Connected

On April 13, 2020   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Psalm 96: 1 – 2

Sing to the Lord a new song; sing to the Lord, all the earth. Sing to the Lord, bless His name; Proclaim good tidings of His salvation from day to day.

I wrote to you last week about praise. This song is titled “A call to Worship.” I think this is worth some thought. As you read further in this psalm the author also says to take an offering to the Lord. This made me think of how we can partner with the Lord in devotional unity against the viral situation we are facing but also unified towards and in one another.

We are living in a historical moment, no doubt. I have asked myself this question, “When I look back at this time, what will my own legacy be? What will be said of me?” I have answered that I want to grow, spiritually especially, and have looked after myself physically with a good diet and exercise. When hardship strikes, one of the ways we can fight back is to become better versions of ourselves. Make a silver lining. Romans 8: 28 promises that God will help us do just that. If we will give Him our lemons, He will make lemonade.

So, what are we going to do during this time of challenge? Hopefully we will never have to experience a time like this again but there will be other challenges in our lives. How do we respond to them? Do we grow or crumble? Can I come out stronger on the other side?
Here is the other question this psalm brings to my mind? Does praying, praising, worshipping or giving offerings to the Lord stimulate Him to action? That is what this psalm seems to suggest. I do not believe that our Father is sitting on His hands. Further, I do not believe there is anything I can do, or need do, to cause our Father to feel compassion. He is the embodiment of compassion. So, why this psalm?

There is something which happens when we praise, worship and make an offering? We are not moving God to action; we are activating our hearts. That is what is so important, in fact, it is vitally important. God’s heart is crying out for people who will connect with Him. We are His hands in the earth. We are His feet. If we fully understood this “partnership” we would be amazed at the power Yahweh has put in our hands. With a prayer you can “put ten thousand to flight,” (Leviticus 26: 8 KJV). Jehovah God has put weapons, or tools, if you prefer, in our hands. I wrote last week (Monday, April 6, 2020) that praise is one of the biggest guns we have (please forgive my weapon analogy but it works in my heart. Translate it to tools for yourself if you prefer). I wanted to disclose in that Word of the Day the strongest of all weapons but didn’t because I did not want to veer from the point of that message. However, I find my greatest tool in the time of great stress is an offering. I pull out my checkbook and give to a ministry. This is not a time I give to the Red Cross or any other worthy charity. I give into the hands of God. For some of you prayer is your biggest hammer. Others are able to release themselves into this partnering with God through praise. My worship and weapon is a check to an anointed ministry which feeds me. It puts power in my hands but more importantly it releases my faith. I feel that I am connecting with my Lord and that I am striking a blow against the enemy. I don’t give hoping something will happen. I give knowing I am impacting the world around me.

So, I think the psalm does make sense. We need to connect with our Father during this time. We might connect with Him more strongly than ever before. Our hearts certainly need it and our world needs it. Perhaps you dedicate yourself to prayer. Maybe it is worship. Some of you will feel empowered and connected with Dad by writing out a big check. Whatever it is, I hope you will make this sheltered time a point in your personal history which you will remember as a time of personal growth. Maybe you will start doing push-ups and can say it began in the midst of a crisis. I hope, and pray, that whatever transformative strides you make during this time, spiritual growth will be among them, because we need you. As this psalm says, “Bless His name.”

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Courage vs. Denial

On April 10, 2020   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Deuteronomy 31: 6

Be strong and courageous, do not be afraid or tremble at them, for the Lord your God is the one who goes with you. He will not fail you or forsake you.

So, I’m working today and praying as I do and asked Father to give me a heart of courage that I may stand strong and confident during these trying times. He said to me, “Ivey, you have one of the strongest hearts I know. That does not mean that you don’t feel. There is a big difference between courage and denial.”

That was an eye opener for me, and I had to stop what I was doing and begin to write. He has told me before that I have the heart of a lion, but He has also shown me that I have a big heart. Are these congruous with one another? What’s more, over the last many years He has continually unveiled a tender heart within me. How does tenderness harmonize with courage? All of a sudden, I feel like the lion from the Wizard of Oz. Not so very brave and yet . . ..

