What's That Problem? Not a Disability!

A friend of ours has been dealing with issues arising from an accident that happened last fall. We talked recently and if he doesn’t get released from the doctor soon he may lose his job permanently. He doesn’t want to take disability. He enjoys working and providing for his family. But it may be forced on him anyway. We can’t plan our accidents. If we could most of us wouldn’t have them for accidents usually have some long ranging residual effects. Many of you can relate.

There are things that happen in life that we cannot do a thing about. We don’t choose the accidents that occur to us or around us. Nobody wakes up hoping for disaster. Of course not. We’re always caught unaware. We want to think the best, believe the best, hope the best.

But the situations, the accidents, happen nonetheless. And those situations can be used against us. The enemy of our souls wants to disable us spiritually. He wants us to believe that the accident is a totally disabling situation. He wants us to think that a broken heart means persistent depression. Or he wants us to believe that a lost job means we’ll be destitute always. He’ll whisper his not so sweet nothings into our ears through the rejection of others or the pronouncement of circumstances beyond our control.

If he can succeed, we will be permanently disabled. The mishaps of life compounded by the enemy’s lies means total disability. And that’s right where he wants all of us. A disabled Christian is very important this day and time. Disabled Christians can’t and won’t pray. Disabled Christians can’t quote scripture. Disabled Christians can’t overcome. Disabled believers are sidelined simply by the response to their circumstances.

We as believers do not have to accept the diagnosis of the enemy over our lives. Yes, there are going to be major collisions. There are going to be rejections, disappointments, disasters, and troubles. But our response to them makes all the difference on whether they become a millstone around our necks or a stepping stone to greater heights with Christ.

Oh beloved, are you feeling the effects of disability in your heart, mind or spirit? Have things gotten to you? Are you sinking in the quicksand of a misdiagnosis? Grab hold of Jesus! Has someone pronounced doom and gloom over you? Are you feeling the effects of injury to your heart and your spirit? Listen to the Lord. He is speaking His truth over your life as the Angel of the Lord encamps around you. No weapon formed against you will prosper. It’s time to refocus your attention away from injuries and onto the Lord! You are blessed, redeemed, and victorious. You are walking in the light of God’s Word and as you speak His Word over your life, the things that seem to control you and disable you will fall away. God’s Word is True. No one else can pronounce you unfit, unworthy or unusable. Your calling is without repentance and your worthiness is based solely on the Blood of the Lamb!

Rejoice, beloved, for God loves you and He’s for you and that keeps you able to walk in the light of His glory and grace!

Hebrews 12:2 Looking away [from all that will distract] to Jesus, Who is the Leader and the Source of our faith [giving the first incentive for our belief] and is also its Finisher [bringing it to maturity and perfection]. He, for the joy [of obtaining the prize] that was set before Him, endured the cross, despising and ignoring the shame, and is now seated at the right hand of the throne of God. Amplified

Isaiah 54:17 “No weapon that is formed against you will prosper; And every tongue that accuses you in judgment you will condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, And their vindication is from Me,” declares the Lord.

Psalm 138:3 On the day I called, You answered me; You made me bold with strength in my soul.

Isaiah 26:3-4 The steadfast of mind You will keep in perfect peace, Because he trusts in You. Trust in the Lord forever, For in God the Lord, we have an everlasting Rock.

What Storm Are you Going Through?

Our hearts are grieving for the people who live in the Philippines. One of our friends has a daughter and family who have built an orphanage there. Fortunately their area was virtually untouched by the typhoon. That in itself was a miracle. 

But photos are coming in and the devastation is great. The winds were marked at what may prove to be highest recorded in the history of record keeping. The ferocity of the winds can be told in the damage that is left now that the storm has passed. Homes are wrecked. Neighborhoods are gone. Even the loss of life is extreme and the count is expected to increase.

When a storm of this magnitude comes ashore there’s not a thing one can do to prevent it from doing its damage. The best thing that anyone can do is leave for higher ground and safer areas. In the United States coastal residents do well to leave for inland towns. But on islands in the ocean it’s hard to find a safe haven to remain until the storm passes by.

