Okay, so I've slacked off on my postings already! So much for commitment and dedication.
Actually, the reason I haven't posted my latest devotions is because I am not wanting this blog to become all about my religion. Yes, it is apart of me, but it doesn't completely define me. And I think readers need to get to know me, the real me.
So I want to restructure a bit and compile a few ideas for the rest of the stay-at-home mothers trying to juggle business and kids. My first year was not as much of a success as I would want, but then again I'm an overachiever, so I might still have insights to share on what I've learned.
Along with this direction I'll still share some inspirational messages as they strike me and a bit of artsy insights too.
For this is what I am. A mother, an artist, a Christian, and a woman learning the rope of her first business venture. And all of these things are what I wish to share with the world.
Friday, January 18, 2013
Monday, January 14, 2013
Day 8 and a challenge
When Pressures Build Up
"Are you living lie in overdrive? Do you ever feel like running away, checking out, giving up?"
Life is filled with pressure, pressure, pressure.
Pressure to be.
Pressure to do.
Pressure to perform.
Pressure to produce.
And with the pressures come anxiety and stress, especially to the Christian who longs to be pleasing to God.
Am I being the mate I should be? The parent I should be? Am I handling everything the way I ought to as His child?
Life is so accelerated. Hurrying to work. Dashing to get the kids to their activities. Hurrying to prepare meals. Rushing to get to church.
You think you're going to slow down when the kids get back to school...come winter...come Christmas...come summer...come vacation.
But it doesn't happen. Or if you do slow down, it's not for long. Pretty soon you're back again in overdrive.
Realistically, life is never going to slow down; the pressure is never going to lessen; the stress will always be there in one form or another. So what are going doing to do about it? Tought it out until you break? Run into some ungodly escape hatch? Give up? Check out?
The good news is: You don't have to choose any of the above. God knows about the pressure, the stress, the anxiety, the accelerated pace of our earthly life, and He has provided a "way of escape...so that you will be able to endure it" (1 Corinthinans 10:13).
It's all wrapped up in our communion with God, what I call "going into the snactuary." And there is one element of communion with God that I believe is a vital key to releasing pressure or stress. That key is worship through music: praising God in song. Let me share some Scriptures that show this to be true.
During Paul's second missionary journey, the apostle and his compatriot Silas found their ministry causing a riot, and they felt the brunt of it. Their clothes were torn from them, and they were beaten and thrown in prison.
Stress? Yes!
Anxiety? Every legitimate reason for it!
How did Paul and Silas handle it? What kept them from breaking?
Acts 16:25 gives us the answer: "But about midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns of praise to God." They turned their focus from the present pressures of their lives to the throne of their sovereign Abba Father- and the tension was relieved.
When sheep become tense, edgy, and restless, the shepard will quietly move through the flock, and his very presence will release the tension of the sheep and quiet their anxieties. Their shepard is there!
And this is what happens when we begin to worship our Lord and our God in song. We move into a consciousness of His presence, and the tension begins to unravel, the tautness of the pressure eases, anxieties become meaningless, for we are reminded that He is there- our Jehovah Shammah, our all-sufficient, sovereign God. He inhabits the praises of His people (Psalm 22:3).
Songs that stir your soul to worship, songs that bring tears of gratitude to your eyes, songs that cause a throbbing of holy passion for Christlikeness to swell within your breast. Songs that make you want to fall on your face or leap to your feet also have a physical effect upon your body, bringing sanctified release to physical tension.
Singing spiritual songs and making melody in your heart is God's way of delivering you from the stresses of the world.
"You are my hiding place; You preserve me from trouble; You surround me with songs of deliverance"
(Psalm 32:7).
Praising the Lord in song during my time alone with Him has drawn me into a depth of worship that I have never experienced before. The words of the music are engraved upon the tables of my heart and become an ever-present song upon my lips.
Try it. Make it a practice to worship God in song every day. Try beginning your day in song. Put your tape recorder in your bathroom or bedroom and play a worship tape while you're bathing and dressing. Sing in the shower. Carry tapes in your car to use as background music for singing His praises. Play music while you do housework. But, above all, make time daily to be alone and do nothing else but worship God in song.
The more you enter into His courts with praise and into His gates with thanksgiving, the less you will feel the stress, the pressure, the anxiety of daily life, for you will have...
"set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth. For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God" (Colossians 3:2-3).
(Arthur, 2002, pp. 42-44)
Okay, my first response to this is "heck yea!" Life is soooo stressful. My life radically changed almost 17 months ago and the stress level went through the roof! Not only was I dealing with the sleepless nights and growing demands of my daughter (for those that don't know me, I exclusively pumped breastmilk for her until her first birthday), but I was also dealing with work, taking online classes, my relationship with my hubby and the wierd changes going on with my body (yes, ladies....nothing is ever the same after giving birth). Talk about stress! There were many many days when I just wanted to give up, check out, run away!
I believe that what allowed me to survive this period of change was taking time to get out of the house to paint while listening to Klove. When I allowed myself this time to rekindle my passion for creating and doing it in the presence of worship songs, peace reigned. To this day, I still find my best focus and my best creative atmosphere in the presence of songs worshiping God. With a little girl sleeping a few doors down, its not always possible to be blaring the music, but I can still softly tune in and allow myself to just let those cares fall away.
Now, this typically doesn't work if you are just listening to music with just any old lyrics. Many of today's popular songs (and even some of those good old songs from days gone by) speak to the trials and joys of life. This can be good, but too often they bring more pressure instead of relief. If you are missing a loved one or having problems with your relationship, listening to a song about heartbreak or cheating or even love is not going to take the pressure or stress away. However, turning that focus off your brokeness to God's grace and everlasting love, will undoubtedly allow the pressure to cease.
For those of you that are saying you don't have a Christian station, look into Klove. You can listen anywhere from Klove.com (I stream it from my phone). Right now I know they are doing the 30 day challenge were you listen to nothing but Christian radio. I challenge those that are stressed and feeling the pressure, to take that challenge and see how entering the presence of God daily changes your life.
"Are you living lie in overdrive? Do you ever feel like running away, checking out, giving up?"
Life is filled with pressure, pressure, pressure.
Pressure to be.
Pressure to do.
Pressure to perform.
Pressure to produce.
And with the pressures come anxiety and stress, especially to the Christian who longs to be pleasing to God.
Am I being the mate I should be? The parent I should be? Am I handling everything the way I ought to as His child?
Life is so accelerated. Hurrying to work. Dashing to get the kids to their activities. Hurrying to prepare meals. Rushing to get to church.
You think you're going to slow down when the kids get back to school...come winter...come Christmas...come summer...come vacation.
But it doesn't happen. Or if you do slow down, it's not for long. Pretty soon you're back again in overdrive.
Realistically, life is never going to slow down; the pressure is never going to lessen; the stress will always be there in one form or another. So what are going doing to do about it? Tought it out until you break? Run into some ungodly escape hatch? Give up? Check out?
The good news is: You don't have to choose any of the above. God knows about the pressure, the stress, the anxiety, the accelerated pace of our earthly life, and He has provided a "way of escape...so that you will be able to endure it" (1 Corinthinans 10:13).
It's all wrapped up in our communion with God, what I call "going into the snactuary." And there is one element of communion with God that I believe is a vital key to releasing pressure or stress. That key is worship through music: praising God in song. Let me share some Scriptures that show this to be true.
During Paul's second missionary journey, the apostle and his compatriot Silas found their ministry causing a riot, and they felt the brunt of it. Their clothes were torn from them, and they were beaten and thrown in prison.
Stress? Yes!
Anxiety? Every legitimate reason for it!
How did Paul and Silas handle it? What kept them from breaking?
Acts 16:25 gives us the answer: "But about midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns of praise to God." They turned their focus from the present pressures of their lives to the throne of their sovereign Abba Father- and the tension was relieved.
When sheep become tense, edgy, and restless, the shepard will quietly move through the flock, and his very presence will release the tension of the sheep and quiet their anxieties. Their shepard is there!
And this is what happens when we begin to worship our Lord and our God in song. We move into a consciousness of His presence, and the tension begins to unravel, the tautness of the pressure eases, anxieties become meaningless, for we are reminded that He is there- our Jehovah Shammah, our all-sufficient, sovereign God. He inhabits the praises of His people (Psalm 22:3).
Songs that stir your soul to worship, songs that bring tears of gratitude to your eyes, songs that cause a throbbing of holy passion for Christlikeness to swell within your breast. Songs that make you want to fall on your face or leap to your feet also have a physical effect upon your body, bringing sanctified release to physical tension.
Singing spiritual songs and making melody in your heart is God's way of delivering you from the stresses of the world.
"You are my hiding place; You preserve me from trouble; You surround me with songs of deliverance"
(Psalm 32:7).
Praising the Lord in song during my time alone with Him has drawn me into a depth of worship that I have never experienced before. The words of the music are engraved upon the tables of my heart and become an ever-present song upon my lips.
Try it. Make it a practice to worship God in song every day. Try beginning your day in song. Put your tape recorder in your bathroom or bedroom and play a worship tape while you're bathing and dressing. Sing in the shower. Carry tapes in your car to use as background music for singing His praises. Play music while you do housework. But, above all, make time daily to be alone and do nothing else but worship God in song.
The more you enter into His courts with praise and into His gates with thanksgiving, the less you will feel the stress, the pressure, the anxiety of daily life, for you will have...
"set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth. For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God" (Colossians 3:2-3).
(Arthur, 2002, pp. 42-44)
Okay, my first response to this is "heck yea!" Life is soooo stressful. My life radically changed almost 17 months ago and the stress level went through the roof! Not only was I dealing with the sleepless nights and growing demands of my daughter (for those that don't know me, I exclusively pumped breastmilk for her until her first birthday), but I was also dealing with work, taking online classes, my relationship with my hubby and the wierd changes going on with my body (yes, ladies....nothing is ever the same after giving birth). Talk about stress! There were many many days when I just wanted to give up, check out, run away!
I believe that what allowed me to survive this period of change was taking time to get out of the house to paint while listening to Klove. When I allowed myself this time to rekindle my passion for creating and doing it in the presence of worship songs, peace reigned. To this day, I still find my best focus and my best creative atmosphere in the presence of songs worshiping God. With a little girl sleeping a few doors down, its not always possible to be blaring the music, but I can still softly tune in and allow myself to just let those cares fall away.
Now, this typically doesn't work if you are just listening to music with just any old lyrics. Many of today's popular songs (and even some of those good old songs from days gone by) speak to the trials and joys of life. This can be good, but too often they bring more pressure instead of relief. If you are missing a loved one or having problems with your relationship, listening to a song about heartbreak or cheating or even love is not going to take the pressure or stress away. However, turning that focus off your brokeness to God's grace and everlasting love, will undoubtedly allow the pressure to cease.
For those of you that are saying you don't have a Christian station, look into Klove. You can listen anywhere from Klove.com (I stream it from my phone). Right now I know they are doing the 30 day challenge were you listen to nothing but Christian radio. I challenge those that are stressed and feeling the pressure, to take that challenge and see how entering the presence of God daily changes your life.
