No Need to Get Worked Up Over Old News

Me: (My 18year old daughter calls my cell phone while I’m at work) Hello?

Daughter: Hey, are you okay? Breaking news just interrupted my show; there’s a shooting near your work.

Me: Really? I’ve not heard anything, and we normally do (I work downtown).

Daughter: Yup, it’s on right now, and says it’s near your work. I just wanted to call and make sure you were okay. Love you.

Me: Love you too.

I go next door and mention this to my co-worker, who promptly begins searching the news for more information. I work at a child care center located downtown: if there is an active shooter in the area, our school goes on lock down. My coworker’s concerned look became puzzled when she couldn’t find any news about it. Once I got home, I asked my daughter if there were any updates on the shooting.

Daughter: Yeah……about that…..Breaking news DID interrupt my show today, but then I realized I was watching an old recording of Dr. Phil.

We had a good laugh, and I couldn’t wait to get back to tell my coworker. I loved, and appreciated the concern my daughter had for me, but the truth was: she had gotten worked up over something that happened weeks ago, if not a couple of months ago. The emergency was long over. The immediate crisis had been handled, and was now under control.

We’ve all experienced hurts in our life, right? Well, some impact us more than others. There was one particular hurt that cut me deep, and I wept and grieved over it. Days passed, and it was all I could think about. Weeks passed, and it was all I could think about. Months passed, and this situation would randomly stab my thoughts, causing a twinge of pain. Though the matter had been dealt with, prayed over and forgiveness given, those hurtful moments were still camping out in my mind. It was old news!! Yet, the recording of my hurt would replay MY breaking news over and over.

This continued to happen on and off for months. It begin to make me mad: to have my thoughts invaded with old news as if it had just happened. Every time I thought I had moved on: BOOM! Replay! And the truth is, sometimes I would entertain the flash back of “breaking news,” even though it ripped the bandage right off my wounded heart. Re-living those moments made my anger and hurt fresh, even though it was old news that had already been dealt with.

One day, after another unauthorized replay of old news: I heard something in my spirit that even *I* thought was odd. It was something I’d never heard before: only a dog goes back to his vomit. Wait, what?? Is that a scripture? I looked it up, and much to my surprise…..I found it was a scripture that appears only twice in the entire Bible.

Proverbs 26:11 “As a dog returns to its vomit, so fools repeat their folly.”

2 Peter 2:22 “They prove the truth of this proverb: A dog returns to its vomit. And another says, A washed pig returns to the mud.”

The light bulb finally clicked on: if my hurt didn’t go down good the first time, why would I keep returning to it over and over the same way a dog returns to his vomit? God was showing me that replaying those hurtful events that were already dealt with, was foolish! A waste of His time and mine.

I had washed my mind in forgiveness and prayer only to make it dirty again with unhealthy thoughts about those that hurt me. God wanted me to stop responding to old news!!! It was over! I needed to let it go.

This wasn’t the first significant hurt I had experienced, and it may not be the last. But I have learned a valuable lesson. “Finally, my friends, keep your minds on whatever is true, pure, right, holy, friendly, and proper. Don’t ever stop thinking about what is truly worthwhile and worthy of praise” Philippians: 4:8 .

Come Out Of Your Hiding Place: It’s Not Safe There Anymore

Have you ever gone through a hardship, and you didn’t want to share it with anyone? But this trial dominates your every waking moment, and even invades your dreams. It seems to last so long, it has become part of you: changing your demeanor, steeling your joy and causing you to become impatient. You bring this crippling secret with you to work, and back home again.  It rides with you to church and back home again. You’re doing a great job hiding your storm.…your suffering…. And your burden.

This is MY story! Years ago I would hide my trials, and I did a good job of it. But WHY? Friends, that is the million dollar question! And I have some million dollar reasons! Don’t we all? By nature, I’m a relatively quiet person that doesn’t like a lot of drama. And I didn’t want to be THAT person that always has an issue. You know, THAT person you avoid when you see them coming? So there’s that.

