Yesterday was going to be one of those days I thought would be a whirlwind. It was to start with worship team practice @ 8:00 am, church and then step study. Following step study would be our monthly Celebrate Recovery Leadership mtg where I was doing a training. Following that I was coming home to fix a dinner for a grandson visit and by the time that ended, it would be bedtime. Well, most of the day happened as planned except when I got home my grandson asked if he could change to next week? I told him the meal would be better then because grandma would be home. He thought that was good!

As today begins I am going to the three schools I typically work with each week. My going there cannot be to work with them but to leave a card and a treat for them. I’ve been pondering how I could be meaningful for any place when I’m 80 miles away and cannot be physically present. It was suggested to me that encouragement is always a plus when one is in the dead of winter along with the present day difficulties. I’d been asking God what would be an appropriate “lift of spirits” and so that is what I’m taking out.

God, every once in a while, does things which lifts our spirits to Him. That happened for me this morning when I received a text message with an uplifting song attached. I pray the gift will do the same for the three staffs. God does have a way of showing up at just the right time. I pray this will be today for some folks.

I always read my previous day’s blog ahead of writing today’s. As I did so this morning I noticed that my sis had a “reality lady” rather than a “realty lady”. I laughed when I saw that. I do proofread before publishing each day, however I’ve always been told one cannot proofread one’s own writing for exactness. One has in his head the intent of the message and reads for that (unintentionally) rather than for what it actually says. I hope any reader will forgive these mistakes and can glean the message intended.

Yesterday I had a good friend tell me how troubled he is regarding our nation and its dividedness. He said he just couldn’t see what God was doing in spite of his desperate and relentless prayers. I shared that he wasn’t alone in his feelings and thinking. I told him that God had indicated to me my need to praise Him rather than question Him. Praise indicates that I trust what God is doing in spite of what I can see or hear. He looked at me and said that was exactly what he too needed to hear. He told me thanks again a couple hours later when we were departing. Praise is a powerful key to staying in touch with what God plans rather than what we plan.

This morning as I journaled I didn’t even realize how I was questioning God until He reminded me to look up and see Him. I was wondering how I was to step in and give assistance to an issue from yesterday. I had journaled asking God for insights as to what I was to do in response to it. Instead of giving me a response for my actions directed to the problem, He reminded me that He is the answer and I once again needed to let Him take it and my role is to praise Him ahead of time that He is doing just that.

I am really into a learning curve right now regarding how much I need to learn about PRAISE.

I haven’t mentioned my sis for a while. I’m referencing the one who had a stroke following Thanksgiving. Each and everyday that we talk I am overwhelmed with the level of change she is making. Some of this change has to do with physical strength and others have to do with lifestyle changes. In all areas she is making healthy choices honoring all that her doctors are telling her and her older son who is assisting her as he is with her each and every day. These are things like walking a mile with her each morning, readying her home for selling (even painting the entire home) and so, so much more. Bonnie has always been a very giving person. Now is the time God is allowing her to receive the giving of others and she is accepting it graciously. All of this makes me so thankful!

I’ve been writing about PRAISE of late. Who would think of praising God for a stroke your sis had? Well, I haven’t told God I am grateful Bonnie had a stroke. However, what I praise God about is the way He has used this physical ailment to help not only her, but so many others who have been influenced by what they’ve witnessed with her going through this time. Her son told her yesterday that he has learned to pray and give thanks to God during this time. Other close friends to her have told her similar things. Even the realty lady was witnessed to in regards to how God is working and told Bonnie this. PRAISE is powerful! I do praise my Heavenly Father for His loving kindness and His thoroughness as well as His relentlessness in bringing His children to Him.

As this journey continues so does my learning about how critical it is to have Jesus at the forefront of each day’s walk. The last couple of days I’ve addressed what Jesus is pointing out about my need to praise Him. As I’m practicing this periodically throughout the day I find that praise is much more of an expression for trust, faith, hope–those things for which we have not seen or touched. Giving thanks is much more tied to things which have completed themselves or things which have begun and are on the right track. My personal awakening in this has been the reality that “I thank” far more than “I praise”.

