Forgiving God

In the last post I talked about separating the actions someone does from him as a person. That will lead the way to "let him off the hook" so you can forgive him of the things he has done against you or the things he did not do that you feel he should have done. Let's take this one step further. What if we did that for God?

Too many Christians are so consumed with focusing on what God DOES for them that they forget to worship Him for who He IS. Maybe it is a time for a "self check" on this. When is the last time you got alone with God WITHOUT a prayer request list and just enjoyed His presence? That is probably a foreign concept to most people, but it is a very important question to pose. Think about any person you love. The closer the relationship, the more the desire to just be with him/her. You really don't need to be entertained; you just want to be with the person. Couples who have been married for years and have a close relationship can simply be together holding hands and not even have to talk to enjoy one another. God is not interested as much in what you can DO for Him as much as He in in just being with you. You reach a deeper level of intimacy with Him when you are more interested in being with Him than you are in what He can DO for you.

Yes, God wants to bless us. In fact, the Bible says that "it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the Kingdom." (Luke 12:32 KJV) However, what happens when we don't get our prayers answered the way we think they should be answered? What happens if we don't get the job we thought we should have? What if we don't get healed the way we thought it should happen? What if we don't see relationships restored when we think they should? If we don't separate what God does or does not do from Him, we will blame Him and get angry with Him. We get so focused on our situations and "needs" that we forget He sees the bigger picture and knows what is best. We forget that ultimately He has the last word and "He will cause all things to work together for those who love Him and who are called according to His purposes." (Romans 8:28)

We do praise God for what He does for us, but we worship Him for who He is. Don't get stuck in the outer courts just focusing on His deeds. Go on in to the Holy of Holies and worship God for who He is. You will then get all of who He is that includes what He does! Then when you receive His blessings, you will also know His heart. You will start to see the bigger picture and understand why God does or doesn't do things in our ways or timing. You will be like Moses instead of the Children of Israel. The Children of Israel knew God's deeds, but Moses knew His ways. (See Psalm 103:7)

I pray for God's wisdom on how to communicate this truth. I see many people who need to forgive God before they can go on the forgiveness journey and forgive others. WHAT? Forgive God? He hasn't sinned! That's right, but He has allowed things to wound us. It's when we can separate the things God does or does not do from Him that we can release God from the offenses we hold against Him and be free indeed from a root of bitterness that we may not even realize we had. We will then start seeing why He allows hard times and begin to actually thank Him for those trials that burn out all the "dross" of self-centeredness and draw us closer to Him.

A Fresh Start

As I sit to write this post on the first day of 2011, I think about how God’s mercies are new every morning. If that is the case, then they are new this morning. Since this is the first day of the year, that means that they are new for the start of this year. It does not matter how your year went in 2010, you have a clean slate for 2011!

Let’s take a look at the verse from which we get that truth (Lamentations 3:21-26 NKJV):
“This I recall to my mind,
      Therefore I have hope.
      Through the LORD’s mercies we are not consumed,
      Because His compassions fail not.
      They are new every morning;
      Great is Your faithfulness.
      “The LORD is my portion,” says my soul,
      “Therefore I hope in Him!”
       The LORD is good to those who wait for Him,
       To the soul who seeks Him.
       It is good that one should hope and wait quietly
      For the salvation of the LORD.”

Some of you may have gone through many trials in 2010. The way you look at your heartaches of last year will have much to do with whether or not you get out of the pit of despair the enemy wants you to stay in for this year.

What do I mean? If you look at 2010 with a “Woe is me” attitude, chances are you will expect nothing better in 2011, and you will probably stay in despair. On the other hand, if you do what Lamentations says and recall to your mind the many times God has brought you through, you will be well on your way to experiencing joy as you see God rescue you again and again!

Think of it like this. When you drive a car, you need to keep focused on where you are going, not where you came from. The rear view mirror is very small compared to the windshield on which it is attached. If you always look at the rear view mirror to see behind you, you will soon crash. However, if you glance at the rear view mirror when you need to, it could save you from a crash.

