God's Solicitude

Casting all your care upon Him; for He careth for you. I Peter 5:7 (KJV)

Armed with five Bible translations, a Thesaurus, and a couple dictionaries I decided to dig through this verse to find the treasure. It is rich with meaning and has spoken volumes to my heart. To think that I can hand over to God anything and everything that has me in turmoil with the realization that He is interested in me and I matter to Him, leaves me feeling cared for and carried.

Often times our English words are so broad that we can lose their full impact. My cares are my anxieties, worries, concerns, heartaches, turmoil, and burdens. They weigh me down, slow me down, and confine me. They consume my thoughts, deplete my energy, and hold me prisoner. Freedom comes when I realize I can give them over to God because He is attentive to my needs. His care is not one of worry and distress, but rather an affectionate, watchful solicitude. He has thoughtful or hovering attentiveness toward me. Pictures of a mother hen with her chicks or a young mother with an infant come to mind. God’s tenderness astounds me!

It is this truth that will stick with me on days when I feel rejected, abandoned, misunderstood, or unloved. When those who at one time seemed close and caring but now seem distant. When the shoulders that use to be places of refuge have become cold and unavailable. When it feels like the welcome mats to hearts have been pulled in and the door of friendship has slammed shut. When I feel untouchable to the ones who use to embrace me, accept me, and affirm me. In all those times and more, I can now hold to the truth that God Himself hovers over me with tremendous affection, compassion, and fondness. He is always ready to heal my broken heartedness, bandage up my wounded spirit, and release me from all that is troubling my mind.
Tears really can give way to joy as I enter into His rest, His arms, and His compassion. What is given to Him is never rejected. What is spoken to Him is always heard. No one but God can own such acclaim. I not only bow to Him, I hide in Him.

When I fail to see this about God, I so easily view Him as a last resort when I am hurting, worried, or fearful. May I now see Him as my ONLY resort. The One I can run to with confidence.

Father, I am learning to see You with outstretched arms ready to receive my heavy heart and troubled mind. Thank you for such love! Amen.

A Focused Life

For thy loving kindness is before mine eyes: and I have walked in thy truth. Psalm 26:3 (KJV)

What I choose to focus on and walk in makes all the difference in the world to how I will live out my Christian life on a day by day basis. My awareness and acknowledgement of God’s acts of love and kindness are what will keep me from despair when I face the difficulties and disappointments of life. Living my life according to His truth is necessary if I want to live a victorious, confident, and purposeful life. My heart grieves for anyone who is consumed by the dark reality of their life and has believed every lie the enemy has thrown at them.

Today’s verse had to be lived out by such people as David who lived with a threat on his life for years, Joseph who faced rejection and imprisonment, Ruth who faced the death of her husband and famine, Daniel who was given to the lions, the three Hebrew sons who were cast into a fiery furnace, Paul who faced beatings, imprisonment, and persecution, countless Christians who faced (and still face) persecution, torture, and death. No one comes forth as gold unless Psalm 26:3 becomes their mantra on a daily basis.

In order to flesh out this verse I must be willing to see the events, circumstances, and hardships of my life dim in comparison to God’s attentiveness and God’s truth. David said “He daily loads me with benefits.” Am I alert to them? I am told His Word is truth. Am I reading it to find the truth, claim the truth, and walk in the truth? If so, this is what it will look like.

Feelings of rejection will be met with “I will never leave you.” Heartache will be met with “He is the God of all comfort.” Financial difficulties will be met with “My God shall supply all your need.” Guilt will be met with “I have put all your sin behind my back.” There is not a single thing that can happen to me today that God’s Word does not have a response for. His kind acts abound and His truth stands. Whether or not that makes a difference to me is dependent upon what I do with it.

Father, for so long I failed to see Your involvement in my life and I failed to walk in truth. Thank you for giving me a new way to live my Christian life. Thank you for outshining any tragedy and exposing any lie the enemy would seek to use against me today. Amen.

