Poison Berry

Poison Berry

Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another. Ephesians 4:32.

We were having a great holiday dinner. Things were winding down at the dinner table. We were catching up with family member we hadn't seen and the younger generation was enjoying "cousin time". We were packed in like sardines at the table in the small kitchen.  My mother-in-law went to the utility room to get the pies. She came back carrying them and said, "we have pumpkin, sour cream and raisin, cream cheese and boysenberry." My son misunderstood and exclaimed "Poison berry pie?!" If anyone is telling stories about my children, this is one of the first to be repeated
I was thinking about this tonight after talking to my family and eating my pie. (Not poison berry). I was also thinking about the hurts and resentments that I have been healed from, this year in particular. I have discovered that unforgiveness will choke you. I have discovered that if you make excuses for people's behavior and bury you feelings you don't experience healing. I have also discovered that just because you forgive someone it doesn't mean the hurt is gone. These things become poison berries in pour hearts ad spirits. We need to get rid of them before the thorns choke us and the fruit turns rancid. We can't do this alone. We have to rely on God's power and not our own.
Ephesians 4:31-32 tells us "Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger and slander and every form of malice. Be kind o one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God in Christ has forgiven you."
We can't afford to withhold forgiveness when we have received it so freely.

Second we need to forgive because we are not perfect and have wronged others. Matthew 7:3-5 describes a person who sees a fault in his brother.
“Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?  How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye."  How wonderful it would be if we could practice this in our churches and families.
Hebrews 12:15 warns us , "Pursue peace with all men, and the sanctification without which no one will see the Lord. See to it that no one comes short of the grace of God; that no root of bitterness springing up causes trouble, and by it many be defiled." 

So what about the hurt left over after we forgive? It can cause us to put up our hackles to protect ourselves. We may isolate or revert to passive aggressive behavior or just plain old aggressive behavior. The answer is simple but not easy. first Peter 5:7 says "Cast your cares on Him for he cares for you." God will take the hurt and guilt and leave us free to love. 

As a Christmas gift to yourself and those you love, dig up the "Poison Berries" in your life. It will make for a happier and more peaceful  holiday.

Call for Backup

Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it. 1 Corinthians 12:27

We had a real treat last night. A bluegrass band came to lead worship. There were 2 guitars, 2 banjo's a violin, a double bass and a mandolin. Their music was fantastic and there was a lot of toe tapping and hand clapping. One thing that struck me was that at different points in the music, different instruments would be highlighted. Between verses, for instance, the banjo or the violin would have a solo while the other instruments played backup. On the last song, several of us got to go up and sing Oh Happy Day with the group. It was so much fun.
In the middle of having fun, God taught me a lesson. In our lives there are times when one person's talents are showcased. and other times when everyone works together to achieve a goal.Someone may seem to be receiving more blessings than I am or more honor. Each person has seasons in their lives designed by God. A friend or family member may be in a good season when you are in a difficult one. Success, or lack of it, does not have anything to do with whether we are walking in God's favor.
Here's the thing. I know all of that but there are times and situations when I suddenly revert to a junior High mentality.I feel overlooked and unappreciated. I get really frustrated with myself at these times.
Apparently I am not the only one who has dealt with this issue. Paul dedicates all of 1 Corinthians 12 to explaining to the church in Corinth about How to live as a body.

21 The eye cannot say to the hand, “I don’t need you!” And the head cannot say to the feet, “I don’t need you!” 22 On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, 23 and the parts that we think are less honorable we treat with special honor. And the parts that are unpresentable are treated with special modesty, 24 while our presentable parts need no special treatment. But God has put the body together, giving greater honor to the parts that lacked it, 25 so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. 26 If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.

27 Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it. 28 And God has placed in the church first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healing, of helping, of guidance, and of different kinds of tongues. 29 Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? 30 Do all have gifts of healing? Do all speak in tongues[d]? Do all interpret? 31 Now eagerly desire the greater gifts.

Whether it is your turn to play lead or backup, do it with grace and gratitude, knowing that we are part of a body for a reason.

Water! Water!

When we live Unseen, we sometimes feel exhausted emotionally and spiritually. Read on to see what I learned about where we can get our needs met.

