Weekend Devo — Do Whatever Brings You Back to Your Heart and the Heart of God

(In honor of Father's Day, we'd like to share this excerpt from Wild at Heart: Discovering the Secret of a Man's Soul by John Eldredge.)

Against the flesh, the traitor within, a warrior uses discipline. We have a two-dimensional version of this now, which we call a "quiet time." But most men have a hard time sustaining any sort of devotional life because it has no vital connection to recovering and protecting their strength; it feels about as important as flossing. But if you saw your life as a great battle and you knew you needed time with God for your very survival, you would do it. Maybe not perfectly-nobody ever does and that's not the point anyway-but you would have a reason to seek him. We give a halfhearted attempt at the spiritual disciplines when the only reason we have is that we "ought" to. But we'll find a way to make it work when we are convinced we're history if we don't.

Time with God each day is not about academic study or getting through a certain amount of Scripture or any of that. It's about connecting with God. We've got to keep those lines of communication open, so use whatever helps. Sometimes I'll listen to music; other times I'll read Scripture or a passage from a book; often I will journal; maybe I'll go for a run; then there are days when all I need is silence and solitude and the rising sun. The point is simply to do whatever brings me back to my heart and the heart of God.

The discipline, by the way, is never the point. The whole point of a "devotional life" is connecting with God. This is our primary antidote to the counterfeits the world holds out to us.

(pp 171-172)

The Heart of the Matter

Over the last two weeks I’ve shared the importance of having a quiet time. My fear is that we haven’t covered the heart of this discipline and see it more as a duty, so I want to make that clear today.

Not having a quiet time each day isn’t a sin. You haven’t broken a law or anything like that. Above all else, do not let this become something legalistic in your life. And I say that as someone who could fall into legalism and must guard against it.

At the very least, see having a quiet time with God as an opportunity to grow closer to Him and understand His love for you. And to the extreme, see it as a life preserver to your spirit in a drowning world ruled by an enemy who loves nothing more than to keep us from experiencing an effective life in Christ. Our time with God and reading His Word every day is the only way to arm ourselves against our common enemy.

So do it. Find what works for you and do it. Make this the most important part of your day. After all, Jesus thinks you’re that important—important enough to die for.

Even during times when you feel distant from God, keep this appointment and work through whatever it is He might be trying to teach you. Sit quietly before God and seek Him. My mentor told me that too.

And I’m so glad she did because there was a time that I felt that no matter how hard I sought God, I could not find Him—couldn’t sense Him near me. I persisted. I pursued God. I cried out to Him to answer me. Finally, He did. He rewarded me with His presence and showed me that He wanted me to understand the emptiness without Him.

I’ve never stopped seeking Him since. I hope I never wind up in a desert that dry again. God knows what we need now and what we will need in the future. I dare to say that had God not taught me that early on, I may not be walking as closely with Him now.

From a Biblical example, look at David. He sought God his entire life through the good and the bad. And God saw him as a man after His own heart. David wasn’t perfect. He messed up pretty bad at times and still suffered the consequences of his poor choices. But he never stopped pursuing God and God rewarded him for that.

Hear David’s passion in Psalm 27:8:

My heart says of you, “Seek his face!” Your face, LORD, I will seek.

David knew the source of his strength and hope was God. That no matter what, no matter how inconsistent the world and people around him were, God was constant. Always there. Always helping. Always loving.

And hear what God tells us He will do when we seek Him:

But if from there you seek the LORD your God, you will find him if you seek him with all your heart and with all your soul. — Deuteronomy 4:29

You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. — Jeremiah 29:13

Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. — Matthew 7:7

God’s Word is clear. When we seek Him with all our hearts, we will find Him—our great Lord, our King, our Savior Jesus. We will find God.

So seek and pursue God in those quiet moments so you can hear Him through His Word, through your prayers, and through those God strategically places around you.

And through that small voice that speaks to a willing heart.

Praying and believing,
Dineen

A Divine Appointment

I’ve been on a quest.

What kind of quest, do you ask? A quest to understand how to listen to God better. To hear Him more clearly. I don’t want to miss a thing He has to tell me.

Hearing God is not something that comes easily. (And please understand I'm using the word "hear" figuratively. God communicates through His Word and gives us impressions through the Holy Spirit.) We have to work at it just like we do in our earthly relationships. In order to hear what another person has to say, we have to spend time with them—be in their presence. I can’t expect to know what my husband is about and who he is if I don't spend time with him. Nor will I be able to hear him if I’m not in the same room with him.

