Spoken words

Know this, my beloved brothers;

let every person be

quick to hear

slow to speak and

slow to anger.

James 1:19

Once a word is spoken, it can never be erased.  There are no delete or backspace buttons when we speak.  When will I learn this lesson? 

Conflict is a part of life.  How we handle the conflict determines the outcome. We must choose our battles wisely. So, what happens when I find myself in an argument?  When something or someone sparks feelings of anger?  What is my natural reaction?  When I speak, do smiles fade and tensions rise? Or does peace come through the quiet strength of restraint? 

A soft answer turns away wrath,

but a harsh word stirs up anger.

Proverbs 15:1

But the things that come out of a person's mouth come from the heart.

Matthew 15:18

Words have great power.  The power to build up or the power to tear down.   Our words can give life or bring destruction.  The choice is ours.



A pearl beyond price

"If anyone would come after me,

let him deny himself and

take up his cross and follow me".

Matthew 16:24

Deny yourself. Die to self. Sounds unpleasant.  But in all actuality it's quite the opposite.  This act of dying and denying opens a door to life and freedom like nothing ever seen before.  It can't be explained.  It must be experienced. 

To follow Jesus is a choice. And if that decision has been made, then obedience is required. 

Less of me, more of him. Laying down my pride and my selfishness.  The willingness to give up, to surrender everything I treasure in exchange for a pearl beyond price.  

I can't earn it.  I don't deserve it. Jesus paid it all.  All to him I owe. 

If I have nothing in this life but Jesus, I have more than I will ever need. 

Listen:  All That I Am by Rend Collective

Dying to Self

Author unknown

When you are forgotten or neglected

and you don't hurt with the insult,

but your heart is happy

– that is dying to self.

When your advice is disregarded,

your opinions ridiculed,

and you refuse to let anger rise in your heart,

and take it all in patient,

loving silence

 – that is dying to self.

When you lovingly and patiently bear disorder,

 irregularity, tardiness, and annoyance…

and endure it as Jesus endured it

 – that is dying to self.

When you never care to refer to yourself

in conversation or record your own good works,

or itch for praise after an accomplishment,

when you can truly love to be unknown

– that is dying to self.

When you can see your brother or sister prosper

and can honestly rejoice with him,

and feel no envy

even though your needs are greater

– that is dying to self.

When you are content with any food,

any offering, any raiment,

any climate, or any society

– that is dying to self.

When you can take correction,

when you can humbly submit inwardly

as well as outwardly,

with no rebellion or resentment

rising up within your heart

– that is dying to self.

Valiantly

With God we shall do valiantly... 

Psalm 108:13

 Photo by @m.gracecortez

Valor. The strength that enables a person to encounter danger with firmness and bravery.

Faith is not a coward.

With God on our side, we have the victory.  We can do mighty things.  Brave things.

Not on our own strength.  Not on our own self-reliance.

I can do all things through Christ

 who strengthens me.

Philippians 4:13.  

With Jesus, we will always be strong enough, brave enough.

"Though I have many wars to disturb me,

and many cares to toss me to and fro,

yet I am settled in one mind

and cannot be driven from it.

My heart has taken hold 

and abides in one resolve."  

~Charles Spurgeon

From God alone, we draw the courage... we find the wisdom... we gain the strength in order to face the battles that lie ahead.  Before we march forth, may we have but one resolve:  To worship and praise him. Knowing that he goes before us. Knowing that he will fight for us.  He always has. He always will. Surely, he is with you, always. Matthew 28:20.  

As we worship him, fears will subside.  As we worship him, boldness will surface.

What battle are you facing today?

Take heart.  Take courage.  Jesus has overcome the world. John 16:33.  And if his Holy Spirit lives within us, we can face our fears, our anxieties, our failures, our hurt, our pain with a boldness like none other.  We have overwhelming victory through him who loves us- we are more than conquerors. Romans 8:37.

We shall rise above.

And we shall do so, valiantly.


Listen to this song as you worship him:  You Make Me Brave, Amanda Cook/Bethel Live

Rooted confidence

Cursed is the man who trusts in man 

and makes flesh his strength, 

whose heart turns away from the LORD.  

He is like a shrub in the desert, 

and shall not see any good come.  

He shall dwell in the parched places of the wilderness, 

in an uninhabited salt land.

But blessed is the one 

who trusts in the LORD, 

whose CONFIDENCE is in him. 

He is like a tree planted by water, 

that sends out its roots by the stream, 

and does not fear when heat comes,

 for its leaves remain green, 

and it is not anxious in the year of drought, 

for it does not cease to bear fruit.  

Jeremiah 17:5-8

Confidence.
It is having no uncertainty.
It's full trust.
It's being certain that a chosen course of action is the best or most effective.

