What Was Lacking

Praise the LORD. Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever. Psalm 106:1 (New International Version)

Yesterday was a day of feeling unsettled, uneasy, unsatisfied, and unhappy. I spent a better part of the day discouraged, disheartened, and in an internal seething mode. I felt it and others noticed it. It did not take long for God to begin to reveal the problem to me. It wasn’t my circumstances but rather my heart response to those circumstances. My focus had shifted from a God centeredness to negatively viewing life. Miserable does not begin to describe it. I knew I had lost my joy, my purpose, and my thankfulness. The wrong motives of my heart became prominent and began to steer me in wrong directions. Physically I felt drained and emotionally I felt weak.

God’s first word to me was to begin thanking Him. I’ll admit the list was short at first. Not because there was not an abundance of things to be thankful for but because my heart was in need of priming much like a water source that has not been active for a while. If given enough time, callousness can set in with grumbling, murmuring, and complaining and the softening of the calloused heart and mind takes time as well. The “softening” followed two significant steps. First, I had to spend time admitting my own heart attitudes that were wrong. Second, I spent time with some women in a Bible study last night who helped redirect my focus on to God. They encouraged me through their words and examples to let go of what I wanted and embrace what God wanted.

This morning, the thanks flows easily from my heart and mouth. With that thanks comes a change of perspective, a relinquishment of “rights”, a joy, a strength, and a sense of well being. If yesterday was a dungeon of sorts, today is an open field of wonder! I find it interesting that the only things that really changed were my attitude, my thoughts, my focus, and my desires. Yet, those changes make everything else look and feel completely different.

Living my life with an unthankful spirit is much harder than living with a thankful one. Hence, Jesus’ words ring in my ears, “My yoke is easy and my burden is light.” What He places on me in the way of kingdom principles is definitely more conducive than what He helped me take off and give to Him.

Father, You have once again given me beauty for ashes, strength for fear, and gladness for sorrow. Your exchanges never cease to amaze me! Amen.

Give Thanks - Don Moen
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IBpv-ZzcQD8

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

Reality Check

Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the LORD delivers him out of them all. Psalm 34:19 (New King James Version)

I have been spending some time in the Psalms this morning. I didn’t want to leave! The Lord was reminding me through David’s words that life is full of trouble and He is the only true Deliverer. While difficulties marked his path, praise flowed from his lips. Countless times he asked God to forgive, deliver, preserve, protect, and defend him. His was not an easy life but he knew where to take every uneasy aspect of it. He knew how to pour his heart out to God. When circumstances over whelmed him, enemies attacked him, fear consumed him, sin ruled him, friends abandoned him, and afflictions accompanied him, he brought it all to the throne of grace and allowed God to bring peace, rest, and delight to his soul.

When I started on this journey six years ago, I had a lot of misconceptions. I thought I could get to the point where the hurts and hassles of life would no longer affect me. I thought it was possible to live without pain, disappointment, loneliness, and emptiness. And when that did not happen, I struggled with thoughts of failure and wondered what I was doing wrong. I looked at individuals whom I THOUGHT had nothing but good days, who handled every situation correctly, and experienced only joy, satisfaction, and victory every step of the way. I desperately tried to accomplish the same thing in my own life and couldn’t do it. How naïve I was! There are no such people on this planet.

My premise was all wrong. Life is full of trouble and I am the cause and recipient of some of it. We all are! As long as we possess a sin nature and live in a fallen world we are going to experience heartache and failure in one form or another. But that does not mean that is all we will experience. In the midst of any storm, God is the anchor of our soul. He is our deliverer, healer, restorer, and constant companion. He longs to strengthen us, dry our tears, comfort our hearts, and renew our spirit. But that will not happen if we remain at arms length. It starts by acknowledging the truth about ourselves and our circumstances as well as the truth about God. Pour out our hearts to Him, YES, but also proclaim His attributes! Psalm 18 is an excellent example of how to do just that.

I invite others to learn what I am learning. The abundant Christian life does not mean the absence of sin, heartache, and trouble. It means knowing Who to take it all to. It means learning to cry on God’s shoulder, seek His counsel, and follow His heart.

Father, I am between the Garden and Heaven therefore I need Your grace, mercy, strength, direction, and protection every step of the way. My needs are constant therefore my dependency upon You must be constant as well. Amen.

Help Me God - Kathy Troccoli
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b-wL7KWO8Ys

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

In Such a Time as This

In the time when thou shalt be broken by the seas in the depths of the waters thy merchandise and all thy company in the midst of thee shall fall. Ezekiel 27:34 (King James Version)

Tyrus was a city of great wealth and importance in Old Testament times. Many nations where part of her commerce on the sea. Ezekiel 27 lists many who bought and sold merchandise from her and helped to build her into quite an empire of enterprise. But Ezekiel prophesied of a day when all her notoriety and importance would fall along with all who brought her that notoriety and importance.

