Consider Your Ways

Now therefore thus saith the Lord of hosts; Consider your ways. ~ Haggai 1:5

I try to pay attention to the Lord whenever I hear His word, but I have to admit much probably gets past me on a consistent basis.  However, I have made a practice of really paying attention when I hear something more than once over the course of a 24 hour period.  Today, I believe the Lord was shouting to me as I heard the Lord speak to me about the same issue from three different sources over the course of 4 hours...that's a condensation of His Word that is highly unusual for me.  What was basically said is what the Lord said in Haggai:  Consider your ways.

As I have encouraged those words to take residence in my heart today, I've come to the conclusion that I have not been careful in obeying that admonishment. 

I have been waging a battle with the Lord over control of a few areas of my life and frankly, it's made me miserable.  God has made it clear to me that I am in deep need of accountability in my life, and I have chosen to try to tread in the cesspool of pride, only to find myself almost drowning.  I have refused to humble myself, invite another believer into my world to give guidance, prayer,encouragement and thus allow the Lord not only to work in my life, but possibly work in theirs.  I have made useless excuses as to why I haven't obeyed.  As I was thinking it over during the morning message, I've realized that the most rudimentary reason is that I don't want the Lord to say 'no' to me. And in my childish resistance to obedience, I have failed to realized that I am also risking missing a 'yes' from Him as well. 

I know that the biggest part of pleasing the Lord is faith...faith in Him, His ways, and trusting that His promise to watch over me are beyond good enough reasons to take the risk of a 'no'....I would welcome your prayers as I move forward in obedience.

Ordinary Moments

The true test of a person’s spiritual life and character is not what he does in the extraordinary moments of life, but what he does during the ordinary times when there is nothing tremendous or exciting happening. A person’s worth is revealed in his attitude toward the ordinary things of life when he is not under the spotlight.  ~Oswald Chambers

I have a love/hate relationship with Oswald Chambers....love his ability to drill down to the heart of an issue and hate how often it convicts me.  However, this morning, there was a joy and love for this because I realized victory is happening in my life!

This past week I had a sort of epiphany, if you will...an overwhelming sense from my Maker that I am right in the midst of where He wants me to be.  It reminded me of the feeling I got when I was about 6 and we would go swimming at Grammer's lake.  There was this HUGE cliff that the big kids would run and jump off of and into the strip mine lake below.  I can remember walking to the edge umpteen times to look at how far down I'd drop before hitting the water.  I would returned back to the starting point, run towards the edge only to stop before having to step off.  Through prodding of my Dad, I finally got the courage to jump.  That free fall was scary, exhilarating, and awesome all at the same time!

 

I used to live my life in the wait and wanting of the extraordinary moments. I wasted too much time waiting for the next big thing (which never seemed to materialize!) or for the Lord to make some magnanimous move that would change the trajectory of my life.  I was so busy waiting and watching(walking just up to the edge of giving Him all of my life), that I missed what was right in front of my face: the life He has for me and is walking with me( the free fall into trust).   So today, I recounted some ordinary things in the past few months that were evidences of His character taking root and growing in me...humbling myself and asking forgiveness from someone I'd hurt with sharp words and a bad attitude,  allowing myself to be vulnerable in a couple of relationships where that is hard (read nearly impossible!) to do because He wanted me to for His glory, praying for fellow believers on BOTH sides of a conflict instead of taking sides and fanning the flames of strife among the brethren, loving someone who can be unlovable, taking steps of obedience to conviction on my finances, praying for His will in a matter and truly placing my desires aside.  All small and perhaps ordinary, but infinitely significant in God's view.