Evil works where discouragement lodges

This past Sunday, I was just not up to braving the icy conditions and cold weather, so I watched the Grove Avenue Baptist Church broadcast. I have come to really like Mark Becton, the pastor. I was struck by one comment he made and it has stayed with me. He said, "Evil works where discouragement lodges."

I know this statement impacted me so much because it applies to me and my life! How about you? Are you discouraged?

I am prone to Seasonal Affective Disorder and it has been a long and cold winter here in Virginia. The snow is beautiful and I have savored the sunrises particularly in the past two weeks. I assume there is some meteorological reason for the especially stunning dawn sky recently. I love sitting in my living room watching the morning sky change and brighten through the glass doors to the deck.

In my writing nook hangs the calendar my son gave me for Christmas. Each month displays an absolutely gorgeous nature scene and offers a verse of scripture. The photo for February is a close up of a cherry blossom branch with a white dove, either landing or preparing to take off. The background is nothing but the blue sky.

We have been to Washington DC for many a Cherry Blossom festival and it's difficult to imagine balmy breezes and the almost overpowering scent of cherry blossom trees blooming when the thermometer reads 12 degrees and the landscape resembles a frozen tundra!

My discouragement whispers to me that winter will never end and I will experience this near claustrophobia until I die! Discouragement revisits the nibbling thought that the cherry blossoms will never bloom when I'm tired. I can deal with the 'regular' discouragements of life on a "good day." In the depths of winter, smothered by cold and draped in snow, I can all too readily invite discouragement in to where I lodge.

I rejoice that I know Jesus, the defeater of discouragement! With Him I have the energy and the strength to kick discouragement out, clean out the guest room where he comes to visit and send him packing on a one-way trip back to where he came from!

Spring is just around the corner!


"I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world" (John 16:33 NIV).

Blessings on your journey,
Mary

Co-Heirs With Christ

There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set me free from the law of sin and death. For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do: sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, . . .in order that the just requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.

For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the spirit of sonship. When we cry, "Abba! Father!" it is the Spirit himself bearing witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him. (Romans 8:1-4, 14-17 RSV)

“The law” becomes our salvation, our source of strength, our life-sustaining guide when it is intertwined with the fact of Jesus Christ. We obey the law because of our love for Christ. We have the desire to obey, now, not out of fear of retribution alone, but out of gratitude for the gift of Jesus.

He was just like us—tempted in every way—yet he did not succumb to his human instincts. I can’t help but think that he was able to resist sin not because of his divinity—but rather that he was able to avoid it because, in his humanity, he knew he had to rely upon the Father.

He suffered as a man. He was beaten and tortured in his human form. He was able to take it—the punishment for all our sins, because of his divinity. God gave him super-human strength to endure what he took upon himself. So how do we become like Christ? By calling upon the same God upon whom Jesus called.

We are heirs—fellow heirs with Christ. Wow! That means we’re “like Christ.” That we are afforded the same privileges and can expect the same reward: eternal life in heaven. To be like Christ is not easy! Remember, he called upon his father (Our Father) every time he needed to resist his human inclination to sin. Every time. Before he acted, he prayed. Before he chose a path, he turned the decision over to God. He called out to his “Abba,” his “daddy.” And the Abba God answered.

That’s our promise, too. That if we call out to him, he will answer. Thankfully, we also possess the spirit living within us. That spirit, sent by Abba God and our co-heir, his son, our brother, causes us to desire the path of righteousness. That spirit, and our gratitude to Abba God for sending his son, is why we keep at it, day after day, year after year. Our co-heir, our brother Jesus, is why we never give up. He gave us every part of his human self—and then reached deep down inside to reveal his divinity.

It's breathtaking to think about how passionately, deeply, completely God loves me; to be my daddy-God, to adopt me into a family where Jesus is my brother; to remember me in his will—as if I were his own from the beginning of time—Oh, yeah! I was! And so were you. We suffer the limitations of our human form, so that we may rejoice one day in our spiritual beings with Christ. He waits—the perfectly perfect big brother—to reach out a hand and hike us up that last little way to the top of the mountain. He waits—with our Abba, our Daddy-God.

I hope today you rejoice at being adopted into God’s family. And that you rely upon your brother Jesus to direct your speech and guide your actions as you look to the future inheritance you share with him.

Blessings on your journey,
Mary

Lord Teach Me To Pray

A.C.T.S. is an acronym for a model of prayer that offers to God our adoration, confession, thanksgiving and supplication. It is often difficult to pray. Perhaps we don't really know how to pray. Sometimes we may not feel we're "qualified" to pray, or we feel we don't have the right to pray for some reason.

Using the ACTS model for prayer, it will be very easy to pray, even if you've never really prayed in the past. ACTS praying doesn't require any great knowledge of or study about prayer, but praying in this way is personal, effective, and powerful.

This method of prayer is ideal even for young children with a limited vocabulary or for those inexperienced at prayer. Seasoned prayers can use it too. There are many references to the various elements of ACTS prayer in the Bible, so we can be assured it is proper and appropriate to follow this model.

In Philippians chapter 4, verse 6, the apostle Paul writes, "Have no anxiety about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God." Paul's letter to his student and friend, Timothy, states, "I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, [1 Timothy 2:1]. Learn this method by reading the rest of my article at Associated Content, A.C.T.S. - A Model for Prayer.


Blessings on your journey,
Mary

Beautiful God

The other day I received a lovely surprise in an e-mail! Last February one of my writings, Beautiful God, was published in an on-line Christian ezine published by Journezine.org.

As a thank you, the publishers sent a button/badge to display at my blog. I had really almost forgotten about the article, so it was fun to be reminded of my contribution.

I've posted this badge on my sidebar, not to brag about myself, but as a reminder (to me and others) of our Beautiful God and how to honor Him in and through our daily lives.

If you're interested in contributing to future issues of Journezine.org, the website is under construction, but here's a list of upcoming topics:

March 2010
Messianic Passover/Unleavened Bread
Storms
Stones
Faith

April 2010
Messianic First Fruits
Fruits
Birth
Forgiveness

May 2010
Feast of Weeks (Pentecost)
"God is ..."
Nurturing
Motivation
Discipline

June 2010
Non-Traditional Worship
Ministry
Multicultural
Finding Your Call
Evangelism

I hope you'll take a moment to read my post. Then look around! You will be blessed by the writings of the many Christian contributors.


Blessings on your journey,
Mary

Overcome fear and discouragement with the "three J's"

In the midst of all the snow and due to church services being canceled today, we did some "channel surfing" to find some spiritual programming that might take the place of our attending our own church.

I was not disappointed! Pastor Zachery Tims of New Destiny Christian Center talked today about how we can overcome fear and disappointment with the "Three J's."

The first "J" was Joseph. Pastor Tims reassured listeners not to be afraid of their current circumstance--no matter how hard it is. "But Joseph said to them, "Don't be afraid. Am I in the place of God? You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives. So then, don't be afraid. I will provide for you and your children." And he reassured them and spoke kindly to them." (Genesis 50:19-21 NIV).

The second "J" to which Dr. Tims referred was Job. "At this, Job got up and tore his robe and shaved his head. Then he fell to the ground in worship and said: "Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked I will depart. The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away; may the name of the LORD be praised." In all this, Job did not sin by charging God with wrongdoing" (Job1:20-22 NIV).

The third "J" was Jesus. "But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ 9and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith( Philippians 3:7-9 NIV).



Blessings on your journey,
Mary