Failure to Yield

I got a ticket on my way home from a doctor's appointment today. Written on it were the words, "Failure to Yield." Ironically, it was a police car that I had failed to yield to.  Epic fail... I know.  Even worse was the reason I had failed to yield, I was holding my cell phone to my ear while merging.  After politely accepting the ticket, I drove off, thankful that he hadn't seen me on my cell phone. I kept hearing three words repeating themselves over and over in my head... "failure to yield, failure to yield, failure to yield..." I could tell that the Holy Spirit was leading me to look into this a little deeper when I got home.

Upon arriving home, the first thing I did was look up the definition of the word yield. The first two definitions had to do with farming crops. Then I came across definition #3...

yield: to give up, as to superior power or authority.

The next step for me was to see what God's word has to say about the word "yield."  Like the dictionary, the bible had many references to farming crops that "yield" a harvest. Then I came across Joshua Chapter 24.  Joshua had just rebuked the Israelites for their waywardness from God. They responded by telling him, "We will serve the Lord."

"Now then," said Joshua, "throw away the foreign gods that are among you and yield your hearts to the LORD, the God of Israel." -Joshua 24:23

How can we yield our hearts to God?  Going back to the definition, we should "give up" our hearts to the LORD (who just so happens to be the ultimate superior power and authority.) This can only take place when we are willing to throw away the foreign gods that are among us. Now you may say, "I have no foreign gods."  Just because you do not pray to a statue or a gold figurine does not mean you have no foreign god.  A foreign god is anything other than God whom you worship. It is the "what" or "who" to which you currently yield your heart. What or who do you live for? What or who is your everything? Is it God? If not, it is your idol.

God is the only one who is able to see what is inside of our hearts. He recognizes the difference between a heart that is after him and a heart that worships idols. 

Here are some examples of idols I have lived for in the past that I have had to yield to God:

*boyfriends (relationships before I met my husband.)
*having the perfect body (resulting in bulimia and self obsession)
*material possessions (cars, cosmetics, clothes, neighborhoods, etc.)
*status (I thought I needed certain criteria checked off of a list in order to be happy in life.)

Each of these things, at one point or another, were what I woke up for every morning instead of Jesus. They had completely consumed my thought process. My heart was not the Lord's, but it belonged to other people and/or things. With my mouth I said, "I love you Lord," but my heart told him the truth.  My life yielded no spiritual fruit, only the fruit of living for idols.

I will humbly accept the ticket that I got from the police officer today stating, "Failure to Yield." But I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I heard that same sentence being spoken out of the mouth of my heavenly Father.

"I am the Lord; that is my name! I will not yield my glory to another or my praise to idols." -Isaiah 42:8

Father in heaven,
You alone are worthy of our adoration and praise. Please reveal to us any idols we may have in our lives that we need to throw away so we can genuinely and completely yield our hearts to you. Give us the strength to do it.
In Jesus' name we pray, Amen.

Spiritual Starvation

<sup>Do you ever feel distant from God?  In a way it is like you are spiritually starving, but stuffed full of this world. We neglect the importance of time alone with God's word, prayer, adoration of our Heavenly Father, worship and fellowship with believers. We don't even realize what has happened until we notice that we are not acting like Christ and our attitude is far from that of Jesus.

Jesus compared God's word with physical nourishment.

Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” -Matthew 4:4

When we picture it that way, it becomes easier to understand what happens to our spiritual self when we neglect it of nourishment. For example: How many times a day to you need to eat in order for your body to function properly? Often right? At the very least, you need physical nourishment daily in order to survive. If you begin to starve your body, you will notice it withering away. Your health will deteriorate. You will become weak, unable to handle the stress that everyday life puts on your muscles.

A perfect picture of our spiritual dependency on God is described in Exodus Chapter 16 where we learn about the way that God chose to provide for the physical needs of the Israelites. (If you scroll all the way down, this entire chapter is pasted for you to read underneath this blog.)

This story speaks so powerfully to me as I hope it does you also. Notice how God rained down food from heaven every morning and every evening, but he had one important rule. Only gather enough for today.

Why?

Why do you think he didn't send down a type of food that was easy to preserve so that the Israelites could store it up and eat it for a month at a time? I mean, this must have been a lot of work, going out and gathering it every morning and evening right?

With all of my heart I believe that he wanted them to learn how to depend on him daily.

I can tell you from my own experience that when I don't make time for God's word, prayer & worship music each day, it shows up in my attitude. It is obvious to my family if I am not spiritually full. The great thing about God is that he is always available. As soon as we make the choice to come before his presence, he is already there waiting for us to arrive. He already has a special word for us that will boost our spirit for the day.

