The power of James 5:16

I have always avoided the appearance of weakness.  I never wanted to be the woman who screamed when seeing a bug.  (Although I will confess to screaming at a big cockroach that almost touched me once).  Squealing is not in my vocabulary.  Dramatic over-reaction - no way.  Falling apart emotionally was for others.

Instead, I've prided myself (note that word, please) on being the strong one.  On being the cool head in the crowd, the get-it-done girl, the one you could count on.

Then a breast lump scare took me down into a tailspin of fear.  For two weeks fear had me in a vice grip.  I couldn't eat.  Couldn't sleep.  Actually physically shook at times with the fear. It was not normal fear - in fact, I know now that it was a spiritual attack.  And I didn't tell anyone - I was too embarrassed.

Through a dream God revealed the way out of that fear - and it was found in the words of James 5:16:

"Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective."

At first I resisted that verse, thinking "my fear isn't sin."  Then I understood that the "sin" was my pride.  My pride kept me from telling anyone the depth of my fear. My pride maintained the appearance that I had it all together. I was a small group leader ... what would they think of me if they knew how afraid she was?  Would it ruin my leadership?

Through confessing the depth of my fear, God healed me of it.  And very possibly healed me physically as well - I'll never know since the tests results were all normal.

And my leadership ... it only strengthened. I've been able to minister to many more women through that experience than ever. It was another of Satan's lies to get me to keep quiet about my struggle and to keep me from experiencing God's miraculous power.

Paul said this:  "However, I consider my life worth nothing to me; my only aim is to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the good news of God’s grace." (Acts 20:24)

And this, "But he said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me." (2 Cor. 12:9)


While I still don't scream at bugs, I'm learning that God's power is increasingly manifested in my life when I admit my weaknesses - not just to myself and Him - but to others.  It doesn't make sense to this in-control girl, but I've seen God work miracles in me when I boldly live according to His Word - and trust Him with my reputation and ministry.  It happened this week in fact.

So thank you for your prayers .  Thank you for your outpouring of encouragement these past two days.  I've actually experienced some miraculous relief from some symptoms of stress I was having.  I'm experiencing God's peace.  As I've desperately prayed to NOT respond out of my own emotion and disobey - God has calmed me emotionally so I can think with His wisdom and clarity.

Thank you.  Thank you.  Thank you.  For being sisters in Christ who stepped up next to me in a very weak moment, for speaking words of truth, for not judging me, for praying the prayers of a righteous woman.

And thank you for praying for my daughter.  I'm confident God has a mighty plan and purpose for her life.  I know she will have a great testimony one day.  One day, she will understand the impact of a mighty band of praying women.

Love,
Glynnis

The purpose of some thorns

Have you read the passage lately in 2 Corinthians 12 where Paul talks about the purpose for his "thorn"? If not, keep reading, I've included some below.

No one is quite sure what Paul's thorn was.  Some say it had to have been a physical malady.  Other's insist it was one or more people.  Some say it was a temptation.  Whatever it was, it didn't go away, despite desperate prayers on Paul's part.

Yet in spite of this thing that gave Paul such frustration, he followed his Jesus and pursued his calling with abandon.  He didn't make excuses.  We don't read of him saying, "If only I didn't have to deal with (blank), then I could really move forward."  Or, "Sorry I didn't get (blank) done, it's that (blank) God sent to frustrate me."

Instead, Paul lived a life of passion grounded in the reality of his life.  Instead of grumbling and complaining, he demonstrated for us how to see benefit in the thorns in our lives that aren't going away.  Here's how Paul saw his thorn:

Therefore, in order to keep me from becoming conceited, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong. (v. 7b-10)

I know lots of Christians see themselves in the Apostle Peter.  They connect with the well-meaning, passionate man who boasted loudly and fell just as publicly.  I see myself in Paul.  Not in any way in his brilliance or influence.  Not at all like that - but in his weakness. Paul was a very proud and confident man.  He was sure of himself.  Yet, in order to use Paul most effectively, God struck Paul down.  First with blindness (which God restored), then with this thorn.  Through hardship, God kept this once overly-proud man humble. 

It was only in Paul openly admitting he had thorns, that  God able to shine through him.  Paul's life proved that God's grace was sufficient.

Today I'm writing these words for me.  I've got a thorn that isn't going away any time soon.  It reveals the worst in me, but not to the world.  It's also bringing out the best in me at times.  It's something that I know God gave me.  And He didn't do it to punish me (although that thought crosses my mind in my weakest moments).  I know that's not the truth.

He gave me this thorn for a purpose.  Actually multiple purposes.  Some I've yet to see.  I know I'm supposed to move forward by accepting this thorn is a part of my life - not pretending that it isn't. 

So I'm holding on to the promise of the thorn:  Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.

In my fairy tale dreams, I have the perfect life.  Yet God doesn't work through fairy tales.  He doesn't even seem to work through "perfect" people.  He seems to love taking broken, hurting people - bring them some healing - then set them on a path to obedience.  He works in the nitty-gritty of life ... in the midst of physical pain, handicaps, addictions, mistakes and emotional pain.  He loves it when people are honest about their weaknesses, but give Him the glory for every good thing.

