Alike in Many Ways

Elijah was a human being with a nature such as we have [with feelings, affections, and a constitution like ours]; and he prayed earnestly for it not to rain, and no rain fell on the earth for three years and six months. And [then] he prayed again and the heavens supplied rain and the land produced its crops [as usual]. James 5:17-18 (Amplified Bible)

How easy it is to forget that those who are used of God to do incredible things are still human. They have their own set of weaknesses, areas to battle, issues to face, and hurdles to over come. How easy it is to think they aren’t like us…that they somehow are in a category all their own. To believe that pain doesn’t feel the same to them, that they never grow weary, warn, or weak. Yet Scripture is full of examples that show us how far from the truth that thinking really is.

I am thankful that God chose to include the humanness of people when Scripture was being written. Moses was a doubter, murderer, and given to anger. David was an adulterer and murderer. Jonah was a rebel on the run. Elijah was fearful and given to bouts of depression. Peter was a denier and boaster. Saul was a persecutor of Christians. Naomi was bitter. While many good qualities were seen in their lives and many things were accomplished through them, God knew we needed to see the whole picture. I am glad He did so!

There have been individuals in my life that seemed beyond the struggles. I mistakenly thought they walked in continual victory and their life was filled with only right decisions, good attitudes, and perfection. How easy it was to feel that if I could just be them I would be happier, more successful, and better off. The more I played the comparison game the more discontent and dissatisfied I became until the tears would fall and the thoughts would become clouded. What is interesting is that when this takes place I am mostly comparing my weaknesses with another person’s strengths!

Rather than allow such thinking to continue God wants me to change my focus. It is time to stop the comparison games and discover the similarities! I am God’s creation. I am His child. He has plans and purposes for my life. He is involved in my life. He is working all things out for good in my life. He is using unique circumstances, relationships, and challenges to develop my heart and character. He does not play favorites or have twins. What He allows me to do or not to do is not a sign of insignificance or unimportance but rather a display of His distinctive creativity for me. I am loved, wanted, and accepted just as much as any other child of His. May my mind grasp it, my heart embrace it, and my life demonstrate it fully!

Father, in the secret places of my heart where I stand most in doubt and turmoil, meet me! Amen.

I am a Friend of God - Phillips, Craig, and Dean
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aMnMN08sv4k

Happy Thanksgiving to each of you! Thank you for reading and sharing these daily devotionals!!!!

To the Fullest Measure

Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who reside as aliens, scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, who are chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, by the sanctifying work of the Spirit, to obey Jesus Christ and be sprinkled with His blood: May grace and peace be yours in the fullest measure. 1 Peter 1:1-2 (New American Standard Bible)

Written to Christians facing persecution and dispersed throughout many parts of the world, the Apostle Peter started this book of the Bible with some incredibly encouraging words. Right off the bat he wanted his readers to see and embrace the truth of who they were in Christ…..chosen, sanctified, and cleansed. Their true identity was not based on what they did, what they owned, or where they lived, but rather on who they were in Christ. Along with that, he desired for them to possess grace and peace in the fullest measure even though their circumstances were not the best. How encouraging to know that we can allow these verses to be a banner over our own lives.

When do I need grace and peace the most? When I am battling with personal issues. When I am irritated with myself or others. When I am fearful of outcomes that are yet to be seen. When I am over whelmed with a task at hand. When temptation seems stronger than my own resolve to resist. When I have failed. When my expectations are not met. When the doors of opportunity remain closed. When I take one step forward and several steps backward. When the things I most want to change are out of my control. When health fails. When patience wears thin. When others do not understand. When my feelings are hurt. When those I most want to please simply are not pleased. When problems remain unresolved. When I feel backed into a corner. When life happens.

Grace is God-given strength and peace is internal tranquility in the midst of storms and difficulties rather than the absence of them. It is the sense that you are being held together when you don’t feel you have it all together. It sustains you when all seems against you. It is not denial or mere positive thinking. It is available and abundant….ours for the asking. In times when I knew the internal or external storms were brewing I could simply ask God to fill me with His grace and peace. Within moments I was acutely aware of both. The early Christians needed them and so do we.

Father, thank you that You never skimp on the supply of Your grace and peace. Each time life gets difficult, You give me the fullest measure of both. I receive them with praise and thanksgiving. Amen.

