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If faith is “the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen”, (Hebrews 11:1) then the testing of our faith can somewhat be defined as a “locater” of where our true passions and hopes reside, as well a “vision test” of what we are focused on.

In Genesis 22:1, it says, “…God tested Abraham’s faith.” When God asked Abraham to sacrifice his only son, Isaac, God was “locating” Abraham.  What was the “substance” of his life?  What made up the fiber of his life?  Was he still hungry with passion and hope for the unseen?  Or had he satisfied himself with the revelation (the promise) and the confirmation (Isaac) of the greater promise that had yet to be fulfilled?  This test was no doubt a difficult one to take, but because Abraham remained close to God, he was prepared to respond in a way that brought God glory.

God told Abraham to offer Isaac up as a burnt offering.  Fire is the greatest test to reveal our inner motives and intentions.  (I Corinthians 3:12-13) When we allow the Holy Spirit to purify us, we let go of any ineffective “substance” that tries to take the place of God on the throne of our hearts (for God is a consuming fire).  Experiencing the revelation of God’s promises and even witnessing or experiencing the confirmation of those promises have a very sweet taste to them, and can be very rewarding, but we must not lose sight of “that which is yet unseen”.

The greatest tests of our faith do come with trials, pain and suffering, but if we allow at least intermitent “quizzes” then we’ll find ourselves a bit more prepared when the big tests of life come….and come they will.  In the presence of the Holy Spirit, we find that our truest motives can be purified of anything filling our lives with ineffective substance.  This prepares us in advance for that which is yet to come.

LGR

As I mentioned previously, this year has been incredible.   Lots of advancement.  Lots of alignment.  Lots of new ground treaded on and taken.  Just awesome.  However good it may be, one thing I know well, it’s definitely not time to camp out.  And regardless of how tired I may be some days, and how much my flesh is trying to convince me that I need a vacation, I can’t help myself but to keep asking God for more.  I’m not about to miss out on any drop of what He has for me in this zone.

There’s this propelling, this compelling, this energy within me that I can scarecely seem to describe.  And yet, as much as I would love to know what exactly lies ahead – I don’t…..and I’m okay with that.  All I can say is that beneath the surface, I can feel something huge within me, ready to erupt, and it’s exciting.  I’m not putting God in a box, or trying to place my own expectations on what’s in store – I’m just following His lead and getting ready for it.

As much as I can see accomlished and advanced in my life and ministry this year, because of God’s precise direction in it all, it has felt like a light yoke.  His burden is indeed so light.  I am now at a point, however, where I feel a push coming.  I see an uphill climb coming.  I can tell that in order to grab hold of what lies ahead, I will need to go to the next level in relying on His strength, His grace and His supernatural power to walk it out.  The best part of it all  - I’m not the least bit intimidated. 

R.A. Torrey said, “The reason why many fail in battle is because they wait until the hour of battle.  The reason why others succeed is because they have gained their victory on their knees long before the battle came….Anticipate your battles, fight them on your knees before they come, and you will always have victory.”

God uses ordinary people (just like me) to do extraordinary things, and it’s incredibly humbling to me to know that it is not my skill, gifting or talent that makes way for me.  Yes, those are important and I have a responsibility to develop them, but first and foremost, God looks at the condition of my heart.  With a heart that is pure and seeks after Him, to live a life that brings Him glory – He can do the impossible. 

