When We Have It All Wrong

When they came to the region of the Jordan which is in the land of Canaan, the sons of Reuben and the sons of Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh built an altar there by the Jordan, a large altar in appearance. Joshua 22:10 (New American Standard Bible)

When the children of Israel had settled in the Promised Land, two and half tribes were allowed to return to the other side of the Jordan River. Their first act was to build an altar and thus an incredible account of false accusations and assumptions nearly led to war. The children of Israel assumed the altar had been built out of rebellion when in fact it was built for future generations to see that they were a part of God’s chosen people. When the truth was heard, the people were pleased and the thought of war was destroyed instead of lives. The altar itself came to be called Witness because it was a witness between them that the LORD is God.

Have you ever assumed the wrong thing about another person and were ready to take action based on those wrong assumptions? If so, you and I can relate with each other. It happens to me many times this and this account in Joshua 22:10-34 is a glaring spot light on this issue for me. I have come to call it having a spirit of suspicion and I can attest to how much damage it will cause if left unchecked, unchallenged, and unreceptive to the truth.

I will not list specifics here but let me suffice to say this spirit of suspicion is usually awakened in me when I don’t get what I want, hear what I want, or possess what I want. It usually has to do with relationships and although I do not position myself for war I do yield to the temptation of retreat and shutting down my heart. Surely the enemy of my soul delights when I have put myself and another person in the worst possible light. Not a pretty picture and not one I enjoy admitting to others, but transparency is a necessity in my walk of faith. Others will allow the truths of their heart to surface if I dare to admit my own. Too many have commented on this for me to think otherwise.

So what am I learning? That my false assumptions are usually based on my own insecurities and wounded places within me. It is imperative that I hold off personal judgments until I know the truth. I have delighted in the times I have told myself, “Your thoughts and feelings are not based on truth,” and then within a day or two the truth is revealed. It is helping me to hold off my self imposed retreats. May God continue to grow me up in this area through His Word and His Spirit!

Father, I praise You for showing me the basis and harm of my own suspicions. Help me to be discerning and teachable at all times. Amen.

Draw Me Close - Kathy Troccoli
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bgQJVfUQLho

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

They're Just like Me

Elijah was a man with a nature like ours. James 5:17

We are also men of the same nature as you. Acts 14:15 (Barnabas and Paul)

But Peter raised him up, saying, "Stand up; I too am just a man." Acts 10:26 (New American Standard Bible)

Oh, the dangers and pitfalls of becoming enamored with people! Elijah, Barnabas, Paul, and Peter are just a handful among many who would remind me that people are people. I need the reminder because so often I can take a person’s sterling moments and believe THAT is the way they are 24/7. In my mind, they no long struggle, make wrong choices, live out of their flesh, fall to temptation, think wrong thoughts, feel negative emotions, disappoint God, themselves or others, or sin in any number of other ways. Not only is that kind of thinking far from the truth, but it sets me up with false hope. The false hope of, “If they can do it, so can I.” Then when I fail to live that way, confusion and discouragement sets in.

A few years ago I joined a study entitled “Woman of Significance” based on the book The Search for Significance by Robert McGee. As I listened to some of the women I began to think they were assuming if they went through this book they would eventually be free of fear, approval seeking, guilt, performance-based living, and any other malady in their life. It took me back to the time when I learned that God’s love was not dependent on what I was doing. As I listened to speakers and read books, I began to think the mature Christian life means “no struggles, no failures, just victory!” I actually thought I could reach that point this side of Heaven. What followed was a few years of continual reality checks!

What I learned and what I shared with the women in the study group was that living the victorious Christian life did not mean I would no longer struggle with my mind, will, and emotions. It meant I knew Who to go to each time I struggled. It meant I felt safe to confide in and cry with God. It meant I could walk and talk with authenticity and transparency instead of continual masking and hiding. Simply put, it meant I was human but helped and held by an incredible God!

There are still times I find myself being enamored with individuals, but God is faithful to remind me that they too have feet of clay and must continue to practice daily the truths He is showing them. Balance has come with the removal of my rose-colored glasses.

Father, seeing others as people like myself encourages me. Help me to not look down on or up to individuals but to simple look across at them. Help me to keep my eyes on You. Amen.

Only You
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tgmezEn-zvE

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.

