my dark shadow(s)
I must handle all crisis with the strength of ten armies
I must bury the part of me that causes me to be imperfect
I must always look my best

Self-discovery Exposes the Impostor

Through my experience, striving for perfection slings one into the sphere of unending, did-I-do-it-right, how-do-I-look . . . it’s like riding a Ferris wheel—you’re on the top, now you’re on the bottom, and you can’t find satisfaction within.

When we strive for perfection, for whatever reason, we allow people to see only one dimension of us. Additionally, we do not want to acknowledge the un-good in ourselves. This becomes our burden as we create the perfectionist impostor. We become enslaved to “being good,” and in the process of “being good” we develop an impostor self. There is nothing wrong with striving for goodness, don’t get me wrong, it’s just that we’re trying to be good for all the wrong reasons.

One time I asked God to allow me to see what others thought of me and as quickly as I asked, he spoke, (yes he spoke), “And Diane who would that be?” In a flash he presented peoples faces and names before me. Suddenly it became clear that it does not matter what others think or feel about me because we tend to see each other through our own imperfections—we all look through plum-colored binoculars. Therefore it does our soul well to learn to see ourselves only as God views us.

Self-discovery Embraces our Shortcomings

But that is easier said then done, as we all desire acceptances in some form. It is a shame that we have to be apprehensive around each other if our “bad self” escapes. I remember a time, when I was with a group of Christian women, having some girl time, I received a phone call from hubby that exasperated me beyond words and . . . well . . . I used the “hell” word.

A friend of mine, teasing, told the group of my mortal sin, certainly not knowing the outcome. A woman in our group, in front of everyone, began to question and reprimand me for using that word. It was, I say, a most embarrassing moment. I felt criticized, belittled and immediately created this guarded wall, which I erected in that moment.

People are always at their best when mad or in a crisis. Right? No, usually not. Although we want to react in a godly way, “Oh Praise Jesus,” something different can certainly flow from our lips. This is why I love the apostle Paul’s remarks, “For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is in my flesh for the wishing is present in me, but the doing of the good is not,” (Romans 7:18).

I believe there are times for exhorting one another in love; however it should be for a reason beyond using the hell word. We hide and strive to put on our best to avoid such confrontations because Christians have a tendency to shoot darts at each other.

“You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love,” (Galatians 5:13).

Self-Discovery Cleans Our Internal Home

Self-discovery aids us in cleaning our internal homes. Cleansing our inner abode helps us to understand, all the more, God’s grace and love for us. It reminds me of the old hymn by Charlotte Elliott:

“Just as I am, without one plea,
But that Thy blood was shed for me,
And that Thou bidst me come to Thee,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come.”

Throughout my adult life, I’ve sought to understand why I do, say, or struggle with certain aspects in my life. I’ve become a gardener looking for the roots to my weeds. And when I find them, no matter how painful, I yank them out of their dark place and expose them in the light of God’s grace.

On one of my self-discovery tours, I found a hiding place, which surfaced like a submarine plunging out of the ocean. What was I hiding from?

Pain, guilt, fear, silly notions about my true thoughts and feelings

In that I found how dishonest I was toward my self, keeping me from accepting the “whole” of me. I thought about why I would neglect the “bad” or “imperfect” aspects of myself and I concluded:

They had no value
They were undesirable and unpleasant

Yet logic said these aspects of me are important; and therefore I must forge into the dark side of my inner woman to find out why.

Self-discovery Learns to Accept the Whole Person

We can’t just be half a person, emotionally and spiritually. Those “imperfections” have framed the other side of our character, whether we like it or not—they exist within us. By not accepting this other half of ourselves, we create an impostor. The impostor masquerades as faultless, like posing for a picture, you know, always needing to have your best side showing.

In Abba’s Child, Brennan, the author states, “Hatred of the impostor is actually self-hatred. The impostor and I constitute one person . . . Self-hatred always results in some form of self-destructive behavior. Accepting the reality of our sinfulness means accepting our authentic self.”

Do you hate yourself? Perhaps you’ve made a choice in which you cannot forgive yourself. Maybe you love you, but don’t like you. But as Brennan says, “Hatred of the impostor is actually self-hatred.” We’ve got to embrace the whole self, pure and simple.