Sunday, January 13, 2013
A new experience
So, today I want to spend a moment thinking about the sermon I heard at church this morning. My mother-in-law invited us to attend this new church with her. Trying to be a supportive daughter-in-law, I said sure, why not...what could it hurt? Now, I want to tell you that this morning's experience was definately new and definately good. This church was interesting, friendly, funny, and a general good time with good people. What made it stand out the most was how God comes and talks to us regardless of where we are at. I am not one of this pastor's sheep, yet his words still spoke to my heart in a manner that only God can do. Therefore in this new church, with these new and unfamilar people, I experienced God affirming me in some decisions and guiding me in different ways. Let me tell you what He said through this pastor, for these words might help you too.
This church is starting a new year with a new focus...on being chosen instruments. They are using Acts 9:15
"But the Lord said unto him, Go thy way: for he is a chosen vessel unto me, to bear my name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel:". Now this in itself doesn't strike me as unique to me, but the message of this pastor spoke about, "Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it."[Proverbs 22:6] His explanation of this verse was truly inspiring for me and I am glad that my parents held to it.
From a very young age I have always been an artist. Professionally, I just didn't think it was going to ever happen. Everyone (from teachers, parents, friends, etc.) talked as though being a professional artist was a life destined for poverty. The phrase "starving artist" was tossed around quite alot. However, everyone thought that I should at least try to find time to paint, draw, etc. They said I had potential, even if it wasn't a career worthy goal. So for years, I listened and tried to find something that I could do that might leave me a bit of time (obviously not enough) to be an artist too. Actually, until just recently, I still do this.
But, this pastor talked about being "inclined" towards a certain thing. His sermon was how Paul (as the Jewish leader Saul) already had the inclination of being a great leader. God had already selected Paul to lead and bring the Gospel to people around the world before Paul even knew what it was to be a Christian. I think this is something that can be spoken about each and every one of us.
I'm not a speaker, leader, musically inclined, athletically inclined, or any other sort of person. Instead I am an artist. I enjoy immersing myself into the arts. I love the smell of paint, the feel of the paint brush as it moves that paint, the quiet or soft music that accompanies me as I paint. I love seeing a creature or object take form on my canvas or paper.
This new church has this focus for the year and the pastor reminded them of the amazing unknown journey their focus can take them this year. I think this can hold true for me too. Over the past few months (as we entered into the new year), I have started to see my artistic buisness as more than just a hobby. It has potential to become so much more. No longer am I thinking of what I am going to be when I grow up, but of how I can continue to grow doing what I love. Just like that pastor, I'm interested to see where this new year can take me as I become a chosen vessel doing what God has gifted me with.
This church is starting a new year with a new focus...on being chosen instruments. They are using Acts 9:15
"But the Lord said unto him, Go thy way: for he is a chosen vessel unto me, to bear my name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel:". Now this in itself doesn't strike me as unique to me, but the message of this pastor spoke about, "Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it."[Proverbs 22:6] His explanation of this verse was truly inspiring for me and I am glad that my parents held to it.
From a very young age I have always been an artist. Professionally, I just didn't think it was going to ever happen. Everyone (from teachers, parents, friends, etc.) talked as though being a professional artist was a life destined for poverty. The phrase "starving artist" was tossed around quite alot. However, everyone thought that I should at least try to find time to paint, draw, etc. They said I had potential, even if it wasn't a career worthy goal. So for years, I listened and tried to find something that I could do that might leave me a bit of time (obviously not enough) to be an artist too. Actually, until just recently, I still do this.
But, this pastor talked about being "inclined" towards a certain thing. His sermon was how Paul (as the Jewish leader Saul) already had the inclination of being a great leader. God had already selected Paul to lead and bring the Gospel to people around the world before Paul even knew what it was to be a Christian. I think this is something that can be spoken about each and every one of us.
I'm not a speaker, leader, musically inclined, athletically inclined, or any other sort of person. Instead I am an artist. I enjoy immersing myself into the arts. I love the smell of paint, the feel of the paint brush as it moves that paint, the quiet or soft music that accompanies me as I paint. I love seeing a creature or object take form on my canvas or paper.
This new church has this focus for the year and the pastor reminded them of the amazing unknown journey their focus can take them this year. I think this can hold true for me too. Over the past few months (as we entered into the new year), I have started to see my artistic buisness as more than just a hobby. It has potential to become so much more. No longer am I thinking of what I am going to be when I grow up, but of how I can continue to grow doing what I love. Just like that pastor, I'm interested to see where this new year can take me as I become a chosen vessel doing what God has gifted me with.
Saturday, January 12, 2013
Day 7
Continued...
Once the seven years of silence were broken in the life of Madame Guyon, she was never the same. God's hand was upon her in an even mightier way. Her faith had been tested and proven: for although God seemed distant during that time, Madame Guyon did not veer from her profession of faith. She continued to walk in what she knew, learning to rely on what God had already spoken, rather than on how she felt.
It was in the very learning of this that she was enabled to live as more than a conqueror in the years to come when a king, empowered by Satan, would seek to destroy her faith by shutting her up in prison on the two different occations and then finally banishing her. Yet she spent the remainder of her life undefeated.
Even when He is silent, God's purpose is always victory, not defeat. So we can trust Him even in the silence.
Sometimes, however, we equate silence with separation, but with God that can never be true. God will never separate Himself from one of His children (Romans 8).
At times the Lord may seem distant, far away, unreachable, and uncommunicative in an intimate way. But you can know this: He is there. You and God are never apart. Separation from His love, from His promises, from Himself is impossible as far as God is concerned.
Silence?
It's possible.
Separation?
Absolutely impossible.
Like Madame Guyon and millions of others, we must continue to cling to the truth of His Word- even when He is silent. This is the assurance of faith, that nothing can separate us from our heavenly Father.
The apostle Paul poses the questions of a troubled heart in Romans 8:35:
"Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?"
And the answer, of course, is "nothing, and no one!"
The wuestion I want to ask, however, is, "why do we even have to ask?" We have to ask because of our own misconceptions.
Any time God is silent, or any time He allows His own to undergo difficult circumstances or situations, there is a tendency to think God has forsaken us. Otherwise we would not be going through what we are going through!
We forget that in this life we are expendable for the sake of furtherance of the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. As Paul wrote in Philippians 2:17:
"Even if I am being poured out as a drink offering upon the sacrifice and service of your faith, I rejoice and share my joy with you all"
We human beings don't handle rejection very well. And when it comes to persecution and trials- well, our natural tendency is to wonder what we have done wrong to bring us into such painful difficulty. We have to be reminded that we are "considered as sheep to be slaughtered" for His sake and that death is to work un us so that life can work in others (Romans 8:36; 2 Corinthians 4:12).
Still, "in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us." We conquer- not because of what we feel or because of what we experience- but because of who God is and where He is!
"Christ in you, the hope of glory" (Colossians 1:27).
Nothing can separate us from the love of God.
If you are in, or ever enter, a period of silence in your relationship with the Lord, or if you ever enter into great trials of faith, in is critical that you remember the declaration of faith penned by the apostle Paul and uttered by every succeeding generation:
"I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Romans 8:38-39).
These were not pious, lofty, poetic words needed to strike the match of faith. No, they were certainties of faith pounded out like steel in white-hot heat of the anvils of trials. This is the same man who wrote to the Corinthians, telling of beatings, stonings, dangers, robberies, sleepless nights, times of extreme hunger and thirst, imprisonment, exposure, and shipwreak that left him for a day and night in the deep (2 Corinthians 11:23-27). This is the man who testified that nothing could separate him from the love of God!
But, you may say, "That was the apostle Paul!" All right, then, let me show you the same proclamation from the lips of Madame Guyon. This frail but mighty woman of God lost everything thsi world affords. After ten years in a damp, dark, underground dungeon, she could write:
A little bird I am,
Shut from the fields of air;
And in my cage I sit and sing
To Him who placed me there;
Well pleased a prisoner to be,
Because my God, it pleases Thee.
Naught have I else to do;
I sing the whole day long;
And He whom most I love to please
Doth listen to my song;
He caught and bound my wandering wing,
But still He bends to hear me sing.
My cage confines me round;
Abroad I cannot fly;
But though my wing is closely bound,
My heart's at liberty.
My prison walls cannot control
The flight, the freedom, of my soul.
O, it is good to soar
These bolts and bars above,
To Him whose purpose I adore,
Whose providence I love;
And in Thy mighty will to find
The joy, the freedom, of the mind.
Wouldn't you say that Paul and Madame Guyon- and many more like them throughout the centuries- have been more than conquerors through Him who loved them? For whether God was silent or not, they knew He still loved them; He had not forsaken them. And, Beloved, whether God is silent or not, He still loves you; He has not forsaken you. So what is to prevent you from living as more than a conqueror?
Even when God seems distant,
even when He is silent,
continue to walk by faith,
trusting in His name.
Relying on all that He has said to us in His Word, then, we know that even in the silence He is working. And when eventually that silence is broken, the sound of His voice, the awareness of His presence will be glorious.
This is graphically illustrated in the history of Israel. Four hundred years of silence. That's what Israel endured during the intertestamental period, from the ringing words of the last prophet until the birth of Christ in Bethlehem. Four hundred years of silence. And yet God was there all the time.
The last words Israel heard as a nation were those spoken by Malachi the prophet. The silence was not broken until four hundred years later with the cry of John the Baptist in the wilderness: "Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world!" (John 1:29).
Glorious? I guess! Finally, Messiah had come! Messiah, the One promised to Adam and Eve when they sinned in Eden (Genesis 3:15)...the promise they had awaited for 4,000 years.
When I picture this in my mind, I see the Jews flocking out into the wilderness to hear the words of John the Baptist. Can you imagine their excitement? Four hundred years of silence broken.
And as I picture this, as I share their excitement, their awe, I cannot help but turn my thoughts to that moment when once again God will personally invade history and once again the world will hear His voice, for...
"the Lord Himself will decend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord"
(1 Thessalonians 4:16-17).
What a day, what a glorious day that will be! Never again will there be silence, never again a feeling of distance between you and your Lord. Never again shall a doubt of His love violate our faith; for we shall see God as He is, and we shall be with Him forever-more. Hallelujah!
We shall dwell in sweet union and communion forever and ever, and the suggereings of this present time will not be worthy to be compared with the glory that will be ours (Romans 8:18).
The final silence will be broken, and we will see Him as He is...as He has been...there all the time.
"My soul waits in silence for God only;
From Him is my salvation.
He only is my rock and my salvation,
My stronghold; I shall not be greatly shaken" (Psalm 62:1-2).
(Arthur, 2002, pp. 36-40)
Today, as we celebrated and remembered the life of a loved one, I can't help but think of all those that I know going through rough times. It is my hope that these words of encouragement will help you in your journey and comfort you when times seem impossible. All things work for the glory of God and the good of us, whether we realize the true value or not.
Once the seven years of silence were broken in the life of Madame Guyon, she was never the same. God's hand was upon her in an even mightier way. Her faith had been tested and proven: for although God seemed distant during that time, Madame Guyon did not veer from her profession of faith. She continued to walk in what she knew, learning to rely on what God had already spoken, rather than on how she felt.
