Deciding Ahead of Time

Whenever I am afraid, I will trust in You. Psalm 56:3 (New King James Version)

Soldiers do not enter a war without a military strategy. A football player does not enter a game without a game plan. A surgeon does not proceed with an operation without a predetermined medical procedure in mind. A construction worker does not begin to build a building without an architectural plan. And we had better understand that we do not enter a single day without a plan. We do not know the totality of what will be in this day but we can determine ahead of time certain game plans for it. David is sharing one such plan with us today. Ahead of time, he already determined his course of action when fear would hit. He would trust in God.

This morning I want to take his strategy and apply it to all areas of negative responses and emotions. Each and every one can be slipped into this verse with the same predetermined action! Whenever I am afraid, angry, confused, disappointed, hurt, stressed, worried, weak, offended, or in turmoil, I will trust in God. Trusting God means I am placing my confidence, security, and belief in Him. How He must delight when we do that! To start our day with the attitude that, come what may, we are trusting Him! Then when the storms of life hit, the winds of adversity blow, the valley of death approaches, or any number of rugs get pulled out from under us, we already know what we will do. Above and through it all we will trust Him and place ourselves in a position to receive His strength, peace, and safety.

Many of us had to learn the hard way that living the Christian life did not mean we would not have trials and troubles. We definitely will have them, but God desires to teach us where to go when those things arise. If we allow them, they become the arrows that point us straight to Him as our source and resource in the midst of any tragedy. But we cannot wait until we are in the middle of an upsetting moment to figure out what we are going to do. Before the storm hits we should determine where our shelter will be. That is the essence of what David was saying. He knew fear would be his companion at one time or another and he resolved ahead of time to trust God. Each of us knows which emotional challenges become issues for us. Let’s place them in this verse and then place our trust in God.

Father, I have so often floundered with negative feelings and emotions, when all the while You were urging me to trust You. Bring this verse to my mind throughout today. No matter which word I put in it, I have already decided I will trust You! Amen.

Knowing When God Is Speaking

And Eli said to Samuel, “Go lie down, and it shall be if He calls you, that you shall say, ‘Speak, LORD, for Your servant is listening.’” So Samuel went and lay down in his place. 1 Samuel 3:9 (New American Standard Bible)

How often I have felt like Samuel. God was speaking his name and desiring to tell him something and yet he had no idea God was the One speaking to him. Yet when he took the advice of Eli, the priest, and voiced the words, “Speak, LORD, for Your servant is listening,” he clearly heard and understood what God was saying to him. After that point, I believe he had no trouble discerning when God was speaking to him. His ears remained open and his heart remained receptive to each message.

Who was the Eli in your life who taught you essential principles about hearing God’s voice? For most of my Christian life I embraced the idea that I speak to God in prayer and God speaks to me through His Word. Prayer was like speaking into a tape recorder…much like a one sided conversation. Hearing God meant reading His Word and seeing what He said to people thousands of years ago. Many times I felt like I was listening in on someone else’s conversation. Like Samuel, I didn’t know when God was speaking directly to me, unless it was for the purposes of condemnation and disapproval. I praise God for the person who wisely let me know prayer is a dialogue not a monologue, whereby I speak to God and then listen as God speaks to me.

While God definitely speaks through His Word, whether I am reading it, meditating on it, or hearing it from another person, He is not limited to only speaking through His Word, but what He says will always be in agreement with His Word. I have come to recognize God’s voice within my thoughts, for they are too profound to be my own. As I have learned to listen, I know that I know He is speaking to me.

How does He speak to me? In times when I have shared with Him my own feelings of worthlessness and insignificance He has clearly spoken to my spirit and said, “You matter to me.” In times when I don’t know what to do, He brings pointed direction to mind. When I don’t understand the buried issues of my heart He reveals the roots that are nourishing and holding in place wrong attitudes. Many are the times He brings scripture to mind or the words of a precious song. It may be during the hours I am at work or simply taking a much needed walk through neighborhoods close to my home. It may be in the night hours when tears fall freely and I can’t even speak the words to Him. Conversations abound now that I recognize His voice. They will for any who learn to listen with interest and attention.

Father, You were speaking to me long before I knew it was You. Thank you for awakening my ear to the sound of Your voice. Speak, Lord, I am listening. Amen.

The Promise and Power of God's Word

So will My word be which goes forth from My mouth; it will not return to Me empty, without accomplishing what I desire, and without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it. Isaiah 55:11 (New American Standard Bible)

To think that every time I read my Bible, God has something He wants to accomplish in me. He did it several times this morning. Through different passages I saw heart issues that needed to be addressed, times where I have allowed the opinions of others to hold too much power over me, instances when I have allowed myself to be “rooted and grounded” in soil that is not of God, unwillingness to walk in love and forgiveness, and other things that remain between God and me. My point is this. As God’s word comes forth to me it has purpose and promise. He says it will not return to Him empty. It will accomplish what He wants it to accomplish and it will succeed in what He plans for it.

He compared it to the rain. The rain does not evaporate back into the air without first watering the ground and bringing forth the growth for our sustenance. It accomplishes what it was sent to accomplish! His word does so even more profoundly.

