First of All, Pray: Blog
Bringing Biblical Truths to Daily Life
The morning connection with God
O God, You are my God
And I will ever praise You
Oh God, You are my God
And I will ever praise You
I will seek You in the morning
I will learn to walk in Your ways
And step by step You’ll lead me
And I will follow You all of my days
“Step by Step” © 1991 BMG Songs, Inc. / Kid Brothers of St. Frank Publishing / ASCAP / All rights reserved
One of the most profound disciplines I’ve bought into over the years is that of seeking God in the morning. I’d love to say that I’ve been consistent with this practice day by day, week by week, year by year, over the span of nearly forty years. Unfortunately, I cannot say that.
I can say this. The Lord taught me the value of seeking Him first thing, and as a result, I’ve almost always had some sort of fellowship with Him before I head out the door.
Like most of you, I’ve gone through ebbs and priligy vendre flows with the Lord in the mornings. More than once, when carnality and chaos seemed to rule the day, He would gently remind me, “Seek Me now—and give Me first place in the morning.” And every time He redirects me after I’ve been “too busy” to start my day in the Word and prayer, I pull myself out of bed the next day, find my Bible, a pen and paper, and start reading and talking to Him. Without fail, He shows up and highlights Scriptures and wisdom to my heart.
After a season in my life when I flirted with some carnality, the first thing God led me to do was to reestablish my time with Him in the morning. I purposed to set aside 6:30-7:00 before I left for work to spend time in the Word and prayer. (I had consistently prayed for longer periods of time as a younger believer, but I had to start over again with what I could realistically do. I’ve observed that sometimes we put bigger goals before ourselves than we can handle; when we fail, we give up. Start small; conquer that, and then increase as the Lord leads.)
As I remained faithful to my half-hour with God, the peace, revelation, joy, and blessing flooded back into my life. It always amazes me how God shows up when I obey Him.
I was one of those backwards things who didn’t have a lot of technology in my home. Well, when I finally went online, let’s just say I was swept away. You see, I love to study and australia cheap cialis online think and learn about what’s going on in the world, and I discovered that every morning I had all of the world’s issues laid out before me with a click of a button. Of course, I’d pray and seek God, but something just didn’t feel right.
Clear as a bell, in March of 2010, the Lord told me, “Don’t even look at the news until after you’ve spent time with Me each morning.” And again, when I put my hand to the seeking-God plow first thing in the day, peace, revelation, joy, and blessing flooded back upon me in even greater measure.
And then I got my first iPhone less than a year ago. (Told you I was technologically backwards.) I learned how amazing it was—an alarm clock, email, news, weather and so much more—all at my fingertips! And what do you know, but I started checking my emails first thing (I’m not on Facebook, or I would be checking that, too) and one thing led to another, and I had journeyed around the world, to international meetings and crime scenes before I even got out of bed! Several conspiracies were unfolded before my eyes and I even learned about all of the sales waiting for me on everything from storage cabinets to cat food.
Oh, I would pray—way later in the morning—and feel about as spiritual as an empty potato chip bag.
And conviction came over me again. Lord, I’ve let go of what You told me in 2010. I’ve put all this other stuff before You. I need help! And it all happened on that snowy morning I told you about.
I knew I would hear from God if I opened up my devotionals, and right there in Streams in the Desert by Mrs. Charles E. Cowman, I read, “Be ready in the morning, and come up…present thyself there to me in the top of the mount. And no man shall come up with thee” (Exodus 34:2,3; KJV).
In the morning. God had spoken again. Not only did He want me to present myself to Him each day, but He also said this: “And no man shall come up with thee.” Not emails, not the news, not the forecast, not sales, not the latest conspiracy—no man shall share that time slot which I have reserved just for the two of us, I sensed Him saying to my heart.
“And no man shall come up with thee.” That man—my iPhone—and the other man—my laptop—now stay in another part of the house when I go into the early morning secret place with God.
As you can see, for such an intelligent person, I’ve been a slow learner. But oh, the joy of connecting with God in the morning before the world around me clamors for attention! Nothing that beckons for my notice can compare to the sweetness of early morning fellowship with Him.
Top of the morning to you!
Dorothy
In the morning, O LORD, You will hear my voice; In the morning I will order my prayer to You and eagerly watch. Psalm 5:3
I love them that love me; and those that seek me early shall find me. Proverbs 8:17; KJV
Connection vs. disconnect
Then David spoke to the men who were standing by him, saying, “What will be done for the man who kills this Philistine and propecia rezeptfrei bestellen deutschland takes away the reproach from Israel? For who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should taunt the armies of the living God?” 1 Samuel 17:26
Connection vs. disconnect. The difference can be subtle in a time of peace, but when giants arise to taunt the armies of the living God, or when voices opposed to sound doctrine amass in the land—insisting that good is evil and evil is good—the contrast can become gravely stark.
