What Is Your Jericho?

 

By Andrea Merrell

See! I have given Jericho into your hand

Joshua 6:2 NKJV

 

The situation appeared overwhelming, much like the walls of Jericho—immovable, indestructible, and impenetrable.

 I thought about all the Jerichos we face in this life. Regrets of the past. Fear of the future. Anger. Rejection. Lost relationships. Discouragement. Anxiety. Loss. Health issues. The list could go on and on. Anything that prevents us from fully experiencing God’s perfect love, joy, and peace becomes a fortress, a prison of our own making that must be torn down.

But how? Certainly not by mere human measures. As one writer reminded me, Joshua didn’t bring down the walls—God did.

Just as the Lord told Joshua, “See! I have given Jericho into your hand,” the Bible tells us He has given us every single thing we need for both life and godliness (2 Peter 1:3). All we have to do is believe and receive. The battle is His; the victory is ours—through Christ Jesus our Lord.

Define your Jericho. Then submit it to the Lord and watch the walls come tumbling down.

 Photo by Valdemaras D. on Unsplash

 

Always Be Prepared

 

By Andrea Merrell

The day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night.

1 Thessalonians 5:2 NKJV

Why is it that when we’re out running errands and looking our worst, we run into someone we know—usually someone we haven’t seen in a long time who doesn’t know we don’t normally look that bad?

Or what about the times an unexpected guest drops by when the house is a wreck or we’re still in our PJs? Why didn’t they come two days ago when the house was immaculate and we were dressed?

Maybe we should adopt the Boy Scout motto: Always be prepared. This can apply to every area of our life but especially to our Christian walk.

We know that the day of Jesus’ return is getting nearer, yet no one knows the exact moment—no one except the Father. The Bible says Jesus will come as a thief in the night. Suddenly. Unexpectedly. Will we be watching and waiting? Will we be ready?

It’s easy to get caught up in the problems and anxiety of everyday life, allowing our attention to be drawn away to other trivial matters. We go along our merry way thinking we have plenty of time to bring our focus back to the Lord.

But the Bible says in Luke 24, Take heed to yourselves, lest your hearts be weighed down with carousing, drunkenness, and cares of this life, and that day come on you unexpectedly. (vs 34 NKJV).

Friend, Jesus could come back today. Will He find you waiting and watching for His return?

Always be prepared.

Photo by Jinsoo Choi on Unsplash

Are You All In?

By Andrea Merrell

 

How do I love thee? Let me count the ways, penned Elizabeth Barrett Browning.

For too much of my life, I tried to love God by counting all the things I thought He wanted me to do: go to church, tithe, serve, share my faith, read my Bible, and worship Him.

While all these are noble—and needed—they cause us to develop more of a work mentality than a grace mentality. We constantly feel we need to do things for God, while He longs to do things for us. That takes consecration. It’s a matter of submission. Of being sold out to God. Of being all in.

Pastor and author Bob Gass puts it this way:

Consecration means dethroning yourself and enthroning Jesus as Lord of your life. It’s the complete divestiture of all self-interest. It’s giving God veto power. It’s surrendering all of you to all of Him. It’s a simple recognition that every second of your time, every ounce of your energy, and every penny of your money is a gift from God and for God. Consecration is an ever-deepening love for Jesus, a childlike trust in your heavenly Father, and a blind obedience to the Holy Spirit.

When God says How do I love thee? He only has to count one way—sending His Son to pay the price for our salvation. Our redemption. Our eternal hope.

God wants all of us—spirit, soul, and body. In light of His own sacrifice, that’s a very small price to pay.

Are you all in?

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God wants all of us—spirit, soul, and body. In light of His own sacrifice, that’s a very small price to pay. via @AndreaMerrell (Click to tweet.)

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Have We Lost the Meaning of Godliness?

By Andrea Merrell

My soul thirsts, pants, and longs for the living God.

I want to come and see the face of God.

Psalm 42:2 

Long dresses. No make-up. Ties. No ties. Sprinkle. Baptize. Seems every church and denomination have their own rules for being “godly.”

When I was growing up, I wasn’t allowed to go to a movie or anything recreational because it would be disrespectful to the Lord. The older folks liked to say, “Don’t cuss, smoke, or chew … and don’t run around with fellas and gals that do.”

So many rules. So many don’ts. If we tried to follow them all we’d drive ourselves bonkers and probably give up. Besides, all those rules don’t make us godly—they make us religious. When we allow the Enemy to trick us into thinking that man-made religion puts us in good standing with God, we need to take a closer look at what Jesus said to the Scribes and Pharisees. He called them hypocrites and whitewashed tombs. Ouch!

What then is godliness, if it’s not how we speak, act, dress, or behave?

