I understand the Scriptural teaching on authority in the church and in the home. Therefore, I will never pastor a church. In fact, my son says I shouldn't even be speaking in church. Ha! Yeah, we all know that will never happen. But since the word preach actually means proclaim, I have been accused of doing quite a bit of preaching. In fact, one of the things I preach to my ladies the most is that they need to be proclaiming Jesus, what He has done in their lives, and what He can do in other people's lives.
Most of us are talkers (some more than others). According to my niece, Tara, I talk to random strangers in the most unusual places. According to my daughter, Hannah, I cannot simply go into and out of a store without making a new friend. Last week, Hannah and I went in Hobby Lobby while David waited in the car. I said "This won't take long. We will just run in and out." About 30 minutes later, I hear Hannah on her cell phone talking to David. She is saying: "Guess what she is doing. Yep, making a new friend. Now they are exchanging contact info. They are going to be Facebook friends." When Tara was growing up she was afraid to go to the mall with me because I would embarass her. For some people, talking to others especially strangers is not natural or easy. Whichever kind of personality you have, the mission is still the same. In fact, God gets more glory when a shy person speaks up because that is proof that He is the one speaking.
I have felt such joy the past week as I have heard several of my ladies (they are not mine - they are God's; I just have to call them something.) share how they have been obedient when God told them to preach it (proclaim Him). One is in a southern gospel group. God used her to minister to a lady. She listened and then prayed for her. She let God speak through her and may never know what an impact that had in that woman's life. Another was driving down our street and hit a woman's mailbox. She stopped to check the damage and knocked on the woman's door. She spoke with the woman for awhile and was invited to stop by anytime and visit. My friend lost a daughter several years ago - when I told her that the woman who lives in that house also lost a daughter, everyone in our group got goosebumps. I promise I am not making this up. Another dear friend was visited by a person who is a member of a cult. She invited the lady inside. The poor woman had knocked on her door while she was in the middle of her quiet time. Ha! I love to watch God at work. She shared Jesus with her. When you are walking daily, closely with Jesus, these types of things will happen all the time. He will begin to show you all the many opportunities you have in your everyday life to preach it. The fear that you may have expected just doesn't happen. It is a natural process. You love God; you have experienced Him in your life; you are filled and controlled by His Spirit. In obedience, you open your mouth and He does the talking. When I share Jesus with someone or share with a group or teach, inevitably I walk away having no idea what I said. If I do know, that probably means that I was the one doing the talking not Him.
The first step in being able to preach it is to get to know God on a very personal, intimate basis. That takes some discipline, but very soon you become hungry to know Him more and more. Once you experience Him speaking to you through His Word, there is no going back. The next step is to get out of your "me box". If we don't have our focus where it should be at the beginning of each day, the natural (fleshly) thing to do is to go through our day with our focus on ourself, our family, our job, our problems, our list of things to do, etc. Those things are important when kept in perspective. We need to walk through our day controlled by God. We do and say what He wants us to. We don't say and don't do what He tells us not to say and do. When that relationship is where it should be, the result is an overflow of Him. Remember that amazing hymn - "Make Me a Channel of Blessing"? We become a channel of Jesus. It is no longer nerve-wracking or even a conscious thing. We just proclaim it. Sometimes only sowing a seed. Sometimes having the mind-blowing honor and joy of leading someone to be reconciled to God.
So, think back over this past week. What have you been talking about? Maybe you are in a very, very difficult situation. Preach Him! Maybe you don't like your job. Preach Him! Maybe you are a very shy person. Preach Him! Maybe you don't know all the answers. He does. Preach Him! Whatever situation you find yourself in, God will give you opportunities to talk about Him. Preach it!
