03-09-13 Receiving Encouragement From Ourselves

Psalm 42:5 "Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God."

I saved this one until last, but it in in no way least important. If anything, this very regarding encouragement is in my estimation, the most important of all. Why? We hear so much about how we glorify ourselves and repent of self-righteous, self-condemnation, self-pity, selfishness, self-protection - I'm sure we can all think of more - and then if they're still active, maybe repent?

The Psalmists (the sons of Korah) were questioning why their soul (mind or will or emotions or all anything mixture of them) was disquieted within them. In the New King James Version, the verse goes on to say, 'Hope in God, for I shall yet praise Him for the help of His countenance.' They knew something about God. That no matter what was going in their lives, no matter what their emotions or their minds were telling them, that the answer was in the Lord God.

A word about emotions. Contrary to popular belief, emotions are not bad. Emotions are good, evern the 'bad' ones. They let us know that something is wrong. Granted, emotions are sometimes, influenced by the enemey, but even then they are still telling us that something is wrong. Emotions can also be good in that they can allow us to feel happy, eletated, joyful, thankful, greatful, wonder, awe, etc. Sometimes people tell us that 'you shouldn't go by your emotions, stop letting them lead you'. What is compassion, it's sympathy, empathy for another person - emotions. Since we're made in the image of God, then He has emotions and He gives us emotions to help us, not to hinder us.

 

How many of us have seen THIS picture. I'm not discounting it - so take a minute and cool off. We're led by the Spirit of Truth. Fact could be called Truth (the Word of God). Faith or Trust in what God has said - Who He says He is and we who are in Him) follows because we believe the Truth, since it IS true. Our Feelings or Emotions follow because they are to be in line with our trust in God and His Truth.

Having said that, our emotions should not lead or drive us, but they are a useful tool in the hand of God to show us what we need to take of. So, to say to someone, stop going by your emotions, doesn't really help.... unless they help us to know what to do with those emotions. Oh, it's easy for me to stuff them back down and be a good little Christian like certain people have wanted me to in the past - but that's not right either. The Lord wants us to experience what we're feeling, come to Him (whether it directly or indirectly through a trustworthy friend) and let Him tell us why they are there. If it's the enemy - then get rid of it; if it's a wound, then it can be healed; if it's our own self-whatever, then repent, then many times under the repentance there's also healing of some wound.

Please take this in the way it's intended - not in some sarcastic 'trying to rock the boat' way (although rock the boat sometimes isn't bad). Sometimes, yes, we do need to hear 'get your eyes into the Word and onto Jesus'. But also knowing that sometimes, the Lord allows us to feel or even have a lack of feelings to put us on notice that something is wrong and it needs fixed. So, just hearing someone say to 'stop it' - sometimes really doesn't help, but makes our hearts even more downcast - it's like salt in a wound.

When are emotions are all that we are focused on - we need a encouragement from a friend or directly from the Lord - a still, small voice or His Word. Our focus is supposed to be on Jesus and Truth.... and some of us eventually will get there.... because sometimes it doesn't happen overnight (as in grief, depression, etc.). If we don't have any emotions, then we need to let the Lord 'fix' that also... because we were made with emotions.

The main point is that we can talk to ourselves and speak the Truth to ourselves while we are going through what we are going through. Our HOPE is in the Lord our Father and sometimes through His servants. Then one day we look look in the mirror or others look into our eyes or our face and see our countenance is changing or has changed. Our help and our hope comes from the Lord. Let's begin to encourage ouselves... why are we down in the dumps... with the stinky trash? Our God is greater and our hope is in Him because "from Him and through Him and in Him are all things" that we need. "To Him be glory forever. Amen" Romans 11:36.

You Raise Me Up - Josh Groban

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rn55TmA7izg

03-08-13 Receiving Encouragement From Father

Proverbs 119:27-29 "Make me understand the way of Your precepts; So shall I meditate on Your wonderful works. My soul melts from heaviness; strengthen me according to Your word. Remove from me the way of lying, And grant me Your law graciously."

What does it mean to you to be 'down in the dumps'? Maybe some answers would be: Depressed, sad, grieving, in turmoil, 'feels like a 8,000 pound elephant is sitting on my chest'. It could be the effects of just about anything - the weather being gloomy, a death in the family or a close friend, something the Lord seems to have His finger on that disturbs us, something goes wrong with our day or like we planned it to go, we wake up on the wrong side of the bed (does that mean we should always wake up on the 'right' side of the bed?). Or we could feel downcast or disturbed by our own wrongdoings or sin.

