If you made it through part one and are still interested here is the rest!
There was only ONE apostle Paul, there was only ONE Mary, there was only ONE Moses, Abraham and David. AND, we fail to forget that Mary was not goddess of Nazareth in her time. Can you imagine the ridicule she went through when people started thinking Jesus was crazy for claiming to be God? The Israelites constantly opposed Moses’ authority and Paul gives a whole litany of abuses in 2 Corinthians 11:20-33. God did not place everyone here to be known. He is the only one that even DESERVES to be known! What about Rachel Saint, John Huss and George Mueller? Or John and Betty Stamm? Are plaques going up in their honor? People who went to foreign lands, served in the most remote parts of the earth in heinous conditions and died martyrs deaths? (How’s that for boosting your self-esteem??). Did God love them any less because they were mistreated, abused and obscure? Their momentary light afflictions were producing for them an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison” (2 Cor. 4:17). You know what I think it is? We think that our suffering somehow minimizes God’s greatness - that if God were good and powerful that He would alleviate all of our pain and uncomfortableness. Unfortunately, this is the curse of sin and the very reason why Jesus had to die. But we think, “how can God be great if we suffer?” It is taboo to feel bad about yourself these days but without a deep conviction over sin where is the need for a SAVIOR? If no sin, then what are we being saved from?
So the question begs to be answered, “Who else should be great in our suffering?” What greater thought than knowing that our GOOD God has a purpose in our suffering. I would lose hope if I thought that my afflictions were not producing an eternal weight of glory. That is the beauty of our God! Sovereign not only in the joys of life but also in the sorrows! He is in control and thankfully not subject to every whim of man’s dreams and emotions!
So, how is this affecting our children? We aren’t teaching them to take their place in the world for God’s glory scrubbing toilets. We are teaching them that they are destined for greatness, anything they want to dream up God will give to them if they just believe and anyone who tells them otherwise is a “border bully” or a negative influence! We would say, “Run from these people because they don’t have your best interest in mind! And by the way, God, here is my plan, put your stamp of approval on it so I can be happy!” Because God wants us to be happy...that’s in scripture somewhere right? God created me for my purposes and my happiness because after all achieving our dreams equals happiness! So what happens when my daughter wants to be Miss America so she can make her platform spreading the gospel (which is “of God”) and she doesn’t make it? Who are we setting up to be at fault? Us or God? When my son wants to be CEO of his company in order to run the company as the ultimate example of a “Christian business” and it doesn’t work out for him who will he turn to and point the finger at? Do you see the danger in this? We have made God for our purposes instead of the opposite. The path we are on puts our children in greater danger of apostasy and low self-esteem because when they fail...and they will (if you’ve lived long enough you realize that life is full of disappointments!) where do we send them to find purpose and significance?
Don’t get me wrong, I agree that God has created each of us with gifts and talents to be used for His purpose. There isn’t a lot of conflict in this statement. However, the difference resides in the FOCUS of the statement. Where we have led the generations to come is to focus on the PURPOSE instead of GOD. When we focus on God, “the things of earth will grow strangely dim in the light of His glory and grace” and that includes our marred self-esteem. Self-loathing is a thing to be viewed in the light of God. We must come face to face with the truth that we are created by Him, for Him and in His image. Even Jesus did not think equality with God was something to be grasped but made Himself of no reputation and came in the likeness of man (Philippians 2:7) and He was God! The way we get around our issues of self is to focus on God not more self. We need to focus on others that have less than and who need the truthful grace of the gospel to set them free. We are drowning because we are overcome with US! God help US to get our minds off of US!
Jesus said, “My kingdom is not of this world!” The word of God is replete with scripture that talks about suffering, trials and an inheritance that is not here. We are not teaching the “take up your cross and follow me” gospel because it doesn’t make us feel important. The cross, an instrument of death and torture. These hard sayings are why “many walked with Him no more” (John 6:66) Jesus said, “you must count the cost if you want to follow me.” I challenge you to read Luke 14:25-33. Does this seem like a metaphor or was Jesus really saying all of these things? HARD SAYINGS....and all true! Why? Because this isn’t heaven and my inheritance is yet to come. If I want to be like my Savior I am a “woman of sorrows acquainted with grief.” How very different from ordinary to extraordinary!
