Day 14 – All Your Anxiety

Philippians 4:6 (NIV) “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.”
I know what you’re thinking, easier said than done, right? We spend a lot of time consumed with worry and stress over things that we cannot control. That doesn’t mean we don’t stop trying, but is it comforting to know that we have One who intercedes and hears our prayer?!

Stress can become our prison if we allow it to consume us. The anxiety that we may feel can also bring about other health concerns. Letting go isn’t easy, but perhaps we have to begin by taking a step back from the problems at hand. Get some perspective. Look at something else instead of the trouble of stress you are facing.

Could it be that even within this moment it is a test of your faith? Do you trust God to help you through it, even if He doesn’t deliver you from it? In the grand scheme of things, how bad is your trouble really? Has God not overcome worse in our world? What makes you think that He won’t be there for you now?

Paul tells us to bring everything to God through prayer and petition in a spirit of Thanksgiving. That seems crazy to thank God for your troubles as well as your joys, but in so doing, we will experience His very real presence and power. So make a list of your troubles, both big and small, and bring them before God in prayers of Thanksgiving. Thank God for the challenges and for His presence. Perhaps this could be an opportunity for you to test your faith (and perhaps your patience).

Prayer: Dear Lord, I confess that I have troubles and stress in my life. Help me to have some perspective on these things. Allow me to have a deeper faith as I wait on you to lead me through. Be with me now as I lay these petitions of Thanksgiving at your feet. Today I pray for (list your troubles, anxiety and stress – name them, even say them out loud). Close by thanking God for leading you through your past stresses and have faith that He will deliver you through these very present troubles. -Amen.

January 14, 2017 0

Day 13 – What Good Can Come From There?

“…Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph. Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?’ Nathaniel asked. “Come and see,” said Philip. (John 1:45-46)

Have you ever felt as if you weren’t good enough to be a disciple of Christ?
Perhaps you have uttered similar words about yourself. Things like “Lord, surely you could pick someone better…someone more equipped…someone more eloquent…someone smarter than me.” I know many who struggle with their own self-worth. I also know of others who feel very insecure about their own gifts and abilities.

The important thing to remember is that when you say “yes” to God, He will provide the means. Moses had a speech problem, and was very self-conscious about speaking in front of people, let alone the Pharaoh of Egypt…so God provided him help. (Exodus 4:10)
When faithfulness to God is evident, and we say yes – Jehovah Jireh (My provider) will provide what we need.

Nathaniel’s words “Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?” were not directed at himself, but rather at Philip’s proclamation of finding Messiah there in that town. Jesus entered Nathaniel’s life and told him things no one knew, which lead Nathaniel to boldly declare, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the King of Israel.” That is an amazing declaration at a first visit with Jesus!

Christ wants to do something amazing in your life today!
He longs to equip you beyond what you see in yourself! No matter where you come from, no matter your background or list of insecurities, He wants to make you his disciple!
The question “what good can come from there?” can be answered by a face to face encounter with our Savior. Will you talk to Him today?

Prayer: Lord I confess my own insecurities to you today. I am not equipped for the things you want me to do. Help me to see You for who You are! Also remind me that no demographic or community is unimportant to you- and that like diamonds in the rough, you can will raise up godly people and provide the means to have your glory seen. Speak to my heart today. Encourage me and allow me to your humble servant. In your name I pray these things. -Amen.

January 13, 2017 0

Dear Salvation Army – 4 Ways To Ignite Passion In Ministry

Dear Army,
I must admit that there are times when I am battle-weary.
I have become drained, burned-out, and feel that any impact I can make is not enough.
Dear Soldier, have you ever felt this way when serving the Lord through this army of Salvation? You are not alone. Perhaps we need some helps along the way. We cannot do battle alone, we were never called to be solo soldiers, individual super-soldiers doing everything on our own – No! The stronger we are together, the more impact in this world our service for Christ to others can be!

Today, here are 4 ways to Ignite (or perhaps re-ignite) Passion In Ministry!
Here’s a top four count-down:

4) Read, and Keep On Reading!
Challenge yourself to pick up more books on tough spiritual concepts. Read about the spiritual journeys of other Christians and Soldiers. This will give you insight into how Christ has been working and is working today! Be a reader of more than just fiction books. I say this because I really love fiction novels, and perhaps some characteristics in those fiction books can help, but in order to stretch yourself, become a reader and student of other Christians. Read the writings of Samuel Logan Brengle and General Frederick Coutts. Read Bonehoeffer, C.S. Lewis, N.T. Wright, Thomas Cahill amongst others. Do not limit your literary choices to just the Salvation Army world, expand your reading. In so doing, you will find hope, joy and passion of serving the Lord! A little warning too: you will also see where we as an Army can do better and greater things, so reader beware!

