Jesus, My Champion!

Lord Jesus, thank You for always championing my cause! I can trust that You will always bring forth my righteousness as the light (Ps. 37:1-11) when I am right and correct my wrongs, as I yield to Your Spirit in my life. I do not have to fear those who are mad at me because You are keeping the records. I do not have to be defensive. When I trust that You are my Champion and Defender, the irritation or anger or sadness caused by others becomes as nothing (Isa. 41:10-14). The things of this world grow strangely dim when I turn my eyes to You, Jesus! Cause me (motivate me) to hear (listen to) Your lovingkindness in the morning (early in a situation), because I'm choosing to trust in You, and to know the way I should BE/live today, because I'm lifting up my soul (mind, will, and emotions) in cupped hands to You for Your control (Ps. 143:8).

Psalm 37: 

1Fret not thyself because of evildoers, neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity.

2For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, and wither as the green herb.

3Trust in the Lord, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed.

4Delight thyself also in the Lord; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.

5Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass.

6And he shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy judgment as the noonday.

7Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for him: fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass.

8Cease from anger, and forsake wrath: fret not thyself in any wise to do evil.

9For evildoers shall be cut off: but those that wait upon the Lord, they shall inherit the earth.

10For yet a little while, and the wicked shall not be: yea, thou shalt diligently consider his place, and it shall not be.

11But the meek shall inherit the earth; and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace.

Isaiah 41:

10Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.

11Behold, all they that were incensed against thee shall be ashamed and confounded: they shall be as nothing; and they that strive with thee shall perish.

12Thou shalt seek them, and shalt not find them, even them that contended with thee: they that war against thee shall be as nothing, and as a thing of nought.

13For I the Lord thy God will hold thy right hand, saying unto thee, Fear not; I will help thee.

14Fear not, thou worm Jacob, and ye men of Israel; I will help thee, saith the Lord, and thy redeemer, the Holy One of Israel.

Psalm 143:8Cause me to hear thy lovingkindness in the morning; for in thee do I trust: cause me to know the way wherein I should walk; for I lift up my soul unto thee.

H.A.L.T.

Okay, I know it's been too long, but last post, I promised I would share the H.A.L.T. concept that has helped me.

There are four areas in which I need to be aware of a need to halt:

H.ungry

If I am feeling hungry (especially with blood sugar issues!), I need to halt whatever I'm doing and grab a handful of raw almonds, put some nut butter on a multi-grain cracker, or grab an apple... Get something in that stomach.

Can this affect my spiritual walk? Absolutely! When I am hungry, and I force myself on, not meeting that need, I can become grumpy. Next thing you know, I've bitten a family member's head off or I'm just an emotional wreck. All because of hunger. The direction ongoing, unmet hunger takes us can affect our spiritual lives.

Note: Another reason for feeling hunger at times is simple thirst. Most people (myself included) do not drink enough water. You might be amazed how much better you would feel if, when you feel hungry or unwell, you would simply drink a tall glass of water in about 15 seconds! I try to make it a practice to do this first thing in the morning.

Hungry and thirsty, their soul* fainted in them. Psalm 107:5
*Soul=mind, will, emotions!


A.ngry

Angry feelings are a signal that something needs to be addressed. This does not mean that dwelling in the anger is justified. But ignoring it or denying it is not the answer. If I don't know why I am angry, I need to get alone with the Lord and ask Him to reveal to me the root. Once I'm aware of the root, with God's help and His Word, I can lay an axe to that root. Does this mean I should just cut off from my life the person who made me angry? Is that "dealing with it"? I don't believe so. Jesus said to love our enemies (Luke 6). In the same passage He told us to be merciful as God is merciful, because God is kind to the "unthankful and to the evil"! That kind of love in action is only done through a "yieldedness" to the Spirit of God within me. And that's a whole other topic for another blogpost! Ha ha!

Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath: Ephesians 4:26
The heart knoweth his own bitterness; and a stranger doth not intermeddle with his joy. Proverbs 14:10


L.onely

There are times when I don't realize I am lonely, but if I stop and think about why am I feeling sad or why I just generally feel "yucky" emotionally, I realize I am lonely. God created this need within us first and foremost, so that He could meet the need! I need to acknowledge God as my sole provider of comfort and friendship. He is all I need. My husband can't be with me every second of every day, and even if he is there, he is human and cannot possibly meet every single emotional need I have! So I have to turn to the Source of comfort. Secondarily, there are many times that I need to reach out to someone, even when I don't feel like it. Maybe I need to say hi to a neighbour, take some cookies to them, or set up a time to meet a girlfriend for coffee or have her over for tea.

A man [that hath] friends must shew himself friendly: and there is a friend [that] sticketh closer than a brother. Proverbs 18:24


T.ired

Sometimes, I'm just plumb worn out! Moms tend to burn the candle on both ends. So I need to be sure I'm getting enough rest. Maybe that's six hours for you. Generally it's seven to eight hours for me. If something interferes {ahem, a three-year-old girl!}, then I need to take a nap when she does.

[It is] vain for you to rise up early, to sit up late, to eat the bread of sorrows*: [for] so he giveth his beloved sleep. Psalm 127:2
*Interesting that lack of sleep is associated with sorrow!

Next time you are feeling "yucky" spiritually, physically, or emotionally, and you cannot seem to find a reason, remember this little acrostic: H.A.L.T. There is an answer.

Priceless Simplicity

Side note: I just ran across this on another blog and loved the sense of humour... click the button... but please come back!



As you can see, I don't blog every day, or even every week. I do try to at least post once a month. Usually more often than that. But I don't want my blog to become a drudgery, I don't want to become a slave to it, and I definitely don't want it to become a tool the enemy uses to keep me from my responsibilities and ministries.

"Let all things be done decently and in order."~ I Corinthians 14:40

***

Simplicity. 

I love the sound of that word!

It's right up there with calm and peace!

I have a blue wipe-off board on my refrigerator. At times I write notes to family members, usually noting what leftovers are available in the fridge for them. Please eat the leftover pasta before it becomes a science project... Please and thank you!

Lately though, I've taken to putting up a Scripture or phrase of which I need to be reminded.

If you come into my kitchen, this is what you will see on the board:

The Simplicity that is in Christ

Some may consider that a strange "reminder" phrase. Let me explain. As most pink people in the world, I tend to be a complex, emotional woman! That's not all bad, because God made me pink for a reason! Just as he made my husband  blue for a reason.

(If you're wondering where all the pink vs. blue comes from, read Love & Respect  by Dr. Emerson Eggerichs... one of the best books on marriage! It helps you understand members of the opposite sex in general.)

Well, being pink, as I said, I can be quite emotional. And when I yield to those wobbling emotions over what Christ says, I can complicate life. This is what the enemy wants!

But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. ~ II Corinthians 11:3

I'm a mess when I start telling myself a bunch of stories (about myself, about someone else, or about a situation). And things get complicated in a hurry.

Here's how this has worked at times in the past... Do you ever do this?

1. Someone doesn't say hi to you at church, so you think they are mad at you.
2. Then you wonder what you did.
3. Then you start to mull it over and try to figure out what you did.
4. When you can't come up with any offence, you become irritated. She always acts that way. I don't know what her problem is!
5. Next thing you know, you have a story built up in your head about how much this woman hates you.
6. Later you feel depressed for seemingly no reason.
7. You start crying at the drop of a hat. You lash out at those you love, or withdraw from them.
8. Your husband can't do anything right.
9. YOU can't do anything right or accomplish anything.
10. Your kids are a pain and inconvenience.
11. And the hobbies you used to enjoy just aren't fun anymore.

Now, what happened?

You just got taken down in a round by the enemy!

We need to start recognising these things for what they are: attacks of the devil! He does not want us to have victory in Jesus! He wants us to be miserable. He can render us ineffective and steal our children as well in this way.

Life in Christ is simple. Christ is not complex. I do not mean disrespect here. It's true that His "ways are past finding out," and we will never know it all until we get to heaven. What I mean here is that we don't need to run around like chickens with our heads cut off in life! Settle down. Calm down. LET the peace of God rule in your heart!

