Finding Peace

And know that the peace of God (a peace that is beyond any and all of our human understanding) will stand watch over your hearts and minds in Jesus, the Anointed One. Philippians 4:7 (VOICE)

Have you ever felt this nagging that you were supposed to do something but for whatever reason didn’t do it? I have. You know, you hear something in your head. It can be exact instructions like “Call so and so” or a reminder to do something you forgot. It can also be the impression that you are supposed to take up a task or not take up a task.

I believe a lot of the time that is God prompting me. I wish I could say I always listened and acted on what I hear. Sometimes, I don’t.

There are two instances that stand out in my mind today. One was when we were going through a rough patch financially and I was thinking of getting a new job. God had been telling me to wait. Wait as in “Don’t do anything just wait.” I’m not good at waiting. That’s actually an understatement. I’m terrible at waiting. I had been waiting as instructed for what seemed like way too long. So, when a friend called and said I know of someone looking to hire, do you want me to connect you? I said, “No, I’m waiting like God said.” I wish. I said, “Sure!” After we met the man told me I had the job if I wanted it. And as I was agreeing to come in and meet the person I would be reporting to I got this huge knot in my stomach. A knot that was unmistakable. As I was shaking his hand I knew in my gut that I was not going to be able to take the job.

Would it have solved oh so many problems? Yes. Would I have been in God’s will? No. I reached out to the man, thanked him for his time but told him I wouldn’t be able to come on board. I had peace.

Another time, God was prompting me to do something and I was putting it off. It’s not that I don’t want to listen to God. I do! But what he was asking seemed so huge. I couldn’t get my mind around it and if truth be told, I didn’t want to do it. But the prompting continued and I had no peace. I knew I was not doing what I was supposed to be doing.

I began, one step at a time, to be obedient to the prompting. And guess what? The nagging feeling that something was not right was gone.

I realize that every nagging feeling or knot in your stomach may not be a God conversation. I believe that a lot of the time we know what we are doing or not doing is going against what we are being told. We rationalize it away. We are so good at that.

What if we responded to those nudgings when we felt them? What if we followed those promptings or listened to that voice just in case? Isn’t it sad that we miss out on peace because we charge forward with a quick and easy solution instead of trying to center into God’s will?

After following and not following for a while, I’ve learned to recognize whose voice is talking to me. I also know that the sooner I obey, the more peace I have. And it is truly beyond human understanding. My advice on this? Pray it through. Keep asking questions and follow those promptings. You will be forever grateful you did.

Unanswered But Answered Prayers

He went on a little farther and bowed with his face to the ground, praying, “My Father! If it is possible, let this cup of suffering be taken away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.” Matthew 26:39 (NLT)

Dink. Dink. Dink. Dink. That was the sound coming from my phone. I was in the ER. Earlier in the evening I went in and my symptoms were getting worse. Somewhere in the chaos I asked my husband to put me on the prayer chain. He did and the Dink, Dink, Dink was the response of the prayer warriors responding.

Shortly after my situation spiraled downward and I became critical. Honestly, I don’t clearly remember all that happened after that but I knew I was being lifted up and God was in the middle of it…..because of prayers. When I woke up the next morning (which is a PRAISE! in itself), I looked at my phone and there were all the text message responses of people answering the call of prayer. As I worked through all that had happened, those prayers gave me strength.

Today, as I pondered Good Friday and Jesus death on the cross, I realized that we could turn to him in prayer because the prayer he prayed in Gethsemane was not answered. God did not take the cup from him and Jesus did not turn back from his mission.

Humanly, he did not want to walk through what he had to walk through but he did. Because he walked through it, we can pray and know we are heard. Because he said “Yes” to the plan, we know that he loves us. We know he cares about us. We know that there is nothing he would not do to help us.

Today, I am especially thankful that because of Jesus’ death on the cross we can pray and know we are heard. I am praising His Name because there is no doubt in our minds that He hears us. None whatsoever. We know this because he prayed that prayer and when it wasn’t answered, He went to the cross anyway. For us.

A Minute In It - Who would have thought?

A minute in God’s Word will change your life. As I read through Isaiah 53 in the MSG, I was taken by the things that stood out; the things that grabbed my attention. As we turn our focus on Easter and the amazing sacrifice, these verses demonstrate that love so perfectly.

Isaiah 53 (MSG)
1 Who believes what we’ve heard and seen?
    Who would have thought God’s saving power would look like this?

2-6 The servant grew up before God—a scrawny seedling,
    a scrubby plant in a parched field.
There was nothing attractive about him,
    nothing to cause us to take a second look.
He was looked down on and passed over,
    a man who suffered, who knew pain firsthand.
One look at him and people turned away.
    We looked down on him, thought he was scum.
But the fact is, it was our pains he carried—
    our disfigurements, all the things wrong with us.
We thought he brought it on himself,
    that God was punishing him for his own failures.
But it was our sins that did that to him,
    that ripped and tore and crushed him—our sins!
He took the punishment, and that made us whole.
    Through his bruises we get healed.
We’re all like sheep who’ve wandered off and gotten lost.
    We’ve all done our own thing, gone our own way.
And God has piled all our sins, everything we’ve done wrong,
    on him, on him.

