People, Circumstances, Logic and Peace

When we truly believe and have faith in the promise of our eternity being clutched in the strong, righteous, loving, just and faithful Lord God Almighty will we really live in peace, no matter what is imploring us to release it? 

 Obviously, we would like there to be an easy yes or no answer.  However, there is a tremendous journey, across treacherous terrine, to discover our individual final answer. Do you think the answer is more fluid than constant?  We desire our peace to be this steady, however peace is only as stable as whatever secures it.  If we have peace of this world, it is dependent upon us, and all various people and circumstances. If it is the peace of God, He secures us.  Our ability to trust and stand firm is secured to what we know, believe and trust. And yet we're told to live by faith not by sight. If all I have securing my peace is what I see, hear, feel around me, I would be overwhelmed when feeling pressures, difficulties, hardships, or pain. In these same type moments, when I begin with God's truth and my faith, my viewpoint begins with hope and connectivity.  

 What about when things are begging you to let go of peace and God feels as though He's left the building, or planet?  That feeling of having no space, yet too much space between me and God. n times such as these, I think about how long ago in the distant past God created life. And from where I am, in that moment, eternity with Him seems like a fairy tale.  Yet here I am!  And I know He is real, as real as what I am feeling in the present. Then I picture a bridge coming up to me from creation and one out from me leading toward tomorrow. It is here where I feel so small and God feels so BIG! 

 If I think about the words of Christ, He promised that His kingdom was at hand.  God's word tells us Christ left the world in order that we could have His eternal Spirit present within us, right here.  2 Corinthians 5:5 Now He who prepared us for this very purpose gave to us the Spirit as a pledge".  So, we believe He is not far away out there somewhere. For the beliefs, we have to become faith, we need to have experiences. And when we experience that His truth is real it becomes trust. It is this trust we’re building that bridges us to Him and other believers. 

 Maybe rather than seeking black and white answers, we view these matters as our preparation. It is my hope that we enter each experience believing the Spirit is within us as God pledged and trust in His purposes for whatever is happening. 

 Another creative thought I have, which probably isn't theological, which gives me peace, is thinking of God outside of linear time. Then picturing Him gazing upon all our fluid pieces as if watching the shifting shapes within a kaleidoscope. I instantly become more relaxed and less focused on the troubles. When He is in my thoughts, His peace is allowed to secure me.  

Moving With the Spirit within us takes His power, not ours.  And knowing, or believing, that truth is not the same as abiding in the Spirit.  Yet, God see's us, understands our struggles and loves us in all the same.  

 I am so grateful for His mercy and grace to continue homeward.

 Read 2 Corinthians chapters 4 and 5. Share your thoughts with us all, please.

In Christ,

Candace 

Emergency Responders

"The rain came down, , the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house........"

As we have been processing the thoughts of our realities verses God's reality and all man being subjected to futility, we have all been bombarded with hazardous weather conditions. This reminded many people of the absurdity of self protection and how dependent we truly are upon His supernatural intercession during times of helplessness.

Of course, when things happen God's words flood in to my memory and verses begin to align with conditions in our midst.  When the verses from Matthew chapter 7 came to mind, I had to pick up my bible and jump into it:

"Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock.  The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock.  But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand.  The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash." (24-27)

Much of the time, when reading the verses in the past, my focus was drawn to wisely building a house on a good foundation.  Maybe it was due to the weather conditions, but the big opening scene, I saw this time from God's word, was the storm rolling in.  And as the local fire station alarms went off again I got it: This life is all about our responses to the things which come toward us!

• How will we respond to what rains down on us?
• How will we respond to what rises up around us?
• How will we respond to the forces that blow against us?

This life beats against us, that is the truth. Do we have the wisdom to know when to move, where to enter and the strength to stand till the winds are gone?  Fear of the unknown is always there; what are we up against? Which unknown will we lay down to? We know we cannot stand forever and we will be overtaken by an unknown from time to time.  No one is invincible; if by nothing else there will be death for us all.

If the gateway to the unknown we enter is a mystery of God, we may trust that He is for us and willing to uphold us through all things.  The Lord desires to share His victories with those relying on His undying love; that does not mean we will never be afraid when entering the unfamiliar or out of our control.  Fear however is an unmerciful lord, desiring to grieve us and steal anything which resembles a hope of a future; yet many will muster up all the strength they can to pass through this wide open space. 

When the storm clouds roll in....who is your Lord? When the rivers of life begin to rise up.....what traits will you employ? When the winds swirl in chaotic formations....who is the Master of your thoughts?  While there is no storm on our horizon here this day, maybe we should pause and think about these things.  

As the storm was rolling out this past week, the ice and snow were melting and the winds were whipping the moisture back home, my family and I had a conversation about how we all respond to natural catastrophes. We felt that this brings out virtues of Godliness toward others which should bring a bit of shame and humility to our "Christmas" attitudes. 

As the children of God and followers of our Lord, we should be standing at every street corner sprinkling salt (and this time it could be literally along with some sand or cat litter!) and showing others a guiding light.  If we are His body, and we are to be out in the world why do we keep all our salt in the church? Doesn't that make us more like one of those salt licks that my grandpa used to have in his field? Shouldn't we be out responding instead of expecting all the urgencies to come running to us?  And what about our lights? Aren't we rather hiding it at times under the bushel of the church roof?  

Just things I think about often.....and thought I would extend the invitation to have your thoughts merge ;)

Kisses,

C

Copyrights Reserved ©Candace Huffmaster 2014

Kaleidoscope Butterfly, Inc.®

Are You Asking The Right Questions by Kerry Skinner

Psalms 23:2 ~He makes me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside quiet waters. 3He restores my soul; He guides me in the paths of righteousness For His name's sake.