Saturday, January 29, 2011
Friday, January 28, 2011
Ordinary You, Extraordinary GOD! Part One
Preface:
I have had major anxiety over this blog post because I am sure it will step on many toes but I am compelled to share because I have more anxiety over the fall out of the “power of positive thinking with a little Jesus on the side” movement that is taking over our music, literature and pulpits. The most disturbing is that our children are the target and they are taking it ALL in! Please read this in the light of the whole context of scripture, the gospel and the life of our Lord Jesus Christ. I love our children so much that I can’t bear to see them walk off a theological cliff into the despair of self! God help us to raise children that think great thoughts of God rather than great thoughts of self!
Post:
Okay, no funny stuff to open up this a.m.! I am disturbed! I am increasingly disturbed at the culture we are creating for our children in the 21st century church. We are telling them that God is there to be their divine dream weaver and that whatever they want to accomplish all they have to do is believe! Pish posh with the ordinary! Who wants to be ordinary? Who wants to be obscure? My eight year old made a profound statement the other day, “Mom, if everyone is extraordinary than no one is extraordinary. Wouldn’t that just make everyone ordinary?” Smart girl that one! If you will allow my soap box for the next few minutes - and I promise this is a VERY unpopular message! There is something inside me, inside most of us that cringes a little at the thought of suffering, trials and being ordinary. It is difficult to say, “I count it all JOY when I fall into various trials or let the lowly brother boast in his exaltation” (James 1: 2,9). In fact, it is counter to our culture. But make no mistake, if we are not actively working against having ourselves indoctrinated into the world then we ARE being indoctrinated by the world! Satan gets in by what we see and what we hear and although he cannot possess us as believers he can deceive and blind our minds. One of the ways he does this today is the very subject of this post:
Namely, that we are disinterested in what God would have for us and overwhelmingly consumed with our own desires. We aren’t so bold as to come right out and phrase it that way but it is evident in our “God speak”. Did you know that Biblegateway.com posted a listing of the most searched verses for 2010 and in the top 19 verses there was not one that mentioned sin? It was not until number 20 which was Romans 3:23 that sin was even mentioned. How telling of our world today! We are taking scriptures like, “God will give you the desires of your heart” out of Psalm 37:4b and making them walk on all fours with no context! Very rarely do we hear, “The first shall be last and the last shall be first” quoted as our life verse! What we are breeding is a culture of disillusioned people who eventually walk away from the Lord because He didn’t make their dreams come true! So, what do we say to these people? You didn’t believe hard enough? You didn’t have faith enough? You didn’t wait long enough? Could it be that the answer does not come because it is not God’s will? Are we submitting to His purposes or are we forcing God to submit to ours?
My passion for this is so great that my fingers are trembling right now! I can speak from the depths of my heart on this because I have been there! In my early thirties (which hasn’t been that long ago for those who are wondering!) I was praying for VERY specific things to come to fruition and I was certain that if I wanted them bad enough and if I prayed with enough faith and I claimed the right scriptures that my dreams would come to pass. The problem? There was no room for another answer! After several months, the answer came and it was clearly, “No!” Not wait, not maybe but NO! Wow! God, you are so not FOR me! You are sitting on your throne with the power to make this happen and you have chosen not to give me what I want!! How’s that for disillusionment? Many people would say that I need to wait for it but in retrospect it wasn’t HIS will and as believers we would not be happy outside of His will - I wonder do we really believe that? I can choose to look at my “dreams that have not come true” in the light of a life full of disappointments and tragedies, a life not worth living because I matter to no one and I am not good enough OR I can choose to look at them as a blessing because God has had His will and way in my life knowing that what He has for me is best. I don’t understand the why’s and how’s and there are many questions I have but as my husband has said to me more times than I can count, “If you are going to serve God you have to be okay with not having all the answers, with being uncomfortable and joyful over many mysteries!”
To be continued...
I have had major anxiety over this blog post because I am sure it will step on many toes but I am compelled to share because I have more anxiety over the fall out of the “power of positive thinking with a little Jesus on the side” movement that is taking over our music, literature and pulpits. The most disturbing is that our children are the target and they are taking it ALL in! Please read this in the light of the whole context of scripture, the gospel and the life of our Lord Jesus Christ. I love our children so much that I can’t bear to see them walk off a theological cliff into the despair of self! God help us to raise children that think great thoughts of God rather than great thoughts of self!