Fam
Saturday, March 26, 2011
Thursday, March 24, 2011
Dancing In The Rain
I told you that I would give you more details about the retreat that God is putting together called "Dancing In The Rain". We are close enough to having everything in place to get started that I felt like it is time to let you know more about it. This is something that God put on my heart at least a year ago, maybe longer. I just started to write down verses that I came across that talked about joy. It is amazing how often joy is mentioned in the Bible, yet we see so little of it lived out. I am not talking about happiness - that comes when everything in your life is going well. Then when things aren't going well, you may experience hopelessness, anger, depression... I knew that the joy in the Bible is not like that at all. I have seen it lived out in certain people's lives over the years. Probably even now, someone's name is popping into your mind. They are like a magnet. You want to spend time with them. You want to be like them. Even when they go through really tough times, even through tears you can see Jesus on their face. I will never forget seeing one of these precious few at the funeral of her husband. She had tears rolling down her face and yet she was still smiling and encouraging other people. It wasn't a fake, painted on smile. It was just the sweet, crazy peace of Jesus coming out. You know, whatever is on the inside will come out. Unfortunately, very few people live lives of true joy. The majority of Christians live their life as if they are on a roller coaster. I saw this joy lived out in my mentor many years ago. From that time on, I prayed that God would make me into that kind of person. Seeing as I have never in my life learned a lesson the easy way - God has had to take me through the fire time after time to get me to a place in my life where my joy is not based on my circumstances. I am not perfect in this area by any means, but He has taught me how to get there. I have had MS for 11 1/2 years. I realize that God has to keep me in a 24/7 trial so that I will be dependant on Him and desperate for Him. I feel like He wants me to share what He has taught me about joy.
God brought a very special lady into my life several years ago. Tonya has a voice like an angel and she is the mother of 2 sweet boys with hydrocephelus. She has a husband and teenage son that help her, but she also lives in a 24/7 trial. She has grown by leaps and bounds the past year. God made it clear to me several months ago that she was who He wanted to be a part of this. I told her that we had to be living it before we could teach it.
It has been amazing how God has put all of the pieces together just like a puzzle. I had journals I had written on planes, sticky notes, and all different kinds of little puzzle pieces. As I sit down to work on it and start typing, God just seems to pull it all together. I know it is from Him. This is His thing. Our main prayer is that we stay out of the way and just let Him work. Tonya will be doing the worship and some other songs. She will also share her testimony. She is in the process of praying over many different songs to be sure she has the ones God wants in there.
We will have things together and be ready to get started in June if we are able to continue on the schedule we have been on. Only God knows what tomorrow holds. Tonya's son, Brandon, had a really bad seizure a couple of months ago. He was in ICU for awhile. He has continued to have them since then. I have had a really rough year with my MS. I am improving, but every day is a surprise. I guess that is a plus with MS - I never know what to expect. Ha! Needless to say, when these retreats happen, they will be all God. He will have to give us the strength, words, everything. We wouldn't want it any other way. That is what joy comes down to - a relationship with God where He is on the throne of your life and you are on the cross.
If I had the ability to write, I could write a 2-volume book on what God has taught me in my life. Again, most of those lessons were learned the hard way. I have gone through some pretty difficult things and I wouldn't trade a single one for the walk I have right now with Him. There is no greater joy than walking daily with Him and being used by Him. Can you imagine that the God of the universe chooses to use us to do His kingdom work? That blows my mind.
So there is a little summary of "Dancing in The Rain". I ask that you pray for Tonya and I. Pray mostly that we will be right where God wants us to be daily, that we will walk the way He wants us to, that we will grow more like Him every day, and that we will be useful vessels. After that, please pray for us and our families. We have already seen that satan doesn't want this to happen. But our God is soooooo much bigger than anything. If you don't have this kind of joy, get in the Word and seek God until you get there. The journey is amazing!
God brought a very special lady into my life several years ago. Tonya has a voice like an angel and she is the mother of 2 sweet boys with hydrocephelus. She has a husband and teenage son that help her, but she also lives in a 24/7 trial. She has grown by leaps and bounds the past year. God made it clear to me several months ago that she was who He wanted to be a part of this. I told her that we had to be living it before we could teach it.
It has been amazing how God has put all of the pieces together just like a puzzle. I had journals I had written on planes, sticky notes, and all different kinds of little puzzle pieces. As I sit down to work on it and start typing, God just seems to pull it all together. I know it is from Him. This is His thing. Our main prayer is that we stay out of the way and just let Him work. Tonya will be doing the worship and some other songs. She will also share her testimony. She is in the process of praying over many different songs to be sure she has the ones God wants in there.
We will have things together and be ready to get started in June if we are able to continue on the schedule we have been on. Only God knows what tomorrow holds. Tonya's son, Brandon, had a really bad seizure a couple of months ago. He was in ICU for awhile. He has continued to have them since then. I have had a really rough year with my MS. I am improving, but every day is a surprise. I guess that is a plus with MS - I never know what to expect. Ha! Needless to say, when these retreats happen, they will be all God. He will have to give us the strength, words, everything. We wouldn't want it any other way. That is what joy comes down to - a relationship with God where He is on the throne of your life and you are on the cross.
