IF…..

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2 Chronicles 7:12-16

12 Then one night the Lord appeared to Solomon and said,

“I have heard your prayer and have chosen this Temple as the place for making sacrifices. 13 At times I might shut up the heavens so that no rain falls, or command grasshoppers to devour your crops, or send plagues among you. 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. 15 My eyes will be open and my ears attentive to every prayer made in this place. 16 For I have chosen this Temple and set it apart to be holy—a place where my name will be honored forever. I will always watch over it, for it is dear to my heart.

Some time after Solomon dedicated the Temple to God, the Lord revealed a contingent promise to him: IF God’s people humbled themselves, prayed, sought His face, and turned from sin, He WOULD hear them, forgive them and restore them.

After Jesus’s death and resurrection, God echoed the same contingency to His people:

Romans 10:9

9 If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

IF we confess Jesus as Lord & believe God raised Him from the grave, He WILL save us from eternal punishment. But we don’t have to offer sacrifices of 22,000 cattle and 120,000 sheep and goats as Solomon did for the dedication of the Temple. Jesus, the Lamb of God, willingly spilled His blood for our sin.

How then, should we respond to such a magnificent, selfless, sacrifice?

We are to dedicate our temple to Him so that His name will be honored forever.

1 Corinthians 6:19-20

19 Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself, 20 for God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body.

How do we do that? (verse 14) IMG_1850

We humble ourselves, every morning.

We pray, every morning.

We seek His face, every morning.

We repent for our sins, every morning.

We accept His forgiveness, every morning.

We praise Him, every morning, for being faithful to restore the areas of our soul that the enemy sought to steal, kill and destroy.

Lamentations 3:22-23

22 Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed,
 for his compassions never fail.

23 They are new every morning;
 great is your faithfulness

And then…He gives us another promise (verse 16):

He will watch over us, for we are dear to His heart. Did you get that? WE are dear to HIS heart!

What a loving, giving, sacrificial God He is….

John 3:16

16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

Exposed in Public

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Proverbs 26:24-26

24 People may cover their hatred with pleasant words,
 but they’re deceiving you.

25 They pretend to be kind, but don’t believe them.
 Their hearts are full of many evils.

26 While their hatred may be concealed by trickery,
 their wrongdoing will be exposed in public.

IMG_0710On a recent trip to NYC I almost became a victim of tourism trickery- again. While standing in the middle of Times Square, snapping a picture of our eldest daughter, several bo-bo (my word for fake) cartoon characters swooped in beside her and began posing for a group shot. A moment later, ‘The Incredible Hulk’ grabbed my cell phone, while using pleasant words to coerce me to join the photo shoot. As I stood there, with my plastered-on-smile, I experienced an immediate gut check. I’ve come to recognize this particular physical indicator as the prompting of the Holy Spirit. So when I heard Him say “…they aren’t being kind” I responded at once by retrieving my phone, saying “thank you,” and turning to leave the area. But we couldn’t.

We were surrounded.

As the masks came off and the hands full of cash came out, the people began their plea:

“Please, ma’am…anything you can give.”

“Sorry- no.”

“Please…its for our college fund.”

“No”

“Please…any amount is good.”

“No.”

I locked arms with our daughter and we made a beeline down 7th Street. As we turned the corner onto 44th she protested: “I thought ‘Elmo’ was being nice!” “No- honey, I’m sorry, he wasn’t. Unfortunately, it’s the oldest trick in the book; hit up the naïve, gullible tourists for cash.”

Sadly, I’ve also encountered some non-costume wearing people that covered their motivation with pleasant words. In fact, during my family’s last visit to Manhattan, I was guilted into giving several greenbacks to a group of street performers. I walked away as I usually do, feeling used….and angry. Angry that they tricked me. Angry that their hearts were full of many evils. Angry that I didn’t tell them off! But not this time. This time I was grateful that I heard Gods warning, obeyed Him by saying “no” and that we were able to walk away without any retaliation verbally or physically.

This morning, as I sat talking with the Lord, He reminded me of the prayer I whispered on the train ride into the city with our daughter that day, “Father, protect us as we travel….”

He did.

Not only that, He exposed a few peoples wrongdoing in one of the most public places in America! Even though their trickery was concealed, the Holy Spirit was faithful to warn me not to believe them…and I didn’t.

Once again, my Father proved that He is sovereign. Once again He proved to be in control of every detail of my life. Once again, He proved that He can always be trusted….even when others can’t.

Psalm 118:8

8 It is better to take refuge in the Lord
 than to trust in people.

It is Stupid

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Proverbs 12:1

To learn, you must love discipline;
 it is stupid to hate correction.

During my journey as a disciple of Jesus Christ I haven’t always loved discipline. Alright…let’s be honest: at times, I’ve actually hated correction because I’ve trusted that what I was thinking, feeling, believing and doing was absolutely “right.” To make matters worse, I’ve even cited Gods blessings in my life as tangible evidence that I must be practically perfect in every way- and completely beyond reproach!!!

Enter pride: stage “right.”