If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water John 4:10

My husbands grandparents were farmers in the Texas Panhandle during the dustbowl.   The depression had caused a drastic drop in the wheat prices and farmers leveled their fields to harvest as much as they could. This destroyed some of the native grasses that held the soil in place. At the same time there was a severe drought and the soil was dry and dusty. The winds would pick up the topsoil and carry it for miles. My mother-in-law described great black clouds rolling across the prairie. The dust got into the houses, and covered the floors. It got into the clean laundry and into the food, and even found its way into the cupboards. I learned that this was one reason people put their glasses upside down in the cupboards. Because the crops and gardens would not grow, many farmers were terribly poor and many lost their farms.. People were dying because of dehydration, malnutrition and starvation. My friend’s mother had 6 children and was eating very little to save all she could for them. She was diagnosed with scurvy and doctors advised her to found people who would be willing to raise her children because she was not expected to live.  While different measures made the situation better the dust bowl did not end until the rains finally came.

While the stories and pictures that remain show us the devastation that can come from a drought, we may not realize the damage that can be done to our hearts and spirit from a spiritual drought. Jesus says in Luke that He is the living water. If we are not connecting to that life giving water, we may be suffering from spiritual dehydration.

Water helps us use the nutrition we get from our food. It helps us eliminate waste. It nourishes the plants we use for food. We need all these things in our spiritual life. We feed on His word, but without his power and his spirit what we read cannot come alive. When I was in my teens, I had memorized pages of scriptures. I recited them every morning. Hiding the word in my heart was good. However when my mother got sick I had a crisis of faith. I realized that unless I let those scriptures come alive in me, they would not help me. I could recite “God is close to the broken hearted”twice a day, but until I accepted it and let it work in me it was not able to do me any good. In Jeremiah 2:13, we read this.

“My people have committed two sins: They have forsaken me, the spring of living water, and have dug their own cisterns, broken cisterns that cannot hold water.

Water is essential for growth. Psalms 1 says this

 Blessed is the one
    who does not walk in step with the wicked
or stand in the way that sinners take
    or sit in the company of mockers,
² but whose delight is in the law of the Lord,
    and who meditates on his law day and night.
³ That person is like a tree planted by streams of water,
    which yields its fruit in season
and whose leaf does not wither—
    whatever they do prospers.

Many of us would love to have this living water but don’t know how to access it. When Jesus was talking to the Samaritan woman at the well, he saw her thirst and need for things of God. John 4:10 says, Jesus told her, “If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.” He makes the same offer to us today. He is ready to give us all that we need but we have to be willing to receive it.

The drought in our spirits can be broken.

Spend time this week in God’s word and with God’s people. Drink deep of the living water that Jesus offers.

Uncharted Waters

Uncharted Waters

When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you. Isaiah 43:2

Set the way back machine to elementary school and recite this poem with me.

In fourteen Hundred and ninety two,
Columbus sailed the ocean blue.
He had three ships and sailed from Spain.
 He sailed through sunshine wind and rain.

OK that’s enough of it. Columbus Day snuck up on me this year, but it got me to thinking. Columbus set out on his famous voyage with ninety sailors trying to find a new route to the West. He had trouble finding support for his journey. Three other countries refused to finance his voyage before he got help from Ferdinand and Isabella. The route he took was literally uncharted waters, so he navigated using the stars. He lost one of his ships along the way and his sailors were close to mutiny. At one time I owned a copy of his ship’s log, and it described the storms and the lack of supplies.  In spite of all these obstacles he was successful.
While it is true that Columbus life and journeys were full of controversy, that is not our point here. Many of us are going through uncharted waters with God right now. In my life, he is taking my ministry to places I never imagined it. He is also taking me back through some of the storms in my life so I can forgive people and get some healing. I am learning to walk out of fear and advocate for my family and for myself. You may be in different waters, such as new life in recovery or a new place in your family or work. You may be in some stormy waters with you health or the health of someone you love. You might be new in the faith or you may have found that there are people who are not supportive. Maybe in the process you have lost some things or people that were important to you. One advantage we have over Columbus is that while he navigated by the stars, our course is set and directed by God, the maker of the stars. He sent Jesus, not just as a sacrifice, but also as a scout to go before us and understand our experience.
Like many people, one of my life verses is Jeremiah 29:11, which reads, “I know the plans I have for you declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope.” A change, even a good one, is scary and uncomfortable. God is in control, though, and He is still on the throne. Whatever new adventure you are on, God is with you.
In Mark Chapter 4, we read this story of Jesus and the disciples
Jesus Calms the Storm
…37Soon a violent windstorm came up, and the waves were breaking over the boat, so that it was being swamped. 38But Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on the cushion. So they woke Him and said, “Teacher, don’t You care that we are perishing?” 39Then Jesus got up and rebuked the wind and the sea. “Silence!” He commanded. “Be still!” And the wind died down, and it was perfectly calm.…”
The disciples were perfectly safe in the storm because Jesus was with them. He is just as much with us today as he was with them. One of the names of Jesus is Emmanuel, which means, “God is with us.” How wonderful that God used this name for Jesus to remind us of the reality.
When Jesus spoke to his disciples in what is sometimes called the Great Commission, he makes this promise. “Lo, I am with you always, even till the end of the age.” Matthew 28:11.
So many verses speak to God’s promise and presence In our lives. I encourage you to spend time looking for other verses and in supporting and loving other people who are also in the storm. Take Jesus at his word. “Peace. Be Still.”

