To Tell the Truth

Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbor: for we are members one of another. Ephesians 4:25 (King James Version)

There are times when speaking the truth to others comes easily for me and then there are times when I cringe at the thought. The worst moments for me are when I am struggling emotionally and someone asks me how I am doing. Or they say something like, “Are you okay?” They can see by the blank stare, lack of energy, and silence that something is amiss. They ask out of true concern and yet I end up giving not only a somewhat believable excuse but an out and out lie. Tonight it was, “Just tired. Worked over-time. Long day.” The truth? I was losing a battle of my mind and didn’t want to admit my problem.

Why is it so hard to be honest and open with people? Why is it so hard to tell them the truth when they ask? The answers are as multi-layered as the questions. Shame, fear of losing face, pride, fear of their opinion of me plunging, and ultimately fear of being found out to be less than they think I am. It is the same scenario played out when we don’t want to admit wrong doing on our part.

I can understand Adam and Eve’s attempt to hide when their sin was exposed. Or Achan’s act of hiding stolen goods and then denying it until the very end. Or Aaron blaming the children of Israel for the calf that he himself had fashioned when confronted about it. I understand. I relate. I opt for the same choices when asked how I am doing. Some would say it is no big deal but to God telling the truth IS a big deal.

So what am I to do once I have been dishonest with my answers. Confess it to God for one. Then do what I did a moment ago. Pick up the phone, call the person I spoke to, and apologize. She was gracious and forgiving. Said she knew I wasn’t telling her the whole story and offered to pray for me. Then determine that by God’s grace I will follow His principles of honesty the next time this scenario plays out. Then move on.

Father, I lost a number of battles this evening and yet I stand forgiven. Thank you that your forgiveness will always outnumber my sin. Amen.

What Sin? - Morgan Cryar
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qaMIeOKQVDs&feature=related

Getting into God's Word and letting God's Word get into me one truth at a time.

Changing the Unchangeable

Can the Ethiopian change his skin or the leopard its spots? Neither can you do good who are accustomed to doing evil. Jeremiah 13:23 (New International Version)

There are certain things in my life that I am able to change and I praise God for those experiences. My weight has been one such change. It was simply a matter of eating less and moving more. While the number on the scale and clothing sizes went down, I was encouraged. Yet, I find what hasn’t changed (for good) are poor eating habits that have remained. The ability to binge eat is still very much a part of my journey. As much as I want the desire for junk food to subside, it lies just below the surface on many days.

The ability to live life without being in contact with a former mentor has been a change I have seen. Yet, once again, just below the surface are issues I still wade through on a daily basis that remind me that internal, lasting changes have yet to be realized. Spiraling into dark moods and the accompanying behavior still find their way into my weeks. I resolve to do better, and at times succeed. But the failures out number the victories more often than not. The same is true of emotional dependency issues. While I can occasionally modify my behavior, the internal changes still elude me. They are the “skin of the Ethiopian” and the “spots of the leopard” in my life. Unchanging and unchangeable if left on my own.

If that were the end of the story, I would be in trouble. Hopelessness and helplessness would over whelm me and an attitude of futility would quickly set in. That is not the case, though. Rather than allow these areas to discourage me, I can use them to remind me of how truly dependent I must be on my Heavenly Father. Paul’s words of “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” are meant for me. The God of the impossible resides within me in the form of the Holy Spirit and He is the basis for the changes I desire. While I have steps of obedience to take, the actual change is by His hand not my determination. I have fallen flat on my face too many times to assume it is possible through my strength alone.

So where does real, lasting change come from? It is the collective effect of spending time in God’s Word, yielding to His Spirit, renewing my mind, walking in the truth, taking in the wisdom from others, being teachable, and trusting God to complete what He has started in me. While my flesh will always give me trouble in this life, the impact and effect it has on me does not have to continue to be as profound. Through Christ I can experience different actions and attitudes. If I compare who and what I am today to who and what I was a year ago, I can see the changes that have come. Progress is slow much of time but it continues. Christ in me….my hope for continued change.

Father, I so often see the failures while You celebrate the victories. Help me to see that through Christ change will come….slowly but surely! Amen.

Change My Heart, Oh, God
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cUjUvoynGMM

Getting into God's Word and letting God's Word get into me one truth at a time.

Making it My Goal

So we make it our goal to please Him… 2 Corinthians 5:9a (New International Version)

What would happen with my day and in my life if I allowed my goal to be “to please Him?” We live in a day when pleasure is a big commodity. Unfortunately, the one we seek to please is often ourselves. Even in the midst of trying to please people, we can ultimately strive to bring pleasure to ourselves. For instance, doing something nice for someone so they will think well of you makes you feel good. It does me! I cringe at the motives that lie within my heart and drive my actions.

