HOPE...hope...Hope...

Hope comes in many forms & sizes.  It comes in the big things & the small things-in the simple things & in the complicated things!  I was pondering writing this entry a week ago & when I went to church the sermon was on..you guessed it...hope!  There's a saying that says "hope springs eternal" but sometimes not so much!  We know as believers our hope is in Christ & in Christ alone but we are human & "life happens".  We hope for many things in this life & our ultimate hope of heaven is assured with our salvation.  Some of the things we hope for never come to pass & we must trust the Lord that it really is OK.

When I think of hope I also think of suffering, for those who suffer often have lost hope.  I heard it said that in America we pray for God to remove our suffering but in third world countries they pray for God to help them through it.  Why is that?  Well, for one thing we have a certain degree of  "entitlement" in America I believe but also when you live in physical, mental, &/or financial poverty your expectations are simply to make it to the next day.  In a perfect world we might strike a happy medium but we live in an imperfect world but ... with a perfect God!  Praise his mighty name.  In that sermon pastor said we can make our suffering a moat or a bridge & over the past year I have had more than one chance to put that to the test!  Sometimes we have to do what we have to do whether we want to or not & often we must accept things we would rather not.

 I was recently in the midst of a "financially interesting" week which started with a thousand dollar+ dental bill & ended with a thousand dollar car bill.  I made a very intentional decision to smile, ignore the fact that the car repair was taking way longer than expected with no explanation until I requested one, & place my hope in Christ & him alone!  Oh yes, mid-week the garbage disposal died to add to my fun.  In fact I was out pricing a disposal when the car started a knocking noise!  The Lord truly does care about our everyday issues & I just prayed he would provide.  Right after my dental appointment he had unexpectedly given me some work for the next week & I had worked out a payment plan with the dentist so I was feeling pretty good about that.  Then I sold something I had advertised & it was enough to take care of the disposal which was great as it was creating a major leak under the sink.  I almost feel guilty not just getting along without it & just catching and dumping the leak because I know we pitch more food in this country probably than people have to eat in some places.  It gives me reason to stop & pray for those people I will never see or know who suffer every day.  It created a bridge to take my inconvenience & make of it an opportunity to pray.  Finally I was surprised & very grateful to learn the car place had a great payment plan & they did a fine job with the car.  We must look beyond our circumstance & hope in Christ or we can drown in the moat of discouragement.

There are all sorts of situations people face every day that are far, far worse than my examples from my week yet they rise above it & hold onto the hope of Christ.  I read a book called Hope Beyond Reason written by a wonderful pastor who went through the battle of cancer & hearing about the hope he & his family clung to was incredibly inspiring.  There is a healthy anticipation in the hope in Christ as opposed to the false self confidence we sometimes have.  It is a hope that literally can heal our body, our mind, & our spirit.  NEVER, ever give up....the Lord has never given up on us and he never will.  I have thought about perseverance often the past few months as I have learned that for muscles to heal they must be used over & over again.  There is a lesson in every single day if we look for it.  That is how those many daily devotionals are written!  (write me at ecbcfbt@gmail.com if you would like a copy of the devotional I wrote, or information about it-I am selling the remaining copies to anyone who writes me for $5 pp and I will sell copies of 6 or more for $3.50 pp. and a full case of 90 for $2ea. plus shipping which runs around $15-20 a case).  I am considering publishing a newer, better one down the road a bit.  The one I wrote is on basic Christian living.

Prov. 13:12 Hope deferred makes the heart sick.
Hebr. 6:19-20 We have this as a sure & steadfast anchor of the soul a hope that enters into the inner shrine behind the curtain, where Jesus has gone as a forerunner on our behalf....
Psalm 71:14 But I will hope continually & praise thee more & more.

(emphasis mine...taken from the RSV-my favorite well worn & torn Bible)

Just a housekeeping note....

Please feel free to share this blog with anyone and my email to anyone who is interested in Biblical Life Coaching (I am a certified Biblical Life Coach & my fees are reasonable-I am also a certified Christian Therapist-I have a Masters in Christian counseling  as well)  You might be able to tell from my blog I love to share how to walk with Jesus & I do email coaching, so folks don't have to live down the road.  Sometimes our walk can be tough & rough but with Jesus the sea always calms.  I still get goosebumps remembering my visit to the Sea of Galilee & knowing my daughter recently saw it from the other side. SO very cool.

Healing, prayers..and golf balls.

