Thursday, September 29, 2011

The Struggle of the Flesh

Galatians 6:7-9 says, "Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man sows, that shall he also reap. For he that sows to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption, but he that sows to the Spirit shall of the Sprit reap life everlasting. And let us not be weary in well-doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not."

There is so much to see in these few verses, but I'm going to zero in on just one aspect because it's what I've been struggling with lately. Do you ever have those times when you want what you want when you want it and you want to do things your own way; you want to follow the ways of the flesh? If not, then you can stop reading right now because this won't pertain to you! But if you do, then you can understand my battle. Do you ever just want to stop the world and get off? Do you ever feel that the price of following the Lord is too high? I've struggled with these issues lately. I have felt that God is requiring more of me and I wasn't sure that I wanted to pay the price. Ha! Just writing this shows me how foolish I have been. I think all along I knew I would submit to God's ways, but I had to have my "temper tantrum" just to let him know I wasn't happy about it. Forgive me, Lord, when I think I have a choice; when I think I might know better; when I rail against your perfect will for me.

I had a choice to make or, I think God, in His mercy, let me think I had a choice. I really don't; if I really want to follow the Lord and receive His blessings, and I do, then I have no choice. If He is really Lord of my life, I have no choice. If I really love God and want to continue to pursue Him, I have no choice. But I did have to speak directly to my flesh and make the declaration to that effect. So on Monday of this past week, I wrote in my journal what my choice was and exactly what I was declaring so in the future if I think again that I have a choice, I can go back and read in my journal that I already made that choice. There should be no struggle in the future. Unfortunately, there shouldn't be, but there probably will be because we are here on earth in the flesh and the fleshly nature wants it's own way. But I have proof, in my journal, that I have chosen to follow the Spirit and if I do not grow weary in well-doing, I WILL reap life everlasting. I will reap a harvest of God's blessings in my life and I will reap the greater thing of relationship with Him and knowing that I have chosen to please Him and not my flesh.

May you make that choice, too. His ways are so much higher than ours and the blessing of fellowship with Him is so much richer than anything we could possibly gain by following our flesh. God bless you!

Monday, August 29, 2011

Answers to My Cry of Distress

Psalm 18, verse 6 says, "In my distress I called upon the Lord, and cried unto my God: he heard my voice out of his temple, and my cry came before him, even unto his ears."

I don't have room to post the whole of Psalm 18 here, but go and read the entire psalm and be blessed today. Have you ever had times of distress when all you could do was cry out to the Lord? I'm sure you have, as have I. This psalm brings me such comfort because it shows me in very descriptive terms how God answers my cry of distress.

"Then the earth shook and trembled; the foundations also of the hills moved and were shaken, because he was wroth. There went up smoke out of his nostrils, and fire out of his mouth..... The Lord also thundered in the heavens....Yea, he sent out his arrows, and scattered them;.... and he shot out lightnings..."

"He delivered me from my strong enemy..."

All of that response from just one cry!! I don't know about you, but whenever I read this psalm it speaks to me of God's great love for me and I think of how, as a parent, if anyone messes with my kids or grandkids, they might just get that same reaction from me!!! How much more does God care for me, care for you, that when someone messes with you, he moves heaven and earth to come to your rescue!!

"He brought me forth also into a large place; he delivered me, because he delighted in me." Do you ever think about how much God delights in you? Some times I just sit and watch my grandchildren and I take such delight in them, just who they are and how their little minds work. Do you think God often watches us and takes delight in us? I know He does because His word says He does.

I love a good thunderstorm. It reminds me of this psalm and I feel like God is warring on my behalf and I feel protected and sheltered, right in the midst of all the thunder and lightning!!

Please take the time today to read Psalm 18 and remember in your days and times ahead, that when you are in distress, cry out to the Lord and KNOW that He hears you and moves on your behalf.

"The Lord liveth; and blessed be my rock and let the God of my salvation be exalted.......Therefore will I give thanks unto thee, O Lord, among the heathen, and sing praises unto they name."

Friday, July 29, 2011

Transformation

Transform/transformed means to be changed in form, appearance, nature or condition. Romans 12:2 tells us "And be ye not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect will of God."

