Twenty years ago I was pregnant with my first child. I had completed my first year of college and was looking forward to another semester. However, when December rolled around and my baby girl was born, I knew motherhood was what I wanted to pursue. So, for twenty years I have been a stay-at-home mom. I have done other things along with raising my children and caring for my home. I worked at a crisis pregnancy center as a counselor and later as their spokes person. I cleaned a few houses for extra money. I tried my hand at writing, penning several Bible studies and one book (still unpublished). Currently I sit with some mentally challenged ladies once a week and I organize workers for the church nursery. I have homeschooled my children for nine years and continue to do so. But for the past few months the question that has been eating at me is, "Who am I?"
My youngest children turned thirteen over the past few days, and as I count the future years I am faced with the reality that my kids will be grown in the next five years. Five years! That can be counted on one hand! Soon they will be off to begin their own lives, and my job as full time mom will be over. Oh, and in October I will be turning forty. Half my life is over. The first few seasons completed. And as I look in the mirror I see an older and wiser woman and ask, "Who am I?" What is it I am going to do with the rest of my life? What skills, gifts, and talents do I have to offer the world? What can I do to leave my mark in history? What does God want to do through this woman during the second half of her life?
I know all the right answers. Yes, I am a child of God, and I am to live a life that brings Him glory. But my question is, "What direction am I supposed to go as I accomplish this?" I know I make a difference just being me, but where is God leading me to do this?
I don't think I am the only one who wrestles with these questions. I believe at certain times in our lives we all take a deep look inside ourselves and ask similar questions. And when these questions go unanswered we wrestle to find the answers.
I find great solace in studying the life of Moses. At forty he fled his home in Egypt after killing a man. The next forty years he spent tending sheep in desert. He had started life with a BANG! He was adopted by Pharaoh's daughter, raised as royalty, and given all the accolades that belonged to Pharaoh's family. He could have done anything. He had the money and the influence. But that came to an abrupt end. Before Moses could comprehend what was happening, he found himself a stinky, lowly shepherd. I know he thought his prime was behind him, that all he had left to do was tend sheep and die. But that was not the plan God had for him. He had another forty years of life and work to accomplish. Unbeknownst to him, Moses was being primed for the difficult work of leading God's people. Each day he labored to keep the sheep together and safe he was in the midst of God's will for him. I guess we could call it his college. However, he didn't get his degree in four years. It took him forty. But when he graduated, he was ready to lead millions of people and to relate God's word to them.
So, where are you right now? Perhaps you are like me and are coming quickly to a time of great change. You are wondering, "What now?" Or maybe you are still in the time of great adventure and satisfaction unaware that a time of teaching and preparation is ahead. Or you might be in that desert tending sheep wondering, "How did I ever get here?" Know that in each phase you are in the palm of God's hand, that He is not wasting any part of your life experience. He is preparing you, molding you, and teaching you valuable things. Our responsibility is to listen and take advantage of these years. They all hold great purpose.
Monday, June 27, 2011
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
Under Oppression
During much of the four hundred years of Israel's captivity in Egypt the people lived under oppression. Several years after the death of the Pharaoh who knew Joseph, a new king rose to power. This king cared little for the Israelites and, fearing their great numbers, took great care to keep them under his thumb.
"Now there arose a new king over Egypt, who did not know Joseph. And he said to his people, 'Look, the people of the children of Israel are more and mightier than we; com, let us deal shrewdly with them, lest they multiply, and it happen, in the event of war, that they also join our enemies and fight against us, and so go up out of the land.' Therefore they set taskmasters over them to afflict them with their burdens. And they built for Pharaoh supply cities, Pithom and Raamses." (Exodus 1:8-11 NKJ)
The king watched nervously as the children of Abraham increased in number. He became fearful that the Israelites might join Egypt's enemies and overthrow the nation. The king understood the potential of God's chosen people and strived to keep Israel from realizing her own potential. Our enemy has much the same mind set as the Egyptian King. I believe it was the true enemy, Satan, who convinced the King that he needed to implement some drastic measures to oppress and even destroy God's chosen nation. You, sister, are God's chosen as well, and the same fear that welled up in the heart of the Egyptian king fill the heart of the Satan today. He knows your potential in Christ, and he will stop at nothing to keep you from realizing and walking in that potential. Revelation 12:12 helps us to understand why Satan is so determined to keep us under his thumb. "For the Devil has come down to you, having great wrath, because he knows that he has a short time." (NKJ)
Satan knows his time is short, and so he seeks to do everything in his power to break the heart of God. He fights dirty, using the very creation God loves dearly, mankind, as weapons and casualties to pierce the heart of our Father. In his efforts, Satan does not want us to realize the potential we hold in Christ Jesus. For he knows that if we truly understand and take hold of the gifts and truth God has for us, we would join his enemy in the spiritual war. So, Satan pulls out the arsenal of oppression. Believing that if he can keep us down, we would be unable to look up and see the outstretched hand of God drawing us to His side.
