I’ve not heard those particular words, “Do as I say, not as I do”, but I have experienced what they mean.  Have you ever heard someone tell another person or even tell you, “what, when and how to do something”? But yet they don’t take their own advice.  This happens when we tell others how to trust God with all their fears and anxieties when in fact we don’t have a clue to how they are feeling.  It would be wiser and more beneficial to the other person if we just say, “I will pray for God to help you”.  I struggle with anxiety that causes me to be paranoid in high places such as near an edge of a building like the Statue of Liberty, or the edge of a cruise ship which I was on recently.  It also includes sitting by the window of an airplane.  Or riding the Blue Ridge Parkway and parking near the edge at the look-over.  And yes, those bridges that climb to the sky.  I have been on several airplanes and most have been pleasant and smooth, but I’ve had a couple of flights that I thought it was time to see the Lord.

          On one of the turbulent flights many years ago I was reading “Trusting God” by Jerry Bridges.  I couldn’t believe what I was reading at that very moment of despair – Jerry mentioned how God is in control of everything and that includes the nuts and bolts of an airplane.  I had an urge to jump up and tell the people “God is in control so don’t be afraid”…..ah, but they most likely didn’t feel like me, so I remained still.  Some of you that know me personally know that being still is not my best quality.  I’m still in training! According to Philippians 1:6 I am being processed (emphasis mine).  Recently, I had a conversation with a friend who too experiences anxieties when she thinks of flying. Her advice was appreciated because I knew she understood exactly what I was feeling. What she said has stuck with me and helps me to get a grip on these paranoid events.  “Grace for today cannot be borrowed for tomorrow.”

Pat Spies
America’s Keswick Volunteer

          “But Samuel ministered before the LORD, even as a child, wearing a linen ephod.  .. meanwhile the child Samuel grew before the LORD.  … And the child Samuel grew in stature, and in favor both with the LORD and men. … Now the boy Samuel ministered to the LORD before Eli…”  (1 Samuel 2:18, 21, 26; 3:1)

          The calling of Samuel in 1 Samuel is interesting in that, after all these verses in chapters 2 and 3, we come to this statement “(Now Samuel did not yet know the LORD, nor was the word of the LORD yet revealed to him.)” vs. 7.  It is easy to glide by this seeming disconnect.  When I read vs. 7 I stopped and went back to chapters 2 and 3 to see if I had misread the earlier verses, but no, they really do proceed vs. 7.  That made me curious. “How is it, Lord, that Samuel was ministering before you and grew in Your favor yet he did not yet know You?” In the midst of my prayer, I believe God showed me that it is not all that unusual.  There are people all around us, ministering in His name but they do not actually KNOW Him.  In fact, as a teen, I was quite involved in my church youth group. My parents used to say I was their best hope for a nun in the family. Every Lent, I found something to give up and my family knelt in prayer together, all 8 of us, every day of Lenten season.  Yet, I knew OF God, but I did not KNOW Him, much like Samuel.  I would guess that most of our faithful Victory Call readers know God, but if you may be one that knows of Him or about Him but does not KNOW Him, may I encourage you to ask yourself, “Is God calling me to Himself?”  If so, you may want to respond “Speak, for your servant hears” (3:10). If you do this, please let me know. I would love to have a follow up conversation with you.

Blessings, Diane

 

Diane Hunt is part of the Development and Addiction Recovery teams at America’s Keswick.  In addition to being a Biblical Counselor, she is a Women’s speaker for retreats, conferences and events.  She is a regular writer for Victory Call and one of the authors of Crossing the Jordan Bible Study. She has been married to her husband John over 28 years.  She has 2 adult children and 3 grandchildren and 3 adult step-children with 7 grandchildren making 10 in all.  She delights reading and teaching, but mostly laughing at the funny things her grandchildren say and do.

 

          “Deep calls to deep at the roar of your waterfalls; all your breakers and your waves have gone over me.” (Psalm 42:7)

          One of my favorite hymns is “Oh, the deep, deep love of Jesus”. We will refer to a stanza or two of it as we look at the amazing metaphors for God in Psalm 42.  There are four water pictures in this psalm; water is often used a metaphor for the Spirit of God.  The presence of God with us is exactly what the psalmist is longing for in this prayer.

