Refuge for a Single Mom

Daniel’s Friends Protected   [Daniel 3:19-30]

19 Then Nebuchadnezzar was filled with wrath, and his facial expression was altered toward Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego. He answered by giving orders to heat the furnace seven times more than it was usually heated.

20 He commanded certain valiant warriors who were in his army to tie up Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego in order to cast them into the furnace of blazing fire.
21 Then these men were tied up in their trousers, their coats, their caps and their other clothes, and were cast into the midst of the furnace of blazing fire.

22 For this reason, because the king’s command was urgent and the furnace had been made extremely hot, the flame of the fire slew those men who carried up Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego.

23 But these three men, Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego, fell into the midst of the furnace of blazing fire still tied up.

24 Then Nebuchadnezzar the king was astounded and stood up in haste; he said to his high officials, “Was it not three men we cast bound into the midst of the fire?” They replied to the king, “Certainly, O king.”

25 He said, “Look! I see four men loosed and walking about in the midst of the fire without harm, and the appearance of the fourth is like a son of the gods!”

26 Then Nebuchadnezzar came near to the door of the furnace of blazing fire; he responded and said, “Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego, come out, you servants of the Most High God, and come here!” Then Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego came out of the midst of the fire.

27 The satraps, the prefects, the governors and the king’s high officials gathered around and saw in regard to these men that the fire had no effect on the bodies of these men nor was the hair of their head singed, nor were their trousers damaged, nor had the smell of fire even come upon them.

28 Nebuchadnezzar responded and said, “Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego, who has sent His angel and delivered His servants who put their trust in Him, violating the king’s command, and yielded up their bodies so as not to serve or worship any god except their own God.

29 “Therefore I make a decree that any people, nation or tongue that speaks anything offensive against the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego shall be torn limb from limb and their houses reduced to a rubbish heap, inasmuch as there is no other god who is able to deliver in this way.”

30 Then the king caused Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego to prosper in the province of Babylon.

Often, (very often, in fact) I fall back on God’s promise to get us ‘through’ adversity … That really sparked my interest of the word ‘through’ and I started thinking about how very deep it really is!

We must go ‘through’ hardship, ‘through’ difficulty, ‘through’ danger, ‘through’ trials, not over, around or under, but THROUGH!

From there, I got to thinking about how we could overcome adversity ‘through’ Him and pass ‘through’ it OR we could let the adversity go ‘through’ us and potentially destroy us!  Provocative?  Yeah, I thought so too!  *wink*

Through

The bible often talks about how we can get ‘through’ trials and tribulations by going ‘through’ the Lord.

I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.  Philippians 4:13

By faith they passed through the Red Sea as though they were passing through dry land; and the Egyptians, when they attempted it, were drowned.  Hebrews 11:29

For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever. Amen.  Romans 11:36

Through God we shall do valiantly, And it is He who will tread down our adversaries.  Psalm 60:12

When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; And through the rivers, they will not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be scorched, Nor will the flame burn you.  Isaiah 43:2

He led you through the great and terrible wilderness, with its fiery serpents and scorpions and thirsty ground where there was no water; He brought water for you out of the rock of flint.  Deuteronomy 8:15

Serving the Lord with all humility and with tears and with trials which came upon me through the plots of the Jews.  Acts 20:19

Simply put, when we share a deep and profound relationship with God, we are better able to trust in Him.  We can filter our problems, grievances, sadness, confusion, etc. ‘through’ Him and come ‘through’ our circumstances with something much more manageable.

Every bad thing in your life can produce something good if you’ve learned and grown from it.  Just as gold must pass ‘through’ the fiery kiln to become beautiful, we must pass ‘through’ the trials and tribulations of this world to fulfill the amazing plans that God has for us!

But He knows the way I take; When He has tried me, I shall come forth as gold.  Job 23:10

So that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.  I Peter 1:7

“And I will bring the third part through the fire, Refine them as silver is refined, And test them as gold is tested. They will call on My name, And I will answer them; I will say, ‘They are My people,’ And they will say, ‘The LORD is my God.’”  Zechariah 13:9

Labels: Adversity, Perseverance, Strength, Tests, Trials, Tribulation, Victory

Psalm 5:11-12

11 But let all who take refuge in You be glad, Let them ever sing for joy; And may You shelter them, That those who love Your name may exult in You.

