Side by Side Hand in Hand

If God has me working with one person, and that person takes up all the ministry time I have to offer… does it count as A ministry? How many people, tasks, or places, must I have on my agenda to be an official ministry &/or a mission? If I am a mom, or a CEO of a huge corporation, or a volunteer at any number of needy organizations, am I on a mission field? And… if I don’t give up all and go to a 3rd world country… can I really fulfill the calling of Jesus to go and make disciples? And how many disciples are enough?

Matthew 28:18-20 And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

I love what Heidi Baker says (“About IRIS” at www.IRIS global.org)”But we were so impacted by the condition of the poor that we changed direction drastically and began to stop for the one and prove the love of God by first addressing the temporal needs of the broken and humble, “the least of these.”

She and Rolland have spent 30 years in this miraculously growing ministry in Africa (I strongly encourage you to CHECK IT OUT)… but I believe “stop for the one and prove the love of God” works anywhere! And I believe it is the good pleasure of God… Philippians 2:13 for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure. 

Stop for the one is my husband… my kids… my neighbor… my best friend… and my enemy!

Ephesians 2:10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them. 

Am I saying you shouldn’t go to the mission fields in other places? No! But I am saying that God prepared our good works ahead of time and THOSE are the good works we should seek to walk in.

Ephesians 2:19-22 So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints, and are of God’s household, having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the corner-stone, in whom the whole building, being fitted together, is growing into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you also are being built together into a dwelling of God in the Spirit. 

If God fits you in Mozambique… run in order to walk in those works prepared for you. If God has planted you in a little town, in a little house, in the U.S.A… march boldly to the song… “God Bless America” through the works He has prepared for you.

1 Peter 4:10-11 As each one has received a special gift, employ it in serving one another as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. Whoever speaks, is to do so as one who is speaking the utterances of God; whoever serves is to do so as one who is serving by the strength which God supplies; so that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belongs the glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.

And most importantly…

Colossians 3:17 Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father.

Wherever you are, whatever you have been called to do… stop for the one and SPEAK the heart of God…

Matthew 25:35-40 For I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me something to drink; I was a stranger, and you invited Me in; naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to Me.’ Then the righteous will answer Him, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry, and feed You, or thirsty, and give You something to drink? And when did we see You a stranger, and invite You in, or naked, and clothe You? When did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ The King will answer and say to them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.’

Now that my friends, is the truest, most glorious MINISTRY you can have… Ministry to Jesus Himself!

And He… the One… is more than enough!

**All Scripture quoted comes from the “Bible Gateway” app and is the NASB      version of the Bible

1 John 4:18 There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves punishment, and the one who fears is not perfected in love. 

There is fear and there is love. And there is the fruit of each. It is the fruit that leads us to our response… fight or flight from fear… or an awestruck wonder from unconditional love. The fruit is the visible expression to our heart’s expectation of what is to come… suffering or security… grief or treasure.

Is our heart always correct in its expectation? NO! For some of us, the damage inside us has occurred because the two, fear & love, have become so intermingled that they “feel” the same and therefore demand the same flight or fight plan. If our expectation is always that of pain, there will be no difference in our response.

I have a little Sheba Inu whom we adopted. He spent his first two years of life in what was labeled a “Puppy Mill”. The label itself doesn’t always mean terrifying days and no safety of love, but in this case his reaction to just about everything is the visible expression of what he learned to expect. Whether it is, noise, people (especially men) toys, treats, whatever… our little Kobi flees. He doesn’t fight, but if we force our presence on him, he does stiffen up in hopes that we will not be able to do whatever we intend. All the love I have for him does not comfort him, nor will it comfort him until he allows me to come close and prove my intent. It is still up to him to be comforted no matter what I wish. The expectations he has are imprinted on his soul, it is anybody’s guess how long or if ever we can change his imprint to expect love.

Kobi is my little mirror (through which I see dimly) of how Our God… Our Almighty God… desires to love us with a love that is without any evil intent. “God is good all the time… and… all the time God is good!”(Remember my favorite line from “God’s Not Dead”?) THIS is truth! But my heart’s expectation, those things imprinted on my soul by 63 years of visible expressions of threatening power meant to control, not love, responds to God’s love with flight &/or fight. To respond with awesome wonder that draws me to Him like a magnetic field, would require that I change (or at least acknowledge) the expectations imprinted on my soul.

Unlike Kobi, I have the opportunity to CHOOSE the direction of my heart’s responses. But it would involve a change of ownership… A willing and willful choice to be God’s child (to give Him my heart)and to be trained up by Him (to give Him my soul) in the way I should go. Like Kobi, it is my “natural” reaction to hide in my kennel (which sometimes may be the church home that imprinted the wrong expectations – just like Kobi’s puppy mill home did) rather than give my heart away and begin again.

And… just like I celebrate when Kobi dares to trust me and snuggles beside me, or sits at my feet while I am working at the table, I know that God and all of heaven celebrates when I dare to trust Him… when I am drawn to Him in awesome wonder.

