FORGIVEN: Now Is The Time

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Listen to FORGIVEN by Crowder:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uUiwA1JNDig

As I drove to my Bible Study Fellowship this morning, this song slammed into my heart. My responses to the John 19 lesson fresh in my mind, I listened to these lyrics, picturing Jesus's Crucifixion with a fresh perspective.

SLAM! Right between the eyes. Crowder's lyrics hit me with the facts:

I held the nails.
I pounded MY SIN upon His flesh hanging from the Cross.
I fell to the ground with a hammer in my hands.
My lips once denied God, even in their silence.

My mind returned to that time, to that season of life, when God came down to me in the middle of a massive mess created by disobedience and unbelief. He lifted up my chin to gaze upon HIM on that very Cross where He hung, bearing every one of my horrible sins. Bearing the sins of others who hurt and shamed me. Bearing the sins of the broken world that could care less about Him hanging there, beaten and bloodied for their cause. Jesus looked down upon me from that cross, arms open wide, and cried: FORGIVEN! IT IS FINISHED!

I felt His Spirit take up residence inside me, and my life has not been the same since--no turning back! A fire burns inside of me to know and love God more and more every single day. The fire heats up my testimony and sparks me to share God's love everywhere I go. I know how much I have been forgiven, and the weight of it overshadows any intellectual doubts that arise. Even when I wrestle with my finite ability to grasp the infinite grace, goodness, and mercy of God, the reality of the knowledge I cannot escape pins me to the solid ground of faith in Jesus Christ.

Girlfriends, if you have not nailed your sin to the Cross, not crucified your fleshly and worldly desires, not asked God for freedom by His gift of forgiveness, THIS IS THE WEEK! Wait no longer!

Give it all up, Girlfriends; all the striving, all the searching, all the seeking. Give up the appearances, the appeals, the aspirations to conquer the world. Jesus already did the work. He conquered and brought His Kingdom down so He can give it you without worry and with peace. He suffered and died so YOU DON'T HAVE TO! He wants to give you freedom and new life, one without fear, guilt, shame, or lies. Yes, you will have to give up your sin, but what you gain is eternal glory and the unconditional love of the Father. You join forever the family of God, the Creator of the Universe and Sustainer of all life.

Do not be fooled into believing you are without sin. Do not think you have it all together and don't need God. Nor should you believe you need to have it all together before you can go to God. We all have fallen short of the holiness and glory of God--successful or struggling, solid or shaky, shining brightly or silently suffering--it does not matter. The only place your life matters is in God's economy, in His Kingdom. This world and all you have or have done will fade away. You will die. But will you LIVE? Girlfriends, CHOOSE LIFE NOW! Jesus conquered death on the Cross and rose from the tomb so that we can start eternal life now. Right now. Today.

I pray you will listen to this song and feel the conviction I felt this morning. Yes, I want you to feel guilty so that you can be set free! I want you to pick up that hammer and nail your sin to the cross. I want you to fall down in submission at the foot of the Cross, then look up and see His arms open wide for you. I want you to die with Him and come back to life with His Spirit living inside you, so that all of us Girlfriends can enjoy eternal life together, now and forever.

Girlfriends, what are you waiting for?

He is Risen. He is Risen Indeed!

Lyrics to Crowder's Forgiven:

I am the one who held the nail
It was cold between my fingertips
I have hidden in the garden
I have denied you with my very lips

God I fall down to my knees
with a hammer in my hands
You look at me
Arms Open

FORGIVEN. FORGIVEN. Child there is freedom from all of it.
SAY GOODBYE.
TO EVERY SIN.
YOU ARE FORGIVEN!

I have done things I wish I hadn't done
I have seen things I wish I hadn't seen
Just the thought of your AMAZING GRACE
I cry JESUS, FORGIVE ME.

God I fall down to my knees
with a hammer in my hands
You look at me
ARMS OPEN

FORGIVEN. FORGIVEN. Child there is freedom from all of it.
SAY GOODBYE.
TO EVERY SIN.
YOU ARE FORGIVEN!

