What to do while you are waiting...

This verse has been on my mind, "But those who wait on the LORD Shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint." Isaiah 40:31

All day today I have been thinking about waiting...

I also thought of that song from the Fireproof movie, with the lyrics, "I will worship while I'm waiting...I will serve you while I'm waiting"

My son Isaac just turned 3 and is not talking yet. It's been difficult to see other babies, even as small as 9 months say "Mama" and "ball" and Isaac does not speak with words yet. We pray every day for God to unseal Isaac's lips so that he may praise the LORD (Psalm 51:15)

Tonight as I was praying for him I started to cry...I can't wait to hear him simply say, "Mommy..." "Daddy" or "Jesus"

I told the LORD I am waiting...I know you will open his mouth and give him words to speak...help me to be patient while I am waiting.

I told the LORD, "LORD, instead of tapping my foot and looking at my watch and feeling frustrated while I am waiting...I will raise my hands to heaven and praise you." We must trust God's timing is always perfect. ALWAYS. We must worship and get closer to God. He is trying to teach us something while we are waiting...Remember, He is or "good teacher."

Waiting is hard...What do you do when you are waiting for an answer to prayer?

Whether you are waiting for a loved one to get a job, waiting for a loved one to get saved, waiting for a womb to be opened, waiting for a revival to break through...or waiting for a toddler to say "Jesus loves me" my encouragement is raise your arms and worship while you are waiting...

It beats watching the clock any day!

Leaving it all for Jesus

I read something amazing in the Word yesterday morning and God keeps pricking my heart about this...LEAVING ALL BEHIND to follow Him.

In Matt 4:18-22, to paraphrase, Jesus sees Peter and Andrew. He asks them to follow Him. They immediately leave their nets and follow Jesus. Then, Jesus sees James and John and immediately they too leave their nets and their father and follow Jesus. I noticed something I never really did before (by the way, I love how the Word of God is always enlightening, new and teaches us afresh every single day)

Notice how Peter and Andrew left their nets, but Matthew tells us James and John lef their nets AND their father and followed Jesus (Matt 4:22)

I have always loved this picture in scripture! Here you have these burly fishermen, real men's men, who love God but they work for a living. They fish. That's just what they do...but it doesn't define "who they are." They are men who must have been religious even before Jesus came into their lives. Something about Jesus was different, that's for sure...but still...I believe they felt a calling in their life as God was working on their hearts all of their lives.

When I read this in the Gospels...I think to myself, "Cool!" They left it all! They were radical. They literally dropped their nets, stopped their status quo, ordinary way of life and followed Jesus.

Many pastors, Bible teachers, missionaries and other Christian leaders have done the same...They leave their old way of life behind, they leave their "day jobs" and enter into full time ministry...

But wait! Remember, Peter and Andrew were fishermen. Maybe they hated their jobs. Maybe they were just waiting for an opportunity to try something new...for something big, for something better. Peter and Andrew left their nets and they should be applauded for their obedience.

Look at James and John...the Word says they left their nets AND their father. This is what struck me. Family is so important. I just picture this strong father, maybe a widower, who loves his boys more than life itself. They worked day by day, side by side fishing...and they loved every minute of it. They were close...They laughed and enjoyed going to work fishing together. The father was so pleased that his boys worked with him. Who else was going to take over the business? Now all of a sudden his boys leave. They drop their nets and they leave. Was the father heart broken? Were James and John heartbroken? The scripture doesn't say. It just says, they left him. It's hard to leave family...especially when you are close...Nonetheless, God reminded me this morning that no love in this life can compare with His love for me. No desire in my life can be fulfilled apart from Him. He is it! He is all we need.I believe after the "shock" left the father, joy filled his heart because they left all to follow Jesus.

So as the new year is upon us let's LEAVE ALL BEHIND to follow Jesus. Whether you are clinging to your past, or whether you are letting relationships get in the way, DON'T ANY MORE. Make a choice to drop whatever nets you are holdig, whatever is in your way and follow Jesus completely. That's my prayer and I am sure it's yours too.

Christmas Towels...

It's beginning to look a lot like CHRISTmas...every where you go...

I love Christmas! I love the way we can celebrate Christ's birth. It can be controversial amongst believers...We know Jesus wasn't actually born on Dec. 25th because the sheperds would not have been "keeping watch" over their sheep in that cold weather...Nonetheless, we have redeemed Dec. 25 and choose to celebrate the birth, life, death and resurrection of Jesus. Love it!

