Tuesday's In Other Words: Thanks Living for Thanksgiving

Deborah at Chocolate & Coffee is hosting today's "In Other Words" writing challenge. Stop by her place and check us out. For more information about IOW visit Loni at Writing Canvas.

Whatever happens, give thanks,

because it is God's will in Christ Jesus that you do this.
1 Thessalonians 5:18 (God's Word)

.

I have chosen to go back to the original passage that this Scripture is found in because I believe we find several keys to "thanks living." (NOTE: This is a long post, my speciality :o). Please hang on with me until the end.)

.

Shall we take a look?

.

KEYS TO THANKS LIVING:

.

Key 1: Be Happy In Your Faith.

"Be happy [in your faith] and rejoice and be glad-hearted continually (always);" 1 Thessalonians 5:16 (AMP)

.

In the Greek the word chairo is translated "rejoice" in verse 16. It is defined in Strong's Hebrew and Greek Dictionary as "a primary verb; to be “cheer”ful, i.e. calmly happy or well-off; impersonal especially as salutation (on meeting or parting), be well :- farewell, be glad, God speed, greeting, hail, joy (-fully), rejoice.—Strong's Talking Greek & Hebrew Dictionary"

Vine's demonstrates all the occasion for which one is commended to rejoice in it's definition:

"to rejoice," is most frequently so translated. As to this verb, the following are grounds and occasions for "rejoicing," on the part of believers:

1. in the Lord, (Phil. 3:1; Phil. 4:4)

2. His incarnation, (Luke 1:14)

3. His power, (Luke 13:17)

4. His presence with the Father, (John 14:28)

5. His presence with them, (John 16:22; John 20:20)

6. His ultimate triumph, (John 8:56)

7. hearing the gospel, (Acts 13:48)

8. their salvation, (Acts 8:39)

9. receiving the Lord, (Luke 19:6)

10. their enrollment in Heaven, (Luke 10:20)

11. their liberty in Christ, (Acts 15:31)

12. their hope, (Rom. 12:12) (cp. Rom. 5:2; Rev. 19:7)

13. their prospect of reward, (Matt. 5:12)

14. the obedience and godly conduct of fellow believers, (Rom. 16:19, RV, "I rejoice" (AV, "I am glad") 2 Cor. 7:7, 9; 2 Cor. 13:9; Col. 2:5; 1 Thess. 3:9; 2 John 1:4; 3 John 1:3)

15. the proclamation of Christ, (Phil. 1:18)

16. the gospel harvest, (John 4:36)

17. suffering with Christ, (Acts 5:41; 1 Pet. 4:13)

18. suffering in the cause of the gospel, 2 Cor. 13:9 (1st part); Phil. 2:17 (1st part); (Col. 1:24)

19. in persecutions, trials and afflictions, (Matt. 5:12; Luke 6:23; 2 Cor. 6:10)

20. the manifestation of grace, (Acts 11:23)

21. meeting with fellow believers, (1 Cor. 16:17, RV, "I rejoice;" Phil. 2:28)

22. receiving tokens of love and fellowship, (Phil. 4:10; the "rejoicing" of others, Rom. 12:15; 2 Cor. 7:13)

23. learning of the well-being of others, (2 Cor. 7:16.)

(Emphasis and enumeration added)

.

So my question becomes: Do I live happy in my faith in every one of these circumstances. The Bible gives us twenty-three specific instances where we are to be happy in our faith, rejoicing and glad-hearted. I'm good with that list until I get to 17, 18 and 19. I can be thankful for those circumstances, but happy and glad-hearted about them. Not so much. And then the passage gives us the trump card: In the amplified the word is translated "continually" but in the Greek the literal translation is "every when." Which is translated in the KJV: "evermore." Are you Happy and Glad-hearted in your faith always, continually and evermore? As for me, I'm going to have to work on that. Our faith will sustain us - we must realize this to be Thanks Livers.

.

Key 2: PRAY PERSEVERINGLY.

17 Be unceasing in prayer [praying perseveringly];

.

Persevering Prayer. Like the praise and prayer that went up when Paul and Silas were in the prison and the earth shook, the walls broke and the doors clanged open free. Like the prayer that Nehemiah prayed even as he spoke his heart before the king. HMMM!

.

Persevering, prevailing, powerfully unceasing prayer. That is what I think of in this case. Our prayers will give us endurance when we believe by faith we have what we ask for. As I read this and consider how it applies to Thanks Living, I think of Justin's last year of life. I had prayed... prayed... and prayed... even asking God if I was praying for the wrong things. I was given Philippians 1:6 by a friend for Justin and instructed to pray that God would continue and complete the good work that He began in Justin at Salvation - so I did. Night and day, in tears and with the laying on of hands... If you can imagine a way to pray it I did. I prayed it in groups, wrote it into prayer requests, I prayed. But, when fall of 2004 gave way to winter and winter to spring, the roller coaster ride of emotional and behavioral highs and lows went into overdrive.

.

The entire process of watching my oldest child self-destruct up close and personal was not only devestating, it was defeating. But I held on, I prayed harder - if that is possible. I went face down, on my knees and any which way that the Bible indicates to pray. For heaven's sake I would have prayed to the North, South, East and West if I thought it would help God hear my prayers. I was more than desperate - I needed a lifeline for me and my son.

.

Beth Moore's "Living Beyond Yourself" was on my plate that spring as life spun continually out of control. I was hanging on by a thread. In the lesson one night was a representational response to prayer: the instruction was to write our most ardent prayer request, the one we take continually before the Lord, on an index card. I didn't even have to think: "JUSTIN." That was all I wrote.

.

The next part, thank Him for the answer by faith in advance. ... O...kay. I lifted my index card to heaven and thanked God for hearing those prayers I had offered for my son, and acting on them providing the answers in His perfect time. The conclusion: Each time I felt the burden to pray for that request, thank God for the coming answer instead. And I did...

.

After we had him arrested, I thanked God all the more.

.

When he ran away, I thanked God all the more.

.

When the police were at our house, I thanked God all the more.

.

Sitting outside the justice's chamber while my son sat a bench away in handcuffs I thanked God all the more.

.

I thanked God and thanked God and thanked Him for my son, his life, the future He promised Justin.

.

I thanked Him for the answer and believed by faith I had what I asked for - and then the accident happened.

.

