Tag: Faith

bible study, Christian, Christian Church, christian encouragement, Jesus Follower, Uncategorized

Amazingly Healed

krisshetter

Jesus Heals a Boy Possessed by an Impure Spirit

“When they came to the other disciples, they saw a large crowd around them and the teachers of the law arguing with them. As soon as all the people saw Jesus, they were overwhelmed with wonder and ran to greet him.

 “What are you arguing with them about?” he asked.

 A man in the crowd answered, “Teacher, I brought you my son, who is possessed by a spirit that has robbed him of speech. Whenever it seizes him, it throws him to the ground. He foams at the mouth, gnashes his teeth and becomes rigid. I asked your disciples to drive out the spirit, but they could not.”

“You unbelieving generation,” Jesus replied, “how long shall I stay with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring the boy to me.” So, they brought him. When the spirit saw Jesus, it immediately threw the boy into a convulsion. He fell to the ground and rolled around, foaming at the mouth.

Jesus asked the boy’s father, “How long has he been like this?” “From childhood,” he answered. “It has often thrown him into fire or water to kill him. But if you can do anything, take pity on us and help us.”

“‘If you can’?” said Jesus. “Everything is possible for one who believes.” Immediately the boy’s father exclaimed, “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!”

When Jesus saw that a crowd was running to the scene, he rebuked the impure spirit. “You deaf and mute spirit,” he said, “I command you, come out of him and never enter him again.” The spirit shrieked, convulsed him violently and came out. The boy looked so much like a corpse that many said, “He’s dead.” But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him to his feet, and he stood up.

After Jesus had gone indoors, his disciples asked him privately, “Why couldn’t we drive it out?” He replied, “This kind can come out only by prayer.[a]”

Mark 9:14-29

My eldest daughter is a doctor of physical therapy.  That alone is a miracle.  She studied and worked hard throughout her public school years and yet the results were not always reflective of that work.  Once she entered college she leaned on the lessons learned from getting help early and how to study.  She excelled beyond belief.  As a physical therapist she has seen the fruits of her labor – the healing power of her education.  She has helped many women in the specialty of lower abdomen and uterine pain.  I’m so proud of her.  That being said, as my faith journey moves along, I’ve accepted that some healing only comes from prayer.

“Begin to rejoice in the Lord, and your bones will flourish like an herb, and your cheeks will glow with the bloom of health and freshness.  Worry, fear, distrust, care—are all poisonous!  Joy is balm and healing, and if you will but rejoice, God will give power.”

A.B. Simpson

I like this quote because it reminds me of an amazing healing I saw take place in a friend many years ago.  She had fallen and broken her upper arm.  For many months she went to doctors’ appointments and had all sorts of imaging.  And yet her bone was not naturally re-growing and healing.  It became the usual sight to see her in an arm sling that year.  She was like a baby bird with a broken wing.  Her disappointment after each doctor’s appointment was evident.  And yet she kept praying for healing.  At the end of that painful year I still recall seeing her at church one day and she was full of joy!  Her doctor, on the other hand was so perplexed.  At her appointment that week she had another x-ray.  And her bone was completely healed.  The specialists had no explanation.  But she knew the amazing answer.  Her prayers were heard.

I love how the father in the Bible verse today has the guts to admit to Jesus’ face that he has doubts.  “IF you can do anything” is what he says.  And then asks for help in overcoming his unbelief.  My friend Betsy once shared a powerful prayer technique with my BSGs.  She said if you aren’t ready to believe or take action then ask, in prayer, for help in believing.  

How many of us, when faced with illness or injury aren’t really sure God can heal?  So many of us tend to rely solely on our surgeons, psychologists, specialists, etc. And we forget to turn to God for healing or even to ask for His guiding hands for those gifted doctors.  If you are unsure, pray to resolve your unbelief.  When the disciples asked Jesus why they weren’t able to cure the boy in this amazing Bible event he responded by telling them they needed to draw on the power of God through prayer. 

The disciples had been careless with their personal spiritual walk and had neglected communing with God through prayer and fasting.

Warren Wiersbe, New Testament Bible Commentary

Notice this is not about praying “enough” or being faithful “enough.”  It’s about praying and being faithful and believing.  His amazing healing power is available to the faithful.  And while we may not always know why or when He chooses to heal someone or not, we need to rest in trust that He has a plan far greater than ours.  We must never stop praying and asking for His amazing healing power.

bible study, Christian, Christian Church, christian encouragement, Jesus Follower, Uncategorized

The Amazing Act of Choosing

krisshetter

“No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other.“

 Matthew 6:24

This week has seen many opportunities to make a choice.  To choose the amazing peace given to us by Jesus or chaos.  To choose to take our amazingly ordinary selves and be transformed by God into something extraordinary.  To choose between demanding our will or God’s amazing will be done.  To be double-minded or single-minded in our quest for closeness with the Holy Spirit.  

When Jesus stepped up to preach on the mountainside to the believers, He laid out a series of directives intended to help us understand and attain true righteousness.  As Bible scholar Warren Wiersbe says about the Sermon on the Mount:

The religious leaders (at the time) had an artificial, external righteousness based on law.  But the righteousness that Jesus described is true and vital righteousness that begins internally, in the heart.

