Canaan's Rest

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: January 2024 (Page 2 of 4)

January 22, 2024

January 22, 2024 / / 0 Comments
Dear Ones,
Hope you had a peace-filled weekend. Al and I had a bitter cold walk on Saturday so yesterday we did our walk in the underground.Emoji Great win last night for the Chiefs!   Today I have food prep to do and going to Aldi’s and my exercise class.
Devotions from Judy’s heart
  Wouldn’t it be wonderful if our families all knew and served the Lord?  Those who know the Lord carry a desire for their loved ones to know Him also and that one day will spend eternity together with Him. But maybe right now they are like the prodigal and have no interest in belonging to Him, and our hearts break. Many of you have written of your concern for family and friends who seem to be in that far-off country and are praying and waiting for them to come home to the Father. It may appear that they are traveling on a road that leads far away from the Lord, but we must pray and never give up hope. The Lord hears every prayer of ours and prayer is powerful. It says in James 5:16b, “The prayer of a person living right with God is something powerful to be reckoned with.” The Lord hears the cries of our hearts, and we know He loves them even more than we do.
  Sometimes we may grow weary and lack even words to know how to pray for them. God, you see, you know where they are at, lead them to you!   Recently I read a prayer that Christine Perry wrote about such times and I will include part of it that you might want to make it your own prayer for someone you love.
  “Father, we are lifting our unsaved loved ones to you. Please soften their hearts. We ask that You take their hearts of stone and turn them into a heart of flesh (Ezekiel 36:26). Please open their minds to understanding (Luke 24:45). We pray that You would grant us opportunities to speak with them, but more importantly that we would continue to come to you in prayer for them. God, You are not slack concerning your promises but are longsuffering toward us, unwilling that any should perish. Father, we ask that Your lovingkindness draw them to you (Romans 2:4). When we see them and interact with them, let it be Your love for them that they see. Help us be patient, kind, humble, and seek our loved one’s best. Help us to believe all things, hope all things, and endure all things. Help us to love them like You have loved us (1 Corinthians 13:4-8). Lord, we cannot do any of this apart from You. Please give us Your strength. We love you. Thank you for hearing our prayers and being all we need in every situation. We commit our loved ones to Your loving and capable hands. Amen!”
Let us continue in prayer and not lose heart but faithfully hold them up to the Lord.
  Challenge for today: Pray in faith and hope today for a loved one God puts on your heart.
Blessings on your week and prayers and love, Judy

January 20, 2024

January 20, 2024 / / 1 Comment
Dear Ones,
Happy weekend to you! Hope you are keeping warm! Yesterday afternoon I found a jar full of ingredients for Friendship soup outside our door as a gift. I didn’t waste any time and made the most delicious soup on a cold day that warmed our insides!
Devotions from Judy’s heart
  How honest and open are we with our souls? Do we hide from ourselves and others or do we feel safe to uncover our fears and insecurities and doubts? I think it is quite refreshing to be around people that admit where they fall short and are real and vulnerable with others. It is easier to hide, not just from others but even from ourselves and God. We too often protect ourselves and put up barriers which block the grace of God to flood our hearts.

  Perhaps we don’t want to be like the Pharisees that wanted to look good but were not honest about their hearts. They saw in others what they would not admit in themselves. When we do that and aren’t willing to see what is in our deeper level, we lose connection with ourselves. We all need God’s grace to give up our self-protection and become vulnerable and aware of what is inside.

  As we are vulnerable, we will find that we will experience love and joy and hope for we become authentic and real. There is depth to our lives, and we are also better able to accept others for who they are…not perfect but real. I like the quote by Thomas Merton that I read: “The beginning of love is the will to let those we love be perfectly themselves, the resolution not to twist them to fit our own image. If in loving them we do not love what they are, but only their potential likeness to ourselves then we do not love them: we only love the reflection of ourselves we find in them.”

