CLEAR!

"After he had dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray." (Matthew 14:23)

CLEAR! The language used when you see someone go flat-line. The heart is in trouble!

Learn the unforced rhythms of grace” is how Matthew 11 (MSG) reads.

God is gentle. I’ve written about this before, but the subject is not exhausted. I’m still learning!

The heart is racing. Thoughts are challenging me. The day is filled with request and I just got up. Sound familiar?

How do I get away? How do I make my soul be still? How do I please God? Will he receive my cry for forgiveness? Will he be angry with me? 

Lord is that really you? How do I know your will for me? Is my unrest due to sin? Did I miss you when you spoke?

Show me Lord; show me your ways.

The valley is a place of reflection.  It can be a place of anguish. Looking for answers that allude us. I can go no further downward. My eyes must look up, look to the hills where my help comes from, but it seems so far away.

A people created in the image of God at times want to be their own god. 

Submission to a God who has established order, guidelines and a way to commune with him is tainted by our own fallen way of thinking. 

We are people whose very bloodline is infused with sin and we think that we know how to do this thing called “life”.

He made the day and he made the night. He made us for his good pleasure and we try to find our own.

There is a spiritual pace, a rhythm that he has established. We find that REST when we surrender our way.

My very flesh will fight the TRUTH and at time will choose differently.

We learn that if PEACE and STILLNESS is what we want, we must surrender.

This is a daily quest to find the LORD in the midst of all the noise.

CLEAR!

The Peace that God offers is often interrupted by the cares of this world. It causes my heart, literally to race. It invites stress, confusion, chaos and an unrest that is destructive.

My thoughts race for an answer as if I can come up with one all alone.

The Word of God sits calling to me but I find excuses not to engage.

CLEAR!

We know that we must get away with the Lord but we struggle to even find the time.

CLEAR!

Sit with me and worship; change your environment, your focus.

CLEAR!

My heart yearns for HIM.

REST is not a perpetual state of being.  It gets interrupted often.
We must fight for our REST just like Jesus did.

"After he had dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray.” (Matthew 14:23)

My understanding is that a defibrillator “resets” the heart to its natural rhythm.

Lord reset my heart both physically and spiritually to the unforced rhythm of your GRACE!  

“Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.” (Matthew 11:28-30) MSG

God bless you!~Liz

Looking for Rest?

Yes, my soul, find rest in God; my hope comes from him. 
(Psalm 62:5 )

The great grandson of Solomon, Asa became King in Judah.  A man zealous for the Lord; he command the people to seek the Lord and he himself searched out the heart of God.

“He commanded Judah to seek the LORD, the God of their ancestors, and to obey his laws and commands.  He removed the high places and incense altars in every town in Judah, and the kingdom was at peace under him.” (2 Chronicles 14:4-5)

Asa desired to please God.

When trouble came he did not resort to his own strength but, “Asa called to the LORD his God and said, “LORD, there is no one like you to help the powerless against the mighty. Help us, LORD our God, for we rely on you, and in your name we have come against this vast army. LORD, you are our God; do not let mere mortals prevail against you.” (v. 11)

When he was discouraged the Lord himself lifted his countenance by sending Azariah the son of Obed the prophet. “Listen to me, Asa and all Judah and Benjamin. The LORD is with you when you are with him. If you seek him, he will be found by you, but if you forsake him, he will forsake you. “ (2 Chronicles 15:2)

“Be strong and do not give up, for your work will be rewarded.” (v7)

“They sought God eagerly, and he was found by them. So the LORD gave them rest on every side.” (v15)

What a great testimony about Asa, King of Judah. 
This could very well be me or you.  

Zealous and wanting to please God, we rise up early and seek his face.  
We close our day with a song in our hearts.  
We serve, we help, we grow, we share and our lives are a picture of ‘walking with God.”

Let’s heed the warning from Chronicles 16.

In the last years of Asa’s life, when trouble visited him from surrounding enemies, Asa did not call on the Name of the Lord.  

