When The Fog Rolls In....

My Anchor Holds

His Word: So God has given both his promise and his oath. These two things are unchangeable because it is impossible for God to lie. Therefore, we who have fled to him for refuge can have great confidence as we hold to the hope that lies before us.            Hebrews 6:18 NLT

Observation & Obedience: The promise referred to in our verse is the promise God made to Abraham in Genesis 17:4:  This is my covenant with you: I will make you the father of a multitude of nations! The oath is the seal of guarantee that God would do what he said. Since there was no one greater to swear by, God took an oath in his own name, saying: “I will certainly bless you, and I will multiply your descendants beyond number.” (Hebrews 6:13-14). These are unchangeable because God doesn’t lie. 

These two unchangeable things are God’s nature and his promise. God embodies all truth, therefore, he cannot lie. Because God is truth, we can be secure in his promises; we don’t need to worry and wonder if he will change his plans. 

Knowing God will not go back on his word gives us great confidence to run to him for refuge; when our own world is falling apart, we can count on him to hold us together. This is the kind of hope we can cling to for life. And so after waiting patiently, Abraham received what was promised (v.15).

We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure (Hebrews 6:19). 

Years ago when our girls were younger, we had a twenty-one foot boat. We would gather with other boating friends and family on the few hot summer days in Michigan to cool off and enjoy the weather and water. For some reason, my husband would have the hardest time getting our anchor to hold. It seemed to take him a number of times, frustration growing with each one, to finally get the anchor to grab onto the bottom and secure us.

Once we were secure, we were safe from drifting. Unfortunately, there were times when we didn’t realize the anchor had lost its grip and we were slowly moving away from our group. Then the whole process would start again!

How is your spiritual anchor holding today? Is it firm and secure or is there a risk of your drifting away? Has it found solid ground to grasp onto or is it just floating around below the surface?

If our hope is in God and his promises, believing that he is all truth and cannot lie and that he will not change his plans, we can be steadfast and secure. We are immovable. Our foundation is firm. Our faith is strong.

Do you ever feel yourself drifting away from your true source of security? Sometimes the anchor gives way and you don’t even notice that you’re slowly moving away. 

Run to God for refuge. Cast your anchor onto his promises. He can be trusted. Put all your hope in him; he will never let you down.

Prayer: “Dear God, thank you for being the one true God. You are true to your word, your promises, your covenants and your oaths. Why would I ever put my hope in anything or anyone else? The promises in your Word are for me to take personally. What you said to Abraham, Moses and David, you are saying to me as well. You are unchangeable. You are the same yesterday and today and forever (Hebrews 13:8). Amen.” 

Encouragement: Though the angry surges roll, On my tempest-driven soul, I am peaceful, for I know, Wildly though the winds may blow, I’ve an anchor safe and sure, That can evermore endure.

And it holds, my anchor holds: Blow your wildest, then, O gale, On my bark so small and frail; By His grace I shall not fail, For my anchor holds, my anchor holds.

Troubles almost ’whelm the soul; Griefs like billows o’er me roll; Tempters seek to lure astray; Storms obscure the light of day: But in Christ I can be bold, I’ve an anchor that shall hold.

From the hymn, My Anchor Holds by Daniel B. Towner, 1902 

Do You Know Which Way The Shadow Will Move?

This was Hezakiah's prayer as he laid on his death bed and this is God's answer to Hezakiah's prayer.
“Remember, Lord, how I have walked before you faithfully and with wholehearted devotion and have done what is good in your eyes.” And Hezekiah wept bitterly.

4 Before Isaiah had left the middle court, the word of the Lord came to him: 5 “Go back and tell Hezekiah, the ruler of my people, ‘This is what the Lord, the God of your father David, says: I have heard your prayer andseen your tears; I will heal you. 

The proof of Hezakiah's healing was in the shadow of steps. And Hezakiah asked that the shadow move back. Amazing. What would you have asked for as a sign?

