GodandMe2theMax

Is there a pickle on your plate?

Proverbs 14:29  "A patient man has great understanding, but a quick-tempered man displays folly."

As part of my job when I worked in Ohio, I used to teach customer service skills.  There's something we taught called a "hook."   A "hook" is something that invites you into unproductive behavior.  Simply put, it's the breaking point that makes you lose your temper.  I have a few hooks that I know of.  Do you know yours?  Knowing and identifying your own hooks is sometimes half the anger battle.  Once you know what makes you angry, it's a lot easier to give it over to the Lord. 

Many of you know about my son Jacob and some of his struggles and special needs.  Jacob has Asperger's Syndrome and severe ADHD, but about five years ago, we found out that he had a lot of bio-chemical issues as well.  Some of these bio-chemical problems manifested themself as bi-polar symptoms, and for years, Jacob experienced uncontrollable rage.  Jacob will turn twelve in a few days, and he has a sensitive heart for the Lord now.  He has given me permission to share his story with the Groupies4God and on my blog, specifically a story about one of Jacob's hooks.

Let me give you a little history.  By the time Jacob was about three or four, we knew we had a strong-willed child on our hands.  Both my husband and I worked full time, so we had to rely on pre-schools and day cares for our child care.  For a while, we had a great friend in our church care for our kids, but we ended up needing to move to the daycare route.  It didn't take long for us to be on speed dial with the daycare; in actuality, they had us on speed dial.  I can remember day after day seeing the phone ring with the caller ID identifying the caller as the daycare.  My heart would drop each time.  Not again!  What did he do now?  The truth is that by the time Jacob turned five, he was kicked out of every day care in our city and a few in the surrounding cities.  One of those was after a few short hours!

You see, Jacob had a real problem with anger.  It was as if something wouldn't settle with him, a swtich would be flipped, and a boy I didn't know would emerge. There was no rhyme or reason to his rage, and as a result, he was given a bi-polar diagnosis, at a much too early age.

A daily phone call was expected from the day care, and at least three times a week, things would get so bad that we would have to pick him up.  My husband and I took turns leaving work early to deal with the problems, and this time it was his turn.  "Come pick Jacob up, please, asap."  No explanation given; none requested.  We knew the drill.  I could tell the infraction was pretty severe, based on the curtness of the call I received.  When my husband Frank arrived to pick Jacob up, he got the whole story. 

The daycare was one of those that served also as a pre-school.  They served lunch to a the kids on one of those expandable lunch tables with the seats attached.  All of the children were seated at the table, food on the trays, and getting ready to eat.  The teacher then put Jacob's tray in front of him.  It consisted of a burger, a side item, and one infamous pickle.  You see, when Jacob was served his tray, that switch in his brain flipped.  He promptly got up on top of the table, ran up and down the table-top, kicking every child's food on the floor and all over the rest of the kids.  By the time the teacher caught him, it was too late.  The damage was done, with lunch for the entire class ruined. 

My husband got Jacob in the car, and started to talk to him.  I'm so thankful for a mild-mannered husband who almost never loses his temper.  The Lord knew I needed him, and the Lord knew Jacob needed a daddy who didn't lose his temper; one who always showed unconditional love.  If I had been the one to pick Jacob up that day, well, I don't know how I would have reacted, but I know it would not have been in a Godly way!  "Son, what were you thinking?"  Frank asked.  Jacob's response, "They put a pickle on my plate, and you know I don't like pickles!" 

A pickle.  That's all it took.  It was the pickle that has everlasting meaning in our home.  These days, we often joke around with Jacob and ask him if he wants a pickle with his food.  He isn't the best with kidding around, but he knows we ask that question in jest.  His answer always remains the same: a firm "No!"

When Jacob was in first grade, he was kicked out of public elementary school and put in what is called the BAU - Behavior Adjustment Unit.  That's where they put the 12 worst kids in the district.  You see, they tried to work with us, they really did.  In first grade, Jacob went through about six teachers, including two "Teachers of the Year", one of which was the Special Ed "Teacher of the Year" for the district.  But the day Jacob sent one of them  to the hospital was probably the breaking point. 

