Trusting God For...

Those who know me well know I'm a list-maker. Grocery lists. Errand lists. Long-term project lists. To-do lists for each of my girls, my ministry, our home school, and housecleaning. Sometimes I even make a honey-do list for, well, my honey.

Since my recent trip to Haiti, however, I have been living a different life. I haven’t made a single to-do list since I’ve been home. I've tried to trust God in all things for several months. I realize now that I had trusted Him for most things, but not all things. Conviction started surfacing regarding my schedule and how I spend my time. List-making was a way of controlling my time, my stress level, and my fear of forgetting something. List-making was a way of not trusting God.

So now, I’m trusting God for every…

• Breath I take
• Dollar I spend
• Bite I eat
• Step I take
• Task I do
• Word I speak
• Moment I live

Knowing each was given to me for a reason and a purpose.

Talk to me: What is God calling you to trust Him for today?

This is a follow-up to an article I wrote a few weeks ago, Get the Work Done.

Israel's Current Danger

A friend of mine believes in salvation by grace alone. She fully understands that what we do or who we are will in no way influence our eternal destination. Even still, during conversations regarding the Jews or the Holocaust, she shares that she still holds out hope that somehow they made it into heaven because of what they endured. And although I also know that salvation is by faith in Jesus as the Messiah alone, secretly, I agree that if anyone had a chance beyond that criterion, it would be them.

Why is this? Many people groups have endured mass extermination over the centuries. Without minimizing the severity of their plight, the Jews aren’t the only ones to have been persecuted. 

I believe the answer is this - the Jews, the descendants of Israel, are close to God’s heart; therefore, they are close to our own as well because we also are His children.

I wrote the following article on April 2, 2008 as we were traveling to Israel with a group called The Joshua Fund…

“We haven't even left American soil yet and our journey has been fun. This trip has already brought home the idea that Jerusalem is the heart of the world. If we were to tell people we were headed for Germany or China, they might say, "Oh, how exciting. Have fun." Then the conversation would be done. When you say you're going to Israel, people have a strong reaction. So far, all of ours have been good. Everyone we've talked to has overwhelmingly shared in the joy and excitement of going to the birthplace of Christianity.”

After telling the details of three of our encounters, the article ends…

“These three experiences were even more exciting because the first woman was an African-American, the couple on the bus attends an Assembly of God church in Branson, and the young woman was from Bulgaria. God's church is all around the world and, not only that, but people around the world love Israel and want to bless her during these times in which we live.”

Yet, despite all the love, Israel is facing its greatest danger in its modern history. My article is not to share the news coming out of Israel; for that, I refer you to the blog of Joel Rosenberg, the founder of The Joshua Fund.

www.flashtrafficblog.wordpress.com

And especially this article: Iran's Ayatollah: Kill All Jews, Annihilate Israel; Iran Lays Out Legal Case for Genocidal Preemptive Attack Against Cancerous Tumor

My purpose in writing this article is to say that now is the time for action. Those of us who are believers in Jesus know that God has a plan for Israel and that plan won’t be stopped. A catastrophic war with Iran is coming. 

Will it be this year? I don’t know. 

Will this current situation be it? I don’t know. 

However, Ezekiel 38-39 warns us it is coming. When I look at the geo-political landscape, I see all the players are getting into position. This could possibly be it.

I have seen unexplainable, passionate love for Israel and the Jewish people throughout God’s worldwide church. War may be coming, but we can still do something. 

• First, never underestimate the power of prayer. It is not a last resort but rather a first line of defense. Pray for the peace of Jerusalem. Pray for the hearts of the people to be open to Jesus as their awaited Messiah. 
• Second, support reputable organizations like The Joshua Fund who already have people on the ground, structures set up, and supplies ready to provide aid and assistance should a catastrophe come to Israel. My regular readers will also know about my recent trip to Haiti and growing love for that country. A primary reason for the massive loss of life there after the earthquake two years ago was that trained people and resources weren’t available to provide needed care. Support of organizations like The Joshua Fund can help avoid that type of situation in Israel should catastrophe come to her borders.

“I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you” (Genesis 12:3).

To learn more about The Joshua Fund, please click here.

To read my article from 2008 in its entirety, please click here.

Dead Batteries

My daughter was sick recently so I took her to the walk-in clinic at our pediatrician’s office. The walk-in clinic is a blessing because an appointment is not required; it's a curse because the wait can often be long, especially during cold and flu season. Anticipating the wait, I grabbed my Samsung Tablet on the way out of the house so she could play games or read while we waited. However, my preparedness turned out to be worthless. The batteries ran down the day before; I hadn’t plugged it in to recharge overnight.

A few days later I wanted to listen to my iPod while housecleaning. After searching awhile, I found it in a pocket of my backpack with a dead battery. Weeks of neglect had killed it.

As I write this, my cell phone is charging in the kitchen, my daughter’s iPod is plugged into my laptop, and my laptop is plugged into the wall. The battery on my laptop no longer charges; it doesn’t work at all unless I plug it in to the outlet.

All of this charging and plugging started me wondering. Does God want to use us sometimes but we have run our batteries down so low that we’re worthless? Are we ever so in need of a charge that we can’t do what He desires? Do we wander so far that, when He finds us, we can’t do anything because we haven’t plugged in lately?

We plan out each moment of our day weeks and even months ahead of time. We are so busy working, shopping, cleaning, cooking, planning, playing, talking, texting, meeting, eating, driving, and doing that we don’t take enough time to plug in and spiritually recharge.

We can recharge spiritually many different ways. Some people may renew spiritually by worshipping God through music with a great praise band whereas others may recharge by spending time alone in prayer. For me, I recharge by studying God’s Word; even better is when I can then write about it. My husband, on the other hand, reenergizes by hiking through the woods and enjoying the beauty of creation. As many ways to spiritually recharge exist as there are Christians who need to do it! What’s critical though is that we find time to stop…just stop…and plug in to Him. Let Him refill us once again.

“Even youths grow tired and weary,

and young men stumble and fall;

but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength.

They will soar on wings like eagles;

they will run and not grow weary,

they will walk and not be faint.”

Isaiah 40:30-31