Gravity

When I find myself in difficult times, there are moments when it’s hard to stand firm.

I struggle to stay the course because my tendency can sometimes be to fly off the handle.  Freak out.  Worry.  Loose hope.  Buy a ticket on the crazy train.

But in the last few years, I’ve come to appreciate more than ever that God is my gravity.

He’s what keeps me from spinning out in a million different directions.

God keeps my feet planted in hope.

But to be honest, He wasn’t always my glue.  As a matter of fact, there have been a million other things I’ve tried to keep me grounded, like…

• Men
• Friends
• Food
• Shopping
• Denial

But eventually, they lost their ability to hold me.  They could no longer comfort me.  They proved to be a short-term fix.

But God’s hold has never lost its grip.

His hands hold with a gentle strength.

His love is a powerful force.

He roots us in hope.

When the doctor walked into the exam room and shared that cancer had been found, my head began to spin.  I could feel the stirring of unbelief and fear and distress.  To make matters worse, my kids were sitting in the waiting room excited that our next stop was Dairy Queen.

At that moment in December of 2009, I had nothing to hold on to except God.

Scriptures about how His plans were to prosper me and not harm me… verses about how God will never leave me… passages about being strong and courageous filled my head.

Sitting alone on that exam table, I chose to believe that God really was who He said He was.  And that He would do what He said He would do.

Even in all my confusion… even in all my fear… even with all my questions… regardless of the outcome… I decided God was going to be my gravity.

Sisters, the cancer wasn’t found in the exploratory surgery.  The follow-up pathology reports were clean.  As quickly as the word “cancer” came into my life… it left.

But God’s grip was constant.

He comforted me during that time.  He constantly brought His words to mind.  He held me so tightly that I was able to walk through the storm with integrity and faith.

God was my gravity.

When you cling to God during your struggles… when you chose to believe His promises… when you agree to trust Him no matter what… when you saturate yourself in His word… when you submit yourself to Him in prayer…

… He will be your gravity, too.

Where in life do you need God to keep you grounded?

©2011 careyscotttalks.com

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He’ll Strengthen Your Borders

I’m a visual learner.

Because of that, when I get a mental “picture” in my head I’m able to learn something easier… and it usually sticks with me longer.  I wonder if you’re the same way.  Yes?  Cool.  I have quite a visual to share with you then.

As Wayne and I were struggling early in our marriage, a counselor gave me this image that has never left my mind.  He said, “Understand that Satan’s objective is to destroy you and all you stand for, so realize that he is continually walking the perimeter of your marriage looking for a way to get in.“

Wow.  That creeps me out even now.

But as I chewed on that comment for a while, it resonated.  I could see, in my mind’s eye, Satan literally walking around the borders of my marriage, trying to find its weak points and breaking through… with the explicit goal of destroying it.   At that point in our marriage, there were so many “weak” points he hardly had to walk far to find one.

Later, I ran across this verse and it added to that mental picture.  Psalm 94:22 reads “But the LORD has become my fortress, and my God the rock in whom I take refuge.”

This scripture convinced me that since I was a Christ-follower, God was now my fortress.  Because I had accepted His gift of salvation, I had access to His protective, rock-hard walls in every area of my life.   And believe me… there is nothing stronger than God as your fortress and rock.

You see, He strengthens our flimsy, ineffective, human attempts at creating our own safety perimeters by reinforcing them… with Him.  He is our divine protection.

Friends, where do you need Him to be your fortress today?

1. In your marriage where there is so much pain and heartbreak?
2. In your parenting skills because you are always at the end of your rope?
3. In some other significant relationship where tension is running high?
4. In your attitude which is poisoning your entire life?
5. With some addiction that you can’t seem to overcome?
6. In staying with that resolution that is getting harder and hard to keep?

Stop right now pray.

Express your need for God to become your strong fortress.  Confess you can’t do it yourself any longer.  Ask Him to protect those situations and relationships that are failing under your own strength.  Share your desire to take refuge in Him… and submit to His authority and protection.

Then… rest in Him and let Him strengthen your borders.

I encourage you to allow God to be the fortress in your life, so when the Evil One walks up and sees your divine protection… he runs away with his pitchfork tucked between his legs.

©2010 careyscotttalks.com

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Let Your Church Arise!

