Delay or Preparation

 

Often, I open my email box to find newsletters from various ministries and organizations. Today was no different. But it’s not that often that a newsletter hits me where it counts. Today’s uplifting messages came from Patricia Raybon, author of much, including the fabulous Annalee Spain mysteries. If you haven’t read them, I highly recommend them (here), and her upcoming book, The Sedalia Code (here).

 

She proposed a question I’m still chewing on, even after discussing it with my husband, Dave.

“What ‘delays’ in our lives might God be using as preparation?”

And, I might add, preparation for what, exactly?

We’ve been entertaining the idea of moving since Dave retired (the second time, six years ago). With two out of three children living in Tennessee, we presume that would be our destination. But we could be wrong.

The problem is, even though we both hear from God regularly, we’re not hearing a thing about this move.

I’ve heard it said that God answers our prayers with one of three answers: yes, no and not now.

We’ve been living under the assumption that the time isn’t right for a move, yet.

At our age, it will be an endeavor to move across the country. We don’t want to step out in faith and find out it was a wrong move. Moving will be expensive; we’re used to having the US Military move our belongings for us. We’re not rich, but we’re not poor – but we certainly don’t have money to waste on an expensive move if it’s not the RIGHT move.

What if?

What if we’re causing our own delays?

What if this is a season of preparation for what comes after the move, and we haven’t been preparing as we should?

What if we’re the ones dragging out the delay?

It’s felt like a season of rest. And we’re certainly in the Word of God more than ever before – but what if that’s not enough to be prepared for what’s to come?

Rather than furthering any delays, we’ve concluded that we’ll not only spend more time in the Word, but we’ll make sure it’s quality time. No more checking off a commitment for the day. It’s time to start chewing on the Word of God and making it a staple in our daily diets. There may be days when it doesn’t sit well in our bellies – but that’s just caused by lack of understanding and not seeing the whole picture.

In Matthew 18:19 Jesus tells us, “Again, I say unto you, that if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven.”

Dave and I make that minimum.

In Luke 11:10 He tells us, “For everyone that asks receives, and he that seeks finds; and to him that knocks it shall be opened.”

We can ask, see and knock together – in harmony and with unity.

And in James 1:5 we read, “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that gives to all men liberally, and upbraids not [meaning he won’t show disapproval or criticize or be disappointed that we asked]; and it shall be given him.”

Maybe we’ve been asking the wrong question(s).

Starting today, I’m asking for God’s wisdom for right now and not concerning myself with what’s to come unless He puts it on my heart.

We’ll continue to pray, read God’s Word and meditate upon it, and study out what the Scriptures mean – and what He’s saying to us through them in the here and now….. doing the prep work!

Some Like It Cold... (Conclusion)

(picture from matador network)

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.

(picture from vintagehottubs .com)

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?

(picture from pinterest)

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.

(picture from help4today .org)

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.

Ears to Hear

 

(photo from banter.com)

In this season of life, I find myself floundering a bit. What doors might God be opening for me now? What purpose has He created for me to fulfill in 2021 and beyond?

Once your children are grown, and their children are grown to the point where they don’t really need you anymore, the whole landscape of your life changes. Retirement might someday become boring if we just continue to have fun and doing nothing of importance.

Life without purpose is empty. Although, I don’t feel empty, I’m in a holding pattern, waiting on God.

Or is He waiting on me?

So, while pondering this conundrum, I began to ask myself, just what do I know about hearing God’s voice? Here’s what I came up with. What points can YOU add?

In no particular order:

*I need to be in God’s Word regularly; daily.

*I need to be actively listening for Him, aware of His presence with me.

*I need to check my heart, making sure I’m not in rebellion or harboring bitterness and unforgiveness that could hinder my ability to hear God speak to me.

*I need to minimize distractions.

*I need to recognize that God may be saying something, right now!

*I need to realize that what God is trying to say to me, might be something I don’t really think I want to hear.

