The title of the post came from an 'ecard' I saw come up on facebook a couple of days ago. It struck a huge cord with me. Along with this saying the author had written that fear robs us of what God has in store for us. So true. But I think, just as importantly, it also robs of us of our identity, who we are in Christ. When we make a commitment to follow Christ, we are endowed with His Holy Spirit, and we are HIS! Our father has given us His spirit to help us, guide us and give us strength. So it is written: Romans 8:15
For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but
ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. (KJV)
and: "God has given us a spirit of power, love and sound mind!" (2 Timothy 1:7) I have come to think of it as a 'birth right' once we were adopted into His family. In addition to that He has given us His word to replace the lies with the truth. Hebrews 4:12 "For the word of God is living and powerful and sharper than any two-edged sword piercing even to the division of soul and spirit and of joints and marrow and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart." What we think and say to ourselves in our mind matters. It matters a lot. It can make our hearts sick because we hang on to the lies or we can hold to the truth, however difficult in present circumstance, and experience the freedom that only the truth bares out. There is no easy or quick fix. For those of us who struggle with fear, it can be a constant companion, ever lurking in the background. It will take time to exchange the lie with the word of God but the more we reach for His word to tell us the truth the more it will become apart of us. There are numerous verses on the topic of fear. I have looked them up often as I have struggled with fear ever since I can remember. As I have walked that road, I have had to remind myself of the truth more times then I can count. And there are still times that fear seeks to steal away my identity as God's child. It may very well be that 'thorn in my side'. However, I have come to see it as an opportunity to embrace my heritage as God's child. Fear is an opportunity to trust God. It's an opportunity to call Him my Abba Father. So when the storms rage about me, my feelings lie to me, and the enemy strikes against me, I can choose to trust. That's what God wants: for me to trust Him, to abide in Him, to receive the rest He has waiting there for me. That's where my help comes from.
AMEN to our Saviour, who sits on the throne! His LOVE endures forever and casts out fear. Glory to our Father in Heaven.
Sunday, October 7, 2012
Friday, August 3, 2012
Prayer that Never Ceases
Prayer is a form of worship and communion with our Savior, it is
fundamental to our growth as a follower of Christ. Martin Luther King
Jr. once said: "To be a Christian without prayer is no more possible than to be alive without breathing." How true this statement is.
I have been reading through the Psalms lately and they are an incredible picture of this discipline. David gives a beautiful picture of how prayer works in the life of one who truly loves the Lord. David prayed on all occasions, it didn't matter if he was feeling the weight of sin, the results of deep anxiety or the fruits of great joy. He experienced prayer on every level with his Father in Heaven. Prayer is more then a thanks for a meal or the catch phrase: "Well, I guess we just have to pray about that..."; as though that is the last option in a believers life. No, prayer is so much more then that! It is found in the dawn of a fresh new day when all is quiet and it's just you, the Lord and His mercy. It's found in scared memories, in the praise that invites the Lord to be your all, in the thanks you give for the blessings received, in the whispered pleas for wisdom, for the friend who is hurting, in the rejoicing you do because you are overcome with gratitude, it's found in the pages of a journal, it's found in your closet when you shut the door to embrace the solitude of deep prayer. It's found in the forgiveness you seek for a sin committed and in the help your Father gives you because He loves you. In short, it is in the moments of the day and even in the night when God calls you to intercession.
I read Psalms 145:18, 19 one day and it really caught my attention: "The LORD is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth. He fulfills the desires of those who fear him; he hears their cry and saves them." Psalms 145:18, 19. What incredible promise lies in these verses. I love how they are worded, He is near to them, call on Him in truth, fear Him, He hears us and saves us. Often He saves me from my own thought life when I call on Him in truth. It has impacted me to read through all the ways in which David reached for communion with the Lord, in a wide variety of situations. It encouraged me to really work on the discipline of prayer throughout the day. It is this discipline that directly impacts my thought life and my relationships because it involves me really being present with the Lord. I was drawn to the passage of scripture in 2 Corinthians 10:4-5
"4 for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but [a]divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses. 5 We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ" Prayer is a weapon of warfare. I know in order to effectively fight against lies and those things that would draw me away from my relationship with the Lord I need my prayer life to be active and full, each day, in the moments of that day. As I start in on a day, I need to start with prayer, persist in prayer and end with prayer. Keeping my relationship with the Lord fueled by prayer is an important part of building my house on that firm and sure foundation. It renews me throughout the day to talk to my Lord and Savior. And when I come to the end of the day and can say: "I spoke with God often.", even if it's been a challenging, difficult day, I know I have relied on Him to be my strength.