I am being challenged this morning to make this verse a prayer each time I open God’s word or sit under the teaching of God‘s word. A prayer of thanksgiving, promise, anticipation, and realization. To ask God to make me completely receptive to all that He desires to accomplish through what He speaks to me. Ultimately it will produce growth, change, and fruit. In other words, what God tells me should have a profound effect on how I think, speak, and act. It is the very thing that will transform me from the inside out.

Too often I have allowed circumstances and people to speak louder to me than God’s voice. But this morning, God is urging me to allow His voice to become clearer and louder than any others. As I begin to do that, some voices will become duller and others will be muted all together. May His words accomplish much today!

In addition to this, I am gaining fresh confidence in the power of praying Scripture over the life of individuals. This is done by finding verses that express what it is I would like to see God do in another person’s life and then praying those verses for them. It might be for salvation, deliverance, reconciliation, change, or any number of issues. Whatever it is, God’s Word and God’s Spirit are the most powerful means to accomplish it. May much be sent forth and accomplished today!

Father, I am trying to grasp the full implication of what You are saying to me this morning. You have awakened in me a desire to hear You. Amen.

Look for the Conditions

Surely he will never be shaken; a righteous man will be remembered forever. He will have no fear of bad news; his heart is steadfast, trusting in the LORD. His heart is secure, he will have no fear. Psalm 112:6-8 (New International Version)

There have been many times in my Christian life when this passage of Scripture would taunt me more than comfort me. The idea of not being shaken or in fear was as far removed from me as a steadfast and secure heart. But that was because I failed to see the conditions of such a proclamation. The picture that is being painted with God-breathed words is not the experience of many people….even among Christians. And when it isn’t, we want to blame God or others and walk with a confused and bitter spirit. When our life is in shambles and our foundations lie in a crumbled heap, we shake our heads and ask through clenched teeth and tear stained faces, “What happened?” If we really want to know and we have a teachable disposition, then God’s Word is opened up to answer us in a life changing way.

This morning the conditions are clear! This passage is speaking of one who lives a righteous life and places complete trust in God. When we trust Christ, we are made righteous, but that is not the end of the story. His righteousness enables us to live in cooperation with and obedience to God. It is not a life of self righteousness but rather a transformed life that is empowered by the Spirit of God and infused with the Word of God. It is allowing God to change us from the inside out and that will affect our thoughts, words, and actions. Add to this the elements of trust…childlike trust. Being confident and secure in God’s love and involvement in our life. Trusting Him for the strength, guidance, provision, and wisdom that we need on a daily basis.

But the promises of this passage will not be evident in my life if I choose to live my life simply by an outward performance of good works and fixing my eyes on people. If I am looking to others to give me all the answers and to instill in me confidence, security, assurance, and stability, then I am setting myself up for a huge fall that will eventually shake me to the very center of my being. I have lived that way and reaped the painful consequences. But things are changing as I dare to look into God’s Word, receive it as life altering truth, and take the conditions seriously.

Father, You are the One who has set my feet on solid rock and established my going. You are the One who will continue to develop my spiritual muscles which will enable me to walk, run, and fly with confidence and courage. Amen.

He Still Knows What it is Like

He was despised and rejected and forsaken by men, a Man of sorrows and pains, and acquainted with grief and sickness; and like One from Whom men hide their faces He was despised, and we did not appreciate His worth or have any esteem for Him. Isaiah 53:3 (Amplified Bible)

What is it you take to Jesus today? Is it ever feelings of being seen as worthless and contemptible by others? Rejection and physical or mental pain? Grief and sickness of soul? Feelings of being forgotten, forsaken, and unthought of? We live in a fallen world in the midst of fallen people. Their negative words and actions toward us can often shape the view we have of ourselves and leave us feeling deeply hurt and in pain. If that is you this morning, Jesus has a message for you from today’s verse.

He wants you to know that He experienced the same thing when He walked on this earth and although it was to a greater extent, it does not minimize in His eyes the depth of what you are feeling. He does not let you know of His painful experiences in order to down play or down size your own, but rather to let you know He understands more than any one the full extent of your grief, pain, and difficulty. He, more than anyone, enters into your situation and stays with you. From Him you will never receive unattentiveness, disinterest, or distraction. He gives to you what no person was fully able to give to Him…undivided attention and a full knowledge of where and why you are hurting.

He also wants you to know the words of Isaiah 53:3 not only describe what He experienced here on earth over two centuries ago, but it is what He still experiences from mankind even in the present. He is still despised and rejected by the very ones He reaches out to. He is still fully acquainted with grief and sorrow of heart. He still has people who turn away from him, lack appreciation for Him, and think little of Him. And He feels the way we feel when it happens to us. So when you pour your heart out to Him and share the sorrow with Him, He knows and is filled with compassion for you.

