Beware False Prophets & Don't be one!

   I first read todays scripture and reading on March 11.  It was a Wednesday and I had arrived in Portland at 1 am to visit half of my children.  Coronavirus was a blip on our radar.  The kids were still in school, everything was still open and nothing had been cancelled.  We were planning a weekend trip to Multnomah Falls. There wasn’t any darkness looming over me in spite of the rainy, cloudy Portland weather.   This reading was something I could relate to in my past, but never imagined it was preparation for the days coming.

  Today,  as I reread it, the scriptures and go over the notes I wrote on that morning;  I  realize God was preparing me for these days and attempting to protect me from the fear that would sweep our country.  John is writing in his letter to the churches about false prophets and the havoc they cause in our cities.  I always interpreted that to be false prophets who would rail against Jesus and His Word.  That's probably true but I find a lot of false reporters in our media, on social media and among my friends who circulate unfounded writings. 

   In I John 4:4, he says  “But you belong to God, my dear children.  You have already won a victory over these people, because the Spirit who lives in you is greater than the spirit who lives in the world.”  NLT.  

   I notice 3 important things in this passage that should SHOUT at the people of God.  Certainly a darkness of sickness has crept over our country.  It has not only brought death and exhaustion and fear, it’s also brought greed, dishonesty and dissention.  It has certainly brought isolation.  It is indeed a dark and scary time. 

1.       John addresses us as “dear children”.   We are indeed, His dear children.  We just celebrated Jesus’ death and resurrection.  No greater love is this but that a man lay down his life for his children. 

2.     “You have already won a victory over these people” The naysayers,  the liars, the fearmongers, the Coronavirus.  He won the victory over all of this at Calvary,  we win the victory by accepting Him as the Victor. 

3.     “the Spirit who lives in you (US) is greater than the Spirit who lives in the world.”   The same Spirit that raised Christ from the dead lives in us.  The same one who conquered death and the grave lives in us, IF WE LET HIM!

 Back on March 11,  God wanted me to know that whatever come at me;  I had already won the victory.  I won when I accepted Him as my Savior, I have everything I need to be victorious through this dark time. 

Thinkin about you, dear children,  BE CONFIDENT OF VICTORY!

Never Alone

  After the 2013 tornado in Oklahoma City with $50,000 damage to my house, I put an underground shelter in my garage. As I “decorated” it with l e d lights,  battery operated fans, and  a case of water,  I thought,  “I’ll be down here alone.  What if I am trapped down here for hours, alone?  I'll have to come down here alone."

  By this time I’d been “alone” for nearly fifteen years.  It wasn’t the first time I had contemplated my aloneness. Today, many are experiencing 'alone' in ways never thought possible. The sick among us are hospitalized 'alone'.  Spouses are not allowed to accompany infected spouses,  parents of adult children are not allowed to sit by their bedsides.  I have friends who have waited in the parking lot for word that their loved one came through surgery.  A dear friend is lying alone in the hospital bed,  lonely. And at home,  the family sits alone, awaiting phone calls from overworked nurses. That day in the shelter, in a dark moment;  my heart remembered, “You are not alone,  I am always with you.”  The Word of God promises repeatedly that He will never leave us alone. That's what God has to say to us today.  

  “The enemy wants nothing more than for you to feel like you’re all alone. Be reminded that God sees you, right where you are, and He won’t ever leave you to fend for yourself. Thank Him that He is strongly supporting you right now, that He sees right where you are."

  I did my indepth study on Genesis 16:13.  Hagar has run into the desert with her infant son, she is destitute and very alone, when God speaks to her.  She is amazed that she has lived through a personal confrontation with God but she proclaims,  “I have seen Him who looks after me.”

  I wasn’t really feeling alone this morning,  I was feeling disappointed.  I was having a pity party.  I enumerated for God,  all the ways that this virus has robbed me.  I laid out  future plans, all of which are cancelled  and reminded Him of some promises made.  He was quiet until I took a breath.  My phone went off.