It was in the very learning of this that she was enabled to live as more than a conqueror in the years to come when a king, empowered by Satan, would seek to destroy her faith by shutting her up in prison on the two different occations and then finally banishing her. Yet she spent the remainder of her life undefeated.
Even when He is silent, God's purpose is always victory, not defeat. So we can trust Him even in the silence.
Sometimes, however, we equate silence with separation, but with God that can never be true. God will never separate Himself from one of His children (Romans 8).
At times the Lord may seem distant, far away, unreachable, and uncommunicative in an intimate way. But you can know this: He is there. You and God are never apart. Separation from His love, from His promises, from Himself is impossible as far as God is concerned.
Silence?
It's possible.
Separation?
Absolutely impossible.
Like Madame Guyon and millions of others, we must continue to cling to the truth of His Word- even when He is silent. This is the assurance of faith, that nothing can separate us from our heavenly Father.
The apostle Paul poses the questions of a troubled heart in Romans 8:35:
"Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?"
And the answer, of course, is "nothing, and no one!"
The wuestion I want to ask, however, is, "why do we even have to ask?" We have to ask because of our own misconceptions.
Any time God is silent, or any time He allows His own to undergo difficult circumstances or situations, there is a tendency to think God has forsaken us. Otherwise we would not be going through what we are going through!
We forget that in this life we are expendable for the sake of furtherance of the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. As Paul wrote in Philippians 2:17:
"Even if I am being poured out as a drink offering upon the sacrifice and service of your faith, I rejoice and share my joy with you all"
We human beings don't handle rejection very well. And when it comes to persecution and trials- well, our natural tendency is to wonder what we have done wrong to bring us into such painful difficulty. We have to be reminded that we are "considered as sheep to be slaughtered" for His sake and that death is to work un us so that life can work in others (Romans 8:36; 2 Corinthians 4:12).
Still, "in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us." We conquer- not because of what we feel or because of what we experience- but because of who God is and where He is!
"Christ in you, the hope of glory" (Colossians 1:27).
Nothing can separate us from the love of God.
If you are in, or ever enter, a period of silence in your relationship with the Lord, or if you ever enter into great trials of faith, in is critical that you remember the declaration of faith penned by the apostle Paul and uttered by every succeeding generation:
"I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Romans 8:38-39).
These were not pious, lofty, poetic words needed to strike the match of faith. No, they were certainties of faith pounded out like steel in white-hot heat of the anvils of trials. This is the same man who wrote to the Corinthians, telling of beatings, stonings, dangers, robberies, sleepless nights, times of extreme hunger and thirst, imprisonment, exposure, and shipwreak that left him for a day and night in the deep (2 Corinthians 11:23-27). This is the man who testified that nothing could separate him from the love of God!
But, you may say, "That was the apostle Paul!" All right, then, let me show you the same proclamation from the lips of Madame Guyon. This frail but mighty woman of God lost everything thsi world affords. After ten years in a damp, dark, underground dungeon, she could write:
A little bird I am,
Shut from the fields of air;
And in my cage I sit and sing
To Him who placed me there;
Well pleased a prisoner to be,
Because my God, it pleases Thee.
Naught have I else to do;
I sing the whole day long;
And He whom most I love to please
Doth listen to my song;
He caught and bound my wandering wing,
But still He bends to hear me sing.
My cage confines me round;
Abroad I cannot fly;
But though my wing is closely bound,
My heart's at liberty.
My prison walls cannot control
The flight, the freedom, of my soul.
O, it is good to soar
These bolts and bars above,
To Him whose purpose I adore,
Whose providence I love;
And in Thy mighty will to find
The joy, the freedom, of the mind.
Wouldn't you say that Paul and Madame Guyon- and many more like them throughout the centuries- have been more than conquerors through Him who loved them? For whether God was silent or not, they knew He still loved them; He had not forsaken them. And, Beloved, whether God is silent or not, He still loves you; He has not forsaken you. So what is to prevent you from living as more than a conqueror?
Even when God seems distant,
even when He is silent,
continue to walk by faith,
trusting in His name.
Relying on all that He has said to us in His Word, then, we know that even in the silence He is working. And when eventually that silence is broken, the sound of His voice, the awareness of His presence will be glorious.
This is graphically illustrated in the history of Israel. Four hundred years of silence. That's what Israel endured during the intertestamental period, from the ringing words of the last prophet until the birth of Christ in Bethlehem. Four hundred years of silence. And yet God was there all the time.
The last words Israel heard as a nation were those spoken by Malachi the prophet. The silence was not broken until four hundred years later with the cry of John the Baptist in the wilderness: "Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world!" (John 1:29).
Glorious? I guess! Finally, Messiah had come! Messiah, the One promised to Adam and Eve when they sinned in Eden (Genesis 3:15)...the promise they had awaited for 4,000 years.
When I picture this in my mind, I see the Jews flocking out into the wilderness to hear the words of John the Baptist. Can you imagine their excitement? Four hundred years of silence broken.
And as I picture this, as I share their excitement, their awe, I cannot help but turn my thoughts to that moment when once again God will personally invade history and once again the world will hear His voice, for...
"the Lord Himself will decend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord"
(1 Thessalonians 4:16-17).
What a day, what a glorious day that will be! Never again will there be silence, never again a feeling of distance between you and your Lord. Never again shall a doubt of His love violate our faith; for we shall see God as He is, and we shall be with Him forever-more. Hallelujah!
We shall dwell in sweet union and communion forever and ever, and the suggereings of this present time will not be worthy to be compared with the glory that will be ours (Romans 8:18).
The final silence will be broken, and we will see Him as He is...as He has been...there all the time.
"My soul waits in silence for God only;
From Him is my salvation.
He only is my rock and my salvation,
My stronghold; I shall not be greatly shaken" (Psalm 62:1-2).
(Arthur, 2002, pp. 36-40)
Today, as we celebrated and remembered the life of a loved one, I can't help but think of all those that I know going through rough times. It is my hope that these words of encouragement will help you in your journey and comfort you when times seem impossible. All things work for the glory of God and the good of us, whether we realize the true value or not.
Friday, January 11, 2013
Day 6
When God is Silent (part 1)
"Has there ever been a time when God seemed silent for so long that you questioned your relationship with Him?"
Silent for so long that you even wonder if you imagined that you heard His voice? When you wonder if you ever really knew His wisdom and direction?
Have you every experienced times when God seems so distant, so far away that the joy of His presence seems lost to you? A shroud covers your soul. You feel devoid of the emotions that once inflamed your soul in passion for your Lord and your God.
Heaven is silent. Winter has set in. Your heart shivers. The warmth of intimacy is gone. You try to rekindle a fire, but to no avail. Your spirit reaches out in the cold darkness to touch Him, only to confront, lonely, numbing, confusing, discouraging...silence.
I must admit, there have been times in my life when God has been silent. When the joy and the sense of the deep intimacy of His presence have eluded me. When I felt I was hearing nothing new from His Word.
And it was hard, especially when others would share how He had been speaking to them. Sometimes it brought pain, sometimes doubt, and sometimes jealousy. Why was God speaking to them and not to me? What was I doing or not doing- or what should I have been doing in order to get God to reveal Himself to me as He was revealing Himself to others? Sometimes I even allowed pride to overtake me as I pretended to be able to relate to their joy.
But it's a times like that when I have been the most thankful for the years I have spent in the Word of God. For it is during the periods of silence- when our relationship with God seems devoid of joy and excitement and we don't know why-that we have to walk in the gut-level knowledge of all that we have studied. We have to believe God is there, that He has not moved, and that for some reason or other He has chosen to be "silent" for awhile.
God's silence is not like our human silence. When He is silent, it does not mean that He is not working or that He has abandoned us, the work of His hands. Oh, no!
God does not change, or are His promises made null and void, for even "if we are faithless, He remains faithful, for He cannot deny Himself" (2 Timothy 2:13).
There is always a reason for God's silence-purpose under heaven.
He may be silent because He has spoken and we have not responded- so He waits. Or He may have spoken and we have said "no"- so He gives us time to see the consequences of our disobedience. Or He may want to speak, but we are so busy that we are not giving Him the silence needed to hear His "still small voice" in the recesses of our hearts. Or God may be silent because it is His time to be silent.
In any intimate relationship there are always periods of silence. God's silence may be a test of our faith. Will we who fear the Lord, who obey the voice of His servant, who walk in darkness and have no light, trust in His name and rely on Him regardless of His silence (Isaiah 50:10)?
For it is then that we must wrap ourselves in His blanket of faith and our confidence in His Word; we must steep ourselves in His Word and cling to His promises. Cling, until He breaks the silence.
What God is doing is not without purpose, and when He does break the silence, our relationship with Him will be more treasured that before.
MadameGuyon, a French woman who lived during the reign of Louis XIV, knew a great deal about the silence of God. For seven years she was bereft of religious joy, peace, or emotions of any kind- a time of "privation or desolation."
During all that period, she had to walk by faith alone. She continued her devitions and her works of charity but without the pleasure and satisfaction she had previously felt...For seven years she kept looking for feelings and emotions before she learned to live above the feelings and by simple faith in God. Then she found the life of faith is much lighter, holier, and happier than the life governed by feelings and emotions.
Almost seven years after she lost her joy and emotions [Madame Guyon] began to correspond with Father La Combe, whom she had been the means of leading into the light of salvation through faith some years previously. He was not the instrument of leading her out into the clear light and sunshine of Christian experience. He showed her that God has not forsaken her as she was so often tempted to believe but that He was crucifying the self-life in her.
"I had a deep peace which seemed to prevade the whole soul, and resulted from the fact that all my desires were fulfilled in God. I feared nothing; that is, considered in its ultimate result and relations, because my strong faith placed God at the head of all perplexities and events. I desired nothing but what I now had, because I had full belief that, in my present state of mind, the results of each moment constitutes the fulfillment of the Divine purposes. As a sanctified heart is always in harmony with the Divine providences, I had no will but the Divine will, of which such providences are the true and appropriate expression."
What Madame Guyon learned, in essence, was that God was her all in all. He was all that mattered- not her emotions, not her desires, not her pleasures....only God. It was when she understood this that she began to walk in the totality of meekness.
Meekness is not weakness...it is strength. His strength. Meekness is accepting everything as coming from God without murmuring, disputing, or retaliating...even His silence.
Madame Guyon consecrated herself wholly to God; He could do with her as He pleased. She would no longer look to external experiences or internal joys. Instead she would find rest in His sovereign dealings, whatever they were.
Feel it or not, see it or not, hear it or not, she knew that "He Himself has said, 'I will never desert you, nor will I ever forsake you,' so that we confidently say, 'The Lord is my helper, I will not be afraid. What will man do to me?' "(Hebrews 13:5-6).
Her soul caught fire with this new depth of understanding, and as her soul caught fire, she lighted the way for the spirit of revival in almost every place she visited, and God used her mightily in France and many parts of Europe- until Louis XIV imprisoned her. But so great was her faith that her prison seemed a palace. She knew she was not forsaken; the Lord Jesus Christ was there- permitting the prison but sharing her cell.
