Meandering Through Life

Do you ever feel like you are meandering through life with no direction or guidance?  Getting turned around with every twist and turn in the road? 

Sheep roam in the fields or on mountains looking for the next green patch of grass or the next crystal clear stream.  They are by nature meanderers.  So, it is not shocking when one sheep gets separated from the flock.  Thus the need for shepherds.

Many places in the Bible we are referred to as "little sheep" or "lambs".  And it also tells us that we are not to be as sheep that have no shepherd (Numbers 27:17).  Without a shepherd, we are afraid, terrified and we go missing (Jeremiah 23:4)  And when we are lost, we are like sheep roaming on the tops of mountains (Jeremiah 50:6). 

But God has given us provision for the lost.  "For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost."  Luke 19:10.  How amazing is that?  A true shepherd will leave the ninety-nine to find the one lost sheep.  And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders and carries it home.  And then once he's home, he calls his friends and neighbors and rejoices that he found his one lost sheep.  And there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.  (Luke 15:1-7)

We need the guidance of not just any shepherd....THE GOOD SHEPHERD who knows his sheep (John 10:14) and gives his life for them (John 10:11).

So, what do we do when we find ourselves meandering in circles like a sheep with no shepherd?  We cry out to him and he will show us the path of life (Psalm 16:11).  And we stay in his Word for it is a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our path (Psalm 119:105).

©   2011 Stephanie Kepler

Stone Mason of the Heart

The Bible tells us that the hidden person of the heart is where the Lord's eyes are fixed (1 Peter 3:4). 

What are the motives of your heart?  Solomon tells us that "People eventually reveal by their actions if their motives are on the up and up" (Prov. 20:11 MSG).  According to Proverbs 27:19, the heart reflects the man.  We should have our hearts close to God not just give him "lip service"  ***  (Matthew 15:8).

And know that eventually, what is hidden in our hearts will come out of our mouths (Matthew 15:18).  What we store up is what comes out (Matthew 12:35). 

The sermon on the mount shows us what a "right" relationship with God really looks like.  That is where the beatitudes were given.  And Matthew 5:8 says "Blessed are the pure in heart for they will see God".  I don't know about you, but my goal is to see God!

When we surrender wholly to him, he starts to change us from the inside out.  We know when this has happens.  We can tell by the way a life is lived; it is shown by the fruits of one's labor (1 Cor. 3:8).  And we can tell by the words that are spoken because out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks (Matthew 12:34).

There are many reasons that someone can have a heart that's not focused solely on the things of the Lord.  Sometimes we just want to be the center of attention.  Sometimes we were not raised to know any better.  And sometimes, the things that were done to us have caused us to harden our hearts in self-preservation.  The list just goes on and on.  But God can change us and heal us from ANYTHING!

I am very passionate about this because I have lived it.  I had terrible things happen as a child.  I had hardened my heart so much that one more squeeze would cause it to shatter into a million pieces.  I harbored anger, resentment, rage, hatred and many more emotions.  I held them inside for so many years that it eventually caused ME harm.  I acted and reacted in accordance with my stone-hard heart.  Even after I had forgiven those that hurt me, my heart remained hard because I was trying to protect it. This caused a space between me and my husband (I love you Reece because you stuck with me even though you didn't fully understand at the time).  But most importantly, it caused a space between me and Abba Father.  So, I began praying for God to soften my heart.  I prayed every day for this.  I didn't see results right away.  But some time later I looked back and realized that my walls were down.  I was allowing people in again.  And my relationship with my Heavenly Father was so much closer.  And most importantly, the things of God began to flow from my heart!

So, know that whatever the circumstances, you can pray to God for a new heart; one that is clean and pure and softened to his voice.  And guess what....just as a stone mason chisels away the ugly, rough edges of a stone to make a beautiful masterpiece; so does God chip away at the unwanted things of our hearts making us HIS masterpiece. 