What do we do with the former? We take the hand of our Lord, our Comforter, our Father and let Him gently lead us back into the Light. Ever notice when the sun is out and you're standing in it - you look up and it just makes your whole body feel good or rejuvenated or...? That's where He wants to lead us. Sometimes, it takes a little while to get there and sometimes it doesn't take long at all. We talk to Him and we receive from Him His encouragement to keep going on. The going on may get tough, but He's 'tougher'. He's saying, 'Lean on Me'. When we can't walk, He picks us up until we regain our strength - but we're always moving toward the Light. I was reading the other day, that a sheep will always move towards the light - it doesn't like shadows or dark places. Jesus is our Shepherd and the Light of the World... we will always be drawn to Him - or back to Him. Father says, 'Come on, little one, let's do this one together.'

What do we do with the latter? We repent. Father takes it. Father forgets it. Once we repent, we don't take it back, and we don't keep dwelling on it! Here's the issue, dwelling on something we've already taken care of (including making amends to those we've hurt - if that's the case), then it can quickly turn into false guilt. False guilt (or self-condemnation) is when we beat ourselves up for something over and over and over again. When it gets to the point where that's all we think about and talk about and even cry about, then it can become a stronghold of guilt, grief or condemnation. This requires more repentance and now we're dealing with a structure that needs to be torn down. That is, after we tell the enemy (the strongman) to get the heck out of our lives and that we aren't going to listen to the lies any longer - that we're bad or weak or unworthy or (fill in the blank). We were forgiven the moment we asked for forgiveness and the enemy has no legal right to stay any longer. We ask Holy Spirit to come and increase our faith. It rises up in us and we see the strongman weaken as Jesus walks into the picture. It looks at Jesus and we see a frail 'weakman' scurry away. Then Jesus say, 'Let's dismantle this stronghold - you don't need it anymore'. We don't see condemnation in His eyes, but grace and mercy and encouragement that we can do all things through Him, because He strengthens us.

I leave you with one last verse of blessing. Instead of listening to a song for the next few minutes, meditate on this:

2 Thessalonians 2:16-17 "May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal encouragement and good hope, encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good deed and word."

03-07-13 Receiving the Help of Father

John 14:15-17 "If you love me, keep my commands. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever—the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you."

Psalm 121 "I lift up my eyes to the mountains—where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth. He will not let your foot slip—he who watches over you will not slumber; indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. The Lord watches over you—the Lord is your shade at your right hand; the sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night. The Lord will keep you from all harm—he will watch over your life; the Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore."

Since Jesus is our Great High Priest Who ever lives to make intercession for us (Romans 8:34 and Hebrews 7:25), He is always talking to the Father about us. In John, He was telling His disciples to keep His commands not for fear of punishment, but because they love Him. Jesus knew what was going to happen, that He wouldn't be with them much longer, so He was comforting them by saying He would ask the Father to send 'another advocate' of Helper or Holy Spirit to help them and be with them forever... and that He was the Spirit of Truth. Nobody at that time knew Holy Spirit, but Jesus said that they knew Him (Jesus was living with them - and He was with Jesus) and that when He was gone, Holy Spirit would indwell (be inside) of them. It's the same today!

We can talk to Jesus, we can talk to Father, and we can talk to Holy Spirit - all three together or one at time (which is actually talking to all three together because they are all together.... yeah... anyway... Talking to Father is like talking to a Good Dad (if you had not-so-good parents then He would be everything good you could think of). He won't hurt us. He wants to help us. Some of us have been abused and don't like to be touched unless we initiate it, but He extends His Hand to us and says, "My child, let Me help you." Then it's up to us to trust His Word regarding Who He says He is. That's a hard one. Especially, if we had parents who were all nice and sweet out and about and then a terror at home. We got mixed signals - it messed with our brains.... our minds... our thoughts. Numbers 23:19 "God is not human, that he should lie, not a human being, that he should change his mind. Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfill?" Guess what? He doesn't lie. So, what do you think He means when He says that He will help us? Well, I think it means that He will help us.

Look at Psalm 121. Now it's up to us to look up.... someone looking down all the time, for one can't see where they're going and two, are basically rejecting help. They're facing the opposite direction. The Psalmist asks 'where does my help come from?' Well, since he's looking up, he sees 'hey, my help comes from the Lord, from God, from Father, from Dad - who, ummmm, just happens to be THE MAKER OF HEAVEN AND EARTH. Yeah, THAT DAD. What does He go on to say? He watches over us all the time. He protects us, so, well maybe that means we don't have to protect ourselves anymore?? Yep. He's got it handled. We do... I have done so much over the year to protect myself from people, places, things... after over 4 decades - I haven't done a very good job. So, right here and right now, I drop anything that I've created to protect myself that hasn't already been dropped - at the foot of the Cross of Jesus (it's a smaller list than it used to be). I don't need to protect myself anymore and I don't want to protect myself anymore. I can see Jesus picking all of it up and throwing it all as far as the East is from the West (He's got quite an arm). Fear is no longer in my vocabulary (except the healthy kind), neither is self-protection.

