Archive | April 2012

Prayer Monday: Walking in Love

Apr30

Jesus,

Thank You for showing such an abundance of your love today, and for blessing us with friends old and new. Thank You for blessing us with the chance to provide a meal and a gathering place for so many people, and thank You for blessing us with the chance to do a friend in need a favor. Your love is so apparent in our lives, God, and it’s never-ending. Thank You so much. Jesus, I pray this week that you will show me a deeper understanding of Your love for me and for this world. I pray for wisdom and discernment as I explore this part of my walk with You and press further in to Your “love doctrine” and how to live it. You’ve put 1 Corinthians 13 on my heart, and I trust You that it’s for a reason. Help me to bring my walk into further submission to this passage. Bless me with strength as I fast, and revelation as I pray. I trust You with my life, Lord, and lay it in Your hands to guide where You will. I love You, Lord, with all that I am and all that I have.

God bless!

~Rebekah A

 


Beyond Me

Apr29

I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me. ~ Philippians 4:13

Tonight I was privileged enough to go to a banquet for one of the activities I was involved with in college and catching up with the dean of students and some other staff members I found out that two of the major things I was involved with are now stronger than ever. Hundreds of students are affected (at least in part) by something I was part of or started. Wow! I cannot believe that God has allowed me to live this life.  I cannot believe that He has given me such legacies!

When I was in the midst of those activities, I never thought to myself “I’m so awesome, I can believe I’m so cool for pulling this off” for I knew that it all came through Him. He was the one who opened the doors, He was the one who helped me find GOOD collaborators, He was the one who made all the pieces fall into place.  I know that because I have asked Him to use me as He will, THAT is why I have the privilege to be part of what I have been.

Dear readers- I pray you find yourself in this same place too one day.  Let God take over and watch as He moves in your life.  Something that seems so small becomes so amazing and beyond anything you could ever imagine when you allow the Master to take over.  It will become things that are beyond you. 

Jesus, 

I thank You and praise You for this life You’ve given me to live.  I could not have asked for a more wonderful way of showing me that You. Are. With. Me.  I thank You and love You and I cannot wait to see what else you have in store for my future. I love You Jesus with all my heart, soul, mind, and strength. 

Rebekah M. 

Serving Without Measure

Apr28

A few days ago, I posted about how God was telling me to leave my worldly measuring stick behind and to just love people the way He does, in whatever capacity I can. Today, I’m expanding on that a little bit, just because I think our God is so amazing when it comes to this.

When we think of ‘giving’, we think of it as a voluntary thing. To be a giver is something desirable. When we think of a ‘servant’, we think of someone who is forced into that lifestyle. We think of people were abducted and forced into slavery or something.  We as Christians are also called to be servants, but our obligation is not due to force; it’s due to love. We are free to choose it or not. Still, having made such a choice, it’s no less obligatory.

Let’s think about that for a second. Think of servants – true slaves. They don’t get to pick and choose what tasks they’ll be doing that day.  They don’t get to pick and choose when they’ll serve. They have to be available every moment and they have to do what they’re told. They don’t get to say “I’m tired today, I’ll take a nap.” Or even “I’m tired today, maybe I’ll do the laundry instead of the yardwork.” No. They work where they’re needed, when they’re needed, and often they’re under-appreciated for all they do.

It doesn’t sound like it’s all that fun. However, that is the choice we make when we choose to follow Jesus. Jesus was GOD. He was GOD. And so often, He’d throw away His Godly power in order to be humble and to literally be a constant servant. He taught, He healed, He preached….He was busy. His followers used to worry about Him being so busy. They’d tell Him to stop and rest; they’d tell Him to stop and eat. He’d refuse. His philosophy? He was doing the work of His Father, and so His Father would sustain Him through it. There are several references to Him being tired. He served anyway.

He was right (of course He was!). His Father sustained Him. He gave without ceasing. He had a choice. He choose to give and give because that’s how much He loved us. When we make that same choice, to serve at our own expense, we in turn are showing just how much we love Him and want to emulate Him and spread His love here on earth. And when we do that, when we follow the path God sets us on, God sustains us. He knows when we’re at our breaking point; He won’t push us past it. He’ll bless us when we need it, and provide for us when we need it. All we need to do is make that choice to serve without measuring how hard we’re working or whether or not we want to.

