Spring is in the Air and Love is Everywhere

I just love spring! It is my favorite season and it holds my favorite holiday, Easter.

I don’t love Easter because of the fluffy bunny that breaks into homes in the
middle of the night and hops into living rooms with baskets of goodies for
children everywhere. I don’t love Easter for the big family dinner full of good food
and laughter. Rather, I love Easter because of the selfless act of Grace that was
done that day on our behalf.

On that day, God transformed the world through His love. His crucifixion not only
forgives our trespasses, but it also beckons us to come into His presence and live
in communion with Him for eternity. This invitation can only be given because the
power of sin has been rendered powerless. No longer are we slaves of the enemy.
We have been given a new identity. We are now co-heirs with Christ,
daughters of the King.

Furthermore, His grace allows us to enter into relationship with Him
right here, right now. We don’t have to wait until this shell of a body
passes away. The Holy Spirit is guiding us and teaching us. He is
transforming us—changing us into the image of the Father.

2 Corinthians 3:18 says, “But we all, with unveiled face,
beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed
into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the
Spirit.”

New Assignment

For 4 years of my life I planned and organized a christian women's conference in NW Indiana called "Tie Us Together". We had 3 wonderful conferences where people of many denominational backgrounds had their faith strengthened.  I never doubted what I was asked to do; however, I did doubt my ability to do the assignment.

After seeing the faithfulness of God for the first couple conferences, I didn't even doubt the Lord's ability to pull all the pieces together and financially provide. I was content in my inability because I knew He was able. I could have organized conferences for the rest of my life with complete contentment.

Our last conference in 2009 didn't turn out like the other two. The actual conference was fantastic! Jan Silvious brought the Word and Jennie Wellsand took us to the throne room in worship. But the finances didn't come through like they had in the past.

 I struggled for months and months as to why God didn't pay His bills immediently. My faith was shaken down to the core. I felt abandoned by the Most High. It was all I could do to hold myself together and not doubt in the existance of God.

I kinda felt like John the Baptist sitting in jail. Remember in Matthew 11, when John sent his disciples to Jesus asking, "Are you the Expected One, or shall we look for someone else?" Yeah,I felt like that. Here I had seen the Hand of the Lord working, I had lived in intimacy with the Savior, but with this one upset--I was severly doubting Him. I just wanted to make sure that He is who He says He is--and that His word is true.

Finally, after  months of silence, that Still Small Voice spoke loud and clear. He was changing my assignment. No longer would I organize women's conferences. He was giving me a new assignment. Had the last conference turned out like the first two, I may not have given up the assignment. I may have continued to organize conferences. He needed to slow me down--to stop me, so I would listen to Him.

 For the last year and a half, I have been listening to His voice leading me. He has put this blog together and named it "Homesick". He has asked me to be a communicator to His people with my writing and speaking. When called upon by the Body, I faithfully speak. When called upon by the Spirit, I faithfully write. Daily, I stand amazed that He chooses to use this weak vessel.

My assignment may never grow beyond this blog and a couple speaking engagements. I'm content with that.  The joy doesn't come in the largeness of what we are called to do. The joy comes in the obedience to the One who calls. Listen to His voice calling you and obey the assignment put in front of you. He is faithful.

Running Home

There is a nasty sin that just wouldn't go away in my life. It was consuming my thought life and I was miserable. I had tried everything I knew--gone to support meetings, asked for prayer, changed my habits. Inevitably this thing would cycle back around and I would again try to control it unsuccessfully.

Until the day my husband said, "What if you just didn't think about it anymore?"

Seriously? Did he just say that? My mind began the rebuttal, "Really? You think it is that simple? Like THAT is going to work!"

After some time chewing on what he said, I realized it is that simple. Paul says in Philippians 4:8, "Finally brethren [and sisteren ;)] whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things."

