4 Truths to Conquer the 4 D's

Therefore, since through God’s mercy we have this ministry, we do not lose heart. But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.   2 Corinthians 4: 1, 7-9

It's been a year. A year since the writer's conference last May.

It doesn't seem like that long; well, sometimes it feels longer.

I've spent several years working on a manuscript and, finally, I felt ready to present it to a few agents and publishers. Excited, I met with 3 agents and 1 publisher. The reaction was not what I'd hoped for.

"It's great! It's innovative! It's imaginative!" they said. I was thrilled.

"It's too innovative. It's too imaginative. We're not sure we can sell it. It's a big risk." I crashed.

A roller coaster built on someone else's expectations and opinions. 

I dragged myself home.

• Discouraged 
• Depressed 
• Defeated
• Doubtful

I promptly threw myself a not-so-little pity party with boxes of tissues and sad movies. It went on for months.


When it was finally over, doubts remained:

• Did God really call me to do this? To be a writer, a parent, a nurse or doctor, a lawyer or a janitor? Why?!
• There's no way I can do this, I'm inept and totally incapable. My writing's gibberish, my parenting skills are nil, my compassion disappears with my first cup of coffee. I don't care anymore. 
• It's too hard, I can't keep going. Every sentence is torture, I want to give up on my marriage and my kids, no one's life is better because I'm here, I'm sick of cleaning up other people's messes. I want to quit.  
• If God really wanted me to do this, why is it so difficult?  

One morning not so long ago, I read 2 Corinthians 4. In His grace, God whispered to me as I read: Here are 4 truths to conquer the 4 Ds.

1. "Through God’s mercy we have this ministry." 
Why did He call me to do this? It's an expression of His mercy! Mercy shown to me; without it, I wouldn't be His child and I'd be useless to Him. Mercy shown to others around me. He uses me, in some small way, to show His love to those who need it.

When He calls us to serve Him, it's an expression of His mercy - mercy the world starves for. 

2. "Treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us."

Of course, I'm unqualified and a failure. I'm a jar. A blob of clay, shaped into a container, and fired until hard as a rock. Jars can't do anything on their own. They can't fill themselves and walk around offering their services to people who need them. I'm a shaped lump of clay. The power is in the Potter's hands.


Any treasure in us - talents, abilities, gifts - are poured into us by God. Any power we have comes from God and God alone.

3. "We are hard pressed on every side... perplexed...persecuted...struck down..."  
Excuse me, but I'd prefer to skip this part of being used. I want to be in my beautiful house and bless others while I sit on my comfy couch. That's how I would do it in my own power.
God does it in His all-surpassing power. If the work is easy, I glory in my power. If the work is hard, I become an instrument of His power.

My power brings failure; His power brings glory to His Name.  

4. "We are not crushed...not in despair...not abandoned...not destroyed."  
Who says we're not? When I got home from the conference, I felt all of those. I had to choose to change my perspective.

• When I listened, God spoke to me through His Word. 
• When I shared my struggles with my dear friends, they encouraged me. 
• When I prayed as I sat at my keyboard, words came. Lots of them were still deleted but, more and more, they expressed the treasure He poured into me. 

When we submit our weaknesses to His power and trust Him to work through us, impossible became possible. 

Here it is, May again. The writers conference begins in a few days. What is my choice? Do I cower at home or step forward in God's power?

I choose God's power!


When have you struggled with God's call? How did He lift you up?

Photos: 1, 2, 3



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One-on-one with Satan

This post is adapted from my Bible study Storms of Life

 

Face-to-face, eye-to-eye, one-on-one. Can you imagine standing toe-to-toe with Satan? I’d have a stroke or drop dead, or both! But that’s exactly what happened. Two people in Scripture stood in the presence of Satan: Eve, in the Garden of Eden, and Jesus, after forty days in the desert. 

On the surface, these are two radically different events but, when we look closer, we can identify the tactics Satan uses today. He tempts us when we’re vulnerable and attacks us when we’re weak.

We’ll start with Satan’s encounter with Eve learn to protect ourselves from his lies. Next week, we’ll watch Jesus defeat the enemy at his own game.

Adam and Eve lived in a perfect garden. Everything they needed was within their reach. They didn’t know illness, sorrow, fear, or anxiety. Best of all, they walked with God – can you imagine their conversations?

Into this paradise, slithered the snake, to entice and entrap them. With three lies, he destroyed their perfect lives.

1. God doesn’t mean what He says.

Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the LORD God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?” Genesis 3:1

Satan’s intent was to throw Eve off-balance, to cause her to doubt God’s words. He bombards us with the same question. "Did God really say..."

He tries to convince us that God didn’t really mean what He said or that it no longer applies to us. 

It’s dangerous when we doubt one part of what God says because it’s a slippery slope to doubting even more. Gossip, dishonesty, or immorality become easy because the question has taken root in our minds: Did God really say that?

2. God is a liar!

“You will not surely die, said the serpent to the woman.” Genesis 3:4

Can you believe it? Satan looked straight at Eve and declared that God was lying. You won’t die. In fact, there won’t be any consequences at all.

This lie is rampant today. Society chants the mantra, “It’s your life! If it feels good, do it!” We live in a world where sinful behavior is rewarded with success and happiness. Our friends live with careless abandon and they seem to suffer no consequences.

