Expect God To Fullfill His Promises

 

This post might be all over the place as I separate things in my head. These thoughts come from a very real need I have and I am approaching my very real God, knowing that I can. 

Expectation:

What can I expect from God? Expectation is a strong belief that something will happen. What is your expectation based on? On facts? Is your expectation resting on the past? Is your expectation based on your accomplishments?  My expectation is based on Gods promises. God promises many things besides eternal life. I expect salvation, deliverance, miracles, healings, breakthroughs, peace, provision, protection and joy. If I’m asking God to provide for me financially, I expect that he will. However, if I’m limiting God to a way, a time, a place, a specific pay or job, then I’m not basing it on his promise to provide all my needs. If I expect God to fulfill His promises, then I will completely trust him.

Entitlement: 

Entitlement is a right to a particular privilege or benefit granted by law or custom.

I am nervous to even approach the examination of this word because I’ve always seen it in a negative view, until just now. 

When I believed and accepted Christ as my Savior, this entitled me to be Gods child. His daughter! This is huge! I know that as a mother I give my children access to me and in my limited resources when they with son/daughter privilege come to me I do all that I can to help them and bless them. Now God, the omnipotent God of the universe gives me access into his kingdom?! He does. So long as my faith is in Christ, I can approach my Abba Father all day long. However, entitlement gets twisted and knotted when I believe I actually deserve all the gifts God gives me. Then follows the attitude of ungratefulness. Yes, as Gods beloved child I can ask him for anything, I can expect good from him, but what I, a sinner, deserve he doesn’t give me. Instead He gives me mercy and pulls me out of the path to hell. He gives me grace and helps me choose His Narrow Path. 

Hope

Faith is believing what I cannot see, like Almighty God.  As I seek Jesus, my God my faith grows and it fuels my hope. Now, hope sees the ugly and prays for beauty from the ashes of destruction. Faith fueled by hope will pray for the impossible, expecting God to do his good will, in his perfect time. It is only when my eyes are on the blessing, the thing I’m praying for. When I’m praying and hoping for a certain outcome, and I hold my breath until this thing happens but it doesn’t, that's when hope is deferred. At this point my hope has been placed on something. But all is not lost, God is merciful, and he helps me look past the “desired thing” to Him. When my ultimate hope is in Christ and his plan I will rest, yes rest in Gods promises. 

Then I can confidently conclude that I should expect God to fulfill his promises, as I am his daughter, part of his family and house and legally entitled to his treasures because of the sacrifice of Jesus. Therefore I will hope in God and be grateful for the Resurrection.

What Gives You Pleasure?

 

                               Pleasure: A feeling of happy satisfaction and enjoyment.

Who do you love so much that your heart pitter patters? Who affects you so much that you are in fairytale land and you can't think straight at times? Who fills your calendar up, your days and hours?Who has captured your heart that your life, mind and days are given to that person? What insurmountable pleasure do you get from him or them?

What is it that you want very much? What is it that draws you, then pulls you? What is it that motivates and energizes you and your day flys by? What tangible thing do you want so much that it draws your attention and pulls you into action? What do you derive such pleasure from that everything else can wait?

This morning those questions filled my mind and my heart  as I prayed for my children. The reality struck me.

I do love my treasures- Ben, my husband of 35 years has the ability to excite me. Just last night I was looking at him admiring him still, and I loved him more. He can break my heart, that's how much my heart is in his hand. He can steal my days and fill them with him and maybe I would complain, but in the end I would give him my time and strength. After my husband are my children. Oh they have a way to get me to help them and stop my life to focus on theirs. They are fun loving people. I get so much pleasure from light conversation with laughter or deep talks that make me appreciate them more. 

I love reading a good book and get so caught up I'll ignore my chores. I can also get caught up in a good podcast. When I have a coffee date with my bestie, it can go on for hours, theres so much to catch up on. I love to have company, the more the better. Although I'm tired, and regardless of my budget,  I love to serve up delicious meals. In these things my pleasure abounds. 

