Am I Treating God like a Jack-in-a-Box?

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christian walk, encouragement, encouragement for the weary, encouragement for the worn out, faith in God, i need refreshment, is prayer just asking for things i want, prayer, treating God like a genie, true peace, trust, worshipping God

A few years back, I heard a testimony that hit me to my core.

The visiting pastor at a church where I was also visiting explained how he is sometimes guilty of treating God like a Jack-in-a-Box.

Whoa.

That hit me right between the eyes.

He went on with his sermon, but I stayed right in that moment, right in the question of… “Do I treat God like a Jack-in-a-Box?”

(If you are unfamiliar with this torture device, marketed as a toy, it’s worth looking up.)

Well, it really wasn’t a question. It was a knowing. I knew immediately that I often treat God like a Jack-in-a Box.

I pack Him around in a little box, set Him in a situation where I expect Him to pop out. I wind the handle…meaning…I pray. I quote Scripture to prove to Him I’m right. I pray some more…and some more…and sometimes a little more, but God doesn’t pop out when I think He should …and I get mad.

So, I change tactics. I try harder. I pray some more. I may even add fasting. I quote Him more Scripture. I use my essential oils. I check every box I can think of…winding, winding, and winding … waiting for God to pop out. Waiting for God to keep His end of a bargain I assume we had made.

The more I wind, the more frustrated I become. The more frantic I grow.

The more I wind, the more I expect God to pop out at my request.

I become more and more uptight… but I just keep winding.

1 Kings 18:21-29 describes an amazing account where Elijah has a showdown with Baal worshippers. It’s really worth reading, but what I want you to see now is how the Baal worshippers tried to get Baal’s attention.

Here’s what the book of Kings says,“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…”

I think this is what I must look like when I am winding the handle on my Jack-in-a Box god. I think I’m right, so I assume I will be able to prove it. I don’t actually cut myself…not on the outside anyway. But, on the inside? On the inside, I torture myself with what-ifs.

What if I had prayed more specifically for my kids as they were growing up? Are the choices they are making now my fault?

What if I had given 5 days a week to church work and not four, would I still have been the subject of gossip?

What if I had tried harder, accomplished more, dug a little deeper… would God have popped up as I expected?

This is what happens when I treat the God of the universe like a Jack-in–a–Box.

I go, go, go instead of being still and knowing that He is God. (Psalm 46:10)

I wind the handle and wind the handle and wind the handle as tears flow wondering how long I can keep this up.

Sounds like I’ve been worshipping an expectation instead of a Savior.

Sounds like I’ve been worshipping a box and not God.

Sounds like I need to breathe and stop winding the handle on the Jack-in-a Box…now.

Can you relate?

Is that why you are exhausted and in need of refreshment?

So…where do we go from here?

How do we stop the obsession with the handle on that stupid contraption that has no place in our lives?

First off, let’s set the box down and remember who God is… who He really is.

Read Psalm 18 and take note of any verses that encourage you specifically. Write them down in a prominent place so you can revisit them often.

Secondly, let’s quit picking verses out of Scripture to suit our own agenda.

Instead, let’s read until God places the Word He has for us deep in our souls. The message He has for us to hear.

Jeremiah 15:16 says, “Your words were found, and I ate them. Your words became a delight to me and the joy of my heart, for I am called by Your name, Yahweh God of Hosts.”

Third, let’s quit praying just to get our needs met and instead pray simply to be close to Jesus. Let’s pray in order to stay in close connection with our Best Friend. Let’s remember it’s about relationship.

Fourth, we fast only when we get a direct call from God to do so and not just for financial gain, or to “make” God move in a certain way. (Read Isaiah 58 for further insight.)

We choose to worship instead of wind the box.

We choose to leave the handle alone.

We choose the connection of the Vine (John 15) over the expectation of the pop up.

Let’s take our Jack-in-a Box to Goodwill and leave it there.

Our God deserves to be worshipped for Who He is and not what we think He should be doing.

Our God deserves complete trust and faith in His plan and the timing of it.

Our God deserves to be adored and loved… not accused of not keeping the end of a bargain He never made.

God is not a Jack-in-a Box who comes and goes at the whim of our attentions.

