Turning The Page

 Turning the Page, “What does this look like, Lord?”

While reading the other day, I had questions about what I’d just read. I write in my books, that’s why I don’t like to borrow a book from anyone. I wrote my questions in the margin, like I usually do – in pencil. After reading another page or two, I found the answers to my questions. I went back and erased my question, because now I understood where the author was going with her line of thought.

I can be quite argumentative with the authors I read. Of course, they never know it. I challenge a lot of what I read. Just because someone wrote it, even someone I trust, doesn’t mean I’m going to agree with it. Feel free to disagree with anything you read that I’ve written, too, please.

As I completely erased my question, I was thankful to have discovered the answers I was looking for. I smiled. And – I could have sworn I heard God say to me, “This is how it is when you argue with Me, too. When you turn the page, you’ll find the answers. Keep looking.”

Great Word – however, just what did He mean by turn the page? That’s the question I’m looking for answers to, now.

We’ve been pondering a move for quite some time now; pretty much since Dave retired from the police department. Questions about this move consume our prayers often. When Lord? And where to?

We’re quite comfortable where we are. It’s beautiful here in Colorado. We have a great church family; we have plenty of friends and a nice home. We have family nearby. We have mountains to hike through whenever we’d like. We have a great healthcare plan.

Maybe it’s all the moves we made with the military, but I’m kind of feeling like we need another move. We’ve been here in Colorado for the likes of 30 years now. That’s the longest either one of us has lived anywhere.

We have family in Tennessee and in Ohio, and other places as well. Wouldn’t it be nice to live closer to them now? Yes. It would. We miss them so much!

We’ve weighed pros and cons. It’s actually more affordable to live where we are than in many other places. Plus, the cost of moving will be steep. There’s the headache of selling our home and buying a new one and settling in there.

The bottom line for Dave and I is: where does GOD want us?

What does God want us doing in this season of life?

If He wants us here, we need to be content here and be all about our Father’s business.

If He wants us to move again, we need to be patient and wait on His leading and His direction. I’ll admit, I’m not as patient as Dave. I feel like I’m spinning my wheels here.

But what if there’s more God wants to do with us here and He wants us to stay? What if there’s more to do here BEFORE we move? Plenty of questions.

Now I’m thinking those questions are answered on the next page. We need to turn a page.

Could moving be the page we turn?

No. I don’t think so. We need answers before we turn THAT page.

Please, join us in prayer as we pursue this.

“Trust in the LORD with all your heart, lean not to your own understanding. In all thy ways, acknowledge him, and he shall direct they paths.” – Proverbs 3:5

“Wait on the LORD, be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD.” – Proverbs 27:14

We know this very well.

 

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

(picture from pinterest .com)

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?

(picture from slideplayer. com)

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.”

(picture from pinterest. com)

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.

(picture from pinterest. com)

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.)

What Does He Want From Me?

(centralportland.org)

"What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul? (Matthew 16:26)
With these questions Jesus asks, he is saying, 'if you are going to be my disciple, I want something.' What is it he's asking of you?"
- Uncommon Questions from an Extraordinary Savior, Christopher Bozung

I routinely ask myself, when the subject comes to mind, ‘What does Jesus ask of me? What does He want from me?’

Flippantly, I can say, He wants my life. That’s the correct answer, right? He wants all of me! He wants me to trust Him with, put into His hands, my health, my relationships, my finances, my future, my successes and my failures, my children, my grandchildren, my siblings and my mom – my friends.

But, what does that really look like?

When reading the questions Jesus asked, I can smugly say, ‘I haven’t gained the whole world, so I’m not in any danger of forfeiting my soul.’

But, on a lazy day – would I forfeit my soul (would I risk doing the will of God) for…… a nap? Or for quiet time with a good book? Even the GOOD BOOK?

(quotes.land)

I don’t want to sound like the voice of condemnation, because I’m not. My God serves up fresh grace by the second when we need it (all the time).

But, in essence, am I putting my nap, or reading time or TV time or game time - before what God’s asked me to do?

I guess that depends on what God’s asked me to do in the moment. If I’m spending time with Him in His Word, surely, He must be pleased. But, if He’s asked me to go over and check on my neighbor and I brush it off, saying – after some quiet time reading the Bible, or after a quick nap, or after I mop the floor…. He knows I’m blowing Him off.

