Pray for the peace of Jerusalem

I have been in God's holy land for a month of prayer. 

Friends, you are the salt and light to the nations. Stand for righteousness. Speak for God's truth. Stand against sin and corruption. "A dead fish floats with the stream but a living fish has the strength to go against it."

And please pray for the peace of Jerusalem.

Letting go

Today was hard. I let go of more things. Specifically, my car. The car I drove to Maine in, back and forth across upstate New York in for six years. The car I meandered to mountains and lakes and hiking posts and country drives with Duncan riding shotgun. Praying in the Spirit over geographic territories at the top of my lungs and full fervor, while Duncan bobbed his lolling tongue in the breeze, his brown ears flapping wildly. I drove eighty thousand miles of singing, praying, laughing, exploring, most of them with Duncan tagging along Mommie.

Today I took my car for my final ride, to Schenectady to a friend's car lot who will try to sell it for me. I need the money, and I don't expect to need a car in the States anytime soon, as I know I am called by God to the nations. Still, however, it doesn't make it easier to l e t  g o.  Things get a hold of us, our trust, our navigation tool, and the great unknown ahead of me. I know it will be good, wonderful in fact. But I let go of one hand while the other opens toward heaven ready to pick whichever fruit is presented.

Today, I also packed up my apartment. All my cozy things are packed in storage. I'm left with the cold reminder that I can't get too comfortable, and I will have to say goodbye more often than I would like, in this life I've been called to.

I'm sitting in a mostly-empty apartment, with no car waiting for me in the driveway. The reminders and ghosts of the past driven away, swept away with the autumn leaves, as I like them drift forward and await the next season.

Heron

God brought me a tall white heron today, in answer to a prayer for confirmation.

#sohappy

Trusting

This is the end of a very long three weeks. God opened a suddenly door for me to step in as a spanish teacher in a catholic school for twelve days, writing curriculum and teaching grades pre-k through 8th, with hand puppets, songs, videos, textbooks and stories. Students begged fore to tell them bible stories, and I ended classes with rich and colorful bible lessons and testimonies of faith and collective prayers and Holy Spirit encounters. Add to this busy season another suddenly- that of being accepted as a part of a missions organization and also suddenly plans to embark on an international trip in less than a month. So, while teaching ten different levels of spanish full days as the pinch hitter maestra, I was moonlighting by writing and mailing support letters, making calls and setting meetings with ministry partners, running to doctors for travel vaccinations. Plus a brand new laptop to lean fast how to use plus the software programs that continue to be new to me. 

In the most of this, cleaning out storage from a house and rising before roosters for two consecutive garage sales which, though very successful, caused me some heartache as I said goodbye to nearly all my possessions. Add to thy an untimely respiratory infection. 

Enter the seed for a nasty little thing called striving. 

It's easy to see how striving slithers in to throw priorities off and divert our gaze.

Striving is a fragile stronghold like a spiderweb that can hardly be seen but upon which whole foundations can be built or destroyed. My countless tasks, though rooted in good intentions, can be diverted to striving worry anxiety if I'm not careful. I am reminded to keep my eyes on Jesus, lest I sink. I've stepped out of the boat; but now to not look upon the waves. 

Eleven disciples did not step out of the boat. Often we think of Peter and criticize his lack of faith in sinking and crying out Lord, Lord. But we forget that eleven others sat there gawking, frozen in their wooden plank seats, toes fixed firmly on the floor and knuckles grasping oars in the stormy sea, afraid to let go of the oars, let alone rise up and plunge over the side into the black turbulence.

I feel like Peter in the turbulent water. I see Jesus straight ahead. His hand is reaching out to me. Come, daughter. Come. His smile and his bright eyes illuminate the darkness. There is no fear in him.

For all the things that need to still happen shall come to pass. I shall not fear. 

My assignments here have borne great fruit. Ninety-one students surrendered their lives to Jesus and invited him into their hearts during my short stint. They met with the Holy Spirit for the first time and were overtaken by his electrifying power. 

The hurdles will always be there, but the selahs will need to be purposefully made to rest in.  I need to breathe knowing He is in total control and will continue to lead me.

I'm tired. I'm ill. I'm beyond exhausted.  Im elated and super excited for this trip. 

I need only look in his eyes.

All else will fade away. 

He is here.

My Lord, my rabbi, my Friend.

On a limb

Waiting in expectation

For the miracles;

On the edge of a knife

an eleven fifty-nine clock

And a promise about to ring

A promise of the call of a good father

To show up and sweep me off my feet

To tend my scratches and kiss my spent muscles as I collapse

Heavy and spent,

My mind stills before His grace

My heart yields to His white light

My spirit circles and lays to rest in His glow

Like a house dog cosying to her master

I am waiting His miracles

Looking for His fireworks that only He can do

Going to the promised land, 

going to hold His hand and follow where He leads

I shall dance like David and worship-,

To pray to ignite to burn-,

To hope, to listen-,

To love.

The winter is gone and the springtime comes. I'm quickened to the meadow.

I wish only to be where He calls me 

I know my small hand is in His firm grasp.

Boot Camp

Did you ever feel like you were on the edge of a storm waiting for the thunder to clap and the deluge to start flooding down? You know, the feeling you get in your bones when a heavy storm's about to pass over. For much of my life I've been a human barometer, reading the weather forecast accurately from dull aches in my bones that morphed from childhood injuries into guideposts for when the snow would fly. Lately my spirit has been reading the barometric pressure spiritually, so to speak. I have been keenly aware that it is coming- the storm of a lifetime- and it will be a tsunami of epic proportions to sweep up many unexpectedly. 

These past three months being back home have felt like boot camp where I've been getting trained up, filled up, and put through the wringer in intense preparation for what is about to transpire soon. It feels like a little bit of a rest between assignments but mostly a sacred timeout of training. I fall into bed tired and spent each night. Days are full of the school of the spiritual lessons The Lord wants to teach me. 

I'm getting ready. My sword is getting sharpened. The chinks in my armour are hammered smooth. Mending and strengthening the armour, speaking a lot with the Commander of the Armies, expecting my deployment at any time. To where, He hasn't shown me yet. He wants to know I will wait and trust and obey. God knows too well if I had the whole blueprint from His hands I would run ahead of Him. Neither He nor I want me to do that. For the safest place I can be is in the center of His will for me. 

My bags are packed. I'm selling anything that isn't nailed down. I know I need money, enough to fly wherever He calls me and stay there as long as He tells me. I'm trusting The Lord for all my needs. I'm trusting that when He whispers to me my next assignment, He will supernaturally bring in the resources needed, either through His storehouses, or through whatever means He chooses. I'm expecting; I'm ready.

Who will go for me? Says The Lord.

Lord, send me. Send me.

Guideposts

We go back and read the signs that we passed when we think we've lost our way--we go back and make sure we took the turn in the road we were meant to.  Lately the enemy has been pounding against me with lies, doubt, anxiousness, fear. None of which sticks to my armour but some of the ooze of the rubber darts lingers until a fresh rain of the Holy Spirit comes.