Confidence in God is not something that comes naturally.  It's something that must be practiced and experienced.  The more you experience it, the stronger it gets.

What I hope to impart to you today as I share with you my journey, is hope. And to stir within your heart a desire to grow deeper.

When I was asked to talk about my confidence in the Lord at the Women's Ministry Morning Mingle, I had to really do some deep soul searching.  Yes, I am a Christian.  Yes, I love the Lord with all my heart. And yes, he is my everything.

But the past two years of my life have definitely tested my faith.  I have simultaneously experienced an extremely difficult refining process in my marriage and I have experienced the loss of a very close loved one due to an ugly and aggressive cancer.

In the midst of my suffering, I had to face some really tough questions.  Do I truly believe what I say I believe?  Do I believe that God has my best interest in mind?  Do I believe that God truly cares for me and is interested in every single little detail of my life?

As I began to ask these questions, the voice of God went silent.  I went through a drought.  And I felt alone in the desert.  But my heart did not turn away from the Lord.  I did not grow anxious.  I did not cease to bear fruit.

Within the past few months I can honestly say that God has allowed this season in my life for a very specific reason.  It was during that time that he revealed to me my roots.  They were on the surface.  My confidence in him was only as deep as I allowed my roots to grow.

When times got tough, I spent more time asking others to pray for me than actually going to the One who was actually able to help.  It was almost like I was more confident in their prayers or even what they had to say about my problems.  I would find myself reaching for my phone to text someone.  Or picking up the phone to call a friend.

There is nothing wrong with going to others.  I believe it is so important to have fellowship with one another, but the question remains:  Who or what am I turning to FIRST?  The answer is where I find my confidence.

Of course I would pray.  I prayed a lot. But my prayers were on the surface.  I would ask the Lord to heal my marriage.  I would ask the Lord to heal my brother-in-law.  I would unload all of my burdens, lay them at his feet and then quickly walk away to attend to the stresses of the day.

I didn't take the time to dig in.  To dig into God's word and to wait in his presence.  Not waiting for an answer to all of my problems and life's questions, but to wait for him to give me what my soul so desperately needed.  To experience and gain the peace, the strength, the wisdom, the understanding, the guidance and love that I needed in order to face the storms of life.  A peace and strength that could only come from God alone.

Now, with each passing storm I am learning to dig in deeper.  To draw near to him first and foremost. Only seeking others after allowing my roots to be completely saturated by him.  My confidence in the Lord impacts how I handle and respond to life.  I can read the Bible and see who God says he is.  I can read all of the countless stories about what the Lord has done for others, but until I experience that for myself, my confidence in him will not grow.

It's a journey.  I am already planted by the water, but which direction are my roots growing? As my roots grow deeper in Christ, a new habit is being formed as I am gaining confidence in him and who he is and who he will always be.  I am finding that I am naturally turning to him first because that's all I know to do.  Because that the direction that my roots are traveling... toward him.  Toward the stream of living waters.  

So if you ever come to talk to me about your problems, from now on I will always ask:  "Have you talked with the Lord about it yet?"  And if you haven't, I will gently redirect your roots.  To go and spend time with the Creator and Lover of your soul.  To wait and seek his face.  The more you get to know God, the more confidence you will have in him.  For I have confidence that he is able to do far more than I could ever do.

You Will Not Abandon My Soul

Psalm 16

Preserve me, O God, for in you I take refuge.
2 I say to the Lord, “You are my Lord;
    I have no good apart from you.”

3 As for the saints in the land, they are the excellent ones,
    in whom is all my delight.[b]

4 The sorrows of those who run after[c] another god shall multiply;
    their drink offerings of blood I will not pour out
    or take their names on my lips.

5 The Lord is my chosen portion and my cup;
    you hold my lot.
6 The lines have fallen for me in pleasant places;
    indeed, I have a beautiful inheritance.

7 I bless the Lord who gives me counsel;
    in the night also my heart instructs me.[d]
8 I have set the Lord always before me;
    because he is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken.

9 Therefore my heart is glad, and my whole being[e] rejoices;
    my flesh also dwells secure.
10 For you will not abandon my soul to Sheol,
    or let your holy one see corruption.[f]

11 You make known to me the path of life;
    in your presence there is fullness of joy;
    at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.

Drink more water

Drink more water.

That's what my dad would always tell me if I ever complained of a headache... or if I was too tired... or if I couldn't concentrate.  99.9% of the time, he was right.  

Did you know that water makes up two-thirds of the body's weight and without water we would die within a few days? Only a 2% drop in water levels can lead to symptoms of dehydration. Water is so important.  We depend on it.  We simply cannot function without it.

There's another kind of water that I so desperately need. 

