Category: Scripture

In the year King Uzziah died

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I requested my friends to give me a verse and I would assign them a week for me to study the verse and pray it over their life. This week the verse is Isaiah 6:1:

In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord, high and exalted, seated on a throne; and the train of his robe filled the temple.

I am not sure about you, but I am not a Bible scholar. When I read this verse, I really didn’t get much from it so I needed to find out what Isaiah meant by those words. Reading scripture can often be intimidating and often confusing. I believe that the Bible is God-breathed. Yes, imperfect humans penned it, but the Spirit of God inspired the words. Since I am not a Bible scholar, I have commentaries from those who are.

Here are the words from The Tony Evans Bible Commentary. I pray they bring this verse to life and when you read it, it will remind you of this powerful lesson.

“Here we see the prophet’s life-changing vision of God’s overwhelming holiness and his call to ministry. It was a very crucial point in the history of Judah. In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord seated on a high and lofty throne, and the hem of his robe filled the temple. So although Judah was experiencing turmoil at the death of its king, the true King was seated on his throne in sovereign glory. Isaiah thus learned that the kingdom of God operates according to his will, not according to outward circumstances. If you embrace this kingdom principle, it will change your life.” (page 639)

Dr. Evans continues to say; “Sometimes it takes a tragedy in our lives, or other negative circumstances, for us to truly see God. We may know him as our Savior but not be growing in a day-by-day experience of adopting his perspective of the world and living in obedience to it. In fact, that’s one reason God sometimes allows difficult situations to come into our lives. They help shift our focus off the created things and onto the Creator. Until we adjust our vision from the temporal to the eternal, we may miss out on seeing the eternal altogether. God is not merely interested in getting us to heaven. He wants us to see and experience him here. Sometimes God is most clearly seen in the midst of painful situations.” (page 640)

Studying this verse and discovering this explanation is a real-life application of what Dr. Evans is saying. It isn’t sufficient to just accept Jesus as our Savior. We are given His word in the form of the Bible as a guide for us to “experience him here”. I encourage you to not skip over verses such as Isaiah 6:1 as simply a colorful description of what Isaiah saw, but dig deeper into why it was included at all. The greatest lessons in life often require some exploration on our part. Don’t miss out on what the Lord God has to say to you in His Word today!

Thanks to Dr. Delight Yokley who gave me this verse to study. May you continue to grow in the knowledge and assurance of how precious you are to God and to us, your friends!

Definitions

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Vizzini: “INCONCEIVABLE!”
Inigo Montoya: “You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means.”
– Princess Bride, 1987

I love definitions! Looking up the meaning of words has become a regular habit of mine as I become more intentional in writing my book. Intrigued? Good, but this post isn’t about what I’m writing, it is about what I’m learning.

Some of us, like Vizzini in the Princess Bride, can use words so often, we forget or overlook its actual meaning. I do this, in particular, when reading Scripture. I read a verse and interpret it using what I believe the word means…I know! You need someone to interpret the meaning of what I am writing. So, let me provide an example.

John 10:10 says, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly”. Two words that I have always brushed over are “thief” and “abundantly”.

Depending on your personal experience or knowledge, you can have different interpretations of the word thief. For example, if you have ever been robbed, you have a vivid picture of a thief being someone invading your space and stealing from you. Someone else may immediately associate the “thief” as another name for Satan.

Neither interpretation is incorrect, but because we often read Scripture out of context, and/or interject our own personal interpretations of the words used, we sometimes miss the intended meaning. In this particular verse, we see in verse 8, “thief” refers to “all those who come before [Jesus]”, also known as false teachers.

I do believe in order for Scripture to better sink in for us, we should allow the Holy Spirit to help us find our own meaning to the words. Nevertheless, we should do our do diligence to know the Scriptures’ intended meaning. I am by far a theologian, but I have been known to allow my emotions and experiences skew my judgement in some situations, that I am cautious when it comes to reading and interpreting Scripture for my own life and especially if I intend to share it with others.

This post went a bit long, so I will leave “abundantly” for another post. I do hope that, if anything, we can each learn to read Scripture knowing it can have multiple meanings and we should be prudent to find the truth (that which is true or in accordance with fact or reality), not our own definition of it.

Endurance for the Long Journey

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The promises You have laid before me, Father, have required much of me. When I first accepted this journey, I was eager and excited. As of late, the length of the journey has left me exhausted and resistant to continue.  All I see before me is an endless sea with no land in sight. Yet, I look back and You remind me how far we have traveled and it stirs my heart to continue. Your words, your love, give me comfort. I may be exhausted, unmotivated, and often plain lazy, but search my heart and know that my desire is to follow You until the ends of the earth.

