Better Than Secret Love

Open rebuke is better than secret love. Proverbs 27:5 (King James Version)

I have never been a person who enjoys being rebuked. Does anyone? The first time I saw this verse I cringed. It conjured up in my mind an angry person glaring at me while spewing out harsh, condemning words. After the rebuke ended I would then walk away in shame and condemnation. Not a comfortable thought and not an accurate picture of this verse!

Last week I received an email that epitomized this verse in a beautiful way. While the person had to be direct with me and say some things that were difficult to read, it was done in a way that showed me her heart and desire for God’s blessing on my life. While the initial sting of rebuke was felt, my spirit quickly detected the truth in her email and that is what arrested my attention and my heart. I knew without a doubt that freedom and growth would come if I heeded her warnings and advice.

So what does an open rebuke entail? First, it should come about after much prayer. I believe this person prayed and desired God’s message to come across to me. Second, it should be based on truth! Her rebuke involved truth about my wrong choices, truth about the consequences if I continued in the direction I was headed, truth about what God really wants to do in my life, and truth about her desire for God’s favor and freedom in my life. Third, it should include a directive. She left no question as to what I should do….fully cooperate with God.

Call it tough love. Call it truth telling. Call it open rebuke. Whatever we label it, it is better than a love that sits idly by and remains silent. I don’t know about anyone else, but when I am headed in the wrong direction and in the process of making unwise choices I want what is best. Give me the open rebuke! But do it in love and with a heart that is living connected to God. Let me see that your words are not spoken out of impatience and with a ”last straw” mentality. Be the mouthpiece of God with absolutely no compromise of the truth.

On my part, I too must be daily connecting with God and desiring truth to be my compass and rudder. As God works and develops in me a tender, teachable spirit, I will have no trouble knowing when an open rebuke is coming from Him through another individual. I will have no trouble seeing the truth and then acting on it.

Will it be easy? Rarely. Will there ever be tears? Most likely. Will others understand? Maybe a few. But God’s voice and direction will be clear and the growth will be astounding. Like it says in John 8:32, “You will know the truth and the truth will set you free.”

Father, thank you for the one who was willing to speak the truth in love. Your message came through loud and clear. Keep my heart tender and teachable toward You. And when necessary, help my open rebukes to be as loving and truthful. Amen.

Radical Obedience

And many of those who had practiced curious, magical arts collected their books and [throwing them, book after book, on the pile] burned them in the sight of everybody. Acts 19:19 (Amplified Bible)

I have often heard of accounts in history when revival resulted in the destruction of former articles of sin and addiction. Often times, bonfires would be built and those things that had become an ingrained part of people’s lives were thrown into the flames. It must have been a profound site. I can only imagine the scene of an entire town bringing their drug paraphernalia, pornographic literature, demonic books and music, immodest clothing, and whatever else they had been in bondage to, and tossing them one by one into the inferno. It would mark a distinct end to a part of their life that kept them at arms length from God.

The Old Testament is filled with accounts of God requiring His people to stop the practice of idolatry. Part of the process was the necessity to completely destroy the idols they had made and subsequently worshipped. True freedom would not come merely through confession and repentance of the idolatry. While it was a good start, it was not the end of the obedience God demanded. For He knew if the idols remained, the tendency to bow to them once again would exist. Ridding their homes and land of every last idol was the ultimate display of total surrender. Stopping short of that act meant unresolved issues and incomplete obedience. Thus the door to freedom would once again close.

I have been in prayer this morning over a personal issue in my own life. While I have sought forgiveness and freedom countless times I have not sensed a release from its hold. While it would not be considered immoral or illegal it is keeping a death grip on my soul that demands a difficult but necessary step of obedience. There is absolutely no question in my mind of what God is requiring me to do nor of the grace He is offering me to actually do it. Failure to obey will not result in a loss of His love for me, for I know His love is based on who He is NOT on what I do. But failure to fully cooperate with Him in this area will result in a loss of His blessing on my life, stunted spiritual growth, and an inability to receive all He has for me. It will also grieve Him and obstruct the intimacy with Him I have come to experience and embrace. That is too great a price to pay in His opinion and mine. Therefore I choose to take hold of His extended hand and walk a path of obedience that will lead to freedom…no matter how painful the steps may be. Let the tears flow as this heart follows Him!

