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Turn my eyes…Psalm 119:37

Jun17
Family of five sitting on a couch using various digital devices including smartphones, a tablet, and a handheld console

Turn my eyes
from looking at what is worthless;
give me life in Your ways. Psalm 119:37 HCSB

When my grans were younger I had the extreme pleasure of interacting with them often. Goodness that was fun. But I digress! I would remind them that I prayed for them whenever they came to my mind. Often, God would give me a verse that zeroed in on their needs. Praying for my own 4 (their parents, of course) gave me the foundation for how to pray. And as time refined my prayer effort, I learned that praying Scripture that applied to a need strengthened my prayers.

Psalm 119:37 addresses the need we have as parents and adults to deal with the digital crises of today. Why, most children today learned to tap a screen before they learned to read! Parents, unaware that they were loosing their own creative power to model desirable behavior, handed their toddlers a device to keep them occupied. Not only did the power to train their children toward good behavior suffer loss, their children became addicted to the pull of the digital screen. And guess what, those children are now adults and they are suffering from the same addiction.

I’m not blogging about something you are not aware of. But while we are beginning to sit up and take notice, what are we doing about it? Well, one thing we have got to grasp is the fact that too much screen time is a gateway to temptation. It’s kinda like opening Pandora’s box. For not just for children, but for adults as well.

But you know what? It’s not only digital screens that provide a gateway to temptation. What about the shows we watch on tv or movies or music videos? What about our reading material? And then again, while the danger may not be in what we are looking at necessarily, what about the time we spend looking at it? What about that inner voice that questions us about the time we are spending on screens?When we gain the momentum to turn away from the worthless distractions (just go ahead and label these fiery darts) of the enemy, we need the protective power of God’s wisdom to know what to turn to.

Christian parents and/or adults take heed. The Bible speaks to this directly. How are we going to be able to identify what is worthless? We start with anything that contradicts Scripture. Obviously, it’s up to us to become familiar enough with God’s word in order to recognize the contradictions. Then in identifying the contradictions we must be able to turn from them. Again, the wisdom and strength we need to pull this off is found in Scripture.

So if we desire a life shaped by the word of God for ourselves and our children, then we must be willing to turn from the worthless distractions fashioned by the enemy. The Bible will show us how!

Philippians 4:6-7, My take…

May6

When the apostle Paul wrote the letter to the Philippian Christians, he was in prison in Rome. And while in chains he is writing this letter of encouragement and joy to them. Seriously! How is it possible that Paul could avoid being anxious or not worry in such a setting? Paul gave the formula for how such a thing is accomplished. Pray! And not only pray but pray with an attitude of thanksgiving.

This verse gives us a lot to take in. Our sin nature balks when we are told not to worry. It’s quite difficult to face a challenging situation that any normal human being wouldn’t worry about. Oh, and may I remind you about the fiery darts. Worry or being anxious is definitely one of the enemy’s most often used weapons against us.

So don’t let worry or anxiety catch us off guard. Don’t for one minute believe the lie that we can’t help worrying. Therefore, in order to prevent being overwhelmed with worrisome thoughts, we need to shift our focus. And that’s where prayer comes in. Prayer must be our default response when the temptation to worry or become anxious assaults us. Two components of prayer in this verse are: the kind of prayer where we share our feelings about the situation with God, and petition is where we make specific requests concerning the situation.

In this verse we are advised to flavor all those prayers with an attitude of thanksgiving. Maybe I can describe how this works with a personal antidote. A reoccurring temptation to worry about my future often makes attempts to intrude my thought processes. But I know if I allow those thoughts to enter my head, they will take over. (FD’s 3rd edition, p66) Therefore, I immediately put a ‘Not welcomed” sign over the doorway of my mind when those fiery darts attempt entry. And I block those temptations with prayer.

In my time of prayer I not only cry out to God about my worries, but I frame them within an attitude of thanksgiving. I thank God that He is in control of my situation. That He is my refuge and strength which I can call upon. That in the midst of my circumstance God’s comforting presence is with me. Eventually, an unexplainable sense of peace will fill in the space left by the rejected worry.

