Christian Writers Circle

December 2013

Time for God’s Way
by Judy Hitson

As I was reading Matthew Chapter Three this Advent season, it seemed the Lord was calling me to write to you to prepare the way of the Lord. It was a struggle trying to understand what the Lord was saying to me because I wrote to you previously, Time to Prepare and Take Time to Prepare.

You know how it is said when the Lord is saying something to us, He repeats Himself? That is the way it has been for me reading and hearing Matthew 3. It is the chapter I’ve been meditating on to hear the word of the Lord for us to end this year on the topic of “Time.” As we Christians prepare for Christmas and celebrate the birth of our Lord with the first advent, we also prepare for the second advent. The second advent of Christ seems like the culmination of time and the reason we should anticipate His return and be ready for Him, going His way.

Take a look with me through this familiar passage of Scripture and prayerfully consider these contrasts. Open your Bible to Matthew Chapter 3. I will write to you what I sense the Holy Spirit revealed for us to think about. From the New American Standard Bible, I write:

In verse one the first three words about popped off the page, “In those days.” It is difficult to articulate what I heard and saw. Trusting the Lord to capture what He revealed to me in hopes of communicating His way for us in these days.

Matt. 3:1 In those days – Biblical History – John the Baptist came, preaching in the wilderness…
In your day – your history – the question comes to mind, “Are you a voice of one                                                                     crying out in the desert?

Spiritually, are we not living in a dry and arid land, void of the Spirit except for the people of God listening and obeying God’s voice?

John the Baptist preached Matt. 3:2 “Repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” :3 For this is the one referred to by Isaiah the prophet, saying, “THE VOICE OF ONE  CRYING IN THE WILDERNESS, ‘MAKE READY THE WAY OF THE LORD, MAKE HIS PATHS STRAIGHT!’ “ Isa.40:3

As in those days, so too in our days, there is a need of repentance for the kingdom of God is at hand. We cannot be the silent majority. We must cry out, ‘Make ready the way of the LORD…’

What does that look like?

As you read on through Matthew 3:4-12 in regards to John the Baptist consider your life in contrast to his to make ready the way of the LORD. John wore a garment of camel’s hair, a leather belt about his waist. His food was locusts and wild honey. People came to him from Jerusalem and Judea. They were baptized by him in the Jordan River, as they confessed their sins. It seems John discerned the hearts of the people for when the religious people of the day came for baptism, (verses 7-9) Pharisees and Sadducees, John said to them, “You brood of vipers, who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? “Therefore bring forth fruit in keeping with repentance; and do not suppose that you can say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham for our father’; for I say to you, that God is able from these stones to raise up children to Abraham.

It is a serious matter to consider the fruit of our lives in keeping with God’s ways in daily living.

John spoke of baptizing with water for repentance but One coming who will baptize with the Holy Spirit and fire; he said, “He will gather His wheat into the barn, but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.” (verses 10-12)

John’s basic needs were met with the clothes he wore and food he ate. The thought occurred, “In our day, are we meeting our basic needs for shelter, clothing and strength or are we indulging on lusts of the flesh?”

Everyone was going to hear John and the question came to mind, Do you have others come to hear what you have to say about the Lord?

The people that came to John were baptized with water and confessed their sins. I heard, Are you confessing faults to one another and praying for one another that you may be healed? (James 5:16)

When we consider the way John talked with the Pharisees and Sadducees, I heard, “How do you talk with those who call themselves Christians but you discern are bound with religious spirits like the Pharisees and Sadducees in John’s day?

I saw John was telling the religious people not to presume they have Abraham as their father. Do we hear those who presume their salvation because they go to church, were baptized, but without the life of the Spirit have religion without a relationship with God?

Yes, it is time for God’s way. Let us pray:

Lord Jesus reveal Your ways for our lives and help us live in light of it by Your Spirit. Amen.

His Time of Delivery

by

Kathleen Shore

     The way my physical body felt, it seemed as though accomplishing my last errand of the day was like setting out on a voyage into a dense wooded hillside on foot, with both girls on my back, for about 100 miles…. just to reach our neighborhood Kroger.

But believing we are “His love roaming,” I prayed my condition would not dull my senses and that I would not miss Father’s appointments of delivery because of my need to finish the task.

We kept our steps light hearted as we found joy in greeting each one we passed, and just as we turned down our last aisle, there came little Anna.

In her late sixties and no taller than my ten year old daughter, Anna is a treasure that very few ever notice or give thought to as valuable.

As my girls ran ahead to give her a hug, I notice she was wearing rubber cleaning gloves that reached her shoulders, “And why was she pushing an industrial size garbage bin, that she couldn’t even see over?” I thought to myself….

Without reserve I joined Isabel and Acacia in clogging up the aisle to hug Anna and ask how she was doing. In response, her little hand came up to cover her face and she began to cry.

