Mislabeled No More

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a

new creation; the old has gone,

the new has come!”

II Corinthians 5:17 (NIV)

The jacket the woman was wearing was beautiful – a soft shade of pale yellow with a hint of cream and brown swirled throughout. But what caught my eye in just seconds was a strip of masking tape on the back, just below the left shoulder. On the tape was written “$5.00 – C.R.”

Obviously the woman had purchased the jacket at a garage sale. There is nothing wrong with that – some of my best treasures have come from those sales – but suddenly instead of seeing the beauty of the jacket, my focus was on the garage sale label that was stuck to it.

And I began to wonder what to do next:  take off the label or leave it and act like it wasn’t there.

We all wear labels, don’t we. Maybe they aren’t as obvious as the one on the woman’s jacket. But they can become a part of our lives without our even realizing it.

Do any of these labels sound familiar? Worthless, loser, failure, unloved, neglected, afraid, defeated, depressed, broken, ashamed. Sometimes others may speak them about us – but many times we label ourselves.

Today’s Scripture from II Corinthians 5:17 throws out those labels once and for all. It says “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” A new creation!

That’s the label we should be wearing as Christians. But unfortunately we allow Satan to not only whisper mistakes we may have made in the past but try to stick those labels on us today. If we allow him to succeed, it will affect our witness to others as well as how we view ourselves as children of the Creator.

Today, this very minute, stand up and shout “I cannot change the past but I CAN change the future. I belong to Christ. He lives in me.”

And the labels? Praise God, they are transformed!

  

• Worthless becomes Treasured!
• Loser becomes Winner!
• Failure becomes Success!
• Unloved becomes Cherished!
• Neglected becomes Nurtured!
• Afraid becomes Brave!
• Defeated becomes Conqueror!
• Depressed becomes Comforted!
• Broken becomes Whole!
• Ashamed becomes Joyful!

Do not let Satan’s lies stick to you like that piece of masking tape on the beautiful jacket. Let Jesus pull off that old label and throw it away!

You are not mislabeled. You are a beautiful new creation in Christ!

Father, thank you for labeling me as your child, valuable and worthy of your love, mercy and forgiveness. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

R.A.P. it up . . .

Reflect

• Have you ever felt like you have no value because of what happened in your past or how you are living now?

Application

• Journal a column of every label either you or someone else has tried to give you. Leave a blank space beside each one.

• Now read God’s Word and in the blank spaces write down the labels that God the Creator has given you. Place a huge X over each old label and remind yourself that you belong to the God of the Universe.

Power Verses

• II Corinthians 5:17 (NIV) “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!”

• Galatians 2:20 (NIV) “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”

• Isaiah 60:3a (NIV) “. . . and provide for those who grieve in Zion – to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair.”

• Ephesians 2:10 (NIV) “For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”

• Psalm 139:14 (NIV) “I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.”

Weapons for the War Room

“For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any

double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing

soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges

 the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.”

 Hebrews 4:12 (NIV)

The movie “War Room” impacted my prayer life more than anything I had ever seen. In the movie, a marriage was failing as a husband and wife found they were growing apart in their personal, spiritual and professional lives. And neither seemed to notice that their daughter was struggling too.

Until Miss Clara prayed. In her war room. And lives were turned upside down as never before.

Miss Clara was a friend who had an actual room in her home where she could shut the door, kneel before the Lord and bring her prayer requests to Him. Her prayers were a battle plan against Satan and she spent many hours presenting them to the Lord. He heard and answered and a marriage was renewed, a daughter was encouraged and lives were completely changed and refocused – all because of prayer in a war room.

I began to think about a war room in my home and finally chose a closet in the hallway. I moved out blankets, pillows and wreaths hooked on shelving. Everything in the closet was replaced with 3 by 5 note cards on which I wrote the date, person’s name and my prayer request and thumbtacked them to the wall.

Early each day I would go in, add cards as needed, look at the prayer requests and pray over each one. As prayers were answered, I wrote the date on that card. But at the same time, prayers for healing for a neighbor, a positive pregnancy test for a couple and a revived marriage for good friends were not answered.

 I found myself becoming discouraged as I looked at the wall and unanswered prayer requests. That was when the Lord whispered to my heart: “You are focusing on each situation and not on me. Don’t look at each card as a win or loss. Look at them as opportunities to allow my power to work in those lives. Look around this room. What are you forgetting?”

