Have you been keeping a holy Lent? You might ask, “What does that even mean?” Is your focus upon Christ even as the grocery stores fill up with rabbits, candy, chickens and baskets? Next we will likely see Reese’s peanut butter egg advertisements on television!
Christ Church Anglican notes: “The Season of Lent is a time of fasting, penance, prayer, and worship. Lent is all about disruptions. These disruptions, however, have a holy purpose. They are aids to help us prepare our hearts for the celebration of Jesus’ resurrection. Lent is not about earning our salvation or proving something to God or others. Instead, Lent is a season of heart renovation. Lent begins on Ash Wednesday and ends at sundown on Holy Saturday. By the time we get to Easter, we are often drawn closer in our relationship with God, our faith encouraged, and the sins we have been wrestling with have been cast off.”
“Lent is a season of heart renovation.” Remember during the pandemic how people worked on their homes? Bought up the wood and other hardware store items and went to work on their dream project? How about renovations in your heart? Have you spent time during Lent asking the LORD to help renovate your heart?
And I will give them one heart, and a new spirit I will put within them. I will remove the heart of stone from their flesh and give them a heart of flesh,
All those references saying the same thing. This is the plan God has for heart renovation! How is the plan working in your personal heart?
For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my laws into their minds, and write them on their hearts, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.
Hebrews 8:10 ESV
He has written His laws into our minds. Are our minds quiet enough to hear those laws? Can you discern His voice among the sounds that bombard your brain? Do you seek out quiet to listen for His voice? Can you read the laws written into your mind or is your mind covered with the graffiti of the world?
He has written His laws on our hearts? What about that? Is you heart like the walls of an old house, needing scrubbing or a new surface so the writing is clarified? Can you imagine your heart with the product called chalkboard paint? “Chalkboard paint is a specialized paint that creates a chalkboard like coating that can be utilized as a writing surface in the same manner as a traditional chalkboard or blackboard.” Wikipedia
Instead of a grocery list imagine the LORD writing His laws and messages to you there!
“I love you with an everlasting love.”
“In all you do and say, do it as unto Me.”
“Seek my face.”
“In returning and rest you are saved; in quietness and trust is your strength.”
“I will be with you always.”
“Love Me with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, all your strength.”
“My grace is sufficient for you.”
“In everything give thanks.”
“I have given you everything needed for a life of godliness.”
Can you imagine running into the room each day to see if something new had been written on your walls? You can do that now. Truly you can do that right now by choosing to be with Him and yielding you heart to Him.
So how is your heart renovation going during Lent 2023? It is never too late to begin. God is patient and kind. He is not willing that any should perish.
The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some think of slowness, but is patient with you, not wanting any to perish, but all to come to repentance.
2 Peter 3:9 RSV
I urge you to examine your heart. Ask Him if there are renovations to be done? Pray for His help in getting those underway and completed. Completed for this season. For you see, there is always more we can do to become like Jesus before we enter into our eternal reward. If God had told me everything I needed to change and asked for that all at once I would not have survived the request.
The LORD is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in love.
The quote below is from a novel I read recently. The wisdom of the LORD seems to show up in so many places!
The battle’s in here.’ Sunni tapped a finger against Jonah’s temple as he pushed himself upright on the bench. ‘Pain’s just your body’s way of telling you something’s wrong. It’s how you deal with it that matters.’ It was just hard to believe that when it hurt so much.
The Lost by Simon Beckett
The novelist knows that our biggest battle is between our ears. Whether it is bodily pain or the facts of life. Struggling with physical pain can be especially difficult. We can get lost in the facts and rumors and dismal dashing of hopes. What does the New Testament say about that?
… for the weapons of our warfare are not merely human, but they have divine power to destroy strongholds. We destroy arguments 5 and every proud obstacle raised up against the knowledge of God, and we take every thought captive to obey Christ.
2 Corinthians 10:4-5 NRSV
We have the power to take every one of our thoughts captive to obey Christ. Are we using that power to His glory and for our well-being? Yes, it is a big job, but we are given what we need to accomplish it.
In my experience if I am willing to use the weapons given me to take every thought captive to obey Christ the experience can be like falling dominoes (or that series that Dan likes so much where one action causes other actions., Gabe somebody?)
Nope, I found it!
Wikipedia says: “Reuben Garrett Lucius Goldberg (July 4, 1883 – December 7, 1970), known best as Rube Goldberg, was an American cartoonist, sculptor, author, engineer, and inventor.
