Develop a Tender Conscience

"God will use your conscience to help lead you and keep you out of trouble," Joel Osteen says in BECOME A BETTER YOU. I attended an assembly today at a high school given by a former police officer who had a daughter, Kelsy Smith, abducted from the Target parking lot in Olathe and killed. He told us that 70% of personal safety depends on listening to your intuition. I am not sure how closely related conscience and intuition are, but I feel like both are the voice of God inside. I've called that a GPS (God's Powerful Spirit) before, and today I would like to make a case for using it. Joel says, "Don't override your own conscience. When you feel uncomfortable down inside, pull back and pay attention to what God is trying to say to you." He can protect you from danger. Joel goes on to say, "every time you obey, your conscience becomes more tender. When you obey, you're letting in more light. Your heart will be a little softer and you'll respond more quickly.....Live your life with a clear conscience. Get into God's best plan. The Scripture says in Matthew 6:22 that the lamp of the body is the eye." The former police officer advised us to be aware of our surroundings and make eye contact. It humanizes us and makes it harder for the offender to harm us. Also if we have our eyes open, we are aware of what is going on around us, and that adds to our safety. I am learning to accept direction from my inner, intuitive voice, which is my guide to knowing. I think of conscience as the urging to do the right thing. Both intuition and conscience are valuable tools of my GPS. As long as I listen to that still, small voice, I will be OK, and so will you. :)

Rising Higher

Joel Osteen says, "The way to rise higher is by staying open and dealing with issues as God brings them to light....Anyone of us can rise higher. There is no limit to what God will do in your life, if you will learn to obey quickly." We need to listen to our GPS (God's Powerful Spirit). That is the part of us that transcends our body's and our mind's limitations. We can bring forth the light of God because our GPS lifts us above any experience we may face. How does this happen? Well, we have a wonderful example in Jesus. He stole away from the masses to pray. This communion with God kept His Spirit high. Even when He went to the cross, He was not overwhelmed because He knew that He was fulfilling His purpose on earth. He did not see himself as a victim but as a victor. Another example He set is forgiveness. Jesus said, "Forgive them for they know not what they do." We need to also forgive if we expect to rise higher. A third example he sets is His ability to stay focused on the present moment. Jesus was placed between two thieves at the crucifixion. One thief represents the past. He says to Jesus, "I know I deserve what I'm getting because I know I've done a lot of negative things. However, YOU don't deserve this, Jesus." The other thief represents the future when he says, "What's going to happen to us after this experience?" Jesus represents the present when he says, "Today, thou shalt be with me in paradise." When we hang out in the past like the first thief, we set ourselves up for regret. When we hang out in the future, we set ourselves up for worry and anxiety. Jesus stays in the present moment. It is in our awareness of what is going on right now that we can find peace. It is in the present moment that we can hear the voice of God and rise higher. When we go from "nowhere" to "now here", we experience divinity and bliss. When we are ready to transcend, we go within and get in touch with our GPS. God will then raise us higher so we can transform our world a little at a time. We can rise above any circumstance and let our light shine to make this world a better place. Joel says, "God is preparing you for greater things. He's going to take you further than you thought possible, so don't be surprised when He asks you to think better of yourself and to act accordingly." Jesus taught us these three things by example: (1) Pray and listen to the Holy Spirit, our GPS; (2) Forgive;, and (3) Stay in the Present. If we would do these three things, we can rise above any circumstance that comes along.

God Is in Control

If you believe that God is there for you no matter what, then sorrow will have as much divinity as joy. GOD IS in control!! Banish any doubt of that! It is not enough to believe this to be true; you must KNOW this to be true. Otherwise nagging doubts will steal your joy. If trauma happens in your life, strive for peace of mind by KNOWING God is in control, and that HE has your best interests at heart. HE loves you and me. Thank You, LORD! Joel Osteen says, "When we truly trust Him and believe that He's in control, we can rest. There's a peace in our hearts and minds. Deep down on the inside, we know that everything is going to be all right." Wow! Isn't that a comforting thought? No matter what happens, God is in control, causing us to be in the right place at the right time. Every day the media puts out more scary stuff about the economy, and if we don't know WHO is really in charge, that news will steal our peace and joy. Last week we discussed remembering our good. It's a good thing to remember how God has bailed us out in the past. His economic bail-out is much more dependable than anything the government can do. He's never let us down in the past, and He will certainly be there in our future. That's not to say we won't have some challenges in our life, but ultimately we will see God's hand in everything that happens. He's working in our lives and arranging things in our favor. I Thessalonians 2:13 says, "God is effectually at work in those who believe." God has the answer. He knows the beginning and the end. That takes away the stress and the worry. What a relief from the pressure of life to know that God is in control! Expect good things. Rely on God's perfect timing. "Weeping my endure for the night, but joy comes in the morning" (Psalms 30:5).