It’s a tall order to accept the authentic self. We must do away with:

Continuing to judge ourselves by the standards of others
Creating an impostors to be loved or accepted
Covering our weakness, failures, and inconsistency as if they didn’t exist

The authentic self is all the substance of life, which has shaped us good or bad. And no matter how hard we try to ignore our not-so-lovely imperfections, they are there within us. Brennan, again, writes, “If I am not in touch with my own belovedness, then I cannot touch the sacredness of others. If I am estranged from myself, I am likewise a stranger to others” (Italics mine for emphasis).

Self-Discovery Helps to Redefine Who We Are

John Eagan wrote, “Define yourself radically as one beloved by God. This is the true self. Every other identity is illusion.”

When we define our self as one “beloved by God,” we can then accept the “whole” me and eradicate the impostor who hides hers or his imperfections. Why? Because we know God does. When God gazes on us, he sees only the love he has for his Son and his righteousness, not our soul sinned imperfections but his Son’s righteousness—that is what makes us in right standing before God.

So get a pen, a computer, or whatever writing tool you can find. And start asking yourself what you don’t like about you or the fears you’ve been carrying around with you. Then begin to explore where that idea(s) came from. Lay aside your impostor, and claim freedom to be you. Love your whole self, because God does.

Have something to add: Don't be shy . . . I love comments!

Loving Beyond What We Feel

2010-11-16T16:28:00.000-08:00

Everyone at some juncture, on this road of life, is acquainted with an individual or two who has hurt him or her. This person is one who:

Sees only what they want to see
Makes accusations against you
Says one thing but does another
Speaks hurtful stuff about those you love
Wounds you with their thoughtless remarks

I’ve experienced several blows by people I’ve trusted, loved, and cared for. And I’ve struggled to make peace in my heart, as I’ve worked on healing my wounds. Just the mention of their names has made me extremely annoyed. Do you have a person like that?

Loving beyond what we feel is the hardest aspect of the Christian faith. Turning the other cheek when offended and loving the unlovely is a difficult task.

Yet, we are told by Jesus, “If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even ‘sinners’ love those who love them,” (Luke 6:32). My sore heart wants to shout, yea but—

Here are some reasons we might find it hard to love beyond what we feel:

We struggle why God would let a person continue to hurt others
We feel like God take sides
We think we’ll lose favor with God because of how we feel
We judge ourselves for having negative feelings
We confuse loving and liking

God Allows Them to Continue to Hurt Others

I read once “hurting people hurt people.” We are free agents to choose an attitude, make a remark—cutting or nice, think of ourselves before others. We make these choices, and mostly out of our own unhealed pain and selfishness.

The Word says, “ . . . the Lord disciplines those he loves . . .” (Hebrews 12:6). God will hold each of us accountable, “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad,” (2 Corinthians 5:10). This is the perspective we should have—people make choices, good and bad and God will judge each of them.

God Takes Sides

This is a story we tell ourselves, because we might not see ourselves equal in Christ. Or no one will believe me. God does not have a measuring cup with which he measures everyone’s wrong doing. “Hmm let me see, yes, Diane has one cup of sin today and Johnny one and a half. I love Johnny more today because he has less sin.” The grace of God is not measured differently to Billy Graham, your priest or pastor, or to you or me. The same blessings of his grace are the same for all his children.

We are one body in which Christ is the head, “Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to his neighbor, for we are all members of one body,” (Ephesians 4:25).

Losing Favor with God

If we carry the idea that God takes sides then one might think God shows more favor to one and less to others. We abandon the verse, which states, “For God does not show favoritism,” (Romans 2:11, see also Acts 10:34).

“Oh yes I see,” says God, “Diane has exceed her good works today but Johnny, he’s lagging. No favor for Johnny today.” God’s love is equal for everyone, and the ground is level at the foot of the cross. God’s love for us is not based on what we do or don’t do, it’s about what his Son has done for us. We are to “submit to one another out of reverence for Christ,” (Ephesians 4:25); however that does not mean we accept offenses and cannot feel angry or upset by something done or said to us, which is hurtful.

