Our Mighty Warrior

The Lord has surrounded us with his holy angels to keep and protect and watch over us. At times, in heavy battle He will even send Micheal, the Warrior Angel to fight for his child.

I believe, though, there are times when we cry unto the Lord over a battle so heavy and so long that Jesus Christ Himself will show up as the God of angel armies and do it Himself! He is "The" Warrior!

II Sam. 22:8 "Then the earth shook and trembled; the foundations of heaven moved and shook, because he was wroth."

I love this verse. It gives me a mental picture of Jesus angry over something the enemy is attempting to bring on one of his children. A little like the mama bear that comes out when someone messes with my child - or yours. Only bigger....much, much, bigger and infinitely stronger. 

Verse 10 - 11 "He bowed the heavens also, and came down; and darkness was under his feet. And he rode upon a cherub, and did fly: and he was seen upon the wings of the wind."

There have only been a few times in my life that I sensed this type of anger from the Lord. It has never been against me or any of his children, but  I believe the enemy sometimes crosses a line where Jesus comes down and takes care of business. And no one ... ever ... anywhere ... can stand against Him. He is the God of angel armies! 

Verse 18: "He delivered me from my strong enemy, and from them that hated me: for they were too strong for me."

There is no one like Him and there is no one that can stand against Him. There is no battle He can't win and no foe too great. He is our Mighty Warrior! He knows how to deliver those who are His and no one can snatch them out of his hand. 

Sing unto the Lord a new song, for He has come to deliver!

Fried Cornbread & Jesus

My husband has long been convinced that fried cornbread is spiritual. He read something in the Old Testament about using the finest meal to fry cakes in a pan. That is all it took to satisfy him that God actually likes fried cornbread. Because I am of course a loving, submissive wife, I agree and eat it with him.  It’s my job you know.

In Hosea 7:8, the Lord calls Ephraim a cake not turned. Spurgeon compares this to a Christian who is mature and sanctified in some areas of their lives but still raw in others. Since I have cooked a few skillets of fried cornbread over the years, I understand what it means to leave one side down in the oil too long. The bottom gets black and the top is still gooey. So, does this mean that when we refuse to allow the Lord to turn us towards his Holy Fire we are showing our gooey side to the world? And even worse, one side of us is so drenched with religion we become burned and distasteful?

God works in each of our lives teaching, healing past wounds and bringing revelation about different aspects of His nature while changing different aspects of our nature. It is important for Him to work maturity, character and integrity into our being if He is going to be able to use us as He desires. And so comes the cooking.  (I am laughing as I type this – what a horrible way to describe God’s faithfulness and sanctification….but we are going with Hosea here.)

I believe the Lord allows (ordains?) circumstances in our lives that will turn our gooey side to His holy flame so He can ‘cook’ that part of our person. Could it be that perhaps there are times when God steps back and allows this life to bring situations to us that He can use to cook our goo?

Thinking back on my own past, I can remember times when life threw me a curve and turned me in a direction that caused me to scream like the little girl I am.  Let’s face it, no one likes the fire. When I hear someone say they just love the fire of God, I wonder if they have really experienced the fire of God. Don’t get me wrong, I love and cherish the results of His fire, but walking through it … nope, not an enjoyable thing for me. However, once the Lord has proven Himself to me in that area, the next trial doesn't scare me … at least not so much.

Fortunately, when God allows life to flip our gooey side down, He walks with us through the trial. The truth that it is His fire means that He is in it with us. (deep sigh here)

We are individual and unique before God. Because of that He works on a special timetable for each of us, according to His purposes and our ability to trust Him. No matter the situation, I believe he will use it to draw us closer to Him. It will increase our faith and give us deeper revelation of His person. Whatever the problem, whether its pain, sorrow, loss, grief  –  if we can bring ourselves to embrace it and trust God through it, we will be not only healed but made stronger in Him.  

Isiah 45:3 is one of my favorite verses. There are treasures in the darkness and the greatest treasure is Him.  Even in the fire of His holiness we stand complete in Him and come out of that season leaning on Him and moving forward in maturity and love. The greatest sorrows of this life will work together for our good if we love Him and are called according to His purposes. God promises that.

Turn me Lord and make sure I am fully cooked. 

God's Economy - Treasures of the Darkness

Surrender. Just the sound of the word conjures up an unhappy feeling. It involves a white flag, an admittance of failure. The most common picture is of one general facing another either on a battlefield or in a meeting room, surrounded by the enemy and laying his sword down in shame. His surrender puts him under the other's authority. Any way you look at it, surrender is an ugly thing. It is painful, embarrassing and leaves me feeling empty inside.