The "whatever" Paul is talking about must be heavenly. This world isn't true, honorable, right, pure, lovely, etc... So, how does that practically look in daily life? Well for me, when this sin cycles back around, I run Home. I run to the Holy of Holies and sit at my Father's feet in worship. I fill my home with worship music and I set my mind on the things above.

By posturing myself this way, it takes me out of the fight. Now the battle is between this sin and my Protector. He will cover me. He will guard me. He will let me continue in sabbath rest while He gets rid of this sin.

Now, I no longer bow to this sin in my life. I don't try to fight my flesh in my flesh. I don't do it anymore on my own. I now allow God to stand in the gap. Romans 6:17-18 says, "But thanks be to God that though you were slaves of sin, you became obedient from the heart to that form of teaching to which you were committed, and having been freed from sin, you became slaves of righteousness."

The more I run to the Father's arms and ask Him to fight for me, the less the temptation is to fall back into that sin pattern.

What is it that you are struggling with? What sin keeps cycling back into your life that you just can't shake on your own? Run to the Father. Run Home to the Holy of Holies. Set your mind on the things of Heaven and the stuff of earth with fade away.  He is big. He is strong. He will take care of this pest for you.

Freewill

He walked in the front door and in frustration threw his book bag on the floor and shouted, "When am I going to be allowed to cuss?" I immediately stopped loading the dishwasher and offered up a feable prayer. Something like, "God help me."

"All the kids at school cuss. When am I going to be allowed to cuss?" Gingerly, I started asking him questions about his day and figured out what he was so upset about and why he wanted to cuss. Once he was calmed down, he asked again, "When am I going to be allowed to cuss?" 

I told my first born, rule following, child that he was allowed to cuss--just not in my home or around me, his father, or his sisters. The funny look on his face mirrored the funny feeling my heart felt saying those words. I had him say a couple cuss words and talked about how he felt saying those words. I told him my experience in middle school and how those words hurt me and my friends. I ended our time telling him that he could take a couple days to think and pray about whether or not he wanted to start cussing.

A couple days later, he came home from school and said, "I know what I want to do." He told me that he wasn't going to cuss. He had thought about it and even prayed about it and had decided not to cuss. My heart let out a huge sigh of relief.

I knew I couldn't keep him under my thumb and if I didn't give him freedom in making this [relatively] small decision about his life, he may not come to me when the decisions are a lot bigger and more complicated. So, I reliquished parental control and gave him the most scary gift a parent can give their child: freewill.

Again, God brought to my attention that my children are His first then mine. I am gifted with the responsibility to steward their upbringing for the kingdom. Ultimately, God is their protector and He will provide what is needed. When I let go and allowed the Lord to work on my son's heart, I received the opportunity to see God at work in his life.

This is how the Father is with us. Everything is permissible but not everything is beneficial. We ask for permission for things that aren't beneficial often. His Holy Spirit guides and convicts us in the way we should go. Ultimately, it is up to us to make the decision to follow His ways or our ways. Which way will you choose?

Rest

A year or so ago I began a study in the book of Hebrews. During the study, the Spirit took me on a journey into the depths of Christ I had not known. It was more than a touch. It was more than being swaddled by His love while in prayer or worship. It was a depth in understanding and a progression in wisdom that cannot be compared to an experience or feeling. My hunger for His word grew to craving proportions.

One of the concepts brought out during that study was Sabbath Rest. This idea that we can live in rest. No more striving or working for the kingdom of God. Instead, I have let go, opened up my heart to let God work through me. I no longer am taking the lead but have allowed Him to lead me completely. By resting in His ability to guide me, I am sitting in a home that I never expected to live in, I am filling my days with activities that I never thought I would do, and I love people with a love that is not my own.

More of Him and less of me. What a magnificant love that can consume me and create in me a heart longing for the Father's presence. My goals, my dreams, my desires for my life have been left at the cross and I now carry His goals, His dreams, His desires for me.