  Let us not hide who we are but be our authentic selves, even with all our flaws for we know we have a God who loves us so much to give His life for us. He wants us to be who He created us to be and to love others for who they are. It takes courage to be vulnerable, but only then can we grow and be transformed more into His image. God may also provide us with a spiritual director or caring friend who will listen well to us and help us discern and encourage us and hear our confession. When we don’t cover up but acknowledge what is in our hearts, He forgives us. (Psalm 32:5) and we are set free.
  Challenge for today: Honestly share with a safe person something you are struggling with.
Blessings on your weekend and prayers and love, Judy

 

January 19, 2024

January 19, 2024 / / 0 Comments
Dear Ones,
Happy weekend to you! Hope you have time to get refreshed. As I look out on the courtyard, I notice we got a little more snow in the night. With the cold temperatures, Al and I sometimes opt for walking in the underground some days rather than outside.
Devotions from Judy’s heart
  Marriage is on the decline today as many are choosing not to marry or have kids. The divorce rate keeps climbing even among Christian couples and so many homes have only one parent. What has happened to our culture and how do we prepare young people for marriage? I listened to a podcast of a friend’s 3 sons who were interviewed and their love for the Lord just flowed out of them. They were raised in a loving home where Jesus was honored and worshiped, and they were helped to find the gifts God has placed in them. Their parents lived Jesus and affected their lives in a big way!

  I recently read an article by Alicia Searl who shares about the threats to marriage today. The enemy tries to destroy the marriage relationship which is the very picture of Christ’s love for His church. It is important for Christian couples to guard and protect the sanctity of marriage and not take the world’s view but see it from God’s lens as a holy union and offer our hearts, minds, souls, and bodies as a gift to one another. (Eph. 5:;22-30)

  We must spend time communicating with one another face to face, and grow in intimacy, rather than spending so much time on our phones, social media, and zoning out.  We can also get caught up in busyness and trying to juggle too many things into our schedules, with no time left to connect. Maybe it is time to pause and look over our schedules and build in time for each other. When our kids were little and tucked in bed, Al and I spent the last 20 minutes of the day sharing together of our day and any concerns and then praying together. Now we start our day in prayer together and then later walk the trail together and share as we walk. Communication is super important and even though men and women communicate differently, we need to listen to one another and seek to hear what each is saying without interrupting.

  Alicia warns against going to pornographic sites, and getting acquainted with others on social media that take your focus away from our spouse. Each couple can discuss boundaries, so we keep ourselves only for each other. Next to the Lord, our spouse should be our next priority, and let us put time, energy and effort into that relationship. If you are reading this and not married, God can use you to help others by encouraging them, praying for those who are going through ups and downs to not to give up, and maybe even babysitting so a couple can have a date night. May Chrisitan marriages speak a message to the world of Jesus love for His church!
  Challenge for today: Make love your aim to love God above all and then others as yourself!
Blessings on your weekend and prayers and love, Judy

January 18, 2024

January 18, 2024 / / 0 Comments
Dear Ones,
Hope you wake to a day of hope and peace. Soon Al will be heading to Men’s group, and I will be baking, going down for donuts and later Bible Study and running errands.
Devotions from Judy’s heart
  A question we may ask ourselves daily, “Do I want to be transformed into the image of Christ?” Do I want to become more like Him with a willingness to change in the ways He reveals to me? It may seem scary to many of us, but it is good to remember that the Lord sees deep within us and knows when we are ready to take the leap and allow Him to do His work in us as we yield to the transformation process. If we think about it, we are only giving up something that is not good, to receive what is best for our souls and health!  Although it may be hard and painful at the time it says in Heb.12:11 that “later on it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace.” The Message translation says, “At the time, discipline isn’t much fun. It always feels like it’s going against the grain. Later, of course, it pays off handsomely, for it’s the well-trained who find themselves mature in their relationship with God.”

  Sometimes we may start out well on the way to transformation and then we seem to slow down and plateau or maybe get stuck. It can help to share with another believer how we are struggling and have them pray for us. We may have to renew our desire for transformation over and over again and tell the Lord we want to receive all that He has for us. He will answer and will begin to open our eyes and help us note what is happening on the inside of us. For the first time, we may become aware of patterns of our behavior and habits that distract us from His presence. We can ask Him to help us pursue Him and see things from His perspective. Of course, the next important step is to be willing to act on what He shows us and take steps of action in the right direction. I know for myself, there is often a time lapse from when He shows me and when I willingly take action. But sometimes I just pray for the will to be willing to take action. It helps to remember that He will not force us to change but simply invites us. Authors Gem and Alan Fadling write how we need to remember that God is inviting us into continual relationship because He desires our presence rather than thinking of it as a duty and a to-do list. Then it seems like we are working together in it and change seems to just happen as a result.

