Empty Places

All of us have them or least used to have them. They are called “empty places” and they represent our deepest unmet needs and longings. Usually these empty places manifest themselves in unpleasant mannerisms such as a craving gone awry. They often appear as an insatiable need or desire such as craving too much food, too much attention, or even making unnecessary demands on people. In idle attempts we try to fill them with “things” or with “people.” However, those things cannot satisfy us longterm, and, therefore, we are stuck in a perpetual state of unsatisfaction.

I have previously experienced much failure in this area before I recognized that these empty places are not meant to be filled with anything or anyone but God. I’ve learned that only He can bring a deep satisfaction to my soul when I allow Him to fill my empty places. I have wasted many years in frustration and anger expecting something else or some one else to fill my cup. Thankfully, I have found that only Jesus can do that.

The interesting thing is that even though we may be a Christian, salvation does not equal satisfaction. I think that may explain why there are many Christians today who are living unhappy, unfulfilled, and unproductive lives. They may even wonder what is wrong with them and why they are not satisfied in the Christian life. While salvation is certainly a gift from God, we can only find satisfaction in Him as we daily and deliberately surrender all parts of our lives to Him. The first step to changing our dissatisfaction is in recognizing that we are still empty. Christ desires that all of His children find satisfaction and fullness in Him. It is not reserved for an elect few.

Satan desires to deceive Christians into believing that once they are saved there is really nothing else they have to do. This is truly a deception. Living a Spirit-filled life is the key to living a liberated and joyful life. However, it does require our participation. In essence, we must do a little something. It requires seeking after God with all of our hearts and pursuing a love relationship with Him. Moreover, it requires allowing the love of God to fully penetrate all areas of our lives as we surrender to Him in loving obedience. Interestingly, if we hold back certain areas of our lives from Him, those are the very areas where we will not be liberated. Simply put, if we do not have freedom in a particular area of your life, it is because we have not given Christ authority over it. Freedom flows where the Spirit of the Lord flows, and we often resist giving God full control over certain parts of lives. Then we wonder why we aren’t satisfied! As believers in Christ, even though the Spirit of the Lord is always in us, He can only flood the parts of our lives where we give Him full authority. So, the second step in filling our empty places is to withhold no part of our lives from His authority. Surrender. Let go and let God do what only He can do. Joyce Meyers once said, “Do all that you can do, and then let God do what you can’t do.”

I believe the third and most important step in filling our empty places is to come to the full realization of how incredibly much God loves us. Ephesians 3:17 tells us to be “rooted and established in love.” A tree is only as strong as its roots are deep. Likewise, the deeper our roots are in God, the more we will be able to withstand the trials and difficulties of life. Because God is love, He cannot make a decision for our lives that lies outside of His love for us. Yes, this includes difficulties too, which He often allows in order to grow us in character and perseverance. Jesus eagerly longs for us to know the depth of His immense love that surpasses all human understanding. We will only be able to fully grasp it as we get this power from His Spirit. Because His Spirit lives in us, we can grab hold of this power as we give all authority of our lives to Him.

Ask yourself today if you have any of these “empty places” that only God can fill—hardships, injustices, loneliness, or other unmet needs. I’m convinced that one of our greatest desires of all is to be loved unconditionally, and God alone can offer us this unfailing love. No matter what we do, He cannot help but love us for God Is Love. He wants to flood our lives with His love, but the fullness of God is not a one-time occurrence like salvation is. We must come to Him daily, confess our sins, pour out our hearts, acknowledge our empty places, and then invite Him to fill us. And remember--when we do our part to draw near to Him, He will come running to us. He’s waiting to fill all of our empty places with His lavish love. The question is, “Will we come to Him?”

Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. 2 Corinthians 3:17

And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. 1 John 4:16

Satisfy us in the morning with your unfailing love that we may sing for joy and be glad all our days. Psalm 90:14

Come all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat!...Why spend money on what is not bread, and your labor on what does not satisfy? Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good, and your soul will delight in the richest of fare. Give ear and come to me; hear me, that your soul may live. Isaiah 55:1-3

Forgive and Forget

I excitedly hurried downstairs to wish my husband a happy anniversary. It had been 19 years filled with love and joy, as well as pain and sorrow, and all the other ups and downs expected in a good marriage. What I didn’t expect was the look of shock on my husband’s face. He was mortified as he totally forgot our anniversary. He always bragged about how he could never forget it since it is just two before taxes are due—April 13th. I did not want to add more grief to his already sorrowful emotions, so I simply said, “That’s okay. I know you have a lot on your mind.” He left for work deeply troubled over his ability to forget something so important. I’ll never forget what he said as I was trying to excuse his forgetfulness. “You only get so many anniversaries in your lifetime, 50 if you’re extremely fortunate, and there is simply no excuse to forget even one of them.” I must admit, deep down, it felt a little good that he was so remorseful over the whole thing. At least I knew he did care for me.

Later on that day I took a long walk outside. It was a sunny day and the temperature was perfect. It is amazing how a beautiful day can put a spring in your step. I was listening to my Ipod and praising God as I was happy to be alive and well. I did share a few small tears over the mere thought that a day so important to me could literally fly off the radar screen for someone I loved so much. Yet, I could hear God whisper to me, “Diana, I haven’t forgotten. Happy Anniversary, my child. I love you.” And then it occurred to me that He loves me so immeasurably more than I can even imagine. Can’t that be good enough? Must I always want more from others? Others who make mistakes and are just as human as I am? In those moments with Him, I realized that YES, it is enough. God’s love and affirmation is truly all I need. Everything else is just “icing on the cake.” In fact, I am convinced that is why I was able to forgive him so easily. I would not allow the enemy to wound me by attempting to make me feel unloved. I know that I am a child of God who is loved very much indeed. No human error will ever erase that fact.

It also occurred to me that God is a God who never forgets. And He sees everything, even those seemingly menial tasks that we do for our family day after day… endless loads of laundry, dirty dishes that never remain clean, tedious meal preparation, etc., etc. He sees and He knows. The tears you cry for your hurting friend, the insecurity you feel when you’re having a bad day, and the pain you feel in your heart when your kids make bad choices. Yet time after time we tend to run to others to make us feel better. Why can’t we just run to Him? He alone knows and sees!

I challenge you, as well as myself, to forgive those who let you down, and then remember that only God can never forget. Remember, He has even engraved you on the palms of His hands. I sincerely believe the more we run to Him, the less we will expect of others. And the ironic thing is, when He is all we need, we’ll gain even more. We’ll gain peace of mind, security, and trust, because we know that He never forgets.

Just so you know, God gave my husband an opportunity to redeem himself on our anniversary. That afternoon our daughter fell and slightly twisted her ankle, and the school nurse could not contact me. She called my husband, and he left work to pick her up. When I came home from work that afternoon, he was standing in the kitchen, a dozen red roses and a lit candle were on the table, and a lovely dinner was cooking in the oven. Isn’t God just amazing? I forgave my husband by letting the matter go and instead received God’s love and affirmation. And because God doesn’t forget—Lo and behold, my hubby pulled through!

Though my father and mother forsake me, the Lord will receive me. Psalm 27:10

…though she may forget, I will not forget you! See, I have engraved you on the palm of my hands. Isaiah 49:15

Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven….for with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. Luke 6:37

Get Moving!

I have a question for you. Do you think that God can do anything? I do. But I also believe that we often hinder God by our own passivity and inactivity. I’m sure you’ve heard of the story of the man who is drowning and yet refuses help. This man finds himself struggling to stay afloat in a huge sea. He calls out to God for help and before long a big ship arrives to save the man from drowning. He refuses the help because he is praying to God for rescue. He continues struggling to stay afloat. He cries out to God again asking for His help and another boat arrives. “No, thanks, I’m praying to God to save me.” The boat moves on. Now desperate for help, the man cries out to God, “Please, please, save me Lord. I’m drowning.” One last time a small boat arrives to rescue the man. He turns this boat away too because he is waiting on the Lord to save him. He drowns. When he sees Jesus face to face in heaven he asks the Lord why He allowed him to drown. After all, he’d prayed intently for deliverance. The Lord answers, “My child, I sent three boats to come and rescue you, but you turned each one of them away.” Wow! That speaks volumes. It tells me that “Yes” the Lord is ready, willing, and able to do anything; however, He often invites us to participate in our deliverance. In fact, more often than not, our participation is required! I call that “active” faith. Passive faith sits back and does nothing. Nothing of course, except maybe pray. Pray that God will take care of it all. Sometimes there is a place for that sort of prayer. Things are out of our control, out of our reach. But often there is something that we can do. I believe Jesus is saying, “Come on, let’s do it together.”