Sometimes I know you, too, must feel forsaken, but you are not. He will not forsake you...He cannot forsake you. It would go against His very Word and character.
Why? Because God will never abandon the work of His hands. "he who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus" (Philippians 1:6).
Salvation is of the Lord. He is the One who chose you in Christ Jesus before the foundation of the world that you should be holy and blameless before Him (Ephesians 1:4). Therefore, what God began, God will complete. He "is able to keep you from stumbling, and to make you stand in the presence of His glory blameless with great joy" (Jude 24).
God may be silent- trials, testings, and challenges to our faith may come- but you and I can know with absolute surety that although we may be wounded, we cannot be defeated. God is watching over us. Whether we feel His presence and watchcare or not, God is there- maybe not manifesting Himself now but never ceasing to love us with His everlasting love and never failing to cause all things...even His silence...to work together for our good. -to be continued....
(Arthur, 2002, pp.32-36)
This reading is so very true! There have been many times when God has been silent in my life or simply told me to wait. Most of the time this has been extremely frusterating for me, for I am not a patient person! Yet, His timing is always perfect. I've also realized that waiting doesn't mean that I can't be "working" and doing things in His name while I wait for Him to speak. I can honestly say that I've heard the voice of God a few times (the last was a few years ago) and each time it's unmistakable. You simply can not deny what He is saying. I haven't always liked what He was telling me either. In fact I did deny and refuse to follow for a very long time, which left me in a long period of silence with God. But the day that I admitted that my way was not correct, He was there, speaking to me.
Today I am in a period of silence between God and me. Yet, this is not a stand off this time. This time feels different and I know I am just waiting, though for what I'm still unsure. I know He will tell me what it is when I need to know it. Until then He is refining me and my trust, faith, and reliance on Him. The more I think about it, this might even be what He is making me wait for, until I am refined enough to serve His purpose! Regardless, everything will work together for good.
"Has there ever been a time when God seemed silent for so long that you questioned your relationship with Him?"
Silent for so long that you even wonder if you imagined that you heard His voice? When you wonder if you ever really knew His wisdom and direction?
Have you every experienced times when God seems so distant, so far away that the joy of His presence seems lost to you? A shroud covers your soul. You feel devoid of the emotions that once inflamed your soul in passion for your Lord and your God.
Heaven is silent. Winter has set in. Your heart shivers. The warmth of intimacy is gone. You try to rekindle a fire, but to no avail. Your spirit reaches out in the cold darkness to touch Him, only to confront, lonely, numbing, confusing, discouraging...silence.
I must admit, there have been times in my life when God has been silent. When the joy and the sense of the deep intimacy of His presence have eluded me. When I felt I was hearing nothing new from His Word.
And it was hard, especially when others would share how He had been speaking to them. Sometimes it brought pain, sometimes doubt, and sometimes jealousy. Why was God speaking to them and not to me? What was I doing or not doing- or what should I have been doing in order to get God to reveal Himself to me as He was revealing Himself to others? Sometimes I even allowed pride to overtake me as I pretended to be able to relate to their joy.
But it's a times like that when I have been the most thankful for the years I have spent in the Word of God. For it is during the periods of silence- when our relationship with God seems devoid of joy and excitement and we don't know why-that we have to walk in the gut-level knowledge of all that we have studied. We have to believe God is there, that He has not moved, and that for some reason or other He has chosen to be "silent" for awhile.
God's silence is not like our human silence. When He is silent, it does not mean that He is not working or that He has abandoned us, the work of His hands. Oh, no!
God does not change, or are His promises made null and void, for even "if we are faithless, He remains faithful, for He cannot deny Himself" (2 Timothy 2:13).
There is always a reason for God's silence-purpose under heaven.
He may be silent because He has spoken and we have not responded- so He waits. Or He may have spoken and we have said "no"- so He gives us time to see the consequences of our disobedience. Or He may want to speak, but we are so busy that we are not giving Him the silence needed to hear His "still small voice" in the recesses of our hearts. Or God may be silent because it is His time to be silent.
In any intimate relationship there are always periods of silence. God's silence may be a test of our faith. Will we who fear the Lord, who obey the voice of His servant, who walk in darkness and have no light, trust in His name and rely on Him regardless of His silence (Isaiah 50:10)?
For it is then that we must wrap ourselves in His blanket of faith and our confidence in His Word; we must steep ourselves in His Word and cling to His promises. Cling, until He breaks the silence.
What God is doing is not without purpose, and when He does break the silence, our relationship with Him will be more treasured that before.
MadameGuyon, a French woman who lived during the reign of Louis XIV, knew a great deal about the silence of God. For seven years she was bereft of religious joy, peace, or emotions of any kind- a time of "privation or desolation."
During all that period, she had to walk by faith alone. She continued her devitions and her works of charity but without the pleasure and satisfaction she had previously felt...For seven years she kept looking for feelings and emotions before she learned to live above the feelings and by simple faith in God. Then she found the life of faith is much lighter, holier, and happier than the life governed by feelings and emotions.
Almost seven years after she lost her joy and emotions [Madame Guyon] began to correspond with Father La Combe, whom she had been the means of leading into the light of salvation through faith some years previously. He was not the instrument of leading her out into the clear light and sunshine of Christian experience. He showed her that God has not forsaken her as she was so often tempted to believe but that He was crucifying the self-life in her.
"I had a deep peace which seemed to prevade the whole soul, and resulted from the fact that all my desires were fulfilled in God. I feared nothing; that is, considered in its ultimate result and relations, because my strong faith placed God at the head of all perplexities and events. I desired nothing but what I now had, because I had full belief that, in my present state of mind, the results of each moment constitutes the fulfillment of the Divine purposes. As a sanctified heart is always in harmony with the Divine providences, I had no will but the Divine will, of which such providences are the true and appropriate expression."
What Madame Guyon learned, in essence, was that God was her all in all. He was all that mattered- not her emotions, not her desires, not her pleasures....only God. It was when she understood this that she began to walk in the totality of meekness.
Meekness is not weakness...it is strength. His strength. Meekness is accepting everything as coming from God without murmuring, disputing, or retaliating...even His silence.
Madame Guyon consecrated herself wholly to God; He could do with her as He pleased. She would no longer look to external experiences or internal joys. Instead she would find rest in His sovereign dealings, whatever they were.
Feel it or not, see it or not, hear it or not, she knew that "He Himself has said, 'I will never desert you, nor will I ever forsake you,' so that we confidently say, 'The Lord is my helper, I will not be afraid. What will man do to me?' "(Hebrews 13:5-6).
Her soul caught fire with this new depth of understanding, and as her soul caught fire, she lighted the way for the spirit of revival in almost every place she visited, and God used her mightily in France and many parts of Europe- until Louis XIV imprisoned her. But so great was her faith that her prison seemed a palace. She knew she was not forsaken; the Lord Jesus Christ was there- permitting the prison but sharing her cell.
Sometimes I know you, too, must feel forsaken, but you are not. He will not forsake you...He cannot forsake you. It would go against His very Word and character.
Why? Because God will never abandon the work of His hands. "he who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus" (Philippians 1:6).
Salvation is of the Lord. He is the One who chose you in Christ Jesus before the foundation of the world that you should be holy and blameless before Him (Ephesians 1:4). Therefore, what God began, God will complete. He "is able to keep you from stumbling, and to make you stand in the presence of His glory blameless with great joy" (Jude 24).
God may be silent- trials, testings, and challenges to our faith may come- but you and I can know with absolute surety that although we may be wounded, we cannot be defeated. God is watching over us. Whether we feel His presence and watchcare or not, God is there- maybe not manifesting Himself now but never ceasing to love us with His everlasting love and never failing to cause all things...even His silence...to work together for our good. -to be continued....
(Arthur, 2002, pp.32-36)
This reading is so very true! There have been many times when God has been silent in my life or simply told me to wait. Most of the time this has been extremely frusterating for me, for I am not a patient person! Yet, His timing is always perfect. I've also realized that waiting doesn't mean that I can't be "working" and doing things in His name while I wait for Him to speak. I can honestly say that I've heard the voice of God a few times (the last was a few years ago) and each time it's unmistakable. You simply can not deny what He is saying. I haven't always liked what He was telling me either. In fact I did deny and refuse to follow for a very long time, which left me in a long period of silence with God. But the day that I admitted that my way was not correct, He was there, speaking to me.
Today I am in a period of silence between God and me. Yet, this is not a stand off this time. This time feels different and I know I am just waiting, though for what I'm still unsure. I know He will tell me what it is when I need to know it. Until then He is refining me and my trust, faith, and reliance on Him. The more I think about it, this might even be what He is making me wait for, until I am refined enough to serve His purpose! Regardless, everything will work together for good.
Thursday, January 10, 2013
Day 5
When You're Wondering If God Is Enough
"How are you doing...really doing?"
I would love to knock on your front door and have you invite me in for a cup of coffee and a chat. But since time and distance keep us from doing that, this book must be the next best thing. If we could just spend some time together, when we got past the "Hi! How are you?" I would want to know, "How are you doing...really doing?"
How are you doing on the inside? Are you hurting or feeling like a failure? Are you exhausted, tired of what seems like a rat race through the same old maze of life, day in and day out? Are you fighting a battle with disappointment?...depression?...discouragment? Are you feeling unloved or unlovable?
Are you questioning God, wondering why He has allowed things to be the way they are? Maybe you can't even admit this to others for fear they won't understand. Is there anger in your heart because of excruciating pain or bitter disappointment? Because you have lost someone or because your life has not been a "normal" life? Because you haev been rejected, abused, neglected, or unloved?
Does the future scare you? Are you wondering about your job? Your health? Cancer? Heart problems? Your children? Are you wondering how you are going to care for your parents? How you are going to provide for your family? What will happen in your old age?
Are you worrying? Anxious because you may lose your job...or because you can't find work? Worried about the kids? About how they will turn out? About what they are being exposed to? What they might get into? Drugs? Immorality? Suicide?
Or, maybe all is well but you want to go deeper with God. You want a greater consistency of devotion to your Lord Jesus Christ. You want your life to be different, less commercial, more centered on your Lord and eternal things. You want your life to have eternal significance; you want to be used by Him more than you have been in the past.
Whatever your situation, wherever you are, the answer is always the same: God knows your plight, your state. He knows exactly where you are and what you are going through.
He knows, and He wants to give you a future and a hope. Because of this, His solution is always an eternal one, an all-sufficient one. And if you miss what I am saying, or if you pass it off, you are going to miss the answer to the void, hurt, disappointment, fear, or desire I have mentioned above. The answer is found in a verse of Scripture:
"A child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; and the government will rest on His shoulders; and His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace" (Isaiah 9:6).
God has given you Jesus, His very own Son; and in giving you Jesus, He has put the governement of your life on His shoulders.
No matter what your situation, feelings, or desires, you have Jesus as your Wonderful Counselor. Where are you running for help? Don't run anywhere unless your Wonderful Counselor tells you to, and then check out all you hear with Him. He is there to guide you, sustain you, care for you.
