As I was reading my Bible in I Samuel 15, It tells where King Saul was told by Samuel to lead his troops and destroy the nation of Amalek. So Saul gathered the troops and did just that. They were to not only destroy the army, but to annihilate everyone including all of the livestock. So, they did this except they kept the best of the livestock to sacrifice to God which they started to do. When Samuel heard this, he wept for he saw instantly the wrong in Saul’s actions. As Samuel confronted Saul he pointed out what God’s original message was which Saul thought he had done completely. Saving the best of the livestock for sacrifice to God was, he thought, a good thing. Samuel’s response was very pointed: “Has the Lord as much pleasure in your burnt offerings and sacrifices as in your obedience? Obedience is far better than sacrifice. He is much more interested in your listening to him than in your offering the fat of rams to him.“

I have heard this statement many times in life. As I read it this morning it tied so directly to what God’s Spirit has been nudging me of late. Today we don’t offer blood sacrifices as the people of the Old Testament were instructed to do. God wants my obedience more than anything else. Responding to His Spirit’s nudges in obedience IS the sacrifice God wants.

Words are powerful. All day yesterday this was on my mind and heart. Our pastor’s sermon did a tremendously good job kicking this off yesterday using James 3:1-13 as the foundation for the message. I went to see my prayer warrior once I’d gotten home from church so I could have her speak to me about the importance of words and how they are used.

As I visited with Lois, my prayer warrior, I told her I personally knew the power of negative words for my dad’s words clung to me for most of my life. She kindly reminded me that I still had moments when this was true bringing me out of my denial that I had any bondage from those childhood years. She then added that words are not only powerful, but they are prophetic. They can and do guide people to take steps they wouldn’t have taken otherwise. These steps can be steps to freedom or steps into bondage. It is critical to be awake to this.

The message behind the message is still very much on my mind. What I have awakened to is that words taken as knowledge, just to know something, don’t do anything to motivate action. However, words that ignite our emotions then have power, for the words generate desire/adrenaline. It’s so critical for us to monitor what we say for all of these reasons. I feel as though this is only the beginning of some learning God wants me to be much more awakened to. I’m going to stay alert to this.

As I sat at my desk this morning and journaled, I asked Jesus what He wanted me to know from Him for today? I do this each morning, but today’s message caught me a little off-guard. The email we get from our pastoral staff each week usually gives us a hint into the sermon’s message forthcoming. This past week’s message said a new series will be starting today. The focus of the messages will be “Words are Life”. In Jesus’ message to me I heard Him say that I need to focus not only on the message, but also on the message behind the message.

So often in a counseling session I will hear a message from the person speaking, but when I ask what brought this message about, I will hear a different message that has hurt the person deeply. This just happened yesterday with a couple who have been coming for a few months now.

I have been told many times in my lifetime that words are powerful so be careful how you use them. God’s Word tells us that God’s Words are LIFE. Our own words can build life or they can tear life down. My own story tells a good deal about how my dad’s words tore into me as well as into my siblings.

I look forward to hearing this morning’s message and those forthcoming. God is working and the words He has inspired for us to hear are LIFE! I want to be a good listener and responder to them.

When I wrote yesterday’s entry I did it because it was fresh on my mind from teaching the Victory lesson the night before. Its focus on character defects was very fresh since I’ve personally dealt with so many of them. What I wasn’t expecting was all of this being useful for yesterday. I had a new counseling client coming early yesterday morning. He is a young man in his twenties.

When this young man arrived and we greeted one another, I wondered why such a friendly young man would need counsel? He said he was very nervous but needed to talk about what troubles him. It turns out, in his own words, he struggles with beliefs about himself that he knows aren’t true, but those lies have ownership on him. As he spoke of this, I asked him if he’d heard the term character defects? He had heard it at some point more recently. I told him a little of my own story and then read to him yesterday’s entry. His response was, “Wow, so you understand.”

It is always amazing how God uses our past struggles to help others with their own once we’ve found Him in our own and given them to Him for His use. All of this gives purpose for any struggle we’ve had. It’s so rewarding to watch God do His work and to get to be a small part of it. I love this!

Last night I taught the lesson for Celebrate Recovery. The lesson’s title is VICTORY. Victory comes, the lesson teaches, when we begin to see the character defects we have developed over the years of our past. Mine were abundant. Things like, “Jesus is good but He doesn’t think much of me or else He wouldn’t have allowed my brother’s use of me and dad’s abusive beatings and words,” “Scripture is true, but somehow not for me”…. This list could go on, but these are examples.

