Author Archives: Rhonda Barnes

If the Shoe Fits

10 Monday Oct 2016

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img_0086It is that time of the year where in many parts of the country we begin to change the style of shoes we are wearing. For me, I have accumulated too many shoes, so in order to make room, I pack away my sandals, and I get out my boots.  It is important to have a variety of types of shoes in order to be prepared for every season, but today’s inspiration is less about the style and more about the fit.

I have a great video of my daughter when she was about 18 months old trying to wear my heels. I heard the clicking sound on the floor and I peeked around the corner to see her trying to walk in shoes that did not fit.  It was video worthy and something I enjoy watching, but trying to walk in shoes that don’t fit for any length of time is simply exhausting.

She no longer needed those cute little white walking shoes I had purchased for her, but she was not ready for mommy’s heels yet either. In fact, as I watched my daughter grow into the wonderful young woman she is today, she never fit in mommy’s heels.  First, she inherited her shoe size from her dad instead of me, but more importantly, heels were just never her thing.  I remember in her teen years how she tried to fit into the mold of wearing what her friends wore, but she quickly went back to the style that was more comfortable for her.

Have you noticed that in every shoe store or shoe department there is a section that houses all the accessories for those shoes we buy that really do not fit? There are pads you can put on the back of a shoe to keep it from slipping off.  There are pads you can put in the bottom of the shoe to keep your foot from slipping forward.  There are barriers we can put on the sides to keep our shoes from rubbing blisters.

The interesting thing is none of these items is needed if the shoe fits!

If we go to a store to buy a suit, it is common that it will not fit every person just right. There are individuals trained to alter a suit jacket so it will fit in all the right places and be comfortable as the person moves around in it.  This may work for suits, but not shoes!

If they are too small, they hurt you because they stifle you and hold you back. They are not satisfying at all to wear.  If they are too large, they slip off when you try to walk. You cannot effectively walk, climb, or progress in shoes that are too large for you.

While our foot size grows during stages of maturity, for most people there is a point where your foot size is maximized and it often will not change for the rest of their life. That is why I have too many shoes!  I have been wearing the same size for a very long time.  Over the years, I have collected a variety of styles and colors for many different seasons and activities.

I love that I am not limited to one style.  Seasons and conditions require us to have choices.  These are options but the size is not. The creator determines the size!  Look at this passage of Scripture.

1 Corinthians 12:4; 11-12; 14-26 NASB

4 Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit…..11 But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually just as He wills. 12 For even as the body is one and yet has many members, and all the members of the body, though they are many, are one body, so also is Christ….14 For the body is not one member, but many. 15 If the foot says, “Because I am not a hand, I am not a part of the body,” it is not for this reason any the less a part of the body. 16 And if the ear says, “Because I am not an eye, I am not a part of the body,” it is not for this reason any the less a part of the body. 17 If the whole body were an eye, where would the hearing be? If the whole were hearing, where would the sense of smell be? 18 But now God has placed the members, each one of them, in the body, just as He desired. 19 If they were all one member, where would the body be? 20 But now there are many members, but one body. 21 And the eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you”; or again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.” 22 On the contrary, it is much truer that the members of the body which seem to be weaker are necessary; 23 and those members of the body which we deem less honorable, on these we bestow more abundant honor, and our less presentable members become much more presentable, 24 whereas our more presentable members have no need of it. But God has so composed the body, giving more abundant honor to that member which lacked, 25 so that there may be no division in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another. 26 And if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it. 

THE CREATOR DETERMINES THE SIZE!

I have a passion today to remind each person reading this of how much your Creator loves you and how He wants to see you walk in the shoes He has selected for you. He chose them long ago before you were even here.

Psalm 139:13-17 NASU

13 For You formed my inward parts; You wove me in my mother’s womb. 14 I will give thanks to You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; wonderful are Your works, and my soul knows it very well. 15 My frame was not hidden from You, when I was made in secret, and skillfully wrought in the depths of the earth; 16 Your eyes have seen my unformed substance; and in Your book were all written the days that were ordained for me, when as yet there was not one of them. 17 How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God!

 

YOU WERE FEARFULLY AND WONDERFULLY MADE! Each one of us unique and distinct.  No two of us with the same thumbprint, but each with precious thoughts and plans from our Father!

The thing that we must contend for is our own unique size or our individual identity in Christ. Each unique one is critical to the kingdom and if you are trying to wear someone else’s shoes, then yours are left abandoned on a shelf creating missed opportunities ordained by the Father.

Let me share an example. My sister-in-law and I are very much alike in many ways.  Years ago at her first Christmas with our family, we showed up wearing the exact same sweater and what was so funny was we didn’t even know each other then.  A couple years later, we actually came to vacation and had bought the very same swimsuit, the very same cover-up, and the very same shoes!

We are the same age, we have the same last name, and we even have the same shoe size. However, those who know us well will attest that if I tried to wear many of her shoes, it would not end well!  Here style is often very different from mine, and she wears heel sizes that I cannot tolerate.

This paints such a vivid picture of the fact that even though we have many similarities, I can’t be her and she can’t be me. We can only complement one another, encourage each other, and fulfill our own unique callings.

While it is such a simple principle, I feel this very thing is what has caused too many of God’s children to abandon the plans that He has for them….trying to wear shoes that do not fit!

We often feel like a square peg trying to fit in a round hole, trying to fit the mold, or meet everyone’s expectations. Let’s change that today and become free to be who He has called us to be!

No apologies! Just be who He is asking you to be!  No comparison, no intimidation, no jealousy, or envy, just wearing the shoes that fit you in the right season, and on the right occasion!  Make a commitment today if you have not already done so, to walk in the steps He has ordered for you.

DON’T ALLOW YOUR ONE OF KIND DESIGNER SHOES TO BE LEFT ON THE SHELF!

This is ONLY a Test!

17 Wednesday Aug 2016

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I remember when I was younger hearing that annoying loud sound that would come across the TV followed by a message that said, “This is a test, this is ONLY a test of the emergency broadcast system…”

I often wish I could hear that sound as I go through life and have those moments that seem difficult.  Perhaps then, I would remember that THIS IS ONLY A TEST!

I don’t know too many people who enjoy test taking, yet it is an ordinary part of the world we live in. It begins at the moment we are born with an Apgar test, which quickly summarized the general health of the newborn. Tests are an integral part of our educations system.  We take a test before we are licensed to drive a car, and many endure all kinds of medical tests throughout the course of life to assess proper function of human anatomy and physiology.

Even though we are so familiar with all these kinds of tests we experience in our natural lives, it is often unsettling when we encounter a spiritual test. These can come in many forms.  Some examples of common tests we encounter are relational challenges with family members and loved ones, health issues, and financial concerns.

We read this from the book of James:

God blesses those who patiently endure testing and temptation. Afterward they will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.