Warren Wiersbe, The New Testament Bible Commentary

He goes on to state the lessons Jesus preached in Matthew 5 through 6 were not for the unsaved world at large but rather for individual believers.  Which brings me to the concept of choosing.  Throughout our faith journey we are continually called to choose — God or an idol of our own making — as we reach for that true righteousness.  The testing of our choices may seem to take place every single minute of the day at times.  Other times in our life we seem to be easily cruising along with Jesus and then a serious trial interrupts our lives and we are faced with choosing our faith over our fears.

I have a very good friend who is not a Christian.  The day after the election we went to lunch and she said something amazing to me.  My friend: “During election night I started praying.  I knew you were praying too.  And I know that God will probably listen to your prayers over mine and I took comfort in knowing you were praying.”  I was slightly stunned.  I’ve been much more open about my faith this year when talking with her.  Showing her how I rely on Jesus’ amazing peace to keep me together during hard times.  But I was shocked that she was praying.  I told her God listens to all our prayers.  We then went on to another topic.  Later, while at home, I felt called to send her a text message.  This is the conversation:

Me: “You said something today that I don’t think I paid enough attention to. You said you thought my prayers would hold more weight with God. God is for all of us whether we believe in Him or not. He wants to be our “go to” for peace and grace and trust — no matter where we are along our faith journey. The only difference is that as a follower of Jesus I am held to different expectations. I know His Word. I know what He expects of me. I know He wants me to be obedient and turn all my worries over to Him and not trust in anything else. So, He expects me to act accordingly— and I fail many times over. But because I know I have failed I also know to ask for His grace and forgiveness. He won’t answer my prayers any more than yours if they don’t come from a desire to do His will. It’s frequently at times of great worry and distress that people turn to God. However, He considers those “friends” and “faithful” who rely on Him at all times and thank Him for His for blessings. I hope this doesn’t sound all Jesus Freaky but I think it’s important to understand how much love He has for every single person — Christians and not yet Christians 😂

My “non-yet Christian” Friend: “Thanks!  I hope all our prayers help! “ 

I’d call that pretty amazing.  Friends, as followers of Jesus, we are expected to choose Him over our idols of fear, worry, earthly kings, money, relationships, our political stances, and anything else from which we think we artificially gain righteousness.  We are expected put our eyes and our hearts and our minds squarely on the Lord and slough off the world from our backs.  Because God has mightier plans for us.  He has solutions we can’t even imagine.  He is fighting our fight for us in the spiritual realm.  And he expects us to choose Him and act here on earth as His faithful friends. 

Madison and I will see you again on Monday! Have a blessed weekend friends!

bible study, Christian, christian encouragement, Jesus Follower, Uncategorized

Amazed By His Will

madisondooley36

After he took him aside, away from the crowd, Jesus put his fingers into the man’s ears. Then he spit and touched the man’s tongue. He looked up to heaven and with a deep sigh said to him, “Ephphatha!” (which means “Be opened!”). At this, the man’s ears were opened, his tongue was loosened and he began to speak plainly.

Jesus commanded them not to tell anyone. But the more he did so, the more they kept talking about it. People were overwhelmed with amazement. “He has done everything well,” they said. “He even makes the deaf hear and the mute speak.”

Mark 7:33-37

I love this story. Not just because it’s a bit humorous in nature, I mean c’mon, Jesus didn’t HAVE to spit and touch the man’s tongue to heal him or shout to the heavens to cure his deafness. He could have healed the man with no words and no actions, with just one look. But Jesus’ actions show that He truly knew the hearts of the people. He had seen over and over again just how feeble the people were in their faith. He knew they needed clear evidence that He was who He said He was. 

Even more amazing than Jesus concealing his immediate power to tend to the hearts of the people is the immediate authority he has over disease. The verses claim that at the sound of His voice, deafness falls and lameness disappears. In the face of Jesus, darkness cowers in fear.

The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

John 1:5

Just as this verse reminds us of Jesus’ power over the dominion of darkness, let it also be a reminder that what He speaks will be done. Even more amazing, everything on earth and in heaven bows to His authority, because he is the one who created it all (Gen. 1:1). 

Jesus told the man’s ears to open and they opened. Jesus told Peter that there would come a day when he would deny him three times – and that day came. What the Lord spoke in prophesies in the Old Testament came to pass through His Son on the cross. 

We see over and over again that God is a faithful God, who fulfills his promises to His people. Are you trusting in that truth today?  Be amazed today that God will keep all of the below promises to you, for He is a man of His Word.

  • Amidst your worry, anxiety and fear, I will give you rest…. (Matt. 11:28)
  • Through my Son’s wounds on the cross, your brokenness has been redeemed (1 Peter 2:24)
  • I promise that your trials will produce joy (James 1:2)
  • I give strength to the weary (Isaiah 40:29) 
  • I give wisdom to all those who ask of it. I will provide you everything you need for the situations you are in. (James 1:5)
  • I promise, that if you resist the devil HE WILL FLEE. (James 4:7) 

Rest in these truths today. I encourage you to find more on your own. Take time to remember all of the things that have come to pass, the promises that have been fulfilled and ask God today for the strength and faith to believe that what He says, will be done, today, tomorrow and the next. 

bible study, Christian, Christian Church, christian encouragement, Uncategorized

His Amazing Peace

krisshetter

Overhearing what they said, Jesus told him, “Don’t be afraid; just believe.”

