Be Prepared!  Open Letter to Jill Freeze

Dear Jill Freeze,

Be prepared.  Since you have made it public this week that you are staying in your marriage know that this decision alone will place even more shame in your life.  The new shame is staying when you can leave.  For centuries women couldn’t leave but now they can (the thinking goes), so why anyone would stay and ‘take it’?  Research shows that in the last decade, the well majority of women who decided to stay with their husband after an affair has faced the troubling prospect of being judged for staying in the relationship by the very people they rely on most for support and encouragement.  Almost all of these women suffer from PTSD, not just from the adultery but the lack of support from the people they trusted most.  Jill, be prepared for your church and fellow Christians who you have relied on to cast the most judgement.  You will come to realize (thanks to Social Media and maybe minor payment to someone with a degree in computer science) that your Christian friends and your church will be the ones that break your heart the most. For when they share your husband’s story on social media they will mask it as “praying” for you and your family. But it doesn’t feel like that does it? For you know they are sharing the story only to keep it front and center and stabbing you in the back with every like, every share and every private message on Facebook to mutual friends discussing “your situation”.  After all, if they were really “praying” for you and cared about you, wouldn’t they call you?  Or take you out to lunch?  Or bring you a meal?  You know—care about you.  Just be prepared for your church friends to be the main contributors to the public shame. Be prepared to understand that your pastors may have known the truth but chose for you to find out in a public forum instead of privately.  Be prepared for your church to tell you that you are removed from service as you “need to spend time with your family.”  Be prepared for paid church leaders to publically humiliate you at social events, literally asking questions in front of people like “Why on earth are you staying?” or “How many STDs did you get?”   Be prepared for your pastor to invade your privacy by talking to your therapist without consent.  Be prepared for your girls to be bullied at school by their Christian friends who will taunt them and tease them.  Be prepared for your friends to distant themselves from you—especially your Christian friends—for they see this as a disease they could somehow catch.  Be prepared to hear deacons tell you that you are a “fool for staying.”  Be prepared for the wrath of others for your choice to stay to also harm your parents. Your parents may also be forced to not serve in the church—suddenly they are no long elected as an elder or deacon because of the shaming they will place on you for staying.  Be prepared for your Christian friends to stay stupid stuff like “why would he cheat since he is married to a beautiful woman.”  As if it is ok to cheat if the woman is ugly and fat.  Be prepared for your Sunday School teacher to never call you and check on you when you miss church.  Be prepared to change classes so that you will be ministered to, only to discover that didn’t change anything either…still no phone calls or someone asking “how are you doing?”  Be prepared for limited support by your Sunday School teachers and church leaders you poured your life into—the ones who you gave both your time and money to—only to not show up to minister to you.  Be prepared for your daughter’s Sunday School teachers to have little to no patience with your daughter.  Be prepared for your child’s spiritual leader to put her hands around your child’s throat and tell her that she is driving her crazy.  Be prepared for your daughter’s leaders to be frustrated with a teenager trying to navigate a public event involving her father and call her an “asshole” and “bitch” for not being more mature.  Be prepared to be rejected by Christian family members for you will no longer be “holy” enough for them to go on vacation with or spend time with.  Just be prepared.   Be prepared to ask to volunteer for things only to be told “oh, this is only handled by staff members” or “we will pray about it” so that they don’t have to tell you real reason they don’t want you to serve—they no longer want you in their church for you have embarrassed them by staying with your husband.

Jill, you will soon discover the church really doesn’t want “Just as I am – without one plea”--they want a mold.  A mold you can never fit into—even with skinny jeans and Jesus tattoo.  Be prepared to grieve the loss of the marriage you thought you while grieving the ministry that will be stolen from you. None of this was YOUR fault but your church and Christian friends will miss that memo.

Stop saying “God will not give you more than you can handle!”

When I hear these words, most of the time I want to punch someone.  That tired, old phrase often sounds more like a taunt than a comfort.  When we are down and out and feeling discouraged, hearing those words can cause us to feel like we are not measuring up.  It causes us to ask, “If I am suppose to handle this, then why can’t I handle it?”

The TRUTH is, God NEVER said he wouldn’t give you more than you can handle.  There will be times in life when you will feel like you are drowning and there is no one to help you.

The words that are meant for encouragement can often serve to only create discouragement.  Worse yet, this phrase can tempt us to ignore our suffering and pretend it is not there.  It can lead us to believe the lie that we can do it ourselves; that we can handle it.  Which raises the question, “If we can handle anything that comes our way, then why do we need God at all?”

