Have you ever felt like you have clung to the Lord as never before, faithfully offered yourself to Him for His purposes? Have you taken captive wayward thoughts and pursued peace for all you are worth? Have you experienced HIS joy in you and actually begun to experience in reality His promise of the abundant life instead of just merely “making it through” each day?
Have you then found yourself totally blind-sided “out of the blue” by something that you had no warning about and wondered if you had been walking around with a Divine Target on your back that said, “Kicketh Thou Me!”
You are in good company.
2 Chronicles 31:20-21 says: This is what Hezekiah did throughout Judah, doing what was good and right and faithful before the LORD his God. In everything that he undertook in the service of God’s temple and in obedience to the law and the commands, he sought his God and worked wholeheartedly. And so he prospered. Hezekiah was a good, right, faithful, obedient King according to this passage.
All of this and, yet, we are told in 2 Chronicles 32:1 After all that Hezekiah had so faithfully done, Sennacherib king of Assyria came and invaded Judah. Maybe you have done everything you know how to do to love, honor, serve and obey the Lord and yet somehow you are now inexplicably under attack. In spite of everything that you have done, how you have clung to the Lord, pursued him for all you are worth, you now find yourself a target for a “Sennacherib.”
Our Sennacheribs can come in various forms. They can come in human form 🙂 or as a series of circumstances, for instance.
Here is a mini-bible study for you that I hope can encourage you. Feel free to share your answers in the comments section if you like. We can dialog a bit about it if you want. Blogs can be interactive! Let’s do it if you want!
1. Read 2 Chronicles 32.:1-22. Make two columns. In one column list all the things that Sennacherib (and his people) did, his tactics, his motives. In the other column, list all the things that King Hezekiah did.
If you want to share your insights in a blog comment, do so by summarizing the character of Sennacherib and the character of Hezekiah. Compare and contrast the type of men each represents.
Compare and contrast their ultimate end.
2. Have you ever felt like the tactics used by Sennacherib have been used against you? Has anyone ever tried to get you to doubt what you were convinced the Lord had said to you? Has anyone ever attempted to undermine your trust in God or in godly friends? Have they attempted to demoralize you? How did you respond to these assaults?
3. For Thin Within participants, how does this story apply to your situation when you consider the earthly, wordly wisdom offered by the media, well-meaning friends and family about how to break free from ungodly eating patterns and body image compared to what God is trying to develop in your personal life? Are people trying to get you to doubt what God has said to you? Based on this passage and the example of King Hezekiah, what are some tactics you can employ to remain true to what the Lord is leading you to do?
4. WHO is it that provided (and provides) the victory?
5. Some might think, “Well, that is all well and good. But why didn’t God protect Hezekiah and the people from the attack of Sennacherib in the first place?” How would you answer this question?
How does this story and your answer to question 5 apply to your personal life and your desire to “do the impossible” in the strength the Lord offers?
6. Who (or what) is your Sennacherib? By what do you feel assaulted right now? What tactics are being employed and for what purposes? What can you do practically speaking to resist allowing your “city” to be “taken?” 7. In verse 22 we read: So the LORD saved Hezekiah and the people of Jerusalem from the hand of Sennacherib king of Assyria and from the hand of all others. He took care of them on every side.
Journal a prayer of response to the Lord thanking him for the fact that he takes care of you even as your Sennacherib comes at you. Use the time to praise Him for all you can learn even when you have been faithful and He allows an assault from the enemy.
Hope this mini-bible study encourages you in some way to cling all the more to Your Faithful Lord and King!
Hi, folks. Got back from the Thin Within conference and it was such a delight. Joe Donaldson did some amazing teaching that I hope to share here a bit.
I am on the run this morning. I plan on taking Breezy out on a trail walk. Nothing major, but enough to see if he might enjoy it. I know he gets in a funk (like me!) when he doesn’t get out. So we will venture out on a short, flat trail ride or walk. I need the exercise!
