Ask Questions

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XG347euXoTM

A Christmas Alleluia ~ Chris Tomlin (feat. Lauren Daigle, Leslie Jordan)

 

Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High
    will rest in the shadow of Shaddai.

~ Psalm 91:1a NIV

 

We visited my grandpa and his girlfriend this past summer in Waukesha. When we got to her house, the first thing my children asked was if they could explore her house. How simple and natural for a child to want to explore? "Can I look around? Can I see what’s out there? Can I discover what I don’t know?"

 

Years ago, I attended an Excel class. My boss sent me on a mission: to find the answers to five different things. When the instructor asked us what we wanted to learn, a few of us gave our laundry list of things. One woman, however, gave the correct answer. She said, "I want to know what I don't know." 

 

That's the correct answer in studying the Bible, too. "I want to know You more," the song sings. "Let me seek Your face," the verse says. "I want to dwell in Your house, forever, that I may look upon Your glory and seek Your face." We're called to dwell, to abide. How can we do that if we're not spending time seeking, searching, and asking questions? 

 

I actually wrote this a few days ago, but hadn’t shared it, yet. This morning, as I tried to sit down and share, my phone was a constant explosion of texts. Our school is on a 2-hour weather delay. But since many of us haven’t experienced that at school, we had questions about when to go where.

 

My prayer for us, both today and during this season, is that we will ask questions: What does it mean to dwell? Who is Shaddai? What do things mean, and why do I need to know them? The Bible says we must enter the Kingdom of Heaven as little children. Little children ask questions, they seek, they want to know, and they want to learn. I pray we’ll enter this season with questions, and with a desire to learn more about the One Who sent His Son.

©Heather Potts 2022

How Do You Decide?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dH0PmaKxOtA&list=RDdH0PmaKxOtA&start_radio=1&rv=dH0PmaKxOtA&t=0

Too Good to Not Believe ~ Cody Carnes

Trust in the Lord with all your heart

    and lean not on your own understanding;

 in all your ways submit to him,

    and he will make your paths straight.

~ Proverbs 3:5-6 NIV

How do you decide what to have for dinner, the route to take to the store, which outfit to wear, or what to do with $25? Many of the decisions we make each day seem small, even insignificant to us. Recently, I sold something for $25. I hadn’t thought about what I was going to do with the money, so I put it in our “fun” budget. Those small, no-big-deal decisions can have a big impact when we invite God into them.

Sadly, some of our friends are in the middle of a crisis. Long story short, I volunteered to take a meal to them. However, due to the number of adults I’d have to feed, I ordered some food from a local restaurant. Little did I know it, but God had arranged for the item to sell for the exact amount I’d need to cover dinner: $25!

Proverbs 3:6 says in all our ways, we’re to acknowledge --submit to--God. Not just in the big or scary things, but in all things: all situations and decisions. 1 Peter 5:7 says to cast all our cares on him--all our anxieties, all our worries, and all our concerns. Have questions about your finances or an upcoming vacation? Toss them to God. Worried about the doctor’s findings? Throw it to God. Anxious about the new school year or changes at your job? Cast them at His feet.

When God says to cast our cares, it’s not a gentle placing of our questions, cares, or concerns. It’s like a major league pitcher hurling them across home plate. God doesn’t want you to keep them, carry them, or waste any more time, effort, or energy on them. Cast your cares on God and wait for His reply. Perhaps the reason you’ve held them is because you feel God’s reply takes too long for your comfort. But Proverbs 3:5-7 say not to assume or pretend we know best. Instead, we’re to put all our trust and confidence in the Lord, submitting to Him in all things. It’s only from a posture of total submission that we can recognize and follow the paths that God lays out for us. His path isn’t one big answer for all of life’s questions. He has an answer and a promise for each need, question, care, and concern.

The next time you receive something or have a question, hold it out to God and ask what you’re to do with it. His answer just might surprise you.

©Heather Potts 2021

Kill Shot

Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. ~ 1 Peter 5:8 NIV

Romans 8:35-39 describe the many things that cannot separate us from the love of God. But if the enemy can get us to believe otherwise, then he can own us. If, for example, he can get you to constantly compare yourself to others by asking, “What’s wrong with me?” or “Why do I always have to be the one to ____ (fill in the blank)?” or “When is it my turn to be taken care of?” Devour means “Destroy; be consumed with grief.” When we listen to and begin to ask questions like these, that’s when we’re in danger of being devoured.

I used to wonder how anyone could find themselves in the position to be devoured. But then after walking through a season in which I was asking one or more of those questions, I realized standing or falling is all about focus. Because I was focusing on those lies, those questions, and then the false answers the enemy was spinning my way, it caused me to question the Truth. When we focus on God’s unconditional love for us, we begin to see ourselves as He sees us and can’t help but fall madly in love with Him, needing Him more than life and breath. But when we entertain the enemy’s questions, we begin to question God’s love and faithfulness and we begin to fall.

In 1 Peter 5:6-9, God gives us specific steps to keep us from harm, keeping our focus on Him:

·         Humble yourself under God (v 6)

·         Cast your anxiety on God (v 7)

·         Be alert and of sober mind (v 8)

·         Resist the enemy and stand firm (v 9)

I encourage and challenge you: if you’ve been entertaining those questions, it’s time to change your mind! You were not called to anyone else’s life or race—quit comparing yourself to others! Father God loves you unconditionally and He has given you the mind of Christ so that you’ll be able to focus on the truth and not the liar. Now stand firm and defeat the devourer!

©Heather Potts 2016