I have been reading through the Psalms lately and they are an incredible picture of this discipline. David gives a beautiful picture of how prayer works in the life of one who truly loves the Lord. David prayed on all occasions, it didn't matter if he was feeling the weight of sin, the results of deep anxiety or the fruits of great joy. He experienced prayer on every level with his Father in Heaven. Prayer is more then a thanks for a meal or the catch phrase: "Well, I guess we just have to pray about that..."; as though that is the last option in a believers life. No, prayer is so much more then that! It is found in the dawn of a fresh new day when all is quiet and it's just you, the Lord and His mercy. It's found in scared memories, in the praise that invites the Lord to be your all, in the thanks you give for the blessings received, in the whispered pleas for wisdom, for the friend who is hurting, in the rejoicing you do because you are overcome with gratitude, it's found in the pages of a journal, it's found in your closet when you shut the door to embrace the solitude of deep prayer. It's found in the forgiveness you seek for a sin committed and in the help your Father gives you because He loves you. In short, it is in the moments of the day and even in the night when God calls you to intercession.
I read Psalms 145:18, 19 one day and it really caught my attention: "The LORD is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth. He fulfills the desires of those who fear him; he hears their cry and saves them." Psalms 145:18, 19. What incredible promise lies in these verses. I love how they are worded, He is near to them, call on Him in truth, fear Him, He hears us and saves us. Often He saves me from my own thought life when I call on Him in truth. It has impacted me to read through all the ways in which David reached for communion with the Lord, in a wide variety of situations. It encouraged me to really work on the discipline of prayer throughout the day. It is this discipline that directly impacts my thought life and my relationships because it involves me really being present with the Lord. I was drawn to the passage of scripture in 2 Corinthians 10:4-5
"4 for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but [a]divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses. 5 We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ" Prayer is a weapon of warfare. I know in order to effectively fight against lies and those things that would draw me away from my relationship with the Lord I need my prayer life to be active and full, each day, in the moments of that day. As I start in on a day, I need to start with prayer, persist in prayer and end with prayer. Keeping my relationship with the Lord fueled by prayer is an important part of building my house on that firm and sure foundation. It renews me throughout the day to talk to my Lord and Savior. And when I come to the end of the day and can say: "I spoke with God often.", even if it's been a challenging, difficult day, I know I have relied on Him to be my strength.
Monday, July 16, 2012
The Chief Cornerstone
I have been wanting to write this blog post for a while but was giving it time to ruminate before I did. We recently decided to pave and widen our driveway. A lot of unexpected events occurred including the corner stone pillar in our sunroom being knocked down in the process. Half of it stayed in tact. We were incredibly thankful for this because if it had all come down our sun room would have sheered off the front of the house with it. Shortly after the pillar had fallen the rain began to pour and I was wondering how that would affect the structural integrity of the rest of the rock, brick and mortar. But it held. It was a stressful set of circumstances to be sure but in the midst of it all, my Abba Father was still speaking. Our home is made from gorgeous field stones. It's rare to see houses like ours. The corner stone that partially fell down was made from the same field stone as our house. As I watched this whole process to secure & build up that pillar; I felt the Holy Spirit speaking to me through several passages of scripture. The one that came to mind right away was the passage in Mark 12:10 which says: "Have you not read this Scripture: “‘The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone;"; repeated again in Matthew 21:42-44 "Jesus said to them. "Did you never read the Scriptures, The stone which the builders rejected, this became the Chief Corner stone, this came about from the Lord and it is marvelous in our eyes? Therefore I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people producing the fruit of it. And he who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces but on whomever it falls it will scatter him like dust." Through all the stress of this event the Lord continued to draw me back to this passage, reminding me continually of how the pillar that holds our sun room and essentially the rest of our house is like Him. He's the chief corner stone, holds all things together for the good of His people. When we fall on that stone we will be broken but it won't scatter us because we are His. The workers we hired dug out around that stone pillar to reveal the foundation it was set upon. Deep in the ground we found this massive concrete footing that held up all that stone, brick and mortar. Again the Lord brought a passage to mind: Isaiah 28:16 "So this is what the Sovereign LORD says: "See, I lay a stone in Zion, a
tested stone, a precious cornerstone for a sure foundation; the one who
trusts will never be dismayed." As the structure to that pillar holding our sunroom was revealed I felt more and more that the Lord was revealing Himself throughout these circumstances. He is like the footing on that pillar, the sure foundation and He is the corner stone that holds up even when it looks like all things are crumbling before our eyes. After the pillar of our home had partially come down, the rain and wind whipped around us and I prayed that it would not fall in the torrential downpour. For the next few days I felt sick to my stomach about the whole thing. We had to scramble to get workers to come take care of it. I was still in some panic about whether or not it would hold and spent a restless night listening for the cracking of our home if it came down. When we found out the cost that we would incur to fix it we were wondering how that would work out. There were a few other things I was concerned about that were happening separate from this incident and I found myself in a very bad head space but at the same time aware that God was speaking.
