Friday, October 29, 2010

Pride Comes Before the Fall

     Pride is a funny thing. It has this line down the middle of it. If you step on one side, it is a good thing. Step on the other side and it is sin.
     When we are young we are told to take pride in our work, and then we’re told to take pride in our appearance. We are to take pride in our country and our heritage. Personally, I am proud to be the daughter of my parents, and I am proud to be the wife of Dwayne Thompson, and I am proud to be the mother of Bryce and Brittne Thompson. I am proud of the home we have created and I am proud of myself when I reach a personal goal that took work and discipline!
     There are two common factors which determine which side of the line these things fall. If it is on the good side, we see ourselves as humbled recipients of God’s blessing. We acknowledge that everything we have comes from God. Every ability, every relationship, every accomplishment. Two, our blessings are not to be used to elevate us above others. They do not make us superior. When we stop seeing our blessings as things God provided for us and start seeing them as things we deserved, we achieved, we created, we earned, or we accomplished, then we have crossed the line of sin. When we stop seeing blessings with humble eyes and start seeing them as reasons that make us superior to others, we have crossed the line. Once we cross that line, pride can make us so self seeking we can’t humble ourselves enough to fix broken relationships, we can’t admit error, and we can't apologize when we are wrong. It makes us strive to keep ahead of the Jones'. At this point, it shows itself in revenge, gossip, unforgiveness, murder, lying, etc. Actually all sin is rooted in pride because sin is us choosing our way instead of submitting to God’s way.
     Satan had a problem with pride. It is still hard for me to grasp but Satan started out as an angel. Not just an angel but a perfect angel. However, he allowed pride to enter his heart and God threw him out of Heaven.
We get a glimmer of who Satan was in Ezekiel:

You had everything going for you (he was complete, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty). You were in Eden, God’s garden. You were dressed in splendor, your robe studded with jewels: carnelian, peridot, and moonstone, beryl, onyx and jasper, sapphire, turquoise, and emerald, all in setting of engraved gold. A robe was prepared for you the same day you were created. You were the anointed cherub. I placed you on the mountain of God. You strolled in magnificence among the stones of fire. From the day of your creation you were sheer perfection and then imperfection—evil! – was detected in you. In much buying and selling you turned violent, you sinned! I threw you, disgraced, off the mountain of God. I threw you out—you, the anointed angel-cherub. No more strolling among the gems of fire for you! Your beauty went to your head (you were proud and lifted up because of your beauty). You corrupted wisdom by using it to get worldly fame. I threw you to the ground, sent you sprawling before an audience of kings and let them gloat over your demise.
Ezekiel 28 12-17
The Message (The Amplified)

We see his pride clearly in Isaiah 14 13-15 (The Amplified)
You said to yourself, “I’ll climb to heaven. I’ll set my throne over the stars of God. I’ll run the assembly of angels that meets on sacred Mount Zaphon. I’ll climb to the top of the clouds. I’ll take over as King of the Universe!”
    
     Pride came with a great consequence for Satan. Scripture warns up that pride comes before destruction. We need to be on the alert to make sure our pride does not become sin. It can happen quickly, and unnoticed. There is nothing I hate more than when pride creeps undetected into my heart. I need to tie a ribbon around my finger to be a constant reminder to evaluate my heart for pride. Maybe the word “I” could be my ribbon. Every time I use the word ‘I” it could remind me to check my heart for pride. If I am being prideful, I will be using the word “I” more than the word “God” and I will be using the word “I” when I should be using the word “God”.

Thursday, October 28, 2010

Satan is a liar!

     One thing that is hard for many of us to get a handle on is our self talk. Self talk is the thoughts we constantly tell our self. This talk is influenced by many things; our past, our insecurities, our fears, our circumstances, our beliefs, our assumptions, and our opinions. If we really took time to listen to our self talk, we would realize there is a lot of negative untruths bouncing around in our heads. Those thoughts can end up directing our actions and our lives. So in the end, we are allowing lies to set the course for our lives.
    Satan is called the father of lies. Satan is void of good and thus he is void of truth. One of Satan's tactics of  attack is to get us to buy his lies. He loves to tell us things like:
· Does God really love you?
· Does God really exist?
· You are worthless.
· You deserve more.
· You aren’t good enough for God.
· You are a failure.
· Why try.
· Nobody likes you.
· Those Christians would never accept you if they knew the real you.
     He lied to Eve and he lies to us. It takes discipline to recognize the Voice of Truth over the voice of lies! Then after we recognize the Voice of Truth, we must learn to stand on it and let it shield the lies flying our direction.  Like everything, it comes down to discipline.  Discipline in who you are going to listen to and discipline in what you are going to stand on.
     What are you listening to? What are you standing on?

You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father's desire. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies.
 John 8:44 (The Amplified)


Extra: Take a day and journal your self talk, it will be very enlightening. Also listen to the song, “Voice of Truth” posted on the side.

Wednesday, October 27, 2010

We Have a Real Enemy!

