You see more of what you’re looking for

 

If you’ve read any of my recent blog posts or sat through any of my Ladies Bible Studies lately, you will know that I’ve been slightly obsessed with the subject of gratitude and thankfulness for some time now.

I didn’t start out to become so interested in studying what the Bible has to say on the subject, but the more I studied and the more I wrote in my gratitude journal daily, the more I wanted to learn about how God sees thankfulness and what is to be my response to the precious gifts he showers upon me, as undeserving as I am.

For some time, I have had it in my mind to write about something that goes along with this theme of thankfulness and as I was checking my emails today, I read a blog post from a woman who seemed to have stolen my thoughts, and I decided it was time to put pencil to paper, so to speak.

My thought is this. You see more of what you’re looking for. I know. Not very profound. But let me explain.

Have you ever noticed that if you are hunting for a particular thing to buy, such as a new car for example, that all of the sudden, you see so many of that certain make and model that it seems uncanny.

You’re wanting to purchase a Toyota Hilux 4WD, dual cab, 2.8L within a certain year range, and as you drive down the highway, and around town, at every turn you see them. What is going on?

And not only cars. Maybe it’s a breed of dog you’re in the market for. And now, they’re everywhere.

So where am I going with this? Well, I truly believe that if we set our minds and our hearts to develop a heart of gratitude, determined to be thankful and take notice of the gifts God gives us, we will begin to see them in the most unlikely places.

When we choose to be grateful in all circumstances, we start to see things to be thankful for in situations that we normally would only find fault in and frustration and ungratefulness.

As we start to look deeper, under the surface, digging into our daily lives and the problems that we face, we begin to unearth little blessings that we can praise God and thank him for.

Before I started writing down daily a few things I was thankful for, there were many things I took for granted and never even gave a thought to thanking God. But as I sat each morning, determined to write down at least 3 things, I found that I kept thinking of more and more things that I could thank God for. I couldn’t stop at just 3.

Now, if you read some of my lists, you may sit and scratch your head at how seemingly insignificant they appear. For example, on one of my days I have written, “Vegemite toast and tea”. Now, I know that sounds too small and unimportant and you wonder, “does God really care to be thanked for that? “

But I believe he does. And I also believe that there is nothing too small to praise God for.

If I can sit and eat Vegemite on a piece of toasted white bread, lathered with butter and wash it down with a lovely, warm cup of tea, then I ought to be thankful for it. It didn’t just appear out of nowhere. God provided the money to buy the ingredients and the energy to work for that money, and the job needed to be able to provide the funds, and the appliance to toast the bread and boil the water and on and on the list goes and grows.

It really is true, that you see more of what you’re looking for. If you are on the lookout for things to be thankful for and you are searching each situation for something to be grateful for, then you’ll find it. It doesn’t matter how depressing or dire the circumstance is, you can always find something in it to thank God for. Otherwise, why would he give us this verse in Scripture?

1 Thessalonians 5:18 - In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.

If the Bible commands us to give thanks in everything, then there must be something in everything to gives thanks for! We just have to look. Open your eyes. Dig deeper. Look harder. Don’t stop looking until you find something.

If you find more things to be thankful for because you are looking for them, then the opposite is sadly true too.

If you are always seeing the glass half empty, if you’re always finding fault in others, if you’re letting your thoughts dwell on your woeful circumstances and how life is treating you, then guess what? That’s right. You’re going to see more of what you think about because you have trained yourself to look at the negative and see the burdens. You have closed your eyes to the blessings, and your outlook is depressing and miserable. All you will see is the bad. You won’t even notice when God sends a small blessing because you’re too focused on what you don’t have rather than what you do.

If you have trouble seeing beyond the bad in your life, ask God to open your eyes to the things he’s doing that you can’t see. He’ll help you see the things you haven’t noticed. He’ll draw your attention to a beautiful sunset, the comfort of a cup of tea on a cold day, a beautiful bird song outside your window or a thousand other things.

I have so many things to say on this subject of thankfulness not because of any greatness or eloquence on my part, but because of the work the Lord is doing in my heart and the change it has made in my life as I learn to be truly thankful in everything.

Can I encourage you, if you’re struggling with developing a thankful spirit, maybe because of the circumstances you find yourself in presently, that even though you can’t see what God is doing in your life right now, at this moment, even though you find it hard to count your blessings, you can still thank him for the things he’s done in the past. There is no expiration date on God’s blessings. You can still mention them in a prayer of thanks, no matter how long ago you received them. 

Look back over your life and give God praise for what he’s done, and where he has brought you from. Praise him and thank him for all the blessings you have received over the years. Thank him for all the little blessings that maybe you had forgotten about and never stopped to thank him for.

And if you are still ungrateful and your glass is still half empty, then stop right now, fall on your face before him and thank him for your salvation. (And while you’re at it, repent of the sin of ingratitude. Yes, it’s sin. Read your Bible if you don’t believe me). If you are a child of God, then you have something that many in this world don’t have.

We were undeserving, sinners headed to hell, and God, in his love and mercy, came down to die on a cross for us. Instead of pouring out judgement, he extended grace. When we realise what he has done for us, we should be the most thankful people on earth.

