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May my heart never grow tired. . .

Feb9

As I grow older, I’m 73 at present, there are three particular verses of Scripture that have more of an impact on me now than ever before.

Isaiah 46:4

Isaiah 46:4, 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.NLV

As the changes assault my body it sure lifts my spirits to know that my God changes not. The older I grow the more I will need help. And who greater to supply that than the One who made me. The help and care He showers on me never ceases.

Ruth 4:15a

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

What do I have to look forward to as I age? According to the verse in the book of Ruth, God’s plan is to renew my life. I have already discovered how God manages this for me through my children and my grandchildren. The blessings He has given me in additional ways sustain me continually. There are multiple evidence on a daily basis of God’s efforts to sustain me. IF I have the eyes to see them.

2 Corinthians 4:16

2 Corinthians 4:16, So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. ES

And this verse is my anchor. Yes, I can’t do what I use to do. And no matter how much I dislike it or complain about it, it will continue to wear out. Additionally, a negative complaining attitude will draw my focus away from the renewal process of God’s intent.

* * *

I read recently about a 101 year old Laotian man who for 80 years has been a follower of Christ. For many of those years he has served as pastor of a large congregation. But as his body weakens, he is no longer able to pastor. Instead, he occasionally opens services with prayer, and continues to visit and pray for those who are sick. Here is his perspective on growing old.

“My heart has just wanted to serve the Lord since I was 20 years old. Now I am tired physically, but my heart is not tired for the Lord’s work. Though my outward body is declining, I pray my inner self is renewed daily.”

May my heart never grow tired of serving my LORD!

Setting my mind on:

Feb3
Pulling against each other.

Those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on what the flesh desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. 6 The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace. 7 The mind governed by the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so. 8 Those who are in the realm of the flesh cannot please God. Romans 8:5-8

In church circles the word flesh is tossed about nonchalantly due to our familiarity with its definition. But I bet it sounds pretty weird to those without a church background! Therefore, I will attempt to decode its meaning.

We all understand that we possess what is called a human nature. That is what separates us from the animals. It’s how we think, feel, and act.

When a person believes in Christ, the Holy Spirit of God takes up residence within that person which in essence make God her Boss. An unbeliever, on the other hand, is her own boss . Still, both the believer and unbeliever possess a human nature. We now call this our flesh. Simply put:

The flesh is the part of a believer that disagrees with the Spirit. The makeup of a believer is different from that of an unbeliever, in that an unbeliever does not have the Spirit of God indwelling them. In the case of an unbeliever, the flesh is in agreement with the spirit of that unbeliever.

This state of being reveals why fiery darts wield so much power. An unbeliever has no resource to determine truth other that their own experience, coupled with the world’s mind set of truth. Without the absolute truth of God’s word, for them truth is ever changing.

Yet, a believer has the Holy Spirit of God dwelling within. If a believer maintains a daily communication with God through prayer and the study of Scripture, then what they think, feel, and act is based on the never changing truths therein. A believer gets in trouble when they drift away from that two-fold communication. The less we know of God’s truths, the more vulnerable we become to fiery darts.

For you see, the flesh (in others word the human spirit) is always opposed to the Holy Spirit. But one leads to death (an eternity without God) , the other leads to life (on earth and in eternity with God)

Stop now and ask yourself this question,

“Have I set my mind on what my flesh desires?”

or

“Have I set my mind on what the Holy Spirit desires?”

Lies vs truth

Jan27

God is Truth

I am the way, the truth, and the life… (John 14:6)

Satan is a liar

He was a murderer from the beginning, and has nothing to do with the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies.John 8:44

How do you suppose that Satan can convince so many that he is not as the Bible has described him?

How do you suppose that the lines dividing truth from a lie have faded to the point of being indistinguishable?

How do you suppose doubts about the existence of God has resulted in attempts to remove any reference of Him in our nation?

How do you suppose that we can believe that Jesus is not the Messiah, the Son of God?

How do you suppose that we can live our lives in direct opposition to God’s word and be cheered on by society for those choices?

This is how:

The answer to every question is the same. Remove the influence of God and the truth of His Word, and Satan can deceive and manipulate without restraint. He has the power of the world’s falsehood reinforcing the lies with which he has deceived us. Believing that Satan doesn’t exist or that God doesn’t either for that matter, can be easily concluded if you reject God’s word, the Bible.

