A Reflection on America and Habbakuk

For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD...

 Habakkuk 2:14

 

I Love America

 I love America. I grew up singing, My Country Tis of Thee; America the Beautiful; and God Bless America at school and in church services on Sunday morning. I love the America that I grew up with. An America that reflected the moral standards of its Puritan roots, an America that reflected the moral standards of the founding fathers, and an America that reflected the moral standards that help prevent a society from internal decay. Did you notice the past tense?

Today, in the atmosphere of political correctness that fills America "from sea to shining sea"; some would say I have been indoctrinated to be a good citizen. I agree. As a good and godly citizen, I am full of a deep and abiding sadness for my country. Tears of heartbreak are flowing down my cheeks as I pray for America and its people.

Crumbling Moral Standards

Evidence of the crumbling moral standards is in the media, is on the streets, and is in the churches. God has been taken out of our schools, out of our businesses, out of our government, and out of our churches. The biblical standards that guided generations of American citizens are now "politically incorrect."

Remain Faithful In Spite Of...

This morning, I reached for my bible and sought comfort within its pages. Habakkuk, a contemporary of Jeremiah, was in the same situation that I am this morning. He saw his people, whom he loved, falling away from the biblical standards of their ancestors. In spite of all the recorded miracles, Judah failed to remain faithful under the rule of Babylon. Habakkuk was told that Babylon would fall because of pride, ambition, arrogance, greed, cruelty, drunkenness, and idolatry. Habakkuk had to remain faithful, in spite of what he saw in the society surrounding him. That sounds familiar doesn't it?

This is what God told Habakkuk:

For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea.

Habakkuk 2:14

The knowledge of God is going to blanket the world. Wow, that is an amazing thought. Can you see it? The Earth, enfolded within the glowing, glorious light of knowledge. What a comforting promise and it is going to be fulfilled, because God keeps his promises. 

I am going to follow Habakkuk's example:

I will stand at my watch and station myself on the ramparts; I will look to see what he will say to me, and what answer I am to give to this complaint.

Habakkuk 2:1

My complaint has an answer this morning. By reading about Habakkuk and his circumstances, I am aware of the need to remain faithful and patient. God is at work, even if I do not see the evidence of it.

 

Oklahoma Ministry Trip - Updated

Bill and I are on a motorcycle ministry trip near Chandler, OK. We are tent camping, but the campground is wooded. Our tent is on a hilltop beneath two trees. A big plus is the nearly constant breeze. I will post more when we return home. Have a blessed day.

Update: June 24, 2013

The Bonham Portable Palace
June 2013
Sparks America Campground
 

400 miles on motorcycles is an all day trip for Bill and I. Fuel stops, hour long lunch stop, and conversation with people along the way are all part of our trip. Conversations are usually initiated by fellow travelers out of curiosity; why I am pulling the trailer instead of Bill, what our vest back patch means, or the wrench ring that I wear. Each conversation opens the way for prayer opportunities, for witnessing, or for encouraging fellow Christians. Christians light up when we ask them to pray for us. Christians love to be active for Jesus and often times we need that prayer coverage.
Once we arrived at our destination, Bill and I were able to pray with several vendors at Oklahoma Bike Week. At the hospitality tent, we are servants for whatever task needs to be done. Joyful service can be a powerful witness and is at the heart of our lifestyle evangelism.

How the Lord Works

June 20, 2013

On our trip, we needed to make a detour from I-44 as we entered Tulsa, Oklahoma. Roadwork had west-bound traffic slowed to a crawl because only one lane was open. After talking to a gas station attendant, we backtracked a couple of miles and took the Creek Turnpike. At the first unmanned toll booth, we couldn't find a change machine. The toll was eighty five cents each. Picture this: two motorcycles parked in single file order at a tollbooth. One rider(me) frantically searching for change in her pant pockets, travel bag pockets, and finally picking up loose change off the pavement. The other rider sitting on his motorcycle(Bill) searching for change in his pant pockets and wallet. The first rider counting out change into the second rider's hand and finally mounting her motorcycle. Rider 1 had 83 cents and Rider 2 had 82 cents. Both riders rode through the toll knowing the alarm bell was going to ring, but didn't know what else to do.

June 23, 2013

Bill was not happy about the toll booth incident. He asked me to talk to the first toll booth attendant we saw on our way home. At a manned toll booth, I explained what had happened. The attendant looked at me in surprise that I was wanting to settle a five cent issue. She told me to give her five cents and she would give me a receipt showing I had paid the five cents. At the last minute, she voluntarily asked us to pray for her ill sister, Vicki,  whom had just been taken to the hospital. I assured her we would. Bill and I had to ride away because of toll booth traffic, but we are praying for Vicki's health.