We are all constantly being transformed (changed) by the experiences of life. We may not and in most cases, can not, control what happens to us as we walk this journey here on earth, but we can control how we respond to those happenings. And how we respond to them will determine whether our transformation is for the good or the bad. Romans 12:2 tells us that we should be transformed by the renewing of our mind. We need to allow our minds to be renewed by the Word. We need to view our experiences, tragedies, all of life's situations the way God views them, not as the world does. What the world may see as a bad thing may indeed, in God's hands, be a good thing if it causes us to press into God, to draw closer to Him to allow Him to conform us into the character of His Son. He may even use a tragic situation to reveal Himself to us and we come to know Him as Savior. So, then, can we really call that tragedy a tragedy?

The Word tells us there are things that Satan means for evil, but God uses for good (Genesis 50:20). God is always wanting good for us. When things don't go your way, do you rail against God? Have bitter disappointments in life made you bitter? Or have you become a better person as a result? Most of us would not want to go through those situations again, but we can rejoice at what God has done in and through them. I do not and never will rejoice in my husband's death, but I do rejoice in what God has done in my heart as a result of the devastating pain I felt after He died. That pain pushed me to the brink of myself and in my brokenness, I found the provision of God. The change that God has brought about in my heart as a result fills me with a joy that I had never experienced before because I experienced God in a whole new expanded way.

I encourage you today to view your hardships in life from God's perspective. Run to Him, don't allow your heart to become hardened. Let God soften it; turn it to Him and allow Him to make something beautiful of it. Allow God to change you from the inside out. Your situation may not change, but you will. God will renew your mind and cause you to cry out, as Mary did - "My soul doth magnify the Lord, and my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Savior. For he that is mighty hath done to me great things; and holy is his name." (Luke 1:46,47,49)

Wednesday, June 29, 2011

Trusting

I have been absent from this blog for a very long time. Most of that time was spent in writing, editing and publishing my book. The book is now finished and I am also officially retired, so I plan to have more time to devote to this blog site and will endeavor to post monthly articles. Thank you for being interested!!

I have recently been pondering Proverbs 3:5-6, "Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths." This is a very familiar scripture to me and one often quoted in Christian circles. Many a sermon has been preached from this also, I'm sure.

I began to see it in new ways the other day as God was speaking to me. I decided to study some specific words in these two verses. I looked up each of these words in the Hebrew for their meanings. I won't give you the Hebrew word because it's really not necessary for our purposes here. Walk with me through these:

Trust - means to be confident; sure and bold
Heart - involves the feelings, will and intellect
Lean - to rely, to rest in
Understanding - knowledge, wisdom
Ways - course of life; mode of action; journey; manner
Acknowledge - observe, recognition, know, designation, be aware, perceive, understand
Direct - be straight, straight way
Paths - a well trodden road

So, now that we have those meanings, let's look a little closer at this scripture - Donna's version -

Be confident and sure in the Lord with all your feelings, will and intellect and do not rely on or rest in your own knowledge or wisdom. In your course of life, your journey or mode of action, recognize, know, perceive and be aware of Him and He shall make a straight way for you on a well trodden road.

WOW! What this says to me is as I trust in the Lord and don't rely on myself in my journey through this world; as I recognize and acknowledge Him in ALL avenues of my life - good and bad situations - He will continue to direct me on the well trodden road - the road Jesus walked before me. You see, it doesn't matter what happens in our daily lives, the situations we find ourselves facing - whether it be the death of a spouse, the loss of a job, the unexpected pregnancy of an unwed daughter, the flooding of your home or even it's loss - all these things are in His hands. As we acknowledge that - acknowledge His presence and His awareness of it, He will show us how to walk through the situation. He will direct us and lead us. He will comfort us in our distress. He will extend His grace, amazing grace. He will show His mercy on our behalf and most importantly, He will walk with us through it. His word says - He will never leave us or forsake us.

Whatever or wherever you may find yourself today, TRUST HIM. Acknowledge HIM. He is worthy, so worthy to be trusted and fully acknowledged. God bless you!