Thanksgiving on the Flip Side

Two times this happened.

 

My three teenage sisters and I were home alone one night.  I have no idea what possessed her, but one of my siblings  looked out the back window. It was pitch dark back there, and she saw two eyes looking back at her.  A man was peeking in at us!

 

 Blood curdling scream…

 

 man ran and jumped the fence...

 

 we called the police...

 

 never found him.

 

 Another time-- same scenario-- this time a knock at the front door.

 

"Who is it?"

 

No answer.

 

Louder, "Who's there?"

 

Still no  answer.

 

We look out the window next to the door.  The knocker or knockers were careful to stand  close enough  to the door  to be out of sight. They hoped to entice us to open the door to see who they were.

Looking back, I realize it was probably one or more of the men who loitered at a house down the street. They knew our parents were not home. They hoped we young girls would open the door if they didn't answer us. I shudder to think what could have happened. One locked door stood between us and years of scars-spiritual, emotional, and sexual ones.

 

God is good.

 

Maybe this year has been a hard one for you.

 

 Someone wisely said that if you are upset about all the bad that happened this year, thank God for all that didn't.

 

 The enemy desires to steal, kill, and destroy (John 10:10). He jiggles the door handles of every evil possibility to see which ones will open. Some did, but PRAISE THE LIVING GOD, others were  locked!

 

 Like the front and back doors at our house, God stood between you and all the negatives that could have entered your life but didn't.

 

It is good to thank God for all His  blessings, for the good He let in.

 

He truly is the one "who shuts and no one opens." (Revelation 3:7)

 

When you finish thanking Him for all the good He's brought into your life, thank Him again from the flip side of what He kept away.

 

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

 

 

Talk About It: Sometimes when we have "near misses," it's like the enemy got a toe in the door but then God kicked him out and bolted the door. What nearly opened doors did God in His mercy close for you this year?

Got Faith Like Turnip Greens?

                    

Thanksgiving time reminds me of turnip greens.

 

 Mama would bring home "a whole mess" of them, and we girls gathered around  to pick them. I recall as a child thinking there was no way all those greens would fit in the pot. But once she put them in the boiling water (along with some fabulous ham hock) those greens would cook down to a fraction of their original size. A garbage bag full of greens would yield  about a stockpot full.

 Turnip greens are like faith.

 You think you have a lot till the hot water of hard times hits.

 What you have left is the true size of your faith.

 I am sad to say that my faith too often cooks down to a small bit. Thank God we only need faith the size of a grain of mustard seed to move a mountain, right?

 

It's natural to believe big when times are good. But how do we keep our faith from cooking down when trouble comes?

 

 It helps to realize that God never shrinks. Our faith is only as good as the size of our God.

 

When I feel my faith wilting, I run to  Scriptures like Jeremiah 32:27,   "Behold, I am the Lord, the God of all flesh; is anything too difficult for me?"

                                                                                  And

Numbers 23:19, "God is not a man that He should lie, nor a son of man that He should change His mind. Has He said, and will He not do it? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good?"

 

Hard times come to test our faith. Don't let yours cook down to nothing. Remind yourself of your God who never shrinks and pass the turnip greens!

 

Talk About It: What Bible verses do you cling to when your faith is wilting?

                                               

Don't Forget Your Underwear: The Most Overlooked Piece of the Armor of God

     "Put on the whole armor of God…."  Ephesians 6:11

 

If you are fighting with the devil, you better not forget your underwear.

 

 The apostle Paul said to put on the WHOLE armor of God so you can stand against the schemes of the devil. If you are at all familiar with spiritual warfare, you know about Ephesians 6, verses 11 and following.  God  lists the pieces of powerful  armor every soldier needs to fight and win.  Are you wearing it all?

 

The breastplate of righteousness?-Check.

 

Helmet of salvation?-Got it.

 

Sword of the Spirit and shield of faith?-Wouldn't dream of  leaving home without them.

 

Belt of truth?- Yep! 

 

Shoes of the preparation of the Gospel of Peace?- mmh-hmm!

 

Ready for battle?- Not quite.

 

 Notice in verse  18, Paul adds one more important piece of armor we tend to overlook. Prayer.

 

"And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. "

 

 He was pretty thorough about the how and when of prayer, don't you agree?  If prayer is to be done on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests, it must be a pretty important piece of armor to put on every day...just like underwear.

 

Why is prayer like  underwear? Both provide comfort and protection.

 

  You can go out dressed to the hilt, but without your underwear, you are uncomfortable and unprotected. Everything else does not fit quite the way it should. Without prayer, the discomfort of fear and worry can set in.  You are exposed to the chafing effects of discouragement because communication with the Father is not there to protect you.

 

  You need prayer if you are going to win, Warrior Princess!

 

So before you go out into the world today to fight whatever battles Satan  has on his  roster for you, put on the full armor of God so you can win. 

 

Don't forget your underwear!

