At a crossroads…with a catch

I am at a crossroads today, and I feel like no matter which road I look toward, I see this:

I thought details were falling into place, but I was wrong.  Instead of solidifying my choice and the related details, I’m starting over with a completely blank piece of paper and absolutely no idea what is going to end up on it.  It’s frustrating.  It’s discouraging.  It’s maddening.

But it’s also an opportunity to let God take over.  I can fight this, or I can trust.  I can worry, or I can accept God’s plans as my own.  I can get frustrated, or I can rest in the fact that God knows what tomorrow holds.  I can choose to believe that whatever God is doing is going to be amazing and that He’ll let me know what my next step is when it’s time to take it.

In these moments, the best thing I can do is review His past acts of faithfulness.  They serve as signposts and monuments of my journey through life.  They are the reminder that I am not traveling alone, and I am not lost.  I am on a road my Father chose for me before I was even born.  It’s not a nice straight road through the open country, though.  It’s a twisting, winding, unpaved road around mountains, over raging rivers, through dark valleys.  But it’s interesting, and exciting, and if I let it be, even a bit fun.

How do you cope with apparent dead ends on your journey through life?

 

Post-its from God

I’m sure you’ve been there.  You have a decision to make.  Or maybe things just aren’t going the way you want them to and you’re confused.  Maybe it’s a little of both.  Either way, you just wish God would tell you what He wants so you can do it and get on with your life.  Maybe send you a Post-it or something.  You’ve been there, right?

That’s pretty much where I’ve been for the last couple of years.  I’ve said to God, “Just tell me what to do.  Whatever it is, I don’t really care any more.  Just tell me and I’ll do it.”  Now if you’re wise and unattached to my situation, you’re probably shaking your head at me right now thinking, “That’s a pretty dangerous thing to say”, and “be careful what you wish for”.  I know.  But sometimes life just gets to be too much and we just want the ride to stop so we can get off.  And in our haste to end whatever is making us unhappy, we say things that, in more pleasant circumstances, we would never consider saying.

There’s something to be said for surrendering to God’s will for our lives (and I’ve said it), and I’d like to believe that’s what’s at the heart of my “request” to God.  Some days it is, and some days, quite honestly, it’s just me wanting to be happy and comfortable.

So the other day, I had been praying that particular prayer for most of the day.  I went to church to pick up some material for Sunday School and this is what I found sitting on the counter in the office:

It made me smile because it’s not the first time in recent weeks that verse has popped into my head (or been quoted to me in one form or another).  “God, what do you want me to do?” I asked.  “Let my joy, and not superficial happiness, fill you.  Keep talking to me.  Be thankful for what I’ve given you.  That’s what I want you to do,” He replied.

It’s hard to argue when God finally gives you the Post-it you’ve been asking Him for, eh?

If you’ve been asking the same types of questions lately, I pray that God would bless you with the gifts of patience and wisdom as you wait on Him.  Keep the faith.  He’s always working and when the time is right, He’ll tell you what to do.

What has God been telling you lately?  Have you ever been blessed with a Post-it experience?

 

Changing seasons

It’s cold as I write this.  And by cold I mean mid-60′s.  Since it’s still August, that counts as cold.  I predict that sometime in Mid-January when we have one of those rare 60 degree days, I’ll declare that it’s warm.  Context is everything…  Even if it weren’t cold, though, I’d still be thinking about changing seasons.  Believe it or not, there are some trees here that are already changing.  Yes, they’re pretty, but don’t you think it’s just a little too soon for that?  *shrug*

The Bible, as you probably well know, talks about seasons:

There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven.  ~Ecclesiastes 3:1

Even we have seasons.  And just like with the seasons in nature, some are more pleasant than others.  The summer of the soul is relaxing, refreshing, and easy.  We feel in-step with God.  We feel well-fed and Scripture comes alive for us.  It may be that we’re in a good small group or Bible study, or we’re experiencing great blessing in our lives.  Whatever it is, we really like summer!

