You 'over-thinking' or 'under-thinking' stuff?

And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him. Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect. (Romans 12:1-2)

When we get honest with God, ourselves, and others, we might just find ourselves expressing some feelings and thoughts that we have kept bottled up for a while. We start to share what we are experiencing - at the 'gut level'. True honesty with God begins with true honesty with ourselves. Until we are willing to be truthful about what we have been feeling or experiencing in life, we will just live truly superficial lives - emotionally, relationally, and spiritually.

Dishonesty with oneself actually creates a pretty negative outcome. We either create a 'false sense of good' by wearing a mask to hide our discouragement and 'issues', or we wallow in our despair and hide away from others. The issue often begins when we don't take the necessary time to 'process' life's challenges. They affect us - all of them - but we somehow figure we don't have the time, don't want to take the time, or just plain find it too difficult to 'process' them right now. That leads to hiding them in one form or another. It is time to get up close and personal with Jesus. Troubled minds only lead to trouble in our actions. 

We might be thinking one thing but masking it with some other set of 'outward emotions' just because we don't want others to know. The problem with that is that we can never hide those things from God. He already knows and he wants to help us move beyond those things that we are 'over-thinking' and even the ones we are 'under-thinking'. We have to begin to train our minds to be honest - it might not come naturally to us. Honesty with God leads to restored or renewed minds. Without it, we find ourselves always facing 'unbearable' stuff. Just sayin!

Another "unsafe" prayer

Are we guilty of praying 'safe' prayers? Prayers that are kind of mamby-pamby at best - working our way AROUND the real need without ever really hitting the nail on the head! These types of prayers are prayed more times each day than we might realize - with some of them coming from our own mouths! Why? "Safe" prayers are easiest because we don't have to 'expose' too much - we can just 'hint' about the need and hope God gets the point.

And when you pray, don’t be like the people who don’t know God. They say the same things again and again. They think that if they say it enough, their god will hear them. Don’t be like them. Your Father knows what you need before you ask him. So this is how you should pray: ‘Our Father in heaven, we pray that your name will always be kept holy. We pray that your kingdom will come—
that what you want will be done here on earth, the same as in heaven. Give us the food we need for today. Forgive our sins, just as we have forgiven those who did wrong to us. Don’t let us be tempted,
but save us from the Evil One.’ (Matthew 6:7-13)

Jesus didn't just tell us to pray, he gave us specific examples of how 'not to pray' and then told us how we should pray. In the opening verses of this chapter, he tells us not to be like the hypocrites that pray those 'big wordy prayers' that really say nothing - just bringing attention to how 'theological' our prayers can be. They don't win us any points with God because he'd rather we get alone and just share our hearts with him.

He also remind us of the importance of knowing God himself - of being in relationship with him - because that is the real reason for prayer - to relate! God knows our need, but we are still to talk with him about it. It is quite possible that in the intimate sharing of our hearts, God is doing the work of purifying our hearts just a little bit more. We don't know if our need is pure or not until we submit it to God himself. In those 'risky moments' of praying 'unsafe' prayers, we are opening ourselves up to what may become the 'best prayers' of our lives!

Notice our passage begins with an expectation - "And WHEN you pray..." There is no option in prayer. It is necessary for two people to talk - to share openly with each other - if they are to grow together. Even deaf and mute people talk! Even blind people use their other senses to explore what they hear. Don't think you can bypass being open with God - it isn't going to allow growth if you just put those 'safe' prayers and never really get to the 'juicy' stuff you are keeping all bottled up inside.

"Safe" prayers are simply prayers that should remain unspoken. They are idle words - empty and devoid of substance. Get specific about your sin and see what God will do with that honesty. Get down to the nitty-gritty about your desires and see how God begins to unfold how he plans to fulfill those desires. Get real in sharing your hurts and see how God's grace can bind up those wounds. It is the 'unsafe' prayers that open the door of God's heart. Just sayin!

Remove that lid

No man for any considerable period can wear one face to himself and another to the multitude, without finally getting bewildered as to which may be the true. (Nathaniel Hawthorne)

Scripture reminds us 'honesty lives confident and carefree', while 'shifty is sure to be exposed'. (Proverbs 10:9) There are lots and lots of us who go through life 'wearing one face' at home and another out in public. Sometimes we don't always know we are doing it, but we find ourselves acting as though life is perfect when deep down in side we are crumbling to pieces. We cannot 'act' before God - he sees behind the scenes and knows when there is nothing more than a cleverly prepared backdrop being portrayed!

There is a confidence that comes when we are first honest with ourselves, then with God, and finally with others. We must come to terms with ourselves before we can actually do this, though. We have to realize we aren't all that we want to be - we get things wrong and we might actually get a little bit right. In general, we are not going to always be consistent - no matter how positive our intent is. There are always going to be times when we don't get it right - when life just doesn't go as planned. In those moments, we can choose to live carefree (in honesty) or we can live a 'caged in' life (in dishonesty).

Most wouldn't think of dishonesty as 'caging us in', but it does simply by all the various stories and facades we must maintain in order to stay within the boundaries of not being totally honest with ourselves, God, or others. I have pans in the kitchen with glass lids. Those lids allow me to see what is going on inside the pan, but if I am not attentive to the objects within the pan, it is possible they may still be damaged by my inattention. Things in our lives can become damaged - not on purpose - but because we haven't allowed or afforded 'directed attention' toward them.

God doesn't have an index finger that he uses to 'point out' our areas of opportunity in life. He might 'direct our attention' to those areas through others, either in something they say, or in how they are reacting to us. Regardless of how we become 'aware' of whatever it is God needs us to focus our attention on for a bit, it is important for us to actually 'remove the lid' so we can see for ourselves what is going on under it! If we aren't willing to 'remove the lid' then we aren't willing to get honest with ourselves. Just sayin!

Invitation NOT accepted

Oscar Wilde once quipped, "I can resist everything except temptation." He may have more telling in his words than we may first want to admit! Temptation can give the lot of us a huge headache - if not for the temptation we pursue, then for those that others pursue that affect us in the end. We don't commonly speak about temptation in our communications today, especially if it will 'meddle' in our personal business. We might admit we are tempted to eat something we should not, or to make a purchase that is probably not the wisest. Temptation is really to be lured into something, so it is more common than we think. It might begin with a little bit of what we call "fascination" with something we really should not indulge in, but then it becomes something that we have to put a great deal of effort into if we are to resist it. Why is it that the simplest "fascination" can have such a big "pull" on us? Simply put, it is because we don't learn to manage the invitation.