 

Talk About It: In what way does prayer comfort and protect you throughout your day?

It's Time to Stop Yawning!

Hebrews 11

 

 

Adventure. Don't you crave it?

 

 Is it possible to have real adventure as a follower of Jesus Christ? Or is it all just quiet prayers, submissive service, and meek conformity to a dull idea of biblical womanhood?

Adventure happens when you encounter something you did not expect...

 

 ...where the outcome is uncertain, and a task calls upon every ounce of strength you can muster...

 

...where the stakes are high, but the reward is even higher. 

 

Can a Christian woman experience such a life without violating her femininity and her love for God?

Absolutely!

 

In fact, I dare say that if your walk with Christ makes you yawn, it's not His fault. The saints in Hebrews 11 experienced joy, heartache, and amazing miracles, but no one would describe their life as a yawn. By faith, they obeyed God and lived a life of amazing adventure.

 

 Could it be He has called you to walk the wild and scary road of obedience, but you responded by handing Him a dog-eared profile of a woman who has credentials YOU don't possess? Is it possible you sculpted a more beautiful, higher educated,  more experienced, and all around non-you  woman and told God to ask HER instead?

God calls every believer to a life of adventure. What other protagonist has the devil himself as her nemesis? Is there any other heroine who has the super-powers of the Holy Spirit for doing great exploits? 

 What other life of adventure can be more exciting than rescuing real people from a literal hell?

 What heart would not beat wildly at doing something she was afraid to do but didn't dare not do for love of Someone Else?

 

Dear Sister, the Christian life is a swashbuckling, mind-blowing, lionhearted life. Are you not living it?

 

If not, may I suggest you tear up that dog-eared list of excuses you gave God last time He told you to do something that scared you to death?

 

 That ideal, more qualified woman you sculpted is lying in a pebbly heap. What happened to her? God blew her to smitherines. He doesn't do perfect people, especially not ones we construct. He uses real people like  you.

Can you see it? It's His great big hand reaching for you. Will you take it? He is still inviting you to show, in your own unique way, what the life of a Warrior Princess looks like. 

 

Stop the yawning and step up. Your adventure with Him awaits!

Talk About It: Is there an adventure God is calling you to embrace?

Are You Guilty of Profiling?

"Not that we are competent in ourselves to claim anything for ourselves, but our competence comes from God." 2Cor. 3:5

 

  I'll never forget the time I got a letter asking me to pray about going on a mission trip overseas. I tossed the letter in the trash immediately. I thought, "God is not calling me to go. I just know it!" 

Several weeks later, the director of our mission group asked if I'd prayed about the trip. I said I had not. He asked why  not. "Because I have no money to go."

 The wise leader gently answered, "My experience has been that if God wants you to go, He will provide the means to get there."

 I knew this was true. But I had other reasons for not considering the call. I had an idea in my head of the kinds of people who do those kinds of things. They are usually white, wealthy, young, and either married to a person who also has a call to foreign missions or single with a call to missions from the womb. None of that was true of me. So, no, God was NOT calling me to go on a trip like that.

 

Do you see what I was doing? I was guilty of profiling myself right out of a call from God.   

                                                                                  

Moses did it.  God called him to go to Egypt and  tell Pharaoh to unhand God's people. Immediately Moses took inventory of his inadequacies. He was not a good speaker, he didn't have charisma or social pull  which meant no one would listen to him. (Exodus 4:10)

 Jeremiah did it. He said he didn't have enough experience or public speaking skills. (Jeremiah 1:6)

Gideon did it. He assumed God never called the runt of the litter to do anything big for Him. (Judges 6:15)

 We all do it. We have an idea of the characteristics (usually positive ones) God requires for a specific task. Then we measure our own characteristics (usually negative ones) against those positive ones. Then we stamp "APPLICATION DENIED" on ourselves before ever giving God a chance to give us His perspective.               

                                                                    God Says To Stop It

 Here is good news: The only profile God wants  you to fit  is possession of an obedient heart. He doesn't need anything else. He fills in the gaps and it is oh so wonderful the way He does!  (more on that in my next blog)

So please stop profiling and just start obeying. Profiling  puts locks on the doors God wants you to walk through. Obedience picks those locks and lets the adventures begin!

 

Talk About It: In what way might you be guilty of profiling yourself out of a call from God?

Two Snobs For A Crown

 

"Who redeems your life from the pit, Who crowns you with lovingkindness and compassion" Psalm 103:4

                          

I was new at the church. I knew how important it was to connect with other Christians. Imagine my delight when a woman who had been greeting me warmly week after week invited me to her home. She was refreshingly transparent about her past struggles and what God had done to bring healing to her wounded heart. I reciprocated by sharing some recent struggles that brought about unprecedented spiritual  growth.

My heart exclaimed, " I have found a friend!"