When we focus on the blessings rather than the burdens, we are happier. When we start thanking God for the things we usually take for granted, our perspective changes. We realize that we could not even exist without the merciful blessings of a righteous, holy, loving God.

Start looking for things to thank God for. Intentionally search out the blessings in every situation. They are there. Believe me when I say that you WILL find them. You may have to pray that the Lord will open your eyes to them, and when he does, you will be amazed at the sights you see.

You will see more of what you’re looking for. Look for things to praise him for every day. Look for evidences of God’s love. Look for his blessings.

Look for sunshine after rain. Look for flowers in barrenness. Look for rainbows even when the sky is dark. Look for seashells hidden beneath the sand. Look for the beauty in the colours of a sunset. Listen for the birds as they sing their praise to God. Listen to thunder as it roars overhead and be reminded of God’s power. Listen for a child’s laughter and give thanks for the gift of life.

There is no limit to God’s goodness and there should be no limit to our thankfulness. Our voices should be always singing God’s praises. Don’t let a day go by without thanking God for something. Make a conscious effort to develop a heart of gratitude and watch how God changes your attitude and your perspective.

Psalm 68:19 Blessed be the Lord, who daily loadeth us with benefits, even the God of our salvation. Selah.

 

I see the sun rise in the morning
And a million stars at night
I hear the birds they can't stop singing
Hallelujah

I see his goodness
When I fall down
And his grace that picks me up
Every day I can't stop singing
Hallelujah

How can you not see God
In every little thing
In every little moment
How can you not feel loved
How can you not
How can you not 

'Cause he's in the middle of
Every little thing
And every little moment
How can you not see God
How can you not
How can you not 

I see the sunset and I wonder
If he paints it just for me
Nobody else could make a world so beautiful
How could I question his love when
It's everywhere I go
Wherever I look I find another miracle 

Everything is evidence

Showing me that you exist

All creation singing hallelujah

How can you not see God
In every little thing
In every little moment
How can you not feel loved
How can you not
       How can you not         

               Leanna Crawford

 

 

 

A Promise for the New Year

Jeremiah 29:11

For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.

As 2022 closes and 2023 opens, a new year full of unknowns and what ifs, it is helpful to draw on God’s precious promises that we find in his Word. This verse in Jeremiah is a comfort to the troubled soul.

I’ve heard it quoted many times, but I think it’s important to understand the historical context of this verse and not just the literary context. Why did Jeremiah the prophet write this verse and who did he write it to?

Often, we take a verse from the Bible and claim the promise for ourselves, taking comfort in what we read, and that is good and helpful, but if we look further into the context of the verse, we will gain more understanding which brings about a deeper, more relevant and powerful meaning for our lives.

Learning the context of the verse can help us avoid the tendency we have of reading into scripture our own desired meaning, and instead, find what it is God is saying and what is really intended.

I think sometimes we read this verse and think that it promises blessings abundant and a life without problems. “thoughts of peace and not evil”. But if we’ve dug into our Bibles enough, we know that in this life there will be tribulations. It is a given. It’s a when, not an if.

John 16:33 These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.

There will be difficulties, but God has a plan and a purpose, and we can live in the hope that he knows what’s best and he can work through our circumstances to bring glory to his name.

Now, back to our context.

Jeremiah was a prophet sent by God to deliver his message to his people throughout their hardships and trials. He spoke to the Jews who had been living under oppressive Egyptian and then Babylonian rule and had been carried away into exile from their home country, Jerusalem, into Babylon.

In the previous chapter, we find Jeremiah rebuking a false prophet called Hananiah. Hananiah was spreading false hope to the people of God, telling them that God would deliver them from their enemies after 2 years and they would return to their home. (Jer. 28:11)

But God spoke to Jeremiah and told him some hard truths to share with God’s people. Jeremiah had the difficult job of informing the Jews that instead of 2 years captivity, they would be enslaved for 70 years.

Jeremiah 29:10 For thus saith the LORD, That after seventy years be accomplished at Babylon I will visit you, and perform my good word toward you, in causing you to return to this place.

And straight after this we read our key verse.

Jeremiah 29:11

For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.

God’s people would not be delivered straight away. Not for 70 years. But God would be with them and would not forget them in their distress.

As Christians, we often cry out to God to rescue us immediately, without delay, right now. We are a generation addicted to instant gratification. We want fast food. Fast service. Same day shipping. Instant drying nails. Instant curls etc etc.  But God doesn’t always take us out of a difficult situation speedily. God knows the importance of the wait. He knows the power of silence. The strength in stillness.

Instead of God giving us what we want instantly, he makes us wait, but as we wait, he promises to be with us through our trial. He promises that regardless of our current situation, he can work through it to prosper us and bring about the end that he desires.

He doesn’t always choose to calm the storm that rages around us, sometimes he wants to calm the storm inside us and bring inner peace. He wants to bring peace to our hearts.

His thoughts toward us are not evil. He has thoughts of peace. He wants us to live in hope. The ‘expected end’ is one of hope.

