How confident am I really?

This past Sunday I taught a lesson on King Hezekiah.  In this lesson we talked about the experiences the king was going through such as the Assyrians wanting to attack and conquer them, the king getting sick and God healing him or the Babylonians visiting and the king learning they will eventually conquer his people.  As the class talked about these events and we related them to events and struggles in our own lives, the Lord began to ask me a question.  When you pray, do you pray in confidence?

At first as I thought about it my initial response was yes...yes I do pray confidently.  Then I began to think about some of the struggles and worries I have had lately.  I thought back to that Saturday morning when I heard a officer had died and I spent 45 minutes not knowing if it was Craig.  I thought about times in our marriage when bills were tight, tears were flowing and it felt like everything would just become too much.  I also thought about times where my father was struggling with severe health issues and I was across the country in TN, unable to get to him quickly.  This was when I knew that there have been many times that I was not praying with confidence.

When I was younger I thought having a strong prayer life meant I needed to spend hours on my knees, in a closet praying.  As I have gotten older and grown in my walk with the Lord I have learned that there are times where I need to get away and close myself off to pray.  There have also been times I have laid prostrate on the floor of my bedroom, crying out to God.  Most of the time though I have developed what I call a mobile prayer life.  I have my prayer time in the morning when I have my Jesus time (Bible study/devotion).  However, my father and my friend Melissa have really taught me to develop a habit of talking with the Lord throughout my day.  If you were a fly on my wall there would be days it would look like I am talking out loud to myself because God and I are talking.  My friend Melissa taught me to keep a small book of scriptures near by so when you don't know what to pray or have no confidence you can let the scripture speak for you and to you.  I now have several of those little books that are in my car, purse and nightstand.

When I was teaching my 4th graders yesterday I wanted them to know that they can pray about anything and bring it before the Lord.  I also wanted to begin to help them develop a prayer life that did not just include their wish list, but taught them how to praise, repent, ask for others and then worry about themselves.  Life can be hard whether you are an adult, teenager or child.  It is my goal as my friend Melissa would always say, "I want you to leave with tools in your toolbox."

I don't know if you have a strong prayer life or if you desire one but I have some great tips that will help enhance any prayer walk.  First is write down your prayers, worries and praises.  This will help you really begin to see the hand of God in your life.  This is why I treasure my journal so much because they are my prayers and God's responses.  Second, spend more time praising and acknowledging who God is than anything else.  It is amazing how when you do this all things in this life begin to come into perspective.  You begin to remember how big and amazing our God is and you let go of the little things. Third, is have one or two people you can go to when you are really struggling.  You want people who will speak truth into your life and are constantly pointing you back to Jesus.  You also need to be the same for these people that you need them to be for you. These are relationships that will change your life and carry you though tough times.  Lastly, talk to God all day long.  If you can't let a worry go, then bring it before the Lord, talk to him about it, list out the pros and cons.  You see developing a true relationship with the Lord is having regular conversations with the Lord.  It will be in these times where you will be amazed at how His Spirit will encourage, minister and feed your soul.

Thank you will never be enough

As Memorial day approaches my heart and mind have been on our military personnel currently serving around the world and those who gave their lives in service to our country through the years.  Last Thursday I was looking for a movie and found the mini series Band of Brothers on Amazon Prime.  I am not fond of military movies, but for some reason I enjoy watching this series.  It is about a unit out of the 101 Airborne called Easy Company.  In this mini series you follow the members of this company from training camp through the end of WWII.   It is not an easy movie to watch because HBO did an amazing job at striving to make a very realistic representation of the experiences of these soldiers.  One of my favorite parts is at the beginning of each chapter they interview actual members of Easy Company.  These interviews are what bring the movie to life.

My Grandfather Fred Buchanan with
members of his unit.

Tonight as I was watching this series I began thinking about my grandfathers.  They served in WWI in France.  I only had the privilege to know one of them because my Dad's father died while my father was a young man in the Navy.  However, I did have the privilege of knowing my Mom's father, we called him Granddaddy.  He smoked cigars, did not have much hair and was truly a man of few words.  You could sit with him for a long period of time and not hold much of a conversation.  What I remember most about him was how much he loved to make us laugh and would sit outside and watch us play as young children for hours, smoking his cigars.  I was 13 years old when cancer took his life and he went to the arms of Jesus.  However, in the years to come my Grandmother would become an expert on sharing stories with us of our family.

