Imperative Reminders

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. Ephesians 6:10,11 (New International Version)

God is whispering reminders to me this morning. He knows I have been struggling because I have actually forgotten all three of the things He is now bringing to my mind. He is not being harsh. He is being serious yet tender. It is His way of saying, “Pam, it doesn’t have to be like this. Once again, step into the truth of My Word. I have not only good things for you…I have victory available for you.” How I praise Him for His persistence and His patience in getting me to understand I must be aware of my strength, my enemy, and my means of protection and defense.

First of all, my strength is found in Him. It is His strength and His mighty power that give me the ability to stand in victory! My dependency must be on Him and in Him rather than in what I can muster up on my own. The Christian life is not meant to be lived out of self effort, perfected behavior, and impeccable performance. That will only result in draining me. God’s Spirit resides in me to give me all that I need to live victorious in Him. In every area of weakness I must cry out to Him for the strength needed. He is not only ready and willing to give it to me, He is abounding with delight!

Secondly, I have an enemy and his name is Satan. He knows where I am weak, wounded, and vulnerable. He also knows which weapons to use against me. It is essential that I become wise to his ways, otherwise I become a sitting duck to his attacks. I am learning to detect his fingerprints amidst the circumstances of my life. When I find myself feeling discouraged, confused, or defeated, I can count on the fact that he is working against me. When my thoughts are consumed with losses, emptiness, and aloneness, I can be sure he is introducing his interpretation of things to me. How he must dance in glee at any child of God who is ignorant of him and his ways.

Thirdly, I am to daily stand in truth, His righteousness, peace, faith, salvation, His Word, and prayer. If I am not making a daily, conscious effort to put on the armor God has made available to me, I do not stand a chance against the powers of darkness and spiritual forces that abound! The armor is listed in Ephesians 6:14-18. God invites each one of us to take it up, put it on, and fight the good fight of faith as victorious warriors! Will we do it? I pray so!

Father, I needed Your reminder this morning. My defeats come only when I fail to remember and act upon Your Word. I choose today to know where my strength lies, who my enemy is, and what my armor of defense is. Amen.

Awakened By His Offer

And the LORD will continually guide you, and satisfy your desires in scorched places, and give strength to your bones, and you will be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water whose waters do not fail. Isaiah 58:11 (New American Standard Bible)

Have you ever read a passage of Scripture and longed for it to be real in your own life? Today’s verse is one such example for me. How I long for God’s continual guidance. To know and follow His step by step instructions. I want to be satisfied in the dry places of my soul and to have an internal strength that carries me through difficult times. I yearn to be like a watered garden and spring of water….an unending supply of refreshment. I am crying out for guidance, satisfaction, strength, and refreshment. And the cries are not falling on deaf ears because they are directed toward my heavenly Father.

He has been watching me awaken to the realization that this is exactly what He wants to do for me. Many have been the times He spread a table before me and invited me to dine with Him only to see me approach other tables. Countless have been the times I turned down His offer of intimacy for other friendships. Each time I reached for what I thought would satisfy and fill me I came away empty and dissatisfied. Confusion, bitterness, and anger were often my companions on such a journey. And still He extended the offer of Himself.

This morning, He awakened me at 1:30 to once again invite me to reconnect with Himself. This time there were no distractions or offers that looked even slightly appealing. He has caused my hunger and thirst to surface and He is the One I am turning to get those needs met. He has once again planted seeds of hope in me for a deeper, richer walk with Himself. He offers rest for my weariness, comfort for my pain, forgiveness for my sinful choices, sight for my blindness, and His embrace for my loneliness. It is changing how I am talking to Him and what I am hearing Him say to me. I want to learn how to receive all that He offers me and in order to do that I must be willing to see what my hindrances have been. If the words full, abundant, satisfying, and complete do not describe my Christian life than I have once again closed my heart and withdrawn my hand from Him. He is using each consequence to draw me back into intimacy with Himself. I am not walking. I am running full force into His extravagant offer.

Father, You have watched me flounder and fall many times. Thank you that You continually welcome me home! Amen.

The Way of Escape

No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it. I Corinthians 10:13 (New American Standard Bible)

I marvel at the unique ways God chooses to act on our behalf. He is not tied into any one system or limited in His options. The temptations that may come our way in any given day are varied and so are His means of escape. The temptation is not always toward blatant sin and it is times when it is not that we must be even more careful to guard our hearts and minds. Such was the case this past week when I was considering doing something that I questioned whether or not I should actually do. Twice I was faced with a temptation that seemed innocent enough and yet something in me wasn’t sure it was the right thing to do. What made it even more unsettling was that at one time both were beneficial to my walk with God. The more I pondered it the more I realized the necessity to pray about it…so I did.

