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“I will cry to God Most High,
To God who accomplishes all things for me. 
He will send from heaven and save me;
He reproaches him who tramples upon me.
God will send forth His lovingkindness and His truth.”
Psalm 57:2-3

 Just rest.  God’s gotten it taken care of!  Cast all your cares upon Him, for He cares for you (1 Peter 5:7).  He will accomplish what concerns you (Psalm 138:8).  No, that doesn’t mean that troubles won’t come, but it does mean that God will use those troubles for our good and His glory and that He will see us through them.  He promises not to give us more than we can handle (1 Corinthians 10:13).  But we must remember that only through Christ can we do all things! (Philippians 4:13)

 "God will send forth His lovingkindness and His truth.”  These two weapons are all we need against Satan’s lies.  First, God loves us so much that He sent His son.  We are worth a lot in His eyes.  We are His sons and daughters!  Even if we don’t feel lovable, act lovable, or know the love of others – God loves us!  God’s truth will combat the Father of Lies.  Jesus used God’s words against Satan in the wilderness, and so can we.  First we recognize his lies, then we tell him God’s truth and ask him to leave.  When we resist the devil, he will flee from us! (James 4:7).  Cling to God’s love and truth , and you will be triumphant!

 

Tithing

“Will a man rob (defraud) God?
Yet you are robbing Me! 
But you say, ‘How have we robbed You?’
In tithes and offerings.”

“Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse,

so that there may be food in My house,
and test Me now in this,” says the Lord of hosts, 
"if I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you a blessing until it overflows.”
Malachi 4:8 and 10
 
Just a reminder!  God gave you so much – your every breath, as well as the physical, spiritual,  and mental power to accomplish any task that you are able to do.  He lets you keep 90%!  NO, we are not under law, but often the  law is just an action that reveals a heart for God.  Is your heart right? Do you worship God through giving?  Are you able to trust Him enough to give Him His tithe first, and know that He will meet all your needs according to His riches in glory? (Philippians 4:19)  With five active boys, God met every one of our needs above and beyond what we could have ever expected.  Even in the bleak times, we tithed and trusted our God Who Is Faithful!  Let Him reveal Himself to you in this way.  Be obedient and trust.

 

Homecoming Party!

“Do not be afraid when a man becomes rich,
When the glory of his house is increased;
For when he dies he will carry nothing away;
His glory will not descend after him.”
Psalm 49

I just read an interesting, but true story.  Teddy Roosevelt was returning home from an African safari on a large steamer ship.  Also on board was an elderly couple who had spent their lives as missionaries in Africa and were returning with the tickets purchased by their last pennies.  Throughout the trip the missionary watched as Mr. Roosevelt received accolades and privileges and the best of everything, while he and his wife ate very little.  Bitterness began to settle into his heart as he thought, “God, it’s not fair, I have sacrificed my life for your work.  I have been faithful and no one notices my wife and I.  All that Mr. Roosevelt did was go and shoot a few beasts, and he is being given everything.  All his needs are met.”  This missionary became solemn and withdrawn as the ship neared New York harbor.  When he heard the bands playing and the crowds cheering for Mr. Roosevelt, he became even more angry.  AS he and his wife walked off of the boat unnoticed by anyone, he began again to rail at God.

This couple were soon settled in a small flat and the wife suggested that her husband spend some time with God over this issue.  He went into the bedroom, got down on his knees, and poured his frustration out before God.  He exclaimed that it was just not fair that Mr. Roosevelt received such a homecoming, when he received nothing.  He stayed on his knees for some time.  Peace finally came over him, and he was able to let go of his anger.  When he returned to the living room, his wife saw such a change that she was amazed.  “What has happened?” She exclaimed.  “Well, God said that yes, Mr. Roosevelt was getting a fine homecoming upon his return home.  Then He reminded me that I am not home yet!”

Our homecoming will be a grand affair!  We will get to sit at the supper table of the Lamb!  Many will cheer us across the river into heaven.  If I am there when your homecoming arrives, know that I will be waiting for you with my party hat on!

 

Holiness and Joy

“’I will dwell in the and walk among them;
I will be their God, and they shall be My people.
Therefore, come out from their midst and be separate,’ says the Lord.
‘And do not touch what is unclean;
And I will welcome you.
And I will be a father to you,
And you shall be sons and daughters to Me.’ Says the Lord Almighty.

Therefore, having these promises, beloved,

let us cleanse ourselves from all defilement of flesh and spirit,
 perfecting holiness in the fear of God.”

Therefore.  Whenever you read the word “therefore” in the Bible, always look just before it and see what it is there for!  Why should we live a life of holiness?  Because we are sons and daughters of the King!  We should leave the midst of those who live in evil and sinfulness, and be separate from them.  That is the very definition of holiness.  We don’t do it to earn our salvation, or to gain favor with God.  We do it because we are saved and  because we already have His favor.  We do it for the fear of the Lord – the awareness of His awesome power and might and love and joy and sacrifice and plan for our future.  Sin just keeps us far from experiencing all that is ours as Christians.  Sin keeps us from walking with Jesus and dancing before God’s throne. 

