I am back!!!!

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I know it has been a long time since I have posted a blog, and I have missed it so very much.  Now that my summer projects are nearly completed, I am back!  And I am excited to share with you what the Lord has been teaching me this summer.

Last May, after teaching my Ladies Group at church on Colossians 3: 1-17, I challenged them to take the summer and attempt to memorize the entire passage.  Realizing that it would just be completely "wrong" for me to ask it of them, and not follow through myself, I set out with a little notebook and a sincere desire to memorize the passage and hear what the Lord would speak to me about it. 

Now here is the embarrassing part.  I love the Word of God, but I have never been very interested in the memorizing part.  I am quite sure that the Lord would have loved for me to be memorizing along with my study, but I never thought that it was for me.  What a shame!  I have found it to be a delight to my soul, and I will be aiming at memorizing more complete passages in the future.

Colossians 3: 1-17 is chocked full of meaty tidbits that every believer should not only know, but LIVE!  This passage is to be walked out!  It is a challenge to even the most seasoned Christian, but none-the-less, it is part of our holiness training.   The closer look at this passage leaves me with just one question, "What would happen in the world if every believer took these words to heart, surrendered themselves to the Holy Spirit within, and just allowed Him to live it our through them?"  I know what the answer is:  REVIVAL in us and the opportunity for the lost to see Christ!

So let me begin, taking one verse at a time, and I pray that the Lord will be revealing more to you than what I share.  I will not be going into great detail, but instead, just offering a morsel to think about, just a few comments from my little journal.  I pray that we will all heed the call and be challenged to actually begin to live the life that Paul is describing.  

Colossians 3: 1     "If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God."

I spend far too much time seeking the things that are here on earth.  What do you seek?  If you are like me, the first thing that I am going to have to do to  "seek the things that are above" is change my focus.  I tend to look out and around, but Jesus is saying, "Look up!  Look where I am!  I am sitting next to My Father.   You must train yourself to set your eyes on Me and My Kingdom."  

Now, to me that means a shift in all of my thinking.  It means that I will have to change my gaze in order to have a correct view --  a view of what is eternal.  When I change what I think about, then that automatically should bring about a change in what I focus on.  So, my "seeking the things above" means that I will have to think differently about the things all around me, my circumstances, my feelings, my desires....well, I think you get the point.  I will have to stop thinking about me.  And you will have to stop thinking about you.  I recorded it this way in my journal:  

"The constant seeking of things of the earth, the worldly chase of money, position, notoriety, prestige, beauty, power, acceptance . . . must end and be replaced with the search for the godly and the eternal.  There must be a shift of focus."

Though we do not often live like we have been raised with Christ, we have already been.   Our life as believers has already been translated out of this world, and into His world.  We should then have Heaven on our minds, even while we are still living here on earth.  

This is a good place to begin, looking up to the Heavens and seeing ourselves there, not here.  It seems that this one small shift of focus makes it more than possible to change how I think and act here while living day to day.  Would it change the way you think and act?  Maybe we should give it a try!

Jesus, Light of the World (12-23-12)

