Painting Pictures of Egypt

The following is written by a good friend, Jennifer Hanson, who posted this note on her facebook page. I loved it so much, I asked her if I could re-post it here. Enjoy! (On a side note, Jennifer has received an assignment to go to Cambodia as a Missionary Associate. She is waiting to go until all the funds are raised. Please help me pray for her funds to be raised. If God stirs in your heart to give, please email me at tammy@legacyministries.info.)

A few weeks ago a question popped into my head. I've been pondering it a lot in the weeks since, and then, last night, to my surprise, my mother asked me the very same question. I took this as a sign to write a few words about it ;-)

Why did the children of Israel still turn to idols again and again after they had witnessed so many miracles from God?

An entire sea was parted for them so they could walk across on dry land and at exactly the right time covered their enemies. They received food straight from heaven that was not like any food found on this earth. It could only be gathered one day at a time or it disappeared. Then there were all those plagues that completely bypassed them, but attacked the Egyptians. They had a protection of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night. They saw people die from touching the ark of the covenant, people healed of leprosy, and the glory of the Lord on Moses' face when he would return from speaking to God.

But they still turned away. They still lusted after false idols. Why?

It's because the miracles aren't what it's really about. The miracles are meant to point to Him. When we lose sight of Him amongst His workings, then we start to become dissatisfied. We chase after other things to quench our thirst and satiate our hunger. How many times have I seen things that could only be explained by His power, and then I still doubt and worry the next time around? Miracles make us say "Wow! God is good!" in the moment, and they can serve to boost our faith... but it's so easy to forget in the days after.

In John 6, it talks about Jesus feeding the 5,000. In the verses after that story, the people kept trying to find Him, and force Him to be their king. Jesus knew this, and He was avoiding them. He even walked on the water to slip by them! They eventually found Him though, and He called them out. He told them that they weren't looking for Him because they saw God's power and compassion in miraculously feeding all of them. They were only looking for Him because they got some bread and ate their fill. Cool trick! They completely missed the point of the miracle. He told them that the true bread was Him. He said that His body that would be pierced for them contained the Bread of Life that would never stop satisfying. They didn't like this statement so much. They wanted more miracles. They wanted a king who would work some powerful, vengeful, magic and slaughter their enemies. Even some of Jesus' disciples (other than the 12) left Him after they heard this little sermon.

I believe that miracles happen all the time. I've seen too many things that can't be explained by anything else but a powerful God. I was born after 10 years of my parents hearing that they would never be able to have kids. My sister was born five years later. I've had people hand me large sums of money to go on missions trips hours before the fund raising deadline. My friend was recently in a car accident where he should have died, but he doesn't have a scratch on him. Just yesterday I met a perfect tiny little baby boy who belongs to a couple in low income housing, struggling to just get by. He was supposed to be born with a dangerous cist on his head. My sister prayed for him while he was still in the womb and he was born perfect. I've had God speak to me in dreams, I've had prayers answered exactly the way I prayed them, and I've had people pray over me and give me guidance from God about things and situations that they could have never known about on their own. I've been on missions trips where the presence of God fell so heavy I could hardly walk and when people gave their testimonies it was as though you could cut the anointing in the room with a knife. I've seen marriages restored, people healed, and even little things like money showing up when I'm at my very last dollar.

I have to remind myself though, that these things only point to the greater thing...the ability to have a relationship with the Great, Good, Loving, Compassionate, Merciful, All-Powerful, God who does them in His perfect wisdom. THAT is one miracle worth basing your faith on. That is the root of the Tree of Life. If I'm not connected to those roots, then I could still see all of those things I mentioned above, and then in the days after be blown away by the wind.

Have a Thankful Christmas!

I am sorry that I have not even blogged since Thanksgiving! As I sit here and think about that, it is giving me something to blog about! The calendar says that Thanksgiving is over and the hustle and bustle of Christmas preparation has begun. That's the problem! We cannot be like the calendar...Thanksgiving CANNOT be over; it has to go on into Christmas.

Too many people have a hard time receiving. How would you like it if you gave your child a gift at Christmas and the child started saying you didn't have to do it; or that he didn't like it, and he wanted something different? How would you feel if he started comparing what you gave him with what you gave his siblings? You would really feel crazy if he started telling you that he did not deserve the gift! Here's a better one--what if he went on and enjoyed the gift without even acknowledging it or saying a word to you?

That is what many of us do to God! He blesses us with so many gifts all year long. How often do we stop and tell Him "Thank You!"? Can you stop right now and think of something you haven't thanked God for and thank Him? And the comparison game? SO many "saints" are playing that one! We need to stop comparing what others have and allow God to use us in our unique, special gifts He has given us. He's the Master Creator! He knows what is best!

The problem doesn't stop with not thanking God. Many times God uses other people to bless us and we forget to thank them. Recently God put it on my heart to bless someone who is going through a hard financial trial. I did this a couple of times. To my recollection, I never received a "Thank You". Now, I really don't need it, but I believe the recipients of the gifts needed to give a "thank you" for their sake. That might be the key that actually helps them out of their pit. Phillipians 4:6-7 says, "Don't worry about anything, but in everything, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace that passes understanding will guard your heart and mind through Christ Jesus." (I added the italics for emphasis of the point.) It makes me wonder how many people I am doing that to. So now my challenge is to pray and ask God who you need to send a thank you note to! That's what I am going to do!

