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Tuesday, 10 November 2009

Being Right

Oh, how we like to be right! Of course we do! But, I have met some people who HAVE to be right, and honestly, they can be a bit hard to take at times! Some folks are not comfortable unless they are in control, and this often includes the need to be right. To them, being right is more important than anyone’s feelings or needs. When I am around someone like that, I can usually tell that the person is extremely insecure. People who have been hurt a lot in life often become “control freaks.” They figure if they can control every situation, then they can be sure nothing will hurt them again.

Sadly, life doesn’t work like that, and doing life this way is often a heavy burden. It takes a lot of stress and energy to force your own way and your own will on other people, and it is often resented. You find you are pushing away the people you love , and that hurts – the very thing you are trying to avoid happens anyway.

(1Peter 5:7 AMP) “Casting the whole of your care [all your anxieties, all your worries, all your concerns, once and for all] on Him, for He cares for you affectionately and cares about you watchfully.” [Ps. 55:22.]

The only way you are ever going to get free of this need to control is to lay it down and trust God. Even though other people have disappointed you countless times and not been trustworthy, you have to understand that God is not like that! It will be hard. You are used to calling the shots, I know. But, try it! It will be so much better for you and those you love if you can surrender this burden and let God take over.

Really, who can do it better than GOD? Won’t you give Him a chance?

Sunday, 08 November 2009

Faith of the Abraham Kind

If we are Christians, the Bible is our manual for living. We need to know what it says, and we need to believe in the truth of it. Do we? If we do, our actions should show it. Our belief system is what shapes us. What we believe will be evident in the way we live.

I know it is often difficult to bring our mind, will and emotions into line with the word of God. Yet we must. To a Christian, the Bible is our standard, and what it says should be our guide. Anything other than this just cheapens the integrity of our walk with the Lord.

One thing we have to understand is that it takes FAITH to walk the walk and live the life of a Christian. Faith means that even if we don’t see it with our natural eyes, or hold it in our actual grasp, we believe it’s true because God says it is.

(Hebrews 11:1 MSG) “The fundamental fact of existence is that this trust in God, this faith, is the firm foundation under everything that makes life worth living. It's our handle on what we can't see."

When we make the choice to believe God, amazing things can happen. When we truly hand ALL we have and ALL we are over to God, and give Him complete control, He can begin to move in our lives in ways we never imagined. We begin to see life from a different perspective. When we totally trust in God’s promises, we find we are no longer living in the realm of fear. We see beyond how things look with our natural eyes to the endless possibilities available to those who put their trust in Him.

It is a struggle to lift our eyes higher than our own personal situations. It is far easier to get bogged down in our problems and the living of our lives until we have forgotten to see the bigger picture. It's easier to trust in what we can SEE, and in our own experiences. But, God wants to give us more than that!

One of my favorite Bible characters when it comes to understanding faith, is Abraham. God promised him a son. God promised that his decedents would number more than the stars in the sky! The only problem was that Abraham was an old, old man. I mean old. REALLY old, shriveled up old — and so was his wife.

(Romans 4:18-21 AMP) “[For Abraham, human reason for] hope being gone, hoped in faith that he should become the father of many nations, as he had been promised, So [numberless] shall your descendants be. He did not weaken in faith when he considered the [utter] impotence of his own body, which was as good as dead because he was about a hundred years old, or [when he considered] the barrenness of Sarah's [deadened] womb. No unbelief or distrust made him waver (doubtingly question) concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong and was empowered by faith as he gave praise and glory to God, Fully satisfied and assured that God was able and mighty to keep His word and to do what He had promised.”

When I am having a struggle with trusting God for something I know He has promised me, I remember Abraham. Just as my situation looks impossible, it looked pretty impossible to him that he would ever have a child. Yet he believed anyway. That is faith. God said it. He chose to believe it.

So, dear one, what has God said to you? Does it seem impossible? Does it seem ridiculous? So what? God said it! If you are sure of that, take hold of it and don’t let go! God said it. Nothing else matters.

Friday, 06 November 2009

Another Perspective

What is this? It’s kind of hard to tell close up from this perspective, isn’t it? Perspective is such an interesting thing! You may think your life is hard, boring or pointless, but someone else looking at it from a different perspective might think you are wonderfully blessed.

You might bemoan your small salary and complain about your car payment, but someone without a job or a car, may see you as living well. See what I mean? It’s all about the perspective.

Perspective is also interesting when we are looking at our own lives. When we are in the middle of some struggle, we may feel like it is the worst thing that has ever happened to us, but when we have come through it, and look back from the perspective of time, we can often see some positive things that happened as a result of us going through what we did.

One thing I am learning is that there are often more ways than one to look at something. I need to be careful not to make a judgement about something or someone when I may only be seeing a small part of the picture. It is helpful sometimes to take a step back and get another point of view.

(1Corinthians 13:4-10 MSG) “Love never gives up. Love cares more for others than for self. Love doesn't want what it doesn't have. Love doesn't strut, Doesn't have a swelled head, doesn't force itself on others, Isn't always "me first," Doesn't fly off the handle, Doesn't keep score of the sins of others, doesn't revel when others grovel, Takes pleasure in the flowering of truth, puts up with anything, Trusts God always, Always looks for the best, Never looks back, But keeps going to the end. Love never dies. Inspired speech will be over some day; praying in tongues will end; understanding will reach its limit. We know only a portion of the truth, and what we say about God is always incomplete. But when the Complete arrives, our incompletes will be canceled.”

