Category Archives: SPIRITUAL INTEREST

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How a Difficult Assignment from God Works

There are times when God has a job for me to do, and I know it is going to be a hard one that I’d rather not do. It starts with a thought that comes to me again and again. An event will happen that forces it to the forefront–and then I know it is time to act and follow through. At that point, I am given a choice. I can embrace what is ahead of me and do the thing, or I can retreat, ignore, or run away from doing it. A serious case of doubt will accompany it, which I have to work through.

It happened to me last week.

A precipitatory event happened. I knew it was time. The expectation formulated. Scripture and devotionals documented the same theme. (God confirms His messages in multiple ways.) I read the book of Ecclesiastes in one sitting as I looked for wisdom to speak to me. And it did. In a notepad I recorded my thoughts in list form. I prayed often and openly. I asked God for direction. I sat in my church’s sanctuary, alone, seeking God, praying for His direction, His words, His understanding. Praying over my list.

And I knew Satan would hound me.

Satan does this whenever you’re serious about stepping out for God. I’ve come to expect it, and know the attack will come without fail. He causes doubt, confusion, and tries to derail the effort. And there was more to consider.

Spiritual assignments done God’s way means that my way must be moved out of the way.

The night before via text messages, I asked four friends–some close to the situation and some not–and my sister to pray for me but not to share the prayer request with others. I gave little information. Wise counsel was given me from two of them. Later, one told me she got on her knees and cried out to God on my behalf in a way she has never done before, weeping the whole time. God hears the cries of His children, and He heard her heartfelt pleas.

I prayed my list, item by item, asking God to show me, yes or no.

But even after hours of seeking, my heart was still not at peace. Doubts surfaced. I didn’t want this task because I was fearful I’d get in the way of it being God’s way. For hours, late into the night, my heart pled with God to show me if what I had prepared was truly what He wanted me to do. I asked Him to stop me from saying anything that was not of Him, for Him to blank my mind. In my own strength I couldn’t do it–I would fail. Pain inhibits us, and I was feeling emotional pain and the hopelessness of the situation.

Tears had been close to the surface for a week.

Memories were surfacing: the time I stood alone in a staff meeting to address an issue that was an unpopular one, that I knew wouldn’t be accepted or liked; the time I shared my testimony in church as I bared my soul, not sure how it would be received or embraced; the time I was in a court-appointed child custody mediation session, where I was intimidated and had to voice that which was in conflict with my peace-maker heart. But this time it was different, and I’d never faced this kind of situation before.

David facing Goliath came to mind.

Shepherd boy David faced a real, living giant. The man was tall, threatening, vulgar; but David knew what giant Goliath didn’t know. God gives the victory. This young man knew another amazing truth, that “the battle belongs to the Lord.” David knew it wasn’t up to him to overtake the giant Philistine who despised him and mocked his people. His God was big enough, and David’s faith was big enough to believe this. “You come with a spear and a sword, but I come in the name of the Lord.” What David did is what you and I do. It is our job to be fully centered in the knowing of this and in the knowing of the holy One who is our strength and our shield.

These words reassured me.

This was God’s deal, not mine, even though it had been troubling me for months. I then proceeded to complete the task God had impressed me to do, asking Him to open an opportunity and prepare receptive hearts. Right in the middle of it Satan attacked me physically, my legs went weak and my throat went dry. He is good at things like that (the last time I spoke at a conference workshop, I became nauseous, the old trickster). God helped me. I sensed His peace and calm and was able to do the hard thing. The Holy Spirit enabled me. And Christ was the message in the middle of it. I left the place physically weary and emotionally spent but with peace and relief that it was done.

To God be the glory.

Sorry I am not at liberty to disclose the particulars nor the outcome to this situation.

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“Stay Beautiful” and Christian Lite

Christian Lite

There are times we need a little uplift.

A Short Story: “Stay Beautiful.”

The day was full of errands, a little of this and a little of that. So I’m entering a busy intersection and will have to stop at a lengthy red light. There he is again, I sigh, with an inescapable groan to myself. The same young man is on the same island, and I will be parked next to him for a few minutes. He knows how to do it well, panhandling with a smile — with a Chihuahua in his arms that has a cute neck-kerchief. I’m third in the row and have the car’s windows down due to my car’s AC being on the blitz.

