No Neutral Ground

"He who is not with me is against me,

and he who does not gather with me, scatters.

When an evil spirit comes out of a man,

it goes through arid places seeking rest and does not find it.

Then it says, 'I will return to the house I left.'

When it arrives,

 it finds the house swept clean and put in order.

Then it goes and takes seven other spirits

more wicked than itself,

and they go in and live there.

And the final condition of that man

is worse than the first."

Luke 11:23-26

Sweden has long been known as a neutral country, refusing to take one side or the other but simply staying out of any conflicts or wars.  Today this philosophy is spilling over into the social realm as many Swedes are pushing for a gender-neutral government and society.  This year they have added a new pronoun into their official online version of the National Encyclopedia to be used as a gender-neutral replacement for "he" or "she."  "Hen" is now the preferred pronoun to be used to refer to a person without specifying their gender.  

While these progressive Swedes have deceived themselves into thinking gender does not matter, their foolishness does not change the Truth. God created man in His own image and made a distinction between males and females.  To God, gender does matter.  (Genesis 1:27)

This is how God operates.  There is truth and then there is falsehood.  There is right and there is wrong.  There is male and there is female.  While the world likes to try to convince us that there is a neutral ground or a gray area, God says otherwise.  Either I am working with Jesus, or I am working against Him.  I'm on His side, or I'm on the Enemy's.  I'm furthering the Kingdom of God, or I'm hampering His work.

I don't like to think of myself as working against God, but there are several ways in which I do just that.

Clean it Up

A friend of mine is trying to quit smoking.  She is finding out that there are a lot of different programs, treatments and methods available to help her stop this destructive and unhealthy habit.  While she wants to quit, she knows from past experience that it is virtually impossible to expect success from anything that resembles cutting out the nicotine cold-turkey:  It is beyond her own strength and ability to withstand the resulting side-effects.

It's like this with any bad habit or routine.  I may have the desire to stop cursing and resolve to never again utter a four-letter word, but the moment I'm weak and temptation strikes, I'm prone to going back to my old ways.

My attempts to try to clean up my act and behave more "Christian-like" work against what God wants to do in my heart.  He wants to transform my thinking and soften my heart, making it more sensitive to sin.  If, instead of surrendering to God, I try to sweep myself clean of everything evil and sinful in my own effort, my "house" will be empty and vulnerable to attack from the Enemy of my soul.

I am not saved by works, nor can I ever think to rescue my own self from the influence that sin has over me.  Instead, I must rely on the power that comes through my faith in the blood of Jesus which fills me with His Spirit.  (Romans 7:24-25)

Nineteenth-Century missionary Andrew Murray recognized his own helplessness against sin.  He said, "Remember the great need you have of the grace and assistance of God.  You should never lose sight of him--not for a moment."

I am made right with God through faith in Jesus. (Romans 1:16-17)  And this gift of grace is what opens up a relationship with a holy God who finishes what He started when He first called me.  He doesn't leave me as I was when I first began to call Him "Father."  No!  He begins His work in me from the moment I accept Jesus as my Savior and submit myself to Him as my Lord, and He doesn't quit until He's finished.  (Philippians 1:6)  As my friend likes to say, "Be patient with me, I'm under construction."

I am called to live a holy, pure life.  This process of sanctification, however, is not a job I can take on myself.  Instead, it is the result of God's hand in my life as I surrender myself to Him and exchange my will for His.  (1 Thessalonians 4:7-8)

When I try to clean up my own act in my own effort, I work against God and what He wants to do in His power, for His glory.

Fake it

I have heard it said that we should, "fake it 'til we make it, " meaning that with a positive attitude I can make anything happen.  Do I want to have the confidence of a rock start?  Pretend like I do until it comes naturally.  Have I always visualized myself as a novelist?  Tell myself I am and soon I'll be writing like the pros.  Am I up against a devastating bout with cancer?  All I need is optimism and everything will turn out alright.

Unfortunately, there is only so far a positive attitude will take me if there's nothing to back it up.  It reminds me of a movie set where it looks like I'm seeing a real city landscape, but when I walk around to the backside of the storefronts, I find out it was all a facade: there are no real businesses to back up the claim of a town.

Does this translate to my walk with Christ?  Can I fake a humble heart until it actually exists?  I don't think so.  A sense of humility comes from recognizing my weakness and inability to do anything good in and of myself.  It also acknowledges that God is big enough to use me even if I can't see myself able to do anything for Him.  In other words, humility is the ability to take myself out of the equation and focus completely on God and His glory.  