If I had the ability to write, I could write a 2-volume book on what God has taught me in my life. Again, most of those lessons were learned the hard way. I have gone through some pretty difficult things and I wouldn't trade a single one for the walk I have right now with Him. There is no greater joy than walking daily with Him and being used by Him. Can you imagine that the God of the universe chooses to use us to do His kingdom work? That blows my mind.
So there is a little summary of "Dancing in The Rain". I ask that you pray for Tonya and I. Pray mostly that we will be right where God wants us to be daily, that we will walk the way He wants us to, that we will grow more like Him every day, and that we will be useful vessels. After that, please pray for us and our families. We have already seen that satan doesn't want this to happen. But our God is soooooo much bigger than anything. If you don't have this kind of joy, get in the Word and seek God until you get there. The journey is amazing!
Monday, March 21, 2011
It Must Come Out
I just wanted to make a quick post. I know what you are thinking....."That is not going to happen". Well, it is. We had an awesome weekend. We had the Deep South Quartet Convention at our church. It was just amazing. I cannot even start to explain it. I think you can still see it at www.dsqc.org.
I heard 3 different people share the exact same thing within 2 days of each other. I felt it must be something that needed to be shared. Each person was talking about something different, but the truth behind it really hit home. Whatever is on the inside must come out. I have heard it said that if you squeeze a lemon - lemon juice will come out. What happens when life, people, satan, or even God in His love squeezes you? Think about that for a minute. We can only fake it for so long. First impressions are usually pretty good, but if someone spends a little time with you, what are they going to learn about you? I have found that as I travel and meet new people, it doesn't take long at all to know what they are all about. Whether you realize it or not, the people around you know what you are all about.
I am not just talking about our words (although those are pretty accurate indicators of our hearts), but our actions and even our facial expressions and body language speak loudly also. When I think of all the many people in my life and of people I have met only once, I feel like I have seen it all. I usually encourage my ladies to look at themselves the way God sees them. That is what is really important - but right now as I list a few things that must come out because they are in the heart of a person, look at yourself through other people's eyes. (OK, teachers, don't evaluate that sentence - I speak in run-on sentences. That is just how I roll). As I have spent time with people, here are a few of the things I have seen and heard: anger, discontentment, complaining, jealousy, doubt, bitterness, arguing, whining, rebellion, self-centeredness, etc. Then there are those precious people in my life and the God-appointments I have had with people that I only spend time with once. They exude joy, praise, love, peace, faith, kindness, selflessness, thoughtfulness, and a whole lot of Jesus. Don't you just love spending time with those folks? Don't you want to be one of those folks?
If you found yourself described more in the first list, it can't be fixed by changing the way you talk or working really hard to smile. Remember, it all comes from the inside. You have to go to the root of the problem - your heart. Get alone with God and ask Him what He wants you to do to be a person that is a blessing to Him and other people. He will tell you.
That was relatively short, wasn't it? God bless you.
I heard 3 different people share the exact same thing within 2 days of each other. I felt it must be something that needed to be shared. Each person was talking about something different, but the truth behind it really hit home. Whatever is on the inside must come out. I have heard it said that if you squeeze a lemon - lemon juice will come out. What happens when life, people, satan, or even God in His love squeezes you? Think about that for a minute. We can only fake it for so long. First impressions are usually pretty good, but if someone spends a little time with you, what are they going to learn about you? I have found that as I travel and meet new people, it doesn't take long at all to know what they are all about. Whether you realize it or not, the people around you know what you are all about.
I am not just talking about our words (although those are pretty accurate indicators of our hearts), but our actions and even our facial expressions and body language speak loudly also. When I think of all the many people in my life and of people I have met only once, I feel like I have seen it all. I usually encourage my ladies to look at themselves the way God sees them. That is what is really important - but right now as I list a few things that must come out because they are in the heart of a person, look at yourself through other people's eyes. (OK, teachers, don't evaluate that sentence - I speak in run-on sentences. That is just how I roll). As I have spent time with people, here are a few of the things I have seen and heard: anger, discontentment, complaining, jealousy, doubt, bitterness, arguing, whining, rebellion, self-centeredness, etc. Then there are those precious people in my life and the God-appointments I have had with people that I only spend time with once. They exude joy, praise, love, peace, faith, kindness, selflessness, thoughtfulness, and a whole lot of Jesus. Don't you just love spending time with those folks? Don't you want to be one of those folks?
