Walking in Romans 12 (3-5)

Because of the privilege and authority God has given me, I give each of you this warning: Don’t think you are better than you really are. Be honest in your evaluation of yourselves, measuring yourselves by the faith God has given us.  Just as our bodies have many parts and each part has a special function,  so it is with Christ’s body. We are many parts of one body, and we all belong to each other.

Romans 12:3-5 (NLT)

Paul continues his teaching in Romans 12 by reminding us that we aren’t as important as we think we are.  And he’s so right.  In general, we tend to default to thinking pretty highly of ourselves.  Society teaches us to have a positive view of ourselves…look at the number of self-help books in any bookstore.  It’s pretty outrageous so widely accepted, that we overlook the danger in it.  We’ve become a world of self-centered people.  No one can live up to our expectations.  We are a fragmented society.  And sometimes we find ourselves wondering, how we came to be so broken.

“Be honest in your evaluation of yourselves, measuring yourselves by the faith God has given us.”

or put another way

“Living then, as every one of you does, in pure grace, it’s important that you not misinterpret yourselves as people who are bringing this goodness to God. No, God brings it all to you. The only accurate way to understand ourselves is by what God is and by what he does for us, not by what we are and what we do for him.” (The Message)

In Isaiah (64:6) we are compared to filthy rags in regards to our “works” or “deeds.”  What do we truly deserve in this life?  The honest answers are death and hell.  We are filled with sin.  No amount of “doing good” can change that.  Yet, we hold ourselves so high above everyone else.  ”Oh, I teach children’s Sunday school and she does nothing every week.”  Seriously?!?  Is that what it is all about.

No.

It’s about humbly following the leading of God in our lives.  Examining that leading and call carefully.  Not filling positions to seek out importance, but to be the “part of the body” that God has created you to be.

Let’s challenge ourselves this week to pray, fervently pray, for God to reveal His will and path for our lives to us.  For Him to show us where we were created to be as part of His body.

To be continued…

Be blessed!

-De

Walking in Romans 12 (1&2)

I’m not sure the reason why God pulled me from my Chronological read-through of the Scriptures, but He has put Romans 12 on my heart.  I’ve never done a true “dig-in” study like He is leading, so bear with me.

He has burdened my heart with how far we as Christians have fallen from our callings.  We strive to minister to “culture” but walk a very fine line of letting “culture” transform our thinking.  It’s a tricky, tricky balancing act.  So, what does Paul say?  He calls us to be a “living sacrifice to God” and in Romans 12, spells it out step by step for us.

Walk with me through Romans 12, and let’s help each other become living sacrifices to our Father.

I appeal to you therefore, brethren, and beg of you in view of [all] the mercies of God, to make a decisive dedication of your bodies [presenting all your members and faculties] as a living sacrifice, holy (devoted, consecrated) and well pleasing to God, which is your reasonable (rational, intelligent) service and spiritual worship.

Do not be conformed to this world (this age), [fashioned after and adapted to its external, superficial customs], but be transformed (changed) by the [entire] renewal of your mind [by its new ideals and its new attitude], so that you may prove [for yourselves] what is the good and acceptable and perfect will of God, even the thing which is good and acceptable and perfect [in His sight for you].

Romans 12:1-2 (AMP)

There are a lot of words there, so let’s simplify it a bit.

So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you.

Romans 12:1-2 (The Message)

I fail quite often at giving EVERYTHING about my daily life to God.  So many mornings, I wake, put on a pot of coffee, and before it’s finished brewing, I’m involved in the business of the day.  *head-desk* No wonder I fall flat on my face by the end of the day, and have only a long list of “I should have done this differently” or “I really regret that” type of sins to confess to Him.  Imagine if we TRULY turned over the reigns to Him.  Presenting our entire day to God as an offering before our feet hit the floor.  What would be the first thing we do?  I’d probably still put on a pot of coffee, but only as a predecessor to grabbing my Sword and digging in God’s instruction manual and spending time over a cup of coffee with my Greatest Friend!

We are to strive to be holy and pleasing to God in all that we do.  All that we do!  I can say, I’m not always holy and pleasing when stuck in traffic…or while seeking a checker at WalMart. Everything we do and say should be an act of worship to the Father!!  I think I need to create a nice, big piece of artwork with that statement bolded at the center and place it where it can be seen and read several time a day!  We have to change our thinking, change our heart condition, change our lives!

Giving our every day to God, we are more open to hearing from Him, recognizing His path for us, unashamedly and confidently following His will.  We are confident in His Word, and do not rely on the words of men.  It’s then that the world around us takes notice.  We don’t waver.  We stand firm in our faith and belief.  We aren’t afraid to take a stand for Christ.

