FLEE

Flee

What do you envision when you hear the word flee? I first think about someone running away from someone else. The setting is usually a dark alley with a lot of shadows. The person running is constantly looking over their shoulder, sure that they are being followed. Running in a direction, they hope will lead to safety. Did I come close to what you envision?

I think of the story in the Old Testament of Joseph and his master's wife. The story goes that Joseph would not sleep with her. One day, she tried to seduce him and he fled from her. He literally ran away from her. He didn't try to reason with her, or talk her out of it. He knew danger was near and so he ran from it.

Isn't this a lesson for us? I whole heartedly believe that we have gotten too comfortable with our world. I don't even think that we recognize when something is dangerous anymore. I have heard more than once that the music listened to is not so bad, only one little bad part. Or the movie that we are watching only says the "s" word. Shoot, I have made these comments myself! No big deal. It isn't affecting us. I recently was told the story of someone baking a pan of brownies for their Sunday school students. Right before the brownies were ate; he stopped to tell them a little bit about how they were made. He informed them that he had picked out the best kind at the store. After putting all the ingredients in, he realized that he was a little short on one thing. He looked in his cabinets and found nothing to substitute for the missing ingredient. So he took a spoon outside and scooped up a little dog poop. It was just a little, no big deal. He finished mixing everything together, baked them and passed them out. You can imagine the kids' shocked faces when he told them this. Not one of them ate the dessert this time; just a little bit of something bad, ruined the whole batch.

You get my point? Why don't we treat the things we have become accustomed to like this pan of brownies. Instead of viewing it like it is no big deal, we need to view it like God sees it.

2 Timothy 2:22 "Flee the evil desires of youth, and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart."

We are to flee our evil desires. We are to run away. Far and fast! We are not to look back over our shoulder. We are to just run!

It's so hard though isn't it? "The evil desires of youth" says to me that I have had these desires a long time. And what do they say: "old habits are hard to break?"

I have for a long time, thought that if I was to flee; satan would be breathing down my back while chasing me. You can just picture it now can't you? He is the big bad wolf who is constantly stalking his prey. But I found another great verse tucked away in

James 4:7 "Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you."

It's funny to see this word appear in both of these verses. One is a command of what we should do, and one is a promise of what will happen if we persevere against the devil and resist him. This is so reassuring to me.

It not only reassures me but also changes my view of satan. I think for a very long time, he has wanted me to believe that he had the upper hand. That I was scared and running and I needed to constantly be watching my back because he was just behind the next corner. I realize now that when I am in this mindset, I am not trusting in the power of the name of Jesus. I am telling myself that satan has power over me. The reality of the situation is that all I have to do is resist him. Resisting may include fleeing from him. Not because of how scary he is; but because we don't want to be close to anything of evil…we will eventually get too comfortable with it. Then we will eventually not even realize that it is harming us.

 

The most eye opening thing about this whole little lesson I have learned is that satan will flee from me. It's a promise that I intend to cling to! I am liking this turn of events. Instead of feeling that I will have to run forever and never stop because he is constantly running after me, all I have to do is stop and speak the name of Jesus, and resist him…and then he is the one who has to flee. It's awesome isn't it?

 

The word flee use to bring a sense of dread. It was always associated with something hidden, scary, and unexpected. The unknown is always a bit nerve wracking. But my view is changing drastically. I actually feel a bit empowered right now. I have decided to not believe the lies that I have lived under from the enemy. He does not have power over me. In fact, I think I am just now realizing the power that Christ has given us over satan! I know that this change in attitude is not always going to be easy to keep, but I know that this is the way God wants us to live! We might as well start somewhere, and it might as well start now! Let's start resisting him…how cool will it be to see him fleeing instead of us J!

don't give up on me!

hey to all my followers and readers...i just realized today that there has been 10 days between posts!  i am crazy swamped right now and sadly this blog got pushed to the back burner!  DON'T GIVE UP ON ME!!!!  please pray that i can find time...that i keep focused on God!  for some reason He has given me devotions to write...this is the only reason that i can do it!  so there must be a purpose right??!!  please pray that these devo's can touch who they are supposed to touch and are used whenever and for whoever HE wants them for!  thanks for being supporters!  i love watching where those little red dots are going to pop up on the map next! (cluster map at the bottom of this page ;))

Extra Air

Extra Air

Every day I start out by packing 3 lunches. It is something that I, at times, dread. It seems like as the school year flies by, there is less and less time to get everything ready in the morning. Most days, I find myself stuffing the baggies into lunch boxes as the kids are running out the door.