God does not deserve my flight or my fight, which is based in fear.  He deserves my awesome wonder because He loves me (in spite of knowing me inside out) and will never leave me nor forsake me!

To all the puppy mill churches/preachers out there… check the message you are imprinting on the souls of the poor little ones. You are representing the God of abundant life… when you are done being the powerful, controlling master of your little empire, and you will be done someday, please know that you will be held accountable for the damage that your words and actions have caused.

Matt 18:5-7 And whoever receives one such child in My name receives Me; but whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to stumble, it would be better for him to have a heavy millstone hung around his neck, and be drowned in the depth of the sea. Woe to the world because of its stumbling blocks! For it is inevitable that stumbling blocks come; but woe to that man through whom the stumbling block comes!

Perfect love casts out fear… there should be no stumbling block to perfect love. There should be no stumbling block to God because He IS perfect love… if your message or mine is filled with fear inducing threats of punishment &/or rejection by our God who came, and died, and rose again, then that message is from the pit of hell NOT from The Word of God (Who became flesh and dwelt among us).

Whether I am ministering to myself or another little child (for that is who we all are – little children) my message needs to draw me/us to, not send me/us fleeing or fighting. There is no message of fear that will induce us to pursue our God… only the awestruck wonder (also translated fear, meaning “awe”) of His love. Let’s stop trying to produce the perfect looking and acting kid and set our sites on encouraging God-loving kids.

Now that is the pack of children I want to be raised in!

**All Scripture quoted comes from the “Bible Gateway” app and is the NASB  version of the Bible

 

There are so many passwords in my life, I have to keep a list… But… what happens when it is an emergency and there is no time to look at the list (which probably also has a password)? Is it one of those times when you try 3 times and you are… “locked out”?

Is God like this? Some churches (&/or people in a church) would tell you “Yes, strike three you are out.” If you do not know the right password… the right code… the right order of entry… the right network… you are heading to hell!

As an encourager or the one to be encouraged, are you under pressure to SAY… DO… PRAY the right words, letters, promises to get your/others needs met? Do we need to spend critical time trying to figure out how to make heaven listen? Are we LOST if we don’t find the legally correct way?

I don’t believe so…

Acts 4:12 And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved.”

There is only ONE password we have to remember when we are calling heaven… Jesus… Yeshua… either (same person) will unleash the power of God.

Matthew 11:28-30 “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”

I learned this quite by accident/training. Not that I hadn’t read this in my Bible, but the use of it was fuzzy because, though I didn’t have a perfect life, I didn’t have a life that had left me breathless with anguish either. You may be asking how that qualifies me as an encourager and I can only say ???. But I am a chameleon… I can “be” who I need to be in group settings and I “take on” the colors of those around me. Apart from those two qualities, I have the Holy Spirit who has gifted me, put His seal upon me and is training me up in the way I should go. I don’t know why but people call upon me for encouragement… go figure!

My friend, a student of Scripture for many years (I say that only to point out that I was a babe in comparison) called me in tears… devastated that her marriage was in ashes, that it would be months until the courts would sort out a settlement that would provide for her and her children, and even worse… she could not pray! Nothing would come. There were so many things needing asked for, so many things needing to be declared, so many things needing to be grieved!

Though she was close to hyperventilating, she was able to talk to ME about EVERYTHING… but… and then she said it… “All I can say in prayer is, ‘Jesus!’.”

And I said… by the power and insight of the Holy Spirit… “Well, isn’t that enough?” She stopped… I stopped… and then the power of God became clear and distinct and bright and holy… and we said together… “JESUS!”

No, her marriage wasn’t healed nor all her problems miraculously taken away. But when we said, “Come Lord come”, He came! He ministered! He ruled!

Philippians 4:6-7 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. 

Jesus… Yeshua… is our password! When you don’t know what to pray… pray Jesus! When the times and trials overwhelm… pray Jesus! When you need a victory over our enemy in this world… pray Jesus!

Heaven will open up and… and Jesus, Himself…  “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.”… will come to you.

it doesn’t get any better than that! PASSWORD PROTECTED… not “from” getting in – but from NOT getting in.

And… from my experience… the more you know Him, the more you will think of Him as your FIRST CALL… and that my friends makes the job of encourager a slam dunk!

When He is first my job (yoke) is easy!

When I am the one needing encouragement… well… let’s just say I know who wins in the end! The password to our shared victory… Jesus… Yeshua… my Lord and my God!

When He is here my job (burden) is light!

**All Scripture quoted comes from the “Bible Gateway” app and is the NASB  version of the Bible

Psalm 23:4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death… well evidently somewhere is NOT here – NOT now! But yet, our hearts are there (over the rainbow), or at least our imagination is.

Where is your somewhere? Have you thought about it? And who is with you?Does your vision sustain your hope? When the shadow of death is all around you, and you are poked from all sides with death’s knives of destruction, does your faith in what comes after, calm your fears and fill you with courage and determination to keep on?

Some people think that is what an encourager is for… to give them reason and direction to carry on… to show them the yellow brick road so to speak! To do the dirty work of believing in a good outcome in the midst of the unbelievable.

