As I was in the shower this morning, once again standing in ankle deep water because my landlady has still yet to fix my tub, I was putting my armor on for my day. I sure am glad it's spiritual armor and not physical armor cuz it sure would be rusty since the shower seems to be the place for my morning application of the armor of God. (If you have no idea what I am referring to, check out Ephesians 6:11-18).
Anyways, as I was putting my armor on the Lord began to speak to me about Job. (UGH!) Now, I don't know about you, but I always put Job on a pedestal of sorts. I mean, he had some horrendous things happen to him and his family. But the Lord wants me to see, as well as you, that we are no different than Job.
I know for me, my first hang-up with Job comes from Job 1:1-
This man was blameless and upright; he feared God and shunned evil.
Right there, I am prone to stop. Blameless and upright?! Really?! But the reality is that I am made blameless and righteous through the blood of Christ, whether I feel blameless and upright or not. I do fear God and I do avoid evil so that part was a little easier to swallow but that first part, sheesh!
As we read further in Job, we see that the angels, God and Satan had a meeting. In that meeting, Satan tells the Lord that he has been roaming he earth. Then the Lord has a seemingly wonderful idea:
Job 1:8 Then the Lord said to Satan, "Have you considered my servant job? There is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil."
REALLY!? Does God really throw Job into the mouth of the devourer? Does he really recommend that his servant, who loves him, who is blameless and done nothing to deserve the test that will follow be thrown to the lion?
Next is Satan's response to the Lord's idea.
Job 1:9-11 "Does Job fear God for nothing?" Satan replied. "Have you not put a hedge around him and his household and everything he has? You have blessed the work of his hands, so that his flocks and herds are spread throughout the land. But stretch out your hand and strike everything he has, and he will surely curse you to your face."
Basically, Satan said, you keep your kid safe and blessed but if you take away his blessings, he will curse you and not serve you. BUT God knew how Job would respond. His omnipotence definitely served him well in this moment as he knew what Job would choose even before the test began! The Lord gave permission to Satan to take all of his possessions but to not lay a finger on him (until a later test)
In the next little bit, we see that Job proceeds to have a very bad day. Within 24 hours, he gets word that his animals (his wealth) have either been killed or stolen and then that all of his children have been killed as the house collapses on them. REALLY!? Talk about a terrible day that we can't even really wrap our heads around because it is so far fetched for the majority of us. But this is exactly where the Lord wanted to speak to me this morning.
Yesterday was a pretty rough day for me. In my last blog, I was extremely transparent as to where I have been the last few weeks in regards to what areas of life God is healing at the present. While Sunday was awesome and much needed, my body has still been recovering from that upheaval of pain. Additionally, I still have had the void where all of that pain was that is waiting to be filled by the Lord.
On Monday, I walked through some forgiveness with my mom but then began to realize that there is still much pain in thinking about her. As I went through my day, I began to recognize that Sunday was really just the beginning of this healing process. I shared this with 2 friends who both offered analogies that seemed to encapsulate the process for me. One said that the Band-aid's over the wounds have been removed and now the air is hitting them in order for them to be healed. And the other said the drain has been clogged and a big chunk came out but there is more that is to come before the water can flow freely (which is very applicable given my bathtub situation!!). Beautiful word pictures for me to see the process.
Yesterday, I woke up very blue. I brought that to my quiet time but knew that I needed to feel these emotions and not stuff them or pray them away. The Lord revealed that grieving needs to take place in my life. You may think, grieving? Who died? Well, no one per say. But sometimes, we need to grieve the loss of a relationship or in my case, grieve that fact that I did not have a nurturing mother. Yes, I have grace for my mother, knowing that she did the best she could given her own mothering she endured. But at the same time, if the emotions that I have toward her and the fact that I never got to have a relationship like that are not dealt with, they will continue to be a toxic force in our relationship and in my body.
So, with that in mind, I entered my day. I had several client meetings scheduled for the day and my first visit was with my client that has a terrible relationship with her mother. I didn't actually have to deal with the daughter yesterday but with the mother who was going to have her way no matter what. I just wanted to get in and out of there as quickly as possible.
After that semi-intense meeting, I went to see a friend who I hoped would be giving away Free Hugs before I had to travel to my next meeting. I got my hug and then started my hour drive to see my next client.
En route, my check engine light came on and my car began shutting down. I was able to safely pull over but I was very frustrated. You see, last month I had the same problem. I had gotten the sensor replaced but here I was again with a check engine light on and I was not happy about it. To resolve the problem, I had to turn my car off for about 5 minutes before re-starting. I did and thankfully it started so I could make it to my next client's house, which I made it with 1 minute to spare considering my delay. I managed to see my clients without any real drama and managed to make it to Auto Zone for them to do the diagnostic test. The issue was the same as before but the Auto Zone guy said the computer probably had not been erased after the sensor was replaced. He handed me the controller and said I could push Erase but he couldn't. Oh, how I wish I sometimes had an erase button for life! Well, I erased the error code and the engine light went off. Praise the Lord!
Then I went to my friends house but I was so physically and mentally drained I had to come home. I took a nap only to wake up and find ridiculous levels of pain at my head, neck and shoulders. I texted the troops for prayer and one of my friends recommended I take some medicine along with a hot shower to help my body relax from all that has happened lately. So, I obliged thinking it was a pretty great idea. I get out of the very nice hot shower and then used the potty (TMI, sorry!). Within seconds after flushing, water started flowing from the base of the toilet and quickly filled my bathroom. You would know I don't have a mop so I had to find towels and sop up all the water. I then called my landlady who was "at dinner" and told me she would call me back, which she never did. Needless to say, the relaxing shower was very quickly ruined by my geyser toilet.
Now, I don't tell you all of that for you to pity me or even to pity myself. But as the Lord reminded me this morning, He had a nice little chat with Satan and said, "Have you considered my servant Natalie? There is no one on earth like her; she is blameless and upright, a woman who fears God and shuns evil." Job's tests included losing his livestock, his children and even his health as he eventually had painful boils all over his body. Additionally, he had to endure some friends that blamed him for the issues he was dealing with and his wife that was super encouraging (I say that with much sarcasm as she encouraged Job to curse God and die!).
But I have to wonder if the hardest part for Job was the quietness of God. We go through 36 chapters before Job hears God speak. And once God speaks, it's a litany of rhetorical questions for Job basically in regards to God's sovereignty and character. Job definitely did not curse God but he did question his perception of the God that he had claimed to know. In Job 42:1-6 we read the following:
Then Job replied to the Lord: I know that you can do all things; no plan of yours can be thwarted. You asked 'Who is this that obscures my counsel without knowledge?' Surely I spoke of things I did not understand, things too wonderful for me to know. You said, 'Listen now, and I will speak; I will question you and you shall answer me.' MY EARS HAD HEARD OF YOU BUT NOW MY EYES HAVE SEEN YOU. Therefore I despise myself and repent in dust and ashes.
