Father to the Fatherless

For some reason, I have a knack for remembering dates and numbers.  For example, I can remember the phone number we had when I was growing up at home…as well as the phone number for our neighbors who lived down the street! I also still remember birthdays and anniversaries for people I haven’t talked to in years. Well, today is one of those dates that I always remember. It is the date my father was killed in a car accident 41 years ago. It was the day life suddenly changed for my mom, sister and me. I’m sure it was not what my mom imagined for her life when they married almost 7 years before that day. Looking back, I realize that it could have been an event that set my family on a course that would greatly impact our identity since my father was no longer there. In some ways we were impacted. However, what I focus on today is the redeeming power of God. He did not leave us alone on March 31,1973. God provided for us through the years, and we never went without. We had tremendous support from our extended families on both sides. My sister and I were even blessed to graduate from college despite the fact that we did not have the funds to do so. God has been there all along and has given us His identity. The three of us are serving God and happily married, and my sister and I now have families of our own. Yes, we missed a lot not growing up with our father in the home, but we found God to be the Father to the fatherless! Our path was certainly not one that we would have chosen, but I don’t reflect with regret. I rejoice in God’s power to see us through and establish his glorious plan in our lives despite the path we had to take to get to where we are now.

I encourage those of you who may have experienced an unexpected event in your life or those who feel that you are “off course” to trust God to manifest his plan and purpose in your life in spite of where you are right now. Stay tuned for future blogs as I explore the topic, “God’s GPS.”

Spiritual Pampering

We are getting ready for our annual women’s conference at my church this weekend. We have women from various states and even other countries who come to experience the presence of God. Our Priceless Conference Team works hard to create an environment where women can come and be encouraged, transformed, and even be pampered while they are here. We have anointed speakers who bring a fresh word to us each year. We have a huge welcome team to greet our guests and make them feel comfortable. There are awesome giveaways each service to make the women feel special and a fabulous party at the end of the conference with food, music, fun, and other surprises. Just as we need pampering in the natural, there is also a need for spiritual pampering. By the way, this is for men as well! God wants to pamper us by…

·    Letting us know who we are in Christ

2 Corinthians 5:21 For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

Ephesians 2:10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.

·   Letting us know the benefits we have as his daughters/sons

Psalm 103:1-5 Bless the Lord, O my soul;
And all that is within me, bless His holy name!
² Bless the Lord, O my soul,
And forget not all His benefits:
³ Who forgives all your iniquities,
Who heals all your diseases,
⁴ Who redeems your life from destruction,
Who crowns you with loving kindness and tender mercies,
⁵ Who satisfies your mouth with good things,
So that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.

St John 10:10 The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.

·    Allowing us to experience the unconditional love he has for us

Romans 5:8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Ephesians 2:4-5 But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us,⁵ even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved)...

·    Showing us the awesome plan he has for our lives

Jeremiah 29:11 For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.

Psalm 139:15-16 My frame was not hidden from You, when I was made in secret, and skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth.¹⁶ Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed. And in Your book they all were written,the days fashioned for me,when as yet there were none of them.

·    Showing us how much he wants to bless us

Luke 12:32 Do not fear, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.

Psalm 35:27 Let them shout for joy and be glad,who favor my righteous cause; and let them say continually “Let the Lord be magnified, who has pleasure in the prosperity of His servant."

·    Showing us our true value

Matthew 6:26 Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?

Zechariah 2:8 For thus says the Lord of hosts: “He sent Me after glory, to the nations which plunder you; for he who touches you touches the apple of His eye.

·   Teaching us the power of his grace

Romans 5:20 Moreover the law entered that the offense might abound. But where sin abounded, grace abounded much more,

Ephesians 2:8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God,

·    Giving us total freedom so that all bondage is broken

St John 8:32  And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”

Nahum 1:9 What do you conspire against the Lord? He will make an utter end of it. Affliction will not rise up a second time.

·    Teaching us how to receive his forgiveness and mercy

1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Hebrews 8:12  For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more.

·    Teaching us how to walk in the Spirit and be led by him

Romans 8:14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.

St John 10:3-4 To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear his voice; and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 4 And when he brings out his own sheep, he goes before them; and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice.

I hope that you will take time to meditate on these Scripture references and allow the Holy Spirit to minister to you even more. These are just a snapshot of the heart of God for your life. Go ahead, pamper yourself!

For more information about the women’s conference at Jubilee International Ministries, you may check out our website at www.pricelessconference.com. 

Are You Listening?

Yesterday as I was leaving my office for the grocery store, I felt in my spirit that I should not go.  It really wasn’t anything dramatic like a sound from heaven or a bright light shinning into the car.  I just had the slightest impression that it was not something I needed to do.   My routine every other week is grocery shopping during lunch for all of my non-perishables and then finishing up with the perishables on the way home.  I know, it sounds a bit much, but I like for the stop on the way home to be quick and easy!  So when I initially felt led not to go, it would have been easy to shrug it off in order to follow my pre-planned schedule. I have no idea why I wasn’t supposed to go and probably will never know. Maybe He was diverting me from an accident, or maybe He just wanted me to obey Him because He said so.   All I know is that I had to change my plan.