Guest Spot

Welcome our newest guest blogger, Samantha Lapierre. She is a new FaithWorks graduate and has decided to use her talent for God. Both her message and her willingness came at a good time for me. This was a hard week for me and I was glad Samantha was willing and able to take up the slack.  Read on for a  message sure to touch many of us.

On a good day I like to think of myself as a relatively logical person, a practical person.

I like to think my emotions are mostly in check and that I possess some emotional intelligence. But then, the clouds roll in, the sky grows dark.

My smile won't quite reach my eyes. I feel like a fraud, because for all the positive words and good advice I give to others, I am unable to give myself any.

I am again walking in the dark with White Knuckles, increasing anxiety, and thoughts I do not want anyone else to know. 

And I wonder,

Why?!

Why do I want to be alone?

Why do I want to run back to my old ways, like a dog returning to it's vomit.

How is it that I am both grossly aware of all of this and unable to change it?

Then I stop, I take a deep breath and remember what I already know. I remember all of the other times I had been lost in the dark. I remember God's promises.

In doing this, I know that there is a deeper meaning, and there are gifts for me left in these dark places. I have been given these things to carry back into the light.

Isaiah 45:3 says;

I will give you the treasures of darkness, and hidden riches of secret places that you may know that I, the Lord, who called you by your name, Am the God of Israel.

This scripture tells me that there is value in the dark; that our pain can be priceless.

So I googled it. There where numerous sites that all state similar points. How pain makes us enjoy the good times even more. How pain leads to critical information and self-knowledge, how processing emotional pain can reduce fear, lead to a greater capacity for love, compassion and connection, or like my grandma used to say, pain makes you stronger.

These things are all true, yet I wanted to examine what the ultimate search engine says about are suffering. I found quite a bit about it in the Word. 

Jesus had a heart for the for those of us lost in the dark. He broke bread with Beggars and thieves. He sought out men and women called them by other names and brought them into the light into the truth.

When we view our wanderings and our suffering through the Cross, what we see changes. If I look at my life carnally it might kind of suck real bad. I've been molested, raped, a teenage mother, High School Dropout, a drug addict, I lost my sister to Suicide, been to prison... Multiple times. Now I'm off to drugs, but my family is at odds with one another, I'm still broke, no car, my fiance may be headed back to prison. I now have not only my elderly mother to help care for, but my fiance's family as well. It's a lot. I mean A LOT.  However, I do not view my life from that lens anymore. 

What I see now, is a merciful loving father who has delivered me out of the throes of a 10-year IV drug addiction, and from that, he put me in a safe place (prison) until I could heal from all the things what I went through when I was younger and vulnerable and defenseless. Which really meant I had to surrender. He loved me until I could love myself, he waited patiently while I learned to let go of all of the guilt, shame, and self condemnation. He put people in my life everywhere I went, from the very beginning, that have poured into me. People who have believed in me and carried me when I couldn't carry myself. When I examine my treasures I am overwhelmed.

Before I came to know Christ, I lived inside the fear of not having enough. The law of scarcity ruled. The Treasure of that particular Darkness is that now I know that I am part of the Kingdom of Heaven. What do I need to fear? When I allow the knowledge of this to dictate how I live my life, I can live My Kingdom Life, With open Hands and an open heart. That is living in surrender that allows the Holy Spirit to take the Throne of my heart. I see a connection between Isaiah 45: 3 and the Beatitudes. In poverty we find the richness of His Spirit.  We find that we are the sons and the daughters of the most high King. We find that when the darkest nights of loss and mourning strike we can take them to the Cross, where His love can engulf us and fill us with peace that we don't understand, that is beyond our understanding.  

I want to encourage you. I have noticed that many of my closest friends and even myself have all been going through some really heavy stuff. I know that we carry a lot. Sometimes, it's difficult to comprehend how it is we just lay it all down and let go. No one would hurt and struggle if they knew how to be free. I believe that is why God created us to be in community. To help one another search for our prized jewels while we wander around in the dark. So shout out. Reach out. God will never leave you alone. We are His body. And we are reaching for you.

