Fount of the Caller

Then God opened up the hollow place in Lehi, and water came out of it. When Samson drank, his strength returned and he revived. So the spring was called En Hakkore, and it is still there in Lehi. Judges 15:19 NIV

We often have no trouble knowing when we are physically thirsty. Our throat gets dry, our voice may sound hoarse, and our energy begins to wane. Samson knew the exhaustion that followed a battle whereby he killed a thousand Philistines with the jawbone of a donkey. His thirst was so great he felt he was going to die. One cry to God and a spring of refreshing water was miraculously provided. Oh the change that came about when he took a drink of that water! He drank deeply and the results were astounding. Not only was his thirst quenched but his strength returned and he was revived.

Throughout each day I develop a spiritual thirst. I am familiar with the symptoms. Things start to bother me, my attitude begins to plunge, I react negatively to people and circumstances, I battle emotions and feelings, and internally I just don’t feel well. I use to not know what to do at that point. I simply waded through and waited for something to come along that would perk me up. I did not know the solution lay in crying out to God for a drink! I was in need of my own spring…my own En Hakkore (the fount of the caller).

In Jeremiah 2:13 God told Israel they had forsaken Him, the spring of living water, and dug broken cisterns that could not hold water. I, too, have dug my fair share of broken cisterns. So desperate to have my internal thirst quenched I looked to people, activities, and distractions. What little satisfaction I could derive was usually temporary at best. In doing that I was avoiding the only One who could give me a life changing drink. No longer!

I now turn to Him at the first sign of thirst. With each drink from His spring I too regain my strength and experience a life-giving revival. The drink may be as simple as saying, “God, I am lonely but You are my companion, Meet me here.” Or “God, I am frustrated make me aware of the peace You have already given to me.” Whenever I look to God to quench my thirst and meet my needs I am never disappointed. Thirst is inevitable but it does not have to turn into dehydration. I now know who to run to for every thirst quenching drop of water.

Father, You are my Spring of living water. Throughout today may I drink my fill of You and experience renewed strength and satisfying hydration! Amen.

Deliverance Within

The righteous cry, and the LORD hears and delivers them out of all their troubles. The LORD is near to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the LORD delivers him out of them all. Psalm 34:17-19 NASB

There is not a person reading this that cannot attest to experiencing troubles, a broken heart, a crushed spirit, and afflictions. Without even hearing the stories, Jesus’ own words tell me it is true. He said that in this world we would have trouble but Psalm 34 wraps that truth in hope. As long as we live in this world we will experience pain, loss, disappointment, sickness, distress…..TROUBLE! It is those outward circumstances that so drastically affect our internal world. The effects of trouble in health, finances, relationships, circumstances, etc… can be huge. Whether the trouble is temporary or long term we are promised deliverance. Whether or not the outward deliverance is near, there is an internal deliverance we can experience instantaneously.

There are times in life when we can grieve a loss and be done with it. We can get through a storm and move on. We can live through a difficulty and learn from it. But I want to address the times we seem to be stuck in a capsule of pain that leaves us with a persistent sense of sadness, ache, and hopelessness. We come to the place where the worst part is no longer the trouble but the pain it is bringing about. I was in that place and can attest to God’s deliverance. For me it came in stages but it was well worth it.

In the midst of what seemed like an ongoing battle of emotions, God purposefully removed ALL the human support I would naturally turn to. I could not email anyone, call anyone, or talk to anyone. The words were not there. I couldn’t seem to voice to anyone what was tearing me up on the inside. Books were not helping, music was not helping. It seemed that every prop was gone. That is when I finally cried out to God and said, “What is wrong with me?!” His answer was simply, “Come to Me. Talk to Me.” And I did. It was in honesty and openness with my Creator, Redeemer, and Healer that I was freed from the sadness that had taken hold of me for far too long. NOTHING changed as far as what brought the sadness on. What changed was that it no longer had the effect on me. That which had a hold of me has lost its grip and I walk in welcome freedom!

His intent is that I learn to rely upon Him more and more. What I am finding is that the more I turn to Him, confide in Him, and embrace Him the more lasting and profound the changes are!

Father, I stand in awe and appreciation for what You have done. I am changed! I am free! I am Yours! Amen.

Harmful Or Helpful Mentoring

And Joash did that which was right in the sight of the LORD all the days of Jehoiada the priest. 2 Chronicles 24:2 KJV

How influential are the people in your life? How much do you depend upon them to keep you aligned with the things of God? Read through the book of Proverbs and you will find verse upon verse that warns of wrong companionships and the wisdom that marks the life of one who is connected with godly people. And yet people can only influence us to a certain point. At some stage in our life, our walk must become so connected to and dependent upon God that we continue in His ways long after the most influential person is gone.