Yet, today, I have the opportunity to make pleasing God my goal, my aim, my ambition. Pleasing Him with my words, actions, attitudes, and thoughts. Will I do it to perfection? No. But if I endeavor to make it my goal, I will do better than if it does not even enter my mind. It is not a matter of putting it on my to do list and then checking it off as I accomplish it. It is a daily, moment by moment necessity. It is a never ending pursuit. It is an on going process.

Will I fail? Absolutely! And failure can often cause me to think I should just give up. A lie! Rather, failure is my constant reminder of how much I need His help to please Him. It will not come out of sheer grit and determination on my part. It will come out of reliance upon Him, dependency in Him, obedience to Him, and honesty with Him. It will require letting go of my fleshly pursuits. It will necessitate a constant inspection and inventory of my heart. It will demand a releasing of ideas, desires, and wishes. It will involve reevaluating my relationships and the expectations I hold on to for those relationships. It will entail submission to that which God calls me to, purposes for me, and longs for me.

On a practical level, when a stray comment has rubbed me the wrong way, I must acknowledge it and then let it go. When my moods spiral down and I am tempted to withdraw into a world of silence, I must interact with others nonetheless. When I waste time on mindless activities, I must look around at what really needs to be done and start doing it. When perceptions cloud my thinking, I must state and stand on what is true. When negativity and feelings of resignation consume me, I must find my shelter and restoration in the arms of my loving, Heavenly Father. Impossible tasks? Not at all. Possible, necessary, and worth it!

Father, as You redirect my focus back on to Yourself, let me know the joy of pleasing You. Amen.

Knowing You, Jesus!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Q_YQPa66kk

Getting into God's Word and letting God's Word get into me one truth at a time.


　

An Essential Part to Being Taught

Teach me, O LORD, the way of Your statutes, and I shall observe it to the end. Give me understanding, that I may observe Your law and keep it with all my heart. Make me walk in the path of Your commandments, for I delight in it. Psalm 119:33-35 (New American Standard Bible)

David knows right where to go for the instructions of life. I love his prayer! In my own words it would read, “O Lord, teach me Your way, give me understanding, make me walk in the path you have designed for me.” It is asking God to be my Teacher, Counselor, and Guide…..the exact things He has already promised He would be. My job is to take in what He says and make it a part of my life. Daily, He gives me the tools, knowledge, and ability to walk through life. Am I taking advantage of all that He offers? This morning, I picture myself like an arrow in His quiver. Placed in His bow I am directed in a particular direction and sent forth to accomplish His aims and objectives. How well am I doing at staying the course?

In the spring of 2004, I took my first steps on a journey that has been incredible to say the least. I had a veracious appetite for taking in truth and devoured book after book that taught me aspects of the Christian life I had missed prior to that. The Bible came off the shelf to be read consistently with a hunger to learn. I sat under the teaching and advisement of those who walked in wisdom. Constantly searching. Constantly taking in message upon message. Yet while I grew in some areas I was still struggling in others. The problem? Personal application was missing. I was not allowing the truth I was taking in to become a part of me.

For instance, I could be told to look to God and yet find myself still looking to people. Hence, I felt no closer to God. My connection to Him was shaky. While my mental world was growing, my emotional, internal world was stagnating. I have learned the hard way that taking in truth is not complete until I am taken in by the truth. Until I practice what I am taught, there will be little transformation of my mind, will, and emotions.

God is not only attentive to my spiritual needs. He sees and is involved in all the dimensions of my life. He knows how to best balance my world when it comes to finances, relationships, healthy choices, and family dynamics. On a day by day basis He tells me what I should be doing and then encourages me to do it! It is a student/teacher relationship that is like no other!

Father, teach me, transform me, and renew me. Amen.

In His Time - Maranatha Singers
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8gTQvpMeh1A&feature=related

Getting into God's Word and letting God's Word get into me one truth at a time.

Honesty is Still the Best Policy

The LORD is near to all who call on Him, to all who call on Him in truth. Psalm 145:18 (New International Version)

When it comes to prayer, God requires the truth, desires the truth, and can handle the truth. I recall times when I would dance all around an issue without really admitting the bottom line to God. That’s not calling on Him in truth. Being evasive will do little for my prayer life. Being honest, open, and sincere will do much! Prayer is not only a dialogue whereby I talk to God and He talks to me, but it must be a truthful dialogue. It must entail the truth about my heart, my motives, my concerns, my attitudes, and my actions. God already knows every fiber of my being and He is passionate about me seeing what He already knows.

