Conviction...

Greetings, Dear Friends!

To those visiting for the first time, I say welcome!

I post every Wednesday and my purpose is to nourish your soul, encourage your faith, and hopefully inspire you to give God a great return on His investment in you!

I was thinking this week about the power of conviction. It's one thing to have a strong set of moral values which is as important in our day as it has ever been. We are called by God to become more and more like Christ in every way. We cannot become like Christ without spending extended amounts of time with Him. A good way to know if we are on track is to pay attention to our moral compass. Are we more compelled toward honesty and integrity now than we were last year? Moral values are the framework of a godly life. Something else happens though, when we spend much time in the presence of God. We begin to care about the things He does. Our hearts break for the things that break His heart. We cannot be long in God's presence without acquiring a conviction to make a difference in our world.

To me, morals speak of boundaries in our personal lives while convictions speak of a firm belief that we have a responsibility to do something about the needs God puts before us.

Of course we can't meet every need that comes our way, nor are we supposed to. But each of us has a capacity to use our influence in order to make an impact.

We all have varying spheres of influence - people who love us, look to us, and want to hear what we have to say.

If a news reporter approached the people in your circle and asked them, "What does he/she care about? What moves her? To what need does he sacrificially give?" What would they say?

This is not to say that we jump in to a "cause" all at once without first being led by the Lord. I think God works continually, shaping our thinking and preparing us for His purposes. He takes us by the hand and leads us gradually into the water. But soon we find ourselves swimming in the depths with Him where without His faithfulness we would surely drown!

I am there, and I've never been more alive in my faith than I am now!

In his compelling book, "Terrify No More" author and IJM President Gary Haugen writes,

"I grew up with a great love for reading history, and I used to wonder, How would I have fared in the great moral struggles of the past? Would I have been on the right side? Would I have acted with courage? Would I have made my grandchildren proud?"



He later quotes Edmund Burke who wrote this powerful statement about two hundred years ago,

"All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing."

If I could quote Gary one more time, he asks the question why good men and good women do nothing when the need in our world is so great? He answers this way:

"As I consider this question, I find three deep sources of poverty that conspire to keep me and my good neighbors on the sidelines in the great struggle against evil: a poverty of compassion, a poverty of purpose, and a poverty of hope."

Have we become inoculated from caring about the struggles that exist in our world today?

May there be a revival of compassion, of purpose, and of hope in our own hearts!

Each year one million girls are shipped across international borders in the human trafficking ring. They are violated anywhere from ten to fifty times every day - with the youngest being five years old!

Once every three minutes a brother or sister in Christ is tortured and/or executed for their faith.

One in five people live on less than a dollar a day. Millions are starving and millions are infected by HIV/AIDS.

Look again at the gospels. Jesus gravitated toward the poor, the homeless, the orphan, and those considered to be the world's throw-aways.

Jesus said that to the extent we minister to the needs of the least-of-these, is the extent that we minister to Him.

We have the privilege of ministering to Jesus in our day!

I am convinced that the Lord has deposited within us great gifts - some ready made to use - others in need of honing and crafting - but gifts nonetheless. And if you read the Scripture, you'll notice that God is intent on a great return on His investment (I recently Blogged about this subject).

We are given gifts to affect our sphere of influence. We are given influence that we might make a powerful impact.

And as you know, we cannot out-give God.

What about you?

To what cause are you called to sacrificially sow into? Is it hunger, AIDS, life, human trafficking, the widow, the prisoner, the fatherless?

We are blessed to be a blessing.

We cannot carry a portion of the burden on God's heart, without Him faithfully and lovingly carrying us.

May God richly bless you as you tend to the needs in your world!

Until next week...

A Jealous God...

Greeting, Precious Friends!

To those visiting for the first time, I say welcome!

I post every Wednesday and my purpose is to bless and nourish your soul that you may life a deep and powerful life.

When I was a young adult, I wanted to find the man of my dreams. I wanted to meet him, marry him, and begin our life together.

I added this request to my already growing prayer list. I prayed for his heart, his soul, his work ethic, and his sense of humor. I asked God to make me the kind of woman I should be, and to make him the man he should be.

