MeccaMusing: Encouraging Discouragement - I am guilty, are you?...

MeccaMusing: Encouraging Discouragement - I am guilty, are you?...: I had a very challenging day, rough waters, darkness rising over the horizon in several areas of my life.  I allowed discouragement into my ...

Encouraging Discouragement - I am guilty, are you?

I had a very challenging day, rough waters, darkness rising over the horizon in several areas of my life.  I allowed discouragement into my private space and actually walked hand-in-hand with it, thereby inviting and actually encouraging its hold on me.  Quite a paradox, eh?  Encouraging discouragement. 

It was comfortable walking with discouragement.  Oh, how I admired my reason for discouragement, wallowed in it, moaned about it, reacted with "I don't have to do this.  I'm old enough now that I just shouldn't have to put up with this."  Actually gave it my joy to destroy.  No thievery here.  I gave it away.

"Woe is me because of my injury..." Jeremiah 10:19.  Or, "Woe is me for I am undone..." Is. 6:5. I allowed - actually that is too passive - I encouraged discouragement to whisper those things into my heart, because it fed me, puffed me up, made me feel like a victim.  I was vindicated.  Ah! I just knew I would feel better, but I didn't.

Dear Ones, I cannot blame my arch enemy for my discouragement.  Today, I was my own worst enemy.

Discouragement didn't even have to knock on my door.  I heard its footsteps and hurried to greet it with open arms exclaiming, "let's be miserable together." Misery does love good company, and I am really good company.

So, have I sufficiently discouraged you as well?  Don't you dare fall victim to this kind of chicanery (great word) like I did.

Spurgeon said, "Trials teach us what we are; they dig up the soil, and we see what we are made of." Let me just say that I didn't like what I saw today.

Yet, the Lord in His unfailing mercy ministered to my heart all day long - even as I ignored Him, replaced Him without shame, and treated Him as if He had no place in my world.

He whispered, "you asked for my best no matter the cost.  This is good for you.  I will not forsake you, You cannot go away from my presence.  There's no where you can be that I will not be there with you - going before you, watching your back, keeping you from stumbling.  If you take the wings of the morning or make your bed in Sheol, I am there.  I do not forsake my children." Psalm 139.

He gently nudged, "hope in me, and I will renew your strength." Is. 40:31, and "cast your care upon me for I care for you." I Peter 5:7, and "trust in me with all of your heart and don't lean on what you think you know about this situation, because I know what is going on, and I am not surprised.  I will direct your path" Prov. 3:5; and, by the way, "the hearts of those I have placed in leadership over your life are in my hand, and I can change them however I choose.  Do you trust me?" Prov. 21:1

And as the sweet, persistent, gentle voice of the Shepherd of my soul finally penetrated that barrier of discouragement that I had allowed to take His place, He gently took my hand from that of discouragement, immediately dispelling its presence and power and filling me with His joy.

His joy became my strength, and wisdom took hold, and I rejoiced knowing I was sheltered safely in His arms, walking by His side with no fear.

Now, the darkness and rough waters have not gone away.  There might even be a tornado or two brewing.  My pastor says we are either just going into a problem, in the middle of a problem, or are just coming out of a problem.

The difference is "even the darkness seems light to those who walk with the Lord."  Psalm 112:4.  How simple when He reigns in my heart and mind, and how utterly impossible when I take hold of the reins of my heart and mind.

"Lord Jesus, forgive me for encouraging discouragement and help me to sleep sweetly under the shadow of your protective wings, and rise on the wings of the morning, approaching the new day that you give me with the joy of you, Lord."

Do any of you know that great old hymn, "Under His Wings"? My sweet Granny loved that song.  When you read the lyrics, you will understand why.

Under His wings, oh, what precious enjoyment!
There will I hide till life's trials are o'er
Sheltered, protected, no evil can harm me,
Resting in Jesus, I'm safe evermore.

Under His wings, Under His wings
Who from His love can sever
Under His wings my soul shall abide, 
Safely abide forever!

My Heavenly Daddy whispered "Mecca, stay close to My heart, and discouragement will flee and tell all of your readers to do the same."   Love to all, Mecca

MeccaMusing: How Sweet to Walk with the Saviour!

MeccaMusing: How Sweet to Walk with the Saviour!: A Day in the Life ...of walking with Jesus and unceasing prayer.   If prayer is my spiritual oxygen, I have to recognize its power...

How Sweet to Walk with the Saviour!

A Day in the Life

...of walking with Jesus and unceasing prayer.