He is there to govern your life, and He can because He is the Mighty God-sovereign, in control of all, not permitting any accidents in your life. He is filtering every aspect of your life and the things that concern you through His omnipotent fingers of love. All that comes into your life will eventually work together for your good and His glory. It will be used to make you like Him, and if you will but cling to this in faith, on the day in which you see Him face-to-face, you will have no regrets (Romans 8:28-29).
Just remember, you have an Eternal Father, and you can snuggle in his all-sufficient arms. He is the Father who is always there, always ready to listen, always able to help, always wanting your best and seeing that you get it. He is never too busy, never plays favorites with His other children, and is always impartial. If you want to be mightily used by Him in His kingdom, He will see that it happens...as long as you listen to Him, obey Him, and serve Him without a divided heart.
The problem is, we have looked elsewhere for our help and consolation; we have not allowed Him to be our all in all. We have taken the government of our lives off His shoulders and we have turned to the arm of flesh.
Are you anxious, troubled, tormented? He is your Prince of Peace. Let not your heart be troubled, believe in Him, trust in Him. Peace will reign as long as you obediently cast all of your care upon Him (1 Peter 5:7). Stop being anxious for even one thing, but in everything- with prayer and supplication- make your requests known to Him. When you do, His peace will guard your heart and mind (Philippians 4:6-7).
So as we end our little chat, let me jsut remind you to place your trust upon His shoulders and turn your life over to your Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, and Prince of Peace who has the answer to every question, the solution to every problem, the wisdom for every decision.
"I will put my trust in Him" (Hebrews 2:13).
(Arthur, 2002, pp. 28-30)
The reading for today is one that I need almost every day. Worrying seems to be my constant past time. I've stressed about everything from finances to whether I am raising my daughter correctly. Most days it doesn't overwhelm me, but I have on occation felt that sense of failure and disappointment in myself over a wrong decision. What my biggest challenge to this is, I fail to remain knowledgable about God's will concerning my everyday decisions and adventures. I've always felt that as a child we should grow and become independent of our parents, which is true for our earthy parents. However, as we grow independent of our earthy parents, we should be growing more and more dependent upon God as our Heavenly Father. It is my hope and prayer that through this daily devotion and dwelling on His will and His Word, my dependence upon myself can become more and more transfered to a dependence upon Him. Only then do we truly aquire the peace we all desire.
Personal note here, last year was the beginning of a true transformation and a letting go as I ventured out into my art buisness for the first time. It was quite a rocky start and I had alot of trouble just letting go. But finally when I did and started listening, doors opened to me that I didn't even know were there. I'm so very excited about the adventures within my artwork and buisness over the coming year! I know that God truly does have His hand in everything I do, whether I realize it or not!
"How are you doing...really doing?"
I would love to knock on your front door and have you invite me in for a cup of coffee and a chat. But since time and distance keep us from doing that, this book must be the next best thing. If we could just spend some time together, when we got past the "Hi! How are you?" I would want to know, "How are you doing...really doing?"
How are you doing on the inside? Are you hurting or feeling like a failure? Are you exhausted, tired of what seems like a rat race through the same old maze of life, day in and day out? Are you fighting a battle with disappointment?...depression?...discouragment? Are you feeling unloved or unlovable?
Are you questioning God, wondering why He has allowed things to be the way they are? Maybe you can't even admit this to others for fear they won't understand. Is there anger in your heart because of excruciating pain or bitter disappointment? Because you have lost someone or because your life has not been a "normal" life? Because you haev been rejected, abused, neglected, or unloved?
Does the future scare you? Are you wondering about your job? Your health? Cancer? Heart problems? Your children? Are you wondering how you are going to care for your parents? How you are going to provide for your family? What will happen in your old age?
Are you worrying? Anxious because you may lose your job...or because you can't find work? Worried about the kids? About how they will turn out? About what they are being exposed to? What they might get into? Drugs? Immorality? Suicide?
Or, maybe all is well but you want to go deeper with God. You want a greater consistency of devotion to your Lord Jesus Christ. You want your life to be different, less commercial, more centered on your Lord and eternal things. You want your life to have eternal significance; you want to be used by Him more than you have been in the past.
Whatever your situation, wherever you are, the answer is always the same: God knows your plight, your state. He knows exactly where you are and what you are going through.
He knows, and He wants to give you a future and a hope. Because of this, His solution is always an eternal one, an all-sufficient one. And if you miss what I am saying, or if you pass it off, you are going to miss the answer to the void, hurt, disappointment, fear, or desire I have mentioned above. The answer is found in a verse of Scripture:
"A child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; and the government will rest on His shoulders; and His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace" (Isaiah 9:6).
God has given you Jesus, His very own Son; and in giving you Jesus, He has put the governement of your life on His shoulders.
No matter what your situation, feelings, or desires, you have Jesus as your Wonderful Counselor. Where are you running for help? Don't run anywhere unless your Wonderful Counselor tells you to, and then check out all you hear with Him. He is there to guide you, sustain you, care for you.
He is there to govern your life, and He can because He is the Mighty God-sovereign, in control of all, not permitting any accidents in your life. He is filtering every aspect of your life and the things that concern you through His omnipotent fingers of love. All that comes into your life will eventually work together for your good and His glory. It will be used to make you like Him, and if you will but cling to this in faith, on the day in which you see Him face-to-face, you will have no regrets (Romans 8:28-29).
Just remember, you have an Eternal Father, and you can snuggle in his all-sufficient arms. He is the Father who is always there, always ready to listen, always able to help, always wanting your best and seeing that you get it. He is never too busy, never plays favorites with His other children, and is always impartial. If you want to be mightily used by Him in His kingdom, He will see that it happens...as long as you listen to Him, obey Him, and serve Him without a divided heart.
The problem is, we have looked elsewhere for our help and consolation; we have not allowed Him to be our all in all. We have taken the government of our lives off His shoulders and we have turned to the arm of flesh.
Are you anxious, troubled, tormented? He is your Prince of Peace. Let not your heart be troubled, believe in Him, trust in Him. Peace will reign as long as you obediently cast all of your care upon Him (1 Peter 5:7). Stop being anxious for even one thing, but in everything- with prayer and supplication- make your requests known to Him. When you do, His peace will guard your heart and mind (Philippians 4:6-7).
So as we end our little chat, let me jsut remind you to place your trust upon His shoulders and turn your life over to your Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, and Prince of Peace who has the answer to every question, the solution to every problem, the wisdom for every decision.
"I will put my trust in Him" (Hebrews 2:13).
(Arthur, 2002, pp. 28-30)
The reading for today is one that I need almost every day. Worrying seems to be my constant past time. I've stressed about everything from finances to whether I am raising my daughter correctly. Most days it doesn't overwhelm me, but I have on occation felt that sense of failure and disappointment in myself over a wrong decision. What my biggest challenge to this is, I fail to remain knowledgable about God's will concerning my everyday decisions and adventures. I've always felt that as a child we should grow and become independent of our parents, which is true for our earthy parents. However, as we grow independent of our earthy parents, we should be growing more and more dependent upon God as our Heavenly Father. It is my hope and prayer that through this daily devotion and dwelling on His will and His Word, my dependence upon myself can become more and more transfered to a dependence upon Him. Only then do we truly aquire the peace we all desire.
Personal note here, last year was the beginning of a true transformation and a letting go as I ventured out into my art buisness for the first time. It was quite a rocky start and I had alot of trouble just letting go. But finally when I did and started listening, doors opened to me that I didn't even know were there. I'm so very excited about the adventures within my artwork and buisness over the coming year! I know that God truly does have His hand in everything I do, whether I realize it or not!
Wednesday, January 9, 2013
Day 4
Reminder, anyone that wants to follow along with this book or have a copy of your own here is the link for it on Amazon http://www.amazon.com/Speak-My-Heart-God-Moment/dp/0736907734/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1357781471&sr=8-1&keywords=speak+to+my+heart+God
When You Are Dealing With What-Ifs
"Are you prepared to see Jesus?"
Suppose, just suppose, that you knew the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ was near.
Suppose that you had inside information that your time "to occupy until He comes" was about over.
Suppose, just suppose, you knew for certain that by this time next year you would be standing - as an individual- before your God and your Lord, having to give an account of how you have lived as His child (Romans 14:10-12; 2 Corinthians 5:10).
Would it make a difference in the way you live today? Next month? During the coming year?
We, we don't know about next year, but we do know that the Lord Jesus Christ will return someday- "in the twinking of an eye" (1 Corinthians 15:52).
And from all that God's Word has to say about the end times...from all that we see going on in our world...and from the prompting of the Spirit of God, we feel that we need to order our days before our God accordingly.
God has told us to redeem the time because the days are evil and to live as if His coming is imminent. And He has told us that we will be held accountable to Him for the way we live as His children.
Let me share with you just some of the things for which God's Word tells us we shall be held accountable.
We shall be held accountable for...
*what we have been given (Matthew 25:1-30)
*what we know (Luke 12:4-48)
*our stewardship of God's Word (1 Corinthians 4:1-5)
*what we teach others (James 3:1; 1 Corinthians 3:10-15)
*our giving (Philippians 4:14-17)
*our words (Matthew 12:36-37)
*our leadership (Hebrew 13:17)
Now, follow this five-step plan as you look at the days ahead.
First, go through this list, look up the Scriptures, and ask God to search your heart in each area in the light of His Word.
Second, set some specific goals for your life. For instance, since you are accountable to God for knowing His will and for doing it, you need to plan how you are going to make the time to be alone with Him in His Word so that He can speak to you.
Third, as you set these goals, formulate definite plans to reach them. For instance, to follow through on the example used above (making time to be alone with God), schedule your day to allow yourself uninterrupted time to be alone with Him.
Fourth, once you have your goals and your plans, you need to begin. It has been said that it takes twenty-one days of repetition to form a habit. Therefore, determine that for the next twenty-one consecutive days you are going to take time to be alone with God, in His Word, prayerfully listening to the thoughts He will put into your heart and mind. As you spend this time, tell God you want only His thoughts and ask Him to make you aware of anything that is not truly from Him. Test everything by seeing if it is in agreement with the whole counsel of the Word of God.
And, fifth, begin examining every aspect of your life in the light of His coming. According to 1 John 3:2-3, our anticipation of the coming of the Lord acts as a purifying hope in our lives. Therefore, the days ahead should become days of cleansing as we put away those things- sins, habits, weights, possessions, activities, excesses- that keep us from pursuing His holiness (Hebrews 12:1-2, 14).
Suppose our time is shorter than we think...
Someday- and it could be tomorrow or next year- the suppositions will be over. Jesus will appear. Then our opportunity to live the life of faith will be over.
Someday will come like a thief in the night. Don't be caught unaware.
Be ready...begin now. The discipline will pay eternal dividends.
"My beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord" (1 Corinthians 15:58).
