I’ve recently watched the movie “Freedom Writers”. Excellent bit of cinema! Highly recommend you check it out in the near future. It’s based on a true story about an optimistic, naïve, inexperienced teacher who takes on her first teaching assignment that includes kids who see more devastation in a few weeks than perhaps she has in her entire life. Very much a classic story, but very relevant.
Several obvious things struck me throughout this movie. For one thing, I was blown away by the bravery of the students in their everyday lives. Each of them have such devastating accounts of things they have seen and done. Pain, physical and emotional, inflicted by fellow and opposing gang members, pain inflicted by their own mothers and fathers, by random acts not intended for them. Mind-blowing. Not only were these students having to tap into a necessary element of bravery and strength, but of courage and loss of innocence, loss of hope and faith in an ideal of something better.
This was not intended to be a “spiritual” film. But, I would be remiss to not have gotten the correlations. It is amazing to me the boundaries that the love of God can cross, the depths He can reach, the magnitude of hurt that He can heal. It is amazing to me how I can testify to how hopeless I felt prior to knowing and accepting Him, and the transformation having Him in my life has been. It is amazing to me how my heart cries out in joy over the salvation I have received, and how my mouth is so silent in sharing this road of salvation to another.
We do a lot of things “right”. We do a lot of things wrong. God always speaks to us, and He always speaks the “right”. On average, how many times am I actively listening and proceeding in the direction given? We aren’t all called to go and reach the inner cities, the third world countries, the cults, the “I’m a good person” population. This is true. God plants us specifically.
Have you felt an urge to send a card to someone a bit down? Have you felt the urge to buy a few bags of groceries for a struggling co-worker and their family? Have you felt the urge to ask a cashier in return “I’m well. How are you?” Have you felt the urge keep acting in kindness to the one who keeps ridiculing you? Have you felt the urge to share the gospel? Have you ever audibly proclaimed how God has transformed you? Have you taken the time to stop trying to have it all together, and just focus on the One who puts it all together?
There is a world of hurt, devastation, hopelessness, untruths, addictions and chains out there. We possess the truth that sets all mankind free from those things. We would want this for our friends and family. Why not for our fellow man? …You say “But I do want it for my fellow man!!!” OK. What about your life proves that?
That question has challenged me today.
Matthew 28:19, 20 – “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
Go. Make. Baptize. Teach. I am with you ALWAYS.
Monday, September 24, 2007
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
Feeling Empty?
Anyone remember that old song…”Fill my cup Lord, I lift it up Lord. Come and quench this thirsting of my soul. Bread of heaven, feed me till I want no more. Fill my cup, fill it up and make me whole”…???
Ever go through a time where you felt totally empty? It could be for any number of reasons; maybe you feel spiritually empty….like you have nothing left to give in service to God, to others. Maybe you feel emotionally empty, like there’s nothing left to tap into. Maybe you just feel…empty…so empty your not sure what category you are feeling the void in.
You wake up each day, go through your morning routine, start your day and just exist. The body is moving, jobs are being marked off the checklist. But, you wake up one day and realize…”I’ve grown empty. I’ve let a few days, few weeks, few months, few years…go by, just existing.”
Often times, this can be for various reasons. Sometimes, we just simply get caught up. The busy schedules, the demands of our energy and thoughts, the physical exhaustion. There’s no time to experience, to grow, to stretch. (Or, so we think!) Other times, it can be a spirit of defeat. We grow weary with struggles that seem constant in our lives, burdens that never seem lifted, demands that never seem to end. We take on the “woe is me” armor. Yes…armor. Armor is intended to protect. And, when we get that “woe is me” feeling, we use it as protection. If WE feel sorry for ourselves, somehow that brings a twisted sense of protection, of comfort and shield from further disappointment and emptiness.
