Overtaken

And it will be, if you shall listen carefully to the voice of the LORD your God,
to observe and to do all His commandments which I command you today,
the LORD your God will set you on high above all nations of the earth.
And all these blessings shall come on you and overtake you,
if you will listen to the voice of the LORD your God.
(Deuteronomy 28:1-2, MKJV)

This passage goes on to talk about multiple blessings for those who listen to the voice of God and do what God says--obedient children.

God promises blessings:

~~ in the city (public) and in the field (harvest) -- (see Deut. 28:3)
~~ the fruit of your body (children, your work, etc.) -- (see verse 4)
~~ your basket and store shall be blessed (foods, goods, business) -- (see verse 5)
~~ "blessed when you come in and blessed when you go out" (every season, entering new stages or seasons, moving on to other positions in the Lord, etc.) -- (see verse 6)
~~ protection (see verse 7)
~~ The Lord will command His blessing(!) on your storehouses and He shall bless you in the land your God gives you (see verse 8)

See all those blessings and that's only the beginning. I urge you to read Deuteronomy 28. The first 14 verses are all about God's blessing on the obedient ones. (The rest of the chapter are the consequences for disobedience. Motivation to obey.)

Do you need encouragement? Lots of us are struggling right now through a season of pressure--we're in the holy press where God is working on us, even bringing us to desperation and dependence upon Him. Press close to Him and hang in there. Soon, the promises will overtake us.

Listening to Love

My preschooler climbed up into my lap this morning. One of my favorite parts of our day is our post-breakfast snuggle. We make up songs together or talk about rhyming words. This morning as we rocked together, I felt love for her wash over me. I started to tell her about it--how much I love her and have always loved her. How she owns a piece of my heart and no matter what happens, that will always be true. How I can't help myself. How invested I am in her life, her happiness, her--

That's when my big kid grew bored. "Let's make up songs, Mommy." So I shifted gears.

But it hit me. How often do I divert when God is trying to love on me? When He is attempting to express His affections, do I steer the conversation or the activity in a new direction? Or do I let the words sink in?

I crave His love. I ask Him to reveal His affection to me. I need it.

I think it's time to get close and listen.

P.S. - the little punkin in the photo is not my daughter, but she sure is precious

His Sanctuary

Last week, during my devotional time, I studied a fascinating truth. Do you ever do this? Word studies in your Scripture reading? My current Bible does not list cross references. So for the past several years I've made a hobby of connecting Scriptures, hand writing verses I feel relate in the margins of my Bible. It's fun!

Well, last Monday I took a look at this truth: God is looking for a sanctuary. That's amazing! He's God. He created everything that exists. Yet He is looking for a place to rest.

Here's the best part. You're it!

For the LORD has chosen Zion;
He has desired it for His dwelling place:
“This is My resting place forever;
Here I will dwell, for I have desired it.

Psalm 132:13-14

Since God in-dwells born-again believers, you can insert your name where it reads “Zion.”

“The Lord has chosen ____. He has desired her/him for His dwelling place.”

Look how else YOU are described in the Bible:

Like a lily among thorns, So is my love among the daughters.

(Song of Songs 2:2)

In a world where God is constantly rejected by people, imagine the joy of one person’s “yes” to His intentions, His heart, His indwelling. You offer that. You are a desirable dwelling place for God. A sanctuary.

Imagine that.

Enchantment

I’m a writer. In my stories, I work toward writing captivating scenes. A scene that captures my imagination will hopefully catch the reader’s imagination as well. (If it doesn’t, my critique group will likely let me know!) ;-)

This time of year in the United States, you see a lot of evidence of Halloween celebration going on. Walk into the party supply store and you’re surrounded by echoes of screams and hanging skulls with fake spider webs. Turn on the television and see all the “spooky movies” out there to watch on several channels. Or investigations of darkness, specters, the paranormal.

I believe we were created to desire the supernatural. And I believe if we don’t turn to the Lord for that experience, we will look for it elsewhere.

~The chance to feel goose bumps during a horror movie.

~That feeling of fear as you share your latest nightmare in the evening with your siblings.

People go looking for the supernatural. From the lighter approach (Ghostbusters) to the extreme approach (horror films).

God is all-powerful. Those aren’t just words. He can do anything. Move a person from here to there, without causing them to travel by natural means. Look at this passage from Acts 8:


Now an angel of the Lord spoke to Philip, saying, "Arise and go toward the south along the road which goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza." This is desert. So he arose and went. And behold, a man of Ethiopia, a eunuch of great authority under Candace the queen of the Ethiopians, who had charge of all her treasury, and had come to Jerusalem to worship, was returning. And sitting in his chariot, he was reading Isaiah the prophet. Then the Spirit said to Philip, "Go near and overtake this chariot." So Philip ran to him, and heard him reading the prophet Isaiah, and said, "Do you understand what you are reading?" And he said, "How can I, unless someone guides me?" And he asked Philip to come up and sit with him. The place in the Scripture which he read was this: "He was led as a sheep to the slaughter; And as a lamb before its shearer is silent, So He opened not His mouth. In His humiliation His justice was taken away, And who will declare His generation? For His life is taken from the earth." So the eunuch answered Philip and said, "I ask you, of whom does the prophet say this, of himself or of some other man?" Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning at this Scripture, preached Jesus to him. Now as they went down the road, they came to some water. And the eunuch said, "See, here is water. What hinders me from being baptized?" Then Philip said, "If you believe with all your heart, you may." And he answered and said, "I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God." So he commanded the chariot to stand still. And both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water, and he baptized him. Now when they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught Philip away, so that the eunuch saw him no more; and he went on his way rejoicing. But Philip was found at Azotus. And passing through, he preached in all the cities till he came to Caesarea.

God can suspend the natural realm and rules to make something supernatural happen:

~Heal the leper.

~Mend broken or malformed bones in an instant.

~Remove cancer from someone’s body.

~Raise the dead.

~Appear in a locked room without using the door.

~Hold the universe together by the Word of His power.

~Redeem lives.

~Heal a broken heart.

~Erase a sinful past.

You can experience another Presence in the room. A good, beautiful Presence. And yes, there’s fear involved, but not the kind of fear that brings torment. The Holy Spirit can and will meet you in a supernatural way. I believe God Himself wants to satisfy that natural craving in our spirits for the supernatural.