I think we can better understand this twisted logic of the enemy by grabbing a dictionary and briefly defining depression. The Webster's Dictionary for Students defines oppression as "cruel or unjust use of power or authority; to control or rule in a harsh or cruel way." As we know all too well, Satan's ways are cruel and heartless. He cares for one thing, his own self-elevation. He has no heart or concern for the pain he causes God's people. In fact, he revels in your pain!
With such a vile enemy we need to know that the promises of God are solid. Perhaps we'd do well to know the promises of God period! We can glean hope from the Old Scriptures as we see God fulfill His promises to specific people. Look at Genesis 15:13-14.
"Then He said to Abram: 'Know certainly that your descendants will be strangers in a land that is not theirs, and will serve them, and they will afflict them four hundred years. And also the nation whom they serve I will judge; afterward they shall come out with great possessions.'" (NKJ)
God promised to judge Egypt for the evil it had perpetrated against Israel, and He did. Through each plague Egypt suffered greatly. And finally, Pharaoh's army was wiped out in the Red Sea as they pursued the Israelites. As for coming out with great possessions Exodus 12:35 - 36 says, "Now the children of Israel had done according to the word of Moses, and they had asked from the Egyptians articles of silver, articles of gold, and clothing. And the Lord had given the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians so that they granted them what they requested. Thus they plundered the Egyptians." (NKJ) Our enemy, Satan, faces judgement as well. His evil schemes will not go unpunished (PRAISE THE LORD!). He will reap the harvest of his oppressive and destructive activities. Without delving too far into Revelation's end time prophecy, let's look at the judgement the devil will face when God finally proclaims, "Enough is enough!"
Revelation 20:1-3 "Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, having the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. He laid hold of the dragon, that serpent of old, who is the Devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years; and he cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal on him, so that he should deceive the nations no more till the thousand years were finished. But after these things he must be released for a little while."(NKJ)
Revelation 20:7-10 "Now when the thousand years have expired, Satan will be released from his prison and will go out to deceive the nations which are in the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle, whose number is as the sand of the sea. They went up on the breadth of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city. And fire came down from God out of heaven and devoured them. The devil, who deceived them, was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone where the beast and false prophet are. AND THEY WILL BE TORMENTED DAY AND NIGHT FOREVER AND EVER! (emphasis mine). (NKJ)
Sisters, I know the pain you have endured because of the destructive activities of Satan. I know your soul crises out for justice. Rest assured it is coming! There is a time in which God will wipe every tear from your eyes (Rev. 21:4). Until the, the battle rages, first for your very soul. Then, when Satan realizes he can't win your soul, he will strive to steal any effectiveness you have as a Believer. We can stand fast, though in the power and the promises of our God. Stick with me, we are going to build our strength together.
"Now there arose a new king over Egypt, who did not know Joseph. And he said to his people, 'Look, the people of the children of Israel are more and mightier than we; com, let us deal shrewdly with them, lest they multiply, and it happen, in the event of war, that they also join our enemies and fight against us, and so go up out of the land.' Therefore they set taskmasters over them to afflict them with their burdens. And they built for Pharaoh supply cities, Pithom and Raamses." (Exodus 1:8-11 NKJ)
The king watched nervously as the children of Abraham increased in number. He became fearful that the Israelites might join Egypt's enemies and overthrow the nation. The king understood the potential of God's chosen people and strived to keep Israel from realizing her own potential. Our enemy has much the same mind set as the Egyptian King. I believe it was the true enemy, Satan, who convinced the King that he needed to implement some drastic measures to oppress and even destroy God's chosen nation. You, sister, are God's chosen as well, and the same fear that welled up in the heart of the Egyptian king fill the heart of the Satan today. He knows your potential in Christ, and he will stop at nothing to keep you from realizing and walking in that potential. Revelation 12:12 helps us to understand why Satan is so determined to keep us under his thumb. "For the Devil has come down to you, having great wrath, because he knows that he has a short time." (NKJ)
Satan knows his time is short, and so he seeks to do everything in his power to break the heart of God. He fights dirty, using the very creation God loves dearly, mankind, as weapons and casualties to pierce the heart of our Father. In his efforts, Satan does not want us to realize the potential we hold in Christ Jesus. For he knows that if we truly understand and take hold of the gifts and truth God has for us, we would join his enemy in the spiritual war. So, Satan pulls out the arsenal of oppression. Believing that if he can keep us down, we would be unable to look up and see the outstretched hand of God drawing us to His side.