But I was afraid of what people would think; afraid they would think I’m weak; afraid they would judge me harshly. And some pretty significant past hurts caused me to withdraw and distrust people. I basically kept everyone at arm’s length. When you boil down my million dollar reasons, only one thing remained: fear! Fear was driving me to hunker down behind a wall and harbor my storms and hardships like a dirty little secret. But hiding my trials wasn’t as safe as I thought it was.

I felt so alone! And boy was I tired. I was carrying a weight and a burden I wasn’t meant to bear. I thought I was casting my care on God (1 Peter 5:7); I thought I was doing the right thing by keeping this between me and God…….so I thought.

This is why we shouldn’t rely on what we THINK we know: rely on what God knows. (Proverbs 3:5)

I relentlessly pounded out my prayers and maintained my sleepy faith, so I just knew that change was coming. And it was, just not quite how I thought. I expected God to speak to my storm and tell it to be still, but instead He spoke to me and told me to be still and listen. Not once does He talk about my situation. Not once does He mention one single thing about the hard time I was going through. Not one thing.

Instead God tells me to let my walls come down, and to let others in during my trial instead of afterwards. God explains that it is important for others to see His glory revealed in the midst of my difficulty.  He tells me to stop hiding my storms, and that I’ve been depriving others of walking in their God-given gifts to encourage me and lift me up with prayer and spiritual support.

God will use whatever means He so chooses to help me, and in this case His gentle rebuke made me aware I was limiting God’s power by limiting God’s people. God used my storm to teach me before He carried me through to the other side.

I had to become vulnerable again, and connect with His people. It was a risky proposition that scared me to death: but it wasn’t safe to stay hidden behind my wall anymore. It didn’t mean that people wouldn’t hurt my feelings, and it could mean that someone might indeed think I’m weak. But remember, I’m not relying on man. I’m trusting in what God told me to do. So I did it.  It wasn’t easy, but it was extremely freeing. I began to feel the weights lift off of me. I didn’t have to bear my secret storm alone. I didn’t have to be perfect. Doing what God asked of me, took the pressure off that I had placed on myself…that fear had placed there. His ways are not our ways, and His thoughts are higher than ours. Thank God for that, because what *I* was doing wasn’t working. Sometimes WE think we have it all figured out, and we are just too stubborn to make a change.

I encourage you to learn from my mistakes. Please don’t shut out God’s people: be still and listen to HIS strategy for overcoming trials. Galatians 6:2 clearly tells us to “Help carry each other’s burdens. In this way you will follow Christ’s teachings.” There are folks eager to help you in your time of need, just like they were for me, and God will lead you to the right people.

 

The Smallest Things Can Have The Biggest Impact

For those of you that don’t know me, I love coffee. I love the taste. I love the warmth. I love the smell. I love it in the morning. I love it in the evening. I love it here and there. I love it anywhere. I would not, I could not, go a morning without my coffee. And yes, I would drink it with Green Eggs and Ham!!

Are you ready for this?  I am not drinking the thing I love so much. I’m currently fasting coffee. I’ve been on strict fasts before, but this one has been a challenge. Not only because of my coffee addiction, but because my daily habits and routines have come to a crashing halt. My motivation to…..well….to do just about everything plummeted below sea level. The first few days I thought I might actually wake up in Heaven! Cause of death: coffee withdrawals.

While I take a light hearted approach to the narrative of my fasting woes, my heart was heavy with sadness regarding a personal matter…the matter I have taken to fasting and prayer. But I was still foreboding over the potential for an undesirable outcome. My mind was diligently trying to prepare me for ‘What If’ this, or ‘What If’ that. The issue I am praying about doesn’t seem like it will have a desirable outcome: not according to what I am hearing or feeling. So my husband says something I’ve heard a billion times before: simple yet profound; short and sweet.

“So stop looking at what you see, hear and feel. Look at this situation through the eyes of Faith.”

This resonated with me!! This commonly regurgitated notion of living by faith and not by sight was exactly what I needed to catapult me to freedom (2 Corinthians 5:7)! It was this small, simple sentence that has had the biggest impact on my mindset. Being anxious about it was bringing me lower than my coffee withdrawals, and worrying won’t change one thing. But faith will!

