Monthly Archives: October 2011

Why Walk in The Valley?

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“Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me ”  Psalm  23:4

Life in the ValleyDuring difficult times, I have often asked the Lord “Why do I have to walk in this valley“?  There have been times in my life that I have struggled with the weight of some difficult situations, and felt weakened by the load.

During those times, the Lord always reminded me of His presence.

Right now, life is difficult for a lot of people.  There is a lot of fear and turmoil around us, and people are hurting.  It’s comforting to know we have a Loving God who is with us during these difficult times.

I’m reminded of what a close friend used to share with me when I was struggling … If you didn’t have a valley, there wouldn’t be a mountain.

Right now, I live on the top of a small mountain.   I love looking at the mountains that surround us, and am always reminded of God’s Glory.

A couple of times I have climbed the mountain that is behind my home.   It’s tough climbing that mountain, but when you get to the top the view is absolutely amazing.  It certainly makes the climb worthwhile.

It would be hard for me to climb that mountain every day – and really, I don’t know that God would want that anyway.  I mean, wouldn’t that somewhat take-away the special moment if I traveled it more frequently?  I’m afraid I would probably take it for granted if I sat on the mountain too often.

I think we’re probably supposed to spend a little more time in the valley – so we always appreciate the beautiful view from atop the mountain.  From my experiences, the valley has helped prepare me for the mountain.  In the valley is where life is grown.

One of my neighbors is a wonderful farmer.  He actually owns the beautiful mountain across from us.  At the foot of the mountain is a beautiful stream that helps to irrigate his large garden.  He owns a farm where he grows corn and other crops, and raises livestock.  It’s the most fertile land I’ve ever seen.

So what am I saying?

While the mountain is incredibly beautiful, we obviously get life from the valley.  And, of course, without the valley there would be no mountain.

When difficulties come, we need to realize it is likely a valley.  Even though it may be tough, it’s important that we experience the fertile ground of the valley.

Also, while we’re in the valley we need to be careful with what we plant because we need a good crop to harvest.  Life is in the valley, so we should sow life.  If we sow discord, we’ll likely reap discord.

Pray that God will grant you wisdom and peace as you grow in the Valley.

He is My High Tower

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I will love thee, O Lord, my strength. The Lord is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower.    Psalm 18:1-2

The name of the Lord is a strong tower: the righteous runneth into it, and is safe. Proverbs 18:10

Everyone needs a place where they can feel secure and safe. In Psalms 18:1-2 the Psalmist describes the Lord as a fortress, a place to go for safety from an enemy. The Lord is also a high tower. A high tower is high off the ground where you can see what is going on all around you. Some times we need to get in to the high tower, a shelter, a safe place. In a high tower we can look at the situations of life from a different perspective, a higher perspective. In biblical times a watchman manned every high tower.

Today we can get above the situations that we face in life and seek the Lord. We can also share concerns with others who are devoted to watch and pray like a watchman.

The Path: Find a safe place to share your heart and receive prayer from others.

 

How to Overcome the Enemy

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For it was not an enemy who reproached and taunts me, then I might bear it… Psalm 55:12-13

Words are powerful, destructive, and so very painful.  And the enemy uses those who are closest to us to speak out hurtful words because he wants to get a “close up” shot, one that will do some damage.  He uses their knowledge of the past and words that are connected to that painful event.  So, every painful event that has not been healed is his target.  A profound truth on how to overcome the enemy is you must work through all the wounded areas of your heart and remove all access points by grieving the losses.

It is better to go to the house of mourning, than to go to the house of feasting: for that is the end of all men; and the living will lay it to his heart.   Sorrow is better than laughter: for by the sadness of the countenance the heart is made better.   The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning; but the heart of fools is in the house of mirth.   Ecclesiastes 7:2-4

You can be very strong in the Lord until it comes to a place where you have experienced losses.  It is in these times of loss that we get hurt and even angry at God because we can’t understand why things happen the way they do. We can even begin to doubt His love and protection with questions like:  why did it have to happen to me?  Why didn’t God stop it?  Why was I the one that had to suffer this way?

All these questions must be wrestled with and resolved as you go through the process of grieving the losses and releasing the pain. Grieving Losses is necessary for your heart to heal through His Word and be restored by His Love.

A Sure Sign of Maturity

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“…When he (Moses) had grown to maturity…” Hebrews 11:24

spiritual maturityThere is a day in all of our lives when we come to a crossroad.  We make a choice that signifies we have come into maturity.