Recently I have been struck by my need to come clean with God about what is really going on inside my heart and head. The attitudes of my heart are an open book to Him and He listens as I read the pages to Him. What is written on those pages varies. It may be jealousy, worry, frustration, wrong perceptions, insecurity, non-forgiveness, pride, or any number of things that He wants me to readily admit to Him. It will do no good to point the finger at others. When it comes to Him and me, my heart is the subject at hand. Honest confession is the starting point and forgiveness and freedom are the results.

How does this play out on a practical level? Someone may rub me the wrong way yet I must be honest about my lack of unconditional love for them. Someone’s actions may leave me feeling left out yet I must be honest about my need for attention. Someone may show favor toward another yet I must be honest about my heart of jealousy. I may be wanting to talk to people when I am struggling yet I must be honest with my tendency to look to them rather than God. Those are my starting points with Him. Not only do I experience freedom and His forgiveness as I speak the truth but I come to a fresh realization of His unchanging love for me. The truth of the matter is that He loves me at my best and He loves me at my worst. Nothing I do or don’t do will change that fact!

Call on Him? Absolutely! Keep it honest. Keep it open. Keep it sincere. When it comes to my prayer life, honesty is definitely the best policy!

Father, being honest with You and myself has revolutionized my conversations with You. Amen.

You Rescued Me - Geoff Bulluck
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7FMFDU89-PA&feature=related

Getting into God's Word and letting God's Word get into me one truth at a time.


　

Is God in it or Not?

Then He said, “Go out, and stand on the mountain before the LORD.” And behold, the LORD passed by, and a great and strong wind tore into the mountains and broke the rocks in pieces before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake; and after the earthquake a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire; and after the fire a still small voice. 1 Kings 19:11-12 (New King James Version)

Notice how many things Elijah had to see that God was not in before finally seeing what He was in. This had nothing to do with God’s presence as He is omni-present….all present and everywhere. It had more to do with God’s working, will, desire, and involvement. Henry Blackaby, in his book Experiencing God, implores the reader to see where God is at work and join Him there. We may have to get past a lot of our own preconceived ideas and hopeful expectations to find and hear God’s still small voice of truth.

How good am I at seeing when things are not of God or not His choosing for my life? In my mind, it may be a good plan but is it of Him? It may be a personal ambition, but is He in it? If something does not work out as I wish, am I willing to trust that He has other plans for me? Am I willing to let my own thoughts die so that I may embrace His calling, will, and purpose for my life? Will I dare to live my life according to His schedule, timing, and leading? These are the questions that must be asked and answered each time something does not go the way I want it to go. Each time I am not able to do what I want to do. Each time my plans fail, my projects crumble, and my way is blocked by walls, roadblocks, and detours. They may be good in and of them themselves but if they are not His choosing I must be willing to let go of them.

This morning I am pondering my desires and wishes with a willingness to see whether or not God is in them. If not, I see the necessity to forego the pursuit of them. He has made it clear that His ways and thoughts are higher than my own. Often times they are opposite of my own! When that is the case, it is impossible for me to have it both ways. I can only head in one direction at a time. It is God’s way or mine. God’s will or mine. God’s plans or mine.

I am taking comfort in the fact that if someone refuses my help, God may not be in it. If a particular opportunity never avails itself, God may not be in it. If a relationship is not working, God may not be in it. And if God is not in it, should that really be what my heart follows after? Would it not be better for me to abandon my personal ambitions in order to embrace His?

Father, close doors, hedge me around, interfere with persistence so as to guide my steps in the way You would have me to go. Bring my will and my wishes into alignment with Your own. Make us one! Amen.

Hold On - Twila Paris
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uZwelxYavVY&feature=related

Getting into God's Word and letting God's Word get into me one truth at a time.

What Hinders the Delight?

Then you will take delight in the LORD, and I will make you ride on the heights of the earth; and I will feed you with the heritage of Jacob your father, for the mouth of the LORD has spoken. Isaiah 58:14 (New American Standard Bible)

I know what it is to delight in someone. Delight entails a sense of joy, pleasure, happiness, joy, glee, gladness, enchantment, amusement, and satisfaction. To revel in ones presence and think dearly of them even in their absence. To want to spend time with them and take every opportunity to do so. Individuals readily come to mind in the writing of this paragraph. Today’s verse gives me a promise of all that and more being directed toward the Lord.

What is the prerequisites for taking delight in the Lord? They are listed in the previous verse (58:13). Doing that which pleases God rather than turning my own way, seeking my own pleasures, and speaking my own words. It is aligning myself with the truths of Scripture and living out of those truths. Separating from what needs to be separated from and embracing what needs to be embraced.

