Wash Me

Have you you ever wished that God would shower you off on the inside? When life's pressures, pains and sufferings mount up in our minds and spill into our emotional pool, we feel a film of dirt on our soul that robs our peace. Situations in our environment convolute our clear thinking causing us to muddle our thoughts with worry, anger and regret as we go through our day or try to go to sleep. Our minds become a sewage processing plant and no human effort can stop its churning.

Over the weekend I worked in the garden and needless to say I was covered in dirt. I couldn't wait to conclude my day with a cool, soapy shower. I love the whole process of "dolling up" sometimes but there's nothing like a simple good scrubbing and then gobbing lotion all over clean skin and leaving it at that. As I was showering and thinking about some current problems, my mind thought of how nice it would be if we could just scrub our consciences and thoughts, then, rub a healing balm on and just start anew.

May times my mind feels like a pinball machine with constant action going on. Relentless thoughts and worries about safety issues, salvation for lost souls, fear of the future, shame of the past, current sufferings... I find my body exhausted while my mind races on. Not every moment is like that but when it does get in that state it seems impossible to put the brakes on.

The current terror event in Orlando, Florida, where 50 people were shot to death and approximately 50 more hospitalized was a stunningly shocking jolt as the details reverberated through news and social media. No matter how far removed you are from such horror it still haunts the mind and emotions. There is an inner disturbance of the soul as our minds try desperately to make sense of the senseless. Our children ask questions and in our attempts to calm them we drink from the cup of our condolences just to relieve our own confusion.

This world is like a tsunami of unreasonable circumstances that keep our minds in constant flux about whether to exhale or hold our breath. We ask ourselves if it's alright to relax and feel joy or should we be on guard not only in our physical world but also in our prayers. Our eyes jart about in suspicion while our minds teeter with the thought of whether today we will live or die. Our souls are dirty with the realities of evil, mud smeared windows that we are forced to look at life through. Because we are lovers of life and appreciate the gifts of hope and peace, these lovers of evil, who live to destroy, then die, are nothing more than stains that won't come out.

Can God keep our windows clean when mud is constantly being flung at us? Can our souls know purity and peace in a filthy world? Can we live a life of joy when wolves are prowling around us?  Of course. Our choice with no uncertain terms is to live free, experience every moment, have laughter on our lips and joy in our hearts and we can live this way by casting our cares upon God (1 Peter 5:7) "Cast all your anxiety on Him for He cares for you."). Moment by moment, every day, week after week for the duration of our grace given life. Soaking ourselves in Gods beautiful Word, dwelling in His presence through prayer, our fellowship with other believers are all blessings that loosen the caked on mud. John 14:27 says, "My peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid."

Just as we would soak our bodies in a bath tub, we are given a spiritual bath to soak in through Gods Holy Spirit. As our thoughts become consumed through the news of evil encroaching, we can process that information for the purpose of offering prayers while at the same time soaking in Gods Word so that it doesn't stain our souls. If we try to live absent of practicing these blessings that God has given to us then we are just children covered in the mud of fear and worry.

Psalm 92:4-8, For You make me glad by Your deeds, O Lord; I sing for joy at the work of Your hands. How great are Your works O Lord, how profound Your thoughts! The senseless man does not know, fools do not understand, that though the wicked spring up like grass and all evildoers flourish, they will be forever destroyed. But You O Lord, will be exalted forever.

Wash us Lord, from the inside out with the anointing of your Holy Spirit. I know this world and it's sinful ways grieve your heart, so let your tears of compassion for your children also wash us clean. Don't let the stains of this world askew our view of the blessings and joys that you want us to see. Use even our own tears to wash us as we are moved to great emotion over the cruelty in this world and disregard for life. Wash us clean Lord, with the tears of those who who hold us and comfort us in our times of pain and sorrow. Wash us, O Lord.

Matthew 8:2, A man with leprosy came and knelt before him and said, "Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean." Jesus reached out His hand and touched the man. "I am wiling." He said, "Be clean!" Immediately he was cured of his leprosy.

Thank you sweet Jesus for making us clean.

Vortex

I remember as a kid we would play in my neighbors above ground, round swimming pool. We would run along the inner side, pushing our legs through the water until we created a vortex that swirled counter clock-wise, then, we would lift our feet and let the current pull us around. After a few minutes we would then start running clock-wise and push with all our might to reverse the spin to go the opposite direction. This metaphor is a perfect example of what we should do with our torrential thoughts when they get us swirling.

The enemy of our souls works hard by infiltrating our mind with thoughts that God will not be there for us. We are all familiar with sleepless nights and long days of worry. It feels as though our minds are being carried off in a riptide and the panic of drowning takes over all our senses. I'm familiar with the experience of almost drowning and it's terrifying. The currents were like invisible vines that wrapped around my extremities, pulling me down while I realized that there was nothing to grab onto! The waves relentlessly crashed over me, wearing me out and I remember my last word before going under, "Help!" Within seconds my friend Daniel had swam to me and rescued me from the oceans grasp. There will be circumstances where we can firmly plant our feet and then begin pushing in reverse by using the tools that God has given us to fight with. Then, there will be times when a trauma renders us paralyzed and only a call out of "Help!" to the Savior will deliver us. Matthew 14:22,23 tells the story of such a time.