Shortly after Jacob was put in the BAU, we found a non profit clinic outside of Chicago, IL, called the Pfeiffer Treatment Center.  Jacob had been to neurologists, psychiatrists, psychologists, pediatricians, and any other kind of doctor that we thought would help.  But the Pfeiffer Treatment Center did bio-chemical testing that none of these other doctors had ever attempted.  They found that Jacob was actually not bi-polar, although he had many of the symptoms.  No, in actuality, he had an overgrowth of yeast in his system that was literally taking over his whole body.  Within a few days of being on the medicine, Jacob's rage was nearly gone.  The BAU teacher (who was initially skeptical of the findings) called us up and asked what changes we had made.  She could not believe her eyes.  The boy who just days before had caused an evacuation of the entire BAU was now the star student.  We believe God directed us to PTC to save Jacob's life.  No, not save it spiritually, but physically.  Today, Jacob is in the 6th grade, and in the Gifted and Talented program and doing awesome!

Hooks.  Jacob's hook at the daycare that day was a pickle.  I think I've mentioned previously that I used to have a terrible temper.  It's amazing how when you commit something to the Lord, He can miraculously take away the sin.  But just like the verse from  last week, it's important to continue to identify and do a self examination of sin in your life.  You see, I've found that when I let my guard down, my hooks return, and with a vengeance.  I don't try to lose my temper, no one does.  

Back to the verse.   "A patient man has great understanding, but a quick-tempered man displays folly."

When things don't go as planned, when my hooks manifest themselves, am I patient?  Or like the pickle on the plate, do I respond with a quick temper, resulting in folly?

Take some time to identify what your hooks are.  Now think about how you can respond to those times with patience instead of being quick to become angry.  The verse this week is a good reminder to me on how to react when "there's a pickle on my plate."

 

PS - If you want more information on the Pfeiffer Treatment Center, click on the link on the left of my blog entitled "Jacob's Journey."

 

---Beth Banfill
www.GodandMe2theMax.com

 

 

Be Sure your sins will find you out...Proverbs 28:13

Proverbs 28:13  "He who conceals his sins does not prosper, but whoever confesses and renounces them finds mercy."

Be sure your sins will find you out.

It was our first year of marriage, and it was Halloween time.  Candy was everywhere in the stores.  If you know me, you know chocolate is my weakness.  Everywhere I turned, it seemed like those bags of Reese's Peanut Butter Cups were calling my name.  We really had no money, and in fact, at that time, we were going in the hole each month.  But those Reese's Cups still kept a-calling. 

My husband was a pastor in Ohio, and I remembered hearing another lady in the church talk about her "stash" of chocolate that she hid from her husband.  (She had chocolate-induced migraines, but she loved her chocolate so much that it was worth it.  Her husband, however, was not so fond of the migraines, and that's why she felt the need to have her "stash.")  Lightbulb illuminated in my head.  Hmmm.  Maybe I could go ahead and get those Reese's Cups and just have my little "stash" so my husband wouldn't know...

Now, problem #1 with that is that I knew my husband wouldn't want me to waste money we didn't have on chocolate.  Problem #2 is that my husband doesn't even like chocolate.  We had no children at the time to get into my little greedy stockpile, so there was absolutely no need to hide my purchase.  The truth is, if I did give in to temptation and purchase those Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, it really would have been ok with him.  It would not have been the unpardonable sin in the Banfill home to spend $3 on something we didn't need.  So if I did go ahead and purchase those Reese's Cups, I certainly didn't need to hide them.  

But no.  Not only did I buy, but I also stashed those Reese's Peanut Butter Cups in what I thought was a very safe place.  Now, you have to understand.  I was young.  And apparently, I wasn't only young, I was stupid, too.  You see, I grew up in a home with an electric stove, but the home we lived in during our first few years of marriage had a gas oven.  You may know where this is going, and it is not a pretty thought.  Yes, I stashed that bag of Reese's Cups in the "storage" drawer of the oven.  A storage drawer, right?  That's where my mom always kept a bunch of pots/pans/lids when I was growing up.  Little did I know that in a gas oven, that's no storage drawer -- that's called a broiler.

So one Wednesday, I called up my husband at the church and asked him what he wanted for dinner.  "Spaghetti?"  I suggested.  "No, how about fishsticks?"  he replied.  "How about spaghetti?"  "No fishsticks."  We went back and forth, but when it was apparent I would not be persuading him, I actually said in gest, "OK, I will be a submissive wife and make those fishsticks."

That's when the problem started.

I pre-heated the oven, and then I jumped on the couch in the other room and turned on Oprah.  Now, I always kept my oven pretty clean, so when I was on the couch and smelled something burning, I just assumed something had spilled over into the stove from the previous time it was used.  I jumped up, pulled the layer of tin foil off the wire rack, put the fishsticks in, and jumped back on the couch to watch more Oprah.

