Anticipating This Year's Beautiful Garden

“The Lord will guide you always;
he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land
and will strengthen your frame.
You will be like a well-watered garden,
like a spring whose waters never fail.”

Isaiah 58:11 NIV

Every year God gives me another chance to improve my gardens. I get out there and roll up my sleeves, put on my gardening hat, grab my gloves, shovel, and kneeling pad. I tote a wheelbarrow full of plants, pull out the garden hose and begin the process. All the while as I work I hum to myself, I pray, and I visualize and anticipate that this year’s garden will be the best one yet! Oh the heart of a gardener! I am reminded that even though I do the physical work it is God who brings the success. It is God’s rain and his sunshine that produce results.

This year I have decided that I am going to add something new to my heart’s garden. I am adding a darling gazebo that will be surrounded by brilliant blue hydrangeas and covered with climbing hot pink mandevilla vines. This will be the focal point in this year’s garden. I am going to use the gazebo as a focal point for spiritual growth. This will be the place where I will set my mind on things above. It will be the place where I will surrender my will to God. This will be the place where I will unload my emotions. This will be the place where I will cry out for God’s help. This will be the place where I will tell God I love him and he will whisper that he loves me too!

As I am dreaming of the gazebo, God taps me on the shoulder and says, “come walk with me.” After a little while I begin to wander off of the flagstone pathway. I bend down and remove my shoes so that I can feel the cool, thick carpet of fescue as we walk. This new spring growth reminds me that my spiritual growth is all about having the mind of Christ. As we walk the Master Gardener simply says, “Paula, don’t forget to read my Word. It will be your strength and it will guide your steps and light your pathway.”

The Master Gardner brings to my attention the stately ferns and the lush hosta. He tells me that even though they seem fragile, they are foundational in providing that lush green background for all the other beautiful flowers. He says, “Paula, I love these plants because they are established plants that come back every year.” He reminds me that I must not take for granted the previous perennial growth that is in my garden, that even though these plants are intended to come back every year, they could be uprooted at any time! Therefore, I must continue to gird up my mind and be ready for action and obedience when negative thoughts come into my mind. It is important not to damage any of the foundational plants of my faith that are showing signs of established spiritual growth.

Today I am also thinking about my emotions. I confess Lord that they are huge! My emotions trip me up and they jump out of the bushes when I least suspect. Jesus reminds me that he too had emotions. Then I begin to remember that Jesus wept at the death Lazarus. He showed compassion and mercy to those he healed. Jesus loved the little children. I imagine Jesus even laughed and shook his head at the disciples, wondering if they would ever get it! Jesus loved his mother and entrusted her to John as he was dying on the cross. He became angry with the merchants for desecrating the temple. Jesus felt the betrayal of Judas, the denial of Peter, the anguish of Gethsemane, and the rejection of mankind. I believe that when a person is mocked, spit upon, scourged and nailed to a cross their emotions have the potential to flair up and explode! Yet Jesus kept his emotions under control at all times. Jesus was able to control his emotions out of his love for the Father and by keeping his focus on his reason for coming to this earth. “Now my heart is troubled. And what shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour?’ No, it was for this very reason I came to his hour. Father, glorify your name!” John 12: 27-28 NIV

So today I must take stock of all that is growing in my garden. I must protect the good perennials because they are foundational to my faith. I must work to uproot the weeds that will choke out my joy. I must allow God to plant new truth and water it well. I must fertilize my garden by reading God’s Word. I must be on the lookout for the pestilence of negative thoughts and emotions. Yes, this year I am anticipating a beautiful garden! The Master Gardner and I will work to improve my heart’s garden every day. I must care for my heart’s garden because I love the Gardner. "The Lord will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail.” Isaiah 58:11 NIV


Questions:

How important is it to focus on God’s will for your day?

What are you currently doing to keep growing in your love of Jesus?

How do you keep your mind ready for any attacks that may come from your emotions and trigger sinful, damaging thoughts?

Do you believe it is possible for God to help you in your time of need?

What are you currently doing to take care of your heart’s garden?


Prayer:

Dear Father,

I pray that this year my spiritual garden will be the most beautiful garden that I have every allowed you to plant. I am seeing that the things that offend me, tick me off, aggravate me, irritate me, and hurt me need to be filtered through your love for me and your love for others. Teach me your thoughts of mercy and compassion and your thoughts about forgiveness. Fill me with your thoughts that remind me that I am loved by you. Help me to replace my thoughts with your thoughts. Lord I am in need of thoughts that will allow me to trust and obey you. I pray Father that I will not be driven by my emotions but rather by my love for you. Oh Father, how I desire that I might love you enough to give my emotions to you. Help me to know that you are all I need and that you will always be more than enough. I pray that my responses and my attitudes would be the same as yours and that my actions would glorify your name. Father, help me to remember that just like Jesus, my purpose for living is also to bring glory to you.

In Your Son’s Name I Pray. Amen.

What is Growing In My Garden?

"It is for freedom

that Christ has set us free.

Stand firm, then,
and do not let yourselves

be burdened again

by the yoke of slavery."

