A Supernatural Sculptor Page 15

When seeking the will of God we must look deep-into our heart’s most sacred prayers and deep within the ageless pages of scripture.  While doing this we must expect to gain a glimpse into the mind of Christ.  The following scripture tells us that this is indeed possible:   

“For who has known the mind of the Lord that He may instruct him?”
 But we have the mind of Christ.”
I Corinthians 2:16

 This scripture asks a rhetorical question and then purposely answers it.  The incredible answer tells us that we have access to the mind of Christ.  How you may ask!   Historic pages of scripture prophesy, document, quote, whisper with insight and eternally echo knowledge of Jesus Christ.  The Bible insightfully links prophecy and knowledge of Christ over the course of thousands of years and with unspoken honor we must simply open the book and read.  We have graciously been given the opportunity to hold the Living Word in our own hands and within it, find the mind of Christ and therefore the will of God.  The Bible can and will speak to us directly if our hearts and minds are close to its pages and its Divine author.  To gain passage to the mind of Christ we must be intentional and studious - willing to acknowledge the truth of God’s word, patiently watch as seemingly ironic things occur in our lives and with the intuitive weavings of The Word of Truth and circumstance- see things as God means them instead of how the world would process them. 

The story of Joseph, found in Genesis chapters 37-50 is a breath-taking example of this.   The ultimate purpose for Joseph’s life is revealed with his profound words…. “You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done…”  Genesis 50:20.  This is a prime example of looking deep into circumstance, even those heart-breaking ones, and finding God’s purpose. 

God is a supernatural Sculptor of circumstance and in times when we see no good in where we find ourselves in life….it is then that we must look beyond our current situation and ask the question “What good can come of this?”  Truly we should ask:   “What is the hand of God blessing me with through this challenging circumstance?”  Our human hearts struggle through these tough times…but great spiritual maturity takes place when we have the strength to ask these questions and, with trust in God, wait as He reveals the answer-just as Joseph did!

The Spiritual Lesson: 

 This world's path is one of good versus evil. In this sinful world there will be times when evil appears to be winning....however, those who are spiritually discerning understand that God's lessons and His blessings can be found in all circumstances.  At times, our hearts will be will be bruised and barely beating inside our physical body and it will be then that we choose to kneel …..or not!  With wounded hearts and weary minds we must come to the Throne of our Creator, God and bow to the fact that we are not in control-He is;  We must acknowledge that there is a purpose to everything-and that it may not be our purposes that prevail;  and finally:  we must accept that we may not always understand God's purposes- Scripture says: 

“As the heavens are higher than the earth
so are my ways higher than your ways
and my thoughts than your thoughts.
As the rain and the snow
come down from heaven
and do not return to it
without watering the earth
and making it bud and flourish,
so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater
so is my word that goes out from my mouth:
it will not return to me empty,
but will accomplish what I desire
and achieve the purpose for which I sent it”
Isaiah 55: 9-11

In our circumstances we must trust God as He sculpts our lives and sets new paths for us to travel down.  We, of course, plan out our days and our lives one way… but inevitably our best-laid plans twist before us and our hearts burn with frustration as to why!  Sometimes our goals become thwarted, our plans become detoured, our health becomes a battle, our friendships become uncomfortable, death knocks at our door, love seems absent;  our marriage become our greatest challenge.  Soon our zest for life falters and causes us to sit in stillness as we finally have come to the end ourselves, our options; our abilities.  This is good….for it is then that must acknowledge the truth of scripture and trust God’s plan....and will for our lives.

Look for it:

This is exactly what is meant when we say “look with spiritual eyes into the realm of the unseen”.  We only know and understand the here-and-now….but God see’s what we don’t see and He knows what we don’t know.  Can you see why trust in God’s will is so crucial?  We cannot trust this sinful world and it's elements but we can surrender to God's will and trust that He cares for us in ways that we do not understand. 

 Isaiah 30:18 says
"The Lord longs to be gracious to you.
He rises to show you compassion.
The Lord is a god of justice. 
Blessed are those who wait on Him."
(This is the God I want carving out my future.)