That is the way it is with our past. If we keep dwelling on the past, it could keep us from moving forward with the great future God has for us. On the other hand, if we allow God to show us glimpses of our past and show us His perspective, it can help us to be launched into His call on our lives. We will soon recognize that He was faithful to bring us through it all, and His faithfulness will see us through in the future.

It Will Be Worth It All!

As I said in the last post, I found out that there are two more English words that translate from the same Greek word for "passion." They are "affection" and "suffering." I blogged about affection last time. This time I want to blog about suffering.

Paul said in Phil. 3:10, "...that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death..." Many people only quote up to the part about power of His resurrection, but you cannot connect with the resurrection until you connect with His death on the cross. Just remember, for every cross-bearing trial you go through, Sunday's comin'! You will be resurrected out of it in a state better than you were before it happened.

"Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day. For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal." 2 Corinthians 4:16-18 (NKJV)

The Greek word for "working" in the scripture above is "katergazomai." According to Strong's, it means,

1. to perform, accomplish, achieve
2. to work out (i.e. to do that from which something results)
3. to fashion (i.e. render one fit for a thing)

Wow! You can probably come up with your own sermon out of that! Do you ever think that the trial you are facing is doing all that? Basically, what it is saying is that what you are going through is preparing you to be ready for the bigger call of God on your life! What are those dreams He has placed in your heart to accomplish for His glory? Count the costs! It will cost you some times of suffering. But GOD! In the end, it is worth is all!

Remember what Paul said in Romans 8:18 (NKJV),

“I don’t consider the sufferings to be worthy to be compared to the glory which shall be revealed in us.”

This is a Test!

This is a test. This is only a test. For the next 60 seconds...scratch that...for the rest of your life...you will be facing situations that will test you on many different levels! How will you respond? Too many times we are distracted by the test itself to really make any progress toward getting through it. You may have to read that sentence again! It's true, is it not? We also get distracted by how other people involved in the situation are acting...or NOT! We get distracted by how we think God needs to intervene. Yes, sometimes God does intervene and takes us out of the situation miraculously. But, more times than not, He allows us to go through some things to help make us stronger. Think about it. If you are like me, you can think back on some trying times and remember that it was in the hard times that you grew the most spiritually.

In the film, Letters to God, by David Nixon, produced by Vivendi Entertainment, a little boy, Tyler faces a serious test when he battles cancer. Throughout this battle, he poured his heart out to God by writing Him letters. The letters ended up having such an impact on his whole community. At one point in the film he was bothered by the fact that he was made fun of at school. His good friend, Sammy, took him to her grandpa, Mr. Perryman, for advice. Mr. Perryman put on a costume and came out as the wise Dadooska. He told Tyler, "God has chosen you to receive the honor...the honor of being chosen as one of God's warriors. You are God's warrior...which means you can ride forth victoriously in truth, humility and righteousness. Even though you are sick, when people see how strong and brave you are, why it makes them take a look at their own lives. So maybe that's why they make fun of you. But, Tyler, there is a glorious truth, God's truth. And it is your job to point them to Him. If they turn to Him, they find the truth. Wouldn't that be a wonderful victory!" (I recommend you to see the film to get the full story. I love this movie!)

Christ Himself was tested to a degree that we will never know. Because of that, He makes the best foundation. If we place our faith in Him, we will always be secure with our lives built upon that sure foundation. "Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD, Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner [stone], a sure foundation: he that believeth shall not make haste." Isaiah 28:16 (KJV) In the New Living Translation, it says he who believes in the cornerstone "will not be disturbed."

That's what I want! I want to not be disturbed while being tested. I want to remember that God is making me stronger through it all. I want my faith and trust in God to grow, knowing that in Him I am always secure!

Do WHAT?

The Christian faith is full of paradoxes. What is a paradox? The first definition on dictionary.com is "a statement or proposition that seems self-contradictory or absurd but in reality expresses a possible truth."

Think about it...

I am to die to my self in order that I may live.

I am to give so that I can receive.

I am to humble myself to God, and He will lift me up.

I have found all of these seemingly absurd statements to be very true. They are not easy to do in the natural, but once you can get past the natural and allow God to give you a supernatural desire, a life of satisfaction is the result. There is another paradox in the Bible that seems harder than any of them. We are told to bless those who persecute us. WHAT?!