Father, the decision has been made. Give me the grace to obey You unreservedly. Amen.

Corrected Vision

For You, Lord, are good, and ready to forgive, and abundant in loving kindness to all who call upon You. Psalm 86:5 (New American Standard Bible)

Our ability to approach others is affected by our perception of them. If I believe a person accepts me and enjoys my company I will readily move toward them. There will be confidence, good eye contact, a relaxed atmosphere, and easy conversation. Joy and delight will mark our time together. But if I perceive they are disappointed in me, don’t like me, or are irritated with me, I will usually avoid making contact. If we do spend time together there will be lack of connection, avoidance of eye contact, a guardedness, and very limited conversation. Uneasiness will mark our encounter.

My ability to connect with God works much the same way. If I view Him as a harsh judge, critical, uncaring, and merely tolerating me, I will find it difficult to approach Him. Meeting with Him will either be rushed or avoided all together. Openness and delight will not mark my prayer life…..if I even attempt a prayer life. His invitation to draw near will be viewed with suspicion and disbelief. He will not be the One I feel comfortable with alone.

The words of Psalm 86:5 assure me that God is far different than that. I relax with the realization that God is good, pleasant, and agreeable. He readily displays favour, kindness, mercy, and goodness. The One who forgives me does so willingly and cheerfully, not grudgingly. His invitation to draw near is given with open arms and joy.

I am asking myself why I have held both these views of God at one time or another. For decades it was the first view and for a few years now it has been the second one. I am seeing three things that aided my misperceptions. Authority figures in my life, Satan’s lies, and very little time in the Word. Putting someone else’s face on God and not knowing the truth to counter the lies set me up for huge struggles and hindrances in having an intimate, close relationship with my heavenly Father.

Oh, but that changed radically when God began to allow the truth of Himself to soak in. It came in stages. First He crossed my path with individuals who knew the truth about Him and lived out of that truth. Then He caused me to begin seeing the truth for myself in His Word. It has affected EVERY area of my Christian life and I dance in joy because of it!

Father, I long for others to know the truth about You. I am burdened for Your many children who are still unaware of what You are really like. Use me to help correct their vision and view of Yourself. Amen.

Our Measure of Praise

I will be glad and rejoice in You; I will sing praise to Your name, O Most High. Psalm 9:2 (New King James Version)

I was quite taken back yesterday at something the Lord brought to my attention. For the past three years God has been allowing me to take in the truth that He welcomes my honesty. He desires truth in the inward parts which means I am safe to confide to Him how I am really feeling and what I am really thinking. It has been a long time in coming but I have finally learned to cry on His shoulder as I express pain, disappointment, fear, and heartache. The ability to explore the depths of emotions with Him has been very freeing and healing. All along I have sited David as my example of one who could readily open his heart to God. Seeing this side of his prayer life served as a key to unlock the door of my own heart.

Once I was fully on the journey of truthfulness with God, He opened my eyes to something that astounded me. He drew my attention to David’s enthusiastic praise life! I counted up the verses in the Psalms that use the words cried and tears, and discovered there are a couple dozen. But I was unprepared to find that there are 175 verses that include the word praise. While David certainly brought honest hurting emotions to God, his outbursts of praise far outnumbered them! This truth hit home with me and convicted me greatly. God got the message across to me loud and clear.

He was letting me know my praise to Him should far outweigh and outnumber my times of pouring my heart out to Him. He was not saying to stop the one, but rather to increase the other! He reminded me that He inhabits the praises of His people. Yes, He is a God of comfort but He is also a God who delights in praise. While letting Him know the deepest parts of myself is necessary and refreshing, speaking praise to Him is energizing!