Galatians 5:1 NIV

As I am walking into the garden this morning there is a lilt in my step. The birds are praising God and so am I. My first thoughts are pure and full of praise for my Savior who has set me free from the bondage of sin and death. My Savior, the one who has conquered death and the grave! Heavenly thoughts stir up nothing but pleasure because I know that heaven will be my eternal home because I have been set free to live with Jesus forever.

As I enter the garden the Master Gardner greets me with a smile, a hug, and hands me a freshly clipped red rose that is still bathed in the morning dew. I accept his overtures of love, and respond back with “I love you too.” I think…hmmmm… the mind of Christ. I wonder what he is thinking today.

I don’t have to wait long before the Master’s voice comes to me in a gentle whisper. Paula, I want to set you free from the bondage that still enslaves you here on this earth. I want you to stand firm and not allow yourself to be burdened by the yoke of slavery. My response is, “Lord, what do you mean?” He tells me that once I was enslaved to sin but he set me free. He further explains that even thought I have that freedom; I still remain in bondage to the results of sin while I am here on this earth.

Jesus lovingly explains that Satan wants to keep me in that place of bondage so that I will be an ineffective Christian and in addition to that he wants to steal my joy. The Master Gardener reminds me that this is serious business because Satan wants me to live in bondage to my fears, my weaknesses, my hurts and my resentments. He wants me to feel that I am worth nothing. Now my Savior adds, “I on the other hand want to set you free from those very things that are growing in your garden of your heart. I want to uproot all of those deep rooted, poisonous plants and I have the power to do so if you will trust me.”

Jesus then brings to my memory something that happened last summer. I was visiting a beautiful formal garden. In the middle of this garden set a gorgeous marble sculpture of an angel. As I admired that work of art I couldn’t help but wonder how the sculptor was able to take that huge block of marble and have this beautiful angel be the end result. I remembered hearing my art teacher say that the sculptor must first see in his mind the object that he wants to carve, and in this case, an angel. He then begins his work, cutting away anything that is NOT angel. It may take him many years but the end result is a gorgeous angel.

How interesting that God would bring this to my mind. Could it be that this is exactly what God is trying to do with my life? It is in my mind that the Master begins to work on his masterpiece. The goal is to remove anything that isn’t Jesus from my life! This work of art began the day I invited Jesus Christ to come into my life and it will not be finished in my lifetime. However, it will all come together and be unveiled in heaven when I behold him and then I shall be like him. “For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son.” Romans 8:29 NIV Today and every day many thoughts will enter my mind that does not represent Jesus’ thinking. I cannot control those thoughts but I can control what I do with those thoughts. All Jesus asks of me is to choose to take that thought captive; it is my responsibility to give that negative, sinful thought to him. “We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.” 2 Corinthians 10:5 NIV Jesus in return will set me free one thought at a time. One day at a time. This is how I will begin to have the mind of Jesus Christ.

This is God’s plan for you as well. Whatever is growing in your heart’s garden that is not lovely, God wants to uproot. He wants to take the heart of every believer and sculpt it into his likeness. He does this by cutting away all that does not look like him. He plants beautiful flowers of grace that surround your life’s sculpture and when Satan comes around trying to destroy all that is beautiful and good the Master Gardner is on hand to uproot any weeds that threaten to choke out his grace. God is faithful to keep a watchful eye on all that is growing in my heart’s garden and in yours. Only in heaven will the finished work of our life lived here on earth find its place in eternity.


Questions:

What negative, sinful thought does God want to set you free from?

Do you believe God has the power to do so?

Why are you hanging on and cherishing this thought?

Is this thought stealing your joy?

Do you want to take this thought captive and entrust it to Jesus?


Prayer:

Dear God,

Today I see that Satan is stealing my joy. The nerve of him to try to rob me of something so precious! God, I am feeling very weak here and I am not sure that I can take that thought captive. You see Father, I like that thought. It protects me and it brings comfort to me in my pain. It keeps me in a safe place where I do not have to take a leap of faith or forgive the unforgivable. I need your Holy Spirit to empower me so that I can take that sinful thought captive. I am just lying to myself when I say that this thought is protecting and comforting me. I realize that I am not in a safe place. Please God, I need your help. I now take this thought captive and in the name of Jesus Christ, ask you to free me from this bondage. Replace that sinful thought with your heavenly thought of grace. Restore in me the joy of your salvation. God, please cut away, one day at a time, all that does not look like you. I ask you to uproot all of the things that are growing in my garden that are holding me in bondage. I thank you God, for the work that you are doing in my life.

In Your Son’s Name I Pray. Amen.

The Mind of the Master

Soaring the heights in search of the unclouded mind of the Master.

“But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure;

then peace loving, considerate, submissive,

full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere.”

James 3: 17 NIV

I am sad to say that many times my attitudes and responses do not reflect the way that Jesus thinks. I must admit that I often lust for the things of life that have no spiritual value at all. They may not be wrong but they can often put me in a state of discontentment that allows Satan to have a foot hold in my life and that hinders my fellowship with Jesus. But the wisdom that comes from heaven is pure. Jesus modeled this pure wisdom while he walked on this earth.