 

If prayer is my spiritual oxygen, I have to recognize its power and realize how important it is to keep my relationship with the source of my strength from being short circuited by ensuring there is nothing between my soul and the Savior. When that is accomplished, unceasing prayer is very natural.

I thought I would share with you what a day in the life of unceasing prayer has looked like for me when I have been obedient and walked with the Lord without shame or guilt.

5:30 am - "Good Morning Sweet Jesus, thank you for a good night's sleep. My knees hurt a little bit this morning, but I'm thankful it's not worse as much stair climbing as I did yesterday. Thank you for your mercies that are new this morning and your faithfulness; thank you that Mother is feeling good, and she is still with us. Thank you that Papa is feeling good, and Lord help him to realize he is getting older. He doesn't know it yet.

Thank you........ (and so it goes, acknowledging He is sovereign, asking Him to search my heart; asking forgiveness for any transgression He brings to mind; talking to Him as I would in the familiar relationship with my earthly daddy, trusting His love for me; praying for those people and situations He has laid on my heart, asking for strength to accomplish what I believe He has laid before me to accomplish today; and above all asking Him to help me keep my heart stayed on Him so others will see Jesus in me.)

6:30 am - get a text message saying a meeting has been changed to include a couple of people that I really have a difficult time being around. What I think is neat is that the Lord let me know that. "Lord, you are not surprised by this, and you are allowing it. Please set a watch before my mouth and keep the door of my lips. Help my goal not to be right, but to reflect You. Go before me, help me to see these people as you see them. Give me clarity and sense of purpose, and I will trust you with the outcome."

7:30 am - Frank prays for us both before he leaves for work. (I loved his words that morning)."Lord, thank you that you have taken the venom out of the serpent and the teeth out of the lion's mouth for those of us who belong to you..." He went on to ask for all the host of angels available to watch over my car since I was in a hurry and it was one of those days I might "run over fire hydrants and small children" because I was running late. (I think I have talked about that before.)

8:15 am - Drive to work, "Oh, Lord, thank you so much I saw the huge piece of metal in the road - almost tore up my tire. Whew! Glad those angels were posted. That would have certainly changed my day."

9:45 am - walk by the Crispy Creme donuts, fruit, and other assorted breakfast items as I head for "the" meeting. "Lord, now that 'ain't' right for those donuts to be in my pathway." To which He replies, "either get some fruit or look away and keep walking. You can certainly choose to have a donut, but you and I both know you will not be happy and will be asking me later this evening why I didn't help you. Make the right choice now, and we will rejoice together this evening." I keep walking that time. My conversations with the Lord after failure are much different than they are that evening.

10:00 am - Stop at the door of "the" meeting to thank the Lord for already preparing the way and for His faithfulness. Meeting is a little tense, but God is good, and my reactions honor the Lord. That is all that matters. As I walk out, "thank you, Lord. I appreciated your presence and wisdom." I am not stressed, and donuts don't sound good anymore.

Noon - walk by a co worker's office, "Lord, bless ---, I know she is worried about her son. Comfort her heart and provide me the opportunity to be a blessing to her today." The Lord whispers, "she needs to feel appreciated." I stop to say how much I appreciate everything she does and what a blessing she is to me. That draws a huge smile, and a hug. Isn't that neat? The Lord knows I looooooovvvvveeee a good hug. We are both blessed.

3:00 pm - Spill Diet Coke all over the desk (said I wasn't going to drink them anymore anyway) and I'll be a monkey's uncle if I didn't say "Oh, s---," before I could catch myself. I immediately look around to see if anyone hears me, and whisper, "Lord, I'm so sorry. I've said that enough being funny, that now it comes out when I don't want it to." Forgive me.

3:30 pm - receive an annoying email. I get on it immediately and set the sender straight on the facts. I start to hit the send button, when the Lord whispers, "Wait. Save and read in a little while. If it still sounds right, send it."

4:30 pm - read email again as I am checking on the things I need to complete that day, and while everything I said was correct, and I had the right to say it, it could be softened. I soften it, hit 'send,' and thank the Lord for the wisdom and warning.

5:00 pm - Frank calls, and it is irritating to me because he is bugging me to leave when I know I have to finish a few more things. He is trying to get me to be more balanced in my work - an area where I have never had balance in my life. This time, the conversation has a good outcome since the Lord is whispering, "at least he wants you at home to spend time with you. Not everyone has a husband that cares if she is home or not."