    Though I love many things about Fall, there is one thing I hate: Halloween!  It always brings up a question that demands our attention: How much should Christians participate in Halloween?  Everyone has to answer that for themselves because we each will be accountable for our answer.
     For 30 years, I have tried to figure out where my line is.  I wish I could put on blinders and ignore it all together. Since that is not possible, I need to figure out how to live in this world that celebrates Halloween but not be of this world. I must admit it is easier now that my children are grown.  I can totally stay in the 'Fall Harvest' theme.
     One thing we need to be aware of during this time of year is how we portray Satan. We see cute little red devils everywhere. We make jokes about him like saying, “ The devil made me do it”. We act like he is nothing more than a cartoon character. We need to realize he is no joke. The world's fun levity about Satan is exactly what our devious enemy wants. We do not need to fear him but we need to understand who our enemy is. We need to realize his ultimate goal is to oppose God by devouring as many of His children as possible.
     We can understand him more by understanding his names and what they mean.
Satan = Adversary (he is our enemy)
Lucifer = Light Bearer (he portrays himself as an angel of light to deceive the children of God)
Devil = Slanderer
    Unless we lock ourselves up in our homes this week and keep our TVs turned off, we are not going to be able to escape the events of Halloween. However, we can commit to making a special effort to stay more focused on Christ, to pray more, and to stay mindful of the truth of who Satan is.

Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.
1 Peter 5:8

Tuesday, October 26, 2010

Remember Your Salvation

     When I got married over 29 years ago, I couldn’t find a garter to wear with my dress. I simply didn’t like them. They were just ribbon sewn on elastic. So, I made my own. I hung it on my bedpost for 29 years and that bedpost has been in twelve homes. Occasionally, I would make one for a friend and recently I have been making them for my children’s friends. While I am not currently working, I have made forty garters as the first step of creating a garter business. They are all different in color, style, and embellishments. Last night, I spent some time inspecting them for flaws. I pulled out ten that had some little things wrong. The center embellishment was off a little, or I needed to flip the garter, or a pearl had fallen off, or I found a little dirty spot, or I just didn’t like it and needed to work on the design more.
     It made me very thankful that I have been marked with the blood of Jesus which takes away my sins because I have accepted Him as my Savior and Leader of my life. Now, because of that mark,  I am not going to have to go through an inspection by God.  If God picked me up and inspected my life, He would find many flaws. It is who I am, a flawed, sinful, person.  However, I am now a child of God who has been recreated by grace into a beautiful daughter of the Almighty God. Without that grace, I would be inspected for sins and would be discarded into the hands of the one I once served, Satan.
     We often live in our salvation without remembrance of what an amazing gift it is. It is like many things in our life, we love the gift when we get it but then we soon stop thinking of its specialness and its value. Let’s spend today remembering the most special gift we have ever received, grace from God through faith in Jesus Christ. May we never forget its value or forget to cherish it each and every day.

God marks us with grace and blessing! Smile!
Psalm 67:1

Monday, October 25, 2010

Fantasy vs Reality

Dwayne has always teased me about the fantasy world I live in. Things work perfectly in my world and all the crap and unfairness of life isn't present in my wonderful little world. The problem is, reality always drags me back kicking and screaming. One thing I have tried for years in my fantasy world, is to try and wish things to be better without having to put in any effort. I wanted to have a great marriage, but I wanted it to just happen. I didn't want to do the work it took to get it. I wanted to be healthy and skinny, but I wanted to eat what I wanted, when I wanted and I sure didn't want to be a slave to exercise. I want my house to stay perpetually clean, without having to clean it, my weeds not to be in my flower bed without having to spend a day pulling them and I wanted perfectly behaved children without having to discipline them. I want to be a godly woman without having to go through valleys in life and without having to find time alone with God. However, this really does not work in the real world. All it does is keep us stuck. I wasted many years waiting for all of my goals to just happen and they never did. It all takes sacrifice and work. You will not achieve anything without it. TRUST me! I have tried. If you want to be healthy you have to eat better and exercise. If you want a good marriage, it will take effort every single day. If you want well adjusted, behaved children, you will have to discipline them, even if they say they hate you. If you want a growing relationship with God, you have to submit to Him, spend time with Him, and be obedient to Him. You have to surrender your will for His will. Your goals will never be reached until you do some work. That is reality. Satan will try to keep you in the fantasy world. Watch how many products are sold by promising you "no work, no sacrifice!" We are drawn to those words. But anything worth having does not come without effort. Like everything, it comes down to a choice. Which world are you going to live in?

