The Insomnia Chronicles

unstoppable WORD.

I was reading in 2 Kings yesterday (part of YouVersion daily read on my iPhone) - it was the story of Josiah in chapters 22 & 23. A couple things jumped out to me...

• There's NO excuse. Unlike his Father or his Grandfather, Josiah "did what was right in the eyes of the Lord" - despite becoming King at age 8. He deliberately chose the a much harder path and refused to be normal. It says he "walked in all the ways of his father David". This means he had to dig 13 generations to find a role model - now, that's determination!!  The truth: you can't blame your parents or grandparents for your behavior or sin.

• The Word of God is so powerful! Josiah did not even know the Word existed - the godless & wicked culture of his day (and those before him) had attempted to bury & destroy the Truth. They replaced it with immorality, greed and the worship of idols. But this didn't work... As the Bible of Josiah’s day rose from the heap of rubble, so, too, the attempts of so-called "higher critics" and skeptics to "bury" the Bible with their doubts and criticisms have come to failure. Josiah heard it and immediately knew it was God's Word and he changed everything in his life & influence in order to follow it.

Can you hear HER?

 Wisdom is like a woman shouting in the street; she raises her voice in the city squares. She cries out in the noisy street and shouts at the city gates: "You fools, how long will you be foolish? How long will you make fun of wisdom and hate knowledge? If only you had listened when I corrected you, I would have told you what's in my heart; I would have told you what I am thinking. Proverbs 1:20-23.

How do you handle correction?  Do you have a set of criteria (often hidden/unknown) that one must know IF they are to be able to correctly approach you and bring discipline or reproof?  Do you have a shortlist of those that, upon meeting your criteria, can carefully and graciously bring observations ... suggestions ... concerns? And, even when it's the right person and right time do you, still,  immediately become defensive and shut down your ability to hear by beginning to formulate your answer(s)? Have people stopped trying to approach you because of how you've reacted in previous encounters?  This isn't good...

Correction... it's not easy... and rarely fun.  but, it's truth - and you need it - me too!!

"Truth demands confrontation; loving
confrontation, but confrontation nevertheless."
Francis Schaeffer

Read the verses at the top again... fool. that's is THE "f-word" to me.  the Word of God tells us that the person who refuses TRUTH (wisdom and knowledge) is foolish - yes, a fool.  In today's passage we are told that we could've known what God was thinking and what was on His heart IF we had only embraced correction...  gulp.  we're cheating ourselves!

maybe we should make it easier for others to approach us.  maybe we should ask before we have to be approached.  if we can't take it from others, chances are we won't hear it from God either...

choice:  to be a fool to God or to be cool with God.   is there really a choice?

getting, painfully, wiser...  chilly

• is it hard for people to confront you?
• are you Christ-like when confronting others?
• have you been a 'fool' (according to the text)?
• do you need to apologize for defensiveness?
• any other thoughts??

the Real Feel

It seems that often, far too often, we "Christians" find ourselves over-our-heads in pity, condemnation, discouragement or doubt because of this little thing called: "feelings."  We don't feel like reading our Bibles, sharing our faith, going to church, etc.  - we long for those times when we felt God in such a real way we thought we were going to explode!!

Feelings by their very nature are misleading. Surely you've felt something one day, only to feel nearly the opposite the next. I believe feelings and emotions are part of being a Christian and in being human in general, but God calls us to much more than that. God calls us to work. We certainly aren't saved by works - as Ephesians 2:8 tells us - but we sure aren't saved by feelings, either. We're saved by God, and therefore should take Him seriously when he says, "faith without works is dead" (James 2:17). That means it's possible for us to feel as though we have faith to move mountains, yet in reality it could be that we have the dead faith spoken of in James 2:17. God calls us to be and do rather than to simply feel. He calls us to have real faith instead of only emotional highs.

Word!

God's Word:
Say it, Pray it,
OBEY IT!