Jesus is the picture of humility.  He is God.  He has every right to be treated with respect, honor and glory.  He should be exalted.  Even though He knew all of these things, He chose to lower himself to the position of a mere man out of obedience to His Father.  He didn't demand to be treated as He deserved, but instead took the treatment He was unjustifiably given.  Jesus was all about His Father's will, not His own position or rights.

This kind of attitude cannot be faked.  It comes through a process God takes me through as I admit my weakness and need for Him.  He guides me through struggles, presents difficulties into my life and serves us a generous portion of suffering, using these as tools to humble me.

When I try to fake it till I make it, I work against a God who knows how to humble a man or woman.  (Daniel 4:37)

Work

My husband has always been a hard worker and admires anyone who holds a high work ethic.  If you want to impress him, put your nose to the grindstone and get the job done!

It's easy to transfer this attitude that hard work pays off into my walk with Christ.  I like to think that I can impress God with all the labor I'm putting in for him.  I gladly volunteer in any capacity within the church when help is needed.  I cheerfully take on projects that no one else will do.  I pitch in whenever a call for assistance is placed.  

When I work for God, I'm the one in control of what I do, when I do it and who I work with.  I'm not following His lead, but running ahead, desperately trying to get His attention.  If I want Him to notice me, all I need to do is sit down and acknowledge His presence. (Psalm 46:10 , Jeremiah 29:13)  When I focus on my relationship with Him, it gives Him the opportunity to show me what He wants me to do. He changes the way I think as I spend time with Him, allowing me to see things more from His perspective.  (Romans 12:1-2)

Waiting is hard.  Pausing and letting God take the lead means that I'm admitting I'm not in control.  Trusting God does not come naturally.  When I'm unsure how I'll pay the bills, faith is resting in His provision despite what my checking account tells me.  When I'm living a nightmare that seems to never end, faith is leaning on His protection regardless of how vulnerable I feel.  When I'm tired of fighting the good fight, faith carries on in the face of fatigue.

Letting God work for me is not without it's rewards.  Isaiah so eloquently penned these words so long ago, but they still ring true today: ". . .they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint." (Isaiah 40:31 KJV)

When I try to work for God I'm working against Him and soon run out of steam; but if I wait for Him and follow His lead, I'll never grow weary.

In God's kingdom there is no neutral ground:  Either I'm working with Jesus or against Him.  I don't intend to oppose Him, but I do just that when I attempt to clean myself up, fake the fruit of the Spirit, and work for God in my own strength.  It is my desire to instead work alongside Jesus to gather the harvest to which He has called me.

As I begin this day it is my prayer that I can firmly plant my feet on Jesus' side.

How do I try to clean my outside up while inside I'm still as dirty as can be?

When do I try to fake humility and which people in my life know the "real me?"

The Power of Prayer

"One day Jesus was praying in a certain place.

When he finished, 

one of his disciples said to him,

'Lord, teach us to pray,

just as John taught his disciples.'

He said to them, 'When you pray, say:

Father,

hallowed be your name,

your kingdom come.

Give us each day our daily bread.

Forgive us our sins,

for we also forgive everyone who sins against us.

And lead us not into temptation.'"

Luke 11:1-4

I have gone through phases in my prayer life throughout my walk with Christ.  I started off in the beginning boldly telling God what I thought should happen.  As He began the humbling process, I felt uncomfortable telling Him what to do and began praying for His will to be done.  That too felt wrong.  I wondered, What's the point of me praying if I just tell God to go ahead and do what He's going to do?  Then I went through a phase where I struggled with praying, trying to balance the two extremes.  Now I am at a place where I share my inner struggles, my praise for Him, my dreams and hopes and pray that His name would be glorified as He brings me and others around to where He wants us to be.

Prayer is powerful.  I read in James 5:16 just how powerful and effective the prayers are of those who follow Jesus.  The purpose of prayer, however, is not only to bring about change.  The reason I pray is to bring God into every part of my life, to share my heart with Him and to submit my will to His, allowing Him to work a miracle in my heart.  Just as honestly opening up to my husband will strengthen the bond we have together, so does keeping lines of communication open with my heavenly Father.  

