Preparations of the Heart

Proverbs 16:1 - The preparations of the heart belong to man, but the answer of the tongue is from the LORD.
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Oh my! I'm amazed at how thoughts have come together quite unexpectedly this week.

A couple blogs ago I wrote about preaching the Gospel and how we as believers are to share the good news that Jesus brings. The truth of His Word. That some will receive these words while others will not. It is not up to me to cause the finished work. Only God can do that. One sows, one waters, but God...

Then yesterday I wrote about the accursed thing, which is either sin or something God wants us to rid ourselves of in our sanctification process. If He's wanting to remove something from our lives, we should allow it, that He will continue to stand beside us.

So, I'm reading for the second time a book called, When I Lay My Isaac Down by Carol Kent. I've had it a number of years and a friend just told me she read it recently. This goes right along with letting things in our lives go. This time, however, it's letting go of our preconceived ideas how some circumstance in our life should happen. Only God has complete control of things and sometimes we like to get our fingers into it and prolong or block God's work...because we won't let go.

Kent listed two examples of laying down our Isaac. (Isaac, FYI, was Abraham's son. God told Abraham to go to a certain mountain and sacrifice is only son. He proceeded to begin to do what God had told Him, proving to Him his trust in God. And the sacrifice did not take place.) 

So, what is it we have to trust God in complicitly? Two types of Isaacs were mentioned. One type was like receiving word of a terminal illness, financial hardship or death of a loved one. They're unexpected. The other type was like relinquishing our control over personal expectations, someone else or being in charge of our own life. Both include totally trusting God and giving up our control over a situation. We are such determined-to-make-it-right-ourselves people.

I'm glad I'm not the only one who goes through these things. It's a part of our human nature...yet it can be conquered. God's ways are not like ours. God has a plan for each of us, if we know Him. It won't always be what we think it should be, or what we hope it will be. But if done His way it will be better than we could imagine. He takes us out of comfort zones. He uses the foolish things to confound the wise...and we can be considered foolish at times when we say or things contrary to the world view. He uses us when we are weak to show His strength. And all along, He gets the glory so we cannot boast in the accomplishments ourselves. So why do we balk?

I love this God because His ways are higher than ours. He knows the beginning from the end and knows what needs to be accomplished. He is instrumental in His way of preparing our hearts. His way. Another part of this trusting in God is realizing that if we, or another, have to go through some difficult trial to accomplish His will, we need to continue to praise Him. 

This went through my mind yesterday: At the rising of the sun till the setting of the sun, the name of the LORD is to be praised. (Psalm 113:3) And also, in the good times or bad, we are to praise the Lord. In health or in sickness, praise the Lord. We should never give up on God. Another thought to ponder: if things don't go at all as we expect, will we still praise the Lord? Will our love for Him quit? Better not....

Might I praise His name right now!?

So, since Your ways, Lord, are higher than mine and You do know the beginning from the end, I pray that You keep encouraging me to lay down another Isaac...or to keep laying down any I choose to pick back up that You might do what You gotta do. 

Proverbs 19:21 - There are many plans in a man’s heart, nevertheless the LORD’s counsel—that will stand.

Let It Go

1John 2:5 - Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.

Hey, another post from nine years ago! God's Word is timeless.

Yesterday it was impressed upon me that there is nothing more important in this life than having a fear of the Lord. Nothing else in this world matters as much as that reverent fear. Our whole spiritual life and eternal life hinges on this fear. If we fear the Lord we will make a concerted effort to please God, obey his statutes and live according to His will.

A couple in our church gave a testimony on Sunday. Their house burned down Christmas Eve destroying everything. There was nothing left worth trying to restore. As devastating as that was they trusted the Lord. There were questions, of course.  Why? Why Christmas Eve? Despite the sorrow of having lost all their things they learned that it was just that--things. Their lives were not destroyed and God was still with them. What more could they need? Their house and their furnishings could be replaced and their lives would be restored. Their God had been alongside them. An amazing story and one which I cannot fathom.  Steve explained how he was awakened by the sound of tapping on their bedroom window--but no one was there. It was either sleet or God. Whichever, it allowed the entire family to escape destruction. They have been able to rebuild and restore--debt free. Anything they chose not to keep others would ask if they could buy. They gave the things away and the Lord provided for their needs.

So...I have fretted for about a day now at the loss of something that I have deemed important! And I'm sorry to say it's nothing like losing everything. I have misplaced or thrown out completely, a week's worth of slides from a bike trip I took in 1987. I can see some of the pictures in my mind. In the process of bemoaning the loss, I have come to have a sense of peace about it. I have kept telling myself they were just photos. I still have the memories--to the best of my recollection.  