Pin-pointing My Need for Change

For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy. II Timothy 3:2

God’s lists are always interesting to read. If I ask Him, He will reveal to me the specific item in a list that I need to see within myself. While this particular list holds a number of such revelations, one in particular stands out to me this morning. Unthankfulness! How many of my attitudes, actions, and words can be traced to this culprit? I need look no farther than the very things I find myself grumbling and complaining about. My mother often told me that it is only possible to think of one thing at a time. She was right! I can focus on the things with which I am dissatisfied, unhappy, uncomfortable, and angry. Or I can set my mind on the many benefits and gifts God has bestowed upon me daily.

I look back at the children of Israel and am struck by the number of times they gave in to murmuring and complaining. It was not pretty or acceptable to God then and it is not pretty or acceptable to God now. While we are certainly encouraged to bring our sorrows, pain, and misery to Him, we are never given permission to allow it to govern our thinking, consume our lives, or become our predominate characteristic. It is not so much an area of circumstances or personality. It is a choosing of whether or not I will walk in obedience and cooperation with God.

So what is it that breeds and feeds this spirit of unthankfulness? Playing the comparison game. Comparing what others have to what I have or don’t have. Determining what it is I think I should have in this life…..living with an air of entitlement. Amnesia to all the things God has graciously given me and done for me. Pride, self-absorption, idolatry, and insecurities.

I could look at these thoughts and very easily be tempted to start a cycle of condemnation and self loathing. But the foundational truth I continue to hold on to is that God reveals inner truths to me in order to show me the places in me that need His touch. It is like He is saying, “Here’s the problem. Now come to me for the healing, the restoring, the transforming.” If I take Him up on His offer I will walk in freedom and wholeness. If I refuse His offer I will own shame, weakness, and defeat.

Father, thank you for an offer that is too good to pass up. Change me. Amen.

When the Words Were Spoken to Me

And he took the damsel by the hand, and said unto her, Tal-i-tha cumi; which is, being interpreted, Damsel, I say unto thee, arise. And straightway the damsel arose, and walked. Mark 5:41,42 (KJV)

This is one of the few instances in Scripture where Jesus is called upon to heal a sick person but does not arrive until after the person has died. The people who hoped to see a healing saw a resurrection instead! They could surely attest to the fact that God’s ways were higher than their ways. While there was ’hope’ when the loved one lay sick, impossibility marked their situation at the point of death. They thought this was the instance that placed them outside of God’s ability to intervene. Once again they were witness to the fact that with God nothing is impossible.

I have come to realize that God is still intent on doing the impossible. He loves to do the very things we consider impossible and hopeless. He is still in the business of taking each one of us by the hand and whispering ‘arise’ to us. The word arise is rich with meaning. In the original language it means to waken; rouse from sleep, sitting or lying, from disease, from death, from obscurity, inactivity, ruin, non-existence. To awake, lift up, rear up, stand, take up. In Bible times it was spoken to the crippled, paralyzed, and dead. It was a life changing, destiny altering word that empowered an individual to do what was considered unlikely or impossible.

Hopefully, each of us can look back at a time when Jesus said “Tal-i-tha cumi” to us. The first time would have been at salvation when we went from being spiritually dead to spiritually alive! It was from that point that we walked away in newness of life. I still recount with joy the day it happened for me on July 13, 1973. I sensed the shift internally and knew my life had forever been changed.

Some thirty years later in February of 2004 He once again took me by the hand and said the equivalent of “Tal-i-tha cumi.” Not for salvation but for an invitation to walk away from legalism, emptiness, and distorted views of Himself. Once more I sensed that internal shift that let me know my life would never be the same.

There have continued to be times of when He has spoken that phrase to me in times of turmoil, distress, heartache, and pain. Each time I receive His words I am astounded at the ability to walk anew!

Father, thank you for such tenderness and healing. Amen.