I recently listened to a sermon by Joyce Meyers that profoundly struck me. She proceeded to say that God promises to turn things around in our lives, but there is action we must take. The first thing we can do is change our mind. The second thing is to change our attitude. Simple yet profound! We must ask God what we can do to make our situation better. And then we just need to do what we can do, and let God do what we can’t do. Did you hear that?

JUST DO WHAT YOU CAN DO, AND LET GOD DO WHAT YOU CAN’T DO!

I just love that. It shows us that God is waiting on us. We should not just kick back and do nothing, yet expect Him to undo what we’ve done. Take for instance the drowning man. He obviously got himself into the water somehow. Now he’s begging God to undo the dilemma he got himself into. Maybe there is a relationship in your life that has gone awry. Could there be something that God wants you to do to rectify it? Or are you asking Him to take care of it all?

In John 5 a story is told of an invalid man who was waiting to receive healing at the pool of Bethesda. Many blind, lame and paralyzed were there expecting the healing waters to cure them of their ailments. Jesus came up to the man and asked him, “Do you want to get well?” The man made up excuses that he had no one to help him get into the pool and when he tried someone else got in ahead of him. I love Jesus’ response. He didn’t just tell him, he ordered him, “Get up! Pick up your mat and walk.” At once the man was cured. The ironic thing about this story is that usually faith in Jesus is essential to the cure. In this case, the man thought the curative power was in the waters. He did not even know who Jesus was. This explains that while Jesus usually heals in response to faith, He is not limited by a person’s lack of it. Praise God! He has mercy on all of His children.

A change in your attitude can truly change your life. Change is vital for growth. Furthermore, it only comes because we confront the fear in our lives. My challenge for you is to Get Moving! Does something need to change or do you need to change something? Don’t sit around and be a victim. Pity is not power. Believe that with God you can do anything. God will grant you favor. Stop telling Him what you’re not and start looking at who He is! Be courageous. Remember, courage is not the absence of fear but the will to move forward in spite of it. Don’t allow Satan to keep you in defeat and discouragement. Take back what he has stolen. God has a wonderful and abundant life waiting for each one of His children. Will you settle for mediocrity and sit idly by doing nothing to make your situation better? Or will you Get Up and Get Moving? The choice is Yours to make.

“Do you want to get well?...Get up! Pick up your mat and walk.” John 5:6, 5:8

“Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.” Deut 31:6

Outgrown your Shell?

Everyone loves to be on a “spiritual high.” You know what I’m talking about—those times when being in God’s presence is a sheer joy and you take delight in spending precious moments with Him as He illumines your mind to new truths. These mountain-top experiences lift you to a heightened awareness of His presence and goodness. I have been experiencing these lately and quite honestly, I do not want to descend the mountain. By the grace of God, I recently completed writing my memoir—On Eagle’s Wings: A mother’s story of hope and healing amidst suffering and loss. The last year and a half has been filled with tears as I recalled the experience of losing my 9 year old son to death. In order to accurately document my story, I needed to return to a difficult time in my past and relive the pain again. I welcomed God’s presence as I painstakingly wrote chapter after chapter. I felt His fresh wounds alongside mine. I know that I was not journeying alone—Jesus was with me all along. Since completing my book, I have been on that mountain-top experiencing so much love from not only God Himself but also from others who have read my story. I sense His approval as I feel His favor resting on me. What a wonderful place to be!