I love sunny days. I love a picked and clean house. I love hugs and kisses from my grandchildren. I love hearing their baby voices.  I love...

These are a few of my pleasures. 

Another pleasure I've experienced is the incredible tangible presence of the Lord God as I'm praying. When I'm feeling the warring of  my flesh, He grabs my attention: James 4:1 What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this,that your passions (pleasures) are at war within you? I do a fact check assessment of my life, it's like picking up all the mess and now I can sup with Jesus and get a right perspective. It is a restful pleasure indeed! When I'm in turmoil, He soothes me.  James 1:5 If you want to know what God wants you to do, ask Him, and He will gladly tell you. So gracious and so kind when I draw near to him. Then, when things are all straightened out I can ask God, I can bring my petitions to him with confidence. James 4:3 You ask and do not recieve because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions (pleasures). 

A final thought about the pleasure. Sometimes, there are people or things in this life that we are fiercely defensive about. We appropriate these things. There are people we will sacrifice everything for. We lose sleep, time and money to keep that certain pleasure. We plan our days to include our pleasure into them. We rise early for our pleasure, we stay up late for our pleasure. 

Oh that we could be like that about our relationship and time with Jesus. Our prayer time. Jesus knocks at the door of our heart, I don't know if he knocks everyday, or just once a day, but it's a fact that he knocks. Rev 3:20. IF we hear him?! But IF he is our pleasure why wouldn't we hear and immediately open the door to him? Why in the world Christian, would you not make room in your day to sup with Jesus? Or cut out the whole day for Him? There is pleasure in communion with Jesus. 

Fruits Of Impatience

                                              

Recently the truth of impatience hit me hard. I read in Matthew 12:34 “You brood of vipers! How can you speak good, when you are evil? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks?”  and this stopped me in my tracks! What is in my heart that is running over into my conversations? 

What’s In Your Heart?

It was barely 7:30 in the morning and I was already annoyed by the little things. I was Frustrated that I wasn’t getting responses to my texts, bothered that I had to stop what I was doing to help my husband. I was bugged by the noise in the hallway. I was full of impatience! 

But no! That’s not what’s in my heart, I protested. Jesus is in my heart. My husband and children have a place in my heart. My sister is securely loved in my heart. My brothers, my church family. I couldn’t go on… that morning impatience was in my heart and it provoked me to look more at  its provocative, selfish nature. To be too honest, impatience lurks close by, waiting to pounce at any situation and does many times. Ugh! I didn’t care too much for that examination. 

Impatience produces a lot of bad fruit. 

Fruits of impatience:

Self righteousness- It implies that “I would never do that” whatever shortcoming “that” is.

Selfishness-What I want or need matters most. Me first. No, I will not wait, I want it now! Get out of my way. Hurry up and move! It also breeds covetousness and contempt. (The blessing of delayed gratification is for another post.)

Deception-Impatience makes you think that if you don’t make an immediate decision- all is lost. It won’t wait for a “soft answer” Instead impatience fires off quick angry responses that deceive you into thinking “I took care of that problem.”  Making good choices takes thoughtful consideration which takes time. People that are in a hurry, usually have put themselves on that fast lane unnecessarily. I read a bumper sticker that said “Don’t put me in your hurry” Ouch! How many times have I gotten too close because I didn’t pay attention to the time and now I’m gonna be late! 

Insecurity- While I’m faced with impatience, this ugly imp creeps in. Nobody can help me. Everyone is against me and does anyone even love me? All because I have to wait.

Rage-anger is a God given feeling, “be angry and sin not” Or recognize the hurt or injustice done to you but deal with the consequences of the violation in a controlled manner. Rage is violent and damaging, many times with long lasting consequences or even life changing ones. 

Controlling: Impatient people want to control things. Bottom line. 

Evil Speaking- in frustration I'll rant and rave and say some pretty idle words

that I will regret when the impatience has passed. I don’t need to give examples,

those words do come out though.