In the midst of this journey, I will rest on the promises of Your Words to me:

 When hard pressed, I cried to the Lord; 
    he brought me into a spacious place. ~ Psalm 118:5

Keep falsehood and lies far from me;
    give me neither poverty nor riches,
    but give me only my daily bread.
 Otherwise, I may have too much and disown you
    and say, ‘Who is the Lord?’
Or I may become poor and steal,
    and so dishonor the name of my God. ~ Proverbs 30:8-9

I know your deeds,
     your love and faith,
     your service and perseverance,
     and that you are now doing more than you did at first. ~ Revelation 2:19

For the revelation awaits an appointed time;
    it speaks of the end
    and will not prove false.
Though it linger, wait for it;
    it will certainly come
    and will not delay. ~ Habakkuk 2:3

Forget the former things;
    do not dwell on the past.
See, I am doing a new thing!
    Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?
I am making a way in the wilderness
    and streams in the wasteland. ~ Isaiah 43:18-19

Perhaps the reason he was separated from you for a little while
     was that you might have him back forever~ Philemon 1:15

 

Worm, Take Heart

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Do not be afraid, O worm, Jacob…I will make you into a threshing sledge,
new and sharp, with many teeth. (Isaiah 41:14-15)

Could any two things be in greater contrast than a worm and a threshing tool with sharp teeth? A worm is delicate and is easily bruised by a stone or crushed beneath a passing wheel. Yet a threshing tool with sharp teeth can cut through rock and not be broken, leaving its mark upon the rock. and almighty God can convert one into the other. He can take and individual or a nation, who has all the weakness of a worm, and through the energizing work of His own Spirit, endow that person or nation with strength enough to make a profound mark upon the history of their time.

Therefore a “worm” may take heart. almighty God can make us stronger thank our circumstances and can turn each situation to our goo. in God’s strength we can make them all pay tribute to our soul. we can take the darkest disappointment, break it open, and discover a precious jewel of grace inside. when God gives us as an iron plowshare cuts through the hardest soil. As He said in the above verse, “I will make you…” Will He not do it? John Henry Jowett

Christ is building His kingdom with the broken things of earth. People desire only the strong, successful, victorious, and unbroken things in life to build their kingdom, but God is the God of the unsuccessful — the God of those who have failed. Heaven is being filled with earth’s broken lives, and there is no “bruised reed” (Isa. 42:3) that Christ cannot take and restore to glorious place of blessing and beauty. He can take a life crushed by pain and sorrow and make it a harp whose music will be a total praise. He can lift earth’s saddest failure up to heaven’s glory. J.R. Miller

“Follow Me, and I will make you…”
Make you speak My words with power,
Make you vessels of My mercy,
Make you helpful every hour.

“Follow Me, and I will make you…”
Make you what cannot be —
Make you loving, trustful, godly,
Make you even just like Me.

L.S.P.

– Streams in the Desert

All I Could Ever Ask For

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The past couple of years I have written a post commemorating Jake on his birthday. This year, I had the privilege of commemorating him in my speech class. Below is the speech I presented just a few days after his 15th birthday.

I remember the exact moment I fell in love. It was 9:11 a.m. on Thursday, November 12, 1998. Prior to that moment, I had no concept of what true love was. Yet, the moment my baby boy was placed in my arms, I was immediately overwhelmed by it.

When the nurse took him to check his vitals, he began to cry. My mama bear instincts kicked in and all I wanted to do was hurt that nurse. My baby boy is now 15 years old and as 3 John 1:4 states “I have no greater joy than to hear that my [son is] walking in the truth.

The road we have traveled has not been easy. He could have easily chosen the path paved with lies, fears, insecurities, and self-destruction, but he has chosen another path. Despite all my son has witnessed, on Monday, October 27, 2008, he chose to walk in the Truth of Jesus Christ. Since then, my son has not only grown physically, but emotionally, and spiritually, as well, in ways this mother could only dream of.

Now, just because he chose to follow the Lord at a young age, my child is far from perfect; after all he is a teenager. He has this gift of pushing my buttons, holding his finger on them until he sees I am about to burst. And everything I ask him to do is a huge inconvenience.

I remember him telling me for months that we did not have to spend an entire summer in Guatemala. He had never been there and had no desire to go. Even at the airport in Miami as we waited for our connecting flight, he would say “Mother, we can still turn around.” But no matter how strong his desire not to go was, something inside of him was telling him that he needed to go.

During one of the lowest points of our trip, while reading the Bible, he read the words of Habakkuk 2:3, “For the revelation awaits an appointed time; it speaks of the end and will not prove false. Though it linger, wait for it; it will certainly come and will not delay.” It was like a light bulb went off. At that moment, my son, at the age of 13, believed and held on to those words, trusting the Lord did have something in store for us.

