License & Location

(part 2 of 5)

A good rule of thumb for fishing is to have permission to do it. A permit allows you to fish many places, but not all. Always consult with the owner of the property where the water is located. If you are on private property, I don’t know that you need a license but you certainly need permission.

As soon as I thought about permission being granted I started thinking about Job. Let’s take a look at the conversation between satan and the Lord in Job 1:6-12 :

One day the angels came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came with them. The Lord said to Satan, “Where have you come from?”

Satan answered the Lord, “From roaming through the earth and going back and forth in it.”

Then the Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil.”

“Does Job fear God for nothing?” Satan replied. “Have you not put a hedge around him and his household and everything he has? You have blessed the work of his hands, so that his flocks and herds are spread throughout the land. But stretch out your hand and strike everything he has, and he will surely curse you to your face.”

The Lord said to Satan, “Very well, then, everything he has is in your hands, but on the man himself do not lay a finger.” (NIV 1984)

Not only was permission granted: Job was suggested. But that is another topic for another day.

God called the disciples – actual experienced fisherman – to be “fishers of men”. God calls us today to be fishers of men, but we aren’t the only ones fishing. Satan is also “on location”! While satan is powerful, God is the Almighty. And while it is good to be aware of satan and his minions, it is far better to know God and study how He works!

As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. “Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will make you fishers of men.” At once they left their nets and followed him. [Matthew 4:18-20 NIV 1984]

Jesus used the fishers of men analogy because it works. It is easy for a fisherman to see the parallels. I love it when God uses common language to express His extraordinary Truth, don’t you?

Habits

Today’s PrayerPoint ~ Habits

Why does cultivating a good habit take so much conscientious effort when you can fall into a bad habit with such ease?

A repeated course of action carves a path in our brains and from there on it is like a rut in the road–so easy for us to fall back onto that path. Sometimes that is good news — for good habits, of course. Those pesky bad habits? Well, they are annoying and sometimes clearly destructive.

What habits have you developed through the years? Have you thought back to “the early days” of that behavior? Do you have one bad habit that seems to pursue you with great intensity? It isn’t true, of course, that it pursues you but if you have one, you know it is hard to shake it off. It seems to attach itself to you — it has a grip on you. The more I describe this the more I am getting creeped out. Initially it is something you invite into your life, you get “used to” it being in your life, it brings you “comfort” and then pretty soon your world revolves around it even when you want it gone.

The more you choose something the less of a choice in choosing it you have in the end. Exactly when does that happen in the course of the development of a habit?

And what encouragement do we give others to shake their bad habits when we don’t find success in ridding ourselves of our own?

Exactly–we don’t!

What is that pesky bad habit you want to be a distant memory? Have you prayed and asked God for His help? Do you have a person or two for accountability? Have you mapped out a deliberate strategy? Ask God to pester you about this until it is something you overcome. The Holy Spirit will surely nudge you with gentle and not-so-gentle reminders. What is holding you back?

I don’t know about you but I am asking God to help me carve new pathways in my brain!

Where Am I?

PrayerPoint 2.18.13

Have you ever visited someplace and awakened in the middle of the night, when it was very dark, and wondered “Where am I?” I have slept many places and I usually do ok but if I am overtired or stressed I have been known to get disoriented. I usually lie there a long time blinking my eyes with my mind racing to put together the place and the circumstances that led to where I am. And then I remember how it is I got there.

Have you ever lived a period of your life making some crazy selfish choices and then, one day, you “wake up” to the consequences of your actions and wonder “Where am I and how did I get here?”

Sometimes it is plain ugly to come face to face with the destruction of our situation and even uglier to remember it was done by our own hand! How can this possibly be redeemed?

There are several ways to respond. Here are a few options with varying degrees of success:

Abruptly change course and run as fast as you can. Occasionally there are still some things that might hang onto you but breaking free and high-tailing it out of there are actually pretty good moves depending on the situation.

Accept your penalties and wallow in self-pity and self-deprecation. This is an easy way to drive people away from you. If you want to be lonely, chart this course.

Try to hide your past so that no one knows how stupid or misled you were. Spend a lifetime hiding your embarrassing actions. Pretend you have never done them. Criticize others who have made the same mistake so others wouldn’t ever suspect you yourself have done such a thing. Not recommended.

Study your past ad nauseum (to a ridiculous degree) so you cannot see anything past yesterday. In theory, this plan has some merit. It is a wise move to avoid making the same mistake twice. But if you keep looking in the rearview mirror you can’t see where you are going if you are trying to move forward!

Take an honest assessment. Admit your failures. Ask God for forgiveness. Ask God for His help in putting the pieces back together. There may be a difficult lifetime of consequences for a single selfish act but it is an important and God-sized work that something begun in selfishness be transformed and redeemed into a blessing. Only God can do that. He has done it for me and He can do it for you!

