A Little Lower

I received an unexpected call from a good friend this week. We don’t connect often, but when we do it’s always good (which is what makes him a good friend!) and always leaves me with something to ponder.

In the seasons of life that we go through, it’s not always easy to recognize the gift of a season that is challenging. But when we can express the truth of the difficulty, knowing the listener is not judging but listening—we often learn something about ourselves.

When he asked if I have been writing, I hesitated. Do I admit that I haven’t put a word to paper in months? 

“Nope. I haven’t written for a long time. For some reason I have not been able to write. Maybe I’m in a season of listening and learning. Or maybe I’m just not hearing from God right now,” I admit.

At a time when everyone is ‘speaking his or her truth,’ I have been silent. 

“I would describe this season as a season of learning more about humility,” I add as a final thought.

“God keeps taking me lower, too,” my friend stated. “And when I wonder how much lower I must go, the answer is always “A little lower.”

John the Baptist says it best when he shares his testimony with his disciples concerning his position compared to that of Jesus:

“A man can receive only what is given him from heaven. You yourselves can testify that I said, ‘I am not the Christ but am sent ahead of him.’ The bride belongs to the bridegroom. The friend who attends the bridegroom waits and listens for him, and is full of joy when he hears the bridegroom’s voice. That joy is mine, and it is now complete. He must become greater; I must become less.” (John 3:27-30 NIV)

Sometimes we must go a little lower— become less. Going lower can be disguised as feeling lonely and insignificant. “Lonely” enables us to be still and listen. “Insignificant” allows us to recognize that Christ is all, and is in all. (Col. 3:11)

Christ teaches us how we are to live our lives for Him. But sometimes we can hear Him better when we are in a low place. In the low position, the noise of the world fades, the clatter of trying to fit in or become something or someone diminishes. Nothing matters except hearing from God. And no words are needed or expected in return. In this secret place, God reminds us who we are and how we are to live. In the low seat, we become better listeners if we are unhurried.

God’s truth, not man’s truth, is revealed in the quiet of the low place. He becomes more significant, fills us with more of Him, and develops within us His nature, which we long for but cannot attain on our own.

“Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity. Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful.” (Col. 3:12-15)

How much lower must we go to become more like Christ?

A little lower.

Stay the Course…

Sheila

House Arrest

I opened up the Word this morning and randomly landed in the book of Acts, the last several verses of the final chapter. 

Listen to what we learn about Paul, “For two whole years Paul stayed there in his own rented house and welcomed all who came to see him. Boldly and without hindrance he preached the kingdom of God and taught about the Lord Jesus Christ.” (Acts 28:30-31)

Paul, the greatest apostle, and spokesman for Christianity was a prisoner in his own home, unable to leave his home or move freely around to minister as he desired. Yet he did not despair or complain. He made the most of his situation even though confined.

As I read this, my heart is encouraged. 

While in chains, Paul wrote what is known as his “Prison Letters” to the Ephesians, Colossians, and Philippians. These letters have impacted millions of believers through the centuries.

Later, when imprisoned again, Paul wrote the books of I Timothy and Titus. And yet, another time when imprisoned, he wrote his last letter, 2 Timothy.

The book of Acts isn’t just about Paul, though; it’s the history of the Christian church and shows us miracles and testimonies of many martyrs and heroes of the faith. People like me and like you. 

Every-day-ordinary-people. 

The message never changed and remains the same to this day: Jesus is the Lord and Savior to all who call on His name. 

We do not need to be eloquent to share the Gospel. Take a look at Moses when God called him to bring the Israelites out of Egypt, 'But Moses said, “O Lord, I have never been eloquent, neither in the past nor since you have spoken to your servant. I am slow of speech and tongue.” '(Exodus 4:10)

We need not be educated or loaded down with degrees. Peter and John, filled with the Holy Spirit, taught that “salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12) 

Though imprisoned for their faith, we read about those who heard the message of Christ through Peter and John: “When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus.” (Acts 4:13)

How easy it is to read stories of persecution and hardship in the Word without batting an eye, without considering that such stories of faith determination and tenacity might encourage us to walk our journeys without losing sight of our purpose. 

I know my own faith must go more in-depth and my roots more deeply embedded in Christ. 

As we move forward in an ever-changing world, even if confined to our homes, we are not alone. We are never without purpose, and we need not face life with fear. 

Let’s encourage one another during a tumultuous season and remember those who went before us—those great cloud of witnesses—as we borrow the strength of their faith.

