I Never Knew

I never knew when I’d be born, take my first steps, or my first fall…

I never knew when I’d have my first crush, my first heartbreak, and then my next crush…

I never knew if I’d get married, let alone want to…

I never knew if I’d want babies or if I’d enjoy feeling them growing and moving inside of me…

I never knew how hard and how long the enemy would attack me…

I never knew how deep I’d have to dig, firm I’d have to stand, or how many times I’d be on my knees before my Father’s throne…

But God knew. 

And He knew that He’d walk through it with me, giving me the strength and power to overcome.

Long before the creation of the world, God saw me and He smiled.  He called my name and it made Him laugh.  He created me in His image and it filled Him with delight.

Those who live in the shelter of the Most High will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty…If you make the LORD your refuge, if you make the Most High your shelter, no evil will conquer you; no plague will come near your home. ~ Psalm 91:1, 9, 10

Stork Song

Carry each other's burdens. ~ Galatians 6:2

I've heard many pastors use storks as an example to us as to how we should live life together: by caring for each other and carrying one another's burdens.  There are many interesting things about storks, such as their nesting habits--the way stork mothers take care of their stork babies--and the fact that storks are mute, but use bill-clattering as their way of communicating with each other.  However, it was their flight habits that most of the stories I've heard centered around.  It's said that storks fly in flocks, as most birds do, but the thing that makes storks stand out is the way they take care of each other in flight.

These birds are flying several hundred miles together.  Because storks spend a lot of time gliding, if one stork is injured, it can rest its wing on some of the others and still be able to travel with the rest of the flock.  There's another unique quality to storks and it's in the way they take care of their sick and hurting.  If one stork falls away from the flock, two other storks will also leave the flock--allowing the rest of the flock to move on--and go to be with the stork who fell away.  They will remain with that stork until he either recovers and the three can rejoin another flock, or until he dies and then the pair will rejoin another flock.

There are a lot of hurting people in our world right now, and I don't just mean those you've never seen the faces of, but those you see everyday, whom you know and talk to quite often.  When we see people hurting around us, do we act like storks, offering to take them a meal, to pray with them, to hold them when they cry, to stand with them until they recover?  Or do we just keep walking, thinking someone else has got it?  Perhaps we offer words like, "Call if you need anything," and somehow feel put-out when they don't call, or say the words, but just keep moving on with our busy lives and packed schedules.

In a family or tribe or flock of people, we need to take the time to listen to one another, love on one another in a personal way, with a personal touch.  We are all busy, living our packed schedules, but perhaps there's something we can learn from a flock of storks.

Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially those who belong to the family of believers. ~ Galatians 6:10

Expectant or Pregnant

But those who wait for the Lord [who expect, look for, and hope in Him] shall change and renew their strength and power; they shall lift their wings and mount up [close to God] as eagles [mount up to the sun]; they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint or become tired. ~ Isaiah 40:31 AMP

Because we use the terms “expectant” and “pregnant” so interchangeably, their significance and meaning have gotten lost.  To be “pregnant” could mean “with child; fertile; full of meaning; of great importance or potential,” (dictionary.com).  But expectation is so much more.  Expectation is a constant and persevering state of looking forward to and anticipating something will happen.  So if expectation is anticipation—a knowing, if you will—that something will happen and pregnancy is having the potential that something will happen, which would you rather be?

In the middle of the night, an angel of the Lord went to Mary and said that she would carry and deliver the Son of the Most High God.  Upon hearing the news, she became filled with expectation and said, “May it be to me as you have said,” (see Luke 1:28-38).  You don’t have to be pregnant to be filled with expectation.  If expectation is looking for God to show up and knowing that He will, then we can and should all be expectant.

My prayer is that as challenges come, I would continue to look with expectation for the Lord, knowing that it will renew my strength and power and I will be able to mount up close to God as an eagle; and that I will run and not become weary, and walk and not become faint or tired.  Thank you, Father.  In Jesus’ Name I pray, Amen.

Never Leave Nor Forsake You

I will never leave you nor forsake you ~ Joshua 1:5

For the longest time, I thought those two words, “leave” and “forsake” were the same thing, but the truth is, it’s much deeper than that.  The word “leave” here means “fail.”  God is telling us that the promises He’s made to us, He will not fail to fulfill.  He won’t change His mind and He won’t forget.  God is making us a promise that He will not fail us; He will not fail to bring forth the promises He’s made to us.  The promises He's made to you, individually, He won't fail to fulfill.

The word “forsake” means to abandon.  God will not abandon you.  If you’ve ever been hurt, perhaps by a parent, a spouse, a friend, you may understand what it feels like to be abandoned.  Perhaps no one’s ever physically abandoned you, but you feel cut off and emotionally alone.  God promises that He will not abandon you.  In the middle of the night or the wee hours of the morning, you are never alone because God is always with you.  He cares about and for you.  He will never fail you and He will never abandon you.  God promises to be with you, always.

