Every August, my Bible reading plan lands on the book of Job. August seems to be the hardest month for a pastor. The services are always thinned out not to mention the offerings take a hit as well. With families taking advantage of the end of summer vacations, it is understandable, but its always the most difficult to get through. I don't think that it's a coincidence that the last two weeks of August we end up reading the book of Job.
Something in me this time wanted to forfeit reading this book this time. I don't know if it is too depressing or if it is because so many of us are currently facing similar circumstances, that I would rather read a book of the Bible that is more uplifting. It is even interesting that this book, which was written long before the others is nestled in between the books of Esther and the Psalms. I wonder if God placed it there because He knew that eventually a reading plan would be set up. In all of God's wisdom, He knew August would be the last month of the summer, usually the hottest month of the year which also means fall is coming, a season of letting go. It is interesting that this man, Job who lived long before the nation of Israel, believed in God and even all those thousands of years ago, still struggled with the same issues, sufferings and thoughts as we do today.
This past month has been a struggle for several people that I know. Even recently I was faced with a reality that has brought me to a place of fearfulness. (I have to say I am trying to stay faithfilled) One of the most well known scriptures from the book of Job is from chapter 3 verse 25 "What I feared has come upon me; what I dreaded has happened to me." I believe more than ever this is true in our lives. Just the other day, I was glancing back at 16 years worth of prayer journals. In reading those journals a majority of my most difficult times have been in August, yet it seems that most of the dreams that I have had from the Lord were in the month of August. Job 33:14-18 says, "For God does speak - now one way, now another- though man may not perceive it. 15 In a dream, in a vision of the night, when deep sleep falls on men as they slumber in their beds, 16 he may speak in their ears and terrify them with warnings, 17 to turn man from wrongdoing and keep him from pride, 18 to preserve his soul from the pit, his life perishing by the sword." Its true. Most of my dreams from the Lord seem like warnings.
The past couple of weeks, as I have been preparing for the fall women's Bible study, fear seems to be one of the main schemes used by the devil to paralyze his victims. Job lost everything including his health. He was a very wealthy man with a big family. Then Satan took what he feared and used it against him. What is even more interesting is that God chose Job to be the one Satan could bring torment to. That would seem disturbing. But that is only because God "knew" Job and what his heart was like, that he was a man who revered the Lord and was truly good. God did not fear that Job would turn away. Think about that for a minute, God is not afraid of anyone or anything. Even after Job's life seemed to fall apart and his friends gave him a hard time, Job says in chapter 17:9 "Nevertheless, the righteous will hold to their ways, and those with clean hands will grow stronger." That was what Nehemiah asked for in his days of distress, strength. Only the strength that comes from the Lord can carry us through suffering. Job in his distress, hung on for dear life.
Thankfully, the book of Job ends on a good note. Chapter 42 is all about Job being restored everything, in a double portion. Job 42:2 says "I know that you can do all things; no plan of your can be thwarted." So true. God can do all things and even when enemy plots out his scheme to bring you down, God's plan always prevails. The book of Job is such a picture of the average Christians life. We live our lives doing what we know is right and then because we are in the world, we are subject to the side effects of sin. Those being sickness, financial ruin do to economy and being wronged and none of these we can do anything about. Most of the time, it just happens. But it is all in our attitude and how we choose to walk it out. By faith or by fear. By faith keeping focused that Jesus is leading us, even in the unknown areas. Or by fear, allowing us to be paralyzed by or circumstances and not moving at all. I believe our double portion isn't going to be found here on earth as Job's was. Our double portion will be when we get to meet Jesus face to face. As the old hymn "Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus" sings, "...and the things of earth will grow strangely dim..." It won't even matter when we get there what happened here. That is when we will finally be in perfect health, no more financial worries and no more grief, pain or fear! It's all about enduring, just like Job did and hanging in there, even when it seems to be the end, there's always a happy ending when Jesus is involved.
Friday, August 29, 2008
Friday, August 22, 2008
A Picture of Peace
I'm taking a detour today in my devotional. For the past few weeks, I have been troubled about some personal things. Last night I think it was really heavy on my heart. I woke up at 2:30am and I tossed and turned for the next 30 minutes. I finally just got up and went down stairs to pray. I decided it was a good time to sit in the quiet of my home and write in my prayer journal. I haven't had this troubled feeling in such a long time. It's feeling that I have a knot in my stomach. I felt much better getting it out of my head and down on paper and finally at 4:00am I went back to bed.