Don't let your spirit starve. God has so much to give us each day that will help us face the situations that life brings. The King of the universe desires for us to depend on him consistently. He wants to nourish us often.

How could we turn down such a generous offer from such a loving God?</sup>

Exodus 16

Manna and Quail

16 The whole Israelite community set out from Elim and came to the Desert of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai, on the fifteenth day of the second month after they had come out of Egypt. ² In the desert the whole community grumbled against Moses and Aaron. ³ The Israelites said to them, “If only we had died by the Lord’s hand in Egypt! There we sat around pots of meat and ate all the food we wanted, but you have brought us out into this desert to starve this entire assembly to death.”

⁴ Then the Lord said to Moses, “I will rain down bread from heaven for you. The people are to go out each day and gather enough for that day. In this way I will test them and see whether they will follow my instructions. ⁵ On the sixth day they are to prepare what they bring in, and that is to be twice as much as they gather on the other days.”
⁶ So Moses and Aaron said to all the Israelites, “In the evening you will know that it was the Lord who brought you out of Egypt, ⁷ and in the morning you will see the glory of the Lord, because he has heard your grumbling against him. Who are we, that you should grumble against us?” ⁸ Moses also said, “You will know that it was the Lord when he gives you meat to eat in the evening and all the bread you want in the morning, because he has heard your grumbling against him. Who are we? You are not grumbling against us, but against the Lord.”
⁹ Then Moses told Aaron, “Say to the entire Israelite community, ‘Come before the Lord, for he has heard your grumbling.’”
¹⁰ While Aaron was speaking to the whole Israelite community, they looked toward the desert, and there was the glory of the Lord appearing in the cloud.
¹¹ The Lord said to Moses, ¹² “I have heard the grumbling of the Israelites. Tell them, ‘At twilight you will eat meat, and in the morning you will be filled with bread. Then you will know that I am the Lord your God.’”
¹³ That evening quail came and covered the camp, and in the morning there was a layer of dew around the camp. ¹⁴ When the dew was gone, thin flakes like frost on the ground appeared on the desert floor. ¹⁵ When the Israelites saw it, they said to each other, “What is it?” For they did not know what it was.
Moses said to them, “It is the bread the Lord has given you to eat. ¹⁶ This is what the Lord has commanded: ‘Everyone is to gather as much as they need. Take an omer for each person you have in your tent.’”
¹⁷ The Israelites did as they were told; some gathered much, some little. ¹⁸ And when they measured it by the omer, the one who gathered much did not have too much, and the one who gathered little did not have too little. Everyone had gathered just as much as they needed.
¹⁹ Then Moses said to them, “No one is to keep any of it until morning.”
²⁰ However, some of them paid no attention to Moses; they kept part of it until morning, but it was full of maggots and began to smell. So Moses was angry with them.
²¹ Each morning everyone gathered as much as they needed, and when the sun grew hot, it melted away. ²² On the sixth day, they gathered twice as much—two omers for each person—and the leaders of the community came and reported this to Moses. ²³ He said to them, “This is what the Lord commanded: ‘Tomorrow is to be a day of sabbath rest, a holy sabbath to the Lord. So bake what you want to bake and boil what you want to boil. Save whatever is left and keep it until morning.’”
²⁴ So they saved it until morning, as Moses commanded, and it did not stink or get maggots in it. ²⁵ “Eat it today,” Moses said, “because today is a sabbath to the Lord. You will not find any of it on the ground today. ²⁶ Six days you are to gather it, but on the seventh day, the Sabbath, there will not be any.”
²⁷ Nevertheless, some of the people went out on the seventh day to gather it, but they found none. ²⁸ Then the Lord said to Moses, “How long will you refuse to keep my commands and my instructions? ²⁹ Bear in mind that the Lord has given you the Sabbath; that is why on the sixth day he gives you bread for two days. Everyone is to stay where they are on the seventh day; no one is to go out.” ³⁰ So the people rested on the seventh day.
³¹ The people of Israel called the bread manna. It was white like coriander seed and tasted like wafers made with honey. ³² Moses said, “This is what the Lord has commanded: ‘Take an omer of manna and keep it for the generations to come, so they can see the bread I gave you to eat in the wilderness when I brought you out of Egypt.’”
³³ So Moses said to Aaron, “Take a jar and put an omer of manna in it. Then place it before the Lord to be kept for the generations to come.”
³⁴ As the Lord commanded Moses, Aaron put the manna with the tablets of the covenant law, so that it might be preserved. ³⁵ The Israelites ate manna forty years, until they came to a land that was settled; they ate manna until they reached the border of Canaan.
³⁶ (An omer is one-tenth of an ephah.)

 


  

Sticks and Stones, Rubber and Glue...