  Our transformation doesn’t happen overnight and it should be ongoing until the day we leave this earth.  I’m so glad he doesn’t show us everything at once, or we might be overwhelmed. We will have successes and times when we need to start again but let us begin right now to choose to respond to His invitation.
  Challenge for today: Take a small step of action in the direction God is leading you and ask Him to help you keep moving with an openness to change.
Blessings on your day and prayers and love, Judy

January 17, 2024

January 17, 2024 / / 0 Comments
Dear Ones,
May you have a day filled with peace! This morning I plan to make pumpkin cupcakes and then go to my exercise class, Crafts, and Bible Study and try to keep warm!
Devotions from Judy’s heart
  What is our inner life like, the part of us that no one sees? Outwardly, we may admire people who have a strong public image of helping others, give to causes for the poor, and have an air of importance; but do we also wonder what they are really like when no one else is around or how they treat their family, or what they write in their secret journals etc.? All of us may ask ourselves if our outward behavior matches what is true in our heart when no one is watching?

  I am studying the prophet Jeremiah’s life and he was up front in speaking to the people and particularly the religious leaders and pointing out to them their hypocrisy and the need to repent. But what was Jeremiah like when he wasn’t addressing them but apart and alone? Eugene Peterson writes Jeremiah’s inner life was revealed as he prayed and made confession to the Lord. I must confess I might have gotten discouraged when speaking out like Jeremiah, and finding it wasn’t being received and then persecuted for what God told me to say. But what did Jeremiah do? He prayed and was passionate and had intimate exchanges with the Lord. He addresses the Lord and is real with Him and shares what he is experiencing as he faces loneliness and hurt and anger. In Jer. 15:15 he prays, “You know where I am, God! Remember what I’m doing here! Take my side against my detractors.” He doesn’t hesitate to tell how he feels but lived the truth of his message and took God at His word. He was honest with the Lord and expressed when he was angry and felt like God was just a mirage. He experienced self-pity but God tells him he understands his situation but won’t indulge him in his self-pity. He told him to repent instead and stand tall.

  Jeremiah speaks to the Lord what he feels, and we can honestly do that too. We don’t have to sugarcoat our feelings of frustration and anger, but we can pray and then listen to the Lord’s response as He restores us. Just like Jeremiah who prayed in secret, what we do in secret determines the soundness of who we are in public. Let us give ourselves to seek the Lord and to pray in every situation.

  Challenge for today: Share your true feelings with the Lord and be quiet to listen as He speaks to your circumstance.
Blessings on your day and prayers and love, Judy

January 16, 2924

January 16, 2024 / / 0 Comments
Dear Ones,
Hope you wake to a day of joy! I have a 7:30 appointment at the dentist and that is not my favorite way to start my day but gladly it is just a cleaning. Later I have Women’s Bible Study and maybe a trip to Aldi’s.
Devotions from Judy’s heart
  Today’s devotional will be more personal from my own life as lately I have been praying to go deeper and to be more sensitive to the voice of the Holy Spirit. When I meet regularly with a friend for sharing and prayer, we have a question that we ponder and write about before our next time together. We take turns deciding on the question and this time it is: “When and how did you know God as Abba Father and you are His beloved child?” This question helped me reflect back on my Chrisitan walk and those times I had a strong sense of my Heavenly Father loving me unconditionally and had overflowing joy; but also, those times when I felt at a distance.

  Maybe it is a question you would also like to answer  but be prepared for how the Spirit may open up things from deep places within. That’s what happened to me and as I walked with Al, I shared with him that God had showed me that there was a blockage to experiencing the Father’s love on a continual basis. Yes, there were times in the past I had experiences of knowing I was Abba Father’s beloved child and had times I felt His love poured out of me even to a stranger, and I knew it was Him, not me. But the Lord opened my eyes recently to help me see how many times that love was blocked by being over-responsible, even as a little girl.   Therefore, I felt like if I failed in something I was responsible for, I didn’t feel worthy of His love. But the Lord one day, just healed me and I knew when it happened as it was a most wonderful freeing feeling. Later I shared with Al, who is my spiritual director, and we spent some time reviewing what had happened in my past and praying. Sometimes we don’t even know or understand the blockages we have towards the Lord, but if we ask Him, He will show us and take us deeper.

 The Lord is so merciful and forgives us of things in our past as we acknowledge and repent, and brings healing. Even though I am in the 4th quarter of life, there will always be things that need to be delt with and given over for Him to heal. We can pray as Jeremiah did in Jer. 17:14, “Heal me, O Lord, and I shall be healed; save me, and I shall be saved, for you ae my praise.”
  Challenge for today: Give the Holy Spirit free reign in your life and respond to His promptings.
Blessings on your day and prayers and love, Judy

Men are Disappearing!!

