Exploring My Discoveries

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I know I’m not even sure where to begin writing today. It seems like there’s so much to put together and make sense of that it’s a bit overwhelming. The fact that maybe it WON’T make logical sense to me looms on the horizon of my mind, as well.

One thing is clear, God is in this with me. I recently wrote about breakthroughs not yet wrapping my head around the reality of my own pending breakthroughs. Breaking through to what’s on the other side of the wall I’m standing in front of should not be a scary or intimidating thing, yet I find myself trembling at the thought of what I don’t yet see. In theory, the very next thing I see at any given moment could be something I’ve never seen before. Or – it could be something I see every day but, in a brand-new light, a light that will change my perspective and the course of my daily life. Am I ready for that change? Whether it’s a baby step or a leap of faith, I’m not as good with change as I used to be. I’m rather settled in my ways now. I’m comfortable. While that might mean wearing sweatpants more than dress slacks these days, it might also be a place where I’ve become far too complacent. Life shouldn’t just be endured, but lived fully every day. Every day should include some exploration, acquiring new knowledge and wisdom, operating in new understanding of the mysteries of God. One of my favorite Bible verses reads:

“And without controversy, great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory.” – 1 Timothy 3:16 KJV

God wants us constantly exploring Who He is – and Who He is to us!

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While talking with a few people of another denomination (religion, actually), they insisted they were right about all things biblical, and that the Bible could be understood with logic. Well, the Bible itself states that’s not correct.

“But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.” – 1 Corinthians 2:14 KJV

These “friends” came by weekly to share their convictions and beliefs with me. I was a new Christian and didn’t know the Word well yet, but God brought my attention to the verse in Timothy, and I loved it immediately. I wrote it out in fancy print on a piece of cardboard and taped it on the inside of the front window where anyone approaching my front door could see it. When my friends came by the next week, I watched from my living room as they stopped in front of the homemade sign and read it. They didn’t even bother coming to my door, they turned around and walked away, never to be seen again. I knew I couldn’t “argue scripture” with them, I didn’t know it well yet myself. God in His great love for me surely didn’t want to see me drawn away from His incredible Truth so quickly after coming into relationship with Him, and with a simple poster protected me from the lies of the enemy. Now I can hold my own, but then I was just a babe in Christ.

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God’s knowledge and our logic come from opposing starting points. He’s surrounded us with great mysteries to delve into, discovering new things all the time. A verse can speak to me on one level today and tomorrow it can open up a whole new revelation, as I continue to renew my mind by the Word of God. He doesn’t want us to conform to this world and its wisdom, He has greater plans for us than what the world can impart to us. But He will use the world He created to teach us all the marvelous mysteries of Life.

By the way, did you know that when we speak of Life, we are speaking of Jesus Himself? Often, I hear people discussing how tough life can be. It kind of makes me shudder on the inside. Life is not hard. Life isn’t scary or difficult at all. Circumstances can be tough, hard, scary and a wealth of other things, especially if we don’t know yet Jesus. But Life – no Life is GOOD.

“Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” – John 14:6 KJV

Jesus IS Life. Some may find it odd that I capitalize the word Life, now you know why. He IS Life. He’s my Life, but so much more. He’s Life itself.

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While I embark on the upcoming changes to my little world, pray in agreement with me if you will, that I walk boldly with God and embrace all that He has for me. I’ll pray the same for you.

What walls are you standing in front of right now? What’s holding you back?

Perceptions and Misinformation

 

(from medicaldaily .com)

The way I saw it then must be completely different from the way I look at it now. I’ve changed glasses so many times, each pair with new lenses. Aging will do that to you.

Perhaps, as we get older, forgetfulness can be a blessing. I don’t think I really remember how things came together and fell apart in my childhood. That was so very long ago.

How a child understands, and processes things varies with the world they see and how they see it, sometimes based on how they are told to see things. It’s crazy to think that sometimes we process what we’re seeing through the lens of how we think we’re supposed to see it because that’s how we are told it works.

Maybe it was unintentional, perhaps we just overheard something or picked it up from a television show, or even in a song like, “Big Girls Don’t Cry” – a classic song we can still hear echo through our minds.

Or maybe we have vivid memories of hearing the phrase, “Do you want me to give you something to cry about?”

Maybe we recall a scene from a movie where we saw a girl painfully stifling her tears, insisting that she cannot show weakness, vowing she’ll “never let them see her cry”.

