Love Letters

Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. Psalm 119:105

My whole life I grew up being told “Read your Bible.” I heard it a lot at church. I heard it at school. I heard it from my grandmother. Actually, she lived that example. She always read her Bible. But to me, it was just something people said. It wasn’t something I always witnessed them doing and some of the people who said it didn’t act like they were actually doing it….if you know what I mean. 

As I grew in my relationship Jesus (that’s a whole other post), I prayed. I read devotionals. I read books, I listened to sermons and radio stations (no podcasts back then). I read my Bible by default because the books and devotionals had Bible verses in them. I didn’t often just read my Bible.

Fast forward a few years and the bottom fell out of my life. I won’t go into all the details here but I was afraid. Really afraid. I was afraid that my entire world was going to come crashing down around me. I could not fix it on my own (and believe me I tried). So I prayed. A lot. 

God first spoke when I woke up in the middle of this with a Bible verse in my head. Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. Proverbs 3:5 Funny thing is, when it happened I thought “I think that’s a Bible verse.” I got out of bed and went and looked. Sure enough, there it was. I knew this was God talking to me. 

God’s direction during this time was “Wait.” And He let me wait for a long, long time. But during that time, He talked. He talked through friends. He talked through music but mostly, He talked through His Word. He kept bringing promise after promise to me and I wrote them down. I carried them around. Each day, I got up and went to read what He had to say in His Word. It truly became my love letters from God. And for the first time, I understood.

Years have passed and I have been reading my Bible. It’s been really amazing. Last year, in one of my discipleship meetings my friend said she wanted to learn how to study the Bible more. So we bought a book and workbook called “Living by the Book” by William and Howard Hendricks. We went through the book and workbook and learned different techniques. It was very helpful.

Do you know the biggest lesson we learned on that journey? If you want to dig into the Bible more, if you want to get more out of it, it takes …. Time. Like you, I often don’t think I have a lot of extra time. I’m busy….aren’t we all. But, in this journey, I realized I was trying to come to the Bible, get my quick fix and move on. I wasn’t making time to really let the Holy Spirit speak to me through it. I needed to read it, read it again and again and then ask questions. I needed to put myself into the text and figure out what God was trying to say to me. 

The more I did this, the clearer I could hear Him speak. The more I lingered, the deeper my experience. I love hearing Him talk through His Word. It is truly mind blowing.

Why am I sharing this? Because I think there are a lot of us who want to grow deeper in our walk with Jesus. We want to know him more and truly be His disciple. But we are busy. We don’t think we have the time. And we let our business interfere with our Journey. If you want a deeper walk with Jesus, you have to make room for Him. Carve out some time. Linger a little. Make it a priority and watch how Jesus speaks to your heart. It is truly life altering. 

Speak Lord!

For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. Hebrews 4:12 (ESV)

There is a song I used to sing a lot called Order My Steps. It was recorded by the Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir. Here are the words of the chorus:

Order my steps in Your Word, Dear Lord
Lead me, guide me every day
Send Your anointing, Father, I pray
Order my steps in Your Word, YES
Order my steps in Your Word

These words took on more meaning as I began to seek God through His Word. It continually amazes me how he uses the Bible to guide my life. He uses it to speak into my chaos. So many times I’ve been pleading with him, asking for an answer or some indication that He is hearing me and I get the answer from the Bible.

And honestly, I don’t spend every moment pouring over the Bible. Wish I had time for that! But God delivers where we are. Last night I woke up in the middle of the night with a lot on my mind. I prayed and prayed. I was asking him for specific guidance. I told him I wanted to hear from Him. I didn’t want to make decisions based on my thoughts but on his thoughts.

When I got up this morning, I went to spend time with him. I started reading and felt impressed to turn to a book I am working through. I don’t always read the same thing every day. I jump all around during my quiet time. I turned to the book and my Kindle popped up and said “You are supposed to be on this page.” I clicked OK and it turned to the section only to discover I had already read it. But there was the Bible text I needed for today. I had already read that verse and honestly, skimmed over it. But today, it was exactly what I needed. It was such a strong answer to the prayer I had prayed the night before, I was in awe.

God has done this so many times. Answered by directing me, through impressions to turn to something I was not planning on reading, by a line that stands out when I read my Bible, through a thought that sticks in my head that makes me search. He will do the same for you. He speaks to us loud and clear. The Bible is alive.

