The Train of His Robe

Isaiah 6:1

"In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and the train of His robe filled the temple."

A few weeks ago, the Lord showed me something about the above verse that I had never seen before. We were singing the song, "I See the Lord" at the ministry Mark and I lead, Restore, and this verse stood out to me:

"The train of His robe fills the temple
a cloud of heavenly worshippers surrounding His throne.
Let's join with them now,
crying Holy, Holy is the Lamb, the Lamb alone."

I had sung this song several times, but this time the words, "train of His robe" jumped out at me.  You know how that happens sometimes when we're reading the Bible and a portion of scripture that you've read several times all of a sudden just jumps out at you?  It's timely, and usually just when you need it!  This was what happened to me when I was singing this portion of the song.

I just kept thinking about it and wondering what the train of His robe really is because I don't think I ever stopped to give it a lot of thought in the past, other than to acknowledge that I figured it meant His glory, His presence, but I knew this time, the Lord had something else to show me.

So I spent some time looking up the meaning of the train of His robe, and I was amazed and encouraged by what I found!

In days of old, when kings went out to battle, after a king was victorious in the battle over his enemy, he would cut off the corner of the defeated king's robe and add it on to the train of his own robe as a sign of his victory over his enemy.  The more victories he won, the longer his train would become!

Wow!  How powerful and symbolic is that!

So the Lord wanted me to be reminded that He is victorious!  He has conquered every foe, every enemy, every sickness, every relationship issue, every addiction, fear, worry, cares of life, insecurity, weakness, storms, and trials.  On our behalf, He has conquered it all.  Because we have this promise, this assurance, this truth, when we come into His presence, our focus can be on how great and awesome He is and how great His victory!  So great that His train can’t be measured!
Is the enemy of your soul coming after you today?  Rest in the promise that the Lord has already conquered the enemy for you.   The battle has been won for you!  The enemy of our souls has been vanquished once and for all and the Lord is victorious!

The verses that come to mind are Colossians 2:15:

"He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in Him."

And Psalm 68:18:

“You have ascended on high. You have led away captive a train of vanquished foes; You have received gifts of men, yes, of the rebellious also, that the Lord God might dwell there with them."

Be encouraged and walk in the victory He has already provided for you today!

Whose Voice Are You Listening To?

I had written this a few years ago, as you can see from the date here, on my "Notes" section of FB; however, I forgot to add it here. :)

April 19, 2013 at 9:10am

A few weeks ago, I came under a major attack in my mind to the extent that I started to question everything I believed about who I was as a Christian and even my worth to the Lord and others.

There was a couple of situations that I had been focusing on which were bothering me.  No details, but because of being focused on what I was seeing and hearing I started feeling:

Insecure, inferior, comparing myself with others and their experiences with the Lord; my failures, my past, my weaknesses were magnified; my position in the Lord and even in ministry; feeling God’s disapproval; rejected; I questioned my identity, my value to others and to God; rejection; feeling like a fake and that God didn’t care about me; believed that I didn’t hear from God and not only that, anything I had heard from him in the past was probably just me and not the Lord.

I shared all this with my husband, and even though he recognized this as an attack and I was believing lies, I couldn’t see it.  I felt dead inside.

This lasted for a couple of days and then I happened to see a friend of mine, someone who I trust and has given sound advice before and I know has a strong relationship with the Lord.  She asked me how I was doing and I told her not okay.  She asked me if I wanted to chat and so I told her everything that I had been going through.  The night before seeing this friend I started to have a glimmer come through my mind that perhaps I was under attack.  So when I was talking with her she confirmed that that was exactly what was going on.

However, she was also firm with me for believing the lies of the enemy and how I was to handle it.

The enemy knows our weaknesses.  Some of my weaknesses is in the battle of the mind and comparing myself with others, and feelings of inadequacy and being a disappointment to God.  The enemy attacks my mind and I’ve had to combat those attacks and remind myself of what the word says.  However, I was weak and so succumbed to those attacks and started believing all the lies.  I would venture to say that we all deal with the "battle in the mind".  Our battle for the most part is won and lost in the mind.