The focus of course for the world is "outward" not inward.
The focus of course is on money---focus on gifts and purchases and sales and new gadgets and good deals, etc., etc., etc....

Well deep in my heart I have been thinking a lot about gifts, but not the kind that can be wrapped and put under a tree.

I've been thinking of SPIRITUAL GIFTS.
(There are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. There are differences of ministries, but the same Lord. And there are diversities of activities, but it is the same God who works all in all. 1 Corinth 12:4-6)

The other day I went to a lovely Christmas gathering. I noticed the cute Christmas towels in the bathroom embroidered with "Noel." They were very pretty. They seemed to sparkle with the glittery thread. Here's the thing though...They were for display only. There was another type of towel there too.

The paper towel.

The Christmas disposable, paper, "throw away" napkins were the ones folded beneath the cloth towels and these paper napkins were the ones our host intended for us to use.

The Christmas towels were not meant to be used...they were more for decorative purposes. The disposable paper napkins were the ones you actually "used" to dry your hands.

Funny! I thought about this last year too.

God spoke to my heart:

Are you Laura like a Christmas towel? Nice and neat on the outside. Nice looking to the world...but your gifts are for decoration only. I am not using you and you display yourself proudly once a year. Once in a while you will shine for me...but then you go back into the Christmas box....only to be stored in the dusty garage for another 12 months.

NO LORD I prayed! I don't want to be like that.

I want to be used over and over again by the LORD. I don't want my gifts to be "shelved" or put away like the Christmas towels. I would much rather be useful to the LORD. You see, the Christmas towels are nice. Don't get me wrong. We all like "looking" at them...but they are not of any use. They are only for decoration. They are really a phony if you think about it. They bear the name "bath towel" but really they are not meant to be used at all. The disposable napkins, however, are USEFUL. (See Matt 7:18-23)

God really used this picture to get my attention about spiritul gifts. Do I desire to be a prayer warrior, or memorize scripture, or be an evangelist or encourager, or to have a generous heart just for "decorative purposes?" Are these gifts just for display? Or do I desire to truly, truly be used by God? If I choose to allow God to use those gifts and talents He has given to me for HIS PURPOSE, for HIS GLORY, believe me, I may feel at times like a crumpled up, tired, worn out, disposable napkin. But guess what? That's OK. Because our temporary emotional state doesn't really matter in light of eternity. I will GLADLY allow my life to be poured out for Christ's sake. (present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.Rom.12:1; Also, Phil 3:20-21)

So on that note- Think about this my dear friends. Are you a Christmas towel? Or are you a disposable napkin? I want to be the napkin. I want to be used over and over again by God, encouraging others and living that sacrificial life God called me to live.

Paul said, "Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ." Phil 3:8 and "And those members of the body which we think to be less honorable, on these we bestow greater honor" 1 Corinth. 12:23

"Till He appeared! And the soul felt it's worth.....fall on your knees!"

Is it hard to Say “Thank You?”

Is it hard to Say “Thank You?”

You may read this question and think, “Of course not!” It’s easy to thank God for who He is and what He’s done. It’s easy to thank the waiter or waitress for doing a good job. But I challenge you to really think about this…
Can it sometimes be hard to say, “thank you” ?

I think it can...

When a person gives you an extravagant gift you know you don’t deserve, it sometimes can make you feel uncomfortable. You might feel unworthy. You might try to “reject” the gift. Or, you might just feel uncomfortable by a person’s continual generosity.

I had a girlfriend in law school that constantly bought me a Starbuck’s coffee to our study dates and would never let me pay her for them. She would drive by Starbuck’s at least 2-3 times a week and pick up our coffee. It was so thoughtful, sweet and generous (you know it can get expensive). She would get offended if I tried to pay her back or cut in front of her to pay at a Starbuck’s line. It was something she felt she had to do…What could I say but “thank you?”

I think sometimes people can do something for us that catches us off guard and we aren’t prepared to properly say thank you. One time a woman in my Bible study group was surprised when she came to study and there were boxes and boxes of diapers for her newborn twins. She called me later and asked, “Did I even say thank you to the group?” She was surprised by the generosity and was literally speechless. (She did say thank you by the way)

There are so many verses in the Bible that talk about thanksgiving.

Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name. Hebrews 13:15

When is it a sacrifice of praise to give God thanks? When it hurts. When we are in a trial or when we don’t feel especially thankful. I have a friend with a child with Autism. I am sure it is especially hard for her to thank God for this. It is an ongoing trial for her and her family. But does she thank God even when it is hard to? Absolutely. She says that she can see God’s hand at work in her child, in her family and in her walk with God and although she can’t wait until her child is completely healed in heaven, she can continually offer the sacrifice of praise, thanking God for who He is and TRUSTING although not all things are good, all things are working together for good. Amen?

AMEN.

Sometimes it is a sacrifice of praise to give thanks because we are prideful. A relative of mine once said, “Why should I thank God for this? I am the one that did it!” That’s just pride. Not one single heart beat or breath or thought can occur without God. Sometimes pride can creep in and we don’t feel we need to give thanks to God. It can be simply, “I did a good job at work and I deserved that gratitude from my boss.” Or “I worked hard on dinner and I deserved that gratitude from my husband.”
Wrong.
We deserve nothing.
God deserves the credit and thanks and it is a sacrifice of praise when we can die to ourselves and pride and truly say, “God does give talents and gifts but how can I receive the credit, praise or glory? How can someone praise the gift more than the gift-giver?”
Sometimes it is a sacrifice of praise to give thanks because we are bitter. This is tied to pride but slightly different. When a person feels “wronged” by something or someone, when that person does something polite or kind, the “wronged” person may feel there is no need to say thank you. “Why should I say ‘thank you’ when he hurt me to begin with?” He is only correcting the wrong and there is no need to say thank you. We are even. This is another time we can offer a sacrifice of praise to God by giving thanks. Sometimes God allows things to stretch our faith and to grow our faith. When the trial is done and we’ve come through the fire, sometimes we stay “bitter” by the trial and don’t thank God for the answers to prayer…
At Thanksgiving, it’s easy to give thanks for our food, for our families and for our spiritual and material blessings, but it isn’t easy to say “thank you” to a person who has wronged us…It isn’t easy to say “thank you” to God when we are in a trial or when we see others suffer or we see injustice. But truly, God is well pleased when we continually, not just on Thanksgiving day, but we continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, giving thanks to His name. Thanking God for His love, His saving grace, for His sovereignty, for His perfect will, for His hand in our life even in the midst of trials…we can even thank God for the trial itself knowing that although we don’t understand it, somehow in God’s infinite wisdom He WILL work it together for good in our life. It’s certain. It’s a fireproof promise from His Word (Rom 8:28)
It’s God’s will to give thanks.
In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
1 Thess 5:18
So even if you are upset, or confused, or you might feel so emotionally and mentally tired to give thanks, do it any way…for in this, you are giving a sacrifice of praise and God is well pleased.

God’s Shadow is PERFECT Shade

HE who dwells in the secret place of the Most High Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.
Psalm 91:1

Wikipedia states, “A shadow is an area where direct light from a light source cannot reach due to obstruction by an object. It occupies all of the space behind an opaque object with light in front of it. The cross section of a shadow is a two-dimensional silhouette, or reverse projection of the object blocking the light.”

This is profound to me.

You see, a shadow is not the “thing.” A shadow is a reflection of an object that is blocking the light.

The Bible says, “No one has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him.” John 1:18

Moses desired to see God’s glory but He could not. No man or woman conceived in sin could see God and live. He could only see Him from behind.

“Then I will remove my hand, and you will see me from behind. But my face will not be seen." Exodus 33:23 NLT

A shadow is the silhouette of the image of something or someone. The shadow is a reflection of the substance.

What is the substance? Christ Jesus Himself.

The Bible describes the law as a shadow or “preview” of what was to come…
As it says in Colossians, “So let no one judge you in food or in drink, or regarding a festival or a new moon or Sabbaths which are a shadow of things to come, but the substance is of Christ. Colossians 2:16-17 (emphasis mine)

The law was only a shadow of Christ’s completed work…

"For the law, having a shadow of the good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with these same sacrifices, which they offer continually year by year, make those who approach perfect." Hebrews 10:1

Only Christ can make us perfect.

So again, what is the point of giving some thought to God’s shadow? Well a person who chooses to dwell with God (in the secret place of the Most High) will live or abide under the shadow of the Almighty God. If we choose to continually dwell with God, God provides our shelter, our shade, from a hot and dry land. We rest under His shadow. He is our covering. Again, who is the shadow? I believe the shadow is Christ Jesus Himself, for He is the express image of the Father. (Hebrews 1:3)

A Future and a Hope

I have been reading through Jeremiah and I must confess, it's depressing....So many terrible things happen in this book. The people reject Jeremiah's prophecies, Jeremiah weeps, the people continuously reject God and His promises, etc.

