Trial by Fire

Okay, so I was sitting in my bathroom (this is not going to be gross) and cleaning out the magazine / book rack in my "Powder Room." It's a mom thing. It's the only place I could escape to tonight for some ME time. I came across an old book, Power of A Praying Wife, and as I flipped through the dusty pages, God wooed me to His Word. ...And His Word was like a healing balm on my sore heart this week. Yes...I have had a crummy week. Gossip, drama, work stress, hurt feelings, guilt... With every one of those thoughts the weight on my shoulders gets heavier, and HEAVIER. What did I do? A little touch up here and a little touch up there. Fixed! Right? Wrong. Because trials are not for me to FIX. They are for me to be refined because God loves me. I don't punish (I almost said "whip" but that would be politically incorrect) my kids or make them clean or give them chores or discuss "situations" with them because I want to make them miserable. I do these things because I love them. God allows me to be tested; to fall down and get back up. To be tested again and again. Why? Because I am beautiful in his eyes and He wants to refine me to the point that I radiantly shining for Him...without saying a word. I am so grateful!

Everyone goes through hard times. Some of it can be avoided and some of it cannot. Whether it's gossip, sickness, trials, temptations. Whatever the hardship...we will at some point go through it. Why? Because He see what we can be rather than what we are. Like gold, thrown into the fire gets refined and more valuable. It's the same for us. We can avoid a lot of our trials simply by praying. On the other hand, we can cry out to Him during our trial and watch Him show up and show out. We can thank Him. What matters most is our attitude. Sometimes our attitude is a response to fear or the unknown. "Is this situation out of my control?" I ask that sometimes. Then the next thought is, "How can I fix it?" I go out of my way to make it right. To tie the loose ends.

Is this causing me to be bitter? angry? Am I blaming God and complaining to Him? Yes, unfortuneately I do it all the time. When this is my attitude, things tend to turn out badly. I am thankful when God reminds me to REALLY give it to Him. He wants me to go through these hard times (when they come and they will come) with thankfulness and praise to Him. He PROMISES to bring good things despite my hard times. He PROMISES...and He never breaks a promise. He says, "count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience." James 1:2-3.

Trials can be a purifying fire and a cleansing water [Power of A Praying Wife]. "You don't want to get burned or drowned; you want to get refined and renewed." We are more than conquerors.

God, You are my very present help in time of trouble. I come boldly to Your throne of grace, that I may obtain mercy and find grace to help me in time of need. [Power of a Praying Wife].

Psalm 37:23-24, "The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord, and He delights in his way. Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down; for the Lord upholds him in His hand." Thank You, Jesus that You are holding me in Your hand! What a comfort that is!

"The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. I will call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised; so shall I be saved from my enemies." Psalm 18:2-3

Thanking God for Trials by Fire, for I know that he is refining me and holding me up.

In His great mercy,

God and gods...

2 Kings 17:33, "They worshipped the LORD, but they also served their own gods."

So it has taken me awhile to find the time to go on to the next chapter in my study, "No Other Gods." I'm hungry for God's Word. I want to be filled with His spirit. Yet, I struggle with my time. I find it hard to slow down, to be still and study God's word. I go, and go, and go.

Like a bug hitting the windshield of my car, God's revelation to me has just hit me square in the face. TIME. I give my worship to God but I am giving my service to other gods. How do I spend my time? How much time do I have? The same amount as you.

God gives me 1,440 minutes everyday. It's His gift to me. I get to choose how to spend it. I take an hour to get ready each day. I drive to and from work (1 hour). I work 8 hours. I check my Facebook. I read my emails. I watch the news. I cook dinner. I clean the kitchen. I help Drew with homework. I fold the neverending pile of laundry. I sing. I practice. I fall into bed exhausted. I get up and I do it all again. I didn't even mention that I watch TV, talk on the phone, exercise and more.

