HIS LOVE ENDURES FOREVER!

It's been a tough road as of late and I'm finding that I have definitely been distracted and have allowed those distractions to take precedence over the important things in life. But God has been gracious and brought some gentle reminders to help me refocus.

One avenue was through allowing me to join the praise and worship team at our new church home. My first opportunity to lead worship with them is this coming Sunday. They're going through a study called "Pure Praise" by Dwayne Moore. The study centers around 2 Chronicles 20. My being a "good student" I decided I would read 2 Chronicles 19 and 20!

Here are the nuggets I pulled from Chapter 19:
* Commit yourself to seeking God. (Right out of the gate He's hitting me hard!! Not that I didn't know I should do this, but maybe I'd sort of forgotten?!?)
* Encourage others to return to Him. (The perfect words of wisdom for this time in my life and something we should probably do everyday with our Christian brothers and sisters.)
* (to the judges) Do not judge to please people but to please the Lord.
* Fear the Lord and judge with integrity.
* You must always act in the fear of the Lord, with faithfulness and an undivided heart.

Here's where I pause.

You must ALWAYS (not sometimes) act in the fear of the Lord. What does it mean to "act in the fear of the Lord"? I did a quick search on biblegateway.com and have come to a rough conclusion that the "fear of the Lord" is a reverence for Him. A high regard for His authority over my life and acting in the fear of the Lord is turning over my control over my life and allowing Him to be in control. Letting Him take the "helm" of my life.

The second part of that verse was more direct - not only am I to act in the fear of the Lord but I'm to do it with faithfulness and an undivided heart. I have done neither one. I have not been faithful and I have allowed the worries of this world, the things of this world, to divide my heart, my alliance to Him.

Moving on...
* You must warn them not to sin against the Lord. (well there it is...I must warn myself and take some time to work through my sinful unfaithfulness and divided heart.)
* Take courage as you fulfill your duties and may the Lord be with those who do what is right.

Wow...so much in one chapter and I still had one more to go...

Chapter 20...When bad news comes WHAT DO YOU DO?
Here's what Jehoshaphat and the people do...

* Terrified by the news, Jehoshaphat begged the Lord for guidance. (he didn't just flippantly ask God or send up a "9-1-1 prayer" - he literally BEGGED God to guide him.)
* He ordered everyone to begin fasting. (without a breath between begging - he directed his people in what they were to do with him.)
* He also ordered them to "come together to seek the Lord's help." (How often do we try to go it alone? The body of Christ is here for us to come together and seek God's wisdom, guidance, and help.)
* He prayed. (this is where I typically fall short. Rather than going to God directly and praying to Him, I usually want to discuss the matter with everybody else around me first.)
* Stand in His presence and honor God.
* Cry out to Him "save us!"
* He will hear you and save you!!

IMPLORE GOD: "We do not know what to do, but we are looking to Your for help." (12)
(In many ways this is exactly where I am at in my life right now. I have no idea what to do Lord! I really am looking to YOU for help.)

Next thing it says is, "Do not be afraid! Don't be discouraged by this mighty enemy, for the battle is NOT YOURS, BUT GOD'S!" (15)
(Oh my goodness...why have I not thought about this? Why didn't I realize that the battle truly is HIS, not mine? In dealing with the principalities and powers of the air - who better to fight the battle than God? How could I be so short-sighted? But it gets better!!!)

"You will not even need to fight. Take up your positions and STAND STILL and watch the Lord's victory! Do not be afraid or discouraged. Go out against them tomorrow for the Lord is with you."
(We're to take up our position. What position is that? It tells us!)

"Bow low, face to the ground and worship the Lord."

The book "Pure Praise" refers to the word WORSHIP saying it means "to bow down and prostrate yourself before a superior in homage. God is superior. Submitting to Him as our master is the essence of worship."

Just yesterday I came across the word "ADONAI" which is Hebrew for "Master" -
BOW DOWN
FACE THE GROUND
WORSHIP ADONAI!

* PRAISE the Lord with a very loud shout!
* BELIEVE in the Lord your God and you will be able to STAND FIRM.
* BELIEVE in His prophets and you will succeed.
* SING to the Lord and PRAISE Him for His holy splendor.
* GIVE THANKS to the Lord. His faithful love endures forever!!!