7-9 He was beaten, he was tortured,
    but he didn’t say a word.
Like a lamb taken to be slaughtered
    and like a sheep being sheared,
    he took it all in silence.
Justice miscarried, and he was led off—
    and did anyone really know what was happening?
He died without a thought for his own welfare,
    beaten bloody for the sins of my people.
They buried him with the wicked,
    threw him in a grave with a rich man,
Even though he’d never hurt a soul
    or said one word that wasn’t true.

10 Still, it’s what God had in mind all along,
    to crush him with pain.
The plan was that he give himself as an offering for sin
    so that he’d see life come from it—life, life, and more life.
    And God’s plan will deeply prosper through him.

11-12 Out of that terrible travail of soul,
    he’ll see that it’s worth it and be glad he did it.
Through what he experienced, my righteous one, my servant,
    will make many “righteous ones,”
    as he himself carries the burden of their sins.
Therefore I’ll reward him extravagantly—
    the best of everything, the highest honors—
Because he looked death in the face and didn’t flinch,
    because he embraced the company of the lowest.
He took on his own shoulders the sin of the many,
    he took up the cause of all the black sheep.

Made For More

Jesus replied, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry again. Whoever believes in me will never be thirsty. John 6:35 (NLT)

In the story of the Rich Young Ruler in the gospels, the ruler came to Jesus and asked him what he needed to do to be saved. Jesus cites the Commandments. The Rich Young Ruler asks which one. Jesus tells him and he says “But I’ve already done that.” Then Jesus takes it up a notch and tells him to sell everything he has and help the poor. At which point the Rich Young Ruler walks away.

You know, sometimes I identify with this man. I am doing everything I know to do to be a Christ Follower but there seems to be something missing. Deep in my soul I know there is more to this walk than just checking the boxes and following the rules. We were not designed to follow a list of rules but instead to be in a relationship with Jesus.

That relationship consists of conversations and a calling. The calling is more than tradition and things we do to feel good about ourselves. It is a real-life give and take where we step outside the box and into the deep waters. It is the place where we respond when Jesus he says “Follow me.” Stepping out of our comfort zone into the realm of difficult is where we find the fulfillment the Rich Young Ruler was looking for. It’s where we find our heart’s desire.

He knew there was more. We do too deep in our core. The question becomes when Jesus tells you what you need to do to discover what your heart is burning for, what will your answer be? Will you walk away like the Rich Young Ruler? Or will you stay and step into the deep?

I See You As.....

Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. Philippians 2:3 (NLT)

Sometimes the hardest thing about my day is dealing with people. They can be so annoying. I know that doesn’t sound very Christlike; but hear me out.

A little while ago I was sitting in a meeting and honestly, when I left I was just so bothered. There was the person who snorted disapprovingly after I said something. There was the other attendee who was super kind but I wasn’t sure grasped what we were trying to do. There was the woman who wanted to reschedule a meeting we’d had on the calendar for months because she schedule a conflict.

I sit in these meetings and all of these thoughts pop into my head….which I cannot say out loud because that would really NOT be Christlike. We work through the issues and everything gets settled but I leave bothered. On this particular occasion, every time I thought about it I was bothered again. So I decided to bring in the big guns and I prayed about it.

As I did, I remembered a conversation we recently had in Bible Study about humility. Learning humility is hard and it is a life-long lesson. You see, being humble isn’t about plastering a smile on your face, saying what is politically correct and moving on. It’s about the state of your heart.

Do I believe in my core that others are better than me? WOW! That goes against all that we are taught in western society doesn’t it? But it was Christ’s way. Philippians 2 says:

6 Though he was God,
    he did not think of equality with God
    as something to cling to.
7 Instead, he gave up his divine privileges;
    he took the humble position of a slave
    and was born as a human being.
When he appeared in human form,
8     he humbled himself in obedience to God
    and died a criminal’s death on a cross.

If I want to be like Jesus, this is the example I have to follow. I fully admit it is going to take some work. In a lot of situations I am fine with this but there are days where I am terrible at it. So what am I going to do about it? I am going to try to refrain from saying things out loud, put a smile on my face and pray right then and there that God will change me. I am going to ask him to help me see everyone as he sees them and to soften my heart to be like Jesus.

I may not fully get there until Jesus comes but I just have to do it today. Every day I try to be like Jesus, that day will be a success.

A Minute In It - I'll Keep This

A minute in God’s Word will change your life. Take a moment to read the texts below and then ponder the questions at the bottom of the post.

15 Hearing this, a man sitting at the table with Jesus exclaimed, “What a blessing it will be to attend a banquet in the Kingdom of God!”

