Ready to Jump On?

Remember those career days at school, where you could bring your parent in to share what he or she did for a living?  (In my school days in the 50’s and early 60’s,  it was pretty much just the dads.). This morning I was envisioning what it would be like to take my ABBA to school for career day.

Can’t you just picture holding his hand and introducing Him:  Hi everybody...this is my dad! He created the whole world and all the universes,  just by speaking! He keeps everything going, too! He is so good and kind and wise.  He’s the perfect dad. It might take Him quite awhile to tell you His job description, so maybe we should eat our lunches here in the classroom.  I’d like to say He’s just mine, but I know He wants to adopt all of you, too. So pay attention, everybody. He has the best job ever!

Are you proud of your Heavenly Father? Do you guard His reputation when people try to slander Him? Do you stand up for Him when His character is maligned? Are you more afraid of what others think of you than you are how God is regarded? I’ve had to ask myself these questions.

When people attribute illness and death to my Heavenly Father, do I speak up? When someone asks why He took a child or gave someone cancer as a teaching opportunity, am I quick to jump up and say, “Hey, that’s not my dad! He’s not like that! Don’t you say that about my daddy! He’s a good dad, a great dad. He would never do that!  [Obviously, He gives us mature ways of communicating that truth, but that attitude should be what rises up in us.]

As children, many of us were quick to praise and defend our earthly fathers, who were so very imperfect. Why do we not declare how good our perfect, Heavenly Father is, who gave everything for us so we could be with Him both in this life and forever? Why do we timidly stand back while even Christians slander him?  Is it because we’re uncertain about Who He really is and what He’s really like? Have we let doctrines and philosophies and circumstances dictate our understanding and replace our delving first-hand into His Word?  I know I have.

No more. I am seeking the truth about His nature as never before, and He, who always answers prayers for wisdom, has given me a seat in His Healing Academy of the Holy Spirit. I can’t get enough of these new understandings of His Word. Finally, after decades of setting certain Scriptures aside because I didn’t know what to do with them (“You shall do greater works than these....If you say to this mountain...”) my eyes are being opened to the hows and whys of what Jesus said.

Jesus didn’t say “...gotcha...just joking!” when He spoke those words. Neither does He toy with us and tell us to do things that are ridiculously impossible, although that’s what it had seemed like to me. There are people and ministries right now living out His statements with signs and wonders...massive numbers of healings, deliverances, resurrections from the dead...blind eyes opened, deaf ears hearing, the depressed freed, the addicted delivered, the paralyzed walking.  Greater works indeed! Yeshua doesn’t lie.

The proof is in the pudding, and you and I can enter in, if we’re willing to let go of our pride and be humble enough to learn.  To be more concerned about fulfilling God’s purposes in our lives than we are in our own comfort, or in leaning on our own understanding. To repent of being modern day Pharisees and, instead, say, “teach me, Lord!”  “I believe; help my unbelief!” “Show me my error. Let me see you as You really are. Forgive me for maligning Your character in my mind and heart and speech...and for being silent as others have done the same.  You are so Good. You want us well and provided for in body, soul, and spirit. You suffered and died not only for our sins to be forgiven, but for us to have everything we need for abundant lives here and now. We place ourselves in Your life-giving School of the Holy Spirit and say, ‘Lead us on!’”

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If you want to join the class in which I'm currently a student, try listening to any of these people (searchable on YouTube), who are living out Jesus' first century call:  Andrew Wommack, Audrey Mack, Barry Bennett, Bill Johnson, Randy Clark, Todd White.  The eyes of your heart will be enlightened, as mine have been, and you'll never be the same, as you follow where Yeshua will take you.  Remember, humble yourself...and He will lift you up....  If you think you already know it all (you've read it, studied it, taught it, heard it all before)...you won't be able to receive the truth of it, by seeing new insights into His Word.

