Deeper Devotion Blog

Do you want to experience God?

2012-02-04T21:40:00.002-06:00

There is a deep hunger in the hearts of Christians toknow God’s will, purpose and direction for our own individual lives. But is there a hunger simply to “know Him”? To know Him as a Person with whom we canenjoy an intimate, loving relationship that grows ever deeper over time.

Are we in church, for an hour or two a week, but not inChrist? There is so much more that God hasfor us to experience of Him.

God is more than a doctrine and Christianity more thantheology. It is not something to read about but to experience.

In every life there will be turning points that cause usto change. It is at these turning pointsthat we have to decide what we believe about God. And, in these decisions, we experience Himanew and afresh.

Yet there is MORE. As I read the book of Mark, I find my soul crying out for thedemonstrations of God, the signs following, the confirming of His word withwonders.

The Word of God is living
The Word of God is powerful
The Word of God is sharper than any two-edged sword (Hebrews 4:12)

The work of the cross has not lost its power but has itlost the centrality as the cornerstone of our faith, preaching and teaching? The shed blood of Christ on that cross:

Bought our redemption – our lives have been “bought back”and we belong to Him.
Is our provision for healing, physically, mentally andspiritually
Brings deliverance

The blinders are beginning to fall from my eyes as I havespent time fasting and praying (due to desperate circumstances that God hasused to bring me face down before Him.)

There is an awakening to the unseen war that rages aroundus that has largely been ignored by the modern day church. I admit to being blinded to its full extent. We are engaged in a spiritual battle that wecan no longer ignore.

Military terminology is used significantly throughout theNew Testament:

The Word of God is a sword
Satan’s attacks are fiery darts
Faith is the “good fight”
We are told to put on the armour of God

In Revelation 12 we see a war in heaven where Satan iscast down to earth. He becomes anaccuser of “the brethren” (Christians). We also read in verse 11 “And they have defeated him by the blood of the Lamb and by their testimony.”

When weface those turning points in the times of crisis we begin to lay hold of thispromise declaring what Christ has done for us on the cross 2,000 years ago.

It ishere where we experience God in all His power, might, majesty and love.

Then wein turn can declare, “Let me tell you what the Lord has done.” There is power in our testimonies because ofthe shed blood of Christ.

Use thistime of crisis as an opportunity to begin to press in to the things of God bysetting aside times of fasting and prayer.

He willbegin to reveal things that go far beyond what you initially were prayingabout. He will open your eyes to seebeyond this natural world.

He will create a hunger within in you where you want to know Him and to experience Him like never before.

Wounded Identity

2012-02-02T14:03:00.000-06:00

Our identity is made up of many layers as we grow. Some of those layers are shed over time and others added. Fractured and broken relationships cause wounds in our identity and often warp how we view ourselves. They even warp how others perceive us.

Deeper layers stay constant - we are all sons or daughters, we may be a wife or husband - a mother or father. When these deeper layers are shattered, through dysfunction, abuse, divorce, neglect - a paradigm shift takes place; much like an earthquake. It shakes, it changes and it can cause havoc.

There is a fine balance between letting go of painful memories and the concept of allowing God to re-write the layers of our lives as we walk through those memories with Him.

M. Scott Peck states "Problems do not go away. They must be worked through or else they remain, forever a barrier to the growth and development of the spirit."

God does not want us stuck in the past but the deeper the hurt into the layers of our identity the more concern there is in making sure that the root of this hurt, and the deception and lies around that root, are exposed and dealt with before letting go.

As we begin to experience truth and healing in the layers of our life we find healthier ways for our past to be used in our future.

Richard Rohr, in his book, Everything Belongs, states that God often has a reason for the pain, so "we dare not get rid of the pain before we have learned what it has to teach us."

God re-writes the layers of our lives as we begin to accept ourselves as being God's. Isaiah 43:1 speaks to the deepest layer of all - this is who we really are. God has called us by name. One version uses the word "summoned". God calls out our name. He declares "You are mine."

This doesn't change the past, it doesn't change the dysfunction (except our own part in it becomes healthier) but it definitely changes the future. As we begin to let go after walking through these painful parts with God, another paradigm shift occurs; in our behavior, our thoughts and our actions. We are now confident that what He is calling us to will incorporate all the lessons learned from the past and it will be much more than anything that He has called us from.

Visit my website at: http://www.thewoman2woman.com/

My passion is to encourage women to discover, develop and use the gifts that God has given them by offering workshops and training seminars.

Do you know where you are going?

2012-01-30T21:56:00.000-06:00

Do you know where you are going in life

Do you know where you are going?

Most would answer, heaven. And that is surely our hope.

But where are you going in the meantime? What is the life story that God has planned for you?

In the frantic busyness of life that is a question often not answered. You are so busy living day to day that life doesn't seem to slow down enough to examine it.

Or you may miss what your life story is saying because you are living vicariously through someone else's life or ministry.

We are not automated robots that blindly follow attempting to live a life "good enough" to get us to heaven. Our life is to be lived intentionally.

What is the "why" of your life? An unexamined life misses seeing this pivotal point. Examining your life, seeing the chapter of your story, will help to bring understanding that our story is for the benefit of others.

An examined life brings the light of God into those painful chapters as you face the heartache and begin to see what God has done to redeem you.

2 Corinthians 3:3 (The Message)
Your very lives are a letter that anyone can read by just looking at you. Christ himself wrote it—not with ink, but with God's living Spirit; not chiseled into stone, but carved into human lives—and we publish it.

Do you know how your life reads?

Another article, one that talks about moving forward, is STEPS TO FREEDOM

Stalled Dreams

2012-01-28T18:57:00.000-06:00

Does it seemthat you are going through the motions of your life but there is no sense ofpurpose or meaning to what you are doing? Yet, at the same time there is a longing for something “more” and youknow that this present reality is not “it”?

It may bethat a series of life events have left you tired and exhausted and it is timefor you to rest and recharge the batteries of your soul.

God may alsohave changed the way the call of God “looks” in your life and you may need tospend time seeking His direction once again.

Or, thisseason of your life may be to focus on what is in your life presently and whatGod has whispered to you may yet be for the future.

Then thereare times that God wants to take the time for us to be healed of past eventsand emotions. If there are unresolvedissues these can often become self-sabotaging mechanisms. Like the Israelites who walked around thedesert for 40 years without entering the promised land. They still had a “victim” mentality fromtheir time in Egypt and found it hard to press in to the promises that God hadgiven to them.

When weignore our reality and the truth of our behaviour we become “stalled” until weallow the light of God into each and every situation of the past, the presentand the future.

You may findthat my ebook, Soul Care, God's Way, is a good resource that will help you become “unstuck” byexploring the present reality of your soul.

Life lessons from a dog

2012-01-21T12:48:00.001-06:00

This is Bear, my rescued dog. We brought him home from the local pound 2 years ago.

Maybe because of being abandoned, of being orphaned, there is such a need in him to be close to his favourite human, me.

Wherever I am, he seeks me out.

Whenever I come home, he is so excited to see me.

His paws push under the cracks of the doors to get as close to me as possible if he cannot push the door open.

In some ways it has become a bit of joke in the Egilsson family home - this needy little black ball of fur who so much wants to be with me.

There are times he is content to sit at my feet.

Other times he jumps up and settles quietly beside me as I read or write.

Then there are times he crawls up on my lap or close to my face as if some hidden need drives him for that sense of extra security with the one he loves the most.

There are times I hear him "sigh" as if in complete peace even as I feel his body grow heavy with rest.

I was thinking today as Bear snuggled close how much I can learn from this furry creature with a black button nose.So I reflect on how big is my need to be close to God?

