Being Still.....

Let me ask you a very simple question....are you ever still?  When you sit, do you fidget or are you simply still?  Let me rephrase that question......Can you be still?  Most people find it very hard to simply sit...still; yes, I mean motionless....no fingers drumming, foot tapping, knee bouncing, hair twirling, lip biting....no motion.....being still.  Now ask yourself this...Why are you not still?  The answer may surprise you!

God says to us "...be still and know..." that He is God....what is He saying here?

The Hebrew word for "still" is raphah...in this verse it is the hiphil imperative verb which means:  to let drop, abandon, relax, refrain, forsake:  to let go:  to refrain, let alone:   to be quiet.  The imperative verb here is meant as an order or command.  Therefore, God is commanding us "to be quiet" !

I think it implies that we are not to complain or grumble as the Jews did while wondering in the desert; we are to be quiet...to refrain from what may be natural....to let go of our desire to criticize and relax in the midst of our troubles.  When we can control ourselves long enough to NOT walk in the flesh...we will "know" that He is God.

The word "know" in this verse is the Hebrew word yada`....in this verse it is the Qal imperative verb which means:  to know: learn to know: to perceive: to perceive and see, find out and discern: to discriminate, distinguish: to know by experience:  to recognize, admit, acknowledge, confess: to consider.

Once again this is an order or a command.

God has given us the answer to why many find it difficult, and even painful, to be still.  It is when we are still....when we relax...that our spirit is allowed to learn to know and to discern that He IS!  How incredible is that!  

Although this is an incredible concept, it is a very difficult task to accomplish.  When we cease from our motion/actions, we are able to perceive that God is there....and that can be a bit uncomfortable for some and down right scary for others.  However, this is when He reaches down from Heaven and touches our brokenness....this is when His Hand takes ours and He leads us to Himself.   The journey is different for each of us yet the result is the same....if we allow Him to touch us in that moment, He will begin the process of restoring us to before we were broken. 

BEFORE we were broken...this is the point in your life before your heart was hardened, broken, shattered, calloused, abused, misused, etc.  You may not be aware of when this happened specifically, but the One who knitted you together and knew you before you were born knows exactly when it occurred.

It is not a coincidence that the One who knows that very moment in your life is also known as Jehovah Rapha....the Lord your Physician!

So again...when was the last time you dared to "be still"?  May I remind you that  this is not a suggestion but rather a command ;)

A Healthy Fear

Psalm 34

This psalm is about the happiness of those who trust in God. Verse 7 struck me this morning as it says "The angel of the Lord encamps all around those who fear Him, and delivers them."

"The angel of the Lord" is simply that - a representative or messenger of Yehovah.
"encamps" has the meaning of to encamp, to pitch a tent. 
"all around" means on every side, circuit.
"fear" in this verse the main usage of the word actually means afraid, to fear, fearful
"delivers" is to remove, to draw out, equip (for war), arm for war, rescue

This gives us the sense that God's representatives have come to us and have "pitched their tents" all around us...they have literally encircled people....but not just anyone; the qualifier, if you will, states that those who FEAR Him will be encircled and drawn out or rescued or equipped for battle.

I have heard it taught that the fear of the Lord is a reverent fear...one of honor but not to be mistaken with being afraid of the Lord. However, in this verse it is plain that, Yes, those that are afraid or have a healthy fear of Yehovah shall have His representatives sent to encircle them and to deliver them.

So the question is.....do you actually fear God? Are you afraid in the slightest of what the consequences are for your actions? Or do you believe that "we are under Grace" so it does not really matter? and if so, how is that working out for you?

This verse is in the Old Testament, but it is clear that we are not only to honor or have reverence for God but to have a healthy fear of Him as well....after all, He is Holy and has called all those who have claimed to be a follower of Him to also be Holy. 

1 Peter states that we are to be holy for He is holy and to "pass the time of your sojourning here in fear". Sojourning there refers to your dwelling in a strange land; we are not citizens of this world once we have been born again. Fear in this verse refers to dread, terror or fear.