• Barry Bennett:   https://youtu.be/zhaRZMM7YA8   [and dozens of other teachings]

• Panel at Healing is Here Conference 2018:  https://youtu.be/VJ-K6XlaHnc 

• Todd White, Heaing is Here 2018:  https://youtu.be/-6Aak2mT-lU   [fast forward in about 7 minutes]

• Audrey Mack, Healing is Here 2018:  https://youtu.be/7NjpqTOmUr8    (part 1); https://youtu.be/eTvAF57o_hc  (part 2)
• [see also Healing is Here Conference 2019, sessions 10 and 11 (fast forward in 1 hr, 15 minutes! for session 11)]
• 
  
• Andrew Wommack:  https://www.awmi.net/healing/ 

Continuing to learn from Chronicles....

As I continue on my journey through Chronicles, verses are popping out at me in a fresh way. This morning I read about God (through  David) setting up the duties of the priests from Aaron’s line,  and the Levites from the line of Moses.

The priests were set apart to sanctify him as most holy and to consecrate the most holy things, that he and his sons might burn incense before the Lord, minister to Him, and bless in His Name forever. [1 Chronicles 23:13] At first I was confused by the two hims in this passage. However I realized that the first was Aaron, the human High Priest, and the second Him was God. 

As New Testament believers, after everything changed with Yeshua (see yesterday’s post), we form a royal priesthood.  [1 Peter 2:9]. It is our assigned and glorious purpose to minister to Him and bless in His name.  Yeshua is our great High Priest, and He has called us all to fulfill the role of Aaron’s sons.

He has also called us to be Levite’s, whose duty was to oversee the work of the Lord’s house [1 Chronicles 23:4]...and to stand every morning to thank and praise the Lord, and likewise in the evening; and to offer all burnt offerings to the Lord.

Where David set aside the sons Asaph and of Heman the ‘king’s seer’ to prophesy with harps, with stringed instruments, and with symbols, now we are all called to praise and prophesy, as inspired by the Holy Spirit given us at Pentecost.  No longer do only certain people receive a word from the Lord. All of us who are open to the Holy Spirit’s work within us are given the privilege. How awesome that even the least in the Kingdom of God* is honored and called to praise, prophesy, 
serve, minister to God, and bless others in His Name. 

As we ponder these thoughts in the context of our daily lives, let’s ask the Father how we can better fulfill these roles to which He’s called us, as believers in His Name. Furthermore, let’s reorder the list above and place minister to Him as our first priestly priority.

What does it mean to minister to the Lord?  Stay tuned...
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*Matthew 11:11

Everything changes...

I have not read Kings and Chronicles anywhere as often as I have read the New Testament, or even other books in the Old, such as the prophets. But recently, my sweet daughter-in-law referred me to a passage in 2 Kings involving Elisha, in which he directed people to dig troughs in the ground to make a place to receive what God had for them. [2 Kings 3:16-20]

This set me on a path to read all of Kings and then the two Chronicles, which are so totally entwined. Once we make it through all the genealogy, we discover much treasure buried there. I had forgotten just how much.

The last few days, I have been reading about David. Today I came to the point where he took a military census, against the advice of Joab, the commander of his armies.  This upset God greatly. Why?  Because David was then relying on human strength for success. It was God who, despite situations of greatly inferior numbers, had brought the victories David had experienced.

Even after he repented, David was afraid to go before the Lord in the Tabernacle. He followed God’s direction to build a ‘local’ altar, but he did not have confidence to travel and come before the altar in the holy Tabernacle tent, itself. [1 Chronicles 20:30]

I was immediately reminded that everything changes with Jesus.  Even David, beloved mighty man of God with such a heart to serve Him, was unsure of his welcome after his sin.  Remember, even the man who touched the Ark of the Covenant to steady it, lost his life in the process.  [2 Samuel 6:1-8]

We, however, never have to be afraid or uncertain whether we’re welcome at God’s altar or at His feet. It’s all because of Yeshua. We may well be coming before Him with a great sin (or a long series
of ‘smaller’ ones) on our hearts. We may be thinking our sin is too great or we’ve repeated a sin once too often for Him to tolerate our presence. Yet Yeshua paved the way, now and forever, for us not only to survive coming before our Most Holy God, but to be encouraged and welcomed in His Fatherly arms. We no longer need fear death, or even condemnation, before the Throne. We’re welcomed as precious children, naughty though we may have been.