But I have to admit, it doesn’t always flow that perfectly.  Last night as I was getting ready to check my work email to see if there was a response to an email I sent earlier that day,  I felt that I should not check it because there would be something I would see that I didn’t need to deal with at that moment.  But I decided to take a quick look anyway.  Sure enough, there was an email with something aggravating that I had no grace to deal with that time of night!  Had I obeyed the prompting, I never would have had it crowding my thoughts. God cares about even the details of our life.  He knows that it is hard for me to start something and not finish it, so he was trying to keep me from bringing unnecessary stress into my relaxation time. By His grace, I was able to shut it out of my mind so that I could deal with it today.

Being led by God’s Spirit is so important. These events reminded me of the story in 1 Kings 19:11-12 where Elijah was listening for direction from God.  “Then He said, ‘Go out, and stand on the mountain before the Lord.’ And behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind tore into the mountains and broke the rocks in pieces before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake;  ¹² and after the earthquake a fire,  but the Lord  was not in the fire; and after the fire a still small voice.”  Many times we miss God listening for the spectacular.  I can’t say that I’ve ever heard the audible voice of God.  The usual way we are led is by an inward witness in our spirit.  I like to call it an impression.  The events yesterday were not major life events, but I believe “practice runs” like these are exercises to keep us in tune to hearing His voice.  I’m thankful that He gives me opportunities to sharpen my sensitivity.  God is always speaking.  We just have to make the decision to listen to what He is saying…and obey!

What Do You Think?

Thoughts are very important. The following well-known quote makes this point very well:

Watch your thoughts, for they become words.

Watch your words, for they become actions.

Watch your actions, for they become habits.

Watch your habits, for they become your character.

Watch your character, for it becomes your destiny.

What we think, we become.

There is a direct connection between our words and our destiny.  Throughout the Word of God, we find instructions regarding our thought life.  Invariably, when we are experiencing a lack of peace, it is because we have been focusing our attention on negativity.  Philippians 4:8 gives us the recipe for maintaining a peaceful thought life, “Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things.” No matter what is going on in our lives, there is no productivity in dwelling on it and allowing our spirits to become heavy and distracted.  Isaiah 26:3 tells us that God will keep us in perfect peace as our minds are stayed on Him, not our problems. Instead of continually thinking on our problems, we must follow the instructions in Philippians 4:8 and use that as a filter for every thought that comes to our mind.

Proverbs 23:7 tells us that as we think in our heart, so are we.  That is confirmation that our thoughts really do impact our destiny.  What is important to realize is that we have authority over our thoughts.  Just because thoughts come doesn’t mean we have to entertain them or act upon them.  2 Corinthians 10:5 states, “Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ.” (KJV)  We do this by speaking the Word of God.  When thoughts enter our mind that do not line up with the will of God, we speak the Word in response.  I love the example that I have heard used to illustrate this point.  The speaker tells the audience to start counting to 10 or some other number in their head.  At some point he tells them to speak their name out loud.  He then shows them that their thoughts had to stop once their mouth spoke.  In the same manner, we interrupt negative thoughts by speaking the Word.  There have been times when the assault against my mind has been so severe that I have stopped whatever I was doing and said out loud, “Shut up Satan, those are not my thoughts!”  Then I would speak words that countered the negative thoughts. We have to do whatever it takes to keep our thoughts in line with the Word of God.

What thoughts have you been thinking that have brought on stress, worry, insecurity, etc., in your life? Maybe you felt heaviness in your spirit and you didn't know why.  Check the thought traffic that has been allowed to roam freely in your head.  The more we dwell on wrong thoughts, the greater the likelihood that we will speak negatively and put those thoughts into action.  Take a thought assessment this week. Make a commitment to watch what you think and focus on changing any unhealthy thought patterns.  All it takes is a quality decision.  Change your thoughts…change your life!

NEW AND IMPROVED!

This week I have been meditating on 2 Corinthians 5:17, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.” I especially like the way this reads in the Amplified Version: “Therefore if any person is [ingrafted] in Christ (the Messiah) he is a new creation (a new creature altogether); the old [previous moral and spiritual condition] has passed away. Behold, the fresh and new has come!” I reflected on the fact that we are not refurbished. When I think of something being refurbished, I think of an item that was old, damaged, broken or no longer functional being restored to useful condition. With the right skills, knowledge, or creativity, some things can be made to look brand new.Take computers for instance. You can purchase one that is sold as refurbished. This means that it was originally purchased and later returned. Once returned, it was sent for repairs where it could be restored to like-new condition.