Post:
Okay, no funny stuff to open up this a.m.! I am disturbed! I am increasingly disturbed at the culture we are creating for our children in the 21st century church. We are telling them that God is there to be their divine dream weaver and that whatever they want to accomplish all they have to do is believe! Pish posh with the ordinary! Who wants to be ordinary? Who wants to be obscure? My eight year old made a profound statement the other day, “Mom, if everyone is extraordinary than no one is extraordinary. Wouldn’t that just make everyone ordinary?” Smart girl that one! If you will allow my soap box for the next few minutes - and I promise this is a VERY unpopular message! There is something inside me, inside most of us that cringes a little at the thought of suffering, trials and being ordinary. It is difficult to say, “I count it all JOY when I fall into various trials or let the lowly brother boast in his exaltation” (James 1: 2,9). In fact, it is counter to our culture. But make no mistake, if we are not actively working against having ourselves indoctrinated into the world then we ARE being indoctrinated by the world! Satan gets in by what we see and what we hear and although he cannot possess us as believers he can deceive and blind our minds. One of the ways he does this today is the very subject of this post:
Namely, that we are disinterested in what God would have for us and overwhelmingly consumed with our own desires. We aren’t so bold as to come right out and phrase it that way but it is evident in our “God speak”. Did you know that Biblegateway.com posted a listing of the most searched verses for 2010 and in the top 19 verses there was not one that mentioned sin? It was not until number 20 which was Romans 3:23 that sin was even mentioned. How telling of our world today! We are taking scriptures like, “God will give you the desires of your heart” out of Psalm 37:4b and making them walk on all fours with no context! Very rarely do we hear, “The first shall be last and the last shall be first” quoted as our life verse! What we are breeding is a culture of disillusioned people who eventually walk away from the Lord because He didn’t make their dreams come true! So, what do we say to these people? You didn’t believe hard enough? You didn’t have faith enough? You didn’t wait long enough? Could it be that the answer does not come because it is not God’s will? Are we submitting to His purposes or are we forcing God to submit to ours?
My passion for this is so great that my fingers are trembling right now! I can speak from the depths of my heart on this because I have been there! In my early thirties (which hasn’t been that long ago for those who are wondering!) I was praying for VERY specific things to come to fruition and I was certain that if I wanted them bad enough and if I prayed with enough faith and I claimed the right scriptures that my dreams would come to pass. The problem? There was no room for another answer! After several months, the answer came and it was clearly, “No!” Not wait, not maybe but NO! Wow! God, you are so not FOR me! You are sitting on your throne with the power to make this happen and you have chosen not to give me what I want!! How’s that for disillusionment? Many people would say that I need to wait for it but in retrospect it wasn’t HIS will and as believers we would not be happy outside of His will - I wonder do we really believe that? I can choose to look at my “dreams that have not come true” in the light of a life full of disappointments and tragedies, a life not worth living because I matter to no one and I am not good enough OR I can choose to look at them as a blessing because God has had His will and way in my life knowing that what He has for me is best. I don’t understand the why’s and how’s and there are many questions I have but as my husband has said to me more times than I can count, “If you are going to serve God you have to be okay with not having all the answers, with being uncomfortable and joyful over many mysteries!”
To be continued...
Monday, January 24, 2011
Meditation..not yoga!
Happy Monday - oxymoron? Maybe. Although, the hubby brought me my coffee in bed AND is taking the kiddos to school while I sit in my office (the bed) with a beautiful view of the horizon. So, today is a Happy Monday although it isn't even 8am yet! I feel compelled all of a sudden to make sure that I blog on a regular basis. Not just because I love to write but because I feel that I need to be consistent however, it seems more difficult now because I am keenly aware of every word I write. I want to be sure that my writing is always seasoned with grace and received in grace. I want to be sure that God is always represented with truth and that I am never speaking out of my own resources - that my friends is DIFFICULT! I believe that God had me in mind when He wrote the Proverb saying, "Where there are many words there is much transgression!" Yep, that's me! Talking has to rank up there with eating and sleeping. Which makes it hard to "be still and know that I am God" or in my case "shut up so I can talk to you my child!" There are definitely times when in the midst of my prayers (doing pretty well on that "resolution" by God's grace) I think to myself.."you sure are talking alot, maybe God might want to say something." Which leads me to realize that I rush in very quickly and deliberately into God's presence. I don't enter with awe and fear, timidity and reverence. I simply start firing off requests and a praise here and there, a few "please forgive me's" and then I'm done..."Amen, thanks God for listening!"