As I became an adult I learned that my Grandfather never talked to my Grandmother or really anyone else about what happened during the war.  Those were not memories he wanted to share.  I never understood that until the movie "Saving Private Ryan" came out and I watch the first 15 minutes where the troops on D day were storming the beaches at Normandy.  I remember all the movie reviews talking about how realistic the movie was and how emotional that sequence in the movie is.  I went to see that movie with my family and I remember my Mom saying that seeing that movie helped her better understand why my Grandfather would not talk about the war.  War is ugly and at that time, it was really ugly.

America is known as the land of the free and the home of the brave, a place where any dream is possible.  I think that so often we tend to forget the price that was truly paid for our freedom.  We don't realize the price that is currently being paid to maintain our freedom.  Our country is a place where freedom of religion easily found, yet in other countries like the Sudan people are dying because  of their religious beliefs.  This Memorial day as you sit out and grill burgers with your friends and neighbors, please pause and pray for the families who have lost loved ones in service to our country.  Pray for those families who have members currently serving in the military.  I still have 4 more episodes to go in Band of Brothers and as I watch it I love that it reminds me of all I am blessed with and encourages me to pray for our current military service men and women.

I am so proud of all that both my Grandfather's accomplished in the war and I am amazed that they survived.  I don't question they saw and experienced horrible things, and yet they came home and started families and raised their children to love and serve Jesus.  I only wish I could tell them to their faces how much I love and appreciate all they did to ensure the freedom my girls enjoy today.  This is not just another holiday, make it count. Make sure if you know someone in the military, a family with people overseas serving, then in my book Memorial day is the day we should be serving and honoring them, not just grilling burgers on our deck.

Most of all I remind you that freedom is not free...someone must pay the price for us to have it.

How Deep Is My Faith Really?

I was going to write on a different subject this morning until I sat down and read an article I saw on Facebook.  It is about a woman named Ibrahim who lives in Sudan.  She is a Christian who married an American but has been sentenced to death for her Christian beliefs.  You can read the entire article here.

Daniel and Ibrahim Wani

As I sat and read through this article of a Islamic woman who fell in love and started a family but she discovered our Savior.  She discovered the amazing joy it is to give your all to Christ.  Giving her all to Christ may just end up being an true fact.  Ibrahim is 8 months pregnant and has been sentenced to die.  The only reason she is still alive is that the government is waiting for her to give birth to her next child.  When her husband returned to America he was not allowed to take their current child of 18 months because he is a Christian and the government will not allow Christians to raise Islamic children.

This article brought me back to my Pastor's sermon last Sunday when he asked if we were willing to give up our freedom and right to choose to make the gospel known and glorified.  Even as I am typing I keep finding myself praying for this family, praying for a miracle.  Then I find myself asking the question...would I die for my faith?  I mean truly die?  They have told her if she will renounce Christianity they will not kill her, yet she remains steadfast in her faith.  I want that kind of faith!

I want a faith that is so unwavering that no matter my circumstances I will hold strong to Christ.  Here we have a picture of a modern day disciple who is willing to die for what they believe no  matter what. It is so easy for those of us who live in America to think that we have it rough when it reality I know that Ibrahim would probably love to be in our shoes. 

I don't want to compromise my faith for anything.  I want my heart and faith to burn like a fire that is so bright anyone around me can see the love of Jesus.  I want my girls to grow up with a faith so strong that when they don't know what else to cling to, they will cling to Jesus.  The Lord is teaching me so much about him right now and I continue to discover how much more I want to know.  How much closer I want to be.

I posted their picture and encourage you to save it and each time you see it pray for them.  Pray the Lord would surround them with angels as they fight for not only freedom of religion but for God's glory.  I want to challenge each of you to dig deep and ask God to take your relationship to a whole new level.  Life is a journey and a grand adventure that would be so amazing if we would just pause and allow our Lord to lead us as we discover how to truly take our lives off the beaten path.

Are You Up For A Challenge?