In 2 Corinthians 10:5 we are told to "take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ."  We need to fill our minds with the truth to come against the lies that come against us.  When we get distracted and focused on the things that we shouldn’t be focused on and take our mind off the Lord and what he tells us to focus on then we are vulnerable to come under attack.  The bible says in Phil 4:8:

"And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise."

We need to fill our minds with the truth at all times and confess it every day.  We can’t get lazy in our battle against the enemy.  He is out to "kill, steal and destroy "(John 10:10)  us and because he knows the areas in our lives that we are weak he will attack us in those place.

The bible tells us in Eph 6:10-18 to put on the armour that God has given us, not just once but every day to come against the attacks of the enemy.

"A final word: Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.  Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil.  For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.  Therefore, put on every piece of God’s armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm.  Stand your ground, putting on the belt of truth and the body armor of God’s righteousness.  For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News so that you will be fully prepared.  In addition to all of these, hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil.  Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.  Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere."

I do transcription work, and one of the jobs I am working for have three men who are on trial at this time and all are quite elderly and not well.  One of them was in hospital recently and so an expert was testifying on the health of this defendant who had been sick in the hospital for a time.  He made this statement:

“There is no evidence of any remaining damage from that fall that he had. It certainly would have affected his confidence with his standing and walking, and when you're not confident standing then you do feel dizzy and you feel more unsteady, and that's the probable consequence of the fall.”

Wow, this was quite a revelation to me and really spoke to me about our walk with the Lord.  If we are not confident in our stand with him then we are subject to feel insecure and unsure of our walk and our stand.  This is why we need to have our armour on, be grounded in the truth of the Word, so that when the attacks come against us, those firey darts, such as temptations, deceptions and accusations (distractions the enemy will bring our way to get us off track with the Lord), we will be able to stand because we will be confident in the Lord and in His power within us to fight against these attacks.

After speaking with my friend for quite some time I started to see the truth of what I had been under, an attack against my mind, and that I had been believing the lie.  The bible tells us in 2 Cor 10:3-5:

"For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh (for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but mighty before God to the casting down of strongholds casting down imaginations, and every high thing that is exalted against the knowledge of God, and bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ."

What are strongholds?  Strongholds are incorrect thinking patterns based on deception and accusations that we hold onto; a battle based on error and not truth, which can affect our feelings and emotions.

I had to ask the Lord to forgive me and cleanse me for believing these lies, and “exalting” these lies above who God is in my life and the truth of what He says in His Word.

The bible tells us in John 10:10 that Jesus came to give us life and in abundance.

Every day we need to make a choice.  We need to remember that we are in a battle, a war, and we are soldiers in this battle.  Just as a soldier would not go into battle without arming himself, we need to arm ourselves with the weapons of our warfare as well (the blood of Jesus, the word of our testimony, confessing the Word, and putting on the armour that we have been given).  Without these weapons and without knowing the manual (the Word) we will be defeated every time the enemy comes against us.  We need to know what God says about us in His Word so that when the enemy comes against us and tries to get us to believe the lies in the battle of the mind that we will be able to come against him with the Word of truth that we know.

Psalm 9:9 says:

"The Lord is a refuge for the oppressed  a stronghold in times of trouble."

Psalm 18:2-3:

"The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.  I called to the Lord, who is worthy of praise, and I have been saved from my enemies."

Psalm 18:16-19:

"He reached down from on high and took hold of me; he drew me out of deep waters.  He rescued me from my powerful enemy, from my foes, who were too strong for me.  They confronted me in the day of my disaster, but the Lord was my support.  He brought me out into a spacious place; he rescued me because he delighted in me."

Psalm 18:37-39:

"I pursued my enemies and overtook them; I did not turn back till they were destroyed.  I crushed them so that they could not rise; they fell beneath my feet.  You armed me with strength for battle; you humbled my adversaries before me."

So how do we know that we are listening to the wrong voice?

• It will bring you condemnation vs. correction
• You will have a lack of peace
• It will cause you to turn away from God instead of toward Him
• You will feel that there is no way out vs. a way out
• You will want to alienate yourself from others

We all have been given an assignment from the Lord.  If you remember Esther, she was used of the Lord for Him to use "for such a time as this" to save His people when they enemy was planning their destruction.  That was Esther's assignment.  What is your assignment?  If the enemy can keep us distracted by focusing on those temptations, deceptions and accusations, the lies and firey darts he brings to our mind, then we will miss our assignment.  You were born for such a time as this.

