God First!

Train yourself to be godly. I Timothy. 4:7

The passage continues: For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come.

For me, these past few months have been challenging to say the least. Sometimes, my flesh wants someone to just make the world go away. It’s all too much!

Yet, these moments are the truest tests of my faith. Do I sincerely believe that God is my Father and that He will care for me? My question holds an important key for understanding today’s verse.

If I trust that the LORD has my life in the palm of His hands, then He (I) can use anything to let it train me to be godly, even the hardships of my life.

It is true, I spend my time in physical training and eating properly or some other great discipline to help ease my stress. However, my heart must determine to place the highest value on the practices and disciplines that not only bring healing to my flesh but prompt my readiness for eternity.

The moral character or patterns of behavior I seek in order to reach my earthly goals are many. My mental and physical state matter to me. It is good to engage in these tasks and invest myself in the improvement of my life.

However, there is no greater pursuit (for here or eternity) than becoming a disciple of Jesus, wholeheartedly becoming like Him.

In fact, when I go for a run out in the sunny, fresh air and drink plenty of cool, clear water, when I make wise decisions for better sleep and nourishing food, when I prioritize my schedule to maximize my time and well-being, I can argue that, now, I have the energy and stamina to be a blessing to others. I cope better with trials that come my way.

The danger is placing my hope in my body’s ability to function at the highest level and making that into a god (an idol). Yet, when my life circumstances strip me of these goals, am I defenseless? My first tendency is to cry out to them for help.

If only I could get back to my plans, my diet, my perfect world, THEN I would be able to be who I want to be for the Lord. Then I would be ‘godly…’ for myself and for those around me. I would be able to have joy and peace. Right?

However, truly, what is needed foremost is time with My Father. HE is my healer, my food, my rock and my plan. Everything else fades away when I spend my most precious moments with Him.

In turn, HE gives me the breath and stamina I need to follow the right disciplines of my life.

Father, I yield to you in submission to your will for me. When life is hard, help me to pursue you more than all other things. You are my greatest joy and my greatest peace. Thank you for always loving and caring for me, Lord. In Jesus name, Amen.

Only Aim

I consider my life worth nothing; my only aim is to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me – the task of testifying to the good news of God’s grace. Acts 20:24

If someone close to me were to feel their life was worth nothing, I would think they were belittling themselves and had terribly low self-esteem. I would probably try to encourage and convince them otherwise. However, Paul was not criticizing himself when he used these words.

Paul was speaking to the elders of the church in Ephesus, explaining how he had been warned by the Spirit that “prison and hardships” faced him. Yet, he also felt compelled by the Spirit to go to Jerusalem, “not knowing what would happen there.”

His response: Paul considered his life “worth nothing.” In other words, if he were to lose his life in Jerusalem because of jealous enemies of his teachings concerning Jesus, so be it. Paul was willing to risk his life for the benefit of others that he might reach as many as possible for Christ while breath still possessed his body.

Paul’s stand, to me, was one that indulged in high esteem for God’s ways more than for himself and high emotional health based on the truth and security only found in Jesus. His eyes were on the prize of winning true life for all souls surrounding him.

The verse for the week came to me just hours before a new, rough turn in the road made its appearance. Little did I know that my life was being prepared to make a flexible shift in my choices and thoughts. When knowledge of this new journey hit, resolve took strong hold of my mind, like a lightswitch clicking on. Clinging to nothing but God and the path chosen for me, I was naturally astonished and disappointed in the pain of the situation, but intensely ready, ….for:

I consider my life worth nothing;
my only aim is to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me
– the task of testifying to the good news of God’s grace.

The race all of us has ahead this year may or may not be easy, but God will give us all we need to complete whatever task we must do. Hopefully and prayerfully we will do it in a way that testifies to the good news of His grace.

Father, hear our prayers, each of us in our own struggles even as we begin a new year. Help us not to hold on to what we would call ‘life’ when what you are calling us to may be difficult. Let not ease be our aim. The path you give us, for whatever reason, is good. Give us eyes to see and minds to remember our greatest goal for this year is to surrender to you. Let your grace be seen in our lives. In Jesus name, Amen.

Faithful Patience

A faithful person will be richly blessed, but one eager to get rich will not go unpunished. Prov. 28:20

How does one become a faithful person? A few comparable adjectives or phrases may help us better understand and then broaden the significance of today’s verse.

Here is a list I compiled of the word faithful:

devoted
resolute
sincere
reliable
dependable
honorable
steadfast
trustworthy
upright
constant
enduring
honest
holy
unchanging
unwavering
overflowing with good deeds
full of integrity
patient!

Faithfulness is the true way to joy and blessings. For example, a faithful friend, one who is devoted and constant, will typically himself be blessed in times of need.

Of course, the blessings of faithfulness include receiving the compassion one has compassionately offered others, but they also include a good name that comes from an upright heart, peace instead of anxiety about worldly matters and inner feelings of usefulness, not only toward God, but toward one’s fellowman.

A faithful person has hardships and sensitivities just like the rest of us. However, when he is lonely, he looks for other lonely people to whom he can give his companionship. When he feels neglected, he gives attention to those in need. When life gives him hurtful experiences, he can give compassion to others who are hurting. When anger takes him over, he seeks out those who need his peace.

