Deep Calls to Deep

Deep Calls to Deep                                    

Deep Calls to Deep

Wave after wave I am knocked to the ground.

The waterfall pours and flips me around.

No answers in sight, not a one can be found.

On God! Oh, my soul, I fear I may drown!

From out of the depths, Your sweet voice comes to me.

Deep calls to deep—I reach out to be free.

Then I know in my soul You’ve not forgotten me.

And to safety I’m lifted and Your light I now see.

by Connie Wohlford

In the Forty Second Psalm the writer yearns for the presence of God as intensely as a thirsty dear pants for the refreshing water brook. He is experiencing hardship and turmoil. 

He is shedding tears and questioning God’s involvement in his life while experiencing oppression and threats from enemies. He comes to a point of remembering better days. 

“When I remember these things, I pour out my soul within me. For I used to go with the multitude; I went with them to the house of God, with the voice of joy and praise, with a multitude that kept a pilgrim feast” (Psalm 42:4).

Along with the psalmist, we may feel oppressed by enemies on many fronts. Vicious tentacles threaten us with disease, financial ruin, separation from loved ones, robbing our freedoms, stealing our joy, our peace, and even our very lives. They challenge our hope and our faith. 

From Unsplash, by Tim Marshall

But the psalmist reaches out to God on a different level. From the depths of his being he cries out, “Deep calls unto deep at the noise of Your waterfalls; all Your waves and billows have gone over me” (Psalm 42:7). 

His heart’s desire is that the deep things of God reach in and restore the deep things in him. He yearns for the Spirit of God to minister renewed hope, strength, and joy to his own spirit. 

He recognizes that only God can do this work in the innermost part of a man or woman, even in the midst of being twisted and tossed by waterfall and wave. 

A period of isolation is the perfect time for us to experience deep calling to deep. God wants to speak to His people. And for those who are not His people, He wants them to become His own through believing and receiving His Son, Jesus.

God wants to speak to all people. Then like the psalmist, we can receive the ministry of God’s Spirit to our own spirit and say, “Why are you cast down O my soul? Why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God; for I shall yet praise Him, the help of my countenance and my God” (Psalm 42:11).

“Oh, send out your light and Your truth! Let them lead me; Let them bring me to Your holy hill and to Your tabernacle. Then I will go to the alter of God, to God my exceeding joy; and on the harp I will praise You, O God, my God. Why are you cast down, O my soul? And why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God; for I shall yet praise Him, the help of my countenance and my God” (Psalm 43:3-5).

Look at that. In his stress, the psalmist is asking God to send His light and His truth. It’s hard to know what truth these days is and there sure is a lot of darkness around us. But we can count on God’s Word and His Spirit to give us truth—truth that we can depend on for eternity. Let’s embrace the leading of God’s light and truth which will lead us to His holy hill—His holy place where we can encounter His glory.

by Toby Mac

The best thing that can happen to us during isolation and oppression of soul—the best gift we can receive during this time—is wrapped up in God’s Word and His presence. Let us quiet and darken our screens and listen to our Creator when He calls. 
Let’s not suppress the deep yearning in our souls but be like the thirsty deer and go after the refreshing water in the deep pools of God’s Word.

Let’s quiet ourselves and allow the deep things of God to teach and refresh the deep parts of our innermost spirits.

Deep calls unto deep. Let’s listen and receive. 

Please pray with me: Father God, You created me for a deep relationship with You. Show me, teach me, help me to receive the mysteries, the joys, the hope and peace, and the love that reaches into the depth of who You created me to be. Thank You, Mighty God, that Your deep relentlessly calls to my deep and I welcome You. In Jesus name—Amen.  

All Bible quotes are taken from the New King James Version.

©Copyright 2020 Connie Wohlford

Times

Times                                                            


Often, when I am troubled or afraid, I have said to myself, “My times are in God’s hands.” Being reminded of that truth has brought peace to my spirit more times than I can count. 


Here’s why: 


David experienced many trials. As a man after God’s own heart, he often wrote psalms expressing his heart and his trust in God. A passage especially meaningful to me is Psalm 31. 


Let’s look at a few verses from the middle of that chapter. 


“But as for me, I trust You O Lord; I say, ‘You are my God.’ My times are in Your hand; deliver me from the hand of my enemies, and from those who persecute me. Make Your face shine upon Your servant. Save me for your mercies’ sake” (Psalm 31:14-16).