It's our bathroom scale!

I am finding the very best way to view life is from God’s perspective. I want to look through eyes of love, mercy and faith on this world I live in. I want to be able to trust that God will show me what I need to see and tell me what I need to know.

Things can look totally different when we gain a new perspective!

Wednesday, 04 November 2009

Valleys

Trials and tribulations are pretty much a part of life. I am in one now, and I need to hang on to God, because I know if I don’t, I will go down. As so often happens when we are hurting, the enemy of our souls loves to pile on discouragement and despair to weaken us. Well, I am not going for that. No way.

Did you ever see that movie where Indiana Jones is in this room with the walls moving in closer, and closer? That is what my world feels like right now. It feels like it is getting smaller and smaller because everything I want to do will cost me pain – which makes you not want to do too much – which is boring and discouraging and frustrating and ....... well, you get the picture.

There are many of you who are walking through valleys much deeper and darker than mine. I do lift you up, and pray that soon you will come out into the light. It is a difficult place to be in, and yet nothing teaches you more about your faith. Nothing forces you to look up and trust IN SPITE of your circumstances. It is so easy to praise Him on the mountain where everything is going great. Praising Him in the dark, through your pain is much harder. But thankfully, doable! I think praise that costs you more is more precious to Him, too.

I heard this song the other day, and it made me cry. This is where I am!

Broken Hallelujah

With my love and my sadness I come before You Lord,
My heart’s in a thousand pieces – maybe even more

Yet I trust in this moment You’re with me somehow
And You’ve always been faithful, so Lord even now

When all that I can sing is a broken hallelujah
When my only offering is shattered praise
Still a song of adoration will rise up from these ruins
I will worship You and give You thanks
Even when my only praise is a broken hallelujah.

Oh Father, You have given much more than I deserve
And I have felt Your hand of blessing on me at every turn
How could I doubt Your goodness, Your wisdom, Your grace
So Lord hear my heart in this painful place

Hallelujah
I lift my voice
Your Spirit moves
I raise my hands
I reach for You

You can hear the song here. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cH16B5449Iw

I don’t know what is ahead for me. More surgery? The rest of my life in a wheel chair? I am still waiting to see a specialist. My x-ray shows no fracture in my hip, but this does not explain the pain I am in. We think perhaps the artificial joint has shifted somehow. I don’t know. But what I do know is that my God is still worthy to be praised, and that when I give Him my worship, I feel His peace and strength.

I thank all you who have been praying. I’m sorry I haven’t been on Xanga very much lately.

(Psalm 92:1-4 NLT) “...It is good to give thanks to the LORD, to sing praises to the Most High. It is good to proclaim Your unfailing love in the morning, Your faithfulness in the evening, accompanied by the ten-stringed harp and the melody of the lyre. You thrill me, LORD, with all You have done for me! I sing for joy because of what You have done.”

He is still worthy.

Monday, 02 November 2009

L-O-V-E

There are a lot of relationships based on lust and selfishness instead of love. Mostly, it’s a result of someone’s emotions and desires, and when the “feeling” is gone, and the fire burns down, they move on with the explanation “I just don’t “love” you anymore.” Yeah, right. My guess is that it was never love in the first place. Not true love.

We throw the word LOVE around so freely. We love root beer, or flowers or shopping at Ikea. We love this band or that brand and this TV show.

What is love, anyway? It’s emotional, but it has to be more than just an emotion. It is a choice and a commitment. It is just something that you KNOW. Nobody can MAKE you fall in love. You have to be convinced in your own heart and mind.

When my newborns were place in my arms, I was SO READY to love them! I had already made that choice. When I first met my husband, I wasn’t so sure about him. Honestly? I thought he was kind of a jerk! We laugh about it now. I was not impressed with him at all. He kinda grew on me, though.

Thinking about love, and what I love, always takes me to Jesus. I do love Him so. I think most of the problems people face in life are because they have never made the choice to love Him and to let Him love them. Sadly, I know many Christians who love Him with their intellect because they know should, but they have never totally fallen head over heels in LOVE with the Master. They are not 100% convinced of His unfailing love for them. If they were, they would stop being afraid to trust Him. They would stop questioning where He wants to take them, and they would stop feeling worthless and joyless.

This Jesus Culture song, Sing My Love sung by Kim Walker is a great tune!

Words could never say, the way He says my name.
He calls me lovely
No one ever sees, the way He looks at me.
He sees me, holy.
Words could never hold, this love that burns my soul
Heaven holds me. Heaven holds me

Chorus:
I can't hold my love back from You
I can't hold my love back from You
I've gotta sing, I've gotta sing, sing my love.

You would not believe, the way He touches me
He burns right through me.
And I could not forget, every word He said.
He always knew me
The earth could never hold, this love that burns my soul.
Heaven holds me. Heaven holds me

You can hear it here on You Tube.
Sing My Love

Love is an amazing and powerful force, and the way God loves us is incredible! Only HE knows what He did for me. Only HE knows the joy and freedom He brought to me. I owe Him everything. He changed my life. Nobody could ever love me like He does! I want to spend my life pouring my love out to Him.