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Interruptions or Opportunities? God Directing Our Paths

Interruptions or Opportunities?

God Directing Our Paths

The other week my mom came to visit. It was just her and I as my husband was out of town. We were looking forward to a week of relaxation, bonding and quality time together. On Thursday, I walked into the garage to find the water heater leaking. Our plans were put on hold as I spent the next several hours dumping buckets and waiting on the plumbers. Then as I tried to play Mrs. Mechanic – our kitchen sink faucet started to leak – don’t ask. Later I found out that our second water heater had a problem with the pilot. It was crazy. Our week of bliss just got derailed as I was consumed with resolving these issues.

It was a blessing all these plumbing issues happened at once saving me time and money – but what a pain. As frustration was about to set in I asked, why God? I believe there is a reason for everything.

I learned a great lesson. When interruptions (anything disrupting “our plan” or anything not part of “our plan”) come into our lives, it forces us to redirect for the day or however long the interruptions last. Whether they are distractions of our enemy trying to rattle us or God redirecting our paths – if we look for the opportunities in what is happening – we can be blessed by those interruptions and our whole experience changes from one of frustration to discovery.

Our lives are no longer ours, but God’s. God is in control. He directs our steps, not us. So why do we get frustrated with situations outside our control? God directs our lives, interruptions and all, so who knows exactly what He is doing at any one time including with the interruptions. When situations happen outside of our illusionary control we can be at peace that all is working out as it should. Romans 8:28

How we respond to those interruptions is up to us and makes all the difference. We can be resistant and frustrated and miss out on the blessing that was wrapped up in that interruption. Or we can embrace it for what it is, our path being slightly or significantly redirected to fulfill His purposes and look for the new opportunities it presents (a need God was providing, a new acquaintance, a better path). If we do the latter, whether it is an attack or God, we are in a place mentally for God to use it for good in our lives and in the lives of those around us.

I know things happened for a reason; however this time I went to the next step and instead of just dealing with it or putting my life on hold until it passed, I looked for the gifts in what was happening and embraced the redirection – even in something as small as a leaky water heater.

Despite the constant interruptions, I still managed to get in a pretty good quite time, where I learned this great lesson. My mom had a wonderful time relaxing in the San Diego sun, gardening in my yard, and reading. She fully appreciated her downtime. It was a great respite for her. Then there is the plumber, our paths crossing perhaps only for this time; is that a coincidence? What about the prayers I spoke for him? One way to get people to interface with our lives is with these seemingly inconveniences. Who knows what God is up to? People we meet, even briefly, can impact us or we them – you just never know. And if we accept the interruptions for what they are we are more in the mindset to be used as God is looking to use us.

This situation got me thinking about a more serious interruption that has happened lately. The interruption came to a friend’s life, but it greatly affected mine. My friend and I were writing partners. We would get together and critique each others work twice a month. The writing was basically the extent of our interaction. Then her Mom started to have health issues that took up much of her days. We stopped the critiquing because she was so busy with her mom she didn’t have time to write. Instead we went for walks and just started hanging out. Our conversations expanded beyond just our writing into our lives. Our hearts started to draw near and a beautiful friendship blossom from our time together. Her Mom is stable now and my friend is getting back to her writing. And we now have a wonderful friendship that I absolutely cherish. Our friendship wasn’t the only reason for her interruption – but it was a HUGE blessing that came out of it.

We often see only one or a few aspects of a situation. God showed me there is much more that is going on. My frustration from seemingly unnecessary distracting interruptions is simply a lack of awareness of the bigger picture. And thinking I know what that big picture is. We have no idea all that God is doing in our lives and doing through us in other people’s lives. So the next time whether a small interruption like a leaky water heater or a bigger one like health issues with a family member – ask God to show you the bigger picture and to trust that He has all under control and everything is working out as it should be. And just don’t tolerate it – look for the opportunities that are coming out of the interruption and be in a mindset to be used by Him in the situation.

What are the interruptions in your life? What are the gifts in them?

Psalm 138:8 The LORD will perfect that which concerneth me: thy mercy, O LORD, endureth for ever: forsake not the works of thine own hands


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God Calls Us Friend

God Calls Us

….Friend

A friend from years back showed me a valuable truth this past week . . .

My friend tells me that I’m among her closest friends. For awhile, she’s been texting me saying she wants to talk and catch up (it’s been months since we talked). She says there are few people she will always pick up the phone for, I’m one. However, the phone hasn’t been picked up in a long time. When it comes down to it, she doesn’t make the time to connect – it’s like our friendship is at the bottom of her to-do list – below cleaning the scum off the tub. sigh

We all have the same amount of time. How we spend that time speaks of our priorities. Her actions have been telling me for awhile where our friendship is placed – painfully low. Now if we didn’t talk between visits (she lives in a different state) and both agreed that would be fine. But, it’s saying one thing and doing another that sets me up with false expectations and that is where the disappointment sets in. Expressing how much I mean to her and her desire to talk becomes meaningless when her actions don’t back up her words. It hurts. It feels like she doesn’t care; like our friendship doesn’t really matter.

