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July 2020

Still Growing

Four Essential Keys to Success: #2 Prayer

by Tracy Brackett

4/26/12 1:40 a.m. 

I have heard your prayer. You are aware of your own strength and the strength you will need from Me in all things. I will give you the strength you need. I will give you love and wisdom in your heart. I will prosper you so you can accomplish My will with abundant resources. I will move you to do the right things. I will bless you both and I will show you the power of My love through you to others. Know that I hear all your prayers and gladly answer all that are in accordance with My will. Know I am with you and I love you.


5/9/12 3:22 a.m.

Pray often. Pray to Me. Speak to Me daily. I love to hear from you. Focus on prayer this week and see the difference. Prayer changes everything. You will see. Ask Me anything and I will answer you. Speak to Me daily and I will hear you. Know that I love you. Know that I am with you. Call out to Me and I will be there. Start again today. See My answers clearly. I await your call.

In my last post, I discussed the importance of a daily ‘quiet time’, spending time alone at the feet of Jesus.  I gave examples of how this dedicated time with the Lord translates to true success in the life of a believer.  I shared how learning about God (and myself) through daily bible study has had a positive and fruitful impact on my own life.

While quiet time does not need to consist solely of bible study, it is where I tend to spend the most time.  Knowing the Word of God not only transforms and perfects our character, it arms us with truth that is needed to navigate the deceptiveness of our present world.  But quiet time can also include listening for God to speak in the silence (or meditating), journaling, praising our Lord through music, and prayer.

Although prayer is often a part of quiet time, I am intentionally highlighting it on its own for two reasons.  First, for some who do practice a daily quiet time, I believe prayer is often absent.  Second, for those who do pray with some regularity, the outcome of those prayers is sometimes confusing.  I have experienced both.  Let’s dig a little deeper.

Bible study is one of the many ways God speaks to us.  In scripture, God reveals Himself and His plan to save the world through Jesus.  He also shows us how to live and order our lives this side of heaven.  There is encouragement and wisdom for difficult times and promises of blessing for obedience (blessings not to be confused with salvation, which only comes through believing in and accepting the sacrifice of Jesus).

Prayer, on the other hand, is the way we speak to God.  During this discipline, we can speak to God in many ways.  A guided and popular way to pray is by using the ACTS acronym.  We praise God for who He is through Adoration.  We repent of our sin through Confession.  We express gratitude to God for all He has done through Thanksgiving.  We present requests for ourselves and others through Supplication. 

When I begin my quiet time, I want to jump right into Bible Study.  I am anxious to hear from God and learn as much as I can through His Word.  I want to read and re-read, search for key words, find repetitive words or phrases and absorb His principles.  I want to analyze and interpret.  I enjoy seeing key thoughts or ideas jump out at me.  I delight in the ‘ah ha’ moments.  Because of this love for the study of God’s Word, I sometimes forget to pray.

I believe in praying before bible study to thank God for His written Word and to ask Him to open my eyes, mind, and heart to both understand and follow it.  In jumping right in, I risk not having the proper posture to fully absorb God’s truths.  God’s Word is powerful, but it can also be confusing.  Through prayer, God can open our eyes to see what He wants us to see for that day’s study.  We simply need to express our desire to see it.

Luckily, conversation with God can happen any time of the day.  What is most important is that we pray daily.  Prayer can be formal or informal.  I have lots of informal conversation with God, at random times, and in reaction to just about anything – when I’m perplexed, thankful, frustrated, unsure, repentant, or awe struck.  Below is a summary of what my typical prayers, formal and informal, look like at various times of the day.

I praise God for the beauty and brilliance of His creation, from how intricately we humans are made to the interaction of birds eating from the feeder in our yard, building nests, and raising babies in our flowers.  I can’t look at the immense ocean, enormous mountains, or countless stars in the sky without feeling amazed.  I stand in awe of beautiful clouds, sunsets, and rainbows.  God lovingly created it all.  Recognizing God’s marvelous creation reminds me how vast He is and instills in me a gladness that He is my Father.  If He created everything out of nothing with a Word then, surely, He could contend with my greatest difficulties. 

The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.  Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they reveal knowledge. (Psalm 19:1-2 NIV)

I thank God for providing my most basic needs; a roof over my head, clothing for my body, food, and water to sustain me, and the love and support of family and friends.  I also thank God for less essential, yet incredibly abundant, blessings; a car for transportation, a comfortable bed to sleep in, air conditioning in the hot Carolina summer, hot tea on a cold winter day, and ice-cream (anytime!).  Most importantly, I thank God for the gift of salvation through Jesus that I don’t deserve and can never earn, yet He gives it so freely.  God is a good God.  Regularly thanking Him for all that He blesses me with helps me to remember how fortunate I am.  It keeps me joyful in what I have rather than pining for what I do not have.