What is the purpose of prayer?  After all, I can't change the course of God's plan, nor should I want to.  Instead, prayer has a way of aligning me with Him, and opening up the pipeline between me and God that will deliver His flow of grace, love and mercy into my life.

Submission

If you spend any time around toddlers, you find out that the human will is strong.  There is nothing more satisfying to a 2-year-old than for them to do something all by themselves.  This independence builds a strong sense of self-worth as the tot realizes he has some ability to care for himself, even if it just means pulling on a pair of pants, or going potty by himself.  Humans want to feel useful and self-sufficient.

Prayer has a way of putting me in my place and reminding me of the proper order of things.  God is above all, and He is the source of all good things in my life.  (James 1:17)  It's easy for me to forget that and believe that my hard worked earned me my position, that my smarts and good planning resulted in a nice place to live or that my children's success is because I'm a natural-born mother.

When I talk to God, He has a way of reminding me that not only is He the source of everything, but I am completely at His mercy.  If He takes His hand off of me, I will fall.

Oswald Chambers challenges me to stay in close relationship with Jesus in order to keep properly submitted to Him as my Lord.  As I bow before Him, I am admitting that I need Him to perform a supernatural work through me.  Without Him, His commands are impossible.  "The Sermon on the Mount is not an ideal, it is a statement of what will happen in me when Jesus Christ has altered by disposition and put in a disposition like His own.  Jesus Christ is the only One who can fulfill the Sermon on the Mount."

Prayer reminds me of the source of my provision and from where the power comes to do as He asks.  God uses our conversations together to remind me that He is my all in all, and that without Him, I am nothing. (1 Corinthians 15:28, John 15:5)

One of the purposes of prayer is for God to remind me of my proper place in perspective to Him.

Humility

I am not naturally humble.  I am self-conscious, self-aware, self-absorbed and self-centered.  Everything I see, hear, read and feel is filtered through my brain which somehow colors it with my own point-of-view.  I am not objective because I tend to only see the world as it relates to me.  My opinions are formed based on my past, my experiences and my world-view.  Even though I have been known to have a low-view of myself, I have a pride problem.  I can't seem to see God for who He is and what He can do, apart from me.

As I talk to God, though, He has a way of humbling me; opening my eyes to see how my actions have affected people I claim to love.  He widens my vision to include others instead of only me.  He shows me where I owe forgiveness to someone who hurt me, and where I need to ask for forgiveness from one I hurt. Prayer humbles me.

My life is often filled with activities that seem to be good things to do.  There are ministries to run, people to encourage, new believers to disciple and the list goes on.  I often feel pressure to do for God, but take very little time to be with God.  As I spend time with Him, He shows me what He wants me to do and what needs to be cut out.  He usually surprises me with how little it is He wants me to do and how much He covets my time alone with Him.  When He was here on earth, Jesus spent much time in communion with His Father. (Mark 1:35, Luke 6:12, Mark 14;32-34) 

Martin Luther, sixteenth-century leader of the Reformation, said, "I have often learned more in one prayer than I have been able to glean from much reading and reflection."  As I spend time with my Creator, He uses those interludes to humble me and shape me into the young woman He has created me to be.

Another of the purposes of prayer is to give God a chance to chisel away my pride and fleshly ways to make more room for Him.

Defenseless

His fingers flashed across the keyboard as he searched for the information he needed to complete his homework assignment.  Suddenly, a vulgar and disgusting image flashed before him, catching him off-guard.  Curious, he took a closer look, trying to decipher the picture before him.  He'd never seen such a thing.  What is this all about? he wondered.  Should I ask my mom?  

There's no doubt about it: our children are vulnerable in the fast-moving, merciless world of cyberspace.  Stories surface on a daily basis of children who were lured by pedophiles, perverts or psychopaths bent on using the innocent for their own evil purposes.  Unsuspecting as they are, the uninformed child makes the best victims.  Consequently, a wise parent teaches his child what he needs to know to stand firm against the darkness that is lurking.  It's not so different with me and God.

As a child of God, I, too, am left defenseless against the insidious temptations that constantly plague me.  My flesh easily succumbs to the tiniest bit of pressure to do what comes naturally.  All I need is the smallest amount of doubt and I'll do things my way instead of God's.  

Thankfully, God is my source of protection against temptation, standing ready to help in times of trouble.  He is my, "refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble." (Psalm 46:1)  The thing about a sanctuary is that I need to take shelter within it in order for it to do any good.  Just knowing that a storm shelter exists, for example, doesn't do anything to protect me from a tornado if I don't hide myself within it's strong walls when the warning comes.