I want to be known as a person who has been with Jesus!

“I only know that in every city the Holy Spirit warns me that prison and hardships are facing me. However, I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me- the task of testifying to the gospel of God’s grace.” (Acts 20:23-24)

Stay the Course…

Sheila

Throw Down Your Stones

There’s a story in the Bible packed with many lessons, which I find myself drawn to read time and again. 

In the Gospel of John, we read about a woman caught in adultery.  The teachers of the law and the Pharisees bring the woman to stand before Jesus. They tell Jesus that the law commands that the woman must get stoned. 

The teachers and Pharisees are more than likely holding stones in their hands intending to kill the woman when Jesus catches them off guard with His response, “But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger. When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, “If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her.” Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground.” (John 8:6(b)-8)

Fast forward to today. Consider our current world of politics and how quickly stones get thrown in an attempt to kill the reputation of anyone whose viewpoint contradicts or threatens another. 

Or, also consider how quickly families are divided by opposing viewpoints. Hurtful words get spoken, stones get thrown. It is impossible to retrieve a spoken word or a thrown stone. 

The next part of our story is compelling beyond words: “At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there.” (John 8:9)

Those of us who are older are to set an example for the younger. We model after people who are older than us—parents, siblings, aunts and uncles, and so on. Often, the “older” influencers affect the trajectory of our lives (whether good or bad).

It’s time to throw down our stones and lay down our pride.

If we aren’t intentional in daily surrendering our lives to Christ, the more life experiences we obtain, the higher the risk we face of walking around with stones in our hands. It’s easy to throw stones at people who have hurt us and caused us great pain when we respond from our brokenness.

I know I am guilty of throwing a few stones of my own. 

But the stones we clutch are a part of the problem, not the solution. Our skewed viewpoints lead us to sin against one another and God.

Even though Jesus was stooped down, writing in the dirt, He heard the crowd dropping their stones and walking away, “Jesus straightened up and asked her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?”

“No one, sir,” she said.

“Then neither do I condemn you,” Jesus declared. “Go now and leave your life of sin.” (John 8:10-11)

Imagine the godly influence we can have in the lives of our children and grandchildren when we pray with hearts of humility, confessing our sins to God. It is God’s place to vindicate and it is our place to surrender our rebellious hearts and wills to Him.

Let’s throw down our stones, so we can be set free to raise our hands to the only One without sin.

Stay the Course…

Sheila

Relationship Anemia

Many years ago, I learned that I was anemic; iron deficient. Because the changes in my body were gradual, instead of recognizing that I had a problem, I unwittingly learned how to adapt to the changes in my body. Until my body could no longer adapt, at which time I sought medical help when iron alone would not suffice.

I was thinking the other day about a recent trip where my husband and I had been able to connect with old friends. My heart was full. I had not realized it was empty. 

Could this be relationship anemia?

To prove to myself that longing for deep friendship is a God-given desire which goes beyond an obligatory text or “liking” someone’s Facebook post, I began scouring the Word of God. I needed to know: “Are deep relationships unrealistic in a social-media-Facebook-friend kinda world?”

Guess what?

From Genesis to Revelation I can attest that our fellow-sojourners stories share a common thread—they journeyed through life in deep relationships with one another. They broke bread together, served together, worshiped together, worked together, lifted each other in prayer, and so on. Day in and day out. Both good and bad hair days alike.

When considering the linchpin that connects the differences between Bible days and today, I noted one glaring observation. The people of old did not have a “Plan B.” Survival required people needing people. A life lived alone was not an option, or even a thought for that matter.  People’s most significant, and often only asset was one another. There were no cell phones or internet available to escape real life momentarily.

The relationship anemia I was experiencing had been happening for a long time. I had just learned how to adapt to my changing environment to the best of my ability in an attempt to feel connected to people, both distant and close.

Jesus, who longs to be our dearest and closest friend, tells us how invested we should be in our friendships, “Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends.” (John 15:13)

To have such a friend that one might consider laying down his or her own life for might require spending an enormous amount of time together. (What an inconvenience, right?!)

Yet, how else can the bond of friendship strengthen to such a point that one might consider a friend’s life worthy of such sacrifice? 

Jesus showed such sacrifice by laying down His life for each one of us when we were still His enemy. Can a bond worthy of the same sacrifice form through social media or texting? In contrast, when face-to-face, everything is laid bare. There remains nowhere to run and nowhere to hide. 

