The Blessings of the Locusts

March 28, 2014October 21, 2014 / Jodie / Leave a comment

Joel 2:12-14, 25-26

12 That is why the Lord says, “Turn to me now, while there is time. Give me your hearts. Come with fasting, weeping, and mourning. 13 Don’t tear your clothing in your grief, but tear your hearts instead.” Return to the Lord your God, for he is merciful and compassionate, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love. He is eager to relent and not punish. 14 Who knows? Perhaps he will give you a reprieve, sending you a blessing instead of this curse.

25 The Lord says, “I will give you back what you lost to the swarming locusts, the hopping locusts, the stripping locusts, and the cutting locusts. It was I who sent this great destroying army against you. 26 Once again you will have all the food you want, and you will praise the Lord your God, who does these miracles for you.

I have encountered multiple armies of locusts in the field of my life, my marriage and my parenting. Some of them destroyed only a portion of the crops and some have stripped every sprig of growth, leaving nothing but bare soil. Some of the locusts swarmed me, leaving me feeling completely overwhelmed and helpless. Some of them hopped all over me, becoming a pesky nuisance that distracted me and caused me to live in constant fear, not knowing what direction they would come to pounce on me again. Some stripped away everything of value to me, leaving me feeling absolutely hopeless about my future. And some cut my soul so deeply that death seemed to be the only possible relief. Some of those locusts invaded my field as result of my sin….and some trespassed on my land because of someone else’s.

At times I have yelled violently, shaking my fists at the enemy for sending these vicious attacks, but only recently have I realized that the enemy can do nothing without God allowing him to. Every army of locusts that are dispatched to my field MUST be given permission to destroy by the Creator of the universe. Nothing, absolutely nothing in this life happens to me without passing through the hand of God Almighty first.

It’s an earth shaking revelation to know that God has allowed, or even sent destroying armies of locusts to obliterate almost every living thing in my field. But, I am slowly beginning to understand that every trial, every heartbreak, every loss, every triumph, every devastation, every abundant harvest is from Him and FOR Him. And, every locust sent is for my ultimate good because it draws me closer to Himself and causes another area of my flesh to die so that I can grow to be more like His Son. He endured every swarming, hopping, stripping and cutting locust on my behalf, so that I may have life to the full……. and if that weren’t enough, He promises to restore what was lost to the locusts, as I return to Him and repent.

Lord, I praise you for the blessings of the locusts in my life. You are loving, you are righteous, you are healer, you are deliverer, you are redeemer, you are restorer …and you work ALL things for my good.

Leashed

February 18, 2014October 21, 2014 / Jodie / Leave a comment

Hebrews 12:1-12

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. 2 We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith.[a] Because of the joy[b] awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne. 3 Think of all the hostility he endured from sinful people;[c] then you won’t become weary and give up. 4 After all, you have not yet given your lives in your struggle against sin. 5 And have you forgotten the encouraging words God spoke to you as his children?[d] He said, “My child, don’t make light of the Lord’s discipline,  and don’t give up when he corrects you. 6 For the Lord disciplines those he loves,  and he punishes each one he accepts as his child.” 7 As you endure this divine discipline, remember that God is treating you as his own children. Who ever heard of a child who is never disciplined by its father? 8 If God doesn’t discipline you as he does all of his children, it means that you are illegitimate and are not really his children at all. 9 Since we respected our earthly fathers who disciplined us, shouldn’t we submit even more to the discipline of the Father of our spirits, and live forever? 10 For our earthly fathers disciplined us for a few years, doing the best they knew how. But God’s discipline is always good for us, so that we might share in his holiness. 11 No discipline is enjoyable while it is happening—it’s painful! But afterward there will be a peaceful harvest of right living for those who are trained in this way. 12 So take a new grip with your tired hands and strengthen your weak knees.