There is more to living out our life of Faith than simply giving it lip service...we should have a real fear of the holiness of the God we serve!  If we do not have such a fear, I dare say that we need to re-examine our relationship with God.  Who is the God that we say we serve afterall?

It is in each individuals best interest to delve into the Word of God and to seek Him personally!  It is not enough to attend church services or read books about what others believe about God.  NO!!!  Take the time and effort to study His Word yourself and to seek Him until you find Him so that He can tell you and show you His Heart.

This life of Faith that we each walk out is a personal walk with a Holy Being that we can call friend....however, a friend is someone that we have invested time in and with not simply someone we have heard about.

So today, I urge you to re-examine your relationship with God.  

He is gracious and merciful and is waiting for each of you to seek Him individually so that you can have that "one-of-a-kind" relationship with your Father!



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Dry Bones

    Ezekiel 37 is the story of how God brought dry, lifeless bones to become an exceedingly great army......Ezekiel had to prophesy to the bones... first that God would bring sinew and cause flesh to cover them but God also commanded him to prophesy to the breath...to command that the breath come from the four winds and "breathe" on the slain that they may live......interesting to me that the breath had to be told what to do......God is in the details!

    Maybe we have not seen the "resurrection" of parts of our life because we have not commanded them, in detail and specifically, what to do...Ezekiel had to prophesy over the bones more than a simple...and God says come to life! He had to be specific....down to what was going to hold the bones together - to what was going to cover the bones - to... the breath that was going to bring them life.     AND the last part of the prophesy was the instruction that they would know that He was the Lord!

    So it occurred to me; the areas that God wants to resurrect in our life are areas that He wants Lordship over. We need to offer our dry bones to Him and command that after they are resurrected...that they shall know that He is the Lord! 

    Every area of our life can be restored....every area of our life can have new life breathed upon it and every area that awakens to the Truth that He is the Lord shall live and become an exceedingly great army for Him :)

   