If My People

Paraphrase of 2 Chronicles 7:14

If my people
Who are my people? Anyone who looks to me for life.
Who are called by my Name
God-followers, Christ-followers, seekers
Shall humble themselves
Let go of themselves, surrender, put down their agendas and their pride
And pray
Talk to me. Let’s have a conversation. Share your heart and let me share mine
Seek My face
Crave time with me - not as an optional thing but a necessary thing; to fill a passion that comes from within.
Turn from their wicked ways
Put down the things that motivate you. Loosen your grip on what you think makes you happy. Look in a
different direction. Look to me.
Then, I will hear from heaven, forgive their sin and heal their land.
I, God, will hear you. I will respond to you. I will do what my heart always wants to do. I will forgive you and
heal you. I will show up in your life. You will experience healing in more ways than you can imagine. Come,
let’s walk this life together. Won’t you come?

A Minute In It - What Are You Hiding From?

A minute in God’s Word will change your life. Take a moment to read the texts below and then ponder the questions at the bottom of the post.

11 Then the angel of the Lord came and sat beneath the great tree at Ophrah, which belonged to Joash of the clan of Abiezer. Gideon son of Joash was threshing wheat at the bottom of a winepress to hide the grain from the Midianites. 12 The angel of the Lord appeared to him and said, “Mighty hero, the Lord is with you!”

13 “Sir,” Gideon replied, “if the Lord is with us, why has all this happened to us? And where are all the miracles our ancestors told us about? Didn’t they say, ‘The Lord brought us up out of Egypt’? But now the Lord has abandoned us and handed us over to the Midianites.”

14 Then the Lord turned to him and said, “Go with the strength you have, and rescue Israel from the Midianites. I am sending you!”

15 “But Lord,” Gideon replied, “how can I rescue Israel? My clan is the weakest in the whole tribe of Manasseh, and I am the least in my entire family!”

16 The Lord said to him, “I will be with you. And you will destroy the Midianites as if you were fighting against one man.” Judges 6:11-16 (NLT)

Where was Gideon when the angel found him?
What was he doing?
What was he hiding from?
What did the angel call Gideon?
What did the Lord tell Gideon to do? What was he supposed to go with?
What was Gideon’s response?
What was God’s reply?
What in your life are you not doing that you are supposed to be doing?
What would be God’s reply to you?

A Minute In It - Light Me Up!

A minute in God’s Word will change your life. Take a moment to read the texts below (there are three versions) and then ponder the questions at the bottom of the post.

34 “Your eye is like a lamp that provides light for your body. When your eye is healthy, your whole body is filled with light. But when it is unhealthy, your body is filled with darkness. 35 Make sure that the light you think you have is not actually darkness. 36 If you are filled with light, with no dark corners, then your whole life will be radiant, as though a floodlight were filling you with light.” Luke 11:34-36 (NLT)

34-36 “No one lights a lamp, then hides it in a drawer. It’s put on a lamp stand so those entering the room have light to see where they’re going. Your eye is a lamp, lighting up your whole body. If you live wide-eyed in wonder and belief, your body fills up with light. If you live squinty-eyed in greed and distrust, your body is a dank cellar. Keep your eyes open, your lamp burning, so you don’t get musty and murky. Keep your life as well-lighted as your best-lighted room.” (MSG)

34 Your eye is the lamp of your body. When your eye is healthy, your whole body is full of light, but when it is bad, your body is full of darkness. 35 Therefore be careful lest the light in you be darkness. 36 If then your whole body is full of light, having no part dark, it will be wholly bright, as when a lamp with its rays gives you light.” (ESV)

As you read each of the versions, what was the Holy Spirit saying to you?
What stood out in your mind?
How did these texts apply to your life?
What would you take away from these and possibly change in your walk with God?
Is there something you feel you need to do going forward?

A Minute In It - Which Skin Are You In?

A minute in God’s Word will change your life. Take a moment to read the text below and answer the questions at the bottom of the post.

