Devote yourselves to prayer, keeping alert in it with an attitude of thanksgiving. Col. 4:2

Friday, August 30, 2013

Idol Lies by Dee Brestin-The Role of Music Making our Hearts ready

Dee advised to each day prepare our hearts for study through music and prayer.

I always equated music as a distraction to study but I tried it today. I went to Pandora free radio and picked hymns for praise.  It truly did a better job of preparing my heart than than through prayer alone. How? It caused me to focus my emotions and heart to praise and worship God and that's the best place to start for God to work in our hearts.  This is the hymn that expresses what I'm asking the Lord to do in my life through this study.
  1. Open my eyes, that I may see
    Glimpses of truth Thou hast for me;
    Place in my hands the wonderful key
    That shall unclasp and set me free.
     
    • Refrain 1:
      Silently now I wait for Thee,
      Ready my God, Thy will to see,
      Open my eyes, illumine me,
      Spirit divine!
  2. Open my ears, that I may hear
    Voices of truth Thou sendest clear;
    And while the wave notes fall on my ear,
    Everything false will disappear.
     
    • Refrain 2:
      Silently now I wait for Thee,
      Ready my God, Thy will to see,
      Open my ears, illumine me,
      Spirit divine!
  3. Open my mouth, and let me bear,
    Gladly the warm truth everywhere;
    Open my heart and let me prepare
    Love with Thy children thus to share.
     
    • Refrain 3:
      Silently now I wait for Thee,
      Ready my God, Thy will to see,
      Open my heart, illumine me,
      Spirit divine!

Indiana Jones and the Idol of Dionysus (the god of indulgence)

(The terrifying adventure of finding and excavating the idol worshipped for centuries)
Day 1
“In other words, before I became aware of my idolatry, I became aware of the symptoms telling me that something was not right.”
Dee (2012-09-11). Idol Lies (p. 4). Worthy Publishing. Kindle Edition.
“Every believer needs to be set free, and it begins with getting past our denial, with seeing what we really idolize, and admitting this to God and to others.”
Dee (2012-09-11). Idol Lies (p. 6). Worthy Publishing. Kindle Edition.
When I step on my bathroom scales, I see the evidence of sin.  Being diagnosed as clinically obese and skyrocketing blood pressure was a wakeup call.  I have worshipped comfort and security and pleasure enough times to put my health at risk and abuse the body God has given me.  And it’s not just food: it’s that comfy couch that I can’t seem to get up from. IT’s that mindless television show that I watch reruns of for hours. It’s a quick fix for the frustration of being in pain and unable to actively join in life with others.   I’ve lost 20 pounds and am now classified as just overweight, (still stings when I say it to myself) yet I still know that idol of pleasure draws me in and has me bowing before it more times than I would like.  I’ve know this for 8 years…but how do I overcome this sin? Counting calories?  Exercise that leaves me hurting and chronically tired? How can I faithfully exercise when I’m in pain and or sick SO much of the times? Are those just excuses? Am I really lying to myself when I stop after 15 minutes, afraid that my hip will hurt so much I won’t be able to sleep that night?  Why can’t I stop this? Why can’t I lose this weight? What’s missing from me? What is wrong with me?
Now what? I don’t indulge as much as I did before, but it’s still lurking in the shadows ready to jump in front of me; it promises fulfillment and excitement, even a quick fix to whatever but never delivers. How do I keep those God given pleasures in their proper place in my life?
Proverbs 28:13 (NASB95)
13He who conceals his transgressions will not prosper, But he who confesses and forsakes them will find compassion.
Father, I’m confessing this before you and to any who read this blog; I am seeking to forsake it. I need your help and enlightenment. (My sisters in Christ, I need your help too.  Please pray for me. Pray for one another.  We are all struggling with something.)
Wanting to obey but feeling discouraged because “want to” doesn’t translate to “did it”. My own self-control just doesn’t work.
Yet a voice in my heart calls out to me to not lose hope, not give up.
Matthew 7:7–8 (NASB95)
7“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 8“For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.”
1 John 5:14–15 (NASB95)
14This is the confidence which we have before Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. 15And if we know that He hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests which we have asked from Him.”
Father, I it is Your will that I worship, serve, praise and focus on You and You alone.  I’m asking you to open my eyes to where I fail to do that. In the name of our Savior, Jesus Christ, Help me to love you with all my heart, my soul and my mind. I pray this too for any who read this, that you would illuminate them to what they put ahead of you and where obedience to you alone can bring the fulfillment they seek in the idols that surround us every day.



Wednesday, August 14, 2013

When Things Don't Turn Out Like We Hoped

     Not being much of a gardener, tomato plants in a pot on my deck seemed like a idea.  So with the weather warming and the calendar saying it was safe to plant, in they went. But as the weeks progressed, the growth was not promising and the blossoms scarce.  Someone suggested that maybe they were root bound so I separated them, and put them in the ground.  By now it was well into June but I still had hope.  Then one day upon examining the plants closer, I noticed that something had been enjoying my transplanted tomato plants for a late night or early morning snack.  Hope was dwindling but I decided to give them one last chance - deer repellent spray and fertilizer - before leaving on vacation for two weeks plus.  Fast forward to the end of July.  Upon our return the plants were markedly bigger and tomatoes markedly absent.  So where did I go?  The Internet, of  course! What did I learn?  I had used the wrong type of fertilizer which gave great plant growth but no fruit. By now, most of you have gotten a good chuckle at my gardening challenged skills.  But guess what I noticed a couple weeks ago?  Many blossoms, and now some small tomatoes have appeared!  Have you noticed that God never wants to waste any experience?   Let's look for some spiritual lessons and ask some questions. Despite our mistakes, setbacks, ignorance, or circumstances over which we have no control, God can still bring fruit from our lives.  It may not be in the timing we want or the way we expect but we can trust the Master Gardener to do His work.  For what do you need to wait on God?  What is happening in your life right now that you didn't expect?  How are you responding? Are you tempted to give up on something or someone?  Do what God shows you to do and then watch the Gardener as He works tenderly, skillfully, and patiently.
What other applications do you see?  Share them with us.