As we all grow toward maturity in Christ we are hopefully less impulsive and much more attuned to following God’s lead the first time. Then when we wake up and wonder “Where am I?” We can remember “Oh yes, I am right where He wants me to be!”

CrossRoads

Today’s PrayerPoint ~ CrossRoads

Every day I find myself at intersections where I am called upon to choose how I will respond to my day and to my circumstances. Are there challenges? Of course there are. But I do not want to be accused of blowing momentary troubles out of proportion by whining and complaining. Much of what I deal with is momentary. It’s just that some moments last longer than others! Every day I see heartbreaking stories of really difficult circumstances. I have lived through a few myself as I am sure you have. Life on Earth has joy and pain. Thankfully, as we trust and serve an amazing God we also have the opportunity for His perspective and His life transforming work in our every day.

We all come up against crossroads. Sometimes we travel through accident-prone crazy intersections and some of our journeys take us to easy and relaxed places but each crossroad leaves us with a choice — not necessarily in the outcome of a situation but our response to the circumstance. Unfortunate and disheartening struggles are common in this life — death, disability, abuse, job loss, unplanned pregnancies, critical illness, violence, financial crisis, family feuds, etc — and while they may shape a perspective, they do not have to define a person. It is understandable for it to take time for people to work through difficult situations ~ grief and healing are not processes to race through. God’s work in my heart is more like a crock-pot than a microwave. It takes time for me to work through things.

Here is how I would ultimately like my crossroads to define me ~ that I would be found trusting and relying on my Heavenly Father to meet my every need. That I would follow His lead, rest in His love and provision, and let Him infuse any circumstance with His forgiveness, grace, mercy, and peace.

Do you know someone at a crossroad that needs prayer? Have you considered quietly but deliberately praying for them and their decision-making during this time? Sometimes we see people at a crossroad before they realize they are there. If you have been given eyes to see that kind of situation I would encourage you to lift them up in prayer!

See you at the CrossRoad!
Liz

Wounded people…

“Wounded people wound people.”

Ever notice when people are in pain they lash out at others? They may not even recognize or admit they are in pain but you can see it in how they poke, pester, and provoke others. If someone in your life likes to inflict wounds on others, start by praying for them. If you have been poking at people please consider why that is and get to the root. Pray. Find a trusted friend. Work at not wounding others when you are in pain. There are other ways to work it out!

PrayerPoint ~ Grudges ~ March 26

I have noticed that it is infinitely easier to express grace and mercy to people I really like. Conversely, it is easy to be stingy and withhold grace, mercy, or forgiveness when I don’t particularly care for the person who needs it. There are people in our lives who daily need grace and forgiveness. If we are regularly put in the situation to demonstrate it, I am willing to bet there is something that God is wanting to teach us about our own need to extend it.

In terms of spritual growth, if I am the very one who is begrudging someone frequently, I think it ceases to be about the person I am annoyed with…it is now about me and my attitude of unforgiveness. Nursing a grudge is a destructive thing but it is much easier to not allow yourself to fall into that trap than get out of it once you are there.

Here is the anatomy of a grudge: It starts with being annoyed or downright angry with someone who has caused you some level of grief followed by “expecting” that annoying behavior to continue. Next you pay attention for and look for that annoying behavior and you are satisfied in your inner ugly place when you see it. And soon you notice that many of your thoughts revolve around that person or situation. Like an ominous cloud, the negativity continues to grow. And so does your sin.

Have you ever been there?

It is good to interrupt that cycle before it gets too far down the path. And we need to recognize that only God can help us accomplish any of this.

If you think about the nursing profession, you know that nurses work very closely with people and nursing a baby is a very close contact experience. If you apply these ideas about nursing to nursing a grudge you will rightly connect that nursing a grudge draws you even closer to the person that has “wronged” you. Do you really want that?

I don’t think so.

A first step towards freedom from this trap is to admit to God you have an issue with this person. Next ask God to bless this person. Every day. It is pretty tricky to hold a grudge against someone you are praying for.

May you walk in freedom of God’s forgiveness!

Liz

PrayerPoint ~ Weddings & Marriages ~ March 21

It is fascinating how much money people are willing to spend on weddings. Amazing, really. And some of these tv shows like “Say Yes to the Dress”–wow! If you have the money and feel the burning desire to spend it, by all means, go ahead. I don’t believe parents should be taking out loans for a wedding, and I have been training our kids to understand that you can have a sweet and simple and affordable wedding day. It is far more important to spend more on being married and staying married than on the wedding. Be sure you are investing in something of substance–like a lifetime–instead of just a showy day.

