Being Overwhelmed

Recently I experienced a series of catastrophes, hardships and disappointments. I was not sleeping well; I was worrying and on edge. These came relentlessly in wave after wave.

I can hear it now, "If you had been reading your bible and praying, these things either would not have happened, or at least wouldn't have been as painful." Here's the thing: I was praying. I was reading my bible, and getting more out of it than I had in a long time. I was experiencing some of the greatest fellowship with the Lord that I had ever known. And yet, the hardships began to come in wave after wave; circumstances that were out of my control and that were combining to oppress my waking and sleeping moments.

As things began to slowly fall apart for me, I remember thinking, "I can do this. My soul finds rest in God alone. He will see me through these things." My mind went to passages I had read about the Lord never leaving us or forsaking us. I found comfort in the Psalms, especially Psalm 62, and still the trials continued. I felt like I was trapped on a high tower, and someone was, one by one, sawing off the legs...while my God observed.

The breaking point for me came while I was at work, when because of an equipment failure my company was in danger of losing everything. It was then that I cried out to the Lord:

"ARE YOU TRYING TO DESTROY ME?"

Exactly two seconds after that was out of my mouth, my mind went to the account of the Israelites in the wilderness with Moses. They grumbled against the Lord and accused Him of bringing them out of Egypt and into the desert to kill them. I had always disdained this way of thinking by the Israelites, who had seen God's goodness and might, yet when He allowed things to get tough so that they could be trained by EXPERIENCE to trust Him, they proved to be short sighted and faithless. Can you imagine a friend, your spouse, or your son or daughter accusing you of doing something wonderful for them just so you could take it away again?

So, in the heat of battle, I folded for awhile. Then I began to remember the Lord's words, that whom He loves, He disciplines. It was then that I began to recall my own words that if someone saw me going through a trial, that they would not just pray that I would be saved from going through it, but that I would learn all that God had for me in it.

Some matters that concerned me so much are getting better, and for this I am praising the Lord. Some are still around for me to trust the Lord. And He is trustworthy, and knows how much I can stand.

Here is a list of some things that I am either learning or being reminded of because of these things:

1. In this life I am assured of trials as well as blessings.
2. Since I belong to, and am part of the Lord's family, I am treated as such. God is not being cruel to me by trying me.
3. Trials are allowed by God and are not meant to destroy me, but to train me.
4. My struggles bring glory to God when I demonstrate my trust in Him and wait for Him instead of acting (and speaking) rashly.
5. Struggles teach me patience and build character.
6. Therefore new trials that come my way will not be easier than the last.
7. My trials should allow me to understand and sympathize with the trials of others.
8. The comfort the Lord brings me in these times should be the same comfort I use to comfort others going through hard times.
9. I am never too old or too spiritual to be tried and trained.
10. Knowing what the Bible says about God's love and fatherly treatment of us must be coupled with a life that has experienced the same. It's one thing to say that God is all we need; it's quite another to find that God is all we have.

Scripture References:

27and you grumbled in your tents and said, 'Because the LORD hates us, He has
brought us out of the land of Egypt to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites
to destroy us. (Deuteronomy 1:27 NASB)
5My soul, wait in silence for God only, For my hope is from Him. 6He only is my rock and my salvation, My stronghold; I shall not be shaken. 7On God my salvation and my glory rest; The rock of my strength, my refuge is in God. 8Trust in Him at all times, O people; Pour out your heart before Him; God is a refuge for us. Selah. (Psalm 62: 5-8)

Preventing Spiritual Failures

Most of the time I can see it coming. An outlandish thought, followed by a thoughtless plan, followed by a reckless act. I make some attempt (usually I think a valiant one) to resist temptation, but at last I succumb, and end up doing a one-point into the ground.

I tell myself that I'm mature enough in my faith that these temptations should not present much of a struggle. So why do the simplest temptations sometimes trip me up?

This question is as old as the Garden of Eden, and if it were me, eating a good-looking fruit would have seemed to be the right thing to do at the time too. I know God says "X", but I want "Y" so I choose "Y".

Often times I think I allow myself to be lulled to sleep while the enemy camps in my yard, casing my house. I watch him walk to the door, and tell myself "I'll get the gun out later if I need it."
Because of one distraction or another I will leave off reading God's Word (because "I know that; I've read it countless times") and My prayers become routine and thoughtless. I overestimate my own strength, underestimate my enemy, and forget where my help comes from. And I'm definitely not taking seriously the Lord's warning to be vigilant (1 Peter 5:8).

