Archive for November, 2010

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Nighttime Thoughts

Monday, November 29th, 2010

What thoughts run through your mind when you can’t sleep at night? If you’re like me, your imagination probably falls into one or more of these categories:

  • The next day’s to-do list. Where should I begin? How will I get everything done?
  • Worries about kids and other family members.
  • How to address an irritation in a relationship.
  • How to rise above difficult circumstances.
  • How to encourage a loved one who’s facing a hard time.
  • How to respond to a particular conversation or incident in the past.
  • How to accomplish a particular goal or tackle a certain project.

The downside of entertaining the above is that my brain races and prevents me from enjoying a good sleep. The only solution is to deliberately turn my thoughts to prayer. Rather than worrying about the negative what-ifs, I commit them to the Lord. I discipline myself to give thanks and to praise God for His faithfulness. Doing so settles my mind and brings rest.

The Psalmist wrote wise words when he penned, “I reflect at night on who you are, O LORD; therefore, I obey your instructions” (Psalm 119:55).  Reflecting on God’s character is an important discipline at all times, but especially at night when anxious thoughts tend to run rampant. Habitually doing so increases our understanding of who God is and enables us to trust and obey.

As the Christmas season approaches, I’m focusing on the truth found in Isaiah 7:14—“Behold, a virgin will be with child and bear a son, and she will call His name Immanuel.” When anxious or busy thoughts threaten to keep me awake, I turn them to the reality of Immanuel—God with us—and thank Him that He’s fully reliable to take care of whatever concerns me.

How do you handle sleepless nights?

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More Than Fire Insurance

Friday, November 26th, 2010

I’ve heard some people label salvation as “fire insurance.” They pray the sinner’s prayer, receive their spiritual ticket into heaven, and think that’s the end of the story. Nothing’s further from the truth.

Placing one’s trust in Jesus for salvation is only the beginning. It’s simply saying yes to accepting God’s free gift of eternal life. But then we need to do something with that gift—something more than setting it on a shelf to retrieve when death comes knocking. We need to explore, experience, and enjoy the gift.

1 Peter 2:2 refers to craving “pure spiritual milk so that we will grow into a full experience of salvation.” According to this verse, salvation is more than just the moment when we embrace forgiveness made possible through Jesus Christ’s death and resurrection. Salvation is an experience that lasts a lifetime. And we determine how rich that experience will be.

What are some of the factors determining the outcome?

  • Whether or not we read and study God’s Word
  • Whether or not we obey God’s Word
  • Whether or not we spend time fellowshipping with other believers who are passionate about their relationship with Jesus
  • Whether or not we’re regularly sharing God’s love with those who don’t yet know Him

 

Without a doubt, there are more factors than these I’ve listed. The point is, salvation is more than a one-time deal snatching us from the fire. It’s an experience marked by spiritual growth. It’s a journey that leads us into an ever-deepening understanding of God’s character and purposes. It’s full. It’s sweet. And it’s one to be desired and pursued with all our hearts.

Personally, one of the things I appreciate most about my experience of salvation is discovering how God wants to speak to me through Scripture. I love, love, love meeting with Him early each morning to read His words and journal what He says. Granted, it takes discipline, but getting out of bed is no longer a hardship. Now it’s a joy, knowing that He’s waiting to meet with me on the loveseat, in the quiet of my little living room.

By what means are you growing into a full experience of salvation?

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Love Deeply

Wednesday, November 24th, 2010

Mother Teresa said, “It is easy to love those who are far away. It isn’t always easy to love those who are right next to us. It is easier to offer a dish of rice to satisfy the hunger of a poor person than to fill up the loneliness and suffering of someone lacking love in our own family.”

I believe Mother Teresa’s right. Sometimes it’s easier to, say, fill a shoebox with toys and treats for a child overseas than to address a friend or family member’s needs, especially when that person is difficult to love. Given a choice, I’d rather lavish love long-distance, even if it’s never acknowledged, than risk being misunderstood or used by someone known with a difficult personality. It’s easier to invest in a stranger than in a human sponge who irritates me or absorbs my time and energy with little or no return. Can you relate?

1 Peter 1:22 challenges my attitude: “You were cleansed from your sins when you obeyed the truth, so now you must show sincere love to each other as brothers and sisters. Love each other deeply with all your heart.”

The last phrase pokes me in the conscience. Love each other deeply with all your heart.

Sheesh—if only it read something like this: “Love those who are easy to love. As for the others, well, love them as you can, when you feel like it, and in whatever manner is most comfortable for you.” My life would be much simpler if I could edit and tweak those eight words.

Making my life simple isn’t what God’s about. He’s about making me holy, about making me reflect His character to a watching world. Because He loves deeply from the heart, so must I. In some instances, doing so might prove inconvenient, costly, time-consuming, or downright difficult. No one understands this more than God. And no one’s more qualified to show me how to do it, especially when it seems an impossible task.