One afternoon as I was grappling with the stress I decided I just needed to go for a run at the local track and spend time with the Lord. I knew He was speaking to me about Him being the cornerstone. I was also aware that I wasn't seeing the 'forest for the trees'. I took that hour to really listen. I said to Jesus: "I know you're speaking Lord, let me hear." I was struck with the passage in Luke 6:46-49. In this passage Jesus is talking about builders and foundations. He says: "Why do you call Me, "Lord, Lord', and do not do what I say? Everyone who comes to Me and hears My words and acts on them I will show you whom he is like: he is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid a foundation on the rock; and when a flood occurred, the torrent burst against that house and could not shake it, because it had been well built. But the one who has heard and has not acted accordingly is like a man who built a house on the ground without any foundation; and the torrent burst against it and immediately it collapsed and the ruin of that house was great." It's easy to look at the circumstances: the death of a loved one, a disease, illness, a company that refuses to pay in whole for the damage they caused, a move to a different city, estranged relationships, children you are concerned for and the list goes on. I realised that I was calling Him 'Lord' but also holding on to the anxiety. You can't trust and hold on to the anxiety. I sought forgiveness and set about to actively throw myself on the rock. This is sometimes a moment by moment discipline. I can feel the anxiety rise up inside me but I also know that I can't embrace it.
I was listening to some Praise and Worship in the van the other day. A song came on entitled: "You are Good". One line in particular caught my attention: "In the heat of the day with each stone that I lay, You are still good." As we rebuild that pillar out front of our house, I reminded that I am laying each stone on a sure foundation. There may be ancient ruins of fear, anxiety and the inability to trust in trying circumstances but the foundation I choose to build my house on is sure and steadfast. The constant in my life. I felt like the solitude of my run cleared my head to bring in to sharp focus what the Lord was wanting me to see. It's the living out of it that can be so difficult at times but I just need to keep throwing myself on the rock.
One afternoon as I was grappling with the stress I decided I just needed to go for a run at the local track and spend time with the Lord. I knew He was speaking to me about Him being the cornerstone. I was also aware that I wasn't seeing the 'forest for the trees'. I took that hour to really listen. I said to Jesus: "I know you're speaking Lord, let me hear." I was struck with the passage in Luke 6:46-49. In this passage Jesus is talking about builders and foundations. He says: "Why do you call Me, "Lord, Lord', and do not do what I say? Everyone who comes to Me and hears My words and acts on them I will show you whom he is like: he is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid a foundation on the rock; and when a flood occurred, the torrent burst against that house and could not shake it, because it had been well built. But the one who has heard and has not acted accordingly is like a man who built a house on the ground without any foundation; and the torrent burst against it and immediately it collapsed and the ruin of that house was great." It's easy to look at the circumstances: the death of a loved one, a disease, illness, a company that refuses to pay in whole for the damage they caused, a move to a different city, estranged relationships, children you are concerned for and the list goes on. I realised that I was calling Him 'Lord' but also holding on to the anxiety. You can't trust and hold on to the anxiety. I sought forgiveness and set about to actively throw myself on the rock. This is sometimes a moment by moment discipline. I can feel the anxiety rise up inside me but I also know that I can't embrace it.
I was listening to some Praise and Worship in the van the other day. A song came on entitled: "You are Good". One line in particular caught my attention: "In the heat of the day with each stone that I lay, You are still good." As we rebuild that pillar out front of our house, I reminded that I am laying each stone on a sure foundation. There may be ancient ruins of fear, anxiety and the inability to trust in trying circumstances but the foundation I choose to build my house on is sure and steadfast. The constant in my life. I felt like the solitude of my run cleared my head to bring in to sharp focus what the Lord was wanting me to see. It's the living out of it that can be so difficult at times but I just need to keep throwing myself on the rock.
