Encouragement

Encouragement

"Why are the nations so angry? Why do they waste their time with futile plans? The kings of the earth prepare for battle; the rulers plot together against the LORD and against His anointed one. 'Let us break their chains,' they cry, 'and free ourselves from slavery to God." Psalm 2:1-3

This verse sounds like today, doesn't it? Actually, David wrote this psalm during one of the many rebellions he experienced against his rule as king. Rebellion against God is as old as, well...Satan's rebellion in heaven,

"How you are fallen from heaven, O shining star, son of the morning! You have been thrown down to the earth, you who destroyed the nations of the world. For you said to yourself, 'I will ascend to heaven and set my throne above God's stars I will preside on the mountain of the gods far away in the north. I will climb to the highest heavens and be like the Most High." Isaiah 14:12-14

Thrown out of his place in heaven, Satan set out to destroy God's creation in the Garden of Eden by corrupting the creature who was created in God's image--Adam and his helpmate, Eve. First, he provoked Eve to question God's word, then he tempted her in the way he always tempts mankind. 

"The. woman was convinced. She saw that the tree was beautiful and its fruit looked delicious, and she wanted the wisdom it would give her." Genesis 3:6a

There it is. The three ways that generate all rebellion against God's order--the lust of the eyes (tree was beautiful), the lust of the flesh (fruit looked delicious), and the pride of life (wanted wisdom equal to or better than God). Eve chose to disobey God's command and believe Satan's lie, awakening in her a desire for the fruit of the tree. Temptation is ready to nail us when we choose to believe a lie. It takes choosing faith in Jesus to free us from the hold of sin and its consequences--to make us righteous.

God, the Creator of the universe, is sovereign. Every war from the beginning of time is a rebellion against His order. Consider the current state of the world. Threats of war abound across our planet, although the media of today spotlights only a few. Does the nightly news cause your stomach to churn? To fear? Be anxious? Fill you with discouragement?

We must remember Satan was put under a curse.

"Then the LORD God said to the serpent, because you have done this, you are cursed more than all animals, domestic and wild. You will crawl on your belly, groveling in the dust as long as you live. And I will cause hostility between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring. He will strike your head, and you will strike his heel." Genesis 3:14-15

In this first prophecy about Jesus, God said Satan would wound Messiah's heel (the cross and resurrection), but Jesus would ultimately deliver a mortal blow to the enemy of God's holy purpose. 

Psalm 2 contains another messianic prophecy. Its initial intent was for David, but it also refers to the Son of David, who is the Lord, Jesus Christ, and the purpose of His coming at the end of days.

"...I will give you the nations as your inheritance, the whole earth as your possession. You will break them with an iron rod and smash them like clay pots." Psalm 2:8-9

Prophecy is encouragement to those of us looking for the blessed hope of Jesus'return. We must resist the temptation to fret when we hear reports of wars and rumors of wars. We must put our faith in God's promises and believe. We must fight against discouragement when we see certain nations lining up with the intent to eradicate Israel. God is not surprised, nor disheartened. He identified them long before in Ezekiel 38. And, when we witness the descent of our country from the place of moral influence and world power it once held, we should remember we are not mentioned in the prophecies of the end of days. Only God will stand with Israel and He will deliver them. 

What should we do? 

"Serve the LORD with reverent fear, and rejoice with trembling." Psalm 2:6

Serve the LORD.  What does that look like?

First and foremost, I believe, we are to exalt Him in worship, respectfully recognizing He is Holy...Almighty God...Creator of the universe...Father of Love.

And, we ought to pray.

Pray and love God with our whole hearts, minds and souls.
Pray and love others as we love ourselves.
Pray and humbly submit to His will in our lives.
Pray and stand firm in our faith in Jesus.
Pray and speak/share the truth in love.
Pray and shine the light of Jesus to all mankind.
Pray non-stop and constantly rejoice in Jesus and His finished work.
Pray and patiently endure ________(whatever God has called each of us to).
Pray and receive the comfort of the LORD.
Pray and comfort others with the comfort we've received--the hope that is in us.

Perhaps there has been no other time in our lives when prayer has become as vital as it is today. Jesus is coming again...soon. May He find us, His bride, expectantly waiting with abundant oil of the Holy Spirit in our lamps, spreading an incandescent message of forgiveness and hope.

