Canaan’s Rest represents a quiet place “set apart” for the purpose of hearing God's voice, growing in intimacy with the Lord, and being renewed in soul and spirit.

Month: November 2022 (Page 1 of 3)

November 30, 2022

Dear Ones,
Hope you have a wonderful day! This morning I am going to go to my exercise class and then out to lunch with friends whom we have been trying to get together with for almost 3 months. It will be extra sweet today. We plan to get in a brisk walk later, and then tonight is Bible Study. A rich day!
Devotions from Judy’s heart
   A couple weeks ago, I woke up in the night with the word “Walls” going through my mind. I thought that was unusual but I wrote it down in the dark and when I woke in the morning, I proceeded to think over that. What came to mind was Isaiah 62:6-7 (God’s Word), “I have posted watchmen on your walls, Jerusalem. They will never be silent day or night. Whoever calls on the Lord, do not give yourselves any rest, and do not give Him any rest until He establishes Jerusalem and make it an object of praise throughout the earth.” The Greek word for Watchman means to keep awake, to heed, to watch.
   Watchmen were placed on a city’s wall to watch for the safety of the city and give warning to the people if they saw the enemy coming. They monitored anyone approaching the town. They also had watchtowers that overlooked the fields to keep out thieves and critters.
   In our world today, God has his watchmen in place to give warnings to us and to show us where we are to change. He uses ordinary people and through them gives His message. I am still reading in the book of Jeremiah who was watchman for over 40 years to the nation of Judah; he warned the people to repent and to wake up and to be prepared for what is ahead. Sadly, the people didn’t pay attention to his message but he was not responsible for how they responded, only that he had to give it. Because the people didn’t heed the warnings Jeremiah gave, they suffered and many died.
   The watchmen today see the darkening of our culture, the immorality, the idols and speak out and give warnings. Many of the listeners think that life will just keep going on as it is, without consequences but one day we all will have to give account. In a sense, we all should be watchmen as we realize Jesus is coming again at a time none of us know. We are not to be lazy and make excuses for ourselves but rather to know the times and live close to the Lord. We need to sound the alarm and share whatever the Lord puts in our hearts to speak.
  Challenge for today: Be willing to be one of the Lord’s Watchmen on the wall and speak what He tells you to say to whoever He directs you.
Blessings on your day and prayers and love, Judy

 

  

November 29, 2022

Dear Ones,
I am writing early today and may you wake up to a hope-filled day. The question this week is: when did the Lord change directions on where you were headed, and how did you respond? 
Devotions from Judy’s heart
  Today more than ever, we need hope, not hope based on obtaining the right circumstances but on the Lord. We are told over and over again in scripture to hope in the Lord. He is our safe place, our rock, our fortress, and we are secure in Him.
  Of course, we can’t control everything that happens in our lives and we all go through difficult times. When we complain and despair it doesn’t help the situation and it may even prolong it.
   Joyce Meyers said, “You cannot control the wind, but you can adjust the sails.” I like that! While at the lake last summer we watched from our deck, as a red and white sailboat swiftly glided over the water. It changed directions with the touch of the rudder as sails adjusted.
   In our lives it is often hard to change directions, even though we may know we are going wrong and aren’t going to end up at our intended destination. We might say that the Lord is like our rudder and when we entrust Him with our lives, He is the One that can change the direction of our lives and put us on course.
  Paul says in Romans 15:13 (God’s Word), “May God, the source of hope, fill you with joy and peace through your faith in Him. Then you will overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”  We can brim over with hope when we allow God free reign in our lives, no matter what is happening outwardly. He can change the course any time He wants for He sees the desired destination and where He wants to take us. May we Hope in Him and then rest in peace and joy.
  Challenge for today: Commit everything to the Lord and face each day with Hope overflowing in your heart.
Blessings on your day and prayers and love, Judy

 

“Help, Lord! No Godly Are Left!”

The title of this blog is a rendition of Psalm 12:1 in the “God’s Word” translation. In the eight verses of this psalm, the Psalmist speaks to a community of believers living in a deceitful society filled with a prevalence of untruths and misinformation.  It seems as though the people of God were dominated by liars in positions of authority.  “The Psalmist asks the Lord to intervene, for society is overrun by deceitful, arrogant oppressors and godly individuals are a dying breed” (NET).   But “because of the Lord’s answer, the godly can face the future knowing that God protects them” (NLT Study Bible).  May this also be true of us today.  God is looking for “truth-tellers,” who will stand up and be heard. 