Which brings me to a verse I have been thinking on for a few days: "Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight O God, my Strength, my Redeemer" (Psalm 19:14). Because I am a talker I often pray for the words that come out of my mouth and I ask the Lord to make me a better listener..in other words, I pray often that I would learn to be quiet. However, I fall short in living up to my end of the request by actually trying to be quiet. I pray, more often than not, thinking that the Holy Spirit is just going to put supernatural duct tape on my mouth!! Let me say, for the record, that hasn't happened yet - my husband can attest to that! So, the second half of that verse that talks about the meditation of my heart speaks to me! How often do I take time to truly meditate on God, on His Word, on His presence? My time with Him is very one sided - it is all about me! I read, I pray, I memorize..I..I..I. Is it any wonder that at the end of that verse God is labeled as our Strength and our Redeemer? Our strength is not drawn from the Lord by rushing in and rushing out of His presence. Our strength is drawn from a purposeful rest in His presence. A time of being still (and quiet) and KNOWING that He is God. It says in Psalm 49:3, "The meditation of my heart shall give understanding." When we stop long enough to meditate we receive understanding, wisdom and strength. This is a rich promise we can take to the spiritual bank when we stop and SAVOR the beauty of Jesus.
So, today, instead of having a "microwave moment" with the Lord let's try giving Him a few uncontested moments of our attention. "Enter into His gates with thanksgiving and into His courts with praise, be thankful to Him and bless His Name" and then wait on the Lord and receive understanding!
Which brings me to a verse I have been thinking on for a few days: "Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight O God, my Strength, my Redeemer" (Psalm 19:14). Because I am a talker I often pray for the words that come out of my mouth and I ask the Lord to make me a better listener..in other words, I pray often that I would learn to be quiet. However, I fall short in living up to my end of the request by actually trying to be quiet. I pray, more often than not, thinking that the Holy Spirit is just going to put supernatural duct tape on my mouth!! Let me say, for the record, that hasn't happened yet - my husband can attest to that! So, the second half of that verse that talks about the meditation of my heart speaks to me! How often do I take time to truly meditate on God, on His Word, on His presence? My time with Him is very one sided - it is all about me! I read, I pray, I memorize..I..I..I. Is it any wonder that at the end of that verse God is labeled as our Strength and our Redeemer? Our strength is not drawn from the Lord by rushing in and rushing out of His presence. Our strength is drawn from a purposeful rest in His presence. A time of being still (and quiet) and KNOWING that He is God. It says in Psalm 49:3, "The meditation of my heart shall give understanding." When we stop long enough to meditate we receive understanding, wisdom and strength. This is a rich promise we can take to the spiritual bank when we stop and SAVOR the beauty of Jesus.
So, today, instead of having a "microwave moment" with the Lord let's try giving Him a few uncontested moments of our attention. "Enter into His gates with thanksgiving and into His courts with praise, be thankful to Him and bless His Name" and then wait on the Lord and receive understanding!
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
The Scapegoat..
Did you realize that the term scapegoat originated in the Bible? It thrills me to be reading along and see something as specific as the term "scapegoat" used in scripture to give me a concise word-picture of what the Lord is talking about. In my daily devotions I am reading through Leviticus..yes, people, there are applicable things in Leviticus although I will admit it isn't the most exciting book to read! I have tried to remember as I read through parts of the Old Testament that all of it, including those chapter-long genealogies, are the inspired word of God and are placed there for a purpose - not sure what purpose but there nonetheless. Obviously, it was important to God for me to have those out of the very limited amount of His mind we are privvy to!
So, this morning I was reading about the Day of Atonement. If you tend to get that confused with all of the other rituals, feasts and ceremonies, like I do, then here is a quick tutorial for you: The Day of Atonement served as the one day of the year when the High Priest offered a sacrifice to the Lord on behalf of all the people to "atone" for all the sin they had committed during that year. They observed it like a Sabbath day where they rested from their work. The process for the High Priest was to enter the Holy of Holies where the Ark of the Covenant was housed and sprinkle blood from a sin offering on the mercy seat. (Connection here..Jesus is our High Priest who makes atonement for our sins under the new covenant.) The High Priest had a VERY specific list to follow in order to complete the process and if at any point He made a mistake, He would die! Now, don't you think you would be double checking your notes if you were the H.P.? I would be a total nervous wreck and I would definitely make sure that I had my eyes checked before I started reading my notes! If you ever want to get anything right it would be this!! Did you know that they used to tie a long sash onto the waste of the priest so that if he went into the Holy of Holies and died they could drag him out by the sash? Why? Because even going into retrieve the body would place those people in the presence of the Lord since His presence resided in the Holy of Holies hovering over the Ark. Then, those people simply retrieving the body would die as well! Serious business!!