The day that Moses embraced his true identity – who God said he was, is the day he reached full maturity.  Something changed and he would never go back again because after that day, he refused to be called “the son of Pharaoh’s daughter.”  That was his earthly identity, and even though it had many benefits, he refused to have the enjoyment of the sinful life as “the son of Pharaoh’s daughter.”

When Moses left the lifestyle of Egypt, he didn’t look back or even flinch.  He held on to the purpose that God had for his life and moved forward.  A sure sign of spiritual maturity is laying aside any pleasures of your earthly life that will hinder you from moving towards God’s calling.  Like Moses, we must set our face towards our own promised land, and move towards it with a steadfast, unmovable, unshakable determination.

I remember when my husband and I left our home, family and friends to go back to school to complete our education and prepare for ministry.  It was so hard to leave family and friends.  I still remember hearing the still small voice of the Lord, “Don’t look back, no, don’t look back at that either.”

This was my daily admonishing from the Lord.   It really took me a long time to grow up and show signs of maturity.   Once I settled into the truth that I was no longer a daughter of my earthly father, but that I had become a daughter of my Heavenly Father, the struggle was soon over and I didn’t look back anymore.  Settle in your heart your true identity; then, God’s purpose for your life will soon be revealed.

You Have a Choice

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“Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.”   Psalm 1:1

Godly CounselEvery day of our life we make hundreds of choices and each of those choices will produce an outcome.  For instance: we make a choice what foods we eat in the morning for breakfast; nutritious or unhealthy, we choose whether we will go to work or stay home and watch TV all day, and we choose whether we will ride a bike or a car on the highway to the mall.   In each of these situations we have a choice.  If we make the wrong choice; the outcome will be obvious in a short amount of time that we made the wrong choice.

The outcome can look like this: You will run out of energy if you eat an unhealthy breakfast, you will soon loose your job if you don’t go to work, and you may find yourself in the hospital if you choose to ride your bike on the highway.  The outcome tells you quickly if you made the wrong choice.

The same is true in our spiritual life.  David says in the Psalm, “Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly”. When you take counsel from an ungodly person, you will soon see by the outcome that something is wrong with their counsel.  It will be just as obvious as when you keep riding down the highway on a bike.  You are in danger when you take counsel from an ungodly person because if they do not know God they do not know His ways.

David said, don’t walk in ungodly counsel.  From the moment you hear ungodly counsel you have a choice; will you act upon it and walk down the wrong path, or choose the right path.  It boils down to a simple choice, and the choice is yours.  Wrong counsel can feel good at the moment, but if the counsel does not line up with the ways of God, the outcome will not be a blessing in the end.

Ask the Lord to show you where you are making wrong choices and listening to the wrong counsel; then pray this simple prayer and you will soon see the blessings of the Lord: Teach me thy way O Lord; I will walk in thy truth… Psalm 86:11

 

The Way of Peace

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“The way of peace we have not known…”   Isaiah 59:8

The way of PeaceIsaiah was concerned about God’s people who did not know the way of peace. They were out somewhere, wandering in the darkness and didn’t know how to get to peace.  Isaiah knew they didn’t have a flashlight or a cell phone.  All they had was the “still small voice” and they weren’t listening or obeying this voice.

Do you know the way of peace?  Do you know how to get there and dwell there?  I woke up one morning and realized that I lived in a constant state of worry.  If I didn’t have something to worry about, I would think of something.  But that day, like the prodigal son, I woke up and came to my senses.  I am a Child of God! Jesus, the Prince of Peace, has saved me from all this! I don’t have to live here anymore.

So, I asked Jesus to show me the way out of this state of worry.  He said, “Ok, here we go, listen to me, pay attention, I am going to show you the way out.”   I listened as I drove down the road.  When I heard the news report, I heard Him say, “Fear Not.”  I obeyed and didn’t turn down the familiar street called fear.  It was hard, but I didn’t give in.  Instead, I turned the opposite way called faith.  At that moment I was at peace, by simply obeying His voice when He said, “Fear not.”

As I continued traveling down the road, I came to a four way stop.  There were four different people wanting their own way.  He said, “Stop, let them go on.” Again I obeyed, and continued on my way in peace.

In the last part of my journey, I found myself in a heated conversation.  I felt angry and hurt, and then I heard His voice say, “Forgive”.  I stopped, obeyed, and soon the “red light” inside of me turned green and I continued down the road in peace.  I found the way to peace that day.  As I obeyed the voice of the Lord, I was at peace.