What are the hindrances to taking delight in the Lord? For me, it is having a divided heart. The bottom line comes down to who has my heart and attention? Who seems to be the one I cannot live without? Who stands in competition with God in my thinking? Who is prominent in my thoughts? Who is the idol I have placed on the pedestal of my internal world? As long as I feel I need another person’s attention, approval, acceptance, and affirmation it will hinder me from taking delight in the Lord.

At one time, this type of hindrance required the severing of a relationship. At present, it is not a severing that needs to take place but rather a letting go of certain aspects that represent security to me. I know the steps I must take in order to delight in God and this morning finds me pondering the steps as well as the difficulty associated with taking those steps. Past fears and failures come to mind and attempt to convince me that obedience in this area will lead to a sense of loneliness and isolation. Yet, God’s Word tells me obedience will lead to finding my delight in Him. My flesh tells me to not let go of what has felt so safe. My heart yearns for the freedom that will come in releasing my grip. My mind quickly lists the advantages to keeping things the same. My spirit tells me those advantages are really disadvantages when it comes to my walk with God.

The bottom line is will it be my way, my pleasures, and my words or God’s? I want it to be His and by His grace and continual work in me it will be.

Father, I am at a crossroads in my mind and life. May I walk by faith and not by feelings. By trust and not by emotions. By grace and not by greed. Amen.

I'm Letting Go - Francesca Battistelli
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iNEhKLrsUfo

Getting into God's Word and letting God's Word get into me one truth at a time.

Prescription for a Strengthened Heart

Wait on the LORD; be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart; wait, I say, on the LORD! Psalm 27:14 (New King James Version)

Lately, as I read Scripture, I am purposefully looking for God’s commands and promises to me. As I follow the commands, His promises are fulfilled. While His love is not dependent upon what I do or don’t do, His blessing, favor, prosperity, and promises are definitely connected to my obedience in words, thoughts, and actions.

If I want my heart to be strengthened, then it is imperative that I wait on God and stand in courage. Looking to God entails focus, fixation, and expectation directed toward Him and what He is able to do. Often times, though, that is not the way I am living my Christian life, or at least has not been the way I have lived it up to this point. In some areas, I have been able to do that, but in other areas I have not. I want that to change and God is faithfully showing me how to go about it.

Looking to God to meet my physical needs is not a struggle for me, but looking to Him to meet my emotional needs has been! I learned as a youth to see how quickly a person could seemingly “fill” the voids of my heart. I did not realize how emotionally empty and hungry I was until I became a part of a church family and experienced the love of Christ through them. That is a good thing in itself, but what happened with me is I began to view it as the ONLY way to get my emotional needs met. Being with certain people became my escape mechanism from the hurts and disappointments of life. Later on, during my Bible school years, I learned to share problems with others and saw how good their attention and sympathy felt. As I became an adult the search was on as well as the ever growing belief that there was a person out there…somewhere…who could do for me what God alone could do….fill the void, fix me internally, and meet the numerous heart and mind needs. No such person exists but that never stopped me from looking.

Last night was a turning point for me….one I am trusting is permanent. In the midst of wanting to let an individual know I was in turmoil and wanting to taste once again of the “drug” of acceptance, affirmation, and attention, God invited me to resist the urge to confide. Rather than pour my heart out to this person, God advised me to pour it out to Him. He knows the cycle of emotional dependency will never be broken any other way. To my amazement, when I looked to Him rather than to a person, the turmoil ceased, the sadness left, and the pull toward another’s care was gone. My heart was strengthened and a joy I have known little of met that present emotional need. I wake this morning singing a victor’s song!

Father, keep showing me the choices that will lead to freedom. I want to learn how to look to You! Amen.

Spirit Song - Maranatha Singers
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KWEDBaFy0SI

Getting into God's Word and letting God's Word get into me one truth at a time.

Taking it Personal

But Zion said, "The LORD has forsaken me, And the Lord has forgotten me." "Can a woman forget her nursing child And have no compassion on the son of her womb? Even these may forget, but I will not forget you. "Behold, I have inscribed you on the palms of My hands; Your walls are continually before Me.” Isaiah 49:14-16 (New American Standard Bible)

Approaching Scripture as simply a book of historical facts can have little effect on my life. If I cannot see the Bible as anything but stories about people from the past and their relationship to God then I will fail to see how it applies to me. For too many years, I couldn’t read God’s Word with the ability to make what was being said personal to me. If God was speaking to Israel it seemed like the words were meant for them rather than me….unless they were words of condemnation and judgment. Words of affirmation, encouragement, and love weren’t accepted or owned by me. I would not have slipped my own name into the assurances of today‘s passage. I would not have heard God saying He had not forgotten me or that He had inscribed me on the palms of His hands. To do so would have felt wrong, like I was pretending. I had been taught to ask certain questions when reading the Bible. Who is talking? Who is being talked to? What is being said? What I failed to ask was, what is being said to me? Leaving myself out of the picture was tragic! How much I failed to see and experience because of a faulty view of God and His Word.