Within a few minutes, I looked up and noticed soot flying out of my kitchen.  I jumped up and ran to the kitchen, only to find flames shooting out of the back of my oven, my kitchen filled with smoke, and me still clueless as to the problem.  I called my husband at the church, trying to stretch the phone cord almost out the door to get away from the smoke.  My husband had already left the church, so then I decided to call 911.  Why I decided to call him first instead of the fire department, I can't even explain.  I told you I was young and stupid. 

The fire department came.  They cleared the house, and eventually they let me back in one of the back bedrooms.  I cried, still unaware of the real problem.  My husband came home, noticing the fire department at our house.  In a panic, I heard him yell, "Where's my wife?  Is she ok?"  They directed him to me in the back of the house.  I remember crying in his arms, shaking like a crying baby.  He consoled me and tried to calm me down.  Once the fire was put out, we ventured to the kitchen to talk to the firemen. 

"Do you know what caused it?"  I asked.  The fireman pulled what was left of my Reese's Peanut Butter Cup stash out of the broiler.  "Yes, ma'am.  Can you tell me what this is?"  Eyes wide open, embarrassed, with shock on my face, I answered, "Uh, those are my Reese's Cups I was hiding from my husband." 

The fireman then pulled out my fishsticks from the oven.  His exact words, "Ma'am, I don't think your sausages are salvageable."  Those fishsticks that Frank had his heart set on had shrivelled and darkened up to what looked like Jimmy Dean's breakfast sausages.  I was too much of a basket case to realize I really needed a picture of them, for posterity's sake.  What I wouldn't do to show you the end result of those poor fishsticks.

We ended up having to eat dinner out at the local Chinese restaurant.  Here's the kicker, and it's proof God has a sense of humor.  I mentioned it was a Wednesday.  We had prayer meeting that night, and we were doing spiritual preparation for a revival that was upcoming at our church.  In our prayer meeting, Frank called out a list of references, with those in the congregation randomly volunteering to look up the verses and read them when he called for it.  The verse I randomly chose:  "The Lord does not delight in burnt offerings."

Now, I can look back at that story and laugh.  It's ok, you can, too.  I used to be so embarrassed by it, but I've grown up a little, and I can now laugh at myself.  After all, that was almost twenty years ago!  But the truth is, every thing that led to that fiasco was sin.  Let's call it for what it was.  Sure, there's no sin in buying a bag of candy.  But if you know you really shouldn't, if you know you can't afford it, and certainly, if you think you have to hide the fact that you bought it, there's definite sin involved.  Yes, the Lord did not delight in my burnt offering that day.

Over the last few days, the Lord has repeatedly brought this story to mind, for various reasons.  He's also brought to my mind the question of hidden sin.  Just as regularly as we spend time in prayer interceding for others and praising God, we should also be asking Him to reveal sin in our lives.  This is something too often we neglect to do as Christians.  This is something I've not been disciplined to do, either.  Yet, it's what God expects, nonetheless.

The verse for this week says a person who conceals sin does not prosper.  It goes on to say that if we confess our sin and renounce it, we will find mercy.  Maybe you're not concealing sin, like a Reese's Peanut Butter Cup kind of sin, but do you have unconfessed sin in your life?  When is the last time you've asked the Lord to show you what cancerous sin areas He wants to carve away?  The verse says we should renounce our sin.  That means to turn from it! 

I challenge you to make a list of sins.  If you're having trouble thinking of any, you can find some in Colossians 3:7-8.  Are any of these present in your life:  anger, rage, malice, slander, filthy language, lies?  Later in the chapter, Paul tells us to have compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, patience, forgiveness, and love.  Those are character qualities Christ commands, and if they aren't present, then that's sin, too.  Think of the fruits of the Spirit, found in Galatians 5:22-23.  What is the antithesis of those things mentioned?

I'll be honest, my first reaction to a Reese's Peanut Butter Cup in the past has been nothing short of lust, but I'm hoping to change that now.  I hope the next time you see a Reese's Cup, you'll use it as a reminder for self-examination.  To grow closer in our walk with the Lord, we must have regular times of confession, admitting the sin.  Then we must also renounce the sin and turn from it. 

Confession and renouncing sin can be painful and raw.  I admit it, it's not easy seeing the ugly truth about yourself...the truth you try to hide from everyone...the truth you don't want anyone to see.  The end result, however, is being conformed to God's image.  I don't know about you, but that is my end goal, no matter how hard it hurts.  That's what matters in life, becoming more like Christ.  It's my prayer for each of you this week that you will set aside time for prayer focusing on confession of sins.

Be sure your sin will find you out.  Reese's Peanut Butter Cup, anyone?

 

 

 

---Beth Banfill
www.GodandMe2theMax.com

 

 

 

Hurt on the court?