In addition, in the past couple of years, when we have gotten together, I’m multitasked in with other activities so that she isn’t with me. She has gotten better as I’ve mentioned it to her. She is a bit more engaged during our few hours spent together each year, but her life is one big multitasked distraction-filled conglomeration with our friendship thrown in the pile.

This reflection has been a good reminder for me. We all get busy and distracted, and we can neglect those things that are most important like our relationships. So, how am I treating those I call friend? Those I profess to love? Am I doing and focusing on what is truly most important?

The other day another incident happened where my expectations where let down once again. In the past month, the Holy Spirit has given me good counsel in regards to her and for relationships in general – about expectations, boundaries, balance, but this occurrence bothered me until I wrote this post. God wanted to show me something through it.

The emotion I felt, the hurt, was to give me a peek into God’s heart and share it with you.

Words are meaningless without the action and heart all working in unison. People tell God all the time they love Him, they long to be near to Him, and to be in His presence. But when it comes down to it, they don’t make the time. Other activities and people come first. Our actions and the state of our heart in those actions reveal the truth of what is important to us. For there to be sincerity there has to be an unison of the three; words, action, heart. When we don’t take time to be with Him, or are always distracted or multitasking when we do take time, what does that really say?

Matthew 15:8 These people draw near to Me with their mouth, And honor Me with their lips, But their heart is far from Me.

God showed me the importance of the connection between our words, actions and heart. It wasn’t to guilt me or anyone else who might read this. He doesn’t guilt His children. Guilt comes from another voice. He was giving me an awareness of our actions and heart and what they reveal, and how they measure up to our words. It was about being real and sincere. It was about what God desires from us, because He loves us. It was about how our relationship with Him is to be as well as our relationship with others.

God desires that we spend time with Him; delight in just being with Him. That’s what you do when you love someone. You want to be near them. It isn’t just when you need something. God desires us to draw near because He is our God, our Friend, our Love.

How am I acting toward God, who calls me His friend, His bride? What is my heart when I’m with Him? What do my actions reveal? Do my words, actions and heart line up? Asking these questions can be very revealing about the true state of our relationship with God.

If you feel these three aren’t adding up, don’t fret, act. God loves you. He longs to be near you. Be real with Him, draw near to Him in truth and spirit. Give your love for Him a chance to grow and develop. Be real about it. If you don’t deeply feel a love for Him, be honest, He knows it anyway. Ask for it. Truth is the starting place to true growth.

Consider how much He loves you and how He wants to make His home in you John 14:23 Draw near to Him in truth. Get to know Him as He is and love will follow until He becomes your first love. Then carry this same awareness to others’ in your life and love them with all sincerity, with a unity of words, actions and heart. But focus on God first. When there is a solid relationship with Him, the rest of your relationships bloom as they should. He comes first.

1 Peter 1:22 Since you have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit in sincere love of the brethren, love one another fervently with a pure heart,

Luke 10:27 So he answered and said, “‘You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind,’ and ‘your neighbor as yourself.'”

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Abiding in God’s Love

Abiding in God’s Love

The other morning during my quiet time as my sweet Sophie laid next to me, God gave me an experience of tasting the depth of His love. Words fail to express what I felt and learned on a deeper level, but still I speak because the awareness of abiding in God’s vast, pure, and perfect love is what He desires for all His children.

With a quiet purr, Sophie rested totally relaxed by my side. As I rubbed her ears, her eyes and body revealed a state of complete bliss. It was like I the center of her world. There was no other place she would rather be at that moment. She was at total peace. With no fears or concerns, she was fully in the present moment taking in every moment. She wasn’t concerned about her next meal, where it would come from or if it would be there. She wasn’t worried about any predators. She was in the heart of protection, provision, care and above all love. She dwells under the care of a tremendous love and I think she knows it.

As I looked at her with my love gushing over her, God spoke to me . . .

The way you look at Sophie is a taste of how I look at you. My love abounds toward you. You are special beyond your understanding. Be with me as she is with you. Abide in complete trust, delight, and comfort. As you do, you honor and glorify Me and you are in the rest and life I desire for you.

As you desire the best for Sophie, how much more I desire the best for you. Trust in my love for you. It’s always present, abounding, and unending. Our relationship isn’t about judgment or condemnation – all this was taken care of in Christ. It’s about love. It’s leading and guiding you to live as I created you, to abide in a loving relationship with Me and letting that love overflow to the lives of others.

Be aware of all the provision around you; be thankful and excited about it. Don’t worry about tomorrow. Don’t live by the past or the future so that you miss out on all the blessings that surround you. Trust and be at complete rest abiding in my care and love for you.