January 15, 2024 / / 0 Comments

Owen Strachan, a research professor of theology at Grace Bible Theology Seminary, speaks boldly about our culture when he implies, “At basically every level, men are disappearing … for every one woman who drops out of college, seven men drop out.  Men have left the workforce in almost unprecedented numbers … men have disappeared from many families … in the bleakest category there is, suicide rates, men kill themselves far more than women do, representing 80% of suicides today …”  Strachan calls this disappearing “ghosting” loved ones, the work environment and “this very world itself.” He insists that “feminism and wokeness have accomplished nothing less than the destabilization of civilization.” 

Strachan believes in such an anti-male climate few dare to speak for men.  But he challenges us to encourage and reengage men.  “The dire situation before us today requires us to fight for men, not against them, since men are disappearing and struggling.  We need to find men where they are – “in some cases, this will be a precipice.” Strachan envisions a  mission to “speak a different word than anti-male voices … No man is hopeless.  No man is too far gone for God to reach him, remake him, and put him to work.  [Many men] have lost all hope and will soon step off the ledge into the darkness, disappearing forever.”

Strachan sees four deficient categories of men who are struggling:

1) The “soft man” who yields to the strong woman and take cues from her.

2) The “exaggerated man,” similar to the  Andrew Tate-type who embraces a “cartoonish manhood.”

3) The “lost man” who leaves his family and opts out of “any meaningful involvement in society”; and 

4) The “angry man” who, as an “exercise in vengeance” perverts his God-given strength for evil uses, as in the case of a mass shooter.

What is needed are strong men – not in themselves but in Christ – to join the fight to rescue disappearing men.  Strong men who use their strength for the good of others.  “He is a man under discipline and a soldier under orders.  He lives not by his own creed, but the truth of God.” Jesus is the  model.  He was tough and tender.   “….That’s the kind of man we desperately need today.  But as long as the culture targets strong men, we’re only weakening ourselves, and putting everyone in jeopardy.  If you demonize strong men, eventually there are none left.”

I am motivated to rescue men on the edge of the precipice, gripped by discouragement and hopelessness, having caved to the relentless message that men are toxic.  Strachan warns, “We must reach them before it is too late, and the hour is indeed late in the West.”  I was reminded of this exhortation:  “And you must show mercy to those whose faith is wavering.  Rescue others by snatching them for the flames of judgment.  Show mercy to still others, but do so with great caution, hating the sins that contaminate their lives” (Jude 22).

Do a spiritual checkup:

  1.  Are you strong in the Lord? “… When I am weak, then I am strong” (II Cor 12:10).
  2.  Do you have a passion to reach other men, even if it means snatching them for the flames of judgment?  (Jude 22).
  3.  Are you preparing yourself to be misunderstood in a culture that does not accept the scriptural mandate for Adam to “work and take care of the Garden of Eden” (Genesis 2:15). 
  4.  Do you long, like Paul, for your kinsmen to know Christ? “I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart” (Romans 9:2).

Lord, give us grace and strength to be the men of faith you have created and designed us to be. 

 

 

 

January 15, 2024

January 15, 2024 / / 0 Comments
Dear Ones,
Hope you had a relaxing weekend and kept warm! Thankful for our underground garage as we watched the temperature keep dropping as we went to church yesterday. Today we are going to the funeral of a friend who is now with the Lord and no longer suffering.
Devotions from Judy’s heart
  There are so many scriptures on serving and giving to others and I believe it is not only for the other person receiving but our own hearts need to be opened and stretched. So much today is all about me, me, me, and following our hearts of what makes us happy, but something beautiful happens when we put God first, others second and ourselves last. Jesus said in Luke 6:38, “Give generously and generous gifts will be given back to you, shaken down to make room for more. Abundant gifts will pour out upon you with such an overflowing measure that it will run over the top! Your measurement of generosity becomes the measurement of your return.”

  In our family birthdays have been important as a day to celebrate the honored person as God’s special gift in our lives. We are thankful to the Lord for them and we want to let them know they are loved. When the kids were young, we invited the whole neighborhood of kids to their parties but now it is mostly just family, since we live in a small place. Recently I was getting ready to celebrate Ann’s birthday and had much joy as I blew up balloons, got the meal ready, presents wrapped, and wanted Ann to know how much we love her. When she and Leif came their arms were full, and at first, I thought they were bringing groceries in from their truck so they wouldn’t freeze while we celebrated. But I was wrong, and they said it was all for me. Guess what it was! I couldn’t believe it, but buckets of cards that had been Leif’s mother, who recently died. She was like me and loved to give cards and now I was the recipient of her treasure. I was so blessed and happy that as soon as I cleaned up after the party, I sorted through the many cards, until bedtime. I thanked the Lord over and over for this unexpected gift and thought of Jesus words for truly abundant gifts were poured out upon me in overflowing measure!
May we not hold back when it is in our power to give and serve others, for the Lord is waiting to release abundant gifts to us, but more importantly to open our hearts to Him and to others.

