Archives for November 2010

Music to Strengthen Your Faith

In regards to music, I am a huge Chris Tomlin fan.  So, it is no surprise how much I have been enjoying his newly released album, ‘And If Our God is For Us.’  As usual, he assists us in focusing our hearts and minds on Christ and in bringing praise and glory to our Lord through song.   ‘Our God’, ‘ I Will Follow’, ‘I Lift My Hands’, ‘The Name of Jesus’, and ‘Faithful’ are favorites around our home right now.  The older kids have even set up a ‘stage’ of sorts with microphones built from Tinker Toys.  They have been dancing and singing along with some of the songs from the album for the past several days.

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Below are just two of the songs that I found through YouTube.  You can hear portions of each of the songs from the album and learn about the meaning behind a couple of the songs at http://www.christomlin.com

Faithful by Chris Tomlin

You are there in every season of my soul.
You are there.  You’re the anchor that will hold.
You are there in the valley of the shadows.
You are faithful, God.

I will sing to the maker of Heaven and Earth.
God, You reign forever and Your love will endure.
Faithful and true is the name of the Lord.
You are faithful, God.

Faithful by Chris Tomlin from "And If Our God Is For Us"

 

I Lift My Hands by Chris Tomlin

I lift my hands to believe again
You are my refuge.  You are my strength.
As I pour out my heart these things I remember
You are faithful, God, forever

I Lift My Hands by Chris Tomlin from "And If Our God Is For Us"

Today, I am thankful for…
5) music that praises Jesus
4) the funny sayings that come form our sweet toddler’s mouth
3) children and their laughter and smiles 
2) a husband who loves the Lord and serves his family
1) my faithful Lord and Savior – Jesus Christ 

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“What you want Mama?”

DSC_2419 Our toddler frequently grabs a piece of paper or small notepad and asks me, “What you want Mama?”  Typically, I will give her my order of some foods for her to pretend to prepare or some items for her to write on her ‘grocery list’.  About a month ago, when she asked this commonplace question, my mind unexpectedly sent out a flurry of silent answers for her…

  • Joy and contentment
  • Obedient children – For the older girls to not question and correct me; for our oldest son to eat foods everyone else eats; for our toddler to not scream and throw tantrums; for our sweet baby to sleep longer at night
  • Children who love the Lord with all their heart, soul, mind, and strength
  • To get outside in the fresh air more
  • To be able to pray aloud with my husband
  • To sleep for more than 4-5 hours a few nights in a row
  • To have time to record the memory verse songs
  • To not be so pressed for time and always feeling behind
  • To be a prayer warrior for my kids and husband
  • To be in the Word and sitting at Jesus’ feet daily
  • To draw my children close and to not push them away with my too quick responses, harsh tones, or actions
  • More time with my husband
  • Trees and flowers
  • To not feel so tired and to not look so tired and worn out all the time

She kept asking and I kept telling her some of my favorite foods to add to her list of circles and scribbles, but even after she ran off to play something else, the unspoken responses stayed with me. Many of these ‘wants’ were good things. However, could any of them possibly have become idols? I also noticed that several of the ‘wants’ were caused by areas of sin in my life that must be dealt with. For example, was I correctly training and instructing or had I been letting certain behaviors slip by without addressing them?  And then there were a few that I had to question as to whether they were actually grumblings and discontentment against my faithful Lord.

God can use the innocent speech of our children to prick our hearts and to help turn our thoughts back to Him.

On the Front Lines

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort,
who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those
in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God.
(2 Corinthians 1:3-4)
 

Since giving birth to our fifth precious little one, I have been feeling increasingly overwhelmed by…well…everything.  It is a combination of having a large amount of work to do (Don’t all moms have this?), an increasing lack of time (baby, school x4, chores, outside family commitments), an inconsistent time for Bible reading and prayer, and a decreasing energy (living on little sleep and poor hydration).  This has led me to be weakened in my spiritual and physical strength and a likely target for an attack.  God has allowed this and I have once again been shown how utterly dependent I must be upon Him.

I have been here before, after the birth of our third child, and I remember with vivid detail the depths of that pit.  I also clearly remember God’s hand sustaining me.  (Some of the thoughts below are from what God has shown me in the past and some are formed based on the writings of John Piper in his book ‘When the Darkness Will Not Lift’.)

Dear weary mama and sister in Christ, put on…

  • Prayer
    God wants us to turn to Him and pour our hearts out to Him.  Cry out to God for help, for strength, for wisdom.  Pray for our children, marriages, and even for other moms who either are, or may likely be, experiencing similar battles.

Yes, my soul, find rest in God.  My hope comes from him.
Truly he is my rock and my salvation.
He is my fortress, I will notbe shaken.
My salvation and my honor depend on God.
He is my mighty rock, my refuge.
Trust in him at all times, you people. 
Pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge.
(Psalm 62:5-8)

 

  • Thankfulness
    Put off grumbling and complaining and put on a spirit of gratitude to God…for even the smallest hints of joy (a baby’s giggle, a toddler’s funny saying, an open Bible left in the middle of the playroom floor).

So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.
(Colossians 2:6-7)

  • Truth
    Focus on the life giving truth in God’s Word, the saving power of Jesus Christ from our sin, His great love for us, etc.  Memorize Scripture and hang onto His promises.  Pray for God to speak Truth to our hearts and minds, replacing the lies with His Word.

The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world.
On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds.
We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive
every thought to make it obedient to Christ.
(2 Corinthians10:4-5)

  • The Full Armor of God
    We can not face each day without Christ’s power and strength.  He has given us everything we need for daily battle.

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power
Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 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. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place,  and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.  In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.  Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.  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 Lord’s people.
   (Ephesians 6: 10-18)

  • Action
    Do what God has called us to do and serve Him with gladness.  Keep pressing on with the strength He provides and don’t be idle.  Repent from any unconfessed sin and pray for the joy to be restored.

Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.
(Colossians 3:23)

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and
will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.

(1 John 1:9)

  • Patience
    Wait patiently.  He gives us strength to endure dark times and provides a way out.  Eventually, the darkness will lift and the joy will return.  Until then, know that we are never out of the control of His loving Hand.

I waited patiently for the LORD.  He turned to me and heard my cry.
He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire.
He set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand.
He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God.
Many will see and fear the LORD  and put their trust in him.

(Psalm 40:1-3)

God is our faithful Father and protector.

But let all who take refuge in you be glad.  Let them ever sing for joy.
Spread your protection over them, that those who love your name may rejoice in you. Surely, LORD, you bless the righteous.
You surround them with your favor as with a shield.
(Psalm  5:11-12)

He will also keep you firm to the end, so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is faithful, who has called you into fellowship with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.
(1 Corinthians 1:8-9)

Those leading and tending to the care and training of the next generation are on the front lines every day.  Attacks from the enemy have the goal of rendering us ineffective… ”But the Lord is faithful and He will strengthen and protect you from the evil one.” (2 Thessalonians 3:3)

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