Get rid of the rotting carcasses
There is a constant war occurring in our minds: what Joyce Meyers calls “the battlefield of the mind.” Our enemy is forever catapulting spiritual fire bombs, rotting carcasses, and boulders into our camp, and if we are engaged in the battle, we are as quickly removing these things to the outskirts so they will not litter the ground we patrol.
If we stop engaging in the fight, we soon find ourselves underneath all that debris, and pretty soon we become a part of it.
It is one thing to have thoughts come into our heads that are not from God, it is quite another to leave them there and entertain them. If we roll presumptions and scenarios around in our minds long enough, they soon take on a life of their own and become real and credible to us.
You know how it goes. Your long-time friend doesn’t pick up the phone for a few days. Last week you saw her talking to someone whom you have a disagreement with. The fact that she has not returned calls translates into the presumption that she is in cahoots with the individual whom you are at odds with. Soon you are certain that your friend is no longer your friend but an enemy who is out to get you....or something like that.
In the meantime, your friend has no clue what’s brewing in your head and when you blow up at her, she is taken aback at your accusations.
How can we all avoid such unnecessary scenes and total wastes of our time? By remembering that even though we live in the flesh, our battle is not with the flesh. Our battle is with the devil and all his minions who prowl about seeking to destroy us all.
They use whatever they can to disarm us and make us totally theirs. Be it a guilty conscience, unrepentant sins, or the weakness to think and talk too much about things not edifying and things not true.
As hard as it is to be engaged in battle 24/7, we have to be. We have to remove the junk hurled our way and not engage it. All thoughts that are contrary to God’s teachings should be tossed out like the rotting carcasses they are.
When we catch ourselves off guard, we need to pick up the shield, helmet, and breastplate, and bring “into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ.” 2 Cor. 10: 5.
Friday, October 11, 2013
Saturday, September 28, 2013
Setting our priorities aright
In the days of King Darius, the prophet Haggai received a word from God in regards the the peoples’ lack of desire to repair and care for the house of God. Their attitude was, “The time is not yet come for building the house of the Lord.” But God said in reply, Is it time for you to live in nice homes while my House lies desolate?
Since they were all about themselves and nothing else, everything they attempted to do for themselves came up short. That is why they planted much and gleaned little, and suffered from hunger and thirst.
That is why they were insufficiently clothed and suffered from the cold, and why their earnings were “put into bags with holes”, or as we as would say, “right down the toilet.”
Because they did not care for God’s house, whatever they strived to earn for themselves became less, and whatever they tried to hoard, God “blew it away”.
Because God’s house remained desolate and “every man made haste to [take care of his own stuff], the heavens and earth stopped yielding her fruits.”
Their priorities were mixed up. They worked and worked to fill their own barns and suddenly, their number came up and everything they worked for never materialized and what did, ended up going to another who did not work for it.
We can take this piece of history and apply it to our own lives. If we see our hard earned money going up in smoke and if we can’t seem to keep the dike of life from crumbling around us, what are we doing wrong?
Are we putting ourselves and all our wants ahead of God’s? Are our priorities backwards? Probably.
God wants our attention and He will do what is necessary to get it for our own good. So, when the bills are mounting, and our “progress” is one step forward, five steps back, we have to evaluate our lives for clues as to the reasons why.
Are we hoarding or cheating others of our goods? Are we treating our brothers and sisters in the Lord with contempt or gossiping and spreading rumors about them? Are we focused on putting on that new deck instead of tithing money to help others who suffer want?
These things may seem like small matters to us, but not to our Lord. If we want have peace in our hearts and homes, we need to “Set our hearts upon our ways, and go up to the mountain, bring timber, and build the house: and it shall be acceptable to me, and I shall be glorified, says the Lord.” Haggai 1: 10
In the days of King Darius, the prophet Haggai received a word from God in regards the the peoples’ lack of desire to repair and care for the house of God. Their attitude was, “The time is not yet come for building the house of the Lord.” But God said in reply, Is it time for you to live in nice homes while my House lies desolate?