Our family recently adopted a 4 year old chocolate lab named Maggie. She is the sweetest thing; loving, gentle and obedient- well…..most of the time! On our first outing with her, we quickly realized that she had not been trained to walk on a leash. There was no need, since her previous owners (who are good friends of ours) lived on a nice sized lot with a lake, so Maggie was content to stay within their property lines. Unfortunately, she has been adopted by city dwellers, so in order to venture out, she is going to have to learn to be leashed.

Yesterday, as the Bullard Pack endured a 3 mile walk with Maggie on a trail in Sanford, Doug and I chuckled as we discussed the similarities between our dog trying to walk us and how we often try to walk God.

When God reveals a glimpse of one of His promises for my future I often times become impatient for them to be made realized. In my attempt to reach the goal in record time, I sometimes tug at the leash urging Him to run a little faster. Then there are times when I have NO idea where He’s leading me and my “instinct” (fear) kicks in, once again compelling me to lunge forward and pull as hard as I can on the leash to make Him go where I want.

Both instances leave me with collar burns, sore muscles and my tongue panting in frustration. Yet, my Master is patient with me and lets me continue to wear myself out until finally, I stop, drop my tail between my legs, walk back to Him and sit down. Then, when He moves forward, I follow, knowing that He is in control -and He will lead me where I need to go.

After much training and discipline, Maggie is still learning how to surrender to her master and willingly submit to being leashed……and so am I.

Through the Roof

January 31, 2014October 21, 2014 / Jodie / Leave a comment

Luke 5:17-20

17 One day while Jesus was teaching, some Pharisees and teachers of religious law were sitting nearby. (It seemed that these men showed up from every village in all Galilee and Judea, as well as from Jerusalem.) And the Lord’s healing power was strongly with Jesus.

18 Some men came carrying a paralyzed man on a sleeping mat. They tried to take him inside to Jesus, 19 but they couldn’t reach him because of the crowd. So they went up to the roof and took off some tiles. Then they lowered the sick man on his mat down into the crowd, right in front of Jesus. 20 Seeing their faith, Jesus said to the man, “Young man, your sins are forgiven.”

I wonder….did that young man ask his friends to take him to see Jesus- or did his friends, out of their great love for him know that he was suffering and needed help to get to Him?

Either way, there had to be an agreement between them.

The same agreement must be made within the Body of Christ today.

Look around- there are “paralyzed” people everywhere…rendered incapable of getting to Jesus by themselves because of pornography, fear, addiction to drugs, a terminal illness, unforgiveness, adultery, rage, bitterness, shame, jealousy, greed…. their pain may or may not be physical, but they are suffering nonetheless.

Of course, in order for this to happen, every man- or woman who needs help must be willing to lie down on a mat and ask their friends to carry them to the Healer. Furthermore, those friends must be willing to sacrifice their time, talent and treasure to get their friend to Jesus…even if it means busting a hole through the roof!

All of us, at one time or another are that young man- desperate to be able to stand up, pick up our mat and go home. And, all of us, at one time or another are those “friends” that must help them get to the only One who can forgive and restore.

2 Chronicles 7:14

14 Then if my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and restore their land.

Romans 12:4-13

4 Just as our bodies have many parts and each part has a special function, 5 so it is with Christ’s body. We are many parts of one body, and we all belong to each other.

6 In his grace, God has given us different gifts for doing certain things well. So if God has given you the ability to prophesy, speak out with as much faith as God has given you. 7 If your gift is serving others, serve them well. If you are a teacher, teach well. 8 If your gift is to encourage others, be encouraging. If it is giving, give generously. If God has given you leadership ability, take the responsibility seriously. And if you have a gift for showing kindness to others, do it gladly.

9 Don’t just pretend to love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Hold tightly to what is good. 10 Love each other with genuine affection,[a] and take delight in honoring each other. 11 Never be lazy, but work hard and serve the Lord enthusiastically.[b] 12 Rejoice in our confident hope. Be patient in trouble, and keep on praying. 13 When God’s people are in need, be ready to help them….

