Trial or Consequence?

~ Beside Still Waters ~

My husband and I have been watching a series by Pastor James MacDonald called Turning Your Trials To Gold. We set aside one evening a week to watch the DVDs and this week was our last one. Pastor James taught a six week bible study at Harvest Christian Fellowship and at that same time he was going through cancer treatments at a nearby medical university. The Lord ministered to him as he walked through his trial and week by week God gave him the strength to share those things.

The key verse for the entire series was, Job 23:10. "But He knows the way I take, and when He has tried me, I shall come forth as gold."

I gleaned so much from these teachings and as I sort through my notes and thoughts I will share some of those things here on my blog. The point I wanted to share today is some of Pastor James' thoughts and mine, on trials and consequences.

One definition of a trial is....A painful circumstance allowed by God to change our conduct and our character." Our trials are designed to change us. God wants change in us and through us and every trial we face is allowed by God for our ultimate good. In the midst of trials it's hard to remember that ultimately God has a plan. Jeremiah 29:11 says, He knows the plans He has for us. He knows.
God also knows that sometimes we aren't always ready for His plan and the refining process of trials shapes us so we are ready for His "ultimate plan".

When we go through hard times we can be so quick to call it a trial, when in all reality it is a consequence to sin. A person who cheats on their income tax and then is audited and has their wages garnished says..I don't know how I am going to pay my bills. I am in the worst trial of my life. Is it a consequence or a trial? It's a consequence. The sin doesn't have to be big....but there are consequences to all sin. What we say and what we do can lead to consequences that disguise themselves as a trial.

How do we make it through our trials? We want to be trained by the trial so we surrender, trust, obey and abide, praying that we will come forth as gold when it ends. Some trials go on a long time, some are short. Most trials are normally for a season. Some longer seasons than others. We need staying power in the midst of a trial. Don't quit...don't give up, trials produce transformation. Bear up under it.

How do we get out of a consequence? Repent. Repent for our actions and behavior. Some of what we have sown will not automatically be gone. The residue from sin lingers. Freedom comes from repentance. Take necessary steps to right a wrong.

These are just a few of my thoughts today. In a time when it seems Christians are in the heat of so many trials, maybe we should ask ourselves...

Trial or Consequence?

Lord, we want to come forth as gold.

Amen?

Concerns...

~ Beside Still Waters ~

"The Lord will accomplish what concerns me;

Thy loving kindness, O Lord, is everlasting;

Do not forsake the works of Thy hands."

Psalm 138:8

My concerns seem to be multiplied lately, as I am sure many of you feel the same way. I find such comfort in knowing that the things that concern me, concern God. Since He can do the impossible, and nothing is too hard for Him...then as I submit to His will, His desires, lay my concerns at His feet, I can have confidence that He is working for good those things that concern me. I encourage you to be comforted knowing that even in the midst of your concern, God is working.

God is Sovereign ....it's something we all need to remember.... that whatever our circumstances, He is in control and not one thing comes as a surprise to Him. Things can hit us and knock the wind right out of us and drop us flat on our behinds....and all the time God must be thinking, "I've got you..I've never dropped you before and I won't drop you now."

"Thou hast enclosed me behind and before,

and laid thy hand on me."

Psalm 139:5

He is behind us, before us and His hand is upon us...

What an awesome God!

Heart Attitudes...

This is my paraphrase of a story Pastor Raul told in church yesterday. I have heard it before and this may not be word for word what he said...but you'll get the meaning.

A little girl and her father were going somewhere in the car. She was standing up on the seat and he told her to sit down and put her seat belt on. She continued to stand as he started to drive away. He told her again to sit down and put her seat belt on...she continued to stand. He pulled the car over sat her down and fastened her seat belt. As he drove away, he looked in his rear view mirror, she looked at him and said, " In my heart, I am still standing!"

