As soon as we set out on our summer road-trip, the freedom got the best of me and I ran down a side path by myself. Have you ever done this?

It’s summer. I’m on the edge of being manic and am trying to pay attention — haven’t totally fallen off the edge and won’t, if I stay close to The Spirit. He knows how to deal with mania and how to use it to His glory. So I danced down this path that looked really interesting and then I was hit with a bad cold that made me stop and slow down. Even with the cold it’s taken a while to get back to the group.

So I left our group for reasons that I don’t understand. The sun was shining so bright. The birds were singing in the trees and there before me was a path that looked green and lush. So down it I went, thinking that I’d be right back, and in time the green lushness turned to dry brown leaves and ugliness. There was a stench in the air that just wasn’t right and I realized that I was by myself down this path. What? How on earth did this happen?

Boom! I got sick. I felt really yucky and then slowly, slowly, came back to feeling better. I am not at 100% yet, but almost there. And now I understand. The Spirit has shown me the picture. The experience has left me reeling.

The cold was the hook of Jesus’ staff. While I complained some, and fussed about it, in hindsight I see what He did and praise Him for it. Yay, God! He slowed me down when I ramped up and in doing so, He showed me several things that I had picked up along this path and put in my backpack. 

The staff of Jesus. A beautiful tool in the Hands of our Master. 

Phillip Kellor, in his book “A Shepherd Looks At Psalm 23” said it clearly:

“The shepherd’s staff is normally a long, slender stick, often with a crook or hook on one end. It is selected with care by the owner; it is shaped, smoothed, and cut to best suit his own personal use.

Somehow the staff is of special comfort to the shepherd himself. In the tough tramps and during the long weary watches with his sheep, he leans on it for support and strength. It becomes to him a most precious comfort and help in his duties.

There are three areas of sheep management in which the staff plays a most significant role. The first of these lies in drawing sheep together into an intimate relationship. The shepherd will use his staff to gently lift a newborn lamb and bring it to its mother if they become parted. He does this because he does not wish to have the ewe reject her offspring if it bears the odor of his hands upon it.

…the staff is used by the shepherd to reach out and catch individual sheep, young or old, and draw them close to himself for intimate examination. The staff is very useful this way for the shy and timid sheep normally tend to keep at a distance from the shepherd.

The staff is also used for guiding sheep. Again and again I have seen a shepherd use his staff to guide his sheep gently into a new path or through some gate or along dangerous, difficult routes. He does not use it actually to beat the beast. Rather, the tip of the long slender stick is laid gently against the animal’s side and the pressure applied guides the sheep in the way the owner wants it to go. Thus the sheep is reassured of its proper path.

Being stubborn creatures sheep often get into the most ridiculous and preposterous dilemmas. I have seen my own sheep, greedy for one more mouthful of green grass, climb down steep cliffs where they slipped and fell into the sea. Only my long shepherd’s staff could lift them out of the water back onto solid ground.

Another common occurrence was to find sheep stuck fast in labyrinths of wild roses or brambles where they had pushed in to find a few stray mouthfuls of green grass. Soon the thorns were so hooked in their wool they could not possibly pull free, tug as they might. Only the use of the staff could free them from their entanglement.”

That last paragraph? Well, that was me. I am slowly coming back to life. My goodness, right out of the gate, running off like that. I don’t know what happened, did I figure on writing about that path? Eww…nothing there to write about. Anyway, just know that any path that you go down by yourself will prove awful. If Jesus doesn’t lead you there, don’t go!  As I pay attention to Christ I do hope to not do this again. I am taking all the nonsensical items that I collected for my backpack and removing them. They smell like the path I took them from, eww.

So today on our summer road trip, do you find yourself off on a strange path? When you look around do you see that you’ve also left the group and wandered off? I pray for you now, that God will stop you with His Shepherd’s staff. That bit of a nudge that you feel? That’s The Spirit touching you and guiding you to get back with the group. He will take that crook and actually pick you up – carrying you to where you are supposed to be. Allow Him to bring you back. Jesus catches us when we fall. Remember Peter? When he started to sink in the sea after walking out to Jesus, immediately beside him was The Lord, pulling him back up to safety!

Take this day and celebrate with The Spirit whether you have left the group or not. Celebrate the amazing truth that you can’t go anywhere at all without His Presence. When you get in the craziest places, there He is right beside you. Submit to the Shepherds staff. Let this day be a day of worship in your heart, praising the Only One who loves you enough to bring you back. He will never let you go; you never leave His sight. Wow…what amazing love!