“Oh, how great is Your goodness, which You have laid up for those who fear You, which You have prepared for those who trust in You in the presence of the sons of men!


“You shall hide them in the secret place of Your presence from the plots of man; You shall keep them secretly in a pavilion from the strife of tongues” (Psalm 31:19-20). 


David is speaking of himself as well as others—others like me—those of us who trust the Lord and fear God. 


The word times describes “some period of time … a small space of time,” * or a season of life.  


As a believer and follower of Jesus Christ, I can be confident that my times are in God’s hands. The various times of my life—my childhood, my childrearing years, my years of teaching school, and now my years of grandparenting and, oh dear—aging—have been, are, and will be in God’s hands. 


Through past seasons of my life I have built a history with God. I’ve learned that He is trustworthy. When a moment or an event of fear or uncertainty tries to smack me down, I can look up and say with confidence, “Lord, my times are in Your hands.”  

Photo by Connie Wohlford

The times we currently live in are a bit surreal. As we deal with the Coronavirus Pandemic, we can wisely go about our days with care and we can raise our shield of faith and declare that our times are God’s hands.


Whether facing a virus pandemic or some other life malady lets proclaim it with confidence, “My times are in God’s hand.”


Let’s pray: Father God, thank You that we can stand firm on Your Word and Your promises. You know our going out and our coming in. You number every hair on each of our heads. You see each of us and know our names. You see our thoughts and know all that is in our hearts and You care about every little thing that concerns us. Thank You, God, that indeed our times are in Your hand. In Jesus name we pray, amen. 



©Copyright 2020 Connie Wohlford

All Bible quotes are taken from the New King James Version.

*Word Wealth, in Spirit Filled Life Bible, NKJV, Thomas Nelson Publishers, page 1003.

Stop! Don’t Follow Your Heart.

Stop! Don’t Follow Your Heart.                     



We’ve heard it said, “Follow your heart.” We may have even said it ourselves.

I’ve seen people follow their hearts and jump right off cliffs. You probably have too.


I’ve cried with the bewildered husband of a young mother who followed her heart half way across the country to hook up with her on-line boyfriend. Her little girls couldn’t understand why their mommy was gone. 


I witnessed a man enthusiastically put his entire nest egg into a business opportunity that eventually failed. He lost it all, but was following his heart. 


I smiled at the cuteness, watching a sweet family adopt a couple of adorable puppies they had neither time nor resources to care for. The pups became dogs and were sadly neglected within a couple years, but those parents had followed their hearts.    


When the extra-marital affair of the father of four teenagers was exposed, he lost his home and family, shattering his wife and the vulnerable youth. Besides that, the husband of his mistress kicked her out, leaving her estranged from her infant and toddler. Six children were broken because the guilty pair were following their hearts.


We’ve watched the bride and groom take their vows and wave goodbye, embarking on an amazing honeymoon. The wedding was lavish and fun but the marriage ended in a train wreck just a couple years later. With starry eyes and intense passion, they were following their hearts. 


You know the stories. You’ve witnessed them too in the lives of friends and family—perhaps even in your own experience. Our human tendency is to jump right into situations that excite our hearts.

Photo by Connie Wohlford

The heart is the seat of our emotions. That fact alone could elicit a red flag if we’re paying attention. Our wiser self knows it’s imprudent to make life-changing decisions based on emotions. 


Jeremiah 17:9 warns us: “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; who can know it?” This passage should bring pause before we take the J.U.M.P.—Justify Unhealthy Momentary Pleasure. 


So, what are we to do? We’re human beings with human emotions. God made us that way. Yes, He did, but He never intended for us to be dominated by our emotions. His plan is to renew our hearts—giving us a heart that’s pliable in His hands (Ezekiel 36:26) so we can learn to do things His way and follow His lead. That’s not to suggest He will be like a dictator, lording over us. But with a heart captivated by our Savior, Jesus, our desires and passions will line up with what God wants for us. That is abundance of life, unexplainable peace, and unspeakable joy. 


Instead of following our own hearts, we can follow the heart of our Creator who knows what’s best for each of us in every situation. The Bible has much to say about the heart and how to maintain it. 

