Quotable Quotes

Here's an excerpt from one of my devotionals today . . . really hits home.

What a need there is to counsel our hearts according to the truths of God's Word, "to teach them diligently" to our children (Deut 6:7) and to "write them" into our lives (Heb 8:10).  Both we and the generations coming behind us must endure a world that is often dark and distressing. We are confronted by challenges that seem to leave no other option than worry and panic. But His word is our sanity.  It is what keeps us from losing our equilibrium when all around us appears to be spinning out of control.  It tethers us to truth, mentally and emotionally, protecting our minds, and reorienting our perspectives.

Store up God's Word in your heart.  Memorize it; meditate on it; allow the Spirit of God to personalize it to your life.  And be continually renewed as God uses it to transform you into the likeness of Christ.

Taken from "The Quiet Place: Daily Devotional Reading"

Day 3 of 21

Well.....my night last night didn't go as well as the night before. Sleep was elusive.....but again I praise God for giving me 3 hours of rest towards the end.

Day 3

From " Practicing the Presence of God" by Kim West

Read David's description of always being in God's presence in Psalm 139 1-12

"As we read David’s life story we see that he lived with adversity, power, sin, betrayal, war, faith, marriage, fatherhood and always with the presence of God. He knew that he was never apart from his Lord. God would never forsake him.

"God is always present with you because He loves you and delights to be with you. Do you
believe that?" I can't say that I honestly do at all times, especially that he delights in me, especially while going thru trials.

"Come into His presence and allow Him to remove any blocks to believing that you are loved by
God. Sit quietly with Him and allow Him to speak to any lie that says that Psalm 139 is untrue 
for you. 
      -  Going thru trials, sometimes you feel so alone, and it's hard to feel God's presence.
      -  Sometimes, while going through trials, it's hard to believe God is doing this for my good and He will never forsake me.

Now, spend time in His love and write what He has shown you. Read through Psalm 139 again 
today."

     - He has shown me that despite my circumstances, He is always there.
     - There is nowhere I can go that can be too far away from God.
     - Any earthly darkness, is never too dark for the Lord, He can be the light no matter how bad things get.

Day 2 of 21

I slept! Praise God!
Sleep has been one of my biggest struggles since all of this started, so I rejoice in God for giving me a restful night sleep.
On the other hand, I am also human, so of course, my negative thinking rears it's head and says ....."how long is this going to last?" But I digress, that's exactly the kind of thinking I need to stop. I'm trying to live moment to moment and at this moment I THANK GOD for 9 hours of sleep!

So Day 2 points ....

- Becoming aware of God and His presence with us will help us to realize that He is not
passively watching but actively involved in our lives even when we don’t know it.

-He showed Elisha and his servant that He was Sovereign over all that was happening. Nothing
was out of His control. (Read Elisha's story 2 Kings 6:15)

- Awareness of God’s presence gave Elisha the peace he needed in circumstances that looked so
daunting. Maybe we can find the same peace in Him as we wake to our world today. (I need to let this point really sink in.)

Questions for today to think about ......

In what circumstance do you need to be aware of God’s presence?
Allow yourself to know God’s presence there in all that He is. How does the circumstance change?

Reminders...

Currently doing a Beth Moore Bible study on Esther and a few things she's said has struck me doing this week's homework:

"Some crises are too important for saving face.  Saving lives is worth losing face every time.  When was the last time you had to risk losing face to try to save something more precious than pride."

"Of all the rights bestowed on us as the children of God, perhaps none exceeds the right to repent and turn back to the Lord."

"In daily living, strength comes from muscle, and muscle develops with a workout.  This is as true spiritually as physically.  What we don't use, we lose."

"We are not the fragile flowers we've considered ourselves to be.  We, like Esther, are the warrior princesses of God."

"Sometimes we fear that fighting for what is right will kill us.  Then again, it occurs to us that to stand by and do nothing out of self-preservation is to be dead already."

"God has profoundly used the conviction that those heightened times of decision in my toughest trials could be 'make it or break it' moments in my destiny....in the times of greatest struggle when you make the Godward decision over convenience, earthly comfort, or carnal pleasure, you too have come to a critical moment in the fulfillment of your destiny.  A defining moment.  A war is being waged over your head in the unseen realm.  You have no idea what's at stake."

"Sometimes our most important moments come hand-in-hand with our willingness to reveal that we aren't really who we've seemed to be." 

A Time for Everything

We're coming up on the last month of 2010, and looking back, this year has been filled with a lot of good things and a lot of difficult situations I could not have imagined. But as I start to end this year, I find myself back to a state of neutrality.  Despite the past year's many ups and downs, I feel like God has kept me mentally and emotionally grounded, something I'm extremely grateful for.