Always make Me your first Love, the center you blossom from, the Rock you stand upon. As she gets excited to be with you, delight in being in my presence. Be with Me in all purity and holiness. Be there just to enjoy. This is my heart’s desire. Follow me. Long to be with Me. This connection is why I made you. To delight in you and you in Me and to be one in unity of heart. John 17:21-23 Take time each day just to be with me and enjoy Me and our relationship as she does you.

Abide in the comfort my presence brings. I’m always with you. I’m your shepherd, protector, provider, healer, and deliverer. As you are her peace, I’m your peace. Trust in the shadow of my wings always. I will care for all your needs. I perfect all that concerns you. Psalm 138:8

Abide in my love. Let others abide in my love that’s in you. Let it pour out from you in sincerity and truth. Be free in giving your love. It’s a never ending stream – let it flow abundantly.

Share these thoughts with others, for I desire to be this way with all my children. Each one is unique to Me and I long for each one. Deuteronomy 30:6, 20

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The Journey of Fulfilling Your Unique Purpose

The Journey of Fulfilling

Your Unique Purpose

This post is written in more of an outline/bullet style. I wanted to document the journy as I’m discovering it . . .

We are born into this world at a certain place and time, and with a unique identity to fulfill purposes designed by our Creator, God. Those purposes can only be manifested through the union of us and God. Along with those purposes are corresponding desires that motivate us to fulfill those purposes – otherwise we would never move forward!

However, we are born separated from God, not in union. Therefore, we act from a place of our judgment and not His; a mindset represented by the tree of knowledge of good and evil. We think we can judge what is good and right for our lives, though we haven’t a clue.

In this place of separation, we don’t understand what a connection with God entails; the beauty, life, freedom and purpose because we’ve never experienced it.

Therefore, we pursue a life trying to fulfill our deepest desires based on our ill-judgment. Outside God’s wisdom, we make destructive choices. Death grows in us, because God is life and only by being connected to Him do we have life. In all our pursuits, we are left hungering and unsatisfied, because we will never achieve the fullness of our desires and purposes apart from God for it’s not how they are designed.

At a certain point, our spirits are awakened to a call to be united to God in truth and spirit. At the discovery and stepping onto the new path we are ecstatic for so many roads have been dead ends. Something within tells us this is the way to fulfilling our deepest hungers – freedom, deliverance, truth, love, purpose and abundance.

The discovery of this path is understanding God calls us to come into union with Him by being reconciled through Jesus Christ. We come to an awareness that reconciliation with Him is not only eternal life but also the only way to true life on earth. It’s exhilarating.

However, this union requires that we give God Lordship; sovereignty over our lives. This Lordship includes letting go of our judgments and thus how we’ve been operating and thinking since birth. It requires us to let go of all that we have trusted and instead trust Him, which proves to be very difficult. Those areas of trust, though wrong, were our hope for attaining our desires. We feel we are giving up our desires. We aren’t. God gave us those desires. We are giving up our way of obtaining them. John 12:25

It’s here that many stop. They can’t let go and give up their self-will. They feel they have to give up too much, when in reality it’s only by letting go that they received what they’ve always wanted. The path is narrow. There is only one way, God’s way. Matthew 7:14

Others think they can learn principles of this path, and then forge ahead. But this process doesn’t foster the unity with God that they were designed to flourish in. With their “new principles”, they remain in control continuing to work according to their own strength. They aren’t relying, trusting and growing in God’s power working in them.

Others continue to move forward following the small light (the Word) in front of them, not sure of the next step until it is made. It’s nerve racking, but they step into the unknown. Realizing God’s ways aren’t their ways. They’ve embraced the tools given to them – the Word of God and prayer. By abiding in the Word of God they learn who God is, who they are in Him, and the dynamics of their relationship. They start developing an intimate connection.

From the knowledge gained in diligently seeking God, trust blossoms. They begin to trust in God’s Word and work in their lives and not what they think is right. The transition is occurring from walking according to their will to God’s spirit. They are letting go a little at a time, and finding it is the secret to moving forward on the path of life. Matthew 6:33, Psalm 37:3-5

Their path takes them through a wilderness, where they are stripped of all that they trust so that their trust can only be fully in God. This stripping comes by trials where the objects of their trust are removed or challenged. Only when they put those idols of trust aside, can they be united to God; a union in which He is the sovereign voice. This journey in the wilderness can be long and hard because it’s difficult to break the trust in other entities. 1 Peter 5:10 1 Peter 1:6-7 Philippians 4:19

In the wilderness, many, whose relationship is weak due to lack of truly knowing God thus in trusting Him, turn back to their old ways. The hardships and trials cause them to go back to what they trusted before.