He did not let anyone follow him except Peter, James and John the brother of James. When they came to the home of the synagogue leader, Jesus saw a commotion, with people crying and wailing loudly. He went in and said to them, “Why all this commotion and wailing? The child is not dead but asleep.” But they laughed at him.

After he put them all out, he took the child’s father and mother and the disciples who were with him, and went in where the child was. He took her by the hand and said to her, “Talitha koum!” (which means “Little girl, I say to you, get up!”). Immediately the girl stood up and began to walk around (she was twelve years old). At this they were completely astonished.

Mark 5:36-42

I’m writing this post on the United States’ election day.  When you read it, you’ll know much more about who may be the next U.S. president.   There’s a lot of anxiety and fear swirling around the world right now because of this election.  Unfortunately, so much of it is based on misinformation or downright disinformation.  And a lot of it is designed to create fear and distrust. What’s so different for me this presidential election is the peace I have, which is solely due to my trust in God.  I am not afraid; I just believe.

In Mark’s retelling of Jesus bringing this young girl back to life he starts out with her father, a leader in the synagogue, coming to a large gathering around Jesus.  He urgently pleaded with Jesus to come and heal his sick daughter.  He believed that just by touching his daughter, Jesus will heal her.  As Jesus walks through the crowds towards the man’s house a woman, who had been bleeding for 12 years, reached out and touched Jesus’ clothes.  She thought:

“If I just touch his clothes, I will be healed.”

Mark 5:27

Jesus knew at once that someone had put their faith in him.  He turned to the crowd and asked, “Who touched my clothes?” (Mark 5:30) Of course, a lot of people had probably touched him because they were all crowding around Him.  We so often want to be “fans” of Jesus, His groupies.  But how often do we turn to Him in complete and total surrender and ask for His healing power, His peace?  How often do we put limits on His ability to “make all things work together for our good?” (Romans 8:28). In fact, the simple act of turning to the crowd, searching for the woman who touched Him, caused the disciples and friends of the girl’s father to be almost annoyed.  He was taking time away from what he “should” have been doing which was healing the girl.  In other words, we think Jesus as all knowing, all powerful and yet in the same breath assume he can’t do all things.  

We should not be so astonished, so amazed that Jesus can, by just being, heal us.  We should not be so astonished that He also chooses to take action in His time.  If we believe and have faith in the truths of the Bible, we must expect that, if Jesus can raise a little girl from the dead, if he can raise Lazarus from being many days dead, then He can handle anything else this world throws at Him.

This knowledge and trust is what has brought me through, not only this election season, but through the unrest brought on by Covid19.  Each time I try and take back my fears and worries I am reminded in my Bible studies and through my amazing Christian relationships that peace can only be fully achieved by placing those fears back in God’s hands.  A good friend has been completely transformed this year through this same process.  My BSGs (Bible Study Girls) were reflecting today about how few times this friend speaks of “her anxiety” — which she used to wear like a favorite coat.  Imagine that – with all the mess that is 2020 her anxiety has all but disappeared.  Pretty amazing.  Those trials and tribulations that James writes of have been hammered home this year.

“Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.”

James 1:2-3

Have you taken these “opportunities” of trials to grow in your faith?  To grow closer to God?  To grasp the promise of Jesus’s peace?  Another of my BSGs, who in a difficult trial, begged for God’s help and felt that peace descend over her.  She described it as a weighted blanket – warm and calming.  Isn’t that more of what we want rather than living in constant disarray, discombobulation and wailing? 

So, as I wait for the results of this important election, I use each time my mind wants to lean into worry to instead lean into Jesus’ words – “Don’t be afraid; just believe.”  And His amazing peace never fails to come over me.

The Lord bless me and keep me; the Lord makes his face shine on me and is gracious to me; the Lord turns His face toward me and gives me PEACE.

Numbers 6:22-26

bible study, Christian, Christian Church, christian encouragement, Uncategorized

Living Amazed

krisshetter

From the first day of Earth to today, God has been doing amazing things in our lives. And when Jesus preached and performed miracles, the Bible frequently says the people were amazed. Each day we get up to start a new day. Each day we put our feet on the floor, have breakfast, brush our teeth, and then go about our daily routine. We do the laundry, wash the dishes, log in another long day at work. It’s so easy to live in the humdrum of every day. But God is still doing amazing things!

I’ve spent much of my adult life being a pessimist. As I grew closer to Jesus it became almost impossible to continue looking at life, people and circumstances constantly from a negative point of view. God transformed me. And that, my friends, is pretty darn amazing.

Join me and my special guest writer as we explore all the amazing acts of Jesus starting November 1 through 29. My hope is that each day we will help you take these amazing Jesus acts and translate them into your amazing life.