Like the gradual exchange of wee-hour darkness for  morning light, I noticed a nagging change in this new friendship. The questions about where I lived  and my husband's job title seemed harmless at first. She was just gathering facts any person would ask in  getting to know me, right?  But then came the coolness, the slights, and the condescending evaluations of  my clothing. There was even a thinly veiled remark about my body weight in front of a group of women.  Back then,  I had a predisposition that was too eager to give people the benefit of a doubt. "She didn't mean it the way she said it...don't be so touchy," I told myself.  But in short time, the phone calls stopped, and I wondered what I had done to deserve the dumping.

 Months later, I again encountered what I thought to be a new friendship. Warm smiles were a welcome sight in a room full of strangers. Time passed. One day, in an attempt to make conversation, I mentioned that we had  a mutual friend. Then it happened. I had been trained  never to show shock at what comes out of a person's mouth, but this time my eyes would not cooperate. They blinked then bucked,  stunned at what she said.  She was embarrassed that anyone know she even knew me. I tucked the hurt away and put on a brave face.

I tried to shake off those two encounters, but depression set in anyway.  I was surprised how emotionally devastating this felt. I  interviewed myself," Why does this hurt so much?" Ah, it was because the misery had a familiar flavor.  In slide-show fashion, the memories of past  rejection based on superficial things  glided across the screen of my mind.

Enough!

 I didn't want to feel this way anymore. I was shocked to realize the depth of my sorrow was not what the snobs  believed about me.  No, the tragedy was that I agreed with their assessment of my worth.  How sick! I knew it was wrong, but how  to change? I needed to settle this issue once and for all.  I embarked on a biblical journey in search of my identity.  What I found changed my life. Here is a snippet of what I found.  In a voice so tender it could only be His Spirit, God whispered to my heart, 

You are complete in Me (Colossians 2:10).

You are an heir of God and a joint- heir with Jesus Christ (Romans 8:17).

I rejoice over you with singing (Zephaniah 3:17).

I have called you by name, you are Mine(Isaiah 43:1).

You were not bought with silver or gold,  you were paid for with royal blood (1Peter 1:18-19).

You are My  masterpiece, created to accomplish something important on God's to-do list (Ephesians 2:10).

I realized I had been picked by the Prince of Peace, but was walking around like a ragged Cinderella! No more! Those truths were Neosporin to my cut- up soul!

But it was not easy to keep those truths in mind. When I asked the Lord to give me a way to remember, He gave me this: a crown. Since I am the daughter of The King, I could imagine a crown on my head. Nobody else could see it, but God said it was there.  I started to walk around aware of it on my head. I started to smile brighter  when I met people, joy began to shine in my eyes, and I walked with my head held high-- not in arrogance, but in gratitude for the validation God gave me. I was worth something to Someone, and it had nothing to do with what I wore, where I lived, or what I had. I had exchanged the opinions of two snobs for a crown.

 I will wear it the rest of my life.

Talk About It: How about you? Are you wearing your crown?

 

 

 

Do You Have Three Eyes?

"Without weakening in his faith, he faced the fact that his body was as good as dead--since he was about a hundred years old--and that Sara's womb was also dead. Yet He did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, being fully persuaded that God had power to do what He had promised. " Romans 4:19-21

My heartbeat speeds up every time I read the passage above.

Everyone one loves a story where the  underdog  triumphs over incredible odds. I have noticed that overcomers use their two natural eyes to look at the bare naked facts. They don't dabble in denial and tell themselves they don't see what is staring back at them. But while they view the facts with their natural eyes, they also  have a third eye, the eye of faith.

 Do you have three eyes?

 People call us crazy, pie-in-the sky Pollyanna's because of our third eye. They think we are not living in reality. But we are more realistic than the pessimists because we know once God has said a thing, it is as real as if it already happened. We remember that God sees the past,  present, and future simultaneously.  Humanly speaking, it's like seeing yourself as a baby in one room (that's the past), your present age in the next room, and you living in what God has promised just one door down. Because God cannot lie, what He has promised has already happened. You're just not in that room yet.

 What has God promised that you are tempted to doubt? Resist the temptation to look at your present circumstances only with your natural eyes. 

Maybe your third eye is getting blurry? Is your faith faltering? Verse 19 says that Abraham was strengthened in his faith. Where did his faith find its strength? In the power of God! You don't have to muster up faith if it's faith in God because God's promises are backed up by who He is!

 If your third eye is getting blurry, you may be looking too long at the circumstance and not enough at the One who is greater than your circumstance.

Maybe the exercise below can strengthen your third eye if it is growing weak. 

Put your name in place of Abraham's and your circumstance in place of his and see what happens!

Without weakening in her faith, (your name) faced the fact that (insert your facts here).  Yet she did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God but was strengthened in her faith...being fully persuaded that God had power to do what He had promised.

 

Talk About It:  Share what your third eye sees that is just one door down. Or what promise has God made that has already been fulfilled? It may encourage the rest of us who are still waiting.