Building an arsenal…

Feb2

An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition (weapons) are stored.

You might be wondering where I am going with this but as Christians the sooner we make the connection that we are at war the better. I fear that far too many of us have become so distracted by the enemy that we aren’t even aware of the battle that is waging all around us. We are hanging out on the periphery of the battlefield with blinders on. Our attention is drawn only to our immediate surroundings. We have little awareness of the area of combat just beyond our vision.

First and foremost, we must understand the weapons of our arsenal are of a spiritual nature. Allow me to illustrate. Last year, my best friend of over three decades, passed away after a bout with cancer. In spite of the fact that I KNEW she was in the presence of God, I was devastated. We were kindred spirits. Our friendship was of an iron sharpening iron type. Without her presence and counsel, I sort of lost my direction. A dark cloud settled over me and followed me wherever I wandered. Which as it turned out, was often no further than my front porch.

Now, imagine with me the fiery darts of the enemy during these dark days. The voice in my head persisted in focusing on my loss. My only relief came when I was able to communicate and/or spend time with my children or grandchildren. Since they live quite a distance from me, our communication was minimal. And while my husband was sympathetic, it was beyond him to truly understand my heartache. No one was able to counsel me with the depth of understanding that could enable me to move on, to pick up my life again, and to find my new normal. Except for God!

As I cried out to God, here are some of the weapons He taught me to use:

Take one day at a time, don’t borrow from the past or tomorrow.

I will not leave you. I will be with you 24/7, helping you handle your pain

Turn to Me in this trial. My plan is not to allow this to defeat you but only to make you stron,ger.

Keep your thoughts turned towards me. Nothing in this world can compare to what I have for you.

I know what you truly need and it is My plan to abundantly supply those needs.

The above is just a sampling of the weapons with which God supplied me to ward off the enemy’s assault. They were the weapons of my arsenal. These were the truths on which God desired for me to focus. I knew about them due to a consistent search of God’s word. So when the fiery darts were hurled towards me, it was these truths and many more from the Scriptures that extinguished them. My weapons were of a spiritual nature. The world’s advice offered no lasting solutions.

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 NLT)

Never forget the world’s weaponry creates strongholds by manipulating our ability to reason. By not being familiar with God’s mighty weapons we won’t recognize destructive falsehoods. Lies morph into truth and Truth morphs into lies. It is only by being cognizant of God’s Truth will we be able to counter the enemy’s assaults.

What are the consequences of failing to recognize the weapons of our arsenal? Read the following:

Brothers and sisters, I could not address you as people who live by the Spirit but as people who are still worldly—mere infants in Christ. I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not yet ready for it. Indeed, you are still not ready. You are still worldly. For since there is jealousy and quarreling among you, are you not worldly? Are you not acting like mere humans? 1 Corinthians 3:1-3

If we never grow past the stage of infant food, we simply won’t have the strength or wisdom to understand or follow the path God has set for us. That means we won’t know the joy that passes all understanding even in the midst of trials. We will be fooled into thinking thoughts that deny the power of God’s word. All because we failed to build up the arsenal God provided us, when we became His own.

Read then pray… A word to grandparents!

Jan17

Last Sunday, I heard a sermon on prayer, the second in a series on prayer. Oddly enough, well maybe not so oddly, these two sermons came on the heals of an entreaty of mine asking God how I could pray more efficiently. Specifically, as to how to better pray for my family, and generally, as to how to better pray for others. My take away from that sermon was profoundly simple:

‘Read your Bible before you pray.’

Since my prayers are usually worded with a particular scripture in mind, I reasoned, “Okay, I do that.” But the more I pondered that simple directive, the more I began to question myself, “Do I actually do that?” My conclusion was No!

So this morning before I began my prayer time, I opened my Bible. I questioned, “Where do I turn to?” The book of Ephesians came to mind. Feeling no need to question further, I turned to Ephesians, and began reading chapter 1 verses 16-20. Here’s what I read.

“I have not stopped thanking God for you. I pray for you constantly, asking God, the glorious Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, to give you spiritual wisdom and insight so that you might grow in your knowledge of God. I pray that your hearts will be flooded with light so that you can understand the confident hope he has given to those he called—his holy people who are his rich and glorious inheritance. I also pray that you will understand the incredible greatness of God’s power for us who believe him. This is the same mighty power that raised Christ from the dead and seated him in the place of honor at God’s right hand in the heavenly realms.”

