Do you have Ananias-obedience?

The true follower of Christ will not ask, "If I embrace this truth, what will it cost me?" Rather he will say, "This is truth. God help me to walk in it, let come what may!"  

                                                                              ~ A. W. Tozer

Acts 9:10-19, we are introduced to Ananias, the disciple. To be clear, there are three Ananias' in the Bible, all found in the book of Acts. 


The first one, was married to Sapphira. The two of them conspired to deceive the Christian and immediately fell down and died after he uttered the falsehood (Acts 4 and 5). 


The second Ananias, is the one I will be talking about today. Ananias, the disciple (Acts 9).


And the third was Ananias, the high priest who became enraged at Paul's declarations (Acts 23).


Ananias, the disciple, caught my attention this morning in my quiet time. Ananias, the disciple, appears in Act chapter 9, verses 10-19. As I read this short passage, a passage I have read many many times, I was struck by how briefly we met Ananias, and yet how his obedience so profoundly impacted Saul and now, thousands of years later, even our lives. 


You see, Saul had just had his conversion. He had just met with God on that road to Damascus. In that meeting with God, God (and I envision God empathetically asking Saul, with deep conviction in His tone), "Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?"


Saul, a little freaked out (as I picture it), says, "Who are you, Lord?" 


"I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do." (Acts 9:4-6)


The only people who knew of what had happened were the men Saul was traveling with. That's it. So, fast-forward just a few verses to verse 10 when the Lord spoke to a man named Ananias in a vision:


 ¹⁰ In Damascus there was a disciple named Ananias. The Lord called to him in a vision, “Ananias!”
   “Yes, Lord,” he answered.
 ¹¹ The Lord told him, “Go to the house of Judas on Straight Street and ask for a man from Tarsus named Saul, for he is praying. ¹² In a vision he has seen a man named Ananias come and place his hands on him to restore his sight.”
 ¹³ “Lord,” Ananias answered, “I have heard many reports about this man and all the harm he has done to your holy people in Jerusalem. ¹⁴ And he has come here with authority from the chief priests to arrest all who call on your name.”


Ananias' first reaction is a reaction I think most of us would have, "Lord, Lord.... don't you know he's persecuting, overseeing the stoning and death of innocent, God-fearing servants? Don't you  know he's coming here, to Damascus, to kill us and have us arrested? Are you sure this is what you want me to do? Are you sure this is where I should be going?


Fear. Doubt. Questioning God's orders. These are things we are just as prone to doing as Ananias was. We are no different in that regard. However, read on...


 ¹⁵ But the Lord said to Ananias, “Go! This man is my chosen instrument to proclaim my name to the Gentiles and their kings and to the people of Israel. ¹⁶ I will show him how much he must suffer for my name.”
 ¹⁷ Then Ananias went to the house and entered it. Placing his hands on Saul, he said, “Brother Saul, the Lord—Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you were coming here—has sent me so that you may see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” ¹⁸ Immediately, something like scales fell from Saul’s eyes, and he could see again. He got up and was baptized, ¹⁹ and after taking some food, he regained his strength.


Ananias heard from His Lord, and trusted and obeyed what God was telling him. He decided that whatever may come, he would trust and obey his Lord. 


In ten short verses, the only 10 verses in the entire Bible where we see Ananias the disciple, we get a beautiful picture of Ananias' faith. We see him exhibit such faith and trust in God. He obeyed, in spite of any fears he may have had in regard to his own life and his well-being. 


In his obedience to God, he was responsible for Saul getting his sight back, as well as, Saul getting baptized. 


Outside of Saul's conversion, those were, arguably, two of the greatest moments in his life. Now, I have no doubt that God could've and would've used other means to give Saul his sight back and get him baptized, but He used Ananias and Ananias obeyed. 


Would we obey? No matter what the cost?