Overflowing Satisfaction

For he satisfieth the longing soul, and filleth the hungry soul with goodness. Psalm 107:9 (KJV)

If I were to put this verse into my own words it might sound something like this…. He fills to satisfaction, completeness, and abundance, the soul that has a veracious appetite, and fills to overflowing and replenishment, the famished soul with bountiful favour and the best things. This is the picture God wants us to have when He says He ‘will meet all our needs according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.’ And when He says, ‘Come unto Me….and I will give.” It shows me the extravagance and lavishness of God’s generosity!

In this world, our souls yearn, crave, and ache for those things we want to be, do, experience, and possess. We either give up hope of ever having the longings fulfilled or we pursue them with a passion. Watch what a person invests their time, energy, and interests in and you will begin to see what it is they are longing for.

There are times when I think the only way to deal with the longings and hunger of my soul is to deny their existence or look for superficial ways to pacify them. I do not want to feel the ache that seems to be a continual part of my internal world. But God is letting me know the longings and hunger are there in order to draw me to Him. He wants me to take in the words of Psalm 145:16 that say He opens His hand and satisfies the desire of every living thing. He wants me to see His willingness and readiness to indulge and pamper my soul.

My response? I can either continue to chase after the things and people that I think will fill my emptiness or I can begin to approach God’s open hands and heart. I can either be allured by relationships, accomplishments, or experiences, or I can be captivated by His invitation for an intimate connection whereby I bring my deepest desires and needs to Him and become a recipient of His filling. What a contrast! How could I ever think those choices stand as equals? Who but God could make such an extravagant offer and be able to actually do it?

Father, use the ache in me like a magnet to draw me to Yourself. Let me finally know what it is like to live satisfied and filled to overflowing. Teach me to come to You and receive from You all that You so graciously offer! Amen.

Poised to See a Fall

And ye shall chase your enemies, and they shall fall before you by the sword. Leviticus 26:7 (KJV)

It is so easy to live the Christian life with a victim mentality. The abundant life Jesus promised seems to be meant for others. If left unchecked, ones thoughts can easily lead to discouragement, hopelessness, and frustration. So many live out their days with clouds of doom, guilt, bitterness, restlessness…..anything but peace, joy, and delight. Feeling more like targets than warriors God’s children can spend more time ducking the blows than fighting the enemies. Today’s verse not only gives me hope but a strategic battle plan.

It speaks of confrontation and ultimate defeat! Leviticus is full of God’s call of obedience to Him and cooperation with Him. When His principles are applied, His Word obeyed, His commands followed, and His will chosen, it puts us in a poised position to chase our enemies and see them fall. I must note what it is that actually brings the enemies down. It is the sword! For believers, we know the sword to be the Word of God. How well are we actually wielding our sword? How often are we experiencing the exhilaration of seeing our enemies fall?

Without question our greatest enemy is Satan himself. He is bent on not just making our life uncomfortable but has every intent of total destruction. He knows us well and has hand selected the tools he will use to attack us. His choice may have to do with the people in our life, our circumstances, our health, our strongholds, our weaknesses…the list is endless. He will even go so far as to customize temptations that seem to fit our needs. But we are not helpless or defenseless to this.

It is time we watch the enemy fall (be it the world, the flesh, or the devil) by appropriating God’s Word to each situation. This is done when we obey it but it is also done as we speak the truths of Scripture out loud. In order to do that we must be in the Word daily. That is how God helps us build an arsenal of verses to come out fighting with. Yesterday, for me, it was standing on the verse that says God inhabits the praises of His people. When discouraging thoughts began to consume me I fought back with simple praise to Him. As I spoke the praise the enemy of discouragement fell! God and I both danced in delight!

Father, I praise You for the enemies that will fall today! Amen.

Hearing His Voice In Scripture

The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want. Psalm 23:1 (NIV)

There are four ways to read Psalm 23. I can speak the truth of it to others. I can direct the message of it toward myself. I can lift it up as a prayer to the very One it speaks of. Or I can listen as God Himself reads it to me. Each way has a profound affect on me, but the last two are the most powerful for me today. I have already done both of them and realize a whole new approach to Scripture.