What happened Asa; did complacency visit you?  
Why put your trust in silver and gold?  Is the arm of your neighbor Ben-Had stronger than God? 

“For the eyes of the LORD range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him.” (2 Chronicles 16:9a)

When Fear visits it clouds the memory and challenges the testimony of God in our lives.
When confronted by Hanani the seer, Asa became angry.

Here is where things get dangerous. 

Correction from the Lord is rejected.  Council is dismissed and Pride takes the lead and offers a life of withdrawal from God’s presence and favor.  

In this case, I believe Asa’s heart embraced bitterness.  
The Scriptures read, “ In the thirty-ninth year of his reign Asa was afflicted with a disease in his feet. Though his disease was severe, even in his illness he did not seek help from the LORD, but only from the physicians.“ (v12)

Why not call on the Name of the Lord?  Are you still angry, Asa?

"Human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires" (James 1:20b)

Sometimes life’s road take a twist.  There are times the change comes not because of our sin.  Yet often it is our pride that causes us to stumble, to fall, to crash hard!  
We must quickly heed the warning of the Lord.

Sometimes the warning comes through a casual conversation.  God can send a child, a friend to share a word that pricks our hearts giving us the opportunity to re-calibrate and get correct.  He challenges our thinking and convicts our soul.   

Lord, may our hearts never grow callous.  May we be eager to please you and welcome correction. May your council never depart from us.  Help us to embrace the rest we need and you offer when our hearts are surrendered to you. 

Yes, my soul, find rest in God; my hope comes from him. (Psalm 62:5)

God bless you!~Liz

Fall into the hands of Mercy

But King David replied to Araunah, “No, I insist on paying the full price. I will not take for the Lord what is yours, or sacrifice a burnt offering that costs me nothing.” (1 Chronicles 21:24)

He begins to speak and we entertain his conversation.  Satan desires destruction, confusion and for us to mistrust the Lord. 

Just like in the beginning, in the Garden, he whispers his venom and the distraction brings disaster.

David living under the favor of the Lord was incited by Satan and he entertained the thought. Let's count the men!  Let's see how great we are doing!

Apart from God we have no good thing. (Romans 7:8)

When life is going well and the opposition seems at rest, we must be careful!

Sin is always lurking, like a villain looking for an opportune time to break in and disrupt the peace and security in our soul. (Genesis 4:7)

So if sin has visited us and we welcomed it in, what do we do?  Destruction is running free and bringing death to areas where life was once thriving.

I will call on the Mercy of the Lord!

We must admit our wrong like David did.   

David said to God, “Was it not I who ordered the fighting men to be counted? I, the shepherd, have sinned and done wrong." (1 Chronicles 21:17)

Bring the Burnt Offering and draw close to the Lord.  Remember his Goodness and call out to his Mercy.  We must get right with God!  He alone is Good. (Mark 10:18)

Shut down every avenue that brought the destruction.

Focus on the Lord and his Goodness!

Obey & Honor the Lord!

Worship the Lord!  Pour out your heart before Him!

"But King David replied to Araunah, “No, I insist on paying the full price. I will not take for the Lord what is yours, or sacrifice a burnt offering that costs me nothing.” (1 Chronicles 21:24)

Let healing and restoration return.  "For a righteous man may fall seven times
And rise again, But the wicked shall fall by calamity." (Proverbs 24:16)

God Bless You!~Liz

Just like Mom

Exodus 20:12 “Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the Lord your God is giving you."

With Mother's Day in just a few days, we are all thinking about those special ladies, women that love us and enrich our lives. My mom has been gone 6 years and to me it seems that she is just at home and any day I will speak with her again.

I do want to honor my mom today, but in addition I want to honor my sister Betty.

Today was a very, very difficult day for me. The Rheumatoid Arthritis beat me good. I woke up this morning, my family was already gone and the pain that ravished my body was acute! I could not lift my arms and barely walk. Drinking coffee this morning required a straw!

When I spoke to my sister (which is daily) I could not hold back my tears and groans. She quickly left her job in NJ and drove to me. 45 Minutes later my nurse Betty arrived!