I know what it is like to be abandoned, to feel fatherless and unloved. I know what it is like to feel ripped from a family. I know how needy my own heart is.

So, like Bear, I press in to find the One who has captured my heart.

I seek Him out needing to be close to Him.

I find joy in His presence.

I press through circumstances to get near to Him.

Closed doors cause me to seek Him even more.

Sometimes I need to rest beside Him.

Sometimes I need to lay at His feet.

Sometimes I need to be held on His lap - for reassurance of His love.

I have been rescued.

I have become part of a new family, the family of God.

I once was lost but now am found.

I am loved.

I am home.

With the One I love the most.

Patchwork quilt

2012-01-16T12:17:00.001-06:00

my soul waits in silence for God alone;

from Him is my salvation.

He only is my rock and my salvation,

my stronghold; i shall not be greatly shaken.

Like a patchwork quilt covering the weariness of my soul is the covering He gives to me, a sacred corner of solitude that brings comfort to a hungry soul.

Promises of gold and silver etched in crimson red, stitched with nail scarred hands. They blanket me with rest this day.

Embroidered words shimmer with grace and, comfort me with heavenly warmth.

With trembling lips I begin to sing the halting lonesome notes of my spirits song. Gold-stitched words, threaded onto squares of silk give life to the whispered song.

A crumbling release comes as I curl closer to Him, enfolded in mercy, and securely tucked under this patchwork quilt of truth.

In solitude and blessed silence I am a held secure. My soul is at rest.

Out from the depths and into His glory

2012-01-05T23:09:00.001-06:00

Jonah, the reluctant prophet, runs from God. God had told him to go to Nineveh, the capital of the Assyrian Empire, to warn them of God’s coming judgement. Jonah hated Nineveh because of the atrocities that had been done against the Jewish people. So he responded to God’s command with anger and indifference. Instead, he boarded a ship headed in the opposite direction, toward the town of Tarshish.

The mariners set the boat out to sea and it wasn’t too long after that a huge storm blew up with high winds that were dangerous in their intensity. Eventually the sailors figured out that the storm was due to Jonah’s disobedience and went to find him. Where was he?

Sleeping in the bottom of the boat.

There is a time when God wants us to come out from the bottom of the boat, to face the storm. Not all of life’s storms are due to our own choices or actions but sometimes they might be. If so, we need to acknowledge our responsibility.

Jonah didn’t. He even admitted that he was fleeing from the presence of God and that THEY had to throw him overboard.

Why couldn’t he have just jumped out himself?

It would have been much easier as the sailors were not thrilled to have this responsibility on their shoulders. In fact, they tried to do everything as they attempted to row the boat back to shore, but the storm was too violent so over the side they tossed him, even as they prayed for forgiveness.

Yet, IN SPITE OF Jonah’s actions God had gone ahead and had “prepared a great fish to swallow Jonah" (Jon. 1:17).

This fish was not to destroy Jonah but it was a place of preservation. Not a punishment, but a shelter. A shelteraway from the waves of the sea but, more importantly, a place where God now had Jonah’s FULL ATTENTION.

This is where we pick up the story.

Do you feel like you have been stuck in the “belly of a whale”?

Do you find yourself in a place that involves intense soulsearching?

Does it seem that life has been unseasonably intense lately?

Are you, like Jonah, crying out from the belly of your whale?

Yet in this dark place Jonah was beginning to declare that God had ALREADY answered:

Jonah 2:1-3 From inside the fish Jonah prayed to the LORD his God. He said: “In my distress I called to the LORD, and he answered me. From deep in the realm of the dead I called for help, and youlistened to my cry. You hurled me into the depths, into the very heart of the seas, and the currents swirled about me.."

We all know that trials have a purpose in God’s economy to strengthen and to transform. BUT, there comes when we realize that God HAS heard and the end of this trial has been declared.

God’s answer will come when you are STILL in the belly of the whale. With faith, Jonah began to see himself OUTSIDE of the great fish, looking towards God he began to praise.

Jonah 1: 9 But I, with shouts of grateful praise, will sacrifice to you. What I have vowed I will make good. I will say, ‘Salvation comes from the LORD.’”

The voice of thanksgiving can change the circumstances. His prayer turned from petition into thanksgiving.

THEN: verse 10: And the LORD commanded the fish, and it vomited Jonah onto dry land.

IMAGINE if you will... Jonah covered with whale vomit. What comes to mind? A man covered in slime and smelling badly?

Maybe. But... whale vomit is also called “floating gold”. It is priceless. Whale vomit is also known as ambergris – that is a glorious fragrance often used as a base in the most expensive of perfumes.

Jonah came out from that whale covered in the glory of God.

How else could he then continue on to Nineveh and have thatwhole city respond to the word of God! There was a glory that went with him.

So it will be with you. When you come out from that belly of the “whale”, that dark, hard place, the glory of God will shineupon you in a way which you have never seen.

Be encouraged.

God knows your steps and He has gone to prepare a place of safety for you. A place where He has captured your full attention. And, in that place, you will find your petitions beginning to turn in to praise.

Get ready for the glory of God.

To read the whole Whale of a Tale story: Biblegateway

This is the year of God's favour

2012-01-01T00:34:00.000-06:00

Whispers of joy and splashes of tears

Rain glistened nights and mornings of fog

Wind carried over the sea

On gentle breezes

Storm tossed days and splashing torrents

Terrifying in their destruction

Thunder crashing over the mountains

On lightening streaks

The journey of my soul over months and days

Devastating in its rawness but never alone

For there in the flickering rain and lightening shards

Are glimpses of His glory

My soul leaps to the rhythm of a heavenly sound

Promises coming though yet unseen

Winging their way from heaven to earth

I turn my face to the sky

This is the year of God’s favour

2012

Sacred Conversations

2011-12-28T22:08:00.001-06:00

Sacred conversations

Daring to converse with the Holy One

With broken pleas

Of unspoken needs

A painful walk

But I am His

And He is mine

Windows of my soul

He has washed with His precious blood

Spilled from a broken and splintered cross

His love is slowly unveiling me

This one so needy of His grace

Beautiful in the love light

Of His eyes

As I kneel at the hem of His garment

Eternity matters

In the here and now

For I am a soul

Wrapped in frail humanity

In this sacred place where angels whisper

He will test you before He uses you

2011-12-26T13:15:00.002-06:00

HE WILL TEST YOU BEFORE HE USES YOU

Matthew 14:22-36 the boat was buffeted by waves.. "It's a ghost," they cried out in fear…"Lord, if it's you, Peter replied, tell me to come to you on the water." Peter got out of the boat heedless of the waves and walked on the water toward Jesus. "But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. "You of little faith," he said, "why did you doubt?"

On a stormy sea your boat does sail.

The wind is strong and your ship does fail.

The waves are high and the storm is long.

You don’t think that you can last for long.

You’ve tried your best to no avail

As strength is gone and hope is frail.

When you think that life is through

It is then He comes to rescue you.

You are not sure of what you see,

Is it a ghost that calls to thee?

The thrashing waves obscure your view

But you are sure He has called to you.

You take a step out of the boat

And faith in Him keeps you afloat.

But all at once the wind does blow

And your feet begin to slow;

Sinking in the briny flow.

He lifts you up and calms the sea.

Only you He does rebuke.

What is this? Your heart does ache.

Peter, He is readying you

For a task which He calls you to.

This is His training ground for you.

