Growing up, my family was more infamous than famous.  There were ten of us in a four-room dilapidated house.  At times there were barely enough clothes to wear and food to eat.  Not a lot of people wanted to hang out with us.  Then, Charlie came along. Charlie drew a lot of interest from a lot of people, and an article was even in the local paper telling the story of Charlie. 

I am not sure exactly how Charlie came to live with us, but I do know that my father brought him.  Charlie was a baby fawn who did not have a mother.  Across the street from our house was a huge fenced in piece of land that was littered with hundreds of pine trees.  Mr. Moise owned the land and gave my father permission to put Charlie inside the fence. 

Charlie had lots of room to run and play.   We trained him to come to one corner of the fence in order to give him milk out of a bottle.  In what seemed like no time at all, Charlie would come to that corner and wait for one of us to walk over and feed him milk. 

Over time, Charlie grew into a large buck with antlers.  He no longer needed a bottle to be fed.   Charlie got restless over time and no longer wanted to be limited by the barrier of the fence.  Charlie realized that as long as he stayed behind the fence, he would never experience the life he was born to experience.    He would never be what he was made to be unless he overcame the fence.

One day as we were sitting on the front porch, a movement caught our eye.  Charlie, with all his strength and might, made a running start and jumped that fence.  Freedom!   He would no longer be confined by the barrier whose purpose was to keep Charlie from becoming all he was meant to be. 

I wonder how many times Charlie walked up to that fence or ran up to that fence, only to be stopped by fear.  How many times had Charlie wanted out of that confinement, but felt he did not have the strength to overcome?

What fences stand between you and freedom today?  What fences have confined you from that for which God has created you?  In order to protect ourselves from pain and fear of failure, we often build imaginary fences and walls.   The walls we build are meant to protect us,  but those walls can actually keep us from experiencing the true freedom and joy that comes from above. 

In my lifetime, I have built fences because of fear, wound, fear of failure, self-image, and others.  I became confined by what my mind was telling me.  “You can never get beyond this point.”  “You can never stand in front of people and teach.”   “You can never trust a man after what your father did to you.”  The voices were nonstop.  So many times, I would gain a little momentum and run towards freedom only to encounter the fence.   Defeated, I would go back to my confined life, limited by the fence.

Think of fences as strongholds.  The Bible speaks to the issue of strongholds.   Strongholds are patterns of erroneous thinking that have taken a “strong hold” in our minds.  God had to show me that the fences I built in my mind were keeping me confined. 

We can overcome the fences or strongholds that have held us prisoner.  Though I cannot be exhaustive in this short blog, I can help you to get started.  Ask God to show you the lie(s) you have believed.  This is done by seeing the truth of what God has said.   Scripture can expose the lies that are deeply rooted in our minds.   Once we know what God has said about something, act on that.  Things might not change instantaneously but change they will!

No matter how many times you walk up to that fence and turn around in seeming defeat, be like Charlie.  Keep gaining momentum and you will scale the fence that has entrapped you.  In Jeremiah 23:29, God says: “Is not My Word like a fire…and like a hammer that breaks the rock in pieces? ” The answer is YES!

Mary, the mother of Jesus, must have felt a bit of anxiety the day she explained the situation to Joseph, the man she was to marry.   How shall I tell him that I am going to have a baby?  What is he going to think when I tell him that it is God who brought about this pregnancy?

Mary was likely a young teen when she became betrothed (engaged) to Joseph.  Most suggest that Mary was between thirteen and fifteen.  Being pregnant at that age in those times was not a problem, however being pregnant and unwed was a major problem.  She stood to be shamed, ridiculed, and even stoned. 

After Mary accepted the will of God to bear Jesus, she had to share it with Joseph.  How would she tell him?  Finally, the day came when she had to share the news.  “Joseph, I am going to be a mother.  An angel came and told me it would happen and that this baby is the Son of God.”  Now I am using a little imagination here, but if I were Joseph, my response would most likely be, “Do you think I am crazy!?” 

The bible in Matthew chapter 1 tells us that Joseph was troubled about the situation and struggled with how to handle it.  He had the right to shame Mary as he broke off the engagement.  Scripture tells us that he decided not to make a spectacle out of her, but to manage the situation quietly, however the marriage was off!   One night as Joseph was sleeping an angel of the Lord came to him in a dream and confirmed Mary’s story.   Joseph then took Mary as his wife and the rest is history.

What changed Joseph?   Did Mary continue to nag him?  Did Mary’s family come to him and tell him he was wrong?  Did the priest tell him to do the right thing?  No, it was God who changed Joseph’s mind and heart.

So often we think it is our job to convince someone of what God said.  Mary told Joseph what God had revealed to her.  It was not her job to convince Joseph to live by God’s revelation to her. Mary had to stop striving and start abiding.  Mary had to be still and let God be God.   Mary had to trust God with Joseph. 

Are you struggling with someone who will not walk according to what God has said in His word?  Perhaps it is a child who has forsaken the faith or no longer speaks with you, a spouse who will not do the right thing, a person at church who seems off the right path, or someone at work with whom you have shared the faith.  It is easy to fall into the trap of “it is my job to convince them.” 