And in the midst of the almost hour long drive to the hospital not knowing how my son was doing, whether or not he would live or die... I began to pray and praise God all at the same time. I thanked Him my son was still alive and asked only that he remain alive until I get to the hospital. I thanked God for successful surgery, and for the surgeons who operated on him that first night. I thanked Him for getting my son on the helicopter and taking him to the #2 trauma center in North Texas. I thanked Him.

.

On the day my son died I thanked God for having mercy and making it sure. I thanked God for the life of my son and the 17 precious years I had with him. I thanked God. And, somehow on that day when I could not thank God for the financial blessing of an insurance check - I asked, "How is Justin dying a part of you blessing us? God, I don't understand." Philippians 1:6 began to roll around in my head, dusting off the corners of my memory and resurrecting that faith that prayed it all those months before. I heard in my spirit that day, "It is not the money, but that Justin is now Complete. He was made perfect the day he came home to heaven." And I praised Him through tears and through anguish I praised Him for every detail of my grief until today I can count myself blessed for the privilege of suffering in this way, for knowing the heart of God through agony and for seeing His hand in spite of the pain. Thanks living...

.

Key 3: Thank God In EVERYTHING No Matter What The Circumstances May Be.

18 Thank [God] in everything [no matter what the circumstances may be, be thankful and give thanks], for this is the will of God for you [who are] in Christ Jesus [the Revealer and Mediator of that will].

.

Before my son's last few years of life, before that deep relationship with God was built... I don't think I knew what it meant to be thankful. I was grateful for things that benefited me and despised experiences that did not.

.

When Justin's life went beyond my ability to control, manage and define it... I had to depend utterly and solely on God for the well-being of my child. Then I became grateful for the smallest victories and even for the lessons learned in the most agonizing defeats. The war was fought long and hard and in unconventional ways. It hurt, spiritually I felt like our entire family must have bled out (spiritually) a few times, but somehow God sustained us and even now the good outweighs the bad in those volatile and turbulent years.

.

Cultivating Gratitude in the smaller battle made my heart able to rejoice, to be not just grateful but truly THANKFUL (not just going through the motions of thanksgiving but really meaning it from your heart in any and every circumstance), even in spite of the circumstance, and being gracious even as I walked out the death of my child - my worst confessed fear.

.

Key 4: Walk In The Spirit Every Day.

19 Do not quench (suppress or subdue) the [Holy] Spirit;

.

Galatians 5 strikes me always as the Holy Spirit chapter and towards the end of that book you read about life in the flesh versus life in the Spirit. Quenching the Spirit involves any one or all the matters our flesh, (really our soulish behavior demonstrates). This is behavior driven by our pre-salvation will and desires, our unchecked emotions and our intellectual minds.

.

Living by the Spirit is a conscious choice to stay vitally connected to the Lord at all times. It means not letting sin go unchecked, but being intentional in confession. Naming sins rather than blanket confessing them, and then appropriating the forgiveness God has already settled our accounts with. Confession is one of the most freeing things in our Christian walk, because it reopens the door between us and God and allows the Spirit to flow unhindered into our hearts, our souls and our minds. The Spirit of God is the only way God administeres the Freedom that Christ came to deliver to us as His children. We must seek to walk in the Spirit everyday.

.

Key 5: It Doesn't Depend On Me.

20 Do not spurn the gifts and utterances of the prophets [do not depreciate prophetic revelations nor despise inspired instruction or exhortation or warning].

.

Despising things we don't understand is a huge way to quench the Spirit. Knowing that the gifts and call of the Lord do not rest upon my understanding of them frees me from judgments and calloused behavior toward Christians of different denominations. It also gives me understanding of limitations and the guiding of the Holy Spirit and the call of God. I am not advocating here the gifts of prophecy and "utterances" (speaking gifts) - I recognize that we each must come to our own understanding of the administration of the giftings in the New Testament and the call of God upon our individual lives.

.

My personal preferences and opinions matter little when weighed against the infallibility of God's Word. Even if I do not cognitively agree with or prefer the teacher who is speaking on a matter of Scripture, I can be like the Bereans and examine everything against what I know to be true, God's Written Word - the Holy Bible - and ask the Holy Spirit to give me wisdom in discerning whether what I am engaging is of Him or of something else.

.

It is our responsibility not to base our assessment of God's calling, giftings and Scripture circumspectly on the teachings of other men, no matter how credentialled or scholarly - we must test it all which brings me to Key 6.

.

Key 6: We Must Prove ALL Things Against God's Standard - His Word. Holding Fast only to what His Standard says is GOOD.

21 But test and prove all things [until you can recognize] what is good; [to that] hold fast.

.

All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work. ~ 2 Timothy 3:16-17 (NKJV)

.

Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth. ~ 2 Timothy 2:15 (NIV)

.

And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. ~ Romans 12:2 (NKJV)

.

These three Scriptures indicate a personal relationship that involves more than submitting yourself to the teachers of the Word you subscribe to. It indicates a personal relationship born of meting out the Word of God for yourself. Comparing what you are taught with what is true and discarding anything that does not resonate with the Word of God itself, regardless of whether the one teaching has authority and credentials. It doesn't mean tearing down another's ministry, but it does mean not staking your sole response to God and His Word on the teaching and reliability of human interpretation. We must be groomed for godliness and that comes from God's Word, taught, caught and applied.

.

Key 7: Avoid Willful Sin And Flee Temptation.

22 Abstain from evil [shrink from it and keep aloof from it] in whatever form or whatever kind it may be.

.

We are to be innocent of evil and experts in what is good. How can we know that ourselves if we never ever open God's Word and discern from it what His Will is? There are more than ten standards of "Hebrew Law." All of Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy overview and outline the extent and the consequence of God's Law. But, what of the Law of Grace, and atonement. How do we avoid the sin of pride and piety that so plagued the Pharisees in Jesus' day. By exercising mercy toward others who are caught in sin - love the sinner, hate the sin and applying any judgment or measure of justice we deem necessary to absolve sin toward ourselves... then CONFESS IT to God in humility and ask Him to make you contrite and repentent over your sin.

.

""Judge not, that you be not judged. 2 For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you. 3 And why do you look at the speck in your brother's eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye? 4 Or how can you say to your brother, 'Let me remove the speck from your eye'; and look, a plank is in your own eye? 5 Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye." ~ Matthew 7:1-5 (NKJV)

.