Synopsis - stand still and watch. do not be afraid. bow down. face the ground. worship Adonai. praise the Lord. believe in the Lord. stand firm. sing to Him. praise Him. give thanks to Him.
WHY?
Because HIS FAITHFUL LOVE ENDURES FOREVER!

WHAT IS THE CENTER OF YOUR HOME?

Kenzi, Sara and I chose to venture out yesterday and head to Minot. Snow was blowing, temps were right at 20 degrees out and the windshield kept freezing up. Aside from that and the semi with his empty trailer in the ditch, it was a rather uneventful jaunt. We decided to hit Hobby Lobby - wanted to pickup a craft project for the night. There we found a plethora of home decor on sale for 50% off! There were baskets, wood crates, vintage suitcases, wood plaques, metal plaques, wire sculptures, you name. But in the wood plaque aisle there were a couple particular wall hangings that caught my eye. One quoted Exodus 14:14, "The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still." So much I could talk about regarding that one part of scripture but the one most heavy on my heart is the one I've pictured here. "Christ the center of our Home." In many ways I believe we STRIVE for this but in several ways our home has fallen short in this area as of late.

I was inspired when I saw that plaque and purchased it to put up on our wall as a declaration that our family truly does make Christ the center of our home. But when I got it in my house and as it sits against the living room wall, I am convicted, broken, sliced to the core of my being with the reality that in fact, He is NOT the center. Most days since relocating to North Dakota, He barely makes the outer perimeter of our home. I was wounded by this realization. My heart is broken, my stomach in knots and my mind is whirling from it.

Where did we go wrong? What happened to this aspect of our home? When did this occur and WHY? (while in Ohio? when we moved to North Dakota?) How did this get so out-of-control? Is it complacency? Is it laziness? Is it rebellion? What really is the state of our home? How did this creep in? and WHAT ARE WE GOING TO DO ABOUT IT?!?!

In all honesty, I felt this prior to now and I had been making a more concentrated effort to spend time with the Lord. I have been searching the scriptures. But now I see that I may have been doing it all wrong. Since arriving in North Dakota there has been a deep dark cloud of oppression hanging around our home. It has permeated our lives, blinded us, shrouded us in darkness and despair. I never realized just how deep it ran until now.

The other convicting and sad part of all this is that the Truth of God's Word which is usually an encouragement to me, literally makes me sick to my stomach. I think this is from the enemy. This sick feeling, though it brings about conviction and change - it is an enemy ploy in my life to make me tuck tail and run because I can't face the fact that I must confess my sin and make things right. At times I'm non-confrontational to an extreme and this would normally be one of those extremes.

BUT TODAY...I REFUSE TO LET THE ENEMY HAVE VICTORY!!!

The enemy may think he's moved in and made himself comfortable BUT TODAY I'M SENDING HIM PACKING!

That's right. I'm done. Finished. He has laid siege upon my home, he has tormented and trashed our hearts. He thought he was here for the long haul. Don't even bother packing your bags you nasty bugger. You are GONE. I'm casting you out buddy, on your rear. You are done, you're not welcome here. This family serves the LIVING GOD, the MIGHTY ONE. He's more powerful than you - and A LOT more fun to hang around with!

"God NEVER tempts anyone! Temptation comes from our own desires, which entice us and drag us away...these desires give birth to sinful actions and when SIN is ALLOWED to GROW, it gives BIRTH TO DEATH! So don't be misled! Whatever is GOOD and PERFECT comes from God!" James 1:13-16

"Keep away from worldly desires that wage war against your very souls." 1 Peter 2:11

"So we must LISTEN VERY CAREFULLY to the truth we have heard, or we may drift away from it!" Hebrews 2:1

Here in lovely North Dakota I must place God before me FRONT & CENTER! I must be DILIGENT to live out my faith. I don't need spiritual milk...I should be beyond that! I need the discipline to pursue Christ with ALL my HEART! SOUL! MIND! and STRENGTH!

