Learning to Trust

By Jennifer Slattery –

Must we always dredge through the depths before reaching the summit? Think back over your faith walk. When have you felt closest to God? When have you been most assured of His power? When traipsing along a sun-lit journey or plummeting into His strong hands?

I believe faith comes not from an abundance of blessings, but instead, from deep needs met by Provider God.  Although I often wish I could skirt through life with impenetrable faith, surrounded by all I need and desire, it is through times of trial and times of want that I have learned most to lean on God. Sadly, it is often through times of difficulty that my lack of faith is most clearly revealed. But perhaps what surprises me most is the frequency with which I jump back on the fear bandwagon. Somehow when a new trial hits, amnesia sweeps my brain, and all those times God showed up in the past vanish from my thoughts. As if somehow this new event or tragedy overshadows the promises of God or somehow changes His divine, unchanging nature.

Had I been among the miraculously delivered Israelites wandering through the desert of sin in Exodus 16, I fear I would have been the first to complain. I wonder what it must have felt like, waking up each morning, not knowing where you would go, how long you would travel, or where you would lay your head each night.

I imagine the most difficult day of all came when God asked them to leave the oasis of Elim, with its stately palms and twelve springs. What fear must have gripped their hearts as they knelt in the shade of a tree to fill their water vases, staring across the sun-baked earth before them, the elusive Promised Land beyond their view?  As a mother, I wonder how it felt to gather up your children as they played among the lush vegetation, dipping their toes in the water, wondering where the next spring might lie.

It was at that moment, venturing out from the oasis and entering into the Wilderness of Sin, that God tested their faith. And for a while, they passed…until their feet grew heavy and the sun blazed high with still no provisions in sight. As they continued forward, dust clinging to their tunics, their children lagging beside them, nibbling fears took hold. How would they eat when not even the smallest rodent scurried before them? And where could they possibly find water when the earth below them cracked from lack of moisture?

With every step, the oasis with its cool water and lush trees grew smaller and smaller behind them. With each step their hearts cried out for mercy while their eyes searched the barren landscape for signs of aid.

Then, just when their fear reached panic level, God intervened, not by leading them to another lush oasis, but instead, by raining provisions down from heaven. Each day the Israelites were told to gather only what they needed. Each day, God asked them to let go of their safety net, to trust fully in Him. And each day, a few fearful Israelites hoarded more than necessary, only to find it full of maggots the next morning. With each fermented mound, God showed them again and again that He alone would meet their needs.

What about us? Are we frantically weaving safety nets in case God doesn’t pull through? Will it take a desert wasteland for us to learn to trust God to be who He says He is and to do what He says He will do?

Who Am I?

By Alan Mowbray –

Who am I?

Who are you?

There comes a time in life when we all ask ourselves this question. The answer we get is based on who we listen to—man or God? Listening to man can be dangerous. On occasion, I‘ve had the opportunity to minister to those with a terrible burden on their hearts because of names they have been called by those around them.

Oooohh, names? Seriously?

Okay. We’re not talking about the playground name calling ritual we all grew up with. Look deeper. It’s more about the words behind the words. Those phrases of blame that say—you’re lazy, inconsiderate, fat, ugly, stupid, loud, ignorant, boring and a loser—without actually saying those words. Most of the time, the name callers don’t even know what they are doing; yet, deliberate or not, the wound is still inflicted and, unchecked, may fester for a lifetime.

“Stick and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.” I don’t know how or when that rhyme originated, but it is wrong. Words can hurt. I could discuss how we should watch what we say to others, but no, let’s go in a different direction. When I encounter one of these broken individuals and listen to them for a while, I hear one thing—they don’t really know who they are in Christ. They think that they do, but it’s only head knowledge, not heart knowledge.

You have got to know the difference! When the situation arises, I ask each person to research and physically write down who they are in Christ. It seems like such a small thing, but part of knowing what you know, is knowing why you know it. That’s where faith comes from. It’s not enough to be told; you must research it yourself, get into the Word and discover who God says you really are.