Goldberg is best known for his popular cartoons depicting complicated gadgets performing simple tasks in indirect, convoluted ways. The cartoons led to the expression “Rube Goldberg machines” to describe similar gadgets and processes.”
I take a negative or disquieting thought into the Light of Christ. Jesus, the Spirit of Truth, shines His light upon the thought. It can no longer hold darkness of untruth. That makes a whole sequence of things predicated upon that thought to come to the Light of Christ and be made captive unto Him. My thoughts change as each is taken captive. Maybe oversimplification, but I hope you get the idea.
Here is a Rube Goldberg video to illustrate how things can pass.
So what thought holds you captive? Are you willing to take it captive through the weapons of warfare you have been given? Do you want to see the sequence it controls fall to the LORD?
This was supposed to post last week, but obvious I did something wrong because it did not post?!?!
There is another Scriptural reference to foothold. Here is a teaching about it. Green print is quote and blue print is Scripture.
The most common use of the word foothold today is as a place or thing that will support a climber’s foot or as a secure starting position from which further advance can be made. In biblical Greek it can refer to a spot, place, location, room, home, position, tract, occasion, opportunity, locality, region, or condition.
Paul gave us insight into how Satan might establish a foothold in our thinking from which further advancement towards hindering our walk can be made. He says:
“In your anger do not sin”: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold. (Ephesians 4:26-27)
In these verses Paul warns us to quickly forgive an offense so that retained anger does not turn into bitterness, because bitterness (long-held unforgiveness) gives Satan a “foot up” in our thought life. It can give him a platform that will support further incursions into our thought life.
See the website above for a more thorough teaching.
Long-held unforgiveness creates a foothold and stronghold…. how is your hold upon Scripture? “In your anger do not sin..do not give the devil a foothold.” I am familiar with a woman that many folks are having difficulty understanding. Seems she has a rather violent and shocking verbal temper that does not always show. Something has happened to make her this way. Perhaps an unwillingness to be angry but sin not? God reads hearts and He is the only One who knows for certain.
Previously I focused on creating a foothold for the Gospel to take root. What about a foothold for evil? Do you have unforgiven anger towards someone or a situation? Do you find your walk with Christ full of boulders and slippery areas that keep you stumbling and even falling? Perhaps it is time to ask the LORD to help you uncover those areas and deal with them in the Light of His love and power?
By refusing to forgive we make our lives difficult and bring more trouble than we need have into our existence. If we practice this relentless anger for decades we create chasms as deep as the southwest Grand Canyon. Then we come to the edge, thinking we can simply step over and the eroded area surprises us. There are so many times when we plainly do not know ourselves and the difficulties we have created in our own lives. Jesus is a bridge builder. He can show us how to release that unforgiveness and build a bridge into His arms of love.
A foothold can become a ladder towards the kingdom of darkness. Do you recognize the footholds you have created? Are you willing to let the LORD destroy those footholds and show you the way into His life?
Turn to the One who loves you best and loves you the most! He is able to do marvelous things!
giving thanks to the Father, who has enabled you to share in the saints’ inheritance in the light. 13 He has rescued us from the domain of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of the Son He loves. 14 We have redemption, the forgiveness of sins, in Him.
St. Francis de Sales said: “Be patient with everyone but especially yourself. Start all over again every day.”
I came across this quote and was instantly touched. I know little about Catholic saints. I do know the Benedictines also say, “Always we begin again.” The Buddhists encourage beginners mind: Beginner’s mind is a Buddhist practice that encourages approaching activities with an open mind, allowing you to more fully enjoy and appreciate the present moment.”
I fail so often, especially in my goals as a Type 2 diabetic. Yet here is an old saint encouraging me to try again as this is how life is. So today I will try to limit my carbohydrate portions. I will ask the LORD to help me. I will yield to His instructions. I will again offer myself to God as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable in His sight which is my spiritual worship. Romans 12:1-2 paraphrased.
And what about you? Was yesterday lousy? This is a time to start all over again. Was yesterday terrific? You must still face this day as a fresh beginning or you might set yourself up for disappointment!
Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. 23 They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.
Lamentations 3:22-23 NIV
And I am so grateful for those compassions that are NEW every morning. I am not consumed by my failures. Grace and compassion for each new day. LORD, help me honor You by my behaviors and eating habits. May all glory be Yours LORD Christ.
Often the novels I read influence my thinking and I quote them to you. Here is one I finished recently.
Her eyes scanned the horizon. “It’s so peaceful; makes you feel close to God. It makes it hard to believe anything bad can happen in a world so beautiful or that humans could harm other humans.”