In the same way I must seek out God as soon as temptation strikes.  When I feel the need to lash out at someone in my own defense, it is important that I open up the lines of communication with my Refuge.    When doubts begin to rise up, God will strike them down with the truth if I take shelter in the shadow of His wings.  When I'm ready to give up because the struggle has seemingly become insurmountable, going to my source of protection will give Him a chance to remind me of the greater purpose for my difficulties.  Then, I can use His strength to stand firm upon His promises.

One of the important purposes of prayer is that it gives me a weapon against temptation.

Prayer is not just about me telling God what to do or letting Him have His way.  It is so much more powerful than that.  Prayer reminds me of my proper place in submission to God, that I have much forgiveness to offer and receive and that without God I have no defense against temptation.  Prayer is not about me manipulating God, but about God transforming me as I grow closer to Him.

As I begin this day it is my prayer that I can remember that prayer has the power to bring me closer to God.

When do I treat prayer like a chore instead of as the lifeline that it is?

How do I try to stand up to temptations by myself instead of using God as my refuge against them?

Connected

"One of those days Jesus went out to

a mountainside to pray,

and spent the night praying to God.

When morning came,

he called his disciples to him and chose twelve of them,

whom he also designated apostles:

Simon (whom he named Peter), 

his brother Andrew,

James, John, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas,

James son of Alphaeus, Simon who was called the Zealot,

Judas son of James, and Judas Iscariot,

who became a traitor."

Luke 6:12-16

Here is a simple quiz you can take to help determine whether you are at risk for burning out on the job or in your ministry:

1.  Do you feel run down and drained of physical or emotional energy?

2.  Do you find that you are prone to negative thinking about your job or ministry?

3.  Do you find that you are harder and less sympathetic with people than perhaps they deserve?

4.  Do you find yourself getting easily irritated by small problems, or by your co-workers or team?

5.  Do you feel misunderstood or unappreciated by your co-workers or team members?

6.  Do you feel that you have no one to talk to?

7.  Do you feel that you are achieving less than you should?

8.  Do you feel under an unpleasant level of pressure to succeed?

9.  Do you feel that you are not getting what you want out of your job or ministry?

10.Do you feel there is more work than you practically have the ability to do?

Not only is this a great tool to use to determine whether or not I'm susceptible to burnout, but it is also an excellent way to gauge upon whose strength I am relying.

Jesus always stayed connected to His Father.  Consequently, His mind was always focused on His Father's will.  (Luke 2:49)  His habit of getting away from the task at hand and spending time in prayer with His Father kept Him in touch with the Source of all His power and gave Him an advantage when tackling the day to day frustrations that come with being human.

Wisdom

The world says that wisdom, or the power to judge and discern properly what is true and right, comes with age.  Psalm 111:10, however, says that, "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom."  Revering and placing God in the highest, most prominent position in my life begins a flow of His wisdom into my mind.  As I get closer to Him, He shows me how to live His way.   

Offering myself as a living sacrifice to God, committing myself to living for Him instead of for me, prompts Him to reveal His will to my transformed mind. (Romans 12:1-2) His way starts to become the preferred way for me.  

So when I'm connected to God and I'm faced with a major decision, my mind will be clear with the option He prepared for me at this time.  

When I'm following His lead and I come to a fork in the road, His preferred route will stand out to me as the clear path to follow.

When I am rightly related to my Father and disaster strikes, my heart will be at peace as He guides me through the steps He has for me.

Staying connected to my Father as Jesus did will give me wisdom to know His will for my life.

Strength

As a young adult, I competed in powerlifting.  As someone who was naturally strong, this sport seemed like a perfect outlet for me.  I ended up going to the Drug-Free Nationals and broke several records for my age group.  I had learned how to gain much physical strength.

But strong muscles do not naturally translate to emotional or spiritual strength.  If I'm physically fit, I am no better prepared to face the stresses and difficulties of life than my out-of-shape counterpart. 

I know a woman who is struggling with the loss of her daughter.  Her child did not die from a terrible disease, or run away from home.  No, this precious 14-year-old girl was abducted from the safety of her own bedroom.  To this day, the mother knows who took her, but not what her fate is.  Even though she is going through every parent's worst nightmare, she has an inner strength few can understand.  Some have called her cold and uncaring, others have assessed that she's in denial, still others wonder if she somehow played a part in this horrible act.  

