Flypaper flag

Do you ever wrestle with anxiety, even though your trust in your Heavenly Father seems strong?Sometimes, despite our deep faith, anxieties seem to swarm about some of us like annoying insects. “Go away!” We say. "You have no place here. Go back to the humid jungle of unbelief.”

We know our Good Father has always taken care of us and those we love, when they were willing to receive His care. His faithfulness has been rock solid in the days behind us (though we sometimes need hindsight to make our vision clear). Why, then, do we still sometimes find ourselves ineffectively attempting to bat these anxious flies away? Thankfully, we’re not God, or we would probably say to ourselves, “Really? You’re anxious again? Why are you worried? After all these years of my watching your back and answering even the smallest of your concerns,  you still don’t trust me?  I’ve had it with you.”

How thankful I am that He never gives up on us or forsakes us, despite our failings. He remains our Coach, however.  He doesn’t just consign us to chemical imbalances, family histories, or spirits of fear and dread, saying, “Well, that’s just the way you are” or “That’s to be expected, considering your family’s vulnerability to anxiety.” Instead, He says, “Let me help you get free from this.” He never wants us to remain in bondage. He came to set the prisoners free.*

There are different forms of anxiety, but He can help us with them all. One type is sometimes called ‘free-floating anxiety.’ There is no particular issue triggering the anxiety. It is rather the state of being anxious. This week, the Father gave me a picture of a flag made of flypaper being held aloft. He said that in this type of anxiety, it’s as if we’re sensing we either are or should be anxious about something and mentally reach out to catch things swirling about our minds to turn over there and fixate upon. In fact, our flypaper flag has caught so many bugs that our minds jump from concern to concern (even things long over and done with...mistakes made in years past and even resolved!). We can’t seem to take control in this ‘battlefield of the mind,’** despite our best efforts.

For some of us, something’s out of whack in our body systems. For some, we are worried and anxious about a particular situation. Regardless, the answer is always from Him. He doesn't want us to say, “I’m just a worrier.” Or, “I guess I’ll never be free of this....I’ll just have to live with it.”  As our Coach and Cheerleader, He guides us with strategies for overcoming.  Some directions include Scriptural warfare through declaration of His Word. Other times, He just makes us laugh at ourselves. Case in point:
“My Child, take down the flag!”
“What flag, Lord?”
“The flypaper one.  You’re holding it in the air to see what to roll around in your mind and worry over in your anxious state.”
“The what???  Oh....I get it.”
“Let me help you to escape the swarm cloud.”
“Yes, please....and thank you.”

He then reminded me to:
1) Recognize what is happening and identify it as the spiritual battle it invariably is, even when the anxious state involves biological issues.

2) Keep the arsenal of His powerful Word loaded in the chamber of our minds and hearts. Record (index cards, notebooks, digital files, sticky notes on mirrors....use whatever works best), ponder, and digest it so that it becomes a nutritive part of our strength...coming to mind quickly in battle.

3) Use it! A weapon hanging at our sides is the same as one shelved in a closet. Keep verses ‘at the ready’ to declare. We musn’t wait to search for them when we're anxious.  Attention Deficit Disorder thrives in the anxious state. We will be tempted to default to some sort of other seemingly entertaining  ‘escape’ to divert ourselves, which will only delay the real solution.  [However,  watching, listening, reading, puzzling, etc. can later help us, if the content is not inconsistent with His Word.]

4) Play peaceful Christian music [like Hidden in My Heart ***(Scripture set to  music); Quietly, a Piano Album; Julie True (soaking music); Fernando Ortega; and others.

5) Breathe in His Holy Spirit.  Talk with the Lord.  Tell Him, "I'm breathing You in, Holy Spirit.  Thank You for Your Presence.  Please calm my mind...my soul and spirit.  Quiet the beating of my anxious heart.  Help me to rest in You.  I and all my family belong to You. Thank You for caring for all of us, as a Good Shepherd cares tenderly for his sheep.  We are Yours.

6) Use your lifeline:  Call a trusted friend who understands the principles of spiritual warfare and is sensitive to the particular challenges of anxiety.  Don't spend long rehearsing the problem. Rather, ask her/him to pray (on the phone or in person).

7) Read scriptures, like the 23rd Psalm, out loud. Personalize it. Make it first person.  For example.  You, Lord, are My (Our) Shepherd.  You give me a quiet place to lie down in green pastures.  You are leading me now beside still waters.  You are restoring my soul.... I'm breathing in the gift of Your Holy Spirit. Thank you for caring for me and for my family even in the dark valleys.  Thank you for anointing us with oil, even in the presence of our enemies....Thank you for feeding and caring for us so tenderly.  Nothing is too difficult for You.  Nothing too big or too small to receive Your attention.  Help me now to receive Your Shalom of body, soul, and spirit.  In Jesus' Name Amen.