I confess to God when I fail to uphold His standards.  I say I’m sorry when I speak unlovingly to one of His other children.  I repent when I don’t trust Him.  I apologize for disobedience.  Confessing my sin to the Lord reminds me I am imperfect.  It keeps me in my rightful place in relation to Him.  It helps me to remember that I am not God.  I recognize how much I need Him.  I see more clearly how much I need Jesus.

I ask God to bless me in my walk with Him, keep me from dishonoring His name, and soften my heart toward others.  I pray for wisdom and strength in the difficult times.  I request guidance in my decision-making.  I talk things through with God when I’m frustrated or angry.  I invite Him to walk beside me in everything.

I also intercede for others.  I ask God to bless and protect my family, friends, coworkers, and neighbors.  I pray specifically for the challenges people are facing.  I pray for my enemies and the people who hurt me.  I also pray for people I don’t know, those who are victims of oppression, slavery, addiction, and so on.  I call for God to reveal Himself in a powerful and saving way in this pandemic and amid racial tensions.  I ask for equality for all human beings.  I pray for wisdom for our political and church leaders.  I pray against wrongful political agendas.  I pray for the world’s salvation, that all people would recognize their need for Jesus.

By asking God for help for myself and others, I acknowledge He is all powerful, all knowing, all wise, and all competent.  I am reminded that I am not any of these things, but I can have them with Him by my side.  I also recognize I am not in control.  This allows me to leave things I can’t control at His feet, and I am freed to focus on the things I can.  This decreases stress, which inevitably increases peace.

I am currently working on consistency in formal prayer during quiet time, and on daily prayer in general.  I remind myself that even Jesus spent time in conversation with His Father. 

Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed. (Mark 1:35 NIV)

Prayer is not only essential in our relationship with God, it is also powerful and effective for a pure and humble heart.

The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective. (John 5:16b NIV)

I believe many of us experience uncertainties about the outcome of our prayers.  I will offer a few ideas as to why this may be so.  When having conversation with God, He is fully aware of our posture, heart, and motive.  God wants a relationship with us, but He is also Sovereign.  We need to approach Him with the highest respect.  Carelessly approaching God as if we are His equal, as though He owes us something, or with the wrong motive will yield our prayers ineffective.  These are mistakes I have made in my own prayer life.    

When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures. (James 4:3 NIV)

A righteous person, or one with a pure heart toward God, prays with respect and honor and according to the will of God.  And God always answers prayers that are in line with His will.  We can ask God for almost anything but if we are asking out of selfish motives with no concern for the will of God, our prayer will not be answered.  However, if we pray for what we want, but allow God’s will to prevail, our prayers will be effective.  We may not always get the answer we want, but we will always get the answer we need.  To understand the will of God, we can read His Word and ask Him to reveal it.       

This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. (1 John 5:14 NIV)

Another prayer mistake is forcing the answer to be the one we are looking for and attributing that answer to God.  My most memorable example is when I experienced medical burnout in the workplace (as described in my ‘Growing Pains’ post).  I prayed on several occasions for God to tell me I could quit, but I kept hearing “not yet”.  So, I continued to work to the point of burnout.  Because of my pride, I didn’t really want to quit.  I didn’t want to be labeled a quitter and feel like a failure.  So, I heard the answer I wanted to hear.  Ever since that experience, I now remind myself of this: If it’s not good, it’s not God.

Other times, I have heard the answer I wanted to hear concerning things ‘I viewed as good’, such as “should I buy this car?” or “should I date this guy?”.  This often happens when we really want something, even though we know we can’t afford the car, and the guy we are head over heels for is not good for us.  For me, the guy I made this mistake with did not have the same Christian beliefs that I did, and dating him pulled me away from, rather than closer to, Jesus.  Eventually, after some painful mistakes, I allowed God to reveal ‘His’ will and forced myself to walk away from the guy.  In all honesty, this was incredibly difficult and painful.  I suffered for a time following that breakup… but Jesus has been so very worth it!  And today, having Joe as a husband is one of the greatest blessings I have ever been given!    

God loves us beyond our understanding and His will is always perfect.  But that doesn’t mean we can understand His will perfectly… at least not this side of heaven. The truth is, sometimes we get answers we just don’t understand.  This is where faith in our Sovereign God is tested and some hard questions rise to the surface.  Will we continue to follow God even when we don’t understand?  Will we trust in the things we cannot see?  My prayer is that we ‘will’ choose to follow and trust in our Lord because, with everything in me, I do believe He is worth it.    

