Tag: seeking Jesus

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Faith Journey-Day 6

Day 6-Holiness

Yesterday’s devotion, was based on Romans 5:1-5. To actively seek The Lord in crisis produces perseverance…perseverance produces hope…our hope in Christ alone brings about holiness through the work of The Holy Spirit in our lives.

Today, Let’s continue the theme of holiness…

As you have traveled this Faith Journey with me, on Days 1-5, I shared how God was beginning to teach me His character and develop that character in me. It was and is an active ongoing process between the two of us.

Let me try to explain it this way…I can describe to you the most gorgeous place on this earth. I can even show you pictures. You might grasp some of what I am trying my best to explain.  But, if I take you there you can truly experience it. You can grasp the beauty, the awe, the smells, the sights, and the sounds for yourself. Then and only then, will you fully understand.

In the same way, we cannot experience the character of God that produces holiness without Him taking us there. Most often we learn who He is down in the valleys of life. The difficulties, hardships, sicknesses, loss, and so on define our walk with Christ like nothing else ever could. I could not experience the peace of God until I desperately NEEDED His all-consuming peace to flood the deepest part of my anguish. I learned perseverance with each new diagnosis. My hope came out of my perseverance. I began to grasp His goodness because of who He is and not just what he does. 

Re-read James 1:1-5 from yesterday’s devotion:

“Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance(patience). Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.” James 1:2-4 (emphasis mine)

 Take a look at Galatians 5:22-2:

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control against such things there is no law.” Galatians 5:22-23

Here’s the deal—The characteristics of God produced in our lives do not happen overnight. Oh, how I wish they did. Fruit does not grow over-night. It’s a process, right?! Therefore, the work of the Holy Spirit is to make us Christ-like. To become Christ-like (holy) is an ongoing, growing process.

Galatians lays out the 9  “fruit of the Spirit.” Notice it does not say “fruits of the Spirit.” Why? Because they are one unit. To be holy as Christ is holy means to exhibit all 9 “fruit“ simultaneously. In order for that to happen, The Lord will help us work out each of the“fruit” individually before they can be displayed through our lives as one unit.

When (not if)The Lord allows trial in our lives, He is building a foundation of trust and dependence on Him that develop holy characteristics in our lives.

Your homework today is to trace the work of the Holy Spirit in your life. Write the circumstance and/or the scripture The Lord used to help produce the “fruit of the Spirit”…His character…his holiness in your life.

(Galatians 5:22-23″)

 

Love—

 

Joy—

 

Peace—

 

Patience (endurance or perseverance)—

 

Kindness–

 

Goodness—

 

Faithfulness—

 

Gentleness—

 

Self-control—

 

It’s okay if your “fruit” is still in the ripening process. Remember, we are all a work in progress. God is refining us…strengthening us…teaching us…sanctifying us…molding us to His likeness.

Pray that The Lord will continue to reveal Himself to you in a powerful way. We are meant to “display” Jesus for others to see. Take care of and cultivate your fruit of the Spirit today.

In the coming days, I will share Ryan’s diagnosis that changed everything…The Lord was building a foundation of faith in my life SO THAT I could accept what He was about to reveal.

Praying for you. Onward, my sister!

 

 

 

 

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Faith Journey- Day 2

Day 2- Who’s to Blame?

On Day 1, I explained how I was angry with the Lord and finally laid that out before Him. But, before I had that break through, I was suffering from self diagnosed  “extreme guilt syndrome.”

 I don’t know about you, but anytime I find myself in a difficult situation, I wonder if it’s my fault. What did I do wrong? What could I have done differently? Is God punishing me?

When Ryan was born, we were expecting a healthy baby. After all, that’s what we had prayed for. We did not expect our beautiful son to be born with life threatening health problems that sent him to NICU. And would require open-heart surgery.

I began questioning everything I had done during my pregnancy. Although, I was very conscious about eating healthy and eliminating the things that were unhealthy, I took the burden of Ryan’s condition on myself. I examined every aspect of my pregnancy because I thought it could have been my fault. Worse, yet, had I offended God? Was He punishing me?