IMG_4461Each time the Lord brings correction through His Word, prayer or others, my ego takes a huge slap to the face. If I choose to react to the pain and become angry and blame others (as Adam & Eve did in the garden), shame will consume me like a heavy cloak…. and I will remain a fool. But if I am able to lay down my offense and ask the Lord to penetrate the darkness with His light to reveal the Truth, I will see that I have once again rebelled against Him. And in His mercy, He will once again give me the opportunity to confess, repent, be forgiven & clothed in His righteousness.

It is stupid for me to hate correction, for I know the Father’s discipline is always, ALWAYS motivated by love. Even if a rebuke is delivered through someone who doesn’t articulate it with the most gentle, thoughtful and kind words, I can still receive it in love, because I know it comes from the One whom delights in me!

Proverbs 3:12

For the Lord corrects those he loves,
 just as a father corrects a child in whom he delights.

If you want to know God, you must learn about Him.

If you want to learn about Him, you must love discipline.

If you want to love discipline, you must accept correction.

If you want to accept correction, you must be wise.

If you want to be wise, you must be willing to listen to others.

Proverbs 12:15

Fools think their own way is right,
 but the wise listen to others.

Proverbs 12:15

Fools think their own way is right,
 but the wise listen to others.

I Want to See!

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Mark 10:46-52

46 Then they reached Jericho, and as Jesus and his disciples left town, a large crowd followed him. A blind beggar named Bartimaeus (son of Timaeus) was sitting beside the road. 47 When Bartimaeus heard that Jesus of Nazareth was nearby, he began to shout, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”

48 “Be quiet!” many of the people yelled at him.

But he only shouted louder, “Son of David, have mercy on me!”

49 When Jesus heard him, he stopped and said, “Tell him to come here.”

So they called the blind man. “Cheer up,” they said. “Come on, he’s calling you!” 50 Bartimaeus threw aside his coat, jumped up, and came to Jesus.

51 “What do you want me to do for you?” Jesus asked.

“My Rabbi,” the blind man said, “I want to see!”

52 And Jesus said to him, “Go, for your faith has healed you.” Instantly the man could see, and he followed Jesus down the road.

In my short journey as a follower of Jesus I have been blind many, many times. Not physically like Bartimaeus, but spiritually and emotionally.

IMG_0602When life is hard and I find myself sitting alone beside the road of Jericho in total darkness, my mind begins to wander;

“should I lie down and wallow in my disability?

should I beg others to take care of me?

should I just sit and wait?”

Feeling helpless and angry, I begin to hear others say that Jesus is nearby. In an instant, hope springs forth and I begin to shout. The enemy attacks, convincing a few to tell me to be quiet. Knowing that HE is greater (1 John 4:4), I fight back and begin shouting even louder: “Son of David, have mercy on me!” The Lord hears my cry and sends another disciple to encourage me to go to Him. As the noise and distractions of life are silenced, I finally hear that still small voice whisper, “come….”

Desperate to see, I throw aside my coat of shame, jump up and go. He asks, “what do you want me to do for you?” Humbled, I bow before the King of kings and Lord of lords, crying out “I want to SEE! I want Your light to penetrate the dark places of my soul. I want to confess, repent and be set free!” The miraculous occurs; the Spirit of God brings Truth and I can see. I can SEE. I CAN SEE!

Once again, He tells me to to “go” (Matthew 28:19), for my faith in Him has brought healing to my soul. I will not be silent. I must get up. I must follow Him. I must tell others about the One who heals!

Matthew 15:30

30 A vast crowd brought to him people who were lame, blind, crippled, those who couldn’t speak, and many others. They laid them before Jesus, and he healed them all.

Power Outage

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Luke 24:44-49

44 Then he said, “When I was with you before, I told you that everything written about me in the law of Moses and the prophets and in the Psalms must be fulfilled.” 45 Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures. 46 And he said, “Yes, it was written long ago that the Messiah would suffer and die and rise from the dead on the third day. 47 It was also written that this message would be proclaimed in the authority of his name to all the nations,[a] beginning in Jerusalem: ‘There is forgiveness of sins for all who repent.’ 48 You are witnesses of all these things.

49 “And now I will send the Holy Spirit, just as my Father promised. But stay here in the city until the Holy Spirit comes and fills you with power from heaven.”

During the wee hours this morning as I laid in bed, wrestling with insomnia, the ceiling fan in our bedroom abruptly turned off. When I sat up and looked down the hallway I noticed that the small table lamp wasn’t on either…and the house was completely silent.

Power outage.

I grabbed my cell phone and turned the flashlight app on to find my way to the front window. I peered out to see if it was a neighborhood outage or just our house (which would have made me wonder if the bill payment got lost in the mail!).

Since I was wide awake, I decided to report the subdivision outage online. After entering our street address, a message popped up, informing me that crews were already working to remove a fallen tree from a power line in our city.

Back to bed.

When the temperature in our room began to rise and beads of sweat began accumulating on my forehead, my body refused to go back to sleep. As I tossed and turned in the dark, I began thinking about how much I take our power for granted…. and how dependent I am on it- for everything.

