Tag: godisincontrol

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

A Good Plan

krisshetter

When my eldest was two years old (she’s now 27) I quit my career job.  It was a big decision for me as I placed so much value in working.  I had never planned on being married and having children so getting a good education and then a good career was my grand plan.  And here I was, about 10 years after graduating college, quitting.  One day, we were out for a walk.  At a busy intersection, the crosswalk light turned for us and I pushed the stroller in front of a line of waiting cars.  Halfway across a man yelled out of his car, “Hurry up and why don’t you get a damn job!”  I was mortified.  I wasn’t angry with the man for being out of line, I was ashamed.  Ashamed I didn’t have a job to identify me as “worthy.”  How he would know my job status could only be the work of the devil.

Sometimes we accept the word of satan much easier than the Word of God

Joyce Meyer

My value, my self-worth, was wrapped up in a career.  Here I had a beautiful baby, a loving husband, a nice home and yet I was unable to see these gifts from God.  I had a plan and I had quit that plan.  I was a failure.  Each day my husband would come home and out of habit ask me what I had done that day.  Boy did that get my hackles up!  I started inventing things I had done or making what little I had done sound so exhausting and important.  I mean a trip to the dry cleaning can really take a lot out of you.  Instead of enjoying those precious moments of playing hide and go seek with my daughter I fretted over my future.

“Now listen, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.  Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow.”

James 4:13-14

Life seems so complex and we want to control it.  By making our plans we try to take the chaos out of our lives.  We don’t want to be those “losers” who don’t have enough money to live on when we retire.  We make grand plans for our bank accounts.  We try to position ourselves so we are the ones that get that great promotion.  We commit ourselves to long term goals with creating a family, losing weight, travelling, careers and so much more.  And yet, we forget about today.  The right here and now.

“Do not boast about tomorrow for you do not know what a day may bring.”

Proverbs 27:1

That doesn’t mean we aren’t to be good stewards of our gifts.  I did a Bible study once where the entire focus was on being a good manager of what God has placed in our hands.  You see it’s never about having money or not having money with God.  It’s never about having a good job or not.  It’s not about saving money to buy a home or not.  God’s has all good things in mind for us.  It’s always about our relationship with Him.  When we submit to the will of God, it all starts to make sense.

I used to pray for God to bring me joy one day.  That day was, of course, when I was financially secure, my kids were in good jobs and married, and I finally had the perfect lakehouse.  Sounds like the perfect plan, right?  I kept putting off joy.  Instead of investing in my eternal life by appreciating today, I was investing in my earthly life by ignoring today.  I was reading a sermon by Charles Spurgeon today called, “Waiting Only Upon God.”  He tells this story about the Scottish novelist and playwright Sir Walter Scott:

“Perhaps there never was a mind more gigantic than the mind of Sir Walter Scott: a man whose soul was as fertile as the newly broken soil of the land of gold. That man was a good man I believe, a Christian; but he made a mistake in the object of his life. His object was to be a lord, to found a family, to plant the root of an ancestral tree the fruit of which should be heard of in ages to come; magnificent in his hospitality, generous in his nature, laborious in his continual strife to win the object of his life, yet after all he died a disappointed and unsuccessful man. He reared his palace, he accumulated his wealth and one sad day saw it scattered to the wind, and he had lost that for which he had lived. Had he fixed his eye upon some better object than the pleasing of the public, or the accumulation of wealth, or the founding of a family, he might have got the others, and he would not have lost the first. Oh! had he said “Now I will serve my God; this potent pen of mine, dedicated to the Most High; shall weave into my marvellous stories things that shall enlighten, convince, and lead to Jesus,” he might have died penniless, but he would have died having achieved the object of his wishes—not a disappointed man.”

In other words, God gifts us in so many ways – with different talents, with finances, with family, etc – but when we make the plan to succeed at those, without seeking His Will, we will surely be disappointed at the end.  We work and we toil.  We stress and we plan.  And we forget this one thing.

“You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.”

James 4:14

It’s true.  We all will die.  We don’t know the day or the hour.  Without God as our light, without God as our object of desire, we waste our days clutching and worrying.  Spurgeon goes on to say that so many of us make our plans and then turn to God asking what we should do and then go do what we originally planned.  Sound familiar?  In fact, after researching for this post I finally realized I hadn’t prayed yet what God wanted me to say.  I kept bouncing back to my notes thinking about what I wanted to write.  I finally just opened my computer, put my hands to the keys and said, “Tell me what you want me to say.”  I had done my research, I had quotes and verses to pull from so I was prepared.  But in the end, I was also willing to do what God told me to do.

I heard a sermon the other day called “Crazy Faith.”  The pastor started out talking about Noah.  Here’s this guy, most likely a farmer, who the Bible called a “righteous man.”  Meaning he probably honored his debts, paid his workers and did a bang-up job with taking care of his family.  He had it all planned out.  Toil away in the fields year after year and be a successful farmer.  And then God.  The great part of this story is Noah didn’t say, “But I have my own plan for my life.  I’m a farmer, not a ship builder.  Oh, and by the way, I don’t live by an ocean.  I’m going to go out and plant some more seeds and reap my harvest.  Go away.”  I’m sure being a “righteous man” he prayed to God for good things to happen in his life.  So, when God said, “Ok, here’s a good thing I want you to do.”  He did it.  Are we so willing?  Or are we married, fully committed to our plan?  We are so committed that we miss the God given opportunities to help and love others.  We miss the doors He opens for an amazing life rather than the toiling life we have planned.

