Compared to What?

From an early age, we have constantly compared things all day every day.  And let’s face it, as women the thing we compare the most is ourselves to each other.  But why?

We compare because we have an inherent need to know that we are worth something.  We need to know that we are valuable to someone.  In the world’s economy, something’s worth can only be determined by comparison to something else.  So we compare and compare until we are simultaneously proud and disgusted with ourselves.  It’s exhausting and drains our lives of the meaning and purpose we were meant to walk in.

In God’s economy, however, each member of the human race is equally and immeasurably valuable, so valuable in fact, that Christ himself left heaven to come save us from ourselves.  In His view, your successful mentor at work and a starving child in Rwanda have EXACTLY the same value because they are made in His Image.  As much as we would NEVER admit it out loud, the fact that everyone around you is equally valuable may rub your pride the wrong way, we all want to be special.  But the truth of the matter is that YOU ARE, we are are all unique with God-given differences and personalities that allow us the to be special, but of equal, unfathomable value to the Lord. (Psalm 139: 13-16)  Aligning ourselves to this view of humanity frees us from thinking everyone is our competition. 

The blessings and successes of others do not diminish our value or our God-given purpose on this earth, our value is found in Christ alone.

But before we are tempted to think that we are all just super awesome in every way, it’s important to remember that our value has nothing to do with anything we’ve ever done.  Even on our best day, we come nowhere close to holy and are all at the mercy of God’s kindness (Rom. 3:23).  God showed this kindness by Christ’s death on the cross and the transferring of his righteousness to our accounts.

So let’s quit comparing.  Let’s pray this week for God to give us eyes to see ourselves and others as He sees us.

Challenge this week:

Believe that God has enough blessings and resources for you irrespective of the performance, behaviors and worthiness of others.


-Renee Moreland

The Blessing of Obedience

In John 10:10 Jesus tells us that He has come so that we can experience a full life. Some translations say an “abundant” life. The Greek word used here actually means “super-abundant (in quantity) or superior (in quality); exceedingly; beyond measure.”

If you talk to most Christians today, though, sadly you’ll find that very few of them would describe their lives as truly abundant. Blessed? Sure. More fulfilled than someone who doesn’t know Jesus? I certainly hope so. But super-abundant? Overflowing? Extravagant? …Not as often as we’d like.
But why is that? What causes the disconnect? And more importantly, what’s the key to experiencing a super-abundant life?

The answer is simple – obedience.

Now, please notice, I said “simple,” not “easy.” Even as believers, the sinful nature wars with the Spirit inside of us (Romans 7&8), so we don’t always choose God’s way. Our free will rears its ugly head and we choose to do things our own way. It happens so often that I’m afraid we begin to accept it as just part of what it means to be human. And maybe it is, but we’re also told that as believers in Christ we’re new creations (2 Cor. 5:17), so we know it doesn’t have to be that way.

But, how does this struggle with the sinful nature prevent us from experiencing the super-abundant life Jesus promised us?

Well, because God is a gentleman. Since He’s the one who gave us free will in the first place, it makes sense that He doesn’t choose to override it in order to make sure we respond to Him in obedience. He doesn’t force anyone to accept Christ’s payment for their sins and receive salvation, and He also doesn’t override free will and force believers to choose the path He wants for them either.

Not only is God a gentleman, He’s also a loving Father. Jesus sets an example for us in Mark 14 by calling God “Abba,” a Hebrew word that can be translated as “daddy.” Paul tells us in Romans 8:15 and again in Galatians 4:6 that we have the privilege of addressing God in this way as well. It’s beautiful and it’s intimate.

But we need to be careful not to make the mistake of thinking that because God is loving that He is also a permissive, lenient parent. Permissive parents are extremely attentive to their children, but they lack rules and discipline. That is not the case with our Abba Father at all. Is He gracious? Yes! Merciful? Yes! Lenient? Absolutely not!

It’s an important distinction to make because although God has allowed us the free will to choose to be disobedient, the blessings of the abundant life come through obedience. If we staunchly refuse to submit to His way of doing things, if we persist in trying to live life on our terms, we can’t get mad at God when aren’t experiencing the blessings of the super-abundant life Jesus talked about.

How many times have my conversations with God sounded something like this?

“Father, I need Your help. My finances are a mess and I need You to provide me with more money.”
“I know your needs, my child, and I’ve promised to provide for them. What I want you to do right now is cut back on what you’re spending and also use some of the money I’m already providing you with to bless other people.”
“I really don’t think that’s going to work for me, God. I’m going to go ahead and keep spending my money exactly the way I have been and exactly the way I want to, but I really need You to send me more of it anyway, OK?”