Simply speaking, it’s an attitude of the heart. One writer says it’s an “inside job.” It’s a matter of being passionate in our pursuit of God. A longing to know Him. To be sensitive to His voice. To be obedient and walk with him every moment of every day. It’s a desire to have a deep, intimate relationship with our Creator. To call Him friend.

David committed adultery and murder, yet God called him a man after His own heart. Why? Because no matter what he’d done, David said, My soul thirsts, pants, and longs for the living God. He wanted to see God’s face.

Does your soul thirst for God? Don’t allow yourself to be boxed in by all the religious regulations and sacred cows. Seek the Lord with your whole heart. Draw close to Him.  Talk to Him as you would a trusted friend. Be obedient to His voice and to His Word.

That’s true godliness. 

Yet true godliness with contentment is itself great wealth (1 Timothy 6:6 NLT).

(Photo courtesy of Blogpiks.com and Stuart Miles.)

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Dealing with a Critical Spirit

 By Andrea Merrell

Don’t pick on people, jump on their failures, criticize

their faults—unless, of course, you want the same treatment.

That critical spirit has a way of boomeranging. 

Matthew 7:1 MSG

 

They say “the Devil is in the details.” Experts do not agree as to who first made this statement, but there is much truth to be gained from it.

Since mistakes are commonly made in the smallest details of a project—especially by overlooking or underestimating them—we need to be cautious and alert, using a critical eye to eliminate these mistakes. Notice I said critical eye and not critical spirit.

When we’ve been gifted with discernment and an eye for detail, it’s very easy to slip over into criticism. There’s a fine line between the two, and it’s important for us to know and understand the difference.

Pastor and author Chad Norris explains it like this:

It is when we develop a critical spirit that we are actually playing the role of judge in people’s lives. We were never called to judge one another. I want my airline pilot to have a critical eye at all times. I want my surgeon to have a critical eye as he operates on my body while using the competency he or she has garnered through hard work and practice. A critical eye is not a critical spirit. A critical spirit says, “I know better than you. I am better than you. I see things more clearly than you do, and when you begin to think like me, you will be correct."

The Bible tells us not to think we are better than we really are. Instead, we are to esteem others, preferring them above ourselves. When we judge and condemn others because they don’t measure up to our standards or expectations, the law of sowing and reaping will cause those things to come back to our doorstep. As Matthew says, that critical spirit has a way of boomeranging. 

If you’re dealing with a critical spirit, ask God to give you a heart of compassion. Look for the best in others, and they will look for the best in you.

(Photo courtesy of Blogpiks.com and Stuart Miles.)

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Christianity—Man-Made or Spirit-Made?

By Andrea Merrell

He alone makes us adequate ministers who are focused on

an entirely new covenant. Our ministry is not based on the letter of the law but through the power of the Spirit. The letter of the law kills, but the Spirit pours out life.

2 Corinthians 3:6 TPT

The words Christian and Christianity are loosely thrown around these days. Many people who claim to be believers seem to be missing the point.

I grew up in a fairly legalistic environment where I learned all the don’ts—don’t drink, don’t smoke, don’t cuss, and go to church on Sunday. I spent too much of my life trying to better myself so God would accept and love me. I thought I had to earn what He had so lovingly given me already. No one ever told me who I could become, only a laundry list of things God “disapproved of.”

I called myself a Christian, but was my relationship with God created and directed by the Spirit or by man? Chris Tiegreen explains it like this:

Man-made Christianity and Spirit-made Christianity can look a lot alike on the surface. Both point toward Jesus, both promise righteousness and peace, and both lead you to the cross where the old self dies. But only one actually follows through on its promises. The religious life—the man-made variety—takes you to the cross and leaves you there. It focuses on what not to do without much emphasis on who you can become.

Finding that true Spirit-made Christian life happens when we break out of the religious box, kick over a few sacred cows, and walk into the freedom Jesus died to give us. That freedom fills us with life instead of draining it out of us. It tells us we are loved and valued. We no longer have to perform or clean up our act to be accepted. We don’t have to redesign the old nature; He gives us a brand new one.

Don’t get tangled up in the traditions and doctrines of men. Find out what God’s Word has to say, and let His Holy Spirit fill you with new life. 

Make sure your Christianity is Spirit-made.                  

(Photo courtesy of Blogpiks.com and Stuart Miles.)

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The Simple Faith of a Child

By Andrea Merrell

  Learn this well: Unless you dramatically change your way of thinking and become teachable, and learn about heaven’s kingdom realm with the wide-eyed wonder of a child,                  you will never be able to enter in.

Matthew 18:3 TPT

“Catch me, Daddy,” the little girl exclaimed. Without hesitation, she jumped into her father’s outstretched arms.