Arnold, 2002, pp 24-26
It truly is amazing how once you get started, God really does start speaking to you. This is only day 4 of my "consecutive 21 days" in order to make this a habit, and already I hear Him loud and clear! There are so many areas of my life that could use a good scrubbing. As life has become more and more full (children seem to do that) so much dust has collected in areas which were once squeeky clean (like my language!). Yet, this is not to discourage me, but to make me aware that I need to tend to these areas and once again use a bit of spit shine. We are all fallen beings and always in need of improvement. I think where this message is leading is to tell us to constantly be working at it and to not grow complacent. I'm always going to stumble and trip (those that know me know this literally happens alot!), but its only when I stay down and accept my fate that I fall into God's displeasure. As long as I'm still picking myself up and saying, "I'm trying" those things listed above will be obtainable. I don't believe that He expects us to come to Him saying, "I've perfected all the things on your list!" Instead I think He wants us to always be saying, "I'm giving it my very best Lord."
When You Are Dealing With What-Ifs
"Are you prepared to see Jesus?"
Suppose, just suppose, that you knew the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ was near.
Suppose that you had inside information that your time "to occupy until He comes" was about over.
Suppose, just suppose, you knew for certain that by this time next year you would be standing - as an individual- before your God and your Lord, having to give an account of how you have lived as His child (Romans 14:10-12; 2 Corinthians 5:10).
Would it make a difference in the way you live today? Next month? During the coming year?
We, we don't know about next year, but we do know that the Lord Jesus Christ will return someday- "in the twinking of an eye" (1 Corinthians 15:52).
And from all that God's Word has to say about the end times...from all that we see going on in our world...and from the prompting of the Spirit of God, we feel that we need to order our days before our God accordingly.
God has told us to redeem the time because the days are evil and to live as if His coming is imminent. And He has told us that we will be held accountable to Him for the way we live as His children.
Let me share with you just some of the things for which God's Word tells us we shall be held accountable.
We shall be held accountable for...
*what we have been given (Matthew 25:1-30)
*what we know (Luke 12:4-48)
*our stewardship of God's Word (1 Corinthians 4:1-5)
*what we teach others (James 3:1; 1 Corinthians 3:10-15)
*our giving (Philippians 4:14-17)
*our words (Matthew 12:36-37)
*our leadership (Hebrew 13:17)
Now, follow this five-step plan as you look at the days ahead.
First, go through this list, look up the Scriptures, and ask God to search your heart in each area in the light of His Word.
Second, set some specific goals for your life. For instance, since you are accountable to God for knowing His will and for doing it, you need to plan how you are going to make the time to be alone with Him in His Word so that He can speak to you.
Third, as you set these goals, formulate definite plans to reach them. For instance, to follow through on the example used above (making time to be alone with God), schedule your day to allow yourself uninterrupted time to be alone with Him.
Fourth, once you have your goals and your plans, you need to begin. It has been said that it takes twenty-one days of repetition to form a habit. Therefore, determine that for the next twenty-one consecutive days you are going to take time to be alone with God, in His Word, prayerfully listening to the thoughts He will put into your heart and mind. As you spend this time, tell God you want only His thoughts and ask Him to make you aware of anything that is not truly from Him. Test everything by seeing if it is in agreement with the whole counsel of the Word of God.
And, fifth, begin examining every aspect of your life in the light of His coming. According to 1 John 3:2-3, our anticipation of the coming of the Lord acts as a purifying hope in our lives. Therefore, the days ahead should become days of cleansing as we put away those things- sins, habits, weights, possessions, activities, excesses- that keep us from pursuing His holiness (Hebrews 12:1-2, 14).
Suppose our time is shorter than we think...
Someday- and it could be tomorrow or next year- the suppositions will be over. Jesus will appear. Then our opportunity to live the life of faith will be over.
Someday will come like a thief in the night. Don't be caught unaware.
Be ready...begin now. The discipline will pay eternal dividends.
"My beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord" (1 Corinthians 15:58).
Arnold, 2002, pp 24-26
It truly is amazing how once you get started, God really does start speaking to you. This is only day 4 of my "consecutive 21 days" in order to make this a habit, and already I hear Him loud and clear! There are so many areas of my life that could use a good scrubbing. As life has become more and more full (children seem to do that) so much dust has collected in areas which were once squeeky clean (like my language!). Yet, this is not to discourage me, but to make me aware that I need to tend to these areas and once again use a bit of spit shine. We are all fallen beings and always in need of improvement. I think where this message is leading is to tell us to constantly be working at it and to not grow complacent. I'm always going to stumble and trip (those that know me know this literally happens alot!), but its only when I stay down and accept my fate that I fall into God's displeasure. As long as I'm still picking myself up and saying, "I'm trying" those things listed above will be obtainable. I don't believe that He expects us to come to Him saying, "I've perfected all the things on your list!" Instead I think He wants us to always be saying, "I'm giving it my very best Lord."
Tuesday, January 8, 2013
Day 3
Another day, more words from God!
When You're Suddenly Shaken
"Have you ever been doing just great, and then someone says something, or you see something, or you remember something from the past, and suddenly your peace is gone?"
Suddenly you feel like a failure. You wonder why you've done what you have done, or why you haven't done more, or why you haven't done thngs differently.
As you beging to think about it all, a could of depression blocks out the warmth and contentment you felt just moments ago.
That happened to me one day when our youngest son, David, came home from college for the weekend. On Sunday afternoon when he was ready to leave to return to school, he came to say good-bye to me. I had been taking a nap, and David came in and kissed me good-bye.
When he left, I prayed for him and his safe journey, then rolled over to catch another "forty winks." But as I did, impulsively my thoughts raced to the attic of my mind to pull out the dusty boxes of stored memories. I began rehearsing, days gone by, searching them out to see if I have been the mother I should have been - if I had adequately prepared my son for what lay ahead of him in life.
As I rummaged through the past, suddenly "if onlys" and "what ifs" began to attack me. And just like that, the peace and contentment that had been mine when I lay down for a nap were gone. What had happened?
Nothing had changed...except my thoughts!
Yet that was enough to change the entire atmosphere of my afternoon.
My joy had turned to mourning- my peace to turmoil. My rejoicing over recent spiritual victories was now overshadowed by doubts, inadequacies, and fears. Not because of anything my son had done. David is a fine young man- stable, confident, committed. But because of my own mental turmoil- because of a thought process.
And, Beloved, you know I'm not unique. You, too, have been there. And, if you are like me, it probably has not been a one-time occurance, but something that can come upon you when you least expect it.
Why? Where do these thoughts come from? And what do we do when this happens?
The problem is that so often we forget that we are in warfare and that Satan's target is our mind. Because "as [a man] thinketh in his heart, so is he," it is only logical that Satan would attack our mind (Proverbs 23:7). He disguises himself, of course; he doesn't want us to think he has anything at all to do with this evil thought process. Yet he does. And that is why God tells us to take up
"the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God" (Ephesians 6:16-17).
This was precisely what I had to do that Sunday afternoon after David left. I had to purposefully choose to bring every thought captive to the obedience of Jesus Christ (2 Corinthians 10:3-6) and to "Philippians 4:8" it at the door of my mind. Then I had to walk by faith- taking truths such as Romans 8:28-30 and living by them rather than by my feelings, thoughts, and evaluations of life.
How am I able to do this? How am I prepared to do this? What hae I done to make my victorious in these times of mental warfare?
The answer is: I know our God and His ways.
To have this knowledge, two things must be an integral part of my life; I cannot survive without them: regular, diligent study of the Word of God, and a consistent quiet time alone with Him. Without these two basic pieces of spiritual equipment, we cannot withstand Satan's assaults on our mind.
Time alone with God and faithful study of His Word equip and establish us so we can stand firm when Satan attacks our thoughts.
"Brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things. The things you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you" (Philippians 4:8-9).
Arnold, 2002, pp. 20-22
This is something that I am trying to do differently this year. My peace has become an elusive thing, only grasped on special occasions. I know that with the dedication of time and diligence I can acquire this peace more steadily. It is my hope that I can, through this blog, remain more diligent and allow God time to speak to me.
When You're Suddenly Shaken
"Have you ever been doing just great, and then someone says something, or you see something, or you remember something from the past, and suddenly your peace is gone?"
Suddenly you feel like a failure. You wonder why you've done what you have done, or why you haven't done more, or why you haven't done thngs differently.
As you beging to think about it all, a could of depression blocks out the warmth and contentment you felt just moments ago.
That happened to me one day when our youngest son, David, came home from college for the weekend. On Sunday afternoon when he was ready to leave to return to school, he came to say good-bye to me. I had been taking a nap, and David came in and kissed me good-bye.
When he left, I prayed for him and his safe journey, then rolled over to catch another "forty winks." But as I did, impulsively my thoughts raced to the attic of my mind to pull out the dusty boxes of stored memories. I began rehearsing, days gone by, searching them out to see if I have been the mother I should have been - if I had adequately prepared my son for what lay ahead of him in life.
As I rummaged through the past, suddenly "if onlys" and "what ifs" began to attack me. And just like that, the peace and contentment that had been mine when I lay down for a nap were gone. What had happened?
Nothing had changed...except my thoughts!
Yet that was enough to change the entire atmosphere of my afternoon.
My joy had turned to mourning- my peace to turmoil. My rejoicing over recent spiritual victories was now overshadowed by doubts, inadequacies, and fears. Not because of anything my son had done. David is a fine young man- stable, confident, committed. But because of my own mental turmoil- because of a thought process.
And, Beloved, you know I'm not unique. You, too, have been there. And, if you are like me, it probably has not been a one-time occurance, but something that can come upon you when you least expect it.
Why? Where do these thoughts come from? And what do we do when this happens?
The problem is that so often we forget that we are in warfare and that Satan's target is our mind. Because "as [a man] thinketh in his heart, so is he," it is only logical that Satan would attack our mind (Proverbs 23:7). He disguises himself, of course; he doesn't want us to think he has anything at all to do with this evil thought process. Yet he does. And that is why God tells us to take up
"the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God" (Ephesians 6:16-17).
This was precisely what I had to do that Sunday afternoon after David left. I had to purposefully choose to bring every thought captive to the obedience of Jesus Christ (2 Corinthians 10:3-6) and to "Philippians 4:8" it at the door of my mind. Then I had to walk by faith- taking truths such as Romans 8:28-30 and living by them rather than by my feelings, thoughts, and evaluations of life.
How am I able to do this? How am I prepared to do this? What hae I done to make my victorious in these times of mental warfare?
The answer is: I know our God and His ways.
To have this knowledge, two things must be an integral part of my life; I cannot survive without them: regular, diligent study of the Word of God, and a consistent quiet time alone with Him. Without these two basic pieces of spiritual equipment, we cannot withstand Satan's assaults on our mind.
Time alone with God and faithful study of His Word equip and establish us so we can stand firm when Satan attacks our thoughts.
"Brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things. The things you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you" (Philippians 4:8-9).
Arnold, 2002, pp. 20-22
This is something that I am trying to do differently this year. My peace has become an elusive thing, only grasped on special occasions. I know that with the dedication of time and diligence I can acquire this peace more steadily. It is my hope that I can, through this blog, remain more diligent and allow God time to speak to me.
