While waiting to leave for Bible study this morning, I picked up a book “Putting Your Heart On Paper” by Henriette Anne Klauser that I got as a freebie from a giveaway site on Facebook. Although it is about writing, the sentiment was also applicable to our spiritual lives. For me, writing is very much a spiritual event as I feel compelled to write words that will encourage and uplift. Ephesians 4:29 says:

29 And never let ugly or hateful words come from your mouth, but instead let your words become beautiful gifts that encourage others; do this by speaking words of grace to help them.

I love the way that’s worded-”let you words become beautiful gifts that encourage others; do this by speaking words of grace to help.” I truly believe there are not enough grace words in this world today. Life is hard. Scripture clearly states that “in the last days, things will grow worse and worse” or “worser and worser as one of my grandsons would say. How true that has become in the 60 years I have had on this earth. 

Sometimes when we start a new writing project, we don’t know how to start. She suggests that the trick to getting started writing is simply to write. She said that when you sit down to share your heart, you often say what you didn’t even know you had to say.. You don’t need to know the end to begin.. You don’t even need to know the beginning to begin. Just begin even if the first thing you say is “I don’t know how to begin.” She suggests going to your writing with an empty, open hand, with questions and let the writing answer.

Then she said something I absolutely love. “It’s what you know after you know it all that counts. Putting your heart on paper is about so much more than writing. It’s about living a life that is connected with others.” 

I couldn’t help but think that these ideas are so true when it comes to prayer. If you are having trouble praying, just pray. 

~Even if your first sentence is God, I don’t know what to say. That’s okay because the Holy Spirit is our helper. 
~Even if you hurt so badly, no words will come out. God sees and knows your hurt and your heart. He’s there,    He cares
~Even if you don’t know where to go in prayer or what to pray about. He will lead you and you will be surprised and delighted at where He takes you sometimes.
~Even if you don’t have anything good to say. He just wants to be with you.
~Even if everything is wonderful and you have no requests. He is wonderful and loves it when you tell Him so.

And when you and He are done talking, you will know thing, things that He said to you that no one can take away.  Prayer is so much more religious activity or a spiritual 911 call. It’s about connecting with God, knowing Him, enjoying Him, understanding Him, seeing Him for who He really is. 

The finished product of prayer is a deeper love, a more peaceful heart, and a changed life. 

So today, even if you don’t know how or what to pray, just pray. He’s waiting to meet and talk with you. 

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It was beautiful weather for a walk this morning. The clouds overhead provided a cool canopy as I got underway down the trail. I started out gingerly as my muscles screamed from yesterday’s squats and leg presses but I soon forgot about my legs as a chorus of song birds distracted me. One bird seemed to be telling me to  “walk down, walk back”, which is what I do each morning in my 3+ mile jaunt. Admittedly, the first few minutes of every morning, I am captivated by the beauty of the trees, vegetation, and the smell of the woods, water, and flowering plants that line the path. Soon though, my thoughts rise from the splendor of creation to thoughts of the creator that made it all. 

I’ve been praying about a situation that weighs heavy in my life. As I prayed, I asked God for a new beginning. Immediately my mind went to Genesis 1:1. “In the beginning”, the very beginning of time but not the beginning of God, He created the heavens and the earth. I thought of the sun. God spoke and the sun was created. I thought of the power of the sun and of how long the sun has burned without going out. I considered the force of it brightness and its consuming heat. That ball of continual, fiery, energy with its searing power came into being by one word spoken from God’s mouth. That’s power! “In the beginning”, God spoke and a force as potent and violent as the sun was created...out of nothing but a word. I marveled at the power that has to be present for something like that to happen and realized it can be found in the voice of God when He speaks just one word.

This is the same God who walks with me everyday, who put His Spirit inside of me, and who cares about every minute detail of my life. He is the captain of my life. He is the same God who chose a new beginning for mankind when He instructed Noah to build an ark and Moses to cross the Red Sea. This God is the one who redeemed Israel over and over again as He continually called them back to Himself. He is the same God that gave the Apostle Paul a new beginning and used him to change the world. He is the same God that redeemed Peter back to himself so that he could begin again to declare that Jesus saves! He is the same God that redeemed mankind by sacrificing His own Son that I might have a way to communicate and fellowship with Him. That’s powerful!  As I pondered this, another bird call rang out and it seemed to be saying “I need Him, I need Him” and I joined in his chorus and began to tell God, “I need you, I need you!” I need a new beginning. I am desperate for a new beginning, and as I did this, I felt His powerful peace wash over my heart just as the water rushes over the rocks when it makes its way downstream. I pictured in my mind’s eye God taking my burden and carrying it away downstream to a place where it will never return. What comfort I gain from putting my burdens in God’s hands and watching what He creates from them. He is a God of new beginnings. He always has been. He always will be. 