No test or temptation that comes your way is beyond the course of what others have had to face. All you need to remember is that God will never let you down; he'll never let you be pushed past your limit; he'll always be there to help you come through it. (I Corinthians 10:13)

We probably all get tons of advertisement each week in the mail. In fact, if it was not for the advertisement, our mail service might just go out of work! The desire behind the ads is to entice us into the various eating establishments, shops, and businesses who create those advertisements. Once they get us into their establishment, or making contact with their company, they hope to "hook us" into buying their product or service - by the offer they promise in their advertisement. You probably have heard it said that nothing is as good as it looks. Over the years, I have come to understand the meaning of those words. I have been "hooked" a few times too many into believing the "lure" of the thing as it was advertised, not as I should have known it would be!

In our daily walk, we have opportunities to both embrace or resist temptation. It could be as simple as saying we won't eat that extra serving of carbs at lunch, or it might be as complicated as resisting the urge to be involved in gossip in the workplace, or resisting the offer of an illicit affair. Regardless of the temptation (the lure), there is a corresponding struggle of the mind and will that ensures. We all probably understand the need for discipline and the need for taking accountability for our actions. Well, dealing with temptation requires accountability - the purposeful behavior that says we take responsibility for our actions.

Instead of blaming those advertisers for misleading me, I need to own up to the fact that I did not do my research well on what was being offered. Instead of blaming another for my behavior, I need to own up to the fact that I am entirely responsible for my response, my investment of energies, and my heart motivation in doing whatever it was that I did! Whenever I blame another for my action, I am denying that a need exists in my life - that need is to be free of the enticement's pull! I might actually want to make another responsible for my behavior - but we probably all know very well that the other person really does not make us behave a certain way. They may elicit a certain response - but WE have the ability to either respond or walk away!

It is always amazing to me whenever I hear someone telling me that I don't know what they are going through. I may not have walked EXACTLY the same steps that other person is walking, but if the truth be known, the steps we all walk are pretty similar. It is an age-old argument that we want to have a unique set of reasons for why we pursue what it is we pursue - like no one else could possibly be dealing with the same stuff we are. If we isolate our temptation as unique to us - we don't reach out to others for aid in resisting it! So, whatever it is that is enticing you to compromise your stand today, just know this....you are not alone! Your enticement is not unique to just you. If you were honest with the other individual that God has placed in your life to walk alongside you, you might just find out how "common" your temptation is! No temptation is greater than God's ability to overcome! In fact, it is already a done deal! Just sayin!

Prayer Worrier or Prayer Warrior

You might think that is a play on words, but it isn't! Many times we enter into our moments of talking with Jesus like intimidated little kids, head hung low, shuffling our feet, and dancing around the truth of what it is we really are there in need of at that very moment. We don't want to 'impose' on God, or maybe 'tick him off' with our constant asking, so we just dance around the subject, grazing on it from time to time. Prayer worriers - those who fret over how to say it, what to say, or in just being honest about what they are feeling - the end is always going to be the same...we won't feel like our time in prayer has accomplished very much! Why? We never really got to the meat of what needed to be shared - and God didn't get a chance to take care of whatever it was that was on our heart in the first place!

If you don’t know what you’re doing, pray to the Father. He loves to help. You’ll get his help, and won’t be condescended to when you ask for it. Ask boldly, believingly, without a second thought. People who “worry their prayers” are like wind-whipped waves. Don’t think you’re going to get anything from the Master that way, adrift at sea, keeping all your options open. (James 1:5 MSG)

Prayer warriors are those who don't mince words with God - they know they don't have to pull their punches. They are as transparent as glass and they don't feel the need to temper their words to 'fit' some type of 'prayer etiquette'. I don't know about you, but when someone comes to me and really opens up their heart to me, I don't care if their sentences are grammatically correct, or even if they got all their thoughts into some 'ordered sequence of ideas'. I just appreciate that they opened up - because I know just how hard it was for them to be that transparent about their feelings and needs! God isn't any different - he knows it is hard for us to sometimes be honest with ourselves, much less him!

There are indeed times we don't have a clue what to ask God for - we just know how we 'feel' or that something isn't quite 'right' in a matter. We might have a notion as to what may be the issue at hand, but there are far more times we have very little information as to the 'true nature' of the matter. We just realize there are needs that go much deeper than we really know and we need his help to get at those needs and get those matters well in hand. This is why we just need to come honestly. There is no harm in admitting to him that we have 'no clue' what we really need, or what will help another individual past their moment of need. We just share what we can and then we allow him to do the rest. He listens to our honesty and then he meets it with his power and grace!

Sometimes we want to 'keep our options open', so we 'propose' to God all the possible scenarios to either the problem or the solution - hoping we might just hit the nail on the head in all this dancing around. The issue with this is that we rarely stop long enough to just listen to him. We get all tangled up in explaining ourselves, or how we see the situation, and we forget to just listen to how it is he actually knows the situation to be! The more we just lay things out there honestly, then stop to listen, instead of laying out all the options or possibilities, we might just find there is a solution we had never considered. The solution may lie more in our honesty than in the volume of words we use to express our need. Just sayin!

The heart of the healer and the mercy of a Savior

Ever hear that saying, "This may be your BIG chance", then thought, "Yeah, maybe this will be THE time"? THE time, THE chance, THE anything is kind of hard to predict - we are really saying it has all been up to chance and it continues to be right up into the present. Our BIGGEST opportunity comes not in the 'chances' we encounter, but in who it is we trust. We can trust the circumstances to bring our reward - like throwing the dice or spinning the wheel on the slots. We can trust in some 'lucky' thing to bring us the reward we hope to receive. Luck is really a two-sided coin - look it up! It refers to the 'force' that either operate 'for' you or 'against' you! I'd much rather be trusting in one that is continually 'for' me!

He asked the boy's father, "How long has this been going on?" "Ever since he was a little boy. Many times it pitches him into fire or the river to do away with him. If you can do anything, do it. Have a heart and help us!" Jesus said, "If? There are no 'ifs' among believers. Anything can happen." No sooner were the words out of his mouth than the father cried, "Then I believe. Help me with my doubts!" (Mark 9:21-24)

Jesus has come into a crowd of people, some onlookers, others simply waiting for their "big chance" to see the Miracle-Worker himself - like lining up to see some famous person.  Some of the disciples had been "working" in the crowd healing the sick, delivering the bound from their imprisonment of mental anguish - but within the crowd there is a certain boy with a diagnosis so debilitating that it has plagued him since he was very young. The disciples just don't "seem to be able to heal" this boy's afflictions.  The crowd is huge - and it is filled with "religious scholars" (likely the Pharisees) who are there simply to "cross-examine" each of those who "get their miracle" - putting them 'on trial' to attempt to disprove what has been done at the hand of the 'great healer'.

