Sunday Reflection for March 18, 2012

What a wonderful and kind of weird week for me.

First, it was spring break for my girls, and I got to enjoy having them around quite a bit more than usual. We got some spring cleaning done around the house, and the girls had lots of down time.

This week started off with a real shift in me. God has been dealing with my attitudes about money and Living a "Weed" Free Life was the result. Pulling up the weeds that have choked off real growth in our lives can sometime be difficult, and may even come in ways we never expected.

Well, I already mentioned the cleaning this week. Sadly there is still more to do, since I spent some time with the girls, and with friends this week, it is an ongoing project that I feel may never get finished. Everytime I began to get discouraged about cleaning, I remembered what God had spoke to me about my "Launch" pad! I have to master these small areas of discipline before God will launch me into the next big thing.

My Prayer in the night was about more than just solidifying God as my provider, it was about sharing with you those weak moments where He is my focus and the only One who can pull me out of a murky headspace. I want you to be able to see me as I am, all of my warts, so you can know that if God can work with me, He can work with you.

Real Confidence versus Self Confidence came from a text message conversation with my husband this week. After nearly eight years with the same company he is now looking for something new, and that journey for him has been scary. As Christians we cannot operate in fear, but must rest in who God is, what He has already done for us, and what He will continue to do as long as we are faithful to trust Him.

Then I shared with you my most odd moment, the one where God told me to shhhhh! The past two days have been both a challenge and rewarding and I will be sharing more about fasting my words, my mini vow of silence for two days later this week. I hope you enjoy some of the funny things, and the serious things that I learned through this fast.

Finally, A Charge to Pray was this weeks last post and to me one of the most special. Mostly because it was prompted by someone I did not know who shared his personal struggle with an issue over divorce and dealing with his now damaged relationship with his adult daughter on a forum I belong to on LinkedIn. I had commented and linked this blog to my comment and was flooded with questions by many people. John's really stood out to me:

Please pray for me. I am a father who divorced several years ago and was separated physically from my children for many years. While I supported them and their mother well financially I was not there to be a father. I have apologized to both of them for the divorce and have tried to let them know that I love them however, my daughter (now 32) is especially scarred by the divorce. I want so much for her to love me again but I know only the love of Jesus Christ will ever repair the damage I caused. Pray for Beth and pray for me as God works all things for the good of those who love Him.

Blessings,
John 

When I took the time to pray for him right then, leaving my prayer as a comment to his remarks, a spark lit up the forum page. We began praying for one another, and I was reminded what prayer really is: OUR FAITH IN ACTION!

What a privileged it is to serve a God that cares so much for us that He gave us the power of prayer. The ability to call on the Maker of the Universe for anything is awesome, but knowing He hears us and wants to answer is phenomenal!

Monday I will be a guest blogger on http://www.alanknox.net/ and hope you will visit there and check it out. On this page you will find our first ever guest blog and one of the most moving testimonies I have heard recently. While I would love to share with you more, the reading is worth the wait.

So as I wrap up this week's reflections and you catch up on what you may have missed this week, I want to remind you, my dear reader, of one thing, I am here for you. I write so my words are read, I study so I can share God's love and grace with you, and I open my heart and my life in a very real and often embarrassing way so that you can see that God is not an enigma, but the answer to the enigma. 

You are the reason I am here. I may never meet you, but I will pray for you. I may never talk to you, but my fingers fly across this keyboard just for you.


I would love it if, and actually want to encourage you to, leave a comment on a post this week. Drop a line and say hi. This blog has been read in over 55 nations, and in less than three months, I have gone from an average of 15 hits a day to between 50 to 100 hits a day. That is not a lot by most web standards, but by mine it is humbling. God is doing something here and I am so glad you are a part of it.

Reflect on this week, and tell me, did you learn something new about God, and if so, how are you applying that to your life?

Be blessed and be a blessing and remember that reflect is a verb!

Cleaning the Launch Pad: Living a Life of Discipline!

2 Timothy 2:3-7 GOD’S WORD Translation (GW) 

"Join me in suffering like a good soldier of Christ Jesus. Whoever serves in the military doesn’t get mixed up in non-military activities. This pleases his commanding officer. Whoever enters an athletic competition wins the prize only when playing by the rules. A hard-working farmer should have the first share of the crops. Understand what I’m saying. The Lord will help you understand all these things."

Man did I get socked in the face with this today! I love this scripture. I want to look at it more closely with you. 

First I want to say that this passage can be applied to every area of our life. Discipline is what we are called to. We limit God when we are not disciplined. We must make sacrifices to obey. If God says give an extra $5 in the offering, you skip a lunch out this week. If God tells you to start a new bible study? Then you give up your time in front of the TV to read. 

In this passage I see three examples of disciplined lives, and the rewards they get from the lifestyle of discipline. 

The Soldier – Follows orders, cloisters himself with other soldiers, and does not hang out in the world. Reward: This makes his Commanding Officer Happy!

The Athlete- Focuses on training, he does not cut corners or cheat and he strives for mastery in his area of athletics. Reward: He wins the race! 

The Farmer- Focuses on preparing the ground, he always has seed, and he is ready to sow in season. Reward: He gets the first fruits of the harvest. 

These archetypes have 3 things in common:

1. They work harda. 2 Timothy 4:2

b. Proverbs 6:6

2. They are Faithful
a. Psalms 31:23
b. Luke 9:62

3. They press through the suffering in the hard times

a. 1 Timothy 6:19
b. Ps 86:11-17 (MSG)

I don’t know about you, but there are things- dreams that God has given to me and I do not want to limit Him by living an undisciplined life! I want to be ready to launch at the end of His countdown. I want my pad to be clean and clear of debris, and I want to come out swinging at the enemy. 

In the book of Nehemiah, the wall around the city of Jerusalem was in shambles. Nehemiah stirred the people because God placed the dream of a rebuilt, restored wall on Nehemiah’s heart. When the people were disciplined, and anointed by God’s favor, they accomplished what God has said Nehemiah 4:6. 

There were obstacles to this work. And there will be obstacles in our lives too. The first obstacle for the children of Israel was all the debris in and around them. The needed a shovel to get rid of it all. This clutter was distracting to the task God had called them too. But enemies also used the debris to hide behind, hoping to surprise the children of Israel as they worked, to take them unawares, and to kill the vision in them. That is why we need a shovel and a sword! Clean out the debris in your life, and be ready to battle the enemy when he jumps out from behind the junk! (Nehemiah 4: 11, and 4:17) 

Face it; you can’t expect God to launch you if your “pad” is dirty! (And I am so preaching to myself!) 

Be blessed and be a blessing and remember that discipline is a noun and a verb!

Do you struggle with discipline? In what ways?