Friday, November 25, 2011
Friday, November 4, 2011
2 Marks of a true follower of Christ
Rescue those who are being taken away to death;
hold back those who are stumbling to the slaughter.
12If you say, "Behold, we did not know this,"
does not he who weighs the heart perceive it?
Does not he who keeps watch over your soul know it,
and will he not repay man according to his work?
Proverbs 24:11-12
Everyday before I start school with the kids I read the Proverb for the day. I realize that while they eat that bowl of Frosted Mini Wheats or eggs and toast that they may not be tuned in keenly to what I am reading. But my prayer is that they will pick up on truths that will be planted deep, deep down in the well of their soul. Every new month we start over, reading the same ones over and over. But last month on the 24th those two verses struck something deep in my own soul. So I did a study on them. Turns out that what those verses are referring to are two-fold.
First, it is directing that as true followers of God we are to care for those who are suffering. When God reveals a need to us, when He lets us in on a plight of some form we are to do what we can to relieve that person. The orphans of course come to my mind since that is where we are walking. But of course it is for the widows, the poor and homeless, the tired and weary, the hurting. There is no need to pray God should I help, the prayer is HOW can I help. Does He want me to provide food? A hug and encouraging words? Money? My home? My time? We are His people bearing His name. We can not sit by and say "But we did not know". God perceives our hearts, He holds us accountable. We are to lead the way to bandage the broken and hurting, "to hold back those being taken away to death, those stumbling to the slaughter". Never have I seen such hurting world-wide, never have I seen so many chances to be God's hands and feet. It can be overwhelming. God help us to be focused on where You are at work and give us a discerning heart to MOVE and DO!
Second, the verses point to rescuing those being taken away to death through a life of sin. If we see someone stumbling to the slaughter, taking a path that will lead to their demise, we are to ACT. Again we can not say "Behold we did not know this." People are all around in droves marching to their graves in need of a Savior. How dare us not invest in their lives. We must. God says. The times in which we live demands us to measure every activity against His word. True followers of Christ must de tangle themselves from the world and pursue people. Now, am I saying we are to quit all extra curricular activities and do a mass evangelism door to door every day all day?? No of course not! We must though change the reason we do them. If you take your kids to ball use this as an activity to reach out to your community for Christ. Meaning get involved in their lives. Build relationships. Don't just invite them to church, even though that is great. Do Not just give them a tract even though that is good too. Learn their hurts, their background, go to dinner with them. Speak truth into their lives. If you work, that is no longer just a job, a way of providing for your family. It is now a battlefield where you seek out the ones the enemy has injured and lied to and you are escorting them to the path of life. This includes our Christian brothers and sisters. We all have stumbled onto the wrong path and need help and encouragement coming back.
I feel like God has shown me that this is a true mark of a true follower. We can not simply declare His name, or accept His salvation. We must do, obey what He says. And clearly He has spoken.
I hope I didn't bore you with rambling. God has convicted me about all this lately. It is where I am walking. May God change our hearts. I pray He speaks to you clearly too. May He stir us to ACT and SIT NO MORE!
Pressing On,
Carrie
hold back those who are stumbling to the slaughter.
12If you say, "Behold, we did not know this,"
does not he who weighs the heart perceive it?
Does not he who keeps watch over your soul know it,
and will he not repay man according to his work?
Proverbs 24:11-12
Everyday before I start school with the kids I read the Proverb for the day. I realize that while they eat that bowl of Frosted Mini Wheats or eggs and toast that they may not be tuned in keenly to what I am reading. But my prayer is that they will pick up on truths that will be planted deep, deep down in the well of their soul. Every new month we start over, reading the same ones over and over. But last month on the 24th those two verses struck something deep in my own soul. So I did a study on them. Turns out that what those verses are referring to are two-fold.
First, it is directing that as true followers of God we are to care for those who are suffering. When God reveals a need to us, when He lets us in on a plight of some form we are to do what we can to relieve that person. The orphans of course come to my mind since that is where we are walking. But of course it is for the widows, the poor and homeless, the tired and weary, the hurting. There is no need to pray God should I help, the prayer is HOW can I help. Does He want me to provide food? A hug and encouraging words? Money? My home? My time? We are His people bearing His name. We can not sit by and say "But we did not know". God perceives our hearts, He holds us accountable. We are to lead the way to bandage the broken and hurting, "to hold back those being taken away to death, those stumbling to the slaughter". Never have I seen such hurting world-wide, never have I seen so many chances to be God's hands and feet. It can be overwhelming. God help us to be focused on where You are at work and give us a discerning heart to MOVE and DO!
