Good Looks

But you  (are to) run from all these evil things. Pursue righteousness and a godly life, along with faith, love, perseverance, and gentleness. 1 Timothy 6:11

Recently two of these birds alighted on our balcony rail.  They make quite a picture, in fact they look great, so why did I rush out and shoo them away?  Because they can be very destructive birds.  In fact they chewed at a beam on a new house in our area and made a real mess.  They are not welcome guests at our house.  Something else about these birds is that they really make quite a raucous noise around the place.  There is never any doubt when a cockatoo is around, they shout to the world, "I'm here, I'm here!"  However, they can be fascinating.  It's quite possible that you've seen one in a zoo or aviary, you may even have asked it "Polly want a cracker?"  for the fun of hearing it mimic you.

This did set me thinking though, reminding me that just because something looks good doesn't mean that it is. The Bible tells us that the devil appears as an angel of light,i.e. beautiful (2 Corinthians 11:14).  Things are not necessarily what they appear to be. We can get onto something that seems like a good idea, yet it could be destructive.  The word tells us that "There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is death" (Prov 14:12 & 16:25).  We only have to look around our world or watch the news to see the truth of those verses.

Having a good working understanding of the Bible will help keep us safe from harm.   If we can submit things we are not sure about to a trusted friend or a pastor, for a second opinion.  It is wise to check things out. (Prov 11:14) 

We have to flee from or shoo away things that will be destructive in our lives.  These can be habits, behaviour, thoughts and even relationships.  If we are plagued with thoughts of worthlessness and defeatist attitudes, we know that is not from God.  Find scripture verses that will speak of God's love for you, words that tell you how precious you are to Him.  If fear fills you and paralyses you, you can be sure that fear is from the enemy.  Fill yourself with God's words of love, draw near to him and bask in His loving presence.  Perfect love casts out fear (1 John 4:18). The word of God builds our faith and dispels fear.   Sometimes relationships are not helpful.  If we are walking with someone who constantly tries to encourage us in ungodly attitudes or behaviour, we had better find a way of ending that relationship if we are not making good choices when we are around that person.

We are to flee from all that would lead us into sin, and to pursue godliness in every area of our life.  Why?  Because ungodly thoughts, attitudes and behaviour will prevent the blessing of God from invading our lives.  Always remember two things - 1. God will always love us, no matter what we do, AND 2. His grace is always available to help us change our ways.

Prayer: Father thank you for the Holy Spirit who guides us into all truth.  Help me to listen to your word and follow your ways and not be seduced by things that look good.  Amen

Hidden Hurt

A happy heart makes the face cheerful, but heartache crushes the spirit.   Proverbs 15:13 (NIV)

As I read this verse today it caused me to think twice.  Yes, a happy heart certainly makes the face cheerful but often a cheerful exterior can hide a mountain of pain.  Just like this pretty window, one never knows just what goes on behind that glass. Underneath a cheerful exterior, heartache can be crushing the life out of a person's spirit and crippling them emotionally.

I have known, and probably still know, people who seem wonderfully happy, kind and caring people, yet their cheerfulness hides great anguish.  Sometimes it is possible to even hide our hurt from ourselves.  In fact part of the mind's coping mechanism for deep trauma is to blot out the memory of hurts when they are too painful to deal with. 

The thing with such hurt though is that at some time or another, it will come to the surface in some way.  It may be triggered by another traumatic incident, it could manifest as deep and unreasonable anger or, if that anger is stifled, it can turn into depression. It can also result in bitterness which prevents us from having healthy relationships.  Heartache is destructive; it crushes the spirit if it is not dealt with.

I was listening to a man on the radio telling his story of a terrible childhood with a mentally ill mother who rejected him and treated him so badly that he ran away and lived a very reckless life.  He was the life and soul of the party and he took great risks which made him a hero to his peers, but all the time his pain was lurking, ready to do him harm, and one day, in the midst of a normal and happy life many years later, he lapsed into a 12 year period of depression.  Obviously he has now dealt with his pain through counselling and learning to forgive the mother who greatly hurt him, and he now, thanks to God, he leads a happy and mentally healthy life.  But his story could have ended so differently.

If you have issues with past hurt, don't be afraid to bring them to the light and allow God to bring healing to you.  Talk first to Him about them and allow Him to lead you down a path of healing that will release you from all that can crush and even destroy your spirit.  If you know others who need God's healing love, encourage them, pray for them and support them, through prayer, back to wholeness.  God is able to use every experience of life, even if it is a negative one, to teach us and enrich our life.  Let your smile be genuine and your spirit strong so that the enemy has nothing hidden with which to do you harm.

Prayer:  God of love and comfort, help me to allow any past hurts to rise to the surface and be healed so that my spirit is strong and whole and my life free of hidden pain.  Amen

Winter

You set the boundaries of the earth, and you made both summer and winter.  Psalm 74:17

Recently I was in the foothills of the Dandenong Ranges out of Melbourne in the southern part of Australia for a training weekend. I took this picture of the winter garden with trees bare of leaves allowing glimpses of the mountains which would be unseen during the summer. Where we live we have eucalypt trees, commonly referred to as gum trees. These trees are never without leaves unless they are dead. Instead they constantly shed their leaves all year round, making a lot of sweeping necessary around our house.

Winter is an appointed season in nature and it's a time of rest and renewal for flora and even some fauna in really cold climates. Animals actually sleep through the bitter, frozen months till spring arrives. In our walk with Jesus we can and do experience seasons of the soul and spirit. It is not spring or summer all the time. When winter comes we have to learn how to deal with it.

Winter's cool can come to our soul and spirit for a number of reasons.  We can experience the cold of winter if we constantly walk in disobedience to God's revealed will for us.  He allows us to feel the cool to make us long for the warmth of his presence again. When we repent and get back into obedience, we can begin to experience God's warmth again. Acts 3:19 says "Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord. Notice where the refreshing comes from...... the presence of the Lord.  We need and must spend time in the presence of God.

Winter can come when we become unbelieving, fearful and discouraged.  When we find ourselves in such a place we need to get into God's word and determine to speak faith and believe God's promises and most of all His goodness and His desire to bless us.  Once again, a time for repentance which means to turn away from your fear, unbelief and discouragement and encourage yourself in the Lord as David did (1 Samuel 30:6).

Winter can also come as a gift from the Lord after a time of intense ministry. It is then a time when we get to rest from our labours and regain our strength and vigour for the next phase of our life.  We may feel like we've been 'put out to pasture' or passed over but we must resist such thinking and trust God through this time when we feel like nothing is happening in our lives.  We must resist the urge to 'light our own fire' (Isaiah 50:11).  Allow God to prune us, to rest us and then enjoy the spring when it comes.  Just keep in faithful fellowship with Him trusting that in His appointed time you will once again bear fruit for the Kingdom.

Going back to my first comments about the winter garden, the view can be further afield from a winter garden with all the leaves gone.  It can be the same for us.  When the 'leaves' of our works fall away for a time and we rest, we have opportunity to view new vistas with God and grow in our knowledge and faith in Him.  Enjoy!

Prayer:  Father of all creation, thank you for the seasons in nature and the seasons of the soul.  Help me to recognise when winter comes to my soul and to deal with it accordingly, always trusting in your desire to bless and refresh me.  Amen