*I should probably journal and look for patterns or repetition of thoughts, and what’s drawing my attention lately, while most definitely reflecting on His goodness, and offering up thanksgiving.

*I need to be praising Him! The Bible tells us that He inhabits the praises of His people.

*I need to be coming together for fellowship with other Christians. Often, God speaks through our friends and strangers we haven’t made friends with yet.

*I need to be more purposeful about communication, it’s generally between two or more. Prayer involves as much listening as it does speaking, maybe more – He did give us one mouth and two ears.

So, that’s what I’ve got so far. Feel free to include me in your prayers, that my listening will pay off and I’ll get myself pointed in the right direction and begin to feel purpose again. And if you have any more points to add, PLEASE let me know!

I love you.

 

Sunflowers

Sunflowers.

Always with their face toward the sun.

As my husband and I walk a hiking trail each morning, we see hundreds of sunflowers, among the many other colorful flowers along the way. I can’t help notice that the sunflowers always have their face toward the sun. That’s where they derive their strength!

In the garden of life, we’re like sunflowers.

We are the “Son-flowers” – that bloom where we’re planted; bringing great delight to our Father.

Son-flowers.

Always with our face toward the Son.

As Satan roams this realm, let him observe the Son-flowers and notice that our face is always toward the Son of God, where we derive our strength.

Jesus is our righteousness. He’s our redemption, our salvation, 

our right-now healing, He’s our joy, He’s our peace.

Why would we ever turn our face from His?

We pout. We have pity-parties. We get angry at God when we blame Him for things we don’t understand and the things that don’t go according to our plans, especially if we thought our plans were His plans.

But, in the midst of our pouting and rebelling, no one notices our beauty; no one can see it. Our beauty comes from always looking to Jesus, in good times and when we’re frustrated or sad or angry or scared.

Son-flowers – recognize your Source, and don’t turn away; especially now.

 

Fruitful

Apple Blossom photo courtesy of Darlene Folk.

Though I love plants, here in Colorado the only luck I seem to have with growing anything is with houseplants. But whether it’s a fruit tree, a rosebush in your yard or begonia in my window, pruning them makes them plush, bushier, more beautiful, and produce more blossoms, instead of spending their energy growing spindly and flowerless.

 

In the book of John, Jesus tells us that He is the vine and we are His branches, and that His Father is the gardener that keeps us pruned – for our own good and His glory. (John 25:1-8)

 

When our lives are not as productive as they should be, perhaps we’re resisting that pruning. So often we insist on doing things our way, without even considering that our way might not be the way God want us to go about it.

 

In our own reasoning, we will do things completely different than the way God chooses to. (There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death. Proverbs 14:12 KJV)

 

If I had to come up with a plan to redeem mankind, I don’t think my finite brain would have come up with a plan like His. Jesus leaving His throne in heaven to take my place on the cross seems like a harsh way to go – but Jesus Himself said to His Father, “Not my will, but Thine.”

 

That makes me stop and take a second look at what I’m doing during my day and with my life and ask, “God, is this what you’d have me do?”

 

Then comes the harder part; listening for His reply. Yes, we’ll recognize His voice if we’re seeking Him with all our heart. He’s the good Shepherd and we are the sheep of His pasture. We’ll follow Him closely if we’re paying attention, but sheep can be dumb and wander off wherever the grass looks greener.

 

Take the time to be intentional; about the things you do, about submitting yourself to God and about listening for His voice and direction. The pruning will begin and you’ll start producing beautiful (blossoms) fruit immediately.

 

“I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me—  just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep.” John 10:14-15 (NIV)

 

“My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand.” John 10:27-28 (NIV)

The Real Me - Part 2

The other night at church the speaker (Ivan Tait) said that we can make God say anything. By that, we can prove to ourselves that God is okay with something we want Him to be okay with…. Ivan told us not to look for deception. There will always be a scripture we can take out of context, and loving friends that will agree with what our mind and our flesh cry out for. This hit home for me with a resounding clamor of an iron hammer on a God-sized bell. No wonder peace seems just out of reach.