Jesus was peace loving. Knowing the way Jesus thinks allows me to think peace loving thoughts as well. I can learn to choose to set aside unhealthy thoughts that lead me far away from peace. The Bible teaches that it is possible for believers to reject the thoughts that cause us to become fearful and the thoughts that add stress to our lives. We are commanded to reject sinful thinking and be holy. “But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy,” I Peter 1:15-16 NIV If this was an unachievable task we would not be commanded to do so by our Lord. The Holy Spirit will endow us with the strength that we are lacking. We only need to ask.

Gentleness is pretty easy to grasp until I start multi tasking, running out of time, or feeling stress from having too much to do. Harsh words come out when I am not at peace. Jesus was considerate and acted in gentleness. I don’t recall Jesus being rushed, hurried, out of time, or stressed. Hmmmmm, where is the message in this?

There are some days that those around me “walk on eggs” trying not to stir up a storm! Not so with Jesus. Jesus was available and approachable. In fact Jesus calmed the storm.

I have experienced people speaking hard words to me. I have felt them push me away and falsely accuse me. I have suffered the pain of relationships changing and some ending. I have longed to be vindicated to no avail. I have hardened my heart and built walls of protection around myself so that no one could ever hurt me again. My thoughts and attitudes have been anything but merciful. But Jesus was merciful!

I have had times in my life that I shut down. I have deliberately shut out love, joy, peace, patience, gentleness, goodness, faithfulness, meekness and self control. Circumstances in life have made me angry and darkness has settled in. But Jesus never caved in to that type of behavior. Because Jesus possesses all of the fruits of the spirit, his thoughts are always full of love, joy and peace. He is patient, gentle, good, faithful, and meek and when he walked on this earth he had all his emotions under control at all times.


Many times I have been wishy-washy! I was trying to live a lukewarm lifestyle and live in the gray areas of life. I approached sin by placing my big toe on the line but not crossing the line. I have in the past tried to live a Christian life with one foot in the world and one foot in heaven. I might ask myself, Paula, how did that work out for you? The answer is not well! Jesus set the example of being steadfast, faithful, never wavering. It is in those attributes that he modeled that we will find our spiritual strength.

I have experienced dishonesty and lying. I have been insincere. I have picked favorites and sided with what was popular. Jesus on the other hand was always truthful, impartial, and always sincere.

I have experienced, and at times I still do experience hate, pain, fear, impatience, hardness, bad attitudes, faithlessness, unbelief, arrogance. I imagine that if you my readers are honest, you have all been exactly where I have been and at times revisit those same haunts. That is why we all need the mind of the Master! All of the things that he was when he walked this earth he still is today! He is our model for this life. He is the wisdom that is straight from heaven. His thoughts are holy. He calls us to be holy because he is holy. All of his virtues are worthy of our pursuit. I may never get it perfect in this life but I pray that I will die trying to walk in the shadow of his love and grace. With the help of God all things are possible. Maybe not all at once or forever and always, but most certainly inch by inch, trial by trial, and temptation by temptation. God’s heart is moved toward us when he sees us walking toward him.


Questions:

Do you see yourself in need of different thinking?

Do you believe that it is possible to take your negative thoughts captive and allow Jesus to change your thoughts to be like his thoughts?

Choose one negative thought and begin to talk to Jesus about it today.


Prayer:

Dear Lord,

I am in desperate need of your help. There are so many thoughts that I need to give to you. Help me to allow you to guide me in this process. Give me understanding as to how you think. Free me from the bondage of sinful, self-centered thinking. I need the power of your Holy Spirit to help me successfully surrender my will to your will. I desire that my mind will be ordered by you. You have promised that you would keep me in perfect peace if I will keep my mind on you.

In Your Name I Pray. Amen

My Thoughts Shape Who I Am

“Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus.
Who, being in very nature God,
Did not consider equality with God something to be grasped,
but made himself nothing taking the very nature of a servant,
being made in human likeness.
And being found in appearance as a man,
he humbled himself and became obedient to death
– even death on a cross!”

Philippians 2:5-8 NIV

The command to “let this mind be in you that was also in Christ Jesus” is intriguing. This morning I am faced with having to dig deeper and learn more of what this means. I am acutely aware that this kind of understanding will not come to me on the fly. It will not come as I scurry around the house doing my chores, while I am talking on the phone, or while I am running family errands. Deep truth will not come to me while I am on the computer or watching TV. No. This is the type of learning that requires me to be still and set myself apart from my activities. So it is off to the garden I go. Spring is just around the corner and I am anxious to see evidence of spring among the sweet little crocus, sun yellow tulips and deep purple hyacinths. After I enter the garden I hear the faint footsteps of the Master Gardner. As he approaches his steps become louder and my heart beats faster. I am now wild with excitement as I anticipate learning more about the importance of knowing how he thinks. In my mind his voice is clear and soft and he begins to teach.