It is Well With My Soul - Wintley Phipps
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sYFjikyp7mQ

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

Looking in the Right Direction

Instruct those who are rich in this present world not to be conceited or to fix their hope on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly supplies us with all things to enjoy. 1 Timothy 6:17 (New American Standard Bible)

Three times, in the first book of Timothy, I came across the phrase to fix my hope on God. To fix has the idea of waiting with joy and full confidence, hopeful trusting in, expectation, and being set. Who I trust in and place my expectation and confidence in is usually the one on whom I have my eyes fixed. Fixing my hope on God (and hence my eyes) is meant to be a continual occurrence. A daily decision. What I find though is how easily I can take my eyes off God as my Source and place them squarely on the individuals He so graciously brings across my path.

Put me in a relationship where I feel cared for and my attention is suddenly struggling to stay fixed on God. From the age of 14, when I trusted Christ as my Savior and experienced the love of the body of Christ, I began to seek to fill the “Swiss cheese holes of my soul” with the nurturing of others. Just as a drug addict looks for that next fix and an alcoholic looks for that next drink, I can often find myself looking for that “high” that comes from a sense that I am loved, welcomed, and wanted. It feels safe. It feels strengthening. It feels right. But if it is viewed as anything but a temporary gift of God, then it is a counterfeit and can leave me in the throws of emotional quick sand.

As much as I enjoy rich relationships, I have come to see that two fears usually crop up when things feel like they are changing. I fear I will lose my place in the relationship and I fear I will eventually lose the relationship. God’s answer? Allow love to cast out the fear…His love for me and His love flowing through me.

Along with that, He gave me a picture through a friend of how I can begin viewing those in my life who minister to me and encourage me so much. Picture each act of kindness as a bouquet of flowers being sent by Him through an individual who is simply His delivery person. When people have sent me flowers or plants, I had no trouble knowing who the true sender was and it wasn’t the delivery person! They played a vital and noticeable role but my attention stayed on the actual sender. May it be no different with the bouquets God lovingly sends. May my heart and eyes not become fixated on the delivery person, but rather on the true Giver of the gifts.

Father, tears have fallen as I have seen this aspect of myself and hope has risen in me as I begin to see Your truths for me to embrace. Help me to live life Your way! Amen.

JESUS,Lover of my soul (it's all about You)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dD-ZdMOx_HY&feature=related

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

Seeing the Advantages

But I tell you the truth, it is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to you. John 16:7(New American Standard Bible)

I marvel at Jesus’ compassion and graciousness. He not only told His disciples that He was going away but He gave the very reason His departure was necessary. Although they could not fully grasp either truth, He still gave it. Sometimes it is hard for us to see the advantages to the losses in our life, until long after the fact. With time and growth comes the realization of all that couldn’t or wouldn’t be possible if change had not been forthcoming and security blankets had not been removed.

I think back to many Bible characters who saw the removal of individuals from their life and also saw the necessity of those removals. God systematically brought people into their life to help prepare them for future ministry and work, and when the time was right, those individuals were removed. It was true of Moses and Joshua, Elijah and Elisha, Samuel and David, Barnabas and Paul, and even Jesus and His followers. Each had grown use to being under their teacher, mentor, and guide. I am sure when the time for departure came, each had to wade through the thoughts of not being ready for the change yet. At the end of their life though they could look back and see all that God intended for them beyond the circumference of their once enjoyed companionship.

These truths minister to me and cause me to meditate on the advantages that came with the removal of one who played a significant role in my Christian life and journey. I would have been content to be under her influence and teaching for the rest of my life and struggled to see any advantage come from the severing of our relationship. For a few years I saw no advantage! After time and growth, however, the advantages are coming into view and I am convinced none of them would be possible without the change. Those advantages? I finally saw the full scope of my emotional dependency, I reached out to God in a way that was not possible before, I began searching for answers to questions I never asked before, I began learning truths about God I never knew before, and I poised myself to connect with God in a way I failed to do when someone of significance was available.

For me, it was a person. For others it may be the removal of health, wealth, or jobs. Whatever the case may be, know that God has advantages to birth through the pain and discomfort that will come. He is not arbitrarily playing with your mind and emotions. He is passionately bringing you to a place intimacy with Himself and usability for His kingdom. He makes no mistakes.

Father, help me to trust You during the times of removal in my life. You give and You take away. Blessed be Your name! Amen.