But easy street is a dead-end street.
 Philippians 3:19   (The Message)

Friday, October 22, 2010

True Colors

     Fall is in the air and I love it!  My favorite thing is the changing colors of the landscape. I think it is amazingly beautiful and it fascinates me. While living in Montana, the thing I missed most was the multiple colors of the trees in Fall. The yellow Aspens were wonderful, but I missed the purple, red, gold, and orange trees. When I was younger, I always thought the green leaves were turning random colors in Fall, until I read a children’s book to Bryce about why the trees change colors. Let me remind you of something we all learned in science class: it is the chlorophyll process that turns all trees green. In the Autumn season, our part of the world is turning away from the sun. With the onset of the fading sunlight, the demise of green pigment unmasks the true colors of the leaves. The leaves begin to return to their natural colors. That is why all aspens are yellow and all oaks are shades of red.  Now doesn’t that make you appreciate the Fall colors more?
     People are like these trees. We start at a young age conforming to the expectations of society. We strive hard to be like everyone else. We become fearful of letting people see our true colors. We build walls and function in the state of formalities. We wear green masks. I wish that I could say that Christians do not participate in this process, but I think Christians have a tendency to wear masks the most. We present ourselves like we have it all together, like we are the perfect Christian, living the perfect life. Satan convinces us we wouldn’t be accepted by other Christians if they knew what we were really like. So we keep on striving to be pretty green trees, masking who we really are.
      I encourage you to be real. Drop the mask. Let your true colors shine! God didn’t make this world in one color and He didn’t make people in one color. Also, I encourage you to stop seeing others as a pretty green tree. We have co-workers, fellow church members, friends and family which we view to be just like everyone else. We don’t really take time to stop and care enough to inquire about their lives and their struggles or to share love with them and truly listen to them. If we would, we might see walls come down, formalities go away, and masks drop off. When that happens we can see one another for who we are, our uniqueness, our beauty, our true colors. How colorful is your world?


Let’s just go ahead and be what we were made to be, without enviously or pridefully comparing ourselves with each other, or trying to be something we aren’t.
Romans 12:6 (The Message)

Thursday, October 21, 2010

The Perfect Parent

     There are two people whom God has used and continues to uses in my life to grow me spiritually: they are my two children.  Now that I am a month away from becoming a grandmother and I am getting to enjoy Brittne before she goes back to Peru, I have been reflecting on how God has blessed me with the son and daughter He gave me. I love them more than I ever thought was possible and walking through the last 25 years with them has taught me more about God than anything else in my life. They have been amazing children. From the moment they were born I felt an amazing love for them that never dimmed, no matter what challenge I was experiencing with them. My lack of ability to parent kept me dependent on God for help and He used them to teach me many things.
· I learned how to give grace when mistakes were made.
· I learned to discipline because I cared more about who my children were to become than I did making them happy at the moment.
· I learned to totally depend on the Lord for His protection over them because I soon realized that I could not protect them every moment of their life.
· I learned how to put them in the hand of God and what it felt like to get my hand slapped when I reached to take them back.
· I learned what it was like to withhold from them things they so desperately wanted because it was not good for them to have or it was not the right time for them to have it.
· I learned the complete joy of giving them gifts and seeing their happiness upon receiving it.
· I learned what it feels like to hold your child when their heart is broken and have your heart break with theirs.
· I learned what it feels like to be consumed with the desire for them to listen to me and not make mistakes they would have to pay for later.
· I learned what it feels like to have pride pour out of your pores because they are seeking God’s direction for and in their lives.
· I learned what it feels like to let go and watch God work in their lives for His glory.
    As I look back over my years of parenting, I realize that no matter how much I thought I loved and cared for my children, God loves and cares for them more. He is more faithful than I am. He has more grace than I do. He is more proud than I can be. My children are His children first! He has never had to depend on anyone else to protect them, guide them, discipline them, and teach them other than Himself. Followers of Jesus are all His children. Parenthood only gives us a glimpse of how perfect, complete, and amazing our Heavenly Father is. He gives us grace and discipline. He gives and takes. He hurts with us and rejoices with us. He has a plan for us and He is working it out in our lives, if we let Him. What an awesome Father He is!

If your child asks for bread, do you trick him with sawdust? If he asks for fish, do you scare him with a live snake on his plate? As bad as you are, you wouldn’t think of such a thing. You’re at least decent to your own children. So don’t you think the God who conceived you in love will be even better?
Matthew 7:9-11 (Message)

Wednesday, October 20, 2010

Little Things Are Big Things!

     I am sure you have heard the saying, “It’s the little things that count.” Though I believe it is true, I don’t know if I like that statement. It means: I can clean my house but if my closets and dust boards aren’t clean then my house really isn’t clean. It means: I can tell Dwayne I love him until I am blue in the face but if I don’t do things that mean love to him, he isn’t going to feel loved. It also means: I can go to church, read my Bible, and pray, but if I don’t live out my beliefs in my day to day actions, I am not showing my love to Jesus.