One time Jesus healed 10 men who were suffering with leprosy. (Luke 17) You would think that they would thank Jesus over and over, but only 1 came back to thank the Lord. Jesus acknowledged that only one of the 9 thanked Him. He then went on to tell that one that his faith had made him whole. The Greek word for "whole" is "sozo" which means healed spirit, soul and body. That means that not only was the man physically healed, he was also healed in his spirit and soul! His healing would last for eternity, while the others' only got the temporary physical healing. Wow!

This Christmas, have yourself a thankful little Christmas, and your heart will be light! :)

3 year old Jonathan conducting to the 4th movement of Beethoven's 5th Sy...

OK, I'm deviating a bit from my normal sermon type exhortations. I just LOVE this video. God has truly gifted this kid! He is truly feeling the music. Incredible! Enjoy!

Are You Vulnerable or Tender?

We all know that we face many trials in this life. Jesus warned us in John 16:33 (NKJV), “In this world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” The great news is that if we have Jesus in us, we, too, are overcomers. Sometimes we forget that! When we do, our hearts hurt. Proverbs 4:23 (NIV) warns us to “...guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.”

I would like to look at two types of heart that can experience much pain: a vulnerable heart and a tender heart. Both are weak. The vulnerable heart is a negative weakness that attracts attacks, whereas the tender heart is a positive weakness that attracts God’s power. God was talking about the tender weakness when He said, “My strength is made perfect in weakness.” (2 Cor. 12:9 NKJV)

Let’s look a little closer at how being vulnerable compares to being tender:

As Christians, we all have times of vulnerability as well as tenderness. The enemy wants to take the tender places of our heart and make them vulnerable. God, on the other hand, wants to take our vulnerabilities and make them tender.

How do we pray for the vulnerable? We pray for them to repent. Why should they repent if others are the ones who keep hurting them? To answer that, you need to know what “repent” really means. The Greek word for “repent” is “metanoia.” “Meta” - to change; “Noia” - mind. So it means to have a mindset change. When you are vulnerable, you need to have a change of thinking to get your mind off yourself and on to God and others.

How do we pray for the tender? We pray for them to be protected. Because of the compassion from which a tender person operates, his heart is exposed and will be hurt. God does not want the tender heart to be hardened. He wants the tender heart to be protected. How is that going to happen? To answer that, let’s look at each line in Philippians 4:5-7:
“Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near.” This describes a tender heart.
“Do not be anxious about anything,” A vulnerable heart is the one that is always anxious.
“but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” That is how you receive a tender heart.
“And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” That is how your heart will be guarded.

I challenge you to ask God to transform the vulnerable places of your heart into a tender heart. Then you can be a conduit of His power to others who need Him. Even when bad things happen, you will be confident that God will cause all things to work together for your good. (Rom. 8:28) Out of those times in the fire, you will actually be purified and prepared for the bigger call of God on your life to make a difference in the lives of others.

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.”

What is Affecting You?

I did a word study on "passion" and found out the the same Greek word for "passion" also translates into "affection" and "suffering." More on the suffering part on a future post. This time I want to talk about "affection."

Think about it. You will be affected by that on which you place your affections. As with anything, that can be good or bad. If you have a burning desire for food, for example, chances are you will be affected not only in a mental way, but also in a physical way by gaining too much weight. As with any unhealthy addiction, the affects are numerous and far-reaching. Family members and friends also end up being affected by your affection.

Personally, I want my affection to be on Christ. To be a Christian is supposed to result in being Christ-like. If I set my affections on Him, that will start to happen. I will be transformed. Colossians 3:1-2(KJV): "If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth." That chapter goes on to say in verses 12-17, "Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering; Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye. And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness. And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him."

Colossians 3 goes on to talk about family relationships and how to treat each other. If your affection is on Christ, the affects will be positive. They, too, will be far reaching and start to affect family members and friends. Hopefully your loved ones will see the peace that only Jesus can give and want it, too. Unfortunately, however, some will be offended by the Christ in you. Paul said in 2 Corinthians 2:15-16 (NKJV), "For we are to God the fragrance of Christ among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing. To the one we are the aroma of death leading to death, and to the other the aroma of life leading to life."

Why does Christ offend so many? Peter puts it this way (1 Peter 2:6-9 NKJV), "Therefore it is also contained in the Scripture, 'Behold, I lay in Zion A chief cornerstone, elect, precious, And he who believes on Him will by no means be put to shame.' Therefore, to you who believe, He is precious; but to those who are disobedient, 'The stone which the builders rejected Has become the chief cornerstone,' and 'A stone of stumbling And a rock of offense.' They stumble, being disobedient to the word, to which they also were appointed. But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light..."

Keep praying for them, and keep your affection on Christ no matter what others do around you. When you truly get this, you will not be affected as much by what people do around you. You can be whole with peace and joy even in the midst of trials!

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!