God calls each of us to a very personal walk with Him. He will deepen the call that He has put within your soul. He will test you and prove you before He will use you further. There will come a time though when He is ready to enlarge that which you have already been proven faithful in. Then comes your time of testing, just like it was for Peter. God wants to do something new; something that you may sense in your spirit but you are not quite aware of the details yet or if this really is God nudging you to step out of your "boat". Just like Peter was unsure at first, not recognizing who was coming towards him on the water. It is wise to make sure it is Him by asking, like Peter did, “Lord, is it You?. Then, if you are sure it is Him, step out of that boat no matter what you see around you. Your faith may be unsteady because you have never walked this way before but He is with you and He will steady you. His plan He will make known to you more clearly as you begin to walk this new journey with Him.

Do You Want To Be Used By God

2011-12-21T21:07:00.000-06:00

Do you want to be used of God?

Here are 4 basic principles that are foundational to stepping out with God.

1. What do you have in your hand?

This is a question God asked Moses in Exodus 4:1-2. God had already given Moses a rod and it was this rod that he was to use.

So often we pray asking God to use us, to gift us, while He is trying to get our attention to that which He has already given.

What has He given you?

He often works through our natural temperament and ability to reach those around us.

Sometimes we value certain gifts more than others but not God. He asks us to use what He has already given. Then He anoints as we begin to step out to use what is already within our temperament or possession.

2. He calls us to act.

There are 4 sick men who are sitting around in 2 Kings 7:3. They had come to a point of desperation and realization. They knew that sitting in this same place was not going to help them. In fact, if they didn't do something they would die and they declare "Why sit here until we die?"

Once they began to move, God magnified their actions and caused a miracle to occur, a victory was won. And I’m sure in the lives of these 4 men as well.

God does require that we act. There is a time to wait and be still before God, but there is also a time He tells us to "move".

3. Use what you have.

God wants us to use what He has given to us even if, in our eyes, it doesn't seem like much. Sometimes He asks us to use what we have in a sacrificial way. There is a cost to moving with God. He gave us His Son and others have given of their lives, resources and talents.

A widow woman in 1Kings 17:16 had only one meal left, just enough for her and her son. Yet she made a meal for Elijah, giving out of want and need….

God multiplied what she had so it never ran out during the years of famine in the land.

When we are faithful in the little, God may increase the call on our lives. And if we don't use what we have, oh what we miss in seeing how God magnifies and uses what we so humbly share.

4. Give what you have even if it doesn't seem enough.

The gospels tell a touching tale of a young boy with 5 loaves and 2 fishes.
This small lunch to feed thousands? Can you not hear the laughter of some in the crowd, mocking and sneering?

Yet this young lad gave what he had and Jesus gently took the offering and blessed it and then broke it.

Even when it doesn’t seem like enough, you give what you have. Jesus will bless and cause increase. Sometimes there are seasons of brokenness and you may wonder what has happened. But out of brokenness many more will be touched by the gift you have given.

Other articles of interest
He will test you before He uses you

Eyes Open For God

2011-12-18T15:01:00.000-06:00

I want to live my life with eyes open for God. I find a growing, almost desperate, need to “watch”, to be alert in my spirit to what He is doing. There seems to be a tremendous urge that calls me to prayer.

I am reminded of the account in Joshua 5:13-15 (TNIV) where Joshua asks the angel, “Are you for us or for our enemies?” The angel replies, “Neither.”

Joshua 5:13-15 (TNIV)

Now when Joshua was near Jericho, he looked up and saw a man standing in front of him with a drawn sword in his hand. Joshua went up to him and asked, “Are you for us or for our enemies? “Neither,” he replied, “but as commander of the army of the LORD I have now come.” Then Joshua fell facedown to the ground in reverence, and asked him, “What message does my Lord have for his servant?” The commander of the LORD’s army replied, “Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy.” And Joshua did so.

How limited my view of God can become. How easy to “box” Him in. Maybe that is why I feel such an urge to watch through prayer. Watching involves listening for His instructions while being in relationship with Him.

The power of God is often demonstrated through unconventional means as seen in John 9:6 “Having said, this, he (Jesus) spit on the ground, made some mud with the saliva, and put it on the man’s eyes.” (NIV)

I want to be part of a church (the Body as a whole) that forgets about “performance” or "programs" so that the Holy Spirit can cause a distraction if He wants. What if the paralytic man lowered from the rooftop in the middle of the sermon was considered a distraction? (Mark 2:4) Was the Canaanite woman who harassed Jesus and His disciples about healing her daughter a distraction? (Matthew 15:21)

Jesus was often interrupted but isn’t that the point, to have people encounter the reality of the Living God, to be set free and changed for eternity?

Yet church is more than a place of refuge for those that are sick, it is a force to be reckoned with. A place from which God sends us out with power and authority in order to extend His kingdom.

Jesus states in Mark 13:37 What I say to you, I say to everyone: 'Watch!'"

The word watch means to be awake and on guard, that is what is stirring within me. Like Joshua I ask, “What message does my Lord have for his servant?” And I am finding that He is also revealing the reality of this spiritual kingdom that is often shrouded by the physical.

Maybe He is calling you to a deeper, more intense prayer life – to stand in the gap in order to see His kingdom advance upon the earth.

Maybe He is calling you to stand, awake and alert, through the night so He can open the eyes of your spirit with eyes aware of what He is doing.

Maybe He wants our concept of church to be radically changed – not dependent on programs but on the power of God once again.

Psalm 134:1

Bless the Lord, all you servants of the LORD, who by night stand in the house of the LORD!

Turmoil's of Thought

2011-12-14T15:47:00.000-06:00

The illusion of the outer world drives me to seclusion as the silent searching of my soul commands my attention. I have a need to hear the One whose presence speaks without words.

The need arises to quiet myself, like Elijah, so that I can hear the silent voice behind the raging storms, those thoughts that rise to give discussion to worries far beyond my own reach and capacity.

Struggling with that incessant inner dialogue I realize it is time for a “holy stop”. I need to hear Him deep within this thirsty soul of mine. He gives a sabbatical rest within my inner world away from the scurrying thoughts that attempt to capture and enslave.

The heavy storms on Mount Sinai gave witness to Elijah of the mighty power of the Living God. Yet it was the sudden, fearsome silence that broke open his heart of stone. And it is in the seclusion of my inner world His silent presence speaks into the hidden corners of my heart.

I no longer can hide from the piercing silence that, like a sword, cuts asunder the strands of thought that have ensnared my mind. Disconcertingly God turns my world upside down once again.

Not with striking signs or spectacular wonders yet gently, softly and until now, unperceived, He has moved within the noise and vehemence of my soul’s chatter. After the fire, His still small voice shouts into the silence of my soul.

The wind and the storm have passed. The rocks have been broken into pieces. A shifting has taken place and the wind has blown away the debris. The fire has consumed all that is considered dross. God is about to do something new. It is time now to listen.

"And He said, Go forth, and stand upon the mount before the Lord. And, behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and brake in pieces the rocks before the Lord; but the Lord was not in the wind: and after the wind an earthquake; but the Lord was not in the earthquake: and after the earthquake a fire; but the Lord was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice," (1 Kings 19:11, 12)

Blessings of a better life

2011-12-08T21:49:00.000-06:00

“We want the blessings of a better life more than we desire to draw near to Jesus. We approach Him the way a child approaches a weary Santa Claus in the mall, who for the hundredth time asks, ‘What do you want for Christmas?’ I wager no child has ever pressed close to Santa’s chest, looked up into his eyes, and said, ‘You! I want only You.’ Dr. Larry Crabb,

Questions for reflection:

How does this make you feel?
Do you think this is true?

Are you in a desert place?