Scripture to ponder: Psalm 23

Today’s weapon:  “Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.”  Psalm 23:4  

So sorry that I haven’t written the next installment on this blog. I have been sick with a bad and lingering cold. There was more in store for me when I wrote about God being in total control, directing our steps, telling us when to go and when to stop.

I’m trying to get over this thing…it’s still hanging on a bit. I’m coming along, doing lots better, but still need to rest. I guess I was more worn out than I thought; my resistance is really low.  I will post the next installment as God directs…may He be greatly glorified in peaks and valleys alike.  Stay tuned.

Keep walking on your journey, following the lead of our LORD!

I love you all…    Ivy

And away we go…as we walk, the clouds gather up and it begins to rain. Well, isn’t that a fine”howdy-do” on the first day of our trip!

We figured that when this trip began the sun would be shining to beat the band, shining so brightly that we’d need to dig sunglasses out of the backpacks. Instead we have to reach for an umbrella! My, my – what a beginning to this trip.

Sometimes things happen that you don’t expect. In your mind you see certain things happening in a certain way. Then when the moment arrives for that thing to happen, circumstances take the opposite route.

Could it be that God is wanting to see if you would rather see Him than the circumstance? If things are not as you think they should be, do you get rattled and obstinate? Are you ready to pack it in for today and wait to go out with Jesus when the sun is shining brightly and the birds are singing? “Well,” you say, “It’s obvious that we can’t go today because it’s raining. Surely He would not send us out on the very first day in the rain!” 

Where are your eyes? Where is your focus? Are you looking at the rain and because it’s not in your script you decide to just stay home and not even go? Remember that you didn’t pack “feelings” in your backpack.

Let’s dig into this. Get your umbrella and let’s take off with the Spirit of God. Walk, one foot in front of the other. Come on, let’s go and listen to His Voice as we walk.

As I was beginning the next paragraph, I was stopped. Part of what I’m to personally do on this summer journey is to ramp up my walking – literally. I perceived the Spirit telling me to get on the treadmill and I would receive further instruction. So I did. 

I set the treadmill for a specific mph and began. As I began to walk, in just a few minutes, I realized that I was going too slow, and being on an even number, set the mph for the next even number. That number of mph was too fast, so I went back a step and set it at the odd number between the two even numbers.  Then I got it…

I cannot skip a step. I cannot go forward as I think – God reminded me that the itinerary is His Alone. I am to walk one step at a time and not depend on my ideas about the journey, such as the rain. He directs this adventure and I’m to follow His lead. Like dancing. This walk is just like a dance. Two people can’t lead…only one leads and the other follows. HE leads, and I follow! 

Then I kept walking. I thanked God for that word and then decided that I was going to walk for 30 minutes. Well, guess what? After TEN MINUTES my heart was told, “That’s it for today!”  WHAT? WHAT? WHAT? Ten minutes isn’t enough walking! This barely gets you started, right?

Jesus is the Way, He directs your steps. He tells you when to go and when to stop. The decision is His and you’re to follow, trusting Him all the way. Your job is to keep your focus on Him and follow His instruction. 

Whatever you do on this day, wherever this day finds you, remember to follow God, even if the way is not what you think. He takes you through paths that are strange and where the scenery is odd. Go on with Him because there are amazing lessons in all of this, and because He loves you enough to show you all of Himself. And that includes the part where He is very, very different.

This first day, at the outset, God shows that He is different than you. Different than the world. Different than what you think He “is”and how you think He “acts” and how the world “is” and how the world “acts.” On this first day, He’s revealing that He is full of amazing surprises. Hey, there’s no telling what’s going to happen along this journey. He’s already showing how He really calls the shots! Yay, God!

Keep walking…don’t stop. This adventure is different, it’s new, you’re going to a place you’ve never been before, and today is proof.

Scripture to ponder:  1 Corinthians 2

Today’s weapon:  “…so that your faith might not rest on human wisdom, but on God’s power.”  1 Corinthians 2:5

When a group in our church goes on a trip, we pray in the vehicles before we leave the parking lot. Do you do that every day? I don’t, and I think I should. Even if I’m alone, I should probably be praying before I crank up. Hmmm, something to remember, yes?  So, before we all embark on our road trip with Jesus this summer, we need to set aside time to pray. Don’t know how? Are you rusty? Don’t feel like it?