The Psalmist laments, “Help, Lord, for no faithful one remains; the loyal have disappeared from the human race” (v. 1). The godly and faithful are so rare it seems as if they have disappeared. “Everyone lies to their neighbor; they flatter with their lips but harbor deception in their hearts” (v. 2).  This is a cultural snapshot of our dominating contemporary narrative.  Lies are being perpetuated as truths.  There is a lot of empty talk, including flattery in the guise of smooth talk.  We are asked, with a smile, to believe lies.  This kind of deception gives us a steady diet of “doubletalk.”  Many ask today, “Who are we to believe? What are their true motives?” 

The Psalmist prays for God to silence the flattering lips and boastful tongues. These individuals believe their power resides in their speech, convinced they can influence others with their words. “We speak persuasively; we know how to flatter and boast. Who is our master?” (v. 4). “Destructive gossip, undemocratic legislation, language devalued by political correctness, the media’s drowning of quality in quantity, are all examples” (Bible Speaks Today) of an arrogant attitude toward God in our day.  

But the Lord replies, “I have seen violence done to the helpless, and I have heard the groans of the poor” (v. 5 ).  In response, God “will rise up to rescue them as they have longed for me to do” (v. 5).  It might seem like lies and deception are having their way, but God gives fair warning: “Even though the wicked strut about and evil is praised throughout the land,” He will “protect the oppressed, preserving them forever from this lying generation” (v. 7).  In our day, the wicked certainly “strut about” having captured the imagination of contemporary media. Be careful – we are being asked to believe a lie (II Thess. 2:10-12).

In contrast to the deception found in society, we can depend on the trustworthiness of God’s Word.  “The Lord’s promises are pure, like silver refined in a furnace, purified seven times over” (v. 6).  God means what he says; his words are completely pure.  “When we feel as though sincerity and truth have nearly gone out of existence, we have one hope: the Word of God, which is pure and flawless as refined silver. So listen carefully when he speaks to you through his Word” (Application Bible). 

What is a man to do today in a decadent society? 

  • Accept the authority of Scripture. Earnestly strive to let Scripture form your worldview, not the cultural narrative. Remember, “the word of the Lord stands forever” (I Peter 2:25). 
  • Fellowship with other true believers.  Allow your assumptions and opinions to be exposed to biblical teaching.  You cannot endure this battle on your own.   
  • Above all, don’t fall asleep. Keep alert to deception. You are being lied to daily. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

November 28, 2022

Dear Ones,
  Hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend! Thank you for prayers as we traveled to Kansas and enjoyed time with our son’s family.
This morning I am going to make Al’s favorite cookies and go to my exercise class. This afternoon we have Trim the Tree for our community room and coffee and goodies. It’s starting to look like Christmas!
Devotions from Judy’s heart
 We have just entered the season of Advent and the Advent colors change from green to a deep blue or purple. It is a season of waiting and hoping, not just getting ready to celebrate Jesus’ first coming but waiting for His coming again. It is a time to quietly reflect and to listen to the Lord speak to our hearts in new ways. As King David said in Psalm 62:5 (ESV), “For God alone, O my soul, wait in silence, for my hope is from Him.”
   While at our son, Kurt’s, I had a vivid dream and I awakened with a fresh resolve and desire  to discern what God is saying to me, and to follow in obedience. We are surrounded by a culture that leaves God out, but He is most important and when our lives revolve around Him, we are at peace. In my dream I was going about my life and there were new rules being made that didn’t seem right in my spirit. We were all suppose to comply and many did, but I went about my life without talking about it, but also not complying.  I asked the Lord for discernment and also noticed that someone was kind of following me and watching if I would do what was expected. I tried to have a low profile but didn’t want to comply on things that I knew weren’t right. Just before I woke the man was confronting me and I don’t what words I said, but I knew I had to give a defense for my lack of action. Within me was a strong resolve that I could only do what I heard the Lord saying, and not what man was demnding. I was filleed with the most wonderful feeling of deep joy and also a holy boldness to not go man’s way but to listen to the Lord and go His way.
   In the days ahead I pray we may have holy boldness when needed to go against our culture, and to go God’s way, no matter the cost. I believe it is going to cost all of us, and now is the time to prepare and to strengthen our resolve not to compromise. When we listen to the Holy Spirit, not the world, we find our hope is only in the Lord. He is coming again and now is a season of advent to prepare for that great day.
  Challenge for today: Take some time for quiet reflection and listen to what the Lord has to say to yo.
Blessings on your week and prayers and love, Judy