I think we can better understand this twisted logic of the enemy by grabbing a dictionary and briefly defining depression. The Webster's Dictionary for Students defines oppression as "cruel or unjust use of power or authority; to control or rule in a harsh or cruel way." As we know all too well, Satan's ways are cruel and heartless. He cares for one thing, his own self-elevation. He has no heart or concern for the pain he causes God's people. In fact, he revels in your pain!
With such a vile enemy we need to know that the promises of God are solid. Perhaps we'd do well to know the promises of God period! We can glean hope from the Old Scriptures as we see God fulfill His promises to specific people. Look at Genesis 15:13-14.
"Then He said to Abram: 'Know certainly that your descendants will be strangers in a land that is not theirs, and will serve them, and they will afflict them four hundred years. And also the nation whom they serve I will judge; afterward they shall come out with great possessions.'" (NKJ)
God promised to judge Egypt for the evil it had perpetrated against Israel, and He did. Through each plague Egypt suffered greatly. And finally, Pharaoh's army was wiped out in the Red Sea as they pursued the Israelites. As for coming out with great possessions Exodus 12:35 - 36 says, "Now the children of Israel had done according to the word of Moses, and they had asked from the Egyptians articles of silver, articles of gold, and clothing. And the Lord had given the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians so that they granted them what they requested. Thus they plundered the Egyptians." (NKJ) Our enemy, Satan, faces judgement as well. His evil schemes will not go unpunished (PRAISE THE LORD!). He will reap the harvest of his oppressive and destructive activities. Without delving too far into Revelation's end time prophecy, let's look at the judgement the devil will face when God finally proclaims, "Enough is enough!"
Revelation 20:1-3 "Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, having the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. He laid hold of the dragon, that serpent of old, who is the Devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years; and he cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal on him, so that he should deceive the nations no more till the thousand years were finished. But after these things he must be released for a little while."(NKJ)
Revelation 20:7-10 "Now when the thousand years have expired, Satan will be released from his prison and will go out to deceive the nations which are in the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle, whose number is as the sand of the sea. They went up on the breadth of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city. And fire came down from God out of heaven and devoured them. The devil, who deceived them, was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone where the beast and false prophet are. AND THEY WILL BE TORMENTED DAY AND NIGHT FOREVER AND EVER! (emphasis mine). (NKJ)
Sisters, I know the pain you have endured because of the destructive activities of Satan. I know your soul crises out for justice. Rest assured it is coming! There is a time in which God will wipe every tear from your eyes (Rev. 21:4). Until the, the battle rages, first for your very soul. Then, when Satan realizes he can't win your soul, he will strive to steal any effectiveness you have as a Believer. We can stand fast, though in the power and the promises of our God. Stick with me, we are going to build our strength together.
Sunday, June 5, 2011
Walking in Freedom
If you have read all or even parts of the Old Testament you have seen how the Isrealites cycled between freedom, manifested in a true worship of God, and bondage which revealed itself in idol worship. For hundreds of years God's chosen people swung from freedom to bondage and back again. Whether is was spiritual bondage or physical bondage, it seems God's chosen people couldn't hold on to the freedom God sought to give them time and again. What caused them to stumble back into slavery when God had set them free? Why couldn't they maintain their freedom and consequent loyalty to God? I believe that as we study the cycles of our Old Testament friends, God will reveal to us exactly what keeps us from experiencing true freedom and how we can walk in a way that daily places our feet on the path to true spiritual freedom.