Daddy

I have been reading this week about the orphan trains. They ran from 1854 to 1927 and helped homeless and orphaned children from the cities such as New York City and Chicago. The children were put on trains and taken west. Along the way, they stopped and people that were interested in adopting a child met the trains. Many couples wanted a boy to work the farm or a girl to help in the house. They were placed for free and the parents were expected to treat the child like one of their own family. They were expected to give the children food, clothing and schooling, and $100 on their 21^st birthday. In some cases this was a great arrangement for both the parents and the children, but sometimes the children had their physical needs met, but no sense of love and care.

In contrast I was watching the babies that around me at church this week. One little boy was on the platform with his dad. He snuggled into his shoulder. He mugged to the worship team behind them and he tried his best to burrow into his dad’s chest. He was completely at ease in a church he had never been in before. A little girl was standing in front of the seats and started crying. She climbed up in her mother’s lap and put her head down on mom’s shoulder. Then she turned around and leaned back against her mom’s chest as mom rocked her back and forth. Pretty soon, her tears were forgotten and she was laughing.

hve been the young mom and I know that babies challenge us on our most patient days, but Jesus tells us to be like little children. A friend prayed for me this week that I would see God not just as Father, but as Daddy. God as Father is my provider but is very concerned with how I behave. God as Daddy is someone I can burrow into and rest on for the sheer joy of being with Him. God as Father is God who paid the price for my sins. God as Daddy is God who sees my hurts and my victories. I can come running to him when I am crying and he comforts me and sings over me.

I am not as familiar with God as Daddy, but I want to be. I watched my mother when she was sick cry to that God and tell him how she loved him. She told him that she would love to stay with us and watch the baby grow up, but if he wanted her to come home, that was fine too.

Romans 8:15 tells us “The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, "Abba, Father.” I learned that Abba is the term that Jewish children use for their Daddies.

1 John 3:1 tells us more about this relationship. See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him.

Children stand to inherit from their fathers and we are told that we have this honor. Now if we are children, then we are heirs--heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory. Romans 8:17.

So many other verses tell us about our adoption by God, but let these whet your appetite to learn more about this Abba Father.

Get down

Get Down!

Do not rejoice over me, my enemy for though I fall I will rise again. Though I sit in darkness, the lord will be my light. Micah 7:8

Ok, boys and girls, its story time. Our story today is Mike Mulligan and his Steam Shovel by Virginia Lee Burton. Mike Mulligan owned a steam shovel, who he called Mary Anne. They were very good diggers and loved what they did.  When the diesel shovels and gasoline shovels came along they got most of the jobs. This made Mike and Mary Anne sad. One day they learned that a town needed a new town hall and told the mayor that they could dig the basement for the town hall in one day. The mayor agreed to let them try but said that if they did not finish it in one day, they would not get paid. Mike and Mary Anne were on the job early and started to dig. One little boy came and watched and they dug faster and better. Then more people came and watched.  The more people who watched the faster and better they dug. Just as the sun went down they finished the last corner of the basement. Everyone cheered, until they realized that they had not left a way to get out.  In the end they built the building over the top of them. Mike became the janitor and Mary Anne the heater.

Today I feel like Mike Mulligan. I feel down. I am in some battles today and some of them I don’t feel like I’m winning.  I feel like I have been so busy, even if it is busy doing good things, that I have dug myself in a hole and not left a way out. I want to get out but I’m not sure how to do it. I also have voices from my past telling me I deserve to be down and should just stay there. You may be down for a different reason than I am. Maybe you are struggling to climb out of addiction. You have plenty of people telling you that you are in a hole, but you know that. Maybe you have life crashing in on you and don’t feel like you can take another step up. You have plenty of people telling you what you need to do to climb out of the hole, but you can’t seem to do it.

First we have to watch our thoughts. To stave off the voices like the ones I am hearing we have to “take every thought captive to the obedience of Christ. (2 Corinthians 10:5) Paul says this in Philippians 4: 8 Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.”

Second, we cannot get out of the hole alone. In Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 we read Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. ... But woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up! ... And though a man might prevail against one who is alone, two will withstand him—a threefold cord is not quickly broken.”

Finally, not only do we have to rely on our brothers and sisters, we have to rely on God. We are sometimes afraid that God is mad at us or ashamed of us because we are down. Scripture tells us that he is for us and not against us. (Romans 8:31) Micah 7:8 is one of my life verses. It reads “Do not rejoice over me, my enemy for though I fall I will rise again. Though I sit in darkness, the lord will be my light.” (Micah 7:8)

Don’t be ashamed to get down, but don’t stay there when you don’t have to. Put on your armor and fight against negative voices. Accept help and comfort from Christian friends, and from your Father who loves you enough that He sent his son, Jesus, to come down for you.