So, we can worry thus invite an assortment of fiery darts. All fashioned to take up residence in our thoughts. Or we can choose to reject the enemy’s lies. And take a deep dive into the Scriptures for the mighty weapons of God that will expose the lies. These will be the Truth thoughts which will now rule our thinking. Thus, an unexplainable peace will settle over us like a calming breeze guarding our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.

Proverbs 2:6-12, My take…

Apr22
Old monk reading ancient book protected by magical shield from dark spirits

Prov. 2:6-12,(written by Solomon)

For the Lord gives wisdom; from His mouth come knowledge and understanding. He stores up success for the upright;He is a shield for those who live with integrity so that He may guard the paths of justice and protect the way of His loyal followers. Then you will understand righteousness, justice, and integrity—every good path.  For wisdom will enter your mind, and knowledge will delight your heart.  Discretion will watch over you, and understanding will guard you, rescuing you from the way of evil— (the protective power of wisdom) Prov. 2:6-12

I came upon this verse in search of a prayer that I could pray over my grandchildren. Some of them were embarking upon a journey into adulthood for the first time. They had proper training in their parent’s home. But now they were weighted with the responsibility of applying that training. And that, I knew would require wisdom beyond their years. So what would they do?

Would they turn their eyes from looking at (or ears from listening to) what was worthless as they had been trained? Or would they pick and choose those ideas promoted by a world view that contradicted their biblical training? There was visible evidence that both perspectives were being considered.

I had walked this treacherous path in my youth. Therefore, I was familiar with the pitfalls of human reasoning and false assumptions. The verses from 2 Corinthians 10:4-5 made it obvious as to what I was up against. Yet, upon venturing out into the world, my naivety blinded me. Naivety and immaturity. I lacked the protective power of wisdom.

Thankfully, God finally got my attention and turned me around. Just in time to prevent me from ruining my life by my own self-centeredness and self-serving ways. It started with a full surrender of my life to God. A full surrender to live my life and walk the path God had chosen for me. I began to simply “Follow His Lead.”

And with that surrendered will, I took to reading God’s word. With the Holy Spirit’s prompting, I changed the friend group I ran with. Focusing instead on surrounding myself with friends who would support my commitment to Christ. And graciously God provided those new friends. I read books that fed me spiritually. One such book was “The Saving Life of Christ” by Ian Thomas. (Published in the 1960’s. and is still in print.) With every plunge into God’s word and moments spent with God in prayer, wisdom entered my mind and knowledge delighted my heart.(just as Prov. 2:6-12 declared) At the time I didn’t recognize the protective power of wisdom. Yet, I benefited from God’s guardianship just the same.

It was the growth of knowledge and wisdom that enabled me to recognize those whose words and actions contradicted what God had been teaching me. It was only when I made choices which served my self-centeredness that I got off track. (and with my human propensity to sin the struggle to please myself over God was ever present.) Therefore, many foolish choices which would have led to harmful consequences in my life were avoided.

So the earlier the better our full surrender should be made. Which is why I fervently and consistently pray Proverbs 2:6-12 over my beloved grandchildren. Foolish choices made during this season of their lives could have serious and permanent consequences to their future. A future that needs an appreciation for the protective power of wisdom.

Add Distraction to the List

Mar25
Fix our eyes upon Jesus. Look neither to the right or left. Shut out the distractions. based on Hebrews 12:2

Think about it. What keeps us from spending time with God in prayer and His word? Most of the time, I daresay, it’s distractions. Often I have referred to the manipulation and deception of the fiery darts of the enemy. But in the last year, I have come to realize that loosing my focus can happen as a result of the fiery dart of distractions.

Lately, I am being made aware of how the enemy once again is using distractions to manipulate my focus. Our four children are scattered here and there, as well as their children (our grans). Two years ago, my best friend of twenty plus years passed away. Four years earlier my beloved mother transitioned to heaven, joining my father. Needless to say, the temptation to focus on my lack of contact with them is ever present.