I want to leave you with this thought.  Although God is so much bigger than we are, we are still made in His image.  As a result, God has characteristics that are not unlike our own.  He not only wants us to believe in and know Him, He wants a relationship with us (a two-way conversation).  Not unlike a human, God desires for us to recognize and praise Who He is, His uniqueness, His greatness.  He wants us to apologize when we hurt Him.  He appreciates it when we acknowledge and thank Him for His gifts.  And He wants us to ask Him for help when we need it.

Do you have a genuine relationship with God?  Do you have a deep and fruitful prayer life?  Do you adore Him?  Do you thank Jesus for his everyday gifts and mercies?  Do you apologize when you hurt Him?  Do you see God for who He is, Holy and righteous?  Are you reverent before Him?  Do you want God’s will as opposed to your own?  Do you see God as capable of seeing you through your greatest challenges?  Do you trust Him?  Friend, remember, God is everything and in need of nothing.  And, yet He still wants to commune with us.    

I believe prayer, practiced with a pure heart, to be another essential key to true success.  Recognition of and joy in God’s amazing creation.  Forgiveness for our shortcomings, and growth, through confession.  A full and satisfied heart through thankfulness.  Guidance from a Father who sees all and wants what’s best for us.  Strength and wisdom through tapping into the power of Jesus.  Joy and peace through gifts of the Holy Spirit.  And so much more.  Will you pray with me?

Lord, I know that you are Sovereign and righteous.  I know I am broken and in need of your forgiveness and healing.  Jesus, I know that you died for this very reason, and I thank you for Your eternal sacrifice.  I accept your gift of salvation and I invite You into my heart as my personal God and Savior.  Lord, please help me to live a good and righteous life, according to Your will, even if at the expense of my own will.  God, I pray that you will change the desires of my heart to be in line with yours.  In Jesus’ name.  Amen.              

Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful. (Colossians 4:2 NIV)

All a person’s ways seem pure to them, but motives are weighed by the Lord. (Proverbs 16:2 NIV)

Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. (Psalm 51:10 NIV)

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Looking Back

Four Essential Keys to Success: #1 Quiet Time

by Tracy Brackett

2/1/12 5:05 a.m.

Get up early and spend time with Me. Pray. Ask Me questions. I will answer you. Let us have conversation. I wait for you each morning. It is our time together. A Holy time. It is when you will hear Me best before the chaos of the day begins. It is a silent and beautiful time. Seek Me and you will find Me when you seek Me with all your heart, with all your mind, with all your soul, with all your energy. This will be a time of relationship for us. I will build your character and train you in many ways. I will give you wisdom. Be faithful to this time and I will bless you in abundant ways. Know that I long to bless you. Set aside this time and I will meet you. You will feel My presence and you will know I’m with you, that I guide you and I love you. Invest faithfully in our relationship and you will have abundant joy and gladness of heart. You will have an impact on people everywhere, through My power. Through the power you receive during your time with Me. I will work through you and all will know I am your God. Allow Me to bless you so you can bless others. Start today and know that I love you. Know that I love you deeply.

We’ve all heard of type A and B personalities.  Type A personalities are competitive, organized, ambitious, impatient, work and goal focused, highly aware of wasted time and/or aggressive.  Type B personalities are laid back, creative, deep thinkers, and less rushed and stressed than their type A counterparts.  Neither personality is better than the other.  They are simply different. 

I am a type A personality.  My simple definition is go-go-go, do-do-do.  Let’s get it done!  There’s no time like the present!  The more I accomplish in a day, the more satisfied I feel.  And I lack fulfillment when I don’t meet my own expectations.  This means slowing down does not come easy for me. 

Not long after I gave my heart to Jesus, I started to hear, read, or see the words from Psalm 46:10 on a recurring basis: Be still and know that I am God.  I would hear them in a church sermon, see them written on a plaque at the Christian store, or read them in a devotional.  And it seemed these words were popping up far too often to be accidental.  It wasn’t long before I began to sense God was speaking to me.   

Although I read my Bible and participated in church activities, my ever-busy lifestyle often left me with little time to truly focus on my relationship with God.  My Bible reading was more random than consistent and sometimes, if I am honest, I squeezed it in unfocused to check it off my ‘to do’ list.  Simply put, rather than God having priority in my life, He often received whatever time I had leftover.  I can’t tell you how many times I thought about reading my bible but convinced myself I would ‘get to it’ once I finished cleaning the house… going to the gym… meeting a friend for lunch… fill in the blank!  Then, the day would pass, and I would remember that I never did get to it.   