God is God.

He is faithful.

He is true.

He is perfect.

He is love.

He is Savior.

He is Lord.

Let’s worship Him and throw the Jack-in-a- Box in the trash where it belongs. I guarantee you will feel refreshed.

www.seekinghearts.org

Lessons in Construction Part Four – Angels Unaware

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angels, angels unaware, Christian encouragement, christian journey, encouragement, entertaining angels, Jesus girl, kentucky backroads, learning as you go, lessons on the job, lessons on the way, marriage, on the way, road trip

Several weeks ago my husband and I were driving down a rural road in central Kentucky on our way to a jobsite when we happened upon a large work truck across both lanes of the road stuck in a ditch. The driver had a stone wall behind him so he couldn’t back up to get a running start and frankly, he was in a mess. I was perturbed that it was putting us behind schedule, but I quickly realized God had put us here for this poor young man to get help.

Mark talked with him a minute and they both got to work pulling him out of the ditch. I immediately thought of how the Word of God talks about helping others, entertaining angels unaware, etc. and I was so grateful that Mark was able to show this man Jesus in action.

Sure enough, within a few minutes the truck was out of the ditch and on it’s way.

Great story, huh?

This is where I need to pause and tell you what was really going on.

The day before my man and I had literally had the worst day ever. Meaning…it was a really rough day to be married to me.

To start our day off right, we had a really weird incident in our driveway that was spot on to a horrible dream I had had several weeks before. It was really freaky. Exactly like my dream and literally terrified me.

That same day we were headed to a jobsite that had had many delays and this was the last piece to get it finished up.

The piece that needed finishing up was a part of the project I had never been around, never wanted to be around and knew absolutely nothing about. To say that I was uncomfortable with it would be an understatement. Anyway… it was a BAD day. So bad that at the end of the night, Mark asked, “Are we okay?”

Yep, it was an awful day.

Back to the day of the stuck truck…

After Mark helped the young man and we were back on our way to the jobsite, I noticed my whole outlook had changed. The burden I wasn’t able to shake that morning was lifted, I was energized again and truly ready to get on with life. Yesterday had been a bad day, but that was done. Today was today. I was so grateful that God had sent us to be someone’s angel. I remembered people saying that when you are in a bad mood, or are feeling ungrateful to get out and serve someone else. It was supposed to bless you more than the person you helped. I thought, “That’s right. Helping someone really does help lift your spirits. Being someone’s angel is so amazing!”

And then it hit me…

Mark and I were not his angel.

He was mine.

God didn’t send us to help him. He sent him to help us.

The kindness of God knew my struggle. He knew the enemy planned evil for my day, but His gracious, consuming fire burned up the enemy’s plan through a truck in a ditch in the middle of nowhere. Only God can orchestrate such a thing. Only God.

Lesson Four from a trip to a construction site… helping someone get out of a ditch may just get you out of your own.

http://www.seekinghearts.org

Lessons in Construction Part 3

Tags

christian walk, construction, empty nester, encouragement, expectations, managing expectations, measuring, working with your husband

The last few weeks I’ve been talking about lessons I’m learning while working with my husband. In my last post, I referenced measuring https://tinyurl.com/2tpfmru2 which led me to this week’s contemplation.

When Mark and I were checking and re-checking all of the posts on our first official job together (and many others since then), I discovered that we have to trust the other person’s reading of the tool. Whether it’s a basic level, a measuring tape, or a laser level the person holding the object in place has to trust the other to read the instrument correctly.

That thought led to the understanding that if the person with the knowledge has never shared how to read said instrument, the expectation that the inexperienced person should “just know” how to see things clearly and correctly should not be placed upon them. Can I get a witness?!

Now, just to be clear, Mark and I have not run into this issue with measuring, but we have with other tasks… thoughts for another day…but, while we were setting those posts so many weeks ago I couldn’t help but think along these lines. It led me to ask the question, “Have I taught those coming after me how to read the measuring tape?”

Have I encouraged those around me to read the “level” of God’s Word?

Have I reminded those around me to check and re-check their life with Scripture? Or, have I just expected them to figure it out on their own?

Have I sat back in judgment of someone else’s crooked post, if you will, when I haven’t even given them a measuring tape?