Monday, January 7, 2013
Day 2
When You Feel out of Focus
"Deep down inside, are you dissatisfied...or even miserable?"
Most of the world feels that way at one time or another- even those who seem to have everything that should make them happy. Unfortunately, this also includes many Christians.
Have you ever wondered why? Especially here on the North American continent where we life in the land of plenty. No nation has greater access to Christian literature and teaching and programming than we do. And currently, at least, no other body of Christians has as much religious freedom as do the Christians in North America.
Yet for all our freedom, for all our resources, we are hurting, miserable, and relatively impotent. We are ignorant of the "power which is in us."
As I sat meditating on the first week's study in Henry Blackaby and Claude King's Experiencing God, the statement "The focus needs to be on God, not life," caught my attention. Suddenly it all clicked into place: Misery comes when WE are the focus of our lives.
Reason with me for a moment.
Where is much of the emphasis in the world today? Isn't it on "self"? That is certainly the focus of our society, with self-esteem, self-fulfillment, self-actualization...but think about the emphasis in much of our Christian teaching, books, seminars, radio, and television. Isn't it also on Self?
And what is this focus accomplishing? Are the majority of Christians any happier? Any more productive? Walking in greater power? Are they being used of God to impact their society? Statistics tell us no!
However, when God becomes the focus, rather than self, then everything takes second place to His will for our lives. In essence, nothing else really matters. He is the only One whom we have to please. He is the only One whom we are truly and rightly answerable.
And we need not fear that such an attitude- the focus of pleasing God alone- will make us hard, unloving, or uncaring. If our center is God, then what He works out in our lives will reflect His character, His likeness.
When we are set free from the bondage of pleasing others (including self)- of currying others' favor and others' approval- then others (and self) will not be able to make us miserable or disatisfied, for only what pleases God will please us.
If we know we have pleased God, then, like Paul and Silas, we can sing in the prisons of life, for we know our soverign God holds the key, and He can open the prison doors whenever He pleases! After all, He is God; He rules over all. God does as He pleases in heaven and on earth. Nothing can stay His hand, and no one can say to Him, "What have You done?" (Daniel 4;34-35). The will of God will never be thwarted.
The wonderful benefit of all this is that if you make the will of God your focus day by day, if you seek to please Him alone, then you'll find yourself satisfied with life. Misery will slip away like a whipped puppy with its tail between its legs. Life will take on purpose.
God will meet you right where you are- not demanding or expecting you to live by the standards of others or of the world, nor according to the talents and gifts of others. Rather, you will simply live by His power, which will work in you and lead you into the good works He ordained for you before the very foundation of the world (Ephesians 1:19, 3:20, 2:10).
The will of God for your life is simply that you submit yourself to Him each day and say, "Father, Your will for today is mine. Your pleasure for today is mine. Your work for today is mine. I trust you to be God. You lead me today and I will follow."
Take one day at a time. "Tomorrow will care for itself," for he is God over all your tomorrows (Matthew 6:34). Therefore, you can "commit your way to the Lord, trust also in Him, and He will do it" (Psalm 37:5).
Gracious and holy Father, give me wisdom to percieve You; intelligence to fathom You; patience to wait for You; eyes to behold You; a heart to meditate upon You; and a life to proclaim You, through the power of the Spirit of Jesus Christ, our Lord.
(Arnold, 2002, pp. 16-18)
This reading was perfect for today. So often I find myself struggling to meet everyone else's expectations of who and what I should be. And yes, I find myself miserable and unhappy because so often I can not meet those expectations fully. I feel as though I failed them (or myself). And if they make awareness of this failure, I feel worthless and somewhat depressed. All because I can not live up to someone else's expectations!
This is something I need to do daily. To constantly give over any expectations to God and follow His lead rather than worry about everything else in life. On top of that it is not going to make me into someone I'm trying to avoid becoming (such as cold-hearted or mean). Instead I can probably avoid those becomings better by following God and His desire for my life rather than pleasing anyone else (including myself)!
"Deep down inside, are you dissatisfied...or even miserable?"
Most of the world feels that way at one time or another- even those who seem to have everything that should make them happy. Unfortunately, this also includes many Christians.
Have you ever wondered why? Especially here on the North American continent where we life in the land of plenty. No nation has greater access to Christian literature and teaching and programming than we do. And currently, at least, no other body of Christians has as much religious freedom as do the Christians in North America.
Yet for all our freedom, for all our resources, we are hurting, miserable, and relatively impotent. We are ignorant of the "power which is in us."
As I sat meditating on the first week's study in Henry Blackaby and Claude King's Experiencing God, the statement "The focus needs to be on God, not life," caught my attention. Suddenly it all clicked into place: Misery comes when WE are the focus of our lives.
Reason with me for a moment.
Where is much of the emphasis in the world today? Isn't it on "self"? That is certainly the focus of our society, with self-esteem, self-fulfillment, self-actualization...but think about the emphasis in much of our Christian teaching, books, seminars, radio, and television. Isn't it also on Self?
And what is this focus accomplishing? Are the majority of Christians any happier? Any more productive? Walking in greater power? Are they being used of God to impact their society? Statistics tell us no!
However, when God becomes the focus, rather than self, then everything takes second place to His will for our lives. In essence, nothing else really matters. He is the only One whom we have to please. He is the only One whom we are truly and rightly answerable.
And we need not fear that such an attitude- the focus of pleasing God alone- will make us hard, unloving, or uncaring. If our center is God, then what He works out in our lives will reflect His character, His likeness.
When we are set free from the bondage of pleasing others (including self)- of currying others' favor and others' approval- then others (and self) will not be able to make us miserable or disatisfied, for only what pleases God will please us.
If we know we have pleased God, then, like Paul and Silas, we can sing in the prisons of life, for we know our soverign God holds the key, and He can open the prison doors whenever He pleases! After all, He is God; He rules over all. God does as He pleases in heaven and on earth. Nothing can stay His hand, and no one can say to Him, "What have You done?" (Daniel 4;34-35). The will of God will never be thwarted.
The wonderful benefit of all this is that if you make the will of God your focus day by day, if you seek to please Him alone, then you'll find yourself satisfied with life. Misery will slip away like a whipped puppy with its tail between its legs. Life will take on purpose.
God will meet you right where you are- not demanding or expecting you to live by the standards of others or of the world, nor according to the talents and gifts of others. Rather, you will simply live by His power, which will work in you and lead you into the good works He ordained for you before the very foundation of the world (Ephesians 1:19, 3:20, 2:10).
The will of God for your life is simply that you submit yourself to Him each day and say, "Father, Your will for today is mine. Your pleasure for today is mine. Your work for today is mine. I trust you to be God. You lead me today and I will follow."
Take one day at a time. "Tomorrow will care for itself," for he is God over all your tomorrows (Matthew 6:34). Therefore, you can "commit your way to the Lord, trust also in Him, and He will do it" (Psalm 37:5).
Gracious and holy Father, give me wisdom to percieve You; intelligence to fathom You; patience to wait for You; eyes to behold You; a heart to meditate upon You; and a life to proclaim You, through the power of the Spirit of Jesus Christ, our Lord.
(Arnold, 2002, pp. 16-18)
This reading was perfect for today. So often I find myself struggling to meet everyone else's expectations of who and what I should be. And yes, I find myself miserable and unhappy because so often I can not meet those expectations fully. I feel as though I failed them (or myself). And if they make awareness of this failure, I feel worthless and somewhat depressed. All because I can not live up to someone else's expectations!
This is something I need to do daily. To constantly give over any expectations to God and follow His lead rather than worry about everything else in life. On top of that it is not going to make me into someone I'm trying to avoid becoming (such as cold-hearted or mean). Instead I can probably avoid those becomings better by following God and His desire for my life rather than pleasing anyone else (including myself)!
Sunday, January 6, 2013
Speak to my Heart, God
Okay, so I'm going to start my devotions, and I'm going to use this book:
"Speak to My Heart, God" by: Kay Arthur
http://www.amazon.com/Speak-My-Heart-God-ebook/dp/B005T0WZ7M/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1357497682&sr=8-1&keywords=speak+to+my+heart%2C+god
So, day 1, chapter 1.
When You Wonder if Life Has Any Purpose
"Why was I born? What is the purpose of my existance? What am I worth to God?"
Have you ever asked yourself these questions? I have. In fact, I was considering all this just the other day as I sat in my big old chair (where I often pray), worshipping our Father by rehearsing aloud all that He is and has done. As I did, my mind went to the amazing truths of Ephesians 1. I thought of the magnificence and power of our Father in creating the world and in forming man from the dust of the earth. Then I thought of Ephesians 1:4:
"He chose us in Him before the foundations of the world!"
Awesome isn't it? To think that even before God created the heavens and the earth, He knew you and me, and He chose us!
Following this, my mind went to the fact that God has the course of history all planned out. God's plan wasn't broadsided by Satan in the Garden when that evil deceiver tempted Adam and Eve to sin. Everything was already in place, for Jesus was already the Lamb of God, slain before the foundations of the world. And so I began to thank our Father for making "known to us the mystery of His will," and for "the administration of the mystery...hidden in God" for all these ages (Ephesians 1:9-10, 3:9-10).
God has a plan, and neither man nor the devil can thwart it.
Then my mind went on to Ephesians 2:10 where He tells us that before the foundations of the world our Father prepared the good works that we are to walk in! Talk about understanding our worth! Talk about knowing that our lives have a purpose! Do you know this truth, my friend? And are you living in the light of it?
Do you realize how precious you are to God? Do you realize the significance of your life? It has a purpose. A specific purpose! As Ephesians 1:11 says, we live "according to His purpose" -and His purpose is always the very best!
You are not an accident! You are not useless. You are not worthless. You are not unredeemable. Your worth and purpose in this life do not depend on who you are, on what you have done, or on what has been done to you. Your worth and purpose do not depend on where you have been, even if you have been to the very precipice of hell.
Your worth and purpose depend on God and God alone- His will, His calling, His choosing, His love.
"He chose us in Him before the foundations of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him. In love He predestined us to adoption...through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will" -Ephesians 1:4-5.
God paid the dearest of prices to redeem you from your life of sin and independence from Him. You were dead in your trespasses and sins; you were condemned to death row for all eternity. And justly so because of your sin. Yet the Father gave His Son to die in your place by the most brutal of deaths. He did this when you were still walking your own way, not even realizing the price He was paying. And had you known it, you probably wouldn't even have cared! That's how lost you were!
God loved you when you were His enemy. When you were a sinner, ungodly, and without hope, He loved you, pursued you, and wooed you. And He did not let go until you gave in and succumbed to His desire to be your Father, your God, your Lord, your Master, your Redeemer (read Romans 5).
Have you begun to comprehend the breadth, length, height, and depth of Christ's love for you, a love that surpasses knowledge (Ephesians 3:14-21)? Or are you walking around, lost in a maze of the enemy's lies? Are you blocked at every turn by thoughts and feelings that lead you down dead-end paths? Are you confused, not knowing where to go, where to turn, or what to do because you are led by your own emotions, your own feelings, your own suppositions? Or are you living by the evaluations, the opinions, the council or others rather than by the absolute truth of God's inerrant Word?
