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.  

Moving On

"You have dwelt long enough at this mountain. Turn and take your journey..." 

(Deuteronomy 1:6b-7a).

The children of Israel took 40 years to make an eleven-day trip.  It was a straight shot from where they were outside of Egypt into their very own amazing destiny of a fertile land promised to them by God Himself.  A land flowing with milk and honey.  The sweet spot.  I'm sure when they set out toward their destination they thought it was going to be easy...

For 40 years they rattled around that desert, like a never-ending loop on an unfamiliar highway... you miss your exit and you have to go all the way around again to get back to it.  Missed your exit again? Go around again.  If you've ever experience that, and I definitely have, you know just how frustrating it can be! Each trip around the loop is another 20 minutes, and for whatever reason, the exits are not that easy to navigate.  "Why did they make the road like this???" Around and around you go like it's a spinning carnival ride... and the longer you're on it, the sicker you get.

I had a dream once that I was on a highway loop just like that.  The first time around, I took an exit that ended up being a dead-end, so I retraced my steps, got back on the highway, and went back around the loop... only to end up taking that same dead-end route.  Back on the highway, back around the loop, and back onto that blasted, infernal dead-end road.  Over and over and over, without mercy. Finally, I just gave up and walked home in the dark.

The frustrating thing in all this is that we can all relate in some way to the children of Israel and their stubborn, hard-headed, 40-year trip through an ungodly desert in which they circle the same mountain over and over and over again, all the while thinking they are making progress toward a new end.  Over time, our disappointed hopes begin to pile up...

Fad diets... I'll try this to lose weight, or that to lose weight, this and that, this and that, only to lose and regain the same 10 pounds (plus some) for two or three decades.  Eventually, we give up.  It works the same with money, with our children and our marriages, with our careers, with our relationships... even with deeper, darker issues that have taken over our lives... we work and work to figure it out, but we refuse to concede that maybe it's our choices that are the problem. Maybe we've gotten ourselves into a situation we can't get ourselves out of.  We refuse to see that maybe our ways are not the best ways.  

For some of us, sad to say, we'll never get out of the desert.  We're a little stubborn, maybe even a little prideful and unforgiving... and besides, we've grown comfortable with the heat, and the with the sand in everything... and the non-stop walking.  And maybe His way is too hard, maybe we're afraid to go that way... afraid to face our own giants of fear, failure, and past hurts.  Many of us just believe we can't do it.  No matter what we've done in the past, no matter how hard we've tried, we've never been able to accomplish our goals or attain freedom from our desert, so why keep trying?  Why keep banging our head against the same wall?  We're tired of trying and failing, tired of picking ourselves up again and again and again, tired of toiling and working to "keep on keeping on," exhausted from going around and around the same loop... so we quit.  We walk home in the dark.  "I'm done. I can't live like this anymore. I give up."  

For some, a journey that could have been beautiful ends in devastating defeat. All is lost. The struggle was for nothing.  

But for others... even though they've had these same ongoing struggles, even though they've been on this very same, seemingly endless, journey... even though they too have raised their white flag in surrender... something is different.

Many sons and daughters of God will wake up in the midst of their long walk in the desert.  Their heads hurting from mistake after mistake, and their bodies tired from the journey, they will see the sand and feel the hot sun... and in a crucial moment of choice... instead of whining and complaining and trying to "figure it out," these blessed ones grab onto a small tingle of a thought... a soft and tiny whisper of a feeling... that maybe they're doing it wrong.  Maybe they're making things more complicated than they really need to be.  Maybe, just maybe, they will never be able to get out of this desert alone, and everything they are doing only serves to keep them lost.  In that miraculous moment, their white flag of surrender does not mark the giving up of all hope, but the laying down of who they are in trade for something much better...

Maybe that's all it takes.

What would happen if we just decided that we were moving on.  That we were leaving that looping cycle of defeat.  Not quitting.  Not abandoning the journey. But moving forward through the power and strength of Jesus Christ alone. Maybe we just start walking in that direction toward new life. Just a simple "yes" to God to do one simple thing His way... and we just start walking.  Sure, we'll make mistakes along the way.  We'll fail.  We'll stumble and fall.  But we won't beat ourselves up. And we won't go back to the desert.  We'll simply stand back up and keep walking.  Through faith.  One step at a time. Always saying "yes" to God because we've chosen to believe He's working it all out.

God can do miraculous things... He can heal the sick, bring the dead to life, part the seas, bring down fire from heaven... and so much more.  But I believe He can also crawl right into the middle of our mess, put His arms around us, and gently lead us out, one step at a time.  Loving, Leading, and Comforting all along the way.  And He does this because we are His and He desires to be with us forever.  Will we trust Him?

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!

If I Only Had the Time...

"Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil.  Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is." Ephesians 5:15-17

Today is the day before Thanksgiving, and I'm feeling introspective.  About 6 weeks ago, we quit homeschooling and put our kids in public school.  It has been wonderful and the kids are blossoming in ways that warm my heart.  Not only that, but it has brought a freshness into my relationship with each child because now I'm just mom.  I get to be someone they want to tell all their stories to, and a soft place to land when days are hard.  And sometimes, they actually miss me.  It's not that we didn't have a good relationship before, but this is definitely better. 