Ouch!

Is He mad at me? No. I don’t believe so.

Is He disappointed with me? No. I don’t believe so. How can we be disappointed when we already know the outcome of something? He knew if I’d respond to Him with selfishness or obedience.

(pinterest.com)

“For if our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart, and knoweth all things. Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, then have we confidence toward God.” – 1 John 3:20-21 (KJV)

The real question here is – why do I ever respond to Him with selfishness?

As humans, most of us want to give up when someone fails us time after time after time. We just stop relying on them. We don’t stop loving them, but we stop asking much, of them.

Do you ever feel like God’s not “using” you anymore? Hmmmm…. 

Are we giving Him reason not to rely on us?

Great news! His patience FAR outweighs ours. He has faith in us, even when we don’t have faith in ourselves.

New assignments? New opportunities to put God’s will first! New opportunities to obey Him; to pick up our cross and follow Him!

(loveumentary.com)

Willing

(picture from behance.net)

“When Jesus had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch.” Simon answered, “Master, we’ve worked hard all night and haven’t caught anything. But, because you say so, I will let down the nets.” – Luke 5:4-5 (NIV)

Personally, I find Peter’s words to be extremely powerful. How often do we mentally argue with God because we’ve already done what we believe He’s telling us to do again? How often do we fail to obey, simply because we don’t see the point in the actions required? How often does it look to us that God doesn’t know what He’s talking about?

Maybe I’m alone in this. But, sometimes, it seems to me that God really isn’t all that much in control. Now, I realize that’s largely because I cannot see the “big picture”. If thread had eyes to see, each stitch in a quilt or garment wouldn’t make sense at all if the thread could not see the entire creation from their vantage point.

But, Peter, though weary beyond measure, in his attempt to have faith and relinquish control of how he thought things should work, obeyed Jesus, saying, “…but because You say so…..”

Though I can’t remember the circumstances, I can recall rolling my eyes when instructed to do things that didn’t make sense to me. Whether it was a parent, my husband or a teacher giving instruction, it didn’t matter. What they were advising made no sense to me at all. But, because they said so – I complied. Someone I loved or respected gave a directive, and I, perhaps begrudgingly, did what they asked. At this moment, I don’t recall any “aha” moments when what seemed like nonsense to me proved to be beneficial, but, I complied because of love or respect.

(photo from thegreatphysician.com)

Of course, in the very next verse of scripture, we’re immediately told about the phenomenal haul of fish Peter and his co-laborers pulled in together, almost sinking their boats. They saw right away that Jesus knew His stuff; He could be trusted. Seeing the rewards of complying with His instruction, Peter was awe-struck by whatever it was this man Jesus compelled. Did Jesus put the fish there? Did He just know they’d be there? Did He somehow draw the fish to the nets? Was this wisdom, heavenly power or magic of some sort?

Luke 5:8 shows us just how much fear Peter felt, when he, falling to Jesus’ feet, declared, “Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!”

Like Adam and Eve felt exposed in the Garden of Eden and tried to hide from the presence of God when they disobeyed Him, Peter now felt naked before this Man, Jesus and wanted to hide from Him.

Fortunately, Peter didn’t run and hide, he and the other disciples with him took heed to the next words they heard from this new Master, “Don’t be afraid.” (v 10)

How often we need this reassurance from God to not be afraid! Yet, He always provides the peace and reassurance we need in our hour of crisis. Yes, we still have the option to panic and run the other direction. But, we’re rewarded greatly when, instead, we run into His arms, whether we’re still panicking or not.

(photo mine)

Just a few verses later we read where a leprous man encounters Jesus and quite boldly approaches Him, falling with humility, his face to the ground, insisting, “Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean.” (Luke 5:12-13 NIV)

How does Jesus respond? Can you imagine all the love in the universe being focused as light through a magnifying glass, shining straight into this man as Jesus says, “I am willing, be clean!” and seeing that immediately the leprosy left him?

