Holy Spirit, You Are Welcome Here

I was sitting on my back porch this morning, smearing the occasional sprinkler mist off the pages of my Bible as I read out of Acts chapter 2...

The Holy Spirit had come upon the earth with the sound of a "mighty, rushing wind." Devout Jewish men from "every nation under heaven" had heard the followers of Christ speaking "the wonderful works of God" in their own individual languages!  Upon hearing this, some of them were AMAZED... "How is it that we hear, each in our own language in which we were born? What could this mean?"... but others were skeptical, hearing with embittered hearts, saying these testifying men were drunk!  

Peter stood up before the crowd... and raised his voice so all could hear... saying, "these men are not drunk!  It's only the 3rd hour of the day!"  Peter went on to quote the Prophet Joel about the coming of the Holy Spirit... the outpouring of God's spirit upon all the earth... the last days... and the Salvation that only comes from calling on the Name of the Lord.

Peter--the brash but timid man who cut off a soldier's ear in protective loyalty to Christ, and then three times denied even knowing Him--this man boldly testified before the masses that Jesus is the Christ... the Son of the Living God.  Peter spoke the Truth in love when he opened men's eyes to the Savior... giving the history and facts proving that Jesus was their long-awaited Messiah.  He pulled no punches when he brought their sins to light. These devout Jewish men had not only rejected the Coming King, but they had brutalized and murdered God's Son... just like the Israelites of old, murdering God's prophets to keep their ears from hearing the Truth.    

Peter said, quoting David, "The Lord said to my Lord, Sit at My right hand, till I make Your enemies Your footstool," showing God's full proof that Christ may have seemed defeated, but He entirely was not.  

"This Jesus God has raised up, of which we are all witnesses. Therefore being exalted to the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He poured out this which you now see and hear," Acts 2:32-22. 

I am always amazed at the change in Peter shown by this text.  It is only by the power of the Holy Spirit that this once fool-spouting man... overly eager and partially devoted... stepped up to the plate and swung a Home Run, bringing 3,000 men to Christ in a single afternoon. 

Acts 2:41-42 goes on to say: 

"Then those who gladly received his word were baptized; and that day about three thousand souls were added to them.  And they continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers."  

It says that "fear came upon all souls..."  The fear of the Lord that leads to breaking free from sin and living righteously before God.  All because of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit.  And watch this from verses 44-47:

"...all who believed were together, and had all things in common... continuing daily in one accord... they at their food with gladness and simplicity of heart, praising God and having favor with all people. And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved."  

Jesus went from 120 disciples (Acts 1:15) to thousands of devoted followers in one day, all by the power of the Holy Spirit... and the difference in the people is amazing!  That sounds like Holy Communion right there working within the Body of Christ.  And you know what I wonder?  How have our churches changed so much from this example?  I mean, people were working to provide for each other, selling their own possessions to provide for their brothers and sisters in Christ.  They were together in prayer, in fellowship, and in praise to God... and people were coming to the Lord EVERY DAY!

I'm just thinking out loud here, but is that what your church looks like?  Is that what my church looks like?  Maybe not, but there is nothing in the Word that tells me the modern day Body of Christ should look any different.

Our world would be so different if we functioned in this type of unity, even if we started just within our four walls... because the Holy Spirit spreads.  Remember that old camp song, "it only takes a spark to get a fire going..."?  Maybe you're too young to know it, or maybe I'm to old to be sharing it (lol), but it's true! The arrival of God's Holy Spirit only looked like one small flame touching each person (Acts 2:3), but it exploded into a wildfire!!

In this modern day world, these last days of the end times, what the Church needs is an uprising of the Holy Spirit.  We need an increase in the Gifts of the Spirit... an overflowing of the Fruit of the Spirit... a renewing of the Compassion of Christ that only comes by the Spirit and leads all men to Himself.  It is by prayer that these things will come... and it is by Worship, the Word and Prayer in our daily lives that the Holy Spirit will begin to arise within our own hearts.

If we desire this, it is because the Father has placed that desire in our hearts. That is when we can ask the Father, believing, and it WILL be given to us... God's ways are so much higher than ours.  Holy Spirit, You are welcome here! 

Wagon Tracks...

Good morning!  This morning I'm sitting in my recliner, enjoying a cup of coffee and studying God's Abundance...  

"They feast on the abundance of Your house, and You give them drink from the River of Your delights," (Psalm 36:8)  

I've decided that today - all this week - I'm going to think about Abundance.  Our days can be so riddled with negativity and the demands of mundane life that our minds, hearts, and attitudes NEED us to focus on all the GOOD the Lord has done!  The Bible even tells us to be purposeful about thinking on good, positive, lovely things (Philippians 4:8).  What's more lovely than Abundance?  