After self-examination, God did assure me, through the power of His Word, that Ryan’s condition was not my fault. He bought back to my mind Psalm 139: 13-17 and John 9:1-3. He reminded me that HE is our sovereign Creator. Nothing escapes Him or happens without His knowledge and permission. In THIS situation, God tended to my burdened heart and released me from my self-imposed guilt.

However, there have been times in my life that my Father God enacted discipline because of my sinful actions. I believe that is why I reacted to Ryan’s illness the way I did. I wanted to be sure that our situation was not Daddy’s discipline.

This is the heart of today’s lesson–

When things go wrong in our lives…do we analyze ourselves to see if we bear “fault” in the situation? I feel strongly, based on the scripture we will study, that we should.

In my growing relationship with The Lord, I have learned that it’s healthy to look inward first before launching to blame someone else or to justify my actions/choices. Let’s be honest, it’s easier to blame others than take responsibility for our actions.

Today, we will learn how to examine ourselves before the Lord. Some difficulties or trials we face are for the express purpose of refining, sifting, and ministry preparation. But, some difficulties are the result of sin that has gone unchecked far too long.

Let’s do a heart check–

  • Read Psalm 26:2 and Psalm 139:23-24

 

 

What does David ask God to do? Why do you think this is important?

 

Long before David took the throne, he was chosen and anointed King. However, it was a long, scary, and tedious journey to the throne. God had a lot of prep work to do in David’s heart and mind before He placed him on the throne. That prep work included a heart of repentance and an unwavering faith.

 

 

  • Read Jeremiah 17:9-10

What is deceitful or desperately wicked?

 

 

According to verse 10 what does God search?  What does he test or examine?

 

 

I love the way the NASB translation lays it out there plain as day…

“ 9 The heart is more deceitful than all else and is desperately sick; who can understand it? 10  “I, The Lord, search the heart, I test the mind, Even to give to each one according to his ways, according to the results of his deeds.”

Jeremiah 17:6-10

 

I heard a saying when my boys were young and quickly placed it into my parenting tool box, “obedience brings blessing, disobedience brings consequences.” To every sinful or disobedient act, there are consequences. Some of our situations are the result of sin. It is so important that we start calling them what they are and stop justifying our sinful attitudes and actions. Our hearts (feelings) can and will deceive us. Every action must be scrubbed against God’s Word. If we are disobedient to His Word, it’s sin.

Anytime you find yourself in the midst of difficulty, ask The Lord through the Holy Spirit to, first, examine your heart and test your mind. Then, immediately repent if your behavior has been contrary to scripture.

This is HARD! I am right there with you…

Examine the difficult situation that you shared on Day 1.  Do you need to ask the Lord to examine your heart and test your mind?

 

Pray and ask the Lord to examine your heart and mind to see if there is any evil  or hurtful actions that need to be cleansed. Then, repent of the sin He brings to your mind. The Lord can redeem any situation. Yes, even those of our own sinful making. He is the Restorer of our souls.

Maybe today your heart was unburdened of your own version of self-imposed “extreme guilt syndrome” by your Creator and Sustainer. If you did not already do so, please read Psalm 139: 13-17 and John 9:1-3. 

Stay on the journey…don’t give up!

I am praying for you!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Faith Journey- Day 1

As I stated in my “Faith Journey-Intro,” The Lord has worked profoundly in my life through the birth of our first-born son, Ryan. I have learned so much about the faithful character of God throughout my journey as being Ryan’s (and later, Landon’s) mom.

My prayer is that you will commit to just 30 days with me. Please feel free to print out the questions or copy and paste them into a word document.

I would love for you to ask questions, comment, or request prayer along the way. Now…let’s get started. I’m praying for you.

 

Day 1

The day after his birth, Ryan experienced a “blue spell” while being examined by his pediatrician. After many tests, we received the news that he had a congenital heart defect called “Tetralogy of Fallot  [fa-loh].” This meant our Ryan would need open heart surgery.

Wait…why did Tetralogy of Fallot sound familiar to Ron and I?

One week before our Ryan was born, we got a call from a dear friend in our Sunday School Class. There was a  couple in our class who had a baby boy three months earlier who was born with a heart defect. His name was Ryan K. My friend informed us that baby Ryan was being transported by helicopter to All Children’s Hospital for emergency open-heart surgery. Baby Ryan K. had a heart defect called “Tetralogy of Fallot.”