Gently encourage the stragglers, and reach out for the exhausted, pulling them to their feet. Be patient with each person, attentive to individual needs. And be careful that when you get on each other’s nerves you don’t snap at each other. Look for the best in each other, and always do your best to bring it out. Be cheerful no matter what.
1 Thessalonians 5:14b-16

     I think it is easier to go to church, read my Bible, and pray than to live out these verses. If these scriptures were rewritten to match my actions, then I am afraid they would say:  
“Impatiently and truthfully encourage the stragglers, and pull up the exhausted onto their feet, if you feel like it. Be patient with people who are your friends and who don’t test your patience continually, and when you get through with seeing to all of your needs, see to the needs of the people you love. And be careful that when you get on each other’s nerves you don’t snap at people you are trying to look good for. People you never see again won’t matter and it is understandable that you can be hateful to the people you live with everyday, after all, we all know children can drive you crazy! Plus, hateful people deserve a little hatefulness back! If you can find something good in someone, be sure to tell them about it. Make them feel good about themselves. Some people have so much bad in them it is impossible to find anything good in them. Keep your distance, leave them to their misery. Be cheerful when life is going good, or you're having a party, or you're putting on a show, or it's not Monday, or it's not first thing in the morning, or everyone around you is being nice.

If scripture only said that . . . I could easily be obedient. The problem is that the my version is a version straight from the flesh. There is nothing special, loving, or holy about it.
      If you want to be a follower of Jesus, you need to strive to be like Him and reflect His love and His holiness to the world around us!  Let’s work on ‘the little things’ that are really the big things! Looking at the scripture again, we can see some things we can ponder. 
  • Gently encourage the straggler
  • Reach out for the exhausted, pulling them to their feet
  • Be patient with others
  • Be attentive to the needs of others
  • Be careful that when you get on each other’s nerves you don’t snap at each other
  • Look for the best in others and always do your best to bring it out
  • Be cheerful no matter what

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

Endure to the End

     While we were serving in Montana, God gave me a friend in a very unique kind of way.  I got a call from my good friend in Oklahoma.  A mutual friend of ours from the church we had attended in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma had a brother who lived in our town in Montana.  Her brother had left his wife and three children in a very bad and hurtful way.  She had asked our mutual friend to call me and see if I would be willing to call her sister-in-law and minister to her. It was hard to say no, but it was hard to say yes!  Since I realized that saying no would be totally from my flesh, I agreed to call her.  So, I called a complete stranger to ask her if there was anything I could do to minister to her during her heartbreaking time.  Luckily, she wasn't home and all I had to do was leave a message!  On the hurting woman's side, she was struggling with the fact that her situation involved the church she had been attending. She didn't know if she could go back and had just asked God what she was going to do when she walked over to her answering machine and listened to the strangest message she has probably ever heard. For some reason, probably because she felt obligated, she called me back.  We met and have been great friends ever since.  What was unique about our friendship was we shared so much.  We were both southerners in a northern world.  We shared church because she changed to our church shortly after we met.  We had children the same ages.  We even shared work.  She was working in IT at the Department of Revenue while she finished up her teaching degree.  She got a job at a private school in Helena and I took over her job in IT at the DOR.  I moved into change management and we were looking to hire an additional person at the end of her first year of teaching when she knew she could no longer raise her family on what she had made at the private school.  So, she came back to work at DOR and worked with me in Change Management.  Then I developed and implemented a training department and she did a lot of training with me and when a position came open in training she moved to my department and then took over my position when I left to move to Oklahoma.  We always had so much to talk about; work, church, and family!  We ended up spending every Thanksgiving and Christmas together for five years because we didn't have family in Montana.
     That was over fifteen years ago!  This friendship blessed me more than having a great companion.  I learned so much from her spiritually.  Her personality and demeanor is totally opposite than mine.  She processes things internally and quietly.  The divorce in her life taught her a total dependence on God and that became a beautiful strength in her.  I have watched her as she dealt with the hurt of divorce and became ready to move on.  I have seen dating relationships not work out for her.  Through it all she stayed totally dependent on God and His plan for her life.  She sought Him constantly for the direction He wanted her to go.  It has been a long journey for her but I have never seen anyone travel it so faithfully devoted to the Lord as she has.  And now . . . she's getting her reward!  In four weeks, she is getting married to a wonderfully kind, Christian man.  Watching the wedding ceremony will be a very emotional time for me.  Not just because I am so happy for her, I can't stand it: but because of the beautiful witness she has been for the Lord, for the lesson she has taught me, for this long journey in her life to come to a close, and for the goodness of God to be revealed once again.
     I tell you this story as a testimony to you that no matter what you're enduring on your journey, stay dependent on God, stay faithful to Jesus, and you will endure.  When you have completed your journey, you will know in an indescribable way, the goodness of our Lord!

I remember it all -- oh, how well I remember -- the feeling of hitting the bottom.  But there's one other thing I remember, and remembering, I keep a grip on hope. God's loyal love couldn't have run out, his merciful love couldn't have dried up. They're created new every morning.  How great your faithfulness!  I'm sticking with God (I say it over and over). He's all I've got left. God proves to be good to the man who passionately waits, to the woman who diligently seeks.
Lamentations  3:20-25

Monday, October 18, 2010

What Are You Hearing?

