Lessons from Exodus III

Pain and suffering have a way of making us self-focused or at least strongly tempted to have tunnel-vision. It seems that when we are hurting, we have a difficult time thinking beyond the 4 walls of our own pain. Everything is filtered through our personal grid of self.
I remember a dozen or so years ago when I was going through a season of anxiety and depression, I was at a Labor Day picnic with our Sunday school class. There was much activity going on around me, kids playing, horseback rides, games, food, friends chatting, and lots of laughter, but honestly very little of it penetrated my raw emotions of sadness and desperation. I was standing having a conversation with one of my friends and I literally had to keep reminding myself to listen, focus on her words, look her in the eye, and smile. What was normally so natural for me had required conscious effort. I was more consumed with my own hurt heart and pain so there was little time or energy left for others.
Suffering tends to limit our perspective to how something will relate to us personally. We fail to see the big picture; we fail to see beyond ourselves which further intensifies our suffering.
When suffering becomes all about us, only about us, we experience hopelessness and will be prone to return to our own personal Egypt. However, when we purposefully seek a grander perspective, God’s perspective, suddenly our suffering has purpose and meaning. No, our suffering doesn’t disappear but it eases our pain to know God is at work even in the midst of and through our suffering.

And I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, and multiply My signs and My wonders in the land of Egypt. But Pharaoh will not heed you, so that I may lay My hand on Egypt and bring My armies and My people, the children of Israel, out of the land of Egypt by great judgments. And the Egyptians shall know that I am the LORD, when I stretch out My hand on Egypt and bring out the children of Israel from among them.” Then Moses and Aaron did so; just as the LORD commanded them, so they did. Exodus 7:3-6

Now the LORD said to Moses, “Go in to Pharaoh; for I have hardened his heart and the hearts of his servants, that I may show these signs of Mine before him, and that you may tell in the hearing of your son and your son’s son the mighty things I have done in Egypt, and My signs which I have done among them, that you may know that I am the LORD.” Exodus 10:1-2

Then I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, so that he will pursue them; and I will gain honor over Pharaoh and over all his army, that the Egyptians may know that I am the LORD.” And they did so…And I indeed will harden the hearts of the Egyptians, and they shall follow them. So I will gain honor over Pharaoh and over all his army, his chariots, and his horsemen. Then the Egyptians shall know that I am the LORD, when I have gained honor for Myself over Pharaoh, his chariots, and his horsemen.” Exodus 14:4, 17-18

And the Egyptians shall know that I am the LORD… that you may tell in the hearing of you son and your son’s son the mighty things I have done in Egypt… that you may know that I am the LORD…I will gain honor over Pharaoh.

So how’s your picture? Are you limited by your own perspective or are you asking God to expand your perspective so that you can see and experience Him at work, in and through you, in the midst of suffering?

May God show Himself mighty in your life today so you get a taste of the bigger picture.

Diane Hunt is the Director of Addiction Recovery Ministries at America’s KESWICK, Biblical Counselor, Conference and retreat speaker, Victory Call editor, wife, mother, grandmother, and nut and not necessarily in that order.

Lessons from Exodus II

This week we are looking at some observations from Exodus about why people return to bondage or patterns of sin. As we consider Israel’s exodus from Egypt, I believe we can glean some insight about this very common human tendency.

Exodus 5:22-23: So Moses returned to the LORD and said, “Lord, why have You brought trouble on this people? Why is it You have sent me? For since I came to Pharaoh to speak in Your name, he has done evil to this people; neither have You delivered Your people at all.”

Exodus13:17-18: Then it came to pass, when Pharaoh had let the people go, that God did not lead them by way of the land of the Philistines, although that was near; for God said, “Lest perhaps the people change their minds when they see war, and return to Egypt.” So God led the people around by way of the wilderness of the Red Sea. And the children of Israel went up in orderly ranks out of the land of Egypt.

What can we learn from these two passages? Sometimes God’s ways do not make sense to us. When God doesn’t deliver us the way we expect, we assume He’s not delivering us at all.

If you have been a Christian for any length of time and listened to the testimonies of others, you know that God isn’t a cookie cutter God. Each of us has had a unique encounter with Him. How God chooses to set us free is entirely up to Him and His ways are as vast and varied as his people.

When God doesn’t do things the way we expect, or His ways don’t make sense to us, we tend to give up and go back to Egypt. If God isn’t doing things the way you expect, don’t assume He’s not doing it at all. Stand back and watch the salvation of the Lord on your behalf.

