I'm Not Afraid Anymore.....

Just a quick thought that I fancied sharing.....

My kids were watching "Home Alone" yesterday on the television and I happened to walk in the living room and sit down, cuddling with my five year old for a bit, catching some of the movie. I came in as the two bumbling burglars tried to access the house and the little boy turned on all the lights and then ran upstairs and hid under the bed. After being under the bed for a while he said to himself, "I can't stay under here forever". He then walked outside and announced, "I'm not afraid anymore! Do you hear me? I said, I'm not afraid anymore!" About that time when he was feeling empowered as he announced his new found courage, he came face to face with his neighbor looking ominous and holding a shovel, to which he turned and ran screaming back to the bed.

Isn't this analogous to many of our spiritual walks? We learn something about the character of God and we step out in new found faith and courage only to have Satan come at us with his shovel, scaring us back into our old ways and habits.

I didn't watch the whole movie but I remember when I watched it years ago that the old man that scared Kevin so badly at the begining of the movie ended up helping him defeat the bad guys in the end.

Just for the record, I want to say that I am truly not afraid anymore. I know the end of the story. I know that those things that Satan means for my harm, God will turn and use for my good. I know that I am victorious.

The Secret Deception

Those that have seen my blog know that I love to write. But, I have this deep need somehow inside of me for others that read my writing to enjoy it. I don't generally write on light topics but yet, I still try to tickle the mind a bit in my writings. So, I will mull on a topic until I feel ready to write. Tonight, I'm not ready but what I have inside of me can't wait. My prayer is that I will be able to pull it all together and make sense of what is boiling inside of me.

I read some quotes this morning written by a doctor I know. They were excellent quotes portraying Christian principles yet, he is not a Christian. One of the things he talked about was the power within ones mind to heal and he stated that anger and bitterness cause "dis-ease" and therefore disease within the body. I found myself agreeing with him, knowing that is a biblical principle (Proverbs 14:30 "The life of the body is a heart at peace, but envy rots the bones.") and yet, somehow feeling sad because I realized how difficult it would be for this man to come to Jesus.

These thoughts were followed by thoughts on the book, "The Secret".... this book has become so popular and although a secular book, teaches Christian principles. I have seen it touted even in Christian circles and as I thought on it this morning, my heart was grieved. Grieved for the non-believers that figure out the principles in life that bring health and healing knowing that it will drive them farther from the Father and grieved for the Christians alike. You may wonder why it would worry me for Christians to learn Christian principles and I will tell you.... First, they are Christian principles but many Christians that have not searched the scriptures will not recognize them as such. Second, learning the principles this way circumvents the process that would normally bring one to these realizations.

The path to living an abundant life is a path of growth as we learn more about the character of Jesus and God the Father. We grow closer to Him as we learn His word and apply it precept upon precept in our lives. Mark 13:22 talks about the end times and states, "For false Christs and false prophets shall rise, and shall shew signs and wonders, to seduce, if it were possible, even the elect." I believe we are being seduced into an abundant life that is a perversion of what God truly has for us. Satan is sly.... we have to take notice and carefully examine what we put before our eyes. The enemy is working hard to deceive us. 2 Corinthians 11:3 says, "But I am afraid that, as the serpent in his craftiness deceived Eve, so your minds may be led astray from their single-heartedness and their fidelity to Christ." My fear is that I am watching this happen. Jesus came and died that we might have life and have it more abundantly, He has offered us healing, deliverance, provision, love, peace but, there is no short cut. We gain these things through relationship with the one who created us to be in communion with Him.

P.S. Pastor Rob Hastings reminded me of this passage in 2 Timothy 3:1- "But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God-- having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with them."

This is most definitely a form of godliness but denying its power. What a strong admonition. We need to take heed.

The Tired Perspective

I had a friend ask me the other day, "do you ever just get tired?" Of course the answer is yes. I do get tired.. in fact, I spent too much of my life tired. Now I have a different perspective and have left the tired perspective behind. Not that it doesn't try to creep in fairly often but I refuse to let it, instead casting my cares on Him and trusting in His promise to give me rest. Knowing that God is no respecter of persons (in other words what He has done for one, He will do for another according to Acts 10:34) I see many verses promising rest.

Matthew 11:28 "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest."
Isaiah 14:3 "And it shall come to pass in the day that the LORD shall give you rest from your sorrow, and from your fear, and from the hard bondage wherein you were made to serve."
Exodus 33:14 "And he said, My presence shall attend thee, and I will give thee rest."
Joshua 1:13 "Remember the command that Moses the servant of the LORD gave you: 'The LORD your God is giving you rest and has granted you this land."

I have had a large number of trials in this life, some that I created through my own bad decisions and some that were foist upon me by other evil people. I started life with faith but somewhere along the way I began asking, "why me?" "Why me God? Why do I have to suffer?" I resented the hurt and the pain and wondered why God would allow such a thing to happen to me. I found myself tired and blaming my tiredness on my Lord. Here is where the tired perspective comes in.... the tired perspective says, "I hurt, God allowed it to happen and therefore I am tired and angry with God."

