Father Abraham had many sons

and apparently a lot of [spiritual] daughters too. I am one of them. I guess I never realized the theological, no, biblical, meaning behind that song. This week in the Believing God study I have been reminded of Abraham and his faith. Interestingly enough, he comes up in The Inheritance. Both studies I am doing are simultaneous but independent of one another. Abraham's story speaks to me. Not that I am a Hebrew man who lived before Christ who was obeying the Lord by almost sacrificing his son, for whom he had waited so long. However, we have a common thread.

By faith Abraham, when he was called, obeyed by going out to a place which he was to receive for an inheritance; and he went out, not knowing where he was going.

-Hebrews 11:8

I have felt like this past year God has been dealing with me on obedience. I say "dealing" because it's been Him revealing what I need to do and me being my stubborn former Little self and pouting like a girl. Sometimes over the past year He's basically had to put up a brick wall where there was none so I'd smack into something. And every time that's happened it's been an actual barrier to whatever harebrained situation I had gotten myself into.

So, with obedience being the theme of spring of last year to this spring, I have begun to understand firsthand that obedience begets blessing. And big obedience begets big blessing. Abraham was obedient and while he didn't come into his land of inheritance while he was alive on planet Earth, he will surely see the descendants of his obedient life in heaven.

I have to say that I want to live that kind of life. I want to be obedient. It may not always be pretty, or easy, or comfortable for me or those around me, but the blessing and righteousness that come from it far outweigh whatever earthly obstacle there seems to be.

When I look back through everything I have been through, I see it's all prepared me for this very time in my life. Now, with all that I'm going through now, I can only wonder about what is to come in the future. Sometimes it makes me a little scared. I guess I'd rather be scared and in God's will than comfortable and completely oblivious.

Update on Lent (Ash Wednesday + 12)

Overall, I feel that this media fast has been going really well. The TV isn't even plugged in; I hardly watched it anyway. The most I watched was the Weather Channel, Biggest Loser, and sometimes a free On-Demand movie. We don't even have a DVD player anymore, so I borrowed my cousin's PS2 as a DVD player. Listening to nonsecular music has been relatively easy. I've spent a few dollars on some new songs. "Revelation Song" sung by Kari Jobe and "How He Loves" by David Crowder are probably my new favorites.

The Internet facet of it isn't too bad, either. I definitely spend less time online. I check my e-mail, the weather, our bank account and pay bills online (the only bill I pay with check is rent, and that's only because there is not an online feature). I have, of course, been blogging. I've taken some time to look back at previous blogs, even to as far back as five years ago. I have checked Facebook and Army Wives Forums more than once; however, I was only on there for no more than five minutes at a time.

So, how have I benefitted from this? I have had more time to devote to study... if I want to get all my studies done I kind of have to sacrifice other things. I haven't been as concerned about petty things, or been thinking about those "friends" you have on Facebook and their pointless status updates. I have felt better about myself without constantly comparing.

I have also been using our Internet connection to talk to Aaron via Skype video chat. Technology has come such a long way. I love being able to see and talk at the same time. Sometimes I am marvelled that the person I'm looking at is my husband and he loves me with as unconditional a love as you can find on this earth. We have also been doing a Bible study, and using Skype has facilitated more discussion and it's just easier to not hold a phone and try to write and read at the same time.

I probably don't get any more sleep than I did. I average about seven hours per night, which seems to be the minimum if I want optimum performance the next day.

I guess I feel overall I have a closer relationship with the Lord and definitely do more critical thinking about things in general. I have received some answers to prayer and new things about which to pray have been revealed. Poor and sinful internal attitudes have also been revealed.. we're working on it.

The next three months are absolutely crucial in our life. I feel that Lent will be a springboard for whatever preparation is left before we move.

The following passage from Philippians has been running through my mind nearly every day...


Philippians 3:12-14 (NIV)
 ¹²Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. ¹³Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, ¹⁴I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.

And, I think about the five principles from my current Beth Moore study, Believing God:
1- God is who He says He is.
2- God can do what He says He can do.
3- I am who God says I am.
4- I can do all things through Christ.
5- God's Word is alive and active in me.

The verses we've been memorizing in our study (Megan and I) are as follows:

"I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved and delivered Himself up for me." (Galatians 2:20)

"Indeed, while following the way of your judgments, O Lord, we have waited for you eagerly; your name, even your memory [renown], is the desire of our souls." (Isaiah 26:8)

(I love how in the NASB the pronouns are usually capitalized!)

Looking back as I proofread this post, I realized that a fast should be a challenging commitment... I'm not sure this is too challenging quite yet. I feel that the most challenging thing for me throughout the next 28 days will be the prayer component.

Taking offense

There are two things of which to be offended in the world: God and people. In Day 5 of Week 3 of Believing God, Beth Moore talks about how we can become offended with God because He doesn't pull through like we think He should.

She talks about John the Baptist, who was a man who lived eccentrically but fulfilling Scripture by being the "messenger" the Old Testament prophesies will come before Christ. John is sitting in prison, about to be executed, and maybe he wondered why Jesus didn't pull through for him. Why would Jesus, with all his omnipotence even in his earthly body, not perform a miracle and break him free? However, we must trust that He knew what He was doing - He set forth all the events before they even took place.

I think early in our walk with Christ it is easy to be offended. Often when people become Christians, they feel devastation because all their worldly desires have not been just eradicated from their lives. Maybe even farther along in their faith lose a loved one and all of a sudden feel abandoned. However, when a horrible event occurs, our human eyes cannot see past the situation. We cannot recreate the context of the situation. God has the timeline of our lives spread out before Him. It's in times like those we absolutely have to trust and believe Him because He is all-knowing and all-powerful. And thank God because I would not want that responsibility with my imperfect heart and mind!