“Who may ascend into the hill of the LORD? Or who may stand in His holy place? 4 He who has clean hands and a pure heart, Who has not lifted up his soul to an idol, Nor sworn deceitfully. 5 He shall receive blessing from the LORD, And righteousness from the God of his salvation. 6 This is Jacob, the generation of those who seek Him, Who seek Your face. Selah”   Psalm 24:3-6 NKJV

May we be that generation that makes it our first objective, our passion to seek the face of God.  Later on in that same passage it talks about opening up the ancient gates, and the ancient doors to let the King of glory in.  I just wonder, what ancient gates and doors have remained shut for so long that God is ready to walk through?  In order to see them and conquer them for His kingdom, we must seek His face.  We must keep our main priority to be that of keeping clean hands and pure hearts.  It is then that we make a difference that makes eternal impact.  We will be a shock to the world around us. We will be a light that begins to illuminate so brightly and salt that brings such flavor that the world will take notice.  Our words will be like a sword that will carry such weight in them, that they will be compelled to stop and hear, as the Holy Spirit draws them.  Our words will not be like that of a clanking cymbal, but they will be spoken by inspiration and revelation.  What shouldn’t logically be able to be done, we will do.  What we don’t even have the knowledge of how to handle, to us the answers will be revealed and we will execute in greater wisdom.  For HE HAS ALREADY showered us with ALL wisdom AND understanding. (Ephesians 1:8) Our prayers, released by the prompting of the Holy Spirit will produce freedom and fruit, anointed to break the bonds of those in bondage and bring them back to Christ.

Clean hands.  Pure heart.  A generation that seeks His face. We begin to live for the things yet hoped for and keep our vision on the evidence of things not yet seen.

Linda

It’s been a while since I’ve posted, but it’s a new month, a new quarter and time I start back up again!

First, I just have to say that if I could sum up this year so far, it has been without a doubt and without exaggeration, the best year of my life. Pastor Stovall started this year off with this simple, yet profound statement to our church:
“This will be your best year ever – IF – it’s your best year spiritually.”
My life is living proof that this is so true.

There are so many things I’d love to write about and share. There is so much vision God has revealed to me and areas He has aligned me in. I’m sure much of that will come out in my future blogs, but for now, I simply wanted to share what is on my heart – today. Typically, when I blog, I do so about what God has really been “messing with me” about. And this week, as I was reading the book of Philemon, God messed with me about having His heart for others. I’ve gone back and re-read the chapter several times, and each time it has an even more profound effect on me, rending my heart in a deeper level each time.

What sticks out to me is the heart of Christ that is so evident in Paul’s life. This epistle was written when Paul was in prison, and yet his heart is clearly so soft, loving and others-focused.  As always, the Word of God has a way of “locating me”.  When I see Paul’s heart for Onesimus here, it challenges me to want more of God’s love for others evident in my own life. 

To not only see the potential in Onesimus, but to take him in as his own son in the faith, and then write to Philemon saying things like: “With him comes my own heart” (vs 12) and “If he has wrongd you in anway or owes you anything, charge it to me” (vs 18) Wow – that’s total unconditional love.  That’s love that gives without knowing how it’s going to turn out.  That’s love that gives without expecting anything in return.  That’s love that gives freely from an open hand and open heart into the lives of others.

Unconditional love gives others the right to not respond the way we would expect them to, but we give it anway.  That can only come from a place of having the love of Christ flow through us in a greater way, because perfect love casts out any fear.

True, authentic expressions of thankfulness will be hindered if there is a root of offense or hurt in our hearts. Sometimes, offenses are blatant, but at other times, they can build over time and become hidden. If not dealt with, they can become a filter through which we perceive others, or even become an unhealthy perception of how we think we are perceived by others. Either way, this will prevent us from having a thankful heart and can actually lead to a hardened heart.

A great way to locate any hidden offenses is to spend some time thinking about what and who we are thankful for. If we find ourselves holding back thankfulness, or are having a hard time thinking of something or someone we are thankful for, this can be a good indication that there might be some roots of offense or hurt in our hearts.

Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others. Above all, clothe yourselves in love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony. And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts. For as members of one body, you are called to live in peace. And always be thankful. Colossians 3:13-15 NLT

LGR

“My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” 2 Corinthians 12:9a NLT

Grace is available to us not only when we’re faced with tremendous challenges, but also for just doing every day life. Even the things that we might consider so simple to us, matter to God and He wants to give us the strength and joy that will help us do those things well. In fact, many times our every day life situations will hold some of the most extraordinary opportunities to make significant impact for God. Just look at the life of Jesus – He met people right where they were, in their everyday lives, but He was able to see the connection from those simple, everyday things as an opportunity to touch their lives and make an eternal difference. In order for us to spiritually see how the opportunity for the great things can be connected to even the most simple areas of our lives, (and draw out the same in the lives of others) we must abide in God’s presence and stay connected to Him. This can and will get challenged in the life of every believer and we have to be intentional about protecting it.

I remember a time in my life where I had stepped into a season of tremendous growth. God was doing a new thing in my life and had blessed me with several new opportunities, many of which came all at once. As I started growing, and got even more busy, I started relying on my spiritual “equity” to carry me through. Some days, it didn’t seem as if there were enough hours in the day to do what I had to get done, and I started getting less and less intentional about protecting my time with God. There was not an immediate impact that I could recognize this was having, so I didn’t feel as if I was being weakened in any way, but I was. Over time, my joy started to fade away, (Psalm 84:5)and I started feeling more and more frustrated with everything I had to do. Instead of approaching each day with anticipation, all I saw was a huge list of things to do – one I could never seem to catch up on. I started to question if maybe I had taken a wrong turn somewhere, I started second-guessing lots of things and started losing my confidence. I began feeling myself pulling away from many of the things I had once enjoyed because I saw them as an energy drain – one I couldn’t afford. Instead of facing each day with cool, calm confidence, I scurried around frantic to get things done so I could move on to the next one. I’d come to the end of some days feeling as if I had accomplished very little, but yet feeling totally exhausted.

Of course, now – I can now look back on that time like “duh!” but while I was experiencing it, it was a very subtle drift. So many times we blame things like this on spiritual attack, but in all actuality, we can be the ones working against ourselves! We know the Word says that apart from Him we can do nothing, but since we know we’ve been saved, we’re good, right? And that’s true – this is not a matter of going to heaven or not, it’s more about the quality of our life while here on earth. Staying connected to God is what brings the quality and richness to our everyday lives. But instead, many of us are walking through life feeling weak and overwhelmed. God wants to strengthen us and give us His grace for our everyday life, not just at intervals where we have mountaintop experiences and then live off of that until the next one comes around.

The wake up call for me came when I stopped for just a moment to look around at everything God had blessed me with (Romans 2:4). Honestly, I think I was just so exhausted I couldn’t do anymore but just sit there and look around for a while. And as I did, I realized that I wasn’t enjoying what I had or what I was able to be a part of. How foolish I felt! What a beautiful life I have, what a wonderful family He’s blessed me with, what great health He’s given me and my family, and what an incredible church I get to be a part of! God himself had given me all of this, and I knew it, but I also knew He wants me to enjoy it to the fullest. (Proverbs 10:22)

The amount of work I do everyday hasn’t changed, my schedule is still packed to it’s capacity with meetings and deadlines, and I go through endless pages in my notebooks full of things to do.  As a wife and mom of 2, There are still dinners to cook, lunches to pack, errands to run and then mix in a day here or there when one of my children might get sick. It doesn’t stop, but my view of it all has changed significantly. There are still moments when I start feeling stressed, and don’t know how I’m going to do it all. But as a result of staying in tuned with God I’ve come to recognize those moments as soon as they happen and I can take a step back, take a deep breath and lean back into God’s grace to get it done. As Paul says in 2 Corinthians 12:9 “So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me.”  Don’t stress out, see the opportunities for the extraordinary in the everyday but most importantly – stay connected to God so that you can do it all and enjoy it in the process.

LGR

“I try to find common ground with everyone, doing everything I can to save some.” 2 Corinthians 9:22b

Even though I pretty much frequent the same places, same stores, same coffee shops, etc. (gosh, I really need to mix it up!) any given day I can run into all different sorts of people – people with different personalities, different moods, different quirks, different viewpoints, etc. In all honesty, it can sometimes be a challenge to “find common ground with everyone”. While I know I won’t always be able to connect on a deep level with everyone I encounter, what I want to make sure I don’t do is build a barrier that prevents something incredible from happening. I’ve come to recognize this barrier as indifference, or avoidance and I have to admit, it typically happens when I stop seeing challenging or uncomfortable situations as occasions to be used by God. Even when people can be a flat out trip – if I find myself pulling away from or avoiding certain people, or certain situations (other than for legitimate safety reasons) then I do a quick heart check to make sure I’m not preventing a great opportunity for God to stretch me and use me.

Finding common ground with everyone doesn’t mean that we have to become people pleasers, or that we take on multiple personalities, and start acting like everyone around us. That’s not authentic.  Finding common ground is more about not being reactive to what we might immediately see in others, but instead seeing the potential others can have in Christ.  It’s about not allowing our differences to become walls of indifference between us and other people. It’s about extending grace towards others instead of immediately trying to change them.  We remain secure and confident in who we are in Christ, and in the message of the gospel, but we learn to yield that to the Holy Spirit’s guidance and prompting. We take on the posture of an open heart and an open hand to people all around us, thus allowing God to flow in and through us.  If we view these opportunities through the right filter, then what can be awkward or uncomfortable at first can turn into a completely unexpected God appointment/opportunity. 

LGR

“…So to keep me from becoming proud, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger from Satan to torment me and keep me from becoming proud. Three different times, I begged the Lord to take it away. Each time he said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work in me.
2 Corinthians 12: 7b-10

We can understand this scripture at its fullest when we’ve been there….in a place where we feel weak, but still trying to press on somehow with what God has called us to do.

This is kind of where I’m at right now. In the last month, I’ve been experiencing lots of physical fatigue. There’s been a lot of sickness floating around and I feel as if I’ve been trying to fight it off for literally, an entire month now. I’m okay, it’s just been an adjustment to say the least.

Today, in a time of self-reflection, I recognized I was putting off getting started on some things until I was feeling better. I’m still fully capable of doing them, but I guess I’ve been waiting until I had more energy or whatever to get started. In all honesty, it’s not been because of a heart issue. My intentions for waiting were actually good intentions: to be able to offer my absolute best to what God has given me to do. But today, I was reminded about something. While getting adequate rest and feeling at my optimum health is important, sometimes, I will have to do stuff….tired.

When we’re faced with completing what God has called us to do, there are times when some of the very “reinforcements” we had planned on using can be taken away. (For a great example, just think about Gideon. Judges 6-7) Or, on the flipside, God can also call us to do things while carrying something that we weren’t planning to carry – notice Paul says the thorn he refers to was given to him and would not be taken away. Either way, we’ve got to press forward and not give up. Don’t stop and do it anyway.

We can absolutely know for certain that God will give us the ability, wisdom, confidence and peace to move forward if we will just remain willing and available. “For when I am weak, then I am strong.” II Cor 12:10b

LGR

James 1:3-4
For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.

Testing develops spiritual growth. Whenever the living word is planted in our hearts, it has the potential to bring forth abundant fruit in our lives….if we let it and if we cultivate it. Many times, it is only through testing that the seeds planted deep within us can begin producing fruit.

The easiest picture we can get of testing is in a classroom. Just think about a teacher giving a test to a student. When and what is tested? A test is performed when the material has been covered, and on the material that has been covered. Testing is used to locate and draw out what has already been learned.

It is somewhat the same spiritually. I remember at one point shrinking back at the thought of facing a spiritual test – mainly because I didn’t believe I was equipped to face it. But once I viewed tests more as a trying or purifying of something God had already shown me, it changed my perspective. That combined with the assurance of knowing that the Holy Spirit will help guide me allows me to have more confidence when faced with a challenging test.