A few posts ago I mentioned the 100 Lunches Project.  Each week for about a year God led me to feeding the homeless.  It wasn’t about feeding the homeless really.  It was about ripping that need to work and justify my daily activities out of my heart and mind.   It was about not planning every single detail out.  It was about going first to Him to check in on what He wanted from me.  At the time I was working at a school counseling office.  I worked three days a week.  It made me feel worthy.  And then He told me that I needed to deliver food regularly on one of those three days.  When I went into the office the next day I said, “I know you are familiar with my 100 Lunches Project.  Well, God told me I need to start doing it on Wednesdays so that means I can’t work that day.”  Yep, I said that.  And the response was, “Ok, sounds good.  We are happy to have you whichever days you can give us.”  My mouth might have dropped open a bit.  Each and every time I went to God for direction, on money, on what to buy, on where to go, on the help I needed, He answered.  And I obeyed.  It was glorious.

So, you see, it’s not about trying to build up that big retirement account.  It’s about asking God what you should do with that paycheck.  And doing it.  Charles Stanley’s Life Principles #2 & #5 say to obey God and leave all the consequences to Him – even if it seems unreasonable.  EVEN IF he asks us to build an ark in the middle of the desert.  He has great plans for us – we may not ever be famous or wealthy.  But that plan will be good.  And if He doesn’t answer right away, as Christians that live close to God, we already know to be good stewards of His gifts.  We will have prepared for the day He does speak.  Until then, He calls us to enjoy what we have right now.  For tomorrow may never come.

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

We’re In Control…Aren’t we?

krisshetter

“Be not angry that you cannot make others as you wish them to be, since you cannot make yourself as you wish to be.” 

Thomas à Kempis, The Imitation of Christ

As I read through the fourth chapter of James I hear one word over and over – control. Even the most passive among us desire control. Control over our decisions, over what jobs we want, over people around us, over people not even around us. Control over our thoughts, your thoughts, over our emotions and yes, over yours. I know a woman who is incredibly sweet and demure. She defers to everyone. She’s a chronic apologizer. You know those folks — they apologize when you are late. It’s seems to be a uniquely female quirk. She is discovering, with God, the woman she’s supposed to be. But what she also wants is to control the emotional outcome for every situation. By thinking we have that type of control over others frequently leads us to decisions resulting in the exact opposite outcomes.

“What causes fights and quarrels among you?  Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you?”

James 4:1

Ouch. Again.  There’s that “log in your eye” message.  You know, the one that says, before you worry about the speck in someone else’s eye, first remove the log out of your own.  In modern times it’s called “baggage.”  Why does the sweet, demure woman desire control over emotional outcomes of others?  We frequently make decisions to protect ourselves from negative situations.  Negative situations we probably experienced growing up.  We are either in protect mode or attack mode to keep us from getting harmed.  Our triggers call for us to “shields up” (for all you Star Trek nerds).  We start playing chess matches of one.  Trying to predict if we say or do something we can outmaneuver our adversary.  Our human desire to control and predict our lives is fertile ground for satan to work his wicked ways.

CONTROL

the (perceived) power to influence or direct people’s behavior or the course of events.

I added the “perceived” part because so often we think we have control when we don’t — causing the friction within ourselves. In the realm of God there’s only one type of “control” He wants us to seek – self-control.  For when we seek to control our minds, our tongues, our bodies, based on His desires, only then can we find true peace.  I love the expectation God has for us to build upon our faith.

“For this very reason make every effort to add to your faith goodness, and to goodness, knowledge, and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance godliness; and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love.”

2 Peter 1:5-7

Self-control is smack dab in the middle.  With knowledge of what God expects of us we must then set our minds and behavior up against that knowledge and control them.  And without self-control we cannot persevere.  Pretty logical.  Without self-control with my diet I won’t make it to my goal.  Without self-control over my tongue my marriage might not survive.  Without self-control over my body I might put myself in physical harm.  

SELF-CONTROL

The ability to control oneself, in particular one’s emotions and desires or the expression of them in one’s behavior, especially in difficult situations.

Between trying to control others or self-control, only one of these are we guaranteed to be successful at on a regular basis.  The rest, shall we say, needs to be left to God.  Self-control is when we make a commitment to commune with God and study His Word each morning.  It’s when we are faced with a conflict we are slow to speak and quick to listen.  It’s when we are tempted by food, drink, anger, sex, (fill in the blank) and we turn our mind to God and His Truth – not the truth we are conjuring up in our minds to justify wrong-mindedness.

This chapter of James tells us to lose our grip.  Not on our minds but to lose our grips on our relationships, our big plans, our need to know “what’s next.”  It’s scary.  We are all control-freaks in one way or another.  But really, how well has that been working out for you thus far?

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

Oh, To Be Wise

krisshetter

They kept begging me to run for PTA president.  Having served on a PTA nominating committee I know how difficult it can be to fill two key positions – president and treasurer.  At least the treasurer can hide from people, but the president must stand in front of rooms filled with either at best bored or at worst annoyed parents.  My children attended an elementary school with almost 1,300 students K-5.  We put on large community events.  And our parents and teachers were very demanding.  On top of this, our school was about to go through a few major changes.  I told them “no.”  Actually, what I told them was: “You don’t want me to be your president.  You won’t like how I will clean up the ‘old boys’ way of doing things.”   But they kept asking. 

