Author: Christine Wyrtzen

It Was Nothing!

Published on by Christine WyrtzenLeave a comment

So Jacob served seven years for Rachel, and they seemed to him but a few days because of the love he had for her. Genesis 29:20

This is one of the rare moments in the Bible where sentiments about romantic love are expressed. Does love at first sight exist? Yes. Is there such a thing as people just ‘clicking’ when they meet? I believe so. It happens in friendship. Why not romantic love!

Jacob so loved Rachel that working for seven years to acquire her as his wife was hardly a sacrifice. If we were to ask Jacob about it in today’s vernacular, he might reply, “It was nothing!” And we know what he means. When I love to do something, the time that expires as I engage in the activity is irrelevant. Hours go by as if they were minutes. This is how I feel as I do many things; record in the studio, engage in the graphic design of new marketing materials, organize drawers and closets, even explore colors, textures, and fabrics.

There are people that I love deeply and serving them also seems effortless. I wouldn’t think twice about sacrificing in some way for them. I love to see them happy no matter what it costs me.

What is Jesus asking you to do today that seems steep? There is a cost. He said there would be. It is cross-shaped. Paul said that it was love that constrained him to endure hardship. It is lack of love that causes many to abandon their faith. When things get difficult, there is no relationship to sustain them. Knowledge of God without experience does not build emotional and physical endurance in Christian service.

There are days each of us lose perspective. They are related to the moments Jesus spent in the garden asking His Father if He might be spared the cross. But one day, no matter what we’ve suffered, I believe we will all say something similar. “I loved Him so it was easy to spend my life.”

Internal pep talks fizzle out quickly, Lord. It is Your voice and the memories of our time together that give me supernatural strength. Amen

 

God’s Wisdom ~ Make Safe Connections

Published on by Christine WyrtzenLeave a comment

I listen carefully to what God the Lord is saying, for he speaks peace to his faithful people.  Psalm 85:8

Learn to hide yourself away with me, not only when you’re alone but also in the company of others.  In doing so, you will be oblivious to their reactions to you.  You will only know the joy of my still, small voice.  No longer will you be obsessed with the acceptance of friends and family.  Instead, your spirit will soar in that other worldly place, the realm where the things of earth are dull in comparison.  Live in the refuge of my love and don’t leave the place where My Spirit meets yours for the sake of anyone.  Not anyone.

Be careful not to join your soul to another who lives without the discernment made available by my Spirit.  If you do so indiscriminately, you risk aligning with someone who lives outside of a God-connection.  That includes many of my own children.  Few have learned to abide in me and you can be assured that their perspective on many things will be skewed.  Their input will be unreliable.  You will suffer if you rely, without question, on their judgment.  Becoming dependent on such a person puts you in jeopardy.

Don’t forget that spiritual unity that is of a Christ-kind can only exist when two people abide in me and I in them.  I have done much to teach you about what real unity is in the body of Christ.  You’ve suffered in the absence of it and soared in the company of like-minded disciples.  Raise your standards and walk wisely.  Know this, a real litmus test is whether you can pray with them and feel like you are at home with Me.

    Just a Drop in an Ocean of Need

    Published on by Christine WyrtzenLeave a comment

      “What shall we say the kingdom of God is like, or what parable shall we use to describe it? It is like a mustard seed, which is the smallest of all seeds on earth. Yet when planted, it grows and becomes the largest of all garden plants, with such big branches that the birds can perch in its shade.” Mark 4:30-32

      Kingdom seeds are so powerful when they are planted on earth. Jesus gave an example of this when talking about the tiniest of seeds, the mustard seed.  Each one grows into a 10 foot plant. Great things always start small.

      How much do I really believe in the seeds of scripture? When a need is so great, whether in someone else or in me, it can seem hopeless to personalize a few verses. What difference is it really making when I don’t see immediate results? Does speaking a few kingdom words over an ocean of need even impact the void?

      My greatest mistake would be to be misled by earth’s odds. If I look at the probability of change like I look at filling up a beach ~ one grain of sand at a time ~ of course I’ll give up. But that is not what happens when I consistently sow the seeds of heaven. These agents of the kingdom are energetic and highly effective. When inspired, and then spoken, they begin the process of change. How do I know? Jesus said, “If you plant it, it will bear fruit.” Whether I can see the changes is immaterial. God works in the deep, in the unseen and imperceptible.  He does soul surgery in masterful ways long before human beings can see the fruit.