Thank you for your prayers and emails!
Some of you have emailed me that you have seen the latest Health magazine–the July/August issue. You found page 47 where Thin Within is mentioned! YAY! I am so thankful that God made sure that this little article on “mindful eating” included a mention of a “faith-based” program…Thin Within! I hope others will discover Thin Within and–more importantly–the truth that sets us truly free!
Leaving town is always hard for me. I must admit that I worry too much about the animals. Not so much since Bo and Samson have passed away. But I do get concerned.
This time, I am leaving when I just got a diagnosis on Breezy–Old Reliable–our Tried and True trail horse. He has low level of Cushings *and* internal parasites. He is probably feeling pretty poorly. He is also not responding well to the tetanus shot he got on Tuesday.
I am in flesh machinery mode. I can feel it…that old familiar call…the lure of food to drown my sorrows in the taste of food. I know it is a lie to think that it helps. The problems and worries are still there when I surface after eating to numb out. So I won’t give in this time. I know it is a lure. I reject the lure. Only the Lord can comfort me in this. No food can, no diet cherry pepsi can, no human can. Only the Lord.
I think after all Breezy has done for me, for us, it is just really hard to imagine that his best years…OUR best years…are probably behind us. When I weighed 250 pounds, he is the one who carted me around bareback for 20 minutes at a time to get my horse fix (didn’t want to use a saddle as it would pinch too much to have my heavy load in a saddle and my behind spread out across his short back). He is probably not even 800 pounds soaking wet, but he has always been willing to carry me or my husband–even with a heavy western saddle. He has been more than willing, almost acting like he loved being out there as much as we did.
That is why we knew something was wrong when he began breathing heavier…asking not to trot on the trail…
I am so sad.
God created Breezy. This doesn’t surprise the Lord at all. I want to know what HE wants me to be and do, think, and say in this…and how to go on with the Thin Within retreat this weekend without being sad. Many horses die from Cushings. I know that we are catching it early, though we can’t start treatment until I return home…I am bummed about that, too. It feels like the longer we wait, the worse he will get.
I also need to research…
But no matter. The single solitary most important thing I must do is focus on the Lord. If I allow my feelings to define facts for me, I will find myself in a pity pit. If I choose to praise Him in this storm, I know that he will inhabit the praise of His people…me…and if he inhabits my praise, then he is with me…and the fact can, in turn, define my feelings anew. I know this. I choose to believe it.
This week is majorly intense. As I just wrote an email to a friend of mine about my schedule between now and NEXT Thursday, I realized just how STRESSED I am about all of it! GOOD things, but stressful nevertheless!
So, knowing me, I know that it is easy to focus, fixate, OBSESS about things and not be in the present moment with my eating, to allow things to kick into automatic pilot and miss the moment with the Lord, fellowshipping with Him as I sit down at the table to fuel my body with food He provides.
One of the biggest causes of “flesh machinery” for me is travel. Even when it is to the Thin Within retreat I know that I can be in danger! I will choose to be vigilant. Flying across the country may not be a big deal to some folks, but it is to me. Make part of that be a connecting flight at Dallas-Fort Worth airport and I am a nutcase! So…I will just use this as a chance to apply some of the things God has been teaching me through my horsemanship…such as changing my thoughts. Or taking them captive. When I find panic welling up in me, I will choose to give thanks, to practice gratitude. Since God inhabits the praises of His people, I know that praising Him will cause me to sense His presence afresh.
The change of schedule and scheduled eating, like what happens at a retreat, can cause panic, too. I will, again, choose to praise the Lord in those moments…to change my thoughts from ME ME ME and how *I* am feeling and panicking, to the Lord and HIS goodness, HIS provision, HIS power and PRAISE.