I am needing a fresh rain.

Consider it pure joy when you face trials and persevere. You will lack nothing. Blessed is the man who perseveres. He will receive a crown of life. In Galatians we are reminded that as a man does, he reaps. If you sow seeds of fear and unbelief, your life will reflect that. If you sow seeds of faith, however, your life and works will produce an abundant tree. It is The Lord who brings in the crop; we merely sow and till and plow where He tells us.

Do not grow weary in your faith. Love well and take care of the family of believers. Their faith may be shaken while yours is strong. Theirs may be strong while yours is shaken. 

Let us consider how we may encourage one another on toward love and good deeds. Hebrews 10:24

Strengthen your feeble arms and weak knees. Hebrews 12:12

Take the ways that are firm. When you ask God, do not doubt. But believe. James 1:6

As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without action is dead. James 2:26

Abraham's faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did. A person is justified by what she does--and not by faith alone. James 2:22-24

The prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; The Lord will raise him up. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective! James 5:15-16

I am Sarah's daughter if I do what is right and do not give way to fear. 1 Peter 3:6

Therefore, brothers and sisters in faith, do not be discouraged. God is faithful and true. He will not forsake you. He has carved you on his hand. He will see to it that his plans succeed. Sow in faith in what is possible; and God will raise up a standard to do what is impossible. If he called you to it, he will see it accomplished. Stand firm, therefore, and do not give in to the yoke of slavery to fear or unbelief. But, believe! 

In the small stuff

God is in the small things in life. Yesterday was a perfect example of that. I was driving home from a church in Schodack, New York, along a busy highway lined with grassy meadows and hills of thick trees. Along the edge of the highway, dangerously close to traffic, there was a baby deer nibbling at the grass. My heart went out to him and I lifted up a prayer. Jesus, I said, I know you care about the little things too. Please protect that deer's life and lead it away from the highway. Immediately the baby deer looked up from grazing as if it saw something, and the deer turned fully around and walked in a direct line into the forest of trees. It was as if a guide was leading it by the neck. It happened so suddenly and I was able to see it all happen before I was out of sight. It moved me to tears as yet another reminder of the Lord's faithful attention to the prayers of his saints. He really does care about the little things. And this gives us courage to trust him for the bigger things.

Do not despise the day of small beginnings, saith the Lord.

Remember, our words have life and death in them. Speak life to every situation. Do not be anxious or worried; instead speak in faith in The One who is in control of all things, for it is our faith mixed with His actions which brings change. 

*And nothing is impossible with God.*

God, Not Man

A reminder from The Lord from the prophet Jeremiah. This scripture is a powerful reminder to each of us seeking to follow after The Lord Jesus. He speaks blessings and curses over man based on who their trust is in. God says, if we trust in man we will be like a bush in the desert, bearing no fruit and having no life to speak of. A scant scraping of an existence with barely enough sustenance and never enough to prosper us to vitality.  What does that mean? Putting your faith in man's ideas, man's systems, man's cultural mores, man's rigid structures and limited reasoning. In western thinking, in regulated religion, in systems and organizations and buildings and traditions.

But! For the man who puts his trust on God, a multitude of blessings springs forth from the abundance of God's kingdom. Things like confidence and freedom, success and abundance. Deep refreshing to your roots, unwavering security in all seasons. Sounds wonderful, doesn't it? 

Some examples of people in the bible who lived by such faith and trust in God (and not man) are listed in the 11th chapter of the book of Hebrews, people like Noah and Moses and Joseph and Abraham and Samuel and Gideon and Rahab and Ezekiel and Elisha and Elijah and Job and Mary and especially Jesus. People who did not fear man, who didn't worry about how they would eat or drink or be clothed in or where they would stay or how they would pay for travels or feed their family or save for retirement. They simply heard the voice of God and then they obeyed. Jesus clearly taught, take what little you have and give it away and more will be added to it. He fed thousands on a few fish and a loaf of crusty bread. He healed the sick by trusting God at His word of healing. He fought back satan by declaring the absolute truth of Holy Scripture to refute the lies. Abraham left his comfortable home for the great unknown of Egypt. Mary faced threatened the possibility of getting stoned to death for pregnancy out of wedlock, even though it was by God's Holy Spirit. Who would have believed her? Joseph her betrothed believed her only because a mighty angel spoke to him. (God has ways of protecting His children who are walking in faith.)

The point is, don't get stuck in your limited thinking that you need all the answers or the complete blueprint from God before you'll take a step put of the boat. For without faith it is absolutely impossible for you to please God.

So, if God is calling you to do something, go somewhere, speak to someone, or do something that seems scary to you, be encouraged that your faith and obedience pleases Him and He rewards those who diligently seek Him. 

Just seek God; He won't let you down. You might seem foolish in your eyes or you might go into unknown and intimidating waters. But He will be with you. Not to mention legions of His wonderful angels, ready to guard you in your ways (see psalm 91).

So here's that scripture I was referring to in Jeremiah about trusting in God and not man. I pray you get the courage you need to radically trust God. He won't let you down. After all, He is God.

"Cursed is the one who trusts in man, who depends on flesh for his strength and whose heart turns away from The Lord. He will be like a bush in the wastelands. He won't see prosperity when it comes, he'll dwell in the parched places of the desert, in a salt land where no one lives. But, blessed is the one who trusts in The Lord, whose confidence is in Him. He will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes. Its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and it never fails to bear fruit."  Jeremiah 17:5-8. Selah. 

            "My sheep know my voice."

                           -Jesus 

To Women Everywhere

It is nearly Mother's Day. A Hallmark holiday intended to celebrate mothers everywhere and raise the consumer spending index through flower and chocolate sales. I think it is wonderful that we appreciate moms. I think it should be more often than once a year with less formality but with as much sincerity.  I know I am thankful for my mom and will be enjoying the day with her. It is for a different group of women I am writing today... those for whom this day is marked with sadness, grief or even faltering faith. And to these women I dedicate this post.

Millions of women in the world are either childless, barren, past childbearing age, or have experienced the trauma of abortion at some point in their lives. They, like myself, may have a baby in heaven they look forward to meeting one day, holding, and looking into their eyes. Like me, they experienced motherhood for a brief moment and then, for either poor decisions or for fear of what to do and making a hasty and selfish decision, they chose to terminate a life. Or perhaps they longed for their baby and The Lord chose to take the wee one home to heaven. 

Perhaps they never experienced pregnancy. It could be that for years they longed for a husband and family of their own, but The Lord had different plans. Maybe The Lord has marriage and family in their future but it hasn't come to pass yet. 

Women, I want to encourage you. I know it takes great faith to press on and trust that God has your best in mind, when you can only see one step ahead. I can confidently assure you that He does have your best in mind, and His best will come to pass when you let Him lead you. 

