Joy and Strength (Christian life and music)

I recently attended a Christian women's conference.  It is always nice to get away for a retreat and get refreshed and learn new stuff. Here's a bit of what I learned, or observed, this time around. During one of the segments, some from the audience were to bring their bits of paper and share what they wrote down, how they finished the sentence, "Because I believe Jesus, I will..." It was interesting to me that around 70-80% of the women mentioned the same thing.  "Because I believe Jesus, I will stop controlling everything." It was obvious that this trying to control stuff was a great source of stress and anxiety for these women.  But my first thought was, why do they think they are in control at all? God knows that there are plenty of "movers and shakers" among His daughters.  But who is behind the moving and shaking? As Christians, are we proud when we can "make things happen" in our own strength? How is that being a Christ follower? J

I have been waiting for some email responses lately, some of which can potentially change my life.  It has been nerve wracking for me. I've prayed about it, gave it all to God, and yet it still weighs on my heart and mind - the uncertainty, the wondering, and the not knowing. It's hard to truly let go sometimes.  I believe I trust God with my whole heart.  And yet when there are some issues on the line that affect my life, affect my immediate future, and just plain can either make life harder or easier for me, I give in to anxiety. It is a miserable place to live!  But I do not need to stay in that miserable state of mind. Especially when I belong to omnipotent God who is for me, on my side, ever watching out for me, and doing all sorts of wonderful things on my behalf behind the scenes.   How do I know He does all of these and more?  He promises to do them.  And if you are a child of God, you too have the same promises from His infallible Word. We will still have to wait on so

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

Is it hard for you to trust God?  To believe that He has your best interest at heart?  To be able to bear what you thought you never could because He allows certain trials to go on and on?  None of us knows the future, no not one.  But God does.  He knows the beginning from the end.   A friend once told me that all of the chapter titles in the book of our lives have the same title:  Trusting God. The longer I walk with the Lord, the more I believe what she said. The trick is to make sure that we are trusting Him and not only in what He can do for us. Yes, He is our Provider, Deliverer, Protector, and so much more.  But when we trust Him for the provision, the deliverance, the protection by looking to those things rather than Himself, we will get tripped up.  Why?  Because the provision rarely comes as we’d anticipated.  The deliverance rarely happens as quickly as we’d like.  And all kinds of stuff still happens to us that we feel like He hasn’t protected us from.   No, our trust has t

In the age of "unfriending" and "ghosting," divisiveness and polarizing, it is more crucial than ever that we be grounded in God's personal love for us. It is very easy to fall into the trap of comparing God's love for us to people's love for us. God's love is unlike human love in every possible, imaginable way.  The love we give and receive from others is but a taste, a tiny glimpse, of God's vast love for us.  They really cannot be compared at all, if we are honest with ourselves. People can be very fickle.  People change.  People have issues of their own that they are either dealing with or in denial of.  People can be looking more to get love than to give love.  Most wait to give love until they get it from another first.  It is the rare person who gives love freely without expectation. That is exactly how God loves us.  We love because He first loved us (see I John 4:19). While the world seems to be spinning out of control, resulting in a so

This or better. I read this in a book years ago and it stuck with me.  Whenever I pray it over a situation or person or place, I am free inside. We cling too tightly to a desired outcome at times.  All I know is that controlling people - those who try to control everything and everyone in their midst - are miserable people.   They may even appear happy.  But deep down, they have no real peace.  How do I know this?  Because there can only be one God or god on the throne of our lives and hearts at any given time.  And if it is not the Lord, there will be turmoil and uncertainty. If we persist in trying to keep juggling stuff we have no business juggling, there is always a price to pay.  The price is stress, anxiety, worry, doubt, and fear. Is it really worth it?   Wouldn't you rather have that deep, abiding, nothing-can-touch-it peace of Christ ruling in your hearts instead? It seems like the answer should be obvious.  Everyone wants to know real peace, right?  If not, there is much

Social media.  It is the best of times, it is the worst of times. God can and does use it as a blessing in our lives.  But we know that it has also become a source of distraction and isolation for our society, too. When we scroll through others' lives (at least only the parts they allow us to see), and we want to accomplish great things that God has put in our hearts, the temptation is to try and look like or do what others are doing in the same way. Only problem with that is that God is the ultimate Creator.  He is full of new, creative ways and ideas for each of us. Do we dare be different?  Do we dare step out of the box? If God tells us to, then yes! To be open to God's plans for us we need to: 1. Trust Him wholeheartedly. 2. Believe He knows what He is doing 3. Partner with Him in all we do 4. Expect ridicule and naysayers because "it's never been done like that before" 5. Listen to Him daily 6. Step out in faith to whatever He tells us to do 7. Not care what

Waiting for something to happen that only God can do for you? Believing that God is working behind the scenes on our behalf, when nothing is happening in the natural, is a test of faith. We think we know when a provision or deliverance should happen.  We don't. That is up to the Lord. If you have known Jesus for any length of time, you have experienced what are known as "divine delays."  They are not meant to be understood (or even enjoyed!).   But know this.  If what you are expecting God to do is part of His plan and will for your life, it is coming! Do not see a delay as a "no" or as it not happening ever.  But see it as on the way.  This perspective will give you new hope and life as you wait on God. I experienced this recently in a very mundane way.  I placed my usual weekly grocery order for home delivery.  Normally, I am able to edit my order, remove items, add items, up until a few hours before it is delivered. But this week, there was a glitch on the we

