They Exchanged The Truth Of God

I have been meditating on Romans 1:25 for a week now, working it over my mind, tongue, and heart. It says:

They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served something created instead of the Creator, who is blessed forever.

When we worship something other than the Lord God Almighty, we are worshiping a false god, a lie. This can be our jobs, our money, our sports, or even less tangible things like our pride our self. This isn't the part that was hard for me to get. I really didn't know why God was asking me to look into this verse. I was kind of thinking, "Hey. I've got this. I understand. I don't get it right all the time, but I know what You're saying here"

And that's when I figured it out. The fact that I get this wrong is what I needed to think about. God is good and true and faithful and wants what's best for us. So the question is, WHY would we ever exchange that for something artificial? Later in the chapter, it says that those same people who decided to worship creation and not Creator are filled with envy. murder, deceit and disputes; it says they invent evil and are untrustworthy and unloving (Romans 1:29-31). That sounds exactly like what I try to avoid. So how it it that we begin to love these lies enough to sacrifice God?

Eric Ludy gave a sermon on January 16th called the Auschwitz Within, and he outlined just how we do that. First, we trifle with sin, we meditate on the forbidden. We're not touching the fruit, we're just looking at it. But to do that we have to step further and further away from God, so at some point we're not close enough to love Him anymore. Then, we start loving what we should hate. We justify our sin, saying that the outcome will be fun and exciting, or that we're not as bad as that other guy over there. We are no longer simply in love with that lie, we actually believe it. We say that even though we're doing wrong, we're accomplishing good, and suddenly wrong becomes right. And then we wonder why we find ourselves struggling in our walks with God. There's a reason Paul refers to this world as perverted(Philippians 2:15).

How easy it is to let ourselves get distracted. We are essentially ignoring God when we choose something other than Him. We cannot have both. We cannot have Truth and a lie live in our hearts at the same time, because Jesus Christ is the Truth (John 14:6). Once we decide to worship that lie, we move Jesus out of the number one place. We don't mean to do it, but it's a series of steps that we take until we find ourself swallowed in sin and lies. And there's a lot to get lost in.



Lord, help us to remember to have no other gods before You. I thank You for helping me understand why I sin, and the ways I justify it until I'm so far from You that the lie starts to look good. I thank You for the truth that is the Gospel, and the Christ came down to save me from the sinful choices I make. I praise You for being so good and honest and true, and I pray that You would hold me near to the light. Amen.

Do not have other gods besides Me. Exodus 20:3

Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. John 14:6

Finally brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable - if there is any moral excellence and if there is any praise - dwell on these things. Philippians 4:8

Do Not Fear

This post is really for me; I don't know if anyone will get anything out of it or not, but it's something I have to write.

Today was an extremely long day. I only slept a few hours after having been up for 22, so already my mental state was not so strong. Add to that a disturbing video (Crash) without any debriefing and anyone would be exhausted. But I had to go pole vault, and I was going to be doing my full approach for the first time since May at conference. At that meet, I had one of my most terrifying pole vault accidents of all time, that brought me spinning uncontrollably through the air until my helmet hit the track - I had missed the mats completely. This would be traumatic enough, but just a few hours later a fellow competitor had a similar accident that ended up being fatal. A few days later when I was safe at home, I received a phone call that told me he had passed away. Today is the day I realized I'd never dealt with the impact this had on me.

Even though I knew I'd be ok - for every accident I've had, I've done two thousand normal vaults - the second I moved back on the runway it was like being there all over again. I was spinning through the air, unaware of where I was. I saw him on the ground, seizing. I was back at the hotel, praying for acceptance, comfort, and healing. And I was sitting in my room, listening to the words without really understanding what they meant, "Kate, he didn't make it". I would take two steps and pull off, my body trembling under the weight of fear. Even right now, I close my eyes and that's all I can see - the blue, blue sky as I laid in a crumpled mess on the track, the body being held down and rushed to the hospital under that same blue, blue sky.