Keep trusting Him, for He is worthy.

If you are hurting from the loss of a child, let God put His arms around you. He knows your pain and He loves you, and He is caring for your little one. You will see your little one again. The Lord never forsakes you and He will not leave you. If you sinned, you can be forgiven! There is no sin beyond forgiveness; just sincerely repent and ask Jesus to forgive you and to heal your emotional wounds. Then receive healing and forgiveness from Jesus! Let His love wash over you. The next thing to do is to rebuke the enemy of your soul who accuses and lies to you. Make him flee from you by standing firmly on God's Word. Replace the lies with God's truth of who you are. (A good read is "Victory Over Darkness" by Neil Anderson. Also highly recommended is "Prayers That Heal the Heart" by Mark and Patti Virkler.) Meditate daily on the Word of God. See Hebrews 4:12. And, by all means, stop sinning. Remove yourself from the lifestyle of sin and walk in the victory of God's light! God will give you the grace to overcome temptation. See Galatians 5.

"If you, O Lord, kept a record of sins,

O Lord, who could stand?

But with you there is forgiveness; 

Therefore you are feared."  Psalm 130

If you are a dedicated single woman serving The Lord and trusting Him for a husband, I want to encourage you to keep trusting Him and lean not on your own understanding. Lean on Him. And remember... NOTHING is impossible with God! As you delight yourself in The Lord, He will give you the desires of your heart. He may change your desires, but you will not be disappointed. You who have a mother's heart shall bear fruit. It may be spiritual children. It might mean adopting orphans or creating safe houses for trafficked young girls in Cambodia. It might look very different from what you thought. Please hear with your heart-- The Lord will see to it. This is our Jehovah Jireh. Just trust him and follow him and lay aside your desires so he can resurrect them even better than you can imagine!

"Sing, O barren woman,

You who never bore a child!

Burst into song, shout for joy!

You who were never in labor;

Because more are the children of the desolate woman than of her who has a husband, says The Lord." Isaiah 54

Be encouraged, women, for you are greatly loved. You are greatly forgiven. You are greatly cherished. For you are royalty. You are daughters of the King.

"Enlarge the place of your tent and stretch your tent curtains wide;

Do not hold back!

Lengthen your cords and strengthen your stakes.

For you will spread out to the right and to the left;

Your descendants will dispossess nations and will settle in their desolate cities.

Do not be afraid; you will not suffer shame.

Do not fear disgrace; you will not be humiliated.

You will forget the shame of your youth and remember no more the reproach of your widowhood.

For your Maker is your husband--

The Lord Almighty is His Name--

The Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer!

He is called THE GOD OF ALL THE EARTH!"  Isaiah 54

You are loved by the best!

Art credit to Alice Vegrova's page on Facebook where she shares art from around the world.

Blessing

Father, I thank you for how you delight in answering the prayers of your beloved, and for your sudden answer to my prayer!

Just one day ago, I was telling my sister how I would love a quiet retreat place where I could spend a week or two with no one but The Lord. I've been going full-on for nearly one year in New Zealand and, while I love going from house to house sharing life with fellow pilgrims, there comes a time when I just want to be totally alone with The Lord with no distractions and renew my soul in Him.

And, praise God! One day after my prayer, I learned of a friend who "just happened" to be going to Florida for vacation. And "it just so happens" they were leaving the very next day. One thing led to another, and this kind friend graciously opened her home for me to rest in for a  full week of solitude and refreshment while they're away. What's even more serendipitous, get this... The street I am staying on is Kiwi Lane. (For those of you unaware, New Zealanders are called Kiwis.) God really has an uncanny sense of humor. 

So here I have just arrived and am sitting with a cup of hot honey tea, in absolute silence and delight.

I can already feel the excitement for the coming days alone with Abba. I know there are no coincidences with God and that He quickly answered my prayer. I am again blown away by His provision, by His immediate answer to my heart cry. How GOOD He is. How much He loves!

Be encouraged that God delights in you as much! He has no favorites. As you delight yourself in The Lord, He will give you the desires of your heart. And God never breaks His promises. 

Thank you, Abba, for your answer to prayer. Thank you for caring about the little things! I delight in You, Lord. You foresaw my need to be refreshed and rest-- and you already had a wonderful plan. I pray that this coming week will be simply delightful and intimate as You and I hang out together. Ahhh!

Faith Journey, a Continuing Story

First of all I want to thank all of my devoted friends and supporters who have held me up in prayer and who have helped meet my financial and practical needs as a missionary. Your support and encouragement have been and remain so important to me, and I am thankful for you!

At the request of my friends, I am putting out there what I am in need of so you can be in prayer. If you are able to help out in any practical way, please contact me.

My immediate needs:

-laptop computer (don't have one at all and this is essential for a life on the move)

-airfare and visa fees to go back where The Lord is calling me

-housing and meals expenses

-a reliable car on the missions front

-luggage (mine was borrowed) 

I have been pricing these things out and trying to find the best deals and the items that will best meet my needs. My immediate needs are around $1500 for visas and a laptop, and then airfare expenses will be upwards of $2200, plus somewhere between $4000-6000 for a working vehicle overseas. Housing and food while on the field are modestly $150-200 weekly.

I appreciate your prayers, your support, your encouragement. If you feel led to support me financially, please reach out to me via email for giving options. My email is murrecat@gmail.com. If you use paypal, you can send support to me there via the same email listed above. Write me if you would like the mailing address or other ways to send support if paypal doesn't work for you.

No matter how small or big your gift, I want to personally and sincerely say thank you. It is exciting to be on the missions field for The Lord, and I couldn't do it without the help of many friends. Thank you! And may our Heavenly Father bless you.

Cathy

Healing Power of God

Cool story... So yesterday I'm at doctor's and the receptionist is sick and sneezing wheezing.

So I say, "Sounds like you're not doing too good." 

"No" she says, "I'm allergic to everything and have all sorts of ailments, and have tried all sorts of remedies, etc".

So I say, "have you ever been prayed for?"

"No," she replies. 

"Would you like to be?" 

"Yes!" She replies. 

So she and I go around the corner, I tell her I pray in the name of Jesus because that's the only name by which we are saved. 

"I know," she replies. 

So on I go to pray a quick 60-second prayer, and instantly the power of the Holy Spirit falls on both of us. "Do you feel that?" I ask her. 

"Yes!!!"

"That's the presence of God. His Holy Spirit is here, can you feel it?" 

"Yes! I'm shaking!" she replies. 

She excitedly says this must be the reason she came to work today when she didn't want to, and asked me to pray for her dad and on and on, we broke family curses and strongholds over her family, she was healed, and it was awesome how God showed up so fast!

Go God!!

Jesus

Hebrews 4:12 "for the Word of God (Jesus! who is 'the Word') is alive and active, sharper than any double edged sword; it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart."

