Faith through Circumstances

As I was reading in Exodus yesterday a thought crossed my mind and it took a day to formulate. I knew the spirit was showing me something so I had to go back and read it again and meditate on it. When I woke up this morning it came to me. So here we have Moses in the hot seat. He and Aaron have told the people that God would deliver them and they worship. Then they set out to go before Pharaoh. However, things get worse for Israel. Instead of being delivered they are told to make their own straw increasing their workload. They are now being beaten and treated worse for not making their daily quota of bricks. So now Israel is like, thanks a lot Moses! You made everything worse!
I kept thinking about that yesterday. Can you imagine how Moses felt? The very thing he feared seemed to be happening. Here is Moses crying out to God and saying, "Lord, why have you brought trouble on this people? Why have you sent me?" I can imagine being Moses and having a meltdown, too. I would be thinking - I knew this would happen! You sent the wrong person!

But looking back at the burning bush God told him this would happen

But I am sure that the king of Egypt will not let you go, no, not even by a mighty hand. So I will stretch out My hand and strike Egypt with all My wonders which I will do in its midst; and after that he will let you go. - Exodus 3:19-20

God told Moses that Pharaoh would not let them go easily. In fact he told Moses later he would harden Pharaoh's heart. God told Moses he wanted to show ALL His wonders towards the Egyptians and AFTER that he would let them go.

Now Moses didn't have a clue what God's wonders would be but really God was saying it was going to take a while and wouldn't be easy.

When I woke up this morning meditating on this the first thing that came to mind was faith through circumstances. It's easy to believe and trust when things are going well. But God wants us to have faith and trust in the midst of the storm.Things became worse for Israel before they got better. When God makes a promise we must endure and not focus on our circumstances. Just because our situation seems to get worse for the moment does not mean that God has left us. He is always right there beside us working all things for good even when they appear to be worse.

It is so easy to get caught up in the moment of our situation and lose faith. Let us instead choose to focus on the promise and on God's mighty hand to save.

He is mighty to save!

Excuses why we don't serve God

I can't believe it's been a little over 2 weeks since I have written anything. But I have to admit I have been struggling. However, I started Exodus this week and when I read the encounter Moses had with the Lord I started thinking about the excuses we give ourselves not to serve. When presented with the task of going to Pharoah on the Lord's behalf  Moses listed 5 excuses

Excuses regarding himself

Excuses regarding education

Excuses regarding people’s reaction

Excuses regarding spiritual gifts

Excuses regarding comfort

Moses most likely reflected on the his past failure. After all he killed a man and fled. He spent 40 years taking care of sheep. That was considered to be the lowest of low jobs. His self esteem of himself was probably not very high. I can relate to that. Well, who couldn't? We have all failed and made mistakes. Even in ministry. Even when we are doing what God called us to do. It is important to always keep in mind that there are no great men of God but only men of a great God! We are all weak and unworthy. That's why it's so amazing! God's glory can shine and be seen when it's done through our frailty.

Then we see Moses speak on not really knowing who God is. Who shall I say has sent me? Moses was educated for 40 years in Egypt. He had the best teaching and education. But yet he questions who God really is. I love that God simply says - I am who I am! I will be who you need me to be. Has this been an excuse? We don't serve because we think we need more education in the Word, more time in prayer, more Christian education. I get trapped in this a lot. It makes me fall into traps of comparison. While it is very important we spend time with the Lord and in His Word. We can not excuse ourselves from serving just because we think someone else knows more. God told Moses He would give him the right words to say. When God calls us to do something we must also trust He will provide us with the right words.

Moses was afraid of what others would say about him. Again, thinking back to what the Hebrew men said to him, "Who made you a prince and a judge over us?" (Exodus 2:14)

Moses was probably thinking he would again get the same reaction and nobody would believe that God met with him. And then he looked at his weakness in speech. God had an answer for every excuse that Moses could think of. He gave him all the tools he needed and even provided him Aaron to help out.

It's so easy to be like Moses. To find excuses not to serve. To look at all our weakness, faults, past failures, and lack of ability. But none of that matters. Because it's NOT us doing it. It's God doing it through us. We only need to possess one thing. A willing heart. A heart that says - yes!

I have also been reading Gideon's story in Judges and one thing that stood out to me was how easy the people wanted to worship Gideon after the great victory. The Israelites wanted to worship Moses. We must always remember that God receives ALL the glory!!! Again, NO great men of God only men of a great God! All glory goes to Him! Let us always say yes to God, serve Him with all our heart, and point others to Him to receive all the glory.