In my own walk with Jesus, I’ve murmured the same words, while reading through Luke one day in the late 80s. My heart was black with sin, rebellion and betrayal, and I wept, Lord, if You’re willing, You can make me clean…..” Before even another breath could enter my lungs, I felt the release of all my guilt and anguish as He lovingly poured into me, “I AM willing, be clean…..”

(picture from insidesales.com)

What is it that you don’t understand? Can you find the faith (even as small as a mustard seed) to submit to God anyways, and say something along the lines of, “…not my will, but Yours, O God….”? Can you muster the strength and courage to allow the idea that your understanding isn’t going to solve the dilemma you’re in right now? But, perhaps…….God is greater than your understanding?

Are you…..willing?

Giving Good Gifts

(My own photo.)

God restores my soul.

What part of me is my soul? My spirit is one with His, my body is my flesh and blood, but my soul is comprised of my mind, will and emotions. All of those parts of me have been influenced, and sadly, damaged by the world.

God restores me through various means; often just a walk through the beautiful creation of the nature around me brings incredible healing. But one of my favorite ways is when He touches me through my friends and their encouragement and the parts of life they share in with me. Most of the time they probably don’t even realize the healing they impart to me. Maybe that’s because God is actually the One imparting the healing, He’s just doing it through them; through you!

One little reminder of love that brings me healing is a gift my friend Marie gave me. Though my friends can be very giving, Marie’s gift illustrated to me one of the many times she listens to me. Being heard and acknowledged brings tremendous healing.

I drink a lot of water and had mentioned, off the cuff, that when at home I should drink from a glass, not bottled water. I hate contributing to the plastic problems we have in our earthly environment. During a visit with Marie, she gave me a cup; perfect for my needs. I don’t sip from this cup, I guzzle. I drink more water than anyone I know. But, each drink from the cup reminds me that she loves me and she listens to me and that she chooses to allow God to restore my soul through her and our relationship. It was a simple gesture, but it came from pure motives and a loving heart. I love her for this.

I find it quite easy to love most everyone. But, certain people more significantly write their names on our hearts. Marie is one of those people. God bless you, Marie.

There are so many ways we can allow God’s healing to pour through us into those we love, and even into the strangers we meet every day. If you take a few minutes, I’m sure you can come up with a list of ways God has poured into you through the people around you. Sure, you can come up with a list of ways people have hurt you, too. What kind of person do you want to be? One that drips with healing or one that inflicts injury, {most commonly the kind of wounds we can’t always see with our eyes)? We can bring healing just as easily as we can hurt. We get to choose which words and actions we’ll use.

I’ll bet we’ve all heard the phrase, “Hurt people hurt people”. The truth of the matter is that when we inflict pain on those around us, it’s not always intentional. When acting from a place of hurt, we do hurtful things, sometimes, without even realizing it.

Often, we can’t help but ask, “But when is someone going to pour into me?” If someone shares healing with us, we can pass it along, blessing others from our place of healing. It can feel impossible to help others when we’re hurting so badly ourselves. We might be overlooking the actual sources of our distress, or even be in denial about the wounds we bear; being blinded by our pain. That definitely makes it harder to give good gifts to others and can prevent us from seeing ugliness we might be spewing about into the lives of those we love.

But, God does not leave us helpless or without resources. His Word is filled with power and tools to make us more like Him; whole. When our pain is so great that we refuse (consciously or not) to turn away from His Word, rather than to it, He sends someone along to take our hand, or our heart, and lead us to Him. Of course, we always have the option of pulling away from the help He sends to us.

Some of the biggest sacrifices we can make are through allowing God to act through us, even when we ourselves are in insurmountable pain. And sometimes, some of our biggest healing comes through the self-sacrificial love we choose to share.

Whether it’s through a token of our love, or through our actions, we’re all capable of showing our love, even when we’re tempted to act selfishly. We can do this only when we yield to God and what He shows us to do.

How has God been pouring into you? How has He been pouring through you?

“Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come near to God and he will come near to you.” – James 4:7-8 (NIV) 

Silly Sounding Obedience

(My obedience plant.)

Don’t take for granted that because it’s good, it’s God.

God may have someone right around the corner He needs you to speak with or pray for right now, perhaps someone who’s contemplating suicide. So, when we stop to chat with the homeless man begging for quarters just to be nice, we may be “chasing rabbit trails” instead of heeding the voice of God.