Think about it. What are we embracing as truth that formerly was considered a lie? What are we identifying as a lie that formerly was considered truth?

Society changes, but not God. In the not so distant past, certain lifestyles or choices were considered immoral. But not today! Has society or an individual who has thrown off what they labeled as religious restrictions been the better for it? Without the unchangeable truths of God, we will think we are seeking freedom when we are actually seeking license. Doing what we want without anyone telling us we are wrong.

If we don’t know what the Bible says about the choices we make, how are we going to be able to make choices that will gift us with love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, or self-control?

How will be able to recognize what is truth and what is a lie?

Faith Must Grow!

Jan20

Teach me to believe that all degrees of mercy arise from several degrees of prayer, that when faith is begun it is imperfect and must grow,… quote from The Valley of Vision: A Collection of Puritan Prayers & Devotions

Is our faith growing?

I think the answers to the above questions can be revealed by the following comparison.

When a baby is born it’s expected that growth and development will follow. Let’s say the child starts off healthy and with a nourishing milk diet the expected growth and development ensues. Wonderful, we are off to an encouraging beginning. Yet soon the child needs to transition from milk to solid foods. If the transition isn’t made and the child remains on a milk diet, then healthy growth will be arrested.

That’s exactly the analogy that is made in the following Bible verses:

For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the basic principles of the oracles of God. You need milk, not solid food, for everyone who lives on milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, since he is a child. But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil.Hebrews 5:12-14

Though, we have been born into God’s family, far too many of us are still on a spiritual milk diet.

Troubles happen and when they do, we find our milk diet insufficient to provide us with the strength and wisdom we need. So we default to whatever source is handy. At which point the enemy enters to begin his deception. As a result our ability to recognizes the enemy’s lies has been seriously compromised.

This is where seeds of deception take root. Our desire to spend time in prayer and God’s word slowly deteriorates. Not being familiar with God’s truth, we filter out thoughts, attitudes, and actions through false assumptions and human reasoning.

Daily spending time in God’s word and prayer is the same as eating a healthy diet for those who desire to be healthy spiritually. But our enemy has convinced us that isn’t required and we can get along just fine without that consistent discipline. Remaining in the milk stage of our growth for too long, we can easily be convinced of such lies (fiery darts, remember).

After we have lived a hit and miss life for so long, we can’t see that there is a better way to live life. Because our growth has been stunted, we are unaware of our desperate condition. We aren’t even aware that a better life exists. A growing faith equals a better life.

Filters and fiery darts

Jan13

What do filters have to do with fiery darts? Well, recently it has come to my attention that there is a distinct relationship between the use of filters regarding fiery darts. How we process the thoughts that are formed in our minds before they take the form of the spoken word relies on what we use to filter those words. Likewise, how we process those spoken words relies on what we use to filter those words as we ponder how to receive them.

How we use our words or how we receive words depends on the filters through which they pass. As it applies to this post, a filter is what we use to recognize fiery darts so that we can reject them and replace them with truth thoughts.

Allow me to illustrate

Negative teasing when passed through the filter, ‘I don’t really mean that, I’m just teasing,’ justifies the tearing down of another. However, when using the filter of Scripture we are instructed to make sure that what comes out of our mouths should build up our listener/s in that particular situation. Therefore, our words should benefit those who are listening.

Let no corrupting talk (some translations use course jesting) come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear. Ephesians 4:29 ESV

Take another example.

I’m 73 years old and the other day a loved one said to me, “Janet, you are beginning to look your age.” Their filter allowed them to express the first thought that came to their mind in expressing their concern for the stress I was under. However, if they had been familiar with the following verse (filter) they would have reconsidered that initial thought. Seasoning it with graciousness. (“Did I look that bad!”)

Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person. Colossians 4:6 ESV

Ever heard of the word, hijacking

as it applies to conversations? Someone is talking and what they says sparks a memory. We can hardly wait for them to pause so we can interject our thought. Sometimes we don’t even wait for a pause, we just blurt it out. That’s hijacking a conversation. What’s happening here is we are not really listening to the other person. We are not thinking about what they are saying. Scripture has a very effective filter for this problem (that often we aren’t even aware we are guilty of it).

“With humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves…” Philippians 2:3

Additionally, James 1:9a, ‘be quick to hear, slow to speak…‘ exhorts us to focus on what the speaker is saying and give them our full attention.

