Hard Is Good

Whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. 1 Corinthians 10:31 (NLT)

I know a woman. We’ll call her Kate for anonymity purposes. A couple of years ago, she had a stroke. As you can imagine, this turned her world upside down. The stroke was pretty bad and she’s spent considerable time recovering and getting her life back on track.

Recently, we had a huge event at our church. During the event, we feed somewhere between 150 and 200 people. Kate was in charge of the food. She’s held this role before and she’s really good at it. This time, I was in the facility kitchen trying to be helpful (hospitality is not one of my gifts so I am not kidding when I say I was trying to be helpful). As I was watching the chaos in the kitchen, I noticed Kate.

The stroke impacted her walking a little bit. She’s worked really hard to get things to function exactly as they did before but there is still a tiny hint that there is more healing to be done. As she moved about the kitchen, I noticed this. And then, I noticed that it didn’t slow her down one bit. She kept moving.

You see, Kate’s desire is to serve God. She wants to be used by him for his glory. And while she would have every reason to say “Sorry, I can’t help with that”, she doesn’t. She signs up and digs in and trusts that God is going to help her get the job done.

My respect for Kate grew immensely that day. We are so quick to make excuses for why we can’t do what God calls us to do. We look at things and think they are hard so that gives us an out. I think that should inspire us to push on that hard to open door and run through it!

It’s through the really hard stuff that God is glorified the most. When we can do it on our own, we are glorifying ourselves. When we can’t, we are glorifying God.

I want to be more like Kate. I want to face the hard stuff head on and say “God, you’ve got this. Let’s do this thing!” How about you? What really hard thing are you facing today that needs God in the middle of it?

Fighting Through

The laborers carried on their work with one hand supporting their load and one hand holding a weapon. Nehemiah 4:17 (NLT)

What do you do when you are up against a difficult time? When you work so hard and you’re exhausted and it feels like not matter what you do you are taking two steps backwards. How do you handle the load and not get discouraged and give up?

Today’s Bible verse talks about that. The people were working hard. They were taking shifts, not sleeping, not bathing. They were exhausted but kept working. They worked with one hand while their other hand handled a weapon so they could defend themselves against their enemies.

I know some days it feels like you should just give up and throw in the towel. Goodness knows I’ve been there. I’ve told God I am tired and I want to give up. I imagine him saying “Oh my child, you are trying to carry the load by yourself. Use what I’ve given you and just keep walking.”

When I think of what God has given me, I realize I have weapons at my disposal I think of the Holy Spirit, the Bible and Prayer. The Holy Spirit because it is he that lives in me that gives me the strength and courage to keep going. He talks to me, guides me and reminds me of who God is. He puts the right people in place to encourage me and pray for me. The Bible is also how God speaks. When I read it, I am instructed, I am challenged and emboldened and my heart finds peace. During my prayer, I pour out my heart to God. The praises for who he is and all the way he shares his love, the petitions because I am always asking him for something - for help, for courage, for people’s healing and the prayers of surrender.

Nehemiah had these tools too. He relied on the Holy Spirit for direction and protection. All throughout his journey he prayed and prayed and prayed. He knew who God was and God’s promises. He had memorized the journey of his people and he recalled God’s power during those times. Nehemiah was given a really hard task. But he wasn’t given it to carry alone. God was working with him and through him the entire time.

Nehemiah’s story encourages me to never give up. Keep trusting in the God I know and use the weapons he’s given me to keep fighting.

Subtle Warfare

He replied again, “I have zealously served the Lord God Almighty. But the people of Israel have broken their covenant with you, torn down your altars, and killed every one of your prophets. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me, too.” 1 Kings 19:14 (NLT)

Elijah had just performed an awesome miracle for God. The kind that should reinforce who God is and that he is definitely in charge. After he did, he began to hear the whispers. You know what I mean. The voices that tell you things about yourself and about God that are not true.

Even though they are not true. They are real and after hearing them for a while, the best of us believe them.

The voices that remind you of your past failures and insist that you have not grown past them. The talking about how you are not good enough to _____________________ (fill in the blank.) Each of our whispers are different.

For some, it’s about a past mistake. For others it’s about our physical appearance or our personality. The whispers can talk about our intelligence, our emotions, and our inabilities. These voices get particularly persistent as we grow deeper in our relationship with God.

I know this from experience. We’ve been doing a 40-day fast and the whispers have been non-stop. Relentless is the word that comes to mind. The thing that really distresses me is that normally, I can differentiate between God’s voice and the other guy. This time, it was very subtle and I struggled.

Elijah did too. He was a mighty God warrior and he began to believe what he was hearing. He was convinced that he was the only person left who followed God.

What should we do when the attack is real and the thoughts are negative? Go straight to the source of truth. God. Open your Bible and read. Read the promises. Write them down. Carry them with you all day long. When you hear the voices, repeat them out loud; over and over again. It is only by hearing the truth in our souls can we walk through this victoriously.

Elijah told God what he believed and God told him the truth. He said “Elijah, there are 7,000 others who have been faithful.” God will tell you the truth too. And when you hear it, believe it. Lean in to the One who loves you. He will never leave you or forsake you. That’s a promise!

Out Loud Shouts!

