July 9, 2010 Trusting God In Someone Else's Ship

Have you ever felt frustrated when you feel the person in charge is making a serious mistake?  I have.  I've been a "voyager in someone else's ship" most of my life-- as a child dependent on parents in a troubled marriage, as a teenager in a ultra-restrictive boarding school, as a college student on scholarships trying to please a demanding professor, as a young new-Christian wife struggling to submit to her less-than-wise husband, as an employee attempting to do good work under a corrupt boss, and even as a church member trying her best to follow a confused pastor.  I'm sure there are as many tales like this as there are people.  The challenge is to stay true to our faith and keep our trust in the Lord.

Once we come of age, we often have choices about what we will do about a "captain" who is sailing off into a seemingly life-threatening storm.  I've had to make some difficult decisions, but the Lord was always with me through it all.  The Apostle Paul had a word from God to keep him staying on with a ship that was sure to sink. That takes some strong faith!  Sometimes marriage feels like a sinking ship, and if you're a wife, you may feel like jumping!  (Fortunately, we're not prisoners as Paul was, although it may feel like it sometimes.  Reminding ourselves of our desire to make the commitment can help us weather the storm.) Guys have a different problem: they are the ones who have to decide where to take that ship.  I'm glad I don't have to take the helm!  However, sometimes we have to say what we see, whether it's believed or not.  Paul did.  Then he just had to hold on to his vision and trust in God for the outcome.  I have to wonder what was going on in Dr. Luke's mind during all this, since he was on the ship too!

Prayer is always the first action we should take-- it should be automatic.  That's when we get our directions, and peace.  So often, things just seem to straighten themselves out when we pray.  Staying in the Word, too, keeps our eyes focused on the Lord:  isn't He really the Captain of our life anyway?  He knows exactly what's going on, and He's committed to our well-being.  He is the manager of our trials.  Even though being under the leadership of, or even being dependent on, another human being is probably one of the most difficult trials we undergo, we can be assured that the Lord is still watching over us for our benefit-- and for the other person's as well.

There are times we feel we must confront.  Emotional pleas just do not work!  I've tried it many times, and I simply give up.  My overwrought emotional state doesn't convince anyone of my ability to think clearly!  I will not be listened to, no matter how right I am.  Getting my focus on the Lord and seeking Him for peace is top priority.  Then, I may be heard by the "captain" if I present the information I have with calm and clarity.  It's up to him, then, to decide what to do with my intelligence (it's called intelligence for a reason-- you'd better know what you're talking about if you want to be listened to).  I must maintain in faith.

Even if you end up having to go through a shipwreck, know this: God is able to preserve you.  His ways are always redemptive, never forget.  He may be working with the "captain" of the ship you're in, to bring some level of change or repentance or growth; but even if it's mostly about them, guess what?  God's going to bring you to another level of faith, trust, backbone, maturity-- whatever it is you need to grow in.  He uses all things for our good, even shipwrecks.

July 2, 2010 Life in the Strong Tower

Did you feel the refreshment in the Psalm today?  After such dark histories of human failings and selfishness, idol worship, the shedding of innocent blood, the uproar of a sea of humanity fighting against God-- we're thrilled by the pure, brilliant excellence of a simple call to praise God instead of rail against Him!  This is the atmosphere of heaven, which we can bring to earth through our faith: by words, songs, actions, attitudes.  Light and life overcome darkness and death.  They are in God.

"The name of the LORD is a strong tower; The righteous run to it and are safe." Proverbs 18:10  I've always loved this verse, and I like how it dovetails with the meaning of the Psalm.  Since the name stands for His character, nature and authority, a great way to "run into" the name of God is to meditate on His goodness and His mighty acts, and to speak, sing or shout them out in praise and thanksgiving.  This praise brings us into a strong tower of His presence--an awareness of who He is and that He is there all around us.  It brings us into the place of remembering to love and trust Him, and in this place of remembrance, we enter into a deep place of worship.  It is here we know that there is no place like God.  Here we are safe.  What evil could ever harm us in heaven?

Once we discover that we may live in this tower always-- we never have to leave it, that it goes with us everywhere when we are in communion with God-- we gain the courage to live a meaningful and selfless life. 

June 28, 2010 A Choice of Princes

Don't you just love the Psalm today? I suppose I could say that about all Scripture verses, since they're all from the Lord.  This one spoke to me particularly about something that's been on my mind a great deal lately.

"Do not put your trust in princes, nor in a son of man, in whom there is no help." Psalm 146: 3  I can say "Amen" to this, because, well. . .how many times have I done this myself, only to be disappointed?  We're going to get disappointed if we look to a person to be our savior,deliverer, provider. . .etc.

