“What kind of Christian can best endure suffering?
That Christian doesn’t exist.
I could handle your problems easily.
You could handle mine with a yawn.
But it didn’t happen that way.
I got the ones I couldn’t handle;
so did you.”
Gene Edwards Celtic Daily Prayer
Martha Hawn VanCise©
Where can I find a Pop-Up blocker that works when I try to read my Bible and pray? It seems that when I pick up the Word and try to have a conversation with God, pop-ups flood the screen of my mind. I suddenly remember:
I’m out of eggs- better put it on my grocery list before I forget it.
Coffee – I forgot to grab a cup of coffee – Be right back, Lord.
Dental Appointment – was that this morning or this afternoon? Better check.
Some days it seems that by the time I take care of the pop-ups, I no longer have a desire to read or pray.
Some pop-ups prove hard to exit once we open them. They can take over our thinking until all we can do is shut down our devotional time and get on with our day. I have no answer for how to block pop-ups, but I have found a way to deal with them a little better. When I open my Bible, I also have pen and paper in hand. When a pop-up comes, I either dismiss it or put it on my list to handle later. Very few pop-ups require immediate attention, but it requires constant discipline to keep closing unimportant ones during our devotional time.
Martha Hawn VanCise©
Seeing the lights of a runway does not guarantee that a pilot will land an aircraft safely. The pilot must make sure that the VASI lights (visual approach slope indicators) line up properly.
VASI lights appear as either white or red, depending on the angle at which they are viewed. When the pilot is approaching the lights at the proper angle the first set of lights appear white and the second set appears red. When both sets appear white, the aircraft is too high, and when both appear red it is too low. A mnemonic familiar to pilots is:
White over White, you’re high as a kite.
Red over White, you’re alright.
Red over Red, you’re dead.
A single scripture may appear to support our personal ideas of right and wrong or confirm our desired answer to a particular question. Unless that scripture, however, aligns with other scriptures we run the risk of spiritual disaster. When you approach the scriptures, looking for guidance, make sure your understanding and application of the text line up with the rest of God’s Word.
Martha Hawn VanCise©2021
The Evil One bombards us with fiery arrows every day. We know the danger of grabbing “temptation” arrows, but we often reach for and grab the “what if” arrows. What if I lose my income? What if my cancer goes out of remission? What if my teen makes harmful choices? What if my end years are spent in mental confusion? What if the stock market plunges? What if my spouse dies? What if, what if, what if?
Instead of raising the shield of faith to deflect “what if” arrows, we seize them and turn them over and over in our thinking. We spend time examining them and trying to figure out a way to extinguish them if they touch our lives. Few of the “what ifs” ever become a reality, but grabbing those arrows, and turning them over in our minds will destroy our peace.
We live under a barrage of fiery “what ifs” from the Evil One. We can choose to raise the shield of faith and trust that God will be with us if a “what if” comes to pass, or we can lower the shield and try to catch the arrows and extinguish them by ourselves.
Don’t reach for the fiery arrows. Raise your shield of faith. God’s everlasting love and faithfulness will see you through any realities of the future.
Martha Hawn VanCise ©2021
Photo: Shutterstock
No matter how young or old we are, no matter how few or many years we have walked with God, we are prey for the Lion. The Apostle Peter said “Be alert! The devil prowls like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.”
Too often, we do not recognize the swish of the tail swaying the high grasses of our life until the lion is mauling us. Jesus warned us to always “Be on guard. Be alert! Watch!”
Take time to STOP! Look for the slight movement that is disturbing the peace and joy of your life. Don’t wait until the lion pounces and you are fighting to survive. What temptation, what worry, what obsession, what habit, what person, what activity and what love is making your peace and joy waver?
We cannot ignore the lion that lurks in the grasses. We cannot put off dealing with the lion. We must deal with the lion when we first recognize its presence, and before it goes into full-attack mode. Peter said, “Resist the lion. Stand firm in the faith.” (Mark 13:33,37; I Peter 5:8-9)
Martha Hawn VanCise©2021