Are You Listening?

 

(photo from vedictruth.com)

I’m going to be transparent with you today. Maybe a little too transparent.

As a child, we see things differently than we do as grow ups, but sometimes those childhood thoughts stick with us. Even when we have the perspective of an adult, silly thoughts from yesteryear can wander through our minds at the most unexpected times.

I’ve always processed my thoughts differently than most people around me. In our decades of marriage, Dave has often told me he doesn’t know anyone who thinks like I do. I never took it any other way than complimentary. Sometimes, he even seems to admire the way I think.

I would guess, though I’ve never looked into it, that I’m somewhere on the autism spectrum. But perhaps we’re all somewhere on the spectrum. They say there’s a fine line between autism and genius. I’m not saying I’m a genius, but maybe I dance on that fine line. I’m not talking about common sense or even intelligence, but the way my brain processes my thoughts.

As a child, I just saw myself as different. Most children probably go through that phase at some point. But, I’ve carried the thought, intact, with me for the past 60 years or so. In childhood, I was convinced that I was “retarded” (the word used in that day), but that no one would tell me or admit it to me. Silly? Perhaps.

Over the years, the thought has crossed my mind from time to time.

Last night I was worshiping God with other women as praise music filled through the room and I prayed for those I love most. (I’m guessing your name was whispered to God, backed by volumes of faith for your every need.)

At one point, when God spoke to me, He shared a little secret with me. He said, “You know, Dave would still love you, even if you were retarded.” (I’m guessing He chose that word because it’s the word I used as a child.) It instantly took me back to feelings of insecurity. But then just as quickly, filled me with laughter.

(picture from coolcatteacher.com)

Yes. Dave loves me that much. He’s definitely the man God created to be my husband. No one else would do. Not everyone marries the person God created specifically for them. Some of us get ahead of God or don’t even consider asking Him if the person they plan to marry has His approval.

Somehow, even though I didn’t know the voice of God way back when, I knew on our first date that Dave was the man I’d marry. There are plenty of times when we frustrate each other, even to this day, but neither of us has ever second-guessed our decision, even in the hardest of times.

The whole point in my vulnerability today is to tell you that God really does speak to us. His Word states, “Anyone with ears to hear, should listen and understand!” -  Matthew 11:15 (NLT) God isn’t merely saying that if you have globs of skin to hold up your glasses, you’ll hear Him. We have spiritual ears. We need to learn to listen with THOSE ears.

As a teen, on our first date, did I know I was hearing from God? No. But that didn’t stop Him from speaking to me. Like me, He always has something to say. Not so much like me, what He has to say is always worth listening to.

So, whether there’s praise music on or not, whether you’re alone or in a crowd, He’s talking to you. If you’re listening for His voice, you’ll hear Him. Listen! His Word also tells us, “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.” - John 10:27 (NKJV)

(photo from alabamasinus.com)

You may be tempted to say that you never hear Him. Or that He doesn’t bother to speak to you. You’re mistaken. There’s so much He wants to share with you. He wants you to know the depths of His love for you. It’s His desire to impart to us His knowledge, His wisdom and His understanding.

Pay attention. Listen. You’ll hear. It may surprise you. But, you’ll hear Him!

How Did We Not Know?

 

(picture from lovethispic.com)

I’ve been exploring “the lies we believe”. This may take forever.

There are plenty of sources for news around the nation and across the globe, which ones do we trust? Personally, I think they all stretch the truth or spin it to their own advantage or to back up their viewpoint. It happens on a local level, too. Putting a spin on the truth has been around since the Serpent lied to Eve in the Garden of Eden.

Pick a day or evening this week when your schedule allows, and sit down with your Bible in your lap, close your eyes for a minute and ask your heavenly Father to show you what lies you believe. He may have you pick up that Bible and show your in specific verses, or He may whisper to your heart. He may not seem to respond at all, but the next morning, you may read it in a devotional, or hear it from a friend. You’ll know it when you hear it.

(picture from youtube.com)

You may want to do this once a week, because we all believe things that simply are not true. He won’t dump everything on us at once, it would overwhelm us. And we may think He’s dismissing us when He only reveals one lie at a time, but He knows how long we’ll need to process these revelations.

Years ago, I discovered that not everything I believe is actually true. Yes, it came as quite a surprise to me. I dared to test the thought by asking God, “What lie am I believing?” (As if there was just one.) Immediately, He replied, “That Joanne (my sister) is the pretty one.” Joanne is beautiful; the lie was tucked into my beliefs was that she was the pretty one and I was the ugly one. I giggled. I’m pretty, too? The lies may be that simple. And the revelation that joyful.

