Are You A Monkey?

This video also reminds me of many churches in today's society. We need to be like the Ber(o)eans (Acts 17:11), and search the Scriptures for every act we insist upon.

We all need to ask ourselves: Am I following a religion or Jesus Christ?

Famine

There is something that really struck me for the first time the other day when reading Genesis 41:53-57

Then the seven years of abundance in the land of Egypt came to an end,
and the seven years of famine began, just as Joseph had said. There was famine in every country, but throughout the land of Egypt there was food.
Extreme hunger came to all the land of Egypt, and the people cried out to Pharaoh for food. Pharaoh told all Egypt, "Go to Joseph and do whatever he tells you."
Because the famine had spread across the whole country, Joseph opened up all the storehouses, and sold grain to the Egyptians, for the famine was severe in the land of Egypt. 
The whole world came to Joseph in Egypt to buy grain, for the famine was severe over all the earth.
(Emphasis mine)

Sometimes we have to endure suffering which has nothing to do with us personally, in order for God's glory to be shown and His will to be done.

Do you love Him enough to be willing without complaint?

...And That's How I Handle It

I'll be honest with you: Some days are so good they're bad. God has been teaching me so much lately and there has been so much going on that my nerves are raw.

There are a hundred different things I want to say to you, but I can't think of how to put a single one of them. Why? Who knows. Besides God, I mean....

My busy season is coming and I can see the Lord working in my life through the Bible studies I have with different groups of ladies, those I meet with, and a number of different aspects of my life. The funny thing is a have a peace about it all. Granted it's a raw nerves, running around like a chicken with my head cut off, exhausted even with two shots of vitamin D, type peace, but it's there. And it's prevalent. I know how to handle the ups and downs, but what about this? Complete peace and trust in the midst of chaos. It's kinda cool....and kinda not.

You know what I'm going to do about it? How I plan to calm down and focus?

I'm gonna go spend some time with God.

See ya later...

How Do We Hear God?

My youngest  and I had an interesting conversation the other night while putting him to bed. He asked me if it would be OK to take two stuffed animals to class instead of just one while learning about how God created the animals, so I told him to pray about it and see what God says. He then asked me the question we all would love the exact answer for: How do I hear God and know what He's saying?

I told him that the first, and best way, is by seeing if it is in the Bible. Many of our questions can be answered if we search throughout the entire Bible with a thorough concordance, a detailed topical reference, and decent cross referencing. (Don't worry- I just told my six year old to look all through the Bible. I'll save the rest of that for when he's 12...)

However, there are many other things that are not specifically mentioned in there. Which coffee shop should I go to today? Which of my friends needs encouraging most? Should I help with the children's choir or participate in adult choir?  Which Beth Moore study should I do next....? Some things have to be discerned, and that concept can be intimidating. If it isn't, remember: You are made of sinful flesh and must stand before the Righteous and  Holy God. A little fear and trembling is good for the soul.

So how do we discern? First, go back to the best way: You must be in the Word. Even if the answer is not there, Jesus - the Word made flesh (John 1:14), must be fresh in our hearts and mind. You also must develop your line of communication with Him. That means prayer. Not the wish-list, vending machine with happy pills, kinds of prayer, but honest talking and listening. The more you listen, the better you get at hearing. Remember 1 Thessalonians 5:17 says, "Pray constantly." It is possible, but it takes practice and discipline.

Now comes the hardest thing of all: Just have faith and step out. If you are in the Word and listening to God with the best of your ability, trust Him that He won't let you go astray. Because He won't. Give Him permission to do whatever it takes to stop you from straying from His will, and be honest with Him when your confused. He already knows.

If you've done all the above and still haven't felt that "special feeling", just trust Him! Because most of the time we won't. Oh, we will have a peace, but don't expect the goose-bumpy stuff as the only affirmation. Remember, "We know that all things work together for the good of those who love God: those who are called according to His purpose." (Romans 8:28) So let's act like we truly believe that.

So did God tell my son he could bring two stuffed animals? There wasn't a yes or a no...

There was a fever.

Yikes!

I've been reading in Genesis about Joseph recently. We all remember the story of his early years; Dreams, his coat of many colors, being sold as a slave by his brother, Potiphar house in Egypt,  being thrown into prison, and then interpreting Pharaoh's dreams to ascend to second in command over all the land. But there's one person in all of this that we forget about. In fact, we don't really even know her name: Potiphar's wife.

OK, we do know her attraction to Joseph grew over time and she begged him to sleep with her. When he refused time and again, she make the household believe that he had tried to rape her after tearing his garment off of him while he fled. She used this robe to 'prove' to Potiphar when he returned that Joseph tried to rape her. Thus, Joseph went to jail. From there, over a long period of time, he became second only to Pharaoh.

But what about Potiphar's wife? Can you imagine the terror she felt when she realized that this man she framed and had thrown in jail for years suddenly had that kind of power? Did she live for years imprisoned by the stress of knowing that today could be the day he became bored and vindictive enough to have her exposed?

Or... through the grace shown her by Joseph and his God, did she begin to believe? Did that peace ever come to her?

I ask this because we have all been Potiphar's wife at some point and we all can be Joseph. Do we allow the consequences of our past sins, who have suddenly found us again, to keep us cowering in shame and fear? Do we accept the grace available and live victoriously through the power of Christ in our lives, acknowledging that it is only through Him we are able?

We also have the chance to be Joseph. When others wrong us, will we get back at them when the chance presents itself - for it always will -,or will you show the love and grace of God to them so that they may desire to know Him as well?

When the choice comes to you, remember this: Joseph's name we know.

Forget "Be Happy", I'm Thrilled To Get "Don't Worry"!

I've been experiencing a wonderful sensation lately: Lack of worry. Aka- peace. Typically this is the most stressful time of the year for our family. At least for the last seven years. There are many legitimate concerns we have January through April, and stress always accompanies it. This year is no different: Same circumstances, same needs, same time frame. Yet, there is one big difference this year. I'm just not concerned.

I think Matthew 6:25-34 has finally sunk in.

"This is why I tell you: Don't worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Isn't life more than food and the body more than clothing?....But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be provided for you. Therefore, don't worry about tomorrow, because tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own."
Matthew 6:25, 33-34

For the first time I can say that I'm starting to truly practice that. I don't know if I could have in any other situation than the one we are in.

Thank you Father for taking whatever means necessary to help us truly understand Your Word. Thank you for blessing me so.