To bring my wand, filled with magic dust words that will destroy the uglies and turn them into a wonderful piñata filled with all things sweet and beautiful, making everything happy, healthy and wonderful.

Genesis 3:6 When the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was desirable to make one wise, she took from its fruit and ate; and she gave also to her husband with her, and he ate. 

Isn’t that what we all want? I know when I look into pain filled eyes begging me to HELP, knowing what I would want if it were me, I desperately PRAY for the “magic words” to turn all of it into just a terrible dream we will wake up from!

But then… Genesis 3:7 Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked;

So what’s a good girl to do when she finds out her Glenda costume doesn’t work?

You do the only things an encourager can do…

Get the story straight… Genesis 3:1-4 Now the serpent was more crafty than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman, “Indeed, has God said, ‘You shall not eat from any tree of the garden’?” The woman said to the serpent, “From the fruit of the trees of the garden we may eat; but from the fruit of the tree which is in the middle of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat from it or touch it, or you will die.’” The serpent said to the woman, “You surely will not die! It was Satan, NOT God, who fed us the poison and we believed because we were dazzled with the possibilities!

Dress for the occasion… Ephesians 6:16-17 in addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. I don’t bring my magic wand anymore. I bring the “stuff” that works! Weapons of enemy destruction!

Get ready to rumble… For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. Way above our pay grade and abilities! As an encourager you already KNOW you need help. Who you gonna call?

Attend the party and stay for the clean up… Ephesians 6:18 With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints, 

We all have different versions… or wishes… of what help is in times of suffering! We would love to share the load but at some point we all find out that we must bear the majority of the weight our life dishes out. Some of it is manageable on our own but all of it takes its toll on our mind, body and soul.

Though I can’t as an encourager, “make it go away”… I can come alongside… I can fearlessly put my hand in yours… and I can walk it beside you!

I can identify with you… we are equal! We are equally vulnerable, equally needy… Romans 3:10-12 as it is written,“There is none righteous, not even one; there is none who understands, there is none who seeks for God; all have turned aside, together they have become useless; there is none who does good, there is not even one.”

But we are all equally loved… John 3:16-17 “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him. 

We look at the solution to all our problems as our “reward” for being faithful. That the only reason to believe in someone or something is if it or they fulfill the shallow wish of the moment… the accomplishment of all my plans… and the building of my castle where all my stuff fits and looks good. We believe in the genie in the bottle!

But… what happens after the wishes are granted and the bottle looks empty and useless… when there is no one left in the playground to play with us because we have used them up with all our MUST HAVES?

What happens? We begin to grow up!

In growing up we find out that there is no greater gift we can give or receive than a piece of someone’s heart. There is no greater piece than the piece freely given and joined with us… to live real life alongside each other, in real-time, as it really happens.

Hebrews 11:6 And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him. That God IS… and that He, when asked and allowed to, will join me – in my life – as it happens – and share with me all that I am with all that He is!

This is our real reward… from our real Rewarder… our real help in times of trouble…

Revelation 3:20 Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will dine with him, and he with Me. 

As an encourager the best… and most… I can do is follow in His footsteps… stand at the door and knock… and if allowed… come in and dine!

**All Scripture quoted comes from the “Bible Gateway” app and is the NASB  version of the Bible

 

 

 

 

 

 

Where/What is Holy Ground?

For sure it is anywhere God is!

Exodus 3:5-6 Then He said, “Do not come near here; remove your sandals from your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground.” He said also, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” Then Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God. 

Or is it the place where God resides?

1 Corinthians 3:16 Do you not know that you are a temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?

Or is it the places where God takes action in our lives?

Matthew 18:20 For where two or three have gathered together in My name, I am there in their midst.” 

In preparing for this blog I wondered/wandered through the many people’s lives and places where I personally may have “walked on Holy ground”. Rarely has it been in a building… in fact without the presence of the Holy Spirit, I have felt the least need to remove my sandals in church buildings.

Most of the time I have been made aware (like Moses) that Holy Ground is in those lives and places that God is working a major EVENT!

Genesis 32:24-32 Then Jacob was left alone, and a man wrestled with him until daybreak. When he saw that he had not prevailed against him, he touched the socket of his thigh; so the socket of Jacob’s thigh was dislocated while he wrestled with him. Then he said, “Let me go, for the dawn is breaking.” But he said, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.” So he said to him, “What is your name?” And he said, “Jacob.” He said, “Your name shall no longer be Jacob, but Israel; for you have striven with God and with men and have prevailed.” Then Jacob asked him and said, “Please tell me your name.” But he said, “Why is it that you ask my name?” And he blessed him there. So Jacob named the place Peniel, for he said, “I have seen God face to face, yet my life has been preserved.” Now the sun rose upon him just as he crossed over Penuel, and he was limping on his thigh. Therefore, to this day the sons of Israel do not eat the sinew of the hip which is on the socket of the thigh, because he touched the socket of Jacob’s thigh in the sinew of the hip. 