Be still and know that I am God.  In the Bible, there is a story about two sisters, one named Martha and the other named Mary.  Both sisters deeply loved Jesus, but they had different personalities.  Here is a brief passage:

As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him.  She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said.  But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!” “Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed—or indeed only one.  Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.” (Luke 10:38-42 NIV)

At this point, you can easily guess that I am “a Martha”.  I knew God wanted me to give Him my ‘undistracted’ time.  And I knew that spending daily time with Him was important to my faith walk.  I simply struggled to do this together with all the other things I felt were important and loved to do.  I had a full-time job, attended, and participated in church activities, exercised, spent time with friends, along with responsibilities such as grocery shopping, cooking, and cleaning.  The day just didn’t seem long enough, and I couldn’t figure out how to do ‘it all’.

“Lay down what’s good and find what’s best” (‘Breathe’ by Jonny Diaz, underline added).  This song says so much.  Although it was published several years after I developed the habit of a daily ‘quiet time’ at the feet of Jesus, it describes my situation perfectly.  Looking back, God was showing me there are, indeed, many ‘good’ things to pursue in life, but not all things are ‘necessary’.  I needed to first learn and pursue the necessary and then fill the rest of my available time with my choice of the good.  I needed to reorganize my priorities.

You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.  I will be found by you,” declares the Lord, “and will bring you back from captivity." (Jeremiah 29:13-14 NIV, emphasis added)

In this scripture, the Israelites, God’s chosen people, were in the ‘captivity’ of another nation because they had sinned and turned away from God.  They were unfaithful to their covenant with Him and were worshiping other gods.  God was asking them to turn back to Him so He could bless them and bring them out of captivity.  While this was a specific type of captivity, there is a parallel in our world today. 

Although many of us do not realize it, we are in captivity to something.  For me, I was captive to my ‘to do’ list, and desire to accomplish much in a day.  My go-go-go, do-do-do personality had become my false god and I was prioritizing this over the real thing, the One and only God.  God wanted me to slow down, take a deep breath, sit at His feet, and learn what is ‘necessary’.  He wanted to set me free from the things that weighed me down.  Eventually, I began to listen.      

For me, the key to developing consistent time with the Lord was to schedule it at the beginning of my day.  Since I am a morning person, am prone to distractions once the day begins, and have less energy in the evening, I knew getting up early was the time God would receive my greatest focus.  But this took practice and I did not do it well in the beginning.  Sometimes I would struggle to get out of bed, or I would fall asleep in the middle of my time with the Lord.  Occasionally, I would decide the night before that I was up too late and needed to sleep in.  I would vow to get to my quiet time later in the day… though I rarely did.  But God kept working on me in the patient way He does.  Little by little, my consistency increased until a morning quiet time became part of my everyday schedule. 

I’ve been sitting at the feet of Jesus for several years now and it’s rare to have a day without it.  It’s become a vital part of my life.  I have come to recognize the necessary.  And because I have been seeking God with all my heart, I have found Him, and I have come to know Him.  To know God is to see His radiance and glory that shines above all else.  This knowledge is unmistakably beautiful.

My daily time with the Lord has given me a more accurate assessment of self.  As Jen Wilkin puts it, “the knowledge of God and the knowledge of self always go hand in hand”.  Because God is everything excellent, I see that I am not.  Because God is all loving, I see that I need to grow in this area.  Because God is all knowing, I see that my knowledge is limited.  Because God is all powerful, I see that I am comparatively weak… and on and on.  Spending time at the feet of Jesus has shown me who I am in relation to who He is.  I am humbled because I see that He is far greater, wiser, more grace filled, patient, and forgiving than I will ever be.  This leads me to stand in awe of a God who is everything and in need of nothing.  Yet, He is a God who still wants a relationship with me.      

During these morning hours, I have also seen more clearly where I have been wrong in specific behaviors and responses.  It motivates me to grow and improve.  It shows me the right path and provides wisdom for the journey.  I have seen a decrease in unwise choices.  It increases my desire to serve others with my time, gifts, and treasure.  I have learned to apologize humbly and forgive gracefully. I have learned to trust and love more.  My desires have changed, and my life has been simplified.  And while I still have much growth in front of me, I can look back and see a difference between where I am now and where I was then… before a consistent quiet time at the feet of Jesus.   

To have this relationship with the Lord, I have had to give up other things.  Good things.  Sometimes it is sleep, sometimes it is exercise, sometimes it is time with a friend.  But in all examples, Jesus has been worth it.  And God is so abundant in His giving, that I have not felt unnecessary pain or want in the sacrifice.  Sometimes I find there is more time in the day to do the things I enjoy than I realized.  A task I think will take two hours only takes one… or something I thought I had to do was canceled or taken care of by someone else.  I’ve heard it said, “You can’t out give God” and I have absolutely found this to be true in my own life.    

