We often quote or see quoted: “Behold, I am doing a new thing and it springs forth.”   Many pastors will preach/teach from this very verse as we enter 2015.

What is rare is to see more of the context quoted, and we need to see it.   Isaiah 43:16,18-19: “Thus says the Lord, who makes a way in the sea, a path in the mighty waters, “Remember not the former things, nor consider the things of old. Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.”

God is stating that He is a God who parts the waters to make a path when there seems to be no path. He promises that He will do a new thing, even if it requires blazing a path through the wilderness, or bringing a river to a desert.

Perhaps you don’t even feel like hearing “Behold I am doing a new thing.”  Perhaps you are thinking, “But look at this wilderness I find myself in.  I am drowning in the river of life.   It will never end!”

There is good news!!! God’s promise came in the midst of acknowledging that life takes us into the wilderness, and into waters over our heads.  God did not pretend it was all roses and chocolates.

As you enter 2015, talk to God about His promise and His declaration. “God, I find myself overwhelmed in life, but I stand in faith that You have declared that You are doing new things – things that might require a path through the sea or water in the desert.”

Now is the time to claim a new beginning and believe God can/will do a new thing in your life and your circumstances.

This is what I shall declare every day over my life in 2015:  “I declare that God is still the way-maker, the miracle worker, the provider of that which I need, the God who loves me, the God who cares about that which concerns me, the God who moves mountains, the God who heals, the God who restores, the God who works all things together for good,  the God of the open door, and the God who is going to do a new thing.”

Have you lost hope that anything will ever change? Take God at His word and declare it aloud, and continue declaring it.  Allow God to show Himself mighty in your life.

He is your God, and you are His child.  Now it’s time to say it out loud!

The “three” wise men in scripture are often not given credit for anything but the gifts of worship they brought to Jesus. There is only one account of the Magi and that is in the gospel of Matthew. We are not told there were only three men, but we assume that because they offered three gifts.

How wise were these Magi?

First, they were wise to find their way to the Christ child and worship Him. They did not come to observe Jesus, stare at Jesus or make judgments of what they thought of Jesus. These men set out on a journey to find the living Lord and bow before Him in worship. They, by faith, accepted that He was Jesus the Christ, the Son of the God. With all the “wisdom” around us, the wisest thing one can ever do is to worship the Lord Jesus, and offer our gifts to Him.

Second, these men were wise to listen to God and take action based on what God communicated. God had provided a star so these fellows could find Jesus, and they took the time to follow the star. Later, God gave them a dream telling them to return home a different way.   Herod intended to interrogate them, so he could find Jesus and kill him.  The important thing is not how many sermons we hear or Bible studies we attend, but how much of that becomes action in our lives.   We might know a lot, but that in itself is not wisdom.  It’s a wise man or woman who listens to God for direction and quickly puts it into action.

As I reflect on these wise men, I have purposed in my heart that I want to be a wise woman. The Bible tells of many wise people:

• There was Enoch and Noah who were wise enough to walk with God in their day while the world around them refused to live for God. Thus, they were both saved while others perished.
• There was Ruth who was wise enough to say to her Jewish mother-in-law, “…for where you go, I will go; and where you live, I will live; Your people shall be my people, and your God my God.” – Ruth 1:16, while her sister-in-law turned around and went back to a sinful society. Thus, Ruth became an ancestor of Jesus.
• There was Andrew who was wise because he brought people to Jesus. “He that wins souls is wise.” Proverbs 11:30.
• There was David, who was wise enough to say and understand, “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.”
• There was Martha, who was wise enough to invite Jesus into her home.
• There was Mary, who was wise enough to sit at the feet of Jesus and hear His word.
• There was Peter who was wise enough to step out in faith towards Jesus, even though the storm around him was raging.
• Then, there were the wise men, who came to worship the Lord Jesus and offer their gifts.

Am I some sort of wise guy? I hope so. I want heaven to record that Barbara Benton was wise. Why? She followed God and worshiped at His feet.