I thought of my daughter. That girl was born with more spunk than most and she was a huge hand full during her toddler years. While my  three babies slept in the afternoon, I would lie on my bed and cry out to God, asking Him what to do to harness this young lioness He had given me. Often I would tiptoe into her room and lay my hands on her and pray because quite frankly, I was at my wit’s end with her. One day, I laid her down after a particularly difficult morning, laying my hands on her and asked God for what I thought would have to be a miracle in her life. When she woke up from her nap, she was an entirely different person and she continued to be an entirely different person from that day forward. When my parents came to visit, they noticed a profound change in her and asked, “Who is this child and what have you done with our granddaughter?” That is the power of God. He is still at work today creating new beginnings for those who look to Him, for those who need a miracle, for me and you.

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Lydia Brownback has written some wonderful books. In her book "Flourish", she wrote a chapter entitled "Set Free From Self-consciousness". In it she says many profound things but in all of them she drives home the certainty we can live free ONLY if the center of our focus is Christ. You might be saying, "well, duh, that is a given", but she gets down to the nitty-gritty of what that really means.

She so eloquently brings out the point that to make Christ the center, He must be all there is. We are dead in Christ and only He lives. She calls it the "Freedom of self-forgetfulness". She says "When we are driven by a concern for how people perceive Christ, we can live free from the bondage of what people think of us." You see, "Jesus won us freedom from ourselves!" That's good news!

Self-consciousness is a prison that we make for ourselves. It compares us to others. It makes us feel the need to be spiritual enough, pretty enough, fit enough, talented enough, successful enough, to be good enough parents, to have a certain type of house, car, purse, clothing or standard of living, to act a certain way depending on whose presence we happen to be in, to be cool enough to fit in at the cocktail parties of our colleagues YET spiritual enough to fit into the prayer meeting at church without compromising our beliefs or tarnishing our reputation or witness, to be the kind of person that people look at and see the value just oozing off of us. The problem is, we don't see any value in ourselves unless validated by other people, a slippery slope that only leads to pressure and anxiety and a constant state of unrest in our souls. We decide what we wear, how we look, where we go, what we do and how we do it by comparing ourselves to our family, friends, neighbors, and culture much more than we realize. In essence, we make decisions based on what they will think of us. 

Now you can take that too far as well in having an I-don't-care-what-ANYONE-thinks kind of attitude as well, which for the most part, is self-consciousness hiding behind a defensive shield.

I read so many profiles on facebook that have statements that talk about how Christ has made us valuable and that is where our self-esteem comes from, but that still puts the focus on us trying to convince others that we matter. The fact is, we are not valuable in any way. Christ is valuable and the fact that we are in Him does not make us valuable. It makes us blessed, mercifully and compassionately blessed. We can't enhance or increase His value. We can only let that value the is HIM shine though us as we take Him everywhere we go. 

Lydia says "Happiness comes from not being well thought of but by thinking less of ourselves altogether. Fear of man is craving to please ourselves,; we want people to admire us so we can feel valuable and important. But God is the one whose value and importance we are called to showcase." Oh, I love that! 

We must, as she says, "live under the gaze of one", but oh, who that one is! For me, that just makes it simple. There is such freedom in living dead! 

Tim Keller calls this "gospel-humility." He says "The essence of gospel-humility is not thinking more of myself or thinking less of myself, it is thinking of myself less. Gospel-humilty is not needing to think about myself...True gospel-humility means I stop connecting every experience, every conversation, with myself. In fact, I stop thinking about myself."

And what is the result? Oh, this is so good! "As we trust, we stop viewing others as a measure of ourselves but as people to love. We stop using them and start serving them. We are meant to focus on others, just not with ourselves as the reference point."

