"No Smell of Smoke"

I wonder what it is that you are walking through right now that seeks to zap you of your faith, courage, hope, dream or passion? What is it that tempts you to believe that God is not as good as you had always thought? What fire seems to never die down, but instead seems to be heated up seven times hotter than before?

With tears trickling down her cheeks and a tender smile on her face, she shared the newest details of her fiery furnace experience. Amidst all the lies, wounds, secrets, dishonesty, she still held on to what God had said. Many unknowns surfacing daily, yet daily she is choosing to believe God. I see the glory of God on her face as she displays His peace and His grace.

I listened and inwardly wondered how I would react if I was the one tossed into this fiery furnace. Would I listen to the lies of the enemy threatening to destroy me or would I believe what I knew to be true about my God?

It was obvious that she believed Is. 43:2. “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze.”

Her life displayed an unwavering faith in God. She was facing the facts of what was really going on, but she chose truth over lies. He promised to be with her and never leave her alone. He promised to be her wisdom. He promised to guide her in the way she should go. He promised to provide for her.

We are all passing through something. The important thing is what we choose to believe while we are passing through. I love to declare, “I am passing through. This is not a forever sentence on my life, but I am passing through and He is with me.” Some of you need to join me and my dear friend and practice saying it with us. “I am passing through and He is with me.”

Have you ever noticed that when you pass through the water and the fire, your faith is increased? Your hope is built. You become anchored in His word, and you find Him faithful. You find yourself filled with courage and strength and you are certain it did not come from yourself. The next storm and the threatening heat of the next furnace do not seem quite so overwhelming. He did it before; therefore, I can believe He will do it again.

At the close of our time together, I told her, “I don’t smell smoke on you.” She stared at me with a questioning look. I reminded her of the story in the Bible found in Daniel 3. Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego had been thrown into the hotter than hot furnace because they would not bow down to the King’s newest gold idol. They believed in one true God and refused to worship any other even if it meant their lives. When the test was over and the furnace door opened, the three walked out unharmed.

The satraps, the prefects, the governors and the king’s counselors

gathered around them and saw that in regard to these men

the fire had no effect on their bodies—their hair was not singed,

their clothes were not scorched or damaged,

even the smell of smoke was not on them. Daniel 3:27

No smell of smoke! Now we all know that you can’t even roast one marshmallow without the smell of smoke being on you. Oftentimes we carry the smell of smoke on our lives because we want to cling to the fiery experience and be sure that everyone knows of our suffering. As I heard Joyce Meyer once say, “We are supposed to come through the test with a testimony, but often we come through with nothing but the moanies!” We moan and groan so that everyone will know how horrible it was. We wear our bitterness and pity around like a smelly smoke drenched robe. But, not this friend. She was praising God in the midst of the fire and His name was on her lips. Her faith in Him was declared. I believe she would say like the three furnace brothers:

If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from it and he will rescue us from your hand, O King. But even if he does not, we want you to know, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.” Daniel 3: 17,18

I find that the best way to turn smoke into praise is through thanksgiving. I look for all that I can be thankful for. I turn my focus from the flame to the fire of God that is Lord over the fire.

My friend, I invite you to join us as we choose to believe God as we are passing through. We choose that He will have the victory in all I am passing through. May I come through with no smell of smoke and giving glory and honor to the Most High God!

"SWEPT CLEAN"

The salty beach air quickly drew Ed into a deep sleep. Within seconds he suddenly awakened and told me of his silly dream. With business on his mind while we were vacationing for a few days, he dreamed about his guy’s back home working. In dreamland he was informing them that he had ordered a new tool for them. He emphatically told them that they did not need to wait for his return before using it. Funny thing is, the tool was a dustpan.

A dustpan is for removing dirt, trash, and waste. The floor is swept clean but then must be swept into the dustpan and thrown out. Please tell me that some of you have done the same as I. In a pinch, instead of taking time to grab the dustpan and totally remove the trash, you quickly sweep it behind the door or under the shelf to be properly removed at a later time.

I fear that the church of Jesus Christ, His beloved bride, is doing the same thing. We are giving a quick nod acknowledging God’s correction, but then we promptly sweep it in the corner or under the rug. Out of immediate sight, we are deceived into actually believing that the sin has been dealt with.

Sin calls for confession and repentance, not just acknowledgement!