"I'll give you a new heart, put a new spirit in you.  I'll remove the stone heart from your body and replace it with a heart that's God-willed, not self-willed." Ezekiel 36:26 MSG.

*** (Quotations here being my own slang and not a direct quote from the Bible.) 

©   2011 Stephanie Kepler

The Raising of the Harvest

Are we being rebellious in Spirit?  Are we trying to be stubborn and not do what the Lord is leading us to do?  Are we being contrary to our convictions?  Rebelling against our Heavenly Father the way teenagers often do with their earthly ones?  What does the Word say about a person with a rebellious heart?

We are storing up wrath for the day of God's wrath when his righteous judgment will be revealed (Romans 2:5).   Proverbs 19:3 tells us he ruins his life as his heart rages against the Lord.  Proverbs 12:8 says they are despised.  Proverbs 11:20 even goes so far as to say the Lord despises those who hold perversity (being marked by a disposition to oppose or contradict) in their hearts. 

It is easy for us to applaud this behavior calling it independence or idealism when it is really rebellion and pride.  (OUCH!!)  But it is a heart thing.  What is in our hearts?  Faith or rebellion?

Jesus forgave the sins of the paralyzed man when he saw the faith in the hearts of those who carried him (Matthew 9:2).  He healed the sick woman of her disease because of the faith in her heart (Matthew 9:22). 

So what does this mean? 

We should be willing to die for our faith like Esther (Esther 4:16).  As Americans we don't typically face religious persecution unto death.  But if we were faced with it, would we die to protect and uphold our religious beliefs?  We should submit more to our Heavenly Father (the father of our spirits) so that we may live (Hebrews 12:9).  We should pray for a teachable heart and submit to God (James 4:7).

And finally, we should be peacemakers.  "Peacemakers who sow in peace raise a harvest of righteousness." James 3:18  What kind of harvest are we raising?

©   2011 Stephanie Kepler

How Many Cookie Jars Do Your Hands Fit In?

Sometimes we just feel scattered. We have too many commitments; have our hands in too many cookie jars.

What does this do to us? We start to feel scattered emotionally. We give everything we do just a half-hearted effort instead of focusing on just one or two things and giving in to them fully. Is this what we are doing in our walk with God? Are we truly giving Him the time and attention that He deserves?

Job felt like this. He said his insides were churning and suffering confronted him (Job 30:27). David felt like this and cried out to God in Psalm 102:1. When this happens, we should pray for a steadfast heart (Psalm 57:7) and we should stand firm in God because without Him, our strength and hearts may fail (Psalm 73:26).

Let nothing move us. Always give ourselves fully to the work of the Lord because our labor in the Lord is not vain! (1 Corinthians 15:58) And finally, hold firmly to our confidence in his word until the end! (Hebrews 3:14)

©   2011 Stephanie Kepler

Dry Patches of Life

Are you going through a dry patch? Feeling spiritually stranded? Well, David felt that way too (Psalm 6:6) so know that you are NOT alone! We all go through dry patches in our walk with the Lord.

There is a very simple solution to this. God promises to refresh us and refill us. (Isaiah 44:3; Jeremiah 31:25) Jesus tells us to "come all who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest" (Mat...thew 11:28-29). Jesus says many times in the New Testament to "come". He tells the little children to "come" for the kingdom of heaven belongs to them (Matthew 19:14). He told Zaccheus to "come" down out of a tree so he could go to his house when all Zaccheus wanted to do was get a quick look at Jesus (Luke 19:5). Jesus said whoever "comes" to him he will never drive away (John 6:37). Jesus even raised Lazarus from the dead by saying "come out" (John 11:43) And Jesus said if anyone is thirsty, let him "come" and he would give them a drink and streams of living water will flow from within him(John 7:37-38).

 So, the next time you are feeling dry, "come" to Jesus and he will refresh and refill you!

©   2011 Stephanie Kepler