Look for the Conditions

Surely he will never be shaken; a righteous man will be remembered forever. He will have no fear of bad news; his heart is steadfast, trusting in the LORD. His heart is secure, he will have no fear. Psalm 112:6-8 (New International Version)

There have been many times in my Christian life when this passage of Scripture would taunt me more than comfort me. The idea of not being shaken or in fear was as far removed from me as a steadfast and secure heart. But that was because I failed to see the conditions of such a proclamation. The picture that is being painted with God-breathed words is not the experience of many people….even among Christians. And when it isn’t, we want to blame God or others and walk with a confused and bitter spirit. When our life is in shambles and our foundations lie in a crumbled heap, we shake our heads and ask through clenched teeth and tear stained faces, “What happened?” If we really want to know and we have a teachable disposition, then God’s Word is opened up to answer us in a life changing way.

This morning the conditions are clear! This passage is speaking of one who lives a righteous life and places complete trust in God. When we trust Christ, we are made righteous, but that is not the end of the story. His righteousness enables us to live in cooperation with and obedience to God. It is not a life of self righteousness but rather a transformed life that is empowered by the Spirit of God and infused with the Word of God. It is allowing God to change us from the inside out and that will affect our thoughts, words, and actions. Add to this the elements of trust…childlike trust. Being confident and secure in God’s love and involvement in our life. Trusting Him for the strength, guidance, provision, and wisdom that we need on a daily basis.

But the promises of this passage will not be evident in my life if I choose to live my life simply by an outward performance of good works and fixing my eyes on people. If I am looking to others to give me all the answers and to instill in me confidence, security, assurance, and stability, then I am setting myself up for a huge fall that will eventually shake me to the very center of my being. I have lived that way and reaped the painful consequences. But things are changing as I dare to look into God’s Word, receive it as life altering truth, and take the conditions seriously.

Father, You are the One who has set my feet on solid rock and established my going. You are the One who will continue to develop my spiritual muscles which will enable me to walk, run, and fly with confidence and courage. Amen.

He Still Knows What it is Like

He was despised and rejected and forsaken by men, a Man of sorrows and pains, and acquainted with grief and sickness; and like One from Whom men hide their faces He was despised, and we did not appreciate His worth or have any esteem for Him. Isaiah 53:3 (Amplified Bible)

What is it you take to Jesus today? Is it ever feelings of being seen as worthless and contemptible by others? Rejection and physical or mental pain? Grief and sickness of soul? Feelings of being forgotten, forsaken, and unthought of? We live in a fallen world in the midst of fallen people. Their negative words and actions toward us can often shape the view we have of ourselves and leave us feeling deeply hurt and in pain. If that is you this morning, Jesus has a message for you from today’s verse.

He wants you to know that He experienced the same thing when He walked on this earth and although it was to a greater extent, it does not minimize in His eyes the depth of what you are feeling. He does not let you know of His painful experiences in order to down play or down size your own, but rather to let you know He understands more than any one the full extent of your grief, pain, and difficulty. He, more than anyone, enters into your situation and stays with you. From Him you will never receive unattentiveness, disinterest, or distraction. He gives to you what no person was fully able to give to Him…undivided attention and a full knowledge of where and why you are hurting.

He also wants you to know the words of Isaiah 53:3 not only describe what He experienced here on earth over two centuries ago, but it is what He still experiences from mankind even in the present. He is still despised and rejected by the very ones He reaches out to. He is still fully acquainted with grief and sorrow of heart. He still has people who turn away from him, lack appreciation for Him, and think little of Him. And He feels the way we feel when it happens to us. So when you pour your heart out to Him and share the sorrow with Him, He knows and is filled with compassion for you.

He knows that in this world we have trouble. He knows that we respond to the things we hear, see, feel, and taste of this life. He knows how fragile our internal world is. He knows we lack the ability to see beyond our present circumstances. That is why this morning, I can picture a hurting person being held by Jesus. Gently rocked and tenderly spoken to like a mother with a small child. Held closely and being told, “Precious child of Mine, I hurt with you and I speak My peace and compassion over you.” If we let Him, He will speak the words we need to hear. They will be like balm to our soul. Words of healing and wholeness. Words of understanding. He is a personal God who knows us intimately and takes in every detail of our life.

Jesus, I lift up hurting individuals to You. Convey to them the full meaning of my words this morning. Speak to them as only You can. Amen.

An Open Invitation

Now Moses used to take the tent and pitch it outside the camp, a good distance from the camp, and he called it the tent of meeting and everyone who sought the LORD would go out to the tent of meeting which was outside the camp. Exodus 33:7 (New American Standard Bible)

The invitation found within this verse has profoundly stood out to me today. At other times I have missed it but today it is coming alive to me. This tent was not the Tabernacle in which only the priests were allowed to enter. It was not like Mount Sinai where Moses alone met with God. It was a tent for anyone to meet with God. ANYONE! And yet I read how the children of Israel “watched” as Moses went to the tent. They watched as the cloud of God’s presence descended on the tent. They watched as Moses came out of the tent and as Joshua stayed for an extended time with God. And the whole time I am asking myself why they chose to stay distant observers of such an opportunity?