In the past, I have become so angry at adults around me who expected me to “just know” how things were supposed to be done instead of verbally (and by example) showing me the way. I have to ask myself if I have become that same kind of adult.

Titus 2:1-8 says, “But you must say the things that are consistent with sound teaching. Older men are to be level headed, worthy of respect, sensible, and sound in faith, love, and endurance. In the same way, older women are to be reverent in behavior, not slanderers, not addicted to much wine. They are to teach what is good, so they may encourage the young women to love their husbands and to love their children, to be self-controlled, pure, homemakers, kind, and submissive to their husbands, so that God’s message will not be slandered. In the same way, encourage the young men to be self-controlled  in everything. Make yourself an example of good works with integrity and dignity in your teaching. Your message is to be sound beyond reproach, so that the opponent will be ashamed, having nothing bad to say about us.”

Does this verse sound like you? Have you been faithful to lead and encourage? Or, do you expect those around you to “just know”?

Lesson Three on the construction site … don’t just expect, teach.

Lessons in Construction – Part 2

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abundant life, Christian encouragement, christian journey, christian walk, construction lessons for the christian, course correction, encouragement, encouraging, lessons in construction, measuring life

Measure. Measure. Measure. And then, measure again.

This is an obvious lesson to many of us…me included. I knew that you checked and re-checked measurements on a construction site, but then everything stayed stable, right? You know, once whatever you are working with is where you wanted it, it would stay.

Boy, was I wrong.

Last week, https://tinyurl.com/2p92t2aj I mentioned that my man and I set a few posts our first few days of working together. What I didn’t tell you was how many times those crazy posts were measured, leveled, leveled, leveled, leveled, and leveled again… over and over.

Checked and re-checked.

Every single one.

Over and over again.

It was shocking to me how often things had to be re-leveled and checked. I thought it was unnecessary until I remembered a previous job we had finished for someone earlier in the year…before Mark’s company became “official”. My man had to cut panels (that should have not needed to be cut) because every post was off by just a few inches, or less. A job that should have taken a couple of hours, turned into eight. Why? Because the people before us did not keep checking the status of the posts.

A successful, abundant, purpose-driven, whatever positive word you want to put in front of the word life, requires constant leveling, measuring and re-checking.

What I found when we set our posts for the deck was the slightest breeze, bump, or bug (sort of kidding) could cause it to barely shift from where it needed to be. Once it was stable, it was a different story. Now, it would take something major to shift the posts from their correct placement, but in the beginning… measure, measure, measure, level, level, level. It was the only way to make sure the posts stayed where they needed to be.

So, what is our “level” in life? What are we measuring our lives with?

Hebrew 4:12 says, “For the word of God is living and effective and sharper than any double-edged sword, penetrating as far as the separation of soul and spirit, joints and marrow. It is able to judge the ideas and thoughts of the heart.”

This verse reminds us that the Word of God is what judges our ideas and thoughts….that’s our level. That’s our measuring tape. That’s what we check and re-check the direction of our life with. We don’t just say, “Yes” to Jesus and BOOM! we are perfect, mature Christians. It requires checking, re-checking and re-checking again. But, don’t be discouraged! That’s the fun part! Checking and re-checking can be done with others!! Think small groups, podcasts, church, Bible studies… anything that is helping us learn the truth of God’s Word is a way to keep the level on our lives. When the bubble strays from one side to the other (see above image), you recognize it quickly and can adjust immediately. Then, the struggle to stay in the correct position isn’t nearly as difficult as going a few years and realizing you are way off course.

Lesson Two from the construction site? Re-checking over and over again is always worth it.

http://www.seekinghearts.org

Lessons in Construction

Tags

Christian encouragement, christian journey, construction, encouragement, encouragement for the weary, lessons on the job, life lessons, short word of encouragment

Yes, you read the title correctly. I am currently learning lessons in a construction zone. It is not a play on words. It is the literal truth. My husband has recently become a small business owner in the building industry, so team player that I am, I am also now in the same business. Many people have asked us how it’s working out. It’s going great overall, but that’s a discussion for another day. 🙂 Today’s blog is about a lesson that surprised me early on.

