Goals or Results?

I will give thanks to You, O Lord my God, with all my heart, and will glorify Your name forever. Psalm 86:12 (New American Standard Bible)

According to Webster’s dictionary, a goal is the end to which an effort is directed. We set goals in order to acquire something that we desire. Often though, our goals are limited and temporary. Once we have the result, we can begin to flounder. I am coming to realize that it is essential to have goals that go beyond a certain result we are looking for. Let me give a few examples.

The goal to lose weight should instead be the goal to live a healthy lifestyle which will result in lost weight and obtained health. The goal to get out of debt should instead be the goal to become a good steward of that which has been entrusted to me which will result in financial freedom. The goal to be free of an addiction should instead be the goal to honor God with my body and mind which will result in the breaking of the hold something has on me. The goal to have friends should instead be the goal of being a friend to others which will result in having friends. Goals need to go beyond getting or getting rid of something.

The Bible is abundant with goals. Today’s verse gives two….to have a thankful heart and to glorify God’s name. Others that come to mind are: to be God’s friend, to know Christ, to walk in obedience, to love God with all our heart, soul, and mind, to acknowledge God in everything, to trust Him, to seek Him diligently, to rejoice in all things, and to pray about everything. If these are my goals, the results will come but they will not simply be an end in themselves.

The freedoms and victory I seek will be the result of having goals that are aligned with Scripture and directed toward God. It is not enough to only want the pain to stop, the loneliness to leave, the approval to come, or the emptiness to be filled. Those are merely the sparkles from the diamonds that exist in the mine of being in relationship with God and making loving and knowing Him my goal.

Father, I have been limited in my goal setting. You have wanted much more for me. Be the One I am fixated on and glorify Yourself. I praise You for what will be the result. I seek You. Amen.

I Exalt Thee - Maranatha Singers
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=arPrM8RCiyo

Fixing my eyes on Jesus, the Author and Finisher of my faith!

Being a Go-Between

Then He commanded the multitudes to sit down on the grass. And He took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, He blessed and broke and gave the loaves to the disciples; and the disciples gave to the multitudes. Matthew 14:19 (New King James Version)

Many have been the times I have entered a room with expectations. Ever on the search for someone to make me feel loved, accepted, valued, and worth knowing. Hungry for having my emotions, soul, and needs of the heart fed through the words and actions of others. Starving for the attention and approval of individuals I may or may not know. In today’s verse, I would have been part of the multitude waiting to be cared for but God desires more.

Jesus wants to place me in the position He placed His disciples. They were simply distributors of the very things He gave them. I have heard it said that we cannot give away what we don’t first possess for ourselves. However, what we do possess we are called to give away as God opens such doors of opportunity. If I walk with an attitude of love, because I am deeply loved by my Father, it will affect my actions, attitudes, and words. It will free me to shift my focus from being on the receiving end of love to being a distributor of love.

What is it I can distribute to others today? Encouraging words that say the things they need to hear. Acceptance and value for who another person is and who God made them to be. Hugs that let someone know they are not only special but appreciated. A look that says, “I notice you and am glad to see you!” Smiles and expressions that bring sunshine into a room instead of a cloud of despair. Simple reminders about God and truths from His Word that will feed their places of spiritual hunger and thirst. The list is endless and the possibilities are profound.

It is not a “give to get” mindset. Too often that hidden agenda is lurking. Rather, it is being in a position to be to others what God has called me to be while allowing Him to be to me what He desires to be. My Identifier. My Supplier. My Provider. My Sustainer. My Caregiver. My God.

Father, I turn my gaze and my expectations toward You. Help me to live my life differently in a position of service between You and others. What You hand me, help me to give to others. What You tell me, help me to share with others. Make me a blessing just for the sake of You and others. Amen.

Create in Me
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HQVuF84OLag&feature=related

Fixing my eyes on Jesus, the Author and Finisher of my faith!

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. 1 Corinthians 10:13 (New American Standard Bible)

Nothing is more discouraging or debilitating than a pull in your thoughts or emotions that would seek to take you by the hand and lead you away from a life of faith and joy. Joyce Meyer had it right with the title of her book The Battlefield of the Mind. It is definitely a battlefield. It is also a war zone of the soul. Many fight a silent battle and feel they are losing every time. They are all too familiar with thoughts that not only over whelm them but lead them into black holes of emptiness. It is a place far removed from Jesus’ words that spoke of the abundant life that He would make available to His followers. He wants us to know that it doesn’t have to be like this. None of us have to continue to be casualties of our thoughts that are self imposed or enemy induced. None of us!