Instead of going to the gym this morning I felt the Lord tell me to "take a walk with Him." As I stepped outside with my ipod, I looked at the sky. It's been an unusually cool summer here in Southern California. Usually in August we are reaching the mid 90's, but instead its been "June gloom." I turned my music on to my worship playlist. So many songs, but I needed something to help me get started on my walk. Jeff had called me earlier asking me about the title of a worship song. That is rare because he's the worship music king. But I think that was God already ordering my steps for our walk. I played the song that Jeff had asked me about. It's called "Sing of Your Great Love" by Hillsongs. It's one of my favorite songs. The chorus says, "Holy, holy is the Lord " and it repeats. My favorite part is the verse that says, "I love to see you (Jesus) glorified, to see you lifted high. I long to see all nations bow their knees. It's you alone Lord Jesus who can cause the coldest heart, to find your love and everlasting peace." I don't know why that portion of the song touches a part of my soul that I so long for. I discovered recently there is a bridge in the song. It says, "And the trumpet will sound. And all of Heaven will know the time has finally come for the Bride to take her place and we'll hear the angels sing. Holy, holy, holy is the Lord..." Oh, it just gets me every time!
So I'm listening to this song. Instead of walking through the neighborhood, I thought I would make my way out to the main street. Not something I would normally do. But the Holy Spirit was leading me this way. I know without a shadow of a doubt it He was.
Just catty-corner from my house is a vacant field that is owned by the electric company. The power lines run through there. Right now the field is dead and dry, but last spring after all the rain, it was a lush green pasture of 3 feet tall wild flowers. The flowers are tiny little yellow flowers. Probably weeds, but in suburbia I'd like to think it was a green field. Just before summer began, the electric company mowed it down and now it is just a dry brown barren field. Not very pretty to look at. As I passed by this field I heard the Holy Spirit quietly tell me to look at it. Now you would have never noticed it if you were driving by or really even walking by because you would not have expected to see it. But this field was filled, I mean filled with brown doves! Hundreds of them eating the seed in the ground. All of the sudden, I haven't had this since I had my "fruit stand experience" back in 2004. Funny that it's across from that corner. But I felt the Holy Spirit reign down on my soul. It was so powerful I just stopped and looked in awe. It reminded me that He comes to the barren places. In a neighborhood filled with houses this little barren piece of land was covered with doves. They were adult doves and baby doves. They blended so much into the landscape again, you would have never noticed them. As you know the dove is the symbol of the Holy Spirit in the Bible. And no, they weren't sparrows either. Right now I sense the Holy Spirit saying to me, that is how it is right now. He's here, but we are so caught up in our "troubles" that we don't even notice Him sitting peacefully in the dry places of our lives.
As I began to walk, I just wept with a joy, yet a brokeness in my spirit of grief for the those who have no idea who Jesus is. That portion of the song that I mentioned earlier where is says, "I long to see all nations bow their knees." Oh how I can't wait to see that day! I cried all the way down Harvard. Then the Holy Spirit reminded me of what Jesus said in John 14:1 "Let not your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, trust also in me." Verse 16-18 says, "15"If you love me, you will obey what I command. 16And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever— 17the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be[c] in you. 18 I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you." In some translations the Counselor is referred to as the Comforter. Then verse 26-29 says, "26But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. 27Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. 28"You heard me say, 'I am going away and I am coming back to you.' If you loved me, you would be glad that I am going to the Father, for the Father is greater than I. 29I have told you now before it happens, so that when it does happen you will believe." He was reminding me that He is the Comforter. That I don't need to be troubled and that I have access to the peace of God that passes all understanding that will guard my heart and mind in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:7) He knows and sees what's going on.
I concluded my walk listening to Natalie Grant singing "Holy Spirit Rain Down." What a "cardio walk" today. My heart was truly touched in a way today that I needed and I feel so good. God knows exactly how to talk to me. I guess He would because He created me, in His image. I went back to take a picture to share, but most of the doves were gone by the time I returned. I just want to thank Jesus for the sacrifice of His life to give me a relationship with the Heavenly Father. To connect with Him in such a way that I "feel" Him in my life. All I can say is "I love you Jesus and thank you so much for the gift of salvation!"
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
Nehemiah's Opposition
In my last entry, I wrote about Ephesians 6. This has truly been on the forefront of my thoughts. Yesterday I picked up the book that we are going to go through in our women's Bible study. Just reading the first chapter, it talks about the schemes of the enemy.
It is really hitting home for me as I even dreamed last night about the full armor of God and wanted to know what each piece was for and how it was supposed to protect me. I woke up this morning thinking about this. I thought about each piece of armor and what it actually does. When I got to the helmet of Salvation, I realized how much the enemy attacks our thought life. The mind is the main battle ground that the enemy uses to attack us. That's when I realized one of his schemes is telling us that whatever we are facing is "impossible."