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(Excerpt from Cheryl Gnagey's Advent Devotional, "Jesus, Light of the World," for preparing to light all of the Advent Candles and the Christ candle.)
"Since the creation of the world when God said, 'Let there be light,' our dark world has been influenced by the illuminating quality of light.  God always intended for the darkness to be separated from the light, and that principle has deep spiritual ramifications as well.  Once, while we were still sinners, Christ came into the world bringing His light, so that we might come in faith to Him.  When we did, we began to walk in the Light of Christ.
Today, as we consider all of the Advent Candles and their significance to our walk, we are again reminded of the importance of light in the Christmas story as we have been studying it in this blog devotional.  Think back with me to the very first candle of Advent, the Prophesy Candle.  Isaiah told us of the coming of the Messiah.  He told us of a Light that would come out of Galilee;  that those who walked in darkness would see this light; and that the Light would shine on them.  Later, Isaiah said to us all, 'Arise, shine, for the Light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon us.'  His prophecy foretells the Light of Christ coming into the souls of humans who have been darkened by the sin found in their hearts.  Once inside of us, though, this Light will now be seen by others who walk in the same darkness in which we once walked.  How we thank you Lord, for the prophets of old who told us that You would come.
Next, let's contemplate the Bethlehem Candle, our second Advent Candle.  We remember that God revealed the Light of the world to an obscure village and its people.  On a dark hillside outside of Bethlehem, the shepherds were astonished when all at once an angel lit up the entire night sky with all the glory of Heaven itself.  The angel stood in the shepherds' presence and declared to then the good news of great joy.  But God did not stop with just one angel.  He sent down a multitude of these heavenly bodies who brought glory to the Christ Child, the Light of the world, and the warmth of the Light surrounding them comforted the shepherds as they heard the good news of a Savior who had been born in Bethlehem.
As we consider the only pink candle in the Advent Wreath, our thoughts return again to the words of the angels.  This pink candle, the third Advent Candle, represents the good news of salvation in Christ alone.  Because this Infant God would bear in His body our sin, of which He would die from the punishment He would take for us, we would no longer have to be separated from God if we would but realize that His bloodshed was the only  punishment needed for our sinfulness.  The color of the candle represents blood that now saves us, something we could never do for ourselves.  Jesus accomplish this salvation because He was the perfect and holy sacrifice that was required.  Now we must share this good news of salvation in Christ with others, carrying to others the only Light that can now brighten their darkness like the noonday sun.
Our last candle in the wreath, the third purple one, causes us to remember the wise men who traveled so very far to come and worship whomever the star would lead them to.  By a bright heavenly star, God lead these brilliant men to a tiny child who would become the Savior of the world.  These men followed a light to the Light!  To follow the directions of the star was their obedience to God, and such obedience led them to the Light.  This candle, the Wise Men Candle, teaches us what our response should now be to so great a Light and Salvation.  We should, like them, follow with joy, obeying all He tells us to do.
We have one last candle to light.  It is not in the wreath itself, but stands tall above the four, in the center of the wreath.  This is the Christ Candle and it symbolizes the purity and holiness of Christ, the One who is to be the most see in all that we do, a shining example of who we are to be.  The light of His candle should prompt our hearts and spirits to reflect that same light, His light.  The Christ Candle calls believers to a deeper walk of commitment as we face the coming New Year.  So let's join our spirits together in a prayer of just such a commitment as we celebrate the birth of our Savior, the Light of your world and mine.  Will you pray with me?
Precious Light of the world, how we desire to worship You in a new and fresh way.  Today, we want to offer You a sacrifice similar to the wise men who brought their very best to You.  Teach us the deeper meaning of Your birthday story. 
In the coming year . . .

• let us arise from our complacency and shine Your light to others, lighting their way to You,
• let us run to meet with You, Jesus, and then run to tell others of Your transforming light,
• let us remember the sinful state from which we have been saved and learn to walk daily in the light of Your salvation
• and let us follow diligently after You, O Bright and Morning Star, for You are the Light of the world, and our Light and salvation, and we rejoice in You!  In Your holy and most precious name we pray, Amen."

Merry Christmas, my dear readers!  And may 2013 be a bright year, filled with the Light of Jesus, the Light of the world!
Watch for more blogs after the New Year!
Blessings to you all!

Clearing Out Your Cluttered Heart

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To be quite honest, this picture offends me.  Not because messy homes offend me, but because I fear that this is what my heart looks like to God.  Can you relate?  I chose this picture for this blog based on two sentences I read in my devotional, Jesus Calling.  I needed to convey the idea of "clutter" through a picture that could speak a thousand words.  This is the one that jumped out at me, and then God continued to speak to my heart.  Here is what He spoke as I pondered this thought.

"My main work is to clear out debris and clutter, making room for My Spirit to take full possession.  Collaborate with Me in this effort by being willing to let go of anything I choose to take away."  (November 7, page 326)

"My child, you have allowed Me to remove so many sinful things from your life, yet your heart remains cluttered.  My Spirit is trapped inside your very messy heart.  He wants to be the Ruler of His home, but your sinful debris keeps Him from doing His job.  He desires to clear it all away and rule from a place of holiness, to clothe you in regal robes of holiness inside your heart .  This holy attire can be attained in no other way.  You must let Him clear  the unholy debris out of your heart.  This is surrender.  And this surrender is what leads to holiness in Me.