I’m ready to start the walk…will you join me?Once we grasp hold of that life-changing mindset, we can take on our world.  We can confront our culture head on without fear of being changed by it…but with Christ at our side ruling our hearts we can change our culture.  (Just typing those words seems so EXTREME.)

-De

Adopted!

I recently started a new Bible study with ladies.  The scriptures for the first week contain a few of my absolute favorite verses, so I wanted to share them with you.

Romans 8:12-17

Amplified Bible (AMP)

¹² So then, brethren, we are debtors, but not to the flesh [we are not obligated to our carnal nature], to live [a life ruled by the standards set up by the dictates] of the flesh.

¹³ For if you live according to [the dictates of] the flesh, you will surely die. But if through the power of the [Holy] Spirit you are [habitually] putting to death (making extinct, deadening) the [evil] deeds prompted by the body, you shall [really and genuinely] live forever.

¹⁴ For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.

¹⁵ For [the Spirit which] you have now received [is] not a spirit of slavery to put you once more in bondage to fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption [the Spirit producing sonship] in [the bliss of] which we cry, Abba (Father)! Father!

¹⁶ The Spirit Himself [thus] testifies together with our own spirit, [assuring us] that we are children of God.

¹⁷ And if we are [His] children, then we are [His] heirs also: heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ [sharing His inheritance with Him]; only we must share His suffering if we are to share His glory.

Are you ready to jump up and dance, yet?!?  My heart flutters with joy every time I read these verses!  He is my Abba Father!  My Daddy God, and I am His princess!  As my daughter would say with much childish delight…”Really and truly!!!!!”

 

Be encouraged & blessed!

-De

It’s About to Get REAL in Here!

Continuing with the topic of how we speak to ourselves, and more-so, how it effects our lives, I decided to get real with all of you about a personal struggle I’m dealing with now.

For as long as I’ve been a Christian, I’ve taken my prayer time very seriously. There is much power in prayer! I’ve seen God move in tremendous ways, that all started with prayer. I’ve seen lives changed because of prayer. But more than that, spending that precious time, one to One, with my Abba Father provided this crazy life SO much peace!

That being said, for the past nearly 11 months, I’ve really struggled to keep my regular prayer time together. REALLY struggled.

How does this have anything to do with how we speak to ourselves? Well, that’s totally all it is, in my case.

The weekend of April 16, 2012, I prayed more earnestly than I’ve ever prayed before. I played the good Christian role with family, and said all the right words. “God’s will is perfect! No matter what happens, it’s His will.” On the inside, I was torn into tiny pieces. I prayed diligently as I stared at my baby sister, attached to machines that were sustaining her life. I prayed for my Abba to heal her broken body. I KNEW He could do it. Only He could do it! In my heart I knew if she were to be miraculously healed, that it would help draw my family closer to Him. I feared if she weren’t healed that they would drift farther and farther away. I knew that He wouldn’t take her away from her family…it just couldn’t happen that way. He is such a loving God, and I KNOW that.

When they turned off her machines early the following Monday morning, the earthly healing never occurred. My niece and brother-in-law were now without a mother and wife. Still, I kept praying. Praying for God to draw my family to Him through this terribly difficult time. Praying for strength and wisdom to answer the oncoming questions.

I made it through the next weeks, mostly on prayer. Weeks became months, and my prayers for strength became fewer…actually my conversations with God became fewer. Don’t hear me wrong here, I still pray, but those fabulous, non-ritualistic conversations with my Abba God didn’t happen much at all.

Over the past few months, I’ve acknowledged the problem. And started listening to the little voice in my head. Wanna know what it’s been saying…rather hissing in my ear.

“He didn’t listen.”

“Really, what good will praying about it do. He obviously doesn’t listen anymore.”

“No amount of prayer in *insert any situation* will make a difference.”

Etc, etc, etc.

Seriously, every time the Holy Spirit will nudge me to pray over someone, something, anything, that nasty little voice wins. Sure I may utter a prayer…but honestly, it has been just going through the motions because that nagging voice is still there.

Now, I REFUSE to let Satan keep that little voice running around in my brain. That’s partly why I wanted to share my struggle with you. Do you have an area in your life where you’ve allowed Satan to plant that nasty, nagging little voice inside? Know that YOU AREN’T ALONE!

You know what’s even better? We do have an Abba (Daddy) God who is crazy about us and wants nothing more than to provide us freedom from those voices! I’m not saying it’s going to be an easy road, but know you have friends who will pray you through! (And I mean REALLY pray you through!) There may be days when the pain of the chipping away seems more than we can bear. But we must allow ourselves to be broken before God, and only then can He comfort and change us.

“Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, so that you may be healed. The urgent request of a righteous person is very powerful in its effect.” James 5:16 HCSB

Be blessed!

-De

 

You Aren’t Alone!