When our Heavenly Father asks us to do something it is for our own good. Sometimes we kick and scream in our hearts that we don't want to do that thing He's asked of us. We go ahead and obey and we do it..but like this little girl, in our hearts we are still standing. We went through the motions of being obedient and on the outside it looks as if we were...but the heart attitude was one of rebellion.

I have learned and am still learning that we just can't go through the motions of obedience. We aren't fooling any one but ourselves when we do. God knows the motives of our hearts..He knows if the action of obedience is sincere and the motives are right. Take this sentence, worded the same way..but with different attitudes.

I'll go Lord, only because You want me to go. The heart attitude is I will go Lord, I may not want to, but I will go because You know what's best and I want to be obedient to what you have asked.

I'll go Lord, only because you want me to. The heart attitude is I'm going but only because I have to go because You want me to go, not because I want to go.

The first response is a humble response, one of surrender..the other response is one with selfish attitude. A response with rebellion.

One of these attitudes is the heart is still standing in the back seat. Oh my goodness, how many times have we had this attitude?

The attitude of our hearts has so much to do with everything we do..well, it actually has All to do, with everything we do. It not only applies to how we respond to the Lord but applies in every situation in our life. What is my heart attitude? Is it surrendered or rebellious?

We live in trying times and can be surrounded by trying people. It has to be a daily, minute by minute decision to have an attitude that is pure and motivated only by our love and obedience to the Lord.

This is my attitude of the heart story....

Things were coming at me like ocean waves a couple years back. I felt like I was rolling with the punches pretty good. It was one medical test after another and a year of continual ear infections. I started to get a little overwhelmed. I wanted to have the right attitude so I would say,"Whatever, Lord." I'd be laying there having another ultra sound and again I would say, "Whatever, Lord." I thought I was being surrendered...NOPE. It was my way of handling the situation for the moment, but it was far from having a surrendered attitude to God in my circumstances. Need I say, I quit saying "whatever." Not my will, but Yours Father," is the desire I have for my heart attitude now. I try never to say, "Whatever" anymore because no matter how I use it...it's an attitude!

My challenge to all of us today is...

Let's not have our hearts still be standing when we have been told to sit down!

Amen?

God Opened Her Eyes...

"God opened her eyes."

Genesis 21:19

Genesis 21 is the story of Hagar and the strife between her and Abrahams's wife Sarah. Hagar was the mother of Abraham's son Ishmael, born in a concubine. Sarah insisted that Abraham send them away becausehe didn't want Ishmael to share in Abraham's inheritance. Hagar and her teenage son headed for the desert. When I think of our deserts here in California I am sure it had to be scary being out there all alone. When Hagar thought they were about to die because they needed water, God opened her eyes and she saw a well. He could have provided a spring, but He wanted her to open her eyes to show her what had been already provided.

Reading this caused me to think how in hard times, I simply need to ask God to show me what is already there. He always has a solution, I just may not always see it or expect a solution that is right in front of me. "Show me the solution that you have already provided ," should be my prayer.

God is always with us, He was with Hagar in the desert...His provision was already there..she only needed to open her eyes!

"The question is not if God will prove Himself faithful to you,

but how."

~Dr. David Jeremiah~

When Life Unravels...

"Weave the unveiling fabric of God's Word through your heart and mind. It will hold strong, even if the rest of life unravels."

~Gigi Graham Tchividjian~

Sometimes life does seem like it is unraveling when things hit us one thing right after another. Today in our world many people find themselves frustrated and discouraged when circumstances of life begin to tear apart and unravel every thing they have known.

I get frustrated when my knitting starts to unravel because I was careless how I put my needles down. I want to throw it in my knitting basket, rather than take my time and put the stitches back on the needle. I watch it unravel and I feel helpless.

We aren't helpless and can't throw in the towel when our lives unravel...we have to go on. God's Word always stands strong, it will always encourage, always refresh, always direct, always comfort us. Whatever our need is, God's Word will hold strong amidst the greatest difficulties that life can bring. All we have to do is pick it up and read it, asking the Holy Spirit to work and weave the words into our hearts and minds.