I take time to do a lot of things but I neglect to spend the time on the most important thing, my quiet time. I have a comfortable chair in my room that I sit in to study God's Word. I get my cup of coffee, my book or Bible study and my Bible. ...Or at least I used to. Five minutes. Can I not give Him five minutes? I would still have 1,435 left to do whatever I want with. Ten minutes? I waste that much time reading updates on Facebook, yet I find it too hard to sit with God that long. I love the Lord! I would never worship an idol willfully and purposely. However, the things that I am spending my time doing are most often the things that are most important to me. My family - important. My job - important. But is everything I waste time on really that important? I'm guilty. I have been worshipping God and serving other gods, less important gods. False gods. A hard pill to swallow.

I take time each day preparing my outward appearance so I can look presentable and pretty for work and church and other activities. Most days lately, I am neglecting the part of me that God intended to be the most beautiful; my mind and my heart. If I take the necessary time and steps to allow God to change my heart and my mind, God's glory will show radiantly through my face. You will see Him all over me. And that's beautiful.

Psalm 1:1, "Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers, but his delight is in the law of the Lord and on his law he meditates day and night." Bless me Lord! I want your blessings. Help me to delight in Your Word, day and night.

Romans 12:2, "Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind...."

I am changing my daily patterns so He can transform my mind.

Allowing Him to renew my mind, refresh my spirit and change my heart,

No Other gods...

A golden calf? Are you kidding me? I would NEVER bow down to that. I would NEVER worship a golden calf? How silly! How could they?

What self-indulgent people. They wanted a god they could SEE with their eyes and TOUCH with their hands. Moses was up on that mountain, gone a little too long. They just could not wait. They had no self-control. So, they threw gold into the fire and made their own god. How incredibly unbelievable! After all that God had done for them; still they had so little faith.

Is it really that unbelievable? Don't we do it everyday? In many ways? What can the TV do for me? Or a cute pair of shoes? Are my friends, my job, my family important? YES! Are they more important than God? Do they deserve more time and attention? All these things are good, but do they possess the power to change my life? Spiritually? Do they have GOD power? I would never worship a golden calf. True. In our everyday lives, we have have different "golden calves." Some of them are good things: Our family, our friends, the most current fiction book we are reading, a super awesome video-game. Some of the things that possess our minds and sadly our hearts are not so good: another drink at the bar, a picture on the internet, a mind-altering drug. Whatever it is, good or bad, if it is taking the place of God in your life, it's idolatry.

Exodus 20:1-3, "And God spoke all these words: "I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. You shall have no other gods before me."

As a child of God, He had brought you out of _________ (you fill in the blank). Out of the land of slavery. What were you a slave to came to know the Lord? What has God delivered you from? What is He currently rescuing you from? He wants to take first place in your life; your everday life.

Ezekiel 36:24-28, "For I will take you out of the nations; I will gather you from all the countries and bring you back into your own land. I will sprinkle clean water on you and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your impurities and from all your idols. I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws. You will live in the land I gave your forefathers; you will be my people and I will be your God." Emphasis mine.

A new heart...cleanse me from my impurities...remove my heart of stone...Your Spirit - in ME...I will be Yours and You will be mine!?! Does it get any better? Is there a better gift? Can your job do that for you? Can your addictions? Your hobbies? Habits? Friends?

1 Corinthians 10:31: "So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God."

So what happened to their golden calf? Moses burnt it and ground it into powder and put it in their water and made them drink it. What are you going to do to your idols? What am I going to do with mine?

"Moses ground the calf to powder,

Bid them lift their glasses high,

Toast their bogus god and drink-

Celebrate their idols and die."

Asking Him to renovate my heart,

Beautiful

I get up every day and run through my morning routine; coffee first. I wash my face, brush my teeth, the whole nine yards.

I have noticed this year something new on my face, dark circles under my eyes. What in the world? Where did they come from? How is it they weren’t there last year and now, BAM, there they are. Did I win the drawing?