Three years ago my desire was to see God’s heart in His Word. Now my desire it that I would live in His Word as I allow it to live in me. I don’t want to read it as an observer. I want to read it as a participant. I don’t want to just see the power of His words but I also want to see the practicality of them. I want to own them, embrace them, wrap myself in them, and allow them to define me, my life, and my walk with God. I want the Psalms to become my personal journal. To see God like David saw Him. To experience the reality of a vital relationship with Him. I want to put the word ‘because’ in front of this Psalm 23. Because the Lord is my Shepherd all these other things are true!

Since God requires truth in the inward parts, He is right now probing my heart. Where do His words fail to live in me? Which phrase am I not experiencing today? Which of His many words seem to mock me? What is still not moving from my head to my heart? What has still not sunk in? If the Lord is my Shepherd (and He is) then His intent is that Psalm 23 becomes the blessing He speaks over my life.

May I find moments today to close my eyes and listen as He reads His words back to me! For when I sense that He is saying them directly to me, they will become a part of me. I will own them and revel in their truth.

They are meant for me and they are meant for you, dear one. Each of us longs to hear them and He longs to say them to us. May His Words no longer just be ink on pages. May they be spoken to us in refreshing, new ways.

Father, I am moved by Your approach to me this morning. Take me from simply reading Your Word to actually inhaling it! Continue to change my desires and heart cries. I do not want to miss a thing! Amen.

Wrong Focus

Who am I, that I should go unto Pharaoh, and that I should bring forth the children of Israel out of Egypt? Exodus 3:11 (KJV)

I find it interesting that Moses’ questions and doubts to God’s call on his life all center around his view of himself. He questions his own identity and significance. His words are spoken with a tone of regret, resignation, and impossibility. He somehow struggles to feel qualified due to murder in his past and 40 years of ‘backside of the desert’ dwelling. He cannot see himself as a deliverer much less as a leader. If left to himself, his answer to the question of “who am I” becomes “I am an undeserving nobody.”

Not only does he struggle with his identity, but he questions whether or not people will accept God’s call on his life. He wonders if they will be convinced God really sent him. Will they listen to him and follow him? Will they raise objections that he cannot answer? His perception of what ‘might’ happen intimidates him.

As if those two giants of reasoning are not enough, Moses adds yet another hindrance to his ability to accept God’s call and move forward with boldness. His personal limitations. God’s call required proficiency in speech and that was not one of his strengths. Inferiority leaves him with a sense that he could never be successful at the very thing God has chosen for him.

Identity, intimidation, and inferiority is what became his focus and thus he himself became his own obstacle to overcome. Each one can be crippling in themselves and overwhelming when combined together. God’s answer? “I have chosen you, I have gifted you, and I control the outcome of the very things I will lead you into. It all rests on My shoulders. Cooperate with Me, trust Me, and be available to Me. You are My choice for this venture and I will not fail you.”

It is imperative that I allow God to speak the same things to my heart. He longs for me to take the focus off myself and what I perceive I am able or unable to do for Him, and see Him as the God of the impossible. My Christian life must be such that I trust Him, follow His step by step instructions, and agree with Him along the way. Identity is found in Him. Intimidation and inferiority must bow to His presence and power.

Father, like Moses, I have often had the wrong focus. Help me to see You, hear You, believe You, and follow You with abandon. Amen.

Voicing the Questions

And when the LORD saw that he turned aside to see, God called unto him out of the midst of the bush, and said, Moses, Moses. And he said, Here am I. Exodus 3:4 (KJV)

This verse gives way to one of the most intriguing exchange of words found in Scripture. Moses’ questions reveal a lot about his thoughts, heart, and view of life. God’s answers reveal a lot about His person, presence, and power. I am struck by the candidness, honesty, and transparency of a man struggling to realize God actually has a call on his life and a desire to use him. While his dream of helping his people died long ago and he settled into what he thought he would end up doing with the rest of his life, God is intent on showing Moses that He has not forgotten him, given up on him, or abandoned him. He has simply spent the first 80 years of his life preparing him for a destiny of great proportion. I listen in as Moses questions his identity, exposes his fears, focuses on his limitations, and tries to convince God that He is choosing the wrong person to display His glory, fulfill His dreams, and carry out His plan.