Where are you at today? Are you locked in a tired effort to bring about results in your spiritual life? Posture yourself in such a way that you can give your efforts to Him and you will begin to see the sweetness of His Sabbath Rest.

Discernment

Oh Friends, I have to tell you what I saw on TV the other day. I had to blink a few times to make sure it was for real.  Ok, I saw a homeshow on a PBS channel. You know the shows that have various homemaking segments such as decorating, cooking, etc...Well, this show was all about preparing for a dinner party with limited preperation time. So, the segment I caught was "cleaning up" for the party.

The host talked about how to throw dirty dishes in a big bowl or pan and put them in the oven or cabinet. Then she talked about  spraying some sort of house cleaner right in front of the front door so when the guests arrive they get a whiff of cleaner and they will have the perception that the house is clean even though it isn't. She ended the segment by saying "perception is truth".

To which I say, "No."  The truth is: your house is dirty, there are even dirty dishes hiding in your oven. The lie is: the house is clean--see your nose even thinks so.

Our senses will lie to us. They will perceive that the house is clean when it really isn't. They will see things and smell things that aren't truths. This is why the Bible is vital to our spiritual growth. Without the foundation of the Word of God, our senses and/or our emotions can lead us into a dirty home when we think that it is clean. We will be tricked.

Friends, know the Truth. Know the still small voice of the Spirit. Sit with Him and listen to Him speaking. Then, when you go into someone's house (i.e. read a book, hear a teaching, etc...) you will be able to distinguish if the house is clean or dirty.

Cain and the Elder Brother

I've read the account of Cain and Abel found in Genesis 4 dozens of times. Every time, I come to the same conclusion: Why didn't God accept Cain's offering? He was after all the "tiller of the ground". He wasn't the one with the animals just the barley. He offered up his offering before his brother. How could he have known that God only accepted a blood sacrifice?

Hebrews 11 says that Abel had faith. Where does that leave Cain? If Cain didn't have any faith, why would he give a sacrifice in the first place? Surely, he had the same conviction in his heart to sacrifice that Abel did.

This morning I was reading this account again and asking the Lord these questions again. This time, the Spirit gently moved me from Cain and Abel to the parable of the man with two sons often referred to the Parable of the Prodigal Son found in Luke 15. Reading the section about the elder son in correlation to Cain who was an elder son brought new light into the rejection of Cain's sacrifice.

See Cain and the elder son did what was supposed to be done. Their actions showed a loyal heart dedicated to the Lord, but their hearts were full of pride beating selfish thoughts which eventually manifested in anger. The elder brother upon hearing that his younger brother had been loved unconditionally said to their father, "Look! For so many years I have been serving you and I have never neglected a command of yours; and yet you have never given me..." You get the picture.

The elder brother's service to his father was very self righteous. Essentially, he said, "Look at all I have done for you and yet you don't reward my good behavior." This sounds pretty similar to what Cain was feeling. He offers a sacrifice and yet it isn't accepted. All this good behavior and it goes unappreciated.

Cain's prideful heart cannot master the sin that is crouching, desiring to overtake him which eventually will lead to death. God warns Cain of the condition of his heart and yet Cain cannot humble himself. His heart is far from the Father--even with good works--he is far from the Father. Soon Cain is overtaken by his lustful desire and he kills his brother.

Cain separated himself from God and wouldn't allow the Lord to teach him because he had hardened his heart with his own evil desires. We must remain soft and pliable by the Master potter. We must be humble to allow Him to teach us. Likewise, the elder brother was separated from his father by his prideful heart. He wouldn't bend to the will of the father but rather was focused on himself unable to mature in his father's ways.



Seeing Cain and the elder brother together like this brings me to my knees. Oh Lord, examine my heart. Root out any pride that you find there. May I decrease so that You may increase. I want to love what you love and who you love. May my actions only be an outgrowth of my intimate walk with you. I don't want hollow behaviors.