Joshua Moments

And Joshua said, “Alas, Lord GOD, why have You brought this people over the Jordan at all---to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites, to destroy us? Oh, that we had been content, and dwelt on the other side of the Jordan!” Joshua 7:7 (New King James Version)

Following an extraordinary victory at Jericho, the children of Israel are defeated at Ai. The confusion and fear of the moment caused words to tumble out of Joshua’s mouth that mirrored the responses he heard for years in the wilderness wanderings under Moses’ leadership. I am not sure if he ever voiced them at that time, but he now voices a prayer filled with suspicion and accusation against God. He has no idea Achan has sinned and brought this defeat upon Israel. Joshua is simply looking at a tragedy and in his mind he draws only one conclusion….and a wrong one at that! Never mind that God promised victory and demanded obedience for that victory to occur. Joshua has had his utopia shattered and his faith shaken. He is now faced with the reality that defeat is possible even in the midst of victories.

God is gracious. He listens as Joshua gives voice to the thoughts and intents of his heart and then God sets the record straight. He explains the reason for defeat and the conditions for victory. What follows is an immediate correction and Ai’s astounding defeat! I believe when it was all said and done, Joshua took away a valuable lesson from the entire experience. Who God is and what God does cannot be interpreted by the things we see, hear, feel, and experience. God is to be trusted not accused. He is to be held in awe not in suspicion. God’s blessings accompany obedience and painful consequences accompany disobedience. We are given the same opportunity to take away valuable lessons from our moments of hardship, fear, and failure. May we do so!

I praise God that Scripture is filled with human frailties, because my life is filled with them as well. There are moments I get it right and do it right. To God be the glory! But there are also moments when I blow it. Times when the circumstances of life send me reeling and I forget the very truths I stood in just prior to stumbling. I have laughed at the number of times I have read a previous devotional I have written and wished I were THAT person! Times when the words that flowed so easily and with confidence seem so far away. Times when I question God, despise myself, and wrongly judge others. The enemy would taunt me with feelings of failure and hypocrisy. But God is gracious. He calls me what I am…a human in continual need of His grace and mercy. With each “Joshua” moment He will meet me and change me. Praise Him!

Father, in the midst of my tears, doubts, and fears You remain faithful and loving. And in the midst of joy, faith, and courage You are still faithful and loving. I praise Your sameness! Amen.

You're the Heart of Me - Kathy Troccoli
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sjXjOndUS7A&feature=related

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

Confident Living

Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and He shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD. Psalm 27:14 (KJV)

I have spent the last number of weeks brooding over a situation I know I will soon be facing. Turmoil, fear, and apprehension have marked my internal world because I did not feel I had it in me to walk with confidence and I doubted there would be favor shown to me by a particular person. This morning the Lord has graciously given me Psalm 27 to ease my mind and realize where strength, confidence, and assurance will come from. It is in looking to Him! All that David is saying in this Psalm is meant to be more than just nice words and wishful thinking. It is meant to infuse me with courage and strength.

Like David, I must make some proclamations about God that will in turn permit me to stand with certainty and poise. He is my light and salvation. My hiding place. My teacher, leader, helper, and deliverer. He is the one I seek and desire. He is the one who will take me up and set me upon a rock of security. I seek His face, His mercy, and His answers. I long to walk in His ways and experience the plain path He has carved out for me! While the enemy has sought to distract and discourage me with self-doubt and an anticipated negative reaction of another person, God is encouraging me to center my thoughts and focus on Him! The answer lies in Him. The confidence comes from Him.

Verse 14 gives me the prescription for a strengthened heart. Wait on the LORD. This is not just an act of biding my time until God intervenes. The true sense of the word is that I bind myself to God, look to Him, and place my expectations in Him. His desire is that I stand in confident trust and reliance upon Him. His message to me this morning is, “Connect with Me and I will more than see you through the very thing that has you perplexed. I will give you songs of joy and praise to sing!”

What an offer! Delight instead of despair. Confidence instead of confusion. Victor instead of victim. Singing instead of sadness. His thoughts really are higher than my thoughts!

Father, I love it when You give me counsel and advice! How You must delight in knowing that I am about to take in truth from You. Thank you for housing treasures in Your Word. I walk with a fresh boldness because of You. Amen.