Are you feeling overwhelmed?  Some think it’s just wrong for a Christian to feel that way!  Then I guess I am just wrong sometimes, but that puts me in some good “wrong” company.  The Apostle Paul described a period in his life this way:  “We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers and sisters, about the troubles we experienced in the province of Asia. We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired of life itself. Indeed, we felt we had received the sentence of death.” 2 Corinthians 2:8-9

Life can be overwhelming even for God’s children. There are unexpected events, trials, family issues, financial issues, etc. Sometimes it’s all or several of them at once. Yes, we can feel overwhelmed, but what do we do when we are in that place?

Pray the Word of God.

One scripture that is excellent to pray. “Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.” (Matt. 11:29–30 NLT)

Pray this short prayer often and quickly. Believe that God will make a way.

“Lord, Your Word says that if I ask, You will take my burdens upon You, but also You will teach me how to find rest for my soul. My soul craves and longs for that right now. It seems that when I am overwhelmed, I turn around, and there stands something else ready to overwhelm me again and steal my peace.  Lord, I turn to You. I acknowledge You as my strength and song. Show me Your ways. Work in my situations. Fill my soul with Your peace today.  In the Name of Your strong Son Jesus Christ, Amen.

Yesterday I had the pleasure of hanging out with my sixteen-month old grandson Andrew. Andrew is such a joy and loves life.

An assortment of toys are kept at our house just for the grandchildren. It gives them something different from the toys they have on a daily basis. I try to add to the stash occasionally, so a few days ago I bought an orange dinosaur that can walk, flap its wings and make a little noise.

After Andrew arrived I turned on the dinosaur, and it slowly began to move and flap its wings. Andrew was not impressed!  Fear gripped his face. He immediately ran over to Grammy, got right up next to me, wrapped his arm around my leg and clung to me for dear life. I quickly scooped him up in my arms and held him close. I then turned off the toy and put it away. I was in control of that which brought fear to him.

At times there is an ongoing debate among Christians about the subject of fear. Some believe that you have no faith if you have fear. I am not in that camp! Sometimes life can throw uncertainties at us, and fear can jump on us in a New York minute. That does not always translate to a lack of faith … BUT, faith recognizes that God is greater than the orange dinosaurs of life.   Like Andrew, we must quickly run to the Father and cling to Him. We will find that God is ready to scoop us up and give us the revelation that He is greater than the things that bring fear to our hearts.

The next time the orange dinosaur comes walking into your life, quickly run to God. Don’t spend time debating with fear. Run to God – RUN! It’s amazing how God can turn the dinosaur off!

“Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand.” – Isaiah 41:10

Gaylon and I typically attend the 9:30 service at our church, however we went to the 4:30 service this past Sunday. We are in a series called “At the Movies,” and our pastor plays clips from well-known movies, and then makes spiritual applications. This is a yearly thing for us, and one of my favorite series. We literally have hundreds of visitors for this series, and hundreds of salvations — not just “raise-your-hand salvations,” but fill out a card and turn in your name salvations. Follow up is done and people are added to the church and discipled.

Because we have so many visitors, our pastor asks the congregation to be a part of one of the lesser attended services. The 4:30 and 6:30 services usually don’t require overflow. The 4:30 service we were in was packed, and the service was wonderful.
An interesting thing awaited those who attended the evening services. A box of popcorn and a beverage were given to everyone. Yep, popcorn and movies at the church! Once worship was over, everyone sat down and opened their popcorn and beverages, and the movie clips and sermon began.

I looked around that building that was packed with so many young families and young people. The message was about resisting the devil and standing in the power of God. It was great truth. At the end many responded to the call to receive Christ as Savior.
While I sat there, my mind wandered a bit as I thought of so many who would disapprove of popcorn at the church. Some would say it’s a “fluff” church. It’s just entertainment. It’s worldly. Yet, nothing could be farther from the truth about our church. Truth is taught. Souls are won. Young people are being trained and deployed into ministry, hundreds go on short-term mission trips and our local community is being impacted in many ways.

The truth of the matter is that I don’t care whether we do or don’t have popcorn, but I do care that we are making a huge impact for the Kingdom of God and dispelling darkness. If passing out popcorn will bring them in, and cause them to listen to a Gospel presentation, then I say, “Pass the popcorn!”

As Leonard Ravenhill said, “Any method of evangelism will work if God is in it.”

“For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”– Luke 19:10

I am not used to a house full of girls, but it’s fun! My son is out of town for about a week, so I came to stay with Alica and the girls, to help out with transportation and other things.