If you found yourself described more in the first list, it can't be fixed by changing the way you talk or working really hard to smile. Remember, it all comes from the inside. You have to go to the root of the problem - your heart. Get alone with God and ask Him what He wants you to do to be a person that is a blessing to Him and other people. He will tell you.
That was relatively short, wasn't it? God bless you.
Sunday, March 13, 2011
It's So Nice To Meet You
I haven't posted in awhile. It has been a crazy week. Our church is getting ready to host the Deep South Quartet Convention next weekend. I have a team that is raising money for MS. We will all walk together in Huntsville in a few weeks. Also, to be honest, I didn't really want to blog about the latest thing God has been teaching me. I really didn't think it was any of your business. Nothing personal really.
A few weeks ago, God convicted me about something. Believe it or not, I said "God, I don't think I have a problem with that at all." Of course, He got a good laugh about that one. He began to point things out to me that completely proved His point. In other words, He let me see me the way He sees me. That is not a fun thing to go through, but very important. That is when the growth comes. If not for those times, we would just go on thinking we are doing fine.
This may not be true in your life at all. If it isn't, congratulations, you are way ahead of me. Hear me out anyway. Think about the way you treat people. I am not talking about how much you love them. I would give my life for my husband or children without thinking twice. I am talking about the way you treat people. Probably the person we are most polite and friendly to is the person we are introduced to for the very first time (a stranger). After that would probably be our co-workers - the people we are with every day. Even if you have some that get on your nerves or rub you the wrong way, you are still nice, respectful, and helpful (I hope). Next on the list would be our friends. We know them alot better so we feel a little more comfortable letting them see our cranky side. Another step would be our extended family - at this point in the list we are getting even more free with our tongues, but we still want to keep the peace as much as possible. Then on the very bottom - the precious people in our homes that we love more than anyone but God. There is nothing we wouldn't do for them. When any of them are sick or hurt, we would switch places if only we could.
Why then, are they many times at the bottom of our list when we give out kindness, politeness, thoughtfulness, patience...? I realized that even when I feel physically horrible and feel like snapping the heads off of every living thing I encounter, I still go to work or speak at a group and most people would never know how I really feel. When I am at home, I still try to cover it up so no one worries, but I don't try as hard to be patient or kind. If someone says or does something they shouldn't, look out ! Normally we have a very peaceful home. We don't argue and fight, but I will strategically get my 2 cents worth in. As God began to show this to me, I began to pray as I neared my home from work just like I did on my way to work - that God would speak, act, and love through me.
Ms. Mary Oates taught me many years ago - when I get mad at Doug to just go to my room and pray. Either God will show me how I was wrong or He will calm me down before I say something I will regret. That has been monumental in our marriage. It seems now, though, that God is fine-tuning that even more, satan is pointing out all of these little things that never bothered me before. So it seems I have spent more time in my room this week. Ha! Doug is very kind and thoughtful to me, but I will hear this little voice "He is just bringing you a cup of coffee because he thinks you will fall and pour it everywhere and burn yourself and have an emergency room bill to pay" LOL ..you get the idea.
Just give this some thought. Whether they are perfect or not (my guess is that they are not), let God be the wife and mother through you. Listen to how you speak to them and the things you say. Do kind things that aren't expected. Encourage and uplift instead of criticizing and complaining. I made David learn Phil. 2:14 when he was little. I can still hear him saying it. It would do all of us good to memorize that one.
A few weeks ago, God convicted me about something. Believe it or not, I said "God, I don't think I have a problem with that at all." Of course, He got a good laugh about that one. He began to point things out to me that completely proved His point. In other words, He let me see me the way He sees me. That is not a fun thing to go through, but very important. That is when the growth comes. If not for those times, we would just go on thinking we are doing fine.
This may not be true in your life at all. If it isn't, congratulations, you are way ahead of me. Hear me out anyway. Think about the way you treat people. I am not talking about how much you love them. I would give my life for my husband or children without thinking twice. I am talking about the way you treat people. Probably the person we are most polite and friendly to is the person we are introduced to for the very first time (a stranger). After that would probably be our co-workers - the people we are with every day. Even if you have some that get on your nerves or rub you the wrong way, you are still nice, respectful, and helpful (I hope). Next on the list would be our friends. We know them alot better so we feel a little more comfortable letting them see our cranky side. Another step would be our extended family - at this point in the list we are getting even more free with our tongues, but we still want to keep the peace as much as possible. Then on the very bottom - the precious people in our homes that we love more than anyone but God. There is nothing we wouldn't do for them. When any of them are sick or hurt, we would switch places if only we could.