"Jeremiah is known as 'the weeping prophet' (Jeremiah 9:1), but he did not weep for himself. He wept over the lost condition of his people..." (author unknown)

So as I was reading I came across one of our beloved verses...Jeremiah 29:11. It just jumped out at me...I read through Jeremiah's call to repentance, his prophecies about Israel about to be overtaken by Babylon, about a promised remnant, etc.

Wiersbe says the four themes of Jeremiah are rebellion, repentance, righteousness, and retribution.

It's a tough read. It seems as though God's people will never get it together...God even gives a picture to Jeremiah of good figs and bad figs and calls His people "bad figs" that cannot be eaten. There is nothing more nasty than moldy fruit! But the good figs represented the remnant God would preserve...

When I came across Jeremiah 29:11, I was reminded of all the times I have read this verse...in a card on graduation, in a card for a baby dedication, etc. I love this promise from God's Word! The LORD had reminded me of it for the future of my son Isaac. Some say he has a "speech delay" because at almost 3, he is not saying words yet. Nonetheless, God spoke to my heart and reminded me that His plans and thoughts towards Isaac are good and not evil...

But there was something new I learned from this verse...the historical context!

Listen to the verses before and after it:

"The LORD Almighty, the God of Israel says, 'Do not let the prophets and mediums who are there in Babylon trick you. Do not listen to their dreams because they prophecy lies in my name. I have not sent them.' says the LORD. The truth is that you will be in Babylon seventy years. But then I will come and do for you all the good things I have promised, and I will bring you home again. For I know the plans I have for you, ' says the LORD. 'They are plans for good and not disaster, to give you a future and a hope. In those days when you pray, I will listen. If you look for me in earnest, you will find me when you seek me. I will be found by you, 'says the LORD. 'I will end your captivity and restore your fortunes. I will gather you out of the nations where I sent you and bring you home again to your own land.' " Jeremiah 29:8-14

It's been an amazing journey over the last 11 weeks studying Daniel at Calvary Chapel Chino Valley with the women's Bible study. The Beth Moore DVD series is an awesome compliment and commentary to studying this amazing book...

Since we have been in Daniel, I was so familiar with this Babylonian exile that Jeremiah talks about here....Babylon is a type of the world, a self-centered, self-absorbed, self-indulgent, godless society. We live in Babylon today. We are encouraged to be like Daniel, to pray even if it is against the law and to NOT bow down to the world's golden image, even if it means we are thrown into a lion's den. Here, Jeremiah warns us NOT to believe the false prophets. The Israelites were being lied to. They were told, "Don't worry! You aren't going to be taken captive for 70 years into Babylon, so just ignore Jeremiah's warnings." God says, "That's a lie! You are being lied to! I know my plans for you and I know what I am doing and what I am doing is always, yes, always for your good!" (please note, not all things that are allowed in this world ARE IN THEMSELVES GOOD, but God will always work them together for good -Rom 8:28)

Wow! This amazing promise from the LORD (Jeremiah 29:11) has even MORE power in my life in knowing that God did send Jeremiah to give warning of judgment- they would be taken captive by evil Babylon for 70 years, but this was not the end!!! God would end their captivity and restore them. It's like us friends!!! We are in a world that is not our home. We are living in a world that loves evil...but God is at work!

The verses right after Jeremiah 29:11, verse 12 and 13, say, "In those days you will pray, I will listen. If you look for me in earnest, you will find me when you seek me"

We must do our part too! We must pray and read.

I love what Warren Wiersbe says, "God's people have the responsibility to seek the LORD, pray and ask Him to fulfill His promises, for the Word and prayer go together." (Acts 6:4).

Isn't that so awesome?

I know you love Jeremiah 29:11 too- God's promise that His thoughts and plans for us are good and not for evil or disaster and that He promises us a blessed future and a hope. But what are we to do about this? Pray all the more! Pray God's Word BACK to Him and seek Him out in His Word.

What an encouragement! Thank you LORD for books like Jeremiah and Daniel that give us examples of people who were faithful in a generation that rejected them...

Change

I have been thinking a lot about change...not like Obama's campaign slogan "Change we can believe in...." Not political change, but spiritual change.

I am talking about change in our walks with the LORD.

