Happy Thanksgiving

It is Thanksgiving Day and my heart is full of wonderful feelings. I woke up this morning rolling over to a large smile and an “I love you” from my wife, to my youngest son, Noah, peering through our window, ready to pounce on us if we were awake, and to our oldest son, Adam, still sleeping, as he is a teenager and must get his beauty sleep. We traveled about 5 hours to be with good friends in Virginia Beach. The weather is a little cool sitting at about 50 degrees but the wind is still and the skies are clear. And now I am sitting down enjoying a freshly brewed cup of starbucks coffee… Does Thanksgiving really begin better than this?

For your encouragement, I hope to bring to your attention a scripture that is both exhorting and encouraging to my life.

Psalm 147:7-11

Sing to the Lord with thanksgiving;
Make music to our God on the harp.
He covers the sky with clouds;
He supplies the earth with rain
and makes the grass grow on the hills.
He provides food for the cattle
and for the young ravens when they call.
His pleasure is not in the strength of horses,
nor his delight in the legs of man;
the Lord delights in those who fear Him,
who put their hope in His unfailing love.

This scripture reminds me to give God thanks for all that He has done, is doing and will do. It reminds me that He has taken care of keeping all of the universe and nature in cadence and if I am wise I will submit and get in step my self. God does not care how strong you are or what you think you can accomplish. He just asks to have that relationship with us that He made such a grand sacrifice to make possible. He is asking me to sit at His feet and trust Him for everything. I think for the first time in many years I am beginning to understand how to do that.

May God bless you during this season of love and cheer! Never forget that God loves you and hopes to spend sometime encouraging you today! He is truly only a prayer away…

A Thanksgiving Dream

Imagine a time where the past and future no longer matter and we can enjoy the gifts that are sitting in front of us at face value. An existence where we no longer look behind us and wonder “what if?” or have the questions of “why did they?” or “why did they not?” When the past memories of wounding others and being wounded by hurtful words and actions truly no longer have the power to cripple and debilitate. A time when the concern for tomorrow’s happenings is not used as a desensitizing drug to help make us feel better about our present situations. There is truly nothing wrong with hoping for better days in the future. Whether those concerns are financial, relational, emotional, physical or what have you, it is almost normal to want to shut our eyes to today and long for tomorrow to be here. But when we allow this to become habitual we will miss the incredible blessings and miracles that fill our everyday and thankfulness will not be a part of the equation.

God wants us to be genuinely thankful for today! He has moved mountains to bring us to this point in our lives and we can only appreciate our today if we take our eyes off of all of the distracting pains and hopes of this life and focus on Him. We have so many things to be thankful for. In all honesty, there is some temptation to look at this last year and focus on situations and circumstances that may bring a tear to my eye instead of a warm smile to my face. But those temptations only come from the part of my brain that needs to die. It is the part that wants to focus on the flood instead of the life raft. You see everyone has floods in life that will bring brokenness and destruction but not everyone gets the life raft. There are many people out there who are uselessly and tirelessly trying to stay afloat in their own strength. If only they would turn and accept God's love and salvation they would find that there has been a personal life raft that is awaiting for them as well.

I do not know exactly what is going through your heart today. Maybe you have allowed bitterness to settle in and cause the idea of thankfulness to be repugnant to your senses and your soul. If this is you, please listen to these words and allow the God who created you to melt away the coldness that has settled in. It is through allowing bitterness to remain in your soul that you give ultimate authority to pain and suffering, and they will poison you, suck the life out of you and eventually kill you. This is not God’s plan! God never once, in His word, told us that this life would be easy or that He came to bring you “happiness”. But He did come to bring a life of fullness instead of a broken-down, half-filled life!

John 10:10
The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.

My prayer is to have a thankful heart that is not anchored to anything of the past, except the sacrifice of God on the cross and the amazing ways He has proven His love. And anchored to nothing of the future except the day I get to stand face to face with my Maker. My ultimate goal is to find contentment and thankfulness right here, right now in this very hour and at this very moment.