This has been the longest season of physical pain in my life but it has brought me closer to the Lord as well it should.  So many scriptures have come to my mind over the months since it started...how the Lord doesn't give us more than we can handle, the thorn that he gave Paul, and so many more.  Healing comes in many ways, and sometimes it does not.  Luke was a physician, but the Lord and his followers healed many supernaturally-just as he does today.  My outstanding issues remaining have been arthritic & sciatic pain, both controlled somewhat by medication.  I accepted the arthritis as a normal part of aging, knowing that the Lord never said life would be free of pain.  The sciatica I have been hoping to have repaired eventually, however the Lord may have another plan.  I should say at this point that many people have prayed many prayers for me for months & the Lord answers prayers in his time not ours.  I am so very grateful for everyone who prayed & I believe I have seen an answer to those faithful prayers & one of the things we should do is share the testimony of what God has done-it is for the encouragement of others.  Often I am reminded to pray especially for those who pray for me.

One of the scriptures I have always liked tells us that we should pray for others that we be healed.  I don't believe that is a "you scratch my back, I'll scratch yours proposition".  I believe that it means if we are faithful to pray for others the Lord will bless us.  Once in awhile I pick out a few people, or a few circumstances, and I fast & pray over them when I feel so led.  I had done this last week & right after that I had seen my massage therapist who said near the end of my massage that she could possibly help the sciatic pain.  So I had a brief treatment for that & she advised whenever the pain might arise to sit (turns out sciatica can be a literal "pain in the butt" quite frankly) on a golf ball!  After the massage I noticed a great reduction of pain over the next few days & I had immediately cut my medication in half!  Although I continue to hatch golf balls once in awhile ;) my pain continues to be roughly only half what it was or less and I take half the medication.  I believe that the Lord is directly responsible for this.  My medication was at a point where it was giving me many unpleasant side effects & now I do not have them at all!  This has vastly improved my outlook in general say nothing of making life a lot less stressful.

Sometimes I am SO frustrated that we as people do not apply the Word to our lives or that we do not acknowledge what God does in our lives-to him or to others.  Sheep are very dumb animals they say, but we do not need to prove it quite so much!  So, odd as this may seem...the Holy Spirit works even with golf balls, definitely with massage therapists (mine is wonderfully gifted), & absolutely with faithful prayer warriors & application of the scriptures.  It is such a shame that health insurance does not cover massage therapy as I have seen it work wonders, both personally & professionally.  I could not even find a physical therapist that did massage awhile back & that does not even make sense to me!  This testimony would not be complete if I did not add that despite my expectations I have been able to work every flu clinic & health screening event I can schedule this fall & after long months of inability to do any sort of work this is a huge blessing.  Thank you Jesus!

My suggested reading these days:
The Knowledge of the Holy by A.W. Tozer on the nature of God  - if we do not understand who God is we cannot be the people he wants us to be!
Both And by Rich Nathan (my pastor) & Insoo Kim on living the Christ-centered life in an either or world-our world is so polarized it is difficult to be a believer and remain balanced & true to our calling.

Walking hand in hand with God.

I have been on a journey of developing a deeper relationship with the Lord.  Recent months of illness have given me a sensitivity to others & their plights & I decided to "fast" from looking at my issues of need or asking anyone to pray for them & I began to focus more on the needs of others & to pray for them more.  I also determined to get to know the Lord better during this time.  It has been a good journey & I came to a place where I felt the Lord beginning to show me things more clearly.  Losing one's independence gives one a feeling of helplessness I had found & he reminded me that many people feel if they give their lives to Christ fully then they will lose the freedom to do as they please.  Just the opposite is true.  If you ask for the presence of the Holy Spirit in your life to be alive and working you will find a freedom you never had before-you will develop the faith that Jesus Christ has your back!  Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom scripture says.  God allows things for a reason.  I was ill and frustrated that I was unable to work, but I began to lean more & more on my Father God for peace which led to me seeing things more clearly & to experience that closer walk I had sought.  There was divine purpose in my situation.

Recently I saw a Christian movie where a young woman sought the Lord & was talking with him about the meaning of various things in the Bible.  The next day in church I sat behind a young lady who resembled that girl I had seen in the movie.  As worship & the word progressed she was very restless.   Normally this would drive me crazy but instead I felt a deep need to pray for her salvation.  I could tell that she just did not want to be there.  The week before I had been deeply touched that the sermon title was The Generous King which spoke to me especially as one of my "needs" requires just that. It spoke of being aware of "bargaining with God" & being bitter due to our "expectations".  It resembled some of the study I had been doing in that we must focus more on the Lord & our walk with him & he will take care of us.  Had I not watched that movie I might not have had the sensitivity to pray for the clearly restless young lady.  God orchestrates things when we open ourselves the the work of his Spirit.  Had I not been trying to see the Lord more clearly I might not have been as blessed as I was by that sermon.  It was one of those times it seemed as though it was just for me.  Ever been there?