If you are not waling in fellowship with your Father God, perhaps it is because you have sin in your life.  Pride, arrogance, judgment, selfish ambition, etc… are just as deadly as theft and murder.  Be quick to repent and reclaim your position as God’s precious son or daughter and live holy lives in great joy and exultation

Denying Self

“Then Jesus said to His disciples,
‘If anyone wishes to come after Me,
he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me.
For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it;
but whoever lose his life for My sake will find it.
For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul?
Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?
For the Son of Man is going to come in the glory of His Father with His angels,
and will then repay every man according to his deeds.’”
Matthew 16:24-27
 
Start at the end.  “For the Son of Man is going to come in the glory of His Father with His angels.”  That should be our first motivation.  Keep an eternal perspective.  Yes, we must work and play and live life, but it should be done with the knowledge that in the end, Jesus is coming!  How will Jesus sum up your life when it is over?  Will He say that you were His?  That you followed His calling and that you trusted Him?  That doesn’t mean that everyone has to be a missionary or a pastor.  It does mean that when you hear Jesus’ voice, are you obedient?  He may be calling you to a certain profession, or for a one time smile or word of encouragement to someone.  Are you listening and willing to go and do as He directs?

Then comes the second motivation – We will be repaid according to our deeds.  That is not salvation by works, but rather as a saved son or daughter of the King what is your life about?  Are you doing good, seeking peace, abstaining from evil, speaking the good news, and most importantly, are you obeying the Savior’s call?

Once our heart is right with Godly intent and motivation, then we can go back to the beginning of these verse.  If my heart’s motivation is to please Jesus and look for His coming and be about deeds that are of the KIngdom, then denying myself and taking up my cross is not so foreign or hard.  I trust Jesus.  He is coming back.  He saved me.  He is in control.  Any “cross” that comes my way, He will give me the strength and wisdom to handle Biblically.  I can give up my desires, expectations, whims, time, dreams, etc… for the King of Kings Who is coming back for me!  I can turn over the results to the God who saved me and know that He wants what is best for my eternal good not merely to make me feel good now.  When I hear His voice, I am free to obey knowing that He will work all things out after His will.

There is great peace when we surrender to God’s desire and will.  There is rest when we trust.  God is good and able and will support me in anything He calls me to do.

 

A Prayer for Integrity

“O Lord, who may abide in Your tent?
Who may dwell on Your holy hill?
He who walks with integrity, and works righteousness,
And speaks truth in his heart.”
Psalm 15:1-2

“The integrity of the upright will guide them,

But the crookedness of the treacherous will destroy them.”
Proverbs 11:3

May you walk each day in integrity before a holy God.  May you choose truth and honesty above all else.  May your actions and your words mirror a heart in love with your Savior.  May your choices be pure and upright before God Almighty.

I pray many things for each of you throughout each day.  Yes, I pray for health and that God will go before you to provide for you financially and that He will guide your steps each day.  But the most important prayer that I pray each day for you is that you will bow your knee before Jesus and that He will raise you  up before men and kings.  That comes only through a walk of integrity.  Your name, your reputation will be based upon each little choice, each little task that you undertake.  Do all as unto the Lord.

 

Depression

“Be angry, but sin not.”
Ephesians 4:26

First of all, I am not a licensed counselor.  However, I come from a family with both bipolar and clinical depression, so I would be glad to share with you what I have learned and experienced. 

Almost all depression is a result of unresolved anger.  Now, I would never have thought of myself as an angry person.  Rather, I would turn it inwards and was easily hurt.  Hurt and anger are the two sides of the same coin.  My depression was a combination of learned behavior and unresolved anger.  My mother responded to life with depression.  Therefore, I learned that that was the way to deal with life.  Even after becoming a Christian at age 13, I was not discipled to understand that I had a choice! 

Choice is the key word here.  Depression is one of Satan’s weapons.  We are to take every thought captive to the obedience of Christ.  We do this by taking thought of self abuse, anger, etc… and praying over it and holding it up to the truth of God’s word.  It can be a real battle sometimes!  I still will have days where the thoughts from Satan are coming thick and fast.  I have to choose to stand against them, arm myself with God’s truth, and choose to sing praises even if I don’t “feel” like it.  The emotions eventually line up.  Sometimes, I can’t fight it alone and I need to go to a trusted friend and get their listening ear and prayers. 

Unresolved anger is dealt with by talking it out with someone safe.  For me that was a licensed Christian counselor.  The difference between a psychiatrist and a Christian counselor is very important.  A very astute 18 year old told me that when she went to the psychiatrist and talked things out, it was like digging big holes, but having nothing to fill them up with.  She filled them up with drugs and alcohol.  When she saw a Christian counselor, they had the answers through God’s word to fill in the holes with truth.  Talking out our stuffed down emotions with someone who can deflect them is really important because it normalizes the emotions.  I thought my emotions were wrong.  My counselor often reacted even more severely to the situation than I did and I learned that emotions were okay.

I asked a medical doctor who was a Christian about bipolar or manic-depression once.  He said that he learned through his research that it is 95% spiritual.  That a vast majority of people have the physiological bent towards bipolar behavior, but  only a small amount show symptoms.  I am not one to see a demon behind every bush, but I would definitely get with a Christian counselor to deal with bipolar depression. 

My counselor did prescribe an anti-depressant for me while I was in counseling, but I was not able to take it – they really bother my stomach.  But I was also dealing with depression from childhood abuse, sexual abuse, and self-loathing.  I got through the counseling without medication, but did take some homeopathic remedies and exercised and watched my diet while in counseling.  From what I understand, a trauma can  change the actual formation of brain patterns.  The anti-depressants allow the brain to retrain to better patterns.  I think that medications is really up to the person and their counselor.

As I emptied the emotional bucket that I had stuffed since childhood, I also learned boundaries on harmful relationships and coping skills.  I was in counseling for 18 months.  Now if I get depressed, I call a friend, praise and pray, talk to my husband, etc… I have ongoing physical disabilities so usually the depression is about dealing with chronic and severe pain.  I was finally able to allow Christ Jesus to be Lord over my future and that has brought a lot of peace, although He has to remind me sometimes!  It is a process, and that’s okay!