          Are you there? Feeling the need for more of Him?  David begins the psalm telling us of his deep need for flowing streams.  He is dry, worn out, empty; he is missing the main ingredient of life sustenance.  He is missing communion with God (vs. 2) so he calls out for flowing streams. His soul is needy and wanting, the enemy has taken him away from times of great communion with God, times in the house of worship.  Without those times of communion with God, our lives can seem like “dry beds.”

          Maybe it is during those times that your heart is heavy and you are crying “tears of hurt; loneliness; pain; longing.”    Depression can set in when we feel far away from and disconnected from God. Tears can also represent grieving for a lost relationship – If you are feeling disconnected from God, are you grieving that loss? David reflects on the sweetness of His times in the house of the Lord (vs. 4).  What about you?  Do you long for times with His people in the house of worship, and do you grieve the loss when you are kept from it?  David did…

          Waterfalls — I love waterfalls, they are powerful, refreshing and beautiful.  They can also be dangerous if we don’t take them seriously and get too close – over we may go.  David’s soul (Deep) is calling out to God (Deep) to the one who can keep us from the dangerous waterfalls and bring us to the powerful and refreshing ones.  David is calling out to God to bring him back into that wonderful fellowship.  Psalm 18:16 tells us that God comes running, reaching down, and drawing us out of deep waters that might consume. “There is no pit so deep that God’s love is not deeper still” (Corrie Ten Boom).

           Psalm 42:7B the metaphor of waves and breakers crashing around us is used.  You know that feeling right?  Like being in the ocean and you get hit by a wave that just takes your feet right out from under you.  David is feeling like he has lost his footing, like life has just taken him out and he is feeling weak in comparison.  He is calling for God to wash over him, to bring the waters of God back to him.  David wants to be washed and carried away by God’s blessings and love.

There are two songs that really speak to the meaning of this psalm and the positive water images God desires for us to be bathed in.   You may want to youtube them and listen.  Here are the words.

All who are Thirsty

All who are thirsty All who are weak Come to the fountain Dip your heart in the stream of life Let the pain and the sorrow be washed away In the waves of his mercy as deep cries to deep.  Come Lord Jesus come, Holy Spirit come, as deep cries to deep

Deep, Deep Love

O, the deep, deep love of Jesus, vast, unmeasured, boundless, free! Rolling as a mighty ocean in its fullness over me! Underneath me, all around me, is the current of Thy love Leading onward, leading homeward to Thy glorious rest above!

O the deep, deep love of Jesus, spread His praise from shore to shore! How He loveth, ever loveth, changeth never, nevermore! How He watches o’er His loved ones, died to call them all His own; How for them He intercedeth, watcheth o’er them from the throne!

O the deep, deep love of Jesus, love of every love the best! ‘Tis an ocean full of blessings, ’tis a haven giving rest! O the deep, deep love of Jesus, ’tis a heaven of heavens to me; And it lifts me up to glory, for it lifts me up to Thee!

          The Good news – Hope will return, God will bring us back to him.  We will find our Hope again, because God is right there with us.  “By day the Lord commands his steadfast love, and at night his song is with me, a prayer to the God of my life” (Psalm 42:8).

          Are you thirsty and longing for His water?  To be refreshed and saved from the dry beds and harsh waves of life?  Draw unto Him, enter into His Holy temple, and remember to join in with the fellowship of His people in worship.

Dr. Lynne Jahns

Christian Counselor

          But the path of the righteous is like the light of dawn, which shines brighter and brighter until full day. Proverbs 4:18

          It took some time and prayer mulling over what this verse means. It was my memory verse for the week and I kept rehearsing it over and over but like an egg on Teflon it just slid right out – I wasn’t retaining it.  Without understanding the meaning it doesn’t stick and, frankly, what’s the point in memorizing Scripture if it is only an exercise of the brain and not the heart?