Challenge for today: Don’t hold back when prompted to give or serve and do it out of love for the Lord and others.
Blessings on your week and prayers and love, Judy

January 13, 2024

January 13, 2024 / / 0 Comments
Dear Ones,
Happy weekend! Hope you are keeping warm during this cold weather.Emoji Today we are going to celebrate our daughter’s birthday and the meal is ready for the oven and cake all frosted.
Devotions from Judy’s heart
  Pray, pray, pray! Today our children and grandchildren are being exposed to things that we never even imagined when we were young. Satan is trying to deceive them and to pull them away from the Lord and we need to pray fervently. Beth Ann Baus writes several prayers to protect our children, and we all need to hold them up in prayer so that they can stand against the enemy’s attacks.

  The enemy uses many devious ways to get at them and one of the biggest ways is to attack their self-worth and even give them suicidal thoughts. One friend wrote recently that her granddaughter has tried suicide unsuccessfully 5 times. Satan tells them they are not loved and a negative message on Facebook can tip them over the edge. But we can share with them how much they are loved by us and especially by the Lord, and let them know they are not alone.

   The enemy sends temptations of all kinds their way. He may tempt them with riches, causing them to feel deprived if they don’t have as much as others. We can point them instead to the riches they have in the Lord and share what is truly important. They can also get confused by the influence of ungodly friendships whose values are of the world. Gangs may also seem an answer to their loneliness and we need to pray for friendships to influence them for God’s kingdom instead. The enemy uses technology in a big way and children become dependent on their phone messages to know their worth.

  But we can pray much for them to have strength to resist the enemy’s tactics and as it says in James 4:7, “Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.” It’s important that we faithfully hold them up in prayers to say no to the enemy and yes to the Lord. Let them know God will provide a way of escape when they are tempted and He will help them to follow and obey the Lord.

Challenge for today: Be a good listener to your grandkids Pray daily for them and use every opportunity the Lord sends your way to speak into their lives what God has for them.
Blessings on your weekend and prayers and love, Judy

January 12, 2024

January 12, 2024 / / 0 Comments
Dear Ones,
Happy weekend to you! Colder temperatures but not any more snow yet.Emoji  Today I am cleaning and baking bread and just made a veggie stir-fry. Tomorrow Ann and Leif are coming and we will celebrate Ann’s birthday early.
Devotions from Judy’s heart
I am a homebody and even though I love to take vacations and trips to see our kids and grandkids, I am always glad to get home again. Home feels comfortable and is familiar and peaceful. I noticed the contrast as I am reading from the book of Jeremiah and he is writing to God’s people who have been uprooted and exiled to Babylonia which was 700 miles away, across a desert. No hope of returning soon and Jeremiah prophesied that they would be there for 70 years before God brought them back home again. They had to leave all that was dear to them, and live among strange people with different customs, in a hot climate, with everything unfamiliar. They did not want to be there and some of the prophets gave them false hope that they would return soon so they didn’t give attention to working the land etc. but complained of their plight. But Jeremiah sent a message to the people there and told them to make themselves at home, have families, plant gardens and enter their new life instead of complaining.

As I was reading, I thought of the correlation with us when we are uprooted with job changes, life circumstances, health problems and everything is changed overnight. We can spend lots of energy complaining or we can accept what is, and grow and spiritually prosper as we learn from it. Feeling sorry for ourselves will not change the situation, and if we are always looking back on what was and is familiar, we will miss the present blessings God is sending our way. We must focus on the Lord and where He has us right now, and do our best in the circumstances we are in. The Lord is always with us, and He will help us adapt to what is in the present. When we accept the new place He has for us, our energy will be put into our present work and we will grow in new ways.

Change shakes us out of our comfort zones and helps us be totally dependent on the Lord and we can leave the excess baggage behind to be more focused on Him. Let us not complain when we feel like we are in exile but get busy planting seeds that will grow beautiful fruit in our lives and in others.

Challenge for today: When change comes unannounced into your life, welcome what God will do in your new situation and draw close to Him.
Blessings on your weekend and prayers and love, Judy
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