to rest in HIS shadow

It’s the end of the year and you may feel you don’t have much to show for.

I visited a city not long ago and as we strolled its downtown streets I came across an abandoned and deteriorated building sitting on a busy street.

Almost naturally I thought of how sometimes we look at our lives and feel exactly that way: abandoned and deteriorated in the mist of a world that goes on unaffected by our existence.

Perhaps today you look at yourself and see an empty building, a building in decay, crumbling, just falling apart and abandoned.  Perhaps you even feel that the world around you goes its merry way without even noticing you or being affected by your presence…  Well, it is time to start rebuilding!

As the new year approaches let hope spark in your soul and welcome a new opportunity to be refreshed, restored, revived!  Open up to the possibility of living rather than merely existing, of having an impact rather that being stagnant.

The new year is just a few hours away and this is  a special new year as it begins a whole new decade! Decide to make drastic changes in your life, WITH your life. Not cosmetic changes, not good wishes, not just improvements BUT drastically do a 180 degree turn-around.  Chances are you are where you are because of some wrong decisions you’ve made, or some mistakes, or some off-target path you have taken.  Just like the building… if the wrong actions or no actions are taken it’s going to deteriorate.

Examine what you have been doing that brought you to this point and decide to do the right things.  Invite someone to live in and within you! (and I am not talking about moving in with someone). You need a friend.  A good friend.  The best friend you can have. Enough of the type of friends that drag you into trouble, you need a friend that will make you the most important person and that will love you as you are, and have your best interest in mind. That friend is Jesus.

Just as this building, without someone living in it will collapse, you without Jesus living in you will perish.  Perhaps this building’s condition would’ve been totally different if people lived in it and use it for something!

2009 went fast and 2010 will too. Go ahead say good bye to the old year, say good bye to the old you. Look forward and expectantly to the new decade with your new best friend forever. Jesus will rebuild your life!

Ecclesiastes 3:7 … A time to be silent and a time to speak.

Psalm 4:4 … When you are on your beds, search your hearts and be silent.

Psalm 46:10  Be still and know that I am God …

In this fast-moving communications, technology-based world we have lost the taste and perhaps even the ability to be in silence, our minds have been programmed to equate silence to “unproductive time,” and we tend to occupy ourselves to the limit, live on a constant “go,” pride ourselves for being busy-bees, like we should be “doing something” all the time.

Sometimes, we are afraid to be in silence.  We tend to liken silence with loneliness, emptiness… a lack of, with the feeling that our life is incomplete.

I said to myself not long ago, “I like the silence of the morning dawn because I can hear…”  Although it may sound like an oxymoron, in the silence of an early morning is when i hear the voice of God and when i can block all other stimulus off my body and brain so that i can find my own silent words and in an intimate moment with my Creator, search my heart and know my inner thoughts.  Silence is something my soul thirsts for, for as I find myself in silence I can hear that small voice of the Holy Spirit, tugging my heart and sweetly guiding and showing me His will.

what an amazing, “turned-out for the best” day! it started at a about 8:30 a.m. I honestly thought I had slept in and was going to be late for work. Jumped out of bed and the first thing I saw was “that white stuff falling from the sky!” — the first snow of the season.

the house was cold. one of the warm-blooded men had turned off the furnace last night so I threw on a morning “chal” and headed to turn on the fireplace. another frustration awaited for me! the thing would not ignite not matter what I did! called my husband who was at his promise keepers breakfast but he did not pick up. from all angles not a good start.

“in everything give thanks” — so I did. fixed me a cup of coffee and a cheese omelette and sat down to read as the snow kept falling strong. one by one my kids started to walk into the living room:
“awww snow…”
“yeay! snow”
“snow?”
it is so interesting how the first snow of the season causes such a myriad of reactions…

by then my husband came in the house, cold nose and cold hands and bringing in a chilly breeze AND the power to start the fireplace!

all church activities and services where canceled so we ended up “snow confined” at home listening to Christmas music, chatting, reading, laughing together, after all a wonderful family time that did much good to our souls! I even digged out the pressure cooker and made an amazing roast and even baked a cake – not in the pressure cooker of course!

Last night as I was examining my schedule to serve in translation the Holy Spirit awoke my conscience to examine my heart.  Gently, He posed this question, “why are you doing this?” My almost immediate answer was, “what do you mean WHY am I doing this? Obviously because we need people to do the simultaneous translation of the message!” AINK! Wrong answer.

As I began to stop my blabbing to respond to the why’s and quieted myself before the Lord, He said, “Let’s take a look at those deep, deep corners of your heart … and these not in reference only to translation, but in reference to ALL the different ways you serve me!”

I thought I knew my heart.

I thought I intentionally guarded my heart.

I even thought I nurtured good motives in my heart!!

And maybe I did all these to a certain degree … a “certain” degree, not to the full degree.  As I began to look into those hidden places that I seldom look at, I saw what the Lord was pointing me to.  Even understanding the importance of the attitude of my heart in my service, I wasn’t giving my heart totally to Him in my service, I was just offering my talent.

Father God, create in me a pure heart, a heart that is emptied of any and every part of self, a heart that belongs integrally to you. Free me from “I.”  Teach me to order my days, my talents, any gift you have given me in a way that I can be completely used by You and for You. Lead me to the place where I can truly be a holy vessel in Your hands.  Lord, let my quiet silence before you be more frequent than my display of abilities before people.

