The Hardened Heart

                    "But when Pharaoh saw that there was relief, he hardened his
                            heart and did not heed them, as the LORD had said." 
                                                        ~Genesis 8:15


It's been an exciting journey for me to once again read through the Bible and have been reading through the book of Exodus at this time. Of course, in the earlier chapters of Exodus, we read through the story of Moses, Pharaoh, the ten plagues, the freeing for the children of Israel, and the parting of the Red Sea. But this time, I'd like to discuss Pharaoh's hardened heart and the hardened hearts in today's world.

First, Pharaoh would see the plague and then plead for Moses to take away plague. He'd promise to free the Israelite children; but each time, he would change his mind to keep them enslaved. Plague after plague terrorized the nation of Egypt, and each time there was relief from the plague, Pharaoh's heart became hardened. When we read the story, we may be amazed at Pharaoh's stubbornness. I mean, to see things from rivers turning into blood to locust destroying the crops from the land being covered with frogs to witnessing the first born of every Egyptian and beast killed. If we had been the Egyptian people, we might have tried to overthrow the crazy Pharaoh and let God's people go to worship Him before the rest of us were literally destroyed. Instead, in this time and now, we can learn from Pharaoh's mistake and avoid the tragic consequences.      

So what lesson can we learn from Pharaoh's mistake?


How often are we like Pharaoh? We promise God that we will serve Him if only He would take our pain and difficulties away, just to turn back to doing the things we had been involved in before the struggles started. We are no better than Pharaoh if we are "Foxhole Christians", we see that the problems we're facing aren't going away so we promise to obey Him...that is until the problem is gone. Then we have the tendency to turn back to the activities that are not God-focused.


The first plague, the water turning into blood, should have been enough to convince Pharaoh to let the people of Israel go, right? The water was literally undrinkable, the source that keeps the living alive is now contaminated and stinks throughout the land of Egypt. But Pharaoh promises to free the people if Moses will intercede. The second plague brings frogs into the land and they can be found in the entire land of Egypt. They are jumping into the houses, in the "kneading bowls" (Exodus 8:3), into the beds, into the kitchens... they're everywhere! Pharaoh calls for Moses and pleads him to intercede and then the children of Israel may go worship God. Well, we know he didn't keep his word. So God sent lice, flies, livestock disease, boils, hail, locusts, and darkness. Each time Pharaoh made a promise and later broke it. It became a vicious cycle! And then the ultimate plague struck the land. You could say it was the 'one that did it'. Not only was Pharaoh's son killed, but the firstborn child of every Egyptian servant and animal died that night as well. Only were the children of Israel saved from the deaths and plagues.

It's a clear sign that God protects His people as He promised He would. God is with you, too, in whatever you're going through. He heard the cries of the Israelites and He rescued them from their great oppression. God also hears your cries and He listens. But get this: He knows that you need to experience difficulties. Not because He doesn't care about you. But if you never went through trials, you wouldn't grow Spiritually and you wouldn't grow closer to Him. It's in the pains of this life that make us rely more and more on our dear Savior.


"But the LORD hardened the heart of Pharaoh and he did not heed them, just as the LORD had spoken to Moses". (Exodus 9:12)


Until the sixth plague--the boils--Pharaoh was hardening his own heart. As a documentary by Dr. Charles Stanley sums it up this way: "To this point in the story, Pharaoh had hardened his own heart. But now, God hardens his heart. Willful disobedience can reach a point of no return." If we continually harden our hearts, it becomes a habit we can't break on our own strength. Pharaoh hardened his heart so many times that it finally resulted in his death and the death of his armies. It certainly does have serious consequences, friends. Ask the Lord to remove the stubborn stone around your tender heart to break off and completely trust in God's plan.  


"But indeed for this purpose I have raised you up, that I may show My power in you, and that My name may be declared in all the earth." (Exodus 9:16)

We don't always understand the circumstances that God lets us go through or why He allows adversaries to stand in our way to give us grief like Pharaoh did to Moses and the people of Israel. But God is our powerful God and He sometimes raises up even our enemies in order to show the world His power. But He doesn't always just demonstrate His might to the unsaved, but He does so to remind His people that He is still in control. Sometimes because we can't see God, we can forget He is there and that He is still mighty. God gives us those reminders and we can give thanks to Him by remaining loyal to Him and having a "healthy heart".