Jesus was literally "flocked" by hundreds of onlookers almost everywhere he went.  It was as though he had "groupies" who appeared in whatever region he was traveling.  Many were genuinely hopeful for some type of "touch" from the Miracle-Worker they had heard about and witnessed themselves. They were probably there, not so much because they recognized the one before them as the Messiah, but because he was touching lives and those lives were never the same again - they wanted their 'touch', too.  I have a "label" for people like that - lookee-loos - they are there for the "spectacular" not necessarily for the true heart worship. The father of this boy in the crowd is most desperate to get his boy some attention - his boy had a significant need that moved this father into significant action.  We are not sure from what is recorded if the father actually believed in Jesus' authority as the Messiah, or if he had just joined the crowds in hopeful anticipation that there might be a miracle for his son.  What we do know is that we see Jesus in conversation with the father about the disease and horrifying debility of his son.  Look at the desperate plea of this father: "If you can do anything for us....DO IT!"  

His pleas do not fall on deaf ears or an unmoved heart - Jesus turns to the father with the heart of the healer and the mercy of the Savior.  In what appears to almost be a small "chastisement" of the father's desperate plea, we see Jesus saying: "IF....what do you mean IF?"  Jesus is about to reveal to this man, and the crowd, that God desires, even yearns, to hear the desperation of our heart.  There is something "connective" about sharing at that level of honesty - it is likely what got this father and son noticed by Jesus that day.  Jesus wanted to clarify this father's faith - that is the purpose of his specific words directed at this father. When Jesus confronts our doubts, fears, or frustrations head on, his words build our faith.  Look at the change of faith that comes as Jesus confronts the father:  "Help me with my doubts!"  There is nothing more powerful in the hands of Jesus than being honest about our doubts.  His desire is to move us into fullness of faith, not keep us in the depression of doubts.  Just as certainly as Jesus changed the father's perspective on his son's situation, Jesus can change the perspective we have about ours.  It is done in that one moment of the truthful sharing of our desperation.

The words of Jesus are powerful - ANYTHING CAN HAPPEN!  In the hands of Jesus, all things are possible.  What we see as the most impossible challenges are nothing more than a speck of sand on the seashore of impossibilities Jesus is more than powerful to overcome.  We need only be in the right place - in the presence of Jesus.  We need only be in the right frame of mind and heart - desperate to have our faith grow and willing to be honest about our desperation.  Then....ANYTHING can happen. What we see as impossible takes on a different perspective when Jesus helps us deal with our "IFs". The world has no solutions for our "IFs" - only Jesus does! Just sayin!

Truly honorable

The man who tries to be good, loving, and kind finds life, righteousness, and honor. 

(Proverbs 21:21 TLB)

How does one live in a manner that expresses the goodness of God? This is probably one of the hardest questions for us to answer in life because goodness, true goodness, often evades the human mind and heart. "Good" expresses the meaning of moral excellence - virtue taken to the 'nth' degree. This is why it is sometimes hard for us to truly grasp this type of behavior - because it is motivated in a heart not corrupted in any manner by sin - or with a sin nature at the core of all its actions. Indeed, we need an exchanged heart, for ours is incapable of this type of 'moral excellence' or goodness.

A loving and kind disposition is what stems from this goodness of heart. Honestly, if we struggle at times to act in a way that expresses the love of Christ, it is probably that we haven't connected in some time with the heart of Christ! We need more time getting to know him, being renewed by his Spirit, and taking in little bits and pieces of his person into us so that we are molded and fashioned by that character into morally strong and confident beings.

Life, righteousness, and honor - the three byproducts of seeking this moral goodness in every fiber of our being. Life comes because we are disconnected from a decaying life source and reconnected to the source of eternal and vibrant life. Righteousness because we begin to see the sin nature stripped away until what is left is right and true. We see an exchange of what appealed to our sinful desires - because our desires begin to change the more we find ourselves spending time with Jesus.

Honor seems oddly placed in this list of character traits because we often see this as belonging to God himself and not us. Did you realize the primary definition of honor is honesty, fairness, or integrity in one's beliefs or actions? In other words, get the mind and heart of Christ into the fibers of your being and what emerges is a total "connection" between our actions and that heart of Christ. There is a congruity of character! One that is worthy of being called "honorable". Just sayin!

Be not the hypocrite

"Vitality shows in not only the ability to persist but the ability to start over." (F. Scott Fitzgerald)  Many times we focus on whether we have what it takes it to make it to the finish line when all the while what we are probably more likely to need is a fresh start!  Mom has a plant on the patio she has been watering faithfully, taking good care of, but recently it began to show us it was not too happy with something - the environment, the heat, or maybe even the pot.  Even a little bit of fertilizer added to the water didn't seem to perk it up.  Last night I had to ask her if she was willing to let it go.  Nope....she wants to see if it can be nursed back to vibrant life once again.  There are probably lots of things which could replace that withered and anemic looking plant right now, but she won't let go of it.  I don't think it has what it takes to come back to the life it once had, so I am more inclined to just start over with the pot and go for something more vibrant and colorful.  What we hold onto the hardest may be the very thing we have to let go of in order to get a fresh start, though!

Therefore, if anyone is united with the Anointed One, that person is a new creation. The old life is gone—and see—a new life has begun!  All of this is a gift from our Creator God, who has pursued us and brought us into a restored and healthy relationship with Him through the Anointed. And He has given us the same mission, the ministry of reconciliation, to bring others back to Him.  It is central to our good news that God was in the Anointed making things right between Himself and the world. This means He does not hold their sins against them. But it also means He charges us to proclaim the message that heals and restores our broken relationships with God and each other.  (2 Corinthians 5:17-19 VOICE)

If we have been united with Christ, we can be confident of this one thing - we are being made new.  We are no longer the old man or woman we used to be - although we may look the same on the outside, the inside has been and is continuing to be made new.  New life begins where the ground has been prepared for it.  The work of preparing the ground belongs to God himself - the work of tending that ground begins with him and it includes each of us.  We actually become "ground-tenders" in the lives of those around us - not acting as their conscience or telling them what to do/not do - but through prayer, living as positive examples, helping with choices when they seek help, etc.  We are called to be engaged in this work of reconciling each heart to God.  It isn't our mission to "get them to Jesus", but it may be our mission to help maintain them!  God is in the work of pursuing lives - he is the one going after the heart, mind and soul of man.  We are his instruments of showing others what it means to live out this work of grace. We are living "testaments" of his grace.

