What Does The Lord Say?

I don’t always go looking.
Sometimes the verse just comes to me.

No, I’m not special.  I have no more “link to Jesus” than you do.
But I come with ears to hear every day.

And so on a Tuesday morning I wake up to discover, once again, for the reason I’m alive!
And I find it only.. ONLY in His Word.

I come to my quiet time on the verge of tears.

And I don’t know why exactly.

But it’s compelling.  And overwhelming.

I feel it in my soul like a heaviness I can’t escape.
A burden.

And I’m reminded when I come to His Word.
And I read that He, too, wept for Jerusalem.
His heart, too, broke because of complacency.
And evil all around.

I’d speak to countless friends over the course of several weeks, many who would echo the same feelings of discontent, and unsettling, and deep unrest.
And we all would share similar experiences of a wrestling we can’t quite define.

And so I come to the Word.
The only place I know to go.

And I see it.
It almost leaps off the page.
Haggai 2:3-5.
“Does anyone remember this house - this temple - in it’s former splendor?  How in comparison does it look to you now?  It must seem like nothing at all.  But now the Lord says, ‘Be strong all you people still left in the land.  And now get to work, for I am with you.  My Spirit remains among you just as I promised when you came out of Egypt.  So do not be afraid.’”

Yep.
Just like our God.
JUST LIKE our God.
He sends just what is needed.

And embedded within the text is the only thing I need to know.
“But now the Lord says.”

It’s the only question I have to ask.

What is He saying?
Not what are they saying.
Not what is the media saying.
Not what is government saying.
Not what is the enemy saying.
What is HE saying.

And here it’s clear:
Look with a heavenly perspective.
Be strong.
Get to work.
Don’t be afraid.

Yes, God.
I’m so grateful that the only question that implores me to lean in to listen for the answer to is this -“ What does the Lord say?”

God Never Wastes

 

I say it too.

 

"I am no good at that." 

 

And sometimes I truly believe I have nothing that He can use.

 

Oh but I am wrong.

 

And you would be, too, if you said it.

 

God doesn't require us to come with our great knowledge, and our endless skills and talents.

 

He just requires us.

All of us.

 

And He will use what we already have.

If we stay committed to using it ALL for His glory!

 

Remind yourself today, sweet soldier, God never wastes ANYTHING you already have!

Great Question To Ponder

 It is a question we should be considering.

 

 

Strengthen The Burdened

 

I remember praying it all throughout 2020.

 

"God - strengthen me in this."

 

And while we cannot always understand... and it's not for us to understand everything... we can be confident that when we seek Him with all of our hearts, and when we come before Him with willing hands ready to be used by Him... He will, indeed, strengthen us in the burden!

The Work He Has For Me

When I saw it there in print, I knew it wasn’t just for me.
Most of the time it’s not.

It had been a conversation with a friend on Sunday night.
A friend who wanted to quit the task she knew she’d been called to.
Because it’s hard.
And it’s all uphill some days.

And I get it.

“Oh friend!”  I would say to her.  “I get it more than you know.”

Because some days are difficult.
And when the battle rages, it’s hard to stay the course.
When sand is sinking at each step you trod, it’s nearly impossible to stay standing.

And we may be tempted to think God was mistaken.
That perhaps He got it wrong.
Or that we misinterpreted the signs.

Because we were sure He called us to this work.
We were SURE of it.
But the pain of it, at times, is too much.

But then I read the words in a commentary.
Words I wasn’t even looking for.

“To do our own work is really to do something that has never been attempted before.  For each of us is an original and there is great honor in the success of that which is peculiar to us.”

Umm… yeah.
That.

And in that moment I know the words are for me.
And her.
And you.

Because I know, too, that there’s someone else who’s ready to quit.
Ready to throw in the towel.
Ready to proceed… to pass on the purpose God has.

I see the words in Proverbs 22:3b.  “But the naive proceed, and pay the penalty.”
Some versions call them the, “simple.”
And they can be defined as, “those who live with carelessness about their duty, those who live with unbelief, ignorance, impatience, hardness of heart, and contempt for the Word of God.”

And I repeat the words to me, send them to my friend, and promise the Lord to better steward that which He has given to me to do.

I’d fasten my own addendum to the text I’d send my friend… “If we walk away from the work God is calling us to do, then we are leaving behind a work for Him that will never be done.”

Think it through friend.
You have been given an assignment that only YOU can do.
There is NONE OTHER like it!

He is calling you… preparing you… and equipping you AS YOU GO.

The call to Abraham is the same for you and me, “The Lord had said to Abram, ‘Leave your native country, your relatives, and your father’s family, and go to the land that I will show you.’”  (Gen 12:1)

You go… THEN He will show.
But you have to commit to placing one foot in front of the other.
Fulfilling, faithfully, the work designed by a Good Father who knows our ability better than we do .

Even You... Especially Now!

 

I would run into the verse when I needed it the most.
Just as my mouth had said the words out loud, “I feel like Jesus weeping over Jerusalem.”

And I search for the language within the pages of His Word that reminds me, once again, of the realness of the Savior and the reality of the separateness.

“As He came near and saw the city, He wept over it saying, ‘If you, even you, had only recognized on this day the things that make for peace!  But now they are hidden from your eyes.  Indeed, the days will come upon you, when your enemies will set up ramparts around you and surround you, and hem you in on every side.  They will crush you to the ground, you and your children within you, and they will not leave within you one stone upon another; because you did not recognize the time of your visitation from God.'”  (Luke 19:41-44, NRSV)

And there’s simply some hard places in scripture that my mind can’t seem to stop dwelling on.  