"Sticks and Stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me."

"I am rubber, you are glue, what ever you say bounces off of me and sticks to you."

These are some of the biggest lies we learn as children.  The truth is, broken bones heal over time, but words can harm a person for life. On the other hand, the use of positive words can change the course of a life in a positive direction forever.  I don't believe that everyone who hurts people with their words intends to. In fact, I believe that many of us Christians, who intend to display God's love, end up using hurtful words in the heat of a moment in which we act purely in the flesh and we briefly forget about God.

Sadly the most common place where this happens is in our own homes.

I am 3 months pregnant and my hormones are going crazy. I have noticed that especially in this last month, I snap VERY easily. I hear myself lashing out at someone and in the back of my mind I am thinking, "Lindsay, what are you doing?????" The other part of me responds, "I am letting them know the truth, they need to hear it!!!" Then I get it all out, yet, strangely, I don't feel better. I now feel guilty, almost like I am grieving over what I have just done. I feel ashamed of myself as a Christian. I feel embarrassed because God just witnessed my little hissy fit. 

Just to be clear, I don't call names. I strongly disagree with words like, "stupid," "dumb" or anything that could cause a person to believe negative lies about themselves. What I am talking about is the fact that I respond to conflict with a lack of love. I lack patience in my response. I respond with the blunt truth without allowing God to help me filter it through the filter of love.  Some of you may think that I am making too big of a deal out of nothing. You may think being blunt is a good thing and that people need "tough love."

Question:

In the heat of the moment, WHY am I about to lash out?

Common Answer:

 "I was just treated unfairly, now I need to defend myself. This person may go on in life, unaware of the fact that they just offended me, so I better let them know!"

What we are forgetting in the heat of the moment:  

^"Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise,  making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil." -Ephesians 5:15-16

How can we choose to make the most out of this moment? When we lash out, are we making the most out of that opportunity? Or could there possibly be a better way to handle the situation which will bring more glory to Christ and more humility to ourselves?

"Look to the Lord and his strength; seek his face always." -Psalm 105:4

Always? Even right when we want to go off on someone? Yes, "always" means "always."

What happens if we choose to look to God instead of going with what we feel in the heat of the moment?

"Those who look to him are radiant. Their faces are never covered with shame." -Psalm 34:5

No shame afterwards. No regret. We are left with the peace that comes from knowing we did not cause another person harm.

What else does God warn us about, when it comes to our words?

"Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you."
-Ephesians 4:29-32

What should motivate us to obey this teaching? This one will cut to the heart....

^"When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly." 1 Peter 2:23

Our Lord and Savior was offended more unjustly than any offense we will endure in our lifetime. He did not retaliate, but instead, he trusted himself to him who judges justly. Can we model that? Can we remind ourselves in the heat of the moment that Christ chose NOT to retaliate, because he trusted his heavenly Father? We who are in Christ have the same Father.  He is just as trustworthy to us as he was to Jesus Christ when he walked the earth.

When we feel that we have been "put down" we retaliate in an effort to "elevate" ourselves. We want to even the score against our accuser. This is the opposite of what we are taught in scripture.

"Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up." -James 4:10


Father God,
Please forgive me for the times that I have allowed my emotions to take control. Please forgive me for allowing my words to cause harm. Keep me aware of ways that I can make the most out of every opportunity. Help me filter my words with love. Help me to respond with patience. Never let me feel comfortable if my words cause another pain. Always cause me to feel conviction so that I can repent. Show me opportunities to use my words to build people up and encourage. Thank You Lord, for the grace and mercy that you give me through your Son, Jesus Christ. Thank You that he lived the perfect example of godliness so that we have someone to model our lives after.
In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. 

Are you a lukewarm Christian?

What is the point of lukewarm Christianity?

Many people say that they are Christians.  It is not for me or anyone else to say whether or not that is the case. It is something that only God really knows.  Yes, we can see whether or not they are producing the fruit of repentance... but still... it is hard to determine the line between encouraging one another to press on towards Christ and actually becoming judgmental. We are warned in the bible not to judge one another. We are also told to encourage one another to remain free from the entanglement of sin. Many times what it comes down to is whether or not a person WANTS to be held accountable to living a biblically based life, or not.

Some church go-ers are more in love with their imagined view of Jesus than the actual Jesus we read about in the bible.  They like the "feel good" parts of scripture that all have to do with what God can do FOR them.  They don't spend any time studying what God asks of us. They have bought into the idea that to be a Christian, you repeat a prayer one time, attend church services and put some money in the offering bucket.  Sometimes they even feel a little bit guilty about sinning... so they cry, ask for forgiveness, and try really hard for the next 48 hours to refrain from that sin, before giving in again and allowing the cycle to repeat itself over and over. 