Galatians 6:1 says it this way: "Brethren, if a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness, considering yourself lest you also be tempted. 2 Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. 3 For if anyone thinks himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself. 4 But let each one examine his own work, and then he will have rejoicing in himself alone, and not in another. 5 For each one shall bear his own load. " ~ Galatians 6:1-5 (NKJV)

.

And for good measure, here is the word I love: "He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you but to do justly, and to love kindness and mercy, and to humble yourself and walk humbly with your God?" ~ Micah 6:8 (AMP)

.

Key 8: Be Set Apart, Sanctified by God Himself.

23 And may the God of peace Himself sanctify you through and through [separate you from profane things, make you pure and wholly consecrated to God]; and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved sound and complete [and found] blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ (the Messiah).

.

Santification has its work in setting us apart when we submit ourselves fully to God through Salvation, Confession, Repentence, Discipleship or Instruction, Ministry and Relationship or Fellowship with both God and His People. He finds us blameless when we surrender ourselves and allow ourselves to be cloaked in the righteousness of Christ for in and of ourselves there is none righteous, no not one. Only Christ who gave Himself to be righteousness for us and in turn made us His righteousness before God. His righteousness preserves us blameless before the Lord. Be sanctified, set apart for the purposes of God through and through.

.

Key 9: Trust God To Finish The Work In You. (See Also Philippians 1:6)

24 Faithful is He Who is calling you [to Himself] and utterly trustworthy, and He will also do it [fulfill His call by hallowing and keeping you].
.

He alone is faithful and trustworthy to finish all that He has called us to, all He has gifted us for and anything and everything in between. It doesn't depend on you - It all depends on Him.

In conclusion I would like to reaffirm Romans 12:1-3:

.

Brothers and sisters, in view of all we have just shared about God's compassion, I encourage you to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, dedicated to God and pleasing to him. This kind of worship is appropriate for you. 2 Don't become like the people of this world. Instead, change the way you think. Then you will always be able to determine what God really wants—what is good, pleasing, and perfect. 3 Because of the kindness that God has shown me, I ask you not to think of yourselves more highly than you should. Instead, your thoughts should lead you to use good judgment based on what God has given each of you as believers. (God's Word)

Tuesday's In Other Words: No Regrets, Just Gratitude

For more information about this writing challenge please visit Loni at Writing Canvas by clicking the link above.

“And I don’t regret the rain,
And the nights I felt the pain,
And the tears I had to cry some
of those times along the way.
Every road I had to take,
Every time my heart would break -
It was just something that I had to get through
To get me to you…”

As sung by Lila McCann,
“To Get Me To You” [Hope Floats Soundtrack]

As Thanksgiving approaches this year, the words to this song resound in my head in so many ways. I had this song played at our wedding ten years ago because I had lived such a rough existence prior to meeting the "love of my life," Scott. He swept in like a knight on a white horse and brought such good things to my life and the lives of my children. But, most of all, he stood by me through thick and thin, loved me unconditionally and overlooked a sordid and ugly past in favor of a future with me. He has willingly taken on the responsibility of my three children and brought to my life the beauty of his own. I was so thankful to be marrying a man like him, and I knew God had brought us together for a reason. I thank God for him everyday.

.

Scott's love made my past worth the journey.

.

WHY?

.

Because I valued it more, and I appreciate him more. He made me want to be a better person and our marriage and his lack of faith drove this family straight into the arms of God. So, I don't regret the rain or the pain or the tears or any of the umpteen million things that happened that made me feel I was "a used up woman with three kids." A broken down mess, damaged goods. Because my story mirrors the redemption of Christ and the adulterous woman. I can love much, because the love I have received has forgiven much and I can tell people who are living where I had lived that there is hope, and future and promise in God's plan for them --- I am living proof.

.

Would I do it differently - maybe, maybe not. I would have done what I knew to do at the time. Now that I know better I can walk forward and leave the past where it belongs, under the blood of Christ, forgiven on the cross where I have confessed my sins to Him, and as far as the east is from the west - remembered no more.

.

Since Justin's death I have learned a new lesson, that life is way too short to live in regret... So I move forward by choice. Living everyday fully, with God and my family and loving every minute of this life He has given me. And, today I can forgive others and remember their sins against me no more... a life lived with NO REGRETS.

.

Thank You Lord Jesus, for dying on the cross for my sins, for redeeming a wretched sinner such as I. Thank You even more for redeeming my past, my tears, my pain and my shame and mending them into a beautiful tapestry that tells the story of Your beautiful grace. I cannot fathom it, and I cannot often see what you see in me, but I am grateful for the journey, the love and the promise you have bestowed upon all who call upon Your name. You are a good God and I for one am thankful you are my God and Your love sees me through. It is in Your sweet name I pray, Amen.

Tuesday's In Other Words: Do Justice, Love Mercy

“A pharisee is hard on others and easy on himself,

but a spiritual man is easy on others and hard on himself.”

by A.W.Tozer

I am growing to LOVE A. W. Tozer and his concise, rich writings and teachings on the Christian journey. This reminds me of a song that Big Daddy Weave sings called Pharisee. I guess maybe this hit a cord in me because I am dealing with laying down judgmental attitudes that I developed over the years. Not judgments against others so much... God really has shown me that people in glass houses should NEVER. THROW. STONES. Because, of course, you never know when you might get it back.

I wrote a devotion for my curriculum about Embracing Grace that often times I will hear Christian leadership be critical of others and in so doing they are really sinning themselves by passing judgment on the circumstance of another. It doesn't prompt me to boycott their program, it prompts me to pray for their heart. To ask God why they are doing what they do, and how it is that people devoted to His Word could get so tied up in "doing" the law they miss the grace of God that is at its heart. The point I made in the devotion is that God set at work in the law His grace, not just by offering His Son in final atonement... But also in the fact that the observance of the law exemplified the grace of God at work in our own lives. Think of it - the first four commandments are the mark of devotion and love for God and the last six express His heart for mankind. Grace at work in the Law. We don't live under separate covenants - it is all one covenant with two parts. We don't live under grace and exclude the law anymore than we are to live under the law and exclude grace. They are not mutually exclusive, but were always purposed together to express the heart of God toward His people.

Now... I guess at this point I should say this - the reason for keeping the law is to keep ourselves lined up with God both in priniciple and deed.