"Blessed are all they that put their trust in Him." Psalm 2:12b

by Marilyn Allison

Light

"For with you is the fountain of life; in your light do we see light." Psalm 36:9

The Lord alone can refresh and renew the weary sinner. He gives life that overflows with His love. He shines His light and chases away the shadows that cause fear of the unknown. His light chases the darkness from sorrow. The Light  is Jesus Christ and He opens our eyes to see the brash, the ugly and the invasive. Ugly intrusions try to draw attention away from what is good and lovely, and the everlasting hope we have in Jesus. 

"Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, 'I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life."  John 8:12

The Light of Jesus shines helping us to see ourselves the way our Savior sees us. We are His Beloved and nothing in our past--no matter how haunting, or the present that seems daunting, or the future that is yet unknown--will ever dim His love for you, for me, and who we are in Him.

"But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light."  1 Peter 2:9

Jesus shines His light on us and also gives us Living Water. It springs forth--washing us clean, fresh, new, life altering. It changes us from the inside out, overflowing every area of our life. His Living Water washes away fear, confusion, doubt, shame and self.

“But whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again.  The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life."
John 4:14

Do you know what it’s like to live in the Light of God? Are you thirsty or feel dirty? Come and drink, bask in the light of Jesus. He died for you. Don’t ever forget that. No amount of ignoring it--or saying it didn’t happen--will change the past. But Jesus changes everything. He did it for you. Won’t you come and walk in the Light that doesn't reveal the ugliness of your sin, but the beauty of His presence.

"How precious is your steadfast love, O God! The children of mankind take refuge in the shadow of your wings. They feast on the abundance of your house, and you give them drink from the river of your delights." Psalm 36:7-8

by Eve Montano

Joy

"Oh, the joys of those who do not follow the advice of the wicked, or stand around with sinners, or join in with mockers. But they delight in the law of the LORD, meditating on it day and night." Psalm 1:1-2

A couple of weeks ago I was blindsided with an unexpected emotional wound. The weight of pain settled in on my spirit. Joy disappeared and fear gained a foothold. 

What do I do, LORD?

That was my prayer and my recognition of God's sovereignty in the matter. And...I went right back to evaluating the circumstances of my situation. I muttered.

Then, I became angry. It wasn't long before one negative thought led to another. The emotion kindled from heat toward the situation to a scorching focus on myself. Anger turned inward becomes depression and I was on the brink of a deep, dark hole.

What do I do, LORD?

Submit...delight...meditate...day and night. When I turned to God's word and pushed my self-focused thinking aside, He filled my thoughts with His hope.

"Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and He will flee from you" James 4:7

This is my go-to verse to reject my flesh's invitation to hold a pity party.

Step one--submit to God's will--get my focus on the Lord and ask Him to bind the enemy from attacking and deceiving me.

Step two--delight myself in God's Word. When I do that I remember He is sovereign and nothing can come against me unless it passes through the veil of His love. When the trial comes, He allows it in order to teach and strengthen me in faith.

"The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tested, He will show you a way out so that you can endure."
1 Corinthians 10:13

Step three--meditate on God's commands day and night (aka Love the LORD thy God with all thy heart, mind and soul, and love others as myself). Meditating brings forth praise and thanksgiving. It brings peaceful surrender to God's will for my life. The circumstances haven't changed, but I have.

I know this battle isn't unique to me. All of us are being purified in some way. We hold onto things  in the deep recesses of our minds and don't think they are a problem. Then God shines the light of His Holy Spirit on an attitude--a motive--and says "now is the time to give it to Me."

How blessed we are that the LORD watches over our paths. We will be like trees planted near a lively water source, bearing good fruit in its season. (Psalm 1:6, 3)

by Marilyn Allison

Real Faith Is For Real Life

"For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete,needing nothing." James 1:3-4

"Do you really have to mash it behind your head like that?"

"Please! Don’t use the pillow as a food tray."

"I beg you, don’t put the pillow between your legs. Fabrics absorb smells, sweetie."

"Seriously, who thought it was OK to put a muddy cleat here?"

"Why is Every. Single. Pillow. On the floor?"

I’m dying.

I’ve been drooling over extraordinary pillows for the past year. Yes, there is such a thing as extraordinary pillows. They live at Anthropology, where it smells like a magical forest.

I want them. However, they’re a gazillion dollars.

You can’t always get what you want.

Target came to the rescue with some adorable Anthro knock-offs.  So, for Mother’s Day, I pointed them out as, "this would be a great gift from the kiddos" (wink wink).

