Admitting the Truth

Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts; and in the hidden part thou shalt make me to know wisdom. Psalm 51:6 (King James Version)

Do you want to know one of the things God wishes for, longs for, craves, and yearns after? It is acknowledgement of the very things we try desperately to hide or bury. David’s backdrop for this verse was the confession of sin. 2 Samuel 11 details the great extent to which David went in order to cover up his sin with Bathsheba. But in the end, the truth was acknowledged because that is a prerequisite for relationship with God.

This morning God is not only bringing that point to mind, but He is also letting me know acknowledgement of truth is a prerequisite for many things. Healing comes when I admit to being sick. Filling comes when I admit to being empty. Freedom comes when I admit to having idols. Restoration comes when I admit my brokenness. Comfort comes when I admit to sorrow. Supply comes when I admit my need. Wisdom comes when I admit I do not know what to do. Friendship comes when I admit my loneliness. Strength comes when I admit my weakness. And the admitting is done to God!

For some reason it has taken me decades to learn growth in my Christian life is a daily process and acknowledging the truth about myself and God is a big part of that process. I use to think weaknesses on my part were a disappointment to God. I imagined Him looking over my life, sighing, and urging me to do better. When all the while He was wanting me to have honest, open communication with Him. He has been waiting for me to tell Him about my struggles, my pain, my wanderings, my thoughts, my feelings, and my searching. It is not unwanted news to Him and it comes as no surprise to Him.

He knows that acknowledging truth to Him forces me to admit it to myself. Also, acknowledging truth to Him acknowledges Him as my Source. Every day becomes an opportunity to see and say how much I need Him. There is no restoration, redemption, reform, or renewal without Him. For those of us who expect perfection from ourselves and cringe at the thought of failure, this is a process we must take one step at a time and look to God for the grace to do so. Getting out in the light what has stayed in the dark for so long is the beginning of change. When I am tempted to view my Christian life as always taking one step forward and two steps backwards, God is not seeing it that way. He wants me to know that honesty with Him is NEVER a step backwards. Seeing that for myself is what He wants for me. May I align myself with His view.

Father, I can finally look at You when I speak the truth. With You there is no need to hide, live with shame, or back away. May I freely admit what You already know about me. Amen.

Live What You Learn

But you must continue in the things which you have learned and been assured of, knowing from whom you have learned them. 2 Timothy 3:14 (New King James Version)

I learned something about sources earlier this week. We had an on going battle in our home against large, black ants in our kitchen. They seemed to be coming from the refrigerator area but we couldn’t find their point of entry. The mystery was solved when I happened to look at the top of our refrigerator and discovered several open packages of honey! There, like a multitude of cattle around a watering hole, were at least thirty ants with a dozen more making their way up and down the side of the refrigerator. I promptly removed the source of enjoyment for them, along with their lifeless bodies, and the problem was solved. Until I removed the source, it would have done no good to just kill the ants.

God used this experience to enlighten me on a principle that I needed to apply to my life. All areas of struggle have a source. Until I discover the source and deal with it, I will not see victory in those areas of struggle. “Stomping” on the symptoms will not be good enough.

This was a timely lesson for me because within the day I was to see my own source that needed to be admitted and removed. For me, it was a lie I had come to believe. The result was that I walked in condemnation of myself and another person, felt an internal weight that would not go away, lacked real joy on most days, harbored negative emotions, and could not seem to move forward on my journey. People who knew me saw the struggle as well as the result of self-deception. They urged me to walk in the truth and prayed that God would help me to do that. But my biggest hurdle was that I could not see that the lie I was believing was a lie so it stayed secure in my mind. It was only recently that I was finally convinced of the truth and was able to call out the lie! With the removal of the “source” of my struggle came a removal of the daily symptoms.

And this morning God is inviting me to continue living out the lesson He has taught me! It was not a one time event in His eyes. Continuing will mean whenever there is a struggle I am to seek the source and get rid of it! I am convinced it will work every time if I will just do it! It is my responsibility and joy to live what I have learned.

Father, I stand in awe of the way You work. Amen.

When the Statements are Difficult

Therefore many of His disciples, when they heard this said, "This is a difficult statement; who can listen to it?" John 6:60 (New American Standard Bible)

Have you ever felt like some of Jesus’ disciples when they could not grasp what was being told to them? His “difficult statements” were often hard for them to take in and digest. Resistance was strong even among his own followers. A phone conversation two evenings ago caused me to feel like them. What was being said was true and meant for my ears, but the statements were difficult to receive. God was using a dear friend to help me confront some lies I had been believing and that were hindering me from walking in truth and hence in freedom. It gave me much to think about the following day and for most of the day I was not doing well at releasing the lies and embracing the truth. Many of you will understand when I tell you my day was not marked with peace, joy, or contentment. By late afternoon I was exhausted and ended up taking a four hour nap. Oh the joy of physical rest that can lead to spiritual renewal!