James 1:12 NLT

A healthy perspective on the benefits of enduring a test can aid us in our perseverance during them. Three possible reasons for a test are:

  1. TO DETERMINE AN AREA OF WEAKNESS: I already mentioned a great example of this concept. Medical tests are often performed to identify something in the human body that needs attention. By finding the weakness, often treatment can be administered to correct the problem.
  2. To REFINE: Times of testing can be related to “going through the fire”. When you heat up certain metals with fire, a refining process happens causing the impurities or unwanted contents to rise to the surface so they can be removed.
  3. TO PROMOTE: A test is used in all education to determine the appropriateness of promotion. We advance through the school system one grade at a time with passing scores on tests. Higher education is no different, the more elite the profession the greater the difficulty of the test.

How does all of this apply to our spiritual life? First and foremost, let me state that the reason for the test may be unknown and undeserved.  Some tests we encounter in this life are a result of our own actions, but many are simply a consequence of the fallen world we live in.  Regardless of the reason, there can be many benefits spiritually, just as the other examples listed above.

Spiritual weakness is easily identified and impurities often rise to the surface during the seasons we walk through that are difficult. These realizations afford us the opportunity to take action and make corrections.  These are the times that our character and our integrity are more fully developed.

Promotion is also critical in our spiritual walk. We are never to become stagnant, nor should we ever retire on this side of heaven.  We are to be consistently transformed from glory to glory (2 Corinthians 3:18).

I believe the enemy uses tests to defeat Christians, but God can bring good from these trials and use them to better prepare you for promotion.

So the next time you hear that annoying sound the test brings……just stop and say, “THIS IS A TEST, THIS IS ONLY A TEST!

  •  Remember that a test is an opportunity for you to assess what you know, and learn from where you are weak and grow!
  • The greater the calling or the destiny, the more difficult the test!
  • In your spiritual walk, failing a test is not the end, the teacher gives make up tests!
  • Prepare for the test, expect the test, and review the answers frequently, because the teacher is often silent during the test!
  • Respond to the test do not react to it!

Persevere!

27 Wednesday Jul 2016

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IMG_0314Perseverance is a word we don’t always like, because if you are to persevere, you must need to push through some kind of difficulty, opposition, or delay.  Perseverance often makes me think of endurance, which gives me a picture of a long distance runner.

I have never enjoyed running. When I was in high school, I was on the track team for all the wrong reasons.  I liked to do the jumps or maybe the short races or relays, but I certainly wasn’t committed enough to be the one who ran the long distance races.

Those races required too much perseverance. The ability to push through the pain and fatigue when you feel like your lungs are on fire and your legs cannot move another step.  I like the way the Message Bible describes perseverance in a long distance race.  Read below:

12 Do you see what this means — all these pioneers who blazed the way, all these veterans cheering us on? It means we’d better get on with it. Strip down, start running — and never quit! No extra spiritual fat, no parasitic sins. 2 Keep your eyes on Jesus, who both began and finished this race we’re in. Study how he did it. Because he never lost sight of where he was headed — that exhilarating finish in and with God — he could put up with anything along the way: cross, shame, whatever. And now he’s there, in the place of honor, right alongside God. 3 When you find yourselves flagging in your faith, go over that story again, item by item, that long litany of hostility he plowed through. That will shoot adrenaline into your souls! Hebrews 12:1-3 The Message Bible

This describes our spiritual race during times that require perseverance. We are reminded to keep our eyes on Jesus since He demonstrated for us not only how to start a race, but how to finish it!

In the middle of the race, there are times you feel all alone and you may be tempted to question if you are in the right race. Perseverance is needed when God SEEMS to be absent and SEEMS to be silent!  Scripture tells us that He will never leave us or forsake us. (Hebrews 13:5)  While I know that to be true, there have been times I have found myself asking, “Where are you?”

A very familiar scripture found in Galatians 6:9 AMP reads:

“And let us not lose heart and grow weary and faint in acting nobly and doing right, for in due time and at the appointed season we shall reap, if we do not loosen and relax our courage and faint.”

Let me tell you two of the greatest enemies in certain stages of the race….doubt and disappointment.

When you are in a season where you have been believing and standing in faith for a long time, and your answer has not yet manifested, it is tempting to begin to question if you really heard from God, or if this commitment to the race is really worth it.

In some situations, the risk of disappointment is so great that people give into hopelessness instead of standing in faith and staying in the race. In these times, you must contend and persevere!

David shows a great example of perseverance when he was running for his life. An interesting part of this story is found in 1 Samuel 21: 1-9.  Let me summarize it for you.

David and a few men who ran with him left with nothing but the clothes on their backs as they ran for their lives when Saul decided to kill him. David went to the temple, and found the priest and asks if there is anything to eat.  The only thing that was there to eat was the Bread of Presence, and the priest gave it to them for nourishment.  Then David asked the priest if there was a weapon, because he left without one.  Look at the priest’s response in verse 9:

“Then the priest said, “The sword of Goliath the Philistine, whom you killed in the valley of Elah, behold, it is wrapped in a cloth behind the ephod; if you would take it for yourself, take it. For there is no other except it here.” And David said, “There is none like it; give it to me.” 1 Samuel 21:9 NASU

David was certainly not a perfect man. In fact, he wasn’t totally honest with the priest in this very story.  However, David was a chosen man with a mighty destiny, and he needed to stay in the race and finish!

David is persevering, running for his life, with only the clothes on his back, and he chooses to run to the temple. He is nourished by the bread of presence, which is exactly what we can do when we keep our eye on the prize and focus on our relationship with God.  Our relationship and time spent with God will provide us with the nourishment needed to stay in the race.

In this place of God’s presence, David was reminded of his greatest victory when he defeated Goliath. Often one of the greatest forms of encouragement during the difficult leg of the race is to remember the past victories…remember how it felt to cross the finish line during your last race.

David was also now armed with a sword that originally belonged to a giant.   I suppose that it was huge…..but now in this place of perseverance, in the presence, David is equipped with a weapon that should be too heavy for him.  I feel it was his commitment to the race….first in relationship, his contending in warfare, and his perseverance that brought him to this place where there was a new anointing, a new empowerment for him.  He developed character and stamina that would take him through this difficult season and eventually become the king.

I want to encourage you today to persevere! If you are in a difficult leg of your spiritual race, stay close to God so you will be nourished, keep your eye on the prize, and as you stay committed you will be empowered to finish strong.

Toll Road

08 Friday Jul 2016

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13495286_1050293628340128_9036485292408688289_nSeveral years ago, my husband and I took off for Wisconsin to pick up our boat. Since neither of us had ever been to this area, we used a TomTom GPS in the truck to help us find our way.  I did not realize that when I entered the destination in the GPS, that it asked me if I wanted to avoid toll roads.  I inadvertently selected “yes”.  We drove around and around one of the major cities on our way to our destination because the GPS was routing us around the toll roads.  Coming home, we realized our mistake, paid our two quarters to stay on a toll road, and saved an hour of drive time!