Micah 6 tells us we are to "DO" justice and "LOVE" mercy. I think this pretty much sums it up for me. Doing justice means I do what is right, but loving mercy means that I extend grace to others.

Does this mean that I condone sin? NO! But, it doesn't mean I can willy nilly go around policing the lives of others based on my understanding of the Word of God. If someone has not given me permission to speak into their life, am I truly honoring God by beating them down with His Word?

Truth. I must carefully weigh the value. Case in point. My brothers and I were raised by honorable, Christian parents. I do not wish to dishonor them in any way. They were no more flawed or perfect than anyone else's parents both having backgrounds steeped in good moral values and skewed perceptions of the church and its role in the Christian walk. I spent much of my life passing judgment on their parenting by rebelling against it while my brother a year younger towed the line, did as much as he could to please them and seldom took up offenses on behalf of either of my parents.

After I began attending church in my late 20s I discovered that I had been pious, self-righteous and indignant toward my mother whom I blamed for nearly every trouble I had. I had to forgive her, accept her limitations and surrender her to God in prayer in order to find peace. Laying down any wound I felt was her responsibility and living with her in Paul's words, "As far as it depends on me, live at peace with all men."

Only more recently have I let go of the heavy wounds that I held against my father. Not because he was less deserving, but because those wounds did not add the strain to our relationship that the mother wounds had left in my relationship with my mom.

A few years back, my brother went through Christian counseling where he apparently was encouraged to confess any bitterness he harbored against others, especially in his family. He did so with my mother and me. It seemed that neither mother nor I anticipated, expected nor understood what he was trying to accomplish because the offenses he confessed did little more than insight hurt feelings and more offenses because we did not know what the point of the confession was. I totally missed he was asking for forgiveness and felt very judged and I am guessing my mother felt the same. Not... To dishonor my brother - he was only working through his own brand of misery and difficulties... It just turned into a big mess. One I would gather he did not intend to create.

The truth is, we all live in this human condition and have skewed motives and value systems based on a fallen existence. However, when rightly submitted to God - we have the power to forgive, to grow in grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ and extend kindness and grace to others even when we ourselves feel they do nto deserve it. Why?

Because Jesus Himself did the very same thing on our behalf more than 2,000 years ago and to not do so would be denying His sacrifice, His love and His grace at work in our own lives.

Do Justice and Love Mercy... Perhaps I talked all around it this morning and missed the point of my own post. Or perhaps somewhere in this jumbled mess of thoughts and feelings is a message about God's heart that I have been learning and walking through the last 10 years. Either way I pray you are blessed and able to gleen from the mumblings of this humble servant. Be Blessed.

AMY at In Pursuit of Proverbs 31 is hosting this morning. Please stop on by and check out what others are saying "In OTHER Words." And, thanks Amy for a great quote!

Frazzled...

Okay... So have you ever had so much happening at once you had to check and see if you weren't going in two different directions. If you subtract the baby and add two teenage girls and you pretty much have my life ...


As I watched the early reports on Hurricane Ike I wondered if we would get the call to house evacuees over the week after the hurricane made landfall. However, last Tuesday our family got a call of a different kind. On Wednesday my husband headed down south to help with Hurricane recovery work. Our part is keeping the home fires burning and sacrificing in the area of our budget so that my husband can help restore utilities in the Hurricane ravaged towns.

Granted - my husband gets paid for what he is doing by way of Hurricane recovery. Yet, he is working grueling hours in very poor conditions and we are going to end up spending more than he gets reimbursed for perdium while he is there. I guess it is a good thing my husband's job is not our source. God has a plan and he is faithful. I pray for my husband's spiritual condition while he is away - the long hours and dismal conditions are sure to take their toll at some point. So I ask for prayer for him in so many ways.

He works for a local telephone company and told me that there is enough work there to keep everyone busy (on the telephone side) for about six months. Towns like Baytown, Hitchcock and other Galveston Bay front towns are truly devastated - but are not being talked about much on the news. I stood in line behind a woman who is staying in this area since the hurricane has flooded her house and has her stranded here in town. She said that she needs FEMA help to get a hotel but has not gotten any assistance yet.

We are faced with it everywhere we turn. Our church sent out an email this weekend stating that our church will be a staging facility working with a church in the Hurricane affected area sending volunteers down for four day rotations to gut houses and make it possible for them to be repaired quickly without the threat of mold setting in on the studs and foundation.

I guess, the most troubling thing for me is to think that many people are still missing. My husband reported on Friday that the town they were working in was pretty much wiped out. He saw a couple of D/FW metro area firetrucks pulling up with trailers. They unloaded two "gator" first aid carts with four stretchers each and were accompanied by a police officer with an assault rifle and a can of spray paint. My husband's statment on the scene was bone-chilling for me, "They are about to go in and search for bodies from house to house."

He said - IT IS REALLY BAD. My heart breaks and I asked him how he is dealing with being in a place where he is surrounded by death. He said, "I have a job to do. I try not to think about it too much."

So... I'm praying over these first hand reports, praying for the funds to support two households until my husband's perdium catches up with us in a couple of weeks and praying for protection for everyone who is going down to work and all of those who are hurting over the loss of their home or the loss of their family and friends. May God be merciful and bless them all. Bless them all.

So... I have been a little off since Thursday afternoon. I will get the Names of God caught up Wednesday and post on IOW a week from Tuesday. I am adjusting to my new "single mom" status and realizing how blessed I am to have a husband who helps me so much when he is home.

Mandy Thompson is writing about everyday doers over at her blog. What do these types of reports prompt you to do?

Love to you all and many blessings.

Tuesday's In Other Words: Credited as Righteousness

Miriam (Mipa) at Miriam Pauline's Monologue is hosting this week's IOW. If you would like to participate, just copy the quote above and write your own post In "Other"
Words about this week's quote.

------------------------------------------------------

Even the demons believe that God exists and shudder. Belief in the existence of God is not enough to be called by the name of His Son. Belief in the existence of God does not guarantee us the promise of heaven and eternal life with the God in whom we believe. The kind of faith that is credited as righteousness is the faith that declares Jesus as Lord and Savior, the God who redeems that which is lost and restores brokenness and overcame the grave. The One and Only Son of God who came to seek and save that which was lost.