In His Time - Maranatha Singers
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wo-rGzx2OZk

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

A Word for the Weary

And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up. Galatians 6:9 (English Standard Version)

While today’s verse is often used to speak of service for others, God made it personal to me last night. I related strongly with the word “weary”. Other translations use words like tired, exhausted, loss of heart, fatigued, and spiritless. It has the idea of fainting and going limp! God knew that was where I was at once again. He knew the cycle of thoughts that were playing over and over in my mind. Thoughts of despair, failure, being a burden, unlovable, in the way, and unchangeable. He knew giving up was an option that kept looking appealing. He knew the perceptions of myself and others that screamed louder than the truth. He knew my feelings of foolishness, shame, and embarrassment. With all that He knew He offered me the words of Galatians 6:9.…”Don’t give up. Don’t quit. Don’t give in to the thoughts. It is worth the fight!”

What’s “the good” He wants me to continue doing? Speaking truth. Taking thoughts captive. Applying Scripture and its principles to my life. Asking for help and prayer. Accepting the gifts of friendship He has blessed me with. Putting on the armor of God. Resisting the Devil, his lies, and his tactics. Reviewing who I am in Christ. Keeping in constant communication with my Father. Living by faith more than feelings and emotions. Getting enough sleep. Eating healthier. Being controlled by His Spirit instead of my flesh. The list of good things that are good for me is endless as is the power that comes from each.

Battles are tiring. As I think back on this most recent one I can very easily beat myself up for not being victorious. I eventually let the wrong thoughts take over and it affected my outlook and demeanor. I shut down and distanced myself from those who would help and pray if I would but ask. When it was all said and done I felt like an isolated mess. Yet God still whispered, “Don’t give up. Get back in the fight. Others are praying for you and believing in my power to change you.”

Do I fear the next battle? There’s apprehension because of my past track record. But with each battle there will be growth and lessons learned. There will be fresh awareness of God’s involvement and assistance at all stages. It is a process. I will see victory one step, one thought, one decision at a time.

Father, each time the battle rages and I fear I’ve lost the fight, You come. I will not make it without You. Amen.

Come to Jesus - Chris Rice
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OjZEDg9ZGKQ

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

A Call to Action

Everyone who comes to Me and hears My words and acts on them, I will show you whom he is like: he is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid a foundation on the rock; and when a flood occurred, the torrent burst against that house and could not shake it, because it had been well built. "But the one who has heard and has not acted accordingly, is like a man who built a house on the ground without any foundation; and the torrent burst against it and immediately it collapsed, and the ruin of that house was great." Luke 6:47-49 (New American Standard Bible)

A parallel verse to today’s passage is James 1:22, “Be doers of the word and not hearers only.” Jesus gave strong and contrasting examples of individuals who do and don’t put into practice His words. The similarities are astounding. Both come, hear, and build. But the outcome is dependent upon what is done with what is heard. Floods come to both as well as torrents, but the one not shaken, the one not left in ruins, is the one who lives out the truths he is taught.

I have no trouble coming to Jesus and taking in what He tells me. I have learned to recognize His voice as well as His Words. But I am shaken to the core when I do not practice the things He tells me. Scripture is full of sound advice to be heeded and applied. In many situations of life I know what to do, but like the Apostle Paul, there are times the doing of it is lacking. When that is the case, my house of emotions is shaken as the storms of life hit. God is reminding me that will not be the case if I will begin doing what He has shown me to do. He honors that obedience with strength, stability, and unshaken faith.

This was the center of a conversation I once had with a friend. She saw my struggles and knew when I was dwelling in dark emotional pits. Her words to me are always the same, “start doing what you know to do.” Each action in the right direction will lay a sturdy foundation for me as well as become a wrung to a needed ladder for rising above my moods and thoughts. There is no pretending or blaming, the choice is mine. But within that choice is the premise that I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. I am not left on my own to make the necessary changes. Each decision is accompanied by God’s grace and enabling.

Victory replaces failure when God’s Word goes beyond my ears. All that I desire for my Christian life and all that God desires for me are possible as I daily practice the things He tells me.

Father, I take responsibility for the choices I am making. I trust You to bring about the necessary changes as I obey. Amen.

This is My Desire - Hillsong
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-XKxqqhOgVM&feature=fvw

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

Out of the Cave

To console those who mourn in Zion, to give them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they may be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that He may be glorified. Isaiah 61:3 (New King James Version)

It was a year ago that I rear ended a vehicle and found myself in the emergency room with a broken sternum. Pain medication was necessary at first and limits were put on how much I could lift. My duties at work were changed to accommodate my need for healing. Prayers were spoken on my behalf and appreciated tremendously. It took time for the bone to heal and the limitations to be lifted. Eventually the tenderness subsided as well as the thoughts of the incident. Lessons were learned and life went on. Physical restoration can often be more quickly obtained than damage to our emotions.

