DAY 11: that "m'eh" feeling

If someone asked me how I was feeling right at this moment, I would say "m'eh". I'm neither down nor up, neither energized nor completely exhausted. At this point, how I feel is somewhere in the middle with a somewhat blase and lazy attitude. And, as I sat down to write this evening's devotion, I still could not shake that "ehhhn"/"m'eh" feeling. As I searched my brain for what the Lord was saying, I could only come back with this same apathetic spirit. Then the bells went off in the midst of my "blah" and I realized that therein lies the correction.
You see, this 40 day journey has been about God helping me to recognize the not-so-nice things in me that could stand to be reviewed, processed, and definitely avoided when possible. Apathy, it would seem, is number eleven on this list.

As I started to really think about it, my conviction grew. How many things have I missed because I was content with being in this mediocre state of mind? How many blessings went by while I was lacking focus? How many opportunities no longer opportune because I was watching something on television or surfing the net? It's not that you want to be emotionally always on highs and lows all of the time. No...that requires medication and has a diagnosis (bipolar and the like). What I'm talking about instead is a disconnect from caring much about what is to come. If I don't care or put on the bravado of disinterest, then I don't have to deal with disappointment or discouragement when things don't happen the way or in the timing that I would like. It's like my emotions have their own power RESET/override button designed to protect my heart, but it's not one that truly honors God. We should be excited about the prospect of what God is doing in our lives and not indifferent. In the process of protecting my heart what this space of apathy does is create room for the enemy to come in with negativity--laziness, doubt and critical thinking about what and how God is handling His (and my) business. I fill the space with lazy distractions to keep me having to really deal with God face-to-face about what I'm thinking or feeling; I begin to doubt that He'll come through on what he's said, and I'll wonder if there's a better way that I can accomplish whatever it is than the way that He originally instructed. Facebook is easier than FacingGod at times. Reading mindless romance novels is more heartening than focusing on my own social life.

Furthermore, what I know to be true is that the Bible speaks harshly about laziness and references an apathetic spirit as being "lukewarm"--causing the Lord to 'spit us from his mouth'! Apathy and laziness are just that much of an affront to the Lord. So what do you do when they start to sneak into your day? Remember that this is a spiritual battle and use your spiritual tools. Ephesians 6 reminds us that we are in a spiritual war and tells us to put on the whole armor of God, including the sword of the Spirit/the Word of God. Apathy is a scheme of the devil. Period. When we know nothing else to do, we are to use the Word against the wiles of the enemy. You see, it's not about an emotion as much as it's about a mindset. We fight this mindset by energizing ourselves with the mind of Christ and with His Word in a personal way:

Lord, help me shake off sloth and call on your fervent spirit to guide me. (personalized from Romans 12:11) Help me to be strong in You, Lord, and in the power of your might. (personalized from Ephesians 6:10) Redeem the time. (personalized from Ephesians 5:16) Let me do everything with all my might that my hand finds to do. (personalized from Ecclesiastes 9:10) Lord, prepare my mind for action and fix my hope completely on the grace revealed through Jesus Christ (personalized from 1 Peter 1:13). Amen.

Today is the day that you (and I) begin to shake off that "m'eh" feeling. Be encouraged in this day to take back those apathetic moments and give them back over to God.

Blessings,
Pastor Andrea

DAY 10: Be Bold Or Go Home

Have you ever felt unqualified? I mean, especially when it comes to the things of God, have you ever doubted that God knew fully what he was doing by asking you to be a part. Surely God has made a mistake because you're not this enough or that enough, right? You know your own self--your past and your present, your fears and your triumphs. In fact, I often think about Moses and how much he felt like he was unqualified to be used of God. He told God that his stuttering would hinder his ability to lead the people. But God was greater than Moses' weakness just as much as he is bigger than our varied INSECURITIES.

