Not My Job

So Joshua did what Moses had commanded and fought the army of Amalek. Meanwhile, Moses, Aaron, and Hur climbed to the top of a nearby hill. 11 As long as Moses held up the staff in his hand, the Israelites had the advantage. But whenever he dropped his hand, the Amalekites gained the advantage. 12 Moses’ arms soon became so tired he could no longer hold them up. So Aaron and Hur found a stone for him to sit on. Then they stood on each side of Moses, holding up his hands. So his hands held steady until sunset. 13 As a result, Joshua overwhelmed the army of Amalek in battle. Exodus 17:10-13 (NLT)

As I read this story, I was wondering about what Joshua was thinking during this battle. Could he see Moses? Did he know that when Moses dropped his hands, he would start losing? Was he constantly looking over his shoulder checking out the situation? Maybe he'd see the arms sag and yell something like "Hands up! Hands up!" Was he trying to control something that was out of his reach? Somehow I doubt it.

When Joshua was on the battle field, I am sure he was focused on the battle. He was fighting with a bunch of unexperienced men who needed a leader that was engaged in what they were doing right then and there. That had to be Joshua's focus.

Moses was also doing what he what he was supposed to be doing at that moment. He was interceding. He was standing in the gap for Joshua and the Israelites. It's a good thing Joshua and Moses knew their roles and what they were supposed to be doing. And in the process they trusted God to do what he was supposed to be doing.

What about you? When God gives you a job, do you look around to see what everyone else is doing or do you look to God and trust that he is going to work it all out. Do you keep your focus on today's duties or are you trying to supervise God's plan for tomorrow?  I bet if Joshua kept looking back at Moses or if Moses kept trying to get into the fight with Joshua, things would not turned out as perfectly as they did.

I Can See You!

Nothing in all creation is hidden from God. Everything is naked and exposed before his eyes, and he is the one to whom we are accountable. Hebrews 4:13 (NLT)

My grandson is just learning to play hide and seek. Recently, we were playing and we were hiding from my husband. He ran to the bed and buried his face in the comforter. As far as he was concerned, he was hiding. Later, we said "Hide" and he covered his face with his hands. He thinks that if he can't see us, we can't see him.

Of course, this makes us laugh because it is so cute but then, my mind wondered to our relationship with God. We often think of our relationship with God in this way.  Since we can't see him, we tend to lose sight of the fact that he is right there with us.

I remember once I was trying to break a habit. I knew God wanted me to stop. Every time I did what I was trying not to do, I stopped praying. Part of that was guilt and part of it was that I somehow thought that if I didn't pray, I could ignore it. Finally one day God said, "You know I can see you when you do that, why do you stop talking to me?" I realized that no matter what I was up to, he was watching so I might as well just be upfront and honest about it. I started praying through it and breaking the habit became easier.

The Bible tells us that instead of hiding from God, we should be hiding in him.

For you are my hiding place;
    you protect me from trouble.
    You surround me with songs of victory. Psalms 32:7

Next time you feel like you want to hide from God, go to him instead and work through whatever is making you hide. He'll be your safe place and he will never, ever hide from you.

A Minute In It - Our Good Father

A minute in Gods' word will change your life.  Read through the Bible text and as you are reading, take in all the ways God shows up and then Praise Him!

Psalm 91

1 Those who live in the shelter of the Most High
    will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty.
2 This I declare about the Lord:
He alone is my refuge, my place of safety;
    he is my God, and I trust him.
3 For he will rescue you from every trap
    and protect you from deadly disease.
4 He will cover you with his feathers.
    He will shelter you with his wings.
    His faithful promises are your armor and protection.
5 Do not be afraid of the terrors of the night,
    nor the arrow that flies in the day.
6 Do not dread the disease that stalks in darkness,
    nor the disaster that strikes at midday.
7 Though a thousand fall at your side,
    though ten thousand are dying around you,
    these evils will not touch you.
8 Just open your eyes,
    and see how the wicked are punished.

9 If you make the Lord your refuge,
    if you make the Most High your shelter,
10 no evil will conquer you;
    no plague will come near your home.
11 For he will order his angels
    to protect you wherever you go.
12 They will hold you up with their hands
    so you won’t even hurt your foot on a stone.
13 You will trample upon lions and cobras;
    you will crush fierce lions and serpents under your feet!

14 The Lord says, “I will rescue those who love me.
    I will protect those who trust in my name.
15 When they call on me, I will answer;
    I will be with them in trouble.
    I will rescue and honor them.
16 I will reward them with a long life
    and give them my salvation.”

The Devil You Know

And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free. John 8:32 (NLT)

The other day I heard the phrase "The devil you know is better than the devil you don't." The phrase originated in the 1500s and was printed in a book of Irish proverbs. It basically means sometimes it is better to deal with something you don't like but know, rather than something you don't know at all.

In some cases, I agree with this statement. But in the case of Satan, I want to stick with the devil I know. Here are some of the things the Bible says about Satan.

