“Yet I Will Rejoice in The Lord” Habakkuk 3:17-19

If you could imagine the perfect start to your day, what would you choose? Would you want to enjoy your cup of coffee in solitude on the front porch, or maybe go on a long walk while the morning is still cool, maybe snuggle with your little ones while they still have a sleepy head, or have a deep conversation with your spouse? When those perfect mornings really happen, though they may be few, the day just feels different. You feel at peace.

cafe-918887_1280But what about all the other days when the toast burns, everyone oversleeps, the kids spend the morning aggravating each other, or you have an argument with your spouse about….yes….the same thing yet again.  These are the days where we actually live most of the time, the days where real life happens.  Certainly not the Norman Rockwell type of morning we imagine as the perfect start to our day.  We live in the mess, and sometimes even in the trenches, with the people closest to us.  The days can be exhausting, disappointing, and just plain stinkin’ sometimes.  So what then?

The prophet Habakkuk had some of those days as well.  He complained to God, asked God why He allowed things to stay as they were, and just couldn’t imagine that God even knew his troubles anymore.  The Lord answered him in Habakkuk 1:5 with this, “Look among the nations, and see; wonder and be astounded.  For I am doing a work in your days that you would not believe if told.”  The Lord continues on with His answer, and Habakkuk later complains to God yet again.

 By the end of this small book of prophecy, Habakkuk’s circumstances have not changed, but his perspective has.  Habakkuk begins rejoicing in the Lord.  In 3:17-19, he rejoices, saying, “Though the fig tree should not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines, the produce of the olive fail and the fields yield no food, the flock be cut off from the fold, and there be no herd in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord; I will take joy in the God of my salvation. God, the Lord, is my strength; he makes my feet like the deer’s; he makes me tread on my high places.”

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He finally got it!  He finally realized that no matter what was going on around him, the most important thing for him was to focus on the Lord, to rejoice in the God of his salvation.  This passage is one of my favorites.  Some days it seems I spend my entire day reading and re-reading it, inserting my issues and struggles.  It’s an exercise that the Lord uses to change my really crummy days into days filled with peace that only comes from Him, even though the day may still be hard.

What if we spent each day praying through this prayer, like Habakkuk learned:

Though all our breakfast burned, yet I will rejoice in the Lord;

Though my children can’t seem to get along with each other today, yet I will rejoice in the Lord;

Though my house is always a mess and my laundry is never caught up and if I have to prepare another meal for all these people I might just scream, yet I will take joy in the God of my salvation;

Though my husband/wife and I can never seem to see eye to eye on this issue, no matter how hard we both might try, God the Lord is my strength.

Sweet friend, next time your day isn’t going quite as you wish it was…and actually even on your best days, remember to rejoice in the Lord; take joy in the God of your salvation; remember that God the Lord is your strength.  Changing  focus and perspective changes everything!love-699480_1280

Blessings friend ~

For more encouragement in your walk with the Lord, visit the links below.  You’ll be glad you did!

http://arabahjoy.com

 

Do You Hear the Voice?

When I was growing up, my parents taught me to listen for the still small voice, the Holy Spirit, guiding me to the right choices, decisions, etc.  As I walked with the Lord and grew in maturity in my relationship with Him, I did learn to recognize when God was speaking to me, convicting me, and guiding me.  It is a sweet thing when you learn to listen for the voice of God.

Somewhere along the way though, life gets busy and the noise of this world can drown out the still, small voice of the Holy Spirit.  We can rush from one life event to another, from one conflict to the next, from our lattè to our cappuccino,  without a thought of pausing to listen.

As a child of God, we have the Holy Spirit living in us and He does indeed communicate with us, guide us and lead us.  He does not have an audible voice, and He is also not some imaginary feeling that we may feel from time to time.  He is very real and His leading and convicting of us is very real.

If we are walking closely with the Lord and spending time in His word, we are much more likely to hear and understand what He is saying to us.  When His statues and promises are freshly in our mind and heart, we are less likely to twist what He is saying into our own version of leading.  But what about those times when the voice we are hearing is not His at all… You know what I mean, the times when the only voice we really listen to is our own.  We can get so caught up in listening to our own voice that we miss God’s voice altogether.  It is not that He isn’t convicting and prompting, we’re just too busy listening to our own thoughts and opinions.  And what a mess we make of things.