I recently finished teaching a 6-week study on Habakkuk from Dannah Gresh's book. Here are a few takeaways that I gleaned. Habakkuk was a prophet of God. He seems to start out self-focused but eventually comes around to aim his focus on God instead. This, I believe, is the daily choice we all face throughout our faith walk with Christ. Will we choose to let the cares of this world affect us, have more import in our souls than Christ? Or will we choose to trust in Him no matter what? Habakkuk had a relationship with God. That's where it all starts for each of us. How we respond in and to that relationship is entirely up to us. Pause and think on that! The God of the universe, the One holding everything together, deigns to have a relationship with us! And most are wandering through this life without knowing Him at all. I say wandering, because if they are without Christ, they are lost. No exceptions. Habakkuk learns to cling to God. This means that he took his eyes off

"It's too late," you may think. But we are not to think as the lost think.  Because when you belong to God, are obedient to Him and want nothing but His will, it is never too late. At Calvary, the disciples thought it was too late to build an earthly kingdom without their Royal Leader, Jesus. It all ended not as they had imagined it would.  Their Teacher, their Rabbi, their Lord, the Son of God, hung on a cross and with Him, all of their limited hopes and dreams. The disciples, though discipled by the greatest of all, still didn't get God's purpose in sending His only Son to die for their sins and the sins of the world. He told them over and over how His Kingdom was not of this world.  He told them that the Kingdom of God would now be within themselves, in their hearts. So you see, it was their short-sighted "plans" that were too late to accomplish.  But God's plan was just beginning!   It was too late for their miniscule plans, but not too late for

Did you know that you can work against God's working in your life? Jesus Himself said that you are either for Him or against Him.  No neutral ground there. I read in one of my devotionals this morning about how we can either work with God, or against Him.  I wanted to know how I can better work with God, so I asked Him how to do so. He gave me a short, simple list: 1. Always forgive 2. Keep smiling 3. Keep trusting Me 4. Always be thankful 5. Do not  limit Me! Ahh.  This list refreshes me.  It restores my soul.  How?  First off, it is not complicated.  Each of these is doable! If I had to say which one is hardest for me, it would be #5.  I'm sure I limit God in many ways and areas of my life.  Typing these words makes no sense as I see them written out!  I mean, I know that God is infinite.  I know that He can do anything, including the impossible.   I know these things in my mind.  Yet, when I ask of Him certain things, in my mind I cannot see how He can answer me!  There are

The last concrete "to do" I received from the Lord was about two years ago.  "Write a blog." That's all He needed to say - I was on it! But there are times and seasons for everything.  And lately, what once came so easily for me - only because God was in it to enable and empower me - is starting to become stale to me. Every day, as I sat down to write these blog entries, I never knew what I was going to write about.  I simply started typing and the words came to me.  This is how I know it was a God thing. I don't even consider myself a "real" writer.  It is simply something I enjoy doing.  There are those who are far better at it than I. My training was in music.  All my life, practicing the piano, or later in life writing songs, or singing, or what have you.  But God moves in us and changes our desires for His purposes, His seasons for us.  We need to be willing to listen, trust, and obey Him. And I was willing to go on forever writing this blog f

Throughout the Word of God we see His people being defeated.  But not for long!   And even when it seemed "permanent," it wasn't.  Why?  Because as Christians, even when we lose our lives, we win!  So if we take it to that extreme - the seemingly worse "loss" of all - there simply is no way we can lose as Christians! If we die, we are with the Lord!  This is THE biggest win of our lives! If we lose the occasional spiritual battle, it teaches us to know better the next time around. If we lose all of our possessions, we still have Christ!  And He provides better. If we lose our reputation, man's opinion matters not anyway because we belong to Christ and our true character is known by Him alone. So many seeming "failures" in my life were ordained by my loving Heavenly Father.  A good parent doesn't want their child to succeed before they are ready to handle it.  And the Lord is our perfect Parent.  Only He knows when we need to learn from failure,

The End Times are not the same thing as the Last Days.  We've been in the Last Days since Jesus died and rose again. The End Times include the Great Tribulation and all that leads up to it.   People throughout the ages have thought, "This is it!  The world is coming to an end!" World events, natural disasters, wars and such have all led people to believe that God's will was coming about in the form of the End Times. I'm not here to argue the timing of Christ's second coming - His coming before, during, or after the Great Tribulation.  I am here to hopefully help you prepare in case we are facing the End! Here's a non-exhaustive list of what I think it's going to take to be a true Christian in the End Times: 1. Stay close to Jesus (if you're not saved yet, get saved today!  Ask Jesus into your heart) 2. Pray a lot 3. Understand that as the world gets worse, we are not to despair but know that everything that happens is under God's absolute power

You’re not supposed to like your prison, whether literal or not.  Joseph didn’t look back on his prison years with fond memories! Those years were simply preparing him for his leadership role.  Ugly as they were, they were part of God's plan for Joseph's life.  Yes, God's plan - not his brothers'.  His brothers' actions caused Joseph's imprisonment, but they weren't the authors of it, though they liked to think they were.  They were unwitting pawns in God's greater plan for Joseph's dream coming true.   As Christians, we are taught to make disciples of men. However, this is not the case in every season. Yes, we should always be a light for Jesus in every season. But during our “prison” seasons, the Lord is about doing more of a work in us than around us, preparing us for the next chapter that He has for us. If you want a comfortable life, don't follow Jesus. He will take you to unchartered territory that you never planned on or asked for.  The