How often I have believed the lies of the enemy and lost hope in ever having a realization of God’s purpose and involvement in my own life. Moses’ questions give voice to my own internal battles. His words somehow give me the courage to look deep within myself and begin to admit the things that hinder me from embracing the truth that God really does have something for me to do in His kingdom work. They reveal to me where I stand in doubt, fear, suspicion, and resignation. But that is only half of the story.

God’s responses are meant to fill me with hope, realign my belief with His Word, and give me the ability to join Him in all that He purposed for me before the foundations of the world. They are meant to free me from feelings of insignificance, thoughts of unworthiness, and attention on impossibilities.

I invite you to join me as I dig deeper into this conversation between God and Moses that was meant for our ears as well. It was meant to quiet our fears, strengthen our resolve, and renew our hope that God has not yet written the last chapter of our life in Him.

Father, I join Moses in his quest to get his questions answered by You. I am finally prepared to hear answers that will astound me. Amen.

Expressing a Need

Then saith he unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death; tarry ye here, and watch with me. Matthew 26:38 (KJV)

I am trying to recall times in Scripture when Jesus voiced a need to others. Asking the Samaritan woman for a drink of water at a well was one rare example. Usually it was Jesus listening to, observing, and meeting the needs of the multitudes. Many were the times He slipped off into solitude with His heavenly Father while others slept. We do not read of times where He sought the companionship and ears of friends. Even He said He had not come to be served but to serve. Occasionally we read of people ministering to Him in profound ways. But I am struck by the rarity that Jesus ever made His personal needs known.

What a contrast I find in Matthew 26:38. Overwhelmed with sorrow and deeply grieved He requests the company and understanding sympathy of three disciples….His closest inner circle of friends. He was asking them to invest themselves in His life by entering into His personal suffering. He longed for them to accompany Him as He entered His valley of death. Yet He knew that even as He voiced His need, they would soon give way to sleep. Grief is made even more profound when loneliness is added to it.

How we ache for someone to walk with us through the difficulties of life. We want their attention, empathy, understanding, support, presence, and shoulder. We want to feel their arm around us and to hear their words of comfort and assurance. We draw a certain amount of strength because they walk beside us. I have known such individuals and I thank God for each one of them. I also know the heartache when individuals were unable or unwilling to provide me with such gifts. I just as quickly recall giving or withholding the things others needed from me.

The longer I am on this journey with God, the more I realize He is the One to whom I must look to “tarry and watch” with me. As a matter of fact, it has been His desire all along. For He alone knows the depth of my particular sorrow and He alone is fully able to enter into that sorrow with me. My expressed need will never be met with disinterest, distraction, or sleep. What He sought from His disciples in the garden is what He graciously offers to me.

Father, I marvel that You meet my heartache and sorrow with such compassion, warmth, and availability. May I be like You. Amen.

The Mindset of a Pretender

Then Judas, which betrayed him, answered and said, Master, is it I? He said unto him, Thou hast said. Matthew 26:26 (KJV)

I read Judas’ question to Jesus and I am struck by the blatant mode of “masking” he is living. Judas is asking this question AFTER he has already visited the chief priests (Jesus’ greatest human rivals), offered to help them capture him, agreed to a price of thirty pieces of silver, and began looking for an opportunity to carry out the betrayal. Everything has been set in motion for the most heartless, devious betrayal of all time. Judas knows what he is doing and still voices a question to the very One he is betraying and the very One who knows he is doing it. What I am asking myself is “why?” Why is Judas asking a question he already knows the answer to?

Could it be he wants to know if Jesus is aware of his thoughts, actions, and secrets? Or could it be he wants to continue his masquerade within the company of the other disciples? Jesus could not be fooled. He saw right through the hidden agendas, false motives, and hypocrisy of the religious leaders of His day. And He saw right through Judas. As God, He was present when Judas met with the chief priests and He was aware of his search for the right moment of betrayal. Nothing escapes His knowledge, awareness, or eye.

