2015: The Year of Prayer, Week 26

If you went to church with me last week, you might have seen me trying hard not to come apart during this song. Never heard it before but sometimes, the Lord comes upon me unexpectedly like that.  When that happens, your very spirit shifts.  Like tectonic plates moving around, an earthquake happens - in your soul, mind, body and ultimately in your life.

This song is called "Good Good Father" by Housefires.  I've listened to it about 49 times (that's 7 times per day if anyone is counting) in the last week.  To the point where my husband, every time he sees me with my earbuds in and tears streaming down my face says, "You are listening to that song again."

Deep within me I have been unsettled for most, if not all, of my life.  I've struggled against insecurity in every imaginable way.  It drove to me success in business but that's not a good thing I realize now.  Over two weeks ago, I woke up one morning and had enough of insecurity - especially about the way I look - running roughshod over my heart and mind.  I just got sick of living from that place anymore...by myself.  I don't want to think badly of myself or steel myself as I go to look in the mirror.  I want to see and feel the connection to how others see me.  My body image issues are only just a symptom of a much deeper problem: I don't love what God created....me.

Yet, that is the core of this song.  It is the crux of our new life in Christ.  It is what the Apostle Paul was saying in Romans 8 (I think I need to memorize the whole chapter): Don't live the old way.  Live the new way, bought with a price and it lasts forever.  Please God, not just yourself or anyone else.

One of the things that struck me as I've listened to this song so much is......this must be what Jesus' prayer time was all about.  You read over and over and over again that He often escaped the crowds and His Disciples to go off to "lonely places" and pray.  (That's probably from the King James version).  And I've always wondered.....

What did Jesus pray about when it was just Him and His Abba?

Jesus came to meet His Father to remember Who He was and to be Beloved.  The world, even His closest friends, ran roughshod over His heart and mind too.  So, when it was just the two of them, Father and Son, I have no doubt it was not just face-to-face like Moses.  There had to be a deeper connection.  To me, Jesus' personal "quiet time" as we like to call it had to have been the most contemplative heart prayer ever.  I believe it was the real-time, whole-self integration of Him and God.  When I listen to this song....it defines for me Jesus' personal prayer life....and I realized this week it can be my personal prayer life too.

Jesus prayed all kinds of prayers - He is our model for prayer after all.  And I lead a church prayer ministry, which is continuing to grow and expand.  I pray often for others and with all different types of prayers.  But more and more, in my own early morning time, it is VERY contemplative.  Sometimes so much centering is going on, I fall asleep...till I hear someone else wake up (then sort of scramble to look like I was "in prayer" and not just knocked out.)

(Come to think of it, I wonder if that time when Jesus was asleep on the boat during that really bad storm was after some centering/contemplative prayer....I look forward to asking Him about that someday.....among many other things!!)

My guess is Jesus needed this prayer time as much as I do because it is the only way to recharge after pouring out.  And He lived perfectly!  I don't.....AT ALL. I love the way Paul describes it in another letter,

 For now we are looking in a mirror that gives only a dim or blurred reflection of reality as in a riddle or enigma, but then, when the perfection comes, we shall see in reality and face to face!  Now I know in part (imperfectly) but then I shall know and understand fully and clearly, even in the same manner as I have been fully and clearly known and understood, by God. (1 Cor 13:12)

We know imperfectly, in part, incompletely.  During this year of prayer, I keep coming face to face with that fact nearly every week (if not every day).  There are major limiters to my knowledge, gifting, love and ability.  Yet God, Who is Perfect Now, knows me perfectly now.  There is no shortage in His knowledge, even though there is shortage in mine.  I believe that better than anyone else ever has, Jesus lived from this place, when He walked the earth, of being fully known and loved by God.  And I've been living from my short-hand knowledge, not the fully, free-flowing script of God's love.  All my attention has been on how I come up short, not the completeness of the God I serve.

But no longer.  I no longer choose to live from the place of my lack.  I don't want to pray in a grasping, unsure way.  I want to rest and let it flow as it comes - whether that is in word, song or just silence.  What keeps getting me though is that God's love is perfect....all of His Ways are perfect.  And His perfect love loves us completely even when we are completely imperfect!

It's love so undeniable I can hardly speak.
It's peace so unexplainable I can hardly think.
As you call me....deeper still.
Into love...love...love..

Courtesy of Rev Christian Washington

Some folks turn their noses up at contemplative prayer practices, saying they are only about the individual.  I agree when contemplation doesn't turn into conversion, conviction or connection with others.  I think Jesus went to those lonely places in His heart where He could open Himself up and let all the weights, cares and burdens of being the Messiah fall away - and as they fell, He was fully restored and empowered to live His mission.  It was after that communion He could walk with such power, forgiveness, strength and humility.  He could do the Father's work because He had the Father's heart - for Himself and others.  Such is the place I want to learn to live from.....that I'm starting to learn to live from.  Soaking up the goodness of my Good Good Father and going back to that well whenever the need arises.

What if we all started to live from that place? 

You are a Good Good Father...
It's who You are.
And I'm loved by You....
It's who I am.

It's a revolutionary thought.  If we stopped trying to do what Jesus did, never quite measuring up and rest in being fully known....then we could really let Him work through us.  It wouldn't be hard, stuff would just happen.  It's promised that way.

You are perfect in all of Your ways....to us.

Give Jesus Your Rubik's Cube (or how to cast your cares on God)

So be content with who you are, and don’t put on airs. God’s strong hand is on you; he’ll promote you at the right time. Live carefree before God; he is most careful with you. - 1 Peter 5:6-7, MSG

Last week, a pastor friend inadvertently told me what I do when I write.  He was telling me about a couple of trends in the church and mentioned one called "practical theology."  Ever have those moments when a cathedral bell goes off in your head?

Those two words, practical theology, rung through my soul.

Not that I'm into definitions because those most assuredly get me into trouble (especially when given to me by others.)  Still, when you get a moment of clarity, you gotta realize and be grateful to the One who gave it to you.  I'm a practical theologian. (Don't twist into "practically-a-theologian" although that might work too).

Practical theology is essentially what I'm doing here.  Taking the study of God and making it applicable, useful to living life.  That's my calling.  That's what I study.  That's what I'm passionate about.  Jesus has given me purpose, direction, value.  Because of that, I want others to find their own in Him.

Still, if I'm being real, there are days when people "step on my happy,"* and I don't want to practice what I preach anymore.

There is an increasingly popular form of prayer - which I'm not sure is really "new" - but is extremely powerful.  It is called Theophostic Prayer and the way I understand it, in agreement with others, you go back to the moment in time (usually childhood) when the wrong idea or the lie was supplanted for God's truth in your life.  You let Christ remove the hurt and pain and then you let Him speak His reality into your soul (mind, will and emotions).

I hope to do my own official exploration through Serenity Retreat in Houston soon.  Until then, I've had others who've been through it teach me some basics it and applied it in just a few instances in praying for others.  I'm not trained in it so I mostly let the Spirit do the talking.  This type of prayer is especially for adults.  Why?  