In the everyday soil of grit, grind, heartache, failure, loss and victories, real friendships take root and blossom into bonds deep enough to justify the laying down of one’s own life for a friend. A friend whom you know deeply and love deeply.

Peter says it best, “Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.” (I Peter 4:8)

If you are experiencing relationship anemia, listen to your heart’s cry and make some necessary changes. 

Deep friendship is the antidote to relationship anemia.

Stay the Course…

Sheila

Un•di•vid•ed

When we read about the men and women in the Word of God— about their struggles, victories, and sins—it’s important to remember that our individual stories are also unfolding every day.

This morning, I opened my Bible to the 86th Psalm, authored by David, titled “devoted trust in times of deep trouble.” David asks the Lord for something invaluable: “Teach me your way, O Lord, and I will walk in your truth; give me an undivided heart, that I may fear your name.” (vs. 11)

What does it mean to have an undivided heart? 

Undivided, by definition, means “not divided, separated, or broken into parts.” Undivided also means “concentrated on or devoted completely to one object.”

David had learned from personal experience the consequences of a divided heart. He was a real person—like you and me—sometimes prone to fulfill the desires of his own heart regardless of the consequences.  However, the result of his sin led to a divided heart. 

Ouch. 

And yet, David is referenced in the Word as a man after God’s own heart “After removing Saul, he made David their king. He testified concerning him: ‘I have found David son of Jesse a man after my own heart; he will do everything I want him to do.” (Acts 13:22)

David’s desire for God led him back time and again in repentance to the heart of God—and then God was able and willing to realign David’s heart with His heart.

How interesting that the few references we read in the Word of an undivided heart share a direct correlation in the telling of David’s story. 

David had personally received undivided loyalty when thousands upon thousands of warriors joined forces with him for battle to “help David with undivided loyalty…” (I Chron. 12:33)

Besides reading in the Old Testament about the undivided loyalty of the warriors toward David and David’s prayer for an undivided heart, in the New Testament we learn that we are to “live in undivided devotion to the Lord” (I Cor. 7:35(b) and with “pure and undivided devotion to Christ.” (II Cor. 11:3(b))

Clearly, living with an undivided heart is difficult—we recognize this reality from the start in Genesis when Eve is deceived by the serpent’s cunning, which quickly leads to separation, or a divided heart, from God. 

So where does this leave us—you and me? 

I am hopeful that when we recognize the truth of our humanity, in humility, we will drop to our knees at the feet of Christ—to the same prayer of David:

“Teach me your way, O Lord, and I will walk in your truth; give me an undivided heart, that I may fear your name.” (Psalm  86:11)

I believe the key to an undivided heart lies in daily prayer and surrender. God’s Word fills us with hope, not defeat: 

- We are the righteousness of God (II Cor. 5:21)

- We are holy because He is holy (I Peter 1:16)

- We are God’s children (Just like David!) (I Jn. 3:1).

I pray our unfolding stories will one day be read in their entirety by our children and our grandchildren as a testimony of the goodness of God.

Until then, let’s encourage one another as we endeavor each day to live in undivided loyalty to God. 

Stay the course…

Sheila

Absolute Surrender

As with most new year’s, many of us find ourselves being reflective of the year we have just journeyed through as well contemplative toward the new year we are preparing to embrace.

Yesterday I typed out two pages of goals or resolutions for the new year. However, today as I am spending time alone and asking God what He wants from me going into the new year, the answer doesn’t have much at all to do with my two pages of carefully typed out goals.

Instead, I realize that at the core of everything that is happening in my world lies one emotion which has the power to rob me from everything of life: fear. 

Fear, by definition, is “an unpleasant emotion caused by the belief that someone or something is dangerous, likely to cause pain, or a threat.” 

I have been praying for many months for God to remove fear from within me. I know that fear is not from God. Some days I feel peace, but many days I have allowed fear to tighten its grip on my heart. 

This morning as I began to put together a plan for the upcoming year, I felt the grip of fear once again. 

“What is it that I am afraid of, God?” I asked, already aware of the answer to my question. My core desire is to trust God, and yet I am afraid to trust God implicitly (without qualification: absolutely). It’s a confusing juxtaposition. 

What might it cost me were I to trust Him with absolute surrender?

Absolute surrender is what God desires from me—and from each one of his children. 

Unbounded trust.

We cannot surrender part of ourselves, part of our marriages, part of our families or part of our careers to God. He wants all of us. Every thought, every breath, every word, every action. 

Absolute surrender. 

