Death changes things…

May21

My best friend, who I was looking to several more years of camaraderie with, has passed away. Her death causes me to be reflective. Our friendship was of the rarest kind. It was not of this world, for it was based, grounded, and gifted by God. We had one of those iron sharpening iron unions. When God needed to make a point with us, He often would give it to the one to share with the other. I told her often, “I don’t know what I’d do without you.” Well, now I’m having to find that out. 

What am I finding out? I’m finding out death and change are companion forces. Death demands change. I’m finding out this harsh change can be used in one of two ways. It can produce a resolve to willingly reflect upon the changes I need to face up to in my own life or it can be used to create a numbness to the need for change in my life.

My best friend’s death has thrust me onto an undesirable path. A path without her companionship. Many of those she loved are finding themselves on a similar path. One without her countless physical acts of loving care. A path without the benefit of her voice reminding them of God’s love and calling on their lives. 

May we allow the memory of the words God spoken to us during her time with us to produce the changes that remain to be made in our lives. May we allow God’s pure voice to rise above all the cacophony of voices pulling us to focus only on ourselves. Voices that would cloud our memories of the truths she shared with us.

May we cooperate with God in examining those changes still needing to be made and from this point forward display actions and attitudes that truly honor Him and the prayers of the one who loved us so much. And by the way, bring us to our senses and escape the devil’s trap having been captured by him to do his will.

She’s gone on ahead…

May16

My best friend has gone on before me.

And I’m left behind

What do I do now when

I need her to pray for me

Or I just need to talk!

She helped keep my emotional balance

When life shifted & became upended

It worked both ways for us

For I lifted her up in my turn

Iron sharpening iron

We had that in each other

And in her final moments, I was prevented from sharing them with her

An event she look most forward to never happened

So we both were denied at the end

We shared similar dreams

We constantly found ourselves experiencing similar problems

As we helped guide each other through them

Our 20 plus years of friendship has been abruptly halted

Focusing on what I’ve lost is the tempter’s plan

I’ll not give in to that darkness

The things I don’t understand will just have to be filed away

To wait for a future revelation

In the meantime, I will grasp hold of God’s promises

He will never leave me or forsake me

He will work all things together for my good

He will be my strength at my weakest of times

He will give me reasons to continue moving forward

One day or moment at a time

The Realities of this season…

May11

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Growing old wasn’t so hard when I was in my 50’s and 60’s. Yet now that I’m in my 70’s, it’s as they say, “A whole new ball game!” The rules are different along with the conditions. The 70’s are proving to far more challenging. Last November my mother passed away at 100. For the first time in my life, I was forced to walk the path of my life without her presence. Without her input, without her support, without her assistance. That’s left a lot of empty spaces. It’s like entering a room where everything has changed but you still have to navigate a way through it, only without the familiar markers of the past.

The physical aches and pains of growing old are a cold reality in my 70’s. I can no longer skirt around the term ‘elderly.’ I am now one of those. And during the scope of the argument my body revolts at fully applying myself to the requirements of caring for and maintaining yard and home.

Now a new shadow has been cast upon the whole scene, as my best friend has fallen victim to cancer– she has been one of my most consistent reprieves to keep all this in balance. She always filled in the gap when three of my four children and their families moved out of state and one out of country. Taking in a movie, going for a bike ride, shopping therapy, doing lunch and even making road trips now and then provided the company I missed out on when my children moved away. Her godly counsel directed my thoughts towards an attitude that was more pleasing to God. Kept my mind directed towards pleasing God; not getting my own way or wallowing in self-pity.

The days ahead appear dark and lonely or so that is what the enemy would have me believe. My challenge at present is to pick up the weapons God has given me to thwart the enemy’s plan.



Ecclesiastes 3:1, ASV, For everything there is a season, and a time for every purpose under heaven:

Isaiah 46:4, NLV, Even when you are old I will be the same. And even when your hair  turns white, I will help you. I will take care of what I have made. I will carry you, and will save you.

Ruth 4:15, NIV, He will renew your life and sustain you in your old age

2 Cor. 4:16, NKJV, Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day.



The less we know, the more easily we can be deceived!

May1

We use God’s mighty weapons, not worldly weapons, to knock down the strongholds of human reasoning and to destroy false arguments

2 Corinthians 10:4-5 NLT

As we learn more about Christ, through Bible study and prayer, we will gain wisdom and understanding for accessing God’s power to attack the fiery darts that have gotten us off course and confused our thinking concerning what God desired to teach us…

p. 92, 3rd Ed Fiery Darts: Satan’s Weapon of Choice

Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

Romans 12:2 NI

Those who don’t read and study their Bibles consistently are the easiest to deceive by those who misuse it.