All of my life I have been told, “Shoulders back. Head up. Walk with confidence.” I had a tendency to slouch, so I was told that often. Actually, what my mom really said was more like, “Missy Dawn! Quit slouchin’!”

I am definitely not in a state of perfect posture all of the time, but I am better than I used to be. Head up! Shoulders back! But… that does not go well on a construction site. On a construction site, you MUST look down. You MUST be attentive to your surroundings. In order to be safe, you need to know where you are going and make sure the next step you take is not in a hole.

Psalm 116:8 says, “For You, LORD, rescued me from death, my eyes from tears, my feet from stumbling.”

On a construction site, holes are obvious… if you are watching out for them. On my first official day as my husband’s employee, we set over twenty posts for a deck. I didn’t fall into a hole that week, but it was only by the grace of God… believe me. I learned quickly to put all of my ladylike upbringing on hold to get the job done in a safe manner.

In life though, holes aren’t that obvious. A hole of depression can be easily fallen into by watching the latest news. A hole of discontentment can be fallen into by scrolling Instagram a little too long. A hole of gossip can be fallen into by going to a friend instead of God first. The list can go on and on, but Psalm 116:8, assures us the Lord can keep our feet from stumbling. I love that about Him. I love that in the middle of the day with dirt all around me, dotted with holes freshly dug, God can remind me that He continually rescues me, dries my tears and keeps my feet where they need to be.

http://www.seekinghearts.org

Chasing Perfect

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can perfection be achieved, can perfection be reached, encouragement, encouragement for the weary, getting better, how to get better, is perfection a thing to be reached, practice makes perfect, practicing, reaching perfection

I’ve had the privilege over the last few weeks of leading my local small group through my first book Worshipping God in Every Sense.

Has it been fun? Yes.

Has it been humbling? Yes.

Has it made me cringe at times? YES!!

I have had this study edited and proofread multiple times and there are still errors that embarrass the life out of me. I still believe in the content, but the delivery oftentimes has made me gag. What I am learning though is that I must write to get better at writing. It’s just the way it is.

Perfectionism would have me believe I could never publish a blog, or write a book, or teach a Bible study without everything being “perfect”, but the fact of the matter is perfection doesn’t happen without practice. Actually, I think the better phraseology would be getting better doesn’t happen without practice. I’m beginning to realize perfection is a myth. But I digress…

We know practice is necessary in sports, but I’m not sure we remember this as much in creative endeavors.

Have you heard of James Audubon? Actually, his name was John James Audubon. He was an ornithologist and painter (The Audubon Society is named after him). What I want you to know is that for many years on his birthday he would destroy all the paintings and drawings he had finished during that particular year. Every year on his birthday he would start fresh. Why? His work had not reached perfection.

Wow.

Can you imagine what those images would be worth today? How much would an early work of James Audubon go for at auction? I can’t even imagine.

More than that though…how much encouragement did James miss out on by destroying earlier works?

What do I mean?

What if James had simply placed all of the year’s work on each birthday in a special storage area? Year after year he worked, but instead of destroying his earlier pieces, he simply put them away. What if after five, or six years, or maybe when he was discouraged about not getting a certain bird’s wing exactly right, he went to his earlier works, removed a painting from storage and was able to see how far he had come?

Can you even imagine how encouraged he would have been to keep going by seeing how much he had improved? Instead, he kept looking at his flaws and burned them.

Wow.

I’m realizing sometimes we have to look back to see how far we’ve come.

That’s been the thing with going back to my earlier work… the content I have in my mind about a subject is basically the same, but the way I convey those thoughts on a page now versus then varies. It’s shocking to me, but if I had never written that first study, I would never see the growth like I see it now.

Am I embarrassed by the earlier work?

Some, but I am refusing to take it off the market because I believe in the content, I believe in vulnerability and I believe in not allowing the chase to perfection mar the path I am currently on. When I look back, I am able to see how far I’ve come.

Perfection is a myth that keeps us from practicing.

I must write to get better at writing.

Others must paint to get better at painting.

Others must speak publicly in order to become better at speaking.

And yes, others must dribble a basketball to get better at dribbling a basketball.