Three Part Harmony

His Word: Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.   Romans 12:12

Observation & Obedience: The whole focus of Romans 12 is personal responsibility in living the Christian life. Paul is giving practical tips on how to be best prepared for the trials and temptations that life brings. 

He urges us not to conform to the world and its selfishness and corruption but keep renewing our mind by redirecting our focus and attention on what is good and godly (v.2). 

As members of the body of Christ, God has given each one of us special gifts, none better than the other, to be used to complete the work he has for us. Paul warns us in verse 3, not to get too proud of ourselves.

Our love must be sincere, not fake; by hating what is evil and holding onto what is good (v. 9). We are to be devoted to the well-being of our brothers and sisters in Christ and honor them above ourselves. Serve God with zeal and excitement, counting it a privilege, not a duty. Practice hospitality and share with those in need. Bless those who persecute us (vs. 10-14).

He wraps up chapter 12 with short and concise instructions: Live in peace and harmony. Do not be proud. Do not be conceited. (Do you see a repetition of this one particular vice?) Do not repay evil for evil, but overcome evil with good (vs. 16-21).

Right in the middle of the chapter though, he presents a three point sermon spoken directly to us as a foretelling of what the Christian life will bring. The majority of this passage deals with our relationships and responses to other people, but verse 12 is for us to apply personally.

Be joyful in hope: Hope is defined as “to desire something with confident expectation of its fulfillment.”  We are to be confidently joyful, not fretful, when we don’t yet have what we so strongly desire.

Be patient in affliction: Affliction is defined as “great suffering that produces sorrow.” We must understand that suffering is for a season; so we need to be patient. And it’s always for a reason; to bring us closer to God. 

Be faithful in prayer: While we’re waiting with joyful hope, waiting for our afflictions and sufferings to lessen, we are to be faithful in prayer. These actions show our loyalty and trust in God when things don’t make sense!

Jesus gave hope to his disciples just days before his crucifixion, knowing full well what they would encounter after his death. Very truly I tell you, you will weep and mourn while the world rejoices. You will grieve, but your grief will turn to joy (John 16:20).

We are given the same encouragement when we face the difficult times this life brings. Weeping may last through the night, but joy comes with the morning(Psalm 30:5 NLT).

How are you demonstrating your hope? Are you joyful in it? Are you lashing out to God because of an affliction that doesn’t seem to ever go away? Are you being faithful in prayer or have you given up? 

Prayer: “Dear God, you never promised me an easy life. You told me in your Word that I would encounter hard times. We live in a sinful world and life is not fair. But you are. You have promised to give me hope and joy in the midst of my suffering. It’s simply my choice how I handle the “tests” of this life. I may not pass the test the first time around, but you are a gracious teacher and let us take it over until we do pass.  Thanks! Amen.”

Encouragement: You are never without hope because you are never without prayer.   Max Lucado

Don’t let a season in your life define your lifetime.

Suffering For A While

His Word: And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast.   I Peter 5:10

Observation & Obedience: Suffering is something we don’t usually want to look at or hear about. It makes us uncomfortable and involves pain of some sort.  If it’s an abused animal or a hungry child we see on television, our heart may soften and break from the suffering they are enduring.

In His Word for today, Peter is writing to the Jewish Christians who had been driven out of Jerusalem, were now scattered about and being tortured and killed for their faith.  His purpose in his first letter was to offer encouragement to these suffering Christ followers. ¹

I doubt any of us can relate to the persecution the early Christians went through. Just as we can’t begin to understand or even imagine how believers are treated in some countries today.  But it shouldn’t come as a surprise seeing we were given a heads up in 2 Timothy 3:12: In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted. 

One of the reasons for suffering among believers is the work of the enemy. Satan is always looking for weak and helpless victims to attack and destroy. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour(8b). He may not “devour” us in the physical sense, but he can try to initiate emotional and spiritual suffering which may cause destruction. 