Because those lies, the deceptions and unwanted untruths we assimilate as children when we don't have the maturity to process life...the enemy of our souls jumps on like white on rice.  Those ideas grow into identities and yokes we can't shake with out the Lord's strong power.  Theophostic prayer leads to freedom and deliverance - and often healing.  It is a way to reverse the cycle of negative self-talk that leads to self-hatred, self-abuse and in some extreme cases, self-mutilation.  It is part of the three-part command in Matthew 22:37-39 (that I'm writing a book on...https://thejesusrule.wordpress.com/): Love God.  Love Yourself.  Love Your Neighbor.

We can't really love God's way until we permanently put down the baggage we've been carrying (for way too long).  Whether we picked it up or let others load us down, we have to get rid of it at some point to get truly healthy.  I'm unequivocally convinced God wants us - His people - to live freely, lightly, unbound by the world.  Why would we want to be otherwise?  It's the abundant life work - digging in with God to get to the life He came to give us.  That's why I quoted the verse from 1 Peter 5:7 - commonly read as "Cast Your Cares Onto Him Because He Cares for you." 

Now, as adults, we have to go back.  But since this twisted re-wiring of our brains happens when are children, I'd like to help my girls fend it off.  I want my girls to grow up unhindered by the things that so easily tripped me up.  Part of that effort is to show them how to have their own relationship with Jesus.  This is so they can learn what His voice sounds like because the flesh, the world and the enemy will come to call.  Yet if they know the voice of the Good Shepherd, they don't necessarily have to leave the fold.  There is more than enough room in His Creation for adventure, we don't have to do it on culture's terms.  

This is a daily, sometimes hourly, monumental task.  But it is my primary calling as a mother/parent.  And it has very great, eternal rewards.  So, I'm plugging into my girls, listening to their "speech," (both spoken and unspoken) and regularly reminding them who Their Heavenly Father says they are. They already know His love but in the harsh light of "life," they need constant refreshers of Who He is and Who they are to Him. 

On Monday, my best friend told me about a message her daughter heard from a speaker encouraging the kids to do a real-time theophostic technique.  When she told me about it, I realized this was a way to short-circuit the enemies tricks; one that would blow out all the smoke and mirrors he employs to steal, kill and destroy us by any means necessary.  The gist is: when someone says or does something that hurts you - take those feelings and give them to Jesus.  Let Him sort them out and restore your heart to His perfect peace.

Good stuff, right??  I had the opportunity to use it with Sophia less than 24 hours later.  Sophia is working through a lot of anxiety and stress (and making significant progress I might add).  She told me about a situation where a little girl, who has been on-and-off nasty to her all year, told her she was ugly.  Last week, the little girl told Sophia her pictures was ugly.  Now, it has escalated.  And all Sophia wants is for this little girl to accept her the way she is (her words, not mine.) Isn't that what we all want from others?  Isn't that what we all want from God?

To know but more than that, to be known and loved for who we are.

Henri Nouwen called it "The Life of the Beloved."  I count myself as one of those who needs to remember I am The Beloved.  It is the same for my girls.  So, as Sophia and I were talking, I got a divinely inspired mental image.  I asked her if she remembered what a rubik's cube was and she said she did.  I told her to picture her heart like a rubik's cube that's complete, that's solved, in perfect order. 

Then I asked if she remembered
what a rubik's cube looks like when it is messed up.  I told her when she gets upset or angry, the messed up cube is what her heart, her emotions look like.

Now, here is where the real-time theophostic technique comes in.  I told her "You can take that messed up, unsolved, tangled rubik's cube of your emotions - AND GIVE IT TO JESUS TO STRAIGHTEN OUT."

Well, she ran with it.  When she got in the car after school yesterday she said, "Mama, there were 2 times today I had to give my Foosball to Jesus."  (I said, "You mean rubik's cube?"  "Yes, that's it.")

I asked her if He gave it back to her in the right order.  She said, "I don't know, I just gave it to Him and I was ok!" Mission accomplished.

When your mind, heart, spirit and/or body is messed up - give it to Jesus.  Short circuit the enemy's plans by submitting yourself to the Lord.  Cast your cares onto Him because He can and will straighten it out.  Our hearts are only puzzles to us, but Jesus knows how to solve them.  He can put them back in order - even better working order than before.  Explore your options in prayer, fellowship, worship and serving.

His goal, as stated in Philippians 4:7 is to keep our hearts and minds wrapped up in His peace.  Our part in it is to give Him access.  We must give ourselves to Him and He will make us unburdened, un-weary.  He will give us the rest we crave because we have too long tried to figure it out on our own.  He will make our hearts and our paths straight.

 P.S. If anyone has a rubik's cube they want to give Sophia, let me know.  The Targets around me seem to be fresh out!! 

*taken from Lysa TerKuerst in her book Unglued

2015: The Year of Prayer - Week 16

I opened my Bible this morning, kind of a shot in the dark, to John 6 - where Jesus walks on water, then declares (more than once....quite a few times actually) He is the Bread of Life.

This is one of those I AM statements which has been hard for me to grasp.  In fact, in the ensuing text, the statements Jesus makes and questions those statements raise are hard.  They were hard to hear for His Disciples and they are hard to hear now. But in light of the last 9 days, I'm starting to really get it.  You see, this week in prayer has been about miracles.  Our worship leader called that out on Tuesday of last week and they became real the very next night.

People delivered from the grip of sin and the enemy, filled with the Spirit of God.  Lives changed.  Love, healing, grace on full display.

It's one thing to hear about it and be amazed.  It is another thing entirely to be a participant in someone's healing - to be a witness.  If When you have the privilege to be a part of it - when you have surrendered the details and outcome of the work to the Lord and then just let Him do it....it changes you and your prayer life FOREVER.

It has not been hard to ask the Lord to do miracles in people's life in the last 9 days.  When, like in Acts 2, you are filled with awe....asking for big, bold things doesn't seem as hard anymore.  It makes your prayers (or at least mine) more specific, targeted and centered on the will of God.

No more lukewarm prayers.  It's time to ask Me for what you really want.

God gave me that word last Thursday morning.  I'd been dancing around asking for something really big for maybe 10 years.  I've known I'd been lacking in faith for it the last 2.  Last Thursday, He finally put me on the spot.


It was what Mark Batterson writes in The Circle Maker, "If Jesus were to meet you face-to-face and ask, “What do you want Me to do for you?,” what would you answer?  What would you dare to ask of Jesus….and have the confidence that it is something He wants to accomplish in and through you?

(No coincidence there I start teaching this premise of drawing circles in prayer on Sunday.....)

Very early, as I lay in bed that morning, I humbly but boldly asked God for the thing I most wanted Him to accomplish in my life.  I'm waiting to see the reality of it, but because it is His will (and I've seen His will accomplished innumerable times in my life, especially in dramatic ways here recently) - I KNOW THE ANSWER IS ALREADY YES.

The timing of reading John 6, like the time and place of Jesus' declaration He is the Bread of Life, is significant.  He is at a place where they needed faith, not miracles, to believe.  15 weeks into this journey and it feels like I'm to the place of assured faith and the miracles are the icing on the cake.  Maybe it is has taken this long to prepare me (although I don't always feel prepared or very capable of doing what He asks of me).  Maybe I'm finally full enough - on His Bread, His Way, His Nourishment - instead of depending solely on my own.

