Author: Christine Wyrtzen

Fallen Through My Fingers

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He who goes forth and weeps, scattering the seed, will doubtless come back with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves. Psalm 126:6 

A harvest never comes overnight. A farmer plants seed in early spring but doesn’t expect to see anything come up in a week. He knows that seeds require early and late rains before they bring a yield.

The harvest portrayed in this verse comes to the person who walks, weeps, and then walks and weeps some more.  “Goes forth” means a continual and repetitive motion.  But the mourning isn’t hopeless.  While doing so, there is also an intentional perseverance to plant heaven’s seeds ~ the Word of God. 

Perhaps this has characterized a period in your life. You have faithfully sown the seeds of scripture. You have salted the pages of your Bible with tears. You have asked God for the faith to stand another day in the promises that transcend this season of life. But times of weariness and disillusion have set in and the seeds have fallen to the ground as you opened your fingers to let them spill out. You quit walking the boundary lines of your garden. You put your arms down and have let your hands stay limp. Expectations have been nullified by time and one disappointment after another.

So many saints know these periods. Weeping is not a sin, it is encouraged, and in fact, even a command. But for any who have given up, dried their tears, and stopped praying….our Father reminds us today to regroup. Gather the seeds again. Regard them as precious. Speak them. Pray them. Stand in them. Be assured that God’s Word always bears fruit. He says so. When His Word is spoken, the environment changes. Anywhere His Word is sewn, kingdoms are shaken up. I may not feel the tremors nor see the stirrings of coming harvests but the unseen world knows it’s coming. Angels rejoice and demons tremble. Battles are being waged and God’s army is on the move.

Does this guarantee that things will turn out as I wish every single time?  Not necessarily. People we love still have free will. Sickness and death come to all of us because of the fall.  Man’s sin continues to infect our environment.  But sowing the Word of God ensures that God’s plan comes to my world.  Fertile soil is tilled up from hardened grounds of unbelief.  Sowing scripture sets the stage for a righteous outcome within a fallen world.  Many will believe who have denied. Many will be healed who have been terminal. Many will walk through an open door that was once closed tightly. And most of all, in the process of sowing ~ our own hearts draw close to Jesus and are changed. As we wrestle with faith, an intercessor begins to think, and feel, like the One they worship. Even while weeping.

Futility is not in my vocabulary. I get up and engage with faith again. Amen

Anxiety and Being in the Middle

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“No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money. “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink, or about your body, what you will wear. Isn’t there more to life than food and more to the body than clothing? Look at the birds in the sky: They do not sow, or reap, or gather into barns, yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Aren’t you more valuable than they are? And which of you by worrying can add even one hour to his life? Why do you worry about clothing? Think about how the flowers of the field grow; they do not work or spin. Matthew 6:24-28

Ever been put in the middle? It’s an awful place to be. There are some whose role it is to be peacemaker. The anxiety of trying to serve opposites is tormenting because pleasing them is impossible. Compromise keeps them at bay but they are never fully satisfied because neither has won.

What does this have to do with the parable about worrying? What I’ll eat? What I’ll wear? What others think of me? Whether I’ll be employed? Whether I’m seriously ill?

Anxiety serves Master Satan. Plain and simple. To worry is to wonder if God is faithful and Satan is the author of that. Worry then leads to autonomy. I take matters into my own hands to take care of myself because I believe God won’t.

Remember the daisy game? ‘He loves me – He loves me not.’ Though it was childish, I do remember the bit of suspense as I neared the end of the petals. Which way would it be? Love me – or loves me not? This is the stuff of serving two masters.

When the stakes are high, so is the battle. ‘God loves me – He loves me not.’ Faith is put on the sidelines as I wage the options of trusting God versus taking care of myself (which is serving God’s enemy.) God is unhappy because I fail to know the joy of childlike trust. Satan is unhappy because I entertain the promises of my Father’s word. How is this tug of war won? How do I extricate myself from living between two masters? Remove the power of the evil one.

Satan does not deserve an ounce of attention because he lies about the other Master. If he told the truth, the battle would be understandable. If he predicted outcomes correctly, listening to him would make sense. But nothing he says is true. John reminds me that he is a liar. His very nature is to lie. His default language is based on deceit. So, I step out from the middle today and give him no attention. When the first thought of worry emerges, I snatch it and kill it with the whispered assurances of a faithful Father. Every Word saves me and sends the other would-be master away from my presence.

