The Rescue Inhaler

The Rescue Inhaler

There is a new policy being put into place at the hospital where I work.  Those of us who work on the financial side will be required to start wearing dress clothes to work.  Being that my closet is full of scrubs, I needed to start shopping.  As a woman who tries to live frugally, I headed to the local Goodwill for their half price day.

As I walked into the store, I was clearly a woman on a mission.  However, as an asthmatic, I quickly realized I had entered a dangerous place.  While I was going through the racks of clothing, it was becoming increasingly harder to breathe.  The scents of the numerous laundry soaps which had been used on the clothing, along with the body scents of the previous owners was overpowering.  I quickly reached for my rescue inhaler to ease my discomfort.

I saw some spiritual insights to be gained from this experience.  In a spiritual sense, we can be overwhelmed by the “scents” of this world.  For instance, we can watch television shows that portray murder, violence, and immorality.  We can watch as Hollywood mocks Christianity.  The music we listen to can get deep into our spirit.  If we aren’t careful about what we listen to, we will find that it can deeply affect our thinking.  As an asthmatic struggles to breathe in an unhealthy environment, Christians can struggle to have the breath of God breathing through us when we aren’t faithful to be in His Word.

While at Goodwill, I was seeking to find clothing that had been worn by someone else.  In a spiritual sense, if we aren’t careful to nurture our spirits, we will find that we are dressing ourselves in the dirty, stinky clothing of this world.  Some examples of this clothing are anger, rage, bitterness, envy, lust, selfishness, greed, and jealousy.

When we find we’ve taken on the clothing of this world, just as I reached for my rescue inhaler, we can reach for Jesus.  He is our Rescue Inhaler.  As we inhale on Him and His Word, our spiritual breath will become refreshed, renewed, and restored.

Do you need to reach for your spiritual Rescue Inhaler?

© 2011, Stacy R. Miller

The Blessing of Forgetfulness

The Blessing of Forgetfulness

Paul talks in Philippians 3:13-14 about how he focused on forgetting the past and looking forward to what was ahead of him. When I did a word study on the word “forgetting,” I discovered a couple of interesting things.

First, forgetting is an active obliteration. This was certainly true of Paul. He said he focused on forgetting the past. To focus on something requires a lot of active concentration and diligence on our part. Paul spoke in 2 Corinthians 10:5 of taking the bad, evil thoughts captive. He recognized that a spiritual war took place in his head when he battled his thoughts.

Secondly, forgetting in its present tense, means that it is ongoing. Paul didn’t just decide one day that he would forget the past, and it was done. No, this was an ongoing battle. You have to choose to keep forgetting past mistakes, past failures, past lies that the enemy will try to drudge up on a daily basis.

As you continue to be vigilant in guarding your thoughts, and replacing negative, ungodly thoughts with powerful truths in the Word, you will one day find that you truly do forget the past in the sense that you are no longer bound to it. You are truly set free. Oh what a blessing it is to have this kind of forgetfulness!

© 2014, Stacy R. Miller

Merry Christmas!

Spiritual Landmines

Spiritual Landmines

My nephew served several months in Afghanistan.  One thing he said they always had to watch out for was landmines.  They were everywhere.  With each step they took, they had to be consciously looking for those landmines.  Failure to do so could be deadly.

In our walk with the Lord, we need to be careful what steps we take.  If we veer off the course the Lord has set before us, we may find ourselves stepping on a spiritual landmine which can seriously injure our testimony or destroy us spiritually.

For instance, perhaps we start having too intimate of a conversation with a coworker of the opposite sex.  Before we know it, we are caught up in an emotional or physical affair.  The spiritual landmine could easily blow up and destroy our marriage.

Another example is by emotional eating.  I have struggled with this issue, so I can speak from experience.  When we fall into the trap of emotional eating, we set food up as our “god” of choice when we should be running to the Lord for all of our needs.  Too much of this spiritual landmine can cause us to literally “blow up,” as in, our body expands and we no longer fit into our clothes.  This cycle is a hard one to break too.  The clutches of the enemy go deep and are hard to loosen.

Another example is when we veer off course by refusing to forgive others.  There are so many “landmines” that can explode in our lives when we choose to hold onto bitterness and resentment.  Medical science has shown that doing so can lead to colitis, heart attack, panic attacks, high blood pressure, and a myriad of other conditions.

By being cautious of our steps, and daily keeping our spirits in tune with the Lord, we can avoid stepping on spiritual landmines.
© 2014, Stacy R. Miller

Spam

Spam
In this world of technology, spam no longer refers to a can of meat you find in the grocery store. Rather, it is a term for junk mail.