He knows that in this world we have trouble. He knows that we respond to the things we hear, see, feel, and taste of this life. He knows how fragile our internal world is. He knows we lack the ability to see beyond our present circumstances. That is why this morning, I can picture a hurting person being held by Jesus. Gently rocked and tenderly spoken to like a mother with a small child. Held closely and being told, “Precious child of Mine, I hurt with you and I speak My peace and compassion over you.” If we let Him, He will speak the words we need to hear. They will be like balm to our soul. Words of healing and wholeness. Words of understanding. He is a personal God who knows us intimately and takes in every detail of our life.

Jesus, I lift up hurting individuals to You. Convey to them the full meaning of my words this morning. Speak to them as only You can. Amen.

An Open Invitation

Now Moses used to take the tent and pitch it outside the camp, a good distance from the camp, and he called it the tent of meeting and everyone who sought the LORD would go out to the tent of meeting which was outside the camp. Exodus 33:7 (New American Standard Bible)

The invitation found within this verse has profoundly stood out to me today. At other times I have missed it but today it is coming alive to me. This tent was not the Tabernacle in which only the priests were allowed to enter. It was not like Mount Sinai where Moses alone met with God. It was a tent for anyone to meet with God. ANYONE! And yet I read how the children of Israel “watched” as Moses went to the tent. They watched as the cloud of God’s presence descended on the tent. They watched as Moses came out of the tent and as Joshua stayed for an extended time with God. And the whole time I am asking myself why they chose to stay distant observers of such an opportunity?

Immediately I am struck by the comparison that can be made today in the life of many believers and of myself for too many years. I spent decades accustomed to observing other people’s walk of faith. Like the children of Israel, I watched them talk to God, listen to God, follow God, connect with God, and know God. I longed to have what they had but I remained a distant observer. Jesus’ words of “come unto Me” fell on deaf ears, blind eyes, trembling hands, and a cautious heart. While I saw what others had with Him and heard them tell me I could experience the same for myself, I doubted it could ever happen. I had no trouble connecting with those who connected with God but limited myself to that connection. I settled for far less than God was offering.

What changed? God used disappointment and pain to bring my gaze around to Himself. My searching was finally directed toward Him. He began to help me hear His voice with my own ears and see His face with my own eyes. Even though my steps are often slow and my insecurities are still apparent, He is passionate about wooing me to Himself. I am learning to ask Him the questions and to listen for His answers. I am experiencing the moments of crying on His shoulders and sensing Him drying my tears. I am learning how to allow Him to reveal truth from His Word to me in order to replace the lies of the enemy. I am learning what it means to have an authentic walk with my Creator and He is faithfully blessing each time I enter the tent of meeting!

Father, Your invitation has finally made its way to my heart. I revel in the relationship You are helping me to establish with Yourself. Amen.

Proven to be Storm - Proofed

He brought me up also out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings. Psalm 40:2 (King James Version)

To understand the completeness of God’s work in your life is to walk in its truth and see it result in victory in areas that use to send you reeling. Once God has brought you through a place of hardship, He wants to help you see that He has done a permanent work in you. Just as a house is not proven storm-proofed until it has weathered a storm, we are often taken through a “storm” to show that we are truly out of the pit and established in our goings. I found myself in one such moment of “proving” recently.

During the coarse of a recent lunch date, I was sharing with an individual how God had been setting me free in a particular area. The conversation turned to a discussion of the very thing God had delivered me from and as things were shared I could tell my “moment of truth” was about to be revealed. What she shared with me would have at one time sent me into an emotional tail spin of great proportion. I listened with baited breath as she let me know some things I had not been aware of regarding a mutual acquaintance. I knew I was in territory that would either bring me down or prove my deliverance. I wanted to hear what she was saying but at the same time I didn’t want any negative effects to come from it. What resulted was a time of sharing that didn’t lead to a negative consequence.

However, once the conversation was over I could tell the enemy was lurking in the shadows waiting to use against me what was said. That uneasy feeling began to be felt and I decided it was time to put into practice the very things I had been learning. I acknowledged the work of the enemy, renounced his interpretation of things, and proclaimed the truth. What was precious is that as I was voicing the truth, God began to bring Scripture to my mind that assured me He had in fact brought me up and established my goings. He had firmly set my feet on a rock and I was secure, fixed, and stable in Him. He had not only established my way, He had established me!

I cannot fully express what it means to me to embrace the magnitude of His work. After so many times of proclaiming early victories which were followed by failures that revealed the victories really hadn’t transpired, I find it hard to relax and rest in what He has now done. He understands my gun shy tendencies. He knows with each test I gain confidence in what He has done. I lift my hands in praise to the God who has never let go of me.

Father, I am at a place where I still need Your reminders that You really have freed me in this area. As often as the enemy brings the doubts You are bringing the truth! My uncertainties are giving way to amazement. Amen.

Owning His Words

Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble; He saved them out of their distresses. He sent His word and healed them, and delivered them from their destructions. Let them give thanks to the LORD for His loving kindness, and for His wonders to the sons of men! Psalm 107:19-21 (New American Standard Bible)

For any who have read my devotionals over the course of the last year or so, you have been aware of an ongoing battle in my life. While I have not given specific details it was quite apparent that I was struggling to possess victory in this area. My days were marked with guilt for failure, shame for a stronghold, frustration that freedom eluded me, and an endless trail of self effort and self reformation. I knew a lot of truth and shared it freely on a daily basis. But the bottom line was that I had yet to fully embrace that truth and see it change me at the very center of my being. To make matters worse, I had no idea why this was the case for me.