There is much I could say about the above verses but the thing that stands out to me is the depth of relationship Job winds up having with the Lord. A greater level of knowledge of the Lord. Before he had heard about God and had head knowledge of the Lord. But to have eyes that have seen the Lord is that have a heart that really knows that Lord and has seen the hand of God walk through the fire with you.
And we see in Job 42:12 God eventually brought restoration to Job:
The Lord blessed the latter part of Job's life more than the first.
I don't know about you but this rough season is made a lot more hopeful by the knowledge that God told Satan, "Have you considered my servant Natalie? She's a great candidate for a test because the things that you mean to destroy her will only make her stronger and cause her to have a much deeper relationship with me."
God may insert your name in that question very soon, if it's not already in there. But be encouraged that the end result is a deeper relationship with the Lord. That's what I am clinging to and I hope you can too!
Wednesday, April 18, 2012
Sunday, April 15, 2012
Fought For
I am about to put my heart out here in this blog today but if it ministers to just one person it will be worth it!
My week began on Monday morning with God calling me out on a pride issue, via my dear friend, Joyce Meyer. I clicked on a link that said, "God is in Control" because I always can use that reminder. But it turned out to be the Lord setting me up! I was re-directed to one of Joyce's sermons but it was not titled "God is in Control" but rather "Characteristics of Humility". Well, my immediate reaction was to find another more applicable sermon to watch however, I felt like the Lord wanted me to hear what Joyce had to say in this message. After some time, Joyce said, "Impatience is a manifestation of pride." OUCH! That was a truth that very much hurt in that moment because I have been quite impatient with the Lord and his timing. He was not acting as fast as I wanted or bringing the revelation that I wanted when I wanted it. (Notice how many times I said "I wanted"!) So, after that sucker punch from Joyce and the Holy Spirit, I quickly repented.
After my truth encounter, I had to go to the doctor who confirmed that I had a yeast infection, urinary tract infection and an ovarian cyst. The terrible three as I affectionately called them.
On my way home from the doctor, my friend Tonja was sitting outside on her patio (we live on the same street). She waved me down to stop and I knew that I was being set up by the Lord. We started chatting and I shared with her the morning's events. In regards to the physical issues, she asked, "What's up with that? You think it could be spiritual?" I told her it very well could be and shared my pride revelation that morning. She put me on pause and went inside coming out with a book. The book was called A More Excellent Way and Tonja explained that it was written by a minister who travels around as God leads and God will use this man to bring healing to people, physically, emotionally and spiritually. The man has found that in many cases, there is a link between the three.
After Tonja's mini explanation, she looked up "ovarian cysts". I was shocked to hear as Tonja read the definition that the spiritual root was "unresolved issues with the mother!" She asked if that was accurate and in that moment the Lord began putting pieces together. I had just had family time on Friday and I found myself growing increasingly frustrated with my mother and I didn't know why. So, this body and spirit connection made sense.
The next thing we looked up was "yeast infection" which wasn't in the book but God spoke to my heart and said "the yeast of the Pharisees". The Pharisees of Jesus' day had issues with pride and being religious. Of course, this made sense considering my Joyce issue earlier that morning.
Tonja gave me the book to look through and I looked up "fibromyalgia" since I was once given that diagnosis and I still have pain associated with it. Fibromyalgia was said to be the result of "fear, anxiety and stress" and that "the fear is beyond the realm of consciousness." The book went on to say "the spiritual root can be found in females who don't feel covered, protected, nurtured, don't feel safe, are always looking over their shoulder, are driven, anxious, moving the pieces of their life around and are insecure." WOW! So has been my story, especially in regards to my parents!
After trying to take in the above revelation, Tonja and I talked about needing to cry out to the Lord. I told her like I felt like I had been but she sensed I needed to scream and cry and get it all out. I told her I didn't feel safe to do that just yet.
Monday night, I felt like God wanted me to re-read a book called Why You Do the Things You Do which is God being funny again because the book is psychology meets Christianity and is all about a child's attachment to their MOTHER and how it relates to relationships later on in life. (I highly recommend this book by the way!)
Tuesday morning during my quiet time, I was trying to figure out what the connection was between God and my mother. Usually we hear of our father issues impacting our relationship with God, not mother issues. I've even told people that dad relationships affect how we see God but mom relationships affect how we see others. So, with that knowledge base, I was stumped as to how there was a connection so I went to the Word. I looked up "Mother" in my concordance and found Isaiah 66:12-13 which reads like this in the Amplified:
For thus says the Lord: Behold, I will extend peace to her like a river, and the glory of the nations like an overflowing stream; then you will be nursed, you will be carried on her hip and trotted [lovingly bounced up and down] on her [God's maternal] knees. As one whom his mother comforts, so will I comfort you; you shall be comforted in Jerusalem.
Did you see that!?!? GOD'S MATERNAL KNEES!!!! There was my connection! My issues with my mother have not allowed me to receive the comfort of the Lord. And the reality is that mothers, well both
parents are supposed to fight for their children as well and as a result of my past, I have not felt fought for by either of my parents and I had dealt with that in regards to my dad but not my mom. It is so very important for you to know you are SOMEONE WORTH FIGHTING FOR!
After this revelation, it was abundantly clear to me that an unresolved mother issue was at hand. Other events of the week included further confirmation and further revelation which came via: the best conversation my sister and I have ever had that brought much revelation about both of our mother issues; my cell phone declaring "connection failed" which illustrated again the lack of nurturing I received; and then Beth Moore's teaching from the week on "Family Calamity and Restoration"! REALLY!? I think God was trying to get my attention!
Yesterday was a zoo trip with my entire family and almost at the start of my time with them, I was frustrated but with my mom in particular. The day went on and I found God dealing with me on my frustration and impatience (PRIDE!). By the time the day was over, I was frazzled which is just where God wanted me.
This morning, my pastor conveniently shared about struggling with God and that surrender was needed. Before he even finished altar call, I was on my face weeping before the Lord. I was surrendering and I finally was able to cry out to the Lord for Him to take all of the pain associated with my mother (mind you, this is like round 7 of dealing with mother issues but it's another level). I wept and screamed as all of the pain came forth (totally a humbling and non-Pharisee moment). Some precious sisters from my church were praying over me when I heard Tonja's voice say, "God is cutting the umbilical cord between you and your mother because it didn't provide nourishment and He is reconnecting it with Himself." That would explain the excruciating emotional pain I was in at that moment. After what seemed like days of screaming and wailing, the Lord brought peace and quieted me with His love. I returned to my pew where another sister from my church prayed over me and told me God says, "I am fighting for you!" HOW AWESOME! That was just what I needed! Of course, pastor had used that Scripture in his sermon and here it is for YOU!
Ex 14:13-14 Moses answered the people, “Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the LORD will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again. The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still.