Remember the Good

David says in Psalms 77:11, "I recall the many miracles God has done for me. They are constantly in my thoughts. I cannot stop thinking about them." Talk about an attitude of gratitude! David constantly remembered the good. What an example! When I remember the good things in my life, I am so grateful. I remember the sad times too when God carried me through them to a sweet spot. One of the loneliest times of my life occurred when my girls grew up and moved away. I was in Lodgepole, Nebraska, and my daughters moved to Fort Smith, Arkansas. I missed them so much. My first grandchild was born to Teresa in Arkansas while I still lived in Nebraska. Oh, how I longed to be with my family! Then Teresa had a pulmonary embolism. It was one of the scariest times of my life. I flew down to Arkansas to be with her and my new granddaughter while she was in the hospital. Later when she was released from the hospital, I went back to that small Nebraska town where I had taught English for fourteen years, but I found that I could no longer endure the separation from my daughters and little granddaughter Jessica. So I decided to resign from teaching in Lodgepole and move to Fort Smith, Arkansas. It was already summer, and I wondered if the schools in Fort Smith had already hired all the teachers for the fall. I filled out applications for the schools but took a minimum wage job for the summer. I was concerned about how I would survive on that wage when one of the junior high schools responded to my application. I had an interview! Every one told me that it would be very hard to get the job because there were a lot of applicants. I had God's favor, though, and landed a job at the junior high. It was awesome! I now lived close to my daughters and granddaughter. I was thrilled. Before long, I met Frank, my wonderful husband. God turned my loneliness and my daughter's health issue into something beautiful. Teresa recovered and my lonely life was suddenly full to the brim! Talk about God directing my steps and giving me such blessings in His perfect timing. Wow! What an encouragement that is for me even to this very day! I thank God for what He has done. That memory causes me to dwell on God's goodness so I can stay in an attitude of faith and victory. The pictures above show Teresa, Jessica, and me years later climbing around on Mt. Evans in Colorado.

It's good to write down how God answers our prayers. In our bible study group, at one time we were encouraged to keep our worries in a notebook and pray over them. Then when God answered them, we recorded that. It was amazing what an encouragement that notebook was for me. Every time I got it out and read how God worked out every situation, I was so encouraged. I started to call it my blessing notebook. Joel Osteen says, "When you recall how God opened this door for you, protected you over here, restored you over there, healed you here, your faith will increase....He is holding you in the palm of His hand, and He will take care of you." Yes, Lord, help me to always remember the good that You have done. Thank YOU, LORD!!

Stay in Peace

I can choose peace by directing myself to be peaceful inside, regardless of what is happening outside. Joel Osteen says, "Many people are trying to get rid of their problems, hoping they will then be happy;then they can start enjoying their lives. But God wants us to learn to have peace in the midst of storms. He wants us to have peace even when things aren't going our way." There will always be something that has the potential to upset us. If it is something that we cannot change, we might as well go with the flow. What other choice do we have? Will it do any good to get upset about the things of which we can do nothing? Remember St.Francis of Assisi's prayer for God to "grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change." Instead we need to turn the situation completely over to God, knowing He is in control of our lives. How do we show our trust in God? We do it by remaining calm in the midst of the storm. With God all things are possible. One of the ways to stay calm is to soar about the drama like an eagle. I recently watched a video about eagles, which was posted by one of the members of a facebook group I created called "The Greatest of These Is Love". Like an eagle, we need to rise above our circumstances. If we can stay above the storm and not let anyone or anything pull us down, we will feel so much closer to our God who gives us the peace that passeth understanding. He told us to cast all our cares on Him and become more than conquerors. If we can't change our circumstances, let's rise above them by letting God carry us just like the wind currents carry the eagle. Remember the scripture that says we will run and not be weary, walk and not faint, but instead we will rise up with wings like eagles. Joel says, "Be the eagle....Stretch your wings and rise to the level where God wants you to live. You were made to soar; you were made for more." No, these bad economic times will not get us down. Instead we will rise up with wings like eagles.