For those who persist through the wilderness, when their spirit comes to a place of true surrender, then they are ready for the fullness of their purpose, desires and life to come. Their heart is in the right condition to receive what God has for them and to become who God intended them to be. It’s no longer about their works, but God working in and through them in a much greater power. A relationship is established between them and God, which none can separate. They are rightly related to God. God is first in their lives. His will prevails. His power flows freely. They enter into abundant life, as God has ordained for each one according to how they are created and the purposes they were created for. The fulfillment of their deepest desires start to bloom in and all around them.

Psalm 34:10 The young lions do lack, and suffer hunger: but they that seek the LORD shall not want any good thing.

Psalm 84:11 For the LORD God is a sun and shield: the LORD will give grace and glory: no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly.

Is it a road to Utopia? Not in the sense we might think. At times it doesn’t feel like it, especially through the wilderness, but yes it is. Only God can truly fulfill us, for He created us.
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Our Capacity to be Influenced

Our Capacity to be Influenced

 

Through the awkward teenage years, I had a close friend who had a significant impact on me. Not only because we were around each other ALL the time, but it was an influential period in my life, as it is for most. Sometimes I wonder how my life would be different if she hadn’t been a part of it. It reminds me of the movie, Sliding Doors, a thought provoking story about the choices we make. Our decisions obviously have a huge impact on our lives, and choices about our friends have far-reaching ripple affects because of the power of their influence on us.

In day to day life, it’s important to understand our capability to be influenced. Right now we are being impacted by society, spouses, friends, religious leaders, family, and co-workers, in good and bad ways. This is why the Bible tells us to be wise about who are friends are and who we fellowship with, for their influence is extensive. (Healthy vs. Unhealthy Fellowship)

When a strong emotional element is part of the relationship, then the influencer gains even more power in affecting us – elements like acceptance, fear, guilt, loneliness, insecurity, attention, love, value, and purposefulness. Interestingly, most of these elements come into play when involved in a religious institution, like the church system (different from the true church, body of Christ). Thus, it’s tremendous power over people.

Because of the influence of others especially in the church system, it’s critical that we abide in the pure word of God (separate from others’ interpretations/opinions), on a daily basis. Take time to meditate on God’s truth. Learn to listen to His instruction and to hear His voice distinct from the others. Learn to trust Him to be the Teacher and have a foundation built on His instruction, not a human’s. Give an attentive ear, mind and heart to His Word and His instruction for a period each day without the influence of others’ words along with it. If we do this, in time, we will be wiser and more discerning among those who influence us. We will gain the ability to test all spirits as we are instructed in 1 John 4:1.

Matthew 10:16 “hold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves.”

Years ago, I set out in the search for truth. I asked God to reveal the lies and deception I was taking part in. As I put His Word first above all others and abided in it daily, He started opening up my eyes and still is. It amazed me how I easily trusted the words of others – especially religious leaders. How I didn’t really test them. How I couldn’t test them because I wasn’t in the Word with a passion to know God and His truth. I didn’t put the Word first in my life. I relied on others to interpret and explain it to me and that was one of my biggest downfalls.

From personal experience, as I’ve mentioned before, it’s very profitable to spend time alone (months) simply in the Word of God with no other interpretations or opinions trusting the Holy Spirit to teach you. John 14:26 The Apostle Paul, spent time alone, so what he learned, he gained from God, not man. Galatians 1:11-12, 16-17 It makes ALL the difference. Why? Because are easily influenced by others and because of the heightened emotions religion brings.

If we are abiding in the Bible, but continue to embrace the interpretations of others, we can’t help but be strongly influenced by their words. Their philosophies will be a filter by which we read the Word. We have enough of our own filters to deal with, or should I say for God to remove and replace with the truth. If we are relying on others, we aren’t giving ourselves a chance to remove those faulty filters that twist the Word of God. If we come to God with a desire to know the truth and nothing but the truth, He will expose the deceptions in our heart. A love of the truth is what saves us in these days from the massive and growing deceptions in and outside the church community. 2 Thessalonians 2:10

Because of the extensive influence of the church system, it has become a feeding ground for deception. God’s Word says the enemy will take over the sanctuary. Lamentations 2:5-7, 14, 4:12 Though, it can be difficult to accept, especially because it’s the object of many believers’ trust, it doesn’t mean it hasn’t happened. When we are in the midst of Satan’s shenanigans (the self-will of man), it’s difficult to see and believe that our church would be influenced by him. In these days, we need to abide in God’s pure truth on a regular basis and put our trust fully into Him and not in man or the church system. Because of the deception that abounds, God is calling many of His people out of the church system and to Himself as the sanctuary. He is fulfilling the role the teacher, shepherd, protector, fortress, comfort, and help.

I know this post has gotten quite serious but the warnings in the Bible in regards to this issue are extensive. We have nothing to fear when our trust is truly in God alone. How do you know where your trust truly is? Remove those things from your life and you will soon see.