Overtime, patience is developed in him as each trial reveals the choice to move forward in faith or revert back to immobilizing habits of self-pity, pride and instant gratification.

One who impatiently and eagerly hastens to get rich fills his life with pleasures, seeks his own way and has his mind resolute and devoted on wrong things. His focus in life is different than the steadfast Christian. His lustful desire for the quick accumulation of wealth may tempt him to commit fraud or deceit. His ways are contrary to those who are reliable and true.

Certainly, the possession of wealth is not the problem. Man is overjoyed when he is blessed with good fortune. His faithfulness brings about the patience needed for God’s daily provisions. He is happy in the waiting just as much as he is in the overflow of food, shelter and clothing. But if he loses faith and turns an unscrupulous amount of attention to amass more money, no matter the consequences to others, this can be his downfall. Money, then, becomes an idol that controls his life. God is forgotten. His pursuit of wealth is all-encompassing, overshadowing his desire to please his Maker. He runs after riches with all his energy and might. Of what use is his life to God?

Father, make my heart faithful towards the things of the Lord. Narrow my focus to be about your kingdom and your heart. Show me how to increase my faith. Teach me the treasures of patient waiting for your answers in my trials and needs. Help me to see your blessings as they come and not miss them. In Jesus name, Amen.

The Driving Rain

A ruler who oppresses the poor is like a driving rain that leaves no crops. Prov. 28:3

In the previous blog, I presented a kind of ruler who would keep order in his kingdom. He would rule with wisdom and compassion. Ultimately, Christ is our perfect ruler, and hopefully, we are rulers (however imperfect) over our souls, under His generous care.

In today’s verse, a greedy, heartless leader, who is only hungry for more power, is said to be like a downpour that washes away the livelihood of his subjects. The rain, in this scenario, isn’t a blessing to the good earth but a devastation to the crops (the sustenance of the poor). The leader has no sympathy or mercy for the people of his kingdom.

Floods can sometimes wipe out the necessities of our lives just like an unjust ruler can wipe out and neglect the emotional, spiritual and physical needs of the poorest in the land. A good leader would never abandon his people, just as normal rains would never wipe out a crop. Rainwater is meant to grow things not tear them down.

Again, look at Christ, who is the ‘Living’ Water that gives eternal life to all who accept it; not a devastating flood, but an invitation to an abundant life in Him. His rule includes the care for the poor.

Once again, we must also address the ruler with and over ourselves. When we oppress our own souls through foolish habits of addictions, out-of-control anger and selfishness, we are allowing a flood to wipe out what is nourishing and good for us.

Certainly, a driving rain is especially destructive (not nourishing or good) to crops (our livelihood). It also damages houses and erodes the soil. Sometimes spiritually, that driving rain is me. I seek my way or I pressure those around me to comply. I drive them hard until I win. ‘I’ can be the destructive driving rain with myself as the oppressive ruler. Yet, it is more wise to leave that life of oppressing others (in which ‘I’ am really the one who is held captive).

True followers of God have wisdom to free themselves in charity for those around them, not in tightfisted ways. Sin is what we fight against, not the people we encounter.

Yet, what about those who oppress us? Any oppressor strips people of who they are. When we allow others to oppress our souls by giving into a life of crippling anger and resentment, our souls (that are always upheld and nourished by God) and our capability to live and give of ourselves well are reduced. In a way, we are soul-damaged. Never give into another person’s oppressive ways. Lean on the Lord to uphold your cause.

People and trials can feel oppressive and destructive, but it is not always the trials that hurt us, it is how we react to them. Trust is our greatest friend in the hard times. Peace is its cousin. Love covers over all evil with such powerful results that the trials don’t seem as bad as when we dwell on rage and self-pity. All the fruit of the Spirit can apply to the right responses we give to our hardships.

Constant thoughts bombard our minds about the pain we encounter. Fighting our perceptions can be tough. Life can hurt. When oppressed in the poverty of our minds, bodies or spirits, we can yield to the Father who is our Keeper.

When the oppression comes from all different directions, see it as a distraction, a reason to pray for others, to get down on our knees and to serve.

We are all, in a sense, poor and needy, but wonderfully, we have a God who never leaves us and always provides. We thrive, knowing that He provides all that is good for us. He is a good King. Our greatest need is to follow His will.

Father, I yield to your provision. I’m never promised a life without oppression. But I am promised your presence and provision. You are my everything. I trust you. In Jesus name, Amen.

Black Lives Matter – Different Perspective

Do not forsake your friend or a friend of your family, and do not go to your relative’s house when disaster strikes you—better a neighbor nearby than a relative far away. Proverbs 27:10

Last night, I heard the terrible cries of a friend whose life had fallen apart during the pandemic. Her story broke my heart.

The effects of covid, cancer, disease, marriage problems, starvation and many other severe trials has the entire human race under its grip. We can’t always relate to each other’s unique struggles, but we can all relate to suffering in some form or another.

Every human encounters trials that keep us up at night and worry our minds to the point of despair. We also face the temptation of our souls that the enemy of God brings to ensnare us. Darkness is his home, and he wants us to follow him into his pit of destruction.

Two things may cause us to live in the shadows: our trials (circumstances) and Satan’s traps (temptations). No one escapes these.

So who do we turn to for help?