He Chose the Wood

"Tell the Israelites to bring me an offering...These are the offerings you are to receive from them: gold, silver and bronze; blue, purple and scarlet yarn and fine linen…acacia wood…” ~ Exodus 25:2-5

I was recently doing a study on the details with which God designed His Tabernacle, Ark, etc. and I realized I didn’t understand the point of the wood.  I understand His choosing of the precious metals, beautiful yarn, and fine linens, but not the wood.  What was the significance of His choosing acacia wood for making His Holy things? 

When I began looking into it, I discovered that acacia wood is beautiful, light-weight, and practically indestructible.  In realizing this, I began to consider how God has created each of us.  To God, we are beautiful and perfect for every calling He has placed upon each one of us.  Just like in choosing this wood, our purpose may not be obvious to the world, but God knew exactly how He was going to design us and the work for which He would call us.  Without Christ, we are not like this wood at all, but when Christ is in us, we reveal His glory and are able to lean upon His indestructible strength.

No matter where you are today, God will meet you how and where you are.  Your walk is not about being “Super-Christian” and conquering the mysteries of the Bible in a single bound.  Instead, your walk is constant, continuous, tailored to fit the way God designed you.  Just like God first designed this amazing wood and then chose it for His Holy things, He’s done that with you.  He’s designed you just the way He wants and needs you to be—beautiful and amazing in His sight—and then called you for His Holy things.

And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit. ~ 2 Corinthians 3:18

No Fear in Love

There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear *involves punishment, and the one who fears is not perfected in love.  ~ 1 John 4:18

We know that fear is nothing more than False Evidence Appearing Real, but I’ll take it one step further and say that fear is a lack of trust.  As God’s Word says, “the one who fears is not perfected in love.”  God is that love and those of us who live in or with fear have not yet been perfected or encompassed by it.

This fear can be broken down into many different categories.  There’s the fear of abandonment, which keeps you from speaking up for yourself in a healthy and respectful manner.  There’s the fear of rejection that keeps you from standing up for what is right and true.  The fear of rejection can also be coupled with the fear of failure and/or the fear of success, all of which can keep you from fulfilling your dreams and God’s purposes for your life.

Fear is a great immobilizer.  God put warning signals in our brains to send out as messages to our bodies to keep us from harm.  Satan, however, twisted it to keep us from the things God intended for us.  One thing, above all others, that fear keeps us from is understanding and living in a perfect relationship with God our Father.  Because the enemy has used our earthly relationships with other the men in our lives—our fathers, uncles, brothers, husbands, boyfriends, etc.—to cause us fear in some way, we reflect that back onto Father God and we are kept from having the perfect relationship with Him—the One who is able to cast out all our fears and protect us.

If there is only one scripture you study and get to know better, make it this one.  Allow Father’s perfect love to displace your fears.  Allow His tenderness to sink into your bones and seep into your heart.  Allow His peace to overcome your thoughts.  Allow His joy to replace your fretting and grief.  Allow His promises to replace your worries.  Trust in His love enough to allow it to replace your fears.

Do No Be Deceived

Make the work harder for the men so that they keep working and pay no attention to lies. ~ Exodus 5:9

How many times has it happened that we receive a Word or promise from God and the enemy immediately ramps up his attacks against us?  I think it happens every time.  It reminds me of Jesus’ teaching in Mark 4 about the farmer who sows seed, which is the Word.  For some people, the Word is sown into their lives, but either due to their having no root or being deceived that word is chocked out of them (see Mark 4:16-20).  When the enemy assaults us with these attacks after we’ve received a Word from God, we need to remember two things: 1) The enemy cannot create something new—as God can—he can only produce a counterfeit of the Truth.  That means if God promises us blessings by following His path, the enemy will come in with a “short-cut” that sounds similar to God’s promises, but will only lead to pain & death in the end.  2) the Bible tells us  that the devil is the “Father of lies” and has come to the earth to “steal, kill, and destroy” all that God has given us and promised to us (see John 8:44; John 10:10).  The devil has come to distract us.  Just as Pharaoh, upon hearing that Moses was sent with the message to let God’s people go, increased the pain of the Israelites, the enemy will try to increase our pain so we are so distracted with what’s in front of us, we will have no time to focus on God’s promises.

Jesus promised us, “In this world you will  have trouble.  But take heart, for I have overcome the world,” (John 16:33).  Jesus knew that as soon as we received a promise from God, the enemy would pounce on us to distract us from going after it.  But, Jesus also assures us that He has overcome the world and the enemy  has no real power over us as long as we continue to walk by faith and not by sight.  So ask yourself today and in the next weeks and months: is what I’m going through as good as all that God has promised me?  If not, don’t be afraid to open your mouth and tell the devil he’s a liar and you’re not going to listen to him anymore!