It was over three years ago that a change in relationship shook my world and the eventual severing of it caused me to crash emotionally. I entered a cave of internal darkness that was profound and seemingly impossible to leave. The loss and questions consumed me for the better part of a year. Enjoyment for life eluded me. It limited my perspective on life and my trust in others. I had come face to face with a pain I had never known before and a view of my own internal world that was not comfortable or pretty. Issues that I had been able to anesthetize through the relationship were exposed and felt. My world as I had known it was forever changed. The “medication” that was needed and applied was Scripture, prayers (mine as well as friends’), and the willingness of an accountability partner to enter the cave and spend two years walking me to the exit.

I don’t know the exact moment that exit was found but recently I realized I was no longer in the cave of darkness and pain. I realized that battles being fought were separate from the loss. Joy and laughter were finding their way back into my life and I was actually finding more and more times free from the consuming thoughts that had been so much a part of me. God had brought about the emotional healing that others had assured me He would but I floundered to believe. This morning, praise and thanksgiving have definitely replaced sorrow and I am delighting in the things I see God doing in other areas of my life.

I share this for two reasons. First, it has been so long in coming that I cannot help but talk about it! He has done a marvelous thing in my life and I HAVE to share it. Second, I know that some who are reading this need a word of encouragement that God will eventually bring them out of the emotional cave of pain they find themselves in presently. For them, it is dark and cold. Life is at a stand still and they are not sure things will ever change. They will change, my friends. I have absolutely no doubt about that….but it will take time. Know that the prayers are being lifted on your behalf and welcome any who will enter the cave to help you.

Father, thank you for what You have done for me and what You will do for others! Amen!!!

Help Me - Kathy Troccoli (one of my "cave" songs)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XmSSWHO8ueA

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

Sufficient for Them as Well

And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 2 Corinthians 12:9 (King James Version)

When my youngest brother died of Cystic Fibrosis at the age of 9, God’s grace was sufficient. When my mom passed away in a car accident in February of 2000 and left me with the crushing pain of feeling orphaned, His grace was sufficient. When I was asked to resign from teaching and found myself on the outside of a group that once welcomed me, His grace was sufficient. When a mentor saw the necessity to sever a relationship with me and I was not sure I would ever recover from the heartbreak, His grace was sufficient. When my own weaknesses and failures have haunted and taunted me in overwhelming measures, His grace continues to be sufficient.

I need those reminders this morning. Not for myself per se, but for people I love and care for deeply who experience their own heartaches, disappointments, and grief. I want so badly to change the scenarios of their life. I want to take away the pain, make things right, and cause each day to be encouraging for them. I don’t want them to hurt or be sad. I don’t want anyone to mistreat them or be unsupportive of them. Basically, I want only good to come to them.

Yet, if what I wanted came to pass, what Paul is talking about in 2 Corinthians 12:9 would not be their reality. They would not be made strong in their weaknesses. The power of Christ would not rest on them in their infirmities. They would not grow as Christians or deepen their walk with God. They would not see their dependency upon Christ increase. They would not experience God birthing ministry out of their difficulties. They would not seek God’s face, heart, or hands in quite the same way as they do now. They would not have the compassion for others in need. They would be comfortable but no longer striving to be conformed to the image of Christ.

It is imperative that I desire for those I love the same things that God desires for them. To see that God is working all things out for their good and His glory. To see that God has a purpose for allowing the things in their life that I would so easily want removed. The difficulties of their life are truly the chisels He uses to shape and mold them into a masterpiece. Eternity will reveal all that He accomplished for and through them. Until that time, I must speak over their life, “Not my will but yours be done, O, Lord.”

Father, I hurt for others this morning. Thank you for reminding me that they are more precious to You than they are even to me. Thank you for what You are doing out of love. I love them as I entrust them to You. For them Your grace is sufficient! Amen.

His Strength is Perfect - Steven Curtis Chapman
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LC_lld_vUCY

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

The Searcher of My Heart

The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; who can know it? I, the LORD, search the heart, I test the mind, even to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his doings. Jeremiah 17:9, 10 (New King James Version)

Today’s passage gives the basis behind David’s prayer in Psalm 139:23, 24 where he wrote, “Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me and know my thoughts: and see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.” Because we can so easily be deceived by our own hearts, it is imperative that we ask God to do the searching, testing, evaluating, and exposing of that which motivates and drives us. Even the best of actions and wisest of decisions can fall victim to wrong agendas and faulty reasoning. Depending on the needs and longings of our heart, even the aspects of service and the carrying out of God’s kingdom work can become distorted and off base.