     Ever have God teach you something and then have it confirmed to you right after?  Yesterday, Dwayne was preaching on knowing God’s will. He stated that to know God’s will, you have to hear God’s voice. To hear God’s voice, you have to recognize it among all the voices we hear and sometimes listen to.
     An hour earlier the music team was trying to get their headsets balanced during practice. We have moved from monitors to ear sets that are run through the main sound system. At first, I was finding it a little comical as the drummer would say, “I need more guitar in my ear”, then “I need less guitar in my ear.” Others would need more or less of each of the three singers, or more or less drums and guitars. As the process continued, I began to think about how I wish I could wear a ear piece and tell someone to turn down all the noise of life and Satan, and to increase the volume of God so I could hear Him more clearly.
     In reality, I don’t get a spiritual ear piece. Sometimes, I wish God would yell over the other sounds but He doesn’t; He whispers. If you want to hear Him, you have to learn discipline. You are going to want to hear Him enough to quiet the noise around you. It doesn’t just happen, you have to want it!

Listen for God's voice in everything you do, everywhere you go;
He's the One who will keep you on track.
Proverbs 3:6

Friday, October 15, 2010

Appreciate Your Pastor

And now, friends, we ask you to honor those leaders who work so hard for you, who have been given the responsibility of urging and guiding you along in your obedience. Overwhelm them with appreciation and love!
1 Thessalonians 5:12-13a

     October is pastor appreciation month. Though I tease around and proclaim I do not have a pastor nor have I had one in fifteen plus years, I realize that I do have my very own pastor. I have received a front row seat in watching what a pastor does throughout their ministry. At times, I have wanted to be an announcer and make sure everyone sees what a great job my husband is doing and how long he worked on that event. Sometimes, I have wanted to be the referee and throw a few penalty flags for misconduct by others. I have tried to be the coach occasionally and tell him what to do. But in reality, my position is on the bench; watching, observing, learning and when called upon, to serve alongside him as his teammate. There have been wonderful times of victory and there have been challenging and discouraging times when we wanted to call it quits and head for the locker room.
     My husband, and pastor, has served with obedience to the call God has given him. Throughout his ministry, I have seen him do many things including hauling a piano, baby bed, toys, and boxes to the church every Sunday for four years. I have seen him work on building projects until he couldn’t move, be the first to arrive and the last to leave, clean bathrooms, take out the trash, vacuum, straighten classrooms, put out chairs, pick up trash in parking lots, and make the coffee. I have seen him study and prepare over a thousand sermons, teachings, funerals, and weddings. I have seen him come home so tired, sit down, and get a phone call and leave to make a hospital visit. I have seen him go help with domestic violence involving a gun at two in the morning. I have seen him visit many people in jail. I have seen him pour his time and love into helping someone only to have them not speak to him when the crisis is over. I have seen him take criticism lovingly, praise humbly, and unkind behavior kindly. I have watched as he is always the last to go through the dinner lines. I have seen him cry with the brokenhearted, laugh with the joyous, pray with those in need, stand up for those being attacked, lovingly correct those who are causing hurt, encourage the discouraged, love the unlovely, befriend the lonely, father the fatherless, and genuinely care for people. He has hauled people’s trash, ministered to people's friends and family, moved many people, driven people to other towns, had people live with us, and worked in their business when they needed help. I have seen him hold people’s hands as they are dying and tenderly love them and the family through the process.
     Through all of this, I have never seen him complain, be full of anger towards someone, be revengeful, expect to be paid back, try to elevate himself, tell others what he does, or expect to be treated different. I have learned many things from him: a true servant’s heart, unconditional love, humility, obedience no matter what the cost, and Godly wisdom. I am sure that I am not the only one that has learned these things from him.
     Now, don’t get me wrong; my husband is not perfect; he is still an everyday man. However, there are far more good qualities in him than imperfections. I am sure that your pastor has great qualities as well. I am sure that there are people you know who would rather see his imperfections than his goodness. The question is what are you going to focus on?
     There are lots of events happening in churches this month honoring their pastors. It is a time we remember to be grateful for their service to us, which we so often take for granted. Let me encourage you to not only do something for your pastor corporately but to also take time to tell them how they make a difference in your life. Maybe you could write a card to an old pastor or a pastor friend as well. There is no better encouragement you can give a pastor than to let them know their hard work matters in leading people to a closer walk with Jesus!

Thank you Dwayne for the pastor you are and
 for the way you reflect Jesus to the world around you!

Thursday, October 14, 2010

Who Are You Reaching For?

     Yesterday, we saw history in the making! We saw 33 miners rescued from a collapsed mine in Chile. They were there for 69 days. Imagine what it would be like to be stuck in a small, rock room, the length of three football fields below ground. For 17 days, they did not know if people would know where to find them and they had no way of letting them know they were still alive. Families assumed the worse and considered them dead. There was even a mass held in their memory. Then a 12" inch hole was drilled and hit the room where they were. They were able to tell their families they were alive. However, they then had a 52 day wait to be rescued. “Would they be able to hold on while rescue supplies were created, made, and implemented?” seemed to be the question everyone wondered. Yesterday, we saw all of them rescued with no fatalities. God is good!  When one of the first men was rescued he made an interesting statement, “I starred at God and the Devil, and I reached out for God!” 
     Often we find ourselves in pits. We can’t see clearly and we have no idea how long we are going to be in the situation. In those times, we are face to face with the Devil and God. Satan tries to use the situation to draw us away from God. He makes us question, worry, and fear. He will drive us insane if we allow him. God tries to draw us closer. He offers us trust, rest, and peace. He will be our Rock and our Light. He will make us stronger for having endured. Both stand before you in your situation. Who are you going to reach out too?

