Camp Condemnation

Awhile back I bought some trail mix that looked so good! I got in the car, hungry as can be, or probably not hungry at all but I just like to eat. So I opened up the bag and threw a handful in my mouth. And then I about gagged. The trail mix was chock full of Wasabi Peas. Now, you may like Wasabi peas, and if you do I shall pray deliverance over you. Those things are super gross! I can't even describe the taste. Just not good.

However, they quickly were put to use. The Wasabi peas became the consequence for our kids using a word that's not kind or a word that's not allowed or a word that contains potty humor. I have girls. You'd think potty humor would not humor them but oh my how it does...

We have only had to have the kids eat a Wasabi Pea a few times as it really does the trick in keeping their words clean! They've told me I needed Wasabi a time or two...but somehow I seem to bypass my consequence. I'm cool like that.

The other day, one of my girls was walking out of the bathroom with the grossest look on her face. I asked her what was wrong to which she replied, "I said a bad word so I ate a piece of Wasabi."

I didn't hear her say the word; I would have been none the wiser that she even said anything. But in her heart she knew it was wrong and so she gave herself a consequence for it. Bless her little heart!

I was reading today in 1 John 3 and the scripture just hit me upside the head, as powerful as the taste of a Wasabi Pea in fact. John 3:21 says, "Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence toward God. 22 And whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do those things that are pleasing in His sight."

The NLT says it like this, "Dear friends, if we don’t feel guilty, we can come to God with bold confidence. 22 And we will receive from him whatever we ask because we obey him and do the things that please him."

My daughter felt guilty for the word that she used. In response, she gave herself the consequence that is due the action. And then it's done. That's how we try to operate in our home, once the consequence is given, that's the end of it. We try not to re-hash the issue or bring it up repeatedly, the lesson has been learned. Time to move on.

The same with the Lord. When we ask forgiveness, for whatever it is, however big it is, He forgives. There may be some consequences that are due the action, depending on the nature of the issue, but forgiveness is still there. Sometimes we make decisions that leave us with life-long consequences. That does not mean forgiveness is still not present. Forgiveness can be present in the midst of a consequence. Absolutely.

But based on this scripture, the real issue is condemnation. If our hearts condemn us over every sin we have committed, then, according to this scripture, we will not approach God with confidence. Therefore our prayers are going up to God without any weight behind them, there is no power in them if they are not going up to God in faith. And if we are always living in a constant state of guilt, then we are living a powerless and defeated life. And often times we don't even realize it.

Having grown up with such a tremendous root of shame in my life, condemnation comes very easy for me. I can camp in condemnation for a long time before I snap out of it. And sometimes I don't even realize that I'm camped there, because it's easy for it to become a normal way of life. Think about it, it's easy for us to go through our day to day unaware that we are allowing our "heart to condemn" us. Perhaps you have a nagging feeling in the back of your mind, always thinking that surely something is wrong. Maybe you allow your thoughts to dwell in a place they ought not dwell, steeped in negativity. Or you rehearse the past like it's happening in the present. And it's subtle. Because it's simply become part of who you are. Before you know it, you are living camped in condemnation, and you don't even know it.

Friends, when we camp in that place, we have no faith. And life without faith is, well, not life at all. Faith is the essence of everything we do as a believer. Faith is what takes us through the Prison, like Joseph. And Faith is what takes us to the Palace. The Bible tells us that without faith it is impossible to please God. So that tells me that if I allow my heart to constantly condemn me, I'm not pleasing to God. Imagine that! The World tells us the complete opposite. Be punished repeatedly for your actions. Over and over. Rehash it, rehearse it, relive it. But God says, "I forgive you the moment you ask me to! Now let's move on together because THAT is what is pleasing. My child living a joy-filled and free life, that's what is pleasing."

God is pleased when we leave Camp Condemnation. Nothing good comes from staying there. We get dirty. We get stinky. No amount of showering in the wilderness gets all the dirt out. It's not until you leave camp and get home and take a proper shower that you truly get clean.