          So there I sat with my Scripture card in my hand repeating it over and over – then I stopped and asked the Lord to give me clarity as to what it means. Then I realized it is a beautiful word picture of sanctification in the life of God’s redeemed ones. The process of growth in the life of a born-again child of God is progressive, not without bumps, hurdles and even stall-outs, but progressive none-the-less. God is in the process of making us like His Son. John the Baptist said, “He must increase, but I must decrease”John 3:30.

           Sanctification is the process in which I become more like Jesus and less like Diane, dying to self and living to God. One day – we will be like Him, when we see Him face to face.  But the path of the righteous is like the light of dawn, which shines brighter and brighter until full day. Proverbs 4:18

Diane

Diane Hunt is part of the Development and Addiction Recovery teams at America’s Keswick.  In addition to being a Biblical Counselor, she is a Women’s speaker for retreats, conferences and events.  She is a regular writer for Victory Call and one of the authors of Crossing the Jordan Bible Study. She has been married to her husband John over 28 years.  She has 2 adult children and 3 grandchildren and 3 adult step-children with 7 grandchildren making 10 in all.  She delights reading and teaching, but mostly laughing at the funny things her grandchildren say and do.

 

         It began in a Garden. One person said one thing, another said something different. Blame was plentiful. It was Satan. It was that woman. The Israelites nearing the Promised Land heard Moses’ reassuring words of what God was about to do but they didn’t want to hear what he said. If they did hear, their doubts and unbelief quickly overtook them.

          But we play the same scenario in our own lives.  Isn’t it true for you and me? We know what God has said but the waiting gets old, the prayers don’t reach the ceiling and our perseverance pitters out as the doubts come and then stay. Why our stubbornness to believe? Believing is choosing. When doubts fill our minds believing seems to be an option for fools. We go forward scoping out the land before us, we hear a good report but shrink back in fear. So often the choice is to listen to the still small voice when He speaks rather than the big voice that screams in my head. How often do I talk myself out of belief? He says “I can do _______.” And I say “I don’t think you can do______.”

          Let’s go and open His Word. Let Him speak. Then let’s choose to BELIEVE what He says! He speaks only truth. What say you?

Blessings, Kathy Withers

 

Kathy’s on staff at America’s KESWICK in the Development Department. Kathy has been married to her husband Dave for 28 years.  They have two adult children. Kathy is active in her local Church and has taught Sunday School and Bible Studies for women. Her passion is to encourage women to deepen their walk with Jesus Christ by finding and living out the truths of God’s Word.

 

 

Exodus 34:14 “(for you shall worship no other god, for the LORD whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God),”

           It is so very easy to worship other gods and not even know it.  Life in the 21st century offers many opportunities and temptations for displaced worship.

      The god of money

              The god of food.

                    The god of pleasure.

                          The god of self.

                                The god of security.

                                       The god of education.

                                             The god of power and position.

                                                      The god of status.

                                                            The god of reputation.

                                                                 The god of marriage.

                                                                        The god of beauty.

          And the list goes on and on.

          We can make ANYTHING or ANY ONE a god by allowing it to be a preeminent motivator and comforter in our lives.

          God reminds us that HE ALONE IS GOD. Deuteronomy 4:35, 39 To you it was shown, that you might know that the LORD is God; there is no other besides him…know therefore today, and lay it to your heart, that the LORD is God in heaven above and on the earth beneath; there is no other..

          1 Kings 8:60 …that all the peoples of the earth may know that the LORD is God; there is no other.

          Isaiah 45:5, 14, 18, 22 ” I am the LORD, and there is no other, besides me there is no God…’Surely God is in you, and there is no other,  no god besides him’…For thus says the LORD, who created the heavens (he is God!), who formed the earth and made it (he established it; he did not create it empty, he formed it to be inhabited!):”I am the LORD, and there is no other….” “Turn to me and be saved, all the ends of the earth! For I am God, and there is no other….”