In conclusion, we may come across many politicians, parents, friends, co-workers, and even preachers who have hardened their hearts to God and His Word. We need hearts that remain tender to the nudging God gives us when He is trying to tell us to listen. God listens to us, let's listen to Him.


Anna

Everlasting Arms

“What a fellowship, what a joy divine,
Leaning on the everlasting arms;What a blessedness, what a peace is mine,
Leaning on the everlasting arms.

“Oh how sweet to walk in this pilgrim way,
Leaning on the everlasting arms;
O how bright the path grows from day to day,
Leaning on the everlasting arms.

“What have I to dread, what have I to fear,
Leaning on the everlasting arms?  
I have blessed peace with my Lord so near, 
Leaning on the everlasting arms.

“Leaning, leaning,
Safe and secure from all alarms;
Leaning, leaning,
Leaning on the everlasting arms.”

In 1887, this simple yet powerful hymn was published by Elisha A. Hoffman and Anthony J. Showalter. Songs so old can still be sung today, because the meaning of their words are still relevant. 

I remember last April, I was looking up hymns that I could play for the prelude part of my church’s morning service. I stumbled upon a hymn that my church hadn't sung for awhile and thought it would be a great choice since it is a familiar song. I have to admit that I had developed a bad habit of picking out pieces for the service on Saturday night, or even Sunday morning. This never gives me a chance to practice, for one thing; but maybe more importantly, it doesn't give me any time to actually read the lyrics of the song I'm playing. But I want the congregation to not only hear the melody, but to listen to the words as well.  

We all have fears. Fears of losing someone, fears of heights, fears of failure, and maybe fears of not making it financially. One question every Christian needs to ask themselves is: "Am I leaning on Christ’s everlasting arms?" To be honest, I've always felt that I've handled all of my problems, all of my concerns, all of my burdens correctly by giving them to Christ.  But "do I leave those problems at the alter? or do I take them back?" Did I tell Jesus that I wouldn't worry about my problems and five minutes later find myself thinking about those same things again? These questions make us reflect on on how we've handled trials in the past and might make us wonder how we can handle them in the future.   

The third verse of this particular hymn really got to me the most: "What have I to dread, what have I to fear..?" When we think about how great our God is compared to not only our day-to-day problems but those unexpected difficulties that come around once in awhile, we see that God is much more powerful than all of the disastrous problems in the world combined!  If God determines who wins wars, if God cares for even the smallest sparrow, He certainly cares about our problems, our needs, and we should never be afraid when He is on our side. Because when we rely on His wisdom, then comes that “blessed peace” when we take our fears to Christ and rest in His arms.

As we read in the last few chapters in Genesis, we see Joseph's conflict of being sold into slavery by his brothers, falsely accused of a crime, and thrown into a prison. But after Pharaoh's disturbing dreams, Joseph was given a position over all the land of Egypt that equaled the power of Pharaoh himself. When Joseph was reunited with his brothers, he had compassion on them; realizing that without the trials, he wouldn't have been there in Egypt to save their lives. He said to them: 

"But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it this day, to save many people." ~Genesis 50:20


Though our trials don't look like they will have an incredible outcome, God wants us to remain positive and "lean in His everlasting arms"; because there is no difficulty that we experience in this life that God doesn't have a perfect ending for. 

“I have blessedness with my Lord so near,
Leaning on the everlasting arms.”

Blessings,
Anna

The Listening Servant

As I was thinking what I should write about this week, the Lord led me to turn the page in my Mom's devotional book and the title was "Your Servant Is Listening". I thought to myself, Yeah, but where could I go with that for a post? Everyone knows that we should listen to the Lord.  And then I opened up my Mom's NKJV Bible and it turned to Jeremiah 22:21, which says the following, "I spoke to you in your prosperity, But you said, 'I will not hear.' This has been your manner from your youth". So to make this short, I believe God led me to these references to not only encourage you in your walk, but as a reminder to me personally.

So many times (and especially lately), I feel I know what's best for me. I get so independent in my thinking and I don't want to listen to the Lord. He might want me to go in a direction (or away from the one I'm going), and I'd rather resist His counsel and keep doing what I think is best for me. I think every Christian deals with this at some point in their relationship with the Lord. We think our own decisions will turn out alright or we leave God behind most of the time, forgetting to ask Him for an answer. Or we might ask the Lord, but with our own "clocks" ticking away, demanding immediate answers, we jump ahead instead of waiting on the Lord for His answer. And it certainly doesn't help when we live in a secular world where everything is rushed and if you don't grab the chance now, it'll be too late tomorrow. As humans, we feel the decisions we need to make have to be "today or never"; however, we easily forget that the Lord has perfect timing. His time schedule is never "behind" or "runs fast". Yes, my discussion so far has dealt a lot with waiting on the Lord, rather than listening to Him. But you know, they both go hand in hand.