We pray for the people of the Philippines as they attempt to overcome the devastation and look for their property and their loved ones. And we pray for the rescuers and charity workers who go into the country to help in any way they can. We ask God to help for He is a help in time of need. 

There are all kinds of storms that threaten the believer.   For us, we’d like to prepare ahead and avoid the storms entirely. But we don’t know what’s beyond the horizon. Today may be calm and sunny. Tomorrow we might wake up with heartache and pain. We who are born again are not mysteriously immune to troubles, trials, sorrow, or agony. When we are in the throes of the storm we know it. Our hearts can feel crushed, our lives can seem insignificant, our whole lives can seem to be storm tossed and under the power of the winds and waves of destruction. We feel isolated, humiliated, barricaded and open to the elements. If we’re not careful we will let the storm itself become our mantra and let anger, resentment, sorrow, misery and cynicism take over our lives. We can feel powerless, defeated, depressed and paralyzed in our hurts and fears. Whether we brought the storm on by our own mess ups or we had it thrown at us by another, the pain is the same. We are destined to be the victim unless someone steps in to help.

When devastation threatens your heart, where do you find port in the storm? How do you survive? Where do you go? How do you live again after the storms, after the winds and after the floods? Is there anything you can do to survive? Is there anywhere you can go to live after the wreckage is surveyed and the storm is passed?

God speaks to my heart: My precious child. When you are in a storm, the storm of your life, I AM there. Not only am I there, I am in charge. Even when your mind feels disoriented and your heart feels like it will never beat again, I AM. I cannot promise you that storms will never come, but I do promise that I will be with you. I cannot keep you free of the weather patterns of life but I will show you how to live in spite of the storm. I am the one who will give you hope and victory even when all about you looks lost. You can trust Me because I love you. And because I love you I will see you through every storm that ever enters your life. When others come against you, I will be your bulwark. When the winds of adversity weaken the strength of your resolve, I AM your strength. When you feel alone and abandoned, I am your Ever Present Savior.  My Word is My bond. Before the storms you may feel my presence but after the storm you will know Me better, for I AM that I AM. No other God made of wood, metal or stone can keep you safe in the storms of life, but I AM the God who saves you, the God who watches over you the God who renews, refreshes and redeems you. I will keep you in all your ways as you hold onto Me.  

Oh beloved, I know it’s hard for some of you right now. The storm has been raging for so long that some of you are barely hanging on. I would never tell you that the storms of life are easy, for I have weathered storms myself. I know they hurt and they are so very hard to weather. But I know the Lord and He is able. What you are experiencing now will not last forever. Hold on to His unchangeable nature. Hold on to His unquenchable love. Hold on to His wonderful promises. For in due time the storm will pass. We are not victims, but victors. We are not overwhelmed but overcomers. Trust Him now, while the storm is raging, trust Him now while the darkness floods your heart. Trust Him now when you have nothing to hold onto. He is faithful and He will see you through. Some things in your life might be counted as loss, but you will never lose your faith and God will never let you go.

God always loves you and He’s always for you and that, beloved, will get you through and give you hope and cause you to stand on the Rock no matter what.

Isaiah 43:11 I, even I, am the Lord, And there is no savior besides Me.

Isaiah 25:4 For You have been a defense for the helpless, A defense for the needy in his distress, A refuge from the storm, a shade from the heat; For the breath of the ruthless Is like a rain storm against a wall.

Matthew 7:25 And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and yet it did not fall, for it had been founded on the rock.

Psalm 20:1 May the Lord answer you in the day of trouble! May the name of the God of Jacob set you securely on high!

Romans 8:37 But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us.

Don't Limit God!

“You’re at your credit limit”. “You were over your speed limit”. I even heard the guys at my house talking about a “rev limiter” on the motorcycles.  It’s all about limits. Everyone has them. There’s a limit to how much coffee I can drink or I will get the jitters. Diabetics have a limit on the amount and kinds of sugars they can have. There’s a limit for blood pressure in order to stay healthy.  Parents limit the amount of time their children watch television. There should be limits on between meal snacks, buttery foods and ice cream (I know, so sad right?) Some limits are just plain good for you.

