Trust Frees Us!

   The last couple of days my devotions from Jesus Calling by Sarah Young have really been mostly about trust.  From Saturday:

Accept each day exactly as it comes to you.  By that, I mean not only the circumstances of your day but also the condition of your body.  Your assignment is to trust Me absolutely, resting in My sovereignty and faithfulness.

   That sometimes sounds like a tough assignment, especially if you're someone (let's say me) that likes to take care of things herself. The devotion gives two choices...give up or rely on God. I think sometimes I have a third choice...I'll handle it.  It's interesting because I'm not one to give up, but sometimes I like to try my hand at taking care of something before trusting God to take care of it.  I never really thought this was a problem before.  I now see that when I truly trust God to take care of whatever is going on, I don't have to worry about taking care of things.  It's comforting to know even if I do make one of the other choices before trusting God, He doesn't abandon me.  I can turn to Him and He says, "I will infuse My strength into you moment by moment, giving you all that you need for this day.  Trust Me, by relying on My empowering Presence."
    Today's devotion invites, "Walk with me along paths of trust.  The most direct route between point A and point B on you life-journey is the path of unwavering trust in Me."  (Isaiah 26:4, Psalm 9:10, Proverbs 3:5-6) It gives this advice: "As soon as you realize you have wandered from your trust-path, look to Me and whisper, 'I trust You, Jesus.' This affirmation will help you get back on track."
   I think my problem is sometimes (okay, more times than I really want to admit it) I give something to Jesus...I say, "Here, I trust you with this," but then turn around and (maybe not verbally, but in my actions) say, "I changed my mind. I'll take that back."  I'm starting to learn how freeing it is to take something off my plate, give it to Jesus, and not take it back. Am I still tempted to take it back? Oh, yes. One of my favorite sayings recently is, "It's okay. God's got this." I'm having to develop that mindset and work on unwavering trust. "I trust you Jesus!" (practicing...)

Great Pep Talk...Everyone Should Read This!

   My friend Rick posts some pretty amazing thoughts on Facebook. Today, he posted an incredible pep talk. It encouraged me and confirmed some of the things I've been "hearing" during my quiet times. Not going to make any comments; just posting what Rick wrote with his permission:

This morning I read that the life expectancy of a US Male is 75.92 years. For a female it is 80.93 years.

If I am going to live my life expectancy, I only have give or take 9,056 more days to live. That's, if I'm average. There are those who live longer & those who bring down the average by leaving us far too soon. I really have no idea if I'll be average. All I do know is that we're all terminal. As a Pastor, I saw people change the way they lived when a doctor gave then a terminal diagnosis. Would you do anything differently, if you were given that diagnosis? Just so you know, YOU'VE received yours. In my faith, short of Jesus Christ returning in my lifetime, I will die.

Time is not a commodity. I can't give you two hours of my life to make yours longer and mine shorter. All we've got is all we've got.

Do what's important.

Be there....when you need to be & for the people you need to be there for.

When you see God face to face, tell Him you have nothing left to give back to Him.You have used every ounce of talent and ability He gave you (my version of a great Erma Bombeck quote).

Quit talking, griping, and spending energy on crap that doesn't matter. Deep down inside you know you're doing that, so you don't have to face the stuff that does matter.

The stuff that does matter are the people in your life. Those who gave birth to you. Those you fathered or mothered. The grandchildren who made you truly understand unconditional love. And, those along your journey who have changed you, made you better, & loved you.

There will people along the way who believe you owe them, try to control you, & otherwise try to make you feel bad about who you are and what you are doing. They, too, deserve to be loved. But, you cannot allow them to control your destiny. That is between you and God. Those are the people put into your path designed to blow up that God-ordained mission with self-doubt. If HE believes in you, should anyone else's opinion de-rail you?

When you veer off the path because of poor choices, acknowledge them. Admit them. Change them. And work as hard as possible to not make them again. But, don't be upset if others don't forget them. That was their experience with you. That is who you are to them, because that is what you showed them.