As if that was not enough, today's sermon was Waiting for the King which again seemed as if it was meant just for me, as I have been waiting on the Lord for one important thing & then I suddenly had two things to wait for as a result of me having tried to fix the first thing!  Ever been there?  These are the times our faith is tried & if we just give ourselves over to the work of the Lord then we find he takes care of everything.  The message spoke of the foolish & wise virgins, and said that the foolish ones were like a husband being impatient waiting for his wife.  The wise ones were willing to work for their needs while awaiting the King. Sometimes we can just sit there tapping our foot impatiently or we can do what we can do & trust the rest to the Lord & rest in him.  Our lifestyles have taught us we must have every convenience which can lead to impatience, laziness, & entitlement.  Pastor talked about being the bride of the King (which I had been studying), our position while experiencing the delay of the King (the virgins all fell asleep, yet the wise ones had sufficient oil).  The sleep of the wise is peaceful.   Then I heard "The two main ways God changes us is pain & waiting" and it certainly struck a cord.  I certainly have had plenty of that recently, but....I am coming out the other side walking closer with God.  The situation pressed me to seek the Lord more than answers, & to develop the faith that he will supply them all in due time.

We must be open to the Holy Spirit & allow the Lord to use our circumstances to draw us closer to him & to think more of others than ourselves.  (Seems there is a scripture about that!)  He is so generous he allows us to serve him, & if we do so he will in turn  be looking out for our welfare.
Mt. 20:1-16 The Generous King
Mt. 25: 1-13 Waiting for the King
Contemplating & studying the parables of Jesus is an important task, & it also struck me that I had recently decided to spend some time just looking at the words of Christ.  There is a book called The Hard Sayings of Jesus by FF Bruce.  We must understand Jesus to be closer to him and this understanding comes through prayer, study, and hearing of the word of God.  The very first song today has been one that has blessed me repeatedly in recent months.  Some of the words are  "your love never fails,  never gives up on me, never runs out" & when things "come together" like I have described it is a confirmation from the Lord that you are headed in the right direction & he is right there beside you every step of the way.

Knowing God intimately - the key to victory!

The word "intimate" in reference to God may scare people, but remember God himself says that we are his "bride".  That is a pretty intimate statement.  Our relationship progresses from being a lump of clay on the potter's wheel at salvation to being the bride of Christ!  One might liken it to the introduction of a new person who eventually becomes your spouse, in that the relationship must grow & evolve.  At first, we are like sheep following a shepherd, and he says we know his voice as such.  Many get stuck there, not always understanding the voice of God & feeling they are guessing at whether they heard it or not.  One may "test" the spirits the Word says...& so we can line up what we think we heard against scripture or how we feel against scripture to see if it is the Holy Spirit or the spirit of the evil one.  One basic consideration is peace versus confusion as when God speaks a word of wisdom to you there is peace attached.  When satan speaks to us, there is confusion incorporated into that attempt to walk us down the wrong path.  If we are honest, we all have at some time followed the wrong voice.  Satan will use that to beat us up repeatedly reminding us of our mistakes & sins, but God can use that to teach us how to hear more clearly next time.

Getting back to intimacy, as we walk with God we learn that he is the master & we delight in knowing we are his servant as we do things in the kingdom for him.  From the shut-in who is a valiant prayer warrior for others to the missionary who puts themselves in harm's way so that they can witness for Christ & everything in between, people learn to work for & with God.  It is at this point that I think sometimes a disconnect occurs.  We are saved, we are trying to hear the voice of God, & we are serving him.  Suddenly it is like a brick wall surrounds our prayers, God has disappeared from sight, & we are unsure who we are in Christ!  Someone suggests that we are a friend of God & that he is our closest friend, always at the ready to help us.  Someone else may suggest that he is our parent, & as so, we are the child of a king, entitled to the prosperity, dignity, & resources of a king.  We may mentally accept that he is our best friend & that we are his child, but emotionally we still feel defeat in moving our life forward spiritually, practically, & emotionally.  Confusion creeps in as the enemy of our soul invades our thoughts & reminds us of past mistakes, developing fear in our minds about any future victory.