Since they were all about themselves and nothing else, everything they attempted to do for themselves came up short. That is why they planted much and gleaned little, and suffered from hunger and thirst.
That is why they were insufficiently clothed and suffered from the cold, and why their earnings were “put into bags with holes”, or as we as would say, “right down the toilet.”
Because they did not care for God’s house, whatever they strived to earn for themselves became less, and whatever they tried to hoard, God “blew it away”.
Because God’s house remained desolate and “every man made haste to [take care of his own stuff], the heavens and earth stopped yielding her fruits.”
Their priorities were mixed up. They worked and worked to fill their own barns and suddenly, their number came up and everything they worked for never materialized and what did, ended up going to another who did not work for it.
We can take this piece of history and apply it to our own lives. If we see our hard earned money going up in smoke and if we can’t seem to keep the dike of life from crumbling around us, what are we doing wrong?
Are we putting ourselves and all our wants ahead of God’s? Are our priorities backwards? Probably.
God wants our attention and He will do what is necessary to get it for our own good. So, when the bills are mounting, and our “progress” is one step forward, five steps back, we have to evaluate our lives for clues as to the reasons why.
Are we hoarding or cheating others of our goods? Are we treating our brothers and sisters in the Lord with contempt or gossiping and spreading rumors about them? Are we focused on putting on that new deck instead of tithing money to help others who suffer want?
These things may seem like small matters to us, but not to our Lord. If we want have peace in our hearts and homes, we need to “Set our hearts upon our ways, and go up to the mountain, bring timber, and build the house: and it shall be acceptable to me, and I shall be glorified, says the Lord.” Haggai 1: 10
Rest with Jesus
This evening I was walking towards my house, dodging rain drops and watching the gray clouds skim by. A thin, wispy ribbon of a rainbow was off to the north. In just a few moments the other end of the rainbow appeared in the south and pretty soon the whole rainbow glowed in front of my eyes.
I felt like I was standing before the gates of heaven. The gloomy clouds continued to move along but the rainbow stood brilliant through them all. It was like an arch of a great doorway beckoning me to look through it.
Eventually it started to fade, but the clouds soon turned from gray to pink and the sky chorused with blue. This beautiful display of God’s nature spoke to my heart in a most profound way.
Sisters and brothers, the Lord will never leave us. He is always with us no matter how dark and stirred up the sky is. It doesn’t matter if we don’t see his rainbow and only see the clouds, it is still there encircling us with God’s love.
Unlike the apostle Peter, always fix your eyes on Him and pay no attention to the storms that threaten your peace. But if your eyes do look at the trouble around you, all you need do is cry to him and he will lift you out of the stormy sea and into the boat.
When hard times press in, my husband often will imagine himself in the boat with Jesus. There he rests and there Jesus brings the boat to shore.
This evening I was walking towards my house, dodging rain drops and watching the gray clouds skim by. A thin, wispy ribbon of a rainbow was off to the north. In just a few moments the other end of the rainbow appeared in the south and pretty soon the whole rainbow glowed in front of my eyes.
I felt like I was standing before the gates of heaven. The gloomy clouds continued to move along but the rainbow stood brilliant through them all. It was like an arch of a great doorway beckoning me to look through it.
Eventually it started to fade, but the clouds soon turned from gray to pink and the sky chorused with blue. This beautiful display of God’s nature spoke to my heart in a most profound way.
Sisters and brothers, the Lord will never leave us. He is always with us no matter how dark and stirred up the sky is. It doesn’t matter if we don’t see his rainbow and only see the clouds, it is still there encircling us with God’s love.
Unlike the apostle Peter, always fix your eyes on Him and pay no attention to the storms that threaten your peace. But if your eyes do look at the trouble around you, all you need do is cry to him and he will lift you out of the stormy sea and into the boat.
When hard times press in, my husband often will imagine himself in the boat with Jesus. There he rests and there Jesus brings the boat to shore.
Wednesday, September 25, 2013
Don’t waste time
What do you do when you are hurting? How do you spend your hours while going through your darkest days? Do you physically and mentally curl up into a fetal position and block everything out until it’s over, or do you lash out at all around you until you find some outside relief?