Same thing goes for God. We can’t know who He is and what His will is for our lives if we don’t spend time with Him. I know we’ve touched on that here in the past but I think it’s something we need to talk about again.

Are you spending time with God everyday? Just 10 or 15 minutes even? A time that you can simply sit, be still and KNOW that He is the God of your life?

This isn’t just something that’s good to do. It’s necessary in order for us to truly know our Creator, because you know what? He is pretty cool and has a lot to tell us. His Word is full of stuff that He intentionally put there because He wanted us to know it. That’s right. The Bible isn’t just a mish mash of stuff some guys threw together. Every word in that book is there because God wants us to know it. And not reading it is as if your spouse wrote this amazing love letter to you—a long one full of the most important things he will ever say to you—and you left it unopened and sealed in the envelope.

There’s another important aspect I want to bring out here as well. We have often said here at S.U.M. that the changes we often desire in our lives and marriages have to start with us. If we’re not spending that time with God, how are those changes going to happen?

If you want to see God work in your marriage and in your life in ways you can’t even imagine, make a commitment now to spend time with Him every morning. If you have to get up 15 minutes earlier, do it. If you have to give up a TV show, do it. What God has for you is more entertaining and valuable anyway.

And please don’t think I don’t understand how difficult this can be at first. I truly do. I had to learn to do this when my girls were little. The only way I could get a quiet time was to get up before my family. Often before the sun had even begun to peak open its own eyes. But I will tell you that I wouldn’t be where I am today if I had not made that commitment and kept that appointment with God almost everyday for the last 15 years. Even on Sundays before church!

Nor have I regretted a minute of it. My time spent with God keeps me centered and helps me manage the rest of my day. Things still get done. In fact, they get done better.

So, are you struggling in your life? Are you finding things just aren’t working? Are you tired and want to get off the merry-go-round? Start tomorrow. Set that alarm a little earlier. Ask God to help you find a time that will work if you have to. I know He will because He’s done that for me too. Then keep that appointment everyday. Protect that time as if it is the most important appointment you will ever have in your life.

Because you know what? The Creator of the universe is waiting to meet with you. He loves you desperately and wants you to know that. Don’t stand Him up.

Praying and believing,
Dineen

Are You Desperate?

There came a day.

That day when I finally said, “I can’t do this anymore.”

I am a determined and self-sufficient woman and for “that” day to finally arrive, I was truly at the end of my rope. I was desperate.

I couldn’t have one more argument over my faith with him.

I was done trying to help him find Jesus.

I couldn’t take one more hurtful word about my Lord.

I was desperate.

Why is it that we must finally travel this desolate road of desperate into the wilderness? Why do we think we can handle our life on our own strength, by our own wits, with our own intellect?

My journey to the Land of Desperate was necessary. I needed to realize I was….

Desperate for Jesus.

Jesus had to take me to the end of myself to see that everything I was working to accomplish was nothing. He needed me to see that I just needed Him.

When I finally came to this place in my marriage that is when I truly discovered Jesus. He is all I need. Jesus is my Hero. Jesus is my provider. Jesus is my strength. Jesus is my joy, and hope and love and future and… and… and….

I finally decided that reading the Bible might make a difference. (What a thought) I began getting up early and would read from my daily Bible then pray. Every morning. Without fail.

   

That was 14 years ago and I still meet with the King today, every morning, early with coffee in hand and my daily Bible.

Are you desperate? Meet with the King every morning. It will change your life. And that’s a promise.

Be embraced this day my friends and meet with the King. He has so much to give you and it will blow your mind. Hugs, Lynn

The Hummingbird Atheist

I snapped this photo last night from my family room window. We are looking into the backyard. It’s twilight in this scene. It’s the mad rush of the Hummingbirds.

If you know an unbeliever this is a good story. If you are a believer, this is a GREAT story. Let this tiny bird reveal some very BIG things about our God! Read the entire post at Laced With Grace, The Hummingbird Atheist.

Here are a few more photos I snapped last night.

 

 

 

Are You Going to Dream Big in 2011?

 
 

Psalm 37:4 Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you your heart’s desires.

Do you really believe God? Do you read this passage and think this promise is for somebody else?That God really doesn’t care about what you desire deep in your heart?

I’m here to tell you that we can believe this simple passage with full confidence.

Now read further:

Psalm 37:5-9 Commit everything you do to the Lord. Trust him, and he will help you. He will make your innocence radiate like the dawn, and the justice of your cause will shine like the noonday sun. Be still in the presence of the Lord, and wait patiently for him to act. Don’t worry about evil people who prosper or fret about their wicked schemes. Stop being angry! Turn from your rage! Do not lose your temper— it only leads to harm. For the wicked will be destroyed, but those who trust in the Lord will possess the land.

