Encouragement

Seeing Christ

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One of my purposes for Blogtober 2024 has been to go through my drafts file and publish posts that are just sitting there ignored. Incomplete.

So, here’s one I wrote two years ago on June 7. I briefly published it, but then took it down. It was just a thought that I spit out into my phone and threw onto the draft pile of my blog. I have added a little, since recent experiences in my life brought fresh perspective.

SEEING CHRIST

We don’t always recognize Christ in our circumstances, but if Christ lives in us, He is definitely with us in every case—in our sorrow, pain, unrest, and turmoil. He is with us in our illness, our brokenness, our loneliness, and our desert places.

No, He isn’t the source, and He hasn’t caused that circumstance. He isn’t there to watch and see how we handle this horrible situation— we are not lab rats. He is with us in our trouble, because He promised to never leave us!

For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” Hebrews 13:5a

Our faith challenge is to find Him, wave away the smoke (I call that worship), and keep our focus on Him and not our circumstances.

If we will keep our eyes on Him and follow Him closely (I call that repenting, obeying, and believing), He will not only keep us, but lead us to safety, wholeness, peace, and rest. We will walk in His favor in spite of feeling His hand must have been lifted from us, because we are facing such a time of suffering.

One day, I may write about the past four months and the moments when I was able to recognize Christ with me, but right now I just want to encourage you. I want you to know that in whatever situation you find yourself, Christ is there. And He is not there to be an observer, as I mentioned before, but to walk with you through this hardship.

If you call out to Him and are willing to trust Him to help you through, you will find yourself walking closer to Him than ever before, and truly knowing Him as Friend.

There is no formula here, OK? I’m not gonna give you three steps or five declarations. Just call out for help. Put yourself in remembrance of God’s Word. Believe with all your heart that His Word is true. It is, dear friend. It really is true. Today may not be the day you will understand everything that is happening, but you can still know that He is with you. Please, reach out to Jesus.

❤️

The Hard Work of Being a Christian Wife

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(I wrote this a long time ago, but never published it. Why? Well, that’s for another blog post. In any case, I’m publishing it today. And, I am publishing it without editing or second-guessing or yielding to my insecurities. So, typos and all, here it is for now. Maybe, one day I’ll come back and edit it and make it better.)

I sat down with a woman years ago. She had discovered that her husband was visiting prostitutes. She knew he had returned to drinking, but it was the prostitutes that had brought her to the point that she finally reached out for help.

That’s pretty typical. Wives will put up with a lot of bad behavior, even helping keep their husband’s secret sin a secret, until finally their husband just goes too far. Things get out of hand. “It was one thing when he would do XYZ, but now he’s not doing ABC and I think he might be doing LMNOP. I don’t know what’s going on. I just can’t take it anymore.“

Why Did She Take It At All?

So, back to my question: why do women put up with their husband’s bad behavior at all? Well, what I have heard from wives over and over is that they believe their only option is to endure: don’t complain, submit, hold your tongue. If they do a good enough job of suffering in silence, God will finally award them with a godly husband by whatever means necessary, including divorce. Mind you, they don’t know that’s what they believe; they would never confess that with their mouth. Yet, it’s true: too many women are believing that God is going to honor their passivity. God couldn’t possibly be expecting them to do something about their husband’s error or wrong inclinations. They believe thy just have to keep praying for God to help them endure.

That’s the first mistake Christian wives make. I don’t fault them, though. Most Christian women have not been spiritually equipped for marriage. I don’t know if that’s because it takes a lot of work to teach spiritual truths, or if it’s because – well, no. That’s why. Discipling humans is hard work, and churches just aren’t doing it. If a woman isn’t blessed to have a Titus 2 Woman in her life, she’s in trouble. Satan will be sure her ears are filled with every manner of secular humanist thought out there, counseling her right out of her marriage and her faith.

Is there a place for long-suffering? Absolutely! This is a fruit of the Holy Spirit’s work in our life. Just remember that long-suffering is patience, which in this scenario I think we can define as an evidence of our faith in God’s unfinished work. It is a spiritual condition. Instead of walking in patient faith in God, though, wives are white-knuckling their way through a little bit of Hell on Earth.

This is what I think happens to the godly wife full of every good intention towards her husband, whose faith is being worn down with his every transgression: she begins to tolerate his sin. Tolerance is easily mistaken for patience, aka long-suffering. We tolerate his coming home late; we tolerate his ignoring calls or texts; we tolerate his temper or offensive language. We tolerate his making place for boozing and using. We tolerate his unloving attitudes and behaviors. We tolerate his not attending family gatherings, or his skipping church, or his not serving God. Then, before we know it, sin has taken root and established itself in our husband’s life, and consequently in our marriage and family.