With all the things on the schedule the minute I return from the trip and the need to have dinner planned and house clean for a wonderful group of 18 ladies next Tuesday night…I know that I can feel so overwhelmed that I shut down and numb out…I will choose instead to PRAISE God that I have this privilege. It is one I *DO* get excited about! So what if a fur ball rolls across the wood floor at an inopportune time? 🙂 I trust that they will have such a wonderful time fellowshiping with eachother and the Lord that they won’t think about the fur ball the day after our study is done! LOL!
Thursday is my daughter’s 14th birthday and we will be going out for meals and going to the movies and shopping for clothes…all flesh machinery things if I am not VIGILANT! I will choose to maintain GODLY boundaries and surrender my thoughts to the Lord. I will praise Him!
Tomorrow is an all day horsemanship clinic that I am coordinating…my thoughts are “When will I eat?” Goodness…like for everything else, I will pack crackers, peanut butter, almonds and some water. That should hold me just fine!
All is well…I know it is. Now I just need to bring my experience in line with my knowledge. Reality where I live *can* match up with what I KNOW to be true. What I *feel* does NOT dictate truth. GOD does! He is faithful! HE is present! He provides!
When Daniel was about 4 years old, our family enjoyed a membership at a swimming and tennis club close to our home. That particular summer, it seemed a wise choice to enroll him in swimming lessons. Grandma lived nearby in a home with a pool and, judging from my own experiences as a child growing up in the same home with the same pool, there would always be a lure…I “fell in” the pool numerous times as a kid. Because I had learned to swim early, none of these “accidental” experiences resulted in a catastrophe. While I am aware that nothing should keep us from being vigilant when our children are near water, I nevertheless wanted the *added* assurance that swimming lessons might bring.
I had no idea just how difficult this undertaking would be for Daniel–let alone ME!!!
The swimming instructor had given me explicit instructions that while I could observe, it needed to be from a distance–where Daniel would have no way of seeing me.
The day for the first lesson dawned. I reluctantly handed my youngster over to a capable instructor (I had watched him instruct others and felt confident in his ability both to teach and in being sensitive to the needs of kids and their parents). I stationed myself well out of Daniel’s eye-shot, but where I could stand dutiful, watchful guard.
Daniel was fine initially, having played in Grandma’s swimming pool a lot, but as the instructor gently took Daniel out into deeper water, Daniel’s cries and pleas broke my heart. In fact, the more he thrashed and screamed in panic, the more the tears fell from my *own* eyes. If he would just trust…if he would just allow himself even to enjoy the experience. But no…he had no idea *why* what was happening was happening. He had no idea that it could be *fun*. He only knew the terror of the moment. And I wept as I saw this. It took everything in me to trust, too…to wait it out.
Without going into all the gory details, I *did* have to resist the instinctual urge not to move in to “rescue” my son. From what? From who? From an instructor that I was paying to help provide a skill to Daniel that could possibly save his life?
I am sure that, had he been able to verbalize it at the time, Daniel would have stated that he was convinced I had abandoned him…that he was tormented beyond his ability to withstand. He would probably have angrily told me how I had let him down, left him to die or something…He had no idea in the midst of it that 1.) I was watching carefully–though unseen 2.) my intentions were good, not evil in allowing this 3.) that the current difficulty he was going through was ultimately for his betterment.
The swimming lesson ended well that day…Daniel ultimately relaxed comfortably with the instructor and began to actually enjoy the experience, fortunately. That summer he *did* learn to swim and has been a great swimmer ever since.
This photo was taken a few years later, but as you can see, he is in the DEEP end of Grandma’s pool…totally relishing summer fun in the sun. And I breathed a little easier whenever we were at Grandma’s knowing that he had some basic skills.
God is a good, watchful, vigilant Father. Yet, sometimes, he chooses to seem distant–for reasons that may be beyond our ability to fathom at the time. In fact, he may have *ordained* the very circumstances that we find ourselves struggling so desperately to “swim” through. The waters seem deep and like they will overcome us.