A Key Theme in Isaiah 1

In Chapter One of Isaiah, God is speaking to His people, whom at this point in time are wicked in their actions and intents of the heart.  He addresses them by stating the facts.....His children come before Him but out of obligation.  They are not seeking Him with right motives, their sacrifices are offered solely due to the law for they are not seeking any change in relationship with their Father...they do not want to change their ways but bring the blood offerings because that is what is expected of them.
    God was not interested in the blood of the innocent animals then any more than He is interested in it today!  He looks at the intent of the heart - the motivation behind our outward actions.  The Hebrews were spilling innocent blood without any inclination of looking inward and offering their heart along with the sacrifice.  This is wickedness in the sight of a Holy God and unacceptable to the heart of a caring, forgiving Father.
     The blood sacrifice is a key theme that runs throughout the entire Bible.  Without the shedding of innocent blood, there can be no atonement for our sins/transgressions therefore continued relationship with God is broken.  The key word is relationship - defined as 1.  a significant connection or similarity between two people, or the state of being related to something else   2. the connection between two or more people or groups and their involvement with one another, especially as regards to the way they behave toward and feel about one another  3. an emotionally close friendship.  I'll come back to that in a minute.
    In Isaiah, God tells His children that their hands are full of blood and He will not hear them.  What this means is that yes, they have brought the blood sacrifice as required for atonement but their hearts are far from acknowledging that they have issues that need mending.  They are not offering the sacrifice as a way to restore a close friendship with God, they simply offer it out of obligation without any thought to changing or addressing why the sacrifice is needed in the first place.  God's concern is with restoring our relationship....that emotionally close friendship with His children....not with the careless, route actions of His children; He seeks our heart.
    After God tells them that their hands are full of blood, He instructs them to wash themselves to make themselves clean....He tells them to cease doing evil and learn to do good.   Okay did you catch that!  He says stop doing evil but LEARN to do good....we have to learn to do the good; why?  because of our fallen nature.  We do not need to be instructed in evil doing rather we need to renew our minds in the Way of doing good.
    Good is defined as a high quality or standard, either in an absolute scale or in relation to another.  Learn is defined as acquiring knowledge of a subject or skill through education or experience.  Therefore we are instructed by God to acquire knowledge through our experience (sacrifices) of a higher quality (of life) or higher standard of doing things.  His children miss out on the opportunity of acquiring additional knowledge of their Father as well as a higher quality of life simply because they fail to offer their heart along with the sacrifice!  God also instructs His children to seek justice...rebuke the oppressor...defend the fatherless..plead for the widow. 
    After He gives instruction, the Father offers an invitation....."come now and let us reason together"   AMAZING  The Creator of all things invites the same group of people that have slighted Him to come to Him!
    "Come now" here means:  to go or walk....could it be that the Creator is inviting His Creation once again to walk with Him in the cool of the day as He did in the Garden?
  "Reason" here means:  to be in the sunshine (Light),  to be clear,  to prove-judge-rebuke-decide-correct-convince....God asks us to "walk" with Him and come into the Light to be corrected/convinced....now the question is what are we to be convinced of???  Well, the following verses answer that very question.
   God proceeds to tell them that "though your sins are like scarlet they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson they shall be as wool.  IF you are willing and obedient, you shall eat the good of the land.  BUT if you refuse and rebel you shall be devoured by the sword."
     Here He tells them that even though they are stained with the consequences of their sin, through their willingness to obey, HE will cleanse them...remember what God told them earlier...He instructed them to wash themselves and make themselves clean....then He invites them to walk with Him as He explains that HE will wash them...how incredible!  He corrects their mind-set that their actions, simply "going through the motions" and offering the sacrifice is enough; God makes it clear to them that it is ALL about Him...the only thing they are asked to do is be willing to obey (definition of obey is to be controlled by someone)  Another key theme in His Word is obedience....to be obedient is to be willing to carry out instructions, or submitting to somebody's will or authority.
     So what does all this mean to us?!?! 

     God asks us simply to understand that He has provided a way for us to be in continued relationship with Him; this provision has nothing to do with what we can do - our actions - but is solely based on what He has done by offering the innocent blood of Himself as the required sacrifice for the atonement/forgiveness of our sins!   All He asks of us is that we be willing or to desire to walk with Him, in the Light of His Truth, and be willing to submit our self to His Will....not our own; to be transformed by the renewing of our minds.
     We have no blood sacrifice to bring to Him because He has already paid the penalty for our sin with His very own Blood!  We have only to offer ourselves as a living sacrifice...to be willing to live this life He gave us for His glory; to submit our will to His and do things His way, which is a higher quality of living.
   God asks us to be willing (to desire) and obedient (to hear, to listen, to obey) - in essence He asks us to be willing to carry out His instructions of being Him manifest upon the earth in bodily form once again.  We are His body...think about the powerful effect that we collectively could have upon the people here on earth if we simply were an obedient child and listened to His voice and did as Jesus did.....only do as we saw the Father do and only speak what the Father said....
   If we would allow our self to "learn" to do good as He instructs then we would be able to rebuke the oppressor...defend the fatherless....plead for the widow....

Fitness....spiritual that is

Everyone knows that getting into physical shape takes determination, will power, exercise and diet; but do you know that getting into spiritual shape requires the same tools?  Yes, if you want to get yourself into shape spiritually, you will need all of these:

Determination - fixing or setting a purpose; act of discovering something
Will Power -  control of one's actions or impulses; self-control
Exercise - the act of carrying out the terms of an agreement
Diet - habitual nourishment

Determination:
     The act of discovering something...yes, the path to spiritual health is a journey that will take you down the path of self discovery;  you will discover how God, the Creator of All things, sees you; you will discover the authority you have in Him; you will discover the promises of blessings that He offers; you will discover who you are in Christ!  That is the "something" you will discover if you have the determination to follow through and not give up.

