Black Friday

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assuming, Black Friday, changing, God's point of view, Good Friday, His eyes to see, perspective

Black Friday has pretty much come and gone and I am reminded once again that I often need a change of perspective. Not the typical introspection of “Do I really need to buy all this stuff?”, but the introspection of how I view certain things. For instance, when I think of black, I think of darkness. I think of bad things, unpleasantness and gloom. To a business person though, being ‘in the black’ is a very positive thing. That’s what “Black Friday” is all about. Businesses finally start making a profit for the year. Retailers start to breathe as numbers fly in and goals are met. Their perspective of black is not my perspective of black.

Good Friday is yet another reminder that my perspective needs to be re-evaluated at times. Typically, I do not associate death of any kind (much less the death of our Savior) as a good thing, but as Christians we know that without the death of Christ, there could not have been His resurrection. Thus, we celebrate the cross and deem it as “good”. Someone who has not received Christ would think us grotesque to rejoice in a death, but to us it is a good thing. Once again, it’s all about perspective.

This season, I pray that God guides my eyes to see from His perspective. I pray that I focus until I see things from His point of view and that He grips my heart in such a way that when He says something is “good”, I say, “Amen” and leave it at that.

Let’s pray that this season we see things from God’s perspective!

Seeking Hearts Ministries – Where there is much more to discover!

My People

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Ezra, intercession, people, repentance, until

I’m sure that many of us pray for our country (no matter where we live). We pray that our leaders would hear the voice of God and obey. We pray for revival in our land. We pray for freedom from persecution. We pray for God to stay His hand of judgment so that we as a world can turn to Him fully. Many times though, I think we grow weary in well doing. We grow discouraged and throw our hands up, spiritually speaking, and give in to the whispers of Satan that the world’s time is up, so why pray? What difference would it make? We grow tired of standing in the gap when all we see around us is sin running rampant.

In the book of Ezra we see a remnant of a nation who had been torn apart by war and oppression. There were few among them that still served the one true God, but those few were given the task of rebuilding. It was a task too great for them and they knew it. Ezra led them to seek God’s face through fasting and prayer and God led them safely back home to begin the rebuilding process. Just as things were getting on track, a contingent of Israelites informed Ezra of a slight problem: sin was rampant in the camp. When he heard this, the Word tells us in Ezra 9:4, “Then everyone who trembled at the words of the God of Israel on account of the unfaithfulness of the exiles gathered to me, and I sat appalled until the evening offering.”

We’ve all been there, haven’t we? We believe our family, our church, our nation is getting back on track and something horrendous breaks out. Unfaithfulness to God is discovered. We are left appalled, stifled, shocked. We were on such a “high” just moments before, but now we are stunned into silence. We realize things are not as they seem. We realize that God will not allow His Spirit to break forth until the sin is dealt with. What did Ezra do is this situation? What do we do in this situation?

Ezra 9:5-15 records a beautiful prayer of confession. Was Ezra himself guilty? Not in this, but he still prayed and mourned over the sin as if he himself had committed it. He did not view himself as better than those who had actually partaken of this sin; he viewed himself as part of the people, integrated so fully into their lives that He felt their sin as if it were his own. He didn’t just identify with them, He was them.

As I drive down the road and see the “Adult Only” bookstores, I must ask myself if I am in a spirit of condemnation, or do I pray and confess for my people? Do I confess the sin as if it were my own? Am I in mourning for the way in which I have allowed things to happen knowing that if I were who God called me to be that store would be out of business? No law would be needed to close it, lack of profit would deem it necessary.

As I see a woman so strung out on drugs that she cannot take care of her own children, do I sit in judgment, or do I truly realize that ‘but for the grace of God go I’? Do I simply let myself off the hook for praying a simple prayer, or like Ezra am I prostrated on my face before God realizing that these are not the sins of others, but the sins of my people? Am I standing in the gap for a group I have no connection with, or do I realize that as I pray, I pray as “we” just as Ezra did and not “they”.

Chapter 10 of the book of Ezra begins with Ezra still confessing, still weeping and still prostrated before the God of the universe. This is no five-minute cry session. He sees no way of escape from the judgment that is sure to come. He knows Israel has sinned and he does not know how to make things right. In verse two, he is reminded that the God of the universe always provides a way to make things right. There is always hope.

So, I ask you (and I ask myself) what do your prayers look like for your people? Do you realize that their sin is really your sin to mourn and confess? Do you realize that God has placed you here to intercede until His Spirit breaks forth?