The Scriptures are designed to filter our words, thoughts, and actions. Just the ammunition needed to extinguish fiery darts!

It’s Up to Us!

Jan6

Many, especially for those of us who are Christians, are familiar with the following verse from 2 Chronicles 7:14

14 if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.

There are some particular points contained in this verse that should require our focus.

-It’s written to God’s people, the Church (all of us Christians). We, not the unsaved, are required to humble ourselves, pray, seek God’s face, and turn from our wicked way!

I think the key requirement here is to ‘seek God’s face.’

But what does that mean actually? It means we want to get to know God, understand Him better, and become accustomed to His voice. How do we get to know Him better? By spending time with Him in prayer and His word. In getting to know God, we will have a more honest view of ourselves. That’s humbling. Knowing God better through His word, allows the Holy Spirit the freedom to point out areas where we need to repent and seek His forgiveness.

Repenting is more than just feeling sorry for our sins. It must go further to be genuine repentance. This kind of repentance focuses on God and how our sins affect Him. Remember our sins drove Jesus to the cross. A genuinely repentant heart desires to please God. And when the Holy Spirit convicts us of our sins, we will do whatever we must to achieve God’s pleasure. Obviously turning from our sin.

On a personal level, our lives will be characterized by love, joy, peace as we get to know God better and understand His ways. Even as we experience trials and storms. This applies to the Church as a whole also.

But while we are familiar with verse 14, what about verse 13?

“When I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or command locusts to devour the land or send a plague among my people,

Does a plague among my people sound familiar? It’s one of those things God wants to heal our land of. And not only are we physically sick from the plague of COVID, we are spiritually sick as well. America, our land, needs to return to her Christian roots?

As individual Christians, we must grasp the truth that God isn’t waiting on the unsaved to humble themselves, pray, seek His face, and repent. No! It’s up to us to come to our senses and seek God’s forgiveness. Then the healing will come! On an individual basis and as the corporate Church.

Do we want our land to be healed?

STORMS! They have a purpose.

Dec15

Storms are unavoidable. Why on earth do we try to avoid them. It’s a loosing battle.

Storms are no respecter of persons. No one can escape them. Since avoiding them is impossible, where do we find the source that will subdue the storm?

There is no better perspective to embrace concerning storms than what is prescribed in Scripture. Let’s take a look at Luke 8:22-25, only one of the many go to verses during life’s storms.

22 One day Jesus said to his disciples, “Let us go over to the other side of the lake.” So they got into a boat and set out. 23 As they sailed, he fell asleep. A squall came down on the lake, so that the boat was being swamped, and they were in great danger.

24 The disciples went and woke him, saying, “Master, Master, we’re going to drown!”

He got up and rebuked the wind and the raging waters; the storm subsided, and all was calm. 25 “Where is your faith?” he asked his disciples.

In fear and amazement they asked one another, “Who is this? He commands even the winds and the water, and they obey him.”

This verse tells us that Jesus said, “Let us go to the other side of the lake.” Now Jesus, being who He was knew there was a storm coming. (Just like he knows about our storms) Storms on the Sea of Galilee come up rather quickly. But Jesus had lessons his disciples needed to learn. The storm was to be their tutor.

The disciples, though seasoned fishermen, panicked at the severity of the storm. Maybe because they saw that Jesus was asleep they assumed he was not paying attention. Well, of course, this was an assumption fueled by fear. Jesus was right there with them. He hadn’t gone anywhere.

The disciples woke Jesus and in response to their pleas, he rebuked the storm. The lesson? Well, they lacked faith and the storm exposed this. I imagine that whenever they experienced fear like that again, they arrested such fear by recalling that day when Jesus calmed the storm.

Let’s not be too hard on those disciples though. Aren’t we much like them when we encounter storms? The fiery darts of fear and even doubt are first at the scene it seems in our storms. So like the disciples we cry out to God.

If we are willing to cooperate with God when we are being buffeted by storms, he will expose the fiery darts that feed our fears and doubts. We will be empowered to extinguish those weapons of the enemy. In their place, depending on our cooperation, He will supply a stronger faith, less self-centeredness, or resolve to focus on the needs of others. He may call us to change our course. Maybe there are others who need a visual example of how they need to turn to God in their storm.