What do you want in 2011?

Do you have big dreams or are you looking to move out of survival mode?

Would you like to know what God wants for you in the year ahead? I know that's what I want.

What is the key to this passage? Look at the first sentence. Delight.

Delight in the Lord!

Definition: *To take great pleasure or joy. *To give great pleasure or joy.

So HOW do we delight in the Lord?

Well it really is quite simple. It's through our worship, prayers and fasting.

On January 2nd, we will join together as a community of believers here at Spiritually Unequal Marriage. We will fast together, pray together, worship together. Our only purpose is to seek to delight in the Lord. But I’m certain if you dare to walk this week with Jesus you will not only find delight, but you will also find:

• Your spirit becomes uncluttered by the things of this world and amazingly sensitive to the things of God when you fast.
• Fasting brings one into a deeper, more intimate and powerful relationship with the Lord.
• Addictions will be broken.
• Marriages will be redeemed.
• Salvation and redemption of lives of our husbands, children will be set in motion.
• Ministries will be raised.

You will hear from the Lord in such a way it will astound you.

So start today to ask the Lord about your first week in January. Ask Him about your 2011. Ask Him what kind of fast and how long to fast. Ask Him. He is beyond ecstatic that you would seek Him through prayer and FASTING. He has been waiting a long time to give you so much that only comes through the humbling intimacy of a fast.

Now, don’t panic if you think you can’t fast. There are different ways to fast and you can see a list here on our site tomorrow. Do any of you know the different Biblical fasts? Add them in the comments.

If you just read this post and you feel anxious, excited, scared and your heart is beating faster, I think God is tapping you on the shoulder. If I can do this…. So can you.

Wednesday we are going to also talk about how to seek God’s will for your 2011? Do you want to do His perfect will in your life. Are you tired of making the mistakes? Let’s do this together. The Top Ten Exercise is a small mentoring effort that Dineen and I are working up right now to help you through to see God’s will fulfilled in your life in 2011. We can’t wait to share it with you on Wednesday.

Monday – Pray ask God about fasting.

Tuesday – Ask God what kind of fast and how long to fast.

Wednesday – Top Ten Mentoring Exercise for 2011

Thursday – Fasting preparation.

Friday – How to fast. The physical part of fasting. The spiritual part of fasting.

Saturday – The fasting guide will be ready for you to use daily.

Sunday – Leaning into God and the start of our seven day fast.

If you are excited, if you want more of the Lord in 2011. Sign up now. Leave a comment, “I’m in.” God sees your commitment and He will prepare for the blessings and discovery ahead.

BIG hugs with tons of enthusiasm, Lynn

Fasting

Q: Is it the duty of every disciple and believer to fast?

What if I HAD to Choose?

Excerpt from Winning Him Without Words, Regal Publishers:

The true strength of our faith lies in God, not our circumstances. So let’s consider a difficult question: Can we love our spouse without any guarantee that he will come to know Christ? If this question raises despair, then we’ve most likely placed our faith in our spouse’s conversion and not in God. This is a key element to thriving in our mismatched marriage. Realigning our faith to reside completely in God can be difficult, but it is absolutely necessary to finding peace and to loving our spouse unconditionally. Leave the saving to Jesus. You do the loving! (Dineen Miller)

Today I sat in my office reading the manuscript of our book. The paragraph above was written by Dineen way back in March. I know I read it back then but today when I re-read this portion, the truth of her words struck me profound. I think everyone of us in an unequally yoked marriage has lived in this place: Our spouse’s salvation was the key to our happiness…. Not God.

Dineen can be a profoundly insightful woman and I am richly blessed to receive her teaching. I know you feel that way as well.

For the past two weeks, Dineen and I have worked on the edits for our book. The finished work is due in our publisher’s office today. So, Dineen and I intend to pray over this manuscript as we send it off. We will get on the phone and pray together asking God to place book into the hands of those who need encouragement, those who need healing in their marriage and those who need to hear that Jesus is the power and hope to thriving in marriage.

Dineen and I also ask all of you to pray along with us as the publish date nears. Pray that lives are touched and they see Jesus. That is truly our earnest hope.

Thank you everyone for loving us through this year and a half long process. So many of you helped by contributing your words, some of you read our work, you prayed over the words and over us. We love all you.

As of now our publish date is expected to be February 21, 2011. Thank you.

So, let’s talk about Dineen’s question today. Was there a point in your marriage or are you still there today that you put more hope in your spouse’s conversion for happiness than in God? I’m not sure I am completely free of basing some of my happiness on my spouse’s conversion.