I don't think it is a coincidence that my devotions have been in Nehemiah. In chapter 4 Nehemiah had been given the task of rebuilding the wall of Jerusalem that was destroyed by the Babylonians. Beginning in verse 1, there were a couple of people who didn't like the Jews. One of the men, Sanballat became angry when he heard what they were doing. He ridiculed them and asked, "What are those feeble Jews doing? Will they restore their wall? Will they offer sacrifices? Will they finish in a day? Can they bring the stones back to life from these heaps of rubble- burned as they are?" Then Tobiah the Ammonite said "What they are building - if even a fox climbed up on it, he would break down their wall of stones!" Doesn't that sound familiar?
Nehemiah was constantly being attacked by his enemies with words of doubt. Nehemiah's enemies had all plotted to fight against them and stir up trouble. Then the people of Judah became discouraged and began to doubt that they could rebuild the wall. They were afraid of being attacked. In verse 9, Nehemiah prayed to God and posted guards day and night to meet this threat. He stationed people everywhere with swords, spears and bows to protect every person and family. Nehemiah trusted that God would fight for each person.
In verses 15-18 says, "When our enemies heard that we were aware of their plot and that God had frustrated it, we all returned to the wall, each to his own work. 16 From that day on, half of my men did the work, while the other half were equipped with spears, shields, bows and armor. The officers posted themselves behind all the people of Judah17 who were building the wall. Those who carried materials did their work with one hand and held a weapon in the other, 18 and each of the builders wore his sword at his side as he worked. But the man who sounded the trumpet stayed with me." Verse 23 says "Neither I nor my brothers nor my men nor the guards with me took off our clothes; each had his weapon, even when he went for water."
When I read the words "sword and weapon", I immediately thought of the Spiritual armor. The sword of the Spirit is the Word of God. Even the word "sword" has the word "word" in it as a reminder. I suppose we should call it the sWord of the Spirit to remind us. If we can get the Word of God into our hearts so that, like those men, we have it by our side at all times. Ready to be spoken at a moment of surprise attack!
In chapter 6 verse 2 it says that Sanballat, Tobiah, and Geshem the Arab were scheming to harm Nehemiah. Ephesians 6:11 tells us to take our stand against the Devil's schemes. One of the dictionary definitions is "an underhand plot." That is what these men were doing to discourage Nehemiah from completing the task he'd been given.
But Nehemiah didn't fall prey to these "lions" who were trying to devour him. Instead he replied to them in verses 8 & 9 by saying "Nothing like what you are saying is happening; you are just making it up out of your head." They were all trying to frighten us, thinking, 'Their hands will get too weak for the work, and it will not be completed.' " Instead Nehemiah spoke back by praying "Now strengthen my hands." He didn't ask God to make them go away, or to kill them, he asked God for strength.
I wonder how our circumstances would turn out if we asked God for "strength to endure" instead of "make it go away." I'm guilty of praying that. Our human nature doesn't like to suffer or deal with difficult things so we usually pray, God heal me, provide for me, or make that difficult person go away. I wonder what would happen if we prayed, "Father give me strength to endure this sickness, give me wisdom in this financial bind or show me how to lead that difficult person to You."
At the end of chapter 6, the wall is finally completed. It took them fifty-two days to get the job done. Nehemiah realized that his enemies had even sent prophets to discourage him. Sometimes our own brothers and sisters in the Lord are used by the enemy to attack us. That is why it is important to know what God is saying to you personally.
In the end the job was done and I'm sure Nehemiah was relieved yet even more confident in God's Word. Verse 16 says, "When all our enemies heard about this, all the surrounding nations were afraid and lost their self-confidence, because they realized that this work had been done with the help of our God."
Ask yourself these questions. How is Satan discouraging you from the promises of God? Do you recognize his schemes yet? How are you fighting back? Are you fighting out of fear or faith? Lastly, are you possibly being used like those prophets to speak discouragement to other brothers and sisters in the Lord? The Bible is clear about building one another up. I would take some time to write down some areas that you believe the enemy is scheming against you and thwart his effort. Conquering the battle is exposing the enemy's plan. There's a spiritual battle out there and we as God's children need to dress in our spiritual armor daily and let God do the fighting.
It is really hitting home for me as I even dreamed last night about the full armor of God and wanted to know what each piece was for and how it was supposed to protect me. I woke up this morning thinking about this. I thought about each piece of armor and what it actually does. When I got to the helmet of Salvation, I realized how much the enemy attacks our thought life. The mind is the main battle ground that the enemy uses to attack us. That's when I realized one of his schemes is telling us that whatever we are facing is "impossible."