Dear Sojourner,

It is a difficult life we are asked to live at times. To grow in liberty, awareness of His good please toward us and to not use our freedom to harm our self or others can be hard to comprehend at times. We are humans, created to use our complex brains to create new ideas, analyze, discern and yet give away some of the very things most precious to us;  whether metaphorical or physical.  So of course we have questions.........

During my studies, Kerry Skinner's material had some sturdy thoughts which I felt may help someone.  It is posted below.

                                                                        □~º~□

Have you ever asked the wrong question? Maybe you thought you needed the answer to a certain question, but you found out when you received the answer that it was not what you hoped the answer would be. You may have asked legitimate questions but those questions were not relevant to the situation. It is easy to ask the wrong questions.The Psalmist wrote and asked many questions about life.

 In Psalm 44:1, the writers reflect back on days of old for their source of help. They were headed in the wrong direction as they reflected on the past: “…our fathers have told us, the deeds You did in their days, in days of old."

1.. Looking to the past for your answer may throw you off course.

Many Christians look to the past to seek an answer for their present day life. It may sound like this, “God, I made a great commitment to You ten years ago. That was the greatest year of my Christian growth. I am depending on my past experience to get me through today.” It is wonderful you had growth ten years ago, but focusing on the past throws you off course. “Jesus said to him, No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back [to the things behind] is fit for the kingdom of God” (Luke 9:62, AMP). You must be refreshed day by day!

2. Looking to God guides you to the right perspective.

It was not by their sword that brought them victory–it was by God’s right hand that they were delivered. Can we depend upon our physical strength, willingness, and might to accomplish Kingdom work? Absolutely not.

I don’t trust my mind, power, nor my will to get through today. Our position, money, skills, talents, and abilities will not bring satisfaction to life. No matter how much you attain, it is never enough. Do we depend on God? Surely we would not say, “God, move over to the side, I’m in control of this day.” But, what you do next will reveal whether you believe more in self than God.

We must live by the power and the name of Christ. He will trample our foes. It is only through His strength that we go forward! Maybe you need the freshness you once experienced  with God. Look to God and He will guide you to have the right perspective. God’s presence gives a sense of being loved.

Isn’t it more important to see the love of God more than any kind of physical manifestation? The love of God is what revives your spirit! When you are in the midst of a crisis, wouldn’t you rather see the love of your family than receive a physical gift from someone? Wouldn’t you rather feel love and acceptance? Of course.

They had the right perspective–God had delivered them. But, right after seeing the hand of God they were about to ask the wrong question. This is so easy to do. We misapply truth sometimes because we are so desperate to find out what can help us–now! Our focus moves away from relationship to solutions. But, when you know God loves you, your perspective on life helps you ask the right questions.

3. You either give into God for everything or you give into self.

The people had the right perspective by acknowledging that God gave them victory over their enemies. They even said they would praise God all day long. Then here it comes, “But…You have cast us off and put us to shame, and You do not go out with our armies” (Psalm 44:8, NKJV).

To praise God for everything or to complain that things weren’t going their way–that was the question. They had to choose God for everything or they had to chose themselves. That choice must be faced every day. It’s a miserable life for a Christian to try to go with God part of the time and the rest of the time to proceed in your own strength. You can do it a while. But how long can you keep it up and have real peace?

In verse 9 they said, “But You have cast us off and put us to shame, and You do not go out with our armies.” Have you ever made those kind of statements? “God you are blessing others, but you’re not blessing me!” This sounds like a disgruntled person, doesn’t it? Ever been that way before?

4. Doing the Right Thing–But Things Are Getting Worse!

“…because of the enemy and the avenger.All this has come upon us; but we have not forgotten You, nor have we dealt falsely with Your covenant” (Psalm 44:17, NKJV).

If you are ashamed because your enemies seem to be gaining a victory, then the focus is not on God, it is on your performance! Why would you be ashamed when your enemies are overcoming you if you are doing the right thing? Do you believe that God’s people can do right things and things not go well for them? Absolutely!

God may not deliver you out of your trouble, but he will deliver you through your trouble. God had an unfailing love for them even in the midst of their trouble. The people said their heart had not turned against God and their feet had not strayed from His path. Yet, they asked, “Why are we being crushed. Why is this happening?”

I have asked that question–but it is the wrong question. When you listen to the answer from God, you realize that your focus must change. The key to the answer is in verse 22, “Yet for Your sake we are killed all day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.”

Jesus said, “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:10). That is the key! The right question is, “Are you going to live for Christ no matter what?”

If you are persecuted for righteousness sake, it will bring joy not sadness. If you are suffering, please make sure that it is for righteousness sake. God will come to the rescue at the proper time. His timing is not always our timing. It is for His sake that we must be willing to go through anything. That is the proper perspective. Stay with God and trust Him for every moment of every day. We must trust God for each moment. We must be willing to face death all day long. Death to what? Death to self. Put aside self and trust completely in God. You must go all the way for God or all the way for you. Without God we are nothing. Without Christ, we have no physical strength. We are a simple breath away from eternity. Our minds and wills are weak. The sooner we come to understand that, the quicker our relief comes over the weakness of our flesh. Exalting Christ results in death to self and an abundant and full life in Him.

We must trust in God’s unfailing love so that before the crisis comes we recognize our strength is in Him!

COPYRIGHT © 2013, kerryskinner.com