Were You Gone?

In case you haven’t noticed, a few months ago I took some time off from blogging so I could focus on my current book.  These past months have been busy, with everything BUT writing!  Well, I’ve done some writing, but not nearly as much as I had hoped.  As life would have it, some pretty big things came along and totally confused my plans.  Somewhere around mid March I came to understand the true meaning of James 4:13.

Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit”–

So, that’s where I’ve been these past 3 plus months and now its time to look ahead.

What Next?

When I created this blog, it was primarily with the intent of promoting my writing.  Over the years my intent has changed but the site hasn’t. Consequently, I fear the blog has become  tired and not nearly as effective as it could be.  My word for 2016 is “intentional”.  Unfortunately, I haven’t been very intentional about being intentional. (???)  With all that said, please know that my heart now and always has been to share Jesus with other women through encouragement, the study of His word, and  discipleship; in that, there has never been any wavering.

What’s New?

I’m really excited about the direction  the Lord is leading me in ministry.  Even as we speak, I am working on a new look for SandraBivensSmith.com.  If all goes well, in just a few weeks the site will be back with a new look and a new format.

A new focus:  As stated above, one of the purposes of this ministry is to encourage. Going forward, the posts will be with that purpose in mind – words to encourage you while you’re on your way.  While the official name of the site won’t change, you will still find me at SandraBivensSmith.com, the site title will be “Morning Moments”.

A new look:  Y’all are probably tired of being met by  some dusty old books when you come to the site, I sure am.  While I haven’t made a final decision, I can tell you that the new look will be fresh, inviting and exciting.

A new schedule:  This is where my greatest blogging challenge lies.  I’m just being honest here, I really want to post daily but when I consider what’s required, I hesitate.  My thoughts keep going back to the warnings of Jesus to “count the cost” (Luke 14:28).  On the other hand, where is my faith?  On this point I have given and continue to give  much prayer.  For the time being, I plan to post three times weekly – on Monday, Wednesday and Friday.  As time goes by, and as the Lord leads, that may change.  (Please pray for God to give me direction in this.).

If you are a regular (or even an occasional) visitor to the blog, please go ahead and become a follower.  It’s very easy, just go to any page on the site and where indicated enter your email and click “follow” .  As a follower, you will receive an email each time there is a new post or other updates to the blog.  And, while I’m asking for favors, won’t you share the site with friends either directly or through your social media page?

Let me close by saying “THANK YOU” to everyone who has given me support and encouragement over the years.  So many times I’ve thought to quit.  So many times the enemy has taunted me with doubt.  But then, someone tells me that what I’ve shared was a special blessing to them, or was a word they needed just at that time.  I’m not a professional writer, nor a theologian; I make no claims to any authority of my own.  All I am is a woman who the Lord Jesus loves even though I am unlovable, a woman He died for even though I was undeserving.  A woman who  is blessed everyday by the amazing love and grace of Jesus Christ.  There was a time when I was in such great darkness and someone brought the light of Christ  into my life, my despair turned to hope.  That is what I pray the Lord will use me to do in the life of another woman.

See you soon,

Sandra Bivens Smith

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.  (2 Corinthians 5:17)

 I have never really considered myself a pack rat, but as each year passes I am finding that I can no longer find a place for everything. I tease my husband about not throwing away anything but to be honest, I’m as bad as he is.  My new year’s confession:  I have too much stuff.  Not only do I have too much stuff, I have too much useless stuff.

Recently as I pulled out my hair dryer from the bathroom cabinet, several hair brushes and a bottle of scrunch spray came with it. As my hairstyle has changed drastically in the past five years, I no longer scrunch, and one of the hair brushes was totally alien to me; I can’t remember getting it or when or if I have ever used it. I told myself “I really need to clean out this cabinet”. Then, as I opened my makeup bag, I found I had to move jars of wrinkle cream, pallets of eye shadow and tubes of lipstick out of the way to get to the few products I now use. [Looking in the mirror, I realized I probably should have used more of the wrinkle cream.] As for the lipsticks, neither glittery mauve nor deep red passion are the best colors for a 65+ year old grandmother. Then, there’s my closet, but we won’t go there.  I keep promising myself “one of these days”.  You think?