Immediately I am struck by the comparison that can be made today in the life of many believers and of myself for too many years. I spent decades accustomed to observing other people’s walk of faith. Like the children of Israel, I watched them talk to God, listen to God, follow God, connect with God, and know God. I longed to have what they had but I remained a distant observer. Jesus’ words of “come unto Me” fell on deaf ears, blind eyes, trembling hands, and a cautious heart. While I saw what others had with Him and heard them tell me I could experience the same for myself, I doubted it could ever happen. I had no trouble connecting with those who connected with God but limited myself to that connection. I settled for far less than God was offering.

What changed? God used disappointment and pain to bring my gaze around to Himself. My searching was finally directed toward Him. He began to help me hear His voice with my own ears and see His face with my own eyes. Even though my steps are often slow and my insecurities are still apparent, He is passionate about wooing me to Himself. I am learning to ask Him the questions and to listen for His answers. I am experiencing the moments of crying on His shoulders and sensing Him drying my tears. I am learning how to allow Him to reveal truth from His Word to me in order to replace the lies of the enemy. I am learning what it means to have an authentic walk with my Creator and He is faithfully blessing each time I enter the tent of meeting!

Father, Your invitation has finally made its way to my heart. I revel in the relationship You are helping me to establish with Yourself. Amen.

Proven to be Storm - Proofed

He brought me up also out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings. Psalm 40:2 (King James Version)

To understand the completeness of God’s work in your life is to walk in its truth and see it result in victory in areas that use to send you reeling. Once God has brought you through a place of hardship, He wants to help you see that He has done a permanent work in you. Just as a house is not proven storm-proofed until it has weathered a storm, we are often taken through a “storm” to show that we are truly out of the pit and established in our goings. I found myself in one such moment of “proving” recently.

During the coarse of a recent lunch date, I was sharing with an individual how God had been setting me free in a particular area. The conversation turned to a discussion of the very thing God had delivered me from and as things were shared I could tell my “moment of truth” was about to be revealed. What she shared with me would have at one time sent me into an emotional tail spin of great proportion. I listened with baited breath as she let me know some things I had not been aware of regarding a mutual acquaintance. I knew I was in territory that would either bring me down or prove my deliverance. I wanted to hear what she was saying but at the same time I didn’t want any negative effects to come from it. What resulted was a time of sharing that didn’t lead to a negative consequence.

However, once the conversation was over I could tell the enemy was lurking in the shadows waiting to use against me what was said. That uneasy feeling began to be felt and I decided it was time to put into practice the very things I had been learning. I acknowledged the work of the enemy, renounced his interpretation of things, and proclaimed the truth. What was precious is that as I was voicing the truth, God began to bring Scripture to my mind that assured me He had in fact brought me up and established my goings. He had firmly set my feet on a rock and I was secure, fixed, and stable in Him. He had not only established my way, He had established me!

I cannot fully express what it means to me to embrace the magnitude of His work. After so many times of proclaiming early victories which were followed by failures that revealed the victories really hadn’t transpired, I find it hard to relax and rest in what He has now done. He understands my gun shy tendencies. He knows with each test I gain confidence in what He has done. I lift my hands in praise to the God who has never let go of me.

Father, I am at a place where I still need Your reminders that You really have freed me in this area. As often as the enemy brings the doubts You are bringing the truth! My uncertainties are giving way to amazement. Amen.

Owning His Words

Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble; He saved them out of their distresses. He sent His word and healed them, and delivered them from their destructions. Let them give thanks to the LORD for His loving kindness, and for His wonders to the sons of men! Psalm 107:19-21 (New American Standard Bible)

For any who have read my devotionals over the course of the last year or so, you have been aware of an ongoing battle in my life. While I have not given specific details it was quite apparent that I was struggling to possess victory in this area. My days were marked with guilt for failure, shame for a stronghold, frustration that freedom eluded me, and an endless trail of self effort and self reformation. I knew a lot of truth and shared it freely on a daily basis. But the bottom line was that I had yet to fully embrace that truth and see it change me at the very center of my being. To make matters worse, I had no idea why this was the case for me.

Yesterday, God showed me what I was missing all along. He made it clear to me that while I had cried out for His deliverance many times, I had failed to believe that He had done it! After my prayers were ended I would pick myself up and immediately work to bring about the change I so desired. My bondage was emotional dependency on others and I tried countless ways to over come it. I read books, I talked to friends, I sought professional counseling, I began attending meetings for Adult Children of Alcoholics, I listened to music, I rid my home of all the things that connected me to a significant person, and I finally bought into the lie that this is just the way I will always be and I must learn to guard myself in order to not form any future emotional ties to people. While I knew in my head that Jesus had come to set the captives free, I accepted the distorted version of truth that I would have to remain a prisoner.