It’s quite obvious, God never intended for us to live like that. We were created to love Him, depend on Him, to worship Him, to be cared for by Him! Depend upon and be cared for by…ever notice that these are two of the hardest things for us to accept/do as humans? Think of the terms…control freak, loner, introvert, obsessive compulsive. Often times we apply stories of someone’s life, to determine how they get to living out those descriptions. For a loner…often times it can stem from a life of survival, a lack of emotional giving from key members in their lives, or other various things. For a control freak, it can be continual disappointments, lack of finding others who can help in a way that would be appreciated, etc.
What is your story? If someone had to describe you right now, what do you think they would say? Are you an empty soul merely functioning day to day? Are you a ray of sunshine illuminating the lives around you? In the cause of Christ, are you sold out? Or, dare I say, just accepting it?
God loves us, saved us from sin and freely pours out grace and mercy upon us. He also takes us, and when we get too comfortable, too empty, too fearful…puts situations, people and/or tugging at our hearts into our lives, to help us grow, stretch, depend upon and accept his caring towards us!
Psalm 16:11 "You will show me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; At Your righthand are pleasures forevermore."
Psalm 23:5 "You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; My cup runs over."
John 15:11 "These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full."
Ever go through a time where you felt totally empty? It could be for any number of reasons; maybe you feel spiritually empty….like you have nothing left to give in service to God, to others. Maybe you feel emotionally empty, like there’s nothing left to tap into. Maybe you just feel…empty…so empty your not sure what category you are feeling the void in.
You wake up each day, go through your morning routine, start your day and just exist. The body is moving, jobs are being marked off the checklist. But, you wake up one day and realize…”I’ve grown empty. I’ve let a few days, few weeks, few months, few years…go by, just existing.”
Often times, this can be for various reasons. Sometimes, we just simply get caught up. The busy schedules, the demands of our energy and thoughts, the physical exhaustion. There’s no time to experience, to grow, to stretch. (Or, so we think!) Other times, it can be a spirit of defeat. We grow weary with struggles that seem constant in our lives, burdens that never seem lifted, demands that never seem to end. We take on the “woe is me” armor. Yes…armor. Armor is intended to protect. And, when we get that “woe is me” feeling, we use it as protection. If WE feel sorry for ourselves, somehow that brings a twisted sense of protection, of comfort and shield from further disappointment and emptiness.
It’s quite obvious, God never intended for us to live like that. We were created to love Him, depend on Him, to worship Him, to be cared for by Him! Depend upon and be cared for by…ever notice that these are two of the hardest things for us to accept/do as humans? Think of the terms…control freak, loner, introvert, obsessive compulsive. Often times we apply stories of someone’s life, to determine how they get to living out those descriptions. For a loner…often times it can stem from a life of survival, a lack of emotional giving from key members in their lives, or other various things. For a control freak, it can be continual disappointments, lack of finding others who can help in a way that would be appreciated, etc.
What is your story? If someone had to describe you right now, what do you think they would say? Are you an empty soul merely functioning day to day? Are you a ray of sunshine illuminating the lives around you? In the cause of Christ, are you sold out? Or, dare I say, just accepting it?
God loves us, saved us from sin and freely pours out grace and mercy upon us. He also takes us, and when we get too comfortable, too empty, too fearful…puts situations, people and/or tugging at our hearts into our lives, to help us grow, stretch, depend upon and accept his caring towards us!
Psalm 16:11 "You will show me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; At Your righthand are pleasures forevermore."
Psalm 23:5 "You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; My cup runs over."
John 15:11 "These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full."
Wednesday, September 12, 2007
God as Comforter
I continually try to seek God and ask each week "what do we need to hear from You this week". I have to be very honest with you all and let you know, this past week has been very discouraging in some personal issues. Nothing unconquerable, but, I have spent alot of time seeking God as Comforter, and going back and forth on how much I am leaning and how much I am sulking! It's been an interesting week.