Paula your attitude should be the same as mine. Yes, even though I am God I did not consider that fact as something to be grasped. Instead, even though I was both human and divine, I set aside my divinity and took on the nature of a servant. You too will need to follow my example and serve others. You must learn to think humble thoughts. You will also need to be obedient to all that God asks of you because I was. Remember, I was obedient not only to death, but to death on a cross! My thoughts always centered around doing the will of my Father and on love for all of humanity. So there my sweet daughter is where you begin. Lay aside your selfish interests, aspire to do the will of your Father in heaven, and be a servant to others. If you really love me, all of these things will begin to flow naturally out of your heart because you will begin to love me more than you love yourself. My Holy Spirit will fill you up and pour you out to others even when you are not aware that it is happening. When this happens I will be glorified.

As I leave the garden I am keenly aware that my mind is whirling! I am beginning to sense that my mind is very much in a state of disorder. I am realizing that most of my thoughts have shaped me into a selfish and self centered person. There are many things that I want; there are circumstances that I want to go away. Many of my thoughts, such as fear and anger are holding me hostage. I am in a state of bondage that I cannot shake. I see thoughts that spring from pride, greed, and control. The stress that I am experiencing in my life is the outward sign that I need to trade in my thoughts for God’s thoughts. My mind needs order, freedom from bondage, and peace. I am realizing that my wants, desires, dreams, and hopes need to be aligned to God’s wants, desires, dreams and hopes for my life.

Matthew 6:33 NIV says, “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” It is becoming so clear to me. All of these years I have been seeking “things” first and then seeking God. But this verse tells me I clearly have it backwards! I get it! I must seek God first and then he will give me what I need. Not necessarily what I want but what he knows I need. Wow! Now this is a really huge paradigm shift in my thinking.

I must first set my mind on things above. I must then be teachable regarding changes in the way I have been thinking. I must then brace up and prepare to be obedient. I must never forget to be completely honest before God concerning these things and to call upon the Holy Spirit for the grace that I will need in order to change. I know that God wants to reshape my character. I want my character to reflect who he is!

Questions:

What predominate thoughts have been in you mind this past week?

Do you feel that those thoughts are godly or selfish?

What one thought do you think God would like you to replace with his way of thinking?

Prayer:

Dear Lord,

You have left me a very clear pattern as to how my thoughts should be ordered. I pray that I will start becoming more aware of my thoughts and that I would choose to align my thoughts, desires hopes and dreams to yours. Help me to be less selfish, more loving, and more willing to serve others. Lord I really do believe that if I loved you as I should these things would become more natural because of my love for you. My prayer today is more of you Lord and less of me.

In Your Name I Pray. Amen

How Does Jesus Think?

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts,

neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord.

As the heavens are higher than the earth,

so are my ways higher than your ways

and my thoughts than your thoughts.”

Isaiah 55:8-9 NIV

There are two questions that need answering. How do I think and how does Jesus think? The WWJD wrist bands that many were sporting a few years ago were on the right track yet I feel they were lacking in real life examples. Of course I know that you can’t put all that on a wrist band!

Today I am going to share some examples of how my thoughts contrast with how Jesus thinks. This comparison is a very revealing exercise. I think that right now would be a very good place to say that changing the way I think to the way Jesus thinks is a life long learning experience and a process. Some of my thoughts are Christ like and others not so much! Falling deeply in love with Jesus and desiring his thoughts to be mine requires spending much time in the garden of my heart.

Some of us have good thoughts that come to us naturally because we have a caring personality that wants to please, serve and care for others. Other people are more aggressive in setting goals and making things happen for themselves. Some people are more laid back and others more out going. As for me, I am the type of person that most of the time everyone around me knows exactly what I think and where I stand. Many times my mouth gets ahead of my mind. That is never a pretty sight! As a result, God is in the process of changing a lot of my thoughts. I would also like to point out to those of you who do know how to keep your mouth shut, that doesn’t necessarily mean you always have right thinking. Some of you quiet people have some really mean, nasty, selfish, thoughts and may be standing up screaming on the inside! The only difference is I look foolish and you don’t and there is something to be said for that! Regardless of who we are, it does my heart good to know that God is not finished with any of us. He has a wonderful plan for or lives and that includes changing our thoughts to his thoughts and our ways to his ways.

Some of the many thoughts that pop into our heads may be thoughts of jealousy and envy, but Jesus teaches us to be happy for the success of others. We often have angry thoughts toward God, when in fact we need to accept his will. We can also have bitter thoughts towards others who have offended and hurt us, but Jesus wants us to show compassion and mercy which can then evolve into forgiveness and love. We may also take pride in our position in life, our looks, our abilities, or our “perfect” children, and our perfect parenting skills. It is even possible to be prideful regarding our own spirituality! But Jesus teaches that we are not to be proud and self-centered. Jesus teaches us to be repentant and humble. The world teaches that we need to “look out for number one,” Jesus teaches us that he will provide for us even when we can’t provide for ourselves. The world compromises and we are to think in terms of faithfulness.