Psalm 55:22  "Cast your cares on the Lord, and He will sustain you; He will never let the righteous fall."

A few years ago I was coaching a volleyball game when one of my girls got hurt on the court.  When it was apparent she was not able to continue playing, her dad came on to the court to her rescue.  He is a big firefighter, but a gentle giant.  He assessed his daughter's situation, and then scooped her up into his arms and carried her off the court.  It was an incredibly moving sight to see.

That's the image I get when I read this verse.  It says you should "cast your cares on the Lord and He will sustain you."  Just like my player cried out to her daddy for help, we should do the same to our Heavenly Daddy.  When we do, He scoops us into His arms and sustains us.  He never let's the righteous fall.

With that said, however, how many times do we cast our cares on Him, but instead we try to bear our own burdens?  Giving it all up and over to Him, and leaving it with Him is not easy.  But the verse for this week promises us that God will sustain us.  It doesn't say to cast our cares on God and we'll be able to handle things a little better.  No, it doesn't even say to tell God all about it and you'll be able manage through the tough times. 

The notes in my NIV Study Bible for a similar passage in I Peter 5:7 say it better than I can:  "Carrying your worries, stresses, and daily struggles by yourself show that you have not trusted God fully with your life.  It takes humility, however, to recognize that God cares, to admit your need, and to let other in God's family help you.  sometimes we think that struggles caused by our on sin and foolishness are not God's concern.  But when we turn to God in repentance, He will bear the weight even of those struggles.  Letting God have your anxieties calls for action, not passivity.  Don't submit to circumstances, but to the Lord who controls circumstances."

So here's the question.  Are you going to let our Heavenly Firefighter scoop you up off the court?  Are you going to cry out to Him, cast your cares on Him, and let Him sustain you?  I hope you'll evaluate life's circumstances, your reaction to them, and see if you're allowing this verse to be true in your life.  Definitely for me, I've got a lot of evaluating to do!

 

---Beth Banfill
www.GodandMe2theMax.com

 

 

 

 

Do you have a green thumb?

Isaiah 58:11  "The Lord will guide you always; He will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame.  You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail."

A green thumb I do not have; a black one I do.  I have never been very successful at not killing a plant in my home.  Well, make that with the exception of one special plant that was given to me when I had cancer.  Both my husband and I are both shocked that it is still alive, thanks to him more than me, three years and counting now.

What does a plant need to grow?  Two simple things - water and exposure to the sun.  When it doesn't get one or both of these things, it slowly fades and eventually loses life. Why do plants die?  Truthfully, it's not because we have a knack for plants, the real reason is because of lack of discipline, attention, and care for the plant on our part.   So really, is "I don't have a green thumb" an actual excuse?  (I don't think I'll ever be able to use that one again!)

Hmmm.  Isn't that the same thing with our Christian walk?   In order to keep growing, what do we need?  We need fed and exposure to the Son, Jesus Christ.  If we don't continue to get these things, just like a plant, we will fade, leaving our soul into a drought.  Yes, that "black thumb" can be self-imposed, because of our own lack of discipline and attention to spiritual matters.

But the good news is that God always has a green thumb.  All we have to do is to turn to Him.  Re-read the verse for this week and listen to what He does (paraphrased):  The Lord will guide us continually.  He will satisfy our soul during a drought.  He will strengthen our bones, and we will be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water that never runs dry! 

Are you feeling like a weak plant lately, starving for water, strength fading, leaves turning brown?  Are you in a spiritual drought?  I'm so glad God has the never ending supply of "miracle grow."  Just turn to Him and be disciplined to give your spiritual life what it needs.  Turn to Him.  Discipline yourself to "water" yourself each day.  I don't know about you, but I want to keep growing.  I'm so thankful for this reminder that God's springs of water never run dry.

---Beth Banfill
www.GodandMe2theMax.com

 

Nothing. Nada. Zero. Zilch.

Jeremiah 32:27  "I am the Lord, the God of all mankind.  Is anything too hard for me?"

You're knee deep in work, more projects to do then you have hours in the day to get them done.  The stress is extreme; the deadlines quickly approaching.  You're never going to make it.  But God says, "Is anything too hard for me?"

You're snowed under in school work.  You've already been up past midnight the last few days, with no hope of going to bed at a decent hour anytime in the near future.  You want to give it your all on your grades, but you just feel so overwhelmed and can't keep up this pace.  And God says, "Is anything too hard for me?"

You're fighting a life threatening disease with all the might in you.  You're so tired, but still not willing to give up.  Listen to God say, "Is anything too hard for me?"

