Turning Point #4

I want to reiterate that I'm not trying to teach doctrine or theology by sharing these turning points. I merely want to share what I've learned and experienced. My greatest hope is that you will be prompted, at the very least, to dig into Scripture for yourself.

Do you know those filters on your phone camera that let you choose how your picture looks? I grew up with one filter – the "Gospel of salvation" filter. I saw everything through this filter. I believed it was the most accurate filter and understood everything else by it.

One day, I heard this statement, and it eventually became another central turning point for me:

"Jesus didn't preach the Gospel of salvation; He preached the Gospel of the kingdom."

This statement didn't sink in all at once, but it has changed how I view EVERYTHING over time. Let me try and explain.

My only filter was the "Gospel of salvation," whose sole focus was the salvation of the lost. Obviously, this is important because we know that Jesus came to seek and save the lost. That's not up for debate. However, when I began to read the Gospels with the "kingdom filter" and not just the "salvation filter," I began to see that Jesus did SO MUCH MORE than save people from hell and promise eternal life.

I started noticing in the Gospels how often the "kingdom of God" or the "kingdom of heaven" appeared. Jesus' first sermon was "Repent for the kingdom of heaven is near." Repent means to change how we think. Jesus taught the need to change how they thought about the kingdom. I heard it put like this – "A king has a kingdom. You can't have a kingdom without a king, and you can't have a king without a kingdom. Jesus is King, and He brought His kingdom with Him."

The Gospel of salvation is only a part of the Gospel of the kingdom, not its entirety. We cannot enter the kingdom without being born again- that's the Gospel of salvation. But that is just a part of the whole Gospel. Jesus preached the Gospel of the kingdom and taught us to pray, "Your kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven."

I wonder what our culture would look like if our focus included not only the Gospel of salvation but fully embraced the Gospel of the kingdom? Would Christians become actively involved in stopping the downward spiral of culture and not just concerned about inviting the lost to church so they could 'get saved?' Getting saved is obviously incredibly important, but there's so much more! Christians are to be the light of the world. Our purpose is to share the good news of salvation in Jesus AND spread the good news of the kingdom. God's kingdom principles should be infused in every aspect of our lives AND in every aspect of our culture. What would our world look like if Jesus' followers deliberately sought to incorporate His kingdom principles in every major cultural sphere – Media, Arts and Entertainment, Business, Education, Government, Family, and Religion? Perhaps if everyone who follows Jesus adopted a kingdom mindset, collectively, we could push back the darkness instead of allowing the darkness to push back the light.

Please don't misunderstand me. Of course, I still believe that Jesus will physically return and literally reign over all the nations, ultimately bringing the fullness of his kingdom to earth; I believe the Bible is quite clear on that. But until His return, we should preach the Gospel of the kingdom - a kingdom that changes EVERYTHING - including but certainly not limited to our eternal address.

Turning Point #3

Turning Point #3 - This one was a doozy for me!!

(If you want to read the first two Turning Points, you can read them here - https://www.paulettestamper.com/blog )

I remember where I was standing in the kitchen when I heard this turning point. To say it rubbed me the wrong way is putting it mildly. It went against everything I've ever believed, but something in me thought… oh gosh, what if that’s true???

Before I share what I heard, let me share a unique experience I had with the Holy Spirit one morning. I was reading the account of the woman who pushed through the crowd to take hold of the hem of Jesus' robe. You know the story – Jesus immediately stopped because He felt power leave Him and asked, "Who touched Me?"

I've taught this passage several times, so when I read it, my own teaching rings in my ear: "Of course Jesus knew who touched Him, He's God, He knows everything! He asked this question so the woman would have the opportunity to come forward." However, on this particular morning, as those familiar words crossed my mind, I clearly heard the Holy Spirit say to me:

"That's not what the Scripture says."

Woah.

So I read it again. Sure enough, right there, plain as day. Jesus asked, "Who touched Me?"

Because. He. Didn’t. Know. Who. Touched. Him.

Um… Mind. Blown. !!

Hold on to that, and now consider the turning point:

"Jesus was God, yes. But Jesus did not live His life here as God. He lived 100% as a man in the power of the Holy Spirit. Jesus performed miracles not as the Son of God but as a man in the power of the Holy Spirit. He did this to show us what's possible."

(If this is the first time you've considered that, you may need to take some time to really think through it and digest it like I did.)

I've never doubted the deity of Jesus Christ. I've never wrestled with believing that He was/is God in the flesh. What I never considered was what Philippians 2 actually teaches – Jesus did not hold on to His rights as God but laid them down and lived as a man. He demonstrated what's possible when we live in the power of the Holy Spirit. In other words, Jesus didn't perform miracles as God; He performed miracles as a man anointed by the Holy Spirit.

How has this turning point affected me? (It might be easier to list the ways it *hasn't* affected me! This understanding has changed how I read the entire New Testament!)

For one, it's caused my awe of the Lord Jesus to increase exponentially. When I consider what He willingly sacrificed to save me and teach me how to live...my goodness, all I can do is say, I LOVE YOU, JESUS!

It's caused me to believe for greater works and greater miracles. Now, when I read Jesus' words - "Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father" (John 14:12) – I take it literally – because I have the same Spirit that empowered Jesus to do the miracles! I'll be the first to admit that I have much to learn and much more to experience – It's mind-blowing when you think about it!

Honestly, when I first heard this turning point, I didn't believe it. It sounded like heresy. I thought it was a false teaching. But, after digging deep into the Scriptures, I've concluded that it is indeed an accurate interpretation of what the Bible says – Jesus was fully God, absolutely, but He lived as a man. He performed miracles and healings and had supernatural understanding and knowledge because He lived in total obedience and surrender to God in the power of the Holy Spirit – precisely what He spent His life teaching His disciples to do.

It's really made me wonder what our lives would look like if we really believed that, through the Holy Spirit, we could do what Jesus did.

After all, He did say, "Anything is possible for the one who believes."

Turning Point #2

Another significant turning point in my life began when this statement started to really sink in:

"We are still in the Church Age."

I know, I know… you are probably thinking, "DUH, Paulette! That's your big turning point??" And I will admit, I've used this phrase countless times myself but never really considered its implications.

A few years ago, I taught a study on Biblical prophecy. I am a big fan of timelines, so I used a gigantic timeline as a teaching tool for the study. A central section on the timeline consisted of the space that began at Pentecost (when the Holy Spirit was given as recorded in Acts 2, also known as the birth of the Church) and ended with the second coming of Christ. This space on the timeline is known as the Church Age. Just so I'm clear – I've known this for a long time. This wasn't the turning point…yet.

Soon after I taught the study on prophecy, Jake and I began reading and studying the book of Acts with a small group of friends. Whenever we read about a miracle or something supernatural, a light bulb would go off: Acts was written in the church age! And WE ARE STILL IN THE CHURCH AGE.

So here's the big turning point for me that's affected how I read the entire New Testament now -

The book of Acts describes the acts of the Holy Spirit through believers. The same Holy Spirit lives in me. Therefore, what was possible then is possible now because WE ARE STILL IN THE CHURCH AGE.

Every miracle the early Church experienced is possible today because WE ARE STILL IN THE CHURCH AGE.

Every healing that the early Church experienced is possible today because WE ARE STILL IN THE CHURCH AGE.