I will admit that this reversal way of thinking is hard to accept and implement. However, I assure you that it has been my experience, that when I do allow God to change the way I think regarding any situation, I am a happier, more positive, contented person as I allow God’s peaceful behavior to settle in my heart. The more deliberately we practice this habit of changing our thoughts the more natural it will become. When we choose to adapt our thoughts to Christ’s thoughts we will become a person of influence for Jesus and his kingdom. The deeper we fall in love with Jesus the easier surrendering our thoughts to his thoughts will become.


Questions:

What do you think is the number one thought in your mind that God would like you to change to his way of thinking?

Can you pinpoint why changing the way you currently think and respond would be upsetting to you?

If you were to accept God’s way of thinking regarding that matter, how would you be benefited? How would others benefit?

Prayer:

Dear Lord,

I confess to you that many of my thoughts are not your thoughts and many of my ways are not your ways. Please show me today what one thought you would like to change in my mind and heart. I invite your Holy Spirit to come to my aid and give me your divine discernment, strength and courage to be able to trust that your ways are higher than my ways and that your thoughts are higher than mine. I love you Lord, and do want to learn to think more and more like you every day.

In Your Name I pray. Amen.

My Thoughts

“As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he:”
Proverbs 23:7a KJV

Everyday my mind is filled with so many thoughts. I can’t even attempt to count them all. On some days I may have a predominate thought that keeps surfacing over and over again. If it is a troublesome thought I am prone to shift my emotions to fear or worry. If it is a thought from the Holy Spirit I can either find myself convicted of a wrong, called to obey, or delightfully loved. If convicted of sin I tend to struggle with God. If called to obedience I tend to argue with God. If the thought reveals to me that I am extravagantly loved by God my emotions shift this time to peace, joy and thanksgiving.

I have come to realize that I have no control over what thought pops into my head, but I must take personal responsibility for what I do with that thought. As believers, we must choose to take captive all of our negative thoughts. “We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.” 2 Corinthians 10:5 NIV We must seek to know how Jesus would respond to all of our negative thoughts. “Let this mind be in you that was also in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 2:5 KJV

There are many ways that we can come to know how the Master thinks. We hear God’s truth spoken through ministers, teachers, and Christian mentors. We also learn how Jesus thinks by reading the Bible. It is through all of these avenues that we learn how Jesus Christ thinks. How Jesus thought had everything to do with how he behaved. His thoughts and attitudes are the thoughts and attitudes that we must aspire to imitate in our life.

It seems to me that there is a huge connection between the spiritual heart and the mind. I would like to suggest that if they are not one and the same, they are strongly connected. I am absolutely sure that what I do with my thoughts is very important. Because how I think is how I will behave. “As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he:” Proverbs 23:7 KJV.

I am reminded that I live in a world that thinks differently than God and whose values are not the same as God’s values. Because I am surrounded by such a constant flow of negative influence I must work to learn how the Master thinks so that I can counter that worldly view. As a mother, I learned early on that every negative, selfish, greedy thought that was tossed out to my children had to be countered at home with a double measure of positive godly influence.

Every moment of my life I must choose to give up all of my selfish, greedy, get even, unforgiving, angry, fearful thoughts to the Spirit of God. The power of the Holy Spirit is what gives me the power to purposely choose the Master’s thoughts over my thoughts. When I replace my thoughts with Jesus’ thoughts my life will reflect Jesus to others.

Jesus’ thoughts are always loving, trusting, giving, selfless, compassionate, merciful, forgiving and peaceful thoughts. His way of thinking is developed within us moment by moment day by day as we go about our life. It is always good to remember that our first thought does not have to be our last thought on the matter. Somewhere between our first thought and our last thought flows God’s amazing, thought changing grace. I will be the first one to say that some thoughts are easier to let go of than others. The thoughts that cause us the most pain seem to want to stick like Satan’s super glue. Take heart, there is a higher power! It is found in the solvent of God’s mercy and grace. When this solvent of mercy and grace is applied to our heart by the Holy Spirit our pain, our anger, our fear, our unforgiveness, and our hatred all melt away. The healing balm of Jesus’ mercy and grace is massaged into our heart by the hand of our loving God. This balm is only available to us when we choose to think like Jesus and ask for the power of the Holy Spirit to help us willingly relinquish each sinful thought.

Questions:

Are you this day experiencing thoughts of God’s peace and love for you?

Is there a negative predominate thought that keeps plaguing you?

What would the opposite godly thought be?

What do you think about the possibility of choosing to give up that negative thought?


Prayer:

Dear Master,

I am so thankful that you do not hold me accountable for every thought that pops into my head. However, I am beginning to understand that I am accountable for what I choose to do with that thought. I admit that I am human and I cannot control the thoughts that enter my mind. I also admit that sometimes changing my thoughts to your thoughts is a struggle. My sinful nature does not want to allow my flesh to give in to your Spirit. I am grateful that through the power of your Holy Spirit I can choose to overcome the struggle and reject the thought that is bringing me down. Help me Lord, to stay alert and quickly recognize those ungodly thoughts. Help me to cast them out of my mind before they take root in my heart. Lord, teach me every day how you think. I do desire that my negative thoughts will become your thoughts, thoughts that reflect your love.

In Your Name I pray. Amen.