My prayer is that we will take time to recognize and acknowledge the influence those around us have on us; to ask God to give us clarity about what relationships and situations to embrace and which to let go. If it’s a letting go, know He’ll provide every need – I’ve seen it time and time again. He is more faithful than we know as we truly put our trust in Him.

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Truth: The Soul Armor

Truth is our Soul Armor

 

The other day, as I fell into bliss thinking about God and all He has done and is doing in my life, a jolt brought me back to the fullness of reality – there is a battle going on.

After talking with an acquaintance who is an unbeliever, God reminded me of the realness of the evil at work and the spiritual battle taking place, in lives like hers; one that I need to always be aware of, ready for, and engaged in – not in la-la land.

The spiritual warfare is strong. It can seem overwhelming when you look at all the evil in this world (blatant evil and evil disguised as good), but He that is in us is greater than he that is in the world. 1 John 4:4

As God’s children, we need to realize this power we’ve been given and use it. When we are prepared and fighting, we are more powerful than we know in the methods of spiritual warfare like speaking truth, acting in love (true love), praise, prayer, and fasting. Jesus Christ has given us the power to trample the enemy (the self-will; individually and collectively). He has given us ALL power over the enemy Luke 10:19. We need to use what we’ve been given. How do you use it? Know the truth, know your enemy, and know the power that works in and through you and act on it.

Battling in the Mind

I’ve been learning to fight the spiritual battle that occurs in our minds. The enemy feeds us lies whether through the messages of society, others, religion, and so on. It’s a brilliant strategy on his part, because if we believe those lies we act on them, then WE destroy ourselves. However, if we know the truth, those lies have no power. As I saw on the back of car – Truth, Soul Armor – how true that is!

In our spiritual walks, we come to a point were we “get it”. You can see this in Apostle Paul’s writing. There is a deep knowing of the truth, that gives him an incredible power in his life and over the enemy. Though we are always learning, we come to a point of knowing that the battling in our minds gets easier in a sense, thus us stronger. It reminds me of Neo in the movie the Matrix (movie I recommend full of interesting symbolism). As he understood that the enemies he saw were actually computer code he could alter, he battled effortlessly. His understanding of the truth was his power to defeat the enemy.

Getting to that point of discerning the truth from the lies is a process. We start blinded to the lies and therefore live by them. As we abide in God’s truth, the lies start to become unveiled. As truth takes ownership in our souls, we are equipped to fight the lies we’ve lived by for so long. At first, it’s difficult because they are so “engrained”. Yet, over time as we continue abiding, our clarity and understanding expands and discerning truth becomes easier. Like Neo, the truth gives us power to defeat our enemies. The moment a lie crosses the pathways of our mind, we recognize it for what it is and disregard it. We block every attack with ease and thus victory. 1 John 5:4 Truth, Soul Armor.

What the Holy Spirit reminded me the other day was once people take in the lies; they are opening up to much more.

Battling Spiritual Forces

Without truth, we invite all sorts of evil into our lives. Many, even those named Christians who lack a love for the truth, and are falling into the hands of the enemy. (M’kayla’s Korner) 2 Thessalonians 2:10. And at that point, what are they opening up their spirits to?

Ephesians 6:12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.

In the movie, when Neo first learned the truth, the true state of world he lived, the extent of deception, and the real evil that existed – it was hard for him to believe it. It seemed unreal. But it didn’t change the fact that it was very real. This world has done a good job of making the presence of evil non-existence or comical. More and more the happenings of life are explained disconnected from the spiritual, the real spiritual, another clever tactic of the enemy. If we don’t know or recognize our enemy, it doesn’t change whether we are being impacted by it, and it completely affects our ability to “fight” it. Suppose you were in a physical fight. Your opponent was obliterating you, yet you refused to believe he was the reason for your pain. You felt the sting of the blows and the wounds on your body, but you didn’t believe he was attacking you. You intellectually explained it as something else. By not admitting the truth, how could you ever win? You couldn’t. You have to know your enemy in order to defeat him. You have to know how he works. 2 Corin 2:11

It was a good reminder last week of the battle that is raging around us, the realness of it and how we’ve been given the power to defeat it. Realize the power you have in Christ over ALL power of the enemy. Don’t let the distractions of this world distract you from the battle we are in, the battle God is calling His people to fight.

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Jehovah Jireh – Encouragement

Jehovah Jireh – Encouragement

 

A friend shared this with me and I’m passing it along because I found it encouraging and a great description of what I feel many of us are facing in our circumstances.

Jehovah Jireh
Aletha Hinthorn

God gave Abraham a startling command. “Take your promised son and offer him in sacrifice!”

During his three days’ journey to the place of sacrifice, Abram came to the conviction that, if God required him to offer Isaac, He was also able to raise him up from the dead.