Let's look at this closer...

Romans 12:14-19 (NIV) - "Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited. Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God's wrath, for it is written: 'It is mine to avenge; I will repay,' says the Lord. On the contrary:
'If your enemy is hungry, feed him;
if he is thirsty, give him something to drink.
In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.' Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good."

Another passage says...

1 Peter 3:8-10 (NIV) "Finally, all of you, live in harmony with one another; be sympathetic, love as brothers, be compassionate and humble. Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult, but with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing. For,
'Whoever would love life
and see good days
must keep his tongue from evil
and his lips from deceitful speech.' "

What if more people did this? How would the world change? That would definitely be walking out the talk. Jesus was our example. Isaiah prophesied Jesus, the Messiah's death many years before it actually happened when he wrote

"He was oppressed and afflicted,
yet he did not open his mouth;
he was led like a lamb to the slaughter,
and as a sheep before her shearers is silent,
so he did not open his mouth." (Is 53:7 NIV)

Even in the worst of persecution, Jesus did not try to defend Himself. Yes, His accusers seemingly won the battle when they killed Him. However, three days later, look what happened! He was resurrected from the dead and conquered death, hell and the grave! I don't care what the enemy tries to do to silence God and His people. God always has the last word!

I recently told a friend this who is facing some crazy accusations that have gotten out of hand. She responded, "That's Jesus. He's God!" I replied, "Yes, but where does Jesus live?" She knew when she said, "In me!"

Lord, help us to look to You for our approval instead of people. Their unkind words will not hurt as bad if we do not need their approval. That way when they persecute us, we will have what we need to show them grace and repay their evil with good. Help us to show them Your goodness. May our actions be the seed that draws them to Your kindness which leads them to repentance. Help us to have the grace to release them to You, knowing that You can take care of the situation much better than we can!

It Comes With the Territory!

Have you ever had a time when God was speaking to you about a subject and everywhere you turned you ran into it? It seems as though every sermon you hear, every book you pick up, conversations you have, songs you hear, scriptures you read from the Bible and even thoughts you have in your head are all about the subject. Well, that has been happening to me lately, and the subject is "spiritual warfare." I would have to be dumb to not see that God is trying to teach me something!

Of course we need a balance on the subject! On one side there are people who seem to look for demons under every rock. On the other end of the spectrum there are people who stick their head in the sand and don't even acknowledge the existence of demonic strongholds. To those in the first group I want to say, "Who are you magnifying--the devil or God Almighty?" To those in the second group my words are, "Wake up! There is a realm beyond what we see with the natural eye that is just as real (if not more) than what we experience with the five senses."

Yesterday someone asked me, "I keep hearing all this talk about expecting attacks of the enemy if you do anything for the Lord. Why does it have to be that way? Can't it be that I'm just protected and don't have to experience that?" I have been pondering the conversation ever since. In fact, I woke up this morning with some insight that might help answer that question.

Last week our family took a vacation on the beach at Cape San Blas, FL. We met a man who has just recently had a house built there. He told us that the house was built to resist hurricanes. The windows in the house are specially built to withstand a 2 x 4 board being hurled at them at 160 miles/hr. Why do they do that? Because they know storms WILL come, because that's where hurricanes hit--on the sea shore. It comes with the territory! If you don't want to weather through a storm, don't build a house at the beach! I don't know how much more a window like that costs than the standard windows that are in my house, but I can assure you that when the next storm comes, it will be worth the cost to the owner.

This reminds me of the what Jesus said in Matthew 7:

24."Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock:
25.and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock.

To answer the question, "Do the storms have to happen if I step out and work for the Lord?" Yes! It comes with the territory! The enemy is not going to sit idly by while we are out rescuing the perishing. If you don't want to weather the storm, don't do anything to advance the Kingdom! The better question would be, "Can I be protected from storms and not be harmed just as much as if they didn't happen?" YES!! I'll give you an example...