In the Gospel of Mark, a demon-possessed child needs deliverance. The father of the child had asked the other disciples to drive out the spirit but they could not. Jesus addressed the child’s father:

“How long has he been like this?”

“From childhood,” he answered. “It has often thrown him into fire or water to kill him. But if you can do anything, take pity on us and help us.”

“If you can?” said Jesus. “Everything is possible for him who believes.”

Immediately the boy’s father exclaimed, “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!”

How desperately the child’s father wanted to believe that he could trust his life and his child’s life to Jesus. 

Thankfully, God does not expect us to have absolute surrender to Him on our strength. 

In I Corinthians 2 we read, “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him” but God has revealed it to us by his Spirit. (vs. 9&10) It goes on to say, “We have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit who is from God, that we may understand what God has freely given us.” (vs.12)

We don’t have to figure out how to fully surrender to God. He has given us His Spirit and He has given us the mind of Christ (vs. 16). With childlike faith we can pray and ask Jesus to change us to become more like Him. 

The antidote for fear is love. God is love (I Jn. 4:16) “There is no fear in love. but perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment.” (I Jn. 4:18)

Are you willing to join me and enter the new year with absolute surrender to God?

“Everything is possible for him who believes.” 

Stay the course…

Sheila

Today’s prayer: “Father, I come before you with empty hands and a heart that desires to surrender to You fully. There is nothing that I can do in my strength that has the power to change my heart. I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief. Holy Spirit, I permit You to fill me with all of You and to do whatever needs to be done within me to empty me of myself. Show me daily what my life is to look like as I continue to seek Your face and Your will. All that I have and all that I am are Yours. In Jesus’ name, amen.”

The Road to Answered Prayer

I realized something this week: the way God answers my prayers is typically NOT how I think my prayers should be answered.

When I pray, my focus is on a positive outcome to a need or to a situation. Many times, I have already decided what the correct outcome to my prayer should be. I pray, God listens, God gives me what I ask for. Simple—and fast.

As exaggerated as this may sound, often in our microwave culture—we do believe that if God is a God of love, He will give us what we want when we want it.

In real life, it may seem as though God has turned a deaf ear to our prayers. Days turn into months and often into years, and we believe that nothing has happened because our preconceived outcomes to our prayers have not materialized. 

What if our individual journeys ARE the answers to our prayers? 

Once we pray, we are not “done” with our prayer requests! Prayer often requires action—or a pressing in. We are instructed in scripture to “pray without ceasing” or to “pray continually.” 

(I Thess. 5:17)

For example, what if your prayer has been for God to lead you to a local church that feels like “home?” 

When praying for a church family, the action required might include researching local churches and showing up on Sunday. Over and over again. Possibly for months. 

The road to Answered Prayer can be tedious and long. 

Learning which churches are NOT a fit is just as much a gift from God as when He leads you to a church that IS a fit. Intertwined in the journey is a prayer being answered. 

Remember, too, that the picture we may have in our minds of what our church should look like may not be the church that God knows is best for us. Keep asking. Keep seeking. Keep knocking. Keep pressing. Ask Him to make His will clear to you. 

As followers of Christ, we want God’s answer to our prayers, not our answer to our prayers!

Jesus was one with God, yet we read of the many times that he went away by Himself to pray. Jesus understood that His life wasn’t about showing God that He could make right decisions on His own.

Jesus lived every moment of his life as an obedient servant.  Jesus prayed without ceasing, then He said and did whatever His Father told Him to say and do. Jesus’ prayer, “Not my will but Yours be done,” was a prayer which was answered on a road filled with cruelty, mundane tasks, rejection, hate—and ultimately death.

Because the road to Answered Prayer is often tumultuous, it can be tempting to blame Satan for our difficulties. Struggle feels more justifiable when there is someone to blame.  Satan likes to trip us up for sure, but perhaps God, in His goodness and love, is more concerned about what is happening in our internal worlds than He is concerned about the temporary unpleasant circumstances of our external worlds.

I am learning that the road to Answered Prayer is zig-zaggy and full of surprises. God holds each prayer, the ones which I verbalize as well as the prayers my heart whispers. The more I seek Him the more he is teaching me to trust that He is ever faithful— even when the journey doesn’t make sense.

So, if the prayers of your heart feel unheard or unanswered, stop striving and start pressing into God’s Word and into God’s presence. Reflect back on your life and the many times God’s answer to your prayer has not looked at all how you had thought it should look—and then marvel at the beauty of the lessons learned along the road to Answered Prayer.

Stay the course…

Sheila