It is at this juncture we need to take a look at the degree of intimacy we have with the Lord, & ask ourselves how well we really "know" the Lord.  Knowing him means feeling wrapped in his love as you would feel wrapped in the love of a betrothed, & it means feeling that "connection" in communication with him that induces a strong sense of security much like putting in a security system in your home that is connected to the police, fire, & rescue stations.  Knowing God is to have a feeling of immense protection & the ability to have very intimate conversation at any time.  OK, that sounds very nice but how do we get there?  I believe it is through praise & worship that we should draw so close to God that we are inspired, awed, or excited about our closeness to him.  Folks use the terms interchangeably but they are not the same-you might praise your Mom for a job well done at work, but you would not worship her.  Worship is a term meant for God alone, despite the fact that we have come to worship idols in our lives we do not even realize.  What you expend the most emotion on, that is not God, is your idol.  For some it is money, for some it can be alcohol, sex, power, pride, etc. 

My experience has been that praise should lead into worship whether at home or at church.  When you enter into praising God for all he is & has done for you it should bring you "into his presence" which is a glorious place-the presence of the king of kings is a quiet humbling place where you are so in awe of his majesty you bow, whether in your heart or physically.  This can occur in song or in prayer-it is a deeply spiritual place where you feel so comfortable & open to his spirit that your knowledge of him & relationship with him grows & deepens.  The word says that we are a kingdom of priests.  In the Old Testament we read about the Holy of Holies where only the priests are allowed to go.  We, as priests, can enter the Holy of Holies, which is the very presence of God!  Just as it would be difficult for Old Testament believers to understand what the Holy of Holies was like, it is difficult today to understand the very intimate presence of the Lord unless we have been there.  I would suggest that getting there simply requires an open mind & a patient quiet spirit as you praise him in song or prayer.  At some point you will feel the Holy Spirit move you into genuine "worship" & that is when you know you are indeed in his presence-you can literally feel it surrounding you.  When we voluntarily accept Christ as our personal savior we are indwelt by the Holy Spirit, but it is at these times that we are filled with the H.S. to overflowing.  As this intimacy grows it becomes much more evident in our everyday life in that we come into his presence much more quickly, often in an instant.  You can literally feel him suddenly surround you with his presence & peace.  I have at times had this happen unexpectedly, as one might have a friend just drop in one day to say hello.  Not knowing why he desires this intimate closeness I just begin to pray or sing & praise to him.  He may or may not show me why he suddenly wanted to be up close & very personal but I always know there was a reason & I am blessed to have had some time in the Holy of Holies!

So, back to why this is the key to victory...well, in a normal human relationships it is intimate closeness ( I mean this as an emotional, mental connection not a physical one) that we have the most victorious results.  When we are down & out who comes to the rescue?  Who accepts us just as we are?  Who doesn't judge us when we make a mistake, but encourage us to get up and go on?  This is a picture of God & is the reflection of a Godly person.  (This is why marriages with the greatest of sexual intimacy can fail if there is not mental/emotional intimacy.  It is also why friendships built on fun & nothing else can fail.)  So, what victorious results do we want to have aside from the wonderful experience of being so close to the Father, Son, & Holy Spirit?  Most of us want our prayers answered, to have peace in our everyday life, & we need to have the level of trust in God that this closeness brings.  We also want to understand the scriptures well, & there is something about intimacy with the writer that makes the words they write come alive.  Therefore, I submit that the closer we are to God the better we know how to pray, feel secure in him, & conduct our lives.

Intimacy with God-seeing him as Daddy, friend, & even husband is not a common teaching in many churches and I have to wonder why.  Probably for the same reason having a personal, voluntary acceptance of Christ as savior is not taught.  It is a failure to understand the most simple of scriptures where there is no true acceptance of Christ, & as if you do not know a person you cannot be intimate with them. If you do not know God in the most simplest of terms you cannot progress to an intimate relationship with him.  We must not forget in this that Jesus left the Holy Spirit as our counselor & the way to hear the counselor is to have close relationship with him.  In spite of the scriptures' description of who he is as a part of the Godhead many continue to see him as some unknown that is in our heart & is represented externally as a dove.  He isn't a dove or an unknown-he is God!  For years I didn't really understand the trinity until I realized the three persons are similar to how we can be a child, parent, friend all at one time! 