I often think of this when I think of all of my friends and family who may not know Jesus. Will I obey, even if it means alienation or being ostracized from them? What if it meant going to share the gospel to some of the tribes in the Amazon where death is a real possibility? What if it looks like this: giving up your children's sporting events so you can serve the homeless on a Saturday morning? Or giving up your evenings to lead a small group Bible study to runaways or to youth at the local youth prison?


Will we obey? Do we have Ananias-like faith in God and obedience to Him to do what He is asking us to do? No matter what the cost? No matter what others think of us?


We are experiencing our own Ananias-faith question right now. We are praying through it and submitting to God to what seems to be a mountain in front of us.


What is God asking of you? Will you obey Him?

He has right to interrupt your life. He is Lord. When you accepted Him as Lord, you gave Him, the right to help Himself to your life anytime He wants. 

                                   ~ Henry Blackaby

It is a great deal easier to do that which God gives us to do, no matter how hard it is, than to face the responsibilities of not doing it. 
                                  ~ B J Miller 

Growth - the angels rejoice!

Growth - the process of developing or maturing physically, mentally, or spiritually.

Isn't this what we are all doing on some level? Our bodies naturally grow and mature (despite some protesting). Our minds grow each day, taking in new information in mass quantity, usually by default and sometimes by choice and effort.

However, the same is not true for spiritual growth. Spiritual growth takes effort. It takes us committing ourselves to praying, studying, training, and hiding God's Word in our hearts.

Psalm 119:11 says, "I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you."

One of the greatest joys in growing in your relationship with the Lord is hearing Him speak to you. Sometimes that comes through a series of verses you see. Sometimes through the prayers of others. Sometimes through a sermon. Sometimes through the loving acts of others. But, my personal favorite is when you hear God whisper into your heart and soul. When you know there is no other explanation for what you are hearing.

Our daughter has been experiencing this kind of growth.She came to me about 2 months ago on her own and said in a gentle voice, "Mom, I'm ready to get baptized." My first response was to ask her if she knew what that meant to be baptized. She quickly responded with a very accurate answer. I told her I would talk with our pastor about getting her baptized.

In the meantime, as I was spending time daily with my Lord and Savior, He began whispering into my heart about my daughter. I was reading a book and through that book, God began telling me to take my daughter into a quiet place in our house and talk with her about her own salvation.

I invited her into our room. We sat on the bed and I shared some scripture with her, then I asked her if she knew what salvation meant? When she responded that she didn't know what that word meant, I explained it to her, then I asked her if she wanted to make that commitment. With a smile on her face, she said yes.

I held her in my lap. I asked her to repeat after me. I led her in prayer, confessing her sins, acknowledging Jesus, and accepting Him into her heart. We were both crying. After God had me lead her, I felt led to just to pray aloud. Another one of our children was in the room too, so the three of us sat on my bed, crying and praying.

As a parent, there is no greater joy and moment in life that will compare with that - knowing you have led your child to the Lord and that they wanted it. Imagine how God feels when His children come to Him. Imagine the joy He feels and the rejoicing that goes on in Heaven when one of His children asks Him into their heart and to cleanse them.

After we were done, we went downstairs and she was beaming. Literally, beaming with joy! Our eldest daughter asked her why she was so happy and as our daughter tried to explain what had happened, she couldn't say it without crying tears of joy. My husband came out to the kitchen a few minutes later and I asked him to ask her what had just happened. She began telling him, and again, she began to cry. It was so real. So tangible - the love for God and her enthusiasm for the change that had just happened in her life.

Following dinner, we sat down and had our family devotional. We went through several scriptures talking about salvation, baptism, and confessing our sins. As we read through some of the scriptures, in particular, Romans 10:9, our daughter would smile really big and say, "Hey, that's what I did tonight!"

In my head and heart, all I could say was, "Yes, my love, that is what you did tonight!"

My heart beamed with pride and joy. It beamed with a love so real - for God... and for my family. As my friend said to me, the angels rejoiced last night!! Indeed they did!