Again, Proverb 27:10 says, “Do not forsake your friend or a friend of your family, and do not go to your relative’s house when disaster strikes you—better a neighbor nearby than a relative far away.”

The commentaries seem to agree that “far away” means relationships not proximity. In other words, the friends or family who invest in us (and are active in our lives) will be the ones we call on in times of need (and vice versa).

When someone checks on me, and I check on them, I have a true friend. They honestly care about my well-being (the stories of my life). If a little time goes by, and I become quiet in my pain, they don’t let it pass without sending a verse, a prayer or a song of encouragement, and I do the same.

This kind of friend isn’t too fearful to return love, isn’t too shy, oversensitive or over-needy (dependent on me in my human flaws to fix everything and make it all better). Both of us lean on God for that!

I vividly remember the days of holding and rocking my babies late into the night. I also remember the terrible moments of teaching them how to self-soothe. We train our babies to understand that mommy has other responsibilities (including getting some sleep), and that they must learn how to cuddle with a stuffed toy or suck on a pacifier instead of wearing mommy out. Mainly, as babies grow, we teach them about the arms of a big God, arms that are always open and available.

As adults, we cling to Jesus in our worst moments and let Him rock and hold us tight. We always have His comforting touch. Our friends will, at times, be unavailable. That’s our cue to go to the Greatest Friend we have.

In our trials, who do we turn to? God first (I choose to take myself out from under despair and place myself into the safe grip of my Father!) HE directs us to each other. He gives us communities in which we involve ourselves in the emotions and hardships of problems other than our own.

During this pandemic, I am tempted to feel the dislike, the hurt and pain concerning my life. I am bored, at times, and sick of not having the freedom to spend time with and see my friends. Every other trial my family is going through seems magnified by this virus. Through it all, several adversities have popped up, sometimes, feeling like layer upon layer of grief. It is overwhelming.

Yet, here is a question I pose to myself and the world: what if, in our hardships, God is refining and purifying us? What if all we’re going through isn’t about healing our hurts, but our souls? What if He is turning us to Him? Wouldn’t that be the true miracle? Not an eradication of covid (which I pray for every day), but an eradication of sin in our lives. What if we are supposed to use every second of this contagious event to spread caring hearts for one another in our pure suffering?

One thing I’ve noticed lately is how the flowers continue to blossom even in the pandemic. The animals go about their lives pretty much untouched. The sun still rises and falls every day. Apparently, God cares about my response to the good and the bad. I am taking this time to do likewise: to shine, to blossom, to go about my life blessing people. I am working hard within the choices in front of me that make a difference. The hard, sweaty work is good, and I find myself praising God, though my circumstances are NOT what I want them to be.

My friends are the ones who remind me of my Father during this time. They help keep my mind fixed on the eternal aspects of life, not on what is temporarily painful. They cry and hurt with me, but they also spur my heart to go higher. (Laughter does it every time!) My friends encourage and help me to thrive (my theme for the year)!

Certainly, however, not every person in our lives are ideal to turn to in times of need.

Forsake is a daunting word. It means to abandon, desert or give up. The verse of the day encourages us not to forsake (out of laziness or petty anger) those we know need our help.

The opposite of forsake is to stay with, to be there for someone who is in a disaster.

I had a simple surgical procedure 15 years ago that knocked me off my feet, physically and emotionally, for a few months. No one knew I was in need because it didn’t occur to me to seek help. My trial was nothing compared to the hardships others were facing. But my neighbor, out of the blue, twice, brought over food for my family. I was touched and amazed at answers to my unspoken prayers. I felt especially loved!

We don’t always vocalize our pain, so it’s nice for gifts like that to drop from the sky out of nowhere. From that event I learned that it is important to take the time to listen to the promptings God puts on our hearts. Make the phone call or drop a casserole off at a friend’s house. You never know the impact God wants to have through you!

Sometimes, we are insulted during our trials when no one shows up, calls or provides anything, or they provide very little (and look what we did for them when they were in trouble, right?) But remember, not every trial is the same. Some trials are personal, between you and God. If God, for reasons of His own, doesn’t take away or stop the bad from happening, and you end up with layers of hardships painfully carried on your back, and then one day if the Lord God brought you something good, would you be insulted? Would it be too late to feel the kindness of His offer? Would you turn Him down?

Our friends or family cannot possibly be present 24/7 for our every need or trial. Let our response to them, when they do show up, be thankful and gracious for their gifts of love (this includes our mates or children). The next time we are available and they are in need, we still give in abundance because God is our helper.

On the flip side, we can’t always be there for our friends, and that can cause us great discomfort. We want to give them our time and attention. But, for reasons beyond our control, we must let them and their troubles go, and place them into the hands of God.

It is vital in this life to learn ways to be a good friend.

Sometimes when I exercise or clean the supper dishes, I think to myself how silly it would be to assume that this steadfast, productive moment should be enough to last forever. “Okay, I’m done. I’ll never have to do dishes again.” “I just went running, and now my heart should infinitely respond to this one attempt at fitness.” “I’ve eaten an awesome healthy lunch today. Now my body will be healthy forever!“

But that’s not the way of things. Dishes pile up again, bodies, though they beg for junk, are really always craving fuel, exercise has to be done almost daily in order to make a difference toward health. Unless we heed these calls, we can put ourselves into unspeakable trials and habits that will take a long time to reverse.