So, you may read that and think what a cruel God that He would kill someone for forgetting the 3rd step! Let me encourage you to look at it in a different light...how serious is God over our sin? Sin separates us from God. God is so Holy that He cannot dwell in the presence of sin. Sin is so detestable to Him that it takes absolute perfection to atone for it, to cover it. There is no room for error when it comes to the forgiveness of sin. There is no room for flippancy and casually entering into His presence. Sin is so serious that it always took life to atone for it and ultimately, it took the absolute perfection of God's own Son to pay for my sin and for yours too...
In the process of sacrificing, the High Priest would select two goats and then cast lots (kind of like a modern day rock, paper, scissors or eenie, meenie, minee-mo but on a divine level??) to see which goat would be sacrificed and which would be the scapegoat. The scapegoat would ultimately represent Jesus Christ. The High Priest would place both of his hands on the head of the goat and confess all of the sins of the sons of Israel and then release the goat into the wilderness outside the camp. In Hebrews 13:10-14 it says that Jesus was crucified outside the camp..outside the walls of Jerusalem. Don't you just love scripture and how it all ties together? Nothing thrills me like finding that God is not random about ANYTHING, even a scapegoat!
So my conclusion? I have asked the Lord to impress upon me the weight of my sin in light of His absolute holiness. We can become flippant and matter-of-fact about our sin and because we live under grace we think that God just turns a blind eye. The reality is that He is still as grieved over sin today as He has always been. Psalm 7:11 says that "God is angry with the wicked EVERY DAY." My prayer is that we will see the weight of sin in light of God's holiness, that we will see His absolute perfection and His COMPLETE worthiness and praise Him for His gift of grace toward us by "demonstrating His love for us in that while we were STILL sinners Christ died for us..the godly for the ungodly (Romans 5:6,8). It only takes one half of one sin for us to need a scapegoat and we all fall down...
So, this morning I was reading about the Day of Atonement. If you tend to get that confused with all of the other rituals, feasts and ceremonies, like I do, then here is a quick tutorial for you: The Day of Atonement served as the one day of the year when the High Priest offered a sacrifice to the Lord on behalf of all the people to "atone" for all the sin they had committed during that year. They observed it like a Sabbath day where they rested from their work. The process for the High Priest was to enter the Holy of Holies where the Ark of the Covenant was housed and sprinkle blood from a sin offering on the mercy seat. (Connection here..Jesus is our High Priest who makes atonement for our sins under the new covenant.) The High Priest had a VERY specific list to follow in order to complete the process and if at any point He made a mistake, He would die! Now, don't you think you would be double checking your notes if you were the H.P.? I would be a total nervous wreck and I would definitely make sure that I had my eyes checked before I started reading my notes! If you ever want to get anything right it would be this!! Did you know that they used to tie a long sash onto the waste of the priest so that if he went into the Holy of Holies and died they could drag him out by the sash? Why? Because even going into retrieve the body would place those people in the presence of the Lord since His presence resided in the Holy of Holies hovering over the Ark. Then, those people simply retrieving the body would die as well! Serious business!!
So, you may read that and think what a cruel God that He would kill someone for forgetting the 3rd step! Let me encourage you to look at it in a different light...how serious is God over our sin? Sin separates us from God. God is so Holy that He cannot dwell in the presence of sin. Sin is so detestable to Him that it takes absolute perfection to atone for it, to cover it. There is no room for error when it comes to the forgiveness of sin. There is no room for flippancy and casually entering into His presence. Sin is so serious that it always took life to atone for it and ultimately, it took the absolute perfection of God's own Son to pay for my sin and for yours too...
In the process of sacrificing, the High Priest would select two goats and then cast lots (kind of like a modern day rock, paper, scissors or eenie, meenie, minee-mo but on a divine level??) to see which goat would be sacrificed and which would be the scapegoat. The scapegoat would ultimately represent Jesus Christ. The High Priest would place both of his hands on the head of the goat and confess all of the sins of the sons of Israel and then release the goat into the wilderness outside the camp. In Hebrews 13:10-14 it says that Jesus was crucified outside the camp..outside the walls of Jerusalem. Don't you just love scripture and how it all ties together? Nothing thrills me like finding that God is not random about ANYTHING, even a scapegoat!