I don't think it is a coincidence that my devotions have been in Nehemiah. In chapter 4 Nehemiah had been given the task of rebuilding the wall of Jerusalem that was destroyed by the Babylonians. Beginning in verse 1, there were a couple of people who didn't like the Jews. One of the men, Sanballat became angry when he heard what they were doing. He ridiculed them and asked, "What are those feeble Jews doing? Will they restore their wall? Will they offer sacrifices? Will they finish in a day? Can they bring the stones back to life from these heaps of rubble- burned as they are?" Then Tobiah the Ammonite said "What they are building - if even a fox climbed up on it, he would break down their wall of stones!" Doesn't that sound familiar?
Nehemiah was constantly being attacked by his enemies with words of doubt. Nehemiah's enemies had all plotted to fight against them and stir up trouble. Then the people of Judah became discouraged and began to doubt that they could rebuild the wall. They were afraid of being attacked. In verse 9, Nehemiah prayed to God and posted guards day and night to meet this threat. He stationed people everywhere with swords, spears and bows to protect every person and family. Nehemiah trusted that God would fight for each person.
In verses 15-18 says, "When our enemies heard that we were aware of their plot and that God had frustrated it, we all returned to the wall, each to his own work. 16 From that day on, half of my men did the work, while the other half were equipped with spears, shields, bows and armor. The officers posted themselves behind all the people of Judah17 who were building the wall. Those who carried materials did their work with one hand and held a weapon in the other, 18 and each of the builders wore his sword at his side as he worked. But the man who sounded the trumpet stayed with me." Verse 23 says "Neither I nor my brothers nor my men nor the guards with me took off our clothes; each had his weapon, even when he went for water."
When I read the words "sword and weapon", I immediately thought of the Spiritual armor. The sword of the Spirit is the Word of God. Even the word "sword" has the word "word" in it as a reminder. I suppose we should call it the sWord of the Spirit to remind us. If we can get the Word of God into our hearts so that, like those men, we have it by our side at all times. Ready to be spoken at a moment of surprise attack!
In chapter 6 verse 2 it says that Sanballat, Tobiah, and Geshem the Arab were scheming to harm Nehemiah. Ephesians 6:11 tells us to take our stand against the Devil's schemes. One of the dictionary definitions is "an underhand plot." That is what these men were doing to discourage Nehemiah from completing the task he'd been given.
But Nehemiah didn't fall prey to these "lions" who were trying to devour him. Instead he replied to them in verses 8 & 9 by saying "Nothing like what you are saying is happening; you are just making it up out of your head." They were all trying to frighten us, thinking, 'Their hands will get too weak for the work, and it will not be completed.' " Instead Nehemiah spoke back by praying "Now strengthen my hands." He didn't ask God to make them go away, or to kill them, he asked God for strength.
I wonder how our circumstances would turn out if we asked God for "strength to endure" instead of "make it go away." I'm guilty of praying that. Our human nature doesn't like to suffer or deal with difficult things so we usually pray, God heal me, provide for me, or make that difficult person go away. I wonder what would happen if we prayed, "Father give me strength to endure this sickness, give me wisdom in this financial bind or show me how to lead that difficult person to You."
At the end of chapter 6, the wall is finally completed. It took them fifty-two days to get the job done. Nehemiah realized that his enemies had even sent prophets to discourage him. Sometimes our own brothers and sisters in the Lord are used by the enemy to attack us. That is why it is important to know what God is saying to you personally.
In the end the job was done and I'm sure Nehemiah was relieved yet even more confident in God's Word. Verse 16 says, "When all our enemies heard about this, all the surrounding nations were afraid and lost their self-confidence, because they realized that this work had been done with the help of our God."
Ask yourself these questions. How is Satan discouraging you from the promises of God? Do you recognize his schemes yet? How are you fighting back? Are you fighting out of fear or faith? Lastly, are you possibly being used like those prophets to speak discouragement to other brothers and sisters in the Lord? The Bible is clear about building one another up. I would take some time to write down some areas that you believe the enemy is scheming against you and thwart his effort. Conquering the battle is exposing the enemy's plan. There's a spiritual battle out there and we as God's children need to dress in our spiritual armor daily and let God do the fighting.
Friday, August 8, 2008
The Other Side
For the past month I have been praying and asking the Lord what direction He is leading our women for our fall Bible study. For the past few weeks, Ephesians 6 keeps popping up in my thoughts, so I'm assuming He is leading us into the battle of spiritual warfare. Verses 10 & 11 says, "Finally, be strong in the Lord and His mighty power. 11 Put on the full armor of God so you can take your stand against the Devil's schemes." This topic would seem a little intense for a women's Bible study, but the more I talk with women, the more I am believing it to be true.