Eventually I caved.  I recall clearly after I said yes, I finally prayed for the first time.  “Lord, help this not to have been a mistake.”   I did that a lot many years ago.  You know, make a decision and then beg God to make it turn out ok.  I’m pretty sure King Solomon didn’t write a proverb saying, “Decide, then pray for your will be done.”

I should’ve watched Harper Valley PTA before I said, “Yes.

As I moved along on my Christian spiritual growth chart, I realized that order of things was a bit backward.  With each switching up of the order of prayer vs. action, I was getting closer to the concept in Ephesians 5: 15-16, “Be careful then, how you live – not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity. 

James 1: 5-8 challenges believers to wise decision making.  He gives us the action we must take (asking God for wisdom) and the result of not accepting and acting on that wisdom (double mindedness).

‘’If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you;  But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind.  That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord.  Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all they do.”

James 1: 5-8

You see, had I prayed to God in the midst of being asked to take on such a large role as PTA president I would’ve acted in God’s name, not mine.  If he told me to do it, I would know I had His strength to aid me in difficult times because it was His will not mine.  If I was told to not do it then I would’ve been able to clearly and confidently say, “no thank you.” And importantly – not feel guilty about it.

There are two ways to seek wisdom – spiritually and earthly.  While we can take both paths together, if we only use earthly knowledge, we live without an anchor to truly define what is “right” and “good.”  That is the Humanists’ approach.  They make decisions more based on what feels right or good or what society deems worthy or correct.  But God is immovable.  His Word never changes.  When we use that as a touchstone for our lives, we know we start our wisdom journey on solid ground.  God has all the solutions — while we can usually only see them in a narrow, protective framework.  

Charles Spurgeon once said, “How foolish would the believer be who would lay up his treasure anywhere except heaven?”  In other words, you only have one life to live.   It’s precious and what you create, such as children, are precious.  Why would you ask the world how to live your life, raise your kids, invest your money, use your time, instead of God?   He went on to say, “Change is written on the forehead of nature so don’t put your trust in earthly things.”  This reminded me of a friend I had at an old job.  She had her kids in the 1970s.  With her first child she was told by the nurses to absolutely not breastfeed her child.  It was imperative that women not be tied down to a child and instead be free to do whatever she pleased.  When her second child came along the winds had shifted.  She was encouraged to breastfeed.  She cried as she told me what she realized she missed out on with her first child – the bonding and loving moments breastfeeding affords.  She was angry she had let a nurse decide for her what was right and good. 

Warren Wiersbe defines God-given wisdom this way, “Wisdom keeps us in harmony with the principals and purposes that the Lord has built into His world so that as we obey God, everything works for us and not against us.”  I don’t know about you but I’d like to know more about how to get things to work for me and not against me!  

Step 1 for gaining that sort of wisdom – praying.  

But not just any praying.  Praying for His will to be done, not ours.  Praying for wisdom and good discernment means asking God to light the way for us.  He alone knows ALL the possible solutions and outcomes.  We can only know a limited number of solutions, based on our limited knowledge and emotions.  We can’t possibly know the outcomes.  When we pray to God for our will we need to be careful He might just give us what we keep asking for – and that can frequently be exactly what we don’t need.  God tailors our teaching based on where we are in our spiritual growth.  He might give us a little leeway or He might admonish us.  But we will definitely learn a lesson if we listen and pay attention.

Step 2 in our wisdom growth is listening.  

James 1: 19 says, “My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this, we should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry.”  After we’ve prayed, we need to shut up and listen.  He will speak to you.  But if we keep yammering on to him, our friends, people we don’t even know on social media, we will assuredly miss His voice.  We need to be like Jesus – slow down and hear from God.  Instead we frequently start worrying and researching and talking and fretting and more worrying.  In my study group we asked the question: “What are some challenges that come with obeying the promptings of the Holy Spirit?”  We all agreed that discerning whether it is God or our own voice (or worse, Satan) speaking is the greatest challenge.  The solution is knowing the character of God.  Thankfully, there’s a complete autobiography about God at our fingertips – the Bible.

Step 3 is reading His word.  

I’ve heard people call Christians “sheep.”  The assumption is that we don’t need to think for ourselves once we turn our lives over to Christ.  But we don’t put our minds on a shelf and stop thinking.  In fact, we must turn our lives to more active thinking and discernment when we become Christians.  One of my BSGs (Bible Study Girls) and I were talking the other day and she told me she was glad the Bible can be read at different understanding levels.  She says she has always had a more difficult time delving deeper and between the lines – not just when it comes to reading the Bible but any literature.  She appreciates those of us that have that skill.  That is the beauty of the Bible and God’s gifts.  One friend of mine sent out a text that said, “The Bible is the only book that as you read it, it reads you.”  Amen to that! 