Tell me, when your car is running low on gas, do you refuel it according to how you feel? “Well, I don’t feel like stopping by Sheetz right now, so I won’t.” Do you care that the indicator is showing “Empty?” Guess what, Sherlock, the car is going to stop running when the gas is gone.

The first thing that we packed was prayer! It is a required item. We begin with it, we do it all day long, and we end with it in the evening.

Here’s a brief summary of a few things that I do to help you if you need it.

Settling into my prayer chair, I do my best (sometimes it’s easier than others) to be still for a little bit before I begin. I close my eyes and allow my mind to clear. This is why praying in the morning is best – especially before you do anything else. There isn’t loads on your brain. Some things, yes, but not loads…quite yet. Ask the Spirit to help you clear out your mind. You need His help to pray from the very start.

When I believe that it’s time to begin, I begin to talk. There you go – that’s all there is to it. It’s sitting with Jesus and talking. Like I am with you right now…I am typing this, but if you were here with me, I would be saying these words with my mouth. I talk and you talk. I listen to you, and you listen to me. Talk. It is not “rocket science.” All you need is a heart that longs to talk to your Lord and ears to listen to Him talk to you.

You do not need any fancy words, pretty sayings, like “thee or thou” – unless, as I have said before, that is how you talk. Talk to Jesus like you would talk to another person. Tell Him what is on your heart.  Spill it all out. He can’t be shocked by anything you tell Him – He has been with you your entire life. He knows you better than you know yourself. You are safe with Him, safe to talk and share, and you are safely loved. Period. He loves you more than you can even imagine…He is delighted that you are here to sit with Him and talk.

“Lord Jesus! Thank you so much that you have invited me on a summer road trip with You! I give you praise, sweet Spirit, for showing me that I can walk out of the cell that I had been living in; that I could truly walk out and meet You outside where things are clear and good. Jesus, thank You for dying for me on Calvary and removing my chains of sin, and thank you for showing me how to take the chains off that I kept on myself. Here, with You, is where I want to be more than anything or anywhere else! 

As I go with You on this trip, please help me to pay attention to You as best as I can do so. You know that I am only human and my attention span goes only so far. I need Your help, O Spirit, to lengthen my attention span. While You’re at that, would You please help my attentive heart as well?  I must give you my heart every single day, and all that I am, and all that I have. I need Your help to do this. So here it is, I give you my eyes…and my heart.

PLEASE help me to be obedient to Your will! I know that what I want to do or say may not be in my best interest, so let me first come to You before I do or say things as we travel together. In fact, would you give me Your will? I want what You want for me, for you are my Best Advocate! Help me, O God, to turn to you every day, all of the time, and more than that HELP ME TO DO WHAT YOU SAY! 

I can’t wait to go – I am SO excited! YAY YAY YAY, GOD! I know that You’re going to show me lots of wonderful things this summer and that You will reveal your love in many ways. I look forward to sunrises and sunsets, blue skies with lazy clouds, working with you in the fields and gardens, laughing, maybe even crying (You know what I need,) swinging (Lord, You know that I am bipolar, but I do really love to swing – even at my age,) enjoying the others traveling with us and loving them like crazy, and just doing everything with You.

I love how You love to do everything, and how You are so Wonderful at everything! Being with you is a true joy…it is amazing life, and pure love. Thank you for planning this beautiful summer journey and asking me to come along.

As we set out today, please know that I am forever Yours and am so very humbled that You care so much for me. Let me love You like You deserve to be loved…let me give YOUR Heart joy!”

Got a travel journal ready? Get one. Then write today’s date in it. Today is when we leave for our trip. All of our things are packed in the backpack, and it’s unbelievably light! How can all of those things we packed in there be so light?  

Folks, I truly have no idea how this is going to go. I am receiving this step by step. It is an exciting adventure for me to write this down because I receive it little by little. I have no idea where this is going to lead us, but I do know is that we are in for the trip of a lifetime!

Got your backpack? Put it on and let’s walk with Jesus. And away we go!  Isn’t it a beautiful day?

Scripture to ponder:  Psalm 96

Today’s weapon:  “If we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, His Son, purifies us from all sin.” 1 John 1:7

There is one more item that you’ll need to pack for our summer road trip – your passport. This is the most important item by far, so you’ll need to put it someplace very secure. It has to be guarded and must be with you at all times.  The Spirit guards this item best, so you need to stay close to Him.