Recently, I flew to Houston Texas to train a new employee with my company. My connecting flight was delayed which caused me to arrive at Houston late at night. I was somewhat uneasy finding my way to my hotel because I do not see as well as I once did after dark, I had never been to Houston, and I was in an unfamiliar rental car.  I was using my iPad to navigate me to my hotel.  Siri routed me onto a toll road.  I come to the first gate where I needed to pay two quarters, which luckily I found and kept moving.  Siri told me to exit quickly but as I came off the exit ramp there was an officer waving me back on the toll road.  There had been a horrible wreck with a semi-truck and a car and there were casualties.  There was no way to get over to the street that led to my hotel.

The officer was not patient with me so I sped back onto the toll road beginning to feel even more uneasy with my current circumstances. I came to the next gate and pulled into the lane with an attendant.  I explained my circumstances, and she began to tell me all the turns I would need to take to get back to that exit without using the toll road.  I gave her two more quarters and proceeded to the next exit off the toll road.  Siri autocorrected and began to navigate me through a very scary neighborhood and back streets until I was finally safely at my hotel.

The next morning when it was daylight I could see that I had a choice. The state highway ran parallel to the toll road and I opted to use it each day as I traveled between work and my hotel.  One afternoon on my way back, I noticed one reason people were willing to pay to drive the toll road was to avoid traffic.

I want you to consider these two examples of my toll road experiences in a spiritual analogy. In this analogy, the highway will symbolize your soul and the toll road will represent your spirit.

Scripture acknowledges that there is a difference in our soul and spirit.

1 Thessalonians 5:23 NASA

Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete, without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

We all live in a body, we have a soul, and we have a spirit. When I reference your soul in this analogy of the highway, I am referring to your mind, will, and emotions. We know that our soul is often at war with our spirit man.  Consider this Scripture.

Galatians 5:16-17 NASU

16 But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh. 17 For the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, so that you may not do the things that you please.

“Flesh” in this passage is just another way to refer to your soulish realm which includes your mind, will, and emotions. The focus for this teaching is your mind, or more specifically your human understanding.

Have you ever acted on information that you did not fully understand? If we are honest, all of us have done this many times.  There are two major statements that I want you to consider.

  1. You know some things in your spirit that your mind does not understand.
  2. Your mind battles with what your spirit knows.

I want to reference several Scriptures to drive these two statements home, starting with one that is very familiar to most of us.

Proverbs 3:5-6 NKJV

5  Trust in the Lord with all your heart,And lean not on your own understanding; 6 In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths. 

I KNOW SOME THINGS THAT MY MIND DOES NOT UNDERSTAND!

This Scripture reminds us that we should not lean on our own understanding. In many ways, this passage is related to the war between your soul and your spirit. Instead of leaning on our own understanding, we are directed to acknowledge Him in all our ways.In the original text, this word “ways” means a road or course, in relation to my analogy; we pay the price to stay on the toll road. What is the price?The word “acknowledge” in Hebrew is yada, which basically means direct, intimate contact with God. The price of staying on the toll road is staying in close communion with your Heavenly Father so He can enlighten your understanding. Look at these examples.

1 Corinthians 2:10-15 NKJV

10 But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God. 11 For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God. 12 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God. 13 These things we also speak, not in words which man’s wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual. 14 But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.

This passage is supporting the fact that your spirit knows some things that your mind does not understand! However, in these next four verses, we read that we can have our understanding enlightened.

Luke 24:44-45 NASU

44 Now He said to them, “These are My words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things which are written about Me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.” 45 Then He opened their minds to understand the Scriptures,

Ephesians 1:17-18 NKJV

17 that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, 18 the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints,

2 Timothy 2:7 NASU

Consider what I say, for the Lord will give you understanding in everything.

1 John 5:20a NASU

And we know that the Son of God has come, and has given us understanding so that we may know Him who is true;

MY MIND BATTLES WITH WHAT MY SPIRIT KNOWS!

We just referenced several Scriptures that show us that the Lord will help us to “know” some things. He will enlighten our understanding.  God reveals things to us in different ways, but in many cases, that understanding doesn’t last forever.  In that moment that the Lord shows you something, or speaks something, you KNOW it in your spirit, but then time passes and your mind or your human reasoning begins to question if it was real or you may simply forget it.

This is why I am faithful to carry a spiritual journal with me most of the time. When God speaks something, or shows me something, I have to write it down because I know that later my mind will question it, or I will forget about it.

Once God enlightens your understanding, it often becomes about obedience and diligence to document and stand firm on the revelation knowledge He provides. This is because many times you will not feel it or your mind will not understand it again at some point in the future. Life is full of distractions and our human emotions and understanding fluctuate with the cares of life.

It is easy to let our mind go to the worse case scenarios, it requires less discipline to allow our emotions to drive us; but that is the highway that most travel. You will be better off to pay your quarters and stay on the toll road, you will do a lot less circling the situation, and you will stay on a road of safety.

So how do we win this war between our soul and our spirit? How do we stay on the toll road?  As I already said, staying in a close personal relationship with your Heavenly Father is key, but with that prayer is essential.

There are many kinds of prayer, but I like to incorporate prayers of declaration into my life. I build those declarations from the promises found in Scripture.  I use these declaration prayers to inspire spontaneous communication with my Father during my prayer time.

Has your mind been warring against what your spirit knows? Do you find yourself wavering from faith to fear or from belief to doubt?  I want to encourage you today to use the below prayer, stand firm on the promises of God, pay your quarters and STAY ON THE TOLL ROAD!

 Toll Road Prayer

Today my soul is warring against my spirit! My soul, which is my mind, will, and emotions, relies on my human understanding.  However, I know some things in my spirit that my mind does not understand!  That is why I commit to trust in the Lord with all my heart and I do not lean on my own understanding. (Prov. 3:5)  The peace of God surpasses all my human understanding and that peace guards my heart and my mind through Jesus Christ. (Phil. 4:7) 

Even though I walk in the flesh, I do not war according to the flesh. For the weapons of my warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ. (2 Cor. 10:3-5) I bring every thought, emotion, and human understanding that is contrary to God’s will captive and I refuse to entertain it.

Father, Your Word tells me to give attention to know understanding, (Prov. 4:1) and I trust You to give me the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of You, and to enlighten the eyes of my understanding (Eph. 1:17-18), that I will see and say what my spirit knows even if my human understanding is limited.

 

 

 

Lay Down Your Paddle – It’s Transition Time

23 Thursday Jun 2016

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IMG_0308About nine months ago, I posted the original version of this teaching. Recently I have been surrounded by transition as I have had an unexpected job change and my church is searching for a new pastor. Transition can be difficult, but it can also be essential to align our path with God’s plan.

Around the time of my original post, I heard the Lord say, “Stop paddling! Let Me take you in a flow you do not know!” This could mean many different things from a spiritual perspective, but let me try to articulate what it meant to me.

God has a plan and a destiny for each of our lives and for each corporate body. It is intertwined into a larger master plan He has established for His Kingdom purposes.  Sometimes we cannot see or understand this plan, so we doubt it exists.  Some are tempted to feel insignificant, insecure, and unneeded in this master plan.  Others sense the purpose and the destiny, but have difficulty navigating the course.  Often this is directly related to striving or in this analogy paddling.

