Filling in the H

Before our recent move, friends of ours gave us a beautiful wall hanging which says: Walk by FAITH, have HOPE always, LOVE others. As I hung the rustic picture above the fireplace, I noticed the H in FAITH was a little difficult to read, so I found a marker and filled it in.

As I did so, the Lord brought a truth to mind. Faith sometimes requires taking a step before the picture is complete.

Abraham had to take his son Isaac to Mount Moriah with the intention of offering him as a sacrifice before God stayed his hand and provided a ram.

Moses had to return to Egypt—a place where he was wanted for murder—before God could use him to lead His chosen people out of slavery.

The widow had to borrow jars before God provided her with oil to sell.

All throughout God’s Word, we see example after example of people who had to exhibit faith before God intervened on their behalf, because the amount of faith we proclaim is only backed up by action.

I hope to spend all my days on this planet filling in the H.

Dear Lord, thank You for the many times You intervene on our behalf. Thank You that Your plan involves us backing up our proclamations of faith in You by taking steps. Give us the strength and courage to follow you in faith. Amen.

Worthy of Trust

If the truth were told, we could probably all admit to trust issues. We've all been burned in relationships with others, and because of our burn scars we find it difficult to know who to trust.

But our heavenly Father is completely worthy of our trust. Because He made us and loves us--because He is Almighty and the one and only true God--we can trust Him with our lives.
When we trust Him and seek Him and His way with all our heart, we can rest assured that He will work out the every detail of our often confusing lives for our good.

"And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose." ~Romans 8:28 (NIV)

In the recent move my husband and I made, I confess to times of fear and worry. We were acting on what we believed God wanted us to do, but what if we misunderstood? What if we were wrong? Would God provide jobs and thereby provide for our needs?

Our worry and fear were in vain. God worked in spite of our humanity. He has always been (and will always be) completely trustworthy. Jesus expressed it best in His Sermon on the Mount.

"If you decide for God, living a life of God-worship, it follows that you don't fuss about what's on the table at mealtimes or whether the clothes in your closet are in fashion. There is far more to your life than the food you put in your stomach, more to your outer appearance than the clothes you hang on your body. Look at the birds, free and unfettered, not tied down to a job description, careless in the care of God. And you count far more to him than birds. Has anyone by fussing in front of the mirror ever gotten taller by so much as an inch? All this time and money wasted on fashion—do you think it makes that much difference? Instead of looking at the fashions, walk out into the fields and look at the wildflowers. They never primp or shop, but have you ever seen color and design quite like it? The ten best-dressed men and women in the country look shabby alongside them. If God gives such attention to the appearance of wildflowers—most of which are never even seen—don't you think he'll attend to you, take pride in you, do his best for you? What I'm trying to do here is to get you to relax, to not be so preoccupied with getting, so you can respond to God's giving. People who don't know God and the way he works fuss over these things, but you know both God and how he works. Steep your life in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions. Don't worry about missing out. You'll find all your everyday human concerns will be met. Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don't get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes." ~Matthew 6:25-34 (MSG)

Almighty God, how we praise You for Your involvement in our lives. Teach us to trust You and to follow You whole-heartedly. Thank You for being faithful and worthy of our trust. Thank You for providing for us in spite of our tendency toward worry and fear. We love You. Amen.

Chosen and Adopted

I've always imagined that adopted children must surely grow up with a keen sense that they were especially chosen by their adopted parents. What a benediction of peace, joy, and love that must bring to their lives!

The adoption process is the perfect analogy of what God has done for us. Through the sacrifice of His Son Jesus, God has chosen and adopted us and brought us into His family. I'm awed by that thought. When I take the time to reflect on it, contentment and serenity rain down on my soul.