Moms love us and also impart behaviors to us. My mom was a servant, compassionate and a caring lady. These traits have been passed to my sister. When I could not call my mom today, my sister was there in a heartbeat!

I love you sister! Happy Mother's Day. You are just like mom!

It's been fourteen hours since my ordeal started this morning. Even though its difficult to type, I wanted to honor the Lord and my sister.

For all the "Be Inspired" readers, please keep me in prayer. Medication was increased and a new medication plan is coming.

Lord impart your wisdom and healing to me.

To God be the Glory! Happy Mother's Day!

God bless you!~Liz

Where did the peas go?

Psalm 62:1a
“Truly my soul finds rest in God.”

It’s been a long morning and Sue is walking to the cafeteria. Her eyes glance over all the choices on the menu. She picks up her tray, a Styrofoam compartmentalized plate which she actually enjoys. After all, the peas cannot touch my mashed potatoes!

She can smell the garlic potatoes and the vapors from the sweet carrots make her mouth water. She is going a little light on her lunch so she chooses the roasted lemon pepper chicken. Add some peas and she is just about done. She realizes that a little piece of cornbread never hurt anyone, so on her plate it goes.

Her plate looks so good and colorful. She can’t wait to sit and begin to enjoy this feast. 
Because time is limited she takes her lunch to go and covers it with the clear plastic lid.

People are moving back and forth, everyone ready for their lunch likewise making choices and piling food on their plates.

As she begins to walk back to her office from the cafeteria she greets those that are passing by.
She bumps into Sally. Sally just started working there, a college friend from years back. As she goes to greet her, her hand slips, and her lunch tips over and lands on the floor. 

Luckily the lid held it together. Unfortunately, what was once separated had become one big pile of multi-color, textured mush! She can’t tell where the potatoes begin and where on earth did the peas go?

Life is hard. We have so many choices and decisions throughout the day; it’s difficult to hear the birds singing. If we are tired and worn out, the birds actually sound annoying. What a shame!

As I take a back seat in this time in my life, I can see how everyday activities can become stressful. I’m challenged by disease in my body and taking a time of rest is starting to cause me to gain strength and direction once again.

Life can seem like the lunch line. Well, life is more like the toppled tray. Everything is mixed together. 

We try to make sense of the day's “to-do list” and it seems we are not making progress. Add a little stress from sickness or family dynamics and we seem to be going backward instead of progressing in this beautiful life we have been given.

I’ve learned and continue to assess that sometimes de-compartmentalizing all my thoughts and challenges gives me a better opportunity to glance from afar at what is actually going on in my life and in my head.

Writing down all that has to be done and breaking it down into smaller assignments for myself, gives me a more tangible approach and even better success in accomplishing the things of life.

After all, we can’t just stick our heads in the sand and act like life and its intricacies don’t exist, right?

Moms need a break. Dads need a break. Young adults are overwhelmed as pressures seem to pile up.

Doctors, teachers, and preachers, we all need to live in this fast-paced world.

But we must learn to sit and breathe.

Often, I sit and dialogue with the Lord as I make lists. 

I prioritize the list. 

I cross of accomplishments.

And if somehow all does not get done (that’s every day), well tomorrow is a new day!

I’ve said it before; we must jump off the “hamster wheel”. Life is a gift and it is precious.

The Lord wants us to enjoy today. We have no idea what tomorrow holds (except the things from my previous to-do list). :)

His grace is sufficient. Let’s embrace life and enjoy the breath he has given us today.

God bless you! Liz
Certified Christian Life Coach

It’s Practical | Make a list.

Ex: Short-term goal vs. long-term goal.Weekly household chores.Today vs Tomorrow. 
Grocery list.Vacation list.

Personalize it for you! Don’t forget to listen to the birds. They sing beautiful songs and are never stressed about where their next worm will come from!

