Embedded Messages

You shall no longer be termed Forsaken, Nor shall your land any more be termed Desolate; But you shall be called Hephzibah, and your land Beulah; For the LORD delights in you, And your land shall be married. And they shall call them The Holy People, The Redeemed of the LORD; And you shall be called Sought Out, City Not Forsaken. Isaiah 62:4, 12 (New King James Version)

Two phrases stand out in this passage that are incredible for me to read and necessary for me to believe. They are “The Lord delights in you” and “You shall be called Sought Out.” For most of my Christian life I would have read this passage and thought of the words as only being spoken to and about the nation of Israel. Originally it was, but on this side of the cross any who are redeemed of the Lord can and should accept the words for themselves.

Some of us struggle with the concept of such acceptance because we limit our view of God to what we have experienced with people. We are stuck with a mindset that says we are undesirable, unwanted, unnoticed, forgotten, forsaken, and alone. We matter to no one. Lies? Yes. Believed anyway? Absolutely. We weren’t created with that message but it was written on our heart and mind at some point or at many points.

Yesterday was a day of connecting a present emotion with the same emotion from my past. Two things showed me the connection….identical emotion and identical reaction to the emotion. After spending the day battling feelings, God helped me to see that my primary emotion driven belief was one of not mattering to people. He then helped me to remember it was the way I felt in childhood when my parents would drink or be in bars. I remember having a sadness I never shared with others. I never talked about it. I didn’t tell my parents how I felt. I didn’t tell friends how I felt. I simply withdrew until a more pleasant experience happened. Now as an adult, when I experience that belief and sadness I default to withdrawal. It is natural for me but harmful for relationships. It prevents the very closeness for which I hunger.

As I see this pattern, my hope for freedom and change has to begin with what God says. As I learn to trust His words and allow them to take up residence in me, the aspects of my relationships with others will be effected for the good.

Father, may Your words speak louder than the lies embedded in me. Amen.

Your Love (Psalm 139) - Oslo Gospel Choir
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XAZrV1pS2Ek&feature=related

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

What an Offer!

For I, the LORD your God, will hold your right hand, Saying to you, ‘Fear not, I will help you.” Isaiah 41:13 (New King James Version)

If I were facing a difficulty, attempting something new, stepping away from my comfort zone, or feeling completely overwhelmed, and someone I looked up to, admired, and respected offered to help me, I would readily accept their help and walk with a bit more confidence and assurance. I would welcome not only their help but also their company. As a matter of fact, when I began this journey 7 years ago, I had someone do that very thing….walk with me and help me. It felt wonderful and yet it was temporary. There came a time when that help was no longer offered, available, or in a true sense, necessary. What did I learn from that? The helpers in our life are usually in our life for a specific time and need. When that time and need change so do the ones helping. That is comforting to me because I know God can be trusted to continue to cross my paths with His instruments of help.

Having said that, I am also aware that God Himself promises to walk with me and help me. How He longs for me to see that and rejoice in it even more than when people are helping me. Recently He asked me the question, “If certain individuals offered to be with you and help you, you would be thrilled beyond words. Why is it you do not respond the same to the offer of My presence and My help?” It was kind of question that stopped me in my tracks and forced me to admit the truth. The truth? Help from people can often seem more real, more present, and more desirable to me than God's help. That is NOT the way I want it to be, but nothing will change if I don’t see the reality of it in my life. Denying or hiding it will not help me to reverse that statement. I know this is not the way it is suppose to be but in reality that is exactly how it is.

I love God. I get excited when talking about God. I have a passion to know Him. Yet, I long for change in this area. Asking another person to help me is not my answer. I need God’s help with this one. He and He alone knows why I think the way I think about Him and my relationship with Him. He and He alone can bring me to the place of seeing Him above and beyond any person in my life….even the very ones He has used or presently uses in my life.

Father, may the truth and reality of You set me free! Amen.

Mighty to Save - Laura Story
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pYqogpLpC5Q

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

All In God's Time

But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit. 2 Corinthians 3:18 (New American Standard Bible)

We live in a day when everything is ’instant’ and we so often want that to apply to God’s transforming work in us. We see God’s work in another believer’s life and want the same thing done in us. What we forget is that it took time for it to be evident in them and it will take time for it to be evident in us. Each of us have areas in our life that we long to see changed and transformed.

As a believer, God’s Spirit is at work in me. Time spent in the Word, praying, attending worship services, talking with other believers, listening to Christian music, reading rich books of faith, sitting under speakers, taking my thoughts captive, and speaking truth out loud all become the tools He uses to change me. I hold on to the hope that change is taking place. When I first started on this journey in the spring of 2004 I did not see a lot of change all at once. But over time I know the change has taken place and there is more to come. So I keep doing what I have been doing and trust God to use it to transform me from the inside out. I have the assurance that He will continue to renovate me in countless ways. There are times I would like Him to use some ‘Miracle Grow’ on me but in His wisdom He chooses not to do that. He wants the change to be deep and lasting.