This is one of them.

Because His heart broke.
His heart breaks.
And mine does too.
It must.

My commentary says the words I need to think on, “How can such a one (one looking upon the city that they love and how fevered and faithless and morally insensible seem the multitudes who live in it) look down on all of this and not weep?”

Jesus wept because of the willful ignorance of the people He lovingly served.  He wept because there was no peace among His people.  He wept because of the opportunity of receiving Him properly was neglected.  He wept because there was blindness, deafness, and hardened hearts.  And He wept because of the inevitable ruin that He could see ahead.

Oh what they might have become… those who knew Jesus and had Him in their very presence!  The long-awaited Messiah, who had come to save the world from their captivity of sin.

And yet they chose to remain in their mess.
They chose their burden over gift.
They chose their brokenness over restoration.
They chose their heavy yoke over easy exchange.

And His tears of pain are proof of His compassion.
And of His desire that He, like His Father, “takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked would turn.”  (Ezekiel 18:23)

And sometimes I am tempted to believe the “wicked” is the other guy.
The one who has blatantly denied the Lord.
The one who has rejected His claims.
The one who has refused to accept His free gift of salvation.

But I see the text is aimed at this heart too.
The one that can be slow to learn and eager to do right, still choosing wrong.

“If you had known, even you, especially in this your day, the things that make for peace!”

You.
Even you!
Especially now.
In this, your day.

It’s one thing to think callously about those who brazenly and flagrantly disobey, and mock and deny Jesus.
But it’s another thing to think that I, too, could be the one who grieves the Holy Spirit.

I, too, can deny Him with my doubt.
I, too, can reject His way of righteous living.
I, too, can refuse to accept while tight-fisting all I can’t seem to give up or surrender to.

The words pierce my heart too.

And I weep along with Jesus.

The ones who had Jesus with them the entire time, had now forfeited the inheritance.
And the One who would die, still, for them… wept over the destruction coming that didn’t have to.

Their failure to recognize Jesus upon His visitation is to serve as an alarm within my own spirit to awaken!
“Wake up, wake up, O Zion!  Clothe yourself with strength. Put on your beautiful clothes, O holy city of Jerusalem!  Rise from the dust, O Jerusalem!  Remove the heavy chains of slavery from your neck, O captive daughter of Zion!”  (Is 52:1-2)

“Arise, Jerusalem!  Let your light shine for all to see.  For the glory of the Lord rises to shine on you.  Darkness as black as night covers all the nations of the earth, but the glory of the Lord rises and appears over you.”  (Is 60:1-2)

“Awake, O sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will give you light.”  (Eph 5:14)

As I weep with Jesus… I pray for eyes to always see, ears to always hear, and a heart that beats to His rhythm.  To see the grace and pardon, and to seek the removal of anything that fails to bring Him ALL the honor and ALL the glory, until I see Him face to face.

It's God's Battle

Strength.

Some days it’s hard to find.
Some days we deny having any of it is all.

And the truth is that we don’t… apart from God.
It is HIS strength that each believer is armored with.

Not our own.

And yet scripture tell us that strength is an assignment for the Jesus-people.

Psalm 68:28 in the NKJV says this, “Your God has commanded your strength; strengthen O God, what You have done for us.”

In other words, the command is to strengthen… and yet the request of God’s people is to be strengthened.

The Lord’s order was the strengthening of the people… and yet it was His loving and gracious arm that would equip them to make them strong.

In the text we see that the Lord was engaging His people into battle, but He enjoined them to be strong in their day of unrest and conflict.

Remembering all the Lord had given them by His Divine provision, the people who were being made strong, were asking for an increase of power and might.

My commentary says that, “if we have strength we should seek to be still more established.”  And that we should, “expect God to bless His own work.”

Eph 6:10 tells us, “Be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power.”

It’s His.

And so is this battle you’re facing.

Take a look back a few verses in Psalm 68.
Verses 1-3 say this, “"Rise up, O God, and scatter Your enemies". (Note: they are HIS enemies, not ours). "Let those who hate God run for their lives. Blow them away like smoke. Melt them like wax in a fire. Let the wicked perish in the presence of God. BUT let the godly rejoice. Let them be glad in God's presence. Let them be filled with joy! Sing praises to God and to His name.”

The battle belongs to Him.
And it will be His strength that leads us to victory.
HIS strength divinely established in HIS people.

And so I declare it and speak it’s living waters of truth over my life today… maybe you too?
It’s not in our hands to wage war.  It’s God’s battle.  Our job is to rejoice, be glad, have joy, and sing praises.

Trust When You Cannot See

Maybe it’s because the days have been difficult.
And my heart has been heavy.

But God, in His infinite wisdom and in His incredible kindness allows me to see clearer on a Monday morning.
He also helps to connect the dots in scripture for me.  Gives me clarity on what my heart longs to know.

Moses had a calling on His life
To lead the people from their captivity in Egypt.
The task wasn’t meager.
And it was going to require a whole lot of faith in the One who was calling them out.