Wednesday, July 4, 2012
In the Quiet Moments
More and more lately I have been reminded of all the moments I just need to be quiet, to live in the rest for a weary soul that only the Lord provides. Life can be so busy and physically I can feel spent but that doesn't mean that I can not be quiet and restful in my soul. I often forget where my strength comes from, that pillar and chief corner stone that is my ever present help at any given moment. I often think of King David when men pursued him to do evil and harm and yet his very soul clung to God for rest even in the midst of great turmoil. I have been reading through the Psalms and Proverbs lately, really concentrating on where my help comes from. Psalm 121: 1-2 1 I lift up my eyes to the mountains, where does my help come from? 2 My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth." He is that ever present help Psalm 46:1b "God is our refuge and strength, an ever present help in trouble." It is so tempting, at times. to rely on anything but God to strengthen me. I can look to friends, family, google something now a days or read a book, there are all sorts of avenues but there is nothing that can truly satisfy me more then the lover of my soul. The quiet in my soul is where the Lord meets me during the day, He relieves confusion, doubt and fear and replaces them with the truth of His nature, the consistency of His character and the strength of His might. The rest and quiet do not indicate passivity but rather an active choice to place my reliance and stability fully on Christ. This world is a fast moving place, with all it's technology and distractions, it's easy to rely on something outside of myself or get caught up in the activity outside of me but the cost is far to great. I really need that quiet with my Savior, it is one of the ways I worship during the day. I can still have quiet during the activity. When I come to the end of the day, and say to myself: "I really needed the Lord today" are the days that I chose to rely on Him continually and I don't feel like I've missed something. Whispered prayers deep in my soul to a God who hears and sees all, the scriptures that come to mind with the still small voice, and the songs of worship that are like well springs of life, are all forms of worship that I need to cling to during the day. I have to dig deep sometimes to get past the feelings of discord and passivity but the fight is well worth it. Fight the good fight! I really love that closing verse in 2 Timothy 2:22 "The Lord be with your spirit. Grace be with you." Oh yes, how my soul resounds to that statement. In the moments of each day may I choose the Lord in my spirit and walk through the day by His grace.
Friday, June 29, 2012
Every Step to the Cross
Living a life of faith is challenging, is it not? My will is at war
with my spirit. I find myself in the old age struggle Paul refers to in
Romans 7, specifically, verse 19 "For the good that I will to do, I do
not do; but the evil I will not to do, that
I practice." (emphasis mine). When the road proves difficult to walk
or when I think I couldn't have failed any more then I have already, I
am tempted to just 'rest' in my misery. And yet at the same time I am
aware that I can not stay in that state because it is not rest, it is
confusion that gives way to the conflicting emotions of fear, anger,
disappointment and loneliness. All these emotions and feelings can lie
and the longer I stay in that state the further away I walk from the
truth. Our Pastor spoke once about this in a sermon and one of the
points he made rings true in my spirit. When we are squeezed and
pressed, our sinful nature is easy to embrace, as a result it is
essential to decide in advance how we will respond to those times of
trial. I need to have a plan in the moments of stress. I appreciated
this train of thought because it is something I too, have determined to
do. My biggest struggle is fear and allowing feelings to rule me
instead of choosing the truth over the feeling. When I see that I am
doing this, I reach for my plan of warfare: Bible verses, prayer,
praise and worship. Sometimes it take a bit but if I dig deep the
result is true rest and my spirit settles to be in tune with the
Father's voice. It reminds me of that song by Casting Crowns: "But the
voice of truth tells me a different story..." It's an active choice to
accept the truth over the lies. Sometimes the battle of doing this
takes more time then others but the key is to persevere with it. Isn't
this what our Lord and Savior did? Sometimes the steps are hard to
take, they were for Jesus too. Each step He took closer to the cross
bore the weight of the task He must accomplish. He knew forgiveness
awaited there for us so He took the steps. He knew His plan, His
mission, His task. God gave me such a clear picture of this today as I
prayed through some matters. In my mind's eye I could picture the steps
He took, how He took them for me, so I could experience freedom and
forgiveness. The reality is that when I take my time to surrender it is
because I've forgotten my task of choosing to embrace the truth.