Every spiritual gift the early Church experienced is still possible today because WE ARE STILL IN THE CHURCH AGE.

While this may seem like an insignificant turning point to some, to me, it is one of the greatest I've experienced. Why? Because I no longer read Acts (or any of the New Testament) and think that's just how it was for them.

How has this turning point affected me?

It's lit a fire in me that I cannot describe because now I believe and know that ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE because we are still in the Church Age! My expectation for the miraculous has increased beyond measure!

"That's how God operated then, but it's different now" is no longer an acceptable belief system. I have not discovered one single reason in Scripture to believe that the Holy Spirit will be any less active the closer we are to Christ's return than He was at the beginning of the Church Age. When you think about it, that doesn't even make sense!

I believe we will begin to experience an increase in the supernatural activity of the Holy Spirit as more believers experience the life-changing turning point that WE ARE STILL IN THE CHURCH AGE.

Turning Point Intro

There are many things I'm not crazy about that come with growing older. I'll let you guess what some of those things are 😉, but there is one thing that comes with age that I'm a big fan of – and that's being able to look back over my life and see the big turning points.

What do I mean by a turning point? Well, a turning point is when I hear something that challenges what I have always done or always believed, and it causes me to change course – I'm talking about a significant, life-changing course. I'm not saying the course change happened immediately, but it did send me down the road of investigating, learning, unlearning, and re-learning, which led to, like I said, a total course change.

So, why am I choosing to share these turning points with you? Because, all of them have brought significant positive change to my life, and I believe they will do the same for some of you. Not everyone will agree with me; I'm well aware of that and am totally okay with it. I hope we can agree to disagree – I'm not out to try and change anyone's mind about anything. I simply hope to share what I've experienced and encourage any of you who may be on the same journey.

I plan to share these on social media in the coming weeks (and I will also link to them on my website … which I am HORRIBLE at keeping updated, whatever – don't judge me, lol).

To my friends who know me, I would love to hear your thoughts and feedback. To my Facebook friends I don't know personally, please jump in with your thoughts and comments. I'd love to hear what you are thinking as well!

Turning Point #1

"If you are being self-conscious, you aren't being God-conscious."

I heard this statement in my early 30's. This started me down a path I could have never dreamed of. I was PAINFULLY shy. (They call it "painfully" because it literally hurts to be put in a situation where you are on the spot). Being self-conscious literally robbed me of the ability to be God-conscious. I wasn't thinking about God; I was thinking about how uncomfortable I was (and usually planning a way of escape).

When I heard this statement, it literally gave me a different way to think. Instead of thinking about myself and what would usually cause me to panic or my heart to race, I would focus on God. It literally set me free from years of pain (I know, I know...it sounds dramatic, but I know my shy friends totally get me right now). It didn't happen overnight, but the journey began with this turning point. I went from needing to escape a room where I knew I would have to introduce myself to speaking and teaching in front of countless people over the last twenty years. And to be clear – it's not because I'm more "self-confident" – I didn't learn how to grow my self-confidence. It's literally because I quit being self-conscious and became God-conscious instead.

Be encouraged. God WANTS to use YOU. And He will. Sometimes, all we need is to look at Him instead of ourselves. Trust Him. He's got this.

I heard a statement recently, and it got me all shades of fired up:

“What the Body of Christ needs now more than ever is a spirit of defiance.”

Sound weird? Allow me to explain.

The king in Babylon thought it was a great idea to make a statue of himself and mandate everyone in the kingdom to bow to it. No one was exempt from this mandate – no matter where they were from, no matter their background, no matter if they had a religious exemption (*ahem*), none of these mattered to the tyrannical king. Bowing to his statue was the mandate, and by golly, everyone had better comply or face the consequences.

Many in the kingdom didn’t think twice about it and followed the king’s mandate without question. They did as they were told and willingly bowed their knee. However, a few in the kingdom refused to obey the mandate. Their non-compliance was brought to the king’s attention, and they were summoned to appear before him. Their defiance made the king so angry that he threatened them with death in a fiery furnace.

Their response to the king is worth quoting:

“We do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to deliver us from it, and He will deliver us from Your Majesty’s hand. But even if he does not, we want you to know, Your Majesty, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.” Daniel 3:16-18.

Boom.

A bold, courageous, unstoppable, unquenchable, unmovable spirit of defiance!

The spirit of the king of Babylon is alive and well in this nation.

I started thinking about the “gold statutes” we are commanded to bow to:

Bow to the king’s definition of gender

Bow to the king’s definition of marriage

Bow to the king’s definition of equality

Bow to the king’s definition of sexuality

Bow to the king’s definition of religion

Bow to the king’s mandates regarding your body

Bow to the king’s abortion laws

Or face the consequences –

Attacks from all sides,

Accusations of narrow-mindedness, bigotry, hatred, and racism,

Possibly lose your business, your right to defend yourself, and in extreme cases – lose your ability to buy or sell unless you comply.

Sisters, we are living in perilous times described in Scripture.

BUT, we are NOT powerless!

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego STOOD FIRM despite the threats, accusations, and consequences, and SO SHOULD WE. God delivered them, and He will deliver us one way or another: from the fire, through the fire, or by the fire, it doesn’t matter. Stand firm and see the deliverance and power of Almighty God!

Almighty God, send the fiery winds of your Spirit to embolden and indwell your sons and daughters with a holy spirit of defiance to stand against the wicked schemes of the enemy. Empower your Bride to stand firm in the face of evil and declare the powerful, unmatchable truth of your word - no matter what the consequences may be. Fill us with a holy fear of you and forgive us for fearing those who can kill the body but cannot kill the soul.

We stand firm in bold defiance by the power of the Name that is above every name. Only at the name of Jesus will we bow.

Only the Name of Jesus will we confess as King of kings and Lord of lords, to the glory of God the Father.

We will not bow to the gold statutes set up by wicked leaders or rulers of our day.

We humbly ask you Father, to unify your Bride by giving us all a holy spirit of defiance. Pour out your Spirit and make us bold and courageous.

Embolden us to defiantly stand against teachings that are contrary to Your Word.

Embolden us to defiantly stand against threats.

Embolden us to defiantly stand against the shifting and redefining definitions of what your word declares to be right and holy and good.

Embolden us to unapologetically call what is evil, evil and what is good, good.

Empower us to boldly declare that Jesus Christ is the way, the truth, and the life, and no one comes to the Father except through him.

Empower us to boldly declare the Gospel message. The Gospel has been and will always be the most powerful message in the world. Jesus Christ came to save sinners, and forgiveness and eternal life are possible only through Him.

Let's pray for a spirit of defiance, then let's put on the whole armor of God, then let's STAND FIRM and see the deliverance of the Lord!

Getting what we signed up for

The Christians in Afghanistan are getting what they signed up for. 

Believe me, I know how that sounds. Stick with me.

Yesterday, I was walking around in my yard and talking with the Lord as I often do, and here's how it went:

"Lord, you know my heart is heavy and so broken for my brothers and sisters in Afghanistan. I don't even know how to pray. Words seem so inadequate." 

Then I sensed the Holy Spirit say,

"They are getting what they signed up for. They are not surprised by the persecution. They expected it." 

Whoa. 

As you can imagine, this realization was followed by a tsunami of thoughts and emotions. My mindset was radically altered, and my prayers drastically changed. 