"Jesus is the Word, made flesh and who made his dwelling with us, and we have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only begotten Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No one has ever seen God, but God's One and Only, who is at the Father's side, has made him known." (John 1:1-2, 14)

"Look! The Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!" John (1:29)

"Jesus found the blind man he'd healed who was thrown out by the Pharisees, and he asked him- Do you believe in the Son of Man? Who is he, sir, that I may believe in him? Jesus said, -You are speaking with him now. The man replied, Lord I believe! And he worshipped Jesus. Jesus replied, For judgment I have come into this world. So that the blind will see and those who see will become blind. (John 9:35-39)

"I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and  whoever lives and believes in me will never die." -Jesus (John 11:25)

"I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you really have known me you will know the Father as well. From now on you do know and see the Father. 

"Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. Don't you believe that I am in the Father and that the Father is in me? The words I say to you are not just my own.  Rather, it is the Father living in me who is doing his work.  Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Faher is in me, or at least believe on the evidence of the miracles themselves. I tell you the truth- anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these because I am going to the Father. And I will do whatever you ask in my name so hat the Son may bring glory to the Father.  You may ask for anything in my name and I will do it. If you love me you'll obey what I command. And I will ask the Father and he will give you another Counselor  to be with you forever-- the Spirit of Truth. The world cannot accept him because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him for he lives with you and will be in you. I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. Before long, the world will not see me anymore. But you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. On that day you'll realise that I'm in my Father, you're in me, and I'm in you. Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he's the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father. And I also will love him and show myself to him."  

John 14

Jesus is Lord! I pray this blesses you and that the Spirit of God gives you revelation of His Glory. We. Overcome the world and the enemy by the Blood of Jesus and by the Word of our testimony.  Do not hide the light of the world under a bushel but go and tell of His Goodness,His  Mercy, His Love to the ends of the earth. For He goes with you if He lives inside you.

23

My Best Friend takes care of me;

I shall never lack anything I need.

He insists that I chill out and relax;

He makes a comfortable space for me in a soft field. He surrounds me with thoughts that awaken all my senses of the most lovely things- a warm bath, a feather pillow, lavender and jasmine. A flood of memories of campfires and chocolate Labradors. Sunbathing and scuba diving.

He knows how to restore my tired heart. He calms my cluttered mind. Salty waves play on my exhausted muscles like kneading bread dough.

He softly guides me along the paths of Good and True and Right, for his own Names' sake. He will not let me get lost, not even for one careless step.

Even though I walk through the valley of hard times, I see only whispered threats of defeated foes- they have no power over me. 

I have experienced death already.

I am reborn with the Living God dwelling inside.

He is true to his name Loving and Good.

His shepherd's staff keeps me on the straight path. He is armed to defend me from any wild beasts as a shepherd defends his lamb.

He prepares a beautiful table and he laughs seeing how undone I am at his lavishness. The hall is robust with flavours and smells, and my eyes drink in the ornate golden goblets, the burgundy linens, the violet dressings, the precious stones on the inlays of the chairs. 

No dark thing may enter to disturb the feast. It is forbidden. It may at best perceive what it is not invited to from the doorway.

As I enter the room, my friend marks my forehead with sacred oil. This distinguishes me as His; under His care I am protected, healed.

My goblet overflows with a King's best wine and the ripest fruits.

Surely goodness and love are always before me. A scent near enough for me to perceive how closely He stands gently by my side. 

This is the place I am invited forever. At this banquet table. In His house. In the inner chambers. Not only in the formal rooms, but freely passing from the front of the house to the back. Intimate with my Friend, my Lord, my Redeemer, forever.

Prints

I long to follow the footprints in front of me. Made by my Abba. My Lord.  I wish the prints were easier to track; it's as if He wants me to study the surface with a scrutinous eye before stepping forward. If the ground was wet and muddy I would have no difficulty following. But the prints are hardly perceptible, like flour on a dusty chalk floor. One swirling into the next. Tan and beige and white dust, like the mixing of cake batter when for only a moment your eye can see the distinctness and then the powders are swiftly one. 

I know my Lord is ahead of me, softly whispering 'this is the way- walk in it, daughter.' But here I am at the convergence of paths in the wood. All freshly plowed clumps of dirt. Markings absent. Just a soft whisper of a voice saying 'this way- come.' 

Did my Lord call me from this way? I ask a fallen leaf. Did my Lord call me from this way? I plead with a small acorn on the path. Did my Lord call me from this way? I cajole a crossing ladybug. I am left alone with the echo of my Lord's voice in my head, in my heart. 'This way, daughter, I am leading you. Come fast.' I bite my lip and close my eyes tightly. I squint in the sun setting low on the horizon. I turn my head to hear the faintest sound, but still just an echo of words from before.

I take a small cautious step to the right. No, this can't be it. It doesn't feel like the way my Lord would have gone. I retreat and choose the path to the middle. I think this might be the way, I decide. Setting my hat and gripping my bag, I shove my hands into my deep pockets and step with a little more confidence. Forward. Yes. This must be the way. I am following my lover into my future. This is the way.

Pray

Pray, people, pray. The Lord says this is a critical season to press in to Him as a woman giving birth in travailing intercession for what is to come swiftly on the world. Don't sit back. Get on your knees, pray in spiritual tongues for God's will to be done and for His mercy, and His protection. Pray for the unsaved to have dreams and visions to understand Messiah and be saved. Pray! It is a critical hour. The Spirit groans at what is to come. Between now and April 25 this is a critical and history-altering time. Do not be caught asleep before The Lord. Be worthy of being a disciple of the Rabbi Jesus. The Lord gives signs in the skies; He established the sun, moon and stars to be guideposts for critical attention-getters to His people. This season is upon us, with four blood moons on Pesach and Tabernacles in 2014 and 2015 and premonitions and warnings from the Lord's prophets to the people. 

"You have let go of the commands of God and are holding onto the traditions of man." Mark 7:8

"Everything on earth will perish." Genesis 6:17

"For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark. And they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. This is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man." Matthew 24:37-39

"Just as it was in the days of Noah, so also will it be in the days of the Son of Man. People were eating, drinking, marrying and giving in marriage up until the day that Noah entered the ark. Then the flood came and destroyed them all. It was the same in the days of Lot. People were eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building. But the day Lot left Sodom, fire and sulphur rained down from heaven and destroyed them all. It will be just like this on the day the Son of Man is revealed. On that day, no one who is on the roof of his house, with his goods inside, should go down to get them. Likewise, no one I'm the field should go back for anything. Remember Lot's wife! Whoever tries to keep his life will lose it; and whoever loses his life will preserve it." Luke 17:26-33

Receiving God's Best

Here are a few gems I collected from a man I have a high regard for. You'll have to read to the end to see the credit. It's about receiving God's best. As I am transitioning to a new season and then soon after to another new season and then another... the words of encouragement in these passages from Scriptures light a fire to my feet and kindle the spark to fuel me onward with hope, joy, and love.