Our Lord is near. He is watchful. His intentions are for our good. It could be that the very thing we are going through, though beyond our ability to understand at the time, will be the very thing that provides a needed skill, or the spiritual maturity to enable us to “survive” something that God knows is yet ahead.
When I feel that God is distant and aloof, I am reminded of the time that I handed Daniel over to one of the most terrifying experiences of his life for the sake of potentially saving his life, yet I remained out of sight as well.
Daniel’s swimming lessons have enabled Daniel to enjoy many a summer swimming party in the 12 years since he learned to swim. We have gone to lakes and played in rivers (carefully!).
God is there. God isn’t just “letting” things happen to us as we sometimes think. Sometimes he “ordains” the very trials that will change us forever. He does it all because of His great love for us.
The above is a photo of my sweetie on Breezy taken this morning on our trail ride. I am so blessed. Last year and this year, I have enjoyed doing things I couldn’t do before…before I released 100 pounds. Last year, I rode the horses. This year, hubby and I are riding together since I was able to ride my husband’s horse all winter and get and keep him in shape and since we have the most wonderful trainer, Melissa Pelletier, who has enabled me to ride Harley out on the trail with hubby riding Breezy.
Before, there were two things holding me back…my weight was the most glaringly obvious. As many of you know, I weighed 250 pounds. Breezy, featured above, is a small horse–barely 800 pounds himself. I rode him just for 20-30 minutes at a time.
My own horse, Harely, was too sensitive and while able to handle a heavy person, a heavy person who didn’t know where she was in space (partly due to gaining, losing, gaining weight so often and so fast) was *not* something he could do. There were other reasons he couldn’t carry me, too, of coure. Melissa helped with all of it in the Spring of 2007 and again early this spring.
I love my horses…my Harley is my dream horse in many ways. Now that I am not worried about my weight and where I am in space, my confidence has increased so that I am able to ride him. Breezy is in shape enough for hubby to be able to ride him…and we can once again ride together on the trails. Oh what joy! It is hard for me to accept that I allowed my weight–something that is changeable–to keep me from enjoying my horses–my life–for so long.
I enjoy them so much now.
Here is a photo of Harley and me this morning.
Isn’t he just the cutest thing? The four of us had a wonderful ride this morning. It was a dreamy hour and a half. Just enough energy…and willing horses…and, well…oh my heart be still! Bob is my best friend and my husband. Riding alongside of him, we could even hold hands. LOL! We don’t do that often, but oh how far we have come!!!!! I am so thrilled!
I am thankful to God for removing the weight and the burden in my heart and thankful that He led us to Melissa Pelletier, too. She made all the difference in the world with Harley and me as well.
Yesterday morning it was time for me to read Lesson 2 in the Thin Within workbook. I have to admit that I wasn’t very excited. In spite of how God used last week’s lesson in a fresh way, I still approached this week’s lesson with skepticism. Hard heart. The desert of my heart was evident. Sadly, though, I didn’t find myself longing for life-giving water. I longed more for my bed, I guess. I prayed that God would do a new thing–cause me to see His truth afresh…then, I proceeded to scrutinize and criticize (and other “ize-ing”) as I read. (This is one drawback to having been involved in the writing of the TW book and workbook…)
As I began Week 2 Day 1 exercises in the workbook, I was really thrown for a loop. Relative to 1 Corinthians 6:18: “You are not your own, you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body…” I was asked “Do you see your body as honoring to God?”
For some reason, this totally flattened me. Why, after all God has done, am I not able to answer with a resounding “YES”?
I am still, a full day later…reeling over this realization. In my head, I know that God has chosen to indwell me with His Shekinah glory. My body was purchased by Him for His chosen dwelling place on earth. Period. That is the fact.
So, why don’t I *feel* like my body honors God?
I have to think this is likely an issue of belief rooted in my past.
I am seeking God to show me what this is about. If it is because of current sin, I want to know that. It seems strange that I might not know the difference between conviction of the HOLY Spirit, and condemnation and accusation of the UNHOLY enemy.