God is up to much more than just our deliverance, although He is surely in the business of delivering people from bondage and setting them. He is also zealous for us to know the Deliverer.

Diane Hunt is the Director of Addiction Recovery Ministries at America’s KESWICK, Biblical Counselor, Conference and retreat speaker, Victory Call editor, wife, mother, grandmother, and nut, not necessarily in that order.

Lessons from Exodus I

Recently, I was asked to speak for a Friday night Recovery group on the topic, “Why do men and women go back to their addictions?” As I was considering a Biblical perspective, it occurred to me that the journey of the Israelites out of Egypt provided some insight to answer that question. This week we are going to look at a few observations I gleaned from a quick look at the exodus. Before you discount this weeks Victory Call’s because you don’t struggle with addiction, I believe the principles I will share apply to all of us in our particular bent towards sin, strongholds and personal bondage. Remember, the Israelites were in bondage to the Egyptians for many years before God used Moses to lead them out of bondage in Egypt to the Promised Land. For our purposes, Egypt will symbolize bondage and the Promised Land will represent freedom.

What can we glean from Exodus?’

Things may get worse before they get better.

Exodus 5: 6-12: So the same day Pharaoh commanded the taskmasters of the people and their officers, saying, “You shall no longer give the people straw to make brick as before. Let them go and gather straw for themselves. And you shall lay on them the quota of bricks which they made before. You shall not reduce it. For they are idle; therefore they cry out, saying, ‘Let us go and sacrifice to our God.’ Let more work be laid on the men, that they may labor in it, and let them not regard false words.” And the taskmasters of the people and their officers went out and spoke to the people, saying, “Thus says Pharaoh: ‘I will not give you straw. Go, get yourselves straw where you can find it; yet none of your work will be reduced.'” So the people were scattered abroad throughout all the land of Egypt to gather stubble instead of straw.

Just because we have made a decision to get out of bondage, to turn over a new leaf and change, doesn’t mean things will instantly improve. Even on the path from bondage to freedom, things may get worse before they get better. Our fleshly tendency is to give up and loose hope.

Never, never, never loose hope. Don’t assume that since it is difficult or getting worse that God is not in it. He continues to work on your behalf to bring you to the freedom He accomplished for you at the cross.

John 8:36 Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.

Diane Hunt is the Director of Addiction Recovery Ministries at America’s KESWICK, Biblical Counselor, Conference and retreat speaker, Victory Call editor, wife, mother, grandmother, and nut, not necessarily in that order.

Max Lucado tells of the little boy who fell out of bed. When his Mom asked him what happened, he answered, “I don’t know. I guess I stayed too close to where I got in.”(Grace For The Moment, Max Lucado) That story certainly has a spiritual application. How close are you to the young Christian you were when you first received Christ? Are you reading God’s Word? Has your prayer life grown? Have you matured as a Christian?

When we purchased our first motor home, the purchasing process took so long that we ended up having to drive the new rig home in the dark. All of the way home, I kept saying to Glen, “Hug the center; hug the center!”
As Christians, we need to grow to the point that we aren’t living on the edge; we need to hug the center so that we aren’t staying too close to where we got in.

“So let us go on to grown-up teaching. Let us not go back over the beginning lessons we learned about Christ” (Hebrews 6:1 The Message).

Marilyn W. Heavilin is an author/speaker and serves at America’s KESWICK each summer as a counselor-in-residence.

Close Encounters Part 2

It’s so easy to allow a disappointment take away our joy, our hope or even our thankfulness. Because I was filled with God’s joy, I assumed, I expected, He would pave my way. I was trying to figure out His plan or even conjure up a “plan” for God! But God had a better plan in mind than I could dream up!
Psalm 28:7
“The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and I am helped. My heart leaps for joy and I will give thanks to him in song.”
Driving down the highway I once again asked God to bless the $240 I had to purchase a Christmas tree and decorations for the Colony of Mercy. I drove to the next Christmas store, parked and went inside. After I spoke with the gentleman behind the counter and explained who I was, what I was looking for, who it was for (and of course that I only had $240 to spend), he called over a salesman whose mane was Bert. I know that God paved the way for me to have Bert help me find the tree I was looking for. What a blessing he was! I thanked him again and again. We picked out a 7 1/2′ pre-lit tree, 15-20 boxes of glass ornaments, a cross tree topper, 10-15 single “manly” ornaments, an LED lit and decorated wall wreath! The grand total? $205!!! I just couldn’t believe how God was blessing me through Bert. I was able to share the ministry of the Colony of Mercy with Bert along with my personal testimony when he helped me pile all the decorations into my car. With the money I had left, I was able to purchase plastic bins to store it all in. As I added up the total I couldn’t believe it….$240.16!!! I wish you could see the beautiful tree ornaments and wreath God had planned for me. I hate to wait until next year to set it all up!
We serve such an awesome God! He hears all our prayers and even cares about things like Christmas decorations to brighten the Library of the Colony of Mercy. Just one of the many ways Gods says “I love you”…to me as I chose not to allow my joy to fade…to the men in the Colony, He says “I love you” by providing a beautiful Christmas tree to give them joy and brighten their holidays with hope. God’s love and provision goes beyond our dreams.