Second, the verses point to rescuing those being taken away to death through a life of sin. If we see someone stumbling to the slaughter, taking a path that will lead to their demise, we are to ACT. Again we can not say "Behold we did not know this." People are all around in droves marching to their graves in need of a Savior. How dare us not invest in their lives. We must. God says. The times in which we live demands us to measure every activity against His word. True followers of Christ must de tangle themselves from the world and pursue people. Now, am I saying we are to quit all extra curricular activities and do a mass evangelism door to door every day all day?? No of course not! We must though change the reason we do them. If you take your kids to ball use this as an activity to reach out to your community for Christ. Meaning get involved in their lives. Build relationships. Don't just invite them to church, even though that is great. Do Not just give them a tract even though that is good too. Learn their hurts, their background, go to dinner with them. Speak truth into their lives. If you work, that is no longer just a job, a way of providing for your family. It is now a battlefield where you seek out the ones the enemy has injured and lied to and you are escorting them to the path of life. This includes our Christian brothers and sisters. We all have stumbled onto the wrong path and need help and encouragement coming back.
I feel like God has shown me that this is a true mark of a true follower. We can not simply declare His name, or accept His salvation. We must do, obey what He says. And clearly He has spoken.
I hope I didn't bore you with rambling. God has convicted me about all this lately. It is where I am walking. May God change our hearts. I pray He speaks to you clearly too. May He stir us to ACT and SIT NO MORE!
Pressing On,
Carrie
Friday, October 14, 2011
Ashton Kutcher, Demi Moore and Me
So....have you heard? Apparently Ashton Kutcher cheated on Demi Moore!!! Demi Moore?! Who in their right mind would cheat on Demi Moore? One would think there is no hope for us all if Demi Moore couldn't keep her man happy right?? Wrong! This news supports mine and Terry's theory that affairs are never about the sex or the looks. Oh sure that aids the process, but really it reveals an affliction of the heart. A longing to be filled that is rarely ever just physical. I have experienced despair of the soul. A longing for things to be made right. For peace. For love. For justification. Every time a situation occurs that hurts or wounds me or someone I love, I question "Lord, how do I handle this? How do You want me to respond?" Oh sure I experience anger, frustration, sorrow, the want of revenge. But the Lord has taught me in the midst of these emotions to seek His voice otherwise I make a bigger mess. Just now I was alone doing laundry. Ahh, alone. Rare moments of a home schooling moms life. Anyway, I was thinking. Have you ever noticed the way us women can think of two things at one time? This was one of those moments. I was mulling over a situation my family is dealing with and questioning God with the whys. At the same time I had praise music going and I was grateful that I had spent time in His word this morning and how it comforted me. Then I had one of those times when God shouts over my thoughts and the noise. He said "See, Carrie. All of these trials, all of these tear filled days of the past and present have created in you a longing for Me and My Word." Yes. Yes it has. We all have longings. We can let them be filled by Him and through Him or we can turn to the world for fulfillment. The problem with the world, as we all know, doesn't fill. It doesn't last. It creates a bigger longing. More darker and deeper than before. Remember Jesus at the well with the woman. I am the woman at the well. You are the woman at the well. You may not be an adulteress, or Ashton Kutcher, but you have longings, troubles, unmet desires. He offers the water, the truth, His Spirit. What will we choose?
Dear Father help us not to miss the grand point of this life. To know you, glorify you and enjoy You forever. My heart aches God. My sisters may ache. May we bring our empty jars to You and no one else. We may never know the whys of this problem or that but we know the Who. Amen.
Pressing On,
Carrie
Dear Father help us not to miss the grand point of this life. To know you, glorify you and enjoy You forever. My heart aches God. My sisters may ache. May we bring our empty jars to You and no one else. We may never know the whys of this problem or that but we know the Who. Amen.
Pressing On,
Carrie
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
God give me strength to give something from nothing....