A friend told me years ago that when we have to rip out stitches..it builds our character. Spending time with the Lord in His Word when life is unraveling..well, that's where true character is formed. Building everyday on God's Word makes our charcater stronger and sronger...and then we are less apt to throw in the towel when the hard times come.

Have a blessed day!

Patty

Be An Encourager...

" Be an encourager, a healer, one who helps restore the years the locust has eaten"

~Dr. David Jeremiah~

"I will restore to you the years the swarming locus has taken," says the Lord in Joel 2:25.

~~~~~

Oh, there are so many people out there that have been victims of what the locust has taken from them. Our Lord, is the Restorer of the lives that have been affected.

WE all can be an encourager. It would be our part of their healing process to encourage them. Our lives get busier and busier, and unless we make a conscious effort to have eyes that see and ears that hear the needs around us, how will we know how it is we can encourage them?

Are you someone that is in that place of needed encouragement? Have the locus been brutal through the years? With a Lord that loves you and wants to restore you..and a Lord that will provide the encourager's that you need, it won't be long before those years are just a memory.

And for those of us not in that place right now, let's all look for ways to encourage others. Amen?

Let's all be who God wants us to be and doing what He wants us to do....being an instrument of encouragement to those who need it.

Gifts Of Faithfulness, Mercy and Grace...

At this end if this day 2009 will be over ushering in the new year of 2010. How did this happen? Weren't we just concerned about Y2K? So much life has gone by and many changes have been made to each one of our lives the last decade. My mother and my father in law both went home to be with the Lord in this decade, I have four beautiful grand daughters, I 'm not in my forties anymore and my fifties are almost behind me. They say a woman changes the most physically in her fifties. Terrific. These past ten years have been some of my worst years and yet some of my best. I am thinking some of you might say the same thing.

We are living in perilous times of uncertainty. We are still at war and our sons and daughters are still serving in counties that their lives are in danger every day. Lost jobs, homes foreclosed, divorces, illnesses have become part of our daily lives.

And yet....

"...He remains faithful..."
2 Timothy 2:13

God gives us the gift of faithfulness everyday as a gift. In that gift of faithfulness is mercy and grace amidst whatever circumstances we might find ourselves and our loved ones in. We often times, fail to recognize these gifts when things are falling apart around us. I am guilty of this at times.

If I could wrap up a little gold box and give one to each of you to put where you could see it everyday, I would. Maybe you'll want to wrap a little gold box for yourself as a reminder...God remains faithful...no matter what!

Elisabeth Elliot said;

Sometimes when I was a child my mother and father would say. "Shut your eyes and hold out your hand." That was the promise of some lovely surprise. I trusted them so I shut my eyes instantly and held out my hand. Whatever they were going to give me I was ready to take. So it should be in our trust of our heavenly Father. Faith is the willingness to receive whatever He wants to give or the willingness not have what He does not want to give."

Whatever the Lord places in each of our hands this year, one hand should be open in trust to the One who loves us most. In the other hand, let's embrace the gift of His faithfulness, grace and mercy.

These gift are ours because they were bought and paid for by the precious blood of Christ. Will it be this decade, this year, this day that He will return for us? We can look forward with much anticipation to all the things God will do for us and in us because of His faithfulness.

God bless you, dear friends, may He bless your New Year!

Happenstance...

"Nothing happens by happenstance.

I am not in the hands of fate, nor am I the victim of man's whims or the devil's ploys. There is One who sits above man, above Satan, and above all heavenly hosts as the ultimate authority of all the universe. That One is my God and my Father.

~Kay Arthur ~

I was sharing with a friend the other day that the trial she was going through has come as no surprise to God. Sometimes those things come into our lives that almost suck the very life from us. It has been my experience that those very things can draw me closer to God and if I abide in Him and surrender to His will, a deeper work will be done in me. The work that was done that took me deeper and deeper with Him, wasn't anything I could put into words. It wasn't anything that I could teach on or write about or even explain...it was a hidden work of the Spirit. Oh, the change is there and people will see it, but yet they won't be able to put their finger on what it is.