Scriptures to help understand knowing God intimately (don't forget to read the ones before & after):
Jn. 10:3, 27 show if you heard his voice once you can continue to.  This is not to say it won't be a challenge at times!
2 Jn 4:1 Sometimes God speaks to us through others, but this scripture explains that we must be cautious in who we listen to.
1 Jn. 4:13-21 Fear or unforgiveness often interferes with our ability to hear God.  We don't often recognize anxieties stem from fear, or that we've really not forgiven someone.  These things can block conversation with God.  Remember in 2 Tim.1:7 we are told we do not have a spirit of fear!
Rev. 1:6 In both the Old Testament & the New Testament believers are called a kingdom of priests.  (You'll find another reference in Exodus.) This gives us privilege with God.

So, move beyond into the Holy of Holies in your conversations with God (don't just talk at God, speak with God).  Remember this means you must first truly worship God so you can be in his presence.  An attitude of worship when approaching the Lord means everything!  (Thankfulness, praise, & humility can become second nature to us when approaching the Lord.)  Have victory in prayer, with your relationship with the Lord, & in life.  When Christ was crucified for us the curtain in the Holy of Holies was torn allowing all access to the intimate presence of God.  It belongs to every Christian forever.


                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             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COUNT IT ALL JOY....

This has indeed been the winter of trials & tribulations for me.  In the midst of working at a 3rd job last fall/winter I was overcome with pain in my legs.  This led to many Dr. visits & tests, and a lot of confusion.  Eventually I was diagnosed with 2 things, given medication & did Physical Therapy.  Things seemed to be improving when suddenly I was overtaken with leg pain again in one of my legs.  After some trial & error this also was diagnosed and I am currently undergoing more treatment & praying for complete healing of this severe pain that can come on so very unexpectedly & last way longer than one would expect.  Despite months of discouragement at being pretty much imprisoned by my affliction it has given me the opportunity to reflect on what I can learn from it & how I can grow spiritually as a result.

One very practical lesson has been an insight into what it must be like to those who are permanently disabled.  When I see a soldier on TV who has lost all four limbs and is pushing through the loss to greater things it brings tears to my eyes as I have a tiny idea of how imprisoned he was at first by this.  When I hear someone criticize or look with judgement at a person who is disabled it makes me righteously angry!  It has become evident to me that many places have a lack of adequate handicapped spaces, & if I ever see someone who is not disabled use one of those spaces I will be very incensed!  I have had the unhappy experience at least 3 times of thinking I could not possibly physically walk another step being a reality!  As I have talked to people I have heard stories of people being judged for using handicapped helps because their handicap was not visible.  These folks must feel very sad when this happens.

James says in 5:16 "...pray for one another that you may be healed."  In 5:13 he says "Is any one among you suffering?  Let him pray."  When you are in a lot of pain your prayers can be pretty short & pleading, so I asked everyone I could think of to pray-I worked that scripture to the max!  I also prayed that those who prayed for me would be blessed & healed.  I learned long ago that when you are confronted with a problem you go to God's word & figure out how to deal with it.  I am so thankful for all the prayers said on my behalf & God is answering them...maybe not as fast as I want, but in his time for his reasons.  I trust that he does bless those who pray for others because his word says so!

James declares in 1:2-3 "Count it all joy, my brethren, when you meet various trials, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness.  As I have gone through this trial I have thought a great deal about the testing of faith, & that is a good thing to understand.  It is those who walk in faith that are victorious in the righteous things in life.  James 1:4 says " And let steadfast have it's full effect, that you may be perfect & complete, lacking in nothing.  It is a fact that we live in a fallen world and these trials will befall us, but what the enemy means for ruin God uses for good.  Everything that we experience we can turn into a blessing, if in no other way but we can appreciate others who go through similar things and perhaps be of comfort to them.  We may find a cause we want to support for the betterment of lives, we may dig into the Word and see things we never did before.

1 Peter 5:10 has been my ministry verse for years as a Christian counselor.  It says "And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, establish, & strengthen you."  I sure have wanted to be restored & strengthened these past few months!  As we look at verses 6-9 Peter speaks of humility, giving the Lord your anxieties, being watchful for the enemy and resisting him.  I can tell you being even temporarily disabled can be humbling!  I know some folks let it make them angry & resentful but that only makes the situation worse.  Watching for the attacks of satan (I refuse to capitalize his name!) & resisting him is all important.  Many folks have no idea how to do this.  One very effectual way is seen in Ephesians 6: 10-18.  Understanding & spiritually wearing the armor of God is essential for the victorious believer.  When I prayed the scriptures in the midst of this trial I saw results!  It drove discouragement right out the window!  Peter also tell us that suffering is required of all  the brotherhood throughout the world (5:9) & I have learned that you can always think of someone worse off & pray for them instead of dwell on your own afflictions.