3) Stop The Monkey Work And Serve!
In The Salvation Army (and any other organization or movement) there seems to be endless paperwork, reports and office work to do. I think there is more than two certainties of Death and Taxes, there is also Monkey work. I do not say this to be critical or disparaging, I say this because it is true. We can become so bogged down by monkey work that we never really leave our offices and we stop seeing the mission of why we do what we do. Stop the monkey work for a day…get out of your office or your cubical and serve others. Do so in small and large ways. Take the time to use your hands for others instead of pushing paper…that will still be there when you get back. When we serve, there is something cathartic about it. There is something heartwarming. We have made contact with someone other than on an email or social media thread – we have touched the heart of someone in need. We looked them in the eyes, and was able to help in some small way. This can be done by even talking to people. Many just need someone to talk to, someone to be there and just listen. If you want to ignite or re-ignite the passion, stop the monotony of monkey work and help serve!

2) Take Your Sabbath.
I have said this before and I will repeat it again, because I feel convicted about this. Perhaps you will disagree with me, that is your prerogative (thanks for your opinion, now here’s mine). Sunday mornings, if you are the officer or local officers and you have an active role in leading ministry – you need more than just that service to be your Sabbath! Yes, worship is impactful. Yes, connection and fellowship is vital. But Sabbath is more than just a worship service. Sabbath is resting in the presence of God. I would venture a guess that many do not spend enough time in solitude with God. Jesus took time away from His disciples. He went apart from them and communed with the Father. We too must find this type of Sabbath – even if it is for an hour or half an hour. Take your Sabbath, rest, recharge and re-ignite your passion! If you don’t it’s like never charging your cellular phone, it will be dead soon enough and useless. Stay connected to the Father. Pray often, let those prayers become constant conversations and make a concerted effort to take your Sabbath.

1) Friendship – Comradery- Accountability
Soldiers, you need fellowship. When we see eye to eye, laugh and even cry together bonds for friendship and relationship deeply develop. Do not take this for granted. Some have assumed this permanent soldier of solitude position and they find it to be a very lonely place. Rest assured, we need you! We need your fellowship. Make it a vital intention and priority to spend time with friends and fellow soldiers. Do not take these moments for granted. Together in fellowship we can face many things head-on. We are stronger together and weaker apart. Find friends and peers that you can trust to hold you accountable too. This ought not become laborious or a class, if it becomes that then it can lose its special-ness, and feel more forced. But find the friendships that make you laugh, challenge you, and makes you want to keep going in this Army! Sometimes these friendships might not even have an Army connection, and this might provide a fresh set of eyes and broader perspective on things. Friendship cannot be over emphasized here, especially when you are on the front lines in this army! We need each other to reignite our passions and purpose! Hold fast and make this a priority!

These are just four suggestions to help ignite passion into your ministry (again).
They are not placed in an order of importance mind you, feel free to use these and without a doubt there are other means to do this!

YOUR TAKE: What are other ways in which we can ignite our passion in this ministry & mission? Ponder with us, leave your comments here, we want to hear from you!

Something more for this Army world to ponder today!

**Disclaimer: The views and thoughts expressed here are not necessarily The Salvation Army’s view and thoughts, but the writer of this Pondering. Reader discretion is advised.**

January 12, 2017 2

Day 12 – The Burdens Of Others

“Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ...”
–Ephesians 6:2

We live in a very egocentric culture today. A lot of the time our culture operates from an individualistic perspective. For example many ask these types of questions frequently: How do I see myself? Where do I fit in? What makes ME Happy? Will this change affect ME? And the truth is our culture is ruled by how “I” feel. This can spiral into a very self-indulged, selfish worldview where one throws a fit if one does not get their own way and they simply cannot be burdened by the needs of others.

Paul reminds us and the early Church that the needs and burdens of others are to be shared. This is certainly counter-cultural to what society teaches us. But even the ancient world struggled with self-importance and individuality. Do you recall the parable of the good Samaritan? There was a Priest who came by, saw the beaten and bloody man and walked on the other side of the road. Then there was a Levite who did the same thing. Both were too consumed with their own needs and busy schedules to stop and tend to this injured man (who was of their culture and race). Finally the Samaritan man passed by, saw this man’s needs and tended to them.