Alot of times, God uses the struggles in others lives, and the way they handle them, to reveal to us lessons on our own relationship with Him. I think back to the month of May. That month I found out that my grandfather had cancer. To put this in perspective, first of all...my grandpa is the single most influential human in my life. He and my grandma are THE examples of how lives should be lived out on this earth. So, to hear that the person in your life who means this to you has something inside their body, attacking it, is very difficult. Let me describe him physically, to you. He's 6 feet tall, almost totally bald, big, round Charlie brown head, HUGE arms and hands, always in overalls or work clothes (unless going to town or to church...he's a farmer). He's a very strong man, in every aspect...emotionally, physically, spiritually. He took over the family farm when he was only 12 years old, when his father died suddenly due to a very serious illness that killed him quickly. He is the rock of our family and everyone within a 100 mile radius respects him and comes to him for advice, fun times, a shoulder. He's just that kind of man!
As a little girl, I very vividly remember what it was like to put my hand in his. It felt like the largest, strongest, most callused hand in the whole world! I knew nothing could/would hurt me, as long as that hand was with me. ...Fast forward to May.
Here I stood, telling my grandfather I am praying for him...and he just hugs me so tight, begins to cry and whispers in my ear, between sobs, "Baby girl, I need it." Role reversal! It was very emotional for him to face this notion of mortality, sickness, lack of strength. BUT, what is so awesome to me...He never lost the faith. About a month into his chemo, I was visiting with him, and I asked him how he was doing internally. He said "I truly believe I am healed, and that God is not done with me yet." Don't you know...he made it through his chemo, never got sick from it, never once did it get him down and hinder his ability to work on the farm, and never once did he declare doubt in the Lord. He is now totally healed.
Now, here I sit in my situation this week. It is painful, hurtful, a struggle...but it is not literally killing me. If my grandfather can keep the faith amidst going through that, how can I not feel the comfort of God and the power of His hand? BECAUSE, I'm not allowing Him.
What is bringing you down? What is keeping you from embracing the comfort that comes from being a child of the King? He says, in Matthew 11:28-30, "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."
Now, if you have rushed through that verse because it's all too familiar, and you did not prayerfully read it..STOP, and go back and ask God to reveal to you how His yoke is easy in your life, how He has been gentle with your heart, how you can obtain rest for your soul. Often times, for those of us who have been in church for any period of time, these "familiar" verses become almost numb, we hear them so much. Read it again.
Can I say with total confidence, I have opened up my heart and and let God heal it from what this situation is doing? Do I have confidence I am healed, the way my grandfather felt the healing of God in his body? Why do I...why do we...carry around these burdens. We sing the songs of freedom, we pray the prayers for release from our burdens, our struggles...but, we then pick them back up and carry them with us into the next day, the next week. But, God has said He will comfort our hearts, treat them with the gentleness they need so as to get through it and be whole in the end, He has said to lay it down at His feet. Think of that song we sing..."We fall down, we lay our crowns, at the feet of Jesus. The greatness of His mercy and love, at the feet of Jesus. And we cry Holy, Holy, Holy...is the Lamb!"
Run into the comfort of His arms this week with whatever burdens you are bearing. Whether they be your own, or they are a burdened heart for someone you know. Give it over to God, so that He can show you His gentleness, His love and passion for you. We speak often times of our passion for Him, but it is always dim in comparison to the passion and love He holds for YOU.
Dear sisters, embrace Him. Allow Him to comfort you in the hard times. Allow His love to illuminate your heart and then radiate out of you and into a lost world!
Alot of times, God uses the struggles in others lives, and the way they handle them, to reveal to us lessons on our own relationship with Him. I think back to the month of May. That month I found out that my grandfather had cancer. To put this in perspective, first of all...my grandpa is the single most influential human in my life. He and my grandma are THE examples of how lives should be lived out on this earth. So, to hear that the person in your life who means this to you has something inside their body, attacking it, is very difficult. Let me describe him physically, to you. He's 6 feet tall, almost totally bald, big, round Charlie brown head, HUGE arms and hands, always in overalls or work clothes (unless going to town or to church...he's a farmer). He's a very strong man, in every aspect...emotionally, physically, spiritually. He took over the family farm when he was only 12 years old, when his father died suddenly due to a very serious illness that killed him quickly. He is the rock of our family and everyone within a 100 mile radius respects him and comes to him for advice, fun times, a shoulder. He's just that kind of man!