It Is Well with My Soul

Can you relax and go with the flow? It's challenging at times. Joel Osteen says, "Stretching can sometimes be uncomfortable." It is during those times that it is important to stay in the present and be at peace. With this peacefulness comes power. That's because when we are at rest, God can take over. "Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest" (Matthew 11:28). Let God take your burdens and with a good attitude and a joyful spirit, let Him bring you the peace that passeth understanding. Our circumstances are not going to change until we do. There is a purpose for everything. "There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it" (I Corinthians 10:13). I certainly have claimed this verse many times, especially when my daughter had a motorcycle accident. I also remembered the Romans 8:28 passage that "all things work together for good", which I am sure I've quoted many times on this blog. This takes a lot of the stress away because we know that if something "bad" happens, something good is going to come from it. Exodus 14 says that "if you will remain at rest and hold your peace, then the battle is not yours, but the battle is the Lord's". We show our trust in God when we stay in peace with a smile on our face. God is bigger than anything we are facing. Joel says, "He can make a way when it looks like there is no way. Don't quit living your life. Don't let that obstacle be the central focus of your existence. Keep pressing forward, trusting God, and knowing that as you believe, all things are possible." Psalms 30: 5 says that "weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning". I remember coming across that verse as a teenager when I was worried about someone caught in a snow storm in Nebraska. When I found out in the morning that he was safe, I rejoiced as I recalled that verse. Sometimes we have to go through trying times for our own personal growth, but sometimes we have to go through trying times for someone else's sake. It's not always all about us. What we go through may help someone else in similar circumstances. I remember my daughter ministering to others in similar circumstances after her accident because she understood their pain as no one else could. Like we discussed last week, we need to embrace the place we are. "Cast your burdens on the Lord. Release the weight of them and God will sustain you" (Psalms 55:22).

Embrace the Place Where You Are

When we were growing up, we formed a mental picture of who we were based on the conditioning we received from our culture and family. We kept dwelling on this picture until we decided that our identity was synonymous with the image we had of ourselves, but it is so dysfunctional to keep the past alive or to project ourselves into the future. We may be saying to ourselves, "Someday, when this, that, or the other happens, I am going to be happy and at peace", but Paul says in Philippians 4:11, "For I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content." We can be peaceful inside no matter what is happening outside because we can choose how we feel about ourselves, others, and the world. Many people are not happy with where they are in life so they worry, try to reason things out, and then try to change things that only God can change. Joel says, "I believe that we create much of our own unhappiness by constantly resisting and fighting against situations and circumstances occurring in our lives." Carl Jung said, "What you resist, persists." We need to relax and accept the place where we are. Is it easy? Well, no. We have been conditioned to wrestle with life and resist our circumstances, but great peace of mind occurs when we REALLY turn things over to God. If we relax and give up worry and stress, we can start enjoying life. That doesn't mean we can't be honest and pray that things will be different, but in the end, we know that God has the final say. If we believe that our God is loving and has our best interest at heart, it is so much easier to give up our struggles. Romans 8:28, my favorite verse, says, "All things work together for good to those that love God." God won't automatically remove every challenge because we have to go through some things to refine and develop our character. That is for our own personal growth, but if we have the right attitude, we will come through these challenges stronger and better than ever. The thing is: GOD wants to give us a GOOD life and fulfill our DESTINY more than anyone. He put a dream in our hearts, and He will direct us to it. At the same time, we need to trust that He knows the big picture. He knows when there is danger ahead or the timing is not right. So with the little knowledge we have that allows us to "see through the glass dimly" (I Corithians 13:12), we need to trust that He knows when something or someone will be a distraction that hinders our destiny. Some of the very things we may be frustrated about right now will be the very things at which we look back in the future with a great deal of gratitude. I remember when my teaching job was RIFed because of budget cuts. I was so heart-broken. Today I am so grateful for the opportunities I've had as a guest teacher to meet so many kids in the district, and mostly I'm grateful for the flexible schedule it has given me so that I can take care of my family. Let's stop being short-sighted and start embracing the place where we are TODAY.