In my personal life, I still struggle sometimes to put my full trust in God.  I have to trust God when my husband faces difficulties.  I've had to trust God many times when things seemed impossible, and God, not man, has come through.  God has not changed, only circumstances.  Still, we get stretched, and our faith and hope get stronger.  God still uses my husband to provide for me, but without God's help, he wouldn't be able to do it.  He'd be the first to say so.

In the wider scope of things, I am challenged daily to again put my full trust in God.  I see disasters around the world-- many man-made-- and the problems appear to be so insurmountable that I thank the Lord I am not a world leader.  Mankind seems to be making things worse the more we try to fix things.  When will we decide we can't do it ourselves and turn to God?  I pray for the governments to have the wisdom to solve these things.  But more and more, I pray for the return of Christ to rule and make things right.  We are instructed to do this, and we all need to be in agreement:  "Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done on Earth, as it is in Heaven."

While we still have a voice in this nation--  a democracy that gives us the right to think, choose and vote-- we must seek God's will and choose our government accordingly.  God has given a great privilege!  We have the government we choose.  This means that we have the possibility of choosing the Kingdom of God even now!  Why would we turn this down? 

It is not man we are to look to for leadership, even though God often works through human instruments.  Christ Jesus is the Prince of Peace, and He is willing to have the government laid upon His shoulders.  He will raise up a government that is able to lead in wisdom and righteousness, if only we will turn back to Christ and look to Him as our true Prince.  When we don't look to Christ to lead us into the truth, what we end up with, instead, is lies and destruction.  There is no philosophy or political agenda, no man or government that can accomplish God's will without submitting to God.  No matter how good it looks, a counterfeit will always disappoint.  Let's not choose the wrong prince!


5 Happy is he who has the God of Jacob for his help,
Whose hope is in the LORD his God,
6 Who made heaven and earth,
The sea, and all that is in them;
Who keeps truth forever,
7 Who executes justice for the oppressed,
Who gives food to the hungry.
The LORD gives freedom to the prisoners.

8 The LORD opens the eyes of the blind;
The LORD raises those who are bowed down;
The LORD loves the righteous.
9 The LORD watches over the strangers;
He relieves the fatherless and widow;
But the way of the wicked He turns upside down.

10 The LORD shall reign forever—
Your God, O Zion, to all generations.
Praise the LORD!
[NKJV]

June 16, 2010 Politics, Prophets and Provision

It's troubling to me to read about the dreadful split between Judah and Israel, and of the horrendous works of the evil kings.  It makes me sad to realize it was all due to Solomon's wandering heart and idolatry later in his life.  With all his wisdom, he should have known better.  It just goes to show that "you can fall from any level," as Rick Joyner said in The Final Quest.  How serious we need to be in maintaining the fear of the Lord, and a pure love for Him and His Word!

All the turmoil of those Old Testament days reminds me of modern times, even of American politics.  If you look just under the surface of current events, you will see the seeds of civil war.  The trouble is, so many of the issues are spiritual, just as they were back in Ahab's day.  God's people today seem to have just as much trouble in dealing with ungodliness in society and government as they did in Bible times.   Why is that, I wonder?  Do you think, perhaps, that most of us are just too concerned with trying to survive to do anything to confront the evils that are trying to gain power over us, individually and as a nation?  [and I'm not talking about "rebellion," I'm talking about submitting to God and following Him.]

In order to be free from evil domination, we will have to be willing to see what is really happening around us and to us.  We will have to be willing to see evil, not close our eyes to it.  Seeing it and liking it, or just going along with it (as well as simply closing our eyes to it), is what leads us into slavery.  Seeing it and hating it is the beginning of getting free. 

God expects us to love what He loves and hate what He hates.  This, of course, must be established in our own personal life, but after that, what?  I would say, no matter what, start with prayer.  Prayer is the launch pad.  None of us will know what He is doing, or what we ourselves are to do, without seeking the Lord in prayer.  If you don't really trust God, now's the time to dig down into the Word and get your roots planted into Him.  Every time you obey Him, you get a little more rooted.  You're going to have to trust Him in order to stand godly in the evil day.

The truth is, while Christ's Kingdom is being established on earth, the worldly kingdoms are crumbling.  Can you feel the foundations being shaken?  Do you see the chaos beginning to take hold of the world's systems?  Of course, all those with worldly power, not to mention the evil spiritual entities that hold sway over the nations, are trying to tighten their grip.  Controls will strengthen, and when people rebel against control, flattery will try to win them-- but only so that even greater control can be exercised.  There's no getting away from this.  It's the times we're in!  That's why it's so important to see the Kingdom of God and go for it.  It's time to see what kingdoms are what, and choose. 