  My friend Glo frequently sends me a text devotion but they always come early in the day, never this late. She would tell me later in a phone call that she had sent this the day before,  but somehow,  mine came  later.  Her text said:  

  "I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you (who are willing to learn) with my eye upon you. Psalm 32:8.  I myself will go before you and will be with you.  So do not be afraid, do not be discouraged I, your loving Savior am also infinite God.  I am omnipresent, present everywhere at once. This makes it possible for me to go ahead of you,  opening up the Way without ever leaving your side. Our God is faithful Always.  He will make a way where there seems to be  no way.  He is the Waymaker.”

  Tears streamed down my face,  not tears of disappointment,  tears of repentance. And not in gratefulness that He will make a way. Who am I that God would speak into my situation so pointedly?  The God who “looks after me” gently reminded me that He is a loving Savior who wants to give me good things. In an instant, I remembered His faithfulness in my list of His perceived failures. He reminded me of His promise to restore seven-fold in HIS TIME.  Then, He had me read my blogpost of   May 20, 2019,  Today.  I hate it when He makes me eat my own words.  I love how much He loves me.

So, Today,  I’m thinkin’ about just resting in that love and assurance that He has gone before me and I am not alone.  

I'm in the Lord's Army

    As a kid we sang a lot of songs and all of them required motions.  (See 'Sing, Sing A Song 7/9/19)  Today I’m singing “I’m in the Lord’s army”  Remember that one;  marching in the infantry, ride in the Calvary, shoot the artillery. We loved shooting the artillery. And in those days of imaginary war, our army of the Lord always won.  Indeed,  I think those Sunday School teachers indicated that. 

    As I wandered through young adulthood,  marriage,  motherhood,  empty nesting,  to today,  I found that my army didn’t always win.  Or at least, it didn't seem like it.  Today,  as I watch a little bit of news,  follow my friends and family on social media and receive the emails from my women’s group,  I feel like we are not winning.  My avid Seattle Seahawk fan daughter in law tells me “not winning is losing”.  The media would certainly agree that we are losing this battle.

   The Israelites in Deuteronomy  felt that they were losing. They were crossing the Jordan into their promised land but they had to drive out the inhabitants who had settled there. ( I mentioned before that I’m reading the chronological one- year Bible).  Those Israelites were a mess,  in Judges almost every chapter ends with “ and the Israelites did evil in the sight of the Lord”.  Still,  talk about great Mercy, God continues to forgive them and lead them onward.  Frankly,  I would have shook the dust off my feet at those people generations ago.  But, not God. No, He tells Moses to say,

 “ Do not be afraid of them,  the Lord your God himself will fight for you. (Deut.3:22 NIV)

Yahweh,  himself,  is going to fight this one.  He’s not even sending an army,  He’s just gonna take care of it.

   We have just celebrated Holy Week and Easter weekend. On that day at Calvary and three days later at the empty tomb,  Jesus,  himself fought for us.  Jesus, on His own, won the victory over death and the grave.  
    As I piously judge the Israelites of Deuteronomy,  I am convicted.  Me, my country;  we, too,  have "done evil in the sight of the Lord".  Before we go any further into this battle,  we must repent.  Individually and pray that our country will also.  We are not just fighting a virus; we are fighting powers of darkness.  This illness is a result of the fallen world we live in.  We cannot fight this battle  unless the Lord fights for us.  And He will not unless we turn to Him.
   Thank God, He is giving us earthly ways to fight,  but He most assuredly expects us to fight with weapons of repentance and faith. Because of His victory at Calvary,  we can  be victorious,  because the Lord, himself is fighting for us. 

Thinkin' today about what I need to do in this battle.  

Sovereign God

   I'm amazed at God's timing again.  I wrote this originally last week.  It's a word for Black Saturday,  then and now.  

  I am a born and raised,  dyed-in-the-wool, Assemblies of God girl. Went to church every time the door was open come rain or shine.  I’ve huddled under pews during an Oklahoma tornado and seen my Sunday school room after a drunk driver crashed into it on a Saturday night.  I went to a Christian college,  (shout out Crusaders!)  and have 18 hours of college Bible credit.  Those courses taught by the men whose books  younger pastors have studied.  And still,  I struggle with the mystery of who God is.  Over the past few years I have studied the word “sovereign’  many times.  Like most of you,  I wrestle with a  sovereign God in today’s pandemic.  The very definition is someone with supreme power and authority.  I do not doubt God’s sovereignty in this pandemic,  I simply wonder at how He is choosing to use His sovereignty.