Jeremiah told the people that they would be in Babylon for quite some time, so they were to settle down. Build houses, plant gardens, marry and seek peace.

Jeremiah 29:5-7 Build ye houses, and dwell in them; and plant gardens, and eat the fruit of them; Take ye wives, and beget sons and daughters……..

And seek the peace of the city whither I have caused you to be carried away captives, and pray unto the LORD for it: for in the peace thereof shall ye have peace.

Maybe you’re facing a difficult situation right now. Maybe you are struggling financially, or you are dealing with sickness. Maybe it is a relationship that you’re struggling to restore. God promises that the pain will pass, and it is all in his plan and purpose.

Rest assured, you are not the only one facing hardship. All around us are hurting people. We are all in this together, but as Christ-followers, we can take comfort in knowing that God’s plans for us are not evil and that he will bring us to HIS expected end in HIS perfect timing.

Remember it is HIS expected end and HIS perfect timing. Not ours! God works with a different timepiece, and he uses a different daily planner than we do.

We would love for Christ to return today, and carry us up to Heaven, taking us out of this fallen world. But it may not be today. Or tomorrow. Or this year. We may have a longer captivity here on this earth, and it is our job to live as shining lights here, going about our business, fulfilling our God-given callings, with the promise of God ringing in our ears, that he will protect and provide, comfort and guide if we seek him with a whole heart and obey his voice.

Just as the people of God had to trust the Lord and wait 70 long years for their deliverance, we too have to learn to trust God, and as we trust we can not only feel his presence, but we can have the peace in knowing that he is in control, and he will be with us.

Take a look at the verses that follow and the blessed promises they hold for the child of God.

Jeremiah 29:12-13 Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you. And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.

Did you see what it said? God promises to be found when you seek, and to hear when you call. When we, with all our hearts, seek him and call upon him, he WILL be found, and he WILL listen. Not might, but will!

So, as you venture forth into a new year, filled with many unknowns, remember that God is the God of the known. He knows. He sees. And nothing is hidden from him. So, whatever it is that you’ll face this year, he knows all about it and he has plans in place already. God is never surprised.

 

Psalm 147:5 Great is our Lord, and of great power: his understanding is infinite.

 

Trust him. Obey him. Love him. Call out to him. Hope in him.

 

Psalm 31:24
 Be of good courage, and he shall strengthen your heart, all ye that hope in the LORD.

 

 

 

 

 

In one word – Gratitude!

In a recent post on Instagram, written by my niece, she mentioned that at the end of every year, she likes to reflect on what the Lord has taught her throughout the year and try and sum it up in one word.

As soon as I read it, I knew what my word would be. Gratitude. I didn’t even have to stop and think about it. Not even for a split second. Gratitude sums up my 2022 year. Thankfulness and gratefulness.

And in case you think that I must have had a good year, overflowing with blessings and devoid of problems, then think again!

This past year has been a very difficult one for our family. Let me explain just a little, before I go on.

The year began with my husband and I and our daughters, all out of a job, due to the government mandates. The business we had started and grown over a period of 5 years, came crashing down. We were forced to sell 2 of our trucks and we had to borrow money off our daughters as we struggled to keep afloat financially. We were left with a very uncertain future. We weren’t sure if we’d be able to afford to keep renting the shed for our business or even if we would be able to pay the rent for our house.

These circumstances led us to question God and do some soul searching. We weren’t sure if God was moving us on to a new place or leading us through a dark valley in order to strengthen our faith.

As time went on and the fears and doubts grew, we began to lean more and more on the Lord, trusting him as we walked through the dark, holding tightly to his hand, letting him light our path, one step at a time, one day at a time. And each day, God provided. Like Elijah and the ravens that brought food as he sat by the brook Cherith, God kept providing. We were fed. We were clothed. We were housed. We were sustained.

And although the trials seemed overwhelming and the mountains unclimbable, we began to feel a sense of peace wash over us. We began to be thankful for the little things. The little blessings, the little provisions that at one time, we had taken for granted.

We realised the blessing of quality family time spent together. 4 months of living and working together side by side on various projects gave us the time together we didn’t realise we had been missing and needing.

We realised we didn’t need so many ‘things’ to satisfy. There was a lot we could do without and still be content.

And as the days rolled into weeks and the weeks into months, we felt like the woman with the pot of oil that never ran dry. Each day, there was more than enough to sustain. Just when we thought we were down to our last dollar, God would provide in ways only he could.

And so began my desire to change the way I looked at life. After years of being the ultimate pessimist and living through seasons of unthankfulness, God began to open my blinded eyes to his mercies, his love, his kindness. I began to thank him daily for those little blessings. I realised that I needed to develop a heart of gratitude and as I searched the scriptures, I saw that not only was it a good thing to pursue, but it was commanded in scripture over and over. So many verses talk about singing God’s praises and thanking him and worshiping him and speaking of his goodness.

You can’t go very far in your Bible without reading about the importance of having a thankful spirit.

1 Chronicles 16:34

 O give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good; for his mercy endureth for ever.

Psalm 50:14

Offer unto God thanksgiving; and pay thy vows unto the most High:

Colossians 3:17

And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.