Ephesians 3:20 (The Message)
“God can do anything, you know-far more than you could ever imagine or guess or request in your wildest dreams! He does it not by pushing us around but by working within us, his Spirit deeply and gently within us.”

Mary Ann serves at the Colony of Mercy as Intake Manager and also serves at the Women’s Ministry Center as a counselor and instructor.

Close Encounters Part 1

We don’t have to wait until we go through trials to have a “close encounter” with God like Job did. In fact, it’s wiser to seek to have many, many encounters with God before trials come. Seek God’s face just because you want to not because you have to! I can’t think of a better reason to seek God’s presence than to just enjoy His company and to know Him more intimately…and that is what God wants too…to enjoy an intimate relationship with us.
I recently had a wonderful close encounter with God and I have to tell you, it was a glorious day! And I hunger for more of them. The morning of January 4th I had an awesome quiet time with the Lord. In Higher Ground (Bible study/support group) we had begun a new study by Steve McVey, “The Godward Gaze.” It stressed the importance of taking time to gaze into the face of God to draw closer to Him. That was what I sought to do that morning. In my prayer time I asked the Lord to take my busy day and sift it. I wanted to be on God’s schedule not mine. I also asked God for two other things: to fill me with His joy and to abundantly bless one of the tasks on my to-do list.
Two hundred and forty dollars had been donated for updating the Colony of Mercy’s Christmas decorations. It wasn’t a great deal of money to purchase a tree and all the decorations for it…but I knew that God was able to take $240 and bless it exceedingly and abundantly above all I could imagine.

Jesus said in John 14:13-14 “I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father. You may ask me for anything in my name and I will do it.”

I was so filled with joy I don’t think my feet touched the ground! I believed God would bless my way. I walked into the first Christmas store with a smile and the joy of the Lord in my heart. The management there wasn’t helpful and totally unfriendly. All my joy and all my smiles just couldn’t seem to break through. If the Lord had not been with me, I would have probably given her an attitude back and stormed out of the store. But that’s kind of hard to do when you’re filled with His joy.
I thanked the manager and with a smile told her because of her poor attitude and lack of helpfulness I couldn’t purchase the tree I had picked out and left the store. My heart began to thump and for a minute my joy began to slip away. I sat down in my car and prayed “Lord I pray that this wouldn’t steal my joy. Fill me to overflowing, bless my path and may You be glorified.”

1 Thessalonians 5:15-17 “Make sure nobody pays back wrong for wrong but always try to be kind to each other and everyone else. Be joyful always, pray continually.”

I was filled to overflowing and began to sing in my car, “the joy of the Lord is my strength” and headed down the road. I realized this had been a test. Would I allow someone to steal my joy or would I just trust God no matter what? I chose to trust God.

Mary Ann Kiernan serves as Intake Manager and Women’s ministry at America’s KESWICK.

Why?

The number one question of my 3 year old grandson Elijah is “Why?” It’s been a while since my sons were at that age and I had forgotten the challenge it is to answer the inquisitive minds of toddlers! I do my best to answer his questions but interestingly, no matter what answer I give, there is always another “why?” to follow. Then I’ll just answer “Well, Elijah I just don’t know,” which is always followed by a “Why?” He is just not satisfied with my answers!
I can’t help but think that as adults, we’re no different than children who ask why. After 20 years of marriage a husband announces he’s walking out on his wife and family. Why? A best friend betrays a confidence and hurts you deeply. Why? Lab tests reveal a serious illness. Why? Children you have loved and raised in a Christian home choose to live a sinful lifestyle. Why?
As a counselor I hear that question asked often. It seems as if “the answer” is the only thing that will give satisfaction, peace or understanding to the hurt, pain or suffering they are going through. The truth is there is never really an answer that will satisfy the “why” itch because just like Elijah, there is always another why to follow.
Job, a righteous man, lost everything – family, wealth, respect and then even his health. Job asked the question “why” over 19 times! Job was ready to state his case before God! He wanted answers!