I could've been six feet under
I could've been lost forever
Yeah I should be in that fire
But now there's fire inside of me

Here I am a dead man walking
No grave gonna hold God's people
All the weight of all our evil
Lifted away, Forever Free.

Who could believe? Who could believe?
FORGIVEN. FORGIVEN.
You love me even when I don't deserve it.
FORGIVEN. I'M FORGIVEN.

JESUS, YOUR BLOOD makes me INNOCENT
So I will say goodbye
to every sin
I AM FORGIVEN.
I AM FORGIVEN.

I Do Not Know

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
   neither are your ways my ways,” declares the LORD.

 “As the heavens are higher than the earth,
   so are my ways higher than your ways
   and my thoughts than your thoughts. 

Isaiah 55:8-9

Someone At The Door

Aloha, Girlfriends! No, I am not in Hawaii, just dreaming! 

Earlier this week, I did take a short trip and spent the night at my mom's house. As I was sitting in her office typing my blog to you, the doorbell rang. Mom was in the shower, so I answered the door. Two women carrying Bible bags stood smiling at me and began praising Mom's landscaping. From that praise, they prompted me with a question about the anger hanging in the air lately around our cities and whether I knew the cause. I answered them with God's word, stating that He does tell us that our battle is not against flesh and blood, but against the spiritual forces of evil (Ephesians 6:12). After a slight pause, one lady asked if she could share with me an article addressing this issue, and she handed me the Watchtower magazine. 

Now, I had no interest in the Watchtower or the message of the Jehovah's Witnesses. I warmly accepted her hand-out but informed her that I am a Christian. They nodded, asked about my church, and then the other woman said something that later came back to play over and over in my mind. 

"What I love about the Jehovah's Witnesses is that my mother grew up under Hitler in Nazi Germany. When she came to the US with so many questions, their Bible answered every single question for her. Then she passed it on to me." 

Hmmmm, really? EVERYTHING? She read the Jehovah's Witnesses bible and suddenly knew everything and had no more questions? (By the way, their bible is called the New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures. The men who "translated" it had little or no knowledge of either Greek or Hebrew.) Sorry, not buying that line. But we will come back to that in a minute.

To make the story short, I seized the opportunity of having two women at my mom's door to witness to them. I asked the first woman if she had a pen, which she did, and a piece of paper, which she opened up in a notebook. I took the pen and notebook from her and wrote "www.girlfriendmoments.blogspot.com" and told her that, since she shared with me, I would like to also share with her. I let her know that I write a Christian blog for women. I also mentioned that I agreed with her that God should be the source of our knowledge, not Google, not your neighbor, not necessarily even your pastor. 

For we are told in Jeremiah 29:12-14, "Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you,” declares the Lord, “and will bring you back from captivity." 

I highly doubt they will ever read my blog, but I am grateful God gave me the opportunity to cross paths with them that day. For one, perhaps God planted a seed of change that will bring them to the Truth. But more importantly, because the second woman's comments spoke to my heart about an issue that was already dwelling there. 

Seek and Find Me

The blog I was writing that day the doorbell rang was called The Story. (You can read it in the archives on the leftside of my page if you missed it.) The Story is God's Story, the Bible (correctly translated Hebrew/Greek to English), rearranged in chronological order. If you remember, I told you that Emily, Jordan, and I are reading this Bible out loud together. What I did not tell you is how arduously slow this reading is going! I am sure this is no surprise for those of you who know my son very well. "Deep thinker" does not even begin to describe Jordan! 

Remember that three year old phase when you were convinced that the only word your child knew was "Why"? Yeah, well, I don't think my son ever outgrew that stage. Therein lies the blessing and the curse! Inquisitive, reflective, and analytical, Jordan rarely accepts anything for its surface value. (Wonder where he got that gene?) Hence, reading aloud to him has always been a long process requiring a enormous block of time. Now, we all know that I am a mom with nothing else to do all day, so naturally I am delighted by my little investigator. (Yes, that is sarcasm.)