I am going to present to you a new perspective...I know without a shadow of a doubt that I have a calling on my life to serve the Lord... that makes me a huge threat to the enemy's kingdom. I know that as such a threat the enemy works that much harder to discourage me. The more he attacks me, the more convinced I become that I have the potential to be great in the kingdom of God. I am not bragging in any way because I have made so many mistakes in my life that I am humbled and so very grateful any time God chooses to use me to touch another.

So, what does this little change in perspective accomplish? Look closely at the shift... instead of saying "why me" and feeling beaten and run down I can now say, thank you Jesus for choosing me. Knowing that I am that big of a threat to satan and his minions empowers me. Instead of wearing me down now I have grown stronger.

I am tired of the tired perspective. It's long past time to shift our perspectives.... to recognize the call on your life, to recognize the greatness within you, to recognize that you are being buffeted by the enemy but you have been promised victory!

If you don't believe me, just look at the evidence below!

Psalms 108:13 "With God we will gain the victory, and he will trample down our enemies."
Proverbs 2:7 "He holds victory in store for the upright, he is a shield to those whose walk is blameless"
Psalms 44:7 "but you give us victory over our enemies, you put our adversaries to shame."
1 John 5:4 "for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith."

You will overcome, God has destined you for greatness, God has a call on your life. Go after it, live in victory, rise up in strength as you change your perspective. You can do it. I believe in you.

Psalms 18:35 "You give me your shield of victory, and your right hand sustains me; you stoop down to make me great."

Gifts

When it comes to my children, I would love to be able to give them the world. It actually hurts my heart when they are in need of something and I cannot help them with it or provide it for them. It is like a heavy weight on my chest. On birthday's and holidays I dream so much bigger than what I can actually afford and I find myself wistfully thinking of what I would buy "if only"..... I have never been a materialistic person in any way but the one thing I would like to be able to afford.... to help my children when they are in need. (Okay.... that and good sheets because there is nothing like a bed made with good sheets after a long day!)

The Bible speaks of "our father". Galatians 4:6 says, "Because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, "Abba, Father." If God is our father, I must assume that He feels as strongly about me as His child as I do toward my earthly children. He must long to give me the world.

Matthew 7:11 says, "If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!" Wait a minute..... if I want to give my children the world and I am just an evil old sinner..... this says that God wants to give me even more!! The difference though, is not only in the amount of what He wishes to bestow upon me but in that.... He has already done it.

He died to give me dominion and authority over the earth, He lives to give me victory, He has given me healing, power, grace, mercy, forgiveness, love.... and yet, many times I have not taken it. If it hurts me to not be able to provide for my children, how much more must it hurt our heavenly Father when He offers gifts that we refuse to take and He looks down to see us struggling in lack?

Reach out and take the gifts He has given you.

My Shopping List

I keep a shopping list with the intent of writing things down as I notice that we are running low or as I use the last of something. The idea is that the house never runs out of the things we find necessary such as dish soap, laundry detergent, toilet paper, etc. And really.... it's a great plan.

I bought the kind of shopping list with a magnet attached to the back so that I could put it on my refrigerator (somewhere I go far too often) knowing that seeing it would jog my memory and motivate me to write things down. The pad is even a special shape.... not just any ordinary lined paper but this shopping list pad is long, narrow, lined sheets.... perfect for making a list. I even attached a pen to the list so I would never have to look for one. Any time I needed it... it was right there.

My house is two stories high with one bedroom and one bath on the first floor and my children's bedrooms and bath on the second. Why this is significant is because I rarely use their restroom. They are old enough to be responsible for themselves so, I expect them to let me know when their restroom is out of shampoo, toothpaste, toilet paper, etc. Yet, often I find my things gone out of my restroom because they have let theirs run out and not bothered to tell me until it was too late.

When this happens I find myself snapping at them, "why didn't you tell me you were running low?" But, in all honesty, they are no different from me. Here I am with my AESLS (Advanced Executive Shopping List System) and yet.... I run out of things often. I grow accustomed to seeing my list and it no longer motivates me to write things down, sometimes the pen doesn't want to work using it at that angle, etc. I am lazy about it until I am left without at which point I become annoyed with myself at my laziness.

I am the exact same way when it comes to my spiritual life. When my spiritual pantry is full, I become lazy and apathetic. It doesn't seem so bad to run out of just one little thing....when I have so much else. Spiritual laziness carries a much higher price - after all, see Revelation 3:15&16 "I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm--neither hot nor cold--I am about to spit you out of my mouth."

I can just see God in heaven watching as my resources of hope, love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness (fruit of the Spirit according to Galatians 5:23) and self-control begin to run low having a reaction much the same as mine toward my children when I, in exasperation ask, "why didn't you tell me?" We need to tell God what we have need of - just like the blind man in Mark 10:51. Jesus knew he was blind and I am sure He could have assumed that he wanted to see but, He asked him, "what do you want?" and the blind man answered, "Rabbi, I want to see."