So my conclusion? I have asked the Lord to impress upon me the weight of my sin in light of His absolute holiness. We can become flippant and matter-of-fact about our sin and because we live under grace we think that God just turns a blind eye. The reality is that He is still as grieved over sin today as He has always been. Psalm 7:11 says that "God is angry with the wicked EVERY DAY." My prayer is that we will see the weight of sin in light of God's holiness, that we will see His absolute perfection and His COMPLETE worthiness and praise Him for His gift of grace toward us by "demonstrating His love for us in that while we were STILL sinners Christ died for us..the godly for the ungodly (Romans 5:6,8). It only takes one half of one sin for us to need a scapegoat and we all fall down...
Saturday, January 1, 2011
Happy New Year!
I am so excited to write this blog post! So excited in fact that there will be a plethora of exclamation points! I feel that the exclamation point may be the single most important punctuation mark in all written language! It helps to emphasize the importance of the important statements not to mention that it points to the very dramatic side of my personality!! Carrying on...I lerve (new slang for something that you love infinitely: for example I lerve Mexican food. But not the same as I LOVE Jesus) new beginnings, it is one of the graces of God that I am most thankful for along with waking up to see that I still have 3 more hours to sleep before the alarm goes off! But seriously, I am so grateful that I only have 12-16 hours in a day to screw up before I can go to bed and start over again! Can anyone sympathize? There have been days when I just couldn't wait for bedtime in order to put that day to rest. Thankfully, those days are few and far between. I love the infinite mercy of a God who repeatedly gives us the ability to start over. It's like one of my FB friends said, "It's not like I have to wait for a new year to make changes, it just feels so fresh and new that way! It's a great trick!" Yes, indeed it is a great "trick" or as I would say, "a great grace." That is the character of a God that is longsuffering. Don't you love that characteristic? He suffers long with us! Oh, how my God has suffered long with me in His mercy toward me! Grace upon grace!
Like many of you I have pondered what things I would like to accomplish this year. I won't call them resolutions because I think the word automatically implies failure :). So, I will call them "things I hope to accomplish if I don't get off track and lose the vision before January 5th" for 2011. I try not to get totally carried away with this even though I could very easily redirect my entire life - it is tempting...Anyway, I have narrowed down my list to three accomplishments for 2011 and I hope to be able to report, if the Lord tarries, in 365 days that I have succeeded in seeing these things to completion: 1) Memorizing the book of James - just so happens to be one of my favorite books in the Bible and I can memorize two verses a week to get me through the entire book in one year. Plus, I feel like memorizing a whole book might lend itself to a more comprehensive thought instead of verses from different places. Thank you Thelma Shupe for the idea (she has memorized the entire book of Ephesians and I am JEALOUS!) 2) Running a marathon - which at this point is going to require much effort since I have maxed out at 10 miles thus far but I feel like I should do it before my body falls apart AND this may be the very thing that sends me straight to the doctor for a new knee, hip or both. Also, I know I am crazy for wanting to do anything for 26.2 miles except for drive and I realize this! 3) Ramp up my prayer life - this means actually praying in terms other than, "Dear Jesus, help me not to kill this child or Jesus take the wheel (and the brakes) because if I have the wheel I might run this person over!" This means making time daily, even if it's 5 minutes before my feet hit the floor in the morning, to commit my way to His will - verbally! Intentionally seeking Him in the quiet, alone, fervently petitioning His throne.
I have to confess that I have eschewed prayer in 2010 and I have no excuse that stands - IT IS SIN! But, if you will grant me, I would like to explain how I fell into this SIN in hopes that I can encourage and exhort you to perseverance in prayer! I have always known that prayer is commanded but I am a pragmatist to a fault. Combine that with a sinful nature and I'm heading no where good! I didn't really see where prayer "changed God's mind" or "got me what I wanted"(I'm just being honest) so I made it an afterthought. This usually manifested itself in a few sentences that were strung together before I fell asleep at night. Believing in the sovereignty of God, I felt like God was going to do what God was going to do and my prayers weren't going to change anything. On top of that, I had some very specific prayers I had prayed over the course of several months back in 2008, 2009 and parts of 2010 that had not been answered as I had prayed so I was angry, hurt and dejected. Of course I knew what the word of TRUTH commanded me to do but I didn't feel like being told "No!" anymore so I just prayed for very generic things: thank you for this, grow Your church, give so and so rest etc; I had gotten "gun shy" about praying specifics because I was afraid of being let down and like a stubborn rebellious child I wanted my way.