You can tell for sure that you are now fully adopted as his own children because God sent the Spirit of his Son into our lives crying out, "Papa! Father!" Doesn't that privilege of intimate conversation with God make it plain that you are not a slave, but a child? And if you are a child, you're also an heir, with complete access to the inheritance. (Galatians 4:6-7, MSG)
 
Not one of us who cry out for our Papa are ever turned away. He longs to carry on an intimate conversation with us. The heavenly benefits of being His heirs are ours, and the riches of Heaven await. We're His adopted children, birthed by His grace and bound by His unfailing love.

Thank You, Papa, for choosing and adopting us. We were helpless and hopeless until You reached across time and chose us for Your own. Help us to remember who we are in You--beloved children of the King and co-heirs with Christ. May we bear the privilege and responsibility in a way that makes You pleased and proud. Amen.

A Product of Prayer

No two ways about it--my life is a product of prayer. I grew up knowing that my grandmothers (& others!) prayed for me. I shudder to think how differently my life would have turned out without those prayers.

When I consider the above paragraph, I realize with fresh intensity both the privilege and responsibility of praying for others.

Samuel, the Israelite judge who anointed King David, sums it up succinctly: "As for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the LORD by failing to pray for you." (1 Samuel 12:23, NIV)

I believe in the power of prayer, and I believe when we pray for others we release God's incomparable power into their lives. Prayer changes people (us included) and circumstances. Most importantly, prayer brings us into communication with the One True God who indwells us. Why would we not want to pray?

It's all too easy to fail to pray for others the way we need to. I've determined that I will never tell someone I'm praying for them without making it a reality. And I'm working on stopping to pray for people and situations as soon as I'm asked. If I accomplish nothing else on this planet, I want to be a prayer warrior.

We'll never know this side of heaven how our prayers for others have affected change, but like Samuel, we can realize the sinfulness of hoarding our prayers for our own selfish pursuits. We can make a heavenly difference in the lives of those around us through prayer. (I sometimes pray for strangers that I pass wordlessly on the street, asking God to bless them and reveal Himself to them.)

May we often consider the people who have prayed for us and recognize the times when our lives were forever altered by prayer. Let's take a good look at the people we come into contact with--some are strangers, and others are those we see on a regular basis--and unleash God's miraculous power into their lives through intercessory prayer.

Father, thank You for those who have gone before us in the journey of faith--especially those who set aside time to pray for us. Lord, I pray we won't drop the torch that's been passed to us. May we pray for others throughout the day, lifting them heavenward, and releasing Your dynamite power in them. Help us to realize the importance of prayer in Your Kingdom work, not to spend vain words on selfish agendas, but to bring about lasting change in the lives of those who cross our paths. May the world be filled with intercessory prayer warriors who bombard Heaven's gates on behalf of others. Amen.

The Importance of Gratitude

A recent status update on Facebook changed my day. It was simply this: "What if God blessed you tomorrow based on what you thank Him for today?"

Astounding thought,isn't it?

We are so quick to take our problems and requests to God, and we certainly need to. But we're also reminded (and commanded!) throughout scripture to give thanks, and this is where we fall short.

Here are a few examples:

When you sacrifice a Thanksgiving-Offering to God, do it right so it will be acceptable. ~Leviticus 22:29 (MSG)

Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good;
   His love endures forever. ~1 Chronicles 16:34 (NIV)


Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise; give thanks to Him and praise His name. ~Psalm 100:4 (NIV)

Now when Daniel learned that the decree had been published, he went home to his upstairs room where the windows opened toward Jerusalem. Three times a day he got down on his knees and prayed, giving thanks to his God, just as he had done before. ~Daniel 6:10 (NIV)

One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice. He threw himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked Him—and he was a Samaritan. ~Luke 17:15-16 (NIV)

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. ~Philippians 4:6 (NIV)

...give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. ~1 Thessalonians 5:18 (NIV)

“Amen!
Praise and glory
and wisdom and thanks and honor
and power and strength
be to our God for ever and ever.
Amen!” ~Revelation 7:12 (NIV)

God is sooooooo worthy of our thanksgiving, even when we're going through rough times. He has given His Son as the sacrifice for us, so that we might be healed of mankind's worst and most deadly disease ever--sin! If that isn't reason to thank Him, I don't what is.

