"Jesus, bring the hail."

1 Peter 4:12-13
Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ, SO THAT you may be overjoyed when HIS glory is revealed.


As I have pondered on this verse this morning, the song "Jesus Bring the Rain" by Mercy Me comes to mind. Walking through very hard times in the past, I have often raised my voice in the privacy of my home and car passionately singing every word of that song. I have pictured myself standing out in the pouring rain with my arms raised and open praising the Lord. However, this morning the question entered my thoughts, what if it begins to hail? Rain can be refreshing, but hail delivers painful and destructive blows. Will I still stand with my arms spread wide open to the Lord above praising Him for what His Word promises me, but what circumstances do not dictate?

As I watch someone I love struggle with heavy opposition and pray that it would come to an end, that question resonates within me. As I walked through my pain, I had support and encouragement from everyone that knew my circumstances. But, this someone I love is in a position of leadership and enduring unjustified hostility and abuse. This person is being slandered, misunderstood and persecuted...just to name a few. This person is just doing his/her job and being attacked!

I am angry about what is happening! So, I have reminded myself and that someone I love of the Lord's goal in our lives...

2 Peter 1:3-11
His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and goodness. Through these He has given us His very great and precious promises, SO THAT through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires. FOR THIS VERY REASON, MAKE EVERY EFFORT to add to your faith, goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. FOR IF you possess these qualities in INCREASING MEASURE, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. BUT IF anyone does not have them, he is nearsighted and blind, and has forgotten that he has been cleansed from his past sins. THEREFORE, my brothers, BE ALL THE MORE EAGER to make your calling and election sure. FOR IF you do these things, you will never fall, and you WILL RECEIVE A RICH WELCOME INTO THE ETERNAL KINGDOM OF OUR LORD AND SAVIOR JESUS CHRIST.
And...
2 Corinthians 4:17-18
For our light and momentary troubles are ACHIEVING FOR US an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. SO, we fix our eyes NOT on what is SEEN, BUT on what is UNSEEN. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.


This world we live in is NOT our permanent home! God has already prepared a place for His children that is our permanent home. Everything we go through here on earth He is using to bring us into an intimate relationship with Him and to prepare us for what He has planned for us in Heaven...HOME. The only way for these qualities to increase is to go through circumstances which cause us to cry out to Him...in which case He will respond! Out of that response, grows love and trust for our Heavenly Father, which births a desire to do what pleases Him. All of this coming from the power of the Holy Spirit!

The beauty of being a child of the King is to say..."Yes, Jesus, bring the hail too. Because I know you will not only protect me, but you will use it for my good and Your glory!"

Dear Lord,
Thank you for Your Word that provides direction, encouragement and hope. There are no accidents! Thank you for creating me and giving me a purpose in this life! Thank you for choosing me! Thank you for everything that I have gone through in my short life as it has served to draw me closer to You, my Creator! You have transformed me, Lord! You allowed me and put me in the fire that I would be refined! I am so incredibly grateful that You loved me so much that You did not leave me to my own devices. You allowed me to feel so utterly abandoned and alone for the very purpose that I would come to have an intimate relationship with You. And to learn beyond a shadow of a doubt that I am Yours and You love me!    In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen!

Making Assumptions

In Joshua 22, Joshua relieved the Reubenites, the Gadites and the half-tribe of Manasseh of their responsibilities after they had faithfully fulfilled all that was commanded of them. In verses 4-5 Joshua sends them off with these words, “Now that the Lord your God has given your brothers rest as he promised, return to your homes in the land that Moses the servant of the Lord gave you on the other side of the Jordan. But be very careful to keep the commandment and the law that Moses the servant of the Lord gave you: to love the Lord your God, to walk in all His ways, to obey His commands, to hold fast to Him and to serve Him with all your heart and all your soul.”

When they came to Geliloth near the Jordan in the land of Canaan they built an alter. When the Israelites heard about the alter they made the assumption that the alter was for themselves and not for the Lord. They assumed that they disregarded the but in Joshua's instructions. So, before finding out the truth they prepared to go to war against them.

When the Israelites confronted the assumed guilty parties this was the response given to them, “The Mighty One, God, the Lord! The Mighty One, God, the Lord! He knows! And let Israel know! If this has been in rebellion or disobedience to the Lord, do not spare us this day. If we have built our own alter to turn away from the Lord and to offer burnt offerings and grain offerings, or to sacrifice fellowship offerings on it, may the Lord Himself call us to account.” They continued with their explanation of the construction of the alter as a witness.

The Israelites were ready to go to war! The whole assembly of Israel gathered to go to war against them! This took time and effort to gather the troops. Plenty of time for rumors to travel and for hostility to grow. Did they bother to send someone to get the facts first?...No! They assumed they knew the condition of their hearts was set on rebellion.

But, I love how the supposed guilty party clearly stated that the “The Mighty One, God, the Lord! He knows!”

One of my frustrations is when people assume things about me. I have had people draw conclusions of me without even taking the time to get to know me or attempt to find out the truth. The people in my life who know me and who have seen into the depths of my heart, have taken the time to sit with me as we share our hearts, have prayed with me, and have walked through very rough terrain alongside me.