We don’t have to face tests with fear.  (2 Timothy 1:7) We can stand firm with a posture of strength grounded in the nature and person of God. Not only do we have the power of the Holy Spirit, we also have the peace of knowing that God would not allow us to be tested beyond what we’re able to endure. (I Corinthians 10:13)

I’m not caught off guard with testing as much as I used to be. I’ve learned to recognize the tests and not immediately switch to panic mode. Sometimes they’re quick quizzes just to keep me sharp, but at other times I’ve also had to face tests of a lifetime. It is through the greatest tests that I’ve come to know God most intimately.  Instead of resisting the tests that life will bring, I hope I can always embrace them and let them develop and grow my faith.

LGR

“I pray that your love will overflow more and more, and that you will keep on growing in knowledge and understanding. For I want you to understand what really matters, so that you may live pure and blameless lives until the day of Christ’s return. May you always be filled with the fruit of your salvation – the righteous character produced in your life by Jesus Christ – for this will bring much glory and praise to God.”    Philippians 1:9-11

As we can see here in Philippians, for the believer – our hearts and minds were intended to grow together. It is obviously good to grow in knowledge and understanding, but we must also seek to make the connection of how that knowledge glorifies the love of God. As believers, love basically qualifies our knowledge. It’s what keeps our minds in check to make sure we’re not just learning a bunch of things without allowing them to produce the character of Christ in our hearts.

Whenever I learn something new, even if it might sound really good, I actually wait until I can make the “love of God connection” before I receive it fully and apply it to my life.

I Corinthians 14:1a Let love be your highest goal!

LGR

I was going through some old “memory boxes” recently and came across some of my elementary school newsletters. The reason I had kept them for so long was because as a student, I had written articles in them. It was kind of funny to me to see that I have been drawn to writing ever since I was a little girl. But I guess I’ve always known that.

As I sat there looking at these newsletters, I started remembering about all the other things I’ve written over the years, but have thrown away. Here in my hands I only had a couple of newsletters remaining, but yet my goodness, all the volumes of notebooks, and journals and such that I’ve written over the years, but most of them – gone, and I knew exactly why.

Growing up I felt it wasn’t safe for them to exist. Most of what I had written, I had done in secret. Much of my life was lived in pain due to an abusive childhood so at one point it was only through my writing that I could express my deepest feelings and emotions – safely. I remember there were many times I would destroy whatever I wrote almost as immediately as I had written it. I was afraid of it existing, and I was ashamed of the content.

However, what I quickly realized as I was thinking about this was that once I came to know Christ, I started saving almost everything I wrote. I no longer felt the urge to shred, burn or delete it. Something had changed.  I was still just as transparent and honest. And in the early stages of my relationship with God, when I was dealing with all the pain and hurt from my past, a lot of what I wrote was pretty heavy. But the difference was, I was now communicating with God, and God was communicating with me through my written words. He would so gently listen to me, and let me get all out, but then guide me towards a resolve. He provided the answers I didn’t know how to find on my own. He showed me how to heal and gain strength by leading me to his truth, love, and forgiveness.

This is the work of the gospel. And it doesn’t work in this way just once when we come to know Christ initially, it continues to work this way if we let it. Once, I was ashamed. But when the gospel came alive in my life, I had the confidence to be totally transparent. Not because of anything I had achieved or because I was so smart (to the contrary!), but because now any of the challenges I faced had an end result that glorified God. Now, whenever I faced something I didn’t know how to deal with or solve on my own, I would sink my teeth into it and search God’s word until I found answers.  It was no longer just about my pain or disappointment – it was about what God did with that pain and disappointment.

Transparency that brings God glory cannot co-exist with shame. I have learned that if I want to live life like an “open book” (vs. one that I feel I have to shred or hide) I’ve got to be honest with God and with myself and then let the gospel have it’s full work in my life.

Romans 1:16a “For I am not ashamed of this Good News about Christ. It is the power of God at work, saving everyone who believes…”

LGR