I see them enthroned on my stained, 11-year-old couch, and smile. They’re pretty. It’s simple as that.

Or is it?

These lovely pillows have awakened some alternate Type A personality in me.

My poor family. Relaxing is no longer allowed. It might disturb the decorative pillows.

I’m being ridiculous. What’s the point of having pillows, if I’m worried they’ll be ruined at the slightest touch?

I’ve found myself asking the same question about my faith. What’s the point of claiming faith, if I’m too afraid it will fall apart when life leans hard against it?

Sometimes I view my faith as decorative. I can admire how lovely it sits on the throne of my existence. However, when the big, dirty cleats of life tread on it, my shoulders tighten. Deep down I question, "will this destroy my faith?" And--if it does--what does that mean about God?

In the moments when I’ve dared to pick up my faith, stomp on it, wrestle it, punch it with questions and bitterness, I’ve realized…

Real faith, is for real life.

And real life doesn’t smell like Anthropoligie. God doesn’t want us to be afraid to throw all our junk at it full force. The faith he gives is not a cheap knock off. It’s the real deal.

Paul tells us,

‘We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed’.
2 Corinthians 4:8-9

If we’re taking our faith along for the ride, it will endure the same refining.

I’ve fallen face first into my faith and sobbed. I’ve thrown it powerfully against my closet doors and cursed it as a liar. But the real lie is in thinking broken faith isn’t fixable.

I’ve lifted my faith up to the Lord--tattered, dirty, horribly misshapen with stuffing pouring out at every ripped seam. I’ve felt ashamed, like a little girl who ruined her new doll by leaving it in the rain.

Look what I’ve done to the gift you gave me, Father. I took it out in the storm with me. Look at this mess…

His eyes are on me.

Sweet girl, I knit you together in your mother’s womb. I can knit your faith back together, too.

And He always does. His healing fabric is durable, His stitch is solidly perfect. He knew the whole time that the testing of my faith would produce perseverance in me. (James 1:3)

I am weak. My God is strong. When I offer Him my feeble faith, HE strengthens it.

Maybe there’s just a frayed corner that remains of your faith. That’s OK. He just needs faith the size of a mustard seed to move mountains in your life. (Matthew 17:20)

We must approach God with our brokenness, so we experience him as Healer.

After the battle, our faith proves to be the comforting truth we rest our heart upon at the end of the day.

by Jenna Masters

 

 

 

Prayer

"Give ear to my words, O LORD, consider my meditation. Hearken unto the voice of my cry, my King, and my God: for unto thee will I pray. my voice shalt thou hear in the morning, O LORD; in the morning will I direct my prayer unto thee, and will look up." Psalm 5:1-3

What is prayer? Do we close our eyes and make a wish... 
as if God were a genie in a bottle or Santa Claus... 
as if waiting for Him to grant our three wishes and to be at our beck and call? 
I don’t think so.     

Webster’s Dictionary:
Pray: entreat, implore, often used as a function word in introducing a question, request, or plea.
Prayer: an address (as a petition) to God or a god in word or thought.

The Holman Bible Dictionary:
Prayer - Dialogue between GOD and people

I love to talk with my husband and children.  I communicate with them to exchange information. I learn how their day was. I get their opinions, and find out their plans for the future. When we share, it also makes me feel closer to them--I better understand their needs and wants. But, most importantly, it lets me become part of their lives. There is an intimacy that comes from sharing our day with each other.

God knows all things. You may wonder why we have to tell Him anything. He is ‘God’ right?  Yes, but intimacy with Him comes through sharing--being thankful for His presence--letting Him know our fears and our need to be comforted. Jesus loves us and wants to be part of our lives.

Prayer is intimate, personal and needed. Like any good parent longing to know their children better, Abba Father longs for conversations with us.

God wants to talk to us, as well. It’s not a one way conversation. God talks to us through His word (the Bible), advice from a trusted friend or a Pastor. He will and does communicate with us one on one--if we listen--in the quietness of our hearts. I will never forget the first time I heard Him call me ‘daughter’. 

We share with our friends, husbands, children, parents, etc...  Why not share with the One who made us?  

Jesus said this about prayer: 

"When you pray, don't babble on and on as people of other religions do. They think their prayers are answered only by repeating their words again and again. Don't be like them, because your Father knows exactly what you need even before you ask Him!
Matthew 6:7-8

by Eve Montano