Recently, it seems my storms have come in waves. I find that I am tempted to center my thoughts on myself. I overly focus on how hard things are. I mourn over the things I’ve lost out on. It’s not natural for me to place my focus on God. So I need to cry out to God just as those disciples did and ask for help. God in His faithfulness will supply me with what I need to overcome the fiery darts attacking me. My situation may not ease up any, but my perspective fashioned by God’s truths will calm my storm.

Storms aren’t random oversights of God. They have a purpose. God’s desire is to reveal that purpose so our lives will be characterized by His peace.

Stand and be silent!

Nov28

Sometimes difficulties can come in unrelenting waves. Every day they crash upon our thoughts like waves on a beach. And despite all our gallant efforts to seek God’s peace in these storms, peace evades us. We stand on the beach, alone and at a loss as to what to do. But when we have searched God’s word for direction, and no specific direction is revealed, what then?

Then we do the only thing left to do:
Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Ephesians 6:13 KJV

And as we stand, what then?

Exodus 14:14, “The LORD will fight for you, and you have only to be silent.”

 Yes, stand, be silent and wait 

It is good that one should wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord. Lamentations 3:26 ES

The hardest part will likely be to wait (it may be awhile). Although, for some it may be to keep silent! Either way, we must submit to God’s timing.  Because it is in His timing that:

… all things work together for the good of those who love God: those who are called according to His purpose. Romans 8:28

The Healing Magic of Nature

Nov9

Two nights of disturbed sleep, and a temporary increase of responsibilities in my caretaking, meals to plan for and prepare, plus cleaning up afterwards, not to mention general house cleaning, made it a bit difficult to find a time to squeeze in a trip to the grocery store for my mom, pick up her meds, mail a package, and drop by the phone store to clear up questions regarding my new phone, left me feeling a bit overwhelmed.

Asking for help has never been easy for me, but asking my best friend for prayer support is. When the moment came, I donned my walking shoes and retreated to a solitary spot on a trail by our house. Sitting down in the chair placed there for such occasions, I spent a few moments in prayer. Then I called my friend and sought her prayers. She suggested I ask for help and named someone I could ask. So, I did as she suggested.

As I waited for the response from the person I had called, I resumed my therapeutical walk. God had designed a picture perfect autumn day. A cornflower blue sky formed the backdrop of a variety of trees each in their own stage of autumness. It was exhilarating capturing many of these scenes on my phone. Leaves were spiraling down all around me. An idea came to me to try and catch one before it landed on the ground. A few failed attempts then I succeeded!

As I resumed my stroll, I pondered on a much used verse of late:

“I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my eye upon you.”

Psalm 32:8 ESV

Before I knew it, my heaviness of heart became lighter. The healing affect of the splendid autumn day had done it’s magic, along with the granting of my request for help. God had given me the promised counsel and the motivation to carry on.

Honoring as we Care…

Nov3

You tolerate what you must when it becomes your reality. C S Lewis

The dramatic shift in the course of my life (October 24 post?) has brought to the forefront of my thoughts the above statement. As it settled there, the profoundness of Mr. Lewis’s quote sank deep. While my new reality isn’t something I’m excited about it’s encouraging to know that I will be able to tolerate it. Not only will I be able to tolerate what has become my reality, but according to God my life and the lives of my family will be enriched.

Yet even for those of us who have chosen God’s mandate, the actual doing of it is difficult and at best, challenging. We need God’s help in order to honor those who become the recipients of our concern. Having to care for elderly parents, especially within our home, has a huge impact on the family dynamics. Therefore, we must be on our guard for the fiery darts that will be sure to come against us. Fiery darts that are designed to view our caretaking of our elderly parents as a burden prevent us from responding with love, patience, and understanding as we seek to meet their needs

No one desires to be a burden to their adult children, least of all me. But how my future unfolds on this subject, must be surrendered to God. In the meantime, my children and grandchildren are learning valuable lessons in the shaping of their attitudes as they watch and help us care for their grandmothers/great grandmothers. Valuable lessons such as learning to appreciate the elderly as they share their wisdom gleaned through years of highs and lows. The love they are so willing to shower upon their children and grandchildren produces blooms of respect and admiration.

Make no mistake, it’s no picnic taking on the responsibility of someone who like many elderly parents have health and even mental issues. It requires a huge dose of selflessness, strength, and faith. If we seek these from God, then our reality indeed becomes tolerable, teaching us how to honor as we care.