...God is light, and there is NO darkness in Him at all! So we are lying if we say we have fellowship with God but go on living in spiritual darkness; we are not practicing the truth. But if we are living in the light as God is in the light, then we have fellowship with each other, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, cleanses us from all sin. If we claim we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and not living in the truth. BUT IF WE CONFESS OUR SINS TO HIM, He is FAITHFUL and JUST to FORGIVE US our sins and CLEANSE US from all wickedness. (1 John 1:6-9)

HOW will I do this? I'm so glad you asked!
I'm going to start by "Confess(ing) [my] sins." 1 John 1:9

Wash [myself] and be clean!
Get [my] sins out of [God's] sight.
Give up [my] evil ways.
Learn to do good.
Seek justice.
Isaiah 1:16-17

Live no longer as the Gentiles (those who don't know Jesus) do, for they are hopelessly confused...throw off [my] old sinful nature and [my] former way of life, which is corrupted by lust and deception. Instead, LET the SPIRIT RENEW YOUR THOUGHTS and ATTITUDES. Put on [my] new nature, created to be like God - TRULY RIGHTEOUS & HOLY! Ephesians 4:17-18; 22-24

Maybe you will find this an encouragement to you. Maybe you will find it a bit convicting. Whatever direction it sends you, take some time and honestly evaluate where the center of your home is. God finally got me t sit down long enough to ponder this and what I found made me very uncomfortable. Enough that I knew something needs to change. I'm headed a new direction now. Hopeful finally. And I am looking forward to seeing God work in us and through us here in North Dakota!

BUT GOD...

When I wrote about "Working Through Trials In Your Life" back on July 3rd I had NO IDEA what was just around the corner, or just how painful life could be. There is a definite difference between physical and emotional pain. The amazing thing is just how emotional pain affects you physically.

When the trial hit me it was completely unexpected. I was taken totally unaware and felt as though my heart and soul were being ripped out of my chest. My initial reaction was to curl up in a ball on the floor and sob uncontrollably. I NEVER thought I could grieve so fully and completely over something. But I did and it hurt and my emotional state seemed to dictate to my physical that it was going to give out. Fortunately I had a doctor that was helpful and when I contacted him with the news and asked for help for my physically crashing body, he knew just what to give me - a little something to cover the shock of the situation along with a little something for the grieving that would inevitably ensue. What a wise man he was. His words a soothing balm, as the words of so many well-meaning precious family members and close friends.

When major trials first hit - it's hard to know HOW you will react. One never knows until they're in the throes of the challenge, then they begin to slowly but surely discover just what they're truly made of. I was "jelly," shaken to the core of my being. I was ashamed of my reaction. But more than that I was saddened by what seemed to me a lack of faith. As the days wore on I thought I should be getting over it...I should be back on my feet...I should be able to work...I should be able to focus - but several days later, I still couldn't shake it.

BUT GOD...that has been my mainstay this entire time. The fact that HE would not hold it against me. The fact that HE would not punish me for my lack of faith. BUT GOD loves us, no matter what! He will never leave us or forsake us. His mercy is new every morning, His grace is sufficient. What a truly mighty God we serve, that even in the midst of my sorrow HE provided joy. I don't know that I'll ever look at those TWO WORDS the same again. For I claim them in all circumstances now...BUT GOD...

His people said this...BUT GOD... His people acted this way...BUT GOD... in all his goodness and mercy had other plans for His children and drew them to Himself that they might live and have an abundant life! SO we're walking through some major trials. SO our hearts are hurting and we don't know what to do or say. BUT GOD knows all, sees all and is in ALL! And so I sit here, knowing that there is truly nothing I can do about the situation, about the pain, about the future except leave it in God's hands! There's no "buts" about it!!!

A CALL TO HOLY LIVING

Purity is all about living a sanctified life. Sanctification means to be "set apart," to live a holy life definitely sets a person apart. I think one of the most interesting reactions I have received while sharing my thoughts on purity would have to be the idea that you only need to "remain pure" until you're married. My response was simply this, the enemy of our souls would love to see us fall or soil our Christian testimony. He is not going to give up on us once we're married. He will do everything he can to tempt us to stray from our husband, to be discontent, to be complacent and hurl us head long into an adulterous relationship. Purity most definitely does NOT end with marriage. It just takes on a whole new level of commitment. It requires we foster a thriving relationship with God, one that strengthens our marriage and love for our spouse. That's why the call to Holy Living is so important!