As I thought about my own life, my social media presence, our ministry, my life as a parent and as a friend, I was challenged, disappointed and encouraged all at the same time. Although there are many things I would have and will endeavor to do differently in the future, I was struck by the simplicity/complexity of the solution. The answer is so simple yet as a human, so complex because it involves just giving it all up and laying it all down on a daily basis-from one FaceBook post to the next, from one conversation to the next, from one purchase decision to the next, from one thought to the next, from one confession/declaration to the next, from one minute to the next. We are constantly bombarded by things in media, the workplace, the neighborhood and yes, sadly, even the church, that make us stop and take a look at us when all we really need to do is look at HIM! 

I found this so convicting, so helpful, and so freeing today that I just had to share it. 

I got passed over for a promotion at work...again. I don't know why. It bothers me that I've gotten passed over twice now for a promotion. I have above average job reviews, I get along famously with all of my co-workers, I show up to work everyday and on time, I work hard and carry my load, but I still have not received a promotion.

When I realized that I had been passed over...again..the devil immediately tried to go to work in my mind. He started whispering things in my ears telling me that I never seem to measure up no matter how hard I try. It is true that if we look back over our lives, we will always remember times when we didn't measure up. I've had people in my life that no matter what I did or how well I did it, they always have some criticism about it. Instead of slapping me on the back and saying "good job!", they offer their opinions about how I did it, how I could have done it differently or better and how I missed some potential or opportunity, making me feel like I just didn't quite measure up. 

It is true that in life, at times, I have been cast aside and discarded by family, friends, employers and congregants. I've been taken for granted, taken advantage of, used, and unappreciated. The devil tried to create a slideshow in my mind of all those times. He told me, this is just one more time you didn't measure up, one more time you've failed, one more time that proves that you really don't matter. Just accept the fact that you're never going to be truly valuable or useful to anyone. You're never going to be special in any way. 

That lasted about as long as it took him to say it. I was ready for him this time.

You see, the last couple of years have taught me a most valuable lesson. God truly does see me and love me...just the way I am...with all my weakness, all my failures, even if no one else on this earth can find any value in me at all. And that's more than enough for me.

I love this song. It's been my reality. 

Reckless Love
Written by Cory Asbury, Caleb Culver, and Ran Jackson 

Verse 1
Before I spoke a word, You were singing over me
You have been so, so good to me
Before I took a breath, You breathed Your life in me
You have been so, so kind to me 

Chorus
Oh, the overwhelming, never-ending, reckless love of God
Oh, it chases me down, fights ‘til I’m found, leaves the ninety-nine
I couldn’t earn it, I don’t deserve it, still You give Yourself away
Oh, the overwhelming, never-ending, reckless love of God 

Verse 2
When I was Your foe, still Your love fought for me
You have been so, so good to me
When I felt no worth, You paid it all for me
You have been so, so kind to me 

Bridge
There’s no shadow You won’t light up
Mountain You won’t climb up
Coming after me
There’s no wall You won’t kick down
Lie You won’t tear down
Coming after me

Just as I was telling the devil how much God loves me, I glanced at the promise calendar sitting on my desk. It said:
 "When he speaks in the thunder, the heavens roar with rain. He causes the clouds to rise over the earth. He sends the lightning with the rain and releases the wind from his storehouses."That brought a smile to my face. You see, that same God that this passage is talking about is MY father. He is the lover of my soul. He is the one who knows if one of my hairs falls from my head. He treasures every prayer, listens to every thought, keeps every tear, and His good thoughts towards me are numbered more than the grains of sand in the sea. I am the apple of His eye. He delights and dances over me!

When He speaks, things happen. Because He controls the weather, because He tells the sun when to come up in the morning and when to set at night, because He so meticulously shepherds my life, then when it's time for promotion, there's not a demon in hell or a supervisor on earth that can stop it.  

Oh how wonderful to know that I am safe in His care. I am valued in His Kingdom. Nothing comes to me that doesn't pass through His hand or isn't part of His plan to give me an abundant, productive, successful, and joy filled life. I may not understand when hard times come, when rejection is my lot, or when it seems that I am no more than a whisper on this earth, but I do know that I need not fear, I need not feel ashamed, I need not feel passed over, discarded or cast aside because I am God's cherished child and He is thrilled with me. In the end, that is all that will matter anyway.