(picture from blam.online)

Or, the lies may center around doctrine we’ve been taught, or about a relationship we’re in, or some other life fact that we somehow got wrong. Those kinds of revelations can be a crushing blow.

Either way, lie by lie – truth by truth, we’ll be set free. We might cry tears of fear or tears of joy. Not to worry; He’ll wipe away our tears and show us the truth. And as the saying goes, the truth will set us free.

“And the Lord God will wipe away tears from all faces…” – Isaiah 25:8

“Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful.” – Hebrews 10:23                        

(picture from lovethispic.com)

Do You Dare to Believe?

 

“You will ask Me nothing, most assuredly, I say to you, whatever you ask the Father in My Name He will give you.” – John 16:23

This verse, and others like it intrigue me. What am I missing? What am I “doing wrong”? I pray, like many others, in Jesus’s Name – and yet, sometimes fail to see my prayers answered. Or, at least, that’s the way it appears to me. And let’s face it, the way it appears to me effects my faith, and can stir up doubt and unbelief.

Knowing Jesus doesn’t want me filled with doubt and unbelief, but with the faith of God He’s given me, I need understanding.

As I pondered this today, it occurred to me that I’m not just using or borrowing Jesus’s Name.  He’s given it to me; I am Christian, Christ-like. He is in me and I am in Him, in the same way that He is in the Father and the Father is in Him. That’s why when I ask the Father for something in Jesus’s Name, I have the authority to use the Name of Jesus. Because He said so.

I’m not supposed to just slap on the phrase, “In Jesus’s Name. Amen.”

I am supposed to be in Christ; in Jesus, in the shadow of the Almighty, in His presence, in His Word, in HIM!

Am I abiding (staying) in Him?

Yes, I am.

Satan will try to weaken my resolve with whispers of lies and tell me I’m not in Christ. Sometimes my heart listens.

“You didn’t spend enough time in the Word today, your prayers won’t be effective.”

“You must be harboring some unforgiveness in your heart, you’ve been praying for this same thing for years now and yet, you see nothing.”

“You missed church last Sunday, don’t even expect God to be listening while you pray for your friends.”

“You were critical of that person yesterday, and you think your prayers for them today will be effective? Ha!”

“I heard you say a bad word this morning. You can’t pray with that mouth.”

“You fell asleep while praying last night. If your prayers are THAT uninspired, do you really think God was listening?”

Satan has all sorts of lies and they’re all meant to tear us down and steal our faith. Fortunately, we always know when he’s lying to us – when his lips are moving. I know, old joke. And we can’t even see his lips moving.

The fact of the matter is, God is not negative or confusing. He is not the author of confusion; He does not condemn us at all. When He looks at us, He sees the blood of Jesus, nothing here to condemn! Hallelujah! So, when our mind tries to tell us otherwise, those thoughts come from the evil source, not from ourselves, and certainly not from God.

Dismiss them.

Once we’ve submitted ourselves to God, He hears every prayer we pray – and He answers them.

When we are in Christ, when we STAY in Christ and keep His Word in our hearts, His Words will always fill our minds. We may be pulled away from them for a minute or two. Okay, in the midst of a pity party, we may be pulled away for even longer. But His Words are always there to return to.

With His Word in our minds and in our hearts, we can pray effectively because we can pray with authority.

(picture from branham.org)

A woman once told me that she would pray for me. Then she quickly tacked on, “Not that I believe or anything like that….” What? Why would you even pray if you don’t believe that your prayers are being heard or answered, or for that matter, if you don’t believe in the very God you claim to be praying to?

God wants us to believe IN Him and to rely ON Him and to snatch up the authority He’s holding out for us to grab ahold of and use.

We can do things our way.

Or we can do things His Way.

What is His Way? Jesus said, “I am the WAY, the Truth and the Life, no man comes to the Father except through Me.” (John 14:6NKJV)

When we submit our hearts to Him, His Way becomes our way.

This is abiding in Christ. This causes the authority of Jesus Christ to operate in our lives.

Jesus didn’t tell us that once we reach a point where we never mess up, THEN we can use His Name.

We are perfect in Him; not as in we will never again make a mistake, but as in perfected, completed in Him. Once the blood of Jesus is applied to our lives, nothing can make us holier, and nothing will separate us from His love. Nothing else is necessary to gain access to God’s throne room.

What holds us back?

Believing those stupid lies.

We DO have the authority Jesus gave us, whether we missed church last week or not, whether we used inappropriate language or not, whether we read God’s Word today, or not.

(picture from etsy.com)

But we have to believe that in order to operate with the same Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead. It’s that Spirit that fills us with the authority of Jesus Christ, Himself.

But, Helen, you don’t know some of the things I’ve done! God would never extend that kind of authority to ME!