Yesterday, God showed me what I was missing all along. He made it clear to me that while I had cried out for His deliverance many times, I had failed to believe that He had done it! After my prayers were ended I would pick myself up and immediately work to bring about the change I so desired. My bondage was emotional dependency on others and I tried countless ways to over come it. I read books, I talked to friends, I sought professional counseling, I began attending meetings for Adult Children of Alcoholics, I listened to music, I rid my home of all the things that connected me to a significant person, and I finally bought into the lie that this is just the way I will always be and I must learn to guard myself in order to not form any future emotional ties to people. While I knew in my head that Jesus had come to set the captives free, I accepted the distorted version of truth that I would have to remain a prisoner.

That was the case until yesterday morning when God whispered to my spirit these words…”Pam, I have already healed you of your emotional dependency. I did it the moment you asked. But you have not claimed my healing and therefore have not been living out of it. Instead you have been living deceived. Receive what I have done and walk in the freedom that is yours.” The moment I embraced His words and acknowledged my healing, the power of emotional dependency was broken! I have finally come to own what was already mine and I have not stopped thanking God for it.

Father, thank you for each person who lifted me up in prayer and desired to see me walk in the truth and freedom they knew You offered. Having known the experience of being a captive makes me more appreciative of my freedom. I dance in delight of my deliverance. Amen.

No Longer a Sitting Duck

Be well balanced (temperate, sober of mind), be vigilant and cautious at all times, for the enemy of yours, the devil, roams around like a lion roaring [in fierce hunger], seeking someone to seize upon and devour. 1 Peter 5:8 (Amplified Bible)

In Hind’s Feet on High Places, Much-Afraid is warned not to allow her cousin, Craven Fear, to paint a picture on the screen of her imagination. The same warning applies to each of us when it comes to an area of attack by our enemy, Satan. I find that the most frequently attacked place in my life is in my mind….my thoughts.

I have been awake for about 40 minutes. I spent the first half hour listening to some music on the radio. Christian music! And already the enemy was attempting to paint many scenes on the canvas of my mind. Although the sun has not yet risen on this day, the battle is on and I have determined to not let him succeed in his attempt to walk me down the spiraling staircase of despair, discouragement, and doubt. I have already put on God’s armor which is listed in Ephesians 6 and the moment I recognize the enemy’s introduction of thoughts I take action. For I have come to realize while all negative, shaming, condemning, harmful thoughts are introduced by him, it is my choice whether to believe and dwell on them or renounce them as lies, caste them down, and walk in the truth and light of God’s Word.

Yesterday was a different story. I did not stay vigilant, cautious, and alert to the schemes of the enemy. For as soon as I stopped rejecting his thoughts and started dwelling on them I lost the battle. I raised no shield of faith. I wielded no sword of the Spirit. I put up no resistance. It was like I had propped open the door to my mind and allowed him to bring in whatever thoughts he chose. The result was glee for him and despair for me! But I have a faithful God who desires that I learn from it. Through a friend, I was reminded that the negative, condemning thoughts ALWAYS come from the enemy and it is my responsibility to stop him through prayer, Scripture, taking thoughts captive, and fleshing out Philippians 4:8. That realization awakened in me a desire to fight. I am not to be a sitting duck on the battle field. I am a warrior child of the King of kings! I have armor and weapons to use. I know who my enemy is and I am aware of what he has been doing. It is now my choice to stand up to him with the authority God has given me and walk in victory with my head held high. It will not stop his attacks but it will make it harder for him to be successful!

Father, I stand in agreement with You on who my enemy is and how he is to be fought. May I no longer allow him access to my mind or entertain the thoughts he introduces. Help me to stand guard, use the weapons of warfare, and walk in victory. Amen.

Hearing His Answers

Faithful is He who calls you, and He also will bring it to pass. I Thessalonians 5:24 (New American Standard Bible)

There are times I approach God’s Word with more questions than answers. My mindsets and patterns of thought can often be a hindrance to me. For the past few days I have struggled to grasp the concept of what is meant by God’s call. I can’t seem to wrap my mind around it and maybe that is because I have an idea of what I think His call would look like and thus I limit the size and scope of it.

I review the individuals in Scripture who had clear calls on their life. Moses was called to lead the children of Israel out of Egypt. Joseph was called to preserve the life of a nation and God’s people during a famine. Esther was called to be a queen. Paul was called to take the gospel message to the gentiles and to write most of the New Testament. Jonah was called to deliver a message to the people of Nineveh. David was called to be king of Israel and the writer of the Psalms. Joshua was called to lead the children of Israel into the promised land. The list goes on and on. Callings. Specific assignments and life purposes. Chosen and equipped by God to carry out His plans and purposes.