Your passport is your love-filled heart!

In order to travel freely with no burdens of envy, resentment, aggravation, and all such as that, your new heart (given to you by Christ when you asked Him to be your Lord) must be open both to love and being loved at all times. Your “heart-passport” has three sections, loving God, loving others, and loving yourself. Let’s look at each.

Loving God:  The most important One to love is God! He is the One who created you, knows every part of you, and allowed His Son to die for you. He deserves more than the passing glance that you have been giving Him. Unfortunately, sitting in the cell showed not much more than looking in the mirror. Remember? There were mirrors all over the place. Your eyes can only focus on one thing. You can’t look at God and in the mirror at the same time. “Turn your eyes upon Jesus…” and as we travel, keep your heart open to the Spirit, following His lead. In doing so your love for God will increase every day, for in order to love God you have to remain plugged in to Him!

Remain open to being loved by God, too. You are the sparkle in His Eyes! Remember as we go there is no judgement allowed, and this includes judging yourself. 

Loving Others:  Make sure that you are diligent to look at others through the Eyes of Jesus as we travel. It’s easy to start fussing about this one or that one and what’s wrong with them. Remember that only Jesus is perfect. “Put the shoe on the other foot;” recall a time when you did something like what you’re complaining about another doing. What a wonderful place to step out in the awesome love of Jesus, being forgiving and patient with others. We’re all learning as we go, so remember that. The Spirit will show you how to love others in each case, in each moment. Again, keep your heart open to the Spirit and follow His lead. 

Remain open to being loved by others as well. Allow people to do things for you, to bless you, and to speak well of you. Just say, “Thank you,” without making any other negative comment about yourself. Don’t rob others of God’s blessing – allow others to be wonderful to you!

Loving Yourself:  Yes, I’m writing it again. Be kind to yourself. Children of The King tend to be hardest on themselves. Ease up, okay?  Our summer road trip will happen one day at a time. The joy is in the journey, not in perfection. And perfection isn’t in your luggage, anyway.

This blog post is shorter than the others have been…on purpose. This post is deeper than the others because love is so full. Love is deep, wide, and far-reaching. It makes all the difference in everything you say and do. Love is number one, and God’s love is the point!

Make sure that your passport is stashed securely. In fact, it’s good to take it out and check it every morning. As we walk on our trip, you might want to reach in your pocket and touch it every now and then to remember…”And now these three remain: faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love.” 1 Corinthians 13:13

Scripture to ponder:  1 Corinthians 13 (read this slowly and carefully — twice!) 

Today’s weapon:  “We love because He first loved us.” 1 John 4:19  

We’re packing for a summer road trip with Christ. We’ve given Him our hearts as Christians, and for some reason we were still sitting in our cells even though the door was opened. We had placed self-imposed chains on ourselves, and even though they weren’t locked we sat there, believing the lie of each chain.

Deciding that we’ve had enough, we took the chains off, stood up, and each of us walked out of our individual cell. Enough of this!

Leaving the stale, fake-gilded cell, we freely walked out into the yard where Jesus is standing under a huge green tree. In the clean and fresh air His voice goes out like music. He’s giving instructions on how to pack for the summer road trip. So far we’re told to pack Prayer, Co-operation, Believing, and our Weapon.

Now He’s telling us what not to pack! These are things that we are to leave behind. We do not need them, for not only will they get in our way, but they will cause us to stumble on the journey. 

Do NOT pack these items:  This instruction is not optional.

SELF-LOATHING and SELF-SUPERIORITY – DO NOT BRING!  Loathing is self-hatred, self-dislike, self-disgust, self-aversion, or self-abhorrence. The coin of pride has two sides. One says, “I hate myself, I hate myself, I hate myself!” The other side of pride says, “Look at me, look at me, look at me!” Self-superiority is conceit, egotism, or vanity. You must become less as Jesus becomes more. He is the preeminent One that is to be lifted up on this trip and always in your life. Pride in any form will harm rather than help, so do not take a mirror on this trip. Leave all forms of pride at home…in fact, every day it’s wise to put your pride in your mental trash can. Don’t keep it around. Ever.