As a little girl, I very vividly remember what it was like to put my hand in his. It felt like the largest, strongest, most callused hand in the whole world! I knew nothing could/would hurt me, as long as that hand was with me. ...Fast forward to May.
Here I stood, telling my grandfather I am praying for him...and he just hugs me so tight, begins to cry and whispers in my ear, between sobs, "Baby girl, I need it." Role reversal! It was very emotional for him to face this notion of mortality, sickness, lack of strength. BUT, what is so awesome to me...He never lost the faith. About a month into his chemo, I was visiting with him, and I asked him how he was doing internally. He said "I truly believe I am healed, and that God is not done with me yet." Don't you know...he made it through his chemo, never got sick from it, never once did it get him down and hinder his ability to work on the farm, and never once did he declare doubt in the Lord. He is now totally healed.
Now, here I sit in my situation this week. It is painful, hurtful, a struggle...but it is not literally killing me. If my grandfather can keep the faith amidst going through that, how can I not feel the comfort of God and the power of His hand? BECAUSE, I'm not allowing Him.
What is bringing you down? What is keeping you from embracing the comfort that comes from being a child of the King? He says, in Matthew 11:28-30, "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."
Now, if you have rushed through that verse because it's all too familiar, and you did not prayerfully read it..STOP, and go back and ask God to reveal to you how His yoke is easy in your life, how He has been gentle with your heart, how you can obtain rest for your soul. Often times, for those of us who have been in church for any period of time, these "familiar" verses become almost numb, we hear them so much. Read it again.
Can I say with total confidence, I have opened up my heart and and let God heal it from what this situation is doing? Do I have confidence I am healed, the way my grandfather felt the healing of God in his body? Why do I...why do we...carry around these burdens. We sing the songs of freedom, we pray the prayers for release from our burdens, our struggles...but, we then pick them back up and carry them with us into the next day, the next week. But, God has said He will comfort our hearts, treat them with the gentleness they need so as to get through it and be whole in the end, He has said to lay it down at His feet. Think of that song we sing..."We fall down, we lay our crowns, at the feet of Jesus. The greatness of His mercy and love, at the feet of Jesus. And we cry Holy, Holy, Holy...is the Lamb!"
Run into the comfort of His arms this week with whatever burdens you are bearing. Whether they be your own, or they are a burdened heart for someone you know. Give it over to God, so that He can show you His gentleness, His love and passion for you. We speak often times of our passion for Him, but it is always dim in comparison to the passion and love He holds for YOU.
Dear sisters, embrace Him. Allow Him to comfort you in the hard times. Allow His love to illuminate your heart and then radiate out of you and into a lost world!
The Power of the Word
Hello everyone! I have to tell you real quick, just how awesome God is! I wrote this devotional on Friday, preparing for to send it out today (Monday). There is so much here that came up over the weekend, through our service on Sunday and things...it's quite incredible how God brings His point home to us sometimes! How cool is that! Anyhow, be blessed, encouraged, challenged and pressing on!
Here I was, standing at my sink, washing my dishes…wondering why we have to eat and use dishes anyhow! Ha! Oh well…it’s much better than mowing grass (ask me about the lessons I learned during that sometime!)
Anyhow, I was thinking about what this next devotional was to be about…what did God want to reveal through it this week. And it hit me…with all that’s going on right now, with us, with our church, with our world, with the Christian community…I’m finding that I am clinging to His eternal promises in His Word more and more. But, amidst the “junk”…sometimes we forget about those promises, our faith in them becomes a bit weak, our doubt starts to creep in…or, we simply can’t remember them or don’t know them. So, I’ve dedicated this week to reminding us of some awesome promises of God, to us as His children!! Some of them are straightforward, some of them are accounts of what He has done before us that reveal His awesome power, faithfulness and righteousness. Don’t just read them…pray them. And, I encourage you, as you go through the scriptures in your daily lives…don’t just read them. Beg God to reveal Himself to you through them, pray through the words…the words that are divinely inspired, timeless, eternal.