The last two sentences lingered in my thoughts as I began to pray for my immediate family, in particular my grandchildren. I pondered how praying this verse back to God on behalf of my grandchildren would benefit them. If my loved ones had a better understanding of the incredible power of God (the very same power that God used to resurrect Jesus from the dead), then it stands to reason they would be empowered to pray with more confidence in God to meet their needs. That could shift their focus. Their focus would then center on the power of God to meet their needs, not solely on their needs.

This is a ‘Need to Know’ kind of information. That being the case, I texted my beloved grans and shared the above verse adding the following comment:

..You have incredible power, to live the life to which God has called you. To call upon during the tough times in your lives. To give you guidance when the way seems uncertain. To encourage and assure you. To enable you to recognize when the enemy is attacking you and empower you to resist him. Just remember you have access to the same power that raised Christ from the dead. Learn how to draw upon that power…..  

Does it count for eternity?

Jan2

A new year has begun. We all have an opportunity for a fresh beginning. But will we take advantage of it, or do we even know how. Will we be able to detach ourselves from the trials, disappointments, and losses experienced from 2023? While last year did have its mountaintop moments, why is it that the valley moments seem to possess a greater force to pull us downward?

How do we overcome this downward force? The world offers their solutions and I might add that the source of those solutions have very little, if any, to do with God. True and lasting peace, even in the midst of life in our valleys, can only be found in God.

I met a man on a mission trip several years ago who would be considered poor by my country’s standards. Yet, the riches this man possessed was reflected in the words of his young adult daughter when she was asked about her life’s ambition. Her heart’s desire was to serve God as she had seen her father do. Her father passed on a legacy to his daughter far more valuable than any worldly possessions or riches.

This man and his family had discovered the secret of living a life that counted. Not to obtain material possessions, success, wealth, or fame. Their focus was on living a life that counted for God, a life that counted for eternity.

Living a life that counts for eternity is reflected in the choices we make on a daily basis. It is especially apparent when there are valleys to be endured and when the mountaintop experiences may be in short supply. The secret to making right choices is in asking ourselves this question: Will the choice I want to make count for eternity?

 

The thief who would steal Christmas…

Dec13

When Christ was born, Satan orchestrated his plan to destroy God’s Son. And although he failed, he hasn’t given up trying nor will he ever. Two thousand years later, his tactics may have changed but his goal remains the same. To steal any chance mankind may have to know about Christ, especially at Christmas.

I’m writing this to help us become aware of the deliberate plan of this thief to steal Christmas from not only those of us who believe in the birth of Christ but those who do not. With the party atmosphere prevalent wherever Christmas is celebrated, is it any wonder Christ gets left out of His own birthday celebration. And without Christ, the sadness and heartbreak experienced this time of the year by so many is even more accentuated.

Bringing it down to a personal level, the idea of celebrating Christmas this year has lost some of its luster. The loss of beloved friends and family members over the past year works to dampen my celebration. Added to that, two of our four children and their families won’t be able to make it home for Christmas. We are not even sure when the other two children and their families will be able to gather here at the farm. Likely my husband and I will spend Christmas alone. I’ll hang up the twenty stockings but only eleven will be stuffed with Christmas goodies and trinkets.

So as you can see, the thief who would steal Christmas from me is doing a thorough job of it. But I realize that dwelling on the negatives will give him just the ammunition he needs. While my circumstances surrounding Christmas 2023 may not lend themselves to joyous celebrations, they must not be allowed to give the thief opportunity to steal my joy. Not just for me but for anyone who looses sight of the Truth of Christmas.

Therefore, shifting my focus to the greatest gift ever given to mankind and to me personally, will be my default response when the thief strikes. And just as his plans were thwarted by God when Christ was born, so will his present day attempts at Christmas thievery fail.

The expectations of Thanksgiving?

Nov23

Hmm, Thanksgiving ’23 has been a challenge in spite of all the plethora of blessings God has showered upon me, especially lately. After returning home from a wonderfully long visit with my son and his family (who now live on another continent), the memories of the blessed surprises (one of my daughters and her two daughters showed up unexpectedly the week before I was to leave and then flew home with me) carried me for several days. Being back home in the quiet and peacefulness of my country residence kept the fiery darts at bay. But as life picked up its pace, and the problems of dealing with the harsh changes that had taken place in my life, prior to and while I was out of the country, gained reentry into my thoughts.