(from parentingwithunderstanding .com)

We may not even remember where we learned some of the silly notions we still keep filed away in our minds.

Ideas such as these may have taught us that tears equate to weakness (which is so far from the truth it’s mindboggling).

We may also have learned that it’s prudent not to cry, or that people like us better when we don’t cry.

It’s easy for busy and distracted adults to, intentionally or not, manipulate young children, especially those who are too eager to please those around them. Children often learn to do this to each other, as well, most likely not realizing what they’re doing – but that it somehow makes their lives “easier”.

There are outcomes to falling for something that isn’t true. Sometimes they’re unintended consequences. Other times, they are very intentional plots of deception.

For example, as manipulated children become adults, we’re often trapped in the mindset that pleasing others is more important than learning to establish healthy boundaries.  The very people who helped solidify those dominating thoughts and feelings certainly have no healthy boundaries of their own, whether they realize it or not.

No doubt, I’ve mentioned that I often find myself exploring “the lies we believe”. It fascinates and frustrates me that our minds can believe things that we should or could know are not true, or that we decide that something is true based on a lie or misinformation.

(from linkedin .com)

Big girls do cry.

It can be fear, pride or stubborn determination that keeps us from showing weakness or vulnerability.

It may make us “easier to deal with” when we don’t cry, but that doesn’t mean it’s wrong to cry under any circumstances.

There are plenty of great reasons to cry, whether they’re tears of joy or tears of sorrow.

Tears have much value.

“…You have collected all my tears in your bottle. You have recorded each one in your book.” – Psalm 56:9 NLT

Crying is just the example I’ve used to make my point. I could have used a myriad of other examples.

(from stir.ac.uk)

My point to ponder today is this, what are we believing that isn’t actually true?

While we grow up and mature, we uncover some of these things incidentally. But to discover others, we must purposefully look.

What examples can you share?

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Trusting You'll Breakthrough

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I believe that “breakthrough” is simply the breaking down of the walls that separate us from God's perfect will in our lives. I also believe the bricks of those walls are made of the lies we believe.

Imagine being trapped in a mine cave-in, a wall of rubble stands between you and your freedom. From inside you feel helpless until you recognize you're not alone. Your best friend, your most trustworthy friend, is there showing you which rocks to push and which to pull to prevent further cave-in and make a hole in the wall. This is Jesus revealing the lies in each rock. We can see the rock (the lie) but choose not to move it, perhaps out of fear - because it LOOKS like moving that one will cause the rest to come tumbling down on you.

We get to choose to listen to His voice or fall back on our own wisdom, becoming our own voice of authority; the voice that failed us in the beginning.

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not to your own understanding; in all your ways submit to Him, and He will make your paths straight.” – Proverbs 3:5-6 (NIV)

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek His will in all you do, and He will show you which path to take.” (NLT)

“Trust in and rely confidently on the Lord with all your heart and do not rely on your own insight or understanding. In all your ways know and acknowledge and recognize Him, and He will make your paths straight and smooth [removing obstacles that block your way]. (AMP)

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When we listen and obey, we remove one rock at a time, or rocks tumble away because we obediently removed the right one. Aha moment! “Sonlight” bursts through the darkness! (God has called us out of darkness into His marvelous light.  1 Peter 2:9 ) Fresh air comes through the passageway providing refreshing, rejuvenation and hope.

Can we trust our friend with the next few rocks? One hole in the wall won't lead to freedom unless we make that hole big enough to pass through. With refreshing and new hope, we are encouraged to push or pull the next rock He points to. If we stay with it, the hole will eventually become big enough to make our way through. Sometimes, God may even instruct us to make that breakthrough passable to all who come that way, removing even more of the rocks as we make our way to freedom.

We might be able to exist in the cave with our friend, Jesus. But He wants to take us all the way out of the cave, into His glorious creation - physical AND spiritual. There's so much we haven't even seen or been exposed to yet.

If you’ve been in the cave a while, it’s familiar. Familiarity can be sneaky because we're already accustomed to our compromised position.

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When Peter stepped out of the familiarity of his boat (that was already sinking) into the fiercely wind-whipped waters in obedience to Jesus calling him to Himself (which looked impossible to do), where was Peter safer? In the boat that was going down, or stepping out in faith, even though this was something he’d never done before? He’d never seen anyone walk on water – till then.

Jesus didn't build a sturdy bridge for Peter to step onto; He needed Peter to trust Him.