So today, let's leave that filthy camp. It was never built for us anyway. Let's let go of the things we've done in the past, they don't determine our future. Let's do our best to please God with our lives. Let's do our best to live righteous. And when we don't, let's be quick to repent and leave Camp Condemnation. Let's be people that never let our faith be jeopardized. We need our faith; it's our access to the Almighty God. Faith packs a powerful punch. And for the record, so do Wasabi Peas.

That precious thing called the Church

2 Corinthians 13:5 starts off with simply this, "Examine yourselves as to wether you are in the faith. Test yourselves."

I love the Church. And I don't just mean our church, though I'm quite biased and think we have a pretty awesome church! But I love the Body of Christ as a whole. I love how different churches have different focal points. They have different passions that drive them; goals and visions that God has given to that particular church. I love that not all churches are the same. How boring would that be? I love the differences that make up the Body of Christ. There are so many wonderfully amazing, Bible believing Churches amongst the Body of Christ.

That being said, can I tell you my pet peeve? Or at least one of them...I'll save my list of annoyances for a later date as surely you all will tune me right out. But gum popping ranks pretty high on said list. And the sound of clipping nails. Lily likes to list my pet peeves. Sheesh, what a great example I'm setting.

My #1 pet peeve in all the world is this: Church bashing. Drives me up an ever lovin' wall. When good hearted, well meaning people, come against the church and all that the American Church is not doing, it seriously hurts my heart. Again, perhaps I'm biased, because I'm blessed to belong to a church that full well knows we are not doing everything, but by golly we are doing something. And so are many, many, mannnnnnnnny churches in this great nation of America. I absolutely love to see what other churches are doing for the Lord! I have a few different churches I like to watch on TV; I follow many churches on facebook & I watch different churches online. Why? Because there is so much to learn from the great body of Christ! God gave us all different gifts. And I love to see those gifts in action.

Forgive me if that sounded harsh, my main pet peeve. I guess I just love the church so much on a personal level, that when I hear any negativity towards God's great body, it crushes my heart. I love the church because I would not be here in this great life I live, if not for the church. It was because of a church youth group that I accepted Christ, as a pain filled teenager. It was because of the church that I learned life skills that some take for granted, as I did not learn them in the home as a kid. It was because of the church that I grew in my relationship with the Lord. And it's now because of the church, that I get to do something for the Lord that I never in a million years thought I would be fit to do. And quite honestly, I'm not!

That all being said, I fully realize the church is not perfect. Every church has it's issues, of course. It's made of people. But what an awesome institution that God ordained for His people, the local church. He set up a pattern for us to follow. Hebrews tells us: "And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, 25 not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching."

We have the privilege to come together to "stir up love and good works." Isn't that what the body of Christ is about? That we should come together, regardless of our doctrinal and theological differences, and "stir up love?" Oh my goodness that's powerful. Stir up love.

My favorite preacher, aka my husband, spoke Sunday on the topic of Offense. It's been popping up in random things I've been reading this week, all the way down to my morning devotional today. Clearly the Lord is talking to me! Offense comes to everyone. And yes, it comes to the church. Which is such a bummer. But it does.

Smith Wigglesworth says this: "There are thousands and thousands of different churches, but they are all one in the Spirit to the extent they receive the life of Christ. If there is any division, it is always outside of the Spirit. The Spiritual life in the believer never has known dissension, because where the Spirit has perfect liberty, there is total agreement, and there is no schism in the body."

If we simply would live every day according to the freedom that that Christ died to give us, there would be no room for an offense to settle. Because as soon as something offends us, we would have our Spiritual eyes on, and we would recognize it for what it is: the bait of Satan. If we have on the right eyes, in that moment, we will not choose to accept the bait, but rather, we will "stir up love." The moment we allow the offense to settle in our hearts, is the moment we take the bait. And when we take the bait, as my handsome bald man says, we become an agent of Satan. As we allow offense to build in us, we begin to operate out of a very scary place. We begin to say things that we normally would not say - we make choices that we otherwise would not make - we leave churches and relationships - we give up on dreams and begin to lose our passion for the thing we once held so dear. Because we took the bait.