Kicking It Up a Notch

“But grow in grace and knowledge

of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.”

2 Peter 3:11 NIV

As we begin a new year we also begin to contemplate change. Striving to improve our self is always a good thing. Today I am thinking that in our marriage, in our friendships, and in our jobs we are never to become too satisfied, because if we do become contented it will affect spontaneity, maturity, excellence, and personal growth. I have learned from personal experience that when I become satisfied with where I am in life I soon find myself in a rut of dull monotony.

In education we know that there is always more to learn. If you are a person who works out regularly you always want to take your workout to a new level. Even in our recreation and travel it is fun to go to a place where we have never been before. The same is true in our spiritual life; we must always be seeking to know God in a fresh and new way. The Bible admonishes us to “grow in grace and the knowledge of Jesus Christ.”

If you are a brand new believer, there is so much that God wants to teach you about himself and his ways. It is important for you to make an effort to learn more about God every day, because new knowledge will strengthen your faith.

If you are a working mom, a single parent, or a stay at home mom, your day is full. Likewise if you are a working man trying to get ahead at work and balance your job with being a wonderful husband and a fantastic father, you too have more than enough on your plate! Most of the time, all of us think there isn’t enough hours in the day. Making time to grow in your faith is always a challenge.

If you are a long time believer, you may have become complacent and find that you are satisfied to be “a sponge” on Sunday morning as you soak up the sermon and then leave church and go about doing business as usual on Monday. Maybe Satan has lied to you by saying, “you will never get it right – so why try?” Satan often tries to convince us that we will never get it right until we get to heaven, so we believe that lie and tell ourselves that it is hopeless to try to be better. As a result, our personal quest for growing in our faith suffers and so do we.

Real maturity in our faith comes when we decide it’s not OK to remain in “sameness” when it comes to our relationship with Jesus Christ. It really is not an issue of time; it is an issue of desire. If you have even a tiny spark of desire ask God to help you find a place to get alone with him. God will help you set the pace and help you manage your time. Your personal time alone with God has a definite effect on your godly influence in this world and on your outlook on life.

Never forget that Satan cannot take away your salvation, but he will try on a regular basis to distract you from God in any way he can. It is his goal to orchestrate hectic schedules, busy work, interruptions, depression, discouragement, and stress in your life as a means of taking your focus off of God. His goal is to make you an ineffective Christian and a discontented individual. Often Satan uses the subtle tool of dull monotony to suffocate our spiritual growth. When I began to realize that fact, I had to purposely choose to “kick it up a notch” so that I could become a better influence for Jesus and a joyous and victorious believer.

In the last few years I have made a conscious effort to choose to move forward in my relationship with God. I don’t want to be in the same place in my faith today that I was yesterday. I don’t want to ever become satisfied with just professing that I am a Christian. Spiritual growth comes from biblical knowledge. I have found that I must seek God, privately and also seek him as I worship corporately with other believers.

I refuse to allow Satan to make the amount of time that I spend with God, (or fail to spend) into a defeating guilt trip. Rather, I want to allow God to show me how to order my life so it will include more time to sit in his presence and learn about him. However, it is my responsibility to make the choice to obey the promptings of his Holy Spirit, so that I can experience the joy of growing in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ. This year it is my deep desire to “kick it up a notch!”


Questions:

Are you satisfied with your relationship with Jesus?

What keeps you from becoming more focused in your spiritual life?

Do you lack time, desire or both?

Do you believe that God is able to help you discover a plan for spending consistent time with him?

Prayer:

Dear Lord,

I love you and I need you. I am surrounded by so many distractions. I know that you understand what it is like to have people and their needs pressing upon you. This year help me to desire to “kick my spiritual life up a notch.” Please show me a time and a place for prayer and reading your Word. Lead me to a time and a place that will work most of the time in my busy schedule. Lord, help me to choose to respond to your plan for me as I move toward forming a quiet time that is to be found only in the garden of my heart. Lord, I pray that I will always desire to increase the amount of time that I spend seeking to know you and your ways. Protect me from those times and when I fail, help me to not make perfection the goal but rather give me a seeking heart and a burning desire to keep on trying.

In Your Name I pray. Amen.

Spending Time With God Each Day...Is It Opitional?

“He makes me to lie down in green pastures:

he leads me beside the still waters.

He restores my soul:

He leads me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.”
Psalm 23:2-3 NIV

Is spending time with God each day optional? Of course it’s optional! God doesn’t force himself on anyone. Is it wise to start your day without greeting God and saying hello? Well no, not really. I have personally found that when I hurry through my day without connecting with God in a significant way I seem to loose my focus. I become more focused on myself, my work, and my desires. My emotions are open for attack from others and my feelings seem to get hurt easier. As the day moves along I find myself becoming more stressed and more dissatisfied with life and others, and on a scale of one to ten I give myself about a nine and a half in the irritability and crabbiness categories! Now mind you I said that’s me, not you! Satan is also very aware when I have become distracted and have lost sight of my spiritual focus. He desires that my thoughts would be self centered instead of Christ centered.