Our Busyness
It would be easy to say that we would respond like the Good Samaritan in Jesus’ story, but is that really true sometimes? When we have deadlines to meet, appointments to keep, miles of road to drive to get to those “responsibilities” – would we stop what we were doing to lend a helping hand? How important are the burdens of those around us? Can we even see past the issues that we face in order to see the needs of others? It is far easier to put our noses back into our busyness, say “Oh I’m way too busy”, and never look around us. It is far easier to think “I’ll just let someone else take care of that person’s needs”…but what if God holds us accountable for those moments that we never cared or simply passed that responsibility onto “someone else”? Would that change how we look at others? What if God placed those burdens of others in our path so that we could help, but we didn’t lift a finger…could we really be called Christ-followers then? “For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink…” Matthew 25:42.

Jesus even prayed for His disciples that they would be one – united in effort and mission.
I believe the message is so much stronger when we share each other’s burdens and stand united together in love. So today, here’s a challenge for you: do one thing that makes you go out of your way for someone in need. It might be something small like buying someone a cup of coffee, or helping a person load their groceries into their car, or offer a meal to someone who appears in need of food. Don’t judge or second guess their intentions, just give.

Prayer: Dear Lord, help me to see others today. Despite my busy schedule, I am called to be your hands and feet – show me what that looks like. Forgive me when I have been the Priest or the Levite and walked passed someone in need. Help me to serve with and not to seek out my own self-importance. Lead me Lord today in this. -Amen.

January 12, 2017 0

Day 11: Walking In The Light

“(Jesus said) ‘I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.'” -John 8:12

Picking up from yesterday’s devotional on Finding Hope , I wonder how often we find ourselves in dark places. I don’t mean some dark alley in an unknown part of town, I mean in those dark moods, in those dark times where all hope does seem lost, whether because of health, family, friends, work etc… Dark times do come.

I remember one time awakening in the middle of night and all of our power was out. It was pitch dark, and it just so happened to be September 12th, 2001. As you can recall the horrific events that took place on September 11th. In our little town, cars were lined up at the pumps because they were afraid something far greater was going to happen. Those first few days, weeks, months were very dark times. Many were looking for answers and fear was at the forefront of everyone’s minds…anyway, I digress. So I awaken in the middle of the night without power, right after this awful, dreadfully dark day. I stumble around trying to find a flashlight. I remember tripping over things and eventually stumbling down the stairs in the dark. Finally, I made my way out to the car in the driveway and flick on the lights. (I too was afraid something on a national level had happened, which lead to this blackout) Finally, when I had turned on the lights, orientated myself I realized that it was only a brief blackout in our neighborhood. Those moments spent in the dark, were somewhat terrifying to me post Sept 11th.

For a brief moment, I had been living in fear and I was truly in the dark.

I wonder how many Christians still today, are living in the dark because of fears and uncertainties? We cannot control the world around us. It is often turbulent and even violent. Dangers seem to lurk around the corner, or so we think. Could it be that a little portion of us needs to take control and we, perhaps do not fully trust God to come to our aid? I’m not saying that we simply don’t protect our families or neighbors from dangers – of course do that! But I am wondering if we have our doubts that linger in the back of our minds if God will really be there for us through thick and thin…even in the dark?

Rest assured, Our Heavenly is the Light that we desperately need, and by which ALL THINGS are judged and seen. God knows what you are going through in your life right now. He will not leave you are abandon you! We can live in the light no matter what the world around us throws in our direction. Stand firm and be encouraged today! God’s got this!

Prayer: Lord, help me with my fears. We live in a dangerous world. I want to live for you even if the world around me seems dark. Cast your light into my life today. Help me to shine for you in all that I do and say! In Your name I pray these things. -Amen.

January 11, 2017 0

Day 10:Finding Hope In The Lord!

Whether it is because of gloomy days, or circumstances in life, there are times when we become worn out and run down. Because of this, our attitudes and even perspectives on life can become bleak or distorted. Rest assured that you aren’t alone in these feelings. We all face difficulties, frustrations and even opposition in this life – this is nothing new.
Before David became king of Israel, we find him on the run and afraid for his life. King Saul was jealous of David and sought to kill him. He was perceived to be a threat to King Saul because David was a war hero and highly revered in all of Israel. Imagine having all of those accolades and notoriety but still having to run for your life?! You would think that because of those circumstances David’s perspectives on life would have become bleak and gloomy, but they didn’t. He remained steadfast even while in hiding. Even amidst David’s trials he managed to have this perspective:

^“God! Look! Enemies past counting!
Enemies sprouting like mushrooms,
Mobs of them all around me, roaring their mockery:
“Hah! No help for him from God!”