There are times I think we believe "proclaiming" a message means we stand on the street corner with large signs and shout out to the ones passing us by that they "need Jesus" and their world won't be right until they find him.  This may be very true, but a message delivered in this manner rarely "hits home" in the hearts of the passerby.  What speaks volumes is this vitality and vibrancy they see within us as we live out the "regular stuff" of everyday life.  Occasionally I am asked what it is that seems to keep me afloat when so much seems to not be going as I had planned.  I might not always respond with a scripture verse, or some "saintly" explanation as to my "motivating force" within.  In fact, there are times when I just plain don't know what it is within me that keeps me going, but I trust it is the Spirit of God, living and breathing within me, helping me put one foot in front of the other until I reach the "other side" of the mess I am in.  There are also times I have to admit it is my persistent and self-centered pride that has held me up in the midst of what really should not continue in action in my life!

It is probably the hardest thing to admit one's pride is the thing keeping them going, but I honestly don't want anyone to confuse the power of Jesus and his grace within me as the motivating force for some of the stuff I do which I probably would do better just letting go of in the first place!  The fact we "persist" doesn't always mean we are moving in the right direction.  Just because we have said YES to Jesus and have his Spirit resident within us doesn't mean all the steps we are taking in a forward direction are going to produce life in the end.  Some of them will still end up being a little lifeless and fall short of anything we might label as "vibrant" in the end.  It is my willingness to admit when I have taken a wrong path which often speaks volumes about where it is I have centered my life.  At that moment, I was centered on what seemed right to me - when I finally let down my prideful exterior mask, one would soon see that there is nothing more important to me than me taking the path God shows me - not the one I may have forged in my pridefulness.

Vibrancy simply means we see signs of life.  Not all signs of life mean the growth is good, though.  I have some pretty vibrant weeds in my gardens and some pretty stubborn grass that grows in places far outside the confines of the lawn!  God calls for us to be honest with ourselves first, then honest with others next.  In that moment of honesty about where we have been and where we realized we needed to be going, we almost give a breath of fresh air to a soul hungry for hope themselves.  Admitting we were traveling a wrong path isn't going to make us appear weak, but will actually bespeak the strength that comes from within us because the person of grace indwells us.  The world needs this reality more than it needs "super-star" images of the "perfect Christian".  It needs real people, walking through real stuff, dealing with totally "anemic" obedience.  In this image of what God can do in the life of an open heart and submitted will, others can find hope for the "redo" they may need in their own life, as well.  Just sayin!

Honesty and Humility - hand in hand

Blessing in life is a matter of choice.  Choice is a matter of considering our options and then selecting the one which comes the closest to what we hoped to accomplish or obtain.  Sometimes the thing we "settle on" as a matter of choice is not the "exact" thing we hoped for, but it is close enough to meet our expectations.  Our action or behavior determines the course of our lives - this course goes a long way in determining the blessing or curse we experience in the journey.  It is important to remember that every wrong choice comes with a way of escape - either before we make the choice, or once we realize we are traveling down the wrong path, we turn around.  The point at which we experience the "escape" is important - most of us would rather not make the wrong choices and suffer even one-tenth of the consequences of those choices.  We'd like to consistently make the best choices - experiencing the full one-hundred percent blessing!

The integrity of the honest keeps them on track; the deviousness of crooks brings them to ruin...  Moral character makes for smooth traveling; an evil life is a hard life.  Good character is the best insurance; crooks get trapped in their sinful lust...  A good person is saved from much trouble; a bad person runs straight into it.  
(Proverbs 11:3, 5-6, 8 MSG)

Honesty and humility are two choices we shall consider this morning.  Both are very specific choices, for neither allows for much "liberality" in our definition.  We either are honest or we are not.  We either exhibit true humility or we do not.  There isn't much middle ground with these two choices, for anything less than 100% honesty is a lie and something less than pure humility is a farce.

- Honesty in relationships seems to be one of the things God puts a lot of emphasis on in scripture.  It begins with honesty with him, but it carries into all the other relationships we experience in life.  Honesty is not only a choice in relationship with others, but it is also a choice in evaluating ourselves. God's character demands honesty because it is how he operates - openly, above board, and with integrity.  Two things God expects of us in relationship: be straight-forward with each other, and be truthfully fair.  God leads by example here - telling us like it is, and not showing partiality to any man.  

Let me speak about dishonesty a little for a moment.  Dishonesty in relationship actually is a breeding ground for all kinds of issues, but probably one of the most damaging is this idea of creating "false hopes".  When we are dishonest with others, we actually build upon a basis of "false hopes" - almost creating an atmosphere where one or the other will someday find their hopes totally unfounded.  Whenever we cannot be "above board" in our relationships, we find the things which don't get shared are probably a little more important the things which do get shared.  Dishonesty is often revealed in NOT being truthful - not so much in what is said, but in what is left unsaid.  

God is looking for us to be "real" people.  He wants our lives to be based in "reality" - not in some trumped up hope in the by-and-by which never comes to fruition.  "Reality" involves being "reputable" - able to be counted on, always consistent in our dealings.  Honesty breeds assurances - because we know where we stand and what we struggle with.  This makes a man or woman credible - trustworthy.  In turn, this makes a person respectable - there is something within their character which points to these attributes we find give a solid foundation within relationship.  

- Humility is a life choice in all relationships and is essential in evaluating direction and outcome in life.  First, God expects for us to defer to his plans for our lives and not be so doggone independent in our choices.  He asks this for a reason - because we don't do such a good job staying within the boundaries of safety within our lives.  Boundaries kind of threaten an "independent" spirit.  For the one who has placed their trust in the faithfulness of God, boundaries are less of a threat because we trust in the one who sets them for us.  Humble individuals realize the "independence" of free choice is not always the safest way to make choices!

As we look at humility, we must examine the opposite - arrogance.  There is just no room for arrogance in our relationships - it damages them, pushes others away, and it keeps us from being totally honest with others and our selves.  If you have ever struggled with even a smidgen of pride in your life, you know how much this pushes a wedge between you and others.  Pride is more than feeling good about an accomplishment - it is the demand of our inner nature to get noticed for the accomplishment, thought about a little more highly than others, etc.  Arrogance always puts the focus on how the situation impacts self, not the other guy.

Maybe this is why God warns us so frequently about the dangers of pride.  In the most literal sense, arrogance puts us at a disadvantage for maintaining relationship because it is rather over-bearing.  Pride has a way of catching people up in its path - but sometimes it always has a way of dashing them as quickly to the ground.  Why?  Pride goes before a fall - isn't this what scripture teaches.  Get all caught up in arrogant behavior in any relationship and that relationship is headed for a little turbulence.  