MICROWAVE MENTALITY – DO NOT BRING! The purpose of learning to love Jesus more and growing in Him is to have a real and intimate relationship with Him, to be with Him and enjoy Him. He also created you for Himself in order to enjoy you! This requires one-day-at-a-time walking. Do not bring your “microwave mentality,” the “hurry up” mindset of “gotta get this thing done FAST!” Remember that God is not your Genie, and your wish is not His command. Yes, there will be times when we will need to walk faster, even to run. There will be times when we will need to walk slowly, and there will be times when He says, “Stop here for awhile.” He decides the itinerary for our summer trip.

PERFECTION – DO NOT BRING! There is One who is perfect. One Triune God: YAHWEH, CHRIST, THE HOLY SPIRIT. You are not Him. Do not bring perfection along on this trip. Perfection has a hook: pride. When you fall, and you will, cry out to Jesus. Do you remember when Jesus pulled Peter out of the water when he was walking over to Jesus on the water itself? He will immediately pick you up! Cry out and then don’t beat yourself up. Hold fast again to The Spirit’s Hand and keep going. You have to fall in order to learn. That’s part of the process. Keep going – do not stop. If you cry out for 2,000 times, it doesn’t matter! It could be that the 2,001st time you will be victorious!

JUDGEMENT – DO NOT BRING! Leave any and all judgement behind. Do not pack this. It should not be anywhere near your luggage or on your person. Ever. Others will fall down. You will hear the cries of others as we travel. Follow the instructions of our Tour Guide and help pick them up. You just don’t know, you may fall the next second and you’ll want someone to help you out without judging you! The other side of the coin is, you will fall down. Since we’re not bringing perfection along, judgement on ourselves is also not allowed. God Alone is Judge. He is the Only One Who can handle judgement – and that’s because He is the Only One Who is Holy! 

FEELINGS – DO NOT BRING! Feelings can lie to us. “I don’t feel like it right now.” Most times, that sentence is framed in lies. God will instruct you in the way you should go on this trip so move with Him one step at a time. As you go with Him, He will pour on you what you need. You will receive from Him AS you move out. Do not pack feelings! They will only cause you to stumble as you walk. Besides, feelings are a heavy weight to bear and lugging them along keeps you from walking well.

So in your heart and mind, do not pack those things. Write them down. Read that note every morning to remind yourself what you did not pack. It helps to remind yourself as we travel what isn’t in your luggage. Those five items are habits that are easily accessible so it’s good to remember that you left them behind. We’re almost ready to go!

Scripture to ponder: Psalm 1

Today’s weapon: “The LORD is my Shepherd, I lack nothing.” Psalm 23:1  

We’re going to take the online road trip on this blog. I believe that this is the best way to go, so that everyone will be on the trip as well!

To recap, God is calling us to come away with Him on a summertime road trip. We’re volunteering to walk out of our jail cells. Remember? He opened the door Himself, and the cost for the key to our cell was His blood. He willingly got that key for us! He died – and all of a sudden the door opened wide! He arose again and wants to be with each one of us. Yay, God!

For some reason, I have stepped one foot outside the door. I have taken His gift and I am His. But I’ve got only half of myself out the door. Can you visualize this?  The breeze is blowing and the door sways back and forth just a little bit. The cell looks inviting enough, with bright lights and what seems like wonderful things.

But when I look closer, things are not what they seem in this cell. The walls are a facade; you can poke your finger right through them. They’re fake. In fact, everything in the place is fake. Canned spray is keeping the air smelling good, a fake “good smell.” These chains that I put on myself are not locked. God is so kind. I cannot take myself out of His Hand! When I became His, I became truly free! But I’m not living like it. So I take these self-made chains off by the authority of The Spirit and in the power of the blood of Christ.

I am very tired of this. This saying I am His and only halfway acting like it. Tired. Of. This.

Are you game? Shall you and I walk the rest of the way out of the cell? God is calling those who believe in Him, those who have already taken His gift of salvation, to completely walk out of the cell and join Him. Jesus is out in the yard, under the huge, green tree, waiting for those who want to go on a summer trip. There’s His Voice, can you hear Him?  “Get up! Pick up your mat and walk.” 

When I walk out of this door, I am walking OUT! With the help of The Spirit, I will not return but will leave it behind.

Goodbye, cell.  Goodbye…no, not goodbye.  Good riddance!

