Thursday, August 30, 2012

Having Enough

This morning I was praying and the beginning of the 23rd Psalm came to me, "The Lord is my shepherd, I shall NOT want."  I began to think about the word "want" in this context, and then looked up this scripture in several versions:

New International Version (©1984): "The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want."

New Living Translation (©2007): "The LORD is my shepherd; I have all that I need."

Aramaic Bible in Plain English (©2010): "Lord Jehovah will shepherd me and I shall lack nothing."

GOD'S WORD® Translation (©1995): "The LORD is my shepherd. I am never in need."

King James 2000 Bible (©2003): "The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not lack."

Douay-Rheims Bible: "The Lord ruleth me: and I shall want nothing."

Young's Literal Translation: "Jehovah is my shepherd, I do not lack..."

So either we have all that we need or God is a liar.   Either the Word is true or it isn't. If it's true then I LACK NOTHING.  God has given me everything I need. What I think I lack is not a necessity for me.

2 Peter 1:3 says, "His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness."

What it boils down to is that IF I don't have as much as I think I should...I want what God has decided I don't need.

 1 Timothy 6:6-8 says, "But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that."

Am I fed? Am I clothed?  If the answer is "yes," then I am NOT in want.

If the answer is "no," then I have allowed the enemy to rob me of my rightful provision from the Lord. I have allowed the thief to steal from me, and that needs to end, now.

I will pray: "Satan, you have no right to my provision and wealth from the Lord. He has promised to care for, feed, clothe and shelter me, and right now I lay hold of this promise. You will not rob from me again.  In Jesus name, Amen."


Tuesday, August 28, 2012

What Are You Afraid Of?

End times? Shortages of food, gas, clean water?  Illness? Death?  The wrong people elected to government?  Your kids taking the highway to Hell?

The Lord says, "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." (Philippians 4:6-7)

To be blunt, fear is sin. It is.  We are NOT to fear the future!  We are not to worry about storing up supplies and creating an underground shelter in case the worst happens.

Matthew 6: 25-34 says, “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own."

I remember the whole Y2K panic right before the year 2000. It was stupid and pointless,  a complete waste of energy and focus.

Matthew 6:19-21 says, “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."

Your heart cannot be in survival preparation mode and also going about the Father's true business, clearly stated in Matthew 10:7-10, "As you go, preach this message: ‘The kingdom of heaven is near.’ Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons. Freely you have received, freely give. Do not take along any gold or silver or copper in your belts; take no bag for the journey, or extra tunic, or sandals or a staff; for the worker is worth his keep."

If the Lord can keep the Israelites alive in the desert for 40 years, feeding them with manna and keeping their clothes intact, He can do the same for you!

The Lord's name is Jehovah jireh, our Provider. That means He PROVIDES, period. I don't care how expensive gas and groceries are. God is bigger than drought, famine, and goverments that restrict and misspend. Satan's tactic is to distract you from your calling and keep you focused on earthly things.   Don't allow yourself to be diverted. PREACH the gospel. HEAL the sick. RAISE the dead. Do NOT allow fear to distract you.  Go be salt and light.

Saturday, August 18, 2012

How we know we are loved...

This morning, as I played my guitar worshiping the Lord, I was stunned by this simple revelation: He loves me.  WHAT?  Is that what you came up with Peggy?  Really?  I knew that.  No, listen, HE loves YOU.  The GREAT I AM. The CREATOR of the vast universe.  The ALPHA and OMEGA. The EVERLASTING FATHER.

Then, the words to the song I was playing penetrated my heart:

"You are and You were and You will be forever The Lover I need to save me;
You fashioned the earth and You hold it together, God So hold me now..."
(Bebo Norman's "I Will Lift My Eyes")

LOVE...vast, unmeasurable, infinite love.  I wept as I played and sang.

Here's the deal, however: we are so tainted by imperfect love that we can't even feel HIS perfect love. Love, to us, should have a different face.  It should solve all our problems and give us everything we want.  It should be shallow and quick-fixing, bailing us out of the consequences of our sin.  In short, we look for human love, marred by sin and selfishness, so when we encounter the PERFECT love of Jesus, we don't recognize it for the amazing gift it is.

"God, my God, I cry out:
Your beloved needs You now
God, be near; calm my fear
... And take my doubt
Your kindness is what pulls me up
Your love is all that draws me in"


He. Is. Kind.  Not always the kindness we recognize, however. The kindness we recognize is too much cake when we're sad or buying a new gadget when we're restless or bored. 

We need to sit and soak in Him and learn what true kindness and love is...the quality of which can't be experienced unless we let go of our preconceptions and control and RECEIVE what He has to give us.  Hard for a doer like me; hard for the Marthas of this world, female and male alike.

Go into a room, alone, and sit, kneel, or lie and receive His love.  I dare you.

"I will lift my eyes to the Maker
Of the mountains I can't climb
I will lift my eyes to the Calmer
Of the oceans raging wild
I will lift my eyes to the Healer
Of the hurt I hold inside
I will lift my eyes, lift my eyes to You"








Thursday, August 16, 2012

Drinking the Bitter Cup

Luke 22:42 records Jesus praying,"Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done." He knows he's headed for the agony of the cross, and his flesh quails before this reality. Nevertheless, he submits his will to the will of the One with the bigger plan. He accepts the bitter cup.

Most of us have some sort of bitter cup: a difficult marriage, chronic illness, financial hardship, heartrending loss, stressful job situation...just to name a few.  I am convinced that our choice to either drink or refuse this cup has far reaching (though often initially unseen) consequences.  For example, choosing to divorce a difficult spouse rather than fulfilling your vow will affect generations.  Ending  your life because of a dibilitating disease will rob the world of an irreplaceable and uniquely gifted person. Quitting a difficult job may circumvent the refining process in your life or in the lives of coworkers.  

About six years ago I was hell bent on bailing out of an extremely painful situation.   By the grace of God, however, I was able to hold fast, and looking back at what seemed unbearable at the time, I am amazed at the blessings my family and I have reaped...just because I chose to drink the bitter cup.  I shudder to think what would have happened had I gone with the almost overwhelming pressure to escape something that seemed unendurable. 

The bitter cup Jesus drank resulted in the sweet redemption of mankind, and the bitter scroll Ezekiel ate (Ezekiel 3:1-3), became sweet in his stomach, signifying the Word of God, though sometimes bitter, is ultimately sweet, for nothing can be sweeter than living in the will of God.

Every dilemma in our lives has an answer. Our Creator didn't leave us in a lurch; He left us with a COUNSELOR: "But I tell you the truth: It is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Counselor will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you." John 16:7.

Counselor is defined "One (usually a professional) who gives advice, opinion or instruction to direct the judgment or conduct of another."  The Holy Spirit is that One (working in conjunction with scriptural truths). 

 I love the following passages from the Word:

"Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up" (Galatians 6:9).

"Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. In your struggle against sin, you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood. Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as his children. No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it. Therefore, strengthen your feeble arms and weak knees." (Hebrews 12:1-4; 7; 11-12).

"Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.  Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you" (James 1:2-5)

The last one is especially good, as it refers us to God for wisdom in all circumstances; not the world, our flesh, or tempting promises from the enemy, but GOD!

Go on, drink from that bitter cup and remain steadfast. Watch what the Lord will work out of your situation as you faithfully partner with Him. Don't hesitate to cry out to Him for wisdom...afterall, He's the smartest being in the universe :)