Judging Ourselves

When a brother or sister in the Lord offends us, we might suffer in silence, thinking we can’t have a “bad” feeling. Thus we place judgment on ourselves for having such angry thoughts toward them. This is not true, as our feelings are neither right nor wrong. Our emotions are safeguards, which allows us to take heed, “Hey wait a minute this is not right.” We have to let go of judging ourselves for what we feel. A feeling, like anger, is not a sin. If we act on our anger, in a negative way, then that becomes the sin. So no throwing your cat across the room.

We are allowed our thoughts and feelings. When hurt by others, we need a confidant. We need to filter our emotions through prayer and God’s word. And we need time to mend.

Confusing Love with Like

We can still love someone but not necessarily like them. We can love them in Christ. We can love them as a member of our family. We can love them even if we don’t have warm fuzzy feelings toward them.

We know that love is patient, kind, not envious or boastful. It’s not proud, rude, self-seeking, or easily angered. And by far love keeps no record of wrongs (See 1Corinthians 13) This is a mirror of God’s agape love—his unconditional love—that we are to emulate toward each other in brotherly love. I think it will take a lifetime to perfect this kind of love.

While we can still love our brother or sister, we are not obligated to like their behaviors. And we have the right to our boundaries. The church has lost sight of this. A boundary is where I begin and end. It’s a fence around my yard and I can let in or out those things, which are good or harmful. I can love but choose not to be hurt again by a particular person, whomever that person might be, or whatever role they play in my life.

For those of us who’ve been hurt, we can find comfort in knowing God knows and he sees. He loves you, he loves me, and he loves our offender. He will, in his time bring about the necessary correction for us all. In that we can love beyond what we feel and work toward forgiving.

The Beauty of God's Wrath

2010-11-11T11:10:00.000-08:00

When sharing the salvation message, we tend to use several methods: The ABC—Accept, Believe, and Confess, or the Romans Road or even the Four Spiritual Laws. While there is nothing wrong with these methods, I wonder if we neglect an important factor and that is what we really are saved from. So what are we saved from?

Is the gospel just about escaping hell, gaining heaven where everlasting life is realized? I offer that the gospel message is really about the wrath of God and how God’s agape love made provisions to prevent us from his impending wrath.

I love the way Mark Buchanan described God’s agape love in his book Hidden in Plain Sight. He said, “Agape is unprovoked love: it seeks those who never saw it coming, who never had it coming, who never sought it out. It shows up unannounced, unexpected, undeserved . . .. It doesn’t depend upon our worthiness”(italics mine). God’s love is unconditional. His love encompasses his grace and mercy.

The beauty in understanding the wrath of God is the knowing that God—who is just—refused to leave mankind with a permanent death sentence. His “unprovoked” love provided a path for reconciliation (See 2 Corinthians 5:17-18).

Where did God’s wrath originate? In my humble opinion, God’s wrath originated when Adam and Eve choose to disobey God’s command not to eat from the tree of knowledge. With this disobedience, Adam passed his sin DNA to every generation. Everyone is born with this predisposed inclination for disobedience and rebellion against their Creator, the Holy and Just God.

The need for salvation is not just the sins we’ve committed today or yesterday, but the natural sin embedded into our nature—rebellion and unbelief toward God (Romans 5:17-19).

The Word says, "He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him," (John 3:36 NKJV). The message is simple; in believing in God’s Son there is life. Not to believe is to remain under God’s wrath.

Further the Word says, “He [God] is patient . . . not wanting anyone to perish; but everyone to come to repentance,” (2 Peter 3:9; brackets mine for clarification). God even made provisions for Adam and Eve and that is where we see God’s compassion and abounding love. God:

Hand crafted clothing from an animal to cover their nakedness (This was the first blood sacrifice)
Banished them from the garden least they get into more trouble

“And the LORD God said, “The man has now become like one of us, knowing good and evil. He must not be allowed to reach out his hand and take also from the tree of life and eat, and live forever,” (Read Genesis 3:20-24).

Otherwise, if Adam and his wife remained in the garden and ate of the tree of life, they would forever live in their rebellion—there would be no provisions to reconcile them to their Creator. They would live out their eternity under God’s wrath.