What walls do you need to breakthrough today? Will you trust Him?

It might require doing something you’ve never done before….

The Excellence of the Guard; My Conclusion

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Our hearts hold untold treasures. Go ahead, try to list them. That's sure to renew your joy!

We’ve also stored plenty of memories in there; we’ve buried feelings and emotions there.

How can we guard it with excellency?

God said to “Guard your heart above all else,” Why? “for it determines the course of your life.” – Proverbs 4:23 NLT

He doesn’t tell us to do anything we’re not able to do – with Him.

I believe our hearts are that hidden place where our spirit and soul come together; the place where God lives, if we let Him. Just as we have a triune God, we are triune beings. We ARE spirit, the part of us that is redeemed from the sin of the world; the part that joins into union with God Himself. We HAVE a soul (our mind, our will and our emotions) and we LIVE IN our body till we leave this world. When we come to Christ and invite Him to live in our heart, it involves submitting ourselves to Him completely. Many of us want God to save us from hell’s destruction after we leave this world but have absolutely no desire to become one with Him and submit the smallness of our humanity to the only all-knowing, all-powerful, omnipresent God.

Whether we know Jesus or not, we can guard our minds. We can be disciplined and hyper-vigilant about what we take in, at least for a while. We can stive to watch wholesome entertainment, we can study certain topics while deliberately avoiding others. We can limit who and what we surround ourselves with.  But plenty of garbage gets past us. We’d have to live alone on a deserted island to not get input from others. That’s not where we live.

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Whether we know Jesus or not, we can guard our bodies, though few of us have the discipline or perhaps resources to do so. Some are very determined to have healthy bodies. We do the best we can with what we have. But we all have unwelcome input that makes its way into our bodies, via our food or the air we breathe or the water we drink. To not get that input, we’d again have to live on that island and now it would have to be an island that could provide for healthy body requirements.

Only when we DO know Jesus are we supernaturally empowered to adequately guard our heart. That power comes from being united with the source of ALL power. By guarding our hearts, we become better equipped to guard our soul and our body.

The ONLY way to guard our heart is to follow biblical instruction, given to us in Romans 12:1-2 (NIV). “Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God – this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.”

This means submitting ourselves to God, renewing our minds (spending time with God and His Word) and putting our hearts in His hands. Does doing this mean we will never suffer attacks? No, we’re promised attacks. But the more quality time we spend in His Word, the more easily we’ll recognize the assaults the god of this world and come against them. With God, we are the most excellent of the Guard.

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With God living on the inside of us and being joined together with us in the most intimate way possible, we can tap into His power. When we do OUR best, we weary ourselves. There’s so much to pay attention to around us. All our energy is consumed by constantly being on guard. We lose our creative energy and abilities to glorify God. By joining WITH GOD, we become capable of guarding our hearts, (where our being comes together), and doing it well. We are too weak to do it without Him and the struggle will make us weaker. The excellence of the Guard comes only through relationship with the God Who created our heart in the first place.

The Excellence of the Guard

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When someone speaks the word “guard” my mind automatically goes to a picture of one of the guards at Buckingham Palace. I’ve been there to see them in person.

The next image that comes to mind is that of a prison guard. Next would be the picture of a man or woman assigned to executive protection for someone important. (That used to be one of my husband’s jobs.)

If someone was guarding me, providing my protection, I’d expect them to have been trained and know how to ensure my safety. I would likely leave everything up to them, since I most likely don’t have their level of training. I believe the best guards have the best training available.

There are times we’re called upon to provide protection for someone and fail. I’m the guardian of my young child, if they run out into the street right in front of me and get hit by a car, I’m responsible. There are circumstances where it wouldn’t be the parent’s fault if their child got hurt. Evil people work hard to get around the safeguards put in place. I may do everything right and still see my child hurt in some way.

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Different targets require different levels of protection. The Crown Jewels on display in a museum probably has more guards around it and a higher security level than children in our local schools. Okay, maybe that’s not a good comparison, no matter how accurate it is. But no one is guarding my lunch box in the frig at work, yet many people are required to guard a dignitary.

Value usually plays a role in the level of protection something or someone is provided. So how do we determine value? We all make different calls when it comes to placing value on something. I might treasure a book, but a non-reader would never consider a book something of value. Most of us value money and place a decent level of protection around the little we have. Beyond even our children, whom some of the parents we see on the news seem not to value at all, what could be considered of most value? What should get the highest level of protection?