Yes, as a child of a Father Whom we love and desire to please; Whom we hate to disappoint; Who we want to be proud of us; we are grieved at grieving His Holy Spirit.  But we should never fear running directly to Him in our sorrow, never be uncertain of our welcome. Everything changes from Old to New....all because of Yeshua.

You, even if you feel least in the kingdom of heaven, are greater than David, greater than Moses, Elijah, Elisha, and even John the Baptist, whom Jesus called the greatest man who had ever lived up to that time. [Matthew 11:11]

Yeshua cancels every curse, from the Garden forward. He makes us righteous and worthy to stand before His Holy Father and receive His great and tender love. He stands in the gap as the Great High Priest and Intercessor for all who trust in Him. He sets us free from captivities of body, soul, and spirit. Everything changes with Him....how incomprehensibly wonderful is His gift to us.  Be sure to tell Him so this very moment.  And while you’re there, stay awhile.....

Need a good soak in the tub?

This is my first Christmas in this new season of my life. I can luxuriate now in large doses of quiet on a weekday morning, with no parameters looming. I’ve often wished to soak in the tub of the Holy Spirit’s presence and dwell in the reverence and holiness of the time of angels and shepherds, keeping the shopping world at bay while His Star shines forth onto the silent hillside of my heart .

Even so, my ‘get-er-done’ personality is tempted to jump up and accomplish various tasks on my to-do list. I have to say no to this Martha self and tell her to wait, while I participate in my Mary’s ‘better part’.  When one is soaking in a tub, the door is closed to everything outside it. So should it be in the tub of the Holy Spirit.  The light of God’s candle shines, the fragrance of lavender wafts in the air, the sacred music touches the deep places of body, soul, and spirit.

This morning, as I was remembering and longing for the holiness and intimacy of some church experiences past, Adonai reminded me that this exquisite intimacy is always available to me, no matter where I am. His habitation beneath His Canopy, His Tent of meeting with its canvas flap, is open day and night because of His gift of Himself as Emmanuel.

There is an old praise song whose lyrics say, “Commune with Me...beneath the wings of the cherubim...I’ll meet you there...commune with Me....” Whether woman or man, we are His Bride; He draws us under the bridal canopy as His own forever. As Babe, Bridegroom, and Mighty Savior, He is always Emmanuel, God-with-us. He longs for us to come with swift, expectant feet into His dwelling place, where we find He’s also chosen to dwell within us.

Emmanuel, God with us, is also God within us.   When we yield ourselves to Him in grateful abandon, we are encompassed by Him in such a way that we don’t even know where we leave off and He begins. Yet we revere Him as Holy beyond our understanding. That He paid the price for us to be wholly and completely His in the midst of His holiness, is incomprehensible but wonderfully true.

Let’s push from us, as my mother used to say, ‘the tyranny of the urgent’ and instead urgently run into the arms of His Holy Spirit. Let’s soak in the vibrant quiet of the Holy Night and all that He offers us because of it, rejoicing in the Gift of His all-encompassing Presence.

Fruitfulness, fun, and rest, Part II (fun!)

Fun...
In the balance of our lives, there’s the  fun component.  Somehow, we tend to relegate fun to the less necessary, idle aspect of our lives...the wasting time compartment.  There definitely are time-wasters that can regretfully consume huge portions of our day (online black holes in time, too much television, digital games we play ad nauseum, etc.), but I believe these are different than what we referred to as play when we were young.  Have we forgotten how to play as adults?

When I was young in the 50’s and early 60’s, we used to play outside most of the day. We would invent new games almost on a daily basis. We rode our bikes, played games with balls, made up imaginary role-play scenarios, set up scenes with various toys, built structures with blocks, played board games (sometimes playing both sides), climbed trees, read books, and colored pictures. Creativity and imagination played large roles in our day.