Dear Lord,

Thank you for my life. Thank you for this season where I get the chance to focus on the most precious gifts you have given me. First and foremost, I thank you for making a way for us to have a relationship. I have enjoyed the many private walks and conversations that we have. Many times you are not telling me what I want to hear, but thank you for the honesty and for holding me up when I couldn’t walk or stand in my own strength. I thank you for my best friend and partner in this life, Melissa. My wife has taught me so many things over the last 15 years of marriage, but I think this year we will have to call it the year of courage. She has shown me what it means to truly face life even when everything inside tells me to run and hide. I do thank you for our past 15 years and what you will do in the many years of our future. But I am so very thankful for having her here with me right now in this season of life. I am also so thankful for my children. They amaze me everyday! They have helped me laugh when I didn’t feel like laughing. Watching them grow and live their lives continuously brings a smile to my face. Thank you for our precious friends and family that live all over the world. Their prayers and support have been my lifeline to a renewed sense of hope on more than one occasion. I also thank you for the Foursquare family. Our denomination has walked with Melissa and I, during this time of transition, and has loved us for who we are and not for what we could or could not do. This prayer can go on and on because I have so many things to be thankful for. But I will end it by saying thank you God for keeping my heart soft enough to be able to be thankful. I love you Lord!

Amen

Speak Now As Your Servant Is Listening

1 Samuel 3:4
Then the Lord called Samuel. Samuel answered, "Here I am." And he ran to Eli and said, "Here I am; you called me." But Eli said, "I did not call; go back and lie down." So he went and lay down. Again the Lord called, "Samuel!" And Samuel got up and went to Eli and said, "Here I am; you called me." "My son," Eli said, "I did not call; go back and lie down." Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord : The word of the Lord had not yet been revealed to him. The Lord called Samuel a third time, and Samuel got up and went to Eli and said, "Here I am; you called me." Then Eli realized that the Lord was calling the boy. So Eli told Samuel, "Go and lie down, and if he calls you, say, 'Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.' " So Samuel went and lay down in his place. The Lord came and stood there, calling as at the other times, "Samuel! Samuel!" Then Samuel said, "Speak, for your servant is listening."

Samuel was only a young man when the Lord first tried to get his attention. As time passed, his conversations with the Lord became an every day occurrence. Like Samuel, this week, on many different occasions, it seemed as if the Lord was asking for my attention. His message came in many forms and through many voices but, similar to Samuel, it arrived in the form of a restless night of sleep. I think the longest I was able to sleep last night was 30 minutes, as I kept having this one repetitive dream. Many things can be said about dreams and what they mean, but when I woke up the final time, it seemed pretty clear to me what the Lord was telling me. The details of the message are still for my wife and I to pray about and to apply in His time. But the overall message of what it seemed the Lord was speaking is the same message He told Samuel oh so many years ago. “And the LORD said to Samuel: "See, I am about to do something that will make the ears of everyone who hears of it tingle.” This portion of scripture out of verse 11 is referring to what God was about to do in Israel and in the family of Eli, the High Priest at the time. But it is amazing when God is up to something. It is always miraculous and causes those who are watching to stand in awe.

Three Steps to Hearing God’s Voice
1. Become desperate for Him
When we allow everyone else to fill our minds with their opinions, we tend to try all of those ideas before we run to the One who knows us best. I personally am finished running to anyone or anything but the Lord. I have learned that the answers found that are farther than 2 feet from the foot of the cross are often full of good intentions, but not usually the complete truth. We must be desperate to hear from Him! He has answers and comfort that no one and no thing can bring. Why settle for the imitation when our God is sitting there waiting with arms open wide to help bring peace for today and hope and direction for tomorrow?

2. Turn down the volume of life
We must not allow all of the noise of life to tune out the gentle and amazing voice of our Savior. One of the most effective plans of the enemy is to encourage you to have life so full and busy that it feels like you’re practically spinning. It is only when we take control of our schedules and step aside from the noise pollution our busyness brings that God can be heard. I believe that there are times when the Lord allows us to fall on our faces because it is the only way we will slow down long enough to hear His heart and accept His healing touch.

