Laced With Grace » Faith

Watch Out or You will be Dinner

Kathy — Fri, 11 May 2012 12:00:02 +0000

Photo courtesy of www.free-extras.com

Reflecting our spotlight, four sets of eyes glowed in the dense brush, a mere thirty feet away. The lions crouched on the edge of the abandoned airstrip as we drove from one end to the other in the open land rover. The sun had set on our afternoon camera safari, so this was our last stop before heading back to the game farm compound.

The safety instructions had been simple, but firm. “Do not leave the vehicle.” The lions would not perceive us as “prey” unless they could distinguish us from the land rover. Our behinds stayed firmly planted in our seats and our eyes remained focused on the danger close by. The hunting guide, perched on the hood with a large rifle, warily watched the edges of the grassy airstrip for any sign of movement.

We had spent hours driving through the game farm spotting the animals. Giraffes, zebras, hippopotamus, wildebeest, rhinos and more! We had seen everything except a lion, but our foray down the airstrip changed that. Our guide knew he would find them there. The thick bush for hiding next to the airstrip clearing made it a perfect spot to hunt. The lions were looking for a meal.

We made it safely back to the compound because we took the proper precautions. We stayed alert and watchful, ready to defend ourselves against an attack. If we had let down our guard or foolishly left the protection of the vehicle we could have been Simba’s dinner.

The Bible compares our spiritual adversary, Satan, to a lion on the prowl:

Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. Stand firm against him, and be strong in your faith. 1 Peter 5:8-9a, NLT

Satan watches for our weaknesses. He looks for an opportunity to pounce and draw us into sin. We must diligently watch and faithfully pray so we can stand firm and not fall. Peter learned this lesson the hard way. In the garden on the night Jesus was arrested, He told Peter, James, and John to “Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation” (Matthew 26:41). They slept instead and all of them deserted Him.

I want to be ready when the lion prowls around. How about you? Let’s take precautions, watch, and pray. Then we can stand our ground when the enemy strikes!

At A Dead End?

Susan — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 07:05:21 +0000

For the past 2 years, my husband and I have been embroiled in a complicated and frustrating battle regarding a real estate issue. It’s truly a current day David and Goliath scenario, and we’re little David. Day by day, it’s up and down emotionally as the lawyers go back and forth.

So we decided that whenever our minds drift into the “what if’s” and the figuring out, we would turn our thoughts to scripture, specifically Proverbs 3:5-6 “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways, acknowledge Him and He will direct your paths.”

This discipline has kept our minds fixed on truth instead of faulty thinking. Last week, we received a call from our lawyer saying that we were at a dead-end. I felt my stomach flop, but my husband (normally the worry-er) was strangely at peace. Then he shared with me an email he read moments before the lawyer’s phone call. It was from our friend, Pastor Chuck:

“‘What do you mean, “If I can”?’ Jesus asked. ‘Anything is possible if a person believes.’” (Mark 9:23 NLT)

God will build your faith by planting a dream within you. But that dream will require a decision of faith, and then God will stretch your faith as you face delays, difficulties, and dead ends.

It is then that God comes in and delivers. God does a miracle. God provides a solution. For instance:

· In Moses’ case, God parted the Red Sea.

· In Abraham’s case, he and Sarah miraculously conceived a child.

· In Joseph’s case, all of a sudden his dream came true, and he found himself no longer imprisoned in a dungeon; instead, he was the second in command in Egypt.

And Jesus was resurrected! God can even turn a crucifixion into resurrection, and that means he has the power to transform your dead ends into deliverance. He builds your faith through delays, difficulties, and dead ends, so that when he delivers you, God gets all the credit!

When faced with a dead end, the best response is to expect God to act. What are you expecting God to do in your life? Jesus says, “According to your faith let it be done to you” (Matthew 9:29b NIV).

When you wait for deliverance, then God gets the credit. And you can look back to see how God led you through a path of faith, expanding and increasing your trust of him with every step. Your faith is stronger, and now you can say with confidence, “I am expecting the Lord to rescue me again, so that once again I will see his goodness to me …” (Psalm 27:13 LB).

Reading that email moments before the phone call gave my husband the wisdom to know how to respond. We’ll wait for the Lord, and we’ll wait with the expectation that He will be glorified when this issue is resolved. Already, we have seen God work, and soon the lawyers and town officials and many others will too.

Are you facing a difficult circumstance? One which seems impossible? Leave a comment so I can pray for you, and you can pray for me too. Together we will see God do the impossible!

Susan

www.eternitycafe.blogspot.com

www.susanpanzica.com

The Prayer of Prayers

Iris — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 10:00:28 +0000

‘Now Jesus was praying in a certain place, and when he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples.” And he said to them, “When you pray, say:

“Father, hallowed be your name.
Your kingdom come.
Give us each day our daily bread,
and forgive us our sins,
for we ourselves forgive everyone who is indebted to us.
And lead us not into temptation.”’
~Luke 11:1-4 (ESV~emphasis mine)

Several years ago I had a problem with the particular part of the Lord’s prayer…“And lead us not into temptation”. Although I have been praying the prayer since childhood, I couldn’t wrap my mind around that God would lead us into temptation. He loves us, He wants to spend eternity with us…So, I did a little research on this part of the passage and I found this on StudyLight:

The word here translated “temptation” (Peirasmon) means originally “trial” or “test” as in James 1:2. Braid Scots has it: “And lat us no be siftit.” But God does test or sift us (emphasis mine), though he does not tempt us to evil. No one understood temptation so well as Jesus for the devil tempted him by every avenue of approach to all kinds of sin, but without success. In the Garden of Gethsemane Jesus will say to Peter, James, and John: “Pray that ye enter not into temptation” (Luke 22:40). That is the idea here. Here we have a “Permissive imperative” as grammarians term it. The idea is then: “Do not allow us to be led into temptation.” There is a way out (1 Corinthians 10:13), but it is a terrible risk (taken from Robertson’s Word Pictures of the New Testament)

Yes, the life of a Christian is not without any trials and temptation, but Jesus has set the example how to withstand those temptations: Holding on to the Word of God and trust Him that He will bring us home…

Lord of Heaven and Earth. Sometimes You need to sift us, just like You had to sift Peter. Lord, even though those times can be very draining and discouraging, I know that You make us stronger through them. Lord, the only thing I ask is that You keep me close to You and help me not to loose faith — no matter how bad it gets. I cling to the promise that You will never leave or forsake me. In the precious name of Jesus ~ Amen.

Blessings on your day and as always.

Living by His Grace!