The last couple of days I have spent researching books for us to read through. I was in the Bible bookstore for an hour the other day flipping through books to see what they have to say about it. The majority of the books on spiritual warfare do not even mention the Holy Spirit. How can you fight spiritual things without the leading of the Holy Spirit? Ehpesians 6:12 says, "12For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms." This one book in particular that I actually bought because the first 10 chapters where exactly right on, until we got to the issue of the Holy Spirit. This author believes that the Holy Spirit was given only to Jesus' disciples and that was that. If that is the case then salvation wouldn't be for today either, right? Isn't it the Holy Spirit that comes into our lives and begins the work of becoming like Christ? Ephesians 6:18 says, "And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints."
Since I've been in pastoral ministry, I have seen more defeated Christians than I have victorious Christians. I admit, I too have fallen into the trap or scheme of the enemy by living a defeated life. But yesterday, God started stirring something in me about this. So here is where I use a disclaimer for the next few paragraphs. These are only my thoughts and I'm processing them via the blog world.
Yesterday I had a couple of encounters where I heard women talking about feeling discouraged in their walk with Christ. It was while I was praying about their circumstances that I realized that to "stand firm" as it says in Ephesians 6:14, that it means not standing with our heads bowed in shame and fear and defeat, but stand in such a way that we are ready for whatever comes our way. Two of the articles used in the armor of God are the shield of Faith and the sword of the Spirit. The sword represents the Word of God and the shield of Faith is to be kept up high, not on the ground, to protect us from the firey darts of the enemy. This also represents our level of faith.
Later on that day, I'm talking to my friend Nicole and we are talking about how defeated the body of Christ seems to be these days. It seems there are more sick, poor, and hopeless Christians than ever. As we were talking I had this vision of an hourglass-like object and it was at the point of being turned over. I would like to believe that is where we are right now in the Spirit. In the transition of it all turning around for good.
We are in the season of "going to the other side." In Mark 4 Jesus had been teaching all day. He was probably beat from talking all day. It was evening and Jesus told the disciples to get into the boat with him and go to the other side. So the disciples get in and off they go. Jesus heads down into the boat to sleep. Suddenly a furious squall comes up and the boat is being rocked and shaken. The disciples out of desperation and fear wake Jesus up and tell him that they are going to die and ask him if he even cares that they are going to drown. Jesus then shouts, "Quiet! Be still!" The wind suddenly dies down and the waves begin to calm. Now I've been to the sea of Gallilee when the wind was blowing and its pretty intense. Eventually they reached the other side of the lake and it was there, in Chapter 5 when they were greeted by a man with an evil spirit. He then casts the legion of demons into a heard of pigs and they run into the sea and drown. Soon after Jesus encounters the woman with the issue of blood and because of her faith in Jesus' power, she is healed. This happens while he's on his way to Jairus' house to heal his daughter who is dying. When he gets there, she's already dead. The people have already begun the mourning process and Jesus asks them why all the crying and wailing. In Matthew 9, the writer says that when Jesus got there they were noisy and Jesus told them to "Go away! The girl is only asleep." Jesus tells the girl to wake up. She then rises and Jesus tells her parents to feed her.
So I have to ask the question? Are we in the midst of going to the other side? This morning as I was thinking about this, I was reminded of a scene in the movie "The Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End." Yes, I know its about pirates, but they did live on the sea. In this scene, they are in the middle of the ocean. They've run out of water and rum and food. They are exhausted and the sun is setting and a fear of hopelessness has come over them. Then Tia Dalma tells them that if they don't get to the other side before sunset, they will die. Jack Sparrow is trying to figure out the riddle to the map he has. All of the sudden he figures out that "down is up." That means the boat must flip upside down. He begins running from one side of the boat to the other. The other pirates look at him as if he's crazy. So he tells them "look over there." They see nothing but begin to follow him. Back and forth they run and one by one join him. By the time all of them are doing this, another man says, "he's rocking the boat!" They finally got it. They had to tip the boat over . Finally the boats momentum is so strong the boat is leaning on its side. There's so much commotion. Everything is in disarray and parts of the ship are breaking off. Then suddenly the ship begins to flip and everyone is hanging on. A few can't and fall and meet their death. The ship finally tips all the way and everyone left is hanging on for dear life, hoping that what they have just done was the right thing. They sit underneath the sea for probably what seemed forever. Then the sun sets and the water above them flips and begins to fall beneath them. The ship begins to break out of the water and it comes up out of the deep. There the sunrise is awaiting them.