You're a single parent.  You're juggling work, children, church, and trying to be both mommy and daddy to your sweet children.  You're tired of doing it by yourself.  You can't do it any more.  No, maybe you can't, but God says, "Is anything too hard for me?"

You think you can't make it anymore.  Your spirit is heavy, the depression is deep, and you're sinking deeper.  Believe it when God says, "Is anything too hard for me?"

Your marriage is on the rocks.  You think it's probably not even salvageable.  You're not even sure you want to try any more.  You don't have the energy to keep fighting, and you're not sure you even have the energy to fight for your family.  But you remember God says, "Is anything too hard for me?"

Is anything too hard for me?  God said the same thing to Jeremiah.  Jeremiah was in the courtyard of the prison, in confinement, and under arrest.  The city of Jerusalem was under siege by the Babylonians.  He was facing his "last stand." 

God told Jeremiah that his cousin would come to him and ask him to buy land. God instructed Jeremiah that he should do it, as a symbol that one day, God would restore Israel and everyone would once again enjoy the land.  At the moment, all Jeremiah could see was the impending destruction.  There was no hope.  There was no "light at the end of the tunnel," at least as far as he could see.  But God reminded Jeremiah, just like He reminds us today, that nothing is too hard for Him.  Even when it looks and feels like all hope is gone, this story serves as a reminder to us that there is always hope.  Nothing is too big for my God.

Whatever giant you are facing today, give it over to God.  Let Him be your warrior and fight the Goliath in your life.  He can handle it, and I guarantee He can do it much better than you can.  Remember when He says, "I am the Lord, the God of all mankind.  Is anything too hard for me?"

---Beth Banfill
www.GodandMe2theMax.com

 

 

 

 

 

Visine - It gets the red out...

Exodus 16:2  "In the desert the whole community grumbled against Moses and Aaron."

We all probably know the story.  The Israelites wandered around in the desert for forty years.  It was a vicious cycle of complaining, wandering, and turning back to God...only to begin complaining again.  Until today, I've always judged them pretty harshly, "Why couldn't they learn their lesson?  Why couldn't they just trust God to see them through without having the spiritual ups and downs?"  After all, they were a bunch of foolish people who just couldn't learn from their mistakes, right?

Wrong.  They could have learned from their mistakes, but they did not.  Therefore, they stayed in the desert.  They wanted their way.  The sun was beating down.  The scorching wind was blowing.  The sand was in their eyes, obstructing their vision.  It was far easier to complain about their situation then to have faith that God would carry them through.  It was easier to talk amongst themselves about the problems they were encountering and the hardships they were enduring then to put off the selfish desires and put complete trust in the One who always proved Himself to be faithful.

Perhaps you're like me.  You look at the pattern of the Israelites and wonder how any entire nation could be so ignorant and not learn from their mistakes?  Yet, today I look at them a little differently, perhaps with more grace.  Yes, their cyclical behavior was definitely wrong, but how often do I repeat a similar pattern?

I'm in some type of desert.  I trust God.  I take my eyes off God.  I complain about my situation.  I'm reminded that I need to trust God.  I do.  Over and over.

In the verse to memorize for this week, we see that repeated story of the Israelites and the pattern we're all so familiar with.  The Bible says that "the whole community" grumbled against Moses and Aaron.  Now that's a lot of people out of God's will!  I wonder if it was one person or one family who started the rumble among the people, and everyone else joined the bandwagon.  We don't know, but we do know that it was the entire community complaining.  Interesting parallel of the impact my complaining might have in my family and circle of influence!

So what about you?  Are you in a desert right now?  What's your attitude like while you are there?  Remember, the Israelites were in the desert for forty years.  How long have you been in the desert?  One month?  Six months?  A few years, max?  Is your trust in God cyclical, just like the Israelites?  Do you have faith, a good attitude, a consistent quiet time for one week, maybe two, and then you just fall away, with your attitude falling away with it?

We're probably all in some kind of "desert" in our life.  There are those who have family members facing eminent death.  There are those struggling with life-threatening illnesses themselves.  Still others are struggling with emotional and financial needs.  I don't know what kind of desert you're facing right now, but I do know the God who can clear the sand from your eyes.  Maybe you're like me -- not very good with eye drops.  I can barely keep my eyes open to get a drop in at the eye doctor.  I know the drops are for good, but sometimes they hurt in order to help me get better.  Eventually, though, my eyes become clear, and I can once again focus.  I know that my God has an endless supply of Holy Visine to get the red pain out.  He can give me the clear vision I need to face the future. 