On the other hand, winter is much less fun:  We feel spiritually dead.  Our prayers hit the ceiling and stop.  The Bible seems dry and lifeless.  Everything is a struggle and if we’re not careful, depression sets in and we withdraw – from God and from fellow believers.  At a time when we most need good fellowship, we feel isolated.

So what are we to do about the changes we all experience from time to time?

Be grateful for the good times.  It’s so easy to begin to take the good things for granted.  Be constantly thankful and in awe of what God is doing. 

Dive even more deeply into study and fellowship in the bad times.  Resist the temptation to hide when life gets hard.  Our enemy is like a wolf after prey – he wants to get us alone so we are easier to bring down. 

Remember, just like the earth has opposing hemispheres, when you are experiencing the joy of summer, someone else is probably feeling the desolation of winter.  We were not meant to walk through life alone and what you’ve recently learned about God or yourself may be just what someone else needs to hear.  Be sensitive to God’s leading because you never know when He may place someone in your path who needs to hear what He has taught you.  On the flip side, if you’re having a hard time, seek out someone who can help you through it.  And be encouraged by this: every winter, no matter how long it feels, eventually turns to spring.

Above all, no matter what you’re experiencing right now, cling to God and His truth.  You are always in the palm of His hand, whether you feel like you are or not.

What have you learned recently that you may need to share with someone else?  When in your life have you felt most blessed by God?

 

Spur one another on

NOTE: See Monday’s note.

Today’s post will be brief yet short.   We’ve been talking this week about serving God and serving others.  Hebrews 10:23-24 says, “Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds.”  

So…What can you do today to serve someone else?  What encouragement do you have for your fellow readers with regard to Hebrews 10:24?

 

I don’t know

I don’t know what my problem is today.  I don’t know why I feel sad.  I don’t know why I feel discouraged.  I don’t know why I feel cut off from God.

I’ve spent hours in the Bible today:

• Doing my daily Bible study lesson because it’s “due” tomorrow, hoping that something in today’s lesson would encourage my heart
• Reading Ephesians, a book that is full of reminders that I am God’s chosen, beloved child
• Reading Judges because that’s where I am in my daily reading (boy was THAT a mistake!!)
• Reading Psalms because they are full of praise for God in all circumstances.

I’ve spent time reading other Christians’ writings and watching a sermon online, hoping for some word of inspiration.  Hoping for some clue, some key that will lead me out of this darkness I’m feeling today. 

I’ve spent time in prayer, examining my heart for sin that may be getting in the way.  I’ve spent time thanking God for His blessings in my life.  I’ve asked God what is going on with me today.  I’ve prayed for others to get my mind off myself.

And I still don’t know.  But I will tell you this, I’m still looking, still asking, still trying to figure it out.  I’m not giving up until either I know, or it goes away.  I’m not giving up until I am at peace once again. 

Perhaps I’m just having a rough day.  Perhaps it’s just going to be a “wilderness” kind of day.  Perhaps it’s satan trying to discourage me or distract me.  Perhaps it’s the Holy Spirit working on my heart.  Perhaps it’s God just wanting me to spend some intense time with Him. 

You might be having a day (or week, or month, or year) like this too.  You might be going a little crazy trying to figure out where your joy went.  Or, you might have given up and just gotten on with life, resigned to your joylessness.  Maybe you’ve gotten caught in the trap of needing a reason for how you’re feeling.  Allow me to encourage you with the following:  Don’t give up.  Keep searching.  But rather than searching for an answer, search for God.  He is the answer.  Search your heart and ask Him to do the same (Psalm 139:23-24).  Search His Word and meditate on it (Psalm 119:15).  His word, and not your current circumstances and feeling, is truth (John 17:17)

And when the cloud has lifted and you are once again at peace with your Father, remember His faithfulness and love.  And then tell someone else.  (Psalm 145)

How is your heart today?  What encouragement do you need?  What encouragement can you offer to someone else?