What’s A Christian Wife To Do?

Knowing your Christian husband is making wrong choices and not holding him accountable to the Word of God for those choices is the wrong kind of silence. That is not iron sharpening iron. That is not Galatians 6:2. It might make life easier for you in the moment, but in the long run that little transgression (it was just one drink, it was just one look, it was just one time, etc.) will lead him to the brink of spiritual death and your marriage and family to utter destruction.

For the record: a man who confesses Christ is Lord is a Christian. You should not be making allowances for any of the baggage (spiritual, emotional, or otherwise) that he brings with him to your marriage – or picks up after his, “I do.” There is no excuse for sin. Trauma or temperament or lifelong habits may be the cause of his struggle, but they are not to be accepted as a permission slip for sin. Unrepentant sin should have no place in a Christian’s life.

DON’T WRITE THE END OF HIS STORY

Yes, men have free will and they can choose to reject exhortation, accountability, or correction. However, we must not decide the end of his story. Who are we to determine God is done with him?

NO. As long as there is breath, there is hope. So, he’s rebellious to truth. Okay. That’s very bad! However, as a wife we still have a spiritual influence in our husband’s life. We exercise that influence in the spirit, through prayer and standing in the gap. We commit to intercede for him, because that’s what be a godly wife means. Through our tears, we call out to the Father for mercy. In our heartache, we believe by faith every promise of deliverance the Word has given. We cast off fear in the name of Jesus, and put on a garment of praise.

Thank God for God. Thank God for the Holy Spirit and His kind and loving ministry to our broken hearts. Thank God for tiny mustard-size seeds of faith that cannot be denied. Thank God for prophetic words received over the years, but never understood until that moment when we needed them, when the Holy Spirit suddenly opens our eyes to see that not only was He calling us to a deeper faith and great intimacy with Him, but that He had gone ahead, before we ever knew we would marry this man, and had made provision for the loving support and godly friendship we would need in this hard place. Just look around. Reach out to them.

For me, I didn’t think I could possibly take one more emotional hit, yet here was the Holy Spirit teaching me that in my place of greatest pain, it was still not about me. My marriage wasn’t about having a good husband, but about being a good wife. When it was the hardest, if I would yield my will to God’s and allow the Holy Spirit to use me as my husband’s help meet (a spiritual calling on every wife, FYI), He would meet me in that place and give me all I needed.

A Final Exhortations

Make your requests known to God. Think on those things that glorify God. Have faith for the unbelievable and impossible. Being a biblical wife to a spiritually high maintenance man is very hard. At times you feel crushed under the weight of that calling—and, I am convinced it is a calling. The unrepentant husband will tax you heavily, but remember that your prayers for him are for God to be Master, Lord, and Savior. He is willful and continue to reject the truth, but God is on your side. Make your requests known. Stop him, God! Convict him, Holy Spirit! Have mercy on him! Forgive him! Spare him! Save him!

Don’t stop praying. Ask the Holy Spirit how to pray for him! Pray in the Spirit over him. Reject whatsoever things are unlovely and untrue. Banish the lies of Satan from your mind and remember that Fear is a wicked spirit.

Read Philippians 4.

Forgive him. Again. And, again. There is so much spiritual power in forgiveness!

Love him. Be the hands of Christ whenever you touch him. Bless him that curses you. Do good to those that despitefully use you.

Speak truth out loud, because faith comes by hearing—you’re talking to yourself!

If you need prayer, but have no one else to go to, I will pray for you.

Remember, the Holy Spirit is your Comfort and your Help. Depend on Him. He will be there for you. When I had no one to confide in, no one who still had faith or hope for my husband, the Holy Spirit was there. Bless the Lord!

❤️

TSP: The Solid Rock

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Just wanted to share this version of The Solid Rock, recorded by my husband, Doug Gregan.

The song was written by Ed­ward Mote, cir­ca 1834, before there even were saxophones, but Doug does a beautiful job integrating his horn into this powerful hymn.  Will­iam B. Brad­bu­ry composed the music in 1863, according to the HymnTime.com website.

Below are the lyrics, if you’re inclined to sing along.

THE SOLID ROCK

My hope is built on no­thing less
Than Je­sus’ blood and right­eous­ness.
I dare not trust the sweet­est frame,
But whol­ly trust in Je­sus’ name.

Refrain

On Christ the so­lid rock I stand,
All oth­er ground is sink­ing sand;
All oth­er ground is sink­ing sand.