I asked God to show me what I was supposed to learn, to make me understand. I recalled what Isaiah 41 says:

Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be afraid. For I am your God. I will strengthen you; I will help you; I will hold on to you with My righteous right hand. For I, the Lord your God, hold your hand and say to you: Do not fear (v.10, 13).

The very fact that God says "do not fear" tells me that He knows my first instinct is to do just that. But my Dad is telling me He's going to take care of me. He never says that I will do anything. He says that He will help; He will hold my hand.

For so long, I've been praying for God to change me, to break me down until I can't move without Him, to make me in the image of His Son Jesus Christ. I have seen Him changing me, but this was a big step. It's so wonderful to have a God who answers prayer and takes my pleas so seriously, but it's also incredibly challenging. He's God! Nothing is too much for Him! Though I was so aware and sure of what I was asking for, and that the Lord would hear me, I find myself unprepared to deal with the answers. But maybe that was the point. Maybe God has to take me further than I think I'm ready to go. He knocked me down much more than I realized I wanted, because He needs me to be nothing; He needs to transform me from the ground up.

Even Christ, who was equal with God, became one of us, a bunch of people with not a whole lot going for us. But unlike us, Jesus did it right. He wasn't afraid. He reached for God when God reached for Him. He submitted Himself to His Father's sovereignty. And that's how it should be. When we have nothing, God should be enough. I don't have the will or the strength or the courage to go off and do this on my own, to be my own person and soar to new heights. But the Lord has all of that in their most pure definitions. And I am His.



God, You are so so so good. You know me so much better than I could ever know myself. You knew exactly what I needed and how broken I needed to be. I thank You for meeting me here, at this point where I am stuck without You. It is by the grace of Your hand that I can move forward. I thank You for Jesus, for by His wounds I am healed and made new. He tore the veil of sin that separated me from You. It is in His blood that I reach out to You and am given the privilege to walk by Your side. I can't get over the love You felt to do that, and how badly You want to lead me and make me the person You've always wanted me to be. I am ready, Father. Not by my strength or my might, but by Your Spirit, grace, and truth. I will take each step acknowledging that I have absolutely no power and that I am walking solely in You. It's in Jesus' name I pray, Amen.

Look, I am the Lord, the God of all flesh. Is anything too difficult for Me? Jeremiah 32:27

Don't panic. I'm with you. There's no need to fear for I'm your God. I'll give you strength. I'll help you. I'll hold you steady, keep a firm grip on you.Because I, your God, have a firm grip on you and I'm not letting go. I'm telling you, 'Don't panic. I'm right here to help you.' Isaiah 41:10, 13 (The Message)

My Father's House

It's 2:30am. I should be asleep, but I can't. I spent the last three hours or so volunteering to try to count the homeless population of Beloit. I was part of the walking team, so we bundled up and hit the streets, looking to offer shelter and care packages to those in need. I wasn't surprised we didn't find anyone - I've done this before. What did surprise me is how intensely it hit me.

When I participated last year, I was at a different place in my relationship with God. I'd read different books and He'd been working me through different verses. So naturally, I'd learned and felt different things.

Tonight, Jesus' last words from Matthew came to mind, particularly the piece where He calls on us to go to all of the earth (28:19-20). I thought of chapter 4, where He simply says "Follow Me". Those verses are tied together. He came to earth, told us to follow, and then showed us the way. As we searched in all the nooks and crannies, shining flashlights and going to places I don't even realize existed, I was overwhelmed by the sense that this was what following Jesus looked like for me, right then in that moment. These were the ends of the earth I was covering - under bridges, by dumpsters, in the bars, around corners that led to closed off sections.

Less than two miles from campus, we found an encampment under a bridge; it was organized and had sleeping bags, clothes, and even a bag for garbage. We were told that those people were probably out at the bar and would return just to go to sleep. The men in charge told us that they had once encountered a twenty year old guy there; someone who would blend in at my school was sleeping under a bridge in -20 degree weather. It stole my breath away. I knew that I would shortly be returning to a nice warm bed that I would sleep in before waking up to go to school and carry on business as usual. What if his normal were my normal?