Have you heard that song by Casting Crowns called “If We’ve Ever Needed You.“  The chorus goes like this:

If we’ve ever needed You… Lord, it’s now, Lord, it’s now
We are desperate for Your hand… We’re reaching out, we’re reaching out

All our hearts, all our strength… With all our minds, we’re at Your feet
May Your kingdom come in our hearts and lives… Let Your church arise, let Your church arise

Don’t these words speak directly into your Spirit?  Yea… me, too.  Sometimes I just sit and cry when this song comes on because it is so real and so right on target.

If we ever did need Him… it IS now.  Hardships just seems to be everywhere lately.  I’ve seen my friends and family dealing with tough issues…

• A dear friend lost her father this past weekend
• My family continues to deal with a mammoth betrayal from within
• Someone is dealing with a brother wrestling with suicidal thoughts
• A job was lost by someone I deeply care for
• My co-worker’s sister died young and unexpectedly
• A family is watching their infant child die because no one can determine what disease is claiming her life

And since we are Christ-followers, it’s only going to get tougher because we are dealing with a real enemy who hates us and is out to destroy us.

Ephesians 6:12 explains who.  It reads, “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.”

We are dealing with evil… plain and simple.

Look back at those lyrics in orange and notice the last line.  “Let Your church arise.  Let Your church arise.“  Oh how I love those words.  Friends… WE are the church.   WE need to arise!

The definition of “arise” means “to awaken and get up.”

Might I humbly suggest that the church, for the most part, has been asleep as these lyrics suggest.  Would anyone disagree that we need to corporately wake up… get up… and stand up against the evil of this world.  For too long, we’ve lived in comfort.  For the most part, we’ve served in areas that we are comfortable in.  When we’ve seen evil, we tend to be passive in response because we’ve developed a certain level of tolerance to it.

Ouch.  I’m guilty.  You, too?

Friends… for Heaven’s sakes… wake up!  We need to raise the bar.  Send the clear message that certain things are not acceptable.  If not us… then who?  Here’s what I mean:

• Stop watching that television show that pushes the moral limit
• Monitor the music you and your kids listen to (whatever goes in… eventually comes out)
• Watch your words (harsh ones, curse ones, guilt-producing ones, gossip ones, and the like)
• Quit being so concerned with what the world finds impressive and valuable
• Fight for your family and friends when you see them heading down the wrong path
• Serve where it’s hard to serve
• Take advantage of every opportunity to help a friend whenever possible
• Get out of the rat race… you won’t win
• Stop judging others
• Answer that call on your life
• Study the Word of God… it is YOUR sword
• Pray, pray, pray

You’ve been too quiet.  I know you’ve got something to share.  Why not reply to this post and tell me how you are going to “arise.”

We… are… the… church.  Let’s prove it.

©2010 careyscotttalks.com

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Shortcuts, Deals and Discounts

I am always looking for a deal.  A shortcut.  A discount.  My husband loves it because I’m very conscientious about how I spend my our money.

To be honest, I actually really enjoy seeing what kind of deal I can get through coupons, secret sales, b-day month discounts, etc.  I love finding the cheapest ways to go on vacation.  I look for ways to streamline my day or my errands so things don’t take as long.

I’m all about shortcuts, deals and discounts.  Freaky, I know.

But there’s one place I can’t implement these kinds of strategies because they don’t work for me.  It’s my relationship with God.  Unless I put in the time and the effort with Him… the relationship goes south, and quick.

Is it the same for you?

When you cheat God and your relationship with Him, you may find:

• that you don’t hear Him like you used too
• you’re unsure what His will for your life is
• that you live “in” your circumstances rather than “above” them
• a lack of grace for others
• an increase in anger, bitterness and frustration

You see, we have to invest our heart, time, effort and energy with Him.  But I know us.  And sometimes we look for ways to get the “benefits” of the relationship without actually giving it the “time” it needs.  When we do that… we are setting ourselves up for disappointment and distance.

Last week, I had coffee with a friend who was sharing her frustration with God, saying that He was not speaking to her regarding a specific situation.  She had been fasting and was not “hearing” Him at all.  She was beside herself angry because she couldn’t understand why.