There are a few books in the Bible considered “wisdom books” but the most recognizable is Proverbs.  The words “wise” or “wisdom” are used 125 in this book.  Its wise words are made to be memorized since the people of that time didn’t have access to books.  One liners can be easily remembered such as:

“Those who forsake instruction praise the wicked, but those who heed it, resist them.” 28:4

“Whoever remains stiff-necked after many rebukes will suddenly be destroyed without remedy.” 29:1

“Better to live on a corner of the roof than share a house with a quarrelsome wife.” 21:9

“Better a dry crust with peace and quiet than a house full of feasting and strife.” 17:1

Then there’s longer, deeper instruction such as Proverb 1: 32-33

“For the waywardness of the simple will kill them and the complacency of fools will destroy them; but whoever listens to me (wisdom/God) will live in safety and be at ease without fear or harm.”

And Proverb 3:5-6: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.  In all ways submit to Him and he will make your path straight.”

I wish I had read that one before deciding to be a PTA president.  From day 1 the bickering and strife and lies and hurts I faced were almost unbearable.  I cried to the Lord for help.  His help came in the form of wisdom – how to pray first, listen second, and read His Word third and then act.  

In my Bible study library I now have Bible commentaries, devotionals, books about prayer, apologetics books and more.  When I read a passage in the Bible that either seems confusing or sounds like a message I really need to hear, I pull out various other tools to help guide me, in addition to praying over the verse.  This has expanded my study time from about 15 minutes to about an hour.  It centers me for the day ahead and places my feet on His path.

Praying, listening, reading.   These steps help us to gain God’s wisdom.  Without taking these steps it’s very difficult, if not impossible, to accomplish God’s plan for us.  I love what Proverbs 8 says, speaking as God’s Wisdom:

“Listen, for I have trustworthy things to say; I open my lips to speak what is right. My mouth speaks what is true, for my lips detest wickedness.  All the words of mouth are just; none of them is crooked or perverse.  To the discerning all of them are right; they are upright to those who have found knowledge.  Choose my instruction instead of silver, knowledge rather than choice gold, for wisdom is more precious than rubies, and nothing you desire can compare with her.”

I am issuing a challenge today.  Take Proverbs and create a “Wise Words” list.  Create categories that each 1 liner falls into and place it in its category.  Some of the proverbs are repeated so you don’t need to write them again – but you might put a tick mark by the verse to show how many times it is mentioned.

For comments today, let us know a time that either 1) you didn’t pray and got yourself into a mess or 2) you heeded God’s word and realized what a blessing it was!

bible study, Christian, Christian Church, christian encouragement

Where’s The Joy?

krisshetter

It may be hard to find at times but there’s joy in trials. When we face a challenge we can go forward in dread or in the knowledge God is leading the charge.

Join me starting September 7 as we dig deeper into the Book of James with a five week study. Follow my blog to receive your daily emails.

Christian Church, christian encouragement, Uncategorized

Our Primary Purpose

krisshetter

This letter was written May 2020 after a number of attempts to sit down with my pastor or even an assistant pastor about my concerns over closing up our churches. Instead I was met with silence. Absolute silence. You see, I believe Christians are being put to the test. God’s threshing room is operating at full throttle. The wheat and chaff are being separated.

In conversations with my Christian and non-Christian friends I have made this argument: When a corporation, charity, educational institution, government, mother/father, pilot, pastor, soldier, or whatever job you can think of forgets what their primary, intended purpose is they go astray. Christian churches’ primary purpose is to bring the Word of God to people who need to hear it. It is to have Christians and searching non-Christians be in communion with each other to praise God for our salvation. It is to serve God and God’s people. The primary purpose is NOT to keep people from catching a virus. Now, that doesn’t mean that safety and security are thrown out the window. Just like our schools, whose primary purpose is to teach our children — not keep them from catching a virus — our churches must stay focused on God’s plan. I laud those corporations and small businesses who have not forgotten their primary purpose — to bring goods to customers. Somehow they have figured out how to also keep their customers and employees safe. Christian churches should place themselves at least on the same plane as Costco or Walmart. I, for one, think our churches have a much greater role to play in God’s universe.

After I sent this letter to my church and church leaders I waited for the storm to come. And it did. I found it interesting that the people we all see as “plugged in” at our churches were the most offended. In fact, I was told by one that Satan was working in me. I also got the “who do you think you are?” But it was regular, church-going people who spoke to me with shouts of “hallelujah!” We “regular Christians” are begging for communion. We NEED each other. We need to see each other raising our hands to God in praise. If you are a pastor and reading this, we need you.

“I told my friend today that I’m about to commit a “Jerry Maguire.” For those of you who haven’t seen the movie here’s what I mean.  Jerry, a sports agent at a large firm, has a “come to Jesus” moment one night about the nature of his business and how it has become de-personalized.  He writes a manifesto and shares it with all his colleagues.  And while they all think what he says is great, they turn against him, shunning him.

            My manifesto is not about a job, it’s about Faith, or the lack of it from our churches.  In these uncertain times we have allowed Satan to use all his dirty tricks against us.  And we have willingly followed him like the Pied Piper.  We have failed at God’s biggest test since Jesus’ crucifixion.  And we’ve failed gloriously.  We have been Judas in the garden willingly pointing out the rule breakers.  We are Peter denying Christ out of fear of punishment.

            Just as Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 11:14, the devil has masqueraded as an angel of light.  His deception has been as cunning as with Eve.  Our churches have closed and our pastors have hidden away under the guise of “saving people.”  We have allowed the realm of worldliness to define the role the church plays in our Christian lives.  We have deemed ourselves “non-essential.”  All the while our role of bringing people to the one true Savior has diminished.  We are no longer in the business of saving souls. 