2 Chronicles 20:15-17 “And he said, “Listen, all you of Judah and you inhabitants of Jerusalem, and you, King Jehoshophat! Thus says the Lord to you: ‘Do not be afraid or dismayed because of this great multitude, for the battle is not your’s, but God’s.’ Tomorrow, go down against them. They will surely come up by the Ascent of Ziz, and you will find them at the end of the brook before the Wilderness of Jeruel. You will not need to fight in this battle. Position yourselves, stand still and see the salvation of the Lord, who is with you, O Judah and Jerusalem! Do not fear or be dismayed; tomorrow go out against them, for the Lord is with you.” ….Notice, it says “do not fear or be dismayed twice, within the span of three verses!!!”
Nahum 1: 3, 5 “The Lord is slow to anger and great in power, and will not at all acquit the wicked. The Lord has His way in the whirlwind and in the storm, and the clouds are the dust of His feet. …The mountains quake before Him, The hills melt, and the earth heaves at His presence, Yes, the world and all who dwell in it.”
Proverbs 3: 5-6 “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.”
Daniel 3 – This is the account of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego…the three men who were thrown into the fiery furnace for not worshipping false gods. In verses 16/17, they tell King Nebuchadnezzar “…we have no need to answer you in this matter, If that is the case (that they would have to be put into the fire), our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us from your hand, O king.” …Then, after the king sees that God did indeed watch over and save these three men, the king declares at the end of verse 29, “…there is no other God who can deliver like this.”
I Peter 2: 19-24 “For this is commendable, if because of conscience toward God one endures grief, suffering wrongfully. For what credit is it if, when you are beaten for your faults, you take it patiently? But when you do good and suffer, if you take it patiently, this is commendable before God. For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps: ‘Who committed no sin, Nor was deceit found in His mouth.’ Who, when He was reviled, did not revile in return; when He suffered, He did not threaten, but committed Himself to Him who judges righteously; who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness – by Whose stripes you were healed.”
Hebrews 12:28 – “Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us have grace, by which we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear.”
I feel that there is a common theme presented in each of these accounts/statements…that is: Live in the love, mercy and grace of God…and leave the rest to Him! As I was sharing with a sister this week, there is one major calling for our lives by Him, whereby all other facets of ourselves stem from…that calling is to be His child. As a child, you seek guidance from your parents, provision for necessities…physical and emotional and developmental, you seek protection. While these are things you seek, these are also things that a good parent naturally provides. Your Heavenly Father, He has laid out a journey for each of us. He has divinely appointed relationships, storms, obstacles, rest, the filling of our cups. We are finite, He is infinite. He has promised to judge righteously. He is a consuming fire! While there are many things happening around us right now…things that are attacking the state of our spirits, our strength, our joy…He is faithful to deliver us.
This week, take all that is against you, and ask God for a hedge of protection, a heart of love and patience and an endurance to seek through His plan. He wants you to trust Him enough that He CAN and WILL deliver you, and restore to you your joy!
Peace to your hearts dear sisters. Pray for each other this week, that God would reveal Himself more and more through His word and that our hearts would hunger and thirst for more and more of His word.
Here I was, standing at my sink, washing my dishes…wondering why we have to eat and use dishes anyhow! Ha! Oh well…it’s much better than mowing grass (ask me about the lessons I learned during that sometime!)