In 1 Peter 1:13-15 it is very specific "So think clearly and exercise self-control. Look forward to the gracious salvation that will come to you when Jesus Christ is revealed to the world. So you must live as God's obedient children. Don't slip back into your old ways of living to satisfy your own desires. You didn't know any better then. But now, you must be holy in everything you do, just as God who CHOSE you is holy."

Further on in 1 Peter 2 it says, "So get rid of all evil behavior. Be done with all deceit, hypocrisy, jealousy and all unkind speech...you are living stones that God is building into his spiritual temple. What's more, you are his holy priests. Through the mediation of Jesus Christ, you offer spiritual sacrifices that please God." (1 Peter 2:1 & 5)

First of all, it is GOD who is building us into his spiritual temple, not ourselves. Secondly if I am a spiritual temple then I must treat that temple with the respect and dignity that reflects God. This means good stewardship from what I allow my mind to take in (i.e. TV, movies, books I read, magazines, etc.) to how I train, feed, care for my body, and most especially how I care for my spiritual life. It talks about offering spiritual SACRIFICES that please God. This pretty much tells me it's not going to be easy but then I also need to consider just how willing I am to make the effort and the sacrifice. Humanly speaking we are not prone towards sacrifice. We're too selfish. Sacrifice is something we can only accomplish through Him. "Through Christ you have come to trust in God. And you have placed your faith and hope in God because he raised Christ from the dead and gave him great glory." (1 Peter 1:21) Better yet, let's look at 1 Peter 2:21-25 "For God called you to do good, even if it means suffering, just as Christ suffered for you. He is your example, and you must follow in His steps.
He never sinned, nor ever deceived anyone.
He did not retaliate when he was insulted, nor threaten revenge when he suffered.
He left his case in the hands of God, who always judges fairly.
He personally carried our sins in his body on the cross so that we can be dead to sin and live for what is right.
BY HIS WOUNDS YOU ARE HEALED.
Once you were like sheep who wandered away. But now you have turned to your Shepherd, the Guardian of your souls."

His sacrifice calls us to Him, enables us to be forgiven and live a holy life, so why wouldn't we want to live it that way? For me it is summed up in one word...LAZY. I would rather sleep in than spend time with God. I would prefer to pinterest or facebook rather than take time to pour His Word into my heart and mind.
Transformation...holy living...sacrificial love don't come at the drop of a hat. They come with concentrated, intentional effort. What can we do to live holy lives? Maybe for the next 28 days we could search God's Word for direction and post scriptures on the Sanctified Sisterhood FB site that talk about and encourage us to Holy Living? It has been said it takes 28 days to create a habit. So let's work together and create a habit of Holy Living!!!

BECOMING A MISSY FRANKLIN

There's a lot we can learn from young people! It's always been said that we can learn from older people but there are some amazing young people out there who display WAY more maturity than some adults I know. This is seen in the life of Missy Franklin. An ordinary girl with an incredible gift. That's how her family has approached her celebrity life. Missy has been blessed with an athletic gift for swimming. She has accomplished an amazing feat at the 2012 Olympics winning the Gold last night. But more than that she has made some choices in her life that have allowed her to remain humble and from some perspectives a "normal teenager". This is a compliment to her parents and how they have raised their daughter. For a 16 year old girl to make the decision to remain with her family while training for the Olympics is huge. For her to choose to stay in school and maintain her friend group and not isolate herself while preparing for this was thought by some to be insane. But Missy knew something that many of us forget - she knew she needed the support of not only her family and her coach but also her friends. Missy knew she wanted the love and community support of other believers behind her. God gave this young girl wisdom beyond her years and has enabled her to accomplish great things and she has given Him the glory.

Being a wife and mother of four and recently relocating to North Dakota - I'm realizing just how important it is to have that friend group, that core support of fellow believers that keeps you going. I am seeing just how hard it is when you are isolated and have to rely on JUST your family - not that this is a bad thing, but it IS difficult. There are days where I've watched us all be a bit irritated and "tired" of each other - but at the end of the day, we're grateful for one another. I think it's vitally important that we all remember just how much we need to be encouragers of one another. We need to be willing to set ourselves aside for the larger good and let God work. If you watch Missy's various interviews you will hear she and her parents talk about the choices they made. Choices that kept a young woman grounded and has allowed her to achieve great things. Choices NOT to accept sponsorships in order that this young woman could remain on her high school swim team. She didn't want to be a solo act.