When I read this quote I think of Abraham. Abraham who sent one son off to the desert with his wife's handmaid, Hagar, and entrusted his life to the Lord and His promise for Ishmael. Only to be given an even more difficult task.

I think of how God called him to give up the promise to see if Abraham's faith was in God or in the child God had given him. However, as we read in Genesis 22, Abraham acted faithfully entrusting His son's life to God and believing that if God called him to sacrifice the child of promise, that God would indeed bring Him back from the death and that is exactly what God did.

.
My favorite part of the retelling in Genesis 22 is when Isaac asks his father on the way up the mountain, "I see the altar. I see the knife. But, Father, who will provide the lamb?"
.
Abraham's Answer: "The Lord will provide the Lamb."
.
How Abraham's heart and love for his son must have raged against his willingness to be obedient to the Lord even in death.

.
I have never questioned God on the death of my son, Justin. I know there is a better purpose and plan in it all. I have experienced deep comfort and peace in the arms of my Savior over this issue. I had to trust God to be as good as His Word and that He would not let me stumble or fall even in the most devastating circumstances. I could have raged against Him and cried out about the injustice... I could have renounced my faith in Him because life had not worked out the way I had planned and the answers to my prayers for my son were often the situation growing much worse rather than better. Anytime we experienced a moment of reprieve in his life, it would seem it was only the calm before a much more violent storm. Yet, in it all, I never stopped praying, believing, asking or hoping that God would deliver on the words spoken over my son all his life.

And what about Ishmael? What happened to Abraham's other son? Hagar ran from the harshness of her mistress while pregnant with Ishmael, she ran to the desert where she encountered the Lord and received a promise. Had she not believed God for that promise, she could not have returned to the harsh treatment of her mistress and endured for the sake of her child. She returned to her mistress and endured the harshness with the promise that the Lord saw her agony and would take care of Hagar and her unborn child. She went back only to return to the desert once more. Only to watch as her son almost die... And the God who sees, El Roi, He saw Hagar and Ishmael and had mercy on them - just as He did with Isaac and Abraham on the mountain. Sometimes, receiving the promise means believing God while returning to places you had once thought the door would be closed forever.

This Psalm comforts me when I find myself revisited by haunting moments of my past - places and things that have been long done but have not been dealt with between the Lord and I. Things I'd just asoon never revisist. However, God in His mercy would not allow me to be pushed back to those places unless He intended to help me and bless me through them so that those circumstances could never make me fall again.

When I find myself in the grips of self-defeating life patterns, going back again and again to what has wrought havoc and destruction in my life, I am learning to ask God why I keep going back and how this works in His plan for my life. He is ever faithful. He restores my heart, my mind and my soul in those moments and always provides a way out for me. He then cleanses me of it and redeems the memory to show me where He was and what He was doing during those dark and painful times. It is truly for Freedom that Christ has set us Free. Going back does not mean revisiting and reclaiming the shame and destruction of a particular period of my life, going back means believing by faith that if I entrust my past to God and allow Him to redeem it - it will be used to reveal His good and glory in the life of another and in turn bring restoration and healing to me. He is faithful. He never forsakes us. He asks only that we would believe.

"What does the Scripture say? 'Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.'" ~ Romans 4:3 (NIV)

God gave Abraham credit for trusting His word. He gave Abraham credit for believing in Him through much adversity - and He will give you credit, too. Not for how you failed Him, but for how you trusted in Him when the times were hard, the memories painful and so difficult to understand. Trust Him completely let Him redeem your past as He delivers you into a glorious future. He truly is making all things new.

------------------------------------------------------------

For more info about In "Other Words", check out Loni's blog at Writing Canvas.

Tuesday's In Other Words: Wrestling With God

THIS WEEK'S IN "OTHER" WORDS IS BEING HOSTED BY LONI AT WRITING CANVAS....Hop on over and check out what others are saying "in other words.

-------------------------------------------------------

Is it awful that I was so excited to read this quote? I often hear people express their anger with God and their inability to resolve that anger over something in their lives. Parents who have lost children can find this one element of grief to be the most challenging to overcome. I often site the experience of Job when I address these types of concerns. Job started out praising God, but throughout the book bearing his name Job wrestles with his identity, God's sovereignty, and even the purpose for which God intended all the suffering that Job was enduring.

.
For some forty chapters we see Job sorting, venting, and lamenting his dire circumstances before the Lord. But, one thing God establishes for us from the beginning is this:
.

"In all this, Job did not sin by charging God with wrongdoing." Whew! I want that to be said of me when the annals of history are reviewed. That I never held God to account for some wrong that happened in my life. So how did Job manage to maintain his "integrity" as his wife put it while sorting out the messiness of anger and grief with God. I believe it is because to men Job defended God, but when he was in anguish - he sought out the Lord and made his complaint known only to God. Was Job putting on a brave face or was his heart sincerely holding onto something that he believed and hoped to be true in spite of all the evidence to the contrary? In my reading of Job, I found that he held onto what he believed to be true of God, what he hoped for... And, he knew that if he questioned God, God would answer him.
.
And how is it that we can be sure that all this wrestling it out with God is okay? In Job 42, light dawns in Job's life. His suffering is about to end as Job admits that nothing and no one can stop the plans of God. Read on and see what God did in response to Job's acknowledgment:

.
"1 Then Job replied to the LORD :

.
2 'I know that you can do all things;
no plan of yours can be thwarted.
.
3 You asked, 'Who is this that obscures
my counsel without knowledge?'
.
Surely I spoke of things I did not understand,
things too wonderful for me to know.

.
4 'You said, 'Listen now, and I will speak;
I will question you, and you shall answer me.'

.
5 My ears had heard of you
but now my eyes have seen you.

.
6 Therefore I despise myself
and repent in dust and ashes.'

.
10 After Job had prayed for his friends, the LORD made him prosperous again and gave him twice as much as he had before. 11 All his brothers and sisters and everyone who had known him before came and ate with him in his house. They comforted and consoled him over all the trouble the LORD had brought upon him, and each one gave him a piece of silver and a gold ring. 12 The LORD blessed the latter part of Job's life more than the first." ~ Job 42: 1-6, 10-12 (NIV)
.
Job's plight forced him to come face-to-face with the truth about his heart, his beliefs and ultimately his God. When Job realized that his anguish had caused him to doubt God - Job repented and confessed the truth before the Lord. And if Job had stopped there, perhaps that would have been enough. Yet, he fulfilled the glory of his revelation by also praying for those who had not only accused him of being responsible for the tragedy taht had befallen his family, but they had also prompted the further questioning of God's judgment in those sovereign acts.