Aopted

Adopted

We have been called the children of God for that is what we are.

When my mother in law was growing up,  her grandparents ran a grocery store in a small town in Oklahoma. She loved to spend time there after school. She wanted to help out and tried to write tickets, but that was not her strong point. They had to be written out by hand and added up by hand. Someone else had to rewrite them to recover from her help. She loved being at the store and to this day she comes alive when she talks about it. If she wanted a snack after school, she could help her self to big slices of meat and cheese from the deli.She loved the bottles of cold chocolate milk that they sold, and got upset when anyone else had the gall to buy one of "her" chocolate milks. She could also get ice cold cokes out of the cooler filled with ice.  Next door to the grocery store was a jewelry store. She went in one day after school and picked out a ring. She told the lady at the counter to charge it to Lumpkin's Grocery store.  Her mother was not impressed with her initiative and she had to take the ring back.

While her mother didn't approve of her actions, I love the heart behind what she did. No one else had the position that she did because no one else had the relationship. She was the only one that could get snacks from the store without paying. She was the only one who could even dream of charging something to the store. She could do it because of her status as part of the family..

As children of God, we are sometimes hesitant to ask God for what we need. The most common reasons I have heard or used are these.

1 God is too busy. He has a whole universe to run.
A variation of this that I have used is, "Bob's problem is much bigger than mine. I won't bother him with mine."

2 We are not worthy. As soon as we get it together we will talk to God about what we need. My variation on this theme was to make sure I have all the reasons I need and/or deserve the help or blessing. Somehow I decided that this was the best way to convince my dad to help me and it has carried over into every relationship with authority, including my relationship with God.

3.  We can handle it ourselves. Great idea, right? We are so capable of handling our lives on our own.

What if my mother in law had used these reactions with her grandparents? What if she came into the store and saw someone buying a full basket of groceries and said, "Tom needs a lot of food so I better not get a chocolate milk today." She was secure in her ability to get what she needed and in the source of what she needed. Imagine her coming in from school and saying to her granddad, "I need a snack and I should be able to get one because my homework is done, I didn't spill anything on my dress and my hair is nice and  neat." Can you picture her coming in at 11 years old and going to the kitchen to cook a meal by herself rather than accept what was readily available for her in the store. 

We have no need of any of these responses with God. He has invited us to "come boldly before the throne of grace that we may find mercy and grace to help us in our time of need."(Hebrews 4:16)  1 John 3:1 tells us , "See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. Romans 8:23 says we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption to sonship, the redemption of our bodies. For in this hope we were saved. 

This week let us "ponder these things in our hearts"  Let it sink into our spirits who we are as children of God and live up to that this week.

Help Me

Help Me

Bear one another’s burdens and so fulfill the law of Christ. Galatians 6:2

Jesus was preaching to a full house. Literally. People were packed in so tight that no one was able to get through the door There were people who needed to get through the door 4 friends were carrying their friend on a stretcher. The man was paralyzed and they knew if they could get him to Jesus he could be healed. Lesser men might have given up when they saw the blocked door, but what these friends did has earned them a place in scripture. They picked up the stretcher and climbed the stairs to the roof. They dug a hole through the mud roof and lowered the stretcher down into the room on ropes. Imagine you were there that day. You were listening to Jesus and here scratching overhead. Then dust starts to drift down on your head. You see sunlight shining into the room followed by a man on a stretcher, his twisted body quivering with excitement. You hear the murmurs of irritation around you and see Jesus silence them with a look. He looks up at the four friends and "saw their faith." Then He looks at the man on the stretcher and says the last thing they were expecting. "Son, your sins are forgiven." The murmurs start again. "No one can forgive sins except God.." Jesus says to them, Which is easier? To say your sins are forgiven or to say take up your bed an walk".  But I want you to know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.” So he said to the man,  “I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home.” He got up, took his mat and walked out in full view of them all. This amazed everyone and they praised God, saying, “We have never seen anything like this!”