There are times when we spend so much time downplaying what God is doing in and through us that we begin to undermine our own (and others') confidence in the power of God. As the Lord speaks through us, we've gotten into the habit of being "politically" and "religiously" correct and not saying those words "Thus says the Lord" because we know that so many people have misused the term and we don't want to be wrongly classified. We downplay ourselves almost to a fault--putting on false humility in lieu of true boldness in the work and words of God.

We diminish our power in Christ by not acknowledging that it is truly Him at work in and through us. But the scripture gives us instruction to be "bold as lions" (Proverbs 28:1). God's word reminds us that "Therefore, since we have such a hope, we are very bold." (2 Corinthians 3:12). And finally, we forget that we should be able to shed our insecurities and walk in boldness and confidence because we "can do ALL THINGS through Christ who strengthens" us (Philippians 4:13).

Today it's time to take that courage back. Some of you reading this have decisions to make and have been timidly approaching making a choice. Stop beating around the bush and just do it. Do not compare yourself to other people and what you see them doing and saying. Operate in your own gifts for this season. Flow out of the passions that God has given you. You are enough and uniquely equipped to do what He said. Trust Him to bring assurance where your confidence has waned through the years. Do not allow insecurities--the possibilities for failure and fears--to impede your ability to serve God with abandon and confidence. Knowing that our confidence is not in ourselves but in the power that Christ has given us, we can walk encouraged to speak clearly and with authority, to behave with strength and decisiveness.

My prayer today, Lord: I will give You thanks with all my heart; I

 will sing praises to You before the gods. I will bow down toward Your holy temple 

and give thanks to Your name for Your lovingkindness and Your truth; 

For You have magnified Your word according to all Your name. 

On the day I called, You answered me; You made me bold with strength in my soul. 

(Psalm 138:1-4)

Blessings,

Pastor Andrea

DAY 9: Let It Go...Let It Goooooo!

You know when you come across that question that says, "What famous person living or dead would you like to meet?" Well...since I already know Jesus, I'd have to say that my answer is often Nelson Mandela. There's one thing about them both that always leaves me awestruck. I've often marveled at what it would take to move a nation...a people to begin the process of reconciliation at the level that they did. In the case of Mandela, I know that he wasn't perfect (we're not even sure he was a Christian) but he was impactful. In the midst of being an example to the world about forgiveness and fortitude, he also illustrated the principle of letting go of RESENTMENT. And though his motivations may not have been based in his faith, ours should be.

Resentment can be defined as "bitter indignation at having been treated unfairly or insulted". Whether we look at Mandela or Christ himself, we know clearly that resentment is poisonous and causes nothing but strife in life. But as Christians we are called to do whatever is possible to live at peace with others (Hebrews 12:14). No matter how justified we feel in our emotions, at the end of the day letting go of resentment means that we cannot hold onto offenses and allow bitterness to set in. Now I know that we can clearly see the effects of long-term, systemic resentment like Mandela was fighting against. When you're discussing race relations and community building, it's easy to say that we need to "get over it" and move beyond past hurts and the legacy of pain that people who have come before us. However, when you have to take the magnifying glass and direct it at the details of our own lives, we often miss the mark. How do I not stay mad at someone who lied about me? How do I not feel some kind of way about being passed over for a job? How do I not allow resentment to make its mark?

We look for a magic answer that will make resentment fade and make our memory short though the wrongs against us may have been long. However, unfortunately there is no magic answer. Moving past resentment takes a daily commitment to merely LET---IT---GO. (Who knew that Disney could be so insightful?) If you need to set that daily commitment to music, then do it. Belt out "Let it go! Let it goooooo..." (the anthem of the movie Frozen) or even just rehearse it quietly in your mind. Speak the Word of God against that feeling regularly. Remind yourself that Proverbs 19:11 says that "...it is his glory to overlook an offense." With that in mind, we must do whatever it takes to consistently remind ourselves to refuse to hold onto the negative poison that is resentment. Choose to exalt the Lord in our hearts instead of exalting our problems or our injuries. Remember that it is the Lord who brings about resolution to our hurts and our injustices. All we have to do is sit back, relax and trust in him.