When we wade in sin and nothing happens, we feel safe to go in deeper. Often, the consequences are disastrous and can leave long-lasting scars. Listen to that small voice, “Don’t do that, it’s too dangerous.” 

God’s Word is truth and we can trust Him to lead us to safe waters.

3. You will be like God!

“For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened and, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil” Genesis 3:5

This is the most attractive lie of all. Eve was captivated by the idea that she could be her own god. It still sounds wonderful. We can set our own standards for good and evil. We can define sin to suit our purposes. We want to command our own future. Our will becomes our guide and we ignore God.

When we try to take our lives into our own hands, it usually leads to a mess. When will we learn: God is God and we are not! Selfishness leads to sorrow. Only God knows the path to joy.

How can we resist Satan’s lies?

• Know God’s Word.  Spend time with Him. Read His Word. It’s a powerful weapon against doubt.
• Count your blessings. Are the things you’re tempted to do worth the risk?
• Build your life on God’s standards. Trust Him; He knows what’s best for us.
• Listen to the warnings He places in our minds. He often reminds us of a phrase or verse from Scripture that helps us.
• Run! Eve was on the right track when she exposed Satan’s lie, but that wasn’t enough. If she’d walked away, Satan would’ve been defeated. Run, don’t walk to God’s protection.

Satan’s goal is to kill, steal, and destroy our peace and joy. He strives to unravel our relationships with God and to cripple our witness. He uses the same lies but, in God’s strength, we can fight back and win. 

Photo credits: Thad Bergmeir via Google images ; kjvdevos.blogspot.com via pinterest;  managerlink.monster.com;  www.morguefile.com


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5 Steps to Peace when Life Hurts

See, I [the Lord] am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wilderness. Isaiah 43:19

This is one of my favorite verses. Look at the verbs God uses:

I am doing…

I am making…

God is at work, even when we are in difficult times. It brings hope when I am struggling through a desert or wilderness.

But there’s a question in this verse that is a struggle in and of itself: Do you not perceive it?

I want God’s action to be sudden! I want to be delivered from the desert…now!

I want to be refreshed with streams of water…now!

But God works in bits and pieces and He asks, “Don’t you see my blessings even though you are in the midst of the hard times?”

How do we lift our heads to see blessings when we are overwhelmed by our circumstances? When every day is as hard as the one before with no end in sight? God has taught me some ways to find his touches of light even in the dark. I hope these will help you if you are in a difficult situation.

1. One day at a time! 

Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past.  Isaiah 43:18

Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Matthew 6:34

It’s hard not to think back on the hard days that have gone before, especially if today seems to be more of the same. It’s even more dangerous to focus on tomorrow and slip into depression. Look at God today. Lift your eyes to Him right now. Ask for His guidance for the next hour and relax in His love. One step at a time.

2. Look for simple blessings.

Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights. James 1:17

It’s hard to see good gifts when life is in pieces around your feet. God’s goodness is often in the little things. A child’s smile, an excited puppy meeting you at the door, an inspirational song on the radio, a friend’s phone call or card. Quiet things that make you smile. As you go through your day, ask God to touch you with His good gifts. Allow Him to open the eyes of your heart and to show you His tenderness.

3. Praise God!

Praise be to the LORD, for he showed me the wonders of his love when I was in a city under siege. Psalms 31:21 

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. Ephesians 1:3

Maybe you feel like you are under siege. Your thoughts, your emotions, your life are all under attack. Make the choice to praise Him, praise Him for the wonders of His love, the small things that He poured into your days. Think about the blessings He revealed to you when you looked for the small things.

Above all, praise Him for His unimaginable love that sent His Son to the cross to cleanse you from your sins. Praise Him for the power that raised Jesus from the dead and gave you the sure gift of eternal life. Regardless of your circumstances, your salvation is secure. You are His beloved child, forever!

4. Stand on God’s Truth.

It’s easy to choose verses that demand God to deliver you and read them to Him as though they apply to your specific situation. I have done it more than once. But there are promises that are true in any circumstances. As you read through these, allow God’s assurances to warm your heart.

And surely I am with you always, to the end of the age.  Matthew 28:20

God, who is enthroned from of old, who does not change. Psalm 55:19 

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. Hebrews 13:8

The faithfulness of the LORD endures forever. Psalms 117:2

The LORD is trustworthy in all he promises and faithful in all he does. Psalm 145:13

The one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world. 1 John 4:4

The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and he helps me. Psalm 28:7

5. Safety in Numbers

We’ve all watched the documentaries on Africa. A weak animal is separated from the herd and becomes a lion’s lunch. Satan uses the same tactic with us. When I’m struggling, I tend to hide. I don’t get together with friends, I pull out of church. I separate myself from my source of encouragement and safety and leave myself open to fear, doubt, and hopelessness.

Surround yourself with prayer partners. Turn to your church family for love. Share your needs and help others carry their burdens. God created us to need each other. Those who love us are huge blessings. Submerge yourself in this precious treasure.

There are so many things that help carry us through hard times. Above all, remember this:

Trust in the LORD forever, for the LORD, the LORD himself, is the Rock eternal. Isaiah 26:4

Share with us things that give you strength during times of suffering.