When we wrestle with God… and He blesses us with His touch… this place is Holy Ground! For both encourager and the encouraged, wherever you look and find God is indeed Holy Ground. My advice… BUILD AN ALTAR!!

Because Holy Ground will not always (maybe never) look pretty or cathedral-like, we do need to LOOK and then, so as not to forget or mistake it for hell on earth, we need to BUILD an altar so that when we walk there, we can walk with reverence and respect and remembrance of what God is accomplishing in our life.

REVERENCE… both the encourager and the encouraged need to know beyond a shadow of doubt that… it is God who is at work (Philippians 2:13) and that…

Hebrews 11: 6 And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.  Reverence is the sincerity with which we approach our God. If we trust Him, will allow Him access to our lives? If we love Him will we obey Him even as we wrestle with the details?

RESPECT… both the encourager and the encouraged need to know that we are fearfully and wonderfully made by God (Psalm 139:14)… NOT by our own or any human plans/opinions.

REMEMBRANCE… both the encourager and the encouraged need to remember IT IS A CHOICE… OUR choice to serve God… “choose for yourselves today whom you will serve” (Joshua 24:15) and why! Even when it hurts!

Then… we must pray… for ourselves and our fellow travelers… that the Holy Spirit will work His way in us even as we wrestle against Him for our own way! Just yesterday, I was grumpily declaring what a “terrible, really bad, horrible day” I was having. Me… who likes to remind everyone that struggles are opportunities for altars… mmmmmm… hypocrite I am! But God… (like Isaiah’s voice behind you) spoke to me… and the voice said, “REALLY? Is this your testimony?

OOPS!!!! In the midst of my drama, which by the way felt very “good”, I had to tell my audience (captive audience – checkout clerk and customer behind me) the truth… not a terrible day in need of a change of venue, but an attitude change (much like a dirty diaper) that was within my own ability to master.

After the fact, though I was humbled and embarrassed to admit this to my accountability squad (my sisters in Christ), I realized that my day was Holy Ground and God was training me up to walk it.

OBVIOUSLY I needed the lesson… and probably will again! Walk On…

**All Scripture quoted comes from the “Bible Gateway” app and is the NASB  version of the Bible

 

 

Twice this week (and it isn’t even half over) I have heard the reference made to Hezekiah and how he “spread it out before the Lord”. Talk about a word of wisdom from the Lord… it is a sign!

So here goes…

2 Kings 19:14 Then Hezekiah took the letter from the hand of the messengers and read it, and he went up to the house of the Lord and spread it out before the Lord.

The letter was from the enemy telling the king it was all over, he might as well give it up because we know your God can not and will not save you. You’ve seen the destruction of those who thought they could beat us with their gods… but if you surrender… (my paraphrase)  2 Kings 18:31 “Make your peace with me and come out to me, and eat each of his vine and each of his fig tree and drink each of the waters of his own cistern, until I come and take you away to a land like your own land, a land of grain and new wine, a land of bread and vineyards, a land of olive trees and honey, that you may live and not die.”

Let me ask every encourager and every person who needs encouragement, have we not received the very same message (over and over again) from our enemy? Has he not shown us our lives and told us God does not take care of us? Has he not lied to us everyday in every way, telling us that we can be happy, healthy and wise if we stop listening to God and start living by our enemy’s dictates.

Has our enemy not deceived us with the evidence in our own lives, that God is the cause of our troubles when in truth we, with our enemy’s whispered advice have fallen for the deception and laid down the only true weapons that will destroy the enemy and his evil plans for us.

2 Kings 19:14-19 Then Hezekiah took the letter from the hand of the messengers and read it, and he went up to the house of the Lord and spread it out before the Lord. Hezekiah prayed before the Lord and said, “O Lord, the God of Israel, who are enthroned above the cherubim, You are the God, You alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth. You have made heaven and earth. Incline Your ear, O Lord, and hear; open Your eyes, O Lord, and see; and listen to the words of Sennacherib, which he has sent to reproach the living God. Truly, O Lord, the kings of Assyria have devastated the nations and their lands and have cast their gods into the fire, for they were not gods but the work of men’s hands, wood and stone. So they have destroyed them. Now, O Lord our God, I pray, deliver us from his hand that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that You alone, O Lord, are God.”

What if… encourager… what if, you who needs encouragement… were to write out the message the enemy is sending you and then SPREAD IT OUT BEFORE THE LORD!

What if? A written message taken before the Lord…

2 Kings 19:20 Then Isaiah the son of Amoz sent to Hezekiah saying, “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, ‘Because you have prayed to Me about Sennacherib king of Assyria, I have heard you.’

I truly truly, believe in prayer! It is “the number one fixer of all that is causing distress and chaos in the life of an encourager and the life of the encouraged!” But… what Hezekiah did by taking the letter from his enemy with him in prayer, becomes a powerful use of “making your requests known”… Philippians 4:6 Be anxious of nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.

Take the messages you are receiving, write them into words you can “see” and “tell” of the effects they have on you. Write them as the enemy would write them – as the threat they are to destroy you. Witness for yourself the weapons that have been formed against you. Witness for your self the enemy’s plans as Hezekiah did. 1 Peter 5:8 Be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.