Lord today, we choose to let resentment go! 

We choose to delight ourselves in the you, knowing that 

you will give us the desires of our heart. We commit our way to you, Lord, 

and choose to trust in you, and for you will act. 

You will bring forth our righteousness as the light, 

and our justice as the noonday. We will be still before you, Lord, 

and wait patiently for you. We choose not to fret over 

the one who prospers in his way, over the man who carries out evil devices!

We release all of our offenses to you. Amen.

Psalm 37:4-7 (adapted)

Be encouraged,
Pastor Andrea

DAY 8: Hope MORE or less

HOPE...that glorious four-letter word that most of us look forward to seeing and experiencing. Hope is so big and yet so little. It's those moments in our hearts that we can begin to look past the current situation that we find ourselves in and see even just a glimmer of the light on the other side of the tunnel. It's those moments in our minds that have stopped trying to figure out life and started resting on what we know to be true--God is in control. It's those moments in our spirits when our trust of God far outweighs our fatigue at waiting on Him to deliver whatever He has promised. Hope sweet hope... It's a beautiful thing.

Thus, the absence thereof is treacherous. As we reflect on those negative emotions and behaviors that God wants to rid our hearts of minds of, hopeLESSness is right at the top of that list. No matter what you are going through, no matter where you find yourself in life, God needs you to know that you know that you know that there is always hope. One sign I read said "Hold On, Pain Ends" as a good way to remember what the essence of hope is. Being hopeless means that you have let go of faith and decided to believe that the pain of circumstance and the pain of not seeing God's promises come to fruition will never end. But today I wanted to encourage you with the reminder that Jeremiah 29:11 always gives us. 'God knows the plans he has for you. Plans to prosper you and not to harm you. Plans to give you a HOPE and a future.' The question is what are you going to hold on to?

Are you going to hold tight to the Creator of the universe who spoke and light came into existence, or the lies of the enemy whose goal is to keep you bathed in darkness? Are you going to hold tight to the promise of HIS plan and stop trying to create your own? Are you willing to continue to let the perfect time for your promise to come to pass be set by God's plan and not your watch? You and I both have choices.

Every day, I watch as others live out parts of the dream I have for my life--family, children, love and so on. Every day, I hear of new people walking into those very things that I desire. Every day, my situation doesn't necessarily seem to grow any closer to what God said. Yet every day, I make a decision to believe that what God has in store for me is so great and so worth the wait that I decide to air on the side of MOREhope than hopeLESS. Today, be encouraged that God has not forgotten you and He is worth believing in. Today, refuse to allow the enemy to steal the song in your heart that believes and wishes and dreams--allowing you to dance to the rhythm of what is to come in the midst of silence. As with most things, you have a choice. What are you going to choose?

Lord, today, I pray that Hope will resound and hopeLESSness will fail in the minds and hearts of your children. Keep us deciding today to believe YOU. Help us to stay focused on what YOU've promised and not the bleakness of our circumstance. Help us to block out the the 'no' of the world and rest in the anticipation of your 'maybe' and 'yes'. Let Jeremiah 29:11 reverberate through our minds and spirits as a constant reminder to Your promise; and help us to know that we know that we know that You're not a man that You should lie and You make good on Your promises. Amen.

Be encouraged.
Blessings,
Pastor Andrea

DAY 7: Changing the Playlist

Yesterday, I posted a picture on social media of something I was doing that day. It was a picture intended to relay the fun and silliness that I was engaging in. It was not a Glamour Shot (if you know what that is, then you are as old as me...haha), but it wasn't the worst picture I've ever taken either. As I read through the responses, many of which were positive, all I could see was the one negative comment among the group. Now to be clear, I don't think that the comment was made with malicious or negative intent. The man's statement about me looking "fat" may have been to be mean, but I doubt it. For some people in non-Western cultures, it's not an insult to make mention of someone's weight. It just is what it is. Stating the truth can be done without attention to the person's feelings. I know this. After living with and around people of many nations for most of my life, I have battled this exact commentary for years on end. Yet armed with my multi-cultural understanding of life, I STILL managed to feel the sting of his statement and play that tape (and replay old tapes that I thought I'd deleted) in my mind for much of yesterday evening and today.

