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God’s Timing

Recently I’ve had the opportunity to reflect on God’s timing. It was the last day of a 3-week trip to visit my family on the east coast. Aside from my parents and my oldest brother, I had not seen the rest of my family members for over four years and I had a 3-year old niece whom I’d never met. To me, it seemed like much too long to be away. There were times within those four years that I found myself wallowing in self-pity, especially around holidays and birthdays feeling like I was missing out on so much of my family’s lives. I’m sure some can relate when I say, that sometimes, being on the opposite side of the country can feel like being on the opposite side of the world.

As I was pondering all of this, the Lord opened my eyes to see things in a different way. Yes, four years is a long time between visits, however in light of eternity, it is minuscule in comparison. Only a blip on the screen of life. During those four years, the Lord was doing life-changing work, not only in my own life to continue to conform me into the image of Christ, but He was orchestrating and using circumstances to do the same in the lives of my family as well. I realized that had we visited any sooner I would not have been in the same “place” spiritually and probably would have missed the opportunities I felt the Lord opened for me to support and encourage different members of my family.

So my journey with the Lord continues…one step at a time. Once again, it’s about learning to trust more fully. This time it was a lesson in learning to trust and rest in God’s timing.

Handing Over the Pen

Discipleship

What does it mean to hand over the pen and allow someone else to write your story? I hope you are wondering what I mean. As I sat in church one Sunday morning, the speaker referred to Hebrews 12:2 as he talked about the use of our eyes and what we are focusing on. The verse in Hebrews states, “Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” As the speaker honed in on the first part of the verse, the Word of God came alive to me in a fresh new way just as the Bible states in Hebrews 4:12, “the Word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.” What impressed me was that we are to fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith. Jesus wants to write our story! And the only way He will do it is if we hand over the pen. I don’t know about you, but I have the tendency to hand over the pen only to snatch it back again when things get a little hairy so that I can be in control of what is written in my life.

I regularly have opportunities to put this new revelation into practice and I have been learning to hand over the pen as I am confronted by situations and circumstances that challenge my faith. As I have been faced with difficulties and uncertainties, I have had, and continue to have, the opportunity to say, “Jesus, I hand over the pen. I choose You to be the one who writes my story. You are the author and perfecter of my faith. My times are in Your hands.” As an act of surrender, I’ve actually lifted my arm and hand up toward Heaven and opened my hand as if to hand the “pen” over to Jesus. There are times, when I have to do this frequently throughout the day because I keep being tempted to worry and be anxious about what is happening in my life. I am frequently reminded of another passage of Scripture that is found in Philippians 4:6-7 which states, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

If you also are struggling to have peace in your life. If you are bombarded by life’s circumstances and subsequent uncertainties, I encourage you to join me and “hand over the pen” to Jesus and allow Him to write the story of your life and to perfect your faith. As you do, in accordance with God’s Word, you will experience God’s peace as He enables you to walk on the heights and live above your circumstances. Your circumstances may not change right away, or might not ever change, but your perspective will be renewed as you learn to let go and trust God fully.

Many Religions – Only One Way

Discipleship

From the very beginning of time, humans have sought to make sense out of life–and death. In our desire to gain knowledge and be like God (Genesis 3), instead of trusting and seeking Him, we have devised religions of every shape and size. We were created with a desire to worship and have a relationship with God. Inside each one of us is a God-shaped hole that can only be filled completely by Him. However, as humans we have a tendency to try to fill this hole in other ways. We have tried to use our own wisdom and we have arrived at conclusions and beliefs that are not based on the truth. Over the span of time with our finite human minds we have created many false gods and false empty religions devoid of any life giving power or eternal hope and peace.

True or False?

