In the Struggle, Step Out and Stand UP! 10-24-11

“Remove the dross from the silver, and out comes a vessel from the silversmith.” Prv. 25:4

Amidst God’s refining furnace, it’s the suffering that gets rid of the dross in our lives.

Haralan Popov was a prominent minister in Sofia, Bulgaria when he was arrested in 1948 on false charges of treason and espionage against the state. He was among 15 Christian ministers charged with these crimes, and after being tortured and brainwashed for 8 months, pleaded guilty under duress and were sentenced to 15 yrs. in prison. Released in 1962, Popov moved to the USA in 1970 and started a worldwide campaign for human rights and religious freedom. In his book, “Tortured For His Faith”, Popov writes this:

“As the fires of persecution grew, they burned away the chaff and stubble and left only the golden wheat. The suffering purified the church and united the believers in a wonderful spirit of brotherly love such as must have existed in the early church. Petty differences were put aside. Brethren loved and cared for one another and carried one another’s burdens. There were no nominal or ‘lukewarm’ believers. It made no sense to be a halfhearted Christian when the price for faith was so great. There came a great spiritual depth and richness in Christ I had never seen in the times before when we were free.

Every man, woman and youth was forced to ‘count the cost’ and decide if serving Christ was worth the suffering. And to the Communist’s great regret, this was the healthiest thing they could have done for the church, for the insincere gave up but the true Christians became aware of what Christ meant to them and became more dedicated than ever before.”

Question: Whether “suffering” comes as some kind of illness, marital/relational strife, or outside persecution, as a Christian in the United States today, are we so isolated and insulated in our “holy huddle Believer bubble” that we are simply too comfortable to “step out and stand up” for Him?

Last week, I (Betsy) was put to this test when my internist became alarmed with a mass growing in my abdomen. A full line up of doc visits and tests followed, and yet, despite the unknown, I had the most amazing upbeat/calm spirit that overcame me. (The same calm Spirit that overcame me during my brain tumor announcement this May.) ~~ I even got to share God’s love and Good News with the sweet distraught woman who drew my blood (testing me for ovarian cancer) for 15 some odd minutes as well as with my internist, gyn, AND the whole bible study group of ladies that were over at our home just prior to it all!

And to God be the glory, the “mass” turns out to be an abdominal hernia over an ovarian cyst…together accounting for all the odd symptoms which pointed to something much more serious. PRAISE HIM.

~~So what do you say we each challenge ourselves to “step out and stand up for Him” in our area of suffering this week?

We love you,  ~Shaun and Betsy

Dare Not 10-17-11

“For freedom Christ has set us free.” Gal. 5:1

Does “freedom” mean we can do anything we want, any time we want, to any extent we want, with whomever or whatever we want, for as long as we want, and suffer no consequences with any of it at any level?

In today’s world, does freedom mean abolishing common decency?

We have 2 kids currently in college and in most US colleges today, new students are encouraged by staff and peers to experience “freedoms” they may have never had the opportunity to try until now. In the sex arena, kids are told to “fly, be free” and many do just this…only to discover latent consequences one never considered as an 18-21 year old. ~~Like being a happily married 32 yr. old, but unable to conceive because of a silent STD … Or being ‘not so happily married’ because one’s been with so many partners that being united with ‘just one for life’ is too confining. … Or dealing with post abortion remorse and shame one never fathomed one would feel ‘back in the day’…

Can we truly be free when we are slaves to our own passions and desires?

“Jesus said to the people who believed in Him, ‘You are truly My disciples if you remain faithful to My teachings. And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free. … Everyone who sins is a slave of sin. A slave is not a permanent member of the family, but a son is part of the family forever. So if the Son sets you free, you are truly free.’”  Jn. 8:31-36

Freedom in these verses mean ceasing to be a slave, to be set at liberty. ~~Liberty to live as free men, as servants of God, without using freedom as a pretext for evil. 1 Pet. 2:16

Satan dared Eve and succeeded. She believed she was gaining something but was actually losing it all. And his dares haven’t changed; at the root, they’re designed to appeal to our pride, our insecurity and our wanting to prove or validate ourselves. Tragically, in a moment of weakness, Adam and Eve lost their freedom, and entered into a lifelong self-induced prison with consequences rippling to us 1000’s of years later.

Question: What in our life this week is enticing us away from true freedom? ~~Like the prodigal son in Luke 15:11-32, it is not too late to reverse direction.

May God bless us,

Shaun and Betsy

Kiss the Bit and Bridle Goodbye 10-10-11

“The LORD says, ‘I will guide you along the best pathway for your life.

I will advise you and watch over you.

Do not be like a senseless horse or mule that needs a bit and bridle to keep it under control.’” Ps. 32:8-9

Any of us acting like a senseless horse or stubborn mule in a particular circumstance or relationship right now?

Why?

Learning to trust HIM in the trenches, xo  ~Shaun and Betsy

He is Good 10-3-11

“He leads the humble in doing right, teaching them His way.” Ps. 25:9

Humbleness toward God is that disposition of spirit in which we accept His dealings with us as good, and therefore, without disputing or resisting, we trust in God’s goodness and His control over the situation or relationship.

Also referred to as meekness or gentleness, to be humble sits opposite of self-interest, yet it is not complacent or milquetoast. This is how one can be angry yet not sin, like Jesus Himself exemplified. (Anger rooted in God and His cares, not me and my cares.)