^3-4But you, God, shield me on all sides;
You ground my feet, you lift my head high;
With all my might I shout up to God,
His answers thunder from the holy mountain.” (Psalm 31-4 The Message Version)

Regardless of what you might be facing today, there is hope!
Shout to God.
Cry out to Him.
He will hear you!
He will be your shield on every side of you as well!
No matter how dark your day might seem, God’s light can shine on you and bring you hope and peace! Cling to this! Seek Him out, and He will lift your head!

Prayer: Dear Lord, there are days when the gloom and stress of it all encompass me. Remind me of your very real presence in my life today. Shine your light on these sometimes dark circumstances around me. Strengthen me and be my shield. In You, Oh Lord do I put my trust and in Whom do I find my joy and hope! My Your will be done in my life today! In Christ’s name I pray these things. -Amen.

January 11, 2017 1

Day 9: Fecal Of The Mouth…

“Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.” Ephesians 4:29

Do you remember getting your mouth washed out with soap?
Perhaps you do, and I would imagine that soapy taste still lingers to this day. Parents would do this to try and instill wholesome verbal skills in their children.

But this fecal of the mouth doesn’t end with the use of profanity, it continues into all of the negative comments we might make in an average day. We might complain about things. We might constantly criticize without any kind of constructive counterpoints. All we are doing is essentially spewing verbal fecal matter around us. That sounds disgusting doesn’t it? Well it is.

No one wants to hang out with a negative person all the time do they?
They tend to bring the party down. As Christians we are called to be set apart from how the World tells us to live. This passage goes way beyond using swear words, and reminds us of the necessity to build each other up instead of tear each other down. So when Paul says “let no unwholesome words come out of your mouth”, he is reminding Christ-followers to be mindful of what they say – which becomes their testimony to the rest of the world around us. The words we choose can be the very words of Christ, or they can be the words of Satan. That sounds harsh, but the reality is that words can cut deeper than any blade, and words can maim or encourage beyond what we could ever see. Words are that important! And how we choose to use them can either bless or curse the souls of those around us.

So How About You?
How are your speech patterns?
Are there areas in your life that you find difficult and you end up catching yourself speaking with fecal, unwholesome speech? Do you constantly have to fight against going negative. Does this permeate your entire outlook on life and on others around you? If so, how can you change this pattern of unwholesome talk? We can blame other people and situations, that would be the easy way out…but only when we take responsibility for our own speech and rein in our thoughts, will we ever seen measurable spiritual growth. It begins with you, it begins with me.

Prayer:
Dear Lord, help me with my tongue today.
Remind me that I am set apart for you. Cleanse me of malice and negative thinking that seems to bleed out into my speech. I want to be a kingdom builder, not one who tears down. Show me what it means to be edifying and encouraging to others. Help me with the words I choose to speak. My the words of my mouth and meditations of my heart be acceptable to You, Oh Lord my Strength and my Redeemer. -Amen

January 9, 2017 0

Day 8: The Full Court Press…

“Not that I have already obtained all of this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.” Philippians 3:12

Let’s face it, none of us are perfect, and we all struggle from time to time.
But there ought to be some reassurance in knowing the Father – who sent His one and only Son for us. Although we fail from time to time, we have a Savior who doesn’t fail us. In fact He picks us up when we fall flat on our faces and helps us back on our feet, that is our faith on this spiritual journey.
Here’s a caution for all of us though, just because we are not perfect does not mean that we cannot be made Holy by God’s divine presence. The Holy Spirit longs for us to become what we were always created to be – Christ’s very image here on earth. And so He prods us, reminds us, convicts us of the things we have yet to surrender to Him. Sometimes we might have deep dark places in our hearts that we think aren’t forgiveable or redeemable, and so we hide them away and never talk about them. We think God will just forget about them, but the truth is if we never confront them, we will never full realize the image of Christ in us – it will always remain blurred and seemingly far away.

Press On!
So we have to put on the full court press in our lives.
We have strive to be disciplined in our personal conduct and in our thought processes.
We are made for something so much more than this and we ought not settle for being “just okay”…we can live Christ in every facet of our lives. Paul reminds us that he isn’t even there yet, but that doesn’t get him down, he just presses onward. This is what we are to do as well. Admittedly, we aren’t there yet…we still have a ways to go, so don’t quit, become frustrated or exhausted – keep going!

How is your spiritual journey going so far?
Has your journey been wrought with set backs, failures, heartbreaks and hurts?
If not perhaps you aren’t trying hard enough…and if it has, don’t quit and don’t surrender – keep pressing onward! Without this forward progress within us, we will wither, become stale and ultimately fail. Ask important questions. Challenge spiritual concepts. Tackle the rough things in your life, and with the Holy Spirit’s help we will overcome! Do you believe it? I mean do you REALLY believe it?