The life of David—the shepherd boy, psalmist, and king of Israel—bears witness to this disparity. Our own lives also attest to the rewards and consequences of each—seasons of connection to the Lord and lapses into disconnect.
As a young man, David was sent to Israel’s front line with food for his brothers. When he approached his destination, David heard the Philistine champion, Goliath of Gath, defy the ranks of Israel, threatening them with defeat and enforced servitude (see 1 Samuel 17:8-10; 23). King Saul and his mighty warriors of Israel and were greatly dismayed and fled in terror (see verses 11 and 24).
But young David, fresh from shepherding sheep and singing out the depths of his heart to God, stood among them and asked in disbelief, “Who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should taunt the armies of the living God?” He could fathom neither the display of defiance toward God nor the timidity of the warriors gathered. David would take him on—and bring him down.
From the reservoir of strength within him, built up in private, intimate fellowship with God, he stood fast when challenged by Saul: “You are not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him; for you are but a youth while he has been a warrior from his youth” (see verse 33).
David recounted his testimony birthed from connection with the Lord. “Your servant was tending his father’s sheep. When a lion or a bear came and took a lamb from the flock, I went out after him and attacked him, and rescued it from his mouth; and when he rose up against me, I seized him by his beard and struck him and killed him. Your servant has killed both the lion and the bear; and this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, since he has taunted the armies of the living God” (verses 34-36).
He summed up his thoughts, giving honor to God: “The Lord who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear, He will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine” (verse 37).
The rest is lauded history. David did his part, God did His part, and Goliath did his part—he died. And David became a rock star in Israel, loved and adored by all—except King Saul.
Fast forward
“Then it happened in the spring, at the time when kings go out to battle, that David sent Joab and his servants with him and all Israel, and they destroyed the sons of Ammon and besieged Rabbah. But David stayed at Jerusalem” (2 Samuel 11:1).
Many years later, long after David was crowned king in Saul’s place, in the spring of the year when kings went out to battle against one another, David stayed at home. Bible commentator David Guzik explains, “In that part of the world, wars were not normally fought during the winter months because rains and cold weather made travel and campaigning difficult. Fighting resumed in the spring” (see http://www.blueletterbible.org/Comm/guzik_david/StudyGuide_2Sa/2Sa_11.cfm).
King David was not unaware of this yearly threat to Israel’s sovereignty—although they took breaks, the enemies of Israel never gave up in their quest to decimate God’s people. Despite the menace to his country, David remained at home. In his commentary, Guzik quotes G. Campbell Morgan who wrote, “In the whole of the Old Testament literature there is no chapter more tragic or full of solemn and searching warning than this” (ibid; emphasis added).
It was his tight connection with God that drove David’s indignation at the taunts of Goliath; in the power of that connection the shepherd boy defeated the giant. Now, when his nation needed him again, his connection had grown lax; the godly outrage at the threats of the enemies of God had faded into comfortable nonchalance; the king figured that Joab could handle it—or perhaps he felt that no significant threat existed at all.
In that place of loose connection and resulting unguardedness, while relaxing on the roof, David—the giant-slayer, the king, and the beloved psalmist of Israel—saw someone pretty, and he wanted her. He sent for Bathsheba and bedded her despite the fact that she was married to one of his warriors. When she later informed him that she had become pregnant, he plotted to cover his sin by bringing her husband Uriah home from the battle for a few nights with her, in hopes that Uriah would be none-the-wiser when Bathsheba’s belly started to swell.
However, Uriah refused to join his wife, declaring, “The ark and Israel and Judah are staying in temporary shelters, and my lord Joab and the servants of my lord are camping in the open field. Shall I then go to my house to eat and to drink and to lie with my wife? By your life and the life of your soul, I will not do this thing” (see 2 Samuel 11:11). His zeal for Israel and those who served stood in sharp contrast to the carnal complicity of the king.
David conspired, therefore, to do away with the godly warrior and wrote in a letter to his chief officer Joab, “Place Uriah in the front line of the fiercest battle and withdraw from him, so that he may be struck down and die” (see verse 15).
Indeed, Uriah died in battle and David took the man’s wife as his own. And to re-quote G. Campbell Morgan, “In…the Old Testament…there is no chapter more tragic or full of solemn and searching warning than this.”
Connection vs. disconnect: The challenge emerges on a daily basis. You know that if you draw near to God, He will draw near to you. You have read in the Word, Choose life that you may live. Yet without missing a beat, the enemy of your soul prowls around as a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. How can your foe devour you if you are tightly connected in faith, love, and passionate pursuit of your God? He can’t—unless you allow him to entice you to loosen that connection.