• He deceives us. 2 Corinthians 11:3
• He is a murderer and a liar. John 8:44
• He is a thief. John 10:10

That definitely is not better than anything. No matter what, it seems like the devil you don't know would be better, right? Not if you read the rest of the story. The Bible also says:

• You can fight off his advances by choosing Jesus. Ephesians 6:11-16
• If you stand up to him, he flees. James 4:7
• He has already been crushed. Romans 16:20
• He has been conquered and defeated. Revelation 20
• Jesus put him in his place and if we choose Jesus, he is not a threat. Revelation 12:11

So you see, I will choose the devil I know. He's conquered. He's defeated. He's outta here!

Who's First?

Do you love me more than these? John 15:21 (NLT)

Peter had denied Jesus - I know that felt awful. Can you imagine? After that, he returned to what he knew....fishing. He was out on the lake failing at what he was supposed to be good at when he hears a voice. "Catching anything?" "Nope." "Throw the net out on the other side." They did. The net was overflowing and they realized it was Jesus.

Peter dives into the water and reaches shore. Jesus cooks them breakfast and they talk. He asks Peter "Do you love me more than these?"

These what? These fish? Was he asking Peter if he loved him more than his livelihood? After all, fishing was what paid the bills. How about these miracles? Peter, do you love me more than these miracles? It's possible. One of the reasons the disciples got so excited about Jesus was that he could take over the world with his power. Maybe he was asking Do you love me more than this comfort? When Peter denied Jesus, he return to what he knew best. He returned to where he was comfortable...to a place where it wasn't scary? Or maybe, he was asking Do you love me more than these other men do? 

Do you love me more than your money and possessions?
Do you love me more than your comfort?
Do you love me more than what I can do for you?
Do you love me more than you love anyone else?
Do you love me more than you love yourself?

If Jesus asked you these questions, what would your answer be?

Asking Amiss

You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss...James 4:3 (NKJV)

Have you ever pondered on this verse? What is the definition of amiss? According to the dictionary, it means "not quite right, inappropriate or out of place." 

So is this verse saying "You are not receiving what you ask for because your request is inappropriate? Out of place or not quite right?" What does that mean?

When James wrote this, it is clear in the first few verses that there were problems. People's motives were wrong. They wanted things that weren't theirs and they also wanted things they should not have. 

He first says "You don't have because you don't ask." Is it possible the reason they don't ask is because they know they shouldn't be asking for it in the first place? Do you ever do that?  You want something but you aren't asking God because you know he probably, in his tremendous love, say no? Or how about when you are doing something and you know God wouldn't like it so you don't talk to him about it? Same thing really. 

Later in verse three it says "that you may spend it on your pleasures." And there is why they were asking amiss.  There is nothing wrong with pleasure, God gives it to us all the time. The problem is when the pleasures we want are unhealthy and harmful to ourselves and others. 

As I continued to ponder this verse, I thought about whether I ask amiss. The answer is probably yes. While I don't outright ask for things that are unhealthy or harmful, my requests might be "not quite right." Maybe I am asking for the wrong reasons. Maybe my focus is on the wrong thing - like something temporal and not eternal. In my humanness, I am sure I do this. 

What am I going to do about it? I am going to pray and ask God to get my heart aligned with his so my requests are based on his kingdom and not my own.  That prayer will be spot on; there is not a chance of asking amiss if I am asking for God's heart.

Thirsty No More

Come, everyone who thirsts,
    come to the waters;
and he who has no money,
    come, buy and eat!
Come, buy wine and milk
    without money and without price. Isaiah 55:1 (ESV)

Are you thirsty? Come to the water. But remember, you can't come to the water only once. You will get thirsty again. Keep coming. Keep drinking. This isn't about satisfying your physical thirst. This is about satisfying your longing for something more. Something God.

The first drink is not the end of the journey, it's the beginning. It is the first refreshing sip in a life-time of gulps. And what will it cost you? Absolutely nothing. It's free! Free to anyone who knows there has to be something more to this life...something more than the temporary smile or momentary satisfaction. 

What is the value of being full of contentment, joy and peace? Priceless! Try it!

Fourteen Years Of Trouble

And he remembered the dreams he’d had about them many years before.  Genesis 42:9 (NLT)

Fourteen years.  Joseph had a dream that his brothers would one day bow down to him. He shared that dream with them. And then he had another similar dream. He shared that with his fathers and his brother. At this, his father chastised him and brothers were very angry. The brothers solution?  Why, let's sell him into slavery to get rid of him.

Fast forward 14 years. The Bible says in verse 6, Since Joseph was governor of all Egypt and in charge of selling grain to all the people, it was to him that his brothers came. When they arrived, they bowed before him with their faces to the ground. 

It took 14 years from the time Joseph had his dreams about his brothers before it came to fruition. What do you think took so long?  If this was God's plan, why didn't he just work it out?

 In Psalms 105:19 it says Until the time came to fulfill his dreams, the Lord tested Joseph’s character. I read this text as an "until/and". God's timing is a combination of things. The time has to be perfect and our character needs to be ready. Joseph had the dream but there was no famine. It was a dream of things to come. And, without testing his character, would Joseph be ready to be the second in command of Egypt?

I often wonder why things seem to take forever. God has us on a journey and the journey is long and hard. I want it to be over and done with. But, as I read this story I begin to understand that God's timing is flawless. He knows when things need to happen and he knows when we are ready.

Today, if you feel like you are walking through years of trouble, hold on. God's been timing things for thousands of years and he hasn't gotten it wrong yet.