And, no more excuses!!!!

The Book of Judges & the Cycle of Sin

Today I was crying out to the Lord and asking why is it so easy to fall away? How is it that one week I can be so strong, walking in faith, loving my intimate time with Him, praying, seeking and how is it the next week I can be struggling, feeling far from Him, really having to force myself to read and pray.

Well, the answer came almost immediately! The amazing thing is I am in the book of Judges right now and what this problem I am facing is the cycle of sin!

All through the book of Judges this happens over and over again.

In other words there was a repeated cycle throughout the entire book – a cycle of sin, bondage, repentance, devotion, followed by sin and bondage again. When there was a leader Israel would follow the Lord but when there was no one there to remind them they fell back into their old ways and sometimes worse then before. They started worshipping false gods and doing all kinds of evil. Then God would allow them to be captured by their enemy and only through that bondage would Israel turn back and cry out to God for help. Then God would raise up another leader for them to follow and the cycle would begin again.

You may think...yeah but that was before redemption through Jesus.

But we all fall into this trap, even today! I know I have one area of of weakness that constantly drags me down and back into bondage. When I compromise or give into that temptation I find myself falling back into old habits. Then I feel like my Christian walk goes up and down like a yoyo. But the cycle of sin can be broken! After all, Jesus died on the cross so it would be broken.

Judges is a book that teaches us both how they became captive to the enemy, and also how they got out of that bondage. And in doing so, it then teaches us how to break the cycle of sin. Looking over your past as a Christian, have you seen this in your own life? Has your Christian walk been a cycle of victory and defeat? Do you see the cycle occurring in your life? If we are honest, the message of Judges is a wake up call for each of us. It is a warning of what can happen once we become comfortable and begin to compromise with the enemy. It is guardrail, and a danger signal of the traps that can lie ahead in our Christian lives.

Now, when we fall into this cycle of sin God doesn't raise up a judge these days. But, He does send us amazing Christian leaders, pastors, and other Christian friends who help point the way and help us draw back to Him. And sometimes He needs to allow us to be in a time of desperation so that we will call out and realize we need Him. God doesn't want us dependent on other people. He only wants us dependent on Him!

The key is to only depend on God, pray, stay close to His Word, flee from sin and NEVER compromise!

No wonder Paul warned us to pray without ceasing. What He meant was never break your communication with God.

We are no different then Israel was. We have the same weakness. So, we must stay on track. Stay rooted and grounded in His Word. That and prayer are the most powerful weapons we have been given.

Don't let your guard down!

Joseph and the Storm of Waiting

Recently one of the pastor's at my home church spoke on storms. There are many storms that come into our lives such as physical, emotional, relational, financial. But when she spoke on storms I realized there is another storm. The storm of WAITING. It seems so fitting that I am reading about Joseph right now as I finish up the book of Genesis. Because most of Joseph's life was spent waiting.
I was thinking about Joseph a lot this morning. Especially when his brothers cast him into that deep, dark hole. Can you imagine the hurt? Having your family reject you that way. Not caring if you live or die? I also wonder if the thought came into his mind that his father knew. I could see so easily how the enemy would project thoughts into his mind that his father sent him out there knowing what his brothers would do. Maybe he dismissed it but I know I would have struggled with that thought. Aside from losing a loved one there can be no greater hurt then to be rejected by your own family. Then Joseph was sold. Another deep hurt. To be sold as if you are a "thing". As if you are not human almost. Just a piece of property with a price tag. Then he went to work for Potiphar. He worked for him without pay. And I was thinking it must have been very difficult at first because he spoke the Hebrew language and now he was in Egypt. He had to learn a whole new language and that couldn't have been easy. And talk about culture shock! Yet, Joseph never forgot who he was, his heritage, or His God. Nothing is said in the Bible about all those in between years. But it couldn't have been easy. And all that time Joseph just had to WAIT. He was waiting for the dream, waiting for it to get better. Wondering if it ever would.
In my own life right now I can so relate. I am waiting. Waiting for the right job, the right ministry, waiting for a husband, for the vision God gave me 16 years ago to be fulfilled. And this waiting can be such a storm. The doubts that come in, trying to hang on to faith, the many obstacles and temptations that get in the way.
Then I think of Joseph again. He was tempted by Potiphar's wife and I am sure there were many other temptations not recorded throughout his stay there. But Joseph endured and He stood on faith and what he knew was right. And what was his reward for all that?
Years in prision! Thrown into another deep, dark hole. He did nothing wrong. I hang onto that because when bad things happen it's so easy to think we did something wrong or that God is punishing us. But, that is not the case. God placed Joseph at Potiphar's house to train him to rule over little things so he could be a ruler over many things, and he placed him in jail so he could meet up with the source that would bring him before Pharoah.
Now, I don't think God wanted Joseph's brothers to reject him and sell him. That was their choice and I'm sure it broke God's heart. He most likely had a different plan in mind to bring Joseph's dreams to pass. But God was able to take that tragedy and turn it into good. Nothing is impossible for God!
20 years later Joseph meets back up with his brothers and sees the dream fulfilled. And then we see one of the greatest lessons of forgiveness. So much hurt, so many deep wounds but Joseph forgave them and saw what God was able to do through the whole ordeal and give God the glory.
So, as I am in this season of waiting I will keep Joseph in mind. For if his story teaches me anything it is that if God puts a dream or vision in your heart He will fulfill it. It will come to pass. And during the storm of waiting I can find peace in standing on His Word and thank Him for all He is preparing me for.