Add to that at 77 years of age, I wonder just how much longer I have on this earth. That consumes a lot of my thoughts. Running out of time to make memories with those that I love. Running out of time to resolve conflicts. And quietness and an unbusy life is the fodder for self-pity. And I read the headlines and fear, coupled with the lack of interaction with my family, is a menu for despair. Oh I could go on and on!

The most effective weapon against such is the Bible. Yep, all that truth compressed within the pages of Scripture could and can tear down the walls of human reasoning and destroy false assumptions. By distracting us from spending time with God in His word and in prayer, we just aren’t informed. We aren’t aware of our weapons or how to use them.

These distractions divert our focus thus turning it inward. It takes a greater discipline to redirect our focus toward Christ and not ourselves. But we know that if we want to please God, then we had better learn how to reject the enemy’s device of distraction. Every time our focus turns inward, try quoting, “May this weapon formed against me not prevail.” That shifts our thought processes. We can now direct our focus to ponder Truth thoughts like, “All things work together for the good. For those who love God and are called according to His purpose.”

If my attention is manipulated by the enemy’s distractions then I will be blinded. What I will fail to see is that my husband and I have more time together. I have more time to spend quiet moments daily with God. His Word reminds me that He is in control and I need not fear. Yet, the enemy’s distractions will blind me to these Truths.

Blessings and Strength Dispensed by God’s Word

Feb11

In my previous post, I shared with my readers links to Verse by Verse International. In particular the study of the book of Revelation as taught by the late Stephen Armstrong. As I delve into this study once again, I am reminded of the blessings discovered there. I’d like to share a few of those.

Remember the reference I included about the blessings that were promised by God for those who took part in the book of Revelation? So, it’s some of those blessings I want to make mention of in this post.

In examining Revelation, one of its most outstanding aspects to me was God’s attention to details. Details that aren’t revealed by a casual reading. It is in the cross referencing verses from other sections of Scripture that shed light on what is contained in Revelation. Stephen Armstrong’s approach was simple but profound in its application. The imagery and symbols, throughout this book, are difficult to understand. However, according to S.A., “We never need to guess at the meaning of important symbols because the answers are in the Bible somewhere.” And you know what? He was right! In this study I was introduced to the Golden Rule of Interpretation, “…it says that when the plain sense of Scripture makes common sense, we seek no other sense.” In other words, there is no need speculate as to what the text might mean. So armed with these rules, I waded into the water.

Now back to the blessings. Recalling the impact my 2020 study had, I anticipated this refresher course would bring the same results. Therefore, the enemy’s plan to sidetrack my efforts were foiled. For I knew that God’s attention to detail was provided with the intention of helping me understand. Knowing God is in charge of my future, I have no reason to fear or worry. Not just for me but for anyone who is His child. For the Bible is rich in verses that assures us about such things. For instance, God promises us that he keeps His word to keep the covenant He made with us in our salvation.

Yet, I am a human being. And as long as I live on this earth my self-centered self-serving sin nature will be susceptible to temptation. The only way for it not to rule my thoughts and influence my attitudes, (therefore my actions) (FD, p.28) is to submit those thoughts to a force greater than myself. That force, of course, is the indwelling Spirit of Jesus Christ. But that spirit must be nurtured to grow in strength. I accomplish this by absorbing with consistency Truth thoughts from God’s word. The more I absorb the more my wisdom and strength increase.

This is the day the LORD has made…

Jan6
morning sun

Let us rejoice and be glad in it.

Whenever I hear this verse my mind flashes back to my Vacation Bible School days. That’s when I first remember memorizing Ps. 118:24. Even as a child my mind could grasp the idea that every day was a gift from God. The notion that a day was a divine gift, fostered gratitude and joy in my child sized heart.

And now, at 77 years of age, this verse resurfaces. However, it’s framed by a life that has traveled many miles. Lots of valleys but lots of mountain tops too. So it impacts me oh so differently now.