Pay attention to this tale from the life of David, and make it your aim and lifelong pursuit to keep your connection with God sound, stable, and strong.
Could it be that from your connection with God the Light of Jesus will blaze brightly through your life and souls will be pulled out of sure death? Perhaps yours will be the connection with the Lord from which springs a giant-defeating blow or mighty restraint upon the agendas of darkness.
Is it worth it to maintain that tight connection with the Lord? Ask David.
Dorothy
Question: How loose is tight enough?
I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse. So choose life in order that you may live, you and your descendants… Deuteronomy 30:19
I taught in elementary and middle schools for over thirty years. And every year—make that almost every day—someone thought they needed to test the boundaries. Maybe she’s moved the line. Maybe she’ll just give in. Maybe she didn’t mean it. They had that urge to test the limits; they were just checking.
Unfortunately, God’s people aren’t much different than a lot of the kids I taught. I’ll bet thoughts like some of the following have crossed your mind at least once since you began your walk with the Lord:
- Just how far can I go until it’s too far?
- Just this once won’t hurt, will it?
- How long can I play with this fire before I get burned?
- How close can I get to the edge before falling off?
- Do I really have to put forth any effort on my end of the deal with God, or can I do whatever I feel like from here on out?
In the Old Testament, the Lord God said through Moses that He had set a choice before His people—life or death; blessing or the curse. The route they took was entirely up to them. The rewards—and consequences—that manifested in their lives would likewise play out according to the decisions they made—life or death; blessing or cursing.
But the Lord didn’t stop there. He told them the proper choice to make at every junction before them—life. Life is always the appropriate choice to make. Life and blessing are always available to every one of us; they are always a decision away—even when the alternatives seem more appealing or less challenging.
Notice what the Lord said through Moses: So choose life in order that you may live, you and your descendants…
Your decisions are your own. However, those decisions impact everyone else around you, extending for generations. Even as a single woman without children, I am keenly aware that my choices effect far more than myself. My choices and yours—as insignificant as they may seem in the grand scheme of things—carry far more weight on the scales of eternity than we can even imagine.
So how do you choose life? The Lord continued as He spoke through Moses: “…by loving the Lord your God, by obeying His voice, and by holding fast to Him; for this is your life and the length of your days, that you may live in the land which the Lord swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give them” (Deuteronomy 30:20).
How do you choose life?
- By loving the Lord your God
- By obeying His voice
- By holding fast to Him
The pattern was set from the beginning. The boundaries were drawn. Blessing and life have always been wrapped up in one key pursuit: connection with God.
Connection is established when you love Him. Connection is established when you obey His voice. Connection is established when you hold fast to Him.
So how loose is tight enough? When speaking in reference to the One who died an excruciating death to bridge the gap of separation between you and God, looseness of connection emerges as an impoverished choice—a choice attended by things pertaining to death and the curse.
Connection to the One who loves you is as uncomplicated as loving Him, as straightforward as obeying His voice, and as raw as holding fast to Him. The simplest person on earth can connect with Him to the uttermost; the most learned and astute among us discover that they barely scratch the surface of His limitless love as they draw near to Him in close connection.
Connection to the One who loves you is available to you in full measure. Love Him, obey Him, hold fast to Him. Anything less is depriving yourself of the best Life has to offer.
Dorothy
Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.” John 14:6
Connected to the source
I had one of those dreams last year that stuck with me, but not due to its entertainment value. This dream was disturbing, and frankly, annoying. It falls into the category of frustration dreams—you know, the kind when nothing you do works; you’re lost in a familiar building (for me that place is usually a school); nobody’s listening to you—that type.
But this dream was more straight-forward and made more sense in real life than the common frustration dream. I think that’s why it was so disturbing.
In this dream, I entered my home before dark one summer’s evening and turned on the lights. Nothing. I went from room to room trying to find a switch that worked. None did. However, when I looked up at the ceiling fan, it was operating. The power was on, but the lights would not work.
I inspected each light fixture all over the house—whether ceiling, stove, sink, or table lamp. Each one was fully stocked with bulbs—perfectly good bulbs. I knew the power was on but the lights were not shining.
I climbed up onto my bed and was aware in the dream of the instability of my footing on the mattress. With legs shaking and feeling like a novice surfer on a large wave, I reached up to the bulbs in the ceiling fixture—each one in its place—and then discovered the problem. Every last bulb in the house was just one or two revolutions away from connecting with the power.
When I awoke in the morning after the dream, I didn’t think much about it and went on with my day.