While I have no problem purchasing something that has been refurbished, that is not the case with our redemption. God did not take the mess we were in and renovate and restore us to like-new condition. We were re-created and given new life! Therefore when the devil comes to condemn us and remind us of our past, we simply inform him that the person he is referring to is dead. Our old man was crucified with Jesus (Romans 6:6). As stated in Romans 8:1, “There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.” Some may say, “I know I was a new creature when I was born again, but I've messed up since then.” That’s the beauty of the grace of God. 1 John 1:9 says, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”  No matter what we have done or will do, when we go to God in true repentance, he wipes our slate clean and doesn’t even remember our sins (Hebrews 8:12). If God doesn’t remember them, why should we once we are forgiven?

In Revelation 12:10, the devil is referred to as the “accuser of the brethren.” That is his mode of operation. Our defense against this tactic of the enemy is the Word of God.  When he assaults us with flashbacks of our past, we assault him with, “It is written…”! That is why it is important for us to know who we are in Christ. We are not second rate, low quality refurbishments. We are new creations who have been made the righteousness of God in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:21).

I enjoy looking at renovation projects such as old houses that have been restored and upgraded. I love to watch the Extreme Makeover shows to see projects like this unfold. The best episodes are when they bring in the bulldozers to tear down the house completely and build a new house from the ground. That’s the kind of work that was done is us. Our spiritual “house” was not simply remodeled; we were made brand new. We experienced the first “extreme makeover.”  Give thanks to God today for the new and improved you!

The Curse of Perfectionism

OK, maybe that title is a bit strong, but being a perfectionist can be down right debilitating. The quest for perfection can cause us to do nothing for fear that we can't do it "just right." Then there are times when we decide to step out and do something and end up struck by the "paralysis of analysis." I am learning day by day that the key to overcoming these stifling scenarios is to just do it! Notice I said learning, not learned. I have not arrived, but at least I'm on my way.

Take this blog, for instance. I came up with one excuse after another as to why I shouldn't or couldn't do it. "What if I make mistakes?" (Huge deal for the editor in me!) "What if no one reads it." "You don't know how to do this." On and on the doubts flooded my mind. Freedom and release came from the Word of God. One verse stands out from Ecclesiastes 11:4, "He who observes the wind will not sow, and he who regards the clouds will not reap." In other words, if we look at what we see (or go by what we feel), we may never do anything.

With regard to doing it perfectly, that's an unattainable goal to start with because Jesus is the only one who has arrived!

One key to freedom in this area is being free from people-pleasing. Our utmost desire always has to be to please God and Him only. If anyone else is pleased in the process, that's a bonus. Colossians 3:23-24 states, "And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance; for you serve the Lord Christ."

This can certainly present a challenge in our social media focused society. Everybody wants to be friended, liked, followed or tagged. There is nothing wrong with any of these things as long as they do not become our motivation. 

The bottom line is to follow the leading of the Holy Spirit. Where He guides, He always provides the provision, grace and enablement for us. It's not about perfection; it's actually about trusting God. We're clay in the hands of the potter and He is the perfect sculptor.

So break the curse of perfectionism and just step out and do it!

What is the State of Your Union?

As many were anticipating the recent State of the Union Address, the following phrase came to me: "What is the state of your union?"  In other words, "How is your union with the Father?" The Scripture that comes to mind is St John 15:1-7: 

“I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. 2 Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away;and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit. 3 You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. 4 Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. 5 “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. 6 If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned. 7 If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you."

This passage uses the analogy of vines and branches to represent our connection to Jesus. The key point is that as branches, we cannot survive if we are not connected to Jesus, the vine. We are admonished to abide in Jesus. To abide means to stay, remain or continue. It's not a place we visit temporarily. It is a place of permanent residency. Without a living connection to God, our lives are fruitless. How do we connect to Him? Reading and studying His Word and fellowshipping with Him in prayer are ways this can be accomplished. Our connection with Him has to be our #1 priority because it is out of that vital connection that the other areas of our life are guided. We cannot expect to experience true success in the kingdom outside of our union with the Father.  Notice I said kingdom success. Many times, the world gives a semblance of success, but those things are not eternal. Our lives must be built on that which will last for eternity. So ask yourself if your union with God is where it needs to be. If it isn't, no worries or condemnation. All it takes is a quality decision to re-focus your attention to put the things of God first place in your life. Open up the Word and allow the Holy Spirit to bring the Word alive to you. Talk to God from your heart in prayer and allow Him to speak back to you. Spend time worshipping and praising God.These are ways we maintain that living connection.  

As we do this, it allows our desires to align with His desires for our life.  When that happens, we hear God's heart for us, and our asking will line up with what He desires for our life. That is why St. John 15:7 says that as we abide in Him, we will ask what we will and it will be done.  

Our union with God is vitally important. Take time today to assess the state of your union!