What a picture of what is happening in the Spirit. Again, a band of pirates is probably not a Godly example, yet in our flesh, that is what we are like. Our job is to allow the Spirit to lead us. Even if it would seem to be a foolish act. Jesus knew he wasn't going to die in the storm that night. He knew what the plan was. Our job is just to have faith and hang on. Too many of us give up and lose our hope and where does it lead us? Just like in the movie of the people who let go, they died. Now we may not physically die when we "let go in the spirit" but we do let go of our hope of living in victory. Even when Jesus got to the other side, he was met by an evil spirit, but that didn't stop him from healing and making things right in the peoples lives he encountered.
The conclusion of the story of mankind has already been written in the book of Revelation. Chapter 15:1-3 says "1I saw in heaven another great and marvelous sign: seven angels with the seven last plagues—last, because with them God's wrath is completed. 2And I saw what looked like a sea of glass mixed with fire and, standing beside the sea, those who had been victorious over the beast and his image and over the number of his name. They held harps given them by God 3and sang the song of Moses the servant of God and the song of the Lamb: "Great and marvelous are your deeds, Lord God Almighty. Just and true are your ways, King of the ages." The key word phrase there is "standing by the sea, those who had been victorious." If we put on our spiritual armor everyday, live with a sense of hope and faith, hang on and not give up, I believe we will get to the other side without a scratch!
The last couple of days I have spent researching books for us to read through. I was in the Bible bookstore for an hour the other day flipping through books to see what they have to say about it. The majority of the books on spiritual warfare do not even mention the Holy Spirit. How can you fight spiritual things without the leading of the Holy Spirit? Ehpesians 6:12 says, "12For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms." This one book in particular that I actually bought because the first 10 chapters where exactly right on, until we got to the issue of the Holy Spirit. This author believes that the Holy Spirit was given only to Jesus' disciples and that was that. If that is the case then salvation wouldn't be for today either, right? Isn't it the Holy Spirit that comes into our lives and begins the work of becoming like Christ? Ephesians 6:18 says, "And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints."
Since I've been in pastoral ministry, I have seen more defeated Christians than I have victorious Christians. I admit, I too have fallen into the trap or scheme of the enemy by living a defeated life. But yesterday, God started stirring something in me about this. So here is where I use a disclaimer for the next few paragraphs. These are only my thoughts and I'm processing them via the blog world.
Yesterday I had a couple of encounters where I heard women talking about feeling discouraged in their walk with Christ. It was while I was praying about their circumstances that I realized that to "stand firm" as it says in Ephesians 6:14, that it means not standing with our heads bowed in shame and fear and defeat, but stand in such a way that we are ready for whatever comes our way. Two of the articles used in the armor of God are the shield of Faith and the sword of the Spirit. The sword represents the Word of God and the shield of Faith is to be kept up high, not on the ground, to protect us from the firey darts of the enemy. This also represents our level of faith.
Later on that day, I'm talking to my friend Nicole and we are talking about how defeated the body of Christ seems to be these days. It seems there are more sick, poor, and hopeless Christians than ever. As we were talking I had this vision of an hourglass-like object and it was at the point of being turned over. I would like to believe that is where we are right now in the Spirit. In the transition of it all turning around for good.
We are in the season of "going to the other side." In Mark 4 Jesus had been teaching all day. He was probably beat from talking all day. It was evening and Jesus told the disciples to get into the boat with him and go to the other side. So the disciples get in and off they go. Jesus heads down into the boat to sleep. Suddenly a furious squall comes up and the boat is being rocked and shaken. The disciples out of desperation and fear wake Jesus up and tell him that they are going to die and ask him if he even cares that they are going to drown. Jesus then shouts, "Quiet! Be still!" The wind suddenly dies down and the waves begin to calm. Now I've been to the sea of Gallilee when the wind was blowing and its pretty intense. Eventually they reached the other side of the lake and it was there, in Chapter 5 when they were greeted by a man with an evil spirit. He then casts the legion of demons into a heard of pigs and they run into the sea and drown. Soon after Jesus encounters the woman with the issue of blood and because of her faith in Jesus' power, she is healed. This happens while he's on his way to Jairus' house to heal his daughter who is dying. When he gets there, she's already dead. The people have already begun the mourning process and Jesus asks them why all the crying and wailing. In Matthew 9, the writer says that when Jesus got there they were noisy and Jesus told them to "Go away! The girl is only asleep." Jesus tells the girl to wake up. She then rises and Jesus tells her parents to feed her.
So I have to ask the question? Are we in the midst of going to the other side? This morning as I was thinking about this, I was reminded of a scene in the movie "The Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End." Yes, I know its about pirates, but they did live on the sea. In this scene, they are in the middle of the ocean. They've run out of water and rum and food. They are exhausted and the sun is setting and a fear of hopelessness has come over them. Then Tia Dalma tells them that if they don't get to the other side before sunset, they will die. Jack Sparrow is trying to figure out the riddle to the map he has. All of the sudden he figures out that "down is up." That means the boat must flip upside down. He begins running from one side of the boat to the other. The other pirates look at him as if he's crazy. So he tells them "look over there." They see nothing but begin to follow him. Back and forth they run and one by one join him. By the time all of them are doing this, another man says, "he's rocking the boat!" They finally got it. They had to tip the boat over . Finally the boats momentum is so strong the boat is leaning on its side. There's so much commotion. Everything is in disarray and parts of the ship are breaking off. Then suddenly the ship begins to flip and everyone is hanging on. A few can't and fall and meet their death. The ship finally tips all the way and everyone left is hanging on for dear life, hoping that what they have just done was the right thing. They sit underneath the sea for probably what seemed forever. Then the sun sets and the water above them flips and begins to fall beneath them. The ship begins to break out of the water and it comes up out of the deep. There the sunrise is awaiting them.
What a picture of what is happening in the Spirit. Again, a band of pirates is probably not a Godly example, yet in our flesh, that is what we are like. Our job is to allow the Spirit to lead us. Even if it would seem to be a foolish act. Jesus knew he wasn't going to die in the storm that night. He knew what the plan was. Our job is just to have faith and hang on. Too many of us give up and lose our hope and where does it lead us? Just like in the movie of the people who let go, they died. Now we may not physically die when we "let go in the spirit" but we do let go of our hope of living in victory. Even when Jesus got to the other side, he was met by an evil spirit, but that didn't stop him from healing and making things right in the peoples lives he encountered.
The conclusion of the story of mankind has already been written in the book of Revelation. Chapter 15:1-3 says "1I saw in heaven another great and marvelous sign: seven angels with the seven last plagues—last, because with them God's wrath is completed. 2And I saw what looked like a sea of glass mixed with fire and, standing beside the sea, those who had been victorious over the beast and his image and over the number of his name. They held harps given them by God 3and sang the song of Moses the servant of God and the song of the Lamb: "Great and marvelous are your deeds, Lord God Almighty. Just and true are your ways, King of the ages." The key word phrase there is "standing by the sea, those who had been victorious." If we put on our spiritual armor everyday, live with a sense of hope and faith, hang on and not give up, I believe we will get to the other side without a scratch!
Monday, August 4, 2008
L.O.L
For those of you who are like me and "text illiterate," L.O.L. (lol) stands for "laugh out loud." For a long time, I would get those at the end of sentences on emails and I couldn't figure out what it was. I thought it meant pause or lull in the sentence. Until one day I was reading an email someone sent with all the shortcuts for texting.
Well, today was a lol day for me. I had to go to and get my annual mammogram. All I can say is, "ouch." My friend Ora has a great description of what they do. She said it's like they are trying to flatten pita dough. That's the truth! So, I'm always nervous when I have these kinds of appointments. I trust that God is protecting my health, but in the world of sickness that we live in, you never know. I'm sitting in the waiting room with my heart rate at 120 beats a minute. It's a good thing they don't do blood pressure at this appointment. I hear in the distance some laughter. I notice that the few ladies working the front desk aren't paying attention. I thought maybe a couple of the technicians were in the back telling stories about their weekend. I am a curious person, some might say nosey.
Finally, the door opens and the technician calls my name and I get up and follow her to the changing area. Still, this laughter is continuing and its much louder than before. As I'm changing into my wraparound top, I'm standing in my dressing area completely wondering who is laughing and what they are laughing about. Then, the laughter stopped. It was quiet. I stepped out of my room and went into the waiting area where you again wait to have your name called for "pictures."
All of the sudden, there was another burst of laughter. It sounded as though there were at least a dozen ladies laughing. The technicians would walk past my waiting area laughing themselves. I suppose laughing is good when you are at a doctors appointment waiting. As I sat there listening to them, I couldn't help but laugh myself. Here I sat all alone in this room, laughing. I tried to stop, but the more I listened to them, the more I got the giggles. I felt like I was in church. You know the kind, the more you try to stop, the worse it gets. I hoped that there wasn't a hidden camera because I would be so embarrassed if this ever showed up on some hidden camera television show.
Eventually, I asked one of the technicians if that laughter was because there was a group meeting for laughter therapy? She said, "yes, that is exactly what that is." I didn't realize that people actually have to do that. I suppose in the world that we live in with so much depression, that probably is such a great relief.
I thought about Proverbs 17:22. It says, "A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a broken spirit dries up the bones." I've heard several news reports and read articles on laughter and how it releases endorphins into the body that help to open up blood vessels and lower sugar. I wonder if it would bring the risk of diabetes down.