2 Corinthians 6:3 says, "give no offense in anything, that our ministry may not blamed." We all have a ministry. You don't have to be a Pastor of a church, an evangelist or a head of a ministry to take this verse to heart. Anyone that confesses Jesus as Lord has a ministry! Your life becomes ministry the moment you accept Christ. We have a bigger picture.

Again from today's devotional: "God wants to show us that we must so live in the Spirit that the ministry is not blamed. If your ministry is not to be blamed, how can you help to prevent it from being blamed? You have to live in love. See to it that you never say or do anything that would interfere with the work of the Lord; rather, live in the place where you are helping everybody, and causing everybody to come into perfect harmony. Remember, there is always a blessing where there is harmony. 'One accord' is the keynote of the victory that is going to come to us all the time."

There it is again, "Stir up love."

Today, I'm choosing love. Tomorrow, I'm choosing love. And when offense comes, as it will, I'm going to "stir up love." I'll even love those that have created my biggest pet peeve, coming against the sweet and precious church of my Lord. Why? Because I refuse to be an agent of Satan. No bait for me today. I'm full :)

How about you?

Oh ya, that book...

I've mentioned before that I'm working on a book; a few of you have been so kind as to ask me about it's progress! The operative word here being "working." It's taking quite some time to actually be able say that I'm "working" on it at all. My hopes are that in the fall, when our regular routine starts up (actually I can't say it's a regular routine as it will be a new routine!) I plan to devote much more time to it. At any rate, I thought I'd share a chapter of it that I have done with you. It's totally a rough draft, so forgive my errors and if it flat does not make sense! But I would love your feedback. Thank you!

Chapter Three: I am enough

Madison Avenue was a very busy street; it was years ago when I lived there and it still is to this day. The street was lined with huge bushes, to provide a barrier to the noise, albeit unsuccessfully. I remember the flower they produced so vividly, as I walked Madison Avenue often.

One particular day my mom sent me to the gas station to pick up a loaf of bread. I was probably about 7 years old at the time, and the walk was pretty far for my little legs to take me, at least half a mile if not more. I did not mind the walk; it gave me something to do. And although I had to cross a busy intersection, again, no matter to me. The downside to this journey was that as you will recall, we were on State assistance for food therefore I went without cash, but with food stamps. I don’t know how my little mind knew that it was embarrassing to have to use food stamps. I don’t ever recall being teased about it or anyone even knowing for that matter, but for some reason, I just knew that it was not how the majority of my friends’ families functioned.

Perhaps it was because when I was able to sleep over at a friend’s house, I always was thrilled when it came time to eat! We always got to have something for dinner that was different than the beans and rice, or top ramen that I’d grown accustomed to. And when I slept over on a school night, look out world, Jen was taking a sack lunch to school! Complete with a Kudos bar! It was hog heaven for me.

Now don’t get me wrong, we never went without food. Sure we had food stamps, and yes I recall getting food from a church, but we never were without. And the reason for that is because my grandparents were always there. My dad’s parents, they took care of us in lieu of their son’s responsibility. At the start of every school year, they bought us clothes, and often, groceries. Very early on in life, we started spending weekends with them. I cherished those times. We went to pizza every Saturday night and breakfast every Sunday morning. Funny how I recall every food related detail. No, I don’t have food issues or anything! My Grandparents were an integral part of my childhood.

Back to my walk to the Gas station. I eventually made my way there, grabbed the loaf of bread and placed it on the counter. I gave the man my food stamps, more than enough to cover the cost. No big deal right? Well, you would think I’d committed treason the way the clerk treated me. He would not let me have the bread. He said my mother needed to be with me if I was going to use the food stamps. And so I left. Without my bread. And without any ounce of dignity I had left inside my 7 year old little heart.