Recently, I heard someone make a statement something like this, that we were all born for a "time such as this".  We have all been given an assignment.  Think about the days we are living in and what is going on around the world.  The reason why we have been born "for such a time as this" is because the Lord has confidence that we have what it takes to live in "such a time as this".  He has an assignment for you!  You are important to God and He has a great plan for your life!  The enemy doesn't want to see that fulfilled so he will do whatever it takes, by attacking us in our weaknesses and shooting those firey darts at us constantly so he can take us out of that plan.

We are not alone!  God has given us Himself, His Word, His armour, and others to help in our times of trouble and in the battles we face.  When we are under attack, seek refuge in Him, in His Word, and seek out wise counsel from those who can come alongside you to support you and speak truth into your heart so that you can get back up on your feet again.  John 8:32 says:

“And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

THE GENTLE WHISPER

1 Kings 19:7-13

We're in a battle.  Have you noticed?  How many of us have gone through a battle or are going through one right now?

I want to talk to you about where God is in your battle and where He isn't.

Let's start with a story:

1 Kings 19:7-13:

The angel of the Lord came the second time and touched him and said, Arise and eat, for the journey is too great for you.  So he arose and ate and drank, and went in the strength of that food forty days and nights to Horeb, the mount of God.  There he came to a cave and lodged in it; and behold, the word of the Lord came to him, and He said to him, "What are you doing here, Elijah?"

He replied, "I have been very jealous for the Lord God of hosts; for the Israelites have forsaken Your covenant, thrown down Your altars, and killed Your prophets with the sword. And I, I only, am left, and they seek my life, to take it away."

And He said, "Go out and stand on the mount before the Lord. And behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains and broke in pieces the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake; And after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire [a sound of gentle stillness and] a still, small voice.

When Elijah heard the voice, he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and stood in the entrance of the cave. And behold, there came a voice to him and said, "What are you doing here, Elijah?"

Elijah was weary.  He had been fighting for the Lord to prove to the people of Israel whose God was greater - Jehovah or Baal.  He had been fighting an evil queen, Jezebel,  and the king,  Ahab.  And even though he proved God was greater, the evil still pursued him.  He decided to quit, to run.  It was time to lay down and die.  He had been in a fierce battle, was still in it, and he was weary from the fight and for running in fear of his life.

In that place of weariness and fear, what happened?:  Depression, despondency, hiding, giving up, rejection, forgetting how great God is and how He used Elijah to prove His greatness and power, and forgetting that there were others like him that hadn't forsaken God.

God feeds him .  The food God gave him was to sustain him for 40 days and 40 nights.  When I looked up the Number 40 and its significance, this is some of what I found:

Transition, change, testing, trial, purifying and understanding.

The Lord didn't prepare Elijah to run and hide, he was getting him ready for his next assignment.  When the Lord is preparing you for his next assignment some of the things you might experience are transition or change; a time of testing or trial; and a time of purifying and understanding.  

The Lord wasn't preparing Elijah for a place of hiding, he was preparing him to leave behind those things that were bringing about the weariness and despondency, the depression, rejection, questioning, and fear that he was experiencing, so that He could bring him to his place of assignment. But that's not what Elijah decided to do.

Elijah goes to the mountain of the Lord - Horeb.  Now, some say that Mt. Horeb is really another name for Mt. Sinai.  Interesting, because this is the place where Moses received the 10 commandments and also the "rock" that was struck to get water for the Israelites when they were wandering in the desert.

Elijah didn't go there to receive from the Lord, though, as Moses did, but to hide.

In verse 9 it says:  "There he came to a cave and lodged in it."

One of the definitions of lodge in Hebrew is Luwn, which means:

"To abide, remain; to complain, cause to grumble".

Elijah, in his place of running and hiding, decided to lodge in the cave. He decided that's where he needed to be to get away from all the disappointment and turmoil in his life.  The place where he was going to lick his wounds and wait to die.

But God wasn't asking Elijah to hide.  The food the Lord had given Elijah was to strengthen him for the assignment the Lord had in store for him. He had something very specific for Elijah to do.  So God, again, asks Elijah what he's doing there in that cave.