Above all, I began living as one who was spoken for.

It didn't matter that I had not yet met him, I knew he existed and he deserved my faithfulness no matter what.

Of course, the questions arose in my mind, "Well if you're acting like your taken, won't you miss him when you meet him? How will you know if you've found him?"

I didn't know the answers to those questions but I decided to leave those things up to God.

It's pretty natural for a twenty year old to look, to flirt, and to draw attention to herself.

But my heart was taken, both by God and the man He had for me.

Taking all of my affections and giving them wholly to God, and trusting Him with the desires of my heart, made my single-ness one of the sweetest seasons in my life.

Eventually I met my husband and married him and after that year of prayer and single-minded devotion, I appreciated his presence in my life all the more.

Jesus longs for our single-minded devotion as well.

He is jealous for our affections and He desires that we live, breathe, and act as one who is spoken for.

How often do we tuck our "Christianity" in our back pocket because it doesn't fit in with certain crowds?

Or maybe we are not that blatant. Maybe we just care too much about other's opinions of us. And by doing so, we chase after their affections in hopes that we will be understood or appreciated.

Maybe our gift set elevates us in a certain walk of life and people put us on a pedestal. Now we can't control what other people do, but how about our own response? Have we used the gifts God has given us to stroke our own egos?

God is a jealous God.

He poured gifts into us that we might bring glory to HIS Name. He set His affections upon us that we might enjoy times in His presence, accept His forgiveness for our sin, and be empowered to make a difference in a desperate world.

God jealously longs for us - that when we speak, the world will know that we are loved because we love in a way that's out of this world.

God jealously longs for us - that the choices we make will reflect a heart that is set on bringing Heaven to earth (may Your Kingdom come to earth, as it is in Heaven...)

God jealously longs for us - that when we pray, we pray from a place that reflects our knowledge of what we posses in Him.

Jesus says this to us, "Abide in Me. Love Me. Walk with Me. Listen to My heart. Tend to the things I care about. Speak up for those who have no voice. Love those who are difficult to love. When people think you're better than you are...humble yourself. When people knock you down, trust Me to lift you up. Set your affections on Me and I will give you the desires of your heart. You will have an open heaven over you and the world will know that I belong to you and you belong to Me."

Have a blessed week, all.

Please pray for me. I have a big speaking event this weekend.

Peace!

Remember the Benefits...

Greetings, Dear Friends!

For those of you visiting, I say welcome!

I post every Wednesday and my goal is to bless and nourish your soul that you may walk in the fullness of God.

For those who don't know Jesus (and for many who do) the Christian life seems marked by "ought to's", "don't do's", and "should do's." And though there is a great cost to following Jesus in a self-absorbed world, little is said about the great benefits of belonging to Him.

And that's what we are going to explore today.

What are the great benefits of belonging to God and why should we remember them?

Some of you know that in our early years of marriage, our family walked through tough times of physical and financial brokeness. Our dreams, our health, our finances, and even certain friendships were hanging on by a thread.

Day after day, I begged God to rescue us from the pit and restore our lives again.

God did many things and used many people to help us out of the pit and walk us through the wilderness; but one thing stands out to me as something that moved us from being victims to victors in all areas of life.

I received a call from one of my dear friends (a college roomate). She said something like this, "You belong to God. Don't take it anymore. Refuse all of this stuff the enemy is throwing your way."

God had been preparing me to hear those words and a certain righteous indignation rose up within me. I found this passage of scripture and began praying it every day:

Praise the Lord, O my soul; all my inmost being praise His Holy Name. Praise the Lord, O my soul and forget not His benefits -

*who forgives all your sins

*heals all your diseases

*redeems your life from the pit

*crowns you with love and compassion

*satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagles

(Psalm 103:1-5)

Wow, what a treasure trove we have here!

I began to pray in faith, and I did not relent because I needed a breakthrough in all of these areas!