I couldn’t either!  This friend is a Godly woman who loves God… so I was concerned and decided to pry a little.  I asked her what she was doing to try and “hear” Him… essentially asking her what time and effort she was putting into their relationship.  I asked…

• “Have you been reading your Bible, looking for some words from Him?”  She replied, “No.”
• “Have you spent time listening to podcasts or CDs or DVDs seeing if He would provide an answer that way?”  “No,” she said.
• “What about your prayer time?  What has he showed you through that?“  “Nothing.  I’m not praying to Him because I am mad.“

I’m not surprised she wasn’t hearing a thing.  She thought by the act of fasting, God would answer her.  In her poorly planned strategy to receive God’s answer, she had left out one very important part…

… a sweet and rich relationship with her Heavenly Father.

My friend was looking for a deal.  She deliberately took a shortcut rather than wholeheartedly looking for God’s answer through time with Him.  And she admitted hoping for a “family” discount just because she was His.

It rarely works that way.

Deuteronomy 6:5 tells us that we have to invest all we have.  The verse says, “Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.” (emphasis mine)

Feeling distant?  Ask God to show you where your being “thrifty” in your relationship with Him.

He wants all of us.

©2010 careyscotttalks.com

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Do You Embrace Change?

Change is in the air… I can feel it!  And you know why?  School starts tomorrow!!

It’s the end of late nights and sleeping in the next morning.  It’s the end of pool days and slip-n-slides.  It’s the end of flip-flops and halter tops.

Thank… you… Jesus! 

As much as I love my kids, this is a change that I look forward to… you, too?  We have exhausted ourselves and are able to mark everything off our summer “to-do” list… and now it’s time to get back to the routine.

I like routines.  There is something about predictability that settles my nerves.  I appreciate my calendar being neat and tidy rather than scribbled with random activities.  Yes, I happily embrace this kind change.

But there are some changes that are not as… appealing.

For example, when God calls us out of personal comfort zones and into change… we’re not always so eager to embrace it.  We may even find that it paralyzes or traumatizes us.  We may ignore the call.  We might even throw a fit and fight it tooth and nail.

But the truth is that when we are presented with change, it’s a perfectly orchestrated opportunity to trust Him more.   In fact, if we go with it… we’re gonna come out better on the other end.

What is God changing in your life?  Are you being called:

• from corporate America to full-time ministry?
• to adopt a child when you thought those child-rearing days were over?
• to step out of a life-draining addiction… something you hold close?
• out of an abusive relationship?
• to sacrificial giving… an amount that seems too big?

Look.  What we have in common through the generations is that we all face change.  The Bible gives us rich examples of how “change” literally “changed” people and situations for the better.

1. We see an example of a career change when Paul (then Saul) went from a life of killing Christians to a call to lead them… and became a missionary apostle focused on spreading the Good News to Gentiles. (read Acts 9)
2. We see an example of a life-altering change from Job who went from being a wealthy man in both family and possessions to a man with nothing… but his faith was proved authentic and his story is a source of comfort for many. (read book of Job)
3. We see an example of a lifestyle change with Sarah and Abraham who went through life with no son and at a ripe old age (90 and 100, respectively) conceived and gave birth to Isaac… one of three patriarchs of the Jewish people. (read Genesis 21 and 22)

Be it yesterday or today… there is one thing you can be sure of in this life.  Change.

Here is your homework:

1. Make a list of the area(s) in your life where you see change… either happening now or on the horizon.
2. Write down what you feel God is moving you “from” and where you feel He is moving you “to.”
3. Pray for God to prepare your heart to embrace the change.
4. Resolve to be part of the process rather than part of the problem.

Friends, when change comes… trust that when God is involved in it… it’s always for the better!

© 2010 careyscotttalks.com

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Shut Our Mouths And Pray

I read The Power of the Praying Wife a long time ago… and one concept has stuck in mind to this day.

It’s this:  “Shut my mouth and pray about it.“

Now I’m pretty sure the author said it in a much sweeter and more politically correct manner, but that’s how I heard it.  So, I’m gonna go with it.

Here is what she meant by that statement.  In the book, she was telling us that sometimes the best thing we can do is keep our mouths closed.  Easier said than done, eh?  This, she said, is better than riding our husbands about things we’re wanting to see done or changed.  Not that I follow it all the time, but I do agree with her advice.

But you know what?  I think that advice is solid for all sorts of relationships.  Many times, the best thing we can do is… zip it and lift it. 