My growing up years were ones of much abuse. I understand now that my brother’s sexual abuse/use of me stemmed back to the fact I was kind to him. There is a gene in my blood line which has little kindness in it and instead is judgmental and critical. This was from my father’s lineage. My other brothers were critical of this brother so he chose me. He use to tell me at times when there wasn’t abuse taking place that he liked that I was nice to him. The critical side of my father would label me as needing to have my spirit broken so I’d be tough and my interests would be more like a “man”–competitive, mechanical, sports-minded, etc. Somehow in all of this I learned to quit hoping. Instead, I would thank if something actually took place which was good.

Today God is teaching me that my past is GONE. This new creation can praise knowing who my ONE TRUE GOD is. He is praiseworthy for no matter the strife of the day, I can praise God in it. There is nothing which man does which God cannot use in His toolbox if we turn it over to Him. Last night in Celebrate Recovery this became true once again. Two new men were present. Both of them stated how grateful they were to hear other men talk openly about the very things they thought they could never mention out loud. One of the men’s topic was childhood sexual abuse. GOD IS AMAZING!

Little did I know as I wrote yesterday’s blog that I would be challenged to praise God as I watched the actions of Americans in our capitol city and listened/watched the intense strife within our country. I went to bed knowing I was going to praise God and I closed my eyes praising Him, but feeling distraught as I did. This morning as I was journaling and asked Jesus what He wanted me to know from Him for today, He indicated that when my eyes drift to man I am going to see strife. The more our nation and other nations turn away from God and look unto themselves for answers, the more strife will be evident. Keeping my eyes on Jesus is the only way to continue to see a picture of a beautiful today and tomorrow. Everything about man is temporary in the flesh. I can praise God as I look up to Jesus and keep my eyes fixed on Him rather than man. This may become more and more difficult, but difficult or not, my eyes are going to look up!

PS–In yesterday’s blog I wrote that the name of the song was “Praise Him”. It’s correct title is “Praise the Lord”. My apologies!

The message of today for me is praise. As I’ve been reading through I Chronicles I find so much evidence of David giving praise to God. As I go through my journal I find that I am good at giving thanks to God, but I am not nearly as good at praising Him. These are two different actions and praise isn’t nearly as good for me. Years ago I read the book, The Language of Love which outlined praise as one of the love languages. I’ve always enjoyed but hated hearing praise because I didn’t know what to do with it. My dad would say I was “big headed” if I were praised and I never wanted to be arrogant so I learned to deflect praise rather than accept it. I’m better at receiving it today (a little) but I need to grow in giving it.

Joyce Meyers writes at one point that God asks us to praise Him and in so doing it releases His Power to stay focused on Him during our day. I really appreciated this message because when I do praise it takes my eyes away from anything I’m focused on and puts them on God Himself. So, today I’m going to be working on praising God throughout my day. Instead of fretting when I’m up against something, I’ll praise God.

About 40 years ago there was a song that hit the gospel trail called, Praise Him. The first verse said, “When you’re up against a struggle that shatters all your dreams, and your hopes have been cruelly crushed by Satan’s manifested schemes, and you feel the urge within you to submit to earthly fears, don’t let the faith your standing in seem to disappear. Praise the Lord–He can work through those who praise Him–Praise the Lord!” The song goes on, but this message is what I want to keep in my head as I pursue Praising God today–one day at a time, one moment at a time.

In response to yesterday’s post regarding God’s covenant with man through Jesus Christ allowing us to become more like Jesus, led me to visit my prayer warrior. I have been sensing my need to talk with her about what God has been showing me in regards to being a new creation. By 9:30 am I was in her home. I told her about the Light God is shedding on being a new creation. I had been using the 3-R’s as things were revealed. For example, the addiction had been pornography, the latest temptation has been to look not a porn, but to look at suggestive pictures. However, I knew this would lead to other temptations which I didn’t want to go to. The scripture I keep with my prayer list, Habakkuk 3:19 says in part: “…He makes my feet like hind’s feet and will make me to walk and make progress upon my high places.” This is exactly what God is doing in helping me make progress on the high places. Now I recognized it, I had rejected it and I needed to replace it.

I brought all of this out to Lois, my prayer warrior. Her response was startling to me. The first thing she said was that all of this helps me relate well to the men struggling to find the freedom I now know. Then she went on to say that her most recent nudge from God comes from Psalms 23 which says in a phrase, “…I shall not want.” As I’ve been pondering this with God since yesterday morning I keep getting the reminder that just before the phase of “I shall not want”, is the statement: “The Lord is my Shepherd”. If the Lord is my Shepherd it is then that I can live and not want. I have wanted to be a new creation, I have wanted to have freedom, I have wanted to have my past demolished and remembered no more, I have wanted to be free of temptations which remind me of my past, I have wanted and wanted! Yet, scripture has reminded me that my job is to “not want”. God is helping me to make progress on my high places and while He is doing this, He reminds me that I don’t need to want for He is the Good Shepherd who will care for all my needs including those given by the enemy. God’s Light sure does penetrate darkness!