Nothing happens to us by happenstance. Our Father is on His Throne and he has all authority over all things. What comfort that brings us in a world full of chaos and uncertainty.

"...If God be for us, who can be against us."

Romans 8:31

But God...

There seems to be so many Christians that I know that are going through really hard times. For some, the heartache is unbearable. But God...

He sustains them.

He encourages them.

He fills them with strength.

He provides.

He restores.

He gives HOPE.

He carries them.

He holds them.

He goes before them.

He listens.

He wipes away their tears.

He gives JOY in the midst of their circumstances.

He comforts.

He loves unconditionally...

But God....Who but God could do these things and more, for hurting people?

But God...

God's Curriculum...

"God's curriculum for all who sincerely want to know Him and do His will, always includes lessons we wish we could skip...With intimate understanding of our deepest needs and individual capacities, He chooses our curriculum."

~ Elisabeth Elliot ~

We have all experienced things in life that we wish we could skip right over. Maybe you are in that place right now. When I look back over the difficult things that have happened in my life, those very things I thought would kill me, actually made me stronger. I never realized it at the time that I was growing stronger, but when the next trial came a long..I was stronger and it was then, that I saw the growth in me.

God has a curriculum written for each one of us. He alone knows what it will take to do that deeper work in us and to be an example to others. If all we do is grumble at how hard life is, we will be missing those deeper things He wants to teach us.

Part of the curriculum that God has chosen for me is living with several chronic illnesses. I can't even list all the things that He has taught me the last 16 years as I have made the journey through illness and pain. I have been discouraged more times than I can remember. God has always faithfully picked me up and and encouraged me in one way or another. He's been faithful at every turn and every trial. The trial or illness didn't always go away, but He was faithful to give me the strength to press on and press through each and every time. If you think about it, what choice do we have? We can either go through the things in our life with God or without Him. We can choose to grow closer to Him or to be mad at Him.

I only want to go deeper with the Lord. Things are difficult enough in this life... I don't want to go through things more than once to learn the same lesson all over again because I missed it the first time. I have done that before. Things were almost more painful the second time around. My prayer is, "Lord, don't let me miss what it is you are trying to teach me. Pleassssseeeeeee I don't want to have to do this again." (:

God loves us so much that He writes individual curriculum for each one of us...pretty cool when you think about it!

"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

The Hard Thing...

"Unparalleled joy and victory come from allowing Christ to do the "hard thing" with us."
~ Beth Moore~

I had to stop and be still before the Lord when I read this quote ...was there a "hard thing" in my life that I was to learn from right now? Oh yes, I really didn't even have to get all that still to know. It came right down to OBEDIENCE. Such a word. DISOBEDIENCE..ouch, another word. Sometimes we find ourselves in those hard places because God has asked something of us and we fail to obey. We can obey for awhile and then find ourselves slipping right back to where we were before. Forgetting all the while that it was God who spoke these things to our heart in the first place.

Through the years in my walk with the Lord I have found that nothing can bring more joy than being obedient to the things that God has asked of me. Walking in the things I know to be true, obeying when I hear the whispers from Him in my heart, surrendering those things He asks of me...sometimes walking in those things means they become the "hard things". It all comes down to allowing Him to have His way with us, all for His glory.

Victory is mine in Christ, bought and paid for by His blood. At times, I don't always feel it or walk in it. When I have been obedient, I feel victorious. Oh what a feeling! There is unparalleled joy and victory in the hard things when we allow Christ to have His way with us.

Are you experiencing a "hard thing" right now? Is there anything God is asking of you while you are in this hard place? It can be ever so small and doesn't have to be a big thing. I think of when my kids were young and I would tell them to do something and there would be that, "Why." Because I said so, I might reply. Even in the small things God has a reason for asking us to do or not to do something. Why? Because He says so. We don't have to always understand, we just need to obey, and then....joy will follow!