In the same way, I sometimes take the power of the Holy Spirit for granted…. and fail to know that I can depend on Him – for everything. As a result, occasional power outages occur in my life.

Yet, when I am still in the silence and ask the Lord (or a fellow believer brings revelation through a rebuke) the Holy Spirit shines His flashlight app on the dark areas of my soul. Then- and only then, am I able to see the sin that’s been hiding in the shadows.

Thankfully, His mercy is available every morning (Lamentations 3:22-23) and every morning we can choose to plug in to the Truth found in His Word and communicate with Him: “Lord, am I suffering from a power outage in my relationship with You? Am I suffering from a power outage in my relationship with my husband? Am I suffering from a power outage in my relationship with our children? Am I suffering from a power outage in my relationship with others in the body of Christ?”

IMG_0652Once He reveals the rotten fruit and how the tree has fallen on the power line, we can engage our will by surrendering, confessing and repenting. And immediately, His forgiveness flips the breaker back on so that we can live our day to the full… with the power of His love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control.

Galatians 5:19-23

19 When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, the results are very clear: sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures, 20 idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division, 21 envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these. Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God.

22 But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!

When you see Me

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John 12:44-46

44 Jesus shouted to the crowds, “If you trust me, you are trusting not only me, but also God who sent me. 45 For when you see me, you are seeing the one who sent me. 46 I have come as a light to shine in this dark world, so that all who put their trust in me will no longer remain in the dark.

As a child, did you ever awaken in the middle of the night after a bad dream and cry out “daddy…daddy I NEED you!?”

Why do we choose to remain alone in the dark when we become adults? Why do we stop crying out to our Father for help?

We refuse to humble ourselves and pray.

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.

Despite the fact that I realize prayer can eclipse the darkness around- and in me, it’s still not always my first weapon of choice. Instead, I often rely on my superior intellect and abilities to light my candle so that I can find the fastest, easiest way out of the dark.

Case in point:

IMG_0218As our family boarded an Airbus A321 during the wee morning hours last Saturday to travel to our vacation destination, I was once again consumed with worry. “What if there’s another terrorist attack? What if the pilot has mental illness and crashes the plane? What if we hit unexpected turbulence and fall from the sky? What will I do? How will I comfort our children?”

As I tried to rationalize these fears with statistics (you know the one about being more likely to die in a car accident that on an airplane?) I heard the Holy Spirit whisper “I am with you….”

Would I trust Him, or myself?

Thankfully, I chose Him.

But just to make sure that He was on that plane, this daughter cried out “daddy, daddy…I NEED you- please show me where you are!” When I looked towards the center aisle I saw Him (not physically, but in the Spirit) sitting on the floor, with the biggest grin, shouting “this is gonna be FuuuuUN!” I chuckled after I noticed the fighter pilot glasses He was wearing and control yoke He was holding to fly the plane (He looked a bit like Snoopy, aboard his red doghouse!!!).

IMG_0226As we flew south like birds for winter, the light of the sun began to rise and penetrate the darkness inside the aircraft. Simultaneously, the light of the Son began to rise and penetrate the darkness inside my soul. And once again, I was able to know that HE is God, that HE is in control, that HE holds the keys to death and the grave…. and when its time for me to die physically, HE will be with me- and then, then I will spend all of eternity praising the One who sent Him!

In Private

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Matthew 6:1-4

“Watch out! Don’t do your good deeds publicly, to be admired by others, for you will lose the reward from your Father in heaven. 2 When you give to someone in need, don’t do as the hypocrites do—blowing trumpets in the synagogues and streets to call attention to their acts of charity! I tell you the truth, they have received all the reward they will ever get. 3 But when you give to someone in need, don’t let your left hand know what your right hand is doing. 4 Give your gifts in private, and your Father, who sees everything, will reward you.

The other day, as I was scrubbing the master bath sink, cleaning up toys in the living room, sweeping the kitchen floor and doing yet another load of laundry for our family I wondered “how many times have my good deeds gone unnoticed in this house?” In which the Holy Spirit quickly replied “your Father sees everything you do in private….”

But, oh…how great it feels to do the deeds publically. To serve others with my spiritual gifts and have them respond with gratitude and praise! Blowing my own trumpet feeds my flesh – look what I did for that person in need. How charitable I am. God used ME to pray in unknown languages, discern a spirit, give a word of knowledge, or prophesy. I should receive a reward.

What a hypocrite.

IMG_5709As I talked with my husband about this latest revelation I acknowledged how hard my soul sometimes battles to be a submitted wife and loving mom. They are roles that, when fulfilled the way God intended, require me to be selfless, self-sacrificing and humble….every moment, of every day. Yet, when I constantly surrender my will to the Father, He not only gives me the fruit of His Spirit to love and serve my family, He gives me the gifts of His Spirit to help them when they are in need. And often, one of the rewards He blesses me with is a deeper, more fulfilling relationship with my groom and all four of our children.

He is El Roi, the God who sees me…and sees EVERY thing I do in private – and public. He is the God who loves me and forgives me. He is my greatest reward.