The reality is this – when men and women choose to leave the false god of Islam and follow the One true God, they know they are signing up for suffering, persecution, and possibly physical death by sword or by fire - YET THEY STILL CHOOSE TO FOLLOW JESUS.

In countries like ours, the invitation to follow Jesus doesn't usually come with a warning label. I mean, don't remember surrendering my heart to Jesus with the realization that someday I may have to surrender my physical life too, do you? 

Yet the reality is, when we make the decision to follow Jesus, we are saying to Him, "I believe You laid down your life for me, and I am willing to lay down my life for You." 

Here's the deal. Jesus spoke plainly about this. He did not hide the truth from His followers. Instead, he told them (and us) plainly:

"If the world hates you, be aware that it hated me first." John 15:18 

"If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you." John 15:20

Will you allow me to ask you the same question I sensed the Holy Spirit asking me? "Do you know what you've signed up for?"

We've never dealt with persecution in this nation to the same extreme as our brothers and sisters in Afghanistan and other parts of the world. But fellow believers, please listen – we need to be prepared. We need to know what we've signed up for.

Troubling news has come out of Afghanistan that every follower of Jesus should be aware of. As of today, there are reports that our nation's current administration and the State Department deliberately worked against rescue efforts to bring Christians out of Afghanistan.

Please read that again.

Please don't take my word for it; look it up for yourself (I will post one article in the comments). This post isn't meant to be political or to make a political statement. My point is simply to give another wake-up call to everyone who claims to follow Christ – we are living in an ever-increasing hostile environment toward Christianity. Are we ready for what we’ve signed up for?

None of us know what lies ahead for those who take a stand for Christ in America, but we have our heads in the sand if we think persecution isn’t on the rise (just ask people like Sean Feucht who takes the Gospel of Christ to the streets. His team regularly encounters threats and physical attacks. One of his team members even had a bucket of blood thrown on him from someone in the occult). Does that make you uncomfortable? Good. It does me too. It means God is shaking the Church. We can choose to stay comfortable or we can advance God’s kingdom by embracing what we signed up for and advance forward.

So what should we do? We can start by praying -

1.     We can pray for our brothers and sisters to experience the peace of Christ, profound courage in the face of persecution, and yes, to experience the joy of the Lord until their last breath. 

We know that the Lord Jesus stood by Paul in prison and told him to have courage (Acts 23:11). So let's pray that the eyes of our brothers and sisters will see that He is standing by them too. 

2.     We can pray for the enemy. 

For whatever reason, this one seems to trip up a lot of us. We associate praying for someone with praying for blessings. Have you read some of David's prayers in the Psalms as he prayed for his enemy?! Bottom line is this – we don't want anyone to go to hell and be separated from God for eternity – not even our worst enemies. So, we can pray that God will do whatever it takes to bring them to a saving knowledge of Christ. Remember, it took seven years in a field thinking he was a cow for the wicked and prideful King Nebuchadnezzar to repent. Do I think it's okay to pray for God to send wicked and evil men "to the field?" You bet I do. We can also pray for God to "uproot, tear down, demolish and destroy" the enemy's plots, plans and schemes (Jeremiah 1:10). It's time for God's daughters to rise up and pray bold prayers that move the hand of Almighty God.

And one more thing I’d like to suggest we should do. We can follow what the Lord told Jeremiah to do –

 “Get yourself ready! Stand up and say to them whatever I command you. Do not be terrified by them, or I will terrify you before them. Today I have made you a fortified city, an iron pillar and a bronze wall to stand against the whole land—against the kings of Judah, its officials, its priests and the people of the land. They will fight against you but will not overcome you, for I am with you and will rescue you,” declares the Lord. Jeremiah 1:17-19

We can decide today to stand firm when the day of evil comes, just like God's Word tells us to do.

Be encouraged, sisters. The days may be dark right now, but the Lord warned us ahead of time so we could be prepared. So, let's get ourselves ready and go to battle. Victory is ours in Christ Jesus! 

And yes, HE IS WORTH IT, even until our very last breath.  

get in the fight. you were born for this.

Hope you've had your coffee. This post is one of those "I didn't plan for this" words …

I'm reading through Matthew, and this morning I read the story Jesus shared with his disciples to teach them how important it is to forgive. (Matthew 18:23-35). You've heard it – the one where the dude begs the king to have mercy on him because he can't pay his debt, and the king has compassion and forgave him. The same dude goes out and refuses to offer the same forgiveness to someone who owes him something. Word gets back to the king, and oh man, it did not go well. The king was so angry he threw the dude in jail and ordered him tortured until he could pay his debt (which, by the way, the debt was so great he could never repay it). You know the most sobering part of what Jesus said? - "This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother or sister from your heart." (Matthew 18:35)

Don't breeze past this.

Don't sugar coat it.

The truth that will set every single one of us free is this – FORGIVE.

No more excuses. If you are holding on to a grudge or unforgiveness, you will never be free.

How often do we feel like we are being tortured and believe it's because of an offense? When the truth is, the source of our misery is our unwillingness to forgive.

Here's something helpful – forgiveness isn't a feeling; it's a CHOICE. Stop waiting until you feel like forgiving. Choose to forgive and then watch what God will do to your heart. You'll be amazed. God will never command us to do something that He won't empower us to do. He will empower you to forgive even the worst offenders. You can't do it alone, but with God, you can forgive.

May I be bold?

Sisters, listen up. Our world is changing and changing fast. The winds of opposition toward the Christian faith and the Bible will not start blowing someday; they are already blowing and fast approaching hurricane speed. I don't mean to be Debbie Downer, but things are never going back to "normal." If we claim to be believers in Jesus Christ, it's time we deal with our "stuff." When the enemy comes after us, and after our families, we won't be able to fight if we still refuse to forgive. Unforgiveness not only makes us weak and ineffective in kingdom warfare, but it also renders us useless. We have the armor and weapons we need for warfare, but we won't be able to put them on if our arms are already full of old offenses or grievances.

Forgive. Then get in the battle. You were born for this.

Psalm 32:7 girl Part Three

If you are just joining me for the 32:7 girl series, you may want to catch up and read Part One and Two here.

I love the thought of God's daughters advancing against the kingdom of darkness as we embrace our identity as Psalm 32:7 girls. When we hide in God, we become courageous, and there's no shrinking back when we are courageous. Let's not stop there, though – there's more to the verse:

You are my hiding place. You will protect me from trouble…

Protect means to draw close. Remember the analogy of the little girl hiding behind her dad? Now imagine her father reaching around and putting his hand on her back, pulling her close to assure her she is safe and secure—what a sweet picture of us with our Heavenly Father.

You will protect me from trouble…

If you have been a follower of Jesus for more than five minutes, then you know this verse doesn't mean you won’t have difficulties or sufferings in life. Jesus was pretty clear when He said, "In this world you will have trouble…" (John 16:33), so a definition of the word trouble will be helpful –

It can mean "adversary," which makes perfect sense, doesn't it? Isn't all of Scripture clear that God protects those who belong to Him from the enemy? Jesus also told us not to fear those who can kill the body but can't kill the soul (Matthew 10:28). So even though the enemy comes after us (check out 1 Peter 5:8 as one example), we become downright audacious when we know we are protected.