There's SO much good stuff in the Bible about God's Abundance.. 

• Jeremiah 31:14 - "I will fill the soul of the priests with abundance, And My people will be satisfied with My goodness," declares the LORD."
  
  
• Psalm 63:5 - "My soul [my life, my very self] is satisfied as with marrow and fatness, And my mouth offers praises [to You] with joyful lips." 
  
  
• 1 Cor 2:9 - "No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no heart has imagined, what God has prepared for those who love Him."
  
  
• Ephesians 3:20-21 - "Now to Him who is able to [carry out His purpose and] do superabundantly more than all that we dare ask or think [infinitely beyond our greatest prayers, hopes, or dreams], according to His power that is at work within us, to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations forever and ever. Amen."

... but this verse on Abundance stood out to me this morning and I thought I'd share... 

"You crown the year with Your Bounty; Your wagon tracks overflow with Abundance," (Psalm 65:11). 

I love this picture of Blessing in Motion.  I am a firm believer in #doing, (though I'm not always that great at being consistent).  I fully believe we are saved by grace through faith alone, not of works. At. All.  However, I also fully believe that because of the life of Christ in us, we are His workmanship, created to do His good works (Ephesians 2:10)!  He prepared us for good works and He has set us in authority over the works of His hands (Hebrews 2:7).  This Christ life gives us PURPOSE like we never dreamed possible... and it's easier than we think!! 

Step One is always... and will ALWAYS be... to get your wagon FULL.  

The Bible, in John 15, talks about abiding in the vine.  It says that the Father, through Christ, is the Vine and we are the Branches.  If we will abide, or remain, in Him, there will be NOTHING that we cannot do... NOTHING that we cannot ask for according to His will that HE will not give us.  That's where it all begins.  

I'm convinced beyond a shadow of a doubt, that if we are living defeated lives, it's because we don't know the truth and power of God's love.  If we really knew WHO it was that saved us... and WHAT His heart really holds for us... and HOW He is able to strengthen us, empower us, and lift all our burdens... it would change our lives completely.  

This is what I mean by filling your wagon.  It's in seeking to know God more by studying His Word... it's in searching for a place of real intimacy between you and God through prayer and just laying it all out on the table... it's in finding that place where you believe 1) Jesus died for you, 2) God loves you... just as you are, and 3) you're forgiven... completely... for everything.  

You have been made perfect... holy.  You are God's own special treasure... priceless.  And you did nothing to earn it.  Believing that... having faith in it.  That's abiding.  That's filling your wagon.  And it feels AMAZING.  Even if you're not there yet, the simple desire to be there mixed with a little bit of faith will start getting the job done!  

Step Two... Get Your Wagon MOVING!!    

We have been saved by grace, through faith, and not of works.  Nothing in the least that we can do in our own strength will save us.  That's the truth.  

But we were created to DO GOOD WORKS.  We have been given authority over the very works of God's own hands!  We were given PURPOSE, but WE have to get moving.  

The Bible says that the thief has come to kill, to steal, and to destroy (John 10:10).  And in today's American church, I think the greatest thief in our time is passivity.  It comes in all shapes and forms, and is sometimes hard to discern, but passivity in itself will kill, steal, and destroy ALL God has set aside for us to do.  

Passivity can refer to a lack of courage, lack of confidence, and lack of persistence to accomplish what God has called us to do. Passivity is also inactivity, being subdued in attitude, not responding to a word or action that was received. Passivity also refers to the inability to resist evil. It refers to being dull and without energy, emotionless and inexpressive. The apostle Paul told Timothy that God did not give him the spirit of fear (passivity), but a spirit of power and love and a sound mind.

https://scripturenuggets.wordpress.com/tag/passivity/

Remember that there is Abundance in His Wagon Tracks.  If we get our wagons filled up so we know and dwell in the love of God, but then we do nothing with it to spread His love and sow it to others, all we have gained will rot and profit us nothing.  We will find ourselves dying on the vine!  But the Bible says that a man's gifts will make a way for him (Proverbs 18:6)!  It says, "give and it will be given to you" (Luke 6:38).  If we desire to reap in Abundance, we must sow in Abundance.  The branches that do not bear fruit by sowing and reaping will wither and will be cut off (John 15:2).  

We are saved by faith alone, but faith is not really faith if it is not accompanied by doing good on the Father's behalf and to please the Father's heart (James 2:14-26). 

Wagon Tracks... 