No matter what your age, growth happens. Physical, mental, and spiritual, if you allow and foster it. God began speaking to her little heart and she heard Him and she obeyed Him. Friends, there is no greater joy than being in the presence and obedience of the Heavenly Father.

My husband's mentor, Bob, once shared a beautiful mental picture with us. He shared with us that everyone is on a journey and on that journey your arrow is either pointing forward or backward. He challenged us with the idea of always being aware of which direction our arrow was pointing. It doesn't really matter where you are on that line, but it matters which direction you are moving - forward, toward God, or backward, away from God.

I--------------<---------------->--------------->--------<-------------->-----------I

Each one of those arrows represents a different person. We are ALL on the same journey - LIFE. We are all here on earth and in the end, we will all die an earthly death. The journey is the same - birth through death, but the roads are not the same.

Which road will you take? Which direction are you pointed? Toward God or away from God? Are you growing in your walk with God and allowing the Holy Spirit to speak to you, to intervene in your life, and to move you in a new direction - back on the correct road for your life?


The angels rejoice!

Saul and Stephen - Fully Surrendered

In the warmth of my home, my loving God revealed Himself to me again this morning through the story of Saul and Stephen.


Walk with me for a few minutes as we discover the love of Christ through the forgiving heart of Stephen. 


Acts 6:8-15 first tells of Stephen's character as, "a man full of God's grace and power, [who] did great wonders and miraculous signs among the people." Acts chapter 6 then goes on to tell of Stephen's capture by the members of the Synagogue of Freedom. Standing before the Sanhedrin, Stephen faces opposition and lies. When the members of the Synagogue of Freedom were done speaking lies, the Sanhedrin looked intently at Stephen, and saw that his face was like the face of an angel.


The high priest then asks Stephen if the charges are true and Stephen proceeds to tell the Sanhedrin the history if Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Jospeh, and Moses. Stephen brought to their attention (or reminded them) that the Moses he was speaking about was the same Moses that predicted the coming of the Messiah, the very prophet Stephen was preaching and teaching about. 

Acts 7:37, "This is the Moses who told the Israelites, ‘God will raise up for you a prophet like me from your own people."

Stephen goes on to tell the Sanhedrin that they are just like their fathers, with stiff-necks and uncircumcised hearts and ears.Telling them they are resisting the Holy Spirit, and that they took part in killing those who predicted Jesus' coming, and took part in killing Jesus. 


The Sanhedrin were very angry with Stephen for saying this. Read what happened next, 

Acts 7:54-8:1, "When the members of the Sanhedrin heard this, they were furious and gnashed their teeth at him. But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, looked up to heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. “Look,” he said, “I see heaven open and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.” At this they covered their ears and, yelling at the top of their voices, they all rushed at him, dragged him out of the city and began to stone him. Meanwhile, the witnesses laid their coats at the feet of a young man named Saul.
While they were stoning him, Stephen prayed, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” Then he fell on his knees and cried out, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” When he had said this, he fell asleep. 
And Saul approved of their killing him."


Saul, raised up from childhood to love God, went to great lengths to abide by the laws set out before him. At the age of roughly 13, he would have traveled the long path to Jerusalem to become a man, sitting under the teachings of some of the greatest rabbi's around.  Saul, in his quest to become a man had, himself, become a pharisee. In the years to follow, Saul lost it. He lost the pure innocence of a child who loves God. As the message of the Messiah was preached, the very one Moses had prophesied about, Saul grew more and more angry, fearing Christians were teaching a new way of life without law and without everything he had sworn to live by. And, while that is somewhat true, what he, at the time, failed to see was that Jesus, by his very existence, death, and resurrection had set forth a new way of life. A life free from the religious practices of the past and replaced by one defined by grace, love, and mercy. One covered by the blood of Jesus, himself. 