November 26, 2022

Dear Ones,
Happy weekend! This is being sent early as we are going to start for home tomorrow morning. We had a fun time at Kurt’s and 5 of us went to Barnes and Noble this morning and then walked a lovely trail in the afternoon and then more fun games. We plan to stop at my brother’s in Eagan on the way home and see their new apartment. We have enjoyed our Thanksgiving time and grateful for family. 
Devotions from Judy’s heart
   God calls each of us to go deeper with Him. We are not to settle for status quo but to desire to know the Lord in new ways. While going to Kurt’s for Thanksgiving, Al and I talked a lot together as we traveled the miles and he asked me the question of, “How do I know if I love God?” I think we will all have different answers and it got me searching my own heart. I don’t want to be lukewarm but rather to have a passion for the Lord and grow in my love for Him.
   I asked my friend how she knew she loved God, as I saw her shortly after Al asked me the question. We were sharing together at a table in Barnes and Noble, and she responded by answering that we know we love Him if we are have a desire for Him and a heart longing. She expressed how she doesn’t just have devotions to check it off on her to-do list for the day, but because she truly wants to know the Lord better and hear what He has to say to her. She has a longing and a passion. The Lord uses her to counsel and pray for many others as she is so open to the Holy Spirit. She is often awakened at night to pray for specific ones and later given confirmation of their need of prayer for hard circumstances they were dealing with.
  I find warmth in my love for the Lord if I spend time in worship, most often in my private time with Him; not asking for things but rather thanking Him and giving Him praise. It’s good for each of us to have a private place to do that, away from the noise of the world. It can be the corner of a room or a closet, where we shut off other things and can be alone with Him.
  I am reading a book by John Michael Talbot, who shares stories about the desert fathers and mothers, and their lives of giving all to the Lord. We were at his hermitage years ago, a quiet contemplative place where prayer takes place and there are few outer distractions. As Talbot said, many words are not needed to pray but rather an open repentant heart.
  Let us all seek to grow in our love for the Lord and as St. Francis said, “I seek not so much to pray, as to become a prayer.”
Challenge for today: Do something today for God alone, out of love for him.
Blessings on your weekend and prayers and love, Judy

 

Novembr 27, 2022

Dear Ones,
Happy Holiday weekend! Hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving. We had a great day with family, a big yummy feast, games, sharing, and the Viking win too. Tomorrow we will be going home again and appreciate prayers for safety. 
Devotions from Judy’s heart
  We have just celebrated Thanksgiving and sharing those blessings we are thankful for; but every day should be a day we can express thankfulness to the Lord. When we start our day with words of praise and thanks, it seems to color our whole day with a bright outlook on whatever happens during our day. I like to begin my day early and I can see dawn unfolding right out my window as I write. It is a good time to begin giving thanks to our Father who gave us a good night of rest, a warm home, food etc., but also thanks for His peace and joy, and comfort, and grace and on and on. Like the chorus goes, “Count your many blessings, name them one by one, and it will surprise you what the Lord has done.” Some people choose to thank the Lord with a familiar hymn or sing a song with their own words of thanks and praise.
   I don’t know about you, but I like to give gifts but am also blessed when I know they have been received and valued. But when there is no response returned, it is hard to know if they appreciated what was given and if I should give more. I wonder often if the Lord feels that way about us when we take blessings for granted and don’t bother to express thanks.
    Besides the Lord, it is good to extend thanks to others and let them know they matter and are cared for. It can be something so simple as a card or a text, but it tells the other person, that we think about them and are glad they are in our life. It could also be a stranger that we are prompted to thank. Recently when we were at our hotel, I noticed a man cleaning up after the breakfast and was so diligent and thorough. When I went to get coffee, I thanked him for keeping the place so clean and he responded 2 or 3 times by thanking me for noticing.
   It is good to be intentional in practicing thankfulness so we don’t get distracted, especially by the worldly things that are one day going to fade away. Why not start a thankful journal and record the things you are noticing today. You might put the list on your phone or computer and just keep adding to it. The Apostle Paul says in Eph 5:18 (ESV), “Giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.” That covers it all!
Challenge for today: Write down 10 blessings that you are especially grateful for and thank the Lord throughout your day.
Blessings on your weekend  and prayers and love, Judy

 