Many times God will show you the beginning of your journey and a glimpse of the destination, but He usually leaves out the path in between the two. When progress does not seem to be happening as quickly as we feel it should, between the beginning of the journey and the destination, we often want to help God with His plan.

Look at the example below. The Lord showed Abraham the beginning of his journey and the promise of the future.

Now the Lord said to Abram, “Go forth from your country, and from your relatives and from your father’s house, to the land which I will show you; and I will make you a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great; and so you shall be a blessing; and I will bless those who bless you, and the one who curses you I will curse. And in you all the families of the earth will be blessed.” So Abram went forth as the Lord had spoken to him; and Lot went with him. Now Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran. Genesis 12:1-4 NASU

If you know the whole story, Abraham did not wait patiently for God to make him a great nation, he agreed to his wife’s plan to help God and the result was a child named Ishmael. His promise was eventually fulfilled with Isaac, but the side plan has resulted in conflict that continues even today.  This shows that good intentions are not always God intentions!

Another great example of someone with good intentions was Martha. Martha had a servant’s heart.  She was trying to prepare a meal and make everything perfect for Jesus’ visit.  She was a worker trying to do the “right” thing.  Martha had good intentions, but what did Jesus think about them?

Now as they were traveling along, He entered a village; and a woman named Martha welcomed Him into her home. She had a sister called Mary, who was seated at the Lord’s feet, listening to His word. But Martha was distracted with all her preparations; and she came up to Him and said, “Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to do all the serving alone? Then tell her to help me.” But the Lord answered and said to her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and bothered about so many things; but only one thing is necessary, for Mary has chosen the good part, which shall not be taken away from her.” Luke 10:38-42 NASU

This is the best analogy I can find to explain the thought behind “Lay down your paddle!” I believe many individuals, many ministries, many churches, have good ideas but they are not always God ideas.  In this scenario, we labor and we toil, striving to put together all these elaborate plans and projects to bring people to Jesus, to help Christians to grow and mature, but often all this striving just keeps us in the kitchen with Martha!  Good intentions are not always God intentions.

I understand the need to plan; in fact, I am someone who tends to over-plan….I plan ahead – way ahead! When I have an opportunity to teach God’s Word, I always try to do my best to study and show myself approved (2 Timothy 2:15).  I generally plan more information than I can possibly share, but if at the last minute, the Holy Spirit directs me to go in a different flow, I have to be brave enough to lay down the paddle and let Him guide the course.  He knows the master plan better than I do!

When you have your day planned to the last minute, when we have our corporate services on an agenda, and the Holy Spirit interrupts the schedule because there is someone who has a need, will we lay down our paddle? Are our plan and our agenda more important than His are?

Giving up control is one of the most difficult things to do.

The small town where I reside has a sign, “Gateway to the Riverway, and is associated with canoeing on the Current River. I have personally floated parts of this river several times, but never without a paddle.  The thought of doing that stretches me to think about giving up my control to the plans God has for me – to realize that all of my good intentions are not necessarily His.

There are times on a river journey where the pace is fast, rough, and scary. Other times it seems like the water becomes stagnant the movement is so slow.  Try to remember that those moments are when the water runs deepest and the still waters create an atmosphere to hear better, and do not be tempted to pick up the paddle to move faster during this time.

I want to encourage you today to lay down your paddle, lay down your agenda, lay down your good plans and walk in God’s plan…..it is always the best course.  During transition you may be tempted to react or to run, but this is the time you must press into God and trust that His plan is a good one and He’s got you!

From the Pit to the Palace

24 Tuesday May 2016

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IMG_0291Have you ever felt like your dream would never come to fruition? I have been thinking about this very topic recently as I have been studying the story of Joseph from Genesis 37-47.  Joseph had two different literal dreams as a young man that his brothers would bow down to him.  These were not just “pizza dreams”; they were prophetic dreams that foretold his destiny that he was to fulfill.  However, his brothers despised him when he shared the dreams, which ultimately landed him in a pit.

Maybe you haven’t had a literal dream as Joseph did of the destiny you are to walk in, but you do have hopes and aspirations to fulfill the purposes God has for your life. If you have accepted the truth that He does have a plan for your life, then I hope that you are actively moving through each stage of this process.

Joseph definitely endured a difficult process.   After telling his brothers about the dream, they schemed to destroy him.  His first stop in the process was a pit where his brothers cast him to die.  Later they decided it would be better if they could make a profit on his demise, so they pulled him out of the pit and sold him as a slave.

Regardless of the bad things that happen to people, when God has a plan for your life, He will make you successful even when others cannot accept His favor on your life. Even though Joseph was sold as a slave, you can read below the passage about his success.

Genesis 39:2-6 NKJV

2 The Lord was with Joseph, and he was a successful man; and he was in the house of his master the Egyptian. 3 And his master saw that the Lord was with him and that the Lord made all he did to prosper in his hand. 4 So Joseph found favor in his sight, and served him. Then he made him overseer of his house, and all that he had he put under his authority. 5 So it was, from the time that he had made him overseer of his house and all that he had, that the Lord blessed the Egyptian’s house for Joseph’s sake; and the blessing of the Lord was on all that he had in the house and in the field.

As I stated earlier, the fulfillment of Joseph’s dream was a process. It did not end with this success.  He found himself in a situation where even though he did what was right, he was wrongfully accused and landed in prison for a crime he did not commit.  First, a pit, and now prison, this is where most people give up on the dream, but not Joseph!

Genesis 39:21-23 NKJV

21 But the Lord was with Joseph and showed him mercy, and He gave him favor in the sight of the keeper of the prison. 22 And the keeper of the prison committed to Joseph’s hand all the prisoners who were in the prison; whatever they did there, it was his doing. 23 The keeper of the prison did not look into anything that was under Joseph’s authority, because the Lord was with him; and whatever he did, the Lord made it prosper.

What is the dream God has but in your heart? In your natural mind that dream may seem as ridiculous as Joseph’s dream seemed to his brothers.  Perhaps you have experienced your own version of the pit and the prison on your way to the fulfillment of your dream.

The Bible doesn’t tell us about the feelings I am sure Joseph had to deal with during this difficult process. I am sure there were times that he felt so isolated and alone as no one seemed to understand the purpose God had put in his heart.  He had this unusual destiny locked inside of him that could not seem to find a way out.  I suspect that there were times when he questioned the validity of the dream, and wondered if he had misunderstood the message.  Since he seemed to find success wherever he was, even in prison, was he tempted to settle for a modified version of the dream? I wonder if he also struggled to maintain hope for fear of yet another disappointment.

Let me share the part of Joseph’s story that encourages me the most. His situation changed suddenly!  One day Pharaoh was desperate to have a troublesome dream interpreted.  Because Joseph had been faithful to his calling, even when he was in prison, he was recommended for the job.  This single event unlocked his destiny, the path to the Palace, and ultimately the fulfillment of his original dream.  This promotion allowed Joseph to fulfill a mightily calling on his life.  Look below at Joseph’s response when his brothers apologized for their actions.

