Listening Your Way Out of Failure

By Kerri-Ann Haye-Donawa
This week's topic: The Wisdom Of God

We lead such messy lives sometimes, directionally challenged, bad-decisions-scarred lives. And sometimes when we least expect it, we turn around and discover that we’ve sunken into a ‘pit’ that welcomed us so open-armedly that we didn’t even notice when our sinking began.

Renowned Bible teacher, Beth Moore, teaches about the ‘pit’, and how we can become so familiar with it that most people don’t even bother to seek a way out. We often decorate our pits, she says, so that they seem more homely. We move in our emotional couches and tables, recline and put our feet up, because in our minds we’ve hit a dead-end and after all, what’s so bad about being in a pit anyway? So it is we get stuck.

Though there is only one explicit mention in the Bible of someone being thrown into a pit, the idea of being hurled, whether by others or by our own doing, into a low, ditch-like situation is common throughout the entire biblical text. The human dilemma is that we are imperfect beings armed with free-will and a whole slew of emotions. Thus, we sometimes make choices based on how we feel, rather than slowing down and really giving thought to the possible repercussions. Our choices, or those of others, can wind up impacting us so negatively that we turn inward and assume the status of a pit-dweller.
Yet, pits are not homes, neither are they meant to be comfortable. At best, the pit is a place of testing and development, it is the place of processing deep hurts and disappointments and navigating through major life changes, but it is never supposed to be a place of permanent derailment. Your pit should produce a greater level of fortitude within you rather than weaken your resolve.

So how do you get out once you’ve slipped into one of life’s low places? I believe the answer starts with hearing God’s voice. There is such tremendous power, peace, and direction in hearing the Father’s voice in the midst of your situation, that it completely outweighs every other method or agent of relief. The glory of His presence is contained in the fact that He is ever present, and so even at our lowest point we discover, if we look closely, that He is there, lingering still, by our sides. And so it’s His voice that replaces light, when all around us is darkness.

God’s voice heard echoing through His Word is the rope thrown down to us for our rescue. There is undoubtedly nothing more powerful on the face of the earth than the Word of God – written, spoken, and manifested. If you listen closely, His Word will always point you to the ‘Exit’ sign, and reveal the heart of God to you. His Word always comes in to mop up our mess and realign our focus with the will of God. Today, choose to lean on God’s spoken and written Word as you navigate your way out of the place called ‘failure’. His Word is more than sufficient to guide you.

Scripture of the Day: “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.” - Psalm 119:105

Kerri-Ann Haye-Donawa is a writer and editor who is passionate about the word of God and how it is translated in our everyday lives. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Religious Studies and a Master’s Degree in Theological Studies, and is a member of Rhema Christian Ministries, Toronto, Canada. http://twitter.com/#!/KHayeDonawa…

Trust and You Won’t Be Crushed

By Lisa Crum
This week's topic: The Wisdom Of God

It was just at the edge of dusk, 6 months ago this evening, when I woke up to find that I was lying flat on my back on the cold pavement. I remembered seeing the dog run out in front of our motorcycle, and I remembered us bracing and hitting it, then it was like being tumbled in a dark clothes dryer.

There hadn't even been time to be scared, much less avoid the impact. How long had I been unconscious? Someone had already stood up our motorcycle, and a couple of men were looking through the tour pack for some ID. I could see out the corner of my eye that Dana was lying about 10 feet away from me, but I couldn't hear him speak and I couldn't see if he was moving. People standing over us were saying things that indicated to me that we were both bad off.
At first I couldn't even talk, and it was so hard to breathe--I suppose from having had the wind knocked out of me. My helmet was shattered. Later I would find that I had a basal skull fracture and a fractured bone in my neck. I vaguely remember a woman holding my helmet and talking about how messed up it was. Someone commented that my head was bleeding. I wanted to go to Dana but I couldn't get up, and they were trying to keep me still so they could put me on a backboard. My arm was twisted over my head and I thought it was dislocated, but was told later that the shoulder was broken in two places.

In the midst of the confusion and the excruciating pain, for a brief moment it was as if the noise was muffled enough to hear, quite clearly, the Lord whisper just one word to me..."COVENANT." And in that moment, I knew exactly what He meant. I began to cry and say, "Thank you, God, for rebuking the devourer for our sakes!" A peace I can't even begin to describe rested on me, one that would get me through the longest night of my life.

