Burn the Ships

Music is kind of a big deal to me. I can't imagine my life without music. If you know me you know I burst out in song about every five minutes. Some people might think that is an exaggeration, but if you know me you know that is no hyperbole. When I think back to my kid days (the days when I was actually a kid and not the ones where I act my shoe size) two musicians come to mind: Mr. Steven Curtis Chapman and Mr. Michael W. Smith. My brother and I used to jam to them ALL the time. They are the soundtrack of my childhood and frequented many home videos. Tonight I have been thinking about one of my favorite Steven Curtis Chapman songs is "Burn the Ships."These are the lyrics: 

In the spring of 1519 a Spanish fleet set sail

Cortez told his sailors this mission must not fail

On the eastern shore of Mexico they landed with great dreams

But the hardships of the new world make them restless and weak

Quietly they whispered, "Let's sail back to the life we knew"

But the one who led them there was saying

Burn the ships, we're here to stay

There's no way we could go back

Now that we've come this far by faith

Burn the ships, we've passed the point of no return

Our life is here

So let the ships burn

In the spring of new beginnings a searching heart set sail

Looking for a new life and a love that would not fail

On the shores of grace and mercy we landed with great joy

But an enemy was waiting to steal, kill, and destroy

Quietly he whispers, "Go back to the life you know"

But the one who led us here is saying

Burn the ships, we're here to stay

There's no way we could go back

Now that we've come this far by faith

Burn the ships, we've passed the point of no return

Our life is here

So let the ships burn

Nobody said it would be easy

But the one who brought us here

Is never gonna leave us alone

Burn the ships, we're here to stay

There's no way we could go back

Now that we've come this far by faith

Burn the ships, we've passed the point of no return

Our life is here

So let the ships burn

The whole song is about completing the mission set forth for the adventurer. Too many times we all start a journey with good intentions and hope for the best to only give in when it gets a little rough. We are like "I'm out. What I had before wasn't that bad. At least I knew what to expect."  It reminds me of the Israelites complaining to God about eating manna all the time, and saying "Oh God why did you bring us out here?! We were better off in Egypt." Right they were better off in a place that killed their sons, put them in bondage, basically treated them like garbage....okay I'm totally seeing their point (rolling my eyes).  Sad to say we are not much better. When God gives me a vision of what He wants to do I am pumped and fully on board, but when it starts to go differently from what I imagined I become jumpy. I start to question and ask "Why are You having me go through this? How can this be Your perfect will? It doesn't feel good." First off as the lyrics of Mr. Chapman's song shows the Enemy uses our feelings to lead us astray. We can't trust our feelings. They are too easily manipulated by circumstances. God's truth has to be our foundation. We also have to take away the option of turning back and fleeing from God. Deciding not to press on is as stupid as if the Israelites turned around and went back to Egypt to be slaves once again. We need burn our ships to fully rely on Christ and make Him our only option. 

He never promised it would be easy. Growing never is. There is a reason why the phrase "growing pains" came into being. However, He did say that He would never forsake us (Deuteronomy 31:8)     We serve a loving God who wants so much for us, and the little that is required on our end is truly small with the abundance He gives us in return. Just like in working out the pain that produces the muscle isn't fun at the time, but flexing those muscles once you have them is awesome!

Silence is deafening...

I’ve been doing a challenge recently to be silent and surround myself with silence for one hour a day. Challenge is definitely the right word to describe it. Noise constantly surrounds me. In today’s world silence is more deafening than sound.  We carry mobile devices that make it easy for people to reach us by calls, texts, and e-mails. We are never alone even when we are alone, but our society seems to have more problems with loneliness than ever before.  We are never far from the demands of this world; constantly at its beck and call.

Standing for God in a world that abhors Him is not easy. This isn't a new thing. In 1 Kings 19 the prophet Elijah ran from a wicked queen named Jezebel. She killed many prophets and promised to do the same to him. In fear he fled. Can’t say I blame him. Discouraged and downtrodden Elijah requested that God take his life. The Lord strengthened him and led him to His mountain where they could talk. I Kings 19: 9-13 says: And the word of the LORD came to him: “What are you doing here, Elijah?” 10 He replied, “I have been very zealous for the LORD God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, torn down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too.” 11 The LORD said, “Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the LORD, for the LORD is about to pass by.” Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake. 12 After the earthquake came a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper.” He spoke softly to His child. I believe that is still how He speaks. In our hustle and bustle, in our zeal for the Lord we can miss out on Him. We can miss what He is saying because we have Him on mute and the world on full blast. That is also why the prophet Elijah grew discouraged.  He only saw the circumstances in front of him rather than Who stood behind him. In verses 15-18 God reveals to him that not all of Israel has bowed to Baal, but that He has reserved 7,000. Elijah was not the only one left. When Elijah got quiet he was able to hear the voice of God. When we get quiet it gives God a chance to reveal what He is doing, and gives us the ears to hear it.