Are you ready to explore and enjoy this amazing God-given life through Jesus? Join us by signing up today to receive your emailed posts!

When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed at his teaching

Matthew 7:28

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bible study, Christian, Christian Church, christian encouragement, Uncategorized

A Helping Friend

krisshetter

When my youngest daughter and I started working on our relationship I prayed, a lot.  I prayed what to say the first summer she was home from college.  I prayed each time I visited her.  I asked God to put the right words in my mouth at the right time, with the right heart.  I prayed to have my need to feel hurt and offended by her words be taken from me.  I wanted God to change me so dramatically that my daughter could see that change.  She needed to see that I was doing the work on my own issues.  I had two God moments that have stuck with me during that time.  The first was the summer after her freshmen year.  I knew, from my older daughter, that life was going to change at our house.  We would now have four adults living in our home – no children.  And so, I prayed for the right words at the right time.   James has taught us so well that when we rely on God in times of trial that wonderous solutions come to us that we might never have thought.  I prayed that her newfound relationship with Jesus would also guide our conversations.

The last few words in the Book of James is really a summary.  He tells us to take all of the wisdom and expectations of the five chapters and work together for the glory of God.  To help those Christians who wander off God’s track and bring them back into his loving arms.  To guide our children to a life of grace, wisdom and forgiveness.

My brothers and sisters, if one of you should wander from the truth and someone should bring that person back, remember this: Whoever turns a sinner from the error of their way will save them from death and cover over a multitude of sins.

James 5:19

Which brings me to the second of those God moments.  My daughter and I were on the phone having yet another tense conversation while she was back at school.  Full of misunderstandings and secret expectations (She has since told me she had long felt I had extremely high expectations of her and she didn’t want to fail me).  I took a breath and prayed for God to speak through me.  I stopped talking.  I started listening.  And finally, the right words came.  

Me: “I have something to ask of you.”

Her: “What?”

Me: “I am working really hard on trusting God to handle a lot of stuff – including my fears and hopes and dreams for you.”

Her: “Uh uh.”

Me: “But I fail, a lot.  I’m very impressed how you give a lot of grace and forgiveness to your friends, coaches, and teachers.  What I’m asking for is that you give me some of that same grace and forgiveness for when I fail.”

Pin drop.  God’s words not only diffused the situation but it called on her to look on her own faith.  It asked her to treat me just like any other Christian to whom she shows love.  It took me out of being “just her mom” to being a person.  God was doing a mighty work in that moment.

On a “back to school” road trip

As Christians we probably have Christian friends.  We might have Christian children and spouses.  We should have the expectation to which James exhorts us, which is to help keep our brothers and sisters on track.  We might cringe at that thinking, again, we don’t want to be judgmental people.  But by relying on our faith and reminding others of their faith helps us all to grow closer to Christ.  It’s that Imperfect Progress my Bible study girls like to talk about.  

What is more worthwhile than saving someone from death and covering a multitude of sin?

Faith That Works

If we are in the mindset that our faith is ours and ours alone, we won’t reach out and bring others to Christ. We won’t help our brethren when they fall. I was in a Bible study group once where a woman stated she had never had a conversation about Christ with someone other than people at her church. She seemed ok with that. It made me sad. I know that God had put multiple people in her life along the way (she was in her 80s) to help do His work. I know that because that is God’s nature.

Every person you meet is providential, not accidental.

Phil Hopper, Pastor, Abundant Life Church

So often we think about going out to foreign countries to share our faith when in our own homes and neighborhoods and schools and play groups and Bunco groups and dinner clubs there are people who need Christ.  There are Christians who need our support.  It’s one thing to gain wisdom from studying His Word and yet another to actually use that wisdom to glorify God.

May we be lumps of salt in the midst of society.

Charles Spurgeon

I like that visual.  To be placed around our neighborhoods and cities for the people to gain something good.  We aren’t to be stockpiling our salt for our own personal use.  We should be anticipating those moments God says, “Here, help my beloved.”

Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit.  Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of others.

Phillipians 2: 3-4

In other words, if we look at our salvation as a gift from God, we must also share that gift.  We must also share the love and teachings of Jesus.  By using Jesus’ ways as our touchstone, we can guide others along the way.  

And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another – and all the more as you see the Day approaching.

Hebrews 10: 24-25

My daughter now will give me biblically based advice when I am struggling.  She reminds me to lean into and on God.  She gently pushes me closer to Jesus.  I had a older friend, who at the beginning of the Covid19 crisis, I checked in on.  I considered him a leader in our church, a man of strong faith.  He was distraught and depressed. He said to me, “I just can’t see God in any of this to be honest.”  And me, a person who struggles with memorizing any scripture spoke these words back to him: “You must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a boat on the waves of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind.” (James 1:6) This man of great faith was silent.  And then he said, “Thank you.”