The act of putting aside your sin is one in which you must collaborate with the Spirit.  He will do the hard work, but you must be so surrendered to Him that you are willing to let go of anything that He says must go.  There is still much that must be cleaned out of your heart.  A bag of envy, a stack of anger, a mess of unkind thoughts and words, a heap of spiritual hypocrisy. [I Peter 2:1] Under the furniture you are hiding pieces of bitterness, and crammed in the boxes and bins of your heart are the evidences of quarreling with and railings about your own brothers and sisters in Me.  [Eph. 4:31]  These are the things that I  will require you, and you are the only one who can let them go.  

I desire to to complete what I have already begun.   Are you willing to let Me, my precious one?"

O Jesus, how short I have come of the mark.  How blind I have allowed myself to be when it comes to the reality of my heart, thinking I had done pretty well in letting you clean house.  But with scales removed I can clearly see that I have been housing the Holy Spirit in a filthy shack of a heart.  Forgive me for allowing such a thing! Today, I choose to be a willing collaborator with you, Holy Spirit.  What you say must go, I will surrender to You.  Take it all, anything that is offensive to You.  I desire not to just make a pathway in which You can walk through my heart.  I desire instead that You be able to move though my heart completely unhindered, with no obstacles around which You must maneuver. 

Oh, how I long to worship you in holy attire!  Beautify Your home, my heart, O Lord!  Dress me in robes of righteousness befitting a daughter of the King!

Christ, Our Example Of Endurance

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(Excerpt from Cheryl Gnagey's Spiritual Healing:  The Surrender That Brings Victory, Chapter 11)

"Our call to holiness will require from us a run of endurance, a race in which we do not waver, but continue to obey no matter what trial, temptation, or test comes our way.  And lest we think such laying aside and endurance is impossible, we need only look to Jesus.  He is the One on whom we must focus our sights while we run this race.  He is our ultimate example and witness because He has endured the cross.

This is what Jesus did when He endured:  He endured [with unimaginable pain and sorrow] our hostility while we were still sinners, walking in the shame that we deserved.  As His children, now we can endure our trials without becoming weary and losing heart.  Now we have the power to attack our sin issues by obedience to the Word in full surrender to the One who showed us how to endure.  Have you ever considered that?  Jesus endured on the cross for us so that we might endure as we take a stand against our most besetting sins and stumbling blocks today.  And He did it by focusing on the joy that was ahead of Him, His triumphant return to the Father and His eternal home.  Should we be focusing on anything else but Christ and eternity in Heaven?  By setting our focus on Him, we can endure until we gain triumphant victory over our sin.

We will never endure as completely as Jesus did, for He resisted to the point of shedding blood.  Even if we persevere in surrender and obedience, we will never work so hard as to shed blood as Jesus did.  No one has or ever will resist sin to that degree.  But it is still our duty and our responsibility to be about the removal of sin and stumbling blocks from our Christian walk with the desire to overcome, master, and gain victory over what satan has used to entangle us."

As I quote this from the book the Lord gave to me, I am challenged once again as I contemplate my level of endurance in 'fighting the good fight.'  By introspection, I can clearly see so many areas in which I am still either fighting in my own strength, or worse, not fighting at all.  To consider the unfathomable lengths that Christ went to in order to pay the penalty for my sin, I am broken-hearted to find, once again, that I am falling short of the mark when it comes to overcoming the sin that has wrapped itself around my heart, choking out the life of Christ within me.  I am faced with my own lack of surrender to the process of sanctification, and that points, with far too much clarity, to my disobedience. 

Maybe you are finding yourself in that same place.  If so, would you join me today by flexing your spiritual muscles through a prayer of repentance, telling God of your desire to completely turn and face Him as you turn away from your entangling sins?  Will you surrender in humility with me today to our ever-enduring Savior as we seek Him and ask Him, once again, to take over the reins of our lives, and live His through us?  Will you set your laser-sharp focus on Jesus with me?

Are You REALLY Sorry?

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When you have sinned, do you just come to God and blast out a quick, "I'm sorry"? Are you really sorry when you do this or are you just trying to get out of trouble?