I do know one thing: Prayers are my legacy.  A lot of people don't feel like you are doing very much when you pray, but I want to assure you.....you are doing the most powerful thing in the universe.  When you pray about something or someone - especially when you pray in the Spirit - you are literally shaking the foundations of the spiritual atmosphere around you.  You are making room for the God of Heaven to come and make His Home on your plot of Earth.

I don't just pray, I expect God will continue to do bigger and betters things.  Not just because I've seen the miraculous in the last week.  But because I am, my family is, nothing short of a miracle.  It took many months/years for the miracle to be revealed.  We are living stones representing the grace and love of God.  Jesus has given/is giving me (and us) more than our fill, more than our share of spiritual, emotional, mental and physical blessings.  He has given us the entire package - Himself.

With Him running things, we will never go hungry.  Whoever believes in Him will never be thirsty.

Who else, in the history of the world, has dared to make such an audacious, bold, impossible declaration???  No One!


I'll leave you with this....maybe you are in a situation where your faith is sagging or you've prayed for something for years and it is like a big empty hole in your soul.  Take that prayer back to God and really listen.  Ask for eyes to see how He is filling you and answering that prayer.  Change your position (from sitting to on your knees....from on your knees to on your face on the floor); change the place where you pray.  Change something in your atmosphere, so you can be given a different perspective on what and how you are praying.

The Bread of Life will meet you there.  Jesus will satisfy you.  He promised and He never goes back on a promise.

Maybe you are my friend who doesn't pray, doesn't believe in God.  I ask you to give Christ another shot.  Don't lean into what you already know about Him or what you've seen of Him in the lives of others.  Really open yourself, not for a minute or a day, but for longer than you ever have.  Give the Lord some space, reserve a chair for Him at your proverbial breakfast/lunch/dinner table.

I'm praying you will experience Him in a way(s) that change your life - your eternity - forever.

He has yet to disappoint me.  I've thought He had but looking back on those moments of doubt, they were clouded by fear and uncertainty in my situation....not in God.  Keep praying, He will not delay.  My refuge and strength...I will not fear.  He promise is true.....ALWAYS.

A Short (Monday) Meditation After I Turned 40

I had a wonderful birthday yesterday.  It was also Easter (or Resurrection Sunday, depending on what you call it).  Sophia told me on Saturday she felt bad for me because at church, everyone would be coming up to me saying, "Happy Easter," instead of "Happy Birthday!" I told her, in a moment of divine inspiration, I was ok with it because I was glad to share my birthday with the most important day in the history of the universe.

(I don't know if she internalized that or not, but I did.  I think most of the time, what I say to my kids is really for me, not them.)

I got lots of presents and blessings.  My husband really went all out and even wants to keep going.  He wants to take me out, just the two of us.  I got to find a sitter!  He has been incredible, despite just a few "old" jokes.  I can take it, although I've, truthfully, been waiting to be 40 for a long time. 

For whatever reason, I feel legitimate now.

This sounds egotistical, but I don't mean it that way....but I feel like my age has finally caught up with my experience.  I've felt like an "elder," for awhile, but now, I could really qualify to be one.  (I'm sure those of you over 40 reading this will get a good chuckle about that statement.)  I still can't run for president, but that's not on my bucket list anyway.

I have a really good feeling about 40. 

It was a parade of blessings yesterday: an incredible worship service, lunch at my parents and then pizza/movie night with our little motley band.  Even so, I slept poorly.  I woke up with a heavy mind.  I have had many cares to take to Jesus.  We have an incredibly busy week - Natalie is going to 5th grade camp but between the time she leaves and right after she gets back, she has a practice STAAR test, private swim lesson and 3 softball games.  That and I caught her up reading after lights-out last night, when she looked like she was about to fall over.

Dave is also traveling this week and I continue to circle Sophia in prayer on her academics, which she is making progress but not there yet.  My best friend is sick, I was under the weather a lot this weekend and Ella is full TWO YEARS OLD.  Add to that other struggles I'm interceding for at church and other friends, I felt like I am was carrying a mountain on my shoulders.

I keep adjusting my verb tense because when I got up for my quiet time this morning, the Lord had me do a simple exercise.  After confessing I was worried, He had me look into my heart and see those weights/burdens/worries as rocks.  Then He had me take each of those weights out, one by one, and put them in His hand. Then He had me thank Him for each of them.

I can't exactly explain how all this took place, but it was an exercise for me directly "cast my cares onto Him because He cares for me."  I actually used my hands, acting it out, rather than just visualize it.  It was very powerful and I know this because I'm completely at peace now.

The thanksgiving part sealed the deal.

Gratitude and praise open the doors of our hearts wide for God to come in.  He is the Prince of Peace after all, so when we make room for Him to come in and sit, we quickly find He changes the atmosphere of our heart from fretful to peaceful.  That spills over into our mind and emotions.  Instead of viewing my day/week in terms of all I HAVE TO DO, He wants me to sit quietly in His presence.

In Matthew 6:34, Jesus specifically commanded us not to worry.  He didn't tell us or make a good suggestion, it was a full on - general to His troops - direct order:

Therefore you shall not be concerned about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be concerned for itself. A day's own trouble is sufficient for it. (Aramic Bible in English)


My translation?  Quit projecting your anxiety over your whole week.  Stop looking so far ahead. Be present in this moment, in each moment, because that is where I am.  I am with you and will help you but you have to stay focused on Me.

Oh, the intentionality of the ministry of being present!  So simple in theory, yet so hard in application.  Worry takes our focus off of what is happening now and puts it on what might happen later.  The Lord wants us zeroed in on this present moment, on His Presence in this present moment.

Easier said than done, it certainly does take practice.  He reminded me to practice it today.  My prayer is this then: This first day of my next 40 years will be marked with more peace because I am focused on His Presence.

I could pray about the next 40 years, but I won't.  That would be disobeying a direct order.  He said to focus on today, so I will.  The next 40 years will take care of themselves.  I hope you, too, can learn from this and make today about.....today.  Monday is going to be a good one!

Overcoming Anxiety

One of the sweet folks the Lord has given me recently, to walk life and in faith with, is Audrey.  She's been through a lot these last few years and recently, she fought and beat cancer!  But the victory is so fresh, it feels unstable.  I've been there, I know that feeling.  I've been trying to help her understand what life on the other side looks like.  But I know her ministry will be revealed soon after this time of trial and preparation is complete.

She is so hungry for Jesus; it is invigorating for my own faith. This week has been walking through
the steps the Lord gives us in His word to help us no longer be slaves to fear and worry.  It is well-timed because today, Audrey had follow up testing to confirm the status of her remission.  It is the well-known SCAN-XIETY.  But this works in any fearful/fretful/worrisome situation. 

These steps are found in James 4:7-10,

So let God work his will in you. Yell a loud no to the Devil and watch him scamper. Say a quiet yes to God and he’ll be there in no time. Quit dabbling in sin. Purify your inner life. Quit playing the field. Hit bottom, and cry your eyes out. The fun and games are over. Get serious, really serious. Get down on your knees before the Master; it’s the only way you’ll get on your feet. (The MSG)

Our goal has been to break the hold of the endless mental loop worry creates.  You get stuck in a rut, going around in circles.  The path of anxiety you walk builds up walls so high in your mind and heart, they eventually lock you inside.  You get to a point where it seems impossible to imagine ever scaling those walls, so you start to make yourself comfortable there.  When you do that, you will never get out.  Indeed, without the Lord's intervention, you never will.