Then… SPREAD IT OUT BEFORE THE LORD!

I don’t think the written message is for God… I think it is for us! I think seeing the gory details of the warfare against us in black (or blue, or red) and white will begin to convince us this is serious business! John 8:32 “you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.” Hezekiah needed to know his enemy and we do to. Just like Hezekiah’s enemy, our’s comes as an angel of light who is “just concerned we will suffer needlessly, without a protector who cares for us or can save us”.

Jeremiah 29:11-13 “For I know the plans that I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. You will seek Me and find Me when you search for me with all your heart”

Write it out… what is the current army coming against you? What battle are you wounded and bloody from? Take up God’s armor and His weapons by which you will be able to stand firm. Then…  SPREAD IT OUT BEFORE THE LORD!

And listen… Be still and know He is God! His instructions for defeating our enemy will come.

But remember… in this life… the battle always rages!

Just know… you encourager… just know, you who needs encouragement… You are being trained to be a warrior. To serve in the army of the Lord! Not to go before Him but to follow. Not to stand alone but to be covered by His pinions of salvation and redemption. Not to be defeated but to share in His victory.

For us to imagine that God is going to take away our responsibility to participate in His plan, or clean up all the messes we have allowed and continue to allow in our lives would be to imagine that God is not God at all but our personal genie, to do our bidding under our threat of a tantrum of unbelief.

Don’t give in to the temptation of battle fatigue, or a false battle plan or a sense of entitlement to take the easy way out… SPREAD IT OUT BEFORE THE LORD!

 

**All Scripture quoted comes from the “Bible Gateway” app and is the NASB  version of the Bible

Matthew 25:14-28 “For it is just like a man about to go on a journey, who called his own slaves and entrusted his possessions to them. To one he gave five talents, to another, two, and to another, one, each according to his own ability; and he went on his journey. Immediately the one who had received the five talents went and traded with them, and gained five more talents. In the same manner the one who had received the two talents gained two more. But he who received the one talent went away, and dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money. “Now after a long time the master of those slaves *came and *settled accounts with them. The one who had received the five talents came up and brought five more talents, saying, ‘Master, you entrusted five talents to me. See, I have gained five more talents.’ His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful slave. You were faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.’ “Also the one who had received the two talents came up and said, ‘Master, you entrusted two talents to me. See, I have gained two more talents.’ His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful slave. You were faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.’ “And the one also who had received the one talent came up and said, ‘Master, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow and gathering where you scattered no seed. And I was afraid, and went away and hid your talent in the ground. See, you have what is yours.’ “But his master answered and said to him, ‘You wicked, lazy slave, you knew that I reap where I did not sow and gather where I scattered no seed. Then you ought to have put my money in the bank, and on my arrival I would have received my money back with interest. Therefore take away the talent from him, and give it to the one who has the ten talents.’

My friend, sister, mentor, god-mother, and my Colonel heard these prized words from our Lord early Friday (just happened to be Passover.. I’m just saying… Perfect timing to leave Egypt!) morning, April 3rd, 2015. I am so jealous! But I have no right to be… she DID the labor… 96 (plus a few months) she was given her 5 talents at birth and they were amazing. Beauty, strength, wisdom, ability and agility… the temptation to take these talents and “bury” them in my own back yard, using them only to make myself happy would have been (and has been) my way more times than I care to admit. But Kay found the better way. Kay found our Master and invested all of herself into His kingdom plan producing a harvest, a return on the talents given and I am absolutely sure she has been put in CHARGE of MANY THINGS in her new home!

I was given the luxury of “seeing” a life lived to the best of her human limitations in service, and this watching was used in me “to train me up in the way I should go” by our Master who wanted me to take notes and learn from one of His better servants. Kay had the great privilege (??) of being practiced on with the talents I have been given. I called her my Colonel not because she barked orders at me but because I knew she had fought in and survived battles in her 96 years that could only be won with PRAYER… the victory?… encouragement for those God had put in her platoons to care for and stand in the gap for.

So, I did spend time with her… practicing the techniques of encouragement… learning to use the weapons of warfare… hearing the stories of being a warrior for Jesus. Her beautiful daughters kept thanking me for visiting but I KNOW the gifts given and received in our time together were more for me than for her. I had heard of this faithful servant from my best friend (who is Kay’s possible replacement for Colonel status) who learned and walked her mother’s training – from boot camp to military retirement.

I was granted personal instruction and practice in Kay’s later years, when she was no longer able or called to be a public servant. For me, this was perfect because I got the best of the labor – the pre-birth preparation. Not so much of the blood and guts of life but the laying down of our human efforts/armor and taking up the excitement/peace of what is to come.

There still was “wrestling” to do, as all births require, and Kay did wonder often why hers was taking so long (At times Barb and I wondered why it had to be so hard). We did talk about things we had no answer for but we knew and went to the ONE who had the answer.  She taught me the secrets of being a Prayer Warrior and using the warrior’s weapons for the battles of life… Keep on keeping on… pray constantly… and “if you don’t who will?”…

What does this have to do with the Ministry of Encouragement?