16 Jesus replied with this story: “A man prepared a great feast and sent out many invitations. 17 When the banquet was ready, he sent his servant to tell the guests, ‘Come, the banquet is ready.’ 18 But they all began making excuses. One said, ‘I have just bought a field and must inspect it. Please excuse me.’ 19 Another said, ‘I have just bought five pairs of oxen, and I want to try them out. Please excuse me.’ 20 Another said, ‘I just got married, so I can’t come.’

21 “The servant returned and told his master what they had said. His master was furious and said, ‘Go quickly into the streets and alleys of the town and invite the poor, the crippled, the blind, and the lame.’22 After the servant had done this, he reported, ‘There is still room for more.’ 23 So his master said, ‘Go out into the country lanes and behind the hedges and urge anyone you find to come, so that the house will be full. 24 For none of those I first invited will get even the smallest taste of my banquet.’” Luke 14:15-24 (NLT)

What in your life would you struggle to walk away from to follow Christ?
Now, take a few moments in prayer and ask God what he thinks.

Liar! Liar!

But now I’m afraid that as that serpent tricked Eve with his wiles, so your hearts and minds will be tricked and you will stray from the single-minded love and pure devotion to Him. 2 Corinthians 11:3 (VOICE)

In Genesis 3, Satan starts up a conversation with Eve. In it, he suggests things about God and Eve that are not true. He uses overt lies and innuendos. She falls for it. I have to admit, I sometimes wonder how you can walk with God and then believe Satan’s lies. And as I type that, I realize how ridiculous it sounds.

I do that all the time! I bet it happens in your life too.

You might have thoughts like:

You can’t do that. You are not __________ (fill in the blank.)
If you were doing something different you would be __________ (happy, rich, successful, loved.)
Look at all the mistakes you make. What is wrong with you?
You deserve ______________.
God isn’t listening to your prayers. If he was he would ____________.
This bad thing is your fault. You should have _______________.

The reason there are so many blanks is because each of these lies is customized for individual use. Satan’s tactic is to get us to believe them and like Eve, take our minds off of Jesus. He wants us to turn from looking at the One who can change our story to ourselves. He wants us to think we are in this by ourselves.

Satan is a Liar!

I have developed some tactics to help me deal with these lies. One is when they pop into my head I yell “Liar!” (Think of the wife yelling at the husband in Princess Bride.) I also ROAR. Out loud. This reminds me that the Lion of Judah has conquered the lion who seeks to devour. Another tool is to recall Bible verses. For example, when you think “You can’t do that. You are not __________.” I counter with I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. (Philippians 4:13) Or “God isn’t listening to your prayers” For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their prayer. (1 Peter 3:12) Another thing I do is call a friend who knows Jesus and I talk it through and let them speak truth into my life.

Your methods of countering these lies will be different than mine. Not everyone wants to walk around shouting things out loud and roaring. Go figure. Whatever you decide, let it be based on the one truth you know. You are loved. God’s intentions for you are pure. He has not abandoned you but is walking with you through this life. However you do it……remind yourself of that. Every. Single. Day.

We use God’s mighty weapons, not worldly weapons, to knock down the strongholds of human reasoning and to destroy false arguments. 2 Corinthians 10:4 (NLT)

Steps of Faith

Today you will know that the living God is among you. Joshua 3:10 (NLT)

Joshua had led the people of Israel to the Jordan River. They were going to enter the land of Canaan. The river was at flood stage and all of the people had to cross. That was surely a dangerous proposition. Not only was the river dangerous but after they crossed it, they were going to be venturing into the unknown. On the other side of the river were lots of different enemy peoples.

As Joshua came to relay the instructions to the people that God had relayed to him, he said “Today you will know that the Living God is among you.” The Living God was among them in the way of the Ark of the Covenant. God spoke to Moses from the Ark. It was known that this was his presence in their midst.

The Ark would lead the way making the path clear. God would go before. But I think what Joshua meant was “Today you will experience God.” As the people walked to the swollen river, I wonder what they thought. Did it seem impossible to cross that especially with woman and children? Did they look ahead and say “We can’t get there from here?”

We do that don’t we? We look at where God is leading and say “WOW! That looks like more than I can handle.” We stop and say things like “I have to pray about it” or “Maybe now is not the right time for this.” What if the Israelites had done that? “Lord, we can’t step out now because we have to pray about this and well, we’ve been wondering for 40 years, surely a few more days won’t matter.”

We don’t have a physical Ark to follow now but we do have God’s presence. He promises it to us in the form of the Holy Spirit. He is leading us and telling us to take the next step. He is telling us to trust that he has prepared the way.

The priests, who were carrying the Ark, went to the river’s edge and stepped in. The Bible says the water stopped a distance away and became a wall of water. Below where they were standing, the rest of the water drained into the sea.

What if? What if we trusted that God was going before us? What if we walked to the water’s edge even though it looked too scary to cross? What if we stepped in (even when we were afraid) to see what God would do? Would we, like the people of Israel, know who God really was?