Because I have received what Jesus Christ did for me, I know that I am more than a conqueror! I know that I am the head and not the tail! I know that I am a child of the Most High God, His ambassador, His precious jewel, His possession, His beloved and His heritage. I have been redeemed by the blood, given access to God, forgiven, washed clean, adopted into God’s family, justified in the eyes of God and set free!

Because of this, I have the mind of Christ, the tongue of the learned, boldness, peace, authority, and a hope that is sure and steadfast! I know who I am in Christ. Nobody else can name me now because only God has the authority to name me. Since I know this, I am not moved by disparaging words or condemnation from others. By naming and describing me Himself, God has provided me with a shield of protection against the tongue of the enemy. I know this without a doubt.

Possessing the knowledge of who you are in Christ is faith building. It is life enhancing. It is freedom!

If life circumstances have been tossing you about and left you rudderless and wounded, take the time to get to know yourself through God’s eyes. I did this myself about 9 years ago and the knowledge and faith that grew—from knowing who I am in Christ—have been a rock-solid part of my spiritual foundation. Once you turn from believing what man says about you to believing what God says about you, life is positively different!

Try it.

You’re worth it.

The Proverbs 31…Man?

By Kathi Woodall –

Many of us are acquainted with the Proverbs 31 Woman. Not to get into name-calling, but sometimes she goes by Noble, and some people call her Virtuous. I prefer to call her Chayil Woman because that’s her name in Hebrew. When her name comes up in conversation, we think, “Oh no, not her again.” I know that’s how I felt until I took the time to get to know her. Then I saw the side of her most people don’t see; a valiant woman protecting and defending her home and her children from the invading evils of the world.

Although she is primarily known as a child of God, she is also widely seen as a wife. Her role as a wife makes me wonder, have any of us ever met her husband, the Proverbs 31 Man? How would we recognize the Chayil Man?

In Proverbs 31, our proverbial sister is introduced in verse ten, and her husband puts in an appearance in the very next verse. “Her husband has full confidence in her and lacks nothing of value. She brings him good, not harm, all the days of her life” (Proverbs 31:11-12 NIV). The Chayil Man is confident because his wife is strong, capable, faithful, and generous. Her actions add goodness to their life together rather than distress or misery. He has confidence and a sense of security in knowing his wife takes care of issues with wisdom.

Like many men, the Chayil Man is quiet for several verses and appears again in Proverbs 31:23. “Her husband is respected at the city gate, where he takes his seat among the elders of the land.” The Chayil Man is respected. His wife doesn’t ridicule or criticize him to his face, to her friends or to her mother. She doesn’t subtly or overtly manipulate and control him. Just as he loves her as Christ loved the church, she submits to his authority (Ephesians 5:22-25). Her private and public respect not only increases his confidence, but also enables others to recognize him as a man worthy of respect.

Finally, the Chayil Couple is mentioned in Proverbs 12:4, “A wife of noble character is her husband’s crown, but a disgraceful wife is like decay in his bones.” The Chayil Man is crowned. In the culture in which these verses were written, a crown or a wreath was a sign of joy and honor. The Chayil Woman adds joy and honor to his life which he displays for the world to see. She isn’t known for disgraceful behavior that is like decay in his bones, or, in other words, a shame he hides deep within himself.

Proverbs teaches the Chayil Man is confident, crowned and respected. The rest of Scripture presents him as a mighty warrior, a strong and powerful man of valor. Maybe you recognize him or maybe this is the first time you’ve been introduced to him. For us as women to become who we are created to be as chayil – Hebrew for noble or virtuous – women, we need to start recognizing our men for who they are: confident, respected and crowned men of valor.

“Battle with the Birds”

By Dianne E. Butts –

A family of birds is trying to build a nest underneath our second-story deck. We’ve had nests built there before. We wouldn’t mind it so much if the birds were better house guests. But their, eh-hem, “droppings” run down the windows of the basement-level family room and mud and sticks litter the porch. And they are not quiet neighbors.