The greatest thing about all of this, is that the Bible tells us not to despise small beginnings (Zech 4:10)... (So much Hope in every Word the Father speaks!)  Even the simplest things count when we do them with a heart that seeks to please the Father... and if we decide today to start with small steps of obedience, our faith will increase with every step, and we will grow into even greater works than these...  

• Sometimes it's working in the church, or volunteering to help a friend in need.  
  
  
• Maybe it's baking cookies and knocking on a neighbor's door to offer prayer, a hug, or a friendly hello.  
  
  
• It could be writing letters with scriptures of encouragement to your pastors and fellow laborers, or making phone calls to pray and check on people.    
  
  
• Or maybe it's starting a Bible study, prayer group, or fellowship night...

The greatest thing that we don't often realize is that WE were CREATED to be a LIGHT in our world.  To see what negative things are going on and fight them with the Love of Christ.  To know that there are real people in our every day lives that we come into contact with... and we were placed in their lives for a reason.  WE may be the only JESUS someone sees today... 

His wagon tracks are filled with Abundance... 

If we are moving forward in Christ, we WILL be blessed!  If we do not grow weary in doing good, we WILL reap a Harvest (Galatians 6:9)!  If we get our FULL wagons moving, our wagon tracks WILL be filled with Abundance!  

Who Gets the Leftovers?

And let's not forget about those who come behind us... who is following us? Who is gleaning the leftovers from our harvest?  

I saw this amazing picture online that beautifully illustrated how those we lift up will lift us up in return. When our path overflows so much that it raises up others...we ourselves will be raised up, as well.  And not just in position, but in peace, in joy...whatever we sow, we will reap. 

I'm asking God today how I can sow into others, what He would have me to do, and how to get my wagon moving in the right direction. Will you join me?

Deep Calls Unto Deep

As believers in Christ, we sometimes think we have it all figured out.  We go to church, read our Bibles, and pray... sort of... but what we don't realize is that we're drowning in the shallow end of the pool.  We're dying on the vine.  There is an immeasurable depth of living water available to us, but we refuse to access it... or maybe we don't know how...

We feel the longing.  We know there is something more, and we can almost taste it. Sometimes it feels like our hearts will burst if we don't find the answer soon... and we have a feeling that if we wait too long, we may never find it.  We begin to feel desperate to quench the thirst, and we feel a sense of urgency, but we're not sure where to run or what to do!  We know the Lord, we work for Him, we're good little boys and girls... but we sink in the knowledge that we are somehow, tragically, missing the mark.

"Deep calls unto deep in the roar of Your waterfalls, all Your waves and breakers have swept over me." ~Psalm 42:7

The barren dryness of the desert resides deep within humanity.  People are dying of thirst. They are longing for something they cannot name, and therefore, cannot find.  They have good ideas, but can't quite put their finger on the answer that will soothe their dry, cracked souls.  All too often, they settle for less.  They get used to their thirsty emptiness... used to feeling chapped and sunburned.  They begin to believe the soothing shade and healing balm will never come, so they get comfortable in the desert and stop searching for that deep drink of water.  

Jesus stood and cried out, saying, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink.  He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.” ~John 7:37-38

For those who do not know Christ, accepting Him into their lives will be like water in the desert to their dry and weary souls.  A peace they have never known will flood into them like a river overflowing its banks, and though life will still have trouble, they will be able to rest knowing that Jesus has changed the foundation of everything. They will have that blessed assurance that, come hell or high water, God's got their back.

But then there are those who HAVE known Christ... for a while... maybe even their whole lives.  And even though they have been granted access to deep, living water, their relationship with God has grown stagnant and stale.  They are overcome by life's daily struggles, and have become the enemy's playground.  No victory can be found in them.  Defeat rules the day... because they have been taken in by a lie, and lulled to sleep.

That's the enemy's plan for each of us.  To make us distracted and ineffective at the very least... and at the most, bound up in every way and used by the enemy to defeat others.

But there is still victory to be had!!  It will only take one little spark of faith to wake these believers up... one little glimmer of hope will break into their spirits with a SHOUT, saying, "Awake, O sleeper, rise up from the dead, and Christ will give you light!!!" (Ephesians 5:14). And like a switch got turned on inside them, they will sit up out of their stupor, shake off the dust, and begin to swim out into the deep parts of the Spirit of God. Their need for Him will become desperate, and they will begin to seek Him out like never before. They will hunger and thirst anew to hear His sweet voice, and they will not rest until they have found Him again. And our ever-faithful Father will meet them there and He will begin to change them... to renew and revive them... and to make them a bright and shining light drawing all men unto Him.  Just a little spark of faith... a small belief in the power of the One True God... will set their hearts and lives ablaze in VICTORY for all to see... for the GLORY of GOD!!