The stuff that matters includes your God-planned Destiny. The responsibility to live out the difference you are designed to make. You must assess if you're on the right path & will be able to leave this earth with nothing more inside of you to give. The answer to that question for all of us should in all reality be, "I've got plenty of talent & ability that I've wasted." Because we all do.

You & I just need to ask God to direct our paths, anointing our words, and give us the strength & faith to follow His leading.

I will stop for now. I've spent 17 minutes of my 9,056 days on this post. I will also not try to read anything else today.:)

 

A Warrior's Heart

   According to Webster's a warrior is "a person who fights in battles and is known for having courage and skill."  The Free Online Dictionary defines a warrior as "one who is engaged aggressively or energetically in an activity, cause, or conflict." In the last few days I've describe some people as having a "warrior's heart." I'm going to try to explain what I mean by that.
   When I first hear the word "warrior," a knight in shining armor comes to mind and then I think about Ephesians 6:10-18 and the armor of God. It's interesting to note that of all the parts of armor mentioned are for defense except one...the Sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God. Sounds like preparation might be in order...to be skilled in using the Sword you must be familiar with it and how it is used (Study God's word so you'll be able to have the courage and skill to face what you must face.)
   I also think of a song from a long time ago sung by Steve Camp..."Run to the Battle."  You can find a few Youtube videos, but the sound quality isn't that good. (I have it on my iPod from iTunes.) My favorite lyrics in the song are "Some people want to live within the sound of chapel bells.  I want to run a mission a yard from the gates of Hell." Sounds like fighting words, huh? I'm not endorsing picking fights; I am saying hold your ground and do what you need to do to be aggressively or energetically engaged.
  I also think of all of the men and women in the service all over the world who are fighting to secure our freedom and to help those who are trying to be free. (No this will not be a discussion about the pros and cons of war...will not go there here, but will be glad to tell you what I think if you really want to hear it in person.) I don't know what it's like to to engage in armed conflict. I can't imagine being away family and friends in some of the worse conditions imaginable. You can see a warrior's heart when one falls on a grenade so the other three guys with him have a chance to live.  You see a warrior's heart when one takes time to play ball with the village kids. You can see a warrior's heart in his eyes when he sees his daughter for the first time on Skype. 
   When I think of a warrior's heart, I think about Jesus.  I think about how He went to the temple and turned over the tables and ran out the moneychangers (Mark 11:15-17). I remember doing a Bible study about this and learning that the tables that were used were probably marble and six to eight feet long, three inches thick and maybe three or four feet wide. Jesus was no wimp...those were heavy tables. This same Jesus was the one who was upset with the disciples for not letting the children come to Him (Luke 18:15-16) and who was so kind and compassionate to the woman at the well (John 4:1-26).
    When I think of a warrior's heart, I think of courage, determination, skill, compassion, kindness, tenacity, bravery, and so much more.  I believe a warrior's heart beats inside of those who have known adversity and still fight and help others fight. Christian author Diann Hunt has a warrior's heart.  You can read her story told by Christian author Colleen Coble..."Facing the Dragon". Laura, a young woman just starting college, has a warriors heart. Read her latest blog post..."The Journey-Even Here." My sweet friend G had a warrior's heart.  Read about her in my blog post "G". 
    I've seen a warrior's heart in a young girl in the projects of Washington D.C. who was determined her daughter would have a better life and would always be safe.  I've seen a warrior's heart in a young boy living on the streets of Estonia who cared for his little brother and made sure he was safe.  I've seen a warrior's heart in Sister Sue, a petite older lady in the Watts area of D.C. go toe to toe with a someone to keep kids and her neighborhood safe. I've seen warriors' hearts in the pastors and laity of villages in Belize who work to build God's kingdom. I've seen warriors' hearts in moms, dads, grandmothers, grandfathers,friends and others who pray for their children, grandchildren, friends, and people they don't even know. 
   So next time you pass someone on the street, or sit next to them in a sports arena, or wait in line at the grocery story, remember: you never know what's going on in their lives. In that person's chest may beat the heart of a warrior!