Wednesday, March 30, 2011

Stayed on Him!

Obsessed, messmerized, well not quite, but here is how the NAS says it,
"The steadfast of mind You will keep in perfect peace, Because he trusts in You."
And the Message says:
People with their minds set on you, you keep completely whole, Steady on their feet, because they keep at it and don't quit.
But my favorite translation is from good old NKJ:
" You will keep him in perfect peace, Whose mind is stayed on You, Because he trusts in You."
This verse has been resonating in my mind over the past few days as I have succumed to some unhealthy thoughts that the enemy of my soul was using to pull me down.  I really believe when there is a breakthrough on its way that the schemer and prince of the power of the air can really knaw and nip at our heals to render us as ineffective for the King and His kingdom as he can.  He is such a liar (actually the father of lies!)

So when Isaiah 26:3 started coming to my mind I took that as a gift from the Lord to be my tool for this onslaught to defeat ol' satan.  Fixed, stayed, camping on, steadfast, set on and stayed are powerful words which help me understand the importance of being locked on to the truth especially when we are tempted to think contrary to God's Word.  I think of a missile system that locks on to a target whether a bomb or ship or whatever maybe in motion to cause destruction by the 'enemy' as a perfect description of being stayed.  It will not deter from the target once it is 'locked' on to it or has it in its sights.

When the enemy who is very busy prowling around like a lion seeking whom he can devour sets out to attack my mind and thoughts, I have to know where to go to get my missile, that is in the Word.  I had to take the truth of this verse in Isaiah and use it to defeat the lies of the enemy.  Another verse that keeps me from shrinking back from the enemy's hits is from Philippians 4:6,7 "Be anxious for nothing but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your request be made know to , then the peace of God which surpasses all understanding will guard your heart and mind in Christ Jesus."  Our Tuesday prayer group has made a point to memorize these verses and wow, it is amazing how many times I need to pull that one out and use it whether for myself or others.  If I am anxious about anything, I am walking in fear and not in faith!

So the Word which is alive! sharper than any two-edged sword is applied to the lie the enemy tries to make me believe, I can use it as a tool to get my peace back!  I am stayed, on the truth!  That is what helps me to defeat hiim and then continue on the pathway of victorious living, giving God all the glory for each battle that He helps me win.  Yes, then I can truthfully say that it is because I trust in Him!

Lord, so many come under the condemnation of the enemy of our soul, help us to lock on to the Truth and know who we are in You so that Your plan and purpose for our lives doesn't get thwarted and we become a casualty.  I will trust in You knowing that You bring the Truth I need just when I need it, in Jesus name!

Thursday, March 24, 2011

The Disappointments in Life

Are there times in your life when you thought things would turn out so much differently than they have?  Times that have left you feeling a bit hollow inside and terribly disappointed? Like when a child grows up and grows away from the Lord instead of toward Him, or your dreams of being a missionary went south because for whatever reason be it money or relationship it became the wrong timing?  How about that first love that set your dreams on fire and then after a time the relationship fizzled and instead of fulfilling your dreams they brought about disappointments. And maybe it was the perfect job that you have waited for with all the amenities you could hope for and you were certain you had all the qualifications but you didn't make the final round and someone else stepped into the position you longed for.


Sometimes there are disappointments that totally change the course of your life.  That familiar saying "It just isn't fair" can light upon you and pull you right down into the pit. Friend, I want you to know something and it isn't anything new or profound but, it is truth and that is that God, in spite of our tendency to walk our own way, really is in control. Kind of like we are the vehicle but the Lord is our steering wheel.  Oh, I know He really does allow us to do our own thing, because He loves us so much!  He wants us to love Him back without restraints and of our own accord.  After all, how would it feel if your children only returned your affection because they were supposed too or your spouse because you had to ask?


So what do we do with the disappointments in life?  We all have them to one degree or another and really, how we respond to those disappointments determines whether we will move forward or lag behind.  I would have to believe that like me you want to soar and draw closer and closer to the Lord.  Your reaction to these realities sets the course for the next leg of your life journey.


Our journey in Christ takes the focus off of us and puts it on Him!  Every single thing that happens to us must glorify the Father.  I love that verse in Matthew 5:16  that says we are to let our light so shine before men that they would see our good works and glorify our Father in heaven.  And just for fun here it is in the Message paraphrase:
Now that I've put you there on a hilltop, on a light stand - shine! Keep open house; be generous with your lives. By opening up to others, you'll prompt people to open up with God, this generous Father in heaven.