So in Ps. 25:9 above, when God says that He leads and teaches His kids His way, He’s saying that He leads and teaches those of us who are wholeheartedly trusting Him with our lives “as they transpire”.

Faith says that although I do NOT understand, I am choosing to trust You and NOT slander You in word or deed because Your way(s) don’t fit my limited perspectives.

What’s testing your faith today (whether small or immense)?

Whatever the circumstance or relationship, God is completely aware and He’s in complete control.

The question is: Do we wholeheartedly believe this?

May God bless us!

Shaun and Betsy

Freedom Found in Shifting Control 9-26-11

“the things we cannot see will last forever.” 2 Cor. 4:18

Are any of us experiencing “less than happiness” with a relationship, our employment, a health issue, etc.? (Sooner or later ALL of us do.)

Do you truly believe that God is sovereign over all the details in the lives of His kids? How about your personal life? With all of life’s setbacks, adversities, and relationships that cause you personal heartache, do you really believe He is sovereign and in complete control?

Once we truly grasp the truth that everything we experience is 1) permitted, 2) used by God, and that 3) He is sovereign over all details in our life and relationships, we can stop focusing on the score (our cherished goals and expectations) and start LIVING in the game.

We can start living life to His glory (abiding, obeying, and trusting), where we’ll no longer feel like we have to control outcomes, but can REST in knowing that He is in complete control (even when life “feels” out of control).

~Our vision is temporal yet God is eternal. God sees our entire earthly existence through the lenses of eternity. He views ALL of what is going on (personally and globally), and then weaves this seeming gagnormous conflicted mess together in His perfect eternal tapestry.  

What we need are spiritual glasses and trust. The apostle Paul tells us, “We don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever…My ways are higher than your ways and My thoughts higher than your thoughts.” 2 Cor. 4:18; Is. 55:9

Regarding the things we do not understand and that cause us pain, what do you say we choose to live with spiritual glasses this week? 

 

“I pray that out of His glorious riches He may strengthen you with power through His Spirit in your inner being.” Eph. 4:6  

Much love,

Shaun and Betsy

Room for God 9-19-11

“In all his thoughts there is no room for God.” Ps. 10:4

• We all serve something or someone.
• We are all bondservants to whatever we worship.
• When we make friendship with the “world” we break the heart of God.

  “The LORD was grieved that He had made man on the earth, and 

His heart was filled with pain. Gen. 6:6

  “…how I have been grieved by their adulterous hearts, which have turned away 
from Me, and by their eyes, which have lusted after their idols.”Ezek. 6:9

 “In all their distress He too was distressed, and the angel of His presence saved them. 

In His love and mercy He redeemed them; 
He lifted them up and carried them all the days of old. 

Yet they rebelled and grieved His Holy Spirit.”Is 63:9-10

• We fall into deception when we don’t seek to understand the true heart of God, but choose instead to embrace our ideas about the heart of God and our own feelings.

This week would you pray with us, “Lord, please break our hearts with what breaks Your heart, and give us great joy with the things that give You joy. May these things that break Your heart become so distasteful to us that their repulsion drives us to Your feet …where we are met by Your grace and love. Amen.”

“do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Eph. 4:30 

As we truly come to grips with our personal depravity, then we repent and come fully surrendered to God, we will be transformed from within where we cannot help but to LOVE and LIVE more like Him. 

Much love and living this week!

Shaun and Betsy

Living Farsighted 9-12-11

“If serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve…but as for me and my household,

We will serve the Lord.” Josh. 24:15

Question: If God withdrew His active presence from your life, what difference would it make?

• ·         
  Would we barely notice because although we think we’re a Believer, the reality of our life tells a different story
• • OR
• ·          Would we notice His absence in such a way that it would cause us to fall on our knees and beg Him for forgiveness, realizing the gravity of our own self-sufficient rebellious depravity?

The fact is, living with our hearts aligned with the world’s value system is generally easier in the short run. ~~We can embrace areas like low ethical standards, immediate self-gratification, and seemingly be rewarded for doing so.

Bottom line: 

“It is written: ‘As surely as I live,’ says the Lord, ‘every knee will bow before Me; every tongue will confess to God.’

  So then, each of us will give an account of himself to God.” Rom. 14:11-12

Let’s not be shortsighted of what truly matters.

This shortsightedness issue reminds us of a relative who broke his nose 6 days ago. (FYI: This analogy has nothing to do with this man’s faith, just his shortsightedness.) This guy’s nose looks like a slippy slide on a home swimming pool, curving left, then gently right. Tomorrow he is supposed to get it “straightened” by the doc, but because of the potential pain and inconvenience, he’s seriously entertaining the thought of leaving it crooked for life! ~~How shortsighted would this be? He’s put little thought into how a crooked nose would affect things in the future … like his breathing, his sleep patterns (plus his future wife’s sleep patterns with his potential snoring), his employment options and the like!

He, (like us with our particular issue), is fixated on the immediate here and now. ~Oh Lord help us!

More questions: What area in our life this week is screaming out like a 2 year old, “I do it myself!” or “Give it, ME want it now!”?  Do we REALLY want to continue in this immaturity? Really?

Hopefully the answer is “no” and we are moved to do some serious business with God.

May God bless us!

Shaun and Betsy