I am acutely aware of my ever present need for approval and acceptance. The best thing about that aspect of my life is that it continually reminds me of how much I need God and how much I need to direct my needs toward Him. The answer is not to stop doing the things I am doing until the right motives are in place. The answer is to continually ask God to purify my motives as they are exposed and brought out in the light.

Something as necessary as simply asking another individual to pray for me can be affected by the deceitfulness of my heart. This morning I am questioning the motives of my own prayer requests. The needs are real but the desire for attention is just as real. It can cloud and color any form of asking for help, whether that help is in the form of prayer, counsel, or even friendship. Like Paul, when he battled his flesh, I am torn between my actions and the motives that drive those actions. Ever questioning. Ever wondering.

This is the point whereby I need to discern between truth and the workings of the enemy. Doubt, shame, hiding, denying, withdrawal, and fear are his calling cards. He would want nothing more than to see me stop everything and hibernate spiritually and emotionally until I deem myself strong enough to continue on. Yet God’s Word encourages me to serve Him and seek the prayer support of others. As long as I am aware that things in me need to be brought to Him for correction I can proceed at fully living the Christian life. Now more than ever I need to be in constant communication with the One who can truly search me.

Father, may faith (not fear) be the deciding factor for all aspects of my life. I desire to know the truth about what lies below the surface of my actions. Yours is the only heart I can truly trust. Amen.

Potter's Hand - Hillsong
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aSKe-gSXjAs&videos=IIKyyugBipo&playnext_from=TL&playnext=1

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

A Fox Hunt

Catch us the foxes, the little foxes that spoil the vines, for our vines have tender grapes. Song of Solomon 2:15 (New King James Version)

I am on a “fox” hunt and those “foxes” are the attitudes of my heart. For most of my adult life, I have blamed many of my personal weaknesses and failures on my upbringing. The scenario would go something like this: I had alcoholic parents and their alcoholism left holes in my heart. Unmet emotional needs sent me on a quest to get those needs met through relationships. Looking to people to give me what only God could give me was a means of survival.

Several years ago I came across the term “emotional dependency” and it became my garment of choice. It was the label I could apply to my life and therefore allow it to define and confine me. It seemed to explain my behavior and the choices that drove the behavior. It also filled me with shame and wreaked havoc on numerous relationships.

While the actions of my parents did have an effect on me and emotional dependency is a personal struggle for me, those are not the foxes that I need to become aware of and catch. Change will come for me only as I take personal responsibility rather than find something or someone to blame for my actions and behavior.

Although I know Christ as my Savior and His Spirit lives in me, I still possess a sin nature and fleshly tendencies. Spiraling moods are just one of the outgrowths of that nature. Until recently, when a shift would take place I went down! Now I am learning that there is a different way to live. Instead of giving in to the mood swing I am beginning to pinpoint the thoughts and feelings that are giving momentum to the mood swing. I am learning to ask myself, “What are you feeling right now?” The answer will identify the fox that needs to be caught and stopped. Yesterday’s foxes included jealousy, fear, feelings of insignificance, shame, and wrong perceptions. As I would identify the heart issue I could then focus my prayer on it. I could confess the jealousy and ask God to help me have an attitude of thankfulness and contentment. If it was fear, I could acknowledge that He is always with me. Insignificance could be met with reviewing the truth of who I am in Christ. Shame would retreat at the flood lights of forgiveness and acceptance. Wrong perceptions could be defeated with truth.

What was actually happening was that I was finally seeing the real enemy within myself and calling each attitude out in the open. I use to feel defeated because the attitudes were still in me. Now I taking a victor’s stance against them and that is changing the vineyard of my heart. It is taking prayer, the use of Scripture, and God’s help to see progress in this area. The fight is on!

Father, shed light on each heart attitude that seeks dominance over me today. Help me to acknowledge what is there at all times. Help me to walk in victory. Amen.

Change My Heart, Oh God - Eddie Espinosa
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CEtsHWFE6-w

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

An Insatiable Hunger

A greedy man stirs up dissension, but he who trusts in the LORD will prosper. Proverbs 28:25 (New International Version)

Does God ever pinpoint an area in your life and when He does you have no trouble knowing what He just pinpointed? It just happened to me while reading a devotional by Mary Southerland entitled “Guarding Greed.” She asked and answered a question that shed light on something for me. It went as such, What happens when we live as if He is not enough and He is not all we want? Greed happens. While most of her devotional centered around material greed, God directed my attention toward that for which I tend to display greed.