I asked God to simply show me the source of the temptation. He did that but also showed me something else that helped put things into perspective. He let me see that the enemy of my soul was behind it all and was intent on tripping me up in an area God was touching in my life. His desire was to get me distracted and defeated. Then God clearly showed me what would happen if I gave in to the temptation. For the first one, He let me know if I acted upon my urges the results would be the exact opposite of what I was hoping for. For the second temptation He let me know I would not receive the same benefit I had once enjoyed. Once I saw the consequences, the temptation lost its appeal and pull. His revelation to me had become my way of escape. I have learned a whole new approach to walking in victory.

God is in our corner when it comes to living out the Christian life. He knows us thoroughly. He will do whatever it takes to aid us in our walk with Him. While choices abound we must be willing to ask ourselves some tough questions. Will what I am thinking of doing benefit and strengthen me spiritually? Will it help or hinder my growth? Will it showcase God’s work in my life? Will the end result be worthwhile? If the answer to any of these questions is no then I must say no to the thought. In the long run I will be glad I did.

Father, I need Your wisdom and counsel each step of the way. You know the beginning and ending of every action. Help me always choose Your will and Your way. Amen.

Spoken For You

And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ ~ to the glory and praise of God. Philippians 1:9-11 (New International Version)

I marvel at the way God’s Word is meant specifically for any who read it. What Paul wrote to the believers at Philippi thousands of years ago is meant for believers today. As I read his three verse prayer, I shut my eyes and tried to envision him praying those words over me. What a prayer! That my love would abound. That I would grow in knowledge and discernment. That I would be pure and blameless. That I would be completely filled with the fruit that comes from knowing Jesus. And that it all be for God’s praise and glory!

We often tell people we are praying for them, but do we ever get specific about the content of those prayers? In recent months I have had individuals send me an email prayer that was lifted up on my behalf. They literally wrote out the words of their prayer for me. I was deeply moved as I read them. I have also had people close a phone conversation in prayer. Sometimes I will actually get on my knees as I drink in the blessing that is being prayed over me. On several occasions I have asked individuals to pray a blessing over me and the experience was profound. As God continues to cross my paths with such people, I will gratefully receive their prayers over me. There is something about hearing or reading those prayers that stirs my heart and refreshes my spirit.

At the same time, I want to be that to others and pray effective prayers over them. For I know the power that comes from asking God to enrich, bless, and encourage them. If nothing else, I can slip their name into Paul’s prayer and speak it on their behalf. Know this though. Even if I do not know you personally, Jesus does. If He is your Savior, He intercedes for you on a daily basis! If you want to get an idea of how He prays for you, take some time to read His prayer in John 17. What He prayed on behalf of his disciples is still on His lips for you! Not only does He pray His desires over you but He knows your specific needs as well. I don’t know how many prayer partners God has blessed you with but none will surpass Jesus. He is the Prayer Warrior of all prayer warrior!

Father, thank you for prayers spoken on my behalf and for the prayers I can speak for others. May I not take lightly the intercession that will take place today. And my I wrap myself in the truth of Jesus being the ultimate intercessor! Amen.

A Wise Use of Conjunctions

But You, O LORD. Psalm 102:12a (New American Standard Bible)

This phrase follows 11 verses of one man pouring out his heart to God. Time and time again, David has shown me the necessity of open, honest dialogue with God. He does not sugar-coat his circumstances, hide his true feelings, or disguise his thoughts. His is a flood of emotions, pain, agony, and torment that freely flows from his mouth to God’s ears. He readily tells God about his fears, discomfort, anger, and loneliness. He describes the toll it is taking on him physically, emotionally, and spiritually. The tears fall as his words flow and the whole time God is listening. Not surprised. Not shocked. Not disappointed. Not disinterested. Not disturbed. Intently and compassionately listening to not only David’s complaint but also for his conjunction….But You, O LORD! His prayer is not limited to just listing his difficulties of life. It includes and concludes with proclaiming the truth about God.

Our prayer lives are progressive. Many of us had to learn how to become honest before God. We had to see it was okay to share with Him those things that He was already aware of. Getting out in the light what had been buried in the dark was a huge step for some of us. It required honesty in the inward parts and trust in the heart of God. It came after distortions about God were corrected. It may have taken weeks or even years for God to finally coax us into candid conversation with Himself. But His intent is not that we simply pour out our tears and tragedies. If that were the case, we would leave His throne room in no better shape than we entered.