She was so worn from all the harassment in her day…. a day that resembled the day before, and the day before…. people in a hurry with their groceries, no grace, no kind word….  with a lot of the opposite, and physically exhausted from being moved around by managers to jobs that no one else wanted to do.

With our hearts plowed by Father God, I laid my hand on little Anna and began to pray as people somehow found their way around us in pursuit of their goods.

So beautifully, God’s love became the fulfillment of everything.

My need was met by reaching out to hers….

My receiving was wrapped up in the giving….

My pain lifted in being broken for hers….

 Time To Love

by

Kathleen Shore

All of creation is groaning, longing for us to live captivated by God’s love that was given like a love transaction, with the purchase price being His only Son – Jesus – His life, given for each one of ours.

The unbeliever is even unknowingly waiting for us to live out this earthly life, with all its trials and perplexities, firmly planted and rooted in this love transaction. Unwavering, because we are plugged into the power source by simply choosing to live moment by moment engaged to God’s love pursuit of us.

The word says, “They (the unbeliever) will know Him by our love.” This love is not something we have within ourselves. Yet, the greatest power source is completely ours as we simply dwell in the secret place with Him…. Abide in the vine, so that He – who is love, would abide in us.

However, the body of Christ, called to be His bride, is being tossed about, in and out of their love with Him…. She has given her love to another, her eye stolen and distracted, wearied from being pushed and pulled by earthly circumstances while waiting for His return.

“But this circumstance I am in,” we say, or “That person,” we point with our finger.  “If only this would change, I could love the way I’m suppose to….”

This, my friend, is a prayer and the call to each….

     Today, let us live as though it were our last moment to live, and love, as though it were our very last moment to give God’s love away. Let us spend every last cent of ourselves on the treasure we have found, which is God’s love of us – Jesus, the embodiment of His lavish love. HE is the Treasure, that when found, we went and sold everything we had and bought it.

So hold nothing back from responding to His love that radically pursued us, and paid the highest price.

Let us push off everything that would hinder us in responding to His love of us, everything that would block the flow of His powerful love, into us and through us.

–      Love is patient, love is kind, it is not envious, it is not boastful, it is not proud, it is not rude, it is not self-serving, it is not easily angered and keeps no record of wrong…. It is not glad about injustice, but rejoices in the truth.

Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things and endures all things. Love never fails…. it never ends.

–      Let us love the Lord our God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength.

–      Let us love our neighbor as we would love ourselves.

–      Let us stir one another up in our love with Him.

–      Let us put on love, which is the bond of perfectness.

–      We can have wisdom, discernment, prophecy, healing in our hands, cast out demons…. But without love, we have nothing.

To respond this way in all of life is to say,

“I love my Lord”….”I am a follower of Christ.”

Time in the Word
by Judy Hitson

Amos 8:11 NASB
“Behold, days are coming,” declares the LORD God,
“When I will send a famine on the land,
Not a famine for bread or a thirst for water,
But rather for hearing the word of the LORD.

Sound the alarm! Twenty four hours a day, that’s it! Imagine a day when the LORD God sends a famine for hearing His word. How does it affect you? Does it call you to a greater commitment to hide God’s word in your heart and share it with others? We are blessed with a free will to make choices. May the Lord grip our hearts with the reality of such a famine that we choose to spend more time with Him in His word.

How much time do you commit to Bible reading in your day?

The Bible is the word of God. It is essential to take time in the word as an activity of daily living. Each morning we prepare ourselves for the day ahead of us.

What are some things you must do to be ready for your day?

Is having a daily quiet time with God one of those for Bible reading and prayer or perhaps a short devotional reading? Whether you take a few moments or a few hours hearing the word of the LORD, I urge you to spend time in the word to see and hear by His Spirit what He has to say to you. We are blessed at this time of history to have access to Bibles, Christian materials, and technical means of media to read or hear the word of God.

With a time coming for a famine of hearing the word of the LORD, I share a few Scriptures that tug at my heart. They may be familiar to you. I hope they will be meaningful as you think about time in the word with the LORD, your God.
John 4:34 NASB
Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to accomplish His work.   

John 6:53-58 Read these verses and consider Jesus words to eat His body and drink His blood as eating the words of Scripture like food for your soul.

Psalm 119 is the longest Psalm but one that is filled with insight on God’s word. For example,
Psalm 119:11 NASB Thy word I have treasured in my heart, that I may not sin against Thee.
Psalm 119:103 NIV My soul faints with longing for your salvation, but I have put my hope in your word.
Psalm 119:105 NASB Thy word is a lamp to my feet, and a light to my path.

Ps. 81:10 NIV I am the LORD your God, who brought you up out of Egypt. Open wide your mouth and I will fill it.

