God is Still in Control

2 Corinthians 12:9-10 He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong."

God is still in control. God is still in control. God is still in control.

That five word phrase, simple and straight to the point, is one of the foundational blocks of my faith and strength. GOD IS STILL IN CONTROL. It doesn’t matter what else is going on around us, God is still in control. The evening news spews bad news daily but God is still in control. Our health may become shaky and scary but God is still in control. Our finances may be non-existent but God is still in control. Our family and friends may have turned their backs on us but God is still in control.

I can’t count the hours, days, years of my life that I ran around like a chicken with my head cut off trying to solve my problems, trying to figure out something to make a bad situation better. I believed in God, called myself a Christian and yet, I never felt the peace and security I have since I let that little five word phrase soak into my heart, mind and spirit. God is still in control.

My body has ‘issues’…God is still in control. I figure if He is allowing it to continue in my life, He has a purpose and reason for it and will use it to His greater glory somehow. That’s all I need to know. I do my part to take care of the body He gave me and He does all the rest. It makes no sense to me to sit around whining about it all the time since God is still in control.

I will be the first to admit I have times where some things in this world give me pause and I feel weak against them. My weakness is not the issue, I am not in control. We feel weak against those things that hover over us…we usually feel the weakest over things which we have no control. Shout it aloud with me…God is still in control…we don’t have to be. What a burden lifter that it!

Deuteronomy 31:6 “Be strong and of good courage, do not fear nor be afraid of them; for the Lord your God, He is the One who goes with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you.”

Two or More

Matthew18:18-20 “Assuredly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. Again I say to you that if two of you agree on earth concerning anything that they ask, it will be done for them by My Father in heaven. For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them.”

Early last week I knew I was in for a rough time physically. My body struggles with lupus and there is as occasional ‘flare’ that magnifies all the ugliness, fatigue and pain. I started praying against it, chose not to say anything about it and go on with life. By Wednesday I was in a full blown flare up and could barely function. Mentally my head was foggy and every move agonizing. I am blessed to have a new job I enjoy yet that day it was my need to work that kept me moving. I can deal with the daily chronic pain but flares are another story.

Since I was at work, I wasn’t able to send out my usual prayer request email but I did send a text to my inner circle prayer warriors. There was comfort in knowing these trusted friends and family were standing in prayer for me all at the same time. Prayer power is a mighty thing! By mid-afternoon I physically could feel a difference on the scale of pain level. It was as if it could be measured with the scale tipping toward relief more and more as the afternoon wore on. I knew in the depths of me that the cries of my prayer warriors and the healing hand of Jesus were covering me. I went home in far less pain than I started with in the morning and I used wisdom by resting my body when I got home instead of listening to the yapping chores vying for my attention.

I’ve said all that to say this: I could have and should have reached out to my prayer warriors sooner; perhaps the flare could have been averted if I had. I do not hesitate to pray for those that ask yet I was hesitant to ask for myself…why? Was it pride, was it fear…what kept me from calling on those I knew loved me and would stand with me in prayer? This bothered me and I gave it serious thought. In the craziness and turbulence of my world the last year and a half, I have called on them for prayer so often I think I felt guilty for needing them… AGAIN. What a foolish way to think!

Friends, it was our Lord Jesus saying those words in the scripture: “Assuredly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. Again I say to you that if two of you agree on earth concerning anything that they ask, it will be done for them by My Father in heaven. For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them.

Whatever your situation, know that it was God’s plan for us to pray with and for one another. There is nothing you can have going on in your life that is not common to man. Your needs will not shock God. As believers we are suppose to support one another in prayer and lift each other up with the Word of God. My foolish mentality in not reaching out for support or prayer was of my flesh, not my spirit. I knew better but didn’t follow through. The price for my hesitation was high and a consequence of my sin of pride. God didn’t make me suffer; I suffered because I leaned on myself to ‘get through it’ over calling on my fellow prayer warriors and Jesus as I know to do. Make a note and don’t walk in my stupid footsteps.

Step Up and Speak Out

2 Timothy 1:7 For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.

Why can we get so fired up about sports (Go Spurs) and become so quiet about the Savior? Why do we so readily share our political views, but hit the mute button when it comes to sharing Jesus? Why do we call all our friends to tell them about a great restaurant we found and don’t make the call to tell them about the Redeemer we know?

Why do we show more passion about the new diet, new golf club, new car, new shoes, new hobby, new vacation spot, new movie, new iPhone app, new whatever…than a relationship with Christ? Why is it easier to talk about anything else…than Jesus?

“For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power…!” If this is true, why do we often feel so wimpy and powerless when it comes to sharing the most important message in time and eternity?