Michael and Alica have a foster child, who we will call Olivia. Olivia is a full-of-life four-year old, and that’s an understatement! Olivia asks the question, “Why?” about twenty-five times a day on a slow day. Yesterday, Olivia was sick so she stayed with me all day, and asked “why” more times than I can count.

All the girls in Alica’s house have very long hair, flowing way down the back. My hair is shoulder length. Olivia asked me several times yesterday, “Why your hair short?” I kept telling her that my hair is not short, but she kept insisting that my hair is short. To me, shoulder length is long. To Olivia, it’s not long unless it flows down one’s back. I will never convince her that my hair is long. We could have argued over and over about the length of hair, and in the scheme of life it doesn’t matter.

Too often in “church” world, we argue and bicker over things that don’t matter. It’s easy to feel that’s it is our gift and call in life to convince everyone to believe just as we do. Some things are simply not set in concrete.

The definition of long hair and short hair don’t matter, but let me state emphatically that there are many non-negotiables in the Word of God. The most important one is that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, and the Savior of the World.  According to scripture, He is the only way to the Father. “Barbara, who do you think you are saying that Jesus is the only way?”  I didn’t say it. I am just repeating what Jesus said in John 14:6.

We are in an hour when it’s popular to embrace every religion as a pathway to God for eternal life. The most important question facing the Church today is the same that Jesus asked the disciples in Mark 8:29, “But what about you?” he asked.  “Who do you say I am?” Peter answered, “You are the Messiah.”  Lots of people were identifying Jesus different ways, but Peter answered correctly!

I don’t really care about “long hair” issues. I want to know, if you identify as a follower of Jesus Christ, how you answer the question, “Who do you say I am?”   Unless that is answered correctly, the rest doesn’t even matter.

“Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.” – Acts 4:12

Why don’t you just drive up my tail pipe! Have you ever felt like that when someone is following you way too closely?

As I was driving down the winding road leading to my little hometown of Helena, AL, a driver was about twelve inches from my bumper. I tried brake tapping a few times, but to no avail. This car wanted me out of the way, but alas, there was nothing I could do. I was driving on a two lane road, with lots of curves and no passing was allowed, and I was driving the speed limit.

I really wanted to stop and have a little conversation with the driver, but not the kind you might think. I had recently gotten a ticket while driving in Helena. I was clocked doing thirty-two miles per hour in a twenty-mile an hour speed zone. That little venture cost me one hundred and eighty six dollars, and four hours of traffic school. I wanted to tell the driver that I had learned my lesson the hard way. I wanted to tell the driver that driving like that will cost you.  I wanted to let the driver know that I had already paid the price on that road, and could help her learn a better way down that road. I can keep you from making the mistakes that I have made. I can save you a lot of trouble and heartache!  (Yes, I really thought these things!)

How that same lesson translates where spiritual things are concerned!

Do you have a mentor – a person that you will allow to walk with you, and help you in maturing in Christ? There are many who have walked down roads that have cost them something. We would do ourselves well to learn all we can from them. We can learn what to do and what not to do.

I presently have, and have had in the past, the privilege of mentoring other believers. My desire is to teach them to walk with God, closely with God. I also want to keep them from making mistakes that cost me too much.

Getting feedback from others is also absolutely critical. If we don’t get feedback, it’s easy to get off course. During all the Apollo trips to the moon, those spaceships had to do frequent course corrections. The earth was turning, and the moon was turning. To make it, the astronauts had to constantly change the course of their ship. And the only way they could do that was to get feedback. As a result of listening to and applying feedback, they were successful in their journeys.

Find someone with character. Find someone in love with God. Find someone you trust. Find a mentor.

“As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.” – Proverbs 27:17

My husband was scheduled for a colonoscopy at 8:30 this morning. We arrived early and went to the place we thought his procedure was to be done. We were sent to another part of the hospital which was quite a walk. I will spare the details, but there was huge mix-up, and at 9:45 we were still waiting. As it turned out we should have stayed at the first office. By the time we got to the right place it was 10:00 and we were afraid they might not even be able to do it. Fortunately they were still able to take Gaylon.

I was a bit frustrated because I had a busy day ahead and that hour and a half was precious to me. Now, I was wondering if there was any way I could make my next appointment scheduled for 12:45.