And really, it’s not that much of a choice. Jesus gave endlessly, exhausting Himself and ultimately undergoing torture and death so that I, Rebekah A, would have eternal salvation. He did the same for you. And we are not given eternal salvation, this choice to follow Jesus and live by His example, so that we can pick and choose when to do so. When we choose God, it’s an eternal choice. It’s a choice to give of ourselves when we can. It’s a choice to pick up the cross. Yes we may make mistakes. We fall. But we don’t get to put the cross down. Jesus had help at one point carrying His cross. We’re allowed help too. We don’t have to go it alone, and we don’t have to martyr ourselves. But we don’t get to put it down.  God can temporarily take it from us to give us rest. But when we choose God, and we choose Jesus and the salvation and love that comes with Him, we also choose His lifestyle and we choose to walk on His path. It’s a path of love and peace, but not always one of convenience. And that’s so important for us to remember, because there are no coincidences under God. Every person who crosses your path, crosses your path for a reason. God can use you in every instance. How many chances are we missing because we’re ‘too tired’ or ‘not in the mood’?

So today readers, I ask you to not only lay down your measuring sticks when it comes to your relationships, but lay it down when it comes to actions. Your only starting point should be when God says ‘go’, and your only finish line should be when God says ‘stop.’ He’ll take care of you; you’ll see. And while He’s at it, He’ll move in amazing ways in your life. After all, He loves you just as much as He loves the people He tells you to serve!!

God bless!

~Rebekah A

 

Spiritual Enema

Apr27

Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me. ~ Psalm 51:10

I find it interesting that one of the leading causes of abdominal pain in children is constipation.  They’ll hold it in for one reason or another until it becomes impacted. Then they have to get their system cleaned out and taught healthier habits to try to prevent this in the future.  One of the parts of this treatment is enemas.  Although I have never had to have one before, it does NOT sound like a fun experience although it is incredibly important to do so in children with impacted fecal matter in their intestines. For those who don’t know, essentially liquid is injected into the rectum and colon and it causes contractions of the intestines and makes the patient have a bowel movement very shortly thereafter.

Lately, I’ve been feeling God call me back to another “spiritual enema.”  I feel like my time of prolonged fasting (9 weeks total with about a week off in the middle) was one of the major ones that I’ve had before and when I emerged from it things were SO different.  To this day there are still shows that I can no longer watch on Hulu because the content disgusts me in a way that it never had before.  Things that I dismissed as “normal” I could no longer allow my spirit to come in contact with because God spoke to my heart on an intimate level and He did not want to share the privilege of my attention with things of such nature- adultery, lying, backstabbing, fornication, witchcraft and more.

I have fallen away from praying 3 times a day and I feel Him calling me back to it.  I need to make Him first so that I can stay consistent in Him even when He brings the things into my life that He knows I want most. There are so many dreams in my heart and even after I gave them to Him, some things He gave back with an even stronger desire.  However, for now, He is calling me to re-clean out myself. To in essence do another spiritual enema in which fasting, prayer, and reading His Word purge me of the excrement of the world that I’m holding within me- things watched on hulu, bitterness, anger, maybe even a hint of hatred for things of my past.

Whether or not I’m ready to date again… it can wait for me and God to get back to the footing we were on before… if not even further.

Jesus,

I know that some of what I’ve written seems disgusting because of the analogy I’ve used but I feel like this is truly how You view some of the things we allow into our hearts and minds.  I’m sorry for some of the things I’ve been watching and listening to on hulu. I’m sorry for anything that I’ve been doing that has taken my heart away from You.  Help me Lord as I purge myself of the things of this world yet once again.  Show me how You want me to do this and when I should do what.  I praise You and I worship You for being my God and Savior.  I love You Jesus with all my heart, soul, mind and strength. 

Rebekah M. 

Fun fact: this is post 101 :)

Leaving My Measuring Stick

Apr26

“Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.” ~Matthew 7:1-2

This scripture, or really all of Matthew 7, really hits home. In fact, I was talking about it with a friend the other day. I was realizing all at once just how flawed my servanthood is.  See, I try to have the heart of a servant (as we should!) and I suppose I do. But it isn’t a constant heart.  I’ll give – either time, prayer, food, whatever it is I can give to bless a person. And at some point I expect that to be reciprocated in kind. I get frustrated when it isn’t. Then I complain.