Let's begin by setting the stage of our study. As we read Exodus 2:23-25, we see that the Isrealites are in the land of Egypt living under the heavy hand of oppression and slavery. Deuteronomy describes their plight, "But the Egyptians mistreated us, afflicted us, and laid hard bondage on us." (Deuteronomy 26:6 NKJ) Our Isrealite brothers were in terrible slavery in the land of Egypt. They were forced to work under unbearable conditions, enduring hard labor, severe treatment, and personal abuse.
We can parallel the life conditions of the Isrealites in Egypt to our spiritual condition before salvation. Much like the children of Abraham we lived under the cruel rule of an evil king (Satan). We were pushed around by our sinful desires, and we feared death. Our very existence was a struggle for survival spiritually. We were held captive in the prison of condemnation unable to free ourselves from the bondage of sin. According to Romans 5:12, death and sin reigned in our lives before we come to know Christ personally.
Sadly, many people are totally oblivious to the bondage they are in. They pride themselves on their status or accomplishments. When told they are captives of sin and death, they reply as the Jews did when Jesus tried to warn them of their spiritual captivity, "We are Abraham's descendants, and have never been in bondage to anyone. How can you say, 'You will be made free?'" (John 8:33 NKJ) Let's not deceive ourselves. The truth is there. We have been held captive and are often still held captive to sin. The Pharisaic attitude is to deny this truth and thus continue to live in bondage because our pride refuses to humble itself before the Word of God. Freedom can never be attained if we insist on believing lies about our captivity.
Truth be told, we all will be slaves to one thing or another. We will be held captive by one power or the other. "Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you are that one's slaves whom you obey, whether of sin leading to death, or of obedience leading to righteousness?" (Romans 6:16 NKJ) We can be captives to sin, slaves of our sinful nature and desires. Or we can submit ourselves to God and become His slave. In doing so, we put ourselves in a position not only to be captives of our God, but to be captivating to our Savior!
So the question burns, "Who are you a slave to? Are you still a slave to sin and death because you have not received the free gift of salvation offered through Jesus Christ? Or are you held captive by the love of the King? If you are the former, I invite you to walk through the steps of knowing Christ personally with me. If you are the latter, revisit your commitment to Christ by remembering (maybe even writing down) your salvation experience. Perhaps today you might want to make a renewed commitment to the Lord as well.
Steps to knowing Christ: It's as easy as A-B-C!
Salvation is imperative for freedom to be possible. It is Christ who purchased our freedom through His death. He broke the chains of sin and death. Without Him those chains remain. We do not have the power to loose them. God's purpose in having Christ die in our place was to pay for our sin. We can't. We don't have the goodness or righteousness to do so. God so eagerly wants to receive us as His children that He was willing to do whatever it took to put us into a position that we could have a relationship with Him. But, we have to act on this. Our first response should be to admit that we are sinful. Even the smallest sin deserves great eternal punishment. In admitting our sinful state we are saying, "I'm sorry. I know my behavior has offended you, God." It's humbling ourselves before Him and agreeing that He alone is perfect.
The second thing we do is believe that it is through Christ, God's only Son, that we can be forgiven of all our sins (great and small). He is the only sacrifice good enough to completely wipe our slates clean before God. Without His blood, our sin remains. Romans 3:23-25a says, "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God set forth as a propitiation (payment) by His blood."
Finally, salvation is solidified as we confess Christ as Lord. "If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved." (Romans 10:9 NKJ) If you are prepared to admit your sin, believe that it is only through Christ Jesus the Son of God that you can be made right before Him, and confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, express it in a prayer from your heart. Here is a sample prayer. Please make it your own.
Lord, I know that I am a sinner and that my sin has been against You and You alone. I believe that it is only through the blood of Your Son, Jesus Christ, that I am forgiven and put into a right relationship with You. I confess you as my Lord and willingly choose to make You my God and my Savior. Thank You. Amen.
Sisters, freedom is yours. As a believer you have been set free from the bondage of sin and death. However, as we will learn by studying the Old Testament Jews, we have a responsibility to walk in that freedom and not relinquish it to any other person or idol. As you will see, the enemy will seek to put us back into bondage by convincing us that other things are more important than believing and following God. Now, friend, we've got to learn to stand fast. Stick with me. I believe this series is going to strengthen us both as we learn to walk in freedom!