I believe a daily quiet time with our sovereign God, at the feet of Jesus, is one of the essential keys to true success.  Knowledge of, love for, and trust in the God who created us.  Insight into the profound sacrifice Jesus made to save us.  More accurate knowledge of self, leading to repentance and change.  Awareness of false gods, leading to freedom from things that weigh us down.  Wisdom for our journey.  A simplified life.  Peace.  A softened heart toward others.  Lasting joy only God can give.  And treasures in heaven that endure for eternity.    

You may or may not be a type A personality, but you have your own distractions that may be keeping you from sitting at the feet of Jesus.  Do you need to lay down what’s good and find what’s best?  Are you missing the ‘necessary’ in your day to day living?  What habits or things represent your false gods?  From what do you need to be freed? 

Friend, do you hear it?  Listen carefully.  Breathe.  Take a seat at the feet of Jesus.  God speaks to all of us: “Be still and know…”

“Be still and know that I am God.  I will be exalted among the nations; I will be exalted in the earth.” (Psalm 46:10 NIV)

I will walk about in freedom, for I have sought out your precepts. (Psalm 119:45 NIV)

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ReflectionsStill Growing

Your Trust Will Equal Your Peace

by Tracy Brackett

9/7/13 4:00 a.m.

Be at peace and know that I am God, your God. I am in control and I am sovereign. I work all things for good in your life. So be at peace and trust in My divine plan. My plans for you are good. Trust, My child. I am Holy and righteous and true. Keep close to Me and allow My strength and peace to penetrate your being. I love you, My child. Know that I am with you at all times. Draw from Me all you need to live on earth according to My kingdom values. My kingdom way. Your trust will equal your peace. Hope in Me today and be at peace. I am yours and I love you. Peace be yours, today and always.

We have all experienced moments of peace.  Whether it graces us with its presence while sitting on the beach, sailing on the ocean, looking out from the top of a mountain, quilting a blanket, playing the piano, or watching a child giggle with glee, we all know peace is good.  These moments are welcome, and we cherish them.

At the same time, if you are human, you know that peace can be elusive amid the hustle, bustle, and reality of life.  If you have worried about the safety of a loved one, felt stress over an unmanageable debt or illness (potential or real), or anxiety about a work deadline, then you know worry does not produce peace.  Yet, we have all allowed ourselves to experience this emotion.  At times, such as now, amid an uncertain pandemic, unmasked racial tensions, death, and understandable anger, peace does not seem attainable in our own hearts let alone the world.

To even attempt to tackle a discussion on world peace in one post would not only be overwhelming, but impossible.  Instead, I would like to discuss the possibility of experiencing consistent peace in our own hearts, a peace that transcends human understanding.  My focus in this post will be on your heart and mine.

Consider the below biblical promises:

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight. (Proverbs 3:5-6 NIV)

“Therefore, I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes?  Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?” (Matthew 6:25-27 NIV)

So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God.  I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. (Isaiah 41:10 NIV)

If we understand and believe the above scripture (the Word of God Himself) with all our mind, heart, soul, and strength, we will experience peace that transcends human understanding.  We will experience peace in both the certain and uncertain times simply because we choose to believe God is who He says He is.  If we trust in God’s eternal promises, then worry will no longer have a place of control in our lives.  Sounds wonderful, doesn’t it? 

The obvious question is ‘why’ don’t more of us have this kind of peace?  I think part of the answer lies in our continual dependence on ourselves.  We want to believe we can make it on our own.  We want to prove we have the talent and knowledge to do it.  That we just need to put in the appropriate effort, and everything will be fine.  And this does seem to work in some areas of our lives which, I believe, causes us to have a false sense of security… for a time.  It’s when something outside our control, strength or knowledge confronts us that we need to work harder at figuring it out.  After much thought and effort, and the solution is not easily before us, we worry.

Let’s revisit the scripture above.  Through His inspired Word, God says: “Trust in the Lord… lean not on your own understanding… submit to Him… do not worry about your life… do not fear… I am with you… I will strengthen you and help you… I will uphold you… “

It seems in relying entirely on self, we have missed the point!  To be clear, we do have an important role in our own lives.  God gives us free will to make our own decisions.  He wants us to think, feel, respond, and act.  But God asks us to do this through the lens of His will and way for our lives.  We can absolutely choose not to – that is the definition of free will.  But God knew we humans are prone to wander and He, in His amazing wisdom and mercy, provided a guidebook for life called the Holy Bible.  We have a choice.  We can choose to follow God’s way instead of our own and, if we do, He will make our paths straight. 