This is where listening for His voice; His guidance, is crucial. Every time He speaks to us, His words are worth hearing and living out.

Sometimes God speaks to me about seemingly small things, but they can have monumental effects.

A dear friend of mine tells a story about a time when God spoke to her about wearing a specific dress. At first she was taken aback, asking God, “Don’t You trust me to pick out my own clothes for the day?” But, obedience prevailed, and she wore the dress, which was a bit out of place for her day. She walked out to check her mail and a woman came shrieking with excitement across the courtyard. “My mother made me a dress when I was a girl and it looked just like that one, where did you get it?” she asked. Now, the dress was of little importance in the grand scheme of things, but being invited to a conversation with this woman was where God had some seed planting to do. My friend was able to share some truths about our living Savior, Jesus Christ, with a woman she’d never have spoken to otherwise.

God knew as my friend got dressed that morning who He would bring across her path, and just how He would draw the two together – over a dress.

We may never know the opportunities we’ve missed to share the gospel message or to be a blessing to someone, simply because we ignored the prompting of the Holy Spirit.

What joy can we bring into the lives of others by acting in obedience, no matter how silly or petty we feel God’s instructions for the day to be. Obedience is so much easier, too, when we trust that the results of that obedience are His responsibility, not ours.

I think I’ve shared this story before, but perhaps someone who needs to hear it missed it the first time.

Decades ago, while living in Illinois I crossed paths with a beautiful young Asian woman who spoke little to no English. How could I have been of any earthly good to her? This delicate creature was berated daily by a brute of a husband in the parking lot of our apartment complex. I wouldn’t say those words to my worst enemy, let alone scream them at my spouse!

But, one day I knew God was instructing me to stop at her apartment and tell her that He loves her. I put it off until it was time to walk up to the school and collect my children for the day. As a matter of fact, I put it off so badly that, upon arriving at the corner near the school, I had to inform God that if I went back to talk to her, I’d be late for the kids. Almost as if He was shaking His head and laughing at me, He said that if I’d obeyed Him sooner I wouldn’t be in that dilemma. I turned around and went back.

I was anxious and knew she wouldn’t understand a word I said, but I knocked on her door. No one answered. With a sigh, I was relieved to believe that God merely wanted my act of obedience, but that He wasn’t going to require me to actually talk to the woman. After knocking a second time and getting no answer, I turned to walk away. One step into my retreat, and she opened her door with a fearful, questioning look on her face, half hiding behind her door.

“Jesus wanted me to tell you that He loves you,” I said. (Or something to that affect.) Immediately, she seemed to understand. She nodded her head repeatedly and thanked me over and over again with a smile of joy on her face and tears rolling down her cheeks.

I never saw her again. But who knows what was going on behind her closed door when I got there? Could she have been contemplating suicide? Could she have been mustering up the courage to leave her lousy husband? Could she have just been staring at the results of a pregnancy test? I’ll never know. But, I do know that God used my words - His words, to bless her greatly. I don’t know if I’ve ever seen such a look of joy since.

By the way, I was at the school before the bell rang.

“Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thin own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.” – Proverbs 3:5-6 (KJV)

"...to obey is better than sacrifice..." - 1 Samuel 15:22 (KJV)

What were His instructions today? What was the outcome? If you’re not too shy, share it with us!

(The "fortune" from my last fortune cookie at Panda Express.)

What Do We Hinder?

(picture from hdwallpapercorner.com)

Seventeen years ago, a young man moved from Colorado Springs, leaving his position as a children’s church minister at our church, to go back to his hometown in Illinois. Pastor Louie Reyes started a ministry he calls Sidewalk Sunday School, which is now one of the biggest and most successful children’s ministries in the nation. He was here to speak to us Wednesday night and share bits of his story. Let me just tell you; very impressive. 

They just purchased an old YMCA building which is undergoing extensive renovations. The bank wanted four million dollars for the building, but sold it to them for 1.2 million dollars - cash. By the time the ministry moves into the building, they’ll be debt free. Yes, it’s an amazing story. But, it all started in Pastor Louie’s heart, before he was a pastor. And he shared his heart with us that night.