Most recently Isaiah 40:31 has helped me count it all joy as it says "but they that wait for the Lord shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings as eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint."  This has been a 6 month waiting game and it isn't quite over yet & I certainly want to be renewed & walk without fainting & even run again!  As frustrating & confining as this affliction has been, it has also been an opportunity to grow.  Everything in life is such an opportunity if we apply the Word of God to it & do our best to live it.  We often wonder why God allows such things but if we accept them & let him teach us we can be actually thankful for the affliction & find the blessings in it.  We can be stronger, wiser, & perhaps more understanding of the really afflicted in this world.  Ecclesiastes 2 tells us "there is a time to heal" as well as a " a time to speak".  I am waiting for the healing expectantly & ready to share the lessons of the period of affliction.

BUT WAIT........................

At this point as I was claiming Isaiah 40:31, not so surprisingly, I was struck down yet again!  Praying for the ability to just walk again without pain or "faint"...I did exactly that!  I fainted-completely out of the blue-no warning!  I awoke to find all strength had simply flowed out of my body so I called 911 & then I called my son.  The next 5 days are mostly a blur except for the enormous blessing of having my son faithfully at my side in the worst of it and faithfully keeping on top of the matter & letting my other children know how I was.  I was kept in bed for most of this time, given medications via IVs, poked, prodded & tested & scanned more times than I can recall.  My lack of strength left little ability to pray except to bless those who were lifting me in prayer.  My days were spent in & out of sleep, staring blankly at the TV, & having a variety of Drs. come & go.  Having been admitted to the step-down unit I was also placed on a heart monitor for the length of the stay.  My spirits only arose when one of my kids called or my son walked in, & the day I had a call from my son half way around the world I probably lit up the room with my smile.  Eventually with a diagnosis of dehydration, probable infection &/or some blood flow issues, and a couple of minor heart arrhythmia's I was declared well with all tests normal.  Praise God for that!

It would be wonderful if that was the end of the story, but I came home weaker than I ever thought I could be (before this now 6+ month experience) & now having to rebuild my strength from days in bed.  It is a slow process, one day at a time, one small step at a time, to regain one's strength.  So what now to be learned from this journey?  Well, scripture tells us in Prov. 15:13 " A glad heart makes a cheerful countenance..."  This was proven to be true when my daughters traveled several hours & visited to help me and to encourage me.  Amazing what a bouquet of flowers, a scrabble game, a few much needed chores done can do for a person's emotional health.  My son's wife carted me to endless appointments it seemed and ran errands for me over this entire time...something I have done for a few over the years...and it dawned on me...his rewards do come from the work we do for him, and just when we need them.  Being "doers of the word" as James says in 1:22 is so important, no matter what the form, as in doing so we fulfill the laws & promises of God!  Col. 3:17 says "...do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus..."  Many people will do things to get something in return, but the person who just does something to help for no reason other than that is the person you want to see when you are down & out!  The apostle Paul wrote letters of encouragement often & the cards, emails, & phone calls I got from family, friends, & even folks who barely knew me encouraged me to not give up, but to march on.  One verse especially helped me-after the enemy trying to take me out for praying the Isaiah verse my daughter prayed Ps.29:11 for me-"the Lord will give strength unto his people; the Lord will bless his people with peace."  A very few days after that I was strong again!  I also had peace for the first time that I would get past this ordeal & be healthy yet again. 

Romans 15:4 states "For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that by steadfastness & by the encouragement of the scriptures we might have hope."  This says to me that our Bible was meant to be studied & appropriately interpreted so that we might avail ourselves of the very spirit of God that counseled the men of Bible times.  God is Father, Son, & Holy Spirit-creator, savior, counselor...all ever present at creation, at salvation, & forever at our side!  In Jn.2:5 Jesus' mother said to the servants " Do whatever he tells you."  This is what each of us is called to do...whatever he tells us..it isn't a fake it (dead religion) until you make it deal, it is a real deal!  Every day the world makes a deal with the devil every second, but...God's people make a deal with him even more so.  This is why people transverse the globe at their own peril & cost to spread the Good News-this is why people pray without ceasing-this is why people do all sorts of things-because he said to!  He has told me that what I should do right now is to share what I learned in this foggy spot of my life, but even more so to spend some time this summer in extended prayer & study of the word...so that is what I shall do, for whatever his purpose might be.