Think of it this way.  If you only had partial knowledge about a dilemma but had to decide anyway, you would make what you believe is the best decision based on the information you have.  Given more (or complete) knowledge about that situation, your decision could be different.  The reality of life is we humans never have complete knowledge… but God does.  He sees all, knows all, and holds all wisdom.  After all, He created us and the world we live in.  He is Sovereign and can be in all places at the same time.  In His Word (the Bible), He teaches us the best possible way to live in the world He created. 

Think of God as our mentor as exemplified in His Son Jesus Christ.  If you had a mentor in the workplace who had far more experience than you, you would not only observe their behavior, but you would also seek their opinion when faced with certain decisions.  There is no mentor greater than Jesus.  And unlike flawed human mentors, Jesus is flawless.  He can be trusted.  I believe we lack consistent peace due to an incomplete trust in the Word of God or, put more simply, in God Himself.        

I believe a second part to the answer as to why many of us do not experience consistent peace lies in our fallen world.  A world where Satan roams the earth and tries to steal our peace and joy.  Satan is a fallen angel who wanted to be God, but he lost the battle for sovereignty.  But Satan is real, and he is still fighting.  He wants to ‘win us’ to his side of the battle.  The battle of good versus evil.  Satan is also crafty.  He knows a thing or two about human weakness and this is where he does his best work.  Friend, do not be fooled about the power of evil in this temporary world we live in.  We absolutely need the all-knowing, all wise God to help us navigate the mine field.    

And although I have lost sleep navigating the mine field of life, time and time again, God has come through.  More and more I can say, yes, Lord I trust You.  And more and more I feel a peace that once evaded me.  A peace that is delightful.  Let me provide some context by introducing what I will call the four P’s of peace: purpose, protection, provision, and people.

I will start by telling you I have worried about all the things I listed in the second paragraph above, and more.  Much of the stress I’ve experienced has come from high expectations for myself.  As far back as I can remember, I have wanted to be excellent at everything.  Mediocre has never been acceptable.  And, naturally, with this kind of expectation comes stress and anxiety.  What if I am not good enough… what if I say the wrong thing… what if I go blank… what if I don’t get an A… what if… It’s exhausting, really. 

Fortunately, I’ve moved past some of this simply by maturing and realizing I can’t be excellent at everything.  God created each of us to be naturally great at some things and not so great at others.  That’s why we need our diverse world – we form one complete body under Christ, the head, and together we are simply better, stronger, wiser and, honestly, more beautiful. 

Today, I trust I have been given gifts and talents that are perfectly suited for my unique purpose.  God is faithful that way.  He never asks us to do anything He doesn’t equip us for.  He will also not ask us to do something He will not walk through with us.  This trust has led to peace in my purpose.

I have also lost peace in the past due to fear of harm or danger.  Watching horror films, experiencing nightmares, and learning about psychopaths through my study of psychology, no doubt, contributed.  In addition, age and illness in our mortal bodies is an ever-looming threat.  At the age of 51, my mother was diagnosed with cancer and died at the age of 55.  She was my best friend.  It goes without saying, those four years were painful for her, me, and our family.  Since my grandmother also experienced a bout of cancer, I knew it ran in my family.  And you can’t help but wonder if you will face it someday as well. 

Over time, however, study of God’s Word and understanding His great love for me has removed these fears.  I now realize while evil may one day harm my ‘body’, it will never be able to destroy my ‘soul’.  I have salvation in the arms of Jesus for eternity.  And although I can’t know when my physical life will end, if God has even one thing for me to do on this earth, I believe He will keep me safe until it is completed.  I have peace in God’s protection.

Another worry I’ve experienced was in my ability to earn sufficient income to cover essential bills as well as non-essential luxuries.  At the time, I did not fully understand God’s approach to money.  But I was blessed in my early 30’s to be involved in a course that taught a biblical approach to managing finances (through an organization called Crown Financial Ministries).  Through studying God’s Word on money, I realized everything belongs to God and learned to become a good steward of the money and possessions He entrusts to me.  I learned the difference between a ‘want’ and a ‘need’ and became more responsible in my spending, saving, investing, and giving habits.  In response, God has been faithful to provide everything I need, and more.  This has led to peace in God’s provision.      

Yes, I have directly experienced the gift of seeing the true freedom God’s peace provides.  But I have not exited the battlefield.  There is still one major area in which I struggle with peace and it relates to people. 