I began thanking God by faith for forgiving my sins (especially my unbelief), for healing my body and my weakened immune system (and that I may pray for others and see them healed too), for redeeming our lives from the pit (and that we would rescue others from the pit), for crowning our family with loving compassion (that we would have an abundance of loving compassion to give away), and that our desires would match His desires for us and that they will be fulfilled.

I began to point to every area in my life where the enemy had stolen from me, and even those areas I had easily given up due to unbelief and ignorance, and I began proclaiming, "In the Name of Jesus, I want my land back! I want everything the Lord has promised me because I belong to Him. And I will not be denied!"

Little by little, and sometimes by leaps and bounds, we have gotten (and are getting) our land back.

John 10:10 says that the thief comes to steal, kill, and destroy (think about that), but Jesus comes that we may have LIFE, and not just life, but LIFE ABUNDANTLY (meditate on, count on, and remember this).

How about you, have you forgotten His benefits?

Are you easy to steal from?

Are you worn down by life and has your tenacity left you?

Ask God for a renewal of faith and passion to reclaim all that's been promised you!

Look at each of the promises listed in this passage; is there one that stands out to you?

What do you need today?

Approach God with a prayer of thanksgiving and a heart of faith. He loves it when we come to Him that way.

We have every right and every reason to approach Him as our Daddy, our Provider, our Beloved, and our Best Friend.

Don't settle for a less-than life when a greater-than-expected life has been promised you.

Overwhelming victory is yours. Abundant, overflowing grace has been promised in every situation. The heavens are bursting with promise. Lay hold of the promises and the benefits offered you.

The Christian life calls for obedience and costs us our life, it is true. But nothing we could give or sacrifice or pay compares to what's been promised us in this life and the life to come.

As one of my mentors Bonnie always says, "This is not an "ought to" or a "should do", this is a "get to."

You are blessed to be a blessing.

Remember the ways God has come through for you. Expect that He will come through for you again. Know your rights as a child of God. Remember the benefits of belonging to Him.

Embrace a heart of gratitude and believe Him for better things...

Until next week...

His Love...

Happy Valentines Day, All!

For my new visitors, I say welcome!

I post every Wednesday and my purpose is to nourish your soul and challenge your faith that you may walk in the fullness God has appointed for you.

When was the last time you pondered the love of God? I'm not talking about a fleeting thought as you raced from one thing to the next, I'm talking about an extended time in God's presence when your only thoughts were those of His great love for you. How long were you able to sit there before your mind turned to your love, your deeds, and your abilities? I know, I do the same thing.

While it's important to think about the love that comes from you, it's even more important to sit long in God's presence and allow your thoughts to be consumed with this fact: You are the object of His affection and love. He treasures you and has given you this life as a chance to recieve it, believe it, and walk in it.

We love because He first loved us.

I became a Christian in eight grade but it wasn't until my adult years that my life was completely transformed.

What changed for me?

I finally decided to believe in, walk in, and count on the love of God. I allowed the truth of His love to consume my thoughts until my soul knew it to be true.

With all of the contrary messages coming at us each day, it's no wonder we have a hard time holding onto this truth!

But what victory, what peace, and what joy is available to the one who swims upstream to lay hold of the immovable Rock of God's great love.

Imagine if you were living in a small city and by the time you recieved word that your town was about to be blown off the map, you were the only one left there. Let's say you have two cars in your garage: a Lexus and a Pinto. Only the Pinto has fuel in the tank.

Hopefully you'de choose the Pinto and get out of town. At this point, the Lexus does little more than make you proud to be its owner.

No matter if you live a life of a refined looking Lexus, or an econmical Pinto, you're doomed without fuel and that fuel is the saving love of God.

We don't put gas in our car once-and-for-all and we don't arrive upon the love of God once-and-for-all. His love doesn't change but we are "forgetters". We run on overdrive, we veer off of our appointed paths, and we lose sight of our destinies.

We need constant reminders that we are cherished, we are provided for, and all we could ever hope to find in this life comes from the hand of a loving, powerful God.

My life verse is Psalm 116:9: And so I walk in His presence as I live here on earth.

Well recently I've decided to preface that verse with this one: Psalm 23:6: Your love is ever before me and I walk continually in your truth.