We need to realize that sometimes we can’t make it on our own!

So, where did the phrase about God not giving us too much come from?  To answer that question, we need to go back to the church in Corinth.  Paul wrote them a few letters, and in his first letter, he reminded them that all people are TEMPTED and often choose to do the wrong thing.  Paul’s waring is tied to the reality of temptation and sin that meets us everyday.

With his warning he also gave a promise.  He wrote, “No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind.  And God is faithful; He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, He will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.” 1 Corinthians 10:13.  This is the verse that is so often misquoted!

With regard to TEMPTATION and sin, Paul pointed out that we always have a choice:  engage in sin or run from it!  The promise is that God will always provide a way for us to run from it.

Let’s be clear:  Paul was talking about temptation, NOT SUFFERING!

With temptation, WE HAVE A CHOICE, but with suffering we often DO NOT have a choice.

No parent choses to bury their child!  No one choose cancer. No one chooses depression.  No one choose a car accident.  No one chooses for a loved one to be jailed.  No one chooses for a family torn a part.

In moments like these we feel ground to dust.  Rather than stand and proclaim that we can handle it, we should imitate Jesus.

The night before Jesus was executed, He cried out in the garden, “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death.” (Matthew 26:38).  Jesus told HIs father, “This is too much for me!”  We see this kind of thing in Psalms, too.  The Psalmists ball their fists in rage, and shout at God, “What have you forsaken me?” (Psalm 22).  In their sadness they say, “darkness is my closest friend.” (Psalm 88).

What these verses teach us is that it’s OK to feel like we can’t handle it, like we are going to give up.  We can cry out, “My soul is overwhelmed to the point of death.”  And when we do this, we find God--the one who, in the person of Jesus, suffers with us.

#Truth #TemptationIsNotTheSameAsSuffering

Friends:  My Cup Runneth Over

So this week I had the beautiful pleasure of catching up with TWO of my college roommates/high school close friends...not one but two sweet women who I look back over my life and know God has provided me with strong Christian friends my entire life and they continue to bless me. He has provided me Godly friends from the time I was a baby until now and I have been able to lean into Godly friends throughout my life.

Psalm 23:5 Immediately came to mind when reflecting upon this week. "You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows."

"You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies." The good man has his enemies. He would not be like his Lord if he had not. If we were without enemies we might fear that we were not the friends of God, for the friendship of the world is enmity to God. Yet see the quietude of the godly man or woman in spite of, and in the sight of, his enemies. How refreshing is his calm bravery!!!

When a soldier is in the presence of his enemies, if he eats at all he snatches a hasty meal, and away he hastens to the fight. But observe: "You prepare a table before me," just as a servant does when she unfolds the damask cloth and displays the ornaments of the feast on an ordinary peaceful occasion. Nothing is hurried, there is no confusion, no disturbance, the enemy is at the door, and yet God prepares a table, and the Christian sits down and eats as if everything were in perfect peace. Oh! the peace which Jehovah gives to his people, even in the midst of the most trying circumstances!

"You anoint my head with oil." May we live in the daily enjoyment of this blessing, receiving a fresh anointing for every day's duties. Every Christian is a priest, but he cannot execute the priestly office without a daily connection to God and the Holy Spirit, that we may have our heads anointed with oil. A priest without oil misses the chief qualification for his office, and the Christian priest lacks his chief fitness for service when he is absent of new grace from God.

"My cup overflows". Even during the times of our lowest valleys God's blessings overflows upon us.

My cup indeed has run over through God showering me with the reconnection of Godly friends along with my current Godly friends who continue to shower me with blessings....My cup indeed runneth over.

The Faith Place

The faith place is stepping into a situation or circumstance where you put yourself into a position for God to come through! Abraham was in the faith place when he followed God even though he was not sure where he was going. Moses did not see himself as the man God could use to take on such a task as leader. However, being in his faith place he led the Israelites as God desired. When the walls of Jericho fell, it was because Joshua was in his faith place with God and His Word. When Gideon was in his faith place, with a small army, he conquered the Midianites. When Esther was in her faith place she boldly revealed her heritage as a child of God’s people, the Jews and stopped wicked Haman’s plan. As I step out into faith, I'm trusting God to equip me to do what He has called me to do. We will never see the benefits of our faith and our relationships with God unless we are willing to marry faith with our actions. Faith says less about you and more about what you really believe to be true about God. #WarriorMom #FaithAndAction

Put on Your Shoes and Go!