If we are walking with the Lord and in His word, in a strange sort of twist, we can talk to ourselves and speak truth because His truth is freshly in our heart.  Talking to ourselves rather than listening to ourselves…it sounds like the same thing but the two are altogether different. When we listen to our own thoughts, they are mostly self-focused, self-serving, and void of any truth.  When we talk to ourselves, we can be intentional about speaking truth from God’s word into our mind and heart.

Not long ago I was doing mental battle within my spirit on several issues.  The Lord was gently prompting me with His truth, but I was too busy listening to the lies my own sinful heart was telling me.  He continued prompting…the truth was there…but would I hear it?  During a visit with someone, the Lord guided my words to encourage them in a difficult time.  The words He gave me to share with them were the exact words He had been prompting me with in my own heart….but I was too busy listening to my own voice.  When I finally stopped to listen to His voice, my own struggles suddenly became clear. Immediately I had freedom in my spirit because of His truths.  Why, why do I make it so hard on myself!

We must be intentional about speaking truth to our own heart, and we can only do that if we are listening to His Voice!  Do you hear His voice right now or are you only hearing your own voice?  Please, dear friend, look closely at your own heart and prayerfully consider what voice you are listening to right now.  There is true freedom in Christ when we listen and follow the truths of His word.  The worst thing we can do is to follow our heart, which is what our modern culture tells us to do every day!  Our hearts are sinful and will only ever lead us astray.  We will only be truly at peace when our life and world is God-defined and God-centered, and that is a daily journey.

In Isaiah 30:21 God tells us:  “And your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, “This is the way, walk in it, when you turn to the right or when you turn to the left.”

Make sure the voice you are hearing is the voice of God.

sunset-401541_1280Blessings friend ~

Are You in The Waters of Difficult Trials?


We’ve all been in the waters at times in our lives.  You know, those difficult, painful times that you just can’t seem to shake.  No matter how you try to change your mind, how you try to change your thought processes, how you try to change your circumstances, reactions, or responses little by little, you’re still in the waters. Sometimes it seems that we can be there even when things don’t really seem that bad.  Our heart, our soul, can be there and all we can do is tread water until relief comes.  But when will it come? Do our circumstances have to change first? Do people or things around us have to change first?  Or do we have to change?

Isaiah 43:1-5 encourages me when I am in the dreaded waters, the dark night of the soul…

“But now thus says the Lord, he who created you, O Jacob; he who formed you, O Israel:  ‘Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine.  When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you.  For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.  I give Egypt as your ransom, Cush and Seba in exchange for you.  Because you are precious in my eyes, and honored, and I love you, I give men in return for you, peoples in exchange for your life.  Fear not, for I am with you..’ “

Our Heavenly Father has us in his sights and in his hands.  He is with us when we are in the waters. When we are in the dark night of the soul He knows our suffering.  He doesn’t just put us here, set things in motion around us, and leave us alone.  He sees, He knows, He understands, He hurts when we are hurting, and He is with us.

Sweet friend, if you are a child of God and are in the waters right now, cling to your Heavenly Father who has promised to be with you, who has promised that you will not be overwhelmed by the rivers you pass through. He loves you and is with you.  Circumstances may not change, relationships may continue to be difficult, the doctor’s report may not be good, but God is still there.  “But God…..”

If we will change our perspective so that we are focusing on Him with a heart of gratitude for all that He did for us through His son, Jesus, and if we hold fast to His promises that He will be with us in the waters, we can live with a joy that is unexplainable to the world around us.  I don’t necessarily mean a “happiness” as the world would describe, but a peace and joy in our innermost heart and soul, even in the midst of the waters. It is then that we bring glory to His name.  It is then that He leads us beside still waters, that He restores our soul.  (Psalm 23:2-3)  Do you long for the still waters of our Heavenly Father?  Run to Him and cling to Him, friend.  He will be with you.