Seriously, though, reading the Bible challenges me to introspection. Reading the Bible with Jordan stretches me further, traversing topics that demand observation, reflection, explanation, and interpretation. When I presume to know the answer to his question, I explain to him, only to find myself on a walk later wondering if I actually gave the correct information. I find myself returning to the Bible, seeking and pursuing the truth in a way I can share with my children. Funny thing about seeking, I always find something. Many times, one question leads me to another and the pursuit of answer reveals an entirely new yet related certainty; hence, as God tells us you will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.(Jer 29 above)

I Do Not Know 

But what about the times when I seek and I cannot find the answer? When I knock and the door is not opened? Is it acceptable for me to tell my children, "I do not know?" Does not having every answer crumble my faith and demote God to a lesser being, or negate His existence at all? Is that not the argument atheists and other non-believers, by the power of Satan, want to use against us? And what about supposed believers, like the Jehovah's Witnesses who visited me? She told me that her religion and her Bible have all the answers. I have a problem with both kinds of thinking.

As stated in today's key verse, God tells us (His) thoughts are not (our) thoughts, neither are (our) ways (His) ways. Actually, His ways higher than (our) ways and (His) thoughts than (our) thoughts. Seeking and finding Him does not mean we become like God, that we know all His answers. Instead, we find our way into His abiding love that reveals knowledge and wisdom according to His measure.

I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. Ephesians 1:17

I am quite frankly comfortable with that thought. After all, was that not Eve and Adam's problem in the Garden, wanting to be like God, to have all that knowledge from the tree? Look what a disaster that turned out to be for all of humanity! I want God to be God, and humans to be humans. I do not desire to know all that He knows for many reasons, but really for one major point. 

I have found that when I think I know everything there is to know about a subject, or even a major portion of it, I stop pursuing. I am no longer consumed with the desire to learn more or to spend time on the topic. I move on to something else interesting. Let me ask, have you ever had that experience? Perhaps the subject was academic in nature, but what about people? Yes, people, created in God's image. How many spouses stop pursuing one another once they have been together a long time, once they have achieved great familiarity, once they "know everything" about each other? Can you imagine if that were the case with our Lord and Savior?

I do not know everything about God, and I cannot completely answer many of my own or my son's questions about His revealed Word. Yet, these deficiencies do not impede my faith, instead they embolden it. I love the Lord. I believe in Him and who He says He is. I am encouraged by the fruit generated by His Presence in my family. I have witnessed His faithfulness and constantly observe the results of His promises. Consequently, I hunger and thirst for Him like a craving that is never satisfied. I want to know Him more and more. I yearn to spend time with God, in conversation and relationship, listening as He reveals to me little by little the Truth that increases my freedom and my faith incrementally. The more He unveils, the greater my desire to turn to His Word daily, for courage, insight, and direction. 

So, I continue to read aloud with my kids from the Bible. They continue to ask questions. I pray and then I answer. Often we stand in the kitchen until midnight, going back and forth in deliberation. Sometimes my answer is a plain, "I do not know," but you can bet my faith says, "But God knows, and I trust Him." I hope my kids do too! 

To have faith is to be sure of the things we hope for, to be certain of the things we cannot see. Hebrews 11:1

Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to Him, and he will make your paths straight. Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the LORD and shun evil. Proverbs 3:5-7

My son, do not forget my teaching, but keep my commands in your heart, for they will prolong your life many years and bring you peace and prosperity. Proverbs 3:1-2

Leap Day!

Looking at his disciples, he said:

“Blessed are you who are poor,

for yours is the kingdom of God.

Blessed are you who hunger now,

for you will be satisfied.

Blessed are you who weep now,

for you will laugh.

Blessed are you when men hate you,

when they exclude you and insult you

and reject your name as evil,

because of the Son of Man.

“Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, because great is your reward in heaven. For that is how their fathers treated the prophets. 

Luke 6:20-23

Leap for joy

Happy Leap Day, Girlfriends!

Praise to God for the warm weather here in Chicagoland--He gave us an extra day in February AND cranked up the temperature to boot!

