Loving Proactively

One of the saddest realities is that there are scores of people surrounding us at this very moment who are hurting. People who are struggling to make it through the day. People who are overwhelmed by circumstances. People who are carrying around heavy burdens. People who are riddled by fear and doubt and discouragement. People who are in need of hope.

And we pass them every day. In the stores, in our work places, in our school hallways, in our churches.

And I wonder are we missing an opportunity to make a significant impact? Are we so preoccupied by our own lives and by our own pain that we’ve missed out on one of the greatest occasions to improve on the life of another by offering love and hope and reassurance.

Let’s not miss the chance to show love. To lighten the load for another. To be extravagant with our kindness. To offer solutions and better perspectives. Let’s not forget when we, too, were in need of a tender word and a gentle shoulder to cry on.

And don’t wait for them to tell you when the wheels on their bus fall off! Don’t wait until the crisis gets communicated. Invest now! Remain consistently by their side so that you’re not surprised by circumstances that suddenly invade. Get involved. Know your tribe well. Inconvenience yourself for others. Infuse yourself into their story. Invite them into yours. Check up on people. Investigate their situations. Be well acquainted with their grief. And celebrate their victories.

We all need one another.

And loving others is a precious gift and an incredible assignment.

Don’t wait on them to say... or ask... or need... love proactively and intentional.

It all matters.

What Will Our Reaction Be?

I had written the phrase down in my journal just over three months ago. And when I penned the words I did so out of complete expectation for all that we were going to see God do... not just for us, but in us... as a result of His goodness and faithfulness. Because hadn’t I read it just a few short months before... tucked neatly in the middle of the book that bears his name, Isaiah 30:18, “Yet the Lord longs to be gracious to you....”

But I always like reviewing what’s just before the “Yet”. Verse 16, “You said, ‘No, we will get our help from Egypt. They will give us swift horses for riding into battle.’ But the only swiftness you are going to see is the swiftness of your enemies chasing you!”

And hadn’t it felt just like that? The enemies chasing swiftly after us? The walls closing in around our camp? And didn’t we feel it so many times... the fear and panic and stress and doubt?

And yet on a hot, sunny day in California in the prayer room of the church that would become my only child’s home base for ten months, Jesus would stir me to write the ten words my heart would appreciate all the more in reverse... “What will be our reaction to the goodness of God?”

And here, on the other side of fear and panic and stress and doubt, I can answer that with boldness and confidence: praise! The same as it was then, too: praise! Because my worship must not be determined by my position.

I must expect the blessing and prepare for His faithful provision. And then I must execute a plan for how I’m going to respond.

Because all of life is a response to the One who is the Giver and Sustainer of life. And I get to choose, in advance, how I will respond to what He’s saying and doing!

And so we have before us today a challenge: How will we respond to the goodness of God? Because every day He is good! He is so so so good. We owe Him a heart brimming to overflow for all He is and all He gives!

Power In The Testimony!

“It is my pleasure to tell you about the miraculous signs and wonders that the Most High God has performed for me. How great are His signs, how mighty His wonders! His kingdom is an eternal kingdom… His dominion endures from generation to generation.” Daniel 4:2-3

May you and I never ever EVER tire from telling what He has done and what He continues to do!

There is power in the testimony!

The word ‘testimony’ in the Old Testament actually gets translated often as, “Do again.” There’s power when we share what the Lord has done and what He is doing... it gives great expectation of the duplication of the miracle!

“I will not die; instead I will live to tell what the Lord has done.” Psalm 118:17

What You HEAR and SEE!

The students of John the Baptist had been ordered to go ask Jesus if He was indeed the Messiah, or should they continue looking for Him. And Jesus responds with this in Matt 11:5, “Go back and tell John what you have heard and seen - the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised to life, and the Good News is being preached to the poor.” Nothing here was anything John didn’t already know... but perhaps he needed a different way of seeing that which he already had knowledge of.