Job 23:3-5 “If only I knew where to find him [God]; if only I could go to his dwelling! I would state my case before him and fill my mouth with arguments. I would find out what he would answer me…”

Job did get his audience before God but he didn’t get answers to all his “why” questions. Instead Job had a personal encounter with God that would make the answers to his questions seem so unimportant.
Job 42:3-5 “Surely I spoke of things I did not understand, things too wonderful for me to know. You said, ‘Listen now, and I will speak; I will question you, and you shall answer me.’ My ears had heard of you but now my eyes have seen you.”
Only God knows the answers to our “why” questions and almost all the time, He just isn’t willing to share that information. If each one of us would seek Him in the midst of our suffering and have a personal encounter with God…then the drive to know why would melt away. The truth is…all we go through is for our good and Gods glory, to refine us as gold.
Perhaps you’ve only heard about God with your ears…seek a personal encounter with Him and you will never be the same and the “why’s”…well they just won’t matter much because you have had a personal encounter with God.

MaryAnn Kiernan serves at America’s KESWICK part-time at the Colony of Mercy overseeing intakes and part-time counseling in the women’s ministry.

Your Divine Valentine

Today is Valentine’s Day and for some that is just another reminder that you are alone. Perhaps you have been alone every Valentine’s Day or your Valentine is no longer a part of your life either through death or divorce or for some other painful reason. Perhaps this Valentine’s Day you are looking forward to being with your new or not-so-new Valentine. Regardless of what situation you are in today-YOU HAVE A VALENTINE – A DIVINE VALENTINE.

Before you scoff at the thought, let me assure you, if you are a follower of Jesus Christ, He is your Heavenly Husband and if you allow Him He will be the best Valentine. Embracing your Divine Valentine in no way negates or minimizes your past or present valentine.
Jesus is alive and active in the life of His bride. He delights in giving good gifts.
You may be thinking, ‘that’s all well and good, but I need someone with skin on’. Beware! As long as you believe that, you will never allow Jesus to be enough.
Jesus desires to fulfill the deepest longings of your heart, no matter where you find yourself today. He completely satisfies (You open Your hand And satisfy the desire of every living thing. The LORD is righteous in all His ways, Gracious in all His works.. Psalm 145:16-17)
He delights in you (As for the saints who are on the earth, “They are the excellent ones, in whom is all my delight.” Psalm 16:3). He is Mr. Right(eous)(” For the LORD is righteous, He loves righteousness; His countenance beholds the upright.” Psalm 11:7). You are His bride (“I will betroth you to Me forever; Yes, I will betroth you to Me in righteousness and justice, In lovingkindness and mercy; I will betroth you to Me in faithfulness, And you shall know the LORD.” Hosea 2:19-20) and He desires fellowship with you (“God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.”1 Corinthians 1:9). He so desires relationship with you that He went to the cross to die to gain your release from sin and death and to gain your freedom (“But now having been set free from sin, and having become slaves of God, you have your fruit to holiness, and the end, everlasting life.” Romans 6:22; “Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed” John 8:36).
Oh, sister, go to Him today and tarry with Him until you experience His fullness, His love, His delight in you.
Treasure your Divine Valentine.

Diane Hunt is the Director of Addiction Recovery Ministries at America’s KESWICK and is available to speak for your Ladies’ events. Contact her through Ruth Schmidt at rschmidt@americaskeswick.org. or 732-350-1187 ext. 21

Ouch! That Hurt!

I’m not sure it gets any easier. I’ve been at America’s Keswick for over 8 years and when word gets back to me of someone’s displeasure with me, I get a knot in my stomach. I want to go “straighten that person out”. Sometimes it is the result of a misunderstanding, like the time I was called a liar. A particular individual was involved and with the help of his counselor, we were able to confront him and clear it up. Other times tidbits are running through the rumor mill and I have no venue to address the issue. I don’t think any of us like to hear negative things said about us, true or not. I know I don’t. But as usual, the word of God sheds light in my heart to give me a more accurate perspective.

Ecclesiastes 7: 21-22, “Also do not take to heart everything people say, lest you hear your servant cursing you. For many times, also, your own heart has known that even you have cursed others.”

When I stop to consider this Scripture I realize that, though I do not like it when others say negative things about me, far too many times I have been the one saying the negative things causing hurt to the other person. Why am I surprised when it happens to me?

I just love God’s word, even when it hurts.

Diane