Jesus is the Best Renovator, Redeemer and Friend

Home renovation shows are one of my favorites. Sometimes I enjoy them because they are hilarious. The disaster renovations on one show just make me laugh as I see a picture of some of my attempted renovations in their problems as well.  Other times I just wonder if I really want to renovate something bad enough to go through the hard part.

On a recent episode of one of the best, the show centered around a mother’s kitchen renovation attempt by her son. I have lots of ideas for my own kitchen so I was watching closely. This kitchen had been gutted quite a few months back. Walls were mere studs and cabinets were half installed. Other make shift counters held things that should have been in their proper place. The kitchen was a catastrophe and looked hopeless. 

As the host of this show walked through the disaster and surveyed the situation, it was as though a light bulb went off in the mother’s head. I heard her say these words: “Until Bryan got here we were so used to living with it the way it was we didn’t realize just how bad it had gotten.” 

That’s when God spoke to my heart. When Jesus arrives on the scene of our lives the first thing we notice is our brokenness.  We see just how bad things really are. We hate to admit it, we turn our eyes from it and try to get our minds off of it. But Jesus says I cannot fix what you do not see. You can only see the brokenness, but I can see it all, including the repair, including the redemption, including making all things new.

Oh beloved, have you been living with brokenness? Have you been trying to fix your own problems? Have you lived with the rubble so long that you think it’s normal?  Are you sweeping around the junk and hoping to keep it out of sight? Jesus is calling to your heart and speaking such sweet love words. He is calling you to let Him see what you’re unable to repair and let Him work it out for you. He does more than repair, He renews! You are destined not for more demolition but for redemption! Trust in the Lord, open up the truth of your circumstances to Him and let Him apply the Truth of His Word to your situation.  Only in facing the truth will your circumstances change. But oh beloved when Jesus gets there, everything changes!

You are loved. You are chosen. God cares for you so much that He’s never unwilling to fix your broken life, broken heart and broken things. Run to Him and live in the Light of His Word as you see the magnificent remodel only He can do.

Ephesians 1:7-8a In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace which He lavished on us.

I Corinthians 1:30 But by His doing you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption.

I John 1:9 If we [freely] admit that we have sinned and confess our sins, He is faithful and just (true to His own nature and promises) and will forgive our sins [dismiss our lawlessness] and [continuously] cleanse us from all unrighteousness [everything not in conformity to His will in purpose, thought, and action]. Amplified

Psalm 107:19-22 Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble; He saved them out of their distresses. He sent His word and healed them, and delivered them from their destructions. Let them give thanks to the Lord for His loving-kindness, and for His wonders to the sons of men! Let them also offer sacrifices of thanksgiving, and tell of His works with joyful singing.

Job 33:28-29 God rescued me from the grave, and now my life is filled with light.  Yes, God does these things again and again for people.

Let the Master Architect do His Magnfiicent Work!

We’re still working on some home remodeling and repair projects. It’s been going slow. We have wall to wall carpet, so when Danny took the wall down between the den/kitchen and the living room we now have a gap in the carpet. That gap will remain until we have time to put the new flooring down. We also have to figure out which flooring we want before we can put it down!  

Remodeling takes a lot of time and effort. Sometimes you find other things, hidden problems, along the way.  I have also discovered that, as one project is finished I can see another project I’d like us to do. 

Because we have a vision for what we’d like the house to look like inside and because we know what we want the downstairs to be for us, we can see through the construction issues. We can see the finished product because we have a plan. Someone else might come in and think “what a mess” but we know the end from the now.

God speaks to my heart: We who have been born again are under construction. Our lives at times can look like chaotic messes. We’re going from death to life, from under penalty destined for demolition to bought with a price and oh how we need “fixing up”.  As God begins the remodel process in our hearts, others might see the mess only. We too might keep looking at the mess we still are. Can God really fix us? Are we worth redeeming? What if more problems are found while He’s working on us? What if He reveals things that we have to let Him totally remove? Can we live without the walls that we have built?

And for those who watch the process, God has a wonderful plan! It does not yet appear what we will be, but He has a perfect plan for each construction process, for each redemptive action, for each renewal and regeneration. Often we feel condemned by the process because we falter in our walk, we forget God’s plan, we make our own changes and then we’re in a mess again.