As my husband and I were travelling home from a minister’s and wives retreat this past weekend, we were discussing what we had learned and our observations from the retreat.  My biggest observation, not just from the retreat but over the past several years actually, is going to be the topic of several blog posts. (I hope.)

As women, we give to much power to our thoughts.  This effects our lives in many ways, positive and negative.

So, for today:  You aren’t alone!

We tend to listen to our crazy thoughts, about many things, and then think to ourselves, “I must be the only person in the world who feels this way!”  What I’ve come to learn is that, well, we are kidding ourselves in a harmful way.

This little inner voice will talk us out of wonderful friendships.  It will build walls dividing relationships.  It will send us in that spiral that finds us sitting in the middle of our beds in the fetal position weeping for no reason at all.  Have you ever been there?  I have, and it’s no fun at all.

I end up there all because of that lying little voice in my head.  That thought that, “she’ll never want to be my friend”, “I’m a failure as a wife and homemaker”, “I’m a terrible mother”…you fill in your own ______________________________.

Now, here’s a slap-yourself-in-head a-ha moment…pretty much every woman you know has & does feel the same way!

I was a bit discouraged this weekend and how quiet most of the other “young” minister’s wives were.  Most would greet each other with a fairly quiet hello and a smile, but I saw very few true conversations developing…which means few friendships were being born.  (And yes, I’m speaking of myself also.)  I can’t see into the minds of the other women, but here are some of the thought running around in my head: “All of these women must know each other…I’m the new kid on the block.”  (With this, I expected to be left on the outside.)  ”If I try to start a conversation with her, I’m sure to say something stupid.” And it pretty much went like that in my head the whole time.

So, I allowed myself to miss out on getting to know some women who truly understand my current situation.  *Excuse me while I give myself a good swift kick.*

Lesson…don’t listen to that little lying voice.  Chances are that woman sitting across the room is having the same thoughts.  Honestly, the majority of women do.  We’ll never get to know one another unless we take that first step…that first horrifying first step.

Encouragement:

“The Lord is my light and my salvation–whom should I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life–of whom should I be afraid?”  Psalm 27:1

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not rely on your own understanding; thing about Him in all your ways, and He will guide you on the right paths.”  Proverbs 3:5-6

These are just a couple.  There are many studies and devotionals that focus on controlling your thought life.  I’m going to be re-visiting a few of them myself.  Hopefully together, over the next few weeks, we can really find that we aren’t alone in this.

I encourage you to comment (even if anonymously) and let us see that we are in this together, and this is something most women (and some men) really do struggle with.

Be blessed!

-De

A Simple and Powerful Prayer

I’ve had some rough days over the past few weeks.  Nothing serious, kids being excessively whiny or hyper, wondering if I will ever unpack everything, unexpected moments of grief, budgeting (ugh), and just life in general.

Today I sat down and was thinking that I really should blog something, it’s been so long.  I reflected over what I’ve been reading in my daily study (which, praise Jesus, I seem to be fitting in to my days FINALLY).  But, although it is good, it’s nothing just “jump of the page” at me today.  So, I started pouring through my box of favorite verses. (A work in progress, but still helpful)  This is what I found, and wanted to share it with you because it screamed at me today.

Ephesians 3:14-21

Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)

Prayer for Spiritual Power

¹⁴ For this reason I kneel before the Father¹⁵ from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named. ¹⁶ I pray that He may grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power in the inner man through His Spirit, ¹⁷ and that the Messiah may dwell in your hearts through faith. I pray that you, being rooted and firmly established in love, ¹⁸ may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the length and width, height and depth of God’s love,¹⁹ and to know the Messiah’s love that surpasses knowledge, so you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

²⁰ Now to Him who is able to do above and beyond all that we ask or think according to the power that works in us— ²¹ to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.

And put another way

The Message (MSG)

^14-19 My response is to get down on my knees before the Father, this magnificent Father who parcels out all heaven and earth. I ask him to strengthen you by his Spirit—not a brute strength but a glorious inner strength—that Christ will live in you as you open the door and invite him in. And I ask him that with both feet planted firmly on love, you’ll be able to take in with all followers of Jesus the extravagant dimensions of Christ’s love. Reach out and experience the breadth! Test its length! Plumb the depths! Rise to the heights! Live full lives, full in the fullness of God.

^20-21 God can do anything, you know—far more than you could ever imagine or guess or request in your wildest dreams! He does it not by pushing us around but by working within us, his Spirit deeply and gently within us.

Glory to God in the church!
Glory to God in the Messiah, in Jesus!
Glory down all the generations!
Glory through all millennia! Oh, yes!

Doesn’t that make you feel encouraged?  It did me!

Be blessed!

-De

 

Christmas Worship – Days 2 & 1

Well, since I wasn’t near my computer at all yesterday, I’m going to combine the last two days…loving called Christmas Adam and Christmas Eve in our home.  ;)

“But it’s more than a fable, and it’s more than a fairy tale. And more than my mind can conceive.”