“The Christian was evidently intended to be in motion, for here are shoes for his feet” Charles Spurgeon.  Standing firm is not only about digging in.  It’s about moving forward

Many of us just need to hit the off-switch on whatever guilt-induced, confrontation-avoidant recordings play in our heads, and just let God’s peace do what God’s peace does.  Let it settle out hearts as Christians who’ve received and are daily experiencing it.  And let His Spirit just naturally guide us in living and sharing the blessings of gospel peace with those around us as we submit to His leadership and promptings.

When we begin to see the supernatural effects of the gospel--when strongholds are demolished in our lives and we get a taste of true freedom--the result should be gratitude that overflows into action.  We should be Christians who go into the enemy’s territory and freely tell others of the victory that can be their in Jesus.  A lot of them want it more than we know.  More than even they realize.

Listen, the greatest threat to the proliferation of the kingdom of darkness in our culture is the expansion of the kingdom of light.  When we carry this message to others and the community of faith grows, the enemy will be pushed back.

It’s go-time!

Historians tell us, in thinking back to ancient Roman warfare:  given the hobnails at the base of the soldiers’ shoes, “an army marching along a stone-paved road must have created a considerable clatter.”  Imagine thousands of them, all marching along at one time.  The sound would’ve attracted attention.  The enemy would’ve known they were coming.  

Actually, this effect was by design.  Their armor “served not only to protect but to impress and intimidate.  It represented the character and strength of the warrior and symbolized his past and present actions.”

Peace intimidates our enemy.  He knows we’re coming when we’re all marching in unity with our peace-shoes securely in place.  The sound will serve him notice that we are ready, at our post, standing our ground, and fearlessly advancing against his kingdom.  And, that’s good news.

So, march on, my friend.  March on.

“Therefore as you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him” Col 2:6 

The Comparison Game

If only I was skinny like her.  If only my children behaved like her children.  If my house was as nice as hers.  If my husband was more attentive like hers.  If I could even remember to bring cupcakes to the school (purchased of corse) on my child’s birthday like the other moms.  If my halloween decorations were out more than two hours prior to trick-or-treating like my neighbors.  We all play the comparison game.  I think women in particular play this game...oh I wish I had her hair, her wrinkle free face...now can she be that skinny after having three children (ok, I don’t compare myself to these women--they go into the “I despise these women” category).  But we all do this...right?  I’m not the only one? 

What is worse is when we play the comparison game as Christians.  Comparing our relationship with God against others.  In the well known Bible story of David and Saul, and Saul “relieving” himself and David had the opportunity to kill Saul but chose not to but instead cut off the edge of Saul’s robe.  Not until Saul had finished his business, left the cave, and walked a safe distance away did David come out, call the king, bow low to the ground before him, then then hold out the piece of torn cloth as proof he could have killed Saul, but did not.  

Then in 1 Samuel 24:16-17 we read in Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB) “16 When David finished saying these things to him, Saul replied, “Is that your voice, David my son?” Then Saul wept aloud 17 and said to David, “You are more righteous than I, for you have done what is good to me though I have done what is evil to you.” 

Saul measures his own righteousness against David--playing the Christian comparison game.  Comparison is an often-used method for determining one’s righteousness.  But comparison is NEVER an accurate measurement, because righteousness is alignment to God’s perfect standard.  So even if you (or who you are comparing yourself to) actions are better than someone else’s, they’re still not as good as God’s.

Comparison for those of us who “follow the rules” soothes but it also deceives making us feel justified with our “little” sinful actions. Or it can be disheartening when we feel that others are doing better than us.  In either case it’s inaccurate and deceiving--which is why the devil loves when we do it.   He works to keep us looking at others instead of looking to God Himself.

Thank goodness we do not have to strive for perfection or keep comparing ourselves to others.  

The cross didn’t just take something from you.  It gave something miraculous from you.  

The cross took away the penalty of our sin.  Your sin and mine required a payment.  Death.  For all of it.  The idea of “payment” reminds me of the story of Abraham.  In Genesis 15:6, HCSB, “Abram believed the Lord, and He credited it to him as righteousness.”  He made him the father of many nations after Sarah womb was dead.  God gives life to the dead and calls those things which do not exist as if they did: These works of God demonstrate His ability to count things that are not (such as our righteousness) as if they were (as in counting us righteous).  If God could call the dead womb of Sarah to life, he can call those who are dead in trespasses and sins (Ephesians 2:1) to new life in Jesus.  I'm greatly comforted when God speaks about me as righteous, justified, glorified, holy, pure, and saintly. God can talk about such things before they exist, because He knows they will exist.