There are moments when the weight of present family trials pulls at my heart. Heaviness of heart sets in. The fiery darts of doubt, fear, self-pity, and judgement appear on the threshold of my mind like a stalking lion. Just waiting for the moment to pounce.

However, there is a sentinel at the threshold standing guard. In His possession are all the weapons I need to counter the enemy’s attacks. By reminding me God has made my day then I find I can rejoice. Knowing God has designed my day gives me every reason to face down the stalking lion. My perspective transforms the stalking lion into a powerful Sentinel.

With that awareness, courage and wisdom fashions my thinking. And I know that the weapons formed against me will not prevail. All I have to do is to cooperate with God as He shows me the right path and points out the road for me to follow. The very trials the enemy intended to weaponize against me, God transforms into a strengthening exercise. That’s the ingredients He uses for the day He makes for me.

Isn’t that worth rejoicing over?!

Embracing Contentment: Life Lessons in Winter – Part 2

Jun6

Initially as we approach our declining years, we find ourselves at a crossroads. It all sounds a bit overwhelming, doesn’t it, and if we aren’t careful, it will be. Personally, in comparison, the season of winter has been the most trying and challenging.

Until this season there was always the activities of caring and enjoying my family and friends, serving in my church, and teaching school. Without these fulfilling and purposeful activities, I struggled to find my purpose. I was tempted to see the road ahead as dull and unfulfilling! Yet I knew that sort of vision, if it persisted, would lead to major fiery dart attacks. I also knew that God had better plans for me.

However, the word that surfaces most often in my head these days is ‘contentment.’  I’m discovering contentment, while desirable, isn’t all that easy to come by. Nonetheless, that’s what I desire in this season. Therefore, I have persisted in my pursuit to be content. I’m finding, however, it isn’t automatic! It’s not something I can have just because it’s a better option. You know how I discovered that? Well, I direct you to:

I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. 

Did you catch that word ‘learned?’ Well, I didn’t ‘catch’ it until I found myself in short supply of contentment. It just wasn’t happening for me to make up my mind to be content. Ugh! This was challenging. As I returned to that verse again and again, the light finally clicked on. Contentment is a learning process. I had to learn to be content. Day by day, step by step!

I’m learning in this season that every moment is holy because God is present, no matter the circumstances,  He is present with me in all my situations, even if the situations are difficult to bear. God reminds me there is no need for me to fear for He is with me; I do not have to be dismayed, for He is God, He will strengthen me and help me. His presence assures me of this, as well as His word.

While bouts of loneliness, uncertainty, and/or sadness threaten my contentment at times, I’m learning that focusing on truths like Isaiah 41:10, is a game changer. Fiery darts such as these can be conquered when contentment rules. And that is a wondrous thing to learn in the winter season of my life. Yours too, I pray!

The Resurrection and then what?

Mar27

 I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is the same as the mighty strength he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, Ephesians 1:18-20

As Christians, we have available to us the ability to access the very same power that raised Christ from the dead according to the above verse. The power to live in this world at this time, with all of the discrediting of God and His word, would necessarily need to be powerful to counter the abundance of lies thrown at us daily.

Our enemy, Satan, is the main force behind the libelous suggestions bombarding us daily that undermine our faith and threaten our spiritual growth. He has whispered lies into our ears that we shouldn’t take God, Christ, the Holy Spirit too seriously. His message is, we will be denied the pleasures in life that make us happy. He has convinced us that all we really need to do is to be a good person, and/or attend church ever so often. It isn’t really necessary to do much praying or reading of our Bibles.

For you see, the main thrust of Satan’s plan is to keep us ignorant of the truths of Scripture. For not only will a little exposure to God’s word, expose the enemy’s tactics, but it will also illuminate all the riches available to us as Christians.

Consider the above verse’s mentioning of the riches of resurrection power! That same power God exercised when restoring life to Jesus, is also ours to access. It’s the power we need to bring the thoughts Satan tries to plant in our mind under God’s control. It’s the power we need to keep the heavy handiness of the enemy from destroying us. It’s the power we need to recognize the temptations the enemy would bring to bear upon us and to resist those temptations. It’s the power we need to choose the right path. It’s the power we need that will expose the enemy’s lies.