Keep His love ever before you. When you are faced with critics or impossible demands, look up and remember His love. Walk in His truth. His truth promises that He will supply all of your needs. He will establish His purposes for you. He wants you to cease striving and know that He is God.

Much of our angst comes from our unbelief and our lack of understanding of what God has made available to us.

May this Valentines day be one where we join together and say...

Oh, Lord, Your love is ever before me, always in front of me, and the reason I live the way do. I will walk continually in Your truth and the knowledge that I possess all in You. Because all of Heaven is on my side, I will live a bold and faithful life. I will walk in Your presence as I live here on earth. I will walk in and rely on Your love, this day and every day!



Until next week my friends...

Peace!

More Than Enough!

Greetings, Dear Friends!

For those of you visiting for the first time, I say welcome!

I post every Wednesday and my sole purpose for this Blog is to encourage you along your way. My focus is on the deeper life (roots down deep in Christ) and the powerful life (great growth and fruit in everything you do).

I love to hear from you, so please post a comment whenever you feel so led.

This week as I spent time reading and praying, I was struck anew by the way God extravagantly, abundantly, and bountifully supplies all of our needs. Futhermore, He takes our tiny little offerings and turns them into a harvest that leaves us scratching our heads, wondering what just happened.

How do we position ourselves to receive provision from above that it may translate to a powerful life on earth?

Read on...

Matthew 14:15-16 describes a scene where the disciples are faced with a need that is beyond their human ability to accomodate. Let's look at the passage:

That evening the disciples came to (Jesus) and said, "This is a desolate place, and it is getting late. Send the crowds away so they can go to the villages and buy food for themselves."

But Jesus replied, That isn't necessary - you feed them."



Stop here.

Jesus was constantly trying to get the disciples to think on a much grander scale. Jesus wants us to do the same.

We are such creatures of the moment that many of our prayers reflect a desire to rid ourselves of an immediate problem. But with Jesus on our side, there is always a potential, in every situation, to see His divine intervention at work. He not only addresses our problems and needs, He brings the heart of heaven to earth.

When He told the disciples, "You feed them." He was teaching them to walk in the provision He promised them. Now that we belong to Him, our goal must never be simply to rid ourselves of a problem or to meet a need in a meesly way. Needs are present to call us to faith. God has determined to meet the world's needs through a people who are willing to walk in faith, hope and love.

Walking the way Jesus walked doesn't just rid us of the problem, it builds faith, it sets the stage for miracles, and it helps the world to know that God is love.

Jesus always links our immediate needs with His spiritual provision.

He knew the disciples didn't have enough food to feed approximately fifteen thousand people (men, plus women and children). But He also knew that because He was there with them they would have more than enough. He would supply all their needs according to His riches, not their's.

Jesus said that nothing is impossible for those who believe.

Let's look at verse 17 where the disciple's respond to Jesus:

"Impossible!" they exclaimed. "We have only five loaves of bread and two fish!"

Nothing is impossible with God. Nothing.

In the following verses, Jesus models for us how to access all that Heaven wants to give and how to give to those in need, all that Heaven offers.

Let's look at this encounter:

"Bring them here," (Jesus) said. Then He told the people to sit down in the grass.

He took the five loaves and two fishes...

He looked up toward Heaven...

He asked God's blessing...

He gave what He had to the disciples who gave it to those in need...

He took, He looked, He asked, and He gave...and what was the result?

They all ate as much as they wanted and they picked up twelve baskets of leftovers. About five thousand men had eaten from those five loaves, in addition to all the women and children!

Is the need or the demand greater than what you possess in your hand?

Take what you have, acknowledge it as a gift from God.

Look to Heaven - be reminded of the provision that is yours by faith.

Ask for God's blessing and for His Kingdom dynamics and miraculous multiplication to be at work.

Give what you have as an offering to God. Live a life of giving and sowing and blessing those in need.

When we walk with God and tend to the things He cares about we have access to everything we need in Heaven, and we are positioned to see divine intervention on earth.

When faith is present, we will always have more than enough.

Until next Wednesday...