Stand Up!

A few days ago, the Lord prompted me to reach out to a difficult person I'd known long ago. We'd recently become "friends" on Facebook and I wasn't even sure this was a good idea. We're not likely to see each other and don't live in the same state.

But it's not only that. I'm in a different season of life, but I think she's still stuck in the same place. She's stuck in a dark, depressed place and I'm tired of darkness. 

I want light. 

I want to serve God in the way He wants, and I'd prefer there be some laughter and lightheartedness.

But He's pressing on my heart. Filling me with love and compassion for her, and it's impossible to ignore. This morning he woke me up extra early, but I'm in pain and weak. I can't even light my Christmas tree because I can't reach over my head, or turn my neck.

Lighting the Christmas tree is MY job and I'm stubborn - "stiff necked" the Bible calls it. Ironic.

So there she stands. Naked. And I'm trying not to feel like a failure.

In my quiet time today, I read this verse, it's Paul's testimony about what happened to him on the road to Damascus. He says, "Who are you, Lord?" and the reply?

"I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. Now get up and stand on your feet. I have appeared to you to appoint you as a servant and as a witness of what you have seen and will see of me." 

I felt the Lord say to me this morning, "Now get up and stand on your feet." Ugh. Jesus says this to people. He says it to Paul, Ezekiel, to Daniel, and to us. He's not concerned about our weakness or agenda.

We're to get up and get to work on his behalf. So I did. I opened up my FB to send the message I thought he wanted her to hear. I sent it, and then read her reply from the night before. Here's a part of it:

 Makes one feel totally like a failure.

 Sorry didn't mean to ramble on. You kind of popped the lid a little. 

Guess if there is a God he sends the right person on time.

Just by reaching out you may have saved a life for today. 

Maybe you too, feel weak, useless or saddened by your circumstances, but I say to you - Stand up.

He said to me, "Son of man, stand up on your feet and I will speak to you. Ezekiel 2:1

He said, "Daniel, you who are highly esteemed, consider carefully the words I am about to speak to you, and stand up, for I have now been sent to you." And when he said this to me, I stood up trembling. Daniel 10:11

Pity-Party

Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. 

                                                              Hebrews 12:3

This is my new favorite verse. I'm going to use it as a sword to slice away at the sinners who oppose me.

Just kidding.

   Ok, not really kidding.

Opposition is exhausting. Have you ever been opposed by people on a continual basis? It's the most spiritually discouraging thing I've experienced.

I'm not evening doing anything to make it happen. It's just....happening.

I've been slow to recognize it though, so it's a little like being buried over a long period of time. Just small handfuls of dirt thrown at random times by random people.

sneering
 
    subtle mocking

         sarcasm cloaked in humor

 tiny jabs in the softest places of my heart

It's the perfect environment in which to throw a pity party and I have been pity-partying away!

Sorry God, I thought I'd moved beyond that.

Now I understand and will take my mind off of myself and my circumstances and

                                            consider him.

Temptations and Terror

"May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit." Romans 15:13

For the last several months I've been studying spiritual warfare and the ways our old enemy, the devil, tries to trick and deceive us. Some of the ways he does this are obvious:

Sometimes they're a little more seductive, like the time I was shopping online and a rolling sidebar of men and food creeps up the right side of my computer!

Satan also likes to come at us subtly by stacking up daily discouragements from the world around us. Yesterday, my kids and listened to music as we drove to school. The DJ began to talk about "zombie-like happenings" around the country; people attacking and cannibalizing others, flesh eating microbes and a rash of bizarre violence.

My kids wanted to know: Is this stuff real?

    How do you tell them not to be afraid when the world is filled with terror?

This morning while reading the devotional, Streams in the Desert, I came across this beautiful passage about hopelessness:

"I implore you to not give in to despair. It is a dangerous temptation, because our Adversary has refined it to the point that it is quite subtle. Hopelessness constricts and withers the heart, rendering it unable to sense God's blessings and grace. It also causes you to exaggerate the adversities of life and makes your burdens seem too heavy for you to bear. Yet God's plans for you, and His ways of bringing about His plans, are infinitely wise."  Madam Guyon

Though written in the 1700's, Madam Guyon's words brought comfort for me this morning. I hope they help you to also remember that no matter what happens here on earth, God remains on His throne.

Loudmouth

What I tell you in the dark, speak in the daylight; what is whispered in your ear, proclaim from the roofs. (Matthew 10:27)

I read this verse during my quiet time at 5:00 this morning and wondered, What does it mean? What would Jesus whisper in the dark that should be spoken in the daylight? Just then, I heard the chirping sound of birds outside my window. This morning, they sounded particularly joyful.

As I was pondering the scripture and the birds, I felt compelled to go outside, and sit in the dark on my back porch. When I say compelled, I mean drawn like a magnet. I figured God must have something to tell me. I grabbed a cup of coffee and my pink fluffy bathrobe, and sat down in the dark.

     Then I tried listening for the whisper.

I couldn't hear a thing over the chirping of the birds.

One in particular was incredibly loud. At first I thought, maybe it's worshipping, but then I changed my mind. It was so loud and bossy I decided it was giving orders and telling everyone what they needed to do for the day. I just wanted it to shut up, so the other birds could talk too. I tried closing my eyes so I could hear better, but after getting nothing, I gave up and went back inside.

My one takeaway was that if Jesus actually whispers in my ear, it must be something worth talking about.

Just now, I was in front of my house working in my garden and flowerpots. One of the things God impressed on me after last year's Unstuck retreat was that I'm supposed to build a garden. Believe me, I know it sounds weird, but what else is new? I'm doing it anyway!

While I was working, my husband came out and hung around for awhile.  As I popped in a flower I said, "Won't it look pretty later, when our guests come?"

He said, "Everything will be dead by then." Then he turned to walk away.

After I thanked him wholeheartedly for his encouragement, the Lord whispered in my ear...

THAT is the voice of the loudmouth. When you're trying to follow me, the voice of discouragement gets louder and bolder, and tries to drown out my whispers.


THAT is the voice that says, "You're worthless."
THAT is the voice that says, "You're not producing fruit."
THAT is the voice that says, "If you are the king of the Jews, save yourself." (Luke 23:37)

That's not my voice.

I just proclaimed what I heard: And, I tell you what, it only made me work harder.

Ironically, the verbena I was tending was something I planted last year, and because I procrastinated and didn't take it out of it's pot, it came back. (Win!) So, I took the worst looking one - one I'd planned to throw away, planted it in a separate pot and PRAYED over it.

Yes, I prayed that Jesus would resurrect even this sorry looking thing?

Are there any loudmouths you need to ignore?