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.

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June 5, 2023

June 5, 2023 / / 0 Comments
Dear Ones,
Hope you had a wonderful weekend. We got a nice surprise yesterday as longtime friends came to church and over for lunch and time for fellowship and prayer. I had to swallow my pride as the house was not so neat and I served what we had on hand but as you will read in the devotion today, pride has to go! 
Devotions from Judy’s heart
   Pride is not pretty but rather stinky! Pride is something we have to deal with all our life and we are reminded often to be humble. Scripture is full of words about pride and examples of those the Lord humbled when they got full of self. As I read today, we can’t be full of God if we are full of ourselves. Something has to go and that is our pride.                                                                                                                                    When Jesus was speaking with His disciples, he told them not to be like the Pharisees in how they lived out their behavior. In Matt. 23:5-7, He said, “Be careful about following them. They talk a good line, but they don’t live it. They don’t take it into their hearts and live it out in their behavior. It’s all spit-and-polish veneer.”                                                                                                                                                                                                        But what about us? Our lives are good indicators if we are prideful for is shows up in being judgmental (We are better everyone else), or if we aren’t correctable (we always are right), or if we have an opinion on everything (after all we know everything!) Even our thoughts make us aware that we are prideful and relying on ourselves rather than God. We need an attitude of humility for apart from the Lord we can do nothing!  Further on in verses 11-12, Jesus said, ”Do you want to stand out? Then step down. Be a servant. If you puff yourself up, you’ll get the wind knocked out of you. But if you’re content to simply be yourself, your life will count for plenty.”                                                               
    We are not to be puffed up like the Pharisees but humble, relying on God, not ourselves. Our greatness comes from serving God and others and we are promised His grace if we are humble. Let us dare to ask the Lord to help us see our pride and to humble ourselves before Him and others.
Challenge for today: Do a humble act of service for someone today!

 

June 3, 2023

June 3, 2023 / / 0 Comments
Dear Ones,
Hope you are enjoying this weekend. I just cleaned the apartment and made veggie stir fry and porkchops. We hear that storms may be coming this afternoon. We pray next Saturday may be beautiful as my niece’s daughter Taylor is getting married by the lake! Emoji
Devotions from Judy’s heart
   Do we really enjoy the life that God has given us? I was reading a devotional by Joyce Meyer and she shared how we are not to live life blandly by just working and accomplishing, but not really embracing our life. We were meant to enjoy our lives. It particularly struck me as I had just told Al the day before how much I enjoyed the life God gave me and was glad I was born in this era, married to him who I love, living in this apartment complex, able to live a contemplative life, cooking for a man who is willing to try anything I make, children and grandchildren who I love etc. etc. I am glad each day I awaken that I can enjoy life! Joyce quoted Eccl 2:24, “There is nothing better for a man than that he should eat and drink and make himself enjoy good in his labor. Even this, I have seen, is from the hand of God.”
  I think it is God’s will that we all enjoy the life God has given us. It is not based on great circumstances, comforts, and what we have, but more of our heart attitude. Our joy is in the Lord, and both the little and big things are part of His big picture for our lives. I love when I see His hand, meeting a simple desire even before I have spoken about it or prayed about it. Just this week I was sitting on the sofa and as I looked at the wall behind the two big chairs, I thought we really should get a new picture; the one on display we’ve had for years. Not a day later, I went down to the room by the elevator where free things are put, and there was a large-framed picture with flowers etc. and had all the colors present in our living room. It blended in with the chairs, rug and sofa. It couldn’t be more perfect, and I felt the Lord smiling for only he knew!
  Of course, not everything in our life is enjoyable as we have struggles, sickness, problems of all kinds but that should not stop us from enjoying the Lord. He is with us every moment and He is present to help us through each difficult thing in our day. Lately, I have prayed lots about my computer, my jaw, and questioned Him why we had to turn around from our trip to N.C. to see family. I don’t know the answers, but I know I can trust Him and enjoy life in the meantime. Let us not get stuck by our circumstances and let it dictate our heart attitude, but choose to enjoy every day with Him!
Challenge for today: Make a decision to enjoy your life and thank the Lord He has you right where you to be.
Blessings on your weekend and prayers and love, Judy