Clutter happens. If we don’t take the time every so often to get rid of some things, we will suddenly realize we’ve accumulated a lot of junk. This law applies not just to our cabinets, drawers and make-up bags.  Most of us will admit that we also need to go through the clutter in our lives and get rid of some things that are taking up valuable space. Let’s take a quick inventory together. “Do I really need to hold on to those old hurts”? “What about this bitterness, do I really need it?  “Am I ever going to use this anger that I’ve kept stored away for years”? “This critical spirit, what use is that in the life of a Christian”? Just as my hair scrunch, eye shadow and wild lipstick are no longer right for a grandmother, these things are no longer appropriate for the woman whose identity is in Christ.

There is an old saying “out with the old and in with the new”. We have to get rid of the useless clutter so that we can have room for what we need now; Paul gives us instruction on this in Ephesians chapter 4.

Throw Out…

1. All your dirty talk
2. Being bitter and angry and mad at others
3. Acting like children
4. Letting deceitful people trick us by their false teachings
5. Living like stupid, godless people
6. Lying
7. Getting so angry that you sin
8. Going to bed angry
9. Stealing
10. Making God’s Spirit sad
11. Yelling at one another or cursing each other or ever being rude
12. Your old way of life with all its bad habits

Be filled with…

1. Humility
2. Gentleness
3. Patience with each other
4. Love for each other
5. God’s Spirit to keep your hearts united
6. Peaceful living
7. Honesty
8. Hard work
9. Generosity to those in need
10. Kindness
11. Mercy
12. Forgiveness

If we do all this, what does it get us? Paul gives us the answer… “if we are to grow we will be mature, just as Christ is, and we will be completely like him”. (Ephesians 4:15-16)

It’s a new year, are you ready to do some cleaning?  I’ll end with this paraphrase of a current TV ad:  “What’s in your closet?”  Just something to think about.

Final Thoughts

In late spring or early summer, I began working on a new bible study.  As hard as I have tried however, I haven’t made much progress.  The draft that I have so far has become my own personal “elf on the shelf” in that it seems to follow me wherever I go.  I’m not kidding, the study seems to show up, in one form or another, here, there and anywhere; it’s the craziest thing.  Well, as the saying goes, “you don’t have to hit me over the head with a board”.

I realize that as I devote my attention to writing the study, I won’t be able to continue posting on a regular basis so this will be the last post for a while.  I hope you will continue to stop by from time to time and say hello and I ask for your prayers as I seek The Spirit’s leading in this project.

בּרכה Sandra

 Examine me, O Lord, and prove me; Try my mind and my heart. (Psalms 26:2)   

I thought last week’s blog was all I had to say on prayer, especially since we did a prayer series a little over a year ago.  But, as my Mamma would say, I thought wrong.  This year I have devoted a portion of my daily quiet time to praying a psalm and I have to say, it’s been a growing experience and a real blessing.

◊Psalms 26 is one of the Davidic Psalms.  If you’ve read many of his Psalms, you know that David was not shy before the LORD.  Throughout David’s writings, you can see his boldness, his weaknesses and his vulnerability; David is a great example of how to get real before God.

Anyway, Psalm 26:2 was the verse of the day recently and it was like cold water in the face.  Ever heard the saying “be careful what you pray for”?  Psalms 26:2 might be a good place to which you apply that saying.  Don’t misunderstand, it’s certainly a prayer we need to pray, as a matter of fact, it’s a prayer that eventually, every Christian must pray.  However, praying Psalms 26:2 will take courage, conviction and commitment.  When you pray it, you better be sure you mean it and that you’re ready for God to answer because this is a prayer that is going to bring some testing. Can I get a witness?

The Message

Let’s look at the words of Psalms 26:2 and see exactly what you’ll be asking God to do in your life.