But those who wait on the LORD shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint. - Isaiah 40:31

Who is This King of Glory?

Always left out, ignored, and neglected. The lonliness shatters my soul.
The gifts I can give are always rejected. Like Joseph, cast in a deep hole.
But yet there is one who sees worth in me. He loves me and calls me by name.
He was beaten and scorged then He hung on a tree. He suffered to take my shame.
Who is this man that would do this for me? Why would He endure so much pain?
For even the world sees nothing in me. What did He have to gain?
This man who died was God's own son. The one who created all things!
But why for me? Why was this done? For He is the king of all kings!
I am nothing but sin formed from dirt. But He gave me the breath of life
He covers my sin, takes away all my hurt. He carries my pain and my strife.
He calls me beloved, calls me His bride. I am the apple of His eye.
He calls me His jewel. Wants me by His side. But I keep asking - why?

Who is this king of Glory?

I think it is so incredible that we serve a God who sees in us what we can never see. The world only cares about people who are popular, wealthy, attractive, or who have power. But the Lord, the creator of EVERYTHING is not that way. The world saw Gideon as a coward but God saw Him as a mighty man of valor. Moses was a murderer and ran away but God saw in him someone who would be a great leader and help free all of Israel from slavery. Joseph's family misunderstood him and rejected him but God raised him up to be 2nd greatest to Pharaoh and helped save all lands from famine. Jesus used 12 uneducated men to turn the world upside down.
How incredible is this God we serve? He sees worth where no one else does. All those peole that get left out, are overlooked, are made fun of, are rejected - God sees great worth!!!

God sees great worth in you today - even if others don't. And does that matter? If the King of Kings, the Lord of Lords, the Creator, God Almighty Himself see worth in YOU then who cares what others think?

Be of good courage. You are not alone, you have worth, and you are loved.

A Time of Waiting

I started on the Joseph story today. It seems fitting because it's really a story of waiting, of endurance, of fighting temptation. And that is the season I am in now.

Joseph had some amazing dreams. God given dreams! But all Joesph could see was his dreams led him into a dark pit, rejected by his brothers, sold into slavery in Egypt, thrown into prison. Years of waiting! Years! All of his youth..
And he was tempted. Potiphar's wife tempted him over and over to sleep with her. But he overcame that temptation and told her it was sinful. And because he did what was right what was his reward? He was falsey accused and  thrown in jail! Joseph overcame temptation, he endured, he waited...

I can understand some of what Jospeh went through. Having been falsey accused myself, losing my job, and now just waiting, and waiting. Not knowing what God's plan is in all this. But just having to wait. Having to trust. And wait..and having to overcome the temptations of sliding back into habitual sin. Learning to endure.

God has given me a vision. A dream.
Just like Jospeh, I too must go through a preparation time. When Joseph was serving Potiphar and when he was in jail he was put in charge. He oversaw Potiphar's house. He oversaw the jail. God was preparing him to one day oversee all of Egypt.

Does it seem like your dreams are gone? Does it seem like God has forgotten you?
Well, be of good cheer because your dream is not dead and God is with you. If your dream or vision is from the Lord then He will finish what He started. We can't always understand the plan but know that God is in the midst of it all and He is preparing you.

I know He is preparing me. So, I must endure. I must be patient. I must overcome.

I must wait.

