The Grip of Fear, Part 1

Oh the fear that freezes, keeping us incapable of action, too timid to take the first step.  The fear the fills our mind with anxious thoughts and worries, cluttering any attempt at clarity of thought and vision.  The fear that builds excuse upon excuse until we forget what we were initially afraid to do.  Oh this fear, I am so well-acquanted with it, far more than I hope or wish.  Are you?  Have you experienced the grip of fear?  If you have, my friend, we are not alone.

Exodus 14:1-31 was the key passage for Day 6 of the She Reads Truth: Fresh Start devotion and it spoke to me profoundly about this concept of fear and it's grip that leaves me immoveable at times.  In this passage, Moses has freed the Israelites from bondage in Egypt and they are starting their journey.  As they get closer to the sea, Pharaoh's army is quickly approaching behind.  Panic fills my heart and mind just thinking about it.  The Israelites have reached the veritable rock and hard place and immediately they long for the previous bondage.  How often do I do that?  Do we do that?  The fear of the unknown grips us and we long for what we have known before even if it wasn't pleasant at all.  There seems to be comfort in the knowing.  But what does Moses say when they start crying out to him in anguish, in fear?

"Do not be afraid, stand firm, and see the deliverance that the LORD will accomplish for you today; for the Egyptians you see today you shall never see again.  The LORD will fight for you, and you have only to keep still."  Exodus 14:13-14 NRSV

As I read this words of comfort, a command to not be afraid and stand firm, the last phrase caught my attention.  What does it mean to "keep still"?  I looked through several other translations to see if a different word was used and lo and behold, another word for still is silent.  In fact, the New American Standard Version says, "The LORD will fight for you while you keep silent." v. 14 and the Message proclaims, "God will fight your battle for you.  And you?  You keep your mouths shut!"  Well, that certainly caused me to pause and think about how much do I "talk over" what God is trying to tell me?  How often do I let worried and anxious thoughts cloud my mind, so that finding time and place for silent reflection is impossible?  How often are my prayers a personal monologue and not a true conversation with the One who knows all things?  The discipline and practice of silence, here it is in Exodus for the Israelites and here it is for us.  No matter what rock and hard place we find ourselves in, we can rest and trust in the knowledge that God is with us each inch of the way, guiding and directing us and in our stillness and in our silence, we sense His guidance more deeply than before.

Out of Darkness

"The earth was formless and void, and darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was moving over the surface of the waters." Genesis 1:2 NASB

Do you ever feel like a formless void, unsure of who you are or what God has called you to be?  Those were the thoughts that flitted through my mind as I read Genesis 1 almost as if for the first time.  Do I feel like my life is a chaotic whirl around me?  And then, almost as quickly as those thoughts entered in, the vast comfort that if I am feeling that way, who more wonderful and powerful than the Almighty Creator of the universe who brought light from darkness and order to chaos to guide my heart and my life.  He is the Creator of all things and the giver of life.  He has complete authority to guide and direct me.  He loves us and wants us to live the fulfilling life He has promised to us.  These ideas are not new and fresh, but when received in a moment of whir, oh the peace they bring.  It is amazing how easily I lose sight of the One in whom all things come together.  I let the bits of my life that overwhelm easily entangle me, when if I step back and seek Him first, calm and order thrive.  Our bodies seem to crave order and structure.  As children, when we have a consistent routine, life seems to work better and as I read this first chapter of Genisis, this idea of the
importance of order does not surprise me.  It has been so from the beginning.  God knows what is right and good for us -- separating water from sky.  Water is a great place for fish to dwell, but not so much for people.  He provides the proper environment.  God knows how we need to breathe.  God knows exactly what we need because He created us.    He is Provider -- each day of creation we see this.  God makes a way for us and other living things.  His plans have purpose.

And God provides not only order and proper environments for us, but also the idea of renewal and the ability to begin again.  The seed bearing fruit He creates in verse 11 is not limited to one season, but is created with the capacity to reproduce its fruit each year.  God provides renewal for all of us with his creation of different lights in verse 14 and how they will allow seasons to change.  The changing of seasons fills my heart with refreshment and as one season turns to another, I feel a fresh and new energy to face the day ahead.  Variety finds a home in God's order, too.  Not only in seasonal change, but in the variety of plants and animals He created.  I remember my first trip to Central Market with my grandmother, wandering through the produce aisle almost as if I were walking through a museum, seeing so many varieties of fruits and vegetables that were completely new to me. I know that was just a taste of all the varieties of things that find a home throughout our world.