Melissa Dougherty https://www.melissadougherty.co

The Lingering Memory of Eden!

Mar21

Genesis 1:29-31, The Message

29-30 Then God said, “I’ve given you
    every sort of seed-bearing plant on Earth
And every kind of fruit-bearing tree,
    given them to you for food.
To all animals and all birds,
    everything that moves and breathes,
I give whatever grows out of the ground for food.”
    And there it was.31 God looked over everything he had made;
    it was so good, so very good!
It was evening, it was morning—
Day Six.

Ever been wound up so tight you thought you would explode? Or felt so down that lifting our eyes or thoughts upward was an impossible task?

Life at times can become so complicated and take on such a heaviness that there seems no solution within our realm of existence.  Ever noticed that on such occasions, something deep within us begins to stir a longing for the pureness of the simple and quiet. And without realizing it a silent yearning draws us to remove ourselves from within the closure of a building and escape to the out of doors.

Then as we walk, taking slow deep breaths, focusing on the surrounding scenery, keeping a steady calm pace, something almost magical begins to happen. Nature’s simple remedy of the quietness of a velvety breeze, the uplifting music of the birds, invisibly begins to ministers to our spirits and physical wellbeing. The anger, fear, and/or stress we might have been wrestling with slowly subsides. Our heart rate slows down, our blood pressure returns to normal, the tension in our muscles relaxes. 

Intrusive thoughts no longer find a welcoming place to land. Instead, they are replaced with thoughts of peace and calmness. Our minds begin to think with more clarity. The sky, the trees, the birds, the landscape acts like a filter, allowing only positive, productive thinking to occur. 

No matter where we find our solace, in the mountains or at the beach, our thoughts are drawn to the Creator of such exquisite beauty and indescribable power. Even when a storm arises, we rest secure in the power of God. It’s this balance of peace and power within nature that inspires us to seek such balance in our own lives. 

The massiveness of the mountains finds us unable to find words to describe them. The soft and varied colors of a rainbow remind us of God’s promises. The blended shades of sunset calms us and the glory of a sunrise energizes us. The constant pulse of the ocean washing in upon the beach resets our inner pace realigning it as God intended.

I wonder if this mystical effect nature has on humankind is not but the leftovers of Eden’s magic lingering still within our minds.  

Our perspective on life reveals?

Mar3

Perspective

For the last few days, it seems that my Bible study time and my devotional time have been drawing my attention to a common theme: the denial of Self!

Back a few weeks ago, I began in earnest to seek God’s wisdom concerning the difficulties I was facing. It’s beginning to dawn upon me that my perspective toward those difficulties are skewed towards self. My inner thoughts reflected the struggle within of who I was going to please, my old Self (the person I was before Christ) or my new Self (the person I was after accepting Christ). The following verse was highlighted in both my study and devotional time.

Then He said to them all, “If anyone wants to come with me, he must deny himself, take up his cross daily, and follow Me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life because of Me will save it. Matthew 16:24-25

We all endure hard times. There’s no escaping them. But God has a plan regarding those hard times! So does Satan! But allow me to preface this claim by saying, “If you don’t believe in the existence of God and Satan, you will drown in a sea of uncertainty. Life and the hard times that go along with it, will serve no purpose. The only certain claim is that we will ALL face death someday! What then?”

Recently my mother in law broke free of the bonds that tied her to this earth. She had lived a good life, full of the joys of serving God. However, she endured trying times, far more than most. Yet, she would be the first to say she had a joyful life. So what was joyful about her very difficult life? Way back toward the early part of her life, when it was likely at it hardest, she claimed the promise of God on how to save her life! She learned the secret of what it meant to take up her cross daily and follow Christ. 

So what does it mean to take up our cross daily?

After we give our life to Christ, it is His life, by the power of His spirit that takes up residence in our being. But the conflict is that our new spirit, (given to us at salvation, who seeks to please Christ) must share space with our old spirit (given to us at birth, who seeks to please Self). The clash between the two is real. Therefore it is imperative that we have a solid grasp of the truth of the following verse:

15 He died for everyone so that those who receive his new life will no longer live for themselves. Instead, they will live for Christ, who died and was raised for them. 2 Corinthians 5:15 NLT

That is the crux of the matter. It’s all about choosing who to please: God or Self. Until we are willing to receive the new life ruled by Christ in exchange for the old life ruled by Self, we can’t really understand the point Matthew 16:24-25 is making. How do we save our lives by loosing our lives?