12 For it is You who blesses the righteous man, O LORD, You surround him with favor as with a shield.

As I’ve mentioned, once or twice, my girl Becki and I have been talking about some deep issues lately.  Among them is struggling and suffering.  (We have some really good conversations and I don’t know about her, but I always learn a lot and walk away thinking!)  *wink*

I have a lot of friends that are constantly struggling, constantly suffering through one ordeal or another and they just can’t seem to see the light.  (This isn’t to say that my family and I don’t endure our share of burdens, but it seems like we get a break now and again.)  Then, on the other hand, I have friends who never seem to struggle, life is good, family is good, finances are good, work is good, etc.  One might ask why this happens.  Why do honest-to-goodness, God fearing Christians seem to struggle every day while others appear to be skating down easy street?

Honestly, I have no idea why one person seems to deal with more than the other.  But I truly do not believe that God wishes for us to constantly struggle and suffer – even here on Earth.  He wishes for his children to be happy and blessed with His favor so that we can effectively sing His praises and minister to others.  Who is going to want what we have if we are miserable all the time?

In contrast, He did NOT promise us a ‘peaches & cream’ existence on this is Earth!  He did NOT promise that life would be easy - it is ruled by the enemy and will obviously be full of trials and heartache.  But He DID promise to bring us through whatever we face if we choose to believe in Him and fully rely on Him!

Therefore, those also who suffer according to the will of God shall entrust their souls to a faithful Creator in doing what is right.  I Peter 4:19

If we endure, we will also reign with Him; If we deny Him, He also will deny us. II Timothy 2:12

So, perhaps, my conclusion is this…  We cannot possibly change the world we live in or reduce the number of times or ways the enemy attacks us.  We CAN live by God’s word, trust in it and choose to be beautiful, happy Christians full of light to share with others!  The key to this new way of thinking is to fully rely on God and His promises and to immerse ourselves in His word!  

This whole concept is something that rests very heavy on my heart and soul.  It is something that I have been personally developing for about 5 years now.  I was one of those people that always claimed, “If it weren’t for bad luck…I’d have not luck at all!”  (Gloom, despair, and agony on me!)  Sorry - “Hee Haw” flashback there!  *wink*

Seriously, one of the greatest lessons I’ve learned, was to change my thinking, change my perspective and quit relying on ‘luck’, but rather, to rely on God, His word and His wonderful promises!

Basically, here are some of the conclusions I’ve come to:

Labels: Strength, Way of Thinking

Sometimes, the weight of the world can be very overwhelming.  There seem to be constant struggles and obstacles.  There’s always something to worry about.

Thing is, as we learn to fully rely on the strength and protection of the Lord, as we learn to trust His plan, His timing, His wisdom and His love, we will be better equipped to live happier, healthier, more joyful and peaceful lives.

I have been learning this lesson for a very long time.  I am one of the most impatient, paranoid, speculative people you will meet.  In fact, I remember my mom coming home from 6th grade parent conference.  The teacher told her that although Christina was an excellent student, she worried more than any other 6th grader he had ever met.

Over the years, my heavenly Father has been teaching me to be a bit different.  Although I am still struggling with these things, I’ve learned to catch myself.  When I feel the anxiety hit, I just stop and pray.  I give it up to God and quit with the worry.  I know, deep in my soul, beyond a shadow of a doubt that He will take care of whatever it is.  I know that He cares more about my family and me than I can even grasp.  He will bring to pass the best scenario possible!

When we look to the Word for guidance, we see that there is something called “The Armor of God”.  Obviously, this is spiritual armor, but as you can see, our Almighty Father has all the bases covered.

As time and circumstances allow this week, I’d like to explore each part of the armor.  I think it is so important to fully understand the protection that God has to offer – if we’ll only let Him!