8) Remember, you're never alone in this.  He will never leave your side.  He is for you and wants you free. He suffered immeasurably and died for it. Don't wait for heaven.  He wants this deliverance for you and for me now.
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*Psalm 146: 6b-8a
   Who keeps truth and is faithful forever,
   Who executes justice for the oppressed 
   Who gives food to the hungry
   The Lord sets free the prisoners
   The Lord lifts up those who are bowed down

**Battlefield of the Mind by Joyce Meyer    (If it's been awhile since you read this classic...or if you've never gotten around to reading it, now's the time.)

***Hidden in My Heart; (Volumes 1-3); Quietly, a Piano Album by Jay Stocker; Julie True (just about any album takes you right into the Presence of God); Fernando Ortega (many great albums)

Whiskey and water?

When we were in Ireland, we were introduced to various whiskies and their levels of quality. Those considered best advertise a triple distillation process for purity of taste and experience.. When choosing a water filtration system (pitcher, faucet, or whole house), I searched for the one which would remove the greatest number of contaminants. However, I also wanted an alkalizer to reduce the level of acid in the water we were drinking, since cancer grows in an acidic environment. In fact, acid in our various drinks (coffee, tea, alcohol, soda...) exacerbates a variety of medical conditions, including inflammation.

This morning God spoke to me about acidic speech, convicting me to alkalize mine. The acidic tongue causes inflammation, too.*  He then recommended a triple filtering process for the mouth.  It reminded me of Rotary International's Four-Way Test:  
1) Is it the truth?
2) Is it fair to all concerned?
3) Will it build goodwill and better friendships?
4) Will it be beneficial to all concerned?

I suspect God is on-board with Rotary's questions, since they appear quite scriptural.  However, He recommended to me His own verbal filtration process, as well:

Filter 1: Filtration through time (Count to 10 before speaking and then 'speak the truth in love.') [I got a kick out of that one. It sounded so 'un-spiritual.']
Filter 2: Filtration through His Word (Does what I am about to say, or the way I'm saying it, 
violate the Word of God, literally or at its heart?)
Filter 3: Filtration through His Holy Spirit (Would what I am about to say grieve the Holy Spirit?) [Obviously, filters 2 and 3 are inextricably woven together.]

Am I speaking with honor and respect, no matter how angry I might be? Am I speaking hard truths in love, with a merciful heart? Will what I am about to say edify or tear down? Do I take offense easily?  Am I carrying resentment? Am I speaking forth everything that comes to mind, regardless of its possible impact on others? Scripture has a great deal to say about the power of the tongue, for both good and evil.  Let's ask the Father to help us immerse our tongues in a triple-filtered bath.  He understands our struggles and never condemns us, but He desires our sanctification, both for our good and for His Kingdom.

For most of us, it has been a gradual process of purification of our tongues:  from foul-mouthed...to
purified speech... to kind words in response to anger...to speaking what will build up, even when it takes courage to do so to potentially volatile recipients.  I find, however, that sometimes it's three steps forward and one step backward (or is it the other way around?). The sanctification process is rarely linear, I think.  Let's not get discouraged, but rather keep voluntarily re-entering the filter pitcher.  Even now, we can look back and see the gradual progress we've made toward alkalization.  God is able to finish the work He began in us when we first gave ourselves to Him in grateful love. He's delighted every time we make the right, hard choices, but His love is constant,  Remember, He's both our Coach and our Cheerleader.  Go ahead...make Him grin!
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*For example, you should not say, as these characters do from the Water Valley series by Jeff High, which I’m enjoying,
“Constance, don’t you need to go somewhere dark and hang upside down for awhile?”
“John Horacio Harris, it’s a good thing I’ve got the love of Jesus in me. Because, otherwise, I would have  slapped your nose around to the back of your hairy head.  You’d go to your grave looking like Cousin It from the Adams Family.”
— The Fullness of Time; WaterValley, Book 4 by Jeff High
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I would quote a variety of Scriptures here, but I have an entire notebook on the power of the tongue.  If you've never really studied this topic, start with James, Proverbs, and the Psalms.  If you copy the 'tongue-related' verses down, your hand will get weary, but you'll have a greater grasp of how important our speech is in God's eyes...to either create or destroy.  

Here are just a few:

"Smart people know how to hold their tongue; their grandeur is to forgive and forget." --Prov 19:11; The Message

Ephesians 4:29-32 [Look this one up now, especially in the Amplified version.

"A person’s wisdom yields patience; it is to one’s glory to overlook an offense."  (same verse in NIV)

 But the fruit of the Spirit [the result of His presence within us] is love [unselfish concern for others], joy, [inner] peace, patience [not the ability to wait, but how we act while waiting], kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control.  --Galatians 5:22-23; Amplified

"A soft answer turneth away wrath: but grievous words stir up anger"   --Prov 15:1

Refrain from anger and turn from wrath; do not fret—it leads only to evil.  --Psalm 37:8

And on a positive note:

"Truly I tell you, if anyone says to this mountain, 'Go, throw yourself into the sea,' and does not doubt in their heart but believes that what they say will happen, it will be done for them."  --Mark 11:23

Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ.  --Ephesians 4:15

Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing."  --1 Thess 5:11

“Who’s on first?”