Let’s let Ezra’s example penetrate our hearts and pray as he did. Let’s join him in mourning for the loss of innocence among our people. Let’s join him in prostrating ourselves before God in deep intercession for the sin among us. Let’s continue to pray until the unfaithfulness of God’s people turns back to faithfulness. Let’s call on God until, as Ezra, we see the hope of restoration. Let’s pray until we see the repentance of God’s people break forth and revival permeates our land, our world and our people.

Seeking Hearts Ministries

Sleepwalking

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gifts, God's gifts, presence of God, thankful journal, thankfulness

My devotional this morning by Helen Steiner Rice read: “Many of us go through our lives almost as sleepwalkers. We take care of our responsibilities, do our jobs and have a little fun from time to time. But we fail to live in a life-changing awareness of our Christian faith. We fail to realize to a large extent the benefits of having God in our lives.” In other words, we fail to be aware of His presence. We fail to see the gifts that He gives us on a daily, minute-by-minute basis. We fail to see that He is here with us right now, helping, healing and restoring. I’m sure we all want to stop living as sleepwalkers, but how is this possible? How can we be in a place to realize the benefits of having God in our lives?

Several years back, I read the book “One Thousand Gifts” by Ann Voskamp. I realized as I read this book that God is constantly involved in my life and I realized that I wanted to be aware and thankful in each moment. I also realized that I needed a tool to help me be aware of His presence. Mrs. Voskamp wrote about having a thankful journal. Since then, I have kept my own journal thanking God for each gift that He gives me. I just started my third and it has been life-changing. I take it with me wherever I go; not to let others see, but with the expectation that God is going to show me something else to be thankful for that day. I want to be aware and ready with my pen to acknowledge His gifts to me. It also has helped in situations where I have struggled to see something in which to be thankful. I have sat with pen in hand until I have heard His voice whisper something to write down in my journal. I am able then to focus on God and not the situation.

At first, I didn’t want to keep writing the same things over and over again, but then I realized isn’t a gift still a gift even if it is the same one over and over? Isn’t a breath of air as great a gift in this moment as it was last week? Isn’t safety on the road worthy of thanking God for today as well as yesterday? Don’t I still want to be thanked when I fix meals for the family every day? Is it the same process? Yes, but it’s still my gift to them. Do I fix their meals to get praise? No, but it draws us closer together when they acknowledge the time it took and are thankful. It makes all of us enjoy the moment more.

On a side note, Facebook and other technological instruments are great for recording things, but I really want to encourage you to get out an old-fashioned notebook and pen and etch out your thankfulness with your own hand. There is something about taking that time and seeing your own handwriting that reminds us that God gave that gift to us personally as His own, dear child.

As we are gearing up for so many Holidays over the next few weeks, let’s not sleepwalk through them. Let’s choose to be aware and thankful of Him and His presence. Let’s truly do as Philippians 4:8 says: “Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, let your mind dwell on these things.” Knowing that as James 1:17 says, “Every good thing bestowed and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation, or shifting shadow.” Let’s acknowledge the presence of the One who makes all beautiful things possible. Let’s ask Him to help us to see Him today and then thank Him when we do.

O, Lord, help us to see You. Help us to know that You are with us. Help us to thank You.

Seeking Hearts Ministries

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Manipulating God’s Hand

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Elijah, false gods, manipulation, Mount Carmel, one true God, true worship, worship

Last Sunday night, our church discussed worship. What does true worship look like? How is it expressed? What brings true worship? As you can imagine, the discussion was quite diverse. I was reminded that oftentimes I have tried to manufacture worship, or rather a feeling of worship when in reality it is all about God and not a feeling. I Kings 18 reminds us of such a time.