Blessings, Diane

 

Diane Hunt is part of the Development and Addiction Recovery teams at America’s Keswick.  In addition to being a Biblical Counselor, she is a Women’s speaker for retreats, conferences and events.  She is a regular writer for Victory Call and one of the authors of Crossing the Jordan Bible Study. She has been married to her husband John over 28 years.  She has 2 adult children and 3 grandchildren and 3 adult step-children with 7 grandchildren making 10 in all.  She delights reading and teaching, but mostly laughing at the funny things her grandchildren say and do.

 

 Psalm 4

          I am going to ask you to do something that blesses me when I read scripture.  Here we go……..First please read the following Psalm:

          “Answer me when I call, O God of my righteousness! You have relieved me in my distress; Be gracious to me and hear my prayer.   O sons of men, how long will my honor become a reproach? How long will you love what is worthless and aim at deception? Selah.   But know that the Lord has set apart the godly man for Himself; The Lord hears when I call to Him.   Tremble, and do not sin; Meditate in your heart upon your bed, and be till. Selah.

          Offer the sacrifices of righteousness, And trust in the Lord.   Many are saying, “Who will show us any good?” Lift up the light of Your countenance upon us, O Lord!

          You have put gladness in my heart, More than when their grain and new wine abound.

          In peace I will both lie down and sleep, For You alone, O Lord, make me to dwell in safety.” (NASB)

          Now, I am going to ask you to read this Psalm again, but first I want to share a few things with you.  This is a Psalm that David wrote.  He is singing a song of trust and he is seeking God’s help.  The word “Selah” means to pause and consider what you have read.

          So now invite Holy Spirit to speak to you as you read the Psalm again.  If you sense the Spirit of God stopping you, stop.  Be still and listen.  You will likely not hear the audible voice of the Lord but He will speak to your heart.  Consider what He is saying to you.  It may be one word, it may be one verse.  It is between you and Holy Spirit.  Write down what you believe the Spirit of God has spoken to your heart and receive the blessing.

Patricia Wenzel

WOC Graduate

           As I continue to consider the idea of rest, I realize one of the reasons why we struggle with rest. The world tells us that we are to be busy, busy, busy. Surely Scriptures even encourage us not to be lazy or idle. However, that does not mean we do not rest. I also realize that the world tells us to be busy and Jesus was about his Father’s business, seemed to be on the go constantly. Jesus was busy. But God also instituted the Sabbath. Something I believe we are forgetting or not learning to practice. Could it be we have already lost the art of taking “a day of rest”? I am not talking about what we conclude we can and cannot do on a Sunday. I am referring to an extended time in which our plates are clear and our focus is on Jesus. God worked six days and rested on the seventh. Most of us work five days and continue at breakneck speed all weekend, stunned when we wake up and it is Monday morning already. We end up physically and spiritually exhausted. The easiest, and perhaps the hardest, thing for us to do is to add rest to our schedule just as we would any other appointment. I mean, intentionally add rest to our schedule, not just come to a point in the day when we happen to be caught up and can take a breath or naturally collapse into our beds. Some have suggested going so far as scheduling our quiet time, literally writing it on the calendar. Maybe we really need to follow that advice. I would think we can take meaningful steps to clear our Sundays or another day off to plan on rest. What do you do on Sunday that, with a bit more planning, could be done on another day? Regardless of our need for physical or spiritual rest we would do well to take the time we need to be replenished.

          In his book, Crazy Busy, Kevin DeYoung speaks of three dangers of busyness. 1. Busyness can rob us of our joy. 2. Busyness can rob our hearts. 3. Busyness can cover up the rot in our hearts. Have you lost your joy? Does your heart feel empty? Do you use your frantic pace to cover up issues that need to be dealt with? Perhaps then our need is for some rest, not one more thing to do.

Blessings, Kathy Withers

Kathy’s on staff at America’s KESWICK in the Development Department. Kathy has been married to her husband Dave for 28 years.  They have two adult children. Kathy is active in her local Church and has taught Sunday School and Bible Studies for women. Her passion is to encourage women to deepen their walk with Jesus Christ by finding and living out the truths of God’s Word.