For the last few weeks, I have it seems, not had much success in resisting the downward pull of these heartbreaking losses I have endured over the past year. In spite of daily seeking guidance and strength within God’s word. The thoughts of my flesh battled constantly with the thoughts from God’s Holy Spirit. You see, I am keenly aware of the inner battle between the two. But I still felt I was loosing ground. If you have read my recent posts, in particular regarding the loss of five extremely significant loved ones in my life, then it will make sense as to why depression lingered menacingly at the door of my mind.

Now, it’s Thanksgiving Day, and I’m expected to feel thankful even in the face of such losses? How do I find my new normal without a best friend to share life with? Added to that sad fact is that my husband and I sit here alone. (admittedly just for today. One of our four children’s family will visit us on Saturday)!

All along, I have been persuaded that the impediment to my lack of victory regarding my present dilemma was, simply put, ‘me’! I was suffering from the “Oh, woe is me” malady. Or, it’s all about me perspective!

A few days ago, I was presented with these verses:

Psalm 27:13-14, I am certain that I will see the LORD’s goodness in the land of the living. Wait for the LORD; be courageous and let your heart be strong. Wait for the LORD.

That said to me, “Stop fighting this battle within your head on your own. Just wait for the goodness I will be sending you. In the meantime, allow Me to supply you with the courage and strength you need.“

Therefore, I waited as I burrowed into my daily secluded existence. And now it is Thanksgiving Day! As I waited I have experienced God working out several irritations and disappointments, as well as working out problems that proved to be blessings for me. A few of those irritations have been simmering for years! Add that to the podcast I randomly chose to listen to early this morning entitled A Prayer of Thanksgiving, and the strength to lay aside the encumbering self consuming pattern of my thinking, began to take effect.

is the natural result of a heart focused on God no matter the context!

Dispelling fear …

Oct14

Are we living in the last days?

One might think so as the war in Israel progresses.

Therefore, we need to get some things clarified.

As Christians we believe not only that Jesus Christ was born, lived a sinless life, went to the cross to satisfy God’s wrath concerning sin, and was resurrected bodily (brought back to life). The reason we can call ourselves Christian is because we not only believe this but we take it personally. In other words, we confess that we are a sinner and understand sin separates us from God. By accepting Jesus’s death as payment for our sins, our relationship with God is restored. Therefore, when we die, we are assured our eternal destination will be heaven. That is, if we are true Christians!

But there is something else we sometimes overlook. The Bible reminds us over and over that Jesus is returning to earth. And for those of us who are Christians and are still alive at that point, we won’t experience death in order to arrive in heaven.

So what’s the point?

Either death or Jesus’s return, will determine our modus operandi into heaven. So, let’s make sure that if we die before or after Jesus’s return occurs, either way we will leave this earth bound for heaven.

Which begs the question, are we sure that we are saved, you know, a Christian? If we claim church attendance, whether sporadic or consistent, as proof that we are a Christian, well, I think we are in trouble. Because since going into a garage doesn’t make us a car, then neither does attending church make us a Christian!

Oh, and by the way, we might even think our baptism is proof solid of our being a Christian. Nope, even that alone isn’t the marker of faith in Christ. Remember the thief on the cross?

I am directing this post mainly to these two groups. Because the enemy, Satan, is diabolically clever in his deception. He can bring temptations to bear upon us in such a way that he can deceive us into believing church attendance or baptism (not necessarily both), are all that is necessary for salvation.

However, the simple truth is that true salvation is marked by the presence of the Holy Spirit within us, guiding and directing the thoughts we think, the attitudes we exhibit, and the actions we display.

Yet, without the presence of God within us via the Holy Spirit, it will be our flesh that guides and directs our thoughts, attitudes, and actions.

It comes down to this.

Most church goers will likely concede that we are living in the last days. (Many prophecies have already come to pass.) And how we react to such knowledge is quite revealing. The strongest indicator that we have the Holy Spirit living within us, is we do not face the future with fear and trembling but with hope and peace.

If we do not have the Holy Spirit living within us, then we have no hope. The possibility that we are living in the last days injects fear into our thoughts, attitudes, and actions.

