Tag Archive: difficulties

I Saw God Last Weekend (Again)

Written on July 24, 2012 by in Lagniappe

 “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink?  When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you?  When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’

“The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me’ (Matt 25: 37-40 NIV).

My first writer’s conference! I was so nervous!! I had my first headshot on my business cards, my first book proposal in my carry-on, and in my suitcase was my first “pant-suit”.  They told us to dress “business casual” and that “pants would be great.”  Being the rule follower I am, I went out and bought two new pairs of pants and an honest-to-goodness blazer from Target for this trip.  Normally I wear skirts and dresses – I dread “jeans season” and rarely wear “pants”.  Such is the life of a homeschool mom.  Maybe it’s just me, but I think that jeans season is worse than bathing suit season!

And I do realize that suggestions are not rules, yet I usually feel compelled to follow them, or at least consider them.  That’s probably another post altogether.  Still, recently I realized that I need to be open to thinking about things differently – open to saying “yes” more often, and “no” less often.  For this trip, I decided to take all the advice I could get.  My husband might say that this was another first for me!  So, as you see, this was a bunch of firsts, all at once.  It was like a Seinfeld moment: the one where George Constanza tried to do everything the opposite from what he would normally do (I know I am dating myself here)…sometimes though, it is good to step out and embrace change.

God is a God of change.  He does not change (Heb 13:8; Mal 3:6; Jam 1:17); but He wants us to change, for the better.  Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect (Rom 12:2 NLT).  I always struggled with how to do this.  How can a leopard change its spots?  How can a worrier have peace?  How can a type A trust the Lord to get the job done?  How can a selfish woman learn to serve others joyfully?  Well, it comes in 2 steps, and this happens to be the premise of the aforementioned book proposal…

First, we must listen to God’s voice – He speaks to us through His Word.  God’s Word is a change agent: For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart (Heb 4:12 ESV).  You can read more about the power of the Word here, in a post I wrote earlier.  Second, you have to do things God’s way (which you learn from His Word): be doers of the word, and not hearers only (Jam 1:22 ESV).  It is in the hearing and the doing of God’s Word that He changes our hearts; as we obey His Word, we are conformed to His image.

I am sure that, at some time, you must have heard someone say, “Don’t pray for patience!”  The best way to learn something is to experience it.  To be patient, you must endure frustration in peace.  So asking for patience is like asking for frustration.  But in the end, God is more concerned with our spiritual health than our earthly happiness.  He will allow us to endure much more than frustration in order to grow us into the people He made us to be.  There is a lesson in everything – God was the first conservationist – He does not waste anything.  I saw this on my trip to North Carolina over the weekend.

On the first leg of my journey to the Proverbs 31 Ministries SheSpeaks Conference, I was seated by a large man in his late 50′s.  Picture an older Troy Aikman.  This mountain of a man engulfed the seat next to me on the tiny commuter plane and we sat across the aisle from his wife.  His wife was next to a frail, elderly woman who was looking out the window.  His wife was hunched over, arm around her mother, her face animated as she pointed out the window and quietly narrated the activity she saw on the tarmac. “We are on our way to a family reunion,” he confided. “Her mother isn’t ‘right’ anymore, and can’t remember much from day to day. It frustrates her so much.  But she remembers the ‘old days’ like they were yesterday.  Next week, she won’t even remember us taking her to the reunion.  But when we get there, she will see all the people who live in her memories.  For a few days, she will be very happy because everything will feel right again.”

I was uncharacteristically speechless for a bit, while the lump in my throat dissolved.  What unconditional love.  What sacrifice.  The tenderness shown by a daughter to her mother…the support shown by a husband to his wife… He went on to detail the difficulties of their life: trying to get his father-in-law to quit driving, trying to get them to let a housekeeper into their lives… But he was not complaining.  That was the miraculous part.  He was just describing his journey.

I see God everyday in my life.  I see Him in His Word and in His creation and in His blessings.  But what I have realized is that to see God in His people, sometimes it takes the hard things.  God is wise.  He knows us so well.  He knows the best path to growth is often the most difficult.  When we care for others – whether they are babies or old people or sick spouses or neighbors – we must set aside our own comfort and do what is best for someone else.  In fact this is what is best for us too; it helps us to be more like Jesus, who did the same thing.  Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing. (James 1:2-4 NLT). When we encounter difficulties, we may need to reframe them so that we see the exercise in them, the opportunity in them.  The journey toward a Christlike life can be painfully slow and full of hurdles…but the hurdles are the journey, rather than the inconvenience they seem to be.  The man on the plane and his wife were a display of Christlike service, not in spite of the circumstances, but because of them.

justAgirl…just like you.