Time in the word of God is a necessity for me in daily living. Is it for you? You can relate time in the word to time eating daily meals and snacks. Time in Bible study, daily Bible reading and learning to pray the word are like the meat and potatoes. Devotionals are like tasty spiritual snacks that take a few minutes to read but the nourishment for the soul can be timeless treasures. Time for Scripture memory can be vital for the Spirit of God to bring recall in times of need.

Prayer: Lord, bless us with daily time in your word in our hours and moments to receive Your living word by Your Spirit, who gives us life. This I ask in Your name, Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

Take Time to Prepare
by Judy Hitson

Romans 13:11 NIV And do this, understanding the present time. The hour has come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed.

And do this. Do what? I thought it was about being and believing, not about a “to do list.” Are you with me on that thinking? When did you first believe in Jesus Christ? Let me pause a moment to say, If you are reading this and do not believe in Jesus Christ, I urge you, take time to prepare for your salvation through believing and receiving Christ. It is a matter of life or death. See what I wrote on Time of Salvation. However, if you know the Lord and believe in Him, please do not slumber or sleep from heeding what the Lord asks. See also Eph.5:8-11

Do you understand the present time? There were believers of every generation who looked for the Lord to return. In our generation, some believers, including me, sense an urgency to prepare not only for the return of the Lord, living in ways that please Him, but prepare to live in the end times before He returns. What do you think of the exponential changes taking place in our nation? What do you think of the extreme weather around the world, natural disasters, war, increased crime and other matters that may be on your mind. Yes, we need to take time to prepare for such a time as this with our circle of influence and the boundaries God set for us. What does that preparation look like? Perhaps you have taken time to prepare and understand the present time, alert and watchful, pleasing the Lord. If so, I commend you. If you are not sure or wonder what I found as important in preparation, I will share the Scripture passage that alarmed me as I was reading the Bible in Romans 13: 8-14 New International Version:

Love for the Day is Near
Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for he who loves his fellowman has fulfilled the law. The commandments, “Do not commit adultery,”  “Do not murder,” “Do not steal,” “Do not covet,” and whatever other commandment there may be, are summed up in this one rule: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” Love does no harm to its neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.
And do this, understanding the present time. The hour has come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. The night is nearly over; the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. Let us behave decently, as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and debauchery, not in dissension and jealousy. Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the sinful nature.

The bottom line I see is walk in love and realize that is something only God can do through us. Let us heed the greatest commandment found in Matt. 22:37-38 NIV Jesus replied: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment.

Take time to think slowly on these verses. Let the Lord speak to your heart of what it means for you to take time to prepare for His return and for the end times.

There are many Scripture passages I would like to share with you but  close with the key passages I shared. They tug at my heart at this time of preparation in my life and hope it is meaningful for you and your life.

Prayer: Father in heaven, touch our hearts and reveal how we are to take time by Your Spirit to prepare for such a time as this in history and for Your return. This I ask in Your name, Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

Time to Prepare
by Judy Hitson

Be alert and aware
We are going somewhere.
For a trip you pack
and see nothing you lack.

Minutes, hours and a day
Some say, Come what may.
Now is your time on earth
How have you lived since birth?

This is not all there is.
It is not about the latest biz.
There is more to consider.
How you live does matter.

There is a heaven and hell.
We are told to go and tell.
The Kingdom of God is upon you.
Through Christ be made new.

How, you say to me.
First, bow the knee.
He is Most High.
It is truth, not a lie.

Think of eternal things.
Know what eternity brings.
Jesus will return.
There is much to learn.

God is right and fair.
To Him, you will answer.
He sent His only Son for you,
to make you brand new.

We must prepare for tomorrow.
Time we cannot borrow.
It is time to prepare.
We are going somewhere

Time to Stand
by Brenda Flowers

We often hear about George Washington
and the greatness of this man.
He sought the Lord for wisdom
and God helped him to stand.

Yet behind the scene of Valley Forge
much more was going on.
Martha and others were praying,
crying out for battles to be won.

The mothers’ prayers were key.
Their cries were heard by God.
Our forefathers we should honor.
Our mothers we should laud.

Loving mothers sent their husbands
and their sons; a great sacrifice.
They faced the foes of justice.
Their bravery great against vice.

Our nation was founded by men
and women following God’s lead.
It took the sacrifice of all.
On their knees, they did plead.

America’s victory was Divine.
Ordained by God before it was won.
The people sought God’s will,
Stepped out in faith and knew God’s Son.

Fathers and mothers, ask yourselves,
Are you seeking the God they knew?
Do you know God’s leading and His ways?
Is America important to you?

God loved this country before its birth.
He orchestrated the events to follow.
God worked through willing men and women
to create this country we all know.

It is time to rise up as citizens.
to awake to God’s purpose here.
Fathers and mothers, cry out to God.
Search your hearts. Seek God without fear.