The enemy is constantly on the warpath to keep you from realizing your have been forgiven and your current status and position in one of complete righteousness before God.  

Right now, as a mom, a wife, a daughter or sister...as you wash your families clothes, prepare meals, shuttle children.  As you deal with the difficulties on your job or caring for aging parents.  As you struggle to keep your marriage in tact.  As you wade through troubled emotions.  As you fight to be a good parent.  No matter what your present circumstances or past entails.  None of the ailments of life can take away what the cross has given you.  “The old things pass away, behold, new things have come.” 2 Cor 5:17.

What are you exchanging?

So recently, Jeb and I went to France on a fabulous “second honeymoon” of sorts.  At the end of the trip, we had to exchange all of our Euros (the currency used in France) to US dollars.  The Euros would be worthless here in Mississippi.  The same thing is happening right now.  We are using worthless currency while trying to fight our battles, our hard times, our difficult circumstances.  What is your most difficult person, most pressing problem, and overwhelming circumstance you’re facing right now?  What are you using to take on this battle?  Your own currency (your own strength and knowledge) or do we need to exchange that currency to something that can actually win the battle?  

Whatever your battle is...whether a person or circumstance--whoever or whatever it is--it is NOT your real problem.  It is NOT your REAL problem.  Everything that occurs in the visible, physical world is directly connected to the wrestling match being waged in the invisible, spiritual world.  Ephesians 6:12 says “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.”  Therefore we must exchange our currency to something we can actually use!  Spiritual warfare begins with prayer!

Satan knows that he cannot destroy you!  Too late for that.  The best he can do (and he intends to make full use of it) is to make your time on earth futile and unproductive, to suffocate you with sin, insecurity, fear, and discouragement until you are unable to live freely and fully.  He can’t destroy you, but he can intimidate you and render you ineffective and paralyzed.

The enemy’s approach is cryptic.  He keeps his activity so cleverly hidden that we almost forget his existence or, at best, only recognize his presence in a theoretical, nonthreatening way.  We are far less quick to discern his schemes, pinpoint his efforts, and proactively combat them the way other cultures (albeit incorrectly at times) may have done.  We’ve become a culture relatively unaware of the enemy’s presence, unaware of his conspiracies to destroy our lives, unaware that he’s distracting us from reaching our destinies.  

There is an enemy!  He is REAL!  And he is intent and active, working against you day by day, moment by moment.  His goal?  To keep you from experiencing the results of the victory that is already yours in Christ.  The first step in being a Warrior is to pray and recognize that you are in a battle!  Exchange your easy Christian lifestyle to real power....recognize who your real enemy is and FIGHT!

#Warrior #Ephesians 

Warrior Up!

The New Testament often refers back to the Old Testament passages as the foundation of authority.  The apostle Paul’s description of the armor most certainly does.  It reverberated with deliberately chosen language to connect it withe the book of Isaiah.  Ephesians 6 (https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Ephesians+6) alludes to the image of Yahweh depicted as a Divine Warrior.

“Truth is missing, and whoever turns evil is plundered.  The Lord saw that there was no justice, and He was offended.  He saw that there was no man--He was amazed that there was no one interceding; so His own arm brought salvation, and His own righteousness supported Him.  He put on the righteousness like a breastplate, and a helmet of salvation on His head; He put on garments of vengeance for clothing, and He wrapped Himself in zeal as in a cloak.  so He will repay according to their deeds:  fury to His enemies, retribution to His foes, and He will repay the coastlands.  They will fear he name of Yahweh in the west and His glory is in the east; for He will come like a rushing stream driven by he wind of the Lord” (Isaiah 59:15-19 HCSB)

The context of warfare was clearly evident in the Isaianic passage.  The nation of Israel--God’s people as a whole--was corrupt and its leaders debased.  the pure worship of Yahweh had been replaced by unapologetic idolatry and perverted cultic practices like sorcery, prostitution and child sacrifice.  In response to this demoralization, God Himself responds by donning His armor, in essence His own character and virtues, to bring judgement and justice.  And, sadly, the enemy is not some other pagan nation.  In this case, it is the children of God themselves.