Later, like a bolt out of Heaven—when I was telling someone about the dream—I realized what it signified. My dream was a tutorial about the power and the light operating within me—and the Church.
First, the dream was set in my house. Therefore, it applied to me just as much as it did to anyone else—probably more. Keep this in mind when God reveals issues to you—let Him search your own heart first. “Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted.” (Galatians 6:1, KJV; emphasis added).
Here’s what I saw: The power in the house was on. Nothing was wrong at the electric company’s end—I knew that because the ceiling fan was doing its thing. The light bulbs were all in place—they appeared to be properly installed.
What I know: There is nothing wrong with the power of God in our time. It is every bit as strong as it was when Elijah and Elisha lived, when Peter, Paul, and John preached, and indeed, when Jesus walked the earth. The power is most definitely ON.
This dream opened my eyes to a small adjustment I needed to maintain so that Jesus—the Light of the world—could shine through my life. This “fine-tuning”, I believe, is applicable to anyone else hungering for more of God, as well. Here’s what I gleaned:
- The electricity that was being used was unhindered in operating the ceiling fans. In other words, coolness and comfort were maintained—perhaps prioritized. In my life and in most churches—at least in this nation—the environment is cool and comfortable.
- Every single light bulb was manufacturer-ready and in its place. They looked just right; they appeared to be 100% functional. In the same way, there’s nothing defective with you or me—the people God has pulled out of the world and placed in His Church. Each one of us is capable of 100% functionality.
- None of the bulbs produced any light. No corresponding heat was produced, either, and the house stayed cool. In my dream, the bulbs that were capable of lighting my house were not lighting up. A benefit of that was the lack of heat on a hot summer’s day, but again, no light was shining. When light shines, heat is produced. When you or I start shining, often persecution heats up. One way to avoid the heat is to keep the lights off.
- It took some effort to discover the problem. I had to get up on furniture I don’t normally climb on; I had to force myself out of my comfort-zone to problem-solve. It’s easy to complain or point a finger at others or at issues; it’s much more uncomfortable to endeavor to honestly seek God for the cause so the problem can be solved. Although it may feel precarious—very shaky—to step out of the security of “everything’s great” to face off with besetting issues, the results that come from God are worth it.
- The problem wasn’t in the power or in the bulbs themselves or even in their placement. The power was on; the bulbs each had the appropriate wattage; each bulb was in the right spot; they just weren’t connected to the power. They were mere millimeters away from connection.
We must never take it for granted that because God’s power is present and we are in position to be used that we are actually fully connected to the power. Connection at full revolution is the only sure way to produce light. Heat will be generated as well, but we can’t let that stop us from seeking full connection to our Power Source. Heat is produced when light shines; but when the heat is on, God’s grace and glory flourish all the more.
May the Lord grant all of us the grace we need to turn those“bulbs” the one or two notches it takes to connect with Him at full strength. And may we keep that connection tight on an ongoing basis.
Dorothy
“I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing.” John 15:5
Connection
In plumbing, leaks can be caused by loose connections between pipes. And because you and I take it for granted that the connections between the unseen pipes at home are sound, once in a blue moon we are surprised when facing the inevitable—a leak.
In my house, the leak seeped up over the top of the fitting. Somehow the connection had loosened and soundness was compromised. But as quickly as it was discovered it was repaired—the contractor was in the house! Don’t you wish all of the leaks and glitches in your home would occur when a repairman was on the scene? Well, here’s good news—the Carpenter is always in the house!
The leak in the connection between the pipes started me thinking about the closeness of my connection with God. I hate to admit it, but as I look back over the past 39 years of my relationship with Him, I haven’t always maintained a super-tight connection. Don’t get me wrong—once I was born again, I was connected. But sometimes I was content just to appear to have a close connection, while the connection itself had become loose, casual—even sloppy. And upon closer inspection, I can see that the most satisfying times in my life have occurred when I purposefully tightened that connection.
How do you tighten the connection between yourself and God? What tends to loosen it up? What are some of the signs that you need to crank that connection more tightly? And if you’re in Christ and He’s in you, why concern yourself about this connection at all? Isn’t connection with Him a given?
The skinny is this: the connection is perfect on His end; it’s your end that needs watchful oversight, maintenance, and sometimes repair. If there’s any disconnect, it’s on your end.
Remember last week I wrote that I was bombarded by negative thoughts one snowy morning? I ran for refuge that day to a pile of devotionals, knowing in my gut that I would receive direction and help. And interestingly enough, in one way or another, out of every single entry emerged a strengthening, nutritious nugget about—you guessed it—a vital connection with God.