Lies. Lies. Lies.

The Bible tells us this beautiful truth: “God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8 (NKJV)

He’s seen our sin and knows the blood He spilled at Calvary is enough to pay the cost.

Who better to believe than the One Who gave His life so that we could be free from sin?

Dare to believe.

 

(picture frp, etsy.com)

Was It Something I Said?

 

picture from slater. com

Our assistant pastor, David Cowart, spoke the other night and said, “People make a place beautiful.” Have you found your place?

He shared a story about visiting a place of business and discovering that we may choose whether we come back, based on how we’re treated by the employees there.

You go into a local store and are treated poorly; the employees treat you as if you’re a burden rather than their bread-n-butter. But go to the same store, in a different location and you’re treated like royalty, where the employees go above and beyond to meet your needs. In the future, whether you consciously make the decision to or not, you may find yourself driving out of your way to go to the location where you felt valued.

While I’m not an employee representing a business, I am a Christian, and I represent the body of Christ. Maybe I need to consider more closely, how I treat the people around me.

Am I the woman in the foyer at church that people run up to and greet with a smile on their face? Or do I noticed people seem to deliberately walk in another direction when they see me? Or maybe worse, do I feel invisible standing there? When you’re at work, are you the man they ask for help, or purposely avoid?

picture from wallpapercave.com

When we look at the people that are part of our everyday interactions, are the people we feel more comfortable talking with the ones that complain all the time, or the ones who listen when someone else is speaking, the know-it-alls, or the ones we know have a favor to ask us, or the ones that we believe are judging us by what they say or the way they look at us?

What makes us decide who we trust with a concern or ask for advice? How do people make us feel valued and respected?

We all feel and act differently when interacting with the many different people in our lives. But, looking at how these people either put us off, or allow us to feel welcome in their lives, might help us better see why people relate to us the way they do.

Of course, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. We can’t be all things to all people. But, do we leave people thinking that life is beautiful? If someone is judging the body of Christ based on their interactions with us (not saying that’s fair) do they see the servant’s heart that Jesus showed us? Are we pointing them to Jesus, or do they see no difference between us and the people they know who have no hope at all?

picture from wordgrabber.com

We can’t dictate how other people feel, but what can we do, personally, so that the people God brings across our path know that they are valued and loved?  

When you interact with others today, whether it’s serving your children breakfast, taking care of a customer at work, or waiting in a check-out line, what can you do differently, so that the people around you recognize the love of God in you?

In Matthew 22:39 Jesus tells us, “…You shall love your neighbor as yourself…” But just before His crucifixion, Jesus ups the ante. In John 13:34 He says, “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another.”

How do we do that? You can’t share something you don’t have. You can’t pour out love if you’re empty, yourself. But, if you’ve invited the Spirit of God to live inside of you, you have everything you need. If you haven’t asked Jesus to be the Lord of your life, now is the time to do that.

““Not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit,” says the Lord of hosts.” -  Zechariah 4:6 (NKJV)

Before we can share love, we have to seek the One Who IS love. He has all the answers. Whether we’re speaking to Him directly in prayer, or reading and meditating on His Word, He’s already equipped us and He’ll show us what to do.

“Call unto Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know.” -Jeremiah 33:3 (NKJV)

picture from youtube.com

Content to Change?

 

(picture from Dillards.com)

New beginnings; we hear about them all the time, especially around the first of the year. But, resolutions?

I have to ask, “Am I content with the way things are in my life right now?”

The Apostle Paul learned how to be content when he was well off and when he was hungry, when he was sitting in a jail cell or before a king. But, being content where he was didn’t keep him from pursuing his mission to a share the gospel everywhere. (Philippians 4:11-13)

Perhaps we think that being content means accepting things as they are, making no moves to advance ourselves or our missions in life. But, in fact, what it means is to not let our enemies steal our joy, no matter our circumstances.

Can I be content with what the scale said this morning, while pursuing healthier eating throughout my day? Of course!

Yes, that’s not a number I’m happy with, but I CAN do something about it. I can put into motion a plan to bring that ridiculous number down to something healthier.

Allowing myself to get angry with the scale will set the tone for my day and can send me off to Dunkin Donuts for a donut. Or two. That’s not the direction I want to go.

So, perhaps we can become content with where we are in the moment, so that we can enjoy all the other blessings God has us for today and reach out with love to those around us. We can head into our morning huddle with God and come up with a plan for the day, the week, the month – the year, or even just for the next few minutes, that will take us in the directions He’s leading us.

Whether it’s the weight scale or career changes or mending relationships, let’s take a moment to appreciate where we are at the moment and join hearts with the One that loves us best and move forward.