Lest you think I am a bit nutty for getting this much out of a brief (comparatively) non-life threatening experience I can only say, I call 'em as I see 'em & the Lord used this time to give me some inner reflection & reminders of what his word says & how it works.  That, my friend, kept me connected and encouraged even when I felt horrible and maybe like I might die!  I think I told him at least once if that was what he had in mind, just hurry it up!!  The purpose of this blog is to encourage readers in their life but also in their walk...to motivate them to read God's word in a new light-the light of - it is the manual for life.  And, if they do not have a personal life changing relationship with Christ, to seek it.  That conscious decision to give ourselves wholly to him is the single most important decision we ever make.  If you know anyone who will be encouraged to read this entry or others, or who might actually find the Lord among the lines of this blog, please send them here.  The only cost is a few minutes of their time-few things in life are so free, except of course the gift of salvation, & that can take just a moment of submission.

"The Lord bless you & keep you; the Lord make his face to shine upon you & be gracious to you: the Lord lift up his countenance upon you & give you peace."
Numbers 6:24-26






































 

Take a second look.....this Easter season.

Have you ever made a slice of toast with the toaster unplugged, driven your car without turning it on, or listened to the radio without tuning it to a station?  Probably not.  Suppose a friend introduced you to someone really nice-would you ignore them or speak with them?  What if you needed help & a wise person had all the tools to help you and stood waiting to do just that?  Would you be too fearful, ignorant, or stubborn and insist on doing it alone?  Finally, would you refer to your parent as "it"?  Most likely the answer to all those questions would be no.

How many mysteries do you know?  Perhaps you think of unsolved weather mysteries or wonder why on earth some folks do what they do or ponder the meaning behind medical miracles.  You probably don't think these things are necessarily "spooky" even though you don't understand them.  Sometimes these things are misunderstood & revelation becomes impossible with limited knowledge or risk to learn the truth. 

Have you ever known anyone with what we call a flat affect?  They are simply unresponsive in the normal way to common circumstances.  Some believers are like that-they really don't know how to respond to God or they never get excited about what he does.  They may see God in a completely unrealistic light as "judge" or some mysterious person in the sky.  Some who believe there is a God are not actually believers in the Christian sense as they have no personal relationship with him, just a passing understanding that he exists...even the demons believe in his existence the Bible says.  Man-made religion has turned genuine spirituality into a very watered down semblance of it's former meaning as evidenced in scripture.  Those who have accepted Christ as their personal savior in a very real born again experience of revelation of who God is often spend most of their time focused on Christ, forgetting about the Father in the equation unless they are reading the Old Testament.  Nevertheless, the word says the Father & the Son are one & when we begin to see Christ in the Old Testament it is like a light bulb goes on!  Old Testament prophecy points decisively to the Christ of the New Testament.

What about the pillar of fire that went before the Israelites, Elohim in Genesis, and the mighty rushing wind at Pentecost?  Who is that?  God?  Absolutely God.  Elohim is plural for him in Hebrew.  In our head we know the Father, Son, & Holy Spirit make up the trinity which is a mystery to us to some degree.  One of the key points of the death, resurrection, and ascension of Christ is who he sent to help us until he returns and yet we often fear the Father, plead with the Son to care for us, and fail to know, understand, or embrace the Holy Spirit who is a person left to help us!  Ever hear him referred to as "it"?  Yikes!  God is an it?  I do not think so.  Many fear the Holy Spirit's work as some of it seems to be a mystery but if they think it is "spooky" they are far from right!  Oh, some "religions" may have made it seem that way and shame on them.  That pillar of fire in the desert was the Holy Spirit, that person healed was the work of the Holy Spirit, that sense of conviction when you sin is the Holy Spirit, and the fire appearing at Pentecost was the Holy Spirit-the person Jesus sent to us to help us at all times.

In the Apostle's Creed we say the words "I believe in the Holy Spirit..."  but what is it that we believe?  We may pray in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit but what does that mean really if we do not interact with the Holy Spirit?  Just as we receive Christ of our own volition, not because we go to church or someone tells us to, but because we personally reach out to him, we can can access the power of God through His Holy Spirit.  If we don't we might as well consider ourselves unarmed and unable to overcome the things of the world for he is the counselor sent by Jesus to empower us to do all the things the apostles did.  It is the spirit of God that witnesses to us & refines us and is waiting for us to tap into the power of God that we are entitled to and were told to use.  Many folks just don't get it but I can tell you from many personal experiences that the spirit of God is the most powerful person in this world today-he has healed me, spoke to me, spoke through me, brought me to tears and to my knees, upheld me when others failed me, persecuted me, and lied to me.  He has embraced me with his love, shown me miracles and mysteries, guided me in my decisions, and made me excited to be a child of God.  Until we are saved we are not children of God-we are merely creations of God waiting to be indwelt with the Holy Spirit.  Many never see the need to be "filled" with God's spirit or are afraid to be but they miss huge chunks of God's blessings.