      What kind of seeds do you need to plant today? Belief. Joy. Peace. Unity. Sobriety. Pure sexual appetite. I need to plant faith seeds ~ faith that God holds the answers to unanswered questions and is trustworthy.  So, I speak God’s Word outloud over myself.  When declared, faith is ignited and spiritual forces are put on notice. It is the legal equivalent of serving the enemy legal papers. Oh, the cumulative effect of God’s spoken Word over time – spoken over me – spoken over the earth.

      I believe and I have seen with my own eyes ~ my own transformation. Amen

      When We Need To Re-live Beautiful Moments

      Published on by Christine Wyrtzen1 Comment

      Jesus was left alone with the woman standing before Him.  Jesus straightened up and said to her, “Woman, where are they?  Has no one condemned you?”  She said, “No one, sir.”  And Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you.  Go your way, and from now on do not sin again.”  John 8:9-11

      Jesus did not do away with the law of Moses.  He simply applied it to the woman’s accusers.  They desired to see her pay for her sin but all the while, they turned a blind eye to their own sinfulness; sins that also required judgment by law. God does not pro-rate sin.

      As the sun continued to rise in the early morning dawn, the judges disappeared.  The voyeurs fled.  The accusers vanished.  Stones hit the ground one by one and as they fell, I can imagine the woman’s disbelief.  The iron grips on her arm loosened as the vengeance of the hot blooded Pharisees began to dissipate under the convicting presence of Jesus.

      Within minutes, there were only two people left standing there.  The warming rays of the sun bathed the encounter between Jesus and the woman as they faced each other.  She had never seen such a pure gaze that resonated nothing but love and compassion.

      John revealed Jesus in the beginning of this book as ‘full of grace and truth.’  Never did a story showcase this better than this particular one.  Jesus was gracious and truthful.  He withheld condemnation but, simultaneously, told her the truth about a needed change in her lifestyle.   “Go, and do not sin again.”  

      I do not know what happened to the woman when she went home.  Did her friends continue to point the finger?  Did her family shun her?  Would the man with whom she’d been involved with punish her for turning him down the next time?  If so, she would gain strength as she re-lived those beautiful moments with Jesus.  She would remember how He addressed her tenderly and gave her a gift no one had ever given her; love, forgiveness, and a fresh start.

      Sometimes, others never forget our sins.  But you, Lord?  I rehearse the beautiful moments you touched me and forgave me.  Amen

      What Happens In Your Invisible?

      Published on by Christine Wyrtzen1 Comment

      By faith he left Egypt, not being afraid of the anger of the king, for he endured as seeing him who is invisible.  Hebrews 11:27

      What happened in Moses’ invisible world took him far.  He left his adopted family, forfeited his place in the line of royalty, and then took on the responsibility for leading over 603,000 children of Israel out of Egypt and across the desert to their new homeland.  He endured stresses most of us will never feel, suffered the love/hate relationship with a fickle people who worshipped God one day and Baal the next, and he did all this while enduring the many griefs of his own personal story.  What carried him through it all and gave him the strength to endure?  Connection with the One who was invisible.

      What happens in the unseen realm, in the life of every child of God, cannot be underestimated.  It’s what propels us into the line of fire, some even into martyrdom.  It gives iron to the weak.  A revelation of God, through Christ and through His Word, shapes things not visible to the naked eye.  Right now, as you are reading this, the Holy Spirit is working in your own invisible realm to guide your thoughts, personalize this scripture, and lead you to be different five minutes from now than you are now.

      As you and I interact with God and His Word today, here are just a few of things that will happen that are imperceptible to others.  God will reveal Himself and enlarge our view of Him.  God will disclose things to our minds, and hearts, that will bring inner change.  God will give me a word to speak that will plant heaven’s seeds on earth’s soil.  (It will prosper because His Word trumps all other forces at work.)  God will re-direct me when I am starting to wander off into wrong lines of thinking and feeling. God will revive me through a whisper when I sink under the pressures I can’t yet anticipate.  God will reward my obedience with peace and confidence.  All of this is invisible.

