Count It ALL Joy

James 1:2-4 (NKJV)

"My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing."

If the Lord delivered us immediately from every uncomfortable or distressing circumstance we may be struck by His might and power...for a moment. Soon, though, the memory of would fade like a bad dream, and the memory of deliverance would fade with it. How could we remember? It was merely a fleeting second of need drowned in the cares of life.

When the Lord does NOT instantly deliver us from our trial, but walks with us in love, in comfort, in strength; that is when we are forever changed.

It is then we must lean on God to survive...and it is then we realize that, when in God's care, nothing can touch us.

It is in these sort of trials that we begin to truly understand the meaning in Psalm 91 "I will not be afraid of the terror by night, nor by arrows that fly by day..."

To be fully confident in the ability of God is to be without fear. As we watch the Lord carry us through our sorest trials we gain that full confidence...it is a mere matter of watching Him prove Himself. We can never have a chance to see the full ability of our God at work for us personally without trials. We can never have the ability to walk unscathed through life without these trials to test and strengthen us.

In this great trust and confidence we find that ability to accept any challenge without losing faith. We learn to smile in the middle of pain and sorrow. We gain a mature perspective of life and are able to weather the storms without shifting course.

In fact, the more we trust God, the more we become like Him. When we are fully trusting in the Lord and walking in His Spirit, love blossoms effortlessly and is not crushed by disappointment (because our hope is in God alone and He never disappoints). Joy flows out of us in rivers that are not stopped by circumstance (because God is bigger than my circumstance). Patience...here's the fun part....patient endurance gives birth to greater patient endurance which paves the way for greater acts of God to be worked in us! Gentleness comes naturally because we stop striving to survive. Goodness develops because, of course, we become like what we look at constantly. Faith rises in greater measure because we see the mighty works of God on an hourly basis. Meekness arrives as well, because trials also humble us - they expose the weakness and flaws of the old man so we are motivated to crucify him and live, instead, in Christ. Self-control, too, comes in trials as we learn to bring every emotion and reaction in check and fully possess this soul of ours to bring it under the Lordship of Christ in His ways.

Trials work patience. Patience work godly maturity. Enduring in trials stamps us indelibly with the character of Christ. THAT is both the reason and the means to count trials a joy.

Oh, God, where are you now?

Have you ever wondered where He is in certain situations? How He could possibly be working THIS together for your good? Wondered why you are lonely – the only one left out, forgotten, not fulfilling your dreams?

David did too.

Long before he was king he was lonely.

In fact, it was his loneliness that prepared him to be king.

Why did the Lord take David through all He did – humble beginnings, great adversity, being hounded by a man who hated him? Well, consider David’s predecessor. Saul was a mighty man, a popular man. When it came time to choose a king for Israel, Saul was a perfect candidate. The man was successful, tall, strong, talented….he had it all!

And Saul was never lonely.

And when it came time to make the biggest decisions of his life Saul chose the popular opinion...

…and Saul chose wrong.

David was a man trained by the Lord in solitude, shaped by the Lord in the wilderness, and educated by the Lord in loneliness.

He had no friends to ask opinions of. He had to run to the Lord. When his world fell to pieces he had to cling to God and God alone because there was no one else. When his companions wanted to kill him, he learned where to take refuge.

And when it came time to make his most important decisions, David had a Counselor with perfect wisdom, a Friend to support him, and a God to back him up and he made the right choice.

All because he learned the lessons of loneliness.

When you go through loneliness, think about this. You have the opportunity of a lifetime to seek the Lord in quietness and develop a relationship with Him in this perfect atmosphere where there is nothing or no one else to steal your focus.

Don’t be discouraged by loneliness. Consider how God has always taken His special friends and put them in a place where they could only look at Him.

He thinks you’re special and wants one-on-one time with just you.

I Am Christian

I have made a decision…

My life is hid with Christ. Old things have passed away, all things are new.

I have put my hand to the plow. I will not look back. Sin has no attraction, death has lost its grip, and Hell has no claim on me. I have been bought with a price, purchased for a purpose, commissioned with authority. I have a new identity; I am Christian.