Without fail, just 2 weeks later, this same young man was telling me with absolute certainty that we were moving to Alabama. The child who kept telling me “Mother, we can still turn around” was saying we had to move to a town we only knew existed for 3 days, in a state we had never been to. How the tables had turned; my son was now challenging me to do something I did not want to do, but knew we had to. By the end of our 8 weeks in Guatemala, he had grown 3 inches, his signature long hair was gone and a young man emerged.

John Eldredge, in his book Wild at Heart, mentions that at the core of every man there are three desires; a battle to fight for, an adventure to live, and a beauty to rescue. My son had officially begun his journey into manhood. I suddenly began to see his desire to be the hero in his own little world, slay dragons, and one day rescue his very own damsel in distress.

I had no idea what a good man was supposed to look like, let alone a hero. After all when I saw my son, all I saw was my baby. Then I heard a song by Shane and Shane that said “I wish that I could be your everything. Be the one to give you all the things you need, but sometimes I’m going to let you down. There’s someone if you just believe, who will be your hero like he’s always been for me. Darling, Jesus is the one you need.” I suddenly knew what I needed to do. I needed to continuously direct my son to the One who “knit him in my womb” and has “great plans for him” as the Bible describes.

I would like to leave you with the words of my son’s favorite verse, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes” (Romans 1:16). If the past few years are any indication of what is to come, this young man, my young man, Jake Anthony Tsakos, will continue to prove that God still speaks to and works through anyone who is available, no matter their age or circumstance.

Last night, Jake and I were talking about how much we both don’t like being in Alabama, but we agreed this is where the Lord has us for now. Jake continued by saying that it is great that I am able to go to school, but he knows we are here for him. He said he believed that he wouldn’t be “this strong” if we were still living in Florida. I knew he was referring to his spiritual strength and I was taken back to the moment I held him in my arms for the first time. Except now, I was overwhelmed with love and pride for the young man I was seeing before me. Happy Birthday, Baby! I love you!

Prove the Greatness of God

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– Streams in the Desert for November 2. Too good not to share! –

Peter was kept in prison, but the church was earnestly praying to God for him. (Acts 12:5)

     Prayer is this link that connects us with God. It is the bridge that spans every gulf and carries us safely over every chasm of danger or need.

Think of the significance of this story of the first-century church. Everything seemed to be coming against it, for Peter was in prison, the Jews appeared triumphant. Herod still reigned supreme, and the arena of martyrdom was eagerly awaiting the next morning so it could drink the apostle’s blood. “But the church was earnestly praying to God for him.” So what was the outcome? The prison was miraculously opened, the apostle freed, the Jews bewildered, and as a display of God’s punishment, wicked King Herod “was eaten by worms and died.” And rolling on to even greater victory, “the word of God continued to increase and spread” (vv. 23-24).

Do we truly know the power of our supernatural weapon of prayer? Do we dare to use it with the authority of a faith that not only asks but also commands? God baptizes us with the holy boldness and divine confidence, for He is looking not for great people but for people who will dare to prove the greatness of their God! “But the church was earnestly praying.” A.B. Simpson

In your prayers, above everything else, beware of limiting God, not only through unbelief but also by thinking you know exactly what He can do. Learn to expect the unexpected, beyond all that you ask and think.

So each time you intercede through prayer, first be quiet and worship God in His glory. Think of what He can do, how He delights in Christ His Son, and of your place in Him – then expect great things. Andrew Murray

Our prayers are God’s opportunities.

Are you experiencing sorrow? Prayer can make your time of affliction one of strength and sweetness. Are you experiencing happiness? Prayer can add a heavenly fragrance to your time of joy. Are you in grave danger from some outward or inward enemy? Prayer can place an angel by your side whose very touch could shatter a millstone into smaller grains of dust that the flour it grinds, and whose glance could destroy and entire army.

What will prayer do for you? My answer is this: Everything that God can do for you. “Ask for whatever you want me to give you.” (2 Chronicles 1:7). Frederick William Farrar

Wrestling prayer can wonders do,

Bring relief in dire straits;

Prayer can force a passage through

Iron bars and heavy gates.

Never Ceasing to Amaze

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Therefore I am now going to allure her; I will lead her into the wilderness and speak tenderly to her. There I will give her back her vineyards, and will make the Valley of Achor [Trouble] a door of hope. There she will respond [sing] as in the days of her youth, as in the day she came up out of Egypt. – Hosea 2:14-15

I have once again fallen, my Lord. Fallen away from You and instead of leaving me to rot, You have lifted me up, [once again] washed me with the blood of Jesus, and caused me to sing as I did in the days of my youth and innocence. You will never desert me. You will never be disgusted or ashamed of me. You are proud to call me Your own.