Let's work back through our scenario and see how we could have let His peace rule.

1. Someone doesn't say hi to you at church, and you may think they are mad at you.
2. You may wonder what you did.
3. You ask the Lord if you did offend this person, if you are imagining things, or if it's their issue.
4. When the Lord does not reveal any offence, you pray for the person.
5. You may go to her, privately, and ask in sincerity if she's okay (as appropriate to the person or situation).
6. She may respond and ask you to pray for her, and realise that she has a true friend who really cares about her.
7. Later you feel happy, free, and released because you have listened to the Lord's leading, not to your unstable emotions!
8. You are free to love those you truly love, and draw closer to them, as well as to this fellow church member.
9. You believe you have the best husband in the world! You are content and grateful for the blessings in your life.
10. You believe you are right where God wants you, accomplishing all the things that He wants you to accomplish. This is fulfilling.
11. Your kids are a joy, and you enjoy being with them and teaching them the principles of God, because you are truly seeking to practise these principles yourself.
12. You enjoy your hobbies to the fullest.
13. You have a greater sense of your God-given purpose in life.

See what a relief that is? Jesus is the answer. Yielding to HIM is the answer. Setting your affection on things ABOVE is the answer. Let's purpose to change our responses and not go down the wrong emotional track!

Next time we'll talk about an acrostic that has helped me: H.A.L.T.

The Haven of REST

"There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God." (Hebrews 4:9)

Most of us are familiar with the old hymn "The Haven of Rest" by Henry L. Gilmour (music by George D. Moore). Yet sometimes we sing these old songs ho-hum with little thought to the powerful words, theology, and doctrine that characterize them.

Consider these words slowly and prayerfully. Was this not each of us prior to salvation?

1. My soul in sad exile was out on life’s sea,
So burdened with sin and distressed,
Till I heard a sweet voice, saying,
“Make Me your choice”;
And I entered the “Haven of Rest”!

Refrain
I’ve anchored my soul in the “Haven of Rest,”
I’ll sail the wide seas no more;
The tempest may sweep over wild, stormy, deep,
In Jesus I’m safe evermore.

Yes, in Jesus, I am safe evermore! I never have to question my eternal destiny or whose child I am! No matter what storms come my way, I'm safe!

But now what? Daily cares of life start to crowd my joyous heart. My flesh is still bound by bad habits, wrong reactions, binding emotions! So what do I do? Take a look at verse 2:

2. I yielded myself to His tender embrace,
(He's TENDER with me!)
In faith taking hold of the Word,
(His Word is my only help, and I accept it by faith!)
My fetters fell off, and I anchored my soul;
(Woo hoo! I'm FREE! My soul--mind, will, emotions--is ANCHORED!)
The “Haven of Rest” is my Lord.
(I'm at REST and in PEACE, because I've made Him my LORD. I've yielded to His embrace. I'm not fighting against His loving, tender control anymore.)

This is so powerful! It is THE KEY to the Christian life! Yielding my rights to His control. HE calls the shots; I am RESTING in HIS capable hands, which only act in my life out of PURE LOVE for me!

Now, what does this do to me? How do I now respond to His tender embrace? With anger? With striving? With trying harder? NO! By RESTING, I now feel free to SING the song of my SOUL, which is the OLD STORY, ever new!

3. The song of my soul, since the Lord made me whole,
Has been the old story so blest,
Of Jesus, who’ll save whosoever will have
A home in the “Haven of Rest.”

I want everyone to know this "old story so blest"!
"I am nobody, telling everybody, that Somebody died to save anybody!" (unknown)

4. How precious the thought that we all may recline,
Like John, the belovèd so blest,
On Jesus’ strong arm, where no tempest can harm,
Secure in the “Haven of Rest.”

Wow! We ALL have access to this grace wherein we stand (I Peter 5:12)! It's already available to us who are saved. It's there for the taking. Why, oh why do we struggle along through life, having no power, angry and bitter, or striving to do right on our own, when our REST awaits?

4. O come to the Savior, He patiently waits
To save by His power divine;
Come, anchor your soul in the “Haven of Rest,”
And say, “My Belovèd is mine.”