Psalm 77:19 (NASB)
19 Your way was in the sea
And Your paths in the mighty waters,
And Your footprints may not be known.
I love this verse.

Another version says:
“Your road led by a pathway through the sea – a pathway no one knew was there!” – Psalm 77:19

God has paths over and around every obstacle that we face. Some are clearly laid out for us but others have never been traveled by human experience.

When we have exhausted human wisdom, past experience, and Biblical knowledge, we can still know that there is a calm to any storm and a path through any obstacle that we may face. As the old gospel tune says:
I know the Lord will make a way for me. I know the Lord will make a way for me. If I live a holy life, Shun the wrong and do the right, I know the Lord will make a way for me.”
​
There is no situation that is unfamiliar to God but in the absence of an obtainable solution, know that there is one. Even if we are the only ones that will ever need it, the Lord has made a way just for us!  Close your eyes, take God’s hand and experience the wonder of walking through to victory in the footsteps of God. 

​Guard your steps as you go to the house of God and draw near to listen rather than to offer the sacrifice of fools; for they do not know they are doing evil. 2 Do not be hasty in word or impulsive in thought to bring up a matter in the presence of God. For God is in heaven and you are on the earth; therefore let your words be few.Ecclesiastes 5:1-2
A few weeks ago, our Pastor used this passage in a sermon on a Sunday morning. As I was reviewing my sermon notes, I re-read this passage and the Lord dropped some thoughts into my mind that I thought I would share.

It made me think about my expectations and actions in the house of God. I am a sanguine. I like to talk so these scriptures were especially applicable to me. I like to talk to God and do regularly but today I let Him talk and you know what I found? I found that when I shut up, He will actually say something! 

He said the following things to me as I read this passage. I think I've been guilty of almost all of them at some point in my life:

1) Don't be flippant with God. Don't use flippant words with God. How often do we come into the presence of God with a flippant attitude? Flippancy means we do not show a serious or respectful attitude.We forget about who He is. If we stay up til all hours of the morning on Saturday night because it's the weekend and then sleep through church, that's showing disrespect and flippant. If we take scripture and inject it into our conversations in a common way or quote it in a sarcastic way, that's flippancy. If we talk to God as if He's on our level and one of the gang, that's flippant and disrespectful. It's about the heart attitude. Whatever we say to God must be said with a reverent heart. We must remember who He is and who we are. Remember "He is in heaven and we are on the earth; therefore let our words be few." And I would add, let our attitudes be humble. 

2) Always speak faith filled words to God. Faith moves the heart of God and causes Him to listen. When we speak words that truly reflect who He is, what He has said, and what He will do, we will live the reality of those words here on earth. On the other hand, when we whine or rehearse our situation, as if He doesn't already know about it, this dishonors God and He will not answer. We don't need to explain anything to God, especially our situations or the reason we do things. He already knows. To retell it to Him is an insult. It's okay to let God know how you are feeling as long as you as you are well ready to admit that you are wrong when your feelings do not line up with His Word and to speak, by faith, His will into your situation and life. 

3) Don't question God. Don't accuse Him in any way. Instead question your knowledge of His will and ways and ask Him for wisdom and revelation. Whatever God does is always perfect. To question Him in an accusatory way is wrong. To question Him with the attitude of wanting to understand what He is doing is godly and productive. God doesn't cause evil but sometimes He has to allow it.

4) Don't get angry with God. That is sin. Scripture clearly tells us to "be angry and sin not." Be angry with what causes sickness, trouble, discouragement and sadness-sin and the devil. Don't blame God for your troubles. He didn't cause them. If you alienate yourself from your only true source of help by accusing Him of things He didn't cause, where does that leave you? 

5} Speak less and listen more. "Be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to anger." James 1:19. If we would listen more to people and talk less, we would probably get angry less with them because we would actually be hearing what they are saying and would understand. We would ask questions for clarification and gain a true picture of what is on their heart so that when we do speak, our words would be effective and helpful.  

Bottom line is that we must be intentional with God. We must approach him with a humble and reverent heart because He is God and we are only there because His love has made a way for us to be in His presence at all! We must speak in a way that represents and honors Him. 

We not fear Him if we are saved, but He must never become common because He has never been or will he ever be common. He is divine. He is eternal. He is all powerful. He is God Almighty!