Why then, are they many times at the bottom of our list when we give out kindness, politeness, thoughtfulness, patience...? I realized that even when I feel physically horrible and feel like snapping the heads off of every living thing I encounter, I still go to work or speak at a group and most people would never know how I really feel. When I am at home, I still try to cover it up so no one worries, but I don't try as hard to be patient or kind. If someone says or does something they shouldn't, look out ! Normally we have a very peaceful home. We don't argue and fight, but I will strategically get my 2 cents worth in. As God began to show this to me, I began to pray as I neared my home from work just like I did on my way to work - that God would speak, act, and love through me.
Ms. Mary Oates taught me many years ago - when I get mad at Doug to just go to my room and pray. Either God will show me how I was wrong or He will calm me down before I say something I will regret. That has been monumental in our marriage. It seems now, though, that God is fine-tuning that even more, satan is pointing out all of these little things that never bothered me before. So it seems I have spent more time in my room this week. Ha! Doug is very kind and thoughtful to me, but I will hear this little voice "He is just bringing you a cup of coffee because he thinks you will fall and pour it everywhere and burn yourself and have an emergency room bill to pay" LOL ..you get the idea.
Just give this some thought. Whether they are perfect or not (my guess is that they are not), let God be the wife and mother through you. Listen to how you speak to them and the things you say. Do kind things that aren't expected. Encourage and uplift instead of criticizing and complaining. I made David learn Phil. 2:14 when he was little. I can still hear him saying it. It would do all of us good to memorize that one.
Sunday, March 6, 2011
Give Me Strength
Before I even start to explain what God showed me this week, let me go ahead and make one thing clear. I do not think it is wrong to ask God to give you strength. Without Him, we have no strength or power or boldness or wisdom or peace or joy.... or anything. I ask God to give me strength many times a day because strength is one of the things I lack the most. There are many many days that I wake up and say "God, unless you give me physical strength right now, I cannot get out of this bed much less do the things you have for me to do today.
That having been said, God said something a little different to me this week. Our church is going to be hosting the Deep South Quartet Convention on March 18th and 19th. It will be a packed weekend. I know for sure that I will be blessed, but I also want to be used by God to be a blessing to other people. On top of that, a couple of my bestest best friends, Scott and Lisa Roberts (Broken Vessels) will be coming the weekend before. WooHoo!! I am so excited! The first time I met them, I was at a very low place physically. That was during our "Breakthrough Weekend". I was there for every session, but it was so, so hard for my body. My spirit was dancing though. As it has gotten closer to our time together and the Quartet Convention, I have been praying for all that God has planned for that time but also I have been begging Him to give me the physical strength to be a part of everything, to be able to enjoy my sweet friends, and to be able to minister to people without being absolutely miserable. I told Lisa that I was praying for that.
As this week has gone on, God has spoken to me about that in many different ways. I don't know if He was giving me confirmation or if He was just trying to get it through my thick head. First, He reminded me of 2 Corinthians 12:9 "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." Yes, of course I want Christ's power to rest on me. I have none on my own.
He needed to show me this in one other way just to be sure that I get it. I was reading from "Come Away My Beloved" by Frances J. Roberts. Here is a little excerpt from a section entitled "Sacrifice, My Status Symbol". "You would make Christianity pleasant and acceptable. Your Saviour did not find it so. You would make it comfortable and accomodating to your own schedule. He knew nothing of such a false religion. Lonely nights, He wrestled in prayer nor spared Himself physical discomfort. Yes, and the more you pamper the flesh as to bodily comfort, the more it will demand of you, until you become its servant." Wow! God did not promise me that He is going to make the next few weeks easy, comfortable, or pain-free for me, but He did promise that He will show Himself strong. Lisa, please share with Scott "I feel like I know how to pray for you in a way that alot of people cannot. Be encouraged, dear brother, that He shows Himself even mightier in your life when you are in pain. The things you endure daily glorify and lift Him up. I will continue to pray for you physically, but much more that others will see Jesus in you."