Anyhow, I was thinking about what this next devotional was to be about…what did God want to reveal through it this week. And it hit me…with all that’s going on right now, with us, with our church, with our world, with the Christian community…I’m finding that I am clinging to His eternal promises in His Word more and more. But, amidst the “junk”…sometimes we forget about those promises, our faith in them becomes a bit weak, our doubt starts to creep in…or, we simply can’t remember them or don’t know them. So, I’ve dedicated this week to reminding us of some awesome promises of God, to us as His children!! Some of them are straightforward, some of them are accounts of what He has done before us that reveal His awesome power, faithfulness and righteousness. Don’t just read them…pray them. And, I encourage you, as you go through the scriptures in your daily lives…don’t just read them. Beg God to reveal Himself to you through them, pray through the words…the words that are divinely inspired, timeless, eternal.
2 Chronicles 20:15-17 “And he said, “Listen, all you of Judah and you inhabitants of Jerusalem, and you, King Jehoshophat! Thus says the Lord to you: ‘Do not be afraid or dismayed because of this great multitude, for the battle is not your’s, but God’s.’ Tomorrow, go down against them. They will surely come up by the Ascent of Ziz, and you will find them at the end of the brook before the Wilderness of Jeruel. You will not need to fight in this battle. Position yourselves, stand still and see the salvation of the Lord, who is with you, O Judah and Jerusalem! Do not fear or be dismayed; tomorrow go out against them, for the Lord is with you.” ….Notice, it says “do not fear or be dismayed twice, within the span of three verses!!!”
Nahum 1: 3, 5 “The Lord is slow to anger and great in power, and will not at all acquit the wicked. The Lord has His way in the whirlwind and in the storm, and the clouds are the dust of His feet. …The mountains quake before Him, The hills melt, and the earth heaves at His presence, Yes, the world and all who dwell in it.”
Proverbs 3: 5-6 “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.”
Daniel 3 – This is the account of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego…the three men who were thrown into the fiery furnace for not worshipping false gods. In verses 16/17, they tell King Nebuchadnezzar “…we have no need to answer you in this matter, If that is the case (that they would have to be put into the fire), our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us from your hand, O king.” …Then, after the king sees that God did indeed watch over and save these three men, the king declares at the end of verse 29, “…there is no other God who can deliver like this.”
I Peter 2: 19-24 “For this is commendable, if because of conscience toward God one endures grief, suffering wrongfully. For what credit is it if, when you are beaten for your faults, you take it patiently? But when you do good and suffer, if you take it patiently, this is commendable before God. For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps: ‘Who committed no sin, Nor was deceit found in His mouth.’ Who, when He was reviled, did not revile in return; when He suffered, He did not threaten, but committed Himself to Him who judges righteously; who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness – by Whose stripes you were healed.”
Hebrews 12:28 – “Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us have grace, by which we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear.”
I feel that there is a common theme presented in each of these accounts/statements…that is: Live in the love, mercy and grace of God…and leave the rest to Him! As I was sharing with a sister this week, there is one major calling for our lives by Him, whereby all other facets of ourselves stem from…that calling is to be His child. As a child, you seek guidance from your parents, provision for necessities…physical and emotional and developmental, you seek protection. While these are things you seek, these are also things that a good parent naturally provides. Your Heavenly Father, He has laid out a journey for each of us. He has divinely appointed relationships, storms, obstacles, rest, the filling of our cups. We are finite, He is infinite. He has promised to judge righteously. He is a consuming fire! While there are many things happening around us right now…things that are attacking the state of our spirits, our strength, our joy…He is faithful to deliver us.
This week, take all that is against you, and ask God for a hedge of protection, a heart of love and patience and an endurance to seek through His plan. He wants you to trust Him enough that He CAN and WILL deliver you, and restore to you your joy!
Peace to your hearts dear sisters. Pray for each other this week, that God would reveal Himself more and more through His word and that our hearts would hunger and thirst for more and more of His word.
August 27,2007
Hello Sisters!
This is your first SIS Devotional. The "plan" will be to try and get them out each Monday. It is my prayer that God will use this to encourage us, challenge us and stretch us. Blessings to each of you this week! Know that you are prayed for!
Last summer, I uprooted and moved back to Terre Haute. I had been gone for eight years. This was going to be an adjustment!
