Mountains to molehills
if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. ~1 Corinthians 13:2
A while back God really pressed upon my heart to pray for someone. I was in a broken place, a place where God’s voice and direction could not have been any clearer. And so I prayed. I prayed ferverently, both day and night, when I woke, when I went to bed, any moment I thought about this person, I prayed. Sometimes it was just a quick thought other times it was a long conversation but I have never prayed that hard in my entire life.
For 6 weeks this went on, day after day. And then one day I was given some information that forced me to a decision. You see, Satan whispers in our ears, and sometimes those words come out in our conversations with others. I should have seen this, looking back, but I took it and used to rashly. Simply put, I gave up on this person.
I wrote about this before, Daniel 10:12-13 talks about an Angel sent to Daniel as an answer to his prayers to God and how that Angel was caught up with a demon for 21 days fighting to keep him from coming. If Daniel had just given up praying on day 11 or day 20 would his answer have come?
I believe that part of the reason I gave up was because I gave up on God. Satan knew exactly what words would bring me to despair and drive me away from God. He knew what my prayers were doing, changing lives through the spiritual. And he would stop at nothing to make sure I stopped.
I pushed and pushed and pushed through the weeds that entangled me over the last several months. At times I felt like I was walking in knee deep mud in the pitch black. I couldn’t see Jesus but I knew He was there somewhere ahead so I kept on moving, even if at a snails pace. Something special happened. The closer I got the more the Lord pressed that same person on my heart again. I hadn’t blown it. There was still time. I had forgotten one thing, written here in Amos:
He who forms the mountains,
creates the wind,
and reveals his thoughts to man,
he who turns dawn to darkness,
and treads the high places of the earth-
the LORD God Almighty is his name. ~Amos 4:13
He formed the mountains and reveals His thoughts to me!! How much easier is my small little bump in the road for Him? My little hill… I had faith that He could change lives through my prayer and yet I gave up after only 6 weeks. In my world I lacked the true love needed for this person and gave up far to easy.
We serve such a BIG God. A God who formed the mountains and treads the high places. A God who told us if we only had faith the size of a mustard seed we could move mountains ourselves. When I was little I imagined this God fuming when I failed. As I’ve grown I’ve recognized His compassion and grace. I see Him now pleading and weeping for me to continue praying.
I’m beginning to understand the love my Savior has for me and the charge He’s placed on me to love others and continue to pray for them. My sins held Him to the cross and He still found it in His heart to love me and He intercedes for me dispite my shortcomings(Romans 8:34).
My point is, recognize how big our God is, how much He loves us and desires good for us, and how really simplistic the tasks He asks us to do are. Prayer can not only change lives, but the world.
Are you satisfied?
…that they might be with Him and the he might send them out to preach and to have authority to drive out demons. ~Mark 3:14-15
Am I satisfied with 2 out of 3?
We can be complacent and okay with being with him and speaking about Him openly but what about the authority He has given us? The authority to bring change to someone else life. Am I willing to take that next step and grab hold of the authority?
The short answer, for me anyway, is no. I’ve been completely satisfied rolling along in my life living day by day. And each day I wake up and ask myself “what am I doing?”, yet I keep doing it over and over.
I’m saved, and if it gets brought up I’m happy to say that I believe in Jesus and what He’s done for me, but I lack the faith to grasp that authority and in essence be all I can be.
As I was waiting for my train the other day I spotted a small turtle on the tracks. He was inbetween the two rails and was lazily moving towards the other side. There was no hope for him. He was far to small to get over the tall steel rail.
As the metal began tinging ever so slightly I knew his time was running out. He had reached the other side, but realizing he could not climb over, he had stopped. The train rolled around the corner and I caught a glimpse of the turtle ducking for cover inside his shell as the large locomotive went right overhead. Goodbye mister turtle.
I waited as the train left, and something miraculous happened. The wheel had missed. His head poked out of his shell, he slowly turned around but He headed right back the way he came!
Are you kidding me? Angels must be up there marveling at our ineptitude. I lack the faith to trust that Jesus is going to come pick me up and lift me over the hurdle so I turn around and head back to the place I knew.
Read Numbers 13 and 14. Verse 13:1, the Lord tells Moses he’s giving them the land but by verse 3 of chapter 14 they want to go back to Egypt! Jesus has given us the authority to change lives. We are indwelled with the Holy Spirit but when the time comes and something suddenly blocks our path we tend to go back to what we know rather than pushing through to the place the Lord has for us.
Don’t be like that turtle, satisfied with walking between two points over and over and ducking for cover every time a trouble comes your way. Recognize the pattern, focus on Christ and let Him be your eyes when you can’t see, your ears when you can’t hear, and your strength when you feel weak. He can pick you up and over that hurdle and set your feet on solid ground.
That turtle had the whole world on the other side of that rail but lacked the faith to reach it.
The grass is always greener
Lot looked up and saw that the whole plain of the Jordan was well watered,… So Lot chose for himself the whole plain of the Jordan. -Genesis 13:10-11
Some times trials aren’t bad things happening to you. Some times trials sneak up on us as perceived blessings and only bite us later on down the road. We look back and realize “Man that was a dumb decision”.