Christians, how often do we put our own comfort and convenience before what God is telling us to do? That is going to be a hard one to explain someday when we stand before Him.
Some have asked about being able to comment on my posts. You will need to sign up with blogspot. I think that just involves setting up a username and password. There should be a place for you to do that at the top of the page. Your comments of how God is working in your life can be used in someone else's life.
That having been said, God said something a little different to me this week. Our church is going to be hosting the Deep South Quartet Convention on March 18th and 19th. It will be a packed weekend. I know for sure that I will be blessed, but I also want to be used by God to be a blessing to other people. On top of that, a couple of my bestest best friends, Scott and Lisa Roberts (Broken Vessels) will be coming the weekend before. WooHoo!! I am so excited! The first time I met them, I was at a very low place physically. That was during our "Breakthrough Weekend". I was there for every session, but it was so, so hard for my body. My spirit was dancing though. As it has gotten closer to our time together and the Quartet Convention, I have been praying for all that God has planned for that time but also I have been begging Him to give me the physical strength to be a part of everything, to be able to enjoy my sweet friends, and to be able to minister to people without being absolutely miserable. I told Lisa that I was praying for that.
As this week has gone on, God has spoken to me about that in many different ways. I don't know if He was giving me confirmation or if He was just trying to get it through my thick head. First, He reminded me of 2 Corinthians 12:9 "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." Yes, of course I want Christ's power to rest on me. I have none on my own.
He needed to show me this in one other way just to be sure that I get it. I was reading from "Come Away My Beloved" by Frances J. Roberts. Here is a little excerpt from a section entitled "Sacrifice, My Status Symbol". "You would make Christianity pleasant and acceptable. Your Saviour did not find it so. You would make it comfortable and accomodating to your own schedule. He knew nothing of such a false religion. Lonely nights, He wrestled in prayer nor spared Himself physical discomfort. Yes, and the more you pamper the flesh as to bodily comfort, the more it will demand of you, until you become its servant." Wow! God did not promise me that He is going to make the next few weeks easy, comfortable, or pain-free for me, but He did promise that He will show Himself strong. Lisa, please share with Scott "I feel like I know how to pray for you in a way that alot of people cannot. Be encouraged, dear brother, that He shows Himself even mightier in your life when you are in pain. The things you endure daily glorify and lift Him up. I will continue to pray for you physically, but much more that others will see Jesus in you."
Christians, how often do we put our own comfort and convenience before what God is telling us to do? That is going to be a hard one to explain someday when we stand before Him.
Some have asked about being able to comment on my posts. You will need to sign up with blogspot. I think that just involves setting up a username and password. There should be a place for you to do that at the top of the page. Your comments of how God is working in your life can be used in someone else's life.
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
Crazy Peace
One of the very cool things about getting in the Word and letting God speak to you is that after hearing, reading and even memorizing a verse for years, He will show you something new. I will be 102 years old (because my plan is to live to be 109).........sorry, I fell off my bed laughing about the phrase "my plan".....bring it back, Missy, back on the subject. I will be 102 years old and still be saying that God is doing a new work in my life because He continues to teach me new things and reveal more of Himself to me.
I have alot of favorite verses which I guess means they would need to be called something besides my favorite. Oh dear, this is not a good sign. I am having alot of trouble staying on the subject this morning. It is going to be one of those days. I will try again - I love Isaiah 26:3 "The steadfast of mind Thou wilt keep in perfect peace, because he trusts in Thee." I really like this translation too - "You, Lord, give true peace to those who depend on You, because they trust in You." I have that verse memorized and God has used it in my life alot over the years especially this past year. I tell my ladies that we never get a call ahead of time to let us know that a very difficult trial is about to come. There is not warning. We just get a call saying a child has had a wreck, or the tests results aren't good, or we added wrong in our checkbook and our balance is actually negative 432.15 instead of positive, you get the idea. However, nothing we go through is a surprise to God. Reminding ourselves of that is so assuring. When we are right in the middle of those things, we often find ourselves completely at peace. I call that "crazy peace". It is the peace that makes no sense whatsoever to us or anyone around us. It is the peace that can only come from God.