If we have chosen to follow Jesus, we know that our commitment is to pick up our crosses and follow him. This is not an option but what we must do, because a cross is assigned for all to carry whether we like it or not. But if we lie like slugs and whimper underneath the weight of it, we will never be able to please our Lord. He carried his cross and so should we.
Jesus knows how hard it is to accomplish this task. He knows the pain of being abandoned by friends and family, and he knows that it is the enemy of our souls who is behind every attack.
When we experience tribulation, we too need to be aware who the real enemy is. It is not so much the people who betray us or do their best to harm us, it is the devil who is working through them.
They may be unaware that their hateful energy is supplied by him. They may think they are God’s defenders, as Saul thought as he terrorized and killed his contemporaries who chose to follow Jesus. Or they may think they are divinely designated whistle blowers of other Christians in order to “clean house” in one church or another. If the fruit of whatever action someone takes against another is bitter and causes division, then you can bet the action was not of God.
Have you ever thought that maybe you are experiencing a difficult time because you may be a conduit of the enemy to hurt someone else? That thought has crossed my mind more than once. None of us are exempt from being tempted to work for the other side, and we had better be aware of that possibility.
In the mean time, instead of wasting our lives doing nothing with our suffering, we need to get up off the pity pot, as my husband’s mother used to say, and work. Write a song, visit a homebound person, volunteer time at a crisis center, or listen to someone else who needs an ear.
Because, “He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When others are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us. 1 Cor. 1: 4
What do you do when you are hurting? How do you spend your hours while going through your darkest days? Do you physically and mentally curl up into a fetal position and block everything out until it’s over, or do you lash out at all around you until you find some outside relief?
If we have chosen to follow Jesus, we know that our commitment is to pick up our crosses and follow him. This is not an option but what we must do, because a cross is assigned for all to carry whether we like it or not. But if we lie like slugs and whimper underneath the weight of it, we will never be able to please our Lord. He carried his cross and so should we.
Jesus knows how hard it is to accomplish this task. He knows the pain of being abandoned by friends and family, and he knows that it is the enemy of our souls who is behind every attack.
When we experience tribulation, we too need to be aware who the real enemy is. It is not so much the people who betray us or do their best to harm us, it is the devil who is working through them.
They may be unaware that their hateful energy is supplied by him. They may think they are God’s defenders, as Saul thought as he terrorized and killed his contemporaries who chose to follow Jesus. Or they may think they are divinely designated whistle blowers of other Christians in order to “clean house” in one church or another. If the fruit of whatever action someone takes against another is bitter and causes division, then you can bet the action was not of God.
Have you ever thought that maybe you are experiencing a difficult time because you may be a conduit of the enemy to hurt someone else? That thought has crossed my mind more than once. None of us are exempt from being tempted to work for the other side, and we had better be aware of that possibility.
In the mean time, instead of wasting our lives doing nothing with our suffering, we need to get up off the pity pot, as my husband’s mother used to say, and work. Write a song, visit a homebound person, volunteer time at a crisis center, or listen to someone else who needs an ear.
Because, “He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When others are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us. 1 Cor. 1: 4
Thursday, September 19, 2013
Go in peace and serve the Lord
Jesus was invited to the home of a very prominent citizen, a Pharisee named Simon. This man’s prominence, though, was outdone by his large ego, and his self-righteous opinion of himself. These attributes became apparent by his actions, or his inactions in this case.
When Jesus entered his home, the usual customs of hospitality that one would receive were not afforded to Jesus. Simon did not give him wash water for his feet, he did not give him the welcome kiss to his home, and he did not anoint his head with oil. But why would he, he was a very important man and Jesus, to him, was just a cur sitting under his table.
During dinner, an uninvited woman came into the room where Jesus sat. Carrying a very expensive box of fragrant ointment, she began to wash and anoint his feet and then wipe them with her hair!
Did Jesus take offense when this red-light-district woman came into his “personal space”? No, he was moved with compassion for her and the degrading circumstances she experienced with her “job”.