Impatience is ugly, looking in the mirror called the Bible, I saw it lurking. I cried, I prayed asking God to give me dominion over impatience, over myself. Thank God for his patient love. Jesus loves me and so I pray with confidence knowing that his ways work the best so that I might enjoy the benefits of His kingdom here on earth. I also pray that the fruits of his Holy Spirit will abide in me.

.

 

Asenath, Josephs Wife

 

As I read Josephs story this time around, (Genesis 30-50) I stopped to really consider Asenath, Josephs wife and his marriage. This woman was a key life changer in Josephs life, 3 verses in the bible that mention her. When I sat down to write this post, I was floored by the books and commentaries about Josephs wife that I found. Joseph was a pretty strong figure in Hebrew and biblical history, why wouldn't people talk about Asenath? That's how it is with famous powerful leaders. 

Joseph, a believer of the One True God who had spent his years in bondage fighting to maintain his purity and faith was suddenly a husband. He went from 13 years of slavery, a few of those years in prison, accused falsely. Suddenly he was Prime Minister of Egypt and husband to a very prominent woman in the kingdom. But the truth is nothing is "suddenly" with God. Joseph was ready for the new roles. 

Joseph was a man of integrity. He fled from Potiphars wife as a young man, he had quite an opportunity to indulge when she saw how handsome and strong he was and went after him, yet he was a man of God with good character who respected her husband, even though she didn't and more importantly, he honored Gods laws. Then one day, after his rise to power, came his own marriage vows, enter the bride Asenath. Joseph was presented with the wife that Pharoah, the king of Egpty had chosen for him, the daughter of the priest of On who worshiped Egyptian gods, not the God of the Hebrews.  Asenath "gift of the sun-god" a constant reminder of one of the many gods of her country. 

What kind of a marriage did they have? What was Asenath like in physical appearance and  personality?  Did she also notice how handsome this Hebrew man was? Did she have a good character like Joseph? He did not run from this woman, it seems that he embraced and loved her. My romantic heart assumed this simply because of the names of his sons: Manasseh which means "God has made me forget all my hardship and all my fathers house" and the second son was Ephraim, which means God has made me fruitful in the land of my affliction. The names alone declare his appreciation for ALL that God had done for him and given him, this would include his wife, the mother of his sons. Did Asenath influence her sons in positive ways? Did their upbringing include Hebrew traditions? Is it possible that Joseph influenced his wife?

Joseph kept his eyes on the One True God and established himself and family there in the land of his captivity. 

Of course as a wife of 35 years in a bi-racial marriage, I am very curious about this mixed marriage. My husband and I are both Americans and Born Again Christians, but our ethnicity is different and our marriage is splashed with Mexican and New England cultural traditions. The foundation of our marriage and the cord that ties us together is God. His ways keep us working on our marriage relationship even after we've raised our four kids. 

I'd have to dig a bit deeper to study the culture of marriages in those ancient days, but reading Gods living word, the account of Josephs marriage, did leave me with the conviction that God, my omnipotent God is the author of our stories, from beginning to end.  Jeremiah 29:11 says "I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not evil to give you a future and a hope" (esv) When we take life into our own hands, because we often do, we mark up the pages of our story. Waiting on God or for God is hard for me sometimes. Choosing not to judge God as unjust or uncaring is a great temptation, but God is never early, never late, but always righ on time with the right move for our lives. 

 

What Do You Treasure?

“For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also” Mat 6:21 NKJV. 

This scripture is sometimes used when the offering at Church is being taken. I've always taken this scripture as an admonition to check my heart and I do. I have lived a good life. Every good thing I have is a benefit of living for God, in Christ. I really enjoy the comforts God has provided. I’m not rich by any means, but I am blessed. Do I love my money more than Jesus? Are my possessions truly my treasure? Up until the end of last year, I looked at that scripture as if it pointed to my possessions. Then one night my son took the offering and used this very scripture and my real treasures came forward.