When our lives feel out of control we best admit that God is in control and submit to His plan…His will.  Surrender is the term us Christian’s use, but a quick and easily-understood directive is “let go and let God”.  During these times we need to draw close to the Living God through prayer.  Scripture says “Draw close to God and He will draw close to you” (James 4:8).  It’s verbal, it’s mental, it’s spiritual……it is a simple and honest prayer “Lord, I need you”.  Pour out your feelings.  Pour out your needs.  At the same time thank God for where you find yourself -this is part of surrendering to His will.  Our God is a gracious god…slow to anger and abounding in love (Psalm 103:8).   Never will He leave us….never will he forsake us (Deuteronomy 31:6).  He is a supernatural sculptor and when all is said and done—surely we will be a spiritual work of art!     

Song Recommendation
Bring the Rain
By:  MercyMe

Click link below to listen to Bring the Rain

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e8HgAVenbUU

"Do This or Something Better!" Page 14

“Do this or something better!”1  This phrase just washed over me as I prayed about my current concerns.   My mind is never far from the consequences we are walking through since closing our business.  Many dominoes were aligned in our life...each toppled and knocked down the next.  So be it!  I’m hoping that the last detrimental domino is in motion and slow motion at that.  We are working to hear God’s voice, be in His will and attend to those things that are within our power.  As the last few game pieces tilt toward us, tapping in staccato,  we watch in faithful uncertainty.  We know our prayers and our needs...but the game simply is not over just yet! 

During this time the subject of my many prayers has been:  “Lord, hear our prayers, (Psalm 27:7);  Reverse our losses (Matthew 6: 27-34); Put us back on the path written about (Psalm 139:16).  Bless us (Matthew 5: 3-10);  Protect us (Isaiah 43:1-3); Be with us (Psalm 46:1);  Help our unbelief, (Isaiah 41: 10);  Go before us (Exodus 14: 21-22); Lead us back to the path written about (again Psalm 139: 16); Don’t let us go if you’re not going with us (Exodus 33: 15-16) , etc, etc, etc.  If you read carefully you’ll see that, though based on scripture, some of these prayers are contrary to the others. Ok, so I was covering every base!  Thankfully within my current bible study….I’ve come across a prayer that is so pivotally profound it is poetically simple:

“LORD, DO THIS OR SOMETHING BETTER!”

This amazing request leads me to the realization that my prayers need to be very detailed.  Do this or something better!  Do what?   What IS this request?  We had better be very specific!  

When we’re in a tumultuous situation our thoughts and emotions tend to roll from here to there….and so did my prayers.  I know that we have specific needs and I’ve tried to focus on those….but as you see I have been, let’s say, in a back and forth match as to what to pray for. Surely I want God's protection and His best...but reality is so distracting!  Distraction and uncertainty are not good for our prayer life.  However now…armed with power of one simple sentence…..I know how to petition God with reverence…..”Do this or something better”. 

So... the game plan is to attend to what is within my power and then add the following prayer:  “Lord, here is what I think……….I am working toward this end….. this is my plan….but Lord, do this….or do something better. "  God's answer may be something totally different than what I am expecting....and that's just fine...for scripture says:

"For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord,
plans to prosper you and not harm you,
plans to give you hope and a future.
Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you.
  You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart."
Jeremiah 29: 11-13

With the knowledge that God, himself, knows the plans for me, I pray and then stand watch.   What an amazing prayer!  What an amazing game plan!   What an amazing God!  This prayer sets us up for God's best (not mine).   It strengthens our stance because of a sure faith.  It allows us to stand on the might of God, His word, His power and His plan as we carefully align another set of dominos (those things within our power).  This strategy allows God to take care of the end result.  We can breathe a sigh of relief- knowing  exactly what our prayer is....and what God  is capable of....and therefore how to anticipate things... as He works it out! 

Truly the words something better  flood over me with relief.  I have found some peace again.  I know that God can do better than my best.  I’ve seen Him answer my prayers before…and armed with this visual….I can utter this amazing prayer and sit back with tremendous trust in Jehovah Elohim-the God that can make something out of nothing!   My faith has room …not just to grow but expand  in every direction into something it wasn't..and in doing so completely cover my life with God’s blessings….His best. 