Labor and delivery IS the stuff of life! I believe that from our birth we are given our “labor” of life and it’s God sent opportunity to be “born-again” in Christ… until we ARE “born” new and born perfect as the child God intended us to be… in heaven.

Encouragement is the fellowship we have with each other in the this endeavor of life. Prayer is the weapon before, during, and after the battles meant to defeat us in life.

If we do well in our labor and use our Lord’s investment in us to minister His grace and mercy to ourselves and those He puts around us, we will hear, like I’m sure my Colonel has heard… ‘Well done, Kay”!

Psalm 139:13-18 For You formed my inward parts; You wove me in my mother’s womb. I will give thanks to You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; wonderful are Your works, and my soul knows it very well.  Your eyes have seen my unformed substance; and in Your book were all written the days that were ordained for me, when as yet there was not one of them. 

My labor… your labor… is in progress… let’s make the most of the time we have left. There is no need to be anxious about when/where, He is aware and in control. The only thing that is up to us is to invest or not to invest. Well done? or Bankrupt?

I know my Kay chose the best… it was written all over her and her life!

 

**All Scripture quoted comes from the “Bible Gateway” app and is the NASB  version of the Bible

 

My most favorite line from a movie is “God is good all the time… and… all the time God is good!” (from “God’s Not Dead”). The corollary to this of course is man (woman & child) is NOT good all the time. In fact where there is trouble, there is a human (sometimes it’s even me) causing it. This is true no matter how many excuses/reasons given or scapegoats put in the way.

We can whine, we can pout, we can even retaliate, but our actions and reactions do not change the truth. God is perfect in all He is and all He does! We are not!

Genesis 4:4-8 Abel, on his part also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of their fat portions. And the Lord had regard for Abel and for his offering; but for Cain and for his offering He had no regard. So Cain became very angry and his countenance fell. Then the Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry? And why has your countenance fallen? If you do well, will not your countenance be lifted up? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door; and its desire is for you, but you must master it.” Cain told Abel his brother. And it came about when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother and killed him. 

Was God to blame because He didn’t accept Cain’s offering? Was Able to blame because God did accept His. Was God just looking to cause trouble between loving brothers so He MADE one jealous of the other? Could Cain justify his reaction by claiming that God made him this way?

Who would you side with?

In our world today, it seems to me that we take credit for all that is creative and good and blame God for all that is not as we like it. We “kick” Him out of our lives and still expect Him to make us happy, healthy and wise (which is exactly what Eve thought the apple from the tree of Knowledge would do). We don’t bother to seek intimacy with Him yet we do all kinds of things in His name. We claim His authority but fail to act as He acts (always in love because God is love).

I’m telling you, if my kids did to me what we do to God… I would be merciless in my vengeance! But God…

Psalm 145:8-9 The Lord is gracious and merciful; slow to anger and great in lovingkindness. The Lord is good to all, and His mercies are over all His works. 

But what about… yeah, as a conglomeration of peoples, we have done some horrible, no good, really terrible things in the name of God! it is true, I won’t deny it… but let me just remind everyone that just because someone says they know and do what God says, doesn’t mean it’s true. Just because you/they have an impressive title or a “holy” position in a man-made religion does NOT mean you/they have the inside track to God. You/they ARE NOT God!! And just because you/they say it, does NOT mean we have to believe them/you.

The greatest gift of God has been the the gift of free will. It has also been the most terrifying in those who are filled with hate.

Psalm 140:4-5 Keep me, O Lord, from the hands of the wicked; preserve me from violent men who have purposed to trip up my feet. The proud have hidden a trap for me, and cords; they have spread a net by the wayside; they have set snares for me.

Well… if God is good (all the time)… then why doesn’t He “save” us from__________ (fill in the blank but it always comes down to saving us from ourselves)

He does… but He will not take away or destroy His greatest gift of free will.

But He will and does intervene in the lives who let Him work in them. Take a look at Joseph and the life his brothers tried to give him. Genesis 50:20 As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good in order to bring about this present result, to preserve many people alive.  

Joseph sure wouldn’t have been chosen this path and I would give you odds if he had known what was coming he would have RAN for the hills! But his life prepared him for and gave him the position to save millions of people from starvation! But Joseph wouldn’t, couldn’t nor didn’t do it himself! Psalm 127:1 Unless the Lord builds the house, they labor in vain who build it; unless the Lord guards the city, the watchman keeps awake in vain. 

My point in all of this is… God is good all the time… and all the time… God is good. God can’t be anything but good.

It is our definition of good that is the problem. Our definition of good is the same as Adam and Eve’s definition AFTER slandering the God whom they walked in intimacy with… we believe it is God’s job and sole purpose to make us happy, healthy and wise! And if He doesn’t? We throw a hissy fit and try to bully Him with threats of unbelief.