I am going to step outside for a long walk today, reading a book and enjoying the breeze. How will you spend your extra day? Whatever you choose, I pray God's presence will be felt. 

Whether you are soaking in the sunshine or battling a personal time of darkness, my desire is that you LEAP for joy today. God is good, and His promises for a great reward in heaven stand. As Jesus states in the passage above from Luke, Blessed are you! How can our hearts not leap with joy when we consider His promises are for eternity, where days in a year do not matter?

Leap of faith

“Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen” (Hebrews 11:1) 

The book I am reading while walking today is I Still Believe, the autobiography of Christian singer/songwriter Jeremy Camp. Jeremy wrote the song "Walk By Faith" after losing his young bride to cancer after only a year of marriage. The raw and revealing lyrics to his songs show the leaps of faith he has taken in his life. His book also details God's faithfulness through Jeremy's journey.

I Still Believe stirs my heart. Now girlfriends, we are women who cry over great love stories, but what leaps off the pages and into my soul is more than a tale of love, loss, and longing. The members of Jeremy's family traveled rocky roads, eventually reaching out for God's grace. Once under His wings, their concentration and commitment to Him during even more challenging circumstances amazes me. Suffering did not cease once they were saved, but hopelessness did. Because they walk by faith and because they still believe, Jeremy and his family know "There will be a day with no more tears, No more pain, and no more fears. There will be a day when the burdens of this place will be no more, we'll see Jesus face to face." (There Will Be A Day, Camp)

Girlfriends, that is more than enough reason for me to leap with joy--won't you jump with me? Whether your vertical is zero or thirty inches, it matters not: Truly, God sees your bounce. Let's make this a record-breaking Leap Day.

Love you all!

Faith and Mountains

He replied, “Because you have so little faith. Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.”

Matthew 17:20

Mountains

When my husband and I were young and newly married, the Army moved us to Hawaii. For three and half years on Oahu, I lived with a mountain right outside my door. Recently, my husband took the kids and me back to visit. Although the actual housing in which we had lived no longer stands, that gorgeous mountain does. I loved watching the mountain at sunset, the glow from the sky reflecting off the green ridges, emitting warmth and tranquility. I never climbed on its side, nor learned how it formed or when. Some days, I took the mountain for granted, not even noticing it as I pushed the girls on the swing and casually conversed with my neighbors. Yet still to this day, that mountain rises majestically to the sky just outside what once was my lanai door. 

Faith

In those early years of adulthood and marriage, my faith was growing slowly. God was pursuing me, placing wonderful women in my path who would lead me closer to Him, particularly by their dedication to my children. Beth, a Christian woman and nurse who was present for the birth of two girls, is the godmother of Alexis. Donna, a neighbor devoted to her Catholic faith, encouraged me to attend church routinely and is also the godmother of Joslyn. (And the reason I bled green as a girl scout leader for 12 years, but that is a story by itself!) Both of these ladies had a major impact upon my blossoming relationship with the Lord and the faith future of our family.  Time has only magnified their role.

Mountains and Faith

Funny thing about mountains, as beautiful as they are to gaze upon, their height blocks your view of the horizon. That mountain in the backyard was not the only mountain in my young life. I had some major peaks to conquer as an Army wife, college graduate seeking a career and identity, a counselor in a domestic violence shelter, and a mother of three who struggled with detachment issues. Because my faith was nowhere near the size of a mustard seed, barking orders for them to 'move from here to there' did not work, and actually only frustrated me and wore down my husband. 

I had no clue that what I needed was to increase my faith through a solid relationship with Jesus Christ. Seeking Him was not my top priority: I was my top priority...how hard it was on me married to a soldier and trying to raise three small children; how difficult I found it to work a job and miss my baby take her first steps or put my kindergartener in after-school care; how internally I battled with the desire for a career and identity outside the home all the while wanting nothing more than to hold and play with my kids all day. Me, me, me. Instead of turning to the Father in prayer, I relied upon my own reason and strength to move these mountains. Guess what? They did not budge, and I wore out both myself and my family in the effort.   