As a husband and wife TEAM is important as well. As a family unit TEAM is important. None of us can or should go solo. God created us for fellowship. God created us to worship Him in fellowship, not as a solo act. As sinful human beings we are naturally geared towards selfishness and the "it's all about me" mentality. Next time you feel yourself being drawn that direction - think about being more like a Missy Franklin and be a blessing to others! Thank God for your husband and your family  because you are not alone. Take time to praise God for your church family, your friends, your support He's placed in your life! You never know, someday you might find yourself in the middle of nowhere North Dakota and be reminded just how much you should appreciate them. It's been a good reminder for me, one that I will not soon forget or take for granted.

COMMUNICATION TAKES EFFORT

One of the craziest things about being married is finding out that Daryl and I don't speak the same language. We went along for about 18 years without even realizing this was part of our problem. Then one day I was reading the book "Love and Respect" by Emerson Eggerich and it all became too clear! In his book Eggerich talks about the guy wearing blue hearing aids and the woman wearing pink ones or having blue and pink glasses. The day after I read this section on language barriers was my birthday. Daryl, who always works hard to provide for us, was debating on going to work (on a Saturday). I wanted him to go with the girls and I - we were just going to go to Longhorn's for a chocolate stampede.

This happened to be my all-time favorite dessert (still would be if I could eat it!) Anyway, on my insistence Daryl relented about going to work and reluctantly joined us for our trip to Longhorn. In the car we were both pretty sullen. I attempted to diffuse the situation using my newly acquired communication tactics. SO...I began to try to explain to Daryl about blue and pink hearing aids. I suggested his blue hearing aids were interpreting my request as "I want to go SPEND money and eat some cake at an expensive restaurant" while in the back of his mind he is thinking, "that means I need to go work a couple extra hours to cover the cost of this outing." And that in my mind I was thinking, "I want to spend time as a family and celebrate my birthday but I'm going to compromise eating an entire meal out and just go share this dessert and experience the fun we have while devouring something delectable."

I can't say that my attempts at communication were successful and it has taken a great deal of practice since that time to get to where we actually are communicating on the same "plane" and this doesn't always happen now - 4 years later. BUT - it definitely diffused the situation and we were able to go and enjoy the outing together with our children.

I think the greatest lesson I learned was that we really CANNOT read each others minds! I don't know why we even think we can. I have had many opportunities where I've had to call a "time out" and we have had to hash out our communications and line of thinking in order to get to the root of why a discussion was causing conflict. The amazing thing is now we are willing to discuss it, work through it and actually come to an understanding, whereas before, we would just clam up and stew about it and let it brood. This caused so much pain in our marriage! I highly recommend the book Love and Respect as an excellent tool for building a solid foundation of communication between a husband and wife. If you haven't read it - it's worth the resources of time and money to do so - TOGETHER!

Communication truly does take a TON of effort - but in the end it plays a key role in the strength of a marriage that is going to last!

SO LONG STATUS QUO! CAN MARRIAGES REALLY LAST??

“Cohabitation is increasingly becoming the first co-residential union formed among young adults."  This Cohabitating Study indicated that these marriages MIGHT last anywhere from 10-20 years. 

The "What's love got to do with it?" study estimates that a quarter of relationships will end within six years and 50 per cent by 25 years. 

One of the most disconcerting things for me about today's society is how commonplace it is for most relationships to take on the following progression - meet, date one or two times, have sex, move in together, get tired of each other and move out or maybe in about eight or ten years consider marriage. More alarming is how many cohabitating couples openly admit they will not marry because they're pretty sure they are not living with "the one." 

I am not here to condemn those who have chosen this lifestyle. I am really just wanting to encourage those who might be considering going against the "norm" and choose not to have sex before marriage. Those who choose not to cohabitate but may be looking for an alternative to societal status quo. 

