Prepare Our Hearts

Tag: Christian Living

  • When You are Weak… He is Strong

    When You are Weak… He is Strong

    Do you remember the childhood song, “Jesus Loves Me” by Anna Bartlett Warner? It begins this way, “Jesus loves me, this I know, for the Bible tells me so. Little ones to Him belong, they are weak, but He is strong”. It is such a timeless song. According to blogger Michelle Ule, it was written by Anna’s sister as a poem originally to a beloved child who near death and needed to know the truths surrounding a relationship with Christ. Even as adults we find ourselves in weakness, and at some point (which no one really likes to consider) we too will find ourselves near death. Yet, that is a part of the human condition, this body simply does not last.

    Just before high school graduation, I had a near death experience and needed the strength of Christ. Had it not been for the prayers of a neighborhood pastor in the emergency room, I would not be here today. God answered the prayers of my friend that day and my life was spared!

    “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” – 2 Corinthians 12:9

    Now as an almost 40 year old woman, I find myself in need of His strength on a daily basis, but it is not because I am facing death. It is simply because I want to love Him, and love others. Each day I am distracted and pulled in a million directions. It’s like the world is yelling at me and trying to keep me from following Him, to keep me from time with Him. I long to have a prepared heart for Him, but the email notification dings, the dog barks, the chickens need fed, the kids are hungry and when I finally finish caring for all the needs around me and fall into bed, I have a pain in my side that keeps me up all night. How do I keep my focus on Him with all that is going on around me?

    Yet, His grace is sufficient for me, His strength is made perfect in my weakness. I love what Revelation 3:20 says, “Here I am! I stand at the door and knock, if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with Him and He with Me.” How beautiful is that? He is at my door, waiting to come in. Life looks different when I invite Him in to the busyness, into the care of the house, the transporting of the kids, the work meetings, and times serving others. We can see His strength instead of all our failures and weaknesses if we simply invite Him in.

    As I work with others who do not have faith, I am often perplexed and saddened by their circumstances knowing that if they had a relationship with Jesus they could cope so much better. I can never understand how they are making it. Faith matters! When I was in charge of my life, running the show I had literally almost killed myself, but in the arms of Christ I lived, I was saved, literally! But… I had to allow Him in! If I had spent my life worrying, or not forgiving, or continuing in substance use and self-hatred I would have missed the greatest adventure and blessing, a life with Jesus Christ.

    If we stay focused on our weaknesses we will miss seeing His strength.

    Will you pray for me as I encounter and serve many who do not know Him? Pray that I am able to be a light and to show His love, pray that I continually keep His strength as my focus. My prayer for you, is like this childhood hymn, that you know Jesus loves you and that when you are weak, know that He is strong. How do you need His strength today? Where and what part of your life do you need to invite Him into?

  • Is God 1st?

    Is God 1st in Your Life?

    Exodus 20:3-4

    You shall have no other gods before Me. You shall not make for yourself an idol, or any likeness of what is in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the water under the earth…            

    What does it look like to have another god before God, to have an idol?

    There are many examples from the OT but here are a few:

    Micah commits idolatry with an ephod, household idols, a carved image and a molded image (Judges 18:21-25).

    The tribe of Benjamin commits idolatry by their wickedness and sexual sins. They wanted to have their way with the man called a Levite. Instead they end up raping and murdering his concubine. (Read the story and the one before it in Judges 17-19).

    Pharaoh has said, “My river is my own, I have made it for myself” (Ezekiel 29:1-21)

    Then the cities of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem will go and cry to the gods to whom they make offerings, but they cannot save them in the time of their trouble (Jeremiah 11:12)

    The idols of the nations are silver and gold, the work of human hands. They have mouths, but do not speak; they have eyes, but do not see; they have ears, but do not hear, nor is there any breath in their mouths. Those who make them become like them, so do all who trust in them! (Psalm 135:15-18)

    All these have one thing in common: they put their own wants and fleshly desires before God’s will for their lives. They chose their own way. They satisfied the desires of their flesh. They did not turn back, turn away from, or repent and this brought the wrath of God to their front door.

    O Father, I pray that I would not be filled with my own ways. Teach me your ways so I will obey because I do not want my flesh to be stronger than the Spirit You have put inside me. Let your Holy Spirit dwell so richly in me that my flesh won’t stand a chance! I beg You for forgiveness and for mercy. Many idolatrous sins have I committed against You. Forgive me, I am sorry.

    • Idolatry distorts the truth and it will take you away from God.
    • In the OT (Isaiah 44 we can read about the people cutting down trees or the craftsmen shaping idols from metal).
    • In the NT we see sins become the idols.

    Gal. 5: Works of the flesh, covetousness

    Eph. 5: Covetous man, who is an idolater

    Col. 3: Covetousness, which is idolatry

    What is coveting?

    Wanting with great desire someone else’s stuff (stuff can include someone’s personality traits, good looks, or lifestyle).

    Exodus 20:17

    You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, nor his male servant, nor his female servant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that is your neighbor’s.

    The Revell Bible Dictionary says, “In every case of covetousness in Scripture the passionate desire for material possessions brings personal and spiritual disaster”.

    There’s a great story found in 2 Kings 5 about a man named Gahazi who wanted something for the healing from his master Elisha that was done for a man named Naaman. Gahazi was so bent on being paid back for the healing that he chased Naaman outside the city secretly and demanded payment, even though Elisha healed him through God’s power and would accept no payment. Because of Gahazi’s sin he ended up getting snow white leprosy.

    If you are tempted to put an object before you and God, this is the day for laying it down. Sometimes my “object” is Facebook, or my heart to live in a foreign land (still here in the US), sometimes it’s been my house, sometimes it’s my hurt feelings, or my marriage – whatever it is, it’s not worth the sacrifice of your relationship with God. Lay it down today!

    Your homework: Find out what can happen when we trade our God for an idol at Romans 1:20-28.