A truly courageous person allows her heart to feel. Anesthesia is not synonymous with courage. As a young person I learned to be brave by anesthetizing my heart. To feel was to experience pain. Our Father had quite a job on His hands to get me to allow my heart to feel. I didn’t want to feel the pain, who does? Living without the ability to feel deeply and strongly is not the way. Learning to feel the full range of emotions and still stand confidently with the courage of a lion is the grown-up stuff of life and even (or especially) of Christianity. If your heart does not weep right now when you hear of the thousands of deaths around the world then you need God to perform heart surgery. The tragic circumstances should not cripple you though. Perhaps it brings you to your knees but in prayer rather than defeat.

As I have pondered this today, Father has shown me that the reason I am able to feel deeply and tenderly and yet be strong is because I have learned to turn to His presence within me. I do not meditate on negative thoughts or doomsday scenarios. I keep picturing angels with flame throwers. I seek God within me. I will tell you another truth. I do not inundate myself with press conferences or news. In fact, I try to stay far away from sensationalized broadcasts. Those people peddle fear and discord and I cannot afford to have those deposits made in my spirit.
Another thing I do is pray. I am praying more now than ever before. There have been seasons of prayer in my life previously, but I know that I need the prayer as does all the world. I am praying for you and every other person on this dirt ball that is hurtling through space. I feel the responsibility to pray but I also know that I am taking care of my spirit by praying. My own spirit needs more prayer and nurturing than normal.

Learning to be tough and tender has been one of the hardest lessons of my life. I am sure I am not where I need to be yet, but I thank my God for where He has brought me. I can feel the love and compassion of God and even express it, but I have God’s own strength to stand in a torrent and fight with conviction and vigor. I have finally realized that to be like my Father, I must be tender-hearted, allowing myself to feel things intensely, and yet be strong and courageous. Denial is not bravery. It is buckling to a lie, bowing one’s knee to cowardice. I will not buckle in this time of challenge. I will stand boldly, with you in, the name and faith of our Father. Let us, therefore, stand – shoulder to shoulder in compassionate courage.

If you need someone to talk to, you are welcome to call or email me. We are in this together.

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Sheltering in Place

On April 9, 2020   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Psalm 57: 1       NLT

Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy! I look to you for protection. I will hide beneath the shadow of your wings until the danger passes by.

Did you know God has wings? I didn’t. I never thought about it until now though I have read these passages many times. When you picture Him, do you picture Him with wings?

Have a look at Psalm 36: 7, “How priceless is your unfailing love, O God! People take refuge in the shadow of your wings,” (NIV). God’s wings are a place of refuge for people. One translation says, “All humanity finds shelter in the shadow of your wings,” (NLV). Not only is He a place of shelter of refuge but this inn is open to all humanity. This shows God’s great, unfailing love as well as His compassion and understanding. He has spread His wings for all humanity to seek shelter in Him. I cannot help but find the play on words interesting as we constantly discuss “sheltering in place.” He is the shelter in which we should hide ourselves until the danger passes.

I am reading a story about a dragon rider and his dragon. They were on a long journey through the wilderness. At night the dragon would cover her rider with her wings. The rider was safe and dry under the protection of those wings. As I read, I could feel the comfort of looking up and seeing the shelter of the wing. That is what made me begin to understand the security of our Father covering us with His wing. We are safe and secure as He shields us from the dangers of the world.

Ask yourself, “How does one hide beneath the shadow of God’s wings or how does one take refuge in the shadow of His wings?” Is this something we do in prayer, meditatively, by the confession of our mouths or in our hearts?” How did David run into the strong tower of God’s protection? I ask you because that was very real for David. The threat to his personal safety was very real so he needed a very real solution. It was neither an ethereal nor a hypothetical question for David. He was saved time and time again by hiding himself in the refuge of God’s care.