Faith gives me hope that no matter the outcome, God is in control; that He loves me and my family more than I do; that He has good plans for us; that all things work together for my good; that He knows the desires of my heart. THIS is faith speaking now. No more what ifs.

I don’t know what the outcome will be, but seeing my situation through faith gives me peace about an unknown future.

Don’t be afraid to share some short and sweet spiritual encouragement to someone. It’s bigger than what you might think. And don’t underestimate the ‘small’ sacrifices you make. Let’s get back to my coffee, shall we? I’m only fasting coffee: nothing else. To you, this may seem small: but to me it’s huge, and God knows it. Regardless of the outcome of my circumstance, I know that great fruit will come forth out this time of fasting, prayer and reading His Word. God recognizes and honors our sacrifices, no matter how small.

Don’t overlook the small things anymore: a listening ear, a compliment, a word of encouragement, a text of appreciation or simple spiritual reminders……$5 in the offering plate, one home cooked meal for a sick friend or fasting coffee.

“Though it is the smallest of all seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds come and perch in its branches.” Mathew 13:32  Remember, smallest things can have the biggest impact!

When God Speaks, Ordinary Words Become Extraordinary

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” (John 1:1).

Words are a means to communicate our needs, wants and feelings. Consider these words:

Always

Never

All

I dare say we use one or more of these commonplace words every day! We toss them around more than a dryer tumbles laundry. These household words are so commonly abused and misused that we over exaggerate them, and undermine their true meaning. These words have lost their value.

The use of these words as they are truly defined indicates something absolute, unmovable, unwavering, consistent and definite.  These are words with no exception. There is no wiggle room with these words. It either is or it isn’t.

We use these words to drive home a point; to emphasize the passion behind our statements; to convince someone that we mean business; to be taken seriously. But deep down we know we are over stating or exaggerating. As a result, I believe the meaning of these words has become diminished in our eyes, and furthermore society has grown accustomed to challenging them. I would go so far as to say that there is a culture of skepticism: not just with being suspicious about man’s words, but doubting God’s Words.

Words that are common and ordinary in the eyes of man, become quite extraordinary when God uses them. God is absolute! He doesn’t mince words or toy with their meaning.

God is a man of His word.

Now re-consider these words:

Always

Never

All

When He says He will NEVER leave me or forsake me, I know He is by my side even if all my friends abandon me; He is by my side as I walk through hardships; He is by my side even if I don’t think so….because HE SAID SO! (Hebrews 13:5).

When He says that ALL things work for my good, I know that means every single event and circumstance that happens in my life whether good or bad (Romans 8:28).  When He says He is with me ALWAYS, I know that He goes with me to work, watches TV with me, rides in my car, and is with me as I write this devotional.  (Mathew 28:20).

I can know these things because I know that EVERY Word in scripture is God-breathed      (2 Timothy 3:16). I can know these things because He is the Word, and He is faithful to fulfill His word.

People may have broken your trust with unfulfilled and empty promises, but God will not. He cannot break His own Word, “My covenant (promise) I will not break, nor alter the Word that has gone out of My lips” (Psalm 89:34).

Just like us, God uses His Words to drive home a point; to show us His passion; to convince us He means business; and all because He wants us to take Him seriously. God’s Word is full of promises to us that are absolute and true. I encourage you to read His Word with a new outlook, and discover what God is saying to you today.

Worship Is More

Worship is more than music, lyrics or rhyme

It’s about the place I spend my time

Not whether I kneel, sit or stand

Or lift my hands

It’s where I am: at His feet

 

Be still and sit at the feet of Jesus

Knowing His love is what frees us

Shut out the noise of the daily grind

Forget what lies ahead & what lingers behind

It’s where I am: at His feet

 

You don’t have to say or do a thing

Because He knows the heart we bring

Worship is more than outward expression

It all comes down to my position

It’s where I am: at His feet

 

Hearing ‘The Word’ & not saying a word

Listening more than I am heard

Soaking in His presence

Shutting down the interference

It’s where I am: at His feet

 

Worship is more than music, lyrics and rhyme

Worship is where my heart is all the time

At His feet-that’s the position

Learning to wait, be still & listen

by Tracey Ray

 

 

Wildfire Part III: The Countermeasure

CLICK HERE FOR Wildfires Part I: The Condition

CLICK HERE FOR Wildfire Part II: The Cause

Please enjoy the final devotion in this series below…….Wildfire Part III: The Countermeasure.

