Eyes of Clarity

Deuteronomy 1:30-32 “The Lord your God, who goes before you, He will fight for you, according to all He did for you in Egypt before your eyes, and in the wilderness where you saw how the Lord your God carried you, as a man carries his son, in all the way that you went until you came to this place.’ Yet, for all that, you did not believe the Lord your God.” Even after all of the miraculous things the Lord did to save the Israelites, they still had little faith in Him. He freed them from Pharaoh, He parted the Red Sea, He gave them water from a rock to drink and provided them daily with manna to eat. In the same manner, the Lord set before them a land with which all they needed to do was go in and possess it but yet they were reluctant. Why? Because they did not trust that the promise of the Lord was genuine. Today, the same remains. Regardless of what the Lord has done to bring me where I am, I lose sight of His goodness and mercy and dwell on the lies of the enemy instead. I am re...

Amos 6:5 “Who sing idly to the sound of stringed instruments, and invent for yourselves musical instruments like David.” They say that music calms the soul. It has the ability to put us in different moods depending on the tune and for some of us, these tunes become an idol. Music has been an idol in my life for quite some time now and over the course of the past week, I have made the conscience decision to lay it down for the remaining tow months of my time here in Uganda. Why? Because I know it is what the Lord has called me to do. It has become an escape, a way out of a challenging situation which has hindered my growth immensely. When situations turn awry, I have over a thousand songs to choose from on my iPod Touch to plug in and tune out to in a matter of seconds. This in turn removes me from reality and places me in a fantasy realm where I no longer have to deal with the events negatively effecting my life. Instead of running into the arms of the Father, I run into the firin...

Matthew 6:1 “Take heed that you do not do your charitable deeds before men, to be seen by them. Otherwise, you have no reward from your Father in heaven.” It is so easy to do things just for recognition. Mundane tasks of life become more interesting when people begin to applaud us for the work we have done, so we begin to do more only to be noticed. Then, when people stop giving thanks, we stop going the extra mile and begin to complain. Pleasing people only brings on misery because people will always disappoint us. There will not always be someone to thank us for the work in which we have done but at the end of the day, there is always Someone watching. Jesus is always in the audience, looking for our best effort, for Him. John chapter two verse seven expands on this saying, “Jesus said to them, “Fill the waterpots with water.” And they filled them up to the brim.” The servants in this scene did not fill the waterpots to the brim for the sake of those who might have been watching...

Psalms 51:2-3 “Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. For I acknowledge my transgressions, and my sin is always before me.” Broken. I feel as though my heart has shattered into a thousand pieces. I am on a downhill fall and I am unsure how to make it stop. The pain, the hurt, the trauma. What am I supposed to do when I am on an island over 1,000 miles away from home? I can run to the comfort of my depression and I can hide from the faces of my teammates, but I cannot hide from the presence of the Lord. My only options are to give these struggles to the Lord or remain at a standstill with the enemy, giving him yet again another chance to have victory over my soul. However, I am no longer willing to allow the enemy victory, therefore, the battle of my mind rages on as it never has before. I came to Potter’s Field for change; I came to Potter’s Field to overcome; I came to Potter’s Field to finally choose Jesus. Romans 8:18 reminds me, “For I consider that t...

Deuteronomy 9:6 “Therefore understand that the Lord your God is not giving you this good land to possess because of your righteousness, for you are a stiff-necked people.”  There is nothing I could do to ever earn or deserve the time that I have had here in Uganda. In fact, I am still unsure as to why exactly the Lord has chosen me for this mission. Me, a lousy Christian who should never have received a second, third, fourth, or fifth chance at redemption. However, in the time that I have been here, the Lord has once again proven His divine grace as many of the demons I struggle with have surfaced, from lust to jealousy and perhaps, just maybe, it is the Lord giving me the sixth chance I do not deserve to heal me from these things with which I have so deeply struggled with throughout my life. To withdraw from the routine of the normal and propel into the routine of the abnormal is to face the struggles that chain me to the enemy. It is to battle my demons forcefully, being com...

1 Corinthians 1:3 “Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.” Grace. I have come across this word countless times during my field time. It is the basis of my devotional book and nearly every time I open my Bible, there is a reference to His grace somewhere between the lines. Coincidence? Absolutely not. I believe grace is my theme for this season of my life and although I am still learning what this word truly means in the eyes of Jesus, I can still admire the life He has given me through His grace everyday. Grace is more than what we extend to others when they have wronged us, grace is what we run to Jesus to receive when we have wronged Him. It is more than just an acceptance to apology, it is a slate wiped clean, moment by moment. Through His grace, I am set free from a life of condemnation, guilt, and shame. I am set free from the regrets of my past because my sin is covered by His divine grace, love, and understanding. This by no means insures me t...

Revelation 21:5 “Then He who sat on the throne said, “Behold, I make all things new.” And He said to me, “Write, for these words are true and faithful.” I no longer have to be ashamed of who I am or what I have done, because by His grace, I am covered; I am made new. Though oftentimes, it seems as though I am at a standstill in my walk with the Lord, I trust that He is in control and that I am exactly where I need to be in His will for my life. As difficult as this can be, I must press on, because though these times are challenging, Romans 8:18 reminds that, “…the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.” Like clay in the Potter’s hand, I am unsure as to what it is that He is doing but I know for certain that the outcome will be beyond anything I could ever hope for or imagine. I just have to continue on in the way of His Word, being faithful to go in whatever direction He has me to go even if it was not the direct...