Other limits are not so good.  If you limit the amount of grace you extend to others you are in effect limiting the amount of grace you have in your own storehouse. If you limit the amount of time you spend studying God’s Word for your own needs, you will find yourself being weak in faith. If you limit forgiveness to only those who deserve it, where will that put you?  When you limit your prayer life, you limit the answers.

There are limits that can really mess up your life. 

If you limit how much you will love God and follow Him, you will miss the wonderful life of full blessings. God can only clean and use and redeem what we give to Him. If we hold back anything from God, we are limiting God's work in our life.

If you limit how much God can do then you can expect to have nothing more. It is with the same faith that we believe that He works. How high is His grace? How wide is His love? How deep is His redemption, His care, His plans?

Maybe you’ve been struggling. You wonder how God could love you. Maybe you wonder how much God will forgive you. You may know He loves you but how could He use you?  How could He look beyond your faults, your weaknesses, your inabilities? Are you having a hard time believing God can restore things that you know are broken? You would love to change the way things are – to be loved again and to have all of God’s promises working in your life. But you feel like you've overstepped God’s limits or that there’s just not enough grace to reach you, healing to restore you or Word to teach you.

Oh beloved! Look to the Lord instead of your circumstances. Look to God instead of yourself.  Look to faith instead of fear, worry or unbelief. God has made a way for you to be so full of faith that your unbelief has to yield. Even when you can’t believe in yourself you can trust Him to believe in you.  Don’t let the limits of your human existence place limits on God. Instead run to Him and let Him build you up in His most holy faith. He had unlimited grace for your every need, unlimited peace for your every trial, unlimited joy for your every sorrow, and unlimited favor, blessings and honor for you as you walk with Him. His promises are true and every single one of them were written with you in mind. Others may have walked away as they limited their love and care. But God has no limits for His children. There’s no limit to what God can do as you yield yourself to Him.

Whatever you need, beloved, is met in Christ – even your faith! He loves you and He’s for you and that’s where the limits are removed!

 

Psalm 78:41 Yea, they turned back and tempted God, and limited the Holy One of Israel. (KJV)

Romans 10:17 So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. (KJV)

I John 5:4 For whatever is born of God overcomes the world; and this is the victory that has overcome the world-- our faith. (NAS)

Ephesians 2:8-9 For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God;  not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. 

Hebrews 11:1-2 Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see.  Through their faith, the people in days of old earned a good reputation.

Mark 9:23-24 Jesus said to him, “If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes.”   Immediately the father of the child cried out and said with tears, “Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!”

Psalm 119:96 I have seen that everything [human] has its limits and end [no matter how extensive, noble, and excellent]; but Your commandment is exceedingly broad and extends without limits [into eternity]. (Amplified)

We Are Joint Heirs with The Owner's Son!

We were looking for a place to eat yesterday and decided to try a tiny little Mexican restaurant by our favorite bookstore.  We were met with a waiter who seated us quickly and brought us chips and salsa. We also received glasses of water without asking. 

As we got our meals, the waiter slipped by regularly and kept our salsa full. He stepped to the table and replaced our half empty glasses with fresh full glasses of the same drink.  He didn’t have to ask whether we were having sweet or unsweet tea – he just knew.  He was quiet and efficient and most of all he met our needs before we had to ask for anything.

God is by no means our waiter. He is the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. But He is so wonderful in His blessings towards us! He seats us at His banqueting table and He lovingly provides all that we could ever need.  He truly meets our needs before we can even ask Him. We don’t always see Him working behind the scenes, but He’s there. Sometimes we think He can’t possibly know what we need, but He knows perfectly.  He doesn’t need a cheat sheet, a reminder or a menu to provide for us. He knows us completely and loves to meet our needs. 

Eventually we had to pay for our meal and leave the restaurant, but with God’s banquet we are able to dine continually on a feast made in heaven and it’s all been paid for by the blood of the Lamb! We are joint heirs with the Owner’s Son, so we are free to come and go as we desire. The blessings are ready and available and the fellowship with our Lord is included because of the Cross.

Oh beloved, the Lord is calling you into sweet, sweet fellowship with Him! He bids you come and dine at His table and let Him meet every single need you will ever have. He knows you intimately, every single flaw, every single hurt, every single trouble, every single doubt. And He is able to provide for you so that you will walk in victory, live in faith, and be free of anything that weighs you down.  He knows it’s been rough, but when you step into His presence and dine at His table you find that the weight of the world lifts from your shoulders and the blessings of His presence refresh, renew and redeem everything.

