Day: November 17, 2008

Country Life Messages, Life

Tuesday–Close off his Access

A. Knight

I am sitting on ready….for what God is going to do! What I mean is—there are things on the horizon in EacH of our lives…are we looking toward what He is about to do…or are we concentrating on the gloom and doom that the Wall Street Journal keeps predicting?

I choose to look for the beauty in what He is about to reveal! What do I see in the stolen computer? Well, a scared devil that thinks that I MUST be about to publish a BesT SelLeR! One that will reach untold sinners for CHRIST! Really? Well, it could happen. REalLy!

Let me share with you something from a book I am reading (yes, I am still reading some of the others…but this one keeps pulling me back!) “i am not, but i know I AM” by Louie Giglio.

“God is always looking for ordinary people to play significant roles in His unfolding story. And, given that He is GOD and supremely confident in Himself, He is free to choose the least among us–the slowest, the lesser-known, the last, the smallest, the poorest–to accomplish amazing, God-sized stuff.”

I mean, He is God after all. Right? Right. So here I sit. Waiting to see if He will fill the thief with remorse—-and give me the opportunity to share Christ…or possibly just by reading some of the stuff on the computer, maybe He will run as fast as he can to the nearest church. Or jail. Whichever—I pray he or she will find Christ.

One way or the other, God will be glorified. Maybe only by me not having a flailing fit and threatening to kill/clobber any suspect….God is glorified when we give our problems to Him to solve—we are releasing Him to crack His holy knuckles and show His stuff. AND while He is showing His stuff, we are showing what we are made of.

I WILL tell you that I did get mad. But I didn’t scream and holler. I wasn’t mad at Jeff, but at the thief. The one that had the audacity to open a door that was closed off to him—one that didn’t belong to him—and take what WaS NoT his.

Hmmm. Sound familiar? Sister—and any brother that might be reading…THAT is exactly what the enemy does to you and me EVERY SiNgLe DAY– when we leave things accessible! Yes, the door was left unlocked. But not on purpose. By accident. Jeff thought he locked it. Thought he’d pushed the button down to lock both doors.

If you don’t lock—seal tight—the doors of your heart and mind EVERY SINGLE DAY with the word of God—the enemy has access. Complete and total access. It’s not enough to just lock them once in a while. Just once a week. See, he is roaming the parking lot—looking for access. I bet you never thought of it like that. Neither did I. Until the computer went missing.

On Friday night, after Jeff went to bed, I went to the laundry room to pray—and cry—and whine (as I told you before)…but my prayer was, “Lord—get some glory out of this.” USE THIS. Well, it looks like He just did. I blogged it and applied to to our walk with Christ. There. He, Jesus Christ, just received glory for a crisis in my life. I was just able to use it to show myself and others that the EXTREME need in our lives is not for a makeover, but for a complete restoration of our hearts and souls! WASHING at the cross by the blood of the Lamb. The complete removal of the stains of our sins. And we are changed. No longer sinners and thieves, but now made new—white as snow. Freed from all charges against us!

Being all out honest, I will tell you that on Friday night….after the news was delivered to my pierced ears…I wanted to give that thief a piece of my mind….now, all I want to know is can I give Him Christ? Will he take Christ—as His Lord and Savior and turn from his thievin’ ways?

Let’s don’t pray for the return of the computer. Let’s pray instead for a thief to find Christ. Soon. Time is running out.

90 Days with Jesus Bible Study

Day Seventy-Eight

A. Knight

Read Luke 22:31-34

Have you ever went through a sifting? I remember as a little girl watching my Mamo make a cake and she would sift the flour with a cute little metal sifter. I picture this when I hear the word sift. All I remember it doing was taking the lumps out of flour and making it lighter or finer in texture. Maybe that’s what sifting does to us softens us and gets the lumps out of our lives and makes us “finer.” (I don’t know if that is a word but I just used it twice to mean different things and I’m going to keep it.) When someone ask you today how you doing, just say “finer” and watch their expression and see if you get a smile. (Okay, that rabbit was loose but I hemmed him up in the corner and I’m talking about “sifting.”) I have had trials that gave me the option either I’m going to continue to trust God no matter what, or give up. Some of the trials/sifting seem on-going, almost no land in sight, so-to-speak. Peter was warned of his sifting that was to come. Makes you wonder if under Peter’s big talk was a little boy possible shaking in his boots. Peter doesn’t seem to get it… Christ is always right. No need in arguing with God, He will get the last word!

I read a book one time, by Marion Bond West. I can’t think of the name of it right now, but it was a true story about her life, and she based the whole book on the scripture in Habakkuk 3:17-19 and it reads: Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines; the labor of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield not meat; the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls; Yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation. The Lord God is my strength, and he will make my feet like hinds’ feet, and he will make me to walk upon mine high places. This verse carried me through some storms. Maybe if you are going through a trial, you need to write this out and place this verse somewhere you can see it everyday, or even write it on a business card and have it in your pocket to pull it out when you need to, all during the day. I do this sometimes, and I may give the scripture I have in my pocket away to someone that might need a verse of encouragement. I had to put myself in this scripture by changing the words at the beginning to fit my situation, for instance “Although my child is being rebellious, and the truck payment is due….” (you get the picture- put your situations there- make it personal)

Even though you may be going through a “sifting” time God is still faithful. Amen!!! I like ole’ Peter. He was real. Now some of the other disciples you couldn’t get to know like Peter. You always knew where Peter stood on things. I believe in vs.33 he thought he would withstand anything. He was talking real big, but I believe it was out of the love he truly had for the Master. This trial he went through brought him back to reality that he was still human and if not staying in prayer and on guard could slip into sin. The Lord gave him a clear warning, but he remembered the warning later. (I don’t want to get ahead, sorry Angie.)

Christ told Peter in vs. 32 that He prayed for him. I thought that was moving. Don’t it feel so good for someone to come to you and tell you they are praying for you. I always feel some immediate strength when I hear someone tell me they are praying for me. Spend some time this morning praying for someone and tell them you are praying for them, or drop them a card. It will bless them and you, too!

My husband went through a time of depression one time and that is what brought him out of it, writing notes of encouragement to people. Don’t turn inward when you are depressed, turn outward to help others. It will be worth the effort! God bless you and sisters I’m praying for each of you.

Keeping the Faith,

Aimee