“Father, I’m feeling really anxious and stressed out right now. I don’t know what’s going to happen next. I need You to work everything out for me.”
“I’ve promised you that I will never leave you or forsake you. To help with the anxiety about the future, though, get in my word and you’ll be reminded of all the times I’ve come through for my people in miraculous ways in the past. Start memorizing scripture verses so you can use my word as the spiritual sword it’s meant to be and build up your shield of faith to stand against those fearful and anxious thoughts.”
“Sorry, God, I really don’t have time to get into your word. My schedule is really busy and my favorite show is on TV right now. But why don’t you just go ahead and take away the anxiety anyway?”

“Father, I really want You to bring me a husband. I’m tired of being single.”
“You need to trust that my plan for you is best, whether that includes a husband or not. While you’re single, you can begin to learn your true value by drawing close to me and letting me shape you into the woman I want you to be. That way, if and when I bring you a husband, I can use the two of you as a team to bring me glory and further my kingdom.”
“That sounds great and all, but honestly, I just want the husband. In fact, just so you know, that’s basically all I’m going to talk to You about until You bring him to me.”

Now, of course, I’d never actually voice my responses the way I have here, but we all know that actions speak louder than words! I hate to think how many times I’ve robbed myself of experiencing an abundant life full of peace, joy, and intimacy with God all because of my stubborn insistence on doing things my way. How many doors have remained nailed shut to me because I refused to step out in obedience and trust my Heavenly Father with the results?

And what about you? Odds are I’m not alone in this struggle. Take a quick heart check. Is there some area of your spiritual life where you’re stubbornly refusing to do things God’s way and yet you’re angry with Him for not working things out according to your plans? What would it look like if right this moment you decided to walk in obedience and surrender to His leading? What doors might God be waiting to open for you if you’ll just trust Him and be obedient?

Now, please don’t think I’m promoting obedience as a formula for getting God to do what you want Him to do. God is not a big genie in the sky just waiting to grant our wishes when we rub His bottle the right way. Obedience’s partner in this process is surrender, and specifically the surrendering of our will to His. The abundant life isn’t achieved when we convince God to get on board with our agenda for our lives, but instead when we surrender our agenda and submit to His plans for us.

The super-abundant life Jesus spoke of in John 10 is available to every believer. It’s not just reserved for a few special “super Christians.” God longs to shower extravagant blessings on His children, but surrender and obedience are essential to the process. The blessings may not take a form that we expect, but we can be certain blessings will come. Our Heavenly Father always honors obedience.

-Nita DeBorde

     

Before You Speak

This past week I was preparing for our mid-week Bible study and the Lord placed on my heart a couple of hard concepts and a perplexing question:

1. You will speak what is in your heart (Matthew 12:34)
2. Your heart is deceitful and cannot be trusted (Jeremiah 17:9)
3. Well then, how do I control my speech?!

There must be a way! Can we tame it, teach it to be better? James 3 says that no person can do this...well that is a bit discouraging, and yet we are called to, as believers in Christ, have speech that honors Him and encourages one another (Colossian 4:6, Ephesians 4:29).

Gossip

I know from personal experience that one thing all humans struggle with is gossip, speaking about other people when they are not present. It is often passing comments but even small words hold weighty thoughts and emotions. Do we ever question the impact of our words not just on the subject but also on the person we are speaking to? Have you ever wondered if your speech about others effects how the person you're speaking to sees you? How often are we found to be hypocrites by silly, thoughtless speech? During the study another convicting passage came up...

Careless Words

"I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak, for by your words you will be justified and by your words you will be condemned." (Jesus) 
~Matthew 12:36-37

Uhhh...YIKES! Can anyone say ouch?! EVERY CARLESS WORD...I don't know about you but I would be in a lot of trouble if it were not for Jesus' saving grace. However, that does not exempt me from being responsible for my speech on this side of my salvation story! We do not have a free pass as believers to say what we want, we are called to a higher standard, called to be a witness and example of Christ in this world.

You may have heard the old phrases "preach the Gospel and if you have to, say something" or "actions speak louder than words." Both have valid points, but don't miss the fact that in order for the Gospel to be heard it must first be spoken AND words can quickly damage any witness you have made with someone who doesn't know the grace and mercy of Christ. Your speech, your tongue, is powerful and can be amazingly destructive and, unfortunately, untamable on our own.

So again I ask, what can we do?!

The Tongue and The Heart

How do we solve this problem of "the tongue?" If our speech comes from the overflow of our heart and our heart is untrustworthy, can we get a new heart? Can it be replaced? Made new?