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Sons of Encouragement: The Warrior

Written on March 16, 2012 by in Book Club!

Caleb.  I liked him from the very beginning of her story.  He was the outsider.  He was a slave.  He observed the plagues in Egypt and he saw an awesome God in them.  So he believed.  Once he believed, he never looked back.  He just couldn’t.  Not after all he had seen.  He was the one to lead the charge.  He was “all in”.  He was Joshua’s biggest advocate.  He could not look away when wrong was done.  I know this story by heart.  My heart.

The desert is hot and dry.  But mostly it is discouraging in its expanse and in its monotony of sameness.  Mean sun beating down burns through the hope.  Day after day…the struggle to wade through the wilderness.  Sand-walking makes for progress so slow that it feels like going nowhere.  They were going nowhere because their destination was not a place, but a time, 40 years.

The never “getting there” was Caleb’s whole life.  It seemed like forever before he would gain their acceptance, before he could get there.  Even after that, he couldn’t sway the people to see God’s power.  He and Joshua saw what God could do for them, the others saw what men could do to them.  The other voices were louder and birthed a fear and a disbelief that ripped the Promise right from the children of Israel.  No, they would not enter His rest.  They had looked the Promise in the eye and turned away.  Instead, they would wander and plod along, 40 years.  40 years of walking in sand and getting nowhere.  They would die and be buried, but the march would go on.  Only two who had seen Egypt would taste the milk and honey – Joshua and Caleb. They had believed God’s Word.  They trusted that His Promise was true and that He would make good on it.  In spite of the odds against them, they knew that God is the one who decides.  And yet even when Joshua and Caleb finally got “there”, they did not completely enter a rest.  Rather, it was a struggle they entered.  First to fight the inhabitants of the land, “For the Lord!”  Then to fight the disobedience and waywardness of their own people.  It was another kind of wilderness.

The new wilderness of war and of falling away was more discouraging than the desert had been.  In the desert they had come to depend on the Lord.  Those who did not obey or believe were weeded out along the way.  Some fell by plagues, some by stoning, some by fire and some were swallowed up by the Earth.  And the others walked a long death march.  Those who remained had learned to depend on God for everything.  Just before they entered the Promised Land, Moses declared, “He humbled you, allowed you to hunger, and fed you with manna which you did not know nor did your fathers know, that He might make you know that man shall not live by bread alone; but man lives by every word that proceeds from the mouth of the Lord”. Deut 8:3.

Francine Rivers draws a picture of what it was like to follow closely after the pillar of cloud and fire.

Everyone worked and prepared with practiced precision.  The years in the wilderness, of watching the cloud rise up, move, and settle, had trained the people to move quickly when so commanded  p. 225

That sort of obedience is the result of true submission.  It comes when your pride has been stripped and your will has been broken.  And day after day you have no other choice but to yield.  This desert is hot and dry.  Mean sun beating down wears me out.  Day after day…the struggle to wade through this wilderness.  Sand-walking makes for progress so slow that it feels like going nowhere.  But this is a training ground.  And on this Earth, whatever looks like the Promise to me will still require the same discipline as the wilderness demands.  That He might make [me] know that man shall not live by bread alone; but man lives by every word that proceeds from the mouth of the Lord”. Deut 8:3.

justAgirl…just like you

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Journey to Joy: Week 8 Day 3

Written on December 21, 2011 by in Journey to Joy

We are exploring the importance of gratitude to our work of cultivating a joyful heart.  So far this week we have discussed accepting all of God’s choices for us as ultimately good (Monday) and the destructive nature of complaining (Tuesday).  Today Lorraine Hill is talking specifically about being thankful for God’s blessings.  In 1994, my husband and I had a very small wedding and moved into an apartment with hand-me down furniture.  We had one good car and one bad one.  Then, while we put ourselves through professional schools, we earned our degrees and a good bit of debt at the same time.  Back then when our second-hand washer broke down, my parents bought our new one – we simply did not have the money.  Every set back was a crisis.  It took us many years to get out of debt and implement our savings plan.  All along the way, we have seen God’s Hand providing constantly for our needs.  This period of financial instability will keep me forever grateful for the roof over our heads, our full pantry, money in the bank, cars that work and so much more.  Additionally, during our marriage, we have been separated by military deployments, had five moves and two children, experienced serious health crises and had many, many “opportunities for spiritual growth”  (i. e trials and tribulations!)…more training in gratitude.  The times of being a have-not in these categories has helped me develop a real appreciation for the fulfillment of these needs.  I look at our life now and see so many things to be thankful for, that I literally cannot list them all (per yesterday’s self-disclosure…I do occasionally struggle with complaining but it only takes a moment of counting blessings to relieve me of that burden).