June 2, 2023

June 2, 2023 / / 0 Comments
Dear Ones,
Happy Weekend to you! It’s a beautiful sunny day and we look forward to going on the trail this afternoon. I just made banana bread for the men’s group, and Al was so kind and sampled it for me!!Emoji He’s asking about the flavor of ice cream at Culver’s so I suspect we will be going there today! 
Devotions from Judy’s heart
  It’s wonderful when God provides us with others who are farther along on the spiritual journey to help guide us. I’m sure we all have questions at times and wonder if we are on the right path and hearing the Lord correctly or if it is our own flesh nature that is tripping us up. The Lord may prompt someone to come along side of us and help us hear Him and bring encouragement.
  One of my friends is a spiritual director and helps others along in their spiritual lives to guide them. She has several each month that either come over to her house or that call in for a time of listening to the Lord together. She listens much and gives guidance and prays over them and they go away encouraged and strengthened. As it says in John 14:26 that the Holy spirit will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that He says.
  We can learn so much from those that have been on the journey longer than we have and know the right paths, as well as the mistaken roads to avoid. It’s too bad that in our culture today that youth is regarded more important than elders who have wisdom. We must be open to the new but we have much to learn from those that are more experienced than we are on the spiritual walk.
  If we desire spiritual direction, it should be with a respected person whom we trust and is open to the Holy Spirit. He or she is not so much full of words but willing to listen well and discern. My friend gave me spiritual direction when they came for retreat when we still lived on the lake. She lite a candle, listened to me, prayed. and what she told me was confirmed on that same day. At this time, Al is my spiritual director and I am his, which is rather unusual, but works well for us since we spend much of our days together and usually take a walk each afternoon. We share so much and often one of says that we need spiritual direction, and that means we quiet down and listen to the other. It is different than our opinion on things, but it is rather listening to what we sense God is saying. We don’t let our partner off the hook if repentance is needed but speak what is needed also.
Challenge for today: Be open and listening to the Holy Spirit in your life and also for others if they are seeking.
Blessings on your weekend and prayers and love, Judy

June 1, 2023

June 1, 2023 / / 0 Comments
Dear Ones,
Hope you are enjoying this beautiful sunny day. I have been busy in the kitchen this morning and Al was at Men’s group. This afternoon we have Bible Study here and later today I hope to go spend my Kohl’s dollars! Emoji
 Devotions from Judy’s heart
   When we know the Lord, we are not always to be YES people but rather those who seek to do the will of God in each circumstance. Sometimes we need to say No because God has not purposed for us to do something, even though it has merit. If the enemy can’t get us one way, he will try to get us so busy that we weaken in our resolve to serve the Lord.  
   Our faithfulness is to be to the Lord and not men’s will, and the Lord wants to guide us and lead us each day of our lives and has promised to do so. It says in Psalm 32:8 (ESV), “I will instruct you and teach you in the way the way you should go; I will counsel you with my eye upon you.” It is important to stay close to the Lord and listen to His voice so we can hear His directions for our lives and not fall prey to the wishes of others, even in the church. Maybe I should say especially in the church. We can get overly involved in saying yes to so many good things that we neglect our time with the Lord and our family.
  I was reading today how we often say yes, because we want to avoid conflict and we want to be seen as a caring-giver. We might think that people will only love us and want to be around us if we keep giving to them. We question if they will stick around us if we say no and don’t do all that they want. We come across as not having any needs ourselves, but what happens is that we then get drained, and burn out. We can’t and shouldn’t say yes to everything. Parents who only say yes to all of their kids wants are training them to be selfish and entitled. Instead, when they are told no, they find that they can’t demand everything they want but must give and take. That is part of life. If we are all giving and not receiving the balance scale will tip over and we will be left feeling drained.
  The better way is to ask the Lord to direct us by His Holy Spirit to instruct and teach us the way we should go. Sometimes it is giving to those around us, and sometimes it is in saying, “No, I don’t believe that is how the Lord is directing me right now.” Let us be Yes people only in relation to the Lord…His will above our will!
Challenge for today: The next time you are asked to do something, pause and pray before giving an answer.
Blessings on your day and prayers and love, Judy

 

May 31, 2023

May 31, 2023 / / 0 Comments

 

Dear Ones,

Hope your day is full of sunshine. This morning I am going to my exercise class, Aldi’s and crafts and then Bible Study tonight. If you are not getting my devotions, please go to our website, canaansrest.org/whispers, and scroll down and resubscribe. I may have lost some of your e-mail addresses also in the transfer to my new computer. There is a small miracle chance that a geek that is coming from Minot next week will be able to restore what has been lost.