YES!!!!

"And I will give them a new heart to know Me, that I am the LORD: and they shall be my people, and I will be their God: for they shall return unto me with their whole heart." ~Jeremiah 24:7
"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come." ~2 Corinthians 5:17

Praise God for His provision, He has made a way for us! Let us receive as those IN CHRIST the gift of a new heart, a new creation. He has also given us tools to fill ourselves with His thoughts, focus on higher and better things, to crowd out the "old self" so there is no room for it to control speech any more. He also will also help us in guarding our mouths if we ask Him (I suggest really praying over Psalm 141 if you struggle with speech as I do).

I'll end with a useful acronym that hopefully will applicable for you...

Before you speak:

• T - is this true? (Philippians 4:8)
• H - is this helpful? (Ephesians 4:29)
• I - is this inspiring? (1 Thessalonians 5:11)
• N - is this necessary? (Proverbs 17:27)
• K - is this kind? (Colossians 4:6)

I hope this encourages you to know that even though it seems so hopeless to try to restrain your tongue on your own, the Lord has the power to change you and sanctify you to be more like Himself each day! Keep going and don't be discouraged when you stumble, get back up and finish the race He has prepared for you.

-Katey Hight

Check out Sneakers & Phylacteries for more from Katey!

Taming the Text

Before Andrea had so much as given the introduction of the lesson in class on Sunday, I knew I was in for more “ouch” than “amen”.  You see, she was talking about the power of the tongue and I just happen to have a chronic case of MMD (Motor-mouth Disorder).  I have seen time and again the healing and the destruction that can be produced by the things we say. 

But what about the things that we communicate without saying a word?  What about the words that we type?  While the words we say with our mouths are incredible powerful, the words we form in other media can be equally impactful for good or bad.  So much of modern communication is through text and email.  Even though we may be using our thumbs, all the same issues of the tongue still apply, or to put it another way…

Out of the overflow of the heart, the thumbs type.

Most of us can text about as fast as we can type on a keyboard or even talk, for that matter.  And we have these handy little devices that allow us to instantly speak our mind to anyone and everyone, no matter what mood we are in, with absolutely no cooling off period.  The results of this hastiness, however, can last long after we press “Send”.

For instance, just this week a text I sent to a coworker could have been a case-study in hasty, argumentative, know-it-all communication.  And now because I had to prove I was right to the other know-it-all, the relationship is now strained.  Someone whom I have been praying for opportunities to share Christ with has now seen the icky overflow of my know-it-all, insecure heart instead of seeing Jesus in me.

Social media-our text message to the world.

If you think that the words you say with your mouth and can only be perceived by those within hearing distance is powerful, think of the impact of your social media accounts.  What among our daily stream-of-consciousness babble is building others up, tearing others down, or causing someone to stumble?

The tongue can’t be tamed, our words in whatever form can’t be tamed, so what are we supposed to do?  Just as Andrea spoke about in the lesson, no amount of self-help techniques will give you power over your tongue.  This can only be done with the help of the Holy Spirit, who is freely given to all those who believe in the saving work of Jesus Christ on the cross.

Please be praying with me this week…

Lord, please tame our tongues and our texts.  Please let the words that flow from us be kind, true, and necessary.  Let anything we say or communicate glorify You and make your name revered among those who interact us.  We pray that your Spirit would flow through us and speak life into those around us.  It is only by the power of the blood of Christ that we are even able to come to you at all.  We love You, Lord.  Amen.

-Renee Moreland

Fearfully and Wonderfully (Not Frightfully & Weirdly) Made

“13 For You formed my inward parts; You wove me in my mother’s womb.

14 I will give thanks to You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made;

Wonderful are Your works, And my soul knows it very well.

15 My frame was not hidden from You, When I was made in secret,

And skillfully wrought in the depths of the earth;

16 Your eyes have seen my unformed substance; And in Your book were written all

The days that were ordained for me, When as yet there was not one of them.”

Psalm 139:13-16

Fearfully and wonderfully made… these are probably two of the hardest words in the whole Bible for me to believe about myself.  The First Book of Renee reads differently, it says frightfully and weirdly made. 

But as we walk through these verses we’ve heard a million times, lets actually take a moment to let them sink in…

“For You formed my inward parts; You wove me in my mother’s womb.”

Really?  Even that thing that made me weirdly short, or tall, or fat, or thin, or plain? 

Yep.

“I will give thanks to You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made;  Wonderful are Your works, And my soul knows that full well”

We were made both fragile (fearfully) and amazingly resilient and complex (wonderfully).  Then we are reminded, just in case we forgot, that the Lord’s works are wonderful.  Everything He does is good, including how he made you.  Even the complexity in a single human cell is enough to merit praising God for his creativity.