            In 2 Corinthians 11 Paul says he will keep on with his ministry in order to cut the ground from under those who want an opportunity to be considered equal with us in the things they boast about – saving people. He goes on to say, “For such people are false apostles, deceitful workers, masquerading as apostles of Christ.  Unlike today’s churches, Paul describes the Macedonian churches as giving everything they had during severe trial just for the joy and privilege of sharing in the service for the Lord’s people.  We can count on one or two hands the churches in the news that have shown this same fervent love for the gospel.

            But what have been Satan’s works?  I’m sure if you’ve read to this point you have already spoken a few of them in rebuttal.  Let’s start with the most prevalent.  Romans 13 clearly convicts us to obey the government because they rule only under God’s authority.  Rebelling against authority is considered rebelling against God.  So therefore, when the State tells churches they must close, we must obey.  Ah, but the devil loves to cherry pick scripture.  What he has done here is take advantage of the Christian desire to do what is right, to follow laws, and to be good citizens.  What he doesn’t want you to do is dig deeper.  Is the law just in the first place, in the eyes of God?  Backing up to Acts 5 we see the apostles being persecuted for performing signs and wonders among the people.  The Pharisees were angry and claimed the law prohibited them from teaching.  “We gave you strict orders not to teach in his name,” the Sanhedrin says in verse 28.  And the apostles’ response? “We must obey God rather than human beings.” (v29). Where were our major denominations at the outset of our shut down standing firm that churches are essential?  Where was their conviction that God calls us into service during times of trouble? And where have they been since?  It’s one thing for a church to have said on the outset of the shut down, “Let’s close for a couple of weeks and see what this is all about.  We will clean our facilities and come up with safe practices.  And then open.”  But allowing government to tell us that we are not even allowed to do that goes not just against one of the basic rights of this country but of God’s laws.

            But what is wrong with keeping people healthy?  You now entered into Satan’s second lie.  To accept this premise, you have to believe that our churches are irresponsible, unnecessary and incapable of keeping people safe while attending church.  Somehow, we have a greater respect for our grocery store management than for our church management.  I laud those few pastors who have found creative ways to do church – beyond the impersonal video exchange.  Drive through confessionals, drive up church, drive through prayer time, and more.  The bold few have even ripped the veil off one of Satan’s other lies – that going to church is somehow not a choice.  So, they open their churches to anyone who chooses to attend.  Do they still adhere to safe practices, of course, because God doesn’t call Christians to be stupid.  He calls us to trust and to obey Him.  Why have we expected more from Walmart than from our church?  Why have we put ourselves on equal footing with our gyms?

            Even our most trusted faith leaders have failed us.  While they preach on trusting God, they cower behind their computer screens.  Where is the trust?  Where is the bold faith?  Where is the healing of lepers and of the sick?  Where is the knowledge and belief that God is in our midst?  Who do you think God is smiling on – the church that closes and locks their doors or the church that is open to the sick, the anxious, the scared, the homeless, the alcoholic, the abused, the weak and the poor?  The other lie Satan tells us is that living in our impersonal, technology connected faith, God’s work is full, is enough.  We say things like, isn’t great we can connect with missionaries across the world during this time?  Isn’t’ amazing how we can still be together through a video screen?  If that were true, then why didn’t the apostles just rely on letters to the churches?  Why did they feel the need to enter into cities that were sure to persecute them, sure to throw them in jail?  Where are the pastors who say as Peter and John, who after laying hands on a lame man cured him, said to the Sanhedrin, “It is by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified but whom God raised from the dead, that this man is healed.”  Yes, technology is great for those who can’t be with us.  But we’ve preached and preached over the last few years about the dangers of relying on technology and becoming less connected rather than more.   And what about the supposed connections we’ve made?  Besides videos, have our churches and our denominations reached out regularly to their parishioners via phone calls, letters, etc? Have they been regular guests on news shows teaching about ways to ease our anxieties?  Have our pastors personally reached out to people who have reached out to them about their concerns? And what about the non-members that attend our churches?  How have those people been personally connected?  What about the non-believer who one night, feels called by the Holy Spirit to enter a church and hear the Word?

            You see, the devil has used our goodness, our desires to do the right thing against us.  It’s time to gird our loins with Truth.  God does not want our churches locked.  He does not want us hiding in fear.  He wants those doors thrown open.  He wants us to welcome all who are lost, who are lonely, who are fearful, and who are spiritually sick.  We must stop allowing Satan to define God’s mission for us.  As my friend once said to me, “This should be a pastor’s ‘jam’.”  Meaning this time in the world is when the fight between dark and light should be most obvious.  It’s what we have been training for.  It’s the time to call for peace in His arms, for faith in His words, for trust in His love. “

Here’s the thing about what happens to Jerry Maguire. He wins in the end. He gathers up the believers. He tears down the old way of doing things. He renews faith. He remembers what his intended purpose is.