And how can we be sure that we belong to him? By obeying his commandments. 4 If someone says, "I belong to God," but doesn't obey God's commandments, that person is a liar and does not live in the truth. 5 But those who obey God's word really do love him. That is the way to know whether or not we live in him. 6 Those who say they live in God should live their lives as Christ did.  1 John 2:3-6

Beware of reasoning about God's Word - obey It. 
Oswald Chambers

• Could it be any more clear?
• Then why don't we do it?
• It's not too late, you know...
• Get off the internet & into the Word.

peace, Chilly

toe talk.

Today, as I was washing my feet, a thought crossed my mind: "what's the deal with the 'ring toe'?" - you know the fourth toe over... why do we have it?  I've been frustrated by it on many ocassions by it's inability to cooperate with routine pedicures - it won't budge to make your job easier - I imagine you ladies have similar problems when adding a little polish to the shy little digit.  So, I was talking to my toe today, "why are you there?!" ... "couldn't you just move a little, on your own, without needing to be assisted?" ... it said nothing.  Just sat there giving my that look.

So, in the middle of my 'toe rebuke,' God dropped this thought in my heart.  IF we are all part of the body of Christ, who is the 'ring toe' and do you appreciate them?  Hmmm... profound or ridiculous?  So, I returned to staring at my, now humiliated, toe. "Why are you there little guy?" - and it replied, "I'm here to listen. To encourage. To comfort. To cheer on those that work much harder. I don't require much attention and I never complain. I assist in bringing stability to the body by simply being here all the time. I refuse to try to be something I'm not - I'm content being me.  I'm glad to be a part of this body. Thank you." gulp! I feel horrible. I've been pretty mean & devalued this little guy. That's not only wrong, it's sinful... read this: 1 Corinthians 12:21-26.

Who is the 'ring toe' person in your church, ministry or life?  Do you only value those in obvious, key roles? Do you appreciate the little things?  Have you developed an eye to see things most don't?  I wish I could hug my little toe right now (I'm not that limber), but maybe I need to call someone that probably doesn't get a lot of calls... ever.  Someone faithful but not as useful.  I need to LOVE others more. 

• do you have some 'ring toe' people?
• do you ignore, avoid or forget them?
• what can you do today?
  
  • do it!

Hmmm, what about the appendix?
... better save that for another blog!

gone.

The secret to living a life that continually grows towards holiness is found in KNOWING that ALL of our old self (past, pain, sins, and other junk) was COMPLETELY crucified with Christ!

It's so hard for  our minds to grasp this fact.

Friend, embrace the significance of your death and resurrection with Christ.

This is VITAL - we must have an unwavering determination that clearly recognizes that a return to our old, stinkin' life is unthinkable... detestable!

We must no more think of going back to the old life than an adult to his childhood, a married man to his bachelorhood, an eagle to it's nest, or a released prisoner to his prison cell.

Prayer Force, part 2

NOW IS THE TIME TO BEGIN

If you are not sure how to pray, don't despair! Everyone had to begin sometime. Just talk with God respectfully but openly. Talk with Him as your Father. Jesus taught us to pray, "Our Father ...". Recognize God as a loving Father. Recognize Jesus as a Friend and a Brother. Recognize the Holy Spirit as your Comforter and Guide. Come to the Father in Jesus' name (John 14:6; Hebrews 10:19). Begin your prayer with confession of any unconfessed sins. In this way the blood of Jesus cleanses us and prepares us to really relate to God. "Enter his gates with thanksgiving..." (Psalm 100:4). Thank God for forgiving your sins, for coming into your life, for making you His child. Then just talk with God, asking Him for whatever you need. Thank Him and praise Him for His answer. Spend time also asking for His Spirit to help you to pray. Talk to the Holy Spirit. Tell Him you want to know Him. "Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us..." (Romans 8:26). The Holy Spirit will guide you into all the truth (John 16:13) and He will teach you to pray.

Prayer Force, part 1

WHY PRAY?