He’s in his late twenties, has a great smile, black curly hair to his shoulders, black beard, and is dressed casual-messy. He chats with me a little and I mention his pet, he sees I’m not offering any cash but continues to converse with me until a pickup truck pulls up behind me. He smiles at me as he starts to leave and then says, “Stay beautiful” and down the line he goes.

He is friendlier than most, and I find myself smiling at the words he just said to me, “Stay beautiful.” I like them, of course they make me feel beautiful like I’m not in my sixties or in a car that is hotter than the blazes that makes me perspire. The words are like “Take care.” But they feel better to me. I have been down in the dumps and those two words lift my spirits.

God uses people like that to cheer us up. The cashier that says, “Thank you, Miss” when you usually hear, “Thank you, Ma’am’” makes my day brighter. The friend that says, “I’m praying for you,” encourages my heart. Words and smiles, greetings and good cheer, even from a panhandler on a street corner, can improve our outlook and make the day sing.

“Stay beautiful, ya’ hear.”

…

What is Christian Lite?

The other day I was cruising in my car on my way to see my folks while listening to Christian radio. The topic was fairly light, on the bright side. Now, I’m not one to knock positive thinking for it has helped me improve my game. Listening to the program was nice but it failed to make me think in a deeper way. The words “Christian Lite” immediately popped into my mind. My thoughts said, “That was a form of Christian Lite.”

The thought surprised me. Where did that come from?

I’d never thought that thought before, like “I’ll have a cup of Lite Roast, thank you.” Then I spent some time trying to define what I meant by the phrase, ‘Christian Lite.’  The conclusion I came to is that it is the type of surface-y material that encourages us to be happier or kindly satisfied but rarely motivates or initiates change in us or a desire to grow. Some people would call it “feel good” Christianity.

I think it does feel good, and has its place, we need to be encouraged. Positive encounters and gracious gifts do that for us. I thank God for them and God does give us tangible gifts. We need words that make us smile and make us think of good cheer, person to person. There are times when a hug, smile, casual comment, or act of grace can help us as humans connection one to another. We shouldn’t be dismissive of this. That is when Christian Lite can be of benefit.

Christian Lite stays light and shouldn’t be all there is to our faith. It is a compartment. It doesn’t penetrate into the deeper areas of faith and often fails to highlight the true message of faith.

. . .

As people of faith and of Christ, the gospel of Jesus Christ, and God, are parts of what we do and say as we minister to each other. If this part is hardly ever or is never mentioned, then it ill defines what defines faith and how faith is believed and the actions that stem from faith. A few spiritual publications have become quite “lite” where one has difficulty finding God’s name anywhere in their pages. Some songs are this way. The foundational truth is missing from the message.

We need more than Christian Lite.

Like my opening story in this post, God was mentioned, but He wasn’t the purpose of the article. I wrote it as an example of Christian Lite, a story that has a grateful or encouraging sound to it. It did cheer me up, and the rest of my day was brighter because of it. Who knows? Maybe God did have a purpose in it. I prayed for that young man and thought about his words, stay beautiful, throughout the day. Who doesn’t want to “stay beautiful”?

The subject must be defined for it to be substantive truth.

Christian Lite is useful in encouraging ourselves. However, it needs some buffing up and anchoring to Christian truth, an aligning with the Word of God, for it to become more than ‘lite.’ For us to anchor this ‘good feeling’ with substance means that God is the divine source from Whom the joy originates. Good words are good words, and they have their place. However, if they are contrary words to spiritual truth, ones that disagree with Scripture truth, they cannot be called Christian Lite, for they aren’t Christian at all.

Spiritual depth will require accessing the Source of joy; going to God, His Son, and the Holy Spirit. All three have a part to play in the creation of spiritual depth. The Word of God is another key component for there to be true spiritual living, and it is foundational to spiritual knowledge.

Enjoy Christian Lite but go deeper. Rejoice in the God of our salvation.