"Does not the ear taste words as the tongue tastes food? If we put something unpleasant in our mouth, we spit it out. Likewise, if we hear something bitter, negative or destructive, we should reject it. 

The ear should test words, like eating fish. You swallow the meat but you spit out the bones. Take heed how you hear. 

Consider this...

Both faith AND unbelief come by hearing." Which do you want?

Avoid godless chatter because those who indulge in it become more and more ungodly. Their teaching is cancerous and destroys the faith of others. 2 Tim 2:16-18.  Have nothing to do with fruitless deeds of darkness, but, rather, expose them. Eph 5:11-12.  Flee evil desires and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on The Lord with a pure heart. 2 Tim 2:22

We know from Scriptures that God promises to give us all the (temporal) things that we need after we seek His (eternal) Kingdom and His Righteousness.

A man can receive nothing unless it has been given to him from heaven. Despite what you may think, even your paycheck is not yours, but God's. He gave you the job. He gave you the ability to work that job. He gave you your life. These things are temporal. He knows your need, and He provides good things to His children.

However, sometimes His kids get a little grabby, feeling impatient, feeling entitled. 

**There is a difference between grabbing and receiving.** Do not labour and take and grab and get stuff that you won't be allowed to keep. Instead, why not rest, turn your face toward God, and say, "God, show me what it is Your good pleasure to give me."

The Lord says, "Do not fear, little flock, for it is your father's good pleasure to GIVE YOU the Kingdom."

Don't grab. Learn to rest a little while from grabbing. Be willing to see what God wants to give. Many times when we grab and have that grabbing attitude, we aren't in a condition to be able to receive what God is freely offering to us.

So ask Him,

"God, what is it Your good pleasure to give me?"

"God chooses our inheritance for us, the glory of Jacob whom He loves." Psalm 47:2-4

Here's something to think about...

God didn't tell Israel to find the best piece of land and grab it. He would give them a place that HE had chosen. And He gave them the best! Israel's land is the glory of all lands... The beautiful land, the desirable land. God chose much better for them than they would ever have chosen for themselves. When it was a question of their getting their inheritance, God fought for them and He subdued the nations under their feet. 

If we go out and grab, we don't have God fighting for us. Wow.

If we go out and grab, we'll probably get in a war we're going to lose. Ouch.

There's no need to grab. For God will do everything that is needed to bring us into our inheritance. Our inheritance is the only place we can know true rest. (Deut 12:9). Restless Christians have never come into their true inheritance because they've never allowed God to give it to them. Because they thought they had to grab it for themselves. 

In John 10:29, Jesus is quoted saying, "What Abba's given me is greater than all."

Don't get nervous or uptight about the opposition. The very fact that you get uptight is evidence that you're not really moving into what God has given to you; otherwise you could smile at the opposition. God's inheritance for you is absolutely guaranteed.

So, to receive God's best,

1- want God's best; don't settle for less.

2- focus on Jesus

3- meditate on God's word.

4- make friends with the Holy Spirit.

5- hear and promptly obey God's voice.

6- be careful how and what you hear.

7- be more concerned with the eternal than the temporary.

8- let God choose for you.

Abraham obeyed quickly with Isaac.

Lot's wife delayed. See Luke 17:32- Do not delay or it'll be too late. 1 Corinth 1:25 

Be prepared to seem foolish. The foolishness of God is wiser than men.

Noah built a boat. Foolish?

Namaan dipped seven times. Odd?

Jesus put clay on blind eyes. Weird?

Check out 1 Corinth 3:18.

God, I want Your best, and I want only the inheritance that YOU have already established for me before any of my days came to be (Psalm 139). Amen, Lord Jesus!

(Check out the book, "Receiving God's Best, by Derek Prince.)

I hope this message blesses and encourages you. Shalom!

Stand Firm

The other day I saw a line of young saplings planted in a row. 

The wind was strong that day, and the trees, being young, were blowing halfway over. They seemed as if they would snap, but they buffered each other against the gale.

Nearby, one lone sapling, planted all by itself, was fiercely snapped and broken in half, defeated by the wind.

A little way down the road I saw a line of older trees, planted together and mature. The same wind only rustled their branches and brought them to a gentle bow. They neither snapped nor bent. They stood strong in a clump.

The Lord showed me how we should be, how we are through Him, that whether we are saplings or thick oaks we are together made strong from storms as we remain together. He showed me the one lone sapling as a warning and a caution. He asked me to share this with you, lest you discover you are alone or you know someone young in their faith who is alone. 

Come on, My Soul

Come on, my soul. Amen.

http://youtu.be/SswMKsFaHWE

"From now on I will tell you of new things, of hidden things unknown to you. They are created NOW, and not long ago! You have not heard of them before today. So you cannot say, "yes, I knew of them." You have neither heard nor understood; from of old your ear has not been open. Well do I know how treacherous you are, you were called rebel at birth. Yet for my own name's sake I delay my wrath, for the sake of my praise I withhold it from you so as to not cut you off. *See, I have refined you, though not as silver; I have tested you in the furnace of affliction.* For my own sake, for my own sake, I do this. How can I let myself be defamed? I will not yield my glory to another."  (Isaiah 48:6-11)

A living double-edged Word of The Most High. Hebrews 4:12

**Pray, for the hour is near at hand.**

Have you been tested lately? Don't pitch your tent in the valley of Sheol, move on and outward; press on. Get rid of distractions; get rid of excuses. Invite Jesus as your Savior. Time is of the essence. Your soul is on the line. 

Selah. (Meditate on this.)

(Tunnel Hill, The Catlins. Is it a very dark place or a very light place, this long, pitch-black tunnel under a mountain? If you're walking with Jesus and a friend, it is full of light! Jesus is with you no matter where you are. And having a friend's arm to cling is a wonderful bonus.)

Transitions

I am on a flight from Queenstown to Auckland. I said goodbye to a good friend, my brother, an hour ago, someone I have been journeying with for nine months. We fed cows together on campus in Tauranga; we fed hundreds of children together at a Christian camp in Gore. We watched too many movies. We drove along the southern coastline of New Zealand singing Les Mis at the top of our lungs. We saw sea lions, seals and penguins hanging on the beach. We visited lots of churches, lots. We journeyed on outreach together around the South Island sharing the good news of Jesus with hundreds of people everywhere. We brought the light of Christ into a dark nightclub in Nelson where there was only death and despair. We marched holding daisyheads with the fruit of the spirit of God in a parade for Christmas. We prayer-walked together. We prayed into things, together binding minor demons. We faced the bigger demons together for three months of intense -intense- warfare. The kind where you're trevailing. Crying out from every fiber of your spirit to bind and command satan's big guns to go away in defeat. We evangelised at an A&P Agricultural Expo, me playing worship songs on the guitar while he asked passersby what got them feeling alive in life. 