As a Christian, I need my Christian friends and family to remind me of the promises God has made.  I need nudges back toward His light.  I may even need a whack over the head once in a while.  If we choose not to help each other, think of all the opportunities we have missed to glorify Him and the people we will not have helped save from death. And as for my older daughter, I pray every day of my role in bringing her to Christ. More importantly, I pray that a Christian friend of hers will tell her their testimony and invite her on The Way.`

bible study, Christian, Christian Church, christian encouragement, Uncategorized

Powerful Prayer

krisshetter

Last Christmas, my new son-in-law sat reading a large paperback book.  I asked him about it.  He introduced me to “Spurgeon On Prayer & Spiritual Warfare,” a 575-page book filled with Charles Spurgeon’s sermons on prayer.  There are prayers on why to pray, how to pray, what to pray, and even when to pray.  After skimming over my son-in-law’s copy, I decided I needed my own copy.  I’ve only scratched the surface of the 54 sermons, but I’ve come to realize two important things about prayer: 1) Do it and 2) Do it earnestly.

The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.

James 5:16

How many of us truly believe in the power of prayer?  Let’s back up a bit.  How many of us Christians truly believe that Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Light?  Unfortunately, I know quite a few people who say they are Christians but won’t stand up with assuredness that this statement is true.  We are so wrapped up in the idea of being judgemental – telling people their way isn’t the right way – that we are willing to give up this foundation stone.  We want to put the capstone on our faith by calling ourselves “Christians” without the foundation.  In doing so, we shove aside all the teachings of Jesus and how to express our faith out of love, rather than judgement.  We also tear down the place Jesus holds in the eternal world.

Let’s say we accept the statement that Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Light.  We are now miles ahead of the Pharisees.  This was their stumbling block.  So, if we accept this, we need to then look at prayer from that vantage point.  When Jesus is our Way and our Truth then we also accept God as the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.  And throughout scripture we are almost begged by God and Jesus to bring Him our trials, our joys, our sorrows, and our sins.

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.

Philippians 4:6

Notice scripture doesn’t say “well, only when you feel you need to pray.”  It also doesn’t say to just pray when we are sick or worried.  In EVERY situation we are to pray.  Upon waking, eating breakfast, hopping in our car for work (or on our computer), when a friend or colleague starts gossiping, when a friend texts you with bad news, when you look out your window and see a blue sky, when you eat lunch, when you are working on a project, when you head home from work, arrive home safely (or after an accident), when you eat dinner, when you start worrying about things on the nightly news, when you lay your head down to sleep.  EVERY situation.

Is anyone among you in trouble? Let them pray.  Is anyone happy? Let them sing songs of praise.  Is anyone among you sick?  Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them.

James 5:13-14

I have to confess that God has revealed a painful truth to me about my prayer life.  When I am most worried about a situation is when I have the most difficult time praying.  I have a hard time slowing my mind down, focusing on Jesus, and asking Him to take control.   Back when I was a softball coach, I couldn’t stand watching a game when I was off the field.  I wanted to yell out directions to the players (I yell at the TV too).  But when I took my seat in the head coach’s spot, I would become calm.  It’s because I had some control over the situation.  So, when I need to give up my worries it’s like standing outside that fence, letting someone else be in charge. And that is very difficult for me.

We have an agreement, a covenant that God enters into with those who pray to Him and are helped by Him.

Charles Spurgeon

In other words, we must acknowledge that God is trustworthy and has delivered us before and He will do it again.  Our part is then to glorify Him through prayer and praise.  Glorify – that sounds more than just a passing “thanks, God.”  I’ve been guilty of that – if I even remembered to thank Him.  Which brings me to being earnest.

If we believe that Jesus is the Way and God is the powerful King of Kings, we must honor this exalted position.  Would you walk into the Queen of England’s throne room casually and just say, “hey, what’s up Queenie?  If it were at all possible would you be able to help me find a new job? I get it if you can’t but maybe you can try.”  Casual, and not very expecting.  God is God.  The One most High.   We should come in reverence and expectation.  He CAN do all.  He has done it all.  We need to plead with him, put our heart into it, and rap our knuckles as hard as possible against heaven’s door.  

How many of us actually have such low expectations of our prayers?  We say them with rote numbness.  My family used to say the exact same prayer at dinner time.  It comes to mean absolutely nothing and is usually expressed with that same nothingness.  My husband and I started praying in earnest this year over our evening meal.  We express thankfulness and joy for good things that happened.  We ask earnestly for healing of friends and family members.  And we ask Him to use us and place opportunities to be His light in this world in front of us.  It not only has helped us be in communion with God but it has also strengthened our marriage.

An earnest pleader comes out of his prayer closet rejoicing like a strong man ready to run his race.

Charles Spurgeon

I love that visual.  After praying all my prayer cards in my “war room” I frequently feel emboldened to take on the world as one of God’s blessed daughters.  How many of us who have children (or co-workers) and we’ve needed them to complete a task?  We mention it half-heartedly. They pretend not to hear us or just roll their eyes.  As a parent and coach, I eventually perfected “The Look.”  That’s the look that says “mom is serious about this so it’d better get done.”  That’s the look we need to have in our prayer life.  Expectation that God will answer our prayers.  It may sound sacrilegious to “expect God” to do something in our life but He himself has said to us over and over to trust Him, to ask Him, to plead with Him.

“Our Father in heaven,

hallowed be thy name,

your kingdom come,

your will be done,

on earth as it is in heaven.