This review brings me to some interesting conclusions. None of these individuals had a full picture of all God’s call would entail. Specific details were not always forth coming. It was often a day by day moment by moment leading. Obedience was necessary as was listening to God. Many were the times they felt ill prepared or ill equipped to fulfill the call but in the end they did it and they knew it was only by God’s grace. God’s call often included persecution, trials, and heartaches. The very prophets God called were often misunderstood and their messages resisted.

So this morning, I will take my questions and my confusion to God and let Him put my mind and my spirit at ease. Already He has begun to redirect my focus and my words. While I want to know WHAT His call on my life is, He wants me to know Him as the One who is calling me and the One who will bring that calling to pass. His call is not a one time event but rather a life time journey. To my question of “What is it I am called to do?” His answer is always, “Follow Me.” There will not always be specific details given but in His time and in His own way He will make clear the steps I am to take.

Father, You see the questions that line my face and heart. You detect the misunderstanding behind my words. I take comfort in the truth that You have called me and You will bring it to pass. May I hear those words often today. Amen.

Do It Yourself

Awake, awake, clothe yourself in your strength….clothe yourself in your beautiful garments…..shake yourself from the dust, rise up…..loose yourself from the chains around your neck, O captive daughter. Isaiah 52:1-2 (New American Standard Bible)

I am struck with the repetition of the word “yourself” in this passage. It has the slogan “just do it” written all over the place! The imperatives abound…awake, clothe yourself, shake yourself, loose yourself. Because I can do all things through Christ Who strengthens me, I can actually do what these verses advocate.

I picture someone sitting in a dark cell, dressed in rags, covered with dust, and wearing chains around her neck. She is being held captive but freedom is available and actually within her grasp. God Himself pleads with her to get up and out of her own dungeon! As the truth hits her and she accepts the challenge she will walk in freedom and victory.

I have come to realize I have a choice. I am equipped with every thing I need to live the Christian life victoriously. But for decades I lived as a pauper among the riches God offered. Instead of loosing myself from chains, I waited for people to do it for me. I looked to others to cheer me up, encourage me, counsel me, and advise me. Never realizing I possessed those qualities myself in Christ. I find such freedom in Christ to do things for myself now.

Let me share just one way this works. It is easy to give in to negative thoughts. Be they thoughts of discouragement, loneliness, rejection, pity, etc… if allowed they can take me to places of despair. I look at discouragement as an actual person who seeks to tie me up and drag me off to a dungeon of despair. But I have learned I have a choice in the matter. I can choose to be taken or I can resist! I can come against him with Scripture and the truth. He’ll flee at my rebuke! I must rebuke, renounce, and reject all attempts of this enemy to get any entrance into my mind and soul.

The simple truth is this…if I don’t take my thoughts captive they will hold ME captive. And they are ruthless captors. May I see them as defeated foes each time they come to imprison me.

Father, You long to show me the unnecessary captivities I allow. Thank you for reminding me I not only have a choice but I possess the power to fight my would-be captors. I choose freedom! Amen.

No Longer Separated

But your iniquities have separated you from your God; and your sins have hidden His face from you, so that He will not hear. Isaiah 59:2 (New King James Version)

So there I stood with my decisions made and feeling I was able to do some things I really wanted to do. That sense of well being lasted a couple hours until I began to notice some distance between God and me. What I wanted so badly was not His desire for me and the sense of His withdrawal was both evident and painful. I had a choice….hold on to my will or exchange it for His will. I will not revisit the many times I chose the first, for it never turned out well. But I will say, I have been on this journey long enough to know nothing (absolutely nothing) is worth more than close, intimate fellowship with my Heavenly Father. I have also been on this journey long enough to know that God is always ready and willing to forgive the wrong choices I make. He received my words, my tears, and my repentance. Even before I could act upon what I knew I had to do, His forgiveness was extended and received. Reconciliation is a wonderful part of being His child!

I want to make something very clear. The things I had decided to do were not sin in themselves, but they were sinful choices in that they were not God’s will for me. He has certain things He is doing in my life and a specific journey He has me on. In order to be the beneficiary of both those things I must embrace His will at all times and at all costs. When I place His will and opinion second to anything I am in the wrong. And according to Isaiah, that will be enough to separate me from Him as well as cause Him to hide His face from me and close His ears to me. As His child I will be able to tell when that has taken place and there will be no rest or peace until I return to Him. My salvation is not lost but the intimacy and communion are!

I do not want to lose the sensitivity His Spirit has birthed in me. At the first sign of His withdrawal I want it to be enough to get my attention and cooperation. How I thank Him that each time I stray He chooses to redirect my steps and my eyes back in His direction. Today I have tasted the bitter fruit of disobedience and the precious fruit of reconciliation. I walk satisfied!

Father, closeness to You is what I crave! Thank you that all barriers to that closeness are easily removed by Your grace. Amen.

Standing Firm

It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery. Galatians 5:1 (New American Standard Bible)

A pastor friend in Canada shared this verse with me last night via email. I didn’t read it until this morning and the message within this verse is different for me than it has been in past readings. In the past, I would have seen this verse as a warning not to be re-enslaved to legalism and performance in my Christian life. But today my “yoke of slavery” has more to do with the opinions of others or rather my constant need to know what others are thinking of me or my plans.