Is there anything we can do or must we just suffer through? Sometimes God does allow suffering for our own good! Other times though, we can fight back and avoid unnecessary pain. When we find ourselves under the enemy’s attack, here are some action steps we can take:

1) Humble yourselves (v. 6a). God never expects us to take on a fight all alone nor should we think we can. Pride is a tool of destruction from Satan.

2)  Cast all your anxiety on him (v. 7a). God knows what we’re up against. Give it to him to handle. Satan uses anxiety to weaken our fight of faith. 

3) Stay self-controlled and alert (v. 8a). When does a lion attack? When its prey is not paying attention! If we’re focused on ourselves and our suffering, we forget to watch for danger and put ourselves in harm’s way. 

4) Resist him, standing firm in the faith (v.9a). During times of attack and suffering, we must not give in to the temptation or give up the fight, but keep our eyes on Jesus and stand firm.  Why? Because we know we’re not alone. One of the enemy’s schemes is to get us to think we’re the only ones thinking or feeling a certain way or enduring difficult times. 

Peter reminded the suffering Christians that they were not the only ones under the enemy’s attack… because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings (v. 9b).

Once we’ve done our part of humbling ourselves, casting all our anxiety on God, staying in control and alert, resisting the enemy, standing firm in what we believe is true and even suffering for a little while, what does it say in His Word that the God of all grace will do?

Often after a time of suffering, we are weary and weak. God knows that and wants us to know that he knows! He doesn’t just leave us bleeding on the battlefield. He himself will rescue and restore us. He will support and strengthen us. He will place our feet on a firm and steadfast foundation! 

Prayer: “Dear God, suffering is not fun and I don’t want to have to go through it. But I also recognize that hard times bring us closer to you, cause us to rely on you more and to depend on your strength to get us through. There are also times when I try to fight my own battles and fail miserably. You have given me action steps I can take to minimize the pain of the enemy’s attacks and today I’m choosing to fight your way!  Amen.”

Encouragement: Suffering is unbearable if you aren’t certain that God is for you and with you.   Tim Keller

Are You Plugged In To The Power?

His Word: By his divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life. We have received all of this by coming to know him, the one who called us to himself by means of his marvelous glory and excellence. 2 Peter 1:3 (NLT)

Observation & Obedience: Do you realize that trying to live a godly life in our own power is impossible? The power to grow spiritually and mature into a strong believer doesn’t come from within us, but from God. Humanly, we don’t possess the resources needed for godly living. When we come to know God through a personal relationship with him, his Spirit empowers us with his own moral goodness. 

And because of his glory and excellence, he has given us great and precious promises. These are the promises that enable you to share his divine nature and escape the world’s corruption caused by human desires (v. 4).

We need God’s nature to escape the world’s corruption and our own human desires. Living a godly life is what sets us apart from the rest of the world. If people know you are a Christ-follower, do they see a difference in your life? Let’s look at how we tap into this divine power for godly living.

Make every effort to add to your faith…(v. 5a). If we want to live a life that’s pleasing to God, we must start with a foundation of faith. Not faith in ourselves, but faith in God. Hebrews 11:6 reminds us that it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him. 

Faith needs to be more than belief in certain facts; it must result in action; the practice of goodness and moral discipline, growth in the knowledge of God and consistent character development. Verses 5-7 list the things we need to add to our faith in order to live godly lives: goodness/moral excellence and to goodness/moral excellence, knowledge, and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, mutual affection/brotherly kindness; and to mutual affection/brotherly kindness, love.

These actions don’t come automatically; they require hard work. They are not optional; all of them must be a continual part of the Christian life. We don’t finish one and start on the next, but we work on them all together. God empowers and enables us, but he also gives us the responsibility to learn and to grow! 

Does this list from 2 Peter 1: 5-7 remind you of another list of character traits?  The Fruit of the Spirit describes how our life looks when we allow God’s power to influence our character development: But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23).