Once one realizes their own character defects (beliefs that are lies fed by Satan), he/she has to face them and surrender them to Jesus. They cannot be overcome by oneself. I would never tell someone that I Corinthians 10:13 wasn’t true for me where it says “No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to man. and God is faithful, he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear….” However, in my mind I knew better for I felt like I’d been tempted far beyond what I or anyone should bear.

Well, how much I’ve learned in my past almost 20 years. How much I now understand that man’s choices are not always God’s choices. God gave man the right to choose. God has taken my “character defects” and uses them to help others see that their own thoughts/beliefs are not of God’s choice. I Corinthians 10:13 is true for me and has always been. Yes, those years in my childhood were tough, but I was never alone and I see that so clearly today. I get the great privilege to use all of that past of mine for Godly purposes today. I will never quit saying just how GREAT OUR GOD IS! VICTORY is on its way!

I sit this morning pondering just what I should write this day. There are several thoughts going through my mind and I reject them with none seeming to be the topic of this morning. So, the topic has become this–some days simply swirl. There is much today going on. In fact I was to go to court as a character witness first thing. That got cancelled yesterday. Instead I’ll collect money from “an angel” who is helping a past client through her tough season in life. I’m teaching the Celebrate Recovery lesson tonight along with leading worship. The worship team was being modified somewhat with the keyboard player and her husband (guitar player) being gone. Then I was called by the modified team members as a crisis has hit them. So, tonight will be a remodified worship team of 2 using canned music.

I don’t struggle too much with being flexible as today is requiring. I am hoping the counseling appointments in the afternoon remain stable however, if not, I’ll let it go. Every once in a while a day like today comes about. God has purpose in all of it and much of the time I don’t know what that is, but I can let it go for GOD is nothing but TRUSTWORTHY!

Something that is awakening in me this Easter season is the importance of SPIRIT. We likely all know that in our flesh we cannot battle sin and overcome. When we accept Christ into our lives we are given the Gift of The Holy Spirit. In the past several months I’ve written about this quite often. Christ did not battle temptations in his flesh. He knew to battle sin with the very Word of God and keep His own Spirit in the forefront of his actions. When his flesh was dead on the Cross, His Spirit entered into hell and paid the price for you and me. He didn’t stay there for He went into heaven opening the pathway for us to do the same. All of this was done in Spirit.

Temptations never attack our spirit. It just keeps us from relying on our spirit and to stay focused on our flesh to fight it. More and more I am staying awake to this critical need of letting God’s Spirit fight for me. Satan knows spirit for he is spirit. I can quote scripture to address temptation and in so doing I also need to believe that is sufficient, for it is. I can walk away at that moment. God’s Word is ALIVE. Satan knows this and cannot stand against it. But, if we don’t believe even after we quote it, we are still vulnerable. Using God’s Word and then believing IS fighting in SPIRIT.

God is never done teaching His children. I never want to quit being a good student.

Obedience is such an important ingredient to living fully for Christ. Scripture is full of guidance for us in this arena. The Old Testament is filled with the importance of obeying the laws given to the Israelites. The New Testament is filled with the importance of obeying what Christ modeled for us and particularly obeying God’s Holy Spirit within us as He nudges us.

The pride and selfishness of man hasn’t changed from the start of mankind way back in the Old Testament. Today we still have that same ugly selfishness that wants to make up its own mind for us–“I don’t need someone else doing this for me”–it says. Well, I’ve lived long enough to know that I DO need someone else guiding me. Not only do I need this, I want this. The blessings of obedience far outweigh the pleasure of disobedience. Never give up on this for our pride will always try and win, but with God’s help, we can and will overcome!

Yesterday was such a glorious day being Easter Sunday! Not only was it a glorious day, it was also a great weather day where all of us could enjoy being outdoors for the afternoon and the grandkids playing in the yard the games they enjoy. God is sooo GOOD!

As I began to journal this morning I was pondering the struggles some family members are facing. The primary one is my nephew and his brain cancer. He is to hear (hopefully) this week what the treatment plan is so he can get this started. Along with this, my own grandkids have some things some of them are working through. So, I was journaling about all of this and asked Jesus to help them believe. In so doing He asked me if I believed? He went on to say that belief is the seed of faith. Once I believe, faith can begin to grow. Then He added that trust is the steadfastness of faith. If I believe, faith will grow and by trusting, faith will maintain.

As I pondered all of this it simply made me wonder why I ever step into the mental state of “wishing” my grandkids or anyone else will get through their present struggles? Jesus also reminded me that I lived a long time “wishing” for myself instead of believing. I don’t need to wait all of those years for anyone else. I do know believing and I do know faith and I do know trusting, so today I will believe and I will have faith and I will trust for I know my Risen Savior and HE IS FAITHFUL TO THE END!