Seeing What God Intended

As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good in order to bring about this present result, to preserve many people alive. Genesis 50:20 (New American Standard Bible)

Joseph’s ability to forgive lay in his acceptance and belief of God’s sovereignty. While what his brothers did to him was wrong, God’s purposes were right. Joseph had no trouble acknowledging the truth of his brother’s actions but it was done with the backdrop of God’s actions. He was one who experienced the words of Jeremiah 29:11 even before they were written. “For I know the thoughts and plans that I have for you, says the Lord, thoughts and plans for welfare and peace and not for evil, to give you hope in your final outcome.” Somewhere in the course of 13 years of separation from his family and enslavement and imprisonment in Egypt, Joseph learned that God’s plans and purposes outshine and outweigh those of others. Their actions fade in comparison to His own.

I have tried to think of a time in my life when someone actually meant evil against me. Someone who intended to do me harm for their own pleasure and satisfaction. Nothing is really coming to mind. But that is not to say that the actions of others have not caused me discomfort, pain, sorrow, and anguish. Some have even left me with the thought that I would never recover from the heartache. Yet, it was the realization of God’s involvement in my life that brought about the comfort and healing that I needed. The God who promised to work all things out for good, Who stated that His thoughts and plans were higher than my own, and the One who spoke of my welfare, peace, and a hopeful end, is the One who writes the true version of my life story.

Joseph could have taken a victim mentality and harbored much bitterness but he didn’t. I, too, can think of myself as a victim and hold on to bitterness, but I know I had better not. In essence, if I did, I would be living a lie because that is not God’s view. That which happens to me is for my good (always) and that which takes place in my life is the material God uses to bring about good (always). If for no other reason than to get my attention and focus back on Him, He is loving enough to allow things to happen.

I rest in the fact that the only hands I am in are God’s hands. He has laid claim to my life and promises to shield, shepherd, and sustain me. No circumstance takes place that has not already passed through Him. He sees it all and He uses it all. May I continue to learn to proclaim, “But God meant it for good” over every situation of every day.

Father, Your ways are past figuring out. You know the beginning from the ending and I trust You to bring about Your end to my story. Thank you that what has hurt me the most is within the realm of Your good intentions for me. Amen.

Rest In Me - Todd Vaters
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1s4z_HQpL-I&feature=related

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

With All That I Have

So ISRAEL made his journey with all that he had and came to Beersheba [a place hallowed by sacred memories] and offered sacrifices to the God of his father Isaac. Genesis 46:1 (Amplified Bible)

Israel (Jacob) made his journey with all that he had. Not just his family, but also his possessions, his experiences, his memories, his character, his calling, his relationship with God, and his internal world. The baggage he carried contained both positive and negative items and aspects. It carried 130 years of living that was filled with success as well as failure. Excitement as well as disappointment. Gain as well as loss.

We are no different. Each day, each journey, each step we take we take with all that we have and hold on to. Some of it is worth keeping and some of it needs to be discarded once and for all. Some will act as sinkers in the sea of life and some will act as life preservers. Some will slow down our progress and some will enhance it.

There are times when I need to have a Beersheba moment and offer some sacrifices to God. I am to be a living sacrifice and yet at the same time I need to make some sacrifices and put some things to death. I need to allow some mindsets to die. I need to determine to let some desires die. I need to recognize and destroy some idols of the heart. I need to let go of anything that is not of God or for my good.

I also need to hold tighter to the gems of wisdom I have come to possess. I need to embrace the friendships that God has graciously given to me at this time in my life. I need to take stock of my strengths and weaknesses which are both usable by the Lord of my life. I need to treasure His Word that has found a home in my heart. I need to take the tools for living that I have learned and make them a part of my decision making process.

What my journey looks like and how far I get on that journey today will be dependent upon what I continue to take with me. Hopefully, today I will add some things and discard some things. With God’s help I will do it well.

Father, I look to You for wisdom and discernment on this journey You have called me to and equipped me for. Let me see the direction You would have me go and help me to follow You with abandon. Amen.

Be Still - Derri Daugherty
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I4UCMt_5mGM

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

Seeing Ourselves

Then I said, "Woe is me, for I am ruined! Because I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips; For my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts." Isaiah 6:5 (New American Standard Bible)

I find it interesting that the very thing that Isaiah viewed as his worst asset was the very thing that God wanted to use…his mouth, his words, his voice. Our weaknesses are not a deterrent to God’s plan but rather a starting place for that plan to come forth…to be birthed. When we bring our weaknesses to God and receive His forgiveness and cleansing we are actually putting ourselves in a position to be used of Him. Until we can come to that place we are simply observers of His kingdom work.