Scripture tells us to, “Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life.” – Proverbs 4:23 NLT

I believe that our hearts are that hidden place where our spirit and our soul come together; the place where God abides, if we let Him.

“No, my dear, your heart is not a closed receptacle.
It’s not a box to hold your memories.
It’s not a sack in which to carry your worries.
It’s not a trophy to be dusted off occasionally.
It’s not a hole to bury things in, good or bad.
It’s never filled to overflowing nor is it ever empty,
no matter how you feel.
It’s not a thing that can be handed over to someone else,
even though poetry tells us so.
It’s the center of your being,
where everything is filtered
as it comes in or flows out of you.
You have the controls,
even when everything feels out of control.
You may not be able to determine everything that comes into your heart,
but you’re in charge of what flows out.
Hurts will find their way in.
Pain will pierce your heart.
Fear will grip your heart.
Loneliness will try to trap your heart.
Panic will arise to scare your heart.
But the Maker of your heart has His hand on your pulse.
He knows your heart, even when you’re trying to hide it.
He sees your heart, even when you feel invisible.
He hears your heart, even when you can’t cry out.
He lives – in your heart.
Trust Him with everything that comes in and flows out.
That’s where your control is greatest, that’s where your power emerges,
that’s where your hope springs from, that’s where your peace mounts,
in deciding Whom to entrust it to.
When God is your source and your filter,
He eases the pain of the bad and stirs up the excitement of the good.
He gives you the option to pour out good, godly love all over those around you,
or to spew evil just because – you can.
The filter in the middle of your heart is made of God’s fingers,
upon which are written in His blood:
FORGIVENESS.
Have you clogged that filter with bitterness?
He will wash all of that away in an instant if you ask Him to.”
- Helen Williams!  12/2022

I’m open and ready to hear your suggestions. How do we guard our heart?

Look for part two, my poem took up too many of my words. (wink-wink.)

Some Like It Cold... (Conclusion)

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In case you haven’t read it yet, here’s the beginning of this blog post: Some Like It Hot... Part I

One thought that crossed my mind, regarding being hot, cold or indifferent, had to do with shock value.

Stepping into an extremely hot or extremely cold pool of water will shock our body. It will make us feel uncomfortable, at least until we acclimate. When the body of Christ becomes lukewarm, the world looks at us and sees no difference between us and themselves; they’re not uncomfortable around us.

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NOT in a theatrical way at all, I think there needs to be a sense of shock or a feeling of discomfort to get their attention and show them that there IS a difference. We ARE different. We’re not necessarily better people; we’re not of greater value in God’s eyes – He loves us all equally. But WE get to experience His love on a whole new level! We get to have the God of the universe living inside of us and empowering us! When they scoff at that notion, it breaks my heart. They don’t even know what they’re missing. Christianity is not a magical ticket to a mythical place called heaven; it’s eternity in the arms of our loving Creator that begins the second we let Him into our heart.

When we’re lukewarm, we’re not advancing the kingdom of God; we’re blending into our surroundings.

When we have little value for the gospel, I think it means we haven’t actually experienced the joy it contains yet. (Keep searching with all of your heart! God said, “And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart. -Jeremiah 29:13 NKJV)

Experiencing freedom in Christ fills us with joy and we HAVE to tell someone, anyone – everyone! When God gave sight to a blind man – he had to tell somebody. The widow whose son was raised from the dead? She surely had to tell everyone! How do you keep that kind of joy to yourself? When your sins are forgiven and your shame has been removed and you feel the embrace of your loving heavenly Father, how can you not want to tell someone?

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When I first became a Christian I had a whole lot of zeal, but no wisdom and very little knowledge. When I tried to share my joy, I sometimes went overboard in a crazy direction that actually pushed people away instead of drawing them into the gospel. That’s one of the primary reasons we need to be discipled and share fellowship with fellow believers, but also study the Bible for ourselves, and to seek out the answers to the questions WE come up with.