Likewise, I cannot simply speak ONE kind word to my friend in his trial and expect that friendship to last. Friendship is an ongoing responsibility and a joy when done right. Friendship is a dynamic used by God to bring about great good in times of suffering and distress.

It is important to follow the good paths so that none of us end up forsaking our friends. Here are a few solid steps: refuse to gossip, stop jealousy from over-taking your heart, believe good things about your friends, if at all possible be there for them when they are in trouble.

All the lessons we’ve taken into our hearts so far in Proverbs 27 (previous blogs) can strengthen or weaken the bonds of friendship.

Today’s proverb teaches us that it is in the trials of life that true friends show up.

The verse says also that friends of our family may need our attention in times of trouble and likewise may be a help to us. When a father is long gone, HIS true friends are OUR true friends. It is our way to keep our fathers and their morals alive.

Of course, relatives and family can become some of our closest friends.

However, just because they wear the label of nephew or aunt, doesn’t make them the best people to call on. When in need, turn to someone who loves and invests in you.

When your friend is in trouble (one you’ve invested in), be there for him. Go the extra mile. Grab others to help if the job is too heavy. When someone’s house burns down or the doctor calls with a bad diagnosis… cook, clean, or send notes. Do what you can. Be their prayer warrior when they can’t remember what or how to pray.

For a moment, recall the worldwide, well known phrase, “Black lives matter,” and let’s use it to remind ourselves that the greatest way to truly bring this slogan to life and make a difference in this world is to rise up and help our fellowman who currently suffer in dark circumstances, no matter the race, politics, views or even the sins against us. In a sense, their black lives must matter.

Not everyone who undergoes trials is someone we personally know. We become their friends through actions of love.

Don’t you think these are worthy endeavors to expend our energy and time when everything around us feels so grim? Each of us has someone in our lives we can help today. What if we all followed that call? What difference could one person make if that person was you?

Lord, when we listen to your voice and become your children, nothing can separate us from your concern and care for our lives. Use us to help each other. Use us to be a blessing and to bring light to the darkness. Purify us in our trials and bring our souls completely to Jesus. Let nothing we go through be wasted or used for an excuse to harm or forsake. Help our circumstances to be our link to conversion to the One True God, our creator and friend. Teach us how to be good friends to those in need. In Jesus name, Amen.

Long Time Traveler

Proverbs 17:3 The crucible for silver and the furnace for gold, but the LORD tests the heart.

A crucible uses high temperatures to melt metals to create something new. Likewise, spiritually, over time, a severe trial has the potential to create something in me that is new and better for the Lord’s kingdom.

I’m curious though, if ‘I’ was in charge of creating something new in a person, I don’t think I would give them a trial. I don’t even think I would be able to USE whatever trials they were going through to refine and mold them into something better. I just don’t have that capability. But, God does. He knows what will get our attention. Everything in which I am tested has a potential to move me to a higher plane. The meaning of life becomes clearer. So many things I worry over become less needful of anxiety.

Last week, I asked myself at close of day, “How was I tested today?”

Honestly, I think the question was an attempt to understand the workings of God more than anything else. You would think if I’m in the process of being tested, I wouldn’t have to ask. I would know it without a doubt. I would be in such a state of turmoil, my heart would be crying out to God.

Yet, I still asked because I wanted to find out if I was missing something.

If God was testing my heart, I wanted to turn to Him with all I had and allow Him to make me into whatever He chose.

What I found was that testing does come through hardships: lack of sleep, unexpected circumstances, things not going the way I intended or planned.

It also comes through joy or fleeting happiness.

Trials have a tendency to distract me from praying for others or from seeing the bigger picture of God’s movement elsewhere. I’m too busy licking my wounds. But, joy can distract me as well. I can become so wrapped up in a good circumstance that IT can take my energies away from the bigger picture.

So, I’m beginning to develop a new habit: to pray when the onset of a trial OR a blessing comes my way.

In addition to trials or joys, I’m also tested when I am pushed beyond my comfort level, when I have long exasperating days, when I’m called to speak difficult truths, when I’m led to enter into a troubled or sad situation, when I have to work strenuous hours and when the response to my obedience is silence without movement or participation to confirm that I heard from God.

The truth is, I have no control over the crowds of people in my life. I can only control my own response, but my judgmental or wounded thoughts in the everyday pulls of life test me.

In all of this, my faith in God becomes more real. He is the one who can stir me to rise above, to move forward and to look to Him to heal me. He is the only REAL presence in my life who remains the same.

Yes, maybe a trial painfully hurts me and the heat feels like it’s being turned up…BUT GOD.

BUT GOD…is greater than my trials.
BUT GOD’S ways are higher, His calling is true and right, and His eyes never leave me.
BUT GOD is ever with me.
BUT GOD’S purposes can be trusted even in the testing.

I’ve never been a very good test taker, though it’s not for lack of trying. I can intensely study and feel like I know the material and still not space my time in a successful manner or understand the way the test question was worded.

But God’s tests are different. They are perfectly suited to me and my ability to respond to His call. Certainly, I must keep my eyes on Him in order to receive from the test the benefits of what He is trying to create in me.

