anitasanecdotes

Jeremiah 31:8-9   ⁸ See, I am going to bring them from the land of the north, and gather them from the farthest parts of the earth, among them the blind and the lame, those with child and those in labor, together; a great company, they shall return here.  ⁹ With weeping they shall come, and with consolations I will lead them back, I will let them walk by brooks of water, in a straight path in which they shall not stumble; for I have become a father to Israel, and Ephraim is my firstborn.

Our journey may be long. It may be full of struggle. It may be difficult and tiring. But we need to keep on moving toward our goal. When we go astray we need to turn around and get back on the right path. It may be hard, but it will be worth it in the end. As we turn back to the way we should be going, the way will become easier, the goal will get closer. We will move more steadily and will find ourselves falling less and less.

Our journey of faith is long and fraught with troubles. Oftentimes we find ourselves moving in the wrong direction. It is then that we need to turn back to the ways we know to be true. God will lead us back. We will be refreshed and renewed. We will not stumble or fall.

O God, turn us back to walk in your ways. Give us the strength to carry on. Amen.

Psalm 101:2-3  ² I will study the way that is blameless. When shall I attain it? I will walk with integrity of heart within my house;  ³ I will not set before my eyes anything that is base. I hate the work of those who fall away; it shall not cling to me.

The only way that we can make improvements to our lives become permanent is to be intentional about making the right changes. They don’t just happen by chance. It requires discipline, persistence, and endurance. Day in and day out we must make the right choices and stay away from those behaviors that lead us astray.

The same is true of our faith. Life-changing faith is not simply caught by chance. It requires diligence to practice the kind of faith that allows us to make more good choices than bad. Every day we must turn toward Jesus and follow God’s word. We must intentionally turn away from those situations and even those people who keep us from being faithful.

God helps us be intentional. God’s Spirit speaks to us of the way we should go. We need to listen to God’s voice and follow His lead.

Lord, help us be intentional today. Guide us to make the right choices so we may follow you. Amen.

Psalm 25:9-10  ⁹ He leads the humble in what is right, and teaches the humble his way.  ¹⁰ All the paths of the LORD are steadfast love and faithfulness, for those who keep his covenant and his decrees.

We struggle with the difference between pride and humility. There is nothing wrong with being proud of our accomplishments. Healthy pride makes us feel good about ourselves and lets us establish and reach for high goals. But, when pride keeps us from admitting our faults, when pride makes us feel like we are better than everyone else, it becomes unhealthy. This kind of pride does not allow us to improve, to apologize for wrongs, to take on better habits.

True humility is not low self-esteem. It is not putting ourselves down or thinking less about ourselves. Being humble means that we understand that we are not perfect. We make mistakes and we need to make things right.

When we are humble, we know that we cannot make changes on our own. We need God to show us the things we must do to walk the better path. We need to trust and rely on him. We need to confess our wrongs to God and others, and move forward, with God’s guidance, to repair relationships and right those wrongs.

Lord, help us to know when we are allowing our pride to hurt others and our relationship with you. Give us the courage to apologize and make things right. Amen.

Psalm 40:2  ² He drew me up from the desolate pit, out of the miry bog, and set my feet upon a rock, making my steps secure.

Sometimes we get ourselves in so deep into a bad habit, a bad situation or bad thinking that we get stuck. We cannot move. We cannot think clearly. We feel like we will never get out.

God is there, reaching down, ready to pull us out. His hand is right there…grab for it. We don’t have to stay stuck in the mire. No matter how hopeless, how difficult, how desperate our situation God can provide a way out. He will not judge us. He will not condemn us. He will not punish us. He will simply love us and lead us onto the firm, secure path of a close relationship with him.

We no longer need to go it alone. We can be secure in God’s loving arms.

Lord, when we are stuck, pull us out. Save us from those attitudes, situations, and relationships that harm us and lead us onto your path of salvation. Amen.

Isaiah 43:1-2  But now thus says the LORD, he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel: Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine.  ² When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you.

 We often feel overwhelmed by the things that are going on in our lives. We are tossed about by the rushing waters of difficult diagnoses, troubles at work, troubles at home, We feel the heat of the pressure to perform, to provide, to be happy. When we are overwhelmed we become afraid and helpless.

God wants us to remember that we are not alone. God is with us in the turmoil of everyday life. God is with us when life throws us hard curves. God will help us to be unafraid in the midst of trouble.

As we move through the waters and flames of trials and tribulations we need to remember to hold on to God even as he is holding on to us. Rely on his grace and mercy to see us through. God can remove our fear and make us strong enough to face our troubles head on.

Lord, we are feeling overwhelmed. Be with us now. Take away our fear and lead us through the storm. Amen.