This morning Terry and I had what you may call "intense fellowship" Not big, not loud, but disagreement. Now God has really been working on my heart lately, especially my anger. I just heard some of you gasp.."Carrie struggle with anger"??? I know you all thought I was perfect!:) But I do. Big ugly bad temper. I would love to blame this on my dad but God took that excuse and smashed it. I struggle with anger cause I am a big rotten sinner who likes everything to go my way all the time. I say when, I say who, I say how! You get the picture??? Anyway, this morning after we had "had words" I had a decision I had to make....Was I going to make this husband of mine breakfast like I always do or was I going to toss a cereal bar at his face on the way out the door? God whispered...and I knew I had to let Him have control of me and this pot that was boiling. I decided I was going to cook him a BIG breakfast! Your right God lets KILL him with kindness. Then God whispered again...but it was hard to hear over the slamming of pots and pans and cabinet doors. Eventually He got through. Was I going to cook this breakfast in the right spirit so my kids could see Christ working through me, so they could see a love for their daddy that goes deeper than any spat, so they could see commitment to a covenant that God ordained. Well I am not sure they saw any of that but I felt an overwhelming blanket of peace cover me from head to toe as I gave in to Christ's prompting. The issue between Terry and I was not resolved, but I had not sinned in my anger. Christ working in me provided that big beefy husband of mine with grits, eggs and toast for his day. And He had slayed the anger beast in me! This led me to start pondering all of life's inconveniences and all the excuses we make about falling short. I have been guilty of losing my temper with my kids and blaming it on them when really it was my poor time management, home organizing skills or the fact that I had slept too late for a quiet time with the Lord, that stressed me that made me lash out. We say we don't have the time, strength, energy to do the tasks that He has clearly set before us. And we don't. But with all my heart I believe that if our priorities are in line with His and we come up short of time, strength, energy, resources, patience, love, faith, forgiveness that is where He wants us. Beyond ourselves so He gets the glory. He fills in the gaps and stretches us farther than we ever thought we could. It was not Carrie who got the praise or glory. Not I who did it right. Not I who got the credit as I handed that shocked man of mine his plate. But Christ. O sweet Christ working in me. Me, a busted, broken clay pot. As I type, I am moved to tears that someone so perfect didn't give up on me. Didn't wash His hands of me. Didn't say to God "we have convicted her of her temper for the last time. She just doesn't get it". No, He stayed till I got it and is teaching me a new song. Oh, how I love Jesus. I want to urge you to give beyond your means today with me. If there is someone God has told you to love, forgive, spend time with and encourage and you have put it off, don't any longer. Give out of your shortcoming. Give out of your fatigue and your empty bank account. (Use wisdom, of course) And watch Christ use you for His glory.
By the way....we made up! (Terry wants to aggravate me more often!)
Have a great day!
Pressing On,
Carrie
By the way....we made up! (Terry wants to aggravate me more often!)
Have a great day!
Pressing On,
Carrie
Friday, September 23, 2011
a light at the end of the tunnel
If you have walked with the Lord for any length of time, you know full well that there are seasons in your journey. Two weeks ago began a rather difficult battle in my mind. I can't explain it really. I just became bombarded with thoughts. Thoughts of what ifs?? Thoughts of fear and loneliness. I couldn't shake it. I couldn't pray it away. All that I had was constantly battling the lies with truth. And getting to that point was like seeing a dim light at the very end of a very dark tunnel. For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope, Jer 29:11. The verse that I have given to Grace-Ann to memorize to help her with her fears was the one I was clinging to in the shower when I found myself unable to breath due to doubts of that future. This morning however the cloud has lifted, for whatever reason. On this first day of a brand new season I just want to encourage you if find yourself in that funk, or cloud or tornado or fire or just plain dark to keep walking. Keep talking to Him. Keep reading His word, devour it even. Keep working out your salvation. Do not panic. Do not quit. Do not act out or react to. Just keep walking. You will find Him faithful and that fact makes the new season so much more precious.
Love you girls and I hope you have a great weekend!
Pressing On,
Carrie
Love you girls and I hope you have a great weekend!
Pressing On,
Carrie
Thursday, September 8, 2011
Pain is never wasted....
The LORD is a stronghold for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble
Psalm 9:9
This world has a way of pressing in on us. The weight of the worries and trials can sometimes drive a follower of Christ to despair. You know the moment where you just want to cover your head and hunker further down into the bed. At those times we realize again how very little of this life we are in control of. It is a critical point in our walk. There in that bed, or wherever you choose to have your breakdown, we have a decision. A decision to again turn to Christ and proclaim "Lord you are my stronghold, my stronghold in times of trouble". Or to turn the other way and sin. It is a sin to turn from our Lord in our despair. It is a sin to prolong the wallowing. To turn away from the work He is orchestrating through that pain. It is a sin when we declare we will pull ourselves up by our bootstraps, throw the covers back and go our own way, determining to not let THAT happen again. It is a sin to attempt to medicate the sorrow with food, alcohol, shopping or what ever vice you can name. But that is what we so often do. Some of us have walked with the Lord long enough to know better. We know that pain is never ever wasted. Always through pain God reveals a sin pattern that needs to be dealt with, a hurt that needs His attention, or a relationship that needs addressing. If we will only let Him. But oh that requires a moment of quiet. To be still before Him. We are so tempted here to lament our troubles to Him and then when we are done we wipe our snotty nose, dust the fuzz off our knees and go about our day fixing the mess ourselves or worse, ignoring it! All of this gushes out of my heart from experience this morning. The Lord continues to grip me with this lesson. I am learning to be quiet but it is o so hard. This exercise we continue to do together requires me to lay my so-called rights down. "But Lord, I whine I do have rights, right?" "Nope" He says. "Lord I mean I do have the right to live this life without some fool hurting my feelings, doing me wrong, or protect my wants and needs or blah blah blah blah???? Surely Lord I have the right to protect my reputation??" Again He lets me whine but again if I listen and I have got to strain to hear Him over my sobs I will hear Him say "NO child I am doing a new work in you to get glory and to let the world see I can make something from nothing!" Here I can wearily agree with Him and let Him work or I can take myself off this operating table and go about with the limp, pretending as if I am fine. How foolish to miss the blessing, the healing.