When Chuck and I were dating we would often go on a date to Chili's for lunch or dinner. I love soup so one of my favorite things to order is Chicken Enchilada Soup and salad. Their soup is soooo good. Even if on the rare occasion I decided to get a different meal, I would often get a "cup" of that soup because it's just so delicious.
I had this battle everytime I went to Chilis. I look at the menu (which I pretty much have memorized) and I would still get the soup and salad. It's my favorite and I just enjoyed getting the same thing over and over.

We can do this in our walk with the LORD.
We read our Bibles. We pray. We attend church services. We listen to Christian music...but we feel dry.

I challenge you that the reason may be it's time for a change.

We all know that trials stir us up. Trials make us fall on our faces in prayer like never before. Trials make us weep when we read our Bibles, when we ponder the Psalms because it's as if God is speaking to our hearts in a fresh way. We feel like David's words are our words. If you know someone who is righteous and has had trial after trial after trial, you read Job and the Bible comes alive. You see how Job was tested and either you, or someone close to you is tested too. The Bible offers great encouragement to us when we are going through trials...
Worship is heightened when we are in trials. You hear a song on the Christian radio and you cry or shout out loud because it's so moving...it ministers to the deepest part of your soul.

But what about when you aren't going throuh difficulty? What about when you aren't personally going through a major trial? You feel blessed. Your family is healthy. The bills are paid. Things are going great....but you might feel dry spiritually.

It's time for a change. (They sang as it were a new song before the throne...Rev. 14:3)

God has spoken to my heart that we can be proactive in stead of reactive in our walks with God. Instead of waiting for a trial to deepen our faith and strengthen our walk, we can (as the Holy Spirit leads) make a change, a decision of the will to NOT BE COMPLACENT. God is waiting for us to climb out of our box (or jump out!) and run to Him in a fresh and NEW way.

"He has put a new song in my mouth— Praise to our God; Many will see it and fear, And will trust in the LORD." Psalm 40:3
"Cause me to hear Your lovingkindness in the morning, For in You do I trust; Cause me to know the way in which I should walk, For I lift up my soul to You." Psalm 143:8

This is what I mean...

Change it up!!!
-Maybe you have read the New King James Version all of your life. Get a new version, or use a new Bible commentary during your devotional time.
-Maybe you always sit in the middle row back center at church. Sit somewhere else! You will meet some new people and it will change the experience at church (break your routine, once in a while).
-Maybe you always pray in a certain posture. Change it. I am not saying you have to be dogmatic about it. Try to lay totally face down to the floor, or take a walk and pray with your eyes opened thanking God for all the things in nature that inspire you to give Him praise.
-Change the words you use in your prayers. God is all about relationship. He loves when His people pray. But for OUR SAKE we need to change our routines in prayer. Use the psalms as a model and pray back God's promises to the LORD. Use different words than you usually do. Just think of it as a conversation with God and express your heart.
-Take some time each day to pray, just for the purpose of worship. Pray the names of God and thank Him for who He is. Praise Him for what He has done, is doing, and will do in the future.
-Fast for someone you love who is going through a heavy trial or for someone's salvation.
I believe there is nothing that increases and enhances our prayer time quite like fasting! (you can fast one meal a day or fast from something you enjoy like coffee, chocolate, shopping, tv, etc. there are so many ways to fast...)
-Hang out with a new friend and talk about what the LORD is doing in his/her life. Ask this friend how you can pray for them.
-Pray for missionaries.
-Think about the Holiness of God and how far from His standard we are. Ask God to work in your heart to make you holy, not in a self-righteous way, but in a way that honors Him. (But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: "Be holy, because I am holy." (1 Peter 1:13-16)

We must fight against comfort. What I am advocating is this, if you feel "comfortable" in your walk right now, do something to make you uncomfortable. Do something out of the box. Fight against becoming luke warm-
""I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot. So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth." Rev. 3:15-16

Listen to this from A.W. Tozer, "Fighting Complacency" -Be hard on yourself and easy on others. Carry your own cross but never lay one on the back of another. Begin to practice the presence of God. Cultivate the fellowship of the Triune God by prayer, humility, obedience and self-abnegation. Let any Christian do these things and he will make rapid spiritual progress. There is every reason why we should all go forward in our Christian lives and no reason why we should not. Let us go on."

Let's "practice the presence of God."

That's it friends!!!!! We all need to work on this. We all need to change our routines and begin to intentionally practice His presence and allow Christ to invade every area (and I do mean, EVERY area of our lives). Let's ask God to through His Holy Spirit allow us to worship Jesus in a new way, singing Him a new song.