Scraps of Paper novel by K M Griffith
I can hardly stand national news anymore. Even local news reports all the violence and harm people do to one another. No matter how I pray murders will continue. Guns are everywhere except our home. Violence that I could not tolerate on television 30 years ago is now in almost every major city and certainly on every television channel.
It is not going to stop. I am not afraid. I am sad over the state of American affairs.
“Evil does have a face. Unfortunately, sometimes it’s human. You talk about the innocence of nature, yet it’s the absence of man which makes nature so beautifully pure. That’s why I love being out here among the trees, water and sky, just like you.”
Her pain had become a silent shadow, constantly there.
She wanted to fall in love again. She wanted to be alive again. Because life was short, precious, and a person had to live it every moment. Every moment they had.
Scraps of Paper by K M Griffith
I saw a friend over the weekend. He does not own a television. I find that a challenging thought. I wonder if we could just not turn ours on for a full week? No news. No violent TV shows. None of that? I would like to try that. We mostly watch TV in the evening. There would be more time for sewing. If I am too tired to sew, there would be more time for prayer and reading. Or perhaps just go to bed earlier?
Griffith wrote that “life was short, precious and had to be lived every moment.” I wonder how much we are NOT living those moments by numbing them with television? The constant recital of violence and mass shootings and on and on.
Many people blame the violence on the political arena where disrespect and ugly words have been allowed to flourish in recent years. Then there are social media forums where those same ugly words seem to appear. No one says thank you or job well done, just blah, blah blah of criticism and discontent. There is not a place where it seems people can have a discussion without tempers flaring and words of insult and belittlement flying.
I now rarely go on Facebook. I am seriously considering fasting from television, too. Do you think you could do it?
Many months ago I set the alarm on my watch to ring every afternoon at 3:20. I use the reminder to help me stop and praise the LORD. Sometimes I am reminded to go listen to the John Eldredge Pause for the Resilient study. Though not necessarily worded in prayer form they are things I am grateful for!
Here are a few recent results.
1. Reminded me to listen to Resilient Pause for the evening of whatever date the calendar reads. Always draws me closer to God.
2. Rejoice as Bob and I take a ride in the sunshine enjoying the old houses and getting along sweetly. Many people my age are widows. I am still with Bob.
3. Thank God for the strength to brush the beagle (who sheds and sheds) and also clean up the leaves from the front door area after the wind storms we’ve been having.
4. Sitting listening to music and so pleased to be sewing Swedish embroidery for towel edging. Prayed a blessing over the edging for whoever I gift it to.
5. Walking at Hocking Hills with Bob.
6. Sleeping through the alarm very tired after a walk at Hocking Hills 🙂
7. Holding twin baby girls – alternating with Bob.
How would an afternoon timer turn your attention to God? What would you find yourself grateful for at the time? I chose a time that I knew I might be oblivious to God with me. What time are you immersed in the world and needing a reminder to turn your heart and mind to Him? Maybe you could hum a Christian song when it rings and turn your heart to Him that way?
If your watch has an alarm on it you might want to try this for one week and draw yourself out of this world and towards the next!
“Blessed are you, O Lord our God, King of the universe, who brings forth bread from the earth.”
Matthew 26:26
Washington National Cathedral
You can take this prayer and fill in anything you want to pray instead of ‘who brings forth bread from the earth.’ I do not worry about changing this Scripture, but I take this as a launching pad for prayer. What better way to interrupt your distraction by things of the world than “Blessed are You, O Lord our God, King of the universe … who draws my attention to Yourself?”
Several years ago I read the above mentioned book. It opened my eyes to several things about myself. I grew up in an alcoholic family. They said before his death my dad was “a heavy drinker.” In AA that is called an alcoholic. He died when I was eleven so we will never know for certain. My mother, on the the other hand, was described to me as ‘a full-blown alcoholic before I was born.’
As a child I was oblivious to most of this though there are some memories of bad behavior due to alcohol. Mostly I remember being disappointed over and over and over again. I was raised with a heavy dose of criticism and inconsistent rules. My mother’s memory would waver different ways. Things she told me when drunk she often would not remember when sober, and vice versa.
“Yes, you may do so and so,” turned into “I never told you that! Where do you get these things?” It was no use trying to jog her memory. I usually did not even try.
Many, many years later, reading the quote below brought some insight and healing.
“Disappointment is like dream defibrillation. If we respond the right way, disappointment can actually restore our prayer rhythm and resurrect our dreams.”