Joash is a reminder to me of the necessity of seeking out an individual relationship with God and allowing Him to carve out my belief system and my life. For if I do not transfer the connection from a person to my Creator I open myself up to a fall. For forty years Joash had an incredible record of right living. He was used of God to repair the house of the Lord. He turned a nation from idolatry back to true worship. His personal mentor was Jehoiada the priest and under his influence he flourished. But when Jehoiada died, Joash listened to the wrong people and spiraled down until his own life was eventually taken. 2 Chronicles 23 and 24 show the amazing rise and tragic defeat of a king who never learned to allow God to be his main influence. While Jehoiada was certainly meant to be a godly influence on Joash, something was amiss.

As one who has had the opportunity to be mentored in my Christian life I know two things. The temptation to cling to the human source and the growth that comes when I finally take hold of God with all my heart, soul, and mind. Until that happens, I am not standing on my own spiritual legs and living dependent upon God. Mentors are meant to point us to God not to replace Him. My mentor knew that and I painfully learned it. It has taken over a year to wade through the issues and learn to take hold of God’s hand. There are still days I want to be under the nurturing care of a mentor. But I know God’s intent is to complete the transfer. My growth depends on it, my relationship with Him depends on it, and my involvement in His kingdom work depends on it. Today is another day of taking the steps that lead to that end.

It is in the experience of isolation that the Lord develops an independence of life and of faith so that the soul no longer depends on the continual help, prayers, faith, and care of others. Then we realize that He has done a new work within us and that the wings of our soul have learned to soar in loftier air. ~ Streams In The Desert

Father, may the only hand I grab hold of with permanence be Yours. Amen.

Continually Connecting

Be to me a rock of habitation to which I may continually come….my praise is continually of You….my mouth is filled with Your praise and with Your glory all day long….I will hope continually, and will praise You yet more and more. Psalm 71:3,6,8,14 NASB

I cannot survive on chance meetings with God. Quiet times in the mornings will not carry me through my day. My needs are continual therefore meeting with my “need Meeter” must be continual. Problems arise, life gets hard, tears fall, frustrations mount, the enemy never rests, and my propensity toward sin is always existent, therefore praise and dependency upon God is a continual necessity. From the time I get up until the time I retire for the evening (and even as I sleep) my connection with God must remain a priority for me. After all, when in the course of a day do I not need Him? When is He not worthy of my praise? When can I afford to do or be without Him? The answer is…..NEVER!

God never intended for any of His children to exist independent of Him. He never tires of hearing our voice, answering our questions, calming our fears, or directing our life. He has no limits to the number of times we can cry out to Him or sit at His feet. Nothing in our life is considered insignificant to Him. I will never reach the point that I just don’t need Him as much. He is as vital as the air I breathe!

With the number of things in my life that change I welcome His continual invitation to me to live in His embrace, His company, and His strength. I simply cannot afford to distance myself from Him. My memory is still fresh with the decades of living otherwise. Times when His Word was rarely opened, prayers were rarely spoken, and practicing His presence was unfamiliar territory. I knew Christ as Savior but kept Him at arms length, not knowing it did not have to be like that!

Now I want God included in every decision I make, every conversation I have, every dream I dare to dream, and every part of my life. No one else is capable of being in all those places with me. No one else can be that attentive. No one else deserves my continual attention and praise! May I go to Him, think of Him, seek Him, and speak of Him non-stop!

Father, You invited me to live life like this. You waited patiently for me to see that. I have been won over by You! Amen.

The Way of Divine Companionship

You will show me the path of life; in Your presence is fullness of joy; at Your right hand are pleasures forevermore. Psalm 16:11 NKJV

This morning the words from the book GOD CALLING got my attention! It was simply entitled “Companionship” and this is what it said…The way of the soul’s transformation is the Way of Divine Companionship. Not so much the asking Me to make you this or that but the living with Me, thinking of me, talking to Me---thus you grow like Me. Love Me. Rest in Me. Joy in Me. David knew the truth of that statement when he penned today’s verse. He looked to God for his path of life, fullness of joy, and pleasures forevermore. He was enraptured and enthralled by his Creator and desired to be in no ones presence as much as God’s.

I love relationships and presently that is the one area God seems to be touching the most. Not by bringing special people into my life but rather by distancing me from them or them from me. He is not doing it to be cruel. It is meant to be His invitation for me to experience Psalm 16:11 and His divine companionship. He knows the necessity of one on one time and the growth that will come from it. I see that now, but it has not always been so apparent to me. God has had to do a work in me just to prepare me for this part of the journey.

He had to show me why relationships meant so much to me and why I reacted so strongly when I sensed the loss or absence of a person. He has lovingly shown me areas of insecurity, feelings of insignificance, and the fear of abandonment and rejection. These not only affected my relationship with people, they affected my ability to embrace Him and trust Him to meet my internal needs.