I'm thankful the Lord works in us to teach us and show us what truly is important. When we get the idea, the reality, the fact that the Lord of all the earth is the most important object (for lack of better word) of our affection, the better off we are. We will have obtained the most precious bit of wisdom. He created us for His pleasure, not that we should put all our emphasis on the pleasure of the things of the world that have very little meaning. I'm not saying we shouldn't look back and be grateful for the experiences of life that He has given us. Oh no! They are part of our growth and makeup. But it's today that counts. The loss of those photos have not crippled me. What's more important is what I am doing for Him today.

I'm still in a process of learning. I will always be there. I praise God that little by little He is showing me what truly IS important. I'm thankful that as I continue to seek Him above all things, He will instill more and more godliness into my spirit, that the world's pleasures would matter very little.

But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.  ...godliness is profitable for all things, since it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come.  (Matthew 6:33, 1Timothy 4:8)

Father God, there is nothing in the world as great and as important as You. I praise you for the lessons of life I have learned and how You have steered me to where I am despite my wrong turns, doubts and wanderings. Lord, I ask that you take hold of my hand and my heart yet again today and in the days ahead and continue to show me what is important. My greatest desire now is to sit at Your feet and learn obedience and Your desires for my life. In Your name I pray.  Amen.

Greater is He

1John 4:4 - You are of God, little children ... because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.

Do we really believe this? If we are in Christ, He is in us, when we take His lead and not our own. Why should we rely on our own selves? Who created us? Who knew us from the beginning of time? Who formed us in our mother's wombs? Oh, He has given us special gifts, but He expects us to use them for His glory, not our own. Because He will be behind those gifts.

Ecclesiastes 3:11 hints at the God-sized hole in each of our hearts He put there so we would seek Him... He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also He has put eternity in their hearts, except that no one can find out the work that God does from beginning to end.

What are we so afraid of giving up for the sake of the Lord? Giving up, or letting go, doesn't mean losing out; it means greater things, greater blessings. The world has lots to offer, but He has more. And His Spirit in us is greater than we could hope to imagine, if we have that relationship with Him. What holds people back from receiving this word? 

Why is it sometimes proof is necessary, actually seeing to understand? This is a mystery of God. Faith and trust in something we cannot see. That takes even greater faith, doesn't it?

I've been rightly accused by my husband that I will listen to a "stranger's" advice but not his! It happens. I admit it. In a way it's the same thing with listening to the voice of One we cannot see and believing it. Will we believe Him over others?

Our Bible is filled with ancient, yet wise, words. They were all written and spoken through the power of the Holy Spirit. They are just and true. They bring life to those who wish to take the time to heed them. It's not so far fetched an impossibility of a book to read. It's written so all can see and know the God who created us. It shows us His nature through words.

It shows us that if we so choose...and choose being the word of the day...we can have the Lord of lords and the King of kings residing within us. But we must be willing to allow Him in. And once He's in He's going to want to do some attitude, pride, addiction, heart and other

transformations. If we think we have it altogether, we lie to ourselves.

Time and time again I have to remind myself that greater is He....  I can slip foolishly back into believing lies, the same lies that the whole world believes....that each of us controls our own destiny, that we can be self-made men and women, that glamor and a opulent lifestyle makes the man.

Sometimes I truly struggle with friendships outside of church friends. Why? Because He's the most important thing. I choose to devote a lot of my time thinking on Him. Here is a Man who is greater than than any man in the world. He has changed my life. I see Him at work even in the little things of each day. 

I'm constantly reminded that what we see happening each day in the world is what the Bible tells us will happen in the last days. Aren't a lot of the things we see self-motivated, entitlement issues? We're living it out. The decidedly poor choice is to choose self over the Lord. 

Like I've said before...it's our pride that keeps us from coming to Jesus. It's the one thing we all need to have removed. Those who are so broken in their lives and need to know the love and strength of a Savior know what it means to have lost a good portion of their pride.

I have had occasion to work a bit with people in or graduates of Teen Challenge, a faith based drug and alcohol rehabilitation program, one that has I believe an 88% success rate in those who have stayed in the program. They are taught they cannot do, cannot be healed, without Jesus Christ.

There are so many who don't associate themselves with "these sorts of people." Their own alcohol, even drug dependency or flippant use of, is "under control." But when it gets out of hand, is it really under control? It's under some sort of control...their own. It's a feel-good experience. If drugs and alcohol are necessary for feel-good experiences, what are they hiding? What hurt or disappointment or insecurity is beneath it all?

Greater is He....like the students of Teen Challenge, they learn this lesson. Our church is doing a program called Celebrate Recovery. We've had people come off the streets because they saw the sign on our church grounds. I attend a prayer vigil on Thursday nights and we prayed for him because he was going to give his testimony of how Jesus delivered him from alcohol and drugs, how he relies on Him every day and how every morning he wakes up he's thankful because it means he's one day closer to being with Him.