So why don’t we?  I’d like to suggest that maybe it’s because we have a hard time trusting in the power of prayer.  We think, “why sit around and hope for God to step in and remedy a situation when we’re all education adults?”  Am I right?

You see, in our little flawed minds, we think we know just how to handle things… so we try time-tested tactics like:

• Guilt
• Manipulation
• Shame
• Nagging
• Anger

So let’s test these… tactics.  Here are a few questions for you to consider…

1. Does your husband respond favorably when you nag him to take the trash out and pick up his clothes?
2. Does yelling at the kids to pick up their stuff make them want to hug and love on you more?
3. Do your friendships flourish when you guilt them into being at your side through difficult times?
4. Does manipulating people and situations – so you get your way in the end – help you win friends and influence others?

Probably not.  So, why not pray instead?  Maybe it’s because you don’t really believe God will answer your plea.  But in Matthew 21:21 Jesus replied, “If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.“

Wait!  This statement is not a blank check for you write in what you want.  Don’t read it as a guarantee to get your way… because it’s not.  God would never agree to anything that might hurt us or others.

But when we want to see some changes, this verse tells us to pray about it.

Now here is the cool part!  The closer we get to Him and the more we rely on Him… the more we align with His will for us.  So maybe instead of the 4 scenarios above, we could pray and it would look something more like this:

“Lord, help me to love my husband… trash, laundry and all.”

“Father, help me give my kids helpful instructions with love rather than anger.”

“God, remind me to look to you for comfort in tough times rather than to put the whole burden on my family and friends.”

“Lord, help me keep my motives selfless rather than selfish.”

Let’s put this concept to the test.  Find an accountability partner and for the next week… shut your mouth and pray instead.  By doing so, I bet you’ll help keep the peace in your relationships and become closer to our Creator.

Let me know how it goes. 

© 2010 careyscotttalks.com

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Guard Your Heart

In the book of Proverbs, Solomon tells us to guard our heart.  Have you ever wondered what that means and why it’s important?

To understand exactly what “guarding your heart” means, it may be helpful to read it in a few different translations.  Read Proverbs 4:23 in the…

• NIV… “Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.”
• Good News… “Be careful how you think; your life is shaped by your thoughts.”
• ICB (International Children’s Bible)…  “Be very careful about what you think. Your thoughts run your life.”

First we have to understand that when Scripture speaks about the heart, it is speaking of your “thought life.”  I sometimes refer to the heart and the mind as two separate things… and of course physically they are.  But I guarantee whatever I think about, I feel one way or another in my heart… and whatever I feel in my heart, affects my thoughts.

They go hand-in-hand.

So when we are told to “guard our hearts,” we’re being told to closely monitor what we allow in.  We need to make sure our affections and desires lead us down the right paths… in the right direction… and not distract us on detours that could lead us into sin.

Your heart is like a reservoir and what comes out of it determines the quality and the character of your spiritual life.  If your heart is defiled, it will have consequences in your behavior, your speech, your attitudes, and every area of life.

Confused?  Well let’s think about it…

• Every word that comes out of our mouth starts in our heart
• All of our actions and choices are driven by the desires of the heart.

So, what you think about… the ideas you entertain in the privacy of your own imagination… and the actions that come from them shows the true barometer of your spiritual character.  Hence the advice to guard our heart!

Also consider that the word “guard” is an active word.  There is nothing passive about it.  It’s intentional and deliberate.  And no one can do it for us.

Listen, when we guard our hearts (our minds) from the world and fill it instead with Him, we will live our spiritual lives healthy and abundantly.  However, when we allow perverse or unrighteous things to penetrate our hearts (our minds), we live at odds with God and His purpose for our lives.  It’s that simple.

Be on guard!  Hey, I’m not a prude (trust me)… but I do caution you to:

• Be careful what movies and shows you watch
• Be careful what music you listen to (Big Hair 80′s bands not included) 
• Be careful what books and magazines you read
• Be careful where you let your mind wander
• Be careful to not harbor resentment, bitterness, anger, or the like

Be careful to not get too caught up in the things of this world, because life can bring us down and our hope and joy and thoughts, too.

• I know politics are frustrating… Guard your heart
• I understand your in-laws are psycho… Guard your heart
• I get that your boss makes you want to stick a pencil in your eye… Guard your heart
• I know finances are tight… Guard your heart

Pray for an eternal perspective to help you guard your heart… above all else!

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