Will Power:
     It will take great control over your impulses to continue on the path of spiritual growth but as  you go, you will learn that you are never alone :)  When you feel like you cannot take another step, stop and simply ask the Father to help you; you cannot do it on your own.  You will need to take the power over you will to quit...because you will feel like giving up, trust me.  The enemy of your soul does not want you to grow closer and stronger in the Lord so he will test you....he will push you to your limit and then push a little harder.  You will want to stop but do not give up or give it!  You can do all things through Christ who strengthens you.

Exercise:
     What agreement is there you ask?  Well, the agreement between you and God.  He did not send His Son to suffer in the flesh and die a horrible death just so that you can "skate by"...no my friend...God sent His Son so that you could have life and have it to the fullest...so you could be made whole!  The journey of spiritual health includes you carrying out your portion of the agreement...you must grow in your faith.  His Word says...faith without deeds is dead and to those that know what to do, and do not do it, it is sin.

Diet:
      A habit of nourishing your mind with God's Word...He does say that we should renew our mind and we do this daily.  Reading His Word and praying should become our habit.  We feed off of the life giving words found in the Bible and He sustains us with His words as we pray. 
     Prayer is not complicated nor does it need to be mysterious.  Prayer is simply a conversation with a friend, that friend being God.  You reveal what is in your heart by being honest and He will speak to you...remember, a conversation is not one sided :)  He speaks to each of us differently but He still speaks to each of us.


So this journey of spiritual wellness requires the same tools as does physical wellness....are you ready to take the first step of your journey? 

Living within the boundries of The Status Quo....

   The Status Quo... the condition or state of affairs that currently exists; The American Heritage New Dictionary defines it as the existing order of things; present customs, practices, and power relations:  This is what we have come to know as the meaning of status quo....basically, it is what is is.  My question to you is this....Is that all that it is?

   If you are anything like me then you have been in situations where it just seems that things will never change; times where that phrase becomes a haunting repetition in your mind - over and over it seems to play in your head.... It is what it is, and it will never change.  That is living in a place of hopelessness!  That is living in the boundaries of the "status quo" and those boundaries become prison walls if not questioned and challenged and moved!

STATUS is a condition that is subject to change
     Hmmm...a condition that is 'subject to change' is one that is not meant to remain the same...it is subject to change.  The term subject in this context has an interesting definition;  open or exposed.  Therefore, 'subject to change' then becomes 'open or exposed to change'.

    Subject also means being under dominion, rule, or authority, as of a sovereign or some governing power; owing allegiance or obedience.

    This phrase...this  mantra that has hissed at me in times past is slowly taking on a new meaning :)

    Subject to change....being under dominion to change;  being under authority to change...owing obedience to change....This status or the condition that currently exists owes its obedience to change!

QUO is latin for "to which place" "to what place".
   
    Thus, the 'status quo' is rightfully defined as being a condition or situation that owes its obedience to change; change to which and/or to what place.....Yes, that is THE question.  To which place are you going to allow your current situation to change?  By definition change has dominion over your situation but you have authority over "what place" change will take you.  That's right...you have the authority.

     The Bible tells us in Luke 10:19-20  "Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you. Notwithstanding in this rejoice not, that the spirits are subject unto you; but rather rejoice , because your names are written in heaven. "  That is a wonderful promise from our Father in Heaven!  You have the authority because the Creator has given it to you...this is the authority with which you direct the path this change has on your situation.  It is NOT hopeless anymore :)

    I believe that God is dissatisfied with the "status quo" in our country and in our lives.  We have swallowed the pill that tells us that "it is what it is" or that "it will never change"....and this is a dangerous place to set up camp!

