Pure Reality

Several years ago, a friend asked me if I believed in the existence of the spiritual world. My answer... a resounding, yes. But oftentimes people think that something that "looks" good is "truth". Yeah right, that's like saying that all sweets are super healthy for you. Sigh... Remember Satan? He was actually referred to as the "Angel of Light... the most beautiful of all angels". Now, he is called the Father of Lies.. Let me ask you something. In all honesty, do you really think the master of deception is going to be obvious?

Seriously. Think about it. Please don't tell me you've fallen for the red demon in tights with the spiked tail and pitchfork! That's no master of deception. That's a Halloween costume!

Are you interested in a feel-good reality of your making... or the real thing? My husband calls it - Pure Reality. I like that expression. Pure reality implies not only what we can see but what we can't see as well. It really isn't difficult to imagine. I mean, there are good people and there are bad people. There are "good" spirits and there are "bad" spirits. Some people by appearances seem to be good, but are actually quite deceptive. Same goes with anything in the spiritual world. It really isn't the far-fetched thing that people imagine. Pure reality is all-encompassing.

The best book I ever read about the reality of spiritual warfare, happens to be a very fast-paced fiction book, "This Present Darkness", by Frank Peretti. I highly recommend reading it, if you haven't already... or read it again!

Refusing to acknowledge reality, pure reality, won't make it go away.

Inception of Deception

When Warren Wiersbe said the penalty for rejecting truth is accepting lies, I knew in my heart of hearts that it was true. Think about it. Most of us don't blatantly lie on a regular basis. Why,I would hope we don't lie at all! But we do. All the time.
"No! Not me", you say! Well, I have news for you.

The beginning of deception begins inside your head. My head. Little voices inside our braincase's insist that we are either stupid, or failures, or unlovable, or unacceptable in some fashion or another. Perhaps all of the above. The list of negative things we tell ourselves and believe is endless. Day after day, week after week, year after year... we accept those lies because we reject the truth.

I realize that this may be old to some of you, but it is good for all of us to remember... Ephesians 6:10-17. Verse 14 specifically speaks of the importance of putting onto ourselves - the belt of truth. In other words, to clothe ourselves in truth is one of the incredibly important ways we need to prepare ourselves for battle in this spiritual world we live in.

Deception leads to despair which leads to destruction and eventually a type of death.

I don't recommend it.


"THE PENALTY FOR REJECTING TRUTH IS ACCEPTING LIES." - WARREN WIERSBE

Inward Distraction

Last time we talked about distractions and hopefully we all thought about things that can and do distract us. But, keep in mind that distractions are not always outward. Oftentimes they are inward.

Example: Me. I have to go to a doctors appointment to see about my thyroid. A thyroid problem can have a myriad of symptoms including: difficulty loosing weight, no difficulty loosing hair, awful depression and much more. Alas, when most people have their thyroid checked, the doctor will tell them they are "normal". What most people aren't aware of is the fact that the "normal" range was changed in 2004, but it can take up to 17 years before the change is recognized by all doctors. So. I'm going to see if the doctor I am scheduled to see is on the "cutting edge". Fast forward to after my doctors visit.

He seems like a good doctor. I made an appt. for later in the month. Yeah!

The point is, sometimes we have internal issues that really do prevent us from looking at the world very clearly. If that is the case in your life - as it is in mine - then, do something about it. Please. Hey, I don't have money, insurance and can give you even more reasons why "it simply won't work for me". You could do the same. But, let's try to do what we can and stop whining. It may take much longer than we'd like, but it's the only feasible option I can think of.

Sometimes internal turmoil is the worst "distraction" of all, but we need to stop the emotional roller coaster ride that we may be on. A little easier said than done, huh? Believe me, I can relate.

Hang in there, don't give up... you'll find the answer. So will I.

Ready...Set...STOP!

You know, we are so used to the "ready...set...go" thinking, that it oftentimes doesn't occur to us to stop and be still. Interestingly enough, that is what God told us to do in the Bible.
"Be still and know that I am God".

What things in our lives are causing the spinning in the first place? Is there more than one thing? Can we stop it right away or will it take a while? Questions beget more questions. I'm starting to feel like a child, here. Maybe that's a good thing.

Anyway. Spinning. What causes it? I would think any number of things would. That is for us to determine individually for ourselves. Distractions insert themselves into all our lives...resulting in a spinning that can leave us dizzy. Sound familiar? Ever had a distraction keep you from your focus?

There is more about focus that I want to hone in on, but for now...

I'll refrain from distracting you from thinking about the things that can distract you!

Spin City

Last post, we talked about focus. We came to the realization of just how important our focus really is. But I have a question. Let's just say we know what we want our focus to be. Okay. You with me? Now. Why is it so hard for us to stay focused?

Frankly, I think there is more than one reason. Well, of course there is...but one specific reason came to me last night when I imagined myself being spun around in circles... you know, like when we were kids. Or maybe going round and round on the merry-go-round. Perhaps you used to twirl as fast as you could until you got so dizzy you fell down! You know what I'm talking about.

The point is, the world around you was spinning so much that you couldn't focus on anything for any length of time. You couldn't "view" anything clearly.