When dark­ness seems to hide His face,
I rest on His un­chang­ing grace.
In ev­ery high and stor­my gale,
My an­chor holds with­in the veil.

Refrain

His oath, His co­ve­nant, His blood,
Support me in the whelm­ing flood.
When all around my soul gives way,
He then is all my hope and stay.

Refrain

When He shall come with trum­pet sound,
Oh may I then in Him be found.
Dressed in His right­eous­ness alone,
Faultless to stand be­fore the throne.

Refrain

Click to hear The Solid Rock on Sound Cloud.

The Solid Rock with Doug Gregan on saxophone and keyboard. There are three versions, and this is the first.

I hope you are blessed. It brings peace to my soul.

❤️

This is Your Sign

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If you know it’s the right thing to do, that’s your sign.

That conviction in your spirit, the knot in your stomach, finding yourself asking that famous question, “Why am I here?”

That’s your sign!

A young man told me recently, “I was asking God for a sign, and He told me, ‘I gave you a whole book! You know the right thing to do.’”

Don’t be like me, so determined to wait for a sign that God has to knock you out and drag you through the door in order to mercifully spare you from your indecisiveness and insecurity.

Thank God for His mercy, but seriously, don’t be like me. If the end were going to be different, wouldn’t God tell you? Doesn’t He always send encouragement in those times when we are meant to hold on and hold fast? Wouldn’t He give peace in the midst of the storm, if it were a storm we were meant to go through? Wouldn’t He answer that famous question once and for all with a new confirmation from His Word?

“Delayed obedience” is a very costly price to pay for the freedom the Lord already paid for and holds in store for you. Trust Him.

❤

“I Want to Attend a New Testament Church!” | The American Church Today, Part 1

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The last time I made this appeal to God, I was utterly frustrated over a situation in my church. It was so hard for me to understand what was happening. Instead of agreement on the objectives and rejoicing in the accomplishments, there was every manner of resentment, stress, opposition, criticism, competitiveness, deceitfulness, narcissism, and misuse of spiritual authority. I was so confused! Didn’t we all want the same thing? It wasn’t good, and I was not doing well. We say hindsight is 20/20, and I will say the Holy Spirit has been giving me eyes to see now what I struggled to see then. I ultimately had to reconcile myself with the fact that there was nothing I could do that would ever win me the grace of these sovereigns. That was a very painful thing for me, still so in bondage to the fear of man. but there came a point where God intervened. It’s just not healthy to want the acceptance or approval of a person who chooses to hurt and curse you.

When God hardened their heart against me1, they did what was most logical for them to do: expel the vermin! I continue to pray for them, but I remain sad for how the church has fallen away from what we think of when we think of the New Testament church.

Yes, we idealize. We forget that the NT Believers met during a time of severe persecution: the threat of death was real. They saw leader after leader tortured. Roman Christians met in catacombs, surrounded by human remains, to avoid being caught. It was illegal for these new Christians to “go to church,” yet, they we’re desperate to be together. 

Church for us today is different. We aren’t so desperate for fellowship that we would risk torture and death. We don’t know desperate. I get letters from guys inside who long for fellowship, Bible teachers, Christian literature, someone to pray with, a Bible, someone to just talk to about God. Most of us can’t relate. We have the luxury of choice. And, I think that has played a big part in the Christian becoming a consumer, the pastor becoming a service provider, and the church becoming a business. What would 1st century Christians have to say about us?

Listen, if you attend a bad church, you should absolutely leave. You don’t need a sign from God. You know as much as I knew, but fear of man or fear of violating your club’s social norms keep you stuck. You think it’s virtuous to tough it out. “No,” you admit, “I’m not being fed there, I’m not growing from the ministry there, but I listen to sermons online and I worship God on my own.” If you need a sign, that’s it. It doesn’t matter if your club has the best music or potlucks, and all your closest friends are members, too. It doesn’t matter if you serve in a high position, or vowed you’d never go. God has nothing to do with any of that! Friend, if you aren’t leaving church well-fed, you’re being slowly starved. Eventually, you’ll lose your appetite for spiritual cuisine all together. You’ll lap up the slop you’re being served and learn to love it. In fact, you’ll soon not be able to tolerate solid food at all. That’s deadly, folks! Run away from any church with a pastor who fails at his only assignment: Jesus said, “Feed My sheep.“ (John 21:17) 

If we want to be in a New Testament church, we need to be New Testament Christians first. We need to be desperate for the presence of God. We need to be desperate for the preaching of God’s Word. Yes, preaching! That means a word from God, a fresh word from Heaven; an anointed presentation of scripture that convicts of sin and leads to spiritual transformation! It’s not recounting illustrations based on TV shows or movies. It’s not retelling another pastor’s sermon. It’s not standing in front of the sheep talking about yourself and all your good works. Don’t stay in those churches! Don’t make excuses for these men or women who carry a title. That is not God’s anointed, Brother or Sister. God’s anointed is as desperate for God as you are and knows they will give account for every word. They preach with fear and trembling, not jokes and personal anecdotes. Any pastor who isn’t spiritually nourishing Christ’s sheep isn’t a shepherd: he is a human trafficker. He doesn’t care about these who are trusting him with their spiritual care. He uses them! He counts his sheep each week, keeping score.