Here are some passages that will help us learn to follow after the heart of our Heavenly Father:


“Your word have I hidden in my heart, that I might not sin against You” (Psalm 119:11 NKJV).


“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding” (Proverbs 3:5 NKJV).


“Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it” (Proverbs 4:23 NIV).


“Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me” (Psalm 51:10 NKJV).


Jesus said, “Blessed are the pure in heart. For they shall see God” (Matthew 5:8 NKJV).


As we observe life experiences—both ours and those of others—as well as the encouragement of Scripture, like the ones above, we know that our hearts play a major roll in where we go in life. Let’s each endeavor to do as the psalmist and seek God with our whole heart (Psalm 119:2, 10). In doing so we will be blessed and live abundantly.

Next time you yearn to follow your heart—stop! Don’t J.U.M.P. Be careful not to Justify Unhealthy Momentary Pleasure. Check in with the Holy Spirit. Inquire of God’s Word. Pray about it and follow the leading of the Lord. Ultimately, you’ll find peace and joy and not be burdened with regret. 


©Copyright 2019 Connie Wohlford

My Twelve “Rs” of the Great Pursuit – Part 2 of 2

My Twelve “Rs” of the Great Pursuit – Part 2 of 2

Again, I ask: What is your great pursuit—that quest that grips you?

You think about it every day. Visions of what it could look like live continuously in the crevices of your mind.

If you’re an exceptional soccer player, maybe it’s your dream to be offered a full-ride college scholarship. If you’re an ROTC college student, perhaps your goal is to become a general someday. If you’re a parent, possibly your greatest desire is that your children walk in the truth of God’s Word (3 John 1:4).

If you’re a serious follower of Jesus—a Christian—maybe your deep desire is to grow more like Him every day and show others the way of Salvation. In The Fire That Never Sleeps, Dr. Michael Brown encourages us to let God Himself be our “great pursuit.”  

Here are the last six of My “Twelve “Rs” of the Great Pursuit.” (The first six were listed in my previous blog post.)

7- Reflect. Consider the two-fold definitions of reflect. It means to deeply think on something—to ponder. As well, it means to be a reflection of or mirror something. Let’s do both.

Ponder the attributes of God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit. God’s three main attributes are omnipotence (all-powerful), omniscience (all-knowing), and omnipresence (ever-present everywhere). My goodness, we could spend a lifetime contemplating these traits.

God’s Word, Paul gives wonderful instruction on what we should reflect on in our thought life. He told the Philippian , “Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these thing” (Philippians 4:8 NASV).

The 1980s Christian rock band, Petra, recorded a song focusing on this passage. If you wish, you may check it out: https://www.youtube.com/watch?reload=9&v=VxdGfO1ZYKk

Now consider reflecting Jesus in the sense of mirroring Him. Paul suggested that we, “Be imitators of me, just as I also am of Christ” (1 Corinthians 11:1 NASV).

Let’s learn Jesus by reading the Gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. When was the last time you read through all these books in the Bible? As we get into this new year, it’s the perfect time to reflect on the attributes of Jesus Christ so we can reflect Him better. Then go ahead and read the Book of Acts, which follows, and reflect on the amazing attributes of God’s Holy Spirit. 

As we sincerely reflect on our mighty God, in both senses of the word, lets earnestly move forward in our great pursuit of Him.

8- Respond. If we wholeheartedly endeavor to do the previous seven “Rs” we will surely respond in some way. That is to give a reply or a reaction. We must do something.

If you’ve never responded to God’s invitation to receive salvation, now is the time. If you believe that Jesus is the Son of God and what the Bible says about Him, then pray, (talk to God), and profess your belief to Him and receive Jesus into your heart.

If you’ve already become a follower of Jesus, now how will you respond?

Jesus said, “Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them, may be compared to a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and yet it did not fall, for it had been founded on the rock. Everyone who hears these words of Mine and does not act on them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. The rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and it fell—and great was its fall” (Matthew 7:24-27 NASV).

Our Lord also said, “If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free” (John 8:32 NASV).

O, hallelujah! When God is our great pursuit and we respond to Him as He intends, then we will have the security like to man who built his house on the rock and we’ll be free like Jesus spoke of, “So if the Son sets you free’ you will be free indeed” (John 8:36 NIV).   