But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. ~1 Corinthians 15:57 (NIV)
 
Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift! ~2 Corinthians 9:15 (NIV)

Heavenly Father, forgive us for our lack of gratitude. On our best days we remember to say thanks for the blessings of that day, but help us to remember to thank You in the midst of difficulty as well. Thank You for all the things we take for granted: a bed to sleep in, clean water, food, shelter, health, our families, and so much more. Thank You especially for the victory that is ours through Jesus Christ! Amen!

Thanksgiving's not just a day; it's a way of living...

Total Dependence

Trust God from the bottom of your heart;
   don't try to figure out everything on your own.
Listen for God's voice in everything you do, everywhere you go;
   he's the one who will keep you on track. ~Proverbs 3:5-6 (MSG)

When I wrote my last book, A Path Less Traveled (book two in the Miller's Creek, Texas series), I chose Proverbs 3:5-6 as the theme for the story. At the time, I never dreamed how the Lord would bring me to a place of having to depend on the truth of this verse. In my head, I thought I understood this scripture, but now, in the current circumstances of my life, it has become so real to me.

I wish I could say that I always lived by this truth--that I didn't have moments of fear, trembling, and downright panic--but in all honesty, I have to be reminded of it several times a day. When I truly live out this passage, life falls into a comfortable easy rhythm where the Lord leads and peace indwells. But when I start to depend on my own understanding, worry and doubt plague me like a growling dog snipping at my heels.

Leaning on our own understanding, is a normal human tendency. The problem lies in the fact that our understanding is flawed because we're flawed. We can't see the big picture, but our big God can.

Worry and faith can't co-exist. When one moves in the other moves out. We have to choose. If we lean on our own understanding, we're depending on ourselves instead of Jesus. True faith calls for total dependence on Him. Not our own limited knowledge, not our bank accounts, not our careers, not our strength. Nothing.

Trusting Him means believing that He is able and that He will provide. It means not stepping in to help Him out. It entails seeking Him instead of seeking answers and solutions. Total dependence.

Dear Father, thank You that You are able. We praise You because of who You are--a God who sees and knows every detail of our lives down to the number of hairs on our head--a God who has promised to provide. Help us to trust You completely. Forgive us for the times we depend on ourselves instead of You. Teach us that half-trust is no trust. Help us to seek You moment by moment. Thank You for the peace that flows over us when we do. Thank You for directing our paths. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

More Powerful Than A Locomotive!

No, I'm not talking about Superman. I'm talking about words.

As a writer I've learned the importance and power of not only words, but the right words. As Mark Twain so aptly puts it: "The difference between the almost right word & the right word is really a large matter--it's the difference between the lightning bug and the lightning."

Words have the power to change people and to change circumstances. To impact people for better or for worse. To make or break someone's life.

I tremble to think of the careless statements I've spoken without giving thought to how my words affect the other person. I'm embarrassed and ashamed to admit that at times I withhold words that could make a difference in the life of another. The Bible even says our tongues hold the power of life and death (Proverbs 18:21).

I once saw a short film where a blind man sat on the street with a sign that said: "I'm blind. Please help." In front of him sat a tin can where those who passed by could drop their spare change.

A young businesswoman hurried past, saw the sign, and came back to write a message on the opposite side of the cardboard. Now the man was showered with money.

When the blind man heard the familiar clip of the business woman's shoes, he asked her: "What did you write on the sign?"

A smile touched her lips. "I wrote the same message, just in different words." As she walked away, the camera came to rest on her sign.

It simply said: "It's a beautiful day and I can't see it."

A word fitly spoken in like apples of gold in pictures of silver. -- Proverbs 25:11

May our words be precious and beautiful to those around us, impacting them in a powerful and positive way.


Father, make me more aware of the words I speak and write. Help me to realize the power and impact of my words. May I be ever mindful to do away with hurtful comments and to instead breathe words of life and encouragement. In Jesus' name. Amen.