When it comes the enemy's desire to keep you locked up in your prison of anxiety, if you ever want to get out; you must know your enemy.  The enemy of your soul wants you to be scared.  He wants you to think the worst.  He wants you to think you are sick, worthless, poor, insecure, unsettled, incapable to be used of God.  He wants you to think no change will ever happen because you are not worth of God's time to change.  He wants you to think God has more important things to do than help you.

Satan wants to steal, kill and destroy any peace, security, joy and faith you have in Christ, by any means necessary.  But if that aim is not achieved, he can try to make your life miserable, keeping you busy and tired so you don't have time to seek God's peace. The trick here is THE VICTORY IS ALREADY WON.  But if the enemy can convince you otherwise, he will chalk that up as a win.  As long as you are focused on anything but God, satan wins.

Satan can't read our thoughts, but his power to tempt us comes from his extensive knowledge of the fallen human condition and his never-ending study of us as individuals.  He's studied you, he knows your weaknesses and he is going to play them up by using all sorts of lies and illusions to encourage you to fall into worry and be anxious.

The tide begins to turn when we realize the chink in the enemy's armor: your freewill to choose whether or not to agree you agree with God or with satan.  You can fix your mind on Christ and the things of His Kingdom (see Philippians 4:8) and (over time) reject what the enemy is trying to do in such a way that you don't have to go back to that well-worn path of anxiety.  

You do that most effectively by talking to Jesus more than you talk to anyone else (including yourself).  As Audrey said the other day, all we can do for each other is talk about the situation.

Only Jesus can actually do something about it.

I know this works because I used to have full-blown panic attacks when it came to ANY additional testing, during and after Sophia's treatment.  But I don't anymore, haven't for well over year (see my post regarding when I found that freedom here.)

In working through this with Audrey, I tried to articulate what I know - Scripture really does work when you apply it to your life.  You can take your thoughts captive, they do not have to own you.  So, here is what I know.....

Step 1: Examine every anxious thought.  Put your thoughts under the microscope of the Light of Christ.  By this litmus test, you will discover those worry-filled thoughts are not from the Lord, especially when the message of them seeks to drag you down (or keep you down).  The Lord doesn't do that!  .Confess - give those thoughts to Jesus to destroy, it's not your job to put them away.  You can't win this fight with willpower.  You can pray: "Lord, here are these thoughts. I don't want them anymore. Help me, Oh God, to think Your kind of thoughts about myself and my situation." (see Philippians 4:8 for a list of God's kind of thoughts.)

Step 2: Resist the temptation to dwell on or give into those thoughts! Jesus' whole mission in life was to build people up and not leave them the way He found them.  He wanted good, better, best - not worst.  So, resist the devil's scheme to make you think bad to worse.  Not by your own power, but by calling on the God of Heaven - the Holy Spirit - to do all things through Christ, including be courageous (see Joshua 1:6-9)

Step 3: Keep resisting.  Let the devil know, in the name of Christ, he can't read your mind and he can no longer have access to the pattern those thoughts create.  He will not convince you any of this negativity will do any good.  He can take it up with Jesus!

Step 4: Make sure you keep clean hands and a pure heart.  Confess any willful/known sin, receive the forgiveness and keep moving forward.  Don't let the enemy try to hold you back with guilt and shame!

Step 5: Praise God!!  This maybe the most important step to keep yourself sealed up from the enemy's schemes.  Praise is how you stand firm in your faith.  Psalm 103 never goes out of style.  Crank up the praise and worship music.  Declare the goodness of our God who is worthy to be praised!  There is no mood alter-er better than praising God, I guarantee it....and no hangovers either.

Everyone deals with fear and anxiety, but we can choose a better way - THE WAY.  Jesus showed us that.  He is The Way.  When we follow His example, we will win.  Satan and his minions will flee when we apply the force of our faith in Christ - holding up our shields and swinging the Sword of the Spirit - the Word of God.

Joyce Meyer has an excellent confessional "Letter to Fear," I've included it here:

I'm more than delighted to report Audrey's efforts were rewarded....she got her results back and she remains CANCER FREE!!

The How: The Simple Disciplines of Gratitude & Praise (Growing in Faith Series)

A couple of weeks ago, I started a series and this continues the thread.  This is the How of the Who, What, When, Where, Why of faith.  I like that is happens to fall in Thanksgiving Week.  It fits.  (In the first post, I covered the What, you can read that here.)

I'm a personal believer in the power of gratitude, especially as commanded in Scripture.*  But as I grow in faith, I've discovered something remarkable.  Gratitude is the root of the fruit of the Spirit we think of as Joy.  Have you ever met a sour-faced joyful person?  No way!  Grateful people are smiling.  They freely sing, dance, give, serve, study and all those other things we should do as Christians.  Freely being the keyword here.

In fact, the people you know who have the deepest well of joy have learned, through literal trial and much error, to be thankful in all situations.  Giving thanks and praising God has set them free from the weight of sin, from death.  They know these two simple practices have immense power, and are perhaps our greatest weaponry on the spiritual battlefield.**

It might seem a bit shallow to say gratitude and praise are the biggest guns in our arsenal.  We've been taught to go deep in study, prayer, service, giving.  We feel we must start an orphanage across the globe.  These are all very good things, and I wish we all did more of them.  But there is a fundamental problem - we often don't have the purest intentions when we do them.  They tend to be about us and what we do for God, rather than freely (again that word) giving without expectation of anything in return.

That issue hits home in a a book I'm writing called The Jesus Rule, based on Christ's answer to the question: what is the greatest commandment?  He answers pretty simply, quoting Deuteronomy 6 and tacking on Leviticus 19, to create the be-all-end-all commandment to please the Lord.  You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind, soul and strength and love your neighbor as yourself.

Christ says that 3 times in 3 Gospels: Matthew 22:37-39, Mark 12:28-31 and Luke 10:25-28.  You know if God repeats something three times, we better listen.  Those red-letter words support my point: Jesus was never about what we do for God.  He was about experiencing God by letting He Who is love transform you and those around you.  I submit to you now: the shortest distance between God's love and experiencing it is gratitude and praise.

That's why I call them disciplines because they should be practiced daily, if not hourly.  That looks like saying "Thank You, Lord;" like saying grace before a meal, but not only then.  We should be saying grace over everything.  We should be declaring (out loud) Who God is and What He has done/is doing/will do.  Stormie Omartian, in The Prayer That Changes Everything, writes these wros on the very first page of the introduction,

If prayer is communicating with God, then the purest form of prayer is worship and praise.  That's because it focuses our minds and hearts entirely away from ourselves and onto Him.

If praise is our vertical beam of the Cross, then gratitude is our horizontal.  Gratitude is how we demonstrate His power and work in our lives.  They are two halves of the whole.  In them, we meet the Lord, coming to a greater, fuller understanding of Who He is.  Our love for Him will grow wildly as a result.