Wildfire defined: an unplanned fire (unexpected and unforeseen).

But WE as Christians know that trials and tribulations will come. We don’t have to be caught unprepared. NO, we shouldn’t walk around fearful and full of forebodings, but we should not be ignorant either.  John 10:10 tells us the exact purpose of our enemy: to steal and to kill. Peter plainly tells us, “do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that has come on you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you” (1 Peter 4:12).

So now that we know, how should we should prepare?

  1. Avoid spiritual drought conditions which puts us at a much higher risk.
  2. Avoid spiritual carelessness. Live carefully. Keep your guard up because, “Your enemy, the devil, is like a roaring lion, sneaking around to find someone to attack” (1Peter 5:8).
  3. Make a pre-emptive strike: Fight fire with fire!!!

Firefighters often employ a countermeasure called a Controlled Burn or a Prescribed Burn: it’s more of an offensive move than a defensive one. This tactical approach doesn’t wait for a fire storm to spread out of control.

This countermeasure is also referred to as a fire of restoration (repair, rebuilding, and renewal). When we get saved, our hearts and minds are renewed in Christ. But there’s more: the baptism of the Holy Spirit. John the Baptist said that when Jesus comes, “He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire” (Luke 3:16).

The Holy Spirit in us gives us fire power!

If you want to know what the power of the Holy Spirit looks like, take a look at the disciples. Firstly, Jesus taught and trained them. Then, the Holy Spirit empowered them (Acts 2). Through them, the power of God healed people, raised the dead, and cast out demons. Jesus said that every believer would be able to do what He did and even more because He was sending us the Holy Spirit (John 14:12). Wow! Remember Luke 3:16: that Jesus will baptize us with the Holy Spirit and with fire! We can fight fire with fire!!

Not only do we have offensive power, but we have defensive power when we put on the whole armor of God. Ephesians 6:16 tells us that the shield of faith will quench the destructive fire of our enemy.

Thank God that He loves us enough to give us the power to overcome. Yes fire storms will come, but we can rest assured that God is on our side, working all things for our good. He even said that trials will perfect us, make us whole and we will lack nothing (James 1:2-4) much the way a Controlled Burn brings restoration and renewal.

Fight fire with fire! We are not powerless!

It’s Not How Well We Love Him, It’s How Well HE Loves Us

We often feel like failures; we fall short and we know it.  We may not read His Word often enough, pray enough, go to church enough, love others enough, or tithe enough. We design of list of conditions, obligations or actions that we must DO to remain in God’s good graces.  In our minds, if we DO these things without fail, not only do we feel we have earned the right to approach the throne of God in time of need.

Don’t get me wrong, those things I listed should be an integral part of our Christian lives, but they are not requirements to receive God’s love. As a matter of fact, there are NO requirements in order for God to love us. The truth is, we can never DO enough to earn God’s love. God specifically tells us that there’s nothing we can do to earn His love or keep it. It’s a gift through His grace, and has nothing at all to do with anything we could offer (Ephesians 2:8-9).

God’s love toward us is free of conditions and parameters. God didn’t resolve to love us when we decided we should stop sinning; when we decided going to church would be a good idea; when we came up with a list of things to DO.

We didn’t decide anything: God did!

Here’s what God decided to do: “But God clearly shows and proves His own love for us, by the fact that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8) . Still sinners. Did you catch that?  This means God chose to love us before WE even made a decision about God!!!

Let that sink in.

We get to make a lot of decisions in this life. But we don’t get to decide whether or not God loves us: He decided that long before we were born. His love is divine and transcends limits and conditions.