Let's begin by setting the stage of our study. As we read Exodus 2:23-25, we see that the Isrealites are in the land of Egypt living under the heavy hand of oppression and slavery. Deuteronomy describes their plight, "But the Egyptians mistreated us, afflicted us, and laid hard bondage on us." (Deuteronomy 26:6 NKJ) Our Isrealite brothers were in terrible slavery in the land of Egypt. They were forced to work under unbearable conditions, enduring hard labor, severe treatment, and personal abuse.
We can parallel the life conditions of the Isrealites in Egypt to our spiritual condition before salvation. Much like the children of Abraham we lived under the cruel rule of an evil king (Satan). We were pushed around by our sinful desires, and we feared death. Our very existence was a struggle for survival spiritually. We were held captive in the prison of condemnation unable to free ourselves from the bondage of sin. According to Romans 5:12, death and sin reigned in our lives before we come to know Christ personally.
Sadly, many people are totally oblivious to the bondage they are in. They pride themselves on their status or accomplishments. When told they are captives of sin and death, they reply as the Jews did when Jesus tried to warn them of their spiritual captivity, "We are Abraham's descendants, and have never been in bondage to anyone. How can you say, 'You will be made free?'" (John 8:33 NKJ) Let's not deceive ourselves. The truth is there. We have been held captive and are often still held captive to sin. The Pharisaic attitude is to deny this truth and thus continue to live in bondage because our pride refuses to humble itself before the Word of God. Freedom can never be attained if we insist on believing lies about our captivity.
Truth be told, we all will be slaves to one thing or another. We will be held captive by one power or the other. "Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you are that one's slaves whom you obey, whether of sin leading to death, or of obedience leading to righteousness?" (Romans 6:16 NKJ) We can be captives to sin, slaves of our sinful nature and desires. Or we can submit ourselves to God and become His slave. In doing so, we put ourselves in a position not only to be captives of our God, but to be captivating to our Savior!
So the question burns, "Who are you a slave to? Are you still a slave to sin and death because you have not received the free gift of salvation offered through Jesus Christ? Or are you held captive by the love of the King? If you are the former, I invite you to walk through the steps of knowing Christ personally with me. If you are the latter, revisit your commitment to Christ by remembering (maybe even writing down) your salvation experience. Perhaps today you might want to make a renewed commitment to the Lord as well.
Steps to knowing Christ: It's as easy as A-B-C!
Salvation is imperative for freedom to be possible. It is Christ who purchased our freedom through His death. He broke the chains of sin and death. Without Him those chains remain. We do not have the power to loose them. God's purpose in having Christ die in our place was to pay for our sin. We can't. We don't have the goodness or righteousness to do so. God so eagerly wants to receive us as His children that He was willing to do whatever it took to put us into a position that we could have a relationship with Him. But, we have to act on this. Our first response should be to admit that we are sinful. Even the smallest sin deserves great eternal punishment. In admitting our sinful state we are saying, "I'm sorry. I know my behavior has offended you, God." It's humbling ourselves before Him and agreeing that He alone is perfect.
The second thing we do is believe that it is through Christ, God's only Son, that we can be forgiven of all our sins (great and small). He is the only sacrifice good enough to completely wipe our slates clean before God. Without His blood, our sin remains. Romans 3:23-25a says, "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God set forth as a propitiation (payment) by His blood."
Finally, salvation is solidified as we confess Christ as Lord. "If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved." (Romans 10:9 NKJ) If you are prepared to admit your sin, believe that it is only through Christ Jesus the Son of God that you can be made right before Him, and confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, express it in a prayer from your heart. Here is a sample prayer. Please make it your own.
Lord, I know that I am a sinner and that my sin has been against You and You alone. I believe that it is only through the blood of Your Son, Jesus Christ, that I am forgiven and put into a right relationship with You. I confess you as my Lord and willingly choose to make You my God and my Savior. Thank You. Amen.
Sisters, freedom is yours. As a believer you have been set free from the bondage of sin and death. However, as we will learn by studying the Old Testament Jews, we have a responsibility to walk in that freedom and not relinquish it to any other person or idol. As you will see, the enemy will seek to put us back into bondage by convincing us that other things are more important than believing and following God. Now, friend, we've got to learn to stand fast. Stick with me. I believe this series is going to strengthen us both as we learn to walk in freedom!
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