"The realization of our need to listen to the Lord means we are willing to wait for His answer."

So when does God speak to us? When we submit to Him and say "Lord, okay, You know I really want to do this, but I'm not going to move until I hear from You". And how does God speak to us? He speaks to us through His Word. Like I mentioned earlier, God led me to the Jeremiah reference where He gently reminded me to "not move until He speaks". For example, I'm really looking to buy a handheld gun for protection. Though I really think this is the smart thing to do, I need to wait on the Lord. Whether the decision is as small as this or something bigger like marriage, God wants us to "consult" with Him and wait on Him to provide us with His perfect answer. So, we see that He speaks to us through His Word. He also speaks to us through other people, those who counsel us. People like our pastors, youth leaders, parents, other family members, and Christian friends. Those around us who God is speaking through to advise us. He also speaks to us through His Spirit, our "Conscience". You probably know exactly what I'm talking about. That Voice inside of you that says it's wrong to go and do something you will later regret. And quite frankly, He's right every time. In short, God has many modes of communication that He uses to reach us.

But God gives a warning to people who stray away and listen to the counsel of fools. In Proverbs 1:28-32.....

"Then they will call on Me, but I will not answer; they will seek Me diligently, but they will not find Me. Because they hated knowledge and did not choose the fear of the Lord, they would have none of my counsel and despised my every rebuke. Therefore they shall eat the fruit of their own way, and be filled to the full with their own fancies. For the turning away of simple will slay them, and the complacency of fools will destroy them."

And then in Proverbs 1:33, God gently tells us what will happen when His children come to Him and listen to His voice. "But whoever listens to Me will dwell safely, and will be secure, without fear of evil."

How intelligent it is to listen to the Lord! He knows what is best for you. He cares for your life. He has created you. And when we take the time to listen to the Creator of the earth, there is nothing that will stop Him from talking to you. When you listen for Him to answer you, nothing in heaven or earth can keep Him away.

Proverbs 1:5: "A wise man will hear and increase learning, and a man of understanding will attain wise counsel."

Proverbs 1:7: "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction."


"So when God speaks to you, listen attentively and prepare to submit to whatever He tells you. Obedience pleases your heavenly Father and He desires to bless you for listening well." ~Charles Stanley, life lessons NKJV, pg. 886)


Blessings,
Anna

God's Guidelines

(The following story is an excerpt from a devotional book that I am writing)

Eric Johnson was six years old when he learned a very important lesson almost the hard way; to be honest, what could have turned out to be quite tragic. His mother had set boundaries around their lawn that he could not cross over and this made Eric feel like he was being treated like a little child--even though he really was one. His mother warned him about the dangers that lay in the nearby street with fast cars that the bigger kids were driving with, but Eric wasn't listening. He wanted to prove that he could make it safely across the street without holding his mother's hand. He wanted to show the world that he was now a big boy and could take care of himself. And on one occasion, he had the perfect opportunity.
 Eric and his mother were sitting outside on the steps of their house playing with his trucks when the phone began to ring in the kitchen. His mother had been waiting for a very important phone call all morning long, so she told Eric to stay where he was and that she would be right back. Eric was not alone for more than a few seconds and he looked out at the empty street that lay just yards away from where he sat. He stood up and ran to the edge of the curb. He remembered seeing his older sister look both directions before crossing the street, so he knew that he should do so, too. However, he didn't understand that she really "looked" to see if there was oncoming traffic coming. It became evident that he did not. He quickly swung his head from one side to the other, as if his sister's head turning was nothing more than a ritual. He took a step down from the curb and found that he was soon standing with both feet on the actual road pavement.
 Eric was about to take another step when his ears heard something moving swiftly towards him. He lifted his head in the direction of the noise and found himself in the pathway of an approaching vehicle. He didn't move. His reflexes could do nothing. He just stared at the car drawing closer and closer to him. Then suddenly two strong hands grabbed him around the waist and both he and his rescuer landed on the grass in front of his house; just seconds before the car and its inattentive driver came rolling past the very spot that Eric had stood moments before. "Eric!" cried his mother, as she drew him closer to herself. "What were you doing?"
He started to sob and tried to explain his reasoning for crossing the street without any help from an adult.
His mother pulled him away and told him to look into her eyes for a minute. "You know I set boundaries for you not to cross, right?"
"Yes..." He responded, knowing that a lecture was soon to follow. But he didn't mind though, because he now realized he was very foolish to try such a stunt.
"I set those boundaries there for your safety," She started to explain in a calm manner. "You think that the list of rules for you to follow are made to make your life miserable. What do you think would have happened if you had obeyed me and not gone out into the street?"
Eric thought for a moment. "I would still be playing with my trucks on the porch?"
She nodded her head. "Why do you think I make rules for you to follow, Eric?"
He shrugged. Not really knowing and comprehending why parents do such things.
"I make rules because I care about you. A mother who didn't care about her children would not set boundaries. She wouldn't care what happened to her child; but I do about you. Not only could you have been hurt by that car, but you endangered my life as well. Your choices will not only effect yourself; but everyone around you as well. Do you understand what I am saying, Eric?"
Eric looked up and smiled at his mom, "Yes, mommy." Now fully understanding that his mother does "such things" out of love.