God's process is true and powerful.  We may not know what each day will bring, but we can trust that the One who created us will walk with us through it.  We need only to trust and allow our gaze to fall continually on Him for guidance, not racing ahead, but maintaining His pace until it becomes the very rhythm of our heart.

Five for Friday: Favorite Devotionals

Happy Friday, Everyone!  I'm so happy to be linking up with a few of my favorite bloggers (Natasha, Darci, April, and Christina) to talk about five fun things this week.

One of my resolutions/goals from this post was to listen and part of that specifically was to listen more to the Lord when I spend time in prayer and Bible study.  This goal led me to start considering some different quiet time methods, so I thought I would list five of my favorite devotional resources for my Friday Five this week.  Some are recent finds and others I have used in the past.

1.  Jesus Calling

Sarah Young's book is by far one of the most powerful tools for reflection and drawing closer to God that I have ever read.  God uses each day's writing to inspire and apply new insights to different situations I am experiencing in my life.  After the devotional thought, she lists related Scriptures and I find these to be very useful for further pondering and reflection.  Another nice feature is the app you can purchase for different devices.  It is nice to know this resource is ready at my fingertips!

2.  She Reads Truth

This online resource offers a variety of devotional plans to subscribe to with the added advantage of community discussion.  The plans are also available through the free YouVersion Bible app, which is such a great way to keep up with the daily posts.  Some plans go through books of the Bible and others are topical studies ranging from women in the Bible to the recent advent study.  I have found these studies to be both convicting and comforting and am always eager to see what the next series will be.  I think the next study begins next week!

3.  First15.org

The Denison Forum on Truth and Culture is hosting this daily yearlong devotional series that emphasizes the importance of spending time with God each and every day.  The first week's focus is describing the different components of what the First15 is all about.  I also enjoy reading Dr. Denison's daily emails that discuss current events through a theological lens.  You can sign up for those emails here.

4.  My Utmost for His Highest

I remember reading this class text by Oswald Chambers when I was in high school and how powerfully it impacted me with each page.  I just saw that there is a website that posts the daily readings.  I have linked it above.  If you are looking for a devotional guide that has stood the test of time, I highly recommend this one.

5.  M'Cheyne Bible Reading Plan

And finally, for the very disciplined, a year-long Bible reading plan.  I confess that I have not made it through the entire Bible in a year, though I have tried several times before.  I'm hoping that I can do this at some point, but feel a 3 year plan might be more my speed.  The M'Cheyne plan is a 1 year plan and it divides the texts up over chapters in several different books each day.  I just did a google search for a 3 year Bible reading plan and found several, so I might have to look into this.  I think it is so valuable to spend time in all of Scripture and these yearly plans allow you to read it all.

I hope this list was helpful.  Sometimes my biggest struggle with daily devotional time is figuring out where to start and these different resources have certainly helped me in that area.  I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

Receiving

I start awake in the wee hours of morning, darkness consumes the night outside as the anxious thoughts of life consume my mind and will not allow for rest.  I worry and fret and cannot begin to comprehend how I will still my soul to lull back into the sleep my body needs.  Perhaps that this is the first issue: "I".  It will be impossible for me to surmount any of these anxieties and find rest myself, but only through surrendering and receiving the open and all-encompassing love of Christ will I find any release from my captives.

I turn to look at my phone to check first the time...3:38 (or something similar)...too early.  Then, I remember my Jesus Calling app and look there.  It is in those words for the day that I am reminded of the love God has for me and how easily I am swayed from it.  The enemy is fully aware of my flaws and weaknesses.  He knows of my tendency to worry and latch on to the things that are beyond my control.  He knows my struggle to let things go and move forward and how I feel that in some way, by holding on and feeling guilt, I am serving my sentence even though I am well aware the most miraculous act of sacrificial love has freed me.  The enemy loves holding me in this place of incapacity.  And I am not his first victim.  My thoughts turn swiftly to the first act of the tempter in the garden with another woman.  The first act of deception wasn't in the act of eating the fruit, but planting the seed of doubting God's word.  "Did God really...?" (Genesis 3:1)  And I think of how many times I have let that same voice, so craftily similar to my own ask myself the same questions.  Could God really choose you after this?  Does God really love you like He says?  Is His love powerful enough for this situation?  These are the questions that claw and catch me in my moments of weakness, these moments of the enemies attacks at my weakest point, but an answer is at the ready from the One who makes me strong in my weakness: yes.  At first the answer comes in a weak whisper: yes.  Then, it builds to a confident Yes and finally a shouting Yes as a remember God's miraculous word and the wondrous works He has performed in my life.  God is beyond what is required.  His love is all-encompassing.