I don't twirl around anymore, nor does anybody spin me... but my world, nevertheless, often spins around me so rapidly that I loose focus. For that matter, oftentimes I am so busy trying to keep from falling, that I don't even think about focus.

Not good. So how do we keep from spinning out of control? I'm thinking the first think we need to do is to identify the spin!

What is causing it? Where is it coming from? Can I stop it?

Why is it that I feel like I live in "Spin City"?

"F-Stop"

Okay, I have no problem telling you that I decided to call my photographer friend to pick his brain about photography terminology as it relates to focusing. He is the one who told me about the "F-Stop". Wanna know what it is? Come on, you know you do!

The F-Stop actually determines the amount of area in focus. The larger the hole in the lens, the less area in focus. The smaller the hole, the greater the focus. Reminds me of a laser beam...light that is so focused that the intensity of it is piercing!

How about your "F-Stop"? Are you so open to the world around you that you are allowing anything and everything to take precedent in your life - resulting on a blurry focus?

Don't get weird on me. The analogy may not be perfect...but you get the idea. Our focus is important.

More later...

"Control-Shift"

As this baby-boomer attempts to understand the computer, one thing I have learned is the importance of "control-shift" as the necessary precursor to the following step - which results in change.

So what is the "control-shift" feature in our life? What is the one thing that - if we do it - will result in change?

Focus. Take a deep breath, squinch your eyes and change gears. Change your focus. When you do, your new perspective will automatically result in a shift. Of course, the new direction will be dependent upon where you place your focus. Think about it. When you look to the right- go ahead, keep turning your head...you'll notice other parts of your body must follow.

The big question now is...where to put your focus?

Something to think about.

Could you spare a little change?

No, I'm not referring to our illustrious president...as much as he likes to talk about change. No. I'm talking about us. You and me. The other day I was reading yet another book, The Noticer by Andy Andrews. One of the questions he asks is very interesting - or disconcerting. Depends on the answer I suppose. The question is:
"If someone, other than yourself, could change something about you, what would it be?"

Great question. Potentially scary answer. Think about it, though. If other people were to desire you to change in a particular area, what would it be?

In general, I like myself. But admittedly, I have to admit that other people who know me well would probably say they wish I didn't get depressed so easily. (Uh,hello, I wish that as well). It can be very discouraging to be around a person who isn't always a happy camper. So, do we just pull ourselves up by our bootstraps and - voila - change?

Is it wrong for me to want or expect some areas in my life to change? You may think that question is a no brainer - but many people hold different views on that very topic.

What do you think?

Down Pillows and Prophecies...

Sorry if my last blog came across to some of you as a downer, but I want to recognize the truth and then deal with it in the best way I know how. Sometimes the truth is, in initial appearances, a downer. But keep in mind the down pillow. Not only is it soft and comfortable, but it has the ability to form to the curve of your head and neck, providing support that is just right for you. What does that have to do with anything? Well, think about it. Sometimes what seems like a down thing, if understood correctly, can actually be the best thing for you. It will provide the support you need.

Jesus looks good to a lot of people. He is oftentimes referred to as a great man or even a prophet. But the truth is He was much more. Throughout the Old Testament, there were more than 300 predictions concerning the Messiah - approximately 50 separate and distinct ones - that were fulfilled in the birth, life, death and resurrection of Christ. What would be the odds of one person fulfilling those prophecies by chance?

In his book “Science Speaks,” Peter Stoner estimated the odds of one person fulfilling just eight of these Messianic prophecies being one in ten to the seventeenth power. How likely is that? Stoner tries to help us understand this vast number by having us imagine spreading silver dollars across the face of Texas...enough to equal 10 to the 17th power. Get this. They will cover the entire state two feet deep! Mark one of these silver dollars and stir the whole mass thoroughly, all over the state. Now, blindfold a man and tell him he can travel as far as he wishes, but he must - in one pick - choose the marked silver dollar. What chance would he have of getting the right one? Just the same chance that the prophets would have had if only EIGHT of those prophecies came true in any one man.

Jesus said:
“I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” (John 14:6)

Some people may call Jesus a downer...but believe it or not, He provides the support we need.

I always did like Down Pillows.

The Ultimate Paradox

We're emotional people. We want what we want and we base that on what we think we need.
You've probably heard it said that God is more interested in making us what He wants us to be than giving us what we think we ought to have.
The only problem is that I hate hearing that. It's true...I just hate hearing it. Do you? I mean, sometimes when I'm feeling really good then I can listen to that truth. Unfortunately, I feel like a good deal of my time is spent flat-lining. Okay, I'm not saying I'm really dead, but sometimes I just feel like the life has been sucked out of me...or I just don't want to deal with the "ups" in life when I'm feeling "down". The good news is that God knows that about me. The bad news is that sometimes I feel like He allows those unpleasant circumstances in my life so that I will understand that this life isn't all it's cut out to be. Maybe this sounds really weird to you, but could it be that God wants us to die to ourselves and the only way some of us will do that is when we want to die - or rather - when we recognize that life isn't always as cushy as we might want it to be?

There is so much that God wants for us. He created us as unique individuals for a reason. Yes. But in order for Him to be reflected in our lives as He desires to be, we have to die to ourselves...and yet not. The Christian life is full of paradoxes, is it not? To die, yet to be fully alive!

The ultimate paradox!