This week my tests taught me that I must learn to have a heart of obedience and not just perform loving actions. Sometimes I don’t want to obey. I do it anyway, but secretly I am angry or complaining. In those moments, I’m not fully given over to Him. In those tests, I must seek God’s ways. I must seek His heart so that my heart will soften.

Who knows how long I will be on this sweet earth. But sweeter still is my hope of heaven and my longing to go ‘home.’ One day, when I look back, I want to be able to have lived a life in which I allowed my trials and tests to cleanse and purify my life. My eyes are fixed on Him.

Here is a song about the brevity of life. If you are an email subscriber to my blog, tap the title to go online to hear this. And then read the prayer below.

Father, all the people I invest in (my family, friends and neighbors) are just a result of the greatest investment of energies and love I have for you, my Almighty God. The real test of my heart is to learn true obedience from deep deep love that flows from your hand to my soul and then spills out from me to others. Lord, I don’t always pass these tests you so graciously give me. I can be so slow to understand what you want. Help me to comprehend the depth of love you have for me in the process I go through. I pray not only that my will is soft and pliable in the furnace of affliction, but that I have compassion for others whose tests are difficult and trying. That, too, is a test for me. Who am I to judge another man’s journey to love you more. Give me a mindset that is more about humility and patience in my adversity than about being right or making a name for myself. My right response can make me feel superior to those whose response is still in the making. Forgive me for this pride. Refine me in my trials and make me ready for when my time comes to leave my loved ones on this earth. For now, I surrender my every breath to you, dear Lord. In Jesus name, Amen.

Famine Flower (Part 2)

Elisha said to the woman, ‘Go away with your family…The Lord has decreed a famine for seven years.’ She and her family went away to the land of the Philistines. At the end of the seven years she appealed to the king for her house and land. He said to the official, ‘Give back everything that belonged to her, including all income from her land from the day she left the country until now.’ II Kings 8:1-6 (shortened)

Here are the thoughts I’ve gathered all week:

1) Israel experienced a famine while the surrounding areas had plenty, perhaps in judgment of the nation’s unrepentant sins.

When we have wandered away, God is known for using kindness to bring us back. He also uses hardships. Hardships can strip us of our wants and lead us to our need of God.

The flower in the desert opens its petals to whatever moisture is available. When God is our only source of strength, we turn our faces to Him in adoration, and we blossom.

2) The famine wasn’t caused by the woman. Yet her life was turned upside down.
The famines of my life (trials, hardships or bad choices of others) can turn my world upside down. God is still my All in All.

I once saw a person sadly shake his head and say, “That guy is a shell of a man.”

The words were in reference to a person who made some foolish decisions, and his life was in shambles. I knew the man. I had heard his story. However, I saw something very different.

I saw a man, stripped of everything he once held dear. Now, he was totally sold on God and His provisions. His previous poor choices led him into his core where God lived in all His glory. Perhaps, he HAD to go through that famine in order to have it replaced with the plenty of God.

Sometimes, we have hope of finding our heart’s desire through earthly means, and then we find ourselves in a self-made “famine.” In reality, God can use these times IN the famine to bring us back to Himself.

As a wife, I have followed my husband to ends of the earth (not always perfectly), and he has done the same for me. We both have experienced discomfort because of each other’s or someone else’s choices. Though, we warn or question when we see a red flag, in the end, the consequences of another person’s decisions can still affect us.

Sometimes, the bad choices lead to the right outcome, the need to hit rock bottom. When people make decisions in which we become the recipient of uncomfortable consequences (exclude all immoral or abusive situations in which we should flee) it is important to remember that God is still our All in All.

We warned them, they did not heed and we couldn’t stop the avalanche. God still uses such matters to refine them (boss, husband, wife, teen) and us.

3) The woman was warned ahead of time (through Elisha’s kindness) about the famine. She was given a chance to move away and live a plentiful life, free from the suffering that would accompany her people.

Philistia was a godless place. Yet for her, it would be a place of God’s bountiful provision.

At the beginning, this new place must have felt strange and difficult. Yet, I imagine her daily reminding herself of what life could have been had she failed to leave home. How thankful she must have felt even in the hardships of a different culture. She was alive!

I see the need in my life to remind myself of God’s blessings, especially when everything feels so foreign to me and out of my control.

The woman must have learned contentment and patience, similar to Joseph who waited on the will of God in an Egyptian prison. Perhaps Joseph learned humility and wisdom in a way he couldn’t have learned in his own country.

It’s odd to think that the woman thrived better away from her familiar surroundings than in the place of comfort she had known and loved.

Sometimes I am driven away from what I know in order to receive good things from God’s hand.

4) I honestly don’t know the state of the woman’s heart when she had to move away. But, a broken heart should never dictate our decision to obey or disobey God.

Surely, she was sad. Yet she completely heeded Elisha’s warning and packed up and left her land.

In response to a calling we may say, “I don’t want to. Just the thought of it makes me cry.” “I don’t think I could survive this.” “I’m not strong enough.” “My heart is breaking; please don’t make me!”

What faith did it take for the woman to leave? What faith does it take for me to do things I don’t want to do, even as the tears run down my face? God’s good is rarely easy.

5) She went to a land of plenty where all her needs were met.

God is my plenty. He gives me all I need, not only to survive but to thrive.
Then with His provisions intact in the depths of my heart, I have what it takes to share my breath, energy, and time with those in the famine. I can also share Him.