Some of the things God is working on presently differ from what He was working on a year or so ago and some of the things are the same. From day to day, the lessons and learning vary and it is imperative that I take note of what the present day holds. It will entail heart choices, attacks from the enemy, circumstances that are out of my control, and any number of other things. This I know, though, God’s Spirit lives in me, God’s presence accompanies me, God’s hand holds me, God’s Word speaks to me, and God’s plans and purposes continue to be fulfilled for me.

Will I trust His ways? His heart? His timing? His hands? You bet! I spent three decades seeing what my ways, heart, timing, and hands could do. The results were pitiful. The growth was shallow. The change was minimal. Now I let Him be the Potter, the Builder, the Constructor of my soul. Is it ever painful? At times. Is it ever hard? Absolutely. Is it ever uncomfortable? Yes. But above all that it is worth it! Of that I am sure.

Father, growth without You is impossible. Daily mold me, make me, and shape me into the person You created me to be. It is all a matter of time…Your time! Amen.

In His Time - Maranatha Singers
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wo-rGzx2OZk&feature=related

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

Enriched Living

That in everything you were enriched in Him, in all speech and all knowledge…so that you are not lacking in any gift, awaiting eagerly the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ, who will also confirm you to the end, blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. 1 Corinthians 1:5, 7, 8 (New American Standard Bible)

Have you ever read one of those lists that express who and what you are in Christ? I have and yet I can’t remember even one of them including the word enriched. It means to make rich, possess spiritual riches, and to be richly furnished. That is quite a list in itself! Yet due to our weaknesses and failures we can often feel more bankrupt than rich. Living more out of our lack than our supply.

I want to not only see myself as the spiritually rich person I am in Christ, but I want to live out of that richness. I want it to have a profound effect on the words I speak, the knowledge I possess, the wisdom I walk in, and the thoughts upon which I dwell. If my cash flow was limitless it would affect my life in big ways. In the spirit realm, I have a limitless “cash” flow and it is meant to affect my life as well.

In order to begin living the enriched life, I must be willing to have my spirit nurtured. How do I do that? By living connected to God every day… being aware of His presence, talking to Him about everything, asking for His help, seeking Him, obeying Him, and making Him my central focus. By sitting under the teaching of godly men and women, allowing them to enhance me with the truths God has taught them. By listening to Christian music that can stir me to tears as well as action. By taking in God’s Word and allowing it to take hold of me. By living in reliance upon and obedience to the Holy Spirit who lives in me. By daily placing myself under the rule and reign of Jesus Christ.

While there are many things I could add to that list, I feel a need to express one thing. For each of us, the contents of the things I mentioned are individualized. A spiritually enriched life is not a “one size fits all” formula. Just as we are unique individuals, God’s methods with us and for us are unique. We are not all called or expected to read the same books, sit under the same speakers, listen to the same music, or attend the same church. We must carve out our own walk with God and allow Him to show us how to do that. As one who so easily wants to copy others, that speaks loudly to me. I can only live richly as I learn to live distinctively as the person God created me to be. No comparisons. No competitions. No copies.

Father, you have enriched me in Christ. Direct my life in such a way that I see it, experience it, and know it daily! Amen.

I Am A Friend of God - Phillips, Craig, & Dean
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aMnMN08sv4k

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

In Need of What He Will Do

And Moses said to the people, Do not be afraid. Stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD, which He will accomplish for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall see again no more forever. Exodus 14:13 (New King James Version)

Moses spoke these words to the children of Israel when they found themselves between the Red Sea and the advancement of their enemies. Their fear was born out of what seemed like limited options….to be drown in the waters or put to death by the hands of the Egyptians. Those were the only two scenarios that played out in their mind. God had led them out of Egypt and now the Red Sea stood between their future and their past. How they needed the instructions and hope. How we need it as well.

Each of us faces our own moments of feeling trapped between where we are going and where we have come from. We often feel fearful of failure or ruin. Unless we determine to stand in faith and believe to see the salvation of God for us, we too will see only the fragile scenarios that play out in our mind. Those scenarios are usually crafted from past experiences and we limit ourselves to the way things have always been. The very thing that the children of Israel feared was what at one time had them in bondage. Although they were actually free, their past experience still had a hold on them. It would continue to have a hold on them until they experienced God’s deliverance in profound ways. In like manner, our past will continue to have a hold on us until we experience God’s deliverance in a dramatic way.