Examine me – Examine is not a word that means to simply look over or give a glance to, it means to scrutinize. Not to be a sexist here, but it makes the point so I’ll go ahead and say it – ever watched a man buy a used car (or a new car for that matter)?  It’s an amazing thing to behold.  They lift the hood, jiggle all the wires, tug on all the hoses, check the oil, kick the tires, I mean they go over that thing with the proverbial fine toothed comb; that’s what it means to examine.  When you pray this Psalm, that’s the kind of examination you’re asking God to do on you.

“Lord, do I meet Your standard?  I know I may not be the best car on the lot, but will you check me out and see if you can use me?”

Prove me – To be proven is a term used in the processing of metals, especially gold or silver.  I won’t go into all the details of how metals are tested, you can find a number of articles on the internet, but needless to say, the process is not a pleasant experience for the metals that are being proven. It is not an easy, one step process, but in the end, what remains is pure. After all, isn’t that what we all want? It’s clearly what God wants, “Speak to all the congregation of the people of Israel and say to them, You shall be holy, for I the LORD your God am holy.” (Leviticus 19:2)

“Here I am Lord.  Put me through the fire.  See if I’m real. See if I’m strong enough to hold up to whatever is coming.”

Try me – Ever had someone try you? (she asked redundantly).  Our children try us, our husbands, our bosses, folks on the highway,coworkers, the dog – lets face it, life is trying. But I would offer that we don’t know what it means to be tried until we’ve been tried by God. Daily trials of life are but for a moment but the trials God gives us (yes, our trials from God are a gift), they change us.  Always.  When God tries your mind, it changes how you think.  When God tries your heart, it changes how you act.  The length of the process used is pretty much up to you, determined by how you respond to the trying [note:  if your response is not consistent with God’s ultimate objective, you should expect to repeat the examining and proving steps]. Are you up to the challenge?

“God, I’m willing.  Try my mind, try my heart! God I want for my life the things you want for me. I trust you Lord and know that whatever trials you bring will be for my good. I know You love me.”

Perspective:

◊  John Gill commentary on Psalms 26
Psalm of David. The occasion of this psalm seems to be the quarrel between Saul and David, the former listening to calumnies and reproaches cast upon the latter, and persecuting him in a violent manner. The argument of it is the same, in a great measure, with the seventh psalm, and is an appeal made to God, the Judge of the whole earth, by the psalmist, for his innocence and integrity; Theodoret thinks it was written by David when he fled from Saul.

More Perspective:

Before we finish up, I would like to take a quick look at another prayer from scripture.  It’s found in the gospel of Luke.

The Pharisee, standing by himself, prayed thus: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. (Luke 18:11)

Big difference between what the Pharisee prayed and what David prayed. David had a true desire to know where he stood with God.  He evidently had done a self-examination, and like the Pharisee, he thought he was right before God; unlike the Pharisee, David wasn’t satisfied with what he thought.  What mattered to David was what God thought.  That’s what has to matter to us as well.

In Closing:

If you take prayer seriously, which I trust that you do, asking a Holy and Just God to examine, prove and try you is a prayer that takes great courage.  You can be sure that changes are going to come.  But, if you want to experience the fullness of God’s grace, mercy and love, if you want the joy of seeing the power of God in your life,  it is a prayer that must be prayed, it is a prayer you will offer with great anticipation.

A final word to encourage you:

If you’re feeling doubtful or fearful about praying 26:2, just remember –

I can do all things through him who strengthens me. (Philippians 4:13)

בּרכה Sandra

“Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!” (Psalms 6:10)

Last Saturday I saw the movie “War Room”.  It was a really good movie, one that I highly recommend.  After the movie, my SICs (sisters in Christ) and I went for a meal and discussed what we had seen, we each shared something we took from the movie that we felt would enhance and empower our prayer lives.  For me, the takeaway was “just do it”.