Instantly I realized what I had been doing. I had prayer requests everywhere but not one spot on my wall was reserved for the Word of God! I was looking at the situation, and praying, yes, but I was not drawing on the one huge weapon that God has for His children: Scripture from His Word.

Miss Clara had Scripture written all over her war room and spoke it with confidence every single time she entered that room! How could I have forgotten how important the Bible was and is?

The wall of my war room changed drastically that day. I went straight to my Bible and began to write Scripture on note cards and place them among my prayer requests. On January 20, 2016, I wrote Exodus 14:14 “The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still” and placed it beside a card for a man struggling with cancer. 

On February 16, 2016, I wrote Isaiah 26:3-4 “You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast. Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord, the Lord, is the Rock eternal” on a card and prayed as I tacked it beside one whose marriage was falling apart.  Every day new Scripture was placed among the prayer requests until the wall was almost completely covered.

 Today my war room has become a precious place for me to kneel before our Father and share my prayer requests. But it is also a place where I can pull out my weapon – the Word of God – and praise Him for what He is going to do in the lives of each person on my note cards.

Father, thank you for your words of encouragement and comfort for us, your children. Help us to focus on you no matter what we face in our lives. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

R.A.P. it up . . .

Reflect

·         When you pray, where is your focus? On the situation or the Savior?

Application

·         Find a closet/small room in your home that you can use as your war room.

·         For every prayer request that you tack to the wall, write Scripture on a note card and place it beside that request. Praise the Lord for His answer.

Power Verses

·         Hebrews 4:12 (NIV) “For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.”

·         Ephesians 6:12 (NIV) “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.”

·         2 Corinthians 10:3-4 (NIV) “For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds.”

·         Ephesians 6:18 (NIV) “And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.”

·         I Peter 5:8 (NIV) “Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.”

           

           

Like A Child

“And he said: ‘I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little

 children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.’”

Matthew 18:3 (NIV)

We could all see it coming. My son-in-law had only seconds before said “Nothing good is going to come from this” as we all watched through the window while seven year old Jude built a ramp out of boards and a card table and then ran to get his bike.

Oh, he had a helmet on but that did nothing to protect the rest of his body as he raced up the makeshift ramp and immediately fell off the side. He hopped up and gave us all a thumbs up but quickly grabbed his left wrist.

His mom and dad immediately checked him out but he reassured them that he was just fine and it only hurt a little. However the next day, the wrist hurt even more and he was unable to move it without a quick intake of breath and a grimace of pain.

I volunteered to take him to the doctor since both parents were working. I was not at all surprised that, after an examination, the doctor wrote an order for an x-ray.

 Jude was very concerned about what the outcome might be. “I start flag football on Saturday, Grandma,” he said. I’ve waited all my life (7 years) to play football and if it’s broken, I can’t play!”

I took him by his unhurt hand as we walked into the hospital to the x-ray department. “Jude, God knows that you have waited to play football ‘all your life.’ Maybe it’s just a sprain or it’s jammed. I am going to pray right this minute that it’s not broken.”

He glanced up at me. “You are just NOW praying, Grandma? I’ve been praying since I fell on it yesterday.” Ouch.

When did I forget that I needed to become like a little child before my Father as today’s Scripture says? I confess that I worried about his arm. I pictured the worst that could be wrong, like a major fracture and surgery. But I did not pray about it until I heard the fear in my grandson’s voice that his wrist might be broken.

How about you? When faced with a situation that could possibly have a bad outcome, do you pray immediately like Jude did? Or do you worry, become anxious and picture the worst BEFORE you pray – like I did?

“Become like little children.” That’s my encouragement for all of us. When something happens, right then is the time to pray. Not as an afterthought. Not if all else fails. Nope. Pray immediately. Our faithful Father hears and He answers.

Jude did not have a break; his wrist was jammed. As we climbed in my car, I turned around to see Jude, hands together and eyes looking upward as he thanked the Lord for His answer.

Lord, please help me to be like this little child Jude.

Father, I desire to be as a little child and trust you completely with everything in my life. May I always react first with prayer. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

R.A.P. it up . . .

Reflect

• What is your immediate response to a tough situation? Panic or prayer?

Application

• Journal situations or problems you have had for the last month and beside each one write your first response: prayer or panic.

• If you wrote “panic” beside any of them, determine whether or not that helped resolve the situation. Then decide that your first response from now on will be prayer.