So, I hear God asking me, “Lynn, can you love your husband and Me with a full heart for your entire life, if there isn’t a guarantee of his salvation.

Whoa! Thoughts?

Hugs, Lynn

God Took Me on a Walk

God took me on a most interesting walk yesterday. First, let me preface this with something you might find interesting.

I walk our dog three times a week in the morning to get some exercise, and for a long time, I’ve gone the same two routes. See, up until recently, going new places, whether walking, driving, or flying has cause me some anxiety. Not much but just enough that it keeps me in a comfortable pattern.

Well, you know how God is about those comfortable places. And as I’ve shared since my father’s death, God has had me on a journey of No Fear. So, in the last couple months as I walk our dog, I seem to be drawn toward new detours and directions.

Without fear and anxiety. Amazing!

Yesterday, God seemed to have a plan in mind. As I traversed up a new street, I sensed God’s nudge.

“Go that way.”

Pooch and I changed direction and followed His leading. Now, normally when I walk, I don’t see many people. Yet as we took this new path, I ran into person after person.

First, an older man walking with a cane. Without even thinking about it, I greeted him and smiled. Not normal for this somewhat shy person.

Pooch and I continued on. We passed two to three more people working in their yards. As we passed each one, God nudged me to pray for them. I did as He asked, praying mostly that they knew Jesus.

We took another turn down a street I’d never traveled on and saw a man sweeping his drive. Again, God nudged me to pray. For pain, for hurt, for healing, for renewed strength and faith. Though I knew none of the details, I could sense there was great pain in this man’s life. The Holy Spirit gave me a glimpse of God’s heart for this person.

We went on, and passed yet another man sweeping the sidewalk. I began to pray again, but God said, “He already knows me.”

Another turn took us to a street I recognized, and I knew it was time to head home. I scanned the houses I’d passed so many times before and realized a new perspective—God’s perspective. Each home held people God loved, ached for.

Died for.

I have a feeling my walks won’t ever be the same again. I pray fervently that they aren’t. I like the walks where God’s in the lead. I like his perspective. And I love His heart for us.

Praying and believing,
Dineen

How I Found Healing

Many of you, who have been readers here at Spiritually Unequal Marriage for a long time, likely know that I began this blog more than four years ago because the Lord, Jesus, healed me and my marriage. It was a journey with Christ that returned my hope and instilled peace in my life and gifted me with authentic joy. 

After finding a real relationship with Jesus, He then urged me to share the path of healing with others who are traveling behind me. For all of our many new readers who have not had the opportunity to go into the archives, I want to share the single most important and powerful thing that changed my life. 

My Daily Bible

 

This is a picture of my Bible. I began reading it on June 13, 1998 and have read through God's word every year since. This is one of my precious heirlooms. I record events in the margin and scribble notes to my Savior among the pages. I have underlined passages and their are stains of coffee as well as tears. My daughter has asked that this Bible be listed as her inheritance in our will. (she cracks me up)

Through the most unusual culmination of circumstances my mother gave me this Daily Bible which she purchased from a Becky Tirabassi seminar. This Bible is a 15-minute daily reading. It includes a portion from the Old Testament, the New Testament, Psalms, and Proverbs. You read through the entire Bible in a year.

Like Becky Tirabassi, I was able to keep my dentist appointment, my hair appointment but made little effort to keep my appointment with the God of the universe. But, I wanted lasting change in my marriage so I knew I needed to invite God into it. I needed to know what He had to say about life.

I needed to read His Word.

So, here is the hard part. I had to get up at 5:30 a.m. every morning to meet with the Lord. But I made this appointment and I kept it. At that time in my life I was working in Corporate America. I had an extraordinarily busy schedule. However, I set my alarm and shuffled to the coffee pot. Sat with my Bible, my journal and there I met Jesus.

Every morning.

I invited God into my life through His transforming words. I was forever changed and healed.

So, I ask this question of you. Are you struggling in your marriage? Are you struggling with a child or with your employment? Are you unhappy, disillusioned?

Then this is your invitation to healing. 

God is asking you to sacrifice your sleep to find peace, contentment, healing and a relationship that will ROCK your world and leave you forever changed.... for the better.

Click on the link below right now and order your own Daily Bible. 

Change your marriage.

Change your perspective.

Change your life.

NLT One Year Bible Compact Softcover

Leave a comment. One of you will win a free copy of this Bible. I love you my friends. Our hope, our healing and joy is living in the presence of the Lord, Jesus Christ. You will find Him in the pages of His word. Be blessed, Lynn