Devotions from Judy’s heart

  Perhaps all of us need to relinquish our earth view of things to see more from heaven’s perspective. It could change us forever! I was reading an article by Helen Calder about how God changes our story and reveals His glory. My heart resonated with her words as she wrote how God brings grace and healing to those things in our past that have left us with shame and pain and brings good from it.

We can ask ourselves how many times has God used a closed door in our lives for His greater plan. At the time we may have felt disappointment but then we see how God used it for a far greater good in His plan. Or perhaps we grieve the loss of a ministry we were holding onto and later we are led into a very different way of serving the Lord that seems to be a perfect fit. Or maybe God moved us just when we felt so comfortable but then later, we can see His purpose and can rejoice.

  I am so humbled when I see God’s better way and know that I see only dimly, and He sees the whole panoramic view of things. He can rewrite our stories if we give Him the pieces and are willing to forgive and quit hanging on. Sometimes it means forgiving another and it can also mean forgiving ourselves. Like Joyce Meyers who endured being sexually abused by her dad fo her growing up years, God has rewritten her story and given her a ministry that brings healing to so many. It took her some time to forgive, as it often does for us, but when God is handed our stories, we have no idea how He will rewrite ours. Actually, doesn’t that sound exciting? Lately, I have had a couple dreams where my responses were different than before and I see how the Lord has healed me in a certain area. I give Him praise!
   Let us give the Lord all the pieces of our lives and see how He transforms them and brings glory. Like the old gospel hymn goes:                        “Shackled by a heavy burden/ ‘neath a load of guilt and shame/ Then the hand of Jesus touched me/ and now I am no longer the same.”        Refrain: He touched me, O, He touched me/ And O ,the joy that floods my soul/ Something happened, and now I know/ He touched me and made me whole./ Since I met this blessed Savior/ Since He cleansed and made me whole/ I will never cease to praise Him/ I’ll shout it while eternity rolls.”

Challenge for today: Hand over all the pieces of your life to the One who makes you whole.

Blessings on your day and prayers and love, Judy

                                                                                                           

May 30, 2023

May 30, 2023 / / 0 Comments

Dear Ones,
Hope you are having a good day. We just got home from friends for coffee and sorry this is so late. I got my computer back today but sadly my documents and pictures didn’t make it in the transfer. There is one last chance when I Geek comes from Minot next week. Praying!
Devotions from Judy’s heart
If someone would wonder if we were a Christian, how would they be able to tell? Do we display the marks of one who has been forgiven and set free and now lives a life of love? Like the song goes, “And they’ll know we are Christians by our love, by our love, yes, they’ll know we are Christians by our love.” This sone was written by a parish priest in Chicago in 1960 for his youth choir as they went out to sing. How appropriate, not only for them but all of us.
Our natural inclinations is not always love but to fight back. Just today I was tested on this as I went to get my new computer. They lost all my documents and pictures when they transferred things from my old computer to my new one. I wore my t-shirt that said GRACE so I would remember to be grace-filled. Paul said in Romans 12:21,” Don’t be overcome by evil but overcome evil with good.” The mark of a true Christian is genuine love rather than letting evil overcome us. Recently I was reading on Crosswalk.com about Overcoming Evil with Good, and we would probably all say that is not an easy thing to do. We surely need more than our human love for only God’s love is the powerful weapon that overcomes evil. Too often we may take shortcuts by returning sarcasm to the one who gave us a snide remark. Instead, we can choose God’s way of love. The test may sometimes come on Facebook when destructive remarks are given for all to see. Perhaps no response is best but if we do respond, may it be in love. When we get negative and vindictive, the enemy wins. But when we respond God’s way of love, it is a win-win! We may not see changes in the other person right away, but God’s love is more powerful than our sarcastic words!
We all make choices each day if we are going to express His love, or if our old nature is in charge. Paul goes on to say, “Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil, hold fast to what is good. Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor.” Rom. 12:9-10. When we go our way the enemy wins but if we go God’s way, we experience His love in deep ways.
Challenge for today: The next time a hurtful remark is given, pause and respond with His love
Blessings on the rest of your day and prayers and love, Judy