Chasing perfect is a good endeavor unless it impedes our progress.

When I think of Mr. Audubon, it makes me so sad, and I actually remember gasping when I heard of his birthday practice. I have to ask myself though… we have to ask ourselves… how many imperfections have we thrown away (either physically or mentally) because of the image we want to portray?

Do I want others to think the first Bible study I had the honor to write is amazing? Of course! That’s why it’s so hard to leave it alone, but if I get bogged down in making the first study “perfect”, I will never move on to the other studies God has in store for me to write.

Will I ever go back and re-write the first study? Maybe, but I am not re-writing it for several years. Purposefully. I think it’s important for me to leave it alone and let God remind me it’s about His perfection… not mine. It’s about chasing the Perfector of our faith, not perfection.  

http://www.seekinghearts.org

Announcement

Tags

announcement, encouragement, exciting times, new book

Hey, Everyone!!

I have some super exciting news!!!

Book two has just been released!!!!!

https://tinyurl.com/3wek854f

I’ve included the link so you have easy access. 🙂

This book is a little different than the first study Worshipping God in Every Sense https://tinyurl.com/yac9ztz8 . It’s more of a personal study versus group based. Yes, you can use Worshipping God in Every Sense as a personal study, but 30 Days of Refinement is definitely desigend for you and God to have a more intimate time together. Refinement can be hard enough without sharing it with 10-15 other people. Am I right?

So… here you go… here’s your chance to be one of the first to snatch a copy.

Give it a go and please circle back and tell me what you think. It really does help.

https://tinyurl.com/3wek854f

The Mysteries of Christmas

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Christmas, Christmas mysteries, encouragement, mysteries, mystery, ponderings at christmas, questions at christmas, questions of christ

There are so many mysteries surrounding the birth of Christ and oftentimes I simply gloss over them. To sit and examine them seems overwhelming, so I thank Jesus for His birth… and move along with my day.

This year though, I have found myself delving into the wonder of Christ’s birth more. I have allowed myself to plunge into the questions of who, what, how, and why. Scriptures from Philippians, Deuteronomy, Hebrews, and of course, John have jumped out at me over the last few months and shown me a touch of what Christ gave up to become humankind’s sacrifice for sin.

When I think of Jesus’ sacrifice, I usually think of the Cross and Easter, but I am finding that becoming a baby must have been just as hard… if not harder. The trust it took to be that vulnerable? I can’t even imagine.

You and I have no choice about how we enter this world, but our Savior, Jesus, was not just already mature, He was eternal.

He had always been.

He was infinite.

He was all-powerful and well, who knows what else? He’s God! Yet, He placed Himself in His Father’s hands and said, “Your will, not mine be done.” He had known God the Father for all eternity and fully trusted Him. This would have been the perfect time for the Father to kill off the Son if there was any jealousy, or strife in the Godhead, but Jesus had been with the Father for all time and fully trusted Him. Jesus knew the mind and heart of the Father. He knew there was no darkness, or dark shadow in Him (I John 1:5).Our triune Godhead loves with no envy, or strife, and Jesus knew this with every fiber of His being. He trusted with every fiber, holding nothing back. He knew the Father and Spirit would cover Him, protect Him, and help Him reach His designated path.

No worries, only trust.

Hebrews 10:5-7 says, “Therefore, when He [Jesus] comes into the world, He says, ‘Sacrifice and offering Thou hast not desired, but a body Thou hast prepared for Me’; …Then I [Jesus] said, ‘Behold, I have come (In the roll of the book it is written of Me) to do Thy will, O God.’”

Jesus knew from the beginning of time that a body had been prepared for Him to come to this earth for us. He trusted the Godhead enough to be completely sold out to the solution and was willing to endure the extreme vulnerability that would be required of Him. I too often take for granted the miracle of birth, but Jesus intimately knew the complications that could occur. He knew everything, yet still agreed to do the will of the Father.

He trusted Him completely.

The choice of mother, the choice of father, the choice of living conditions, everything was placed in the Father’s hands.

I do wonder if Jesus helped pick Mary to give birth to Him, or did He leave all of the decisions up to the Father? I think He at least realized as she was growing up that this was it, the time had come.