I once heard a wise man say, "the enemy's only weapon is a lie."  We are in a fight for our lives, and we must know what our true weapons are, BUT THIS IS NOT A FAIR FIGHT!  Not even close!  Our enemy is already defeated, and he knows it.  His biggest job in these last days is to make sure WE never truly know it.  But, dear one, we are waking up... a sleeping giant is rising up from the dead... revival has already begun on the earth, and the children of God are beginning to walk in new victory.  We are trampling new ground, taking back what the enemy has stolen.  We are standing up and worshiping our God in spirit and truth, and He is enthroned on our praise!!  The depths of the Spirit of God are calling out to the depths of our souls... and together, as we humble ourselves before Him and submit to His perfect will... we are answering His call.  

The Fragrance of Christ

"For we are the sweet fragrance of Christ [which exhales] unto God..."
2 Corinthians 2:15 AMP

Not too long ago, I had a dream in which I was teaching about the fragrance of Christ, and as I sit before the Lord this morning, I want to share the picture He has given me with you.  

Aroma is powerful.  It can overwhelm our senses, and bring back memories that seize our minds and take us to the very distant past like it was just yesterday.  I have experienced fragrance that filled me with so much longing it brought me to tears. There are some scents you wish you could inhale with your entire body and never have to exhale... to be always, endlessly wrapped in the aroma that fills your heart with love, sparks your imagination, and makes you tingle all over.   

That's how it is between the Heavenly Father and His children.  It will be hard for some of us to believe, but when our Father takes in our scent, He is filled with overwhelming love for us.  Perfect love that He can't hold back.  So much love that it brings Him to sing and dance over us with joy.  He wants to wrap us in His arms and never let us go... because we smell like Jesus.   

But sometimes there's a hint of something else that fills His senses... 

Every now and then I borrow my husband's jacket.  It carries his scent, and sometimes when I put it on, I get a rush of memory.  It takes me back to our younger days when our love was new and I was giddy with the anticipation of the next time I would see him or speak with him.  And it reminds me of more recent times, when I hug him with my face on his neck and inhale his fragrance. In the grip of those memories, I hug the jacket to myself and take in my husband's aroma as deeply as I can, basking in the joy of love.

But imagine what it would be like if there was a dead mouse in the inside pocket of the jacket.  If it hadn't been in there too long, the jacket might smell like my husband and bring back the same memories of life and love, but with a little hint of something "off."  Something that just doesn't smell quite right.  "What is that?" we would think.  

But if the dead mouse had been in there for a while, that jacket wouldn't smell like my husband anymore.  I would go to inhale its scent, expecting to relive the good times between us, and get a nose full of disgusting stench.  Even longer, and the stench would fill the closet, and then fill the room, driving me away.  

Regretfully, that's how it is sometimes between the Heavenly Father and His children. He adopted us into Himself with the blood of His Son Jesus because He loved us and longed for true and deep intimacy with us.  We carry the fragrance of Christ.  But when we "dabble" in sin... in our minds and in our bodies... it changes our scent from sweet to bitter.  And when our dabbling turns into a lifestyle, we carry the pungent stench of death.  

In my dream I said, "what we're talking about here is the fragrance of Christ and the smell of decay."  I weep at the longing of the Father to hold and love His children while the scent of death upon them pierces His heart with grief.  "I want to wrap you in My arms, speak intimately with you, and give you all My generous blessings, but you smell like sin."  

When we willfully compromise in our relationship with God and choose to walk in sin, and when we decide to live in ignorance instead of in the light of God's Word, we grieve the Father's heart, and WE suffer lack that leads to death.  A little sin here, a little sin there, and eventually we become a mutation of our former glory in Christ.  Where the secular world should look at the Body of Christ and see mutual love and support, every physical need met, none sick among us, and the overwhelming blessings of God the Father, instead they see lack... in every possible way... and they have no desire to join us in our hypocrisy. We have become lukewarm and ineffective, and we have rejected our God-given purpose.

But since you are like lukewarm water, neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth! You say, ‘I am rich. I have everything I want. I don’t need a thing!’ And you don’t realize that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked. (Revelation 3:16-17 NLT)

This is a challenging message for all of us, and I am not excluded from that, but we need to hear it.  We have been deceived, and we have to get the sin out of our lives and begin to walk as God's new creation. We are supposed to be an example of victorious living, and we are supposed to bring the Living Water of Christ to all who come near us.  We are supposed to be a beacon drawing all men unto God, but instead we are wandering around in darkness. Sin cripples us and holds us back.  It robs us of joy, power, victory... it robs us of ALL things.