Have you ever come to such a place of brokenness? All that you have looked to for identity, affirmation, acceptance, and significance has fallen and you are left with the reality of who you are in your aloneness and vulnerability? How many people and possessions would have to be removed from your life before reality would fill you with profound fear? What would it take to shake you to the very core of yourself and leave you wondering if you are going to actually survive the crash?

One author stated the ease with which we live our lives when all is going well and we are surrounded by the support of loving people in our life. But is that still the case when the props are removed and the sources of security are no longer in place? What does our internal world look like when we are forced to see wherein our security and significance is rooted? Who and what of this life would have to be removed before we could honestly say, “God is my All in all! He is my Everything!”

Disappointment eventually marks my path whenever my expectations, longings, and desires are directed toward anyone but God. He warns of the dangers and emptiness that result when I turn from the Fount of living waters and look to broken cisterns to quench the thirst of my soul. He knows the hindrances to the very wholeness and healing I long for. He has even brought an example across my path of one who at one time mirrored my own experiences. Her present freedom in Christ has fueled a spark of hope for me.

I take seriously the fact that some may be reading this who sense the truth of these words for themselves. They too have seen the futility of allowing anything or anyone besides God to be their Source of life. May each of us stand before Him today in honesty and openness. He offers healing and wholeness. Will we dare to receive it?

Father, You alone know the depths of my struggle and brokenness. I have experienced many things with You and realize afresh the experiences are not over. Teach me how to accept Your extravagant gifts of wholeness and healing. Amen.

Above All - Michael W. Smith
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AjYiEyu8Si8

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

This Too Shall Pass

And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes,: and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain; for the former things are passed away. Revelation 21:4 (King James Version)

It is hard to imagine that one day we will no longer experience the brokenness, heartaches, and difficulties of life. The book of James tells me this life is just a vapor (a brief moment) compared with eternity. So no matter what I am facing I have the assurance it is temporary. I long for the day when today’s verse becomes my never ending reality.

Realize that whatever hurt, disappointment, or loss you are experiencing at the moment can also be slipped into this verse. It will one day be gone! I would invite each of us to make a list of the things that will not be following us into Heaven. Mine would include broken relationships, loneliness, fear, grief, strongholds, wrong mindsets, neediness, looking to people for what only God can give me, emptiness, and personal failures. I think of the many attitudes that will pass away: anger, envy, jealousy, competition, pride, lust, greediness, self centeredness, unforgiveness, and unthankfulness. My mouth will never again speak something that is untrue, unkind, or unnecessary. Not one painful thing from this life will be able to touch me in Heaven.

I need this reminder as I go through my day. When life gets hard I can look at the problem and say with absolute confidence, “THIS too shall pass!” I can rest in the fact that it will not always be like this. I look forward to the day when I am whole and nothing is in need of being fixed. I look forward to the day when all relationships will be as they should be. No cold shoulders, no rejection, no abandonment, and no walking away.

It has been said, for the believer, this life is the closest they will come to hell and for the non believer this life is the closest they will come to Heaven. I am saddened by the fact that what I have shared in today’s devotional is not for everyone. Today’s verse will not be their experience. Eternity for some will be just the opposite. One author’s words struck me when he viewed hell with a sign as you entered which said, “Abandon all hope.” I wish that upon no one! Jesus offers forgiveness of sin, relationship with God, and eternal life in Heaven. I pray that each person reading these thoughts this morning has accepted Him as Savior or soon will do so.

Father, I long for Heaven when my faith will become sight. When You wipe away all that makes life difficult in this world. I rejoice in knowing I will be with You and all those who know You. Even so come, Lord Jesus! Amen.

I Can Only Imagine - Mercy Me
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0xwzItqYmII

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

What God Can Do With One

When he was but one I called him, then I blessed him and multiplied him. Isaiah 51:2 (New American Standard Bible)

God took one solitary man by the name of Abraham and brought forth an entire nation. Like the stars in the sky and the sand on the seashores the number of that nation is vast and innumerable. Jesus took one little boy’s lunch and fed over 5,000 people with it. One widow in the days of Elisha saw a jar of oil fill many containers. One widow in Elijah’s day saw a little oil and flour provide meals for her, her son, and Elijah for 3 years until a famine had ended.

What do these miraculous stories all have in common? God took people and objects far beyond their original capabilities. He was able to get more mileage out of each than what was formerly thought possible. When God touches a life, an event, a circumstance, or an object He has no limits. No boundaries. No inabilities.

I have heard it said that sin will take you further than you want to go, cost you more than you want to pay, and hold you longer than you want to stay. But God is able to operate in much the same way. God can take you further than you hoped to go, reward you more than you hoped to receive, and use you in more ways than you ever dreamed.

When He looks at us, He does not see just one individual. He sees potential, opportunities, and dreams. He did not stop multiplying and blessing when the Bible was completed. He still takes what we hold in our hands and goes beyond our own design and purpose.