What do you do, however, when you find yourself in that valley and your spiritual energy is zapped and the former communion you shared with God has become rote, dull, and even stagnant? Maybe you are feeling bored with reading the Scriptures and distracted in your prayers. Ironically, we’ve all been there too. I think sometimes God allows us to go back down to the valley, not to punish or discipline, but to allow a fresh hunger to rise up inside of us. While it is wonderful to savor pleasant God-experiences, they are not meant to sustain us in the long haul. I believe that God desires for us to seek Him in new and fresh ways, continually growing deeper in our knowledge and awareness of Him. It is inevitable that old practices and rituals will only become stale after awhile, and could even cause us to feel as if we have hit a “dead end” in our relationship with the Lord. Maybe it is time to put those formerly comfortable disciplines aside to try something new.

As a hermit crab eventually outgrows the shell on its back and has to go in search of a new one that is roomier, we too may feel a need to move in a new and different structure in order to accommodate the growth spurt God intends for us. As Christians I don’t believe we are supposed to settle for spiritual mediocrity. However, we need to do our part in helping to effectuate the change and growth that God desires for us. We can’t sit idly by and do nothing. Even the hermit crab will leave its formerly comfortable shell in search of a new one. We also must leave behind old, unproductive practices in search of new ones.

There are many spiritual disciplines we can use to draw closer to God. You need not look any further than within yourself. Maybe you can establish a new habit of spending the first five minutes when you awake in conscious awareness of God. Before even getting out of bed, think of Him, talk to Him, and let Him order your day. Or maybe throughout the day you can offer up “breath prayers,” which are simply phrases you say to God within a breath. “Give me a heart for you,” or “Help me to abide in you.” It doesn’t matter what you do, simply seek to draw closer to Jesus as you become aware of His presence within you. Don’t settle for spiritual dryness. And above all, don’t wait too long. Sometimes the hermit crab waits too long to venture out of its comfortable shell to find its new home. When it can’t find one fast enough, it dies, unable to protect itself from the weather and other oceanic species. Move forcefully beyond the stagnation and expand your horizons. There may just be another mountain-top experience awaiting you.

"Call to me and I will tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know." Jeremiah 33:3

The Lord says, "These people come near to me with their mouth and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Their worship of me is made up only of rules taught by men." Isaiah 29:13

"You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart." Jeremiah 29:13

I'm Waiting!

One of the most difficult things for me to do is to wait. Waiting involves patience, and they say patience is a virtue. It is a virtue that I have difficulty obtaining! I just hate waiting in long grocery lines, I get impatient when traffic keeps me from moving forward, and I loathe waiting and waiting and waiting in doctor’s offices. Don’t they know that I, too, have plans later on that day and cannot sit needlessly in an office just waiting? Can you identify with any of these irritations? Before I say that I am a lost cause, I must admit that God has been diligently working with me on this very matter, and ever so slowly I am getting better!

Have you ever wondered what God is up to you in your life and why on earth He seems to take so long in answering your prayers? Or maybe you are waiting on God to reveal a new path or direction for your life. Why does He seem to tarry so? We easily grow impatient waiting for God’s apparent delays. The ironic thing is that when we take matters into our own hands because we are not willing to wait, oftentimes trouble comes into our lives due to our sometimes reckless haste. You know what I’m talking about—taking that job you really shouldn’t have and now you are miserable. Making hasty plans without waiting for confirmation and now all your plans are falling apart. The list goes on an on. Then we wonder why God allowed this dissatisfaction or disaster to come upon us. While it is true that oftentimes God does take His time in answering us, usually it is because the things we ask for may require a long time in their preparation for us. In reality, it is not because He is slow. Sometimes it is simply because WE are the slow learners and He knows He needs to walk slowly with us to teach us a thing or two.