So I advise you to buy gold from Me—gold that has been purified by fire. Then you will be rich. Also buy white garments from Me so you will not be shamed by your nakedness, and ointment for your eyes so you will be able to see. I correct and discipline everyone I love. So be diligent and turn from your indifference. (Revelation 3:18-19 NLT)

Ask God to open your eyes and show you your sin so you can live a life of repentance, so you can once again carry that clean, sweet-smelling aroma... so you can glory in living in the light of His face...  and so you can experience the Father singing and dancing over you with joy!  So many lives depend on us getting this right.  So many lost souls are waiting for us to show them the way. And time is short.  We can't wait any longer.  

On Being Content

"Now there is great gain in godliness with contentment..." 1 Timothy 6:6

I was watching Phineas and Ferb with my kids this morning, and there was a bad guy... Khaka Peü Peü... who was trying to make Phineas have a bad day. Toward the end of the show, Phineas said, "Nothing can stop ME from having the best day ever!"  I chuckled at that because another more serious "bad guy" is always trying to make ME have a bad day, too.  But by the grace of God, I am making his job harder and harder by the second!

On any given day, several things happen that could very easily steal my joy.  It's the same for all of us.  We all have occasional issues with marriage, children, family, and friends.  We all sometimes deal with sleepless nights, illness, and back-to-back crazy busy days. The list of things that come at us on a daily basis is endless. 

Think of what life would be like if we never worried about any of that.  If no matter what happened in our normal everyday living, we were happy.  I haven't quite achieved that perfectly yet, but I can boast in Christ Jesus, because He is teaching me the secret to that very thing... and it's called, "I can do ALL things through Christ..."

The Apostle Paul, in Philippians 4:11-13, said:

"...I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am. I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need. I can do all things through Him who strengthens me..."

He's not just talking about money and provision.  This verse can be applied to ANY sort of lack or problem.  Have you ever experienced "going hungry" in a dry marriage?  Or "suffering" the "need" of loneliness?  Have you ever suffered lack in parenting when you just didn't know what to do to help your kids?  Or even the bitter despair of divorce, serious illness, or losing a loved one?

In 2 Corinthians 11, Paul says:

"Five different times the Jewish leaders gave me thirty-nine lashes. Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked. Once I spent a whole night and a day adrift at sea... I have worked hard and long, enduring many sleepless nights. I have been hungry and thirsty and have often gone without food. I have shivered in the cold, without enough clothing to keep me warm..."

And still, he preached contentment in Christ, who always, unfailingly gave him strength in every situation. Just think what our lives would be like if we tapped into that kind of contentment no matter what we were going through.

Contentment in Christ is a weapon.  If I'm content with my circumstances... if I KNOW that no matter what, God has my back... there is nothing for the devil to steal. There is no lie he can tell me that I will believe.  There is no place where he can get a foothold.  True contentment in Christ closes all the doors and windows, and seals up all the cracks.  Then we can look forward to challenges that come our way because we know they will make us stronger, build us up in new ways, and help us to stand when it seems like all hell is breaking loose.

I pray for us all to see ourselves daily as warriors in Christ, and that we would know that no matter what, His strength has arrived and we hold VICTORY in our hands!

Hold to the Path

 photo credit
"Give careful thought to the paths for your feet and be steadfast in all your ways.











 Do not turn to the right or the left; keep your foot from evil." Proverbs 4:26-27

Every morning this week, right when I woke up, I heard in my spirit, "get up and go for a walk."  Because I have struggled with obedience in some areas, and because I desperately want to be obedient and mature in Christ, I have gotten out of bed, put on my shoes, and headed out the door.  

On the first day, a cool, damp morning, I walked down my driveway and turned left.  I had a quick thought about the path I would take through my large, 1970s-era neighborhood, and in my mind I saw a flash of the longest route I usually take.  It takes about 20-25 minutes, and there are plenty of up- and downhill slopes. 

As I walked and prayed, I came to the first place I could turn and I thought, "oh, maybe I should go this way instead..."  Immediately, in my spirit I heard, "hold to the path." Still clinging to that sweet voice, I continued straight.  

Then I got to another street where I could turn left and thought about going that way... and I heard, "hold to the path."  And again, I continued straight.  

Then the Lord began speaking into my spirit...  

Stay on the road I have set out for you.  Follow me obediently.  Along the way, there will be hard uphill climbs when you have to press and push yourself to get to the top... and there will be times of refreshing in the downhill slopes... but do not stop, and do not change course...or you will tire out faster, become discouraged, and quit early....