We sat awkwardly at other people's family Christmas get-togethers while people who didn't know us gave us presents and made us feel special and loved. We did. We welcomed the new year watching burly Scottish farmers saw logs, chop trees, and shoot bullets in the sky while we nibbled hot chips. We made friends with German backpackers and Spanish churro-cart operators.

We laughed with Lucy the hyperactive puppy. We played Clue. We baked, cooked, apple crumbled. We shared Jesus with strangers in Queenstown. We cooked for 150 people six meals a day for seven days straight. We crashed for three subsequent days after, barely saying a word as we recovered from such a feat of successful service. Go God!

We worshipped a lot. We prayed a lot. We each encouraged each other as fellow sojourners on our individual pilgrimages with Christ. We swung on swings. A lot.

I met awesome friends along the way, followers of The Way; he did too. Sometimes we got to share each other's new acquaintances and get excited about what God is doing, be it at Invercargill Church or through a Regional Pastors roundtable or a fellowship in Balclutha. We got to know a family in Edendale well. The kids, the parents. We got to pray with each of them independently and together. We saw God move in their lives.

We shared prophetic words and spiritual visions from God. I grew in my prayer life and I saw into an open heaven regularly. His eyes were opened to visions of the supernatural from The Lord. It was so awesome to catch his enthusiasm!

I have a brother I didn't have a year ago. That is so awesome! Truly cool! 

As I'm heading back to "The Shire" to report about the land we've been spying out for The Lord, he remains on the battlefront with God and His angels to follow after his call in the southernmost part of the country on the bottom of the big round globe. This is where The Fellowship of nine which became two ends. Nine companions set out on a journey. Two remained. And then the fellowship came to an end.

I would have shed many tears in saying goodbye except that I had just discovered to my appall that I left my suitcase two hours away in Brydone, and we were at the airport in Queenstown already. I couldn't believe I did that. I don't know if I've ever been so careless. I had even gone back and checked the house. Twice. Because I was living out of a small duffel and because I had been shuffled from place to place in the previous week, I forgot I had packed the black bag to be undisturbed. I didn't see it when I surveyed the room, even though it was in front of my eyes! I scolded myself severely at the airport for my scatteredness. I asked the cargo department if I could ship it. Too expensive. I feel so foolish. I think God wants me to laugh at myself sometimes. Especially since this last three months have been, in a few words, spiritually demanding, exciting, boundary-shaking, territory-claiming. I'm infinitely glad I didn't have to face this adventure alone. I'm infinitely glad there is someone who understands what I've been through. I'm ever so happy that God has stretched me so much. Even though there were many days I felt like butter spread over too much bread.

I am ready to take Daddy God's hand and shout, "Let's Go!" I can't express how much joy I have for journeying with R through this long and treacherous valley, and that I have a brother who is a prince among princes, a man after God's own heart. I think I've helped him a little bit along his journey. I am ready to land from this flight and say an exuberant hello to my tomorrows. I cherish what I have just come from. I hope to come back.

I suppose I have to now, since I left my suitcase!

South of Queenstown on the lake this afternoon skipping stones and reflecting on this long and unforgettable journey. A cairn for my heart-song.    ###

Nomad

The life of a missionary can feel nomadic at times. Bouncing between places from one day to the next, living out of the boot of a car and a carryon bag for a bureau. 

The same change of clothes for several days, a sturdy travel towel and a best guess from week to week when and where you'll get to do a load of laundry. 

Just when you think you can unpack a bag and settle for a few days in one place, life turns, plans change, and the world turns on the head of a screw in a new direction. 

I'm learning to hold my plans like sand in a sieve. It has almost become a joke to say "my plans".

And yet, I know I must rejoice, in the midst of all the uncertainties and shifting. For I have chosen this life, it is worth it, to give up little things for God. This is a life lived for Jesus, not for me, I remind myself. 

I could have a great job, comforts, my nice bed, and the beautiful furniture and house and car. But instead, God has given me no job but to serve Him, little surprising comforts like the gift basket a friend gave me with new razors and shampoos and little nice things I was thrilled to have. I get church floors and twin beds, and every once in a while a nice plush mattress I just melt into. I have a car to use, it sometimes doesn't start up but in the end it always does. The homes I stay in are modest and full of love. The families that I break bread with are quick to share their food with me. I never go without. God looks after His children. 

Physical needs are met; yet sometimes spiritually a feeling of unsatiated hunger lingers too long from trying to find rest in unrestful spiritual atmospheres. We dust the cobwebs as best we can. 

Sometimes we can't wait to move on. Sometimes we wonder what we can do or why we are there, how we alone could possibly change things. I've been in this place. And the answer is I can't. I would run. But I know with Jesus all things are possible. He's there in my weakest hour. He can turn dark atmospheres around. 

And what can I do? I can love. Some of the most wounded people are the people in the family of God. Plodding along for years with battle wounds they never dressed. God sends reinforcements to set up spiritual triage and walk alongside them, for a season. The battle is real, the battle is fierce. It can be very lonely.

Even though at times we can feel alone, it is because we are sojourners. Nomads in a foreign world. Don't let yourself get carried downstream defeated. Put on power, love, and a sound mind in place of fear. Know when to fight and when to rest. Find people you feel safe with and rest. Don't kamikaze on the frontlines. I've been feeling like that a lot lately and I know I need to retreat. Rest in Abba's strong arms. Run to His Peace, find rest in His Strongtower. Where the Spirit of The Lord is there is freedom. We are not conformed to the patterns of this world but we are transformed. Run after God and He will always give you a place of refuge. In Him.

Can you support my ministry for The Lord? Go to www. Paypal.com for a no-fees donation to murrecat@gmail.com.

Be blessed. Live today as if it is your last.

Ponder Anew

"But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart." (Luke 2:19) 

Ponder the things God has spoken to you, promises to you, reminded you of, and that you take a moment to ponder them and remember how good and how faithful God is to you. Reflect on His goodness, maybe make a list of times he's come through for you when you didn't see a way. The daily miracles and the whispers to your heart. He never leaves your side. Treasure up his words once again. Speak life to them. Activate his words by faith. Believe them. Receive them. Live as if they have already been fulfilled.

I have been lavished with words by the prophets over my life, confirming things The Lord has told me to my heart and to my spirit. I draw closer to Abba Father's heart. I cuddle up with him, tucked under his right arm, my cheek on his chest. I feel The Lord's warmth, love, soft strong breathing. He is by my side. No harm can come to me when I am with him. 

The song, "oh no, you never let go" comes to mind. It's always us who let go and wander too far from his arms. But a yoke is not made of elastic and rubber. Think about this. Selah.

Remember The Lord when you are in days of plenty, for there will come days soon, my spirit says, when this will be a memory. Draw on this strength, so that you know you can trust him when the bread is scarce and when the storm clouds roll over the horizon and threaten to stamp out the sun. He is still there. Now is the time to nestle with his arm around you. A battle is swiftly coming. Fill yourself up with The Lord's strength. Prepare your spirit to be firm and faithful to faithful God. Spiritual mothers and fathers, you will be needed very soon. Make way the path for The Lord. Drink in his promises. Do not give in to fear or worry. Ponder anew what the Almighty can do!