Is it possible that God wants you to be still and know that He is God? To trust Him with the seeds you have planted?  To trust Him to work in the situation?

So, what can we do while we wait? Here are a few suggestions of what to do instead of constantly trying to convince the other person. 

The process is hard sometimes.  It is frustrating at times.  Only God can change a heart, but the truth is God CAN CHANGE people.  There is an old saying that has been around for decades, “Let go and let God.”  Sometimes that phrase can produce laziness when one expects God to do it all.  Yet, there are times that we have to place it at His feet and trust Him to work. 

Beep … beep … beep.  As I backed out of my garage, I had a lot on my mind.  The radio was playing. I was checking my GPS.  Beep … beep … beep.  The sound was definitely there, but I was oblivious to it.   The warning was loud and clear, but I just kept backing out of my garage paying little attention to the beep … beep… beep.  Suddenly the sound was rapid and loud.  BEEP, BEEP, BEEP, BEEP, BEEP, BEEP!  The next sound was a CRASH!  I had backed my nice car into my husband’s nice SUV.  My car was programmed to get my attention to alter my course, but I did not pay attention.

As we walk with the Lord, there are times He steps in to alter the course we are following.  There are many ways God can send a beep … beep … beep.  He can speak to us as we read His word.  He can speak to us through another person or a song on the radio.  He can allow a meeting we were excited about to be cancelled.   There can be a change in circumstances. Someone else got the promotion. God, at times, does send us a message saying, “Alter your course.” 

“The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps” (Proverbs 16:9). As humans we should make plans, but we must always ask God to guide our steps and change our plans when He sees fit.  There are times that God has to redirect our steps because the path we are on is not in alignment with His will.  When this happens, it is easy to get angry or agitated.  It is easy to think things are falling apart when they are actually falling into place to line up with God’s best.   The steps of a righteous man are ordered by God, but so are the stops of a righteous man!  Pay attention to the beep … beep … beep that heaven sends.  God is always out for our good.  ALWAYS. 

Are you going through a beep … beep … beep right now?  Stop and ask God if He is sounding an alarm to change course.  What might seem like an annoying sound in your ears could be an interruption from God bringing a different opportunity.   Some of those interruptions could be clothed as unique opportunities from God.   An opportunity from God is always better than a CRASH! Trust God when He interrupts your plans.

“Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand.” – Proverbs 19:21

As a child, we had few toys with which to play.  Of course, video games were unheard of, and though board games were probably available, we were too poor to own any.  Our play was all outside, and I mean ALL!  We would play from sunrise till sundown. 

My dad arose each morning at 5:00 to shave, have breakfast, and catch a ride for work.   Ten of us lived in a four room house, so when one arose, there was little sleep after that. That meant lots of playing time. Having eight children meant there was rarely a time that we lacked playmates.  Add in the neighborhood kids and it was a party! We played, played, played!

During the summer when daylight was longer,  we would be out playing for many hours.  We paid little attention to the fact that darkness was beginning to surround us.  Suddenly my father would sound the alarm.  “Barbara, Laney, Bubba, get in this house right now.  Come out of the dark.”   We had been so content enjoying life, that we did not realize that darkness had overtaken light.  When we heard our father’s voice and looked at him standing in the light of the porch, it was evident that darkness was all around us.  It was only by seeing my father in his light that we could see the dark place in which we found ourselves.

It is not breaking news to say that darkness is getting thick.   We are all aware that darkness is upon many nations including ours. I dare say we even find it in many churches. This has happened in the areas of sexuality, gender, marriage, violence, and many others.   How do we know if something is dark?  We look at it in the light of the Father’s word.  In the light that the Father provides it is not difficult to expose darkness. 

Ephesians 5:14 tells us, “Awake, O sleeper, rise up from the dead, and Christ will give you light.” (NLT). Just as my father said, “It is time to come in out of the dark,” God is calling His children to get up, to move from a sitting position, to wake up, and to move forward into the light. 

Is it possible that you are dabbling in darkness?  Is it possible that you have become comfortable in the culture?  There is only one way to know.  We must compare our lives, our decisions, and our actions to the light of Father’s word.  Complaining about culture does little.  If God’s people will live in the light of the word, it will have an effect on the culture. 

As we prepare for this Easter Sunday, let us remember that Jesus died to dispel darkness.  As children of God, the blood of Jesus broke the darkness in our lives.  His Spirit dwells within us and his glory is upon us.  Awake!   Shine!   Of all the things on your to do list, let the top thing be to arise and shine your light for the Lord. Every minute, every hour and every day SHINE.  This is your call to action. This is your mission. Arise! Shine! It’s time to glow in the dark.

Pray with me a prayer I recently read and find it to be powerful. “Father, I’m pressing into You. I’m basking in Your light until it becomes mine. Lord, make me stronger and abide with me as my heart speaks to You. Direct my steps and give me courage to speak of the good news to anyone who will listen, because the time of Your return is upon us Jesus. Thank you for your sacrifice that is still powerful today.  From this moment onward I deny myself as I follow you. May I become less as you are glorified within me. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen!