Timely Words

God is so timely.  He knows EXACTLY what we need to hear EXACTLY when we need to hear it.  But sometimes, we get so caught up in the hustle and bustle that we don’t hear Him.  This week has been a hustle and bustle for me.  Crazy schedule.  Unplanned occurrences.  I just needed a little down time. 

The girls and I went to the Mexican restaurant after church to eat and then came straight home.  They have changed clothes and went outside to play on this beautiful Sunday afternoon and I grabbed a blanket and crawled into Wayne’s recliner.  I kicked back and before I knew it I was waking up from a nap.  I am still tired but that little power nap did a lot of good! 

When I woke up, I thought about a book I had read a couple years ago, When the Enemy Strikes by Charles Stanley.  I went to my bookshelf to get it and look over some passages I had underlined.  It wasn’t there.  I guess I have it on my bookshelf in my office at the church.  As I was standing there looking at the other books on the shelf, God spoke to me.  “Pick up that book,” He said as I was looking at “So You Don’t Want To Go To Church Anymore” by Wayne Jacobsen and Dave Coleman.  I had completely forgot about this book.  I had read it a couple years ago and somehow it had got moved to the side.  Being obedient, I picked up the book and thumbed through it.  Like many of my books, I had underlined sentences that really spoke to me when I was reading them.  Here are the first 6 underlined sentences I read:

1. I’d never seen a group of people treat one another with such hostility and deceit while working so hard to appear sweet and innocent.
2. We give our affection only to those who serve our interests and withhold it from those who do not.
3. That’s why institutions can only reflect God’s love as long as those in it agree on what they’re doing. 
4. Every difference of opinion becomes a contest for power.
5. Rather than become an authentic demonstration of God’s life and love in the world, it ends up being a group of people who have to protect their turf.
6. This road is rarely easy, but you will find the joy of living in His life will far outweigh any pain in the process.

Talk about a timely Word.  And then as I turned the computer on to blog, a file I had worked on a month or so ago popped up and you want to know the name of the document: Stand Alone.  The youth have just completed a Bible study by Francis Chan entitled Courage and one of the studies was on having the courage to stand alone even when you are the only one standing. 

I believe God gives us what we need because He knows the road ahead.  He knows the darts the enemy will fire but He also gives us the strength to stand, and not just alone, but with Him.  Now the choice is ours.  Will we allow the darts to penetrate and consume us or will we look to Him for strength, guidance and peace?  Will we allow our minds to venture off to the dark land that Satan inhabits or will we take captive those thoughts and think on the good things of the Lord?  Ultimately, the choice is ours.  God isn’t a pushy god.  He allows us our own free will.  He allows us to think for ourselves.  What will we think?  How will we act or react?  Will we allow the enemy the victory?  The choice is ours.