I am FOUGHT FOR! The Lord continues to fight for me as my healing journey continues!
YOU are fought for!!!!! Your parents may not have fought for you either. Your husband may not have fought for you. Your friends might not fight for you. You may not feel fought for but oh friend, YOU ARE BEING FOUGHT FOR! The God of the universe is fighting for us! The battle does not belong to us! It belongs to the Lord and He is way beyond capable of fighting on our behalf!
However, God waits for us to give the reigns over to Him. Will you stop fighting and be still today so the Lord can fight for you?? I stopped fighting this morning when I laid on the floor at the altar and said over and over, "God, I surrender!" "God, I surrender!" God was faithful and met me in that moment and took away so much pain, so much that I am actually feeling a little bit like a hollow Easter bunny as I wait for God to fill me back up. I know He will do the same for you! Be encouraged my friend, YOU ARE FOUGHT FOR!
My week began on Monday morning with God calling me out on a pride issue, via my dear friend, Joyce Meyer. I clicked on a link that said, "God is in Control" because I always can use that reminder. But it turned out to be the Lord setting me up! I was re-directed to one of Joyce's sermons but it was not titled "God is in Control" but rather "Characteristics of Humility". Well, my immediate reaction was to find another more applicable sermon to watch however, I felt like the Lord wanted me to hear what Joyce had to say in this message. After some time, Joyce said, "Impatience is a manifestation of pride." OUCH! That was a truth that very much hurt in that moment because I have been quite impatient with the Lord and his timing. He was not acting as fast as I wanted or bringing the revelation that I wanted when I wanted it. (Notice how many times I said "I wanted"!) So, after that sucker punch from Joyce and the Holy Spirit, I quickly repented.
After my truth encounter, I had to go to the doctor who confirmed that I had a yeast infection, urinary tract infection and an ovarian cyst. The terrible three as I affectionately called them.
On my way home from the doctor, my friend Tonja was sitting outside on her patio (we live on the same street). She waved me down to stop and I knew that I was being set up by the Lord. We started chatting and I shared with her the morning's events. In regards to the physical issues, she asked, "What's up with that? You think it could be spiritual?" I told her it very well could be and shared my pride revelation that morning. She put me on pause and went inside coming out with a book. The book was called A More Excellent Way and Tonja explained that it was written by a minister who travels around as God leads and God will use this man to bring healing to people, physically, emotionally and spiritually. The man has found that in many cases, there is a link between the three.
After Tonja's mini explanation, she looked up "ovarian cysts". I was shocked to hear as Tonja read the definition that the spiritual root was "unresolved issues with the mother!" She asked if that was accurate and in that moment the Lord began putting pieces together. I had just had family time on Friday and I found myself growing increasingly frustrated with my mother and I didn't know why. So, this body and spirit connection made sense.
The next thing we looked up was "yeast infection" which wasn't in the book but God spoke to my heart and said "the yeast of the Pharisees". The Pharisees of Jesus' day had issues with pride and being religious. Of course, this made sense considering my Joyce issue earlier that morning.
Tonja gave me the book to look through and I looked up "fibromyalgia" since I was once given that diagnosis and I still have pain associated with it. Fibromyalgia was said to be the result of "fear, anxiety and stress" and that "the fear is beyond the realm of consciousness." The book went on to say "the spiritual root can be found in females who don't feel covered, protected, nurtured, don't feel safe, are always looking over their shoulder, are driven, anxious, moving the pieces of their life around and are insecure." WOW! So has been my story, especially in regards to my parents!
After trying to take in the above revelation, Tonja and I talked about needing to cry out to the Lord. I told her like I felt like I had been but she sensed I needed to scream and cry and get it all out. I told her I didn't feel safe to do that just yet.
Monday night, I felt like God wanted me to re-read a book called Why You Do the Things You Do which is God being funny again because the book is psychology meets Christianity and is all about a child's attachment to their MOTHER and how it relates to relationships later on in life. (I highly recommend this book by the way!)
Tuesday morning during my quiet time, I was trying to figure out what the connection was between God and my mother. Usually we hear of our father issues impacting our relationship with God, not mother issues. I've even told people that dad relationships affect how we see God but mom relationships affect how we see others. So, with that knowledge base, I was stumped as to how there was a connection so I went to the Word. I looked up "Mother" in my concordance and found Isaiah 66:12-13 which reads like this in the Amplified:
For thus says the Lord: Behold, I will extend peace to her like a river, and the glory of the nations like an overflowing stream; then you will be nursed, you will be carried on her hip and trotted [lovingly bounced up and down] on her [God's maternal] knees. As one whom his mother comforts, so will I comfort you; you shall be comforted in Jerusalem.
Did you see that!?!? GOD'S MATERNAL KNEES!!!! There was my connection! My issues with my mother have not allowed me to receive the comfort of the Lord. And the reality is that mothers, well both
parents are supposed to fight for their children as well and as a result of my past, I have not felt fought for by either of my parents and I had dealt with that in regards to my dad but not my mom. It is so very important for you to know you are SOMEONE WORTH FIGHTING FOR!
After this revelation, it was abundantly clear to me that an unresolved mother issue was at hand. Other events of the week included further confirmation and further revelation which came via: the best conversation my sister and I have ever had that brought much revelation about both of our mother issues; my cell phone declaring "connection failed" which illustrated again the lack of nurturing I received; and then Beth Moore's teaching from the week on "Family Calamity and Restoration"! REALLY!? I think God was trying to get my attention!
Yesterday was a zoo trip with my entire family and almost at the start of my time with them, I was frustrated but with my mom in particular. The day went on and I found God dealing with me on my frustration and impatience (PRIDE!). By the time the day was over, I was frazzled which is just where God wanted me.
This morning, my pastor conveniently shared about struggling with God and that surrender was needed. Before he even finished altar call, I was on my face weeping before the Lord. I was surrendering and I finally was able to cry out to the Lord for Him to take all of the pain associated with my mother (mind you, this is like round 7 of dealing with mother issues but it's another level). I wept and screamed as all of the pain came forth (totally a humbling and non-Pharisee moment). Some precious sisters from my church were praying over me when I heard Tonja's voice say, "God is cutting the umbilical cord between you and your mother because it didn't provide nourishment and He is reconnecting it with Himself." That would explain the excruciating emotional pain I was in at that moment. After what seemed like days of screaming and wailing, the Lord brought peace and quieted me with His love. I returned to my pew where another sister from my church prayed over me and told me God says, "I am fighting for you!" HOW AWESOME! That was just what I needed! Of course, pastor had used that Scripture in his sermon and here it is for YOU!
Ex 14:13-14 Moses answered the people, “Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the LORD will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again. The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still.
I am FOUGHT FOR! The Lord continues to fight for me as my healing journey continues!