When it comes to this life and all that goes with it we all have areas where we struggle.   Some areas seem big and others seem small but yesterday in church our Pastor really hit the nail on the head when he talked about how much do we really love Christ?  We have spent the past 3 weeks studying 1 Corinthians 8.  In this chapter Paul is talking to the Christians because they are arguing over whether it is OK to eat meat from a sacrifice or not OK to eat the meat.  I will tell you that when our Pastor first read the chapter I was thinking what in the world is he going to pull out of this passage that applies to me?  Have you ever thought that in church?  Now you know I have.

In the past two weeks the Lord has shown me some areas where I need to be more sensitive to the leading of the Holy Spirit.  There are areas in my life where I am weak and if I am not on guard these things can affect my walk with the Lord.  On the other hand there are areas where I am strong but I may have a friend who is weak.  Am I willing to give up my freedom and ability to choose around that person so that they won't be tempted or stumble?  You may immediately think, well of course I would that is easy.  Is it?

For example.  Right now Craig and I have set some very tight financial goals for our family.  We both truly believe this choice is driven by the Lord and we are being called to obedience.  This means that we are not really spending much money on fun things in life right now.  Spending money is a weakness for me.  I love to shop!  I love new shoes and I love just going out with my girl friends to hang out, eat, shop, etc.  However, right now that is just not in the budget.  At first when we really decided to do this I did not say much to my friends and discovered I was setting myself up for failure.  I was still getting invites for lunch with the girls, going out to the movies, or taking our kids somewhere fun that cost money.  I kept failing in our goals over and over.  It was so frustrating!  Then I realized that I could not participate in these things right now unless we deliberately planned the money and set it aside.  So I began sharing our goals with friends, I spend less time on Facebook because I struggle when people are sharing all the fun places they are going that we just can't go.  I discovered last week that when it comes to keeping the discipline the Lord has called us to I need to realized that I am weak.

However, there are other areas where I am not weak but I have friends who are.  This week the question was asked am I willing to give up something I want because someone around me struggles with it.  Do I love Christ and his ministry to others more than I love my freedom to choose?  Am I willing to put the needs of others above my personal desires, truly?

Over the past few weeks the Lord has really shown me that He had so much to teach me out of 1 Corinthians 8.  If you are interested this has been such a great series and you can listen to them or download them off the church website just click here.  I am learning each day that this journey we call life is not an easy one, however, the further off the beaten path my family gets, the quieter our life gets and the easier it is for me to listen.  Are you listening?  Are you taking time to allow the Lord to show you areas in your life where you bring glory to Christ and other areas where you don't?  My challenge to you is to slow down, find a time to be quiet and allow the Lord to really teach and steer you in such a way that you can bring glory to the gospel of Christ in all you do and all those you come in contact with.  Are you up for a challenge?U

Remembering the Fallen, Honoring those who Serve

It is National Police Week and all I ask is that before you click away you will offer up a prayer for those Officers/LEO's working and the families of those who have died.  May the Lord grant them peace.

He is not my possession

It has been a hard weekend in my house.  On Saturday morning the Metro Nashville Police department lost a officer in the line of duty.  While I was on Facebook that morning I saw a post that an officer was down but no one posted who it was or where it was.  This suddenly made my heart leap because Craig was on duty.  I immediately sent him a text msg and waited.  6 minutes later when he had not replied I texted him again, now getting very scared.  For the next 45 minutes I sat waiting for him to respond not knowing if it was Craig that was hurt.  Finally I got a text from him letting me know he was OK and sorry it took so long but he was on the side of the freeway and could not reply.

For the rest of the afternoon my heart just ached and hurt for the officer that died.  His name was Michael Petrina and he was 25.  He was hit by a car while working a wreck on the side of the interstate.  As I sat on my couch thinking about how scared I had been, the reality that it could easily have been Craig hit me.  I kept thanking the Lord for his safety and how much I love him.  Craig got home and we talked and enjoyed a nice family evening together.

Yesterday our church celebrated Mother's day and I enjoyed such a nice morning at church.  During our service we did a baby dedication.  During this dedication our Director of Children's Ministry, Beth Howe talked about why as parents do we dedicate our children to the Lord.  What she said did not really strike me until later and then the Lord used it to help me renew my perspective.  Beth talked about how our children are not our possession for us to own but they are given to us to care for and raise to be Christ followers.  As I thought back over what Beth talked about the Lord began to turn it and put it in the perspective of my husband.