Just made it kind of personal, didn't I? AND I mean it with all my heart, soul, mind and strength. It really is just as 'easy' and 'hard' as that. "But it means that we'd be that 'v' word, you know.... vulnerable." No, it means we believe that "(Our) Dad watches over (us)—the Lord is (our) shade at (our) right hand; the sun will not harm (us) by day, nor the moon by night. Father will keep (us) from all harm—He will watch over (our lives); (Dad) will watch over (our) coming and going both now and forevermore." HE COVERS US AND PROTECTS US SO THAT WE WILL NEVER BE VULNERABLE AGAIN.

So, receive His help today. You won't regret it.... you just may like it!

God Help Me - Rebecca St. James

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WUfTfQw1UBQ

03-06-13 Receiving Help in Human Form

Luke 5:18-19 "Some men came carrying a paralyzed man on a mat and tried to take him into the house to lay him before Jesus. When they could not find a way to do this because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and lowered him on his mat through the tiles into the middle of the crowd, right in front of Jesus."

Mark recounts this same story. The story goes on to say that Jesus told the man that his sins were forgiven. Then the self-righteous people of day - basically said each other , "who does this guy think he is, saying 'your sins are forgiven' ". Well, Jesus knew what they were thinking (ooo, scary thought) and basically said, "so that you will know that I have the power to forgive sins, I will do even more than that." He tells the man to get up and walk. More about this within the next couple days.

Now, the NIV version of the Bible doesn't really say that these men were his friends, but I would call them friends for as much work as they did. Really now - who else would take the time to carry a paralyzed man to the door of the house, decide that they can't get in and devise a way to get on top of the roof of the house. Not to mention, getting their hands dirty from digging through the roof... I'm not sure what the roof was held together with, but I'm sure it wasn't a very clean job. The people below probably didn't appreciate the act a whole lot with anything that may have fallen down... I'm sure of one thing though, I'm sure Jesus was smiling - because he knew what was happening.

They finally make the hold big enough to lower their friend down right in front of Jesus. I can almost hear the people saying, 'Hey, he 'jumped' the line, Jesus... we were here first.' I can imagine Jesus looking up at the man's friends and smiling because he knew how hard they worked physically and how much faith they had that He would heal their friend, if they could just get the man to Him.

The man himself may or may not have had any faith or hope of getting healed. He was paralyzed - He could never get to where Jesus was by himself. He needed help. Maybe at first, he resisted their help saying that it was impossible or he's been close to Jesus and He hasn't even given him a second glance or maybe his condition had gone on for so long that he had lost hope. Going up to the roof, he may have had thoughts of 'what if they drop me' - 'maybe this was a bad idea'. Maybe he even voiced his concern and wanted to turn back out of fear.

But his friends, they had love for him - they had trusted that if they could just get him in there somehow, someway, Jesus would heal him. I can see it now, as they are carry him up to the roof and digging out the hole - their faith is rising by the minute. They just KNOW this is going to work.... AND IT DID WORK! Their faith in what Jesus could do and maybe that little spark of faith once the man saw Jesus caused Jesus' heart to swell and pour out not only the blessing of forgiveness, but of healing. I believe, He healed a whole lot more than His paralyed body. He healed his paralyzed mind, will, and emotions. He healed his soul also.

All because the man allowed his friends to take him all the way to Jesus. They carried him on their shoulders to Jesus when there was no way could make it himself. Their faith carried him through, then when he saw Jesus - his faith was fanned into a flame. Not only did Jesus forgive everything he'd ever done or thought that was wrong. By the time, Jesus told him to take his bed and go for a walk - he may have hesitated, but if he did - it wasn't for long. He was up and out of there!

We aren't meant to go through life alone - especially the hard stuff of our lives. When our faith is at it's weakest and our pain keeping climbing that is when we need to ask for help - for prayer - for encouragement - and let Jesus prove His strength through those He's placed in our lives. Trusting that He knows what He's doing and who He's using and resting in their care as we're resting in the care of Jesus.

I Need You To Survive - Hezekiah Walker

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x0QH0Mr-_R0

03-05-13 Receiving Mercy and Grace

Hebrews 4:14-16 "Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin. Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need."

I don't know how many times I've been attempted to do what they Lord has asked me to do and 'self' got in the way. You know, that elusive part of ourselves that knows the truth, but just can't seem to go through with it. I don't know, I get this picture of the Ziggy cartoon with Ziggy facing himself who has SELF written across his shirt and can't get past him to get want he needs on the other side.