Power Verses

• Matthew 18:3 (NIV) “And he said: ‘I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.’”

• Psalm 107:28 (NIV) “Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble, and he brought them out of their distress.”

• Philippians 4:6 (NIV) “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.”

• Matthew 19:14 (NIV) “Jesus said, ‘Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.”

• Psalm 8:2 (NIV) “From the lips of children and infants you have ordained praise because of your enemies, to silence the foe and the avenger.”

Her One Beauty

“Pleasant words are a honeycomb, sweet to

the soul and healing to the bones.”

Proverbs 16:24 (NIV)

The young woman in the yellowed picture caught my attention as I was looking through some old albums a few days ago. Her thick hair was quite wavy, brushing her shoulders, and appearing, in the black and white photo, to be red or medium brown. Her skin was naturally flawless and reminded me of the “finished” look that Hollywood actresses spend hundreds of dollars trying to achieve.

 

She was wearing a button-down cardigan with a dark scarf tied around her neck. Her eyes appeared to be pale and she was looking, not at the camera, but rather off to the right.

But what caught my attention was her smile: it was non-existent. Her lips were pressed together almost as if she was gritting her teeth. I wondered if she simply did not like having her picture taken but I found that hard to believe because she was lovely.

I turned the picture over to see if there was any information about her and read the following: “September 1949. Ruth Adele, age 19 years. Johnny’s latest “hobby” is photography. This is a Kodak picture taken on our front porch. Not too good, but at least you can see how she has grown. Her hair is her one beauty, red gold, and naturally curly. Very fair skin and gray-green eyes. She is several inches taller than I.”

“Her hair is her one beauty . . .” No wonder she wasn’t smiling in the picture. But then I wondered if the person writing those words realized how they sounded. Were they meant kindly? To someone just picking up the picture, they did not read that way. And since they were written down, they were captured for anyone to read years later and wonder, as I did, who the pretty young lady was with no smile.

I have to ask myself how many times I have made a comment like the one made about Ruth Adele without stopping to think about how hurtful it might sound. And what about the emails I have sent with comments that did nothing to build up, but rather tore down the person I was writing about. Unfortunately I know the answer and I am ashamed.

My prayer is that we will all stop and think about what we say – or write – about those around us. Let these words of wisdom be at the beginning of every comment we make and every email we send: “May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer.” Psalm 19:14 (NIV).

So many times, Father, I have spoken or written words that were hurtful. Forgive me. Please help me to stop and think…and then stop and think again…to make sure that what I am saying or writing only reflects you. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

R.A.P. it up . . .

Reflect

• Have you ever made a comment or sent an email and then immediately wished that you could take it back?

• Why? What did you say or write that made you feel that way? Did it build up or tear down?

Application

• When you find yourself wanting to make a comment, either verbally or written, that might offend or hurt, stop and do a heart check with the Holy Spirit. Will what you have to say build someone up or tear them down?

• Is what you want to say or write something that really needs to be shared at all or if it is, can you say it in a different way that will not be hurtful?

Power Verses

• Proverbs 16:24 (NIV) “Pleasant words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones.”

• Proverbs 21:23 (NIV) “He who guards his mouth and his tongue keeps himself from calamity.”

• Ephesians 4:29 (NIV) “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs…”

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

• Psalm 19:14 (NIV) “May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer.”

A Constant Reminder

“Train up a child in the way he should go,

 and when he is old he will not turn from it.”

Proverbs 22:6 (NIV)

Several years ago I was asked by an elementary principal to observe Grant, a new student in the second grade at our school. The teacher was concerned that he might have some problems focusing in class and could fall behind. She wanted me, as school nurse, to do an observation of his behavior for a few minutes in the classroom.

What I found was a student who slithered over, around and under his desk, chatted with himself and other students and looked over at me and winked “Hey Nurse Nancy. How’s your day going?” – all while the instructor taught the math lesson.

I was sure he hadn’t heard a single instruction she had given and watched as she wrote a math problem on the board and gave instructions.

“Please write this problem down in your math journal,” she told her students, “and I will give you five minutes to see if you can figure out the answer.”

“Eighteen,” we heard a voice instantly say. Shocked, the teacher and I both turned to look at Grant. “What?” she said. Grant smiled. “The answer is eighteen.”

He was right! Even though it didn’t appear that he was listening at all, he actually was.

Today’s verse in Proverbs speaks to so many of us who are praying our children are listening as we share Jesus in a world that is continually preying on their hearts.