I found myself having this conversation with myself: "Stephanie, you ask and do not receive because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your own selfish desires (James 4:3). Yes, but doesn't the word say God will give you the desires of your heart? (Psalm 37:4). Yes, if your desires are in accordance with His will (Psalm 37:5). Well, what about the prayers of a righteous man availeth much?" (James 5:16). And so it goes but I knew deep down that prayer had to be a part of my walk with the Lord because Jesus prayed and He was GOD but He still submitted to the will of His Father in prayer. I tried ignoring it for a while but the Holy Spirit,thankfully, just kept pressing on me until I heard and read three specific things on prayer (I am paraphrasing):
1) If God says "no" it is always because there is a greater "yes" at stake. (Beth Moore)
2) Prayer is the means God uses to accomplish His will. (John MacArthur)
3) God is always doing a thousand other things at one time that we cannot see or do not understand. (John Piper)
4) In James 5:16 the word "effectual" in the KJV is translated "work or working" but it means it in the present tense of "working in the life of the one who is praying."(God)
Lightbulb! (They ought to have an "emoticon" for that in blog world!) You've heard it said that, "prayer changes me?" It is true! Or more accurately - it is TRUTH straight from God's word. Prayer doesn't really have to do with me changing God's mind or making Him see it my way. Prayer actually changes me! Maybe you knew that. Maybe you are a prayer warrior and I hope that you are! I am envious! But the lesson to be learned here is obedience. Just plain obedience whether we understand why or not.
So, maybe prayer is not your struggle but we all have something that needs a "new" beginning. Something that we need to repent of and stop testing God's longsuffering over it! Did you know that God placed dietary restrictions on the Jews first and foremost to teach them obedience? Do you think they understood why it was okay to eat a cow but not a pig? Do you think they understood the dietary difference between sea creatures that had fins and those that didn't? I doubt it! But they were called to "do the thing." So, in 2011 I just want to "do the thing!" I can't understand God. It is arrogant to even think I can when His word tells me, "For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts (Isaiah 55:9). But you know what? Praise God that He is God and I am not! Praise God that we serve a God who is not "altogether like us"! He is infinitely superior, holy and just. His standards are high and glorious but He graciously tells us what he requires and then gives us the power to do it by the indwelling Holy Spirit! Amazing! Here's what you do and here is everything you need to accomplish it! How's that for a new beginning? Woo-hoo!
Let me leave you with this: In what area do you need to just "do the thing"? What is it in your life that God wants obedience and a new beginning for? It says in Acts 3:26, "God raised up His Servant (Jesus) and sent Him to BLESS YOU by turning every one of you from your wicked ways."
First prayer of 2011: Lord, grant me grace to pray faithfully because it brings you glory and changes me. Change me, my family and the world through the effectual, fervent prayers of the righteous this year! Bless us indeed, through Jesus, by turning us from our wicked ways. May you be glorified in our hearts and praised for the new beginnings you give us daily in Christ. Thank you for conviction. Thank you for repentance. Thank you for redemption. Thank you for Jesus! Amen.
Like many of you I have pondered what things I would like to accomplish this year. I won't call them resolutions because I think the word automatically implies failure :). So, I will call them "things I hope to accomplish if I don't get off track and lose the vision before January 5th" for 2011. I try not to get totally carried away with this even though I could very easily redirect my entire life - it is tempting...Anyway, I have narrowed down my list to three accomplishments for 2011 and I hope to be able to report, if the Lord tarries, in 365 days that I have succeeded in seeing these things to completion: 1) Memorizing the book of James - just so happens to be one of my favorite books in the Bible and I can memorize two verses a week to get me through the entire book in one year. Plus, I feel like memorizing a whole book might lend itself to a more comprehensive thought instead of verses from different places. Thank you Thelma Shupe for the idea (she has memorized the entire book of Ephesians and I am JEALOUS!) 2) Running a marathon - which at this point is going to require much effort since I have maxed out at 10 miles thus far but I feel like I should do it before my body falls apart AND this may be the very thing that sends me straight to the doctor for a new knee, hip or both. Also, I know I am crazy for wanting to do anything for 26.2 miles except for drive and I realize this! 3) Ramp up my prayer life - this means actually praying in terms other than, "Dear Jesus, help me not to kill this child or Jesus take the wheel (and the brakes) because if I have the wheel I might run this person over!" This means making time daily, even if it's 5 minutes before my feet hit the floor in the morning, to commit my way to His will - verbally! Intentionally seeking Him in the quiet, alone, fervently petitioning His throne.