Faith and Mountains 

Just as that Hawaiian mountain still towers today, the mountains in my life also stand. Yes, the children are older, but I am still a mother supporting and pouring into them. I rarely work for pay outside the home, but I volunteer countless hours in a week. The battle still rages within when I reflect upon former desires for a recognizable career. Furthermore, new mountains have formed over the years: my husband changed careers but we still endured years of physical separation, including two deployments into war zones. Medical emergencies and tragedies have threatened my children and family members. We have moved homes fourteen times. 

That tiny speck of faith that God planted early in my life and that Beth and Donna nurtured in Hawaii has  grown immensely by His grace and by the loving hearts of innumerable women I have been blessed to call girlfriends. Today, I can confidently speak to the power and wisdom Jesus imparts in Matthew 17:20: Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.” 

I have moved mountains. I have learned to find beauty in each rising challenge, yet I know that I need to see the horizon that the mountain obscures. With faith probably not much larger than a mustard seed at times, I consult my Father in Heaven when immovable obstacles arise. Through His strength, not mine, I tackle problems and through His wisdom, I arrive at solutions. The process is often slow, as God's timing doesn't run by my watch. Sometimes patience is my dolly; I strap on grace, mercy, joy, and forgiveness. Other times humbleness is my handcart, rolling on wheels of love and self-control. But I never call in the moving truck without first consulting the Holy Spirit in prayer, for by Him all these fruits are given. I am never disappointed or discouraged when I believe that just as God created that mountain in Hawaii and placed it there for me to enjoy, He is also the artistic Creator of my life. I face the mountains, but I also believe in my faith through Christ to move them. 

How about you, Girlfriends? What mountains stand in your backyard today? Are you battered and worn down from trying to move them  by yourself? Has your family suffered because you cannot take your eyes off the mountains?  Or have you been gazing upon them for years, enjoying the view but oblivious of what lies beyond? And what about your faith? Do you believe that you can conquer all things through Christ, who suffered, died, and rose to new life to forgive your sins? Are you seeking a relationship with Him, the greatest Mover of all times? I pray today that you will take time to gaze upon His glory, seek His love, and ask His forgiveness. Together, you can move mountains!

Love you Girlfriends!

Addressing Anger

"In your anger do not sin: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold."

Ephesians 4:26

 
Girlfriends, yesterday I told you how much I love you.
Today, I want to declare my respect for each one of you!

Your feedback to my blog both inspires and encourages me. Honest evaluations assist me with my format and content; however, your expressions of raw emotion, self-evaluation, and deep desire to draw nearer to the Lord are truly my motivation to continue writing! I respect the transparency with which you share your heartfelt responses to what God speaks through me when I sit down at the computer. I honor you for facing your fears, shortcomings, questions, and insecurities as you seek growth, depth, and intimacy in your relationships, both with God and with others. I am amazed at your strength and stamina as you seek to employ the spiritual gifts with which you have been blessed. I adore the fact that God allows me to walk with astounding female role models from all seasons of life. In short, I respect you!

Respect.


This snowy morning, I lit a candle and sat down to read my emails. (Don't worry, I am not reading by candlelight; we have electricity. I simply enjoy the ambiance created as well as the scent of Yankee candles!) My joy soon grew as I received a note from a special woman, someone to whom I am deeply attached as a result of a calamitous event. She wrote a loving response to my devotionals but what touched me was her open admission of anger over the aforementioned event. My friend is wrestling with God over the unbearable pain and anguish my daughter, whom my friend loves, is suffering. I respect both this friend's honesty and her willingness to go on the offensive for someone who is not even a blood relative. This woman chooses to love and chooses to risk confronting God over that love. How can I not respect her? Yet, at the same time, out of my love for this woman, I was concerned about the chasm created in her relationship with God. I want to share what I've learned about anger through these disastrous months.

Anger.

I believe anger is an emotion God allows us to experience as much as happiness, sadness, surprise, or fear. In Ephesians 4:26-27, He tells us, "In your anger do not sin: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold." As I interpret that passage, we will experience anger but we are to both remain self-controlled and to deal with our anger in a timely manner. We are not to sin in our anger nor hold on to it for great length because Satan then gains a stronghold in our minds.