Sometimes in the first hour of my day, I’m tempted to pick up the book I was reading the night before. But I’ve realized that I want to hear Adonai’s Word first, then the words of others about Him. Other words should come last, and what I read should never be something He would find offensive.

People have sometimes made fun of me because of my limited choices in viewing and reading. (My Netflix and Amazon watchlists should probably be under the Kids icon.Well, minus the history, travel, and classic authors.) However, Adonai tells us that our bodies are the temple of His Holy Spirit; He actually lives in us. Just because that fact limits our entertainment choices, doesn’t imply we just have to go with the flow of our current culture.

I am distressed that I can’t watch something uplifting on Amazon now, without being subjected to dreadful advertisements first. God just asked me the following question after I wrote that line: “Why aren’t you doing something about it?” I haven’t contacted Amazon, have you? What if all Christian subscribers did?  This is part of why values have degraded so far. We all think there’s nothing we can do....that that’s just the way things are.

When I started this post, it was about listening to God’s words first in the morning. Did He just hijack my post?  Well, He is the One Who initiated the blog, despite my resistance. So He can do whatever He wants with it. In the end, it really is the same message. Who and what is more important? Pursuing the rabbit trails of distractions that lead away from time with Him? Being concerned about the thoughts and opinions of other people, over and above His? Making sure I am entertained for hours, no matter how distressing the content would be to Him?

When you feel that prompting in your spirit to take advantage of the “off” button...or to not take advantage of the “on”, don’t override it. I have that very struggle, but when I compare that temptation with the will and pleasure of the One Who has given His all for me, and is warning me not to do something damaging to my soul and spirit, then there’s only one obvious choice.

I listened to a sermon yesterday in which the Bible translation of obedience was loyalty. It caused me to ponder Scriptures I knew well, in a different way. Where is our true loyalty...whether it’s first thing in the morning...or late at night? To whose voice are we listening and where is it leading us? Whom are we choosing to follow? If it means tossing a book to the side, removing the power cord from our devices, or even kicking our foots through the screens, if necessary....where will our loyalty lie?

It is not a matter of legalism. (Some people, due to circumstance and situation, aren’t able to use ‘firstfruits’ time in this way.  Yet the first fruits of their hearts are His, and He knows it.)  And, anyway, who would want forced dutiful ‘love’ and loyalty? I would never want my children or spouse to feel they had to hug me out of duty first thing in the morning. Would you?  It’s a matter of the heart, and He can always read ours. The question to me is, does our true longing and loyalty rest on His?

*Just had to laugh at myself, because I realized that I wrote this post  first, before my prayer time, because the thought above came at the beginning of my 'porch time' with Him.  I could hear His chuckle....

Stuffings

Anyone have an old stuffed animal you’ve kept from your childhood? Mine is an old orange-furred bear named Henrietta. I say ‘orange-furred,’ but if you saw her, you wouldn’t be able to tell the original color of her fur, since most of it was loved off through the years. If you lifted her arm or examined a few crevices, you’d see what her fur looked like new. My father also had to replace her ears and nose, which started falling apart when I was still in elementary school.

I’ve had Henrietta for nearly 63 years.  One year we had 3 hurricanes in a row in Florida and had to evacuate. (FYI...God miraculously rescued us from even the one predicted as bringing certain destruction.). When your whole family can only take, from everything you own, what fits in your 2 cars, you realize quickly what your heart considers your most precious possessions (besides your children, of course!).  We packed a few clothes, our case of videotapes of the children, some of our photo albums, and our important documents. In addition, each family was able choose one or two items we treasured. With little need for deliberation, I grabbed Henrietta for my take-along. She was a treasure to me, when others would have long ago consigned her to the thrift shop or dumpster.

This week I was telling the Father (as well as Yeshua and the Holy Spirit) that if I were able, I’d ‘squeeze the stuffin’s’ out of Him, because I loved Him so much, and He’d brought Me so faithfully and tenderly through the decades of my life. He, in turn, said He’d like to do the same, except He’d have to be careful because He is so much stronger than I. This made me laugh. (He makes me laugh a lot.) He then gave me a picture of hugging me so hard that my fluff came through some of the worn seams.

Remember The Velveteen Rabbit and how beloved he was to the boy, despite his tattered state (even more so than a new animal in pristine condition)? The Father told me that we are like that to Him as we age. Far from our being devalued as we age, our value is inestimable. We are irreplaceable and precious to Him.

 So, if your fur is wearing off, and some of your fluff is protruding through some of your seams, no worries. He told me that since He’s in the business of Restoration, He’s also a superb Stitcher.