If you take a look back at your own life, it's amazing to see everything you experience as a human being living on this earth....there's the good, the bad, and the ugly.  We have seasons in our life and I've noticed amongst my friends and my family, some are experiencing great joy, and some experiencing personal struggle.  Whether you find yourself in a season of happiness or a season of sorrow, it's important to remember it is just that....a season, a temporary circumstance that will change whether it be good or bad. Though seasons change, one thing remains the same:

. . .we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.   Romans 8:28

I find such hope and joy in that! Do you? God knew everything I would experience before I was even conceived. Of course I'm human, and I question His timing and why He allows certain things, but there's hope in knowing that God's timing is perfect, that I can't come up with a better plan for my life than He already has. 

So no matter what season you're currently in, remind yourself that God is in control....and as is it is written in Scripture, there is a time for everything:

A Time for Everything
Ecclesiastes 3: 1-8
1 For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven:
2 a time to be born, and a time to die;
a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted;
3 a time to kill, and a time to heal;
a time to break down, and a time to build up;
4 a time to weep, and a time to laugh;
a time to mourn, and a time to dance;
5 a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together;
a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;
6 a time to seek, and a time to lose;
a time to keep, and a time to cast away;
7 a time to tear, and a time to sew;
a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;
8 a time to love, and a time to hate;
a time for war, and a time for peace.

Reminders...

I was looking through some of my old journaling this past week and I came across a devotional that I had read about a year ago today.  It was very pertinent to things going on in my life at the time.  More recently, I shared it with two friends as an encouragement for things they are dealing with in their own lives, but re-reading this just reminded me that I need to align my thoughts with these truths again....

For you have been my hope, O Sovereign Lord, my confidence since my youth. From birth I have relied on you.
-Psalms 71:5-6

When the psalmist asked God to be a refuge and rescuer in Psalm 71, he boldly proclaimed his dependence on the Sovereign Lord. When we feel weak-kneed and lack confidence, we are most open to relying on God. The Bible gives us affirmation after affirmation of God's strength in the face of our limited ability: "I can do everything through Him who gives me strength" (Philippians 4:13). "Nothing is impossible with God" (Luke 1:37). "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness" (2 Corinthians 12:9). Nothing silences the voice of timidity as powerfully as the voice of Scripture. If you find yourself in a new situation today, make sure you don't rely on your own limited talents or skills, but that you place your unshakable confidence in the limitless God.

Hosanna!

The next day the large crowd that had come to the feast heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem.  So they took branches of palm trees and went out to meet him, crying out, "Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel!"  And Jesus found a young donkey and sat on it, just as it is written, "Fear not, daughter of Zion; behold, your king is coming, sitting on a donkey’s colt!" -- John 12:12-15 ESV

“Can I ask you for some advice?”

Where do you seek wisdom from? Where do you go to get advice?

I’m thinking about this because I’m half-way thru the book of Proverbs and I’m amazed at how this book gives wisdom on basically every facet of human life…

From how to deal with finances, to courtship, to sexual ethics, to disciplining children, to how to speak, act, think, how to labor and how to love, how to choose your friends, how to obtain joy, on finding contentment….and the list goes on and on (and this is only from the first half of Proverbs.) I often make the Bible out to be such a “mystical” piece of literature, when it’s much more of a “let’s get our hands dirty with the nitty-gritty of everyday life” type of book.

Now I know that God should be the ultimate from whom we seek wisdom, but let’s face it, when something is going on in our lives it’s natural for us to seek advice from the people that surround us. A good friend once told me, be very careful who and what you listen to, especially when your heart and mind are in a vulnerable state. I don’t think I thought much of it at the time, but recently I’m seeing the validity of that statement.

As I’ve grown up, I’ve experienced the importance of surrounding myself with people that speak God’s truth. I find it very easy to be swayed and seduced by the ways of the world and I have found that in those moments when I’m not thinking clearly and looking for direction, the words and prayers of a person rooted in Christ is the ultimate blessing.

And you know who those people are and aren’t. You know who to approach to get sympathy, or who to see when you want someone to revel in your anger, or who to find when you’re looking for affirmation, but do you know who to go to when you’re really seeking the Truth?

Those are the people I want to go to and ask, “Can I ask you for some advice?”