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 soul, For My
yoke is easy and My burden is light." How amazing is our Saviour that
He promises this?! I want to share a passage of scripture that has
come to me 4 times throughout the end of last year, once through a
friend, at small group, church in my home town and church 5 hours away
at my parents. I think of these verses often. Hebrews 6:17- 20 " Thus
God, determining to show more abundantly to the heirs of promise the
immutability (def: Not subject or susceptible to change) of
his counsel, confirmed it by an oath, that by two immutable things, in
which is is impossible for God to lie, we might have strong consolation
who have fled for refuge to lay hold of the hope set before us. This
hope we have as an anchor of the soul both sure and steadfast and which
enters the Presence behind the veil, where the forerunner has entered
for us, even Jesus, having become High Priest forever according to the
order of Melchizedek." I have kept these verses close because I
understand how much I need the anchor of my soul; He is sure, never
changes, has gone before me and will give me the rest I need. Again, an
active choice, to listen to the truth over my own will and the lies the
enemy would have us believe. In this way I am armed to face the
reality of my situation, whether good or bad, I can count on Jesus to
give me all that I need to deal with the joys, the triumphs, the
difficulties, the failures. What a mighty God we serve.
Tuesday, June 26, 2012
A Spirit of Unity: The Strength of Peace
I have been spending some time thinking and
praying about the unity of the believer in terms of how it relates in our relationships to the Lord and also in our relationships with each others as believers. I was drawn to the passage in
Mathew 22:36-40 in which Jesus addresses a man asking a very important question.
He asks: 36:"Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?"
37-40 Jesus replied: "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and
with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and
greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love you neighbor as
yourself. All the Law and Prophets hang on these two commandments."
Does it not follow then, that our adversary, the Devil, will seek to wage war
against these two greatest commandments? If all the law and prophets hang on these two commandments, and we are not diligently keeping them before us, our faith, will crumble. We must remember who our fight is against: "For
we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the
rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this
present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly
places." Ephesians 6:12. The Devil seeks to devour us, I Peter 5:8
states: "Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls
around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour." Satan wants to disrupt our relationship with our Father in Heaven, with others and with our fellow believer. As a follower of Christ then, we must understand that if this is where the enemy attacks then we need to safe guard against the attacks by fully applying His word to our calling to love Christ and love others.
As individuals we are called to a place of personal relationship with the Lord, to be in daily pursuit of holiness. The priority to develop a relationship with our Saviour is essential. Not only to us but to those around us, believer and unbeliever. To lean on that relationship with our Lord there are some disciplines we must take the time to practice; daily Bible reading & study, committing scripture to memory, and spending time in prayer. When we stray from this first commandment it certainly affects the second to love others as well. For those who do not believe in a personal relationship with Jesus, our own relationship with Him is our testimony. For the body of believers, if each one of us is endeavoring to walk closely to the Lord it will only strengthen the unity within the body of believers. And it's the unity of the Holy Spirit within the body of Christ that I have done much praying and thinking about in recent years.
I love the way Ephesians 4:3 states it: 'Eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.' : eager to! A part of doing this is to encourage and lift one another up: "Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord" (Ephesians 5:19) Our goal individually and collectively, then is to move closer to the author and finisher of our faith while cheering each other on! (Hebrews 12). I confess it is difficult to do this at times because we tend to see 'people' rather then Christ. Each one of us comes with our own life experiences and hurts, strengths and weaknesses, patterns of the way we react and respond to life. We are a bunch of wounded people (wounded by sin) interacting with one another. However great blessing pours out among the body when we seek to follow God's wisdom regarding the first two commandments. While walking with the Lord, we are to esteem each other better then ourselves and to walk with a heart of forgiveness, even as our Father in Heaven has also forgiven us (Philippians 2:3 & Colossians 3:13), forebearing with one another, while exercising the fruit of the Holy Spirit in full measure - love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness. (Galatians 5:22). We also need to be observing the excellence of love. I Corinthians 13:4-7 "Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres." We must stir each other up to walk out our faith with passion and zeal, and to fight the good fight! We need to encourage one another to seek after the Lord for truth and we must recognize that as individuals we are each a functioning member of the body, all with gifts the Lord has graciously given us. Romans 12:1-21 is a well spring of the first two commandments. If you take the time to read it, it gives a birds eye view into both the commandments Jesus speaks of in Matthew.