Let’s stop adding conditions to an unconditional love.

There’s nothing we could do to make Him love us more, and there’s nothing we could do to cause Him to love us any less.  It’s not how well WE love Him, it’s how well HE loves us.

 

My Prayer Isn’t Good Enough!

We all encounter pressing and important issues. There are things we hold very dear to our hearts that cause us great concern, and we know it’s essential to take our petitions to God in prayer. But do we know how to pray about it?

If you’re like me, you may begin to question yourself during prayer: did I cover everything? Was I specific enough? Did I find the right scripture to claim over this situation? Did I pray long enough….loud enough…..often enough?  Did I say the right words during prayer? Did I pray believing? Did I follow the right prayer recipe?

It makes sense that we want to make sure we’ve crossed our T’s and dotted our i’s in prayer. Because in life HOW WE make a presentation, HOW WE represent ourselves on a resume’ and HOW WE perform, determines the success or failure of the outcome.

Just today in prayer I began to question myself, and as a result questioned the power of my prayer when God stopped me dead in my tracks before my thoughts could gain momentum. He burst that hot air balloon before it could shift me off course.

Listen to what God said: “You’re relying too much on YOURSELF!!!”

As I let that sink in, I began to realize that on some level, I had been putting pressure on myself by thinking the outcome of my prayer depended on how well I prayed. That is wrong thinking!! The outcome of our petitions does NOT rely on the petitioner, rather The One being petitioned: God Almighty!

He is a good God that desires to make our life easier, not more burdened down with the pressure of executing the perfect prayer or else. If you’ve struggled with negative ideas about prayer, it’s time to crumple up that chapter and start over. So take a deep breath: let yourself off the hook. Take the pressure off by trusting the outcome to Him; and pray your heart out to a God that is eager to hear your voice!

SPEAKING GOD’S WORD ABOUT PRAYER:

I’m so thankful that God knows my heart. I Samuel 16:7

God knows what I need before I even tell Him. Mathew 6:8

I can give God all my worries because He cares about me! 1 Peter 5:7

I’m not going to worry about it, because I’m going to pray about it. Philippians 4:6

When I don’t know what to pray the Holy Spirit helps me. Romans 8:26

I find mercy and grace to help in my time of need. Hebrews 4:16

I pray to God because I know He will hear me. Psalms 17:6

When I am stressed, I will call on God because He hears me from Heaven. Psalms 18:6

I know that God can do far more than I can ask. Ephesians 3:20

I know that everything is possible with God! Mark 10:27

Wildfire Part II: The Cause

CLICK HERE TO READ   Wildfire Part I: The Condition

CLICK HERE TO READ Wildfire Part III: The Countermeasure

“Your Forest-Your Fault –Your Loss.”

“Forest Fires Aid the Enemy,”

“Our Carelessness, Their Secret Weapon.”

These slogans predate Smokey Bear, but with foreign and domestic fire threats to our homeland running high, the wartime council began the fire prevention campaign during World War II. The war council had seen firsthand the destruction in our homeland from foreign threats as shells had exploded in an oil field very near a National Forest, but what they feared most was domestic threat. Statistics revealed then and now, that our own people were to blame for destructive wildfires 9 out of 10 times.  Just a few years later in 1950 this was sadly proven true when the wildfire that made Smokey Bear become a living legend, would destroy 17,000 acres and risk the lives of hundreds of men.

The Condition: drought

The Cause: ONE camper. One careless act. One devastating outcome.

The enemy that was most feared was living in our homeland: us! I submit to you the WE are often the cause of our own trials and tribulations: not necessarily purposely, but carelessly. Sometimes we play with matches when we know better.

The WWII slogan reapplied: “Our carelessness, ‘Satan’s’ secret weapon!” Sometimes Satan doesn’t have to “do” anything at all to make our lives miserable because WE are doing good job of it all by ourselves.  Just like the war council saw fit to teach and train people on the importance of acting responsibly, and the dangers of carelessness; God teaches us in His Word to live a life full of purpose, full of abundance, full of power, and free of needless destruction.