Trust me when I tell you this because I've been practicing it for awhile: When you truly praise God; when you are truly thankful for Him - you will find what you've been missing in your faith walk.  If you are struggling to get closer to God, to feel His Presence more, these two active truths are the keys to opening the door of your heart to Him.  Maybe you are struggling with sin, with a diagnosis, with money problems, with your kids (whatever).....it is time to bust out your big guns of thanksgiving and worship.

Jesus told the Samaritan Woman at the Well in John 4, there will come a day when the place we worship doesn't matter, but instead the position of our hearts.  We will worship in spirit AND in truth.

For it’s not where we worship that counts, but how we worship—is our worship spiritual and real? Do we have the Holy Spirit’s help? For God is Spirit, and we must have his help to worship as we should. The Father wants this kind of worship from us. (v. 22-23, TLB)

The fastest way to have the kind of relationship the Father wants is to praise and thank His Son through His Spirit.  

Quote from Watchman Nee

This are very simple practices, truly.  No theology degrees required.  Yet, when we practice them, they will become our greatest witness to the world of the love and power of Christ: to save, heal, deliver, provide and set free.  They usher in the Kingdom of God right in our own hearts, right here at our desks or where we are on our phones.  Gratitude and Praise bring the Kingdom of Heaven to Earth: in your house, car, workplace, school, neighborhood, gym and especially in your church.

We have such a tendency to be what the Bible calls "double-minded."  We think about God on one half of our brain, but the other half is all about ourselves: what we are feeling; what we think is right; what others are doing/have done to us; what we will eat next; what we will wear next, etc.  The Lord wants us to be singularly focused on Him, which is why The Jesus Rule makes sense.  Jesus always started with God, so we must start there. 

A.W. Tozer called Psalm 103 "God's Pitch Pipe."***  If you know anything about music, a pitch pipe is used to get a choir in tune.  Psalm 103 is a great place to start, but you can just keep going through Psalm 109 (or just go through most of the Psalms, if not all).  Worship and Thanksgiving will not only build your faith, in them you will get eyes and ears to experience the Lord in real-time. There is no better easier week in America, no more acceptable time in our calendar year, to be grateful for the vast blessings we have.  

Take Thanksgiving Week one more step further.  Call it Thanks & Praise Week.  Be grateful and praise God for it.  Let Him get your spirit in tune with His.  Let this holiday season be different because it is marked by what really pleases the Lord: Not good works, not giving, not getting along with your relatives, but gratitude and praise of His name.

*For your study, here are some references to commands from Scripture to be grateful: Psalm 50:14; Psalm 100:4; Psalm 107:22; Psalm 116:17; Isaiah 51:3; Mark 8:6; Luke 22:17; Romans 1:21; 1 Corinthians 15:57; 1 Thessalonians 5:18; Philippians 4:4,6,8-9; Revelation 7:12

**So you know, the enemy can't get to you when you are thankful and full of praise.  It expels him from the area because you are submitting to the Lord.  He has to flee.  So, if you are experience some spiritual warfare, break out your shofar (that's a reference to a horn the Hebrews often used going into battle and it's purpose is to praise God).  You've got one, right there in your throat.  Shout your praise to God - thank Him with all your might.  Then you will see the very atmosphere of the room change.  I know this for a fact too.

***Thank you to my precious, dearest friend and mentor, Janice Heffer Wright, for telling me A.W. Tozer's comment during a sermon she heard him preach (in person!) so long ago.  I have never forgotten it!

What Limits Your Faith?

The Lord gave me an idea for a post series, I'm calling "Questions of Faith."  Some of them are questions we have of God, but some of them are questions God has of us.  Today's entry is the What.  The When, Where, How, Why and Who come a little later.

It's right to start with this question though: What limits our faith?  With all that is possible with God, proved in Scripture and being proved around the world in other nations (especially for those Christians under terrible persecution), why aren't we seeing more of that here in the United States?  Why aren't miracles happening on mass scale and wonders beyond belief part of our every day lives?

Let me address that first: we are.  The United States has as many miracles and wonders happening as in Africa or Asia.  I truly believe that.  I can't accept the notion miracles aren't happening here because I see them every day.  I'm not delusional.  Truly, I see what God is doing, I pay attention and it is the truth.  I have a miracle living in my house in the body of an 8 year old girl.  The fact that I'm sitting in this chair, with the faith to write this post is a miracle.

The lie, the illusion is that the American Church is dying or already dead.  The news is that we are so broken, so hopeless, we can't ever grow again.  We won't ever experience revival here in the States because we are too far gone down the road of division and submission to culture, rather than Christ.  Wouldn't the enemy love us to just keep promoting that slime, like it's the truth?

In the natural, I see what is happening.  I see the decline, I see the wrong motives we've had for the last hundred years.  I see that our seminaries no longer teach the inerrancy of Scripture and major denominations are splitting over issues whether we should follow the clear commands of Scripture.  Yet, I also I see (and am part of) the most spiritually rich information era ever on planet Earth.  And I don't think the Lord plans to waste this time, when people have unlimited resources to come to Him.

Yes, it's bad in the natural and will get worse.  But that doesn't mean it's all over.  His mercies are new every morning.  

Sunrise means another chance

The Bible clearly outlines a principle called The Remnant, in both the Old and New Testaments.  Here is the Apostle Paul calling it out in Romans 11:5,

But what is the divine response to him? "I HAVE KEPT for Myself SEVEN THOUSAND MEN WHO HAVE NOT BOWED THE KNEE TO BAAL." In the same way then, there has also come to be at the present time a remnant according to God's gracious choice. But if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works, otherwise grace is no longer grace.…

Point being: it isn't up to us who is part of that remnant.  We don't get to determine who is right and who is wrong - God does.  And He does it based on His revealed Word and in the Person of Jesus Christ.  What gets us all twisted is we think a remnant means a tiny number.  I don't.  I think a few million would do just fine.  IF....what?

If we would take the governors off our hearts.

A governor is something used to limit speed on a car.  The car would go much, much faster, if the engine were allowed to do so.  I most recently saw this in Abu Dhabi, where the governors kept the taxis from going over a certain speed - I'm sure to promote safe driving.  

Governors are good, they can promote order.  But in a life of faith, they create a dependency on what is, what we already know, instead of what can be.  We don't experience more of God's miraculous workings here in the American Church because we've been living with speed limitors on our faith.  Those things put in place, to create order, but instead have held us back.

Don't get me wrong, order is a good thing, but not when it comes at the expense of quenching the Spirit's work.

If we would only take off the governors of our faith, we would see a speed explosion of revival.  This victory is only going to be won when we praise God, not just for what He has done or what we know of Him, but Who He says He is and all the spiritual, emotional, mental and physical implications of that revelation.  

The lack of praise of His name is one of the major reasons - if not THE major reason - for the decline of the American Church.

But friends, we are making a comeback.  There is an awakening happening, in the Baby Boomers, in Generation X, Y, the Millennials. People of over age, race, ethnic orientation - they are all looking for authenticity of faith and are coming together to make it happen.  They are coming together for the purpose of praise, to be overcomers by the Blood of the Lamb and their testimony of what God has done....which leads us to think out of the box of what God will do when we trust Him more fully.  