As he spoke that night and challenged the congregation to check and see just how very tight we clung to our treasure, I realized that he, my first born child, and my other three are my treasure. my heart IS where my treasure is and I have tended to cling too tight sometimes. I’m sitting here hovering over my keyboard, trying to express this correctly, because as a born again, bible believing Christian, where my treasure is, there my heart is also. Christ is my treasure, my all in all, and in him I’ve lived a blessed, treasure full life. My children are my greatest earthly treasure, valuable! 

Even though they are a gift from God, and even though he has the best plan for them, it has not been easy to offer them up to God. Somewhere along the path of raising them, loving them, teaching them and preparing them, some moms (me) appropriate their kids, forgetting that they are God's children first. I’m one of those “momma bears” releasing them is usually an act of God.

I listened to my son that night and cried because very soon I’ll be releasing him and his family, my beautiful daughter inlaw and my five grandchildren to God again, It’s obviously not the first releasing experience, but it seems that each time it gets harder. this time they’re leaving for the mission field. Oh goodness! South America isn't South Bay San Diego, which is just 20 minutes away from us. 

That night I walked back to those memories when he was a backslidden church kid, angry and discontent. I would pray, asking God to save him, I offered my unrefined treasure to God then, knowing he was playing “religion,”  talking “Christianese” but not walking like a true believer. He was lost in his sin right there in the assembly, then one weekend, God accepted my offering,  it seemed like “all of a sudden” he was knocked off his high horse and he knew, he just knew that God loved him and was calling him. Just like that he repented and was born-again. Then, it was “ all of a sudden” he was converted and discipled  into a man of God, trained to preach and pastor. 

My husband and I have lived our lives responding to those challenging offerings, giving all that we could to see churches built and established in the United States and around the world. We believe in call to "Go ye into all the world" If someone would have told me 39 years ago, coming into Gods family as a single girl that one day I would be offering my son, my treasure, back to God I wouldn’t have believed it.

What is your treasure? There where your treasure is, is your heart also. I would be a liar if I wrote that giving my treasure to God is easy, it's not. I can say that giving my treasure to God is a worthy investment, it is a safe one too. The best place for my treasure to be is in the will of God.  

 

Peter Went Fishing

                         

The account of  Peter fishing with some of the other disciples captured my attention one day. It’s in the Gospel of John. Peter and a few other disciples went fishing after Jesus' death and resurrection, that’s right, he went fishing and the others followed. What was going on in his head during this crisis? 

BeforeThe Fishing Trip:

Jesus prophesied that Peter would deny him 3 times. Peter was incredulous at the idea, he loved and believed Jesus' message. He was confident that he would never abandon Jesus, but he did, and he was filled with shame and remorse. That’s the state he was in when Jesus died, and like the others he was also shocked, heartbroken and afraid. When the first account of the resurrection came to them, Peter wanted to believe that Jesus was alive so he ran to his tomb. As crazy as it sounded, maybe he had come back from the dead? Maybe, he would get a chance to see him and tell him just how sorry he was. Amazing! His garments were on the floor, but yet again, another disappointment, Jesus was not at the tomb. So he decided to go back to fishing.

The Fishing Trip

Peter knew how to fish, he was comfortable in that position and there in his old life Jesus showed up. Despite his failure the other disciples expected Peter to lead them. Those that were there that day were experienced fishermen. They knew what they were doing and where to go for good fish, yet they caught nothing all night. Then, Jesus asked them if they caught anything, they had to acknowledge their empty nets. They didn’t recognize Jesus and Jesus didn’t identify himself, he simply commanded them to cast their nets on the right side this time. It’s amazing to me that despite their fatigue and discouragement they did! The disciples cast their net and another miracle happened. After it was pointed out to Peter that it was Jesus at the edge of the water, in his reactionary fashion, he jumped into the water and swam to Him. Peter forgot his past failure, in the presence of the Lord he was strong again. Jesus wanted to see the fish they caught when they followed his instruction. 150 large fish! Peter and the others enjoyed a wonderful breakfast with Jesus and the terrible recent past was almost forgotten.