This warfare tone provides the backdrop for Ephesians.  Except now, the good news of the gospel severely changes the dynamics.  Under the new covenant established in Christ, the hostility and enmity between the Father and humanity has been dissolved.  Now, that which Yahweh was once compelled to use against His people, He freely gives as a gift to them--to attack against the devil and the domain of darkness.  With Christ the cornerstone, the church is fitted together and equipped to advance as one body.  One unit.  A divine warrior.  The church is the presence of God on earth through which He continues to wage warfare and claim victory that has already been secured in HIs beloved Son.

Please do not miss the beautiful and stunning implications:  your armor is Yahwah’s own armor--given as a gift and empowered by HIs Spirit to ensure victory!

The Waiting Game Is Not Fun

Yes, I’m one of ‘those’ drivers.  I’m the driver who is in he lane on the corner of North Frontage Road and Indiana Avenue...this is the short lane that well noted that it will have to merge (most people avoid it since they don’t want to merge or get behind someone who is turning right).  But I risk it.  I know if I gun it at the green light I will pass at least six other moms dropping off their children at school.  This means I will not be behind these six minivans or crossovers in the carpool line....I am that impatient.  In fact, I have never not once prayed for patience.  To me, that is stupid talk.  When you ask to be more forgiving, God puts you in situations to be more forgiving.  I enjoy a fast pace life and patience isn’t even something I want to pray for---why be put into a situation to be tested in---on purpose?  That is nuts.

However, I have found myself in a situation where waiting is required....I no longer have the option.  To wait, biblically speaking is not to assume the worst, worry, fret, make demands or take control!  Nor is waiting inactivity.  Waiting is a sustained effort to stay focused on God through prayer and belief. To wait is to “test in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him;...not fret” (Ps 37:7)

As most of you know I spent my summer studying Nehemiah.  Nehemiah shows us how to do this.  His books is a memoir of his efforts to reconstruct the walls of Jerusalem.  His story starts with a date.  “It happened in the mont of Chislev, in the twentieth year, as I was in Susa the citadel, that Hanani...came with certain men from Judah” (Neh. 1: 1-2).  The brought bad news.  Hostile forces had flattened the walls that had once guarded the city.  Even the gates had been burned.  The few remaining Jews were in “great trouble and shame” (v 3)

Nehemiah responded with prayer “O Lord, let your ear be attentive to the prayer of your servant....and give success to your servant today, and grant him mercy in the sight of this man.” (v.11)

“This man” was King Artaxerxes, the monarch of Persia, Nehemiah was his personal cupbearer, on call 24/7.  Nehemiah could not leave his post and go to Jerusalem.  And even if he could, he had no resources with which to rebuild the walls.  So he resolved to wait on the Lord in prayer.

“And it came to pass in the month of Nissan” that Nehemiah was appointed to a spot on the king’s Jerusalem Commission.  How far apart were these dates?  4 months!  Nehemiah’s request, remember was immediate:  “Give your servant success today.”  God answered the request in four months after Nehemiah made it.

Waiting is so much easier said than done!  It doesn't come easily for me.  I, like Nehemiah, want to ‘get to work and fix the problem’.  I am after all an engineer...God himself designed me to want to “fix things” and “find solutions” or at least a “path forward.”  However, during this season in my life, I’m being called by God to wait...wait on Him to fix the problems, the trials, the hard times that we all experience during life.  So I’m waiting.

“Those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint.” Isa 40:31

Fresh strength.  Renewed vigor.  Legs that don’t grow weary!  I’ll get through this waiting room season.  I feel like that person in the waiting room...not knowing the test results or not knowing is there a solution to fix what is broken or heal a broken body.  I have found a wonderful surprise.  The doctor will step out of his office and take the seat next to me.  “Just thought I’d keep you company while you are waiting.”  Not every physician will do that, but mine will...He is the Great Physician who will heal all wounds...either here on earth or in heaven.

#WarriorWife #WarriorMom #PrayingToGod #WaitingOnHisTiming

Since when does the high road lead over a cliff?

You know most pain comes from poor decisions--mainly ourselves!  However, the Bible over and over shows us examples of bad things simply happening to good people.  So since when does the high road lead over a cliff?  Ever since the events of Genesis 3, the chapter that lays out the entry of evil into the world.  Disaster came in form of Lucifer (Satan, the fallen angel).  And as long as Satan “prowls around like a roaring lion” (1 Peter 5:8), he will wreak havoc among God’s people.  He will lock preachers, like Paul, in prisons.  He will exile pastors, like John, on remote islands.  He will afflict the friends of Jesus, like Lazarus, with diseases.  But his strategies always backfire.  The imprisoned Paul wrote epistles.  The banished John saw heaven.  The cemetery of Lazarus became a stage upon which Christ performed one of his greatest miracles.