 When we pray like that…..with a true belief and an honest heart…confessing that God can take what we deem best and make it better ...heaven rejoices as we laugh.   Our specific prayers are not too hard for God.  He could touch that 1^st domino, setting  my plan into motion….or He can change the course of my future with a simple angle change of one game piece.  It really doesn’t matter  when we’re standing on faith….for that very faith changes everything in this game called life.

Proverbs 16:13
“We toss the coin but it is the Lord who controls its decision.”Proverbs 21: 30

“There is no wisdom, no insight, no plan that can succeed against the Lord.”

Amen and Amen!

Song recommendation
Voice of Truth
by:  Casting Crowns

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KwsvqVmFV6Y

1-Priscilla Shirer Bible Study, One in a Million.

A Major Discomfort Page 13

The writing below is, word for word, a devotional put out by Mr. Charles Swindoll, a renowned Christian preacher and author.  It is precisely linked, in lesson, to page 12 of this blog.  Please read page 12 first and then read this page so that you can see how God works in our lives.

 How does this reflect God's Hand, you might ask.  Well, first it ties directly to the entry made yesterday by myself which reflects the lesson I am studying in my current Bible Study and the exact experience through which I am walking.  The subject matters are the same...regarding a time in the desert, our personal needs, and God's plan for the enrichment of our souls.  God teaches us just like this, if we're keen enough to see it, by presenting the same lesson to us in seemingly ironic ways... taking us deeper into an understanding of what He knows our hearts are yearning to hear and understand... and what our character and integrity still have to learn.  Additonal devotionals and other resources by Charles Swindoll can be found at http://www.insight.org/

May 6, 2011



A Major in Discomfort
by Charles R. Swindoll

Read Exodus 3:1; Acts 7:29–30

Notice carefully how the process took place through those years of desert learning, because it is the same with you and me. God must break through several hard, exterior barriers in our lives before He can renovate our souls. His persistent goal is to break through to the inner person. As David acknowledged, "Behold, You desire truth in the innermost being, and in the hidden part You will make me know wisdom" (Psalm 51:6).

What are those resistant layers in our hearts, and how does He break through to that hidden part?

 First, He finds pride. And He uses the sandpaper of obscurity to remove it ever so gradually. Then He finds us gripped by fear—dread of our past, anxiety over our present, and terror over what may lie ahead—and He uses the passing of time to remove that fear. We learn that things aren't out of hand at all; they're in His hand.  He next encounters the barrier of resentment—the tyranny of bitterness. He breaks down that layer with solitude. In the silence of His presence, we gain a fresh perspective, gradually release our cherished rights, and let go of the expectations that held us hostage.  Finally, He gets down to the basic habits of living, he penetrates our inner person, and there He brings discomfort and hardship to buff away that last layer of resistance. Why? So that He might renovate us at the very core of our being.

Reach for the hand of your Guide! He is Lord of the desert. Make that your desert. The most precious object of God's love is His child in the desert. If it were possible, you mean more to Him during this time than at any other time. You are as the pupil of His eye. You are His beloved student taking his toughest courses. While testing you, He loves you with an infinite amount of love.  Jesus walked through the desert first. He felt its heat. He endured its loneliness. He accepted its obscurity. He faced down Satan himself while the desert winds howled. And you can be sure He will never, ever forget or forsake the one who follows Him across the sand.

Excerpted from Charles R. Swindoll, Great Days with the Great Lives (Nashville: W Publishing Group, 2005). Copyright © 2005 by Charles R. Swindoll, Inc. All rights reserved. Used by permission.

I am following Him across the sand!  May you take out your sunblock and sunshades and do the same!

Many blessings.

Speak Tenderly To Me. Page 12

I share the following….not so that I may gain your compassion…but so that you can see God Almighty's!

Not long ago I struggled with fatigue which led to me acquiring a plague I’ll call Doubt.  Shadows were lurking.  Something ungodly had taken hold of my brain.  During this time I was so overwhelmed that tears fell to wash over my soul…for I was burdened with feelings of inadequacy.