Now I can take these facts in and believe them to be true. But real change does not take place until I begin to implement them into my life. Yesterday was the day I put it all to the test. Throughout the day I expressed praise to Him for as many things as I could think of and I found that the more I spoke the more my spirit came alive in me! It redirected my focus on to God, it brought out a boldness, it increased my confidence in Him, it brought things into the right perspective, and it brought on a joy that was indescribable. I have no doubt that David’s praise ratio is meant for us today. May the praise flow from our mouths in abundance!

Father, Your ears have been open to my heartaches and I thank You for that. May I now fill those same ears with the sound of praise from a grateful heart! I praise You!!!!! Amen.

Praying From the Psalms

A Prayer constructed from Psalms 1-18

You, O Lord, are a covering around me, my shining-greatness, and the One Who lifts my head. You have filled my heart with more happiness than they have when there is much grain and wine. I will lie down and sleep in peace. O Lord, You alone keep me safe. Let all who put their trust in You be glad. Let them sing with joy forever. You make a covering for them, that all who love Your name may be glad in You. For You will make those happy who do what is right, O Lord. You will cover them all around with Your favor. You keep safe those who suffer. You are a safe place in times of trouble. Those who know Your name will put their trust in You. For You, O Lord, have never left alone those who look for You. In You I am safe. I have trusted in Your loving kindness. My heart will be full of joy because You will save me. I will sing to You, because You have been good to me. I trust in Your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in your salvation. I will sing to You, for You have been good to me. You are present in the company of the righteous. Keep me safe, O God, for in You I take refuge. You are my Lord; apart from You I have no good thing. LORD, You have assigned me my portion and my cup; You have made my lot secure. The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; surely I have a delightful inheritance. I will praise You, LORD, who counsels me; even at night my heart instructs me. I have set You ,LORD, always before me. Because You are at my right hand, I will not be shaken. Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will rest secure, because You will not abandon me to the grave. You have made known to me the path of life; You will fill me with joy in Your presence, with eternal pleasures at Your right hand. I call on You, O God, for You will answer me; give ear to me and hear my prayer. Show the wonder of Your great love. You who save by Your right hand those who take refuge in You from their foes. Keep me as the apple of Your eye; hide me in the shadow of Your wings. You still the hunger of those You cherish. I love You, O LORD, my strength. You, LORD, are my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; You are my rock, in whom I take refuge. You are my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. I call to You, LORD, who is worthy of praise, and I am saved from my enemies. In my distress I called to You, LORD; I cried to You for help. From Your temple You heard my voice; my cry came before You, into Your ears. You reached down from on high and took hold of me; You drew me out of deep waters. You rescued me from my powerful enemy, from my foes, who were too strong for me. You were my support. You brought me out into a spacious place; You rescued me because You delighted in me. You, O LORD, keep my lamp burning; You turn my darkness into light. With Your help I can advance against a troop; with You I can scale a wall. Your way is perfect; Your Word is flawless. You are a shield for all who take refuge in You. For who is God besides You? And who is the Rock except You?
You arm me with strength and make my way perfect. You make my feet like the feet of a deer; You enable me to stand on the heights. You train my hands for battle. You give me Your shield of victory, and Your right hand sustains me; You stoop down to make me great. You broaden the path beneath me. You armed me with strength for battle. You live! I praise You and I exalt You. I will praise You among the nations, O LORD;
I will sing praises to Your name. You give me great victories; You show unfailing kindness to me, Your anointed. In the precious name of Jesus I proclaim these truths. Amen!

Exposing and Replacing the Lies

Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free. John 8:32 (New International Version)

Our minds have the amazing ability to retain everything that we have been exposed to in our life time. Not only the things we saw, heard, felt, understood, and experienced but the meanings and interpretations of those things as well. Some of those interpretations are truthful but many are not. The memories that were distorted by lies have the ability to distort reality for us even as adults. How we interpret our actions as well as the actions of the people around us is tied into our store house of memory.