These people are taken out of their dependency on something that will kill if left unneeded. Their dependency on Christ takes over and it is in Him (greater is He) that they are free from the burden of sin. The stains of our sin, whether great or small, are washed away to reveal His character which will reside in us...along with true righteousness.  All these things are possible in Christ. By His blood, by His stripes we are healed. Not just for those who obviously need it but for those whose pride says they don't.

Then we can say that greater is He who is in me than he who is in the world. Greater are His plans for us than those we cling to in the world.

Jeremiah 29:11 - For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.

A Transfigured Life

2Corinthians 5:17 - If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature; old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. 

What idea have you of the salvation of your soul? The experience of salvation means that in your actual life things are really altered, you no longer look at things as you used to; your desires are new, old things have lost their power. One of the touchstones of experience is - Has God altered the thing that matters? If you still hanker after the old things, it is absurd to talk about being born from above, you are juggling with yourself. If you are born again, the Spirit of God makes the alteration manifest in your actual life and reasoning, and when the crisis comes you are the most amazed person on earth at the wonderful difference there is in you. There is no possibility of imagining that you did it. It is this complete and amazing alteration that is the evidence that you are a saved soul.

These words come from Oswald Chambers' My Utmost for His Highest devotion for November 12.

He poses a tough question. What idea have you of the salvation of your soul? What have you learned through your church? How did you learn? What did you have to go through to submit to this change in your life? Or have you?

I look back and realize I learned nothing from my church. If I had I would not have been absent from it for over 30 years. I would not have chosen to believe that I knew who God was, knew of Jesus and was slightly aware there was something called the Holy Spirit, was sprinkled as a baby and was thereby bound for heaven. I didn't doubt the Trinity existed. I just never realized to what extent. Why? Because I had not had a mind, spirit or soul altering meeting with Jesus Christ.

Everyone has an encounter somewhere in their life span. For some it's early in life, for some on the deathbed. Mine was more than halfway through life. It's what you do with it when it comes that matters. If you choose to "go for it" you will know it has happened. You truly do sense an inner change take place. You know you have been touched by the Holy Spirit, even if you know little about Him. If you've not had this experience, ask the Lord to show Himself to you. You only need to be open to listening and receiving. When you sense this change things do happen you cannot always express. 

I know God is in my thoughts throughout every day. Some days more than others. It's like I have a constant silent conversation with Him. I sense His presence. I sense His disappointment in me as well as His elation over something I've done. Can you say that?

Do you ever wonder if God is happy with you right this moment? Do you wonder where you stand before Him? I think these are questions we should be asking ourselves. Do we line up with God's Word? Do we hear Him speak and do we immediately obey if He asks us to do something? Does He even ask us anything? Why not? 

Are we the same today as we were last year or ten years ago? Has Jesus transformed us or have we transformed ourselves? Are we successful in what we do because of Him or because of what we perceive to be our intelligent choices? Or better yet, have we strived for much and not received anything? Are we seeking things for ourselves and our own pleasures? Do we work toward a pleasant life on this earth or for an eternal reward? Do we cheat to get what we want? Or do we do what is right for each person that comes to us? Are we willing to compromise for gain or are we willing to let go of something because the way to getting it just isn't right? Do we have a conscience or can we do something without feeling any ill will about how something's been handled? Oh, the questions we can ask...ask them and see if God answers.

I was at a banquet the other night. It was an annual fundraising event for the Milwaukee chapter of Teen Challenge, a faith-based drug and alcohol rehabilitation center for men and women 18 and older. One of the commentators and auctioneer was a local guy, Jonathan Green. There were testimonies from some of the Teen Challenge "students," those who had been heroine addicts, or had alcohol-related addictions which didn't stop just there. Some entered the program over time in jail...and have been transformed. They were touching, but this man spoke volumes in just a couple short sentences.

Teen Challenge, Green suggested, is unlike Alcoholics Anonymous. He admittedly had gone through AA himself and mentioned their 12 step program. One step is believing in a higher power, a God as they understood Him to be. There's the difference, he said, between AA and Teen Challenge. He finished the AA program and decided one day to celebrate his new life...with a beer...and it ended in his downward spiral again. I'm assuming that when he began devoting some of his time to the banquets and meeting with Teen Challenge personnel, he began to see the difference. He had not learned that in order to be really healed you have to give up something...and be filled with something else. That filling is the beginning of the transforming moment mentioned by Chambers.