Let's take a lesson from the Israelites and do the exact opposite.  Let's break the pattern.  Trust God.  Don't take your eyes off Him.  And when you feel like you're vision is getting blurry, like your eyes are becoming red and tired with specs of sand in them, ask Him for an extra dose of His visine.  He alone will help sustain you in the desert of life, no matter how vast or long it is.

 

---Beth Banfill
www.GodandMe2theMax.com

 

 

Fearing God like Niagara Falls...

Psalm 25:14  "The Lord confides in those who fear Him; He makes His covenant known to them."

I have a friend who emailed me recently, sharing some very poignant details in her life.  These are details that she's not proud of, but she knew I would not judge her and that I would pray for her.  She considered me a good enough friend to share these intimate details, and that left me humbled.  She confided in me, and although the news she was sharing wasn't good, it left me feeling good about our friendship.

You've probably been there.  A friend has poured out their heart to you.  Good or bad situation, the friendship and intimacy you have with your friend when confidence is shared is a feeling you can't really describe.  Now transfer that feeling to the Lord.  The verse for this week says "The Lord confides in those who fear Him."

I just love this verse.  To think that God would think so highly of me that He would reveal His secrets to me!  If I feel good when a friend confides in me, how much more should I feel if God confides in me!  And what do I need to do for Him to confide in me?  I need to fear Him.

Fear.  "A distressing emotion aroused by impending danger, evil, or pain."  But that's not the fear God is talking about here.  No, this fear is that reverent respect and awe for God kind of fear.  When I try to think of an example of how to describe it, I think about Niagara Falls.  I grew up just a few hours away from this great site, and if you've ever seen Niagara Falls in person, it doesn't take long for you to realize you need to fear it.  Water flows from Niagara Falls at a rate of 150,000 gallons per second.  That's like pouring 83 swimming pools full of water over the falls per second!  That's a lot of water!

Whenever I visit the Falls, it's standard protocol to pay a visit to the most popular attraction, the "Maid of the Mist."  It's a "must do," especially for first time visitors to the falls.  The "Maid of the Mist" takes you on a boat ride down the Niagara River, getting as close to the awesome power of the falls that you would want to get.  It's there, staring at this majestic wonder of God's handiwork, being soaked from the splashes of it's downpour, that you understand the Biblical meaning of fear.  I can't help but look at Niagara Falls and think of God's awesome power.  That's how God wants us to respect Him, His power, and who He is.  This is the kind of fear that the verse is talking about. 

You see, sometimes we talk to God flippantly.  We take Him for granted.  We forget just about how mighty and powerful He is.  We expect Him to answer our pleas and come to our beckon call.  I'm not proud of it, but I'm one of those people who do just that.  Guilty as charged.  But when we approach Him with fear, when we remember who we are and our position in Him, the verse says He will make His promises (covenants) known to us. 

I don't know about you, but I would consider it an honor to have God confide in me.  Just like the feeling I have when a friend shares her innermost heart, if God Almighty shared with me His plan and thoughts about me, well, there's no words to really describe that feeling.  As I spend time in prayer with God this week, and as I work to memorize this verse, I'm asking God to remind me to approach Him with this Niagara Falls kind of fear.  What an honor it would be for God to confide in me, all because I love Him and fear Him.

 

---Beth Banfill
www.GodandMe2theMax.com

 

 



 

The Ultimate Treasure Hunt...

Colossians 2:3  "In Whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge."

Hidden treasure.  You gotta admit it, we all would love to find it.  I can remember a few years ago going with my family to pan for gold in Northern California.  You see, earlier that year, we watched a show on the Travel Channel that told about the richest body of water in the west, Woods Creek, near Jamestown, California.  It featured a geologist named Josh who had dedicated his life to finding gold.  We watched the show, and we quickly added a visit to Josh on our "bucket list" of future travel plans. 

We were fortunate enough to take a driving vacation later that year, and of course, we had to make a stop in Northern California to try our hand at panning for gold and finding hidden treasure.  Josh was just as enthusiastic as we remembered seeing on TV.  Within the first hour, he shared that just a month prior to us coming, a twelve year old boy found a $6,000 nugget of gold in his little section of the river.  You see, the rules were simple.  We paid an "entrance" fee, but whatever we found, we got to keep, no matter how big the find. 

Now, if you've never been panning for gold, let me just explain this a little.  The next four hours that we experienced were the hardest physical labor I have ever endured in my life.  It was made up of digging, lugging huge buckets of water, mud, and sludge across a river, sifting through it, over and over and over again.  And that was all before we got to the "end game" where we put the hopeful findings into the pan to start swirling around.  Through it all, we didn't care.  We were determined to find that treasure, no matter how much physical effort we put into it.