There have been times when someone has made a judgement of me and I struggled with those feelings of condemnation when in my heart I knew that I was not guilty. I could plead my case until I was blue in the face. The only thing that eased my restless heart was to know that I could say... “The Lord knows”. With those words, with that Truth, I can let go and not feel like I have to plead my case.

However, I too am guilty of assuming. We all can be found guilty. As frustrated as I get, I am sure the Lord gets very frustrated with me about that same thing. I am so incredibly thankful that the Holy Spirit that dwells within me convicts me in such a way that I don't linger very long in that sin. Because drawing assumptions of others is really putting myself in the place of judge. And there is only One True Judge! His Word is very clear about judging others. In Matthew 7:1-4, Jesus says, “Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?”

“Father, You alone are Judge! You are Mighty! You are Holy! You are the King! You have my heart, Lord! I pray that my every desire is intertwined with Your will for my life!

Dear Heavenly Father, through the power of your Spirit that dwells within me, circumcise my heart! Continue to soften my heart towards others with whom I am quick to make assumptions. Forgive me for putting myself on the place of judging others. I pray that you would give me the ability to see others the way You see them! And for those that have made assumptions of me, give me the ability to extend the same grace, mercy, love and forgiveness that You extend to me.

Lord, I trust you to work all things out for my good. Understanding that doesn't necessarily mean for my comfort. But, always for YOUR GLORY!!!! And there my joy is complete!

In the precious name of my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, Amen  

Left To Test!

Passage Reading: Judges 1-3:4

I love this passage! It was hard to narrow down a main point because I saw so many similarities to the present time. I am not going to include the whole passage. My hope is that you might open your bible to the passage and see what God will say to you. I will focus on some of the verses that spoke to me personally.

To set up the reading, Joshua, the prophet, died. In Judges 2:7 it says, The people served the Lord throughout the lifetime of Joshua and of the elders who outlived him and who had seen all the great things the Lord had done for Israel.

This is what follows that verse in Judges 2:10-11, After that whole generation had been gathered to their fathers, another generation grew up, who knew neither the Lord nor what He had done for Israel (somewhere the parents stopped telling their children about what God did). Then the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the Lord and served the Baals (the god of pleasure).

It states that their actions provoked the Lord to anger. In verses 2:14-15 it says, In His anger against Israel the Lord handed them over to raiders who plundered them. He sold them to their enemies all around, whom they were no longer able to resist. Whenever Israel went out to fight, the hand of the Lord was against them to defeat them, just as He had sworn to them. They were in great distress.

Then, the Lord raised up judges for the Israelites to save them from the raiders. However, they still were disobedient. They still worshiped other gods. They were quick to turn from the ways their fathers walked...in obedience to the Lord. The Lord did have compassion on them. However, ultimately they refused to give up their evil practices and stubborn ways.

The following verses struck a nerve. In 2:20-3:2; 3:4 it says, Therefore the Lord was very angry with Israel and said, “Because this nation has violated the covenant that I laid down for their forefathers and has not listened to me, I will no longer drive out before them any of the nations Joshua left when he died. I will use them to test Israel and see whether they will keep the way of the Lord and walk in it as their forefathers did. The Lord had allowed those nations to remain; He did not drive them out at once by giving them into the hands of Joshua. These are the nations the Lord left to test all those Israelites who had not experienced any of the wars in Canaan (He did this only to teach warfare to the descendants of the Israelites who had not had previous battle experience). They were left to test the Israelites to see whether they would obey the Lord's commands, which He had given their forefathers through Moses.

I could say so much about the current state of our nation and this current generation. However, I want to direct more of the focus on personal application. How was I challenged in a way that will have an impact on the legacy I leave behind which hopefully will have an impact on the next generation?!

Through my challenges, there has been an occasional prayer that I would offer up to the Lord. “Lord, can you just remove this challenging relationship from my life permanently?” (not wishing any harm but for this relationship to be removed) But, God said no. But WHY, Lord? The answer came to me out of so many passages, but this passage I love!

He left this challenge in my life to test me. I could complain, but I know the blessings and protection that come from obedience to His Word...I have experienced it first hand. So, I pray that God would allow His love, forgiveness, grace and mercy to fill me in such a way that it overflows onto others. Am I always successful? No! This challenge also reminds me of my own sinful nature. It keeps me humble and always crying out to the Lord for help.

There are two other words that speak loudly to my heart in 3:2, He did this only to teach warfare! In order to survive some of the challenges that I have encountered, I have had to engage in spiritual warfare. What does this look like? Well, the enemy plants thoughts in my mind and wants me to respond one way and the Holy Spirit within me reminds me of what God's Word says about how to respond. I can listen to the voice of the enemy or...I can treasure and ponder on what God's Word says to do and refuse to listen to that other voice! The spiritual battle that God's children will have to deal with comes in many different forms. So, as I choose to stay committed, only through the power of the Holy Spirit within me and God's grace covering me, to endure these tests with a surrendered and obedient heart.

Father, I pray that this challenge in my life would be used by Your Hand to test me in order that I might be used for the advancement of the gospel of Christ. I pray that this challenge would also train me for the battles that await me in the future. Father, I pray that Your Spirit that dwells within me would have full sway in my life. I pray I would respond to life's challenges in accordance to Your Word in order that Your Will would be accomplished in my life!

For the Glory of my Lord!