Craig is not my possession or something I own.  I am not his possession or something he owns.  We are life partners in this world that the Lord has placed together to love, encourage, strengthen, sharpen and equip each other as we walk through life together.  My husband truly is my world and each time on Saturday morning if I let the thought of him not coming home creep in if for only a second I burst into tears. However, the Lord began to take what Beth had said and apply it to my marriage.  You see Craig is not a cop because it is cool or fun.  He is a cop because he feels called to be one.  He strives each day to create relationships with the people he interacts with reaffirming that the police are there to help and protect.  His goal each day is to protect those in Nashville, show them the love of Jesus through his actions and then come home at the end of the day.  It is truly who he is.

I began to realize that it does not matter what happens or what scares me, the Lord has called my husband into law enforcement and I must trust the Lord with that calling no matter the outcome.  I am blessed with such great friends who love and support us.  I talked with two of my fellow police wives yesterday and found such great encouragement and bonding.  We all felt the fear but love and support our husbands in their calling.  Just like those parents at church who were dedicating their children back to the Lord, I realized that I needed to pause and dedicate Craig back to the Lord.  He is not mine, he belongs to God.  I am just privileged to walk beside him daily, support him, pray for him, love him and enjoy raising our girls together with him.  If the Lord ever chooses to take Craig early there is nothing I can do to stop that, but I can always have the assurance that the Lord will always provide for us.

I ended my day yesterday thinking of this verse.

“This is why I tell you: Don’t worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Isn't life more than food and the body more than clothing?  Look at the birds of the sky: They don’t sow or reap or gather into barns, yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Aren't you worth more than they?  

Can any of you add a single cubit to his height by worrying?  And why do you worry about clothes? Learn how the wildflowers of the field grow: they don’t labor or spin thread.  Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was adorned like one of these!  If that’s how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and thrown into the furnace tomorrow, won’t He do much more for you—you of little faith?  So don’t worry, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear?’  For the idolaters eagerly seek all these things, 

and your heavenly Father knows that you need them.  

But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be provided for you.  Therefore don’t worry about tomorrow, because tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own."

Matthew 6:25-34

I love this whole passage because it is a perfect picture about how we worry.  I was reminded that if I worry about every little thing each time Craig walks out of the house on duty then I will worry myself sick.  Instead, I need to remember that the Lord called my husband, he is protecting my husband and it is my job to focus on today because what happens tomorrow is the Lord's problem and not mine.  

I love how when I woke up this morning I had such wonderful peace, wished Craig a good shift, asked the Lord to protect him and began to build today to-do list.  It is easy for us to worry about the people in our lives, but the Lord encourages and reminds us they are not our possessions they belong to the Lord.  We just need to believe that and give them back.

Picking up the Pieces

We all have them, days where our emotions just overflow and we cry and cry and cry some more.  Yesterday was my day.  It started out a normal day and I got my list together, paid bills, grabbed my girls and headed out the door to get my errands done.  While we were at our second stop life and stress started to overwhelm me.  I headed home and told my girls to go play.  I grabbed my Starbucks, phone, my Ipod and headed out to my front porch.  I proceeded to sit out there and just pour my heart out to the Lord.  All the things that scared me, all the things that were stressing me out, the decisions that felt so difficult and I just wanted Craig to be home.  Craig always knows what to say and reminds me that he will always take care of us.

As I sat there I forced myself to turn on my praise and worship music.  I know I must have been a sight sitting crying on my porch, coffee in hand and listening to music, but there I was desperately seeking God.  Desperately seeking peace.  Desperately needing the Spirit's ministry and something amazing happened...I got it.    As I began to listen to the words of a song I heard this verse:

God of Heaven come down, heaven come down.

Just to know you are near is enough.

God of Heaven come down.

If you know me well it won't surprise you I began to cry again as I realized the Holy Spirit heard my cry and had come to minister.  I so badly wanted to call a someone and talk out my struggles but the people I wanted to talk to were all unavailable, so I opened my phone to my YouVersion daily verse and this was my verse of the day:

It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to take refuge in man.

Psalm 118:8

It was at that point that I could feel my tears subsiding and the peace of my Lord surrounding me.  The next song that came on had this:

When you think you have hit bottom and the bottom gives way...

you don't know how you will make it...