As I kept walking, the Lord brought more things to mind that I needed to repent of and submit to Him, and I began to cry.  Then He spoke to me again... 

All along the way, if you hold to My path, there will be times of repentance designed to open your eyes to sin and free you from its grip.  Hold tightly to Me, My child...

Finally, as I began closing in on my destination, feeling lighter than I had when I started, He spoke again...

Hold to the path that I set out for you.  If you turn to the right or to the left and take a different course, you will miss divine appointments I have prepared for you... and you will not accomplish My purposes for your life...

A couple weeks ago I spoke at an outdoor event.  It was my first time speaking in ages, and I was pretty nervous.  I had prayed all week for the Lord to reveal His plan to me for that day, but I didn't receive it until 11pm the night before.  The message came to me in three parts, and I wrote it out as best as I could.

The next afternoon, as I was preparing to speak, I couldn't make much sense of the first part of my message.  I kept forgetting how it was supposed to go.  But the second part of the message was clear and burning in my spirit to get out....

I wasn't as sensitive to the leading of the Holy Spirit as I should have been that day, and instead of scrapping the first part and moving on to the second like I now know I should have, I trudged through it.  It made no sense, had no point, and was pretty much a disaster. 

But when I got to the second part, everything became clear.  It still wasn't as well put together as I would have liked, but I got out what the Lord had put on my heart...

The tragedy is that I ran out of time right after I ended that second part and I never got to the final part of my message... a salvation message about Jesus Christ. 


As I was walking the road that first day, the Lord showed me that when I decide to change course and go my own way, I miss important parts of the journey.  What would have happened if I had given the message the Lord wanted me to give?  Would more people have come to Christ that day?  If so, will those people have another chance, or was I their last appointment before eternity?

I am humbled by my prideful ways of thinking I know better than God. He knows the plans He has set out for me, and all the reasons behind what He asks me to do... with possible ripple effects reaching generations into the future.......   I am unspeakably thankful for His grace and mercy, and how He has faithfully shown me the error of my ways.  I pray He continues and allows me more opportunities to learn and grow... and that I am humble enough to see them when they come...  

"Give careful thought to the paths for your feet and be steadfast in all your ways. Do not turn to the right or the left; keep your foot from evil." 
Proverbs 4:26-27

Distracted by a Butterfly

photo credit
"but each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own
evil desire and enticed." James 1:14

This morning I'm sitting in my dining room looking out the window into my backyard.  It's a sunny, breezy day... nice and cool... and I'm thinking about thinking.

I'm doing very well this morning, spiritually speaking.  But over the last week, I've had some challenges.  Technically speaking, I dipped into controlling behavior, self-condemnation, and depression.  By the grace of God, and with the help of friends and Pastors, I was able to pull myself out of it, but I really need to take some time and learn from this episode so I can cut it off earlier next time.

I was meditating on Ephesians 4:21-24 this morning, which says:

"Since you have heard about Jesus and have learned the Truth that has come from Him, throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life, which is corrupted by lust and deception.  Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes. Put on your new nature, created to be like God - truly righteous and holy."

As I was laying on my office floor listening to Jason Upton's Faith CD and thinking about this piece of Scripture, the Lord showed me a picture.  Jason Upton was singing about having childlike faith, and in my spirit I saw a picture of a bright-eyed little girl playing outside in a field of wildflowers.  It was a bright, sunny day, and she was at peace and filled with joy as she moved through the field picking flowers and humming a song.  All was well with her soul.

Then along came a dark little butterfly that was a dark thought in disguise.  It whispered a lie in the little girl's ear that brought a little frown to her brow and a slight dimness to her eyes.  The butterfly was small, and seemed harmless, so she shrugged it off.  It returned again and whispered a lie that was even more tempting and dark, and the little girl's countenance darkened again, but again, though she had the power to squash the butterfly so it wouldn't bother her anymore, she shrugged it off.  Finally, the butterfly came back a third time, with a lie too tempting to ignore, and the little girl was hooked.  Even though the butterfly said things that hurt and troubled her deeply, she followed it because she believed its lies.  As the dark butterfly began to fly away from the beautiful field, she followed after it.  She knew she was going the wrong way, felt the knot of discontent forming in her stomach, and she longed for the peace of the field, but still, she followed the butterfly.

I know that butterfly, and where it leads.  It lives in darkness, depression, rejection, and discontent.  All who follow it will end up hopeless and defeated, and that's been a bad habit of mine.  Like an alcoholic who believes one drink won't hurt anything and ends up drowning in liquid sorrow, I have allowed that dark butterfly to keep coming back and whispering in my ear instead of squashing it like the evil bug it is.