And Jesus could’ve told John’s disciples a lot of things, but chose to focus on the testimony. “Go tell John what you HEAR and SEE!” John, here, was in prison and might well have been frustrated. After all, wasn’t it predicted that the Messiah would be the One who set the captives free? (Isaiah 61:1). And John wasn’t being released from his imprisonment.

And perhaps Jesus was providing a new perspective for John and His followers. Perhaps He was teaching them to be fixated on only that which you HEAR the Father saying and SEE the Father doing.

Perhaps it would be the most beneficial of my life to remain preoccupied by His character and by His credentials.

I must feed my soul on what He’s saying and said, and on what He is doing and done!

While I Wait

Because sometimes we forget.

And it was so with the rebellious Israelites. The ones who had been given much and forgiven abundantly. Grace upon grace in exchange for disobedience and rejection. And forgetfulness of all He willingly and lovingly lavished. “They did not remember His power and how He rescued them from their enemies.” Psalm 78:42.

But I want to remember. I never want to forget. And I have intentioned to live a life filled with praise on my lips for all I have seen Him do!

But not just for all He does... but mostly because of who He is. Grace-filled, loving, merciful, kind, compassionate, forgiving, patient.

Because He is always good and I am always loved.

I will never stop telling of His goodness... because His goodness knows no end. Because He is a good good Father who, “longs to be gracious” and who, “will rise up to show compassion.” (Isaiah 30:18). And while I wait... I will sing of His glory, I will tell of His works, I will share of His faithfulness!

Oh He is so so so good!

Thank you Father!

“The atmosphere is changing now… for the Spirit of the Lord is here. The evidence is all around… for the Spirit of the Lord is here. The miracle can happen now… for the Spirit of the Lord is here. The evidence is all around… for the Spirit of the Lord is here!”

These are the lyrics that keep going through my mind. Over and over and over.
“Here As In Heaven” by Elevation Worship.

And could it be that THAT is precisely what we experienced this week?

Heaven.

Because as I sit here on a gorgeous fall Sunday afternoon, I am reminded of God’s goodness and His ridiculous faithfulness! I am reminded that HE is the God of miracles. That HE is the One who still answers prayers. That HE is One who knows the hearts cry of His people and He still longs to release His blessings.

I could write a book on the miracles we’ve seen God perform this week alone in our lives. I could spend the rest of the evening telling of numerous ways we’ve encountered His beautiful favor in the last several days!!

I’d spend an hour on the phone with my best friend this week recounting the many stories of His provision and I’d tell her this, “Isn’t it just like God to show off this way?” We would cry together as we celebrated the miraculous ways we have seen Him show up - even in the 11th hour - to rescue and renew and restore.

Oh how He loves us so!!!!

And for those who have been a part of this amazing journey with us… we thank you! Thank you for praying for us. Thank you for loving us. Thank you for blessing us. Thank you for being the hands and feet of Jesus and for allowing Him to use you to bring Him ultimate glory!

The atmosphere is changing now… for I KNOW that the Spirit of the Lord is here. The evidence is ALL around! Thank You Father, Thank You Father, Thank You Father!

Today I am moved to tears at the thought of our good good Father!

If We Don't Give Up

You know God is speaking when He keeps bringing to your memory, again and again, one verse. I’ve heard it repeated at least a dozen times over the last week. I’ve heard it when I’ve been in conversations with other people; I’ve heard it in my quiet times. Over and over again the Lord, in His kindness, has reminded me of the thing I already know. But knowing and living are often oceans apart. And yet I cannot afford to live cut off from what He is saying. And there’s something here this weary heart must get.

“So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up.” Galatians 6:9.

Let’s not get tired. Ahh, yes. Either by allowing wrong behavior to seep in or by possessing a worldly view, opposite of keeping in step with the Spirit.

Of doing what is good. Those things that God has ordered. Loving others, serving others, praying diligently, denying self, rejoicing always.

At just the right time. God’s time. Not ours. Because He knows not just what we need, but also at just the time we need it!

We will reap a harvest of blessing We will see the results of our faithfulness. Of our sacrifice. We will participate in the blessing and see for ourselves the return on our investment.