This is the part I can answer for you. God is there with you right now. He has His wings extended as an invitation to enter into the shelter of His protection. His love and concern for you are very real to Him and He has you on His mind at this very moment. However, it is clear from these verses and others that David, as well as other writers, were the actors in the passages. They were the ones who hid themselves in the refuge of God. They sheltered themselves under the shadow of His wings. God didn’t kidnap them and put them in the safety of His shelter. We must run into His embrace. So, run – run to your Father. Hide yourself under His wing and stay there until the danger has passed.

If this devotion has helped you, will you forward it to someone else? Most everyone you know needs some comfort right now. Thank you.

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Confident Stance

On April 8, 2020   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Luke 21: 25 – 28          GW

“Miraculous signs will occur in the sun, moon, and stars. The nations of the earth will be deeply troubled and confused because of the roaring and tossing of the sea. People will faint as they fearfully wait for what will happen to the world. Indeed, the powers of the universe will be shaken. Then people will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. When these things begin to happen, stand with confidence! The time when you will be set free is near.”

This momentous time in history in which we are living was prophesied by Jesus. We have certainly seen many signs in the heavens in the last couple of years including a total solar eclipse. We’ve also seen increased hurricanes and floods. The seas, indeed, have been roaring and tossing. Jesus said when these signs begin to appear that people will lose their heart, lose their courage. “People will faint” with fear. That is truly and well said. People are lost right now and immensely fearful, but Jesus has a message for you because you are set apart and different.

Jesus said that when these things begin to happen, as indeed they are, we should stand with confidence. We should be emboldened, not fearful for our redeemer, our savior, our sweet beloved is upon the wing ready to sweep us all into his loving embrace. He has prepared a place for us. Have courage, Jesus says. Be confident for your Lord is near.

It is important that you understand that you are set apart and less there be any confusion at all, you are loudly being called “apart.” We are to separate ourselves as God separated the Israelites from the rest of the world. He has a place of safety reserved for us, a land flowing with milk and honey. It is different this time though we are to follow the same glory which led the Israelites. Then God’s glory went before them in a cloud by day and a cloud of fire by night. Now, that glory lives within us but we are still told to follow the light. Follow the fire within. We are being called out of the multitude of nations to a state of divine love and protection.

So, stand with confidence. Call upon the name of your God. Do not fear but have faith in the love of the Holy One. This situation is no joke. It is serious, but so is your Father. He and Jesus saw this coming many years ago and have prepared for it. These are the days of promise. This is the time of your redemption. Do not sleep through them because though they are some of the most challenging days of our lives, they can be some of the most enlightening as well. Stand boldly in the confidence of the Lord and see the glory of our Lord Jesus and the Father he serves.

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A Voice of Faith

On April 7, 2020   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Ezekiel 22:30

I searched for a man among them who would build up the wall and stand in the gap before Me for the land, so that I would not destroy it; but I found no one.

First of all, I do not believe for one moment that God is out to destroy us. This virus is not His handiwork, nor His will. None the less, I believe His gaze is roaming the earth for those who will stand in the gap for the world, who will lift up a voice of faith and let truth be heard.

I wrote to you on March 24th about two outstanding observations. One was the complete lack of teaching on how people can support their immune system. The other glaring absence, to me, is the lack of leadership in this time of crisis. I can only speak to what I see in the United States and I hope other countries are faring better in this than we.

In this country, I think we are experiencing the loss of Billy Graham. For many years Reverend Graham was our unofficial National Pastor. He came to us in times of trouble and encouraged us. He spoke with strong conviction about the power of our God and the love that would rescue us. No matter what ever assailed this country, Billy Graham was there with a strong voice of faith.

There are voices out there, don’t get me wrong. Mine is one of them, but none of us has the national attention that could bring encouragement to a nation of citizens in need of the Good News. The media does not seem to be beating down the door of the faith people in search of encouragement. It may just be me. Perhaps you are seeing those interviews. Most of us, it seems to me, have to turn to the internet and YouTube. It is an individual search for peace and comfort rather than a nation that calls upon its faith leaders to speak into the most dire situations of life. I definitely miss the days of old when Men of faith spoke from a national pulpit, when a nation turned to people of faith and received the Good News. We seem more isolated by the lack of a national focus and voice than by the stay home order. You can spend all day reading information about covid-19 but ultimately it is just information and I believe, too much of it will suppress your faith and lead to depression. We have more news outlets than ever, but no galvanizing centralization of bold, faithful leadership. We are a gigantic ship without a rudder.