It’s quite simple actually. If we can’t turn loose of the life that Self dictates, (you know, doing what we want to do even if it requires being disobedient to God and all the turmoil that goes along with such a choice) then we will not be able to experience the life Christ died to give us. (You know, a life that is reflected in Philippines 4:6-7, Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.)

Therefore, we can choose to allow Christ to guide our choices. The outcome of such a choice is a life built on a strong foundation.

Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25 And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. Matthew 7:24-26

Or we can choose to allow Self to dictate our choices. The outcome of such a choice is a life built on a weak and unstable foundation.

And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it. Matthew 7:26-27

What does our foundation look like? Have we been seeking to please Self or have we been seeking to please God? The question is answered by the perspective we assume when making our daily choices.

The IF game…

Feb10

Going through a trying time? Not sure where things will lead? Anticipating a variety of outcomes, none of which sets well?

All of us, sooner or later, will find ourselves facing trying times. And the added downer is that trying times are repetitive. (They come and go, then come and go again) During such times decisions must be made and we don’t always have the clarity we feel we need. We find ourselves worrying about what is next. Thoughts of possible troubling outcomes rise up in our thoughts. So we resort to wording our prayers to persuade God to suit our desires for the outcome.

When trying times hit us our human nature insists on knowing how this all will play out. Thus the game board is set in place to play the ‘IF’ game. And as is predictable with human nature, our thoughts move to the negative. As a result, the processing of these negative outcomes puts us in a quandary.

Over the last several years of trying times and even more recently, I have become very familiar with the temptation to try and second guess God? (As if that was even possible!) Here’s how the temptation typically plays out.

A problem takes center stage. We enact auto pilot and react. Then as things progress, we scramble to figure out where to land. And the ‘IF’ game begins. Every card we play presents a negative scenario. It’s a loose/loose situation; it seems!

As a result, I’ve come to recognize the “If” game is a tool of the enemy to create hopelessness and despondency. The enemy is relentless and it’s a strenuous struggle to not give over any ground to him. My only reliable defense is to call upon God. Depending upon the severity of the struggle, it may need to be a day by day exercise. (hour by hour in some cases) I sense that God’s will not my will should be the intent of my prayers. Therefore the following has become my plan of action:

Reject this game and replace it with God’s truth.

God is going to do what God is going to do. Therefore, I must submit to whatever His will is in this matter. Even though I may not know exactly what that is, I do know that I can trust God to work it out for the good.

Therefore I am faced with a choice.

I can play the “If” game and reap the consequences

OR

I can choose to adapt God’s way of thinking and reap the rewards:

“Don’t worry about anything, but in everything, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses every thought, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.” HCSB Philippines 4:6-7

I choose the reward of peace!

What’s being hidden?

Jan29

Oh my goodness, what a question! The paradox here is that so much is being hidden we can’t even recognize what it is that is being concealed!

But we have to start somewhere so let’s start with a clue from the world of literature. Every epic saga contains a protagonist and an antagonist. The antagonist, who is clever, deceitful, manipulative, and enticing is typically engaged in battle against the protagonist. After many failed attempts at directly assaulting the protagonist, the antagonist will modify his methods. If he can’t hurt the protagonist, then he will hurt those who the protagonist loves.

Well, my dear readers, this is the point at which we can begin our investigation in exposing what is being hidden. For the book that exposes this epic saga is the Bible. In the Bible the epic battle between good and evil or God, the protagonist, and Satan, the antagonist, is disclosed. Stands to reason then Satan’s first plan of attack would be to conceal the truths of Scripture. Why?

The further removed humanity is from God and His plans for them, the more room Satan has to work. By being unaware of the Truth revealed in the Bible, mankind will discard the existence of God. Therefore, when belief in God is discarded, who’s going to believe in the existence of Satan?

Deception and manipulation are his primary tools to destroy individuals and thus in turn hurt God. For mankind is not Satan’s main target. God is! He hurts God by hiding the Truth from individuals and making them unaware of what is Truth.

So what about those who have been somewhat exposed to the Truths in the Bible? What is Satan’s line of attack with them? Keep them confused about who God, Jesus, Jesus’s death on the cross to pay for our sins, and the Holy Spirit is. All is hidden, if Satan can distance us from God’s word.

So what does Satan want to hide from those of us who are believers?

Well, mainly the Truth contained in the Bible. For the more familiar we are with God’s Truth, the less likely Satan will be able to hide Truth. And as believers, who have had the Truth unveiled, we understand that the more time we spend in God’s word and in prayer, the stronger we will become. We will gain insight into what is a lie and what is Truth. We will know the Truth and Satan’s attempts to hide it from us will utterly fail.