Everyone has a choice to believe or not believe. The United States’, in 2005, had a nine percent population of acclaimed Atheists and Agnostics, according to the Top 50 Countries With Highest Proportion of Atheists / Agnostics (Zuckerman, 2005). To them, the gospel is craziness. God never was. Only weak people need religion, is their estimation. Nonetheless, it is unprovoked love, like Mr. Buchanan said which, “Shows up unannounced, unexpected,” and “undeserved.”

Adam’s sin cast a wide and deep chasm between man and God. A chasm so broad that only one person could reconcile and close the gap and that would be God himself. He came in the flesh, another difficult concept for some to receive. God came because we cannot as human beings:

Save our self
Become a god
Work our way to heaven by being good
Hope the religious road we’ve chosen, leads us to God’s kingdom
Our be led by our feelings into heaven

One could pray a thousand times a day, spend endless hours at church but unless they believe and confess Christ Jesus as the Son of the Living God, they continue to miss the mark. Even the best of the best’s goodness pales in comparison to God’s righteousness. And if we could feel our way, work our way, or believe our religion could save us; there would be no need for God’s agape love. Jesus’ death would have been in vain.

Oprah, in 2008, interviewed an author; here is how she summarized his book. “What you’re saying is God and the essence of all consciousness, isn’t something to believe. God is. God is. God is a feeling experience not a believing experience. And if your religion is a believing experience, if God for you is still about believing, then it’s not truly God.” The author agreed and so did some of the audience.

Wow! But I guess our reaction to this is the same reaction people have when Christians say there is only way one to God. I recently read a quote,

“Every path you take will lead you to God, but only one path will lead to eternal life with Him.”

Jesus remarked about the road to eternal life, he said, “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it [the gate to destruction]. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it,” (Matthew 7:13-14; brackets mine for clarification).

Another statement Jesus made, which the Christian faith propagates, is what Jesus told Thomas, his disciple, when Thomas asked, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?”

Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me,” (John 14:6). If this statement is not true, then Jesus is either a lair or he is delusional—or both, a delusional lair.

People are triune beings, meaning we are body, soul, and spirit. I like to explain it this way. Our soul is our emotions and will, or spirit is what we connect with God, and our body is how we touch the tangible world we live in. When Adam and Eve walked with God, they had all three in tack. But they fell for Satan’s deception and sinned. When they did this they were no longer pure innocent beings. Their sin brought separation and death. Thus we live in a fallen world.

As Jesus told Nicodemus, a Pharisee, “I tell you the truth, unless a man is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit,” (John 3:5-8).

The provision God made for all mankind, is to come to the knowledge that:

We are under the Wrath of God because sin entered earth by Adam’s disobedience; therefore, sin also is in us.
Sin is punishable, unless one repents (turns from sin and walks toward Christ)
He provided covering of our sin by the death of his son, Jesus Christ, who knew no sin (and who was born of a virgin, another hard concept for some).
This atonement (compensation) comes through the confession that Jesus is the Son of God, who died and rose again (on the third day) and will one day return to gather his church.

The argument, in which all roads lead to heaven, will go on until Christ comes. But the truth remains that without Christ, without the “believing” and placing faith in him, people are under God’s wrath. There is no way around it. Peace with God is only found through Christ Jesus. Jesus’ gives us right standing before God.

“Whoever believes in him [Jesus] is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son,” (John 3:18; brackets mine for clarification).

Sorry Oprah, God IS a believing encounter, NOT a feeling experience. There is nowhere if the Bible that says, “just feel and you will be saved.”

What are your thoughts? Are you firm in your faith? How would you answer Oprah’s declaration?

Four Spiritual Laws

ABC's of becoming a Christian

Romans Road to Salvation

Oprah Show

Falling from the Spiritual Mountain Top . . . a lesson from the apostle Peter

2010-11-03T19:29:00.000-07:00

Have you ever had a mountain top experience, a moment in time, where you felt God’s presence? One in which you sensed you’d never be the same. But no sooner did you roll off the mountain of euphoria; your God moment became swallowed by life and the new revised you slowly disappeared. Maybe disappointment or confusion set in. Don't lose hope—you might find connection with a disciple named, Simon Peter.