Pastor Dale just finished an incredibly powerful series on how to identify and defend ourselves from common, every day life challenges. If we do not handle these life challenges correctly, we open the door to our  “pressure points” [our weaknesses, the vulnerable areas of our life] for the destructive work of the devil.  When this happens the adversary impacts our walk with God, quashes our usefulness for His Kingdom and ultimately destroys us. 

a pressure point was defined as,

“a part on the body that provides an aggressor a temporary or permanent advantage over a victim; it is a kind of built-in vulnerability that can be capitalized on or exploited by a knowledgeable foe to bring someone down, knock someone out or make someone hurt and render them helpless; a weakness in someone that can be their undoing.”

what are some of those common, every day life challenges that we need to we aware of?

He mentioned: fear, failure, hurts, hurdles, problems and pain in our relationships, temptation, test, trials, decisions, priorities and financial stress.

and how do we defend ourselves from the advancements of the devil when we face these?

Applying into our lives practical spiritual guidelines that enable us to protect our pressure points and guard our walk with God. Here’s my take away in a sentence from his 8 messages:

•  is your pressure point fear and personal failure?

= get rooted in the grace of God!  Understanding the grace of God strengthens our spiritual confidence, commitment and contribution to the Kingdom

•  perhaps you are vulnerable to hurts and hurdles?

= look out for the presence of anger in your life, recognize it, resolve it and let go of it quickly

•  are relationship problems and pain your weak areas?

= seek harmony in your relationships, practice God’s relationship principles and imitate Jesus’ by living an ofenseless life

•  is your pressure point temptation?

= examine your character weaknesses, understand the painful consequences of giving in to temptation, if nothing works run from it!

•  is it difficult to persevere during times of test and trials?

= understand their purpose, walk consistently with God, keep the reward in mind

•  do you tend to make poor life decisions?

= mature your character, follow God’s principles of life

•  do you have trouble at establishing life priorities?

= put God as your first priority and all the rest will fall in place, seek to discipline yourself

•  are you struggling with financial pressure?

= differentiate between what you need and what you want, learn the principle of sowing and reaping

2 Corinthians 4:8, 9 – We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.

Yes, indeed we are pressured BUT NOT BAMBOOZLED!

We will not be brought down or knocked out in this fight!

download mp3 of these messages or to subscribe to Pastor Dale’s podcast

our lives are an open book to God, nothing escapes His control.

He has established a cycle of life and no matter how crucial our daily routine seems to us, we have no control over it at all, spring time brings it and the fall watches it go.  Man in all of his pride says to himself “I am in charge” ~~ life of illusion, we are not in charge of anything!

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 

1There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven:

2 a time to be born and a time to die,
a time to plant and a time to uproot,

3 a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build,

4 a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance,

5 a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them, a time to embrace and a time to refrain,

6 a time to search and a time to give up, a time to keep and a time to throw away,

7 a time to tear and a time to mend, a time to be silent and a time to speak,

8 a time to love and a time to hate, a time for war and a time for peace.

how do we make sense of the cycle of life?

because He who began a good work in us will carry it on to completion

the plans of God need no amendments

I find my meaning in my rest in God, He has his hand in all things that happen to me, I exist for someone greater than myself and every moment of my life God is fashioning his purpose and plan in me  

He does not abandon projects, He has no forsaken children!

if He is involved in the life cycle of the sparrow, He is intensely involved in my life

I am held in God’s grip, nothing escapes His control!

Have hurtful words, insensitive actions, a contemptuous look, an unkind remark, a neglecting attitude, found their way into your heart and started to build a nest?

We all at one point or another have experienced distress in our interaction with people, if we are not careful ––if we are not active vigilantes of the integrity of our heart–– these can be nurtured by our lack of awareness and birth resentment, bitterness and anger in our life.  God’s Word encourages us, “Keep vigilant watch over your heart; that’s where life starts” (Proverbs 4:23, The Message).

Let’s be quick to forgive any offensive interaction and erase from our memory every sour impression left by them. Let’s pray that God will help us to identify the presence of the smallest sign of sinful thoughts, attitudes and behaviors that result from painful encounters.  The easy thing to do is to make excuses and find someone to be blamed for them.  It takes courage to give a step of faith and turn your pain to God, trusting that He will sooth any discomfort and start the repair process to make your heart pure and tender again.

I was listening to my husband’s phone conversation with our oldest son. Of course I could only hear my husband’s words as we were both sitting in the living room. My heart was touched by the wisdom he was imparting to his firstborn –– who is close to 30 now –– about being the aroma of Christ in the workplace.

Professional rivalry, jealousy, competing for recognition and promotion are not uncommon in the daily life of a young professional, especially in our present economy when jobs are scarce and unemployment is rising. It seemed that our son had sensed some of that in his office and felt uneasy about it all. He had called dad to help him sort through those feelings and get some clarity of thought.

My husband brought up to him 2 Corinthians 2:15, “For we are to God the aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing.” What a privilege that God would consider us to be the aroma of His Son and what a responsibility to become fragrance of life to the world and in doing that draw others to Jesus!

I don’t particularly care for perfumes, lotions or colognes, I think a good soap does the job, but there is certain fragrance that is pleasing to me and puts a smile in my face, I imagine that is how God feels when by our actions we bring the aroma of Christ to His nostrils.

As followers of Jesus, my husband was saying to my son, we are to be the fragrance of Christ in our relationships, some will appreciate us and some will despise us. Some will come near to us and some will reject us. To some we will be a delightful smell to others we will be a wrinkle of the nose. And that is just the way it is. No need to complain, nothing we can change about it, our responsibility is to live as the aroma of Christ, splashing His fragrance where ever He takes us.

After he hanged up I asked my husband “What did he say?”, he responded, “Thanks, dad.”

It blessed my heart to hear that father-son talk.