Maybe you feel that your life is set for the wrecking crew. You don’t deserve to be remade. You may see no redeeming value in your situation, in your heart or in your mind. Maybe someone has tried to tear you down, demolish your life or tell you that you’re worthless and only good for the scrap pile. People will walk away, put the condemned sign on your life and leave you with gaping holes in your heart.

But God – But God!  He is the Master Architect of our lives. He has a plan and it is oh so very good! He is going to take you – take me – take us – and make us into something we could never imagine in our wildest dreams!  His plan will be fleshed out in our hearts and then after it is all done He will display us for the world to see as His!

As the song goes, “I am not who I was, I am being remade, I am new!” It’s so true! We are born again, but the process of sanctification – being remade – takes a lifetime! And even when it looks like we’re stuck in a de-struction, we are actually being perfected. One day, when Christ appears, we will be absolutely perfect!

Oh beloved, rejoice! You are being built for the King’s domain! You are loved so unconditionally and God’s plan for you is lavish and better than anything you could plan for yourself.  Let Him do the work, don’t slow Him down, don’t beg for Him to quit, for it will be all good as you let Him live His life through you!

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

2 Corinthians 3:18 But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit.

Philippians 2:13 for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.

2 Timothy 1:9 For God saved us and called us to live a holy life. He did this, not because we deserved it, but because that was his plan from before the beginning of time--to show us his grace through Christ Jesus.

Colossians 2:7-8 Therefore as you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, having been firmly rooted and now being built up in Him and established in your faith, just as you were instructed, and overflowing with gratitude.

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.

Prayer is the Ultimate Anti-Spyware

Over the week-end my computer got very slow. Even typing and using the word processor program got laborious. I did a system restore and that didn’t accomplish a thing. I also downloaded new spyware applications and got rid of a few spy programs that were hidden in the system. I finally changed the batteries in the wireless keyboard and mouse. It seemed to work a little better, but who knows which change made the difference? It wasn’t fast enough though. Finally I resorted to what I should have done first – I prayed! Yes, I prayed for me and my computer. I asked God to help because He knows the computer is important to me and I am important to Him. 

Pray for a computer you say? Pray for yourself? Yes! If you’re like me your time is valuable and short. There are many things vying for every hour of the day and if one thing runs down it all comes to a halt. So I prayed.  Spyware abounds everywhere. The enemy of our souls wants nothing better than to derail and dislodge our walk with God.  First he attempts to distract us with pressing events and issues. If that doesn’t work he’ll try to disarm and disengage us. His spyware is very sophisticated – so much so that we often don’t even see it until we’re bogged down with rage or fear or worry or frustration.  

Prayer is the ultimate anti spyware. Through prayer we can do a thorough system restore. We can go back to our Father and restore the things we left behind while we were getting busier and busier.  Praying His Word dislodges bad programming that threatens our hearts and minds.  We need time talking with the Lord to restore our spiritual batteries and make our hearts stronger and more effective. Prayer for ourselves is the first line of defense-as we pray for God to restore us and renew us, He gives us a clean heart and fresh mind for the day ahead. As we ask God for the very things we have tried to fix ourselves, He gives us His design for repair and we find ourselves feeling rejuvenated and better able to hear from the Lord.

Oh beloved, are you having a hard time hearing from the Lord? Has your heart been loaded with weariness, guilt, insecurity, comparison, and perfectionism? Are you wondering what’s going to happen next? The Lord knows your weaknesses; He knows the enemy’s first line of attack to your system. He knows you personally! And because He knows you, He has a plan to thwart the enemy’s plans. When you seek Him first, for yourself, your loved ones, your life and your plans He will steer you in the right direction! He will speak love words over your entire being, so that you will be so filled with His love that nothing else can come in! He will speak His care over your life so that you will be so filled with the knowledge of His mercy and grace that nothing can come in to bog your life back down!

Oh how He loves you! Wherever you are and whatever situation you find yourself in, God is with you and as you turn your heart to Him in prayer He will do whatever it takes to restore you so that you can praise, honor and glorify Him!