It's not about God as you understand Him to be. It's knowing the Lord Jesus Christ personally. Only He can bring a person out of their sickness. Remember, He healed the lame, gave sight to the blind and took the sins of many away from them by the power of His Word. When you give something up...yourself...to the Lord Jesus Christ specifically...He will fill you with all you need. If you have not been filled from the Fountain of Life, with the water that causes you to never thirst again, you've not been filled. If you can't say you've experienced that, it's not happened.

You must allow yourself to be filled with something greater than you thought you were then you come back to (new) life. I saw this transformation on the bright faces of these Teen Challenge participants. They have been fed the Bread from Heaven, drank from the Living Water and have been brought out of whatever addiction they had. They have a whole new life ahead of them. They know where they came from and can see what they are now capable of doing through the power of God. They realize they cannot survive without His help. And so should we all.

We may not come from as drastic backgrounds as these people. We don't all have to be alcoholics or drug users or addicted to pornography, but we have our own weaknesses...fear, intimidation, pride, cheating, lying, stealing. We all come from some damage somewhere.  As the Book of Romans tells us we are all sinners (Romans 3:23) and we remain sinners until we allow the transforming power of Jesus Christ to take over. Sometimes it's that Name that is so difficult to speak!

Imagine these men and women, and Jonathan Green, who look back and see where they came from and what they've become. Imagine how amazed they are at how they've changed! 

I came across this testimony from our now governor-elect, Scott Walker, regarding the Teen Challenge program:

To change people who have addictions like this, you cannot just do it by walking them through a program. You ultimately have to change what is in their heart to change what other actions they do. This is a program that has shown great success.

This transformation is in the heart, not the works we do. Another word for it is being born again...by the Spirit of God. Oh, I still know I have changes to make in myself. I'm disappointed sometimes that there are things that have not changed. But I do know the exact day and nearly the exact hour that the Spirit of God revealed Himself to me. And it was nothing that I did apart from sit in a pew my first day back to church in years and allow the Spirit to work in me. It's a day I will always look back on in amazement. What a glorious day!

John 3:3 - In reply Jesus declared, "I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again."

Counting All Things as Loss

Philippians 3:8-9 - Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith... 

Yikes. How do we known when we have counted all things as loss? How far do we go? What do we let go of?

It's not that we do things to please ourselves but that we use the gifts God has given us in a way that would honor Him. It's not about us; it's about Him in us. If we keep this in mind we will know when we're doing it for our own gain and leaving Him out of the picture. If we do it in a way that pleases God He will allow us more success than if we did it without His guidance. Do you see?

The excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus...through our knowledge of Him, we we learn what's true and right and just and we act this out. What is the heart motive? Truthfully...can we identify that motive? Do we work only so that we may have things in our lives or do we work because we enjoy it and we know we're good at it (and acknowledge that as a God-given goodness) and that we are giving of ourselves for others, not for ourselves? Do we thank God for the wisdom He has given us or do we take the credit?

The answer to the questions above, of course, is to give up all things that do not glorify God. But we cannot do this on our own. He does not honor drunkenness or using His name in vain. He does not honor cheating or lying. He does not honor pride and self-centeredness. The first step that needs to take place is our admission that we are a sinful people, in need of salvation...acknowledge it, repent of it and receive Christ into our lives so that we might be filled with His Spirit so we might hear Him speak. Then be obedient to what we hear. He will reveal to us what needs to go.

This is a life-long process. The reason we need to remove things is so we become more like Christ...ourselves but with a Christ-like attitude. He wants us to look more like Him in our earthly bodies. I'm sure there are some who just can't comprehend this idea. He has created us all as individuals; no two are alike. We don't lose our own identity, but with Christ's help and guidance, we can be more than we are. I think I have a long way to go. I often wonder what He thinks of me. How much farther do I have to go? Am I in His will today? Am I as obedient as He desires?

Oh, but there's the point. It's not about me. I don't need to know everything. It's about me doing what He would want. I think not knowing makes me press on, wanting to please Him. It's about His working through me. I am in Christ...and He is in me. Unity, righteousness. My step of faith that I took years ago...it may only be a small mustard seed of faith, but it's there just the same.

I received an email the other day that included a video. This shows how God can use even the smallest bit of faith if we just obey His voice, sometimes no matter how foolish it might seem or how foolish we might appear...if we just listen and respond to His prompting. It especially works when we realize how impossible some things seem in our own human logic but through our obedience He brings the miracle.

We need to fully grasp the power we truly have in Christ. Not man's strength and power, but His. That begins with letting go of our own ideas of what we can and cannot do. I don't profess to be able to heal anyone, but if God so chose to use me, as long as I obeyed, I believe I could. (Healing, by the way, can be no more than leading someone to Christ.) I've been the target of obedience and some stepping out in faith: starting a Bible study, praying on the spot for someone. They seemed impossible in my own mind but through stepping out in faith, believing it was by the direction of the Holy Spirit, the path was set before me and things were put into motion. It's exhilarating, especially when one realizes it was Him causing things to fall into place. It's easier than our striving to make something happen.