Intended evil becomes ultimate good.

Each day is a pop quiz.  And some seasons are final exams.  Brutal, sudden pitfalls of stress, depression, sickness, grief and sadness.  Remember Joseph?  He would not be seduced by Potiphar’s wife and then was thrown into prison for doing what was right?  Like Joseph, many of us are doing our best.  Only to find our best was rewarded with incarceration.  What is the purpose of this test?  Why didn’t God keep Joseph out of prison?  Maybe it was “For when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow.  So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be strong in character and ready for anything” (James 1:3-4)...sounds very warrior momish to me!

Remember, all tests are temporary.  The are limited in duration.  1 Peter 1:6 “In this you greatly rejoice, through now FOR A LITTLE WHILE you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials.”  Some tests end on earth, but all tests will end in heaven.

Rather that say “Why God?” maybe we should ask “God, what?”  What can I learn from this season of falling off of cliff, a season of testing, a season of mourning.  Deut 11:2 says “Remember today what you have learned about the Lord through your experiences with him”  Life is a required course...might as well do your best to pass it.  

Try not to see your current situation as an interruption to life but as preparation for life.  That is hard...easier said than done!  Just ask me...today was a hard day.  No one said the road would be easy or painless.  But God will use this MESS, this falling off of the cliff, for something good.  “This trouble you’re in isn’t punishment; it’s training, the normal experience of children...God is doing what is best for us, training us to live God’s holy best (Hebrews 12:8, 10 The Message).

Being Attacked and Surrounded

Have you ever felt like you are being attacked? Felt like your friends, family, marriage has been under attack?  We can be confident in a time of crisis if we let our great need drive us to prayer and faith in our great God!

Yesterday, I spent most of my time studying 2 Chronicles 20:1-30 about the story of Jehoshaphat.  His story shows us how to have confidence in a crisis--not confidence in ourselves (the American Way), but confidence in God.  To recap the version, Jehoshaphat was told by trusted sources that he was about to be attacked, surrounded and more than likely everyone would be killed.  The first thing that jumped out at me, was do I have trusted sources that will not allow me to be blindsided but come to me and warn me of pending danger?

So what did he do?  What would you do if you heard some threatening news that affected your future, friends, family or your life?  This Godly kind did the right thing:  He called a national prayer meeting and encouraged the people to trust God in the face of this overwhelming crisis.  They did it, and literally won the war by prayer alone, without swinging a single sword!

Some of my takeaways from the passage:

(1) A Recognition of our great need does not automatically drive us to prayer

It is easy to think they we would automatically, first thing, is to get on our knees and pray.  But it is very human to let the first reaction to be panic.  Not only could Jehoshaphat reacted with panic, he could have had been angry at God.  He was doing what he should have been doing--and for what?  To only be attacked and tried to be taken down?  A lot of people feel that way when they’ve tried to follow God and then get hit with difficult trials.  They get angry and complain “this isn’t fair, God!  I was doing what I was told to do”.  I was asked during a recent crisis if I was struggling with the ‘why’...’why’ this is happening to me.  I simply replied, “no, I do not want to be angry.  I am choosing to give up unhealthy anger and turn everything over to God.”  Jehoshaphat instead turned to prayer.

(2) A recognition of our great need requires humbling ourselves before God

I love the prayer of Jehoshaphat in 2 Chronicles 20:6-12:

“Lord, the God of our ancestors, are you not the God who is in heaven? You rule over all the kingdoms of the nations. Power and might are in your hand, and no one can withstand you. 7 Our God, did you not drive out the inhabitants of this land before your people Israel and give it forever to the descendants of Abraham your friend? 8 They have lived in it and have built in it a sanctuary for your Name, saying, 9 ‘If calamity comes upon us, whether the sword of judgment, or plague or famine, we will stand in your presence before this temple that bears your Name and will cry out to you in our distress, and you will hear us and save us.’

10 “But now here are men from Ammon, Moab and Mount Seir, whose territory you would not allow Israel to invade when they came from Egypt; so they turned away from them and did not destroy them. 11 See how they are repaying us by coming to drive us out of the possession you gave us as an inheritance. 12 Our God, will you not judge them? For we have no power to face this vast army that is attacking us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you.”