Conclusion

Our honesty over five cents lead a woman to ask us to pray for her sister's health. That is lifestyle evangelism at work. A divine appointment was successful because of a nickel. The Lord does care about every human being on this planet.


 

Talking Back to God

I was mad at God.
Struggling with my emotions and desires for a fleshly man were wearing me out. Prayer didn't seem to be working. Finally, I became angry and said out loud,

" Why did you make me like this if I'm supposed to abstain from a physical relationship until marriage? Why aren't you helping me with this? I'm angry at you!"

Just saying those words out loud seemed to help relieve the internal pressure I had been feeling.

Quietly I listened for any sign of an answer from God.
Silence...more silence...no answer. Okay, I wasn't going to get an answer. I wrote down the date and my actions in my journal before going to bed. As I stared up at the dark ceiling I thought,
"Living alone, in widowhood, isn't so great at the moment."
Tears welled up in my eyes as I gave in to feeling sorry for myself.

The next morning, I followed my usual routine.
Shower, coffee, pray for guidance, meditate (or listen) for guidance, read the Bible, meditate, eat breakfast, write down any thoughts that occurred during my meditation time in my journal, and finally get dressed for work.

During my meditation time, I listened for any hint of a still, quiet voice, but only heard silence. However, I felt like a new woman. My emotional distress was gone. It didn't occur to me that the absence of my emotional turmoil might be an answer to my outburst to the Father the night before. I didn't see it as answered prayer. Not yet.

About two weeks later 
During my usual morning meditation, I heard a single word whispered by the Holy Spirit into the silence of my mind, "clay."
Silently, I said,"What?"
I heard the whispered word again, "clay."

Now, I am going to tell you that I would not tell myself to read verses about clay in a million years!
Obediently, I opened up the index in the back of my bible and found the listed scriptures for clay. Slowly, I began to find and read each verse listed under the word clay. I read verses in the books of Isaiah, Jeremiah, Leviticus, Daniel, and Romans. Now I'm going to back up a little bit and tell you how I read bible verses.

When I read a verse of scripture, I also read the verses around the scripture.
Reading verses this way helps to ensure I'm understanding each verse in the correct context. Occasionally, I'll read the entire chapter. The Lord knows this about his daughter, Sallee. Anyway, I'll get back to my testimony.

The verses in Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Leviticus had already informed me that God formed me and  made me according to his own purposes.
I had to acknowledge that He is my creator and has a design for me. Romans 9:21 reinforced that information again. I'm stubborn, but the message from the Father was coming through loud and clear!

After reading Romans 9:21, I continued to read verse 22:

        But who are you, oh man, to talk back to God? "Shall what is formed say to the one who   formed it, 'Why did you make me like this?"

Those words jumped up off the page and smacked me in the face.
I felt numb; convicted with my own words from two weeks earlier. My Father, God, had just disciplined me with my own words.

Since I had yelled at God out loud, I apologized to God out loud.
"Oh Father, I am so sorry! You have answered my prayer, you have given me ways to serve you, and I have been so blind. Thank-you for taking away the emotional stress and the impulses of my physical body. Thank-you for letting me be your servant.Amen."

I know that this story may not make sense to you.
This testimony is based upon my faith as a spirit-led, victorious follower of Jesus Christ who believes that the Bible is the inspired Word of God. Jesus made a promise to all of his followers in John 14:16-20,

 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever— the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you. I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you.

Sallee Believes

• I believe that God sent his only son, Jesus, to earth from heaven.
• I believe Jesus died on a cross, taking all sin upon himself (including mine), and ascended to heaven so I could have eternal life.
• I believe Jesus ascended to heaven and The Holy Spirit descended from heaven to become a part of the apostles, the disciples, and all who follow Jesus.  
• I believe The Holy Spirit resides in us.
• I believe The Father, The Son, and The Holy Spirit are one.

This is why I talk with God, the Father. This is why I pray and  listen for guidance.  This is why I know when I am being corrected.

Click on the following phrase to know more about Jesus.                  know more about Jesus 



Grains of Truth: Number 6

Grain Six on Spiritual Warfare

To be a Christian is to be a warrior. The good soldier of Jesus Christ must not expect to find ease in this world: it is a battle-field. Neither must he reckon upon the friendship of the world; for that would be enmity against God. His occupation is war.

C.H. Spurgeon

April 19, 1891

A Lamp Kept Burning by the Oil of the Spirit

Note: I do not know why the gaps are appearing in the commentary quote. My edit copy does not have them.

Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path!

Psalm 119:105

Coincidence, or God?

Coincidence is a tool, I believe, God uses to catch our attention. Once He has my attention, then He can work through his inspired word to encourage, discipline, and teach me. Within forty-eight hours, Psalm 119:105 has appeared in my daily activities twice. Coincidence, or God? My attention had been caught, so I studied the verse using Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary.

                "... 1. The nature of the word of God, and the great intention of giving it to the world; it is   a lamp and a light. It discovers to us, concerning God and ourselves, that which otherwise we could not have known; it shows us what is amiss, and will be dangerous; it directs us in our work and way, and a dark place indeed the world would be without it. It is a lamp,  which we may set up by us, and take into our hands for our own particular use, Prov. 6:23. The commandment is a lamp kept burning with the oil of the Spirit; it is like the lamps in the sanctuary, and the pillar of fire to Israel.

                 2. The use we should make of it. It must be not only a light to our eyes, to gratify them, and fill our heads with speculations, but a light to our feet and to our path, to direct us in  the right ordering of our conversation, both in the choice of our way in general and in the particular steps we take in that way, that we may not take a false way nor a false step
in the right way. We are then truly sensible of God’s goodness to us in giving us such a
lamp and light when we make it a guide to our feet, our path."

Oil of the Spirit

The idea that the word of God is a lamp and that the Holy Spirit is the oil for the lamp really caught my attention. I do not think that I would have made this connection because I only use oil lamps during an emergency. Henry used oil lamps daily.

My Revelation

Wow, that is a revelation. Use the oil of the Spirit to keep the lamp burning daily, not just during an emergency. Daily action will light our path and lead us through the steps we take. The oil of the Spirit will keep the lamp burning, but we have to put the commandments into action.

Food for Thought

The words of a Christian man who lived 300 years ago, 1662-1714, are still pertinent to a Christian today. I see this as proof that the Word of God is infinitely ageless.

My Love Affair With Jesus

               

Stay in the Word, the Word will shield me from sin. Let the Word fill up the emptiness.

 I was struggling with an emotional wound when I wrote those words. I still remember a question that kept bouncing around inside my head, "When did I get out of God's will and into Sallee's will?" The honest answer to that question is painful to admit.

Afraid of Being Alone

A relationship with a man was the highest priority in my life because I was afraid of being alone. Four years of widowhood and not understanding my relationship with God led me to make choices that took me out of God's will. My relationship with Christ had taken second place to the relationship that I had chosen to have with a man. Sigh

I am sad for the woman that replaced Christ with an Earthly man. An earthly man not chosen by Christ, but chosen out of fear will not bring peace, joy, or contentment. I know because I settled for someone who wasn't rooted and grounded in God.

My healing began when I actively began to pursue Christ as my first choice. A quote by Maya Angelou sums up my love for Jesus Christ.

“A woman's heart should be so hidden in God that a man has to seek Him just to find her.”

― Maya Angelou

My Love Affair with Jesus

My love affair with Jesus began by getting to know him better. I quit filling in empty time with the Bible and began arising an hour earlier to begin my day with my husband, actively seeking his words and applying them to my life. The Word filled my emptiness and made me see how much my Heavenly husband loves me.  My love grew as I became fully rooted and grounded in His love. Fearfulness of being alone left because I wasn't alone. He is my bridegroom and I am his bride. What a joyful, fulfilling marriage! My life is full, rich, and busy. 

My Hidden Heart 

Then, I gave my heavenly husband a gift - the gift of submission. These words left my lips one morning," Lord, I would like to have a husband, but if that is not your will for me, then that is fine with me."

My heart was hidden in God that day. Jesus wrapped his arms around me, hugged me, and told me what a wonderful wife I was. The Holy Spirit within me expanded to enfold me in happiness, peace, joy, and love. 

Please start your love affair with Christ today and hide your heart in God.  Tell Him that he is in charge of your heart. Imprint his scriptures upon your heart.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sallee's Six: Favorite Websites

 

Visiting websites that have an impact on my daily walk with the Lord is important to me. Giving you an opportunity to receive a blessing through this list gives me joy.

• Girlfriends in God      http://www.girlfriendsingod.com/

• Bible Study Tools      http://www.biblestudytools.com/

• Heartlight                   http://www.heartlight.org

• Joyce Meyer               www.joycemeyer.org

• Beth Moore                www.lproof.org

• Apple Seeds               http://www.appleseeds.org/

       
 

Broken and Grafted

Staying rooted and grounded in Christ

I write in my Bible; dates of sermons are in the margins, bible study notes are starred, verse numbers are circled and dated. My study bible is a journal of my personal journey with the Lord. This morning, I was looking at one of the handwritten notes that I've written on the inside cover of my Bible.