In the space we have, let's look at some highlights and discover how Elijah hid in God and became courageous, was protected by God, and became audacious. (Space won't allow me to discuss every detail like I want to, so you're going to want to read it and discover it for yourself.)

In 1 Kings 17, Elijah tells the wicked king Ahab that there will be no rain for the next three years. Then the Lord told him to go HIDE in the Kerith Ravine, and the Lord sent ravens to feed him, and he drank water from the brook. (Side note: you may recall from the previous posts the Participation Principle. God promised to feed Elijah, and for Elijah to experience God's promise, he had to participate. In other words, he had to actually go to the Kerith Ravine. Makes me wonder, how much trouble would we save ourselves if we simply did what the Lord was telling us to do??) When the brook dried up, the Lord sent Elijah to a widow and miraculously fed her, her son, and Elijah by providing a never-ending supply of flour and oil. Elijah's time by the brook and time with the widow are examples of hiding in God. God was his hiding place. He experienced God's provision and power, and his trust in the Lord and His word grew as a result. It's easy to see that Elijah developed courage while hiding. It's important to note that the ONLY way our courage will increase is when we hide in God. If we hide anywhere else, our courage diminishes, and our fear grows instead. So only hiding in God actually makes us more courageous!

Elijah emerged from his time in hiding with tremendous courage, and he knew that when the Lord sent him to confront the wicked king and the prophets of Baal that the Lord would protect him – and that gave him the audacity to confront them – and man, did he ever confront them. It was quite the showdown!

In 1 Kings 18, we read that Elijah courageously and audaciously called for the people of Israel, the 450 prophets of Baal, and the 400 prophets of Asherah to meet him on Mount Carmel. There Elijah took center stage as he called out to the people:

"How long will you waver between two opinions? If God is God, then follow him. If Baal is god, then follow him."

The word "waver" means to limp. Many Israelites were limping back and forth between the temple of God and the temple of Baal. In other words, they refused to take a stand for one or the other. It took some serious audacity for Elijah to look them in the face and challenge them to take a stand for the one true God.

Allow me a moment to pause and holler –

Hey, daughter of God! Stand up and be the voice of Elijah in this generation! We need bold, courageous women with some straight-up audacity to call out to those in the church who waver between the gods of this world and the God of heaven! This is no time to limp! So let's run the race the Lord has marked out for us – without fear and without hesitancy!

Now would be an excellent time to reach for your Bible and read the account for yourself in 1 Kings 18. No doubt you will grin at the level of audacity Elijah displayed. All I can say is, he obviously knew that he had the protection of the God in heaven to taunt the false prophets in the way he did. Y'all. We serve the same God as Elijah. We DO NOT NEED TO FEAR THE ENEMY. Remember –

God is my hiding place. He will protect me from trouble…

Are you hiding in God and not from Him? Then you can know with certainty that you are protected from the enemy – so take a stand and show some courage and audacity! 

When we hide in God, He makes us courageous.

When we know we are protected by God, He makes us audacious.

When we are courageous and audacious – the Lord sends His fire from heaven and consumes our offering as a mighty display of His power. I don't know about you, but I have a longing to see God's revival fire fall on our churches and our nation like never before. Do you? Then it’s time to show some courage and audacity like Elijah. What are you waiting for?

psalm 32:7 girl Part Two

You are my hiding place. You will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance. Psalm 32:7

David didn’t pray, “You are A hiding place” or “You are THE hiding place.” He prayed, “You are MY hiding place.” God is willing to hide those who choose to hide in Him. I hope this reminds you of the Participation Principle. To quickly recap, the Participation Principle is based on this: the Bible is the Word of God, God’s Word is His promise, and God cannot lie. Therefore if God said it, He will do it. Often, if we want to experience God’s promises, we must choose to participate. (If you missed Part One, you can find it at PauletteStamper.com/blog).

Remember the analogy of the young girl hiding behind her dad’s legs? This is how God’s daughters look when we run to Him, not from Him. When should we run to God? We should run to Him when we need forgiveness, security, safety, reassurance, unconditional love and healing, and just plain rest for our weary souls. We must choose God as our hiding place; He won’t force anyone to hide in Him. When we do, He makes us feel secure, safe, and yes – even courageous. Let me explain with an example from Isaiah 6.

Isaiah was a prophet who lived in a culture much like our own. He was surrounded by political unrest (can we relate?), uncertainty regarding the future security of his nation (can we relate??), and a culture that was far from God (can we relate???). He was shown a vision of the throne room in heaven and saw the Lord seated “high and lifted up” on His throne. (Side note: God is STILL on His throne, and no matter how crazy or spinning out of control things may seem, He’s not worried. Pardon my grammar, but “He’s got this!”) Something shifted in Isaiah when He saw the Lord. He no longer focused on what surrounded him; instead, he focused on what surrounded the Lord. Something happens when we take our eyes off of our surroundings and focus on the Lord Jesus. It gives us a correct perspective, not only of our surroundings but also of ourselves. When Isaiah saw the Lord, he ran to Him, not from Him. He cried out, “I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the Lord Almighty” (I encourage you to read all of Isaiah 6).

An angel touched his lips with a coal from the altar, signifying Isaiah’s forgiveness. I love this scene because when Isaiah realized his own sin, not just the sin of those who surrounded him, he didn’t run and hide from God. We can learn a thing or two from his response! It would do us well and good to respond to God with reverence and awe. Let’s not lose our wonder of the Lord God Almighty. Let’s be quick to humble ourselves and cry out in repentance when we need to. Let’s be quick to admit our sin and embrace God’s forgiveness. That, my friends, is running TO God, not FROM Him. That’s hiding IN God, not FROM Him.

Imagine that little girl hiding behind her dad again. Now that she knows she’s safe in his care, she finds the courage to face what made her afraid. How? Because she knows nothing can get to her without going through him first! 

Courage.

When we hide in God, He makes us courageous.

When the Lord asked, “Whom shall I send and who will go for us?” (Isaiah 6:8), Isaiah responded with courage:

“Here am I. Send me!”

Here’s something we need to know as we talk about hiding in God:

Those whom God hides, He sends.

Don’t let that freak you out. If being ‘sent’ by God scares you, then might I suggest the obvious? Hide in Him. Run to Him, not from Him. You don’t have to try and muster up the courage to be sent – that’s what He does while you do the hiding.

Remember, God will be YOUR hiding place, not just A hiding place. What will you choose? I pray you will spend time hiding in the Most High and allow Him to fill you with more courage than you ever dreamed possible.

If we want to experience God as our hiding place, then all we need to do is choose to hide in Him. What are we waiting for?

Psalm 32:7 Girl Part One

I want to be a 32:7 girl.

I bet you will too. Let’s dive deep into Psalm 32:7 over the next several weeks and discover what it means to be a 32:7 girl.

“You are my hiding place. You will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance” (Psalm 32:7).

Recently I was given the task of squeezing four separate messages out of this short verse for a women's retreat (shout out to the girls at Lake Aurora Christian Camp! Y’all are a BLAST!!). I leaned in and prayed for wisdom and insight and before I knew it, I was totally consumed. Let me tell you, this verse has marked me, and know I will never get over it. Every single day, I pray to be a 32:7 girl, and I hope you will too.

