Monday, June 22, 2020

Watch the Lamb…

When I was early in my walk with the LORD, He used my spiritual mom and dad to build upon the sure foundation of Jesus Christ at work in my life. I would read books and listen to cassette tapes (smile), of solid bible teachers of God's word.

Two statements of many that have been essential in my continuing walk with the LORD have been; (1) You become like that which you focus on and (2) You move in the direction of your most dominant thoughts. I was trained up early to understand that Satan wants to distract us from all things that help us walk out the truths of who we are in Christ!

As I watch the situation of this world, I am reminded that we do not war against flesh and blood. Eph. 6:12. Remember, the enemy comes to kill, steal and destroy. John 10:10.

I am also reminded of the words of an old song that was popular in the early years of my walk. It is a song by Ray Boltz titled, “Watch the Lamb”.

Below are the words to the song and here is the link  https://youtu.be/UNT1AThOgME

As we continue in our daily journey with Him, never forget “Watch the Lamb”

His,
Vickie

Watch the Lamb…
Walking on the road to Jerusalem,
The time had come to sacrifice again,
My two small sons,
They walked beside me on the road,
The reason that they came was to watch the lamb.
"Daddy, daddy, What will see there,
There's so much that we don't understand",
So I told them of Moses and Father Abraham,
Then I said "dear children watch the lamb".
"There will be so many in Jerusalem today,
We must be sure the lamb doesn't run away",
And I told them of Moses and Father Abraham,
Then I said "dear children watch the lamb".
When we reached the city,
I knew something must be wrong,
There were no joyful worshipers,
No joyful worship songs,
I stood there with my children
in the midst of angry men,
Then I heard the crowd cry out
"Crucify Him".
We tried to leave the city but
we could not get away,
Forced to play in this drama
a part I did not wish to play,
"Why upon this day were men condemned to die?,
Why were we standing here, Where soon they would pass by?".
I looked and said, "even now they come",
The first one cried for mercy,
The people gave him none,
The second one was violent, He was arrogant and loud,
I still can hear his angry voice
screaming at the crowd,
Then someone said "there's Jesus",
I could scarce believe my eyes,
A man so badly beaten,
He barely looked alive,
Blood poured from His body,
From the thorns upon His brow,
Running down the cross, Falling to the ground.
I watched Him as He struggled,
I watched Him as He fell,
The cross came down upon His back,
The crowd began to yell,
In that moment I felt such agony,
In that moment I felt such loss,
Till a Roman soldier grabbed my arm
and screamed, "you, carry His cross".
At first I tried to resist him,
Then his hand reached for his sword,
So I knelt and took the cross from the Lord,
I placed it on my shoulder,
And started down the street,
The blood that he'd been shedding
was running down my cheek.
They led us to Golgotha,
They drove nails deep in His feet and hands,
Yet upon the cross I heard Him pray
"Father, forgive them".
Oh, never have I seen such love in any other eyes,
"Into thy hands I commit my spirit"
He prayed and then He died,
I stood for what seemed like years,
I'd lost all sense of time until
I felt two tiny hands holding tight to mine,
My children stood there weeping,
I heard the oldest say,
"Father please forgive us, the lamb ran away".
"Daddy, daddy, What have we seen here?,
There's so much that we don't understand",
So I took them in my arms,
And we turned and faced the cross,
Then I said "dear children watch the lamb"

Friday, June 5, 2020

Quicksand…

When we hear the word “quicksand” it stirs some thoughts that have been logged away in our minds from movies and or tv shows. Scenes like, people running through a forest and suddenly disappearing into the ground around them and/or a good western where the ground swallows up an animal. You get the picture.

Those thoughts most likely trigger the emotion of fear. In fact, most of us have probably developed a belief system about quicksand based on that fear, which is, most people that get caught in quicksand do not make it out. But truth is, no-one has ever died from stepping into “quicksand”. I could not find one death due to quicksand drowning anywhere. That truth totally dispelled my fear of quicksand along with the following facts.



Here are a few facts about quicksand.
  • It is impossible to become fully submerged in quicksand. (Meaning you as an individual.)
  • Most quicksand is less than several feet deep.
  • Humans are only half as dense as quicksand so; you could not sink much lower than your waist unless you struggle.  
  • Struggling causes you to sink more making it more difficult to get out. Depending on where you are circumstances could lead to dehydration, starvations, hyperthermia, sunstroke, and/or attacked by predators because you become more stuck.

How to get out of quicksand.
  • Stay calm.
  • Get rid of all items that you are carrying because they will only cause you to sink deeper. Items, such as backpacks, hiking tools, etc.
  • Lean back in quicksand and water will come in and fill the space allowing you to slowly begin to move your body towards the surface. If you can, grab a stick and wedge it behind your back and it will give you leverage till help gets there. 
  • If there is not help coming, then you can get out, but it will be a slow process and take a long time and all your strength.



You might be thinking right now, “Gee, Vickie thanks for the lesson on quicksand, that I will probably never be exposed to in my life!” Ha,ha,ha But...

Life can show up like quicksand sometimes. We have all been there, when you are going through your day and suddenly out of nowhere a situation occurs and you feel overwhelmed, stuck, or trapped. Then fear steps in and captures your thought and emotions. Everything in you wants to struggle free of those thoughts and feelings but, the more you struggle the worst they get, the deeper you sink into them. If we are being totally honest here, I suspect several of you are dealing with those thoughts and feelings even as you read this post. I do not know what your quicksand is right now, but I do know this, we can take some of those suggestions about how to get out of quicksand and apply spiritual truths.

How to get out of quicksand, spiritually speaking.

  • Stay calm.
    • Isaiah 41:10 …fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. 
    • Psalm 34:4 …I sought the LORD, and he answered me and delivered me from all my fears. 
  • Get rid of things weighing you down.
    • 1 Peter 5:6-7 Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.
  • Lean back and trust Him.
    • Isaiah 26:3 (ESV) You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you. 
    • Psalm 40:2 (ESV) He drew me up from the pit of destruction, out of the miry bog, and set my feet upon a rock, making my steps secure. 

The last bullet of getting out of quicksand in real life says you can get out by yourself, but it will take a long time and drain you of all your strength. May I say to you that God “never” intended for us to do life alone and without Him. So, if you have stepped into a quicksand pit recently, please Trust Him and let others know, so, they can pray, lend an ear, give you a hand or just sit with you. 

His,
Vickie