Thief

November 9, 2013October 21, 2014 / Jodie / 1 Comment

John 10:10

10 The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life.

During a recent trip to Lowe’s Home Improvement, I decided to buy a new bird feeder to replace our broken hummingbird feeder. While looking through the various designs, our son offered a bit of wisdom “Mom, you need to get that cone thing like Mema & Papa’s so the squirrels don’t eat the food!” “Nah,” I replied “we don’t need that…I’ll just hang it somewhere they can’t get to.”

Lesson #1: Don’t ignore a warning

Yesterday morning, as I gazed out our kitchen window I watched in horror as an obese squirrel hung upside down from the branch of our dogwood tree, eating all the bird seed out of our new feeder!!! “UHHHH!” I yelled. “That dang squirrel has stolen all the food!” Maguire confidently replied “I told ya Mom…you need that cone thing. I already scared ‘em off 3 times this morning.”

Lesson #2: Don’t be naïve to think that you can avoid a thief

After Doug went out and chased that pesky squirrel away, he didn’t come back for quite a while. In his absence, the hungry little birds, whom the feeder was intended, darted back and forth for a few nibbles of food. Eventually, however, their enemy returned. By the time he was finished stealing all the seed, his belly was so full he could barely climb down the tree!

Lesson #3: You can’t chase an enemy away a handful of times and think he’ll stay gone

After watching the scenario between the squirrel and the birds unfold before me, the Holy Spirit whispered “this is exactly how the enemy works in your life.” My loving Father provides me with all the seed I need to sustain not only my physical body, but my soul and spirit as well. All I have to do is flap my little wings over to His feeder and gulp Him in through worship, prayer, bible study, etc…and I have a rich and satisfying life. BUT, if I make the mistake of ignoring His warnings about the enemy I open myself up to being robbed. Then, if I choose to pretend he’ll leave me alone, He’ll take even more from me. If I finally face my fears and boldly stand up to him, he’ll flee…but he won’t stay gone for long. For his sole purpose is to steal, kill and destroy my life because he hates the One who feeds me.

1 Peter 5:8

8 Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour.

Thankfully, all I need to do is return to the feeder for strength to fight my great enemy- for the battle is the Lords…and HE will save me from every attack.

2 Timothy 4:18

18 Yes, and the Lord will deliver me from every evil attack and will bring me safely into his heavenly Kingdom. All glory to God forever and ever! Amen.

Endurance

November 7, 2013October 21, 2014 / Jodie / Leave a comment

Romans 5:1-5

5 Therefore, since we have been made right in God’s sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us. 2 Because of our faith, Christ has brought us into this place of undeserved privilege where we now stand, and we confidently and joyfully look forward to sharing God’s glory.

3 We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. 4 And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. 5 And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love.

I’ve had the undeserved privilege of snorkeling in the waters off Maui, Oahu, The Bahama’s and The British Virgin Islands. My first attempt was on our honeymoon and the seas were especially rough that day. I struggled to learn how to breathe only in and out of my mouth and forcefully blow air out of the snorkel to expel water. Early into our excursion, waves began crashing over my heard and I began to panic, feeling like I was going to drown. After swallowing too much water I was forced back to the catamaran while Doug dove to the depths, petting sea turtles and snapping pictures of exotic fish.

Having snorkeled a handful of times since then, I felt confident that I would thoroughly enjoy 6 days of exploring the uncharted waters off Peter Island, but my maiden voyage was cut short. On our first full day on the island, Doug and I strapped on our flippers and facemasks and dove into the crystal clear waters of the Caribbean, swimming towards the rocky edge of White Bay. In the first few minutes I saw more fish then I had on all my other snorkeling adventures- combined! I was stoked. But then…we entered deep waters with powerful waves that continued to pull me towards the gigantic boulders on the coast. As salty water continued to pour into my snorkel, I tried and tried to remember to do as I had been taught, but I quickly began to panic. I surfaced multiple times, asking Doug for help and he patiently re-iterated what I needed to do. “Relax, Jodie…blow in and out of your mouth (not your nose) and when water comes in your snorkel, blow out….hard!” After a few more failed attempts, he even switched masks with me- thinking perhaps it wasn’t user error. It was. Switching back to my original mask I stuck my face back in the water, determined to see more fish.

