Wait Quietly in My Presence

"Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him..." Psalm 37:7

 

"Wait quietly in My Presence while My thoughts form silently in the depths of your being."

(taken from Jesus Calling by Sarah Young)

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I read these words this morning and they really struck a chord in my heart. How often do I get quiet enough, still long enough to discern the voice of the Lord? To let his thoughts be formed in the depths of my being? Not often enough, I can tell you! So, I took some time this morning to just sit quietly in His Presence. Did I receive any earth-shattering messages from God? No, but I did experience a deep sense of peace that has stayed with me throughout this day. I will definitely be developing this new habit from now on! How about you? Do you sit quietly with God on a regular basis? If so, we would love to hear about your experience. If not, will you be giving this a try?

 

Blessings,

Jan  

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If you enjoyed this post, please feel free to share it with your friends using the Facebook, Twitter and other share buttons below. Thanks! (Copyright© 2012 Jan Christiansen. All rights reserved.)

This World is Unraveling

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via photo pin cc

"You inhabit a fallen, disjoined world, where things are constantly unraveling around the edges. Only a vibrant relationship with Me can keep you from coming unraveled too." ~Jesus Calling by Sarah Young

I seldom listen to the evening news anymore. Why? Because when I do, within a few minutes I hear about murders, break-ins, abuse, abductions, bank robberies, disease and which celebrity/politician stole/lied/cheated on his wife.  Talk about a world that is constantly unraveling around the edges!

I know that in this vast world there has to be some good things happening. Someone helped someone, a child was adopted, a disease was cured, the hungry were fed, someone found a job...good things happen, but they are seldom seen in the media. Why?

When I read the sentences above from my Jesus Calling devotional this morning, it just confirmed how critical it is to cultivate (work on, plow, nurture, improve, prepare) a vibrant (energized, enthusiastic, fresh) relationship with Jesus. It's important to note that a vibrant relationship with Jesus doesn't just happen. You must cultivate it - that takes time, dedication and consistancy. It takes faith and trust. It takes getting His word into you and getting into agreement with His word. It takes obedience and submission. But for those willing to put in the time, the benefits of a rich relationship with Jesus are never-ending...joy, peace, love, comfort, guidance, wisdom,hope, fulfillment, satisfaction, contentment....and the perfect antidote to the crazy, mixed-up, unraveling world.

 “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” John 16:33 

We can't stop the world from unraveling, but we can make sure that we're not coming unraveled with it.

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(Copyright© 2012 Jan Christiansen. All rights reserved.)

Dual Realities?

As some of you know (because I’ve posted it on Facebook), I am loving a new devotional book I got about a month ago – Jesus Calling by Sarah Young, and here is why.

 

This morning I read this...

Living in God's Presence means living in two realms simultaneously; the visible world and unseen, eternal reality. God has equipped us to stay conscious of Him while walking along dusty, earthbound paths.

Doesn’t that just make you stop and think about the reality that we are in this world, but not of it? That what we cannot see is far more real than what we can see?

Prayer is a vital part of this equation. We whisper a prayer here and may think that not much is happening, but in the spiritual realm prayer is the catalyst that initiates miracles!

All heaven springs into action and all hell cowers at the power unleashed by prayer. Let’s hit our knees and shake things up a little!

Pick one thing that you really want to see God do in your life or the life of someone you love. Spend this week in concentrated prayer for that one thing and let's see what happens. Feel free to post here what you're praying for and we'll pray with you about it.
 

And do yourself a favor - pick up a copy of Jesus Calling - Enjoying Peace in His Presence 

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If you enjoyed this post, please feel free to share it with your friends using the Facebook, Twitter and other share buttons below. Thanks! (Copyright© 2012 Jan Christiansen. All rights reserved.)

My days are numbered...

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"Our time is limited. You (God) have given us only so many months to live and have set limits we cannot go beyond." Job 14:5 (NCV)

Yep, my days - your days - are numbered. We are only given so many days, months, years to live. How many? We have no idea. God knows, but we don't know. Sound morbid to you?


Our mortality is not something we like to think about, but ignoring the fact that our time is limited doesn't make it any less true. Recognizing that our time is limited, allows us to prioritize our lives better. It causes to think about what's really important. 

God's word puts it this way...

"So be very careful how you live. Do not live like those who are not wise, but live wisely. Use every chance you have for doing good, because these are evil times. So do not be foolish but learn what the Lord wants you to do." Ephesians 5:15-17

When we're asked to add another thing to our schedule, to our children's schedules, we should stop and ask ourselves...

In light of the knowledge that our days are limited, is it wise to add this particular thing to our schedule? Not, is it right or wrong, but is it wise?

Add things to your schedule by putting the things that are a top priority for you on the calendar first.

How will you know which things are most important?

Pray...ask God to give you wisdom.

"But if any of you needs wisdom, you should ask God for it. He is generous to everyone and will give you wisdom without criticizing you." James 1:5

 Prayer...

Dear Father,

"Teach us how short our lives really are so that we may be wise." Psalm 90:12

Amen

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(Copyright© 2012 Jan Christiansen. All rights reserved.)

He Loves Me!

This week, I celebrated my 60th birthday. Woohoooo - and - are you kidding me?

photo courtesy Columbine,
 rgbstock.com

It's hard to believe I'm 60 years old, but you know what's harder for me to believe? That up until a few weeks ago I didn't really "know" that God loves me.