30daysofpraise, christian encouragement, Uncategorized

The Man With A Plan

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I don’t know if you’re like me but when I go into any situation, I’m always asking, “what’s the plan?”  There’s that Martha popping up in me again!  I’m an action-oriented, goal-centered, outcome-driven creature.  That’s not bad.  Through numerous human resources training sessions I’ve come to realize the different characters in a well-oiled team.  And, as a person comfortable with leading, I’ve needed to see all the beautiful ways people contribute toward accomplishing a goal.  You have the worker bees, idea creators, empathizers, suspicious minds, change resistors, change lovers, and number crunchers.  But there always needs to be a “man with a plan.”  Of course, not necessarily a man.  But a person who has a vision – an overarching goal or purpose to why we all have gathered.  Apple founder Steve Jobs was one such leader.  On leadership he said,

“Technology is nothing.  What’s important is that you have faith in people, that they’re basically good and smart, and if you give them tools, they’ll do wonderful things with them.”

Steve Jobs

At the end of Mr. Jobs’ life I don’t know how he felt about God but he was channeling God’s leadership ideas.  God is the Man with the Ultimate Plan.  Praise God that He is our fearless leader.   In Romans 8:28, the disciple Paul writes: “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.”  Notice God calls meetings and has a purpose in mind?  As believers we are working in concert with God’s purposes.  He pulls together teams to accomplish His visions for His world.  So, when we are called into the office, we bring our various talents and characteristics. 

It’s a dangerous mistake for us to look at other Christians working for God’s purpose and compare ourselves to them.  Yes, we can all learn from each other about how to better trust and obey God.  But being a believer doesn’t erase our basic tendencies or talents or abilities.  At my most recent church I volunteered for the Come Build Hope team.  This program facilitated building an average of 10 houses in Mexico each year.  In the bulletin was posted the need for a registrar.  That was right up my alley.  I’m very organized, computer savvy, and communicate well with volunteers.  The other two key members of the team were grateful because those aren’t their talents.  One was a building specialist.  One was the vision and money person.  We made a great team.  Mostly because we were also God-centered.  Our big and many small decisions were based on Jesus’ teachings.  He was always on our minds and hearts.  It’s not that everything went smoothly, it’s that we were able to work out all problems great and small as a team.   

I’ve found when I place God as my team leader and look to Him for guidance, comfort, encouragement and peace my life seems to go in a much clearer direction.  It’s when I try to wrestle back control that it jumps the tracks.  I also know that when circumstances around me start to go awry I can look to Him to take me through the storm.  There are many major companies that have failed to weather financial, political or other storms due to lack of good leadership.  Trials and tests will come to everyone. When I put my faith firmly in the capable hands of God I know He will work all things for my good.

I love this new song by King & Country. I was fortunate to hear this song in concert before it was released. The idea of working together, for His purpose, is so important right now. As Christians we need to band together as God’s team to bring light and hope to our world. Click on the photo to watch the video of Together.

30daysofpraise, christian encouragement, Uncategorized

Shaloha

krisshetter

Life is like a stormy sea 
That tosses to and fro, 
But God’s Word will ever be 
A ballast for my soul; 
By its truth I’ll be held fast 
Till I reach heaven’s shore 
Where I will be home at last 
And sail life’s sea no more!

—Perry Boardman

How often do you feel like a sailing ship being tossed to and fro?  Or a tiny dinghy out on a stormy lake?  I certainly felt that way more times than I can count.  My “peace-filled” days were the ones I could count on a couple hands.  But Jesus is the Prince of Peace!  It’s so fascinating to study the days of Jesus and His interactions with the leaders of the Jewish faith.  We have the benefit of thousands of years of scholarly study to correctly interpret Jesus’ words.  We also have the truth of the resurrection to back up Jesus’ position with God.

But think of those leaders who knew the prophesy in Isaiah 9:6 which states: “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders.  And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”  They certainly weren’t anxiously waiting for this Nazarene.  A child born to a lowly woman.  Someone not officially holding a title of Prince or even Rabbi.  And yet there he stood.  

“Shalom – peace – is a precious word to the Jewish people.  It means more than just the absence of war or distress.  Shalom means wholeness, completeness, health, security, even prosperity in the best sense.  When you are enjoying God’s peace, there is joy and contentment,” says Warren Wiersbe on his commentary of John 14:25-31.  The Pharisees, and other lay people, were looking for someone to just give them the absence of war and the gift of prosperity.  They were missing out on the eternal peace that God gifts us through both war and prosperity.  When I think of God’s peace the eye of a hurricane always comes to mind.  This eye is an area of mostly calm weather inside a terrifying hurricane.  

According to the website, A Catholic Gentleman, which promotes faith in men, “over 40 million Americans suffer from an anxiety disorder of some kind, and there are no doubt countless others that live with severe anxiety but are undiagnosed. “ But how do we obtain this elusive peace?  The Catholic Gentleman gives some great insight:

First, it means living in the present moment. A great deal of anxiety comes from worrying about the past or the future, neither of which can be changed. Even though we know it is useless, we often expend untold emotional energy worrying. 

Second, it means accepting the circumstances of life without impatient resistance, realizing that everything is either positively willed or at least allowed by God. 

Finally, it means trust in the goodness of God. Many of us are afraid to completely abandon ourselves to the will of God because we are afraid of what it might mean. 