“As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good in order to bring about this present result, to preserve many people alive.                                                                 Gen 50:20 NASU

There may be many obstacles in your path between the dream and the fulfillment of the promise, but I want to encourage you today to let Joseph be an example that gives you hope. The pit and the prison did not prevent the promise; they prepared him to fulfill the calling he was created to do.  If God has given you a dream, stay faithful during the process and you will realize the promise. Today could be the day that suddenly happens for you too!

Creating an Atmosphere for Revival

05 Thursday May 2016

Posted by in Christian growth

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IMG_0226Everyone loves a season of revival, but how do we experience this season? If I take a food recipe, add every ingredient just as directed, and follow every instruction, I can expect a specific outcome.  Unfortunately, I don’t believe there is an exact recipe for revival.  God chooses when and how He wants to reveal Himself to His children.  One thing we can do is create an atmosphere that is conducive for God to move in our midst.  This is not a formula or a recipe, but an opportunity for an appointment.

The definition of atmosphere is, “A surrounding influence or environment”. 1 This is simple to explain, but defining revival is not quite as easy.  I think we often equate “revival” to special services that are scheduled from time to time, but this is not what I am talking about.

For some, revival is literally bringing back to life; similar to the way you would revive a person who has stopped breathing, or one whose heart stopped beating. Some are dead to the things of God, and are living their life away from Him.  They are revived to life in Christ when they begin serving Him for the first time or they come back after being in a backslidden state.  A revival should be a time where we see the lost saved and the backslidden come home.

What is revival for Christians, those who are faithful to attend church, and practice the disciplines of faith? Consider this passage of Scripture.

2 Corinthians 3:16-18 NASU

16 but whenever a person turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. 17 Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. 18 But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit.

Based on this passage, we could say that for the Christian, revival is a time of renewal. A time of renewed focus, rekindled passion, and revitalized energy to pursue the next place in God.  A season where there is movement from one state of glory to the next.  This passage says that we “are being transformed.” It is not a stagnant state and I believe a season of revival is a time to move from one state of glory to the next.

There is a familiar passage in Matthew where Jesus explains the parable of the sower. This parable is relating to people who receive the Word of God, but I also think this passage can be used to paint the picture I am talking about with revival.

Matthew 13:18-23 NASU

18″Hear then the parable of the sower. 19 “When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what has been sown in his heart. This is the one on whom seed was sown beside the road.  20 “The one on whom seed was sown on the rocky places, this is the man who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy;  21 yet he has no firm root in himself, but is only temporary, and when affliction or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he falls away.  22 “And the one on whom seed was sown among the thorns, this is the man who hears the word, and the worry of the world and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful.  23 “And the one on whom seed was sown on the good soil, this is the man who hears the word and understands it; who indeed bears fruit and brings forth, some a hundredfold, some sixty, and some thirty.”  

The common element in all four of these examples was the seed. The seed did not change, but the ground where it was positioned did.  For this analogy, I want you to consider the seed as an opportunity for revival or renewal and let us consider the ground as the atmosphere.

In this parable we see that the ground, or in our analogy the atmosphere, can be hindered by many things. The enemy hindered the growth of the first seed.  That is because he hates revival, and will pull out every weapon in his arsenal to prevent a move of God.

The second seed in the parable was hindered by affliction and persecution, “because of the word”. It is common for those who are actively seeking revival to come under attack.  As I already stated, the enemy hates revival.

The third seed’s growth was hindered by worry, anxiety, cares of this world, and deceitfulness of wealth. All of these are distractions, and if we do not cast these cares over on the Lord, they will prevent us from having an atmosphere conducive for revival.

Jesus has provided the power for us to overcome all of these hindrances, and just as we can create good soil that is favorable for seed to grow, we can create an atmosphere that is conducive for revival or renewal.

The first thing we do to create that atmosphere for revival is to pray. The Bible says:

2 Chronicles 7:14 NKJV

If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.

History shows us that every significant revival was birthed with prayer.

The second thing that will shift the atmosphere is praise and worship!

2 Chronicles 5:13-14 AMP

13 And when the trumpeters and singers were joined in unison, making one sound to be heard in praising and thanking the Lord, and when they lifted up their voice with the trumpets and cymbals and other instruments for song and praised the Lord, saying, For He is good, for His mercy and loving-kindness endure forever, then the house of the Lord was filled with a cloud, 14 So that the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud, for the glory of the Lord filled the house of God.

 You can shift the atmosphere with praise and worship as an individual, but look what happened when a corporate body joined in unison! The glory of the Lord filled the house so that the priest could not stand to minister!  That is what I call revival!

When the enemy comes to steal your seed, or the cares of life are pressing against you, or trials and tribulations are making you want to back up….just start praising and worshiping and you will see the atmosphere shift!

Look at this example when Paul and Silas are in prison:

Acts 16:25-30 NASU

25 But about midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns of praise to God, and the prisoners were listening to them; 26 and suddenly there came a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison house were shaken; and immediately all the doors were opened and everyone’s chains were unfastened. 27 When the jailer awoke and saw the prison doors opened, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself, supposing that the prisoners had escaped. 28 But Paul cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Do not harm yourself, for we are all here!” 29 And he called for lights and rushed in, and trembling with fear he fell down before Paul and Silas, 30 and after he brought them out, he said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”

Again, that is what I call revival! Their prayer and their praise changed the atmosphere in this prison.  Chains were broken, and when these signs and wonders happened, the jailer wanted to know what he needed to do to be saved!

This is what we see in a season of revival, we see prisoners set free, we see chains broken, addictions broken, bad habits broken, negative mindsets broken, and we see people get saved!

The third thing that creates an atmosphere for revival is hunger or desperation.

Proverbs 16:26 The Message Bible

Appetite is an incentive to work; hunger makes you work all the harder.

This passage is basically saying people who are physically hungry have an incentive to work. Hunger, in the natural, will drive people to do things they might not otherwise do.  It should also be this way in the spiritual realm.  Our spiritual hunger for a move of God should drive us to dig deeper and do things we might not otherwise do, and it will move Him and will shift the atmosphere.

When Jesus gave the beatitudes in the Sermon on the Mount, one of them was about hunger.

“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.

Matthew 5:6 NASU

Hunger and desperation for a touch of God is powerful. There are so many examples in scripture of this, but one of my very favorites is Bartimaeus.

Luke 18:35-43 NASU

35 As Jesus was approaching Jericho, a blind man was sitting by the road begging. 36 Now hearing a crowd going by, he began to inquire what this was. 37 They told him that Jesus of Nazareth was passing by. 38 And he called out, saying, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” 39 Those who led the way were sternly telling him to be quiet; but he kept crying out all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” 40 And Jesus stopped and commanded that he be brought to Him; and when he came near, He questioned him, 41 “What do you want Me to do for you?” And he said, “Lord, I want to regain my sight!” 42 And Jesus said to him, “Receive your sight; your faith has made you well.” 43 Immediately he regained his sight and began following Him, glorifying God; and when all the people saw it, they gave praise to God.