It wasn’t the lack of bread that hurt me, even though I knew it was an inconvenience to go home empty handed to my mom who had enough on her extremely full yet somehow empty plate. It was the shame that filled me in that moment. I already was embarrassed to be on state assistance. I already was embarrassed to have to pull the food stamps out of my pocket and place it on the counter for someone to see it and know of my plight. I guess in my mind, seeing that food stamp told my story. In my mind, if someone saw that food stamp, well then surely they knew all the dark secrets that our little duplex on Madison Avenue held. Surely they knew of the addiction that resided there, surely they knew of the abuse that took place. In my mind, that food stamp represented all that I was. The shame, and the embarrassment that was me. And it was not enough. That’s what I left the gas station with that day, the reminder that I’m not enough.

What would it have taken that man to just to give me the loaf of bread, to spare me the humiliation? I wish the adult version of me could have came up behind me that day and done what I would do if I saw that situation play out now. If I saw a child attempting to purchase a measly loaf of bread I would happily buy that sweet kid the bread. And then some candy. And then maybe a toy! Anything to reverse the shame that was clearly overwhelming that child.

But the adult version of me did not come to my aid that day. Nor did anyone else for that matter. And so it became just another time where the reality of my world was evident; that I was not enough.

I wasn’t enough to cause my father to stop drinking. I wasn’t enough to keep my parents together, striving for a better life for my siblings and myself. I wasn’t enough. That was my reality then. But it’s not my reality now!

I am enough! I may have been “a statistic waiting to happen” as someone once labeled me but I can say now, with my head held high, that I AM ENOUGH! God thinks I’m pretty special. He says in His Word that “greater is He that is in me than He that is in the world.” So clearly He thinks I’m enough if He is willing to reside inside me. If God is willing to live in this heart of mine, this heart that has been broken more times than I care to count, this heart that has been stepped on by people, trampled on and rejected, if the Almighty Creator of this world still chooses to dwell in my heart then wow, I guess I am enough. And so are you.

No matter what life has labeled you, no matter what hand you have been dealt in this life, you are enough. You are enough! You have what it takes to make it. You can be anything you want to be. You can do anything you want to do. Greater is He that lives inside of you. God does not dwell in worthless habitats. It’s not in His character to do so. He is far to genius for that. He is much to royal to lower His standards to abide in a place of not enough.

Jesus says in John 15:4, “Abide in me and I in you.” Wait a minute, what? Abide in me and I in you? The same God that so delicately created the flower abides in me? The same God that so powerfully created the rushing wind and the mighty waves, He abides in me? Yes. Yes He does. The same God that created the strong and powerful Volcano to erupt is the same God that so tenderly hand crafted you in the womb.

The clerk at the gas station that day had no idea what he did when he turned away a little tow headed 7-year-old girl. But that’s ok. Because every time I buy a loaf of bread now, I’m going to take a moment to thank God, not only for the means to buy the bread, but to thank Him for the sweet reminder that He gives me, that I’m enough. Perhaps you will do the same.

I've always known that!

We've all heard the saying, "God is good, all the time, and all the time, God is good," right? Sometimes my sister & I even say it in jest, just because it's such a phrase that's been used more times than my hairspray. And that's a lot.

Yesterday I was overwhelmed with an un-expected blessing and it brought me yet again to tears. I say, "yet again" because I'm often brought to tears! But it's cool, I've accepted that I'm emotional and it is what it is. I don't cry over just anything though, unless you count the ridiculous spectacle I put on when we found the bunnies a new home after a mere two months of having them...but that's another post for a different day. A boring day.

I cry over things that move me. Or over things that sadden me. Or over things that overwhelm me to the point of no words. Or over things that remind me of God's goodness indeed being all the time.

So yesterday. I was blessed. And as I was thinking about God's goodness I found myself saying it aloud to Lily. "Lily, God is so good to us." Lily responded to me in typical five year old fashion something to the effect of, "Of course He is mom. I've always known that. Ever since I was a baby!"

She has always known that. She has always known that. Lily can honestly coin the phrase, "God is good all the time," and mean it with every fiber of her cute little five year old being. If only we could keep that same assurance, the same faith that causes us to say, "I've always known that."