One aspect of faith is believing God can do ANYTHING! When His hand touches a life the results are amazing. He still desires to be fully involved in our life. He still takes objects in His hands and multiplies what is there. Today I am challenged to see what God will take farther than I thought possible. He knows my personal fears and apprehensions even better than I do. He knows my intimate thoughts, dreams, and ambitions. He knows and yet none of that stops Him from working in and through me. He simply reminds me that His plans and purposes are higher than my own and His ability to carry them out extends beyond my ability to always see it. He daily invites me to trust Him and fix my eyes on Him rather than on the limitations, hindrances, and impossibilities that so often dance across the floor of my imagination. He will not give up on me and throw up His hands in exasperation. His investment and involvement in my life is never in vain.

Father, You are still able to do so much more than I can imagine. Fulfill your dreams for me. Amen.

Take My Life (And Let It Be) - Chris Tomlin
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V0Byp7aK2DA

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

He Is Not a Withholder

For the LORD God is a sun and shield; the LORD will give grace and glory; no good thing will He withhold from those who walk uprightly. O LORD of hosts, blessed is the man who trusts in You! Psalm 84:11,12 (New King James Version)

A statement that Beth Moore once said is continually being brought home to me. She said the area that continues to trouble us and cause us distress is the very place we are distrusting God. I find there may be many areas I readily trust God in with abandon. No question mark lines the halls of those corridors. It is exclamation points galore! Yet I am in agreement with what she said regarding the areas of turmoil. When it is all said and done the bottom line really does come down to trust in God’s ability to take me through storms, trials, and difficulties, and to bring me out on the other side having experienced today’s passage.

I looked at today’s verses and God pinpointed the very phrase that was meant for my eyes and heart. NO GOOD THING WILL HE WITHHOLD. There are many things I may want but whether I receive them or not, His word remains. Whether I experience a loss, rejection, or sorrow in no way is He withholding a good thing from me. He remains my sun and shield. He faithfully gives grace and glory. He is the author and finisher of my faith and although I may not always understand what He is doing I can stand in confidence that it is being done out of love with right motives and extraordinary purpose.

Any trial I may face only comes upon me when God knows that He has fully prepared me for it. I loved something else Beth Moore said along these lines. “The very area where you are most tempted to distrust God is the very place He has most chosen to trust you. Maybe all along He was saying, I knew you could. I know what’s in you. Because I am in you and I am your all surpassing power in a jar of clay. Watch me show off from the inside out.”

As I step into a new day it will be better for me to take my eyes off the people who might disappointment me and the circumstances that hurt me at the core, and look to see where God Himself is working in the deepest parts of me. He has many tools He uses to mold and shape me. He does not allow me to pick and choose which tools He will use. If He did that, I would never select the ones that would be the most beneficial. The trust comes in to play as I once again see Him as the potter and myself as the clay. He knows what He is doing and why He is doing it. I yield.

Father, be the One to consume me. Let my attention, passion, and heart be centered on You. Amen.

Be Still and Know That He is God - Steven Curtis Chapman
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C01lLxEo3xM&feature=related

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

Triggers

The women sang as they played, and said, "Saul has slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands." Then Saul became very angry, for this saying displeased him; and… Saul looked at David with suspicion from that day on. 1 Samuel 18:7-9 (New American Standard Bible)

Saul’s anger erupted out of a heart filled with the need for prominence, not only in his kingdom but in the hearts and minds of his people. His anger led to suspicion and eventually attempted murder. But what was it that brought on his anger? What was the trigger that flipped his switch of negative, destructive emotions? Today’s verse reveals this time it was women who were praising David’s accomplishments above Saul’s. Unfortunately, Saul never conquered his jealousy or anger.

Last night, the Lord and I went on a hunt….a trigger hunt. My area of concern was not anger but rather negative perceptions about people. I knew those perceptions where wrong and they were robbing me of joy and enjoyment of significant relationships. I knew they stemmed from heart issues and wrong thinking. But the Lord wanted me to understand the necessity of seeing what triggered the thoughts. What was it that could take me from good moments to thinking the worst of another individual? What were my triggers? Within minutes the answer came. For me, the door to my perceptions is opened with the key of disappointment. God wanted me to see the pattern.

There are times I place expectations on people and when those expectations are not forth coming I experience disappointment. The disappointment triggers the negative perceptions which stirs up a sea of emotions in me. If not properly dealt with the result can range from withdrawal to out right anger. But the disappointment is two-fold. While I am disappointed in the unmet expectations, I am also disappointed in myself for having the expectations to start with. God is letting me know there is a better way to live.

First, place my expectations and hope in Him. People will never be able to give me all that I want, in the amount that I want it, and when I want it. They are not meant to. But when disappointment does mark my path it is imperative that I learn to identify the problem and take the unmet needs to God rather than allow perceptions to consume me. This is the formation of a spiritual muscle for me but it will only develop and grow as I exercise it. In order for that to take place, God will continue to allow me to experience the “triggers” in order to practice the truth He has revealed. As long as I cooperate with Him it will work and change will come. I lean on Him and learn from Him.

Father, freedom comes through acknowledgement, confession, and cooperation with You. Keep me coming back to You for the answers to all of my questions. Amen.

Set Me Free - Casting Crowns
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sio1WyIxGy4&feature=related

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