What did He think of Joseph, the man who would be His earthly Father? Did He watch Joseph play as a boy more intensely than He watched other Hebrew boys? Did He smile when Mary first heard Joseph’s name? When the betrothal was formalized was Jesus excited to see the first step in His “parents” life together?

I also wonder if being fully God and fully man, did Jesus know the reality of the womb? Did He want the “full experience” and give up His omniscient side during this uterine experience? Was the baby Christ fully aware even at this time of His humanity? When the birth took place did He remember that He had created this world that He had just entered?

Oh, the mysteries of Christmas!

When Jesus was a child in the synagogue, did He have to work at memorizing the holy canon like other children, or was He a genius who knew everything by heart? After all, He helped write it.

When He was read the words of Deuteronomy 31:8, ‘And the LORD is the One who goes ahead of you; He will be with you. He will not fail you or forsake you. Do not fear, or be dismayed,’ did He jump up with joy and yell out that He knew this to be true, or did He sit quietly knowing His Father was proving this daily in His own little life?

Oh, the mysteries of Christmas!

Then, we must look at the other side of things. What was it like in heaven with Jesus gone? It had never happened before. Was He missed? Were all of the angels with Him on earth? Were they taking shifts, or volunteering for overtime to be with Him?

The Godhead itself… were the Spirit and Father lonely at times? They were ever-present with Jesus, but not in the same way. Yes, Jesus was fully God, but He was fully present on earth as well. I don’t believe we will fully understand even a fraction of the sacrifice they all made until we are in heaven. To be totally one for all of time and then… suddenly… not to be…the mysteries of Christmas are almost overwhelming at times.

I wonder… when Jesus was full of the Spirit in Luke 4, did He feel almost “normal”? Was the intensity of not being one with the Father still as strong?

As Jesus later in His life would go to a “lonely place” to pray was the communication frustrating, or refreshing?

Did He just want His stint on earth to be over, or was He relishing every moment?

The Word shows us that He grew frustrated with humanity at times, yet still never said that we were not worth it.

What a mystery!

So, this Christmas as you go about your busy days, stop and contemplate some of the mysteries of Christmas. Contemplate how our GOD came down in the form of a human. Think about how He was one of us. Remember He had the same vulnerabilities, the same defenselessness, and the same struggles… and still chose to go through it for us.

He chose to trust all of Himself into the hands of the Father. He knew He would be taken care of. He knew He would be safe in His arms. He knew His Father’s will was worth any struggle.

He trusted fully.

Oh, what a mystery!

Is God Just My Spotter?

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am I living in Christ, christain walk, encouragement, getting stronger, how to live in Christ, how to live in God's strength, living in christs strength, spotters, truly living in Christ's strength, weightlifting or surrender

If you’ve been around me at all, you probably know I’ve been reading a lot of Andrew Murray’s books. The one I’m currently studying is called Absolute Surrender and I highly recommend it.

As I was reading along a few months ago, Mr. Murray took us to Galatians 3:1-3. It says, “You foolish Galatians! Who has hypnotized you, before whose eyes Jesus Christ was vividly portrayed as crucified? I only want to learn this from you: Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law or by hearing with faith? Are you so foolish? After beginning with the Spirit, are you now going to be made complete by the flesh?”

Part of verse three says, “…after beginning with the Spirit, are you now going to be made complete (KJV says “perfect”) by the flesh?”

That really hit me.

Did I receive Christ by the Spirit? Yes.

Am I receiving and acting on that power today? That’s where things get iffy.

Am I depending on Christ’s Spirit in me, or am I depending on my own self will and determination to live the Christian life?

Am I white knuckling the Word, or resting in the completion that Christ has gifted in me?

Again… all of those questions are answered “yes”, or “no” depending on the day.

His Spirit is in us for a purpose and yet I find myself thinking I have to figure out how to get all these “good works” accomplished that He has called me to fulfill. Christ is in me to achieve all He has called me to do, not so He can simply whisper where I’m supposed to go and leave me to it, but also to empower me every step of the way.

I Thessalonians 5:24 says, “He who calls you is faithful, who also will do it.”

This verse reminds us that not only does God call us to good works, He is the One who accomplishes it in us.