"For it is God who is at work in you,
both to will and to work for His good pleasure."

Philippians 2:13

Quitter Or Obedient?

" The enemy tries everyday to get us to quit...then he calls us a quitter."

I was going through my night stand next to our bed and I found this slip of paper that I wrote the above quote. I don't remember writing it. I had to be watching a DVD of Beth Moore's or listening to the radio and jotted it down.. I really needed that encouragement the day I found it. God knows when we need those special touches.

It's so true..he, Satan does everything he can do to have us quit the things that we do in obedience to God. He puts every obstacle in our way that he knows will discourage us. Sometimes those things come right after another like waves, knocking us down so we can hardly catch our breath. We have probably given in and quit before so he knows what tactics will work in our defeat. He whispers, You can't do this." "You have never succeeded before, why try again." "Your life is too busy to do this." "Everyone is smarter than you." Oh my gosh, the whispers that he plants in our minds continues, sometimes until he wears us down and we quit. Then...he calls us a quitter. How fair is that? Remember, the enemy doesn't play fair. He comes to rob and destroy us. He is such a deceiver.

Is there something in your life that you want to quit? Are you hearing whispers from the Lord or the enemy? If it is the Lord telling you to quit, He will call it obedience. If it's the enemy...he will call you a quitter. Then he lays on the guilt. See what a vicious circle it is?

We have to walk in the Spirit everyday to recognize the tactics that are individually designed just for us. When we do, we won't walk in the flesh and be tricked by the enemy. This quote stirred up my righteous anger...to think he would chip away at me day and night and when I had been pecked enough, to then think he would call me a quitter! Grrrrr.

Be wise and be aware of whose whispers you are listening to.

Beside Still Waters...

"He makes me to lie down in green pastures;

He leads me beside the still waters."

Psalm 23:2

I have been pondering for days what I wanted to write after the election results on Tuesday. I believe in God's sovereignty in allowing Barack Obama as our next president. But my heart is saddened and heavy. I will out of obedience pray for this man, that God would touch his heart, that he would be transformed, that he would have godly wisdom, that he would lead our country back to the ways of God. It's a big request, but I will pray those things because it is right to do so.

I really believe that God has allowed this to happen for several reasons.One...this is what the people wanted. Like in the days of Saul, the people wanted a king and God gave them Saul. The people of the United States wanted Barack Obama and God allowed them to have their way. Two...these are the final days before the Lord raptures His church and this plays into those end time events. There will be a great falling away in those days. Just look at the Emerging Church and the power sweep it has on so many, including mature Christians. Even the elect shall be deceived, the bible says.

This has happened, what do we do now? We can't change anything, this is just the way it is. Things could get really rough for our country. I don't think the word "could" is accurate...I believe they will. It's already happening, we need only look around. For the election we prayed and we voted. Now, we must pray and walk the walk that God has put before us as believers in Jesus Christ. People are losing their jobs, homes and their life savings. All the things that made them feel secure. Here is the opportunity for all of us to be encourager's to those who will be caught up in the chaos of change. We have to witness like we never have before to anyone that will listen. Millions of people have put their hope in Barack Obama...we need to share with them that their only hope can be..in the Lord Jesus Christ.

If I let myself think of all the chaos and uncertainty that lies before us, I can get fearful. But if I am fearful, what good will I be to others who need to be encouraged? The rain falls on the good and the bad. We have to put the umbrella of God's Word over us and remember that He is faithful. God has always delivered His people from His wrath and He will do the same for us.

These are exciting times in which we live. We have the opportunity to watch God's plan unfold. Each one of us have been placed at this time, this generation, for such a time as this. He thinks we can handle the adversity before us, including the changing of a country that once was based on God and His truths. Yes, these are uncertain times, but think of those whose hope lies only in a man who makes promises that tickle their ears.