The world has changed dramatically. Do you know who the voice of faith is now? Actually, it is you. We are dependent upon you to spread what God shows us. This crisis is also a crisis of faith because we are challenged to do church differently than ever before. If you do not share the good news, then it will not spread.

The stay home order should work to our advantage. People could read their Bibles, pray and share the teachings of pastors with all their friends and family. We have time for our own meditative prayer when God can speak to your heart. We can burn up the airwaves with the power of prayer and with the Good News of God. We could even join together in prayer that a voice of faith will be heard throughout the land.

There are people out there hurting. We know that. Many of us are passionate about reaching those folks with the Good News. Our God loves and He saves. His love protects and keeps us.

Will you pray this with me? “Give us, Lord, someone who will stand in the gap for us all and who will lift you up with a voice of faith. And let it begin with me.”

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Praise The Lord

On April 6, 2020   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Psalm 95: 1 – 7       NIV

Come, let us sing for joy to the Lord; let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation.  Let us come before him with thanksgiving and extol him with music and song. For the Lord is the great God, the great King above all gods. In his hand are the depths of the earth, and the mountain peaks belong to him. The sea is his, for he made it, and his hands formed the dry land. Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the Lord our Maker; for he is our God and we are the people of his pasture, the flock under his care. Today, if only you would hear his voice.

This passage is good in every translation, enjoy reading it in several. I could easily write on this passage for a week. What jumps out at you? How about that our God is still the rock of our salvation. He will save us in this and every other situation.

I had on my list of things to share with people that though this may not be the easiest time to praise God, it is certainly one of the best times, so when I saw this theme in the Psalm of the day, there was no doubt as to what to write on. Praise shakes up hell and tortures the devil. Those are reason enough for me. In my writings on Spiritual Warfare, I have written that praise is one of the biggest and strongest weapons you have. So, take out a good praise album and let the devil have it, with both barrels. If you don’t have praise music go to Amazon Music, or iTunes. I know Amazon has some you can stream for free and there are plenty of buy options at both places.

I do want to add one thing about praise that I may not have shared with you previously but that is appropriate, especially now. Praise is good for your soul. I sincerely believe that is why God coaches us to praise. I don’t believe for an instant that our Beloved is an egomaniac who needs millions of people to praise Him all day. No, the better description of Him is as a loving Father who tells us all things for our own good. So, if you believe that, then His directive for us to praise is for our good, not His own.

Praise does have a way of unblocking your own heart. It really and truly does set you free. Music and praise come from the heart, from your spirit so it gives you a better opportunity to connect with God in your heart than even praying in your known language. Song especially frees the spirit. Now, more than ever before in your entire life, you need praise. You need that sensation of feeling free, unburdened and joyful. It will absolutely be medicine for your soul. Moreover, in that space of an unburdened spirit, you will be able to commune with God more easily and more freely.

I know there are plenty of you out there who either don’t know how to praise or feel encumbered. I get it. Here is my advice. Music! But, not hymns so much. I love the old hymns too and was singing The Old Rugged Cross just last week. However, the music that moves your heart to praise even more easily is the “praise” music you can find. I strongly suggest praise compilations. They are the best of the best. This music is easy to sing to and extremely easy to learn the lyrics.  Within a refrain or two, you are able to close your eyes and just set your spirit free.

There has never been a better time to learn how to praise God. There has never been a time when the whole world needed your praise as it does today. You will find God speaking into your heart like never before and you will release pent up emotions you didn’t even know were there. And, if you are embarrassed or awkward, well, there has never been a better time than now for us to practice and become adept. Heed this advice because it is good for your heart. Praise the Lord our God. Sing a joyful song of worship to Him. Give Him the deepest part of your thoughts and emotions. Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord!