Jesus will meet you there.

 At that point I took my YouVersion app and pulled up verses on trust and some of the ones I found were these:

The Lord will fight for you, and you have only to be silent.

Exodus 14:14

Not one word of all the good promises that the Lord had made 

to the house of Israel had failed; all came to pass.

Joshua 21:45

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. 

In all your ways acknowledge him and he will direct your path.

Proverbs 3:5-6

I am the Alpha and the Omega, says the Lord God, who is and 

who was and who is to come, the Almighty.

Revelation 1:8

I listened to a song that said this:

Your name is a strong and mighty tower

Your name is a shelter like no other.

Finally I needed to walk in the house and get something and read this hanging on my wall:

Let us be silent so we may hear the whisper of God.

When I went back out I sat down with my journal and began reading all my notations from 2013 through now.  It was amazing seeing the hand of the Lord on our lives.  I needed to be reminded of specific times where he has comforted me, cared for my family, or provided for us in unexpected ways.  I found myself laughing and smiling, singing and praising.  During this 5 1/2 hour period of time I had one of my best friends call because she knew I was struggling because I had texted her.  We talked laughed and I was encouraged.  Also, during this time my oldest sister Karyl called and again we talked and I was able to share my heart and burdens.  But the moment my heart soared was the moment Craig's cruiser pulled up because his shift was over.  We talked, he listened, he did not try to fix my problems or worries...he just listened.  Then we figured out a game plan and after dinner and running a necessary errand, he let me put on my jammies and crawl into bed for the night.  I was off duty and he had the rest of the shift with the girls, so to speak.

Looking back over that day I can see why I needed that.  The Lord knew that our family right now is living in a period of stress and change.  These are good changes but change is never easy and can be very emotional at times.  The Lord made me a very emotional person and an oral processor to I am one who needs to talk things out and let my emotions flow.  I had not realized how much I needed to just release yesterday and I don't question the Lord pushed me to a point that would force me to sit and allow Him to minister...no one else...Him.

I woke up this morning full of peace knowing that it is all good.  Were major problems fixed...no, but I was able to truly take the time and give it all to the Lord.  Are you that way?  Do you carry burdens and worries you don't need to carry?  Are you like me and when a problem arises you feel like it is your responsibility to find an answer?  Do you strive to always put on a good and pretty face so people don't see the struggle and emotion you are feeling?  

There are times where we all need to take time out of our day, out of life and just stop.  We need to sit in the quiet and let the Lord speak.  We need to pour our our hearts to him.  We need to give him all or tears for he counts every one.  When we are at a point where we just are falling to pieces the Lord wants to be the one to pick them up and then it will allow the Lord to remind us that he love us so much,  he will not fail us, he will not let us fall but will catch us every time.  

Oh no here it comes...

We all have times of the day when we are at our best and  and times when we are not.  For me I am at my best in the morning once I have my coffee in my hand.  This time of year is my favorite because I get up, get my coffee and then spend my morning Jesus time out on our deck.  I love listening to the birds and looking at all the trees.  Now that I have my flower planters full they are my favorite view because each time I look at the vibrant colors, and the intricacy of how they were made I am just in awe of my God and Creator.  It is this time where I am truly at my best.

Yesterday is a great example of not being at my best and just wanting to rewind back to my Jesus time in the morning.  The girls and I had a good day and enjoyed our first day of school outside on the deck since last fall.   We had a wonderful morning and enjoyed spending time reading.  We even ended up playing a game of monopoly after lunch.  However, as dinner time approached it was like the enemy descended on me at once and began hitting me from all sides.  I wish I could say that I handled it like a champ, quoted scripture, kept my cool and stayed in control.  However, that is not what happened sorry to say.  After I asked my youngest to do something twice and both times she said "No I don't want to" it just began to build like a volcano.  I am so tired of raising my voice that I kept it in and finally I erupted.  No it was not pretty and what made it worse was after punishment had been handed out to my youngest she smiled and said "that's OK Mom, I did not want my Ipod this week anyway" and she left smiling.  It was one of those moments as Mom's that if we are not ready the enemy will swoop in and get us.  Boy, did he get me.

