A Time and Season

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 (NIV)

3 There is a time for everything,
    and a season for every activity under heaven:

²     a time to be born and a time to die,
    a time to plant and a time to uproot,
³     a time to kill and a time to heal,
    a time to tear down and a time to build,
⁴     a time to weep and a time to laugh,
    a time to mourn and a time to dance,
⁵     a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
    a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing,
⁶     a time to search and a time to give up,
    a time to keep and a time to throw away,
⁷     a time to tear and a time to mend,
    a time to be silent and a time to speak,
⁸     a time to love and a time to hate,
    a time for war and a time for peace.

When you think about it, all of life is comprised of “seasons”.  If you can think of your life in terms of seasons within the context that there is a beginning and end, a start and a finish, then making transition will be so much easier.   The process of change won’t be so disconcerting as it is for most people, and you’ll find yourself looking forward to the future.  In fact, if you maintain this perspective, you will find yourself always living in the future, anticipating all of its possibilities.  WOW!  How exciting is that! 

Now, if you are a child of God, your seasons probably don’t start and end when “you” want them to; our steps are indeed ordered by the Lord.  There is a timing of God that is absolutely critical to our ability to transition to the next level in any area of life – marriage, education, career, ministry, etc.  To discern the timing of God for the next season of your life requires you do 3 things:  listen, trust and obey.  You need ears to hear what the Spirit of God is saying.   Listen when He speaks, trust Him to guide and direct you, and then promptly obey when He opens the door. 

That’s where I am.  In the last few years of preparation for ministry, there was a time when I thought I completely missed God.  However, recently as I’ve sought the Lord on the next season of my ministry life, the Lord spoke and confirmed the fact that I had not missed Him at all; I have arrived at this place right on time.  God has even sent a group of women to come along side of me (I think they are my spiritual midwives!) to help me give birth to the vision of my heart.  I’ve been seeking the Lord for a period of time to be able to completely prepare and focus before the next season starts.  It is in this place that I must hear God for His divine timing. 

What season are you in?  Is God speaking to you about transition?  Listen, trust and obey.  

The Attitude of Gratitude

This past Thanksgiving season has been a real blessing to me.  I am on the road to recovery in my inner life, because I strongly believe that one must be emotionally healthy and spiritually mature to be effective in leadership.  So I've committed my life to Christ's care and control and I'm allowing Him to remove my character defects.

Until now, I never realized how powerful gratitude is in the life a believer until recently.  It is my new secret weapon in spiritual warfare.  This attitude of the heart stands guard to ward off negative thoughts and every high thing that exhaults itself against the knowledge of God!   Two days ago I did a teaching on "Gratitude" and I'd like to share with you some of insights I've discovered and experienced when I cultivate thi state of mind:

• Acknowledging the things for which I am grateful to God, draws me closer to Him.  My relationship with Him is more intimate as I began to recognize all that He's done for me this year. 
• I've found that in some experiences that were especially difficult, like my heart surgery and the death of my aunt, God gave the grace needed to walk through - the grace not only to walk through, but to be a blessing in the process.  Because I was grateful to God for all the many details and issues - large and small - both experiences yielded opportunities to minister the grace of God to others in a way that yielded fruit for the Kingdom.  
• When I express gratitude to Him, it pleases Him immensely and His heart is turned toward me and I'm immediately aware of His presence. 
• I no longer feel victimized or subject to my circumstances.  My glass is half full; not half empty. 
• Gratitude evokes a spirit of praise and worship to God.  A grateful heart compels me to praise God!  When I enter His gates with Thanksgiving and into His courts with praise, the blessings and favor of God become active in my life.  
• Gratitude is the enemy of depression and discouragement.  I am able to cultivate and maintain my spiritual health by warding off the enemies of my soul that come to rob me of my joy and peace.
• Expressing my gratitude to God on a daily basis, helps me to keep a balanced perspective on the challenges of life and reminds me that God is in control and has kept His promise to never leave me or forsake me.  I approach each day with a more positive attitude, I'm able to pray according to God's will and to trust Him more fully.  

What are you grateful to God for?  In what ways are you grateful for the people in your life?

1 Thessalonians 5:18

Give thanks in all circumstances;

for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

The Correct Posture

One of my friends called me recently to ask me what was "the posture" of my heart during the season when my husband was unemployed for 15 months.  Suffice it to say, that was an unusually long time and our faith was tested intensely.

My response to her was that we maintained a posture of prayer and trust.  We learned to trust God by standing on His Word, and when the pressure was on, we prayed and made our request known to God.  Every time we did that, the peace of God would keep our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.  When we didn't do it, we lost our peace and became overcome with worry and anxiety.  We certainly had some tough days, but I think we walked in victory more often than not.

In our country, we are walking through wars and rumors of wars, a fallen economy, rampant immorality and corrupt government leadership.  And according to scripture, it's going to get worse!  So then, what should be the posture of our hearts in these last days?  

Paul admonishes us in Romans 13:11-14 to stay alert and pray; to live and conduct ourselves honorably - as unto the Lord - and to clothe ourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ and make no provision for the flesh.  And then Peter warns us that the end of all things is near; therefore, be clear minded and self-controlled so that you can pray.  1 Peter 4:7

Sometimes we can feel so overwhelmed with the news of the day, that we might begin to cultivate a sense of hopelessness.  When hopelessness sets in, it will cause us to slip back into old behavior patterns.  The enemy wants to weaken our faith in God and cause us to give up.  Don't become a slouch.  Strive to finish well.  Get up, get dressed, and stand up straight.  Commit yourselves to prayer daily.  Apply the Word of God to your circumstances, to the moral issues of the day, to our spiritual and civic leaders and to the lost sheep of Israel.  When you do, you prepare the way of the Lord, and the peace of God will guard your heart and your mind in Christ Jesus.