Counting your thoughts, your perceived plans, your insecurities as loss because Jesus walks with you to guide you is a learning process. I want to hear Him more often and then to be obedient in all that He tells me to do. When you see Him at work and you see the perfect way He works through you, it becomes easier to take that next step. I sometimes even wonder if this blog is coming from me or the Holy Spirit. Forgive me, Lord, if I have ever gone out on my own. The motive, I don't believe, is not for my own gain; it's wanting to bring the truth to life.

That's part of our righteousness. It does come by faith. And what does the Word say...and faith comes by hearing...the Word of God. Know that God desires you. Seeking Him through His Word. You are not giving all of yourself. He is peeling away the things that hinder you so you can be a better person, in and through Him. It's a concept that today's world struggles with...letting the Almighty God who knew you before you were born, developed certain traits and characteristics in you at that time, be the One who will direct you through life in a perfect way you cannot even imagine. I know, it sounds like all He wants is manipulate you. I don't know how to explain that it's not so. Just know you don't lose yourself entirely. You just see things in a different way; you know the truth; you end up doing what is right...through Christ.

When He speaks to us, He desires obedience. He knows us better than we know ourselves and all we do is get in our own way. When we have heard Him and obey it only stands to reason it increases our faith...the faith that we can do all things through Christ. He only wants the best for us and wants us to be stripped of our own egos and pride.

I will press on and not let the knowledge and truth of who He is out of my sight. But I do, in my own mind, have a long way to go. It is through the knowledge of Jesus Christ and His being first and foremost in our lives. He has a plan for each of us...that we gain Him, attain His righteousness, have our faith strengthened through our obedience to what He knows is best for each of us. He seeks us so this plan can present itself.
Philippians 3:12 - Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me.

Do Not Worry, Part ???

Matthew 6:25 - Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life...

I don't often just open the Bible and read what's on that particular page, but I did this morning. What a delightful word, again. A word I needed to hear. That's God, all right. He knows what we need when we need it and although this may seem a coincidence to some, He knew it was a word for me today.

Deep in my spirit there is a knowing that all things will be according to God's plan and I'm so thankful for that. There are times though I want to see things happen now. The waiting period has been long and I must cling to the very personal promises God has revealed to me in the Spirit. That is hard when the days since those promises have been many. But then to the Lord a day can be as a thousand years or a thousand years as a day. God has no time schedule. But living in this 24-hour-a-day rigid world we have makes my patience a thing to be worked on.

Psalm 126:5 - Those who sow in tears shall reap with joyful shouting. My mind has been racing again, filled with tidbits of seemingly disjointed ideas. I sense they are all connected and one cannot be removed from another. Yet to make sense of them altogether makes me nuts! It's like one of those crazy dreams we all have where you know what you dreamed but you can't put any of it into words except to say, "I had this weird dream last night." I'm not saying I'm crying over this, but there are times when the burden is heavy and yet you know that when it's done there will be rejoicing...and you might even think, "Oh, for Pete's sake, why did I fret so?"

I think it's more a frustration. I need a word from the Lord. And He says not to worry about anything. He tells me to just give it all to Him and He will handle everything in His perfect way and in His perfect timing. That's such a comfort until I think, "but when is that perfect timing?" And then I can hear God saying, "Oh, for Pete's sake!"

I'm reminded in Matthew 6 that I am of more value than the birds of the air which God feeds. Feeding...he feeds me with His Word. His Words are soothing in the midst of these times. Oh, the peace that comes when you just sit back and thank God for His understanding of your situation, when you choose this day to again lay that burden, or burdens, at the foot of the cross...and determine not to pick them up again...today!

I know that little by little those things racing through my head will one by one be taken care of. I might not even recognize it until one day later. Or God might suddenly put it out before me and show me what I must do now! A word might need to be spoken or an action taken. Lord, just let my eyes and ears be open to see this and respond accordingly.

We are to be flexible to the will of God. We cannot say, not today, Lord. We are to be ready at any time, in season or out. That's called obedience. And as someone once said, patience is a virtue. Wait and obey, wait and obey. Ah, Jesus!

Jesus goes on to say in Matthew Chapter 6 that my Heavenly Father knows what I have need of. But we are to seek Him first. That's the most important thing in the lives of all people. To seek Him first. That first thought in the morning. Do you do that? Do you ever wake up in the middle of the night thinking of Jesus? Do songs of praise lilt through your head as you sleep and you awake praising God? You're missing out if that doesn't happen. Seriously, you are.