Lily has not yet had to go through any difficulty; she has not endured any storms in life that have caused her to wonder if God is ever going to calm the winds and the waves around her. She has not yet found herself in a hopeless situation that, barring a miracle of divine intervention, would remain hopeless. Lily has not yet waged war in this battle that we like to simply call "life." So of course she says, 'yes mom, of course God is good. Of course.'

But wait. While Lily may have just turned five years old, she still has faced things in life that by her standards are difficult. She still has daily fights with her sister, whom she looks up to and adores. She still has to be left at Pre-K, alone, unsure of what the day will hold for her. She goes through best friend drama again, like I go through hairspray. She has a fashion crisis on an hourly basis. Every.single.day.and.night. I mean, c'mon, it's a hard life!

But it's perspective. Those things are difficult for Lily, to which she has previously replied, "this is the worst day ever!" While the magnitude of the difficulty between her life and our lives obviously may differ, the root frustration is still there.

Psalm 52:1 says, "the goodness of God endures continually." There's our catch phrase. But really, meditate on that for a minute. His goodness endures continually. The word "continually" is defined as: "continuing indefinitely in time without interruption." So never, ever, ever, EVER can God's goodness towards us have an interruption. And forgive me for anyone that now has Taylor Swifts song stuck in their head. She's never getting back together. Ever. We get it.

That means that God's goodness continues through every season and every stage of life we face. All the way from little Lily upset that she does not have the same high heels as Samantha does to looking my estranged father in the face and sharing forgiveness with him as he lay dying.

In the dark times. In the confusing times. In the painful times. In the dry times. In the lonely times. God's goodness continues. In the joyful times. In the abundant times. In the exciting times. God's goodness continues.

We can't know this side of Heaven what God is protecting us from. Often times, as we walk through difficulty, it's easy to think that God's goodness has obviously paused for a season. But what if, just what if, that difficulty actually is protecting you from something far worse? What if. Just what if.

So today, I'm choosing to have the attitude that Lily had yesterday, because trust me friends, her attitude changes on a daily, ahem, hourly basis. As does mine. But today, I'm saying the over-used phrase with as much gusto as I can muster up! Yep, God is good, all the time friends. Of course He is. I've always known that.

Size 4 by morning, right?

Have you ever wanted something so badly, but didn't want to do the work necessary to obtain it? That great marriage, the close friendship, your dream job, the education, or of course, the perfect figure...

We can all think of things we would immediately ask for if given three magic wishes, can't we? I can't tell you how many times I've wished God would have made me the person that can eat whatever they want, not exercise a lick, and have the exact figure they want. I suppose you can guess what one of my wishes would be for then, can't ya! It's taken me years and years to grasp the whole "looks don't determine internal health" business.

Ephesians 3:20 is a great verse. It says, "Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us..."

We love to use that verse often when we pray, don't we? God, we know you can do exceedingly and abundantly above all that we can ask or think! And then we list what we need God to supersede for us. Sometimes though, I think we ignore the next part of that verse, "according to the power that works in us."

That kind of puts the ball back in our court a little. Yes, God can go way above our expectations, He has done it in my life on numerous occasions. I have a husband I would not even ask God for because I felt to un-deserving. I have two beautiful girls that call me mom, something I was not sure I'd ever have. I get to be part of a church in a role I never would have thought myself fit to fill. I live in a home I would have never imagined being a reality for me. I drive a car that exceeds my wishes. My list can go on and on...God has definitely done exceedingly and abundantly above all that I could ask or think.

So yes, God can do that. And God DOES do that. But what about that next part? That "power working in us" business. That puts a portion of the potential for abundance back in my corner. You see, we can have as much or as little of God's power as we are willing to receive. I don't know for sure, but I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that the way we live our life on a daily basis determines the fullness to which we receive. If we live our lives on the lowest level of power possible, then I don't imagine we can expect much room for abundance. But if we live our lives to the highest power level possible, that takes the limits off God, making room for Him to throw down the "exceedingly and abundantly."