What was so powerful for me to see in Acts today was the forgiveness of Stephen. While being stoned to death, Stephen cries out to God and asks God, "Lord, do not hold this against them."


The next verse tells us, "And Saul was there, giving approval of his death."


Saul heard Stephen's prayer. Saul heard the forgiveness Stephen offered and freely gave. There is no doubt in my mind that was one of the greatest catalysts to Saul's remarkable change from a murderer of Christians to a Christian himself. Saul saw Christ through Stephen's forgiveness. That planted a seed in Saul's heart and God began to stir it up. 


As we are well aware, Saul went on to become Paul, after God called him into His Kingdom on his way to Damascus to capture more disciples and murder them. (Read Acts Chapter 9) Paul, became one of the greatest New Testament leaders and apostles and wrote 13 out of the 27 New Testament books.

Forgiveness: The word “forgive” means to wipe the slate clean, to pardon, to cancel a debt. When we wrong someone, we seek his or her forgiveness in order for the relationship to be restored. It is important to remember that forgiveness is not granted because a person deserves to be forgiven. Instead, it is an act of love, mercy, and grace.(AllaboutGod.com)

Isn't that what Stephen did for Saul? Isn't that what God did for Saul/Paul? And, isn't that exactly what Jesus has done for us? 

To live Fully Surrendered, we have got to live a life of forgiveness. I confess, this is not easy for me. I hold on tightly to hurts, frustrations, and have an impressive record for holding grudges - but as God continues to work in my life and reveal Himself to me, He so gently and tenderly shows me the path that leads to righteousness. 

When we learn to forgive others, we automatically show the love of Christ to them. When we forgive, we, too, are able to move beyond the grips of Satan's hands and into the refreshing and loving presence of a very gracious God.

"Pride never accompanies power in the fully yielded life." 
                                                          ~Beth Moore

Jesus, the caretaker.

This morning, as I lay in my warm bed, snuggled up next to my peacefully sleeping husband, I began my quiet time and I loved what God showed me this morning. I wanted to share it with you.


I read out of Luke and I John, but what caught my eye was the parable of the fig tree told by Jesus in the book of Luke in the New Testament.


Luke 13:6-9


"⁶ Then he told this parable: “A man had a fig tree growing in his vineyard, and he went to look for fruit on it but did not find any. ⁷ So he said to the man who took care of the vineyard, ‘For three years now I’ve been coming to look for fruit on this fig tree and haven’t found any. Cut it down! Why should it use up the soil?’
   ⁸ “‘Sir,’ the man replied, ‘leave it alone for one more year, and I’ll dig around it and fertilize it. ⁹ If it bears fruit next year, fine! If not, then cut it down.’”


There are three main figures represented in this parable:
1. The owner of the vineyard - God
2. The gardener or caretaker of the vineyard - Jesus
3. The tree - Israel or the individual listener or reader


After the owner returned for three years in a row and saw no growth, no fruit, he ordered the tree be cut down. 


What happened next was beautiful. You see the caretaker (Jesus) asked for more time, pleading on behalf of the tree (us) - offering to water and fertilize it to help it along in growth. He asks the owner to return in one year to see if there is growth and fruit. If not, then the tree can get cut down.


This parable is scary and beautiful all at the same time. God can grow weary and impatient of our lack of active participation in his kingdom, but Jesus is still fighting on our behalf.


God is patient, but he has given us ample time to grow and to produce fruit. After a while, according to Luke 13, God can, or will, grow impatient with our lack of growth and our complacency.


But.... there is a God - the Son of Man  - (Daniel 7:13), (Mark 10:45) - who came to earth, a perfect human being, who took on the full weight of ALL of humanities sin, who died on a Roman cross for all of us, and praise God (!!!), rose victoriously!!!