Many of us, are paralyzed. Not paralyzed physically, but paralyzed by fear, guilt, shame or bondage to addiction of some type. We know that Jesus can heal us and help us, but we can't seem to get there. Maybe it's because we don't feel worthy or because we are just too beaten down to try. Fortunately, we are part of a body. Hopefully you have friends you can lean on like the paralyzed man did. I am grateful for my friends who can do lift me up when I can't do it on my own. It is hard to accept their help sometimes. I was taught to rely on myself and I feel as vulnerable as the paralyzed man did being lowered through the roof. Sometimes it's easier to be the friend on the roof than the person needing help. We need to accept help when we need it so we can give it when someone else needs it.

Galatians 6 talks about this giving and receiving.

Brothers,[a] if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted. 2 Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. 3 For if anyone thinks he is something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself. 4 But let each one test his own work, and then his reason to boast will be in himself alone and not in his neighbor. 5 For each will have to bear his own load.

We may also resist going to Jesus for help. I  was asking for prayer for doubt once an I was told that I did not doubt that God would do what I was asking. I was afraid that he wouldn't do it for me. One of my life verses is Zephanaiah 3:17
’The Lord your God is with you,
    the Mighty Warrior who saves.
He will take great delight in you;
    in his love he will no longer rebuke you,
    but will rejoice over you with singing.’

We know where to go for help and we know how to get there. Take heart and take help. 

I Surrender

Welcome to Unseen today. We are blessed to have a guest blogger today. Cherita Milner is my new friend and fellow writer. Read on to see what God has to say to us about surrendering our wills and our struggles.

I Surrender

 

Genesis 25 – 32 (Jacob’s story)

 

For the last couple of years God has really been peeling off the layers of my shell to bring me to the place of complete brokenness aka surrender.  This process has been on-going for me and sometimes hard… Every time I think Lord this is it, He reveals more.  A couple of years ago he gave me a picture of an onion.  I was the onion and He was peeling off all the layers to get to the sweet core.  Most of this peeling and pruning season of my life has been through circumstances.  Circumstances with my job (which I thought was my security), finances, relationships (friends, siblings, husband, parents), ministry, and numerous moves (due to military)--- lol to name a few. Well here I am again in the process and I hear the Lord say surrender!!!

 

Surrender is difficult because it requires me to give up control of my desires, ideas, and plans for my life and relinquish it over to God and say “Lord I trust you” (His desires and plans for my life).  Well can I be honest?  At times I struggle with this because in the back of my mind I wonder, will God’s way be what’s best for me?  Of course it will, I answer myself (lol), but it’s still that fear of the unknown lingering around that tries to get me to doubt or me being impatient  in the waiting…. And Sometimes God’s desires and plans for me are contrary to what I wanted them to be.. Why? Because like a parent, He knows what’s best for me. 

 

Two things I’ve been going back to the basics on is: 1. Who is God? 2. Who am I in the Lord? See fear from my past has caused me to question God’s goodness.  Fear has caused me to be afraid of failure, men, the unknown, and lack.  It has caused me to believe that I have to look out for myself, so I’ve created my own habits, tactics, ways to go after what I feel I should have.  Am I saying God doesn’t use the things of the world i.e. degrees, training, people we know, gifts, etc.? No I’m not saying that but it is dangerous (I’m finding from experience) to put my faith in my tactics to bring about what I feel I am entitled to.  

 

There is a story in the Bible of a man who I can totally relate to in this area.  I’ve been meditating on his story as God has been showing me He loves me and I can totally surrender all to Him because of His love.  The man I am thinking of is Jacob.  Jacob’s story is told in Genesis 25 – 37; but the account I will give in my own words begins at the end of Genesis 25 – 32.  

 

Jacob was Esau’s twin brother.  They were the children of Isaac and Rachel.  While Rachel was pregnant, she wondered why she was uncomfortable during her pregnancy. Rachel was told by God that the children were fighting in her womb (and would spend their whole life doing so).  God also told her the older brother would serve the younger brother.  Fast forward some years, Jacob must have known it because all their lives it appeared he was deceptive in receiving Esau’s blessing.  Finally, the time had come for Jacob to make his move.  Isaac was sick and Jacob pretended to be Esau and prepare his father a meal.  When he took his father the meal, his father gave him Esau’s blessing.  Due to the deception, Jacob had to run and hide because Esau wanted to kill him for what he had done.  Jacob went to live with his uncle were he married his cousins and had children.  God appeared to Jacob and told him to return to his father’s house.  Jacob was still afraid of what his brother might do to him.  Jacob obeyed God’s command to go but he devised a plan to deceive and manipulate his brother in case his brother wanted to kill him.  See although God Jacob to go he was still up to his old ways in protecting himself (boy can I relate).