He is humble “WE HAVE NO POWER TO FACE THIS VAST”...”army” or crisis!  “We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you.”

Also note in his prayer, Jehoshaphat is praying “Get me out of here”!  Typically, in a crisis, if we pray at all, we want relief and we want it now!  But in so praying we miss something crucial: In a crisis, we aren’t supposed to run and get God off the shelf, like Aladdin’s genie, rub Him the right way, get what we want, and put Him back until the next crisis. Trials should cause us to seek God Himself, because He Himself is what we need. God is our sufficiency, our very life. If we have God and cling to Him, then even if we aren’t delivered from our crisis, we can go through it--even through the loss of children and possessions, as Job went through--because, as is said here of Abraham (20:7), the living God is our friend.

(3) Reliance on God means being obedient to His Word and Reliance on God is always rewarded!

The promise given through the prophet (20:15-17) was one thing; believing and acting on it was another. These singers were taking their very lives on the truthfulness of that word from God. They were doing a crazy thing--marching unarmed in front of the army, singing praises to God, against a powerful enemy that was armed to the teeth! As they went out on this seemingly crazy mission, Jehoshaphat encouraged the people by saying (20:20), “Put your trust in the Lord your God, and you will be established. Put your trust in His prophets [i.e., His Word] and succeed.” Their trust was put into shoe leather in that they kept marching!

He never fails those who trust Him and obey His Word. That is not to say that He delivers everyone who trusts Him from suffering or even death. There are many who have trusted God and lost their heads (Heb. 11:36-40)! But this earthly life isn’t the final chapter. All who suffer loss for Jesus will be richly rewarded in heaven or else God is a liar! Just as Israel was enriched literally by the spoil of victory, so we will always be enriched spiritually through our trials if we recognize our great need, pray to our great God, and rely on Him alone, not on any human schemes or support.

As a mom of a little baseball pitcher, my worst fear is the situation where we are at the bottom of the ninth, down by three runs, bases loaded, two outs, full count----I hate it!  I hate it for my child and my stomach hurts. I feel the same way in a crisis!  But I’m praying the prayer of Jehoshaphat “O God, we’re powerless and we don’t know what to do, but our eyes are on You!” God is our confidence in the crisis!”

Corrie Ten Boom, author of The Hiding Place and survivor of the German concentration camps, used to have people come up to her and say, “Corrie, my, what a great faith you have!” She would smile and reply, “No, it’s what a great God I have!” We can be confident in a time of crisis if we let our great need drive us to prayer and faith in our great God.

Reflection of This Day...When Friends Are Hurting

After reflecting on the loss of a friend and a "First String Player" being called off the team, my mind is flooded of the times when I served in the trenches of ministry with her. During this hard time, I am truly amazed and uplifted by my dear friends and my Crossway family. I am yet again reminded of where our help comes from. When our friends are hurting or we are hurting, we don’t have to rush through it. When we do look for words to encourage, may we look to God alone. Psalm 121 has been burning in my heart today. Where does our help come from? The Psalmist says, “I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come? My help comes from the Lord, who made the heaven and earth” (Ps. 121:1–2). This was a song of ascent as travelers would enter Jerusalem. Where does our true and only help come from? From an event that happened thousands of years ago on a hill near Jerusalem. On that hill our Savior endured a suffering that we should shudder to think of. The maker of heaven and earth came and took on our body of flesh so that we might know he understands our suffering. We can be assured that “He will not let your foot be moved: he who keeps you will not slumber. Behold, he who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep” (Ps. 121:3–4). There is not a time when God’s watchful eye is averted from his loved ones. “The Lord is your keeper; the Lord is your shade on your right hand. The sun shall not strike you by day nor the moon by night” (Ps. 121:5–6). There is not an instance where our Heavenly Father is unconcerned about our well-being! Where does our help come from? It comes from God’s sacrifice for us and his eternal communion with us. In every doubt, in every fear, in every moment of anger, he promises to be at your right hand. He has already paid for all of your mistrust. God looks at you and sees the perfect record of his Son trusting the Father’s plan without fear or doubt. There is real pain in this life, but praise God we have a Savior, a Rescuer, a Keeper that is ours forever. Dear friends, I love you with all my heart! Know that our help comes from the Lord! Shelley

Embrace Where You Are Right Now!