Refrain
I’ve anchored my soul in the “Haven of Rest,”
I’ll sail the wide seas no more;
The tempest may sweep over wild, stormy, deep,
In Jesus I’m safe evermore.

"Let us therefore fear, lest, a promise being left us of entering into his rest, any of you should seem to come short of it." (Hebrews 4:1)



If you have never heard this rendition of "The Haven of Rest," sit back and be blessed!


Tranquil garden photo: libraryhospital.blogspot.com

Sourpuss?

When I'm on Facebook, I notice so many negative, unhappy statuses! Now, I know that life throws some unpleasant things our way, and we don't feel happy-go-lucky all the time. I'm not advocating being fake.

But Proverbs says, "As a man thinketh in his heart so is he."

I think we really need to be careful of how our attitudes affect our lives and the ways they are also affecting someone else, especially our husbands, our children, and others around us!

Many women end up chasing their husbands away without realizing it is happening... just by their sour attitude. Really... who would want to live with a negative person? (I am NOT defending the men who cheat or leave their marriages!) But I do believe that there are times when wives help drive their man away, just by bringing a bitter atmosphere into their home.

This affects our children as well. Which type of lady would you rather be around? One who's cheerful, makes life an adventure? Or a sourpuss who's always complaining about something (valid or not) and considers life a drudgery?

So many moms/wives get caught up in this trap. How does this teach our children joy in Christ? They learn by example. To be truly free in Christ is to know and experience that I am complete in Christ. Are we modeling that for our children or are we modeling bondage to the enemy? Do our husbands want to come home because our home is happy? Do we create a haven that they can't wait to come home to?

Created to Be His Help Meet by Debi Pearl has really helped me with this perspective. Though I do not agree with every part of the book, in this and many other areas she is right on. This is a biblical principle we so often ignore, excusing ourselves.

We need to stop being sourpusses, put on a fresh apron, a little make-up, play some good Gospel music, put some flowers on the supper table, and greet our husbands and children with smiles when they come in the door!

Christ made us free to do that. He made all HIS power available to us! Imagine that! It's for real!

How would you live differently today if you truly believed that?

I'm Free!

I'm free from the fear of tomorrow,

I'm free from the guilt of my past;

For I've traded my shackles for a glorious song!

I'm free--praise the Lord!--free at last!

~ William J. and Gloria Gaither

To be truly free in Christ is to know and experience that I am complete in Christ.

Isaiah 43:10-11 is a precious Scripture that makes it plain:
"Ye are my witnesses, saith the LORD, and my servant whom I have chosen: that ye may know and believe me, and understand that I am he: before me there was no God formed, neither shall there be after me. I, even I, am the LORD; and beside me there is no saviour."

Do I really know? Am I experiencing God in my daily life? Do I truly understand that Christ lives in me? Do I believe it? Do I believe Him?

To remind myself, I posted this on my refrigerator this week:

"Believe Me."
~ God
(Isaiah 43:10)

Colossians 2:10 says that I am "complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power." Colossians 1:27 says that Christ is in me, "the hope of glory." So why do I get defensive and hold onto hurt? I am free from all that!

In Christ I have everything I need. I do not need to defend myself. I don't need to remain hurt and angry and allow it to fester into bitterness and resentment. Christ came to free me from all of that bondage! When hurt and anger put a hook in me, and I embrace them, forgetting that I am complete in Christ, I am holding out my hands to the devil and allowing him to handcuff me. Bitterness binds. Resentment restricts. Why would I do this to myself? Jesus is standing there with arms open to comfort my hurt, to give peace and grace in the area that is making me angry. He is all I need!

I no longer need to feel inferior to others. Christ made (and continues to make me) everything I need to be. I don't need others' approval. Christ is all and in all (Colossians 3:11). I am free to be who He made me to be. I do not need to fit into a mold someone else makes for me.

Is there an area that you have yielded to the enemy, allowing him to take you into bondage? Jesus has already paid for your freedom! Why are you sitting in that rotten jail? The doors are open! Come on out into freedom!

We're free! Praise the Lord! Free at last!