 

3 ways to win

For centuries, Christians have asked one question over and over again: How do I know I’m doing God’s will?  Having been involved in various ministries throughout my life, I’m getting pretty good at figuring out when I’m exactly where God wants me.  A pattern emerges when I look back: Whenever I’m where God wants me to be, serving Him the way He wants me to serve, I pop onto satan’s radar.  Once that happens, I know I’m in the right place at the right time. 

How do I know I’m on satan’s radar?  Strange things start to happen: 

Recently, I taught a series on Revelation to my high school Sunday School class (you know, the book that is all about how satan is defeated and Christ wins once and for all).  Like clockwork, every Saturday evening or Sunday morning, I’d become either depressed or angry for no reason at all.  Little things that wouldn’t have merited a second thought earlier in the week would suddenly become reasons for me to be frustrated or sad.  In a word, I would feel defeated. 

More recently, I’m finding myself tempted by sins I haven’t dealt with in years.  And when that doesn’t work, I’m tempted by things I’ve never even considered doing before.  To make matters worse, not only am I tempted, I see opportunities to give in to that temptation.  And when I do give in, my accuser goes into high gear telling me that no one who did what I just did has any business serving God.  Even after I confess my sin and claim forgiveness through Christ, satan still tries to bring it up at the most inopportune times and drown me in regret.

And if those two things don’t work, satan preys on my insecurities.  Lately, he’s been dangling numbers in front of me: “There were fewer kids in class today.  What did you do last week to drive them away?”  “Your reader numbers on your blog are pretty low.  Maybe you shouldn’t bother writing anymore.”

I know I’m not the only one who deals with this in ministry.  I know because some of you have told me that you deal with it too.  So what’s a Christian to do?  How do we reclaim our God-given purpose and serve Him victoriously?  Whether satan uses these three particular weapons against you or if he’s got some others that work better in your case, there are three things you can do to hit back:

1. Hit your knees: Spend time with the One who gave you your mission.  Give some energy to praising Him and worshipping Him for who He is and what He’s done for you.  Give Him the glory for the successes, and trust Him to redeem the failures.
2. Hit the Book:  Ephesians 6:17 tells us that God’s Word is our sword.  Just like Jesus did when satan tempted Him and tried to throw Him off His game, hit back with the Truth.  Don’t just read the Bible daily, study it.  Take it apart.  Meditate on it.  Memorize it.  Like any tool, take the time to learn how to use it.  God’s Word is powerful.  Use it.
3. Hit up your friends: If you’re embarking on a new ministry (or even if you’ve been at it for years), surround yourself with praying friends.  Ask people to pray with you and for you.  Remember the hedge of protection thing from a couple of weeks ago?  Get some people together and pray a huge concrete-wall-topped-with-razor-wire around you, your ministry, and the people you will serve. 

God has given each of us a mission.  He has a purpose for each of our lives.  He wants us to serve Him, to serve His people, to serve the world.  So whether you’re teaching English and spreading the gospel in Russia, mothering abandoned little girls in Belize, pastoring a church in Florida, leading a Bible study or worship in New Jersey or trying to raise godly children in Texas or Tennessee, you are where God has put you for His purpose.  Your life and your mission are for His glory.  Don’t surrender to satan’s weapons.  Fight for it.  You have the power that raised Christ from the dead (Ephesians 1:19-20).  And you have this:

“See, it is I who created the blacksmith – who fans the coals into flame and forges a weapon fit for its work.  And it is I who have created the destoryer to work havoc; no weapon forged against you will prevail, and you will refute every tongue that accuses you.  This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and this is their vindication from me,” declares the Lord. (Isaiah 54:16-17)

How does satan like to attack you in your work?  What other tips do you have for hitting back?

 

There is nothing at all…

The weather here today accurately reflects my mood at the moment, and it’s not good.  I’m clinging today to the truth in this song, so I leave it with you in the hope that it will encourage your heart.