I was depleted.  Busyness will do this to us.  I had worked a two day trip with the airlines which included 11 hours in the air, landed late in the evening and the next morning went straight into last minute pack-mode for 4 people…for a last-minute trip to Louisiana; traveled 8 hours in the car.  Spent 2 short days visiting for Easter then drove the 8 hours back home and within 3 hours I was overcome with the stomach flu.  After suffering for 3 days, during which I actually thanked God that I am usually healthy, I had to hop up and fly another 6 hour work trip with AA and then head into a busy weekend.   When I touched down, mentally and physically, I realized I had landed in the Land of Lost Toys.  I felt like a mis-fit; broken and unwanted.  Weary in the wake of my life and its travels.   This schedule may sound manageable to some…and is usually manageable for me….but not this time. 

I could embellish and add the normal nuances that make our days truly complete.  On this particular trip there was the 16 hour round-trip car ride with 5 head-strong people I call my family…and all the give and take that goes with that.  Within life in general there is the juggle we all go through to manage our time, our family, our home, our job and ….oh yeah….ourselves!   There’s the chronic dishes, chronic laundry, chronic meal planning, chronic errand running; the chronic floor cleaning, bed-making, task-mastering, and car-pooling to here, there and yonder.  There’s the balancing of job vs. family, health vs. convenience, flexibility vs. structure ….on and on and on.  Somewhere in there we invite God along on our trips and into our daily lives.  During my latest challenge between Super Mom and super tired…. I reached out to God and He spoke to me in a way that opened my eyes to His compassion and mercy.  I heard God’s voice for He heard mine!

 Many years ago I memorized the scripture, Psalm 27:7, that says “Hear me O Lord when I cry with my voice; have mercy on me and answer me”.    During my latest struggle, with tears and all, I literally cried out to God “I need nurturing”.  To be honest, it is hard for some of us to use the words “I need”.  But, I humbled myself and spoke these words to my husband and to God through various prayers.  I moved through a couple of days….hoping to “see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living” per  Psalm 27:13 (But my confidence wasn’t quite on par!)

 I was struggling, vulnerable.  As I exited this time of busyness and sickness I felt out of sorts; off course.  Of course, there are other underlining issues in my life, as in yours, that burden my heart and weigh on my mind and these only added to the noise in my head screaming “inadequate”.  However, my voice reached God’s ears.  Instantly He knew that neither my heart nor my senses were centered True North and He arranged to attend to my needs.  Through my Bible Study a day or two later I read the scripture in Hosea 2: 14-15.   God said:

“Therefore I am now going to allure her;
I will lead her into the desert
and speak tenderly to her.
There I will give her back her vineyards,
and will make the Valley of Trouble a Door of Hope.
There she will sing as in the days of her youth,
as in the day she came up out of Egypt.”

This still makes my heart tighten with thankfulness.   It’s full of compassion from a compassionate God.  I needed a song in my heart so badly.  I needed someone to speak tenderly to me….to offer tender care.  This scripture is saying that God entices us to a quiet place (the desert) were we can steal away from the busyness that weakens us.  He allures us lovingly toward something we need for He knows, during our low times, we require the security that comes from being alone with a loved one.  Once there, He will encourage us kindly, as our earthly parent would; reminding us we are loved and provided for.  In this place, meant for healing…. we hear His tender voice and we are calmed; nurtured.   During this intimate talk He reminds us that our troubles will fade….and soon we’ll  be standing before a Door of Hope.  “This too shall pass” is the implication.  During this respite in the desert, we recuperate.  We’re given back our vineyards; the things we’ve worked hard to harvest; those vines we had planted deep with great hope for our future.  In the warm desert sun we are revitalized... and re-discover those strong feelings we had back when we first gained Christ’s enduring friendship through salvation.  We’re recovering!   He’ll make us strong and healthy again, for He is the “Wonderful Counselor”....a Mighty God!  He’ll give us back the song we used to sing.  That tune we used to hum quietly under our breath when life was good and all was well in our soul.  He does this for He knows that to travel down this earthly path is to face sickness and strife. 

God can and will give us back that peace and joy that we once sang about.  He can lead us to a peaceful locale free of distractions and in this beautiful place we can hear His  voice as He speaks tenderly to us…nurturing us; restoring those things that busyness and distractions took from us; restoring our confidence and competence; restoring our hearts with His goodness and our spirits with His power and love (II Timothy 1:7).   He will lead us through the Door of Hope that was temporarily locked by doubt.

  As of now…. my plague of Doubt has vanished.  I’ve walked through that door of Hope and into the direction of the very things God planned for me all along.  It's "a journey not a destination" as they say...but I'm on my way!   During your troubles…may you find this door as well!