The Armor of God  (Ephesians 6:10-24)

10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might.

11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil.

12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.

13 Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm.

14 Stand firm therefore, HAVING GIRDED YOUR LOINS WITH TRUTH, and HAVING PUT ON THE BREASTPLATE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS,

15 and having shod YOUR FEET WITH THE PREPARATION OF THE GOSPEL OF PEACE;

16 in addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.

17 And take THE HELMET OF SALVATION, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

18 With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints,

19 and pray on my behalf, that utterance may be given to me in the opening of my mouth, to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel,

20 for which I am an ambassador in chains; that in proclaiming it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.

21 But that you also may know about my circumstances, how I am doing, Tychicus, the beloved brother and faithful minister in the Lord, will make everything known to you.

22 I have sent him to you for this very purpose, so that you may know about us, and that he may comfort your hearts.

23 Peace be to the brethren, and love with faith, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

24 Grace be with all those who love our Lord Jesus Christ with incorruptible love.

Labels: Adversity, Anxiety, Armor of God, Diligence, Perseverance, Positive Thinking, Strength, Way of Thinking

Yep!  You heard me right!  Give up!  Quit fighting, fumbling, stressing, wrestling and worrying with all this junk that you carry around and give it up - to God!

Be on guard, so that your hearts will not be weighted down with dissipation and drunkenness and the worries of life.  Luke 21:34

This is something I’m working very diligently with right now.  I have a tendency to be very persistent and stubborn.  So when trials and adversity hit, nothing is any different.  I forget to go to God; I think that I can do it on my own and Viola!  I end up frustrated, stressed and very grouchy!  (Ask my kids!)  What did I accomplish?  Absolutely nothing!

But the worries of the world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things enter in and chokes the word, and it becomes unfruitful.  Mark 4:19

There are several issues that I seem to be dealing with over and over right now.  I’ve mentioned most of them here (a few times) so I won’t beat the horse.  But usually, about once a month or so, I feel like I could literally explode.  I feel like every morning when I wake up I’m already on the edge.  So every time something happens, large or small, I just blow!  There are times when I physically feel like my head will simply shatter and blow right off the top of my head – like a volcano!

I think this is something that is especially characteristic of single moms, although I don’t think that we have the patent on it.  I know a lot of married moms that are seemingly raising their children as single moms.  They’re on their own all week, every other week or sometimes weeks at a time – they too understand this very well.

You are solely responsible for every function in your home, every event, every chore and errand.  You raise your children, discipline your children, attempt to have quality time with your children, maintain your home, and usually, we’re the sole breadwinner.

Now add the unusual junk, like a broken down vehicle, leaky roof, unexpected dental, optical or heath issues, or the all to well known and much dreaded TEMPER TANTRUM and well, that’s it!  There goes the “Mamma’s Peak”!  Come on!  How on Earth are we supposed to do all this?  How are we supposed to manage?  How can anyone expect us to be ‘Suzie Sunshine’ all the time?

Simple!  We go to God!  We give it all up and put all this junk in His hands.  Honestly, it really isn’t that simple, or I wouldn’t be here talking about it.  Indeed, we make it very difficult!  We hang on, laboring over it all wondering why we’re so exhausted, drained and irritable!

Duh!  We just aren’t made to handle it all alone!  God is patiently waiting for us to hand it all over to Him and we need to!  For us!  For our health!  For our kids!  For our family!  For our friends!  And, whether we realize it or not, for God!  He truly and passionately wants for us to admit how much we need Him!

The LORD is good, A stronghold in the day of trouble, And He knows those who take refuge in Him.  Nahum 1:7

GIVE UP!  LET IT GO!  LET GOD!

Do you understand the words that are comin’ outta my mouth?

GIVE UP!  LET IT GO!  LET GOD!

Do not let your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me.  John 14:1

He has the shoulders to bear our burdens Sisters!  He can and He will!  Praise God!