We can be like Elijah.  There are times we decide to lodge.  We can lodge in our places of hiding, despondency, weariness, disappointments, anger, loneliness, rejection, and fears, and even our comfort zones and God says to us, "What are you doing here?"

We can then make all our excuses to God as to why we're lodging in that cave:

"I'm tired, Lord."

"The battle is too hard for me to fight."

"No one is with me; I'm alone"

"No one cares or loves me - even you, God."

"I'm afraid."

We exalt the battle, the enemy, our situation over who God is and what He has done.

Then the Lord shows Elijah where He is when the battle rages in our lives in vs. 11-12:

"And He said, Go out and stand on the mount before the Lord. And behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains and broke in pieces the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake; and after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire [a sound of gentle stillness and] a still, small voice."

God's not in our drama.  He's in the place of stillness and rest.  The storm may be raging all around you and you're wondering where God is.  You're trying to find Him in the wind - but He's not there. You try to find Him in the midst of the earth shaking all around you - He's not there.  You try to find Him when the fire rages all around you - He's not there.  You're trying to find him in the storm - He's not there.

He's in the sound of gentle stillness - the still, small voice.

When the winds howl, the earth shakes, a fire rages - in all the raging storms in our lives, God wants us to quiet ourselves and listen to His still, small voice.  Not the voice of the storm that is giving you words of fear, hopelessness, destruction, but His voice that gives you words of hope, peace, direction, and protection.

In verse 11, God tells Elijah to stand at the mouth of the cave while all the forces of nature rage around him. Picture that:  A hurricane-force wind is howling all around him - but he's not hurt.  An earthquake hits - but Elijah is not hurt.  A fire rages - but Elijah is not hurt.

When the storms of life are raging and whirling all around us, if we will obey God and do what He asks of us, His hand will sustain and protect us and He will envelop us with His peace.

• In Psalm 91 , where He tells us He is our shelter, refuge, shield, and the One we can trust;
• In Mark 4:36-40, where we see that in the storm, Jesus calms the waters;
• In Isaiah 26:3-8, where we are told that God keeps us in His peace when our thoughts are on Him;
• In Galatians 5:22, where we are reminded that one of the fruits of the Spirit is peace;
• And in Philippians 4:7, where we are encouraged that when our minds are focused on the Lord, we will dwell in His peace.

When we experience the storms of life, whether they be concerns for our loved ones, our own needs and challenges, our times of discouragement, and in the times we don't feel like we can go on, or whether they are as a result of our own fears and insecurities, we need to listen for His sure, strong, but gentle and still voice that gives us direction as to what to do in that place, encouragement that you're not alone, and strength to go through the storm.

And there He will pose the question:  "What are you doing here?"

What will be your response?

Elijah chose to obey God when He called him out of the cave of hiding and He obeyed.

Will we obey like Elijah when God calls us to come out of our caves, stand before Him and train our ears to listen to His still, sure, gentle but strong voice that will sustain us, keep us, encourage us, direct us as to what to do, where to go, what to say as He brings us through our storms and all the storms to come and on to the assignments He has waiting for each of us?

Will you listen and obey the gentle whisper?

John 10:27-28

"My sheep respond as they hear My voice; I know them intimately, and they follow Me. I give them a life that is unceasing, and death will not have the last word. Nothing or no one can steal them from My hand."

The Exchange: He Is Able and Willing, Are You?

There's a story in Matthew 8:2-3 that tells us about a leper who kneels before Jesus, asking Him if He is willing to heal him:

"Suddenly, a man with leprosy approached him and knelt before him. “Lord,” the man said, “if you are willing, you can heal me and make me clean.” Jesus reached out and touched him. “I am willing,” he said. “Be healed!” And instantly the leprosy disappeared.

Here is the question: He is willing and able, but He wants to know are we willing to reach out to Him?

What is it we want Jesus to do in our lives? Take away our sin? He is able, AND He was willing, AND He died on the cross for our sins. Are we willing to kneel before Him, like the leper did, and ask Him to wash us clean, exchanging our sin for His cleansing and forgiveness?