The truth is, this mother has claimed, "The LORD as my strength and my shield." (Psalm 28:7) She knows from where her help comes (Psalm 121) and Who is the source of that assistance.  (Psalm 46:1-3)

Nineteenth-century clergyman Phillips Brooks put's it all into Kingdom perspective when he advised, "Do not pray for easy lives; pray to be stronger people!  Do not pray for tasks equal to your powers: pray for powers equal to your tasks.  Then the doing of your work shall be no miracle but you shall be a miracle.  Every day you shall wonder at yourself, at the richness of life which has come to you by the grace of God."

Staying connected to my Father as Jesus did will provide an unlimited source of strength to live for Him, no matter what comes my way.

Purpose

John the Baptist never suffered from an identity crisis.  He had been taught from the moment he could understand what his purpose was here on earth: "to make straight the way for the Lord." (John 1:23)  John's purpose was clear and he never wavered from fulfilling that plan until his death by beheading.  (Matthew 14)

Unfortunately, most of us don't know so clearly the plan God has for us.  (Jeremiah 29:11)  Just the fact that a plan exists, however, is enough to give my life meaning.  If, instead, I thought life was a giant cosmic mistake, a series of events that occurred randomly and unintentionally resulted in the complexity that is human life, I would tend to think my life was pretty worthless.  What's the point if there's no greater plan?  

Thankfully, there is a purpose for everything (Ecclesiastes 3:1) and God is the author of that plan!  Knowing there is a reason for my life gives me an impression that I possess value and also gives me a sense that I'm a part of a bigger plan that includes more than just me.  My piece fits into all the other parts and helps to create the whole.  (1 Corinthians 12)

When I put my life into the hands of the Master Artist, He creates a masterpiece.  Solomon poetically penned the thought that, "He has made everything beautiful in its time."  (Ecclesiastes 3:11)  Trusting God with my life means He's already done a beautiful thing, it's just a matter of waiting on the appointed time.  The fact that it will happen is a done deal.

As a child of God through faith in Jesus, I can count on the truth that God is transforming me into the image of His Son.  Continuing to walk in faith by obeying His personal guidance and allowing Him to keep up that transformational work means I'll develop godly desires to do what pleases Him. (Philippians 2:13-14)  This all comes through cultivating my relationship with the God who loves me.

Staying connected to my Father as Jesus did gives me a sense of purpose that guides me confidently through life as I follow His plan.

It's easy to burn out when I'm trying to live my life based on worldly wisdom, by working in my own strength and in creating my own plan for my life.  But endurance will come when I instead stay connected to my Father who dispenses His wisdom through me, gives me the strength I need when I need it and colors my entire life with a sense of purpose and design.  Then I will not only be able to avoid suffering from exhaustion and discouragement but will soar on wings like eagles.  (Isaiah 40)

As I begin this day it is my prayer that I can stay connected to my source of wisdom, strength and purpose.

How do I try to rely on my own strength?

When do I float through my day, bouncing from one thing to another, instead of intentionally living according to His will?

The Source

"So do not fear, for I am with you;

do no be dismayed, for I am your God.

I will strengthen you and help you;

I will uphold you with my righteous right hand."

Isaiah 41:10

Fear.  The very word conjures up a different image for each of us.  I have many fears.  The fear of rejection, failure, and loss.  But the fear I am currently struggling with is the apprehension of where God will lead my husband and I in the future.  I feel like a pawn, being moved into position with no regard for my feelings, desires or wishes.  I feel manipulated.

As a result of this fear, I am putting pressure on my husband, friends and family.  I expect that they can comfort me, encourage me, say just the right thing to make it all better, or somehow set my mind at ease.  But this is unfair of me.  After all, they are only human with struggles and issues of their own.  I can't expect them to have all the answers for me!

But I can expect God to say just the right thing at the right time.  As I drifted into sleep last night, I asked God to comfort my heart, then I fell into a peaceful slumber.  When I awoke, I read my devotional as usual and here was the scripture God gave me.  "And as they followed, they were afraid. " (Mark 10:32)

God spoke to my heart at that moment, comforting and encouraging me, setting my mind at ease.  I knew at that moment that He was telling me that He understands my fear and is right there with me.

There are many things that God can give of which others are ill-equipped, incapable and powerless to supply to me.