So, here we are, for such a time as this, to pick ourselves up, to do the work we have before us to do, to reach out and to pray for those who are lost. God will use each and every opportunity that comes before us to reach out to a hurting person caught up in the winds of change. We can't walk around with a down cast spirit, all doom and gloom....we must be the light that people see. We have to be their example like never before. We can do it!

My prayer is that God will lead us beside the still waters and we will find comfort for our souls and be refreshed..because we have work to do!

Roots That Go Deep...and Flourish

"But blessed are those who trust in the Lord and have made the Lord their hope and confidence.

They are like trees planted along a riverbank,with roots that reach deep into the water.

Such trees are not bothered by the heat or worried by long months of drought.

Their leaves stay green, and they never stop producing fruit."

Jeremiah 17:7-8

This verse really spoke to me last week when I was preparing a devotional that I had to give. We live in perilous and uncertain times. We don't know how this next Presidential election will affect us, the economy is going down, jobs are lost everyday with almost sure promises of more people losing their jobs. Foreclosures on homes are taking place in every neighborhood. Yes, these are uncertain times.

This verse in Jeremiah says that if we put our hope and confidence in the Lord, we will be like a tree planted a long a riverbank. Trees by a riverbank have roots that go deep in the waters edge.. They are strong because of the foundation that they have holding them up. They are constantly nourished from the river's water.

These same trees will not be bothered by heat or long periods of drought. They are connected to the living source of water. They will stay green and never stop producing fruit. Some fruit trees just never seem to flourish and produce delicious fruit. But once they get the proper nourishment they produce quality fruit.

What's this mean for us in these perilous times of uncertainly? It means that we must put our trust in God, take the time to drink in the Living Water of His Word. And like those trees planted by the river bank, our roots will go deep.When our roots go that deep we can't be shaken or stumbled by the chaos of uncertainty. We can flourish amidst that uncertainty. This verse says when we put our trust in God, we will bear delicious fruit. Isn't it a wonder thought that during times of hardship we can still bear fruit? Delicious fruit! This is because of the nourishment we take in from the water of His Word.

It's a choice for all of us to make that decision for or roots to go deep. Having that deep rooted foundation in Jesus Christ is what will get us through any rough roads ahead. To get that deep foundation we must drink in His Word letting it fill us up and give us all we have need of.

This is fruit that we can multiply it forward into the lives of those around us...friends family and those who are struggling in an uncertain world.

We don't know what is ahead of us in our chaotic world of change. But we do know when our hope and confidence is in God, the winds of change will not blow us over or cause us to wither. Drink in...and flourish it's a choice we all have to make.


Heavenly Father, in these uncertain times draw us to yourself, cause us to drink from your Word that we might be a source of encouragement and hope to those who live with uncertainty in their lives. We want to flourish in whatever circumstances we find ourselves in. To God be the GLORY!

God Is Listening...

"For He has not ignored

the suffering of the needy.

He has not turned

and walked away.

He has listened to their

cries for help."

Psalm 22:24 NLT

Isn't this verse a comforting reminder that God does hear our cries for help? It doesn't matter what the circumstances of our lives are. If we are in need, He doesn't turn a deaf ear to us. God may not answer the way we want Him to, but He does answer in His timing, and in the way He knows is best for our particular need.

"He has not turned and walked away".......We can't always expect people to hang in there with us through our times of need. Some will, but many won't. But that's okay, we have reassurance all through the scriptures that God won't. He will never leave us or forsake us...no matter what!

Some trials go on for many years, it doesn't mean that God is ignoring us. If the mountain won't move, then we are to climb the mountain and bring glory to His name in the climb. How do we do that when the suffering can be so overwhelming at times? We abide in Him and draw close to Him through prayer and Bible reading...two simple things. We can't think for minute that Satan will not try to keep us from the rest and peace that comes as we abide. Be aware!

If you are discouraged and maybe needy today.....find comfort in knowing that God is listening and He has not turned away from you. Look for ways that you can see God working in your life, even if it's in the small things and then, give Him PRAISE!!!

"Don't be overwhelmed...

take it one day and one prayer at a time."

~Stormie Omartian~