"O God help me to be still before you. Forgive me for turning away from you, busying myself with noise and activity. I don't want to do that again. You O God are the stronghold for the oppressed, You are MY stronghold in times of trouble. Not chocolate, not sex, not books, not TV, not alcohol, not my husband, not my kids, not exercise. There is only You and that is enough."
Press On,
Carrie
Psalm 9:9
This world has a way of pressing in on us. The weight of the worries and trials can sometimes drive a follower of Christ to despair. You know the moment where you just want to cover your head and hunker further down into the bed. At those times we realize again how very little of this life we are in control of. It is a critical point in our walk. There in that bed, or wherever you choose to have your breakdown, we have a decision. A decision to again turn to Christ and proclaim "Lord you are my stronghold, my stronghold in times of trouble". Or to turn the other way and sin. It is a sin to turn from our Lord in our despair. It is a sin to prolong the wallowing. To turn away from the work He is orchestrating through that pain. It is a sin when we declare we will pull ourselves up by our bootstraps, throw the covers back and go our own way, determining to not let THAT happen again. It is a sin to attempt to medicate the sorrow with food, alcohol, shopping or what ever vice you can name. But that is what we so often do. Some of us have walked with the Lord long enough to know better. We know that pain is never ever wasted. Always through pain God reveals a sin pattern that needs to be dealt with, a hurt that needs His attention, or a relationship that needs addressing. If we will only let Him. But oh that requires a moment of quiet. To be still before Him. We are so tempted here to lament our troubles to Him and then when we are done we wipe our snotty nose, dust the fuzz off our knees and go about our day fixing the mess ourselves or worse, ignoring it! All of this gushes out of my heart from experience this morning. The Lord continues to grip me with this lesson. I am learning to be quiet but it is o so hard. This exercise we continue to do together requires me to lay my so-called rights down. "But Lord, I whine I do have rights, right?" "Nope" He says. "Lord I mean I do have the right to live this life without some fool hurting my feelings, doing me wrong, or protect my wants and needs or blah blah blah blah???? Surely Lord I have the right to protect my reputation??" Again He lets me whine but again if I listen and I have got to strain to hear Him over my sobs I will hear Him say "NO child I am doing a new work in you to get glory and to let the world see I can make something from nothing!" Here I can wearily agree with Him and let Him work or I can take myself off this operating table and go about with the limp, pretending as if I am fine. How foolish to miss the blessing, the healing.
"O God help me to be still before you. Forgive me for turning away from you, busying myself with noise and activity. I don't want to do that again. You O God are the stronghold for the oppressed, You are MY stronghold in times of trouble. Not chocolate, not sex, not books, not TV, not alcohol, not my husband, not my kids, not exercise. There is only You and that is enough."
Press On,
Carrie
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
Terry, Spurgeon and me
Good Morning!
I wanted to share a short excerpt from a book Terry and I are reading together. It is titled Morning and Evening by Charles Spurgeon. It is a devotional written by Spurgeon, but revised by Alistair Begg, using the ESV. There is one short devotion for morning and one for the evening. God has used it mightily. Last night the Lord got all up in our business. I mean you know when you have to reprimand your child because you see them doing something you don't like and you have to get right up in their face so they know the seriousness of what you are talking about. That is what our Father did with us last night! Ouch! I was still thinking about it when I woke up this morning! Our prayer was Lord do not let us ignore what you have plainly spoken to us! But that is not what I want to share with you this morning. This morning the devotion was about waiting. I just thought it too good to keep to myself, as we are all in the waiting about something. Waiting on an answer. Waiting on a blessing. Waiting on a word. Waiting on....