Before we start unpacking Psalm 32:7, let me share with you a principle I keep in mind when I read the Bible. I call it the Participation Principle. It's based on this premise:

God's Word is truth. God's Word is His Promise. ALL Scripture is God-breathed (2 Timothy 3:16), and it is impossible for God to lie (Hebrews 6:18). Therefore, if God said it, He will do it. Here's where the participation comes into play – often, if we want to experience God's promises, then we must participate in His promises. Allow me to give you just a few examples –

God promised to feed the Israelites with manna while they were in the desert. As promised, the manna was on the ground every morning. However, if the Israelites wanted to experience God's promise, they had to participate by leaving their tents, gathering the manna, and eating it. Have you ever wondered why God didn't just miraculously fill their stomachs in the desert? Why give them manna they had to gather and eat? Because God desires a relationship with us. He wants us to experience a relationship with Him by participating in His promises.

One more quick example. In Joshua 6:2, the Lord told Joshua, "See, I have delivered Jericho into your hands." Notice the past tense? The promise of victory was given, but the Israelites had to participate by marching around the city (you can read the entire story in Joshua 6).

If I want to experience God's promises, I must choose to participate in God's promises.

When we keep the Participation Principle in mind and read David's prayer, "You are my hiding place," we understand that God was David's hiding place precisely because David chose to hide in God.

I know it sounds simple, but follow me a little further down this rabbit trail.

Scripture is clear that God is a hiding place, but David didn't pray, "You are A hiding place." Instead, he said, "You are MY hiding place." See the difference?

Yes, God is a hiding place, but we must choose to participate if we want to experience Him as our hiding place. To personalize it, I have to hide in Him, not from Him.

Jesus said in Luke 13:34, "Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were not willing." Jesus longed to gather them, but they were not willing. The promise was there, but they chose not to participate. You and I always have a choice whether or not we will participate.

David experienced God as his hiding place because he chose to hide in God.

We all hide at some point. The question isn't "Will I hide?" the question is, "Where will I hide?" When we feel overwhelmed, frustrated, guilty, burdened, afraid, or anxiety-ridden, we need a place to hide.

Have you ever seen a small child run and hide behind the legs of her parent when she's scared? A good parent reassures their child that they are safely hidden in their protective and loving care. That's a picture of what it looks like when God's daughters hide in Him.

Where do you run when you need to hide? Or perhaps the better question would be, "In Whom do you hide?"

Be a 32:7 girl – choose to hide in God. He promises to be the very best hiding place.

#327girl

culture clash: cue to prophesy

I’m reading through Acts, and I can’t help but wonder why we don’t experience miracles and the power of the Holy Spirit that the early church experienced?? I bet you’ve asked the same question.

 In Acts 16, Paul boldly confronted an evil spirit in a woman who had been taunting them for days. The spirit had empowered her to tell the future, and when her owners realized her ability was gone, they were ticked off, to say the least. They dragged Paul and Silas in front of the magistrates who ordered them stripped, beaten with rods, flogged, and thrown into prison. Talk about a clash with culture. When darkness is confronted by light, persecution often follows. 

 One of my favorite pastors said something last week that I can’t stop thinking about. He’s currently working with lawyers to ensure his family will be cared for should he end up in jail sometime in the next four years. Why does he think he may go to jail? Because he recognizes the increasing clash with culture yet, he refuses to stop speaking and preaching the Truth of God’s word. 

 You may think he’s overreacting, but I don’t. Persecution against Christians in America will dramatically increase through legislation. My point isn’t to debate whether persecution will increase or not; my point is to ask you – do you know where you stand?

 Here’s the deal. The Bible says in the last days, there will be “terrible times.” If you read the passage for yourself in 2 Timothy 3, it won’t take you long to figure out that it’s an accurate description of our culture. But wait, there’s more. The Bible gives us another description of what will happen in the last days. In Acts 2:17-18, Peter quotes the Old Testament prophet Joel - 

 “In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people, your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, and your old men will dream dreams. Even on my servants, both men and women I will pour out my Spirit in those days and THEY WILL PROPHESY (my emphasis).

 Did you catch the clash with culture that we will see in the last days? 

 In the last days there will be terrible times, so get ready. Things will get worse. If you are a professing follower of Jesus, you won’t escape being hated – and lest you think I’m being dramatic, I’m actually quoting Jesus (Matthew 10:22). However, this shouldn’t discourage us – in fact – it should encourage us. Why? Because in the last days, there will also be an outpouring of God’s Spirit on his sons and daughters! And y’all! THAT’S our cue – when there’s a clash with culture – it’s our cue to PROPHESY. 

 You know the story didn’t end with Paul and Silas sitting in prison, right? Sitting chained up in prison for the Gospel, what did they do? They sang! And you better believe the other prisoners were listening to their song. 

 When there’s a clash with culture and persecution comes, girl, prophesy! Speak the Truth of God’s word with some passion and boldness! Now’s the time to stand firm, not shrink back!

 So I need to ask you a question – do you know what you believe? Do you know why you believe it? Fellow believer in Jesus, I plead with you - GET IN THE WORD OF GOD. We need to grow in our love for Jesus. I’m telling you, our relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ is the most essential thing in our lives. The clash with culture will increase more and more and it’s an opportunity for us to see and experience a powerful movement of the Holy Spirit. 

 One more thing. Now isn’t the time to freak out or be overcome with anxiety or worry. Are you kidding me? Now is the time when we should be shinning the brightest and, quite frankly, prophesying the loudest. Do we trust the Lord or not? 

 Stand firm.

Be bold.

Be kind.

Prophesy.

And whatever happens, remember, Jesus is worth it. 

An army is rising

Are you sensing a great battle taking place in the spiritual realm?

You are not alone.

Are you sensing a great need to pray for darkness to be exposed?

You are not alone.

Do you see more clearly the darkness that has covered our land for far too long because of laws and legislation that directly oppose God’s laws?

You are not alone.

Are you sensing a shift toward a collective prayer of repentance on behalf of the Church?

You are not alone.

Are you sensing a desire to humble yourself and pray that God will heal our land?

You are not alone.

Are you able to hear the sound of revival raindrops beginning to fall on our dry and thirsty land?

You are not alone.

Are you feeling the need to speak out but aren’t quite sure what to say?

You are not alone.

Are you sensing that the Church is on the edge of a mighty move of God?

You are not alone.

If you resonate with any of the above statements, be encouraged, friend, and stay the course. Keep praying. Keep weeping. Keep rejoicing. Keep holding the line. What you are feeling and experiencing is not unique to you -

God is raising up an army who hunger and thirst for His righteousness.

God is raising up an army of sons and daughters to prophesy in His name.

Let us pray for God to purify our hearts and our motives. Let us approach the throne of grace with humble hearts and reverent awe. Let us plead with our God for mercy. Let us pray down the rains of revival for our nation. Let us boldly rise up with one voice to declare life over death.

Let us remember – we are not alone.

#anarmyisrising

#holdtheline

"Love is Love" ??

“Love is love.”

I bet we are all familiar with this phrase. I believe the intentions behind the phrase are good, however, have we really thought about what this statement implies? If you are a Christian and have used this phrase, may I humbly ask you to consider the following questions?

Who defines “love?”

Is the one making the statement the one defining love? What then do we say to someone who makes the same statement, but their definition of love is different? Therein lies the problem. Allow me the liberty to try to explain what I mean.