I love this man! He did not care what others thought or what they said, he was a desperate man.  When he realized the uproar of the crowd was a result of Jesus coming near, he was determined to take action.  He cried out with all his might, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”

He was persistent. When he was told to be quiet, his response was to cry even louder, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”

Those around you may not understand your hunger and your desperation, these people didn’t understand Bartameus. I can just hear in my mind what he might have been thinking when those around him were telling him to be quiet. “It is easy for you to not be hungry for something, it is easy for you to not be desperate, but I haven’t seen everything I want to see yet!”

I feel the same way; I have not seen everything I want to see yet! I want my hunger and my desperation to reach heaven.  I want it to shift the atmosphere and bring revival in to this city, to this state and to our world!

The last thing that creates an atmosphere for revival is expectancy. After Jesus died on the cross and rose again, we read in Acts where He provided instructions to the believers.

3 To these He also presented Himself alive after His suffering, by many convincing proofs, appearing to them over a period of forty days and speaking of the things concerning the kingdom of God. 4 Gathering them together, He commanded them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait for what the Father had promised, “Which,” He said, “you heard of from Me; 5 for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.”

 Acts 1:3-5 NASU

If you continue reading in this passage, it tells us that Jesus ascended to heaven and they traveled back to Jerusalem where they went to the upper room. The Bible says that they were “All with one mind and were continually devoting themselves to prayer”. (Acts 1:14)

I believe that they went into that upper room with expectation. I believe, as they stayed unified in prayer they anticipated the very thing that Jesus had told them was promised.

 When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. 2 And suddenly there came from heaven a noise like a violent rushing wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3 And there appeared to them tongues as of fire distributing themselves, and they rested on each one of them. 4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit was giving them utterance.

   Acts 2:1-4 NASU

I believe this group in this upper room created an atmosphere for revival. They prayed, they worshiped, they were hungry, they were expectant…, and SUDDENLY heaven appeared!

They did not know what this season of revival would look like. I am sure they did not expect it to be like it was, but it was powerful and it was from God.  The Bible says about three thousand were saved that day and, “Everyone kept feeling a sense of awe; and many wonders and signs were taking place through the apostles”.  (Acts 2:43)

That is what I call revival!

While revival is difficult to define, it is something we must contend for. We can’t just follow a recipe and expect a specific outcome, but we can pray, praise and worship, be hungry, and expect a move of God, and we will create an atmosphere where He will do just that!

Will you join me? Will you contend with us to create an atmosphere that is conducive for revival?

As I close this teaching, I want to link you to a video to watch. When I was seeking God in prayer about this lesson, He gave me the title and the main points.  After that, this song that you can hear at this link began to play.

The song begins with the words, “The atmosphere is changing now”. Later I looked for the video of the song instead of just the audio.  Close to the end of the video, a small sprout begins to grow out of the ground.  What confirmation for me, when I had used the analogy of the seed and the atmosphere!  I believe if we are faithful, that we CAN create an atmosphere for God to move.  Watch the video at this link and be blessed.

 

  1. Atmosphere. 2016. In Merriam-Webster.com Retrieved April 19, 2016, from http//www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/atmosphere

The Terminator

17 Sunday Apr 2016

Posted by in Warfare

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IMG_0189In this life, we face trials and tribulations. Have you ever felt like a big red target is painted on your back? Have you felt as if every possible weapon from hell was launched in your direction?

Today I want you to take a moment to consider why. I also want you to contemplate the possibility that the enemy can see your future.  He can see the destiny that God had in mind for you from the very beginning as you were being formed in your mother’s womb.

Not only do you have great potential to impact the Kingdom of God, but you have the opportunity to influence many other is your life positively to complete their divine destinies as well.

Ponder this question; is it possible that the relentless attacks against you are an effort to terminate your assignment?

In the world of entertainment, we see plots and themes play out before our eyes in movies and TV shows, which are not always realistic, but they are entertaining. One of those topics is time travel.  I remember years ago watching Michael J Fox play a character in the movies “Back to the Future”.  In this movie, he travels back in time to when his parents met.

There was another movie franchise, which also used time travel in its theme, called “The Terminator”. I didn’t actually watch these movies, but I did see some of the episodes when they made a TV show out of it and I know the basic story line.

I looked up the contents of the movie on Wikipedia so I could have the details correct. In this analogy, I want you to consider the young girl’s character, Sarah Conner.  In the first movie, which was released in 1984, she is a young single girl just living her life, when suddenly that reality is interrupted because a seemingly unstoppable cyborg assassin comes back from the year 2029, and is programmed to kill Sarah.  He is called the Terminator, and while he is a powerful machine, he appears to be human.

The reason Sarah is a target is because the child she will eventually give birth to is very important. In the future, there is an artificial intelligence defense network called Skynet who initiates a nuclear holocaust.  Sarah’s future son John is so important, because he is the one who leads the human group called the Resistance, who will eventually stop Skynet and its army of machines.

In the first of the five movies in this franchise, The Resistance sent back through time travel one of its best soldiers to help protect Sarah, which he does, but he loses his own life in the process. 1

In the second movie in the series, John, Sarah’s son is 10 years old. A second terminator, which is even more advanced and powerful than the original, was sent back from the future to try to kill Sarah’s son John.  A version of the original Terminator cyborg was reprogramed and sent back to protect Sarah and her son since the original human soldier was killed. 2

Without going into any more detail let me just say there are five movies in the franchise that show relentless efforts to destroy Sarah and her son John. Why?  Because these creatures come from the future and in the future, there is a clear understanding of how important these individuals are.

It wasn’t Sarah that saved the world; it was her son. Her son would never have existed without Sarah! He would never have existed had she not fought relentless battles to stay alive and then keep her son alive.

In the other movie series I mentioned earlier, “Back to the Future”, Michael J Fox’s character goes back in time and accidentally interrupts his mom meeting his dad. Which would mean in this new future, he didn’t exist.  He had to go back again and make that first kiss between his parents happen or everything changed.

If in this fictional movie one missed kiss made all the difference, how much more in real life does one missed opportunity cost? What is at stake if you do not complete your assignments?

Don’t tell me you don’t have assignments….we all have assignments. I may not have a Billy Graham or a Smith Wigglesworth assignment, but I do have a Rhonda Barnes assignment and all assignments are important! The question is will we say yes or will we allow our assignments to be terminated?

I want to consider a couple examples from Scripture. Let’s start in the Old Testament with the life of Moses. If you read the story of his life beginning in Exodus chapter 2, you will find that the king of Egypt directed that all Hebrew boys be killed.  Moses’ mother hid him for a few months, but when she knew she could not hide him any longer she put him in a basket in the Nile in hopes that Pharaoh’s daughter would find him and preserve his life.

Moses had a very important destiny to lead God’s children out from slavery and to the Promised Land. We see that his mother had to protect his life just like the fictional character Sarah Conners had to protect John.