It’s God’s kindness that leads men to repentance, not my zeal. But I hope my zeal and my joy and my love will get their attention so they can ask questions, whether they ask me or seek out answers on their own. We should want them to notice we’re different. We need to come in hot or ice cold (and we can do that gently when necessary). By now I know I need to use wisdom, as well. Once we’re intimate with Jesus, there’s no going back. We don’t want to live without that intimate love. We may cool off and become lukewarm when we let the cares and affairs of this world crowd the seed that’s been planted in our heart. That’s when we need a brother or sister in Christ to come along and throw some hot or cold water on us! But we may also become lukewarm when we fail to see our purpose in the body of Christ. Ice water has a purpose, hot water has a purpose, but lukewarm water is like water searching for its purpose. My last blog series was on discovering God’s vision for our lives. If you haven’t read it yet, look for it.

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What does being hot or cold or lukewarm mean to YOU? I’d love to hear your input. That’s what the comment section below is for! AND – if this conclusion is too wordy for you, let me know that in the comments, too.

The whole “spew you out of My mouth” thing could take up a whole new blog post of its own. But for now, I’ll suffice it to say, He can’t spew you out of His mouth if He’s never had you there. The analogy sounds a little gross, but I look back to the fact that God said He would never leave us or forsake us. I don’t think this means that He will disown us for becoming complacent or for not discovering our purpose in His kingdom. He wants the very best for us, and when we settle for mediocre it surely breaks His heart and apparently makes Him sick to His stomach over it. He’s provided the best of everything for us, and He expects us to come after it.

Some Like It Hot.... (Part one of two)

 

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“I know your [record of] works and what you are doing; you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were cold or hot! So, because you are lukewarm and neither cold nor hot, I will spew you out of My mouth!” – Revelation 3:15-16 AMPC

Ouch! Hard statement! Check out the AMP translation, it’s even more intense:

‘I know your deeds, that you are neither cold (invigorating, refreshing) nor hot (healing, therapeutic); I wish that you were cold or hot.  So because you are lukewarm (spiritually useless), and neither hot nor cold, I will vomit you out of My mouth [rejecting you with disgust]. Revelation 3:15-16 AMP

So, who or what is hot, cold or lukewarm?

Pastor’s sermon the other morning explored these scriptures, mentioning that cold water can be invigorating or refreshing, and hot water can be healing and therapeutic. (He must have read that AMP translation.) I’ve been in ridiculously hot “healing hot springs” that could burn your skin off. But hot water can be relaxing and therapeutic.

We’ve all enjoyed a refreshing glass of ice water. But an ice water bath? No thank you. It may be invigorating, but you won’t catch me in one!

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After church, we talked with friends about the sermon.

We drew from another scripture that Pastor referenced, “You are the salt of the earth; but if salt loses its flavor…it’s good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot... (or on icy roads?)”. - Matthew 5:13

Salt can lose its savor; hot water can cool off and ice water can warm to room temperature. These examples pointed us to the conclusion that we’re losing something along the way. Can we lose our zeal for the gospel? If we understand the price Jesus paid to bring us this good news (gospel), we’d share it with everyone. But when we get busy, some of us let our priorities slip; we place Jesus on a shelf in the background of our lives, as if He isn’t important at all. Or what if….we lose our purpose, or our sense of purpose – or fail to even discover our purpose?

Another comment led us to a discussion about our comfort zone. When we do something that we’re skilled at and comfortable with, it’s not challenging, but we can feel good about doing it. When it’s something big and exciting that God is leading us to do, it’ll take us out of our comfort zone so that we’ll know that it was Christ in us accomplishing the task. If we’re sitting in water that is either too hot or too cold, we’re not comfortable at all. But if we settle into a lukewarm tub, it doesn’t disturb us or prompt us to move at all.

One thought that crossed my mind, regarding being hot, cold or indifferent; could it have to do with shock value….

BUT I’VE BEEN TOLD this is where people lose interest in a blog post, around the 500-word mark. Sometimes I go over it a bit. Sometimes I go over it a bit too much. I’m being loquacious again so, I’ll break this up into two parts, so I don’t lose you. I’ll share my conclusion quickly.

I Thought I Had No Vision.... Conclusion

 

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Beginning with one topic has become a conversation (if you’re giving me your thoughts, too) that’s encompassing much more than I thought it would. But, without understanding our position and our authority in Christ, we will never comprehend His vision for us.

Going back to one of the scriptures we started with in Habakkuk 2:2 (AMPC), “And the Lord answered me and said, Write the vision and engrave it so plainly upon tablets that everyone who passes may [be able to] read [it easily and quickly] as he hastens by.”

 We know now that God’s response was to the Old Testament prophet Habakkuk who had a question, we’ve all asked God. “What are you going to do about this mess down here on earth?!” We’re looking into God’s response to him, because it’s the same answer He gives to us.