November 24, 2022

Dear Ones,
A blessed Thanksgiving Day to you! May all our hearts, hands and voices be filled with gratitude, thanks, and praise to  the One who has done wondrous things and in whom this world rejoices; Who from our mothers’ arms has blessed us on our way with countless gifts of love and still is ours today. May your day be filled with praise and thanksgiving! 
Thank you for prayers for our trip as we arrived safely after a wonderful visit with a dear friend in D.M. We enjoyed a yummy supper at Kurt’s and an evening of catching up and games. This morning will be preparation for a thanksgiving feast and our hearts are filled with so much gratitude, joy and thanks. 
Devotions from Judy’s heart 
   Thanksgiving is a time to remember. Too often we forget the goodness of the Lord and go on with our lives without thought for the amazing things He has done. We are told often in scripture to remember as when the Lord told His people in Duet. 6:!2 (God’s Word), who were about to go into the Promise Land, “Be careful that you don’t forget the Lord, who brought you out of slavery.” It is important that we also remember where we came from and how the Lord has freed us from the power of sin. Or like David, we can praise Him from our hearts as he said in Psalm 103:2, “Praise the Lord, my soul, and never forget all the good He has done”; David goes on to name how the Lord heals, forgives and rescues, and crowns us with mercy and compassion, filling our lives with blessings. Wow!
  Too soon we can forget what God has done in the past .and focus on the negative. We must be more intentional about remembering and thank Him when memories come up of what He has done in our lives in the past. We can thank Him with songs of praise, prayers of thanksgiving and maybe even keeping a praise journal where we can write in those times of remembrance.
    One of the experiences that came to my mind was years ago when we were living in Des Moines and taking the family to grandma’s for Thanksgiving. The car (not an SUV), was packed with all 5 of us and a dog and we no more started and noticed that Interstate 35 was getting slippery. It wasn’t long before we started seeing cars in the ditch and soon semitrucks. We always prayed before a trip but I think we prayed all the way to Minneapolis. We counted over 200 cars and trucks and when we were about half way there, we wondered if we should turn around and go home. But that would mean going back on the same slippery roads and we kept going. When we finally arrived, our hearts were so grateful and I’m sure as we shared at the table what we were thankful for, we all felt so grateful the Lord took us safely there. I will always remember that trip, and when things seem to get stormy, we know Who we can depend on!
  Perhaps you remember times when the Lord took you out of a tight situation or healed you or lifted you out of a depression etc. It is reason to give thanks with a thankful heart.
  Challenge for today: Share a time you remember that you experienced the Lord’s hand, touching you in a special way.
Blessings to you on this Thanksgiving Day and prayers and love, Judy
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November 23, 2022

Dear Ones,
I am sending tomorrow’s devotion out tonight as we are going to leave very early in the morning for Kansas, and my computer is getting packed now. We plan to stop in Des Moines where Al can browse at Barnes and Noble and I am going to meet with a dear friend. Then on to Kurt’s in Olathe where we will spend Thanksgiving. Appreciate prayers for our safety and health. May each of you have a grace-filled Thanksgiving! 
Devotions from Judy’s heart,
   God’s grace is something that just amazes me and I am especially cognizant of it when I am most in need of it… like when I blow it!  The truth is that we are always in great need of His grace, but sometimes we are not aware as we should be. It is a precious gift that is too often taken for granted.
  God seems to put people in our lives that exemplify His grace that is hard to miss. You can probably think of many examples of those around you. Just recently at the funeral of my aunt we had time with her grandson’s family. They have 8 children and the youngest one is 6 years old but has been sick all her life. She has Trysomy 5 a dilation of the 5th chromosome which is rare, only 50 other known cases in the US.   Jencyn is in the hospital about as much time as she is at home. Since Chris is a youth director and has a big family, life is busy and full of challenges. But each time we see him and his wife, they don’t look stressed but calm and peaceful. The other children love Jencyn and the one who recently got married had her in the wedding, while in her stroller. There is so much love and grace evident in the whole family and it speaks to us all of God’s grace.
  Our strength is in the Lord and not in ourselves and we all need to remember our total dependency is on Him. God’s power shows up most in our weaknesses, when we truly know we can’t go in our own power. Like Paul said in II Cor. 12: 10 (Message), “My grace is enough; it’s all you need. My strength comes into its own in your weakness.” He goes on to say that he quit focusing on his handicap and began appreciating the gift for he experienced Christ’s strength moving in on his weakness. The more we know we need Him the stronger we become and develop in His likeness. We are weak but He is strong. Yes, Jesus loves us!
   Challenge for today: Thank the Lord for His grace to you and praise Him even in your weaknesses.
Blessings on your day and prayers and love, Judy