A lot of times when I expect God to move I am waiting for a huge sign that resembles an earthquake or a fire. God most definitely can use things at that level to get our attention, but most of the time He speaks to us quietly. He whispers to us and waits to see if we will respond in faith just like He did with Elijah. James 5:17 reminds us that Elijah was just a man, but God did the extraordinary through Him because he took the time to listen and pursued God's direction in faith.  Sometimes He leaves room in our circumstances for us to choose to trust Him or doubt that He will work it out. God’s ways of doing things often do not match our imaginings. That is why it is not a recommendation, but ESSENTIAL to spend time with Him. We are bombarded with messages, but it is His message of loving truth that needs to invade our minds, hearts, and spirits. Let His whisper drown out the shouts of what is only temporary.

Bible in 90 Days Challenge! Picking up with the story of mi amigo Joseph :)

                Lately, I have begun a challenge to read the Bible in 90 Days. It is not actually a speed reading challenge as I originally thought. It is more like getting to know the outlining story. I want to keep a blog to preserve the lessons that God is teaching me through this time.  I easily forget how God has already worked in my life, and grow discouraged far too quickly.

               Last night I read through the story of Joseph. Personally, the story of Joseph has to be in my top 3 favorite Bible stories. I love to see how God uses a once egotistical, prideful, arrogant teenager to save not only his family from starvation during a 7 year famine, but pretty much the whole world. That is CRAZY and that is God. God does what is impossible for man.  Joseph starts his life as know-it-all, tattle-tale. God uses unlikely circumstances to produce in Joseph a heart that seeks God’s will and not his own fleshly nature. I can’t even imagine being sold into slavery by my family, accused of rape when completely innocent, and forgotten in a prison cell by all, but God. WOW!! I asked myself if I have the kind of faith that would endure trial after trial, and in it all hold onto the promise that God would lift me up to a place beyond my most daring imaginings.

                Living in a land that despised Hebrews, Joseph continued to live for God and not mold to the world around him. In Genesis it says he found favor with God. Do we find favor with God? As Christ-followers we are called to a higher standard. A standard that is not our own and does not come naturally. It is a standard that says deny yourself and choose to follow God. Personally I grow discouraged when I see Christ-followers claim a relationship with Christ, but not actually living for Him. How can any of us be in a relationship with someone that we never make time for? Keith Green has a song called “You Love the World (and you’re avoiding me). One of the lyrics is “You used to pray, you were so brave, Now you can’t even keep one appointment we’ve made, Oh I gave My blood to save your life, tell me, tell me is it right?, Tell me will you leave me here alone again tonight?” When they curse and get drunk every Friday night, when they wear clothes that are immodest, when they pursue relationships that are not equally yoked, I question myself and wonder why I am following a standard that my brothers and sisters have discovered is obsolete. I’m imperfect and I want what I want as much as the next person. However, I want to be like Joseph and do what is right even when I am punished for it.  I wish Joseph had a journal or a diary, so I could read about his daily struggles and see how his faith built through the testing. Sometimes I get lost in the testing and forget that God will produce fruit through my pain.

                What also gets to me is the part in the story where Joseph interprets the dreams of the cup-bearer and the baker. He asks the cup-bearer to not forget him and the cup-bearer promises, but guess what?! HE FORGETS!!!!! Two years go by before Joseph is released from prison. I got two things out of this: God doesn’t work in our timing and God is the one that ALWAYS remembers us. God worked it out for his glorious plan. If the cup-bearer had remembered Joseph, Joseph probably would have never received an audience with Pharaoh and might have simply gone home to his family. However, God didn’t want Joseph to SIMPLY go home to his family. God immensely blessed him and manifested the dreams of his youth. I always have to remind myself that God wants to get me to where I want to go more than I want to get there. He has a righteous plan for all of our lives. Joseph’s sufferings were not in vain. God strategically placed him in prison for a reason. I pray that I learn to trust God more and not be governed by what I see. I desire to live by faith. That is what pleases God. That is how Joseph found favor with God. He lived by faith in less than encouraging personal experiences. His faith took him from self-boasting to God-promoting. You see this when he stands before Pharaoh and tells him that only God can interpret his dreams not a man.

I could go on and on, but I will stop because I have to go to work. To my amazement the Word of God always has something new to share with me and something new to unearth. It really is living and breathing!!