Are you tapping into God’s divine power for godly living or have you been trying to live it in your own? Are you taking advantage of everything he has given you in order to live a life that’s pleasing to him? God knows we’re not perfect and that we will fail. That’s why he’s made his power and strength available to us. He doesn’t expect us to do it on our own.

Prayer: “Dear God, you have given me everything I need to live a godly life; I just need to allow your divine power to enable me to do it! I know it starts with firm foundation of faith and then building upon that. You are constantly shaping and sharpening my character to be more like your Son. I choose to challenge myself to add a new trait to my life, depending on your power, not my own, in order to possess it and please you.  Amen.”

Encouragement: The main thing God gets out of your life is not the achievements you accomplish. It’s the person you become.    Dallas Williard

What Are You Planting?

Selfless or Selfish Living?

His Word: I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.    Romans 15:13 (NLT)

Observation & Obedience: Throughout chapter 15, Paul is in sorts conducting relationship counseling with the Roman believers. The Roman church was a diverse community. It was made up of Jews and Gentiles, slaves and free people, rich and poor, strong and weak. And like our churches today, we sometimes have difficulty encouraging, getting along with and accepting one another. 

Paul leads up to our verse for today by giving the Romans advice to follow in order to have God’s hope, joy and peace.  I think we can learn from his teachings and apply them to our own relationships.

1) We must not just please ourselves. We should help others do what is right and build them up in the Lord (vs. 1b-2).  Selfish living and ambition have no place or positive outcome in our relationships. This type of mindset can only hurt and damage the good that God wants to do for others, through us. For even Christ didn’t live to please himself (v. 3a).

2) And the Scriptures give us hope and encouragement… May God, who gives this patience and encouragement, help you live in complete harmony with each other (vs. 4b-5a). If our focus is on building others up and not ourselves, we are more apt to recognize the hope, encouragement and patience that come from God. This can make living in harmony with others possible and pleasing to him.

3) Therefore, accept each other just as Christ has accepted you so that God will be given glory (v.7).  Accepting others can be a challenge. We tend to gravitate to people who are like us. Those who look, speak, dress, live and worship like us. The danger in this is that we start to think of ourselves more highly than we should (Romans 12:3) and God does not receive the glory in our relationships, we do. 

God is the source of our hope, joy and peace. And when we trust him with our relationships, we will overflow with confident hope. Where does this hope come from?

The Holy Spirit is the one who helps us to live unselfishly. He’s the one who directs us to those who need our guidance and encouragement. 

It’s the Holy Spirit’s power that makes it possible to live in complete harmony with each other. I think we would all agree that it’s not in our own power to make this happen! 

One of the Holy Spirit’s most difficult jobs is to get us to see the importance of accepting others. By acknowledging that there are differences in people, and that doesn’t necessarily make either one of us better than the other. When we set these differences aside and see people for who they are, not for what they are not, God is blessed and glorified. 

How are your relationships? Do you struggle with selfishness? Do you lack patience with others who don’t agree with you? Do you have a hard time accepting people who are not like you? Remember our key verse from today. God will fill us and our lives with hope, joy and peace when we turn our relationships over to him and trust him completely with them.

Prayer:  “Dear God, I am sorry for the relationships I have tried to control. I can think of many where I was only concerned with my own selfish desires. I want to live in harmony with those you’ve put in my life. Give me the patience and power I need to do this, even when I don’t feel like it!   I choose to build up, share hope and encouragement with and accept others, just as Christ has accepted me and my differences. I trust you with all the relationships in my life. Amen.” 

Encouragement: God never commanded you to trust people; God commanded you to love people and trust him. Know the difference. Your joy and victory depend on it. 

Restoration or Captivity?