 

After Jacob was alone and on his way to the place God had told him to go, Jacob had an encounter with the Lord (actually the bible says angel of the Lord – this is a debate on rather it was an angel or God).  Whatever point of view we know it was supernatural.  Scripture states Jacob wrestled with the angel all night (can you imagine?) and then the angel hurt his hip so he could stop fighting.  Jacob still didn’t stop fighting and told the angel he wouldn’t let go until he blessed him. 

 

                First off I would like to point out how exhausted Jacob must had been wrestling/fighting with a supernatural being all night?  On top of being hurt fighting… I mean  this shows us his desperation for a blessing. Though I say this oh how I am there in my life… Fighting and wrestling with surrendering to God.  How He is calling me to a place where there is something more but I still have to have my input, my say…

 

                Secondly, Jacob told the angel he wouldn’t let go until the angel blessed him.  Jacob must have been looking for something so great that he was fighting for it.  Man, I can relate to this too… screaming, waiting, fighting for what I feel should be mine.  But what exactly should be mine?  What exactly should have been Jacob’s?  I mean didn’t God just tell him to go back to his father’s house so the Lord could bless him and be with him?  Basically Jacob was going back to get what God had already ordained for him to have when he was in his mother’s womb … How much more did Jacob want.  Scripture doesn’t tell us but I believe he wanted the conflict with his brother to be resolved; that was his fear that stood in his way of his blessing right? So he thought.  So many times I look at my circumstances and think God should bless me a certain way.  The blessing I may be looking for my not be the one that God intended to give me.  

 

Scripture states that after fighting all night the angel asked Jacob his name (as if he didn’t already know).  Jacob told him his name and the angel changed it from Jacob (meaning heel grabber) always trying to fight and deceive to get his way to Israel,  because he had overcome struggling with God and man.  Wow, do you get this? We are the same way , once we have surrendered to accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior we have been given a new name, 2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! We are no longer the old man; doing things the way we use to.  We are now a new creation in God totally surrendered to the new nature. Jacob only changed when he was fully convinced that he was a new man..

 

Where are you in this story?  What part of Jacob’s life struggle/victory speak to you?

 

1.       Are you using your old ways, tactics, perceptions, habits, etc. to get what you think you should have? Or maybe you are confident God wants you to have it and like Jacob you use your old ways to obtain it instead of surrendering and allowing God to do it His way.  Maybe you think you can handle your finances, relationships, career, rebellious children, diet, exercise new location, etc...

 

2.       Maybe you are not in the first category… Maybe you are just fighting with God and taking your stance that it is your life.  Or maybe you have been so hurt in the past that you have told God I will not surrender this part of my life.  I will not forgive, walk in love, love my enemies, etc.

 

3.       Or maybe you have surrendered but are struggling to walk out the new life God has given us.  I mean what do you do in the waiting? What does the new man look like? How do we get rid of our old habits?

 

Right now I believe God is waiting to meet us face to face in the struggle (like He did with Jacob).  He is waiting for us to run to Him and tell Him our story and reason from wanting to surrender.  He already knows but He wants to hear our pain, frustration, discouragement, lack of faith, fear, worry, and despair.  This is surrender.  This is running to our father and saying Lord my ways aren’t working. I’m tired… Being tired is surrender and one step closer to change.  Lord help us today & give each of us a fresh revelation of what surrender looks like in each of our lives.  Show us your truth in who we are and that you love us despite our faults and failures.  

Moving on up

Moving is a huge pain I am always appalled at the amount of stuff I’ve accumulated every time I move. I always start sorting and packing being very organized. I put like things in each box and carefully and clearly label it Before long, though, I have 15 boxes of miscellaneous. The only thing worse than moving is moving into a place that is upstairs. It is not too bad at first., but ever trip up the stairs gets a little harder. Your arms, legs and back ace\he and you’re short of breath. You’re probably also short of temper. but maybe that’s just me. By the time you get the furniture muscled up the stairs and maneuvered into the house you wonder just how bad it would be to sleep on the floor. I usually reach a point where I say, “ If its not moved in now, its not coming.”

For many of us, God is in the process of moving us to a higher place. It may be a higher place of faith and relationship with him. It may be a higher lace of favor in work or ministry or a new level of recovery or restoration with people you love. What are you dragging behind you as you climb? What is making your heart beat faster with fear or your breath catch with memories of past regrets?What words were spoken over you that slows your spiritual steps with self doubt. What baggage do you need to leave at the bottom of the stairs?

Paul tells us that life is a journey with a prize at the end. In Phillipians 3:12-15 he says " I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus."  Hebrews 11:10 is clear that we are  not home yet. We read, "For here we do not have a permanent city, but we are looking for the city that is to come."