So he bound Isaac with cords and laid him upon the altar. Just as Abraham raised his knife to kill his son, an authoritative voice from heaven said, “Do not lay a hand upon the boy.” Abraham looked and saw a ram caught by its horns.

As a result of these events, Abraham called the name of that place Jehovah Jireh “the Lord will provide” (Genesis 22:14). Jehovah Jireh is not a personal name of God, but rather, the name of a place where God appeared. Still, it is a name that we ascribe to God. The name means God sees to everything beforehand. We never have a need that is not already met.

The key to discovering God to be our Jehovah Jireh is to give up our Isaac, the thing that is dearest to us. It’s praying, “Lord, You know what I want, and You love me better than I love myself. I choose Your provision over my own.”

When we willingly give up our deepest desire, then, and only then, can we discover that God’s provisions are always better than we could imagine.

For instance, God’s provisions always look ahead much further than we can see. If we were allowed to design our blessings, we would ask for blessings prematurely or for blessings too small. God often withholds what we ask because He has higher plans for us that we can imagine.

He may lead us through what would seem to be unkind, unfair, and totally unnecessary paths. Suddenly He brings us to a turn in the road, where we’re allowed to see His beautiful plan and we glimpse a whole cluster of answered prayers. We then can see that the long and perhaps lonely way God led us was necessary so that He could provide far more blessings than we would have thought to pray for.

I praise You, Father, that all Your purposes toward us end in infinite and eternal love.

“They that know thy name will put their trust in thee” (Psalm 9:10 KJV).

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God’s Enduring Faithfulness

God’s Enduring Faithfulness

Promise through the Storm

Another characteristic of God I’ve been focusing on the past couple of weeks is faithfulness.

The promises in the Bible are mind blowing. Yet, for many those promises can seem distant. One reason is because we are too focused on our faithfulness, or better yet faithlessness, instead of God’s faithfulness. As I focused on this characteristic of God, it refreshed my soul more than I would have thought. I realized I really don’t focus on it enough.

God is faithful. He does what He says. He is true to His word. He is reliable and dependable. He will finish what He started. We can count on Him. God gave us His promises and He (not us) is the One to manifest them in our lives in the perfect way and perfect timing for each one of us. He will fulfill His words to us, because He is faithful and can’t deny Himself.  2 Timothy 2:13

Seeking, Knowing, Trusting

God is faithful. So, what does He ask of us? The Word is replete with calls for us to seek, know and trust Him and His responses if we do.

Psalm 9:10 And they that know thy name will put their trust in thee: for thou, Lord, hast not forsaken them that seek thee.

These three acts are all connected; one leading to the next. Seeking leads to knowing which produces trust.  Seeking is about learning who God is and moving into a real relationship with Him based on His truth. It’s deepening our personal knowledge or “knowing” of God. It isn’t learning about Him through a third party, but one-on-one, intimate, personal. It’s walking through life’s experiences with Him, and deeply learning He is faithful, we can trust Him.

I’ve found that always going through a third party or middle man (pastor, writer, leader, teacher) dramatically slows down and inhibits the intimacy building process with God. We gain some understanding, true, but it’s drops in the bucket compared to going to Him one-on-one just us, Him and His Word. Jesus removed the middle man by becoming the middle man. We have to be very careful of depending or relying on a third part and their works (leading, teaching, words) because it feels comfortable. There is a place for others; it’s secondary to our relationship with God. Think of a marriage. We are God’s bride. In a marriage, do you always have someone there telling you who your spouse is? What kind of intimacy or lack of would that produce? Or do you go and experience and learn about your spouse yourself?

In an intimate relationship, deep knowledge grows and trust is the fruit. Without this type of a relationship it’s difficult to truly trust because we don’t really know God.  We trust what we know. If you find your trust is lacking, focus on cultivating a real relationship with God for that is where true trust blossoms.

Trust in God’s Mercy

One of the key aspects of God’s instruction is that He asks us to trust in is His mercy. It’s one of the most important qualities we trust in. Especially because we often don’t trust Him in other areas like we should!  The truth and mercy go hand in hand. Psalm 61:7 There is truth about who God is to us, who we are to Him, what He desires of us, and most of us struggle with completely trusting in these areas and others as we are inundated with lies and fears. Learning to let go and trust God is a lifetime journey. So above all we need to trust in His mercy, not that we live or trust perfectly. Confusing? Hope not.

Psalm 6:4 Return, O Lord, deliver my soul: oh save me for thy mercies’ sake.

God is faithful. Faithful to have His grace and mercy abound toward us always, thus to fulfill His promises toward us.  Especially in the midst of a trial, where our trust is being tested and being strengthened (real trust grows from our experiences not our pontificating), it’s important to keep our focus on what is right and true, like God’s faithfulness. During trials more than any other time our internal lies attack and weaken our trust in God and what He has taught us. We aren’t to give these lies a minute of our attention. When we focus our minds on who God is and not the lies, our current frustration, or the future outcome of what we think our circumstances will manifest, then we’re able to stand firm through the difficulties.

