Judges 6:1-6:10 "Sorry, I Forgot....Again"

"I snatched you from the power of Egypt and from the hand of all your oppressors. I drove them from before you and gave them your land." ~Judges 6:9 (NIV)

Here, once again, the Israelites did evil in God's eyes and the Midianites swooped in. For seven years God's chosen suffered under a foreign oppressor. It finally got so bad that they cried out to God for help -- again. This time, God didn't just rescue them, but reminded them of where He had brought them from and their disobedience to Him. Thus, they are suffering.

When I read this passage, two questions popped into my mind. 1) Why are we so forgetful? 2) Is there a way to break the cycle of forgetfulness?

All of life is filled with peaks and valleys. We experience them in our marriages, our jobs, our weight, our moods, our exercise plans, our bank accounts. So is it just inevitable that we will have peaks and valleys in our spiritual walk? Probably. My daughter, Gabby, was just at youth camp. She said that the speaker, Matt, gave a great final sermon on coming down from the mountain top that they had been on all week -- both physically and spiritually. Gabby summarized it this way, "You can't keep the high, but Jesus can keep you in the lows." With sin, pain, and disappointment in the world, we are going to experiences many highs and lows. But we serve the King and have His Spirit living within us. There must be a way to minimize those lows that cause spiritual forgetfulness. I need to be able to face the next mountain I need to climb by remembering how God enabled me to conquer the last mountain. And the one before that. And the one before that.

Here are some ways I know I can remember:

1. Stay in the Word and Prayer!!! If I become slack and don't maintain regular times alone with the Lord, I drift in my thinking and attitudes. It's like checking the rope daily to be sure the boat is connected to the dock. If you don't, wind, rain, and the pounding waves will loosen that rope and the boat will drift away. I need clear rope-checking time every day.

2. Faith Journal. I have not been good about keeping this and need to do better. When I just stop and think for a while about my life and the things God has brought me through, I am completely overwhelmed by His faithfulness. I have so to speak been rescued from Egypt; I have faced plague and famine; I have met up with opposing armies at insurmountable odds. God has worked in my life, and I must remember His power that can conquer any obstacle I face and trust the He will be there again. But to do so, I must stop and remember. Quiet reflection time is difficult to find with jobs, families, responsibilities. But floundering in the insecurity of facing battles without power is so much worse. All I have to do is remember and believe.

3. Keep myself accountable. I'm a list maker. If I don't, I will not remember. Already this week I double booked myself because I didn't write down the first commitment. Maybe I need some more vitamins or possibly shock therapy, but I just do not have a good memory. Used to; but time has robbed me. In the same way as I use lists to keep track of my "to do's," I need accountability to keep track of my spiritual walk. I have my husband and one main female accountability partner, but then I am also in an accountability group. Those regular meetings help keep my mind on God's activity in the world today. I am constantly reminded through those ladies of God's power at work in and through every day people, and it builds my faith and attentiveness to His plan.

4. Run from sin. If I am doing #1-3, this one is so much easier to accomplish. Because I spend time with my loving Father, I want to obey Him. Because I remember His faithfulness in the past, I don't want to hinder Him working in and through me in the future. And because I am accountable to several people, I have fellow warriors fighting through the battle with me and I am made stronger.

I know I am going to face times of doubt and fear. I know that I will sometimes start up a mountain with trepidation. But I will push through because I have safeguards in place to make me stronger. I never want to forget again -- He is always with me.

Further Thoughts:
1. When have you forgotten and what were the consequences?
2. Do you really want to be there again? Why or why not?
3. What's your plan to not forget God's faithfulness?
4. Who are you going to ask to hold you accountable?

Father, we are frail and weak, but that is no excuse for forgetting your amazing grace and faithfulness. Empower our minds to remember, Lord, and help us develop daily habits of remaining focused on You and the goal -- to run the race well in Your strength and power.

Isaiah 55:11 Returning to the Original Plan

… so is my word that goes out from my mouth; I will not return to me empty but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it. ~Isaiah 55:11

God did not offer salvation just to forgive us, but because He desires to have a relationship with us. He wants to redeem us from our sinful way of life and return us to His first design. This world as we know it is not the original plan. Sin, selfishness, greed, hate – these were not in God’s blueprints. We have allowed these distortions to destroy God’s original intent.