Give us today our daily bread.

and forgive us our debts, as 

we have also forgiven our debtors.

And lead us not into temptation but 

deliver us from the evil one.”

Matthew 6:9-13

Do you see the glorification and exaltation of God in the first sentence?  Then, the trust and reminder that God’s will is meant to rule the earth.  We then ask him to provide for us.  Really, using the word “give” is like demanding.  Pleading with Him to forgive us.  And giving us hope for the future.  Man, was Jesus so great with words!  How many times have we recited this and not thought about what we are saying?  Next time we speak these words make it in earnest, bring some emotion to it!  Beg Him to forgive you and help you.

We are ordinary people asking extraordinary things from an amazing, loving, faithful, and powerful God. Throughout the Bible, people just like us asked for victory over large armies, the rain to fall and the rain to stop, for loved ones to be healed and even raised from the dead, for our never-ending ailments to be taken away, for our life of sin to be cleansed.  And God abided.   He healed us.  He saved us.  He made it rain.  He has showered us for centuries with answered prayers. 

If Jesus could lift a man from the dead, imagine what He can do with our prayers?

We must pray in earnest.  It is a supernatural, powerful tool that Jesus gave us.  Some of us use prayer like we are brushing our teeth – rote and without remembering all the benefits.  Something we have to do.  It’s time to take it up daily like a torch against the darkness, a sword against evil, and a golden gift presented to our Lord Most Exalted.

bible study, Christian, Christian Church, christian encouragement, Uncategorized

Patience, Grasshopper

krisshetter

I’ve told my friends that looking back over my life so far, I really have only one regret.  It’s that I wish I had a closer relationship with Jesus when I was the parent of young kids.  My husband and I attended church fairly regularly.  But I was wrapped up in childrearing worries and stresses and didn’t know how to turn all that over to God.   I could’ve enjoyed many more hours of sleep had I not been such a “woulda, coulda, shoulda” person.  I found myself, during a very long season of self-doubt about my parenting skills, constantly praying for patience.  Literally praying every single night for about two years for patience.  You see, I was so afraid of turning into my mother – screaming at my kids and losing control – that I thought patience was the answer.  One Sunday, our pastor’s sermon was about praying.  He said, “If you keep praying about the same problem over and over and over maybe it’s time to start praying for something different.”   He had a knack for speaking on issues near and dear to me.   So that night I stopped praying for patience and instead prayed for ways to help me deal with difficult situations.

As I’ve grown closer to Jesus, He has taught me a lot of lessons.  He’s still teaching me.  And step-by-step He has moved me closer to my original plea for patience.  You see, I wasn’t ready to learn the hard stuff yet.  He just wanted me to start turning to Him when I was in need, when I was broken.  Patience may be a virtue but it is a heck of a hard thing to have and use regularly.  

You, too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord’s coming is near.”

James 5:8

I first needed to learn what standing firm, standing safely in God’s arms even meant.  I didn’t have the wisdom needed to grasp the joy in hearing that the Lord is coming near.  I heard on a Joyce Meyer’s podcast this morning that God gives us a lot of leeway and grace when we first become Christians.  But once we hear the Word and gain His wisdom, expectations change.  We are expected to act as His children, not as children of this world.  Think about that.  Every time we attend church, do a Bible study, listen to a Christian podcast, see a Christian post on social media we are hearing His Word.  We are learning the nature and expectations of God.  And He expects us to live as He prescribes.

A person’s wisdom yields patience; it is the one’s glory to overlook offense.

Proverbs 19:11

Wisdom that we glean from God yields patience.  And when we are patient, that glorifies what we have learned from God.  We cannot be steeped in the nature of God without also knowing and acting in patience.  Why? Because patience means love.  It means grace.  It means forgiveness.  Thank God He is patient with us.  I never feel God rushes me to learn a lesson.  In fact, my lesson in patience has taken about 26 years.

I looked up on-line “how to be patient.”  I came across a website that focuses on self -improvement.  Here’s their reasons why we should learn patience.

  1. We make better decisions by assessing situations rather than going in emotional and blind.
  2. We have less stress by understanding some things take longer than others.
  3. Our relationships are improved because we are more flexible and understanding.

Doesn’t that all sound like something God would want from us?  Being wise, giving our stress up to God, and loving and being grace-filled toward others.

They then described a 6-step process for learning patience:

  1. Understand and counteract triggers
  2. Increase your self-confidence
  3. Put on your “positive glasses”
  4. Change your attitude – “why are you in such a hurry?”
  5. Visualize worst case scenarios
  6. Release tension and stress through eating right, exercise, enjoying activities

Now imaging trying to do all that without God.  Here’s my Christian re-do of these six steps:

  • Pray for God to reveal the areas where you struggle with patience (sometimes we pretend we aren’t being impatient and justify our actions) 

John 16:24, “Until now you have not asked for anything in my name.  Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete.”

  • Recognize that God loves you.  Accept He wants the very best for you.  

John 16:27, “No, the Father himself loves you because you have loved me and have believed that I came from God.” 

  • Remember that joy can be found in trials.  And most of all that God has delivered for you in the past.  He is faithful. 