2011-12-06T21:10:00.000-06:00

Hearing God's voice in the wilderness

Genesis 2:7, 1:27: And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul

We are all familiar with the serpents guile, Eve’s deception and Adam’s sin; all of which severed man’s relationship with God. However, another consequence was that man went from speaking with God to being afraid of His voice.

^2:10And he said, "I heard Thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; and I hid myself."

As Christians who have been restored back into fellowship with God through Christ there are still times that we are afraid of His voice. One of those times is when we sin and instead of running towards Him we run and try to hide.

We are afraid of our “nakedness” before Him, afraid when we see ourselves as we really are without Him. But His voice calls and the breath of life within us longs to respond. We are designed for relationship with our creator. Another of those times is when life brings suffering and pain. Our presumption says that with the right combination of prayer, quoting Bible verses then the pain can be erased and overcome.

We are trying to get back into the land of plenty but His voice is calling us into the wilderness and we are afraid. There are times that God will deliver us from, a circumstance or He may take us around a circumstances and then there are times He walks us through. It is in those wilderness times that He speaks most tenderly and our roots become firmly established in Him as He reveals more of Himself to us in this desert place.

We have a choice to make.

How are we going to respond to God’s voice?

Do we run and hide because of our shame or do we allow Him to lead us as He sees fit?

It is not about doing, it is about being. Being transformed from the inside out and deepening our relationship with Him. As we read in Hosea there is a deep work of God that can only be accomplished in the wilderness. God reveals Himself in deeper ways to us.

He is no longer our “Master” who we merely obey but our “Husband” who loves and cherish us as His Bride. A beloved Bride is never afraid of her Bridegrooms voice.

Hosea 2:14-16 (Amplified Bible) therefore, behold, I will allure her and bring her into the wilderness, and I will speak tenderly and to her heart. ¹⁵There I will give her her vineyards and make the Valley of Achor [troubling] to be for her a door of hope and expectation. And she shall sing there and respond as in the days of her youth and as at the time when she came up out of the land of Egypt. ¹⁶And it shall be in that day, says the Lord, that you will call Me Ishi [my Husband], and you shall no more call Me Baali [my Master].

A step to freedom

2011-12-03T10:59:00.001-06:00

Do you find yourself living beneath an invisible banner that starts with the words “If only?” or “Why?”

There always seems to be something that holds you back from going where you heart wants to be.

What stories or events do you find yourself repeating in your mind that wind up holding you back? Or what thoughts keep ruminating constantly around the question of “Why”?

Sometimes it takes one small step to change the self-imposed limitations that you have put upon yourself or to shake off the paralyzing thoughts of “why” due to circumstances that may not have been of your own making.

This is the place where we find four lepers in 2 Kings 7:3-7. If they remain at the entrance of the gate to the city in Samaria they would die because of the severe famine in the land. Yet, if they entered the city they knew the famine was there as well so they felt stuck – in their minds and in their circumstances.

One day they decided to act knowing that simply sitting where they were was not going to accomplish anything. Their thoughts were “Why sit here until we die?” This famine was not of their making, their leprosy was not of their own making but self-defeating thoughts due to circumstances held them back in apathy and lack of direction.

It was time for one small step.

Kings 7:3-7 Now there were four leprous men at the entrance of the gate; and they said to one another, “Why are we sitting here until we die? ...‘We will enter the city...’

A decision was made to step forward knowing that life cannot remain this way.

A decision made with little faith because they didn’t know what would happen as famine was within the city as well.

Yet they still stepped out and that is something we must do. We may not feel that “great” leap of faith, that assurance that things will change for the better but there is that nudge to move, to take a step.

This is where it starts, a knowing that we must move from where we are at.

Where we are “at” may be a real-world limitation, like it was for the 4 lepers or it may be a self-imposed limitation based on self-doubt, negative outlooks, a “if only” mentality.

But if our heart is nudging us to move, then take that small step forward.

The miraculous thing is that God magnifies our simple steps. As we begin to move in obedience to Him, He now can work with what we have given Him and things do begin to change.

There had been a famine in Samaria due to the fact that the Syrian army had seized the city and taken all of the food and supplies from the people, to the point where a donkeys head and dove droppings were being sold for food and the Samarian people were actually eating their own children just to stay alive (2 Kings 6:24-30)

Samaria was besieged by an army that was slowly starving them to death. Sometimes the evil one besieges our mind and our circumstances as well – cutting off “supplies” until our mind is in a great famine caught between a rock and a hard place.

Yet one small step out from this is what God may be asking of us today and as we begin to move then God’s spirit is then able to magnify the sound of our “moving” as He did with the 4 lepers.

“They came to the Syrian camp, to their surprise no one was there. For the Lord had caused the army of the Syrians to hear the noise of chariots and the noise of horses—the noise of a great army; …” and the army fled for their lives. The city was freed and slowly they could begin to rebuild their lives.

One small step is maybe all that is needed for change to begin; in our circumstances and in our mind.

A decision to move forward knowing that life cannot remain this way.

One small step, that will allow God to come alongside us breaking those chains of thought or circumstances that have held us captive for too long.

Maybe it is time to step away from where we are; a step to freedom.

I would love to hear from you.

Four Lepers: the story

2 Kings 7:3-7 Now there were four leprous men at the entrance of the gate; and they said to one another, “Why are we sitting here until we die? If we say, ‘We will enter the city,’ the famine is in the city, and we shall die there. And if we sit here, we die also. Now therefore, come, let us surrender to the army of the Syrians. If they keep us alive, we shall live; and if they kill us, we shall only die.” And they rose at twilight to go to the camp of the Syrians; and when they had come to the outskirts of the Syrian camp, to their surprise no one was there. 6 For the Lord had caused the army of the Syrians to hear the noise of chariots and the noise of horses—the noise of a great army; so they said to one another, “Look, the king of Israel has hired against us the kings of the Hittites and the kings of the Egyptians to attack us!” 7 Therefore they arose and fled at twilight, and left the camp intact—their tents, their horses, and their donkeys—and they fled for their lives

There had been a famine in Samaria due to the fact that the Syrian army had seized the city and taken all of the food and supplies from the people, to the point where a donkeys head and dove droppings were being sold for food and the Samarian people were actually eating their own children just to stay alive (2 Kings 6:24-30)

What you need to know when you are in a valley

2011-11-28T18:21:00.000-06:00

Most of us know that we often walk through valley places on our way to the mountaintop. It happens from time to time because life isn’t always going to be “good”. But this wasn’t the case with Abraham; he went into the valley from a place of victory after successfully rescuing his nephew Lot.

Genesis 13:14-18 When Abram heard that his nephew Lot had been captured…. he pursued Kedorlaomer’s army until he caught up with them … Abram recovered all the goods that had been taken, and he brought back his nephew Lot with his possessions and all the women and other captives.

Sometimes after victories come valley experiences; places where there is temptation due to extreme tiredness. In these times we are vulnerable and need to be extra vigilant. This was the case with Abraham in Genesis 14:17 as he went down into the valley of Shaveh to meet with two kings.

The first king

The first king who went out to meet Abraham was the king of Sodom. Now we know that Sodom represents wickedness and evil. What DID this king want?

Vs. 21 And the king of Sodom said unto Abram, Give me the persons, and take the goods to thyself.

This king wanted the “persons”. In the margin of my bible it also states that “persons” means souls.

Could the King of Sodom be symbolic of how Satan comes to tempt us in the valley? He isn’t concerned with our “stuff”, he wants “souls”.

Satan cannot touch God, who he hates, so he tries to hurt the thing that God loves most, His children.