     God is all about changing us; if we would allow Him, He would be continually changing our hearts.  2 Corinthians even tells us that we are being transformed...from glory to glory.  God says our situation is subject to change...He says He sets before us each day a choice...blessings or cursing; life or death...it is a choice that we must make.  Ever wonder why sometimes it feels like all hell as broken loose in your life?  Dear one, if you decide not to choose than you have just subjected yourself to the dominion of change that the enemy will bring.

    Accepting "the status quo" is rejecting the blessing of authority that God Himself has given to you!  I say challenge the status quo...get mad enough in your current situation that you feel like flipping things upside down just like Jesus did when he flipped the tables of the money changers in the temple.

    The church has become too comfortable with the way things currently exist...we have been lulled into believing that change is not a good thing and we have become comfortable with how our lives are functioning.  After all, it does not take any real work to maintain and be "steady as she goes"...we simply sit in a pew, listen to the service and walk out the door...what work is there is that?  No the real work is in standing up and walking in the authority you have been given by the Father....now that takes work!  That is a daily decision to make a difference, to initiate change, to take authority and be responsible for the direction of our life.

    My hope is that the body of Christ will soon realize that we need to change....we are each responsible to walk out our faith in such a way that the world takes notice...not of us, but of our God!  It's time to take God out of our neatly decorated boxes and allow the Creator to....well, to be creative :)  

   We need to become dissatisfied with the status quo and challenge what we accept as "normal" and step out of our comfort zone...you just might be surprised where your feet land ;)

   

Do you see what I see....

Christmas time is here!  A time when the hearts of men are open to receive a nibblet of Truth....those who have been hurting all year now seek a ray of hope as they listen to the carols being sung on the radio.  This is the only time of year when songs about Christ are played on secular stations; all men now have an opportunity to hear the good news!

Good news....what is this good news?  Ask any respectable Christian and they will tell you that it is Jesus, of course.

Jesus....Jesus Christ is the good news that these hurting souls are seeking...and the Word of God says "...seek and ye shall find..." so I ask you this...do they find this good news that we say is Jesus?  At a time when the world bends toward the Divine....in this moment, can the seeking soul find good news?

Do you see those around you or do you rush past in a frenzy to find that perfect gift?  Do you see the hurting or are you preoccupied with which party is this weekend?  Do you hear the heartfelt cries of those less fortunate than you or is that muffled by all the "noise" in your own life?  Do you know that the "good news" is within you?  Can you feel it in your soul...does it stir your heart as if the Christ was speaking directly to you?

Do you see what I see.....a world searching for something that makes sense; searching for something that can lift them out of the pit they find themselves in;

Can you see the broken hearts in the children around you?  The brokenness in the eyes of the women around you - the despair in the men who have been so beaten down that they have given up?  This is the world that I see.....a world full of broken people who seek some "good news"!

These broken people are not just the unchurched or the unsaved...NO...these people are sitting in the chairs in the very building you attend on Sunday mornings.  And chances are if you asked them how they were doing, they would smile and answer "fine"....did you really believe them?

The body of Christ...the church...has been evaluated and found lacking my friend!  We are lacking true compassion for one another....a compassion that looks beyond how inconvenient it is and sees the hurts of your neighbor...yes, the one sitting next to you on Sunday.   Lacking in unity...lacking in brotherly love...lacking in forgiveness for one another...simply put...the church of today is lacking any power to draw those in the world to Jesus thus reconciling them with the Father.

Do you see what I see?   A body that has become wounded and divided and The Word says that if a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand.

Do you see what I see?   Hearts that have been wounded, dreams that have been crushed, visions that have been forgotten.....A people that are called by His Name yet does not resemble Him at all.

This Christmas....why not take a moment to purposefully notice those around you?  Take a moment to lend someone a hand that is in need; to give a smile to one that looks so downtrodden;  to do a good deed simply because you are able...and really listen to the answer when you ask the question....to step out of your comfort zone and help those in need.....to seek to be the "good news" to the person sitting next to you....

Yes, Christmas time is here!  And I see a world waiting for us to bring them some "good news" :o)