These three pieces of advice are so clear and helpful.  But they are not easy.  I once told a good friend that some days just working on staying in the present moment took every ounce of energy I had.  There are no quick fixes to this amazing gift God wants for us.  Unlike grace and salvation which, once we accept Jesus as the son of God who removes our stains, is given fully and freely to us, the gift of peace can seem more like trying to open a clamshell style package.  You think it looks simple and you try poking your fingernail between the two pieces of plastic.  When that doesn’t work you look for a helpful tab somewhere the manufacturer must have added in order to tear that puppy open.  But alas, none exists.  Then you start trying to use brute strength or maybe your teeth.  You feel a bit silly.  I mean it’s you against a piece of plastic!  You finally give in and get out a knife or scissors.  And even that may lead to a bloody finger.  When all is said and done you have in front of you a mangled piece of plastic and the object of your desire, freed from the bonds of the clamshell.  You look at your freed item and somehow it feels more valuable from the work you just put in.  And you exclaim, “finally!”

I love the teachings of Joyce Meyer primarily because this taming of our minds is her primary teaching focus when it comes to following God’s Word.  One of her devotional days says,

“Nobody is successful with any venture just by wishing they would be.  Successful people make a plan and talk to themselves about that plan constantly.”

Joyce Meyer, Trusting God Day by Day

This is based on 2 Cor 10:5: “We capture their rebellious thoughts and teach them to obey God.”  When we keep our mind in the present and decide what goes on up in our thick skull we are miles ahead toward achieving that gift of peace. 

I know a lot people who spend most of their time on the wall of the hurricane instead of the eye.  They’re the “Chicken Littles” and the “Debbie Downers” and the “Joy Suckers.”  I’m familiar with all of them as I perfected each of them at one time or another.  Until I accepted Jesus.  I surrendered to trusting the goodness of God.  When I am facing tough situations I FIRST turn to God to pump a little extra peace into me.  For a long time, I assumed that long-time Christians all had this peace.  One friend I spoke to at the beginning of the COVID 19 scare, who has been a Christian much longer than I, was distraught.  He said he just couldn’t see God at work anywhere.  I told him he sounded like the ship being tossed to and fro.  And that without trust in God he wouldn’t find peace.  He stopped talking.  He realized he had stepped out of God’s eye and into the storm.

I read this story as part of a sermon by Max Lucado on “Peace that defies pain.”

“I have everything I need for joy!” Robert Reed said. “Amazing!” I thought.

His hands are twisted and his feet are useless. He can’t bathe himself. He can’t feed himself. He can’t brush his teeth, comb his hair, or put on his underwear. His shirts are held together by strips of Velcro®. His speech drags like a worn-out audio cassette.

Robert has cerebral palsy.

The disease keeps him from driving a car, riding a bike, and going for a walk. But it didn’t keep him from graduating from high school or attending Abilene Christian University, from which he graduated with a degree in Latin. Having cerebral palsy didn’t keep him from teaching at a St. Louis junior college or from venturing overseas on five mission trips.

And Robert’s disease didn’t prevent him from becoming a missionary in Portugal. He moved to Lisbon, alone, in 1972. There he rented a hotel room and began studying Portuguese. He found a restaurant owner who would feed him after the rush hour and a tutor who would instruct him in the language.

Then he stationed himself daily in a park, where he distributed brochures about Christ. Within six years he led seventy people to the Lord, one of whom became his wife, Rosa.

I heard Robert speak recently. I watched other men carry him in his wheelchair onto the platform. I watched them lay a Bible in his lap. I watched his stiff fingers force open the pages. And I watched people in the audience wipe away tears of admiration from their faces. Robert could have asked for sympathy or pity, but he did just the opposite. He held his bent hand up in the air and boasted, “I have everything I need for joy.”

His shirts are held together by Velcro®, but his life is held together by joy.”

I praise God, the Prince of Peace, the Giver of Joy, the Giver of Shaloha, as many on the beautifully peaceful island of Kauai like to say. I thank Him for helping me be steadfast in surrendering to Him so that I might live each moment in the eye rather than the walls of the storm.

30daysofpraise, christian encouragement, Uncategorized

Code Blue: God Needed In Room 1

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Have you ever felt like your entire world is falling apart?  Sometimes everything just feels broken.  Marriages, children, health, finances – all the pieces of our life that can take turns for the worse. At times we might just need a little physical therapy on one part of our life.  Or some psychotherapy.  During smaller crises an aspirin will do the trick.  During any of these large or small life emergencies one doctor is always on call – God.

Charles Stanley’s Life Principle # 8 advises, “Fight all your battles on your knees and you win every time.”  It’s based on 2 Samuel 15:31. King David’s family was a mess.  His one son, Ammon, rapes David’s daughter, Tamar.  His other son, Absalom kills Ammon.  Had it stopped there they might have been able to work out their issues.  But David forgot the one action that managed to resolve so many issues – turning to God.  What ensued was brewing hatreds, deceit, more murder, and kingdoms in peril.   David needed to call the doctor, on his knees.  In fact, after so many hurts and misunderstandings that’s what he finally did.  And God began working out David’s trials for his good.

Praise God that he is the ultimate diagnostician.  When we get on our knees first when facing life’s problems, it puts Him in charge of helping us fix them.  We have such a limited view of solutions at times — our emotions and fears direct us rather than say, grace, mercy and forgiveness.  God sees the whole body and what we really need.  That doesn’t mean there’s always a quick fix.  In fact, God frequently uses our brokenness to gain greater peace in our lives.  I love what Joyce Meyer, who was physically abused by her father for many years, once said about God’s healing spirit:

“God has done so much in my life, and my desire is to help others who are hurting to receive his love and get the healing they need – mentally, emotionally and spiritually.  I know the Word works and total restoration is possible in Christ because I’ve experienced it myself.”