November 22, 2022

Dear Ones,
Hope you wake to a wonderful day. This is early again as I will off to the dentist to get my crown this morning! Not sure if I will be back in time for coffee and choc covered cherries. Yesterday was a blessed day at the funeral of my aunt whose life was lived for the Lord and who served Him in so many ways. The relatives filled one whole side of the church and we all have been blessed by His love expressed through her life to all of us.
Devotions from Judy’s heart
  As we approach Thanksgiving Day, our hearts become more aware of the gifts we have been given from above. But every day should be a day of thanks-giving for we cannot even begin to count the blessings we have received. Living in America we are more prone to think we deserve not only our basic needs being met but wealth, comforts, and possessions, as well. If we don’t have as much as others around us, grumbling is heard, rather than gratitude.
   I wonder how our Thankful List would compare to others in a different culture. In closed countries, we might have on our list that we were able to gather with another Christian in secret to pray together, or that we have a Bible to read when undetected, or just basic food to eat that day. We have been given so much and yet our list might be short and filled with things that will one day just fade away.
  When we went on mission trips to Mexico, what hit me most was the joy and gratitude the Christians had, even though they lived in what we would call a shack, not always knowing where their next meal would come from, and lacking any conveniences. When I got home from such trips, I felt overcome and distracted by all I had, and desired to give more to others.
   No matter where we live or how much we have we all can be filled with thankfulness for what the Lord has done for us. Whether or not we have lot of the world’s goods, is not an indicator of our joy, but rather that Jesus saved and loves us and wants to share His presence with us. He also gives us His Holy Spirit to guide us and fill our hearts with joy.
   How can we not be filled with thankfulness and praise, for He is so deserving of it. As it says in Psalm 107:1 (God’s Word), “Give thanks to the Lord because He is good, because His mercy endures forever.” Every day it is good to just spend time in thanksgiving and prayer even before asking Him for needs we might  have or telling Him our concerns. This will often lead us into worship of Him, and our own problems seem to shrink as we come to see the greatness of His power.
  Challenge for today: Live in gratitude and start a thankful list and keep adding to it each day.
Blessings on your day and prayers and love, Judy

 

An Act of Insurrection

This title above is how The Guardian described The Case Against the Sexual Revolution, a new book by British feminist Louise Perry.  A 30-year-old “proud Feminist,” Perry has spent her working career helping female victims of sexual abuse and exploitation.  She explains, “It’s precisely because I’m a feminist that I’ve changed my mind on sexual liberalism.” Notes the Daily Citizen, “She writes as a feminist because many things are changing in our current debate over sexuality and new voices are feeling emboldened to speak out.”  

From her work with victimized women, Perry concludes that the sexual revolution was, “an ideology premised on the false belief that the physical and psychological differences between men and women are trivial, and that any restrictions placed on sexual behavior must therefore have been motivated by malice, stupidity or ignorance… The problem is, the differences aren’t trivial. Sexual asymmetry is profoundly important.”   

Perry believes women lost much in the “advances” of the sexual revolution. She hopes her writing will spark a new and different feminist movement. “I think,” she writes, “young women have been utterly failed by liberal feminism and have the most to gain from swingback against its excesses.”  She is hopeful that her efforts will help accelerate this swing.  

The Guardian noted that Perry’s book “comes as something of a shock to see a feminist writer with any new ideas at all.”  However, The Daily Citizen is hopeful.  “Maybe that is because Louise Perry is not proposing new ideas, but instead, rediscovering some very old and wise ones. And it is very good that she is gaining such a wide hearing in articulating these views to a new generation of women…”

Of special interest to me was Perry’s comment regarding men: “If a man isn’t willing to stand up in front of everyone you and he knows and promise to cherish you forever, then how can you be sure he’s really committed to your shared life?” In this regard Perry has some very traditional views about marriage.  

Critical of marriage vows that are “tailored by individual whims and sentimentalities,” Perry maintains they are “not rugged enough to honor what marriage itself is and is supposed to be.”  She explains, “Every time my husband and I go to a traditional [high church] wedding, we hear again the words we spoke at our own wedding and are reminded that we’ve opted into an institution that every other married couple is part of.”  

Perry believes that women are unique in their femininity.  She sees female sexuality is fundamentally more civilized and can produce life. “It requires more protection, being respected and honored by all.”  Rather than advocating freedom, which ended up in Perry’s view “enslaving nearly everyone, women especially,” she prefers “the ideal of restraint by both men and women over freedom.”

Men, I hear in these words a cry for men to be “protectors.”  I am reminded of the song by Sanctus Real entitled “Lead Me” (2010).  It has always been convicting to me:  

“Lead me with strong hands/Stand up when I can’t/Don’t leave me hungry for love/Chasing dreams, but what about us/Show me you’re willing to fight/That I’m still the love of your life/I know we call this our home/But I still feel alone.”

Men, rejoice in your freedom to be the protector of your marriage, family, and home. Don’t give up the fight.  Take the lead by protecting and showing your wife the respect she deserves. “Be good husbands to your wives. Honor them, delight in them” (I Peter 3:7 – Message).  In a confused world, you can bring some order and peace.  

 

  

 

 

 

 

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