So after accepting Christ as our Savior, taking to heart his sacrifice on our behalf, the next step is to learn about this Resurrection power. It will be a growing thing. Like practicing how to use a weapon. The more we learn about how to use it and practice using it, the more skilled we become. We become less vulnerable to the enemy’s tricks.

This is what comes after accepting personally Jesus’s death and resurrection.

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!

The Hay Cutting Dance; just what I needed…

Aug14

Being closed in for several days, has given me pause to consider ways to ward off the temptation (fiery dart) of a depressed spirit. I was reading in Psalm 34 the other day. Verses about praising God and being delivered from all my fears touched a cord. The key to my deliverance required praising God.

Yet, being shut up in my house for days on end, left me feeling like anything but praiseful . But just as I was struggling with all of this, a scene outside my window began to unfold. It’s hay cutting time here on the farm where I live. As a matter of fact, my home is tucked way back into the far corner of a big ole hayfield. Much to my delight. For the cutting of hay is one of my favorite enjoyments. 

Over a period of several days, I watched what I have come to call a ‘hay dance’, performed outside my window. And as I watched, praises to God began surging through my thoughts. Yep, as you might guess, those praises foiled the enemy’s attack. My spirits lifted with every step of the dance. Therefore, I thought, “Why not share this with my readers!” 

Hay cutting is like a good ole fashioned square dance between the tractors and their chosen partners!

(Disclaimer: I had to research the details for this article. I am familiar with the bigger picture b/c I live on the farm, but those details, not so much)

Just like any dance, timing is the first consideration. This is reflected by making sure the equipment is prepared and ready. Then I’ve learned that haymaking needs to coincide with the right stage of plant growth and weather conditions. My brothers and nephews have been cutting hay for so long, they just seem to have a second sense about this timing thing. 

Whether they begin early in the morning or later in the day seems to be a matter of preference. Nevertheless, the determining factor for when to start the dance depends upon the maturity of the grass.

Next step, choose your partner. The dance begins with the tractor choosing a mower implement for its partner. My family uses a rotary disk mower. This type of mower cuts quickly through thick hay pretty well. They have three huge hayfields to cut so the quicker the better.

Again change partners by swapping out the mower for a tedding implement. This implement fluffs up the hay. That allows the air and sun to reach the undersurfaces to promote drying.

This unique dance requires a lot of partner changing. Therefore, the tedding implement must be exchanged for the rake. Raking turns the hay one more time to dry the bottom and forms it into what is referred to as a windrow. Then it’s ready to be baled.

Around here they opt for large circular bales, I remember the day when small rectangular shaped bales were scattered all over the field. But as acreage increased and technology advanced the circular bales became the modus operandi. And the bailer is called to the floor turning out bale after bale of hay.

Now comes the tricky step. So, one of those big ole tractors attaches what is called a bale spear to the front and rear of the tractor. In the photo below, you’ll see a round bale on the front and the back of the tractor. A maneuver that requires expert skill.

If a dancer gets in a hurry and find themselves in the habit of moving forward before raising the loader; they’ll be scraping that bale on the ground. This misstep can tear the bale wrap or bale twine, loosening the bale and lowering the quality of the hay.

 We are almost to the time to bow. One final turn requires the bales to be loaded onto a trailer and carried to the barn. Those gigantic bales can’t be just left lying on the dance floor. (The bales suffer matter loss if left in the fields) 

Now that I have described the hay dance, allow me to describe the setting. Hay cutting is a much looked forward to event, not for just us humans but for the birds and insects as well. Actually, the calls of the kites, swallows, and locusts blend with the hum of the tractor engines to provide the music for this dance. Taking the movements, music, and the fresh aroma of new mown hay, praising God became as natural as breathing. Just proving God supplies what we need, at the moment of our need.