“My frame was not hidden from You, when I was made in secret, and skillfully wrought in the depths of the earth;”

Even the circumstances of our birth, whether they be common, miraculous, or traumatic, even then God knew us and was knitting together chromosomes to make you exactly the person you were meant to be.

Your eyes have seen my unformed substance; And in Your book were written all the days that were ordained for me, when as yet there was not one of them.”

Even the experiences we’ve had and the moments that defined us, even the days that have yet to define us, the Lord already knew about them before we took that first gasp of breath.

So who are you going to believe? Yourself and your anxious, self-conscious thoughts, or the holy, inspired Word of God? 

Take a moment right now to meditate on these verses and let God's Word soak into all those cracks in you heart that insecurity is keeping wedged open.

And the next time that self-loathing thoughts invade, let’s remember that God formed us the way we are ON PURPOSE and He’s pretty convinced that He did a good job.  

-Renee Moreland

Forgiveness Is Not Forgetting

Too often I have listened to a lesson on forgiveness and have felt the weight of guilt and condemnation (forgiveness-guilt if you will). Lies from the enemy creep in and whisper "you're not over it...what they did still stings so you couldn't have forgiven them...you aren't friends with them any more so how can you think you forgave them..."  Deep within my heart I know I forgave them, I remember the long and painful process, but something still lingers, something still hurts, still festers when "that person/situation" arises yet again. Am I alone...does no one else ever feel this way?

Where did we get the saying "forgive and forget?" It is ridiculous! That isn't how the human brain works. Our powerful, beautiful brain remembers things, especially hurts. There is no DELETE button, no magic function to erase what we have gone through. And, encouragingly enough, it isn't a biblical command. Yes, we are called to forgive, but the God that made our brain and wired it perfectly did not grant us the ability to forget. WHY? Maybe it is for protection, to learn from hurts of our past, to grow and mature beyond them. Maybe it is to remind us that no human is perfect, that we are all sinful and fallible creatures. Whatever the reason, I have had to learn and relearn that forgetting does not automatically accompany forgiveness. And I am thankful for the godly men and women who have taught and counseled me through seasons of both unforgiveness and forgiveness-guilt.

"Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you."
-Ephesians 4:32

I recently went to a small bible study where Marty Sholars, a Christian counselor, spoke on forgiveness. She gave so many valuable insights into biblical forgiveness but the one that brought tears to my eyes was "forgiveness is not forgetting." She spoke of the imagery of a scar. In cold weather the skin around a scar can tighten causing tenderness in the area. That tenderness was not a sign of a wound but of the fact that the wound was healed and no longer bleeding. She also spoke of what Jesus showed the disciples when He visited after His resurrection...HIS SCARS! Proof of who He was and what He went through on our behalf. Proof that He loved us enough to sit on that cross and die for our salvation and His glory. 

WOW, bring on the misty eyes! I can honestly say there have been two distinct instances in my life where I felt betrayed by people I loved and cared for and I described the emotional pain they caused as being cut open. Betrayal in friendship, to me, is much like two people sewn together in a strong bond and having that bond ripped apart. Graphic I know but I think the people we hold the closest are the ones that have the potential to cause the most damage, the largest wounds that take forever to heal and leave the biggest scars. In both cases we reconciled (hold on, we'll get to this concept) our friendship and again I was hurt, our friendship was damaged and eventually ended. I worked through forgiveness in counseling and have been praying for them for years now (please don't read that as boasting, it is still hard to pray for them but the Lord softens my heart to them every time I do).

And still the scars tighten and are tender when those people enter into my life. I don't know if that will ever go away or if I will ever be called to be in a relationship with either person again but I know this, my scars are a sign of healing from God alone. I never want to harm their reputation nor do I wish any ill towards them. The Lord helped me to forgive them of what they did to me and He forgave me for my ugly heart towards them after being hurt. 

"For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive other their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins."
-Matthew 6:14-15

The other topic that spoke to me was how she distinguished reconciliation versus forgiveness. Forgiveness is between you and God, sometimes the person who hurt you has no idea they did so. Sometimes it is not appropriate or necessary to point out the hurt they caused. And sometimes it is not an option if the person is no longer with you. Many times during depression people hurt me who had no intention of hurting me, simply because of the way my brain reacted to things people did or said. I had to forgive over and over my misunderstandings and anger towards people who had no idea what I heard and felt in their words and actions. 