I thought about this more and more I realized that it was the topic of today's devotional. I don't know what to call it though. It's not a clear-cut "emotion". Perhaps this is an issue of insecurities. But, at the end of the day, it's more about the negative tapes that we play in our minds. Your tape may have nothing to do with your appearance. It may be a compilation of things that you were told about what you could or could not do with your life. Maybe you compare your intelligence or your wealth or any number of other things that we can compare ourselves to others in. That point in your life that you lack the most confidence seems to annoyingly remain on "repeat" in our minds and needs to be silenced. No matter what your story is, today is the day to push the OFF button on those words.

As you are faced with what you want to think about yourself, remember that God didn't make a mistake in making you just as you are. In Zephaniah 3:17, we see the sweetest reminder that "...the Lord delights in us..." Rather than feeling as though you are always short of what you need in order to be who you want to be, you need to remember that that YOU ARE ENOUGH. Treat yourself with the same kindness and compassion that you expect from strangers. A friend of mine always says "stop talking about my friend that way" when she hears me say something negative about myself. Take the same care to be nice to yourself as you would to another person.

For it will be in the midst of those nice moments--those reminders of how much you are loved and delighted in--that the silence of negative thoughts will be born. May THOSE loving and nurturing thoughts be the ones that take up permanent residence in your mind's playlist instead.

Lord, today I pray that you will silence the tapes of negativity that have played in my mind. Help me to meditate on the positive and not get caught up on the negative. Help us find the words to cancel every hushed word that the enemy whispers into my ear.

Blessings,
Pastor Andrea

DAY 6: Grrrr...umble

It's funny how sneaky negative emotions can be. There you are, going about your day with a smile, then someone asks you a question or you are just having a basic conversation and you realize that negativity is about to slip out of your lips. That was me today. There I was, mindin' my own business, having a chat with a friend and realized that I was about to say something that wasn't necessary. It was one of those things that, had I said it it would have been like starting up an engine and taking both me and the other person on a ride through Murmurville.

Today, I caught myself, but how many other times have I failed that test miserably? How many times do I act like the Children of Israel did in the desert and murmur and complain when things aren't just the way I'd like? Countless. I have read Exodus often and thought that they seemed just like me--always with something to say about a situation and not always fully trusting the Lord to bring it all together. As I wonder about marriage and family and new direction for my life, I find myself sensitive about what words I speak. I try my best to speak life to who I am and what I will become knowing that 'death and life are in the power of my tongue' (Proverbs 18:21). So why is it then that negative words become so easy to spew?

James 3:7 calls the tongue "a fire, and a world of unrighteousness", but today I really want to set my mind, my heart and my tongue in line to be a fire that burns for Christ's righteousness and positivity. Be encouraged that you can make a decision mid-sentence to change the trajectory of any conversation for the better. If you find yourself in the midst of causing a brush fire, snuff out the flame and begin to take a different focus in your words and conversations. We sometimes forget the simplicity of making a difference in this world begins with small moments when you can choose to do something great with your small input. Choose today to be the day that your walk and talk match up in ways that bless others all for the Love of Christ.

Lord bridle my tongue. That is all. Amen.

Blessings,
Pastor Andrea

DAY 5: Annoyed? Me?! Ooops...

On my very first mission trip ten years ago, our group had gone to visit an orphanage. This was my first mission and also our first mission with my church at the time so we were feeling our way through and leaving much of our agenda in God's hands. It was quite freeing to be able to have a plan and to hold it loosely knowing that with a hurricane looming off the coast, anything could happen at any time. While there, we saw so many children who were full of energy and excited about having fun with this group of strangers. But as I looked off to the side of where we were ministering, I noticed something odd. There was an old tree stoop that had what looked like an extra lump to the side. Upon further research, I saw that it was a young boy and I snapped a picture of him, then put my camera down and simply smiled at that lone eye. The boy never came out from behind the tree, but for a moment, there was no one in world but me smiling at him and him smiling shyly back at me. For one moment he had my undivided attention. For one moment, he was all that mattered.