Out in the yard the air is sweet and clean. The breeze blows and under the tree there are people gathered, laughing and talking! It’s exciting to plan and go on a road trip. Jesus is standing among everyone. First, we’re going to pack.

Pack four things. None are optional:

PRAYER – REQUIRED  Jeremiah 32:17 – Pray large, pray lots, pray without ceasing. Every turn, every step, every day. God will show you how. This is the gas in our vehicle. When we run out of gas, things do not go well.

CO-OPERATION – REQUIRED  God is not your genie…He requires your cooperation. He can do anything without you, that much is obvious. Why do you need to do your part? This is because He wants to be with YOU. If He does things magically, where would the relationship be in that? Nowhere, that’s where. Your cooperation is required in order for this trip to be the trip of a lifetime.

BELIEVING – REQUIRED  Those who have asked Christ to be their Lord have already exercised faith. Now, you must take further steps. Don’t stress over this, simply ask God and He will lead you step by step into stronger faith. Believing God is a choice, a way of life, and in order to move along in belief you must pack the next item. 

WEAPON – REQUIRED  You have been given one weapon. The word of God. The Spirit of God will tell you when to use it and how to use it. In order to use it you have to speak it. Pack your Bible, but in order for the trip to be successful, you must read it – and speak it out loud! The enemy can’t read your mind, only God can read your mind. You must speak out loud the word of God. Jesus is our model. He used it against Satan and expects us to do that as well.  

Remember that the things you pack all link together. The more you pray, the more you co-operate; the more you co-operate, the more you believe; the more you believe, the better you can use your weapon. These four link, they zig-zag, they connect in beautiful ways. All four must be packed in order to receive what The Spirit has in store for you this summer.

God is about to create a new work within your heart, and draw you closer to HIMSELF! Pack your “heart-luggage” today.

Scripture to ponder:  Galatians 5:13-26

Today’s weapon:  “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.” Galatians 5:1 

What spiritual season are you in? Are you in a rut, doing the same thing over and over and over? Are you suffering from burnout? Are you zealous right now, with a passion for everything Jesus and everyone knowing Jesus? Or do you just not care for any of it?

As Christians, we go from season to season, from glory to glory, walking along with Christ. Sometimes we move left and right, here and there, continuing on to the best of our abilities in spite of how we feel. And sometimes, we lag waaaaay far behind – on purpose. We find ourselves in a place where we just don’t care. Burnout, boredom, and ambivalence fuel our actions. Sometimes it’s just plain fear.

So I am walking with Jesus and He speeds up. I don’t want to speed up so I start walking slowly, thinking that it will make things different, because hey, Jesus walks with me, right?

Well, doing things my way doesn’t make things better at all, in fact, I find out that it makes things pretty awful.  Yes, Jesus walks with me at my speed as well, and He keeps gently putting His hand around my shoulder saying, “Pick the pace up, now, we’re walking a little bit faster.” 

Do I dare walk faster as I’m told? My insides want to, now if my heart will only tell my feet!

The Holy Spirit told Paul exactly what to write (as usual) in order to put words to what I’m feeling in my heart. God put it perfectly:  “So I find this law at work: Although I want to do good, evil is right there with me. For in my inner being I delight in God’s law; but I see another law at work in me, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within me. What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death? Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord!” (Boldface type is mine.)  Romans 7:21-25a

The last blog I wrote had the sounds of falling chains all over it.  “My chains are gone, I’ve been set free, my God, my Savior has ransomed me, and like a flood His mercy rains, unending love, Amazing Grace…”  (lyrics by Chris Tomlin.)  Amen and amen!  And now I have willingly allowed another chain to be placed on me; in fact, I hooked the chain up myself. And I see that there is more than one!

Jesus has removed the chains of all of our sins – past, present, and future; He did it from the cross. We have been set free from all of it! Why would we go and put more chains on ourselves? If the cell door is open, why are we still sitting in jail? Do you have a chain that you put on yourself? Or several? What spiritual season are you in right now? How long have you been walking this path? Days, months, years? Are you perpetually in one particular season? Is it “winter” in your season? Are you tired of the winter, and do you long for spring? Questions, questions…but it’s important to answer them.

We must answer them with The Spirit for He is the One Who gives wisdom! If you suffer from depression or are bipolar, I wonder if the chains feel way tighter. Probably not, but it sure seems that they are! It’s hard enough to get through every day, right? Add to that the fact that I am not keeping in step with what I have been told, and it’s really hard not to get in the corner with my blanket and stay in the dark. Been there, done that, got the T-shirt. The answer surely does not lie in that place, I can assure you.