It is always a good time to pray for marriages but do you know of a couple tying the knot this year? Start praying for them now. Tell them you are lifting them up in prayer. Hopefully they will have some sense of their need for God and prayer in their life already and being married will surely strengthen their understanding of that need. With finances, children, in-laws, illness, disabilities, job loss, etc…there are many challenges that can occur within marriage.

Think of the newly married or the “almost married” people in your life. Would you pray for them? Whether or not you have been married, you surely can imagine the challenges of two sinners united in marriage who go on to possibly birth a few sinners and life in a sin-filled world. Prayers aren’t just appreciated, they are required! Intercessory prayer is probably the most important gift they will receive! Personally, I can’t imagine living life without God forgiving me, sanctifying me, and loving me–because there are some days when I am not very lovable. Just ask Don. But the way God weaves us together–amazing! It’s truly only something He can do!

For fun and encouragement, find a few couples who have been married 30, 50, 60 years and ask them for a few tips. You might be surprised at what they say!

God’s blessing on your day!

Liz

PrayerPoint ~ Simple Pleasures ~ March 13

Do you take the opportunity to enjoy simple pleasures? So many have come my way recently and I have enjoyed them all!

* time for coffee with friends

* the beauty of a tulip tree in full bloom

* daffodils and hyacinths blooming

* date night with Don

* sleeping with the windows open last night

* learning how to make homemade yogurt

* the thoughtfulness of a friend

* digging into the book of Esther

* regular bread baking

* birds singing at 3 am

* a sunny day in the upper 70s

What is on your list?

Keep your eyes open so you can notice your simple pleasures, be spontaneous and take the opportunities presented, savor the moments, and give thanks for them! I think God places them in our lives so we can get encouragement from them but we have to be somewhat aware of our surroundings to discover them. It is too easy to be focused on the list of the day or a monumental task that precious moments quickly pass by unnoticed.

Savoring the Simple Pleasures,

Liz

PrayerPoint ~ The Warning ~ March 2

Since the tornado of 2005, the Evansville area has had a lot of weather warnings. It isn’t always easy to distinguish between the thunderstorm siren and the tornado warning siren but since we are generally home, I don’t stress about it. I can check the tv, radio, or weather tweets on my Twitter account.

I don’t mind these warnings because they are important. They cause me to stop whatever I think is so important to do and pay attention. The community warning is general and it is up to me to heed it and respond appropriately.

Why is it so much harder to take a behavior warning from a friend? Would you really want to hear it from a stranger?

Have you ever been in a position when your course of action was not in line with what you professed to believe and someone noticed and actually risked your relationship to mention it? Oh boy–not very fun at all. I have been on the receiving end of that type of conversation. It is so tempting to excuse and explain and justify the behavior. I think the best course of action is to listen to why your friend is concerned and possibly just receive the info and consider it without defending it immediately. Mull it over. Is the concern justified from their point of view? Just listen.

And what about when you are noticing someone sliding down a slippery slope? Oh what a difficult and risky conversation to have. Prayer, pray, pray about the conversation you think you might want to have. When someone is bound and determined to sin, they are often not willing to listen to a concern. Remember to examine yourself first. How have you been behaving lately? What are your motives? Do you have the type of close relationship with this person that you each are agreeable to being help accountable?

When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death. James 1:13-15 NIV

Where are you likely to be enticed? Take stock of your friendships today and consider inviting someone to be your accountability partner in an area that might be an easy temptation for sin. Be vulnerable but use discernment. Invite someone you trust to pray for you in your areas of concern. It is much easier to set up these types of close relationships now when things are going well. And think ahead about how you might receive a warning. Sometimes they are the difference between life and death.

Express Yourself!

Philippians 4:8 (NIV)

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.

My guess is that when God inspired these words in Philippians, He knew that whatever one dwells on, one ends up expressing. You know how it is–whatever you ponder in your heart and mind eventually makes it to your lips.

And so it is incredibly important to consider what you ponder. Do you marinate a certain frustrating encounter that ends up creating or feeding an anger and intolerance for that other person in your heart? Do you find yourself ruminating over someone’s words or actions to the point of getting really fired up about getting even or at least getting a good dig in?

I hate it when I fall into that trap!

If dwelling on false, lowly, wrong, impure, ugly, repulsive, imperfect, or unworthy things is tripping you up, make a conscientious choice to focus your thoughts on other things. Having a hard time doing this on your own? Ask God to help you and He certainly will!

And as you express yourself, consider your words and the example they set. Encouraging words in this day and age are like a precious bloom amidst some weeds–so refreshing!

Lord, Teach me to measure my words and to consider dwelling, truly dwelling, on Your Word alone!