I think of this boy at times and hope that someone notices him. So often we get so busy with life that we barely have the chance to stop and really notice the people and places around us. Today, as I was praying about what to write, the phone rang. My first reaction was annoyance (otherwise known as negative emotion #5 at this moment). I was annoyed that my time was being interrupted. In my annoyance, I even stubbed my toe as I headed for the phone (figures)...only to find that the person on the other end was calling to bless me with a yummy treat. Oops...my bad...Annoyed? Me? Noooooo...certainly you can interrupt me at any time...sigh...yeah I'm a mess. I was immediately convicted and wondered how often do I do things that could be annoying to the Lord (if he weren't quite as grace-filled as I know him to be). I ask God the same questions over and over again. I walk the same wrong direction and have the same negative emotions continually rear their ugly heads. Yet and still, God is continually patient with me.

We are often busy with our plan for how the day should go, but we forget to hold that plan loosely and allow for God to take the reigns. He is the best "event planner" and can orchestrate the most special moments of your life if you let him. How sweet is His word that declares, "Therefore the LORD longs to be gracious to you, And therefore He waits on high to have compassion on you. For the LORD is a God of justice; How blessed are all those who long for Him." (Isaiah 30:18)? It is so sweet to know that God longs to be gracious to us. He takes his time with us. He notices us. He notices you and he knows you. Just as he did with the woman with the issue of blood in Luke 8, he stops for us and doesn't just rush on by. And when he stops, he isn't annoyed and hasn't lost his compassion or his graciousness towards us.

What an incredible gift that is!

Today, you have an opportunity to share that gift with those that you pass each and every day. You can approach this new week with intention and attention to those things that rarely get your undivided focus. When a child passes, wave and smile and look them in the eye. When someone calls, take the call. When you think of someone, stop in that moment and send them a text or an email or pick up the phone and call to just let them know that you were thinking of them. This week, you can decide to give someone that priceless gift that keeps on giving--your time. You must remember that the idea of stopping to smell the roses never goes out of style. The roses don't need you to smell them, but think of all the great aroma of life you miss when you pass them by.

Life happens in those little moments when we pay attention to the little things and make connections of the heart that may only even take a moment or two but will last you (and hopefully the other person) a lifetime. Release your annoyances and move in compassion. And through it all, pray that God will give you a heart like His...one filled with compassion, mercy and grace.

Lord, today do us like you promised in Ezekiel 36 and 'give us a new heart and put a new spirit in us...remove our hearts of stone and cause us to walk according to your will'. We want to notice others as you notice us. We want to show others compassion as you are steadfast in your compassion towards us. We want to leave annoyance in our past and have a future orchestrated by your mighty hand. Amen.

Blessings,
Pastor Andrea

DAY 4: Disconnecting from Discontent

There's that thing in everyone's life that makes you blissfully happy. There are moments that are easy to point to and say, "I was excited" or "That made me smile"--those "Facebook" moments that we're all proud of where there's an obvious sense of euphoria and excitement about life and/or it's events. And, as I drove home from one such moment today, I reflected on the day that I had with a silly smile on my face.

You see, we spent the day exploring this part of Madagascar. How many people get to say that?! We had spent the day having a cultural tour that left me in a state of sweet exhaustion and somewhat overwhelmed. We learned to do this natural paper art with dried flowers, cooked (and ate) traditional Malagasy snacks, participated in rice farming from field to plate, became basket weavers, and met some of the most beautiful people along the way. Yep...it was definitely worthy of 140 characters of tweeting.