We can learn a lot from the simple trust of a child. In fact, Jesus said we should become as little children in order to enter into the kingdom of heaven, seeing it with wide-eyed wonder.

Children are quick to forgive. They don’t hold grudges or walk around with a chip on their shoulder. When they’re forgiven, they don’t carry feelings of guilt and condemnation. They get over an offense quickly and move on. Stress does not get the best of them, because they don't worry and fret over tomorrow.

Children are humble and trusting. They have a teachable spirit and a positive attitude. They find a way to have fun and enjoy themselves in any given situation. And they offer their love unconditionally.

In essence, children have simple faith, pray simple prayers, and believe that whatever they need will be provided. That’s the way Jesus wants each of us to approach Him. One writer says that when we have this kind of simplicity in our relationship with the Lord, we will find ourselves at peace, growing spiritually, and enjoying Him more than ever.

I’m ready to leap into my Daddy’s arms. How about you?

(Photo courtesy of FreeDigitalPhotos.net and David Castillo Dominici.)

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Is It Secular or Spiritual?

By Andrea Merrell

So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you:

Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, 

eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and 

place it before God as an offering.

Romans 12:1-2 MSG 

How do we separate or distinguish between the spiritual and the secular? Can we? Should we?

It’s all in our perception of the words. I know plenty of folks who believe we’re only being spiritual when we’re sitting in church, praying, reading the Bible, or serving in a soup kitchen. Those are all wonderful—and needed—for a Christian to grow and stay connected to the Source, but there’s so much more to life than that, which is how God planned it.

We go to work. We raise kids. We shop. We do laundry. We wash dishes. We play games. We participate in sports. We go on vacation. We rest. The list goes on and on … you fill in the blanks. Does God view any of these activities as unspiritual?

According to the Bible, God does not expect us to separate the spiritual from the secular. And whatever you do [no matter what it is] in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus … (Colossians 3:17 AMPC). Verse 23 says, Whatever may be your task, work at it heartily (from the soul), as [something done] for the Lord and not for men. That’s a lot of whatevers.

But I think this verse says it best: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering.

When we offer ourselves as living sacrifices—as Romans 12:1 instructs us to do—our life becomes all about honoring Him in everything we think, say, and do. With every breath, we can give honor and glory to our Creator.

The next time you’re at rest or play, do it as unto the Lord, knowing His smile of approval rests upon you.

(Photo courtesy of Blogpiks.com and Stuart Miles.)

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You Can't Ignore Jesus

By Andrea Merrell

 

The authority of the name of Jesus 

causes every knee to bow in reverence!

Everything and everyone will one day submit 

to this name—in the heavenly realm,

in the earthly realm, and in the demonic realm.

Philippians 2:10 TPT 

“What do you think about Jesus?” the man asked.

The girl frowned in confusion, then shrugged her shoulders. “Actually, I don’t think about Him at all.”

It was one of those street interviews with random passersby. Other answers ranged from “nice guy” to “fairy tale dude.” But my thoughts kept going back to the girl’s answer. How could anyone not think about Him at all?

Some people might misunderstand Him or even hate what He stands for, but the truth is Jesus cannot be ignored. The Bible tells us that one day every single knee will submit and bow to that name.

Jesus. What a beautiful, wonderful, glorious, powerful name. The name above all names. The name that loves, saves, heals, delivers, guides, forgives, strengthens, and comforts. The name that never fails.

Jesus. King of all kings and Lord of all lords.

The name that cannot be ignored.

(Photo courtesy of Blogpiks.com and Stuart Miles.)

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Ushers and Bouncers

By Andrea Merrell

  The Spirit and the bride say, “Come!”

And let the one who hears say, “Come!”

Let the one who is thirsty come;

and let the one who wishes 

take the free gift of the water of life.

Revelation22:17 NIV

Eyes grow wide. Backs stiffen. The elbowing and whispering begin. The ushers are on high alert.

I’ve seen it so many times in the church. In walks the young man with spiked hair and tattoos covering his arms and neck. Then there’s the teenage girl with the too-short skirt, cropped shirt, and more facial piercings than anyone could count. Sometimes it’s the older gentleman with ragged shorts and alcohol on his breath.

The sad part is watching how people respond to these “strange” visitors. Why are they strange? Because they’re not like us and anyone outside our norm threatens our peace of mind.

Too many times, the judgmental side takes over. Instead of ushering these folks in and showing them the love of God, we want to bounce them back out the door.

In Love Does, author Bob Goff says:

When you read the Bible, the people who loved Jesus and followed Him were the ones like me who don’t get invited places. Yet Jesus told His friends they were invited anyway. He told them that the religious people weren’t the ones who decided who got into heaven and who didn’t. He said the people who followed Him should think of themselves more like the ushers rather than the bouncers, and it would be God who decides who gets in. We’re the ones who simply show people their seats that someone else paid for.