That God, Jesus, yet again, shows great love and compassion with his act of patience. In this parable, the caretaker asks for more time. I can hear his small gentle and compassionate voice now, "Shhhh, patience, Father. Growth is on the horizon, just wait and see. I will tend to them diligently this year. I will water them and give them food to grow. If you do not see growth in a year, then you can cut them off. Give me time, Father."


Isn't that such a beautiful portrait of our Father in heaven? He cares so much for us that He sent his son as a protector and caretaker. We are so unworthy of the love God pours out on us daily, and yet, even through our sin and denial, through our lack of growth and through or complacency, God still chooses to have patience and to send his son out to work on our behalf. 


When God calls to us, we need to be able to hear his voice. We need to be able to hear where he is calling us to grow. Where is God asking for growth in you?


Hebrews 5:12-14 tells us this, " ¹² In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God’s word all over again. You need milk, not solid food! ¹³ Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. ¹⁴ But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil."


God wants to see growth in his children. For those who don't call Him Father, he wants to see them turn from their ways and turn to Him. God wants to have mercy on us, but he is requiring work (not good deeds, but hard work to be more Christ-like) from us.




Isaiah 55:6-7,
"⁶ Seek the LORD while he may be found;
   call on him while he is near.
⁷ Let the wicked forsake their ways
   and the unrighteous their thoughts.
Let them turn to the LORD, and he will have mercy on them,
  and to our God, for he will freely pardon."


May the peace of your caretaker fully overtake you. May you truly know how much God loves you that he would send a caretaker for you.


If you do not know God as your Father and Jesus as your Savior and you want to know more about Him and his wide-open arms waiting to greet you, please email me. I am always here, waiting and ready to answer any and all questions you have. I would be happy (over-joyed) to help you with that process and welcome you into the Kingdom of heaven.


~ Bethanee

The perfect storm.

Have you ever felt you were walking through a storm and didn't see it coming? No weatherman reported on the perfect storm that was about to blow over you... you just found yourself there, trying to hold on, trying to make it to the next day, the next hour, the next minute. 


Romans 8:28-39 tells us this (thank you Pastor Ed for a wonderful service yesterday!), 

²⁸ And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. ²⁹ For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. ³⁰ And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified.

More Than Conquerors

 ³¹ What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? ³² He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? ³³ Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. ³⁴ Who then is the one who condemns? No one. Christ Jesus who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. ³⁵ Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? ³⁶ As it is written:    “For your sake we face death all day long;
   we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.”
 ³⁷ No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. ³⁸ For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, ³⁹ neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord."

Praise God!!!! 

John 16:33 tells us this, “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

In those storms, I know I need these great reminders. God is with me. God is with you! God has overcome the world. He's already done it. So I need to remember to sit tight, dig in deep, and take heart! We are MORE THAN conquerors!  

Storms will come up, count on that. While in those storms, how will you choose to respond?


Take a minute listen to this song by Bethany Dillon.

1 Thessalonians 5:18, (in the Amplified) "Thank [God] in everything [no matter what the circumstances may be, be thankful and give thanks], for this is the will of God for you [who are] in Christ Jesus [the Revealer and Mediator of that will]."

Yesterday, I heard my husband trying to put our young daughter down for a nap. She was throwing a huge fit and I chose to give thanks to God. This is a lesson I'm currently learning, not one I'm great at!



What is your attitude? Can we change our attitude from one that is fearful, shameful, angry, regretful, vengeful, and laden with negative emotions to one of gratitude? 


Let's try to have a Gratitude Attitude!


Lord, whatever's in front of me, help me to sing Hallelujah. Whatever's in front of me I'll choose to sing Hallelujah! We are more than conquerors! We can do ALL things through You, Lord, who gives us strength.... even getting through the storms. Help us to have a heart of gratitude. The obstacles and storms in our lives are Your challenges to our faith. Lord, help us to not run from Your challenges, but to realize that they are there to grow us and to make us stronger. I pray these things, in Your name, Amen.

Daughter of the King. Wife. Mother. Friend.