But what struck me the most as we interacted with the people we met was something intangible. Looking at the smile of the fisherman in the village we visited with whose home on stilts was creatively arranged to have 3 "rooms" for he, his wife and child or the silent pride in the eyes of the rice farming woman raising 5 children with a husband who works a long distance from home and she sees only once a month or the elder/shepherdess of the church whose 2-part home houses a total of 17 people (near and extended family) I was struck. I can make no suppositions about their happiness and imagine that life has not always been kind to/easy for any of them, but I could discern that they were at peace and CONTENT. They were proud of their families, proud of their traditions, eager to share. They welcomed us with such grace and shared their lives as though they were something precious...because they are.

It is not to say that they don't strive for more. Being content has nothing to do with that 140-character blissful happiness. The definitions of contentedness speak of satisfaction, not stagnation. You could see that they strive for more by the way that they worked diligently to provide for their families and the communities around them. But you could also see that they possessed that very thing that Paul boasts about. Paul who spent much of the time in the bible imprisoned said that he had learned to be content in whatever state he was in (Philippians 4:11).

So many people would notice the poverty of the places we saw, but what I saw most was the peace. You can't bottle that. You can't sell it. You can't pay for it. Peace is priceless. Most of us have more than they have, yet we spend so much time just missing that space of contentment and peace as we search for all of the material trappings of life. In our desire to not stagnate, we don't just strive but we lust after those things that we desire. It's a dangerous yet fine tightrope that many of us fail to stay on--falling because of dissatisfaction and discontent. We allow discontent to sour our moods to make enjoyment of even the little things in life like playing in the mud or splashing like children in a pond virtually impossible.

Today's trip was a reminder to me that I pass along to you: We are privileged beyond measure. Not because of any things we may possess beyond others. No. Our privilege lies in the fact that we have the key to disconnecting the power that discontent has on our lives permanently if we so choose. Paul finishes his famous thought on contentedness with a well-known verse that I think we fail to fully grasp. He says, "In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me." (Philippians 4:12b-13) You have a choice. You can choose to be strengthened and charged in the satisfaction and peace that comes from the power of Christ, or you can choose to be drained by discontent. You can choose your focus. You can choose to give voice to the places of joy in your life and silence discontent. You can choose to meditate on what you lack and where your life is missing something or you can find strength and satisfaction in the small things that remind you that life is good. Be encouraged today to make the decision to disconnect from discontent and plug into small joys and underlying peace that comes with being content.

Lord, help us today to choose you in our focus. Help us to meditate on those small good things that bring us joy and peace. Help us disconnect from the power that discontent has on our lives. Help us to choose contentment in this day. Amen.

Blessings,
Pastor Andrea

DAY 3: Demolishing Walls of Shame

Today, I felt the Lord prompting me to share something about an event in my past with a group that I don't share often. It isn't a secret but it used to be. I used to tremble at the idea of people knowing about this place of shame. So it's one of those things that I don't talk about often. The reason is because for years I felt such shame associated with these particular events of my life. For many years, it was an aspect of my life that I always figured was better left in the past unless specifically prompted to bring it out into the present. But what I remarked on today (and have actually noticed the last few years of my life) is that the more I share and live transparently before people, the less I feel ensnared in the bondage that the enemy hopes to keep most of us in. Every time I have shared, I felt as though I was personally deconstructing the devil's wall of shame. His goal is to post the misfortunes, failures and tragedies of our lives on his wall. Our goal needs to be to tear it down!

Whether it is something we did or something done to us, he desires for us to constantly be judging ourselves and judging God's love for us by a clean wall. But what I know to be true is that's not how God operates. He does not remind us of our tragedy nor of our sins. The Bible tells us that "the steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is (God's) faithfulness." (Lamentations 3:22-23)

This means that there's nothing too great or too tragic or too shameful for God. And today as I shared, it occurred to me that I had stopped feeling shame years ago. Consequently, I was able to share with clarity and boldness...knowing that what I shared was out of obedience to the Lord. Furthermore, the sound of peace in my own heart and weightlessness of liberty washed over me even as I spoke. For I have found that what is beyond shame is a freedom in the spirit that can be rivaled by none.