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For more encouragement in your daily walk, visit the links below.  You’ll be glad you did.

http://arabahjoy.com

http://rebekahmhallberg.com

http://adivineencounter.com

http://www.dawnklinge.com

 

Fear ~ The Enemy in the Closet


If you’re like me, you might think you don’t struggle with fear on a daily basis (though I will admit that I’m still afraid of the dark, but sshhh, don’t tell anyone.)  There is the obvious fear of harm, natural disasters, and other major events and trauma, but those probably aren’t on our mind daily.  There is one fear, however, that is so sneaky and subtle that we sometimes don’t even know it’s there.  It is the fear of man.  And I’m not talking about physical harm, etc., from man…I’m talking about the fear of someone being displeased with us, unhappy with us, rejecting us, not liking our choices or decisions, not liking our hobby, etc., etc; maybe even the fear of people not liking us, though that is not high on my personal list.  The fear of failure and what others might think of us can weigh heavily as well.  If we are fearing man in any, or many, of these ways we will never be who God created us to become.  We cannot live our lives trying to be all things to all people so everyone will be happy…  It just won’t work!

If we fear man, we aren’t fully trusting God.  We allow people to be bigger than God in our life.  We become controlled by the fear of man without even realizing it.  It can, and will,  paralyze our spiritual life, our decisions, our creativity, every aspect of who we are, to the point that we completely lose ourselves as individuals.  A few years ago a counselor asked me what my favorite color was and I had so completely lost who I was, who God created me to be, that I sat in tears not even being able to answer the question.

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Sweet friend, I am not suggesting a self-focused, self-absorbed, self-satisfying life for you or me, and I’m also hoping that we never live a life of people-pleasing…it will suck the life out of us.  I am, however, suggesting that if you struggle with any of these fears (and please be honest with yourself) that you look to Jesus as your Lord and Savior and make your relationship with Him your priority.  John Ortberg, in his book Soul Keeping, says “If your soul is healthy, no external circumstance can destroy your life.  If your soul is unhealthy, no external circumstance can redeem your life.”  Living with the fear of man is most definitely not living with a healthy soul.  A healthy soul is in tune with God, spending time in His word and in prayer.  In order to have a healthy soul, we must be connected to God and to His people.  We must be walking with a body of believers in order to be connected to His people.  Our help comes from the Lord.  He is our only hope for a healthy soul and a balanced life.

Please friend, if you struggle with the fear of man or living as a people~pleaser and you want someone to talk to who knows your struggles, message me and let’s talk.  There is hope in Him.   Psalm 121 says, “I lift up my eyes to the hills.  From where does my help come?  My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.  He will not let your foot be moved; he who keeps you will not slumber.  Behold, he who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.  The Lord is your keeper; the Lord is your shade on your right hand.  The sun shall not strike you by day, nor the moon by night.  The Lord will keep you from all evil; he will keep your life.  The Lord will keep your going out and your coming in from this time forth and forevermore.”

I also would like to recommend you read When People are Big, and God is Small, by Edward T. Welch.  The truths in his book will help to set you free from living in the fear of man.

Blessings, friend ~

For more encouragement in your walk with the Lord, visit the links below.  You’ll be glad you did.

http://arabahjoy.com

http://rebekahmhallberg.com

http://adivineencounter.com

http://www.dawnklinge.com

Engraved, Entrusted, And God Knew ~ My Life Words

Sometimes you can almost see the handwriting on the wall.  You know what I mean, when God speaks so clearly to your heart that it’s almost as if you can hear His audible voice, or see His written message on the wall.

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Early this year, 2015, as I began my Bible reading plan for the new year and continued reading through several books I was in the middle of, I began having the desire for a “word of the year” that expressed what my hopes and goals would be for this year.  I’ve never had a word of the year, though I had tried to decide on one in previous years.  I prayed about it and spent time thinking of all the words I came across in my reading but no word ever seemed to capture what was in  my heart. Until…..when I wasn’t even thinking about it God gave me my word, and not just one word but 3, and not just words for this year but words for my life.  Isn’t it sweet to see how He has His eye on us and is working out every detail in our lives even when we least expect to see His hand.