It was Moses’ practice to take the Tent of Meeting… the place where He would meet regularly with the Lord… and set it up some distance from the camp.  Whenever Moses would go into the Tent of Meeting, all the people would get up and stand in the entrances of their own tents and watch until Moses disappeared inside.  (Ex 33:7-8)
 
On one particular day Moses was talking with the Lord and he said, “You have been telling me, ‘Take these people up to the Promised Land’ but you have’t told me whom you will send with me.”  (vs 12). He went on to say, “If it’s true that you look favorably on me, let me know Your ways so I may understand you more fully and continue to enjoy Your favor.  And remember that this nation is Your very own people.”  (vs 13)

And the Lord promises His presence.

And you have to love Moses’ heart.
Because he continues, dissatisfied with anything less than ALL of the Father.

He says one last thing to him found in verse 18, “Show me Your glorious presence.”

He wanted to see the Lord.
He wanted to not only know Him by heart knowledge, he longed to behold Him with sight.

But the Lord responds with this, “I will make all of My goodness pass before you, and I will call out My name, Yahweh, before you”.”  (verse 19)  

I cry tears when I see those words.

But He’s not finished.

“Look, stand near Me on this rock.  As My glorious presence passes by, I will hide you in the crevice of the rock and cover you with My hand until I have passed by.  Then I will remove My hand and let you see from behind.  But My face will not be seen.”  (verses 22-23)

I shed more tears at the words I’ve read at least a dozen times.
It’s as if I am reading them for the very first time.

“I will make all of My goodness pass before you.”
“My face will not be seen.”

I, too, like Moses long to see Him face to face.
And yet in these trying, challenging times it’s often most difficult to see His face.
To know where His hand is moving.

Moses wanted to see His glory - but God showed Him His goodness.  
It was a lesson for Moses of seeing His known goodness in the absence of felt presence.  He was learning how to have faith without vision.

And so must I.

The road ahead may look uncertain.
It may seem as though He’s left.
But the emptiness we may be feeling might only be an invitation to deeper waters of faith.

He is calling us to trust Him even when we can’t see Him.
To believe that He is working even when we can’t feel Him.
To look for His goodness.
To remember His kindness.
And to allow that to accompany us along the pathway of mystery.

Sacred Silence

Silence.

Jesus knew a little something about it.
And we, the Jesus people, have a lot to learn from His silence.
Maybe just as much about His silence as we do His vocal expressions.

Because it is in silence that the power of Jesus is often witnessed best in those who know Him and serve Him.

Matthew 27:12-14 records an importance silence.
“But when the leading priests and the elders made their accusations against Him, Jesus remained silent.  ‘Don’t you hear all these charges they are bringing against you?’  Pilate demanded. Jesus made no response to any of the charges, much to the governors surprise.”

Silence.
And yet I have a feeling it spoke volumes.

We see it in Isaiah 53:7.  And not just once, but 2 times, “He was oppressed, and He was afflicted, yet He opened not His mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so He opened not His mouth.”

A commentary I dig into says this, “This indicates that they were not taking His life, but that He was laying it down.”

He didn’t retaliate, resit, or riot.  He gave Himself up willingly to them.  He sacrificed Himself.

We are often tempted to believe that arguing will somehow “prove our point.”  That raising our voices will in some way “convince, coerce, or compel someone to our side.”

But the point of knowing Jesus for ourselves and learning His ways is not for the purpose of equipping us to argue better with people who have opposing views as us.  The point of knowing Jesus and learning His ways are to challenge us to choose the cross-carrying way of living.  

And silence is part of what identifies us as the Jesus people.

We can learn so much from the words and ways of Jesus.

Necessary silence is notably sacred.

In The Light of His Presence

 

"Walking in the light of His presence."

 

I read it in Psalm 89:15 yesterday.

 

It says this, "Happy are those who hear the joyful call to worship, for they will walk in the light of Your presence Lord."

 

Light of His presence.

 

And I started to think about what that means.

 

Because "in the light" everything is exposed.

The good and the bad.

And everything in between.

 

When Isaiah was called to be the prophet - the one God would use to be His mouthpiece to the nation - he had a pure vision of the Lord standing before him.

 

Chapter 6 gives us this beautiful image of Isaiah standing in the presence of the Lord and of his angels singing unto Him, "Holy, Holy, Holy!" (verse 3)

 

And it was in this moment that Isaiah realized his sin.

 

Isaiah actually says it, "I am doomed! For I am a sinful man! I have filthy lips and I live among people with filthy lips!" (verse 5a)

 

And it was being in His glorious presence that the sin was most evident, most realized, and recognized by the would-be prophet. In His presence Isaiah felt sin-stained and unworthy.

 

But Isaiah continues, "Yet I have seen the King, the Lord of Heaven's Armies!" (verse 5b)

 

When we are in His presence - everything changes!

 

How we see sin, how we see others, how we see ourselves.

 

And so I took some time to write out some of the things seen in the "light of His presence":

• our sin
• our weakness
• our beauty
• our ugliness
• our undeservedness

All of it.

 

And presence is always intimacy designed to renew us, restore us, restrengthen us, realign us, redirect us.

 

It's worth thinking more on today as we seek His presence more than anything else!

Gather Together

God, in His kindness and mercy, gives us time to gather back to Him.

In a solemn announcement to the wicked nation Zephaniah was called to, there is hope in the midst of his warning. He tells the people this, "Gather together - yes gather together, you shameless nation. Gather before judgement begins, before your time to repent is blown away like chaff." He goes on to say, "Seek the Lord, all who are humble and follow His commands. Seek to do what is right and to live humbly." (verses 1, 2, 3)

The prophet had called for national repentance and appropriately offered this gift of time to an unworthy and un-desiring people.