Sarah Young speaks to this love in Jesus Calling when she writes of the discipline of embracing and receiving God's "boundless and everlasting Love".  We must continually be on watch for the deception we may receive from the enemy.  Because in this deceptive whisper lies a path of tragic disobedience that I have found myself on more than I wish to recall.  Claim that voice for what it is and turn to the Savior whose love knows no bounds, whose embrace never loses its power.  He longs to walk with you each step, guiding you in your pursuit of the abundant and eternal life He has called you to.

"And this is the real and eternal life: That they know you, the one and only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you sent." John 17:3 MSG

May we receive fully this abundant love of God and seek to submit to His authority over our life, so we can know God and the abundant life He has created for us.

Blessings for the journey.

Quiet in the Chaos

The incessant beeping of a large truck is working on the street outside...on Saturday. My one morning i have hoped to rest in quiet thought marred by the American spirit of hard work and continual progress. My body has already awoken at 6:15, wishing for a return to those teenage weekends when sleeping until 11 am was an easy request. I seem irked at the progress outside, but then i think, what have I done to truly quiet my soul before the beeping and scraping outside my window began?

Even before these external intrusions began, I recognized that i had already let internal thoughts and selfish wants for what I thought the day should hold take over. When finally, I lured myself from the constant whir of social media and began my quiet moments in my devotional, I was completely convicted of how often I am disobedient and don't quiet my soul before the Lord. I was so acutely aware of how many times I have been unable to hear the Still Small Voice because of my lack of discipline in allowing distractions to overtake my attention. I find myself yearning for a quiet retreat far away from technology and trappings, but when I think about it, I know that I would somehow find a way to distract myself even in the idyllic setting I have crafted in my mind. It is in these moments that I wonder if the point isn't finding a quiet surround, but perhaps could it be stilling my soul in the midst of the chaos that whirs around me? Is this the disciplined soul training I need in my life? I think so. If I were able to find a way to still my heart in the midst of whatever situation I find myself, wouldn't I began to hear that Still Small Voice all the more clear? God calls us to this and I have a strong suspicion that He will grant us the wisdom to learn how to train our hearts and souls to be still before Him. We are not in this life of discipleship by ourselves. Instead he offers grace and forgiveness for the times we have fallen short and is a constant presence to walk with us in whatever we face.

Elijah found himself in the midst of a chaotic whirlwind, overwhelmed with fear and running from a queen who was out for his life, I can only imagine how difficult it would be for Elijah to calm his own spirit before the Lord. In the midst of his struggle, God provided for him each step of the way. God knew when the journey was too much for him and offered the right provision, so Elijah could carry on. In the same way, I trust God to provide each step of our journeys exactly what is required and as we journey through the difficult times of life, He, too, will meet us with a gentle whisper. May we seek the stillness and quietness of sprint, so we can hear that still small voice of the One who holds the universe and loves us more than we can imagine.

"After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper". 1 Kings 19:12

Blessings for the journey.

Through the Fire

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="390"] Image courtesy of pakorn at FreeDigitalPhotos.net[/caption]

Three men bound up and tossed into the fire by order of the king for not worshipping something other than their True King.  The reality and consequences seemingly inescapable...and yet, they are brought out of the fire completely unscathed.  The story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego is one of my favorites because it shows God's almighty power and His profound immanence, his "God with us-ness", all bound together.  Not only did these men walk out of the fire with "no hair singed", no tunic damage, and no fire smell, but when they were in the fire, they were not alone.  God was with them the whole time for when the king looked into the furnace, he saw not 3 men, but 4.