I have spent so many years running ideas past people and desiring to know their opinion that taking steps and moving forward were often limited or hindered by my uncertainties and insecurities. I thought more highly of another person’s ability to direct my steps than in my ability to search a matter out with God. I made decisions based on what they said should or shouldn’t happen. While the Bible clearly encourages us to seek wise counsel, it can become off balanced if we are not discerning. If my seeking is driven by my own weaknesses and phobias than I am not walking by faith. I am walking by fear, frustration, and doubt but not by faith.

God has certainly placed people in my life as encouragers, comforters, and guides, but He never intended for them to be the primary sources in any of those areas. He is to be the primary source and they are simply His conduits!

The past couple of days have been an opportunity for me to make some decisions without consulting people. Even my Canadian pastor friend was not given specifics as to a decision I would ultimately make. And what came of the decisions? I don’t fully know yet. But I do know this, the decisions were between God and me and that in itself gives me a wonderful sense of strength and freedom. I sensed my spirit muscles develop a little more and a smile of peace graces my face this morning. As I choose to live outside my “yoke of slavery” I realize some decisions will be wise and some will be unwise, but just as I learned as a young child to walk amidst many falls, so I will learn this kind of walk as well.

Father, no one desires victory in my Christian life more than You! Therefore, I stand in the confidence that You will be my faithful Guide and Companion. Amen.

Bonded for Life

Now, therefore, when I come to your servant my father, and the lad is not with us, since his life is bound up in the lad’s life….he will die. Genesis 44:30,31 (New American Standard Bible)

The past few days have found me reviewing the story of Joseph from Genesis 37-45. Each time I read it, God brings a different treasure to light. Today’s gem sparkled dramatically as my eyes landed on the phrase, “his life is bound up in the lad’s life.” What a beautiful description of a father/son relationship! For that word ‘bound’ has the same meaning as the word ‘knit’ we find in I Samuel 18:1 when “the soul of Jonathan was knit to the soul of David.” Both words come from the Hebrew word Qashar and mean to bind, tie, bind together, bind fast, and bind to oneself. It is where we get the phrases, “close-knit family” and “soul mate.”

In the past, these biblical examples of extraordinary relationships would have been limited (in my thinking) to human interactions. It would have awakened in me the realization that an ache was present that no person was presently relieving. But today I couldn’t help but see that this is exactly the longing of God’s heart for each of us. Hosea’s words state it beautifully, “I led them with cords of a man, with bonds of love.” When we become God’s child through faith in Christ, we are bound eternally to Him. His life is bound up in ours and His soul is knit to ours. For any who have longed for closeness and intimacy, this realization is profound!

Each of us was created with a need for love, acceptance, nurturing, and inclusion. What we derive from other people can be wonderful but it is a mere sampling of what God offers to us on an ongoing, personal level. And yet often, God has to first woo us to Himself and convince us that He can be trusted to be that personal and that close to us. It will be especially difficult if a person’s life has been filled with a lot of hurt, disappointment, and rejection, because the relationships we have had can be used by the enemy to distort our view of God.

God’s answer? Let Him show you what He is really like and the places in your life that need His touch. Each time you hand to Him what you have painfully carried, He graciously receives it and helps you to become the recipient of His love, compassion, acceptance, and closeness. He wants you to live out of His bond with you!

Father, each time You show me this aspect of Yourself and what our relationship is meant to be like, I am touched and amazed! May I grow in the knowledge of my soul-tie with You! Amen.

Letting Go

‘For I know the plans that I have for you,’ declares the LORD, ‘plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope. Jeremiah 29:11 (New American Standard Bible)

Yesterday was a day of decision, death, and direction for me. The path I walked was watered with tears and unrest. Peace eluded me, joy escaped me, and brokenness encircled me. I was having a ‘wrestling match’ with God and He saw to it that it did not end until I opened my closed fists to Him in yieldedness and trust. What could have taken mere minutes dragged on for the day. Hours of holding on to ideas, plans, and dreams that were not mine to hold on to, saw the setting of the sun and the introduction of the evening hours. Then His Spirit began to bring verses to mind, like the one that sits atop this devotional. Reminders that His ways and thoughts are higher than my own.

What followed was a willingness to place in His hands all that I was hoping He would do in and through my life. I let go of my own dreams and yielded to the possibility that His plans and desires for me were better. He took every one of my ideas and poignantly put them to death. Will He resurrect any of them? I don’t know. But I do know He will now bring to life what He has in mind for me and my hopelessness has given way to anticipation. For what I have begun to see is that He holds the key to all the doors that are intended for me to walk through and in His time He will turn the key with delight in His eyes and joy in His voice!

Has anything outward changed for me? Not really. But internally there is peace and a quieted spirit that has been refreshed. There is no longer the need to understand and figure out what God is doing and what He will have me do. Just as the manna was given to His people on a daily basis, so His plans and guidance will be dispensed to me on a moment by moment basis. It is all about listening to His voice, trusting His heart, sensing His hand, and following His lead down the path of His choosing. Many of my Bible ancestors are coming to mind and I contend that God’s plan for their life was better than anything they could have ever dreamed up on their own. That’s the plan I want as well. I don’t have to know what it is…..I just have to know Him!