Strength

I thought I knew a little something about strength.  After all, I powerlifted for a few years, setting records at a national level.  I have always been physically strong.  But that physical strength does not translate into spiritual or emotional strength.  I know quite a few people who are a whole lot stronger than me.

There is the young woman who lost her husband yet continues to lovingly raise her two children with dignity and grace.  Or the man who recently finished chemotherapy and radiation treatment with a smile on his face and a word of encouragement on his lips.  I can think of a woman who survived a horrendous childhood only to be greeted by a young adulthood filled with more pain and suffering, yet she walks into the future with her head held high, trusting God a little more with each passing day.   

This is the kind of strength I want.  This is the kind of strength that comes from trusting God.  When I study scripture in light of the above examples of strength I see in people around me, I notice one thing.  Weakness.  

The Apostle Paul struggled with his own affliction.  As he worked through it with the Lord, God told him that, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness."  From this declaration Paul concluded that, "Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me."  (2 Corinthians 12:9)

Perhaps Watchman Nee, a Chinese 20th-Century Christian who spent the final 20 years of his life in prison for his faith, explained this phenomenon of strength through weakness best.  He said, "God's means of delivering us from sin is not by making us stronger and stronger, but by making us weaker and weaker.  That is surely rather a peculiar way of victory, you say; but it is the divine way.  God sets us free from the dominion of sin, not by strengthening our old man but by crucifying him; not by helping him to do anything, but by removing him from the scene of action."

If I want to be strong, I must be weak so that God can be strong for me.

Help

This word brings to mind The Beatles song, "Help!"  Those four spunky Brits sang about their realization that we all need help from time to time.  "Help me if you can, I'm feeling down. And I do appreciate you being 'round.  Help me get my feet back on the ground.  Won't you please, please help me?"

Yes, a friend is good in times of need.  But my real help comes from the Lord.  The psalmist encourages me in Psalm 46:1 that, "God is our refuge and strength, always ready to help in times of trouble." (NLT)

How many times is a friend ready to help?  I may call but my friend may be in the middle of her own crisis, or she may be busy.  I could cry out to my husband but he is tired from a long and stressful day.  I wonder who has time to give me the time of day, let alone a little help!  Then I remember that God is an ever-present help in times of trouble.  The Lord does not disappoint me, but He gives me exactly what I need, when I need it.  

Tom Tripp writes in Leadership, "Our Lord does not send us to fight the good fight alone.  The Holy Spirit is our battle partner who covers our blind side and fights for our well-being."*

Only God knows the kind of help I need, and only He is able to provide that help at all times.

Support

I have recently taken up gardening in the backyard of our South Carolina home.  A country girl at heart, this satisfies the farmer in me and brings much joy.  One of the most rewarding vegetables to grow are tomatoes.  They do well in the hot sun and produce more of the juicy, red fruit than one family can possibly enjoy.  

One problem with the tomato plant, however, is that it needs support.  The vines cannot hold the heavy fruit on their own but need stakes or wire cages to lean on for reinforcement.

It is the same with me.  I am not strong enough to hold all the blessings God pours out into my life.  These blessings come in the form of events, people or situations and they don't always feel like good things.  But just like the tomato plant with the overabundance of fruit, I need support to keep from keeling over under the weight of it all.

It reminds me of Elijah.  He had challenged the prophets of Baal to a showdown, daring them to call on their gods to bring fire down upon their altar.  After hours of prayers, prophesying and dancing, Baal failed to produce fire.  Elijah drenched his altar with water, yet God was faithful to  burn up the sacrifice and dry up all the water, sending all those gathered into a panic.  All 450 prophets were killed that afternoon, and the evil Queen Jezebel was angry.  Elijah fled in fear, at the end of his rope.

As Elijah crumpled into a pile of dejection, God sent an angel to feed and encourage him.  Then God himself passed by.  Finally, He sent Elijah on his way. . . back in the direction he came.  God has a way of encouraging me so that I can face whatever it is from which I run.

God is more than capable of holding me up in my times of discouragement. 

When I am in trouble, it is natural for me to turn to the people around me.  But God is the source of strength, help and support that will get me through this life.

As I begin this day, it is my prayer that I will turn to The Source as the giver of all good things.

How do I place undo pressure on those I love by expecting them to do what only God can do?

How can I remember to turn to God as The Source?

* Tom Tripp, Colusa, California. Leadership, Vol. 15, no. 2.