I'm so far from being perfect it isn't funny. But my heart is stayed on Jesus. He sees my imperfections through eyes of love since I received Him 12 years ago. Oh, how did I live without Him before? That was easy...it was my "non-knowledge" of God that got me through. Amazing how blind we can be until the Truth comes into our hearts and lives and awakens within us a whole new spirituality based on Jesus. And the work begins, the work of patience, not worrying and obedience, not always in that order.

There is only one way to the Father. When we find that Way we no longer need to fear...we might forget on occasion and become humanly impatient, but despite that there is at the end of that long string of racing thoughts a knot of peace that is tied so tightly just for you. That knot is Jesus if you have reached out in a moment of despair and grabbed hold of Him.

I'm thankful in a way for the disruption in my spirit sometimes (note I said sometimes). It helps me to realize I'm still alive! I'm still under God's wing, under His watchful eye. I know that when things come at us there will be a day when the Lord will shine when His plan has been set forth in whatever way. It won't be me who accomplished thus and so but His work through me. I'm thankful it's by His strength, whether it be a world problem or a personal one, that we come through. This happens so we cannot boast of our own accomplishments. That's why He's God and we aren't. God is who He says He is, He can do what He says He can do. We just need that mustard seed of faith, recall we have that when we grow weary. Let go of those things that we cannot do anything about and just let Him be who He is best at being...the one true God.

After writing all this I checked in on Oswald Chambers. He talked about friendship with Jesus through our own sacrifice and surrender to Him. He writes: We never know the joy of self-sacrifice until we abandon in every particular. Self-surrender is the most difficult thing - I will if . . . ! ... As soon as we do abandon, the Holy Ghost gives us an intimation of the joy of Jesus...and the thought of sacrifice never touches us because sacrifice is the love passion of the Holy Ghost...when the sacrifice is made with the eyes on Him, slowly and surely the moulding influence begins to tell. We sacrifice to and for Jesus. Giving up our burdens is a form of self-sacrifice, a form of love for Jesus, knowing He can do a better job in any circumstance.

Let me end with this. It is partly a work (renewing) left to do in me and partly a wonderful promise (the eternal rewards are greater). We may weep today, but we will rejoice tomorrow:

2Corinthians 4:16-18 - Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day. For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal.

Sold Out?

Philippians 3:7-8 - But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ...

I was mowing the lawn yesterday when the words "sold out?" hit me like pieces of mulch being kicked up by the mower! Good thing I had my sunglasses on or they might have got me in the eyes.

What does it mean to be sold out for Jesus? Read the scriptures above again. I'll be the first to admit that in my own mind I think I'm sold out. But I probably am not fully there. Oh, I may be able to write like I am, but what about verbally? I can preach to the choir, but what about when I'm in a crowd where the name of Jesus does not enter into conversation? Am I able to interject something that at least hints at what's on my mind? Do my unbelieving friends really know who I am? Do they know what consumes my thoughts...but doesn't exit out of my mouth? For shame. I'm thankful, however, the God is never finished with us.

Again, I bring up Peter (oh, the array of thoughts that have been so interconnected lately that I've not been able to put together...until now). Here's a man who on one hand is sold out for his Jesus, yet he later denies him, three times before the rooster crows. After he denied his Savior that third time, scripture says, And the Lord turned and looked at Peter. Then Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how He had said to him, "Before the rooster crows, you will deny Me three times." So Peter went out and wept bitterly. (Luke 22:61-62) This makes me weep! I'm imagining the look Jesus gave Peter was not one of disappointment or anger, but one of unconditional love...one that would bring a person to tears. I'm so thankful that Jesus never gives up on us, like He did not give up on Peter. Peter is a great example of one sold out, yet flawed for a time.

Jesus lived His life knowing He would be sold out (literally with 30 pieces of silver); how can we not be sold out for Him?

I've been told people know I'm different and perhaps that's why I don't fit too well in many social situations. For me, unfortunately, I find there are times I have little in common with others and find it difficult to enter into conversations. Sometimes it seems as if the others are talking another language altogether. They might feel the same way if I brought Jesus up. 

I guess there comes a time when I have to let go. Glenn Beck talks about pivotal points in a person's life. Could it be I am heading in that direction? Will the things I've been doing eventually be replaced with things God would have me do? How will this affect my life and my home life? That scares the daylights out of me, to be honest with you. Is that what it means to be sold out for Jesus? Perhaps not. Or maybe God is just getting me prepared first in my heart to get to that place of letting go. There are things in my life I have, I enjoy, I enjoy doing and having. If these things were taken away or I chose to let them go, how would I feel? This is all part of how I'm thinking God is preparing me.