Today, it's demolition time! Be encouraged to release the spaces of shame that have you tied in knots. Let me be a testament to you that the freedom from embracing every aspect of your life as one of the building blocks that is "working together for your good" (Romans 8:28), is well worth facing the fear of vulnerability. In the middle of the truth of who you are and all that you have been through, YOU ARE ENOUGH! You are valuable and your shame does not define you. And if that's just too much for you to think about right away, simply pray and ask that the Lord silence the enemy and give you the strength to face your truth in the absence of shame...

In you, O Lord, do I take refuge; let me never be put to shame; 

in your righteousness deliver me! Incline your ear to me;

rescue me speedily! Be a rock of refuge for me, a strong fortress to save me!

...I trust in you, O Lord; I say, “You are my God.” My times are in your hand; 

rescue me from the hand of my enemies and from my persecutors! 

Make your face shine on your servant; save me in your steadfast love! 

O Lord, let me not be put to shame, for I call upon you; 

let the wicked be put to shame; let them go silently to Sheol. 

Let the lying lips be mute, which speak insolently against the righteous in pride and contempt. 

Psalm 31:1,2,14-18

Blessings,
Pastor A

DAY 2: That Darned Pride

 One would think that I would get tired of going around and around with this issue. P-R-I-D-E...the plant of negativity whose roots seem to be so elusive when trying to pull out. But today, I realized that we couldn't have a discussion about ridding our hearts of negativity without dealing with pride early on. I believe that pride is the root of so many of our negative spaces. Our self-righteousness and anxiety or contrary attitudes are often birthed out of the idea that we know better, we would do different/better, we need to have control and so on. Pride is the weight that we often choose to hold on to even in situations when it's to our own detriment.

However, the Bible is clear on this very topic. Proverbs 16:18 says that 'pride comes before our falls and a haughty spirit before destruction'. The Word doesn't hesitate to associate being prideful with being wicked (Psalm 10:4); and one of my favorite verses being where it tells us that "When pride comes, then comes disgrace (UGH!), but with the humble is wisdom." (Proverbs 11:2) At the end of the day, we are faced with a choice. We can hold on to our false righteousness in an effort to be RIGHT or we can begin to connect our hearts with the will of God to be humble.

Today, make a choice to do something a bit different: Choose humility. Choose to rid your daily situations of the horrific, cancerous leech that pride can be. Present your heart today and know that God can truly walk with you and help you. Be reminded that he is the Greatest Gardener ever and when we put our hearts in his hand, he can delicately remove roots that we allow him access to. Present yourself to Him in prayer continually until you look up and trust is built, humility is in bloom and positivity shines bright...

Lord, I have given up my pride and turned away from my arrogance. 

I am not concerned with great matters or with subjects too difficult for me. 

Instead, I am content and at peace. As a child lies quietly in its mother's arms, 

so my heart is quiet within me. Israel, trust in the Lord now and forever! 

Psalm 131 (GNT)

Be encouraged and be blessed in this day!
Pastor Andrea

DAY 1 - Countering Contrariness

I just don't want to.

          It's just the way I am.

                    I'm grown.

                              I'm playing devil's advocate.

...Yeah...that last one there is the one that truly gives me pause. I mean who really wants to be the devil's advocate? In theory, not me! But, in reality, there are times though that I can admit that I just want to be...well...contrary. Like most human beings, I want what I want when I want it and sometimes that includes wanting to not let someone else have their way. (Stop looking at me like that. You know you do it too.) If we're telling the truth, we all do it. We get it honest. We want things a certain way just because we can or just to prove a point on "general principle". Like little children, we throw tantrums and our minds do serious battle with what we know to be good and just. Galatians 5:17 reminds us that "the flesh sets its desires against the Spirit". It ain't right, but it's real.