Honest dealings, consistently deferring to God's plans, and openly displaying the grace and love of Jesus in your lives is a much safer foundation upon which we build, is it not?  At best, all other choices only yield temporary gains.  The "permanent" gains in life are because we have dealt honestly and we live humbly.  Trust in any other plan than God's will result in a rocky path, easy stumbling, and a lot of bunged up knees!  The righteous can escape the falls because God is there not just to remove the obstacles from the path, but to catch us when we begin to stumble.  As I mentioned earlier, escape comes at various points in our walk - sometimes at the very beginning before we make the first misstep, other times just short of a full fall.  Just sayin!

Honesty opens doors to healing

Wise words come from people of understanding.  People of understanding are able to speak of a situation in a completely different manner because they grasp the meaning of the situation.  The fool just cannot get the same grasp on the circumstances of life - they might babble on a lot, but the things they speak really don't bring clarity, or shed much light on the matter.  A fool cannot size up the situation because a fool seldom learns from his past experiences.  As if to point out the difference between the fool and the wise, the writer of Proverbs pens these words:  The road to life is a disciplined life; ignore correction and you’re lost for good. (10:17 MSG)  In order to walk in the pathway of life, we must accept discipline (correction).  The fool has a hard time with this - so they repeat the mistakes they've made over and over again.  If we want to live "rich" lives, we need to embrace discipline - for discipline is the road to true "richness".

God's blessing makes life rich; nothing we do can improve on God. (Proverbs 10:22 MSG)

If you haven't guessed it by now, I think God really looks for people to be honest, not necessarily perfect.  I think we get this a little messed up on occasion - thinking God expects our perfection.  The fool has a hard time being honest - making an honest appraisal of his actions, openly admitting his failures, being transparent about where he struggles the most.  The wise find the means to growth to be this life of transparency.  Honest appraisal of where you are, what keeps you struggling, and what you find you have the least control over in your own life is the beginning of learning.  We cannot learn when we don't recognize our "ignorance".  Honesty is the doorway to wisdom.

I think there are some things God expects in his relationship with is kids - these aren't optional - they are the basis of good relationships.  These principles certainly apply to our relationship with Christ, but they also apply in each and every relationship we have in life.

- There is no room for hidden hatred.  When we bury our disdain, trying desperately to hide our loathing of a person or thing, we just bury it - it never really gets dealt with.  When we bury stuff, it leads to anger, bitterness, and division in relationships.  God knows we struggle with certain things - liking some things we would do well to turn our backs on and turning away from other things because they are just too hard to deal with or we just feel so repulsed by them.  When we refuse to bury the stuff which is too hard to deal with, we open ourselves up for the opportunity to learn what it will take to get past it.  When we will not accept constantly embracing the wrong stuff, we get to a place where we begin to desire different outcomes in our lives.  This is the value of honesty in relationship - it keeps the stuff above the surface, until it is dealt with in the manner which will resolve the conflict we feel in the first place.  When the conflict is settled - through honest and open discussion with the one who can resolve it - we all maintain health in our relationships.

- There is no room for slander.   Slander fosters further sin because loose lips really do sink ships (relation-ships).  Slander is any untruth which misrepresents the facts.  I think we have lots of this in relationships - even our relationship with God.  We don't want to be honest - because honest words can sometimes bite a little - so we tell the white lies.  Trust me, there are no white lies - a lie is a lie.  Anytime we settle for an untruth, we allow the facts to be distorted.  God is a God of the facts - he tells us like it is and he expects the same from us.  Since he knows the truth, we'd do well to just own up to the truth in the first place.  There is no need to cover up - slander just damages the reputation of the one who is being lied about.  When we lie about ourselves as we speak to God, we are only hurting ourselves.  If we make it a point to be open, above board with him, we will not engage in this dangerous habit of "masking" our reputation with lies.

- There is room for words which refresh and are reflective.  Sometimes we have no problem pointing out our faults to God, but we don't always allow him to speak back into our lives the words of refreshing he so eagerly desires to speak.  We can become too negative in our focus on occasion.  If we tend to go this route often enough, our tendency is to see our relationship with God as "never stacking up".  It is tough to have real freedom of sharing in a relationship where we always feel we have nothing to offer.  Words of reflection are like sweet honey - they pour over us, sticking to us, almost leaving a "residue" of having been touched by them.  This is how God works - he likes to leave little bits of himself in our lives after each encounter with is presence.  Words which refresh and are reflective are often his means of doing just this - so don't cut him off when he speaks - those words matter!

The blessing of the Lord makes a person rich and adds richness to the relationship - there is no room for sorrow or shame where there is a blessing. We need to remember the awesome potential we have in relationship with the one who loves us so deeply so as to bless us with each encounter.  Just sayin!

Honesty of Soul

³ God won't starve an honest soul,
   but he frustrates the appetites of the wicked. 

(Proverbs 10:3)

The book of Proverbs was written by Solomon to his sons.  He desired nothing more than to have his sons know the truths God had taught him over the course of his life.  Throughout the book, he writes about various relationship issues, how to be a good spouse, what value words have, and how not to live your life as a fool.  The instructions of a father to his sons - how fortunate that we can benefit from the lessons of a life of such a wise man.  

God won't starve an honest soul - the thought provokes us to consider what it is to "starve".  What is it that Solomon could have been referring to when he spoke of the "starvation" of a soul?  First, let me say that starvation is more than the effects of a lack of food in the natural sense.  There are many forms of starvation - emotional, spiritual, intellectual, etc.  I think we'd do well to consider the idea of starvation in light of the spiritual sense.  

God does not let his kids suffer from spiritual poverty or need.  He delights in meeting the needs of our hungry souls and the desires of our seeking hearts.  God does not delight in seeing us crave more of him and then sit back while we "suffer" through that craving.  In fact, it is that craving that he rewards - he immediately moves to see that craving fulfilled.  The fulfillment of the craving for more of God's love, his grace, or his character created within us moves his heart into action.  

God won't starve an honest soul - the thought of an "honest soul" gives us some indication that there may be times when we "play games" with God about the desires of our soul.  I know this to be true in my life, so I am pretty well convinced that others play these "games" spiritually, as well.  Let me just say that we often "say" we want more of God in our lives - but the intention of seeing that fulfilled is really not there.  We half-way commit, by our own will-power, hoping to make some change in our lives that we see as making it possible for us to realize more of God's grace in our lives.

The fact is that we cannot do anything to "make God" move in our lives.  What God responds to is the honesty of our need.  He responds to sincerity - not manipulative attempts to get him to do anything.  Sometimes we think we can manipulate God to do what it is that we desire.  Let me assure you that God is not moved by our manipulation - he is only moved by our honest estimation of our need and our sincere cries for more of him.