That's a strange statement coming from someone who's been a Christian for over 35 years. It's not that I didn't believe God loved me...I did. And the reason I believed it is because the Bible says so, because He sent His only Son to die for my sins, because that's what the Pastor says. 

I knew it, but I didn't know it.

I'm talking about that deep down, knowing in your spirit - where you are so sure of something that you can finally relax and enjoy it, because you know it and you know that it's never going to change?

Am I making any sense, here?

Because of my background, I've always been very introspective. Examining myself to see if I think I measure up to what I think I should be as a Christian. Striving - always striving to be better - not so I could earn salvation (I know that's a free gift of God), but so that I might be pleasing to God - so that He would be "proud" of me. I know that's a throw-back to trying to please my earthly Dad, but I couldn't shake it...until now.

What brought me to the realization that God really loves me after 35+ years of following Him closely, reading my Bible, attending church, working in the church, telling others about Him?

A little devotional book called, Jesus Calling by Sarah Young.

Seriously, I've read many, many devotional books, but this one is different. This one is written as if Jesus is speaking to me personally - as if I am sitting with Him each morning while He gives me a special message from His heart.

It has brought me closer to God and has finally helped me to know, that I know, that I know, that He really loves me - just the way I am.

And it only took 60 years for me to figure that out. Sheesh - talk about a slow learner!


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(Copyright© 2012 Jan Christiansen. All rights reserved.)

To Pout or Not to Pout...

that is the question.

How do you behave when things go "wrong" in your life? Do you take it in stride, knowing that life throws curve balls at everyone, or do you sink into what my Mama used to call the mullygrubs?

photo courtesy  mokra, rgbstock

mullygrubs: a despondent, sullen, or ill-tempered mood

What happens to your relationship with God when problems arise? Do you act as if you are being punished for something you aren't aware of? Do you cut off communication with Him? Or whine all the time about the problem?

I'm only asking because...ummm....well...er, this is how I act - sometimes. That's an awful thing to have to admit, but I'll admit it, because after reading this verse...

"People, trust God all the time. Tell him all your problems, because God is our protection. Selah" Psalm 62:8 (NCV),

I'm rather ashamed of my own behavior. God is good all the time. We should trust Him all the times. When problems hit (as they always do), we should tell Him our problems - not blame Him for them.

If we're really honest (and heck...let's be really honest here) most of our problems are of our own making. Not all - sometimes we're blindsided by troubles, but if we trace the crisis back to it's roots, it's often a consequence of a bad choice we made somewhere along the road. And then we blame God for letting it into our lives.

And here's another truth that's hard to face - sometimes God allows problems into our lives to shape our character and help us mature into the image of Christ. I mean, how can He teach us patience if we don't experience situations where it is necessary? How can we know He will provide if we're never in need? How can we understand the depth of His forgiveness if we never have to forgive someone who has hurt us?

So, the next time I go through a rough spot in life, instead of getting all pouty...instead of acting like I'm being punished unjustly, I'm going to be intentional about drawing closer to God in the stickiness of life. I'm going to spend lots of time talking (not whining) to Him, because He is my Protector, not my Punisher!

Selah!

(definition of Selah: "pause and think of that" (amplified bible) - in current venacular: word up!)

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(Copyright© 2012 Jan Christiansen. All rights reserved.)

When Satan Goes In For the Kill

A couple of days ago I wrote a post about Strengthening our Spiritual Core. A friend posted a comment that read...

"My spiritual core gets weak when I don't read the word and stay in communication with the Lord. That's when Satan attacks the most because he knows I am weak then." ~Chelle

As I read her comment, I had to agree...especially with that last part - that it seems Satan attacks hardest when he knows we are weak.  But that made me wonder - how does Satan know when we are weak? What makes him think that we are wounded enough that he can go in for the kill?

I don't believe that he is able to read our thoughts, so how does he sense our vulnerability?

I think we tip him off.

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rgbstock.com

How?

With words of discouragement, doubt and frustration.

With slumped shoulders and shuffling feet.

With a defeated attitude and a joyless demeanor.

You can usually read a person's state of being by observing them for just a short amount of time, so maybe that's the same way the enemy knows when we're feeling weak...and he goes in for the kill.

Life can be hard at times. It wears us down and unless we are proactive in building spiritual stamina, we soon begin to exhibit signs of weariness, tipping off the enemy that we may not be able to withstand his attacks at that moment.

I, for one, do not want to be an open book for Satan to read.

My plan?

First, to be diligent in building my spiritual core, knowing that God says...

• I can do everything through him who gives me strength. Phil. 4:13
• I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand." Isaiah 41:10
• Those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on the wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint. Isaiah 40:31
• To put on the whole armor of God so that we might take a stand against the devil's schemes. Ephesians 6:10-18

.

Second, I am not going to tip off the enemy when I am feeling weak. Instead I will...

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• Let the word of Christ dwell richly in me
• Sing, rejoice and give thanks to God (out loud) from a grateful heart
• Stand firm and speak words of faith to let the devil (and those around me) know that I trust God in all circumstances and that even in the hard places of life...He makes me strong

If Satan thinks he can read me like a book, then that book is going to be the Word of God!

How about you?

• Do you have a plan in place to keep yourself strong in the faith and therefore, less susceptible to attacks from the enemy?
• Do you recognize ways that you tip off the enemy, making you an easy target?

Share your thoughts in a comment. We'd love to hear from you.

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If you enjoyed this post, please feel free to share it with your friends using the Facebook, Twitter and other share buttons below. Thanks!

(Copyright© 2012 Jan Christiansen. All rights reserved.)