So I feel very grateful for God’s provision of our many needs, but I have realized that the deepest need met by God has not been physical or financial (though there are not enough words to express my appreciation for these things).  Hands down, the greatest gift God has given me is His fellowship – the opportunity to know, and love, and belong to Him.  He is the Creator of the Universe who yet has formed my inward parts; [and] knitted me together in my mother’s womb (Ps 139:13).  He is the faithful Father who has never given up on me, even when I have behaved as The Lost Son did, who, when he came to his senses, said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have food to spare, and here I am starving to death!  I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired servants.’  So he got up and went to his father.  But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him (Luke 15:17-20).  God sacrificed His only Son to redeem that which would otherwise be lost – me and you!  Jesus was pierced for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on Him, and by His wounds we are healed (Is 53:5).  He is the Friend that sticks closer than a brother (Prov 18:24).  The Father is a constant gardener – He is not willing to let us languish in our sin.  He cuts off every branch…that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit He prunes so that it will be even more fruitful (John 15:1).  He has promised that we will not be alone.  The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged (Deut 31:8).  And Jesus promised, “I am with you always, to the very end of the age” (Matt 28:20).  Jesus has promised us peace and has told us we have no need to fear.  Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid (John 14:27).  He has given our lives purpose! For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them (Eph 2:10).  He will always protect us  and He has said, “Because he holds fast to me in love, I will deliver him; I will protect him, because he knows my name.  When he calls to me, I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will rescue him and honor him. With long life I will satisfy him and show him my salvation (Ps 91:14-16).  

Praise the LORD, my soul; all my inmost being, praise His holy name. 
Praise the LORD, my soul, and forget not all His benefits— 
Who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, 
Who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion, 
Who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s (Ps 103:1-5).

God created us to be grateful creatures.  It is when we give thanks, that our hearts can sing.  Ungratefulness leads us down to the pit.  So today, revel in His creation (the birds in the backyard), enjoy your relationships (hug someone special to you), and dwell on the thought that the LORD makes firm the steps of the one who delights in Him; though he may stumble, he will not fall, for the LORD upholds him with His hand (Ps 37:23-24). Thank you Lord for everything!

JustaGirl…just like you

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Journey to Joy: Week 7 Day 4

Written on December 15, 2011 by in Journey to Joy

All week we have been dwelling on trials…and, in the interest of full disclosure, I must admit the actual day to day trials were starting to steal my joy – not the way to go if you are journeying toward Reclaiming Your Joy!  So, in this post, I want to concentrate on up-side of difficulties.  This is the reward of Christian living; it is sort of the “how” of: we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose (Rom 8:28).

Lorraine Hill writes about rejoicing during trials…

  1. We rejoice because trials prove our relationship to the Lord.
  2. We rejoice because we know that trials develop our character.
  3. We also rejoice because we know that God is always with us no matter what we endure.
  4. We rejoice because trials enable us to know God more fully.
  5. We rejoice because we know that our trials will provide an eternal harvest for us.

Yesterday was hard for me.  I overindulged – in my feelings.  As the day wore on, I began to struggle because, what started as a small thought creeping in, threatened to overwhelm me.  Thank the Lord for Paula.  I have a wonderful sister in Christ and we confide in each other and encourage one another and speak hard truths when necessary.  We live miles and miles apart, but hold each other close in our hearts. She is like a stream in the desert to me.  God provides for me so well when I am thirsty.  She is not the only one.  My mom is too.  And Dawn and Amy and Denine – your comments have come when I have been discouraged and spurred me on…and this morning, I had a wonderful email from Lorraine Hill, the author of our book – what an amazing encouragement from the LORD!  Whenever I am weary and begin to feel lost in the wilderness, God refreshes me.  I see Him with me.  I have learned most about His goodness from my difficult times and, because of that, I know He is working in my life and that everything is going according to plan (not mine, but His).  This brings me joy and reminds me to have an eternal perspective rather than a temporal one!  Yet God still provides me for me in this temporal life, because He knows when I am crushed, and will not let me stay there.

 But now, this is what the LORD says…
“Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine. 
When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; 
and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. 
When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze..

“Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. 
See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? 
I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.  (Is 43:1-3, 18-19).

Who or what are your streams in the desert?  Here is one for today… just remember who the LORD is: Because of the LORD’s great love we are not consumed, for His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness (Lam 3:22-23).