First, look at what the verse does NOT say. It does not say that if you raise your children to know the Lord, they will never turn from Him as they get older.

Nor does it say that children who have wandered will automatically turn back to the Lord as adults. We all have the ability to make choices in our lives.

But what it DOES say is beautiful to our ears: teach your child about the Lord. Share the words of Jesus over and over and explain what love and trust, mercy and forgiveness, grace and hope mean. Then, if your child wanders down a wrong path as he gets older, God’s Word will return to him again and again.

He will be reminded in his heart of the love Jesus has for him no matter where he is or what he is doing. In other words, “he will not turn from it” because he will remember what you have taught him.

What about you and your children? Have you ever felt like giving up because they seem to totally tune you out? Do you feel like you are losing the spiritual battle for their souls?

My encouragement to you is this: please don’t give up! Our hope is in Christ alone! What we have taught and shared about Jesus will not return empty.

Just like this little boy who appeared to have not heard a word about his math lesson, and yet he did, so it is for our children and God’s Word in their hearts.

Father, thank you for your encouragement to train my children to know you. May your words stay with them always. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

R.A.P. it up . . .

Reflect

• Have you ever felt almost hopeless because of a son or daughter who has turned from the Lord even after you have shared Jesus for years?

Application

• If you have small children, teach them wisdom from the Lord through songs, videos and books and especially from the Bible. Sing along or read along with them. Pray daily for them.

• If you have older children, never miss an opportunity to give them a hug and pray over them before they leave for school or on a date. Leave Scripture love notes in their lunch boxes or backpacks or by text on their cell phones. Pray daily for them.

Power Verses

• Proverbs 22:6 (NIV) “Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it.”

• Isaiah 55:11 (NIV) “So is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.”

• Deuteronomy 6:6-7 (NIV) “These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.”

• Mark 9:24 (NIV) “Immediately the boy’s father exclaimed, ‘I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief.’”

• Psalm 71:14 (NIV) “But as for me, I will always have hope; I will praise you more and more.”

Do You Need A Time Out Lesson?

“But the Lord provided a great fish to swallow Jonah,

and Jonah was inside the fish

 three days and three nights.”

Jonah 1:17 (NIV)

My kids hated time out when they were little and got into trouble. To be honest, I think it was as much for me as it was for them. Love my kids? Passionately with every ounce in my body. Protect them if someone tried to hurt them? Like a seven foot tall gorilla with a stun gun.

But when they could not handle a situation themselves without falling apart or attacking each other, a time out seemed like the perfect answer. They could sit down and I could calm down.

I remember a few of the many reasons for assigning a time out through the years: when my son attempted to sweep up his sister in the vacuum. And when my daughters tried to darken their bedroom by putting a blanket over a light bulb and caused a fire.

Almost every time they received a time out, it served as a punishment for not obeying our rules at home. But I also reminded them that this was a perfect opportunity to think about what they had done and what they could do differently the next time. There was always a lesson to learn in each time out.

Today’s Scripture in Jonah 1:17 talks about someone else who was in time out but he wasn’t sitting on a kitchen chair thinking about his choice. He was in the belly of a whale. And it wasn’t a mom who had put him there but God.

His name was Jonah. And he had been given a specific directive by God. “Go to the great city of Nineveh and preach against it, because its wickedness has come up before me.” (Jonah 1:2) But Jonah did not want to obey. Perhaps he knew about their idol worship and cruelty to prisoners of war and didn’t want to go near the people who lived there. Or maybe he just didn’t trust God to take care of him.

No matter the reason, Jonah didn’t obey and God quickly gave him a time out to think about his poor choice – by allowing him to be swallowed by a whale.

Now, can I just say here that one gulp and I think I would have been a believer and confessed my disobedience to God? I’m sure I would have. And Jonah, from the whale guts, probably prayed immediately to God and repented, thanking Him for saving his life and vowing to do exactly what God had asked him to do in the first place, by preaching to the people of Nineveh.

However God, in His infinite wisdom, allowed Jonah to sit a bit longer in time out to learn an important lesson: when God says “go,” you go. Jonah needed to be obedient to God’s directing.

Jonah also needed to understand that in His mercy and forgiveness, the Lord had provided for him and answered his prayer to save his life.