Abraham’s reply in vs. 22 brings out some vital points that we can learn from:

^“And Abram said to the king of Sodom, I have lifted up mine hand unto the LORD, the most high God, the possessor of heaven and earth.”

It was his commitment to God that kept him secure in the valley.

The King of Sodom came bearing wine and refreshments but Abraham was not deceived and he refused to partake of these offerings.

· Satan tries to deceive with the very appearance of “good”, especially when we are tired from the battle and weary worn. Abraham didn’t fall into his trap.

The second king

There was a second king, the king of Salem, Melchizedek. This king brought Abraham bread and wine. Verse 18 tells us that he also was a priest of the most high God. Melchizedek is also a “type of Christ”.

Abraham received a blessing and a promise from Melchizedek:

And Melchizedek king of Salem brought forth bread and wine: and he was the priest of the most high God. And he blessed him, and said, Blessed be Abram of the most high God, possessor of heaven and earth: And blessed be the most high God, which hath delivered thine enemies into thy hand. And he gave him tithes of all." (Genesis 14:17-20 KJV)

Two kings come bearing offerings of bread and wine to the weary soldier. Two very different reasons; one wanted “souls” and the other came to bless.

Not alone

The first on the scene was the one who came to deceive but there is Another who never leaves us nor forsakes us. He is with us in the valley bringing blessing and refreshing to the weary soul.

We are not abandoned in the valley. God promises to be with us as He was with Abraham.

Do you have a life?

2011-11-16T22:42:00.003-06:00

Do you have a life or does life have you? Consider for a few moments the events that have led you to the life you are living right at this moment.

Are you in the place you long to be or is there another path that you yearn to find?

Many of us find ourselves in circumstances that have left us feeling overwhelmed and flailing, not knowing that we are turned around, going in the wrong direction. We know there is a path with our name on it but we are having trouble finding it.

We all want to live with the power of intent – having a focus, a vision. We want to see our lives unfolding with all the potential that God has given to us.

So what is holding us back?

It could be cobwebs of uncertainty due to recent experiences that have left you being more reactive than proactive.

It could be that God wants to close the gap between where you are now to where you want to be.

It could be that God is changing your ministry/life focus.

This could be the time that God is giving you a “divine nudge” to take specific action in order to hear Him more clearly so we can find the path that He has for us now.

Tools for when you are stuck:

1. Journalling

Find a quiet place and still your own thoughts and emotions.

Write your questions down as a prayer to God.

Note scriptures that have really ministered to you, write them out.

Write out your prayers using the scriptures.

Listen – jot down what you feel God may be saying back to you.

Dialogue with Him.

You will be surprise by how much you discover in this process – about God, about yourself.

*Further information on how to encounter God through journalling

2. Vision Board

A vision board is usually a poster board on which you make a collage of pictures, images and words. A vision board can be a powerful visualization tool in order to become “unstuck”. (Disclaimer: I don’t agree with the thought that vision boards activate “the law of attraction” as touted in the new age book, The Secret).

Habakkuk 2:2 (KJV) says, ” Write the vision, and make it plain upon tables, that he may run that readeth it.”

A vision board can be useful when:

You are not sure what you are feeling
You may have been in a period of grief or difficult situations/circumstances
You may “kind of” know what God is nudging but not completely sure or clear

5 steps towards making your vision board

Pray: Ask God to provide you with inspiration that will guide you into his perfect will for your life.
Take photographs: Of things that interest you and make you smile
Find pictures: Images on-line or in magazines of things that inspire you and that represent visions and/or goals that you are sensing.
Be grounded: Search the Bible for scriptures which speak to your heart.
Be creative: Use the poster board as a canvas and begin gluing, taping or stapling your pictures and scriptures onto the board. Sort them into categories or priorities. You may want to date them and even move them around over time.

Examples of faith-based vision boards

I doubted that there was even a God.

2011-11-14T14:23:00.003-06:00

Have you been there? In those places where you wonder if God even exists?

May I tell my story.....

That was where I was at when I was sexually abused. I doubted there was even a God, never mind one that loved me and this abuse as a young teenager underscored this fact.

I was not in a safe place to tell anyone about the repeated abuse at the hands of a cousin. I felt alone and very confused. I pushed down the shame and the pain, locking it away in a little box hidden in the corner of my soul.

A few months later I found myself in a little corner church, the first time I had ever attended church. At the end of the service they had what is called an “invitation” where people walked up to the front. But I didn’t know what that meant. I did not know what “being saved” was. I didn’t even believe that God existed.

Yet I could feel an intense warmth deep within and something that tugged at the ache locked away in that secret little box. I cannot begin to describe the feeling that came over me. It was like a blanket of love that settled even as that little box burst, spilling out the pain and longing of my teenage soul.

I began to cry, silent tears running down my upturned face. I felt the shame leave as God’s presence moved in to fill and heal the lonely hurt places. Looking back over the years I recognize what a sacred moment this was. There were many hurts that God miraculously healed that day and others He has walked me through. My life has been forever changed by the miracle of God’s touch.

I share this with you, not for you to feel sorry for me, but to let you know how real God is even if you don’t yet believe in Him.

Why did He permit the abuse? Sometimes God allows certain situations and trials because they draw us to Him for help and healing and in that encounter, like mine, we find Him. Sometimes it is because we live in a world mixed with evil.

Another purpose is so we can share our stories with others; our “testimony” of a God who loves us personally. We can share with others the comfort that we have received from Him. We can offer hope where there seems to be no hope.

I once was blind, but now I see.

Isaiah 42:16 says, “I will lead the blind by ways they have not known, along unfamiliar paths I will guide them; I will turn the darkness into light before them and make the rough places smooth. These are the things I will do; I will not forsake them." (NIV)

Can you share how God has turned your darkness into light?
If you are struggling .... may I pray for you?

An Uncommon Spirit

2011-11-12T13:59:00.004-06:00

“But because My servant Caleb has a different spirit (uncommon spirit) and follows Me wholeheartedly, I will bring him into the land he went to and his descendants will inherit it.” Numbers 14:24

God Himself states that Caleb had an "uncommon spirit".

What did He mean?

I think it refers to the persevering faithfulness that Caleb had over many decades. Let's take a look at the life of Caleb, a little known big man of faith (Book of Joshua) to gain insight.

Faithful in persecution

Caleb lived in Egypt as a slave of Pharaoh for 38 years and was forced into manual labour, consigned to making bricks. He was forced to make increasing numbers of bricks, without straw, under the lashing whips of the overseers.

Caleb would have heard Moses giving a message of hope to those enslaved as he was. His heart was faithful in believing that God would deliver them and believed that this time was now upon them.

He was also faithful when he was persecuted for his faithful report. When the 12 spies were sent out by Moses it was only Joshua and Caleb that came back with the report that with God’s help they can defeat the giants in the land. The people threatened to stone them.

Faithful in the journey

Caleb was an eyewitness to many miracles and he heard the cries of the Egyptian parents whose firstborn sons were killed. He walked through the parting of the Red Sea; he collected the daily manna with thanksgiving in his heart and he followed the pillar of fire and the pillar of cloud recognizing in them the presence of his God.

When others worshipped the golden calf made by Aaron when Moses was on Mount Sinai, he remained faithful to the God of Israel even though it seemed that God was absent.

Faithful in the midst of doubt

Ten of the spies discouraged Israel from going in and taking possession of Canaan even though God had told them to go. It was only Joshua and Caleb who spoke for God even though they may personally have struggled with the same doubts. In the natural they saw the same giants and fortified cities that the others did. But they did not want to go back to where they had been – in bondage.

They chose to believe that the God who had delivered them from Egypt was able to give them victory against all these odds because He was with them.