I’ll be writing about what I gleaned that snowy day in the next several blog entries. But tomorrow I plan to backtrack a bit and share a dream that I had sometime last year. You’ll understand why when you read “Connected to the Source”.
Dorothy
“Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me.” John 15:4
Another leak
The trim nail was discovered and removed, and the section of copper piping was replaced. Three weeks later, after much running of water to flush out the system, my water tastes free of contaminants. Hallelujah!
But I had a hole in my basement ceiling that needed to be patched. My contractor, a godly man with a good attitude, and who is a craftsman in his own right, came to do the job.
He is no stranger to my herd of cats. Two of them hide from him in the compartments between the floors that he himself created—just for them. You see, two years ago he gutted that whole section of the basement to remove the mold problem which had developed due to earlier plumbing issues under the bathroom sink and tub. He saw that he had wiped out their “get-away” in the demolition, so he crafted an area with four “cat compartments”—complete with trap doors for clean-up purposes—to which the more cowardly among them could flee if so moved. I’m not sure if those cats are grateful for his artistry on their behalf, but they sure know where to go when terrifying repairmen come to work on the house.
The other two could care less about workmen; one is thoroughly disinterested until she’s through with her nap and then pays a visit, but the other—a twenty-pounder—likes to supervise everything that goes on.
Big Rowe was busy overseeing the patch job, Cammie was snoozing, and I decided to check in on Ember and Gideon, hiding in their “crawl space”. I climbed up on a step ladder to peer into their secret compartments between the floors and saw the yellow glow of two pairs of eyes. Ugh, I thought to myself. I haven’t checked up here in a while—it’s covered with cat hair! So as I began the task of de-furring the storage shelves beneath the cat hideaway and the bathtub drain pipe, I withdrew my hand in horror. WATER!!!
Not a new leak! Not now! Not here! I removed the bottled laundry detergents and fabric softeners stored on the shelf directly below the pipe and felt around. Yup—sprung a leak.
“BOB!” I called to my contractor patching the ceiling in the other room. “You’ll never guess what I just found!”
He wasn’t surprised; he said these things happen to him all the time; and as he investigated, he discovered the cause of this new leak. It was coming from a poor connection in the fitting between the bathtub drain pipe and the elbow trap attached to it. He repaired it under the glow of four golden eyes, finished the patch job, and then went on his way.
As I returned to clean up the mess, I was amazed that it wasn’t a big mess. In fact, that leak had just started; only the top shelf had water on it; only a couple of paper towels were needed to mop it up.
And I thought of the goodness of God. This second leak could have slowly dripped for months and months before being discovered, but God revealed it to me right away before any damage—or mold growth—had begun.
And what did He use? A different leak, a patch up job, my relationship with two scaredy cats, and a pile of cat hair. How great is that? Surely our God causes all things to work together for our good—even cat hair!
And just like the Lord used the intruding trim nail to reveal truth to me, He has also shown me some interesting things about the value of vigilantly maintaining good connection.
More on that to come.
Dorothy
And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. Romans 8:28
Errant trim nail—discovered, extracted, and discarded
After the plumber removed the trim nail that had pierced the pipe, I was fascinated by how thickly corroded it had become in two years and amazed at how well it had plugged the metal all that time. In fact, as I prayed with a group of women soon after, I kept seeing that corroded nail in my mind. I couldn’t shake it, so I shared the story with them and the analogy of contaminants penetrating the fresh, living water in the lives of believers. From that analogy, we prayed for freedom for Christians dealing with intrusive toxins.
In my mind, I figured we were praying for those who were facing addictions or various besetting sins—and I’m sure we were. Those things certainly seek to worm their way into the lives of men and women who endeavor to follow the Lord; Satan uses such devises to bind up, if possible, anyone who poses a threat to him or to the spread of his agenda. What I didn’t know when I shared my trim nail story, however, was that God was about ready to uncover one in my own life.
It didn’t happen right away. God takes His time with us; He not only prepares us for our calling, ministry, and service—He also prepares us to deal with uncomfortable or painful issues. And I believe that He has a due season for everything He does, and He works in us throughout our lives to help us to hear and receive what He has to say.
On a recent snowy day as I hunkered down at home, I began the day with prayer and time in the Word, but for some reason I was flooded with an onslaught of negative emotions. Thoughts of isolation, ineffectiveness, despair, and unacceptability bombarded my mind. I poured out the pain I was experiencing before the Lord. After all, the psalmist urged, “Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your heart before him; God is a refuge for us” (Psalm 62:8; emphasis added).
And interestingly enough, God led, not one godly person, but two—right in a row—to call me that morning to share their love and encouragement. The trim nail was still hidden, but He was applying the pre-op salve of lovingkindness and acceptance in the Beloved (see Ephesians 1:6, KJV) through the words of these precious saints.