August 3o Morning
Wait for the Lord.--Psalm 27:14
It may seem an easy thing to wait, but it is one of the postures that a Christian soldier can not learn without years of teaching. Marching and quick-marching are much easier for God's warriors than standing still. There are hours of perplexity when the most willing spirit, anxiously desiring to serve the Lord, does not know what role to play. Then what shall it do? Vex itself by despair? Retreat back in cowardice, turn to the right hand in fear, or rush forward in presumption? No, simply wait. Wait in prayer, however. Cal lupon God, and spread the matter before Him; tell Him your difficulty, and plead His promise of help. In dilemmas between one duty and another, it is best to be humble as a child and wait with simplicity of soul upon the Lord. It is sure to be well with us when we feel and know our own folly and are genuinely willing to be guided by the will of God. But wait in faith. Express your unstaggering confidence in Him; for unfaithful, untrusting waiting is just an insult to the Lord. Believe that if He keeps you waiting even until midnight, He will still come at the right time; the vision will come and not delay. Wait in quiet patience, not rebelling because things are difficult, but blessing your God for the privilege of affliction. Never grumble against the second cause, as the children of Israel did against Moses, never wish you could go back to the world again, but accept the circumstance as it is, and put is as it stands, simply and with your whole heart, without any selfish agenda, into the hand of your covenant God, saying, "Now, Lord, not my will, but Yours be done. I do not know what to do. I am at an end of myself, but I will wait until You part the floods or drive back my enemies. I will wait, even if You test me for a while, for my heart is fixed upon You alone, O God, and my spirit waits for You in the deep conviction that You will still be my joy and my salvation, my refuge and my strong tower"
Wow! Hope you were encouraged and challenged as much as Terry and I were.
Have a great week. STAY IN HIS WORD EVERYDAY!!
Pressing on, in the waiting,
Carrie
I wanted to share a short excerpt from a book Terry and I are reading together. It is titled Morning and Evening by Charles Spurgeon. It is a devotional written by Spurgeon, but revised by Alistair Begg, using the ESV. There is one short devotion for morning and one for the evening. God has used it mightily. Last night the Lord got all up in our business. I mean you know when you have to reprimand your child because you see them doing something you don't like and you have to get right up in their face so they know the seriousness of what you are talking about. That is what our Father did with us last night! Ouch! I was still thinking about it when I woke up this morning! Our prayer was Lord do not let us ignore what you have plainly spoken to us! But that is not what I want to share with you this morning. This morning the devotion was about waiting. I just thought it too good to keep to myself, as we are all in the waiting about something. Waiting on an answer. Waiting on a blessing. Waiting on a word. Waiting on....
August 3o Morning
Wait for the Lord.--Psalm 27:14
It may seem an easy thing to wait, but it is one of the postures that a Christian soldier can not learn without years of teaching. Marching and quick-marching are much easier for God's warriors than standing still. There are hours of perplexity when the most willing spirit, anxiously desiring to serve the Lord, does not know what role to play. Then what shall it do? Vex itself by despair? Retreat back in cowardice, turn to the right hand in fear, or rush forward in presumption? No, simply wait. Wait in prayer, however. Cal lupon God, and spread the matter before Him; tell Him your difficulty, and plead His promise of help. In dilemmas between one duty and another, it is best to be humble as a child and wait with simplicity of soul upon the Lord. It is sure to be well with us when we feel and know our own folly and are genuinely willing to be guided by the will of God. But wait in faith. Express your unstaggering confidence in Him; for unfaithful, untrusting waiting is just an insult to the Lord. Believe that if He keeps you waiting even until midnight, He will still come at the right time; the vision will come and not delay. Wait in quiet patience, not rebelling because things are difficult, but blessing your God for the privilege of affliction. Never grumble against the second cause, as the children of Israel did against Moses, never wish you could go back to the world again, but accept the circumstance as it is, and put is as it stands, simply and with your whole heart, without any selfish agenda, into the hand of your covenant God, saying, "Now, Lord, not my will, but Yours be done. I do not know what to do. I am at an end of myself, but I will wait until You part the floods or drive back my enemies. I will wait, even if You test me for a while, for my heart is fixed upon You alone, O God, and my spirit waits for You in the deep conviction that You will still be my joy and my salvation, my refuge and my strong tower"
Wow! Hope you were encouraged and challenged as much as Terry and I were.
Have a great week. STAY IN HIS WORD EVERYDAY!!
Pressing on, in the waiting,
Carrie
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)