Consider this scenario. A well-meaning mom teaches her young daughter that “love is love.” She believes that everyone should be free to express love to whomever and however they choose. Sounds good, right? However, keep in mind that the mom is the one defining love the way she believes it should be defined. That raises an issue - if the mom has the right to define love, then doesn’t that right extend to everyone else?

Consider this – what about the man in his forties that defines “love” as affection and sexual attraction for young girls? Would the mom in our scenario support his right to define “love” if directed toward her young daughter?

When “love is love” is declared, love is defined by the speaker. This obviously raises countless problems because love can’t have conflicting definitions, yet that is precisely what happens when you and I define it. When we believe that we hold the power to define love, we declare ourselves an arbitrator of truth. The problem with that is, who decides who is right and who is wrong? No one gets to stand on moral high-ground when the moral high-ground itself is self-defined.

But wait, I have fantastic news. There is a true and unchanging definition of love.

Love – real, true, authentic, steadfast, unchanging, powerful, healing and forgiving love is defined by God and God alone, and was lived out in glorious color by Jesus Christ.

The phrase “love is love” is missing the definition of love. Want to know what it is?

God is love.

That’s straight out of the Bible, folks. (1 John 4:8)

God is love, and God alone gets to define love. Not you, and not me.

Here’s one of the best description of love we will ever find:

“God demonstrates His own love for us in this – while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8)

You want to know what true love looks like? Take an honest look at Jesus. Read His Word, and allow Him to define what love truly is. Once you understand and experience God’s love, you will never want to define it yourself again.

Fellow Christians, let’s lovingly address the statement, “Love is love.” Let’s boldly declare the truth that God is love, and then display it in a way that brings glory and honor to the One who created it and defines it.

will I need boots or a map?

One of my favorite things in the world is to study and teach the Bible. I grin every time I say that because it took a VERY long time for me to even admit that God might possibly be calling me to teach. But that's another very long story for another time. This morning I found myself wishing I could share what God laid on my heart with you in a physical setting so I could see your faces and hear your thoughts. But for now, Facebook will have to do, and I am grateful for it.

I read Joshua 6 this morning, and there are at least one thousand different points I could make, but I'll stick with one, and it was prompted by the very first verse:

"Now the gates of Jericho were securely barred because of the Israelites. No one went out, and no one came in."

Are you familiar with the story? The Israelites had been in the desert for forty years, Moses had recently died, and now Joshua would lead them into the Promised Land. First stop – Jericho. There was just one problem. It was surrounded by a ginormous wall, and the gates were shut. Did you notice that the gates were shut precisely because of the Israelites?

That's what got my attention.

God brought them to this exact location, and they found themselves staring at an impossible wall with the gates locked tightly shut – because of who they were.

Their reputation had proceeded them.

Jericho knew the Israelites were rescued from slavery in Egypt by God's mighty hand and how He'd empowered them to defeat other kings and armies. It's no wonder they barred the city gates.

Before I go on, let me make a disclaimer. It's not wise to take every story in the Bible and somehow read ourselves into it. This isn't a story about me or you, it's a story about God and His people. However, there are overall truths that we can learn about God's character and apply what we learn to our own lives. With that in mind, here's how we might relate to the Israelites and Jericho.

Following God may lead us head-first into massive walls.

Has that happened to you? If you have been a Christ-follower for any amount of time, I bet you can relate.

Remember, the gates of Jericho were barred precisely because of the Israelites. Have you ever been denied an opportunity simply because of who you are? Man, that one stings, doesn't it? Maybe you ran into a wall because of what you stand for, what you believe, or who you associate with. Perhaps it's because your ideas are different, your drive too high, or your ideas too extreme. Maybe your passion freaks other people out, and they don't know how to handle you, so they lock the gate to make sure you and your crazy can't get in and disrupt their routine.

I know what it's like to be burdened and compelled to meet a need, only to run head-first into a wall that prevents me from doing so. I can't think of anything more frustrating than to be told no when I believe God has told me yes.

Do you think the Israelites felt that way when they saw the wall of Jericho? God had promised them the land…but…there was this wall…and barred gates…so, now what?!

We have a choice to make. We can either whine about the wall, cry about the wall, be frustrated with the wall, OR -

We can march around the dang wall until it falls.

Now hold on for a minute. You are expecting me to launch into a "get your march on" message, but there's more I want to say. I know it's not easy to adopt a "march around that wall" mindset – especially if it's a wall you have run into multiple times. It seems about the time one wall falls, you run into another one just like it. Man. Talk about exhausting. We know in this story, God intended for the wall to collapse. However, I'd like to suggest another option to consider before we run head-first into each and every wall that presents itself.

Sometimes God may use a wall to change our direction.

Recently, I became painfully aware that I am staring at a very familiar wall. I've marched around it many times, and I've watched it crumble every time by God's favor and power. However, if I'm being honest, at this moment, I am unsure whether or not to grab my marching boots; therefore, I am earnestly seeking God's will in this matter. Does He want me to march until it falls again, OR does He want me to change my direction altogether?

You may be wondering, "What are you trying to tell me, Paulette? Should I march around the wall, or should I move on??" I'm not trying to tell you to do either. Here's what I hope you will consider -

You and I have been invited to have a deep and intimate relationship with God. If we listen, we will, in time, be able to discern whether we need to put our marching boots on or pick up a map and move in a different direction. In Jericho's story, God indeed led them there to march around the wall until it fell. But I would also remind you that God led Elijah to the brook for a season, but that season came to an end, and he needed to move on (see 1 Kings 17). We may not get an immediate answer from the Lord, but this I do know – if we seek, we will find.

At this moment, I don't know if God will tell me to grab my marching boots or to grab a new map. But this I do know – He will lead me. All I need to do is make the decision to follow.

If you are facing a wall, I pray you will seek the Lord. If He calls you to march around that puppy, then, by all means, march your heart out until the dang thing falls. If He calls you to grab a map and head in a new direction, start walking with confidence. God knows what He is doing. Trust Him. Maybe He wants you to have the land on the other side of a fallen wall, or maybe He wants you to take new ground elsewhere. Either place, you can be sure there will be much fruit to bear, and much joy to be had.

hey yo, keep going

've been up since 4am this morning. And no, it wasn't on purpose. Yes, I like to get up early, but four o’clock should only come once a day. There's been an extra dose of stress in our household lately, and it generally manifests in small bouts of insomnia. I try to look on the bright side – it gives me extra time to read and spend time in the Bible, coffee tastes extra good at 4am, and in case you didn't know, the birds start singing at about 5:40. 🦜🎶

I want to share with you what spoke to me this morning from 2 Timothy in hopes that it will encourage you as it did me.

Paul wrote –

“I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.” (2 Timothy 4:7)

I bet it’s a familiar verse to you. It was the verse that lined the casket of a dear friend of mine years ago. Heart-wrenching words, because they signify the end.

Paul was nearing the end of his life when he penned those words, and it struck me this morning – he said them with confidence. How? Because he made the decision long before he spoke them - to live them.

Perhaps a good thing to come out of all this Corona mess is the realization of just how precious – and temporary – life really is. I can't imagine that a single one of us wouldn't want to be able to say we fought the good fight, finished the race and kept the faith when we near the end of our own lives. So how can we, like Paul, say those words with confidence?