One day last week, this is exactly where I found myself. I started rapidly zipping shut baggies and tossing them into their lunch boxes. But in my haste, I realized that I left too much air in the bags and couldn't stuff everything in. It made me have to go back and open every baggie, release the air, and start over again. Frantic and frustrated are probably really good descriptive words to describe my mood that day.

After the kids actually get out the door, I have about 5 minutes where I feel completely relieved. As I was thinking back over my baggie problem that day, I realized that the Christian life can be so much like a packed lunch.

Aren't there days when you just feel like you can't fit everything in? Seriously, my life is crazy busy sometimes! I am sure I am not alone in feeling that way. You have a pile of "baggies" that need to be fit into a "lunch box" and some days, they just don't fit. Can you see my point?

The more air that you let out of those baggies, the more room you have to pile all the stuff in. But the problem that will happen, and the risk that you are taking is that without the extra air, your chips might get squished, your sandwich squashed and your cookies crumbled. You will end up packing everything in, but what condition will it actually be in by the end of the day?

What would it look like if we compared that extra air to the Holy Spirit? Are there times when we neglect to take the Holy Spirit with us, releasing Him out of our activities? Instead of using Him for protection, we don't take the time to spend with Him, and rather quickly shove as many things into our days as possible? I know that I have gotten into ruts where this is my EVERY day life! The end result is a whole bunch of activities that are done with ½ a heart and look like a crushed bag of chips. It may get done, but in the mean time, I get exhausted & drained, even burnt out at times. Have you felt that way too?

What is the solution? For me, I believe wholeheartedly that we just need to learn to re-adjust our focus. So many of our problems come when we try to take on too much because we can't say no. We worry about hurting someone's feelings or failing them, when in reality, by taking on too much, we actually fail God, because we can't do everything with our whole hearts for Him.

Colossians 3:23 Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.

 

After reading this verse, do you feel that you do everything like you were doing it for the Lord? Or can you see an area that may be a baggie without any air? Are you in danger of being squished?

Check out what you put into your day. If the only way to fit everything in is by letting HIM out, I think it's time to reevaluate what is important and what is not. You don't want to end your day with a crumbled mess!

Do you belong with HIM?

Do you belong with HIM?

Go with me just for a second to the stage of the Academy Awards. You can almost feel the electrifying air can't you? Now just picture me making an announcement that we need Brad and Angelina to come to the stage. Would you know who I was talking about or would you have to ask me to clarify? Most people wouldn't hesitate to get excited because they would immediately know that I meant Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie.

My question to you would be how do you know? What about those two makes it obvious that it was them I was calling? Don't you think that there were probably more Brad's in the audience than just him? Probably at least one other Angelina too! But they would know as would most everyone else, that I wanted Pitt and Jolie specifically.

The reason is because they are a couple. This equals spending time together, hanging out, going places together, talking all the time, etc. They have all the classic signs of 2 people that do life together.

Now go with me to a different audience. An auditorium filled with people, and at least 20 have the same name as you. The announcer comes to the front of the stage and grabs the microphone and announces that he needs "Tina" and Jesus to please come to the front. Would you know without a doubt that he was talking about you and Jesus?

Go through the checklist. Do you:

• Spend time with Him
• Seek Him out
• Do you go places together
• Do you talk all of the time?

Psalm 23 "A psalm of David. The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not be in want.

He makes me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside quiet waters,

He restores my soul. He guides me in paths of righteousness for His Name's sake.

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.

You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.

Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the House of the LORD forever."

Does He walk with you like He walked with David? Does He lead you, restore you, guide you, and anoint you? Do you let Him?

I think it's time to stop and ask yourself: Do people know that you belong to JESUS?

Starbucks

Starbucks

Today is one of those days.

My little guy spilled his water all over his sister as I was doing her hair. My oldest son spilled his orange juice twice. This was all within 15 minutes of leaving for school. I of course am rushing to get 4 lunches packed and everything else that needs to be in the car before we head out the driveway. To make the day even crazier, I got called into sub; gym class. If you know me at all this is the perfect job! I get to wear sweats and a sweatshirt with my hair in a ponytail. I am thinking that this day is going to be a breeze; until that first class comes roaring through the doors. One class after another with a 5 minute break in between is how my whole morning panned out. I am typing this on a much needed break, the first I've gotten, in a hallway closet with the lights off. I am fighting off a headache and hunger. I need my Starbucks!

Many of you need the fix that I desire. It is spelled out simply: caffeine. As I walked through the school this morning, I noticed an abundance of high schools kids with coffee cups. I stopped one kid and told him that he was addicted. He not only readily agreed but told me that his dad is the one who got him hooked! It's crazy how your body can become so dependent on a substance; so much that without it, you simply can't function properly. How many have felt instantly better as soon as they see the Starbucks sign? It's like the cure is within sight!