So how do we live our life "according to the power that works in us?" I believe it's a life surrendered to God. It's a life that says, "come what may, I won't stop praising God." It's a thankful life. It's a serving life. It's a life that fully believes God's word; that His promises are "yes & amen." It's a life that strives to live in obedience to the Word of God, not caving to the ways of the world. It's a life that does not want to walk the fence line of the world & God but a life that is so clearly with Jesus that others can't help but want to know that life. It's a life that see's a need and fills it. It's a life that knows that the same power that raised Christ from the dead is the same power that works through that life! It's a life of faith.

A miracle has two parts; our part & God's part. Are there times when God just flat performs a miracle? Sure. Does God just like to blow our socks off on occasions and do stuff that we never imagined could happen to little old us? Of course! And then there are times when we have to just trust...and walk...and trust...and pray...and trust...and war...and trust...and seek...and trust...and do...and trust.

Power, power, wonder working power, in the blood of the lamb. That wonder working power resides in all those that believe on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. What we do with that power makes all the difference. Will it make me a size 4 by morning? Nope. Not unless I use the ability God has given me, doing my part in the miracle. But I do believe that as I do my part, allowing God to teach me what He needs to teach me in that area, craving God more than food, using the power that works in me, ya, someday that wish will come true. And it will be more than I could ask or imagine. And for anyone that's ever battled weight on the level that I have, you can understand what a miracle that would be.

So for today, I'm choosing to walk in power. I'm choosing to look at every obstacle through eyes of faith. I'm choosing trust over worry. I'm choosing faith over fear. I'm choosing power over weakness. And as I do that, I'll soon see more of the "exceedingly and abundantly." Cuz that's how He rolls.

Heels are perty. And mean.

My feet hurt. I have yet to find a heeled shoe that meets both the need to be stylish and the need to be comfortable. I thought I was onto something with the most recent pair I bought; very cute, and comfortable...for like 30 minutes. Then the realization that I was squeezing my wide, sausage toed feet into something not meant for said wide, sausage toed feet, well, what can ya do. I suppose my next step is wrapping my feet in Saran Wrap in hopes of shrinking said wide, sausage toed feed.

Or I could pass on vanity and wear shoes that actually are comfortable but where's the fun in that? I enjoy wearing heels. Ok, I don't enjoy wearing heels. I enjoy the look of heels.

The moment I walk in the door and kick off my heels (aside from doing so in church, that's classy right?) is the best feeling ever! My sausages, er, my toes, just shout a big "Thank You" to me as they settle into the soft carpet. They continue to holler at me periodically for the remainder of the day. They yell things like, "hey crazy lady, thanks a lot for squishing us you big meanie. Next time we're gonna trip you."

Heels. They can be so moody.

Ecclesiastes 3:11 says, "He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also He has put eternity in their hearts, except that no one can find out the work that God does from beginning to end."

So this scripture is really cool. He has made everything beautiful in it's time. That tells me that not everything starts out beautiful. That trial that you may be going through is not beautiful. Yet. That negative diagnosis is not beautiful. Yet. The marriage that's in turmoil is not beautiful. Yet. The financial crises that keeps you awake at night is not beautiful. Yet.

"That's common sense," you say. "Duh Jen", you say. "We're gonna trip you," you say. Oh wait, that's the heels.

Of course, OF COURSE those things are not beautiful. OF COURSE, trials are absolutely awful. But I have to believe that God created the word "Beautiful." And I have to believe it does not look like we think it looks like. I have to believe that "beautiful" does not simply refer to an attractive person, or a lovely flower, or a wonderfully composed song. I have to believe that God see's beauty in a far greater arena. Because He has made EVERYTHING beautiful in it's time. EVERYTHING. Everything. So yes, that traumatic event you endured, it has beauty. The valley that you have found yourself walking in for far longer than you ever dreamed you would, it has beauty. The problem, the trial, the heartache, the damage...beautiful. How? How.

It's the second part of the verse: He has put eternity in our hearts. Everything we face has the potential to draw us closer to the Lord, if we allow it to. And as we draw closer to the Lord, that eternity that has been put in our hearts, grows stronger and stronger. Until all we can focus on is the glory of the Lord! Until all we can think about, is gazing on His beautiful face. Because if our hearts are drawn towards Heaven, and if our hearts are always aware that we are simply passing through, then our situation has no choice but to appear beautiful. Because it's getting us one step closer to Him.

