Category Archives: Surrender

3 Days to Forgetfulness

The greatest joys and hopes are soon turned into the greatest griefs and fears with those that live by sense only, and not by faith. ~ Matthew Henry

“When Pharaoh’s horses, chariots, and charioteers rushed into the sea, the Lord brought the water crashing down on them. But the people of Israel had walked through the middle of the sea on dry ground! Then Miriam the prophet, Aaron’s sister, took a tambourine and led all the women as they played their tambourines and danced.” Exodus 15:19, 20 NLT.

Victory! The Lord had triumphed over the Egyptians by swallowing them up in the Red Sea. The Israelites had finally been delivered from captivity and they were now FREE. They recuperated a couple of days on the banks of the sea and then Moses began to lead:

“Then Moses led the people of Israel away from the Red Sea, and they moved out into the desert of Shur. They traveled in this desert for three days without finding any water. When they came to the oasis of Marah, the water was too bitter to drink. So they called the place Marah (which means “bitter”).

Then the people complained and turned against Moses. “What are we going to drink?” they demanded.”

Three days. Three days from the time they left the Red Sea until they were complaining. Naturally they were thirsty, they would have likely traveled about 12-15 miles per day and not only did the people need water but so did their livestock.

But hadn’t they just witnessed a supernatural miracle? Had they not just seen the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob part the mighty Red Sea and destroy the enemy when it seemed all hope was lost?

The Bible shares with us a total of 14 different times that the Israelites grumbled and complained. There were likely more than that in 40 years of wilderness wandering but only 14 are recorded.

Check it out!

Moses has caused Pharaoh to make their work more difficult. Exodus 5:1-22
They complain that it was better in Egypt and ask to be left alone. Exodus 14:11-12
They complain about the bitter water at Marah. Exodus 15:22
They complain because they are hungry and are given Manna. Exodus 16:1-4
They are thirsty again! Exodus 17:1-4
They complain that Moses was on Mount Sinai too long and make themselves a golden calf to worship. Exodus 32:28
Griping about the food again. Numbers 11:33
Miriam and Aaron complain that they want to be in charge. Numbers 12:1-12
They complain because it is just too hard. Numbers 14:1-10
They want another leader…again. Numbers 14:10
Korah leads a rebellion to replace Moses. Numbers 16
They accused Moses of causing the death of so many people. Numbers 16:41
No water. (When will they ever learn?) Numbers 20:1-5
They grow impatient with the journey. Numbers 21:4-5

Can we point our finger at the children of Israel when we imitate them so closely?

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How many times do we doubt and worry, fret and wring our hands wondering when and how the difficulties in our lives will work out?

We pray, yes, we pray but we don’t leave it there, we don’t trust and we don’t fully surrender our problems to the Lord.

Just as the children of Israel, we forget what God has done in the past and live only in the moment. If we don’t see the miracle directly in front of us then doubt creeps in, worry takes over and we find ourselves in Complaint Mode because we are walking by SIGHT, not by FAITH.

What can we do?

Remind yourself of His promises by staying in the Word. Remember that if God delivered you once He can do it again and again. If the very hairs on your head are numbered then nothing is impossible with God!

Begin your day in prayer, surrendering your will, your heart and your tongue to Him. Taking the time to communicate with the Creator of the world means everything when it comes to attitude. If we want to emulate Him then we have to spend time with Him. Did you know Jesus isn’t negative? If we strive to be like Him we can get rid of the negativity in our lives.

Fill your day with positive things. As the old adage says, “Garbage in, garbage out” so what we put into our minds is what will flow back out. Think on these things whether it is the books you read, social media sites you visit, movies you watch, or music you listen to.

Surround yourself with positive people. Negative people bring you down and definitely rub off on you. If your circle of friends is known for their gossip, slander and negativity, then you will be known for that too! “Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm.” Proverbs 13:20 ESV.

So if you find yourself facing a situation that seems impossible, remember that you may not be able to control people or events but you can control how you respond. Knowing that Jesus has made a way through the cross, that His name has been applied to your life, that you are a child of the King increases your faith that He will be there the next time and the next. His mercies are new every morning, great is His faithfulness!

Sharing with A Little R & R, Wedded Wednesday, Wholehearted Wednesday, Women with Intention

Does Jesus even care about our New Year’s Resolutions?

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This post contains affiliate links. Read my full disclosure here!

Does Jesus even care about our New Year’s Resolutions? Let’s dive in!

“Let us examine our ways and test them, and let us return to the Lord…” Lamentations 3:40.

It’s resolution time. Res·o·lu·tion

rezəˈlo͞oSH(ə)n/ noun a firm decision to do or not to do something

The making of New Year’s resolutions is said to go way back to the Babylonians. You may remember the people that tried to build the tower to Heaven? They supposedly wanted to start the New Year off right so they made all kinds of promises to each other to earn favor with the gods they served. They would promise to repay debts owed, return things that they had borrowed to their neighbor, lose weight and even vow to be nicer if need be. Well, maybe I added in a few current century resolutions there. Writer’s privilege. (smile)

Over 4,000 years ago, in ancient Babylon, festivals were held to welcome the New Year. The first new moon after the vernal equinox, (that day in March when we have equal amounts of sunlight and darkness) was the signaling of the beginning of the New Year. The Babylonians celebrated with Akitu, a religious festival with eleven different rituals, one for each day.