And yet, that is exactly what Jesus did when he allowed them to nail Him to the cross. He surrendered to people that he could easily have annihilated. His surrender bought peace for you and for me. That is the amazingly good news. The rest of the story is not always so amazing. That's the part when He asks us to do the same. To follow his lead in surrender is painful, often embarrassing and just plain scary.

This past week, the Lord brought me to a place of surrender in an area very close to my heart. It was painful and frightening. I resisted for quite a while. I 'discussed' it, argued with the Lord, made my claim to rights - all very legit claims in the natural. But the time came when the Lord brought me to that still small voice that asked if I really wanted to hold onto what I was claiming rights to. If so, He would let me keep it and that wold be the end of the trial. No more bartering, no more whining, He would still love me and I could keep it.

About the time I drew a deep breath and started to relax, He mentioned that if I would surrender and trust Him, the peace coming out of the surrender would be so much more wonderful.  Of course when He put it like that, there really wasn't a decision. I wanted His peace more than anything.

I'm sorry I cannot go into detail, but I can tell you this - the freedom that came out of surrender has been amazing. In surrendering something I thought was so important to me, I found deliverance in an area I had prayed about for years. The two were not connected in any way, except in obedience and surrender. God's economy continues to mystify me. He alone is God.

So, my friends, surrender can be a wonderful thing. In many ways, the word has been given a bad rep. There is freedom and peace in surrender ... when the Lord brings it about.

Jesus answered, "It is written: Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God." Mat 4:4

Pursue!

Pursue: you shall recover all.

Pursue: to follow in order to overtake, capture, kill, etc.;

David had just returned to Ziklag to find the village burned and every woman and child taken captive, including his two wives. He inquired of the Lord whether he should go after them. God's answer was:

Pursue, for you shall surely overtake them and without fail recover all.  I Sam. 30:8(b)

David pursued and recovered everything, just as the Lord had spoken. Sometimes in our lives it is necessary to pursue, to fight, to overtake, to recover what has been taken from us. It is wrong to fight when we are told to hold our peace, it is also wrong to sit calmly when the Lord instructs us to pursue. We wrestle not with flesh and blood, but we do wrestle.

For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Eph 6:12

Today I am battling an enemy - perhaps you are as well. Let's join forces and overcome in the power of the Spirit and the Blood of the Lamb. He that dwells in us is greater than he that is in the world. Come, Holy Spirit and teach us wrestle and when we've done all we can, help us to stand in the power of your name and your authority. Let your presence rule and reign in every area of our lives.

In my limited experience, I have seen that God never sends us into a battle unless He has prepared a way for victory. His love and grace constantly cover us, even when it appears we are drowning - still, He is there. Look up and see Him standing calmly, in complete control over His children.

For all the promises of God in him are yea, and in him Amen, unto the glory of God by us. 2 Co. 1:20

Because He Knows...

Isaiah 33:22

For the Lord is our judge
the Lord is our lawgiver,
the Lord is our king;
it is he who will save us.

I know I have read this verse many times before. It is one I have highlighted in my Bible. But this morning I READ this verse. You know? So, this is what I'm thinking.

1. He wrote the law so He knows it like no one else.
2. He is alone is our judge; so He knows when we break His laws like no one else would.
3. He is the king who has the power to forgive and overrule the judge. (Him)
4. Because He is king, he knows all things, including that we can never keep His laws.

Common thread? HIM! He does it all. Our only responsibility is to acknowledge that we need Him; that we cannot keep these laws. For me, that comes easily since I spent much of my life failing miserably. But, thanks be to God who gives us the victory, He stepped up in my place and took the punishment. Death had to occur to satisfy the law. However,  He didn't stay dead. So now, because He did not stay dead, I don't have to stay dead either. Because He has become me. Mind boggling. Amazing.

He knows the price needed like no one else because he made the laws in the first place. Now the lawmaker, the judge and the king are all satisfied. Full circle. All about Him.

WOW! Feeling blessed, feeling free, feeling indebted ... all to Him. Now I just need to remember to LIVE that his amazing sacrifice on my behalf will not be useless.

His birth is the greatest gift ever to all of mankind. I'm thinking of a chorus we used to sing:

"Isn't He wonderful, wonderful, wonderful?
Isn't Jesus, my Lord, wonderful?"

Yes He is!

Merry Christmas!