Job's suffering accomplished many things, but for Job it established that his initial response was correct. That the Lord may indeed give and He may also take away, but in all things His name is to BE PRAISED. By putting on this attitude of praise in his deep anguish, Job established a hopeful pattern that would be repeated throughout his discourse with God. The identification with a God who is inately good and true. By trusting God even with the messy, angry feeling he suffered in the wake of his loss, Job proved God faithful and true to His Word. God is a God who keeps His promises. He promises that no matter what He works all things for our good and His glory, that He can take what Satan intends for evil and turn it to good, that He always has a plan that prospers us and gives us a future and a hope, and that He will never leave nor forsake us no matter how bad it gets.

I want to conclude by reminding you of the story of Jacob in Genesis 32. Jacob was running from many things in his life. Not the least of these things was the deception that had pit him an enemy against his own brother. However, God caught up with Jacob one night and wrestled with Jacob throughout that night even injuring him. When God had enough of the struggle and was about to take His leave, Jacob caught a hold of Him and said, "I will not let you go until you bless me."

In spite of his past failures, in spite of the agonizing pain of the struggle, Jacob was not willing to give up. He knew that God could bless Him, change the outcome and deliver the victory and He was not leaving without it. God indeed blessed Jacob. He left that injury that Jacob suffered in the struggle to remind him of the reason for the pain. But, he gave Jacob a new identity, a better heritage and an eternal purpose to fulfill that far outweighed anything that Jacob had faced in his past. Israel's destiny was to make a name for God - and they did... His name is Jesus and He provided redemption and salvation from this fallen existence for us all.

In my own life, I have found this passage from James to be so true. When we allow suffering to have its perfect work in our lives. When we allow God to deal with our anger, our anguish and even out pain it builds in us a complete, sure and tested faith that brings us to maturity in Christ. When we suffer and face those sufferings as Christ did - "for the joy set before us" - we fellowship with Him in those bitter moments. That prepares us for the great joy that we have in our salvation, His promises of a better inheritance and the promises of eternity with Him. Suffering - even the kind that makes us angry with God - can produce a faith that lacks nothing if we will work it out with God.

Sorting out our anger with God is honest, it is necessary and it allows God to tend to our hurts and our wounds in ways that nothing on this earth will ever accomplish. God administers healing to those wounded, angry places within us so that the Holy Spirit can do its work in our lives. Trusting God with even the ugliest of our feelings toward Him opens our lives up for not only reconciliation, but also peace, joy, and hope that overflows into and out of our lives.

The sovereign goodness of God means that He can be trusted to act mercifully with us - even if we are angry with Him. His love and His nature will not allow Him to hold His anger against us if we confess it before Him in truth and with a heart that desires to be reconciled to Him in spite of our pain. He is good, His mercy endures forever... He is ever worthy of our praise.

------------------------------------------------------------

Check out Loni's website each week as we write about the quote for the week In "other" Words.

Tuesday's In Other Words: Guard Your Heart

Welcome to this week's In Other Words. I'm glad you decided to join us today. Please include your link at the bottom of this post and leave me a comment to let me know you stopped by!

-----------------------------------------------------------------

As I read this quote some months ago I realized how often people say "I just don't have time to read my Bible...I'm so busy that I cannot find the time to have a quiet time." Often we make these excuses but are careful not to miss our favorite television program in the evening. We will make time to go to the movies or spend an extra hour out browsing shops looking for the right outfit... We even spend hours scrapbooking or reading other literature without giving God due consideration in our daily lives.

At the beginning of this year, I had some extreme encounters with God through fasting that helped me to understand that my intimacy with the Lord is not just about a regimented routine of get up, read the Bible, pray about anything and everything and then get on with my day. He showed me that the discipline of intimacy is a privilege and that I should regard it with great care.

I had one occasion to just be quiet before Him. I listened as I went about my daily activities. He didn't want me still - He wanted me to listen. So I did. I spent hours in my prayer closet just between me and God. That time was spent listening, chatting, praying, and even reading my Bible. He showed me my heart in those days. My heart to know His Word through Bible study, to know His power through prayer, and to know Him in my daily life... Yet, He also showed me my unwillingness to allow my heart to be guarded by His Word. I wanted the benefits of intimacy without the cost.

When and where does life in the full come from? It begins as a slow aching need in our hearts that only God can fill. A need to be loved, accepted and affirmed as precious and approved of - and we fill it as our human hearts see fit. In relationships, appearances and material possessions we seek our satisfaction - all of which leave us wanting more. There is something about our hearts knows that life apart from God is empty living. Solomon dedicated the book of Ecclesiastes to this very subject. Everything is meaningless, all of life comes to nothing without the Lord at its center.

A month ago as I began writing curriculum and preparing myself for the class I will be teaching at church this fall I realized that I was not guarding my heart by allowing God to teach me His Word through His love. I was, instead, doing what I know best: Dividing the Word of truth through Word Study and assimilating doctrine on an as needed basis.

I have read just about every book and verse of the Bible in the context of Bible study, but not in the context of intimate relationship with my one and only God. I began to read Chapters of the Bible daily. Something I will not give up again. I mark out notes in the margin as I read and allow the truth to rumble around waking up dark and dusty corners of my heart. His Word is exposing the places I am negligent in my relationships and the places where I am vulnerable to attack.

When I think of all the time I missed spending with the Lord, I realize how it must have grieved God's heart to see me anxious about my daily living. How often I fretted over and tried to fix things that are way beyond my control. He watched me spiral into self-destruction and despair knowing that if I would only surrender my heart to Him fully that I would have all I need to not only endure the crises of my life but to overcome them in power and victory on a daily basis. Surrendering simply for the sake of Knowing Him and Being Known to Him - to be His, completely and fully free. Intimacy.

In both the Old and the New Testament we are admonished to love the Lord with all our heart, soul, mind and strength.

What does that look like in your life?

For me it is taking a detour to read the book of Micah when I'm in the throws of discovering and savoring the truth of Isaiah just because the Lord told me to... It is talking it out with Him over the dishes in the evening - even if my family thinks I'm nuts. It is even laying aside my nervous, fretful, "do-it-myself" tendencies in favor of belief and faith in things I cannot even fathom much less see.