I have written on this subject quite a bit lately, so I won’t go into it in depth in this post, but I just wanted to share what God has taught me this past year.

Although 2022 was a very difficult one for our family and we are still uncertain of our future, God has come through time and again.

He has provided work for us and allowed us to keep living where we live. He has blessed us in so many ways, I can’t possibly share them all.

Our struggles are not over, and we don’t know what trials lay ahead this new year. But I am assured that just as God was with us last year and brought us through, he can do it again. I don’t need to fear the storm when he is in the boat with me.

It’s not about the height of the waves or the strength of the storm, it’s all about who you have in the boat with you.

I want to encourage you to thank God daily for your blessings and write them down. Take a few minutes each and every day (don’t even miss a day!) to write down something you have to be thankful for. Better still, write 3!

I have been doing this for the past 3 months or so, and I can’t believe the change it has made in my life. I have a contentment I’ve never experienced before. I have a brighter outlook on life. I am happier and my joy level is constantly rising. I don’t sweat the small stuff like I used to, and I am able to trust God more, content to rest in him.

Yes, there are still hard days and days when I struggle to write down what I’m thankful for, there are days that I don’t ‘feel’ very thankful, but I can tell you, that there is ALWAYS something to be thankful for. If you are one of God’s children, then you will never run out of things to praise God for.

If you need help in knowing what to thank God for, then read the Psalms. What a treasure trove of blessings you will find there!

Psalm 150:2, 6 - Praise him for his mighty acts: praise him according to his excellent greatness. ... Let every thing that hath breath praise the LORD. Praise ye the LORD.

Look around you. Open your eyes and you’ll see a world full of people without hope. Everywhere there are people hurting. Don’t be depressed by it, be encouraged that you have a hope that lies within you, and you have an eternal destination with God in Heaven. You have peace. You have Joy. You have the Lord’s mercies, new each morning.

Let that thought invigorate you and push you towards a heart of gratitude. Be reminded of God’s goodness each time you gaze upon a beautiful sunset or hear the sound of the birds in the trees.

If you are blest to watch the sun rise over the ocean or peek over the mountaintops, if you take a walk in the rain and feel the drops fall on your face, if you walk through a field of flowers and smell the intoxicating aroma of sweetness as the wind blows their scent into the air, if you experience any of these things and more, praise God for it!

You are alive!

You have ears to hear.

Eyes to see.

Legs to walk.

Arms to reach out.

How blest we are as chosen, redeemed, forgiven, delivered children of God!

Don’t let your circumstances dictate your joy level or your words of praise.

1 Thessalonians 5:18

In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.

It is God’s will that you be thankful. Do you want to please him? Then give thanks!

With everything you have, praise God! With all your being, worship him! Sing it out loud! Speak about it! Shout about it!

The secret of joy is not to wait until you feel happy, but to rise, by an act of faith, out of the depression which is dragging you down and begin to praise God as an act of choice. A.B.Simpson

 

Psalm 98:1-9

O sing unto the LORD a new song; for he hath done marvellous things: his right hand, and his holy arm, hath gotten him the victory.

The LORD hath made known his salvation: his righteousness hath he openly shewed in the sight of the heathen.

He hath remembered his mercy and his truth toward the house of Israel: all the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.

Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all the earth: make a loud noise, and rejoice, and sing praise.

Sing unto the LORD with the harp; with the harp, and the voice of a psalm.

With trumpets and sound of cornet make a joyful noise before the LORD, the King.

Let the sea roar, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein.

Let the floods clap their hands: let the hills be joyful together

Before the LORD; for he cometh to judge the earth: with righteousness shall he judge the world, and the people with equity.

 

 

 

Don’t stand in his way. 

Ride alongside him.

 

Many years ago, I wrote an article titled, “Western Woman”. In it, I discussed the importance of being a Godly helper and encourager to your husband. I mentioned the term, “she was a woman to ride the river with”, something often written in Western novels. If you’re not familiar with the phrase, in a nutshell, it basically means being a woman that a man desires to have by his side. Not trailing along behind, begrudgingly, not blazing a trail out ahead, but just steadily staying by her husband, day by day, being there, being present, encouraging, loving, and being his greatest cheerleader for all his ventures and plans, no matter how crazy they are.

I’ve been doing a little reading recently on the subject of knowing your purpose in life and today I was reminded once again of the importance of not only knowing your own purpose but also being ‘a woman to ride the river with’ when it comes to your husband’s purpose.

Do you realize that whatever God has called your husband to be or do, he has also called you to support it and be a part of it?

Now, at this point in your husband’s life, he may not know what his purpose is. He may have lost his way a little and is struggling to know what God would have him do. Men have a lot of pressures on them and husbands and fathers more so. They have the responsibility of leading their families and providing for them. They are and should be the main decision maker in the home and that burden often weighs very heavily on them.

I don’t care what the world says in regard to this, God laid out the chain of responsibility very clearly in the Bible and he doesn’t want us to change just because society dictates that we should!

If your husband is struggling with knowing his purpose, then get on your knees and begin to pray earnestly for him. Ask God to show him clearly what his purpose is. Remind him of who he is in Christ and that God created him for a higher purpose.