And yet here it is: IF we don’t give up. We will reap the harvest of blessing ONLY if we don’t give up. In no other way will we benefit than by refusal to give up.

And so I remind myself today... I must not give up. I must not grow weary in the doing good. I must not get tired in my commitment to follow hard after Him. For it’s the only way to receive the fullness Christ died to give me!

And you dear friends!

Don’t get tired of doing what is good. This hurting world needs you. It needs me. And together we will witness His glory in the land and will greatly benefit from the outpouring of His Spirit because of our determination and steadfastness.

I know it’s only Monday friend, but what better day to encourage ourselves and one another! Keep going! Keep doing good! It all matters!!

Today Is A Good Day... For Answered Prayer!

Because I want my life to be about bringing glory to God... no matter what. Because my heart aches for the hurting... in me and all around. Because I can’t afford to be in a moment without His abiding presence. Because I long to see breakthrough. Because it’s honor and privilege to carry the broken to the feet of Jesus.

If I’m being honest, I’ve so often struggled in my prayer life. A heart full of willingness doesn’t always lead to a life of obedience. And admittedly it is the area of faithful attendance to prayer that has so often been my downfall.

But God is ushering me into a new season of life. A season where full dependence on Presence is necessary. A season where my very next breath is reliant upon His voice and His clear directives. A season where every critical movement is calculated by His loving promises, and all life-sustaining power is found only in deep communion with the One who knows me intimately and loves me passionately. 

And so I begin again. It’s a new day. I will bravely ask for the breakthrough... today is a good day for answered prayers! I will go before the Throne Room of Grace and I will ask and seek and knock. Because faith asks, hope seeks, and love knocks. And I will pray for that which will ultimately bring Him glory should I receive it.. or not. Either for the removal of the thorn, or for the grace and strength to enable me to bear it and bear it well.

Because it all matters.

And times are too crucial to remain prayerless.

Glorifying God Is The Most Important

In the fifth chapter of the book bearing his name, Daniel is interpreting a message in a plastered wall of King Belshazzar’s palace. He ultimately tells him that the words are Meme, Tekel, and Parsin, meaning that because of the King’s self-exhaltion and because He dishonored God, failing to learn from the mistakes of King Nebuchadnezzar, his empire would be taken from him and he would be replaced as leader of the nation. 

In verse 23b it says this, “But you have not honored the God who gives you breath of life and controls your destiny!”

And his breaks my heart.
AND it reminds me that God is a jealous God. A God who will not share glory with another. A God who requires singleness of devotion.

And I said it to Him again last week. My life will be all about bringing You honor and praise above everything else! Because You are more than well-deserved. You are the giver of my very breath! You are the One who knows my innermost being and sets the trajectory of my steps.

Nothing is more important to me than glorifying God!

If You Want Presence, Then Priase!

Psalm 22 is an incredible prayer we could all benefit from praying. And verse 3 might be my favorite: “Yet, You are holy, enthroned upon the praises is Israel.” The KJV says God, “inhabits the praises of Israel.”

Enthroned. To sit down, dwell, remain, settle. The ever-ascending praises of His people become a Throne for the Divine King!

And the psalmist David was here overwhelmed with grief & terror. He was begging God for rescue, even asking why he’d apparently been “abandoned”. But even David’s complaint was a sign of spiritual life!

Why? Because it was David’s fixation upon presence he was most concerned with. David didn’t ask the question, “Why is this happening?” That question doesn’t get answered this side of heaven and keeps us in a state of discontent. But rather David asks, “Why have You forsaken me?” It’s the language of a heart yearning for presence and favor.

The same was with Christ who, in His flesh, longed for another option than cross-bearing. However His great faithfulness to His mission prevailed. And so we see did David’s!

David says, “YET You are holy!” He still had unwavering confidence in God. Though His prayer seemed to go unheard and surely delayed, He was not laying blame to His God! He maintained zero doubt that there was a sufficient reason why He wasn’t answered.