  Apparently,  King David,  the man after God’s own heart,  did too.  In Psalm 31:13-15 he wrote,

“For I hear many whispering, ‘Terror on every side!’ They conspire against me and plot to take my life.  But I trust in you, Lord;  I say ‘ You are my God’  My times are in your hands, deliver me from the hands of my enemies,  from those who pursue me.”  NIV

    I find myself envious of David,  because in my time, no one is ‘whispering’.  The media and some of my friends are screaming about the terror all around!  None can argue  that Cornonavirus has plotted to “take our life”.  The Psalms are famous for their encouragement and reassurance.  Like you,  I’ve been bombarded with quotes to quell my anxiety about this time in our lives. The Word of God is the definitive word and the only one with the authority of Heaven. Look at verse 15,  My times are in your hands.   The Christian Standard Bible says,  “The course of my life is in your power.” 

   Sit with that a minute,  and make yourself believe it,  because it’s true.  These times are in the hands of the Sovereign God.  Whether it’s a wake up call,  fulfillment of prophecy or an attack of Satan,  these times are in His hands. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AS6tQYJVO80

Shut out the whispers of terror on every side and focus on the Word of the Lord.

Think about that.  

Crisis, Chaos & Confused

     Good Friday.   The title of my blog, written days ago is  exactly what the disciples would have been feeling on this day so many decades ago.  That world,  like ours,  was in crisis, chaos and the believers of Jesus were confused.
   On March 6, I entered the word “Coronavirus” into my journal for the first time.  A google search tells me that our media first used the word in December, 2019.  They’ve used it a great deal since that time.  I watch the news about once a day, usually in the evening.  I’ve taken my own advice to turn it off,  I sleep better for it. 

    In the light of day,  there is no denying the change in our culture.  As I sit here in good health with a full fridge and toilet paper,  I can pretend the crisis outside my window is minor.  But I know the reality,  even without the news.  Our country is in crisis.  As of today, the death toll for America stands at  16,095.  Still,  no matter whose data you look at,  survival rates are 97-99.9%.  Israel reported today that 100% of their tested cases have survived.   I have several friends and acquaintances who have recovered from the virus,  some miraculously.  

   Our country is in chaos  the definitions of “essential”  are as broad as they are long.  Retail outlets,  restaurants, libraries, schools and churches are shut down while liquor stores remain open.  Senior Citizens rush the grocery store early in the morning to grab disinfectent and toilet paper. 

    Our citizens are confused.  It is difficult to find truth within our media and social media.  Information comes so fast and furiously that some situations are changed before we heard of them. The "experts"  are divided in their opinions of how the virus spreads,  how to treat it and on and on.  

   The Bible translates all this into “anxiety, concerns, cares, worry”.   As I read that list,  I’ve felt them all .  Scholars believe  David wrote Psalm 46 as a praise after he had been victorious in battle.  Matthew Henry points out that  usually God requires that we cooperate with Him, but understand that our efforts are pointless.  Psalm 46:10 CEV says “ Our God says, ‘Calm down, and learn that I am God. All nations on earth will honor me.”   I focused back on March 6 on CALM DOWN.  Chill out,  relax,  take a breath.  It was early in this crisis.  Today,  other words command my attention:  Learn that I am God.   Ellicott comments that this is the introduction of a Divine Protector.  As I typed “divine protector”  all the tightness drained right out of my shoulders.  My Divine Protector is on the job this morning.  Just as he was 2000+ years ago when he took stripes on His back for my healing and thorns on His brow for my salvation.   

Thinkin’ on that today.  