You already know from prior posts that I wrestle immensely with the wrong in our world, the ever spreading and contagious disease of self, and the general indifference people have toward others… lack of genuine consideration in believers and unbelievers alike.  And because I ‘expect’ people should be better, I become frustrated when they are not.  Time and time again, this has led to disillusionment and lack of peace.    

In my struggle with high expectations of people, including myself, Satan identified my weakness and has gained a foothold in stealing my peace.  I know this to be one of my greatest areas of necessary growth… an area I need the strength of God for.  And I am slowly learning to trust God when it comes to His ongoing work in myself and others.  I am learning to both decrease my expectations and increase my patience and understanding.  And though I’ll admit it’s not easy, I am slowly learning to give the control (control that I’ll never have) to whom it belongs… to God.

So, let me ask you, friend… Are you willing to trust in the God who not only created you, but loves you beyond any human love you will experience?  Will you trust God even when you can’t see His purpose, knowing He works all things for good?  Will you trust Him in the middle of this pandemic?  Will you trust Him amid racial tensions that have no clear end?  Will you resist Satan and turn to God for answers?  Will you trust that God is ultimately the One in control?  These are difficult but important questions.  Friend, to the extent we can trust our sovereign Father, our trust will equal our peace.    

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. (Romans 15:13 NIV)

You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast because they trust in you. (Isaiah 26:3 NIV)

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.  And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:6-7 NIV)  

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Looking BackStill Growing

The Cancer of Pride

by Tracy Brackett

1/19/14 2:42 AM

Be higher. Take the higher road than those who refuse to obey My commands. Treat others well regardless of how they treat you. Be above the immaturity and unprofessionalism. Do not get even. Do not be unprofessional. Be the adult. Be the Christian. Know that your response and behavior matter. You are representing Me, and your representation matters for My kingdom. People can be turned off from Me based on your behavior in only one circumstance. It is not worth the chance to lose one soul, one child of Mine. Think of the seriousness of this. Your response matters. Respond according to My will always. According to My way. It is the only true way. It leads to grace and love and salvation. Share My way with others and see the kingdom value of your actions. Love is the key.

One of my greatest challenges of all time, and one that I continue to struggle with today, is humble submission in the workplace.  To be clear, I find it easy to submit to those who are kind, considerate, realistic, reliable, humble, and driven by integrity.  I think we all do.  But I do not have a great track record of responding well to what I consider poor leadership.  Over and over, I have failed the test of workplace submission in the face of a Supervisor who has been inconsiderate, unreliable, unrealistic, self-centered, dishonest, or simply mean.  In fact, I clearly remember one such Supervisor, who I will call Tina for the purpose of this post, who proved to be a solid test for my weakness in this area.  The very memory causes me to cringe.

Tina was a Christian, had a bubbly personality, and was well liked by executive management.  She was also a hard worker and had high career aspirations.  From the outside looking in, I expect you would see Tina in a positive light.  But, from the inside, she was more like Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, one moment kind and considerate and the next surprisingly mean.  At first, I couldn’t understand why executive management favored her.  Over time, however, I saw that Tina was quite adept at workplace politics.  While those below her had the misfortune of seeing Mr. Hyde, those equal to or above her status only saw the easy to get along with Dr. Jekyll.

Tina made promises she didn’t keep and showed favoritism among team members.  She would say things to scare the team into working long hours for a deadline that didn’t actually exist, sometimes causing missed commitments in our personal lives.  And because Tina was comfortable with subtle manipulation to get what she wanted; I would often see inconsistencies in the things she said without her even realizing it.  She even knew how to word e-mails, at times slightly deceiving, in her own favor.  Her main goal in life seemed to be climbing the corporate ladder and she was, in fact, particularly good at it.  But for me, and some other employees below her ranks, she was less than deserving.

For a long time, I was outwardly submissive to Tina knowing it is what God calls me to do, but inside I was full of resentment.  Eventually, I attempted to talk to Tina about how her management style was affecting my team, including our work-life balance.  She would not hear it.  We just needed to get the work done.  She had no sympathy for extracurricular activities.  A couple of times, I was unsuccessful at containing my resentment and candidly showed my anger and frustration… but Tina was retaliatory.  My show of anger resulted in additional work received at 5 PM (to be completed that day) or embarrassment in staff meetings.  I greatly disrespected Tina and everything about her.

Sitting here reflecting, I can honestly say I felt justified in my dislike for Tina.  In my mind, she was completely self-focused and did not deserve my respect.  You might even agree with me.  But let me dissect this a little further so we can see it from multiple angles.