There are several more points before I go to bed that I have these ongoing conversations with the Lord. If life is 10 percent what happens and 90 percent how we respond to it (Chuck Swindoll), think how differently my day could have gone if I had not communicated with the Lord during the day. I would have missed out on blessings, caused issues for myself, and maybe caused a "tiff" between Frank and me.

My spirit is different, the joy of the Lord provides me energy to exercise, I have an "attitude of gratitude," and my sleep is sweet. All of this is because of my spiritual oxygen. Believe me, when my oxygen tube is clipped shut by disobedience, my days are much different.

Thank you, Lord, for saving my soul, for walking with me through every situation in life, for remaining faithful, loving me unconditionally, and for the promise to uphold and sustain through life's journey and lead me safely home. What a friend I have and you have in Jesus. What a Savior. Approaching each day with joy. Mecca

MeccaMusing: Time Well Spent

MeccaMusing: Time Well Spent: Good Evening sweet friends.  It has been an extraordinarily beautiful weekend in my "neck of the woods."  I am blessed beyond my w...

MeccaMusing: Lord, Give Me Your Best...

MeccaMusing: Lord, Give Me Your Best...: At any cost.  Why does that place such uneasiness in my heart even as I say with all assurance, I love and trust the Lord Jesus? When I wa...

Lord, Give Me Your Best...

At any cost.  Why does that place such uneasiness in my heart even as I say with all assurance, I love and trust the Lord Jesus?

When I was a child, I was a prolific reader.  We belonged to a Christian book club, and I read so many wonderful stories of godly people the Lord had used to make such a difference in the lives of others.

I was always mesmerized by the stories of missionaries and wondered how they ever had enough faith and courage to withstand the fiery darts of the devil and "having done all, to stand." (Loose translation of Ephesians 6:13).

One such couple was John and Betty Stam.  I don't know why the Lord brought them to my mind, since I hadn't thought of them in years. If you have never read the story, it is one that will change your perspective on what it really means to be sold out to the Lord.  They were missionaries in China and were beheaded in their twenties for loving the Lord and living out His Word before the Communist Chinese.  The way the Lord cared for their infant daughter for more than 30 hours following their death increased my faith and shamed me for my lack of it.

In December 1934, on a lonely hill in China, John and Betty Stam, young American missionaries, still only in their late twenties, were led out to die at the hands of Red Soldiers. The reaction to such a tragedy throughout the world was at first one of benumbed shock. Then came the question into the minds of many, “Why such waste?” But as faith triumphed over seeming defeat, into Christian lands everywhere, came an upsurge of missionary zeal. It is probably true that more was accomplished for God in that supreme sacrifice than would have been possible had John and Betty lived to give years to normal missionary effort. Source: Paw Creek Ministries website. 

Even as a young teenager, Betty Stam prayed this prayer:

 "Lord, I give up all of my own plans and purposes, all of my own desires and hopes, and accept Thy will for my life.  I give myself, my life, my all utterly to Thee to be Thine forever.  Fill me and seal me with Thy Holy Spirit.  Use me as Thou wilt, work out Thy whole will in my life at any cost, now and forever."

There's that phrase again, "at any cost."

I woke up this morning oppressed in my spirit.  I know why.  I was worrying about the menial things of life that spoil the fruit of the riches of His grace.  As our pastor said this morning, I know what God has done, and what He will do, but I forget to rest in the fact that He is the "I am." He is doing a work right now.  

I can not ever say anything about how the Israelites would go from one day to the next trusting and then distrusting God.  I do the very same thing.  One day I am writing about a life He is still changing, and the next day I wake up oppressed.  

Here's what I know as a fact, "I know in whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to keep that which I've committed unto Him against that day."  2 Tim 1:12.  And then I remember all of the instructions Paul gave to Timothy, "guard the good deposit entrusted to you, there's a crown of righteousness waiting, hold fast, don't be ashamed, the truth will be revealed, don't be afraid..."

As I continued to reminisce about the story of the Stams, I looked up more information and found that when their parents heard of the tragic death of their children, one of the parents spoke these words "when you put God second, you get His second best, but when you put Him first, you get His Best."

Their children were in His presence.  What could be better than that?  

My prayer this morning is, "Lord Jesus, I want to put you first, and I want your best...and yes, at any cost."  I want to lay crowns at your feet.  Now comes the peace that passes all understanding that keeps our hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. (Phil 4:7). If I just live out this prayer, I can't even imagine what God has in store.

"Now unto him that is able to guard you from stumbling, and to set you before the presence of his glory without blemish in exceeding joy, to Him be glory forever and ever, Amen and Amen." Jude 1:24, 25

Love to all, Mecca