Psalm 5:2 Listen to my cry for help, my King and my God, for I pray to no one but You.

Psalm 142:5 Then I pray to you, O Lord. I say, “You are my place of refuge. You are all I really want in life.

Philippians 4:6 Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank Him for all He has done.

Isaiah 55:6  Seek the Lord while you can find Him. Call on Him now while He is near.

God Holds All Your Tomorrows in His Hands

An old friend tried to contact me last night. At first I didn’t realize who it was. Danny and I have had an awesome Christmas holiday, full of family, friends and faith.  It has been wonderful! Even with the poor weather, slick roads and continual dampness, nothing has dampened our time off. Nothing that is until I was reading a friend’s post on the fiscal cliff, the state of our nation and the terrible situation we are in. 

About that time I heard a knock on my heart’s door. It was that old friend that I used to consider quite close.  Something about this old friend used to make me feel cozy. Well, at least cozy as long as I didn’t go anywhere, didn’t share anything and didn’t try to break through to victory.  I thought the two of us had it made – I would keep to myself and with the help of his assistance I’d be safe and comfortable.

But God showed me one day that this was no friend.  Instead of being a friend, he was actually a nemesis from the pit.  You’re probably wondering if you know him. You’re trying to figure it out by now.

My old “friend” was Fear. Regardless of how he tried to speak to me, he will try to pull out the stops on anyone he can in any way he can. Fear will seek to keep you at home, keep you in bondage, keep you worrying about the wrong things. He’ll help you major on the minors and try to keep you completely overlooking the truth about your life. Fear says “you don’t have enough money”, “you won’t make it”, “you’ve done wrong too long”, “you better quit”. Ever hear those phrases?  How about, “God doesn’t care you”, “you’re all alone”, “nobody loves you”. 

Like other old friends, Fear likes to show up after you’ve had a wonderful time in Jesus, after a victorious moment in your faith walk, after you share Jesus, after you forgive the unforgiveable or as you begin leaning on God more than ever.

His desire is the same as His father – to kill, steal and destroy.  He is the king of trouble, the prince of darkness and the jailer of  the dungeons of the heart.

Just about time I felt the old chill of fear settling into my bones, I heard the Savior whisper to my heart. Go get up and write about this. For others are getting the same visit and they need to know not to answer the call. Tell them to let Me answer. And tell them to recall the Truth they have been learning and to act on My Truth instead of Fear’s lies.  

Oh beloved! I cannot tell you all about tomorrow, but I can tell you Who holds all your tomorrows in His hands! The Lord says to you this morning that He loves you! And, because He loves you He makes all things beautiful in His time. He is the repairer of the breech. He is your Alpha and Omega. He is the One Who feeds you, clothes you, keeps you and cares for you all the days of your life. He is the One who forgives you, redeems you, and renews you. He grants you unending hope, everlasting courage and joy beyond measure! Run to Him this morning and watch as Fear walks away, for fear cannot stand when the King of the Universe steps in!  Rejoice for your foes are vanquished when you look into your Savior’s wonderful face!

Revelation 22:13  I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.

Ecclesiastes 3:11 Yet God has made everything beautiful for its own time. He has planted eternity in the human heart, but even so, people cannot see the whole scope of God's work from beginning to end.

Philippians 4:6, 7  Do not fret or have any anxiety about anything, but in every circumstance and in everything, by prayer and petition (definite requests), with thanksgiving, continue to make your wants known to God. And God’s peace [shall be yours, that tranquil state of a soul assured of its salvation through Christ, and so fearing nothing from God and being content with its earthly lot of whatever sort that is, that peace] which transcends all understanding shall garrison and mount guard over your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. AMP

Proverbs 3:5-7 Lean on, trust in, and be confident in the Lord with all your heart and mind and do not rely on your own insight or understanding. In all your ways know, recognize, and acknowledge Him, and He will direct and make straight and plain your paths. AMP

Phippians 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.

Isaiah 41:10 Don’t be afraid, for I am with you.  Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand.

1 John 4:18  Such love has no fear, because perfect love expels all fear. If we are afraid, it is for fear of punishment, and this shows that we have not fully experienced His perfect love.

Hebrews 12:1-2 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith.