Dismembered Members; the Amputated Toe

I Corinthians 12: 14-26 NIV

Now the body is not made up of one part but of many. If the foot should say,"Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body," it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. And if the ear should say,"Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,"it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be?... But God has combined the members of the body and has given greater honor to the parts that lacked it, so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.

This week I was pretty sick. I went to the ER to be tested for swine flu. I rejoice to say that the flu was not the problem. Then I went to my MD to be checked out. He treated me for bronchitis. Then I returned to the MD and was prescribed medication for inflammation of the bronchial tubes. A few days into this trial I prayed..."Lord, why is this persisting?" My own words (recently spoken to a Christian friend) came back to slap me in the face. We had been discussing God's will to heal. I proposed that it is always God's will to heal, but that we seldom follow his prescription. I commented, "In James it says if any of us are sick to call for the elders of the church. The prayer of faith will save the sick... but how many of us actually do that when we are ill?"
And here I was, lying in bed, having visited the ER and the doctor, with nary a call to my church.
So I got out the church bulletin and called. The message system said to press #8 if I wanted to leave my personal prayer request. So I did. But this hardly seemed like calling for the elders of the church. Kinda IMpersonal if you ask me. I hmpffed and pouted a bit. Then I got to thinking. Well Debora, just how personal have YOU been in church? YOU haven't exactly been johnny-on-the-spot in meeting the needs of others in the body of Christ. I started thinking about the body of Christ. I envisioned myself as a toe. But honestly, if I were a toe in the body, it might look a little black and crusty, sort of dangling on the foot by a thread. The truth is, I've kept a safe distance between myself and other members of the body. Don't get me wrong...I love my church and my pastor. He's a gifted speaker. And I've volunteered for a few odd jobs here and there. But I definitely have not put myself out there to befriend many people. Oh sure, I'll greet those sitting next to me with a smile and a "Hello", but getting to know them takes time. I've got a job and a huge family; a house to renovate and a big yard to tend. I'm busy. Well, I was busy. Before I got sick. I have time now, don't I? So guess what! I stopped by the church on the way home from the doctor and made an appointment to meet with a pastor for prayer. It's time to get some blood circulating through this little toe!

Abundance in Famine

Here's some good news for you and me...

The days of the blameless are known to the Lord, and their inheritance will endure forever. In times of disaster they will not wither, in days of famine they will enjoy plenty. Psalms 37: 19

Believe it.

Leaving Egypt: Step by Step

This week I said to Jesus, "Lord, I just can't seem to get out of this problem. You are going to have to show me what to do. I feel like the Children of Israel when they were in captivity in Egypt." Deep in my heart I heard His answer, " I will lead you out, but you have to follow; step by step."

I love the story of Caleb. In Numbers 13 and 14, Caleb and Joshua were sent out with 10 other spys to survey the promised land of Canaan. When they returned, the spys all reported about how fabulous the land was. They brought back one cluster of grapes so heavy that two men had to carry it between poles. It was a beautiful place...BUT...there were giants. (The proverbial fly in the ointment.) Ten spys advised Moses and the children of Israel to forget it. They're too strong for us...to big. Not Caleb. Caleb stilled the people and said, "Let us go up at once, and possess it; for we are well able to overcome it." (Numbers 13:30) Well, you know the rest of the story. The people whined, Moses got mad, God was angry, and nobody went in for 40 years. Well, almost nobody. Caleb and Joshua outlived their peers and were the only 2 men who lived to go into Canaan. Numbers 14:24 says "But my servant Caleb, because he had another spirit with him, and hath followed me fully, him will I bring into the land whereinto he went; and his seed shall possess it."

"So Debora," you say..."What does this have to do with step by step?" Stay with me.

God told Joshua, "Every place that the sole of your foot shall tread upon, that have I given unto you, as I said unto Moses." (Joshua 1:3)
Would it be fair then, to say that if you don't tread upon a place, it won't be given you? I think so.
Now listen to Caleb at 85 years of age...

"Forty years old was I when Moses the servant of the Lord sent me from Kadesh-barnea to espy out the land; and I brought him word again as it was in mine heart. Nevertheless my brethren that went up with me made the heart of the people melt; but I wholly followed the Lord my God. And Moses sware on that day saying, Surely the land whereon thy feet have trodden shall be thine inheritance, and thy children's forever, because thou hast wholly followed the Lord my God. And now, behold, the Lord hath kept me alive, as he said, these forty and five years, even since the Lord spake this word unto Moses, while the children of Israel wandered in the wilderness; and now, lo I am this day fourscore and five years old. As yet I am as strong this day as I was in the day that Moses sent me; as my strength was then, even so is my strength now, for war, both to go out and to come in. Now therefore give me this mountain, whereof the Lord spake in that day; for thou heardest in that day how the Anakims were there and that the cities were great and fenced; if so be the Lord will be with me, then I shall be able to drive them out, as the Lord said." (Joshua 14: 7-12)

If you keep reading you'll see that Caleb was given that land (Hebron), and it continues to be his inheritance because HE WHOLLY FOLLOWED THE LORD GOD OF ISRAEL.

Here's the point...Jesus has promised me an inheritance. I know it's wonderful. I've seen the fruit of it, like the cluster of grapes from Eschol. But just as the spys discovered; there will be opposition to my obtaining it. Spiritual giants. Paul calls them principalities, powers, rulers of the darkness of this world. (Eph. 6:12) Like Caleb, the soles of my spiritual feet have to walk on the land of my inheritance in order for me to receive it. I will have to face the enemy and drive him out in Jesus name. And like Caleb, I will have to listen to my heart rather than the voices of those who would discourage me.

I don't want to wander in the wilderness for 40 years. I don't want to die in the wilderness. So there really is no choice.

Yes Jesus, I will follow you... step by step.

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THE STEPS OF A GOOD MAN ARE ORDERED BY THE LORD; AND HE DELIGHTETH IN HIS WAY.

The Power of "Be"

Genesis 1: 3, according to some Hebrew scholars, may be more closely translated this way; And God said, "Light be!" And light was.

You see, God doesn't have to say a lot to get a lot done. We see this same trait in Jesus. He spoke a few words to the storm and it subsided. He commanded sickness to leave and it left. He told dead people to arise and they rose. He cursed a tree and it died.

That simple.

With people, it isn't always that simple. People talk and talk; often with little result. Haven't we accused people of being 'all talk and no action?' Not true with God. His talk is always accompanied by action. He states in Isaiah 55:11 So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth; it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.

So this morning, as I prepared for my day, the Holy Spirit spoke to my heart and said, "If God says Light Be, and Light Is; why do you not respond accordingly when He says Debora, Be?"

Immediately, all of the scriptures that commanded me to be sprang to life in my heart...

BE OF GOOD CHEER (Jn. 16:33)

BE STRONG IN THE LORD AND IN THE POWER OF HIS MIGHT (Eph. 6:10)

BE NOT AFRAID (Mark 5:36)

BE STRONG AND COURAGEOUS (Josh. 1:6)

BE HEALED (3 John 1:2)

BE FRUITFUL (Col. 1:10)

BE BLESSED (Deut. 7:14)

BE ONE (Jn. 17:21)

BE KINDLY AFFECTIONED TO ONE ANOTHER (Rom. 12:10)

BE FILLED WITH THE SPIRIT (Eph. 5:18)

BE THANKFUL (Col. 3:15)

BE MY DISCIPLES (Jn. 15:8)

BE NOT FAITHLESS (Jn. 20:27)

Notice that none of these commands tell us to pray to be those things. They don't say to try to do those things. As Nike would say, "Just Do It." And how can we not? Given the fact that the Words of God inherently contains the power for the corresponding action-why not? Why not be courageous rather than fearful? Why not be healed rather than sick? Why not be thankful rather than ungrateful. Why not be blessed rather than cursed? I guess what I am saying in a nutshell is this: If God said it. you can BE it. You ARE it. So DO it.

If you haven't already guessed it, I am a bookworm. Some might say a nerd. It's libraries and bookstores all the way for me! I want to know stuff. All kinds of stuff. Stuff that bores the daylights out of my friends and family. It's what I am. The moment I got into elementary school I knew that I wanted to be a teacher. Correction: I knew I was a teacher. I just didn't have all of the knowledge I needed and the formal accredation to work as a teacher. Well, life happened. I married and started a family. I still wasn't an official teacher. (Mother's please forgive this statement; for every mother is indeed a teacher.) Let's say I wasn't being paid to teach. Years went by. I couldn't afford college, but still had this desire to teach. (Because in God's eyes, I was a teacher. Remember, He calls the things that are not as though they are. Romans 4:17) I took one job after another to supplement the family income. Retail sales, purchasing, materials management, insurance sales... you name it. The closest I got to teaching was training employees. Finally, one day I challenged God and said, "God, I know you are the God of my future. And I know you are the God of my present. Can you also be the God of my past? Can you restore to me what I should have had in my past?" He heard. He answered. A few months later the economy took a downturn and I was laid off from my job. Because my job had been adversely affected by foreign trade, I was able to access federal funds to be retrained. Can you guess the field I chose? At the age of 47 I enrolled in college and at 50 obtained my AA in Paraeducation and another AA in Science. With honors. One paper I wrote in school was entitled "Let me Be what I already Am: Let me Teach." For the past 3 years I have worked as a para-educator in the special education department at a local elementary school. My job allows me to work with low income minority children: a group very close to my heart (and to God's heart). After all these years I am finally being paid to do what I have always been...a teacher.

When God placed the stars in the heavens and called them by name; they didn't argue. They didn't say, "I'm afraid of heights, I can't do this." No, they just settled into their spot in the universe and did what they do best: Shine.

What ARE you? I mean, really, what ARE you in your heart of hearts? What does the Word say you are?

I am still learning about what I am. I am a child of a King. A Princess. A member of a holy Priesthood. Blessed. Delivered. Cheerful. Unafraid. Courageous. Fruitful. Healed. Filled with the Spirit. Full of Faith.