These are the times when God is actually waiting on us. He has so many blessings to give us, but we fail to receive them because we are the ones who do not go forward with Him. It is almost as if we expect Him to do it all. We lift up a quick prayer and then expect Him to move in our behalf. Because of His loving-nature, he often does just that. Other times, it is as if our requests have fallen on deaf ears. We implore Him over and over but He still does not answer us. Could it be that He is the one waiting for some action from us? Over-waiting is not the best course of action either. While it is true that at times we need to just be still, other times we need to put feet to our faith and move forward. Yes, get off that cozy couch and move! Christianity is not passive, but rather proactive. Many divine promises are conditioned upon the beginning of some action on our part. Notice I say the beginning. God isn’t expecting us to do it all—He just wants to see us prayerfully and trustingly moving forward. If we take the wrong step, He is sure to redirect us.

Take Abraham for instance. Great things were promised to him but first he was required to leave his home in Chaldea and go out into unknown territory. Then there were the 10 lepers who were told by Jesus to go show themselves to the priests for healing. Were they healed instantly? No. Were they healed when they finally arrived and saw the priests? No. They were healed “on the way”. They had to do something and it required faith to do it. They obeyed Jesus and began moving forward. It was then that they were cleansed. What about the Israelites who crossed the Red Sea to evade their enemies? God waited to part the Red Sea until their feet touched the water.

God is looking for prayerful men and women of unwavering faith. His desire is for us to come to Him for everything, but also to press forward because our trust and faith is in Him. We will fight battles here on earth, but victory comes through Christ who fights by our side and it is in Him that we are conquerors. If we wait on the sidelines with fear and trembling for our Helper to come before we join in the battle, we will have waited in vain. This is actually called the over-waiting of unbelief. God does want to pour forth His richest blessings on us, but I think in order to do so, He requires us to press forward with bold confidence and rightfully take what is ours.

So next time you start to question God and why he is so slow in answering your prayers, take a long hard look at yourself and boldly ask Him if there may, in fact, be something that you should be doing instead. Maybe it is really God waiting on You!

But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. 2 Peter 3:8-9

Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob. He will teach us his ways, so that we may walk in his paths. Isaiah 2:3

Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, “This is the way; walk in it.” Isaiah 30:21

Yet the Lord longs to be gracious to you; he rises to show you compassion. For the Lord is a God of justice, Blessed are all who wait for him! Isaiah 30:18

The Wake-Up Call

Yesterday my 17 year old son’s life flashed in front of him. He was in an accident which could have taken his life. While changing lanes on the highway he encountered a roadblock. He swerved to keep from hitting this unknown object at 65 mph when he lost control of his car. He crossed 3 lanes of traffic and drove into a deep ravine when his air bags deployed. He stopped only feet from the other side of the highway into oncoming traffic. The object he avoided hitting was cushions for a sofa that must have fallen off of a truck. Needless to say our entire family was shook up and only after we were safe at home did we release all of our emotions.

My son realized that he had his very own “wake-up” call. We can gratefully praise God that he was not hurt, nor were any other vehicles involved. He was truly protected from a potential hazardous accident. Yes, his vehicle was totaled, but it was a small price to pay for his life. He forgot to fasten his seatbelt and only moments before the accident did he hear a voice whisper to his heart to fasten his seatbelt. That voice was the sweet Holy Spirit who guides and comforts us.

This morning I stopped to think of how many times God diverts danger on our behalf. We cannot even comprehend how much He loves us and what He does to protect and woo us to Himself. Unfortunately far too often we are guilty of becoming so consumed with our own lives and our own agendas that we give little thought or attention to our mighty God. Until tragedy or disaster strikes, that is. Then our eyes momentarily look upward. May we regard them as serious “wake-up” calls. May we wake up to what is really important in life. May we wake up to loving our families and those He places in our paths. May we wake up to the importance of having a vibrant relationship with the God who created us and loves us more than we can ever imagine. May we wake up and stop giving him the scraps of our day. May we wake up to stop the complaining, arguing, and materialism that we are so wrapped up in. Life is so precious. Jesus tells us that we are but a mist that is here for a short while and then we are gone. Why do we squander our life away pursuing useless things that we think will make us happy? Haven’t we realized yet that these “things” are only temporary? Only a relationship with Jesus can bring us true fulfillment and a joy that surpasses all understanding. We must stop our busyness to make time for God. That is the only way will grow in knowledge and love.