And now I'm a free agent.  Free to go and do whatever, whenever, I want.  And honestly, it's weighing on my heart... 

Like most people, I want to live my life well, especially now that I have all this free time.  I'm overwhelmingly aware that the time I have right now... seven hours alone every day... is a GIFT that could easily be squandered, but MUST be used WISELY.  Like the verse at the top says, I have to walk carefully and make the best use of my time, and in my life I've done my share of poor stepping, lackadaisical standing around, and squandering precious time completely away.  That's why I've been praying pretty earnestly for God to open my eyes and give me wisdom to follow in HIS footsteps.  

And now I see it.  Time has always been a gift.  Sure, I have more time on my hands now than I really know what to do with, but that doesn't make it any more of a gift than it was before.  I was always saying I didn't have time for this or that, or wished I had more time for one thing or another.  God's truth is that how much time you have isn't what really matters, it's what you choose to do with it that counts.  

We all know people who seem to have endless time.  One friend I know homeschools five daughters, runs two businesses, holds church in her home, and still has time for friends, gardening, and family fun.  I look at her and think I must be doing something wrong!  LOL  

But honestly, friends, it's truly all about perspective and CHOICE.  In this new season of my life, I have to begin to do the "hard" things.  I have to start chipping away at all my lists of things I've been saving for "when I have more time."  I was foolish to save those things for later because NOW is the time.  TODAY is the day of salvation.  My prayer for myself and all my loved ones is that we will cherish every moment we are given and obediently follow the Lord's voice in all things.  

Perspective

photo credit

I tell you, her sins--and they are many--have been forgiven, so she has shown me much love. But a person who is forgiven little shows only little love. Luke 7:47, NLT 

Let's be real for a second... With all our selfishness, pride, anger, jealousy, backbiting, greed, lust, idolatry, and murderous, adulterous thinking, has any of us really only been "forgiven little"?  I'm starting to think the truth of this verse is all a matter of perspective.  

There is no one righteous, not even one,
there is no one who understands,
there is no one who seeks God.
All have turned away,
together they have become worthless; 
Romans 3:10b-12

According to the Word of God, none of us can say we have been "forgiven little," but sometimes our lives show that's exactly what we believe.  

Let's look back at the comparisons made in Luke 7:36-50.  Jesus went to dinner at Simon's house, and Simon showed little care for Jesus... no water for His feet, no kiss of greeting, no anointing oil for His head. Even though Simon was a "church-goer," and a religious leader, he wanted to meet with Jesus in his home, eating the meal he provided, with the people he invited to be there... his way, his turf, on his schedule.  

What did the sinful woman do in comparison?  She sought Jesus out and did not rest until she found Him.  She entered a place where she was not invited and humbled herself before Christ in the face of her enemies.  She became undignified in throwing herself at His feet.  She kissed his feet and anointed them with tears and expensive perfume.  She wiped His feet with her hair.  She was desperate.  

I can imagine how she felt.  She wanted everything she had and everything she was to be completely laid-out before the One who would forgive her and save her life.  She knew her sin was great, and she was grateful.  She would not, could not, rest until all the love she felt for Him was fully expressed, fully spent.  Wherever He was, she wanted to be there.  Whatever He offered, she wanted to receive.  Whatever He said, she wanted to hear.  

And what was His response?  

He saw her.  He forgave her.  He loved her.  And He spoke the words she so desperately longed to hear... "Your sins are forgiven... Your faith has saved you; go in peace."

We have all been forgiven the same amount: completely.  Whether we are murderers and child molesters, or cradle-Christian housewives, we have ALL been forgiven MUCH.  When we really humble ourselves before God and see our sin for what it is... the very thing that crucified His Son, Jesus Christ... we will overflow with gratefulness and our hearts will cry out to serve Him above all others! 

The sacrifices God desires are a humble spirit--O God, a humble and repentant heart you will not reject. Psalm 51:17, NET Bible.  

Prayer

"Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for His compassions never fail.  They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness." 
Lamentations 3:22-23

"I don't want anything to stand between us, oh God.  I want to walk tucked up underneath Your arm... wrapped in Your love, Your voice whispering in my ear as I live out this day." 

"I wanna stay right here, Father, right here in the midst of You..."

"I repent and renounce all that I have placed between us, and I place it under the Blood of Jesus.  I release it to You without burden and without condemnation, for You have made me blameless in Christ." 

"You have filled my life with love, peace, and good works in Christ.  You have made my life worth something, Father, and I'm so unspeakably grateful."

"Fill me up with Your Spirit and Your Word, oh God, and let what You have placed within me overflow to others today.  Allow my life to make a real and lasting and beautiful difference in the lives of those around me." 

"Without You I have nothing, and I am nothing, and everything is worth nothing.  All of life is empty without You, for You alone are worthy of praise, Oh God."