I never win anything. I see chances for shopping sprees all the time. I write down my name, address, phone number and drop the little slip of paper in a box. I wait and WAIT for someone to call me and say that I won. Never happens. Anyway…

I do all I can to preserve the quickly fading youthful features on my face. My friend, Cindy, even does an exercise video for her face! I use my sunscreen and thick, line filling eye cream. I exfoliate and moisterize and then I put on my make-up. At least I have a lot of make-up.

I move to the closet. What am I going to wear? Something modest, something cute; something with the absolute potential (cross that out!), the absolute ability to conceal all the “bumps” and “hills” in my figure that I do NOT want anyone to see.

Why? Why do I do all this? Why do I try so hard to look the best I can? Because I, like you and every other woman, want to look beautiful. I want Phillip to think that I am beautiful. I want to feel like I am pretty.

Every woman longs to be beautiful. We all want to feel like when we are all dressed up and ready to go (somewhere), that we look beautiful. And not feeling beautiful can hinder your daily walk and thoughts. It can take you on down hill spiral, fast.

You know what? I am beautiful! You’re beautiful! Don’t take my word for it, take God’s word for it. Trust Him. He thinks you’re beautiful, especially when you take as much time preparing the inside as we do the outside. As many steps as I take to look outwardly pretty, I need to take to look pretty on the inside. When you do that, here is what the Lord says about you. You are beautiful from head to toes when you adorn yourself with His grace. When you are bearing His fruits, you are quite lovely!

Isaiah 28:5, “In that day the Lord of hosts will be a crown of glory, and a diadem of beauty, to the remnant of his people.” ESV (Emphasis mine) He makes us a “diadem of beauty.”

Proverbs 24:3-4, “By wisdom a house is built, and through understanding it is established; through knowledge its rooms are filled with rare and beautiful treasures.” NIV (Emphasis mine)

Psalm 45:10-11, “Hear, O daughter, and consider, and incline your ear: forget your people and your father's house, and the king will desire your beauty. Since he is your lord, bow to him.”


Are you convinced of your beauty? Are you looking on the outside to decide whether you are beautiful? That’s okay, but first spend that necessary time on the inside so that you can have that ‘free of charge’ glow in your face that radiates the light and love of Christ. Use the Bible as your mirror this week. There are so many more verses where God tells us we are beautiful, precious and desired by Him.

Beautiful,

I Give it To You!!!

Dear Lord,

Please help me not to worry,

to carry all this weight

of yesterday's gossip and trouble.

It's more than I can take.

I know that I'm not perfect.

I mess up each and every day.

Lord, I am so sorry,

Please take my sin away.

Why do we carry all this burden?

Why do we let him steal our faith?

We act like we have no hope,

You've already given me what I need today.

You are the Rock of my salvation.

My Redeemer and my friend.

You are the Alpha and Omega,

the Beginning and the End.

You're my shelter and the Lover of my soul.

You are the conqueror, the great I AM,

You are Hosanna. You are prophesy foretold.

You ARE Truth. You're the Lion and the Lamb.

Who am I to deal with each day's troubles?

You've given me a friend,

the promised Holy Spirit,

with me 'til the very end.

Why do I look to the world and it's distorted view?

Lord, I give you heart,

my mind, my strength and words.

I give it all to You!

Is it spreading like Gangrene?

2 Timothy 2:16-17, "Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth. But avoid irreverent babble, for it will lead people into more and more ungodliness, and their talk will spread like gangrene."

The old saying, "sticks and stones may break my bones but names can never hurt me." Is that true? I don't think so. The verse above did not come from me. I did not write it. God did. This past week has reminded me of two things:

(1) the damage the power of the tongue can cause; (2) well, that's another lesson for another day!

The power of the tongue: We praise God with it. We encourage friends and family with it. We communicate messages with it. We share a secret. We sing a song. We give well wishes. We spread a little gossip. We tell course jokes. We curse with it. We say mean things. Do you see the regression? Sometimes a word could be aptly spoken, like "apples of gold" and we withhold or begrudge someone a blessing. I wonder if my words are like apples of gold to my family (not always), my friends, our written words. I'm accountable for my actions and my words and so are you. Our words, written or otherwise, are not supposed to hurt. It's not OUR place. There's only one Holy Spirit and only One who has the power to convict me (or you) of sin. Funny thing about words...you can't take them back. They are out and the damage is done.