Our peace, our happiness, our well-being, our soundness of mind, our effectiveness all go back to what we believe- and whom we believe.
It does not matter what you experience, what you feel, what you think or hear. If it does not agree with the Word of God, then it is a lie and has its origins with the great deceiver, the father of lies (John 8:44).
Don't miss the knowledge of your worth and your purpose in this life by believing in his lies. Choose to believe God, no matter what. Ultimately, then, it comes down to: Where will you put your faith? In the character of God, in the Word of God, or in a lie? You alone can decide that. Its up to you. This is the choice God gives you. And no one can decide for you.
Everything you are going through, all that you are dealing with, has one ultimate purpose: that you may know the love of God and live in the light of His extravagant and more-than-adequate grace, which has been poured out on you. That is what you were born for: an intimate relationship with God. That is the purpose of your existance. That is what you are worth to Him.
But this intimate relationship requires two things: First, that you set aside time so your heavenly Father can communicate with you through His Word and through His Spirit. Second that you spend time communicating with Him in prayer.
If you want intimacy with God your Father, then you will have to make the time for it. And if you realize that it must be your highest priority, then nothing will stop you.
When nothing stops you and you put yourself in the position for God to meet with you, you will find that everything else falls into proper perspective because you know His voice when He says,"This is the way, walk it." And you'll walk in confidence, knowing without a shadow of a doubt that you are
"His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them" (Ephesians 2:10).
(Arthur, 2002, pp. 11-14).
Many times over the past year I have asked these questions. Daily I have to remind myself that He has a purpose for me and that if I listen, His purpose and plan is best. This is often hard when the day is just not going the way I wanted it to. My daughter is grumpy, I'm grumpy, etc. These are the days when I stand and question why I even had to get out of bed! Yet, that day has a purpose and I need to go through it to remember not all days are gloomy. The storms of life are there to help us see the rainbows and appriciate the sunshine. Besides, who wants to curl up on the couch with a good book, cup of tea, and a warm cozy blanket on a nice day?!
On a more national and community level, this reading reminds me of the purpose of the people amongst us. In light of the events over the past year, where many have lost loved ones due to the random acts of violence of a select few, it is a little comfort knowing that even these events have a purpose. Rarely do we know or understand that purpose, yet know that God turns even the most horrible deeds into His glory.
It is my hope that you too know and understand your worth and purpose in God. You are valuable and worthy of His love!
"Speak to My Heart, God" by: Kay Arthur
http://www.amazon.com/Speak-My-Heart-God-ebook/dp/B005T0WZ7M/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1357497682&sr=8-1&keywords=speak+to+my+heart%2C+god
So, day 1, chapter 1.
When You Wonder if Life Has Any Purpose
"Why was I born? What is the purpose of my existance? What am I worth to God?"
Have you ever asked yourself these questions? I have. In fact, I was considering all this just the other day as I sat in my big old chair (where I often pray), worshipping our Father by rehearsing aloud all that He is and has done. As I did, my mind went to the amazing truths of Ephesians 1. I thought of the magnificence and power of our Father in creating the world and in forming man from the dust of the earth. Then I thought of Ephesians 1:4:
"He chose us in Him before the foundations of the world!"
Awesome isn't it? To think that even before God created the heavens and the earth, He knew you and me, and He chose us!
Following this, my mind went to the fact that God has the course of history all planned out. God's plan wasn't broadsided by Satan in the Garden when that evil deceiver tempted Adam and Eve to sin. Everything was already in place, for Jesus was already the Lamb of God, slain before the foundations of the world. And so I began to thank our Father for making "known to us the mystery of His will," and for "the administration of the mystery...hidden in God" for all these ages (Ephesians 1:9-10, 3:9-10).
God has a plan, and neither man nor the devil can thwart it.
Then my mind went on to Ephesians 2:10 where He tells us that before the foundations of the world our Father prepared the good works that we are to walk in! Talk about understanding our worth! Talk about knowing that our lives have a purpose! Do you know this truth, my friend? And are you living in the light of it?
Do you realize how precious you are to God? Do you realize the significance of your life? It has a purpose. A specific purpose! As Ephesians 1:11 says, we live "according to His purpose" -and His purpose is always the very best!
You are not an accident! You are not useless. You are not worthless. You are not unredeemable. Your worth and purpose in this life do not depend on who you are, on what you have done, or on what has been done to you. Your worth and purpose do not depend on where you have been, even if you have been to the very precipice of hell.
Your worth and purpose depend on God and God alone- His will, His calling, His choosing, His love.
"He chose us in Him before the foundations of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him. In love He predestined us to adoption...through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will" -Ephesians 1:4-5.
God paid the dearest of prices to redeem you from your life of sin and independence from Him. You were dead in your trespasses and sins; you were condemned to death row for all eternity. And justly so because of your sin. Yet the Father gave His Son to die in your place by the most brutal of deaths. He did this when you were still walking your own way, not even realizing the price He was paying. And had you known it, you probably wouldn't even have cared! That's how lost you were!
God loved you when you were His enemy. When you were a sinner, ungodly, and without hope, He loved you, pursued you, and wooed you. And He did not let go until you gave in and succumbed to His desire to be your Father, your God, your Lord, your Master, your Redeemer (read Romans 5).
Have you begun to comprehend the breadth, length, height, and depth of Christ's love for you, a love that surpasses knowledge (Ephesians 3:14-21)? Or are you walking around, lost in a maze of the enemy's lies? Are you blocked at every turn by thoughts and feelings that lead you down dead-end paths? Are you confused, not knowing where to go, where to turn, or what to do because you are led by your own emotions, your own feelings, your own suppositions? Or are you living by the evaluations, the opinions, the council or others rather than by the absolute truth of God's inerrant Word?
Our peace, our happiness, our well-being, our soundness of mind, our effectiveness all go back to what we believe- and whom we believe.
It does not matter what you experience, what you feel, what you think or hear. If it does not agree with the Word of God, then it is a lie and has its origins with the great deceiver, the father of lies (John 8:44).
Don't miss the knowledge of your worth and your purpose in this life by believing in his lies. Choose to believe God, no matter what. Ultimately, then, it comes down to: Where will you put your faith? In the character of God, in the Word of God, or in a lie? You alone can decide that. Its up to you. This is the choice God gives you. And no one can decide for you.
Everything you are going through, all that you are dealing with, has one ultimate purpose: that you may know the love of God and live in the light of His extravagant and more-than-adequate grace, which has been poured out on you. That is what you were born for: an intimate relationship with God. That is the purpose of your existance. That is what you are worth to Him.
But this intimate relationship requires two things: First, that you set aside time so your heavenly Father can communicate with you through His Word and through His Spirit. Second that you spend time communicating with Him in prayer.
If you want intimacy with God your Father, then you will have to make the time for it. And if you realize that it must be your highest priority, then nothing will stop you.
When nothing stops you and you put yourself in the position for God to meet with you, you will find that everything else falls into proper perspective because you know His voice when He says,"This is the way, walk it." And you'll walk in confidence, knowing without a shadow of a doubt that you are
"His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them" (Ephesians 2:10).
(Arthur, 2002, pp. 11-14).
Many times over the past year I have asked these questions. Daily I have to remind myself that He has a purpose for me and that if I listen, His purpose and plan is best. This is often hard when the day is just not going the way I wanted it to. My daughter is grumpy, I'm grumpy, etc. These are the days when I stand and question why I even had to get out of bed! Yet, that day has a purpose and I need to go through it to remember not all days are gloomy. The storms of life are there to help us see the rainbows and appriciate the sunshine. Besides, who wants to curl up on the couch with a good book, cup of tea, and a warm cozy blanket on a nice day?!
On a more national and community level, this reading reminds me of the purpose of the people amongst us. In light of the events over the past year, where many have lost loved ones due to the random acts of violence of a select few, it is a little comfort knowing that even these events have a purpose. Rarely do we know or understand that purpose, yet know that God turns even the most horrible deeds into His glory.
It is my hope that you too know and understand your worth and purpose in God. You are valuable and worthy of His love!
New year, New resolutions!
Finally the decorations and holiday craziness is all put away until next Christmas! As the house becomes a place of order, well as much order as a 16 month old little girl will allow it to be, I once again find myself setting my sights on the goals of the new year. Goals I want to share with you.
First, my goals as a parent and mother.
This year I want to go places (like the zoo in Syracuse) with my daughter. I want to show her different experiences this year. Likewise, I can't wait to enjoy some of the same experiences of last year (like going camping with the Smith family), for though the journey might be similar, as she grows the experiences are never going to be the same! She is going to be 2 this August, and with that will come many more challenges and experiences. Hopefully we can also give her the joy of anticipating a little brother or sister early next year.....
Second, my personal goals.
Starting in April, I am anticipating starting on my Master's degree in English. My goals are to begin this journey and not allow my schoolwork come between me and my passion or job as a mother. I'm excited to take this next step in my education, yet also anticipate its completion!
Another goal for myself is to stick to a daily devotion or bible reading throughout the year. Each year, I have attempted to complete a daily devotion only to fail within the first few weeks or months. It is my goal to make this blog into a personal accounting of this journey through my spiritual endeavors and hope that I can hold myself accountable!
Finally, my business goals.
Last year was the beginning of my art business as I started painting again and got my Etsy shop up and running. Through alot of trial and error, I have found some niche ideas that fit into my passions. Growing as an artist and selling my artwork, it is a goal to expand more and more. I am going to attend more shows this year and attempt to daily develop my skills.
This new year is looking to be a promising year; one full of hope and excitement. Therefore my word for this year is going to be GROWTH. I hope you decide to follow my journey as we see how this word changes and defines 2013!
First, my goals as a parent and mother.
This year I want to go places (like the zoo in Syracuse) with my daughter. I want to show her different experiences this year. Likewise, I can't wait to enjoy some of the same experiences of last year (like going camping with the Smith family), for though the journey might be similar, as she grows the experiences are never going to be the same! She is going to be 2 this August, and with that will come many more challenges and experiences. Hopefully we can also give her the joy of anticipating a little brother or sister early next year.....
Second, my personal goals.
Starting in April, I am anticipating starting on my Master's degree in English. My goals are to begin this journey and not allow my schoolwork come between me and my passion or job as a mother. I'm excited to take this next step in my education, yet also anticipate its completion!
Another goal for myself is to stick to a daily devotion or bible reading throughout the year. Each year, I have attempted to complete a daily devotion only to fail within the first few weeks or months. It is my goal to make this blog into a personal accounting of this journey through my spiritual endeavors and hope that I can hold myself accountable!
Finally, my business goals.
Last year was the beginning of my art business as I started painting again and got my Etsy shop up and running. Through alot of trial and error, I have found some niche ideas that fit into my passions. Growing as an artist and selling my artwork, it is a goal to expand more and more. I am going to attend more shows this year and attempt to daily develop my skills.
This new year is looking to be a promising year; one full of hope and excitement. Therefore my word for this year is going to be GROWTH. I hope you decide to follow my journey as we see how this word changes and defines 2013!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)