      Scripture speaks of God’s child residing in peace and safety.  Does God keep His promise when I look into my external circumstances and see turmoil and danger?    Let us not doubt.  Peace and safety are the bedfellows of any of us who keep our eyes on the invisible God.  Like Moses, we  are constantly changing in the presence of the Almighty.  We endure.  We do not fear.  We rise out of the ashes.  We think soundly.  We speak wisdom in the presence of the foolish.  And like Peter and John, we stand before others and give testimony in such a way that others perceive we have been with Jesus. (Acts 4:13)

      Let these scriptures be our benediction.

       I solemnly charge you in the presence of God, who gives life to all things, and in the presence of Christ Jesus, who made the good confession before Pontius Pilate, to keep all His precepts without stain or reproach until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ.  He alone possesses immortality and lives in unapproachable light, whom no man has ever seen or can see. To Him be honor and eternal power and dominion! Amen.  I Timothy 6:13-16 AMP

      When I Hold Myself Responsible

      Published on by Christine WyrtzenLeave a comment

      But they have not all obeyed the Gospel.  For Isaiah says, “Who has believed what they have heard from us?”  Romans 10:16

      How much does this passage reveal about the personal responsibility Paul felt for other’s rejection of Christ?  For any who open their mouth to share the Gospel with their heart fully engaged, there are minefields emotionally.  No matter how much you invest beforehand, there will be times when few respond. For the one who preached, that can be internalized as personal failure.

      This was my Achilles heel for many years. If I had worked hard to prepare to teach, if I had engaged others to fast/pray for me and for the group I was speaking to, if I had asked God for a fresh anointing before traveling, then I had an expectation of tangible, successful results.  When I didn’t see signs of the impact I had expected, I took it personally.  I concluded that something had to be wrong with what I had done.  I cited the examples from the New Testament when the apostles went out in the power of the Spirit and thousands believed but I failed to take into account that this was the exception.  More often than not, a few were converted but the majority rejected the Gospel.

      The Spirit of God had to set me free from this destructive stronghold in my thinking.  He worked within me to help me define ‘effective’ teaching.  He reminded me that Jesus was certainly effective, yet He told His disciples that the masses would walk the road to destruction while a few would walk through the narrow gate.  Regarding those who shrug their shoulders and walk away, I am not responsible.  God bears the burden and invites me to ‘shake the dust off my feet’ when the message is not received.  Bearing the burden for other’s spiritual blindness is a plot Satan has conceived.  Jesus is the lifter of our heads.

      Set other perfectionists free and use my story of failure, Lord.  Amen

      Getting Out Of Obedience

      Published on by Christine WyrtzenLeave a comment

      And Noah did all that the LORD had commanded him. Genesis 7:5

      This is such a short verse in the entire dramatic account of Noah; one could almost miss it.  Noah did every single thing that the Lord had commanded him. It’s not like God told him to do just one thing either.  God gave him 120 years of detailed instructions.  Noah didn’t deviate at all from the blueprint.  He didn’t take shortcuts when something got hard.  Who had ever built an ark or a ship of any kind?  There were no people to call on for advice.  His onlookers were only scoffers.  When stumped, Noah had God and the collective input of his family to figure things out.  That’s it.

      When it was time to make room for the animals, he did exactly what God said to do.  I’m one who can easily think, “I’m tired.  I’ll obey but I’ll do that tomorrow.”  I don’t see anywhere in this story that Noah rationalized and/or procrastinated.

      I won’t live 120 years.  In that span of time, Noah did every single thing God asked.  I’m half that old but in the span of time I have lived, I have failed to do a few things God told me to do.  I am absolutely struck by the stark comparison.  How many times did I sense God asking me to do something where I responded, “Really, Lord?  Am I hearing you right?”  Quite a few.  In 2019, when God asked me to do something I considered radical, I questioned it.  But, I sought His face over a long period of time for confirmations and made a choice to obey.  Oh, He has blessed me and my family because of it.

      At the end of my life, I pray it will be said that I followed God, though it has taken time for me to get it right.  As I understand more clearly why Noah is in the ‘hallmark of faith’ chapter in the Bible (Hebrews 11), I am deeply inspired.

      What can I say?  Though some might say I’m being too hard on myself, I don’t believe I’m being hard enough.  I vow to do better and give you instant, and exact, obedience.  Amen

      God’s Wisdom ~ Will You Defend Me?

