Things to Enjoy

[Focus] on God, who richly supplies us with all things to enjoy. ~ 1Timothy 6:17

  

The office where I work has half-cubes, so whatever you do at your desk, not only can everyone hear, but they can also see.  I got a new CD over the weekend that I was quite excited to listen to, but am unable to at work because some around me complain that they can hear it.  So I thought, “I’ll get headphones,” but it’s not in the budget for this month so I’d have to wait.  But here’s the coolest part: God reminded me that I already have headphones!  My God is big enough to create the whole world, but He’s also in the tiniest details that He will draw my attention to the fact that I have headphones in my house so that I can listen to my CD at work.  This wasn’t for anything other than my enjoyment!  Thanks God!

That's Enough!

"That's enough!" I said yesterday after several of my friends had sent me prayer requests.  It was time for some focused devil-defeating prayer!  When is enough of the enemy way too much of the enemy?  When we get fed up, stand up, and say, "That's enough!"  When we determine to stand in the gap for our friends and family members, that's when the devil goes running!

I implore you, don't let another day go by where you allow the devil to steal from you or the ones you love.  John 10:10 is crystal clear about the devil's M.O., "to kill, steal, and destroy," none of which we have to take lying down.  The Bible is also very clear about our position, "You are from God...greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world," (1 John 4:4).  But simply knowing our position isn't good enough; we must have follow-through to ward off the enemy. "Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil.  He prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.  Stand firm against him, and be strong in your faith," (1 Peter 5:8-9).  The enemy knows that if he can't get you to back down from your stance on God's Word, then he's got nothing.  But if he can get you to waver, falter, and flee, then just like a lion pursues his prey, he knows he's got you.  That is why we must stand firm against him.

Today I challenge you: If you or a loved one is being attacked by the enemy, today is your day to stand up and say "No more!"  Don't let the enemy take any more ground than he's taken.  Today is your day to stand up and stand in the gap and defeat him!

Be strong and courageous.  Do not be afraid or discouraged because of the vast army.  For this battle is not yours but God's...Take up your positions; stand firm and see the deliverance the Lord will give you. ~ 2 Chronicles 20:15, 17
~Heather Potts~

It's Not Yours

This is what the LORD says to you: 'Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast army. For the battle is not yours, but God's.’ ~ 2 Chronicles 20:15

Have you noticed lately that there are obstacles in your way?  Things are trying to grab you attention and make you focus on those things so that you will not have peace?  You are so busy focusing on your illness, your car issues, your lack of help, your past, problems with your children, issues with your spouse, bills you don’t know how you’ll pay, etc., that you have forgotten what peace feels like.  You are so distracted that if someone tells you to trust in the Lord, you’re almost more likely to give them a sarcastic comeback than a genuine thank you.  I’m reading a book right now called, Redemption, by Mike Wilkerson.  In this book we are told that this life we are living is not our story… It’s God’s and He is the main character (27).  Life is about perspective and if we will remember that this is God’s story and we are simply characters in the story He is telling, then we will be able to rest in Him, knowing that He really does have our backs and the outcome really does rest in and with Him.  One of the things that Wilkerson says that  humans struggle to maintain is shalom, peace (29).  The Bible says that we have access to “the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding,” through Christ Jesus, our Lord, (Philippians 4:7).

Whatever you are facing today, this is what the Lord says, “You will not have to fight this battle. Take up your positions; stand firm and see the deliverance the LORD will give you,” (2 Chronicles 20:17).

~Heather Potts~

Can't "Do" You Way

Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. ~ Romans 12:2

One of the "patterns" that we've been taught is to be ever in motion, to be "doers".  And while the Bible teaches us to be the hands and feet of Jesus, we are called, first and foremost, into a relationship with Jesus and not to be His servants, only. The renewing of our minds calls for something greater than "acts;" there are not "Ten Easy Steps" in order to see this transformation.  David Guzik says, "The problem with many Christians is they...are only concerned about doing...The life based on doing says...'Just tell me what to do. Give me the four points for this and the seven keys for that.' This life of doing will never know the transforming power of God because it ignores the renewing of the mind," ("Study Guide to Romans 12", Blue Letter Bible).

The renewing of our minds is a transformation that can only take place when we enlist the power of the Holy Spirit and we spend quality time with God, getting to know Him and hearing the truths He has to impart to us.  Renewing your mind is a paradigm shift in which you are not the action maker.  Instead, you need to invite the Holy Spirit to help you in this shift, for this is not something that you can cause to happen, but you can allow it to happen to you. Where ever you are in your walk, God wants to draw you deeper and closer to His side.  He wants you to have an ever attentive ear for Him.  This will never happen because of your efforts. Instead, "this transformation and renewing of our minds takes place as we behold the face of God, spending time in His glory," (Guzik). God is ever willing and always available.  All He needs from you is an invitation. Ask Him today and see how He'll transform you into a new creation.
~Heather Potts~

What's Locked-On to You?

Do not conform any longer 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. ~ Romans 12:2

The word "conform" reminds me of the character Smith from the movie Matrix Revolutions.  As you watch the movie Smith will touch another person (or program) and as he does so, he will take over that person's body and will fashion them after himself, producing several copies of himself.  The word conform in this scripture is the Greek word syschēmatizō, meaning "to conform one's self (mind or character) to another's pattern," (blueletterbible.org).  The word "transform," however, reminds me of what a caterpillar does each year when it becomes a butterfly; it changes into a whole new creation.  The prefix "trans" means to change thoroughly.