2 Thes 3:3, “But the Lord is faithful, and He will strengthen you and protect you from the evil one.”

  • Rejoice each and every day, if not every hour, for all the great things in your life.  

Prov 17:22, “A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.”

  • To be honest, visualizing worst case scenarios has been helpful to me.  If I’m waiting in a long line at Costco and start getting impatient I think, “Well, what have I got to be impatient for anyways?” or “Well, if I’m late because of this line I can call ahead and let them know.”  

Matt 6:27, “Can anyone of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?”

  • Yes, eat right, exercise, enjoy new and old activities.  And pray.  And pray.  And pray.  Give up all those thoughts, those worries, those fears, those negative emotions to God.  Cry out to Jesus and ask Him to remove whatever negative thought you have right then. 

1 Samuel 2:1, “My heart rejoices in the Lord; in the Lord my horn is lifted high.  My mouth boasts over my enemies, for I delight in your deliverance.”

When we get closer to God – become fluent in His character – that is when He can work His ways in us.  And God is always patient with us.  My friend and I were having lunch today and she said she is starting to have more moments in her difficult life where she looks up and gives a little smile – recognizing those growth moments God has put in front of her.  As for me, I described for her my process of writing and how I study the topic, pray, and then start writing.  I rarely stop writing one of these posts until I am done.  The words just come out of me onto the computer.  My whole body is focused on getting these words down.  I told her how weird it was that I was interrupted multiple times while writing this post.  And as I drove home from lunch, I was listening to a praise song and it hit me.  Patience.  The topic of this post.  And I had just been tested.  I was not annoyed about the interruptions.  I felt blessed hearing from a few friends.  And normally I would’ve been distracted during lunch, thinking about what else I needed to write.  I would’ve failed my friend who I need to support during this time in her life.

I called my friend from my car and said, “I just got it!  Patience!  I was tested!”  And she said, “I realized that while you were telling me.  And I’m glad it finally came to you.”  Maybe this whole actually studying God’s Word really does work.  Time to look up and smile.

bible study, Christian, Christian Church, christian encouragement, Uncategorized

Heart Lessons

krisshetter

Before I became a Christian and even when I was a “baby Christian” I’d hear a lot of phrases from the Bible thrown about by believers and non-believers.  Passages such as “judge not, lest you be judged” (Matt 7:1) and “I can do all things through Him who strengthens me” (Phil 4:13) are frequently taken out of context and misused.  And then there’s the quotes that aren’t even in the Bible such as, “God helps those who help themselves,” “God will never give you more than you can handle,” and “Love the sinner, hate the sin.”  While all those sound good, we must always be careful not to put words in God’s mouth.  Along with all of these I think one of the most misunderstood concepts people have is about being wealthy.  Non-believers will use this against successful Christians.  And believers sometimes think having wealth is a sin.  When Jesus said,

“How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God!  Indeed, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.”

Luke 18:24

This was in response to asking a wealthy ruler to give up all his power and wealth and come follow Him.  The ruler was very sad because he was very wealthy and he wasn’t all that honest.  It’s necessary to know that no one is saved by giving up all their wealth.  What Jesus was really asking of the ruler was to be honest about what he coveted.  There was much more going on in this story than a man being told to give up his wealth to follow Jesus.  This is why I keep hearing over and over these days to not just read the Bible but to study it.  Take, for instance, this famous poem by William Wadsworth:

I wandered lonely as a cloud

That floats on high o’er vales and hills,

When all at once I saw a crowd,

A host, of golden daffodils;

Beside the lake, beneath the trees,

Fluttering and dancing in the breeze …

“I Wandered Lonely As A Cloud“

If we were to just read it for what it basically says we would think he was a lonely man who thought he was a cloud.  And when he saw some flowers he thought they were actually dancing.  Sounds like someone on drugs.  But when we study the poem, we find a beautiful short tale about a man who loves nature and finds joy whenever he sees daffodils. Therein lies the need for great Biblical teachers and pastors. 

As we explore the last chapter of James, we find him being very angry with the wealthy members of the church.  Not because they are wealthy, but just like the ruler Jesus admonished, they have turned their wealth into their god.  They have cheated and lied all in the name of increasing their wealth.  How many of us today covet our bank account in lieu of helping those in need?  As an American, even our poorest are considered wealthy in relation to other countries.  Just having a home, a steady job, owning one or two cars, having three meals a day, a closet full of clothes, a tv and more, far and away exceed what others have.  And none of that is wrong.  James condemns the wrong use of riches – using wealth as a weapon rather than a tool to build others up.  I’ve heard so many people over the years actually worry that Jesus will ask them to give up all their money and become a poor missionary.  I say, if that’s truly what you are worried about then be careful, that just might be what God asks you to do!  

How many times have you heard people say they’re worried God will ask them to be another ‘Mother Teresa?”

James doesn’t stop there.  Our lack of patience, our lies (both little and big), our lazy prayer life, and our lack of desire to help our fellow Christians grow and be their best in the eyes of Christ, are all on display this week in James 5.  

