Where to Take the Impossible

Now Isaac pleaded with the LORD for his wife, because she was barren; and the LORD granted his plea, and Rebekah his wife conceived. Genesis 25:21 (New King James Version)

I have not faced the heartache of infertility but I have known some who have. The longing to have children and not be able to conceive can be excruciating for a couple going through it. They have no way of knowing if this will be a permanent situation for them or if eventually they will experience the joy of pregnancy and giving birth. It is a time when their longing is matched only by the fear of that longing not being fulfilled.

For Isaac and Rebekah, this uncertainty marked their first two decades as husband and wife. It was not a matter of simply giving it time. It was a matter of Rebekah being physically incapable of bearing a child. I cannot begin to imagine her sorrow during a time when a woman’s inability to conceive a child was viewed with such a social stigma. The impossibility of her situation made the sorrow all the deeper.

It was within this context that Isaac prayed to God on behalf of his wife…pleaded with God. Surely he recalled the account of God intervening for his mother when she was beyond the age of childbearing. His own conception came into the realm of what was physically impossible. Perhaps it was that piece of personal history that gave him the initiative, motivation, and confidence to pray for God to intervene once again. Isaac prayed, God granted his request, and Rebekah conceived. Impossibility is always the backdrop of every miracle and God Himself is the source of every miracle.

This is a biblical account that encourages my faith. Why? Because I know that I will face impossibilities from time to time and this reminds me where to take those impossibilities. Will God grant every request I bring to Him? No, but anytime He doesn’t will be met with grace and a fresh awareness that His ways and thoughts are higher than my own. His character is such that He always acts out of love and always does what is best for me. He knows my desires and needs in this life. I am free to bring those to Him and free to accept His answers to my prayers. Will God grant some of my requests? Absolutely! I have experienced such answers in the realm of finances, heart changes, job seeking, and various other arenas. Most recently I am witnessing His ability to shift my dependency off people and on to Himself. In my book THAT is something only He can do and impossible without Him.

Father, the examples of faith-walks in Scripture are numerous and lessons abound. Help me to live out of the truth of each. Amen.

What Faith Can Do - Kutless
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kQp75TsnpSA

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

God's Time Table

Noah was 600 years old when the flood of waters came upon the earth or land. Genesis 7:6 (Amplified Bible)

It is easy to read Scripture and forget the span of time that takes place from verse to verse or chapter to chapter. Whole lifetimes can be covered with just a sentence. One of the reasons we have stated ages in the Bible is to better understand the time frame that underscores the events. When we see that things did not usually happen instantaneously but rather over decades or even centuries of time in the days of Bible characters, we are better equipped to understand the possible years involved for the unfolding of God’s plan for us. It causes us to refocus our attention on God’s time table instead of our own.

From the time that Noah was told to build an ark for safety against a coming flood and the actual occurrence of the flood, 100 years had elapsed. While it would have been easy to grow discouraged and maybe even abandon the task, he stayed strong in his hope and his work. He did not let the slowness of the pace deter, distract, or disturb him. Trust involves walking by faith, living in God’s strength, and allowing Him to set the velocity of the steps.

There are numerous things I would like to see happen in my life. Spiritual growth and a deepened awareness of who God is, sit at the top of the list! But I know that two factors play into the progress on this journey….God’s predetermined time table and my willingness to cooperate. My desire is that I am farther along by this time next year but God Himself knows the actual distance that will be covered.

I also desire doors of opportunity to open and to be more confident and settled in my role within His kingdom work. Up to this point I feel that much of what He is doing in me is preparatory. Will this be a continued year of the same, or will I see His plan and purpose unfold and take place? I do not know but I know this….it continues to be according to His time table. It is imperative that I follow Noah’s example and stay strong in my hope and what God would have me do presently.

May I realize afresh that the process and progress of discovering God’s call on my life takes time and may I be in no more of a rush than the Designer of that call.

Father, Your time table takes precedence over my own…I yield. 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.

Taking Matters Into Our Own Hands

Now there was a famine in the land; and Abram went down into Egypt to live temporarily, for the famine in the land was oppressive (intense and grievous). Genesis 12:10 (Amplified Bible)

What happens when we face shortages in our life? How do we go about getting our needs met and hearts satisfied? Each of us travels this life once and find within our journey our own times of famine. It may be a shortage of material things, friendships, health, opportunities, spiritual growth, or any number of things. It is in times of deprivation that we come to realize our true source and on whom we are depending.

I find it interesting that Genesis 12 shows Abram in obedience and worship until the famine hits. He obediently follows God’s command to leave his home and make his way to a land of promise. On at least two occasions he builds altars to the God who appeared to Him and he calls upon Him. The very things he did at the onset of his journey should have been his practice when the shortage hit. But instead, Abram came up with his own plan. He went his own direction. Egypt became his destination and lying became his form of protection. What I find missing in all of this was asking God what he should do and relying on God to be His shield of safety. After all, since God was the One who told him to go on this journey, wouldn’t God be the One to direct his steps along the way?

How easy it is to dissect our life into parts that include God and parts that exclude God. But that is not the way God desires for us to live. He wants us to learn from the mistakes of our Bible ancestors. Seeing where they went wrong should serve as a teacher to each of us. As we read an account in Scripture we should take note of when a person is acting out of pride, independence, anger, fear, or defiance and watch for the painful consequences to follow. How did their actions affect the people around them, what discomforts did they bring upon themselves, and what ultimate price did they end up paying?