I have to confess that I have eschewed prayer in 2010 and I have no excuse that stands - IT IS SIN! But, if you will grant me, I would like to explain how I fell into this SIN in hopes that I can encourage and exhort you to perseverance in prayer! I have always known that prayer is commanded but I am a pragmatist to a fault. Combine that with a sinful nature and I'm heading no where good! I didn't really see where prayer "changed God's mind" or "got me what I wanted"(I'm just being honest) so I made it an afterthought. This usually manifested itself in a few sentences that were strung together before I fell asleep at night. Believing in the sovereignty of God, I felt like God was going to do what God was going to do and my prayers weren't going to change anything. On top of that, I had some very specific prayers I had prayed over the course of several months back in 2008, 2009 and parts of 2010 that had not been answered as I had prayed so I was angry, hurt and dejected. Of course I knew what the word of TRUTH commanded me to do but I didn't feel like being told "No!" anymore so I just prayed for very generic things: thank you for this, grow Your church, give so and so rest etc; I had gotten "gun shy" about praying specifics because I was afraid of being let down and like a stubborn rebellious child I wanted my way.
I found myself having this conversation with myself: "Stephanie, you ask and do not receive because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your own selfish desires (James 4:3). Yes, but doesn't the word say God will give you the desires of your heart? (Psalm 37:4). Yes, if your desires are in accordance with His will (Psalm 37:5). Well, what about the prayers of a righteous man availeth much?" (James 5:16). And so it goes but I knew deep down that prayer had to be a part of my walk with the Lord because Jesus prayed and He was GOD but He still submitted to the will of His Father in prayer. I tried ignoring it for a while but the Holy Spirit,thankfully, just kept pressing on me until I heard and read three specific things on prayer (I am paraphrasing):
1) If God says "no" it is always because there is a greater "yes" at stake. (Beth Moore)
2) Prayer is the means God uses to accomplish His will. (John MacArthur)
3) God is always doing a thousand other things at one time that we cannot see or do not understand. (John Piper)
4) In James 5:16 the word "effectual" in the KJV is translated "work or working" but it means it in the present tense of "working in the life of the one who is praying."(God)
Lightbulb! (They ought to have an "emoticon" for that in blog world!) You've heard it said that, "prayer changes me?" It is true! Or more accurately - it is TRUTH straight from God's word. Prayer doesn't really have to do with me changing God's mind or making Him see it my way. Prayer actually changes me! Maybe you knew that. Maybe you are a prayer warrior and I hope that you are! I am envious! But the lesson to be learned here is obedience. Just plain obedience whether we understand why or not.
So, maybe prayer is not your struggle but we all have something that needs a "new" beginning. Something that we need to repent of and stop testing God's longsuffering over it! Did you know that God placed dietary restrictions on the Jews first and foremost to teach them obedience? Do you think they understood why it was okay to eat a cow but not a pig? Do you think they understood the dietary difference between sea creatures that had fins and those that didn't? I doubt it! But they were called to "do the thing." So, in 2011 I just want to "do the thing!" I can't understand God. It is arrogant to even think I can when His word tells me, "For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts (Isaiah 55:9). But you know what? Praise God that He is God and I am not! Praise God that we serve a God who is not "altogether like us"! He is infinitely superior, holy and just. His standards are high and glorious but He graciously tells us what he requires and then gives us the power to do it by the indwelling Holy Spirit! Amazing! Here's what you do and here is everything you need to accomplish it! How's that for a new beginning? Woo-hoo!
Let me leave you with this: In what area do you need to just "do the thing"? What is it in your life that God wants obedience and a new beginning for? It says in Acts 3:26, "God raised up His Servant (Jesus) and sent Him to BLESS YOU by turning every one of you from your wicked ways."
First prayer of 2011: Lord, grant me grace to pray faithfully because it brings you glory and changes me. Change me, my family and the world through the effectual, fervent prayers of the righteous this year! Bless us indeed, through Jesus, by turning us from our wicked ways. May you be glorified in our hearts and praised for the new beginnings you give us daily in Christ. Thank you for conviction. Thank you for repentance. Thank you for redemption. Thank you for Jesus! Amen.
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