It is so important in these days in which we live that we walk in close relationship with the Lord, feasting on His Word, hiding it in our hearts so that we have our “Sword” sharp and ready to challenge false teachings (Ephesians 6:10-18). Spending time in God’s Word, in prayer and in learning to hear God’s voice are vital. It is then that we will know what is true and what is false. In doing so we learn that the following are examples of what is false:

Any religion or teaching not grounded in Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord of all (Philippians 2:9-11)
Any religion or teaching that does not recognize Jesus Christ as the one and only begotten Son of God (John 3:16-17) – the Living Word became flesh (1 John 1:14)
Any religion or teaching that bases salvation on anything other than in and through Jesus Christ (Acts 4:12)
Any religion or teaching that seeks to add to the Word of God or views the Word of God as incomplete or tarnished, needing additional “revelation” in the form of other texts (John 17:17)
Any religion or teaching where “self” is made a god or promotes the idea that we can become gods (Romans 1:18-24)

The Word of God says that the god of this age has blinded the minds of those who do not yet believe (2 Corinthians 4:4). This is evidenced by the flood of people to false religions and false teachings. The Word of God also says that Satan masquerades as an angel of light (2 Corinthians 11:14). This means that he is especially good at pretending to be good and can even deceive followers of Jesus if they are not vigilant in spending time in prayer, in reading God’s Word and in walking in relationship with Him.

The Bottom Line

The bottom line is there are many religions and teachings, but there is only ONE way to heaven and eternal life with God. Jesus said in John 14:6, “I am the way, the truth and the life and no one comes to the Father except through me.” John 3:36 states, “Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on him.”

Perhaps you have realized that you have been following a false religion or false teachings. Now is the time to ask God to open your eyes to see His truth and open your ears to hear His voice above all the others. Repent, or turn away from, what is not true and turn towards Jesus–the way, the truth, and the life. Surrender your life and all that you are to Jesus Christ and allow Him to be not only your Savior from sin, but also Lord of your life. Get a copy of the Bible and read it, asking God to renew your mind with the truth of His Word. I recommend the New International Version or the New American Standard Bible for Bible study and memorization. Pray on the Full Armor of God daily (Ephesians 6:10-17) and stand firm in the Truth.

Eternity – Where will you be?

We are in a battle for our souls. Our eternal destination is at stake. Which side are you on? Where will you be when your life on earth is over? Are you ready to stand before God and give an account of your life? How will you answer His question, “What did you do with Jesus, who is called the Christ?” It won’t matter how devoted you were to your religion. It won’t matter how much good you did in your lifetime. It won’t matter if you attended every church service, said the “right” prayers, fasted, dressed a certain way, or followed all the rules and regulations specified by your particular denomination or religion. The only thing that WILL matter is what you did with Jesus and His invitation to new life in Him. Did you have a growing relationship with Him? Will you hear the words, “Well done good and faithful servant” or “Depart from me for I never knew you?”

The choice is yours today. I hope you will choose to surrender your life to Jesus for it is then that you will know true hope and peace that is found only in Him. Jesus IS the ONLY WAY. Don’t wait…or it may be too late.

Click here for more information about steps to a surrendered life.

Bumps in the Road

Discipleship

There is a certain road near our home that has a huge bump in it. My children always beg me to go faster as we near the bump because they like the feeling of butterflies in their stomachs as we soar over it. Unfortunately, the bump is at an intersection with a stop light. So one must be cautious not to speed up too fast lest the light turn red.

We’ve all experienced bumps in the road on occasion, both literally as we drive about in our vehicles and also figuratively as we encounter difficult circumstances that come our way. We are going along our merry way and all of a sudden, “BUMP!” out of nowhere we are taken by surprise. “Where did THAT bump come from?” we may find ourselves wondering. The tricky thing about bumps is we don’t get to determine when they come. Of course, if we could, we would most likely desire to eliminate them altogether.

Bumps come in all shapes and sizes and I have come to realize that when one has a relationship with the Lord, bumps in the road, serve as opportunities to exercise our trust muscles. After all, if the road is only smooth, we rarely have need of anything, let alone learning to trust God completely. Recently I read an article by Charles Stanley in the June 2010 addition of “In Touch” magazine, a free resource available to anyone who requests it from www.intouch.org. In the article entitled, “Cease Striving and Know God,” Dr. Stanley quotes Psalm 46:11, “Cease striving and know that I am God.” He states, “How can you do this when things are falling apart all around you? To cease striving you must rest in the Lord. To rest, you must trust Him completely. And to trust, you must know Him.”