JustaGirl…just like you

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Journey to Joy: Week 7 Day 2

Written on December 13, 2011 by in Journey to Joy

Those who sow in tears shall reap with shouts of joy!  He who goes out weeping,bearing the seed for sowing, shall come home with shouts of joy, bringing his sheaves with him. Psalm 126:5-6

What a beautiful promise!  We are so loved by God that even our sorrow is counted as precious.  I think it important to note here that this promise, of reaping joy from our sorrows, would require something important from us – the right attitude.  We must have an attitude of trusting God and we must have teachable hearts.  We must enter into trials with the same attitude of as Christ, who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, He made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled himself by becoming obedient to death— even death on a cross! (Phil 2:6-8).  Because, if we enter into trials grudgingly or dragging our heels, we cannot benefit from the lesson God has for us and we can’t bring glory to Him.  My mother says, “Don’t waste the pain.”  

My mother has always been such an encouragement to me.  She always has a scripture to give me for any situation that troubles me.  She taught me that God’s Word is to be the structure upon which my life is built – connecting all of the disparate parts together (life events, feelings, lessons learned), connecting me to others, and connecting me to God.  She is a humble person who just wants to be used by God in His kingdom – and she is!  Today she is having the port placed for her chemo and we prayed together over the phone right before the procedure.   I shared with her some scriptures that God was using to minister to me and the kids today and realized that He had shown them to me this morning so I could share them with her – amazing!

 For you formed my inward parts;
   you knitted me together in my mother’s womb.
I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works;
   my soul knows it very well.
My frame was not hidden from you,when I was being made in secret,
   intricately woven in the depths of the earth.
Your eyes saw my unformed substance;in your book were written, every one of them,
   the days that were formed for me,
   when as yet there was none of them  (Ps 139:13-16).

This scripture reminds us that God’s plan for us is very detailed and that He is always working in our lives.

  • Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour (1 Peter 5:8).  Mom is well-acquainted with this scripture too.  God gave this to me during my devotional time to tell me not to be dissuaded from serving Him with gladness and singleness of heart…that sometimes the devil creeps into my life with worry, fear, anger, slothfulness or gluttony and distracts me from my primary purpose: to glorify Him and enjoy Him forever.  The Lord has encouraged Mom from the beginning that He would use her journey through cancer to further His Kingdom and this is her greatest desire: that she would be able to honor Him in all of this.  I reminded her that the devil wants to steal the glory from God by overcoming her faith with worry and doubt and weariness.
  • Then I shared with her the scripture that I started with in this post: Those who sow in tears shall reap with shouts of joy!  He who goes out weeping, bearing the seed for sowing, shall come home with shouts of joy, bringing his sheaves with him (Ps 126:5-6).  This reminds us that we are able to sow seed for His kingdom even during difficult times.  God will use us and, if we are faithful, and we will reap a harvest of joy!

God is the first and best conservationist – He does not waste anything.  He uses everything to grow and enrich us and He only requires that we trust Him and have teachable hearts.  And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit (2 Cor 3:18).

JustaGirl…just like you!

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Journey to Joy/Heartstrings: Growth

Written on November 16, 2011 by in Heartstrings, Journey to Joy

Notice that it is the Lord who places the disciples into the boat, knowing of the impending storm. Sometimes the Lord allows storms in our lives to strengthen and mature us…(Lorraine Hill, p. 83).  

Today’s lesson in Reclaiming Your Joy examines the passage from Matthew 14:22-33 and talks about the importance of keeping your focus on Jesus during the storms of life.  Difficulties and trials are opportunities to see what God can do; they are chances to let go of all of the pretense of having control in our lives and rest in Him.  These are chances to grow in our relationship with God.  This week’s chapter from Heartstrings, Chapter 3, is about our spiritual growth too.  At the end of the chapter, Jill Briscoe asks us to evaluate ourselves and decide what stage of growth we are in, spiritually: (a) infant (b) youth (c) young adult (d) middle age (e) mature.  I think this is a better place to start than end.  So think about the stage you would select for yourself right now.  Let’s just look at a few areas to form a sort of criterion…how much do you:

  • Spend time daily in the Word (getting to know Him) All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work (2 Tim 3:16-17)
  • Commune with God in prayer (speaking AND listening) The Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you (John 14:26)
  • Rely on God for direction or during times of crisis or when you are hurting Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding (Prov 3:5)
  • Obey God’s Word – the scriptures AND those things He puts on your heart to change or accomplish or learn For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome (1 John 5:3)
  • Desire to honor His Name with your life and use your life daily to bring glory to him (even in the way that you talk to your husband, clean your toilet, drive your car, etc.) Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ.  (Col 3:23-24)

Do you have some areas in your relationship with God that need growth?  Do you know how to nurture that growth? I am praying that we will all continue to grow in the love and knowledge of Him.  And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God (Col 1:9-10).