Meanwhile, pious Simon disgustedly muttered to himself that Jesus should have known better than to entertain this sin soaked woman. Did the woman, a mere cur who sits under the tables of the powerful men in her city, care what he thought? Did she concern herself that she was not clean, outside nor inside, before approaching Jesus with her offering?
No, she recognized that Jesus was the man who could change her from a cur and into the beautiful woman God intended her to be. She knew she did not have to be beautiful before He made her Beautiful. If she had thought she needed to be presentable before kneeling at Jesus feet, she may never have done what she did for him.
Her example is the answer to the question asked by people who feel they need to be cleaned up before they can ask God for forgiveness. Like her, all of us are invited to bring ourselves with the bulk and baggage collected over the years, untie the bundles, and let them fall at his feet. Then we can kneel before him and wet his feet with our tears of regret and sorrow.
Then we can all hear Jesus say to us, “Your sins are many and they are forgiven. Your faith has saved you, go in peace.”
Go in peace and serve the Lord.
Jesus was invited to the home of a very prominent citizen, a Pharisee named Simon. This man’s prominence, though, was outdone by his large ego, and his self-righteous opinion of himself. These attributes became apparent by his actions, or his inactions in this case.
When Jesus entered his home, the usual customs of hospitality that one would receive were not afforded to Jesus. Simon did not give him wash water for his feet, he did not give him the welcome kiss to his home, and he did not anoint his head with oil. But why would he, he was a very important man and Jesus, to him, was just a cur sitting under his table.
During dinner, an uninvited woman came into the room where Jesus sat. Carrying a very expensive box of fragrant ointment, she began to wash and anoint his feet and then wipe them with her hair!
Did Jesus take offense when this red-light-district woman came into his “personal space”? No, he was moved with compassion for her and the degrading circumstances she experienced with her “job”.
Meanwhile, pious Simon disgustedly muttered to himself that Jesus should have known better than to entertain this sin soaked woman. Did the woman, a mere cur who sits under the tables of the powerful men in her city, care what he thought? Did she concern herself that she was not clean, outside nor inside, before approaching Jesus with her offering?
No, she recognized that Jesus was the man who could change her from a cur and into the beautiful woman God intended her to be. She knew she did not have to be beautiful before He made her Beautiful. If she had thought she needed to be presentable before kneeling at Jesus feet, she may never have done what she did for him.
Her example is the answer to the question asked by people who feel they need to be cleaned up before they can ask God for forgiveness. Like her, all of us are invited to bring ourselves with the bulk and baggage collected over the years, untie the bundles, and let them fall at his feet. Then we can kneel before him and wet his feet with our tears of regret and sorrow.
Then we can all hear Jesus say to us, “Your sins are many and they are forgiven. Your faith has saved you, go in peace.”
Go in peace and serve the Lord.
Wednesday, September 18, 2013
Preach the gospel, and if necessary use words. Francis of Assisi.
Last March we went on a cruise to the Southern Caribbean accompanying our elderly friend, Fr. John, who cannot travel alone due to his health issues. The one thing he wanted to do on this trip was to get his feet wet in the ocean like he had done in years past. So, whatever it would take, we were going to make that happen for him.
When our ship docked at the island of Granada, a bus tour of the island finishing with a visit to the beach was offered. We left the ship and boarded the small, steamy bus to see the sights of the coast. When we arrived at the beach, we got him settled in his wheelchair under a shade tree near the edge of the sandy beach.
Later, I asked our tour guide to help us bring him down to the water. We must have been quite a spectacle; Earl and I holding Fr. John arm in arm slowly plodding over the sand to the water, and our guide following with a wheelchair.
As soon as we got him settled in his chair, another tourist from our ship walked over to Fr. John, shook his hand vigorously and said, “I hope you have the best time ever. It is so great that you could come on this cruise.”
Shortly after that, an islander selling scarves on the beach broke out in loud praises in front of all the beach goers. “Praise the Lord! This is the way we show our love to God and our neighbor!” He went on for a good five minutes with his lively sermon.
I will tell you, that of all the experiences of that trip including all the niceties and extravagances of ship travel, the joy of helping Fr. John get his feet wet was the most gratifying part of the trip.