Having said all this, it sounds great, but practicing it can be very complex at times. Sometimes, it is exceedingly difficult to know what to do, what to say, how to respond and act. I have to say though, that I am very blessed to walk along some amazing people whose hearts desire it is to love the Lord their God with all their heart, soul, and mind. That doesn't mean me or they are perfect, what it does mean is that through the desire to love the Lord (first commandment) we have unity in the Holy Spirit. I have been the recipient of strong encouragement to move forward in my relationship with Christ. Even, at times, been lovingly confronted with the sin in my life, with the motivation that they want to see me grow in my walk with the Lord. That is as it should be. If we are to cheer each other on, to lift each other up, let us encourage each other to love the Lord our God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength. to pray for one another, (Ephesians 6:18: "And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints."), confess our sins to one another (James 5:16 "Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.") and passionately cheer each other on! (Hebrews 12). Let us appreciate one another and the gifts the Holy Spirit has given each one of us in the body of Christ. Let us function with a spirit of unity through a strong bond of peace, being on the alert to safe guard our relationship with the Lord as well as our relationship(s) with our fellow believer. This will only strengthen our testimony and light to the world.
As individuals we are called to a place of personal relationship with the Lord, to be in daily pursuit of holiness. The priority to develop a relationship with our Saviour is essential. Not only to us but to those around us, believer and unbeliever. To lean on that relationship with our Lord there are some disciplines we must take the time to practice; daily Bible reading & study, committing scripture to memory, and spending time in prayer. When we stray from this first commandment it certainly affects the second to love others as well. For those who do not believe in a personal relationship with Jesus, our own relationship with Him is our testimony. For the body of believers, if each one of us is endeavoring to walk closely to the Lord it will only strengthen the unity within the body of believers. And it's the unity of the Holy Spirit within the body of Christ that I have done much praying and thinking about in recent years.
I love the way Ephesians 4:3 states it: 'Eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.' : eager to! A part of doing this is to encourage and lift one another up: "Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord" (Ephesians 5:19) Our goal individually and collectively, then is to move closer to the author and finisher of our faith while cheering each other on! (Hebrews 12). I confess it is difficult to do this at times because we tend to see 'people' rather then Christ. Each one of us comes with our own life experiences and hurts, strengths and weaknesses, patterns of the way we react and respond to life. We are a bunch of wounded people (wounded by sin) interacting with one another. However great blessing pours out among the body when we seek to follow God's wisdom regarding the first two commandments. While walking with the Lord, we are to esteem each other better then ourselves and to walk with a heart of forgiveness, even as our Father in Heaven has also forgiven us (Philippians 2:3 & Colossians 3:13), forebearing with one another, while exercising the fruit of the Holy Spirit in full measure - love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness. (Galatians 5:22). We also need to be observing the excellence of love. I Corinthians 13:4-7 "Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres." We must stir each other up to walk out our faith with passion and zeal, and to fight the good fight! We need to encourage one another to seek after the Lord for truth and we must recognize that as individuals we are each a functioning member of the body, all with gifts the Lord has graciously given us. Romans 12:1-21 is a well spring of the first two commandments. If you take the time to read it, it gives a birds eye view into both the commandments Jesus speaks of in Matthew.
Having said all this, it sounds great, but practicing it can be very complex at times. Sometimes, it is exceedingly difficult to know what to do, what to say, how to respond and act. I have to say though, that I am very blessed to walk along some amazing people whose hearts desire it is to love the Lord their God with all their heart, soul, and mind. That doesn't mean me or they are perfect, what it does mean is that through the desire to love the Lord (first commandment) we have unity in the Holy Spirit. I have been the recipient of strong encouragement to move forward in my relationship with Christ. Even, at times, been lovingly confronted with the sin in my life, with the motivation that they want to see me grow in my walk with the Lord. That is as it should be. If we are to cheer each other on, to lift each other up, let us encourage each other to love the Lord our God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength. to pray for one another, (Ephesians 6:18: "And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints."), confess our sins to one another (James 5:16 "Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.") and passionately cheer each other on! (Hebrews 12). Let us appreciate one another and the gifts the Holy Spirit has given each one of us in the body of Christ. Let us function with a spirit of unity through a strong bond of peace, being on the alert to safe guard our relationship with the Lord as well as our relationship(s) with our fellow believer. This will only strengthen our testimony and light to the world.