I’ve been led to a place of “getting down and dirty” with Jesus. To allow Him total access, showing me how to cooperate with Him so that these chains I put on myself can be removed. I am yearning for a new walk with my Savior that is deeper and true. And I don’t really want to do this for me any more, I want to do this for others, so that God will be glorified.  I want to melt into the wall and allow Jesus to shine! And along the way, the blessings in my personal walk will be innumerable. Jesus has layers of everything in His kingdom. But I yearn for others to know what I know: God is real, Jesus is real, The Spirit is real…I want you to see Him, too.

So I ask you, is God talking to you as well, are you willing to walk with me this summer as we launch into a new season? Whether or not you suffer from any mental issue – just everyone in general…is The Spirit calling you to new places? Shall we allow the Spirit to take us into the deeper part of the Living Water? To show us how to unlock these self-imposed, rusty chains?

Let me know and we’ll walk as a group online. Email me.  Godsong.ivy@gmail.com

Y’all, God is up to something. Something wonderful. When I sit down to write this, I never know what I will type or what God wants to say, so this comes as quite a surprise to me…a wonderful, exciting surprise!

Anyone for a JoyDance road trip?

Scripture to ponder:  John 5:1-9     

Today’s weapon:  “Then Jesus said to him, “Get up! Pick up your mat and walk.’”  John 5:8

There we were, all cozy with sin and all.  We were hating what we did but when it came down to it, as soon as the temptation was thrown in our faces we succumbed to it.  Too easily.  In fact, we were such an easy score for the enemy that he didn’t have to make much of an effort. We willingly ate the apples that he offered, over and over again. We took a bite, chewed, and swallowed. We were powerless to stop.

We tried to follow the laws that God gave us. “Do not eat the apples.”  That didn’t work because ink and paper (or chisel and stone) was only part of what we needed.  God showed man that we can not follow rules for the sake of following rules. We do not have the power within us to follow all the rules. For if we break one of them, we break them all.  (See James 2:10)

Not only do we fail at following rules, but in our thinking we can make it better by making more rules to help us follow the main rules. Examples such as, “Do not walk by the apple orchard because you might eat the apples,” and “If you must walk by the apple orchard, turn your face toward Raleigh, and say the Lord’s Prayer.”  “When you must walk by the apple orchard twice in a day, turn your face toward Raleigh and say the Lords Prayer twice each time, for as many times as you pass by, you must pray that many times.”  And so on, and so on.  You can see it in Isaiah 28. Verse 10 says, “For it is: do this, do that, a rule for this, a rule for that; a little here, a little there.”  Read the whole chapter of Isaiah 28.  We are eating apples all day. We don’t have to go by the orchard, either. There’s a roving apple cart.

Then Jesus came along and upset the apple cart.  Not only did He throw the apple cart on it’s side, but He trashed it, He stomped on it, He tore it to pieces, and burned it. The whole apple orchard has been destroyed. Did you hear that sound?  What was that?

The disciples were sucker-punched out of left field.  Jesus is dead.  He said it Himself, “It is finished!”  Over.  Over but not out.

They took His body down from the cross and gave it to Joseph of Arimathea who had the bravery to ask for it.  So Joseph wrapped Jesus up in linen and placed Him in a brand new tomb. They closed it up with a huge stone, sealed it (ha), and put guards there to make sure nobody came anywhere close.

They had no idea, did they? Christ Himself carved out the grave with His finger at creation. He made the tree that the cross was made out of, and made the iron for the nails. God spoke the rock door into existence! And God knew exactly what He was doing then. And He knows exactly what He’s doing now. At this very moment while you’re reading this, His Spirit is standing beside you. Wait, I heard it again. Did you hear that sound?

Anyway, a violent earthquake occurred while the soldiers were standing guard, and an angel of the Lord came down and rolled the stone away.  The guards were frozen with fear as the angel went to the tomb, rolled back the stone, and then sat on it!  Yay; that gives my heart such joy! The angel sat on the stone door! Sitting on the stone speaks volumes. Eternal volumes. Christ has conquered sin and death and now He is sitting down at the right Hand of God the Father. The angel demonstrated what had happened in the heavens.