“Why not YOU?” he asked. Then asked again, “Why NOT you? Can you believe that God can do it through YOU?”

Now, I have to admit, my immediate answer, though under my breath, was, “Who? ME?”

“It’s easy to believe in Him – but do you believe in yourself? Do you believe what you can believe; the vision God gave to YOU?”

Yes, it’s easy for me to believe in God. But, I can’t always say I believe in myself. I’m working on it, though. I’m recognizing who I am in Christ more and more with each passing day, with each passage of scripture I read and study, with each promise I receive from God. But for all the good work God can do through me, I restrain Him when I don’t believe in myself; when I don’t see in me what He sees in me – what He put there.

I’ll admit, I don’t understand the theology of it all, but yes, we restrain God. That almost sounds sacrilegious to say; as if we have power over what God does and doesn’t do. However, He’s bound by His own Word, so He honors our choices. We see it spelled out the following verses, particularly in verse 5.

Pastor Louie took us to Mark 6:1-6:

Mark 6:

1 Jesus left there and went to his hometown, accompanied by his disciples. 

2 When the Sabbath came, he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were amazed. "Where did this man get these things? they asked. "What's this wisdom that has been given him? What are these remarkable miracles he is performing?

3 Isn’t this the carpenter? Isn’t this Mary’s son and the brother of James, Joseph, Judas and Simon? Aren’t his sisters here with us?” And they took offense at him.  

4 Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his own town, among his relatives and in his own home.”   

5 He could not do any miracles there, except lay his hands on a few sick people and heal them. 

6 He was amazed at their lack of faith.

Verse 6 points out that Jesus was amazed. He was amazed at their lack of faith. He may have thought, “How could you not believe in Me?” To which they’d have had to admit, “You’re one of us, and we don’t even believe in ourselves. Nothing good comes from us.”

Is this our attitude about the things God wants to do in our lives? The things he wants to do with and through our lives? Do we refuse to acknowledge that God can and will do great and mighty things in and through us? What are we restraining God from doing? How much of the suffering in the world is because we, and other believers just like us, don’t have faith enough to believe the incredible things God created us for?

Sidewalk Sunday School and the Church of Joy wouldn’t exist as it does if Pastor Louie refused to believe in himself and what God can do with a willing vessel.

What dreams has God put inside of you? You didn’t come up with them on your own, God put them in your heart so that your union with Him could activate them and bring them to pass.

Why not YOU?  Why NOT you?

Thank you, Pastor Louie Reyes, for unleashing dreams across the nation!

Find Pastor Louie here: Sidewalk Sunday School  and here: The New Church of Joy

Am I Listening?

(photo from vividhearing.com.au)

Am I listening? Do I hear God when He speaks to me? Do I hear you when you speak to me? Or do your words flutter past my ears as if you’re speaking a foreign language? More than that, do I miss what your heart is saying despite your words?

‘They say’ we hear what we want to hear. In the Bible, Timothy even mentions this when he refers to our ‘itching ears’.

In 2 Timothy 4:2-4 we read: “Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage – with great patience and careful instruction. For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths.” (KJV)

Bringing this to a personal, relationship level between us and those we love or choose to interact with daily – how much of what they’re saying to us do we miss? Do they perhaps think they’re communicating one thing, while we’re receiving something else completely?

All sorts of internet memes are created to joke about what a woman’s words really mean; that sometimes when she responds ‘fine’ to the question ‘how are you?’ it’s simply a mask for her PMS-self. But, let’s face it, we’ve all responded with that answer, whether we’re male or female; and we haven’t always been honest. We may have thought the person asking the question really didn’t care how we’re doing, but simply using the question as a greeting. We may have wanted to hide how we feel because we didn’t trust the asker. We didn’t think we had time for a conversation, or thought they didn’t. Perhaps we thought the person asking couldn’t handle the truth in our honest response and we’d make them uncomfortable. There are plenty of reasons why we might have withheld the truth. But most of these reasons include ‘we thought’. What if [gasp!] we’re wrong?