Fast forward to the birth of Jesus. We read in Matthew 2:13 that not long after Jesus was born an angel appeared to Joseph and instructed him to flee with the child because Herod was seeking him in order to destroy him.  Do you see a common theme here?

The greater the assignment, the greater the battle!

I have only talked about the battle around their birth, how many attacks and challenges did both Moses and Jesus have to overcome to fulfill their assignments?

I don’t know if it is really like this, but I have seen on TV shows where all the officers gather before their shift and they review the top list of criminals they are looking for. In some cases, there are rewards for the worst of the worst.  They are looking for ways to bring those individuals down to stop the crime they are involved in.

I can just envision a morning meeting in hell similar to that. They target the children of God who have a negative impact on Hell’s agenda!  If we use the analogy of the movie, we are the “Resistance” fighting against “Skynet” whose single goal is to kill steal and destroy!

 Ephesians 6:10-14a NKJV

Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles (strategies) of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.   Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand….

When I say that the enemy comes with relentless attacks, those battles can come in many forms. It may be physical, financial, relational or many other examples.  If you are there, I want to encourage you today.  I previously stated, “The greater the assignment, the greater the battle, but you must also realize that the greater the battle the greater the victory!

Realize that these attacks from the enemy are strategic to stop you. You are not alone!  Let these battles make you more determined to find out what it is that the devil is so afraid of!  LIFT UP YOUR HEAD!  IF GOD IS FOR YOU, WHO CAN BE AGAINST YOU?  YOU’VE GOT THIS!!!! 

I hope you find some encouragement if you have had that target on you, to realize that there is a good reason. Hell is fighting you so hard, because you are important and the enemy realizes that!

One last thing I want to leave you with is a reminder of the equipment that is available to you for your battle. You can read about the armor of God in Ephesians 6.  Every piece of the armor is important, but I will only focus on a few at this time.  In a recent post, I shared about the helmet of salvation.  It is an essential piece of equipment to protect our minds….this is CRITICAL because many of the enemy attacks start in the mind.

I also want to point out your breastplate of righteousness. To illustrate the power of this protection I want you to visualize it as a bulletproof vest.  This piece of armor is meant to protect your heart and we put it on as we choose to live a life set apart for God.  Do you know why it is so important to protect your heart?

Obviously, your heartbeat is critical for life, but I want you to also think of it a different way. The things that hurt our heart can be the very things that take us out.  These attacks can come in the form of disappointment from unmet expectations.  They can also come in the form of offense and slander.  At times people say very hurtful things or sometimes our perception of actions can be all wrong but the result still hurts our heart.

That is why it is so important to have your helmet on to protect your mind and your breastplate in place to protect your heart. If while wearing a bulletproof vest, someone were to shoot me point blank, do you know what would happen?  It would knock me down, it would likely knock the breath out of me, it would definitely leave a significant bruise and it might break some ribs, but….I WOULD STILL LIVE!

There are times that the enemy assault might knock you down, knock the breath out of you, leave some bruises, or break your ribs, but HE CANNOT KEEP YOU DOWN IF YOU DO NOT ALLOW HIM TO! 

This is the place where you choose your response. Will you be pitiful, or will you be powerful?  The battle may feel horrible, and I am not making light of anyone’s pain, but you can choose to keep pressing forward regardless of the assault.

The last piece of armor I want to highlight is the shield of faith.

Ephesians 6:14-16 NKJV

Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. 

Notice how verse 16 reads in the Amplified Bible.

Lift up over all the [covering] shield of saving faith, upon which you can quench all the flaming missiles of the wicked [one]. 

IMG_0157I want you to view your shield of faith like this image.  More than just a forward shield, but as a covering. Our Shield of Faith is the piece of armor that I think we often struggle with.  We need to ask the Lord to strengthen our faith. This will allow us to have our breastplate on to protect our life, and also our shield in place to quench ALL the fiery darts of the evil one!

 

In closing, I want to leave you with these five statements. I hope you will say these to yourself often.

  1. I am important to God and to His kingdom.
  2. I have a destiny and I have assignments to complete.
  3. When the enemy assaults me relentlessly, I will recognize his strategies are to make me stop, give up, detour, or lose momentum, and I will not allow his tactics to prevail!
  4. I will keep my armor in place, which will provide me with everything I need to be successful against the wiles of the devil. NO WEAPON FORMED AGAINST ME WILL PROSPER!
  5. I will seek God’s help to strengthen my faith so I can find a place to be shielded from the enemy assaults.

 

 

 

  1. The Terminator. 2016, in Wikipedia. Retrieved March 3, 2016 from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Terminator
  2. Terminator 2: Judgment Day, 2016 in Wikipedia. Retrieved March 3, 2016 from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terminator_2:_Judgment_Day

 

Storm Seasons

31 Thursday Mar 2016

Posted by in Encouragement

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IMG_0095I love the warmer days this time of the year brings, but along with the temperature change, we often are faced with threatening weather. It is during this season, our favorite TV shows are often interrupted with alerts telling us that a storm is near.

Some of the worst storms I have experienced have been while I was out on a lake. In my elementary years, my family enjoyed camping at the lake.  I was my dad’s fishing buddy when we were on these trips.  This particular lake had a history of bad storms.  I guess it had something to do with the landscape and the direction the wind typically came in. It seemed that even on a beautiful day, a horrific storm could blow in without warning.

One morning while my dad and I were fishing, one of those storms unexpectedly came up.  My dad knew I was a strong swimmer, but he was so frightened that he handed me a lifejacket and made me put it on.  We were in a small three-seat boat with stick steering in the front seat.  I remember vividly his stern voice.  He said, “I will drive along the bank and if we turn over, do not look back, just swim to the bank!” I had never seen my dad this concerned on the lake before.

The rain felt like needles as it penetrated my skin.  I hung on for dear life as we went over wave after wave thinking the water was going to come into the boat each time.  Then we came along a shore where a houseboat was able to bank safely to wait out the storm.  The men on this boat saw us and waved us over.  I remember getting inside the shelter of that boat, and feeling so relieved even though I was shivering from fear and being wet and cold.

My love of the lake and fishing continued into my adult life and my husband was thrilled that he married someone with this passion.  We too had many opportunities to weather storms on the lake through the years.  One particular storm stands out above all the rest because God gave me a wonderful message from the events of that day.

Our children had reached an age where they did not particularly want to get up early and go fishing with their parents. We had decided that they were old enough that it would be safe to allow them to stay in the locked camper alone at the campground.  My husband and I traveled up the lake about thirteen miles to the location where we planned to fish.  We had not been there long and suddenly we began to see lightning.  Even though we moved quickly to get our poles put away, we did not get the task completed before the wind and rain began to toss us back and forth.