6) Sometime during the seven years in Philistia, the woman must have reached out and made friends. Perhaps she learned to cook new meals from the local women and scrub her clothes in different ways. However, she would have hated some of the local religious beliefs, especially if they went against everything she knew about God.

I’ve heard people say concerning their job or pets, “It’s a love/hate relationship.” They hate certain aspects of the situation, but are happy with the wonderful, lovable things.

There are always people or circumstances in our lives, for whatever reason, with whom we have a love/hate relationship. We may not like certain things about the person, but God still says, “Go!” So…we love them, even though they feel to us like a famine!

(“I don’t like this or that about you, but I love you.”) This makes such a difference in how we interact with everyone around us.

We are not called to every famine. In fact, in some famines, we are led to flee, as the woman did. The famines God calls us to won’t always be who or what we like but who we’re called to serve and what we’re called to do.

We may not feel supported or loved by those people in our callings.
Not everyone is going to like us, either.

The situation may be about friendship or needs. It may, however, be about something completely different.

Still, God is working in the circumstances. He is providing for all concerned, and all of us are being refined.

7) Since famines come in all shapes and sizes, it is possible for another person’s famine to become my famine. It happens when I give into despair and dry emptiness. It happens when I don’t recognize the bounty God has provided IN the land of Philistia where HE has led me. However, His directives are good. They keep me safe.

The woman could have lived her seven years in a self-made famine even though she had plenty all around her. She could have whined and complained about her lot in life. She could have put off finding shelter and food, thinking she could go back to her own land tomorrow.

Her new friends worshiped idols and were void of the one true God. Their lives would have held much darkness. If she was dried up, she could have bought into their spiritual famines, even in this land of plenty, or she could have lived within God’s plenty and become a light to all round her!

I have a tendency to push GOD out of the way in order to get close to what my flesh labels my land of plenty. After all, if I can be king or lord over my life and do what I want, I can be happy. Surely, then I will feel full. I long for what brings me comfort. I long to be filled up the way I was filled in the past. I want to go back. I want, I want, I want!

MY famine is defined as “life has to be a certain way (my way) in order to be happy.”

*One key to unlock the true plentiful life is to ask what plenty is right in front of me, no matter the situation. If I don’t intentionally seek out the blessings of my day, I can dry up without knowing it.
*Key #2 – It is important to make myself constantly aware of famines within and without, so that I can find my true source of sustenance.
*Another key is to ask how I might serve others without being drawn into their famines.
*The last key for now – Famines (mine or other’s), wherever they come from, must be met with preparation using the armor of God. It’s why I stay in God’s word every day, without fail. It’s why I stay in prayer in this relationship that is the most important of my life.

8) There was nothing the woman could do about her property while she lived in Philistia. I don’t know if she worried about her previous home or not. I do know that she had to help herself emotionally, mentally, and physically to be able to for forward during those seven years and keep her sanity.

I have times I simply have to trust God with my life and move on in joy knowing that He has this.

9) The woman did not ask the king for her property until she returned to her country. The famine was over and now arose a new problem: someone had taken possession of her home and land.

Satan is a hard taskmaster who tries to steal my property. What property has he taken? What is he trying to take from me, now? To whom shall I turn to get it back?

The King of Kings and Lord of Lords!

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full” (John 10:10).

When the woman came to the king and asked for her land, not only did he provide her request, he also provided the income her land accumulated during the years of her absence.

That takes my breath away! God provides before the famine, during the famine, and after the famine.

For some, like the woman, the provision is shelter, food and water which look and feel good.

For others, the provision has more to do with deeper lessons learned about life. That may not look or feel good, but it is still good.

And sometimes, the famine has nothing to do with those in trouble and more to do with God teaching us to leave our comfort of plenty to help those without comfort, even though it cannot be returned. That is also good.

God supplies what we need most. And this provision doesn’t always match our expectations. We can trust Him with everything.

Lord of Plenty, when I feel empty keep my eyes on You. When I am called to love the unlovable, guide my heart and my attitude to realize how blessed I am to be able to give. In all situations, help me to see you and know that You, alone, are my all in all. In Jesus name, Amen.

Know My Anxious Thoughts

Last week, I felt weary as I cried out to God. Yet, truly His power greatly reveals itself most in my weaknesses. He gave me rest, and immediately called me back into battle.

Diving into obedience, I knew: that hardships would come, that staying close to Him would be the safest place in the world, that He would never leave me even in my hardest struggle and that disobedience might seem easier, but in reality to disobey my Father would be wrought full of a shallow and boring life I never want to live.

Writing this blog makes me feel alive, and though each post challenges me to my core, as each Tuesday approaches, I pray for you…each one.

Today’s subject is anxiety. “Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts.” (Psalm 139:23 NIV)

My circumstances lure me towards anxiety every day. Yet, I typically am too naïve to know that something is worth being anxious over until way past everyone else’s breaking point. My reactions to trouble do come, but they are sometimes a bit delayed. On rare occasions, however, worry and fear immediately rear their ugly heads and cast a shadow on the bright spaces of my mind. Previously, in my life, anxiety has been heavily investigated. But, as I researched all week, this study encouraged me to stand stronger and believe in God’s power and goodness more than before and not to give into doubt and despair.