Let me speak the truth in love… our definition is wrong – it may be our entire “wish list” of prayer… but it is not the truth… no matter how many ways you speak it, nor how many times we beg for it. It is NOT God’s job nor sole purpose to make us happy… Nor is it God’s job to honor our every action, thought or word with His approval so we never have to deal with our bad behavior.

In order to know the truth, you have to know God… He is the truth… He can’t be anything else. In order to live the truth, you have to know the difference between Him and yourself.

Psalm 139:13-18 For You formed my inward parts; You wove me in my mother’s womb. I will give thanks to You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; wonderful are Your works, and my soul knows it very well.  Your eyes have seen my unformed substance; and in Your book were all written the days that were ordained for me, when as yet there was not one of them. How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God! How vast is the sum of them! If I should count them, they would outnumber the sand.When I awake, I am still with You. 

This is truth… this is reality… God IS… and we are NOT… God!

Psalm 103:2-5 Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget none of His benefits; who pardons all your iniquities, who heals all your diseases; who redeems your life from the pit, who crowns you with lovingkindness and compassion; who satisfies your years with good things, so that your youth is renewed like the eagle. 

When I am overwhelmed by life and/or confused by the sights and sounds of our glorious masses of humanity… when I thought I knew how something SHOULD turn out and I find out I didn’t have a clue… when I am at my lowest in strength and my highest in suffering… this one thing gives me the greatest comfort…

God is good… all the time… and all the time… God is good!

Romans 8:28 And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are are called according to His purpose.

Romans 8:31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us?

I don’t have to have THE answer to my dilemmas, I just have to know the God who delivers me from them… in His time! In order to know peace beyond comprehension, I must dwell with Him as my Abba…

You want to know the whole truth and nothing but the truth? He is the best Daddy you will ever know! He is good all the time… and… all the time He is good!

Psalm 34:8 O taste and see that the Lord is good; How blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him! 

**All Scripture quoted comes from the “Bible Gateway” app and is the NASB  version of the Bible

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Luke 21:34-35 “Be on guard, so that your hearts will not be weighted down with dissipation and drunkenness and the worries of life, and that day will not come on you suddenly like a trap; for it will come upon all those who dwell on the face of all the earth. 

In Texas, living close to the Gulf, we know storms! As the National Weather Service watches for, names them and then predicts their path, we Texans, known for our Southern Hospitality, graciously prepare for their visit. Should they leave their memory behind, we give them a scrapbook page(s) in our hearts. We remember… we compare… we learn… and some of us even look forward to the next one so we can put all of this into practice!

Though it isn’t hurricane season (that day), I was reminded of them this weekend as the main focus of an encourager (like a trap).

Storms happen… it will come upon all those who dwell on the face of all the earth

As an encourager, I tend to automatically turn into a storm tracker! Encouragers willingly and immediately enter into the storms in our own lives and the lives of others. Sometimes we are given the position of prepping to minimize potential damage, and sometimes our job is just the witnessing of and/or recording the witness statements of the storm’s approach and results. (I find this the hardest job for ME to do – because it requires me to JUST LISTEN)

Encouragers are always watching to see whom the storm chooses as it’s landfall.  We are gauging the strength and assigning the category. We are searching our memories for the dos and don’ts of past similar storms we have encountered.

And then… ready or not… encouragers enter the storm!

But storms are such heady stuff! And I entered this weekend’s storm without Ephesians 6:13-17 taking up the full armor of God, so that (I would) be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. Stand firm therefore, having girded (my) loins with truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod (my) feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; in addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which (I would) be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. I know storms are always possible but I thought the worst it could be was JUST rain showers. It was not until the EYE was passing over, that I knew I might be a bloody mess when the rest of the storm finished it’s journey.

The eye… the calm… so calm one might think the crisis is over… except for the green tint of the sky!

Because everyone is tired and weary, and blind to the sky, the temptation is to assume the threat is over and we can RETURN to what we were doing before!

Storm Chasers know… the worst may be yet to come! And encouragers know too… Luke 11:24-26 “When the unclean spirit goes out of a man, it passes through waterless places seeking rest, and not finding any, it says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’ And when it comes, it finds it swept and put in order. Then it goes and takes along seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they go in and live there; and the last state of that man becomes worse than the first.” 

God certainly does not CAUSE the storms of our lives, our enemy does that (the unclean spirits). God does USE the storms in our lives to sweep them clean and put them in order – His order!

And we must… celebrate and occupy the results God works in our lives through the storms. Philippians 2:13 for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure… all the way through the storm

In the eye of the storm… the enemy comes to “see” what his storm has accomplished. He is not surprised to find it swept clean and in order – he would expect no different from the Abba of this household.

As an encourager, we know that our enemy is no quitter (even when we are). We know that in the eye (the place of perceived calm) he will seek to find a way back in… perhaps the windows and doors were unboarded at the first sign of the storm passing… perhaps no one is home guarding it. No one that can and will lift the shield of the faith to extinguish the flaming arrows targeting the boundaries or someone who will take and use the Sword of the Spirit (which is the Word of God) which cuts/cleanses the inside and outside holes of our understanding of God’s thoughts and ways.