Whatever you're called to do in the Kingdom of God, God has provision for you.  It takes a lot of courage to take a stand for God in evil times, or even to support one who openly does.  But as Jesus said, Be not afraid!  We saw how the Lord provided for Elijah-- He sent ravens to feed him!  Then He asked a poor widow to care for him, and miraculously provided for her too.  Not only was there enough food for them, but there was also provision for healing (her son was raised).  Even if the Lord were to call for judgments (such as famine) against an idolatrous nation, His people will be provided for if they will trust Him and obey Him. 

As we read in the story of Peter and Cornelius, the Lord even has communications covered: prayer, the leading of the Holy Spirit, visions, and angelic visitations will keep God's people "in the know" and the Kingdom of God running according to His plan.  And remember how Stephen got transported by the Spirit, and he just found himself somewhere?  Who needs cars, planes, cell phones and the internet when you have such efficient modes of communication and travel?  We might as well get used to it-- we're called to live in a supernatural Kingdom!  It's not science fiction, it's real!  We'll see more and more of it as the return of the King draws nearer.

I know it's normal to say, "Well, I'm not Elijah!  Maybe that guy over there is!" but each of us has been given a place of authority in our life, whether large or small; and in this place of rule, we are each called to declare the Word of the Lord and to resist evil, no matter what the apparent cost.  We must trust the Lord to provide all that is needed, even when the world from which we have been gaining our support is falling down around our ears.

"And He commanded us to preach to the people, and to testify that it is He who was ordained by God to be Judge of the living and the dead." Acts 10:42

April 7, 2010

lack of faith (leads to)= anxious mind  (leads to) = idolatry
+repentance+
trusting God (leads to) = peace (leads to)= seeking the Kingdom

March 16, 2010

It isn't always our own wrongdoing or negative words that bring opposition to us.  Sometimes its persecution from an enemy!  How do we know the difference?  We have to keep on inquiring of the Lord.  If things are troubling us we need to go talk to the Lord about it.  By allowing God to examine us, we avoid self-justification and blame-shifting, as well as condemnation and false guilt.

David wrote in Psalm 59 "Even now they lie in wait for my life; the mighty stir up strife against me.  For no transgression or sin of mine, O Lord, for no fault of mine, they run and make ready." vs 3-4  All persecution arises from a real enemy who hates us: Satan.  It can either come through direct activity of evil spirits, through people who are influenced by them, or from a worldly system that is given over to Satan.  We should not blame everything that happens on the devil, for we can do a lot to ourselves through our choices, but we also should not ignore the fact that we have an aggressively evil foe.  What do we do about this foe?

Obviously, I'm not going to go into a major teaching in this devotional on how to deal with the devil .  But I will do what I've been doing all along, and that is, bring out what I see in the readings for the day.  Today, I saw a few things about this:

1) recognize and proclaim that Jesus came to deliver us; the Good News is that we have a Savior!  Luke 2: 10-11  (One of the things He came to save us from was Satan and his works: if this is something you don't understand yet, keep your eyes open for evidence of this as you continue reading this year.)
Follow David's example and
2) pray for deliverance and protection from your enemies (and like him, trust God and expect Him to do this). Psalm 59: 1-2
3) declare your faith and trust in God, and His goodness and faithfulness. vs 9-10
4) sing praises to God, remembering how He's protected you before.
5) trust in God's strength and not your own: "O my strength, I will watch for you; for you, O God, are my fortress." vs 9

The angel's message to the shepherds was "do not be afraid; for see-- I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people." Luke 2: 10  Praising God through declaration and singing reminds us of this good news.  Fear doesn't survive in an atmosphere of praise.  And if we've lost our joy, our peace will be the next to go.  Get your joy and your peace back by praising the Lord.  It's a great way to activate your shield of faith, and your spiritual enemy hates it and will run the other way!

March 12, 2010

Do you ever wake up in the morning with a sense of dread?  I do sometimes.  I learned a long time ago, from Joyce Meyer, that dread is just another form of fear.  Fear is a core issue in my life, as I am sure it is with many of you.  It stems from my temperament and from past experiences.  These, of course, are no excuse for allowing fear to torment me and hold me back.  Fear is an internal enemy, and it must be overcome.