Those are the things I want to avoid. And the only way to do that is by running my decisions, agendas, and ideas past our all wise and all knowing God. He has direction for me on this journey. He has not left me to fend for myself or take matters into my own hands.

Father, may I learn to turn to You more and more. You are all knowing and all wise…I am not. Be my instructor and guide for life. Amen.

You Are God Alone - Phillips, Craig, & Dean
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9xPzTSpbYmk

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

Seeing What God Intended

As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good in order to bring about this present result, to preserve many people alive. Genesis 50:20 (New American Standard Bible)

Joseph’s ability to forgive lay in his acceptance and belief of God’s sovereignty. While what his brothers did to him was wrong, God’s purposes were right. Joseph had no trouble acknowledging the truth of his brother’s actions but it was done with the backdrop of God’s actions. He was one who experienced the words of Jeremiah 29:11 even before they were written. “For I know the thoughts and plans that I have for you, says the Lord, thoughts and plans for welfare and peace and not for evil, to give you hope in your final outcome.” Somewhere in the course of 13 years of separation from his family and enslavement and imprisonment in Egypt, Joseph learned that God’s plans and purposes outshine and outweigh those of others. Their actions fade in comparison to His own.

I have tried to think of a time in my life when someone actually meant evil against me. Someone who intended to do me harm for their own pleasure and satisfaction. Nothing is really coming to mind. But that is not to say that the actions of others have not caused me discomfort, pain, sorrow, and anguish. Some have even left me with the thought that I would never recover from the heartache. Yet, it was the realization of God’s involvement in my life that brought about the comfort and healing that I needed. The God who promised to work all things out for good, Who stated that His thoughts and plans were higher than my own, and the One who spoke of my welfare, peace, and a hopeful end, is the One who writes the true version of my life story.

Joseph could have taken a victim mentality and harbored much bitterness but he didn’t. I, too, can think of myself as a victim and hold on to bitterness, but I know I had better not. In essence, if I did, I would be living a lie because that is not God’s view. That which happens to me is for my good (always) and that which takes place in my life is the material God uses to bring about good (always). If for no other reason than to get my attention and focus back on Him, He is loving enough to allow things to happen.

I rest in the fact that the only hands I am in are God’s hands. He has laid claim to my life and promises to shield, shepherd, and sustain me. No circumstance takes place that has not already passed through Him. He sees it all and He uses it all. May I continue to learn to proclaim, “But God meant it for good” over every situation of every day.

Father, Your ways are past figuring out. You know the beginning from the ending and I trust You to bring about Your end to my story. Thank you that what has hurt me the most is within the realm of Your good intentions for me. Amen.

Rest In Me - Todd Vaters
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1s4z_HQpL-I&feature=related

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

With All That I Have

So ISRAEL made his journey with all that he had and came to Beersheba [a place hallowed by sacred memories] and offered sacrifices to the God of his father Isaac. Genesis 46:1 (Amplified Bible)

Israel (Jacob) made his journey with all that he had. Not just his family, but also his possessions, his experiences, his memories, his character, his calling, his relationship with God, and his internal world. The baggage he carried contained both positive and negative items and aspects. It carried 130 years of living that was filled with success as well as failure. Excitement as well as disappointment. Gain as well as loss.

We are no different. Each day, each journey, each step we take we take with all that we have and hold on to. Some of it is worth keeping and some of it needs to be discarded once and for all. Some will act as sinkers in the sea of life and some will act as life preservers. Some will slow down our progress and some will enhance it.

There are times when I need to have a Beersheba moment and offer some sacrifices to God. I am to be a living sacrifice and yet at the same time I need to make some sacrifices and put some things to death. I need to allow some mindsets to die. I need to determine to let some desires die. I need to recognize and destroy some idols of the heart. I need to let go of anything that is not of God or for my good.

I also need to hold tighter to the gems of wisdom I have come to possess. I need to embrace the friendships that God has graciously given to me at this time in my life. I need to take stock of my strengths and weaknesses which are both usable by the Lord of my life. I need to treasure His Word that has found a home in my heart. I need to take the tools for living that I have learned and make them a part of my decision making process.

What my journey looks like and how far I get on that journey today will be dependent upon what I continue to take with me. Hopefully, today I will add some things and discard some things. With God’s help I will do it well.

Father, I look to You for wisdom and discernment on this journey You have called me to and equipped me for. Let me see the direction You would have me go and help me to follow You with abandon. Amen.

Be Still - Derri Daugherty
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I4UCMt_5mGM

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

Two Hearts in the Hands of God

Jacob said, No, please, if now I have found favor in your sight, then take my present from my hand, for I see your face as one sees the face of God, and you have received me favorably. Genesis 33:10 (New American Standard Bible)

Jacob’s reunion with his brother, Esau, is the Old Testament equivalent of the New Testament story of the Prodigal son. Unexpected favor. Unexpected acceptance. Unexpected change. Astounding picture of the heart of God! It follows a time of Jacob wrestling with his own fears, perceptions, and limited knowledge. After 20 years of separation from his family, Jacob feared meeting up with his brother again and understandably so. He had not left him on the best of terms. Hatred and a desire to see him dead were Esau’s attitudes. Yet, the reception Jacob got was far from what he hoped for or even dared to dream. He expected the worst but Esau “ran to meet him, and embraced him and fell on his neck and kissed him, and they wept.” Apparently, in the midst of Jacob’s thoughts he never entertained the thought that God was working on Esau as much as He had been working on him.