God is Creator, as well as Saviour, Giver, Comforter and Guide. I believe He delights in the elements of play and creating in our lives, even (especially?) when we’re of an age where it’s more difficult to get our bodies to do what we want them to. [I’ve nixed learn to play guitar from my lengthy retirement activity list, since my arthritic hands are uncooperative.] For Him, we are still the young person we always were, despite our outer appearance. He still enjoys watching us play, the same way we enjoy watching our own children play. [I still love hearing my grown kids have fun and laugh together.]

The Father told me recently that Play keeps our hearts younger and more tender. He warned me not to let my heart grow brittle and cold as I aged.. I discovered He's all for fun, in balance. So have some fun! Do a puzzle, read a book aloud with different voices for the characters, play a board game that fosters laughter (no cut-throat competitions). [Ever played Apples to Apples?] Watch or listen to an old children’s classic*.  Recently I’ve had the urge to revisit Narnia (in both print and film Use your phone to record family members and friends answering fun questions. Ever play Would you Rather...?..or Coke or Pepsi? Ask those you love a question from their childhood. [What was your favorite board game? Birthday cake? Toy? Vacation? Christmas memory? Ice cream? Outdoor game? Best memory with your mom...your dad?...with your sibling?  Or even, what was your most difficult time?

It’s amazing what you’ll find about about those you may have known for a very long time. You hear their 💕  It will also help you know how to pray for them.  Are their wounds from the past that need healing? [See Fruitfulness in Part I.]. God loves hearing you share your heart, too. You'll find that Play, then, can also  become an aspect of  Rest*.
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*Listen to the language..the expression and vocabulary in the children's classics, and you'll see how far current writing has deteriorated in this light.  Try something like The Secret Garden or an adventure from an earlier century from authors like Alexander Dumas or Robert Louis Stevenson.  Read aloud a classic story to your grandchildren, in installments. Make it come alive for them.  

**Watch for Part III, where we explore the various forms of Rest.

Fruitfulness, fun, and rest, Part III (Rest)

Rest

This morning I was prompting myself to pursue the last of our trio of topics, Rest. Although I’ve written and spoken about this topic before, I wanted to receive fresh insight from the Lord about it. When I created the title of this three-part post, I had not yet reached Hebrews in my current (oft-repeated) journey through the epistles.  As I opened today to where I had left off yesterday, I found myself in Hebrews 3 & 4.  Lo and behold (drum roll, please), I found it to be all about God’s rest. Don’t you just love it when that happens? God is so eager to answer our questions, so delighted we are delving into His Word, that it’s as if He opens the Bible to the right page and sets it in our lap. 

Now, we’ve been discussing fruitfulness, fun, and rest.  Obviously, this is the section on Rest, but truthfully, all these three aspects of our lives intersect. Additionally, there are multiple uses of the term Rest. Being fruitful and having fun can also produce rest in their own ways. 

Isn’t it interesting how exhilaration and productivity are often followed by a sense of relaxation and rest? After we tense our muscles, for example, we’re more conscious of their not being tensed.  I usually don’t want to do my exercise routine, but after I do, I feel both invigorated and relaxed. Looking at this in the different context of our spiritual lives:  After we’ve worked diligently to be constructive and fruitful, there is a sense of deeper rest that follows.  More so than if we were simply inert. Inertia isn’t the kind of rest we’re after, is it?  In fact, the couch potato life usually makes us feel sluggish and discontented.     

A good, deep sleep is also a gift designed by God to help heal our bodies, assist our souls in processing the events of the day, and bring us restoration and re-invigoration. A refreshing ‘power nap’ can also be a blessing, for those who can take advantage without waking up groggy and disoriented. Just drifting in the midst of the chapter of a good book can carry us into needed rest.