JustaGirl…just like you

 

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Lord I want to Know You: Day Two

Written on May 6, 2011 by in Lord I Want to Know You

Today’s reading focuses on a question we touched on last time: Where do you run for help? When you are in trouble, what is your first move? Do you run to others or to God?

 I was convicted by this very question during a bible study a few years ago. It made me think, so now I want you to do the same.  Where do you look for help? If a tough decision is to be made or a difficult person must be confronted, who do you call on? Often our first impulse is to contact a loved one or friend to vent, to ask for prayer, to ask advice…what would it be like to pray to the Lord…and… just…wait…(excruciating for some!).  Our need to have immediate answers and solutions just drains our reservoir of faith. We are substituting a man-made solution for the belief that God will, in His time, provide us with the best solution.  When we do our pro and con lists and poll our confidantes, we get answers yet often remain unsatisfied.  We’ll go back over the scenario over and over in our minds and sometimes ask for second and third opinions.  Jesus said, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become a spring of water welling up to eternal life” (John 4:13-14). Trusting the Lord’s will makes it easier to seek Him, rather than people, when we need help.

Why don’t we run to God in the day of trouble?  Kay Arthur says she believes “it’s because most of us don’t really know our God”.  In biblical times a name represented a person’s character.  By studying the Names of God, we will get to know His character better and then we will realize that we can place our confidence in him.  Please take our poll to say where you run in the day of trouble. Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God (Psalm 20:7). Please vote to answer the poll, and don’t worry – it’s anonymous! :)

Just a Girl…just like you!

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Called to Obedience…

Written on April 19, 2011 by in called

I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live; that you may love the LORD your God, that you may obey His voice, and that you may cling to HIm, for He is your life and the length of your days; that you may dwell in the land which the LORD swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give them.  Deut. 30:19-20

If you are a believer, you are a descendent of Abraham and an heir to the covenant God made with him (Gal. 3:16).  The covenant established a special relationship with Abraham and his descendants so that they would be blessed by God and would be His people (Gen. 12:1-3).  Later, God made the covenant above with Moses telling them that choosing to His way would result in blessings in this life. I tell my kids all the time, “make a good choice”…or, in some cases, “you made a bad choice”. Good parents set strong boundaries for their children and are consistent in the enforcement of the boundaries. Children must be taught to “choose their consequences” – good choices produce good consequences and bad choices produce bad consequences.  Many parents I know say this to their children, including our Heavenly Father (as in the passage above).  My parents were very strict but what I did not know when I was young was that my parents made rules, not to rule over me (though they had every right to do so), but for my good, because they knew what was best for me. God is the same way…Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to Him and He will make your paths straight. Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the LORD and shun evil. This will bring health to your body and nourishment to your bones (Prov. 3:5-8).

When a child gets off track, a parent must help the child make a correction. No discipline seems pleasant at the time but painful.  Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it (Hebrews 12:11). Discipline is training. Think of military discipline or the discipline of an Olympic athlete.  But God trains us for righteousness (2 Tim. 3:16-17).  God wants us to remove our impurities and bring us into a place of abundance (Ps. 66).  He promised Moses: The LORD your God will circumcise your hearts and the hearts of your descendants, so that you may love Him with all your heart and with all your souls and live (Deut 30:6).   He wants what is best for us spiritually over what is best for us physically because His focus is eternal. “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are my way your ways,” declares the LORD,  As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.” (Isa. 55:8-9). 

God requires more than physical obedience, He requires an obedient heart. He has always prized this: Above all else, guard your heart for everything you do flows out from it (Prov. 4:23).  He does not value lip service.  He does not want your rote prayers, your comfortable rituals, or your social religion.  For the religious leaders of Jesus’ day, their religion was more important than their God…Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which on the outside appear beautiful, but inside are full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness.  So you, too, outwardly appear righteous to men, but inwardly are full of hypocrisy and and lawlessness (Matt 23:27-28).   In contrast, David said, “You do not delight in sacrifice or I would bring it; you do not take pleasure in burnt offering.  My sacrifice is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, you, God, will not despise.” (Ps. 51:16-17).  Jesus introduced a new and lasting Covenant.  My sheep hear My voice and I know them and they follow me; and I give eternal life to them and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of my hand (John 10:27-28). 

True obedience in not something you do, it is something you decide, and then do. Your obedience does not start in your actions, but in your thoughts.  I want to challenge you this week to submit to God’s authority over you.  Allow Him to be the Lord of your family, your time, your finances, your health and your heart (plus more!).  Commit to surrender, then you are ready to obey.

JustAgirl…just like you

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