Much the same way, people are inclined to believe that God's Word is nothing more than a book of rules and regulations to follow. A book that has nothing more to say than "Don't do this..." and "Don't do that..." But it's God's way of giving us safety guidelines to follow. Because like Eric, we may think we can do things and we'll be okay. That we are grown up, mature enough to handle any situation we find ourselves in. We don't analyze the danger until we are met with it and then we wish we hadn't taken that route. God gives us instructions because he knows that we humans are frail in our own strength. We can easily fall into the camouflaged pits and the awful snares that Satan designs to make us sin. He tricks us into thinking that God just wants to make our lives miserable and that we really can do anything we want without God. But then when we do, we usually end up living with the regrets of "If only I had listened to God" or "If only I had followed His commandments instead of doing things my own way.

I think Eric's mom was intelligent in saying that "Your choices will not only effect yourself; but everyone around you as well". When a teenager decides to commit suicide or a father decides to leave his family, both situations effect more than the person making the decision. It hurts their friends, their spouses, their children. Even the small every day decisions effect those around us. How we react under pressure, what choice of words we use, what clothes we wear effect how our family and even strangers see us. We may be influencing everyone we meet today. If we are listening to God's voice and following His "guidelines", we will make the right choices that will influence others in a positive way.

Remember Eric's mom saying that "A mother who didn't care about her children would not set boundaries. She wouldn't care what happened to her child; but I do about you."? If God didn't care about you, He wouldn't set boundaries for you to follow either! It's because of His love for you, that He asks you to listen to His wisdom. God has and always will know more than we do. Wouldn't we all be much safer if we did follow His list of "Don't do that's..." than to live with the regrets? I earnestly believe so, my friend.

Change Ahead

 

Jeremiah 29:11-13 have always been very dear verses to my heart and I'm so thankful that God knows what my future holds, and that He takes me by the hand and leads me.  And again, my life takes another turn that I honestly didn't think it would.

A new year can mean changes for individuals and this year, it will change for me, too. On March 8th of this year, my coaching hold ends.  This will also be the day that my coaching ends for a long time.  I am terminating my enrollment with CollegePlus.  I've been in CP since September of 2011 and it's been quite an eventful one.  But I haven't really been satisfied with the results these last couple years, and I believe that it's because this chapter in my life is closing; I'm not meant to continue this educational journey.  Especially in these last two years, I've been feeling led to get out and I believe I know why.  Since my Grandpa's death, I feel like God is telling me to lay college aside and get more involved with helping my family take care of my Grandma.  She is not 100% capable of leaving alone, so my Mom has devoted a lot of her time to taking care of her.

What will I be spending my time on now?

I will continue to work for both QualityTrack Int. and on the farm.  Because CollegePlus have raised their rates again, this also plays into my decision.  And at the moment, I need to earn money for a more reliable truck.  This past winter has proven to me that winter tires help, but a 2wd will never be as dependable as a 4wd. :P  I'm also hoping to advertise my services as a horse trainer and maybe go through some training and achieve a license to be a horse judge for shows.