"Shepherd your people with your staff, the flock of your inheritance, which lives by itself in a forest, in fertile pasturelands. Let them feed in Bashan and Gilead as in days long ago. As in the days when you came out of Egypt, I will show them my wonders." (Micah 7:14-15)

"See, I am doing

A New Thing!

Do you not perceive it?

Now it springs up.

My people will live in peaceful dwelling places, in secure homes, in undisturbed places of rest. Though hail flattens the forest and the city is levelled completely, how blessed you will be, sowing your seed by every stream and letting your cattle and donkeys range free." 

Isaiah 32:18-20

Selah.

Today

It's nearing the midpoint of March; it seems the anticipation of spring, the joy of new life budding. As the days pale and lighten, my shadow stretches beyond to touch a hope and a rush of things to come. A new season in on the horizon. I am excited-, nervous, caught in the moments between living and thinking ahead of the future nostalgia I will feel when I am gone. This present joy threatens to surrender to tomorrow's memory. Cold water, come rush over me! Snap me out of this frost so I can reclaim these Todays. Tomorrow's sunrise is nothing to today's dusk. For I can see this in front of my hand. It is altogether lovely.

Take a picture in my mind. For in two weeks I will be returning to the North Island to keep fighting this good fight for Jesus before heading back again to the Western Hemisphere. I pray that my path will bring me back here soon-- back to this beautiful country that has captivated me. I want to savour every day. I want to remember everything now.

I know I will miss the people, my friends. The deep waters of people I've gotten to know in the last few months. The stoic Scottish who are very slow to warm up to you, but when they do you know you've got a lifelong friend. The abundance of mature spirit-filled believers in the dotted towns around me. I will miss my little tiny room on the bottom of the globe. I will miss my good friend with whom I invested time and love and prayers and laughs.

I know God has all my days in His hands; I trust Him and I look forward to unwrapping new gifts. But for now all I want, surpassing dreams and promises for days to come, is simply the Now and Here. The snapshot in my memory. 

This season has been unexpectedly rich, for my heart has been instructed beyond my imaginings. I have been refined through God's fire and the enemy's trial. I have drawn under the protective wings of our loving God while the enemy bared his teeth and told me to leave. I pressed in to God and fought, prayed, fasted, and was very alone in the wilderness. But God never left my side, praise His Holy Name! My new friends have rallied around me, prayed and cried with me, shared our deepest hearts, and worshipped our God together. I have learned how to be a sister. And I have savoured having a wonderful brother I can trust and love. I've nurtured my young heart with the help of numerous playgrounds in surrounding towns, swinging wildly and laughing with glee. It's been great to have a friend to join in this fun! Seems a little less crazy that way...

This season has been rich, full, overflowing, in a land that is verdant with majesty and a people who are filled with stories to share and cuppas to drink.

I pray that you savour your Todays as meaningful memories. For someday your Today will be your last; the day when the grey curtain is unveiled. Make the most of this present moment!

"See to it, brothers, that none of you has an unbelieving, sinful heart that turns away from the living God. But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin's deceitfulness. We have come to share in the Messiah if we hold firmly till the end the confidence we had at the beginning. Today, if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts." Hebrews 3:12-14

Please pray for me, that I may be restored to you soon, and that I will live honorably in every way. And, as it is written in Hebrews 13:20, "May the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, equip you with everything good for doing His will, and may He work in me and in you that which is pleasing to Him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen."

Be an Encourager

I read this and thought it was so good I wanted to share it. I've noticed lately that children are just as susceptible to critical spirits as are adults. How does Jesus tell us to respond to situations where people are overly critical of us or others? I hope you find this study helpful in overcoming your own nature or that in someone else. It is for freedom that Christ set us free; don't give up until you have total freedom!

"Any one of us can develop a critical spirit by focusing on the faults of others. Because none of us is without fault, those who convey a critical spirit can feel justified—justified using words that condemn. However, the tendency to call attention to trivial flaws prevents faultfinders from helping others change. They cannot extend the caring spirit of Christ. God never condemns in a way that wounds the spirit. He brings a sense of conviction that encourages and motivates us to change.

“The lips of the righteous know what is fitting, but the mouth of the wicked only what is perverse.”

(Proverbs 10:32)

Nine Differences between

A Critical Spirit	and	A Caring Spirit
Condemns   the person as well as the action	“Reckless   words pierce like a sword, but the tongue of the wise brings healing.”   (Proverbs12:18)	Condemns   the action, not the person
Focuses   on the faults of others	“Why do you   look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to   the plank in your own eye?” (Luke6:41)	Focuses   on self-examination
Ridicules   others	“A man who   lacks judgment derides his neighbor, but a man of understanding holds his   tongue.” (Proverbs11:12)	Refrains   from ridiculing others
Makes   judgments based on appearances	“Stop judging   by mere appearances, and make a right judgment.” (John 7:24)	Makes   judgments based on the facts
Assumes   the worst without first hearing from the accused	“Does our law   condemn anyone without first hearing him to find out what he is doing?” (John   7:51)	Assumes   the best while waiting to hear from the accused
Tears   others down without seeing the unmet needs	“Do not let   any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for   building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who   listen.” (Ephesians4:29)	Builds   others up according to their needs
Confronts   others publicly	“If your   brother sins against you, go and show him his fault, just between the two of   you. If he listens to you, you have won your brother over.” (Matthew18:15)	Confronts   others privately
Responds   harshly when accused by others	“Pride only   breeds quarrels, but wisdom is found in those who take advice.” (Proverbs  13:10)	Responds   appreciatively without quarreling when others give advice
Lacks   mercy toward others	“Speak and act   as those who are going to be judged by the law that gives freedom, because   judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful.   Mercy triumphs over judgment!” (James 2:12–13)	Responds   with mercy toward others
CAUSES FOR A CRITICAL SPIRIT

A critical spirit doesn’t appear without reason. So where does it come from? When you see people with a critical spirit, look beyond the present to the past. What could have produced their critical spirit? And what continues to perpetuate it?

Childhood Modeling

The most common cause of a critical spirit is living in a home where criticism abounds—where parents model a critical spirit before their children. Growing up in an atmosphere where criticism is the daily fare causes a child to adopt a critical spirit as an adult. After all, with children, “More is caught than taught.” Living with the grating sands of criticism causes heaviness of heart, and children will close the door to their feelings. Such parents provoke their child to anger, and the tendency for the child is to develop damaging patterns of criticism.

“Stone is heavy and sand a burden, but provocation by a fool is heavier than both.” (Proverbs 27:3)

•     A critical spirit will often surface because …

—  Rejection is felt.

—  Anger is triggered.

—  Fear is pervasive.

—  Stress is building.