We headed back to campus to talk a little bit about what we'd experienced. One volunteer said he used to be homeless, and I wrote his reflections in my journal, "When I was in their shoes, I wish there had been someone looking for me" What a statement. Everyone wants to feel a part of something; everyone wants to know that they have value and that they mean something to someone, that even one person cares about them.

And that's when I got thinking. How many verses are there about the Lord being a shelter or place of protection? Dozens! Without Christ, we are the homeless. We have nowhere to go, and we are aching to be loved and accepted. While the homeless lack resources, or perhaps it's hard times, mental illness, disability, or drug/alcohol problems that keep them from being lifted up, we are dripping with our sin. We want to be loved by God, but a fair God can't ignore this problem of sin we have. So He sent His Son to die, to make a way for us to know the love of a Father. In Christ, the Lord welcomes us into His enormous house, and we get to be part of His family.

We can't pay our Savior back for anything He gave us. But we can listen. We can be obedient and take His words seriously. We can answer when He says "Follow"; we can go to the forgotten corners of our worlds. And we can welcome our neighbors who have nowhere to go into His house.





You have been a refuge for the poor, a refuge for the needy in his distress, a shelter from the storm and a shade from the heat. Isaiah 25:4

One Letter Changes Everything

I have little trouble admitting that I can be a stubborn control freak with trust issues. And for those of you reading who haven't known me my whole life, I used to be a lot worse! The problem comes when it comes to letting God change that. Control is the last thing I want to give up. I would do insane gymnastics moves but be afraid of even the smallest roller coaster - because I had no control over it.

So when a friend told me about palms down palms up prayer back in November, I listened to her experiences, but it wasn't something I could do. I could say I wanted to let go, and tell the Lord to change me, but the physical representation would be far too much for me. For those of you who don't know, you put your palms down, releasing anything you're holding on to. Then, when you're ready, you turn your palms up and let God give you His joy and peace.

A few days ago, I realized that this was where my relationship with Christ was leading me. I was going to have to give up. So when I rose at 5, I gathered my Bible, journal, soft music, and coffee mug, and went downstairs. I had a lot on my mind; there's a lot going on in this world, and as much as it upsets me, I can't control it or even do that much right now. So I put my hands out in front of me, palms down and told God what was going on in my heart. I sat for a few moments before I was ready to flip my hands over. Letting go had been easier than I thought. It was the letting God that was the hard part.

I got to thinking about how He'd been waiting for this very day my whole life, of all the steps He's had to watch me take - often two forward with one back, or at times, even one forward and six backward. He'd already set me free through Jesus Christ - almost 2,000 years ago. He's been working on me for that long. And here I was, so stubborn and afraid to let Him do what He's had planned forever.

So I turned my palms over. My descriptions of how I felt will never do it justice. But I can say, it was a flooding of the most sincere joy and peace one can ever feel. I felt my heart filling up so that it was almost overflowing with the love of a Savior. I let go, and let God. It was saying that I can't, and then asking for help. I need to do this daily, to die and to be saved from myself.




Therefore I will look unto the LORD; I will wait for the God of my salvation: my God will hear me. Micah 7:7

I affirm by the pride in you that I have in Christ Jesus our Lord: I die every day! 1 Corinthians 15:31

The Coolest Thing...

That's ever happened to me at a track meet:


I am so blessed to be competing in college athletics, and love my teammates dearly - there is certainly no team like ours! But there is one thing I always feel a longing for. My whole career as a YMCA gymnast, we prayed before the competition began. And my entire high school track team would stand and pray together before our meets, a circle of girls linked in Christ. I pray on my own the evening before a meet, for teams traveling before I wake up, I pray as I awake, as our own team steps on the bus, and as warm-ups and competition begin. But I miss standing with my team in prayer.

God knows this, and I prayed about it for quite some time without seeing anything happen. Well this weekend, at the first meet of the season, I had forgotten about those prayers, and as we arrived on the scene my memories flooded back. After our team did our customary warm-up prior to competition’s start, I began to prepare to quiet myself in the Lord’s presence.