Do you have an Esau in your life? Someone you fear coming face to face with because of the way things were the last time you saw them? You live with a certainty that all has been lost and remains irreplaceable and irreparable. You can’t imagine a favorable reception like the one described between these two brothers. It is beyond your realm of thinking.

If so, I want to encourage you to do what God is leading me to do with my Esau person, and that is to believe Him for change. Believe that all the while He has been working on me, He has been working on the other person. As I have been changing, she has been changing. Believe that God is right now continuing to make all things new. Believe that if there ever is a reunion in this life, preparation is being made for that reunion. It is a looking forward with anticipation rather than holding on to the past. It is basing my thoughts and feelings on what God is doing rather than on how things were at one time.

I don’t want to spend another day with fear, dread, or hopelessness. Instead, I want to rejoice in the fact that God’s ways are higher than my own and His thoughts are too. Jacob’s reunion experience has become my new perspective as I enter a time of trusting God to do what He has been doing all along in both our lives. His ways are the epitome of multi-tasking!

Father, my thoughts are lining up with You today. What a joy to know that NONE of us are who we use to be. I needed this assurance and choose to embrace it. Amen.

God Will Make a Way - Janet Paschal
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VAz7K72a8ks

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

The Length and Depth of Grief

And when the days of his weeping and deep grief were past. Genesis 50:4a Amplified Bible

In the past I have witnessed vast proportions of grief in the lives of dear friends. Loss of parents, loss of pregnancies, loss of children, loss of relationships, loss of jobs, loss of health. Their pain was profound and worked through in the privacy of their own thoughts and hearts. While friends and loved ones sought to comfort, they were still left with many hours of solitude. Some are still in the throws of their grief and loss wondering if they will ever experience life as “normal” again.

Sometimes the most difficult part of pain is our misunderstanding of all that it entails. Uncertainty of what our feelings should be and how long the whole thing will take, leave us floundering.

I found comfort in Joseph’s example today. Today’s verse followed a 70 day long mourning for the death of his father. 70 days! That is a little over 2 months. And I noticed it was simply the deep grief that was past. That is not to say the grief was entirely gone. After a life time of loving someone, years of being separated, and then the joys of being reunited, how could anyone think he would walk away from grief after a mere week or two? And yet I hear account after account of people who think it should be that easy and that quick.

Grief is a process and God accomplishes much through it. We learn a lot about ourselves and about Him during that time. The deeper the grief the more profound the lessons and the greater the possibility of future ministry that will stem from it. But it takes time! The loss of my mother in February of 2000 led me into a grief process that lasted a year. The grief from the loss of a mentor in the spring of 2006 took several years to subside. While both were extremely painful they yielded rich treasures from my Father’s hand.

Today I share Isaiah 51:3 with all those who are presently experiencing their own valley of grief. “The LORD will surely comfort Zion, and will look with compassion on all her ruins; He will make her deserts like Eden, her wastelands like the garden of the LORD. Joy and gladness will be found in her, thanksgiving and the sound of singing.”

Father, I trust You to make the joy, gladness, thanksgiving, and singing as profound and deep as the grief has been. Embrace my friends! Amen.

Help Me, God - Kathy Troccoli
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b-wL7KWO8Ys

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

Even When I Didn't Know

Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, “Surely the LORD is in this place, and I did not know it.” Genesis 28:16 (New King James Version)

God’s presence is not limited or eliminated by my lack of knowledge or acknowledgment. Just as in the case of Jacob, God is always present whether I know it or not. My awareness of His presence is for my benefit. Seeing that for myself brings Him into focus….not existence. Jacob had to come to the place where he could see and understand God’s companionship in his everyday life. The realization of it all set him on a path of change and direction.

Each of us could look back at times in our life when we failed to know God was in the places of our life. Not just the physical places, but the seasons, circumstances, and circumference. Whatever I am going through, He is there. With each issue that I wade through, He is there. Through every failure and success, He is there. He is with me in all of my places. Not just present, but involved and interested. That is a concept I sometimes find hard to wrap my mind around.

For most of my Christian life I lived with the false idea that I was unimportant to God….a lost face and soul in the crowd. It was the very essence of feeling insignificant and invisible. At my lowest points, God wanted me to know that He has always been present with care, concern, and compassion. I am not unknown or unnoticed by Him. Time and time again He invites me to know that, because it is the key to living the abundant life He promised.

It is too easy to define the quality of my life by the things I possess, the people I know and am known by, the personal accomplishments I master, and the way I think and feel about myself. God wants me to know that those are parts of my life but they are not the essence of my life. He is the essence and He doesn’t change. He alone defines me and refines me. My quality of life is dependent upon Him and connected to Him. The more I know Him the more that quality grows. I don’t have to wait until everything in life works out the way I want it. I don’t have to wait until I have all of life’s lessons down pat. Beginning today, in this moment, I can live my life the way God intended. Perfect? Hardly! Fully aware of His presence and Person? Absolutely!

Father, You have never stood at a distance. Help me to sense the nearness of You. Amen.