No middle, Father. No torment. Only a simple, childlike trust built on every single promise You have made. I love how You take care of me. In Jesus’ name, Amen

Spiritual Acumen. Do I Have It?

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Jesus also said to the crowds, “When you see a cloud rising in the west, you say at once, ‘A rainstorm is coming,’ and it does. And when you see the south wind blowing, you say, ‘There will be scorching heat,’ and there is. You hypocrites! You know how to interpret the appearance of the earth and the sky, but how can you not know how to interpret the present time? Luke 12:54-59

How can smart people be so foolish about spiritual things? How is it possible for one who knows God to miss the obvious signposts He provides for guidance? This was Jesus message to the crowd. They possessed real skill when it came to interpreting weather related signs but they were inept when it came to interpreting their times through the mind of God ~ the one they claimed to know.

When Saul was pursuing David in order to kill him, the numbers of those who stood by David were few in comparison to the armies of King Saul. But, there was a group of men called the ‘sons of Issachar’ who perceived both men correctly. They were able to see Saul for who he was ~ a disobedient king under God’s judgment. They were able to see David for who he was ~ God’s anointed man who should ascend the throne. From all circumstantial evidence, it would appear that Saul was suffering the threat of a coup, led by a renegade named David. However, these 200 men (descendants of Jacob), read the two men accurately. The children of Issachar, which were men that had understanding of their times, knew what Israel ought to do. I Chronicles 12:32

What kind of spiritual acumen do I possess? The men of Issachar looked at Saul the way God looked at Saul. His throne or his crown did not sway them. They were able to see his behavior and leadership style and know that he was out of God’s favor. They looked for the anointing but couldn’t find it. They also looked at David and were able to see past his poverty and rag tag militia. They perceived the spiritual markings of a kingly anointing – a marking not visible to the naked eye but brilliant to the eyes of their spirit.

Not everything is as it appears. Powerful people are often a house of cards. They can crumble after just one confrontation. The meek are perceived as weak but will rise to rule over us when God promotes them. I am asking God to sharpen my spiritual acumen so that I can interpret what’s in front of me correctly. I believe Jesus is coming soon and never has understanding the times been more critical.

Whom have I assessed wrongly? Correct my vision, Lord. In Jesus’ name, Amen

The Parables Jesus Told

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I love a good story, especially if related by an exceptional storyteller. If the storyteller loses enough inhibition to bring life to the characters, utilizing a wide range of inflection for the character’s speeches, the stories will not only be captivating but memorable. I have to believe that Jesus was a perfect storyteller because thousands of years later, mankind is still talking about each of his parables.

He spoke in parables to fulfill prophecy. Matthew explained by quoting from Psalm 78.  All these Jesus spoke to the multitudes in parables, and He was not talking to them without a parable, so that what was spoken by the prophet might be fulfilled, saying, “I will open my mouth in parables; I will utter things hidden since the foundation of the world.” Matthew 13:34-35 Psalm 78 speaks of Israel’s rampant unbelief in Yahweh ~ in spite of the fact that He rescued them repeatedly from their enemies. God spoke openly to them, displayed His power with signs and wonders, but they missed the point that God wanted a relationship with them. He wanted to be their God but they rejected Him. Many centuries later, Jesus spoke in parables to bring judgment on Israel’s collective hardness of heart. Only those who had a true relationship with Jesus would understand its meanings.

While Jesus did perform miracles and gave many signs and wonders to prove that He was God, he spoke most often in parables to fulfill another prophecy, this one from Isaiah. “You will keep on hearing, but will not understand; and you will keep on seeing but will not perceive; for the heart of this people has become dull; and with their ears they scarcely hear, and they have closed their eyes…” Matthew 13:14-15

What does that mean for me if I’m about to jump into the language of Jesus as found in His parables? It is possible for me to hear them but not understand them. Unbelief skews the message and makes it impenetrable.   I must ask for spiritual understanding.  The end result can be a full disclosure of this private language between Jesus and me.

Lord, I confess that I am spiritually blind unless You open the eyes of my heart. If there is anything that will compromise my ability to understand Your stories, would you reveal it to me? I want Your words to transform the complete landscape of my heart. In Jesus name, Amen

New Wine in Old Wineskins

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No one pours new wine into old wineskins; otherwise the skins burst and the wine is spilled out and the skins are destroyed. Matthew 9:17

Don’t mix the old with the new. That was the message Jesus wanted to convey when he shared two parables. The first was ~ Don’t sew a new patch on an old cloth. It will shrink and tear. The second was ~ Don’t pour new wine into an old wineskin. It will burst and render itself useless. Anytime Jesus repeated Himself, the message was important.