God can’t break his word. And because his word cannot change, the promise is likewise unchangeable. We who have run for our very lives to God have every reason to grab the promised hope with both hands and never let go. It’s an unbreakable spiritual lifeline, reaching past all appearances right to the very presence of God.
Hebrews 6:18-19

Wednesday, October 13, 2010

Are You Ready?

     I have love/hate feelings with visits from people when I only have approximately an hour notice! I love it when they arrive but the hour before they arrive I am usually running around like crazy cleaning. All the things I have put off doing, I cram into this hour. I end up doing a day’s work in only sixty minutes. At the end, I light some candles which always make things appear homier than what they may actually be! When I am done, I am always glad I got it all done and then I say, “I wish more people would pop by so I could stay motivated in getting the house clean in an hour!”
     Sometimes we have a tendency to think this way with Christ returning. We know what we need to do but we keep putting it off. We have this warped thinking that we will have time to get it done before Jesus comes, but in reality we may not. Jesus could return before you finish reading this. We hear those words so much they tend to lose their urgency and we become numb to their warning. We stop living with the expectancy of Jesus coming today, maybe right now!
     Every day, we need to tell our self that Jesus may come today! We won’t have an hour notice to get things in order, we must be ready at all times! Are you ready?

You know as well as I that the day of the Master’s coming can’t be posted on our calendars. He won’t call ahead and make an appointment any more than a burglar would. About the time everybody’s walking around complacently, congratulating each other—“We’ve sure got it made! Now we can take it easy!” – Suddenly everything will fall apart. It’s going to come as suddenly and inescapably as birth is to a pregnant woman. But friends, you’re not in the dark, so how could you be taken off guard by any of this?
1 Thessalonians 5: 1-4

Tuesday, October 12, 2010

Be An Encourager

     Do you have people in your life that make you feel good every time you see them or talk to them?  I do and they tend to be some of my dearest relationships. I have a friend from seminary who is amazing at being an encourager. When I started holding retreats in Montana, she was the first person I had come and speak. The same is true when I started doing them in Oklahoma. I wanted to share her love, sweetness, and encouraging spirit with others. She impacts every life she touches.
     Brittne and I called her yesterday and it once again inspired me. I need to call her more to refocus my spirit. She never talks to you in an ‘Eeyore’ tone; she makes you feel like she has been waiting diligently for the event of talking to you! While you are with her or while you are talking to her, she ministers to you and her spirit overflows onto you like a refreshing shower.
     I always end our time together wanting to be more like her. The fact is I can be! We both have the same Holy Spirit living in us; I just need to surrender to it more! My prayer is that I become a better encourager with my words, my enthusiasm, and my delivery. Maybe that will be my spiritual goal for 2011!

(Speaking of Paul) Traveling through the country, passing from one gathering to another, he gave constant encouragement, lifting their spirits and charging them with fresh hope.
Acts 20:2

Monday, October 11, 2010

Need to Refocus?

     I encouraged you months ago to set some spiritual goals and focus for your life this year! How are you doing? In a few short months, it will be time to set new ones. The busyness of life can so easily steal our focus from what we want to do and become. It takes constant refocusing and evaluating.
     What we want to be has to be more than words. It has to have action behind the words. This weekend I was able to attend a breakfast banquet. They spoke about their commitment to health and wellness and they are even trying to raise money to build a facility. I was impressed. Then we went through the line for food and it was bacon, sausage, fried potatoes, eggs, biscuits, and gravy. The majority of people were seniors and I am sure most were on some kind of restrictive diet and this is the breakfast they were given. There was no fruit, whole grains, turkey bacon, cereal, or oatmeal. I understand that not every place is going to provide healthy options for meals. That is the world we live in. What bothers me is that they spoke of being committed to wellness but gave no healthy options. Their actions did not match their words.
    What about you? Are your actions supporting your words? Is your behavior demonstrating your goals? If people watched a video of your daily behavior and it had no sound to it, what would they say about you? Is it time to refocus on your spiritual goals and God? Don’t let busyness rob you of what you really want to be and how you want to live for God!