Joyce Meyer

Jesus, God’s earthly partner in His medical practice, came to heal all our deep wounds.  Yes, he physically took away some afflictions but he came primarily to heal our souls and hearts.  When he sat and ate at Levi’s house, along with a large crowd of the famed, evil tax collectors, the Pharisees chastised him: “Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?”  Jesus’ poignant response was: “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick.  I have come not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.”  When we come to him with our sins about money, unforgiveness, lack of humility, anger, infidelity, and so much more he brings out the ambulance to rescue us.  But if we never call 911 we are left to our own meager and, at times, more destructive treatments.

What if, in the midst of your trial, your life emergency, you drop to your knees and call up the ultimate doctor?  He might give you an answer you would’ve never expected.  And just like our worldly antibiotics routines, we need to take all His medicine faithfully.  

Enjoy this great song by Matthias Worship called “Every Bone.” Please share with us today how God has rescued and healed you.

30daysofpraise, christian encouragement, Uncategorized

God the Comforter

krisshetter

There is a great storm rising.  Can you feel it?  It’s a battle for God’s modern Jerusalem.   A spiritual battle rages in God’s created land – America.  The home of the free and land of the brave.  Since its inception, the United States of America has rested all its actions on a firm belief in the Almighty.  Every US State Constitution mentions God.  And although there have been those that want to erase this truth, believers have held strong.  Like all battles this one will destroy, it will maim, it will leave scars.  But God stands as our great comforter.  He is, as Paul writes in 2 Cor 1: 3-11. “The Father of Compassion and the God of all Comfort.”  This “God of all Comfort” is waiting for us to turn completely to Him when we face the slings and arrows of those who would destroy us

I started following Sean Feucht on Instagram when he ran for office in California.  He is a worship leader and strong family man.  He loves God.  And his loss for a chance to hold a government seat did not stop him for what has turned into his greatest mission – to fight for those of us who want to openly worship in what has become a modern Babylon.  Through the ministry, Hold The Line, he and other pastors hold outdoor worship services up and down the west coast of the United States.  This weekend they went straight into the heart of beast – Seattle, Washington’s CHOP – an area that ANTIFA declared independent from the country.  They set up their microphones and instruments.  And hundreds of worshippers came to sing praises to the Lord.  And Satan showed up.  Satan worshippers marched around them.  People attacked the stage wielding knives.  Pregnant worshippers were cussed at and spat on.  The more the “opposition” screamed, the louder the singing became.  Because God the Comforter was surrounding the believers.  Their wall of bronze enveloped them and they sang.  And they were baptized and they surrendered to the one and only Higher Authority.  

Lest we think this battle is solely between believers and unbelievers the comments this organization gets from supposed believers is so disheartening.  Many seem to think that Caesar has been placed as head of the church.  The dictates about not being able to sing in California churches or how many people are allowed at church are deemed “worthy” by these church goers.  Their fear has taken over their minds as they’ve forgotten the only fear we need to have is that of God.  As for Sean and company, his trials are purposeful.  God is using him and his family and friends to show how complete reliance on God to protect and comfort us is our utmost goal.  His trials lead him to comfort others. We can learn of patience and endurance when we watch as he is attacked over and over and gets up each day to praise God.

This modern Jerusalem – a place on the hill for freedom of speech, religion, assembly – is worth fighting for.  In the history of the world there has never been a country created to give all citizens so much freedom and so much responsibility, and called it God-given.  As a devout Christian, I am commissioned to fight this good fight.  And I will be comforted by our Great Father during my times of need. May I learn endurance and surrender so that I can comfort others.

Are you experiencing trials related to your faith? Tell us how you’ve turned to God in the comments. I’ve posted one of the videos an anti-Christian took of the Seattle worship service. There is some foul language on this.

30daysofpraise, christian encouragement, Uncategorized

Always Faithful

krisshetter

Have you ever “waited for the other shoe to drop?”  I used to live my life out that way all the time.  If something was good, I was just waiting for it to go bad.  If something was bad, I was waiting for it to get worse.  I truly don’t understand how my husband has put up with me for 31 years.  If we got a nice tax return and decided to go on a trip, I just knew some extraordinary expense was going to come up.  My “buyer’s remorse” was legendary amongst my family.  It’s not surprising that my faith in God was at best lukewarm and at worst non-existent.

As I’ve learned and studied more about the character of God one thing stands out above all else – he is ever faithful and never changing.  Throughout the Bible He reminds us that He will keep His covenant with us.  He is the rock to stand on, the bronze wall to withstand attacks, and the fireproof blanket that keeps us from the flames.  Malachi 3:6 says, “I, the Lord do not change; So you, the descendants of Jacob, are not destroyed.”  But notice who does change: “Ever since the time of your ancestors you have turned away from my decrees and have not kept them.”  All God asks of us, “Return to me, and I will return to you.”

Is there anything in your life that is so stalwart? No.  I can say that without even knowing you.  Our friends will disappoint us.  Our spouses will fail us.  Our families might even turn from us.  Our houses will crumble and our bodies will decay.  But God is always faithful, always present, always waiting for our return – with open arms.

I found this beautiful version of Take Me to The Rock that I hope you enjoy! When was there a time you felt God had left you only to realize the opposite had occurred? Share your praise in the comments below!