For me meeting with God early in the morning is best. You see I’m old and the memory is going! I’ve got to hit it while my mind is clear and I can still think. When my children were small this was not a good option for me. During that time of my life it was quick prayers on the fly with a more intentional time with God during their naps, if I even tried at all! If you are a male or female in the work arena you may need to find another solution. Perhaps going into work a bit earlier, closing your office door, sitting alone in your cubical, or sitting in your car a bit longer before rushing into work. You might try listening to praise music on the way to work and shooting up a prayer to God as you worship him through music. There are many devotional books that take just a very few minutes to read or a flip calendar for your desk that has a scripture with an inspiring thought. Or you might try eating your lunch in a quiet place while you have a time alone with God. Of course, there is evening. You may find that evening may be your best option for plugging in to God, but in reality the day is already over and you have missed out on the jump start of God’s strength that you could have drawn from all during your day.

Guilt is the last thing that any of us need but encouragement to raise the bar in our life to include God is beneficial. One of the biggest misconceptions about spending time alone with God daily is that it must be done at a particular time and place. The amount of time is up to you and if you miss a day that okay. Just keep trying. God knows your heart. I am sure that God would rather have a few moments of your pure worship opposed to you being a self-righteous person setting down for an hour out of duty. Our time alone with God is a personal goal to be aspired to and improved upon as we live out our life here on earth.

The longer I live the more I treasure my time alone with God. There is something to be said about being able to shut out the noise of life and to separate myself from other people and go one-on-One with God. It is in this the time that I am carried to a higher level of intimacy with God. It is a time of comfort and encouragement. It is a time that I can love on God and he can love on me. It is a time when I can learn more about God and his incredible ways.

I have many tools at my disposal to help me grow in the Lord and all are good and have a purpose. However, I have found that at some point I still have to turn off the minister on the radio, put away my Bible study lesson, stop reading that highly recommend Christian book, turn off my praise and worship music, and though it pains me to say this, turn off the computer and skip reading blogs. I have found that it is so important for me to make an effort to shut out the Christian world and spend one-on-One time alone with God simply reading the Bible and praying without distraction. I know beyond the shadow of a doubt that God wants all of us to lie down in a green pasture, and sit beside the still waters while we allow him to restore our soul. God wants to be the One to lead us and redirect our path. He wants to restore our focus to his righteousness because he loves you and me and wants us to be the best we can be. Yes, spending quality time alone with God is optional. But in order for us to have the spiritual growth that we desire – it is necessary!



Questions:

Do you have regular time alone with God?

Do you desire to have a regular time alone with God but keep allowing your busy schedule to crowd time alone with God out of your life?

Do you agree that for personal spiritual growth spending time alone with God each day it is not an option but rather a necessary activity?

Can you find a personal solution to finding time to be alone with only God?


Prayer:

Dear God,

I do see that choosing to not to spend time with you is indeed an option, but choosing to avoid personal time with you is not a good idea. Please replace the guilt I feel regarding this choice with a deep desire to spend time alone time with you. Please show me how I can fit this one-on-One time with you into my already busy day. God I admit that sometimes I am better at this than other times. Show me how to sit aside good things for greater things. More than anything else, I pray that you would fan the flame of desire in my spirit so that I will want to be with you, not out of obligation, but rather out of love. God I want my days to run smoother, I want to live less stressed, I desire to be less irritable, I want my life to reflect you as I go through my day. God, I need the power in my life that only comes from spending time alone with you.

In Your Son’s Name I Pray. Amen.

Growth is Found Deep in the Garden

”Thou hast enlarged me when I was in distress.”

Psalm 4:1 KJV

No matter where I am in my faith, I will always need to meet Jesus in the garden of my heart every day. Some days I find that I just need Jesus to love on me, comfort me, dry my tears, and reassure me of his love for me. Another day I may have a need to tell God how awesome I think he is and express my gratitude to him for all of my many blessings. Some days Jesus asks me to go deeper into the garden with him so that I can listen to his voice and learn more of his ways. Other days I need to fall down before him and surrender my will to his will for my life. It is on days like that when I will experience a deep indescribable peace, as I surrender to his perfect will for me.

Today it is occurring to me that it is easy to ask God for all sorts of things that others need, but it is rather difficult to look inside my own heart and address what it is my own spirit needs. I believe that when we do accept Jesus’ invitation to go deeper into the garden with him he will tell us amazing things about our self and minister to our spirit in astounding ways.

It is deep inside the garden where Jesus will address the boulder of fear in my life. His plan is to totally remove the boulder and in its place plant tulips of trust and lilies of peace. It is in the depth of the garden where Jesus will point out the thistles and weeds that are destined to destroy the garden. These are the ugly weeds of pride and anger, and the thistles of control and selfishness. In the place of those unsightly weeds and thistles Jesus has a vision and a plan for planting beautiful flowers of humility and forgiveness.