This morning I was led to Isaiah 55, an Invitation to the Thirsty. How very appropriate! Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost. Why spend money on what is not bread, and your labor on what does not satisfy? Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good, and your soul will delight in the richest of fare.

God is saying that food and other things cost money, last only a short while and meet only our physical needs. But He offers free nourishment that feeds our souls. To nourish our souls we must come to Him and eagerly receive it. We will starve spiritually without this food just as we would starve physically without daily bread.

The time is here. The time is now. Hear the call. The Father of creation is beckoning you. If you seek Him you will find Him. Don’t wait for a wake-up call. Turn to Him now. Don’t wait for tragedy, sickness, or financial ruin before you come. I urge you to not wait. Today may be all you have. God loves you too much to leave you where you are and if necessary He will allow these little “wake-up” calls to remind you to turn to Him while He may be found. Don’t put it off one more second.

Remember, every decision becomes a destination. Today you face a choice. Your eternal life depends on it.

Now choose life, so that you and your children may live and that you may love the Lord your God, listen to His voice, and hold fast to Him. Deut 30:19

Choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve. Joshua 24:15

Seek the Lord while he may be found; call on him while he is near. Isaiah 55:6

Let your Light Shine!

I once heard a story about a man who was a source of encouragement and inspiration to others. His face radiated with love and it was obvious he spent much time with Jesus. One day a bold friend approached him to inform him that he missed seeing the light shine in him as he was always greatly encouraged by his strong faith. Deeply troubled the man contacted an elder in the church to ask how he can get his “light to shine again.” Unable to give him a good answer, the elder went to the library to do some research and thereafter was able to give him a good response.

In order for a light to shine and work properly it needs 3 things:

• First, it needs to be connected to a power source. Without the power source, it will not shine or produce any light whatsoever.


• The light itself needs to be in working order. In other words, no filaments within the light can be broken. It can be connected to a power source, but if the light itself is broken, then the light will not shine.


• The light can be connected to a power source, and the light itself can be in good working order, but if it is covered by a blanket or covering of some kind, then the light will be substantially dimmed and not shine brightly.
  
  The analogy of this light is as follows:


• We can be morally upright persons, do acts of service throughout our church and community, and sin infrequently, yet our light will not shine because we are not connected to God, the ultimate power source. We may be a Christian yet are not “walking” with Him. We may feel rushed, busy, preoccupied, and have made no time for him. When we try to skip the relationship to start “doing” things for God or we live our lives as Sunday Christians, we are not connected to the power source. We rob God of the glory he deserves and our lives cannot shine as brightly as if God were living intimately in us.


• We can be connected to God and love Him with all of our hearts, yet if we have “broken parts” or unconfessed sin in our lives, our light will not shine. Unconfessed sin stands between us and a holy God and breaks close fellowship with Him. Only a humble and repentant heart will shine brightly.


• We can be Christians walking faithfully with God, have no “broken parts” or unconfessed sin in our lives, yet our light still doesn’t shine brightly because we are walking around with a heavy covering. We may be plugged in to the power source, yet this covering is keeping our light from shining the way it is intended to. It is as if we are walking around in darkness. This heavy covering could be a burden that we are unnecessarily carrying around because we have not released it to God. It could be a broken relationship or a problem or some other issue we have not handed over to God. So, we are trying to “shine” in our own strength. God wants to be intimately involved in every aspect of our lives and doesn’t want us to walk around with heavy burdens.
  
  Take some time today to evaluate how brightly you are shining for the Lord. Has your light dimmed? Do you feel disconnected to God? Remember, in order for a light to shine brightly, it needs these three things. Without any one of them, a light will not shine brightly, and may only be a dim flicker.
  
  I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness. John 12:44
  
  I have made you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring salvation to the ends of the earth. Acts 13:47
  
  For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness, made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ. 2 Cor 4:6
  
  Come, O house of Jacob, let us walk in the light of the Lord. Isaiah 2:5
  
  Your Word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path. Psalm 119:105