When the disappointments come, those around us need to see how we handle them because after all there are plenty enough to go around in everyone's life!  I recently received another hit and the rug was pulled out from under my feet.  Yes, for a moment I fell and hurt myself and briefly slipped into the pit of despair, but...I have a circle of friends that let me know that they care and they encircled me and prayed for me.  I am slowly getting back up on my feet again.  I hate when this happens but it does and there isn't a one of us who doesn't know what if feels like.  


I would like to give you some things to think about when your dark moment comes.
  • Don't keep it hidden!  Go to your trusted prayer partners and yes, make yourself vulnerable and share just how upset you are and let them minister to you!
  • Ponder and pray when you hear a word for you even if it isn't necessarily comfortable.  God will provide the comfort because He is the God of all comfort!
  • Set your face like flint not to revisit those debilitating emotions but focus on the truth! You will not move ahead until you do and the more often you revisit the deeper the pit gets.
  • Remember, God is your healer and He wants to bring you gently back to the firm ground you were on before.  Forgiveness is the key to moving forward and friend, I know just how difficult this one is but I also have tasted the sweetness when the enemy of our soul is defeated and forgiveness cuts the chains of our heart loose.
  • Do not get comfortable in the pain of your emotional battle.  God has given us the tools to get out of the pit.
The battle is in our minds and here is the Scripture that can help us work through the enemy's 'mosh pit':
"We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ..." 2 Corinthians 10:5"
Unless we get our minds set on the truth we will become wounded as we are banged around by the lies and untruth that the enemy wants to use to render us useless to our Father.  Draw the line in the sand and do not go there.  If you have, get yourself in the truth of the Word and let that truth bath and comfort you and bring healing to your mind, body and soul!


Father, too many times I have seen how ineffective I become when the enemy comes in like a flood!  But I am also so thankful to know I don't have to go it alone and that In Your truth I am able to raise the standard that defeats the enemy of my soul.  You have provided brothers and sisters in Christ who thankfully become my help in times of trouble. Thank You for Your love for me and for gently picking me up when I become Your wounded warrior.  I choose to walk in the truth today, in Jesus' name. 

Thursday, March 10, 2011

Am I Willing?

Am I Willing?

There are some very talented singer/songwriters out there today and although the argument seems to be too much repetition and simplicity in our modern day praise and worship music.  However, there is truth from the Word in today’s contemporized Christian music and who knows if the repetition is to drive a point home or heavenward?

I have a lot of admiration for Chris Tomlin and it seems that every project he comes out with whether it is he and others on the Passion CD projects or singular projects, they are excellent songs of worship.

Chris’ recent project “If Our God is For Us” has a song that spoken to me in volumes and it is the song “I Will Follow”.  This drummed up some great thoughts as I pondered the lyrics to this song and then, I was reading in My Utmost for His Highest by Oswald Chambers for March 9 and there it was again that theme but presented as a question from Jesus Himself:

So Jesus said to the Twelve, "Do you want to go away as well?"

The picture here is Jesus teaching on eternal life and interestingly enough, many of the disciples turned and walked away from following Jesus at this point. Jesus talks about getting our daily spiritual nourishment from Him alone through the body and the blood.  This did not sit well with the Jews and they couldn’t quite wrap their brains around the truth He was presenting.  So too some of the disciples were troubled by His presentation.  The Body and the Blood thing is almost too simple and Christ questions His disciples saying, "Do you take offense at this? Then what if you were to see the Son of Man ascending to where he was before? It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh is no help at all. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life.

Oswald Chambers insinuates that many are working for Jesus Christ, diligently pouring their lives out to “do” good works in Jesus’ name, but he states, all that is really required is oneness with the Him.  After we have abandoned our agenda, and determined we will follow Christ and seek to be a daily partaker of His divine presence we are truly His disciples.
 
So Chris Tomlin’s song “I Will Follow” reiterates that thought in these lines:
Where you go, I'll go
Where you stay, I'll stay
When you move, I'll move
I will follow you
Who you love, I'll love
How you serve I'll serve
If this life I lose, I will follow you
I will follow you  (link to the song provided)

The road we are on with Jesus is not an easy road.  However, I refer to it as tracking with the Lord and that tracking or being in His will is the place where you find peace in the midst of the storm, satisfaction instead of exhaustion as you serve with Him and the eternal perspective as others see Christ in you the hope of glory!  Pretty exciting stuff isn’t it?

Jesus, I will follow you and when I head down a rabbit trail that is not my destiny I will rely on the Holy Spirit it nudge me or sometimes jolt me back to Your side.  I am so grateful and most satisfied when I am tracking with You!