YOU are fought for!!!!! Your parents may not have fought for you either. Your husband may not have fought for you. Your friends might not fight for you. You may not feel fought for but oh friend, YOU ARE BEING FOUGHT FOR! The God of the universe is fighting for us! The battle does not belong to us! It belongs to the Lord and He is way beyond capable of fighting on our behalf!
However, God waits for us to give the reigns over to Him. Will you stop fighting and be still today so the Lord can fight for you?? I stopped fighting this morning when I laid on the floor at the altar and said over and over, "God, I surrender!" "God, I surrender!" God was faithful and met me in that moment and took away so much pain, so much that I am actually feeling a little bit like a hollow Easter bunny as I wait for God to fill me back up. I know He will do the same for you! Be encouraged my friend, YOU ARE FOUGHT FOR!
Thursday, April 5, 2012
Daddy's Got Me!
Another level means more healing. More healing means more lies coming to the surface to be dealt with. A hard road to travel some days. I am perpetually reminded though, as each lie is revealed to me, about the prayer I prayed last summer. From the depths of my soul came a very dangerous prayer. I simply prayed for the Lord to debunk (tear down or show something to be false) every lie that I have ever believed about myself and about Him. He has been faithful and gracious enough to answer that prayer ever since the words came from my heart and lips.
This week has been a rather rough one, in the spiritual sense, as God continues to expose more lies and walk me through places of my heart that still need His healing touch. Yesterday and the day before were particularly painful days. During my quiet time with the Lord yesterday, I came upon this Scripture in The Message paraphrase that so captured my state at the time.
This week has been a rather rough one, in the spiritual sense, as God continues to expose more lies and walk me through places of my heart that still need His healing touch. Yesterday and the day before were particularly painful days. During my quiet time with the Lord yesterday, I came upon this Scripture in The Message paraphrase that so captured my state at the time.
I'm caught in a maze and can't find my way out, blinded by tears of pain and frustration. I call to you God, all day I call. I wring my hands, I plead for help.~Ps 88:9 The Message
As always, God hears my pleas for help and allowed me to meet with my prayer partner, my friend that lays out the truth and encourages my heart and spirit. While I cried through most of my time with her, I walked away with some revelations. One of those revelations was that while I was in a seemingly familiar place, I was and am NEW in that place. The feelings of the present don't undermine all of the healing that God has done in my life to this point. The victories of the Lord can never be negated! And then she reminded me that even in the midst of this season, I have had victories. I have not reverted back to old ways or patterns and THAT IS HUGE!
As my day continued, I received an email from a friend that included a sound clip from Finding Nemo the "find a happy place" line. As I smiled, I continued to click on the other sound clips from the movie and I came across another line that God used to speak volumes to me! The line was:
"It's OK, daddy's here. Daddy's got you!"
WOW! WOW! WOW! It was my Heavenly Papa was speaking in that moment directly to my heart!
HE'S GOT ME! He's got you! I am still in the season, still in the rough part of the journey, BUT He said it's OK, He's here and He's got me!
Here's the sound clip link if you want to hear it for yourself!
Tuesday, April 3, 2012
Oh where, oh where has my big God gone?
I haven't really written much lately because I have been "trying to figure some things out!" Well, we all know how that goes! I get so consumed in fixing the "issue" that I lose sight of the bigger Issue. But before I go into that, let me sing my little diddy about how I have felt in this season, well really the last 2 weeks.
"Oh where, oh where has my big God gone? Oh where, oh where can He be?"
Since about January of this year, I have been in a different season, one that I have not been too particularly fond of. My "issue" for the past 3 months has been the "quietness" of God or the seeming "lack of His presence." I started out great in the season (don't we always!). God had kind of given me a little warning, indicating that on Discovery Birmingham, He would be guiding me by His voice only, which He very much did. Then He perpetually reminded me to "Walk by faith, not by sight!" Again, I was good with that reminder and even reminded myself frequently. But then the day came, about 2 weeks ago, when I realized I was frustrated. I wanted the Lord's presence more than anything. I was at the altar in church, crying out for just a second of His presence. I felt like the psalmist is Psalm 84:10 which said, "Better is one day in your courts than a thousand anywhere else." You and I both know that there is nothing like the presence of the Lord!
That same morning at the altar, the Lord spoke (again, He had been speaking but not as much as I like!). He said the words, "I am not giving you the silent treatment." At that, I broke. I was reminded of my earthly father who when he was upset or angry with me, he would give me the silent treatment and withhold his love from me. Despite all of the lies that God has had me deal with, there are still plenty that revolve around how I see Him in light of my earthly father. Additionally, there are many truths in Scripture that have not become revelation for me either.
You see, God says that, "he will never leave me nor forsake me". (Heb 13:5) But when I don't "FEEL" Him, I think He has left the building because of something I have done or because He is tired of dealing with me. Then I "FEEL" abandoned and rejected and then I am prone to turn to other people or things to find love and acceptance. In processing through all of this, I have come to a "conclusion about the Lord". I believe He has a cloaking device that He is able to utilize that makes it seem like He has left only to see how we will respond. Because the reality is that He can't leave me or forsake me. He is omnipotent and omnipresent. He is everywhere at all times so He is unable to leave me!
He is bringing revelation to all of the above, slowly but surely. I definitely don't have it all figured out BUT I am finding more grace in the waiting and more maturity in listening to the whispers of His voice. So, it's not so much an issue of a God who is seemingly MIA but rather a really intense and great game of hide and seek. He's "hiding" and I am seeking! The great news is that He promised that if I seek Him, I will find Him (Jeremiah 29:13)!
Pretty soon, I'll have a different diddy to sing and my guess is it will sound like this, "I've found a love greater than life itself!" :)
"Oh where, oh where has my big God gone? Oh where, oh where can He be?"
Since about January of this year, I have been in a different season, one that I have not been too particularly fond of. My "issue" for the past 3 months has been the "quietness" of God or the seeming "lack of His presence." I started out great in the season (don't we always!). God had kind of given me a little warning, indicating that on Discovery Birmingham, He would be guiding me by His voice only, which He very much did. Then He perpetually reminded me to "Walk by faith, not by sight!" Again, I was good with that reminder and even reminded myself frequently. But then the day came, about 2 weeks ago, when I realized I was frustrated. I wanted the Lord's presence more than anything. I was at the altar in church, crying out for just a second of His presence. I felt like the psalmist is Psalm 84:10 which said, "Better is one day in your courts than a thousand anywhere else." You and I both know that there is nothing like the presence of the Lord!
That same morning at the altar, the Lord spoke (again, He had been speaking but not as much as I like!). He said the words, "I am not giving you the silent treatment." At that, I broke. I was reminded of my earthly father who when he was upset or angry with me, he would give me the silent treatment and withhold his love from me. Despite all of the lies that God has had me deal with, there are still plenty that revolve around how I see Him in light of my earthly father. Additionally, there are many truths in Scripture that have not become revelation for me either.