Yes, I'm more like Paul.  I get it when he said, "in order to keep me from becoming conceited, I was given a thorn in my flesh ..."  

Today I'm looking for purpose in my thorns.  They stick me sometimes, and cause pain.  But they have a purpose.

Question:  How have you seen God work through thorns in your life?

In His Love,
Glynnis

P.S.  Check back tomorrow.  I've got a devotion running on loving well, and I'll share some experiences God has brought through loving difficult people.

Why is judgement so easy??

Recently, my family left our church of ten years.  It wasn't a swift decision, nor one made from anything anyone did.  It's just that our church changed over time.  We still love that church, and the people there.  But we feel a bit like Abraham ...  following God's leading without a clear destination.

As we visit churches, I'm finding an old enemy rearing its head in my heart:  judgement. 

God has convicted me of this dangerous sin over the years.  Because sadly, it comes quite easily to me.  It's starts with being quite opinionated.  About everything.  On one hand,my strong opinions keep me committed to my values and devoted to what and whom I love.  I'm steadfast and loyal. 

On the other hand, I can be critical. 

Because I'm opinionated, I even have an opinion about being critical:  it's really yucky because it keeps me from loving fully and being used by God fully.

So, my goal is to capture every critical thought before it sneaks past my mind and into my heart.  You see, those initial thoughts aren't sin.  It's what we do with those thought.  It's letting critical thoughts marinate, and then season our choices of words and actions, that gets us into sin.

Back to the church visiting.  I find I've got more opinions than I realized about music.  Which isn't surprising since I've sung on worship bands for decades.  But I've found myself critiquing the quality of the band and vocalists more than I should. 

We've found one church we really like, but my husband and I both wish the worship band was a step-up in quality.  This morning, I was thinking again about it and started considering what I would change if given a chance. 

Before I could think another thought, God spoke clearly to me:  What if I want it like that?

That effectively stopped my negative thoughts and redirected me.   What if God wants that worship band just like it is?  What if He intentionally called those people, at this time, to this act of service for a reason?  Who am I to question His decisions?  Or to judge His appointments?

Really, this question is good for me to remember when someone does something differently than I would. 

God put me back into a place of following instead of trying to lead. And He stopped judgemental thoughts from going too far.  If God decides to use me again in worship, it will be His choice.  I know from experience He won't use me with thoughts like that. 

So this morning I got a little talking-to from my Heavenly Father.  He was gentle as always.  And I needed to remember that God's doing just fine without my opinionated help.  

In His Love,

Glynnis

 

My biggest spiritual challenge

I've just come home from one of my biggest joys and biggest spiritual challenges - worship team practice.

It's a joy because I love to worship God, and I've always loved to sing. Growing up, I was that little girl in her bedroom, singing dramatically with the hairbrush, dreaming of the day when my favorite band would invite me up as a guest lead singer.

From a very early age, I sang in school choruses, church choirs and a short stint in a Christian band in the early 80s. (Our one "tour" consisted of singing in Presbyterian churches in northern Arizona and the California coast).

Yet singing has also been a source of spiritual challenge, because it's been in worship where God has revealed most of my pride issues. You see, there is always a danger when you are on a stage of any kind to start to think that you've got it all together. In fact, you can easily start to think that if only people would listen to you, things could really flow more smoothly. And that you really could (and should) be selected to sing in this program, and given that solo, and so on.

In hindsight, I can see God was starting to split open my heart and reveal my pride, when 11 years ago when we moved to Charlotte, and He clearly told me to not sing. In fact, He told me to not tell anyone I could sing. I didn't listen. I let it "slip out" one day in a Bible study, and that led to an opportunity to help lead worship at an event. The leader of that event sensed my pride issues coming to the surface, and I was "relieved" of that role with the explanation that they would be using someone on the worship team.

In spite of the embarrassment, something amazing happened when I wasn't leading worship. I learned to actually worship. When I wasn't worried about how I sounded, or hitting the right note, or singing the right words, I just relaxed and focused on God. It was in my humility that I sought God as I never had before.

It was six years before God released me to be back on the worship team. And to be honest, it is still a place where I continue to lay down my pride and submit in humility. Years ago I asked God to do whatever it took to remove pride from my life, and He is faithful. But I will confess, it is often difficult, uncomfortable and sometimes embarrassing.

Like the time I was asked to sing a solo at a women's retreat, and the accompaniment CD stopped after the first verse. Just stopped. The sound team restarted it, I started singing and it stopped again. So we started again, and finally I was able to finish the song. No one could understand what happened to the CD. I just smiled because I was pretty sure I knew Who stopped the CD.

My voice has changed over the years, and I will probably never get another solo. I may be one of the oldest back up singers on the team. And I will occasionally sing a wrong word or hit a wrong note. But my hands will be raised in praise, and I'll sing at the top of my voice out of love for my Savior.

I know the day will come when I won't be on the team, and some young girl will take my place. And I will still be worshipping God, and thanking Him for not letting me stay in the place I once was.

In His Love,

Glynnis

P.S. If you've visited today from reading my Encouragement for Today devotion, entitled "I Would Have Made a Great Pharisee" I bid you welcome. If you haven't seen it, please hop over to the P31 site and give it a read.