The law of common sense says ‘you get what you give.’ It’s human nature to expect it and desire it. But when we expect appreciation and support from people for doing things we’re supposed to do anyway (we are called to be servants, after all), and don’t receive it, it can trigger bitterness in us and can even start to affect that relationship. And really, it makes no sense to apply human nature here; you can’t use worldly standards to measure God’s work and calling. It just won’t add up. Serving someone the way Jesus said to, and by Jesus’ example, and using my human measuring stick to determine that the person I served should now turn around and bless me….well that’s just silly. The concept of having the heart of a servant is all over the place in the Bible. The concept of serving only when it’s reciprocated is nowhere. When Rebekah watered all those camels at the well and spent hours doing so, was she measuring how much she would get in return from this elderly servant? No. She helped without measure, as she was called to.

A few days ago I posted about a friend who has had a lot going on, and how no matter how much time and prayer I gave to her, I felt like when I needed prayer, I was brushed aside. The more I thought about it, the more I realized I was thinking in terms of ‘she always ____’ or ‘she never ____’. I was generalizing. And it wasn’t fair. After all, how many mistakes have I made in the eyes of the Lord? How many times have I put God second or pushed Him farther back on my to-do list that day? And yet, for all that, is Jesus really holding up a measuring stick to my faith? Is He measuring how small my steps are today compared to what they were yesterday? Or how far to the right or left my focus is, rather than on the straight and narrow path He’s set before me? No. He isn’t. He may temporarily, just to bring it to my awareness what I’m doing. But as soon as I repent and bring my focus back in, He simply applauds me for coming back on track.

And yet, here I am, holding this measuring stick up to the friendship of a person who, like me, is only human. We’re flawed.  And our flaws come with us when we sit at God’s table.  It’s not up to us to decide who ranks better or what somebody ‘should’ be doing or how we ‘should’ be treated. Should Jesus have been crucified and tortured? Of course not – He didn’t deserve it. But He took it. And in spite of what He went through to save me, and in spite of the horribly poor job I do at repaying Him, He loves me. There is no condemnation in Him when I make mistakes, only forgiveness and love. My steps have been guided by Him today, but not measured. Neither should I measure anyone else’s.

So I am trying to break this habit of score-keeping when it comes to giving. My serving and blessing someone should have nothing to do with whether they’re serving and blessing me.  I’ve actually started looking at it as a training ground. If I can’t serve a fellow Christian (someone who will pray with me when I’m dragging and faltering), how can I ever go out and serve others? Jesus, give me Your heart for this world. Help me to keep focused on Your eyes alone, and let the fire I see in them burn up my worldly measuring tools. No tool I have can show me Your work. So God, keep my eyes on You and give me a heart that takes joy in blessing others as you have so abundantly blessed me. I love You, Jesus, and in Your name I pray.

I invite you, readers, to take a second and think about what measuring sticks you’re holding. Go through your relationships – friends, family, acquaintances, and coworkers – and look hard at the dynamic of the relationship. Is there someone you’re not inclined to do favors for because you know they won’t do the same to you? Is there someone you are frequently frustrated with because you give and they seem like a ‘taker’? Anyone in your life you’d classify as a mooch? Take a hard look at these relationships, and submit them with me to the Lord.  Ask Him for His heart for each of these people, and to bless you with a generous spirit for them in spite of how they appear. Drop the measuring sticks once and for all. Lay them at the Lord’s feet and allow Him to take over and dictate how you serve – when, whom, and how often.

Our Savior was the ultimate example of this, and gave the ultimate gift. Compared to Him and what He did for us, neither we or our friends are all that great. Or all that generous. And He isn’t measuring us. So it’s time to stop measuring each other!

I’d love to pray for you in this and anything else God is doing in your life – write to me at being.rebekah.a@gmail.com. God bless!

~Rebekah A

Measuring Your Own Might

Apr25

And David’s heart smote him after that he had numbered the people. And David said unto the LORD, I have sinned greatly in that I have done: and now, I beseech thee, O LORD, take away the iniquity of thy servant; for I have done very foolishly. ~2 Samuel 24:10

I didn’t understand at first why it was wrong of David to count the people.  Then the theologian explained to me that he was counting them to find out the might of his army.  He decided to try to figure out the defenses of the Israel instead of relying on God knowing it all and having faith that God can and would take care of the country.