They had already been warned.
But God in His goodness and abundant kindness, gave another chance to be saved.

God might have easily said, "Depart from Me" (Mt 7:23), but instead says, "Gather together to Me that you may seek My face."

There is still time left to gather to Him.
Return to Him.
Repent, nation.
Repent, friend.

The time is now.

"But now we have been given a brief moment of grace, for the LORD our God has allowed a few of us to survive as a remnant. He has given us security in this holy place. Our God has brightened our eyes and granted us some relief from our slavery." (Ezra 9:8)

Not For Them, But For Him!

 

Acts 21.
The arrest of the Apostle Paul.
The indictment: that he was, “the man who preaches against our people everywhere and tells everybody to disobey the Jewish laws.”  Of one who, “speaks against the Temple - even defiles this holy place by bringing in Gentiles.”  (verses 28-29)

The whole city was rocked because of these accusations.  
And a riot followed.
And they might have killed him.
They certainly tried.

At one point the mob grew so violent that the arresting soldiers had to lift him on their shoulders to protect him as the crowd that followed behind shouted, “Kill him!  Kill him!”  (verses 35-36)

In chapter 22 we find Paul, just having asked for permission to speak, and surprising the commander of the Roman regiment that He was a Jew and not an Egyptian, addressing the crowd, and presenting a defense for himself.

He tells his story as the onlookers listen closely.
The story of being a persecutor of Christians.
And of being fully restored.

But the listeners shifted in that moment, and reinstated their violence.
“Away with such a fellow!  He isn’t fit to live!” they yelled.  (verse 22)

The commander then brought Paul inside and ordered him to be lashed until he confessed his crime.  But moments before the beating Paul asked, “Is it legal for you to whip a Roman citizen who hasn’t even been tried?”  (verse 25)

Paul knew the law, and he was using it as a stall tactic to continue his work of not only pleading his case, but sharing the Gospel message when he spoke.

And upon this newly discovered knowledge that Paul was, in fact, a citizen from birth, the soldiers who were about to interrogate Paul quickly withdrew their riot.

And now, chapter 23.

It nearly stops me ice cold in my tracks when I see it.
Gazing intently at the high council, Paul began: “‘Brothers, I have always lived before God with a clear conscience!’ Instantly Ananias the high priest commanded those close to Paul to slap him on the mouth.  But Paul said to him, ‘God will slap you, you corrupt hypocrite! What kind of judge are you to break the law yourself by ordering me struck like that?’ Those standing near Paul said to him, ‘Do you dare to insult God’s high priest?’ ‘I’m sorry, brothers. I didn’t realize he was the high priest,’ Paul replied, ‘for the Scriptures say, ‘You must not speak evil of any of your rulers.’’”
 

Easily… SO easily… Paul could have behaved a completely different way.
He could have kept retaliating.
He could have slapped back.
He could have raised his voice in demand for justice.

But he didn’t.

He chose the Jesus way.

Honor even when, according to the world, it was undeserved.

Paul insisted on high integrity, not because the High Priest had “earned” the honor and vindication.
But because Paul understood, like Peter, that those who walked in the way of wicked by actions and tongue, were subject to far greater judgment.  

He knew about having been radically and ridiculously forgiven - from the pit of hell to which he was headed for having persecuted, condemned, and murdered God’s chosen vessels.  So much so that unworthy honor was not just a part of his decision as a Christian, it was a part of his demeanor.

Peter says it and I can’t ignore the voice of the one who had also rejected and refuted claims of Jesus.  “The Lord knows how to deliver the godly out of temptations, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished: but chiefly them that walk after the flesh in the lust of uncleanness, and desire government. Presumptuous are they, self-willed, they are not afraid to speak evil of dignities.”  (2 Peter 1:9-10)

And I cannot miss the fact that these are the two categories “CHIEFLY” judged and punished.  “Them that walk after the flesh in the lust of uncleanness”, and those who, “despise government” and “are not afraid to speak evil of dignities.”

Paul knew.
Peter knew.
And they warn us.

To be careful.  
To guard against wrong spirits.
And harsh words.

To protect our minds from thinking ill, our hearts from feeling ill, and our mouths from speaking ill.
Because such behavior grieves the Holy Spirit, compromises our Gospel effectiveness, and sets us up for punishment as painful and as permanent as those we consider the most vile of creatures.

Paul was brought back to a place of honoring, not because Ananias deserved it, but because JESUS deserved it. 

And if he can, we can.
No, we must.

All Is Not Lost!

 

Tempted to believe the events unfolding in our world.. the nation.. are shocking and surprising?

They aren’t to God.

Heartbreaking, maybe, but not surprising.

And we learn best of this subject matter from the writer of Ecclesiastes, “History merely repeats itself. It has all been done before. Nothing under the sun is truly new.”  (Eccl 1:9)

The Prophet Isaiah forecasted destruction and ruin to a people who were living in sin and were consumed with ingratitude.  

His words almost shake me out of my chair to read them.  “Your country lies in ruins, and your towns are burned.  Foreigners plunder your fields before your eyes and destroy everything they see.”  (Isaiah 1:7)

Sound familiar?

And reaching for my commentary I see it… and my eyes can’t shift from it, “If we heed not the voice of the Lord, we must feel the weight of His hand.”