Maybe the preparation is because something will force these things to be "recalled" from my life. Could be health or finances that might bring this about (which could easily be as a result of a faulty government). It might just plain be a call from God in my life to move on. Any one of these situations will be hard...and yet not. I believe if the Lord asked me point blank to quit something, I could do it. The first reaction is to become unsettled. But then you come to the realization that anything the Lord takes away He fills with something so much more extraordinary. 

I keep recalling a dream I had twenty years ago or so. I had the dream twice. It took me to a small clearing in the woods with a stream running by. It was quiet and peaceful. There was a very small cabin. The second dream allowed me to see inside the cabin, where it was one room with a bath. The thing I noticed the most about the cabin was the wall that was one huge bookcase, floor to ceiling, full of books. I seemed very content to be in that little place with very few conveniences...or should I say distractions.

Sold out. Letting go of all the things this world has to offer and rejoicing and relishing in the things of God only. Practicing the presence of God (Brother Lawrence's claim to fame). This is all He requires of us...that we be in right, close, personal relationship with Him. Forget the world. A relationship with Jesus should be the first and foremost thing. All other things will fall into place very nicely.

I'm not saying He wants us to remove ourselves from the world. His Word tells us we are to be in the world but not of it. I guess part of me is a little weak in that area because I want to fit in...and yet I often don't. Is that my fault or is it the Lord's doing? A good question to mull over and ask Him. 

I keep thinking there is a day coming when "the other shoe will drop" somehow in my life. It will either be God's shoe--or sandal--or something in the world that will cause all the turmoil that I'm experiencing in my spirit to be explained...and then gone through. The answer to my inner upheaval will be clear as day. I can only hope that I will rejoice at this.

Sold out. That's about keeping our focus on Jesus. We have many, many examples in the Bible of people who were sold out. In Hebrews 11, known as the faith chapter, there is a list of the most noted people in the Bible whose faith in God was beyond compare. I want so badly to be counted among those of this day whose faith and focus on Jesus has be completely sold out. I want to be able to say with confidence that the things of this world are nothing in comparison to my knowledge of Jesus Christ. So, perhaps that's the other shoe that's ready to drop. Perhaps I will realize without a shadow of a doubt that nothing in this world means anything apart from Jesus Christ and His gift to me of salvation. 

Hebrews 12:1-2 - Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Tear Down Those Walls

Philippians 1:6, 2:13 - ...being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ; for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure. 

This is yet another great promise. When God has gotten hold of us, He will continue to work out those things in us that we need to let go of. He perfects constantly and we are changed, transformed. This is what God does! He turns us into who He sees us as not who we think we should be or who we see ourselves as.

What is it we are afraid of? What one thing have we put walls up around our hearts to protect ourselves from? What are we in need of healing of? Questions, questions. We may not even recognize what that thing is. We may think we have ourselves all together, but let me tell you, there is an issue somewhere. I'm sure we all have them.

I also believe we have come to a time in our lives where it is necessary to let these things go. It's time to let God strip us that we might allow ourselves to be healed. Let go, let go, let go. God has always desired we do this, but I think it is imperative these days (with the way the world is) to let go of our own preconceived ideas of what we should be and allow Him to take over and let the One who knows what's important, what's good for us, to let a transformation take place.

I believe mine is trust. I would have thought it was something else, but I think it is trust that is the culprit. As I thought so deeply about an incident that occurred Sunday and awoke in the wee hours of the morning twice now, I felt the answer come upon me. Trust. I'd been asking God to help me understand what happened and why. And so like Him, He did. The word trust entered my spirit and caused me to begin to think.

As I thought about trust, the word reject entered in. How often have I felt rejected by those closest to me? How often have I felt my spirit sticking out invisible arms as though to keep someone away instead of allowing them in? How often has my vain imagination conjured up tales of deception that has kept me from experiencing what I need most...to trust. Trust takes strength sometimes, especially when rejection can occur when you get too close.

Perhaps that's why I write this blog. I can express myself in ways I dare not--yet--speak out loud to others. God knows what we are in need of. He knows what we need to let go of. He knows when we are ready to let go. I can only pray that this is the time to begin to trust.

I can say I am trusting Him more and more. It's those in this world I've been unable to trust. It's easier to trust a stranger sometimes! You don't always expect much from them. It's those friends and family who have held back or say one thing and do another. It's those who have spoken unkind words or no words at all. And where has it put me? In a place of blocking. Walls have gone up to protect my heart. And has it helped? No. It appears that my heart has been wounded just the same. 

But God...would not want us to have those walls. He would rather we look to Him to remove those insecurities, those failures. He would rather we know that we know that as His child we are in good hands. He would rather we know that He is to be the One we can count on where all others fail. He would rather remind us that we are royalty as His children and to act like it.