“Every good and perfect gift comes down from the Father of Lights
 who does not change like shifting shadows.”
James 1:17

     “…and He will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace."
Isaiah 9: 6

Song Recommendation:
The More I seek You
BY:  Kari Jobe

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b4crRPpqoW4

Our Rescue! Page 11

“He brought me out into a spacious place; he rescued me because he delighted in me.”
Psalm 18:19

This verse drops us into the safety of open space as it visually leads us into a spacious place.  But, to fully appreciate our current locale, we must first read the fire and brimstone  rescue by the Lord himself , as described in verses 4 -15: 

“The cords of death entangled me; the torrents of destruction overwhelmed me.
 The cords of the grave coiled around me;
the snares of death confronted me.
In my distress I called to the Lord:
I cried to my God for help.
From his temple he heard my voice;
my cry came before him, into his ears.
The earth trembled and quaked,
and the foundations of the mountains shook;
they trembled because He was angry.
Smoke rose from his nostrils;
consuming fire came from his mouth,
burning coals blazed out of it.
He parted the heavens and came down;
dark clouds were under his feet.
He mounted the cherubim and flew;
he soared on the wings of the wind.
He made darkness his covering, his canopy around him the dark rain clouds of the sky.
Out of the brightness of his presence clouds advanced,
with hailstones and bolts of lightning.
The Lord thundered from the heaven;
the voice of the Most High resounded.
He shot his arrows and scattered the enemies,
great bolts of lightning and routed them.
The valleys of the sea were exposed
and the foundations of the earth laid bare at your rebuke O Lord,
at the blast of breath from your nostrils.”

In the above scene….as the wind thundered, the earth shook, lightning flashed and arrows soared….as God flew on the back of a mighty angel, no less, we were rescued! The Lord did not hesitate.  He moved quickly.  He called Nature and a Guardian into his immediate command and flew.  He didn't ponder....or consider.  He moved into action for His loved one.  Verse 16 will read as our last chance of survival if we acknowledge our own powerlessness in this drowning world:

“He reached down from on high and took hold of me; he drew me out of deep waters”.

Verses 17-19:  “He rescued me from my powerful enemy,
from my foes, who were too strong for me.  They confronted me in the day of my disaster, but the Lord was my support.  He brought me out into a spacious place; he rescued me because he delighted in me”. 

 Why such a bold rescue???  Because He delighted in me!  With the cinema as it is today I can envision this scene on the big screen.  It is epic my friend!  There is nothing like it when the mightiest of the mighty saves the day.  Psalm 18 is written about just this character.  Not as in the “main character”…but as in the character of The Almighty God.  This is the God to whom we pray; the God to whom we give our daily thanks; the God to whom we go to church to ponder.  While there do we ponder the power of this mighty warrior referenced in the above scripture?  

THIS is the God we serve: The God who knows our where-abouts and can control the elements, part the heavens and fly on the back of a guardian angel, a cherubim, to swoop down and draw us out of deep waters.   Deep waters?  Deep trouble, deep anguish, deep pain, deep fear, deep hurt, deep emotion, deep despair, deep depression, deep loss, deep waters….the depths of hell my friend.  He’s real…let’s admit it.  He is powerful…let’s be aware of it.  He is in control… let’s surrender to that….for even the forces of hell agree and bow at the mention of his name.

Philippians 2: 9-11
 “Therefore God exalted him to the highest place
 and gave him the name that is above every name,
 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth
 and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father”. 

Song Recommendation:
On My Knees
BY:  Jaci Velasquez

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=By-8BN316mM

For Jim, who has been drawn out of deep waters. 

"The Lord is with you, Mighty Warrior" Page 10

Romans 4:17 says “God… calls things that are not as though they were”.  The title of this page, which is actually scripture located in Judges 6, is an example of that.   In this passage God is encouraging Gideon to stand in his faith, to be courageous….and then God proceeded to call him a Mighty Warrior.  Gideon was not yet displaying the courage of a mighty warrior and he knew it; but God encouraged him with this empowering descriptive and boldly called things that weren’t as though they were.  This is a reminder that we must move past our emotions, those tumultuous beliefs bouncing around in the psychology of our minds and, with courage we do not know we have, stand in our faith.  How will we ever become that modern-day mighty warrior until we’ve done just this; stand when our legs are shaking, speak when our voice is quaking, and love when our hearts are breaking.  We must become what we not yet are…to achieve what has yet to be.