I Kings 18:20 begins the story of Elijah and the prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel. This is what it says, “So Ahab summoned all the Israelites and gathered the prophets at Mount Carmel. Then Elijah approached all the people and said, “How long will you hesitate between two opinions? If Yahweh is God, follow Him. But if Baal, follow him.” But the people didn’t answer him a word. Then Elijah said to the people, “I am the only remaining prophet of the LORD, but Baal’s prophets are 450 men. Let two bulls be given to us. They are to choose one bull for themselves, cut it in pieces, and place it on the wood but not light the fire. I will prepare the other bull and place it on the wood but not light the fire. Then you call on the name of your god, and I will call on the name of Yahweh. The God who answers with fire, He is God.” All the people answered, “That ⌊sounds⌋ good.” Then Elijah said to the prophets of Baal, “Since you are so numerous, choose for yourselves one bull and prepare it first. Then call on the name of your god but don’t light the fire.” So they took the bull that he gave them, prepared it, and called on the name of Baal from morning until noon, saying, “Baal, answer us!” But there was no sound; no one answered. Then they danced, hobbling around the altar they had made. At noon Elijah mocked them. He said, “Shout loudly, for he’s a god! Maybe he’s thinking it over; maybe he has wandered away; or maybe he’s on the road. Perhaps he’s sleeping and will wake up!” They shouted loudly, and cut themselves with knives and spears, according to their custom, until blood gushed over them. All afternoon they kept on raving until the offering of the evening sacrifice, but there was no sound; no one answered, no one paid attention. Then Elijah said to all the people, “Come near me.” So all the people approached him. Then he repaired the LORD’s altar that had been torn down: Elijah took 12 stones—according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob, to whom the word of the LORD had come, saying, “Israel will be your name”—
and he built an altar with the stones in the name of Yahweh. Then he made a trench around the altar large enough to hold about four gallons. Next, he arranged the wood, cut up the bull, and placed it on the wood. He said, “Fill four water pots with water and pour it on the offering to be burned and on the wood.” Then he said, “A second time!” and they did it a second time. And then he said, “A third time!” and they did it a third time. So the water ran all around the altar; he even filled the trench with water. At the time for offering the ⌊evening⌋ sacrifice, Elijah the prophet approached ⌊the altar⌋ and said, “Yahweh, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, today let it be known that You are God in Israel and I am Your servant, and that at Your word I have done all these things. Answer me, LORD! Answer me so that this people will know that You, Yahweh, are God and that You have turned their hearts back.” Then Yahweh’s fire fell and consumed the burnt offering, the wood, the stones, and the dust, and it licked up the water that was in the trench. When all the people saw it, they fell facedown and said, “Yahweh, He is God! Yahweh, He is God!”

What really struck me about this passage was the way in which the people were trying to get Baal’s attention. They were shouting, leaping and even cutting themselves to make him act. We know that Baal could never act due to the fact that he was not alive, but it did put into perspective for me how often I have tried to manipulate the hand of God as they tried to manipulate the hand of Baal.

How often have I wanted our church service to feel a certain way, or look like a particular worship pattern, or wanted God to disguise the fact that things are not as they should be so that visitors would not catch on? How often have I checked the boxes that I feel make a good worship service only to then sit back expecting God to act exactly as I pictured? How often have I gone home from a service disappointed in God because He did not keep His end of my expected bargain? How many times have I tried to manipulate the God of the universe?

Watchman Nee said in his book “Sit, Walk, Stand”, “Too often we think that the actual doing is what matters. We have to learn the lesson of not doing- of keeping quiet for Him. We have to learn that if God does not move, we dare not move…The abiding principle of all true Christian work is, ‘In the beginning God…’”

I must ask myself, “Do I want the feeling of worship, or do I really want to wait for true worship?” Think about it, do we want false worship where we just feel close to God, or do we want to wait for the mercy drops of His Spirit coming and reigning over not just a service, but our entire life?

Pastor Nee reminds me that instead of checking my boxes, I need to be listening to God’s voice. What does He want me to do? Rest in Him? Repent for the people? Be still and know that He is God? Encourage the brethren? Pray over the sanctuary? I must listen to know. I am not listening to induce a false feeling of worship, or to manipulate a certain behavior from God. I am listening so that I am as close to God as I can possibly be. Not to feel, or look a certain way, but to simply be in His presence which will naturally prompt worship. I must be like the maiden in Psalm 132:2 that looks to the hand of her mistress. I too must be on the alert for God’s hand to move.

In the above passage, Elijah simply heard what God wanted Him to do. When he heard clearly, he obeyed. What do we find in the passage as a result? Spontaneous worship. The Scripture tells us that the people who had been leaping to gain a false god’s attention, now said, “The Lord, He is God. The Lord, He is God.”

We must realize that any true worship is prompted by the Holy Spirit living inside of us. Any worship that is not of ourselves, is only of Him. We must not be so intent on checking boxes, but instead faithfully looking to Him for His directives knowing that when we are about our Father’s business, true worship exudes from us and prompts others to do the same. Then, as one body, we can say,“The Lord, He is God. The Lord, He is God.”

O, Lord, may false worship be removed from our sanctuaries so there is room for the one, true and living God.

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