This morning as I look back over yesterday I am sad about my reaction but at the same time I am excited.  I am excited that apparently I have found a time during the day where I truly feel in tune with my Lord.  I love how this morning the Lord has soothed my soul, healed my heart and most of all forgiven me for how I reacted yesterday.   He also reminded me how as Mom's there are always time where we want to quit, take a time out or just leave the house even though we know that is not an option.  I found my heart this morning saying the verse, "May the words of my mind and the mediation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O Lord, my rock and my Redeemer."  (Psalm 19:14)

You see as Mom's whether we work, are single, or stay home with our kids we all know that we have taken on a job with no training manual.  We know as Mom's that there will be days we want to quit and times when our spouse comes home and we have nothing but negatives about our days.  Then there are other times when we see our kids sleeping, spend one on one time with them, watch them grow in the Lord and realize that we have the best job in the world!  Are there days I want to quit, absolutely!  Yesterday was one of them, but I will admit that those days are few compared to watching my girls grow and become women of God.

So as Mother's day approaches and you have moments of frustration, anger or depression I want you to remember that we have been gifted and equipped for the job of Mom. We may not feel like it some days but the Lord knew what he was doing we he gave us our kids, so don't get down.  Instead time time to refuel when you are at your best.  For me it may be spend more time with Jesus than I normally do to refuel.  In the end you will find the Lord is waiting to love you, encourage you, heal you and equip you for the day ahead.  Praying you find refreshment and renewal today.

May be I am just wasting my time?

I love it when the timing of my personal Bible study comes right along side some of our religious holidays.  As we finished celebrating Easter my personal Bible study material is focusing on the characteristics of God and knowing what you believe.  Currently the daily focus has been on Jesus, why he came, his human and divine impact on this world and why what I believe regarding these things is so very important.

Having grown up in Utah around the Mormon church I learned the hard way that it was important for me to know what I believed and why.  I learned that easy "church answers" were not enough.  Many times when I would use those answers or statements my Mormon friends would agree with what I was saying.  This was a good frustration because as I got older I realized that I needed to truly understand  and know how to talk about my beliefs in a way that separated me from the Mormon faith.  I also began to realize that many times my spiritual conversations and outreach interactions were not going to immediately turn into someone giving their life for Christ.  It was about building relationships, sharing Christ and letting the Holy Spirit do the work.

Yesterday, in my lesson it was about our belief in the resurrection of Christ and why it was real and not just Jesus appearing as a ghost.  All of 1 Corinthians 15 is where Paul discusses this issue and my study had me read the entire chapter.  I excitedly dove in reading my NASB version and my second time through I felt like my mind was mush.  There was so much I did not understand.  I was frustrating, so I decided to change my tactic and I pulled out my Message version.  I then read all of chapter 15 in the Message.  As I read the Lord began to take the parts of the NASB that I did not understand and began to clarify it.  I began to see the passion in Paul's voice as he was teaching, wanting people to understand that if Jesus did not rise as a human then all we do, all we believe if for not.  

This lesson was so good for me helping me understand the deity of Christ and how he did not deny any of that but yet he was human in every aspect.  He had to be, otherwise his sacrifice would not have been a true sacrifice.  What got me the most was the very last verse of the entire chapter.

"With all this going for us, my dear, dear friends, stand your ground. 

And don’t hold back. Throw yourselves into the work of the Master, 

confident that nothing you do for him is a waste of time or effort."  

1 Corinthians 15:58

This last verse took me back to my memories of living in Utah and the frustration I felt many times.  Paul knew we would be frustrated.  I think he knew we would not get the concept the first time around.  However, Paul knew that people could not claim to believe in Jesus they needed to know why they believed and why it really happened.  In this last verse I can see Paul excited over all that Christ has done, excited knowing the battle is won for us and encouraging us to not give up.  He wants us to hold our ground knowing it will be hard and it won't always be pretty.  My favorite part is where he says, "...don't hold back. Throw yourselves into the work of the Master, confident that nothing you do for him is a waste of time or effort."  This statement reminded me of the times I struggled with ministry outcomes or felt like I did not make any difference in peoples lives.  Right here Paul tells us that each time we declare Christ we are making a difference.  Each time we speak his name, share his love, or minister to others we are working for the Master.  We are allowing the Holy Spirit to do his work.  I love it when I leave my personal Bible study time so encouraged and empowered but I did.  