God’s faithfulness abounds toward us. Deeply knowing this truth brings peace among the storms in life, (as the rainbow breaks through the storm clouds). It isn’t a wishful thinking, but a very real reality. God wants to show Himself to us in powerful and real ways. In the midst of trials when we have reached our end is where His work becomes most apparent because we know what is done is not of us or anything else.

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Preparing for God’s Calling

Preparing for God’s Calling

 

If you’ve been following my posts, Wilderness Tests – God’s Care, Perspective Adjustments, then you know I’ve been going through what I call wilderness tests. (Wilderness because I feel like I’m out there in the wide open with nothing to cling to but God – and yet He is everything what I’m I worried about? And tests because I feel my trust is being tested at very deep levels within me.)

God often uses my dreams to reveal the depths of my heart, and I’m getting some deep insight during this trial. My dreams cause me to face what I’m really feeling, because my rational brain knows better. They have been exposing the depth of what I really think and feel so that it can be addressed with the Truth. They can be like an interpretive drama of what is happening in my emotions.

Here is another one . . .

A friend was putting together a Bible class for children. I asked if she could use my help.  She asked me to prepare some pages (on graph paper) with certain phrases written on them. The phrases were to be written in different colored markers. Some of the phrases were to be taken out of certain books. Sounds easy enough. There were other women helping out with the same task. As I started out I had all my supplies but not the markers. Once I got the markers, then all the sudden the graph paper was missing. Once I got the graph paper, then the books were missing. I couldn’t get it all together to get the task done. The other women seemed to have no problem getting it all together. They kept handing my friend completed pages, when I hadn’t written one phrase. Why was I having such a problem? I couldn’t figure it out. What’s wrong with me? Time started to run out and the children started showing up as the class was about to begin, and I hadn’t prepared anything! My friend didn’t seem too worried about it, but I felt horrible that I hadn’t made any progress with such a simple task. Then I woke up.

As I asked about this dream the next morning, I felt it was related to my calling.  My passion is to help others to cultivate a relationship with God that is deep, meaningful, passionate, and real.  I felt God had given me the next steps for moving forward. All the elements seemed to be in place. I felt I knew what I needed to do, but yet it seemed to go nowhere. What seemed to be an easy task ended up not really ever taking off as I expected it to.  Yet, others around me seem to be carrying on their callings with no problem.  This dream showed me how deep down I feel about my circumstances. The elements seem to be there but there isn’t much movement forward from my point of view. Why? What is going on? In my rational brain I know that God is in control that He is preparing me and I need to relax and trust, but deep down I was feeling a bit “concern” about the whole thing as my dream revealed.

This is what God told me about this “concern” I was having. It isn’t about you “efforting” your way through. I know your heart, willingness, and passion, I put them in you to drive and focus you in your life. BUT I’m the One to lead, guide, prepare and equip you for what I call you to do. You question your ability and sometimes your path to accomplish what seems straight forward because you don’t see the “successes”. But you are right where I want you to be.  Don’t give up on your passion because it isn’t happening in the way you thought. My ways are not your ways. The preparation of the person/leader is one of the most important parts to my callings. Too often people want to jump ahead. Resist that urge and trust me that I will guide you and lead you perfectly. The vision may be planted in your heart (however fuzzy), but it’s I who determine each step. You want to be there now, but I’m taking you along the perfect path at the perfect pace. Trust me. You are my workmanship. It’s not your work but mine. I will finish what I started. Trust me. Don’t you trust that I can guide you? Prepare you? Look at your past. My grace abounds toward you. You need to let go of your expectations of how it should be working out and trust me in this area. Just keep your eyes on Me – seeking my kingdom and my righteousness. This is all I ask of you.

As I was telling a friend, she said God has me “under construction” – I thought that was well said.  We want to jump ahead to the doing, because that’s what we often put our identity in, though we shouldn’t. We need to be patient as God prepares our heart, mind and spirit.

We want to be at the finish line now. But the truth of the matter is we will always be a work in progress in this life. We will always need to be dependent upon God. Therefore, we need to learn to trust and let go of our expectations of how things should be happening and trust His perfect counsel. We don’t see the big picture as He does. He moves His children along at the perfect way at the perfect pace. God spoke to me about this area of my life a week ago as I wrote in Perspective Adjustments. I got it on one level, but this truth needs to go deeper until it’s truly mine and that is a process.

Ephesians 3:20 Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us,

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Wilderness Tests – God’s Care

Wilderness Tests – God’s Care

 

The other morning after nine hours of sleep, I woke up emotionally spent. In my dream, I constantly yelled at everyone around me. They weren’t listening, and I was beyond frustrated. Despite how loud I yelled, they remained unfazed with my concerns and needs (probably because I was being very obnoxious).