He frustrates the appetites of the wicked - we often wonder why we experience frustrations in our spiritual life.  We might do well to examine our motives in approaching God with what we present as our "needs".  He might be waiting until we are truly honest with him - in the meantime, we experience the frustration of waiting for his answer that seems to be delayed in coming our way.  I am not saying we are "WICKED" in our approach to God, but we are not being honest about the intentions of our heart, mind, will, and emotions.

God's delays create much frustration for us.  Sometimes his delays are our doing.  He is waiting for us to come to a place of honesty with him.  At other times, he knows that the answer needs to be delayed simply because our heart, mind, will, and emotions are not prepared to receive what he has for us.  Regardless of the delay, we experience frustration.  That is a response to us perceiving that God is delaying something that we think we need, or that he is simply not listening.  The fact is....he always hears!  He may delay simply because we need the time!

So, let's learn to be honest with God in our needs.  Come straight out and let him know where we are sensing our need.  He will clarify if that need has a deeper source.  We need to trust him to respond to our honesty.  I know we may find that foreign in our relationships - but with him, it is a pre-requisite to having our needs met!

Hey, God! I messed up again!

 ^11-14 God answered the People of Israel: "When the Egyptians, Amorites, Ammonites, Philistines, Sidonians—even Amalek and Midian!—oppressed you and you cried out to me for help, I saved you from them. And now you've gone off and betrayed me, worshiping other gods. I'm not saving you anymore. Go ahead! Cry out for help to the gods you've chosen—let them get you out of the mess you're in!"  ¹⁵ The People of Israel said to God: "We've sinned. Do to us whatever you think best, but please, get us out of this!"  ¹⁶ Then they cleaned house of the foreign gods and worshiped only God. And God took Israel's troubles to heart.

(Judges 10:11-14)

A lot has happened in a few short chapters.  Gideon defeated the Midianites by doing things God's way.  The people are at peace in the land during his lifetime. The final verses that sum up his life are that he had lots of wives, fathering him many sons.  He leaves about 70 sons - all would be killed by Abimelech (his son by a concubine) - except for one (Jotham).  Abimelech would rise to power in Israel, not because of God's anointing on his life, but because of Abimelech's ambition and desire for power.  Israel would not live at peace - instead they'd go into servitude to the surrounding nations.  Then the scales would turn once more - Abimelech being mortally wounded by a woman - then ultimately thrust through with a sword by his own armor-bearer at his request.

The words that keep coming through the pages of these recorded events in the history of Israel are quite clear - peaceful existence while in service to God, indentured servitude while away from God because of their sinful indulgences in idol worship.  A couple other judges came up before the words in our passage above were recorded.  They really don't have much recorded about their "rule" in Israel.  Tola and Jair were pretty much ordinary guys, taking on the role of "ruler" or "judge" in Israel for a period of 23 and 22 years respectively.  Then the people are calling out to God!

Ever find yourself in that place of getting exactly what you deserved by your disobedience and then calling out to God for deliverance?  That is exactly where Israel was!  I think they were surprised by God's answer though!  He is expressing the heart of a frustrated and disappointed Father.  That gives me a little encouragement that God experiences emotions similar to mine!  He basically tells them, "You've made your bed, now sleep in it!"  How many times did I say that to my own kids?  Or at least think it?  

The people he had redeemed from their slavery over and over again were once again pursuing their own way and finding that it was not all they hoped for.  That is the way it is with sin!  It entices us through the promise of something good, then engulfs us with the reality of something pretty bad!  In the hopes of enjoying what was offered, we get trapped by what we least expected!  Isn't that how the mouse ends up in the trap?  The promise of the cheese outweighs all rational thought about the device that seeks to entrap him!

The words that precede our verses today are simple:  "Israel was in a bad way."  Unfortunately, the pursuit of their own way ended up leaving them in a "bad way".  Now, they do what they had always done - they cry out to God for help!  No wonder God responds the way he does!  He simply is stating the obvious!  His point is quite clear - you don't want anything to do with me UNTIL you hit the wall!  That is a sad statement of fact, but truth they needed to hear.  The loving heart of a dedicated parent is not afraid to tell his children exactly what they need to hear!

One thing I have learned about God - he is direct!  He doesn't mince his words!  If I get off-base in my life - he lets me know it - plain and simple!  All God looks for when he is this straight-forward with his kids is that they will respond to him in a positive way.  That is what we see Israel doing - they own up to their sin (yep, do to us what you think we deserve, Dad) and then they took the steps to clean up their act!  They cleansed the houses of worship and got back to doing things God's way.  

If we don't get anything more from the Book of Judges than the simple fact that God is all about restoration, then we have learned a valuable lesson.  But...I think there are more lessons:

- He desires obedience and when he doesn't see it, he will encounter us!

- He rewards obedience with his presence, power, and provision!

- He delights in being given the place of honor in our hearts that belongs just to him!

- When we go astray, doing our own thing, this disappoints him!

- When we recognize that we have strayed, he is there to deliver, but his words may "cut to the quick" of our condition!

- He is honest with us because it is in that honesty that we come face-to-face with the reality of what has proven to be a "snagging" influence in our lives that drew us away from obedient pursuit of God in the first place.

The list goes on, but these are just a highlight.  God is imminently more patient than I am - and I thank him daily for that patience!  His eye is never off us - even when we are engaging in sinful behavior.  His grace is never far from us - we only need to acknowledge our sin.  Glory!

Sermon Lessons: Contentment

 ⁵"You're blessed when you're content with just who you are—no more, no less. That's the moment you find yourselves proud owners of everything that can't be bought."

(Matthew 5:5)

^13-16Do you want to be counted wise, to build a reputation for wisdom? Here's what you do: Live well, live wisely, live humbly. It's the way you live, not the way you talk, that counts. Mean-spirited ambition isn't wisdom. Boasting that you are wise isn't wisdom. Twisting the truth to make yourselves sound wise isn't wisdom. It's the furthest thing from wisdom—it's animal cunning, devilish conniving. Whenever you're trying to look better than others or get the better of others, things fall apart and everyone ends up at the others' throats.

(James 3:13-16)

Contentment is a lost art!  We live in a world of discontent.  We cannot balance our national or state budget because we cannot come to agreement on how to do it.   We find fault with our neighbors - just because they drive different vehicles, don't have a lawn service, or just simply are a different nationality.  We are always trying to outdo each other - simply because not being the "winner" makes us the "loser".  Where did we ever get this messed up?!?