And a classic I love…it makes me my heart smile!

Enjoy & be blessed!

-De

“They hurried to the village and found Mary and Joseph. And there was the baby, lying in the manger. After seeing him, the shepherds told everyone what had happened and what the angel had said to them about this child. All who heard the shepherds’ story were astonished, but Mary kept all these things in her heart and thought about them often. The shepherds went back to their flocks, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen. It was just as the angel had told them.” Luke 2:16-20NLT

And a happy extra for good measure.

Christmas Worship – 3 Days

I must say that this is my all-time favorite Christmas carol!   And although Pentatonix has a great new rendition, Point of Grace’s version will forever leave me in awe.

“But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons.”  Galatians 4:4-5

Enjoy and be blessed!

-De

Christmas Worship – 4 Days

I wanted to share with you a few of my Christmas favorites over these last few days leading up until Christmas Day.

I pray you are blessed by them.

How would it be if we all had a heart like Mary?  Young, devoted, terrified, willing.

That’s why I fell in love with the following song and it’s message.

“I am not brave
I’ll never be
The only thing my heart can offer is a vacancy
I’m just a girl
Nothing more
But I am willing, I am Yours”

“In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to the Galilean village of Nazareth to a virgin engaged to be married to a man descended from David. His name was Joseph, and the virgin’s name, Mary. Upon entering, Gabriel greeted her:

Good morning!
You’re beautiful with God’s beauty,
Beautiful inside and out!
God be with you.

She was thoroughly shaken, wondering what was behind a greeting like that. But the angel assured her, “Mary, you have nothing to fear. God has a surprise for you: You will become pregnant and give birth to a son and call his name Jesus.

He will be great,
be called ‘Son of the Highest.’
The Lord God will give him
the throne of his father David;
He will rule Jacob’s house forever—
no end, ever, to his kingdom.”

Mary said to the angel, “But how? I’ve never slept with a man.”

The angel answered,

The Holy Spirit will come upon you,
the power of the Highest hover over you;
Therefore, the child you bring to birth
will be called Holy, Son of God.

“And did you know that your cousin Elizabeth conceived a son, old as she is? Everyone called her barren, and here she is six months pregnant! Nothing, you see, is impossible with God.”

And Mary said,

Yes, I see it all now:
I’m the Lord’s maid, ready to serve.
Let it be with me
just as you say.

Then the angel left her.”

Luke 1:26-38 (The Message)

Be blessed!

-De

Long Overdue

I have been avoiding blogging lately.  It doesn’t take much to notice that, I mean, my last post was on October 8th.  I guess the reason is simply life.  It’s been 100% up in the air as my last post reflected.  We were in the waiting.  Well, let me now catch you up on our lives.

October:

We were blessed to go on a MUCH needed family vacation to Disney World.  It was a wonderful week of fun and family bonding!

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November:

November brought on the beginning of the holiday season, and quite a LOT of busy-ness.  For me, I was glad of that, busy-ness means a distracted mind, and a distracted mind means not thinking about things that hurt.  (Yes, I can be thick sometimes…I came to my senses.)

Keven also began seriously talking with a church search committee in Mississippi.  Something that seemed too good to be true for us.  A church, close to home, interested in this totally unworthy little family…it just couldn’t be real.  Guidance and God’s will became the focus of our prayers.

December:

Here we are.  Eight days until Christmas.  Here’s the scoop.  My busy-ness caught up with me…or more honestly, ended.  The moment I walked into the door and into my husband’s arms the night my last Christmas event was finished, the floodgates opened.  My wonderful husband was there and waiting. (He knows me so very well…goodness I love that man.)  December 4th brought what would have been my sister’s 32nd birthday.  Goodness, I miss her laugh.  My heart longs for her to call.  Not that we talked every day, but one or the other of us would call each other out of the blue.  I miss those more than I would have ever known.

Now that I’ve totally depressed you (and spent about 5 minutes getting myself recomposed), I’ll move onto the fantastic.  That very long, emotional week ended better than I could have ever thought…and my God is so wonderful, I can look back now and see Him all over every minute of the first week of December.  Keven went in-view-of-a-call to the Mississippi church on December 9th, and they welcomed us that same day as their new Pastor and family.  Something, that if you told me 4 years ago, I would have laughed at the thought of… I now am so incredibly excited about!

That brings us up-to-date.  I know I’ll shed more tears before Jan 1, and I also know our family will share much more love and laughter before then, also.

Be blessed!

-De

“But those who wait upon God get fresh strength.
They spread their wings and soar like eagles,
They run and don’t get tired,
they walk and don’t lag behind.”

Isaiah 40:31 (The Message)