Surely the Presence of the Lord is in This Place
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yTX5lcxRIwg&feature=related

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

Being Aware of His Presence

When Jacob awoke from his sleep, he thought, "Surely the LORD is in this place, and I was not aware of it." Genesis 28:16 (New International Version)

Her words struck me. While listing for me all the pressures of life that were mounting up for her….online college courses, young children, settling into a new home, wading through marriage issues, etc… she admitted to having relegated God to the “back burner”. She was over whelmed with much of what had to be done and felt that if she could just get organized enough she could resume the walk with Him that she had a one time. The conversation ended before I could ask what the “back burner” meant to her, but I imagine it may have had to do with Bible study, prayer life, and such. Those activities which center around spending time with God and focusing on Him.

Ever feel like that? Maybe at one time spending time with God was higher up on the list of things to do. Maybe the thought of the energy it would take to get back to that point is daunting in itself. Someone once said that “God is not to be our top priority…He is to be our life.” We miss that if we view our time with Him as merely a certain part of each day. Like Jacob, we need to wake up and become aware of His presence in the very place we are standing. Not just the physical place we are standing, but where we are in life. Every task, every responsibility, every relationship, every conversation, every moment of the day and night we can proclaim with confidence, “Surely the LORD is in this place.” He is never on the “back burner” so to speak. The problem is that when it comes to His presence, like Jacob, we are not always aware of it. He is with us even when we don’t know it, recognize it, or acknowledge it. What a difference it makes when we wake up to that truth!

So how do we live with a consistent realization of God’s presence in our life…in the place we are at? Talk to Him throughout the day. Don’t think of prayer as being relegated to just a particular time set aside but rather as a continual conversation with God where you talk and listen. When life gets hectic, thank Him for being there with you. Verbally invite Him into each aspect of your day. See Him as not only present but involved in your life. Take time to read His Word…even if it is simply a verse or two…and then think on what you read throughout the day. Have Christian music playing while you are in the car or cleaning the house. Visualize God right along side you during every task you are called upon to perform. One person even suggested that at the top of each hour, stop whatever you are doing and say, “Abba, Father, I am Yours!” It will be the start of experiencing God at the forefront of your life rather than the proverbial “back burner.”

Father, I welcome You into my day just as You have welcomed me into Yours. May my awareness of You grow with each fresh realization of Your presence. Amen.

Surely the Presence of the Lord is in This Place - Don Marsh Singers
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tP1kYuOLYqg

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

Without Warning

Then Pharaoh took off his signet ring from his hand and put it on Joseph’s hand, and clothed him in garments of fine linen and put the gold necklace around his neck. He had him ride in his second chariot; and they proclaimed before him, “Bow the knee!” And he set him over all the land of Egypt. Genesis 41:42, 43 (New American Standard Bible)

Joseph’s life-changing promotion came without announcement or anticipation. There is no hint in Scripture that Joseph knew THAT morning that he would go from dwelling in a prison to being set over the land of Egypt. No idea that he would exchange prison clothes for a signet ring, fine linen garments, and a gold chain. No thought that he would go from walking prison corridors to riding in Pharaoh’s second chariot through the streets of Egypt. Sure he had being given vivid dreams as a youth, but he was unaware how those dreams would begin to transpire when he woke up THAT morning. Joseph had experienced promotions and demotions several times in his 13 years in Egypt but each was merely setting the stage for God’s grand design!

Bible character after Bible character experienced this same thing. God’s intervention in their particular situation often came without warning and yet when it came, events changed dramatically and quickly. Every healing, every deliverance, every advancement, every move, every supply, every successful battle, every miracle came on a day no one realized it would come. Oh the joy when they were witnesses to it all!

This morning I am looking back over my life and realizing the same is true for me. My own life changing moments came without warning but they were right on time in God’s sovereign plan. Sometimes it happens and I am not fully aware a change has taken place until I have walked a few days in the change. At other times I KNOW something has happened that will forever be life altering. This truth gives me hope when I face difficulties, see areas of personal bondage, long for change in my internal world. I stand in anticipation that on any given day I could wake up to a day that will include freedom and wholeness in areas that for now are still a part of my life. As long as I live on this earth, I have days ahead that will include God’s intervention in my life. So do you! I rejoice ahead of time in all that God still plans to do in each of our lives.

Father, this may be a day of continued learning and preparation or it may be a day of deliverance. Either way, I choose to take hold of Your hand and trust you! Amen.

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

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

My Past Is Not My Future

Now do not be grieved or angry with yourselves, because you sold me here, for God sent me before you to preserve life. Genesis 45:5 (New American Standard Bible)

Terror struck the hearts of Joseph’s brothers because the person who knew what they had tried to bury for so long was standing before them. They expected harsh judgment maybe even death but received mercy and a plea to draw near. Healing of emotions comes with accepting the truth of what has happened along with the release of bitterness, anger, and revenge. We can only give away what we first have received for ourselves ~ grace, mercy, forgiveness.

Joseph had the right perspective of his life and the circumstances he faced. Our trials should carry us to God not from Him. We have a choice to focus on ourselves, our circumstances, other people's treatment of us, or God. Joseph not only saw the big picture from God's perspective but he wanted his brothers to see it as well. His counsel to not be grieved or angry with themselves was meant to help them walk in freedom.