Perhaps a good morning prayer would be, “God, please open my eyes to those near me who are lacking love today. Show me how love them deeply from my heart, and then enable me to do it well.” Yes, I think I’ll add this one to the beginning of each day. I wonder how God will answer? Will you pray it, too?

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What Does Holiness Look Like?

Monday, November 22nd, 2010

This morning I read a short article by Chuck Colson in which he trumpeted a call for the North American church to repent. He noted that many believers are wringing their hands at the state of current affairs. He says we’re blaming the liberals, the gays, and the pro-abortionists when, in reality, we ought to be looking in the mirror. He says we’ve tried so hard to fit in with our neighbors and our society that we’re no longer salt and light, and it’s time to turn things around.

Sadly, Colson’s insights are nothing new. Ezekiel bore the same message a long, long time ago. He called God’s people to forsake their idols, to stop intermarrying, to refuse anything ceremonially unclean. He called for them to live in holiness and to establish their laws based on God’s regulations (Ezekiel 44, 45).

The essence of Colson’s message to believers today is much the same. Repent—change one’s thinking, make a U-turn, and walk in God’s ways. In day to day living, here’s what that looks like:

  • Forsake idols—anything that’s robbing from God the love He deserves. (ie: Money, our home and furniture, our job, physical appearance, a relationship, even ministry.)
  • Fill our minds with what’s pure and holy. Say no to movies, magazines and books that cause us to fantasize and lust. Say no to entertainment that promotes violence.
  • Remain faithful to one’s spouse. Run from temptation! No “innocent” flirting or emotional affairs.
  • Seek to control the tongue. No backbiting, no gossip, no yelling, no lies. Speak the truth in love. Speak words that encourage and promote life.
  • Love others unconditionally. Yikes! That one seems a little much, don’t you think? Sorry. No excuses.
  • Exercise integrity. Keep your promises. Be a person who’s trustworthy at all times.

 

These are just a few examples of how God expects His kids to live in today’s world. We’re to live this way not because we get eternal Brownie points for being good but because God is holy and we’re to reflect Him. We’re to live above compromise and to shine as lights in the darkness around us.

Thankfully He doesn’t expect us to accomplish this on our own. As we walk in a love relationship with Him, He works in us to make us holy: “God, the Father, knew you and chose you long ago, and his Spirit has made you holy. As a result, you have obeyed him and have been cleansed by the blood of Jesus Christ” (1 Peter 1:2).

One of my prayers is that God will teach me to walk in moment by moment revival. That means being willing to repent of careless words or inappropriate actions or thoughts. I want to shine for Him. I want my life to be spiritually salty so others will thirst for Christ. I pray that the same desire will be true in your life. Together, we can make a difference in the world around us as we walk in God’s ways.

What does holiness look like to you?

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What does Wisdom Look Like?

Friday, November 19th, 2010

When my kids were toddlers, I began praying that God would grant them wisdom beyond their years. My desire was for them to succeed in every aspect of their lives, and I believed possessing wisdom would be vital to that success becoming reality.

More than two decades have passed, and I still believe the same is true. I also understand more about wisdom and what it looks like. Here are some character qualities that wise men and women exhibit, based on James 3:13-17:

  • An understanding of God’s ways
  • An honorable lifestyle
  • A desire to do good works
  • Humility
  • Purity
  • Peace loving
  • Gentleness at all times
  • Willingness to yield to others
  • Full of mercy
  • Sincerity

Who wouldn’t want those characteristics to be true of one’s family members? Imagine the heartache that could be diverted and the harmony that could be enjoyed if everyone possessed these qualities. And then there’s the flip side….

What character qualities do wise men and women not possess?

  • Jealousy
  • Selfish ambition
  • Boasting
  • Lying

Interestingly, Scripture says outright that “jealousy and selfishness are not God’s kind of wisdom” (v. 15). It even says “such things are earthly, unspiritual, and demonic.” Dem’s strong words! And they increase my motivation to pray for my family—that they’ll run from any hint of those behaviors and attitudes and pursue godly wisdom instead.

How about you? What insights do you have about wisdom? How can you turn these thoughts about wisdom into prayers for your kids and grandkids?

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Quiet Waters

Wednesday, November 17th, 2010

Last Thursday I finished teaching a seven-part DVD series to accompany the forthcoming study titled Moving From Fear to Freedom: A Woman-to-Woman Conversation Guide.  I hadn’t realized how much energy I’d put into this project until Saturday rolled around and I felt like I’d been hit by an 18-wheeler. My husband tucked me into bed for an afternoon nap (I never take midday naps….) and I slept 10 hours that night (I’ve never slept that long in my life, I’m sure!).