When God calls us, he also enables us. Maybe what God is calling him to do looks like an impassable mountain to him. That’s where you come in. Don’t let discouragement defeat him. Cheer him on. Let him know that you are with him and praying for him. Remind him that you trust him and that you know that with God’s strength, he can move that mountain.

I've seen too many men who have longed to climb out on what to their wives, looked like a shaky limb, longing to try something new, excited about God’s calling, only to be held back by a wife that offers only arguments and advice on why it won't work, and why she doesn't want to be involved.  Sure, husbands can make wrong decisions (leave that to God to deal with, you are not God!), but the wife is making an ill-fated choice when she fails to ride alongside her man, as he rides into the unknown.  He is forced to either give up the venture or go it alone, without his God-given help meet.

Whatever God has called your husband to do, he wants you to be a part of it. Sometimes that simply means praying and encouraging him. It may mean creating a beautiful atmosphere in the home, raising the children, home schooling them, just being there for him so that he can focus more on his purpose. But other times, it may mean becoming an active partner and getting your hands dirty, learning a new skill, showing hospitality to others even though you may be an introvert. Working alongside him and doing things you didn’t think you could do.

Don’t forget, God does not ask you to forget about your own calling and purpose. God has called you to something too. But whatever it is, it will fit in with what your husband’s calling is. The two will not conflict. God is a God of order not confusion and he wants you and your husband to work together towards a common goal. Even though your callings may be different in the way they manifest themselves, they will line up with each other.

Often times the purpose God has called your husband to may be frightening and daunting to you and you have to step out in faith, with fear and trembling. Many a man has had his dreams and passions squashed by an unwilling wife, throwing a wet blanket over the fire that burns inside him.

We, as wives, need to learn to get excited with our husbands when he learns his purpose and sets out to fulfil God’s calling upon his life. We have to stop our incessant questioning and jump up beside him, cheering him along, praying, encouraging, helping, loving.

Now, there's nothing wrong with being a little afraid and somewhat sceptical about a seemingly crazy new venture, but that's where we get on our knees before God and pray harder and ask the Lord to give us wisdom to be the help meet he made us to be and to be supportive in every way we can.

Please don’t think that I’m calling all wives to be doormats and walk with heads hung down, bottom lips drooping, resigned to a life of misery, unwillingly being dragged along behind our husbands, feigning submissiveness.

Quite the opposite! If you know your Bible at all, you will know that we, as wives, are to be submissive to our husbands and he is to love us, as Christ loved the church. But submission doesn’t mean weakness.

We can learn to walk joyfully beside our husbands as we trust the Lord to lead him and as we pray fervently for him and for God’s guidance. The more you love your husband, and the more he loves you, the more you will trust his leading and the easier it will be for you to submit to him.

Our marriages can become stronger as we forge unbreakable bonds between each other through teamwork and shared burdens and blessings. Did you notice the word ‘shared’? We have to share in our God-given purposes and callings. We are to be building and strengthening each other as we work alongside one another, encouraging and helping. Developing common interests and goals. Learning to love what they love. Learning to get excited about what excites them. Cheering them on and rejoicing with them as they see their purpose grow and develop and change as God leads.

God has ”saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began” 2 Timothy 1:9

It’s not our purpose. It’s God’s purpose. It’s his plan we are to follow.

God has a purpose for your life, and he has a purpose for your husband too. When God shows him what it is, be all in! Be present. Get on board. Hop up alongside him and ride that trail with him, determined to stay by his side, being the encourager and helper God has called you to be. Don’t bail out part way through. And when you know your own purpose, be assured that God has a way to have both of your callings working together in perfect harmony in his perfect timing.

Our ultimate goal is to bring glory to God, and what better way to do it then to show the world a united front between husband and wife, seamlessly working together, sharing in their dreams and passions, likeminded and loving every minute of it!

2 Thessalonians 1:11-12 - Wherefore also we pray always for you, that our God would count you worthy of this calling, and fulfil all the good pleasure of his goodness, and the work of faith with power: That the name of our Lord Jesus Christ may be glorified in you, and ye in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.

 

DON’T STAND IN THE WAY OF YOUR SPOUSE GROWING IN HIS PURPOSE. ENCOURAGE HIM TO FOLLOW AFTER GOD AND PURSUE THE DREAMS GOD HAS PUT IN HIS HEART!

 

 

 

 

 

What is more important?

 

Charles Spurgeon was once asked, “What is more important: prayer or reading the Bible?”. His reply was, “What is more important: breathing in or breathing out?”

Well, we all know the answer to that. Both. We need to breathe in, and we need to breathe out. Inhale. Exhale. We can’t have one without the other. Otherwise, we’d be dead.

And so it is with prayer and reading God’s Word. We need both.

We need God’s Word for instruction.

2 Timothy 3:16 KJV - All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:

And we need prayer for communication with God. For intercession. For supplication. For more things than I have time to list here.