—  Self-control is lost.

Childhood Wounding

The children’s rhyme “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me” could not be further from the truth. Critical words can be more catastrophic than a natural disaster. There may be no visible destruction, but damage to the spirit of a child is devastating. Many children who live with messages that wound their self-worth will resort to criticism as a means of self-defense.

“I am poor and needy, and my heart is wounded within me.” (Psalm 109:22)

Harshness says—“You’re not worth consideration.”

Unconcern says—“You’re not valuable.”

Rejection says—“You’re not acceptable.”

Taunting says—“You deserve to be put down.”

The following checklist will help you to understand the person who has a critical spirit. Do you ever …

Secretly believe you are better than others?

Make assumptions about others without knowing the facts?

Obtain revenge for a personal offense?

Kid with the intent to hurt?

Envy the success of others?

Shift personal blame to others?

Camouflage personal discontentment?

Rebel against and resist authority?

Employ sarcasm as a source of humor?

Elevate self by putting others down?

Nurture perfectionistic tendencies to make yourself look better?

Root Cause

You can go all the way back to the Garden of Eden to find the first critical spirit. God asked Adam to give an account of himself. Knowing of course that he had sinned, Adam blamed God for giving him Eve, then blamed Eve for giving him the infamous forbidden fruit.

The man said, ‘The woman you put here with me—she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate it.’ (Genesis 3:12)

Isn’t it interesting how shifting the blame to God or someone else is so much easier than taking personal responsibility for your own wrong choices. We all have three inner needs—the need for love, for significance and for security. Criticizing someone else makes us feel a sense of significance—a sense of power—at least for the moment. But that feeling won’t last.

Wrong Belief:

“My sense of significance is enhanced when I show how others are wrong. The fact that ‘I am right’ justifies my criticism of others.”

“You, therefore, have no excuse, you who pass judgment on someone else, for at whatever point you judge the other, you are condemning yourself, because you who pass judgment do the same things.” (Romans 2:1)

Right Belief:

When I am critical of others, I am only judging the sin in myself. Apparently, God thought I was significant enough to create me with His plan and purpose for me. Because Christ lives in me, continually extending His mercy toward me, I will reflect His mercy by encouraging the hearts of others.

“We urge you, brothers, warn those who are idle, encourage the timid, help the weak, be patient with everyone. Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always try to be kind to each other and to everyone else.” (1 Thessalonians 5:14–15)

God uses close relationships to teach us truth about ourselves. That is why we all need to be open to the possibility that criticism often reveals specific areas in our lives that need to be refined. When we are criticized, we can choose to ask God if we have a habit that He wants us to eliminate. But if criticism proves to be unfounded, we still need to demonstrate loving encouragement to those who have been our critics.

“A man’s wisdom gives him patience; it is to his glory to overlook an offense. Listen to advice and accept instruction, and in the end you will be wise.” (Proverbs 19:11, 20)

“Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.” (Colossians 4:6)

Key Passage to Read and Reread

James 3:1–12

The tongue, though small …

•     can be powerful like a bit, turning a large horse	v. 3
•     can be forceful like a rudder, steering a huge ship	v. 4
•     can be dangerous like a spark, igniting a great forest	v. 5
•     can be devastating like a fire, burning the whole body	v. 6
•     can be a corrupting force of evil, instigated by hell	v. 6
•     can be a restless evil full of deadly poison	v. 8
•     can be both praising and critical of others	v. 10
•     can be the instrument revealing whether the heart is impure	v. 12

Suppose someone said to you, “When I think of you, I think of Jesus.” How would you feel? In the deepest part of your heart, would you like to be like Jesus? If so, what was He like? Do you see Jesus as having a judgmental spirit? People were drawn to the Lord because He was an encourager, not a critic. He didn’t focus on their faults. Instead, He knew their needs and offered to meet them. When you experience authentic salvation, the Bible says you have “Christ in you” (Colossians 1:27). If you truly want to be like Christ, enlarge your heart to become an encourager.

“If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose.” (Philippians 2:1–2)

•     An encourager has a humble heart … a heart that sees its own shortcomings. Humble your heart to see your own sin, your imperfections and your immense need for God’s mercy. Rather than measuring yourself by human standards, measure yourself by God’s standard—the perfect Savior. Instead of making sure that others see how significant you are, make sure others see their significance to God.

“Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.” (Psalm 139:23–24)

•     An encourager has a compassionate heart …a heart that actively cares about the lives of others. Look closely at the life of Christ to learn His compassionate way of confronting the truth. Consider the woman caught in adultery—a crime for which stoning was the punishment—yet Jesus did not condemn her, he looked beyond her fault and saw her need, then compassionately met that need. (John 8:3–11.)

“Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.” (Colossians 3:12)

•     An encourager has an understanding heart …a heart that learns and draws out the hearts of others. Don’t listen only to what people say on the surface. Listen for the needs and feelings beneath the surface … feelings of being unloved, insignificant or insecure. Pray that God will give you a discerning spirit as you seek to draw others out.

“The purposes of a man’s heart are deep waters, but a man of understanding draws them out.” (Proverbs 20:5)

•     An encourager has an accepting heart … a heart that offers a sense of security. Realize that everyone has an innate fear of rejection and a deep yearning for acceptance.

“Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God.” (Romans 15:7)

•     An encourager has an appreciative heart … a heart that sees God-given worth in everyone.

•     An encourager has a praising heart … a heart that praises the positives. Pray that you will see something positive in every person, then faithfully make that your focus.

“Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.” (Philippians 4:8)

•     An encourager has an exhorting heart … a heart that doesn’t wound with words. Reconsider the saying “Talk is cheap.” … Talk is costly when it tears others down. Present your words to God as His instrument for good, and pray that He will put His words into your mouth.

“Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.” (Ephesians4:29)

•     An encourager has a discerning heart … a heart to see the deepest unmet needs of others. Instead of judging the inappropriate action of another, understand the need behind the action.  Realize that people who sling cutting words reveal that they have at least one unmet inner need … the need for love, for significance or for security.

How to Respond to the Criticism of Others

Human nature says respond “in kind” to others—curse for curse, blow for blow. One of the clearest challenges of Christ is not to respond “in kind,” but to respond “in the Spirit.” To be Spirit controlled rather than situation controlled is not natural to human nature. Being Spirit controlled becomes natural to the new nature that a believer receives at salvation—the very nature and mind of Christ. Undoubtedly, to counter evil for evil is natural, but to counter evil with good is the supernatural work of Christ within you.

“Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”(Romans 12:21)

“Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God.” (Romans 15:7)

“Am I now trying to win the approval of men, or of God? Or am I trying to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a servant of Christ.” (Galatians 1:10)

Yet when you see your significance as a child of God—when you learn how dearly loved you are by the Lord—instead of tearing others down, you will be fulfilled in building others up. (Credit to J. Hunt) Be blessed and encouraged today! Greater is he who is in you than he who is in the world!