When God speaks of entering His Rest in Hebrews 3 and 4+, He isn't discussing sleep patterns, is He?  His deep and abiding Rest involves our souls and spirits in a state of Shalom.  Not just eternal rest in Heaven (although that is absolutely implied), but in this life on earth, in the midst of often chaotic circumstances...no matter what is happening at the moment.  This rest involves a bedrock faith and certainty that, as He promises in Hebrews, He will never, no never, no never forsake us.**

Just sitting still in His Presence; not necessarily saying anything, but simply opening our hearts and spirits to Him and waiting on Him; bring His Rest.  Our heartbeats slow, our breathing deepens, and we are enveloped by the cloud of His Love.  The sunshine streaming through the window onto our shoulders becomes a caress from His hand.  Finally, that elusive peace we've desired takes up residence in us.

Every form of rest (through play, fruitfulness, sleep, quiet time with Him...) are all a gift from Him.  We need the balance of work, fun, and rest in our lives for our triune beings to be healthy.  When it's time for us to enter into His forever Rest in Heaven, we'll experience fun, fruitfulness, and relaxation there, too; but to a depth He says we can't now even imagine in our mind's eye.  Don't plan on being bored on a cloud somewhere....you're going to be resting in His permanent Shalom in the midst of fruitfulness, creativity, and fun.  I can't wait.  He's even promised me visits to The Hundred Acre Wood. What special place would you like to visit with Him?  Ask Him about it.  I bet you'll hear a delighted chuckle and a promise in response.

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He offers a resting place for me in his luxurious love. His tracks take me to an oasis of peace, the quiet brook of bliss.  --Psalm 23:2     [The Passion Translation]

Now God has offered to us the same promise of entering into his realm of resting in confident faith. So we must be extremely careful to ensure that we all embrace the fullness of that promise and not fail to experience it. For we have heard the good news of deliverance just as they did, yet they didn’t join their faith with the Word. Instead, what they heard didn’t affect them deeply, for they doubted. For those of us who believe, faith activates the promise and we experience the realm of confident rest!  --Hebrews 4:1-3  (+ all of chapters 3 & 4)

My heart and soul explode with joy—full of glory! Even my body will rest confident and secure.  --Psalm 16:9

I say to myself, “If only I could fly away from all of this! If only I could run away to the place of rest and peace.  --Psalm 55:6

O Lord our God, let your sweet beauty rest upon us and give us favor. Come work with us, and then our works will endure, and give us success in all we do.  --Psalm 90:17

Now I can say to myself and to all, “Relax and rest, be confident and serene, for the Lord rewards fully those who simply trust in him.”    --Psalm 116:7

I am humbled and quieted in your presence. Like a contented child who rests on its mother’s lap, I’m your resting child and my soul is content in you.  --Psalm 131:2

But the one who always listens to me will live undisturbed in a heavenly peace. Free from fear, confident and courageous, you will rest unafraid and sheltered from the storms of life.   --Proverbs 1:33

You will sleep like a baby, safe and sound— your rest will be sweet and secure.  --Proverbs 3:24

...because God is your confidence in times of crisis, keeping your heart at rest in every situation.   --Proverbs 3:26

For the Lord will never walk away from his cherished ones, nor would he forsake his chosen ones who belong to him.   ---Psalm 94:14

By contrast, we have already come[ad] near to God in a totally different realm, the Zion-realm,[ae] for we have entered the city of the Living God, which is the New Jerusalem in heaven![af] We have joined the festal gathering of myriads of angels in their joyous celebration!   --Hebrews 12:22

“I will never leave you alone, never! And I will not loosen my grip[c] on your life!”  --Hebrews 13:5b

Fruitfulness, fun, and rest, Part I (fruitfulness)

This blog post is divided into three parts, taking a look at three aspects of our lives:  fruitfulness, fun, and rest. 
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Whether you’re retired like me, or still working...or  both working and raising a family, there is always the question of balancing the various aspects of your life. When you’re younger and are juggling children, work, home maintenance, and your own times of rest, the balancing act is more obvious.  As a retired person, you look back and wonder, “How did I ever do it all?”  It  becomes obvious that God’s grace, along with His plan for the phases of our lives, was the key.