I'm sure wherever this leper went it was obvious to all that he was a leper. Leprosy is not something that's easily hidden. His identity was wrapped up in being a leper, yet he decided he didn't want to be a leper any longer and live under that identity. He wanted to exchange his identity for a new identity. He was willing to ask, and Jesus was willing and able to heal him.

What about us? What are the things in our lives that we don't want to hold onto anymore, that maybe might even identify us? Hurts, anger, disappointments, depression, divorce, worry, insecurity, addictions - we know what they are in our lives. Are we willing to reach out to Jesus and ask Him to heal and transform us - to make the exchange? He is willing and He is able.

What about those things we are believing for? Healing, direction, dreams, restored relationships, peace, the courage to do that thing the Lord is asking of us, we know what that is. Are we willing to reach out to Jesus, humble ourselves before Him and ask Him, to make the exchange of our will for His? He is willing and He is able.

Ephesians 3:20 tells us:

"...by His mighty power within us is able to do far more than we could ever dare to ask or even dream of - infinitely beyond our highest prayers, desires, thoughts, or hopes." (Bold added)

Are we willing to reach out to Him today and make the exchange? He is willing and He is more than able!

Disqualified to Qualified...I Can! I Am!

It's about 4:00 in the morning and I'm awake again. Not sure what woke me up this time, I'm too warm, the sound of my husband moving around in the kitchen, the birds singing, or maybe, just maybe the Lord. I choose to believe that it was the Lord! :) If I hadn't woken up early this morning then I wouldn't have had time to ponder a conversation I had yesterday that the Lord brought back to me.

Yesterday afternoon a new client came to our home for a consultation. As she was waiting for my husband to get home we had a chance to chat. She started telling me how they really felt that my husband really knew what he was doing when it came to bookkeeping and how she was not equipped to do that kind of work and that's why they were coming to us. I agreed totally with what she was saying about my husband, as I affirmed that he is very gifted in financial matters and in this kind of work in particular. It was on the tip of my tongue to say to her, "I'm not like that at all" but I stopped myself.

So that is what I was thinking about this morning as the Lord reminded me of this conversation. He was saying to me, "How many times do you say 'I can't', 'I'm not', 'I don't have'"?

I pondered this for a bit and ran it around in my head. And what I thought about is how many times do we disqualify what the Lord can do in and through us, will do in and through us, and is in us? Maybe it's just me but I'm thinking maybe there are others like me that do this sometimes too? :)

The Lord was saying to me that I need to change the way I speak and think. It really is very simple. Every time we begin to disqualify ourselves by saying, "I'm not like her/him", "I can't do that", "I don't have what it takes", we need to declare, "I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength, I am more than a conqueror, I am fearfully and wonderfully made", I have been given all things.

The Lord wants us to realize that in Him we have everything we need to do what He asks of us, to be who He has called us to be, and do the works He has called us to do. He has given each of us gifts and talents and He has equipped us to carry them out. I may not be gifted in an area my husband is, or my best friend is, or the pastor is, or anyone else but that's okay because I am gifted in other areas, He has made me unique and not like anyone else and the same goes for you.

I guess my point is, let's turn our negatives into positives.

When you catch yourself saying or even thinking what you can't do, are not, the negatives, then before it can even come out of your mouth or completely form a thought in your mind start confessing what you can do, who you are, what God does through and can do through you. Confess that the Lord has given us the Holy Spirit as our helper. Begin to look into the Word and discover all the things God has said you are and I believe you and me will begin to walk in confidence knowing that God qualifies us and He will cause you and me to be a light, hope, and encouragement to those around us.

A thought to ponder and pray about....

Here are some verses to consider:

Psalm 139:1-18

1 Corinthians Chapter 12

2 Corinthians 9:8 - "And God will generously provide all you need. Then you will always have everything you need and plenty left over to share with others."

Romans 12:2 - "Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect."

Romans 12:6 - "In his grace, God has given us different gifts for doing certain things well."

Philippians 4:13 - "For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength."

2 Peter 1:3 - "By his divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life. We have received all of this by coming to know him, the one who called us to himself by means of his marvelous glory and excellence."