1. We pray because we love God. We spend time with God in prayer and communion because we love him. Just as a man and woman in love desire to be together and communicate, so we - if we love God - will desire to be with Him and to fellowship with Him in proportion to our love for Him (that means it should grow & grow).
2. We pray because we depend on God. God is our source. He is our life (Colossians 3:4). Through prayer we receive the comfort, the strength and all the other resources that we need in life - both naturally and spiritually. Prayer - relationship with God - is as necessary to the spiritual life as air to the natural life. You're not all that... HE is!  Tell yourself, tell Him... TELL OTHERS!
3. We need to pray in order to resist temptation. "Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation" (Mt. 26:41). A lot of the messes we find ourselve in are the result of the sin of prayerlessness. Where there's lack of prayer, we get weak, others get weaker and Satan gains the advantage in our lives. And that sucks!
   
4. We need to pray because God owns everything (Psalm 24:1).  God gave responsibility for the earth to Adam and his descendants. We must invite God to work here. We must claim His dominion - and consciously seek His welfare throughout the land. If no-one invites God to work here, Satan (the god of this world through man's universal rebellion - 2 Corinthians 4:4) will dominate the affairs of people and eventually this will bring a judgment we don't want. By inviting God often and specifically, multitudes can be saved that would otherwise be lost.
5. We need to pray because God commands us to pray. "Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful" (Colossians 4:2). "Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up" (Luke 18:1). The need to pray is as great as the authority of God which commands us: "pray continually" (1 Thessalonians 5:17). Prayer is so vital to all that God wants to do on the earth, and so essential to us, that God commands us to do it all the time. We should even deny ourselves sleep and food at times in order to pray more and with greater power. (Matthew 6:16; Luke 6:12; Luke 21:36; Colossians 4:2; 2 Corinthians 11:27).

Prayer is our Holy occupation. Is not just a 'feel good thing' that we do but a mandate from our Lord. We need to do it more and more.  We must learn to live in the reality of His continual presence.  Our "amen" should not be a period but a comma in our ongoing dialog with our Savior.  He's always there - ready to communicate.  Prayer is living. 

• what does prayer mean to you?
• do you have a prayer time and/or a prayer life?
• which of the (above) 5 stood out to you? why?
• how often does God speak to you in prayer?
• on average, how many minutes do you pray?

humility is killing me

Pride is more than the first of the seven deadly sins - it is, in itself, the very essence of sin.  It's the stubborn and stupid refusal to let God be God... and this leads us to the incredibly foolish assumption that we can take His place. Pride attempts to dethrone God and enthrone ourselves.  Sin is self-deification.

And, as someone has wisely said, "I'm sure of two things: there is a God, and you're not Him."

It seems that many Christians today like to pride themselves in their humility. Ha.  Talking about how much you serve or sacrifice is nothing like Jesus. Plus, such silly self promotion robs you of any eternal rewards and certainly does not glorify God. Look at Paul's words about Christ...

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 2:6-8.

• Where are you at with the whole pride thing?
• IF Jesus humbled Himself, why can't we?
• Prideful 1-2-3-4-5 Humble, where do you rank?
• How has pride robbed you of God's best?
• How can we live humbly without being cheesy?

killing pride/me (Gal 2:20), chilly

Dark Knight vs. Dark Night

What are you talking about this weekend??  Seems that most people are leaping at the chance to blow $9 on the new Batman movie.  Don't get me wrong, I'm sure it's good (as far as movies go...), but is that really the main thing we have to be concerned with this weekend?  The world around us is in 'darkness' and desperately needs the light of Christ to reflect upon it with truth, love and hope.  We can do this...

But you, brothers, are not in darkness so that this day should surprise you like a thief. You are all sons of the light and sons of the day. We do not belong to the night or to the darkness. So then, let us not be like others, who are asleep, but let us be alert and self-controlled. 1 Thessalonians 5:4-6.

I'm striving to live with a greater awareness of the day and age that God has called me to serve.  To bring the light into the dark night.  I won't be talking about batman in church tonight or tomorrow, I'll be talking about the Lord.  Only a joker would do otherwise...  hmm.

...just another knight of the Light, chilly