I also want to spend extra time that I have preparing to take care of a house and a family of my own some day.  I haven't taken as much initiative as I should have in taking care of the house, but with Mom busy at Grandma's almost every day of the week, it gives me some time to help her with the housework and read the Christian books that I haven't indulged myself in. I'm looking forward to this! :)

But mainly, I've decided to return to my original idea of publishing books.  I've written many rough drafts of different book ideas over the years, but because college and investigative reporting seemed like that was the only way to earn a living, I laid those dreams aside.  Unfortunately, at local newspapers and even with a degree in Journalism, I would most likely end up setting type--as my Mom's friend's daughter ended up doing after four years to achieve her BA.  I started to edit a chapter last fall, but with this course through Brigham Young and the changes that accompanied Grandpa's death, I was barely able to get one chapter done.  My plan is to continue editing one book at a time, perhaps attend some writing conferences in Wisconsin, and start the publishing process by late this year or early 2015.

Being able to lay college aside has lifted a burden off my shoulders.  Though CollegePlus offers so much and I've learned a lot with CP friends, this chapter in my life is being closed.  Perhaps in the future, I will return to studying for CLEPs and earning three credits here and there; but I feel God is leading me to put my time and energy into more important things.  I believe that it was God's will for me to be a part of CP for these last few years, because I've learned some valuable lessons that I would not have learned had I not enrolled.

But we trust God and have assurance that he knows what is best for us.  We lean on His understanding and follow Him wherever He leads us.  For we will find rest only when we trust in His wisdom and not our own.

Blessings,
Anna

The Importance of Being Obedient

Isaiah 30:21 "Your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, "This is the way, walk in it," Whenever you turn to the right hand or whenever you turn to the left."

God has promised us that He will lead us. But we have to do something if we truly want God to lead us forward. We need to be obedient to His calling. It may seem impossible to do sometimes (and is, without His help). It may sound simple and unexciting. Whichever the case may be, without obedience, we cannot really be giving God our everything unless we submit to His will. An example would be the relationship between our parents and ourselves. When we love them, we are prone to obey them. "Obeying" our parents when we have no respect for them, is very hard to do. But when we love them, we find it much easier to listen to them, follow their advice, and do our best to please them (but even more so, with God ;)).

We all probably had those experiences as children that when we disobeyed our parents, we were spanked or had a specific time frame in the chair in that maybe all-too-familiar corner. We "paid the piper", so to speak. It's the same when we disobey God. No, He won't make us sit by ourselves, facing a blank wall; but just think of all the wonderful experiences we could have had, if we had obeyed Him. We miss out on His blessings when we say, "God? Forget it. I ain't doing that." I know I've said those kinds of things before, to then later regret my rebellious response. "God, I'm ill-equipped.", God, I'd rather do this", "God, don't make me do that; my way is easier." As humans, we can only take so much stress, temptations, failures. And God knows exactly where the limit is. Not that He will try to "max it out", but we can trust that God will only allow us to go through trials and temptations that are necessary for our Spiritual growth.

And as we look at the above statement, we must come to the realization that through unleashed obedience, we can experience the rewards of pursuing God's will for our lives. If we listen to His voice, we may not believe how tremendous the outcomes can be. Our obedience does not only make Him happy, but by listening to what He says to us and following through, we will be blessed.  We can only see this side of the mountain; but God sees the other side, too. When we truly rely on His wisdom and His power to see us through, we can faithfully obey Him even when we think no good can come of it. 

Deuteronomy 28:1 "Now it shall come to pass, if you diligently obey the voice of the LORD your God, to observe carefully all his commandments which I command you today, that the LORD your God will set you high above all nations of the earth."

In Jeremiah 7:23, God says, "But this is what I commanded them, saying, 'Obey My voice, and I will be your God, and you shall be My people. And walk in all the ways that I have commanded you, that it may be well with you'."

1 Peter 1:13-14 "Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; as obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the former lusts, as in your ignorance."

As believers, we are to listen to His prompting and obey His words though we may not feel like it. We cannot expect to fully commit ourselves to Him and then back away when He calls us to keep working at a job that is too demanding, a relationship that doesn't seem worth fighting for anymore, a visit to an elderly person's that demands too much time out of an already overly filled-in schedule. But just what does the outcome look like? We'll never know unless we submit to what He is asking us to do and completely surrender ourselves to His will. This calls for the necessary obedience that He asks us to have.

Sister in Christ,

Anna