      Published on by Christine Wyrtzen2 Comments

      In your heart, honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect.  I Peter 3:15

      Nothing defeats evil faster than My love-sick bride.  Her passionate words and vehement defense of My character leaves no room for discordant words from My foes.  Do not be afraid to say, ‘Please don’t say that of the One I love!’  Remind the one who disparages my reputation of who I am and whose you are.

      I defend you daily from the insults and accusations of your accuser.  You see, we are both fighting for the one we love.

       

        The Enemy Is An Editor

        Published on by Christine WyrtzenLeave a comment

          He was a murderer from the beginning, and has nothing to do with the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies.  John 8:44

          My storytellers can be people around me but I can also be one as I process things with or without God.  Satan is also a storyteller and I will be lied to.  His default language is lies.  A default language is what someone speaks instinctively. Satan lives and breathes falsehood.  In our justice system, someone is considered innocent until proven guilty.  But with the devil, I better realize that he is always guilty. The paradigm is flipped.

          If he’s whispering his version of my own story in my ears, how will I know it?  He will say anything that puts me in bondage.  The most important thing on his agenda is to corrupt my trust in God.  The lies usually start with that goal in mind.  “See, your faith is in vain. God can’t be trusted. You’re foolish to believe His promises.  They’re not for you.”  On it goes.  If trust is breached, my relationship is fractured to the point where I am left completely vulnerable.  If I shut my ears to God, they’re wide open for someone else to fill them.

          If I want to know if I’ve succumbed to the enemy’s re-write of my own story, I need to look for the symptoms that point to the lies; despair, hopelessness, depression, unresolved anger, jealousy, futility.  If any of these have taken over my soul, I can be sure there has been an editor from the pits of hell interpreting my story.  I need to be on guard, take every thought captive, and remember that life is one sifting exercise after another.  Thoughts come in ~ I examine them ~ then I keep them or throw them away.

          I used to believe that certain events, or certain people, ruined parts of my life. It wasn’t true. Yes, they caused pain but it was my interpretation of the events and what I concluded about myself and God that put me in long term bondage. Jesus was never tormented about who His Father was.  He never stopped believing that He was God’s beloved Son.  He was never trapped by futility and despair.  Though He suffered more than any human being, He never believed lies about his pain.  He knew that everything He suffered was redemptive and would lead to glory.

          Each of us need to figure out where we’ve been lied to and renounce it.  We will have a list of things to discard.  We will be telling God, “I used to believe ‘that’ but I renounce it as a lie.  Now, I believe ‘this’.”  I state the lie and replace it with a truth-telling scripture.  The enemy’s stronghold is broken, legal ground is taken back, and abundant life and freedom become mine.

           The only version I crave, and will believe, is Yours.  Amen

          Adapting To Change

          Published on by Christine WyrtzenLeave a comment

          God is not human, that he should lie, not a human being, that he should change his mind.Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfill?          Numbers 23:19

          Too many changes in one’s life, all at once, put a person in a fragile place emotionally. It seems too much to process. When I initiate the changes, it’s easier. But most change is what happens to me and I have no control over it.

          How do you handle change? Do you have a strategy? It’s easy to conceive man-made ones. 1.) Deal with today and don’t borrow tomorrow’s trouble. 2.) Lean on family and friends.  This is usually the best that we can initiate without God. If things are really hard though, these won’t sustain. Inner stability will deteriorate.

          There is a certain kind of personality that thrives on change but I contend that it’s change they control. No one likes an unexpected knock on the door that brings tragic news. I’ve had my share of seasons where someone brought bad news. I’ve found that difficult times rarely seem to last a year, but five years, twelve years, even twenty-two years. I’ve learned that I must draw close to Jesus and follow His lead to develop spiritual strategies.

          What did Jesus do when he felt the pressures of his life? He got alone with His Father to pray,  He reviewed the scriptures and His Father’s history. This is the prescription for any of us today who know that the only stability available to us is the foundation of our faith in God.

          • God knows all things future. He’s not wringing His hands over this change in my life.
          • God already knows the outcome and, if I’m willing, will lead me safely to the other side.
          • God is unchanging. Though my life shifts, He is always the same. I cling to Him and not temporal things.
          • God is still a righteous Judge even when it appears evil is winning.
          • God is faithful and true, and good.

          “It is well for us that, amidst all the variableness of life, there is One whom change cannot affect; One whose heart can never alter, and on whose brow mutability can make no furrows.” Spurgeon