3. Quit assuming God is not active
I find myself very guilty of this problem. Even this morning, when I woke up and it seemed the Lord was not only getting my attention but bringing direction--which is something we have been praying for--I began to question if it was Him speaking or just my imagination in overdrive. Why is it that we pray for God to do miracles and then when He does them, we try to find all of the reasons that maybe it wasn’t Him after all?! It’s time that we grow up and allow our lives to walk in the faith that God has granted us! The faith that I am encouraging is one that allows us to assume that God is still in the business of performing daily miracles.

When I continue to read the stories that surround Samuel and his life, I become slightly jealous at the ease of his relationship with his Maker. I pray that the Lord would count me worthy enough to be used in a fashion that would shape nations and speak direction to God’s people. But I know that this will only take place when I am willing to let Him speak to me and give me direction.

It is a true Virginian autumn for the first time in the Dahir family existence-- where the beautiful color of green has changed to a rainbow of vibrant oranges, reds, yellows and purples. Children are outside raking leaves and playing football in the yard. And I am craving hot apple cider and my favorite drink from Starbucks--a grande vanilla with foam Americano— as the weather has shifted into a crisp coolness. It is the season where anticipation begins to brew as Thanksgiving and Christmas are just around the corner. In a nutshell, there is change in the air and it makes me smile. So here is the question of the day! How is it that all of this change causes my heart to skip and fond memories percolate but many of the changes in my life, in my family and in my country bring fear? Why is that? Why didn’t I wake up this morning and wish that it were the spring again, or maybe summer? Why aren’t my emotions exploding inside of my heart due to the fact that all of the leaves are falling off of my trees? After careful thought and consideration about the cause of this peace rather than fear, I came to this conclusion-- I can look outside my window, see all of this change in my own front yard and have it bring a smile to my face instead of a tear to my eye, because I have trust and faith in the future. You see, I know that this season will pass. I am also aware that if the trees do not lose their leaves and the flowers become dormant, then we will not get to enjoy our spring that is coming around the corner. I have so much faith that these changes are here to help us and not hurt us that it actually causes me to worship the Lord because of the beauty before me. Let’s apply this to whatever scary changes might be happening in our country or in our lives. Do you wake up wondering what the Lord is doing and why has He allowed this change in your life? Do the emotions begin in your heart and, as you try to stop them from surfacing, you feel them get stuck in the top of your throat, threatening to choke you if you do not find a release? Do these changes bring insecurity and fear? Imagine if we did not understand why the leaves were falling off the trees and we really thought that we would not see green again. Everyone would be freaking out! The media would be blaming the republicans, and we would be listening to the experts in the field of botany share all of their opinions and thoughts. We would ask God why would He allow the leaves to fall. As if we loved that leaf! We would be sleepless, wondering what He was thinking. Scripture is full of insights that have given assistance to His people in the midst of some of the most difficult situations.

Insights From God’s Own Journal- The Bible
1. There is an order to our presumed chaos
Genesis 1:14-15
And God said, "Let there be lights in the expanse of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them serve as signs to mark seasons and days and years, and let them be lights in the expanse of the sky to give light on the earth." And it was so.

It was God himself who set the seasons in motion and gave framework to our time and our method of growth. Growth is a process that can be quite frustrating, but each step we take will only bring fulfillment and allow the Lord to shine through us.

2. He has chosen whom to put in charge of our surroundings, but we choose who will rule us!
Daniel 2:21
He changes times and seasons; he sets up kings and deposes them. He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to the discerning.

One of the big changes that has happened this week is the election of a new leader in the White House. Our responsibility now is to pray for our new president and continue to communicate godly principles as often as possible. However, beyond the call to support our new leader through prayer, we are not subject to him. We are subject to the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords only. It is nice to be an American citizen, but our first citizenship is in heaven. It is by that authority that we make our decisions and live our lives.

3. The Lord will bring new life in His time…
Ezekiel 34:26
I will bless them and the places surrounding my hill. I will send down showers in season; there will be showers of blessing.

I am finding that possessing patience for God’s direction and healing can be one of the most grueling processes. But we must never forget that the Lord has great plans of blessing for each of us, and our responsibility is to simply stay focused.

4. If we are to be driven by fear, let it be fear of our God!
Jeremiah 5:24
They do not say to themselves, 'Let us fear the LORD our God, who gives autumn and spring rains in season, who assures us of the regular weeks of harvest.'