The guards were terrified of the angel and they “shook and became like dead men.”  Makes sense to me; that would be terrifying. Jesus wasn’t in the tomb anymore. He was up and out of there! No tomb can hold Him. He is God. He willingly gave His life up. Mankind didn’t take His life, it was His decision to give His life – for you and for me.

Christ has risen! Jesus appeared to women first (isn’t God so kind in doing this?) and then they ran and told the disciples. In time, Jesus appeared to them as well and was eating, talking, and being with them. You can be quite sure that hugs and kisses were enjoyed! He told Thomas to touch His Hands, where the nails were, and to touch His side, where the spear was shoved. So He was touchable. He still is touchable. He is real, He is here, He is alive! And right now?  He is real, He is here, and He is alive! And there it is, that same sound.

He is pure love. Everything about Christ is pure, clean, and whole. He is beautiful and His gift to us is indescribable. We do not deserve one bit of His love. But He gives it to us, anyway. It’s like with Adam and Eve. They messed up, and He knew it. But the next day He still showed up! He came to them and called their names. He knew where they were hiding, but His Hand was still stretched out to them in total love.

Amazing, isn’t it? That God would love us that much. Eternally and forevermore. There’s that sound again…can you hear it, too? That’s the sound of falling chains. I hear the sound everywhere. They are falling all over the place. Do you have chains on your heart or in your mind? Cry out to Jesus for help. He is in the business of making everything new! Just call for Him and run into His Arms. The chains that bind you will fall. Only Christ can do this, so grant your heart what it yearns for: to no longer be enslaved to sin and to be reunited with your Creator.

Run to Him because He died for you. He loves you that much. Hallelujah! He is risen! He is risen indeed!

Scripture to ponder:  Matthew 28

Today’s weapon:  “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love.”  John 15:9      

On Good Friday my heart is full, is your heart full, too?  The very idea that the perfect Son of God would willingly put on skin, come to earth, and die a cruel death so that I can actually be one with Him makes me speechless.  This amazing, holy gift of His death (which I confess that I don’t think about as much as I think about what I get out of this God/me relationship) is packed full of the “amazing grace” that we sing about.  It’s so full that there’s no more room to squeeze anything else in.  Everything is full.  It’s just as Jesus said.  “It is finished.”  Paid. In. Full.

On the cross He took our sins. Every one of them. He bore on Himself our lying, cheating, stealing, gossiping, adultery, porn addiction, alcohol addiction, drug addiction, food addiction, work addiction, child abuse, spousal abuse, elderly abuse, self abuse, bigotry, laziness, bitterness, guilt, fits of rage, murder, impurity, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, discord, jealousy, quarreling, strife, cliques, arrogance, pretensions, overbearing pride, meanness, self-entitlement, envy, debauchery, hostility, scheming, superstitions…shall I go on?

I figure that just one of the sins on the list above (which isn’t a list of all of them) weighs at least a ton, and when they are all added together the weight would surely be unbearable.  But Christ did bear them, and He did it fully.

He did this for you.  So when you take hold of this gift you have to learn how to live in it…how to grow in it. When a person becomes a Christian he or she isn’t magically and immediately perfect.  Ha.  If you were perfect immediately, for what then would you need God?  The joy is in the journey.  The fullness of the cross is that gift which you have to take on little by little, “from glory to glory.”  Abundant life that’s lived in both large and small steps. New life, pure life, back to “the reason we were all created” life.  He died so that we may live!

If you see a particular sin of yours (or several) in the list above, take time right now, this very minute, to thank Jesus for taking on that sin for you.  The sinless Son of God was the Only One who could take on and remove sin.  And when He paid our debt He killed every one of those sins.  He killed them and they are dead…never to rise again.  Do you believe it?  “Lord, I believe. Help my unbelief!”  You have to believe, and the Spirit knows it.  And the Spirit is the One who wants to help you believe.  He’s waiting to hear you ask Him to help you believe that Jesus killed your sins.  Ask and receive the fullness of the cross.

Jesus volunteered to go through the hell of what should be our crucifixion in order that we may be whole.  He made us alive.  That’s why this Friday is “Good.”  The disciples were shocked, hit in the gut.  Even though Jesus had already told them, they could not in their wildest dreams have imagined what was coming next.  Stay tuned.  Sunday is on the way…

Scripture to ponder:  Ephesians 1 

Today’s weapon:  “So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.”  John 8:36