Joy and Strength (Christian life and music)

I have stayed on in unbearable circumstances out of obedience to Christ.  But in all honesty, I am not always 100% sure if He wants me to stay or not when I am in those situations.  You see, I see all of life, as a Christian, as Jesus forming me into His image.  And it is never the happy times that do such a thing, but always the hard times, the trials.   This is more than mere "character-building."  This is Christ forming His very nature in me. If you don't think this forming is hard work, think again!  Yes, we are to rest and abide in Him while He does the work in us.  But we must cooperate.  We are to obey.  That is where the rubber meets the road in our lives as Christians. Most will simply walk away from an unpleasant situation before the Lord has fully done the work He wants to do in them there, in the muck and the mire. Especially these days where "boundaries" and "rights" are all the rage.   But many times, our most fruitful and productive time

We learn in chapter 5 of Nehemiah that the government was overtaxing the Jews.  Nehemiah's response to this had various stages. First, he was angry.  Then he thought about it. Let's pause here.  How many of us give in to anger over injustice only to "live" there instead of regrouping and giving it thought?  Do we tend to let our emotions get the best of us?  Or do we move on into rational thought instead?  It's hard to do sometimes, but very possible! Nehemiah's response after he gave it some thought was to confront the powers that be over their misdeeds.  He told them flat out that they were taking advantage of his people.  He said directly, "The thing that you are doing is not good." (v 9)  That took guts! Then, Nehemiah told the governor to fear God and restore to the Jews everything they had stolen from them. It's like they needed to be told, like children, right from wrong, and how to rectify their wrongdoing.  And they listened and did what

When there is tension within the Body of Christ, in the local church, it is usually because the wheat do not have anything in common with the tares. This has nothing to do with doctrine, but with the fact that there are very two different spirits abiding within the church: that of the Pharisee's (the tares), and that of Jesus (the wheat). When we are called to "love everyone," that does not mean that we are to set up camp with some of them! Jesus did not hang with the Pharisees when He walked this earth.  Jesus' love was not the mushy, gushy sort of love that we can confuse with real love. Jesus actually said that there was more hope for the whores and tax collectors than the religious leaders when it came to salvation! Jesus said to them, “Truly I say to you that the tax collectors and prostitutes will get into the kingdom of God before you."  Matthew 21:31 Not exactly a way to win friends and influence people. So don't even bother trying to "win"

We all need direction in life.  We want to know the future, our destination, where we are going. What better help could we ask for than an all-knowing compass in the Holy Spirit?  The Holy Spirit is the third Person of the Trinity and is equal to God and Jesus.  They are one and the same Being. So how are we led by the Holy Spirit?  We let Him!  To be a follower, we must be willing to be led.  It may seem a simple explanation, but unless we lay down our "rights" and also the belief that we know best, we cannot truly follow Christ via the Holy Spirit. The Spirit testifies to Truth.  Always.  He will never steer you wrong. But how do we know when it's the Holy Spirit leading us, and not someone else or even ourselves? Practice. As we listen to the Holy Spirit, at first it may be hit or miss.  And that's ok.  You hear among Christians all the time, "I thought God told me..."  I'm not sure why this happens.  To keep us humble?  To make sure we keep listening

So the other day, I wrote about being crushed by the Lord, and how it is for our ultimate good.  Read that entry here:  Stop, Jesus! You're crushing me! But then today, I had another revelation about crushing.  And I need to write about it again because I want you to know about the different types of crushing and how to tell the difference between them. When the Lord crushes us, He is after something in us that He wants to expose in order to heal or get rid of.  It is a painful process, but ultimately, like removing a splinter from under our skin, it is for our good. However, when others try to crush us in order to lord themselves over us via power, manipulation, or control, that is bad.   Now that may seem an obvious statement.  And perhaps you can perceive when this is happening to you.  I cannot always tell the difference. When you see all as coming either from, through, or allowed by God's Sovereign hand, it's easy to write everything off as "teachable moments,&qu