What seemed so hard to understand just a day ago has begun to make a lot of sense now. What once kept me in turmoil has subsided. My perspective has changed and with that change has come the ability to see truth and stand on it! If I want a God-filled life and I want freedom it is going to come from living out of my spirit not my flesh. When I view relationships, situations, and circumstances simply through my flesh I am missing most of the picture. Whereas when I view those things through my spirit, which lives connected to God, I can begin to see what God wants me to see. Seeing others in a bad light, harboring suspicions, and living with a sense of condemnation are all signs that I am looking at things from my flesh. God’s Spirit, who lives in me, wants to change all that. He wants me to receive and digest information via my spirit because that is the part of me that is awakened to God’s voice and influence. My flesh will never get it right and my spirit will never get it wrong.

Jesus told the Samaritan woman that God is a spirit and those who worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth. May those words define the way I live my Christian life! I have not seen the end of difficult statements. But hopefully from now on they will be heard with spirit ears instead of fleshly ears. Hopefully my ability to understand what is being said will be more acute.

Father, help me to live out of my spirit rather than my flesh. As I do so, the transformation will be evident and profound. Amen.

When Scripture Lives

You have removed my acquaintances far from me; You have made me an object of loathing to them; I am shut up and cannot go out. Psalm 88:8 (New American Standard Bible)

Well known author and speaker, Beth Moore, has said, “God’s Word is alive and active in me.” I see the truth of her statement every time Scripture pin-points an area in my life and reads like a “tell all” book of my heart. I stand amazed that not only does God know me thoroughly but exposes much about myself in His Word. But He doesn’t stop there, He guides me in steps of application.

Like many of you, I have lived today’s verse. The removal of acquaintances, the feeling of being an object of loathing to them, and the sense of being shut up and unable to escape. Such prisons of the heart and mind are very confining but not impossible to leave. For me it is a matter of changing my thoughts and that on which I choose to dwell. Each time I experience imprisoned moments they are more and more uncomfortable and my desire to be free is greater. My most recent “incarceration” ended when I realized I don’t have to keep thinking through the same issues or continue asking myself the same unanswerable questions. The sky is the limit when it comes to what I can meditate on through out the day. Negative, destructive thoughts close the prison door, but truthful, right thoughts are my keys to freedom. It is not just a matter of positive thinking. It is a matter of obedience that produces freedom.

I find it interesting that as soon as I come out of my “cell” God is ready with some precious truths that speak powerfully to me. One such truth came while reading COME AWAY MY BELOVED by Francis J. Roberts. She writes entries that sound like God is speaking in the first person. It gave me one of those clear pictures I needed in order to replace the distorted images in my mind. It will be a thought I embrace and recall throughout today. She wrote, “I have deliberately put thorns in your nest in order to drive you forth. I understand your reluctance, but I shall surely deal with you until you break out of your bondage.” I take comfort in seeing God’s ultimate goal for me.

Father, I have felt the thorns. Forgive my reluctance to move and keep dealing with me until my bondage is broken. Amen.

Asking For and Receiving Help

He said, "If the Arameans are too strong for me, then you shall help me, but if the sons of Ammon are too strong for you, then I will come to help you. 2 Samuel 10:11 (New American Standard Bible)

A war had been declared against Israel based solely on false accusation and suspicion. When David sought to extend comfort to the king of the Ammonites after the death of his father, his actions came into question and the new king hired 20,000 Aramean foot soldiers to join him in battle against Israel. His plan ended in defeat but today’s verse has captured my attention, because it shed’s light on an aspect of the body of Christ that I have often struggled to grasp.

Just as I spent decades with skewed thinking in regards to God and what He is really like, I have spent recent years with skewed thinking in regards to living out the Christian life….particularly when it comes to seeking advice and help from other Christians versus complete reliance on God alone. In my mind it often became an “either or” scenario. Victory meant God alone and if I dared to confide in a fellow believer it meant I was failing. At the same time, I knew the verses that spoke of encouraging one another and praying for one another. A conversation with a friend last night and an email from another friend later in the evening both assured me that this aspect of the body of Christ was meant to be embraced by me. Not feared! Not denied! Not kept at arm’s length!