9- Relationship. When we received Christ Jesus as our Savior and Lord, we came into relationship with Him. That means we are interconnected with Him. Not only that—because He and Father God are one, we are in relationship—that is, in fellowship—with God, our Heavenly Father—our Creator.

Our sin separated had us from God and we were on our way to eternal Hell, with no hope. But when Jesus paid our penalty on the cross, He stepped up and took our place. He took the punishment for the sin of each of us. When we accept Jesus, we receive this amazing free gift.

“For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is His loving devotion for those who fear Him. As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions (sins) from us. As a father has compassion on his children, so the LORD has compassion on those who fear Him…” (Psalm 103:11-13 ESV).

As we continue our great pursuit of God, we will bond closer to Him and go deeper in relationship with Him.

10- Responsibility. Yes, Jesus paid it all to redeem us from our sin debt. But we needn’t think that’s the end all. Our born-again experience is just the beginning. It is then our responsibility to do something with this amazing grace and salvation we’ve been given.

God has created each of us with a plan and purpose in mind—His mind. The psalmist says, “For You formed my inward parts; You wove me in my mother’s womb. I will give thanks to You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; … Your eyes have seen my unformed substance; and in Your book were all written the days that were ordained for me, when as yet there was not one of them” (Psalm 139: 13-16 NASB). *

God has done so much for us and as our great pursuit for Him expands, our desire to take on, following His lead, the responsibilities He wants us to endeavor will also expand and we will accomplish much for the Kingdom of God, in Jesus name.

Jesus said, “I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing” (John 15:5 ESV).

11- Rise up. I’ve heard it said, “You can’t rise up if you don’t bow down.”

Saul was knocked off his feet by the glory of Jesus. Then the Lord told him to rise up and go … (Acts 9). Ezekiel fell before the Spirit of God and the Spirit lifted him up and gave him his prophetic assignment (Ezekiel 3).

We’ve established that we each have an assignment from God. In order to know why we are to rise up, we need to search God through prayer and praise. When we bow before, acknowledging who He is and our desperate need for Him we put ourselves in a place to hear from Him. Acknowledge what we just read in John 15:5—without Him, we can do nothing.

When we spend quality time with our Creator we set ourselves up for this: “Arise, shine; for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD has risen upon you” (Isaiah 60:1 NASV).

In our great pursuit let us do as the psalmist, “I rise before dawn and cry for help; I wait for Your words (Psalm 119:147 NASV).

12- Revival. When God is our great pursuit and we wholeheartedly do all we know to do, revival will come into our spirit and soul. And it is contagious. Others around us will sense the presence of God on us and in us. Some will want it and some will resist and run away form it.

When temptation to sin comes our way, we’ll see it for what it is and have the power to resist, not because we’re so spiritual, but because we give the Holy Spirit free reign in us. Some people will not understand and even ridicule us for not wanting to go to such and such movie or participate in such and such event.

“When He becomes our great pursuit, by default, anything that does not reflect Him or honor Him will be stripped out of our lives; we simply will not tolerate it.” –Dr. Michael Brown *

We’ll realize that the Spirit of God is the very oxygen we breathe. Here is Michael W. Smith, singing “This is the Air I Breathe.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mEDcKZB7r2A

__________________________________________________

So, here are the final six of My Twelve “Rs” of the Great Pursuit. Thank you for reading my posts. I know they’ve been rather lengthy and I appreciate you for bearing with me. I pray you have benefited in some way by reading this. Let’s put God in the forefront of our minds, hearts, and souls and make Him our great pursuit. We’ll never regret it.

Your comments are welcome.

*The Fire That Never Sleeps: Keys to sustaining personal revival; by, Dr. Michael L. Brown and John Kilpatrick, with Larry Sparks; Destiny Image Publishers, Inc.; 2015; page 58.

©Copyright 2019 Connie Wohlford

Fill Your New Year With Optimism - Seven Strategies to Attain Optimism—Part 2

Fill Your New Year With Optimism

Seven Strategies to Attain Optimism—Part 2

Our general outlook plays a large role in the manner in which we step into each moment of every day, either leaning toward pessimism or optimism. Various factors influence our leaning, over which many we can have control. 

In my last post, we looked at the first three of the Seven Strategies to Attain Optimism: 1- Let go of the past. 2- Avoid getting hung up on a negative thing or situation. 3- Remember that, for everyone, life has ups and downs. 