If we want to say them, then we must live them.

You and I have some big choices to make.

If we want to say, "I have fought the good fight," then we need to choose TODAY to fight the good fight. Scripture often uses battle terminology. Actually, you know what? I'm going to do myself a huge favor and read Ephesians 6 today. I need the reminder of the armor I need to PUT ON so I can fight well. Don't you?

If we want to say, "I have finished the race," then we need to choose TODAY to run. Hebrews 12:1-2 reminds us that we are to RUN WITH PERSEVERANCE the race marked out for us. Hey yo, we have a race to run, so we need to get busy running! Christianity is not a spectator sport. None of us are called to sit in the stands. Here's the gig. No matter what our current circumstances may be, we can still run IF we choose to fix our eyes on Jesus Christ.

If we want to say, "I have kept the faith," then we must choose TODAY to keep the faith. Sadly, I know many who used to walk with the Lord but have turned their backs on Him and have left the faith. It is a constant reminder to me of the incredible importance to choose every single day to keep the faith. No one wakes up one morning and says, "Hey, I think I'll walk away from Jesus today!" You and I can guard against losing our faith by choosing every day to keep our faith. Sounds simple enough, doesn't it? How do we decide to keep our faith? By making a choice to read God's word for ourselves. By choosing to pray. Choosing to worship. Choosing to believe God's word over our feelings. Let me say this – it's impossible to walk away from someone you love with all of your heart, mind, soul, and strength. Your relationship with Jesus is the most crucial in your life, so make the deliberate effort to invest in it every. single. day. He's worth it.

These words fired me right up this morning. Maybe God woke me up at 4am for a reason. Perhaps you are reading these words for a reason. Perhaps we all need the reminder that if we want to end well, then we need to live well.

now then, what will you do?

I have learned to approach God's word with the full expectation that I am going to hear Him speak to me. I don't want to leave you with the impression that every single morning I am blown away by some new insight or revelation. That does happen, but it's not every day. However, I DO want to leave you with the impression that I am awe-struck almost daily at the wonder of God's Word and how He is a God who continually speaks, and if I ask Him for ears to hear – He gladly answers that prayer. Every. Time. Make no mistake – He is a God who not only speaks, but he wants to be heard! I so hope you are in His Word every day!!

I finally finished Deuteronomy and was excited to get started in Joshua this morning. You may or may not be surprised that I didn't make it past the second verse in chapter one.

"After the death of Moses, the servant of the Lord, the Lord said to Joshua son of Nun, Moses' aide: "Moses my servant is dead. Now then, you and all these people, get ready to cross the Jordan into the land I am about to give to them…" (Joshua 1:1-2)

Keep in mind that Joshua had been by Moses' side for years and had seen many miracles and witnessed first-hand the intimate relationship Moses had with God. But that's not what resonated with me deeply this morning. I remembered a verse in the last chapter of Deuteronomy that I read a few days prior –

"The Israelites grieved for Moses in the plains of Moab thirty days, until the time of weeping and mourning was over." (Deuteronomy 34:8)

Joshua was close to Moses, and undoubtedly, he loved him deeply. I can only imagine how many tears Joshua shed over his dear friend and lifetime mentor and teacher.

If I may, let me simply get to the point -

There is life after death.

Yes, eternal life for those who die knowing Christ AND life after death for those with breath still in their lungs.

Joshua grieved the loss of Moses, and God acknowledged his loss. When we read the first words God spoke to Joshua, they may sound a bit harsh – "Moses my servant is dead." I assure you, God wasn't being insensitive. As we study the Scriptures, we discover a God who cares deeply for His own. We read in the Psalms that He sees our tears, and He draws near to the brokenhearted. Jesus promised comfort to those who mourn. Our God is present in every loss and every heartbreak we will ever encounter.

With all of that in mind, don't miss what God says to Joshua in those few words –

"Moses my servant is dead. NOW THEN…"

You see, Joshua still had breath in his lungs, and God still had a purpose. Joshua was entering a new season of life… a NOW THEN season. If you are familiar with the book of Joshua, then you know that Joshua led the Israelites into the Promised Land - God's purpose was fulfilled through Joshua because he willingly stepped into his "now then" season.

(If you have the time, I highly encourage you to read the first chapter and notice how many times God encouraged Joshua to be strong and courageous because He would be with him. It never gets old!)

Maybe today, you could use the reminder…

that God sees your tears,
that if you are brokenhearted, He is near.
He sees your season of grief and
that He will bring you comfort.

Maybe you also need a reminder that…

Your season of NOW THEN is coming.

Are you breathing? Then let me remind you that God still has a purpose for YOU. God's purpose continues throughout all generations, and since you and I are still breathing today, He will accomplish His purpose through us.

We will have seasons of grief, and they will be followed by NOW THEN seasons of renewal, purpose, passion, and yes, JOY.

If you are in a season of grief, I want to encourage you to grieve well. Remember to sow in your tears, and you will reap songs of joy (Psalm 126:5-6). Be brave enough to ask the Lord to prepare your heart for your NOW THEN season. He's is near to you, and He will gently and compassionately lead you on in His purpose.

what day is it??

There is so much going on in my head at any given moment, it behooves me to make a concerted effort to slow down and center my thoughts often; otherwise I run the risk of chasing every fear and uncertainty down a twisted path, and I end up a hot mess. Heck, half the time I don’t even know what day is it lately because they all look the same. Tell me I’m not the only one?

I have been reading through Deuteronomy, and I came across a passage that has helped center my thoughts, and I wanted to share it with you. I think you will love it as much as I did.

The Lord your God commands you THIS DAY to follow these decrees and laws; carefully observe them with all your heart and with all your soul. You have declared THIS DAY that the Lord is your God and that you will walk in obedience to Him, that you will keep His decrees, commands and laws – that you will listen to Him. And the Lord has declared THIS DAY that you are His people, His treasured possession as He promised, and that you are to keep all His commands. He has declared that He will set you in praise, fame and honor high above all the nations He has made and that you will be a people holy to the Lord your God, as He promised (Deuteronomy 26:16-19, emphasis mine).

If you grant me a little leniency here, I’d like to simply share with you what I wrote in my journal after I sat with these verses for a bit –

“I could read this passage every day, and the words would speak fresh because of the phrase… THIS DAY.

THIS DAY I am commanded to follow God’s laws and decrees with my whole heart and soul – not robotic like obedience, but obedience from my heart and soul. I am to declare THIS DAY that the Lord is my God and that I will walk in obedience and LISTEN to Him. This implies that God speaks and that I can hear Him. I never want to get over it! But there’s more…

And the Lord declared THIS DAY that I am His treasured possession, AS HE PROMISED.

Lord! I love your word!!

When I choose to make a declaration – You answer me with your own declaration! All on the same day!

THIS DAY!

As long as I have breath in my lungs and you give me life – I will choose THIS DAY to follow You with all of my heart and soul and gladly declare that You are my God. I will happily remember that You are faithful to Your promise that I am Your treasured possession, and You will make me holy and set me in praise, fame, and honor – to Your glory, O Lord!”

