 Any time we spend a week away from our place of work, our friends, or our family it feels and seems like an eternity of things have happened in our absence. It can be a bit overwhelming coming home because people seem to have new inside jokes, or they’ve had a million conversations, or a ton of events took place while you were gone, to the point where we ask ourselves things like, “How did so much happen when I was only gone for a week?”
Coming back from Florida, this week has been one of those weeks for me. I came back to a long list of things to do, and it feels like I haven’t had any time to even breathe. Of course, that is not true, but it feels that way. There have been a lot of things I have had to deal with, both personal and for the church. Some of the things I have had to catch up on and deal with have been pretty stressful for me, and the stress has brought a lot of “noise” with it. By “noise” I am referring to thoughts I do not like and feelings that I should not ever have. Any time we have difficult circumstances that require difficult or uncomfortable decisions to be made, these noises surround us. So what do we do with this noise? Do we ignore it, pretending we are good and these things don’t matter? Do we fight the thoughts with better thoughts? How are we supposed to fight feelings? What do we do with all the noise in our lives? These noises are just distractions to keep us focused on the wrong stuff… This week, I got lost in the noise. It was so overwhelming. I tried to fight it with every technique I could think of, but I was quickly losing the battles and was about to give up hope. Sometimes we look at the greener grass on the other side of the fence, and it just gets so difficult to talk ourselves out of desiring to climb over to the other side, wishing for better. That is where I was yesterday. I had both hands on this fence, and I was just gazing over to the beautiful, green grassy field on the other side, weighing the pros and cons of moving over, imagining how easy it would be to live on that side. Then I heard the voice of God, and all the noise left. You see, God’s voice calms us, whereas the noise causes us to obsess over things. God’s voice comforts us, while the noise only causes worry. God’s voice gently leads us, while the noise pushes us. God’s voice encourages us, while the noise causes fear and doubt… Psalm 46:10 is a verse I use when I the noise gets me too obsessive, when my thoughts are relentlessly on repeat and I can’t calm myself. “Be still and know that I am God.” Psalm 23:4 is a verse I use when I find myself worrying about a lot of things and need comfort. “Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.” Luke 24:50-51 is a passage I use when I feel like I’m being hurried and pushed into a corner. “When he had led them out to the vicinity of Bethany, he lifted up his hands and blessed them. While he was blessing them, he left them and was taken up into heaven.” John 14:27 is a verse I use when I need encouragement. “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” I also use Romans 8:26-27 and Philippians 4:4-9 for reminders of what to do when the noise is drowning out God’s voice. What I love about God is that He cares so deeply for us that He pays attention to every single thing that goes on inside of us, and He actually does things to help. Yesterday, just as I was about to give up, I talked to Him and told Him how I was feeling (of course He already knew, but He enjoys and desires the conversation), and I asked Him what He wanted me to do. Now, I need to say that I was not frustrated with Him or anything, as matter of fact I was way past that and closer to giving up. Instead of crying out in frustration, I have learned to simply talk, and that is what I did. About ten minutes later, someone came to my office to talk. The first thing they said was, “I just feel like I have to tell you how grateful I am for your boldness and how you refuse to compromise…” It hit me so hard and it sobered my thinking, instantly. The noise was gone. How? It was because I had brought it to the Lord, and He spoke through this person, who had never visited me in my office before. As a matter of fact, truthfully, their first comment was, “Oh wow, you have your own office! I didn’t even know this was here!” God’s voice destroys the noise when we listen, even when it comes through His children. Get close to Him, talk calmly to Him, and tell Him everything. Allow Him to show you the things that are in you that He doesn’t want to be there. He will not fail you. His peace, the peace that flows like an ocean current will fill you, and that noise will subside. Bless you…
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 Last night, I felt the Lord press upon my heart to go into today's prayer set the following morning without any preparation. No songs printed out, and no agenda prepared. With about 10 minutes until time to start, my friend and I got on the ground, guitar in hand, mics on, and started to just be honest about the “giants" or "mountains” we individually, and as a whole, are facing. Just us talking into the mic with no audience, but all of heaven in attendance. These heart cries began to pour out and ring into the air.
Simply as wanting more of Him, and not trying to “will” something to happened, beg, or speak with empty words. One of the prayers that came was for there to be an alter before us and so we could bring whatever situation was around us and drop it, while at the same time letting it go, moving our hands up and staying in a surrendered posture! Then the Lord brought to mind the story of Moses and the battle of Amalek. See, what’s beautiful about this story is that Moses, in the middle of the battle, had to stand with his hands up in what we today call a “surrendered posture”. This posture is a universal stance that everyone understands. It shows everyone who can see that you are surrendering, with no weapons, and it truly is a vulnerable posture as you are fully exposed. Every time Moses would put his arms down, the Israelites would begin to lose. So what happened? Aaron and Hur put a rock there for Moses to sit on, and they came and stood beside him, one on each side, and helped hold his arms up in the midst of being tired, for the rest of the battle, until sunset they stood together and the battle was won. Exodus 17:12-13 When Moses’ hands grew tired, they took a stone and put it under him and he sat on it. Aaron and Hur held his hands up—one on one side, one on the other—so that his hands remained steady till sunset. There is so much to learn from this story, but what I want you to take away right now is that no matter the situation, giant, mountain or Amalekite that is facing you, know that you are not alone. Even though we could be in the middle of a battle, and it doesn't make sense to the world, get yourself in a surrendered posture. Surrender it all to God, and rest on the rock that is Truth, Life, Peace, and Joy and hold up your arms steadfast to Him! And if you begin to grow tried or weary know that He has sent those around you to help hold your arms up. Don’t isolate yourself in anything you are facing, and don’t let fear keep you from those around you. We, as brothers and sisters, are to help carry each other’s burdens and point their hand to God.  When reading the bible, especially the Gospels, you can find that partnership in the kingdom is key. By partnership I mean that we are to partner with the Holy Spirit in all that we do. In a conversation I had recently, the question was asked: Are we in constant partnership? For instance are we partnered with God or with the enemy?
In John, Jesus is talking to the Pharisees and tells them that their “father” is the devil because they desire to carry out his plans. In other words, they are partnering with the plan of the enemy instead of partnering with God. John 8:44 - You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out his desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, refusing to uphold the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, because he is a liar and the father of lies. This makes me think, how often throughout our day do we step out of partnership with the Lord and step into it with the enemy? It’s as simple as believing a lie. For Example: “I’m always sick” “I’ll never be set free from______.”(Fill in the blank) “I will always be a sinner” “In not good enough” “Jesus can’t save me” “God can’t forgive me because of the things I’ve done” These BIG lies pull us into partnership with what the enemy says. Because we know he is the one who comes to kill, steal and destroy and Jesus came to give us a life of abundance. (John 10:10) These phrases feel right when we say them, or they just fly out of our month without a thought. But when this happens we must be aware and renew our mind and speak life. Romans 12:2 Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. We carry power in our words because of the partnership we are in. In the book of Acts, Jesus was talking about us when He said “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes,” and we will be His witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. (Acts 1:8) Proverbs 18:21 The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit. We must be in a constant state of abiding (partnership) with God and listening to His voice so that when the enemy comes we know the difference and can speak the truth of freedom in Christ. Knowing that it is also simple to get back in to partnership with God is essential to our walk because we know He is Loving, Faithful, Kind and Forgiving. He wants us to know our identity in Him, and to know how to walk in it. This requires a constant, continuous partnership with Him. So, what have you been partnering with today? |
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July 2023
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