But it goes on.

“Yet there is still hope.”

And further it goes.

“There is still a remnant of people left.”  (Ahh… yes… my word for 2021.  The one that keep repeating itself to me by way of His Word.)

“Thank God, while there is life, there is hope.  At the very moment when we are tempted to say of the ruined nation, the broken life, ‘All is lost!’ a voice is heard, ‘All may yet be restored!’”

All is not lost, friend.
It’s not.
Not for those who choose to see what side of the battle has already won.
Not for those who claim and cling to Jesus who never sees storms the same way we do.
Not for the those hear the voice and are changed by it’s tone.

Rise up!!
All is not lost.
You may be… but you don’t have to be.
Those who have been undeservingly found know of hope and let that be the guiding force of their life.

All is not lost… all may YET… even YET… be restored.
The choice is individually ours.

Be Careful Who Gets To Come Close

Jesus had 12.
Twelve friends.
And sometimes I have to remind myself of that.

And of the twelve, most were questionable.
Some he was closer to Him than others.
Some spoke ill of Him behind His back.
Some doubted Him.
Some were frightened by him.
And all were weak and undeserving.

But scripture tells us He chose to journey closely with only those 12.

In Matthew, chapter 7, we see 4 areas of wisdom being preached on by Jesus.  Wisdom in judging others, wisdom in prayer, wisdom in the “golden rule”, and this one, wisdom in not throwing pearls to pigs.

In all my years of bible reading, this one verse found on this subject has always interested me.  And truth be told, puzzled me a bit.

The passage in the words of Jesus says this, “Don’t waste what is holy on people who are unholy.  Don’t throw your pearls to pigs!  They will trample the pearls, then turn and attack you.”  (Matt 7:6, NLT)

It’s hard to think of others as “pigs.”  And even harder to believe Jesus used this kind of language when communicating to his weak listeners.

And one read of this might serve to give us an excuse to disregard the assignment of the Christ follower.  The call to, “…love your neighbor as yourself”  (James 2:8) and “Go into all the world and preach the Good News to everyone.” (Mark 16:15) were still the orders of business.

They were for the 12, and they are for us too.
We cannot take this “mandate” by Jesus as approving blatant disobedience.

But there is a truth we are to cling to here.

The “swine” Jesus is referring to here (as the original text calls them), are the cynical, the greedy, and the unclean.  The unrighteous.  Perhaps the ones who thought themselves good, but were really stained by sin.

And to the Christian, there is a caution here.
There is wisdom we’re being imparted here.

To be careful how we share our experience of communion between our soul and the Savior with other people.
To be deliberate in who gets to prosper by way of our sacrifice with holy living and our intimate time of revelation with the Father.

Because some aspects of our private lives are meant as offering to those who would benefit from it’s teaching.  Everyone is entitled to experience resurrection power and a personal revival, but not everyone will take the gift of life you give them and handle it with the same amount of delicacy as you.
Some are gentle and considerate with the Word of God you’re giving when you share your heart with them, but there are other’s - like swine - that “trample it under their feet.”

The Greek word for “swine” is “choipos.”  They are considered the lowest, basest, and the most unclean of filthy stinking animals.  They are consumers who take at dinner time, and never consider to actively engage with much else.  My commentary calls them, “mindless, careless consumers.”

The pearls - that which is your precious, rare, and valuable commodity, whether it be your time, your knowledge, your prayers, your godly advice, are not to be “cast out” or “thrown to” pigs who are mindless, careless consumers.

Don’t misunderstand the call to reach those far from Him.  To be Jesus with skin on.  To share the Gospel.  To love all people regardless of spiritual condition.  But be warned - not by me, but by Jesus Himself - to be careful who gets to come close.

Recognize, Repent, and Be Released!

 

I feel like I’ve been saying it on repeat.
And never more than I did in 2020.

“We remain in an unnecessary state of spiritual depravity by our tongue.”

The Bible is most clear, “And among all the parts of the body, the tongue is a flame of fire. It is a whole world of wickedness, corrupting your entire body. It can set your whole life on fire, for it is set on fire by hell itself.”  (James 3:6)

And it has never been a more critical time to, “Set a guard over my mouth…” (Ps 141:5)

It is true, what Jesus said, “You must give an account on judgment day for every idle word you speak.”  (Matthew 12:36, NLT)  “empty word” (NIV)  “careless word” (ESV)  “careless AND useless”  (Amp)  “worthless word”  (NET)

And so it has become my mission to be as diligent over my mouth as I can.
To hold back, when I want to be angry.
To refrain from unnecessary speech when it doesn’t serve the purpose of edifying, encouraging, benefiting, adding value, and ultimately glorifying Jesus.

Isaiah knew about the power of the lips.

We find the calling on the life of this would-be Prophet, Isaiah, in chapter 6.
He encounter the living God.  Scripture tells us that he, “saw the Lord” sitting on His throne and wearing a robe that’s train filled the temple.  (verse 1)

When the angels appeared singing before the Lord and their voices shook the temple to its foundation, Isaiah realized his depravity.  His sin was ever more apparent in this moment.

And the words of Isaiah were this, “It’s over, I am doomed!  For I am a sinful man.  I have filthy lips and I live among a people with filthy lips.”  (verse 5)

Isaiah knew his sin well, and the sin of those he lived with.

And it was “filthy lips.”