Is this why we don’t share the gospel as freely as we believe we should? Is our thinking getting in the way of our sharing? Not that we shouldn’t think, God gave us phenomenal brains for good reason. But, some things come more naturally than others. Like breathing. When we take time to be conscious of our own breathing, beautiful things can happen, like relaxation or even exhilaration. But fortunately, we don’t have to ponder breathing in order to fill our lungs as needed. We just do it.

What if we could share the gospel of Jesus Christ like that?

True; we want to know our audience. But even more profound; we need to LOVE our audience. God already knows them and prepares just the right words for us to speak to their hearts…if we’re listening for them.

At least ten times the scriptures share this message, “Then Jesus said, whoever has ears to hear, let him hear.” –Mark 4:9 (NIV)

Listening and speaking; two awesome tools to share God’s love – are we using either one of them?

Make time to love through communication today, even if you don’t use words.

Comfort

(photo from beliefnet.com)

Recently we pondered spoken words. I hope you’re still pondering them, those we speak – and those spoken to us.

Words don’t have to be profound to have an impact on our lives. So don’t let the lie that you’d don’t have anything important to say stop you from speaking to people. God brings people across our paths for His own reasons.

A few years ago my daughter moved to Nevada. It tore my heart out. The day she left, I cried so much I ran out of tears. My boys have also moved away or left for a season or two; they must think I have ample supply of tears. It's all really just part of letting go.

Before my Princess actually even left, I sat sitting in the back of the parking lot of one of my most frequented stores, sobbing on a ridiculous level. Seemingly to me, out of nowhere, two women were standing at my window. I hadn’t even noticed them pull up and park next to me. I guess I was in my own little world, which happens often, I’ll admit.

Staring in my window with loving faces, they sent their love straight to my heart without even knowing why I cried so violently.

I tried to pull it together and rolled down my window. They asked why I was falling apart and I told them. Without hesitation, they began to pray for me, out loud. There was no embarrassment or even asking if it’d be okay to pray.

When God sends you, He knows who He’s sending you to.

I doubt that they knew they were on a mission when they left their house to go shopping that day, if indeed they were even there to shop. God could have drawn them there just for me.

God knew I needed a audible voice to speak comfort to me that day, and tangible hands to take mine in theirs to lift my heart up to our Father. He knew my need, and He met it. He’s good like that.

This brief interaction burned itself into my memory and reminds me to never ignore God’s prompting. Whoever He sends me to comfort needs and deserves that comfort as much as I did.

Trust and obey.

I like this verse, perhaps because I already consider myself to be peculiar: “Now, therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine:” – Exodus 19:5 (KJV)

And I’m reminded of an old Keith Green song, To Obey is Better Than Sacrifice. (1 Samuel 15:22)  Listen to the song by clicking here.

(picture from prlog.org)

Spoken Words

(photo from marjoriehoumes.com)

Sometimes it’s hard to share a conversation with someone if you think they’re dismissing what you have to say before you’ve even said it. We may even applaud them for the self-control it takes to conceal the rolling of their eyes,

But, what if we’re mistaken? (Could that possibly ever happen? Us? Be wrong?) What if there’s something tugging on the inside of their heart, perhaps for no apparent reason, today they’re ready to listen; today they want to know what you have to say?

Only God knows the thoughts and intents of our hearts, only He knows when we’re broken and receptive. So when we feel Him tugging at our hearts to speak, it’s only right that we should listen and obey. If we’re prayed up and seeking after His will; His heart of passion, He can pour into those around us through our obedience.

We can share from experience, but sometimes God will give us the precise words someone else needs to hear.

A few years back a new man showed up where I worked. I’d had no occasion to speak with him yet, but, he approached me in the parking lot one day and called me by name. Sure, I was a popular gal around the office and everyone knew my name, so that was no big deal, someone told him. But then he went on to say, “Helen, God’s word for you is ‘fear not’.” I blinked a few times in disbelief. I responded with a defensive gut reaction, “I’m not afraid.” He smiled at me, then spoke personal words that only God could have shared with me; words of reassurance and hope; promises that only God could make; words this man could not have known. He spoke to something that had happened in my life years ago. He spoke over one of my children. He spoke from obedience to what God was showing him. He spoke with boldness and kindness. – I never saw him again. It was as if God brought him into my life for that moment.