Charles F. Stanley wrote a great article on temptation, "When Temptation Knocks" where he says Jesus' successful approach to resisting temptation is the example for us. He has scripture (what God says) for every temptation readily at hand; not as an incantation to repeat, but as the knowledge and confession of what God says (and therefore supports) about the matter. It tells us About what God thinks about what we are about to do, (so we can flee from that) and who it is we are offending (so we can flee to Him).

"He never drew on his own wit. He never even relied on His own power. He simply responded with the truth of God’s Word. That’s all it took. Nothing fancy. Just the plain truth directed at the deception behind each of Satan’s requests. Jesus verbally confronted Satan with the truth, and eventually Satan gave up and left." (Charles F. Stanley, "When Temptation Knocks")

The Bible is full of passages on this subject because the will of mankind has always been at odds with the will of God. Here are a couple of passages I find helpful:

"6Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time, 7casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you. 8Be of sober spirit, be on the alert Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. 9But resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same experiences of suffering are being accomplished by your brethren who are in the world. 10After you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself perfect, confirm, strengthen and establish you. 11To Him be dominion forever and ever. Amen." (I Peter 5:6-11 NASB)

AND

"10Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11Put on the full
armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. 12For
our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the
authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual
forces of evil in the heavenly realms.

13Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.

17Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. 18And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints." (Ephesians 6:
10-17 NASB)

"8If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. 9If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. 10If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives. "(I John 1:8-9 NASB)

Don't wait until the Dragon is trying to toast you before you try to dig your sword out of the saddlebag.

When Temptation Knocks http://ww2.intouch.org/site/c.dhKHIXPKIuE/b.3604505/

Our Restless Search for Equilibrium

It's been said that our bodies are constantly seeking a state of equilibrium or "homeostasis" in a continual attempt to regulate against outside forces so that they remain internally unchanged. Frankly, I'm glad of this, at least as far as my physical body is concerned. For instance, I wouldn't want something like an argument to raise my blood pressure until my head exploded. This is a great mechanism God has built into our systems, but I wonder if this is only part of the picture. There must be a constant battle between our body's quest for balance and outside forces that strain that balance to allow our bodies to grow and become it stronger.

Perhaps this is true in our Christian lives as well. We don't want any outward force to cause any inward turmoil; no questions to disturb our notions; no tribulations wherein we must be patient; no trials that would force us to our knees, calling out to God. We just want equilibrium. If we are not alert, we begin a restless search for the things that we believe will preserve this condition, which is both ironic and sad.

Thankfully, we have a great and loving Heavenly Father that fully understands His children. And He is faithful, if we are really His, not to let us stay in that condition for long. The Book of Hebrews puts it this way:

"3For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. 4You have not yet resisted to the point of shedding blood in your striving against sin; 5and you have forgotten the exhortation which is addressed to you as sons,
"MY SON, DO NOT REGARD LIGHTLY THE DISCIPLINE OF THE
LORD, NOR FAINT WHEN YOU ARE REPROVED BY HIM;
6(FOR THOSE WHOM THE LORD LOVES HE DISCIPLINES,
AND HE SCOURGES EVERY SON WHOM HE RECEIVES."
7It is for discipline that you endure; God deals with you as with sons;
for what son is there whom his father does not discipline?
8But if you are without discipline, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate children and not sons." (Hebrews 12:3-8 NASB)

If we are healthy, we will grow. The tribulations we suffer, when God allows them, will produce that spiritual fruit called patience, and the patience will produce in us PROVEN character, and that proven character will produce Hope (Romans 5:4) But, how will this be accomplished if our focus is on seeking only the things, circumstances and people that will ensure our comfort, while disdaining any and all trials that come our way either as a result of the general human condition or by way of the loving discipline of the Lord?

These trials are vehicles for us to learn of God's great power and great love for us who believe. When we look to Him in these times and trust Him with our lives (as we have with our souls), we learn that He is as trustworthy as He says He is in His word. And God puts a high value on our trusting and obeying Him. In Moses' complaint to the Israelites he says:

"31and in the wilderness where you saw how the LORD your God carried you, just as a man carries his son, in all the way which you have walked until you came to this place.' 32"But for all this, you did not trust the LORD your God," (Deut. 1:31-32 and following NASB)

Instead of looking for that equilibrium by trying to regulate our lives against outside forces, why not trust God to use whatever He desires to produce in us that true balance and rest we need?