God loves you and He’s for you and that means all your needs are met in Him as you yield your life and your heart to His call.

Psalm 4:3 You can be sure of this: The Lord set apart the godly for Himself. The Lord will answer when I call to Him.

Isaiah 41:17 When the poor and needy search for water and there is none, and their tongues are parched from thirst, then I, the Lord, will answer them. I, the God of Israel, will never abandon them.

Isaiah 65:24 I will answer them before they even call to me. While they are still talking about their needs, I will go ahead and answer their prayers!

Song of Solomon 2:4 He escorts me to the banquet hall; it’s obvious how much He loves me.

Philippians 4:19 And this same God who takes care of me will supply all your needs from his glorious riches, which have been given to us in Christ Jesus.

 

Mother's Day is the Lord's Day!

My mother was born in an age when most folks still had a horse and buggy for transportation. When she was about 2, her parents left her and her older brother on the farm to fend for themselves while they traveled with the baby brother to town for supplies.  Her older brother was maybe 4. She shared how they would gather buffalo chips to burn in the fireplace to keep warm.  She recalled her mother asking her father to please take all the children with them. That was the beginning of a lifetime of hardship and hard places to be in.

But they survived. My mother survived. She went on to survive many many things in her lifetime. From peritonitis to cancer to miscarriages to tuberculosis and more. She survived abandonment, horrible work conditions and bad marriages.

My mother more than survived. She thrived. While most folks would knuckle under any one of the many tales she had of adversities to live a life of anger, fear and turmoil in return, not my mother.  She just got stronger with each thing that came along.  She laughed often, forgave a lot and lived free. She worked hard, had fun and helped others. People drew from her strength – from her siblings to her children to her friends.

One time I asked the Lord to have the spirit and strength of my mother. He spoke to my heart. It seems my mother’s strength of character came from adversity.   Now everyone wants to have strength, but who wants to develop that strength?  Dough gets tougher the more you knead it. Polished rocks come out of a tumbler after days in the machine. Tarnished silver requires cleaning compound and rubbing, rubbing, rubbing.   Get the picture?

I know that Mother’s Day is not a huge blessing for everyone. Some of you are living under the rejection of a beloved child. Some of you have been dumped by a husband, forgotten about by a parent and you’ve been through the mill. The heartache of life in general, has left you dreading the day, wanting to forget all about it.  The Hallmark version of this holiday just doesn’t fit you and you may wonder how to ignore it altogether.

Others of you want to have that inner strength, but going through hard things just isn’t what anybody asks for. Yet, God in His incredible, redemptive mercy can make every single hard time, every mountain, every valley, every heartache, every mistake you’ve made or others made against you, and the hurt and pain work together for YOUR good.  

Oh, beloved, it’s time to drop the baggage of poor parenting, poor raising and poor outcomes at the door of worship and enter in to the Lord’s presence. This day can be a magnificent day to give Him every burden you ever carried, to lift every load that someone put on you, to decrease your pain and increase your joy. He says to you this morning that He loves you, He loves you, He loves you. And while you may not understand why you are going through hard things, you can trust Him to get you through, make you stronger in the process and increase your faith in Him. Because He loves you, He will celebrate with you, even if no one else does. He not only hears your cries for mercy and answered prayers, He is the reliever, redeemer and restorer of your life!

God is real and He’s speaking to your heart, no matter how you were raised, how you’ve been treated or what you’ve done wrong.  Let Him love you and let Him take your life and let it be consecrated to Him. For He’s with you forever and that’s all that really matters, as He makes your life a shining example of His love, mercy and strength!

Isaiah 54:5 For your Creator will be your husband; the LORD of Heaven's Armies is His name! He is your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel, the God of all the earth.

Psalm 119:107 I have suffered much, O Lord; restore my life again as you promised.

Colossians 3:10 Put on your new nature, and be renewed as you learn to know your Creator and become like Him.

Psalm 59: 17 O my Strength, to you I sing praises, for you, O God, are my refuge, the God who shows me unfailing love.

Romans 8:28 And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.