Written for Mothers of Preschoolers at Crossway Church, January 8, 2014

Life changes in just 9 years…life is always changing.  You have an infant for only 1 month, you have a baby for 7 months, you have a toddler for a year, a preschooler for 4 years, a child for 4 years, a preteen for 3 years and a teenager for 6 years and then they are gone!  Each stage is short even though it feels like an eternity at the time.  So how do you embrace these changes and enjoy the stage you are in right now?

Unless you’ve got a nanny, a housekeeper, a chauffeur, and a chef, it’s hard to manage a home and family–and still keep a smile on your face. But, it’s worth trying. Because nobody wants a crabby mom.  The preschool years can often leave you feeling lonely…no reasonable conversations all day long!  But don’t give up…this too shall pass. 

Jeremiah 29:7 says “Seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile.  Pray to the Lord for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper.”  Sometimes being a mother of a preschooler leaves a mom sometime feeling this isn’t where you ‘want’ to be.  It is very possible you’re wishing you were somewhere else right now!  Living a different life, but you know it’s not likely going to change anytime soon.  You need to learn to grow where you are planted.  Right now you are planted as a mother of a preschooler.

God has a word for you.  It’s the same word he gave a group of people when they were stuck in another county, exiled from their homeland.  They’d folded their arms and said, “We’re going to wait this thing out, and when we get home, we’ll start living our lives.”

Through the prophet Jeremiah, God told them, “You’re not going home any time soon, so start making your lives here.  Plant gardens, buy homes, let your children get married, and pray for the peace and prosperity of the place where you’re currently living because, by doing that, you too will be blessed with peace and prosperity,” Jeremiah 29:5-7

Don’t invest you energy feeling trapped, lonely, exhausted or inadequate! Instead invest your energy in the people around you…your little people in your home, your friends and your family.  BLOOM WHERE YOU ARE PLANTED!

Another way to embrace the preschool years is to not just be physically present but mentally somewhere else, thinking of the something else.  Your preschoolers will only be small for a short time.  I love the quote by Jim Elliot that I came across recently, “Wherever you are, be all there!”  What a lesson for parents! RELISH this season before it flees!  Spend some time today just enjoyed the wonder of being two or three or four years old.  Be PRESENT.  Don’t over volunteer, don’t stretch yourself so thin that you are not PRESENT for your children.  Embrace your season of life by “being all there” so put down the cell phone, remote, laptop, tablet and be all there.

It is also good to embrace each day…take one day at a time!  There are days when all I feel like I do is get up, feed the children,  pick up the house, run errands, return emails, make dinner, (pick up the house again!!) and finally fall into bed only to do it all over again the next day!   But, no matter what stage of life we are in – we can become bored with our daily routines and forget to embrace each day as a gift from God.  We sometimes forget to appreciate the today.  Embracing what you are given will help grow a contented heart…being happy for the little things in life….being a better mom. Better moms make a better world!

Be a Mover!

It is so easy to see the everyday things that are wrong…maybe you are not happy with your child’s school, your house, where you live, the family member who drives you crazy (like Cousin Eddie in Christmas Vacation).  Regardless, it is easy for all of us to focus on the negativity this depraved world offers.  So this Christmas maybe we need to think about what we can do to change things.

The Christmas story is full of MOVERS who did just that.  They focused on what they could do instead of what they couldn’t do and this changed everything!  Elizabeth and Zacharias were moved to encourage Mary to believe God for the impossible (Luke 1:36-37).  Mary was moved to not only accept the truth but proclaim the truth (Luke 1: 38). Joseph was moved to not leave Mary but took her as his wife (Matthew 1:24).  Simeon was moved to go to the Temple and God revealed to him the Messiah, baby Jesus in the Temple (Luke 2: 25-27).  The Wise Men who were not looking for the Messiah were moved to follow the star and then took a different route home to avoid King Herod (Mt. 2:2, 10, 12).   The shepherds were moved to spread the word of Jesus’ birth (Luke 2:17-20).

By choosing to be MOVERS, listening to whispers from God, big things happened!  What we may consider a TRIVIAL matter today may ultimately affect our life as a crucial factor.  As children of God we must constantly be led by the Spirit in order that we may please our heavenly Father.  If the movers of the Christmas story had chosen complacency they would have missed out on being a part of this world changing event.  So what is God lying on your heart?  What is He whispering for you to do?  Maybe it is repairing a relationship, inviting someone to church, becoming active again in a local church, helping someone who is in need…whatever it is….I hope that myself and you will chose to be a MOVER!

Adapted from Crossway Church Sermon on Dec. 15, 2013 by Pastor TJ Tennison