Faithful in believing

“But because My servant Caleb has a different spirit and follows Me wholeheartedly, I will bring him into the land he went to and his descendants will inherit it.” Numbers 14:24

Oh, I want that “different spirit”, don’t you? The one that keeps on believing God with all that is within. Caleb kept God’s promises forefront in his heart. His conviction was sure that God is faithful even after waiting 45 years to receive the fulfillment of God’s promise.

Faithful in possessing

Even though Caleb believed, and received what God had promised it still involved, not only fighting, but proclaiming.

Caleb argues before Joshua that he was the one that should receive the land of Hebron as his inheritance because this is what God had promised 45 years earlier. He laid claim to the promises of God.

Faithful in the fight

Caleb fought to claim what was promised. The land of Hebron was occupied by a race of very tall people (giants). Yet, he knew that God was with him to drive them out.

In Joshua 14:12 he says, “The Lord helping me, I will drive them out.”

Faithful in resting

Caleb was granted his inheritance and thus the promise was fulfilled. Even though the land was free from war Caleb was faithful in fellowshipping and communing with God. The name “Hebron” means communion and fellowship with God.

Caleb is an example for us to follow. He wasn't an obvious leader, like Joshua, but he was a faithful follower. He was faithful to what God had promised. He persevered in faith; trusted God’s promises and was prepared to fight for what God had promised no matter how long it took.

In Isaiah 46:4 God tells us, “Even to your old age and gray hairs I am he, I am he who will sustain you. I have made you and I will carry you; I will sustain you and I will rescue you.”

Like Caleb, let us trust in God and followed him wholeheartedly all the days of our life.

Our Last Great Hope by Ronnie Floyd (Book Review)

2011-10-31T13:19:00.002-05:00

Our Last Great Hope; Awakening the Great Commission by Ronnie Floyd is a book that reminds the reader of the great responsibility of sharing the gospel with the world and those around us.

The chapters; Face the Truth About Yourself, Awaken the Church, Accept the Urgency, Transform our Families, Capture our Communities, Talk Jesus Daily, Desire it Deeply, Evaluate Everything Financially, and Act Now points the reader to a greater understanding of “why” we are here. This book pushes the committed Christian to reexamine their own life as it may be caught up in busyness or even “good” activities and to re-evaluate the Great Commission of Christ which is sharing Jesus with a world that is hurting.

The book is an easy read without being academic. The author demonstrates through stories and examples how the Great Commission can be a personal reality right within the family, local church and community.

Our Last Great Hope attempts to challenge the reader to think about the Great Commission differently. I was a bit disappointed in the book but it would make a great book for small group study.

I received this book free for review from Booksneeze for bloggers. I was not obligated to write a positive review and the comments are my own.

What does prayer DO?

2011-10-26T23:03:00.001-05:00

Prayer Pointers from Paul to the Philippians

In Philippians we find Paul chained in a Roman prison and in the first chapter it is evident that he doesn’t know if he is to be executed by the Roman Guard in the coming days. But even in his imprisonment he believed that prayer “did something” and so he prayed. In fact, most of Paul’s writings begin with prayer…for the believers of the first century and also for us in the 21^st century.

This ancient prayer in Philippians 1 addresses the question “What does prayer do?”

As you take the time to read through you will discover that prayer is not only for the immediate but it looks to the future: “Being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ.” (vs. 6)

It focuses on what the Christian life is all about: “And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in knowledge and all discernment.” (vs. 9)

It turns situations around for good: “But I want you to know, brethren, that the things which happened to me have actually turned out for the furtherance of the gospel.” (vs. 12)

It changes things: “For I know that this will turn out for my deliverance through your prayer..” (vs. 19)

It looks to the needs of others: “I thank my God upon every remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine making requests for you all with joy.” (vs. 3,4)

Prayer is choosing to let the word of God shape us and not the circumstances: “Only let your conduct be worthy of the gospel of Christ.” (vs. 27) Which Paul demonstrates by praying, with joy, even when chained in prison.

Prayer realizes that the word of God is not bound. God will perform His word. God is faithful and He will do what He has promised. So soak your prayer with God’s word, His promises.

Later in the chapter (Philippians 4:6) Paul explicitly invites the reader to make their requests known to God. He encourages them to come to Him and to “ask”.

Paul wasn’t backwards in sharing his prayer requests. He understood the importance of prayer and the role it played, not only in personal lives but in the furtherance of God’s kingdom.

Personal Pointers

Please believe me when I say that I do not consider myself a prayer warrior and I still find it difficult asking for personal prayer. However, God is taking me on a journey of prayer and I am beginning to see a paradigm shift from believing in “the power of prayer” to praying because I believe in “the power of God.” There is power in prayer ONLY because there is an Almighty God who hears and responds to our prayers.

One thing I have learned over the many years of being a Christian is that God can work in mere days or He chooses to work over months, sometimes years and for deeper works, over the decades. But He IS at work.

Another point is that God will work through our faith and He also works when we feel we have no faith.

Like Paul stated, He simply requires that we come to Him to ask.

Prayer brings me into the presence of God where I find myself so dependent upon Him. It humbles me as I sense the privilege Christ has given for us to come and touch the heart of the Father; and in that touching, I also am touched.

Where do you fit?

2011-10-26T19:33:00.000-05:00

Square Pegs

God does not put square pegs into round holes. He knows what His church needs and He knows where you fit. Sometimes we think we know where because of a personality test, gifting test that we have taken. These tests highlight personality traits, strengths and weakness but many don’t take into account how the Holy Spirit can radically change personalities; or how God can supernaturally endow what is needed to get a specific task done. I am not implying that this type of test be thrown out; many have stood the test of time and they do have a place. But they can have the tendency to pigeon-hole people and can inhibit growth.

There is another dimension that is important to be aware of with spiritual gifts and callings: God wants us to rely on His strength not our own. So many of these tests leave us with the attitude of “I have the gift of teaching, therefore I should teach” or “I have a mercy gift, so I cannot teach.”

God rewards faithfulness and many times He will increase that which He has already given to you and He may move you into an area that you thought you had no “gifting” for. It is easy to see the pitfalls in always being in a place that utilizes the natural gifts that you have because there is the danger of relying on your own ability. Now your strength becomes a weakness because it can result in pride and self-sufficiency.

There has been so much emphasis on exploring our own “personal gifting” along with the question “What is God’s will for my life”. Maybe it is time to start asking “What is God’s will?” Then situation by situation we can ask Him to equip us accordingly for this purpose.

There is story found in Judges 7 that illustrates how God put the right pegs into the right holes. God had a specific purpose in mind that He spoke to Gideon about but there was a problem: vs.2 (NIV) The LORD said to Gideon, "You have too many men for me to deliver Midian into their hands.”

Gideon had 32,000 men when the challenge was put forth and the numbers began to decrease until 10,000 remained. If these 10,000 men were to take a “Spiritual Giftedness” test you would find that they fit the profile of a soldier and had the skills to wage a war however God was looking for something more and it was the soldiers that drank the water by lapping it “.. with their hands to their mouths. (Judges 7:6 Amplified). All the rest got down on their knees to drink.

God was looking for soldiers who were alert and aware; ones that had been seasoned through previous battles and knew that it took more than their own strength and ability to fight. They were seasoned because they realized that their ability was only in Him.

Why did God use this winnowing process with Gideon and the soldiers? The answer is found in Judges 7:2 (NIV) “In order that Israel may not boast…that her own strength has saved her.” Our own strength can trip us up. God doesn’t put square pegs into round holes but in His sovereignty He can smooth off those sharp corners in order to make us fit. He will do this through seasons of brokenness so that we, along, with Paul can say “For when I am weak in human strength, then am I truly strong in divine strength”. 2 Corinthians 12:10 (Amplified).