Gurgle, gurgle, choke….swim to the surface…..spit.

I was exhausted, my stomach hurt and I was DONE. As I made my way back towards the beach I asked the Lord to help me relax and be able to enjoy snorkeling with my husband for the remainder of our trip.

Two days later, we donned our snorkel gear again, jumped in the water & headed towards the rocky coast of Honeymoon Beach. This time I rode the waves – just like a professional. I encountered schools and schools of beautiful fish and dozens of exquisitely designed coral. Reveling in my new found freedom to roam the seas, I began asking the Lord “would you pleeeease let Doug and I see a stingray?” Three days later, while riding the waves on my 2^nd attempt to stand up on a paddleboard in Dead Chest Bay, I caught a glimpse of a moving rock. It was a stingray!!! I yelled at Doug on the shore and he quickly ran to grab our snorkel masks. Both of us were able to follow (at a safe distance!) that extraordinary creature and watch him glide across the bottom of the sea. The following day, I swam across a starfish in the same area. Bonus!

When I began feeling like I was drowning in my marriage a decade ago, I clung to God’s promise of restoration and redemption to endure the fierce waves. Even when the waters continued to pour over my snorkel and choke the breath out of me, God was developing strength of character in me. Even when Doug continued to disappoint me and our lives felt like we were being smashed against the gigantic boulders on the shoreline, God was developing confident hope in me.

When we had 4 children under the age of 7, with 1 of them labeled “special needs,” I clung to God’s promise of training them in the way they should go to endure the fierce waves. Even when the waters continued to pour over my snorkel and choke the breath out of me, God was developing strength of character in me. Even when I would have to discipline our children over and over and over again for the same defiant, manipulative, deceitful behavior, God was developing confident hope in me.

Now, as I look back over those years, I realize every problem and every trial has helped me develop endurance, strength of character and a confident hope in the only One who offers salvation from the fierce waves. And I can honestly say, I have not been disappointed.

Deep Waters

October 23, 2013October 21, 2014 / Jodie / Leave a comment

Genesis 1 New Living Translation (NLT)

1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.[a] 2 The earth was formless and empty, and darkness covered the deep waters. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters.

I’ve lived in states that border an ocean my entire life. I’ve swum and boogie boarded in the waters of the Pacific and the Atlantic. I’ve also been fortunate enough to visit several of the Hawaiian & British Virgin Islands. By far, my favorite waters are the crystal clear blue-green of the Caribbean. Not only are they spectacular to behold from the heights of an A320 Airbus, they are equally breathtaking to gaze upon while lying on a lounge chair on the white sandy shoreline.

Maybe its because I’m a city girl at heart and prefer a concrete pond over the mossy covered ones that lie stagnate in the blistering heat of a muggy NC summer day. Or maybe it’s because when I swim or snorkel into deep waters, I want to SEE if a predator is looming in the waters beneath or around me! In short- I like to be in control of my surroundings.

Unfortunately, I’ve learned the same controlling tactics in trying to protect my soul. As long as I can SEE what is in the deep waters surrounding my life, I’m good. But, as I continue to discover: that’s a lie. The truth is, there are depths and canyons of my soul that I cannot SEE. There are chasms so dark and hidden that only the One who created me can reach.

Ephesians 3:18-19 New Living Translation (NLT)

18 And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is. 19 May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God.

But the Lord gives me the choice to either:

-submit my will to His & follow Him into the depths

-to live safely in the shallows, where I think visibility is 100%.

Ask any snorkeler or scuba diver and they’ll tell you, there are hidden treasures to behold in the deep waters, but you must be willing to face your fears to go there. The same is true in the depths of my soul. Even though I may not understand why or how they’ve remained hidden, there is beauty buried in the darkness that needs to be subjected to the Light, brought to the surface and shared with others.

Proverbs 3:5-6 New Living Translation (NLT)

5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding.6 Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eLqTZ07ja7g