We are a nation founded by God.
And He has a purpose for us even now.
Let us seek His will to know His plan.
May we be brave. He will show us how.

We are entering an age of challenge.
Evil forces and deception abound.
The truth of His Word is challenged.
By seeking God, His ways will be found.

Arise, Americans, from your sleep.
Arise to the call destined for you.
Arise, Americans, hear the trumpet.
Embrace the purpose our founders knew.

Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord.
Pray for forgiveness and direction.
Sacrifice your selfish desires.
Speak out loud, “Thy will be done.”

Our future depends upon people
willing to obey and follow God’s lead.
In humbleness, through heartfelt prayers
Victory over darkness, we will see.

Oh! Beautiful, America, my  beloved country.
God, please shed Your Grace on thee.
May I humbly trust Your Word
and live a life You call worthy.

God, I am thankful to be alive now
to be here in this time of history.
I hear Your call and I am challenged.
Please lead me  with clarity.

May I spend time in prayer seeking You.
as George and Martha did long ago.
May I hear Your voice and be guided.
Your protection, then I will know.

For, God, Your ways are higher than mine.
Your purposes on earth are great!
May I as an American citizen
take the time to pray and wait.

You will guide me and others
as citizens of this great land.
For your calling has been sounded.
Now is the time for us to stand!

God, how do you want me to stand?

Stand against the lies of the enemy.

Time To See

by

Kathleen Shore

“Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.”

                                                                                                                                                                                    Hebrews 11:1

At seventeen, two years had past since Dad had died and the frozen temperatures of the white out storm I had driven into echoed the condition of my heartache.

Initially, I was unaware of the magnitude of my situation as I drove up the Colorado Rocky Mountain pass just as the snow began to fall. Within minutes my visibility was reduced to about 20 feet in front of me and with the steep incline of the road, I decided it would be best to put chains on two of my tires for traction. I was confident in this task, as I had been taught well…. I knew how to do it…. I even mustered up emotional strength for the moment by remembering how proud Dad had been, watching me tackle the practical things he felt to teach me before he died. But this time, I was alone.

Tightening the chains well, I crawled back inside my car. To finish, I would need to drive forward a short distance and then tighten them again. But as I put the gear in drive, fear drove a stake into my chest as I realized I was not able to see anything. I couldn’t see the wall of rock to my right that I had intentionally parked very close to, nor was I able to see the shear drop to my left on the other side of the one lane between us. My heart felt crippled as I peered out the window at my surroundings, looking for some point of reference so that I could safely move forward. But everything was white. There was no dividing yellow line on the road, not a tree or twig for a guide…. I couldn’t even see the hood of my car. I was caught in a place that was deadly to move forward, and to not.

Having become fatherless at the age of 15, I had spent much of the time since, clinging to every promise in God’s word and found myself reminding Him often of one in particular when He said, “I will be a Father to the fatherless.”

Not only was God on the move, paving a way in front of me with amazing provision and divine connections for His purpose, but He was also carving out His way in me. He wanted me to know Him…. He wanted me to see Him, straight through the mirage of the enemy, no matter what my conditions presented.

So near to my destination and having done all I knew, I closed my eyes and said, “Father, what should I do?” And with my eyes still closed, I heard Him speak to my spirit ear….”Can you see me?” Within His question, His voice called me upward to know His answer and I saw the figure of a man ahead of me, outlined in light. Then Father said, “Now open your eyes.” As I opened my eyes, my guide was still in view….

I eased my foot off the brake and began to inch forward. In holy fear of what I was doing, yet in total belief, I whispered back, “I can still see you.”

Very aware of the curve and bend of the road when I had pulled off, I took great comfort in knowing that my Father knew this neck of the woods like the back of His hand…. the same hand that had created it. So I followed on.

I followed for what seemed forever, but the distance I had covered really didn’t matter at that point, for I had come a long way with Him, in just a few feet.

Have you become blinded by the painful trial you are in?

Are you at a dead standstill, perishing for lack of sight or vision?

Oh my valuable friend, HE is the vision, that without it, we are perishing…

     Follow…. follow onward in the white out storm of your circumstance. With eyes to see and ears to hear, follow Him in unreserved belief that He knows the terrain. He knows the bend and curve of the road you are on.

Follow on with Him in raising and teaching your children. You do not need an earthly point of reference and comparison to ensure that they will arrive to their full potential and destiny. Get back to believing what God spoke of them before the foundations of the earth were laid. This is the truth of your children…. truth that lies in the spirit realm that cannot be seen with the natural eye. Follow on with Him in your marriage, your finances, within the pain of your great loss.

Though it seems an impassable mountain stands in front of you…. follow on.

Yes, blindly follow Him, and He will give you sight.

“For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what he already sees?

But if we hope for what we do not yet see, we wait for it patiently.”

                                                                                                                                                Romans 8:24, 25