Bumps along the road are opportunities to get to know God better. They are opportunities to learn to trust Him completely. I think one of the most challenging things in our walk with the Lord is learning to fully trust Him. I think that is why Jesus said in Matthew 18:3, “I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” Little children usually do not start out with a trust problem. They are dependent upon their caregivers and trust them completely to meet their every need. This is how we, as children of God, are to be with our Heavenly Father. It is difficult for us to do, because we’ve gotten used to depending on ourselves or others instead of God. Bumps in the road tend to shake us loose. When we come to the end of our resources and strength, then we are ready to fully surrender and allow God to truly set us free to walk on the heights as we learn to trust Him for everything.

Dealing with Discouragement

Discipleship, Featured Content

Have you ever been so discouraged that all you wanted to do is crawl into bed, pull the covers over your head, close your eyes and hide from all the problems in your life? Have you ever been so low that you felt like maybe you were losing your faith? Have you ever walked through a time when all you could do was sigh deeply and groan within your spirit because life just seemed so heavy and overwhelming? I have. What did you do? How did you overcome the anxieties of life?

One of the lessons that I have been learning as I have journeyed through some of the most challenging and difficult times in my life is that, “the seeds of discouragement cannot grow in a thankful heart.” Reading that phrase and putting it into practice was probably one of the hardest things to do. In my natural self, I was inclined to focus my eyes on what I saw, which was tremendous lack in the area of personal and business finances. I was tempted to stare at my circumstances and dwell on all the things that I didn’t have at the moment. The truth that I found one day in reading God’s Word transformed my mind. Philippians 4:4-8 states,

Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!
Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near.
Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition,
with thanksgiving
present your requests to God. And the peace of God,
which transcends all understanding,
will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Finally, brothers, 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.

As I began to put this truth into practice in my life, I began to praise the Lord and be thankful even in the midst of my circumstances. I began by thanking Him for small things and as I continued to thank Him I began to experience His peace. I began to realize and be thankful for His Unfailing Presence in my life. I had a greater understanding of the bigger picture and to be thankful that this life isn’t all there is. I even began thanking Him for the opportunities (a.k.a. the cirumstances) in my life to trust Him more.

It was during this time of barren dryness in my life (I call it “Desert School”) that I began to learn to walk on the heights of new found hope and trust in God. One of the passages of Scripture in God’s Word that has become so precious to me, is Habakkuk 3:17-19 which states,

Though the fig tree does not bud
and there are no grapes on the vines,
though the olive crop fails
and the fields produce no food,
though there are no sheep in the pen
and no cattle in the stalls,
yet I will rejoice in the Lord,
I will be joyful in God my Savior.
The Sovereign Lord is my strength;
he makes my feet like the feet of a deer,
he enables me to go on the heights.

The word that stood out so clearly to me as one of the most important in this passage is the little three letter word–YET. “Yet I will rejoice in the Lord…I will be joyful in God my Savior…” By an act of my will I will choose to praise Him even in the darkness of difficult circumstances. In giving this sacrifice of praise…in choosing to trust Him in spite of all that is happening around me…allows His Spirit to move and to give me the peace of Christ that transcends all understanding because my hope and trust are now in Him, not in myself, and not in anyone or anything else. In some of my lowest times, with tears streaming down my face and in between sobs I would sing the following song to my Lord. For me it was my way of letting Him know that no matter what, I will praise Him.

I’ll praise Your Name Lord
I’ll sing Your song
I’ll praise Your Name Lord
My whole life long
I’ll praise Your Name Lord
Until I’m home
I’ll praise Your Name Lord
I’ll sing Your song

“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” (Romans 15:13) The ability to walk above your circumstances is available to you. Instead of worrying and being anxious over your circumstances, be thankful. Instead of dwelling on all that you don’t have, be thankful for what you do have…start with thanking God for each breath that you take and go from there. Remember, overwhelm discouragement with thankfulness. Determine in your heart that no matter what, yet you will praise Him and rejoice in God your Savior. For the Sovereign Lord is your strength and He will make your feet like the feet of a deer and enable you to walk on the heights.

Why not start right now?

True or False?

The Bottom Line

Eternity – Where will you be?

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