Write the vision. What vision? The vision God has for mankind. The vision that shows us our part in God’s Master Plan.

To discover that vision will require spending intimate time with Him, reading His Word, studying His Word and meditating on it. I’m not attempting to expound on or sum up Mark Cowart’s book here, I’m sharing what I got from it. I’ve read it twice now and I may read it a third time soon. It’s a small book, so if you choose to buy it, don’t think that reading it more than once is a daunting or intimidating task. (The book is available here: The Power of Vision or The Power of Vision Amazon )

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Where do we go from here to discover God’s heavenly vision for us? I feel like God’s Word for me this year is “discover” – which is so appropriate for what I find myself doing already. I’m discovering God’s vision for ME!

I don’t say this to sound high and mighty, or to sound chastising and condescending at all, I say it with all the love in my heart and I say it from experience. If we don’t already know God’s vision for us, we are not spending enough time in His Word to discover it.

“Ouch! That hurts!

“I read the Bible every day! Sometimes I even go to a commentary or a concordance to investigate what something means. Though, I have to admit, I usually just go to a friend and ask what THEY think it means.”

“I pray every day, well, sometimes just over my meals. Okay, sometimes I let myself get too busy. But God knows my heart. He knows what I need to pray before I even say it.”   

“And, of course, I go to church. Well, most Sundays. Okay, most weeks I just watch online and listen to teachings from preachers and teachers I like throughout the week when I have time. But sometimes I even go to special events the church hosts!”

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I’ve said those same things, believe me. I’ve tried to justify my lifestyle, too. I’ve gotten too busy to spend quality time reading and studying for myself and meditating on what the Bible says. How can God speak His vision to me, or for that matter, how can He speak His love to me, if I’m not reading the Bible daily? How do I think I’m listening for what He has to say to me if too busy to pay attention? How can I appreciate His love for me if I don’t spend any time enjoying it?

I was challenged to do the very things I’m telling you to do. I’ve been setting my alarm early (and I am NOT a morning person) and I’m getting out of bed, going downstairs to make a cup of coffee – and sitting quietly, without disruptions – reading the Bible, with a commentary and pondering what I’m reading. I’m looking into the parts that I don’t understand. I’m literally searching out God’s wisdom, knowledge and His understanding. The written Word is becoming the living Word inside of me! And I’m discovering just how much God actually loves me, and I’m allowing myself to receive from Him – His love and therefore, His vision for me. And I'm writing it down. Powerful stuff!

Dare you try? And write it down! See for yourself. After all, isn't that what Jesus invites us to do? Come and see!

I Thought I Had No Vision.... Part IV

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This is turning into a longer blog post than I thought it would be when we started with this topic. I haven’t gotten very far into the conversation yet (assuming you’re conversing with me) and we’re already on part four!

I’m pondering, and I hope you’re pondering with me, over just what God wants US to do about the condition of the world. Way back in the Old Testament days of the prophet Habakkuk, he wanted to know the same thing. And the answer is the same answer God gave Habakkuk.

As today, the world was in chaos back then, too. Sometimes we’re tempted to shake our fist at God and ask Him, “What are You going to do about all of this?”

Good news, He already did His part. He’s watching us do our part.

But I’m just one person, what can I do?

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We can do what God instructs us to do. I’m not talking about things like following the ten commandments, I’m talking about what it takes TO BE ABLE TO KEEP the ten commandments. I’m talking about loving our neighbor as Jesus loves us. That was the last command, or instruction Jesus gave us before He was lifted up into the heavens right in front of His disciples. He said, “A new commandment I give unto you, That you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another.” – John 13:34 KJV

In John 15:12 we read it again, “This is my commandment, That you love one another as I have loved you.”

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Earlier in the Bible we read that Jesus taught His disciples to “love your neighbor as yourself”. (Matthew 22:39) Now that He has paid the price for our sin and has risen from the grave to give us new life, He’s given us the ability to love others the same way He loves us. We can let Him love them THROUGH us. And THAT – is how we’re going to “fix” the world. The only way we can do this to let God love them through us. This is where WE need clarification. We need to see and understand God’s vision of how this works. We need to understand our part in His vision. We need His vision to become our vision. We need to see what He sees; the way He sees it.

And THAT, my friends, is what having vision is all about.