So it is the second possibility that has my attention this morning. While Jesus cannot be fooled, people are another story. Judas would continue to embrace his self-deception with his desire to keep the truth hidden from the people in his life. He was pretty good at it too, because his closest friends never realized the truth about him until his kiss of betrayal took place in the garden. He indeed had them all fooled until the very end.

I wonder how many Christians will live with a Judas mentality today? While they realize God is not being fooled, they continue playing a game of pretend to their family, friends, co-workers, and congregation. They derive some sense of safety and satisfaction that no one knows what they are really like. Addictions, strongholds, and sins have remained hidden behind masks of worship, service, and good outward behavior. God is calling them to a life of authenticity and will help them find it, but they are resisting. Oh, that they would not play their game until the end. How tragic that would be!

Father, it is sobering to think one could live with such a mindset. May I be honest with You, others, and myself each day. Cloak me in truth. Amen.

Ears to Hear

He that hath ears to hear, let him hear. Luke 14:35 (KJV)

While here on earth, Jesus spoke many things to many people, but He knew not everyone would take in His words. He referenced this when He used the phrase “ears to hear.” He was not talking about the ability to hear sound. Anyone within the range of His voice could master that. What He was referring to had more to do with comprehending, acknowledging, embracing, and understanding what He was saying. Some would hear what He had to say and walk away unmoved and unchanged. Others would be a captive audience to Him and walk away forever changed. It would show up in their words, actions, and thoughts later on. The fruit would be evident.

Many people will sit in church tomorrow and there will be a variety of ear types. They will sit within hearing range of a minister’s voice but all will not really hear what he is saying much less what God is saying through Him. Distractions may abound in their head and the message will become a muffled sound to their ears. Some will not have the ability to take in the truths of what is being said because they have never had a spiritual opening of their ears by the Holy Spirit. They have never trusted Christ as their Savior and therefore remain spiritually deaf. Some will have issues with their pastor and refuse to believe God would ever have anything to say through him. Some will have such a distorted view of God that they long ago gave up hope that He would have anything to say to them directly. Some, through boredom, rebellion, or pride, stopped listening all together. Each lacks the ears to hear. They will walk away having not listened to or learned what God was so anxious to tell them.

Then there are those who will attend church tomorrow with ears anxious to hear God’s voice to them, because it is a daily practice for them already. Each time they open His Word, read a book, listen to a speaker, or hear a song, they ask God to speak to them through it. Their heart cry becomes, “Give me ears to hear you, Lord!” They are attentive and attuned to what He wants to tell them. The conversations are powerful, personal, and profound. Each of us have the opportunity to possess ears to hear. We must simply ask for them and then start listening!

Father, my ears need a touch from You each day. I want ears to hear and a heart that is receptive to all that You desire to tell me. May my face light up every time I know it is Your voice I am hearing. Amen.

The Point of Entry

Enter thou into the joy of thy lord. Matthew 25:21b (KJV)

I am learning to hear God’s invitations to me. They are inclusive, extravagant, and lavish. I use to miss them when the words of God never seemed to leave the pages of Scripture and enter my heart. How easy it was to read this verse from Matthew and think it was only meant for the ears of the faithful servants who showed good stewardship. The invitation was for them, the joy was for them, and the closeness was for them. I did not know how to approach Scripture as anything other than an outsider. I was an observer rather than a participant. The words had no meaning for me. My lack of connection to the Bible was due to my not having an intimate connection with its Author. As my daily relationship with God changed it affected my approach to His Word.

Was I saved? Absolutely. But my spiritual life was limited to my interactions with people rather than with my heavenly Father. Rather than going to Him directly I looked to people to tell me about Him. Mine was a faith that was mostly built on the opinions and experiences of others. I couldn’t seem to hear what He wanted to tell me directly. There is no joy in that kind of Christianity. It becomes a life of neediness and continual searching.