God’s invitation is to whosoever will. There are no dress codes or politically correct rules to follow. He simply says come.

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Put a Lid on It

By Andrea Merrell

The tongue is a flame of fire. 

It is a whole world of wickedness,

corrupting your entire body. 

James 3:16 NIV

I’m sorry. Please forgive me. I didn’t mean it.

Do you ever find yourself saying these words? I can’t count the number of times I’ve had to repeat them.

The tongue is a tricky little body part, and the words that roll off of it can either encourage and bless others or get us in a whole lot of trouble. The Book of James calls the tongue a fiery world of iniquity, full of evil and deadly poison. A troublemaker.

Ouch!

James also tells us that no man is able to tame the tongue or keep it under control. So, what are we supposed to do? How do we put a lid on it?

Just as with every other part of us, we have to submit ourselves to God, offering every member—especially the tongue—to Him as an instrument of righteousness.

The problem is whatever we say begins with a thought. It starts in our mind, ends up in our heart, and finds its way out our mouth. That means to get a handle on this unruly body part, we have to change our thinking and guard our heart. We need to pray as the psalmist did, Set a guard over my mouth, Lord; keep watch over the door of my lips (Psalm 141:3 NIV).

When we invite Holy Spirit to be in charge, He will help us speak words of blessing, not cursing. Words of kindness, not hate. Words of encouragement, not criticism.

It’s not easy, but keeping the tongue under control is a spiritual discipline that comes with spending time in God’s presence and in His Word.

The next time your tongue threatens to spout off the wrong words … put a lid on it.

Lord, may our words always edify others and glorify you. Amen.

(Photo courtesy of FreeDigitalPhotos.net and rickymusafia.)

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Don't Argue with the Ump

By Andrea Merrell

   And let the peace (soul harmony which comes) from Christ

rule (act as umpire continually) in your hearts

[deciding and settling with finality all questions 

that arise in your minds.

Colossians 3:15 AMPC

It was embarrassing. All eyes focused on us as my son-in-law got thrown out of the ballpark for arguing with the ump.

Everyone else thought my daughter was safe as she dove for second base. But the ump saw it differently and yelled, “Out!” 

The rest of the disappointed crowd accepted his decision—but not my son-in-law. He jumped up, grabbed the fence with both hands, and proceeded to make his case against—as he put it—a stupid call. I think there might have been a comment about needing glasses …

We might not always agree with the ump, but when he’s in charge, what he says goes. His word is law. Like it or not, no one can dispute him.

The Bible talks about another ump who wants to direct our daily lives. And let the peace (soul harmony which comes) from Christ rule (act as umpire continually) in your hearts.

When God’s Holy Spirit takes up residence within us, He moves in with all his baggage: love, joy, wisdom, understanding, creativity, favor, and especially peace. That’s His specialty. No matter what's going on in our lives, the peace of God can calm the storm and keep us grounded if we let Him call the shots. He is there to help us win the game every time.

That day at the ballpark, we all learned a valuable lesson. Don’t argue with the ump.

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The Pathway to Peace

By Andrea Merrell

Forgive, and you will be forgiven.

Luke 6:37 NKJV 

My emotions bounced back and forth between anger and resentment. My spirit assured me I needed to forgive, but my flesh screamed all the reasons not to forgive: She hurt me. She betrayed my trust. Her words cut too deep.

But the simple truth was … I didn’t want to.

As I tried to pray, my flesh and spirit continued their debate. I argued with God. “I know your Word says to forgive so I’ll be forgiven. But she doesn’t deserve it, Lord.”

Do you?

Those two words were soft and gentle but carried a punch. At that moment, my resolve crumbled. All my excuses came tumbling down. I thought about all the times I had asked the Lord to forgive me. He never gave me a laundry list of all the reasons He shouldn’t. He never questioned whether or not I deserved it. And He never told me to wait or come back another time after I’d had a chance to think about what I’d done.

Unforgiveness is a deadly poison. It acts as a cancer that spreads through our spirit, our soul, and even our body. If left unchecked, it turns into a root of bitterness—a disease that affects everything we think, say, and do. It robs us of our peace and slowly eats away our spiritual well-being.

Forgive and you will be forgiven. Those are powerful words. In truth, none of us are worthy or deserving, but God loves us so much that He gave … and His love just keeps on giving.

We should always be quick to forgive, just as the Lord is quick to forgive us when we ask. When we bless and pray for those who have wronged or offended us, we find ourselves back on the pathway of peace.

Don’t allow unforgiveness to poison your soul. And while you’re at it … be sure to forgive yourself.

(Photo courtesy of FreeDigitalPhotos.net and paisan191.)

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