But now because of Christ’s sacrifice and the continuing work of the Holy Spirit through God’s Word, we can be in relationship with the Almighty once again. When we set in motion a plan to follow Him, study and meditate on His Word, live as Christ lived, we are mentored by His Spirit to live a transformed life. That growing, vibrant person can be in an active relationship with the Creator of the universe. That was the original plan.

Further Thoughts:

1. Are you living a transformed life that God can be in relationship with? If no, why not?
2. In a concordance, look up the word “redeemed.” What does God’s Word say about it?
3. To remain consistently in the Word, we all need a plan of action. What’s yours?
4. What accountability will you put in place to remain faithful to your plan? You don’t have to do this alone.

Father, I so want to have a relationship with You. Thank You for Your redeeming love that continues to transform my life back to the original plan. Amen.

Ephesians 6:21-24 "No Man is an Island"

"Tychicus, the dear brother and faithful servant in the Lord, will tell you everything, so that you also may know how I am and what I am doing. I am sending him to you for this very purpose, that you may know how we are, and that he may encourage you.

"Peace to the brothers, and love with faith from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Grace to all who love our Lord Jesus Christ with an undying love." NIV

As Paul closes this letter to the church at Ephesus, he reminds us of the power of the body working together. According to the NIV study notes, Tychicus was "an associate of Paul who traveled as his representative." Even while sitting in prison, Paul not only writes to the churches to encourage and instruct them, he sends someone in his place to be skin on for them. These churches were out there, alone and persecuted. They were like us in that they believed in a Savior that they had never seen with their eyes. All they knew was through the apostles' testimonies and the Holy Spirit's revelation. The church was young. Only alittle over 50 years had passed since Jesus' ascension. They were babies struggling to pull themselves up to their feet and walk in this new way. Their steps were unsure and wobbly. They often fell or were distracted. So they needed someone to instruct and encourage them in seeing their way through this revolutionary idea of Christianity.

As believers we have to work together to accomplish the mission. We must encourage one another and hold each other accountable to living the life of the believer. It's tough out there. Between fighting against our sinful nature -- repeatedly putting it to death -- resisting temptation, keeping focused on the Truth and living it with integrity while putting food on the table and a roof over our heads, we have a difficult task before us. It's easy to get distracted. But we are not alone -- spiritually or physically. If we only had the power of the Holy Spirit to guide us, that would be enough. But God went one step further -- he gave us help with skin on -- our fellow believers.

Thirteen years ago when we moved to Sacramento from the Midwest, the Lord laid on my heart that I needed an accountability partner. My husband and I hold each other accountable, but I needed someone outside of the marital relationship which involves so many other facets. I needed someone whose relationship with me was to be a spiritual support. I was so blessed when the Lord directed me to Laurie. We're about the same age (although she always reminds me I'm older) and have similar life experiences and spiritual maturity level. We have been meeting pretty much every week for 13 years to study the Word together, pray for each other, ask the tough questions, and pretty much share our lives with one another. We have had a relationship that has grown me up in my spiritual walk like I never grew before. And it never seems to fail that when I am struggling, she is able to hold me up and when she's struggling, I'm in the good place to be her anchor. We've shared almost a third of our lives together through raising children, career changes, family crises, and many joys. We laugh and cry together and have an authentic relationship that is open and honest. We keep each other's feet to the fire which can be a humbling experience. It's tough to walk the Christian life, and we have vowed to live a life of no compromise. So we each make sure the other one is walking the walk. I'm so blessed to have my dear best friend who knows me inside and out. I wouldn't trade her for the world, and "I thank my God every time I remember" her.

If you don't have someone to hold you accountable, ask the Lord to lead you to that person. You don't have to do this alone. We are the body of Christ, but we are not invincible. We need each other. Your strengths will help me and my strengths will help you. Let's work together to accomplish the mission to which we have been called. The eternal addresses of our friends, neighbors and colleagues are at stake.

Further Thoughts:

1. How many "pairs" of workers can you name from the Old Testament? What were some very specific ways they helped each other? (i.e. Moses and Aaron)
2. How did Jesus send out the disciples when they traveled to share Jesus' message? (See Luke 10:1)
3. How is the body of Christ to work? Look back at Ephesians 4:11-16, Romans 12:3-5, and 1 Corinthians 12:12-31)
4. If you do not have an accountability partner, I encourage you to pray for the Lord to direct you to one.