It took me a long time to realize that admitting the truth about myself to God, myself, and others was the first step toward freedom and usefulness. What I shuttered at the most was what God wanted to use. What I thought disqualified me actually qualified me. Along with that is the joy of knowing I am not alone…I follow a long line of individuals who had to face the “not so pretty” picture of themselves in order to begin seeing God’s portrait that included them. This often followed a time of failure and a time of solitude.

Moses’ killed a man and spent 40 years in the wilderness before God’s call came to him. He had been spent of all his self-sufficiency and know how. David committed adultery and murder and spent many years running from Saul before assuming his place as king. Joseph boasted of dreams and ended up spending 13 years as a slave and prisoner before rising to a place of authority in Egypt. Person after person is shown in their human frailty and a time of conditioning that God brought them through to mold them into the person He created them to be for the fulfillment of His purpose.

I have spent the past number of years painfully seeing my own heart and life condition. It hasn’t been pretty, comfortable, or enjoyable, but it has been necessary and productive. Just coming to the place of saying, like Isaiah, “I am a person of __________,” has caused me to hang my head in shame on more than one occasion. Looking back at my Bible ancestors gives me hope, though, because I know it is part of the process God will use with me just as He did with them. To know that my words of admittance are always received by Him in love makes all the difference in the world. Whatever He is able to redeem and restore from this life of mine, I praise Him for!

Father, touch me with the coals of cleansing and make me fit for Your use and Your hands. Amen.

Call On Jesus - Hillsong
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pz8P96myUZk&feature=related

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

Doing As He Has Done

A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. John 13:34 (New International Version)

There are two instances in Scripture where we are told to do what Christ has done. One is to love as He loved and the other is to forgive as He has forgiven. Both entail our interaction with others. Whether or not the loving and forgiving is “deserved” in our eyes, whether or not the other person is receptive to either, whether or not it is easy, we are to do as He did. He asks (insists on) nothing of us that He has not already done for us…in example as well as in relationship. He loves and forgives us when we least deserved it, when we aren’t receptive or even aware of it, and when we aren’t the easiest to work with or through.

Yet, at the same time, He knows we are human and will be prone to failure. He knows we cannot do as He as done without His help because out of our flesh and personal ambitions we will experience what Peter experienced when he proclaimed several verses later that he would lay down his life for Christ. In himself, he thought he was already equipped to die a martyr’s death yet failed miserably that very night. It was the beginning of coming to the end of himself and years later he DID lay down his life for Christ but only because the ability came from Christ.

No matter what the command to us is, we are as incapable of mustering up the obedience up on our own. Without true heart change from God’s work and Spirit in us we will accomplish behavior modification at best and it will be short lived. It will be a continual strain which lacks joy and fruit. It will be as empty and non productive as the things we attempted to do before coming to Christ.

So where do we start? We start with humility before God. We acknowledge what it is He calls us to do and how in ourselves we are unable to do it. We ask for His strength in our weakness and His work to be done in us even with our fleshly tendencies. This is the essence of Philippians 4:13 which says, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.“ As the opportunities arise to live out His commands we stay aware of our need of Him. He is not looking for or expecting perfection and neither should we. Progress and growth, my friends. Progress and growth.

Father, I am not able to do the least of Your commands without Your help. All that You tell me to do is only possible by Your grace and assistance. I need You. Amen.

Power of Your Love - Hillsong
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5PLAWhr1o1A

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

I Cannot Ask for More

Give thanks to the LORD Almighty, for the LORD is good, His love endures forever. Jeremiah 33:11 (New International Version)

Due to my own insecurities and such, relationships can often be a struggle for me. Discontentment and discouragement find their way into the fibers of even my closest friendships. Yesterday, I asked the Lord to show me the reason for this. To show me what it was I was seeking. He was quick to respond and I was quick to see. It came down to a longing to be loved more by others. It didn’t matter how much I was already loved, I wanted more. More communication, more attention, more affirmation, more nurturing…more. Although it was a hard truth to acknowledge and confess it was a truth that gave birth to a precious truth for me.

While I may desire for others to love me more (show me more love), I can never say that about God. God’s love is complete already and He is unable to love me any more than He already does…..100%! Nothing can take it from me. Nothing can separate me from it. Nothing can diminish it or increase it.

While I cannot ask God to love me more than He already does, I can ask Him to help me receive His love more than I do. To see it, sense it, and live out of the abundance of it. To let it impact my life more fully and thus change me. That realization brought me full circle back to my dilemma with people.

It is not a matter of people needing to love me more but rather me needing to acknowledge the love that is already there. Although people are limited in their love and ability to show it, I must come to see , sense , appreciate , and receive what IS available. To allow their love to fill the places God intended it to fill and yet not confuse it with being a replacement of God’s love (which is limitless).