There’s just too much to say.

Christians are in trouble. They need pastors who don’t care about the numbers. They need pastors who care about them, pastors who seek God until they hear from Heaven. They need pastors who don’t answer to the sheep, but to God—they prove that by preaching what the sheep don’t want to hear, and then hold themselves to the same holy standard. I think Christians also need pastors like Moses, willing to weep before God on behalf of the broken, hurting, struggling, and back-sliding.

Is that too much to ask? No.

Folks, it’s time. Jesus is coming for a Bride without spot or wrinkle, and He isn’t kidding. I often think He delays His coming as much for His wrinkled and spotty Bride as He does for the lost. We really do need to repent for being willing to compromise by staying in a church that is compromised. Then, we need to go. Get out fast! If you’re saying, “But, where will I go?” I say, pray. Ask the Holy Spirit to lead you to that one He has called to pastor—not the one trying to build an empire or have the coolest club in town. Then, visit churches. Seek God. Get in His Word. Listen to nourishing sermons online2. Reach out to other Christians and fellowship. Pray together. Have Communion together. It’s okay for there to be a time of transition, but you do have to take responsibility for your spiritual life.

Anyway, church is a big topic and I have more to say about it, but I’ll stop here. It’s already a monstrosity, so I’ll be surprised if anyone gets to the end. LOL

“Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.” 1 Corinthians 1:3

❤

1 To be clear, I wasn’t in this alone, but I do not want to speak for others in my family.
2 www.TSCNYC.org is a good place to find a lot of good, spiritual food.

If

/ SaxophoneWife / 3 Comments

I’d like to share a few quotes from Missionary Amy Carmichael‘s book entitled If. It is based on 1 Corinthians 13, often called the love chapter in the Bible.

If you aren’t familiar with Amy Carmichael (1867-1951), I encourage you to click on her name and read the very brief biography at that link. There really have been very few women like her.

“If I myself dominate myself,
if my thoughts revolve round myself,
if I am so occupied with myself I rarely
have a heart at leisure from itself,
then I know nothing of Calvary love.“

Amy Carmichael

“If the praise of others elates me
and their blame depresses me;
if I cannot rest under misunderstanding
without defending myself;
if I love to be loved more than to love,
to be served more than to serve,
then I know nothing of Calvary love.“

Amy Carmichael

“If I do not forget about such a trifle as personal success,
so that it never crosses my mind, or if it does,
is never given room there; if the cup of flattery tastes sweet to me,
then I know nothing of Calvary love.“

Amy Carmichael

“If my interest in the work of others is cool;
if I think in terms of my own special work;
if the burdens of others are not my burdens too,
and their joys mine,
then I know nothing of Calvary love.”

Amy Carmichael

“If souls can suffer alongside, and I hardly know it,
because the spirit of discernment is not in me,
then I know nothing of Calvary love.”

Amy Carmichael

I have been thinking lately how much I underestimate God’s expectations of me. When I consider the life this woman, how she served and sacrificed for Christ and others, I am horrified by my laziness, failure, and complacency. Do I know nothing of Calvary’s love? Lately, I wonder.

❤

Waiting Room

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I think God builds waiting into His plan for our life. I think it might even be one of the holiest experiences we can have on earth.

  • I think of Moses waiting at the shore of the Red Sea for God to make a way.
  • I think of Ruth waiting to glean discards in the field.
  • I think of David waiting for his son to be healed.
  • I think of Esther waiting for the to appointed hour to enter the king’s chamber.
  • I think of Joshua waiting for the walls to fall.
  • I think of Hannah pleading with God, as she waited for a miracle.
  • I think of Elijah waiting for fire from Heaven.
  • I think of Sarah plotting her own way, instead of waiting for God’s promise.
  • I think of Daniel waiting for the lions to fall asleep.
  • I think of Mary suffering scorn, as she awaited her Savior’s birth.

At those times when we are given room to wait,  let’s be sure to not squander them. Let’s not regret that we have a waiting room to occupy, but let’s use it. Don’t plead with the Lord to end it, but recognize what a rare gift it is to be invited to wait on Him.