Today I was to be on the road to one of the schools. Instead, I’ll be on a phone call at 8:00 am to decide how I can best be of assistance from a virtual platform. Tomorrow morning I’m to meet virtually with the two districts along with the coordinator for the consulting to make decisions on this. I haven’t been able to see this taking place (in my mind) and making the difference that needs to happen. I’m asking God to shed His Light on the conversations of this morning and tomorrow morning so what takes place is fully how He wants it to be. Our kids are not getting what they need in today’s educational setting. We need God’s insight and in receiving this insight, we need to obey.

Yesterday’s message in this blog continues into today as I had my devotions this morning. God’s covenant with us through His Son Jesus Christ offers us the opportunity to be more and more like Jesus in our character and our actions. This is only an opportunity if we don’t allow The Holy Spirit to change us as we surrender to Jesus the parts of us The Holy Spirit points out needing to be surrendered. God is pointing out that it is one thing to admit what needs to be addressed in our life, but it is a different thing to confess it–taking action to actually surrender it with the intent to no longer let my selfish will be done.

Being a new creation, believing and knowing this is true, gives us the opportunity to grow in Christ like I never thought possible. How wonderful our God is!

I’ve started a new devotional this year. It is called, Morning by Morning, the devotions of Charles Spurgeon with updates from Jim Reimann. In today Charles writes that Jesus Christ was made to be a covenant for the people–you and I are included in this covenant. He goes on to say that our blessed Jesus, as God, is omniscient, omnipresent, and omnipotent. So, does He have the power we need to strengthen us, subdue our enemies and sustain us? Does He have the love we need? He asks us to dive into His immense ocean of love and say, “This is all mine!” Lastly, he asks if He has the justice we need? This justice is the assurance that everything promised in this covenant will be secured for us (me).

As I continued in my devotions I then read this sentence, “The true expression of Christian character is not in good-doing, but in God-likeness.” The covenant God made with Jesus for you and me included His work to help us become more and more like Him in our very nature. All I ever wanted in life was to NOT be like my father or like my one brother. This morning my eyes were opened to the possibility of becoming more and more like Jesus. As I began to pray and recognize the limited scope of vision I’ve had, I rejected it and asked Jesus to replace this mindset I’ve had with the beauty of His character He’s been wanting to give to me (to each of us) as we (I) recognize and surrender our all to Him.

Can you see yourself jumping into this “ocean of love” Jesus has for us? I don’t swim well at all, but as I pictured myself jumping into this ocean of love I simply floated in it. This all sounds to good to be true, but this is what God is instilling into me now that I know I’m a new creation. It is one day at a time and one moment at a time. Today, each moment of this day I want to praise Him for lifting my eyes to Him rather than where they have so often been–on the ills of man.

What a nice quiet beginning to a new year. Yesterday was one of those for which you sit back and say, “Now, that was nice.” The morning had us dismantling the tree and rearranging the family room’s furniture so I can now be in my rut for 11 months where I am most comfortable. Some of the kids and grandkids came for lunch and the afternoon where we played games. The evening was with Hallmark movies. That is a perfect example of a calm beginning.

I am sensing God’s leading for this year to be the one of total surrender. I’ve thought for several years that I have been, but this past year has brought to the surface the areas of fear I dreaded and had them faced. The main one of these has been the belief of being a new creation. For 6 months now I’ve lived knowing and believing I am one. I always had this hope that if this were possible then I’d be free of all temptations which looked anything like dad or my brother. A new creation couldn’t look like them. Well, truth be told, a new creation is still one of human flesh. Human flesh does have temptations just like all men do. The difference–acting on them.

What will be a new experience for this coming year will be to not fight temptations with my will power that often loses, but to learn what genuine surrender is like as a new creation. Learning what relying on the strength of surrender truly is. I’m going to face the voices that say a 70 year old man has lived too long to genuinely know this. I’ll be a student of Jesus Christ’s lessons as long as I’m alive in this body of flesh. So, this new year will be year 1 of being a new creation living surrendered one day at a time.