Focusing on the self is the opposite of focusing on God. Anyone completely absorbed in self ignores God, ends up thinking more of self than God. That person ignores who God is and what He is doing. And God isn’t pleased at being ignored.
Romans 8:7-8

Thursday, October 7, 2010

Pull Up a Chair

How is your prayer life?  Are you comfortable talking to God?  Are you comfortable praying publicly?
      One thing that all new Christians struggle with is praying.  They are unsure how to privately pray and they are terrified to publicly pray.  Their reason for the struggle is always the same, "Everyone is so eloquent", or "their prayers flow so beautifully, I stumble over my words"!  Yet, to me, there is nothing more moving than a prayer from a child or a young Christian.  They are heartfelt and sincere. To me the most moving kind.
     I must admit to you that I am not into eloquent prayers.  It doesn't feel like me.  Nor do I connect with public prayer that is too eloquent, too rambling, or too personal.  Please forgive me if I sound judgemental.  Regrettably, I probably am.  If I am with someone that is going through a situation and we pray together, then I am very comfortable for them to pray whatever is on their heart no matter how personal it may be.  However, in a corporate prayer, when someone moves from the 'we' word to the 'I' or 'me' word, I start disconnecting.  It is like I am ease dropping on their private conversation.  
If my heart is not joined in with the corporate prayer, then one of two things is wrong.  My heart is not in the right place and I am not wanting to pray, or the person praying isn't praying from the heart but meerly saying impressive words.
     I remember a story I read many months ago.  A pastor went to visit a sick elderly man.  They began talking about prayer and the man explained that at one time in his life, he struggled with praying.  Then he started pulling up a chair and he imaged Jesus in that chair. He talks to Jesus as if he was physically sitting there.  He had been talking to the chair for many, many years. Not long after the pastor's visit, the man died.  The pastor went to visit the family.  He was talking to the daughter who stated that her dad had died in unusual position.  They found him knelt down by a chair with his head lying in the seat.
What a beautiful picture of what prayer should be like! Don't get wrapped up in the words, get wrapped up with the heart.  Talk to Jesus about what is going on in your heart.  Pull up a chair, pretend Jesus is sitting there, and just start talking!

And when you come before God, don't turn that into a theatrical production either.  All these people making a regular show out of their prayers, hoping for stardom! Do you think God sits in a box seat? Here's what I want you to do: Find a quiet secluded place so you won't be tempted to role-play before God.  Just be there as simply and honesly as you can manage.  The focus will shift from you to God, and you will begin to sense his grace.  The world is full of so-called prayer warriors who are prayer-ignorant.  They're full of formulas and programs and advice, peddling techniques for getting what you want from God. Don't fall for that nonsense. This is your Father you are dealing with and He knows better than you what you need.
Matthew 6:5-8

Wednesday, October 6, 2010

It's Not Really Lost

     Tonight, Brittne and I went to the park to walk and run. She runs much faster than I do, so we go our separate ways until we are done. After almost four miles, we were finished, met up, and went walking to the car. Brittne asked me for the keys. I panicked because I didn’t remember her giving me the keys. I questioned her about her certainty because I had no recollection of having the keys. However, I know my memory gets me into a lot of predicaments, so I accepted the fact that my twenty-four year old daughter’s memory is better than mine. We figured that I had put the keys in the pocket of my jacket and they fell out when I was running. We each went different directions on the loop to look for the keys and agreed to meet up in the middle. When we met up, we discovered that neither one of us had found the keys. We agreed it was too dark to find them and started making a plan as to what we were going to do. Our purses and phones were in the car so we figured we were going to have to find someone with a phone and see if we could call Dwayne to bring us a key. I decided that since the key had the model of the car on it maybe someone dropped the keys off at the car. It was worth checking into. We did not find the keys around the car but for some strange reason Brittne reached over and tried to open the car door; it opened. The keys were in the car, along with all of our belongings! I must admit, I was more happy to know my mind wasn’t completely incompetent than I was to find the keys!
     Have you ever felt like you lost your relationship or your closeness or intimacy with Jesus? Often we go on a scavenger hunt to try and find something to help us restore our relationship. We frantically wonder, "Where did I loose it?" I heard great advice on this topic many years ago and have found it to be true and helpful. Jesus never moves away from us. We move away from Him. If you want to restore your relationship remember back to when you veered away from Him and return. Was it when He told you to do something and you ran the other way? Then return to Him in obedience and watch how fast you find what you have been missing. He hasn't left you, you left Him! Return with a repenting heart to the place you left Him and you will find Him there with open arms!

“But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him. “The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ . . . Let’s have a feast and celebrate. For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’
Luke 15:19-21, 23-24

