Do not be afraid

Just some verses that struck me this morning from Deuteronomy 1

6 The LORD our God said ..., "You have stayed long enough at this mountain.

8 See, I have given you this land. Go in and take possession of the land that the LORD swore he would give…

21 See, the LORD your God has given you the land. Go up and take possession of it as the LORD, the God of your fathers, told you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged."

25 "It is a good land that the LORD our God is giving us."

29"Do not be terrified; do not be afraid....

30 The LORD your God, who is going before you, will fight for you,..., before your very eyes,

Rarely do verses leap off the page at me like verse 21 did (see bold above). It just really struck me this morning that the Lord has something He wants me to take possession of. I'm not sure what, but it just seemed like such a clear call.

Lord, help me keep your word before me so that I will not give in to the doubt and uncertainty. Show me what it is that I am supposed to take possession of and help me to do it for your glory and honor.

..and again I say...

Ever had the same them repeated over and over and over again within the same week? Last week it seemed like every message I heard on the radio or heard at Bible study was about God's purpose in our lives.
...so, does God have a purpose for my life? YES!! Do I know what it is? Define "know". I am sure that am where He wants me right now. Beyond that...it's a matter of prayer.

A Potter's Vessel - Part 2

The term "throwing" comes from this next step. The lump of clay is thrown down on the wheel, forcefully, as close to the center of the wheel as possible. If the clay is not thrown hard enough, it will not adhere to the wheel and the work will be ruined when the clay moves.

This is definitely not a comfortable step for the clay. Imagine that freefall and the sudden stop at the end. I've felt like that fairly often and I'm sure that you have too. But if we are going to be useful to God we need to allow him to shape us. I often feel like crawling off God's wheel and hiding, because being shaped for His purposes is uncomfortable, very uncomfortable. Not only do we need to cling to the fact that God has our ultimate good in mind, we also need to submit to His hand in leading us where we should go and what we should be doing.



Once the clay is on the wheel, the fun starts. When the potter sits at the wheel, he needs to be sure that he is centered at the wheel. His body, arms, hands, head and eyes are all concentrated on the exact center of the wheel. If he is off-center, he will push the clay off-center and will not be able to make anything.

This is something that I just realized this year. - God is omnipotent. (You've heard that before too, right?) At a seminar I attended in march, the speaker pointed out just what it meant to be omnipotent. It means to be fully present, possessing all power, in every place. I used to think of omnipotence as God being like a thin layer that covered everything. That's not at all what it is. He is fully present, capable of using all His power on my behalf at any time. He is paying attention to me fully, just as he is paying attention to you fully, at the same time. The saying "You can't do two things at once" does NOT apply to God. I am at the center of His attention, just as you are.



Centered and with all his attention on the clay and what he is doing with it, the potter guides the clay onto the exact center of the wheel. With one hand on the side to guide and one hand keeping the clay from spinning up into an unusable tower, the potter begins work the clay.

You would think that we would automatically relax, knowing that God's hand was guiding us. But all too often I find myself tensing up and fighting the very guidance that God has put in my life. I struggle against it and at time really resent it. I also tend to get impatient and want to "get going" and grow up to quickly, but then I'd be like that unusable tower of clay. Only by submitting to the guiding hands of God will I be able to be used by Him.



The whole time the clay is being worked, the potter has a bucket of water nearby to keep the clay moist and workable. A constant source of just the right amount of water ensures that the clay can continue to be worked to fulfill the potter's vision for it.

This might be another step that is overlooked as not having much importance but it is vital. A constant exposure the water of the Word of God is vital for the life of a Christian. Without it, just like the clay, we dry out, become fragile, and aren't good for much of anything. We need to regularly bathe in God's word for guidance, comfort and vision.

A Potter's Vessel-Part 1

(I hit post and then realized just how long it was. I've broken it up into a couple sections so it won't be so long to read.)


How many of you have had the chance to make pottery using a potter's wheel?

I took a ceramics class in college and while I was really annoyed with the hand building techniques (alright, I hated them), I loved working on the wheel. I wasn't very good at it, but I loved it. I thinking back I can see a number of spiritual principles that have parallels in forming pottery on a wheel.
I put my applications in blue to try to separate them out. I hope this isn't too confusing.

First of all, the potter needs to consider what type of vessel he is going to make. Different clays have different uses. What is the vessel going to be used for? Who is going to be using it? Is it a fine vase fit for a king's palace? or is it a large, sturdy pot for storing water? The potter knows what he is going to do before he starts.
"Hath not the potter power over the clay, of the same lump to make one vessel unto honour, and another unto dishonour?" (Romans 9:21)
The Lord has a vision for each of us, for each of our lives. He knows what purpose we will serve and how we will be used. I want to know now what I'm going to be used for and when I'm going to be used. I want to read the script so I know what's coming. God doesn't work that way. Everything has it's own time and purpose, His time and purpose.
The other thing that I noticed at this step was so obvious that I overlooked it-the potter is the one that makes the decision about what is going to be made. All too often, I'm the one that wants to decide what is going to happenand be in charge but if I want God's best in my life then I need to let him make the decisions for me.