We were airlifted, one at a time, from Williamson Memorial to St. Mary's. My stepson Coby held my hand and coached me to breathe in sync with him while they repositioned my broken shoulder. Then as I lay on a gurney in the hallway, a doctor came up and with no expression whatsoever, told me, "Your husband is unconscious and has a brain bleed. His brain has begun to swell. We'll do what we can." With that, she turned and left. I had to make up my mind right then and there...am I going to trust God or am I going to collapse under a weight of fear? I chose to trust God, and that's what I said out loud to her back as she was walking away.

For just a little while, they wheeled me into a holding room with Dana. He was lying there, eyes closed, not moving. I reached my fingers through the bars on our gurneys, gripped his hand, and prayed for him. Looking back now, I wonder whether the doctors might have thought he was going to die, and they were giving me a chance to say goodbye. But I spoke to him this Scripture which came to my remembrance, before they wheeled us in two different directions, "(You) shall live and not die, to declare the works of the Lord." (Psalm 118:17)

There are those times when we have to choose to believe, or be crushed under the weight of despair. And there are times when we can't just think it or hope it...we have to hear ourselves say it.

Dana spent 82 days in 3 hospitals, couldn't even swallow an ice chip for the first 43 days. He lay in the ICU trauma ward for 17 days comatose and running an insanely high fever. He had multiple fractures and a brain injury, but when Satan tried to take him out, God drew the line and said, "No."

Though it's been a physically and emotionally exhausting 6 months for both Dana and me, we have not lost our joy and we have not lost our love for life and one another. God has been so good to us. I'm telling you, friends, you need Jesus. You need Him, your marriage needs Him, your family needs Him to carry you through times like this. Covenant relationship with God doesn't mean you'll never face difficulty. It can, however, mean the difference between you surviving or being mowed down by the enemy.

Sooner or later, we all have to face the most difficult time of our lives. Are you prepared? God can keep you from falling apart. I can say that because, six months later, Dana and I are still held together by the duct tape of God's wonderful, saving grace. Even these fractured pieces form something beautiful...like a prism of glass that scatters light in every direction, testifying that truly, love never fails.

Scripture Of The Day: "But the Lord God keeps me from being disgraced. So I refuse to give up, because I know God will never let me down." - Isaiah 50:7 (CEV)

Lisa Crum is an inspirational freelance writer and Christian songwriter. She serves as administrative/pastoral assistant at Regional Church of God in Delbarton, WV. Lisa also ministers weekly as part of the praise team and worship band. For more from Lisa, visit her at http://www.facebook.com/lisa.crum.…

The Best Teacher

By Overseer Christopher J. Harris
        

A few years ago, before I knew better, I got into an argument with someone over something that they’d taught publicly in a church setting. In the height of their exhortation and teaching, they exclaimed, “you got to go through it yourself to learn it!” Whew! While everyone else was “Amen”-ing and clapping, I sat in silence on that one statement. While there were many, many valid practical things the minister shared that night, that one thing caught my attention and consumed all of my focus for the rest of the weekend. Is it a reality that the only way that I can learn in life is that I have to experience the test myself? Can I learn from the mistakes of others? What about watching someone else fall in a ditch and not repeating that same mistake? What does the Bible have to say about all of this? Is life’s best teacher our own experiences?

So, with all of these questions (and more) swirling around in my head, I did the only logical thing to do next. I opened my Bible software and went on a diligent study to see what God would say about this.

In my study, I came across 1 Corinthians 10: 11-12. The Message Translation shares, “These are all warning markers—danger!—in our history books, written down so that we don't repeat their mistakes. Our positions in the story are parallel—they at the beginning, we at the end—and we are just as capable of messing it up as they were. Don't be so naive and self-confident. You're not exempt. You could fall flat on your face as easily as anyone else. Forget about self-confidence; it's useless. Cultivate God-confidence.”

As Paul is providing instruction to the Corinthian church, he shares with them that God’s instructions have been written down to serve as examples of what has happened in the past. It has been written to show us historically the great and not so great decisions of others before us. This clears it up plainly. The best wisdom in life is to not always have to endure personal pain because of private decisions from precarious predicaments. Rather, sometimes the best wisdom in life comes from the clear observation and critical thought of other’s mistakes and learning how to apply those life lessons to your own personal journey. In other words, if someone else goes to jail, I should be able to evaluate my own decision making and even have a clear enough vision of my own life to determine that the new inmate’s decision making is not something that I want to repeat. A person who exhibits bad behavior on a job that finally catches up with them ought to serve as a wonderful pattern of what NOT to do.
In most cases, this seems pretty simple. But in many settings as followers of Christ, we seem to think that we are not as legit as other followers if we don’t have a “rags to riches” testimony, experience, or even the idea that God has to pick us up out of a miry pit in order to be validated as an authentic follower of Christ. All of this is contrary to God’s Word and Will. Sometimes the most powerful testimony that a tried and true follower of Christ can have is that they were wise enough to observe the lives of others and determine what God’s will is from that. My testimony of wise decision making is just as powerful as the person whom God almost had to resurrect.