Let's just look at a few verses together.

Philippians 4:6 "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God."

John 16:24 "Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete."

Matthew 7:7-11 ""Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened. "Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!"

It's time to keep up on our spiritual shopping list. Time to take inventory and make God aware of what we are running low on. Really, there is never any excuses for running out of any resource when God is just waiting for us to ask.

Hope Like a Child....

Remember those days as a child when you knew exactly what you wanted out of life? I often think back to when my daughter Keeley was little and she loved the color pink. She would tell people, "when I grow up, I am going to be a doctor and I am going to get married to a pink husband and live in a pink house with pink grass." When Drew was little he insisted on being called "Farmer Drool" and he used to tell people that he was going to live in a house that looked like a big red barn that had 37 bedrooms and he was going to have 14 wives and 117 children! Some pretty specific hopes.

The Bible says we are to become as little children. I think the lesson here is to know what you want and what you hope for. We lose ourselves through the pressures of life and we forget what it is we really want or we figure we can't have it anyway so, settle for a plan B, C, D or even F. I know I need more money but I don't know how much, I know I need a new car but I don't know what kind exactly. When I was a kid I could have told you make, model, year and color.

Faith is the substance of things hoped for..... faith brings into being the things we hope for but if our hope is not specific then is it really hope at all? How can you have faith for something vague and nebulous?

Make your list.... what is it that you are believing God for? Imagine yourself with it, see yourself with what you hope for.......hope, after all, is the first step.

Resisting the Devil

In Christian circles you often hear people quote James 4:7 "So place yourselves under God's authority. Resist the devil, and he will run away from you." It's a pretty awesome promise yet, why is it that it seems like he is always there niggling away at Christians instead of running away like the word says? Is there some kind of trick that makes it work?

I believe that where the problem lies is in resisting too late. Just like a weed growing in a garden.... when you pluck out the seedlings.... it's easy.... if you let the weed grow..... the bigger it gets.... the harder it is to pull. We spend our time resisting a headache when we have a brain tumor... we come against the symptom, rather than the root of the problem. The second issue is we stand against the devil without our armor and he comes prepared with his arsenal.

So, let's defeat the devil! Let's walk together through this process....

First, put on the whole armor of God. Don't think you are going to resist the devil without your armor.... you are setting yourself up for defeat. We find how to put on the whole armor of God in Epehesians 6:11-19 "Take up God's instruments of war, so that you may be able to keep your position against all the deceits of the Evil One. For our fight is not against flesh and blood, but against authorities and powers, against the world-rulers of this dark night, against the spirits of evil in the heavens. For this reason take up all the arms of God, so that you may be able to be strong in the evil day, and, having done all, to keep your place. Take your place, then, having your body clothed with the true word, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness; Be ready with the good news of peace as shoes on your feet; And most of all, using faith as a cover to keep off all the flaming arrows of the Evil One. And take salvation for your head-dress and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: With prayers and deep desires, making requests at all times in the Spirit, and keeping watch, with strong purpose, in prayer for all the saints"

Putting on part of the armor of God won't do... you must put on the whole armor. I could go on about how to saturate yourself in the Word, walk in righteousness, etc. But, in simple terms, putting on the whole armor of God is putting on God - period. Cover yourself in God. Fill your mind with God, speak the Word of God, listen to only those things that build up your spirit and give glory to God, look at only those things that build you up, etc. Immerse yourself in God and you have put on the whole armor of God. And by doing this you will be complying with Ephesians 4:27 which tells us to "never give the devil a foothold."

Second, be ever watchful. 1 Peter 5:8 tells us, "Keep your mind clear, and be alert. Your opponent the devil is prowling around like a roaring lion as he looks for someone to devour." We are commanded all through scriptures to be on guard. Mark 13:9 tells us to be on guard. We are told to guard ourselves from false teachings and Godless chatter in 1 Timothy 6:2. Proverbs 4:23 tells us we must guard our hearts. And I just love Nahum 2:1, "The one who will scatter you is coming to attack you. Guard your fortress! Keep a lookout on the road! Prepare for battle! Be very courageous!"

It is not often in battle that the opponent comes right up to you and presents you with the opportunity to steal yourself. In warfare, the attacks that do the most damage are the sneak attacks, those that the opponent is unprepared for. The devil will come against you subtlely tempting you in the little things, planting seeds of the weeds of sin. A simple thought that you let sneak in, a careless word, misplaced anger. As you stand on guard, it is the little things that sneak their way inside your armor that prepare the way for defeat.

Third, have faith. 1 Corinthians 16:13 says, "Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be men of courage; be strong." How do we stand firm in the faith? We build our faith through hearing the Word of God and we hear it by confessing it. Romans 10:17 "So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God." Speak the word, speak the word, speak the word. And this brings us full circle back to putting on the whole armor of God.