Prayer is an amazing and powerful gift from God.  I don’t know why prayer is difficult for many of us, but it is.  There have been thousands maybe even tens of thousands of books written that tell us how to pray, what to pray, when to pray, where to pray.  Yet, in spite of all this advice, many of us are prayer deficient.  We western Christians are suffering from what we’ll call PDS (Prayer Deficiency Syndrome).  Here are some of the reasons we give as the cause of our PDS:

1.  “I don’t understand prayer”. Scripture tells us to pray (Philippians 4:6), Jesus taught us to pray (Luke 11:1), and the Spirit empowers us to pray (Ephesians 6:18). But,  our human minds tend to neglect, even reject, those things we don’t understand. We often think that because God is sovereign and has already determined what will be, our prayers won’t make any difference.

Then he said to me, “Fear not, Daniel, for from the first day that you set your heart to understand and humbled yourself before your God, your words have been heard, and I have come because of your words. (Daniel 10:12)

2.  “I just don’t feel it.”  We are created as emotional beings, our emotions from sorrow to joy, are a wonderful gift from God.   But, if you haven’t already learned, you will learn, that we are on dangerous ground when we allow our feelings to dictate our decisions (Jude 1:10).  Many blessings are missed,  because of someone waiting on a feeling.  A lot of mistakes are made because someone follows a feeling.  Most tragically, souls are being deceived because someone is counting on a feeling.  Next time you don’t feel like praying, pray anyway.

But even if we don’t feel at ease, God is greater than our feelings, and he knows everything. (1 John 3:20 CEV)

3.  “My mind wanders.”  That’s ok,  eventually it will wander over to Jesus.  If you will just wait on the Lord, His Spirit will come in and change your wanders to wonders.

Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.
(Romans 8:26-27)

4.  “I’m not sure how I’m supposed to pray.”  We think there is some special formula (all those books) we’re supposed to follow when we pray.  Consequently, if we don’t stick to the “program”, we question if we’re doing prayer right; we keep trying to get it right, until finally we get frustrated and give up.

And He [Jesus] said to them, “When you pray, say: “(Luke 11:2a)

“And when you pray” (Matthew 6:5a)  “But when you pray” (Matthew 6:6a)  “And when you pray” (Matthew 6:7a)  “Pray then like this: ” (Matthew 6:9a)

What’s the cure for our prayer deficiency, how do we become strong women of prayer?  Since formulas seem to be the thing these days, (all those books) I would like to suggest a formula that I found in a book.

Ready?  Here you go.

Be.  Show up.  Every day.  You show up for your job, your nail appointment, lunch with the girls.  Set a time, set a place and then be there!  Turn off the phone, lock the door, pretend you’re not home, whatever you have to do.  I mean, do we really want to keep Jesus waiting?

Be still.  Stop, look listen. Are you one of those who doesn’t feel it? Be still – 10 minutes, 20 minutes, 30 minutes.  If nothing happens, don’t worry about it.  Tomorrow is another day (see above and be still).

Be still and know.  Know that God is there.  Know that He is glad that you are there.  Know that He cherishes this time with you.

Be still and know that I AM.  I AM listening, I AM your answer, I AM your hope, I AM your peace, I AM all of your tomorrows.

Be still and know that I AM GOD.  God on the mountain, God in the valleys, God in the fire, God in the storm. “I AM the Lord your GOD and there is none holy like me, there is none greater than me”.

Good stuff huh?

Before we go, let’s have a look at the final words of our anchor verse.  Think about it.  Here, in these few words, God answers every single one of our prayers – “I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!” What else could you ask for, that pretty much covers it all.

From my heart to yours:  My dear sisters, I know that you want quality, effective time with the Lord or you wouldn’t be reading this. You and I look at the hurts and struggles of our family and friends and we want to fix it for them, we want to make everything better.  Listen, we don’t have the cure, I’m sorry.  In our own power the very best we can hope to do is put a little ointment and a band-aid on the wounds.  But, when we give it to Jesus, when we give it to Jesus, when we give it to Jesus…  Next time you get a case of PDS, think back on all we’ve talked about today, enter your prayer place humbly and with boldness – standing, kneeling, bowing, resting on the promises of God.

Just pray.

εὐλογία,

Sandra