Although I should have never gotten into an argument and debate with them over God’s Word, the basis of my point was true. Experience is not always the best teacher.

This American idiom speaks to the idea that you can only really learn the value of something if you experience it directly. It assumes that learning from the experience of others, both the good and the bad, is not a valid method of learning and applying that new knowledge. Today commit yourself to being keenly aware of others’ decision making patterns so that they can serve as an unofficial rule book of how to excel in all areas of life. That’s wisdom from God.

Scripture of the Day: "These are all warning markers—danger!—in our history books, written down so that we don't repeat their mistakes. Our positions in the story are parallel—they at the beginning, we at the end—and we are just as capable of messing it up as they were. Don't be so naive and self-confident. You're not exempt. You could fall flat on your face as easily as anyone else. Forget about self-confidence; it's useless. Cultivate God-confidence." - 1 Corinthians 10:11-12

Christopher J. Harris, a native of Palatka, FL, is Chief of Staff/Director of Church Operations of the historic mega-church Fellowship Church of Chicago. He is also Overseer of Youth for Full Gospel Baptist Church Fellowship International. Harris currently resides in Chicago with his wife and children. http://www.ChristopherJHarris.com…

God’s Wisdom Trumps All

By Tanya S. Martin-James
        

Remember when you were growing up and you always thought you knew more than your parents. You would ask to go somewhere or to wear a certain outfit and they would tell you no. You would try and argue your point, get mad and frustrated; but the answer remained no.

You whined. You pouted. You told all your friends how your parents just didn’t understand. Or how they were old fashioned and not up on the current times. You constantly said how you couldn’t wait until you got older, moved out and got to make your own decisions and do whatever you wanted to do.
So you got older and moved out. Maybe 5, 10 sometimes 20 years later you had the “ah-ha” moment when it becomes crystal clear why your parents said no to certain things. Or why they made you do things that you really didn’t want to do.

For some of us that “ah-ha” moment doesn’t come until we have our own kids and they are whining and fussing about mandates that we are trying to set.
While we thought our parents were just being mean and unfair, they were actually using the wisdom of their years to guide us down the best path possible. No, parents don’t know everything. However, they had already experienced some things, had some scars and wanted to allow us to learn from their scars instead of creating our own.

They were not being mean or trying to keep us from having a life. Quite the opposite, they were instructing and disciplining us out of love and because they wanted us to have the best life possible.

It’s the exact same way with God and His love for us. Sometimes we think He is so old fashioned, mean and unfair by the mandates we read in the Bible. Or we think He doesn’t have a clue when he instructs us to close a door in our lives or to end a relationship. We often think (even if we never utter the words) that we know much more than God. And that our way is clearly the better way.
However as Christians, we must learn to trust God. We must realize that we won’t always get our way or get what we want but; if we are following the path God has paved for our lives – it’s a good thing. God‘s wisdom surpasses all others. If we want the abundant life, we must follow Him even when we don't understand … even when we don’t like it.

Our parents may have sometimes been wrong in their instructions because they are human and flawed. However, God can’t make a mistake! When we completely rely on Him; we have absolutely nothing to worry about. You couldn’t ask to be in better hands. So instead of stressing about your future, put your trust in God and walk confidently that you are under the wisest Counsel possible.

Scripture of the Day: "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths. Do not be wise in your own eyes. Fear the Lord and depart from evil. It will be health to your flesh and strength to your bones." - Proverbs 3:5-8

Tanya Martin James is the author of From Promiscuity to Proverbs 31: Getting Off the Fence of Sexual Immorality and Coffee Moments: A Work in Progress http://www.armedanddangerous.biz She also blogs at http://www.mycoffeemoments.com

Even in the Small Things

By Kerri-Ann Haye-Donawa
        

I’ve often found myself labelling other people as being ‘wise’ or ‘having wisdom beyond their years’. This label is usually awarded because they’d either made a decision that I thought was tactical, or said something that I thought was profound. Hence, I’d reach into my bag of adjectives and pull out the age old descriptive: ‘he/she is wise’. But have you ever wondered if you’d be considered by those around you to be a wise person? Let’s take a look at what the Bible has to say about this godly attribute.