However, if you’re like many of us, you felt guilty ever sitting down and relaxing. I find that, even in retirement, I sometimes feel guilty spending too much time having fun. I think about the need to be more productive...not in growing an income, but in growing God’s kingdom. The Bible calls it fruitfulness. 

I’ve heard acquaintances refer to being bored in retirement. I can’t imagine how one could be bored with so many opportunities to create and to volunteer. So many groups and individuals need help and would be thrilled at the donation of our time. We have only to look around within a small radius to see where we could be of service.

However, fruitfulness isn’t only fostered within the context of working for free somewhere.  It’s also found in the brave conversations we have with friends, coworkers, and strangers.  It’s found in our prayer life, in the sharing of an encouraging word, in the kingdom-building gifts we give to our children, grandchildren, nieces and nephews, long-term friends, and the salesclerk we met yesterday.  It’s found in our willingness to be vulnerable and bold and share the Good News without foreknowledge of how it will be received.

Has he given you gifts and talents you haven't really explored?  Maybe now is the time.  Is there a way you're longing to express your heart for Him to others?  Don't be afraid to try.  If the longing is there, He will give you the skills to pursue that avenue of expression,  I have a friend who had never painted in her life.  God showed her, right in the store, what to purchase and then how to paint,  He also showed her how to create banners for her church, when she'd never sewn before.  Don't assume you don't have the ability to create something which could bless others.  I recently heard about one woman who knits booties for newborns for Birthright, someone who raises money for books to give to children's hospitals, and another who recycles cards by using pieces to create new ones for shut-ins and other lonely or grieving people.

Ask the Father in what ways your life could be more fruitful for Him. Be bold in the asking!  But also know that the elements of fun and rest are also part of His abundant life plan for us.  [See Part II:  Fun!]

Nutrient-dense food

So, the new by-word in nutrition is ‘nutrient-dense.’   I remember reading a list a number of years ago of the top 10 foods for good health. The nutrient dense list has some overlap, but also a surprise or two. The idea behind nutrient dense food is rather like getting the most bang for your buck...except the most bang for your food intake.

These made the top-10:  Salmon, Kale, Seaweed, Garlic, Shellfish, Potatoes, Liver, Sardines, Blueberries, and Egg Yolks.  I bet potatoes surprised you. They’ve been bad-mouthed for too long, I think. Obviously, shellfish has it’s drawbacks where mercury or other ocean contaminants are involved...and liver, which traps toxins in a body, may be questionable.  Sardines and seaweed have rarely made the popular list.  Regardless, when it comes to the most nutrients packed into food, these are the heroes.

I was thinking this morning about density in the Spirit. Our spiritual nutrition can become fluffy and rather fly-by-night as we grab the occasional fast-food snack on the run.  We can get by for awhile ‘eating’ this way, but soon our energy flags and we begin feeling not quite right. We think back and realize we’ve hardly spent any quality time with the Lord.

That happened to me this morning. As I finally sank, with a sigh and a pillow, into my prayer chair on the deck and closed my eyes, abandoned to Him, it was like immersing myself in a nutrient-rich bath in His Spirit...fragrant and soothing, dense with His Presence. I realized how dry I’d become in such a short time, moving about...flitting from here to there, as if I could keep going with only old, rotting food to sustain me.

There was a reason God only gave the Israelites enough Manna for each day. Those who tried to keep it for the next, found it rotted. He knows of what we are made...and what we need to sustain the life He’s given us.  Real life, not the shadow to which we sometimes attribute the the name, is what He wants for us. Let’s take a look at our diets and choose to immerse ourselves, within and without, in the nutrient-dense spiritual food He supplies.

At the cross, Jesus provided for us His full Shalom of body, soul, and spirit:  His body, the Manna for our health, wholeness, and provision of every kind; His blood for our forgiveness, now and for eternity. Let’s be sure to seek and receive His gift of Manna, the physically and spiritually dense bread🥖 of life, by resting in Him daily, not just on a snack and go basis.

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.
____________________
*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!
********
*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
****************
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.