As an encourager, we know that the worst is yet to come if we fail to go all the way through the storm. But as an encourager, I forget that our enemy is always looking to devour (even with rain showers). I sometimes forget the weariness of the war and the heaviness of the armor. I forget the pain of the wounds and I forget that even though we all can be warriors, we are all children…

Even as encouragers…  we have lashed out and slapped the hand of the one sent to help us. We’ve blamed the wrong person and given the accuser of the brethren a pass. We’ve thrown our own tantrums and sent away our real help in times of trouble and sometimes even thrown the rubble of our lives after them. Even though I have done these things in my childish rage, I admit I am always shocked and confused and hurt when my attempts to encouraged are not just refused but thrown back in my face as “making things worse”.

I know I am not perfect and I certainly say and do the wrong thing(s) on a daily basis. But God does not allow me (even when I beg Him) to turn tail and run nor does He allow me to put the gift of encouragement in a box and leave it on the shelf. He trains me up… in forgiveness of sibling rivalry… He calls on me to build muscles of forgiveness, lifting the weights 70 X 7… He trains me to hear Him even when no one else is listening. He reminds me that the victory is not my responsibility, He has already won and in His time all will be revealed!

What’s a wounded encourager to do? When the storm I am encouraging in becomes a storm of hurt and rejection in my own life…

I remember… Ephesians 6:12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. 

And then… I… Ephesians 6:18 With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints, 

Because I know that… God… Ezekiel 22:30… searched for a man among them who would build up the wall and stand in the gap before Me for the land, so that I would not destroy it…

Encouragers… this… building up the wall and standing in the gap… is the gift God has given and is now searching for the man/woman using it. This is the gift of encouragement.

Let us find Him… let Him find us… encouraging each other in the eye of the storm!

**All Scripture quoted comes from the “Bible Gateway” app and is the NASB  version of the Bible

John 13:5 Then He *poured water into the basin, and began to wash the disciples’ feet and to wipe them with the towel with which He was girded.

I once had the opportunity to both witness and also participate in this amazing, intimate act of love. On a Mission trip, our leader asked and was granted her humble request to wash the feet of the women who called for our help to “throw” a Vacation Bible School and do some major/minor chores in and around their little church. Our leader knew, without these ladies doing the dailies, we would have no ministry to perform. Not only did she want to honor these ladies but she also wanted to refresh them and mostly love on them in public! These ladies were the servants so used to “washing the feet” of the sheep in their pasture. I wept with them as I watched encouragement wash away the pains and frustrations of standing in the gap for hours on end!

Later that same day, Robyn, our ministry leader, took the opportunity at our evening worship to have each of us partner (NOT with buddies) and wash each other’s feet. WOW… I was a guest of a member of this church group so I did not intimately know anyone but the friend I came with. May I just say, I went as a welcomed stranger but with this one event, I became a member-in-love with these people. I may not be able to join their church for reasons which will remain unnamed, but I participated in love and will forever be changed and encouraged when I remember this amazing time.

What a powerful tool for our ministry of encouragement! It can be used for… welcoming a weary traveler with the good news of the gospel… refreshing a soul who has had many days on the sometimes hard road of life… honoring those who keep on keeping on… pouring love over those feet which are bruised and bleeding and broken from climbing insurmountable mountains. And… washing away with forgiveness any areas that have become a stumbling block to walking in love with each other.

Luke 7:44-47 Turning toward the woman, He said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I entered your house; you gave Me no water for My feet, but she has wet My feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. You gave Me no kiss; but she, since the time I came in, has not ceased to kiss My feet. You did not anoint My head with oil, but she anointed My feet with perfume. For this reason I say to you, her sins, which are many, have been forgiven, for she loved much; but he who is forgiven little, loves little.” Priceless!!

Washing feet is definitely a job for an encourager

Not many people would allow such an intimate service… Most of us do not need to be reminded that we are a mess. And… we definitely do not need a public reading of our various “dirty deeds” which we fearfully believe is required as our feet are washed.

Soooo… my workaround for the encourager is to IMAGINE performing what we have watched Jesus do for His people. John 13:12-15 So when He had washed their feet, and taken His garments and reclined at the table again, He said to them, “Do you know what I have done to you? You call Me Teacher and Lord; and you are right, for so I am. If I then, the Lord and the Teacher, washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I gave you an example that you also should do as I did to you. IMAGINE taking your basin which has been crafted by Jesus in your quiet time with Him. IMAGINE pouring the water of encouragement which you have gleaned from the Word of God. IMAGINE touching another, skin to skin. IMAGINE wiping the tears (of both of you) with the towel of servant hood.

In “The Jewish New Testament Commentary” it says… “Foot Washing was a courtesy shown to guests in a home, usually performed by a servant or the host’s wife when the guest entered the house or while they were reclining at the table.”

Let’s do what Jesus does when He brings someone to our table! 1 Peter 4:8 Above all, keep fervent in your love for one another, because love covers a multitude of sins. Let’s wash the feet of one another.

**All Scripture quoted comes from the “Bible Gateway” app and is the NASB  version of the Bible