This is not our home, but we are not alone. The writer of Hebrews encourages us "Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us."

May we have the courage this week to look forward as we are moving up and leave things at the bottom of the stairs that will not help us when we get there.

Cracked Pots

Cracked Pots

Jeremiah 18:6
O house of Israel, cannot I do with you as this potter? saith the LORD. Behold, as the clay is in the potter's hand, so are ye in mine hand, O house of Israel.



 My friend was telling me about  a type of art that makes the most of flaws rather than hiding them. It is called kintsugi. If a piece of pottery is broken, many people simply throw it out. Others may try to glue it, but it hardly ever looks as good and will probably not hold water. The Japanese have a different approach. They put the broken pieces together and instead of glue, they seal them with molten bronze, silver, or gold. This process celebrates the broken pieces. Rather than pretended that the piece is not flawed, the artist uses the cracks as a framework for the beauty. Not only are  the pieces more beautiful, they are actually stronger than they were to begin with. They are also much more valuable.


If we are alive, we are broken. Life is hard and knocks us around. We try hard to fix ourselves or at least look like we are fixed. Unfortunately are methods are not effective, whether we use denial, substances or bluster. God never meant for us to deal with brokenness ourselves. We need only look as far as Adam and Eve who sewed fig leaves together to cover their nakedness. God took the life of an animal and made coverings for them. He will do the same for us. Look at the promises he has made to us. .


He gives me beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness. Isaiah 61:3.


Therefore I will most gladly boast of my weakness for when I am weak then I am strong. 2 Corinthians 12:10.

 God demonstrate his own love for us in that while we were yet sinners Christ dies for us. Romans 5:8


When we let God heal our brokenness, it becomes a testimony to his grace and goodness. our wounds become beautiful to him and we are stronger in the broken places. We can be a living testimony to what he can do for others. Turn your broken places over to God and let him use them for his glory.

One Another

One another

Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God through Christ has forgiven you. Ephesians 4:32

At church a couple of weeks ago we were talking about our animals and how much better they make our lives. We were talking about the difference between dogs and cats, including the joke that dogs have owners and cats have staff. Our friend said that he had a cat that had crawled up on the kitchen table and gone to sleep. The cat was sprawled out and looking very contented. The cat knew the table was off limits and when our friend walked by the table he swatted the cat. It hit the wall and slid down, almost cartoon-like. Annoyed at being awakened this way, the cat glared at our friend. Sizing him up, he decided that this was a bigger adversary than he wanted to tackle. He sauntered down the hall with his tail twitching until he found the chihuahua, who was smaller than he was. The dog was sleeping and the cat clawed  him. Poor dog never knew what hit him.

We tend to react the same way when life strikes out at us. Even when we know that danger or irritation comes from one direction we lash out in a different direction. For example my family and i had some people staying with us and it was very difficult.The stress of too many people in a small environment meant that tempers ran high. Unfortunately when we were irritated with our "company", we didn't want to offend him and instead took our frustrations our on each other. Working at a job where the supervisor is difficult can cause us to snipe at our co-workers. Worse than that, pain that is caused by dealing with life or by attacks from the enemy we can turn on each other.

 The most important thing we need to remember is that we learn in Ephesians 6 that  our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms."Ephesians 6 12. Let's not be like the kitty. God has given us instructions on how to treat one another. Here are some of them.

Love on another as I have loved you. John 13:3

Be devoted to one another in brotherly love, and honor one anther above yourselves. Romans 12:6

Accept one another just as Christ accepted you. Romans 15:7

Be completely humble and gentle; Be patient, bearing with one another in love. Ephesians 4:2

Encourage one another and build one another up. 1 Thessalonians 5:11.

These guidelines will help us to treat each other right. One thing that will help even more is this verse that I will leave you with. If we are secure in the knowledge of God's Presence in our lives we can be less easily swayed by the attacks in our lives.

Psalms 139 

You hem me in behind and before,
    and you lay your hand upon me.
6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me,
    too lofty for me to attain.

7 Where can I go from your Spirit?
    Where can I flee from your presence?
8 If I go up to the heavens, you are there;
    if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.
9 If I rise on the wings of the dawn,
    if I settle on the far side of the sea,
10 even there your hand will guide me,
    your right hand will hold me fast.
11 If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me
    and the light become night around me,”
12 even the darkness will not be dark to you;
    the night will shine like the day,
    for darkness is as light to you.

13 For you created my inmost being;
    you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
14 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
    your works are wonderful,
    I know that full well.