Why, why, why?

As I sat in the waiting room of the hospital once Gaylon was taken back, I watched two older woman sitting beside each other laughing and enjoying each others’ company. They seemed like close friends. One of them even asked me were they too loud. I grinned and said, not at all. It was actually entertaining to watch the two white-haired, seventy-something year old friends.

I left the room to go meet with the doctor to get Gaylon’s results, which were great. Afterward I returned to the waiting room until my husband was officially discharged. About fifteen minutes later, one of the women went back to get her husband’s results. She hobbled past me walking with her cane, but took time to shoot me a huge grin. In about fifteen minutes she hobbled back by with tears streaming down her face and her countenance so downcast. She sat down by her friend and began to tell her the bad report that she had just received from the doctor concerning her husband. She wept, and her friend hugged her tightly for quite some time. They literally wiped each others’ tears.

My heart was gripped for this woman. She continued to cry for a while, as her friend patted her hand and tried to console her.

As I sat watching this woman, I felt like God said, “Pray for her.”  So, I began to pray for her. Then I felt God clarified what He meant, “Go over and pray for her.”  Lord, this is awkward.

Finally, I walked over and said, “Do you mind if I pray for you and your husband?” She said, “Please do!” After my time with them, I got their names and promised that she and her husband would be on my prayer list. Those two women were beyond grateful. Immediately after this divine encounter, my husband was ready to go home.

I did not like the delay I experienced. After all, I am a busy woman! Today I was reminded that the delays of life are often orchestrated by God. Without that delay, I would not have been in the waiting room at the same time as the grieving woman who needed a touch from God. Thank God for delays.

“God, forgive my grumbling when I am inconvenienced. I trust you with the delays of my life.”

The LORD directs the steps of the godly. He delights in every detail of their lives. – Psalm 37:23 NLT

I have been on the road for quite a few weekends, with little time at home. When I was home, there was time to study, get ready for the next trip and spend a little time with family.

Today, I finally ventured out into the Birmingham metro to do a little shopping. I was amazed at some of the things I saw. While I was away, much work had been going on. What had previously been a cleared field being prepared for construction, now had the walls of a building going up. As I got off the interstate, there were no longer signs saying “Work Zone,” for the road and intersection were completed.

How amazing it is that while I was going about God’s will for my life, lots of work was happening without me being aware of it!

This is a great picture of how God is at work in our lives. He is doing far more than we comprehend. He is building things and tending to details on our behalf. There will be times when it seems like nothing is changing, nothing good is happening and there is little hope. BUT GOD … is working behind the scenes. He has never let you out of His sight. He is doing things for your good that you aren’t even aware of. He is working out situations. He is lining up details. He is giving you favor. He is protecting you from the enemy. God is at work!

Child of God, be encouraged today. As we continue to walk faithfully with Him, He is faithful to us. Farther down the line you will look back and see that God was putting all the pieces of your puzzle together.

“And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.” – Romans 8:28 NLT

Yuck! Yuck! Yuck!

That’s the way I feel when I drink Starbucks coffee, but I constantly hear that it’s the best coffee around, and the cool coffee to drink. I never drink the stuff unless there is no alternative. While staying in a hotel in California, the only coffee offered for guests was Starbucks. I do love my morning coffee! So, each morning, I worked at adapting a taste for the strong, bitter-tasting Starbucks. By the fifth morning, I had gotten so used to it, that I found myself saying this isn’t so bad.

I learned to swallow something that previously I shoved away. Why? I kept exposing myself to it. I kept taking it in, even though my tongue kept rejecting it. Over time, my tongue began to say this isn’t so bad.

As I look around the Body of Christ today, I see too many of God’s people “adapting to the taste of Starbucks.” Things that would have been previously shoved away are now being taken in as okay – things that absolutely don’t line up with the Word of God.

At this point in the blog, I usually pontificate a bit, but this time, I ask you to ponder deeply:  Are you in danger of swallowing the Starbucks issues of life because it’s the popular thing to do?  Are you even developing a taste for it?

For a time is coming when people will no longer listen to sound and wholesome teaching. They will follow their own desires and will look for teachers who will tell them whatever their itching ears want to hear. –  2 Timothy 4:3