God’s Pandemic

God’s Love is pandemic! The word refers to something that is prevalent throughout an entire country, continent or the whole world.

My current reality can be in a constant state of flux with every conversation and dose of media out there, due to the present circumstances in our world. Yet I know that..

..without faith it is impossible to please Him. -Hebrews 11:6

Fear cannot exist where there is Faith. They are polar opposites. It isn’t just hard to please God without faith, it is impossible! Where has that left me?

Each day I’m learning to begin by putting on the armor of God. The 1st command is to..

Stand, therefore having your loins girt about with truth.. – Ephesians 6:14

It’s been easy to feel like I can’t stand. Having the loss of basic needs of food availability, an income, the closeness of family and friends, be actualized by the fear that has been thrust upon us, has crippled me a bit. But the truth for me begins with

.. for He Himself said, I will never leave you nor forsake you. -Hebrews 13:5

In order to stand I find the need to discipline my thoughts and emotions..

..bringing every thought captive to the obedience of Christ. -II Corinthians 10:5

And I remind myself..

For it is God Who works in you both to will and do of His good pleasure. -Philippians 2:13

My needs have been met sufficiently and I’ve had time to reevaluate the things that are truly important. I’ve been reminded that it is my responsibility to take care of my needs to the best of my ability; physical, emotional and spiritual..

If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God. -James 1:5

My comfort and peace are drawn from these verses..

Be anxious for nothing, but in everything with prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. -Philippians 4:6-7

The final pieces of God’s armor are the Shield of Faith and the Sword of the Spirit which we are told will quench the fiery darts of the evil one with the sword being the Word of God. Praise in music has been that sword for me. It is the one thing that is offensive rather than defensive. The joy of the Lord is my strength. Sing unto the Lord a new song, David said in Psalms.

The lyrics of a song made popular in the 70s, say this:

Praise the Lord, He can work through those who praise Him
Praise the Lord, for our God inhabits praise
Praise the Lord, for the chains that seem to bind you
Serve only to remind you that they fall powerless behind you
When you Praise Him! -recorded by The Imperials

The pandemic I’m paying attention to is the all-encompassing love and care of my Heavenly Father. The power of His love far outweighs any disease or ailment this world can conjure.

To my knowledge it is still a practice that every physician in this country must take the Hippocratic oath of “do no harm”. Another of Hippocrates quotes is this..

Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food.
 

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He Touched Me!

Struggling with a bit of depression one day I opened my bible to this…

And behold there was a woman which had a spirit of infirmity, eighteen years, and was bowed together, and could in no wise lift herself up..  –Luke 13:11

I like that this verse uses ‘spirit of infirmity’ to describe her illness. I believe grief, depression and despair are all states of being that fit into the description. They can be as crippling as any physical ailment is.

And when Jesus saw her, He called her to Him and said unto her, Woman, thou are loosed from thine infirmity.  –Luke 13:12

There is so much power in those words, I immediately got tears in my eyes and had goose bumps from head to toe. Jesus is so personal when He comes to us. But then He did this..

And He laid His hands on her and immediately she was made straight, and began glorifying God.  –Luke 13:13

The touch of Jesus is like no other touch!

Grief and depression can change the posture of a person. In a bowed position all I can see are my own steps, my focus becomes only on myself. When healing comes and my posture is made straight I am again aware of the world around me. Now all there is to do is praise God, be grateful and choose the freedom of healing!

Faith, Hope & Love

And now abideth faith, hope and love, these three; but the greatest of these is Love!
In spending the years it has taken to recover from yet another divorce, it’s been easier than ever to believe that there is no real love at all. Maybe between parents and children.. If I had not grown up learning how to have a relationship with a Heavenly Father, I’m sure I would be feigned on the subject of love altogether.
What I know is that God began with love. Enough love for us that He would send His Son to pay a price that would make a relationship to Him, FREE! And in the failed interpretation of humans, claiming to understand that love, it gets complicated, expensive, used for purposes of manipulation and abuse, and most regrettably ignored.

Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need. – Hebrews 4:16

As a young person I sought out my own knowledge about what God was saying to me and I read..

For I know the thoughts I have towards you.. thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you an expected hope and future… And ye shall seek Me and find Me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart. – Jeremiah 29:11-13

Within these underlined scriptures in my old Bible, I have memories of living in the peace of God’s love. I found my hope and faith there. It was a simple message and still is. Yet time and life’s experiences have tried to tarnish it.

..I am come that they may have life, and that they might have it more abundantly – John 10:10

The process these past few years has been in peeling back the garbage layers, man has placed between me and the simple message I understood when I was young. I know now that my experience with God was based on discipleship, the in-depth learning of how to let go of the mastering of my own life, and accept that ..

..we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose. – Romans 8:28

Choosing people that share your value system, whether friends, business associates or especially a spouse is the only way to survive and hopefully thrive.

Except the Lord build the house, they labour in vain that build it; except the Lord keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain. – Psalms 127:1

I’ve learned never to turn my learning and growth in Spiritual things to any human. Only God knows the true paths I have walked. His instruction to me since I was a child has built a solid conscience and a sturdy heart. Courage and confidence are what I possess when I remember to…

Serve the Lord with gladness, come before His presence with singing. Know ye that the Lord He is God, it is he that hath made us and not we ourselves; we are His people and the sheep of His pasture. Enter into His gates with thanksgiving and into His courts with praise; be thankful unto Him and bless His name. For the Lord is good, His mercy is everlasting; and His truth endureth to all generations. – Psalms 100:2-5

Rest for your soul..

The term to me signifies the removal of distractions; and in defining distractions I’ve come to realize it includes plenty more than material items. My schedule, for instance… and then there are the unscheduled events that most often accomplish only the loss of my time and energy.

Come unto Me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden and I will give you rest. – Matthew 11:28

In my walk with the Shepherd I’m paying attention to the instruction to be yoked to Him, alone. The visual of that farming term reminds me of a stockade – two heads held in place by wooden beams, forced to look forward. The point is, I am held firm, focused on what is in front of me ~ ONLY!

How much simpler my life will be when I finally stop looking around to see what others are doing or thinking of me. How much more peaceful I will be when I stop looking back to recount each failure and misstep.

Take my yoke upon you and learn of Me… and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For My yoke is easy and my burden is light. – Matthew 11:29, 30

What I’m learning is to notice the times when I slip out of the yoke and race to eliminate another’s hardship only to realize later that, that exact need may have turned that one to the Shepherd with increased faith and closer communion.

Then I looked on all the works that my hands had wrought and on the labour that I had labored to do and behold, all was vanity..  To every thing there is a season and a time to every purpose under the heaven.  – Ecclesiastes 2:11, 3:1

As I get better at following the Shepherds’ lead I remember…

• He maketh me lie down in green pastures
• He leads me beside the still waters
• He restores my soul
• His rod and His staff comfort me
• He prepares a table before me..
• He anoints my head with oil, my cup runneth over

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. – Psalms 23:6

Faith or Fear

I step out and believe.. or I shrink back and do nothing! It’s known that most of what we fear has little to do with the present reality. In fact, most of it actually comes through the conditioning of our past; a set of circumstances that left us in a bad place and now leads us to believe any similar set of circumstances will bring the same result.

These beliefs become part of a value system that work subconsciously in us, guiding every choice and decision we make. Right or wrong, we are compelled to choose our paths according to the beliefs we’ve recorded in our subconscious minds over months and years of lifes’ experiences.

Therefore if any man be in Christ he is a new creature, old things are passed away, behold all things are become new.   — II Corinthians 5:17

As I’ve sorted through a mind with decades of conditioning and automatic responses I’ve been brought back to my childhood. In Sunday School, Vacation Bible School and Youth Camp is where the instruction and contests were presented for memorizing bible verses. My young subconscious mind was filled with God’s word.

Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.  — Psalms 139:11

When I accept what the Shepherd offers me I find abundant life and protection from the things that bring fear. Opportunities of all kinds are presented to me when faith is the choice I make each day. Joy is the perfect fulfillment of that for which I was created, says Oswald Chambers.

. . for with God all things are possible  — Mark 10:27

As I seek to clean out the dusty corners of my heart and mind I’m refreshing myself in God’s word. I’m returning to past treasures I’ve neglectfully laid aside, realizing my joy may be restored as I cradle those important talents once again.     Piano ~ Photography ~ Reading

.. be not conformed to this world, but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind. –Romans 12:2

With a renewed spirit inside, I realize the external actions will take a more concerted effort. It motivates me knowing my kids and grandkids are watching but the biggest motivation is in my desire to please God!

Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. –Hebrews 11:1

Recovering a Firm Foundation

It’s when I’ve allowed things; residue grief and sin, get between me and my faith that I feel unbalanced and confused. Like a rug laying on a richly varnished wood floor, things collect between the flooring and the rug that was meant to protect it.

It’s His kindness that brings us to repentance    —  Romans 2:4

Over time the guidance of the Shepherd gets muddled beneath the opinions and influence of people. We begin to accept causes and busy service tasks as valid commitments, showing ourselves selfless and noble, as we strip ourselves of needed energy and personal peace.
But as we begin to clean the clutter that has become the lumpy rug we walk on, we may be surprised to find the remnants of grief, vengeance, pride, unforgiveness, resentment and self righteousness.

Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me   — Psalms 51:10

It may be time to pull away the rug, THE MASK and expose again the rich beauty of a foundation of faith that provides balance and clarity. The purpose of our faith is to know Him and the overflow of that relationship is the influence we have on others.

. . . for the joy of the Lord is my strength   — Nehemiah 8:10

When we are young lambs in our faith we need an interpreter of sorts, but as our faith grows we should be listening less and less to people and instead go straight to the Shepherd for our guidance.

The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures, he leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul; he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake.    — Psalms 23:1-3

This is the way to keep that firm, uncluttered foundation of faith that we need to stay balanced. Clear and steady footsteps, unshaken!

But as for me I will walk in mine integrity, redeem me and be merciful to me. My feet standeth in an even place; in the congregations will I bless the Lord  — Psalms 26:11-12

Accept the World as it is. .

Let not your heart be troubled.   — Jesus Christ

The current state of our communities, country and world can leave us feeling like we could be mown over at any time.

What Next?  . . .  no one wants to ask!

Sandwiched in between the 1st and last chapters of every author I’ve read on ‘living a successful life’ they include a chapter on ACCEPTING THE WORLD AS IT IS. Your home, job, city, state, country and world; it’s not about giving up or giving in, it’s about personal peace and gratitude.

Worrying, reciting complaints, ranting and raging don’t effect problems we have no control over…  they simply steal your peace. Can you change it?  do that. Can you effect it in some way? do whatever you have the ability to do. If not, reserve your energy for something that is worthy of it.

The other thief of our peace is fear. Take a minute close your eyes and picture yourself as a small lamb sitting in the lap of your Shepherd. You are satisfied, comforted and safe in that place. Fear is a choice.

God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of love, power and a sound mind!

How can we strengthen our communities? A donation of time or supplies to your local elementary school? It’s mid year and many classrooms run short on tissues, hand sanitizer, paper and pencils. Can you donate books for their book fair? or a bike to be raffled at the spring carnival? Invest in the children in your neighborhood so they can find hope for their future.

Each action we take and word that we speak influences someone else, while it effects our own peace. The more we choose peace and gratitude, the more it will become a habit.

As we are cared for by our Shepherd and find strength there, we gradually become a Shepherd to others.

Be the change that you wish to see in the world  — Ghandi