The content of this post is my reflection based on a recent sermon I heard and my own deep convictions that to be victorious in this world we must be walking in the spirit, not just in the shadow of  him.  We must be a functioning believer, not one who has failed to "connect", failed to accept the offer of help, or feared to be open to the person and work of the Holy Spirit in a real valid tangible way.  As you reflect on the death & resurrection of the Son, soak up the beauty of the creation of the Father, and realize the trinity is three persons in one God...give the Holy Spirit permission to invade your life and show his power.  In the process you may recognize the gift(s) he has given you to live your life as a victorious servant! 1Thess. 5:19, 20 tells us not to quench the spirit or despise prophecy yet may believers do just that.  Eph. 4:30 says to not grieve the Holy Spirit and Isa. 63:10 says they grieved the Holy Spirit (he was around then too).  Understanding the trinity isn't really too difficult when you think of it like this...the Father walked on this earth, the Son walked on this earth, and the Son sent the Holy Spirit to be on this earth.  They are all God...different manifestations of God.  Jesus came in the flesh, the Father appeared to Adam and Eve in the garden and to Moses on the mountain, and we are told the Holy Spirit is recognized by signs and wonders. Just as we must be open to believing in a creator and accepting a savior we must be open to the work of the spirit in our lives or we will never experience God in his entirety or benefit fully from his power.  I have actually had believers tell me they don't believe in "that stuff" referring to the works of the Holy Spirit.    I'm always a bit curious why not.  I wonder if they have really searched the word and soaked it up or if they read it like the newspaper?  Maybe no one has explained it well.

 When I was saved I had gone to church all my life but when I was told Jesus was waiting for my acceptance, witnessed the Holy Spirit in reality, and read all these things in the Bible for the first time with unblinded eyes...that was when it all came together and made perfect sense.  Many small children come to Christ on pure faith and he told us..."suffer not the little children but let them come to me"  and they do!  As a parent it is our responsibility to teach our children these truths God has given us, to show them how to worship the Lord by example, and as a grandparent I can say it is exciting to hear the stories of grandchildren accepting Christ!  It was also a transforming experience to walk near the sea of Galilee, stand on Mt. Nebo where Moses looked into the promised land, and to walk the streets of Jerusalem.  Somehow it made it all the more real in a humbling sort of awe.  If this little blog spot will help anyone understand afresh who God is please point them to it.  I write it for just that reason.

Have a blessed Easter! 

With hope & integrity

Well...working through the holidays seeems to have delayed any blog postings but I recently heard a good sermon & wanted to share some thoughts from it.  The sermon followed some of Ps. 13 if you care to read that.  We live in a world where we are taught that if it feels good we can, & even should, do it.  Although many of us believe this to be wrong & ill advised there are those who follow this mentality & even promote it.   Whatever our emotions will kick into action is based on our beliefs & this can be very bad as we sometimes find out.  One of these beliefs is often that God is not answering our prayers fast enough so we give up.  Bad decsion!

These bad decsions may lead to losing all hope or to place our hope in something entirely wrong.  Rather than doing this the wise choice would be to continue to ask God for answers & realize that our only solid hope is in God...because of who he is & what we have seen him do!  God allows nothing without reason...the scriptures tell us this.  This truth struck a chord with me as I have been dealing with a great bit of unasked for immobility of late due to some undiagnosed pain.  So, as our hearts & minds bounce around during times of uncertainty we must realize ...sometimes the current answer is to simply dwell in our condition... with integrity & hope, realizing God is indeed at work & will use the obedient believer.  Paul in prison did just that & God set  him free.

There are more answers than yes & no from God...there is maybe, and there is later.  Before we impulsively decide to take matters into our own hands we do well to talk to the Lord about that.  It is in our waiting often that we develop our character to be more like God, & less like the world.  Even if we see no answer it is coming-we just have to be ready to accept it in the same manner we waited...with integrity & hope.  Noah did just that!  I doubt if he wanted to spend all that time in a boat with stinky animals, or laboring to build it for that matter!  God rewarded his obedience nevertheless.