Saturday, June 23, 2012
A Women of Destiny: Building the Faith
Here I stand, 37 years old, contemplating my life as a women of
destiny, a child of God. And I find I am more determined then ever to
'run the race,' to make each breath count as I walk this earth. My
husband is doing research on his family tree and as I watch him add each
name he finds to their respective spot, I am impacted. They are not
just names on a piece of paper, they were people who lived and
breathed. They experienced love, hardship, loss, grappled with life,
succeeded, failed: LIVED. And one day I will be on that tree. One of
my ancestors will look at my name, my husband name, my children's names
and perhaps; maybe even wonder about my life. I visited my family's
homestead this past summer, they came from England and settled some land
up north. My Dad's side of the family lived on that land, farmed it,
sweat over it as they sought to make a life here. While there, we
discovered several names which had been written on bricks out in the sun
room. I brushed my hand over the signature's, some with dates and
couldn't help but wonder what their lives were like and how they lived,
and if they finished well. As I look to my life I ask myself the
question: "How shall I pass down my lineage to the next generation?"
This is a multifaceted question because it involves 'doing'. Anyone can
hear something and agree with it on an elementary level. The 'doing'
is the most difficult part yet it reaps the greatest reward. I
consider myself blessed. I come from a line of several generations of a
people of faith. I know both my Grandma's prayed for our family and I
know my Grandpa did too. At this writing both the matriarch and
patriarch of my father's family have gone home to be with the Lord, and
they finished well. I miss their wisdom and prayers. Now that I am
older I appreciate the impact their lives had on me with the
understanding and eyes of an adult. The legacy they leave me with is
both a blessing and a reality. They were flawed individuals, didn't
always make the right choice(s), had their quirks and struggled with sin
as in the battle Paul refers to in Romans 7:15 "I do not understand
what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do."
They were also conquerors (Romans 8:37),
courageous (1 Corinthians 16:13), prayerful (Thessalonians 5:17), loving
(Hebrews 13:1), suffered long (Galatians 5:22), and loved the Lord
their God with all their heart, soul, mind and strength (Mark 12:30).
As I look to the generation beneath me, I am reminded that I must continue to grow in my faith. To hand that legacy down is the most precious gift I give to my children, and their children and so on. When my soul passes from this earth, I take nothing with me. I leave it all behind. My fervent hope is that I have truly embraced the words, "To live is Christ, to die is gain." (Philippians 1:21). As a women, teaching my daughters (and yes, my son also! but I am speaking to women here). I want them to understand and embrace the reality that their strength comes from the Lord (Psalm 37:39). Their worth is not measured in beauty, not by the things they possess nor by what their skill set is. It's not even by their accomplishments, their education and so forth. Their worth needs to be fully rooted in a deep, abiding relationship with their Heavenly Father. This is the measure of their womanhood. My most fervent prayer is that I will be able to reflect Christ and my relationship with Him to my children so they may then pass that on to the generation(s) beneath them. This requires building your house upon the rock, a sure foundation, so that when the winds come it will not be shaken nor will doubt come crashing down upon it like a wave blown and tossed by the wind. There will be times when I fail and need to rest in the forgiveness of the cross, continuing to run the race looking to Jesus the author and finisher of my faith. (Hebrews 12:1-6). What I want my children to learn is that they can count on my prayers and encouragement to be a 'doer' of the word and not only a hearer. The character of our Lord never changes, He doesn't lie, and He is indeed that sure and steadfast anchor of the SOUL (Hebrews 6:14). They can fully trust in Him to accomplish the good work He started. (Philippians 6:1)
I have a passion for women and for the young ladies who are growing up in their faith. They are women of destiny. My prayer is that they will be faith builders who impact those around them with the reality that yes, they will sin, they will fall short but that the Lord will lift them up and determine their steps with purpose as they submit their wills to Him. As a women, then, I pray for the ladies who walk along side me and for the generations coming up beneath me (not only my own kids but those who are apart of my church family) that they will write the word and promises of the Lord on the doorposts of their houses and hide them deep in their hearts. That they will impact others with the proper balance of grace and truth in full measure. They they will remain authentic people about all the struggles this life will hold but transformed by the renewing of their minds to reflect a mind that is stayed on Christ. What a challenge this is but the very good news is that it is Christ in us that accomplishes this, He gives us the strength to live a life of righteousness as we constantly submit to His will and His leading.
A name I will be, upon a page one day, but the legacy I leave will grow with my children. I want that legacy to be the gift of a relationship with Christ that reaches far into the generations beneath me. My prayers, they have, as I seek to follow in the footsteps of my Lord.