To wait with Him.

It is an exclusive opportunity that in one instant will end. The waiting will be over.

Until then, let’s attune our ear to His voice. Learn to listen. Learn His ways. Practice trusting Him.

Trust Him more.

Instead of filling our waiting room with busy work or mindlessness—entertainment, diversions, speculation—let’s spend it wisely. Rest on His promises. Trust in His presence. Pray. Worship. Seek.  Practice patience; remain faithful. Learn His comms.

Waiting on the Lord is never, ever in vain. 

❤ 

Psalm130_5

 

What Hea-Woo Did in Prison

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This is the story of Hea-Woo.

Hea-Woo is from North Korea.

One day, she escaped across a river to China.

While she was in China, someone witnessed to her about Jesus Christ. Hea-Woo came to know Christ as Lord and Savior, and and began learning about her new faith.

It was not long, though, before she was captured by the secret police and returned to North Korea. There, she was sentenced to a prison camp.

At that prison camp, she made a few important decisions. She decided to:

  1. Tell her fellow prisoners about Jesus.
  2. Witness to her fellow prisoners by helping them (sharing her rice with the sick, helping others wash their clothes, etc.).
  3. Begin a secret church. They met in the prison bathroom.

Her church really captured my interest.

  • Her church met on Sundays and on Christmas.
  • Without access to a Bible, she could only from what she remembered learning in China. Whatever songs or Bible verses she remembered, she would teach her tiny congregation.
  • Their singing had to be as quiet as possible to avoid detection. It was almost imperceptible.

Hea-Woo ultimately was released from the prison camp, and later escaped to South Korea.

During her time in the North Korean prison camp, she lead five people to salvation. She says, “They were on the edge of death, and I could give them the message of hope.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dd46BOaywLg

When God Takes the Hard Road

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Someone shared a dumb meme on Instagram that read, “God takes the harder route on purpose, to show us He’s so powerful.”

Give me a break!

We are not dolls in God’s toy house. He doesn’t use us like some benevolent giant, creating horrific challenges for us to face just so He can be our Hero. Yuck!

That is not the character of God.

God LOVES you! He doesn’t bring trouble to show His power. Trouble comes, because we breathe. We sin. We have an Enemy who hates us. God is not our Enemy. He is our Friend. Would a friend sneak over and slash your tires, just so they could come to your aid and win BFF points?

NO!

That is not love!

Who would ever love a person they knew had intentionally hurt them, just so they could save them?

If it seems like God is taking you on the long and hard road to victory (instead of the short and easy one you imagine exists), guess what?

It’s because that’s the only way out!

God loves us. He desires good for us. His promises to us are for our benefit! Over and over He reassures us in His Word that He’s got our back. He’s on our side!

So, if the road ahead looks long and hard, rejoice in knowing God will walk every step with you—if you will put your faith and trust in Him. And, I tell you what, on that long and hard road He has already sent His angels ahead to prepare oases along the way, places to rest and be invigorated. He has already sent angels to post warning signs for every trap and field mine the Devil has laid down. He has already prepared His own to be there for you when you need a hand to hold, a listening ear, and a praying friend.

Folks, if you choose to trust God, trust Him. All the way. And, you know, here’s the truth: we cannot trust our own eyes. Sometimes, things look a lot worse from our perspective, and the Devil tempts us away from God’s sure path with the false image of a quick fix. Don’t let your heart deceive you. Trust God! His way is the only way out.

God bless you today! ❤️

“Fear not, for I am with thee: turn not aside, for I am thy God: I have strengthened thee, and have helped thee, and the right hand of my just one hath upheld thee.” Isaiah 41:10 (ESV)

You Play A Part

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You may look at some people in your life and wonder what they’re doing there.

[They may not matter much to you.]

Yet, the truth is you have no idea how important they may be to your future.

[Or, how important you might be to theirs.]

God is not random. He has a Big Plan, and it has to do with people.

The people…
…who always seems to show up;
…you can’t seem to lose;
…who rub you the wrong way;
…you see everyday, yet they are strangers to you;
…you wish you could know more.

All those people. 

So, don’t ignore them.
Consider them.
Reconsider your relationship with them.
Give them your respect.
Treat them with gentleness.
Help them, encourage them, and bless them.
Look for the opportunity to love them.
Pray God’s will for their lives, lift them up when they are down.
A little time and compassion matter.

And, always remember that no matter what you might think about their life right now, or the choices they’ve made so far, God has always had a plan and a purpose for their lives.

Maybe,
just maybe,
He’s been waiting for you to play your part.  

14 August 2011