Once I could begin putting my name into passages of Scripture, Bible reading and study took on a whole new dimension for me. Now I cannot read passages without doing that and it all stems back to a prayer I voiced to God one morning in my kitchen. I simply asked Him to show me His heart in Scripture. I had no idea how much that would change my life. It was the start of me being able to receive God’s personal messages to me. To see that what He was saying to individuals and nations centuries ago was being said to me today. Today’s passage now touches me deeply rather than appearing foreign to me. It gives me assurance that I am loved and thought of by the One who created me. It is what I can meditate upon when I feel forgotten or forsaken by others. It is what strengthens me in my moments of weakness. It is what helps me to see God’s Word as a letter written and meant for me. Anymore, I take His words personal….very personal!

Father, showing me Your heart in Scripture opened up my heart to receive what You were saying. I can now see the treasures of truth You intended for me all along. Thank you! Amen.

Indescribable - Chris Tomlin
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NqMYHmoXMAQ&feature=related

Getting into God's Word and letting God's Word get into me one truth at a time.

A Promised Outcome

And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:7 (New King James Version)

Today’s verse is the “end of the story” if you will. It is the result of implementing the truths found before and after it. As I have read through Philippians 4 this morning I am seeing a conditional promise being made. The peace of God which keeps our heart and mind secure and safe comes as I stand fast in my relationship with Christ, walk in unity with others, rejoice in the Lord, am gentle toward everyone, pray with thankfulness rather than worry, and think (meditate) on what is true, noble, just, pure, lovely, good, virtuous, and praiseworthy. That is quite a list and that is quite a result! When any of those things are missing than I am not at peace and my heart and mind become vulnerable to the attacks of the world, the flesh, and the devil.

I have heard it said that reading a Proverb a day is beneficial and since there are 31 chapters will take you through the entire book of Proverbs in a month. It is a book filled with wise sayings and guidelines for living. The four epistles (Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, and Colossians) are calling to me to do the same. To read a chapter a day and take in practical Christianity. To take hold of the commands and promises being given. To see what will result from walking in obedience to the truths of Scripture.

I have often noted the importance of guarding my thoughts. I know all too well the result of thinking on negative things such as lies and wrong perceptions. Unguarded thoughts can bring me down quicker than anything. They are like quicksand to my soul. I believe that my antidote to that is found in Scripture and in particular these Epistles. They are practical truths for daily living and God is inviting me to read them for myself and to apply them to my life.

Here is my plan for action! Highlight or underline the commands in one color and the promises or results in another color. I look forward to seeing not only a profound pattern to follow but the intense impact it is sure to have on my life as I do it. My personality is such that when I want to change an area in my life I can look for a person to give me a list of things to do that will result in the change I am wanting to make. God is inviting me to open His Word and see the list He has designed. To get the instructions straight from Him. It won’t be limited to just these Epistles but it will certainly start there! Anyone who wishes may join me!

Father, I know an adventure when I see one and I am seeing one right now! Thank you for Your invitation of “read, see, and do!” I anticipate the change that will come of it. Amen.

I Will Rise - Chris Tomlin
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9yvfso4Q8xg

Getting into God's Word and letting God's Word get into me one truth at a time.

Looking in the Right Direction

Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland. Isaiah 43:18, 19 (New International Version)

Often times, the ability to see what God is doing in the present is hindered by a continual looking back and longing for what He was doing in the past. When we focus on the old we are unable to see the new. It’s right in front of us but we don’t perceive it. Lot’s wife looked back and the result was tragic. While I will not be turned into a pillar of salt if I look back, I can certainly attest to the inability to move forward.

When tragedy or loss comes our way, it is easy to long for things to be the way they use to be. We hinge our happiness on how we use to live and feel. If significant people played huge roles in our life, their absence can have a profound effect on the way life appears to be. We may find it hard to let go of the desire to have the relationship restored and back in place. When change takes place, our world can feel like a desert and wasteland. The pit of nothingness can suddenly feel like home.