THE MOUNTAIN TOP

Peter, an acclaimed apostle of Jesus Christ, had a mountain top experience. He, and two other disciples, accompanied Jesus up a mountain not knowing what was going to happen (Matthew 17:11).

On that mountain Jesus’ face, “ . . . shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as the light,” (Matthew 17:2). Can you imagine witnessing Christ’s transfiguration but also the sudden appearance of two great patriarchs—Moses and Elijah? Moses, the man called by God to deliver Israel from the hand of Pharaoh (Exodus 3-4), and beside him, Elijah, the prophet who was whisked up by “a chariot of fire and horses . . . in a whirlwind,” to heaven—without experiencing death, (2 Kings 2:11).

Imagine being an eyewitness that moment heaven and earth converged, like a science fiction movie, where a portal opens into a different dimension? Not only that but in the middle of Peter speaking, (he wanted to erect three shelters for them), the audible voice of God interrupts, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!” (Matthew 17: 5). This experience would revolutionize a person? An electric charge from holy paradise deepening one’s belief—don’t you think?

PETER IN THE HUB OF KINGDOM EXPLOITS

Previous to Peter’s encounter, Jesus asked his disciples who people thought he was. The disciples answered, some say you’re a prophet, John the Baptist, or Elijah (Matthew 16:14). I can see Jesus pausing as he gazes intently into their eyes, “But what about you? Who do you say I am?” Simon Peter soars right in, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God,” (Matthew 16:15-16).

Another interesting fact about Peter is Jesus told him and the other disciples “ . . . at the renewal of all things, when the Son of Man sits on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel,” (Matthew 19:28).

Peter is in the hub of great kingdom exploits. He walks, sees, touches, and converses with the Son of Man, who is God in the flesh. However, soon after Peter’s declaration, affirmation of eternal life, and his mountain top experience, he denies he’s associated with Jesus—not once but three times. Let me say that again . . . he denies his association with Jesus THREE TIMES! Jesus predicted Peter would do this (Mark 14:30). Isn’t Peter a lot like us walking closely with Jesus and then making blunders we regret? Or are we a lot like Peter making declarations, like we have the power within ourselves to see them through? Jesus, I'd never deny you!

THE POTENTIAL REASON FOR PETER'S DENIAL

I love that God recorded the lives of these men, the good, bad, and ugly, in the Bible. I don’t feel so alone. Just as Jesus knew Peter’s denial, he knows our frailty too. We can declare our faith is fervent; therefore, the denial of Jesus, who purchased our freedom with his life, is out of question. But would we? Do we?

What caused Peter to deny he was a disciple of Christ in the first place? Here are my suggestions: Fear and self-centeredness. Both of these have to do with “What’s going to happen to me? How will my life change? What will people think?”

Fear translates punishment, “There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The man who fears is not made perfect in love,” (1 John 4:18). Perhaps Peter feared punishment or death from the same authorities that questioned Jesus. Or maybe he feared his reputation because Jesus was being charged as a hieratic. He forgot the audible voice of God declaring "This is my Son, whom I love . . ."

IN THE FACE OF ADVERSITY

Here’s a sobering verse, “In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted . . .” (2 Timothy 3:12-13). Hey wait, I didn't sign up for that? Did you?

What will we do in that kind of adversity? Will we cower and deny? Or will we stand firm and unmovable? If Peter was in the “know,” and denied Jesus, how will we respond when the very core of our faith is interrogated? Or our moral convictions ridiculed? How are we responding today?

Jesus said, “Whoever acknowledges me before men, I will also acknowledge . . . But whoever disowns me before men, I will disown him before my Father in Heaven,” (Matthew 10:32-33). Yet Jesus gives Peter opportunity to redeem himself, three times (John 21:15-19). Jesus knew what Peter was made of—he knew Peter’s heart up close and personal. And he knows ours. Believers today are gifted with the Holy Spirit, which means Christ is living in us and through us.