You see, God says that, "he will never leave me nor forsake me". (Heb 13:5) But when I don't "FEEL" Him, I think He has left the building because of something I have done or because He is tired of dealing with me. Then I "FEEL" abandoned and rejected and then I am prone to turn to other people or things to find love and acceptance. In processing through all of this, I have come to a "conclusion about the Lord". I believe He has a cloaking device that He is able to utilize that makes it seem like He has left only to see how we will respond. Because the reality is that He can't leave me or forsake me. He is omnipotent and omnipresent. He is everywhere at all times so He is unable to leave me!
He is bringing revelation to all of the above, slowly but surely. I definitely don't have it all figured out BUT I am finding more grace in the waiting and more maturity in listening to the whispers of His voice. So, it's not so much an issue of a God who is seemingly MIA but rather a really intense and great game of hide and seek. He's "hiding" and I am seeking! The great news is that He promised that if I seek Him, I will find Him (Jeremiah 29:13)!
Pretty soon, I'll have a different diddy to sing and my guess is it will sound like this, "I've found a love greater than life itself!" :)
Thursday, March 22, 2012
God Tested. God Approved.
Abraham Tested. Yep, that's the name of Genesis Chapter 22 in my Bible. In reading this story, I think we often gloss over the details and just come up with catchy sermon titles. So, I want to go through this story verse by verse and imagine those things that we aren't really given details about.
Gen 22:1-Some time later, God tested Abraham. He said to him, "Abraham!" "Here I am," he replied.
God tested Abraham. Just like you, I am not really fond of tests. But the reality is that we are given tests to see what we have learned and to judge our progress. In school, you generally only get to take the test once because they are concerned about your performance but I am so thankful that God is more concerned about our personhood then our performance! His tests are tests of character which allow us to see where we are (he already knows!) and what areas of weakness God still needs to refine.
Also in this verse, I love that there is absolutely no hesitation indicated in scripture here in Abraham's response. Abraham heard God's voice and he answered. May I be as quick to respond to the Lord as Abraham.
Gen 2:2-Then God said, "Take your son, your only son, Isaac, whom you love, and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains I will tell you about.
I find it interesting how specific God is when talking to Abraham about Isaac. You would think that all God would have to say is "Take your son" and Abraham would know which one God was talking about since he only had one. But God continues, "Take your son, your only son". "Your only son". Again, this seems kind of redundant but we know God has a purpose with every word he speaks. And then God names the son, "Isaac". At this point, I think Abraham gets who God is talking about. But then God seems to seal the matter further, "whom you love". Isaac was the fulfillment of the promise that God had made with Abraham. Isaac was a representation of the Lord's grace and love for both Abraham and Sarah! Besides that, Isaac is Abraham's son, so of course he loves him! Just as God finishes reminding Abraham of who Isaac is God seemingly asks the unthinkable. God asks Abraham to sacrifice Isaac as a burnt offering. God asks for Isaac back.
Gen 22:3-Early the next morning, Abraham got up and saddled his donkey. He took with him two of his servants and his son Isaac. When he had cut enough wood for the burnt offering, he set out for the place God told him about.
Early the next morning is often likened to Abraham's swift act of obedience. And while, I agree, I also have to wonder what the night was like for Abraham. Can you imagine getting the news that you have to sacrifice your "promise" and then try sleeping after that? Scripture doesn't say that Abraham informed Sarah about what the Lord said and so it was just him mulling over the order from the Lord. I personally don't think Abraham slept much that night which made it a little easier for him to be up "early the next morning" but in that moment even though he was awake, Abraham still had a choice to make. Obedience or Disobedience? We see Abraham gather supplies, servants and his son.
Gen 22:4-On the third day, Abraham looked up and saw the place in the distance.
Okay, so I had never seen this before until this past week. Note that verse 4 says, ON THE THIRD DAY! I guess I had always over read that part and just assumed that this whole Abraham "sacrificing" the promise all happened on the same day! But it did not! Can you imagine traveling for 3 days knowing what lies ahead?! That would have left plenty of opportunity for Abraham to turn around, to turn back and say, "God, I know what you are asking me but that is just too hard! You already know how much I love this boy! I thank you for giving him to me but I can't give him back to you!" And while Abraham may have been battling these thoughts, we see that he kept on going, kept on walking, kept on obeying God.
Gen 22:5-He said to his servants, "Stay here with the donkey while I an the boy go over there. We will worship and the we will come back to you."
So, I never caught this in verse 5 either..."WE, will come back to you." Did Abraham have that much faith that God wasn't going to really take his son with his proclamation that WE will come back? Was he just saying that so no one would know what would really happen up the mountain? I think it may have been that he was hoping that they both would be returning from the mountain.
Gen 22:6-8-Abraham took the wood for the burnt offering and placed it on his son Isaac, and he himself carried the fire and the knife. As the two of them went on together, Isaac spoke up and said to his father Abraham, "Father?" "Yes, my son?" Abraham replied. "The fire and wood are here," Isaac said, "but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?" Abraham answered, "God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son." And the two of them went on together.
Okay, I put all of those verses so we can get the full picture. This is the only time we hear from Isaac in the whole chapter. While it was probably fairly normal for him to accompany his father for offering time, this time he notices that something very important is missing, the lamb. Now, I have to wonder what was happening with Abraham. Did he have tears streaming down his face as his son asked this question? Was he even able to look at Isaac as he asked his PaPa the question? Did Abraham and Isaac talk about other things as they traveled along for 3 days as I am sure that they had to? And what was going through Isaac's mind? Maybe he noticed dad was being more quiet than usual. Maybe he thought it was super odd for them to be going to sacrifice without an animal in tow. (All of these are just speculations on my part to try and get in the story with Abraham and Isaac. I think I have so often read this story knowing the outcome that I overlook the details or the feelings laden therein.)
Gen 22:9-When they reached the place God had told him about, Abraham built an altar there and arranged the wood on it. He bound his son Isaac and laid him on the altar on top of the wood.
He bound his son Isaac and laid him on the altar. This is an incredibly hard scene for me to wrap my head around. Isaac, who knows the love of his PaPa, who probably knows that he is the promise of God to Abraham, is bound. The crazy thing is that Abraham had to do the binding! Was Isaac screaming? Was he crying? Was he trying to talk to Abraham and find out what was happening? Was Abraham crying? Was he praying? Did Abraham explain to Isaac what God had asked of him? How was Abraham handling this act of complete and total obedience? We don't know. How was Isaac handling being bound by the man that loved him (Abraham) so that he (Abraham) could be obedient to the God that loved him?
Gen 22:10 Then he reached out his hand and took the knife to slay his son.
Abraham was all in. Obedience in action.
Gen 22:11-12-But the angel of the Lord called out to him from heaven, "Abraham! Abraham!" "Here I am," he replied. "Do not lay a hand on the boy, " he said. "Do not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son."
