Follow the Leader

Greetings,

Yesterday Jorge and I took off in two cars to take one to get repaired.  I had no clue where we were headed, so Jorge's instructions were full of common sense and clarity: FOLLOW ME.

Everything was fine until Jorge stalled behind a slow-moving dump truck, and I dashed into another lane passing him.  "Okay," I thought  to myself, "He'll catch up, and we'll get back on track."  Except that I passed the exit, and Jorge had to speed up to catch me so we could take another route.  

Making matters  worse, we were incommunicado.  My phone was on vibe, and K-Love was blaring a happy tune.  I missed several calls from him, and in retrospect, that was a dingaling thing to have done.

When I finally connected with Jorge he was in disbelief and slightly annoyed.  "Really? You don't even know where we are going!!!!"

I kind of cracked up at myself, but it got me thinking too.

We stop following God when we take matters into our hands and either fail to pray, ignore the Bible, or both.

Our Lord is the only one Who knows where we should be going, and He has committed Himself to guiding those who ask for it.  He wants us to avoid dead ends, rocky roads, and detours.

In fact, below is one of the most powerful and comforting passages in all of scripture:

"Trust in and rely confidently on the Lord with all your heart and do not rely on your own insight or understanding.  In all your ways acknowledge and recognize Him, and He will make your paths straight and smooth,  removing obstacles that block your way" (The Amplified Bible).

In other words, what we know or think we know pales exponentially in comparison with what God knows, which is E-V-E-R-Y-T-H-I-N-G!!!

When we pray it is the most powerful way of saying we need His help.  It's declaring that we don't dare approach life's problems without Him.  It's a commitment to putting our extremely limited, puny perspective on the back burner because we realize only He has all the answers.  When we open up the pages of the Holy Word and fill our souls with its truth, we are allowing our insight to dwindle and our faith in a good God to grow  -  faith that follows His lead.

PRAYER:  Dear Lord, We never want to stop following You.  We desperately desire straight and smooth paths.  None of us wants to stumble over any obstacles because we could get hurt.  We rely on You today to get us where we need to go. In Jesus' name, AMEN!

GO! Rise up! Attack!

Tuesday greetings,

Today we continue our adventure with Deborah…

We are at the point where Barak and his 10,000 troops are about to come face to face with Sisera, all his men, and 900 chariots fitted with iron.  In Judges 4:14 Deborah gives Barak one final encouraging push, “GO! Rise up! Attack! This is the day the LORD has given Sisera into your hands.  Has not the LORD gone ahead of you?”

I must stop here and do my happy dance!

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I’m back!

The LORD has gone ahead of us all.  He knows what the future holds; He knows what we need. He knows what our children need.  What our spouses need.  What our families and businesses need…

Other verses say, “The LORD has already gone out ahead of you,” “The LORD has taken the lead,” and God is marching before you.”  

I want to be like Deborah.  She knew Sisera had a more powerfully equipped army, but not as powerful as God.  She told Barak to get up and go.  I want to be able to tell people, using exclamation points, to move, get going, do what you have to do.  Don’t be afraid.  God is way ahead of you, and He has you covered.  Face your fears because God has already stared them in the face and won.   

One of the reasons we pray is because God has already seen our future.  He is the only One Who can fill our hearts with the blessings we need to go through life.

PRAYER: Dear Lord, No matter where we go, You are there.  You are in the lead, and we gladly follow.  Your way leads to life, joy, peace, faith, and hope.  Victory is ours because You have gone ahead of us.  You know what we need.  Send those heavenly blessings our way today. In Jesus’ name, AMEN~

Not Afraid to Fight!

Thursday greetings!

Today I am excited because we get to explore the story of a powerful woman in the Bible.  Examples of brave, determined, female leaders always provide just the right dose of inspiration, and it shows us that we can do whatever we need to do with Jesus helping us. 

In Judges chapter four we learn of Deborah.  She was the judge of the entire nation of Israel.  She was not a judge in the sense of trying cases, but rather, that is what rulers who were in charge over the needs of the people were called, and any Israelite seeking help would go to her.  In chapter four we read that they had been suffering horribly under an evil army commander named Sisera and had cried out to God for help.  The Lord, in turn, guided Deborah as she prepared to act.

Judges 4:7-8 “She sent for Barak son of Abinoam from Kedesh in Naphtali and said to him, ‘The Lord, the God of Israel, commands you: Go, take with you ten thousand men of Naphtali and Zebulun and lead them up to Mount Tabor.  I will lead Sisera, the commander of Jabin’s army, with his chariots and his troops to the Kishon River and give him into your hands.’”

This is one tough gal! God directed her to call upon a man named Barak to raise an army.  I find it impressive that she was so resolute.  Imagine me giving orders to recruit 10,000 men to go fight.  Actually, I like giving orders, and so maybe I would find it easy to point fingers and bark out commands.  But what’s more incredible is that Sisera was a leader of a vast army himself with “nine hundred chariots fitted with iron,” as part of his arsenal.  And yet Deborah herself was willing to get in the fight.  “I will lead Sisera…and give him into your hands.”  Ever had someone tell you, “Do as I say and not as I do?” Deborah is the complete opposite of that.  She put her money were her mouth is, and her actions provide the powerful truth of the day:   

GODLY WOMEN ARE COURAGEOUS AND NOT AFRAID TO GET IN THE FIGHT!

PRAYER: Dear Lord, Thank You for reminding us—especially us women—that we have the ability and responsibility to get in the fight for those enemies that come against us and our families.  Show us what we need to do to safeguard our families.  Keep us alert to anything or anyone who would try to do them harm.  Our first line of defense is to pray.  So we pray right now for Your blessings, guidance, wisdom, and protection over ourselves and those we love.  In Jesus’ mighty name, AMEN~