You transform my valley of trouble into a door of hope. Yet, as You take me by the hand and guide me into the wilderness I expect words of reproach, but instead You speak tenderly to me returning to me what I have so frivolously given away. Thank You for loving me as You do! You can take the worst places and turn them into beauty. After so many times of running away from You, You still continue to allure me back into Your arms. I praise you for mercy that never ceases nor never ceases to amaze me! You are my One True Love!

No Picking and Choosing

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If we choose to follow Christ, we choose to believe that His Word, the Bible, is the Truth; all of it, not parts. I do not care what the world or the government, or my own flesh, for that matter, has to say about the sanctity of human of life, I care and believe what the Word of God says!

The World’s View

The Biblical View
SEX is a physical and emotional desire to be fulfilled by consensual union.
 SEX is the physical, emotional, and spiritual union of a married couple (Genesis 2:24-25).
 PREGNANCY begins with attachment of an embryo to the uterine wall (implantation). If desirable, pregnancy is good. If undesirable pregnancy is a problem, and it is the woman’s right to choose whether or not the product of conception will be allowed to remain in the uterus or be terminated by abortion.
 PREGNANCY begins with the union of egg and sperm (fertilization). God “opens the womb” and is in control of the timing and continuation of a pregnancy, whether it is planned by the parents or not (Genesis 29:31, 30:1-2, 22-23; Psalm 119:73, 139:13-16). An unplanned pregnancy may be a crisis to the parents, but it can and should be dealt with in a way that honors the sanctity of human life.
 CHILDREN should be wanted or planned. If not, they are a burden.
 CHILDREN are a blessing from the Lord (Deuteronomy 28:4, 11; Psalm 127:3-5; Isaiah 40:11).

*chart from Intimacy Before Impact (c) 2007

Impressive

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“You want me to what? I don’t think I can do that.”

Why not?

“Well, that would be so pretentious of me.”

Even if I asked you to do it?

“It’s just so uncomfortable for me to brag on myself. I don’t think I am anything spectacular or impressive. You want to list my faults, I will give you a head start and even finish it off with some things you left out. I can do that no problem.”

Look at your wrist…

“My what?”

Your wrist. Do you see that?

“You mean my tattoo?”

Exactly! What does that verse  say?

“I know your deeds, your love and faith, your service and perseverance, and that you are now doing more than you did at first.” (Revelation 2:19 NIV)

You say that with such little emotion. I don’t think you get it, so let me say it a little differently…I see everything you’re doing for me. Impressive! The love and the faith, the service and persistence. Yes, very impressive! You get better at it every day (Revelation 2:19 MSG). This isn’t a ho-hum verse, be excited because I AM excited! Be impressed, because I AM impressed!!

“I don’t know. I just keep thinking ‘less of me, more of You’.”

I don’t think you get that saying either. Think less of yourself as in status not value. Just because you think less of yourself doesn’t make you any less.

“Huh!’

I see a light bulb going off.

“I guess I just always thought if I said anything good about myself, then I would come across as conceited.”

There is a thin line, but you can boast about yourself and how far we’ve come. You can boast on the gifts I have given you and rejoice in the promises I have for you. That is not a sin. Plus, if you are boasting on the things I have done in your life, it doesn’t matter how it is perceived by others…Now, can you brag on yourself for me?

“Let’s see…there’s so much, I don’t even know where to start…” 🙂

500 Miles

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“But I would walk 500 miles and I would walk 500 more. Just to be the man who walked a thousand miles to fall down at your door.” That was the song on the latest episode of Grey’s Anatomy, where Kepner, the re-virginized surgeon, was proposed to by her paramedic boyfriend in this whole song and dance scene. I was mesmerized the entire time. What is with girls and cheesy marriage proposals? Most of us melt at them. I guess it’s because it shows that your man is willing to make a fool of himself for you…and, boy, how do we love the fools!

As much as many of us try to negate it, God made the woman’s heart attracted to things more emotional. We do a lot because of our feelings. Sometimes that is bad, but if we allow God to drive our emotions, it can be so amazing!!

God is very emotional. Throughout the Bible, He speaks of His love for us. It’s the ultimate love story. He finds her (us), she falls for Him, but for one reason or another, cannot fully accept the love He has for her, so she runs. And as the true Romantic that He is, He pursues her…Therefore I am now going to allure her; I will lead her into the desert and speak tenderly to her. There I will give her back her vineyards, and will make the Valley of Achor a door of hope. There she will sing as in the days of her youth, as in the day she came up out of Egypt. “In that day,” declares the LORD, “you will call me ‘my husband’; you will no longer call me ‘my master’ (Hosea 2:14-16). Doesn’t that sound incredibly amazing??

I know Grey’s Anatomy has some great writers because I keep watching week after week, but the Writer of my love story is a whole lot better! And I can’t wait to see what He has in store for me in the seasons to come, but in the meantime, I will bask in the One who would (and has) walked 500 miles and 500 more for me!!