Literally, for a year or so prior to this move, I had known it was time to move on. I was scared…not about a new job, not about finding a place to live…no, I was scared I didn’t have it in me to have that kind of dependence on God. You see, I knew that His prodding me to move on was because He wanted to grow and stretch me, use me in ways He hadn’t done thus far. He had a new venture for me. I wish I could say it was because I had tapped out all of my potential in service to Him, at that area in my life. But truthfully, it was the exact opposite. I had become so comfortable in staying in “safety”…the safety of familiarity, reliable friends and social life, steady job…even what I thought was “comfort” in keeping my distance from service to God and the people around me. It would take nothing short of putting me into my whale’s belly, to get my spiritual feet moving again. I knew I had shut out a part of myself, a part of the child God created me to be, because I was too scared to go to new heights with Him. Refiner…Great Physician…He has these names for a reason; heart surgery, albeit figurative, is no fun!
However, I finally surrendered and moved! Within days I got a new job. Shortly thereafter came a new home. I was so thrilled at finally getting back and doing what God wanted me to do. It’s all on the upswing now, right? Wrong! This was just the beginning. After moving, I became very lonely, very discouraged. I became very confused on whether I knew how to hear God or not. After all, surely feelings of this magnitude wouldn’t happen after I finally quit running! But, they did. And they did because I took the attitude of “I did what You wanted; now where’s my blessing?”
God didn’t shake up my life because He could no longer use me where I was at. He shook it up because it was time to take it to the next level, and I had resisted all other means! I had sensed this, and that is a main reason why it took me over a year to surrender to moving on. What else could He want from me, or have in store for me? And why me? Sure, I had a great “spiritual resume”…but, I had totally distanced myself from Him, because I was too scared to go further. But, when you have tasted and seen that the Lord is good in your life, running is never a path to contentment. It simply is a never-ending journey of unrest.
Through numerous experiences, I’ve finally said “Here I am.” Much pain was on this journey. Much more is sure to come. But, it is conquerable! I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me!!! He truly…eternally…is gracious, full of unmatched power, unconditional in His love and sufficient. Think of the meaning of that last word…sufficient…upon your life. What areas are you yearning for more? What are the thoughts, circumstances or untruths that are not allowing you to embrace the sufficiency of God in your life?
Where are you at right now? What feelings and fears are you battling daily? When is the last time you begged God to show you why you felt that way? And when is the last time you remember your heart overwhelmingly desire to not only rejoice in the love and hope of God, but to want to be whole and to run the race with endurance? …Wholeness, overwhelming desire…passion and zeal for the glory of God…what about your life is evident of these characteristics?
This week, pray for a clear mind and heart, to see your current state as God sees it. What would an evaluation of your heart and spirit reveal right now? What is that “next level” that you know God wants to bring you to? …Don’t miss that ....BRING you to!!! When you bring someone somewhere, you accompany them. God promises to always be with us. Dare to take Him at His word and see what new heights He will lead you to!
Passage for the week: 2 Samuel 22 (the complete chapter) Pray for a heart like David’s, to keep that heart of trust that God will deliver you from your enemies, from all the things that hold you back from Him, from the things that make you afraid (v. 5). Also, to keep that heart of praise! As you read through the chapter, you will see…God does not merely sit and just smile, waving His arms of love to rain down upon us. That is part of Him…but, note verses 7-16. God is definitely in our corner! He not only loves His children, but He fights for His children! You have the power of the most Powerful rooting for you, a God who is not just about “warm and fuzzy love”…but about a love so deep, so high, so wide…that He has THAT kind of reaction that is depicted in those verses, for the cause of His kingdom and His children. Take refuge in that from all that encompasses you this week, and truly rejoice in it!!! Take a few moments to praise Him, and asking Him to fill you up with a passion to realize just how great He loves us and cares for us and praise Him, like David did in this chapter
This is your first SIS Devotional. The "plan" will be to try and get them out each Monday. It is my prayer that God will use this to encourage us, challenge us and stretch us. Blessings to each of you this week! Know that you are prayed for!