Do you need qualifiers in your life? Do you need something or someone to tell you how important or how loved you are?


As the very type-A, perfectionist, list-making, goal-oriented person, I struggle with that. God is bringing me to my knees and while at the wonderful Symphony House of Prayer at my home church yesterday, God showed me my real qualifiers: Daughter of THE King. Wife. Mother. Friend.


Do we need more than that? 


Psalm 90:14, David calls out to God, "Satisfy us in the morning with your unfailing love, that we may sing with joy and be glad all our days."


Beth Moore said this in the Bible study I'm doing, "Fewer conditions leave us in worse shape than emptiness."


Psalm 139:23 says this, "Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts."


Proverbs 13:12 tells is this, "Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life."


God wants us to be filled up with Him and by Him. In our society, we put so much energy, thought, and time into trying to fill that God-shaped hole with external things. God's calling us - me -, to fill it with Him.


There is nothing here on earth that will sustain us. There is nothing that will be there forever; but we are told God and His Word will be there forever. 


1 Peter 1: 24-25 tells us this, "For, “All people are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field; the grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of the Lord endures forever.” And this is the word that was preached to you."

Lord, fill our God-shaped holes with You and Your love! Forgive us, O Lord, for failing to come to you first. For failing to fill our hearts with the promises and love you have given us. Lord, walk with us today as we struggle with thoughts of inadequacy and renew in us a heart filled with hope and adequacy in You!

Our View

On one of our last days in France, I sat on my balcony having my quiet time overlooking the Mediterranean Sea. The view from my vantage point was breathtaking. 


It made me question our view in life though. Not our political views... not our social views, but our Godly views. God lead me to Esther that morning in my quiet time. In hard and uncomfortable times, in times where God is calling us to do hard things, shouldn't our stance be that of complete surrender and complete trust in God to be there and to do what He's going to do in us and through us?


Esther was called to do something very difficult - to risk her life to save the lives of all her people. God called her there, at that very time in life, "for such a time as this." (Esther 4:14) God might be (and I would actually change that to God IS) calling you and I here on this earth "for such a time as this." God has called us here to tell the world about the saving grace and love of Jesus.


David Platt, in Radical, tells of a young woman, Genessa Wells. Genessa was an intelligent promising young lady fresh out of college. Genessa decided to spend her life, following God's call for her, in the Middle East, sharing the gospel with the people there that had never heard the gospel before. Before she left, Genessa wrote her friends this, "I could give up on going overseas and get married and become a music teacher. All of this is very noble and, to be quite honest, sounds good to me! But in my heart I want to change my world - more that I want a husband and more than I want comfort. I need..... to tell others about Jesus."


She wound up working with the Egyptians, the Palestinians in refugee camps in Jordan, with Muslims in France, and with Bedouins in the desert. 


Following all of that she wrote, "I honestly would not want to be anywhere else but here, where God has put me. He gives me more than I could imagine."

And, in her last letter home she wrote, "It seems everything we do comes down to one thing: His glory. I pray that all our lives reflect that."

In Esther, God spoke through Mordecai, telling Esther that even if she doesn't do what she was called here to do, God will make another way... but he was trying to encourage her to "do hard things" and to do what God had called her here on earth (at this precise moment in time) for - to save the Jews.


After calling on God in prayer and fasting, Esther did just that. She risked her own life by coming before the King uninvited and she petitioned him, “If I have found favor with you, Your Majesty, and if it pleases you, grant me my life—this is my petition. And spare my people—this is my request" Esther 7:3 

You see, God has called us ALL here, on this earth for a purpose. Would we do what Esther or Gennesa did? Would our view be that of knowing we are doing what we are supposed to be doing and trusting God with the rest?


Are we where God wants us? Or.... are we playing it safe? It's safe to stay in the comfort of our nice American homes and our luxuries. It's safe to raise a family and not teach our children to "do hard things" themselves.


What's your view?