The times when my emotions are the most difficult to sort out and confusion begins to rule my day are the times when I begin to fear my surroundings. I have always believed that we worship that which we fear. You see once we decide to fear something we put our time, our money, our emotions to work to deal with that fear. Once we can understand how mighty and wonderful our Lord is the only thing we need to fear is Him. As that fear and respect is in place for our God everything else falls in place. It is then that I won’t worry about my finances because He is powerful enough to supply. It is then that health issue is no longer my issue, but His. It is then that I can surrender all of my yesterday, today, and especially my tomorrow.

In closing, there are many scriptures that encourage us to press through each season of life, and each of them point us to walking in faith and trust in our Lord. I have decided to try and find beauty in the changes of this season and, in the meantime, pray for the Lord to build up my faith and trust in Him. From the beginning of time there has been order and an ultimate plan to God’s creation. It is up to us to submit our lives and allow God’s will to unfold as the proverbial leaves fall off of life’s branches. I believe that you will find new growth in His time and in His way.

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8
1 There is a time for everything,
and a season for every activity under heaven:
2 a time to be born and a time to die,
a time to plant and a time to uproot,
3 a time to kill and a time to heal,
a time to tear down and a time to build,
4 a time to weep and a time to laugh,
a time to mourn and a time to dance,
5 a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
a time to embrace and a time to refrain,
6 a time to search and a time to give up,
a time to keep and a time to throw away,
7 a time to tear and a time to mend,
a time to be silent and a time to speak,
8 a time to love and a time to hate,
a time for war and a time for peace.

In God's Embrace

I see the light
and his truth therein.
I hear his voice in
The whispering wind.
I gaze upon the mountaintops
and I see his majesty.
I walk through the woods
and feel his presence deep within myself.
I stand in awe of the world in which I live,
and in the stillness, I know he is God.

Robin Ferguson

Melissa and I went out and took a walk this evening. As we walked, we could see the sun setting on the rolling hills, grazing cows in the distance, (yes, I did say “cows”!) and the majestic trees in all of their colors telling us that autumn has arrived. For a moment, I had to just stop and ask myself, “Where am I?” The more that we walked and talked, the more the answer to that question became very evident. We are in the center of God’s embrace. It is funny to me how easily my mind can become distraught with the belief that I am somehow a prisoner to the changes and circumstances of life, when in fact, in some strange way, God has used those very changes and circumstances to bring new freedoms. Truth be told, the only thing that is wrapped around me and holding me in place are the very arms of my God. He is not holding me in place to punish me but to bring protection and comfort. He knows what is needed for this season of life and has an amazing plan to use the now to prepare my wife and me for our tomorrow.

My encouragement for you this week comes at you with a few deep thoughts from the broken brain of a mad man…

• Does God have the ability to weave His everlasting love in between and throughout the plans of the most deranged?

• Are you sure that the desert you are walking through is not a mirage caused by spiritual dehydration?

• If surrendering was the only way to find hope, would you spare any resource to bring that person you love to their knees? What are God’s resources?

• Most people think that God has left them- but in truth, they simply do not recognize Him. Do you know what He looks like?

• If I am truly only responsible for my actions, why do I spend so much time trying to figure out why others do what they do?

If you have any great insights that are formed from these deep queries I would love to hear your mind at work. The scripture that the Lord has placed on my heart this week is out of 1 Corinthians. The key to the promise that you are about to read is contingent upon your availability and surrender to God and His plans for you.

1 Corinthians 2:9-10
However, as it is written:
"No eye has seen,
no ear has heard,
no mind has conceived
what God has prepared for those who love him"
but God has revealed it to us by his Spirit.
The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God.

In closing, I am aware that this weeks devotional teaching is a bit eclectic but that is a great representation of what the Lord is doing in my life. He is not just dealing with me in one particular area but is using this time of rest to inspect and prune all of the individual thoughts and attitudes of my heart. Here is the tricky part though. He will not force me to come into His arms. That choice has always been reserved for me to choose. Just as it is with you! Take some time today and ask the Lord what He might want to talk to you about.