Last summer, I uprooted and moved back to Terre Haute. I had been gone for eight years. This was going to be an adjustment!
Literally, for a year or so prior to this move, I had known it was time to move on. I was scared…not about a new job, not about finding a place to live…no, I was scared I didn’t have it in me to have that kind of dependence on God. You see, I knew that His prodding me to move on was because He wanted to grow and stretch me, use me in ways He hadn’t done thus far. He had a new venture for me. I wish I could say it was because I had tapped out all of my potential in service to Him, at that area in my life. But truthfully, it was the exact opposite. I had become so comfortable in staying in “safety”…the safety of familiarity, reliable friends and social life, steady job…even what I thought was “comfort” in keeping my distance from service to God and the people around me. It would take nothing short of putting me into my whale’s belly, to get my spiritual feet moving again. I knew I had shut out a part of myself, a part of the child God created me to be, because I was too scared to go to new heights with Him. Refiner…Great Physician…He has these names for a reason; heart surgery, albeit figurative, is no fun!
However, I finally surrendered and moved! Within days I got a new job. Shortly thereafter came a new home. I was so thrilled at finally getting back and doing what God wanted me to do. It’s all on the upswing now, right? Wrong! This was just the beginning. After moving, I became very lonely, very discouraged. I became very confused on whether I knew how to hear God or not. After all, surely feelings of this magnitude wouldn’t happen after I finally quit running! But, they did. And they did because I took the attitude of “I did what You wanted; now where’s my blessing?”
God didn’t shake up my life because He could no longer use me where I was at. He shook it up because it was time to take it to the next level, and I had resisted all other means! I had sensed this, and that is a main reason why it took me over a year to surrender to moving on. What else could He want from me, or have in store for me? And why me? Sure, I had a great “spiritual resume”…but, I had totally distanced myself from Him, because I was too scared to go further. But, when you have tasted and seen that the Lord is good in your life, running is never a path to contentment. It simply is a never-ending journey of unrest.
Through numerous experiences, I’ve finally said “Here I am.” Much pain was on this journey. Much more is sure to come. But, it is conquerable! I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me!!! He truly…eternally…is gracious, full of unmatched power, unconditional in His love and sufficient. Think of the meaning of that last word…sufficient…upon your life. What areas are you yearning for more? What are the thoughts, circumstances or untruths that are not allowing you to embrace the sufficiency of God in your life?
Where are you at right now? What feelings and fears are you battling daily? When is the last time you begged God to show you why you felt that way? And when is the last time you remember your heart overwhelmingly desire to not only rejoice in the love and hope of God, but to want to be whole and to run the race with endurance? …Wholeness, overwhelming desire…passion and zeal for the glory of God…what about your life is evident of these characteristics?
This week, pray for a clear mind and heart, to see your current state as God sees it. What would an evaluation of your heart and spirit reveal right now? What is that “next level” that you know God wants to bring you to? …Don’t miss that ....BRING you to!!! When you bring someone somewhere, you accompany them. God promises to always be with us. Dare to take Him at His word and see what new heights He will lead you to!
Passage for the week: 2 Samuel 22 (the complete chapter) Pray for a heart like David’s, to keep that heart of trust that God will deliver you from your enemies, from all the things that hold you back from Him, from the things that make you afraid (v. 5). Also, to keep that heart of praise! As you read through the chapter, you will see…God does not merely sit and just smile, waving His arms of love to rain down upon us. That is part of Him…but, note verses 7-16. God is definitely in our corner! He not only loves His children, but He fights for His children! You have the power of the most Powerful rooting for you, a God who is not just about “warm and fuzzy love”…but about a love so deep, so high, so wide…that He has THAT kind of reaction that is depicted in those verses, for the cause of His kingdom and His children. Take refuge in that from all that encompasses you this week, and truly rejoice in it!!! Take a few moments to praise Him, and asking Him to fill you up with a passion to realize just how great He loves us and cares for us and praise Him, like David did in this chapter
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