Yesterday morning while spending some time with God, I spent some time really thinking about that verse (again, any time I use the word "think", I have to pause to use air quotes because my brain is incapable of producing any good thoughts - they are all God). I thought about how we pray for a person going through something and we say "God, give them peace." I am not saying it is wrong to pray that. I just realized from this verse that we don't have to beg Him to give us peace. He will give us peace when we completely trust Him. He is the Prince of Peace. So peace is actually His presence. Yes, if you are a Christian, the Holy Spirit is living inside of you. But if you are not walking daily with Him in an intimate relationship, you can't feel His presence. As a result, you will fall apart in these difficult times you go through. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were already walking with God before they were thrown in the fire. They didn't wait until they were in the middle of it and call out to Him.
Crazy peace comes when we are trusting Him. We are spending time with Him daily in His Word, in prayer, walking through our day with Him on the throne of our life, listening and obeying. Because we know that He is in control, we know that whatever comes into our life, He already knew about and He will take care of us. That doesn't always look like we think it should, but we are not God. I am so glad of that. Even if it doesn't turn out like we thought it should, we can know that it is for His glory. He will use it to glorify Himself and make us more like Him. That is our goal of life not our comfort. I got a tweet from Lecrae yesterday - this is good. "Prepare your heart now to embrace today's difficulties. God uses those to refine us and save us from worshipping comfort." Wow!
So the next time you find yourself in a hard place (if you aren't in one now, it won't be long) instead of saying "God, give me peace" say "Thank you, Prince of Peace, that you are in my life and in control. I choose to trust You with this. Thank You for Your crazy peace that You have promised to give me when I trust You." Don't worry, He knows the term crazy peace. He has heard me say it many, many times. I just love how He speaks my language. If you ever wonder if He has a sense of humor, you should hear some of our conversations.
Have an awesome day filled with crazy peace.
I have alot of favorite verses which I guess means they would need to be called something besides my favorite. Oh dear, this is not a good sign. I am having alot of trouble staying on the subject this morning. It is going to be one of those days. I will try again - I love Isaiah 26:3 "The steadfast of mind Thou wilt keep in perfect peace, because he trusts in Thee." I really like this translation too - "You, Lord, give true peace to those who depend on You, because they trust in You." I have that verse memorized and God has used it in my life alot over the years especially this past year. I tell my ladies that we never get a call ahead of time to let us know that a very difficult trial is about to come. There is not warning. We just get a call saying a child has had a wreck, or the tests results aren't good, or we added wrong in our checkbook and our balance is actually negative 432.15 instead of positive, you get the idea. However, nothing we go through is a surprise to God. Reminding ourselves of that is so assuring. When we are right in the middle of those things, we often find ourselves completely at peace. I call that "crazy peace". It is the peace that makes no sense whatsoever to us or anyone around us. It is the peace that can only come from God.
Yesterday morning while spending some time with God, I spent some time really thinking about that verse (again, any time I use the word "think", I have to pause to use air quotes because my brain is incapable of producing any good thoughts - they are all God). I thought about how we pray for a person going through something and we say "God, give them peace." I am not saying it is wrong to pray that. I just realized from this verse that we don't have to beg Him to give us peace. He will give us peace when we completely trust Him. He is the Prince of Peace. So peace is actually His presence. Yes, if you are a Christian, the Holy Spirit is living inside of you. But if you are not walking daily with Him in an intimate relationship, you can't feel His presence. As a result, you will fall apart in these difficult times you go through. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were already walking with God before they were thrown in the fire. They didn't wait until they were in the middle of it and call out to Him.
Crazy peace comes when we are trusting Him. We are spending time with Him daily in His Word, in prayer, walking through our day with Him on the throne of our life, listening and obeying. Because we know that He is in control, we know that whatever comes into our life, He already knew about and He will take care of us. That doesn't always look like we think it should, but we are not God. I am so glad of that. Even if it doesn't turn out like we thought it should, we can know that it is for His glory. He will use it to glorify Himself and make us more like Him. That is our goal of life not our comfort. I got a tweet from Lecrae yesterday - this is good. "Prepare your heart now to embrace today's difficulties. God uses those to refine us and save us from worshipping comfort." Wow!
So the next time you find yourself in a hard place (if you aren't in one now, it won't be long) instead of saying "God, give me peace" say "Thank you, Prince of Peace, that you are in my life and in control. I choose to trust You with this. Thank You for Your crazy peace that You have promised to give me when I trust You." Don't worry, He knows the term crazy peace. He has heard me say it many, many times. I just love how He speaks my language. If you ever wonder if He has a sense of humor, you should hear some of our conversations.
Have an awesome day filled with crazy peace.
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