I think this says something about the importance he placed on dialogue.
How much value he attributed to vocal expression.
And how much damage can result in the sin of speech.  For he expected the harshest of judgement, “It’s over.  I am doomed!” he said.

Something within Isaiah must have known how dishonorable our words can be, and how damaging they can be to our spiritual condition, effectiveness, and acceptance.

But there’s something more.
In the presence of the Lord God Almighty, Isaiah deeply understood that his vision of the Holy One changed everything.

Verse 5 continues.  He says this, “It’s over, I am doomed!  For I am a sinful man.  I have filthy lips and I live among a people with filthy lips….. YET I have seen the King, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.”

Vision changes everything.

In light of His glorious presence we see our sin the clearest.
And Isaiah’s realization of this sin, caused him to repent, and then ultimately be released from the guilt by the enormous call to be the messenger to the people.


The guilty one, turned repentant, now used as one of the greatest prophets the world has ever seen.


Filthy lips.
It was the sin of Isaiah and of the people he would become a servant to.
And the thing that ushered him in to repentance that would activate his assignment for the Lord.

What is it for you?


What sin has he shown you that once repented of would release you to be all God created you to be?



I Must Be Battle Ready!

 

Hebrews 6:3 is a verse I stopped at the other day.

 

It came out of nowhere really.

 

And it got me thinking.

 

I think we are living in a critical time.

 

I know, with the pandemic, and the attack on Capitol Hill last week, you are likely thinking the same thing.

 

But I’ve been wrestling with this thought for well over a year now.

 


And the time we are living in is critical.

 

And the call for the people of Jesus to rise has never been louder or more necessary to heed.

 

We are living in a time where reading a “verse a day” is not going to be enough.

We are living in a time where simply “getting inspiration” is not going to cut it.

 

We have to be battle ready.

We have to put on our full armor.

We have to prepare for His glory.

 

I am firmly believing it more in the depths of my soul than ever before.

 

I live with one verse ringing in my ears more than most and most days.

It’s Amos 8:11-12.

It says this, “‘The time is surely coming,’ says the Sovereign Lord, ‘when I will send a famine on the land—not a famine of bread or water but of hearing the words of the Lord. People will stagger from sea to sea and wander from border to border searching for the word of the Lord, but they will not find it.’”

 

You may be tempted to think that we are living in frightening times… but if this is our constant focus, then we aren’t spending enough time in His Word and in His presence.

 

And so we may need to ask ourselves - is what I am getting into my very soul… is it enough?

• Will it shift my mindset?
• Will it strengthen my spirit?
• Will it prepare me for the spiritual battle that lies ahead?

Hebrews 6:3 says this, “And so, God willing, we will move forward to further understanding.”



 

God, ready Your people.

Prepare us for all You have.

 

There’s a time coming where we might not be this privileged.

Let The Pass By!

Maybe it's because it’s not in my nature to mock or ridicule.
Or maybe it’s simply that in my realization of how far God has brought me… the ever widening canyon between who I was and who I am… yet all the while knowing there’s still so far to go… God in His mercy and grace emphasizes the evil that resides in the wasteland I am to never tread.

In a nation spiraling out of control and reeling from hatred and dissension, it is easy… so easy… to get stranded on desert island with no sustenance, no resources, and no possible way back to the mainland.

I would say the words to my husband just this weekend concerning the urgency of proclaiming the name of Jesus in such a place at such a time as this:  “Sometimes it feels like I’m standing on top of a burning building screaming at the top of my lungs and no one is listening.”

And sometimes, as a Christian solider, it’s taking a position of deficiency, where fiery darts not aimed at me sting just as badly because they’re intentioned to strike at Jesus.  Ahh… it’s true that there really is, “nothing new under the sun.” (Eccl 1:9)  They hurt His heart then… and they are hurting His heart now.

And they don’t see it.

Insults hurled and hatred spewed by the proclaimed Jesus people grieve the Holy Spirit in ways so damaging we could never fully comprehend.  (Eph 4:29, 30 (NIV/NLT) says it plainly and I cannot ignore the text, “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. And do not bring sorrow to God’s Holy Spirit by the way you live. Remember, he has identified you as his own, guaranteeing that you will be saved on the day of redemption.”

And yet the fellow sojourners.. the ones traveling the same path… seek to correct the behavior of those misrepresenting the God we serve.  Because not only does it destroy the reputation of the One who died, too, for the ones seeking to kill by vocal slander, it compromises my reputation and all I’ve worked so hard to overcome.  It makes me “guilty by association”, and it’s heartbreaking.  Oh dear fellow follower of Christ… you’ve set us back so far, and added to the already exhausting work of “picking up our cross daily and following Him.”  (Mt 16:24)

It grieves me, why?  Because it grieves Him.

But then a friend in her outrageous love sends me what I need to see in the middle of one of the most painful few days of my life, “Anyone who rebukes a mocker will get an insult in return.  Anyone who corrects the wicked will get hurt.  So don’t bother correcting mockers; they will only hate you.”  (Prov 9:7)

And I see it differently come Monday morning.
Always the sunlight in darkness when eyes seek and find the truth in His precious Word.