2/3/09
John 15 - prune useless - prune to bear better fruit "pruned if we don't, pruned if we do" Joyce Meyer
John 11 Joy
Abide - Live, dwell, remain
Romans 11:17 broken branches; grafted in    Wounded healers? Unload your own baggage - 1 yr to hang on the vine. New/old Christians need to heal. rooted & grounded in God's love you become another person. Unconditional love.
Trust God - Clean House
I can't - He Can - I think I'll let Him
How do you feel when you pray?

Shocked Disbelief to Stunned Reality

The shorthand notes from four years ago remind me of how my deeper relationship with God began. Four years ago, in late January, my fiance unexpectedly broke our eight month engagement by calling me on my cell phone. The call was on a Monday morning, at 8:00 A.M., and yes, I was at work. During and after that call, my emotions rapidly changed from shocked disbelief to stunned reality. I felt like I had received a physical blow to my head. However, this event also started me into a deeper relationship with God and a new life that I couldn't even imagine at that point.
 

One Year of Hanging on the Vine

Joyce Meyer is a gifted Bible teacher. My morning routine begins with watching Joyce on television and her lesson on wounded Christians really sank home for me. I was still reeling from the broken engagement. I was in the third year of widowhood. I had been an empty nester for a year or so. And I was tired, hurt, lonely and emotionally empty. After the broadcast was finished, I contemplated the message and examined my emotional baggage.

 I know Jesus is my rooted vine and God is the gardener. My relationship is as a grafted branch. How much fruit have I really produced in the last three years? I am grafted in, but am I ready to commit a year to being pruned(healed) of my emotional baggage? I truly felt like a pendulum on a grandfather clock, just swinging left to right, over and over. Then, another event added to my conviction that God wanted me to make a one year healing commitment to Him.

Sunday morning bible study ended and I was planning on attending the church service. Somehow I found myself standing at a side exit door and my thought was," Oh well, I think I will go ahead and go home." Three blocks from church, a spiritual event happened to me. 

A distinct voice said," Turn around and go back." The voice was clear, calm, and intense. Obediently, I turned the car into a car wash, circled around, and went back to church. As I walked into the sanctuary, the service was just beginning. When Brother Jimmy started his sermon, conviction and disbelief mingled together and started coursing through me. His sermon was the same lesson that I had watched Joyce teach earlier that week on television. Now this story will get even stranger in a minute.

After church, I stayed back until I was the last person. I repeated my story to Brother Jimmy and his wife, Joanne. Brother Jimmy started to get tears in his eyes as he related what had happened to him on Tuesday. He had talked to Joanne because he felt that he needed to change his planned sermon. Joanne told him if the Lord was nudging him that strongly, then he needed to  prepare the new sermon. The sermon he preached that morning was not his planned sermon; the sermon he preached was the new one he felt the Lord wanted him to preach.

 My eyes are brimming with tears right now. My heart feels so full and God is hugging me in the spirit. Oh how the Lord wanted to heal me!  He was able to reinforce to me, through my pastor,  that I needed to make a year long commitment to heal and grow. No more pendulum swinging for me! Obediently, I began my commitment to the Master Gardener. Willingly, I began to "hang on the vine" and become more fully rooted and grounded in Christ.

During the following week, I told friends and family I was not beginning any new relationships for a year. Some were accepting of this, and some were not. Bible study became an hour every morning with an open notebook beside my Bible. The notebook became filled with my thoughts, discoveries, prayers, and conclusions. Writing a journal enabled me to check back on my prayers. Many of them were answered in ways that I would never have thought of. My journey of healing and discipleship had begun.

My purpose for telling you about my spiritual event is not to show you what a cracked pot I am. My walk with the Lord is deep. I am an obedient, faithful woman who believes all the promises God made to us in the Bible. Today, many people deny that miracles or spiritual events happen. However, I want you to know that God does talk to his people today; He is alive. He knows your name, He loves you, and He wants to talk with you.

 

 I am not a silly person who listens for voices to tell me what to do. I am an ordinary woman who has committed to being a servant of God. People will call me an "overboard Christian," but I truly do not care. Listen to an "overboard Christian woman" today. Joyce Meyer has unknowingly helped me, healed me, and transformed me with her teachings because she too, has a deep, abiding, personal relationship with a God who is alive.