So go ahead and take the personality tests but in the words of Corrie Ten Boom, “It is not my ability, but my response to God’s ability that counts.” It doesn’t matter if you are a square peg or a round one; God will mold you and use you where He sees fit as you seek His will and draw on His ability, not your own.

Paper Crane (Scripture Reflection)

2011-10-22T19:42:00.000-05:00

A simple square, a paper plane

A folded line, a crease in time

Intricate folds that tell

Stories yet unknown

Hidden shapes of meaning

Yet unseen

Transformed paper, once a simple square

Every corner, every crease

Intricate folds of delicate beauty

Released to soar

With the gentle breath of the Almighty

Giving wind to paper wings

Job 33:4

The Spirit of God hath made me, And the breath of the Almighty giveth me life. (ASV)

The Path of Forgiveness (Part 2)

2011-10-21T23:17:00.005-05:00

Part 2 Forgiveness Received

Reading the book of Acts I was struck by these words of Paul:
“Therefore I testify to you this day that I am innocent of the blood of all men.” Acts 20:26

Paul was a man who knew the power of forgiveness and it is in his grasping of this spiritual truth that he saw himself as “innocent”. Because Paul, technically, may have not been a murderer but he was guilty, by enforcing, of mass murder.

He was bent on not only wiping Christianity from the face of the earth but to try and force believers to blaspheme the name of Christ.

“Meanwhile, Saul was still breathing out murderous threats against the Lord’s disciples. He went to the high priest and asked him for letters to the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he found any there who belonged to the Way, whether men or women, he might take them as prisoners to Jerusalem.” Acts 9:1-3

In his own words Paul states,

"I was convinced that I ought to do all that was possible to oppose the name of Jesus of Nazareth. And that is just what I did in Jerusalem. On the authority of the chief priest I put many of the saints in prison, and when they were put to death, I cast my vote against them. Many a time I went from one synagogue to another to have them punished, and I tried to force them to blaspheme. In my obsession against them, I even went to foreign cities to persecute them." Acts 26:9-11

He was more than a mere observer at the stoning of Stephen:

“‘Lord,’ I replied, ‘these people know that I went from one synagogue to another to imprison and beat those who believe in you. And when the blood of your martyr Stephen was shed, I stood there giving my approval and guarding the clothes of those who were killing him. Acts 22:19-23

Yet in spite of this he can state that he is “innocent” all because of a supernatural encounter with the Risen Christ:

“We all fell to the ground, and I heard a voice saying to me in Aramaic, 'Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads.' Acts 26:15

A life changed forever as he was cleansed from his sins and the burden of “self guilt” was taken away (that on-going inner voice that attempts to condemn).

Paul knew he was guilty.

The world declared him guilty.

The Christians of “The Way” knew he was guilty.

There must have been many times when Paul came face to face with the son, the wife, the father, the friend of someone he had killed.

“Mercy asks that justice be set aside.”Charles G. Finney

Paul understood “mercy”. Mercy does not give us what we deserve.

Paul saw himself as the worst of sinners because of the stain of murder but also the active role he took to rid the world of Christians and to blaspheme the name of Christ. (Jesus Himself makes this clear in the words from Acts 26:15: 'Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads.' )

"Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners--of whom I am the worst. But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display His unlimited patience as an example for those who would believe on Him and receive eternal life." (1Timothy 1:15-16).

Yet in the receiving of forgiveness Paul grasped the full understanding that his sins were washed completely away.

Maybe this is why Paul gladly embraced the persecution that came his way with such joy BECAUSE he understood the mercy that was extended to him. His acceptance of being “the worst of sinners” was not mere rhetoric, Paul knew the truth of those words and so did Christ.

There is no-one too wicked for God to save for if He can save the worst of sinners, He can save you and I. He can wash away the self-guilt that torments because of past sins; replacing it with joy as He covers with His mercy.

We have received this mercy from God and He asks that we show mercy to others.

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead” (I Pet. 1:3).
“For you once were not a people, but now you are the people of God; you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy” (I Pet. 2:10; Rom. 15:7; Titus. 3:5).

Further Reading on Forgiveness
The Path Of Forgiveness (Part 1)
Words Fail

The Path of Forgiveness (Part 1)

2011-10-19T21:22:00.005-05:00

The path of forgiveness is one of the most difficult of journeys you will ever make.

We all live in a fallen world and there is often pain that wounds hearts and pierces souls. So the path towards forgiveness is one that all of us are called to walk sometime in our journey on earth. This path winds through dusty deserts and chasms of pain so deep that only God hears the echoed cry of our wounded soul.

Forgiveness often involves hours of agonizing prayer over weeks and months that vacillates between the cry for justice for the injured and punishment for the offender.

But does retribution balance the harm done by the offender?

Does it bring healing or peace or can it increase bitterness?

Do you wait until the pain is over before you forgive? Did Jesus?

No, His cry was "Father, forgive them for they know not what they do." (Luke 23:34)

These words were for those who put Him to death but the plea was also for all humanity.

Forgiveness

Forgiveness is not a onetime act but a daily choice of commitment.
Forgiveness is so much more than the release of resentment toward the offender.
Forgiveness is a gift that costs from the very depth of our beings.

“And being in anguish, he prayed more earnestly,

and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground.”

Luke 22:44 (NKJV)

Jesus was preparing His heart for the path of forgiveness before Him. The path that led to the cross.

Jesus died for the abused and the abuser seeing in both the common need to be wrapped in His grace and forgiveness.

“We tend to talk about justice

far more often in every community

that’s been in turmoil and

we rarely talk about

forgiveness and mercy.”

Robert Enright

The path of forgiveness that involves mercy is one that brings the deepest healing.

Further Reading On Forgiveness
The Path of Forgiveness (Part 2)
Words Fail

A Prayer For You

2011-10-19T00:08:00.001-05:00

Sometimes it is hard to find the "right" words to express our heart and at times I have used the words of others to release all what is in my heart. Please feel free to personalize, to share, to reprint the following prayer for yourself or for a loved one.

Father, You drew me to yourself when I didn't even know You.
It is You who gives my life depth and meaning.
When I look back over the span of my life - it is only You who has kept me.
You call me Your very own.
What this season of life will bring - only You know.
I put my trust in You.
Above all I want my life to honour You
Let me be a worthy image bearer of You.

Bind up my wounds,
Heal the hurts of my heart.
Perform and fulfill Your words to me.
Whispered promises given in the quiet dawn of each new day.

I am Your child, chosen and beloved.
At times my heart is bowed with remembered sorrow and shame
You gently lift up my head and wipe away each tear that falls
Catching them in Your nail-scarred hands.

Father, I come before Your throne of Grace
Who am I that You should love me so!
Yet You do.
I want to learn from You
I want to learn of You.

How I love Your word, Father.

How You reveal Yourself like nuggets of gold
Treasures to dig for, gems to seek.

Your truths shape me, heal me and change me.

There is so much I don't understand about this season of my life

But one thing I know - You are here, with me.

Your angels stand guard

Protecting against the onslaught of the evil one.

I'm learning to let go of the reins of my life

Letting go and letting You work freely.

You are the anchor of my soul.

I rejoice in You

You are my shelter, my hiding place

My Saviour

My God and my King

And I will worship You with the sacrifices of praise.