God’s answer in the midst of my questions? Forget the former things. Stop dwelling on the past. Take notice of the new things being done. Acknowledge the truth that He is making a way in my desert and placing streams in my wasteland. With that knowledge I am free to move forward on the path He is clearing for me and to find refreshment at the streams He is providing for me. Everything I need to live the abundant Christian life is at my disposal and is made available to me by my loving, Heavenly Father.

His intent for me at present is to live my life differently than I have in the past. He has placed new people in my life. Am I appreciating them and taking part in the relationships they offer? He has given me truths to replace the lies I have believed. Am I thinking on the truth, acting on the truth, and allowing the truth the change me? He planted seeds of wisdom and knowledge within my heart and mind. Am I allowing those seeds to grow and bring forth fruit and affect the lives of others? None of those things are possible if I continue to look back at what use to be because looking back takes my focus off God and what He is doing.

It is time for me to look away from the former things and look to the present workings of God in and around me. It is a matter of my will and a choice which is up to me. I have spent too much time looking back. It is time to look forward.

Father, give me the grace to change my focus, desires, and dreams. Help me to see all that You are doing now. I thank You for the past as I look to the future. Amen.

Pictures of Egypt - Sara Groves
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZcIA4Cnj6j4

Getting into God's Word and letting God's Word get into me one truth at a time.

Unchanging and Inexhaustible

Have you not known? Have you not heard? The everlasting God, the LORD, The Creator of the ends of the earth, Neither faints nor is weary. His understanding is unsearchable. Isaiah 40:28 (New King James Version)

When life happens and people leave, if we are not careful, we can come to believe that everyone eventually will see the need to back away from us. We will live with a wavering trust of those who actually care and really do love us. Something in us keeps saying that when they know us well enough and discover the truth about us they will abandon us. Our weaknesses and failures will cause them to grow weary and tired of us. Their involvement in our life will end. Their opinion of us will change. Their love will stop. When those thoughts become our “truth” we stop living life as it is meant to be lived. We close ourselves off to receiving or giving love. We live in a shell of pain and loneliness that is not only unnecessary but ungodly as well. When we put those same perceptions on God we are in even bigger trouble and distress.

Today’s verse lets me know how far from the truth such thoughts are. The everlasting God does not grow faint or weary of me. The Creator of the universe does not grow tired of me. The LORD is not giving up on me. I do not understand His love, His ways, His persistence, or His unchangeableness. How could I? I do not even understand people who demonstrate His heart. How they can love me in spite of what they know about me? How they can love me even when my actions and attitudes disappoint, frustrate, or anger them?

Whether it is God or people, I must come to the point of realizing true love is not based on my performance. It is not something I can earn but rather it is something I must receive as a gift. Those who truly love me demonstrate what God’s love is like. They don’t excuse my sin, they don’t ignore my wrong choices, they don’t dance around the issues. They let me know when I am doing well and they let me know when I am doing wrong. Their words, body language, facial expressions, and tone of voice become teachers to me.

The longer I experience genuine love from God and others, the more I desire to walk in that same untiring, inexhaustible, unending love myself. I long for the day my own compassion leaves them confused in a good sense.

Father, please help me to no longer interpret my relationship with You and others through the grid of past hurts and disappointments. Help me to grasp the extent of Your love and theirs. Help me to trust with abandon and love with Your kind of love. Amen.

Love That Won't Walk Away - Kathy Troccoli
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZioqjmmtK3U

Getting into God's Word and letting God's Word get into me one truth at a time.

Necessary Boundaries

For even though I am absent in body, nevertheless I am with you in spirit, rejoicing to see your good discipline and the stability of your faith in Christ. Colossians 2:5(New American Standard Bible)

The disciplines (order) of the Christian life are a part of the stability of our faith in Christ. We need the order. We need the discipline. For me, the disciplines of my faith include being part of a local church, reading the Bible, prayer, separation from the world, sensitivity to the Spirit, confession of known sin, living in harmony with others, seeking God’s will and face, remaining honest with God, others, and myself, and striving to walk in truth. As I practice these disciplines, I find myself more sure-footed in my faith. When I allow these disciplines to slip and I become less conscious of them I tend to feel unstable in my walk.

Discipline is often thought of as a negative aspect of life. We can limit it to correction and reprimand. In today’s passage it has more to do with the ordering of our life. Setting up the boundaries, guidelines, and guardrails that we need to live and walk in peace, safety, and strength is good and necessary.

I am aware this morning of a boundary I need to establish and the necessity of that boundary is more than apparent. To ignore it and refuse to institute it in my life will bring heart ache, disaster, and ruin. I have tasted of that fruit in the past and have no appetite to repeat the scenario. I have shared before of my tendency to become emotionally dependent on others. I enjoy many relationships without this factor and I cannot fully explain why it enters the picture of others. I know though the moment it is present. Up until this point, I have always given in to the desire to make others responsible for my happiness, security, significance, and worth. Emotions run high or low depending on their availability to me and involvement with me. Relationships cannot and will not survive such expectations.