Intimacy. It is born out of time spent in the presence and company of someone we love and want to know more about. It is about giving our time, attention and devotion to God in an undivided fashion and allowing our other relationships to flow out of that one defining affection of our lives. Guard your hearts, ladies... It is the key to living life with great purpose in the fullness of relationship and truth!

Be sure to link directly to your post for today's quote and not your blog url. Thanks!

--------------------------------------------------------------------

Visit Loni at Writing Canvas and learn more about the inspiration of Tuesday's In Other Words.

Tuesday's In Other Words: Little Hands

This week's IOW is being hosted by Nina at "Mama's Little Treasures stop on by and see what others are talking about In Other Words...
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

.
You know... as I weigh the words of this little prayer I am reminded of Hannah and her prayer before the Lord. She wanted no glory of her own - she just wanted the joy of motherhood and the promise of an heir in her life. Samuel received an anointing from birth because of his mother's heart and her heartcry.
.

In the book of 1 Samuel, the prophet erects a stone, an Ebenezer stone, and says, "Thus far the Lord has helped us."
.

That picture of a stone of remembrance for all the things the Lord has done struck a cord that resonated in my "momma" heart. My son was so troubled during his 17 years. He struggled with father identity issues having been abandoned before he was born by his father. He had bi-polar disorder and a wealth of other social, emotional and mental afflictions. Yet, somehow Justin found Joy in life. He found something to live for each and every day. He wrung life out of every moment he had and often would not settle for anything less.
.

One night after Bible study, I returned home and placed a smooth black stone in his no longer tiny hands. I told him that was his "Ebenezer" stone. I shared the story from 1 Samuel with him and then instructed him. "Carry this stone in your pocket and anytime you feel tempted to do the wrong thing or have others encouraging you to do the wrong thing... You just say, "Ebenezer says no."
.

A few months later he told me he had lost the stone and I gave him another one. It was a beautiful testimony to the influence a mother has over her child. You know, I often think I did not value him enough, listen to his heart enough or even try to understand him enough. But, I know that indeed - no matter what my shortcomings may have been that I loved him enough. I love him still.
.

This past weekend marked the third anniversary of his homegoing and I believe that I received healing this year! The joy returned and caught me almost unaware... Now, I just want to live like Justin did - wringing out every drop of life here on earth while I have it and never settling for anything less than fullness. God is so good.
.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Blessings sweet IOW friends. I've missed the meme and am glad to be back. Love Ya'll!
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

.

In Other Words is a writing meme and open to anyone who would like to give it a whirl. Just copy the quote at the top of this post, insert it into one of your own - and get to writing all about it in your very own words. It is fun, it is insightful and it is most of all a way to get those writing juices flowing... Blessings All.

Tuesday's In Other Words: Good Stewards, Godly Friends

This week's In Other Words is being hosted by Bonnie at the "Ink It" Blog .

For more information about In Other Words visit Loni at Writing Canvas.

I have found in my own experience there are times in my Christian walk that I have been assigned the task of traveling that particular leg alone. Other times, I find that I am in need of a few sojourners to mark out my way with. While I often can have many Christian acquaintances, I will only have a few close godly friends. I think of Jesus and the twelve disciples. There were many more than twelve with him. But, Scripture identifies twelve by name.

.

In Matthew, Jesus sends out at least 72 and who knows how many more were with Him as He traveled and ministered those three years of His life. If we look at the twelve, three are called to go deeper still. I don't want to speculate on the numbers... I want to look at why we are called to be friends to one another.

1. Because having a friend to bear the load with you makes the return for the work accomplished more. If you grow weak, you have someone along side of you to help you up and if you grow cold, your partner will help warm you back up.

Think of this - a load carried by two who evenly balance out the weight is much easier to labor through than just one person trying to do all the work themselves. We, as individuals are called to live together, in relationship with one another. The Acts 2 church was selling their personal possession and giving to any one of their fellow Christians as they had need. They worked together, prayed together and ate together. They lived their lives out together. Sharing their possessions, their distresses, their triumphs and tragedies. They lived in community. Edifying and Encouraging one another along the way... All the while spurring one another on in the faith.

2. Because God created us to live in relationship first with Him and then with others, we must share our lives with others. That is why our closest friends, our friends we share the most intimate details of our lives with must also share an intimate relationship with God. 1 Corinthians 6:14 warns us not to yoke ourselves... Tie ourselves to and depend on... unbelievers in life. This goes for our friendships as well as our marriage and business covenants. We should not be sharing our lives with those who are not a friend of God.

This does not diminish the fact that we need to be out there meeting with and ministering to all sorts of people in our lives - the call is to make disciples. But, our inner circle - those we depend on must be equally yoked with us in Christ. 1 Corinthians 15:33 warns us that bad company corrupts good morals... and we should heed this caution when we are involving ourselves with friends.

3. Having godly friendships should help keep us accountable in our daily lives. This will give us a pure heart, and in our relationships with others we should watch our speech making sure it is gracious and worthy of our friendship with the KING!

4. Our closest friends will bring pleasantness to our lives through godly counsel and concern for us. They will help us and we will help them maintain a consistent walk with Christ. We need people who are willing to speak easy and hard truth into our lives. Receiving godly counself from our friends is a dynamic part of living in godly community as by His design - Iron Sharpening Iron as Proverbs 27 encourages us in seeking godly friendships.

5. Our friendships must be based on reverent fear of and trust in God Almighty. We must have friends who live closely by the Word of God or else we run the risk of being led astray. If we ourselves do not do as God commands, we cannot call ourselves His friend. If we are not a friend of God then we cannot be in godly relationship with one another.

6. Finally, we cannot live as lukewarm Christians. Friendship with the things of this world is hatred toward God. We must be very careful that we are influencers bringing the virtues and character of God to the spheres of influence we are given rather than allowing the spheres of influence we have to corrupt us. The last place we want to find ourselves in this world is as an enemy of God.

In this journey God will send us godly friends to draw out His purpose in our lives and theirs. We must be good stewards of these relationships just as we must be good stewards of every other gift God gives us as His blessed children. I am praying that through this post we will at least have a better idea of how to be a good friend to those God sends to us to go deeper still. And ultimately we will find ourselves a faithful friend of our God and King.