When God says: “You did it; you thought it; you enabled it; you covered it; you ignored it, you judged it”, my response must be full agreement. I say, “Yes Lord, I confess it. You are right. Lord, forgive me. Thank you for your blood that cleanses me from this sin against you.” A simple nod is sweeping it in the corner.

We see it in Joshua 7 through the story of Achan. Against God’s command, Achan had stolen items that had been devoted to the Lord. He disobeyed and hid the stolen treasures in his tent. He dug a hole in the earth and tried to cover his sin. What he failed to remember was that God sees and knows all things. It was costly not only to himself but to all of Israel. His disobedience cost everyone. Hidden sin never disappears but grows tentacles birthing devastation to me and to those around me.

God is calling His church to clean up. We can’t wait for His return to use the dustpan. He is returning soon and He will return for a clean, pure spotless bride.

Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish. Eph. 5:25-27

Let us rejoice and be glad and give the glory to Him, for the marriage of the Lamb has come and His bride has made herself ready. It was given to her to clothe herself in fine linen, bright and clean; for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints. Rev. 19:7-8

Let’s invite Holy Spirit to search every corner; lift every rug; uncover every hidden thing that we might confess our sin and repent. The cross and His blood have given us all that is needed to be ready for His return. Lord, thank you for forgiveness!

Awake and Alert

And [I pray] that the eyes of your heart [the very center and core of your being] may be enlightened [flooded with light by the Holy Spirit], so that you will know and cherish the [a]hope [the divine guarantee, the confident expectation] to which He has called you, the riches of His glorious inheritance in the [b]saints (God’s people), 19 and [so that you will begin to know] what the immeasurable and unlimited and surpassing greatness of His [active, spiritual] power is in us who believe. These are in accordance with the working of His mighty strength. Eph. 1:18-19

Sitting on the deck overlooking the ocean, I was totally engrossed in my writing. The deafening sound caused me to flinch, but my eyes were locked on the computer screen. It was a familiar sound around our condo, because of the nearby air force base. Many times we have stopped and stared at the fighter jets practicing formation. It was only when my husband stepped outside to ask about it, that I realized I never even looked up to catch a glimpse of the jet. Rightly so, he was shocked because it sounded like it was flying right through our deck and into the room where he was. I had no answers to any of his questions because I never saw it.

Pause……

I’m sitting here now a little taller and definitely alert. I closed one document and quickly opened a new blank document. I may have missed the jet experience but I am very attuned to the Spirit that is now speaking.

The Spirit of God speaks in all things. He waits to be heard and seen and known. Even though I missed something in the natural, I will not miss the spiritual.

This is exactly how we go through much of life. Engrossed in our work or pleasure, the familiar sneaks right past us even when it shouts to be noticed. It’s not only the quiet hummingbird, but the terrific sonic boom. What glorious surprises we must miss! God’s creation all around! A familiar family member or friend! The pretty pink sky and the mist lying on the ground! The snore proving there is life! A whisper and a shout! A surprise just to delight us! The little daily things!

Common. Missed. Neglected. Ignored.

The familiar crowds out many delights and opportunities in life. The common becomes more common until we don’t even acknowledge it. It breaks my heart to think of how often I do this with family. I hear the familiar voice, but don’t even look up and give my full attention. I quickly take for granted the small. And then there is the silent scream for help that goes right past me like an unseen fighter jet.

A twenty-three year old memory jets into my thoughts. My heart was still breaking in grief over my deceased husband as I listened to the speaker that day tell how God had sustained her through her own March 3rd nightmare. As she shared her story I felt that I had met someone that knew me and would understand. I waited in a very long line while she graciously spoke to every woman as she autographed books. Knowing that I was last in line, I knew she had to be very tired and spent. I had decided to not connect with her on a personal level but speak and receive my treasured autographed book. As I stepped up to the table, I took a deep breath. I will never forget her response! “Yes? What were you about to say?” She heard me! She heard my soft gasp for air. She looked up with genuine love and treated me like the only person she had seen that day. She wooed me to share my story. Standing up from behind her book table, she held me and healed me.

Who are you missing? What is drowning out the holy?

Lord, awaken me! I have fallen asleep to the common and the familiar. I want to see and hear as you see and hear. Tenderize my heart to others around me. Open my eyes to the wonder of life. I want to live wide-eyed and mystified.