1 Chronicles 16:11 KJV - Seek the LORD and his strength, seek his face continually.

I want to take a look at why both of these things, prayer and Bible reading, are equally important in the life of the Christian who wants to grow in their spiritual walk.

Firstly, why is prayer so important in our walk with God? The easy answer and in reality, the only answer we should really need is: it is commanded in Scripture. We have many examples of Godly men and women in the Bible praying and its importance is spelled out very clearly in the Word of God. Even the Lord Jesus prayed to his Father.

Prayer is our communication line with God.  Have you ever truly stopped to think about how amazing that is? We, in all our sinfulness, have a direct line, to the Creator of the Universe. At any time, we can cry out to him in prayer. And he hears us. 24/7. Any time of day or night. Stop and let that sink in for a minute.

Not only is it commanded as a duty of the Christian, but prayer is so beneficial as it helps deepen our relationship with God. It helps us to grow. As we commune with God and he speaks to us through his Word, we grow closer to him.

Here are a few more reasons prayer is so important.

Prayer increases our faith – As our prayers are answered, we have more faith and trust in God. Our faith grows each time we have an answer to prayer. We put our trust more fully in God. We can look back at our lives and past victories and we are able to see his hand and grow in our confidence of him.

Prayer gives us a place to unload our burdens – We have someone who truly cares and will not be overwhelmed with whatever we bring to him. When we unload on our husband or friends and family, sometimes it’s all too much. We, as humans, are not built to carry all our burdens. God tells us to bring our cares to him. He is big enough to handle them.

1 Peter 5:7 Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.

Prayer teaches us that God is always near

Psalm 46:1 God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.

Oswald Chambers said, “The purpose of prayer is to reveal the presence of God equally present all the time in every condition”

We know that God is always listening, and his ears are open to our cries. He never places us on hold or mutes us or ignores us.

Prayer trains us not to panic – Turning to God as your default move, helps replace the tendency to panic. We can rest in him. We can rely on his strength.

Prayer changes lives – Prayer will change us. It will have a flow on effect and help to change others’ lives. God gets all the glory for this. People say ‘prayer changes things’, but it’s not entirely accurate, prayer changes lives, it changes us, which in turn changes things.

Prayer in its simplicity is basically talking to God. It’s talking to a trusted friend. If I only talked with my husband between 7 and 8 pm on a Wednesday night and maybe a few minutes on a Sunday morning, how well would I know him? What kind of a relationship would I have? But often, that’s how we approach prayer. A few minutes at a prayer meeting, before a meal and maybe at a Bible Study.

Prayer has to play a bigger part in our lives than that! Prayer is vital in building our relationship with Christ.

In I Thessalonians 5:17, we are told to pray without ceasing. This doesn’t mean we are to pray every minute of the day, as that wouldn’t be practical, but it means to have a continual attitude of prayer. A prayerful spirit.

“When prayer becomes your immediate reflex instead of your last resort, the whole battlefield begins to tilt your direction”

When our minds are disengaged, like when we’re going about our daily chores. Cleaning the bathtub, sweeping the house, or hanging the washing, our thoughts can go to prayer instead of frustration or anxiety. We can praise God and talk to him at these times. We can continually be lifting up our prayer to God all the day long.

I have barely scratched the surface on the subject of prayer, but I want to also stress the importance of reading God’s Word. Breathing in. Breathing out. Prayer and Bible reading. They go hand in hand.

We not only need to pray but we need to spend time in God’s Word. We need to listen to the Lord as he speaks to us through his Word. It’s not enough to spend time in prayer, we need to have a desire for the Word of God. We need to long to hear from him from the pages of Scripture.

1 Peter 2:2As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby:

We need to desire God’s Word just as a baby desires milk. Hungrily. Impatiently. Always wanting more. Never quite satisfied. There are so many Bible study books, commentaries, handbooks, apps and resources to help us in the study of God’s Word. They are only tools to use, and we have to be discerning in our choice of them, but they can be very useful. I have learnt a lot over the years from others’ study of the Word of God and their insight into passages of Scripture.

Obviously, the best time to study the Bible is during your own personal quiet time with the Lord. A time set aside that you spend with the Lord, alone, letting him speak to you and spending time talking to him in prayer.

Our effectiveness for God requires times of solitude. The impact you have on you family and on others will be in direct proportion to the time you spend away from people and with God. Time with God is so important for our spiritual development, and it is never wasted.

As well as saying ‘no’ to things that are wrong and sinful, we have to learn how to say ‘no’ to pleasant, profitable and good things that may hinder our time alone with God. I don’t think I need to elaborate on what those things are, as they will be different for each person.

And when we talk of a quiet time we are talking of a state of rest or calm, free from noise or disturbance, still, hushed, not turbulent, not excited, anxious or wrought up, but calm and peaceful. Yes, all words that are usually the opposite of our days, but not entirely impossible.

It’s so easy to fail at a regular quiet time with the Lord. For years I struggled with making time for Bible study, I think partly out of laziness, but also out of ignorance in thinking I had to have an hour of time set aside. And so, I gave up before I even started. God knows all about our life and he understands if we only have 5 minutes to spare. It’s what’s in our heart that matters.