My God in His lovingkindness will meet me; God will let me look triumphantly upon my foes.  Psalm 59:10

For You have been a defense for the helpless, A defense for the needy in his distress, A refuge from the storm, a shade from the heat; For the breath of the ruthless Is like a rain storm against a wall.  Isaiah 25:40

Labels: Anxiety, Comfort, Control, Discouraged, Strength, Tests, Tolerance, Trials

Gosh!  I have just been so tired and achy lately!  Perhaps when you factor in all of the ice breaking and snow shoveling I`ve had to do?  Between two sidewalks, a path for the newspaper boy and digging my car out . . . it might be understandable.  Poor Me!  *grin*

We just get so bogged down with all of the routine and laboring tasks that we can`t think about much else.  All parents, all homeowners have a tough time that`s for sure.  Single moms ~ we`ve got to do it all.  Unless of course you are fortunate enough to be able to hire someone to shovel snow, cut grass, clean house, etc.  (I`m not quite there yet, but plan to at least get a housekeeper in once a week to cut down some of the work.)

I do really enjoy cutting grass and being outside.  It is something you can look back over and see a job well done.  AND the grass will take a week or so to grow back!  *wink* Shoveling snow ~ not so much!  That is a task I gladly pawn off on my 14-year old!  Luckily, he is taking on more responsibility and more of the `guy` jobs around the house!  (Thank God for sons!)

We have to remember, through it ALL, that our Heavenly Father is right there for us!  He`s better than any exercise regime, vitamin pill, diet, supplement or even sleep!  (Those things are all extremely important in context.)  My point is, however, that no matter how low we feel, no matter how tired, worn out, no matter how many muscles and joints ache ~ God is there to pick us up, dust us off and put us back together again!  For I will [fully] satisfy the weary soul, and I will replenish every languishing and sorrowful person.  Jeremiah 31:25

You just have to believe in Him, seek Him and nurture your relationship with Him!  And you have perseverance and have endured for My name`s sake, and have not grown weary.  Revelation 2:3

When I was 17 (a long time ago) I lost my maternal grandmother to breast cancer.  (Before there were survivors.)  This woman was something else!  She and my grandfather divorced in a day and age when it was not accepted practice.  She worked two jobs to support my mom and aunt and she never complained!  Never!  What a life!  What a woman!

Well, when I get down on myself, I like to think about my grandma.  I think about how proud she`d be if she saw me today.  If she knew how much I love God, how much I love my sons and how hard I try every day to live a life of victory!  This particular verse reminds me so much of her:  Yet those who wait for the LORD Will gain new strength; They will mount up with wings like eagles, They will run and not get tired, They will walk and not become weary.  Isaiah 40:31

Gain NEW strength!  Mount up with wings like eagles!  Run without being tired!  Walk without becoming weary!  ~By the power of Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior!  Amen!

Labels: Strength, Weary

Have you ever watched this cartoon with your kids?  It`s a loopy little Cartoon Network show about this pink dog that is always protecting his owners from all sorts of weird occurrences in a zany little town called “Nowhere”.

Do you feel like you live in “Nowhere”?  Or that all kinds of bad things always happen to you?

Sometimes it feels that way.  It feels like you never get a break or that `if it weren`t for bad luck you`d have no luck at all`!  "Do not fear or be dismayed! Be strong and courageous, for thus the LORD will do to all your enemies with whom you fight."  Joshua 10:25

We may not have a little pink dog to watch over us, but we sure do have something better!  All you have to do is ask, and our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ is always there!  Always!  Be strong and let your heart take courage, All you who hope in the LORD.  Psalm 31:24

Some days it takes a little more than others to be strong and courageous.  We just have to have faith and `wait for the Lord`.  Wait for the LORD; Be strong and let your heart take courage; Yes, wait for the LORD.  Psalm 27:14

Unfortunately, as single moms, our `some days` seem to be more frequent.  There is less help with the kids, less encouragement, `less` of a lot of things!  But fear not my Sisters!  It`s just a ploy, an attack, by the enemy to discourage us and bring us down.  He thinks we`re more vulnerable and susceptible to his attacks!  But we`ll show him, won`t we?  We have the love and grace of our Heavenly Father and that is MORE than enough!

Labels: Courageous, Strength