So often we are prone to allow our past sins, failures, and wrong choices to define what our future will be like. It becomes a sign we wear over our life that says, "I did such and such and because of that I do not deserve to be loved, forgiven, or viewed without shame." Sometimes we place the sign over other people's lives. Any success or good thing is dampened because of the past if we hang on to it.

Joseph is not telling them that what they did was okay. He is simply telling them not to spend the rest of their lives under guilt and condemnation. How is that possible when you come face to face with the horrible things you have done? I am sure as time went on and they began to see the full extent of what they had done they doubted things could ever be made right. I find the most difficult time to embrace forgiveness is when my actions have affected another person. Freedom is found when I own what I have done, go to the one I have wronged, and go to God. I must know that there is always a big picture. With a few strokes of His brush He can restore the picture I have ruined.

Who is it today that I need to forgive? What are the words, actions, or perceptions I need to release through the act of forgiveness either toward myself or others? What is it that has me in turmoil as much as the turmoil of Joseph’s brothers? I look to God to show me what is hidden as well as what is being easily ignored.

Father, Your hands hold me and mold me. It will not always feel good but You have promised it will be a masterpiece when You are finished. I like that! Amen.

What Sin? - Morgan Cryar
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C3Wdzzx6-f4&feature=related

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

Waiting for Direction

Abram called on the name of the Lord…The Lord said to Abram, after Lot had left him….For all the land which you see I will give to you and to your posterity forever. And I will make your descendants as the dust of the earth…..arise, walk through the land….for I will give it to you. Then Abram moved his tent. Genesis 13:4, 14-18 (New American Standard Bible)

Have you ever had a difficult decision to make and weren’t quite sure what to do? I am learning that it is imperative that I learn to wait until I have discerned what it is God wants me to do. My personality is such that it is very easy for me to base decisions on emotions and the opinions of the people in my life. I am a “spur-of-the-moment” kind of person. I have spent the past couple of years departing from comfort zones, jumping off cliffs of security, and running with abandon into freedom. It has been quite interesting and necessary. But now I am sensing a shift in my own decision making processes. I am learning to wait!

I watch God’s interaction with Abram and find it settling. Genesis 13 is a chapter of returning, removing, and reaching for Abram. God brings him back to Bethel….a place of altar-building and decision making. Sometimes it is necessary for us to return to our own Bethels and realign ourselves with God’s agenda. It is a time to assess what it is God is doing in us, through us, and around us.

The first thing Abram is confronted with is disunity. The land is not big enough to support the herds of both Lot and Abram. A choice to separate is made with Lot being allowed to choose first. He picks what he believes to be the prime real estate and moves on. It is then that God gives some clear direction to Abram which is full of rich promises. He is promised land as far as his eye can see and descendents that are without number. Abram’s move comes after clear direction from God.

May I too learn to wait for clear direction from my heavenly Father. He will let me know in my spirit what I am to do, how I am to do it, and when I am to do it. There will be no confusion or second guessing. He may use the counsel of friends but I will not limit Him to that option alone. As I open myself up to hear His voice in this matter, I can rest assured He will speak.

Father, I desire to hear from You. I rest in the fact that I will know when You have given me direction. It is You I long to follow. Amen.

With All I Am - Hillsong
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FMrAafe7Mns&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 Jealousy

When Rachel saw that she was not bearing Jacob any children, she became jealous of her sister. So she said to Jacob, "Give me children, or I'll die!" Genesis 30:1 (New International Version)

It comes as no surprise to me that jealousy ruled in the heart of Rachel. When it came time for her to marry Jacob, her sister was given to him in her place. Rachel became the ‘second’ wife. Although she had Jacob’s love, her sister bore the children and she was jealous of her. That jealousy robbed her of the realization of the things she did have and brought about a fierce competition of rivalry, bitterness, and manipulation. It would be all well and good if I could read this account in the Bible and not be able to relate with the jealousy aspect…but that is not the case. I relate with it all too well!

Jealousy is that inner rage that simmers when others have something I want or appear to threaten what I already have. It reveals my insecurities and makes another person my rival. It tells me I am not as loved or of as much value as them. If not admitted, confessed, and conquered it will lead me to behavior that is neither good or godly. In Rachel’s case it was her sister’s ability to bear children while she struggled with infertility. In my case, it is a host of things. When someone has a friend I long to have for myself or is given an opportunity I had hoped for or succeeds in an area I fail at or receives attention I am craving or possesses qualities and talents I can only dream about, the jealousy of my heart awakens. I have no trouble knowing when it hits! If I am not careful, pride and shame will keep me from taking the necessary steps to stop its progression.

For too many years, jealousy opened the door for me to act out in coldness and silent anger toward whoever had what I lacked or desired. Would I admit it? Absolutely not! Not to myself, God, or anyone else. The truth of the matter is that what I refuse to admit WILL keep me in bondage and jealousy has been one such jailer!

When that green-eyed monster attempts to pull me into its all too familiar dungeon I now know what to do! I see my jealousy as the problem rather than others as the problem. I admit it to God and begin reviewing truth about myself and others. I view them as God’s children with wants and needs of their own. I see them as precious in God’s sight. I see myself as secure in my relationship with Him and safe in my own skin. I embrace the truth that others really aren’t my reviles and there is no need to be in competition with them. What others have does not change who I am in Christ. Does it work? Yes! And it will work each and every time I repeat the necessary steps to freedom.