I'd noticed lately that I've been keeping more and more to myself, holed up like a recluse in my own spirit, my own heart, only letting a small number enter in. I feel safe there. There is no one to criticize, no one to reject, no one to lie, no one to hurt me. A fear that this was where I would stay for the rest of my life brought me to my senses. I know I don't want that.

If there is truly a transformation taking place within me, like a butterfly working it's way out of it's cocoon, I will need to battle to break through that barrier. I will need to take a step of faith. I will shout to be released from the fears and the lies I've stored up for so long. He will be there reaching out, urging me on. This is the path I must take. Philippians 3:20-21 ...the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables Him to bring everything under His control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like His glorious body. [He has] made known to me the path of life; [He] will fill me with joy in [His] presence, with eternal pleasures at [His] right hand. (Philippians 3:20-21, Psalm 16:11)

He has brought healing. He has blessed me. He has allowed the wall to begin to crumble. I would love to say that it is completely fallen, but there's that part of me that still holds back a bit. One last, loud shout will bring down that wall. I think it should be my shout...like Joshua and his men who shouted and the walls of Jericho caved in. 

I thank God for giving us the power to do that. I thank God for the power He has awarded me that I must learn to exercise. It is my faith that He will be there in the midst of the battle. It is in our praise that He will be. When we take that first step, the Lord will step in also. He will be there to supply our needs at that moment, that strength, that peace, that love. I think of the Footprints poem.  

And so it goes. Life in Christ. Awakenings, rejoicing, healing, rejoicing, contentment, rejoicing, transformation, rejoicing. 

Philippians 3:12-14- Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.

Is It There?

Deuteronomy 6:6-9 - And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates. 

The Word of God should be in our hearts for any circumstance that occurs. This was brought up in our Tuesday morning Bible study. The Bible has all the information we need. But it should be close to our hearts and in our minds NOW, not just when we absolutely have to turn to it for advice or comfort. It should bubble up like a spring in our spirits.

Our communication with God should also not be just when we need Him. It should be constant. Not in ritual prayers but heartfelt, personal prayers, like you were talking to Him. But don't forget the reverence due Him... 

He longs to be the first in our lives, the first in our day. We don't have to work so hard to achieve what He already knows we need to do...and has a better way of doing it than in our own strength. We are such doers, aren't we? Always thinking we know how do achieve something on our own. What lessons we have to learn. He is to be our strength, our guide, the voice we listen to. In order to do this we need to stay focused on Him...and that's where the Word is so important. Jesus tells us things we need to know; but if we don't read His words, read the Word--period--we just don't know. We don't learn.  When we read we hear Jesus speak.

Jesus tells us to give it all to Him: "Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light." (Matthew 11:28-30) Give it all to Him...everything that troubles us. Can you imagine if we had no pending problems? Even when we do have situations in our lives that are troubling us, we are to give them to Him because He will provide comfort and rest to us to endure. How often do we let things bother us? Let things stew inside? All it does is cause our souls unrest. 

When we choose to let go of things in our lives, we are blessed. That's what it's all about. Letting go. We cling on to things we should let go of. Why do we cling? Because we're comfortable with them; we wouldn't know what to do if without them. Sometimes I think we like to fret. Let it go. Oh, the blessings we miss daily by hanging on to stuff. Are you still upset with someone who said something years ago that hurt your feelings? Has it helped at all to hang on to that? Or does the anguish rise up when the thought comes to mind? Let it go. 

God tells us "I AM." He is the author and finisher of our faith. He created us and He takes us away. He can be all things to us all the days in between. He has the perfect plan for our lives.

He asks us to seek Him for wisdom. Things will go so much easier when we have His wisdom. Don't put Him into a box. Try putting less of your plans into motion. See what He wants to do. Oh, there are day to day things we must do, but all throughout the day ask Him what He wants you to do...now, today, tonight. Be receptive to his interruptions. Be receptive to that feeling in your spirit to make that phone call. You never know when He will bless the very little thing that you have determined not to do! 

Lord, show us what it is You want us to know. Show us the direction to take. Show us what we need to let go of. I know there are blessings in obedience and curses in disobedience. We see that in our own country today. A Christian nation that: is being told the lie that it no longer is a Christian nation...is taking its eyes off Israel...is allowing our morals to turn into trash...is allowing television to become intolerable...

"Be still and know that I am God." (Psalm 46:10) Let us take hold of His mind, not our own. We are told to think on good things. That all comes through the Word of God. Let His Word, and He is the Word, be an active part of our thoughts each day. Let His Spirit bring remembrance for any occasion. Let us be rooted and grounded in truth and not let go of this truth.

Philippians 4:8 - Finally, 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.