The verse to memorize this week is a simple one.  Simple to memorize, perhaps, but just like the panning for gold, it takes effort on our part to really put it into practice.  In context, Paul is telling the people of Colosse that everything they need, all wisdom and knowledge, is found in Christ.  As a Christian, this is probably not a big revelation.  But practically speaking, it's easier said than done.  We know facts about God.  We know truths about His nature.  But sometimes, we have to really search Him for wisdom.  We have to seek after Him for knowledge. 

Jeremiah 29:13 says, "You will seek me and find me when you search for me with your whole heart."  Just like we had to search with all our might to find gold in Woods Creek, we should seek after God with just as much determination and effort.  And when we do, we will find the hidden treasures of wisdom and knowledge.  So the question is simple.  How much effort are you putting into finding the spiritual hidden treasure?  Are you haphazardly living your Christian life, taking it as life rolls?  Or are you disciplining yourself to seek God first, searching  for Him with your whole heart?  It will pay off in the end, no not with gold nuggets, but with nuggets of spiritual truth revealed to us as we seek His hidden treasure. 

Oh, and yes, we did find gold in Woods Creek.  About $85 worth, slightly more than it cost us for the privilege of trying.  But we didn't care, because the effort put into the search was well worth any small reward we found.  And that's the same with God.  He rewards our efforts to seek Him, with satisfaction guaranteed. 

Lord, help me to stay disciplined to search for Your hidden treasure!

 

---Beth Banfill
www.GodandMe2theMax.com

 

 

 

 

 

 

Monday Memory Verse: Psalm 61:2 "Alone on Survivor Island"

Psalm 61:2  "From the ends of the earth I call to You, I call as my heart grows faint; lead me to the rock that is higher than I."

"Hello!"  (Echo: hello. hello.  hello.)  "Is anyone there?"  (Echo: there, there, there.)  You're alone.  You're scared.  And you feel like you're surrounded by circumstances that are bigger and deeper than you can handle.  You've been dropped off on "Survivor Island" to fend for yourself.  Sure, there may be other people around, but no one who really understands what you feel like or what you're going through.  The fear is intense.  The pain is deeper than you can bear.  You wander through the days, unable to function.  Does it sound familiar? 

As a Christian, I would be lying if I said I couldn't identify with that scenario.  Sometimes I find it incredibly difficult to keep going in faith when circumstances around me seem grim.  I pray, yet God doesn't seem to give timely answers.  I get weary, I get tired, and part of me just wants to give up. 

As I read Psalm 61, I think David could relate, too.  Scholars believe this Psalm was written either during the days of Absalom's rebellion or after David narrowly escaped one of Saul's attempts to kill him while in the desert.  I think I can take some Survivor advise from David -- let's break the verse down. 

"From the ends of the earth I call to You..."
David was lonely, and he called out to God feeling like he was stuck in the middle of nowhere.  Granted, he actually may have been in the middle of nowhere, not just figuratively!  But just like David, I know each of us feels that same feeling of loneliness sometimes.  Our circumstances push us to feeling that God is far away, when in reality, He most definitely is not.  Survivor advice #1: God is omnipresent.  Sure, I may feel like I'm on a deserted island, but in reality, because of my relationship with Jesus Christ, I am never alone.  God is not limited to any geographic location.

"...I call as my heart grows faint..."
We all know King David was known as the "Friend of God."  True friends allow themselves to be vulnerable with other friends, right?  They don't hide their feelings.  They honestly pour out their innermost thoughts.  I love the fact that David just came out and told God how he felt.  David was at the end of his rope, and he had no problem letting God know.  Sometimes I feel like I have to be a "Super Christian."  I try so hard to obey, do what God wants me to, and simply put, "have it all together."  Yet, David clearly did not have it all together.  In fact, he was emotionally falling apart.  So Survivor advice #2: Be honest with my best friend.  How stupid I am sometimes.  I hold it all in, as if God doesn't already know I'm at the end of my rope.  I try to sort it out by myself, instead of just simply crying out to God about how I really feel: the good, the bad, and the ugly.  Just talking to Him honestly and openly, friend to friend like David did, is definitely the right start.