God dwells where praise is proclaimed! David doesn’t cry for help until help is received... he encourages himself in the midst of what appears to be the most desperate of measures. He encourages himself by reciting God’s goodness, reminding him of God’s character, and recalling His past rescues of which David had been a witness! Yes he’s tired, but he does not fail. Even when things get worse, when enemies duplicate, and with physical depletion of strength, he renews himself with praise.
Oh that we’d be people of perpetual praise. May we boldly pray, “Thy Kingdom come!” Because His presence is life and He faithfully dwells among those brave praisers!

My Life Will Be Living Priase

Psalm 115:17 says, “The dead cannot sing praise to the Lord, for they had gone into the silence of the grave.”

Ahh.. God calls us to praise! And those who belong to Him should rise to this duty & privilege! .
And it’s the spiritually dead who cannot praise Him. The ungodly abide in silence. They see no necessity to offer songs and their lifelessness is a dishonor to God.

And yet I see it in Ps 22:3 that He is, “enthroned on the praises of Israel.” He finds rest there, in our praise. He’s highly exhausted when we maintain a lifestyle of purposeful praise. My commentary says, “Though the dead cannot, and the wicked will not, and the careless do not praise, yet we will shout, ‘Hallelujah’ forever and ever!”

Demonstrating praise is determining to be spiritually alive! We awaken our dead spirits by praise!

Refusing to be diligent in praise is professing an indifference to life. Instead may we be like the Psalmist who says, “I will not die; instead I will live to tell what the Lord has done!” (Ps 118:17)

We are responsible, in this life, to acknowledge the God who made us in His perfect image, and on Whom we are wholly dependent. Praise is our immediate response to God’s blessings. We cannot know what tomorrow holds, so praise is for NOW... in the moment.

Our lives should be lives of praise. On every occasion and in all things. Being spiritually alive demands perpetual thanksgiving!

May I be brave enough to say, “I may not be able to see His hand moving, or the miracle sought after being performed, YET I am holding tightly to the power of His Word and the promises of His work, and in light of His constant faithfulness in my life - I will continue to praise His name until I have no voice left!”

My life will be a living praise!

Our Reaction To The Goodness of God

When you have been trusting and believing for the miracle... for the breakthrough... God offers a gentle reminder on a Monday afternoon. A note I had written to myself in a journal from the summer months. A simple question, "What will be our reaction to the goodness of God?"

And I think it's a great question to put before us every day. Because it's not a victim question, but rather a question to be asked by confident soldiers expecting for victory!

What will be our reaction to the goodness of God?

Because I am thinking on THOSE things today. And believing the verse that has played a significantly important role in my life this year. Psalm 27:13, "Yet I am confident I will see the Lord's goodness while I am here in the land of the living."

Regardless of what happens HE is still God and HE is still good. And my expectation of His grace and mercy far outweighs the fear and anxiety... ahh... those things I was NEVER meant to carry!

He still has the whole world in the palm of His hand. And when I allow stress and worry to overtake me, it's simply the result of a misaligned focus. It simply means I have given more power to the enemy. It means I have lost my awestruck-ness of the Lord and what He can and WILL do in my life.

What will be the reaction to the goodness of God? Praise! Ridiculous, radical praise!

As for me and my house... we will serve the Lord. <3

 

 

We've Got To Praise and Pray Ourselves Out of The Pit

I absolutely love Psalm 57.

Maybe it’s because I relate to the cry of David’s heart so well.

And yet I worry that I may still not be getting it right.

Because the pattern of prayer & praise left behind by this man after God’s own heart is indeed a challenge. 

And an invitation.

This Psalm, sung by David who was, at the time, running from Saul, is a beautiful example of complete dependence on the Lord. And the high point of his prayer isn’t for his own safety or rescue, but for God’s ultimate glory.

David gradual process in prayer is made evident in these verses. And it’s proof that the nearer we get to God, the clearer we see from His perspective.

Vs 1 - David declares his trust. “until danger passes by.” Full trust that it WILL happen.

Vs 2 - David appeals to God’s character. He “will” fulfill; He “will” send. Great confidence in what God says He is.