For those of us who have the Holy Spirit living within us we cry out to God when our world gets upended. We trust God as we face a crisis.

The present crisis in Israel invokes fear, to be sure. But if the Holy Spirit rules our thoughts, attitudes, and actions, then that fear will eventually be replaced with hope and peace, as we pray.

The mandate from God is to pray for Israel! – not to despair, not to loose heart, not to fear, but to PRAY. If the fear remains, then folks examine your heart. We cannot dispel fear on our own!

Grief cannot sustain life….

Oct6
Do not remain in the consuming darkness,
Walk towards the life sustaining Light.

Since the death of my young missionary friend, grief seems to have become a permanent influencer. I realize the importance of cooperating with God as He brings comfort and healing. And God has proven faithful in guiding me step by step. And while my faith does grow stronger, I continue to be weighed down by grief (slowing my progress). I know, that does seem like a contradiction but grief hangs around, determined not to be shaken off. I suppose the losses I have suffered, happening within a few weeks, sometimes days of each other, realistically gave grief an opportunity to burrow in.

But as life persists in a forward motion, I habitually move forward as well. Yet, with an underlying sadness covering my steps like a dark cloud blocking the warm and healing rays of the sun. The pain of my own losses, added to the recent unimaginable pain of my friends over their tragic loss, clouds my ability to turn my eyes toward the sun’s light.

The brightness and laughter of a day escapes me as I inadvertently remain within the shadow of the cloud. Just this morning, however, God whispered something to me which caused the cloud to finally begin to evaporate.

Yes, life continues after loss and tragedy. And grief, while a necessary part of that forward motion, if allowed to linger longer than necessary, will gradually consume us. The point of grief is to cooperate with God as He leads us through it. Thereby, gaining a stronger life sustaining perspective as we move forward.

For you are my lamp, O Lord, and my God lightens my darkness. 2 Samuel 22:29 ESV

Unanswerable questions…

Oct3

Yesterday, for the fourth time in less than a year, I experienced loss. First my mother, then my mother-in-law, then my best friend of over 20 years, then my lifetime best friend. I feel drained of strength. As a Christian, our personal strength is totally inadequate in dealing with such losses. Especially when not enough time for recuperation has transpired among those losses. So, while my personal strength dwindles, as it must, God’s strength can take over.  For when we acknowledge that only God’s strength is sufficient in times such as these, then will we be prepared to deal with loss. 

9 …, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore, I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. 2 Corinthians 12:8-9 NIV

Then today, in the midst of yet another sorrow over the loss of my lifetime best friend, I get word that a young missionary friend, who is dear to me and my family, was senselessly killed.

What strength I had gained from God in my previous losses, was exploded away when we got word of our friend’s death.  For those losses made sense. Death due to cancer or old age is understandable. But not this loss. How do we understand what is not understandable? 

Our friend, leaves behind a wife and three young daughters, and a vibrant ministry there in the country where he served. What will they do now? What about his parents and siblings? So, what do I do with all my tumultuous thoughts. How can I pray effectively for my friend’s devastated wife and daughters, parents, siblings when I am in such turmoil myself? 

This verse came to my mind from Isaiah 55:8-9

8“For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
    neither are your ways my ways,”
    declares the Lord.
9 “As the heavens are higher than the earth,
    so are my ways higher than your ways
    and my thoughts than your thoughts.

In my humanness, that part of me that is ruled by my flesh, the above verse just doesn’t cut it. But quietly the voice of God speaks to my spirit, that part of me that is ruled by God’s Holy Spirit, and whispers words to calm the thunder storm raging in my head.  

            Because God’s thoughts are higher than our thoughts, there are just going to be acts that God allows that we will not have the capacity to understand. Like in this case with the death of my young missionary friend.

To survive these ordeals, we must familiarize ourselves with what we do know about God. Camp down on verses that deal with God providing strength in times of weakness as in the verses of II Corinthians mentioned. Verses that encourage us to, 

“ trust God with all of our heart (especially when tragedy intrudes into our lives) and lean not on our own understanding. In all our ways acknowledge Him and He will direct our paths. (Proverbs 3:5-6). “

Receive the truth of verses like Joshua 1:9 as a warm blanket to ward off the cruel coldness of such tragedies.

Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”

            I still don’t understand why this tragedy was allowed to happen. The pain and the horror are still so fresh. My mind revolts against the images of the trauma my young friend’s loved ones are having to endure. How do I pray for them?  I will focus on wording my prayers with what I do understand, what I do know:

I do know that when we need strength, God will provide it. (2 Corinthians 12:8-9)

I do know when we need peace God will provide it. (Philippians 4:6-7)

I do know that He will bring restoration. (Psalm 71:20 NKJV)

I do know that God hears our prayers and gives us what we need in answer to those prayers. (Psalm 34:18)

My prompting from God just now is to focus on what I do know about God and pray that over his family and friends. We must choose to trust God with the unanswerable questions !

The healing fruit within dreams…

Sep26

I was sitting on a bench in the Meadows (nearby public park) the other day and contemplating the extraordinary chain of events that have led me here. My way here originated years ago within a dream. For reasons, I’m still not completely sure of, Scotland was the place I dreamed of going. 

Flash forward to a cool summer porch sitting morning. I was giving an ear to my son’s plans to work on a master’s degree. At the mention of the University of Edinburgh as being a possible choice, my dream thoughts of traveling to Scotland sprang to attention. Well, as they say, the rest is history. 

So how does one explain the steps that lead to a dream coming true? Or all that a dream is designed for. Not sure I could do that. But what I do know is having the dream is the only contribution I made to its unfolding. The rest of the details were orchestrated by God. 

Psalm 37:23 speaks of a man’s ways being established by the LORD…

Additionally, Ecclesiastes 8:6, “For there is a proper time and procedure for every delight, though a man’s trouble is heavy upon him.”

These verses remind me that God’s timing is something we can count on and rest in. My fourth visit (yes I did say 4th) to Edinburgh occurred after a time of unexpected trouble and heartache. Last November and March my elderly mother and mother in law transitioned to their new homes in heaven. And while we were somewhat prepared, letting go of the woman who loved you like no other, is something that takes time to process. While I was in the throes of learning how to live without the security of my mother’s presence, I was delivered a crushing blow in the unexpected death of my best friend of 20 plus years. Her death, in May of this year, left me feeling unanchored. Now, I had no earthly person to spill my guts to and still feel loved and understood. While I did know comfort, as I recalled all the conversations we had about how wonderful heaven would be, neither of us suspected it would happen to one of us so soon. It was like my breath had been knocked out of me! 

I wandered from one emotion to another, feeling all the pain but having only limited relief. I couldn’t help but feel God’s timing was way off after my third loss within less than a year. I was tempted to fuss at God for removing the one person that He had faithfully used for years to get me back on my feet during the crisis of caretaking for elderly parents and their eventual deaths.

Then in late August, God set up the proper time, in the midst of my misery, to put time and space between me and my sorrows. Placing me in a historical city where at every turn I am reminded of the permanence and faithfulness of God’s provision. 

Therefore, even now, I know that I can rest and remain confident in His timing and that my ways have and will continue to be established by Him. Because it is the proper time for seeds hidden within the depths of a dream of years gone by, to bear their healing fruit. 

Who Is It About, Jesus or Me?

Sep11

I don’t think I like that question. After all, I am a Christian and Christ is the center of my life. Right? 

But way too often the reality is we crowd Jesus out. How?

Well, let’s just think on that for a moment. We get into an argument with someone but the driving force becomes more about being understood, rather than trying to understand. 

We are charged, as a Christian, to read our Bibles daily and spend time with God in prayer. However, it becomes too inconvenient to make time for such things. 

Perhaps the most telling that we are making it all about me is when trials come our way. How often when trials present themselves do we turn inward and ask God, “What is lacking in my life that this trial will supply? Do we even know what God’s thoughts might be in relation to our trials?

Yes, we know about the struggle between our flesh and our spirit. But without the lessons learned through trials and/or becoming familiar with the directives supplied in Scripture, we simply don’t possess the awareness needed to discern who’s thoughts we are entertaining.

Therefore, as thoughts are formed in our minds they must be filtered through God’s word. It’s revealing to ask ourselves this question, “Do the thoughts I’m considering reflect my thoughts or God’s thoughts?” If there is little knowledge of God’s thoughts on the situation, then we will default to the flesh. We will make it all about me!