Father, letting go is only painful until I finally do it. Now that my hands are empty, they are free to take hold of Your hand and the hem of Your garment. Amen.

Help for the Fearful

Be strong and courageous! Do not tremble or be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go. Joshua 1:9 (New American Standard Bible)

What do you do when you are afraid? I use to call or email a friend or two and depend on them to put my mind at ease. I waited for them to speak just the right words, give me assurance and a guarantee that everything would be okay, and build up my courage. I looked to them to verbally put their arms around me, draw me close, and tell me things to make me feel safe, secure, and cared for. If it worked, it was only temporary and not the best option.

My Father is growing me up in my faith. He keeps saying, “Come to me and I will give you rest. Learn from Me. Listen to Me. Lean on Me. Go to my servants in the Bible and they will whisper my words of courage and assurance to you. Look to Me for the assurance you seek.” What an invitation! And when I take Him up on it I find more than I ever imagined possible. There is something about going directly to God for help that goes deeper and is more lasting than the experience I will have with even the best of wise, caring, and loving people.

Trust me, it has taken a long time and numerous disappointments for me to finally see this. God is presently walking me through the process of taking my fears to Him and I would like to share with you what I have discovered so far.

I am learning there are steps to take in order to experience the words of Joshua 1:9. First, I must recognize that I am fearful. My fear may range anywhere from uneasiness to terror. But big or small it is fear. Then I must acknowledge it to God and ask Him to reveal to me what exactly I am fearful of. It may be a task I feel ill equipped to handle, a danger I am facing, a disappointment I am anticipating, or a request I fear He will deny. Joyce Meyer said, “Fear is simply faith in what Satan says.” Today I say, “Faith is simply believing what God says!” So my next step is to take in Scripture that reassures and calms me. I typed out a page of rich verses that I plan to make my companions today! Every time I read them and own them, my courage will grow and my belief in the right One will be strengthened. Is it working? Absolutely!

Father, today it is You who has calmed my fears. With verses in hand, I step into a new day with courage and strength. Amen.

The Basis of Truth

Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth. John 17:17 (New King James Version)

My 19 year old son, Andy, went to his first college class at IUPUI yesterday. It was an English class and he observed something immediately. What he was told in the classroom is opposite of what he was taught by us as Christian parents and what he was taught in the classrooms of a Christian school from kindergarten through high school! His first homework assignment had to do with a chapter from a book that touted evolution as a “fact” and the Bible and creationism as mere opinion. His eyes are quickly being opened to the realization that he is going to be made to think and to hold on to what he knows to be the truth.

As we talked last night, I was so proud of him and excited for the opportunity he will have to become very thorough in his faith. Day one, and he is seeing the necessity to derive truth from God’s Word instead of from classrooms, books, and professor’s opinions. My prayer is that during the next four years he is strengthened in his faith, increases in his knowledge of Scripture, and faithfully stands as a voice of truth in each college setting. May he follow in the steps of our Bible ancestors who knew what it meant to stand solitary in their particular situations. His name, Andrew Earl, means “strong, manly” and that is what I want to see as the qualities of his Christian life.

It is times like this that I am reminded of the preciousness of God’s Word and the privilege I have to know it is His Word. His Word is truth, God inspired, unchanging, reliable, and living. It remains our foundation and plumb line for life. As my son is quickly learning, we start with God’s Word as the premise for truth and all other opinions, thoughts, and words must either align with it or be viewed and renounced as lies. Each time he is told something that attempts to chip away at that truth will be a time to go back to the Word of God and stand on what it says. I look forward to the times I am a part of that redirection and the times I experience the joy of seeing him do the searching himself. My prayers will go with him and my daughter, Stephanie, as they attend classes, that God would continually bring Scripture to their minds and they would walk in His truth! How I praise God that the ground work was laid early in their lives and that they are being called upon to evidence that.

Father, I entrust my children to You! I ask that Your Spirit hovers over them in each class and during each assignment. Help them to discern between truth and lies. Help them to faithfully contend for the faith. Strengthen them to walk in truth….Your truth! Amen.

Moving Toward Intimacy

But thou art holy, O thou that inhabitest the praises of Israel. Psalm 22:3 (King James Version)

But You are holy, enthroned in the praises of Israel. Psalm 22:3 (New King James Version)

The words of Oswald Chambers, in My Utmost For His Highest, quickened my spirit this morning. He said, When once we get intimate with Jesus we are never lonely, we never need sympathy, we can pour out all the time without being pathetic. The saint who is intimate with Jesus will never leave impressions of himself, but only the impression that Jesus is having unhindered way, because the last abyss of his nature has been satisfied by Jesus. The only impression left by such a life is that of the strong calm sanity that Our Lord gives to those who are intimate with Him. He managed to put into words the longing of my heart but lack of my own experience. Not lack of God’s desire and ability to give it but my own lack of receiving it fully. To be so satisfied in Him that I no longer look to former places of comfort and security. To be so enamored by Him that I no longer fix my eyes and attention on an individual. God’s offers are as good as promises waiting to be received.