In the Book of Exodus, Moses is given the task of leading the Israelites out of Egypt and being a prophet unto them, reacquainting them with the principles of their God. Embedded within his mandate was the construction of the tabernacle where the people would meet with God in worship. The building of the tabernacle was not a light task. It had certain divine specifications that had to be met in order to fulfill God’s vision for His designated place of meeting. As a result, God handpicked the workmen. Yes, that’s right, He picked each man Himself and placed within them the wisdom they needed to accomplish their specific tasks (Exodus 31:1-6).

Now, in today’s world, an architect or handyman is usually selected on the virtue of his license, his experience, his skill, and his training. But having the wisdom of God is not usually a requirement. In fact, godly wisdom is not typically a prerequisite on most of our job descriptions. Yet, being endowed with wisdom from God is paramount in the accomplishment of so many of our daily tasks and decision making.

So what did God mean when He said, “I have filled [the workman] with the Spirit of God, in wisdom”? (Exodus 31:3). According to the following verses, wisdom from the Spirit of God was a necessary ingredient in order for the men to “make all that [God had commanded Moses].” Does that mean they were not skilled, talented, or well trained? No, it means that despite their highly esteemed qualifications, without godly wisdom they would not have the ability to understand and fulfill God’s will.

Today I encourage you to tap into the wisdom that God has downloaded in your heart, so that you will effectively accomplish that which He has set before you to do. Nothing you do for God is exempt from the application of His wisdom. Therefore, it is only when we speak, act, and make decisions through His spirit of wisdom that we will succeed in pleasing Him.

Scripture of the Day: “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him.” - James 1:5

Kerri-Ann Haye-Donawa is a writer and editor who is passionate about the word of God and how it is translated in our everyday lives. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Religious Studies and a Master’s Degree in Theological Studies, and is a member of Rhema Christian Ministries, Toronto, Canada. http://twitter.com/#!/KHayeDonawa…

Use Your Light

By Tanya S. Martin-James 
This week's topic: The Wisdom Of God

Lately I had been going thru a few "storms," but today I thought I could see the light at the end of the tunnel ... then I realized the light wasn't at the end of the tunnel at all. It had been in my hand the whole time ... I just hadn't turned it on.

No, I am not referring to a flashlight … but the Word of God. Sometimes we get so caught up and bent out of shape in what we see in the natural, that we forget who is really in control.

God never promised us that our lives would be smooth sailing all the time, but He did promise us that He would never leave us or forsake us. So when we find ourselves in distress, we need to stop focusing on the storm and turn our attention back to the one who commands the storms to rage or to be still.

There is nothing happening in our lives that surprises God. He isn’t looking at us wondering, “oh my, how did this happen or how are we going to handle this?” There is nothing, absolutely nothing that is impossible for God.

Our greatest storms don’t affect Him and we don’t have to let them affect us either if we would utilize the tool (the light of wisdom) that God has provided us through His Word.

While stress and worry were building up within me about the situations around me, God’s Word was instructing me to have faith.

“Above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one.” Ephesians 6: 16

While I was panicking about the doctor’s report on a health issue, God’s word was saying that by His stripes I was healed.

“But he was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed.” Isaiah 53:5

While I was confused about what the next steps were in my life, God’s word was saying He would direct my paths.

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.” Proverbs 3:5-6

While I was ready to give someone a serious piece of my mind, God’s word reminded me to guard my tongue.

“And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity. The tongue is so set among our members that it defiles the whole body, and sets on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire by hell.” James 3:6

While I was devastated at the current state of a relationship, a work situation or my life in general, God’s word reminded me that all things work together for my good.

“And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.” Romans 8:28

So stop fumbling around in the dark in the midst of your storm, whatever your storm is, and turn on your light … the Word and wisdom of God.

Scripture of the day: "Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” - Psalm 119:105 (NKJV)

Tanya S. Martin-James is the author of From Promiscuity to Proverbs 31: Getting Off the Fence of Sexual Immorality (http://www.armedanddangerous.biz). Her devotional, Coffee Moments: A Work in Progress will be available July 2011. She also blogs at http://www.mycoffeemoments.com.…

The Difference Between Being Lost and Being Led

By Pastor James C. Matthews 

Many people who find themselves stuck in difficult situations often feel as if they've become lost. Somehow, they've arrived in a wilderness where everything has dried up and nothing seems to be growing. 