I believe now more than ever that Christians need to pray for more astute discernment.  What spirit is this?  Is this a trusted source?  Is this person truly of God? These questions are ones we need to ask ourselves, and God, as the enemy endeavors to deceive even the elect. Are we beyond deception?  I think if we think we are beyond it, that is precisely when we can fall into it! Now I've been studying God's word for over three decades.  I'm no scholar, but I know God's character.  I know His ways.  I believe Him with all my heart.  I know that He is true and that He is the one, true, living God. Does this make me impervious to deception?  I must stay in His Word, seek Him daily, in order to not fall into any sort of deception. Deception is deceitful!  Yes, I am aware I am being redundant!  But because it can be subtle, and sound even good, we really must be ever vigilant. We may even need to give ourselves a good ol' dose of some of the older, tried and true, stai

Don't cast your pearls before pigs.   Yes, Lord.  Lord, where do I find those who are not pigs?   Still waiting an answer to that one.  I believe He will give me discernment as I go. What does all this mean?  It means that when we give our best that God has given us - His wisdom through us, His anointing on us, the talents and gifts He put in us - and it is met with indifference, animosity, jealousy, or hatred, that those receiving/listening are as pigs who don't know any better.   If we were to cast literal pearls - priceless and invaluable - into a pigsty, the pigs would trample on them because they are ignorant.  They're pigs.  They don't know any better.  They're accustomed to slop and mud only.  Where does that leave humans?  When humans, who should  know better, trample on the gifts we give through Christ, then they are either prideful, stubborn, ignorant, jealous, insolent, or of their father the devil. "Beware of false prophets, which come to you in she

It is very tempting to give up in the heat of the battle.  Walking away, or giving up, is the easy way out.  And the relief it offers feels great at the time. But!  As Christians, we are called to persevere and fight the good fight!  I wish it weren't so, but the truth is that the Christian life contains spiritual battles galore! What you need to know when it happens: - there is a lie from the devil at the root of it - Jesus always provides the strength to endure when we look to Him to see us through it - there are rewards on the other side! - since Christ is all-powerful and already won the battle over the devil, we can face every battle knowing that with Christ in us and on our side, we too have the victory!  - the more you go through the battles, the more aware you become of the enemy's tactics and therefore can see it for what it is - you will feel anxious and riled up in your emotions because the enemy attacks our feelings and emotions, but wage war through prayer and wors

Did your flesh prick just then?  "Hey!  They are MY desires!  I can want whatever I want!" Are you in the habit of yielding to Jesus on everything?  If not, then yes, the title of this blog will prick your flesh. Am I serious?  You betcha! When you think about it, it's our desires that either lead us into good or bad choices.  Problem is, the bad ones can feel  good in the moment. So what's a girl to do? Run it by Jesus!  Jesus, is this desire of and from You?  Or is it only me? Or worse, the enemy? Desires, wishes, and feelings will come against us from our own deceitful hearts!  Yes, even those of us whose hearts are indwelt by the Holy Spirit can be led astray by our desires. Now to be sure, God can also lead us through our desires.  Most Christians have Psalm 37:4 memorized.   But we're complicated creatures.  We've been programmed by so many sources throughout our lives, not all of which were in our best interest. How to we truly discern between good and

I have come to realize that we can control many of the things distracting us away from our relationship with Christ, our center, our peace.  We can control how much time we spend on social media, watching TV, and so on.  These are the sorts of distractions we do not have to succumb to.   However, some distractions are beyond our control.   Other people's behavior can be a huge distraction, especially when they are intentionally messing with you. Some people are actually bothered by your peace and will do all they can to push your buttons, to try and upset you.   Now are they just playing harmless games with you?  Or is it much more serious than that? Years ago, the Lord moved me to tune in to a certain talk show.  I didn't usually watch this show, so I wasn't sure why He was leading me to watch it. What I saw I will never forget.   Miss America was the guest.  The host of the show asked her how she keeps her poise while walking the runway.  How did she not get distracted or