Before I could, though, someone from another school came over to me. He seemed a slightly nervous and a little uncertain, and I wasn’t sure what was going on. He said, “Um I think you’re the one I’m supposed to talk to…a bunch of was were going to pray over the meet and maybe you want to join us?” Wow, God! I couldn’t believe what was happening! Our group held hands and prayed over all of the competitors and thanked the Lord for the ways He’s blessed us, and for being who He is. I thanked them with a sincere heart for listening to the Spirit’s conviction even though it was awkward to approach a complete stranger.

We don’t often compete against this school; I don’t know if I’ll see these students again, or if a similar experience will ever occur, but God used this in my life as a learning experience I never want to forget. Their obedience to the Lord brought about an invaluable lesson. What I had hated most about praying in quiet solitude was feeling like I was alone. I longed for that sense of community, of being united by the bonds of Christ. God showed me that I am not alone. I never have been and never will be. The Church is one big community of believers striving to show the deep love of Jesus on this earth, and in it, we are constantly surrounded by the Holy Spirit working within each and every one of us. The Lord has never left us; He works through those, like that guy, who are willing to act with bold obedience.

And this was an enormous testament of God's faithfulness in my life. His ears are always open, and He is always ready to provide for us when the time is right. He could have answered my prayers in a different way in a different time but He chose this way because He's been preparing my heart for it and wanted me to really appreciate His gifts for all they are.




God, You are so good to provide. I can't thank You enough for the ways You remind me of Your presence in my life. My deep love and sincere gratitude leave me lifting my hands in praise to You, the King. Amen


In my distress I cried unto the LORD, and he heard me. Psalm 120:1

Silence

I was listening to the song "Listen" by Josh Wilson, and I began to think of verses about silence...Be still and know that I am God (Psalm 46:10), Quiet yourself and wait expectantly for the Lord (Psalm 37:7).

The word silence comes from a Latin word meaning “stop”. "Stop" is very different from the ways I've thought about silence. I realized that the most silent moments in history spoke volumes, and that loud last words brought silence over an entire people.

“It was now about noon, and darkness came over the whole land until three, because the sun’s light failed. The curtain of the sanctuary was split down the middle. And Jesus called out with a loud voice, ‘Father, into Your hands I entrust My spirit’. Saying that, He breathed His last” (Luke 23:44-46).

The world was stopped by darkness, and quieted by Christ's death, so loud, so shaking. I began thinking about my life; I have an excitingly blessed adventure going for me, and my days are filled with motion. But it is in the silence, the stopping times, that I hear what God is saying. It is then that I can really appreciate the noise. When I stop moving, quit scrambling to have it all figured out, the Lord shows me He is speaking volumes just as clearly and loudly as my life. I'm just looking in the wrong direction.



Lord, Teach me to recognize Your presence. Let me stop and bow in the wonder of Your name, this great mystery that is loud in the silences, and silences the loudness. I want more of You, God. Through Jesus, Amen

But the Lord is in His holy temple; let everyone on earth be silent in His presence. Habakkuk 2:20

Let all people be silent before the Lord, for He is coming from His holy dwelling. Zechariah 2:13

God Is Everywhere

Something I'm sure we know, but don't necessarily live in recognition of constantly. I want to, but I can't say that I do.

In the bathroom at my house, we have little magnetic letters that people use to form words or phrases. Today, I noticed someone had written the words "my fear box". In that moment, I felt the Lord's Spirit pulling on my heart. I turned the phrase over and over in my soul, and felt the ways that God has taken care of and provided for me.

I wrote a very short poem based on these sentiments:

I think my fear-box has a hole

Things at night I put away
I cannot find come day.

I think my joy-box has a soul

The blessings that I count and know
Always seem to grow.

Even when I'm not consciously aware of it, the cross of Christ is etched onto my heart and every moment of my life.






It is God who arms me with strength and makes my way perfect. Psalm 18:32