Always a victim of sin's side effects, they never truly get to the point where Christ gives them victory over their bondage to sin. This shakes their superficial faith... "Why isn't God doing anything to help me?" they ask. Well.... what God are they referring to? The imagined one that they conjured up in their mind using a verse here and there out of context? The God who they only turn to when an emergency happens? The God who they plan to thank if they have an award speech but not when times are hard?

Many of us need a perspective check. We have either forgotten, or we were never informed, how mighty, holy, powerful, sovereign and unapproachable the glory of God is.  It is impossible for him to be anything less than perfect and holy... which we could never be, therefore, a relationship between himself and us would have been impossible. We are taking for granted the fact that the only way we are able to have the Holy Spirit of God live in wretches like us was through the sacrifice of God's own Son.  We have no idea how huge that is.  We can talk about it without any emotion. It has become casual information to us. It is not even as exciting to us as preparing for Santa Clause to come for our kids on Christmas.

We sin against our own bodies in which the Holy Spirit dwells, expecting that he isn't going to mind, just because we haven't heard from him lately. We don't read the bible because "it's confusing," "it's too long," "it's boring," or "we are too busy." Yet we make time for the things (or idols) that ARE important to us.  Then we want to know why God has not just placed the victory over our addiction to sin in our laps without any effort on our own end. (Crying and feeling bad and asking for forgiveness does not count as effort.)

God always does his part.  When we express genuine faith in Jesus Christ's death, resurrection and Lordship, then ask for his forgiveness (with a heart that yearns to change and a mind with the full intention of doing so) he absolutely does wipe our slate completely clean.  There is nothing you or I can do through our own efforts to earn God's righteousness. Salvation is freely given to us. No one is deserving of it. The moment that we repent and confess Christ as Lord, we are called sons and daughters of God and all of the angels in heaven are rejoicing over us!

The problem, often times, is that we do not understand what it means to be a new creation.  We think we are still the same old person, who will continue to do the same old things, only now, Jesus will come along with us to make us feel good while we go about OUR business.  We don't sit down and identify how we got to the place where we hit rock bottom in our sin.  We don't want to admit that we are weak and we might fall again if we don't set up some boundary lines in our lives.  We pridefully hold onto things that might actually lure us back into a place of bondage and addiction.  Maybe it's because we like those things so much.  Maybe it's because we are afraid of standing out of the crowd and seeming too radical about our walk with Christ.

If that is the case, I will ask it again... What is the point of lukewarm Christianity? What does that do for us?  Is it anything more than a silly, meaningless cycle of being a victim to sin without being willing to walk in the obedience that is required for God to finish the work that he has started in you?

If you want different results than you have been getting, you must do something different than what you have been doing! How about practicing biblical Christianity? The kind that says, "Jesus, you have complete authority in my life.  I know that I will make mistakes along the way, but I commit to do everything within my power to flee from sin or anything that wants to influence me to return to sin. I am choosing to abandon my own will and live my life for the purpose of building your kingdom. I will find my satisfaction in pleasing you. I will trust that your ways are supreme and always better than my ways. I will be obedient when it isn't popular because I know how much you love me. I know that you have a purpose for me.  I am not willing to let the devil deceive me and steal what you have in store for my life."

What would that look like for you? Who will you need to say goodbye to? What habits will need to stop? What social ideals will need to go out the window? Who will you need to stop needing to impress? Who will you need to stop envying? What will you need to say "No More" to? Who will you need to start spending more time with? What will you need to start doing? Who will you need to start sharing Christ with?

I have got to tell you, it is better never to have heard of Christ at all than it is to be a lukewarm Christian. We will be held responsible for the fact that a buffet of truth (God's word) was right in front of us but we didn't feel like eating. We made excuses. We didn't see anyone else eating so we felt too awkward and afraid to dig in. We never made disciples because we never actually even became one. We never followed Christ, we just listened to sermons about him. We heard the word and so deceived ourselves, never actually doing what it says.

Listen, if something is stirring up inside of you, don't ignore it.  I don't care if you have to stand alone.  You better respond to what the Holy Spirit is trying to do inside of you. Lukewarm Christianity can end today. There are so many bible verses that go along with this message but I have to get the kids to bed so I'm gonna leave this as it is for now and publish the verses separately tomorrow. 

For those of you who want more out of your walk with God, you can look up the verses for yourself and study them.  Ask questions! Talk to people about them! Fight to get to the place in your walk with God that you have still never been.  It will be worth it. Your life will finally line up with what the bible says about Christianity.  You will finally experience the power of God working through you. Lives will be changed because you decided to take it to the next level with God. And when you stand before him in all of his brilliance, he will say, "Well done."