Under more manageable situations we can determine in our hearts to push against the mind-sets that the enemy tries to plant. Through daily devotion with God we can accomplish that behavioral change and live a more victorious life. But, in this sinful, treacherous world there will be riptides of terror, illness, lost loved ones... that simply cannot be managed but require a Savior to plunge His hand of mercy into our turbulent waters and rescue us. Only Christ can calm the seas, (Mark 4:35-41).

Asking Christ to calm our seas can go a few ways. Jesus can literally calm a storm in it's tracks which He did in the presence of His disciples as told in Mark chapter 4. Christ can also calm our fears through a storm by giving us assurance during our storm, as told in Acts 27, when the Apostle Paul was assured of deliverance for himself and his ship mates. Then, there is the command of peace to be made evident through obedience. Philippians, 4:6,7 instructs us, "Do not be anxious about anything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."

Our ultimate peace though is our hope of eternal salvation. The confident, bold assertion of the gift of eternal life through our Lord Jesus. Whether Christ literally calms our storm, gives us a promise of deliverance or commands us to calm down and accept His peace that is beyond our own understanding, our last and final peace comes in the recognition and acceptance of Christ's words to a repentent thief hanging on a cross next to Him at Golgotha, "This day you shall be with Me in paradise." Matthew 10:28 solidifies our eternal promise, "Don't be afraid of those who want to kill your body; they cannot touch your soul. Fear only God, who can destroy both soul and body." (by our rebellion of unrepentance).

Sisters and brothers, you are not at the mercy of this worlds vortex. Christ is our Savior, our hope, our anchor. Hebrews 6:17, "We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure." Let us in all things be sure, that we never set sail into our day without Christ in the boat.

Proverbs 21:30, "There is no wisdom, no insight, no plan that can succeed against the Lord."

Psalm 130:1-2, "Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord; Hear my voice. Let Your ears be attentive to my cry for mercy."

John 16:33, "I (Jesus) 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."

Fake Fear

Often when we look at a situation in our life, its appearance seems overwhelming and too daunting to overcome. Our mind begins the dance of reason as we tell ourselves that what lies before us is too much for us. As my husband and I stood looking at our vegetable garden the other day we felt this inner struggle. The weeds had literally taken over the garden path and all of the raised beds. Even considering the thought of taking on this task was depressing us. But, we determined in our minds to start with one corner and just give it a try.

I took the spade and loosened the edges of one planter and began to pull on the garden invaders. To our surprise the weeds pulled out with ease and before we knew it the first bed was cleaned out. Together we went from bed to bed and were amazed at how what we thought was going to be horrible turned out to be laughingly easy to accomplish. In God's humorous way He began to speak to my heart about the lesson buried in my garden.

He spoke to me about the similarities between the garden soil and my hearts condition. If our hearts have good, rich soil that has been prepared by God's Holy Spirit then no matter what Satan tries to plant there it will only be an illusion of daunting fear. Satan can only try to scare us with overwhelming circumstances, he has no power to actually overwhelm us! As children of the living God, we can, in reality, only be overwhelmed by God's beautiful power! It's all determined by where we choose to gaze.

When our hearts are rich with God's truth, the weeds of Satan's deceptions cannot take root, they can only give the appearance of fear. Each day the enemy scatters his lies, yet, when we DAILY feed our minds and hearts with God's truth through His Word, fellowship and prayer, we tend the garden of our souls so that the fake fears cannot grow.

After eradicating all the weeds in our garden it became crystal clear what the purpose of the garden was. Apart from spiritually weeding our hearts garden, we cannot know our true purpose in this life. The weeds of lies and deception crowd out our true purpose. It is imperative to weed out our minds and hearts daily and then let God's Holy Spirit plant His garden of fruits in us. If our gardens are not tended then the weeds of our enemy will take over. Our lives will produce, despair, confusion, fear, selfishness, depression...BUT, if we commit ourselves to tend our gardens then God will plant love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.

Life is not easy but the lessons in our toil are priceless if we seek God's truth. Weeds will always come but they can only take over if our soil is untended. Let us not be defined by Satan's fake fears but let the world see the fruits of our Living God displayed in the gardens of our lives!

Galatians 6:7, "Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up."

Matthew 7:15-20, "They will know you by your fruits."

Small Steps

I woke up early but my mind just would not engage. I felt as though I was sleep walking as I roamed around the house. My only desire was to go back to bed BUT, I forced myself to go out to the garden and work for awhile. After about an hour and a half of diddling around in the sun I could feel my mind and body thanking me for pressing through. There was an evident accomplishment from my efforts that brought satifaction and that surge pushed me on to go take a vigorous hike. It was a beautiful day and the trail at the park was bursting with buds and bird songs! My morning gloom and weariness had transformed into gratitute and joy.

Making that transitional choice delivered unto me a blessing. I chose not to succumb to my desire to isolate but instead I chose to step out and see what God could do with my weary body and mind. Needless to say, when I arrived home I was tired, but it was a good tired, not a useless tired. You know the difference. Each day God gives us choices of whether to rise or fall, serve others or self-serve, rejoice or complain, accomplish or surrender... It's not to say that God doesn't have days for us to rest but will we choose a collape into exhaustion or choose to have a peaceful rest? Purposing in our heart to trust God even when we don't FEEL like it can bring joy where depression wants to linger, service where isolation is more comfortable, health where deterioration would rather settle in.

It all starts with small steps of faith.