I have never been in bondage to a person but I have been in bondage to my own emotions. God sees my fearful heart as I contemplate situations in my mind where I can all too easily do what I have always done. Those are my “Red Sea” moments. I have yet to pass through the waters and live in a new place in my life. The enemy of my soul is all too happy to remind me of past failures and stamp the words “impossible” over any thought that things can actually be different. I am not fearful of enemies over taking me but rather of my own emotions ruling me. It did not occur to the children of Israel that God could divide the Red Sea and lead them across on dry land and then destroy their enemies. At the present, I don’t know how God will get me past my own sea of emotions, but I am going to start by allowing the words Moses spoke to be spoken to me, “Do not be afraid. Stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD, which He will accomplish for you today.”

Father, I am out of options. Drained to the core. Show me the salvation You have for me. I stand in need of You today and I thank You for what You will accomplish. Amen.

I Need Thee Every Hour - Selah
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uIRJNgNSqok

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

The Avenue of Help

May the Lord answer you in the day of trouble! May the name of the God of Jacob set you up on high [and defend you]; Send you help from the sanctuary and support, refresh, and strengthen you from Zion. Psalm 20:1, 2 (Amplified Bible)

I cannot tell you the number of times I have read a verse and exclaimed, “Why didn’t I see that before?!” I am so use to David speaking of his help coming from the Lord that I can sometimes miss the avenue God chooses to send that help. I would expect today’s verse to read, “May God send you His help and strength.” But instead it states from where God is going to send the help and support. It will be coming from the sanctuary and from the city of Zion. God’s house and God’s city! Within both are His people.

Many have been the times God has chosen to use His people to deliver His help to those in need…..to me when I am in need. It is not a sign of weakness to accept that help but it is a sign of trouble to refuse it. I stand amazed each time I struggle through problems only to eventually find the answer from the wisdom and counsel of others. They are willing to help if I but ask. They have so much to offer if I am willing to receive.

With that said, I must also be aware of who God has actually placed in my life for that help. Receive the help, yes. Hold on to the one who helps as if they are the only one each and every time, no. I have had the joy of knowing some incredible women of faith in my nearly 40 years of being a Christian. If I had a personal wall of faith numerous portraits would be on that wall. Yet, many of them are no longer the helpers God is using presently. Their season of involvement in my life is a treasure of my past and they still hold a special place in my heart and mind. God used them to help shape me into the woman I am today. At times, I have wanted to still be helped by them, but it is clear God’s intentions are different for them as well as for me.

So when I face my own personal days of trouble it is God I must first look to and then I must perceive who it is He has purposefully placed in my life as the much needed helpers. They may not be in the picture at future moments, but for now I praise God for the treasures that they are.

Father, You have hand-picked the help You’ve sent…each and every time. I love You and I love them. Amen.

You Never Let Go - Matt Redman
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y83-vMeWc9E&feature=related

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

A Necessary Reminder

For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. 2 Timothy 1:7 (New King James Version)

I have no trouble accepting the fact that my disposition and attitude of fear does not come from God. It comes from the enemy and from me believing the lies that have been suggested to me through life’s circumstances. I do have trouble, however, fully grasping the truth that I possess power, love, and a sound mind. Recently, I have felt far removed from any and all of those gifts. Yet, God’s Word states it as a fact and that fact must over ride my own thoughts, feelings, and emotions.

The past couple of weeks have found me wordless when it came to writing a devotional. I cannot express all the mixed feelings and torn thoughts that stood in the way of sharing even the simplest of truths or aspects of this journey. Leading the list was a surety that I should not write devotionals because I still fail to fully live out of the power, love, and sound mind God has given to me. Emotional battles still rage. Relationships still confuse me. Negative, destructive thought patterns still jab at me. So I entertained the thought that maybe I should hold off writing until I have complete victory. Will I be able to write devotionals from Heaven???? Because that will be where I will be living when complete victory is mine!

God has had to remind me of the three stipulations He required when I first began writing devotionals in 2005. I was to stay true to Scripture, I was to be transparent, and I was to stay general enough that individuals could see their own story in what I was writing. With those stipulations in place, God assured me time and time again that there are people who battle the same issues I battle or battles unique to them and are looking for encouragement to continue their journey to God’s heart. I forgot all of that as I got up each morning and made the conscious decision to not write a single word.

I realize that some people write an article or a book after they have developed and perfected an area in their life. I am called to do the writing as the development is taking place. I have a long ways to go but while I go there will be many devotionals resulting from the steps taken. I offer them up to any who need to know they are not the only ones who feel and think the way they do. After all, each of us are such basket cases but God has definitely got our handle! I’m back!!!!!

Father, I’ve missed writing and I rejoice in the truth that has encouraged me once again. Amen.

You Are More - Tenth Avenue North
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cgi-G-dHYkY&feature=related

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