It often takes time to realize we are living below God’s standard and desire for our life. Victory and freedom seems out of reach because we are so convinced we just can’t win against the onslaughts of our own mind games. Truth that is meant to set us free often seems ineffective. What is meant to empower us simply adds guilt and condemnation to our daily walk, until we reach a point where we decide enough is enough. Something rises up in us that wants a way out and a walk of change. The pain of living in defeat is finally overcome by the desire to have victory.

Such has been my experience. Many have been the times I have sat in a room full of people and become consumed with thoughts of insignificance, being invisible, not mattering to anyone, and feeling left out of conversations and life. None of those things were true, simply perceptions and feelings driven by emotional needs aching to be met. The temptation to stay in such a pit of darkness has often won out. In desperation, I asked God for help after admitting I could not free myself. His way of escape was clear. His words to me? “When you are tempted to avoid eye contact with others, look them in the eye. When you are tempted to sit in silence and dejection, take part in the conversations. When you are tempted to isolate yourself, enter into the life that is surrounding you.” Does it work? Absolutely! It brings me out of a prison of distance and places me into the joy and blessing of fellowship. This is new for me and I am thrilled by the possibilities it possesses.

Father, how You have longed to show me the way of escape. Forgive me for the countless times I closed my eyes, ears, and heart to Your ways. Now that You have shown me what to do, help me to do it. I trust You and I love You. Amen.

What a Faithful God - Robert Critchley
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gLEgyKpzyUw&feature=related

Fixing my eyes on Jesus, the Author and Finisher of my faith!

What a Year Holds

Dear Devotional Readers,

I have been spending some time thinking back to 2008. It was a year that saw some change for me as well as some much needed steps of growth. I have relearned some truths and then relearned them again...and again. I have been reminded on a daily basis that God's grace is not only sufficient but extremely necessary!

I want to take a moment to thank each of you who read the devotionals. I have been touched by your emails that let me know God used His thoughts through me to reach needed parts in you. Without a doubt, you are the reason I write them. While I do not personally know how many individuals read the devotionals on any given day, God does, and He has assured me they will reach the ones they are intended for. In that I rest and rejoice!

As I have looked back at the 270 plus devotionals that God led me to write in the past 12 months, I am filled with gratitude for the work He has sought to do in me and it is my desire that His work not be in vain. I have often wondered if God would rather have me go through one particular book of the Bible but so far that has not been His leading. For now, He continues to direct me to simply share with others what He is teaching me on a daily basis. His requirements are simply for me to stay transparent so others can see the heart behind the words and stay general enough so they can slip their own stories into the scenarios.

For those of you who have prayed for me at any time, I thank you. Please know your prayers have been felt and are effective. Eternity will reveal that more fully.

God's blessings on each of you in this new year. May each of us be further along on our journey by this time next year.

Journeying on!
Pam Shattuck

Fearless Heart - Point of Grace
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E487moHf0gQ

Fixing my eyes on Jesus, the Author and Finisher of my faith!

Hidden Agendas

Then Herod, when he realized that he had been misled by the wise men, was furiously enraged, and he sent and put to death all the male children in Bethlehem and in all that territory who were two years old and under, reckoning according to the date which he had investigated diligently and had learned exactly from the wise men. Matthew 2:16 (Amplified Bible)

Herod’s rage led to murder but it was based in the idea that he had been betrayed. At least that was the lie he told himself and decided to believe. He was actually the one who was doing the misleading by seeking to convince the wise men that he intended on worshiping the Christ child. Had he told them the truth, they would have never agreed to return to him with information of where to find the babe. Unbeknownst to him, God had revealed his hidden agenda to the wise men and directed them to return home another route. They listened to God and followed His instructions. Herod was not a seeker of truth therefore he never found it. He also never found the freedom that comes from knowing and walking in the truth.

I have been guilty of the same “Herod mentality.” Many have been the hidden agendas of my own heart that I thought would remain my secret in order to get what I wanted or get my needs met. I know now that God will not allow that form of manipulation to continue in the life of any child of His. He loves me too much to permit me to stay in bondage to such thinking and actions. He also loves His other children too much to allow my manipulation to affect them. It has been a two step process that He has been walking me through.

First, I had to see the truth of my own heart for myself. I had to see what I was doing and why I was doing it. I had to be honest with myself and God as to the condition of my internal world and the insecurities and fears that were a part of me. Then, I had to be willing to admit the truth to another individual. I have noticed that the more I do that, the more I walk in freedom. What I am not willing to admit to myself or others will continue to master and control me. When I allow myself to “blow my own cover” I am empowered to go beyond the places of imprisonment.

I am not one for standing before a congregation or group of people and admitting every weakness and failure I have ever had. But I am convinced that one-on-one acknowledgement with a trusted friend opens me up to a world of healing that I have known little of up to this point.

Father, keep showing me the hidden agendas of my heart. I know now the freedom that comes from getting out in the open what the enemy seeks to keep concealed and out of sight. Amen.