As I look to the generation beneath me, I am reminded that I must continue to grow in my faith. To hand that legacy down is the most precious gift I give to my children, and their children and so on. When my soul passes from this earth, I take nothing with me. I leave it all behind. My fervent hope is that I have truly embraced the words, "To live is Christ, to die is gain." (Philippians 1:21). As a women, teaching my daughters (and yes, my son also! but I am speaking to women here). I want them to understand and embrace the reality that their strength comes from the Lord (Psalm 37:39). Their worth is not measured in beauty, not by the things they possess nor by what their skill set is. It's not even by their accomplishments, their education and so forth. Their worth needs to be fully rooted in a deep, abiding relationship with their Heavenly Father. This is the measure of their womanhood. My most fervent prayer is that I will be able to reflect Christ and my relationship with Him to my children so they may then pass that on to the generation(s) beneath them. This requires building your house upon the rock, a sure foundation, so that when the winds come it will not be shaken nor will doubt come crashing down upon it like a wave blown and tossed by the wind. There will be times when I fail and need to rest in the forgiveness of the cross, continuing to run the race looking to Jesus the author and finisher of my faith. (Hebrews 12:1-6). What I want my children to learn is that they can count on my prayers and encouragement to be a 'doer' of the word and not only a hearer. The character of our Lord never changes, He doesn't lie, and He is indeed that sure and steadfast anchor of the SOUL (Hebrews 6:14). They can fully trust in Him to accomplish the good work He started. (Philippians 6:1)
I have a passion for women and for the young ladies who are growing up in their faith. They are women of destiny. My prayer is that they will be faith builders who impact those around them with the reality that yes, they will sin, they will fall short but that the Lord will lift them up and determine their steps with purpose as they submit their wills to Him. As a women, then, I pray for the ladies who walk along side me and for the generations coming up beneath me (not only my own kids but those who are apart of my church family) that they will write the word and promises of the Lord on the doorposts of their houses and hide them deep in their hearts. That they will impact others with the proper balance of grace and truth in full measure. They they will remain authentic people about all the struggles this life will hold but transformed by the renewing of their minds to reflect a mind that is stayed on Christ. What a challenge this is but the very good news is that it is Christ in us that accomplishes this, He gives us the strength to live a life of righteousness as we constantly submit to His will and His leading.
A name I will be, upon a page one day, but the legacy I leave will grow with my children. I want that legacy to be the gift of a relationship with Christ that reaches far into the generations beneath me. My prayers, they have, as I seek to follow in the footsteps of my Lord.
Thursday, June 21, 2012
Why this blog exists
The inspiration of this blog has come from a passage of scripture the Lord has continued to give me throughout the last year. It has been repeated to me through various means: Bible Study, 2 sermons from two different pastors, a friend, my own personal reading and then by another friend giving me a beautiful plaque with verse 19 on it. The passage of scripture is found in Hebrews 6:17-20 "Because
God wanted to make the unchanging nature of his purpose very clear to
the heirs of what was promised, He confirmed it with an oath. God
did this so that, by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible
for God to lie, we who have fled to take hold of the hope offered to us
may be greatly encouraged. We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain, where Jesus, who went before us, has entered on our behalf. He has become a high priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek." NIV This passage has been repeated so often to me that I realize it is something I must hide deep in my heart. The words found here are incredibly powerful. It talks about how the Lord never changes and that it is impossible for Him to lie, He will keep His promises and that we can always take hold of this hope, as it anchors our very souls and that we have the freedom to enter into the presence of our God because Jesus has made that possible.
This whole passage speaks to me, but it is verse 19 "We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure." that I have choosen to name this blog after. I quoted the NIV passage but I really love the way the NKJV words it "This hope we have as an anchor of the soul but sure and steadfast." The plaque my friend gave me has its place on my fireplace mantel. It serves as a reminder to me of what the Lord has promised and how He and He alone anchors my soul.
May you find encouragement through the words on this blog to seek to spend time with the anchor of your soul, always looking to the hope that Jesus gives us.
This whole passage speaks to me, but it is verse 19 "We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure." that I have choosen to name this blog after. I quoted the NIV passage but I really love the way the NKJV words it "This hope we have as an anchor of the soul but sure and steadfast." The plaque my friend gave me has its place on my fireplace mantel. It serves as a reminder to me of what the Lord has promised and how He and He alone anchors my soul.
May you find encouragement through the words on this blog to seek to spend time with the anchor of your soul, always looking to the hope that Jesus gives us.
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