We took off across the lake as fast as we safely could to get back to our children.  I was so concerned because this was the first time we had left them alone, and my daughter was very fearful during storms.  After about one mile of travel, the alarm on the motor began to sound.  Usually this meant that the fuel filter had clogged.  We knew we could not risk continuing to drive with it sounding, or the motor might be significantly damaged.  My husband stopped the boat and took the cover off the motor.  The waves were so high that the water was splashing into the boat.  He removed the filter to clean it and a big wave came over about that time causing him to drop the gasket covering the filter into the lake.  We were stranded!

The sweats that I wore to keep me warm on that summer morning going across the lake were now soaked, cold, and heavy.  I found myself feeling as vulnerable as I did as a small girl with my dad in the storm we survived.

We were floating helplessly across the water toward a rock bluff. Lightning was all around us.  I was praying desperately for God to intervene, and for my children to be safe.  My husband was frantically trying to come up with a temporary solution so we could start the motor.

As we eventually floated over to the rock wall, I was sitting on the side of the boat to prepare to kick us away as the waves pushed us toward it. I did not want our boat to be damaged by crashing into it.  I kicked us away one time and then we just began to float along the side of it.  While I was sitting on the side of the boat, I looked down and saw a ledge that came out significantly right below the surface of the water.  It was as if God just hid us in the cleft of that rock!  I was able to step out of the boat onto that ledge in ankle deep water even though this part of the lake was well over one hundred feet deep. I held the boat steady while my husband cut cardboard to form a temporary gasket for the fuel filter.

By the time he had successfully completed this task, the storm began to subside. We headed down the lake for our children.  When we arrived, they were still asleep and had not even known there was a storm!

While both of the storms I just described seemed to come suddenly, I am sure if access to the internet were available on phones as we have today, we would have known there was a forecast of those storms. Storms can be predicted, they just cannot be prevented.  There was ample warning and prediction that Hurricane Katrina was coming.  However, there was nothing that could be done to prevent the devastation that storm brought.

Jesus tried to prepare His disciples for storms. He was the great teacher and when His students failed their first test, He allowed them to take it again.  He wanted them to learn to have faith and not to doubt in the midst of storms.  Here is the first test.

 And after He got into the boat, His disciples followed Him.  And suddenly, behold, there arose a violent storm on the sea, so that the boat was being covered up by the waves; but He was sleeping.  And they went and awakened Him, saying, “Lord, rescue and preserve us! We are perishing!” And He said to them, “Why are you timid and afraid, O you of little faith?” Then He got up and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great and wonderful calm (a perfect peaceableness).  And the men were stunned with bewildered wonder and marveled, saying, “What kind of Man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey Him!”

Matthew 8:23-27 Amplified Bible

Six chapters later, we see the second test.

Then He directed the disciples to get into the boat and go before Him to the other side, while He sent away the crowds.  And after He had dismissed the multitudes, He went up into the hills by Himself to pray. When it was evening, He was still there alone.  But the boat was by this time out on the sea, many furlongs [a furlong is one-eighth of a mile] distant from the land, beaten and tossed by the waves, for the wind was against them.  And in the fourth watch [between 3:00 — 6:00 a.m.] of the night, Jesus came to them, walking on the sea. And when the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were terrified and said, “It is a ghost!” And they screamed out with fright. But instantly He spoke to them, saying, “Take courage! I AM! Stop being afraid!”  And Peter answered Him, “Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water.”  He said, “Come!” So Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water, and he came toward Jesus.  But when he perceived and felt the strong wind, he was frightened, and as he began to sink, he cried out, “Lord, save me” [from death]! Instantly Jesus reached out His hand and caught and held him, saying to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased. And those in the boat knelt and worshiped Him, saying, “Truly You are the Son of God!”

Matthew 14:22-33 Amplified Bible

I believe we can see many important lessons about how to survive the storms of life in these passages. One critical lesson is that we must realize that He is with us in the storms, and He will never forsake us.  In the first example, Jesus allowed the disciples to experience the first test with Him literally by their side.  In the second test, Jesus directed them to go without Him. Not only was he seemingly absent during the first part of the storm, He did not come to their assistance until the fourth watch of the night. However, in both situations, He is teaching them to have faith and not doubt that He is with them.

I have heard people say that sometimes Jesus calms the storm, and sometimes He calms his children in the midst of the storm. When Jesus calmed both of these storms, the disciples were amazed by His power.  The solution seemed as sudden as the storm.  If you are walking through a storm season in your life, be assured that He is with you, He is all-powerful, and this season will not last forever.  When Jesus was teaching His disciples in John 16:33, He said, “I have told you all this, so that you may have peace in me.  Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows.  But take heart, because I have overcome the world.” (NLT)

Our Infinite God!

09 Wednesday Mar 2016

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IMG_0141There have been moments in my life when I have stood on a sandy beach looking across a body of water with no visible end that I had an awareness of the vastness of my God. Recently during my devotional time, He has challenged me to realize that just as in His very nature He is infinite, so is His love for us and His power and anointing that is available to us.

Can you search out the deep things of God? Can you find out the limits of the Almighty?  They are higher than heaven— what can you do? Deeper than Sheol— what can you know?  Their measure is longer than the earth And broader than the sea.

Job 11:7-9 NKJV

A short time ago as I was meditating on this passage, I had my iPad in my lap and I just asked Siri to tell me the definition of infinite. She responded with this on my screen:

Infinite (adjective):  Limitless or endless in space, extent, or size, impossible to measure or calculate

  • Very great amount of degree
  • Greater than any assignable or countable number
  • (of a series) able to be continued indefinitely

Infinite (noun):   A space or quantity that is infinite

  • God

WOW! I didn’t expect that!  Even the on-line dictionary that Siri references equates infinity with God!  In contrast, as a human I do exhibit certain limitations. Elijah was a mighty Old Testament prophet, and we are told in James that he moved beyond his human limits through the power of faith and prayer.

Elijah was a man with a nature like ours [with the same physical, mental, and spiritual limitations and shortcomings], and he prayed intensely for it not to rain, and it did not rain on the earth for three years and six months. 18 Then he prayed again, and the sky gave rain and the land produced its crops [as usual].

James 5:17-18 AMP

This passage speaks a powerful message! It tells me that while I may have human limitations, through prayer and the Holy Spirit Power we read about in 1 Corinthians 2:10, we can move from being humanly limited to accessing supernaturally power that is limitless and infinite!

For God has unveiled them and revealed them to us through the [Holy] Spirit; for the Spirit searches all things [diligently], even [sounding and measuring] the [profound] depths of God [the divine counsels and things far beyond human understanding].

1 Corinthians 2:10 AMP

Have you put God in a box? He is an infinite God!  He is limitless.  He is immeasurable!  He is indescribable and all powerful!  His love for you is endless, and His power available to you has no boundaries!

Elijah had the same human limitations that we exhibit, yet through prayer and faith he tapped the power of an infinite God! Can we live by his example?

In my mind’s eye I can visualize a green field with a white fence at the far end. As I move closer and closer to the fence, it continues to expand out and forward encouraging me to understand that through our infinite God, there is a place without borders.  He can enlarge our capacity and create in us exponential expansion if we will only believe!

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