His Word: But I will restore you to health and heal your wounds,’ declares the LORD, ‘because you are called an outcast, Zion for whom no one cares.’   Jeremiah 30:17

Observation & Obedience: His Word for today is found in the middle of a chapter where God is promising restoration for the nation of Israel. They are currently living in captivity because of their poor choices: idol worship, outright disobedience of God’s commands, marrying outside their culture, etc. Verse 3 gives God’s promise: The days are coming,’ declares the LORD, ‘when I will bring my people Israel and Judah back from captivity and restore them to the land I gave their ancestors to possess,’ says the LORD.

To restore is “to replace, renew, revive or return.” Just as God was promising to physically return his people to their land; he was also going to revive their spiritual health once more. Their hearts would be renewed and their emotional wounds would be healed. They would return to their land and never be called an outcast again. They would no longer be uncared for. They would know who they were and who their God was.

A familiar verse, in the most popular Psalm, gives us an idea of how important restoration is to God. …he restores my soul (Psalm 23:3a). God is in the soul restoration business. He was not happy that his people, the Israelites, were not living and worshipping him in the land he had given to their ancestors. He was saddened that their hearts were far from him. He so desperately wanted to heal their wounds. He longed for them to return home.

What about you? Are you living in some form of captivity? If so, it’s more than likely not a physical one, but perhaps a spiritual one? Have you made poor choices which have separated you from God? Do you feel like you’re being controlled by something that is drawing you away from God? You don’t have to continue this kind of life. Just as God promised his people thousands of years ago that they would be restored, he gives the same promise to us today! 

God longs for us to allow him to restore us to spiritual health and to have our emotional wounds healed. He wants us to know we are not outcasts and that we are loved and cared for. His greatest desire is found in verse 22 of Jeremiah 30: “‘So you will be my people, and I will be your God.’ ”

God wants all of us to be his people. But like with the Israelites, it’s our choice. If we make the decision to follow God with our heart, body and mind, what does he tell us he will be?

He promises to be our God. I don’t know about you, but that’s the best idea I’ve ever heard! Yet, how often do we insist on being our own god? If you’re struggling with some sort of captivity or your spiritual health needs restoring, don’t let it keep you from God’s power for healing. He’s wants you to return to him and be renewed. 

Prayer: “Dear God, thank you that your promise of restoration for the Israelites applies to me as well. I know I haven’t always made the best choices and at times my heart has been held captive by my selfish ambitions. Forgive me for trying to be my own god and thinking I have it all figured out. Today I am making the choice to allow you to heal all my wounds; some self-inflicted, some are hurts from others. I want to have my spiritual health restored. I need you to be my one and only God. Amen.”

Encouragement: Time doesn’t heal all wounds; God does. 

Share with us: What does the quote, “Revealing feelings  is the beginning of healing” mean to you?

February's Focus

Well Hello February! Hard to believe we’ve unwrapped and tucked away the gifts of January 2018 already. It was a month of getting into the Rest and Grace of God’s rhythm by spending time in His presence so that we can hear His voice and learn His ways. Have you gotten in the groove? Are you moving to the beat of His heart?

Personally speaking, it’s a discipline. It’s still work, it’s still a choice and it’s the desire of my heart that one day it will not be my second nature but my first!

In my own journey through cancer, in relationships and day to day, the question that I keep hearing is  “But what about you?” he (Jesus) asked. “Who do YOU say I am?”  Simon Peter was blessed for his answer, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” from (Matthew 13:15,16)

Jesus’ response is mind blowing, “You didn’t get that answer out of books or from teachers. My Father in heaven, God himself, let you in on this secret of who I really am. And now I’m going to tell you who you are, really are.”  I want that! I want God himself to reveal to me who He is in every situation. And I want to know who I really am in God’s eyes. 

In verse 19 Jesus proclaims “And that’s not all. You will have complete and free access to God’s kingdom, keys to open any and every door: no more barriers between heaven and earth, earth and heaven. A yes on earth is yes in heaven. A no on earth is no in heaven.”  To live in that truth, in that blessing, in that kingdom, that should be ours.  