In a spiritual sense, we also deal with spam on a daily basis. It is those unwanted, negative, nasty, ungodly thoughts the enemy will impose upon us. It might be thoughts like:

· You are worthless.
· You don’t have any spiritual gifts.
· Nobody loves you or cares about you.
· God has forgotten you.
· You will never overcome this habit.
· Things will never get better.
· God won’t forgive you.
· You will always be a ______.
· Who are you to think you are a good Christian?

In our world of technology, we quickly hit the delete button, and our spam is gone. In a spiritual sense, we can take action to get rid of the spam Satan tosses in our direction:

· Think upon things that are true, honorable, right, pure, lovely, and admirable. (Philippians 4:8)
· Cast down any thoughts or imaginations that exalt themselves against the knowledge God’s word. (2 Corinthians 10:5)
· Set our minds on heavenly things, not on earthly things. (Colossians 3:2)

As we are steadfast in taking action against spiritual spam, our thoughts will begin to change little by little. We will find that the daily spiritual spam becomes less over time because the enemy will see that we no longer “read” his mail.

© 2014, Stacy R. Miller

Ephesians 1

Ephesians 1 Amplified Bible (AMP)

¹⁷ [For I always pray to] the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, that He may grant you a spirit of wisdom and revelation [of insight into mysteries and secrets] in the [deep and intimate] knowledge of Him,

I frequently pray for God to grant me a spirit of wisdom and revelation, and even more so as we see the beginning of all things (when the Lord sets up His kingdom) drawing near.  So when I’m praying for that, I am often focused on the turbulent things we know we must face before that new beginning.  I am looking to Him for any “secrets” He wants to reveal to me regarding things to come, things I need to do to prepare, etc.

I was going through this chapter and writing in my notebook things that stood out to me.  So after this verse that I pray so often, I see this:

¹⁸ By having the eyes of your heart flooded with light, so that you can know and understand the hope to which He has called you, and how rich is His glorious inheritance in the saints (His set-apart ones),

¹⁹ And [so that you can know and understand] what is the immeasurable and unlimited and surpassing greatness of His power in and for us who believe…

This verse stood out because it’s like He’s saying, “Ok, daughter, now here’s a reminder for you in the midst of the dark, turbulent times — I can still flood your heart with my light so that you remember the hope to which I have called you AND so you can remember that in the midst of the battle, you still have available to you an immeasurable, unlimited, great power because you believe.”

What an encouragement!

Simulator

Simulator

I took my daughter to a local college to attend an annual event where they had many hands-on activities.  One of the popular attractions this year was a flight simulator.

Just as a flight simulator imitates flying without actually taking flight, I began to wonder if we are ever Christian simulators.  Do we do all the right things?  Do we say all the right phrases?  Do we simulate to others that we are Christians, when in reality, we act totally different behind closed doors?

Matthew 7:22-23 tells us about some Christian simulators.  Jesus makes it very clear that not all who prophesy, drive out demons, and perform miracles will actually enter the kingdom of heaven.  He specified that it is the ones who do the Father’s will who will be welcomed into His kingdom.

I think it is helpful to take as assessment of our own fruit once in a while.  Jesus tells us that if a branch bears no fruit, it is will be cut off, thrown into the fire, and burned. (John 15:2, 6) If we feel that we are not bearing much fruit, we may need to ask the Lord to prune us so that we will be more fruitful.

You may think, “It is painful to be pruned!”  Having experienced the feel of a knife pruning away some scar tissue several years ago, I know how bad it can hurt, even if given something to numb the pain.  Believe me – I still felt the sting of that scalpel!  So, I am not going to lie to you.  Yes, going through the pruning process will hurt, but at the end, we will be a real work of God’s grace and mercy.  That is much better than being a simulator!  A simulator is only pretend.  We want to be the real thing!

© 2006, Stacy R. Miller

Serving His Purposes

Serving His Purposes

A pregnant teenager, a chronic illness, terminal cancer, losing your job, or even divorce….All of these can invoke fear. Such devastating news can shake us to the core of our being. It is in times like these when we are most tempted to ask, “Why, God?”

The world in which we live is so unstable these days. Honestly, I have battled some fear as I see the frequent reports of beheadings from ISIS. It makes me wonder, would I be able to stand firm in faith if ISIS suddenly invaded my city?

I have to admit – several years ago, as I was watching things play out when Obama first ran for president, it evoked fear in me. I had to remind myself that God is the One who sets up kings and deposes them. Every time I started to pray that Obama wouldn’t
get elected, the Holy Spirit would gently speak to me, saying, “What if he is God’s man for such a time as this?” I knew at that point who was going to win the election, and it wasn’t going to be the candidate I wanted.

Psalm 119:91 tells us that everything serves God’s purpose. (NLT) When I look at situations in light of this verse, it changes my outlook. Though my choice for president wasn’t who I wanted, I can rest assured, knowing God will cause Obama to serve His purpose. And from the looks of all that is transpiring in our world, I believe the Lord is using that man to help usher in the last days. Even so, come Lord Jesus!