Jesus stood up and cried out,

 "If anyone thirsts,

 let him come to me and drink". 

John 37:7

But whoever drinks of the water 

that I will give him 

will never be thirsty again. 

John 4:14

O God, you are my God; 

earnestly I seek you; 

my soul thirsts for you.

Psalm 63:1

The more time I spend with Jesus, the more he fills my cup.

However, there are many who are thirsty, yet choose to fill their cup from a different water source.

For my people have committed 

two evils; they have forsaken me, 

the fountain of living waters, and 

hewed out cisterns for themselves, 

broken cisterns

 that can hold no water. 

Jeremiah 2:12 

Why in the world would God's people choose to abandon the fountain of living water which was fully accessible to them?  Instead they choose to get their water from a BROKEN cistern of self reliance.  An empty cup provides nothing. Sadly, we can all relate. We choose to dig our own cisterns in order to satisfy our needs and bring security.

Of course it makes more sense to get fresh water from a fountain that gives an unlimited supply of strength, joy, peace, wisdom, encouragement, mercy, grace, love and life.  But oddly enough, we are tempted to settle for the murky water from a broken cistern only to find that it was unable to satisfy the thirst.

So if you ever find yourself complaining of a heartache... or if you are weary... or need clarity of thought, first things first...drink more Water.  

The fountain never runs dry. The living waters never disappoint.  We simply cannot function without it.

And the Lord will guide you continually

and satisfy your desire in scorched 

places and make your bones strong;

and you shall be like a watered

garden, like a spring of water 

whose waters do not fail. 

Isaiah 58:11

 

An unpolluted prayer

I cried out to him with my mouth;

his praise was on my tongue.

If I had cherished sin in my heart,

the Lord would not have listened;

but God has surely listened

and has heard my prayer.

Praise be to God,

who has not rejected my prayer

or withheld his love from me!

Psalm 66:17-20

Prayer is a sincere desire that comes from the heart of man and reaches towards the ears of God. Prayer is a continuous heartfelt communication with an audience of One.

A prayer from a heart that is unwilling to abandon itself completely from sin, will not be heard by the Lord.  Our prayers can become polluted.

But we are human.  We all sin.  Everyday.  So how it is then that God can hear our prayers?  The answer is simple.  He sees the condition of the heart.  

A heart that truly repents does not cherish sin.  It's more than just saying I'm sorry.  True repentance is being sorry enough to stop and change.

If my people 

who are called by my name 

will humble themselves

and pray and seek my face

and turn from their wicked ways,

 then I will hear from heaven

and I will forgive their sin

and heal their land. 

Now my eyes will be open

and my ears attentive to the prayer offered. 

2 Chronicles 7:14-15

 Photo by @sydneyhoek

An unpolluted prayer has power.  As it reaches the throne room of grace, you can trust that he will not reject your prayer. You can be confident that he is listening to the cry of your heart.  His love will not be withheld. Praise be to God!

Listen: Search Me, Know Me by Kathryn Scott

Search me, O God, 

and know my heart!

Psalm 139: 23

An anchor of hope

Disappointment.  Call it what you will:  a difficult circumstance, an unanswered prayer, a deep sadness, misery, heartache. suffering.  It's inevitable. Not one human being escapes it. Not one of us can control it.  

However, we do have a choice. A choice in how we choose to handle and view the inevitable. Will we sulk? Will we throw a pity party? Will we become so disappointed that we turn away from those who have caused the pain, even turning away from those we love most or even worse, renouncing our faith in God? Or will we choose to rejoice?  Grow from the pain?  Cling to hope?

We rejoice in our sufferings,

 knowing that suffering 

produces endurance 

and endurance produces character, 

and character produces hope.  

And hope does not disappoint us 

because God has poured out his love 

into our hearts...

Romans 5:4-5

Hope does not disappoint. This hope is anchored in truth.  And the truth of the matter is that God loves us more than we could ever dare to dream or imagine. Hope is a gift. A gift of God's amazing grace. And as we experience God's love for us, our hope grows stronger.

This love is poured out.  It's more than just a gentle sprinkle over the surface of our hearts, but rather a rapid steady stream.   And if we simply allow that steady stream of love to continually quench the thirst within our hearts, then maybe, just maybe, disappointment would no longer take root.  We will be reminded of the hope we have in Christ.  The sadness may never melt away on this side of heaven, but He does promise to give us the strength to get through it.  He loves us too much not to.

As the writer of Hebrews says in chapter 6, I will take hold of the hope set before me.  This hope anchors my soul, firm and secure.

I heard this song for the first time tonight after I wrote this.  God's timing is perfect. I love how he ties everything together.   Listen:  Anchor by Hillsong Live