The hole and ache in my soul can only be filled by God and when I look to people to do the filling THAT is when the frustration, confusion, and struggle begin to surface. I don’t want to live the rest of my life like I have lived the past number of decades and I won’t if I let God show me my own heart as well as His heart. Change comes with truth and obedience which are always connected to God.

Father, I needed to hear the truth from You. Now that I have heard it, help me to live in that truth and in Your love. Amen.

How Can I Keep From Singing? - Chris Tomlin
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-GPpx9oINsI&feature=related

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

For Those in Need

Then it happened that as Jesus was reclining at the table in the house, behold, many tax collectors and sinners came and were dining with Jesus and His disciples. When the Pharisees saw this, they said to His disciples, "Why is your Teacher eating with the tax collectors and sinners?" But when Jesus heard this, He said, "It is not those who are healthy who need a physician, but those who are sick. Matthew 9:10-12 (New American Standard Bible)

It is interesting to see the different aspects and responses of the individuals mentioned in this passage. Tax collectors and sinners were drawn to Jesus and Jesus welcomed them. The Pharisees viewed them and Jesus with condemnation and disgust. Jesus spoke the truth. He came for those who needed Him. Everyone needs Him but not everyone sees their need of Him. Those who see their need come to Him. Those who do not see their need of Him remain at a distance. How we view our condition will determine which direction we will head.

There are two steps necessary to find help and healing for our areas of weakness as well as forgiveness for our sins. The first step is seeing the truth about ourselves and the second step is seeing the truth about God’s view of us. I have spent most of my Christian life attempting to put my best foot forward in hopes that failures and weaknesses would not be noticed. Admitting there was a problem was hard to do. I had hopes that within time things would just improve. What I didn’t realize was that anything I keep “hidden” keeps me in bondage.

God had to help me see that I was like the person coming to a support group not wanting to admit where I needed help. Thinking He wanted perfection made me want to deny my imperfections because of shame, embarrassment, and pride. More than outward sins it was the sins of my heart, hidden agendas, and buried motives that chained my soul. Yet, I struggled to openly and honestly come to the One who possessed the keys to freedom. I tried to play make believe and dress up with the One who not only created me but knew me thoroughly and loved me unconditionally.

His answer? “Come to Me.” When I see my imperfections. “Come to Me.” When I see my addictions. “Come to Me.” When I see that I am not what I should be or even what I want to be. “Come to Me.” When the worst of me has the best of me. “Come to Me.” In essence what He is saying is, “Be among the tax collectors and sinners rather than among the Pharisees. Dine with me rather than remain aloof.” I am learning to find my seat at His table.

Father, with You I am free to be me. Free to see the truth. Free to admit the truth. Free to be set free by the truth. Amen.

It Wasn't Easy - Cece Winans
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rVT9_ulYv2k&feature=related#sf

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

Who's in Control?

They promise them freedom, but they themselves are not free. They are slaves of things that will be destroyed. For people are slaves of anything that controls them. 2 Peter 2:19 (New Century Version)

The words stood out to me like a 4,000 watt neon sign……people are slaves to anything that controls them!!! It is the bottom line truth of any and all addictions. I have known such bondage and been a slave more times than I care to recall or recount. Bondage to relationships, food, attitudes of the heart, mindsets, and even legalism. I can tell when “it” is in control and when I am being controlled. Not good and not fun.

I begin this new year with a fresh realization of what I was enslaved to in 2010. It is not a time of beating myself up but rather of looking once again to the only One willing and able to set me free. In some areas, simply cooperating with Him is life changing in itself. For instance, I have changed my diet to include more protein and that has resulted is a freedom from the pull of opting for high carb foods. My energy level is up as my weight is once again heading down. For me, it was a relatively easy fix, and yet I still see it as cooperating with God.

Other areas are not as easy but every once in a while I gain some insight that previously eluded me. Bondage to a past relationship continues to be a daily issue for me. While I have changed some behavior the heart is still feeling the struggle. A friend recently gave me a nugget of truth I have pondered for the past few days. The desire to hold on to what I need to be freed from will only take place as I choose to embrace something new in my life. In other words, the pull will only weaken and eventually break off as I take a hold of what God is offering to me.

So what hinders me from doing that? The false belief that what I desire to hold on to is better than what God is choosing for me now. That false belief will only be conquered as I once again rest in the truth that His ways are higher than my ways and His thoughts are higher than my thoughts. He knows what is best. He knows what is needed in my life.

I want 2011 to be a year of unprecedented freedom for me. I want to fully embrace God and His plan for me. At the same time, I want to fully celebrate the person He has created me to be. That begins with reviewing who I am in Christ and all He is in me.

Father, may I stop longing for what was and take a hold of what is with all my heart and both my hands! Amen.

You Are Loved - Hope's Call
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VkNUsZzBwi8

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