Wine, when poured into a wineskin, begins the aging process. As it ferments, the gases cause it to expand. A new wineskin will swell along with the wine and all will be well. However, when you pour new wine into an old wineskin, the wineskin has already stretched to capacity and will burst with the fermentation process. The skin won’t sustain any new pressure.   So what is the allegorical meaning?

When Jesus came, people assumed that everything He taught (the new wine) was to be added on to their existing paradigm (the old wineskin) of their traditions. His message, however, was that He came to change everything. They were told not to blend the old with the new.

 If I’m a religious person – and then become a child of God – am I supposed to add Jesus to my religious way of life? No way. I’m called to turn away from religiosity to engage in a relationship. One is behavioral; the other is relational and heart-driven.

I am a new creation in Christ. I’ve been saved from religion and all the trappings that accompany it. I am no longer driven by the desire to do good things because that’s just what religious people do. Piety is supposed to be far from me because I know what I am without Jesus.

When God writes a new paradigm in my heart, it is stressful. The old wineskin of past paradigms must be abandoned and I don’t let go easily. I must turn away from anything associated with old religious archetypes. Church-ianity is not the same as what it means to live in Christ. The world doesn’t know the difference and that’s my fault. I’ve blurred the lines and must show them that loving Jesus and cultivating a church culture are two different things. The first invites others to love Him too. The second invites others to conform to a religious community. Jesus had strong words for the latter and so should I.

If there is any way I have attached You to something that should be dead to me, an old wineskin, show me. In Jesus’ name, Amen

Poised In The Perfect Position

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And Isaac went out to meditate in the field toward evening, and he lifted up his eyes and saw and behold, the camels were coming. And Rebeccah lifted up her eyes and when she saw Isaac, she fell off the camel. Genesis 24:62-63 

Human eyesight and spiritual eyesight are far from being the same thing.  Each perceives life differently. A total stranger can stand ten feet away from me and if I am looking at him with human eyes, he may not be significant to me at all. But, that person might actually be God-sent and someone important to my future and if I was in tune with God, as Isaac was in today’s scripture, I might recognize that person as significant somehow. I’d know deep in my spirit that that God put him in my path.
One day, Abraham gave his servant specific instructions on how he was to go about securing a wife for his son, Isaac. Concerned that Isaac would marry someone in close proximity (a Canaanite woman), Abraham went to great lengths to make sure Isaac married among his own people. He sent his servant on a long journey, back to Abraham’s home country, to find a bride from his own tribe. Isaac, it appears, knew nothing about this as he worked a southern piece of land in his father’s territory, far from home base.
Isaac was a young patriarch and his connection to God was alive. He had seen God reveal Himself by providing a lamb on Mt. Moriah. How could any person ever be the same after that! One evening, as Isaac went out in the field to meditate and enjoy God’s presence, he looked up to see his father’s servant approaching with a young girl on a camel. He wasn’t expecting anyone nor did he have any idea who the girl was. But because he was aligned spiritually and in God’s presence, his whole being responded to the significance of this young woman. And as for her, she viscerally reacted to the sight of Isaac. She had obeyed God by leaving home and was also walking in the light of His favor and guidance. And don’t you love it that she fell off the camel at the sight of her future husband?
Bible study is one thing. Meditation on the scriptures is quite another. The latter centers our thoughts on God’s thoughts. It aligns us with heaven’s purposes in such a way as to enable us to recognize the movements of God all around us. I wonder how many holy moments I’ve missed because I was out of sync with the Spirit. When I fail to make biblical mediation a way of life, I not only miss the voice of God, I miss the unveiling of sandaled footprints in front of me.

There is nothing, absolutely nothing, more important on this day as resting in Your Word and Your presence. I don’t want to miss you. Amen

I Start With Myself

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Jesus became troubled in spirit and testified, “Truly, truly, I tell you, one of you will betray Me.” The disciples began to look at one another, perplexed as to which of them He meant. John 13:21-22

The atmosphere at the Lord’s Supper grew tense. Jesus announced that one of the twelve would betray Him. In that pregnant moment, I do not believe that each wondered which of his brothers had done such a thing. I believe a dark cloud came over each of them personally as they feared it might be them.  I believe they knew some of their own weaknesses.  After all, they had been with Jesus for three years to see the stark contrast between holiness and sinfulness.