So many times I’ve conversed with someone, friend or stranger, and they’ve responded with hope in their eyes, “That’s just what I needed to hear,” or “How did you know I needed to hear that?”

Unfortunately, I can’t boast that I always have the words you need to hear. But I can attest to the fact that God always knows what you need. He’ll send people into your life to speak truth to you. But, He’ll also send you into the lives of those around you, to speak truth to them. How many times have you failed to follow His lead? How many times might the words He gave you have caused friend or stranger to rejoice? How many times might someone have failed to give you those words of encouragement He had for you?

“Death and life are in the power of the tongue….” – Proverbs 18:21 (KJV)

“Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my strength, and my redeemer.” – Psalm 19:17 (KJV)

 Excellent song; Words - listen to it here.

Watering Cans

(photo from flowersqueensny.com)

“…be not weary in well doing.” – 2 Thessalonians 3:13 (KJV)

I’m tired. In all my “well doing” – I grow weary. I’m not tired OF doing good, but, in the midst of doing it, I wear down. Sometimes, I’m too tired to cry. Most likely, I grow so tired because I’m not making time to recharge my batteries in the Word of God. I’ve begun to run on my own strength, which isn’t as built up as it should be. But, could it be that I’ve never learned to effectively set boundaries?

For all my well doing, am I giving more of myself than I’m pouring out to others what God has poured in to me?

What happens when the last drop of water in my watering can drips out in the midst of watering my houseplants? How do I continue? How can I possibly water the remaining plants with an empty watering can?

The same applies to everyone God has placed within my reach; within my realm of ministry. The only way God’s living water can flow through me to bless those I love, is if I allow myself to be filled first. If I neglect God’s Word, I have nothing to pour out to those who look to me for a kind word, a gentle gesture, a smile or a favor. All I can offer is the frailty of my flesh.

When I over-extend myself, I choose to put something or someone else before God. And putting anyone or anything before God makes them an idol. Often, we think of an idol as a statue that unbelievers bow before. But an idol is anything we allow to become a ‘god’, by putting it first in line for our attention before the true and living God. Even if that ‘something’ is good, or someone I love dearly, I grieve God by allowing them to reign on the throne of my heart in His rightful place.

It can become a vicious cycle to allow idols to swallow up your day (no boundaries), leaving you no time for God’s Word; and the less time we spend with God, the more likely we are to erect those idols.

What might you be putting first? Spend some time with God today and ask Him what idols you’re creating by putting them before Him. Enter His presence with a grateful, repent heart and let Him wash you clean – again and refill you with His Spirit.

Hearing God

In my last post I said I’d share some of Loren Cunningham’s points to remember on hearing the voice of God. For the rest of them, click here to go to Amazon to buy your own copy of his book, “Is That Really You, GOD?”

Mr. Cunningham points out that if you know Jesus as your personal Savior, you, in fact, have already heard God’s voice. For it was that inner leading that led you to Him in the first place. Through story, he unfolds how he learned to listen for and to God’s voice. And at the back of the book, he summarizes the points he’s made. He backs up his points with scripture.

He, by example, shows us that we need to submit to God’s lordship; asking Him to help us silence our own thoughts and desires and the opinions of others that may be filling our minds. (2 Corinthians 10:5). He candidly says that even though we have been given good minds to use, right now we want to hear the thoughts of the Lord, Who has the best mind!

Next, he tells us to resist the enemy; this point is backed up by one of my favorite scriptures in God’s Word. James 4:7 tells us to “resist the devil and he will flee from us…” But, too often we dismiss the beginning of the verse, almost not seeing it there at part of our instruction, the part that says, “submit yourselves to God, therefore…” Without submitting ourselves to God and His lordship, we resist the enemy in vain. We need to use the authority that Jesus has given us to silence the voice of the enemy. He indicates Ephesians 6:10-20 here, as well.

And then: expect an answer! Mr. Cunningham declares that after asking the question that is on our mind, we need to wait for Him to answer! We need to expect our loving heavenly Father to speak to us in whatever way He chooses. He will! (John 10:27; Psalm 69:13; Exodus 33:11).

I found this book to be very encouraging and promising. I recommend it to everyone who needs to hear from God. Be prepared, He will call you…..