Greed is that strong desire to have more of something. To acquire or gain more than is necessary or intended. An inordinate desire to have in excess. It’s twins are jealousy, envy, and covetousness. It is a robber of thankfulness and joy. It imprisons one in a shell of selfishness, pride, and continual hunger. When my goal in life is to fully satisfy my need for more I live frustrated, empty, and in a continual state of want. What God wants me to see is that satisfying the greed is impossible but conquering it is not!

As I read Mary’s question, my area of greed quickly came to mind. Relationships. God uses them but greed desires more from them then what is needed or intended. Greed wants more of what is there and when more is given more is desired. I see this played out when it comes to another person’s time, attention, acceptance, and affirmation. One dose is not enough. As soon as I take in what is offered I crave more! I have known this about myself for quite some time but have never seen as an aspect of greed.

Today’s verse sums it up very well. My greed brings about conflict and disruption yet when I place my expectations, hopes, desires, and trust in God He prospers me in more ways than any human relationship is able to do. The bottom line is that what I am craving from people is actually what I need from Him. People are His representatives but I so easily attempt to make them His replacement. His desire is that I would turn my attention and appetite toward Him and I do that one step at a time.

My steps? Acknowledge the truth about my greed. Confess it to Him and receive the forgiveness He offers. Understand that while I may not be entirely free of this tendency in this life, I can certainly walk in victory over it. Through Christ I can control how it affects me. Depend upon Him to show me each time greed stirs within me and how NOT to feed it but rather turn the desires toward Him. Lastly, realize that greed is okay when what I am greedy for is more of Him!

Father, within this heart of mine lies a voracious appetite that seeks to be fed off sources other than You. Help me to walk in victory with a satisfaction found only in You. Amen.

He's Been Faithful - Damaris Carbaugh
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qdO2cRXVHII

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

The Possibility of Forgetting

Joseph named the firstborn Manasseh, "For," he said, "God has made me forget all my trouble and all my father's household." He named the second Ephraim, "For," he said, "God has made me fruitful in the land of my affliction." Genesis 41:51, 52 (New American Standard Bible)

The naming of Joseph’s son gave voice to the truths he had come to embrace. I don’t know how long he harbored painful memories of loss and betrayal. I don’t know how often thoughts of his father and the ache of missing him consumed him. I don’t know how frequently his brothers’ actions and attitudes against him reopened wounds of sorrow, anger, and frustration. Yet at some point, Joseph came to the realization that those things no longer hung over his life, clouded his days, or colored his perspective. By the time his sons were born he had truly moved on with his life. No longer dwelling on the past but rather enjoying the beauty of the present. Joseph’s story refreshes my spirit. It reminds me that emotional healing takes time but is possible. It redirects my thinking toward what God is doing. It assures me that God can do the same in me that He did in Joseph.

Although I am not fully there yet, I rejoice in what progress has been made. The enemy of my soul knows this as well and doesn’t give up easily. As recent as yesterday thoughts came that had but one purpose…..to discourage me. My mind began thinking back on painful memories and profound losses. Each minute spent dwelling on those things caused the dull ache inside to grow. When I would fight the thoughts with truth, thanksgiving, and praise their effect and hold lessened. When I gave in to them and fed off them the darkness resurfaced. It doesn’t take long for me to realize when the thinking is once again off track, because it is accompanied by grief, heartache, condemnation, and hopelessness. At the same time, thinking on what is right and truthful is accompanied by peace, restfulness, and strength. It is as profound as switching on the lights in a darkened room.

I don’t know how close I am to being able to say, “God, you have made me to forget my trouble and you have made me fruitful in the place of my affliction,” but it no longer seems like an impossibility. It is no longer a question of “if” God will deliver me from rampant emotions, but rather “when.”

I take that thought with me into a weekend that includes attending a women’s conference in Crown Point, Indiana. God has been preparing me to hear something I have not been able to hear up to this point. I am not sure what it is yet but I am filled with anticipation and expectation.

Father, I sense Your continued work in my life and in that I rejoice! Amen.