Happy Birthday. Be careful. Call me. I love you. I'm sorry. Pray for me. Happy Anniversary. I'll pray for you! You're sweet! You're beautiful. How are you? Have a blessed day. Can I help you? Are you okay? What's for supper? Why aren't the dishes washed? Go to your room. Stop fighting. Be nice. Singing praises to the King. Calm down. Grow up. Go Away. Excellent work! Answer the phone! Hurry up. Now! Can you get me a coke? Can I just have some peace and quiet. He hurt my feelings. You shouldn't have said that! ~ this is an inventory of some of my recent comments. Reflection is good for you. As I reflect on this past week and some of my words, I didn't do so bad. As I reflect...I didn't do so good either.

What do words do? One of two things: build up or tear down. During Upward Basketball season, I compared our words to an attic or basement. Some words lift people up. And some words bring you

down...

down...

down...

So...how are you doing this week? How am I doing this week? I'm still a work in progress and I'm so glad I recognize His voice. Props to Amy for helping me reflect. But like I said, I'm only responsible for ME. YOU are responsible for yourself. : ) That's just the way it works.

Is what you are saying true? Is it noble? Is is praiseworthy? Is it good, honorable? Loyal? Glorifying to God? If not, keep it to yourself. Is it going to help someone? Or hurt someone?

Trying to tame the tongue,

Worries and Fears

Another chapter in our study...another area of weakness for me. I am a perpetual worrier. Sometimes I put on "worry" like an article of clothing and I wear it all day long. And it crushes my spirit.

What do I worry about? It varies from day to day, but let's start here: Is Brandi making it to school okay? Will she have a wreck? Is Drew having a good day? Did he remember his bookbag, homework? Where is my dog? Why did she run off again? Is he / she mad at me? Did I do a good job at work today? Will my boss forgive me for messing up? My dog needs water. I need to lay out supper. The laundry needs folding. My car needs gas. I need to pay my bills. I need to balance my checkbook. My kids need new clothes. I've got to get groceries. My husband needs me to be still. Drew needs a hug. And a glass of tea. And to be tucked in bed...again. On and on it goes. Not so bad. Just the average day, right?

"When I take one day at a time, life looks like a piece of cake! But more often then not, my mind is stretching forward, and I begin to worry about my tomorrow. Don't you? I hope it doesn't rain for Saturday's game. I hope my new boss isn't a tyrant. ... What if the house burns down? What if the plane crashes. I wonder if we have enough life insurance? What if I lose my job? What if it's cancer? Will we ever pay off the second mortgage? Do we have enough money for retirement? Sure, we need to plan ahead, but don't go borrowing trouble from tomorrow!" (A quote from the book, Managing My Moods.)

Here's what David says about worry:

Psalm 139:23, "Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me, and know my anxieties" The God who knows our hearts so well understands we get worried. He sees our fears.

Proverbs 12:25 puts it like this, "Anxiety in the heart of man causes depression, But a good word makes it glad" Constant worry can haul us downwards into depression. Conversely, fear can be driven away quite easily. All that is needed is a good word from a friend.

And my personal favorite..."In God (I will praise His word), In God I have put my trust; I will not fear. What can flesh do to me?" (Psalm 56:4). No matter what might come - struggles, disease, conflict, death - none of it can really touch the part of us that will live forever.

As Robert reminded us Sunday, "Our God is bigger." He's bigger than my problems. He's bigger than my worries. He's bigger than any circumstance. He's bigger than the building I'm sitting in. He's bigger than time. He's the Creator, the Master of everything. The Chief Builder, The Cornerstone. Why in the world would I worry? Surely, I can trust Him.

Say something nice to someone today. Smile. Laugh. And no worries,