Praise the Lord for the angel! Praise the Lord for Abraham hearing the Lord's voice!
NOW I know that you fear God! Abraham was willing to give back to the Lord what was already His and in turn blessings followed his obedience. A ram appears in the thicket for Abraham to sacrifice to the Lord. And then the Lord seals and ups his promise saying in verses 16-18, "I swear by myself declares the Lord that because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, I will surely bless you and make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will take possession of the cities of their enemies, and through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed because you have obeyed me."
Now, it's not likely that the Lord will ask us to head to the mountain for a sacrifice of this kind but what area of obedience does he want from us today? What area of obedience do you want from me today? Lord, I want it to be said of me like you said of Abraham, "Now I know that you fear God!"
Gen 22:1-Some time later, God tested Abraham. He said to him, "Abraham!" "Here I am," he replied.
God tested Abraham. Just like you, I am not really fond of tests. But the reality is that we are given tests to see what we have learned and to judge our progress. In school, you generally only get to take the test once because they are concerned about your performance but I am so thankful that God is more concerned about our personhood then our performance! His tests are tests of character which allow us to see where we are (he already knows!) and what areas of weakness God still needs to refine.
Also in this verse, I love that there is absolutely no hesitation indicated in scripture here in Abraham's response. Abraham heard God's voice and he answered. May I be as quick to respond to the Lord as Abraham.
Gen 2:2-Then God said, "Take your son, your only son, Isaac, whom you love, and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains I will tell you about.
I find it interesting how specific God is when talking to Abraham about Isaac. You would think that all God would have to say is "Take your son" and Abraham would know which one God was talking about since he only had one. But God continues, "Take your son, your only son". "Your only son". Again, this seems kind of redundant but we know God has a purpose with every word he speaks. And then God names the son, "Isaac". At this point, I think Abraham gets who God is talking about. But then God seems to seal the matter further, "whom you love". Isaac was the fulfillment of the promise that God had made with Abraham. Isaac was a representation of the Lord's grace and love for both Abraham and Sarah! Besides that, Isaac is Abraham's son, so of course he loves him! Just as God finishes reminding Abraham of who Isaac is God seemingly asks the unthinkable. God asks Abraham to sacrifice Isaac as a burnt offering. God asks for Isaac back.
Gen 22:3-Early the next morning, Abraham got up and saddled his donkey. He took with him two of his servants and his son Isaac. When he had cut enough wood for the burnt offering, he set out for the place God told him about.
Early the next morning is often likened to Abraham's swift act of obedience. And while, I agree, I also have to wonder what the night was like for Abraham. Can you imagine getting the news that you have to sacrifice your "promise" and then try sleeping after that? Scripture doesn't say that Abraham informed Sarah about what the Lord said and so it was just him mulling over the order from the Lord. I personally don't think Abraham slept much that night which made it a little easier for him to be up "early the next morning" but in that moment even though he was awake, Abraham still had a choice to make. Obedience or Disobedience? We see Abraham gather supplies, servants and his son.
Gen 22:4-On the third day, Abraham looked up and saw the place in the distance.
Okay, so I had never seen this before until this past week. Note that verse 4 says, ON THE THIRD DAY! I guess I had always over read that part and just assumed that this whole Abraham "sacrificing" the promise all happened on the same day! But it did not! Can you imagine traveling for 3 days knowing what lies ahead?! That would have left plenty of opportunity for Abraham to turn around, to turn back and say, "God, I know what you are asking me but that is just too hard! You already know how much I love this boy! I thank you for giving him to me but I can't give him back to you!" And while Abraham may have been battling these thoughts, we see that he kept on going, kept on walking, kept on obeying God.
Gen 22:5-He said to his servants, "Stay here with the donkey while I an the boy go over there. We will worship and the we will come back to you."
So, I never caught this in verse 5 either..."WE, will come back to you." Did Abraham have that much faith that God wasn't going to really take his son with his proclamation that WE will come back? Was he just saying that so no one would know what would really happen up the mountain? I think it may have been that he was hoping that they both would be returning from the mountain.
Gen 22:6-8-Abraham took the wood for the burnt offering and placed it on his son Isaac, and he himself carried the fire and the knife. As the two of them went on together, Isaac spoke up and said to his father Abraham, "Father?" "Yes, my son?" Abraham replied. "The fire and wood are here," Isaac said, "but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?" Abraham answered, "God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son." And the two of them went on together.
Okay, I put all of those verses so we can get the full picture. This is the only time we hear from Isaac in the whole chapter. While it was probably fairly normal for him to accompany his father for offering time, this time he notices that something very important is missing, the lamb. Now, I have to wonder what was happening with Abraham. Did he have tears streaming down his face as his son asked this question? Was he even able to look at Isaac as he asked his PaPa the question? Did Abraham and Isaac talk about other things as they traveled along for 3 days as I am sure that they had to? And what was going through Isaac's mind? Maybe he noticed dad was being more quiet than usual. Maybe he thought it was super odd for them to be going to sacrifice without an animal in tow. (All of these are just speculations on my part to try and get in the story with Abraham and Isaac. I think I have so often read this story knowing the outcome that I overlook the details or the feelings laden therein.)
Gen 22:9-When they reached the place God had told him about, Abraham built an altar there and arranged the wood on it. He bound his son Isaac and laid him on the altar on top of the wood.
He bound his son Isaac and laid him on the altar. This is an incredibly hard scene for me to wrap my head around. Isaac, who knows the love of his PaPa, who probably knows that he is the promise of God to Abraham, is bound. The crazy thing is that Abraham had to do the binding! Was Isaac screaming? Was he crying? Was he trying to talk to Abraham and find out what was happening? Was Abraham crying? Was he praying? Did Abraham explain to Isaac what God had asked of him? How was Abraham handling this act of complete and total obedience? We don't know. How was Isaac handling being bound by the man that loved him (Abraham) so that he (Abraham) could be obedient to the God that loved him?
Gen 22:10 Then he reached out his hand and took the knife to slay his son.
Abraham was all in. Obedience in action.
Gen 22:11-12-But the angel of the Lord called out to him from heaven, "Abraham! Abraham!" "Here I am," he replied. "Do not lay a hand on the boy, " he said. "Do not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son."
Praise the Lord for the angel! Praise the Lord for Abraham hearing the Lord's voice!
NOW I know that you fear God! Abraham was willing to give back to the Lord what was already His and in turn blessings followed his obedience. A ram appears in the thicket for Abraham to sacrifice to the Lord. And then the Lord seals and ups his promise saying in verses 16-18, "I swear by myself declares the Lord that because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, I will surely bless you and make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will take possession of the cities of their enemies, and through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed because you have obeyed me."
Now, it's not likely that the Lord will ask us to head to the mountain for a sacrifice of this kind but what area of obedience does he want from us today? What area of obedience do you want from me today? Lord, I want it to be said of me like you said of Abraham, "Now I know that you fear God!"