Wisdom, as described in Proverbs 9 as a woman, “builds her house” (verse 1), “prepares a great banquet” (verse 2) and “invites everyone to come.”  (verse 3)

She’s the finest of hostesses.  Gracious, loving, kind.
And her offer to the godly and to the ungodly is the same.
“Come, eat my food, and drink the wine I have mixed.”  (verse 5)
The invitation is the same, too.
“Leave your simple ways behind and begin to live; learn to use good judgement.”  (verse 6)

But then almost as abruption we see the words leap forward, “Anyone who rebukes a mocker will get an insult in return.  Anyone who corrects the wicked will get hurt.  So don’t bother correcting mockers; they will only hate you.”

Because truth be told - there will be mockers.  There will be scorners.
There will be those who hurt with words.
There will be those who shame you.
There will be those who not only deny you your opinion, but apply salt to the already irritated wound, by bitterness that outlives any physical attack you can endure.

But reproofing… correcting… pointing fingers… “screaming at the top of your lungs” in an attempt to incite attention and redirection… is useless and seeks never to benefit the hearer; but instead accomplishes only to bring a permanent stain to the innocent party.

And then I see it there in the commentary for verse 7.  “Wisdom is to be addressed to the simple”… while, “she let’s the scorner pass by.”

My job as a Christ follower is not to convince you that you’re wrong.
It is not to convince you that I’m right.
And my job is never to shame, judge, or condemn your decision to live differently than me.

My job is to love Jesus.
To love His people.
And to plant seeds along the way.

But I have another responsibility as a lover of Jesus.
And that is… to let the scorner pass by.
“Speak not in the hearing of a fool; for he will despise the wisdom of thy words.”  (Prov 23:9)

And so I build the house.  I prepare the banquet.  I invite all to be a guest.
But I choose well the ones I invest to reprove and lovingly correct.
And I gracefully, like Jesus, let the ones aimed at destruction only… to pass by.
“He was oppressed and treated harshly, yet he never said a word. He was led like a lamb to the slaughter. And as a sheep is silent before the shearers, He did not open his mouth.”  (Isaiah 53:7)

Let the scorners and the mockers pass by.

My Personal Experience Changes Everything!

 

Sometimes the shorted verses are hugely impactful.

Like this one.

John 7:46, “The officers answered, “‘No one ever spoke like this Man!’”

“This man.”

The temple guards were speaking of Jesus.

They had been summoned to arrest Jesus after the Pharisees realized Jesus was gaining influence within the ranks of their people. (7:32)

But when they heard Jesus for themselves, they couldn’t muster the courage to apprehend Him. So impressed and amazed by the power and authority He spoke with, they dared not take Him. Jesus’ speech in itself was so extraordinary, there were remarkably convinced of His innocence.

Up to this point, I believe, these particular temple guards had only “heard” about the legality of His speech, but not… for themselves… experienced the integrity of His words.

Some hated what He had come to say.

Others challenged what He professed.

Many rejected His claims.

And even greater were confused by His declarations.

But there is no doubt that once these temple guards saw Him with their own eyes AND heard Him with their own ears, they were forever changed AND convinced that indeed, there was something different about this man.

“No one ever spoke like this!” They said. (7:46)

And with that, the Pharisees mocked them. “Have you been led astray too?” The Pharisaical minds questioned.

Certainly they could not resolve in an opinion that differed from their own.

Surely the hatred seated in the hearts of those Pharisees couldn’t possibly be confronted by what they implicated as a “leading astray.”

Ahh… Jesus was hated and mocked. And so were the ones whose minds were radically transformed by the authenticity of their private and personal experience.

The Pharisees tried to cancel, condemn, and censor the opinions, turned beliefs, of the ones they believed with “go by popular opinion” mindsets, to arrest Jesus and return Him for prosecution.

It’s all proof that even the followers of Jesus Christ were ridiculed and condemned.

Hatred is terribly disappointed when it cannot obtain what it wants. And hatred doesn’t belong with the Jesus people.

These men - the temple guards ordered to arrest the man most famous for hating at that time - no longer needed to rely on second hand reports, or hearsay. They had experienced Jesus with their own ears, and had seen Him with their own eyes, and it deeply impacted who they were, what they believed, how they behaved, and what they were no longer willing OR able to engage with.


This was the testimony of their personal experience… “No one ever spoke like this man!”

One encounter… one simple glimpse at Jesus… changes everything. One experience is evidence enough.

And so it should be with us.

When we only hear about Jesus and never personally encounter Him for ourselves, we lack full revelation knowledge of Him.

But once we see and hear Him for ourselves, we cannot remain the same.

Hatred no longer is becoming to us.

Confusion is resolved.

Doubt vanishes.

Suspicion dissolves.

Everything changes… EVERYTHING changes… when we see Jesus for who He is and grasp all that is possible by living our lives aligned with His.

I pray that this year will be the year you and I, in unison and with one accord, will say, “No one ever spoke like this man!” And then live like we, ourselves, are convinced by our conviction and confidence!

Lord, What Would You Have Me To Do?

Acts 9 records the story of Paul’s conversion.
It’s an amazing story from start to finish.
To think where he was and where he ended… the canyon between the two! It is remarkable!

But here’s something else I see.