"...lead me to the rock that is higher than I."
Although David was at wit's end, he knew the truth.  He didn't let his emotions and fear overtake him.  A "higher rock" would have been an area of safety and refuge, and he knew that's where he needed to be.  Survivor advice #3: Put your faith in the Rock.   Easier said than done, I know.  See, faith is a tough thing to reconcile.  I have the head knowledge that God is in control, even in negative circumstances that I don't like.  But placing my faith in God during that time instead of trying to manipulate and control the situation is something else.  It's a constant struggle between giving my problems to God, then taking them back, then giving them...  What can I say, I really am not a Super Christian.  I'm just a feeble, weary, human.  But I hope I have enough sense in my feebleness to know that the only way off the deserted island is to ask God for help in getting to higher ground.  That doesn't mean the dangers of the island will go away.  No, in fact, those hard times will likely still stick around for a while.  But if I'm seeking God for safety, it's one step at a time.  One ledge at a time.  And you know what?  He's going to help me.  Just like David knew in his heart the facts, I have to rely on the facts and faith.  The fact that my God never leaves me.  (Hebrews 13:5)  The fact that my God knows the plans for me...plans not to harm me.  (Jeremiah 29:11)  So if I know the facts, then I must dispell the emotions.  I must use the reasoning side of my brain to believe in faith that the things I know to be true actually are.

Do you hear the echo?  Do you want it to stop?  Do you want off the island?  Together let's take David's Survivor Advice.  God's all-surpassing strength is with us as we start the climb, one rock at a time.

---Beth Banfill
www.GodandMe2thMax.com

Monday Memory Verse - Are you ready for some football?

Hebrews 12:1  "Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us."

I'm a football fan.  Let me clarify that---I'm a football fan, but I'm especially a Dallas Cowboys fan.  It took my husband and I about seven or eight years after coming to Texas to "get our life right" but in the end, it was unavoidable.  If you're going to live in the Dallas area and want to watch football with your friends, you gotta love the Cowboys. And we do!  Now, unlike some I know, we're not fair-weather fans.  But, I will say, it's quite easy to sit on the sidelines of my reclining chair and see all the mistakes going on in the opening season game.

You see, SNF (Sunday Night Football) on NBC this week has the Washington Redskins hosting the Dallas Cowboys.  The Redskins, led by Donovan McNabb, formerly with the Eagles, is a quarterback that we owned last season, beating him and his Eagles three times in a row.  Unfortunately, it's only currently minutes into the second half, and the Cowboys can't seem to throw off what is hindering them, namely the Redskins.  Yes, spiritually speaking, the Cowboys need some perseverance.

OK, enough about football, let's bring it home to me (and you if you want.)  First, let me say that I am so thankful I'm surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses.  You see, sometimes I get really weary.  I get tired of being sure that I'm posting a blog and a verse to memorize by each Sunday night.  It's not that I don't want to stay with my commitment to learn a new verse each week, but the busyness of life sometimes just takes over.  I'm so thankful for our Groupies4God members who keep me accountable to do what God has called me to do.  When I get weary, all I have to do is spend a little time focusing on God and the race He has laid out.  But it definitely helps knowing that I have 570+ people waiting to see the new verse for the week, too.

Next the verse says that we should throw off everything that hinders and sin that easily entangles us.  Now if you know anything about football, think about the imagery.  The defensive and offensive lineman literally are in a battle to throw each other off throughout the whole game.  It's the good vs. evil scenario, and I probably don't have to mention which is which on NBC's Sunday night match-up. 

The verse ends with let us "run with perseverance the race marked out for us."  In football, I think the race marked out is for a Cowboy victory each week, paving the way to a home team advantage at the Super Bowl.  But in real life, I know that's highly unlikely, at least the 'undefeated' part.  That's why the author of Hebrews says to run with perseverance.   If you're guaranteed success, it's not too hard to have perseverance, right?

But for me, long term perseverance can be a struggle.  Sometimes staying up late to watch my favorite television show has repercussions with getting my hiney out of bed early enough in the morning to have a quality quiet time with the Lord.  Perseverance.  Sometimes my lack of discipline results in lack of encouraging friends who are struggling.  Perseverance.  Sometimes I just wear myself out working so much that I neglect even spending time with my own family like I should.  Yes, I need perseverance, in whatever the race marked out for me.

So are you with me?  Can you identify any areas where you haven't been practicing perseverance?  Have you stayed true to your commitment to learning a verse each week?  Are you struggling to maintain a consistent, active quiet time each morning?  What is the sin that so easily besets you?  We all are different.  Identify it, and throw it off. 

Persevere.  Now, I can't say the Cowboys persevered like I wanted them to during the season opener, but only the rest of the season will tell if they really do persevere and throw off what is besetting them.  What beset them on Sunday was penalties.  At least it came down to the final seconds and last play of the game.  What can I say, they at least made it exciting.  Football fan or not, I think we can all learn a lesson about finishing the task God has called us to do.

---Beth Banfill
www.Godandme2theMax.com