BREATHE

God bless you!~Liz

Show Kindness

Then the king summoned Ziba, Saul’s steward, and said to him, “I have given your master’s grandson

everything that belonged to Saul and his family. You and your sons and your servants are to farm the land for him and bring in the crops, so that your master’s grandson may be provided for. And Mephibosheth, grandson of your master, will always eat at my table.”  (2 Samuel 9:9-10)

Today I want to share a word of encouragement to the “caregiver”.

In the Scriptures we read about a man named Ziba. Many may not even know who he is.

Ziba was a caregiver, perhaps a manager of the affairs of Mephibosheth. 

Mephibosheth was the son of Jonathan.
Jonathan was the son of King Saul.

When David became king he wanted to show kindness to anyone left in Saul’s lineage for the sake of Jonathan, his friend.

Sometimes it seems overwhelming when we are the caregiver. Our loved ones need care and we step in.  We can get very tired, run out of energy as we try to make those we love comfortable. We want to meet their needs and assure them that they are loved. We become their hands and feet; even the hands and feet of Jesus as we serve them!

Whether it's taking care of a parent, child or friend we expend our energies on them because of the love that the Lord has given us. We watch the Father and we do likewise.

If we are not careful we forsake our own well-being.  We must take care of ourselves in order to be a good resource for another.

I love how the Lord through David honored this caregiver, Ziba. His responsibility was to take care of Mephibosheth who was crippled in both feet. When David took Mephibosheth under his care, into his palace, Ziba was also brought into the king’s presence along with his family. Everyone received the blessing; a time of refreshment and provision for all.

I wonder if  Ziba ever became weary?  He was probably overwhelmed with fear as well.  After all, he is taking care of the grandson of the previous king.  In many eyes, King Saul was David's enemy.

But David, wanted to show kindness!

Don’t give up! God knows and he is the one that refreshes the weary.

And if anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones who is my disciple, truly I tell you, that person will certainly not lose their reward.” (Matthew 10:42 )

Look for opportunities to help and be of service to the weak.

Jesus himself has humbled himself.  He became a servant so that we would follow in his foot steps.

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. (Romans 15:13 )

Stay on your guard. Let’s not let our hearts become troubled or even bitter. 

A caregiver requires strength, wisdom and courage from the Lord.

God can and will sustain us.

Sadly, later we read that Ziba fell into the sin of greed. 

Guard our hearts and encourage our soul!

He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds. (Psalm 147:3)

Lord help us to serve others, even as we serve you! Keep our hearts flooded with joy as we serve one another.

God bless you!~Liz

Tendrils

“I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener.  John 15:1

If Jesus is the true vine, does that mean there is a false vine?

YES!

There are other stems that grip and attach themselves. They trail and creep along to see what they can attach themselves too; a means to support their destructive agenda. Not every vine is beneficial and produces well-being.

Every vine seeks a place to latch itself; to fasten its grip with tendrils to anything that will allow it to live and thrive.

When the vine is Christ, it causes fruit to grow with the Father himself as the Gardner. He provides nourishment from his Word; tends to his own promoting and sustaining life!

When the false vine takes its place it grows quickly consuming everything in its path.

It moves is a web-like format of confusion and can obscure the surface of what it’s clinging to. It strips even the very identity from its victim, overwhelming the nourishment and life from its target. It leaves an external covering that overshadows the object from being recognized.

Check the roots!

These vines of confusion are wrapped together with discontentment, misperception, and lies that are just a little off from the truth; nevertheless LIES!

When a false vine is detected, it is the Gardner himself that points it out. He will begin the process of exposing it and even asking us to co-labor in the removal and stripping process.

Be careful that the vine is not just tossed to the side. Go deep! 

These vines are resilient and will grow anywhere. They will root themselves on rocks, among thorns and even on top of a garbage piles. If we let them, they will even lodge themselves on good soil and bring destruction, a state of confusion that will cause us to elude the truth we know.

They must be completely destroyed.

The TRUE VINE prunes carefully to produce life and encourages new growth. It seems painful and even questionable at times, but the fruit is the evidence that the “cut” was needed.

Cling to the Truth!  Uproot what is false.

The Truth hurts, but it brings life!

God bless you!~Liz