Remember the three Hebrew children who were in exile in Babylon. They were warned that they would be thrown into the fiery furnace if they didn't fall down and worship a golden idol. Their response was, "Our God is able to deliver us from the fiery furnace, but even if He doesn't, we will not bow our knee to anyone or anything beside the One True God!" (my paraphrase) So, they were wrapped with material to bind them and were thrown into the furnace. When they were in the fire, Jesus appeared with them. While they were with Jesus in the midst of the fire, instead of being bound, they were walking around free and not even hurt! They not only didn't burn up, but when they came out of the fire, the only thing that was burned up was the material wrapped around them to bind them! In fact, the Bible says that the smell of smoke was not even on them! Were they just as protected as if it never happened? Absolutely! Really, they were BETTER than if it never happened! Think of how much their faith had to have strengthened! Think of the level of getting to know Jesus they experienced that they would not have if they didn't have to go to the furnace. (See Daniel 3 in the Old Testament.)

Back to Jesus' words in Matthew. The wise man had to prepare for the storm ahead of time to be ready. You cannot just wait for the storm to come and then start building. How do we prepare? Hear what God is telling you and do it! Read His Word so you can know what He wants you to do. Spend time with Him in worship, prayer, Bible study. He knows what is ahead. He can SO prepare you if you just give Him the time of day to do it! You will start knowing His promptings and have a desire, no matter what the cost, to follow His lead.

Those who build houses on the beach have so many advantages. They get to see awesome sunsets over the ocean (or sunrises depending on which ocean); they get to experience times of relaxation laying out in the sun, or times of excitement riding the waves; they get to be lulled to sleep at night with the sound of the waves crashing into the shore; they get to find awesome shells as they walk along the shoreline. Bottom line: they get so many perks by living in the territory of the storms that is it well worth the sacrifice to be prepared for the storms.

God has proven that time and time in my life. A life of ministry for God can be hard...VERY HARD at times! However, the rewards I experience are so much greater than even the toughest times! God knows when we need respite times of rest off of the front lines. We need to take those times and allow Him to pour into us so that we will be ready to go back out to battle. Then when we go back to fight and we win with Him, He will also give us time to enjoy our winnings before going out again! Keep your eyes on Him and remember what God says..."Thus says the LORD to you: 'Do not be afraid nor dismayed because of this great multitude, for the battle [is] not yours, but God's."

Grace and Peace be Multiplied to You!

I had a dream recently that I was asked to speak to a large women's convention. When I got behind the mic, I exclaimed, "Grace and peace be multiplied to you!" When I woke from the dream I began to research that in the Bible. I found out that Peter opened both his letters with that exhortation in 1 Peter 1:2 and 2 Peter 1:2. He was writing to believers who were facing conflict in the form of persecution from outside the church as well as division from within the church. He put them in the right order because you cannot have peace until you have grace. Grace is God giving us the free gift of salvation that we do not deserve. That is what brings true peace!

With all the present-day conflicts we are facing, we will do good to delve into this a little bit deeper and see how it applies to us today. I researched the meaning of the Greek words Peter used for grace and peace. You're going to love this!

The Greek word for "grace" is "charis" which according to www.blueletterbible.org means:

1) grace

a) that which affords joy, pleasure, delight, sweetness, charm, loveliness: grace of speech

2) good will, loving-kindness, favour

a) of the merciful kindness by which God, exerting his holy influence upon souls, turns them to Christ, keeps, strengthens, increases them in Christian faith, knowledge, affection, and kindles them to the exercise of the Christian virtues

3) what is due to grace

a) the spiritual condition of one governed by the power of divine grace

b) the token or proof of grace, benefit

1) a gift of grace

2) benefit, bounty

4) thanks, (for benefits, services, favours), recompense, reward

The Greek word for "peace" is "eirene" which according to www.blueletterbible.org means:

1) a state of national tranquillity

a) exemption from the rage and havoc of war

2) peace between individuals, i.e. harmony, concord

3) security, safety, prosperity, felicity, (because peace and harmony make and keep things safe and prosperous)

4) of the Messiah's peace

a) the way that leads to peace (salvation)

5) of Christianity, the tranquil state of a soul assured of its salvation through Christ, and so fearing nothing from God and content with its earthly lot, of whatsoever sort that is

6) the blessed state of devout and upright men after death

Wow! As I've been known to proclaim before, "That'll preach!" I want to proclaim that same blessing on you today, that all you just read be MULTIPLIED to you!