In Habakkuk’s response to God, he clearly expected God to wave a magic wand and “fix” everything, which, let’s face it, is something we’d like Him to do, too. Sometimes we insist, there must be an easier way! Yet, God tells us that His ways are higher (and better) than our ways. In Isaiah 55:9 (KJV) we read, “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.”

He is, after all, God. We are His creation. We are the works of His hands. He created us. And He created us in HIS image. He created us to be like Him. He is creative, He designed us to be creative. He is love. He created us to hold or contain His love, so that He can love through us. He wants us to live in Him and He wants to live inside of us. He created us to be the temple of the Holy Spirit. His desire is to live and love through us. We're vessels to contain His glory. An empty vessel helps no man.

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Or didn’t you know? Paul wrote to us in the New Testament, to those of us who have put our faith and complete trust in Jesus the Christ, our salvation, our redemption – our liberator. He said, “What? Know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost, which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?” – 1 Corinthians 6:19 KJV

He asked the Christians of that day the same question He might ask us, “Don’t you know that you are the house of God? Don’t you know that the Holy Spirit of God lives inside of you? You are not your own, you’ve surrendered to God and His ownership and instruction!”

Summing up part four of this pondering, we need to wrap our minds around what it means to be “in Christ” and to have Him living in us. Before we can uncover God’s vision for our lives, and for the lives of all men, we need to be surrendered to Jesus Christ, body, soul and spirit. Some things are only discerned spiritually (1 Corinthians 2:14, “But the natural man receives not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.”). Our carnal minds (perceived through our senses) cannot comprehend the things of God. Once we’re born again, redeemed, or saved – we need to renew our minds with the Word of God (both logos and rhema) before we can discern the things of God. And that’s what this is about, discerning God’s vision for us.

Part five is coming soon! (It’s already written.)

I Thought I Had No Vision.... Part III

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Now, let’s get back to what Habakkuk 2:2-3 said in The Message Bible. We’ve chewed on the thoughts about why I think God is speaking personally to me (and you) in these verses. Let’s cut off another bite to chew on.

“And then God answered: “Write this.
    Write what you see.
Write it out in big block letters
    so that it can be read on the run.
This vision-message is a witness
    pointing to what’s coming.
It aches for the coming—it can hardly wait!
    And it doesn’t lie.
If it seems slow in coming, wait.
    It’s on its way. It will come right on time.”

If God wants me to write out what I see, I need to make time to allow Him to show me what He wants me to see. It’s looking now like we’ll be chewing on these verses for a while. It’s not that they’re like tough meat that we chew on just to get it down. But I want to enjoy chewing on this bit, I want to enjoy the morsel and savor what He’s telling us here.

Before God told us to write, this scripture tells us that God is replying to Habakkuk. What had he asked him that prompted God to give him this answer? I went back to chapter one to see what the whole conversation is about. THAT is rather eye-opening. 

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In chapter one we read,

“The problem as God gave Habakkuk to see it:

God, how long do I have to cry out for help
    before you listen?
How many times do I have to yell, “Help! Murder! Police!”
    before you come to the rescue?
Why do you force me to look at evil,
    stare trouble in the face day after day?
Anarchy and violence break out,
    quarrels and fights all over the place.
Law and order fall to pieces.
    Justice is a joke.
The wicked have the righteous hamstrung
    and stand justice on its head.”

Habakkuk 1:1-4

Well, Habakkuk, welcome to the year 2025! That’s the same thing WE’RE asking God! Perfect.

So, let’s take a look at THEIR dialog. God’s response to him shocked me! I thought to myself, “God, I don’t want to share THAT part with people! We’re not living in Old Testament times, what does this have to do with us?” Not that history is repeating itself exactly as it happened in Old Testament days, because now we have covenant with Jesus, through the blood He shed for our redemption from sin. 

But, seriously, have people and our thoughts and actions changed all that much? Have us Christians made the impact on culture that Jesus told us to? He told us to, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel (the good news of the new covenant we can have with God) to all creatures.” Have we done this? Have we reached everyone with the good news that we CAN live in love? That God WILL love and forgive through us? If we had, life as we know it would look completely different.

God’s response that I DIDN”T want to share with you here, because I felt unqualified to expound on it reads:

““Look around at the godless nations.
    Look long and hard. Brace yourself for a shock.
Something’s about to take place
    and you’re going to find it hard to believe.
I’m about to raise up Babylonians to punish you….”

