Faith Walkin’
Faith is not a feeling. It’s an action.
Is there something in your life you really want to change? You dream about it. You buy things that will fix the problem but never get around to using them? Maybe you watch videos, sign up for classes, pray all the prayers, practically beg God to change the situation, and maybe you even promise something if he’ll just provide you with what you need to do it.
Oh my sister-friend, how I can relate. It’s hard to step out in/on faith. Isn’t it?
But that’s just the essence of faith for the believer. Faith, without putting in the work, is dead.
In other words, when we put into practice what we believe, that is faith in action.
A Hovering Spirit About Me
The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep.
And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.
Genesis 1:2
I’ve been drawn to this verse for days now. Mulling it over, pondering its message.
What truly captured my heart are these words: “the spirit of God was hovering…”
Hovering. At first, I thought he was stationary because by its very definition means “to float in the air without moving in any direction.”
But consider how other translations say it… “But the spirit of God was moving over the water.”
Moving. It’s hard to stay still and move at the same time.
Put Your Past In Your Past
Guilt is the glue that holds you to your past. ~Liza Shaw, Therapist
I’m wondering what kind of guilt you are holding onto today? What is it that you cannot seem to let go of? No matter how hard you try, it keeps coming back. Like a boomerang, you throw it upon the Lord but next thing you know, there it is again, eating at you.
I had been clinging to the guilt of what I thought were mistakes and sins. Yet she reminded me of this one important fact:
“When you give it to God, he takes it away right then. Don’t you want that?”
All I Want To Do Is Praise You
I will sing to the Lord as long as I live;
I will sing praise to my God while I have being.
May my meditation be pleasing to him,
for I rejoice in the Lord.
Psalm 104:33-34
As I thought about writing tonight I realized, all I really wanted to do was write a praise poem. All I wanted to do was praise the Lord!
And I wanted you to do the same.
Will you join me? I’ve put on my headphones and I’m searching out songs of praise.
Crawling Into a Hole and Hiding
Her little black face peeked out from under my daughter’s bed. We had been looking for Inky for a couple of hours. It’s hard to find a black kitty in darkened corners and under beds.
Inky and one of our other cats, Scooter, do not get along at all. Well, it’s more that Scooter doesn’t like Inky. In any case, Inky had gone into hiding.
There are times I wish I could be just like Inky and crawl in a hole and hide. I’m sure I’m not alone. Sometimes it seems hiding from the world and from responsibilities of life is the best thing I can do.
While it may be okay for us to go into hiding from time to time, the question is, are we using this time to refuge in the Lord? Or, are we using it as our own protection from the world? One is God focused, one is self-focused.
Captivated by Comfort
What would you do if you were taken from your home, forced to live in a strange land under a tyrannical king and treated horribly for years on end? That would be quite the oppressive situation, wouldn’t it?
In the days of the prophet, Jeremiah, Israel had been taken captive. They no longer lived in their promised land. Jerusalem had been completely destroyed along with the temple. You might be familiar with some of King Nebuchadnezzar’s antics if you know the stories of Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.
And while I don’t have the space or time here to go into their whole ordeal as captives in a strange land, I would like to point you to their triumph of being returned to their promised land.
The Sweet Life
I’m just going to get real with you. At some point while growing up in the church, you’ve heard every sermon you think can be preached. You’ve heard the same verses used over and over with the same lessons and the same teachings. And if I could be even more transparent, searching for the motivation to go to church sometimes feels like I can’t even breathe.
Solomon, the author of Ecclesiastes, laments there is nothing new under the sun. Sometimes the Christian life feels empty, void of that childlike faith, and hard to live.
Then the soul gets dry and thirsty. It wants something new to hang its hat on. Something fresh. Something . . . miraculous to pierce through the wall of monotony.
Just because it feels old, doesn’t mean it can’t be made new.
Eye of the Storm
As for me, I will call upon God, And the Lord shall save me. Evening and morning and at noon
I will pray, and cry aloud, And He shall hear my voice. He has redeemed my soul in peace from the battle that was against me, For there were many against me. Psalm 55:16-18
As Hurricane Dorian bears down on Bermuda, we all watch in fascination at its strength and the damage it leaves behind. We are all waiting to see which way it is going and how it will impact the United States.
As I watch the news, something occurred to me about hurricanes. How calm the eye of the storm is.
Look at the images and you’ll see the winds and rain surrounding it. They are fierce. They are powerful. They do not care what destruction they cause. But in the very center, in the middle, of this massive structure is an hole. And in that hole is sweet, luxurious, peaceful calm.
Lord, Have Mercy
Have mercy on me, O Lord, for I am weak;
O Lord, heal me, for my bones are troubled.
Psalm 6:2
I’ve struggled with whether or not to share this poem. It’s quite personal and a bit more transparent than I feel ready to give. But God urges me to share it. Maybe someone else is feeling the same way?
We know God freely gives His grace and mercy to us. When we confess our sins, He is ready, willing, and able to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. When we repent, our lives are made new again. Over and over.
So why do I feel so unworthy to even ask for His mercy even one more time?
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