Tuesday, October 5, 2010

It takes a village

     A while back, Dwayne was part of the funeral service. It was conducted in our home church. The church where we both spiritually 'grew up'. After the service, I saw and visited with many women that had impacted my life when I first started that growth process. If you were to ask them, I am sure they do not know how God used them to mature me. I remember when I attended my first women's Bible study. It was a weekly meeting called WOW (Women of the Word). I was in my early 20's and the women that led WOW was probably in their late 30's and early 40's. I watched them continually when I was in their presence. I so wanted to be a part of their group of friends. They were to me the epitome of a Godly woman. God used them to develop the desire in me to become a Godly woman, to minister to women, and to be for others what these women were for me. After seeing these women, I have been pondering the scriptures that states that some water, some plant, and some harvest. God has used many people in my life. Some watered my spirit, some planted seeds in my life, and some shared with me the harvest that God has created in my life. I can't begin to count the number of people that has impacted my life. Many years ago we were reminded of an African proverb that stated that it takes a village to raise a child. I think God uses a village to raise a Christian. If I had a sidewalk around my life, there would be so many hands imprinted in that cement.
     Today, I want to encourage you to think about the many people God has used in our lives to grow us. Also think evaluate your impact on other people. Are we watering, planting, or harvesting in others? Are we making a difference to someone? Every encounter we have with people makes a impact. It is good or bad, short term or long term, memorable or forgettable. Nothing humbles me away more than for someone I do not remember, to tell me that something I said impacted their life. What is forgettable by us isn't always forgettable to someone else. I pray that every day God opens our eyes to those He wants to touch by using us and I pray that we will be faithful to His will.

(Paul's response to those who he had ministered to)
Who do you think Paul is, anyway? Or Apollos, for that matter? Servants, both of us-- servants who waited on you as you gradually learned to entrust your lives to our mutual Master. We each carried out our servant assignment. I planted the seed, Apollos watered the plants, but God made you grow. It's not the one who plants or the one who waters who is at the center of this process but God, who makes things grow. Planting and watering are menial servant jobs at minimum wages. What makes them worth doing is the God we are serving. You happen to be God's field in which we are working.
1 Cor 3: 5-8
The Message

Monday, October 4, 2010

Time to Refocus

     I am very excited that Fall is peaking its head around the corner. I love fall for many reasons. My husband is always happy to say goodbye to the heat of summer and his mood changes drastically! I get excited to wear sweaters and stop freezing in the air conditioning. My favorite thing is I get to start wearing boots and tights, which means I don’t have to shave my legs all the time! Most importantly, Fall is a time to slow down from the hecticness of the busy summer. After the long heat of summer, it is a season time to refresh, refocus, and revive.
     As you are enjoying this change in season, remember to take time to evaluate our walk with God. Do we need to slow down from the many activities that has kept you from time alone with Him? Do we need to refocus back on Him and get some order to your spiritual life? Spend some time with with God ; take a deep breath and cuddle up with God and let Him help you recover from the summer!

So repent (change your mind and purpose): turn around and return to God, that your sins may be erased, that times of refreshing (of recovering from the effects of heat, of reviving with fresh air) may come from the presence of the Lord.
Acts 3:19 (Amplified)

revised

Friday, October 1, 2010

Good/Bad the Constant Choice

 Well, I have made it!  Yesterday was my 300th devotion and today completes my one year committment.  I know some may be wondering if I am going to quit.  I have pondered that choice for a while now.  The answer is 'not exactly'.  I am going to keep writing but not writing a new devotion every day.  On the days that I do not write a new one, I will revise one from last year.  So, everyday you will get a devotion!  Thank you for your support and you words of encouragement.  I cannot tell you how your comments have kept me going at the times when Satan tried to get me to quit.  I appreciate all of you!  Today's devotion is the revised version of the first devotion I wrote! 

     We hear much about the ills of technology. It is true, there is so much horrific material at our disposal. I just heard on the news last night that there are now 750,000 people that go online for pornography and in many cases child pornography. We have hate websites at our fingertips. We can find out how to do any evil, destructive thing that we can imagine through our ever progressing technology. At the other end, we have never had so many tools at our fingers to spread good, to minister to others, to grow in our spiritual knowledge.
     I have learned to become very thankful for technology during this past year. It has allowed me to see Brittne in Peru, to see where she lives, and to meet her friends, and now to meet and get to know her boyfriend, who's a missionary in Haiti. I have a Bible application on my IPhone so I can read the Bible anytime I want and in any translation I wish. I can keep in touch with my brothers and sisters in Christ and hear daily about the work of the Lord. I can speak to missionaries, check on ministries, and listen to any Christian music I choose. I can even listen to the podcast of Bryce and Kristen's church and hear their pastor's sermon (Even Dwayne's now!) so we can discuss it as if I had been there with them. It has let me write this devotion and connect with people I don't even know. For so long, I have known that God wanted me to write about the daily lessons He teaches me through the most unusual things in life. I never could figure out how to share it. I felt uncomfortable to just send out an email. What if the recipients didn't want a devotion from me, I didn't want to force the issue. Blogging now gives me the opportunity to be obedient to God, to record my walk with the Lord, and to be able to share it with my friends. I have so missed teaching and now I have the privilege of sharing the greatness of the Lord with people I may not even know. The good things technology allows us to do is amazing to me.
     Technology is like our daily walk. There are paths that we walk that will take us to some evil and destructive destinations and there are some paths that lead us to some awesome experiences with God. The choice is ours. How are we going to walk? How are we going to use the gifts that God gives us? Take some time and think about how you are using what God gives you. Are you using it for God's glory or for your own pleasure. What path are you taking? Remember, every road takes you somewhere, are you going to like the destination?

Show me your ways, O Lord, teach me your paths. 
Psalm 25:4