The Horn of My Salvation

The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer; My God, my strength, in whom I will trust; My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. - Psalm 18:2

When I was reading Psalm 18 in verse 2 it talks about how God is the horn of my salvation. So, I asked myself...what does that mean? Why did the Psalmist use a reference to a horn?
I do know that horns were used in battle back in the day. Even thinking about scenes from "Lord of the Rings" where when people were in trouble they would sound the horn and everyone would come to their aid. I am sure at the time the old testament was written  horns were a symbol of salvation especially when used in a battle.
I was doing some research on it and find one article that really caught my attention. I loved it so much I just have to share!

The Horn of My Salvation
By James Macpherson

If you’ve studied entomology you’d be aware that different groups of creatures have different names. For instance, a group of fish is called a school. Ants are called colonies and bees are called a swarm. Cattle are herds, birds are flocks, and a tribe of lions is a pride. For what it’s worth, a group of buzzards is called a committee!
Did you know a group of rhinos is called a crash?

The amazing thing about Rhinos is how fast they can run. Believe it or not, a rhino can run about thirty miles per hour which is pretty amazing considering how much weight they are carrying! They are actually faster than squirrels which can run about twenty-six miles per hour.

Here’s the bizarre thing. Rhinos have terrible eyesight. They can only see about thirty feet in front of themselves. So they are running thirty miles an hour with no idea what’s at thirty-one feet!

You would think they’d be timid creatures because they can’t see very far in front of themselves. But God, in his amazingly creative foresight, gave rhinos a big horn on the front of their head. The Rhino may not know what's ahead, but he does know the horn will be his salvation.

Sometimes I wonder if we need a 'Crash' of Christians! Yes, the future is uncertain. But we need to charge ahead with new and daring initiatives anyway.

Too many leaders are too afraid to have a go because of all the unknowns. But there is a future to be created and a city to be reached. Instead of worrying about all the things we don't know, it's time to crash through to new levels because of what we do know!

"Blessed be the Lord God of Israel for He has visited His people and raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of His servant David." - Luke 1v69

The Bible calls Jesus "the horn of salvation", raised up for us! It's time to crash through into the unknown!

Ehud & Eglon

Sort of excited about this one! I started the book of Judges yesterday and I read an account today I have NEVER heard of or read before. So, that's exciting. I guess for whatever reason this judge that God rose up by the name of Ehud never seems to make it into sermons. Well, at least not in any I have ever heard in the past 15 years. And well, I myself never read the whole book of Judges before so I was quite surprised to find it.
But as I am in a season of trial I find it exciting!!!
So, if you don't know (like I didn't)

Judges 3:12-14,17
 Once again the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the LORD, and because they did this evil the LORD gave Eglon king of Moab power over Israel. Getting the Ammonites and Amalekites to join him, Eglon came and attacked Israel, and they took possession of the City of Palms. The Israelites were subject to Eglon king of Moab for eighteen years... Now Eglon was a very fat man.

So here we have the people of Israel, because they did evil in the Lord's sight, given over to the enemy. Interesting to note that the Moabites were descendants of Lot. If you recall Lot's daughter got him drunk and laid with him and became pregnant after the destruction of Sodom & Gomorrah. (Genesis 19:30-38)
Moab was physically related to God’s people, yet had no connection spiritually, and was in fact an enemy of God’s people. So it is that people can attend church and outwardly look ‘Christian’, yet never come to know Jesus as their own Lord and Saviour.
You see, even as a true Christian it is easy to simply ‘go through the motions’ so we all have to be on our guard. It speaks to us of those times when, having departed from our first love, we carry on through the motion of being a ‘good Christian’, yet we have no relationship with the Lord. Eglon, the king of Moab is a warning for all of us to guard against this. In this regard it is also interesting to note that Eglon’s name is derived from the root word meaning ‘circle’, and in the meaning of his name we are given this same thought once again of someone going round and round, through the motions, without ever getting anywhere! There is however deliverance from this enemy and here comes our hero now!

Enter Ehud the Left-Handed Benjamite!

Judges 3:15
Again the Israelites cried out to the LORD, and he gave them a deliverer—Ehud, a left-handed man, the son of Gera the Benjamite.

(Okay...start playng the Rocky theme!)
 Our hero, Ehud, means ‘I will give praise’, or ‘I will give thanks’. Now, we are going to have a quick look at the power of praise because it is taught consistently throughout the word of God,
But there is a power in praise and gratitude, and its importance in our lives is taught consistently throughout the Bible.  All of us will be tested on this! There will always be times when trials and darkness surround you and praise is slow in coming. It is then, at that very moment, that you need to make a conscious decision to lift up your shield of faith and praise God despite how your circumstances seem.