Aaran Keyes and Stuart Townsend recently wrote a great song based on Psalm 62: "My Soul Finds Rest in God Alone". You can hear it here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mmx9p6vAL1g. Read Psalm 62 before you listen. Also check out "When Trials Come" by Keith and Kristyn Getty http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HB1cFQcBC7g.

Troubleshooting My Christian Walk

We sang a song in church when I was a kid that I thought was so corny. The music style seemed like an old Barbeshop tune, and the words didn't seem to have the loftiness of other hymns. It wasn't until recently that I took the time to take a close look at the words.

It was then that I realized how complicated I was making my life as a christian, when it really is as simple as the title of that hymn: "Trust & Obey".

This simple direction can be found throughout the scriptures. Among them, these passages:

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on
your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge
Him and He will make your paths straight. (Proverbs 3: 5-6
NASB)

Through him and for his name's sake, we received grace and apostleship to call people from among all the Gentiles to the obedience that comes from faith. (Romans 1:5 NIV)

Because of the service by which you have proved yourselves, men will praise God for the obedience that accompanies your confession of the gospel of Christ, and for your generosity in sharing with them and with everyone else. (I Corinthians 9:13 NIV)

But Samuel replied: "Does the LORD delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the voice of the LORD ? To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams. (I Samuel 15:22 NIV)

So simply put, trusting God comes first, then obedience to His Word. ("Trust & Obey" as the old hymn says) not the reverse (Romans 1:5).

Whenever I see that my growth as a Christian seems stunted, I'm generally unhappy, and when it seems like what I read in the Bible is just words on the page instead of the Living Word, I have to ask myself, " Is there an area in my life where I am disobeying (that includes delaying obeying) what God has already revealed to me from His word? Is there something the Spirit of God has been urging me to do (or stop doing) that I have ignored or put off?

Trust & Obey

(Words John H. Sammis; Music Daniel B. Towner)

When we walk with the Lord in the light of His Word,

What a glory He sheds on our way!

While we do His good will, He abides with us still,

And with all who will trust and obey.

Trust and obey, for there’s no other way

To be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey.

9 Things God Cares About and Rewards (From Jesus' Sermon on the Mount)

1. Acknowledging your true fallen condition before God is rewarded with ownership in the kingdom of God:
   "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven". (Matthew 5:3 NASB)
   
   
2. Being truly sorry for your condition is rewarded with true comfort:
   
   "Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted." (Matt. 5:4 NASB)
   
   
3. Acknowledging where your true strength lies (in God), resulting in gentleness (or also translated meekness) is rewarded with the promise of a future inheritance:
   
   "Blessed are the gentle, for they shall inherit the earth." (Matt. 5:5 NASB)
   
   
4. Desperation for the righteousness of God (because of 1 and 2 above) is rewarded with righteousness being imputed to us through Jesus Christ. (2 Corinthians 5:21)
   
   "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied." (Matt. 5:6 NASB)
   
   
5. Showing mercy to others is rewarded with mercy from God.
   
   "Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy". (Matt. 5:6 NASB)
   
   
6. Being pure in heart is rewarded by admittance into his presence.
   
   "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God." (Matt. 5:7 NASB)
   
   
7. Being a true peace maker (peace with God first, others second) is rewarded with being called sons of God.
   
   "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God." (Matt. 5:8 NASB)
   
   
8. Being mistreated or oppressed for standing up for righteousness is rewarded with the inheritance of the kingdom of heaven, as with the poor in spirit.
   
   "Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven" (Matt. 5:10 NASB)
   
   
9. Being insulted and mistreated and oppressed and being falsely accused because of your association with Jesus Christ is answered with a great reward in heaven.
   
   "Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me.
   
   Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great; for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you." (Matt. 5: 11-12 NASB)

First of all....

While I'm on staff at a local church, I'm not a Pastor, a theologian or even a teacher. I'm just a christian on the same pilgrimage as others who love their Lord and want to please Him. That is not to say that learning from those that have these gifts is unimportant. Having a pastor and/or teacher that accurately handles the Word of God is essential to Christian growth. But having great teachers is not a substitute for digging into the Living Word of God for one's self.

I often enjoy taking my bible with me to lunch. Its a time when work and responsibility fade for a brief time, and I can, even in a crowed restaurant enjoy reading the scriptures.

One of those days recently, I prayed asking God to open the scriptures to me in a way that would go beyond my just gathering more knowledge. I wanted to know God Himself better through His word. I wanted to know the things that He cares about-- the things I should also care about. He began to do just that at that very hour.

What follows is simply a journal of things that I am learning day by day.