Ivan also said that Satan will find the candy that we like and provide it for us…. I won’t repeat his whole sermon here, but he also pointed out that morality is just an educated choice to avoid consequences; that unbelief is spiritual abortion; and that doubt and unbelief are often veiled as “being practical”.

That “being practical” thing reverberated with the clang of the hammer on the bell again. There are things that God has spoken or that I/we have dreamed about that my practicality says to be humored by, but don’t expect them. Ewww-that means I’m now admitting to the doubt and unbelief that holds me back.

I need to kill every idol in my heart. I heard something about that last night, too – but I’m not sure if it was the speaker, or one of the times God interrupted him in my heart. But before I can kill the idols, I have to identify them. That means looking for them so I can call them out.

The devil, called the accuser of the brethren for a reason, accuses, confuses, distorts and condemns us in attempts to disqualify us, to make us ineligible for heaven. He even goes so far as to accuse God’s own Word, to try to disqualify its effect in our lives. God breaks the pointing fingers in our minds. And yowza, when we start agreeing with the enemy, some of those fingers are our own…

To be continued……



Puzzling?

When I was younger I loved putting puzzles together. My eyes could see better, my patience had barely begun to wear thin. But now, it’s frustrating to sit quietly searching for the elusive place the puzzle piece in my hand will fit. If I force it into place where it wasn’t meant to go, the picture is ruined and it may be impossible to finish the puzzle. Now if I’m just expressing my creative nature, I need to design my own puzzle.

When we gather together, we can look like a pile of puzzle pieces freshly dumped from the box. When assembling ourselves together we begin to see what the picture of life is supposed to look like. Like every puzzle piece in the box – we all have a place, whether it looks ‘right’ to others or not. God created us purposefully and to fulfill the purposes He created us for. God’s Master Plan isn’t a conglomeration of guess work.

Unlike a cardboard puzzle from a box that lays lifeless on the table, God has breathed life into each of us. We’re living puzzle pieces. The Bible refers to us as living stones. ‘…you are living stones that God is building into his spiritual temple’ 1 Peter 2:5 NLT

Because so many of us exist in a fallen nature, not yet regenerated by the Spirit of God, we often try to tell other pieces where they should be and force them into places they were never designed to fit. We hurt each other. We deceive each other. We control each other. We take from each other. And we try to do God’s job of putting the pieces together properly.

It’s time to let the Holy Spirit do His own job. It’s time we submit ourselves to His leading and allow ourselves permission to fit in where He knows is best.

One Step at a Time

One step at a time; is that so hard? Sometimes I want to insist on seeing what’s down the path I travel before I’ll journey on. Other times, I could care less about what’s ahead, I’m too busy enjoying the scenery where I’m at.

Months ago I went on a group hike up into the mountains. Our guide was strong and agile and knew her way around. Without her, we’d all have been hopelessly lost, anxiously awaiting the search and rescue team’s arrival to lead us home.

We crossed streams, climbed boulders, and hiked through some of the most beautiful scenery in the world. We discovered hidden joys along the trail and treasures framed in the trees – all the way up to the prized waterfall at the top of our climb. We exchanged stories and laughter, and shared in sadness and victories.

One woman had the body of a supermodel. Only the ‘holiest’ of us could have stopped herself from envying this body. But as we made our way through the forest and stream beds, we heard the testimony of this woman who had fought breast cancer, enduring a double mastectomy, and won!

Crossing one stream I gave up the effort of staying dry and walked through the water. At other points, I crossed on the rocks. Funny thing about stepping stones and bifocals; they don’t work well together. My choices were to take my glasses off and see everything through my fuzzy lenses or tip my head downward and take one step at a time, not even looking up to see where the next stone was until my foot was firmly planted on its intended target.

Leave no [wo]man behind! Yes – they had to wait for me a few times as I timidly crossed the waters. But I made it safely to my destination, with triumphal memories.

God uses these memories to prompt me to take one step at a time, firmly planting my foot where He leads me before attempting to move forward. Is that really so hard?