Judges 3:16-21
Now Ehud had made a double-edged sword about a foot and a half long, which he strapped to his right thigh under his clothing. He presented the tribute to Eglon king of Moab, who was a very fat man… Ehud then approached him while he was sitting alone in the upper room of his summer palace and said, “I have a message from God for you.” As the king rose from his seat, Ehud reached with his left hand, drew the sword from his right thigh and plunged it into the king’s belly.

Well, the king died. Ehud escaped and led the Israelites out of bondage from Mohab. Woo Hoo!

There is a type here of the warfare that New Testament believers encounter and engage in. Our double-edged sword is not man-made but has been given to us from above.

Heb 4:12 ‘For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit.’.

Eph 6:17 ‘Take the… sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.’

And finally, we see from this passage in Judges that the enemy is defeated as the double-edged sword is thrust into the enemy’s side. For us, (and especially when trials arise) this means using the word of God as Jesus did to defeat the enemy when He was being tried in the desert. It means declaring the truth of the word, declaring the promises of God. It means using the truth of God’s word as your basis of praise and thankfulness to Him. It means renewing your mind with its truth when the arrows of doubt from the enemy flood in.

Submit yourself to God, resist the enemy (with the use of your sword!) and he will flee from you!

In this manner the cycle of sin is defeated and the enemy of empty profession is destroyed. 


 How cool is that? I like Ehud and this victory over Mohab. It shows me that the Word of God truly is sharper then any two-edge sword and I can defeat the enemy with praise, thanksgiving, and the Word (my sword!)

haha...wow, I LOVE the Word of God!

1-18-11

I haven't posted in a while but I have been reading and doing a lot of seeking. I finished Joshua and am now finishing up reading about the life of Jacob in Genesis. So, I guess today I'll talk about Jacob.

Jacob was a schemer. He schemed his way into getting Esau's birthright, his blessing. He schemed for Rachel. he schemed with Rachel's father. He even tried scheming with God. Through all of this we see that Jacob struggled his way to faith. God had promised Rachel before Jacob was born that the older would serve the younger. The birthright and blessing were already Jacob's. Essentially he schemed for what God was already going to give him. If Jacob had just trusted God he would have had less conflict in his life. He wouldn't have had turmoil with his family, with his in-laws. It shows me that we must always trust God and not get ahead of His plans. Now, even when we mess up and forge ahead in our own plans God still extends mercy and blessing. But what we can save ourselves from is a lot of unnecessary heartache. I don't want God's permissive will. I want His perfect will!
God is showing me more and more how important it is to wait on Him. To trust Him. In my human nature I want to try to fix things. I want to forge ahead with "my" plans or what I think is right. But God is teaching me "Be still and Know". BE STILL. WAIT. SIT AT MY FEET.
He has a perfect plan for my life but it must be His timing and not mine.
Jacob wrestled with God and walked with a limp for the rest of his life. I think sometimes I wrestle more with myself. I definitely do not want to wrestle with God. Submit! Now that's a better word.

May God give me the strength to submit every day.

The significance of the first miracle Jesus did

The first miracle we see is Jesus turning water into wine. The first miracle we see Moses do is turn water into blood. Blood signifies judgement where wine signifies celebration and joy. We see with Moses came the law and judgement but with Jesus comes celebration and joy for He brought grace and mercy!

I love this story of the first miracle. Weddings were a big deal in this time. They would last sometimes 3 days to a week. After the initial wedding everyone would gather into the bride's house for blessings on her and toasts, etc. Then they would go to the groom's home where the party really began. Running out of wine at these parties was not just embarrasing but a big offense. It simply did not happen. So, when Mary sees this she takes her concern to Jesus and submits to Him by telling the servants whatever He tells you, do it. These servants were the ones who were blessed to be part of this first miracle. Everytime they dipped there serving instrument into the pot full of water they saw it turn into wine. Over and over again. They received that blessing because they were obedient to do what they were told.
I LOVE how Jesus chose the servants to witness and be a part of this first miracle. And the symbolism of the celebration and joy to come.

This was a  miracle of creation. Jesus shows us He is Lord over nature and He is Lord over time. It reminds us that God is the creator.

This was also a miracle of transformation. Jesus changed things.

Jesus wants to change things in your heart. ♥

I heard a quote today that really summed it up
If Jesus could turn water into fine wine surely He can make fine wine out of the tap water of my life. Even if the wine skin is getting old.