In this scripture, we are being commanded to not allow the world--anything that is not of God--to wrap itself around us so that it begins to pattern our minds and actions after those things.  Instead, we are to become a new creation by renewing our minds through the study of God's Word.  In essence, if we do nothing, we will become one of "Smith's" victims and become a copy of him, in one of the patterns of this world.  But if we resist by locking our minds and actions on the things of God, we are promised to be changed into something new, something beautiful, something glorious.  It is only then, with our minds, eyes, and hearts locked on God that we will be able to recognize what God's will is-His good, pleasing, and perfect will for our lives.


~Heather Potts~

Baking

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

"He works [all things] for good together, not in isolation," (David Guzik, "Study Guide for Romans 8").

Think about all the aspects of your life: your mountaintops, your valleys, and every step in between.  God works in every single step and He uses them all to produce a beautiful masterpiece.  It's like baking, whether the end result will be a wedding cake, a batch of cookies, or a tray of brownies, the end result doesn't happen just because you crack open a few eggs.  The masterpiece happens because you combine all the ingredients, in perfect measurement, and bake them at the correct temperature for the needed amount of time.  The end result is determined by the specific combination of all the ingredients.  All of these deserts--cakes, brownies, cookies--have at least one thing in common.  But they are all different desserts because it's not the egg--just one ingredient--that determines the end result, but the combination of all the ingredients.

Whatever you are going through today, take comfort in knowing that God works all things together for your good: your suffering, your joy, and every step in between.
~Heather Potts~

Much Love

"I tell you, her sins—and they are many—have been forgiven, so she has shown me much love. But a person who is forgiven little shows only little love." ~ Luke 7:47

There’s a story about a young couple who, after about a decade of marriage, went to see a counselor.  They told him that they had no intimacy in their marriage—and they didn’t mean what the world calls intimacy—and  they couldn’t figure out why.  The counselor listened to their stories and then said the reason they lacked this important part to their marriage was because they lacked “Holy Submission.”  He said that Holy Submission is described in Ephesians 5:22-33 as the wife  submitting to her husband as her shepherd (someone who protects, guides, and watches over others) as the church submits to Christ and as the husband loving and giving his life up for the wife as Christ did for the church.  Near the end of the session, the counselor spoke to the husband and wife separately, but told them both the same thing: you are the key to making this work.

After 3 weeks, the couple went back to the counselor and he asked how they were doing.  The wife said that God showed her that through Christ, she had the power within her to change the things about herself and to begin to live the way the Bible called her to live.  The husband said he’d studied 1 Corinthians 13 (aka the “love chapter”) and tried to model the things he’d learned in it.  The counselor was glad that they’d made so many improvements in such a short amount of time.  He said it was truly God’s Word (and not the works of the counselor) that had caused this change in their lives.  The wife said one more thing that really stuck out to the counselor.  She said, “I know I had a big part to play in how we drifted apart…although I didn’t see it until we came to see you.  But I must say, more than anything, it’s the grace he’s given me to change that’s really helped me the most.  His love and forgiveness of me melted my heart and drew me to want to be a better wife to him.”

Jesus said that for whom much has been forgiven, by them much love will be given (Luke 7:47).  How can you show your spouse grace today?  Have they wronged you in some way?  A way in which the world would tell you that you have every right to hold it over their heads or even divorce them?  Forgiveness is allowing God to touch them, to work in their lives, and to correct what needs to be corrected.  Forgiveness means taking your hands off the gavel in the courtroom, because you are no longer going to be judge and jury.  Forgiveness isn’t the easiest act of compassion, but as it did for the wife in this story, it may be the key thing that will melt their heart and allow them to move freely toward you and toward love.  If you aren’t living the life you’ve always dreamed of, perhaps there’s a change that needs to be made.  Ask God to reveal anything in your heart that needs to be revealed or changed.  He promised He’ll show you the way.

For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline. ~ 2 Timothy 1:7

~Heather Potts~

Drawn to Jesus

Did you ever wonder what compels us to Jesus; what about Him draws us in?  In his book, Give it All to Him, Max Lucado tells the story of a girl with a bag full of trash.  He identifies a man who knows exactly what’s in her trash bag.  On the outside, her bag looks like everyone else’s—heavy, bulky—with no way to see the inside.  But somehow, he knew and his response to knowing was, “Will you give me your trash,” (23).  At his question she’s left wondering, “How could he know what he knew?  And how could he know and still be so kind?”  When the world sees our loads they offer up other suggestions: Your therapist tells you to talk about it, but at the end of the hour you still have to take your bags with you; your friends tell you not to feel bad; feel-great-about-life rallies tell you to ignore it and be happy, but eventually that wears off; and legalists tell you to work it off, (20).  And in the end, where does it all get you?

God says: “I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with loving-kindness,” (Jeremiah 31:3); “I led them with cords of human kindness, with ties of love; I lifted the yoke from their neck and bent down to feed them,” (Hosea 11:4).  Even in our lowest, worst states, Jesus has loved us and God has beckoned us.  So really, the choice is totally ours.

And what about the girl, what happened to her?  When she approached the man and it was her turn to give him her trash bags, she hesitated.  But “His eyes compel her to step forward.  He reaches for  her trash and takes it from her. ‘You can’t live with this,’ he explains. ‘You weren’t made to,’”(35).

Regardless of what is in the bags, Jesus wants us to give it to Him.  There is absolutely no benefit that comes from carrying it—only harm.  So just as He asked the girl, He’s asking you: Will you give up your trash--your baggage—to Jesus?  Will you dare to chance living a life that’s totally free—free from shame, anger, rage, guilt, and pain—free to be a child filled with joy who dances in His courts?  “You can’t live with this….You weren’t mean to.”

They will come and shout for joy on the heights of Zion; they will rejoice in the bounty of the LORD…They will be like a well-watered garden, and they will sorrow no more. ~ Jeremiah 31:12