In the past, three scenarios played out which included this ingredient of dependency. One came full circle and blossomed into a beautiful friendship. One saw a complete severing that still finds me hurting over from time to time. One is presently being walked through with hopes of freedom and an awareness of one who is choosing not to walk away. Recently a new one surfaced on the horizon. I am seeing aspects in myself that have the signs of dependency and I am determining to establish boundaries in order to be in relationship without the bondage. The boundaries? To not allow myself to seek comfort, advice, or guidance from her. Sharing problems and difficulties as a way of gaining attention, acceptance, or sympathy will only fuel the need for this person to have a prominent place in my life. I cannot afford to repeat that mistake. Friend? Yes! Replacement of all that God wants to be to me? Absolutely not! Afraid? Only if I refuse to establish the boundary.

Father, I see what is necessary. Walk me through this newest scenario to freedom. Amen.

Power of Your Love - Hillsong
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ga6Qtxzd6vk&feature=related

Getting into God's Word and letting God's Word get into me one truth at a time.

Choosing My Thoughts Wisely

Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer. Psalm 19:14 (King James Version)

God knows that what I choose to think about and what I choose to speak will shape my day as well as my life. There are times I feel as if I am standing beside two very different pools of water. One is stagnant, muddy, and foul smelling. The other is fresh, clean, and inviting.

Whichever I would choose to drink from or soak in would affect me in profound ways. Too often I have found myself forgetting there are two choices. Negative thoughts appear and before I know it I am engulfed by the muck and mire of my own mind. What starts out as a mere thought becomes something I dwell on, mull over, and meditate on at great length. The longer I center my thoughts on those things the more quickly I sense my spirit shrivel, my attitude plunge, and feelings of loss and hopelessness abound. For too many years, I did not know it does not have to be like that. I did not know I could redirect my thoughts and change the effect they are having on me.

It is not just a matter of becoming a positive thinker. It really comes down to a belief system. What is it I am choosing to believe about myself, other people, and God? In my flesh I am prone to think the worst about all three! I will view myself with contempt, condemnation, and criticism. I will presume to know what others are thinking and will proceed to treat them as if I know the very depths of their heart. God will stand suspect in my mind whereby I will distance myself from who He really is. The enemy loves to feed me lie after lie and unfortunately (too often) I have embraced the lies as if they were the truth.

God is continually letting me know it does not have to be like this. The prescription is to come to Him for the truth. His truth will expose the lies, repel the lies, and replace the lies. It is a matter of looking at life and allowing God to help me to interpret it properly. Things, people, circumstances, events, and situations are not necessarily what they appear. I will know who or what is behind my thoughts by the direction they lead me. If I am led into hopelessness, despair, and turmoil the enemy is at work. If I am led into peace, confidence, and joy my loving heavenly Father is at work. I must chose wisely who I will follow.

Father, already this morning the thoughts are coming. You are wooing me to Yourself where truth, healing, and wholeness are found. Amen.

Thy Word - Maranatha Singers
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2SLHWFpSlq4&feature=PlayList&p=B0FA3835941BD72D&index=0

Getting into God's Word and letting God's Word get into me one truth at a time.

Dealing With Fear

Behold, God is my salvation, I will trust and not be afraid, for the LORD God is my strength and song, and He has become my salvation. Isaiah 12:2 (New American Standard Bible)

There are many things that cannot co-exist or be done at the same time. For instance, light and darkness, kindness and cruelty, peace and war, friendship and enmity, water and oil, bitterness and forgiveness. Today's verse gives me one more: trusting and being afraid.

The Bible says, "Perfect love casts out fear." I see a picture in my mind of two people in a room and one is throwing out the other. It is an aggressive act done on purpose. When I really believe God is in control of my life and is able to handle anything I bring to Him, the fear no longer has a place in my life to take up residence. It is cast out ~ made to leave. And when it comes knocking at the door of my mind I can send Faith to answer the door for me and send Fear away.

There are times when fear wants to feed off present circumstances or future possibilities. Trust keeps my mind focused on God and on what He is able to do.

Some of us find it harder to trust than others. Maybe that is due in part to primary people in our life failing to come through for us, not being able to be counted upon, or just plain abandoning or rejecting us. God wants us to know He is not like that. He wants us to know He can be trusted even more than what our eyes see or our ears hear.