God in His graciousness has once again used His Word to give me the “permission” and freedom I am needing. When I read the words “too strong” and “help me” I knew they were meant for me. My personal internal battles are not meant to be fought independent of the believers God places in my life. Ultimately HE is the One who will set me free in areas of bondage and strongholds but He has also strategically placed “foot soldiers” across my path to be His hands, mouth piece, and heart to me. I dare not continue to say, “Thank you but no thank you” to the One who is so readily offering me His help through people. Their help, encouragement, and counsel is available if I will but reach out and accept it. May God help each of us to ask for and offer help when the things we “fight” are too strong for us. God does not call any of us to be totally isolated soldiers in His Kingdom work!

Father, I once again open myself up to receive what You are graciously providing to me through Your children. May my walls of resistance and fear fall as I ask for and receive their help. Amen.

Receptive to Teaching

And He will teach us His ways, and we will walk in His paths. Micah 4:2 (King James Version)

In order for someone to teach me something I must be receptive and desirous to learn. I have been a student in many classrooms where that was not the case. The reason? The subject matter was not put on a level that I could understand, my mind was on other things, I was physically exhausted, the information given was not important to me at the time, my interest was not peaked, too many distractions, etc...

But I found that if I really liked the teacher I was drawn to the lesson being taught. My thoughts of and relationship to the teacher were the catalyst for my actual learning. What they were saying became important to me.

Likewise I have sat under many speakers. If I failed to connect with them I became bored and distracted. I am sure that what they had to say was useful but I was unreceptive. On the other hand, if I connected with them, I hung on every word, drank in their wisdom, and desired to apply the truth of their message to my life.

My Father desires to teach me His ways so that I am able to walk in His paths. Does He have my attention? Am I hungry to learn all I can from Him? Do I see the importance of what He is teaching me? Is my focus on him?

I am assured that He'll put the lessons on a level I can grasp. He allocates time for me to digest what he is saying. Sometimes it is one on one instruction through His Word and prayer. Other times He uses individuals, songs, books, or situations. I use to think if the lesson came through a chosen source of His, I wasn't really receiving it from Him. I equated spiritual maturity as being attained when God was my ONLY source for instruction. But the Bible speaks of the wisdom found in many counselors. So whether I learn something new about God or the Christian life through God's sources or through God Himself, I can now see that it is still from Him.

Father, may you be my ultimate Teacher! May I always be attentive, receptive, and eager to learn from You…..no matter the route through which You choose to teach me. Amen.

They Went Because They Heard

Now when the queen of Sheba heard of the fame of Solomon, she came to Jerusalem to test Solomon with difficult questions. 2 Chronicles 9:1 (New American Standard Bible)

As many times as I have read the account of the queen of Sheba’s visit to see King Solomon, I missed what led her to that visit. It was because of what she had heard from her own people. Their words and enthusiasm got her attention. Much like how the Samaritan woman’s words to the people of Samaria drew them to see Jesus for themselves. In both cases, it was the talk of others that awoke in both the queen and the Samaritans an urge to become their own eye witnesses.

This has prompted me to ask myself whether or not I talk enough about who God is and what He means to me to get people’s attention in a way that will cause them to want to know Him for themselves. That is the heart of witnessing! But that was not always my thought. I still recall my own ideas about witnessing and why it was so difficult. There were actually a couple of problems.

When I thought of talking to someone about the Lord I envisioned myself grabbing them by the scruff of the neck and cramming Bible verses down their throat! Conversations had to be maneuvered just right and it fell to ME to be the one to convince them to turn to God. Needless to say, it wasn’t something I looked forward to doing or even did very often. It took a long time for me to realize I had it all wrong!

It is not a matter of “cramming” and “convincing”. It is simply a matter of sharing what I know when I know the opportunity is in front of me. No “working” the conversation. God is the One who prepares hearts and God is the One who causes those hearts to search for Him. As I share what I know, God is the One who takes my words and plants them as seeds in the heart of those I talk to. He knows what they are looking for and will give me the words to say in the form of thoughts. It may be in answering a question or adding to a conversation. I have learned to leave the time and the response to Him.

Each time I have been a part of a God-ordained witnessing moment I have walked away in amazement. I marveled at the ease and at what He led me to say. In most cases, I don’t know the end result of the conversation. Eternity will reveal that! But just as in my own salvation experience, many words were spoken before I understood and came to Jesus. I, like you, are always a part of a bigger picture of others coming to know Him.

Father, use me to draw others to Yourself. Let me be a mouthpiece for You! Amen.