I just found this verse in Proverbs10:22, and I got so excited. Listen to what it says: “The LORD’s blessing enriches, and struggle adds nothing to it.”

I’ve deceived myself into believing that I’m supposed to work out my completion in Christ. I’m supposed to struggle. Each day, I’ve taken Jesus by the hand and powered on in my own ability. Sometimes dragging Him along instead of submitting to His lead.

I’m discovering though that I will never be able to grow in Christ. Only His Spirit can accomplish that in me. My flesh, my will, my determination is not what makes me a mature Christian. Only my absolute dependence on Christ makes me complete.

Look at all the times we have failed Christ when our intentions were good. Look at all the times we made new commitments, renewed vows, or even woke up thinking “Today, I am going to do this, or not do that,  like yesterday”, but lunchtime arrives, and we look at the day and wonder, “What happened? I was so determined to make it work this time.”

I’ll tell you what happened. We tried to do it in our own strength. Philippians 4:13 says, “I am able to do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” We forget this verse is describing Christ’s strength in us.

It’s not describing walking along the path of our Christian life in our own strength and when we need help, Christ giving us a boost. Philippians 4:13 is reminding us that in order to do anything, it’s about Christ’s strength, not just using Him as our spotter.

Are you familiar with who a spotter is? This isn’t something that’s usually in my scope of everyday life, but my oldest is into weightlifting, so I’m learning.

Wikipedia describes the action of spotting in this way, “Spotting in weight or resistance training, is the act of supporting another person during a particular exercise, with an emphasis on allowing the participant to lift or push more than they could normally do safely.”

How often have we treated the Holy Spirit as a spotter when He simply wants us to be the weights in His arms. Picture that…we are the weights, not the weightlifter. That’s a huge difference.

It’s His job to lift us to heights we never realized were possible.

It’s by His strength we are able to join with others in tasks we never imagined.

It’s by His power we can do all things because as a weight in His hand, we are relying on His force, His strength, not ours.

That’s when verses like Psalm 112:7 are possible. It says, “He will not fear bad news; his heart is confident, trusting in the LORD.”

I’ve actually memorized this verse and tried to will myself into the completion of it in my life. In the past, I start to imagine a bad scenario that may, or may not happen soon. I remember this verse and will myself not to fear. That works for a while, but what I’m finding is that I need to go a step further.

When I’m simply a weight in the arms of God, I rest in His strength. I tell Him I can’t accomplish this verse without His muscle, and He lifts me by His strength into the empowerment of this verse.

Then, I really and truly do not fear bad news because I’m living in His strength. He will pack me where I need to go. He will lift me to where I need to be and because I am in absolute surrender to a faithful, trustworthy God, His strength becomes my reality.

“O, foolish Galatians…”

“O, foolish Christians…”

“O, foolish Melissa…”

Our Lord never intended for us to complete our lives on this earth in the power of the flesh. Our God has given us everything we need to live our Christian faith and it’s not by willpower, it’s by His strength alone. Simply and totally Him.

Isaiah 40:28-31 says, “Do you not know? Have you not heard? Yahweh is the everlasting God, the Creator of the whole earth. He never grows faint or weary; there is no limit to His understanding. He gives strength to the weary and strengthens the powerless.
Youths may faint and grow weary, and young men stumble and fall, but those who trust in the LORD will renew their strength; they will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary; they will walk and not faint.”

That’s His desire for you. Rest in His arms today and let Him lift you higher than you ever thought possible.

*image by fitness19.com

Seeking Hearts Ministries

Fruit in the Lowlands

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bearing fruit, being in the valley, Christian growth, christian journey, christian walk, encouragement, encouraging word, encouraging words to get you going, fruit, growth, mountain versus valley, quick encouragment

The other day my husband and I were discussing the Biblical account of Zacchaeus. You remember, he’s the “wee, little man” who climbed up in the sycamore tree to see Jesus in Luke 19.

As we were talking, he told me about a discovery that he had made recently. He said the name “sycamore” actually meant “rebirth”. So, when Zacchaeus chose to climb that sycamore tree, he was choosing to be in a place where rebirth could occur.