As I walk and talk with Jesus I find my self uncomfortable as I am forced to face my sinful attitudes and behavior. I begin to squirm. I become frustrated, and then I resort to tears. At times there are enough tears to water the entire garden! But Jesus, the Master Gardner simply says, “Why are you throwing such a fit?” Through my sobs I am finally able to spit out the words, “Because I can’t do this! I can’t forgive, I can’t give up my control, I can’t turn loose of my anger!” Then Jesus puts his comforting arms around me and he reminds me, “Paula, I know you can’t, but my Holy Spirit within you can and he will help you accomplish the task. You only need to ask. I promise that I will give you my grace and it will be all that you need.”

I then ask in prayer for God’s grace to do whatever I feel is impossible. I know God will withhold no good thing from me and I know that peace, trust, humility and forgiveness are all good things. So according to his promise, I ask in confidence and Jesus supplies the strength that I need. Because of my sinful nature I am naturally an ungracious person but Jesus gives me his all sufficient grace to help me accomplish what I cannot do in my own strength.

I leave the garden knowing that God has a plan for my life. He wants to enlarge the garden plot of my life. His plan is to plant an abundance of beautiful flowers for his glory. I am confident that God has begun the beautification process of making my heart a sanctuary of love and peace. Even in my distress, I am very confident that God will enlarge me. The touch of the Master Gardner is always beautiful even in the hardest times of surrender.

Questions:

When was the last time you visited the garden?

Did you pray for others or did you pray for yourself?

Were you reluctant to go deeper into the garden?

What happened in the deep part of the garden?

How did you feel when you left the garden?


Prayer:

Dear Lord,

I thank you that you love me enough to ask me to go with you into the deepest part of the garden. I must admit I dread those visits! God you always seem to ask the impossible of me when I am there. Yet you have promised me you will give me the grace that I will need to enlarge my garden. I’m ashamed when I have a melt down, but I am more ashamed of the times when I leave the garden without your peace. Forgive me. Help me to learn that I am only prolonging the inevitable. That before too many days pass you will again call me back into the depths of the garden. We will again address the same issue. Lord I pray that I will learn that I can shorten the agony in my life by relinquishing to you sooner opposed to later. God I know that fear, hate, control, selfishness, anger, and pride only drag me down and never lift you up. Lord please forgive me and enlarge my heart for your purposes in my life.

In Your Name I pray. Amen.

God's Seasonal Plans

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord,

“plans to prosper you and not to harm you,

plans to give you hope and a future.”

Jeremiah 29:11 NIV

I was in my twenties, the spring of my life, when I first started going to the garden. I must admit that those times were few and far between. Most of the time I simply wanted to present God with my wish list. I was too busy having fun to spend very much time in the garden.

In my thirties we started our family and for sure I was way too busy to be in the garden! I didn’t even have time to water my house plants! The kids and that NEVER EMPTY laundry basket kept me hopping and I was also totally exhausted from lack of sleep. During that season of my life the garden was basically a place where I only went to cry for help or to ask for protection for my family.

The summer of my life arrived in my forties and I needed answers. So I began to spend more time with God in the garden. These years were full of questions. Did prayer really work? Was God really concerned about me? Why did God allow bad things to happen to good people? Why do Christian people disappoint us? Why can’t I be perfect in my obedience to God?

Then before I knew it the fifties had arrived and brought a major change to my life. We moved from Illinois to Maryland leaving a whole bunch of family and friends behind. Although I was eager for the new experience, this move left me devastated. I had just lost my father, my daughter had left for college, and my hormones were doing weird things! If that was not enough, my husband began traveling weekly leaving me at home with a teenage son. In desperation I ran to God! This desert of loss and loneliness was more than I could bear. But it was during this isolation that God really met me in the garden and taught me amazing things. Because of my great need, I was finally driven to discipline myself to a deeper “quite time” in the garden with God.

As I entered the autumn of my life I was approaching my sixties God began to use my life to serve others. I began mentoring several women, and leading a women’s Bible study. When exhaustion set in God said that’s enough and for whatever reason, we moved to our beautiful home in North Carolina. The seclusion of this home provided the next season God had in store for me. God knew that I needed restoration and redirection that could only be found in solitude. God has had so many wonderful things to share with me during this time. I began to write not really knowing what God would do with the words he was giving me.

I do not know what God will do with the winter of my life or if I will even live to see those days, but if I do, I am confident that just like in all of the other seasons there will be a heavenly purpose and plan. Was I a better Christian in one season verses another? No, I don’t think so. I was simply a child of God who he was calling to the garden. There were times when God simply needed me to minister and care for my family. In another season I was desperate and God met my need. In yet another season God helped me to raise the bar in my own spiritual life, as I studied and prepared for teaching others. Then there was the rest and restoration that could only come to me in my season of solitude. God has graciously taught me that in everything there is indeed God’s perfect season. God alone knows the plans and purpose he has for us, plans to give us a hope and a future.

Questions:

What season in life are you in right now?

How are you reaching out to God?

How is God ministering and teaching you?


Prayer:

Dear Jesus,

Thank you for every season of my life. Help me to discover the purpose that each season has held. I simply want to say thank you for being with me in my current season of life. Increase my awareness of you as I go through my day. Open my ears so I might hear your call, order my heart so I might obey. I pray that you will continue to teach me and prepare me for the next season of my life.

In Your Name I pray. Amen.