Three years is a long time to travel with someone. Their relationship with Him was intimate. What they expected Him to do, He rarely did. What they anticipated He might say, He rarely said.  Whom they didn’t expected Him to heal, He did.  When they expected Him to honor sacred Jewish traditions, He surprised them by doing the opposite.  They had had plenty of time to understand their own sinfulness in light of the contrast.  They knew pretty quickly that they fell short of God’s glory – resident in Christ.

For Judas, the bait was money. His love for riches challenged fidelity. But for any one of the disciples, there might have been another temptation to hit home and cause them to walk away.

It is imperative that I know my own weaknesses well. Self-indulgent introspection doesn’t reveal them. Only the mirror of the Word of God does. I must let the Word judge my heart. I must accept what God shows me, and then I must allow God to start changing what I love too much that could threaten our relationship. Yes, I could easily be a Judas. I have had Judas moments.

I have known the bitter gall of failure. I have drunk the wine of self-hatred. I have questioned God’s radical forgiveness. But grace won. Failure, repentance, and forgiveness are great teachers. I remember from where I’ve fallen and, because of the grace of God, He will empower me to finish the race well and avoid a Judas kind of detour.

I don’t love others unconditionally without Your help. I can only love YOU unconditionally by Your grace, too. Challenge me and my affections. Amen

Coming Home With Words

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I acknowledged my sin to you, and I did not cover my iniquity; I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the LORD,” and you forgave the iniquity of my sin.  Psalm 32:5

King David is clear in today’s scripture about the importance of words in the process of repentance.    He’s not preaching a sermon to his subjects.  He’s reveals his own path back to God by letting us hear the nature of his personal prayer.

Imagine if you had a prodigal son who spurned your love and went off on a long journey.  You mourned for him, prayed for him, and waited for his return.  One day, you wake up to see him sleeping in his old room.  He gets up in the morning and says little.  It’s obvious that he’s come home to stay because he unpacked completely.  He started engaging in household routines but gave no explanation about where’s been or why he’s come back.  It wouldn’t be long until you’d erupt and say, “Look, we have to talk about this.  Where have you been?  What have you been doing?  Why are you home?”  

We can never stray from God and go back without a language of repentance and self-disclosure.  “Lord, I went away because ___________.  I’ve been off doing _______________.  My heart feels ______________.  Please forgive me for ____________.”

The only way to make a solid return is with words.  It’s not because He needs to hear them. Unlike we human parents, He knows the thoughts and intents of His children’s hearts.  We need to speak because, by speaking, we are changed.  The dam breaks and acknowledgement of our actions and feelings brings what was hidden into the Light.  The elephant in the room of our relationship with God has been acknowledged.

Words are a gift we give to God that only come back to benefit us in the long run.  When we speak words of repentance, we are bathed in forgiveness.  When we speak words of praise, we are delivered from the chains of darkness.  When we speak words that reveal our own story, we gain self-awareness.  When we speak words of faith, we surmount the barriers of unbelief.  When we sing, we push back the darkness.  Let’s take our words and live in the presence of the Lord today.

If I am wordless, I am poor.  Breathe on my tongue, Jesus.  Release my language of remorse and repentance.  Amen

At What Point Do You Give Up?

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I will praise the Lord no matter what happens. I will constantly speak of his glories and grace. I will boast of all his kindness to me. Let all who are discouraged take heart. Let us praise the Lord together and exalt his name. For I cried to him and he answered me! He freed me from all my fears.  Others too were radiant at what he did for them. Theirs was no downcast look of rejection!  This poor man cried to the Lord—and the Lord heard him and saved him out of his troubles.  For the Angel of the Lord guards and rescues all who reverence him. Oh, put God to the test and see how kind he is!  Psalm 134:1-8  TLB

I shared a meal recently with someone who just needed to talk. She admitted that her heart had shut down. One storm after another had overtaken her but for a while she believed things were manageable. There was more right than wrong so she stayed optimistic. She believed in her natural problem solving skills.   Eventually though, things fell apart with most every family member. She wept as she admitted that she had lost her voice, lost her hope, and lost her fight.