As soon as I read the results of intimacy with Jesus I voiced to God my desire to have that and to know how to have it. God used something Sarah Young had written in Jesus Calling to infuse me with two necessary truths. She wrote on the topic of praise and I saw two things that were new to me. One is that God dwells equally in praise voiced in joy as well as in sorrow! To Him one is no better than the other….they are the same. Then she wrote something I needed to hear. She wrote that the joyous discipline of praise will help you live in the intimacy of Jesus’ presence.

To think that my praise, my celebration of who God is and all He does, is a dwelling place for Him and the way to intimacy with Him. It is the way to flesh out the abiding principle of John 15:1-4. While it is not the full scope of intimacy with God, it is certainly a praise worthy piece of the puzzle! It touches my heart to know that when I seek answers from Him, He gives them. He longs to be known and is willing to lead us into the knowledge and experience of intimacy with Himself. How I needed to receive this from His hands this morning!

Father, I don’t understand the full scope of intimacy with You. While I have progressed in my journey I have so long to go and so much to learn. Thank you for patiently and passionately guiding me. Amen.

He is Mindful of That

Just as a father has compassion on his children, so the LORD has compassion on those who fear Him. For He Himself knows our frame; He is mindful that we are but dust. Psalm 103:13,14 (New American Standard Bible)

One of the most powerful tools God has given me is the ability to recognize lies and replace them with truth. It use to be, if I ’thought’ it or ’felt’ it I received it as truth. With the distortions came discouragement and poor choices. If the truth sets you free then lies put you in bondage. Bondage to your emotions and the actions that stem from them. Receiving truth and the liberty that comes with it has a profound effect upon my words, actions, and moods. And the precious thing about it, is that God willingly reveals the truth to me on a moment by moment basis.

He is helping me to discern dangerous thinking and longs to help me change the course of my mind before I end up in a pit of discouragement. If I will but listen for His words of truth they will come early on in my thought process. He exposes the lie and displays the truth then leaves the choice with me as to whether or not I will receive His words or continue walking in deception. The conversation is not long but it is powerful!

This was played out in an interesting way last night. I had been to a mid-week service and was headed to the store for a few things. In the course of my drive, I began to experience some discouraging thoughts. Within a few minutes the lies began to surface. If I am discouraged or disheartened I must not really love God or know Him and He must be so disappointed in me. Then in a way that only God can do, He spoke these words to my heart. “Pam, your discouragement does not show a lack of love for Me or knowledge of Me. It simply shows that you are human. I am aware of your frailties. My love remains.” That is all it took for me to regain confidence, security, and passion for this journey and the One who walks it with me. The lie was replaced by truth and I was ecstatic!

As today’s verse says, He is mindful of how I am made and how I am wired. He knows what trips me up and holds me at arms length from Him. My humanness comes as no surprise to Him. He readily recognizes, admits, and acknowledges the “dust.” But that does not stop Him from molding, shaping, and transforming me. I am not a disappointment to Him or a burden. I am His daughter and I am loved.

Father, I need Your reminders so often. Each time You speak truth to me it changes me. Thank you! Amen.

Seeking Him

Seek the LORD and His strength; seek His face continually. Psalm 105:4 (New American Standard Bible)

Someone once made the comment that I appear to be looking for something and haven’t quite found it yet. Their words struck me because they seemed to see this as a weakness. Yet, God assures me in His Word that seeking Him is not only a necessity but an invitation He extends to each of us. He knows our tendency to seek many things from many sources other than Himself and He longs for our searching to finally be directed toward Himself.

I found it interesting that there are two different Hebrew words used for “seek” in this verse. The first means to resort to and enquire of and the second means to desire to find. Both are necessary, for Jesus said to abide in Him, ask of Him, and love Him with all our heart, soul, and mind. He gave the ‘how to’ of today’s verse.

While God will not always show me what He is doing or why He is doing it, He longs to show me Himself. He longs for me to live each day with the realization of who He is and what His heart and character are like. I know what it is like to be passionate about knowing someone and being known by them. I know what it is like to want another person to affirm, accept, and welcome me. God invites me to bring that same passion to my seeking of Him. To pour my heart and life into knowing Him, being transparent before Him, and receiving His love and affection toward me. It is only as I do THAT kind of seeking that I will find myself anointed by His strength and might.

As I enter a new day (and a new year) my heart’s cry is that He would reveal Himself to me in more poignant ways. He does not limit the ways He will do that either. His Self revelations will come through His Word, music, other believers, books, nature, circumstances, solitude, and Spirit. He is an open book to any who would dare to look upon the pages of His heart. He doesn’t play a game of Hide and Seek with us, but rather seek and find! I rest and revel in that truth!

Father, I have often wearied myself with a searching heart. I now seek You and am assured I will find you and know You as I seek You with all my heart, soul, and mind. I love You and seek You with abandon. Amen.