Seasons of life change and our quiet times change. We need to remember that it’s the relationship we are working on. Not a strict schedule. It’s a time to draw apart with God. A time to talk with him, learn of him, grow in him. A time to deepen our knowledge of the Lord. To fellowship with him. To worship him. Your quiet time is a time for your own personal growth. This is not family devotion time. This is a time for you and the Lord only. It may have to be several small snippets throughout the day or one large chunk if you are blessed with being able to do that.

As mothers and wives and women who want to deepen our relationship with the Lord, we have to get creative with how we arrange our time in order to put God highest on the priority list.

My grandmother always had an open Bible on her bread bin in the kitchen and every time she had a spare moment or was working on that particular kitchen counter, she would read a few verses. She was way before the time of audible Bible apps and recordings.

For me, if it’s an early start and I am not able to sit and study while I eat breakfast, I’ll have my Bible app play as I get ready for work in the morning. I listen to the Word of God being read aloud and try and take in as much as I can and then meditate on what I’ve heard until I can come back and do further reading and study.

It’s not a one size fits all and you’ll have to find what works for you. The important thing is that you set aside time for it.

Both prayer and Bible reading are crucial in a growing Christian’s life and if we neglect either of these things, we are crippling our spiritual walk and could quite possibly be hindering our own families because of it. The example we set is important and we will not be fruitful if we are not tending to our relationship with God.  

WARNING: Don’t substitute activity FOR God, for a relationship WITH God. 

It’s easy to be busy in the work of the Lord, with our programs and ministries, but if we are just rushing madly about, serving him, without spending time in prayer and Bible study, we might as well quit. We will stay stagnant and stunted in our walk, and we will not have the power of God in our ministries or the blessings that go along with a heart that is devoted to Him.

Make sure that prayer and Bible reading are equally important in your life. Don’t think that you can have one without the other and still grow. You need both.

If you don’t have your Bible open, don’t expect answers to your prayers.

And if your voice is silent, don’t expect to gain understanding as you read.

 

When we pray, we speak to God; But when we read, he speaks to us.

 

 

 

 

 

God-Confidence vs Self-Confidence

For some time now, I have had it on my heart to write something on the subject of Motherhood. Years ago, when I was a young mother, I thought that God would lead me into a ministry that helped other mothers. A place where I could teach, advise, help, encourage and support other women in the same season of life that I was in.

As is so often the case, I thought I had it all figured out, as a young wife and mother, because my children were well behaved, for the most part, my house was always tidy, I baked good wholesome meals and made all my snacks from scratch. I sewed lovely dresses for my girls and braided their hair with some skill. I had so much to offer in the way of teaching others how it should and could be done. Or so I thought! Oh, how wrong and how self-righteous I was! God saw my heart and the pride that lay deep beneath the surface.

God never did let me venture very far onto the path I had planned for myself, he knew I needed many more years of growing, humbling, learning, experience, failures, heartaches, trials and testings.

There were occasional times I was able to give some advice and share ideas that were a help to another young mother struggling in her marriage or child-raising, but mostly, God had me just putting one foot in front of the other, home-schooling my children, serving and loving my husband, teaching Sunday School, using my talents and abilities to honour God. Trusting him, waiting on him, learning from him.

I didn’t get those opportunities to speak and teach and write on the subject of motherhood and marriage like I had hoped, and I have come to realise that God had a better plan for my life, as he always does, and that he wanted me to wait. He knew that I needed God-confidence, not self-confidence.

You see, I was pretty confident in my ability to be a mother and a good helpmeet to my husband. I was impressed at my own skills in keeping house and training my children to speak kindly, sit quietly, be respectful, cook and clean. But I can see, in hindsight, that a lot of my confidence was in myself and my abilities.

I had neglected to develop my God-confidence. I needed to learn to depend completely on God and his strength.

Psalm 118:8 - It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in man.

What I had done was to become confident in my own abilities, somehow deluding myself into thinking it was all my own doing.

1 Corinthians 10:12 KJV - Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall.

God, in his goodness, had to strip away a lot of that confidence, through sickness and failure and times of humbling. He had to tear away the pride that I had clothed myself in, revealing the real me, what lay underneath, a woman in need of God-confidence. I needed the confidence that only he could give. I needed a wholehearted trust and dependence on him. None of me, all of him.

I needed to come to myself, as the prodigal son did in the pig pen, realising his need of rescue, I had to get to the point where I couldn’t do all those things I had boasted in (if only in the hidden places of my heart) and I had to depend on him completely, no longer could I do it in my own strength, I needed a Saviour, a stronger, trustworthy hand to hold on to.

Jeremiah 17:7 KJV - Blessed is the man that trusteth in the LORD, and whose hope the LORD is.

God-confidence has to begin with a personal relationship with him.

The first thing you need in order to work on your God-confidence, is to be one of his children. If you haven’t taken that first step, then stop reading now. Find a Christian brother or sister you trust and learn what you need to do to have eternal security and a home in Heaven.

Being one of his children is not enough to build your God-confidence. It can’t stop there. You also need prayer. You need to become a woman of prayer. One who comes to God on a very regular basis, crying out to him, bringing all your cares to him. Not just the big issues. God wants you to bring everything to him in prayer. Nothing is too big or too small.