After the conversations, I determined to hear from God and spent most of the rest of the day reading several devotionals (many were listed here on February 10: http://www.firstofallpray.com/?p=4114). As I read, God spoke to me through them, confirming some key directives I had received from Him previously. By the time I was writing a summary in my prayer journal about everything He had said, the oppression shrouding me earlier was all but gone. As I arose from that task to a more mundane endeavor, however, a scrap of the old heaviness startled me as it leaped on my mind, demanding attention, flooding my thoughts with images of all the disapproval my life had generated.
And just then the Plumber, the Ancient of Days Himself, stepped in and spoke very clearly, “Disapproval”, and I saw a man’s hand pull a piece of trim from the wall of my heart pierced by a thickly corroded nail—disapproval itself. All the condemning images drained away, and I recognized what the Lord—my Plumber—had just done for me.
It all made sense to me. I had been plagued by the feeling of being disapproved much of my life—even as a believer who thoroughly trusted in the finished work of Jesus Christ, His precious blood shed for me, the wonderful regeneration of the Holy Spirit, and the living power of the Word of God. For some reason, I was not able to fully shake the nagging doubts and oppressive accusations despite how loved by God I knew I was.
God was showing me that the disapproval my parents expressed toward me as a child, teen, and young woman—even though I knew they loved me—had invaded my system and lodged in my soul. When Jesus came to make His home in me, the living waters sprang up to eternal life and all was forgiven and I was cleansed—but that errant trim nail of disapproval remained. Through the years, with every disapproving look or word, that nail was driven in deeper. I felt it, for sure, but was never able to identify what was going on inside. In fact, the Lord showed me, I had developed a “disapproval response mechanism” in my soul that was triggered whenever I met with anything that felt disapproving toward me—whether it was real or imagined. And if I left it unaddressed, or worse—I nursed or coddled it—and didn’t forgive as quickly as possible, that intrusive trim nail would redevelop its corrosion and the living water within would become tainted again.
And out of nowhere came my Plumber, the Savior of my soul, who simply removed the offending nail. Of course, I have questions: Why now? Why wait this long? But the fact of the matter is this: He did it. He pulled out a grossly contaminating, painful spike from my soul, and I am grateful. The flow of the rivers of life and the washing of the water of the Word will be all the more refreshing, sweet, and powerful.
My purpose in sharing this highly personal incident is to encourage you to press on in God even if things seem impossibly dark, oppressive, or disturbing. When the leak occurred in my basement, I was angry and upset at the mess and inconvenience. However, without that leak, the corroding trim nail never would have been discovered, and my water would still be contaminated.
A surfaced boil reveals that an infection needs to be addressed. Without that boil, the infection can spread undetected. A leak in the plumbing reveals that something is not right with the pipes—perhaps even contaminating the water. And chronic issues of heaviness, oppression, or sin in your life can be viewed as a wake-up call to press in to God and His Word all the more. Instead of allowing the oppression to bind you in shame or despair, use the devil’s attacks as your personal launching pad into the presence of God. The Lord will come through for you—every time.
And concerning errant trim nails:
1. Protect your heart by obeying God.
2. Keep the living water of Jesus flowing within you.
3. Trust Him to bring to light anything that may be hindering you—and watch Him set you free.
Dorothy
What’s in your water?
The culprit behind my plumbing leak was a tiny trim nail which had been inadvertently driven into one of my pipes. And when the plumber removed the compromised section, I was disgusted to see what lingered inside of that length of copper. Rusty, dirty water spilled out into a waiting bucket. YUCK!
And then a light bulb came on in my mind. Yikes! The water pouring from my kitchen faucet had tasted funny for over a year now. I asked the plumber if that little nail, slowly corroding in the pipe, could make the water taste “off”. The answer was yes.
After the taste of my tap water went “south”, I began to use bottled water exclusively for drinking. I also started running the water from that faucet until I couldn’t taste it whenever I cooked, prepared coffee, or ran water for the cats’ bowls. I hadn’t trusted the water for over a year; now I knew why.
As Christians, we are vessels through which living water flows. Jesus told the Samaritan woman at the well, “Everyone who drinks of this water [well water] will thirst again; but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him shall never thirst; but the water that I will give him will become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life” (John 4:13b-14; emphasis added). You and I have a well of water within us, springing up to eternal life. This is the water of life which the Lord has given to us; as long as we drink from it, we will never thirst.
Jesus also proclaimed on the last day of the great feast, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, ‘From his innermost being will flow rivers of living water’” (John 7:37b-38). Within you and me flow rivers of living water—waters of the Holy Spirit which arise through faith in Jesus (see verse 39).