 

Your Best You

 

(youchoose.or.au)

Disappointment and sadness come into our worlds on a regular basis. Yet some of the faces around us seem to smile all the time. Why?

Amid other speculations, perhaps we’re seeing a mask, to disguise the sorrow they’re going through. Maybe, we’re looking at someone who doesn’t understand the ramifications of the news they’ve just received. Or perhaps, they choose joy.

Is it possible to receive devasting news and allow a smile to rise up in your heart? While we may often need to release our feelings through tears or angry outbursts, I believe it’s a choice whether or not to surrender to joy. It’s one of the choices we regularly make.

You cannot force joy, it comes new every morning, along with the mercies of God. By the way, joy and happiness are not the same thing. Joy gives your strength even when you’re not happy.

Ponder this: the God of the universe created you and knows you better than you know yourself. He knows your thoughts before you think them, and yes, He knows what lies ahead of you and how you’ll respond to Him each day. He knows your weaknesses and your limitations. He also knows what you’re capable of, and He trusts you to reach for the best version of you. Not just the best version of you that YOU can imagine, but the one He created when He knit you together in your mother’s womb; the best that you can be, each day.

That would require incredible strength.

Along with those incredible expectations, God provides that great strength.

Instead of responding to negative circumstances with tears of sorrow or wrestling with frustrations or outbursts of anger, what if we responded to God? Let me say that backwards. What if we respond to God - instead of to our circumstances?

God is within our circumstances; He also surrounds us in the midst of them.

God is the one constant in our lives. Circumstances change. The people who surround us change, and the ones who travel with us through life sometimes change how they interact with us.

God’s love for us never changes. He’s always within reach. He always provides what we need, when we need it. Even when to our human heart it may feel like He hasn’t shown up yet, He’s here, working with us, in us and through us. He has not left us, and He promises He never will. (Hebrews 13:5)

What we need and when we need it may look quite different from God’s heavenly perspective. We can’t see the big picture like He does; we’re still on this side of eternity. We sometimes feel like God doesn’t hear or answer our prayers when we’re only looking at the situation from our puny human perspective.

Don’t limit God. Don’t tie His hands by turning from Him, pouting and going your own way. He IS the Way, the Truth and the Light. He’s seen your future since before the foundations of the earth were laid. Trust Him. Choose joy in the midst of what you don’t understand.

To scripturally recap:

“The joy of the Lord is your strength.” - Nehemiah 8:10

“Trust in the Lord with ALL your heart and lean not of your own understanding.”  – Proverbs 3:5 

Peace Down a Cobblestone Road

(picture from ebay)

As I wind myself down the narrow cobblestone pathway, I feel goosebumps on my arms and a shiver in my bones, though the scorching sun and windless day envelops me. I’m containing my joyful giggles because my upbringing taught me to be quiet at church. I want to run the length of the path, winding around gangly shrubs and old, faded statues, chipped and neglected; yet I tiptoe, slowly, enjoying every step with ecstatic anticipation. Tears trace my nose. I lick them as they meet my smiling lips.

I’ve seen the grandeur of St. Paul’s Cathedral in London, and Westminster Abbey; I’ve admired the spiral staircase at the Loretto Chapel and knelt in so many churches and cathedrals across the globe, large and small alike. I’ve been in awe of the structures themselves and the thought of so many prayers offered up over the centuries, knowing God has heard each one of them.

But, here, there’s a sweetness in the air, though no flowers in sight. The uncut grasses and unkept bushes are as welcoming as the arms of Jesus Himself. I might have missed the tiny sign out front if I’d blinked, yet I know that God’s Spirit has drawn me to this humble grotto behind the old stone wall.

Normally, I’d take pictures to share, but it feels this like this is a place for Jesus to speak to my heart. As modest as a manger in cold barn, yet, He’s here.

I’m standing before dirty stones, once stacked high; the cove for a large statue of Mary has been battered by many storms, making me wonder how it’s stood the test of time? Tears of tenderness swell from within me, I want to hold this whole place in my arms, I want to embrace everything that God has for me here.

I fall to my knees on hard dirt, baked by the sun, but with a pull I can’t resist. I can’t even close my eyes, fearing I’ll miss something, yet everything fades away.

I’m shaking as I rejoice in the middle of nowhere. I can see an old picture my father painted many years ago. Jesus sits in the midst of children. From the folds of His robe, I see my little sister, peeking out at me. She looks timid as her eyes meet mine; she clings to His robe. Sobs overtake me. My little sister! My precious little sister, in this life so filled with hurt and sorrow, fear and abuse – hiding in the robes of the King!

Without a word of prayer, I know she’s safe with Him there, secure in the folds of His garment. I’m at total peace.

(picture from pinterest)