The walls are coming down because they have to.  Those walls of long held tradition and separatism are being unmasked for what they are: division created by the enemy. Our part is to want to be a part of what God is doing; to not miss out on this great chance to be apart of something, not only bigger than us, but a revival more intense and immense than any ever seen.

It is God's grace that seals the deal, but He is not going to turn anyone away who seeks His face.  2 Chronicles 16:9 promises, The eyes of the LORD search the whole earth in order to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him.

You just have to be brave enough to ask yourself - what is holding me back from more of God?

Are you too busy?

Are you too tired or sick?

Are you too anger (and bitter) because your prayers haven't been answered the way you wanted?

Do you carry a grudge against someone?

Do you want more than you need?

Do you have problems too big for Him to solve?

Has everyone let you down, including God?

Has your family always been bad, so you can't be any different?

Has it just always been this way? 

If we want to be released, as individuals and the Church at large, we have to be willing to be adjusted.  We don't make these adjustments, God shows them to us...when we ask the question.  Even if it is a doctrinal issue or teaching which could be holding you back; it must be tested in light of Scripture.  If it is truly from God, it will hold up under the microscope of His truth.  If not?  Well, then welcome to the new.

There are two reasons why we aren't seeing more of God: fear and pride.  Those are the deepest roots and the hardest to pull up.  And Fear and Pride are the enemy's favorite weapons, the evil twins of Goodness and Mercy, meant to be our companions.  (See Psalm 23).

Our constant pursuit of God is not only about what we think is right (pride) or what we can handle (fear).  There is a much deeper work the Lord seeks to do in us, through His very own character, forming us into His Son.  Praise does that - it radically changes who we are on the inside to line up with who God is on the outside.  

All of the New Testament was written to redefine what we think is possible.  Christ's whole mission was to prove what is possible with God - and the possibilities are limitless, just as He is.  He came to set us free, restore our sight, deliver us from the pit (Psalm 103:3-5).

Is there any reason to limit our faith, to keep the governors on?

We can see an explosion of the speed of transformation.  We have to be willing to let Him take the blinders off by asking the question.  Regardless of whether it is our expectations, experience, knowledge - or anything else - those don't matter to God.  He can and will show us - when we are willing - what is possible.  He did it during His life, after His ascension, over the last 2,000 years.  He is still doing it today.  

He isn't going to let our Church perish, even if He has to prune us down to a size He can work with.  

But that is His business.  Our business is to desire Him, to desire our eyes to be opened to His work.

If your life is rough or if it lacks a certain luster, it maybe time to have a serious conversation with your God, to ask Him what is keeping you from experiencing all He has for you.  I ask that question nearly every day.  I want to see the goodness of God in the land of the living (Psalm 27:13).

You will never feel more alive when you step off the cliff of what you know into the wide, opens spaces of God's love, mercy and grace.  You may feel like you are falling, or sinking, at times, but trust me - He will pick you up - raise your head up to see His face.  Just keep focused on Him. It is so much better than staying comfortable and (seemingly) safe in what you know.

Let this song sink into your soul.  Then ask Holy Spirit to take the limits off and release your faith.   No limits.  Release Me, Lord.

Too Legit to Quit

My friend Leslie made a statement, while we were on the phone today, that rung inside me like the Liberty Bell.  We were talking about the obstacles I've been dealing with for the past couple of weeks, namely, two of my kids being sick at any given time.  This following a month long battle with lice during the summer that began right after Natalie broke her arm.

My prayer circle and I have been calling sickness off my house for awhile.  Well, I should say, first it was pestilence (with the lice) and now it's illness.  (I hope the other 2 horsemen of the Apocalypse are busy elsewhere at the moment.)  Still, it's lingering and crops up at fairly inconvenient times, although getting sick is never convenient.  On slower weeks, it is easier to handle, but we haven't had a "slow week," since well before school started.

The crux of the conversation was to restate the reason I've known all this to be happening.  The enemy has been nipping at my heels since I took on more prayer and a role to lead others in prayer at my church.  My spiritual Achilles heels are pretty sore.  We were discussing how the enemy certainly does not like it when we pray, especially when we are praying for big changes, big movements of God.

I told her that's what I've been doing. And that's when she said it.

We think sometimes Satan is trying to sneak up on us, but in reality, he often distracts us with what is already there, that we just haven't noticed.  Sometimes he provides legitimate distractions.

My kids being sick definitely falls in that category.

I didn't stumble, I didn't fall.  I didn't leave myself open for his attack by entertaining the idea of some besetting sin.  No, Satan is using something generally acceptable in life as a reason for me to check out.  All this care for my kids is a concerted effort to keep me out of the game, off the spiritual battlefield.  He has given me a legitimate excuse for hanging back from the responsibilities I've taken on and the growth in the Lord I'm pursuing.

He has given me legitimate reasons to quit.  I could check out and "everyone would understand."

I put that last part in quotes because they would.  They know my bandwidth and family situation.  They would give me a pass to take a breather and be really gracious about it.  Except that is a critical time: for me, our family, our community of faith - even for the world at large.

I'm not saying humanity depends on me.  But Jesus is depending on me.  He's given me a task and if I'm to witness Him in the work of it, I need to keep going.  If I don't, He will raise up someone else and they will get what was to be my crown, my blessings; now and in eternity.

The best reasons to quit always present themselves at the most critical time.  If making you fail is not an option, making you quit becomes the devil's greatest weapon.  If he can discourage you, make you tired and give you lots of good reasons to stay at home, rather than be out with God's people, praying, serving, learning and loving; He will do it.  Make no mistake, He will do it!  He is doing it right now....to me. 

The beauty of all the reasons, distractions, excuses is....the Lord is giving me the chance to learn to see them as opportunities for the acceleration His work.

The ringed rainbow moon at 3:30 am

As I was driving back from the 24 hour Walgreen's at 3:30 am this morning (because we didn't have any infant Advil for Ella), the Lord put something on my heart.  He's been working, steadily and for a long time, to teach me to depend on Him moment-by-moment.  That's the essence of a victorious life in Christ - not the number of souls you save but the number of minutes a day you choose to trust Jesus over everything else.

In one second, He turned my head to see things His way.  He said,

You could keep doing laps around this mountain you want to climb, frustrated by all the interruptions.  Or, you could see this as my throwing you a rope, out of the muck and mire of irritation.  You can depend on me to pull you up, to do this My way and in My time; secure in the fact I know best and eventually this mountain will move, or I will move you around it.

So, there it is, once again: my choice, my challenge.  Believe God or be frustrated His plan (and my day) isn't going the way I envisioned.  Give into these legitimate opportunities to quit, or just take a break from working for the Lord.

OR

(As the modern poet MC Hammer puts it)

I can be too legit to quit.

I am legitimately in Christ.  I am a blood bought purchase and I am every day called His Beloved.  I choose to live in that place, that identity.  I reject the thought I have to feel inconvenienced or this work for God is not worth all the shrapnel I'm being hit with.  I refuse to give Satan any more glory, to let him try and take back any more ground in my life.