Father, I delight in the fact that life can be lived differently for me than I have lived it in the past. Each experience with jealousy can be worked through with a confidence of victory through You. Amen.

Still - Hillsong
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mgob5afanUg&feature=related

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

Seeing Where I Am At

Then the LORD God called to Adam and said to him, “Where are you?” Genesis 3:9 (New King James Version)

The almighty, omniscient God does not ask us questions in order for Him to understand or learn something new. He already knows everything about us from the number of hairs on our head to the deepest secrets of our heart. He knows our past, present, and future. He knows our strengths and our weaknesses. He knows what lies behind our laughter as well as our tears. He knows our insecurities, fears, and apprehensions. He knows our wounds and how we acquired each one of them. He knows our longings and our resignations. And as in the case of Adam, He knows if, when, where, and why we are hiding. It is not for His benefit but ours that He asks questions. He knows that when we see the answer for ourselves it will be a turning point for us.

Several years ago, I looked in the mirror and asked myself and God, “Who am I, who are You, and who are we together?” My world had caved in and I needed to see who I was rather than who I wanted to be. Presently I am asking “where” rather than “why.” Where am I at emotionally, physically, socially, and spiritually? I know where I want to be in each of those areas (perfectionism at its peak) but reality reminds me that I am not there (hence, disappointment). Each time I am aware of my imperfections I cringe, self condemn, and cower. God wants more than that for me.

He wants me to realize I am safe to bring the truth of where I am to Him, because until I do, there will be no change. Seeing where I am broken, empty, and hurting is the first step in wholeness, filling, and healing. Unless I see and acknowledge the truth to God, I will have no idea where I need His redemptive touch in my life. He knows my plight better than I do and loves me as and where I am, but has no intention on leaving me in this state. Even though I live in a fallen world and possess a sin nature, He knows that things can be better than they are….not perfect but improved!

So where do I start? I ask God to reveal the truth about myself to me. As the truth is seen, I write it out (on paper or my computer). The experience of seeing it in print is powerful. Once it is written, I read it out loud to Him and only Him, asking Him for what I need….grace, forgiveness, healing, restoration, and renewal. I ask Him to begin to rebuild my life one acknowledgment of truth at a time. He is ready and I am finally willing!

Father, You see it all. Clarify the truth to me and continue the process of conforming me into the image of Christ. Make me comfortable in coming to You. Amen.

He Knows My Name - Maranatha Singers
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hXsiWoyjw60&feature=related

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

Staying Teachable and Focused

As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good in order to bring about this present result, to preserve many people alive. Genesis 50:20 (New American Standard Bible)

Sometimes we experience difficulties in our life as a consequence for wrong choices we have made. At other times, we live under what seems to be the results of another person’s actions. Joseph knew the latter all too well. Hated by his brothers, sold into slavery, imprisoned due to a false accusation, forgotten by one who could have helped, and unfair separation from a father who loved him dearly. Many would have understood if he had chosen to embrace unforgiveness, bitterness, and anger. But that response would have put him into a prison of his own making that would have been more harmful and confining than any man made prison. Instead, Joseph’s life was seen by others as one whose God was with him.

Throughout his years of unfair and unjust treatment Joseph was a server of others and God continually blessed him for it. Even in the midst of trials. Even in the midst of wondering if there was a light at the end of the tunnel for him. Even when he could see no tangible manifestation of his dreams ever coming true. His was a journey of coming to points of surrender and trust. Rather than spend his life desiring to one day enact revenge on the ones who hurt him, he poised himself for the day he could demonstrate love and forgiveness.

This tells me Joseph walked through the issues of his life with a teachable spirit which gave him an ability to see God’s involvement in every circumstance he faced. Was it always easy? I doubt it. Would there have been tears, frustration, and questions? I am sure of it! But with each event Joseph had to come to the point of bending the knee and heart to what God had for him and where God placed him. It required him to fix his eyes on God rather than on what was happening to him and the people responsible for those things. It always came down to choice, trust, and surrender.

It is no different for each one of us. Whether we are wading through the issues of our own life or watching a loved one wade through the issues of their life, we are on a journey to the heart of God. Nothing is escaping His notice and nothing is unusable for His purposes. His ultimate desire is that we would really KNOW Him and then point others to Him. It will be the outcome of trusting Him, embracing truth, and keeping our focus on Him. With God’s help, it is both possible and productive.

Father, in the midst of it all, I trust You for myself as well as for my loved ones. Our lives are not limited to only that which we can experience with our five senses. May our spirit eyes be ever fixed on You! Amen.

Knees to the Earth - Watermark
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v-FJzjmTbTs

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

In the Midst of Present Life

The chief jailer did not supervise anything under Joseph's charge because the LORD was with him; and whatever he did, the LORD made to prosper. Genesis 39:23 (New American Standard Bible)

I could write a book on the treasures found in Genesis 39. As I read it, my mind races from scene to scene trying to grasp all the nuances of truth that flow from each verse. Joseph, in the midst of captivity and imprisonment, experiences the presence of God, privilege, position, prosperity, favor, and trust (first as a slave then as a prisoner). Whether it was Potipher’s house or Pharoah’s prison, his captor’s saw that God was with him and caused whatever he did to prosper. They both put Joseph in charge of everything they owned. Who, but God, knew these places of imprisonment were training grounds for when Joseph would later be in charge of Egypt?