 It is with a longing to understand death that I compile these thoughts…for as I write this my uncle is spiritually walking through the Valley of the Shadow of Death.  The other day I went to visit him.  I stood at his bedside as he sought breaths that were hard to find, called for help in his time of need, and asked to be held as he sensed his life was faltering.  I pondered my uncle’s spiritual location as I stood there, momentarily choosing to be in that valley with him.  I held his hand and tried to clear my head of emotions so that I could bravely pray and stand guard over him as best I could.  I prayed that God would send angels to stand guard as well, and then turned my shift over to them… because I was faltering.  My emotions poured forth…and my frail, human heart began to break.

We become nostalgic at times like this.  We want this life to be eternal.  We want our loved ones to always be with us…yet we know this is humanly impossible.  Death is that one thing from which none of us can escape.  My mind tried to pull forth things I could remember about my uncle and I realized how much he reminds me of my father, his brother. With emotion, my heart began to beat patriotically knowing that he was a military man.  I viewed the metals on his dresser that displayed his bravery and honor….and I watched as he courageously took in those painful breaths that also displayed a very specific form of bravery and honor.  Standing on the cusp of this life and the next, knowing that it includes walking through a valley that is shadowed with death, is exactly like that of a military man braving it all. Just as the Lord spoke to Gideon…I wanted to tell my uncle “The Lord is with you, Mighty Warrior” and I did, in my own way.   Visiting with him was, indeed, precious for it allowed me to acknowledge that death is a part of living and it vividly reminded me that each breath is a gift that literally binds us to this world; but, what of the next?

 Scripture says in James 4: 14….”What is your life?  You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.”   This vanishing includes a journey that is beyond the scope of our understanding.  We can only imagine the spiritual journey one takes when leaving this earth and entering the spiritual world so vast that its gates are made of ivory and its streets of gold.  Scripture says In I Corinthians 15:26 “The last enemy to be destroyed is death”.  II Timothy 1:10 says… “But it has now been revealed through the appearing of our Savior, Christ Jesus, who has destroyed death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel".  The Holy Bible is full of this revelation!  The above scripture states that we have eternal life through belief in our Savior Jesus Christ…and our hearts beat of this truth as well.     

          Scripture states in Ecclesiastes 3:1
 “He has made everything beautiful in its time.  He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end.”

What does this mean?  From the beginning to the end, deep within our hearts, we absolutely know that we are meant for eternity.  Do you think it ironic that our hearts long to live forever, that we love so deeply that we can hardly bear losing a loved one?   We sense that there is something beyond ourselves….yet we cannot fathom it.   The best-selling book of all times, the Bible, states there is life after death.  All our human hopes would certainly be fulfilled if we took this amazing opportunity to be saved from the sin of this world and blessed with eternal life.  You are invited by God himself into eternity through the scripture in John 3: 16

 “For God so loved the world that He gave his one and only son that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”
  Simply confess that you believe! 
“I believe!”

 We all have a legacy that is imperfect, but none-the-less, beautiful.   My uncle has a family history worthy of remembering.  The picture-book of our lives is there for this purpose.  With this said, we know that memories don’t suffice nor console.  There is really no way for us to reconcile losing a loved one…. but the more we know of God the easier it is to find a peace with this parting.  When we know God we are confident that “all things work for the good of those who love him”.  When we know God we have a trust, set deep in our core, that allows us to hold to our faith and accept the inevitable.  

 More importantly than all of this…when we know God we know that we will meet again in eternity.  Until then, we can stand confident in our faith that through the compassion of our Creator, we will smile again, love again…find joy again.  Time is an amazing healer -just as Christ is.  And just as His life floods beyond time-lines and still teaches and heals us with historic scripture and amazing grace…the passage of the very time He created will flood over us and attend to our fragile hearts.  Although we long to have our loved ones with us daily…we know that we will surely see them again in the heaven….in a way that will exceed all expectations of even our best days with them on earth.   God says it’s so…..biblical text confirms this….and I believe.  Do you?