When I woke up, I was exhausted from all that yelling. I rarely yell, so I’m not use to it. It’s draining! Does that happen to you – not the yelling part 🙂 – but waking up and feeling the residue of the emotions you had in your dream? I do. Every time it fascinates me how real our dreams are to our bodies.

My dreams often unveil the depths of my subconscious. In them, I face fears, un-dealt with emotions, and desires.

This dream revealed a question deep in my soul, which on a conscious level I didn’t question because I knew the answer – does God truly care for me? In the past, I’ve struggled with this issue because of experiences in my childhood, and often we transfer our childhood experiences with others to God. . .

In my younger years, I often felt that others didn’t care about me; that my concerns and needs didn’t matter. Looking back, I recognize the experiences in childhood that lead to this ill-belief. It’s a very painful thought to own, even some of the time. The reality was people did care, but at certain times my reality was they didn’t. Therefore, sometimes when situations aren’t going as expected, the enemy plays on my past and I question if God really cares for me . . . am I worth caring for?

Sometime ago when those old emotions started to arise, God said very clearly, I care. At His words, a smile danced across my face and my soul was at peace. At that moment, I knew God cared very deeply for me. It was a powerful moment I’ll never forget. Now, I know I only question His care when the raw unfiltered emotions of a child, who wasn’t processing reality correctly, are being triggered. It’s wise to understand why we feel what we do, because most of the negativity comes from past experiences where we didn’t process our emotions correctly.

But because of my past – this “caring” issue is tender in my soul. . .

The reason this dream came up is because of where I’m at right now. I’m going through a wilderness trial. The trial’s purpose is to test my trust in God in the areas that are the hardest for me, and to test how firmly I will stand on His truth when it’s challenged. In these trials, there is a combination of giants (seemingly tough situations) and lies. In the trial, because it’s challenging by nature, we can get weak and vulnerable and that is when our internal enemy strikes with lies.

The only real weapon this enemy has is lies. They aren’t very powerful unless we believe the lies as truth, then they become incredibly powerful. We are attacked in our thoughts in those areas that are vulnerable, for example, God’s care for us. Yet, if we reject the lies, hold onto the truth, then we can stand unwavering. When we truly trust God, then that is ultimate freedom. In this freedom is where He wants to be, thus the testing. God wants us to know without a doubt who He is and who He is to us and that is why we have these tests.

These tests aren’t for God to know my heart because He already knows it, but for me to know. I feel I’m going through this trial at this time because God has taught me so much and is preparing me for His plans that lay ahead. I need to know where I stand. I need to know that my trust is truly in Him and nothing else. It’s like in school where you are given exams to test what you’ve learned before you move onto the next level. These wilderness tests often include being presented with giants as well as lies that reflect issues close to our hearts. Our response to them is everything, because our beliefs reflected in our response are everything.

We can know God’s truth in our head. But do we know it in our heats – where it matters? When characteristics of God are related to a painful past, it can make deeply believing in His promises more difficult. For example, as a child if we are neglected, abused, or abandoned, then it can be difficult to trust that God will always be there, He’ll never leave, and He truly loves and cares.

I thought I knew that He cared for me. But going through this wilderness trial, I sometimes feel Jesus is asleep in the boat while I’m in the middle of the storm. Why is He sleeping, doesn’t He care? In part that is the nature of the trial – in the silence of His voice or actions do we still believe in His promises? Deep down I started to question – doesn’t He care? Why don’t I see His deliverance? If He cared wouldn’t He deliver me now? My internal enemy was trying to plant seeds exploiting issues of the past. Believing God cares is essential, because then we can truly trust Him. I needed to know He always deeply cares therefore it’s put to the test. . . was I going to give into the lies or stand firm on His truth?

I chose to stand on His promises and silence the pounding lies.

A thought, a lie, comes into our minds, and if we are equipped with the truth and connected to God, then we can kill it. If we don’t have the truth and aren’t connected, our minds will feed that lie, it will grow, we’ll act on it, and create havoc in our emotions and lives. In the wilderness, Jesus quickly dispelled the lies presented to Him. Jesus KNEW the truth. It was His truth, so He stood firm.

In preparation for this wilderness trial, God told me 1. to keep my focus on Him 2. Hold onto the truth 3. Be ready for certain lies that pertain to areas close to my heart. He forewarned me that I would be challenged in what I’ve learned. If we are listening, God will warn us – yet even with the warning it still can be a challenge because it hits our most vulnerable spots – that is why it’s a test.

If we do hold onto the truth, our trust and faith grow immensely. The truth is our shield, we are to cling to it and not give lies a foothold in our thoughts. Yet, even if we do start to fall, His mercy is more than enough to carry us through.

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