Saturday, March 17, 2012
Promises, promises!
This morning I began my face time with the Lord reading in 2 Corinthians 1 when I came across vs 20 which says:
For no matter how many promises God has made, they are "Yes" in Christ!
We often hear that all of God's promises are Yes and Amen and while we may be quick to shout an Amen to that, do we really believe it? God has promised me some things and He has promised you some things. But often, we lose sight of the promise and we forget to remind God of His promise. Of course, He's not like man and easily forgets His promises. He knows each and everyone of them but I think as we remind Him of the promises He's made to us, we, in turn, remind ourselves of what He's promised and our hope is revived!
From reading in 2 Corinthians, I returned to my study in Genesis and wound up in Genesis 18:14. When I read it I had to stop in my tracks.
Let me give you the scene and context of this verse. Abraham is chillin outside his tent and he ends up with some visitors on his tent step (I had some of those visitors this morning but mine were Jehovah's Witnesses!) :) Anyway, the visitors are messengers from the Lord and are basically bringing the good news that Sarah is about to become prego. Sarah is ancient by this time and finds it quite hilarious that God would bring life back to her seemingly dead womb and she LOL (well, to herself the Bible says). The Lord basically proceeds to put Sarah in her place and asks her this question:
"Is anything too hard for the Lord?" Genesis 18:14
WOW! How often have I lived like a situation, a problem, a circumstance was too hard for the Lord?! Lord, forgive me! You are bigger than my situations and NOTHING is too difficult for you!
What about you? Do you really believe that nothing is too hard for the Lord? What we believe will come out in our behaviors. If we believe that God has "it" under control, then we will be at peace. If we believe that God loves us and has our best in mind, we won't try to force things or make something happen in and of ourselves.
Fast forward to chapter 21:1:
"Now THE LORD WAS GRACIOUS to Sarah as he had said, AND THE LORD DID for Sarah WHAT HE HAD PROMISED."
THE LORD WAS GRACIOUS! He is so full of grace! The reality is that we don't deserve any of the blessings that the promises He makes hold but because of His grace and because of His faithfulness He does what He promises. He is not a man that He should lie! He doesn't tell us things to shut us up or to appease us. He doesn't make a promise that He doesn't intend to keep!
AND THE LORD DID! Only God can fulfill His promises. We often try to help Him out but He doesn't need or want our help. Nothing is too hard for Him but we act like "it" is. When we try to help God out, Ishmael's happen and Hagar troubles abound(see Genesis 16).
WHAT HE HAD PROMISED! What are the promises He has spoken to you? Have you forgotten about them? Have you grown weary in waiting for them to be manifested in your life? If so, I challenge you to remind God of what He has spoken to you. Remind Him of His Word which is the compilation of His promises to His people. In reminding Him, we remind ourselves and our hope is stirred and restored. We can also look back at our life and remind ourselves of all of the times that His promises came to pass!
God is the same yesterday, today and forever! He is the best Promise Keeper that ever lived! Thank you God for all of the promises you have spoken to me about my future! Thank you for the promises that are already manifested in my life! Thank you for your graciousness and your faithfulness to me and my friends! Yes! And Amen! :)
For no matter how many promises God has made, they are "Yes" in Christ!
We often hear that all of God's promises are Yes and Amen and while we may be quick to shout an Amen to that, do we really believe it? God has promised me some things and He has promised you some things. But often, we lose sight of the promise and we forget to remind God of His promise. Of course, He's not like man and easily forgets His promises. He knows each and everyone of them but I think as we remind Him of the promises He's made to us, we, in turn, remind ourselves of what He's promised and our hope is revived!
From reading in 2 Corinthians, I returned to my study in Genesis and wound up in Genesis 18:14. When I read it I had to stop in my tracks.
Let me give you the scene and context of this verse. Abraham is chillin outside his tent and he ends up with some visitors on his tent step (I had some of those visitors this morning but mine were Jehovah's Witnesses!) :) Anyway, the visitors are messengers from the Lord and are basically bringing the good news that Sarah is about to become prego. Sarah is ancient by this time and finds it quite hilarious that God would bring life back to her seemingly dead womb and she LOL (well, to herself the Bible says). The Lord basically proceeds to put Sarah in her place and asks her this question:
"Is anything too hard for the Lord?" Genesis 18:14
WOW! How often have I lived like a situation, a problem, a circumstance was too hard for the Lord?! Lord, forgive me! You are bigger than my situations and NOTHING is too difficult for you!
What about you? Do you really believe that nothing is too hard for the Lord? What we believe will come out in our behaviors. If we believe that God has "it" under control, then we will be at peace. If we believe that God loves us and has our best in mind, we won't try to force things or make something happen in and of ourselves.
Fast forward to chapter 21:1:
"Now THE LORD WAS GRACIOUS to Sarah as he had said, AND THE LORD DID for Sarah WHAT HE HAD PROMISED."
THE LORD WAS GRACIOUS! He is so full of grace! The reality is that we don't deserve any of the blessings that the promises He makes hold but because of His grace and because of His faithfulness He does what He promises. He is not a man that He should lie! He doesn't tell us things to shut us up or to appease us. He doesn't make a promise that He doesn't intend to keep!
AND THE LORD DID! Only God can fulfill His promises. We often try to help Him out but He doesn't need or want our help. Nothing is too hard for Him but we act like "it" is. When we try to help God out, Ishmael's happen and Hagar troubles abound(see Genesis 16).
WHAT HE HAD PROMISED! What are the promises He has spoken to you? Have you forgotten about them? Have you grown weary in waiting for them to be manifested in your life? If so, I challenge you to remind God of what He has spoken to you. Remind Him of His Word which is the compilation of His promises to His people. In reminding Him, we remind ourselves and our hope is stirred and restored. We can also look back at our life and remind ourselves of all of the times that His promises came to pass!
God is the same yesterday, today and forever! He is the best Promise Keeper that ever lived! Thank you God for all of the promises you have spoken to me about my future! Thank you for the promises that are already manifested in my life! Thank you for your graciousness and your faithfulness to me and my friends! Yes! And Amen! :)
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
Catch the Foxes!
Tuesday's, here lately, seem to be blog day for me, as I process out the nuggets from our Made to Crave Bible study. As I watched and listened to the video last night, a Scripture came to mind and it wasn't one Lysa was sharing. This morning, as I have looked up that Scripture, God showed me another one in the same book and I think they are very much related.
The Scripture that came to me during the study was Song of Songs (Solomon) 2:15:
Catch for us the foxes, the little foxes that ruin the vineyards, our vineyards that are in bloom.
As I looked at that Scripture this morning, God directed my attention to Song of Songs 1:6:
Do not stare at me because I am dark, because I am darkened by the sun. My mother’s sons were angry with me and made me take care of the vineyards; my own vineyard I have neglected.