The greatest discontent we have to deal with is the tendency we have to not be content with who WE are. There is too much gray in our hair - so we rush to color it or pluck it out.  The mid-section has too much "beef" - so we buy the "love handle" exercise widget of the hour.  The clothes we just bought three months ago are already classified as "out of style" - so we send them off to the thrift store while we rush to the department stores to buy the latest in fashion.  All the while, we neglect the biggest thing that brings contentment in life - being happy with who and what we are!

Yes, my mid-section could use a little work and I am not up-to-date on my wardrobe selections.  My hair is almost not recognizably brunette any longer.  But...I am who I am!  No more, no less.  There is nothing I can do that will change that!  I can make myself "look" better - but it is the "inside" that counts!  We have lost sight of the fact that inner character is the true measure of a man or a woman.  This is something we'd do well to relearn!

When I look at my neighbors, I see a single mother who is doing the hard job of raising four children on her own.  I see a single man, enjoying the reward of time at the lake in his fishing boat after a long week at work.  I see a mother raising her Down's Syndrome child compassionately and with such deep dedication.  Look around you - if you really begin to look through the eyes of Jesus, there is so much in your world that really begins to stand out as both commendable and valuable.  It is not the "things" - it is the people!

We are all "what we are".  No more, no less.  When we come to that realization, we are liberated to begin to live "just as God made us".  With all the quirks and nuances of our character.  We stop judging others for what they have, how they act, or what they say.  We start seeing others as gifts in our lives - someone placed there for this moment in time.

The idea of contentment is being satisfied with what or who we are - not wanting anything else.  It is coming to a place of satisfaction - knowing that we are "perfect" in God's eyes.  Yes, he encourages us to keep our bodies in shape - but he doesn't want us to make our bodies our gods.  Yes, he desires for us to have things that will make life easier - but he doesn't want us to elevate those things to a level of importance that exceeds his in our life.  What we "are" first and foremost is children of God - direct heirs of his grace and his love!  

No more, no less!

Edit away

^1-6 God, investigate my life; get all the facts firsthand.  I'm an open book to you; even from a distance, you know what I'm thinking.  You know when I leave and when I get back; I'm never out of your sight.  You know everything I'm going to say before I start the first sentence.  I look behind me and you're there, then up ahead and you're there, too—your reassuring presence, coming and going.  This is too much, too wonderful—I can't take it all in! 

(Psalm 139:1-6)

Without reservation, most of us would admit that there are "chapters" in our lives that we'd like no one to read.  We have some failures we'd rather no one really knew about, dreams that seem kind of silly when considered by others, and problems with memories that we just cannot seem to let loose of no matter how hard we try.  These "pages" of our lives are inscribed through the passage of time and the events of the days gone by.  David does what most people don't have the guts to do - he invites God to investigate his life - to read those "hidden chapters" like they were an open book.  He is not wanting God to get second-hand knowledge of his actions, attitudes, or attributes - he wants it to be first-hand.  

Learning to live life as an "open book" is scary.  As long as the less desirable "chapters" of our lives can be "edited out", we are okay with letting others "read us".  We'd like the "editing" rights to our lives - but that is not our job!  At best, we are second-rate writers - so how do we expect to be first-rate editors?  There is only one editor that will do the job right the first time - that is Jesus Christ.

Why is it that we resist the "editing" work of Christ in our lives?  It could be because we have some element of shame attached to those hidden chapters - having done things we are not at all proud of now.  It could be that we have secret aspirations that we have held for years, all the while too fearful to share them because we have listened to the lies of others that tell us that we will never amount to much.  Or still, it could be that we just don't think we've done well in the "writing" of our lives and we don't believe there is much contained in the "chapters" that anyone would benefit from "reading".

Here's the honest truth - your life is filled with things that bring you shame, but Christ has the ability and desire to edit those pages so the shame is no longer there.  Your life's dreams matter and Christ desires to make dreams a reality.  Your life may not be monumental in the eyes of others, but in his sight, it is magnificent.  

Learning to live life as an open book is indeed difficult, but it is equally as rewarding.  Isn't it time to allow the "editing" work of the hand of Christ in your life?

A Principled Life

³ The integrity of the honest keeps them on track; the deviousness of crooks brings them to ruin.  ⁴ A thick bankroll is no help when life falls apart,
   but a principled life can stand up to the worst.  ⁵ Moral character makes for smooth traveling; an evil life is a hard life.  ⁶ Good character is the best insurance; crooks get trapped in their sinful lust. 

(Proverbs 11:3-6)

A "principled" life can stand up to the worst life throws at it.  Principles acts as our "rudder" - giving us the guidance for right conduct.  They give us the fundamental truths by which we make our decisions.  Solomon tells us that a life that is governed by the right principles will withstand the toughest conflicts and disappointments in life.  To that he offers moral character and integrity as companions of "principles" - each bringing the balance we need to "stay the course" when the worst is upon us.

Over and over again, Solomon has emphasized the importance of developing wisdom and understanding.  To these, he adds that foundational principles need to be built into the fiber of our being so that our choices are consistent and upright.  Solomon has seen the struggle that man faces with overcoming pride and embracing humility - one leading to honor from our heavenly Father, the other our own disgrace.  He has recognized that honesty must be our guiding action in our affairs of life - otherwise our end will be ruin.

To these "principles", Solomon added:

• Silence - learning when no answer is better than any other answer we can bring into a situation.  There is much wisdom in learning when our mouths will betray us with words that sting or belittle.  It is best to never utter a word than to allow words to be spoken that bring another down.  To this, we have the reminder about the destructiveness of gossip - words best left unspoken and unheard.
• Submission - learning to accept the wisdom of counsel (those who have gone before us in learning the lessons of life).  There is safety in wise counsel - learning to trust in that counsel is quite another thing.  It is a struggle of "will" to learn to seek out wise counsel instead of plunging ahead in our own self-will and self-determination.
• Sensitivity - coming into an awareness of our surroundings, those we are with, or the impact our words and actions make on others.  The principled man or woman has learned to use their beauty wisely and modestly.  The needs of others are foremost in their thoughts.  The example that is set is one of integrity.
• Service - the freedom to extend oneself in an openness of heart that betters the life of another and provides a positive example of the heart of God to those around us.  Sacrifice and service go hand-in-hand.  The heart of a servant is moved by the needs of those around them - they need not look far to see where their service is best used.

A principled life is both continually refreshed and rewarded.  There is an unending supply of all we need to live well, live consistently, and live outwardly.  There is an "emotional energy" that is "spent" in living a life of integrity (principled life).  Yet, we can look forward to the continual refreshing of our mind, spirit, and emotion as we walk in the principles of righteousness.  There is much to be discovered in "living well"!