Malachi 2:4-6  ⁴ Know, then, that I have sent this command to you, that my covenant with Levi may hold, says the LORD of hosts.  ⁵ My covenant with him was a covenant of life and well-being, which I gave him; this called for reverence, and he revered me and stood in awe of my name.  ⁶ True instruction was in his mouth, and no wrong was found on his lips. He walked with me in integrity and uprightness, and he turned many from iniquity.

 When God makes a covenant, he sticks to it. God’s promises are true. God’s promises are steadfast. God teaches us his will. God guides us in his way.

God promises to give us life and well-being. He gives us wisdom to know what to do in order to have that life. If we do as God has instructed we will be able to have well-being in our physical lives. We will be able to have well-being in our emotional lives. We will be able to have well-being in our spiritual lives. We will become whole and complete.

That wholeness prepares us to face any trial that may come our way. We will walk with integrity and faith. We will be strong against any foe. We will lead others to a way of life and well-being. God is faithful to do it.

Lord, thank you for your covenant with us. Help us to live the life you have promised. Amen.

Ezekiel 28:14   ¹⁴ With an anointed cherub as guardian I placed you; you were on the holy mountain of God; you walked among the stones of fire.

We think of cherubs as those cute baby angels on Valentines and old paintings. They have tiny harps and bows and arrows. They look lovingly at the people in the pictures and play at the borders. Cherubs are sweet…not!

The cherubim (cherubs) are God’s warrior angels. They protected the throne of God on the Ark of the Covenant. They are the angels God has called to protect the faithful from attack. They help us deal with the blows we experience in life: as we walk through the fire of illness, danger, despair, temptation, and whatever else might attack us.

God gives us angels to guard our ways and protect our paths. Know that when we feel under attack, God is protecting us. God cares what happens to us and makes sure we are not alone. God gives us a way to fight back and come through the fires we encounter. We will survive.

Lord, thank you for loving us. Send your angels down around us today as protection against what might come our way. Amen.

Psalm 16:11   ¹¹ You show me the path of life. In your presence there is fullness of joy; in your right hand are pleasures forevermore.

 We spend a lot of time worrying about things. We spend a lot of time being afraid. We waste our time being anxious over things that we cannot control. We fret. We wring our hands. We spend sleepless nights. We take away our ability to experience joy.

God wants us to put our worries in his hands. God wants us not to be afraid. God can take our anxieties and relieve our minds. As we realize and accept that God is ultimately in control and that God loves us and wants the best for us we can relax. We can rest in God’s loving arms and experience joy in his presence.

When things cause us stress, we can put them in God’s hands and be at peace. When things cause us fear, we can put them in God’s hands and be strong and courageous. When things cause us anxiety, we can put them in God’s hands and be full of joy. Trust in God.

Lord, we put all those things that make us anxious in your hands. Help us to feel joy overflowing. Amen.

Joshua 22:5  ⁵ Take good care to observe the commandment and instruction that Moses the servant of the LORD commanded you, to love the LORD your God, to walk in all his ways, to keep his commandments, and to hold fast to him, and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul.”

Making commitments seems to be hard in this busy lifestyle of ours. We are afraid to say that we are able to come to meetings, parties, even classes or any other place for that matter. Something might come up, something that is more important (or so we think) or more pressing and urgent. We don’t RSVP to events, leaving the planners confused about how many guests they will have. We say we are coming to something, only to become a no show at the event. Even in those times when we have made vows to stick with it to the end, we succumb to boredom, disinterest to push through difficult times, finding it greener on the other side of the fence, and leave…hurting others in the process.

God’s commitment to us is permanent. God will never leave us for someone or something else. God never bores at the mundane requests we make. God is constant. And God expects that kind of commitment from us. He desires that we serve him with all of our hearts and souls. God deserves our best.

Lord, thank you for committing to us. Help us with our commitment to you and others. Amen.

Zechariah 3:7   ⁷ “Thus says the LORD of hosts: If you will walk in my ways and keep my requirements, then you shall rule my house and have charge of my courts, and I will give you the right of access among those who are standing here.

Do you ever feel out of control in your life?  Do you feel like outside forces are taking over? Could some of these forces even be coming from inside your own head?

As we continue to practice good habits we find that we feel more in control of the way we live our lives. We are able to resist those who try to tempt us to do what we know we shouldn’t do. Our thinking changes so that we see the changes we are making as positive experiences and not trials we must bear. We find ourselves wanting to do those unhealthy behaviors less and less.

Living the life of faith is the same way. The longer we practice our faith, doing those things that encourage faith and resisting those things that don’t, we feel more and more in control of our ability to decide what is right. We are able to say no to the desires that would lead us astray. We are able to say yes to those practices that bring us into a closer relationship with the Lord. We have more access to God’s presence, God’s influence, God’s encouragement. Keep on walking.

Lord, thank you for leading us in the right ways. Help us to keep doing what we should and walking away from those things that would lead us astray. Amen.