If I read this aspect of Joseph’s life and come away thinking how nice that was for Joseph, but fail to see personal application for myself, I have reduced my time in Scripture to mere reading and historical fact finding. God wants more for me and so do I! He wants me to embrace the truth that when life is hard or unfair, He is with me. When I am in the midst of my own places of bondage, He is with me. When my present circumstances are dark and the light of my future looks dim, He is with me. When the people in my life seem to hold control over my life, He is with me. When the freedom to be what I want, do what I want, and go where I want is limited for the time being, He is with me. When I am living with the painful consequences of choices made by me or others, He is with me. When I am separated from the ones I love, He is with me. When I don’t understand what is happening, He is with me. When I don’t experience change in my situation, He is with me. His presence rather than my problem or “prison” must be the ruling factor of my life!

I also want to begin living with an awareness of how God prospers the things I do. Asking Him to open my eyes to the moments of promotion, favor, and positions He affords to me now and the preparation being done in me for what lies ahead. Joseph’s time of preparation and training was approximately 13 years not counting his pre-Egypt days. Mine has been 6. When I stand in the place He is right now preparing me for, I want to exclaim with passion, “I KNEW You could do this, God!” rather than gasp with amazement, “I had no idea!”

Father, fill me with the wonder of Your presence in my life and the adventure of Your work in me! Lead me out of my own thoughts of mediocrity and insignificance into the very essence and preciousness of being Your cherished daughter! Amen.

My Life is in Your Hands - Kathy Troccoli
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VlmYxZAgrGI&feature=related

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

A Place With No Food

Joseph also provided his father and his brothers and all his father's household with food, according to the number of their children. There was no food, however, in the whole region because the famine was severe; both Egypt and Canaan wasted away because of the famine. Genesis 47:12-13 (New International Version)

For seven years, under the leadership of Joseph, food was stored up to prepare for a coming famine which would also last for seven years. When the famine hit, the food was available in abundance but one had to go to where the food was present. Joseph’s family came to him and he graciously provided nourishment for them. Outside of those stored up food parameters was a wasting away.

There is a parallel of spiritual truth for me that I am seeing in this passage. God offers me what I need in the way of significance, worth, value, and identity in abundance. All I could desire. All I could hope for. All I could receive. If I go to Him, I am in a position to receive. If I turn to other places, where the supply is not present, I will waste away and languish.

So where are the places of famine I find myself returning to time and time again? Where are the regions of deprivation and starvation? Relationships. Not all relationships. Some are rich, pleasurable, and balanced. In those, I am free to encourage and be encouraged. Free to interact without being entangled in emotional dependency. Free to spend time without desiring to never leave or fearing being left. Yet, what God means for good can sometimes become twisted, distorted, and out of place.

Rather than remain a healthy friendship the relationship becomes one in which I begin looking to the other person to give me what only God can provide….worth, value, significance, identity, security, a real sense of being loved, and an ability to love in return. Emotions vacillate between expectations and disappointments until the realization that I am putting this person in God’s place in my life flashes like neon lights.

It use to be if one such relationship ended I immediately looked for another to replace it. How futile the search has been! Only now, as I find the necessity to back away from one I’ve grown dependent on in an unhealthy way, am I realizing a desire to turn where the “food” is. To seek God as I have sought people. To learn how to be nourished by Him, sustained by Him, and fed by Him. Only now.

Father, the years of scrounging for food in places of famine have taken their toll on me. I am hungry (famished) and I come to You…my Bread of Life. Amen.

By Your Side - Tenth Avenue North
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eJODOpe_M8E&feature=related

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

Living Words

Then God said, "Let there be light"; and there was light. Genesis 1:3 (New American Standard Bible)

Three verses into the Bible and we see the first of many fulfillments of God’s Word. What He speaks, He does….every time! His Word never returns void or unfulfilled. A read-through of the Old Testament will disclose many instances whereby God spoke specific words to His prophets and those words always came to pass. They weren’t usually fulfilled that day or even that decade but they were fulfilled.

I have been reading through the Old Testament and I am struck by the times God tells a prophet something and years later it happens exactly as He said it would. Elijah was told to anoint Jehu as king of Israel and years later Elisha has a person do just that. Jehu is told to annihilate the descendents of Ahab for all the innocent blood that was shed at his hands, and Jehu is God’s instrument of judgment. The birth, life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ was foretold centuries before it all happened and yet it all happened as it was foretold.

These thoughts encourage me today. Because while God does not give me step by step specific instructions for my daily walk with Him, His Word is filled with precious promises I can count on! He has promised to never leave me, to finish what He has begun in me, to forgive my sin, to work everything out for good, to give me ways of escape from every temptation, to strengthen me in my inward person, to direct my steps, to give me sufficient grace at all times, to keep His eye and hand on me at all times, and to one day take me to Heaven to live with Him for all eternity. The list is endless! I don’t have to try and figure out if He meant what He said or if His words are applicable to me today. His words are sure and trustworthy.