There is no doubt in my mind that God has used people to help me in significant ways. They were His eyes, ears, and hands to me. But what was meant for healing will become a handicap if I do not allow Him to walk me through this new process. Many have walked it before me and I see the results in their lives. There are no shortcuts or quick fixes to growth and maturity in Christ. He sets the pace, direction, and destination of this journey. As I see that and open my heart to it, David’s words will be my testimony of praise. God will see to it!

Father, I haven’t always understood what You were doing. My questions, tears, and thoughts have revealed that. Thank you for doing what is necessary and holding me while You are doing it. Amen.

Soul Clinging

Not what I will [not what I desire], but as You will and desire. Matthew 26:39 Amplified Bible

It takes two things in order for this prayer to truly become my own. It takes a child-like trust in God and a willingness to let go of the very things I am clinging to. One author referred to it as “soul clinging.” The minute I read that phrase I knew the meaning of it.

I will hold tightly to that which I believe will bring me pleasure, satisfaction, fulfillment, and delight. What I have grown use to and dependent upon I often cling to the tightest. What I feel I need and cannot live without remains in my grasp. I am not only a creature of habit but I am a creature of survival as well. Without the realization that God has my best interest at heart and stands ready to offer me those things that will far surpass anything I am clinging to, I will be unable and unwilling to let go. They may be things that are good in themselves but wrong for me. Their usefulness has been complete, their purpose has been fulfilled, and their essence of life has been extracted. But exchanges will not be made until I extend open and empty hands to my heavenly Father.

I have experienced the pain of having my fingers pried from the “treasures” I held on to, but my soul continued to cling to them for all I was worth. How God’s heart must ache to see me hesitate and resist His work in my life. I foolishly think I know what is best and try to wait God out in order for Him to finally give me what I am so sure I need. In reality, I simply postponing His intended blessing and desire for me.

When I look at the two choices I may be tempted to think mine is the better option. I assume the exchange will not bring about the same results I think I will find in having my way. The tears fall, the ache continues, the turmoil remains until I finally see I am hurting myself through resisting change. It clouds my vision, skews my thinking, robs me of joy, and frustrates me with sleepless nights. How sad and how unnecessary! God knows the reasons behind my actions. Sometimes it is pride. Sometimes it is distrust. Sometimes it is hurts and wounds. Sometimes it is lack of knowledge. But EVERY time it is choice and contrast of wills. And each day it is with patience and love that God continues to offer me what is best! He knows the joy that awaits me if I would but make the exchange.

Father, tears have fallen as I have continued to hold on to my will, my dreams, and my desires. Help me to live with abandon and trust in You. Help me to let go! Amen.

That Which Stops Progress

He utterly destroyed them, along with the other cities and villages of the plain, wiping out all the people and every bit of vegetation. But Lot’s wife looked back as she was following behind him, and she turned into a pillar of salt. Genesis 19:25, 26 New Living Translation

Journeys are meant to progress forward. They entail leaving behind the things we once clung to and held dear. The first steps can be the most painful and daunting but they are necessary. One must realize though that other steps forward must follow the initial ones taken. For Lot’s wife, she started on the journey away from Sodom, following behind her husband. But not far down the road of departure she stopped, looked back, and brought about the consequences of being turned into a pillar of salt. Her journey ended!

While I may look back on places in my life I miss and often long for, and will not be turned into a pillar of salt because of it, God is presently teaching me a valuable lesson. Whenever I look back I stop my own progress. My heart can only be directed forward or backward….both are not possible at the same time. In a sense, when I look back and allow the loss to consume me, it has the same effect on me as being turned into a pillar of salt. I become stuck in that one place. All movement stops, all growth stops, all freedom stops, all development stops UNTIL I determine to get my eyes back on Jesus and the journey He has in store for me.

This morning I am asking myself why I even look back. The answers are revealing some mindsets that need God’s touch. Looking back comes when I am convinced the past is more pleasant than the present or the future. When the comforts of the past feel more secure than the present or the future. When the people of the past seem more encouraging then the present or the future. But what I fail to realize is that the very things I look back to were at one time “future” for me. Before the people came into my life, they were the things God had in store for me. With that in mind, am I believing a lie that God does not continue to have relationships and events planned out for me to eventually experience? I was! But not now!

The truth is, God still has good things in store for me. He still has significant people to bring into my life. He still has things to teach me. As long as I take in breath I am in His company, under His care, upheld by His mercy, and living in His embrace. With that in mind, I once again face the front, grasp His hand, and proceed with joy!

Father, I have wasted so much time looking back. You have a journey laid out for me. I step on to the trail with abandon as I join You for what is ahead! Amen.