Philippians 4:6 KJV - Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.

And secondly, you need to be in the Word of God. It’s not enough to listen to the Pastor preach on a Sunday morning. You need to develop your own quiet time. You need to set aside times where you dig into the Bible for yourself. You can’t expect to be spoon fed as a Christian if you want to grow.

You have to meditate on scripture, search it out, explore the context, the meaning of the words, the who, the what, the why.

Don’t be content to read a quick devotional, listen to a short sermon, attend a monthly Bible Study or takes notes from the sermon on Sunday morning.

While these things are good, they should never replace your time alone with God. You can’t just live off the crumbs that fall from the table. You need to eat directly from God’s table.

Even the Lord Jesus took time to get away in a solitary place and spend time with God. If a perfect and sinless Saviour felt the need to spend time with God, shouldn’t we? We, as sinful and undeserving but forgiven and redeemed children of God, should desire above everything to spend time in his presence, learning how to live and following his example.

Use what resources you need in order to grow in your knowledge of God, making sure that they line up with the Word of God. There are so many resources at our disposal that we have no excuse for not trying to gain an understanding of a particular passage of scripture.

And if you are a young mother reading this, please don’t despair. I was once where you are right now. My days were filled to overflowing with hungry babies, energetic toddlers, home-schooling meltdowns (by me as well!), mounds of washing, dirty dishes that seemed to reproduce, messes on the floor that needed attending to, food to be made and the list goes on. So, I do know where you’re at. I feel your pain.

But I want to encourage you to do something that regrettably, I didn’t do well or consistently, and that was making time for Jesus. Coming to his table and feasting on the beautiful spread he had laid out. I was content sitting on the floor and feeding off the scraps that fell.

No one else’s walk with God, or quotes or devotionals will ever replace God’s presence and experiencing it for yourself.

Yes, it takes sacrifice. It takes a conscious choice to put down something urgent you’re doing, for something more important – sitting at the feet of God, just as Mary did, when there was work to be done. She realised the importance of sitting in his presence.

Luke 10:42 KJV - But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her.

However and whenever you choose to arrange your quiet time is not the issue. The issue and the important part is actually doing it! If it’s only 5 minutes of solitude that you can find in your chaotic day, then so be it. Make wise use of those precious 5 minutes.

A saying that I read many years ago, has always stuck with me and maybe it will now live in your mind too, rent free, as a good reminder:

“Something is better than nothing, and always aim for more”

God knows exactly what season of life you find yourself in and his grace is fathomless. If you can carve out only 5 minutes of focused time to spend in prayer and in his Word, then he will bless that time and multiply it as the seasons change. Don’t give up. Just be faithful. Start small and be consistent. Don’t bite off more than you can chew, or you will fail before you even start. And don’t beat yourself up comparing your spiritual life and walk with others around you. God knows your heart.

If you are doing better spiritually than you were last year, then progress has been made and you need to rejoice! It’s not about me verses you, it’s about you verses you. Are you growing in the Lord? Are you walking closer to him than before? Are you praying and reading more consistently than you were last year? Then celebrate that!

I sit here, and the tears roll down my cheeks as I remember the times I could have spent with the Lord, and I chose not to. The times I spent reading a novel while the girls were asleep, instead of picking up my Bible, even just for 5 minutes.

I have so many regrets from my days as a young mother and wife, there are so many things I wish I could do over. I made so many mistakes and I had so much pride that I only now see in hindsight. God only gives us one life. We don’t have the choice to go back and try again.

But there is beauty and comfort in knowing that God is a loving and forgiving God and his mercies are new every morning.

Lamentations 3:22-23 KJV - It is of the LORD'S mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.

Each day is a new day! Each day is an opportunity to start afresh. God is faithful and he is compassionate. He showers upon us unconditional love every moment of every day and he understands our failings and he expects them. But he also encourages us to come to him in humbleness, and repentance, seeking forgiveness and desiring a heart that longs to seek him wholeheartedly, striving for God-confidence over self-confidence.

Can I encourage you, having walked down the road a bit further than those early days, that your relationship with God is the most important relationship you will ever have. Family and friends will fail you. Relationships will break down. The confidence you have in yourself today may very well be taken from you tomorrow. The only sure thing in life is the Lord Jesus Christ. And the only relationship you can totally trust in and put your confidence in, is in the one you build with him.

The time you spend in God’s Word will never be wasted time. It may mean that some things get left for tomorrow. It may mean the dishes stay in the sink a little longer. It may mean the washing doesn’t get folded right away, but if you are choosing time with God over time with things and to-do lists, then you are choosing the right thing. The one needful thing.

If you’re finding it hard to make time to spend in God’s Word today, then ask him to open your eyes to the moments you’re wasting. The minutes you’re spending doing other things when you could be sitting in his presence. Ask him to show you and then take that first step.

God will give you the times of quiet you need if you have a heart to learn and grow.

Start small. Something is better than nothing.

Be consistent. Have a teachable heart.

 

Watch what God will do!