When we have opened our hearts and mouths in honesty before God it is then time to turn the focus off ourselves and our circumstances and unto Him. This particular psalm lists God’s faithfulness, consistency, and power. Our list may do the same or go even further. There are times I like to just go through the alphabet ascribing a truth about God for each letter. Oh the strength, comfort, and refreshment that come as I proclaim, “But You, O Lord, are amazing, believable, compassionate, dependable, everlasting, faithful, generous, etc…” It allows me to see that my personal problems are NOT the end of the story! It puts things into right perspective once again. The hands that were hanging down are lifted and the knees that were feeble are strengthened (Hebrews 12:2). While nothing may have instantly changed with the outward circumstances my spirit is renewed and rejuvenated! God bless the conjunctions that turn my gaze and my praise toward Him!

Father, You are indescribable! May every conversation with You conclude with a testimony of You! Amen.

Seeing Them No More

And he saw him no more. 2 Kings 2:12 (Amplified Bible)

I often wonder what it was like for Elisha when Elijah was taken from him. What was it like for Joshua when he knew he would no longer be able to see and speak with Moses? What was it like for Timothy to go on without Paul? What was it like for David when Samuel was no longer a part of his life? Was there hesitation, fear, apprehension, dread, or sadness? Did they have moments of longing to relive the companionship and fellowship? Did they miss them? Or did they live so connected to God that they knew this was a transition God had brought about? Did they see that the preparatory work had been done in them and it was now time for them to walk out their own life of faith? Did their loss seem like a funeral or a graduation? Each had been the recipients of another person’s counsel, encouragement, leadership, and guidance. But it was not God’s intent for them to remain in another person’s classroom for the rest of their life.

God has spent the last number of months helping me to see His intentions for me as I have experienced the loss of my own “Elijah.” I cannot come up with a word to describe my first response to the change. Panic comes close. It entailed grief, depression, loneliness, and confusion. But through numerous resources I began to see the importance of focus and submission. If I focused on the problem and the person I was in trouble. If I focused on what it was God was doing in me I experienced growth. It is a daily walk that slowly develops the spiritual muscles I need to move forward.

Oswald Chambers’ classic, My Utmost for His Highest, confirmed this truth for me. He said, “It is not wrong to depend upon Elijah as long as God gives him to you, but remember the time will come when he will have to go; when he stands no more to you as your guide and leader, because God does not intend he should. You say, ‘I cannot go on without Elijah.’ God says you must.” I take his words and let them sink deep into my heart. These are the days when I am to take all that I have learned from my former guide and implement them into my own journey. The lessons did not fall on deaf ears or a closed heart. Her investment into my life was not in vane. God gifted me with rich instruction and now invites me to show the fruit of His and her labor. Sometimes with tears and sometimes with joy I move on.

I will one day have the joy of sitting down face to face with my ‘Elijah’ and reviewing all that God did during and since her involvement in my Christian life. That visit may not happen until Heaven but when it does the rejoicing will abound!

Father, You lovingly gave and lovingly took away. I am the richer for both! Amen.

He Has His Eye On You

I will instruct you and teach you in the way which you should go; I will counsel you with My eye upon you. Psalm 32:8 (New American Standard Bible)

Today’s verse shows me the extent to which God wants to be personally involved in my life. The God of the universe promises to be my Instructor, Teacher, and Counselor AND to watch over me every step of the way. ME! The one who so easily wants to watch people and follow their lead. The one who wants to find my answers in countless books. The one who desires exciting events and relationships in my life. The one who can so readily look for satisfaction and wholeness in countless sources.

I stood in a Christian bookstore last night with a friend. We were looking for a Bible study to do together. While many looked interesting, nothing in particular stood out to either of us. After my friend left I became uncomfortable with myself. I looked through a couple more books and browsed the music section. Nothing! Then it hit me. I was wanting to find another person’s walk with God to learn from. I wanted to crawl into their story and take in the truths they were learning. I wanted them to be the voice behind Psalm 32:8.

As I left the bookstore I became aware of my desire to have an authentic, genuine walk with God. Not a walk that is patterned after someone else’s. Not a walk that resembles someone else’s. Not a second hand faith! God was helping me to see that for much of my Christian life I was attracted to what I saw in others. What I saw in them I wanted for myself. This would usually lead to two dangers. I would become enamored with the person and addicted to the “high” of relationship. It never fails to be a recipe for disaster and an invitation to ride on a roller coaster of emotions. God sees it all and understands the reason behind the search. He is letting me know it doesn’t have to continue to be like that.

I am humbled by the truth of it all and asking Him to teach me. Teach me how to live satisfied in Him. Teach me how to drink my fill of Him. Teach me how to walk with Him. Teach me how to draw close to Him. Teach me how to keep my focus on Him. Teach me how to joy in Him. Teach me how to seek Him. Teach me how to embrace Him. Teach me how to hear Him. Teach me how to live for Him. He has given me His Word that He will do just that!

Father, I see now why You had to remove the props I was leaning on and learning from. My heart and my eyes are now on You. Teach me! Amen.