Prayer:
Dear Lord, I confess that I am not there yet.
I am often imperfect and I struggle in my spiritual disciplines.
Help me to overcome. Grant me your strength to press onward.
Make me holy Lord, so that my thoughts are your thoughts; my heart your heart.
I long to finish this race with strength and power, and not simply end by the skin of my teeth. Help me to thrive along the way! In Your name I pray all of these things. -Amen!

January 8, 2017 1

Day 7: Which God Do You Serve?

“Listen, my beloved brethren: did not God choose the poor of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which He promised to those who love Him?” James 2:5

When asked this question, most of us would say “I serve God the Father, Jesus Christ His Son…this is the God I serve!” But I would like to challenge you on this today, and in this challenge I hope we might recognize a very real and present danger in our lives right now. What is that danger you ask? Money – riches, fame, glorification of lifestyles that are not acceptable to God.

This pursuit of recognition on the world’s stage is wrought with sacrifices that will hollow us out and leave us mere shells of who God knows us to be. It is interesting that longing for wealth and recognition isn’t just the pursuit of money, but it is the pursuit of acceptance and accolades from the world itself. The trap can be – “What does the world tell me I should be” or, “How can I impress the world with my Instagram, Twitter, Facebook accounts?” We have a lot of people who have become internet famous in our world today, it seems easy to do…and so an entire generation is growing up longing to have that fame and fortune as well.

In Jesus’ day, Pharisees were sort of Ancient world “internet famous” – they performed good deeds in the street so that people might see how good they were. People looked up to them, and they lived an elevated lifestyle amongst the common folk. Jesus said of their public activities: “Be careful not to perform your righteous acts before men to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven. 2So when you give to the needy, do not sound a trumpet before you, asthe hypocrites do in the synagogues and on thestreets, to be praised by men. Truly I tell you, they already have their reward.” (Matthew 6:1-2)

Serving those around us so that others might see our good deeds in not serving God…it is idol worship and we have built self-serving gods in our name. Be aware of this trap. Recognize it for what it is, and reject the notion that in order to be a Christian we have to publicly show our goodness and prove our worth. This isn’t true worship of God, this is showmanship and does not bring honor to God. Instead, serve God even if no one sees you. Love others even if it is not reciprocated. Allow those silent, unobserved spaces to become your sanctuary to the Most High…may it be only for Him! When we shift our focus from self to God, we realign what worship is, and in Whom we worship.

Prayer:
Lord forgive me when I have not worshiped you, but elevated my status and ego.
I recognize that I must decrease and you must increase in my life. Help me to serve you regardless if I ever receive credit for it on this earth. May the words of my mouth and the actions of my heart be acceptable to You, Oh Lord my strength and my Redeemer. -Amen.

January 7, 2017 0

Day 6: Listening to the noise…

“After the earthquake came a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper…” 1 Kings 19:12

This is one of my favorite verses in the bible…Elijah is worn out, frustrated and afraid for his life. He seeks refuge in the mountains because God told him to do this. As he waits for God, a bunch of noise happens around him. First an earthquake, then a fire…and it says that God was not in those things. I wonder how long Elijah waited on God. It doesn’t say, I would speculate that God’s arrival to him was not immediate…there was a waiting period involved here.

The Noise
There is so much noise around us today, so much distraction. We might blast our favorite songs on the radio in the car, I sure do. We flip on the t.v. to catch our favorite hour long show – guilty again. We check our social media accounts more often than we’d care to admit. The distraction of noise, both auditory noise and visual noise, is all around us! It seems as if we cannot escape it’s grasp on our lives.

With all this distraction around us, when do we carve out the time to wait on God?
Do we sometimes forget Him amidst the distraction of the noise? It would be very easy to do in our culture today. We are seemingly immersed in the noise and there is virtually no where to run from it. But thankfully we serve a mighty God who is capable of breaking through that noise! In Elijah’s case, God showed up in a gentle whisper. Elijah recognized it and stepped out there to encounter Him. He recognized the moment for what it was…

Do We Recognize our Moments With God?
When the noise of life crashes in, like it frequently does, will we recognize the gentle whisper of God? Are we focused and in tune with Him? Do we wait expectantly for God to show up (which He will)? Whatever your distractions and noise might be, rest assured that God can break through for you, just be prepared and listening for Him!

Prayer
Dear Lord, my life is noisy and often I become distracted by it.
Many times I am consumed by it. Help me to find the gentle whispers in my life. Allow me the patience and attention to hear your voice amongst the noise. Be with me today. Remind me of this communion with You, that I desperately need your divine presence with me. Let me fellowship with you! In Your name I pray these things. Amen.

Nooma- Noise