"God does not want us to let our sin off the hook!  And He is not nearly as interested in our, 'I'm sorry,' as He is in our confession of sin and repentance.  Have you ever hear children (and sometimes adult too) say that they are sorry when they really are just sorry that they got caught and are now in trouble?  It goes a little something like this:  'Mary, tell your brother that you are sorry for taking his train engine away from him.'  Several moments pass, so you prompt, 'Mary...'  With all the iciness and attitude of a snow queen, you hear this come from your precious little girl, 'Sorrrr-reeee!'  Within moments, little brother is screaming again for his train engine.  Do you get the picture?"  (Chapter 8 of Spiritual Healing:  The Surrender That Brings Victory)

Confession is not telling God that you are sorry.  Confession is agreeing with God that you have done something wrong according to His standards and guidelines.  Saying you are sorry to God, with now plan to really be different, will eventually reveal that you not really sorry at all.  To be sorry means that you understand your sin and error, and that you desire greatly to never do it again.  That heart desire should cause us then to take the first step, and then many more, in the opposite direction of the sin.  This is repentance. 

When you have sinned, and go to God with your apology, consider approaching Him this way:

1. Come in true humility
2. Tell Him that you completely agree with His assessment of the sin (confession)
3. Then tell Him that you are sorry
4. Ask for the help of the Holy Spirit, so that you might turn away from repeating this sin
5. Walk away from anything that will lead you to sin in that way again (repentance)

The integrity of your "I'm sorry" that is sandwiched between the confession and repentance of your sin will be revealed in your true repentance of the sin.  Will you walk the other way, or were you just trying to feel better in the presence of God?  Were you trying to let you and your sin off the hook, or were you serious about walking on in holiness and purity by the Spirit?

THE RESURRECTED LIFE -- Day 2

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Day 2:  Abraham's Part of the Covenant (Genesis 17)

At the age of 99, God Almighty, El Shaddai, speaks again to his servant Abram, calling him to “walk before Me, and be blameless.”  God reminded him again of the blessings that would come and even changed his name to Abraham (from “exalted father” to “the father of a multitude.”)  All the blessings that would come from God’s covenant with Abraham were God’s part of the covenant.  But Abraham wasn’t off the hook.  God clearly told him his part in the covenant, “This is My covenant, which YOU SHALL KEEP, between Me and you and your descendants after you:  every male among you shall be circumcised.”

I can’t even begin to imagine Abraham’s initial response to such a command!  Can you?  Yet, he immediately went out from God’s presence and obeyed what the Lord had commanded.  Maybe it was the terms of the consequences of disobedience that catapulted Abraham to such obedient action.  God had precisely told him that any who refused to comply with the covenant agreement would be cut off from his people.  Disobedience would be evidence of a broken covenant, and God takes covenant very seriously!

Abraham understood his relationship with God. He knew his responsibility was to keep his end of the covenant in order to stay in covenant relationship.  It is clear that God has a part for us to do as well.  While Abraham’s part was to circumcise the flesh of the foreskin of every male, our part is to allow God to circumcise the foreskin of our hearts.  God wants to weed out every sin that still lies in our hearts, every wrong motive, every wicked word of our tongue, with the goal being Christ-likeness.  Our circumcised hearts are a sign to God that we are living obedient, surrendered lives.  This is our part of the covenant.

Another way to look at the circumcision of our hearts is to return to God’s words to Abraham:  “Walk before Me, and be blameless.”  These words He still loudly speaks to us today.  God is calling us to personal holiness (“Be holy, for I am holy”), to sanctification.  This includes walking in the Spirit, growing into mature Christians, dying to our fleshly disobedience, and living a life of integrity.  Are you as willing to obey God’s command as Abraham was?  Are you today?  Consider your answer, and talk to God about it.  Remember, God takes covenant seriously.  So should we!

Stuck in the Mud

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 Israel was preparing to enter into the Promised Land. Only the rain-swelled Jordan separated them from it. Under the wise direction of Joshua, the priests and the ark of the covenant entered the river first. A thousand yards behind the ark the 2 million plus group crossed over on dry land with their eyes firmly fixed on the Presence of God, the ark. If you are in a raging river, who are your eyes fixed on, yourself and your circumstances, or the Almighty God?