That was the case until yesterday morning when God whispered to my spirit these words…”Pam, I have already healed you of your emotional dependency. I did it the moment you asked. But you have not claimed my healing and therefore have not been living out of it. Instead you have been living deceived. Receive what I have done and walk in the freedom that is yours.” The moment I embraced His words and acknowledged my healing, the power of emotional dependency was broken! I have finally come to own what was already mine and I have not stopped thanking God for it.

Father, thank you for each person who lifted me up in prayer and desired to see me walk in the truth and freedom they knew You offered. Having known the experience of being a captive makes me more appreciative of my freedom. I dance in delight of my deliverance. Amen.

No Longer a Sitting Duck

Be well balanced (temperate, sober of mind), be vigilant and cautious at all times, for the enemy of yours, the devil, roams around like a lion roaring [in fierce hunger], seeking someone to seize upon and devour. 1 Peter 5:8 (Amplified Bible)

In Hind’s Feet on High Places, Much-Afraid is warned not to allow her cousin, Craven Fear, to paint a picture on the screen of her imagination. The same warning applies to each of us when it comes to an area of attack by our enemy, Satan. I find that the most frequently attacked place in my life is in my mind….my thoughts.

I have been awake for about 40 minutes. I spent the first half hour listening to some music on the radio. Christian music! And already the enemy was attempting to paint many scenes on the canvas of my mind. Although the sun has not yet risen on this day, the battle is on and I have determined to not let him succeed in his attempt to walk me down the spiraling staircase of despair, discouragement, and doubt. I have already put on God’s armor which is listed in Ephesians 6 and the moment I recognize the enemy’s introduction of thoughts I take action. For I have come to realize while all negative, shaming, condemning, harmful thoughts are introduced by him, it is my choice whether to believe and dwell on them or renounce them as lies, caste them down, and walk in the truth and light of God’s Word.

Yesterday was a different story. I did not stay vigilant, cautious, and alert to the schemes of the enemy. For as soon as I stopped rejecting his thoughts and started dwelling on them I lost the battle. I raised no shield of faith. I wielded no sword of the Spirit. I put up no resistance. It was like I had propped open the door to my mind and allowed him to bring in whatever thoughts he chose. The result was glee for him and despair for me! But I have a faithful God who desires that I learn from it. Through a friend, I was reminded that the negative, condemning thoughts ALWAYS come from the enemy and it is my responsibility to stop him through prayer, Scripture, taking thoughts captive, and fleshing out Philippians 4:8. That realization awakened in me a desire to fight. I am not to be a sitting duck on the battle field. I am a warrior child of the King of kings! I have armor and weapons to use. I know who my enemy is and I am aware of what he has been doing. It is now my choice to stand up to him with the authority God has given me and walk in victory with my head held high. It will not stop his attacks but it will make it harder for him to be successful!

Father, I stand in agreement with You on who my enemy is and how he is to be fought. May I no longer allow him access to my mind or entertain the thoughts he introduces. Help me to stand guard, use the weapons of warfare, and walk in victory. Amen.

Hearing His Answers

Faithful is He who calls you, and He also will bring it to pass. I Thessalonians 5:24 (New American Standard Bible)

There are times I approach God’s Word with more questions than answers. My mindsets and patterns of thought can often be a hindrance to me. For the past few days I have struggled to grasp the concept of what is meant by God’s call. I can’t seem to wrap my mind around it and maybe that is because I have an idea of what I think His call would look like and thus I limit the size and scope of it.

I review the individuals in Scripture who had clear calls on their life. Moses was called to lead the children of Israel out of Egypt. Joseph was called to preserve the life of a nation and God’s people during a famine. Esther was called to be a queen. Paul was called to take the gospel message to the gentiles and to write most of the New Testament. Jonah was called to deliver a message to the people of Nineveh. David was called to be king of Israel and the writer of the Psalms. Joshua was called to lead the children of Israel into the promised land. The list goes on and on. Callings. Specific assignments and life purposes. Chosen and equipped by God to carry out His plans and purposes.

This review brings me to some interesting conclusions. None of these individuals had a full picture of all God’s call would entail. Specific details were not always forth coming. It was often a day by day moment by moment leading. Obedience was necessary as was listening to God. Many were the times they felt ill prepared or ill equipped to fulfill the call but in the end they did it and they knew it was only by God’s grace. God’s call often included persecution, trials, and heartaches. The very prophets God called were often misunderstood and their messages resisted.

So this morning, I will take my questions and my confusion to God and let Him put my mind and my spirit at ease. Already He has begun to redirect my focus and my words. While I want to know WHAT His call on my life is, He wants me to know Him as the One who is calling me and the One who will bring that calling to pass. His call is not a one time event but rather a life time journey. To my question of “What is it I am called to do?” His answer is always, “Follow Me.” There will not always be specific details given but in His time and in His own way He will make clear the steps I am to take.

Father, You see the questions that line my face and heart. You detect the misunderstanding behind my words. I take comfort in the truth that You have called me and You will bring it to pass. May I hear those words often today. Amen.