So, now, let us enter with bold hearts into a lesson on ANXIETY.

There came to me several simple thoughts in quick succession I wanted to record:

1. Anxiety happens when I listen to all other voices in my head and not the ONE voice that truly matters (God’s voice).
2. Peace becomes more available when I allow all other voices to be sifted through the ONE voice and His truth.
3. Peace intensifies when I make a choice to follow the ONE voice even if it means going through hardships or loss of what I consider to be a good name or feeling insecure. The truth is: my best offering to Jesus in my hardships is to surrender to Him the life He gave me, take up my cross, and follow Him. My greatest name is known when I allow God’s Son to live and act through me. My truest security is felt when I stand on the foundation of Christ.
4. Anxiety increases when instead of facing the problem, I simply pass the time. There’s a difference between having downtime and burying my problems behind ‘nothing‘ activities with, perhaps, a hidden motive (even hidden from me), to deny the real issues of life; especially when the issue is the ONE voice calling me to follow Him. (Jonah ran from God. Sometimes, I run, too. Running is an open door to great anxiety!)
5. Anxiety decreases when I center my focus of life, worship and trials, NOT to be about ME and my feelings (who speaks to me, who is there for me, who is stirring MY gifts, who wants me, who is giving to me, who isn’t?) Instead, I focus on my Creator and His plans for my life regarding His kingdom. At church, I allow the songs, prayers, and lessons to move my heart to action. I listen to God more than I tell Him what to do about this or that. Seeing the bigger picture helps me to breathe in and out, as I let go of control and anxiety.
6. Peace comes alive when prayer turns into an awakening of my soul to do something MORE than just pray. Laziness, self-pity, jealousy and anxiety are qualities I proactively and continually try to kill within myself, instead of passively waiting for God to take these away.

Reread the first thought above. One of my favorite stories in the Bible is when God speaks to Samuel, and Samuel’s answer is, “Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening” (I Samuel 3:7 NIV). Rare moments in my life happen in which clear, yet inaudible ‘words’ come to mind, but I know it’s God, prompting me to do something for Him. I admit, I’ve made mistakes many times. But, I know if I never jumped in and made mistakes in hearing from God, I would never learn to decipher His true voice!

Mostly, however, in my life, God speaks through the Bible, His word. His word is a treasure, sought after every single day, and as much as possible, the very first part of my morning. This practice brings strength and help for my every day trials. (Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful” Joshua 1:8). Following God’s word (His voice) simply makes sense. His word is there for me to know Him more (not necessarily to have ease, but to have the power He gives me to meet whatever comes my way).

Yet, how does one block out the other voices?

1. Memorize scripture – This one is huge for me! When an evil voice(s) tries to enter my brain, I have a habit now of quoting verses. The activity relaxes me and sets me on the right path.
2. Prayer – Pray for the enemies in my life that are causing my anxiety. (Matt 5:44)
3. Praise – Negative thoughts cannot live inside of my praises to God.
4. Think on good things – “Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things” (Phil 4:8). Write a note to unpleasant people in the midst of relational struggles that reflect what is in them that is noble, right and pure. Daily taking note of the good in a person can change my life and my relationships!
5. Attend a church that believes the Bible is truth. Soak in the sermons and songs.
6. “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit” (Acts 2:38). The Holy Spirit guides and leads me through my fears to have faith in God.
7. Fellowship with believers (especially those who will hold me accountable to discipleship and service)- “I am united with all who fear you and with everyone who keeps your precepts” (Psalm 119:63 ISV). Did you notice in the verse how the focus for fear or awe is on God? Surround myself with encouraging, godly people who will walk this rough road with me and lead me to fear the one true God.
8. Speak the name of Jesus and acknowledge that He is Lord and Master of my home, my work, my spirit and so on.
9. Serve others; get out of the habit of making life all about me.
10. Become involved in refining my gifts for the sake of the kingdom of God.
11. Become overwhelmed with what is godly – “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good” (Romans 12:21 NIV).

Sometimes, nothing removes the voices from my head. I may be grieving a deep loss (which takes time), dealing with a troublesome, towering giant or anticipating a dreaded event. And the overwhelming thoughts seem to multiply by the minute.

Read the following snippets from a few verses in the Bible (ISV). The verses are best read in the context of their whole chapters.

Psa_55:5 Fear and trembling have overwhelmed me…
Isa_8:12  …don’t fear what they fear…
Mat_6:28 …why do you worry…
Luk_10:41  …You worry and fuss about a lot…
1Co_2:3  It was in weakness, fear, and great trembling that I came to you.
Php_4:6  Never worry…
1Pe_5:7  Throw all your worry on him…

These verses cover a variety of situations and reactions from several people. Notice how authentic was David’s fear and trembling. David speaks his heart all over the Psalms concerning his real anxieties about real and terrible circumstances. Paul speaks about being intensely nervous before his future audience. And several commands concerning worry and fear are given, “don’t” “never” “throw all” “why do you, ” as if worry and fear were things that can be managed, or that because I’m a Christian, I have a choice over not fearing what the world fears (because my focus is different). Perhaps, with practice, one day that will be me!

We all have times of anxiety, sometimes over real troubles and sometimes over imaginary fears. We live in a world of uncertainties and misfortune. Until the end of time, sleepless nights and difficult days will be a part of our lives. Our responses to the anxiety are what matter (King David, in his anxious moments, always leaned heavily on the Lord).