It's a process and this preparation will not go to waste.  How and when He will use the character He is forming in me is up to Him,  My part is to let Him do the work.  My part is to let Him teach me how to handle the interruptions and distractions without malice, anger, frustration, irritation - but rather in joy, peace, patience, faithfulness kindness, goodness, and yes....even self-control.

That's what's really legit.

P.S. Don't forget you are just as legit.  Keep going, it will be worth it.

P. P.S. I asked the Lord to show me He can use me, even if I am legitimately distracted with concerns at home.  My best friend Lynn just experienced this phenomena, after being laid up with some health issues.  The Lord literally brought people into her house she could serve and witness to, so I asked for the same opportunity.

It happened!  I got confirmation late this afternoon someone I'm recently acquainted with reads this blog and shares my love for Jesus Calling.  She is encouraged by our story, especially Sophia's victory of cancer.  This confirmation is a reminder to keep doing what I'm doing, whether it feels like I'm making a big impact or not.


It doesn't matter where or who you are, God will make the best of it, when you let Him.

#Straight up #legit

Our Challenge

I regularly read Jesus Calling by Sarah Young.  It is an incredible work of God, perhaps the deepest devotional of this new millennium.  She didn't write it for others, this work came out of a journal she wrote during her own quiet time.  She wasn't out to change the world for the Lord, she was out to let Him change her.

That's not only a challenge to me as a writer, but as a person of faith.  So many times, I seek the gift, not the Giver.  I seek the healing, not the healer.  I look for the results in creation, not the Creator.  I want His wisdom and discernment, rather than wanting to know His Mind.  I want what I see what I can touch, see, taste, smell and hear, instead of the One who is the foundation for all of those things.  I feel an internal pressure, in a good way, to seek Christ above all else; to experience Him in more and more ways, more and more moments, throughout my day.

Some days I blow it completely.  Sunday afternoons can be like that.  So, I'm learning and thanking Him for a family who is so quick to forgive me.  That is grace, a husband and children who hug and kiss you, with open arms, when you walk back through the door you stormed out of a little earlier.

But I'm learning to live more fully in this challenge of desiring Him above all.

As my pastor likes to say, that's a free one.  That's not the sermon.

The real challenge, as I said in the beginning, comes from today's entry, September 8th, in Jesus Calling.  One line stuck in my brain:  Your assignment is to trust Me absolutely, resting in My sovereignty and faithfulness.

The more I grow in this faith, the more this is exactly what it is about.  It's not about doing and there are no caveats.  There are no corollaries that say, "Well, today, I'll let you do it in your own strength because you are going to get the results from Sophia's scans."  Or, "You can do your own thing today because you've been dealing with sick children all week and need to tune out for a little while."

Or my favorite as of late, "You can do things in your own strength, pray with your own understanding instead of asking me for My perspective because you've been working so hard for My Kingdom lately."

OOO, ouch, that one hurts.  Nope, no caveats.  No corollaries.  No loopholes with God.  It is always and ever about trusting Him alone.  Not how I feel, not my circumstances, not how much good I've done.  Moment by moment the victory comes and that is a tall order.  It is a hard concept to have to rest alone, not work, not gain purpose and meaning from the work of our hands.

We derive our value from joining God in His work, not the work we do to please Him.

Is He pleased when we seek to work for Him?  Sure!  But the work is not to give us our meaning.  Our meaning comes from our identity in Christ.  Period.  No additions.  Who He is and What He has done is meant to define our purpose in life.  Our job, if you want to call it that, is to rest in that finished work, to declare it's praises and live our lives like that is the truth of the world, not how we understand things to be.

It's a new work and school week.  Do you think you could try this today?  Do you think you could surrender a little bit more to resting in the Lord, instead of getting busy on a Monday morning doing all the things you need to do?

You need to do them, but you need to rest in God more.  It's a complex balance, one I'm just beginning to grasp how to walk.  But people have and still do this every day - they walk with God, they walk in His peace, they walk in the joy of His presence all day long.  And when their "selves" take back over and they start getting all worked up about life (like Martha did so long ago), Jesus is still there.  He is waiting for us to remember what the better thing is.

And He is that better thing. So, your assignment and challenge, should you choose to accept it, is simple:  Trust God a little bit more.  Whether that's the state of your body, the context of your mind or the reality of your spirit, you can trust He is willing and working you in whatever you are facing.  He is sovereign, which means, He is bigger than anything and everything.  And He is faithful, which mean He is better than anything and everything.

I'm going to accept the challenge.  I'm going to seek Him more today than I did yesterday.  And I have a feeling today will end up much better than yesterday because of it.

Human vs. Heavenly (Revival is Coming)

I had one of those moments this past week, when I "heard" with my heart that my thinking just wasn't right.  It was during a conversation and I felt in my gut, when faced with the truth of how God operates, the words of Jesus from Mark 8:33,

For your thinking is from a human perspective, not from God's perspective!

I read those words this morning and immediately the situation, thought and feeling came back to me.  It was like Jesus' rebuke of Peter was actually Him rebuking me.  We were on vacation in Gulf Shores, AL, on a jet ski-tubing-dolphin safari trip.  The guy driving the boat I was on (also owner of the company) was wearing a shirt that said, "My church is the Flor-abama, Worship on the Water."

When I asked him about it, he told me an incredible story about how the Body of Christ in that area are being exactly that: in a Jesus-friend-of-sinners kind of way.  This church started as a child-care ministry for women who work in strip clubs.  Really?  How many of us think out of the box like that?

But this group of hands and feet starting taking care of the children of these ladies, ladies who had no other recourse except to take the kids with them to the club - which you can imagine did not please the club owner (and was probably illegal).  But they had no other choice until this group stepped in.  As a result, the nightclub ladies saw Christ's love and a lot of them got saved.  This simple act of service cut into them, freeing them from the grip of Satan by the power of Divine Love.  Lives changed (dramatically), and the ministry developed.

Radical Grace multiplies quickly, let me tell you.

Now, they hold church under the beer tents at a bar called the Flor-Abama on Sunday mornings and all manner of folks come to worship God on the beach.  Do I think He cares if you come hungover or maybe still drunk?  Nope, not as long as the Spirit is praised and the Truth is preached.  I also think when you are in that kind of atmosphere, you are going to see, very fast, there is a better way - the way of Christ.  This church is doing amazing things - revival level kind of transformation in this area, for hundreds and hundreds of folks.  You can learn more about it on the website: here.

But that wasn't my heart-check.  That came later, after he finished telling me the story of the church.  I told him how our waitress from the previous night mentioned there was a proposal to raise the drinking age in Alabama to 25 or 26.  (This was after accidentally bringing one of my older kids an alcoholic drink.  Whoops!)

My new friend and brother in Christ - Adrian - immediately praised God and said how wonderful that would be.

His praise was my gut check.

You see, I'd been thinking that could and would never happen. Dave and I even talked about it, how the beer and alcohol lobby would probably stop at nothing to prevent a law like that from passing.  There is just too much money in it, it was impossible.  I had been thinking the way the world thinks - so as Adrian poured out his hope for a new future, other words of Jesus came to me,

If I can?  Everything is possible for one who believes. (Mark 9:23)

Ouch.  