Oh to live a life so fully trusting in the powerful love of Christ that I would not allow my situation to overpower me, but trust completely in God's unfailing and relentless love for me.  My prayer is that I would release those situations and circumstances that claw and grasp for control of my life, my thoughts, my energy to the Only One who rules in perfect sovereignty, acknowledging that difficulties and struggles will arise in this life, but facing them alone will not.  Will you join me?

Blessings for the journey.

Living as Mist

[caption id="attachment_171" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Image courtesy of dan at FreeDigitalPhotos.net[/caption]

Come now, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a town and spend a year there, doing business and making money."  Yet you do not even know what tomorrow will bring.  What is your life?  For you are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.  Instead you ought to say, "If the Lord wishes, we will live and do this or that."  James 4:13-15

As I read my Jesus Calling devotional on Saturday, this scripture stood out to me and in particular the descriptor, mist.

When I hear the word mist, two images come to mind.  In one, I think of spending the day at Six Flags Over Texas in the heat of the summer and occasionally stumbling upon an oasis of misters spraying the finest spray of water that offers a brief refreshment, but not a thorough soaking to the bone that you will experience on the Log Ride or "the Flume" as my grandmother refers to it.

The other image is one I have rarely experienced in the hot Texas weather, but it is in the beauty of an early morning right before sunrise when misty droplets hover over the grass with only the slightest hint of the day that is about to dawn painted on the sky above.  This mist I have seen more in photos like the one above and draw me to think of the far off British Isles as a place where mist may dwell more frequently.  But what does it mean to be mist?

1.  Brief

Our time is brief.  I think of how quickly my experience with mist vanishes as soon as the sun burst forth and it is those moments that help me recognize my place in the world and remind my too frequently puffed up self that it's not about me. In the book of James we see this concept of planning out life and I think of my paper planner recently purchased from Target and filled with dates of events for the months ahead and I remember: I am mist.

The writer of James seems to think that planners are okay, though.  He doesn't say throw out all plans, organizational systems, Google calendars...  Instead, he gives focus to the plans.  He encourages a new context.  He reminds us Whose the plans are.

"If the Lord wills."

What would my days look like if instead of making plans here and there on my own, I first consulted the Creator of all life.  I think a lot of the planning challenges I face: overprogramming, disappointment, loneliness, etc. might look a little different if entrusted to the Master Planner first.  Would my stress level drop if I sought God's guidance?

I think of a recent and special event I helped plan: my and my husband's wedding.  It was the most beautiful day of my life, but would I have been more calm and at peace in the days leading up to it, if I had constantly remembered my mist-like state?  Yes.  Without a doubt.

Focusing on God in any planning stage puts the emphasis where it belongs -- on Him!  It is so easy to get wrapped up in our world and lose sight of our only Hope -- Jesus Christ.  It is only through Him that we have meaning and purpose at all.  When we recognize our lives belong to Him and actively seek His plans, we will not be over scheduled and overburdened because we will be resting and trusting in Him, recognizing His guidance and direction.

How our perspective changes!  Let's begin this today, knowing Jesus wants to be an active part of all of our life.  So before we commit to a request, let's pray about it and before we make a decision, let's pray about it and before we invite friends for lunch...pray. about. it.  The Holy Spirit will guide you.  Plans bathed in prayer are never disappointing because they are God focused, so when maybe things don't turn out as we thought they would, we have peace because we are resting in God.  I want to add that because there is sin in the world, situations may occur out of our control, but nevertheless, God is with us no matter the circumstance.

2.  Refreshing

The other word I would use to describe a mist is the refreshment it brings.  Whether at Six Flags on a blazing day or the peaceful refreshment of an early morning, the mist has purpose and meaning.  It may not last long, but still it is valuable -- you have value.  Your life is so valuable to Jesus -- "You were bought at a price" 1 Corinthians 6:20 -- don't forget that.  We are called to be light in the world.  We are called to bring refreshing hope and love to a world that is desperately overburdened.  I think recognizing our brevity helps to give more focus to the meaning and purpose in our lives.  What are gifts God has indwelt within you?  What do you love?  What are you passionate about?  Seek God's plan in those things!

Ahhh, the refreshing perspective of living as mist.  Let's refocus and face our day renewed and refreshed ourselves, so we can refresh the parched desert that surrounds us.

Blessing for the journey.