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What are you Saying?

On April 3, 2020   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Romans 4: 17        God’s Word

Abraham believed when he stood in the presence of the God who gives life to dead people and calls into existence things that don’t even exist.

This is a good time to teach about Abraham. We will visit him next week as well. Today’s verse continues the thoughts of yesterday’s Word of the Day. And so, here is the question, “What are you saying?”

I love this version of the Bible and its rendition of this verse. Abraham is called the Father of faith because he believed even when the promise of God seemed ludicrous. One of the things that made it a bit easier to believe is that he stood in the presence of God. I find that the more time I spend in God’s presence, the easier it is for me to believe too. So, now I am thinking, “I just need to spend more time in God’s presence.” It’s true. When I slow myself down and mediate in him, my ability to hear Him is improved and understanding and faith increase. The hard part, at least for me, is in quieting everything about me: my physiology as well as psychology. Mind and body can be unruly partners, but I have decided that I am lord over my body and my mind, and they will behave. Further, the more I submit them to Jesus’ lordship, the more peace I enjoy physically and mentally. That’s phase one, getting quiet in God’s presence.

The next thing I need to model about God and Abraham is “calling those things.” What is this? Abraham took his cue from our Father. We not only model Abraham, but we can see what he learned from the Father. Therefore, we have two very good role models. What we see when we observe them is that they said what they wanted before the thing even existed. They actually called those things which were not into existence. This is where it gets sticky for some people, but it needn’t.

Some people say, “Well, I can’t call myself healed when I am sick. That isn’t true.” Here’s the thing, when you shift your gaze you find it is true. I wrote a piece about shifting the frame just a little. It is amazing what you will see when you move the frame. Make a frame with your hands and then narrow your focus to only that which is inside the frame. What do you see? Now shift the frame. What do you see now? If you’ve played the game with me, you will find a totally different picture within the frame. Now, here is the question, “Which one represents truth?”

Here’s another way to play this game. Do you have something you can use as a frame and fix it in place? If not, you have to do this with your brain. Fix the frame either literally or figuratively and take a picture of what you see with your internal eye. Now remember that picture. Do not move the frame, move yourself. Move your body. Now what do you see? Again, if you played along, the picture has changed although the subject neither moved nor changed. You changed your perspective. You changed your vantage point. Now, again, which picture represents the truth? Of course, truth has not actually changed, only our perspective and perception changed. This is the greater reality. This is (T)ruth with a capital T.

Abraham was able to call himself the father of a multitude because he had a new perspective. It was one of faith and belief. He could close his eyes and see this truth. It is the most natural thing in the world to say what you see. We do that all day long. We assume that which we perceive with the natural eye is “true” although we know it’s not always so. Why, then, is it so challenging for us to believe that what we see with the eyes of our spirit is truth? In this, we have identified the real work of faith that Jesus spoke of. This is the “work” that he wants us to do. Once we see his truth, it becomes an easy thing to speak that reality.

One last thing before I let you go, and it is another question. Speaking both literally and figuratively, who is in control of the placement of the frame and the perspective of viewing? Who is the director of this film? If you answered Jesus, you are half right. Hopefully you also recognize that ultimately you are the director of the film. You have to set up the camera and shout “action.” Then you sit back while Jesus rolls out a movie for you. If you will keep your camera focused on him, he will show you are version of reality that you can sink your heart into and speak with confidence.

This leads back to the beginning. What are you saying? We must listen to what comes out of our mouths and police it, if need be. That isn’t all though. Phase two might be tuning our eyes and spirits to Jesus’ version of truth but ultimately we must transition to phase three which is intentionally calling those things into existence which do not currently exist in the natural realm. That is the point we want to get to. That is the meaning of this verse, but sometimes you have to fix your believer first. This is exactly, how your Father created the earth. He called things which didn’t exist into existence. Was he not speaking truth? He was speaking the truth He saw in His spirit and it had to come into existence. That is your charge. See what Jesus wants to show you and then speak it out in confidence. See your protective shield, see your healing. Say what Jesus says about you. Amen?

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