And yet have you ever experienced a tinge of “offness” coming from the flow of your life? Have you ever thought to yourself in reflection, Something just doesn’t seem right; something tastes “off” as I think, pray or speak? Have you ever wondered, Why do the “waters” seem to get so muddy from time to time?
When that happens—and no Christian is immune—you may question the Lord and His faithfulness to you. But the truth is this: He’s still there; He’s never stopped helping you; His Word still speaks.
The well of which Jesus spoke is still inside of you—it hasn’t moved—with water springing up to eternal life. On top of that, rivers of living water still run deep within you, ready to splash through your life onto the lives of others.
I learned that a little trim nail penetrating a small copper pipe can foul the water in a home until it is discovered and removed. Every day, you and I come into contact with the world around us, its ways, its philosophies, and its loves. Every day, you and I bob and weave without even thinking, dodging suggestions and accusations, taking thoughts captive to the obedience of Christ, and declaring, It is written. And the living water within us keeps on flowing.
But from time to time, an errant suggestion or a bit of news, a stray thought or a random image finds its way into the plumbing. Before you know it, the water seems “off”; what was once clear becomes cloudy; what used to flow freely within you seems to be sluggish and stale.
Nothing’s wrong with the Source of that living water; but something has fouled it, nonetheless. The good news is that the Living God is very aware of the condition of the well within you, He knows the exact location of any contaminant that may have worked its way into the river—and He’s willing to share that knowledge with you if you’re willing to hear it.
Your job is to contact the Plumber and give Him license to inspect your “home”. He’ll locate and remove the offending pollutant, showing you exactly what it is and how it penetrated your defenses, and He will repair any damage to your “pipes”. You, in turn, need to kick-start the living waters within you so you can fully flush out your system, wash yourself with the water of the Word, and then commit to refortifying your godly defenses.
Leaks happen, whether in buildings or in your life. Water can become tainted in the spiritual realm as well as in the natural. And your God is big enough to walk you through any of it—or all of it. He’s ever present and He is beautiful for situation—for every single situation.
He can be trusted.
Dorothy
Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me and know my anxious thoughts; and see if there be any hurtful way in me, and lead me in the everlasting way. Psalm 139:23-24
Seek the Lord while He may be found; call upon Him while He is near. Let the wicked forsake his way and the unrighteous man his thoughts; and let him return to the Lord,
and He will have compassion on him, and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon. Isaiah 55:6-7
Call to me and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known. Jeremiah 33:3; English Standard Version
God will come through—just let Him
After I finally conquered the task of shutting off the water to my house, I entered into the world of living without running water. Needless to say, first on my to-do list for Monday morning was to find a plumber.
Who would’ve thought that every company I called would be booked until Thursday or Friday? But I was in the “trust-God” mode now, and while praying over Angie’s List, I saw a company with “A” after “A”—along with three “F”s. As I read the negative reviews, they seemed picky to me, so I took the plunge on that plumbing company. Yes, they could come today—the plumber would be here in an hour. I was committed.
The young man called to say he would arrive in twenty minutes, and the voice I heard was kind, confident, and very polite. I sensed that God had directed me.
With the knock on the door, I opened to the plumber who was standing back from the door respectfully with his ID held for me to see it clearly. And he looked like a gang-banger.
But there was that voice again—kind, confident, and polite—and without hesitation, I showed him in and downstairs to the flood site.
Long story short, this young man treated my situation like a detective mystery. His enthusiasm at solving my problem was contagious; he thought aloud as he tinkered under my kitchen sink and respectfully consulted with me as to where I was comfortable with him opening the wall. He even spoke with my contractor on the phone about the pipes and possible diagnoses for the leak. While they were talking, I took the opportunity to pray in tongues under my breath for wisdom and supernatural direction.
After the phone call, he was about to cut a hole in my living room wall to access the pipes behind the kitchen sink when he stopped abruptly, rechecked under the sink, and said, “I don’t think I should cut here. Let’s go back to the basement.”
And what do you know, but with the very first cut into my ceiling he found the problem! An errant trim nail had pierced a copper pipe and served as a plug for a couple of years until corrosion finally ate away enough metal to allow water to escape. Of course, replacing the pipe in the tight place where the leak occurred was tricky, but with positive enthusiasm he tackled the problem and cleanly replaced the pipe.
He worked for three straight hours and thoroughly cleaned up after himself. Throughout the entire process, he maintained that contagious joy about solving plumbing mysteries. And when it came time to for me to pay the bill, he charged me for only two hours and the piece of pipe he used to patch the leak.