Desert Song - Hillsong
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JrJuFmuAGo4

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

Continuing in Freedom

Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel, “Cursed is the man who does not heed the words of this covenant which I commanded your forefathers in the day that I brought them out of the land of Egypt, from the iron furnace, saying, ‘Listen to My voice, and do according to all which I command you, so you shall be My people, and I will be your God.’ Jeremiah 11:3,4 (New American Standard Bible)

When God brought the children of Israel out of the ‘iron furnace’ of Egypt it was not the end of their story….it was merely the beginning. He brought them out of bondage to teach them how to live in freedom. True freedom comes through obedience and connection with God, not living independent of Him. Seeing their own captivity and being freed from it was wonderful but if they did not continue to listen to God and do what He said they would enter a worse bondage… a self imposed bondage. They would become captives of their own passions, sin natures, and ungodly bents. To read the history of Israel is often like looking into a prophet mirror at ourselves.

Like Israel, my freedom comes in stages. I must be aware of where I am in bondage. What are the mindsets that prevent me from living in complete freedom? What are the addictions, habits, and beliefs that keep my soul locked up? As I identify them, I desire freedom. But desire alone is not what sets me free. My journey to freedom begins and continues as I learn to listen to God and embrace what He tells me. I must acknowledge the truth and live out of that truth.

As I allow Him, God shows me the causes and effects of my personal areas of bondage. I am daily seeing the connection between present circumstances and past events. Because my view of life and God was skewed early on, it affects the way I interpret things today. For me, the biggest area this has impacted is with relationships. I have spent decades looking at relationships through a faulty grid and the result has often been painful. What I desire from others and what I am able to give to others is distorted unless I allow God to bring things into right focus. It becomes a time of exchanges. Exchanging truth for lies and freedom for bondage. The renewing of my mind through Scripture is leading to transformation of my heart and resulting in a change of my words, actions, and thoughts. The freedom I am seeking is only found in cooperation with and trust in my Abba Father.

Sometimes this process is accompanied by individuals God brings into my life but often it is taking place one on one with Himself. He wisely determines which it will be. I profit the most when I trust what He is doing, heed what He says, embrace what He reveals, and obey what He requires. It all comes from His heart of love and in that I rest!

Father, I desire liberty of my heart, soul, and mind. Continue to show me my own captivities and what will lead me to freedom. Amen.

Made Me Glad - Hillsong
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U0Zc_VWJJoI&feature=related

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

What to do With the Toxic Thoughts

Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth. Colossians 3:2 (New American Standard Bible)

My mother would often say, “You can only think of one thing at a time.” She was right! God’s Word is filled with verses that speak of the importance of meditating on the right things. Today’s verse is one such example. It not only has the idea of focus but also of coming into agreement with. Since a multitude of thoughts play out in my mind daily, it is imperative that I keep them aligned with God and His eternal perspective. There is more to life than merely those things I can experience with my five senses. In the midst of anything I see, feel, or experience, there is a heavenly realm that must be taken into consideration. I must learn to see the whole picture instead of just my limited point of view.

Last night afforded me an opportunity to practice setting my mind on things above. It came in the form of disappointment that someone was given the opportunity to do something I am longing to do but am not able to do at present. I found myself battling thoughts of jealousy as well as feelings of being over looked AGAIN! Fear abounded that God might never open the door for me to serve in THAT capacity. They were self-consuming, self- centered, self-condemning thoughts and they were toxic for all of 10 minutes. That is when I made a conscious decision to review truth and allow it to set me free.

What was the truth I reviewed? God is in control of my life. He has plans for me that He will fulfill. I can trust Him to use me in the ways He chooses at the times He chooses and for the purposes He chooses. He knows what He is doing in each ministry opportunity. I have not been over looked but rather His eyes and attention are constantly on me. My freedom comes in acknowledging God’s right to say where I am to be, what I am to be doing, and how I am to be doing it. He sets the agenda. He maps out the course. He guides and directs. His plans and thoughts are higher than my own.

Do I still have desires and wishes? Absolutely! But they are being laid at the foot of the cross with a heart of submission to and acceptance of what God wants for me. I don’t want to live my life honed in on what I cannot do but rather on all that He allows me TO do. He may still choose to have me serve Him in the place I desire to serve, but it will have to be on His time table. If it never comes about then it was not part of His best for me. I am not being neglected or ignored. I am being loved, cherished, and led by the Lover of my soul!

Father, You know my heart’s desires. As I set my affections on things above, change what needs to be changed, solidify what needs to be solidified, and accomplish Your will for me. Amen.