Tuesday's In Other Words: For His Glory

This Week, SUSAN at "Forever His" is hosting. Pop on over and read what others are saying In Other Words.

Please visit Loni at "Writing Canvas" by using the link in this post to learn more about In Other Words and how you can participate!

..
More than three years ago, this verse had such a different meaning for me. It meant that God's plans would not harm me - they wouldn't hurt and they were for a future and a hope. I coupled it with Romans 8:28 "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." Romans 8:28 (NIV) Believing that the past where I had chosen not to follow God would result in a glorious future, and as long as I walked with Him life would turn out just as "we" had planned.
.

I could not have been more wrong. As I planned for writing this post today, I heard Romans 8:28 ringing in my ears just as I quoted it. But, I realized that the coupling of Jeremiah 29:11 and Romans 8:28 does nothing for the hurting because at times they don't ring true. At least that is what I found in my own experience in suffering and loss. Then I read the Message's paraphrase of Romans 8:28 and I could declare, "That's IT!"

That is what I feel like is happening in my life today: God is taking every painful, ugly and even glorious detail of my life in His love and working it into a masterpiece that reveals something that will benefit us and show off His amazing glory for all to see! It is His plan, He has had it from the beginning and He is working it out even in the writing of these words. He is showing how even pain, though it hurts for a little while, will not bring harm to my relationship with Him. He is showing how in spite of what hurts and how life deals us blows we can neither anticipate nor understand... We can still have hope in the One True God who gives and takes away, and blesses us in every season of our lives. Even if the blessing is only His peace and His love in a season of great pain. He alone is God, He alone is good and His glory makes this journey all worth while!

Tuesday's In Other Words: Knocking Down Walls

This week's IN OTHER WORDS is being hosted by LORI at ALL I HAVE TO GIVE...

Please pop on by and see what others have to say In Other Words!

As I read this week's quote I was struck by the word "strongholds": Brick walls that keep us from going where we are destined to go. Thick walls that keep God out of the places He needs to get into the most. I have been working on destoying one of my own.

.

Strongholds are built initially for protection, but if we choose to find our refuge in self-built strongholds and not the fortress and shelter of God Almighty we miss out on God's plan for us, even the risk that brings reward. A friend wrote to me recently of the description of Aslan in "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe" by C. S. Lewis. I was confessing to her all sorts of issues I was dealing with and how difficult it was for me to overcome them. She said, "Like Aslan,God is not always safe but He is always good."

.

As I considered this quote about walls my mind was drawn to David before he took the throne. He was fleeing for his life and hiding out in the "crag of the goats." Yet, his safety never rested in where he was hiding - instead his safety was tied to who He trusted in, His God. He writes of this beautifully here: "He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. 2 I will say of the Lord, "He is my refuge and my fortress; My God, in Him I will trust." Psalms 91:1-2 (NKJV).

.

We have a choice when we face pain, suffering, difficult people or situations and we must make that choice: We can build a stronghold around us of false security, unforgiveness and fear, or we can trust our God who demolishes strongholds and breaks down walls and sets us forth upon the road to our destiny. It is not without risk, it is not always safe, but the outcome is always good. Psalm 18:45 warns us that we will lose heart and come trembling in more fear if we rely on our strongholds. However, when God is our fortress, our enemy is the one who loses heart and comes trembling from his stronghold in defeat. The victory is ours.

If we choose to take refuge in self-built strongholds, our idea of safety and warfare become idols that stand between us and God. The stronghold becomes a snare of captivity and a foothold for the enemy. Satan amasses his troops around us and lays the assault that threatens to not only destroy our faith, but also our witness. It is this very thing that usually leads us into seasons of shaking and sifting where God brings about the circumstances that break down our walls for us. These times leave us feeling vulnerable to attack and requiring us to seek God as our refuge. If you are like me, at times we try to immediately rebuild the wall instead of running to God. But, once we turn to run to Him we will find He was waiting to meet us right there all along.

In the recently released movie Prince Caspian, Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy return to a very different Narnia. It is a scary place where the freedom and mystery no longer exist, it is a place that is not safe as the children soon learn.

.

On the other side of the island, Prince Caspian is also learning that what he thought was secure and safe in his future becomes a dangerous, run for your life situation.

.

The heroes begin to amass the Narnians and seek to challenge those who have taken the light from Narnia once again. They hold up in a large pyramid like structure where monuments to the Narnia of the past have been built. At one point, the four children and Prince Caspian are discussing what they should do go and attack the enemy or wait in their "stronghold" for the enemy to attack them.

.

Peter then leads them on an assault against the enemy in their fortress. They breach the walls and fight, but lose. When the enemy comes to their hide-away, stronghold where they retreat after defeat... The real fight begins.

.

From this scene in Prince Caspian I begin to see what God is doing in our lives. Often times, as God's Children, we do not turn to Him when we face battles, troubles and crises in our lives. Instead we run to what seems either safe or wise to our human minds. We try to take on the enemy with our own plans and our own strength or we simply run into the places we have built in our mind and our heart that feel safe. If our safe places or plans do not include God, and are not bound together by His Word and His Spirit, we will fail. Our strongholds are only illusions that end up trapping us for the enemy's attack.

.

And the sad part is, the enemy didn't have to trap us or capture us... We did it ourselves. God is waiting for us to seek Him, to rely on His to break down our walls and press us through the battle to the victory on the other side. It is His will for us to live life in fullness and victory - not just when we get to heaven, but right here on earth as well. Romans 8:28 says that God works all things for our good and His glory as long as we stick closely to the calling we have received according to His purpose.

We are called to move beyond our fear, and walk by faith and not by sight. We are called to live in the victory and not defeat and we have been given every weapon that we need to fight the battles we face and demolish the walls that stand between us and our God given destiny. And, as I have found, unlike Aslan, God is always safe and He is always good.

We must always take every negative thought captive to Christ by replacing the lies of this world and the enemy with a truth from God's Word. If not, those lies and negative thoughts will become another brick in the wall that keeps us from our destiny.

Psalm 91 must be our mindset when we face struggles and trials of any kind. If it is not, we run the risk of building a "safe" place for ourselves that will only leave us vulnerable to the attack of the enemy and the warfare of our minds.

Only the brave go beyond the entrance to the stronghold, only the battle weary realize the victory - Fight the good fight of faith and receive the Crown of life as your reward.