Small group study to be released early in 2011!

 

My hubby, knowing that this was totally out of character for me, decided that it was time for a break. Bless his heart, he reserved a little cabin at a nearby resort – a resort with hot mineral pools. Yesterday we threw a change of clothes and our swimsuits into a suitcase, and off we went. The highlight of our getaway? The pools.

Today I feel like a human raisin, but every wrinkle is worth it. Soaking in those quiet waters, far from my computer and phone, has refreshed me and enabled me to return to my workload with renewed vigor.  Even my neck, with its painful arthritic spurs, feels better than it’s felt for more than two months.

As we drove home this afternoon, a couple of phrases from Psalm 23 came to mind: “He leads me beside quiet waters. He restores my soul” (vv.2,3). How true! God knows what we need when we need it. In times past, He’s restored my soul with an encouraging phone call or email. Sometimes He’s done it through a promise from His Word or through a breath-taking nature scene. This time, He did it, literally, with quiet waters.

How about you? How has He restored your soul? What form have quiet waters taken for you?

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Seeing the Invisible

Monday, November 15th, 2010

Have you ever faced and overcome a major challenge or seeming impossibility? If so, what inspired you to keep going through the hard times?

In 1999, my dad suffered two severe strokes within a couple of weeks. The first caused him to fall from the ladder on which he was standing and resulted in a fractured skull and several broken ribs.

I lived about 800 miles from him and my mom at that time. I remember the day the phone call came bringing the sad news and compounding our already topsy-turvy situation: We’d just moved into a house that desperately needed to be cleaned and painted. Boxes filled each room, waiting to be unpacked. I’d committed several weeks prior (before the move was scheduled) to accompany an editor to Texas for a week-long conference. That trip was only a few days away, and I’d return just in time for my youngest daughter’s surgery.

My extended family encouraged me to fulfill my commitment to the editor with the understanding that I’d make an emergency trip home if Dad’s condition failed. Thankfully that didn’t happen, but he suffered the second stroke a week after my return. I immediately dropped everything I was doing and drove the 800 miles to be with my parents.

Challenging? Oh yes. I remember falling to my knees in my girlhood bedroom and crying out to God on my dad’s behalf, begging for physical strength for myself, and asking Him to presence Himself with my family. To say I felt overwhelmed would be an understatement. So what kept me going? Keeping my eyes on the One who is invisible.

As I sat at my dad’s hospital bedside far from my husband and children, I disciplined my mind to focus on the character of God. I reminded myself that He was sovereign, fully in control of this situation. I reminded myself that He was good…all the time…even when my dad suffered paralysis from his second stroke. If I’d allowed my thoughts to wander into fear-filled places or self-pitied spaces, I’d have succumbed to exhaustion and hopelessness. But keeping my eyes on God enabled me to keep going through those unforgettable weeks.

Keeping our eyes on God in the hard places of life is vital to our ability to keep going. Moses knew all about it: “It was by faith that Moses left the land of Egypt, not fearing the king’s anger. He kept right on going because he kept his eyes on the one who is invisible” (Hebrews 11:27). Defying Pharaoh’s anger and chased by an army as he approached the Red Sea with nearly 3 ½ million people in his care, Moses focused on God and did what He told him to do in the face of incomprehensible odds. If he’d focused on his fears instead, he surely would have faltered and probably failed to obey God’s orders.

How do you get through life’s challenging places? If focusing on the invisible One is your method to survive and thrive, what specific actions do you implement?

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How Big is Your Faith?

Friday, November 12th, 2010

Sarah’s story is a fascinating account of faith in the face of impossible odds. God had promised her a child when in reality, she was barren and miles beyond menopause. Humanly speaking, her chances of conceiving and giving birth were zero.  

How did Sarah respond to that promise? Initially she guffawed: “Who, me? Pregnant at my age? Yeah, right.” Then she trusted, at least until she tired of waiting and decided to help God by bringing Hagar into the picture. And yet, throughout her life was woven a strand of faith that believed God would fulfill even in the face of impossible circumstances. “It was by faith that even Sarah was able to have a child, though she was barren and was too old” (v. 11).

How big was Sarah’s faith, really? Sometimes we see her as a spiritual giant of sorts, but is that image true? Scripture shows us that she waffled and wavered as she waited for God to fulfill His promise. Being the human that she was, she messed up occasionally and rushed ahead of Him. Perhaps her faith was more like a grain of sand than Mt. Everest. And yet God fulfilled His promise to her and made her the mother of a great nation.

That thought brings me great encouragement. If there was hope for Sarah, there’s hope for me! You see, sometimes I waffle and waver, too. Sometimes I rush ahead of God. Sometimes I grow impatient and mess up. Thankfully God, in His kindness and sovereignty, fulfills His promises to me nonetheless.

