Hammer on Anvil '

Keith Green fans out there will appreciate this blog perhaps more than others, though the message is good for all of us. For starters, please listen to this song of Green's, because the rest of the blog won't make sense unless you do.



The first line of this piece takes me to my knees. Has your flesh ever been tired of seeking God, yet you remained on your knees because you simply didn't know what else to do? Have you spent "sleepless nights in anguished prayer" when a besetting sin seemed to have gotten the upper hand and you desperately wanted victory over it? If we profess to follow Jesus, we should desire to be pleasing to Him every minute of every day of our lives. Why do we fall short so often?

Watchman Nee used to refer to this problem as "the soul being in ascendancy over the Spirit." All of us can fall into it if we do not take proper care to nurture our spiritual lives. If we have a steady diet of television and video games and sports and Facebook, but our intake of God's Word is minimal, we are sitting ducks for Satan to wreak havoc in our lives.

We are what we eat, my friends. If we starve our spirits but feed our flesh, the fruits of the Spirit will not be manifested in our lives. No, it's not easy to discipline ourselves to turn off all the noises in our world, but if we don't take time daily to be still before God, the world will suck us in.

In the refrain of this song, Green pleads with God to "set us free from chains we cannot see." We all need to pray this prayer in earnest. We live in a dirty world, and it's easy for us to become hardened toward the things of the Spirit. We can become enchained to vices like alcohol and pornography, but we can also be held hostage by our own pride and selfishness. And the worst part is that we become blind to it. That's why we need to ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to us the chains that bind us.

My prayer is that we will all become enchained to God and His purposes. In Ephesians 6:20, Paul refers to himself as "an ambassador in chains." His only passion was sharing the gospel and seeing men and women redeemed out of the pit of hell. May it become our passion as well.

My wife and I have been married for 4 years. Married on May 23, 2009. It was a beautiful day. I was so excited to tie the knot. But I was nervous too. In fact, my soon to be mother-in-law saw me about 30 minutes before the wedding and asked if I was okay because, as she said, "you look like you might throw up."

Great pre-wedding talk.

Once I saw Jenny walking down that aisle though, all those feeling left, and we began our life together as a married couple.

Ever since that day, life has been hard. We lived in a 500 sq.ft. house, with no oven, a tiny little fridge, and the room that was meant to be the bedroom, we couldn't fit our bed in. I had a part-time ministry job and that was it. We were living off of Wal-Mart gift cards and odd jobs that we could pick up: babysitting, building grain bins, or grouting bathrooms.

We've moved several times and each of those came with the difficulties of finding a place to live and a job. We now have 2 kids whom I love. They do seem to take a lot of time and money to take care of though. On top of all of that, you have two different people (my wife and I) trying to figure out what it is like to live as one.

Life just isn't easy. We've all experienced stress of one sort or another. Job struggles, being fired, death of a friend or family member, divorce (either our own or someone close to us), tensions at home, or perhaps tensions because of our faith. There are times in our lives, when we wonder if it is possible to go on.

Through those situations we must remember God is still in control. God still loves us. As Christians, we have the Holy Spirit with us always. He guides and takes care of us. We just need to make sure we are following along in God's will. If we are doing that, even when things get so difficult, we can take comfort in knowing that God is still with us.

Anything worth having, is difficult to keep and maintain. I like what Ben Affleck said about his marriage in his acceptance speech, "I want to thank you for working on marriage for ten Christmases. It's good, it is work, but it's the best kind of work, and there's no one I'd rather work with." Marriage is work, but its so fulfilling. It's beautiful kind of work and so worth it.

Our walk with God is the same. It's down right difficult and sometimes seemingly impossible, but it is so worth it. We have a God is is here with us and doesn't leave us to fend for ourselves. The rewards we receive on a day to day basis are amazing. He shows us His love again and again.

Paul said in Philippians 4:10-13, "But I rejoiced in the Lord greatly, that now at last you have revived your concern for me; indeed, you were concerned before, but you lacked opportunity. Not that I speak from want, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am. I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need. I can do all things through Him who strengthens me."

Paul's contentment did not hinge on his circumstances. He served the same God no matter where he was or what circumstance he found himself. We would learn well to do the same.

I don't want you to get the idea I'm trying to diminish any of our problems. I understand they are very real and can cause quite a bit of heartache, or stress. So in saying, "smile," through these problems, I'm not saying, "Your problems aren't that big, get over them!" I'm saying we serve a bigger God, who has an amazing plan that we can't always see, and we need to trust He knows what He is doing.

