Stop Trippin'

One of my husbands favorite preachers said this once and it just stuck with me, “Stop Trippin’ ”.  The Bible says to be anxious for nothing.  This is usually thought of as worry and I very much agree with it, however,  I don’t consider myself a worrier.   Although, I  come from a long line of worriers and could lean that way if I am not careful to check myself.

I do, however, get anxious about the list of “to do’s” that I have incurred.  This morning as I was trying to spend time with God, that list was rolling over and over in my head.  I would get a few words of prayer out and then my thoughts would turn to the grocery list and the repairs that still need to be completed before company comes on Monday.  Then I would realize how I wasn’t praying anymore and go back to conversing with God. 

 All of the sudden I started to feel the pressure of my upcoming agenda and instantly God said: “Stop Trippin' ”, or something like that.  He said:  “Rest in me, spend time with me, and I will make sure that all these things will be taken care of.” 

 

 I felt a release, the pressure was gone and I knew the most important thing I can do is put Him first!  If I rest in Him, spending time with Him in His Word and in conversation with Him then “all these things will be added unto me”.   

A few years ago I remember Todd telling me that God had basically told him the same thing.  He was in church on a Wednesday night and as he sat in the service he started concerning himself with all that he needed to be doing, for work, for our home, for our business.  Then suddenly God said:  “That’s why you are here, when you come here to Worship Me, I am taking care of all of those other things that you are concerned about.”  Stop Trippin’.

We are so good at overwhelming ourselves with our “to do” lists, when all God wants is our time. 

 Recalling the story of Mary and Martha:   Martha was concerning herself with the tasks at hand, she was so upset about it that she forgot to spend time with Jesus.  She was ticked off at Mary for not helping her and I am sure she was taken aback when Jesus said: "Hey Martha stop trippin’,  Mary is spending time with me, I wont be around long, this is more important". 

If we give Him our time, He will take care of our day and all that lies beyond.  

Moving On

Todd and I enjoyed a wonderful evening with great friends last night.  Friends that unfortunately will be moving in a short period of time.  They will be greatly missed.

As the conversation took turns and twists and we talked about a myriad of topics; children, home improvements and things of spiritual significance, one of  the hardest things to discuss was the fact that they are leaving.

Change is usually difficult but the change of moving a family from a familiar city to one of uncertainty is certainly a challenge.  

God told Abram to go to a place that He would show him, talk about uncertainty.  Abram didn’t even know where he was going.  I bet that was an interesting conversation between Abram and Sarai, “God told you WHAT?”

Then Moses moves the Israelites out of Egypt and into a land of the unknown, wow.  Remember where all the grumbling got them?

Looking back over my own life and the moves that we have made have brought both heartache and joy.  When I was young we moved a lot and now I see how those moves strengthened me and my sister.  

As adults, Todd and I moved to Ohio, leaving our families in Colorado to go where we believed God was telling us to go.  Ours was a migratory journey into a land as Egypt was to the Israelites.  For us it was seven years that, although were painful, were the greatest teaching years we could have had.

Our move to the south was less distressing but not in the area of leaving behind friends who we cared for dearly.

  

It is hardest to leave individuals.  Houses can be replaced, jobs and even churches can be exchanged from what you had, but people are difficult and, in many ways, impossible to recoup.  Every friendship is like a connecting point in a spider web.  Each life touching another connecting the whole thing together creating a strong, beautiful piece of unique artwork.  We are bound together, knowing that no matter how far the miles are between us we are connected.  United by joy, sorrow, pain and triumph.

I know that as my friends embark on their journey a part of me goes with them, woven into the web of their lives, contributing to them the strengths that we can impart.

Never look at a move as a loss but an opportunity to grow, to learn, to follow God’s call to the next great thing He has for you!

We love you, dear friends and know we will be together again--Heck, you’re gonna have to put up with me for all eternity!

Fear

I had every intention to post what the children were learning in the “outback” room this past Sunday.  However, when my sister called with bad news that I then had to relay to my parents and hear the sound of their response, I knew I had to address this thing called fear.

I know that fear has been covered the past few Sundays in the sermons but I have not been in the sanctuary, I am with the little ones.  Needless to say, I have not heard the messages except through my husband’s short translations.

I may repeat some things, for some of you have already heard about fear, so please bear with me.

People say things like,  “ fear gripped me” or “I was overtaken by fear” or “the fear was crippling”.  Something rises up in me when I hear that and I want to ask them why can’t we be gripped by faith or overtaken by our faith or empowered by faith.  Our knee jerk reaction should not fall to fear, we should rise to faith.  

As believers we should always go to God’s Word when we encounter a bad report.  If it is about our finances we need to remember that Philippians 4:19 says:  And this same God who takes care of me will supply all your needs from his glorious riches, which have been given to us in Christ Jesus.

If it is about our health we need to speak Isaiah 53:5, He himself took up our infirmities and carried our deceases and by his stripes we are healed.  Anything we face can be countered with faith through the Word of God.  Fear is the enemy’s way of pinning us to the mat until we give up and lose heart.  Wrestle that nasty serpent to the ground. Jesus did.  Blow by blow, as the devil hurled temptations at our Messiah he countered with God’s Word; he caused Lucifer to fall to his defeat.  We need to stand up to the facts with the truth!!  The fact may be that you have cancer but the truth is Jesus took cancer in every drop of blood he shed for you!  The fact might be that you can’t pay your bills but the truth is Jesus provided every need for you on the cross of Calvary.  

Don’t back down, don’t buckle, don’t quit, don’t let fear get a foothold!  We can deFeet the enemy with our faith, we can disArm him with the Word of God, we can get a Legup on him through the Blood of Jesus.  He cannot get aHead of us when we know the authority we have in Jesus Name.  DisemBody him by allowing the Holy Spirit to embody you!!