Jesus did not alter Peter’s standing in him neither did he change his love toward him. When we are faithless, God remains faithful. The most important aspect to the Christian faith is always seeking to know God—that strengthens our inner man as we grasp the depth of his grace.

2 Timothy provides some answers; when we are faced with adversity, which I think is helpful when our mountaintop experience fades. We should:

Continue in what we’ve learned and have been convinced of
Be prepared in season and out of season to give an answer to why we believe
Keep our head in all situations—don’t become quarrelsome
Endure hardship because we know in whom we believe

“You too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord's coming is near,” (James 5:8).

The Secret to Mountain Moving . . . a mustard seed of faith

2010-10-28T15:13:00.000-07:00

We all experience dark days of the soul. The unpromising storms of life, which bellow at us externally and internally, create unrest. We pray and pray some more, yet at times, it seems as though those prayers hit the ceiling with a thud. We might even scold our self, saying, we don’t have enough faith. Uncertainty and defeat climb on us like clinging vines oppressing any faith and hope we think we might own. At least that is the way dark days feel.
For some, the struggle to get out of bed takes more energy and faith then they can muster. Have you been there? I have. I’ve been in dark days in which I felt there would be no end to the sorrow. Days where the clinging vines wrapped around me so hard, I felt my breath escape.

Jesus told his disciples, “I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you,” (Matthew 17:20).

A mustard seed is only 1 or 2 mm in diameter. That’s a little seed. One day, when upheaval kept blowing my way, I thought about this fact and this promise. Our son, Jason, had been arrested and pleaded his innocence. “Mom, really I didn’t do this. I’m being set-up.” My heart-of-hearts wanted to believe he was telling the truth. But here my son was in jail, again. What and who was I to believe. The detective, in a conversation said, “You ought to forget about your son.” Those words hit like a flaming arrow. Forget about my son—those were fighting words to this mother. My intuitive radar kicked in and I knew something unethical was lurking behind the blinds.

Anxiety crushed my soul like a zillion ton of bricks. I was helpless. Jason’s fate was out of my control (as I know it never was in my control!). Even though, l began to think about a little verse tucked away in the crevices of my heart, “I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed.” And suddenly, like an ocean wave that surprises you, I thought Hey faith as small as a mustard seed! I have faith as small as a mustard seed, so I began to pray, “I’ve been a Christian for over thirty years Lord, not that I need to remind you, and I know you are the Almighty God, I know you can do mighty things. I’m positive I have faith as small as a mustard seed. And you say if I have that much faith, I can move mountains. Lord, there is a mountain bigger than life staring my son in the face. I know, Lord he is probably guilty of other actions, aren’t we all guilty of something; however, I believe God he is telling the truth. So God, I invoke my mustard seed faith in the truth of your promise and I say to this mountain be gone. Let truth triumph over falsehood.” And that was that, I waited with the patients of a hungry lion.

Several months, after praying my mustard seed prayer, Jason was released from County Jail with all charges dropped. He said, “You know mom, it’s okay I was in jail—there’s lots of things I’ve done that I’ve never gotten caught for, and God wanted me there. I started a bible study and led someone to the Lord. For that, it was all worth it.”

Is there a mountain shadowing your days of joy? Then I encourage you to cry, scream, and yell and when you’ve exhausted yourself and there is no more left of you, then pull on your combat boots and prepare to fight. Invoke your faith, small as it is, knowing that Jesus is not a liar, “I tell you the truth,” he says, “if you have faith as small as a mustard seed,” and I’m sure you do, “you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you,” (Matthew 17:20).

The apostle Paul said, “Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen,” (Ephesians 3:20-21).
When you put into motion your mustard seed faith, remember it is “his **[God’s] power that is at work within us [you].” I’m neither into formulas nor putting faith in faith, or believing we have to muster mounds of faith to move God to action. Honest, childlike faith, even as small as a mustard seed, will move God on your behalf—he is our burden bearer, “Casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you,” (1 Peter 5:7 NKJV).

What are you waiting for—go plant that mustard seed of faith in the soil of prayer and watch the Can Do God come to your aid in his perfect time.

*I used my son's story with his permission, in case you were wondering. **Brackets inserted for clarity.

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