We take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. 2 Corinthians 10:5 (NIV)

We’ve all had them. The Whispers. You know, that little voice in your head that says things that you shouldn’t or don’t want to hear? The thoughts that sometimes shock you because it popped into your head. Maybe it made you think “Where did that come from?” I get them a lot. I swear that I think someone else has taken up residence in my mind and they interfere at the worst times. Oh wait, there is someone trying to get into my mind. Satan.

He uses all sorts of methods to throw me off balance. He’ll tell me how horrible I am. He’ll tell me that I can’t do anything right or that I am going to fail. He’ll say terrible things about people. He’ll plant the seed of anxiety and worry and try to get it to grow. If those things don’t work, he’ll try to tell me how great I am and that I deserve better and he’ll try to direct me off of God’s path.

I’ve developed some techniques to deal with him. I’ll share them with you but you should really develop your own because he speaks to each one of us differently.

When I’m going through a tough time and he whispers that it’s hopeless and he wants me to believe I am not going to make it through what I am walking through, I ROAR. Out loud and at the top of my lungs. I do this to remind myself that the Lion of Judah has already conquered the lion seeking people to devour. Battle is over. My Lion won.

When I’m being told how great I am and how what I did was amazing and I start thinking that I am all that, I shout “Glory Be!” Out loud at the top of my lungs. This reminds me that all glory and honor go to God, not me.

When I feel I am in a battle and I need to fight, I do a little boxing thing with my hands to signify that I am fighting back with Jesus. The first time I did this was in the car and my husband looked over at me. I said “Sorry, I was…” He said “I knew what you were doing.”

But most of the time I pray. When a judgmental thought about someone pops into my head, I say “That was not nice” and I ask God to forgive me and I pray for me and the person. When negative thoughts about how this is going to work out enter in, I tell God I trust in his plan. When I am not sure which way to go and thoughts of staying in bed all day seem inviting, I ask him for the courage to face the unknown.

Our thoughts are so powerful. They determine so much about how our day, our week, our life is going to go. The Bible says to take them captive. Hold them where you want them. Satan uses them to steal your joy, kill you spirit and destroy your life. Don’t let him. Fight back with the very tool he is using against you. Return the whispers he puts in your heart with an Out Loud Shout!

Fighting Back

Are any of you suffering hardships? You should pray.  James 5:13 (NLT)

I was talking to someone the other day about a project that he was working. He was very frustrated because it seemed like he took two steps forward and one step back. Things seemed harder than they needed to be.

We shared together and prayed about it asking God to bless and to show the path.

As we were leaving each other, I turned around and said “Keep your chin up.” He smiled and said, “When you go into battle you are supposed to keep your chin down.” I laughed and agreed. As I walked toward my car he said “You know, when you bow your head in prayer, you are keeping your chin down too.”

And so it is. When circumstances seem to battle against us and just getting to the next step seems harder than it should be, we have to take up our battle stance. And that stance is prayer. With our head bowed, we give to God what is always his; the battle, the outcome and the victory. And then, we keep walking ready for the fight.

Ready For Battle?

I urge you, first of all, to pray for all people. Ask God to help them; intercede on their behalf, and give thanks for them. In every place of worship, I want men to pray with holy hands lifted up to God, free from anger and controversy. 1 Timothy 2:1, 8 (NLT)

I came down with a nasty illness last week and was out of commission.  This week, the cough still lingers. Last night, we were scheduled to have Bible Study but there was no way I was going to get through it without coughing incessantly so we decided to watch the movie The War Room.

It's a movie about fighting your battles with prayer. You see, most of our battles are not for us to fight.  We are at war with the enemy and he will do whatever he can to destroy us. He will wreck our lives, our families, our health, our spiritual walk given half the chance.

And it is up to us to not give him the chance.  We do that in prayer.  While we know the war has already been won thanks to Jesus' death and resurrection, the battles wage on. God will do the fighting for us. Our job is to pray. We are to stay focused on God and lift every single thing up to him.

When we fight in prayer, we are doing the most we can do. And when we battle on our knees, Satan cannot win. There is no limit to what you can ask for. There is no limit to the answers you will receive.  And remember, prayer is not a transaction between you and God, it is an interaction. When you are praying, you are strategically involved in the outcome of each and every battle.

The best thing about it?  You can fight the good fight anywhere you are. Sitting at your desk. Doing laundry. Walking outside. Grocery shopping.  Anywhere. What are you waiting for?  Fight on!

A Minute In It - Fighting Back

A minute in God's word will change your life. Take a minute to read the passages below and ask yourself the questions at the bottom of the post.

Be prepared. You’re up against far more than you can handle on your own. Take all the help you can get, every weapon God has issued, so that when it’s all over but the shouting you’ll still be on your feet. Truth, righteousness, peace, faith, and salvation are more than words. Learn how to apply them. You’ll need them throughout your life. God’s Word is an indispensable weapon. In the same way, prayer is essential in this ongoing warfare. Pray hard and long. Pray for your brothers and sisters. Keep your eyes open. Keep each other’s spirits up so that no one falls behind or drops out. Ephesians 6:13-18 (MSG)

What are some of the weapons in the arsenal of God?
Why do you need them?
Why is Truth important?
Why is Christ's righteousness important?
Peace? Faith and Salvation?
What do you do with God's Word?
And why is prayer essential?
What about encouraging one another? What does that have to do with the battle we face?

Praying for you that God will guide you and keep you as you serve him.