In Jonah 2:10 we read that, after three days and three nights, God commanded the whale to spit Jonah out on dry land so that he could immediately do what he should have done in the first place: preach the message of God’s destruction to the people of Nineveh if they did not repent.

Have you ever experienced a time out from God? Perhaps you didn’t find yourself on a kitchen chair and hopefully not in the belly of a whale!

Maybe the Lord prompted you to write a note or visit an elderly neighbor or buy groceries for the person in line ahead of you but you ignored that nudge because you had not yet checked off everything on your to-do list. And then you found yourself fighting a cold and not able to leave your home to do anything on your list. Did your living room resemble a whale’s belly?

Or perhaps you drove past a neighbor with a flat tire on the side of the road because you knew someone else would stop and help and besides, you were late for an important meeting, only to find yourself minutes later stopped at a railroad crossing, waiting on a slow train. And waiting and waiting. Could your car in line possibly be God’s whale think tank for you?

My encouragement today is to listen to the Lord speaking to your heart and to obey. He is faithful to His children. But if needed, He will use a time out.

Father, I want to listen and obey but sometimes I’m like Jonah. Thank you for your mercy and forgiveness and patience. And for giving me another opportunity to do exactly as you direct. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

R.A.P. it up . . .

Reflect

• Have you ever felt the Lord nudging you to do something but you chose to ignore the Spirit and make a totally different choice? Did you find yourself in a period of time out after that?

Application

• Write on a note card “Is this from you, God?” and put it in your purse. When you feel a nudge to help someone, glance at the card and ask God that simple question. Follow His guidance.

Power Verses

• Jonah 1:17 (NIV) “But the Lord provided a great fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah was inside the fish three days and three nights.”

• Psalm 46:10 (NIV) “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.”

• Psalm 62:5 (NIV) “Find rest, O my soul, in God alone; my hope comes from him.”

• Proverbs 16:9 (NIV) “In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps.”

• Psalm 32:8 (NIV) “I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you and watch over you.”

An Automatic Win

“What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be

 against us? He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up

 for us all – how will he not also, along with him,

graciously give us all things?”

Romans 8:31-32 (NIV)

The strategy for picking sides for our baseball games every day in elementary school was simple: fight to get Johnny on our team. We called him “Johnny 3T” because he was tall, talented and tough.

Everybody wanted Johnny.  If he was on our team, we didn’t lose – ever. When we were lucky enough to get him, we were never concerned about the opposition . . . because we had Johnny.

He would walk up to home plate, raise his bat over his shoulder, and the infield would automatically move back several steps. Sometimes he would point to the spot where he intended to hit the ball, not in arrogance but in confidence.

The outfielder in that area would immediately punch his fist into his glove and try to get ready as Johnny hit the ball but it never mattered. Having Johnny on your team was an automatic win.

We had confidence in Johnny when we played baseball as little kids but it is nothing in comparison to the confidence we should have in the power of our Heavenly Father.

In today’s Scripture, Paul asks a question that honestly does not need an answer. “If God is for us, who can be against us?” Think about it.

Can you name one single thing in your life that is more powerful than the Lord? That can overpower Him or beat Him in whatever He does?

Let’s see. A pile of unpaid bills? No. A prodigal child? Nope. The fear of failure? Nada. A marriage that is on the edge? A friend who now seems more like an enemy? Your boss who is a bully? A life-threatening disease? No. No. No and No.

God, who is for us, will never ever be overpowered by anything or anyone. Nothing, absolutely nothing can stand against Him.

We do not need a strategy or luck to get the Lord to be on our “team” because He has already chosen us as His children.

God is for us, my friends. I would consider that an automatic win.  

Father, thank you for standing for me against those situations in life that threaten every day. You are faithful in all things. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

R.A.P. it up . . .

Reflect

• Have you ever believed that you had situations in your life that God just couldn’t take care of for you?

• Did you try to fix them on your own? Were you successful?

Application

• Write down in your journal the battles that you are facing in your life today.

• Beside each one, write down Scripture that reminds you of God’s strength and power and His promises to be with you throughout everything you are facing.

Power Verses

• Romans 8:31-32 (NIV) “What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all – how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?”

• Psalm 108:6 (NIV) “Save us and help us with your right hand, that those you love may be delivered.”

• Psalm 27:1 (NIV) “The Lord is my light and my salvation – whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life – of whom shall I be afraid?”

• Isaiah 40:29 (NIV) “He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak.”

• Ephesians 6:10 (NIV) “ Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.”