Anger is often justified, a righteous anger. Jesus himself was angry when the moneychangers defiled the temple; their actions were an insult to someone He loved, His Father. Matthew 21: 12-13 states, "Jesus entered the temple area and drove out all who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves.“It is written,” he said to them, “‘My house will be called a house of prayer, but you are making it a ‘den of robbers.' "



These passages help me with the anger I feel when I know my daughter is suffering excruciating pain and my only thought in that moment is "Stop. Please, please, please, can't the pain stop?" Of course, my thoughts and questions are directed to God because I trust that He could stop the agony in a millisecond if He so willed. How then do I not become what I feel is righteously angry with Him when she continues to agonize? I have learned two things: One, to direct my anger where it belongs: at Satan; and Two, that while I completely trust in God's sovereign power to release Joslyn from Satan's attack and to heal her body instantly, I also trust in His sovereign power to choose when, how, and why He will act, for His glory and for His eternal plan for Joslyn. 

Anger.


My anger is directed at Satan, a murderer and the father of all lies. (John 8:44) God labels him as our enemy, the devil prowling around like a roaring lion seeking someone to devour. (1 Peter 5:8) He is the one who instigated the fall of humans (Genesis 3) and thereby planted seeds of all sickness and disorder that grow in our world. He makes me hopping mad! I actually surprised myself on a walk last weekend in St Louis. I was praying for Joslyn and felt that anger surge up inside of me.  I found myself speaking, out loud and very adamantly, to Satan. I did not realize for many minutes that I was fervently rebuking him for all to hear. Thankfully I was by myself on a fairly deserted street, or someone may have called the police to come arrest me for disturbing the peace!

As crazy as I may sound, I have to tell you, Girlfriends, I felt so good when I was done ranting. I did not give him the satisfaction of cursing or losing control, but I openly admonished Satan and used Jesus's example from Luke 4: I told him what God says about the issue. "It is written...."  I knew I had finally talked to the "right person"--gave the message to the one responsible for this mess, told him what I thought about it, and made absolutely clear that he was not welcome, not winning, and not allowed to be near my family! I realized Satan is the source of my anger and therefore the one to whom I will direct it. 

Truth and Trust

More importantly, I reaffirmed that God is Truth. He is the source of my joy and therefore the one to whom I will grant my love, honor, and praise. He did not cause this accident. As I said before, I trust that the Lord could heal Joslyn just as much as I believe Jesus knew His Father could take the cup of suffering and dying upon the cross from Him. The key is in Jesus's prayer: yet not my will, but yours be done. Luke 22:42  If Jesus could pray this way, certainly I can trust in what He knew...God has a plan and purpose that is far greater than the pain, greater than my desires for my daughter. Do I direct her paths, or does He? (Proverbs 16:9)

Knowledge and belief in the Truth give me peace, but I will admit that they do not restrain me from sobbing into my pillow in the early morning hours after praying Joslyn through horrible pain. My heart still aches and breaks as she is mentally, emotionally, or physically attacked time and time again. That anger and frustration well up, but when I release it in the correct place I find I can once again focus on hope and trust. As loudly as I admonished Satan, I praise my Lord. I repeat "I trust you, Jesus. I trust you." I even sing Third Day's song, I Trust In Jesus, to embolden my spirit and resolve to see her and her husband through this trial. Last week, I laid in bed at 3 am whispering, until I fell asleep in my Savior's arms, Philippians 4:6-7-- Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. 

So, my dear Girlfriends, that is what I have learned about anger, and trust, and truth, and more. Will you please join me in prayer for not only my faithful friend who wrote to me this morning, but also for every person struggling with circumstances that arouse anger? Will you also examine your own life and ask God to reveal His truth to you about anger?

Ladies, while you allow me to share my journey with you, I am grateful for every thought, note, or story that you release to me. God created you for a wonderful purpose, and I respect how you are pursuing that purpose passionately. Enjoy this wonderful weekend!