The first word He gave me is the word entrusted.  It’s a verb and it’s dictionary definition is “to put something into someone’s care or protection; to assign the responsibility for doing something.”  Life gets hard, we have difficult circumstances, difficult relationships, heart aches and disappointments.  At the time, I was struggling with some of those hard things in life and was reading Lysa Terkeurst’s book, The Best Yes.  I highly recommend this book.  The cover indicates it is encouragement for making wise decisions in prioritizing our schedules, but the book is so much more than that.  It refreshed and convicted me on so many levels of my spiritual life and when I got to Chapter 18…..life change!  What happens when things don’t turn out the way we hoped or expected? Life is complicated, relationships are hard, disappointments seem to be around every corner.  My thoughts always focused on my weaknesses, failures, regrets, but Chapter 18 changed all that.  What if God allowed those heartaches and disappointments in my life because He knew I had the strength in Him to endure those painful times?  What if He entrusted me with difficult days, hard relationships, and the unexpected dark night of the soul, and then magnified my strength through His word working in my heart and piercing through my self-focus,  people~pleasing mess that I was and changed me so that I could not only endure tough times, but trust Him and praise Him during those times. I was entrusted. What a work in progress I am, still a mess, but stronger in Christ than ever before because Christ has revealed Himself to me and is changing me little by little.

A few days after the Chapter 18 life change, our pastor read 1 Peter 4:19 during his Sunday sermon.  “Therefore let those who suffer according to God’s will entrust their souls to a faithful Creator while doing good.”  There was that word again.  My soul was entrusted to my faithful Creator, and He had entrusted me with some difficult things in life.  Was I going to be faithful to “do good” and live a life that reflected Him to those around me?  Was I going to be faithful in my daily walk with Him? That is my prayer and desire.  I stumble daily, I take my eyes off Christ and put them on my circumstances, I get discouraged and sometimes feel hopeless, but I have a faithful Father who reminds me of who He is and whose I am.  I belong to Him, I am sealed by the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 1:13), I am entrusted (1Peter 4:19), and I am engraved on the palm of His hand (Isaiah 49:16.)  I am entrusted.

As I continued in my daily Bible readings over the next week, God gave me my next life word, engraved.  Feeling very encouraged as I realized the truth about being entrusted, God reminded me that I am also engraved on the palms of His hands.  Engraving is permanent, it doesn’t fade away.  My name is written, no, it’s engraved, on the palm of the Almighty God, the creator and sustainer of this universe.  I am His and He is mine.  He strengthens me, encourages me, corrects me, and sanctifies me.  Really!?!?   Yes!!  Really!! I am engraved. 

So what about the pain, heartaches, sadness in this life?  Does He just give us those and give us the strength to make it through?  As I continued with my daily Bible reading, He answered that question through scripture. The answer?  Unequivocally, NO.  He doesn’t just set things in motion and let us suffer on our own.  He knows our pain, He knows and feels our heartache, He feels our suffering.  That same week I was reading in Exodus.  In Exodus 2:23-25, God gave me my third life word, but this time it was a phrase.  Exodus 2:23-25 says, “During those many days the king of Egypt died, and the people of Israel groaned because of their slavery and cried out for help.  Their cry for rescue from slavery came up to God.  And God heard their groaning, and God remembered His covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob.  God saw the people of Israel ~ and God knew.”   There it was.  God heard, God remembered, and God knew.  He knew their suffering.  It didn’t go unnoticed by our heavenly Father.  And in case we miss the verse in Exodus, there are so many more in scripture.  Psalm 56:8 says, “You have kept count of my tossing, put my tears in your bottle.  Are they not in your book?”   Psalm 147:3 says, “He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.”  Isaiah 25:8 says, “He will swallow up death forever; and the Lord God will wipe away tears from all faces, and the reproach of His people He will take away from all the earth, for the Lord has spoken.”   Lamentations 3:21-25 says, “But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope:  The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; His mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.  ‘The Lord is my portion’ says my soul, therefore I will hope in Him.  The Lord is good to those who wait for Him, to the soul who seeks Him.”    God is faithful and He knows our pain, He weeps with us, He stores up our tears, and His steadfast love never ceases.  No matter how dark the days may seem, how hard life’s circumstances may get, how heavy our hearts may feel, if we are His child called by Him, He will never leave us.  We must diligently walk with Him in faith, doing all that He has called us to do.  ~And God Knew.

So there it is in a nutshell, large nutshell thought it may be, a recounting of how my life words came to be:  Engraved, Entrusted, And God Knew

If you don’t know Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior and want to talk about who He is, comment here or message me.  I’d love to talk more with you.

Blessings!