Forgiveness frees up our hearts to receive God's grace and conviction. It takes the weight of justice off of us and puts it onto God, who is the only righteous and just judge.

"If your brother or sister sins against you, rebuke them; and if they repent, forgive them. Even if they sin against you seven times in a day and seven times come back to you saying 'I repent,' you must forgive them." - Luke 17:3-4 (emphasis added)

Reconciliation is between you and another person. It allows the hurt to be known, addressed, forgiven and the relationship mended to continue. But when that covenant is broken again and again it may be that person is not good for you or you may not be called to reconcile if they show no remorse/repentance for their actions. BUT, forgiveness is never an option, it is always commanded and always blessed. Do not stand between God and that person thinking that your forgiveness will somehow condone their behavior. God alone will do the work of conviction and justice, you need only forgive and step aside. As my teacher Andrea said this week, "tattle on them" and then pray for them. Lift them up to the Lord and ask that He do work only He can do, change hearts and mature believers.

I hope that encourages you to free up your heart from unforgiveness and from forgiveness-guilt. The Lord will never condemn you but He will bring conviction, learn to tell the difference and at all times pour out your heart to Him. Tattle to the Lord on those who have hurt you, forgive them, pray for them...then write down the date you forgave them and when Satan tries to make you think you haven't forgiven them, pull out that date and remind yourself of the faithfulness of God who walked with you through the healing process.

"Blessed are those who mourn, for they sall be comforted." -Matthew 5:4

-Katey Hight

Sneakers & Phylacteries 

http://sneakersandphylacteries.blogspot.com/?m=1

What's Holding You Back?

Ephesians 3: 20-21 states, “Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.” Do you believe it? Better yet are you ready to achieve the goodness that God wants to lavish on your life?

When I read through His word I see and feel his promises.  I’m filled with excitement by the truths that God declares he will be able to do in us and through us because of his mighty power. Sometimes, I have to stop and wonder though what’s holding me back from living the life that God has called me too? What are the road blocks that prevent us from receiving, believing, and achieving the goodness God has for us? Let’s take a look at 3 stumbling blocks.

• DOUBT “Shortly before dawn Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake.  When the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified. “It’s a ghost,” they said, and cried out in fear. But Jesus immediately said to them: “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.” “Lord, if it’s you,” Peter replied, “tell me to come to you on the water.” “Come,” he said. Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus.  But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, “Lord, save me!” Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. “You of little faith,” he said, “why did you doubt?” And when they climbed into the boat, the wind died down.  Then those who were in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.”  Peter asked God to tell him to come.  Peter got out of the boat and did exactly that.  However, when he saw trouble, turmoil, and trials he lost sight of God’s great power.  How many times do you doubt God’s great power?

• FEAR – For me fear is like a forest. It starts out as an ever so innocent seed. A thought of “I’m a little scared” sometimes it grows from a previous experience. If this seed is not uprooted it grows, it grows into a tall tree, it builds upon itself reaching higher and higher. Eventually one day I look around and find myself in a forest of fear. Its dark, it’s cold, and there is no light. It’s almost as bad as living in a cave. Fear prevents me from living in the light and it hinders me from moving forward.  When I feel my fear factor building in around me I think of David.
  

  “As he was talking with them, Goliath, the Philistine champion from Gath, stepped out from his lines and shouted his usual defiance, and David heard it.  Whenever the Israelites saw the man, they all fled from him in great fear.” 1 Samuel 17:23-24. “David said to the Philistine, “You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied.  This day the Lord will deliver you into my hands, and I’ll strike you down and cut off your head. As the Philistine moved closer to attack him, David ran quickly toward the battle line to meet him.  Reaching into his bag and taking out a stone, he slung it and struck the Philistine on the forehead. The stone sank into his forehead, and he fell facedown on the ground.” 1 Samuel 17:45-46, 48-49.” 

How many times do we forget that we come against our strongholds with the name of the Lord Almighty on our side?

• LAZINESS - I’ll start that diet tomorrow, I’ll do my quiet time in the morning, I’ll begin researching about new jobs next week when life slows down.  The strong holds of laziness tells us that we can always do it tomorrow, next week, or in a few days.  It calls us to be sedentary.  Life doesn’t begin sitting still and things don’t get accomplished by not doing anything.  

Can you identify your biggest road block? Ask God to give you discerment to recognize it, strength to overcome it, and courage to never allow it to be a stumbling block again for we are God's worksmanship created to do good things which God prepared in advance for us to do. “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” (Ephesians 2:10) 

So long roadblocks, it’s time to pass you by!  

-Rebecca Search

-Originally posted on Rebecca's Blog, Searching for Joy