All this meant my husband took on the challenge this year of discouraging them from build a nest underneath our deck. Turns out, just knocking their nest down once or twice was not going to be near enough to discourage them from building there.

My husband has been knocking their nest-building down and sweeping it off our porch, several times a day for at least a week. Every time he does, he gets scolded by that Father bird.

We have an odd board jutting across the bottom of the deck at an angle. I guess Mr. and Mrs. Bird think this is the perfect platform to put their nest on. Tucked up high, next to the house. A nicely protected location. After knocking it down numerous times, we finally found a garden gnome to set in its place. Problem solved, right? Nope. The Birds just moved down the board and started building again in the next open slot. Just as high, now not against the house, but apparently the second best location.

I raided the shed and we ended up setting all my little fake garden friends (a frog, squirrel, angel, two gophers (one with sunglasses), a rabbit) and several plastic pots along the rest of the board. The Birds keep building on top of the frog. Beside the gnome. Around the newspaper I wadded and stuffed up there to take up the space.

Persistent little creatures, aren’t they?!

I’ll admit it. At first I felt sorry for the Birds. Would they find another place to build and raise their young? I don’t feel sorry so much for them anymore. They have the whole wide world to build their nest in. Why are they so darned insistent in building it under our deck?

I put a nice, solid basket in the backyard aspen tree. It fits perfectly between branches. I put some of their nestings in it. A perfect place for a bird nest if you ask me. But no, they don’t go near it.

I keep wondering isn’t Mrs. Bird getting desperate to lay her eggs? How long can they keep putting off finding a place to build their nest where it will remain intact? Seems like she’d start nagging Mr. Bird by now about finding another location.

But persistent Mr. Bird just keeps building. So here we are still knocking down their efforts several times a day.

Mr. Bird is determined to build Mrs. Bird their dream home under our deck. My husband is just as determined that he will not. I’m betting on my husband to win the battle.

Isn’t it nice to know we have a Father Who is every bit as persistent in pursuing us?

“Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?” (Matthew 6:26, NIV)

Rover Knows Best

By Candace McQuain –

Take a lesson from a dog. Yes, a dog.

For anyone who has ever owned one, you know exactly what I mean. Dogs love their owners unconditionally. Dogs love their owners no matter what. They never get angry, hold resentment or turn their back on the ones they love. They only have one behavioral mode when it comes to their owners and that is to love them unconditionally.

Now when it comes to chewing up your favorite pair of shoes or messing in the house, well that’s a whole other story.

Just as with His canine creation, God has equipped His children to have that same capability to love unconditionally. He has pre-programmed our hearts with this ability and has provided very clear instruction on how to use it. Romans 12 (NIV) is sprinkled with powerful messages of unconditional love. Verse 10 states, “Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves.” Verse 16 says, “Live in harmony with one another.” Then there is Ephesians 4:31-33 (NIV), which brings it all home, “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” (emphasis mine). I wish I had known these incredibly relevant pieces of Scripture the many times I spoke out of anger, held harsh grudges and judged people as if I were God himself.

Why do we do this to others and ourselves?

Pride.

Pride can make it very difficult to admit when we are wrong or apologize without a “but.” For me, when I apologized with a “but,” what I was saying was, “Yes I’m sorry and I love you, but I had good reason for doing what I did.” The truth is, there is never a good reason to hurt anyone. Sincerely apologizing and asking for forgiveness will not only heal a wound you didn’t think was healable but it is what God expects from us.

On the flip side, maybe the area you struggle with is forgiving others. Sometimes we find it’s just easier to hold on to the resentment. If we forgive, we give up the right to retaliate and our weary heart could be exposed to more hurt.

Thank goodness our God does not think along these lines and that when we go to Him for forgiveness and love, we get it, and it doesn’t come with a “but.” Letting go of resentment and opening our hearts should not be a hindrance, but God-given relief.

Through God we have the power to transform relationships, and forgiveness is at the core of that transformation, and that my friend, is love that is clearly unconditional. I believe good ole’ Rover would agree.

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