I had not really realized until this beach excursion that our care for this elderly man with so many medical problems is what speaks so loudly of our faith in Jesus Christ. We could never have said in mere words the love God has for us all. It was best told through our actions to those watching.
Every time I think of this day, I repeat what the islander said, “Praise the Lord! This is the way we show our love to God and our neighbor!”
Last March we went on a cruise to the Southern Caribbean accompanying our elderly friend, Fr. John, who cannot travel alone due to his health issues. The one thing he wanted to do on this trip was to get his feet wet in the ocean like he had done in years past. So, whatever it would take, we were going to make that happen for him.
When our ship docked at the island of Granada, a bus tour of the island finishing with a visit to the beach was offered. We left the ship and boarded the small, steamy bus to see the sights of the coast. When we arrived at the beach, we got him settled in his wheelchair under a shade tree near the edge of the sandy beach.
Later, I asked our tour guide to help us bring him down to the water. We must have been quite a spectacle; Earl and I holding Fr. John arm in arm slowly plodding over the sand to the water, and our guide following with a wheelchair.
As soon as we got him settled in his chair, another tourist from our ship walked over to Fr. John, shook his hand vigorously and said, “I hope you have the best time ever. It is so great that you could come on this cruise.”
Shortly after that, an islander selling scarves on the beach broke out in loud praises in front of all the beach goers. “Praise the Lord! This is the way we show our love to God and our neighbor!” He went on for a good five minutes with his lively sermon.
I will tell you, that of all the experiences of that trip including all the niceties and extravagances of ship travel, the joy of helping Fr. John get his feet wet was the most gratifying part of the trip.
I had not really realized until this beach excursion that our care for this elderly man with so many medical problems is what speaks so loudly of our faith in Jesus Christ. We could never have said in mere words the love God has for us all. It was best told through our actions to those watching.
Every time I think of this day, I repeat what the islander said, “Praise the Lord! This is the way we show our love to God and our neighbor!”
Tuesday, September 17, 2013
Rejoice in your suffering!
Recently, a pastor said to us, “If you are not being attacked, you are doing something wrong.” I agreed with him wholeheartedly.
I believe that when we are doing what God wants us to do, we will suffer for it, but when we suffer, we should rejoice!
Rejoice because “we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are called according to his purpose.” Rom. 8: 28
Rejoice because we are blessed when we suffer for justice’ sake. And, rejoice because we are told to be not be afraid or troubled by their fear. 1 Pet. 3:14
Rejoice when you, with modesty and fear and having a good conscience, are on the receiving end of evil gossip, or false accusations, because your accusers will eventually become ashamed of their talk. They will see your good behavior as a Christian and will have to eat their words. vs. 17, 18
Rejoice because the trial you experience now will bear in you the sweet fruits of righteousness: long suffering, patience, joy, peace.
And, rejoice because our trials can help to save souls by furthering the gospel. Phil. 1: 12
When we have a right perspective on suffering and what it is meant to do for us, it makes the ordeal a little bit easier to endure!
Recently, a pastor said to us, “If you are not being attacked, you are doing something wrong.” I agreed with him wholeheartedly.
I believe that when we are doing what God wants us to do, we will suffer for it, but when we suffer, we should rejoice!
Rejoice because “we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are called according to his purpose.” Rom. 8: 28
Rejoice because we are blessed when we suffer for justice’ sake. And, rejoice because we are told to be not be afraid or troubled by their fear. 1 Pet. 3:14
Rejoice when you, with modesty and fear and having a good conscience, are on the receiving end of evil gossip, or false accusations, because your accusers will eventually become ashamed of their talk. They will see your good behavior as a Christian and will have to eat their words. vs. 17, 18
Rejoice because the trial you experience now will bear in you the sweet fruits of righteousness: long suffering, patience, joy, peace.
And, rejoice because our trials can help to save souls by furthering the gospel. Phil. 1: 12
When we have a right perspective on suffering and what it is meant to do for us, it makes the ordeal a little bit easier to endure!
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