The Lesbian Project

May 29, 2023 / / 0 Comments

“The Lesbian Project” is the title of an enlightening article in the Daily Citizen. I am more of a simple, relational guy. Sometimes it is hard for me to cut through the “dense smog” of confusion present in the “gender wars.” This article helped clear up some of the confusion for me.

The Lesbian Project was founded by a group of influential women in the U.K. Their number one principle was to “focus on same-sex attracted females.” They are very concerned about the strong division within the “LGBTQ community,” stating that “only females can be lesbians, in virtue of their biological sex.” They are reacting to the T and Q of the LGBTQ definition by opposing trans ideology.

In a report entitled, “Lesbian Erasure in the UK,” the Lesbian Project explained that the erasure was coming not from conservatives but from the Ts and the Qs. The project explains, “According to the new and approved transactivist doctrine, being a lesbian is not officially connected to facts about biological sex, nor the sex to which you are attracted. Rather, it’s believed that being a lesbian is an identity also open to males who identify as women and are attracted to those who identify as women.”

“Even though they are represented by the first letter in their alphabet train,” notes the Daily Citizen, “the Ls know they have long been relegated to the back of the bus by gay patriarchy.” The Project believes that “as the LGBT+ rainbow expands, lesbians have fallen to the back of the queue.” This is “lesbian erasure.” Therefore, the group announced, “The Lesbian Project is seeking an amicable divorce from our gay brothers” and doing so “will put us back on the map” in our own community.

This one observation from the Daily Citizen is something men need to ponder, as it was noted, “They believe objective womanhood is worth fighting for.” The Project was formed, “to fight GTQ patriarchy.” The article ends with this comment: “These women are concerned about being publicly demeaned, doxxed, canceled and physically attacked… It is certainly not all kumbaya under the rainbow flag, and The Lesbian Project wants us to know why.”

What a challenge this is for men. Do we believe objective manhood is worth fighting for? What is our posture when “toxic” masculinity is being shouted from the rooftops. We read in II Cor. 10: 3-5 that “the tools of our trade aren’t for marketing or manipulation, but they are for demolishing that entire massively corrupt culture. We use our powerful God’s tools for smashing warped philosophies, tearing down barriers erected against the truth of God, fitting every loose thought and emotion and impulse into the structure of life shaped by Christ.” Here are three ways we can respond as men:

First, settle in your mind and heart, God created you as a unique male: “So God created man in his own image. In the image of God he created him; male and female he created them” (Gen. 1:27). Celebrate, be grateful, and embrace being a man, not caving into the deception of modern culture.

Second, celebrate women. Our complimentary image of God is found in the female. Women complete men. Work on your relationship with women, beginning with your wife. “Out of respect for Christ, be courteously reverent to one another” (Eph. 5:21 – Message)

Third, your marriage is a “great mystery.” It is meant to be “an illustration of the way Christ and the church are one” (Eph. 5:32 NLT). Accept the challenge to fight for your marriage. The enemy is out to destroy marriage and family.