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

Fixing my eyes on Jesus, the Author and Finisher of my faith!

A Necessary Change of View

Open my eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of Your law. Psalm 119:18 (Amplified Bible)

How I approach God’s Word, interact with it, and allow it to impact my life can become defining moments for me. I have been guilty of seeing the Bible as merely documented, historical facts. Before I became a Christian it held no appeal to me. After I became a Christian it was one of the initial things I reached for. The first time I read it through from cover to cover the stories astounded me! I had never heard of the people I read about and taking in knowledge of them was exhilarating. That is a good thing but if I go no further in my view and relationship to Scripture, knowledge alone will have very little effect on me. When my present journey began, nearly five years ago, I asked God to show me His heart in Scripture. He has faithfully been doing that. My view of God has changed as has my relationship with Him. Again, that is a good thing but God desires more. His Word is meant to be more to me than a book of knowledge and truth about Himself. It is meant to be that which uncovers my eyes, heart, and mind. To be a well spring of teaching and instruction that takes me beyond my own power and ability to live the life God created me to live.

This morning, I desired once again to read through the Bible this year, but God had more in mind for me than simply reading His Word. Within the first few verses of Genesis He clearly nudged me to begin praying the words I was reading. Some of what I was reading would evoke praise and acknowledgement of Him. Some became actual requests. Reading of God’s assignments and tasks given to Adam, I prayed I would be faithful in the things He gives me to do. Reading of Adam and Eve hiding from God, caused me to pray I would take the route of confession rather than hiding. Reading that God gave Eve to Adam to be a helper who was suitable, adaptable, and complementary to him, led me to pray I would be that more fully to my own husband.

What has happened this morning is that I have finally begun to see the Bible as a prayer book! Not just when I am reading actual prayers in the Bible. Every circumstance and individual account can become a guide for me to pray over my life and the lives of those I know. To ask for qualities and characteristics to become part of me and to release those things that should no longer be a part of my life.

I can tell already, that this is not going to be a light reading. This is going to be God’s Word coming alive to me in ways I have not begun to know as of yet. I have no words to express fully my emotions and thoughts at the moment. All I can say is, “Thank You, Jesus.”

Father, open my physical eyes as well as my spiritual eyes to the many wondrous things Your Word possesses. As I get into Your Word, let it get into me and change me. Amen.

Open the Eyes of My Heart - Mercy Me
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wutmEjdbedE&feature=related

Fixing my eyes on Jesus, the Author and Finisher of my faith!

Knowing Ahead of Time

I have told you this now, before it happens, so that when it happens, you will believe. John 14:29 (New Century Version)

Jesus’ words to His disciples came while He was telling them of His departure. Numerous times He told them of what lay ahead…His arrest, crucifixion, and subsequent resurrection. He wanted them to know that things would change but this wasn’t meant to scare them. It was meant to help them live in truth. Jesus understood how easily people can be led into false sources of security and permanence. He knew their perception was one that He would remain with them in a physical body and proceed to establish His kingdom here on earth. To allow them to continue to live with such a view would not be acting out of love. It would set them up for a huge amount of disappointment when the end would come of what they knew. At the time, it was hard for them to take in all that He was telling them but that did not stop Him from saying what they needed to hear.

I have known the tragic result of thinking something was permanent when it wasn’t. Of looking at a relationship through rose colored glasses with the belief that it would never go through changes much less end. My purpose was never to do without significant this individual. My purpose was to continue to live under the safe canopy of her encouraging words, giving heart, and well of wisdom. It was where I was at and where I wanted to stay. Oh, the devastation that awaits us when we refuse to see the truth. When change did come to the relationship I feasted on, I took it as rejection and abandonment, instead of God directed and God purposed change. It has been a long and arduous road out of my valley of grief and heartache.

How different a present relationship is. I am aware of the tentative nature of this relationship. I am aware of a time coming when the scope, purpose, and necessity of this relationship will cease to be. Not the entire relationship but this aspect of it. I am aware of it because we have talked about it and it was presented to me in such a way that I could understand. My desire is no longer to continually live under the watchful care of the one God is presently using. My desire is to know God in such a way that when the time comes for change I will walk prepared and ready for that change. I can so easily go into the mode of one who hunkers down and waits for an approaching storm but that is merely self-preparation. In prayer, last night, God let me know the preparations of my heart are from Him. As I walk in obedience and openness to Him, He will get me ready for upcoming transitions.

Father, You don’t always tell me the things that lie ahead, but this time You knew that I needed to know. I will forever be grateful for such knowledge. Amen.

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

He is wooing you from the jaws of distress to a spacious place free from restriction, to the comfort of your table laden with choice food. Job 36:16