Many of them have lived in this wilderness for so long that they have given up on things changing and concluded that this must be all God has in store for them. On numerous occasions, they have attempted to change their situation, but all of their efforts have failed.

If this sounds like you, you may not be lost at all! You may be squarely within the Will of God. All dry places in life are not the result of being lost. Sometimes God uses dry places as a place of preparation. 

In Exodus 3:8, when God met Moses at the burning bush, He told him that He was going to deliver His people from bondage and into a land flowing with "milk and honey”. Yet, we know when God delivered His people from bondage, He led them directly into a "wilderness” where they spent 40 years.

We know that their wilderness experience had a purpose because the Bible tells us that there was a shorter route available that they could have taken and avoided the wilderness altogether. Exodus 13:17 says, "God did not lead them by the way of the land of the Philistines, even though it was near." 

Whenever God leads you somewhere, He has a purpose and a predestined place for you, even if the route is a long or a dry one. 

Often, your wilderness is the doorway to your promise. At the initiation of Jesus' public ministry He was led into the wilderness first before He ever preached a sermon. If you are in a wilderness right now, remember what you learned while there because it will be necessary to sustain you in your Promised Land. Don't faint or lose heart. You may be at the door of your promise and purpose.

You may not have been lost at all.

You may have simply been led!

Scripture Of The Day: "Then Moses led Israel from the Red Sea, and they went out into the wilderness” - Exodus 15:22 (NASB)

Pastor James C. (J.C.) Matthews is the founder and Senior Pastor of the multi-cultural non-denominational Dunamis Life Ministries of Dallas, Texas. He is the author of Saved but Stuck: 30 Days to Personal Revival, I’ll Come… When I Get Myself Together, and My Situation Is Not My Destination - Only Preparation.http://www.jcmatthewsministries.com/…

How’s Your Uplook?

By Skip Heitzig 

Solomon, Israel's third king, was very wise, but he wasn't exactly a "glass is half-full" kind of person. Ecclesiastes, his treatise on life, is the journal of a pessimist. In it, he talks about trying many things to find fulfillment, only to see his disillusionment grow.

Intellectualism, wine, women, song--he pursued all of them, and found them all empty. He acquired things, he built things, he amassed wealth. But the hole inside him got bigger and bigger.

He realized he would die just like anyone else, and he hated his life and his work. Then he realized he might leave it all to a fool, and so he despaired. "Vanity of vanities, all is vanity," he said in the end (Ecclesiastes 1:2 and 12:8).

Think of the things that Solomon did in his life--building a great city including the Jewish temple, composing thousands of songs and proverbs about wisdom, etc. His response to everything? "All was vanity and the grasping for the wind." (Ecclesiastes 2:11)

Yet even in his pessimism he displayed wisdom, because in the middle of this dismal outlook on life he had a sudden flash of insight. He looked up, and he considered God: "Nothing is better for a man than that he should eat and drink, and that his soul should enjoy good in his labor. This also, I saw, was from the hand of God" (Ecclesiastes 2:24).

Your outlook depends on how you view a situation. When the twelve spies went into Canaan to scout out the territory (see Numbers 13), ten of them saw danger, because of the size of inhabitants of the land. But the other two saw victory, because they recognized the Lord was on their side. It was their "uplook" that made the difference. Likewise, Solomon looked around and saw vanity, but then he looked up and saw hope. It was the same guy, but with a different perspective.

The best translation of Ecclesiastes 2:25 says, "For who can eat or who can have enjoyment without Him?" And verse 26 continues, "God gives wisdom and knowledge and joy to a man who is good in His sight."

Nothing produces enough enjoyment to carry us through life. Any job can be mundane and monotonous, can make you bored and discontented--unless you place God in the center of it. God can replenish your joy.

Contrast Solomon and his lavish lifestyle with some humble but happy saint whom you know. You can be that one. It depends on your outlook, and your "uplook."

"I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me" (Philippians 4:13).

Scripture Of The Day: "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me" - Philippians 4:13 (NKJV)

Skip Heitzig is the founder and senior pastor at Calvary of Albuquerque in New Mexico. His teachings are heard across the country and around the world on The Connection. For more information on Skip, visithttp://www.connectionradio.org.