The next time you are fearful or anxious take a moment to see what lies you are believing about God or yourself. Most of the time those lies attack the character, capability, and compassion of God. So it is imperative that we renounce the lies and proclaim the truth out loud! Here is an example for you.

When you feel rejected you might tell yourself you are all alone and no one cares about you. Renounce it by saying, "That's not true! I am not alone for God has said He will never leave me. I choose to believe God over my feelings and emotions." God says in Isaiah that although our own parents might forsake us He never will.

Father, lies feed my fears but truth about You builds my trust. May I come to know You so well that fear does not gain access, entrance, or residence in my life. Amen.

Still - Hillsong
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pKb54tu4gG0&feature=related

Getting into God's Word and letting God's Word get into me one truth at a time.

Attractive Qualities

He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him. Isaiah 53:2b (New International Version)

What attracts us to people? What is it about certain people that causes us to take notice and say, “I want to get to know that person?” For me, it usually comes down to inward qualities. It may be their personality, wisdom, humor, or insight. More than anything they usually possess a quality I admire and would like to see in my own life. The interest is deepened as I sense acceptance from them. I love the point when we go from being strangers to friends.

A harder question for me to ask is what attracts people to me? What is it about me that would cause someone to decide they want to get to know me? Why would they want me for a friend? I would venture to say it is inward qualities as well. Qualities that God placed within me that people see and appreciate. I am reminded of the look and scent of flowers that attract insects and birds. Each of us have God given characteristics that attract us to each other.

It was no different with Jesus. Today’s verse reminds me that Jesus did not attract people via His outward appearance. It wasn’t His physical appearance that drew people to Himself. So what was it? Initially for some I am sure it was His miracles. But that would be an attraction for what He could DO. If it went no further it was merely a spectator sport. But oh the change when it was His love that attracted them. When they saw that He not only possessed power but wisdom and love as well.

I wonder what it was like for a person in Bible times to actually make eye contact with Jesus. To realize He knew and accepted them. What was it like to sit and talk with Jesus face to face? For each person who met Him and was attracted to Him there came a point when they went from being strangers to having a personal relationship with Him.

So I ask myself this morning, what is it about Jesus that attracts me to Him? Initially it was for the eternal life He offered. Now I would say it is for the abundant life He gives. At one point my spiritual eyes were opened so I could see Him. Now His Spirit works to open my heart to know Him.

Father, attract me to Yourself afresh today. Make me aware of the qualities in You that make me want to grow in my relationship with You. Amen.

Let My Words Be Few - Phillips, Craig, & Dean
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=12z4dvc2kjo

Getting into God's Word and letting God's Word get into me one truth at a time.

In Need of Him

It is of the LORD's mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness. Lamentations 3:22, 23 (King James Version)

I need the reminder of today’s passage. When my failures and weaknesses give me reason to give up. When my actions and attitudes give others cause to grow frustrated as the patience and love have warn thin. When the enemy of my soul has more ammunition to fire at me then I feel able to withstand. When feelings of worthlessness, insignificance, and sinfulness engulf me and peace, joy, and hope elude me. I need the awareness that God’s mercies and faithfulness do not fail. Rather, they are new every morning. When I least deserve it and shouldn’t have it, His faithfulness abounds. His grace. His compassion. His tenderness. My need.

I wonder this morning how I can come away from a 72 hour retreat with such resolve and promise, only to fall to the issues of life within a day. Did I know the enemy would attack? Yes. Did I realize my flesh would still be very much alive? Absolutely. Do I like what I see in myself and what I know others see as well? No. My desire for consistent strength and victory seem polar worlds apart from my reality. I am not what I want to be and I am grieved that I am not what God wants me to be. Yet His mercies are new today. His faithfulness continues.

He is urging me to get my heart right. He is pleading with me not to go into hiding or withdrawal. He knows the tendencies of my heart and the thoughts that have consumed me in the night. He is fully aware of steps I want to take that would not be for my good or His glory. The battle rages. The thoughts abound. The temptations are many. Yet His mercies are new and fresh today. His faithfulness continues. Not a bit of His loving kindness fades.

In the quietness of this moment, I dare to raise my eyes to His. Not because I fear He will reject me but because I am sickened by my own setbacks and wobbly steps. It is a new day. He is the same God. I am in need of much. Is it any wonder He calls Himself my Rock, Shelter, Stronghold, Abba Father?

Father, the valley after a mountain top experience is always so dark. So foreboding. So uncomfortable. I need You. Amen.

He Knows My Name - Tommy Walker
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xkw3a4raWfg

Getting into God's Word and letting God's Word get into me one truth at a time.
http://pathways2freedom.blogspot.com/