Honesty opens the hearing

^11-12"Get up and go over to Straight Avenue. Ask at the house of Judas for a man from Tarsus. His name is Saul. He's there praying. He has just had a dream in which he saw a man named Ananias enter the house and lay hands on him so he could see again."  ^13-14Ananias protested, "Master, you can't be serious. Everybody's talking about this man and the terrible things he's been doing, his reign of terror against your people in Jerusalem! And now he's shown up here with papers from the Chief Priest that give him license to do the same to us."  ^15-16But the Master said, "Don't argue. Go! I have picked him as my personal representative to non-Jews and kings and Jews. And now I'm about to show him what he's in for—the hard suffering that goes with this job."
(Acts 9:11-16)

Saul of Tarsus is best known to us by the name Paul.  As the story unfolds before us this morning, we see that Saul of Tarsus was out on a mission - destroy the New Testament believers and shut down the work of the New Testament church.  It was almost a "passion" for him.  If we read the passage surrounding this account, we will find that Saul even prepared to continue his work along the journeys he took.  On this day, he had already gone to the magistrates to receive arrest warrants "in case" he came across any believers in Damascus.  His intent was to arrest them, return them to Jerusalem, and then to have them imprisoned, or worse.  In his "passion" to destroy the church he was well-known to the church and its leaders.

What he could not anticipate on this day's journey was the touch of God on his life - that touch would transform his life completely.  We often see people dead set against something not because they understand it fully, but because they have been misguided in their beliefs.  I think we might say this is the case with Saul of Tarsus.  He was genuine in his beliefs - thinking he was doing exactly what God intended him to do - yet so totally misguided.  There is no doubt in my mind that Saul saw the New Testament believers as a threat to the teachings of Moses (the Law) and all that Israel had come to hold dear as their foundation of beliefs.  The message they taught was of grace - standing in direct opposition to the message of salvation through works that most Jews believed in those days.  Hence, he felt obligated to "shut down" the message being preached by these "radicals" amongst them.

On his way to Damascus, God touches him.  He is stricken blind - blinded by a great light that none with him on the journey seemed to be affected by in the same way.  Now, he is laid up in Damascus, three days without sight.  He has heard the voice of God directly - something not too many of his day had heard.  Those traveling companions heard something, but they saw nothing.  Amazing!  We can be so close to what brings transformation and yet miss it!  Saul is told he will be met by a man who will restore his sight.  Imagine that - the very believers he is seeking to imprison will set him free from his blindness (both physically and spiritually!).

We could focus on Saul alone in this passage, but my attention is caught by the one God uses to complete the work God had begun in Saul's life that day - a man we know as Ananius.  Ananius was a disciple of Christ - he was a believer in the message of grace.  What caught my eye about Ananius is that he would be asked to demonstrate the message of grace in a way that really was above and beyond what he'd "feel like doing" in his natural man.  He was asked a couple of things:  1) to go to Saul; 2) to lay hands on him; and 3) to pray for him that his sight might be restored.

I guess I would have been just as resistive as Ananius was at first - he actually argued a little with God about this "plan" God had for him.  He presents God with the honest protest of his heart - "You can't be serious, God!"  I thank God for putting these little tidbits of honest expression of heart and soul in the Word.  Sometimes we think being a Christian is like being a robot - God asks something of us and we simply get up and do it, no questions asked, no arguments, just simple obedience.  Well, let me assure you - there is NOTHING simple about obedience!  There is probably a whole lot more of the "you can't be serious, God" talk going on amongst believers than we want to admit to!

The neat thing about being honest with God - honest about our feelings, open about our fears, transparent about what we don't understand - is that he appreciates our honesty.  God can work with our honesty to get to us a place of complete obedience - it is our dishonesty that he has trouble working with!  When we are willing to admit our struggle with what he asks us to do - like loving the unlovely, reaching out to someone who has done vile things, or bringing a message of hope to one we don't think deserves to receive any hope - he can use us to accomplish his purposes!  It may mean a little back-and-forth conversation with God, but he will bring us through our contrary feelings, fears, and lack of understanding.

Ananius was honest with God - he could not believe that God was going to do anything good for this man who was persecuting his church.  In that honesty, God revealed his plan - Saul was going to be God's method of reaching the non-Jews, kings, and yes, even the Jews.  The past "occupation" of Saul's mind, heart, and time was being turned upside down in those three days of blindness in that Damascus inn.  The plan God had differed from what Ananius believed possible - but he heard God's plan and he acted on it.  That is all God asks of us - act on what we hear.  Honesty with God got him to the place of "hearing".  Never be afraid of being totally honest (transparent) with God - it may just be what you need to truly "hear" his plan.

Closely Attended Words

 ²⁹ God keeps his distance from the wicked;
   he closely attends to the prayers of God-loyal people. 

(Proverbs 15:29)

There are times when we feel that our prayers are seemingly unanswered - just spoken words into a void.  Then there are other times when it seems that the words are no sooner spoken and they are answered - life's catastrophes avoided, circumstances changed, hearts mended.  Regardless of the "timing" of the answer, the promise we want to hold onto is that God closely attends to the prayers of his kids.

His attention to the "details" of our life is not accidental - it is purposeful and intentional.  I cannot fathom with my human mind how God keeps all the details of my life, the lives of my friends and family, not to mention the other several billion people who live on this earth in his sight and constant attention.  I don't have to understand the "abilities" of God to know whole-heartedly that I can count on them!  

The promise indicates that God "closely attends" to the words of his people.  There are times I would rather God not hear the words of doubt intermingled in my prayers, the words of fear spoken in moments of terror and my undoing.  Yet, in his intense love for us, he hears each and every one of the doubts and fears - taking them to his heart and wrapping them in his care.  He does this because he is our "close" friend, our "caring" father, and our "compassionate" savior.

Prayers are nothing more than the expression of our heart.  When we learn to share our heart with God in an open and realistic manner, he is there to "closely attend to" the various needs of our lives.  Sometimes we don't think God wants to hear about our doubts - but how will he help us overcome them if we cannot express them freely?  There are times we think it is "unspiritual" to have fears, to be angry, to feel frustration - it may very well be that those "emotions" are what God needs to see expressed in order to open us up to what it is he desires to do within.

Prayers can be desperate or easy, frantic or calm, rapid-fire or bubbling forth in free-flow of expression.  There is no "right" or "wrong" way to pray - the simple matter is that God wants to hear what is on your mind and in your heart.  As he does, he attends to us like no other could possibly do.  He intentionally intervenes wherever, whenever, and however we intentionally share our need.  

Open up to God in the honest expression of your heart and mind - learn how closely God attends to that open communication with him!