For My Good

What's your reaction when you feel like you're being disciplined by God? Are you even aware of it when it's happening? When it does, do you feel disheartened or angry or unfairly punished? Within the past couple years, I can honestly say God has made me more attuned and aware of when He is disciplining me. Instead of being thankful for God dealing with me as a Father should, my reaction is often one of sadness, guilt, worry, shame, etc.
But the thing is, God doesn't see it that way....He sees it this way:

"It is for discipline that you have to endure. God is treating you as sons. For what son is there whom his father does not discipline? If you are left without discipline, in which all have participated, then you are illegitimate children and not sons." - Hebrews 12:7-8

"How is it with you today? Are you in a difficult circumstance as a discipline from your loving Father? Do you feel His sadness that it had to come to this in order for you to learn? I don't want to get older and still be an adolescent Christian. I want to grow up in the Lord and trust my heavenly Father even when I don't understand what He's doing. I want to believe that the Lord is way smarter than me. He gets it. His discipline is for my good...Your Father loves you. Everything He allows is for your growth and good. He sees the long picture, even when you can’t. I wonder how I make God’s heart sad when I don’t understand that He lovingly draws near to me even in times of learning (See Psalm 34:18). "      

          --Taken from The Weekly Walk by James MacDonald

Agape cont...

Bear with me for a moment.

I'm still thinking of agape.

I'm thinking...It's so much more than the warm fuzzy feeling I reduce it to...

I'm thinking...I've heard this a million times at every wedding, but I think I need to hear it again...

Love is patient and kind;

love does not envy or boast,

it is not arrogant or rude.

It does not insist on its own way;

it is not irritable or resentful;

it does not rejoice at wrongdoing;

but rejoices with the truth.

Love bears all things,

believes all things,

hopes all things,

endures all things.

- I Corinthians 13:4-7

You're Not Going Under

This is Pastor James MacDonald's devotional for this week from The Weekly Walk. A great message that I've surely needed to hear in the past, and will surely need to be reminded of in the future. Read on and be encouraged.

"Therefore, those also who suffer according to the will of God shall entrust their souls to a faithful Creator in doing what is right." - 1 Peter 4:19

I've said it for years, there is nothing good that God brings into your life by way of transformation that He doesn't bring through the funnel of perseverance. If God can get that one characteristic into your life, He can truly make you what He wants you to be.

First Peter 4:19 encourages us with,"Therefore let those who suffer according to God's will entrust their souls to a faithful Creator while doing good."

Did you hear what you're supposed to do? Entrust your soul to your faithful Creator. God is faithful to you. He's got His hand on the thermostat. The fire will not get too hot. He's watching the depth gauge; this trial will not get too deep. God puts up the boundaries to your trials."That's all. That's my daughter. I know what she can handle. Not that much. Not there. Not now." God protects His own. He will not allow you to be tried beyond what you are able to take. And in the middle of it all, He tells you to entrust yourself to His care.

God knows you better than you know yourself. You're not going to lose it; you're going to be okay. You don't know what you are capable of when you're resting in God's strength and not your own. You're going to get through this one way or another. It's not going to last forever and you will get through it - because God is faithful. He's not tired and He's not wondering when this is going to be over.

Reassure yourself, "I'm not going under." You can keep going for another day, another week because God is producing staying power in you. The ability to remain in that marriage - as hard as it is. The ability to remain in that job - as hard as it is. The ability to stick with it in that difficult circumstance - no matter what. If God can produce in you that staying power, He can give you everything else.

The good's not coming if you quit. Listen, God can get every characteristic of Christ into your life if He can just teach you to stay in the game.

Old Words, New Meaning

"Emptied completely" was a phrase I heard during Sunday sermon this past week and all I could think of was "Oh boy, I've been there." Why does God bring us to those moments where the weight of life's burdens begin to crush us? I feel like more recently I've been having more of these moments and of course being human I question why. Why does He strip me bare, make me vulnerable, and empty me completely at times?

It's hard to see the light at the end of the tunnel when you're facing a challenge, but the beauty after coming out of these struggles is that His intentions and motives couldn't be more clear. God's love is so great that He cares for my eternal being, and forces me in those moments to not only walk...but run to Him, seek Him out, and to kneel at His feet. What an awesome and loving Father we have to call us back to Him knowing that He alone can offer us the guidance, comfort, and solace we sometimes desperately need.

In a book by Max Lucado called Travelling Light, and under the chapter titled "The Luggage of Life", he writes:

"Come to me," he invites, "all of you who are weary and carry burdens, and I will give you rest" (Matt 11:28). If we let Him, God will lighten our loads...but how do we let Him? May I invite an old friend to show us? The Twenty-third Psalm.

The Lord is my Shepherd;

I shall not want.

He makes me to lie down in green pastures;

He leads me beside the still waters.

He restores my soul;

He leads me in the paths of righteousness

For His name's sake.

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,

I will fear no evil;

For You are with me;

Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.

You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;

You anoint my head with oil.

My cup runs over.

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me

All the days of my life;

And I will dwell in the house of the Lord

Forever.

I've recited this prayer countless times in my life, but a more personal revelation takes place when I recite this Psalm in the midst of a struggle. It offers an amazing comfort knowing that God will "redeem your life from the pit... (Psalm 103:4)" when you call on His name.