Mark Batterson, The Circle Maker
American Heritage Dictionary gives this definition: “A defibrillator delivers a controlled electric shock to restore lack of coordination of the contraction of muscle tissue of the large chambers of the heart.”
After living with so much misunderstanding. disappointment and confusion my heart did not have a steady beat to believe in myself or my own sanity. I left home often wondering if I was nuts or was it just ‘them’.
I had dreams of wanting to be a writer, wanting to serve God, entertained ideas of being a school teacher, getting married, having children, etc. I also left home KNOWING I did not want to raise kids like I was raised. I was determined to do things differently. When I met Robert Dutina we were literally in love at first sight. We were both tired of playing the dating game. Basically our theme was “This is who I am. If you like me, great. If not, no problem. Just move along.”
We were enamored within a few hours. He lived miles away so we only dated on weekends. I did not have a phone. We met in July, got engaged in August and married in September. What has held us together for 52 years? Love, honesty with ourselves and others and determination to do things differently than our parents did!
I do believe that the disappointments of my upbringing spurred me on to find other ways to live. My faith carried me through then and now. Batterson wrote that disappointment is like dream defibrillation. Yes, I so agree. The Lord helped me find my prayer rhythm and resurrected my dreams.
Even if God doesn’t answer the way you want, you still need to praise through. That is when it’s most difficult to praise God, but that is also when our praise is most pure and most pleasing to God.
Circle Maker
Prayer has the power to resurrect dead dreams and give them new life – eternal life. I continue to praise God even though my upbringing was chaotic. I continue to praise even when my children face difficulties. Even as Bob and I face aging challenges,we praise Him for the strength to make it through each day. We praise Him for insight and humor.
Let everything that has breath praise the LORD. Praise the LORD.
now to catch up from being away and breaking the writing rhythm!
Okay – all the charges are entered and the checking account is balanced. Got groceries. Took dog to vet for kennel cough vaccine and as the tech called it Lucky’s “Mani – Pedi!” Oi! Saw my new internist and I really like him. We are going to change some meds and reduce some other ones, so please pray for me as my body adjusts!
The next couple days are booked for me. It will be fun, but on the run and no naps.
No, I have not downloaded or edited my vacation photos yet. But I might as well throw in a few, huh?
Rock face at street corner on the way to Ash Cave. I love the tree shadow lines on the rocks.
I have not gotten accomplished in selfie photos. Below I took one and when I looked at it I told Bob, “Now smile!” and took it again.
Who are these white haired folks?
I will have to ask Ellie for lessons. She is a pro!!
We are not rigid about stopping on the way to any destination when we see something unusual we want to photograph. I saw this young sycamore tree. Bob on the other hand saw this tree growing inside a silo! He stopped and turned around for that shot. I do not have his picture yet.
Ye,s we drove as far around the silo as we could go to make certain it was actually IN the silo! Short of puling into the farmyard, yep, it was growing in there!
I am feeling guilty about not walking very far today! But Lucky still gets two walks today, so maybe I can make up for the lack of steps compared to hiking in a State Park. More Vegetables! More steps! Fewer sweets of any kind!! And Lean HARD upon my LORD.
Last but not least the stream that runs in along and through Old Man’s Cave.
LORD I praise You for times of refreshing.
Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord, 20 and that he may send the Messiah, who has been appointed for you—even Jesus.
I am uncertain when I first read books by Watchman Nee, but he has had an impact upon my walk with Christ. This wise man from China has influenced many with his understanding of life with the Risen Lord. Here is a sight that tells more about his life and suffering for Christ. https://believersportal.com/biography-of-watchman-nee/
In 2017 I copied this quote from Watchman Nee.
“Since we belong to God, Satan intends to frustrate, afflict or suppress us and allow us no foothold. This is his aim, although his aim may not be achieved because we may approach the throne of grace by the precious blood of the Lord Jesus, asking for God’s protection and care.”
From Prayer That Resists Satan by Watchman Nee
That is a long to-do list for our enemy: frustrate, afflict, suppress and allow us NO foothold. Have you experienced these road blocks in your personal life? Whew! To not know frustration in this day and age might be a miracle in itself! Seriously though, would you reflect upon your life with Christ the past 12-14 months? Have you seen a pattern of any of those activities against you? Nee said it is the aim of the enemy to stop or slow your progress with the truth, but his aim may not be achieved because of the Blood of Jesus and God’s protection over us. Would you tailor your prayers to ask God for His protection and open your eyes to see His work in your midst?