I thanked God because, right then and there, on a boat in the middle of the Gulf of Mexico, the Holy Spirit reminded me He is the One who makes things happen.  Not man, not a powerful alcohol lobby, not government, not wishes or dreams.  It is He who holds the influence and power to achieve the means and ends that fit His designs and bring Him glory.  As Proverbs 21:1 says, The king's heart is like a stream of water directed by the LORD; he guides it wherever he pleases.

If the Lord desires for the drinking age to be raised, to make that area a more family-driven place, to remove some evil influence and break bondage over the youth who go there only to party - well, it's going to happen!  It doesn't mean it will be all clean, but with more accountability and authority given to law makers and law enforcers, it could change the physical, emotional and spiritual landscape of that area.

There are so many times in my day that I need that head/heart/gut check.  There are too many situations when I automatically think a situation is impossible.  I'm hoping you fall into that mental cul-de-sac so I'm not alone.  The world thinks that purity and holiness, responsible living, and the abundant life without reservation or fear is impossible in this day, age and culture.  

But it isn't.  We just need to stop thinking we can understand, come up with the solution and put it into practice.  We just need Jesus to make it happen in us. 

Everything is possible for him who believes.  So often, we let the world tell us what will happen, so much so that God, in His grace, let's it.  He lets us have free will, to do and say and think things, even if they are wrong.  That is the beauty of being the pinnacle of His creation.  Yet it remains, The Lord's plans and purposes cannot be thwarted by our thinking (or doing for that matter).  

What God says is going to happen, in a word, will.

I think it is best that we in the church, myself especially, give up relying on our own....whatever.  We should get on board with that and start seeking His mind in each situation we face, no matter how big or small.  That's when we will witness, like the Flor-abama church, maximum blessing.  We will be living as surrendered, God-fearing (and loving) people, full of grace, hope, truth and love.  What a sight that will be when it happens en mass!

Thank you Lord for the heart-check.  Thank you for the faith of Adrian and his hope for a renewed future for his community.  And keep reminding me Who You Are, so I can live in that truth and grace.

Lord, come quickly and bring about Your purposes on earth as they are done in Heaven!

Factors of Faith

(Warning: I listened to a lecture on the gift of Exhortation yesterday, so I'm about to get my exhortation on....)

I've been reading through the Gospel of Mark, but this morning, as I was flipping there, my eyes caught words in 1 Peter.  As I began my tangent in chapter 1, I was struck by several ideas.

So, to those in troubles, trials or grief: I write.  I think that covers just about everyone, the degree of suffering notwithstanding.

Peter starts off his letter reminding the reader (us) what they have and Who they get it from: eternal, un-spoilable life in Christ, from God the Father.  Those who haven't yet seen Him, but believe, have an even greater part in the treasure.  He outlines a few things, starting in the middle of chapter 1 to the end, that really lend to linear thinking.

He calls believers in Christ (in any age) to put ourselves to the task - to paraphrase the Apostle James,
Be do-ers of the Word, not just hearers.  Peter is echoing that thought but he quotes the Old Testament, specifically 4 references from Leviticus: Be Holy as the Lord is holy.

Seems like too tall of an order, I would once agree.  But now I'm not trying to BE like Christ (by my own efforts) but rather to let Him BE in me. Starting in verse 22,

Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth, so that you have a sincere love for your brothers, love each other deeply, with all your heart.

Equation #1: Hope + Trust (another word for faith) = Knowledge of the Truth

When we know the truth, Jesus said, we will be set free.  Set free to do what?  Rest in Him and do what He says (John 15:14).  Our faith, and the hope we place in that faith, leads to knowing what God really wants.  Which then mean,

Equation #2: Truth (knowing God) + Obedience = Purity

Obedience Defined

So, we trust or have faith in The Truth of God and we obey it.  In that way, Peter says, we will be made pure.  Purity has gotten a rap in our day as meaning the same thing as abstinence.  Probably a left over effect from our Puritan forefathers, who got it from the Pharisees.  Whether it's sex, drugs, rock and roll (or anything else deemed "sinful,") abstinence often seems to means we work really hard not to do "it."  (Whatever it is.)  We make our lives goal to remain pure by not doing something, in our own effort to avoid it at all costs or 'be defiled.'

That's not what purity means.

Abstinence is following the law, but here Peter, echoing Christ, is after much more than what we do or don't do.  He teaches it is not what we don't do, but Who we follow.  Purity is following in Jesus' footsteps, doing what He told us to do.  Sure, Peter goes on to give us a list of things to stop doing, and that is part of it.

We can't be pure if we are still clinging to the habits and thought patterns of our old, unredeemed selves.  But the more we follow Christ, the more we seek to grow in the knowledge of Him and His love, I've found, the less we really want to be like our old "self." We want to get rid of anything that sets itself up against the knowledge of God (2 Cor 10:5).

Which leads to the further development of my spiritual theory,

Equation #3: Purity + Fellowship = Love

Purity, as believing (putting our trust, hope and faith) in Christ and doing what He commands, is not done in a vacuum.  It is absolutely a group effort.  Peter mentions purity in tandem with sharing life with others because he knew that without his brothers and sisters, continuing in trust would be impossible.  Our minds, the enemy and and the world all ask the insidious question, "Are you sure faith in Christ is best?"

And by ourselves, we would eventually be convinced it is not.  But in fellowship, in closeness with other believers, the lies and deceptions can be called off and out.  Full deliverance is achieved when we are constantly reminded that God does what He promises.  We are held up to a higher standard, not of behavior, but of deepening our relationship with God.  Which leads to the ultimate solution,

Faith = Love

Why do these spiritual equations work?  Because they are laid into the foundation of the Cornerstone.  They are based on the finished work of Christ, not on ourselves.  And the point?  To praise God. 

Peter says it in Chapter 2:9, But you are a chosen people, the King's priests, a holy nation, a people for God to possess!  Why?  In order for you to declare the praises of the One who call you out of darkness into his wonderful light.  (CJB, emphasis mine) 

We gather together (fellowship) with minds bent on Christ, in hope, trust, faith, truth, obedience, purity and love; so we can praise the Lord for the mercy He has rained down upon us.  In that gathering, on Sundays, and hopefully all throughout the week through communication with other believers; we are strengthened and equipped by the Holy Spirit to show a hurting world who Jesus really is.

There is a lot of misinformation out there about who Jesus really is.  (I just read some this week and had to laugh out loud at it.)

It is Christ's Body - the Church - being together in worship in Spirit, under truth teaching and in service to others, that we are given the refreshment we need to remember how Peter started his letter.  Together, awash in God's love, we recall what's important:

1. Whose We are (Christ's);

2. The Treasure we have (in Christ).

That's the summary of the Christian faith, friends!  I know how easy it is to forget.  Life is distracting.  My own mental life is distracting, never mind a life filled with activity.

Yet, when we practice our faith together, worshipping and praising God, as Jesus commanded, in full Spirit and Truth, our minds and hearts are purified to line up behind our revived spirits - trusting the Holy Spirit is in charge.  

And expecting God to do, in and through us, all He has promised.

Be encouraged, as I keep saying, because the Lord always keeps His promises!