Go, Humble Yourself

You know that moment when everyone else is wrong and you are right? The time where there is no possible way you could be in the wrong? The time when you say what is on your mind because it is the obvious "truth". I hope you can note my shade of sarcasm here. In the heat of the moment (at least for me) I am right and I have no doubt in my mind about it. My pride takes over and my bad side comes out. 

The other day I had one of these moments...Someone treated me in a way I thought I oughtn't be treated, so I spoke out in anger. I was deaf to the truth endeavoring to whisper in my ear, as I left to room feeling offended, hurt, and upset. As I continued about my work, I knew deep down that I was wrong but I couldn't bring myself to how I was wrong. Something inside me began to cry, "God, break me! I am blind to my sin. Show me where I am wrong. Bring me to my knees and humble me.Shatter my pride and give me the strength to admit when I have sinned." Something clicked at that moment. My mind flew to my quiet time a few hours earlier. I was reading Proverbs 6. Verses 2-3 say, "If you have been snared with the words of your mouth, Have been caught with the words of your mouth, do this then, my son, and deliver yourself...go, humble yourself..." This stopped me in my tracks and the Spirit brought about the repentance I had been desperately longing for. All of this leading to an apology and a reunion with the person I had upset.

I tell you this so you may learn from my mistakes as well as your own. Remember; the truth is not in what you think is right, it is in what God commands as right. Even in the heated moment when you have been wronged by someone, don't shut out the fact that you are capable of being wrong. Remember the weakness in your own flesh as you (easily) remember the weaknesses in others. Stop and ask God to humble you, even if you are angry and feeling unforgiving. Ask Him to bring you to a place of repentance and realization.

We are human, sinful, and weak, but through the grace of God, we are conquerors. We can better combat our human nature, when it is apparent to us that it exists. If we deny the weakness that courses throughout our frail bodies and minds, we are foolish. When you sin, don't wallow in condemnation and sorrow, recognize your fault, plead with the Father, ask forgiveness, and learn from your sin. It may sound odd, but I say, get as much out of your mistakes as you can. Examine points where you were weak and study what you can do differently to honor God the next time. 

Every mistake, ever blunder is a learning experience. What will you make of them?

Blessings,
 Rachel

Rise Again

Reinforcements Coming

By Rebekah (Pearl) Anast

There is a mighty army
 Being trained to stand and fight,
 A battlefield of soldiers
Learning what is right.

A Company of warriors
That will boldly take the word
To every tribe and nation
Till every soul has heard.

There is a mighty army,
I’ve seen them everywhere;
Most are wearing diapers
And dragging Teddy Bears.

Infants in the training,
Drilled in right and wrong,
Mom and Dad are making
Soldiers brave and strong.

There is a mighty army
Trained in righteous war,
Cheer them on to victory,
Children of the Lord!

I read this in the Jan-Feb 2014 NGJ (No Greater Joy) magazine today. It is a powerful picture of how things have changed. This was written in 1996, a year after I was born. The biblical idea of raising children, and bringing them up in the Lord has faded into the background of society. Many young women and men no longer have the desire to get married and start a family of their own. It is more about success in their personal lives and what they can accomplish on their own.

Surprisingly (or maybe not so surprisingly), the woman who has a vision for family and marriage is looked down upon. She is considered week and strange. Her desires to be yoked to a man in marriage, to be a helpmeet, are rare.

When the foundation of a society crumbles, it is natural that society itself should crumble as well, right? Maybe I'm seeing it differently, however, I will not deny what is happening every day in America (and around the world). People have grown cold to what was once supposed to be a warm blessing. They have broken what was created by God to be sacred and beloved. People are trampling the ground, the holy places once held in high regard.

A child in the womb is no longer a blessing from God above, placed there for a purpose, but a curse, one that has to be "disposed of". Now, marriage is not a unity or a promise. It is a possibly and a maybe, something that can be broken. Family is no longer a house standing together, but a house divided. And, if you know the Scriptures, a house divided shall fall (Mark 3:25, "If a house is divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand."). The sad part is, not many know the Word. Not many see what is happening, because they are unaware of the Scriptures. Do you see families who are united? Do you see children who are willing to listen and learn from their parents? Do you see the majority of parents pursuing their children and spending time with them?

It makes me sad when I see the family foundation crumbling. When I see children rebelling against mom and dad. When I see marriages failing because two people thought that love and physical attraction was all they would need to keep them together.

If only the family model could be restored to this country (and others). Can you imagine the strength there?

If Christ is the foundation of the family, it will stand united. If the house is united, the society will be strong. If the society is strong, the nation will be also. Christ is unstoppable. If He is within you, you are strong, for you bear the weight of the calling of Christ. You are an ambassador for the Kingdom.

 

I so long to see a nation united, standing strong in Christ. I want to see the brightness in the eyes of the young women, a light that shouts true freedom, a freedom that gives them the desire to step into their God given roll. So many young women think it is whimpy to place themselves in a position to help and serve. Tell me though, isn't it easier to go your own way and do what you please? Isn't it strength and character (placed in one's heart by God) that has the will to step up and to take responsibility? How has this world twisted strength into weakness (Isaiah 5:20)?

I want to see a rising up of young men who have a burning passion to love, care for, and pursue a wife. Men who have the guts to lead in humility and courage. Young men who are willing to take upon themselves the responsibility to support a family, and raise their children to be strong in the Lord. Men who are servants of the Almighty.

I have seen such people. I have watched them work. I have heard them talk. I have seen them walk by faith. I have also witnessed them stumble. You know what they do when they fall? They rise again. They don't rise by their power, but by the power dwelling richly within them. Christ brings them back to their feet, so they can dust themselves off and press on. Phillipeans 3:13, "...But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus." They press on. Proverbs says, "For a righteous man falls seven times, and rises again..." I want to see the men and women who rise again.

Anyways, to make a long story shorter, I was impressed and deeply moved by the little poem above. I hope that some of what I have said makes sense to you. I so long to share some of what God has been placing on my heart. I am sorry I am not more clear in my writing. When God places something heavily on my heart, I have to get it out somehow! I pray for you and hope God speaks through this to you. Help our families to rise again. 

Blessings always,
~Rachel S.