Think with me for a minute…what would it be like if my Starbucks was replaced by my Jesus?

Are you addicted to Him like you are to your coffee? Do you need Him every morning just so you can properly function? Do you crave Him, seek Him, and virtually die without Him?

If you can't even imagine having that kind of a relationship, or think it is impossible, then it's time to take a look at what you are calling your rock.

Ps 62:2 "He alone is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will never be shaken."

Ps 62:6 "He alone is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will not be shaken."

 

Is He alone your rock? Because if He is then you will never be shaken. So I guess the question is: Do you get shook? Do you find yourself running for a quick fix: friends, alcohol, caffeine, books, internet, nicotine, etc? (The list goes on and on)

Or do you have a foundation that begins and ends with Christ and has you running to Him during the day?

Tomorrow, how about we try something different? Starbucks is great and I will always love their iced green tea, but I can't depend on them to help me through the day. My one and only fix needs to come from the rock on which I stand! JESUS!

I hope that this will make you stop and ask yourself what exactly your rocks name is.

And whether it might just be time for a switch.

Firefighter

Firefighter

Have you ever watched a firefighter at work? It is amazing how quickly their adrenaline gets pumping when they get a call that there is a fire somewhere. It is only a matter of minutes before they are completely geared up and ready to take on any fire. They work so hard to keep the fire under control, eventually putting it out completely.

Have you ever had a firefighter fight for you? Not in real life fire situations, but in real spiritual life situations? Let me explain a little bit. I believe that we all have firefighters in our own lives. You may not be able to think of one right now, but let me try to change the path that I think you may be on. We all view firefighters as hero's who come and rescue us, which, when it comes to a fire raging through our house, that is absolutely the case! But when it comes to a spiritual fire that we get when we are so pumped about God, "firefighters" in our lives are not heroes at all, but rather robbers and thieves. Amazingly, the similarities are endless. They both arrive on the scene quickly. They aren't lazy about the job, instead facing it head on, not quitting until the fire is effectively under control.

I have seen so many people come off of a mission trip, come out of a revival meeting, or a praise and worship concert and are so in tune and on fire for God. Then in the next instance, literally it may take only days, they are back walking like everyone else. I can see immediately that they have had people come alongside them, and instead of encouraging, they throw buckets of water on them (in a spiritual sense). I have had kids make commitments to me that they are dead set on seeing through. Wherever they have just been, they are ready to take the next step with God. It becomes more than frustrating for me to watch friends try to convince them that what they want to do is stupid. It just doesn't look like "normal", and for some reason, everyone wants to be just that.

I want to take you to the scene of a different kind of fire. A fire that is purposely set. Have you ever driven past a whole field that had been expertly charred? Or, more than likely, you have seen side ditches completely black. These fields and grasses have been set on fire for a purpose. They want the dead grass from the year before to be gone so that the new can grow greener and healthier than it would have had the old stuff never been taken care of.

That is what God wants us to do too! He wants us to be on fire! He wants us to be His messengers that devour up the dead and old and help to bring healing and growth to this world!

Psalm 104:1-5 " Praise the LORD, O my soul. O LORD my God, you are very great; you are clothed with splendor and majesty. He wraps himself in light as with a garment; he stretches out the heavens like a tent. And lays the beams of his upper chambers on their waters. He makes the clouds his chariot and rides on the wings of the wind. He makes winds his messengers, flames of fire his servants. He set the earth on its foundations; it can never be moved.

In the King James, verse 4 reads: "His ministers a flaming fire"! Ministers can also be translated as servants. So read it like this…"He makes His servants a flaming fire!"

I want you to read this passage again, out loud. If you are daring enough, read that whole chapter! Picture saying it to God's Face as you do.

Now you tell me…do you want to be a firefighter against that kind of fire?

I want to be someone who tries desperately to keep those flames from dying out. I will tell you from experience, that encouragement is the quickest way to make a spark into a roaring fire! We all have the ability to use our words to either hurt or help. If you hurt, it is so extremely discouraging that you will see dead grass from the previous year all around. But just as easily, you can be the biggest encourager to someone, and give them the energy to keep fighting with all that God has given them. The fruit may not be seen immediately, but you will soon be able to witness just how much good encouraging words can do. You will see a fire spreading throughout your friends, throughout your church, and eventually throughout your whole community! Can you imagine what God will do with people who refuse to use water?

It's time for a change. We need to prepare our ground for a new crop!

Hebrews 3:13 But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin's deceitfulness.

It just depends on what you want to see growing around you. If you like dead grass, well I guess that's your choice. But for me…I'm going for the flames!