As Paul (who was still Saul of Tarsus at this time) was approaching Damascus, to carry out his mission of bringing back the Lord’s followers in chains with the intent to kill them, a light shone down around him (verse 3). He was overcome by the light and as he fell to the ground he heard a voice saying to him, “Saul! Saul! Why are you persecuting Me?” (verse 4)

My NLT records the following conversation:
“‘Who are you Lord?’ Saul asked." (verse 5)
“I am Jesus, the One you are persecuting! Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.”  (verses 5b-6)

BUT, take a look at how the original text from the KJV records it:
“And he said, ‘Who art thou, Lord?’ And the Lord said, ‘I am Jesus whom thou persecutest: it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks.’” (verse 5)
“And he trembling and astonished said, 'Lord, what wilt Thou have me to do?’ And the Lord said unto him, ‘Arise, and go into the city, and it shall be told thee what thou must do.’”  (Verse 6)

It’s a significant difference!
The King James Version adds, “And he trembling and astonished said, ‘Lord what wilt Thou have me to do?”
The New King James says it more in the style of how we would say it today, “Lord, what do You want me to do?”

And as we’ve already embarked upon a new year, I can’t help but think the Lord, in His kindness, had me read this! It is the question I am to be wrestling with, not just at the start of a new year, but at the start of a new month, a new week, every single day!

Lord, what do You want me to do?

Lord how should I respond here?
Lord how should I behave here?
Lord how should I represent You in this moment?

It’s the only question that truly matters… every day of our lives.

Bring Me The Harpist

 

Words.
There’s a lot of them these days.
Many harsh.
Some destructive.
And mostly rooted in deep pain.

Words matter.

The greats in scripture understood this well.
David knew it.
Job learned it.
Peter experienced it.

And the prophet Elisha left us an indelible example of it.

Words matter.

The ungodly King of Israel, on the advice of a better man than he, and as almost a last-ditch-effort, comes to the prophet for supernatural help in a time of great need and desperation.  

Elisha chooses sharp words to assert his displeasure, “I wouldn’t even bother with you, except for my respect for Jehosophat of Judah.”  (2 Kings 3:14)

Words matter.

And you can almost hear a sigh when you read the next words spoken.  “Now bring me someone who can play the harp.”  (verse 15)

At first glance we may be tempted to believe he simply enjoyed a musical performance.
But it just might be so much more than that.

Having told the King what he thought, he may have suddenly felt the twinge of agitation and distress.  And having been one who walked with the Lord, he would’ve understood that in that particular state, the Spirit could find no place to rest.  In that condition of irritation and disappointment, the Spirit could not make His home within the prophet.

Words matter.

So in wisdom, Elisha asks for a harpist to minister by way of music.
To calm his soul.
To set his heart right.
To properly condition the atmosphere.

Because there are times when words spoken out of season serve only as deadly poison.

The word “season” means = “fit for a suitable time, an expression of maturity and preparation."

And words out of season… those spoken when the heart is in unrest… when the fire is still burning in the soul… contribute more to the dissension, and less to the peace they’re hoping to achieve.


Words matter.

James reminds us too.  That, “among all the parts of the body, the tongue is a flame of fire.  It is a whole world of wickedness, corrupting your entire body.  You can set your whole life on fire, for it is set on fire by hell itself.”  (James 1:6, NLT)

Words matter.

When they see me, do they see Jesus?
When they hear me, do they hear Jesus?

It’s a heart issue.
A soul issue.


Words matter.

So in my confusion and in my despair and in my deep anguish over things that seek to cripple my usefulness and damage my witness for Jesus, I will ask for the Harpist to play so that my soul can be refreshed, and so that my words… that matter… can make a difference for eternity.

Tell Me What God Is Doing??

I was talking to one of my dear friends last week on the PHONE.

I emphasize the word PHONE because doesn't it seem rare to actually SPEAK to someone on the phone as opposed to texting with someone?

It seems that it has become our norm.

Texting is easier.

It's simpler.

It's faster.

And sometimes, it really is most efficient. And necessary.

But phone conversations have become so necessary too.

When I was talking with my friend I found myself asking her a question.

And it wasn't because I was "checking a box" off of my friendly to-do list. I wasn't looking to be asked the question in return.

I simply wanted to know.

Because I think we are living in a season where God is doing an awful lot of talking. I think He's moving in a way we've never seen Him move in our lifetime, and I think it's important to know what He's saying to others we trust and love.

And so I asked her... "Tell me what God is doing!"

What did I mean when I asked her this?

I meant - tell me, friend, what is God doing in your life? How has He been speaking to you?

What are the good things you are seeing happen in your life?

Tell me where He's moving... what you're learning... how He's growing you... and what action you and He are engaging with together in this season?

It was a big question, I know.

And it sort of caught her off guard.

But then our conversation - all about what we are seeing God do in the earth and in our lives - turned out to be an hour long conversation.

Honestly, I wasn't ready to hang up the phone and say goodbye.

Because those are conversations I think I could have ALL day EVERY day.

I heard it said by a pastor I highly respect one time... "Angels are attracted to your view of God."

He went on to say, "If you want to attract the angelic into your life... if you want to shift atmosphere's for heaven, simply vocally engage with other believers."

It's the power of our voice.

The power of our conversations that bring His world to our world until our world begins to look like His!

It's living out the prayer... "Thy Kingdom COME, They will be DONE, on EARTH AS IT IS in HEAVEN."

And so the more I gave thought to this I decided to make it my goal this year - to ask this question of others more. Those I love and those who God has entrusted me to care for.

What is God doing?

And not only will I be asking it, I hope to get to answer it too!

If we want to live like Jesus, we must begin investing with His greatest asset - people whom He radically loved and died for!

Will you join me in asking this of yourself and of others this year??