First, what did my release of anger accomplish?  Sure, it made me feel better for a moment, but it certainly didn’t make my work life any easier.  I also allowed it to steal my joy beyond the workplace.  Resentment emanating from pride is like cancer.  I carried it home with me and, by harboring it, I allowed it to spread and negatively affect my personal life as well.

Second, remember that Tina was a professed Christian.  While her management style certainly didn’t reflect this, I responded to this wrong with another wrong by not controlling my anger.  In so doing, I dishonored my own Christianity.

… for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God. (James 1:20 ESV)

Not only did I disrespect someone who was placed over me, but I also disrespected God by not obeying His command to be submissive to those He places over me. 

Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. Consequently, whoever rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves. (Romans 13:1-2 NIV)

I fully realize this scripture will be hard to swallow for many readers and, believe me, it has also been challenging for me.  It is extremely difficult to believe that God would purposely place someone over us who is not godly.  But I have come to understand that sometimes God allows these situations as part of our purification – the kind I talked about in my “Growing Pains” post.  For example, I would not have seen my own weakness if I always reported to honest and considerate Supervisors.  If everything were to my liking, I would not have seen, over and over, how much my pride affects my response in the workplace.  The truth is my struggle with Tina was not the first time I allowed my pride to manifest in outspoken anger.  I believe God allowed this situation for my growth and character refinement and, quite possibly, for the growth and character refinement of Tina.  God works in unknown ways that we sometimes find hard to understand but, make no mistake, God is always working for good.

And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. (Romans 8:28 ESV)

And by learning to submit to those God places over me, I am submitting to God Himself.  

Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving (Colossians 3:23-24 NIV)

Lastly, think about who may have been watching.  If I am not following the commands of God, I am falsely representing Him to those who know I call myself a Christian.  Think of the impact of this truth.  If I call myself a Christian, then I affiliate myself with Jesus Christ.  Those who know something about Christianity (Tina and others) expect certain behaviors of me both within and outside the workplace.  When those behaviors are not exhibited, they will either doubt my sincerity as a follower of Christ or, if their own faith is weak or new, they may see my ‘example’ as an acceptable Christian behavior.  And for those who know nothing about Christianity, they will wrongly learn about Christ through observing my non-Christ-like behavior.  They will not see the love and forgiveness God offers through Jesus and they may be turned off from Christianity all together.  Now my pride has ‘infected’ others.  For Tina, she did not get to witness God’s grace through my patient and loving response to her… simply because I failed to exhibit a patient and loving response.

On the other hand, if I would have swallowed my pride and showed respect and grace toward Tina, she (and others) would have seen there was something different about me.  I would have given them a picture of Jesus.  Over time, Tina may have even softened toward change in herself.  I lost that opportunity. 

I understand showing kindness to someone who hurts us is not only counter intuitive but extremely difficult.  We want to lash back.  We want them to feel the same pain we feel.  We do not want to turn the other cheek.  But that is the mysterious beauty of our God.  He calls His children to love differently than the world loves, and He calls us to do it even when it hurts.  God loves us and forgives us despite the fact we really don’t deserve it.  This is the very definition of grace – we receive something we did not earn and do not deserve.  God is simply asking us to offer others the same grace He shows us.  In addition to this, God wants to change our hearts so that we can outwardly love without inward resentment.  It was the resentment I held in my heart toward Tina that lead to my angry outburst. 

For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of (Matthew 12:34b NIV)

Had I not harbored that resentment, there would have been no temptation toward anger.  As humans, this ‘heart change’ is not something we can easily accomplish on our own.  We are broken vessels in need of repair.  We need the power of God’s Spirit working in us and we need to pray for this change.  Will God answer this prayer?  Absolutely!  Why wouldn’t God want to give us something that makes us more like Him? 

I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. (Ezekiel 36:26 NIV)

The most important question is can I put my love for and obedience to God before my pride?  If I want to be an accurate representation of Jesus, I must.  People do not see the love of God through dissension.  If I choose my pride over grace and god-like love for others, then I am a ‘cafeteria Christian’, picking and choosing which of God’s commands I will follow.  As a Christian with true saving faith, I should want to follow all of them.  And I do.  And when I do, I need to trust God with the outcome.

Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone. (Romans 12:17 NIV)

Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord. (Romans 12:19 NIV)

For the past two weeks, I have been praying daily for God’s love and grace to penetrate my very soul so that it fills my heart and overflows to others – to those I think are deserving and to those I think are not.  Friend, don’t under-estimate your example and impact on others.  People are watching closer than you think.  Let us aspire to love like Jesus, the One who gave His very life for those who hated and betrayed Him. 

Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. (Romans 5:7-8 NIV)

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