May 27, 2023

May 27, 2023 / / 0 Comments
Dear Ones,
 Hope you have a wonderful long enjoyable weekend! I just finished cleaning our apt and making G.F. cookies for the grandsons, sweet potatoes , and  food prep. Today we are going to Culver’s for lunch which is Al’s favorite place, and then get flowers for our balcony and some herbs. Tomorrow afternoon we are going to the lake and stopping to see a friend on the way. I hope to have a hot scrabble game with our grandsons and then we will have a family picnic at the Point. It is always a  fun gathering time to see extended family. We hope the mosquitoes don’t eat us alive though!
Devotions from Judy’s heart,
 Change comes to all of us with or without our permission. Some people thrive on change but for the majority of us, change does not come easy and takes a time of adjustment.
   Here at Northern Lakes, we often have new people coming to live who have just sold their homes and had to downsize to fit everything into apartment living. It is a big change and yet we can sympathize as we all have been through it and made the adjustment. Young people who graduate and go away from home and out into the world on their own, take a big leap to a different way of life. Our granddaughter, Lily, just graduated and because she is a decorated athlete, she leaves next week for Kansas State and begins soccer practice right away…not much time to adjust for her. Others move across country for a new job, new home, new church, new everything and it takes a while to transition. Or maybe we lose our mate, and our whole life seems to be upside down with total change.
  That’s the thing about change, we don’t necessarily choose it, often it just happens and we are left to deal with it. Leaving the old but not knowing what to expect from the new is a challenge. We have to adjust and it takes time and a whole lot of dependency on the Lord.
  It’s so good to know He does not change for He is the same yesterday, today and forever! He is love and always there for us in the midst of where we are at. We don’t always understand His purposes for us at the time, but we can rest assured that He is present in our circumstances whatever they are.
   I was reading from Psalm 37 today and David wrote in verse 23-24, “A person’s steps are directed by the Lord, and the Lord delights in his way. When he falls, he will not be thrown down headfirst because the Lord holds on to his hand.” When we let the Lord direct our lives we can rest assured even in the changes that come, that He walks with us through them and steadies us with His hand. David goes on to say, “Wait with hope for the Lord, and follow His path.” Even when we don’t understand His ways as changes come to us, we can rest in His peace and know that we are not alone but He right there with us.
  Challenge for today: When change comes unannounced into your life, welcome the Lord into your situation and rest in Him.
Blessings on your holiday weekend and prayers and love, Judy

 

May 26, 2023

May 26, 2023 / / 0 Comments
Dear Ones,
Happy Holiday weekend and hope it is an enjoyable one for you. Today is party day here so Al and I will be going to Costco when it opens to get the Birthday cake. I have 2 good helpers and we set up and serve and have fun! Relatives will be going to the lake today and we hope the mosquitoes aren’t too bad that we can still have a picnic this weekend.  
Devotions from Judy’s heart
   I think we have all questioned at different times why God lets people suffer and doesn’t do something about it. We can wonder if God is really listening to our prayers and if He is, why doesn’t He act now! I am reading Larry Crabb’s book, When God’s Way Makes No Sense and he addresses this issue and causes me to search my own heart and its motives.
   When we suffer or see our loved ones suffer, we can respond in several ways. If His ways don’t make sense to us, Crabb writes that we can resist and run. Just like Jonah who at first refused to go to warn the people of Nineveh that if they didn’t repent, they would get wiped out. But since they were his enemy, he didn’t like what God was saying and went as far as he could in the opposite direction. Maybe we do that too.
   The second way we may respond is to distort scripture of what we want to believe about it to suit our own ways. We try to shape God in what we want to fit our own preferences, often to fit into the culture as well.
   The third way Crabb mentions is to tremble and trust. When things happen, we first may tremble as we feel our confusion but then we go on to trust that He is good and will lead us until the day He takes us home. Habakkuk got a message from God that he was to deliver but didn’t like it at all, for his enemy was going to punish Judah. However, he didn’t distort the message but gave it as it was given him and trusted God.
  We may all ask why God allows our pain to remain and why He doesn’t do something about it. We may think we deserve better than that, and ask why we couldn’t grow in other ways than suffering? But God leads us through suffering and failures to bring us to maturity.
   The question is asked, “Am I following the Lord or asking Him to follow me?! As it says in Isaiah 55:8 that His thoughts are not our thoughts and his ways are not our ways. We need to trust Him even when we don’t understand or know the outcome. He is all the time shaping us and forming us more into His image. And He uses what He is doing in our lives for the good of others as well.
  He is always, always worth of our trust, even when it doesn’t make sense, especially then! One day we will all be free of hurt and pain and fully enjoy heaven forever more.
Challenge for today: Value what the Lord is doing in you and don’t resist His hand.
Blessings on your weekend and prayers and love, Judy
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