The Psalmist had some fear to deal with as well.  In Psalm 55 you can see a progression of feelings:  troubled, distraught, anguished of heart, terrors of death, fear and trembling, overwhelming horror. vs. 1-5  At this point, he no longer has any fight in him, and just wants to flee.  I can totally relate to these things, having suffered for many years from chronic anxiety and panic disorder.  I could end up there again, but I have learned to deal with fear when it's still in its "dread" stage.  When I sense dread becoming a dark cloud in my life, I go to the Lord and ask Him to shed some light on its causes. 

Continuing in Psalm 55, David lists some causes for the fear he is experiencing.  We all have different things we fear-- things we're dealing with internally and externally.  It's good to face the things we fear, and to face the fact that we're fearful, but the cause is not really the issue.  The cure is what matters.

"But I call upon God, and the Lord will save me. . . cast your burden on the Lord, and He will sustain you. . . I will trust in [God]." vs 16, 22

Dread can lead to avoidance of the very things we love and need the most, and doing that can easily lead to depression.  If for some reason you begin to feel a dread of going to the Lord for help or just to be with Him, determine in yourself now that you will resist that dread with determination to overcome.  If we give in to dread on a regular basis, the subtle fear will eventually become an overwhelming phobia.  Satan would love for you to have a "God-phobia" so you would avoid Him at all costs.  This is not the holy "fear of the Lord," but a deadly deception.  Cry out to the Lord for help whenever you begin to feel dread concerning Him or His Word.

March 8, 2010

It seems I have to be reminded on a regular basis not to grumble and complain!  How many times have I read these scriptures and still forget?  It is so easy to get disgruntled when what I see for the future doesn't match up to what seems to be taking place in the present.  I tire of the suffering, or just the long waiting, and forget that through these things, Christ is preparing me for what is to come.

The Israelites grumbled at the Lord in the wilderness, lacking in faith.  Even Moses doubted God's ability to provide meat for more than 600,000 people!  God's answer:  "Is the Lord's hand too short? (Is His power limited?)."  God proved again that it was not, even though He had proven Himself many times over.

I learned from the lesson in Mark that Jesus already has a plan of provision for us-- even if we are only in the preparation stage-- and He will give us detailed intructions, if we will listen.  Wouldn't you agree that following His instructions would be good preparation?  "So the disciples set out and went to the city, and found everything as he had told them; and they prepared the Passover meal." Mark 14:16  He prepared them for preparation of a meal that would prepare them further for more preparation! 

Sometimes I get lost in the preparations, forgetting that there is a destination.  Or I get tired of the preparations and quit, despairing of ever getting to my goal.  If we quit, we'll never get there!  But if we'll remember that He Himself  is our true destination, we will keep our eyes on Him and abide in Him.  Thus we are already there and getting there all at once!

I believe that Mark also shows us a key for continuing in perseverance with faith, hope and love, instead of grumbling and complaining:  worship!  The woman with the alabaster jar of ointment is a wonderful example of what to do in a confusing time of preparation.  She obviously had an understanding of who Jesus was and what was going to happen.  She knew they were all going to go through an extremely trying time, and yet she gave sacrificially in an extravagant expression of heartfelt devotion, thanksgiving and trust for the future.  Jesus commended her for it with great enthusiasm, for it obviously pleased Him.

If the Israelites had remembered God's former deliverances and provisions rather than call to mind their former life and complain about the present, and if they had kept their eyes on "the prize"-- the Promised Land and the Giver of the Promise-- they would have remained in a place of thanksgiving and worship, trusting in the Lord and His goodness.  We have the same choices everyday, do we not?  I am reminded again to choose the attitudes and behaviors that please Him.

January 27, 2010

Jesus told us to be humble like a child: that is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. Matthew 18:4. Moses was humble, but he made God angry when he told God to "please send someone else," even after God said He's put the words in his mouth and had given him signs to show. Exodus 4:12-14 (I'm struck by how the Lord didn't recind the call, just made a provision for Moses' weakness.)

I've had the Lord tell me to do many things I just knew I couldn't do, and yet He was there helping me when I stepped out. Of course, there have been many, many times I didn't step out because of fear and unbelief.

Apparently, the greatest humility is to take God at His word and obey, no matter how crazy it seems, and no matter what anyone else thinks of you.

January 9, 2010

What I'm getting is "obedience". And the key to that seems to be truly knowing the Lord. "those who know your name put their trust in you" Psalm 9:10. Abraham knew that God would provide, he really knew God, so he obeyed. Matthew 7: 21 only the one who does the will of the Father will enter the kingdom. Because Abraham obeyed, all the nations of the earth are blessed. Because Jesus obeyed, I am saved. What will come of my obedience? What would be lost if I do not obey?