For years I prayed for the “perfect” job. Everyone has their own idea of the perfect situation. Mine was this: 1. It payed the bills, 2. The people were nice and not overbearing, 3. They were understanding when you were sick and not second guessing you every time you called in, 4. It was close to home. That’s in no particular order and I earnestly prayed, Lord if you can make it happen please do. Put me in Your perfect situation. If money is tight, so be it, as long as it’s where I’m supposed to be.
While in a very down place I accepted a job for more money. The pay was great. The people…well they were awful. Overbearing, “tight”, and it was very far from home. But the money was great! It lasted 3 months.
These trials are difficult for a number of reasons. First, if we are stale or not directly relying on God for our decision making it is very easy for Satan to take these and say “Look what God’s giving you!”. He’ll make you excited about the prospects of more money, or a better title. Whatever vise he can use against you he will. Like my job experience, I thought more money could fix things, only to find out 3 months later I failed the test. Looking back, if we review our motives we see that the decision was far easier than we made it out to be. You wanted a new car, you were frustrated with your hours, you wanted to pay off a loan. All “me” things. And if we had seen those desires early we wouldn’t have accepted the trade off.
My current job pays the bills. My bosses are relaxed. I live only 25min away. I have a great medical plan. And I have more vacation time than I can shake a stick at. So what’s the problem? My flesh wants more. I’m barely scraping by and could use the extra money to pay medical bills and the heat.
I’ve always known that God will provide(Phillipians 4:19) and it is no more evident than my current situation. So, when a new job offer came in at 1.5x my current salary I praised God. Thank you for the opportunity! As the interviews went on and the dollar signs raced through my head I dreamed of a new car, paying off my bills, maybe fixing the house a little, I could use a new pair of shoes, my parents need some help, wow, what I could do for others with the extra money. Not being stressed every month over food or bills would be great.
As I was talking to my boss telling her I was thinking of leaving she said something that really struck me. “I understand you need to do what’s best for you.”
Sadness. I thought blessings were coming. Turns out it was a wolf in sheeps clothing, preying on my selfish desires to live comfortably. As I turned my focus back to my current job the trial got harder. A second offer, extra bills this month, and the conversation that there is no chance of a quick move up the corporate ladder at my current position.
Secondly, the repercussions aren’t always evident immediately. The grass always seems greener on the other side. Abraham was following God. He trusted in God’s promise and followed his footsteps. Lot struggled and only saw greener pastures. He took what was pleasing to his eyes and in turn brought destruction on his family(Genesis 19). He lived well for quite a while before digging himself into a hole only angels could get him out of.
When I look at where I am I realize God has me here for a reason and wants me to stay. Satan is doing everything he can to get me to move on. Two years ago I would have made the mistake and taken the job without thought. I wasn’t in a good place or listening to God’s voice. I don’t need to do what’s best for me. That’s a worldly thing. I need to do what God asks of me and in the end He will bless me for it all the more.
I have no idea what’s best for me. I sure think I do but only God knows what’s best for me and it apparently isn’t to live the life of luxury right now. I couldn’t be happier.
Black Ice
As I was heading in to church yesterday an usher who helps with parking came sliding over as fast as he could scurry towards my car. He urged me to back up and park somewhere else as the spot I had coveted right there in the front was covered in slick ice.
Turns out the salt truck had not yet showed up and the entire parking lot was coated in a layer of clear ice ready to take down anyone willing to venture on it. I carefully made my way around the ice through a carefully thought out path, around some cars, up a few spots, and then back down towards the church entrance.
On my way out of church I noticed the salt on the ground. The truck had come and most of the ice was slowly melting away. I didn’t take a second thought as I walked out towards my car. My left foot suddenly slipped out from under me. My arms went sprawling out to the sides for balance, my back tightened for the fall. As I feared the inevitable, my right foot caught a patch of salted snow and ice and I was planted securely on two feet again.
What are the characteristics of black ice? It’s clear. It appears to be something it’s not and when you step out on it you risk serious injury. Pretty Basic. Why then should we not be even more careful in our actions? Sin looks so good, and always appears to be something it’s not. it comes on subtly. This little bit isn’t bad…then suddenly your neck deep in a world of hurt. Maybe that first step wasn’t sin, but that second and third were.
Don’t open the door with a suspect action if it even COULD lead to sin. Learn to say no to the smaller things that seem insignificant and you’ll avoid some larger problems.
2 Corinthians 11: 14-15 says: “…for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. It is not surprising, then, if his servants also masquerade as servants of righteousness.” They make it seems as though it is okay, it is good. And before you know it you step out and it wasn’t pavement at all, it was black ice, and down you go.
This earth is full of pitfalls. In a world covered in black ice we need to be salt as the Lord calls us to be. As salt we are abrasive but salt also breaks down that black ice. You can trample all over black ice if it’s covered in salt. So to, be salt to an unbelieving world. Conquer your struggles/sin. If you are salt then your walking with Jesus daily. In walking with Jesus daily you are more keenly aware of wrong and right and more likely to resist the devil’s temptations.
When you find yourself not being salt and you step out and slip on that ice Jesus is right there to catch you. He’ll help you balance and get through. And if you should fall? He kneels down and picks you up.
So as winter comes here in the northeast be careful! Keep a watchful eye for black ice, for sin that masquerades as good. Be vigilent, and if you see someone fall, do as Jesus would and pick them up.