I think there is much to chew on from these two verses but here's what revelation I have received so far. In Chapter 1, The Shuunamite woman gives her excuses as to why she is "dark" and I think the kicker is in the last part of the verse where she says, "my own vineyard I have neglected."
WOW! How true is that of most women?! We focus on others, in part because that is how we are wired but the other reality is that we don't want to deal with our own stuff. So in that taking care of others, we neglect our own vineyards! Notice, she blamed her current condition, of a neglected vineyard, on others, specifically, her brothers. We can blame our condition on everyone else but until we take ownership of the fact that we have sinned and neglected our own vineyards, we will live in the realm of misplaced blame and hide behind excuses. The Lord commands us to "love our neighbor's as ourselves" but if we neglect ourselves are we really even loving?
Fast forward to Chapter 2, where we read the Lover talking to the Shuunamite woman. Now, if you are not familiar with the Song of Songs (Solomon), now we be a good time for me to break it on down a little (not that I'm a Bible scholar but I love this book!). There are different theories about the book of Song of Songs (Solomon) and whether or not it is the story of King Solomon and a Shuunamite woman or Christ and the Church. Some argue that it can't be both but I think it is. :) Regardless, the book is a dialog between the Shuunamite woman (aka Beloved) and Solomon (aka Lover). Shuunamite woman is who we were talking about in Chapter 1 and the verse in Chapter 2 is spoken by the Lover. Hear again what he says:
Catch for us the foxes, the little foxes that ruin the vineyards, our vineyards that are in bloom.
Remember, he is speaking to the Shuunamite woman and he tells her to catch the foxes that ruin our vineyards. Okay, so what about these foxes?
Now, he was speaking to her in regards to those things that would try and inhibit their love and telling her to "catch them". Jesus would tell us the same thing today, catch the foxes that ruin your vineyard!
What are our foxes?
I believe they are our excuses, our sins (pride, unbelief, fear, gluttony, selfishness, jealousy, unforgiveness, you name it!) and our THOUGHTS!
ANYTHING that inhibits our love relationship with the Lord is our FOX.
God commands us to CATCH those foxes. What does that look like? It looks like, "taking captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. (2 Corinthians 10:5)" That is how we catch the foxes! God continues to impress upon me the importance of our thoughts! We have the ability to choose what we think on and what we allow in our life!
Now, I'm gonna be real honest and tell you that Joyce Meyer used to annoy the snot out of me! Every time I turned on the TV to watch Enjoying Everyday Life or if I tuned in on the radio, she was ALWAYS talking about our thoughts. And I would get so annoyed and would think to myself, "does she ever talk about anything else?!" But as I continue this journey of freedom and wholeness, I realize, there really isn't anything else to talk about and Joyce was right all along!
Now, here is the connection, I see, between these two verses.
The way that we avoid neglecting our own vineyards is to catch the little foxes that spoil the vine!!
So, here's our plan of action: pray and ask the Lord, "what are my 'foxes'"? Then, set traps and take those "foxes" captive! You and I have more authority than we recognize and walk in! It is my prayer that we would walk in more authority than we ever have before and that we really would take every thought captive and make it obedient to Christ.The ultimate goal of all of this is our vineyards blossoming as we are in a love relationship with the Lord!
The Scripture that came to me during the study was Song of Songs (Solomon) 2:15:
Catch for us the foxes, the little foxes that ruin the vineyards, our vineyards that are in bloom.
As I looked at that Scripture this morning, God directed my attention to Song of Songs 1:6:
Do not stare at me because I am dark, because I am darkened by the sun. My mother’s sons were angry with me and made me take care of the vineyards; my own vineyard I have neglected.
I think there is much to chew on from these two verses but here's what revelation I have received so far. In Chapter 1, The Shuunamite woman gives her excuses as to why she is "dark" and I think the kicker is in the last part of the verse where she says, "my own vineyard I have neglected."
WOW! How true is that of most women?! We focus on others, in part because that is how we are wired but the other reality is that we don't want to deal with our own stuff. So in that taking care of others, we neglect our own vineyards! Notice, she blamed her current condition, of a neglected vineyard, on others, specifically, her brothers. We can blame our condition on everyone else but until we take ownership of the fact that we have sinned and neglected our own vineyards, we will live in the realm of misplaced blame and hide behind excuses. The Lord commands us to "love our neighbor's as ourselves" but if we neglect ourselves are we really even loving?
Fast forward to Chapter 2, where we read the Lover talking to the Shuunamite woman. Now, if you are not familiar with the Song of Songs (Solomon), now we be a good time for me to break it on down a little (not that I'm a Bible scholar but I love this book!). There are different theories about the book of Song of Songs (Solomon) and whether or not it is the story of King Solomon and a Shuunamite woman or Christ and the Church. Some argue that it can't be both but I think it is. :) Regardless, the book is a dialog between the Shuunamite woman (aka Beloved) and Solomon (aka Lover). Shuunamite woman is who we were talking about in Chapter 1 and the verse in Chapter 2 is spoken by the Lover. Hear again what he says:
Catch for us the foxes, the little foxes that ruin the vineyards, our vineyards that are in bloom.
Remember, he is speaking to the Shuunamite woman and he tells her to catch the foxes that ruin our vineyards. Okay, so what about these foxes?
Now, he was speaking to her in regards to those things that would try and inhibit their love and telling her to "catch them". Jesus would tell us the same thing today, catch the foxes that ruin your vineyard!
What are our foxes?
I believe they are our excuses, our sins (pride, unbelief, fear, gluttony, selfishness, jealousy, unforgiveness, you name it!) and our THOUGHTS!
ANYTHING that inhibits our love relationship with the Lord is our FOX.
God commands us to CATCH those foxes. What does that look like? It looks like, "taking captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. (2 Corinthians 10:5)" That is how we catch the foxes! God continues to impress upon me the importance of our thoughts! We have the ability to choose what we think on and what we allow in our life!
Now, I'm gonna be real honest and tell you that Joyce Meyer used to annoy the snot out of me! Every time I turned on the TV to watch Enjoying Everyday Life or if I tuned in on the radio, she was ALWAYS talking about our thoughts. And I would get so annoyed and would think to myself, "does she ever talk about anything else?!" But as I continue this journey of freedom and wholeness, I realize, there really isn't anything else to talk about and Joyce was right all along!
Now, here is the connection, I see, between these two verses.
The way that we avoid neglecting our own vineyards is to catch the little foxes that spoil the vine!!
So, here's our plan of action: pray and ask the Lord, "what are my 'foxes'"? Then, set traps and take those "foxes" captive! You and I have more authority than we recognize and walk in! It is my prayer that we would walk in more authority than we ever have before and that we really would take every thought captive and make it obedient to Christ.The ultimate goal of all of this is our vineyards blossoming as we are in a love relationship with the Lord!
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