In those first steps to find Jesus, he was trying to draw nigh to God. We know from James 4:8 that when we draw nigh to God, He will draw nigh to us. He just can’t help Himself. It’s who He is.

This discussion led me to look up every time the word sycamore was used in the Bible.

Take a guess. How many times do you think sycamore occurs in the Bible?

There are eight occurrences in the Bible regarding sycamore trees. Almost every single occurence refers to where they were grown. They were grown in the land of Judah in a place called Shephelah. It just so happens that Shephelah is in the lowlands. It’s actually the term used for the whole region of the lowlands.

Take a minute to read First Kings 10:27. It says, “The king made silver as common in Jerusalem as stones, and he made cedar as abundant as sycamore in the Judean foothills.”

Other references in First Chronicles 27:28, Second Chronicles 1:15, and Second Chronicles 9:27 also talk about where sycamores grew.

The fact that sycamores are grown in the lowlands reminded me that rebirth can only happen when we humble ourselves, when we are willing to seek God’s face in meekness and when we are willing be in the lowlands.

I think Christians and non-Christians alike don’t enjoy being in the lowlands of life. We all enjoy riding high on life. The lowlands? No, thank you. We are fine on the mountain. When we do have a lowland experience, we want to run through it quickly, but we want to meander as slowly as possible when we’re on the mountain. At least, that’s how I am.

In studying the geography of the lowlands, I found this: “the Shephelah was a zone of low, rolling foothills separating the high, rugged hill country of Judah from the flat, open coastal plain. The heavy runoff from the western slopes of the hill country flows into a series of six broad, shallow valleys furrowed into the soft limestone of the Shephelah, each of which is a focal point of rich, agricultural life. Historically, the Shephelah as a whole, and its six valleys in particular, has been a buffer zone between the hill country and the coast…” The Rose Then and Now Bible Map goes on to say that people in the Shephelah were more rural and conservative than on either side, but “the Shephelah, a true land between was desired by both.”

Even though the Shephelah was in the lowlands, it was desired because of the agriculture, because of the fruit it was capable of bearing. I pray that is how we begin to look at our lowlands, as places of rich fruit.

The mountains are beautiful yes, but its climate is not conducive to growing much of anything. Have you ever seen huge fields of wheat, or a massive grove of fruit trees growing on the side of a mountain? Not usually. But, in the lowlands of the Shephelah there is rich agriculture. Everyone wanted the Shephelah region due to the yield that it could produce.

We should desire our lowlands as well knowing that in those places God can till and tend and grow fruit that we never dreamed possible.

John 15:8 says, “My Father is glorified by this: that you produce much fruit and prove to be My disciples.”

Since fruit is in the lowlands, that’s where we want to be, isn’t it?

When we understand the ministry of the lowlands, we find that they are places of replenishment, of rekindling and a place to develop a deeper level of trust in the Lord. The lowlands can be tough, but they are places of rebirth where everything has the possibility of change. The lowlands provide a feeding of our soul that otherwise would be missed if we were only on the mountains. Refinement requires being at peace in the lowlands.

An amazing example of fruit in the lowlands are the early Christians in the book of Acts. The book of Acts doesn’t have to say the word fruit for it to be obvious that a massive harvest was being produced. The Christians in the book of Acts were definitely in the lowlands physically speaking. They were being ridiculed, thrown in jail, beaten, and even killed for the cause of Christ, but the fruit they bore was remarkable. In fact, their lowland experience is still bearing fruit today. They took advantage of their time in the lowlands. They trusted God for the fruit.

Psalm 25:10 says, “All the paths of the LORD are lovingkindness and truth to those who keep His covenant and His testimonies.”

Let’s be thankful for every path that He leads us to. Let’s not run through our lowlands as quickly as possible, but absorb every moment, every lesson, and every opportunity to bear fruit. Before you know it, we will be headed to the mountain once again with a bag full of fruit, shallowness of soul gone forever and a richer trust in the Lord than we ever thought possible.

Ask yourself, “Am I in a lowland experience right now?”

If you are, are you thankful?

Why, or why not?

What changes can I make to bear more fruit in my lowland experiences?

Refinement requires being thankful for all the lessons God has for us, even if it means we are in the lowlands.

** Image by ExploreTraveler