Thankful, very Thankful.

He says so. So I can be. So can you.

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The Cure for Spiritual Schizophrenia

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If the definition of insanity is continually doing the same things and expecting different results; for the Christian; the definition of spiritual insanity might be continually doing things in the flesh; and expecting spiritual results.

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Have you ever wondered why things aren't working for you spiritually? I have. But finally, after decades of failure I am starting to get it. It's all about flesh and spirit.

Here's what I've learned:

IF YOU WANT SPIRITUAL RESULTS; YOU HAVE TO WALK IN THE SPIRIT!

"But how?" you ask.

The answer is elegantly simple and lethal. You have to kill the flesh. Crucify it. Nail it to the cross.

"Well, I go to church every Sunday. I give offerings. I support missions. I take my elderly mom to the doctor once a week. I speak in tongues. I listen to Christian music. I write a Christian blog..."

Nonetheless, Your flesh has to die.

"How?"

Submit everything to Christ. EVERYTHING. Not just Sundays. Your desires. Your plans. Your pride. Your time. Your money. Your career. Your hobbies. Your relationships. In short, your life. When everything is on the altar and your flesh is dead; the Spirit that raised Christ from the dead will resurrect you. When the Spirit takes control of your life, spiritual things will begin to emerge. It's really quite simple.

"Well, that's really hard. What if God tells me to go to Africa."

You'll go.

"What if He tells me to give away my money?"

You'll give it away.

"What if, what if, what if?"

Psychologists say that we will often stay in the same dysfunctional relationships until the pain of the relationship exceeds our comfort level. The question then becomes,

"Is the pain of your unsuccessful Christian walk exceeding your comfort level?"

For me, the answer was a resounding Yes. My ineffective Christian walk finally drove me to the cross. There were things in my life I had been unwilling to surrender. I was afraid. But I finally was able to give it all to Christ. I've now learned what Paul meant when he said "I die daily". (I Cor 15:31) I have always been a very willful person, so for me this means not having the final say. Letting someone else get the credit for something I have done. Refraining from saying that bit of gossip. Spending my day off helping someone else. Spending time in the Word instead of watching so much television.

Read Romans 8 again:

1There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.
2For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.
3For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh:
4That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.
5For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit.
6For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.
7Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.
8So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.
9But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.
10And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness.
11But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you.
12Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh.
13For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live.
14For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.
15For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.
16The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:
17And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.
18For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.

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Abundant Life is Not Religion

"The thief cometh not but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly."


Jesus Christ

Instead of citing the chapter and verse of this statement, I put the name of the person who said it. So often we get so caught up in where a verse is located, we forget who said it. A few weeks ago this verse came to mind; followed by this thought: Jesus did not come so that we might have religion; and that more abundantly. Yet this is what so many Christians have. He didn't come so that we could spend hours reading our Bibles, quoting scriptures, praying for the lost, though there is merit to those things. But friends, it will all be useless if we don't actually live the abundant life that Jesus came to give us. Think about Eden. God created the beautiful garden and put man in it. He didn't say to Adam "Well now Adam, you'll need to pray 3 times a day. Now cut down some trees and build a big church. Get everybody to come there once a week and talk about me." No!! God came down in the cool of the day to talk with Adam and Eve every day. It was a relationship...fellowship...friendship between man and his Maker. Oh how lovely would it be to let our friendship with Jesus dictate our days. Religion will never satisfy either God or man. We were made to be his friends; his children.

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Making a Decision while Standing in the Ashes

This morning I watched a couple on a popular Christian broadcast telling about how God provided for them after a devastating house fire. This couple's home was completely destroyed by a fire; there was nothing left standing. I was so taken by what the wife said about it. She said that as she stood there looking at the rubble and the ashes of her home, it took all of the faith within her to decide not to question why it happened and to continue to confess that God was her supplier. Instead of complaining she chose to continue to believe and to say that she was blessed by God.
Isn't this the simple essence of faith? Standing in the ashes and deciding to proclaim that God will provide? Isn't this what Abraham did when he 'considered not his own body', but believed that God would give him a son, though he and Sarah were past child bearing years.
So often we want to have a special feeling or sign before we speak by faith. And sometimes we think that because we doubt in our mind, that we cannot have faith. BUT FAITH IS IN SPITE OF!! It's a decision to believe in what we cannot see. In spite of the ashes, the fire, the doubts, the naysayers, the doctor's report, and every other evidence to the contrary, I must say "I believe God's word is true and will prevail, even in my situation." Oh, it's so easy to believe that God will prevail in someone elses situation. But we must learn to do what Jesus told us to do when faced with our own mountain...SPEAK TO IT.
This is faith. Speaking the impossible as we stand in the ashes.
By the way...the couple I mentioned now have a lovely home with twice the acreage as before...more room, a tennis court and huge pool. I don't think she saw these things when she was standing in the ashes proclaiming God's goodness- but HE did.
PRAISE GOD! PRAISE GOD! PRAISE GOD!