There are three themes that God has been continually teaching me in over the years, and this passage contains all three -

The importance of REMEMBERING (remembering who God is, what He has done/is doing, and who He declares me to be)

The importance of DAILY CHOICE (we should never take a single day off from choosing to remember) and

The principle of participating in God’s promises. (If God promised it, then it’s as good as done. If I want to experience it, I must participate in the promise…if you did Finding Joy with me last fall, you recognize this principle!)

Maybe THIS DAY, you could use a few reminders –

God isn’t just good, He’s good to YOU.
God isn’t just kind, He’s kind to YOU.
God isn’t just powerful, His power is available to YOU.
God isn’t just merciful, He’s merciful toward YOU.
God doesn’t just have an overall purpose, He has a purpose for YOU.

What day is it?

It’s a darn good day. It’s THIS DAY.

What will you do with it?

#Remember
#Choose
#Participate
#THISDAY

Unexpected surprises

Like many of you, I'm experiencing the unexpected and facing many unknowns during this season. I'm doing my best to embrace many changes without freaking out TOO much. ;)

One change I'm having to make is readjusting my calendar. And by readjusting, what I really mean is using my eraser a lot. My calendar was full of speaking engagements in 2020. Just this weekend, I was scheduled to be with an awesome group of women I have come to love and adore at Lake Aurora Christian Camp in Florida. (Shout out to all my friends who would have been with me this weekend! I'm already looking forward to seeing you in 2021!) Yet, instead of boarding a plane today, I'm sitting at my desk, and this is my view.

It's a familiar view. A view that brings me great joy AND makes me exceedingly nervous at the same time.

It's a view I wasn't expecting to have in 2020 because of my busy schedule.

It's the view of my desk in the beginning stages of a new writing project. I can tell you in all honesty – this one was NOT on my radar! What began as a pure curiosity has quickly turned into a full-blown obsession. It gets me out of bed EARLY in the mornings because I can't wait to learn more!

I'll tell you this much – Y'all. God is blowing my mind with His Word.

At this point, I have no idea what form this project will have in its completion, but I can tell you this – I can't wait to share it with you. Are you kidding?? There's no way I'd be able to keep this to myself, it's WAY too fun!

Maybe your plans for 2020 have flown out the window, too. May I encourage you to be open to God doing a new thing in your life? Give Him the space to speak to you and lead you where you may not have gone otherwise. You may be surprised where you end up. It may not be what we expected, but I have a strong suspicion - it's gonna be better.

“See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.” Isaiah 43:19

trash or treasure? perception matters.

Perception matters.

What we believe matters.

What we believe will shape how we see, and ultimately, it will shape what we do. This becomes evident under pressure, doesn’t it? Have you found yourself doing or thinking something that you thought you’d already dealt with during this quarantine?? Yeah, me too. I’ve heard myself say a few things that surprised even me, and I realized – dude – I’ve got some work to do. I am a hot mess sometimes.

This morning I read the familiar story of the rich young ruler that came to Jesus and asked Him what he needed to do to inherit eternal life (see Mark 10:17-31). You remember the scene – Jesus told the young man that he lacked one thing – he needed to sell everything and give it to the poor, then he would have treasure in heaven. Only then could he genuinely follow Jesus. Remember his response?

He went away sad.

Why? Because he had “great wealth.”

Contrast this with the parable in Matthew 13:44 –

“The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his JOY went and sold all that he had and bought that field.”

One dude goes away sad; the other goes away in joy. What was the difference?

Perception.

Belief.

Both were presented with real treasure, but only one of them recognized it.

Can you hear me hollering?? Y’all! Jesus is the treasure!

Perception.

Belief.

There’s one small detail that speaks volumes in the story of the rich young ruler. Verse 21 says, “Jesus looked at him and loved him.” And yet, he still went away sad. Why? Because he perceived that what he had was worth more than the One who loved him. He believed that his wealth was of greater value than following Jesus.

Who are we more alike today, the rich young ruler or the man who discovered the treasure in a field?

Let’s be very deliberate about this quarantine season and let’s make every effort to make the most of it. Let’s courageously ask God to reveal to us our faulty perceptions and beliefs. May we JOYFULLY rid ourselves of anything and everything that would hinder us from obtaining THE treasure – Jesus Himself. I want to come out of this crazy season with a renewed fire and passion for God and His Word, don’t you?

#letsdothis

#wedowhatwebelieve

#checkyourbeliefs

#JesusISworthit

The perfect love and anger of Jesus

There's a pretty intense scene in Mark 3. Jesus was teaching in a synagogue and some were there only to find a reason to accuse Him.

I had the opportunity to go to Israel last November and was struck by the size of a typical synagogue in the first century. In essence, they were much smaller than I had envisioned. Jesus would have stood in the middle of the room and would have been able to easily see everyone there. He knew who wanted to hear God's Word, and He knew who wanted a reason to accuse Him. If you have given a public speech, then you know it's not that difficult to tell who likes what you say and those who don't.

Jesus confronted the awkwardness head-on. He stood a man with a deformed hand in front of everyone and asked a straightforward question – "Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do evil, to save life or to kill?" (verse 3). Would any of them blatantly have chosen evil over good? Killing instead of saving? Of course not. Then why didn't they answer immediately? Why did they "remain silent"?

Jesus looked at them in anger and was deeply distressed at their stubborn hearts.

Ouch.

I want to pause here for a minute and address something. Somewhere along the way, many of us have bought into a common teaching that says, "God isn't mad at you." Really? Are we sure about that? Why do we have such a hard time believing that maybe, just maybe, we are capable of doing something that angers Jesus? I don't know a single parent who hasn't been angry at their child for doing something bad. Does that mean that they love their child any less? Of course not!

Before you freak out on me, let me remind you of something incredibly important: although Jesus was angry at them, He also simultaneously loved them. How can I be so sure? Because of the cross. Let's expand our willingness to embrace the theology of a God who is perfect in His ability to be angry AND love completely at the same time. He isn't like us.

Why was Jesus angry? Because they were silent when they shouldn't have been. Because their hearts were stubborn. Basically, they had placed their agenda above God's.

I think it's wise for us to ask ourselves a few questions in response to this passage. Am I sitting on the sidelines looking for reasons to accuse?

This is easier to do than we'd like to admit, isn't it? How many of us have watched the news while perched on our couch/throne and condemned our leaders because we don't like how they are handling this global pandemic. Quite frankly, we believe we could handle it better, don't we? Am I being silent when my voice is needed? Am I part of the problem or part of the solution?

God's Word is alive and active and sharper than any double-edged sword and I certainly felt it pierce me this morning. The last thing I want is for Jesus to be "angry and deeply distressed" because I have a stubborn and silent heart.

Our response shouldn't be self-hatred or prolonged guilt and shame. That is never Christ's intention. He never condemns us if we are found in Him (Romans 8:1). However, if we feel the penetrating piercing of the Word of God, we should respond in gratefulness – because that's the work of the Holy Spirit, drawing us into a deeper and more intimate place with our Savior and our God. I am so glad that Jesus loves me. I am so glad my heart is laid bare before Him, and I am so glad His love and kindness leads me to repentance (Romans 2:4).

We have an enormous opportunity during this season. We can choose to be silent and accuse, or we can choose to be the salt and light that God created us to be. Let's pray that God will soften our hearts. Let's choose humility over pride. Let's choose gentleness over harshness. Let's choose service over silence. Let's live a life worthy of our calling.