---

Desperate Times call for Desperate Measures

   The above quote is attributed to Hippocrates,  the ancient Greek physician.  Everyone has seen the social media post suggesting you put a basket of  single socks on the back of your toilet in the absence of toilet paper,   “Desperate times”.   Interestingly,  Hippocrates may have said this while encountering the same type of situation we have today.  In his work, Amorphisms, he wrote, “For extreme diseases, extreme methods of cure, as to restriction, are most suitable”.   During adversity such as Coranavirus outbreaks, actions that normally seem extreme, might be warranted.  Our current state of affairs and these definitions certainly point to desperation.

   I’m reading the one year chronological Bible and I’ve been wondering around with the Israelites for about eight weeks now.  We’ve finally reached the Promised Land and Joshua is parceling out the goods.  However, back in Exodus, when the children of Israel were trying to escape Egypt,  things got desperate.  You know the story,  Moses led them out of Egypt,  they hadn’t gotten far when Pharoah changed his mind and decided to come after them.  They were between the Red Sea and the Egyptian army, much has been written about this predicament.  Much has been written about the symbolic nature of this predicament.  Actions that might seem extreme under normal circumstances are appropriate during adversity.  The Israelites were frantic and rightly so.  I wonder if someone yelled,  “desperate times call for desperate measures”  as he jumped into the churning Red Sea. 

   The Bible records that in their desperation,  the Israelites begin to yell at Moses.  Read his answer slowly.

 “Don’t be afraid.  Just stand still and watch the Lord rescue you today. The Egyptians you see today will never be seen again.  The Lord himself will fight for you.  Just stay calm."  (NLT Exodus 14:13,14)  Stay calm.  Don’t you long for everyone to calm down.  The Pulpit Commentary says “do nothing,  remain at peace.”

 Thank you to all the healthcare staff, first responders, transporters and suppliers of goods, you are the hands of God during this time.  He is using you for His good purpose.  However, ultimately, the end of this pandemic is in His hands.  We have no control over who contracts the disease or how it plays out.  We can, remain at peace because  “The Lord HIMSELF will fight for you”.

Thinkin’ this morning ‘bout the Lord who is fighting for us.  Thanking Him for his faithfulness

How much longer?

    Last week I was blissfully crafting and watching Let’s make a Deal when Norah O’Donnell  filled the screen with breaking news.   President Trump was signing the stimulus bill to help Americans out financially.  After the congressmen patted themselves on the back and the President thanked everyone, he signed it.  I was wrong in thinking I could go back to Wayne Brady. Now the Governor of Colorado had things to say.  He spoke for eleven minutes (before I turned him off).  He spouted numbers after numbers,  dates after dates and explained why liquor stores are “essential”  businesses.  At one point he was giving predictions as to when certain events would happen if this or that.  He acknowledged that this pandemic might continue through the summer. The news that night reported that the Governor was giving us the “worst case scenario”. That was apparent. In fact, neither the news reports or the Governor had anything good to say.    

   The fact is we are living in days of discouragement. I faced the fact early on that it would be easy to become depressed.  I made lists of crafting projects,  home improvement projects and writing projects that I could work on during this time. I planned to extend my devotion and prayer time.  I know me,  fighting discouragement would need to be intentional.

   Jesus knows me too,  and that’s probably why He gave me 30+ verses about it in the Bible.  Today,  we talked about Psalm 43:5.  I use an app/website called Biblehub.com all the time.  I love it because it gives me 28 versions of the scripture and 8 commentaries as well as the Hebrew translation.  Verse 5 begins with the question, “Why are you cast down, oh my soul” (NKJV)   The Hebrew says “bowed down”. The other versions call it "discouraged, sad, in despair, dejected, restless, troubled, depressed, agitated."  Do one of those describe your mood today?  At various times during the day,  I feel all of them.  Look at the first word,  WHY?    The verse doesn't answer the question,  instead,  it gives me a remedy for the question.  "Put your hope in God."     

   I hope our medical professionals find a cure or a vaccine for this virus.  I hope those afflicted with it get well,  I hope the stock market rebounds  and I hope it happens soon.  But, my  hope is in the Lord,  Crucified, Resurrected  and coming again.    It's easy to be discouraged when looking at these circumstances. We MUST look past them to Him.  

The verse continues,  “I will praise Him again" .    I think I'll spend today praising Him.  Join me?