The second way to be offended is by people. God is perfect and we can be offended by Him; how much more will be we offended by others? Many times people give their reason for leaving a church because of the people. "They spread rumors" or "I just didn't fit in". Thankfully God is not contained in a church. But too often people seem to lose their connection with God because they've lost a connection with the church.

Philippians 2:14-15 states the benefits of not complaining or arguing (which are side effects of being offended by someone):
      "Do everything without complaining or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe..."

[The NASB uses "grumbling or disputing" in verse 14.]



The Greek word for dispute or argue is "goggysmos", "a secret displeasure not openly avowed".

I think that this includes all the poor things we think about people and maybe never even voice. However, Jesus says that we can murder a man just by having hate in our hearts. Satan works his way into the tiniest crevasses, even emotional ones.

In our times of weakness and relational frailty we can rely on the strength of the Holy Spirit in our lives to give us discernment and direct our thoughts, actions and speech. I guess the old adage sticks; "Think before you talk". Actually, I would rephrase it to say, "Pray before your talk".

Becoming more like Christ - bodies and minds

This is the ever-present question of our existence: How do we become more like Christ? Is it by our actions? Our attitudes? Romans 12:1-2 provides a perfect explanation of how to become more like Him.

"I urge you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect." (NASB)

These two verses outline two things that must come under submission to the Lord - our bodies and our minds. How does it say we can offer our bodies/minds as a sacrifice? By the mercies of God. It's obviously not of our own effort because look what that did (Garden of Eden). The greatest thing is that HE does the transforming, the renewing, WE are the ones who bring it to Him in the first place. If you ever feel far from Him, just remember He's thisclose. Just one word away.. "Just one word and I am free" (Michael Gungor Band, "Giving It All").

I'm not sure what the verb tense is in the Greek, but take a look at "renewing" in English. That, my dear grammarians [because I know you're all dorks like me], is a present participle. Not a past participle, but present. It's a constant thing, what is happening right now. You can't just lay it down at the cross once and expect it to be over and done with. I think this is why people have a hard time when they first become Christians; I know I did. I thought that my old desires would just go away, I would feel happy and elated every single day of my life. The fact is, it's a constant sacrifice. He tells us to pick up our cross daily (Luke 9:23, NIV). The beauty of it though is that Jesus paid it once.. once was enough. That one act of obedience and sacrifice has brought us out of our misery.. and our bodies and minds can be transformed.

Why are people afraid of the will of God? Beth Moore talks about this in both studies I'm doing right now, Believing God and The Inheritance. We're afraid of what God will have to take from us in order to live a life fully in Him. The fact is, people, that He. Is. A. GIVER! Life will not be boring, will not be stale, will not be drudgery. Anybody got a hanky to wave on that one?

"...prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect." (v. 2)

It is safe, then, to assume that in Philippians 4:8 we can renew our minds by thinking on whatever is true, honorable, right, pure, lovely, of good repute, excellence, worthy of praise... Hmm. Let's think for a second. If we did this, we'd be thinking on the very character of God Himself! What a novel idea.


So, what other thoughts do you have on becoming more like Christ?

The gift of nerdery and essentials for study.

I have been really digging into some of Beth Moore's studies, including Breaking Free (pivotal study!), Loving Well, and currently I'm doing The Inheritance and Believing God. She is an amazing teacher with the gift of explaining things that maybe sometimes are cloudy to us. Her studies are grounded in nothing else but Scripture, pure and true. There is no compromise.

If anyone knows me well, they know that I love to study. Yes, I'm a nerd. I loved college for the learning portion of it, for the feeling that my brain is expanding with knowledge. Recently the realization came upon me that I can be a student of the Bible. I'm not sure about grad school right now as we are moving soon and I don't want to take out loans for it, and studying the Bible doesn't cost a whole lot of money.

These are a few essentials I've found for good solid Bible study:

• A good Bible. Duh. I've been using the NIV Life Application Study Bible for ten years now. It's been instrumental in my understanding of certain passages of Scripture. Soon I will be getting the Hebrew/Greek Key Word Study Bible (NAS). I have a degree in Spanish and a penchant for language and etymology so this will be wonderful.

• A notebook.

• Various commentaries and Biblical reference books. This is in progress.
  

• Good teachers and mentors. These for me would include pastors, people like Beth Moore who aren't afraid to teach the Bible and not some doctrine someone came up with two hundred years ago, mentors who are honest and have spent a good chunk of their lives investing in other people and who know Scripture like the back of their hand.

• Worship music. It helps me focus. Personally I like Hillsong, Michael Gungor Band, Hillsong, David Crowder Band, and some more Hillsong. Oh and maybe some Desperation Band and Travis Cottrell.

• A good cup of coffee. Thankfully one of my sisters Emily works at Starbucks and gives me a random pound of coffee here and there. Don't forget the sugar and half-and-half. Speaking of which, this cup is about empty. We can't have that.

• A long drive to work (+ good cup of coffee), or any long ride by yourself in the car. A lot of my personal epiphanies have come somewhere between Peoria and Varna on routes 29 and 17, and before that I-74 and I had a very close relationship. We were pretty much married [I was in Pekin, Aaron in Champaign].

What I have found to work for me is getting up earlier than I would like to in the morning, you know, putting down the natural [wo]man and letting the spirit [wo]man do the talking. Um, this definitely doesn't happen every morning. But most. Sometimes my brain just works better in the evening. I have also really benefited from using guides. The Bible is a really big book and it can be daunting just to think of where to start. I also like guided studies because of the insight one can gain from other teachers/fellow studiers of the Bible.

So there you have it. I think we're ready now, now that you know quite a lot about me. Hopefully these two entires capture the essence of the type of person I am: nerd who is in wonder of God and his spoken Word.