Tag Archives: Pride

Lord, are You my “room of requirement”?

Posted on by

2

Door

I started writing this blog over a week ago.  It just didn’t seem to be coming together, and I almost chucked it.  But, isn’t God good!  He’s shown me so much more this last week, and I pray that He uses this blog to bless you!

A confession…

I have a confession to make, but before I get disowned, please hear me out.  Okay, here goes:  I have read the entire Harry Potter series.  Now, wait!   Before you close this blog out, let me explain.

I started reading the series when my daughter was in kindergarten.  Prior to this, I’d held the view that the series was bad news, and that Christians should stay as far away from them as they could.  So, I did.  But, then my daughter brought home an ABC book from the library. (She was in public school at the time, but it was a small and very conservative school) The book was about all of the wonderful books you could check out from your local library.  Being an English teacher, this excited me that she’d checked it out—and guess what, “H” was for Harry Potter.

When we read this little book together, my daughter knew every title but this one.  So, I told her it was a book about magic and quickly moved to the next page.  However, this interchange got me to thinking, “Has Harry Potter become part of our culture, or is he just a passing phase?”  The more research I did, the more I became convinced that this book series not only had a huge fan base, but many terms that were invented for use in the book were becoming part of our language—it was growing into a part of the culture as a whole.  Humph.

My husband and I sat down and discussed this.  We agreed that I should read the series so as to know what to do if our daughter ever decided to read she wanted to read it.  We did this prayerfully, and I asked God to expose every danger and give me discernment as I read.  I was convinced I would hate every minute of it.  I was sure I’d find sin and discord at the turn of every page!

I didn’t.  What I found, and later verified through research, was a series that is not unlike that of Narnia, or The Lord of the Rings (with a marked difference in the author not desiring to impart Christ).  In fact Rowling admits that much of what she wrote is based in her Christian upbringing—although she also admits to have many other influences as well.  I believe that, like people, books have good and bad in them.  Some are not worth reading—but some, even with their flaws, are.  Now, I’m not going to try to convince you to read the series.  It’s okay for us to disagree.  However, I felt you needed to understand this background before I got to the main point of my blog.

And now, getting to that point…

I’ve been blessed with an amazing opportunity to serve on a ministry team for a local women’s retreat.  I’ve attended this retreat every year, without fail, for twelve years.  It’s blessed my life, changed me, and challenged me.  You can imagine how excited, and nervous, I was to attend my first planning meeting.  After introduction of the new members of the team and some housecleaning discussion, our first activity was to take a prayer walk (in the freezing cold) around the grounds to pray for the retreat, and more importantly, to ask God what His will was for this year’s retreat.  As I started to pray, I couldn’t get my brain to just settle in on God…so I sat down and started writing out what God had done for me through this retreat.  Soon enough words started flowing that I knew weren’t from me, and as I prayed I said, “God, what is it You want?  How can this retreat help Your people?”  Words that all started with “R” starting flowing onto the paper.  He wanted the retreat to be a rest, a renewal, to provide revelation, bring revival, a refreshing of the Word, a requirement…wait…what was that Lord?  How can we make this retreat a requirement?  That seems harsh.  I prayed and waited.  What came to mind?  Harry Potter—weird, I know.  I prayed that God would make it clear to me that He was speaking, and his answer, “I can be that.”

“You can be what Lord?”  The image of the “room of requirement” from the Harry Potter series again came to mind.

“I can be that…’

The room of requirement is “… a room that a person can only enter when they have real need of it… when it appears, it is always equipped for the seeker’s needs.”  (Doby the house elf)  So the Lord can be a magical room that shows itself when a person is need.  I wrote down the idea and looked at the time.  My time was up, and I had to get back into the meeting.  Oh how I wanted to spend some real time—even in the freezing cold—visiting with my Lord about this!  Even while cutting the conversation short, I knew this idea was something God was going to build upon in the next few days.  I had no idea that it would be weeks, and He’s still showing me more.

I started pondering the times in the book series when the room showed itself.  The two instances that were most prominent in my memory were when the children of Hogwarts were preparing for battle against the forces of evil and they needed a place to practice, and when that evil had taken over, they found a place or refuge where they could congregate together in safety.  The room, in both instances was equipped with exactly what the children needed.  It provided a safe place and a refuge—it gave them just what they needed.   I also found it interesting that the room was located on the 7th floor of the castle—a holy number.

As I continued to pray about it, God showed me that the analogy wasn’t perfect.  He does not give what is needed to those whose work is for evil—and the room in the story does.  And, He is not limited in what He can give, while the room cannot make food for those who need it.  However, it’s an interesting thought.  What if we truly made God our “room of requirement”? What does His word say about His desire and ability to meet our daily needs?

“And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.”  Philippians 4:19

“Therefore do not worry, saying; “What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we wear? For it is the Gentiles who strive for all these things; and indeed your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But strive first for the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Matthew 6:31-33

“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat, or about your body, what you will wear. For life is more than food, and the body more than clothing. Consider the ravens: they neither sow nor reap, they have neither storehouse nor barn, and yet God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds!” Luke 12:22-24

“So do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring worries of its own. Today’s trouble is enough for today.” Matthew 6:34

“And can any of you by worrying add a single hour to the span of life?” Luke 12:25

“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid.” John 14:27

These verses are just the tip of the iceberg.  God continually shows us in His word that He wants what is best for us.  He wants to give us what we need.  He wants to give us so much more than our simple minds can fathom.

In regard to the Retreat, God showed me that He wants the women attending to see that He can supply all that they need.  They don’t need anything but Him.  Most of us know this, but we don’t live it out day-to-day.  We try so hard to be self sufficient, that we forget that we need to be dependent.  We need to completely depend on Christ for our every need.  God can be our very own room of requirement. We can enter into His presence and have every need met and every heartache healed.