 

          Yes, I have known these feelings well over the last months. And they continue as I walk through another grieving period. A stil,l small voice keeps telling me to rest. I assume that means to go to bed early, get plenty of sleep, take it easy; and don’t worry about all the work there is to do. But a nagging thought kept coming to mind; what does it really mean to rest? Is it really just about the physical? Of course there is rest for our soul but what does that look like and how do we attain that kind of rest?

          Next to the Bible what is my favorite book? So, I get the dictionary out to look up the word “rest”. These are some of the definitions I found:

          Rest- refreshing ease after exertion or labor, relief or freedom, esp. from trouble or anxiety, to lie, sit, lean, or be set, to be fixed upon something, to base or let depend,  as on some ground of reliance.

          Even from Webster’s I am reminded that rest is something I need to do before God. Resting means that I find relief and freedom in Jesus. I lie down, sit, lean, am set and fixed upon Him. AND lastly that I depend on Him and rely on Him. As I consider rest I was sent this poem via Facebook. It says what I am trying to learn and what I am trying to encourage you to do. So let these words speak to your tired, weary, in need of rest soul:

For the One Who is Tired

          Dear heart, God does not say today, “Be strong!” He knows your strength is spent; He knows how long the road has been, how weary you have grown; for He walked the earthly roads alone. Each bogging lowland and each long, steep hill He can understand, and so He says, “Be still and know that I am God.” The hour is late and you must rest a while, and you must wait until life’s empty reservoirs fill up as slow rain fills an empty, upturned cup. Hold up your cup, hold up your cup, dear child, for God to fill. He only asks today that you be still.  ~ Grace Noll Crowell

          Jesus says “Come to me, all you who labor are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yolk upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yolk is easy and My burden is light.” Matt 11:28-30. Finding rest begins by coming to Jesus. Come to Him today and rest.

Blessings, Kathy Withers

Kathy’s on staff at America’s KESWICK in the Development Department. Kathy has been married to her husband Dave for 28 years.  They have two adult children. Kathy is active in her local Church and has taught Sunday School and Bible Studies for women. Her passion is to encourage women to deepen their walk with Jesus Christ by finding and living out the truths of God’s Word.

 

 

Psalm 107:8  “Oh that men would praise the LORD for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men! “

          I recently read a devotional from AT HIS FEET by Chris Tiegreen that stated, “He will use you well, but not before He has enjoyed your company.” That thought stayed with me for several days, and I pondered on it, until I am now ready to write about it, I think. Have you ever thought about God enjoying your company? I don’t think I have. I guess I always thought that I was so blessed that God would consider me worthy to spend time with, but I never thought about God actually enjoying the time with me.

          May I ask how God enjoys my company? First of all, I think He just loves to hear from each of His children. I know I feel so good when I hear from one of my kids. I think God does, too. We don’t have to say anything profound, but the fact that we are talking to Him is a blessing. I think I can safely say that He ENJOYS hearing from us… He likes to hear us TALK.

         He also likes to hear us PRAISE Him. If you can’t think of anything to say, you can just read Scripture to Him. Or you can think of things that you can praise Him for, such as: creation, the weather, His provisions for you, etc.

          He likes to hear us THANK Him for the events He has brought into our lives, the people, the places, and the happenings. He likes to know we are grateful and thankful to Him. Don’t you like to receive thank you notes? I believe God likes to receive thank you notes too in the form of a personal thank You, Jesus.

          God enjoys us when we PRAY. Prayer is a baring of our hearts before God. I know I feel special when a good friend shares a burden with me. I think God feels special, too.

          These are just some of the ways that God enjoys us. Are you wondering why God seems to not have used you? Perhaps He just needs more time to enjoy you. Do you talk to Him every day, praise Him, thank Him and pray to Him? This is just the start. Make sure you have given God time to enjoy you.

Deut. 5:24 “Today we have seen that God can speak to us humans,” (NLT)

Marilyn Willett Heavilin

Marilyn Heavilin Is a wife and mother; author & International conference speaker  Author of Roses In December, December’s Song Becoming A Woman of Honor, Profound Common Sense When Your Dreams Die, Grief Is A Family Affair, I’m Listening, Lord