A few years ago, I took our women's group at church through a book that was on women in the Bible and their issues. It was interesting how women over 2,000 years ago dealt with the same issues we women deal with today. We incorporated a "spa-like" segment to our gatherings. One session was on "Gomer: Dealing with Pain." That night we did a laughter session. I'll never forget how hard we laughed and how good it felt. For at least 10 minutes we laughed; at nothing! Well, maybe ourselves.
Apparently, King Solomon knew about depression. I wonder if he may have suffered from it, because Ecclesiastes is not necessarily a book on joy. Proverbs 17:22 refers to a broken spirit. A broken spirit is a good word picture of depression. I know so many people today on Zoloft or Paxil. I do believe that we can be predisposed to these kinds of illnesses due to family history. I also think so much of it is from stress and the world around us. There is so much hopelessness today. The evening news is not reporting the Gospel (Good News). If it is, it is an investigation on some evangelist. Instead its information that breeds fear in the lives of its viewers.
Little do those people that were in that room know how much their laughter spread throughout that breast care imaging office. I'm sure there are many women who leave there with sad news need something to laugh about. Proverbs 14:13 says, "Even in laughter the heart may ache, and joy may end in grief." So I want to encourage you to find something to laugh about. Even if it laughing into the face of Satan. Just a little "lol" is good for the soul!
Well, today was a lol day for me. I had to go to and get my annual mammogram. All I can say is, "ouch." My friend Ora has a great description of what they do. She said it's like they are trying to flatten pita dough. That's the truth! So, I'm always nervous when I have these kinds of appointments. I trust that God is protecting my health, but in the world of sickness that we live in, you never know. I'm sitting in the waiting room with my heart rate at 120 beats a minute. It's a good thing they don't do blood pressure at this appointment. I hear in the distance some laughter. I notice that the few ladies working the front desk aren't paying attention. I thought maybe a couple of the technicians were in the back telling stories about their weekend. I am a curious person, some might say nosey.
Finally, the door opens and the technician calls my name and I get up and follow her to the changing area. Still, this laughter is continuing and its much louder than before. As I'm changing into my wraparound top, I'm standing in my dressing area completely wondering who is laughing and what they are laughing about. Then, the laughter stopped. It was quiet. I stepped out of my room and went into the waiting area where you again wait to have your name called for "pictures."
All of the sudden, there was another burst of laughter. It sounded as though there were at least a dozen ladies laughing. The technicians would walk past my waiting area laughing themselves. I suppose laughing is good when you are at a doctors appointment waiting. As I sat there listening to them, I couldn't help but laugh myself. Here I sat all alone in this room, laughing. I tried to stop, but the more I listened to them, the more I got the giggles. I felt like I was in church. You know the kind, the more you try to stop, the worse it gets. I hoped that there wasn't a hidden camera because I would be so embarrassed if this ever showed up on some hidden camera television show.
Eventually, I asked one of the technicians if that laughter was because there was a group meeting for laughter therapy? She said, "yes, that is exactly what that is." I didn't realize that people actually have to do that. I suppose in the world that we live in with so much depression, that probably is such a great relief.
I thought about Proverbs 17:22. It says, "A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a broken spirit dries up the bones." I've heard several news reports and read articles on laughter and how it releases endorphins into the body that help to open up blood vessels and lower sugar. I wonder if it would bring the risk of diabetes down.
A few years ago, I took our women's group at church through a book that was on women in the Bible and their issues. It was interesting how women over 2,000 years ago dealt with the same issues we women deal with today. We incorporated a "spa-like" segment to our gatherings. One session was on "Gomer: Dealing with Pain." That night we did a laughter session. I'll never forget how hard we laughed and how good it felt. For at least 10 minutes we laughed; at nothing! Well, maybe ourselves.
Apparently, King Solomon knew about depression. I wonder if he may have suffered from it, because Ecclesiastes is not necessarily a book on joy. Proverbs 17:22 refers to a broken spirit. A broken spirit is a good word picture of depression. I know so many people today on Zoloft or Paxil. I do believe that we can be predisposed to these kinds of illnesses due to family history. I also think so much of it is from stress and the world around us. There is so much hopelessness today. The evening news is not reporting the Gospel (Good News). If it is, it is an investigation on some evangelist. Instead its information that breeds fear in the lives of its viewers.
Little do those people that were in that room know how much their laughter spread throughout that breast care imaging office. I'm sure there are many women who leave there with sad news need something to laugh about. Proverbs 14:13 says, "Even in laughter the heart may ache, and joy may end in grief." So I want to encourage you to find something to laugh about. Even if it laughing into the face of Satan. Just a little "lol" is good for the soul!
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