Shifting Perspective from, “What now, Son?”, to “But now, Son…”

When my youngest was little, he’d play fight with our cat, pinning the poor thing in his arms & say with an exaggerated southern drawl, “Wut now, son?” It still makes me laugh out loud😂 The poor cat was pinned, & whether he liked it or not, he lost the battle in Isaiah’s locked arms of love 💕

I always wonder if it felt like torture for the cat, but it’s such a great visual…being locked in love🤗

Feeling locked with no way of escape doesn’t feel awesome unless we remember that God is truly trustworthy,A locked position might be right where we’re SUPPOSED to be as it reminds us to rely on HIS love.

Right before Jesus is  betrayed in the garden, He says this to his disciples, “But now…” 

It’s a transitional phrase &  infers that which once was, will no longer be…but now they prepare for travel. Up to that point they, didn’t need a bag or money, but now they need both PLUS a sword.

When a battalion of soldiers arrives to arrest Jesus. Impetuous Peter draws his sword, slashing off a man’s ear. Jesus immediately heals the man, saying, “No more of this…”

If not meant for defense, why the sword? 

To warn them of the dangers to come?  Maybe it’s to remind them that if they trust in a sword, the time is here when they’d desperately need it?

Matthew Henry once wrote, “Nothing more certainly forebodes a fall, in a follower of Christ, than self-confidence…”

How easy it is in times of danger to rise in defense to lash & slash, & yet I wonder this?

Is He referring to a physical sword for defense of dangers to come, or perhaps, He intends the Sword of the Spirit?

Hebrews 4:12 tells us that God’s Word is sharper than a two-edged sword, separating soul & spirit, exposing our secret thoughts & desires.

When hope seems lost, I wonder how our tesponse might change if we remember that we’re locked in the Father’s arms of love? What if we ran to His Word, letting it separate our mind, will & emotions, freeing our spirit to be led by His?

Father, the next time we want to lash & slash, lock us in Your arms of love. Take us from “What now, Son,” to “But now, Son…” Picking up the sword of Your Word is the safest place to be because it gives us Divine perspective!

#OneYearBible

April 25th One Year Bible Readings

JUDGES 4:1-5:31

LUKE 22:35-53

PSALM 94:1-23

PROVERBS 14:3-4

There is no Such Thing as Idle Words

I sat with some truly wise women of God on a panel discussion yesterday 💞Even though I sat as a speaker, I wished I’d brought a pen on stage to take notes because the words they shared in our brief time together were transformational! 

This morning as I read Proverbs 14:1, each of their faces surfaced. It reminds us that a wise woman builds her home, but a foolish woman tears it down with her own hands😬

I think many of us agree that we wouldn’t   intentionally demolish our home with our own hands, but if we’re honest, we can do just as much damage (if not more) with our words or lack thereof.

I have written it before but I’ll say it again that I believe there’s no such thing as idle words. Our words carry power that either create life or promote death.

In the beginning was The Word & He created, formed & filled everything on earth. That very same Word, Jesus, LIVES in us!! Do we let His Words flow through us to bless & build our families or do we speak words led by our mind, will & emotions?

If the words we speak took form & stood before us at the end of the day, what would we see?

On the flip, what might we create if we asked Holy Spirit to become our filter, letting Him sift our words?

Here are a few tidbits I think He might whisper…

BE WARY OF LABELS-When my son was little, I mistakenly called him “stubborn” rather than speaking life & saying I see stubborn BEHAVIOR. OF COURSE I had a child marked by stubbornness at the end of the day because I spoke it over him!😳

BE WARY OF PRONOUNS-You don’t want to own or assign anything that’s not of God. Ex: Anxiety isn’t something you want to own so why call it MY anxiety?

BE GENEROUS WITH BLESSINGS-My husband &  I just started laying hands on each other’s chests & speaking daily blessing. Speaking life WITH physical touch carries great power!

Consider starting the day with, “I bless your spirit to operate in leadership position over your mind, will, emotions & body today. May your spirit come under the authority of the HOLY Spirit so you may produce His fruit.”

Holy Spirit, sift our words so we only speak life. May  Your will be done through our words, even if it means ours be undone.

#OneYearBible

April 24th One Year Bible Readings JUDGES 2:10-3:31 LUKE 22:14-34 PSALM 92:1-93:5 PROVERBS 14:1-2

Habits & Boundaries Do Not Restrict Freedom. They Promote It!

Did you know that we purportedly make over 35,000 decisions a day? That’s 2,000 per hour or one decision every two seconds.😳

Unlike a computer that’s programmed with a gazillion if-then scenarios, we have the added fun of emotional, physical, relational & financial factors that cloud our decisions.

I once read that habits & boundaries do not restrict freedom, but actually promote it! When we have a habit in place, like working out on certain days, or deciding to drink a gulp of water every time we’re about to eat, it saves the mental energy of deciding WHEN to do those things or determining HOW to fit them into our schedule.

It’s almost like the habit or boundary makes a decision non-negotiable, serving as a habitual fence to make responses automatic!

In Luke 22, Jesus tells Peter & John to prepare the Passover meal. When they ask where, He gives them very specific details as if He’d called ahead. The men do not question their Lord, but walk on & find everything, ‘just as Jesus had said.’

They don't question. There is no hesitation. They take the Lord at His Word, trusting that they’d find everything, “just as Jesus said.”

How might our daily decisions change or even lessen if we approached our risen Savior with the same childlike faith?

How might our heart remain steady when “bad” news is delivered to our doorstep? Will we quake or remain confident, knowing things will end up just like Jesus said?

Psalm 90 is FULL of future promises we can proclaim with “just like Jesus said” confidence!

The Lord promises that He will:

•Rescue us if we love Him

•Protect us when we trust Him

•Answer us when we call on Him

•Be with us, rescue & even honor us when we’re in trouble!

The next time we’re facing unexpected decisions, may we approach them with a “just like Jesus said” confidence & pray,

“As I love You & trust You, Jesus, I thank You for the rescue & protection You promise! As I call on You, I await with confident expectation of Your answer! You are Emmanuel, God with me! Lead my thoughts to remain fixed on things just like Jesus said rather than the contrary things I often say to myself. I choose today, to habitually take You, The Word, at Your Word!”

#OneYearBible #habits #boundaries

April 23rd One Year Bible Readings

JUDGES 1:1-2:9

LUKE 21:29-22:13

PSALM 90:1-91:16

PROVERBS 13:24-25