Vs 3 - David reaffirms God’s qualities. “love and faithfulness.” Reminding God who He is.

Vs 4 & 6 - David relaying the reality. David clearly describes his trouble. Without giving great influence to it, he does communicate the reality, because he understands that God is interested in our trials.

Vs 5, 7-11 - David praises! The bulk of the prayer is praise! And praise begins with fixing the heart. Determining in advance that the God who saves is mightier than the battle that rages. We see David awakening the dawn, encouraging himself, engaging early with praise!

My commentary says, “There is music in the soul as there is in a piano when is shut; but the instrument must be opened and the keys touched.” David knew well that it was prayer and praise that would arouse him from the pit. And he left behind a terrific model for us to emulate.

I can be steadfast and confident and fearless in the face of all hardship. May praise arise from my own heart to awake the earth to His glory!!

Our Willingness

John 7:17 is the red letters of Jesus and says, “Anyone who wants to do the will of God will know whether My teaching is from God or is merely My own.”

The key word here is, “wants.” In other version the word is, “seeks”, “wills”, or “is willing.”
Knowing the will of God is about having a hearts desire. It’s about seeking truth and wholeheartedly desiring Him above everything else.

Everything else.

It requires having a hearts desire to be made right with God, a willingness to obey that which we learn, a seriousness to see truth, a reverential fear of God, a strong character of humility, and an intense resolution to lay aside all sin that separates us from a holy God.

The stubborn resistance to change and a steady inclination to corruption & evil will ensure that God will allow blindness, hindering people from being capable of discerning truth of any kind.

My commentary says this, “The one who improves, more shall be given.” In other words, when we sincerely study His Word, and we take a biblical concept, apply it to our lives, and persist upon improving over time, more will be given! “Doing” therefore is the way of “knowing” in Kingdom living.

Our gracious Christ didn’t make knowledge necessary for being in His presence. Quite the opposite that it is our willingness to yield to His presence that qualifies us for the divine knowledge that only comes from Him.

One man said to the other, “If I had your principles, I would be a better man.” To which he replied, “Begin with being a better man, and you will soon have my principles.”

It’s about willingness. Consistency in sincere seeking, and firmness in deep desire is key! We know as much as we DO.

It’s not God’s will to conceal truth from us, but to arouse us to go looking for it. This... this is an invitation. He beckons us to taste and see. Taste first. Then sight will be provided.

Our willingness is what determines the outpouring of His revelation.

May I Seek To Never Grieve

Eph 4:30 says this, “And do not bring sorrow to God’s Holy Spirit by the way you live...”. The Message version, in part, says, “Don’t grieve God. Don’t break His heart.”

And a reading of this passage should break ours at the very thought that grieving Him is possible. After all, the Spirit was gifted to us by Jesus Himself. At His departing from the earth to endure a suffering & punishment I deserved, He benevolently imparted His spirit to divinely tend to our needs in place of His physical presence.

The assignment is clear: Do not grieve the Spirit. Grieve here means to afflict with sorrow, or make sad. In addition the commission is to not “quench the Spirit” (1 Thess 5:19) as well as we, “... must not resist the Holy Spirit.” (Acts 7:51)

And we grieve Him in many ways. With: open & gross sin, all forms of anger and bitterness, corrupt thoughts & desires, ingratitude, neglect, resistance, unbelief, and pride.

Verse 31 tells us what to rid ourselves of: bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, slander, and all evil behavior. Instead, we should aim to be steadfast in those behaviors that contradict these characteristics. We should seek for contentment, peace, joy, kindness, compliments, and overall godly goodness.

He is a jealous God and grieves when we maintain any degree of love of world. Imagine a momma witnessing her child’s love and affection softening toward another and not her. It’s nearly too difficult to bear the thought. The same is the feeling of our God when He sees us turn our backs on Him to enter upon worldly pursuits.

We grieve the Spirit when we insist on our ways without surrendering to the One who knew us when we were being formed and fashioned in the womb. The only One with whom our complete and utter devotedness is expected.

May I seek to never grieve His glorious Spirit!