The Bible says to "throw off your old sinful nature."  It tells us to put our flesh and old ways TO DEATH. This is where I sometimes fall down on the job and allow myself to wander off, ending up hopeless and defeated.

So, how do I keep that from happening again?  Well, that's the funny thing.  If you're anything like me, you probably think the only way to make it better is to work harder, be better, strive for excellence!  But the truth is that all my striving starts the cycle all over again.

Once I find myself in hopelessness and depression, I work hard to build up my faith and get myself to that place of joy and contentment before the Father.  But then, because I still believe the lie that I have to make myself perfect to be acceptable, I begin to work harder and harder to make myself better, and end up working myself into the ground... which makes me vulnerable to the butterfly, and I'm right back on my way to where I started.

So what's the answer?  Brokenness.

My flesh, my will, my pride have to be broken.  It's morbid, but I think of a person lying on the floor with a broken spine.  She can't move, can't breathe, can't survive without help.  And the only one who can help is God.  That is where real change lives.  In my weakness HE is made strong.  With the Father's direction, I need to begin to revel in my own weakness, without condemnation, and have faith in His strength... speaking the Word of God over my life, believing in His promises without wavering, obediently following His voice.

It seems like a tall order, but I only have to focus on right now... this moment... and as I look out my dining room window at the breezy day outside, I'm enjoying picking the wildflowers.

Waiting...

Passion.  Vision.  Purpose.  Calling.  These are some of my favorite words.  They cause a stirring in me that I sometimes cannot contain, but I'm still in the birthing process of God's plan for my life.  I can see His plan on the horizon and I know it's coming quickly, but I still have some waiting to do.

I'm not a big fan of waiting.  Unfortunately, sometimes I want it my way, and right now!  But no matter how much I push and shove to try to "get it done," God will not be moved.  He will not release His plan until HE is ready... and oh, how grateful I am for that!  God, in His great mercy, will not allow me to move from this waiting place until everything has been made ready.  He plans for me to succeed, and I will succeed, IF I will be obedient and wait on His timing.

Waiting on God can be hard, but there are some things that only He can take care of.  All I have to do is place my faith and trust in Him, because putting my hands on things to control them only makes the process longer.  So I wait...

But waiting is active... praying, believing, worshiping... and oddly enough, it takes passion, vision, and purpose!  I have to take hold of the vision He has given me for my life and hold on to my faith with passion knowing that all this waiting has a purpose!  He is growing me, He is preparing the ground for my future, He is working everything out for my good... for His glory... and soon enough, when He is ready, the calling He has given me will be born.

Finally, humility is KEY in this waiting game.  While I'm waiting, God is operating.  He is opening me up, exposing the cancer of sin and wrong thinking, and cutting it out.  He is shining His light on all the dark places within me and gently erasing signs of the enemy. He is pulling out old arrows, cleaning and closing old wounds, and massaging the scars to make them soft.  He is pouring His love out on me and making me better.  He is increasing my capacity to love, to give, and to receive.  He is surrounding me with His goodness and binding me up in His grace.

How I love Him so... and so I gladly wait.

Shaken

Everything that can be shaken WILL be shaken. 

Do you ever have those times when God is shaking things up in you?  When all of a sudden, your life is like the epicenter of a major earthquake... everything seems unstable and you can't find your footing... and it feels like everything will fall apart?  And didn't you feel fine BEFORE the earthquake started, but during the shaking you felt sort of chaotic inside?  

Maybe I'm the only one who goes through times like those, but I sincerely hope NOT.  

God, in His great mercy, allows things into our lives that will shake us up... on purpose. He sees all the unfinished business in our lives, and He is not willing to leave us incomplete.  He wants to shake out all the junk.  We may scream and cry like little children during the process, but does that stop Him?  Nope.  Like any good dad, Father God is completely unconcerned with our "comfort" while He is molding us and making us into HIS finished product... because He knows how great we're going to be when He's finally done!  He sees the end from the beginning, and He's SO EXCITED to show us ALL that He has planned!!  

Trust His process.  Job said, "though He slay me, yet will I trust in Him."  Though we may feel like we are going to come apart, we're not.  He is keeping us safe... holding us together.

See to it that you do not refuse him who speaks. If they did not escape when they refused him who warned them on earth, how much less will we, if we turn away from him who warns us from heaven? At that time his voice shook the earth, but now he has promised, “Once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens.” The words “once more” indicate the removing of what can be shaken—that is, created things—so that what cannot be shaken may remain. 

Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe,  for our “God is a consuming fire.” (Hebrews 12:25-28)

No matter what, we cannot turn away.  We cannot refuse Him.  Our response should always be to hold tighter to Him by spending more time in prayer, more time in the Word. Getting to a place of submission and obedience will help the process along.  We just need to lay down on the Potter's wheel and let God have His way.  

Carpet Beetles & the Infiltration of Sin

One day several months ago, I saw a little black bug on the ceiling in my van.  I didn't know what it was, but it was tiny and motionless... and sort of cute, really.  Considering it harmless, I ignored it.  Over time, I began to see a few more.  Not really realizing what they were, I wondered about it, but again, decided to ignore them.  More time passed, and the kids would occasionally mention seeing a "tick" in the van, but when they described the bug, I knew it wasn't a tick, just some bug.  About the third time this happened, I looked at the bug they were talking about, and it was one of the same little black bugs.  At that time I noticed they were growing in numbers, but still there weren't that many.  I knew at that time that I needed to clean out the van, but being so busy, I put it off.  Again.

Finally, on the afternoon of Thursday, August 23, 2012, the day before I attended the Beautiful Awakening conference at Victory (Lisa Bevere - Lioness Arising), my mom came over to babysit while I went grocery shopping.  After filling a basket at Walmart, I went out to put the groceries in my van.  When I opened the back of the van, sunlight shone on the floor in that area, and it was covered with these tiny black bugs.  Covered.  I looked through the van with new eyes, and finally saw that these little bugs were taking over.  I was disgusted and completely creeped out.  Now instead of thinking of them as harmless, they were "demon bugs"!

I scoured the internet to find out what these pests were and found out they were carpet beetles.  I was alarmed to learn that they are really hard to kill... and almost impossible to get rid of completely.  I read that I could sprinkle borax on the carpet and seats to try to kill the bugs, then vacuum them up.  I got to work immediately!  Praying the whole time for every unseen beetle to die, I took everything out of the van, including the seats, covered everything in borax and let it sit for a little while, then vacuumed those little creeps up.

My biggest fear at that time was that one of those monsters... not so cute anymore... would get into my house.  I took the vacuum bag out while I was still in the garage and threw it away in the outside dumpster, then left the vacuum in the garage for over a week. Steve and I prayed over it before I brought it back in.

I read that a washing machine kills every life-stage of carpet beetle, so I took every blanket, carseat cover, hat, and piece of clothing out of the van and washed and dried it on hot.  I put pillows and anything else that couldn't be washed in the hot dryer and ran it twice in a row.  I was on a mission!

After getting all of that cleaned up and getting rid of every visible bug, I knew I had to watch out for and immediately kill any bug I saw after that.  Over the next two weeks, I carried my version of a carpet beetle haz-mat kit in my van... Kleenex and Ziploc bags. Every time I left the house, I checked the van first.  I would use a Kleenex to pick up the bugs and put them ever-so-carefully into a Ziploc, which I would immediately close tightly and toss in the trash.  I killed close to 100 bugs in that two weeks, but I was diligent and I finally stopped seeing them every day.  Occasionally, one or two pop up... thankfully, they usually fly to the ceiling of the van, so they are easy to spot.  Yesterday was Friday, September 21, 2012... almost one month later... and I spotted and killed another one.

It wasn't long before I realized that the bug infestation was symbolic of what was happening in my life at the time...  

The Lord has been speaking to me in several ways this year about seemingly "little" sins that turn into big problems.  If I had been on top of things, I would have killed the bugs before they infested my van.  If my eyes had been open and aware of my surroundings instead of constantly distracted, I would have noticed one bug turning into ten and taken care of it before they turned into a hundred or more.  They were a disease spreading right under my nose, but I was oblivious.

This very thing has been happening in my own life.  I often choose to be distracted from my life instead of engaged in it.  Because I'm feeling tired, lazy, or I don't want to face problems, I ignore and neglect the issues... and fall into sin.  If I don't act immediately, my life will eventually become infested with strongholds that will knock me off of God's path for my life.  Neglected, sin can turn into deep roots of bitterness that could take me out of the fight permanently.  At the very least, which really is the most important thing of all, this ongoing sin taints my intimacy with the Father.  He can't get His words into me or through me to others without bringing me to a place of repentance before Him.  And He is willing to do that as long as I am willing to submit.  And when I do submit to that process and let Him lead me into repentance, the outcome is sweeter than anything I've experienced with the Lord so far.  There's deeper intimacy, friendship, peace, and joy in those times... and it makes me hungry for more.