After doing everything possible in the list above, when all else fails, what truly helps me is to come to a place of acceptance.

“This trial is in my life for a reason for I don’t know how long. I have fought it with everything I have. The trial is not leaving. So, I will be still and look to the Lord to fight for me. The darkness is real. The pit is deep. But I am not alone, even though I may not hear or feel God’s presence, HE IS HERE! I prepare my heart to suffer (instead of spending time in dread). My eyes stay on the Son of God who goes before me in suffering. I face these times head on with the power of the Almighty God. Daily, I practice NOT staying in a state of worry, but throwing the worry on Him. I am human. I cry and feel pain. So, in the long run, I crawl into His lap, lay my head on His shoulder, and receive his comfort for the duration of the trial. There is no greater comforter.”

Learning to be still is a process that comes more quickly as I get older. God provides beautiful examples of heroes of faith in His word that aid my journey to be still. The story of Nehemiah is an inspiration for today’s study of anxiety:

“The king asked me, ‘Why do you look so troubled, since you’re not ill? This cannot be anything else but troubles of the heart.” Then I was filled with fear‘” (Neh. 2:2 ISV).

Nehemiah was cup-bearer to the King. He had just received unsettling news, and knew he was supposed to go and help out. Nehemiah failed to hide his pain and concern, and the king became aware of his burden.

Here, I have recorded more insights from the beautiful commentaries:

The Pulpit Commentary
“… Nehemiah feels his danger. He has never looked sad in the king’s presence. He is about to ask permission to quit the court. These are both sins against the fundamental doctrine of Persian court life. Will the king be displeased, refuse his request, dismiss him from his post, cast him into prison, or will he pardon his rudeness and allow his request?”

Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
“A Persian subject was expected to be perfectly content so long as he had the happiness of being with his king. A request to quit the court was thus a serious matter.”
(end of quotes)

Nehemiah might have been fearful of the king’s reaction. He also might simply have feared the huge undertaking God was putting on his heart. Either way, we can all relate to Nehemiah; maybe not in the circumstance, but in fear.

What Nehemiah says to the king next changes the way I view anxiety. Notice how Nehemiah didn’t move a muscle or say anything in response to the king until he “prayed to the God of heaven.”

“‘May the king live forever. Why shouldn’t I be troubled, since the city where my ancestral sepulchers are located lies waste, with its gates burned by fire?’ The king answered, ‘What do you want?’ So I prayed to the God of heaven and I replied to the king, ‘If it seems good to you, and if your servant has found favor with you, would you send me to Judah, to the city where my ancestral sepulchers are located, so I can rebuild it?'” (Neh. 2:3-5 ISV).

Later, the “gracious hand of God” was on Nehemiah; the king not only agreed to send him; he also provided safety and supplies.

Let’s go back to the first chapter, and find a prayer worded by Nehemiah soon after receiving the terrible report! We do not know what he prayed in the split second prayer above before his response to the king. But, we do have his recorded words of prayer before he approached the king in the first place:

“When I heard this [the bad news], I sat down and cried, mourning for a number of days while I fasted and prayed in the presence of the God of Heaven. I said, ‘Please, LORD, God of Heaven, the great and fearsome God who keeps the covenant, showing gracious love to those who love you and keep your commands, please turn your attention to observe carefully and listen to the prayer of your servant today that I am presenting to you day and night on behalf of your servants, the Israelis. I confess the sins that we Israelis have committed against you. Both I and my father’s house have sinned. We have abandoned you by not keeping your commands, your ceremonies, and your judgments that you proscribed to your servant Moses. Please remember what you spoke in commanding your servant Moses. You said, ‘If you rebel, I will scatter you among the nations but if you return to me, keeping my commands and doing them, even if your exiled people are in the farthest horizon, I will gather them from there and bring them to the place where I have chosen to establish my Name.’ These are your servants as well as your people, whom you have redeemed by your great power and by your strong hand. And now, Lord, I ask you to listen to the prayer of your servant—and to the prayers of your servants who delight in revering your Name. I ask you, please prosper your servant today by granting him to receive favor from this man.'” (Neh. 1:4-11 ISV)

What I see in Nehemiah’s prayers are: tears, fasting, pleading, honor, yieldedness, confession, trust, reverence and hope.

Can you imagine what would become of our anxieties were we to practice such prayers? Nehemiah, in his fear, boldly stepped forward onto the paths God made straight for him.

Listen to the following song about no longer being a slave to fear:

Finally, anxiety in the area of change can be a good thing. (All anxiety has the possibility of changing our lives forever.) Change is frightening and feels impossible. But God is doing something big. All the evil voices accuse, remind and tempt me. When I listen to them, I am overcome. Yet, when I only listen to the ONE voice, I am at peace. This back and forth process eventually opens my eyes to the wonders of God and the shallowness of everything else. The anxiety is doing its work. Anxiety is bringing me to the presence of God and falling away into faith and trust.

Father, I pray for my readers and for the prayers they have on their lips this day. Guide and comfort them, and be their God. Walk them through each worry and help them to believe in the great God you are. Awaken us to your presence and to all you have for our lives. Stir us to be on our knees, yet then to rise up in your power to follow you. In Jesus name, Amen.