How about you? Can you relate to Sarah’s story? Perhaps you’re waiting for God to fulfill a promise He’s made to you and, in all honesty, your faith feels weak and wobbly at times. Be encouraged…exercise the faith you have, and know that God will fulfill in His way and in His time. If there’s hope for Sarah, there’s hope for you, my friend!

Be blessed, and have a good weekend. If you have a moment, answer this question: What promise from God’s Word encourages you to exercise faith in the face of the impossible?

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Permanent Stain Remover

Wednesday, November 10th, 2010

Sometimes our failures and mistakes blot our history like stains on a comfy shirt. We try hard to forget or remove them but nothing works. And so we go through life carrying a burden of shame, or we ask forgiveness over and over and over again.

I address that issue in Moving From Fear to Freedom in the chapter titled “Facing the Ghosts of Our Past.” I also teach a retreat session on it. It’s a sensitive one for me because I share from my heart about struggles I’ve faced, how the enemy duped me with lies for years, and how God finally set me free. Tomorrow evening, I’ll teach a shortened version for the 7th and final recording session for the DVD series based on this book. Wouldn’t ya know it? Today as I read in my devotions, God gave me Scriptures that are custom-designed for this topic.

Hebrews 10 tells us about the sacrifices made in OT times. “If they could have provided perfect cleansing, the sacrifices would have stopped, for the worshipers would have been purified once for all time, and their feelings of guilt would have disappeared. But instead, those sacrifices actually reminded them of their sins year after year. For it is not possible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins” (vv. 2-4).

Year after year, people made these animal sacrifices to receive cleansing from their sins, but the stain remained on their hearts. Nothing they did could fully remove the feelings of guilt and shame for the wrongs they’d committed.

But when Christ came, everything changed. “Under the old covenant, the priest stands and ministers before the altar day after day, offering the same sacrifices again and again, which can never take away sins. But our High Priest offered himself to God as a single sacrifice for sins, good for all time. Then he sat down in the place of honor at God’s right hand….For by that one offering he forever made perfect those who are being made holy” (vv. 11,12,14).

Christ’s shed blood became the permanent sin-stain remover. When we place our faith in Him, it washes our heart’s history clean. Yes, the enemy might tempt us to second-guess that cleansing work by bringing up constant reminders of past failures and mistakes, but we mustn’t allow him the pleasure of victory. When he tries to discourage us, we can turn those moments into prayers of thanksgiving for Christ’s work on our behalf. And we can find hope and joy in knowing that Christ Himself doesn’t remember our blotches. “Then he says, ‘I will never again remember their sins and lawless deeds’” (v. 17). How sweet is that?  

Have your sin-stains been permanently removed? If not, it’s time to ask Christ to do His magnificent work in your heart: “Father, thank You for shedding Your blood for my sin.  Cleanse me from my sin and create in me a new heart. I trust You alone for my salvation and to make me holy. In Jesus’ name, Amen.”

Know you are loved…

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Can God be Trusted?

Monday, November 8th, 2010

Over and over again, God invites me to trust Him with every detail of my life. Truth is, I don’t always do it because it’s scary sometimes…especially when I don’t understand how the puzzle pieces fit together.

The Israelites felt the same way. We know that’s true by their negative response when God told them to enter the Promised Land. They failed to trust and obey because, despite His guaranteed sovereignty on their behalf, they couldn’t imagine marching into enemy territory and claiming victory. If only they’d known His heart for them. Maybe they would have responded in a different way.

Ezekiel 20:5,6 says, “When I chose Israel—when I revealed myself to the descendants of Jacob in Egypt—I took a solemn oath that I, the Lord, would be their God. I took a solemn oath that day that I would bring them out of Egypt to a land I had discovered and explored for them—a good land, a land flowing with milk and honey, the best of all lands anywhere.”

Do these sound like flippant words spoken by a god who didn’t really care about Israel’s well-being? I think not. They’re solemn words spoken by the living God who loved His people intensely. He’d taken an oath that He would be their God—forever on their side, forever faithful to watch over them and provide for their needs. He’d picked out the best land for them and checked out every detail before giving them marching orders. He knew the outcome of their obedience, and He guaranteed that it would be good. And yet, the people refused to trust and obey. Why? Because they didn’t understand His character or His love for them.

The same is true for you and me. When God asks us to trust Him and we fail to do so, it all boils down to one thing: we don’t understand His character or His love. If we did, the unknown wouldn’t frighten us. We’d trust Him with every detail of our lives without hesitation even if we didn’t understand how the puzzle pieces fit together.

God has sworn to be our God. He takes His responsibility for us seriously. With that in mind, let’s choose to trust Him. Imagine the freedom and rest we could experience. No more worries. No more doubts. No more fears.

 Any thoughts? Do you think God can be trusted with the details of your life?

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