The enemy of God wants no place for a foothold where the Gospel may influence life.
Are you making footholds for the Truth to grow?
“Nevertheless, very few Christians consider the third aspect – that of Satan – in their prayer. The aim of a true prayer touches on not just personal gain (sometimes this aspect is not even thought of) but more importantly on the glory of God and the loss of the enemy. They do not reckon their own welfare to be of prime importance. They instead consider their prayer to be highly successful if it will cause Satan to lose and God to be glorified. What they look for in their prayer is the enemy’s loss. Their view is not restricted to their immediate environment but they take as their perspective God’s work and will in the whole world. Yet let me add that this is not to suggest that they only take into account the aspects of God and Satan and entirely forget the personal aspect of prayer. As a matter of fact, when God’s will is done and Satan suffers loss they will unquestionably be profited themselves. The spiritual progress of a saint can therefore be judged by the emphasis to be seen in his prayer.“
From Prayer That Resists Satan by Watchman Nee
Not too many of us reveal the heart of our prayers to others. In fact, it is difficult to get most Christians to pray aloud in a Christian group! But God knows our hearts and He knows our prayers. Maybe you can pray for footholds for the Gospel to be created wherever your feet walk. Then walk as if you intend to offer those footholds to the Lord for His use.
He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.“
Mark 16:15 NIV
And Saint Francis added, “Use words if necessary.”
I know one woman who is extremely negative. I know three others who are so positive I wonder what would happen if I had them all together at once? We might wet our pants laughing and cutting up!
All that reminded me of an excerpt from Streams in The Desert, compiled by Mrs. Chas. Cowman, 1949.
February 9 “He answered her not a word.” MT 15:23 “He will be silent in His love.” ZEPH 3:17
It may be a child of God is reading these words who has had some great crushing sorrow, some bitter disappointment, some heart-breaking blow from a totally unexpected quarter. You are longing for your Master’s voice bidding you “Be of good cheer,” but only silence and a sense of mystery and misery meet you – “He answered her not a word.”
God’s tender heart must often ache listening to all the sad, complaining cries which arise from our weak, impatient hearts, because we do not see that for our own sakes He answers not at all or otherwise than seems best to our tear-blinded, short-sighted eyes.
The silences of Jesus are as eloquent as His speech and may be a sign, not of His disapproval, but of His approval and of a deep purpose of blessing for you.
“Why art thou cast down, O…soul?” Thou shalt yet praise Him, yes, even for His silence. Listen to an old and beautiful story of how one Christian dreamed that she saw three others at prayer. As they knelt the Master drew near to them.
As He approached the first of the three, He bent over her in tenderness and grace, with smiles full of radiant love and spoke to her in accents of purest, sweetest music.
Leaving her, He came to the next, but only placed His hand upon her bowed head, and gave her one look of loving approval.
The third woman He passed almost abruptly without stopping for a word or glance. The woman in her dream said to herself, “How greatly He must love the first one, to the second He gave His approval, but none of the special demonstrations of love He gave the first; and the third must have grieved Him deeply, for He gave her no word at all and not even a passing look.
“I wonder what she has done, and why He made so much difference between them?” As she tried to account for the action of her Lord, He Himself stood by her and said, “O woman! how wrongly hast thou interpreted Me. The first kneeling woman needs all the weight of my tenderness and care to keep her feet in My narrow way. She needs My love, thought and help every moment of the day. Without it she would fail and fall.
“The second has stronger faith and deeper love, and I can trust her to trust Me however things may go and whatever people do.
“The third, whom I seemed not to notice, and even to neglect, has faith and love of the finest quality, and her I am training by quick and drastic processes for the highest and holiest service.
“She knows Me so intimately, and trusts Me so utterly, that she is independent of words or looks or any outward intimation of My approval. She is not dismayed nor discouraged by any circumstances through which I arrange that she shall pass; she trusts Me when sense and reason and every finer instinct of the natural heart would rebel; because she knows that I am working in her for eternity, and that what I do, though she knows not the explanation now, she will understand hereafter.
“I am silent in My love because I love beyond the power of words to express, or of human hearts to understand, and also for your sakes that you may learn to love and trust Me in Spirit-taught, spontaneous response to My love, without the spur of anything outward to call it forth.”
He “will do marvels” if you will learn the mystery of His silence, and praise Him, for every time He withdraws His gifts that you may better know and love the Giver.
Treasures in Plain Sight, A Christian Blog 