Familiar Friends

Sometimes the Lord drops a nugget into my heart about something, sometimes it's about me, sometimes not. When this happens I think on it, run it around in my mind a few times, and usually will try to find a scripture verse, if the Lord hasn't already given it to me, to back it up. A lot of times, probably most, that's as far as it goes. I think, "I should write this down so I remember it" and then forget to do it. A lot of times it's because I get these nuggets in a dream or as I'm lying in bed in the morning before I get up and I'm just too comfortable to get up, get a piece of paper and pen and write it down, and think I'll remember when I get up and do it then. Guess what? Usually I forget because there's a million other things (well, maybe not a million) that I need to do and then I forget what the Lord showed me. So I've decided now is the time to start writing these thoughts down and who knows, maybe it'll encourage someone else the way it encouraged me!

So, Familiar Friends.

This weekend I was feeling sorry for myself. Yup, I've been struggling with my weight, up and down, up and down, and comparing myself with all the other girls thinking how great they look and how I'm fat! Lie!!!

We're also making some significant changes in our family to bring us to a place of more freedom so that we can be more open and available to the Lord and what He wants us to do with our lives. However, I was feeling sorry for myself because I was thinking that this would affect more my husband than me and what about me?

This past weekend was a holiday weekend and we spent the day with my husband's parents. It was a beautiful day and we went for a wonderful drive and spent a great day together. However, because I was in this mode of feeling sorry for myself I didn't enjoy the day the way I should have and I allowed it to go completely by in this frame of mind and spirit.

As we were driving home that night and I was thinking about it, the Lord popped this thought into my mind. Familiar friend. It made me sit up and take notice, at least in my mind, and I started to ponder this phrase, "familiar friend". I knew it had something to do with David and was in Psalms and he was talking about the betrayal of a close friend. I thought what does that have to do with me and with what I'm going through?

I got out my bible the next morning and looked up Psalm 41:9 which says, "Even my own familiar friend, in whom I trusted (relied on and was confident), who ate of my bread, has lifted up his heel against me."

What does that mean, Lord, I asked? His reply was, the things that you allow in your life, such as self-pity, has become like a familiar friend to you. But that familiar friend is your enemy and wants to destroy your life. Wow!! What a revelation to me!! I thought, you're right, Lord! I have allowed familiar friends in my life! They have been friends for a long time. I have allowed them to be around me, sit with me, eat with me, and become very familiar with me and they in turn have betrayed me because all they wanted from me was my destruction!

I repented right there and then and asked the Lord to forgive me for allowing this familiar friend of self-pity to live with me so long. That I have allowed this familiar friend to spend time with me, get to know me intimately, and I haven't had the wisdom and discernment or even the gumption to say enough is enough, no more. You are not my friend and I want you out of my life!! I tell you it was such an eye-opener for me!! And guess what? As soon as I recognized it for what it was, my enemy and not my friend, and renounced it, it was like a weight off my spirit. Freedom!

What are our familiar friends? Self-pity was one of them for me. I got so used to that "friend" being around me for most of my life that when he came along I just let him in, sat down with him, talked with him, ate with him, and let him have the run of my life. Don't we do that with familiar friends? They are like family, almost. They come into our homes, make themselves comfortable, and as long as we don't mind them being there they'll stay as long as we let them. But these kinds of familiar friends are not our friends at all, they are really our enemies and want nothing but to destroy us! They want us to keep our eyes on ourselves, our circumstances, our insecurities, our inferiorities and whatever else it is that keeps us from seeing ourselves through the eyes of the friend that sticks closer than a brother, Jesus.

Jesus wants us to succeed. He has the best in store for your life. He has a good plan for your life. So now it's up to me and to you to make a choice today and every day, because that's exactly what it is, a choice, to get rid of those familiar friends and exchange them for Jesus, the Friend who is closer to us than a brother and who loves us and reveals all truth to us.

The verse I've decided to ponder and meditate on is Philippians 4:8-9 which says, "And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise. Keep putting into practice all you learned and received from me—everything you heard from me and saw me doing. Then the God of peace will be with you".

When we focus on the truth of the Word and what God says, then the lies that the enemy tells us will have no control over us because the Lord will expose those "familiar friends" that we all have so that we can make the choice to counter those lies with the truth of what God says in his Word.

A thought to ponder and pray about....