I can’t speak for you, but I will tell you that I have made bad decisions, and have suffered the consequences. Ever said, ‘if I could do it all over again, I would do things differently?’ I certainly have. We say this because we know that WE were responsible; WE had the power to make a difference.

Hang in there with me, there IS GOOD NEWS!

Did you know that:

  • Fire is required for the reproduction of some trees. Without a fire, these seeds can lie dormant for decades
  • Fire is required for the long-term survival of 33 native plant species
  • Fire rids the forest of diseased plants and trees

This is a great example of what God does for us. He gives us beauty for ashes (Isaiah 61:3). He replaces our mourning with joy. He forgives us and restores us! We will have new growth! New Life!! A Second chance!

Satan would love to sit back and blame us; belittle and condemn us for making mistakes. He would love to see us sit in the dark ruin of our own wildfire: devastated and wasting away. We might be ‘the cause’ sometimes, but with God we are ‘NOT a lost cause.’ He loves us so much that He is willing to make ALL things work for our good! (Romans 8:28)  So even though I may create my own mess, God still turns it around for my good.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wildfires Part I: The Condition

The year: 1950.

The place: Capitan Mountains of New Mexico.

The problem: a fire tower operator spots smoke that quickly became a major wildfire. Forest Rangers, army soldiers, Native American firefighters and civilians assembled their resources to quickly gain control and fight the fire.

The casualty: a baby bear. Rangers spotted the little guy and hoped his mother would return for him, but she did not. Being caught directly in the path of the fire storm that had become amplified by increased winds, approximately 30 firefighters survived by lying face down on a rock slide for more than an hour while the fire burned passed them: singeing their hair and clothes. Nearby the orphaned animal, who we would later know as Smokey Bear, suffered burned paws and hind legs.

The condition: Drought!!

Wildfires are more probable during times of drought. During this dry condition, there is less resistance to the dangers that cause fire, and more devastation is likely to occur.

A drought is a deficiency or lack of rainfall, and can have devastating effects from thirst, famine to disease.  A drought is not a sudden occurrence like an earthquake or a thunder storm, rather it develops slowly over the course of time. Nor does drought have an immediate effect like and earthquake or thunder storm.  As a matter of fact; weeks, months or years could pass before people even know that a drought is occurring.

In Wildfires Part I, I want to address a dangerous condition that can sneak up on us unaware, and put us at risk for wildfires: a spiritual drought. Remember, the effects are not immediate; we can slowly fade into this condition without even realizing it.

We have a vital need of Jesus the way our physical bodies require water. Without Jesus, our spirit man will become weak and wither, and can become virtually defenseless. Without Jesus, we are susceptible to the wildfires of trials and tribulations.

How can you tell if you are headed for a spiritual drought? You may experience some of  the following symptoms:

  • Less spiritual growth
  • Less joy & less interest or excitement for the things of God
  • Less prayer & Bible time
  • Less frequent church attendance over time
  • Less desire for praise & worship music
  • Less connections with Christian friends

Notice the word LESS. When we take in LESS of God on any level, we are headed for a spiritual drought. Having LESS of God makes us MORE vulnerable to wildfires. And it can happen to any one of us: from newly saved Christians to long time Preachers. So how do we stay spiritually hydrated?

Isaiah 41:17-18 asv “The poor and needy seek water, and there is none, and their tongue faileth for thirst; I, Jehovah, will answer them, I, The God of Israel, will not forsake them.  I will open rivers on the bare heights, and fountains in the midst of the valleys; I will make the wilderness a pool of water, and the dry land springs of water.”

Water is the answer to any drought, so drink up!! Drink of the Living Water (John 7:37-39) that never will run dry!

Don’t let drought sneak up on you and put you at risk!

His answer to our need is to give us fountains of water in our dry and drought ridden places. All we have to do is seek Him. Ask Him today to saturate and heal your spiritual dry places. The answer is Jesus! It’s as complicated and as simple as that.

CLICK HERE TO READ Wildfires Part II: The Cause

CLICK HERE TO READ Wildfire Part III: The Countermeasure