“And no one puts new wine into old wineskins. For the new wine would burst the wineskins, spilling the wine and ruining the skins.  New wine must be stored in new wineskins.  But no one who drinks the old wine seems to want the new wine. ‘The old is just fine,’ they say.” Luke 5:37-39 (NLT)

Old wineskins = the religion and traditions practiced by the populace at large
New wineskins = Jesus revelation of God and how God wanted them to practice their faith

What are some “old wineskins” in your life that might prevent you from worshiping God as he says you should?
Where did they come from?
Why do you hold on to them?
What are some things you hold on to that prevent you from sharing Jesus?
What are some things you could add to your life that would allow you to fully realize the gospel?
Are you, like the people in the story, content to drink the old wine and not look for Jesus’ new wine?

A Minute In It - Remembering God's Word

A minute in Gods' word will change your life. Read through the verses below, pick one or two and contemplate on those today. Memorize them if you can.

1 I will praise the Lord at all times.
    I will constantly speak his praises.
2 I will boast only in the Lord;
    let all who are helpless take heart.
3 Come, let us tell of the Lord’s greatness;
    let us exalt his name together.

4 I prayed to the Lord, and he answered me.
    He freed me from all my fears.
5 Those who look to him for help will be radiant with joy;
    no shadow of shame will darken their faces.
6 In my desperation I prayed, and the Lord listened;
    he saved me from all my troubles.
7 For the angel of the Lord is a guard;
    he surrounds and defends all who fear him.

8 Taste and see that the Lord is good.
    Oh, the joys of those who take refuge in him!
9 Fear the Lord, you his godly people,
    for those who fear him will have all they need.
10 Even strong young lions sometimes go hungry,
    but those who trust in the Lord will lack no good thing.

11 Come, my children, and listen to me,
    and I will teach you to fear the Lord.
12 Does anyone want to live a life
    that is long and prosperous?
13 Then keep your tongue from speaking evil
    and your lips from telling lies!
14 Turn away from evil and do good.
    Search for peace, and work to maintain it.

15 The eyes of the Lord watch over those who do right;
    his ears are open to their cries for help.
16 But the Lord turns his face against those who do evil;
    he will erase their memory from the earth.
17 The Lord hears his people when they call to him for help.
    He rescues them from all their troubles.
18 The Lord is close to the brokenhearted;
    he rescues those whose spirits are crushed.

19 The righteous person faces many troubles,
    but the Lord comes to the rescue each time.
20 For the Lord protects the bones of the righteous;
    not one of them is broken!

21 Calamity will surely destroy the wicked,
    and those who hate the righteous will be punished.
22 But the Lord will redeem those who serve him.
    No one who takes refuge in him will be condemned.
Psalm 34 (NLT)

For A Limited Time Only - Not!

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. 9 So do not be attracted by strange, new ideas. Your strength comes from God’s grace.  Hebrews 13:8-9a (NLT)

Ever hear these statements?

For a limited time only
Call today for the best offer (does this mean if I call tomorrow you won't give me your best offer?)
Can be finished in as little as one day (it probably won't be but it could be)
Change your apartment change the world (Really? If this were true I would have changed the world many times!)
Up to 70% off (and there is only one thing in the store that is 70% off - the rest are not on sale)

The other day I was cooking and I had the TV on in the background. I heard the line "Call today for the best offer" and I started thinking about how we are duped by all of the media, commercials, and twist on words that we hear. We are bombarded with information and with images that trick our souls. I started wondering why we never see a car commercial with a mom wearing no make-up driving the child who is screaming in the car seat because he wants to get out. And I wondered why we don't see a man sitting in his car who is covered with drywall dust because he was in the middle of a home project and the pipe burst and he doesn't have the right part to fix it or a woman who overslept and is putting her make-up on in the parking lot of a building because she's late for her meeting.

We look at the things we see on TV and we are subconsciously told that if you buy/own this particular thing your life will be all put together. And somewhere deep in our recesses, we believe it. But, it is a lie. Very good lies that Satan spins so we spend too much money and are always living in discontent. 

Ahhhh, but all is not doom and gloom. There are promises that are kept and statements that are made that are 100% true. They are found in the Word of God. No matter what, he does not change. Our verse today tells us that Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever. When he says something, it holds. You don't have to call on the right day, it is not a limited time offer and there is not a bait and switch. 

Will you still have days when your child is screaming in the back seat as you are driving somewhere? Yes. Will you still break pipes during home improvement projects and not have what you need to fix it? Yes. Will you still oversleep and feel out of sorts as you try to catch up?  Definitely. But deep inside you will also have a peace that you are not in this alone and that there is something better waiting. That, is a statement you can take to the bank.