God had come through for me yet again. And to think that just the day before I had flown into a frenzy, letting my circumstances rob my joy! But thank God, I allowed Him to convict me and address my unbelief and panic; and when I repented, His peace returned like a blanket covering my heart and mind.
And as for judging a book by its cover—despite his appearance, this young man was God’s choice for the job. My pastor often says, “Keep the main deal the main deal.” And the main deal here was for me to seek God, resist panic, let Him lead my decisions, and to allow His peace to act as an umpire in my heart, deciding and settling with finality all the questions that arose in my mind (see Colossians 3:15, AMP).
When you keep the main deal the main deal and resist the onslaught of all the screaming lesser deals, then God can come through for you every time.
Dorothy
And let the peace (soul harmony which comes) from Christ rule (act as umpire continually) in your hearts [deciding and settling with finality all questions that arise in your minds, in that peaceful state] to which as [members of Christ’s] one body you were also called [to live]. And be thankful (appreciative), [giving praise to God always]. Colossians 3:15
Catch up
Is it ever good to be back to writing! Through writing I have discovered what 1924 Olympic gold medalist Eric Liddell meant when he said, “When I run, I feel God’s pleasure” (Chariots of Fire, 1981). When I write, I feel His pleasure.
I took the last three weeks off from the blog here at www.FirstOfAllPray.com to play catch up in a few areas of my life, particularly taxes and deep housecleaning. After completing the writings on the book of James, I was unsure of the Lord’s leading for my next writing project, and since taxes were looming (hello, April 15) and the house was bulging with various and sundry items conveniently misplaced in terribly inconvenient places, I knew that Uncle Sam, my house, and my mind needed my attention drawn to less spiritual and more mundane activities. And, bonus—sometimes I can hear the Holy Spirit more clearly when pursuing commonplace tasks.
As it stands now, the house looks much better, glory to God; I have direction for the next phase of the blog; but as for taxes…I’ve completed the federal, but still have the state to play with. More fun to come!
It’s funny how our plans can be interrupted at the drop of a hat. The first Sunday morning of my break—with three weeks ahead of me to organize papers, figure taxes, and bring order to the chaos in my house—I went downstairs before church to scoop the three litter pans I set up for the herd of cats living here.
Each litter box was surrounded by gigantic puddles. Who peed the big one?! I fumed as I was pummeled by irritation mixed with concern at the veterinary implications of such an active feline bladder. And then I saw it—water was trickling down the wall from the ceiling. Relief flooded the pet owner/trainer part of me while panic invaded the homeowner/anti-mold crusader/financier aspect of my being.
I ran to the internet to learn how to shut off the water to my house. Turn the faucet near the water meter counterclockwise it said. Nothing. I called one of the premier plumbing conglomerates in the area. Yes, I was told, counterclockwise is correct. Again, nothing. I put in a nearly hysterical call to the man who remodeled my home a few years ago and left a message—How do I turn off this water!!? Picturing him at church worshiping God, I thought Come on, man! Pick up the phone! Although I was still in my church clothes, I certainly wasn’t being spiritual. I ended up asking the Lord for forgiveness—and told the devil, Yes, I did say that [censored]—but I’ve talked to God about it and He forgave me, so you lose anyway! Bug off, in Jesus’ name!
When my contractor called back (and I never did make it to church), he set the record straight; just as I suspected, you turn the faucet handle clockwise. I guess I thought the water would stop automatically—what do I know?—but he advised me to turn the basement bathroom faucets on full blast to hasten the whole deal. Sure enough, it started emptying the water from all of the pipes, and the trickle of water down the wall finally stopped. Remember this word of wisdom: Righty-tighty, lefty-loosy. It’s the law. Forever and ever, Amen. No matter what the internet says.
After splashing clean-up bleach on my new black top (forgot to change it before I started cleaning) and saturating my fuzzy leopard slippers with water from the Great Basement Flood of ’14, the peace of God nonetheless resettled upon my mind and heart. I had confidence that somehow this inauspicious beginning to my three-week break would work together for good and God would prove Himself to me all over again. This—peace in the midst of the maddeningly mundane along with expectation of turn-around in the middle of chaos—is poised and ever-ready to be accessed by every child of God who needs it.
And sure enough, God did come through for me, granting a good outcome—better than expected—and He revealed sparkling slivers of His wisdom in the very thick of it.
I’ll share more about it in the blog this week.
Until then,
Dorothy
Blessed is the man whom You chasten, O Lord, and whom You teach out of Your law (NASB); that You may give him power to keep himself calm in the days of adversity, until the [inevitable] pit of corruption is dug for the wicked (Amplified; emphasis added). For the Lord will not abandon His people, nor will He forsake His inheritance (NASB). Psalm 94:12-14