And lastly the verse says, "no one can find out the work that God does from beginning to end." We can't fathom the big picture. We can't comprehend the reason behind some of the stuff we've had to endure, or are currently enduring. But how beautiful must it be to the heart of the Father, when in the natural, we can hardly muster another prayer...and yet we do. And yet we walk. And yet we run. And yet we endure. How beautiful must that be to the Lord.

So if everything is made beautiful in His time, then we trust in just exactly that. We trust in His time. It may not be a beautiful season you are walking through at the moment; in fact it may be downright ugly. But you can trust that at some point in your journey, it will be beautiful to the Lord. Otherwise the Bible would not say that. So I have to believe it.

You know the old saying that "beauty is in the eye of the beholder?" Oh Jesus, as you look on us, may we shine your beauty. May we walk through adversity, with our heads held high, knowing that you have placed eternity in our hearts. And for that reason, among many many other reasons, we look to your beautiful face and we thank you that your definition of beautiful is not ours. In Jesus name, Amen.

PS. My toes are still angry. If you see me in flats for the rest of my life, you'll know they won.

You need only be still

If you're like me, you try to fix every problem that comes across your path; not only that, but you try to fix everyone else's problem that comes along their path as well! I'm the person that has difficulty not fixing a situation. Even if I have no idea how to fix a situation, I will keep talking and thinking until I can come up with a way to fix it. And more often than not, I was never intended to fix it in the first place. Maybe it's a result of being the oldest child in a dysfunctional household and having to care for my siblings at an early age, I dunno, but for whatever reason I have difficulty just sitting back and trusting God to work things out.

Now granted, there of course are times that God gives us common sense to work through a problem or situation, it's not always necessary to sit back and wait. Sometimes the answer is clear and you know what needs doing and you carry on to fix that thing, knowing that God has moved quickly. And then there are other times and situations that lend cause for waiting. And waiting. Aaaaaand waiting.

I read a powerful passage of scripture yesterday in 2 Chronicles regarding King Jehoshaphat that I wanted to share here in hopes that it might encourage someone in the middle of a difficult situation. The King was up against a huge army. He called everyone to fast and pray and they did. And here is the word that was sent to him re: the battle he faced:

2 Chronicles 20:15-17 says, "15 And he said, “Listen, all you of Judah and you inhabitants of Jerusalem, and you, King Jehoshaphat! Thus says the Lord to you: ‘Do not be afraid nor dismayed because of this great multitude, for the battle is not yours, but God’s. 16 Tomorrow go down against them. They will surely come up by the Ascent of Ziz, and you will find them at the end of the brook before the Wilderness of Jeruel. 17 You will not need to fight in this battle. Position yourselves, stand still and see the salvation of the Lord, who is with you, O Judah and Jerusalem!’ Do not fear or be dismayed; tomorrow go out against them, for the Lord is with you.”

The battle was not even his to begin with, the battle was the Lord's. And I LOVE vs. 17 that says, "You will not need to fight in this battle!" It's such an awesome encouragement to those that face tremendous difficulty today. No matter how dire a situation you find yourself in, the battle is not yours, it's the Lord's! And if the battle belongs to Him, you are guaranteed victory! The King of Kings, the Lord of Lords, the Creator of the Universe, the Rose of Sharon, the Lily of the Valley, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Fairest of Ten Thousands, the Bright and the Morning Star, King JESUS! He stands by your side, right by your side, and He will fight the battle for you! You need only be still. YOU NEED ONLY BE STILL. You need only be still.

It's interesting when you read the entire chapter because instead of sending out warrior captains on the front lines they sent out temple singers instead. They began to sing praises to God as they walked out to the battle!

So rather than take matters into your own hands, rather than sitting and obsessing over every situation going wrong in your world today, square your shoulders, lift up your head and begin to sing some praises to God! As you begin to sing, let the praises of God flow freely from your mouth and let those songs turn into shouts of victory because remember, God says "You need only be still!"