As I come across situations today, I want to be able to recall His words that will fit every one of them. I want to anticipate the fulfillment of His spoken words to me. When I am tempted to give up on myself and assume desired change will never be realized, I want to hear Him say, “I am with you and I will complete my work in you.” When I am upset over something that is out of my control, I want to embrace His, “Peace I give you. Let not your heart be troubled.” When I desire to crawl under the security of another person, I want to be reminded that He is my shelter and refuge. I serve a risen Savior and His Word is alive as well!

Father, if left on my own I do not do well. If the only voices I hear are those of people, that will not be enough to carry me or transform me. Speak Your words to me through out today. For they are my life as well as my life line. Amen.

Word of God Speak - Mercy Me
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4JK_6osCH74

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

The Exposing of Disbelief

Deliver me, I pray, from the hand of my brother, from the hand of Esau; for I fear him, that he will come and attack me and the mothers with the children. Genesis 32:11(New American Standard Bible)

Twenty years had separated Jacob and Esau’s past and future. Jacob left home with a brother who was angry enough to kill him. No contact had been made between them in all that time. As far as Jacob was concerned, Esau was still seething with rage. He feared the worst…complete annihilation of himself and his family. Yet, this verse which houses his words of fear is sandwiched between his recollection of God’s promise to prosper him and his descendents. Jacob did what we so often can find ourselves doing…he voiced truth without embracing it. Fear rather than faith was what ruled him and fueled his actions.

As I read further in this passage, I see Jacob planning and plotting his own story of redemption (Genesis 32:20). His actions reveal to me his core belief: God needs my help to insure my safety. He cannot be trusted to do what He promised. It is up to me to defend myself. Jacob had learned early on to take matters into his own hands rather than place those matters into the hands of God and trust Him to do what is best. He proclaimed truth, prayed for deliverance, and then moved full speed ahead with his own agenda.

I am learning to listen to the conflicting statements I and others can make when referring to God and His ways. Whether spoken out loud or whispered in our heart, we can proclaim a truth about God and then follow it with thoughts and feelings that contradict what we just said. On the surface we believe God is loving, kind, and in control. Deep down inside we fear He is disinterested, angry, absent, and uninvolved. That we are low on His priority list. We do not see the big picture therefore we limit God and either begin to scheme or live with a sense of despair and hopelessness. Why do I say this? Because until I admit what is really going on in my heart and mind I will not be free to move beyond that way of living my Christian life….and neither will you.

God knows my insecurities and doubts. He knows what turns my trust to mush. He knows what disheartens and discourages me. He knows it all and He is using the hard places of this life to help me to see what to do with all of it. He longs to bring me to the place where what I say I believe is what I really believe. It is what I really live. Is it hard? Absolutely! I don’t like to see how far from life changing faith I am but God loves me too much to allow me to live any longer with deception. He is after my heart and desiring that I live in intimate relationship with Him. In order for that to happen, He has to expose and dismantle the falsehoods of my perceived faith. Authentic faith is the goal and He is the One who will get me to that point.

Father, keep showing me where my faith and my feelings collide. My steps are tenuous on this journey but I praise You when each one is taken. Amen.

Do I Trust You Lord - Twila Paris
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MV1ZY7AWNdY

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

Known and Unknown Appointed Times

“Is anything too difficult for the LORD? At the appointed time I will return to you, at this time next year, and Sarah will have a son." Genesis 18:14 (New American Standard Bible)

Abraham was given specifics about Sarah having a baby…the time frame as well as the gender! Their waiting would soon be over, their family dynamics would be different, and their desire (which they had given up hoping for) would be fulfilled. They were given the specifics, but many of our Bible ancestors were not. Many waited and wondered, thinking maybe their situations would never change…their desires would never be realized. Yet the day came when God seemed to suddenly change everything for them. Moses went from shepherding sheep to shepherding God’s people out of Egypt. Joseph went from prison to the palace. David went from years of running to sitting on the throne of Israel. Ruth went from gleaning in the fields as a means of survival to marrying the owner of the field and being a generational link in the line of Christ. Saul went from persecuting Christians to preaching the Gospel of Christ to all he could and writing many of the books of the New Testament. The list goes on and as it does my heart is encouraged!

I work in an education warehouse and absolutely love my job. It is a far cry from my days as an elementary school teacher in a Christian school but it allows me the opportunity to use my God given gifts and abilities which are needed as an inventory control clerk. Yet, I will admit there are days that I wonder, “Is there anything beyond this for me?”

I have spent the past four years writing and sending out email devotionals. I am convinced this is exactly what I am meant to do. Very few things in life give me the pleasure derived from seeing truths, sharing truths, and hearing that others were encouraged by those truths. Without really knowing how many read the devotionals I rest in the fact that God brings them across the computer screens of those who need their message. Yet, once again, I will admit there are days that I wonder, “Is this the extent of the writings?”

If I am not careful, I will allow my thinking to lead to despair and hopelessness. Feelings of insignificance will rule me. So what do I do when I long for more but am not sure what is in the future for me? I hold on to the truths that I know. God is faithful and will fulfill all of His desires for me. For the present I am to simply remain faithful in what He calls me to do. If a change does come, He already has an appointed time for that change even though He has not made it known to me. My significance is found in Him rather than in what I do for Him. It is by these truths that I can then live passionately and confidently from day to day.

Father, You know what I would choose to do if I could write the script of my life. Yet Your ways and thoughts are higher than my own so I choose to live in anticipation of Your will for me unfolding in Your time. Amen.

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

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