Habakkuk 1:5-6

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God instructs Habakkuk to look at the condition the world is in around us. We think we already see the condition of the world around us. We have news on our electronic devices, it’s constantly thrown in our faces, and STILL – WE DON’T SEE IT! We see the crime and the wars and the evil that man perpetrates against man. But look behind it all, what do you see? I see a world that’s lost and going to hell – and God wants us to do our part to do something about it. Jesus suffered and went to the cross for us, because of the joy that was set before Him! He didn’t enjoy the torment man put Him through, He dreaded it. In the Garden of Gethsemane as He prepared to go to the cross, He asked His Father in heaven if He could pass on this, He pushed through and obeyed, saying, “Not my will but Yours be done.”  (Luke 22:42) He and His Father had already agreed on this plan since before mankind brought sin into the world. The JOY He saw set before Him was seeing us enjoying freedom, freedom from the rule of sin and death. His joy was in setting us free! He went through hell to give us freedom and to give us back the authority God first gave to us in the Garden of Eden, authority that Adam and Eve gave to Satan through their disobedience.

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We can have that freedom and that authority today, Jesus died to give it to us. We simply need to believe God’s Word; we just need to accept that Jesus paid the cost FOR us. “The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” -Romans 6:23 KJV  Jesus died in our place – for us.

After God shows us the condition of the heart of the world, we might ask Him, as Habakkuk did, “What do you want ME to do about it?”

And that’s what this is all about. I’ll continue in part four….

I Thought I Had No Vision.... Part II

(from Pinterest)

PART II

In part one, we read scripture from the Old Testament book, Habakkuk 2:2. I’m continuing to explore what it says in various translations. This one from The Message Bible, makes it pretty plain and simple to understand, and this time I’m including the following verse as well.

“And then God answered: “Write this.
    Write what you see.
Write it out in big block letters
    so that it can be read on the run.
This vision-message is a witness
    pointing to what’s coming.
It aches for the coming—it can hardly wait!
    And it doesn’t lie.
If it seems slow in coming, wait.
    It’s on its way. It will come right on time.”

Digging in to chew and digest what I’m reading, I’ll pull it apart like I would the turkey from its bones.

God says to write what you see, meaning what He is showing ME, as He wanted Habakkuk to do all those years ago. Why do I presume that God is speaking to me the same instructions he spoke to an Old Testament prophet? I don’t make that presumption with the instructions God gave to all the writers of the Bible. I’m taking this one personally because I believe that He has certain instructions for all of us, some instructions that are for only specific individuals. But His vision for His people involves all of us. We are on a co-mission with Him. Even in the Garden of Eden, Adam cultivated the garden, but God provided the life for every living thing in the garden. Adam could have done all he did to cultivate a garden, but if God didn’t make or allow the plants to grow, it would all have been in vain. If God provided the life but Adam refused to do his part in the garden, he would have been in disobedience. I’m born again, I am in Christ, I’m in covenant with God Himself, through the blood of His Son Jesus. I joyfully choose to obey God, because I have a revelation of how much He loves me – and you. He has more to reveal to me (and to you) and I want us to get to the place of continuous revelation. Surely in our lifetime we won’t exhaust the knowledge and wisdom of the God of everything.

(theheavenguy. org)

So, what do I see now that I didn’t see before? The way I’m going to explain this is that I now actually understand that I have a role to play in all of this. I knew it before, intellectually. Of course, we all understand that we’re responsible for how we live our lives. Well, let me take that back, as I look at the behavior in the world around me, it’s evident that this isn’t true. Many people refuse to take responsibility for their own lives. I am not one of them. I choose to be a part of what happens in my life. God has great plans for me (Jeremiah 29:11), but I have my part to play. I DO NOT provide my own salvation – I needed Jesus to redeem my life just like everyone else does. But fulfilling His will in my life isn’t an automatic thing. “Whatever happens happens” is not how life works. We have input as to what happens. Now that Jesus HAS redeemed my life, I belong to Him. I’m His daughter and He wants only the best for me. Note: what is best for me is not always what I think is best for me. Coming to this point of recognition is a huge part of finding God’s vision for my life and life for all of us.

(from slideplayer .com)

I’ll wrap up today’s thoughts with a place to ponder this. A space to think about how we fit into God’s plans. Take a minute right now to ask God what He wants to do with your life – then give Him a few minutes of your time to listen to what He wants to say to you – right now, today.

Looking forward to part III!