These verses are basically saying, 'Hey, y'know, we have this priest over all priest who loves us so much that He took our place and died for our sins, right? Well, He now happens to be sitting right next to God (like, our Dad). So they're kinda in cahoots with each other, since they both love us like unconditionally. So, let's stand strong in our faith that we always talk about. Mostly because since Jesus so totally has felt everything we feel, has been weak in every way we've been weak, not to mention He was tempted to sin and let self get in the way just like we have/are - but somehow He never, ever gave in to His weaknesses. Well, because He did go through everything that we've gone through, we're going through and we ever will go through, He's able to intercede (Hebrews 7:24-25) and stand in the gap between us and our Father when we screw up in a way that no one else can. Now, Dad really listens to His sons and daughters, but Jesus, well, He's the firstborn, y'know - they seem to be almost inseparable - and they seem to be always in agreement with each other - so He really takes into account what Jesus says. That being the case, Jesus saying - Dad, I already paid the price for them - they've repented - can You give them some mercy and forgive them. Maybe also give them some grace because they really are wanting to come back to You... and I think they may need it in the coming days ahead to resist those old temptations that got them here in the first place. Father, looks at us walking up, then looks at Jesus, then looks back at us and says, 'Come, it's ok. I don't condemn you. You can have complete confidence in the fact that I have everything you need right now."

So, we enter into Father's Presence with knowing that He love us and is actually glad we're there. There's nothing of 'self' - we left that at the door. This confidence isn't a puffed up pride that 'Hey, I'm a child of God and I can just go waltzing in there no matter what I've done and He's going to have mercy on me.' No, it's a knowing that we know in the deepest parts of our being that God loves us enough to allow us to come humbly into His Presence so that our relationship can restored. Trusting Him that He will be merciful and give us the grace we need.

He says that's what He'll do, so that's what He'll do. Again, it's up to us to receive His mercy (His forgiveness, His pardon) and to receive His grace (His favor that is there even when we don't deserve it). Believe and Receive - our Father is a good Father and only gives good gifts - Matthew 7:7-11

"Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!" You know Who said that? Jesus. He is and every will be FOR us.

Have Mercy on Me - Soveign Grace Music (album - "The Gathering")

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kbs9wOOkwpM

03-04-13 Receiving Forgiveness

Acts 26:17-18 "...I am sending you to them to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.’

This portion of scripture is Paul recounting what the Lord said to him after his amazing transformation in Acts 9. He was converted from persecuting (ie. killing) Christians to becoming one himself in a dramatic way and God used him in a dramatic way to help others 'see the Light'.

When we ask for forgiveness from Father (knowing we've done wrong and hurt Him) and turn from our sin (repent) - then He is "faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness" - 1 John 1:9. All we have to do is receive it. It's a done deal with God... Jesus made it a done deal. 1 John 2:1 "My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have an advocate with the Father—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One."

Why is it SO hard to receive a gift. Well, it's humbling for one - especially if we feel like we don't have anything to give in return.... except our lives... which are a mess (some, if not most of the time). Like, that's a really great gift... But to God, it's we are the best gift of all. He's like a wood carver without any wood. He so wants to carve something beautiful, but has nothing to work with until He finds some wood. That wood is us. When we come to Him and ask forgiveness for our wrongs and repent of the way we've been going and truly want to follow Him - when we RECEIVE the work that Jesus did for us on the Cross as our own - ("Father, forgive them for they know not what they do" - His words as He hung bleeding, hurting and dying on the Cross) - we have the choice to RECEIVE that forgiveness. Receiving and Accepting are two side to the same coin.

If we don't receive - reach out our hands and take ahold of His forgiveness - are we really accepting what Jesus did for us? Why did we go through all the 'trouble' of asking for forgiveness and truly repenting from our hearts??? Philippians 3:12 - Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me."

But wait, doesn't the Bible also say that if we don't forgive someone else their sins against, He won't forgive our sins? Yes - in a round-about way in Matthew 4:16 "For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you." But think about this, when we first come to Christ - He just wants us to be reconciled to the Father. He has not pre-requisites - we don't have to have our acts together to come to him. Besides, that - HE KNOWS OUR HEARTS. He knows that just by the act for asking for forgiveness and repenting that we want to do right and He will lead us down the paths we need to go in our own lives to bring total healing and restoration - forgiving others along the way is part of that (oh, and forgiving ourselves should top the list).

Jesus made us worthy of forgiveness and everything He has for us when He died for our sins. So, let's throw off unworthiness and shame and anything else that hinders us from receiving the forgiveness we asked for... and experience His joy for the first time, or at a deeper level than we ever thought possible.

God's love and patience towards us has no end. For that, I'm thankful...

Pray for Forgiveness - Alicia Keys

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ccWnKoRt58s

Freedom - Bethel Live 2012

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qiO_Eteee1U