Except that the reality of the major changes had to be faced, Peter needed to face himself. As they are finishing their breakfast, basking in the wonder, Jesus asked, “Simon son of Jonah, do you love me more than these?” Peter in his self confident way responded “Yes, Lord, you know I love you.” He knew that Jesus had forgiven him. “Then feed my lambs” Peter had to feed them what they needed to make it in the kingdom. Then Jesus said, Simon son of Jonah, do you love me? Again, all Peter could say, “Yes Lord, you know that I do” Jesus now said “Then take care of my sheep”  Peter would be tempted to deny Jesus again, he wouldn’t want to take care of those stubborn foolish sheep. Jesus was again foretelling what would come.  Finally Jesus asked a third time “Simon Son of Jonah, do you love me?” Peter, acknowledged his Lordship, his omnipotence by saying “Lord, you know everything, you know that I love you” Now Peter understood, what Jesus was calling him to do was going to prove his true love. It was very possible that he would fail again. He would suffer, could he still love Jesus? He would be humiliated, could he still love Jesus? He would give his life, could he remain faithful? Peter would need the strength and power of Jesus to do God's will, to be a fisher of men. At that moment, as he’s getting called back to the ministry, he wants to know about the future of another disciple. Oh Peter, so quick to get out of his own lane! 

It’s now well over two thousands of years since that day, yet the story lives on and is applicable today still. Crisis comes to all of us. Have I failed Jesus? Can I keep my eyes on what God has called me to do and endure to the end? Only because of the death of Christ can my sin be washed away and only by his resurrection can I live because He lives in me. 

How To Pray like Mrs. Zebedee

 

One day this grabbed my attention in Matthew 20:20-21 (NLT) 

Then the mother of James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to Jesus with her sons. She knelt respectfully to ask a favor. “What is your request?” He asked. She replied, “In your kingdom, please let my two sons sit in places of honor next to you, one on your right and the other on your left.” 

What a mother! What an assertive believer she was. Such faith, such boldness, such confidence and such comfortable rapport she had with her Lord. That she would ask for such an outrageous thing! These things stand out about Mrs. Zebedee:

1. She believed in the Master. She truly believed that one day she and her family would be in his kingdom. A simple faith. Jesus called her sons and they believed and she in turn believed also.

2. Jesus, God,  was approachable. She reverenced him but she was confident that she could ask anything of him. 

3. Her sons, James and John were not ashamed to seek their mothers' prayers. They knew she was bold and faithful to Jesus. They knew they could count on their mothers' prayers. This was especially dear to me.

4. Jesus saw this audacious mom and listened to her petition and took the time to answer her prayer.

5. She did not hold back, she did not think it too much to ask that her sons sit right next to Jesus one on each side of him. She wanted to make sure they would finish their race. She prayed. 

Sometimes when I’m praying for my three sons, and daughter, I pray for their relationship with Jesus. I pray that they stay saved and make heaven their eternal home. I pray for their success, in their jobs, relationships and in their ministry. I pray for their peace and joy and for all sorts of other details. Sometimes I hold back, thinking that maybe my prayers are selfish or extravagant. I know those thoughts are just the mocking accusations of Satan, he wants me to stop praying. Thankfully, I’ve learned to throw those dark thoughts out so that I can keep on praying and believing that God's promises are for me and my children too. 

Much, much more can be said about prayer, but right now, I’m focusing on this mothers prayer and faith for her children. This quick episode in the bible stirred my heart. It made me do a heart check and when that old serpent tries to lie to me that I’m “selfish for praying for my kids” I remember Mrs. Zebedee and her unflinching prayer.

Mark 11:24 I tell you, you can pray for anything and if you believe that you’ve received it, it will be yours (NLT)   

Matthew 7:7 Ask and it will be given to you, seek and you will find, know and the door will be opened to you.

This is exactly what Mrs. Zebedee did. She prayed and believed, then left the outcome in Gods hands.