I mentioned previously that Quick and Simple magazine might be running a feature on yours truly. Last week I got a call and the article was in the final stages of being edited and re-edited. They had contacted the photographer who took the pictures for the FIRST article last fall and were investigating getting permission to use those photos.
The next thing I knew I received an email saying the editors pulled the article. Cancelled it. Killed it. It won’t be printed.
Believe it or not (I don’t!), my first reaction was actually heartfelt compassion and discouragement for the writer who had worked on and off for months on this article! She had waded through pages of my testimony, spoken with me on the phone, only to be told they weren’t interested in it (she freelances). Then the editors had changed their minds months later…she had worked and worked on it yet again…and in the last hour she was told it was off. All her work seemed to be for nothing.
Being a writer myself, I know that must have been excrutiatingly disappointing. I have labored over a work before only to have it die…be left forever on my hard drive and never see the pages of…anything. So I really understand.
From my perspective…funny, but I actually feel that God has done me a *favor*…given the things I have struggled with, the pride, the focus on ME and “MY” success…all the things I have shared here previously…Yes, He definitely did me a favor!
A part of me wants to apologize to the writer and let her know that it is my fault…not the fault of the editors–that if I had been able to give God glory while the world gave me the attention, had I been faithful to keep pointing to Him, maybe God would have chosen to let this article meet the pages of a national magazine. But it wasn’t His timing for me. There are many things I have yet to learn…
When Christ died he purchased for you the Yes to all God’s promises (2 Cor. 1:20)…
This is an amazing statement.
John Piper goes on to say: “He is doing a thousand things for you and for his glory in your disappointed plans.”
Perhaps I should share this with the writer of the article-that-will-never-be-printed. I know I feel hope, anticipation…there is something so much better ahead than the “glory” of seeing “my” story splashed across the full-color pages of a national magazine.
It is quite astonishing to know and believe that the “no” from the world is actually God’s divine “Yes.”
I have already been so encouraged by the time I have spent learning or reviewing God’s attributes and “behaviors” that I thought I would share some of this with you.
I know some who land on this blog have done a Search Engine search for “mini bible study” so here is one that I hope encourages those web wanderers that land here and also for those of you who are traveling this Thin Within journey along with me–which is really nothing other than the road toward increasing Christ-likeness!
1. Open your bible to Psalm 145 or use this link to land on it at Bible Gateway in the New International Version.
2. Read prayerfully and slowly, listing everything that God does or is from this chapter of scripture. Include writing the verse reference next to it. The first two that I got from this are done below:
God is my King (vs. 1) (Note: I can deepen this study by writing out under this point what this means to me…what it means for God to be King.)
God is praise worthy (vs. 1, 2, 3)
And so on…Your turn! Complete the list throughout the entire psalm.
3. List the things that psalmist says HE will do or others who see God as He is will do!
4. Go back through your list and do what it says! In faith, pray thanking God for these things. For example:
God thank you that you are my King, that you are the one before whom I bow, that you are worthy of all praise and devotion.
Even if you don’t *feel* like these things are true, His Word says it, so they are true. Praying them back to God has an amazing ability to do wonderful things in our lives. We get lifted up when we lift HIM up.
5. If you struggle with a repetitive sinful behavior such as overeating, bulimia, anorexia, sexual strongholds, spending, hiding in online chat groups, forums, etc., and you know that God is calling YOU to live the abundant life of rising above all of this, how can doing what we did in questions 1 through 4 above help in some way? Invite God right now to show you.
In other words, what does doing the above have to do with fighting the tendency to over-eat or releasing extra weight?
I hope that you discover these very things as you do this activity.
** For extra study and enjoyment of God and His Word, do the same with any of the Psalms. To get you started: Psalm 63, and Psalm 73:23-28
*** PLEASE post a comment here if you like telling me and others who visit how God uses this in your life, insights you glean, etc. Others can be ministered to through YOU! 🙂