In Times Of Trial

2011-10-14T09:25:00.001-05:00

After hearing the doctor ask, “Have you ever been exposed to diethystilbestrol (DES)?” my world slowly began to unravel. I was lying on the examining table undergoing infertility testing and while my own gynecologist is leaning over asking this question another doctor is frantically removing tubes declaring that something is wrong to the nurses who are assisting. This dashed all hopes for ever carrying a child as the internal deformities were too great. It also started a 4 year journey of medical tests and interventions as abnormal cell changes were found. By 1987 I underwent a complete hysterectomy with ovarian removal while still in my twenties.

This journey of grief sent me into very messy places and words spoken out of season were like sandpaper to my soul. This new, raw reality of life turned me inside out and many friends found my loss hard to respond to. I didn’t know how to respond to the pain as it affected me physically, emotionally, physiologically, spiritually and psychologically. Many days I was not easy to be around and I could not tell friends how to help me as I journeyed through the next days, months and years.

How do you help someone whose world has completely changed? How can you walk with someone through short term and long term grief? Through my own cries of pain let me share with you what hurt, what helped and what I realized I needed.

It hurt

When I was told “if you had enough faith, you would be healed.”
When people said “I know what you’re going through.
When people told me how “so and so” coped with their grief.
To hear words like, “you can always adopt”.

Please don’t tell me that “All things work together for good…” or “God is in control and He doesn’t make mistakes.” Truth out of season were some of the most painful things as I was not in a place where hearing these words were helpful.

Please don’t hide behind platitudes no matter how well-intentioned.

Please don’t ask “what do you need?” when someone is in a place of grieving, pain or suffering. Just do.

It helped

When meals were brought over.
When baking was left at the doorstep.
When someone mowed the grass while medical appointments were taking place hours away.
To have a friend come and vacuum the house while recuperating from surgery.
And brightened my soul with flowers and thoughtful gifts.
When you brought laughter even in the midst of tears.
To receive tender prayers.

It helped

When a simple hug was given.

When I heard “I’m so sorry”.
When I heard “I love you”.
When cards continued to come weeks, months after surgery.
To know others understood my absence from baby showers even while I rejoiced with them.
When people just listened.
When friends understood that some days I was more “touchy” than others.

I realize

How tough it is to reach out for help.
How sharing struggles bonds people together.
That caring for others is one of the greatest gifts we can offer and one of the hardest to receive.
That suffering can isolate the sufferer especially when the journey of grief is long.
That the stages of grief cannot be rushed through.
That echoes of pain may still remain
The importance of being there for someone when the crowd may have moved on.

I realize now

That God does bring beauty from ashes, in His time and in His season.
That out of this season of pain and grief there has been personal and spiritual growth.
That I have learned how to listen, how to respond from those who gave these same gifts to me

Just Breathe

2011-10-12T00:01:00.002-05:00

Life is complicated.

It is at times messy, wild or wonderful. It is unpredictable and sometimes circumstances bring life to a crashing halt. Sometimes we forget to breathe.

Like a child in distress who runs to its parent breathlessly gasping, “Daddy, Daddy, Daddy…” The panic is so great that the words do not come. What is it that the parent does? He attempts to soothe the child allowing her to catch her breath in the safety of his arms.

This was my experience one day this week. As life tumbled to a grinding halt, with an onslaught of memories, I found myself unable to breathe. I mean spiritually.

As tears flowed from an aching heart full of “what if’s” and concerns for the morrow I turned to share my distress with those who love me enough to pray. Whispered words, shared in prayer, brought this wounded one to the throne of Grace.

Held warm in the loving embrace of my heavenly Father the panic eased and the memories were calmed of their sting.

Wordlessly I began to breathe in.

I breathed in the awareness of God.
I breathed in His Presence.
I breathed the knowledge of His sovereignty and might.

I began to breathe out.

I breathed out the awareness of the Spirit of God that resides within my very being.
I breathed out the knowledge that He is with me; always and forever.
I breathed out the wonder of being His.

Breathing in His word gave me wings to soar above this place of pain.

Isa 40:28-41:1 “Do you not know? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.”

And as I began to breathe out I realized that His breath was entwined with mine.

[It is] the Spirit of God that made me [which has stirred me up], and the breath of the Almighty that gives me life [which inspires me]”
(Job 33:4, AMP)

When the bottom drops out (Book Review)

2011-10-10T14:18:00.002-05:00

Everyone will experience disappointment sometime in their life and that is what Robert Bugh writes about in his book, When the bottom drops out. The writing style of this book is conversational and easy to read. It follows the horrible events leading up to the death of the author’s wife shortly after the devastating death of a best friend.

On the positive side, the author is very open about his own grief journey and the extremely painful months that left him shaken. “Rob’s tragedy also brought him into a stronger, deeper relationship with God, and forced him to reevaluate his own approach to dealing with grief.” His transparency and vulnerability brings fresh hope and glimpses of grace to the reader.

On the “not so positive side”, the author mixes in the grief over the loss of his best friend which had me questioning “why” this was as equally painful as the death of his wife. As the book ends up being more “autobiographical” in nature, Bugh shares the falling in love with the widow of his best friend and they eventually marry. So this gives the context of the “why” the equal grief over his best friend. The author then continues the book sharing the joys and struggles of step-parenting.

I felt that the “two” messages in the book detracted from what I thought would have been the main theme of the book which was that “while pain and disappointment are an unavoidable part of life, God is nonetheless faithful, holding us close at all times and in all circumstances.”

Therefore my review is mixed as I would have wanted more references to the Bible and tools for others in order to encourage them in their journey. However, as an autobiographically account of God’s grace, it is good.

I thank Tyndale House Publishers for providing me with a complimentary copy of this book for my honest review...

Bruised Reed (Scripture Reflections)

2011-10-05T17:36:00.000-05:00

Isaiah 42:1, 3

A bruised reed he will not break,

and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out.

Hebrews 6:19

which hope we have as an anchor of the soul.

As an anchor holds the ship

when the storms are raging,

so this hope holds the soul steadfast.

Does your heart long for the calm and tranquility of a quiet and glassy sea; for the howling winds to be silent and pounding waves to be still? On this ragged coast you stand, like a quivering reed that trembles with shuddering fear. You heart wonders why He has brought you here, to this time and to this place. It takes all your strength just to stand in this wild place of tempest and storm. You pray and plead asking Him to meet your need. Yet the words that He does speak are not the ones you did seek. He tells you that in this life there will be pain and yes, that is part of why He came. But redemption is an eternal plan given to all fallen man. Our hope does stand in that there’ll be a final resurrection that we’ll see. You will stand on heaven’s shore, where wind and waves will rock no more.

The Grace of God by Andy Stanley (A Book Review)

2011-10-04T19:05:00.000-05:00

The Grace of God by Andy Stanley captures the attention with the first paragraph.

“Grace. It’s what I crave the most when my guilt is exposed. The very thing I’m hesitant to extend when I’m confronted with the guilt of others-especially when their guilt has robbed me of something I consider valuable.”

Mr. Stanley brings out many facets of grace in the13 chapters as he walks you through many bible events from a fresh perspective. He starts with creation, goes through the Garden of Eden, highlights many bible characters and brings the fresh insight of grace right up to the church of today.

Each chapter has a highlighted sentence which underscores the main point. I found it a bit distracting to read but it is effective in that it draws your eye to it.

The nature of the book lends itself to thoughtful reading and even putting the book down after each chapter in order to fully absorb the authors’ points.

The information Stanley provides about a variety of biblical events and characters gave me a new appreciation for them. He presents biblical life lessons through the lens of grace that, at times, takes your breath away at God’s faithfulness and love.

It is a thoughtful book that lends itself well to being studied.

I would highly recommend this book for those who want to study more about grace.

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I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze.com I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own