Around 46 B.C., Julius Caesar decided January 1 was to be the first day of the year, bringing to light the Julian calendar and honoring Janus, the Roman god of beginnings. Janus had two faces; one allowed him to look back to the past and the other to look forward to the future. The Romans would sacrifice to Janus, participate in wild parties and even give one another gifts! (Did you know that Caesar even had to add 90 extra days to the year in order to realign the Roman calendar with the sun?!)

Making resolutions isn’t anything new, the Babylonians hold the patent!

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Living with a sinful nature, one that we are truly born with, we are always trying to be better, do better, look better, talk better, you get the idea. We never feel we are truly good enough. And you know what? We really are not! Look at what the Apostle Paul had to say about it in the Book of Romans:

“And I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. I want to do what is right, but I can’t. I want to do what is good, but I don’t. I don’t want to do what is wrong, but I do it anyway.”

Just as with New Year’s resolutions, it is done with good intention.

We want to…

lose weight
stop smoking
exercise more
take better care of ourselves
save more money
read the Bible all the way through
pay it forward
be nice to our impossible co-worker
take the stairs
have family dinner
de-clutter
make coffee at home
sponsor an orphan
give to missions
go to bed earlier
stop gossiping
call instead of text

And the list goes on and on and on. We may really intend to change but as the saying goes, nine times out of ten, we fail. True, there are self-help books and tons of material to help us through some of those get-healthier, live longer, eat better resolutions but to CHANGE matters of the heart? We cannot do it without God.

Paul speaks of a turn-around when Jesus stopped him cold on the road to Damascus, he explains it in Philippians:

“But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ…”

He says he made a change, he lost all things! He goes on to say he considered them rubbish, the word Σκύβαλον, giving reference to manure, dung. That word is used only one time in the New Testament!

Paul was being quite dramatic when he speaks of laying down EVERYTHING that he might GAIN Christ! He finishes his thought by saying, “…and be found in him not having a righteousness of my own, that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith.” Philippians 3:7-9 NIV.

Not a righteousness of our own, but righteousness from being made right by God and faith in Jesus Christ.

So, there is not anything wrong with having new goals and new aspirations at all. The Bible says to be renewed! “Create in me a clean heart, O God, And renew a steadfast spirit within me.” Psalms 51:10. And taking care of the Body, the Mind and the Spirit are all good things.

When you make a New Year’s resolution this year, consider your priorities and remember the most important thing to change is your commitment to Jesus Christ.

Does He mean everything to you or do you fit Him in where it is convenient?

Do you talk to Him every day or only when you are in need?

Is He first on the list in the morning or an afterthought as you doze off?

If He isn’t Lord of everything then He isn’t Lord at all and that would be the best change you or I could make.

Seems everything else falls into place when we put Him first and that He DOES care about! Tomorrow we will look at Part TWO of this resolution thing and the best scripture I could find to support the tradition. You might be surprised!

What kind of resolutions are you making for the New Year? Do they include fasting and praying more? Of course you need my book, The Daniel Fast, A Devotional! It is available in paperback or Kindle at Amazon.com. Easy-to-read with 21 days of devotions, enough for a three week Daniel Fast or for any type of fast! Also includes Daniel Fast Recipes after each devotion and three days of preparation devotions to explain fasting, why we do it, how we do it, etc. Remember, fasting without prayer is just a diet so fast unto the Lord.

Wishing you the best year yet in 2016. Could this be the year that Jesus Christ returns for His Bride, The Church? Let’s make plans to join Him when He comes.

Sharing with Wake Up Wednesday, Wholehearted Wednesday, Women with Intention, A Little R & R, Sitting among friends

In every season…turn

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It’s #FiveMinuteFriday again and today’s word prompt is TURN. Join me, and others if you like, as we look in a peculiar way at the word Turn.

“You change your life by changing your heart.” ~ Max Lucado

We have just breezed through a gorgeous fall here in Southern Indiana and are rapidly heading toward winter. Some say a catastrophic winter is in the forecast. As difficult as it is predicted to be, soon it too will be over and the first daffodils of the season will be poking their little yellow heads up through the dirt.

Seasons.

Change.

They are both inevitable.

How do we handle those seasons that seem to be so heavy and so disastrous that we can’t even poke our heads up long enough to see the sunlight?

What do we do when all seems lost and every solution seems to be worse than the problem itself?

“And if you faithfully obey the voice of the Lord your God, being careful to do all his commandments that I command you today, the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations of the earth. And all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you, if you obey the voice of the Lord your God. Blessed shall you be in the city, and blessed shall you be in the field. Blessed shall be the fruit of your womb and the fruit of your ground and the fruit of your cattle, the increase of your herds and the young of your flock. Blessed shall be your basket and your kneading bowl.” Deuteronomy 28

Look at Job: Satan had accused God that Job didn’t really love Him for who He was but for what he could get from him. In a moment, everything he ever loved or cared about was gone; stripped away.

Yet, he trusted God and still believed that He was just and that the man who trusted him would be blessed; maybe not financially, but honored of God and taken care of!

In every season, in his most difficult season, Job clung to the hope that God was who He said He was. In the end, Job was rewarded countless times over for his faithfulness.

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

Do we love God in every season?

Do we only love God for what we can get from Him?

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Do we falter when His blessings are taken away and we find ourselves in an unwanted season?

“I have wiped out your transgressions like a thick cloud And your sins like a heavy mist Return to Me, for I have redeemed you.” Isaiah 44:22.

Cling to the promises in the Word of God. Grab hold of them and don’t let go! He will walk you through your difficult season; He will carry you if necessary.

Turn to Jesus. In every season.

Category Archives: Surrender