You see, I am out to change the status quo because I too, as the case may be, did everything the way it is done today. I met my husband, at the time I was already divorced and had a child so we didn't even think waiting was necessary, we planned to move in together out of convenience (because we couldn't afford two apartments between the time I relocated to his area and the we could plan our wedding) and I justified it by getting engaged. Both of us came from families where both our parents had been together for many years and had not lived together. Both of us had grown up with religious up-bringing. Both of us had made bad decisions after high school that led to a ton of emotional baggage being brought into our marriage. My being divorced, having a child from another marriage, our living together before marriage - all were a recipe for disaster. Statistically we should have been divorced about 12 years ago - had our marriage been the "norm" we should have divorced at the 7-10 year mark and most definitely we will be divorced by our 25th Wedding Anniversary. But here's where the grace of God comes in. You see, at 5 years marriage and an additional 2 children later - were it not for the grace of God we most likely would have divorced. BUT GOD (I love when the Bible says this!) transformed my heart and my marriage and began to show us a better way! God began to place within both our hearts a desire to be committed to one another through thick and thin. He transformed our thinking to where we began to take our wedding vows seriously and began searching for something more than just cohabitation. Sounds strange since we were married and not just "cohabitating" but when you enter into a marriage from cohabitation it's hard to make the transition. Wedding vows are serious stuff but when the going gets tough they pale in the light of Hollywood standards and before we know it we're thinking we are no longer "in love" and looking for it in all the wrong places. 

As I have seriously studied what it takes to make a marriage last I have determined that my desire for my daughters would be to have them take an alternative route on the road less traveled. My heart's desire for them would be to eliminate some of those "marriage killer" statistical challenges and encourage them to go about the business of marriage from an unconventional direction. Our plan looks something like this...(Keep in mind we have all girls and this is from that perspective)

They've met someone they're are attracted to, before they get too emotionally attached or consider dating, bring him home to meet the parents. If at that time there are no red flags, then Dad and Mom will meet with the young man and discuss the Johnson family approach to "dating". Initially we request both our daughter and the young man define dating and with a clear understanding of the meaning of boundaries - create their boundaries for their relationship. If they both have mentors or strong Christian friends nearby we encourage them to set up accountability partners that will hold them to the boundaries they have implemented. (If they don't have that support network then her Dad and I become the accountability partners.) Boundaries are not unchanging - as the relationship progresses they are constantly redefined to hold the couple to their commitment of spiritual, emotional and physical purity. The intent of their dating relationship is to determine if this indeed is the person God has chosen for them to live out the rest of their lives with. 

Some questions to consider would be - Does this person assist me in deepening my relationship with Jesus Christ?  Does this person build me up? How does this person interact with my family? Are there any red flags I'm ignoring or justifying about our relationship? Is the attraction more than just physical? Do I place unrealistic expectations on this person - expectations that only Christ can fulfill? Does this person respect the boundaries in place or challenge them? Does my relationship cause me to be at odds with my family? (A great book to use during latter stages of this part of the relationship is 101 Questions to Ask Before You Get Engaged)

There is a natural progression from here - if this person is found to be their future spouse. While keeping with the boundaries, the couple moves from the point of "dating or courtship or dateship" whatever you want to call it - to becoming engaged. At this point questions asked become deeper and the focus is not just wedding planning but preparation for marriage. For the couple we recommend marriage preparation classes or going through the study Before You Say, "I Do", read the book Sacred Marriage, as well as going through a financial planning course by Dave Ramsey (Financial Peace University).

This is not the time to let boundaries and accountability slide - this is the time where the couple would "pick up their game" and keep their eye on the "finish line." On the day of their wedding they would exchange vows that they take very seriously and commit not only to love and to cherish from this day forward till death do they part but also commit not to get divorced. It's a bit of a foreign concept and maybe even superstition that would drive a couple NOT to even mention the word "divorce" on their wedding day but committing before God and family and friends to stay together forever with divorce not being an option, solidifies in a person's mind just how serious a commitment this truly is.  

But "being married" is not the end of this journey - no, it's just the beginning! It takes work to remain faithful, committed and true to the one you marry! Believe me, we've been working on this and one of the most rewarding things about marriage has been waking up every morning and being able to look at my man and realize how God has brought us together and how amazing it is that God has infused my heart with so much love for him. Since the day I allowed the Lord to come into my life and transform my heart, there has never been a time that I haven't pursued a deeper more Christ-centered marriage. Falling "out of love" is an emotionally based marriage. Loving without limits is foundation to a deeply committed, Christ-centered one. Daryl and I feel truly blessed to be in a marriage that will last "until death do us part." SO LONG STATUS QUO! :)