Next the clay needs to be prepared. Sometimes it needs to be soaked because it has dried out. Other times in needs to be aired out because there is too much water in it. Once it is the right consistency, the clay is "wedged" or kneaded. Wedging removes the air bubbles in the clay and ensures an even consistency throughout the whole lump.
One of the things that jumps out at me is the use of water. Water speaks of the Word of God. Like the clay, we need it integrated into our live in order to be usefull. If we are dry, we need to be saturated with it. Sometimes we "know" so much scripture that we need to be aired out to let God's Word actually soak in and become a practical part of our every day walk.
We also need to have any air bubbles removed. Sometimes this means changing locations, changing churches, or changing jobs. Sometimes it just plain feels like we've been dumped over on our heads and then smooshed down flat. Even though we don't understand it, we need to trust God that He has everything under control.

(to be continued)

We Shall Behold Him

It's been ages since I've thought of this song. A friend that I had sang it at summer camp at Lassen Pines one year for a tape. It was beautiful. I used to play just that song over and over and over... I don't remember if I wore out the tape or the tape player, but I can't find the tape anymore. I've since lost touch with her, but I wish I could tell her how much I loved the song that she chose to sing that year.

Tonight it has an added meaning because the Lord brought it to mind after spending time with Him. If you search for the title, you can find some posting of the actual song. I would have posted one here but I couldn't find one that had the timing that I remembered. But it's still a beautiful song...

We shall behold Him


The sky shall unfold, preparing His entrance;
The stars shall applaud Him with thunders of praise.
The sweet light in His eyes shall enhance those a waiting,
And we shall behold Him then face to face.

And we shall behold Him, we shall behold Him
Face to face in all of His glory;
And we shall behold Him, Yes, we shall behold Him
Face to face, our Savior and Lord.

The angels shall sound the shout of His coming,
The sleeping shall rise from their slumbering place.
And those who remain shall be changed in a moment,
And we shall behold Him then face to face.

And we shall behold Him, we shall behold Him
Face to face in all of His glory;
And we shall behold Him, Yes, we shall behold Him
Face to face, our Savior and Lord.
We shall behold Him, our Savior and Lord.

Warrior of Light

Lord, it's dark and demons press round.
The advice that they whisper is scarcely sound.
My heart is weak and far, far from brave,
But you have come "to Seek and to Save."

I ask your protection on this long, lonesome night
Before those around me decide on my plight,
And press ever closer and prevent any fight,
I ask that you send a Warrior of Light.

His face will cause ten thousand to flee,
As he aids and protects,--his mission for thee.
And though he be valiant and mighty and true
I ask that he be patient-compassionate, too.

For I am afraid of anything new,
No matter how good, how right or how true.
For though I ask help, yeah, even expect,
However it appears is often suspect

For fear presses in, and doubt colors all,
And while I would see my enemies fall,
I cling to old habits, for they're what I know
Even while they have nothing to show.

"Deliver me, Lord, and come to my aid,
Through this deep river, help me to wade,
And bring me safe over to Heaven's bright shore,
When my journey is finally o're.

For you are "the Way, the Truth and the Life"
Offering to us the Gift of your Life.
All who accept the price that was paid,
Shall in Glory, be like Him made."

And while the night is dark, I'm alone,
I can see your Son on the Throne.
And I thank and I praise and I humbly bow.
"My God you have saved me!--WOW!!!"

The original red-light district?

(written July 17, 2008 - posted here for archival purposes)

From Joshua 2-
(I realize this is speculation, but I thought that I'd pass it on because I enjoyed the thought.)

To get the setting: Joshua send two spies into Jericho to get the lay of the land. They run into Rahab, who protect and hides them. Rahab lets the spies down over the wall by a scarlet cord. The spies tell her to tie the cord in her window and she and everyone inside with her will be safe from the invading Isreal army.


I started thinking about Rahab. Would she have taken the cord she used to save the spies, cut off a piece, tie a neat little bow in her window and hope it got noticed. (That's the picture that I grew up with.) I don't think so. I think that she realized that she was in a life-or-death situation and threw caution to the wind. I can see her using the ENTIRE length of cord, weaving it into her window frame. I can imagine her going out and buying all the scarlet cord that she can find just to make sure that every window in her house was covered. She wanted to make sure that she was noticed and protected just as the spies had promised. She wanted to make sure that no one would mistake her house.

Now can you imagine being inside Rahab's house. Every window is covered with a scarlet weaving. As the light filters through the scarlet cord, everything is bathed in a red glow. What do her neighbors think? After all, she is a hooker, I mean, a harlot. It was just something she thought would give her an advantage over the competition, right?

WRONG! That scarlet cord was her salvation. And that red glow that was cast over the occupants of that house is a picture of the fact that all need to be washed in the blood of Jesus Christ in order to be saved. Because of her faith, Rahab was saved from the annihilation that the rest of Jericho faced. Because of her faith, was included in the genealogy of both King David and the Lord Jesus Christ. Because of your faith, what will the Lord involve you in?




Ps- Isn't it just like Satan to take something that could be such a beautiful picture and corrupt it so that becomes a symbol for Rahab's previous profession instead of a symbol of her deliverance.