But oh the joy that comes when props are kicked out from under you, securities are removed, and you find yourself alone with God. Entering into His joy is an invitation to join Him. Partner with Him. It is no longer being satisfied to let others nourish you by feeding off their plates. Instead it is learning to meet with Him one on one. It involves trust, obedience, submission, and conformity. It is a oneness that cannot be fully described.

Entering in means closeness and drawing near. It means participating in the same activities. Laying aside my own agendas in favor of God’s agendas. It means aligning my passions with His. Each morning the invitation is given anew and I must choose whether or not I will accept it. May I see the delight in His eyes and hear the love in His voice as He once again asks, “Will you join Me?”

Father, thank you for opening my ears so I could finally hear Your voice. I do not know what You have planned for today but I choose to join You for whatever that would be. I am ready to share in Your happiness. Amen.

Necessary Awareness

Jesus knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he was come from God, and went to God. John 13:3 (KJV)

I have recently watched a couple episodes of American Idol. One thing stands out to me above all other things with that show. It is the misdirected trust the contestants place in the hands of the judges. They not only come with their dreams to succeed, they build their identity, worth, and value on what those judges think of them.

I ache for them because they remind me of myself and all the times I have looked to people to tell me who I was and what I was worth. Their opinion of me became the determining factor of how I viewed myself. I had yet to learn what Jesus knew! His total identity was found in the relationship He had with His Father. He knew that every thing in His life passed from His Father’s hands to His hands…..the joys as well as the sorrows. He knew where He came from and where He was going. Nothing in this life could take away or add to what He knew to be true.

I have found there is only one way for God to instill that kind of knowledge in me. It is in drawing me aside in solitude with Himself. He has spent the last year removing anything or anyone from my life that would hinder me from knowing Him and hence knowing who I really am. He knew what I was clinging to for security, identity, assurance, significance, and belonging. As He would purposefully pry each idol from my closed hands I responded with tears, fear, and dejection. I did not understand why He was doing what He was doing….until now. His ways seemed harsh and unloving at the time. But I have finally come to realize His desire all along was to get me to look to Him, know Him, and embrace Him. That is not possible if anything else stands in the way, has my attention, or holds my heart. He was simply clearing the way so we could finally be together.

I am still in a wilderness place with Him but I am beginning to see signs of life, evidence of growth, and the reality of His presence. My tears are being replaced with joy, my fears are being replaced with confidence, and my loneliness is being replaced with His companionship.

Father, You give and You take away in love. Continue to remove any thing from my life that distracts me from knowing You. I open my hands to release any thing or any one I am holding on to in place of You. Amen.

The Power of Conjunctions

Many a time have they afflicted me from my youth; yet they have not prevailed against me. Psalm 129:2 (KJV)

David had a right take on life. He knew how to state the problem as well as stand on the promise! He was not one who feared to acknowledge the truth of his external circumstances or the internal battle of emotions, but that was not his final statement. He was a man of conjunctions! The “yet” of this verse lets the reader know the previous phrase is not the end of the story. It is like saying, “Even though THIS is happening to me it will not do me in.” May I too look for God’s conjunctions in my life.

Afflicted is an interesting word. It comes from the same Hebrew word that means cramp, besiege, bind up, oppress, shut up, trouble, and vex. It is the actions of an enemy who is intent on destroying you. For some that would be the people in their life, the circumstances of their life, or the thoughts that rage within them. But what I must daily realize is that those are merely the tools the enemy of my soul is using against me. He will take anything within reach and present it to me with his own twisted interpretation. He is a master at misrepresentations and false advertisements. He is out to slander God, me, and the people in my life. He will stop at nothing to get me to believe lies, live in defeat, and retreat in hopelessness and tears.

But I have the assurance of God’s Word that he will not prevail. In order to have the victory he must be stronger, predominate, and superior. One need only look at the New Testament twin verse to see that is not the case. For I John 4:4 becomes the battle cry of every believer as it proclaims, “Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them; because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.”

Last night my thoughts became dark and I could sense myself slipping into an all too familiar pit of despair. The enemy was delighted as long as I curled up with my own thoughts and his lies. But he quickly retreated when I began to proclaim the truth found in God’s Word. All it took was a reminder that he will not prevail.