A couple of weeks ago I realized that I was just feeling like going the opposite direction of everything coming my way. I didn't act on all of my feelings but I was sure thinking in a negative tailspin: If people went left, I was in the mood to go right. If people said "run", I'd want to slow to a stop. And there was nothing that was moving me out of this funk except the Lord. You see, in the midst of my spiritual pouting session, the Lord drew my attention to what I was doing; and what looked back at me in that mirror was not a good look. The word CONTRARY kept flashing in my brain. It became a needle in my side that pierced every time my huffiness started to raise back up. How could I huff and puff when I thought about how graceful God has been with me. How could I have no patience with others or feel so annoyed with them when God continually works with me--though messy I may be.

There is no magic word or special pill that you can take to counteract the place that the pouting, contrary child has in your heart. The solution to contrariness lies in making a decision pure and simple. Today, you can pout like a little girl, or you can grow up--own your emotions and walk with self control. Be encouraged today to allow the needling of the Holy Spirit to convict you, call that contrary spirit what it is and pray for God to renew a RIGHT spirit in you.

Have mercy upon me, O God, according to Your lovingkindness; 

according to the multitude of Your tender mercies, blot out my transgressions. 

Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin... 

Create in me a clean heart, O God, And renew a steadfast spirit within me. 

Do not cast me away from Your presence, and do not take Your Holy Spirit 

from me. Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, and uphold me by Your generous Spirit. 

(Psalm 51:1,2,10,11,12)

Blessings,
Pastor Andrea

Fasting The Furious (40 Day Journey Out of Negativity)

Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things.

Philippians 4:8

Do you ever feel as though negative thoughts or emotions are getting more and more airplay on the channel of your life? Today marks the start of the Lenten season and we've decided to switch the station and tune into something different for the next 40 days. There are so many people who have prayed and made decisions on foods to sacrifice and places to become more disciplined in their lives. For us, we're calling a fast to those "furious" side of life--NEGATIVITY. 



Beginning today, we'll spend some time exploring various negative emotions in an effort to conquer the hold they sometimes have on our lives. It is our prayer that, come Easter, we will be celebrating together our Risen Savior with genuine joy and purity of heart. Join in as you see fit and make a conscious decision to pray and fast around those negative places that have set up residence in your heart. 

Ready? Let's do it...

Lifeline Thru The Fog

I spent the majority of the day in bed. As I messaged an old friend, I couldn't understand why this had hit so hard. It was just a cold. Colds in February are a norm of life. However, my fatigued body was lacking the emotional and spiritual reinforcements that would have normally made it possible to press through the day with a measly cold. It was like I could feel a fog settling in over me. Have you ever felt that way? So weighed down by circumstance or simple reflections that you can barely connect the dots of your thoughts?

We often allow ourselves to become overwhelmed by what feels like a storm raging around us. Sometimes the storm is obvious with wind and hale and thunder; and sometimes the storm is more subtle like the settling of a fog over a chilling day. Sometimes the storm of life is obvious like the loss of a loved one, divorce, health challenges, financial mayhem; and sometimes life's storms are those subtle moments where your mind and emotions lose focus and allow the "shoulda", "woulda", "coulda"s of life to seep into your soul.

But, at the end of the day, God prevails even over the foggiest brain. As I rested, a friend messaged me to say that they noticed the spiritual fatigue and reminded me of a Word from the Lord that had come to me weeks ago. In the midst of my fog, the Lord sent me a lifeline. The depth of the fact that we don't war against the flesh but against spirits (Ephesians 6) took root in my soul. I felt the weight begin to lift and my mind begin to clear and felt an urge to write. Immediately, I wanted to pay it forward. You may be unaware of even what's really got you down for the count. You may simply feel a little bit under the weather or a bit bruised from the season of life you are in...blue or down. But God sent me today to tell you that He sees you! God loves you enough to not let you flounder and sends His redeeming Word as a lifeline. Be encouraged today to hold fast to His Word that says:

When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;

    and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you;

when you walk through fire you shall not be burned,

    and the flame shall not consume you.

3 

For I am the Lord your God,

    the Holy One of Israel, your Savior. (Isaiah 43:2-3a)

Blessings and peace,
Pastor Andrea