I think it’s so hard sometimes to not try to go about life on our own might.  I’m on the cusp of being ready to start a new relationship mentally I think… but it seems God is closing the doors to any new relationships right now… or perhaps I’m making pre-mature judgement? Regardless… God tells me to just leave it all in His hands.  He’s got someone pretty wonderful out there for me if I’ll just rely on Him and stop trying to figure it out myself.

This too goes for medical school… I know with all my heart that the only reason I got in was because of Him and the only reason I’m passing is because of Him.  I know the moment I start thinking I’m passing because of my own skills or knowledge, is the day I start failing.  All that I am is because of Him.  When we rely on Him for everything, nothing is impossible.

Jesus, 

Help me to not try to figure things out myself.  Help me to just trust in You for all things- even my future Isaac.  I don’t know who he is but it seems like all the options are no longer options and although part of me is concerned, I keep telling myself to just step back and let You work it out.  I thank You Lord that all of my future is in Your hands.  I thank You Jesus that there is none like You.  I thank You Jesus that instead of wasting my time trying to measure up my own might, I am freed to just live my life to the fullest in all that You’ve told me to do.  I love You Jesus with all my heart, mind, soul, and strength. 

Rebekah M. 

A Reason To Praise

Apr24

I love Jesus. And every time I let Him, He gives me more and more reasons to fall head over heels in love with Him. The latest reason is so simple that I can’t believe I haven’t thought about it before, but it’s so profound (at least to me).

I have a friend who is going through something in her life. I am trying hard to be there for her, but at times, it feels like my own concerns and life gets pushed to the background so that we can focus on her. I get frustrated at times. I try to be understanding, but I’m human and I need support from my friends too, and so I get frustrated.

Here’s the cool thing: God knows our hearts. He knows us so well that He knows exactly what we focus on in life, things that could potentially distract us from Him, and He uses them to help us grow in spite of ourselves. He doesn’t require us to be perfect; He just requires that we grow in Him. That’s why the criteria to get into Heaven is simply belief in Jesus. There are a few other passages thrown in there to show us that ‘belief’ is not a passive thing, and it’s not a stagnant thing. It evolves as we evolve in Christ, and our walk and actions need to reflect it. It’s a vague requirement – it leaves us room to grow.

We all have these areas we harbor, these desires we hold on to so tight, these thoughts that consume our conversations and our daydreams. And guess what? God knows about them. Even if we try to hide, He knows. Even if we turn them into reasons to pray and fast, He knows. He knows us that well. And He takes these areas, and works in them so that in spite of ourselves, we still grow. If He knows we are focused on a certain thing, say a relationship or a job (and He does!), He lets us come to Him in fast and prayer. He doesn’t condemn us for distraction; rather, He lets us take this desire in our heart and depend on Him for it.

He loves us enough to work in us anyway, and to not write us off, even when we are focused on everything else. Some lessons may be hard for us to learn, but through them all He is there.

So take a moment to praise our Savior. Look at the areas in our lives we fantasize about, things we don’t want to give up. And let God into them. It doesn’t always have to be one or the other. You don’t always have to kill your desires in order to please God. Let Him in, so He can work in you and move in you whatever your desires are. And praise Him because He is a mighty God who can!

God bless!

~Rebekah A

Prayer Monday: Praise for Comfort and Redemption

Apr23

Break forth into joy, sing together, ye waste places of Jerusalem: for the Lord hath comforted his people, he hath redeemed Jerusalem. ~Isaiah 52:9

Jesus, 

I praise You and I worship You for turning my life which was like a barren wasteland after my past relationship and You comforted me and redeemed me.  There is none like You. Without You, my life would be in shambles, but with You I have hope and joy and a bright and wonderful future.  I am SO thankful that more than ever, I embrace the wonderful future that You are preparing for me.  I cannot wait to meet Isaac.  I cannot wait to meet the man You have for me that will be a wellspring to those around him.  I cannot wait to meet the man who loves and trusts You so much he’s willing to lay down on an alter and let his Father potentially kill him.  Though You slay him, yet will he trust You.  That’s the man I’m looking for.  That’s the man who can lead me.  Help me recognize him when he enters my life, if he hasn’t already.  I thank You that You redeemed me from my past.  I thank You that my sins are washed away and I am made new by Your blood.  I thank You that in Your arms, I found comfort when no one else could provide what I needed.  You are such a good God! I love You Jesus with all my heart, soul, mind, and strength.  

Rebekah M. 