If we aren’t careful so much of James can turn into one of those misused verses or phrases.  If we remember two things as we work on the final week of this study let them be this: 1) it is always about what is in our heart that Jesus cares about and 2) thankfully we are given grace each and every time we confess that we have forgotten the first.

bible study, Christian, Christian Church, christian encouragement, Uncategorized

Do You Do or Don’t Do?

krisshetter

A year ago I decided to take my weight gain seriously.  My middle-aged hormones were wreaking havoc on my body.  I had gained 35 pounds.  And I was two months away from my daughter’s wedding.  God wants us to take care of ourselves.  1 Corinthians 6 says, “Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit?”  And so, along with the help of a weight loss app I finally decided to really do something about it.  I was diligent.  By the time my daughter’s wedding came around the dress that I had tailored a few weeks prior didn’t really fit me – it hung loosely in a number of places.  About six months in I was 10 pounds away from my goal weight and decided I didn’t need the app anymore.  Around that same time the Covid19 crisis struck.  And here I am another seven months later with 15 pounds to lose.  You got that – I, of course, gained more weight.  So, at lunch today I sat across from my friend who also tries to watch her weight.  I told her about a great dish the restaurant has that is low calorie.  I knew exactly what to order and what not to order.  And as the waitress took our order, I did exactly what I shouldn’t.  I gave into my cravings.  Not only that, I convinced my friend to do the same.

When we do what we shouldn’t do!

One of my favorite verses from the Bible is quite the tongue twister.  When I heard a young pastor speak on these verses he could barely get it out without laughing.

“I do not understand what I do.  For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do.  And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree the law is good.  As it is, it is no longer myself who do it, but it is the sin living in me.”

Romans 7: 15-17

And the do’s keep going for four more verses!  James makes it a lot clearer:

“If anyone, then knows the good they ought to do and doesn’t do it, it is sin for them.”

James 4:17

We’ve probably all been there with the diet issue.  But how many times do we not do what we know we should do?  For some of us that might be every, single day.  Sinning is our very nature.  We Christians have allowed other people to use the word “sin” against us.  They say it makes us judgmental.  It makes us hypocrites.  It shows we don’t love people.  But sin is everyone’s nature – whether you are a Christian or not.  You can thank Adam and Eve for that.  Unlike atheists, Christians just recognize that we are sinning.  But the enemy wants us to be prideful and say we don’t sin – it’s those “other people.”  Throughout our day we need to recognize our sinful behavior and ask God for forgiveness.  When I blame someone else for “making me upset” or I accuse others of “doing worse than me” that’s pride shining through.  It also gives us cover to do the exact same thing over and over.  Sinning make take the form of fear over faith, worry, improper thoughts, shame or gossip.

My daily sin is being impatient and annoyed with people.  I know not to do it.  But I do it.  Sometimes I’m so caught up in my excuses I forget to take a moment and ask for that forgiveness – to ask for that strength not to do it again.  But I had a recent revelation.  I was living in transgression.  That, my friends, is a sin that is done over and over for a hidden reason.  After one of my prayers of forgiveness Jesus shined a light on it.  My lack of humility.  It was the root of my everyday sinning.  I was making excuses and hiding it.  And until I realized, it there was no chance of me stopping my bad behavior.

“Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.”

John 8: 7

You see all the accusers of this woman about to be stoned were hiding their sins, trying to sell everyone on their pious lives.  But you really can’t hide from Jesus.  Satan loves when we try to hide our sins.  I’ve been telling my Bible Study Girls lately that living like that creates a visual of a dark, scribbly mass living inside of us – creating chaos and hatred and all things ugly.  We have a hard time doing the right things for the right reason when we live with transgressions.  

A soul filled with transgressions

And then we have iniquities – where those transgressions become a bondage to our transgressions.  It drives us to repeatedly and continually commit sin.  It perverts all our good intentions.  For example, my sin of being annoyed with cashiers.  When I do it time and again it becomes about a lack of grace, love and humility on my part (transgression).  If I don’t repent and ask God to help this sin can move into an iniquity – where I actually hate cashiers.  I might even call them names, or think of them as lowly people for doing such “menial” jobs.  It becomes a soul crusher.  And satan dances.

Because, as Christians, we make it a point to live with the mind of Christ and the knowledge of God’s Word, we know what “doing good” means.  We can choose to give to the poor.  Or we can choose to ignore God’s call to help the needy.  And in doing so we sin.  And if we consistently withhold God’s treasure from His people our sin transforms into transgression – maybe a fear of losing money, a fear of not having enough money.  And those constant hidden thoughts about money may lead to an iniquity – greed, hatefulness to the needy, miserly behavior.  And none of those creates a loving mind and heart.

Why do we not do what we know we ought to do?  Because we have a sinful nature.  We want what we want, and we want it now.  The closer we try to live next to Jesus and the more we fill our minds and hearts with God, the harder it is to allow room for those sins to become soul killers.  

God knows His children.  He knows we need constant correction.  Let’s just try to keep our lives on the slightly wandering path rather than taking the full off-ramp.  Ask God right now to reveal any hidden sins in you — anything that you need to recognize that negatively motivates your behavior.  He loves you and will gladly honor your request in a way that He knows you need.  Don’t be afraid.  Just ask.   And then do what He tells you.