What’s missing from this picture is a mention of God. Prayer, faith, and strategy, are absent. It’s not that she doesn’t know God. She does but her prayers are way too sporadic. Passivity means that she has abdicated the outcome to stronger forces she doesn’t have the will to fight anymore.

When the enemy comes in like a flood, I don’t have to stand back and wring my hands over the invasion. When sickness overtakes a family member, I can do more than watch. When bad news is announced, I can do more than listen. When sin dominates another part of the house, I can do more than worry. When a family member succumbs to depression, I can do more than offer platitudes. When the bank account is depleted, I can do more than expect destitution. God will raise up a standard and He will use me to be His temple of faith and praise.

If you’re lying down because you feel hopeless, get up. If you’ve lost your voice, get it back. If you’ve stopped praying, fall to your knees. The language you need is the language of the scriptures. If you have a mouth that can read the Word of God out loud, you’re not wordless. No home need permeate darkness when praise music plays twenty-four hours a day. No mother need cry herself to sleep with hopeless tears when God gives her scriptures to address every single thing that assaults her household. God’s daughter is meant to walk the house and pray scripture out loud. She does it in the morning. She does it again at night. Her faith is revived as she speaks God’s promises. They are the battle cry that declares war on God’s adversary.

What happens when the enemy hears her scriptural pronouncements and when God’s Word assaults his ears? His schemes are threatened. He is reminded of his limits and flees. Know this ~ he will try to re-group, only to be met again with the the child of God who knows that the secret is persevering. Let that be you. Have a word ready for his next act of aggression.

Is everything you’ve read merely my attempt to give a good sounding pep talk? No. I’ve lived long enough to have experienced life falling apart on many fronts and, oftentimes, it happened all at once. There were periods when I capitulated to a serious depression. But somewhere in the night, there was an infusion of faith and God tutored this child to learn strategy and warfare. The turnaround didn’t happen all at once. His Word drove out the despair like the slow drip of a life-giving IV and it revived me. What I thought I needed to tolerate became history. God’s glory came to rest but not without my full engagement and cooperative effort. There’s a reason scripture trembles in my hands. It’s wonder – not fear. Let me pass along my well-founded confidence to you. It is a gift from someone who once lived in the pit of nothingness.

I’m praying for the one whose hands are limp and whose tongue is silent. Nudge her to pick up her sword. Help her conceive a strategic plan to take back what the enemy has plundered. Lead her to scriptures for every area of defeat. Give her a voice to speak them out loud. Let the enemy know that You are raising up a standard against him with a resurrected daughter. In Jesus name, Amen

Will It Be You?

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Last night was the night for dreams.  This was one of them.

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There was a gathering at church.  There were a few who believed that God was going to do something powerful in the meeting.  They saw hints of glory, the stirrings of something holy, but their expectations were dormant so nothing ever manifested.  People mingled normally, hugged each other and said how long it had been since they’d seen one another and before long, the scheduled time for the meeting to end was upon them.  For the few who had hoped for God’s presence, it felt like the time had been a waste.  People had gotten dressed up, came a distance, spent the time, made refreshments, brought gifts to one another, but if the point was meeting together with God’s Spirit, the time proved empty.  The people were so used to a dry outcome that the majority didn’t even register disappointment.

The emcee looked around for someone to close in prayer.  Then it happened.  A servant, with a heart alive to God, opened her mouth with an imploring, passionate plea for the Spirit of God to touch people’s hearts.  Need after need was verbalized and the possibilities of what would happen if God came to breathe on each one was born.  The desperation for such a move of God was acknowledged.  The desire for a miraculous outcome was painted with words and then time stood still as the Spirit of God began to stir the hearts of God’s people.  The tease of heaven entered the room.  Normal disappeared.  Extraordinary came into view and no one knew where God would take them.

How many meet together without an expectation of glory?  How many know, and quote, the verse of God being in the midst of two or three but rarely anticipate anything out of the ordinary?  How many have stopped hoping to see God?  How many have never felt Him, or heard Him, nor seen what happens when His Spirit takes over the room?

Someone needs to step up to pray; some dreamer who is in touch with heaven’s possibilities, some quiet saint who knows God and what He can do, some experienced child of God who understands people and sees their desperate need and steps forth to set the stage in prayer.   Fresh fire needs to fall.  Who will rise up to shatter the form of godliness  with petitions for the real thing?

As I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell on them just as on us at the beginning.  Acts 11:15