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Breathe

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Jesus is the source & sustainer of life.  

When He, the Creator, breathed life into Adam (Gen 2:7) it was not only the beginning of humanity but also a foreshadowing of the divine plan He had prepared for His children.

In John 20:22 …He breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit”… This sacred breath that gave Adam physical life also breathes into us new spiritual life, sustaining us moment by moment. Every breath we take physically can be a reminder of His constant presence and the eternal life indwelling in us.

Whether we feel His presence or not…whether we feel fully alive or feel lifeless… Christ is sustaining us, always! His Spirit within us is a constant blessed assurance that we are alive in Him – not just now, but for.ever. He holds our faith together, unshaken and eternal!

He doesn’t want us to worry about how many breaths we will take on this earth. He knows exactly every breath He has for us and has hidden that from us. We are called to trust in the one who has numbered them all. Let each breath we take be a reminder that He is with us and HE IS life itself.

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Disciplining the Gluttonous Mind

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So I knew I wanted to Detox from Mind Junk – but how??? The Lord empowers and helps His children in such unique and personal ways, but fasting and denying the flesh (delayed gratification) are battle secrets that the Lord uses every time.

I’m confident that the far-majority of Americans understand how beneficial fasting from food is for us physically. And I believe most Christians understand how important and beneficial physical fasting is for us spiritually. Jesus Himself fasted to prepare Himself for the testing in the desert (Matthew 4). It humbles and empowers at the same time. Weakens and strengthens.

Fasting from food absolutely is a discipline of the mind as well. There is great work done in the thought life in physical fasting. But this same denial of the physical impulses for food can be has to be applied specifically to the overfed, gluttonous mind too.

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Detox from Mind Junk Food

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Recently I noticed I was really behind in my book count for the year, which made me assess why I wasn’t reading as much. It was not because I had a major downward shift in my free time. (Opposite in fact, we are in summer mode with MORE free time!) It was not because I was in a book desert and there were no appealing books on the horizon. (Opposite in fact, I have SO many great books gathering dust, crying to be read.)

When I thought about it, I realized I had also felt very distracted recently and had been having a hard time focusing for extended periods. Oh man, signs of too much technology started jumping out everywhere: high stress, high anxiety, high distraction, low focus, high comparison to others, low contentment and low peace. BUMMMERR.

But thank you Jesus, He helped me recognize what was going on and get on my knees and confess and ask forgiveness for wasting His time that He gave me, not taking care of my mind that He created, and asking for His grace and help. As always, His grace and forgiveness poured out and I was so grateful for His loving care and reasssurance.

The very next book I picked up after that confession was Jackie Hill Perry’s, “Upon Waking” and it was a divinely orchestrated moment:

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Crossing out of the Pit

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My husband and I are truly enjoying some green pastures right now. Hallelujah and thank you Lord Jesus. After a very difficult couple of years filled with grief, sorrow, lamenting, questioning, wandering, wondering, worrying, wrestling, the Lord has once again…

…lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; He set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand. Psalm 40:3

I don’t think the NIV choice of “slimy” does the original language justice.

שָׁאוֹן֮ (šā·’ō·wn) – a roar (of waters), crash, uproar

We all understand this. The pit is silent and lonely, yet at the same time there’s a deafening roar in it, accosting the soul and causing more fear and chaos.

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Pruning

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I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you John 15:1-3

Today is Maundy Thursday in the traditional church calendar. Where we, as Christ’s followers, remember that upper room discourse and Jesus washing His disciples’ feet, eating the Passover meal with them, and praying for them before His great passion suffering.

Today in North Carolina it is a perfectly rainy day to spend time, even if it’s not until tonight in the quiet, to allow the Lord to wash away all the “dirt on the feet” that we have picked up in our walk. Any impurity of thought or body or heart – and allow Him to refresh us anew and remind us that we ARE already declared clean! Thanks to His suffering.

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Grief as a Strengthening of Will

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“I thought I could describe a state; make a map of sorrow. Sorrow, however, turns out to be not a state but a process.” C. S. Lewis, A Grief Observed

My beloved Dad passed away very unexpectedly and suddenly April 30th and it broke my heart. His death brought with it un-answered prayers, pain, shock and loss. Although my head knew otherwise, I had a feeling of betrayal from the Lord and was simply very wounded and downtrodden. I have journeyed with the Lord long enough that I knew in my head that He was sovereign, Jesus was sufficient, and He would keep my faith in tact. But that didn’t take away from the pain and grueling process of the last 6 months.

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Practical Steps to Pursue Unity and Overcome Divisive Spirits

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Relationships are the most important thing the Lord has gifted us. A relationship with Him first and foremost and then relationships with each other.

Anybody who has been in any sort of group setting…. especially a church, or a group that is together to do good or pursue the Lord… knows there will always be hard dynamics to overcome. It is almost inevitable that in time a divisive spirit will enter. Often it enters at what feels is THE worst possible time. Recently I was seeking wisdom on how to pursue unity and rise above divisiveness and I had a difficult time finding some practical help. But the Lord brought to mind a blog I wrote many years ago on Pursuing Unity. So taking those lessons He started teaching us years ago and expanding on it… here are some practical tips to pursue unity, overcome divisive spirits, and walk-out hard relationship dynamics in a Godly way.

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Guard Your Heart

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“Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.” Proverbs 4:23

But how, Father? There’s so much evil, misinformation, deceitfulness, confusion, and turmoil in our country right now. I know we must be on guard against the pervasive darkness and wickedness that’s spreading. I want to “guard my heart above all else”. But how!?

I’ve found my answer:

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Psalm 131

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My heart is not proud, O Lord, my eyes are not haughty; I do not concern myself with great matters or things too wonderful for me. But I have stilled and quieted my soul; like a weaned child with its mother, like a weaned child is my soul within me. O Israel, put your hope in the Lord both now and forevermore. Psalm 131

There’s a lot of things going on in our country and in the world that are alarming and attention-grabbing. But the Lord not only gives us permission to be at peace and not worry…He desires it for us! Every day, we must take the time to be at peace and relinquish all worries to the Lord’s hands. This week I have practiced visualizing myself crawling into Abba’s lap, being still, and not moving from that stillness until I feel totally content.

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