FEAR – that’s why! We are fearful of what others may say or think about us. We are fearful we will look like a fool. We are fearful we don’t measure up as a Christian and they will know. The list goes on….

How do I know this? I lived it, that’s how! I walked in fear and intimidation about sharing my Jesus for years! I knew it, I hurt because of and was ashamed by it. Then one fateful day God showed me how He was going to use pitiful, messed up, beat up, scarred up ME for His purposes. I felt so unworthy of His love much less thinking He could use me. After all…I knew all the bad things I had done, all the harsh words I had spoken, all the times I thought about myself instead of others…yep, I was painfully aware of all that mess. YET…He loved me anyway…that was the beginning of the new me, the acceptance of the fact that He loved me anyway! He had plans for me of which I had no idea. He showed me, that fateful day, how all my scars from wounds, all my pain, all my trials were going to be used for His glory…and I was dumbfounded!

Here’s the key…He was able to show me that day because I took a leap of faith and stepped out in fear asking Him to work through me. I wanted to be bolder about speaking out for Jesus and knew it was a weakness of mine so I had asked a friend if I could tag along one day to ‘see’ what she did in prison ministry. She threw me off the deep end and gave me a small group to lead that day!! I was so scared, my knees knocked, my gut hurt and I never felt more inadequate in my life! I kept telling God I wasn’t as knowledgeable as the other women I was with, I wasn't as ‘studied’ as they were, I wasn’t as holy as they were, and I didn’t have a clue!

Looking into the faces of the women in white uniforms sitting around me that morning, I prayed silently to God as I had never prayed before. As part of the lesson I was to present, I had to share about myself and how God had worked in my life. It was in that sharing I had my ‘light bulb’ moment and understood that God was using all the cr_ p from my life to reach these women! They could identify with me BECAUSE I had gone through all that junk! They actually were open to receiving what I had to say about Jesus because I knew and had experienced their pain.

That day, God showed me that I was to use my life and my spiritual growth to reach others. All these years later, I still do. I am not the most educated Christian you know, nor the most eloquent, nor a deep theologian. I am simply one woman that is willing to share all my warts publicly, in writing, to share my Jesus. I share my truth about my Jesus in the morning…

Be open to something new in your life, ask God to show you how and then hold on!

Mercy!

Luke 6:27-36 But to you who are listening I say: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. If someone slaps you on one cheek, turn to them the other also. If someone takes your coat, do not withhold your shirt from them. Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back. Do to others as you would have them do to you.

If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners do that. And if you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, expecting to be repaid in full. But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked.  Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.

Mercy for other people, as described above, basically means loving someone that doesn’t love you back. Being kind where you find no kindness. Going against everything inside of us that screams out when we’ve been wronged. Showing mercy isn’t for the faint of heart, the weak in spirit or sissies. Showing mercy takes a determined mind and heart to follow after Christ and follow His lead whether we feel like it or not. No one said living a Christian life is easy.

Acting like this requires a divine amount of grace-laced empowerment, so good luck if you are going to try it in your own strength. The very same Jesus who calls you to this type of life lives in you. This is the way He wants to live through you, and Christ is going to bless you for allowing His mercy to flow through you in a way that brings good things to those who don’t deserve it.

THE MAN ON THE ROOF

A man was trapped on his rooftop by the rising waters of a flood. A fellow came over in a rowboat and called to the man, “Hop into my boat! I’ll save you!” The stranded man refused, saying, “No – God will save me!”

The water rose to the man’s knees, and along came a rescuer in a motorboat. “Get in my boat! I’ll save you!” cried the boater. “No!” the man on the roof replied. “God will save me!”

Soon after, the water was up to the man’s chest. A helicopter with a sling suspended from it came next. “Grab onto the sling!” called the pilot. “I’ll pull you up and save you!” As the man called, “No, God will save me!” a wave swept him off the roof and he drowned.

As he entered into heaven, God greeted him, saying, “Welcome to heaven! Glad to see you! Before I show you around and introduce you to some of the angels, do you have any questions?”

“Well, yes Sir, as a matter of fact I do have one question.” the man replied. “There I was stranded on my roof, with flood waters rising all around me! Why didn’t you save me?”

“Well!” replied God. “I sent you two boats and a helicopter! What more did you want?”

This is not original. I tell it to demonstrate that God’s answer to our prayers might not be in the form we expect. If we pray for health, perhaps we should eat right and exercise. If we pray for riches, perhaps we should endeavor to get an education or a better job. And if we pray for happiness, perhaps we should try to make others happy.

Are you standing on the roof with your list of “acceptable forms” of God’s help? God neither thinks nor acts as we do and you may find you’ve let the boats and helicopter go by as you wave your ‘list’. Don’t be the Man on the Roof; be open to His ways…they are much higher and better than our own.