But quite honestly, where I get hung up is always wondering what others say about who I am. Why does that matter? But maybe it should? If Jesus asked it, should we also ask it? Maybe I’m afraid of the answer.

The truth of the matter is, once someone answers that question, even if you didn’t ask it, the tape just keeps playing. The wounds and words, the offenses become a part of us because we collect and carry them with us for so long they become familiar. We think we need them. What we need to find is the delete key. The delete key is the one that says “forgiveness”. 

In order for us to know and live in the truth of who we are in Christ, daughters of the the king, joint heirs, we need to release to God the pain, the wounds, the incidents, the person, the offense and let Him handle it. When we release it, we are free from the effect of the poison in the remembering. Forgiveness will clear our vision so that we will see ourselves through the eyes of God. To live our lives in the light of how God created us and has always seen us is just the beginning. 

So the journey continues and the question keeps me seeking. Seeking in the quiet, seeking in the stillness, seeking in the beauty of His creation. “God sets out the entire creation as a science classroom, using birds and beasts to teach wisdom.” (Job 35:11)

Thank you for joining us as we continue to focus, adjust perspective, re-focus and always, always look for the light that dispels the darkness of disease, broken families, shattered dreams, shipwrecked relationships and the lies of Satan. Our Focus for Hope is the Messiah, the Son of the Living God. He alone gives Life, Hope and Restoration. Let all that is within me bless his Holy name. 

 Psalm 103

A song of David.

1 O my soul, come, praise the Eternal
    with all that is in me—body, emotions, mind, and will—every part of who I am—
    praise His holy name.
2 O my soul, come, praise the Eternal;
    sing a song from a grateful heart;
    sing and never forget all the good He has done.
3 Despite all your many offenses, He forgives and releases you.
    More than any doctor, He heals your diseases.
4 He reaches deep into the pit to deliver you from death.
    He crowns you with unfailing love and compassion like a king.
5 When your soul is famished and withering,
    He fills you with good and beautiful things, satisfying you as long as you live.
    He makes you strong like an eagle, restoring your youth.

6 When people are crushed, wronged, enslaved, raped, murdered,
    the Eternal is just;
    He makes the wrongs right.
7 He showed Moses His ways;
    He allowed His people Israel to see His wonders and acts of power.
8 The Eternal is compassionate and merciful.
    When we cross all the lines, He is patient with us.
    When we struggle against Him, He lovingly stays with us—changing, convicting, prodding;
9 He will not constantly criticize,
    nor will He hold a grudge forever.
10 Thankfully, God does not punish us for our sins and depravity as we deserve.
    In His mercy, He tempers justice with peace.
11 Measure how high heaven is above the earth;
    God’s wide, loving, kind heart is greater for those who revere Him.
12 You see, God takes all our crimes—our seemingly inexhaustible sins—and removes them.
    As far as east is from the west, He removes them from us.
13 An earthly father expresses love for his children;
    it is no different with our heavenly Father;
The Eternal shows His love for those who revere Him.
14 For He knows what we are made of;
    He knows our frame is frail, and He remembers we came from dust.

15 The children of Adam are like grass;
    their days are few;
    they flourish for a time like flowers in a meadow.
16 As the wind blows over the field and the bloom is gone,
    it doesn’t take much to blow us out of the memory of that place.
17 But the unfailing love of the Eternal is always and eternal
    for those who reverently run after Him.
    He extends His justice on and on to future generations,
18 To those who will keep His bond of love
    and remember to walk in the guidance of His commands.

19 The Eternal has established His throne up in the heavens.
    He rules over every seen and unseen realm and creature.
20 Adore Him! Give Him praise, you heavenly messengers,
    you powerful creatures who listen to
    and act on His every word.
21 Give praise to the Eternal, all armies of heaven—
    you servants who stand ready to do His will.
22 Give praise to the Eternal, all that He has made
    in all corners of His creation.
O my soul, come, praise the Eternal!