I wanted to share this with you because ministry is not always easy, can be very frustrating and yet if we look opportunities are all around us.  We just have to remember that it is not our job to change people's lives it is the Holy Spirit.  It is our job to throw ourselves in to the opportunities God places around us knowing that nothing,  I mean nothing will ever be a waste of time when it is done for the Lord our God!

Are You Ready To Go To War?

It is not very often that in church I am asked a question like, "Are you ready to go to war?"  When I heard the question in our Sunday night study of Romans it really caught my attention.  Our Pastor is currently teaching verse by verse through Romans.  It is the most in depth study of this book I have ever done.  You can catch all the sessions here on our church website and there is also a link to download the notes.  In this session we were focusing on Paul's teaching about being led by the Spirit.

My hubby and I got there a little late so they had just begun to talk about what it means to be lead by the Spirit.  What initially caught my attention was this statement:

"A lot of times, we talk about being led by the Spirit almost as if the Spirit is a Magic 8-ball that tells us what to do - what college to attend, what job to take, who to marry, what house to buy, etc. It is true that the Spirit gives us wisdom and discernment and direction and "leads" us in those decisions.  However, in this text (Romans 8:13-14), being led by the Spirit means battling sin and killing sin.  We will best be able to discern the Spirit's leadership in all areas of our life when we are ruthlessly executing the sin in our life by the Spirit.  If we are casual about sin, we won't know the leading of the Spirit.  If we are killing sin, we're being led by the Spirit."

What caught my attention is that when I have thought about sin in my life and areas where I struggle I never thought of it as battling and killing the sin, but that is exactly what it is.  There are times in our lives where we see sin in our lives and all we need to do is acknowledge the sin, repent and turn away.  It ends up not necessarily being a huge emotional or big event, but the Spirit of the Lord has shown you an area that needs to be dealt with.  Then there are other areas in our lives where we struggle daily, even moment by moment.  Sin is something that can hide and slink around in our lives and if we are not paying attention we ignore it or worse yet are so desensitized we don't even notice it at all.

As I sat in church listening to this lesson I found myself asking the Lord what are the sins in my life that I am so desensitized to I don't even notice them any more.  What are the sins that I have struggled with and am so used to it being a struggle that I am not bringing it before the Lord, resting in the Spirit as a child of God and going to battle to rid my life of this sin.  As I began to pray and listen the Lord brought to mind several areas where I need to go to battle in my life.  At the same time I had such peace knowing that some of the changes our family has made has begun dealing with some of this sin.

When we ignore areas of sin in our lives, we are giving the enemy a foothold to come in and change our perceptions on the world, effect our choices, influence our personal ministry with those around us.  One of my personal prayers and desires has always been to have a deep, personal and intimate relationship with my Lord and when there is unaddressed sin in my life then I am limiting that relationship.  I don't want my life controlled by pride, fear, selfishness, unforgiveness, gossip or envy for example.  I want my life, my actions, my words, my influence on my girls to be driven and led by the Lord.  I don't want to be caught "with my pants down" by the enemy because I was not making sure my spiritual house was clean.

So my question to you today is, "Is your spiritual house clean?  Are there areas in your life that it is easier to ignore than deal with?"  As Christians the enemy wants us to get caught in in all the glitter of this world.  He wants us desensitized to where things that should bother us don't, for example I love the show Dancing with the Stars.  However, this past episode I really struggled with all the blatant sexuality that was on the show, encouraged on the show and how dancers were celebrated for getting out in underwear and calling it a costume. Yes, one of the dancer's costumes looked like it walked right off a Victoria Secret Catalog and it was acknowledged as that on the show.  I want these things to bother me.  I don't want to put it off as no big deal.  I don't want to reach a point where I don't even notice cussing anymore because I am so used to listening to it.

My prayer for you is the same as mine for myself, that the Lord would speak to our hearts and minds to help us pay attention to the sin in our lives.  That we would not ignore or dismiss it but go to battle with it.  Call upon the Spirit to help you get armed for battle and take back the ground in your life the enemy has claimed.  Are you ready?  Are you ready to take on the sin in your life?  Are you ready to go to war?  I know I am!