“Now we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands”. 
II Corinthians 5: 1

“I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.  Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day-and not only to me, but also to ALL who have longed for his appearing”.
II Timothy 4: 7-8

In honor of Johnny Abrams-
who lived a full life!

Song recommendation
Who am I?
Casting Crowns

click this link to listen to the song "Who Am I?"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VU_rTX23V7Q

Lord, Help my Unbelief! Page 9

Our heart can fool us when it has slipped into unbelief!  Doubt easily creeps in bringing with it fear and confusion.  When this happens we must find our footing again.  We must step back onto the platform of faith, climb to the top of our watchtower and scan the horizon for God’s handiwork.  We must silence the doubting heart than can mislead us into despair.  We must over-rule the foolishness of unbelief with a head full of scripture, with a conviction that God wants the best for us…and with a steadfast mental and spiritual assurance that our “God is the ‘lord of hosts’ who can summon unexpected reinforcements at any moment to help His people.  We must believe that He stands between us and our difficulties… and what troubles us will flee before him, as clouds in the wind”1

To the physical world we must say “I believe in the unseen!”
To the laws of Nature we must say “you don’t fool me!” …
and to the unbelieving heart we must command “silence, you lying tempter!”

We’ve been taught that our hearts know the way through the rugged terrain of life.  We’re taught to follow our hearts because our emotions have credence.  The truth of it is…that we must move out with faith…and allow our emotions to catch up.  Our emotions want to take us one way…but our faith knows of another.  Inevitably, our hearts will get confused with emotion and, when blended with worldly standards, untruths will settle in and soon we have been misled.  Fooled! 

When this happens we must call emotion what it is; temporary… and turn back to faith, which is eternal.  It is purposed!  It is mental and spiritual!  It is a choice!  We must spiritually climb out of the valley of despair up to a precipice and call out “God!”…or simply whisper “Lord”.  We must purposely seek out truth for we are blind to it when fear and unbelief come onto the scene.  We must boldly bound all fearful thoughts that so easily ensnare and work to separate ourselves from the worldly dissonance with a single release of power, called prayer.   We must quiet our hearts, silence our emotions and make sound decisions free of the worldly influences that caused the fear in the 1^st place- for worldly noise and busyness can veil us from the truth of heavenly purposes.

  After we’ve made the climb out on this mental and spiritual precipice with our minds free of emotion, and our hearts free of fear we find the peace of God and are able to sense His presence... for the distractions of this world become silent.  Now in God’s presence we stand in truth…and He stands watch with us, looking down over our triumphant battle.  Tomorrow we will rise and do it again for this sinful struggle with fear and unbelief happens daily.  We have to face this world every day with purpose and intent or it will capture our hearts,  fill us with fear, hide the truth, distract us with the unimportant, and  pour noise into our heads till we can’t think clearly and we’re left to the demise of worldly decay. 

What is the point here?  Unbelief see’s us as easy prey.  It is simple to fall out of our stance of faith...and when life gets the best of us it is very tempting to do so.  It’s difficult to remain hopeful; faithful.  We can spin our wheels and spend our time seeking reasons why faith in God is necessary…. or we can generate our faith by adamantly affirming that disbelief is absurd. 

Scripture says in Isaiah 7:9
 “…if you do not stand firm in your faith you will not stand at all.”

 Hebrews 11: 6 says
“And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him."

Hebrews 11:1 says  "Now faith is being sure of what we hope for;
certain of what we do not see”

Faith is a requirement and with it everything is possible (see Mark 9: 23).   Ask God to help you overcome your unbelief and He will.  The scripture above says he will reward those who earnestly seek him.  Sincerity is mandatory if you want to see God work in your life.  A flippant prayer will flip only so far.  “God whispers into the quietness of a humbled heart”.   Add the ingredient of sincerity into your faithful heart and just watch as the impossible becomes possible, your needs are filled, the favor of God arrives on your doorstep and goodness and mercy follow you all the days of your life!  See Psalm 23.

"Above all else guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of Life."
Proverbs 4:23


Song Recommendation:
Here With Me
By:  MercyMe

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=74CNUExD4I8

Footnotes:

1-Streams in the Desert