I find it amazing that God can use anything to show me biblical truths—even Harry Potter.

Lord, today, it’s my desire to become completely dependent on You.  Lord, keep calling me into Your presence.  Don’t let me wander Lord.  I want my every breath, and my every step to be about You.  Amen.

Staying Alert In Christ,

Megan

Playlist:

“Declaration of Dependence,” Steven Curtis Chapman:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7GpwrBn0eXQ&list=PLCC72C714A25775FB

“Magnificent Obsession,” Steven Curtis Chapman:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cel_O-qy0i0

“Keep Making Me,” Sidewalk Prophets:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BGkmPeVpBbI

Go ahead God, bop me on the head again…

Posted on by

0

The other day, God bopped me on the head.  After I’d completed my first official blog I went on a walk.  I was all comfy, wearing my “Flashdance” sweatshirt (even though I’ve never actually seen that movie!), and my sweat shorts. I’ll admit, I was pretty proud of myself.  I felt like I’d actually accomplished something.  And, I was already starting to brainstorm my next post.  On a whim, I pulled out my cellphone and took a “selfie.” I see people’s portraits of themselves all the time on facebook, and I hardly ever do one of myself–although I love to do them with my daughter.  I had fun.  I had some goofy expressions, as you’ll see below, but overall I didn’t look like a total cow, so I considered it a success.  As I walked, I continued brainstorming.  I took some other pictures (that I’ll probably put in another post), I visited with my dogs, and I prayed.  That’s when I realized it:  I was taking a picture of myself, to perhaps post on my blog… and this is a blog about whom exactly?  It’s not supposed to be about me.

Isn’t it funny how sin sneaks up on us.  One of the sins I battle the most is pride.  It’s partly because of the country I’ve been raised in.  Don’t get me wrong; I love the USA, but what are we all about?  Pride.  We take pride in our work, pride in our schools, pride in who we are.  We are proud.  Part of my battle has been in trying to “do things right,” and to “take pride in my work.”  These are not bad things–really.  But, they are dangerous if we get too caught up in them–like I have done many times in my life.  And, this realization got me to reliving the times in my life where God took me down a notch or two.  He’s had to do that, and as ashamed as I am to admit it, He always gave me fair warning before hand.  He always said, “Megan, this isn’t about you, it’s about Me.”  But, I didn’t listen.  I let my feelings, my desires, my sense of fair play guide my thoughts and actions.  I took my eyes off  Him, and focused on Me.  That is always a recipe for disaster.

So, since I took my “selfie,” I’ve been pondering what it would be like if–instead of focusing on my feelings, wants, desires, etc.– I focused only on God’s.  What would that do?  Would I still take pride in my work?  Yes, I’d be doing it unto the Lord (Colossians 3:23).  My pride would be refocused.  I would be “proud” of God–not of myself.

I’ve seen pride tear friends apart.  I’ve seen it create rifts in churches.  I’ve seen it create destruction in marriages.  Misplaced pride will always lead to defeat.  What’s the old saying?  “Pride comes before the fall.”  That’s scripture you know.  It’s found in Proverbs 16:18.  God knows what He’s talking about.

What else does the bible say about pride?  Here are some more from King Solomon in Proverbs:

“When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with the humble is wisdom.” Proverbs 11:2

“By insolence [Pride] comes nothing but strife, but with those who take advice is wisdom.” Proverbs 13:10

“One’s pride will bring him low, but he who is lowly in spirit will obtain honor.”  Proverbs 29:23

So, pride doesn’t get us anywhere we want to go.  It’s mind-blowing if you really think about it.  What we are constantly fed by society is that we should be proud of ourselves.  We live in an entitled world.  That entitlement comes from pride.  We think we deserve (fill in the blank) because we’ve earned it.  One of my old pastors said something that has stuck with me my whole life.  He said, “The only thing we’re entitled to is to spend eternity in hell.  Everything else is a blessing from God.”

What would happen if we really started to live for God?  That’s what the apostle Paul was talking about when he wrote his letter to the Philippians 3:4-9:

“…If someone else thinks they have reasons to put confidence in the flesh, I have more: circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; in regard to the law, a Pharisee; as for zeal, persecuting the church; as for righteousness based on the law, faultless.  But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith inChrist—the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith.”

By the earthly standards in Paul’s time, he had arrived.  He had done all that was required of him and more.  He was zealous about his religion, and took great pride in punishing those who followed Christ instead of the Pharisaical rule.  He was respected.  He was praised.  He had a lot to be proud of.  But, after God got his attention and he realized what it was that he was actually called to do, Paul threw it all away to follow Christ.   None of the worldly standards mattered to him anymore.  Wow.  Talk about a powerful faith.  Paul also gave credit to where it is truly due.  To Christ.  All is lost, but Christ is gain.  Powerful.

Consider what that would look like.  Matthew West wrote a song called, “My Own Little World.”  It’s a favorite of mine.  My favorite line is, “Father, break my heart for what breaks Yours.  Give me open hands and open doors.
Put Your light in my eyes and let me see.  That my own little world is not about me.”

Lord, give me the strength to live like that.  Remind me that my world is about You, and not me.  Help me to see that my pride is but rubbish compared to Your glory.   And feel free to bop me on the head when I forget.

Here is a goofy “selfie”  Enjoy!  image

I’ve created a facebook page where I’m posting my blog and enriching information.  Please go and like the page.  I hope it blesses you. https://www.facebook.com/stayingalert

Staying Alert in Christ,

Megan