Coverings

A few days back Royce and I were having one of those lazy days just driving casually along, not talking much. Actually, I was driving, which makes this revelation a tad more interesting, since for a few moments I was completely caught up in God's presence. I could hear Royce telling me something in the background but he sounded a little like Charlie Brown's teacher -- you know, blah, blah, blah....nothing personal about his talking, I had just left the car for a few minutes.

The sky was blue, blue with large fluffy white clouds scattered around. Off to one side were white swirls of clouds that looked like brush strokes on an artist's pallet. Gradually, I realized we were under a huge tent; one with a stunningly blue top and sides with wisps of white flurries and billowing cotton balls. The sides came down to the ground, forming not only a canopy but a bubble completely encapsulating us in a protective covering. All around me, people were going about their business; driving, talking, walking, shopping. Trees were growing in the atmosphere provided by this amazing covering; flowers bloomed along the side of the road and birds flitted here and there overheard, obviously enjoying the sunlight and shadows alike.

The thought crossed my mind that God could have left out the sky when He created earth. We could be constantly looking up at a huge black hole that goes on forever with only other planets far away here and there. We could be constantly worrying about drifting out into outer space and getting lost in that blackness or drawn up to one of the stars or planets far, far away. But, no, in His graciousness and love, the Lord made a beautiful sky to cover His creation and because of that we feel settled, covered and loved under this amazing piece of God's handiwork.

My friend, Cynthia and I share a love of the sky and it's beauty but up until now, I only saw the beauty. Who hasn't felt comforted by the blue sky and beautiful sun shining down on us? Even a cloudy rainy day can bring comfort and a sense of closeness. And who hasn't peered into the clouds to find animals, faces, even angels looking back at us?

And so, in those few moments I was caught up with the Lord, I thanked Him over and over for this beautiful canopy that covers us every day. To me its a reminder of His presence that covers us, protects us, and goes with us wherever we travel. Nothing is out of His control and all things are working together for our good if we love Him and are called according to His purpose.

Today we rest under the canopy of the sky as well as the canopy of His presence and feast on the love He is constantly giving. Because He loves, He gives .... everything we need to succeed in this world that he created just for us.

And we rest in His promises over our families and over us, even when pain and darkness comes to our lives, even when threatening storms cloud the horizon, even then, still we rest in His promises.  Just like the sky that will remain until He speaks otherwise, His love and care over us will remain until the end of time.

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." Jer. 29:11

God Is Bigger Than The Boogie Man

"God is bigger than the boogie man. He's bigger than Godzilla or the monsters on T.V."  I love this Veggie Tales song.  It was written for little children with a message that is simple and easy to understand. I guess that is what makes it work for me.  As we all know, the boogie man is very real and comes in all sizes and shapes. He infiltrates any aspect of our lives that he can get even a toe hold in. Even the slightest unhealthy mindset can open a door to his deceit. And once in, he sets up shop with all kinds of lies and insults. He can mess up a really beautiful day in a heartbeat. I know the popular thing to say now would be, "if we let him." Well, duh! Who ever intends to "let" him do anything? It's just that we get caught up in living our lives and he slinks around waiting for just the right moment. Sometimes he can slip in there before we even realize it.

Thank goodness, Jesus is never taken by surprise in anything, much less by the antics and deceits of this guy. The Lord is always covering, protecting, caring and helping His children. If the enemy slips in past us, Jesus is there waiting for him. We all know He  is bigger than any deceit, any interruption or blockage the other guy can sneak into our lives. Someone once told me, "It's good to know all about your enemy and then forget him." I like that. We know what he is capable of so we are not taken by surprise nor drawn into his schemes but we do not focus on him but on the One who saved us and took us as his own. We concentrate on the One who is constantly by our side; leading us in the way that is right for us.

 Finally, brethern, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of a good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things. Phil 4:8

We all have had times of pain in our lives; some more than others. Of course my mind goes back to the year 2000 and the horror of the burn unit, but I can also name many other battles, places of pain and discouragement the Lord has brought me through over the years. The bar was raised a little higher with each victory. Every time He brought me out, He brought me up a little higher. I love Him more with each new revelation; and I have discovered that Isaiah 45:3 is true; there are treasures in the darkness and riches in the secret places. We don't have to be afraid in the dark times; He is there.

Today let's remember the victories; let's remember the celebration of answered prayers and then let's dig down inside to get what we need to reach up high and take hold of His hand. Above all of the frustration and confusion, there stands Jesus in complete control.

Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross; despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. Heb 12:2

And oh, one more thing: God is bigger than the boogie man!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N-WeeIn9sRY