God has a "promised land" for you and me.  It is called the abundant life of Spirit.  It is a life in which we are to walk in the power of the Spirit and leave our crucified flesh on the altar of surrender.  The Israelites are such a great example for us today.  The spring rainy season was occurring, and the Jordan River constantly was out of its banks.  Yet, this is the very moment that God chose to bring His people into their new land--2 million people and all of their animals and belongings!  But Joshua, their new leader, trusted God and called the priests to bring the ark and set out across the river.  The very moment they exercised their faith, the dangerous river pulled back into on big heap upstream.  When the priests feet hit the riverbed, it was completely dry, as well!  One by one, the entire company crossed over on dry ground. 

So why do we struggle so with our faith in God to take us through our journey to that "impossible" heart transformation that He desires in us?  Why is it that we refuse to see that God is waiting for us to put our full focus and trust in Him so that He can do that "impossible" work in our hearts?  He is capable of helping us cross the great divide between walking in the flesh and walking in the Spirit.  He has the path laid out for us and He wants His Son to lead us to that abundant life by His Spirit within us.  Yet, we continually attempt to "cross the river" in our own strength and power.  Consistently, we keep drowning in our self-efforts to accomplish what we were never fashioned to do.

The Israelites were not to just sit on the banks of the Jordan, though, as if waiting for God to pick them up and move them.  On the contrary, when it was time to walk across, they were expected to walk!  But they could never have pushed the water back into a heap, and they likely would have drowned had they attempted to swim across.  God did the impossible so that it would make the "walking" easier.  The same is true in our journey to holiness.  God awaits your surrender to His will and His way.  He awaits that trusting gaze upon Him with a heart that says, "I believe YOU can do this in me; and I know that I cannot; so please GO AHEAD!"  When you get to that kind of surrender, watch out!  You might just see the "water" rolled back and the way become very clear--AND NO MUD dried up so that you do not get stuck along the way! 

On The Banks of Your Jordan

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Israel is camped on the edge of the Jordan, closer than they have ever been to the Promised Land. The years in the wilderness have taken a toll on them, but this new generation is moving forward. Have they learned all the necessary spiritual lessons? Will they finish the journey in front of them in bold and courageous faith? How are you doing on your personal journey? What lies just ahead of you?

When Israel left Egypt, they went out into the wilderness with great faith in their God who had just slayed every firstborn in Egypt.  They had been spared because of the very first Passover.  God had also displayed His great and mighty supremacy over every Egyptian god by the first nine plagues.  They knew their God; they trusted in Him.  And yet, 3 days into their journey home they lost their fervor and their faith.  They stumbled and fell, over and over, in the wilderness.  They became obstinately disobedient and even longed to go back to their former life of slavery and bondage in Egypt.  Their unbelief and evil actions had grave consequences.  Every person (except Joshua and Caleb) of the original group would die in the wilderness, and never see the land of their forefathers, the Promised Land.  

Those who stood on the banks of the Jordan, ready to drive out the Canaanites and take possession of their homeland, were the new generation of Israelites.  As children (spared of the curse of dying in the wilderness) they had observed their parents' sin and disobedience.  Now it was their turn.  Would they obey every command of the Lord their God?  Or would they begin to walk their own way as the parents had? 

Just ahead of them was a river they would have to cross, people to drive out, altars of pagan worship to destroy, armies to defeat, and purity and devotion to God to hang onto!  Each one would have countless, individual choices to make.  And each choice would affect the entire nation.

Today, you too have a river to cross.  It is the river of dying to your own desires, goals, agendas, and plans.  You have sin in your heart that must be driven out, attitudes that need to be destroyed, and a holiness in God to attain.  That is your Promised Land of rest--rest in the peace of God that only is obtained by right relationship with Him.

You are a part of THIS generation.  What your parents did, right or wrong, can have no influence on your choices.  You, and you alone are responsible for them.  How do you choose to walk?  Will it be as an obedient child of God?  Or will others look at your walk and see that it looks a lot like the lost generation of the wilderness?  Will you be facing forward, walking in the Spirit, with eyes on the promises or looking back longingly to the days when you walked in your flesh? 

Go forth boldly!  Walk in the power of the Spirit and true faith!  The promises are waiting for you just on the other side of surrender!