Blessings For My Past, Present, and Future

Apr22

“Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and He will establish your plans.” ~Proverbs 16:3

We all have goals in our lives; maybe you want to work towards a promotion, or to work towards getting out of debt, or to find someone to be in a committed relationship with. The awesome thing about God is, He knows your heart. He knows what you want, and He genuinely wants to bless His children. He really does. He’s a loving Father, and whether the desire be little or huge, He wants to bless us.

I’m not saying He wants to give you everything you want. We don’t always want the right things for ourselves. But He does want to bless us. And He can. Of course He can; He’s God. But in order to be blessed by God, we need to put Him first. It really is that simple.

Take finances. The Bible says to tithe. To tithe is to put God first, and to sow into His plan for your church and your life. Take education. When I was applying to grad school, my grades were good, I had some solid field experience, and I was a great essay writer. I mentioned God and church in my essay, and tied my Christianity into who I was as a person. This is breaking a cardinal rule of essay-writing, and I knew it. I did it anyway. Why? Because I wanted God to be first. I wanted it to be His plan in His time, not mine. I was rejected from the school. The year prior, I had applied to the same school, didn’t mention God in the essay, and was the top waitlisted candidate. The only difference was putting God first. It seemed like a disappointment, but my life would have looked totally different right now had I followed myself instead of my Father. And not for nothing, but I like my life. And with the life I have, my walk with God is stronger than ever. That school rejection might have been one of the biggest blessings in disguise I’ve ever received.

My pastor talked about this at church today. He essentially said to look at where we want blessings, and put God first in those areas (it should be every area!!). But it’s a simple thing to do. If you want God to bless your finances, sow into God’s financial plan. If you want God to bless your career, put Him first in your career. If you want God to bless your relationships, put Him first in your relationships.  We heard a testimony of a newlywed couple who were $100,000 in debt, but decided to tithe anyway. They were debt-free two years later. They gave their trouble to God, sowed into His plan, trusted and believed Him for it, and He blessed them in kind. I know of another girl who went to Harvard and was so busy, but decided to dedicate two hours of her day to God anyway. In turn, He started multiplying her time so that not only did she complete her tasks and studying every day, but she actually had some time left over for herself. When we put God first, even if it’s a short-term hardship, His blessings can be amazing.

Putting God first reconciles your past – it shows you’ve learned from your mistakes and are no longer willing to do things your own stubborn way anymore. It also shows God that you’re putting Him first for today, your present. And it shows God that you have faith in His plan for your future. When you put Him first by your actions, He is first in your heart. Which is right where He should be, because that’s where He can work the most and direct your life the most effectively. And yes, pour out blessings upon you too.

God bless!

~Rebekah A

Book Review: He Came to Set the Captives Free

Apr20

Full-blown spiritual warfare is something not often freely discussed in general Christianity. Sure, we’re quick to blame Satan when we sin or when things don’t go our way, but to take up the word of God as our double-edged sword, to put on His full armor, and battle in His name sounds a little bit more farfetched somehow.

Yet, in some fashion or another, we all need to. Think of those times we blame sneaky Satan for convincing us to do things we don’t want to do, or blame the enemy for doing such-and-such in our lives; no matter how minor, those are attacks. God has an enemy here on earth, and His enemy is Satan. When we side with God, like it or not, we make an enemy too. It’s why Jesus’ message and the world’s so-called common sense contradict each other so often. The world, technically, belongs to Satan. Jesus is a king, but this is not His kingdom. So when we move and act as citizens of Heaven, it stands to reason that Satan is not happy about it. So, he does what he can to cause all the trouble he can, and it’s only when we stand on the power and authority of Jesus Christ that we can combat it.

He Came to Set the Captives Free, by Rebecca Brown, MD, is a book that touches upon how to do exactly that. It is written by a Christian doctor, with co-narration from a former Bride of Satan named Elaine. The two actually battled each other for awhile before ultimately Elaine converted and gave her life to Christ. Together, they go in-depth into ways Satan and his demons work, and into the ways we inadvertently open doorways for him to attack. Not every doorway is automatic for every person, but it is definitely food for thought on how sneaky the enemy can be. It made me look back through my life and my past and officially close some of those potential doors in prayer.

Regardless of whether you feel called to the battlefield as part of your Christian walk, it is an interesting read, if intense at times, that will get you thinking about where the enemy is in relation to your life and the lives of those around you. So I say check it out.

God bless!

~Rebekah A