I have a dear friend who was raised by an alcoholic parent whose numerous husbands/boyfriends molested her. She ended up in a marriage with an abusive, adulterous man. Instead of turning bitter over the many wrongs done to her, she embraced the Savior who felt every ounce of her pain. She is letting her pain serve His purpose. Through that experience, she started working in a battered women’s shelter, offering hope to others who were in the same scenarios she once faced.

I know another lady whose grandbaby died unnecessarily, due to the hospital’s error. Rather than wallow in self-pity, she has risen from her ashes to embrace another lady who lost her infant grandson. Out of the depths of her grief, she is serving God’s purposes.

Another precious sister discovered she has a serious heart disease and needs a heart transplant. Even though she is greatly challenged by her own health issues, she continues to reach out to another sister in Christ who received the same devastating diagnosis. Her own physical ailments fuel her compassion to serve God’s purposes.

I have watched ladies in our church rise above the dreaded words from their teenage daughters, “Mom, I’m pregnant.” They have reached out to others who are now going through the same experience, offering them a listening and compassionate ear, offering them hope.

I have even seen a lady whose son is in prison open her arms to embrace another lady whose son recently got sent to prison. It has been beautiful to watch a new friendship evolve between these two dear sisters. I have seen a man whose son was in prison get involved in prison ministry. His own devastation became the impetus to move him to reach out to others behind prison walls.

Romans 8:18 reminds us that our present sufferings aren’t worth comparing to the glory that will be revealed in us. When we rise above our situation, seeking for God to use our pain for His purposes, we will experience some of that glory on this earth.

We are told that all things work together for good for God’s children. (Romans 8:28) Any hardship we face can be God’s instrument to conform us into the likeness of His Son. Even our trials can be turned to gold and serve His purposes.

© 2014, Stacy R. Miller

Rejoice

Rejoice!

We live in a very covetous society.  Unfortunately, that attitude has become prevalent in the church.

We are told to rejoice with those who rejoice.  This is very easy, provided that others are not rejoicing over something we desire, yet have not obtained.

Perhaps the secretarial job at church has an opening.  You have secretly desired this job for several years.  You apply for the job and go through an interview, only to discover someone else got the job.  Can you rejoice with the lady who got the job you coveted?

Another scenario might be in coordinating a large function at church.  While you may not be the head of the committee, you have used a lot of your time and your talents to help this endeavor be successful.  When the leadership presents flowers and a generous gift to the lady who headed up the committee, can you rejoice with her as she is honored?  Or do you suddenly go green with envy?

How do you feel when the class you teach has a lower attendance than the mid-week women’s study?  Do you get jealous because the other class seems to thrive?  Do you feel bitterness because you feel others do not see any value in your class?

You may think, “Oh, what does she know?  She has never been in this situation!”  Oh, but I have!  I have taught Sunday school for several years.  For a short period of time, I was also teaching on Wednesday nights.

When the Wednesday night classes began to thrive under the leadership of another lady, it would have been easy for me to become jealous when her classes began to draw two to three times as many women as my class did.  I could have been bombarded with questions that threatened my sense of self-worth.  Instead, I was able to rejoice in her success.  What made the difference?

1. I know who I am in Christ, and it is not dependent upon how many people attend my classes.
2. Whether I succeed or fail has nothing to do with success of the other class.
3. I know God has gifted us differently.  While we both teach, her approach is much different than mine, and I enjoy sitting under her teaching.
4. My passion is for people to attend classes at church, whether it is my class or someone else’s.
5. By joyfully submitting myself to someone else’s teaching, I keep a teachable spirit.
6. By rejoicing in the success of her class, I have been able to embrace women who do not attend my class, and enjoy getting to know them.
7. By rejoicing in how God is using her, I can affirm and encourage her.

It boils down to what attitudes we choose.  King Saul chose to be jealous of David.  He refused to rejoice when the crowds praised David.  Instead, he became filled with bitter jealousy that led him to try and murder David.

It is no different for us.  If I refused to rejoice in the success of the other class, I would not have enjoyed the class, nor would I have the blessing of making some new friends.  I would have “murdered” what God wanted to do in me through the teachings there.  If I had become bitter, it would have “murdered” my ability to effectively teach my own class.

If I allowed envy to fill my heart, even if I did not speak critical things to her face, I likely would have spoken negative things against her teaching behind her back, “murdering” her character before other people.  Instead, by choosing to rejoice, my blessings are too numerous to count!

The choice is ours – we can choose to have a murderous attitude, like King Saul.  Or, we can do what the Word tells us – rejoice with those who rejoice. (Romans 12:15)
© 2007, Stacy R. Miller