God Is In Control - Twila Paris
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iQHlKc8DrB4&feature=related

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

Asking for Prayer

I urge you, brothers, by our Lord Jesus Christ and by the love of the Spirit, to join me in my struggle by praying to God for me. Romans 15:30 (New International Version)

Paul had no trouble requesting others to pray for him. It wasn’t that he felt his prayers were not good enough or effective enough but he knew the power of multiple prayers being lifted on his behalf. As he faced prison, persecution, personal failures, and fears he was strengthened by the prayers of others and in turn prayed for others for the things they faced as well.

Prayer support is one of the many privileges and benefits of being in God’s family. It is usually one of the first responses we voice when someone has shared with us a difficulty in their life. When the storms of life hit, prayer is our life line that keeps our head above water with its hope, security, and comfort. The older I get, the more I value the prayers of others and no longer take them lightly.

I know this to be true and yet how well am I doing at requesting prayer during emotionally difficult times? Or times when I am facing personal temptations that I don’t even want to admit I are a struggle for me? Last week, I went through a dark season. People could see it and they indeed were praying for me, yet I was not doing well at actually sharing the struggle with them or the specifics of what I needed the prayers for. I was resistant to admit what had brought on the spiral and the thoughts that kept pulling me downward. Why? Embarrassment and shame….two effective tools the enemy of my soul is very good at using. Looking back now I realize if I had opened up to those I could trust, they would have been able to be more specific in their prayers and the darkness would have ended sooner. As hard as it would have been, as uncomfortable as it would have felt, admitting the truth would have been my first step for freedom and strength.

God used a situation last night to help me see the need to request specific prayer at the on set of struggles. I could sense a temptation coming on that I knew would pull me down if I gave in to it. Before the temptation gained strength or momentum, I called a friend, shared the specifics, and we prayed immediately. The result? This morning the temptation no longer looms over my horizon. So I am asking myself, will the next emotional battle be fought more effectively if I follow the same strategy? Will I see deliverance and victory more powerfully demonstrated as I confide in those whom I know care and will pray? I believe I will and I am asking God to give me the grace, wisdom, and fortitude to so!

Father, break down the resistance in me for sharing honestly and openly with the prayer partners in my life. Help me to set aside the fears, apprehensions, and perceptions that often stop me from voicing my prayer needs to others. Help me to get real! Amen.

I Will Pray for You - Katherine Jenkins
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ju8cy0O4S8U&feature=related

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

Choosing the Good Part

But the Lord answered and said to her, "Martha, Martha, you are worried and bothered about so many things; but only one thing is necessary, for Mary has chosen the good part, which shall not be taken away from her." Luke 10:41, 42 (New American Standard Bible)

Jesus’ words to Martha were timely and timeless. They followed an invitation into her home and preparations of a meal. In the midst of her “service” for Him, He pin-points an area in her life that needs a reality check. While her hospitality was commendable it was filled with distraction, worry, and bother. I picture her with frayed nerves and ever rising frustration. She reached out for the one thing she thought would be her answer for ease. She asked the Lord to give her the help of her sister. Instead, the Lord gave her an example to follow. Jesus wanted her to see there was a difference between inviting Him into her home and spending time with Him. Martha had a choice to make. Become offended by His answer or learn from it.

Many of us have been where Martha was. Busy “doing” for our Lord with very little “being” with our Lord. Activity fills our life with very little time to sit at His feet and listen to His words to us. While we have the religion of Christianity down pat, we flounder at the relationship aspect. How do you know when that is the case for you?

There is a lack of joy in what you are doing. You house critical attitudes toward others. Your inner world is filled with turmoil and frustration. You feel disconnected from intimately knowing Him. You are on a high mode rather than a rest mode. You sense you have lost a necessary balance in your life. Your activities have left you with very little time to be in the Word or in prayer. When it is all said and done the emptiness is profound.

The answer? Ask God to show you the truth and how to choose the good part of spending time with Him. Not just moments in the morning, but practicing His presence and hearing His voice throughout the day. Give up the “list” for lessons at His feet. Ask Him to make the “doing” an out growth of “being” with Him.

If what you have read today, strikes a chord with you, I understand, for I have been there. Three decades of doing! I found a place at His feet nearly six years ago and now know the preciousness of the good part….it’s Him! It hasn’t left me with nothing to do but rather has impacted and energized me while I do it.

Father, You have engaged my heart once again. May being in Your presence continue to be my passion and place. Amen.

Heart of Worship - Matt Redman
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vZgPPmtZgS4

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