Life is hard. There's no way around it. But our God is bigger and loves us more than we can imagine. Trust He knows what He is doing, and jump right into the adventure He has in store, no matter what bumps we find along the way.

"While He was in Jerusalem at Passover time, during the festivities many believed in Him as they saw the signs that He gave. But Jesus did not trust himself to them—for He knew them all. He did not need anyone to tell Him what people were like: He understood human nature" (John 2:23-25, J.B. Phillips New Testament).

Jesus knows what is in the hearts of each one of us, so when He walked this earth, He knew better than to trust in any man. Even the 12 men He walked with and performed miracles with on a daily basis fled when it would seem He needed them the most.

That's just the point, though -- He didn't NEED them at all. He was so completely His Father's that He did not need other people. His agony at Gethsemane was such that He sweat drops of blood as He prayed. He asked the disciples to watch with Him -- He wanted them to intercede on His behalf as He asked God to spare Him an excruciating death on a cross. But even then, in a time of overwhelming sorrow and need, the disciples failed Him. They fell asleep. Peter even denied he knew Jesus, because he was afraid he might also be crucified.

A recent Oswald Chambers devotional addressed Jesus' attitude about all this, and it blows me away:

Our Lord never put His trust in any person. Yet He was never bitter, never suspicious, and never lost hope for anyone, because He put His trust in God first. He trusted absolutely in what God's grace could do for others.

This is amazing to me. Human relationships really bite sometimes, and I have been hurt and disappointed more times than I care to recount. Yet Jesus says I don't need to despair. I don't need to be cynical and bitter about people. Why? Because He is my Father, and a proper relationship with Him means my happiness and fulfillment in life does not depend on human relationships. Yes, I treasure my husband, my kids and grandkids. I treasure the friends He has given me, but I realize they are all fallible just as I am. They will not always be there when I need them. They will fail me at times, just as I have failed them.

Unfortunately I am not at the point yet that I "trust no man," but I have come a long way. I am learning that God is the only one who warrants my complete trust. I try not to place unrealistic expectations on other people, and instead trust the Holy Spirit to work in them. I am learning to rejoice instead of complain, and pray instead of worry. If someone is mean and grumpy, it's okay. If somebody doesn't like me, that's okay too. And I've actually come to view being "unfriended" on Facebook as a badge of honor. It usually means I spoke truth that got all up in somebody's business, and they didn't have the courage to take a long, hard look at themselves.

I am not saying I'm a "Lone Ranger Christian" who doesn't need relationships. God is big on relationships, and we are to build each other up in our faith. What I am saying is that I am learning to not trust in human relationships, because they are fickle. And I am learning, to my joy and delight, that when I trust God implicitly and guard my relationship with Him above all else, suddenly the pain and disappointment of other relationships does not affect me nearly as much.

Trust your Father in heaven, my friends. Psalm 84:10 says that ONE DAY in His courts is better than a thousand elsewhere. If you have not spent a day in His courts for a while, and you are getting sour about other people, it's time to get on your face before God and give Him the glory due His Name. The sweetness of His presence is like no other, and you will come away wondering why you didn't do it long ago!

When working with children, you get to say some of the grossest phrases ever uttered. Like when you see the little cutie eating something you can't even identify. "Where did you get that? Who gave you that? Put that down!"

My mom said that I once tried to bite the tick off an old stray hound dog. My reasoning? Apparently, it looked like a grape.

Kids are gross, guys, but they are so innocent. Once you tell them it's bad news, they steer clear. They search for answers and accept answers without fear, worry or doubt. This is why I try to be so childlike in faith and life. I pray I never stop asking questions, and yeah, sometimes making a fool of myself. I am glad I still have a lot to learn and I'm thankful I have a God that is never done teaching me.

The morning after the big storm, my daughter, Missouri, curled up on the couch with me and started to snuggle. As I sipped my coffee and fumbled through my phone, Missouri snuggled closer and I could sense she had something to say.

"What's up, baby cakes?" I inquired.
"Nothing," she spouted quickly, than reluctantly said, "Actually, I was really scared last night. I had the worst dream and I really wanted to come get you."
"Aw, sweetie, why didn't you?"
"Because I realized something. You said God did not give us a spirit of fear," she said boldly, "So if He didn't give that to me, I don't want it."

"For God did not give us a spirit of fear, but of power, love and self-control." 2 Timothy 1:7