My feet are set on the straight and narrow, my face is turned to heaven, my eyes are focused on my Lord, and my heart impassioned by His cause. I cannot be distracted, dissuaded, deterred, discourage, or daunted because I have a cause. I am Christian.

I am a soldier in the Army of God pledged to protect my comrades, dedicated to advance the Kingdom of the Most High. God is my Commander-In-Chief; souls are my mission; holiness, my armor; Scripture, my weapon; the high praises of God, my war cry; and prayer, my battlefield. My banner is clear; I am Christian.

I will not flirt with temptation, play with sin, or mess with compromise. I am not a fence-rider, a people pleaser, or a yes-man. I don’t go with the flow or run with the in-crowd. I am not everybody else, I am Christian.

The devil can’t mess with me, culture can’t stop me, the world can’t conform me, temptation can’t confuse me, vice can’t deflate me, failure can’t divert me, and all the powers of Hell cannot prevent me. It’s not that I am a survivor; it’s that I am Christian.

I will live my life to the fullest. I will go where God leads me, I will say what He tells me, I will do as He’s shown me. If He asks for everything I own, I will count it a commendable sacrifice. If men mock me, I will consider myself blessed. If I lose my reputation, it will be well worth it. If I die for the cause of Christ, I will deem it the highest honor. Though He slay me still I will praise Him. It is what I do because I Am Christian.

I look forward to daring what only the bravest have done. I walk in the footsteps of giants of the faith. I am surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses. I will learn from their examples, I will be inspired by their courage, I will remember their wisdom, I will reap where they have sown. I will live worthy of the title bestowed upon me. As they were Christians so I am Christian.

I do not fight for nothing; I strive for the highest calling. I look to a city whose Builder and Maker is God. I run to win. I live my life so far out that it will be found again in life eternal. At the end of it all, when it comes time to give account for my life, I long to hear, “Well done, good and faithful servant” as my Master approves.

This is my life.

I am Christian.

Copyright 2010 Lisa Fox

Soliloquy on the Shepherd

I had someone tell me once that I was simply a blind sheep because I was a Christian. He was confused when I smiled and agreed with him...but allow me to explain...

I read Psalm 23 and I understand that the Lord is my shepherd, my caregiver. Because it is Him, and no one else, that cares for me and because every perfect gift comes out of His hand I can be assured that I will not lack any good thing as long as I remain within His fold.

My shepherd owns a thousand green hills of wonderful pastureland in which I can rest comfortably knowing it is where I belong. I have a place, a home, and a Master. I am well within the set boundaries, so no one may dare take me away from the One who holds my heart.

This shepherd of mine takes the wild streams of everyday life and He breaks into the chaos to design a quiet pool. For a time the world is put on hold and I can drink from the peaceful calm of His Presence and be refreshed.

My mind is renewed with His Words, my heart and emotions are restored by His love, and my will is realigned with His as I sit at His feet. My soul is restored to the way He originally intended it.

He leads me along a straight path, patiently, walking beside me though my walk is slow and stumbling simply because that is Who He is.

Even in the darkest trial when night won't turn to day and my faith is tested to it's limit, still I will not fear because He has never left me nor will He ever. He is my rear guard and my forward motion and nothing can take me from His grasp.
I am comforted in both His guidance and correction because they proclaim to me how much He loves me. I know I am a child of God, because He treats me as only a Father would.

I brought nothing to the table, yet I feast like a king in the presence of my worst enemies. What my enemy sought to harm me with proved to be the downfall of his reign.

I no longer call My shepherd simply "Master" because He has anointed me with the title of Child and Heir. I can ask for nothing more than this. I am content because already I am overflowing with the blessing...and still He adds more.

I awake in the new mercies of my Shepherd every morning, and in every step I observe His goodness surrounding me.
Why would I leave this flock where I have found my very life? I can think of no reason good enough, so here I will dwell, within His House, among His own, basking in the joys of belonging forever and ever.