I want to stress this…”Tetralogy of Fallot” is a very rare heart condition. Affecting less than 20,000 babies per year.

And this was the 2ndtime in one week we had heard the term “Tetralogy of Fallot.” Both babies named Ryan. Coincidence?! Absolutely not! Only the Creator God could have orchestrated this connection. However, that is only seen from my rearview mirror perspective. At that moment in time, I was hurting too badly to see God’s hand in this situation. It was only when Heidi, Ryan K’s mom, reached out to me a short while later, that I began to see God’s grace and get a glimpse of His Sovereignty. I will share more of this God-connection in the days ahead together.

To say we were devastated about Ryan’s diagnosis would be a gross understatement. We left the hospital without Ryan. It’s hard to describe the feeling of coming home with an empty belly, empty arms, to an empty bassinet. I was so emotionally and physically drained but I knelt by the bassinet and sobbed. Ron joined me and we prayed and begged the Lord to take care of our precious Ryan.

After 7 long days of back and forth caring for Ryan in NICU, it was time for him to come home. We were given  a  list of “cardiac failure symptoms” to keep an eye on.  I felt like I was on death watch. It was terrifying! Ryan was never out of my sight. At night, I slept with one hand in his bassinet so I could feel him breathe.

I was exhausted! Ryan rarely slept and when he did, I felt compelled to catch up on chores. Stupid, I know, but I thought I could handle everything. I would keep myself busy to avoid an all out breakdown.  I was bound and determined to be strong. I would put on a happy face and tell everyone I was “fine.” After all…that’s what a good Christian did, right?!

To keep up with the “all is fine facade,” I enrolled in a women’s Bible study when Ryan was a few weeks old.  This study went deep and cut to the core. One night during the teacher’s video segment she said something that echoed in my spirit like bull horn, “If you are angry with God, tell Him. He’s got big shoulders, he can handle it.” My heart began to beat out of my chest. That was it!!! I was down right ANGRY!

Since Ryan’s birth, I had cried, begged for healing, and cried some more. That night, I had the realization that deep down I was extremely angry with God for allowing Ryan to be born so sick. I had prayed about our situation, but I never told Him how truly heartbroken and betrayed I felt. After all, He could have prevented this, why didn’t He? What did Ron and I do to deserve this? What did our precious baby do to deserve this?

I couldn’t get home fast enough. I gave the Lord an earful that night.  In our spare bedroom, lying on the floor…I yelled, cried, and poured out my frustrations and heart-break to my God with big shoulders.

What happened next was completely unexpected.  God poured out His peace that surpasses understanding. I had never experienced that downpour of peace before. I was so overcome and comforted by it that I stayed to rest in His presence for a while.

When I finally got up off the floor, my son was not instantly healed and all our problems did not vanished. But, My God was faithful to continue to pour out His peace and comfort like I had never known. He was my Savior. He was my Lord. That night, He became my peace. I felt a calm assurance that He would see us through whatever was headed our way. This would not be the last time I poured out my heart on His BIG shoulders.

We will learn throughout our faith journeys that God does nothing without a purpose. But first, we must come before Him with honest, heartfelt confession about our situation…Let Him assure you of His presence and peace in the midst of difficulty.

 

  • Read Philippians 4:6-7 and Romans 8:26-28

 

Do you believe that God is for you and not against you?

 

 

Have you experienced His peace that surpasses understanding?

 

 

Tell about a time you unleashed your deepest hurts on God’s big, broad shoulders. If you are in the middle of a deep valley of hurt, take time now to go before Him and pour out your heart.

Tell the Lord how you feel. Confess, repent, tattle, proclaim, adore, yell, thank, or ________________________.

 

Our God can be trusted. Nothing happens without his knowledge or permission. As you begin to sojourn with The Lord, you will see His mighty hand of guidance and preparation…for our good and His Glory.

Pray this promise back to the One who created you and knows you today–

“I know I am Your creation, created in Christ Jesus for good works, that You, My God,  prepared so that I my walk in them.”

“ For we are His creation, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared ahead of time that we may walk in them.” Ephesians 2:10

Hang in there, sweet friend. There is purpose in the pain. To end today, re-read 2 Corinthians 1:3-7. Why does God comfort us?

 

I’m praying for you!