Father, help me to be more aware of where the thoughts are coming from and who the real enemy is! I cannot afford to listen to him or interpret life through his grid of lies. You are Truth and I trust You alone to define me and interpret the circumstances of my life. Amen.

Given to be Given Away

And Jesus took the loaves; and when he had given thanks, he distributed to the disciples, and the disciples to them that were set down; and likewise of the fishes as much as they would. John 6:11 KJV

The kingdom principles that Jesus taught and demonstrated in Bible times are also meant for us today. Our God is unchangeable and so is His ability to work in amazing ways. As I read this verse this morning the theme that literally jumped off the page to me was, “Give away what is given to you. Share with others what I share with you. I still multiply the things that are not hoarded for oneself.”

The disciples saw this truth displayed in a powerful way when Jesus gave them the opportunity to distribute lunch to 5,000 men. The few elements of a small boy’s lunch became a feast of great proportion with leftovers that far exceeded what they even started out with. Their wonderment of how so little could go so far was soon replaced with amazement and evident sufficiency. What could have been kept by a little boy, by Jesus, or even by the disciples was given out and multiplied miraculously.

So what insight can I take with me and apply to my own life?

*God has plans for whatever is placed in His hands.
*Multiplication is the result of giving away what He graciously gives to me.
*Others will benefit from what is passed on to them.
*Hoarding actually causes me to miss out on God’s intended purposes.
*There is no better way to live than to leave the results with God.
*Partnership with God is the doorway to any miracle.

While there are many things I am privileged to receive from my Father and then pass on to others, I have found great joy in seeing this principle work each morning as I send out an email devotional. What started out as private journal notes written on paper eventually became something I desired to share with others. A little over one hundred individuals now become the recipients of what God first shares with me in the quiet morning hours. Some have let me know they forward the devotionals on to others. That touches my heart because I then become a witness of God’s multiplication principle. Indeed it is alive and well today!

Father, Your ways never fail to amaze me. The fact that You allow me to be a distributor of Your truths leaves me in awe. I gladly join You! Amen.

Daily Directives

Then the disciples went and did as Jesus had directed them. Matthew 21:6 Amplified Bible

A couple of years ago, I took a trip from Indianapolis, Indiana, to Athens, Georgia. I printed off directions from MapQuest and got an early start! I knew where I was going and even had the printed instructions for how to get there, but I misread them and ended up adding many miles and hours to my trip! Later on, I discovered what I had done wrong and the trip back was shorter and faster. That error turned into a lesson of great value in how to read and follow MapQuest directions.

Fleshing out Matthew 21:6 took longer for me to learn. I had become adapt at following the directions of individuals and churches but I floundered to hear Jesus’ instructions to me. I was unsure of His voice, intentions, and desires. The thought that Jesus wanted to be personally involved in my every day life was foreign to me. I did not know how to go to Him for answers, directions, instructions, help, comfort, or wisdom. Not only was I uncomfortable talking to Him, I was unsure of how to listen to Him. “The Lord told me” was not a part of my vocabulary. The relationship I had with Him was strained, uncomfortable, and shaky much of the time.

I now read of the disciples going and doing what Jesus commanded them and the words seem more familiar to me. Their relationship with Jesus was such that they knew when He was talking to them, what He was saying to them, and what it was they were suppose to do. Their obedience was in response to His voice. There was no second guessing, no confusion, and no need to consult with others.

I want their confident obedience to be what marks my daily life. I want to be aware of His directions to me personally. Whether it has to do with my words, actions, thoughts, or motives, I want to hear His instructions and follow them with abandon. And that is possible because now I know His words to me are built on a foundation of love, mercy, and grace, I also have the assurance that His Spirit will give me the ability to carry out His commands. It is a matter of uniting my heart, mind, will, and emotions with His. When that happens, then Matthew 21:6 becomes a reality for me rather than just a description of someone else’s life.

Father, may hearing Your voice and obeying Your commands be my daily experience of knowing You. Amen.