Today we’ll consider the next two:

4-  Watch your mouth.

“Sticks and stones may break my bones but words can never harm me.” ─NOT SO!

Have you ever been hurt by words? I certainly have.

A psychotherapist may tell us we have control over our feelings and reactions to words spoken to us. There is some truth there, but tell that to the person who has just heard their spouse say, “I don’t love you anymore. I want a divorce.”

Words can uplift or drag down. They can shed light or confuse; bring stability or knock you on your face; fill you with joy or punch you in the gut.

An article in PsychologyToday.com, titled, “The Most Dangerous Word in the World,” says there’s a word that can literally do damage in a person’s brain. During a brain scan doctors can detect stress-producing hormones and neurotransmitters when a certain word is flashed for less than one second. “These chemicals immediately interrupt the normal functioning of your brain, impairing logic, reason, language processing, and communication.” *

What is that word? It’s “no.”

The article further says that negative words can make an anxious or depressed person feel worse and can affect sleep, appetite and one’s “ability to experience long-term happiness and satisfaction.” *

But we don’t need phycology professionals to enlighten us in this area. God’s Word teaches us much the same thing.

“A wholesome tongue is a tree of life, but perverseness in it breaks the spirit” (Proverbs 15:4 NKJV).

“Pleasant words are a honeycomb, sweetness to the soul and health to the bones” (Proverbs 16:24).

We must continuously be mindful of our words, whether it be self-talk or directed to others. So much has been taught and written on this subject, we have to wonder why the tongue is still so hard to tame.

James, the brother of Jesus, gives powerful guidance, stating “no man can tame the tongue” and it is “full of deadly poison.” (James 3:1, 12)

We need to ask and rely on the Holy Spirit to help us maintain control over our words on a minute by minute basis. Let’s pray with the psalmist: “Set a guard, O Lord, over my mouth; keep watch over the door of my lips” (Psalm 141:3).

“I will bless the LORD at all times; his praise will be in my mouth continuously” (Psalm 34:1 NSV).

Pinterest Photo

Mindfulness in our speech can help attain optimism in ourselves and those with whom we come in contact. When we do so, we honor God and build up ourselves and others.

*  https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/words-can-change-your-brain/201208/the-most-dangerous-word-in-the-world

    5-  Practice Gratitude

“The struggle ends when gratitude begins.” –Neale Douglas Walsh

Let’s chew on that quote for a couple minutes.

photo by Connie Wohlford

Gratitude will cause optimism to rise up in the spirit of a person. Right now, stop and think of five things for which you’re thankful. Did you know that as you meditate on these things, the production of dopamine and serotonin increases and has a positive effect on your brain?  

Scientific studies show that we literally receive a boost in feelings of well-being as a result of gratitude. Many studies have been performed and articles written about this phenomenon.

There’s no lack of things to be thankful for as followers of Christ and the Bible is full of passages reflecting this truth. If you have much experience in Bible reading and church attendance you can probably bring several to mind without much effort.

The psalms especially extol the glories of the Lord and reasons to be thankful to Him. Thankfulness is an important aspect of worship. As we read through Psalms, we see that praise, worship, and thanksgiving are three pillars in acknowledging God and relating to Him.

Psalm 100 is one of my favorites, especially verses 4 and 5: “Enter into His gates with thanksgiving and into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His name. For the Lord is good; His mercy is everlasting, and His truth endures forever to all generations” (NKJV).

In addition to being grateful to God, we need to express gratitude to other people. Any expression of thanks is welcomed by most people. Knowing how we feel when someone expresses gratitude to us, we should liberally convey thanks to others whenever possible. This is one way we can encourage optimism in others while receiving benefits ourselves.

Thanksgiving leads to contentment even when circumstances of life are less than desirable. “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you” (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 NKJV).

A contented person is a grateful person                  and a grateful person is a contented person.

So, let’s take heart as we meditate on the above Scripture Passages and these forth and fifth of the Seven Strategies to Attain Optimism. Be assured that God wants us to live joy-filled lives, unhindered by pessimistic thoughts and anxieties.

Please check back in a few days to learn more of the strategies. May God richly bless you in your own pathway to attaining Christ-ordained optimism.

Your comments are welcome.

©Copyright 2018 Connie Wohlford