The enemy of my soul was delighted to introduce lies to me from very early on. He stood ready to expose false interpretations with each event and experience. Those lies became “truth” to me and have continued to affect the things I come across on a daily basis. My reactions to things said to me, done to me, or shown to me are stemming from not only my own sin nature but my acceptance of lies from years gone by. For example, when I walk away from a conversation and I am overwhelmed with feelings of insignificance, loneliness, abandonment, rejection, anger, or profound sadness I am re-experiencing lies that were introduced to me by the enemy decades ago. The same emotions, feelings, and thoughts are surfacing and the effect is often painful.

Is there hope? Is there freedom? Absolutely! God stands ready to graciously and tenderly take me back to the very experiences where lies where introduced and interpretations were distorted. He has truth to give me that will change the way I viewed the situations. What happened was real and truthful. That part will not change. What WILL change will be the effect it had on me. As God exposes the lies and introduces the truth I will have a new and dependable grid to look through. The healing of past memories will be the catalyst for experiencing different interpretations of the present.

Will I live problem free and pain free? No, not in this life. But it will have huge ramifications for mindsets and strongholds that affect me now. I have a choice to either continue embracing lies or finally exchanging the lies for truth. It will be a life long process strewn with successes and failures but it will be in the company of my Abba Father…..the God of the past, present, and future. In His arms and under His watchful eye I am safe to go back and finally hear His interpretation of each account.

Father, take me back to the places where the enemy’s lies became my “truth” experientially. As we stand at each scene, expose the lies and introduce me to the truth…Your truth. Thank You for the freedom that will come as a result of each truthful encounter. Amen.

Reasons for Praise

I will sing unto the LORD as long as I live: I will sing praise to my God while I have my being. My meditation of him shall be sweet: I will be glad in the LORD. Psalm 104:33,34 (King James Version)

David has made up his mind to sing, praise, and be glad in the Lord. His words and thoughts follow a decision he has already determined to do. Not just when things were going well and happiness abounded. As long as there was breath in him, he would exude worship to God. It was his trademark and mantra! He knew God well enough to know that He deserved and desired his praise. He knew the power of speaking that praise. Read through the Psalms and you will find that even in the midst of David pouring out his heart concerning loss, fear, danger, and turmoil you will find him resolving to praise God.

What a difference it would make if in the midst of any circumstance we ended our thoughts and prayers with “But I will still praise You!” Even in the midst of pain. Even in the midst of tears. Even in the midst of heartache. Even in the midst of loneliness. Even in the midst of loss. Even in the midst of whatever life includes. What would happen if we chose, like David, to praise God? Not just when we felt like it. Not just when everything was going our way. Not just when people give us what we want.

What I have found is that praise redirects my attention. It takes my focus off my circumstances and places it on to God. It is a distraction of great proportion! If at that point I allow my spirit to express the praise I will find myself verbalizing the many reasons for praising God. It may start out with a simple, “I praise You”, but will quickly become, “I praise You for Your faithfulness, Your goodness, Your loving kindness, Your power, Your creation, Your wisdom…..” The words will not only reach God’s ears, but they will reach my heart as well. The effect will be peace, confidence, and trust as I once again drink in the truth of God’s care, compassion, and control.

It is not a denial of facts nor is it just merely positive thinking. Praise is fitting for God and necessary for me. I cannot afford to reserve it for only the “perfect” days. If I will determine to allow my mind to meditate upon Him and permit my mouth to speak the praise, the feelings and emotions will follow. Each new day is a fresh opportunity to choose praise as a priority and practice. God has extended the invitation to each of us and now awaits our response. May His ears soon hear the sounds of praise we were created to express!

Father, You deserve heartfelt, passionate praise! May my mind, heart, will, and mouth overflow with praise to You. May my praise of You be genuine and gigantic! Amen.