A winter storm...and life in a pit...

Oh yes, people...a winter storm...not my cup of tea...about 25 cm. of snow expected...about 4 hours of shovelling for my hubby and son...and about 24 hours of "what on earth am I doing in this country?!" from me. Just came back from Christmas concert practice with my younger son. Guess when the concert is? Yep, you guessed it!..right after the storm is ending...tomorrow evening...OK...I have lots of praying and imploring to do about grace....but by the way...the rest of my family have healthier perspectives..did I forget to tell you that I was not altogether sane? OK, so you know now.

And what do you know, I've started to read Beth Moore's book, Get Out Of That Pit. That title caught my attention, because I got a similar message about 2 years ago, "Get out of that pig-pen!" I've decided to give you my highlights as I go along. Beth's thoughts are in bold, while my two-cents are not...As you read, consider, what pit are you in?

Chapter 1:
--(in reference to Paul's being content in all circumstances) are you supposed to be content in a pit? (NO WAY!!!)
--How do you know you're in a pit?
-----Isaiah 42:22-You feel stuck. You feel trapped. (Yup, been there, done that--actually feel that in some aspects.)
-----Psalm 69:2-You can't stand up. It is time to realize that Satan is systematically trying to destroy you and wants to make you feel helpless (unable to stand up and against) his attacks. (I can look back on my life and actually see a clear message or rather LIE Satan has used people to define me: you are irrelevant; what you do has no eternal value; you don't matter to God. The message comes in different forms, but goes to the core of my existence and belief about God. That is why God has been teaching me to distinguish Satan's lies from His Truth by listening to His voice alone. It is a lengthy lesson and I am an obtuse learner.)
-----You've lost vision. Pits are places of darkness. We become self-absorbed because we can't see beyond our pit. "Nearsightedness breeds hopelessness. We feel too buried in our present state to feel passionate about a promised future." (That statement really struck home because sadly it is a state that I am intimately familiar with. God is working on this presently.) In Ephesians 1:18, (Amplified version) Paul prays about "having the eyes of your heart flooded with light". This is my prayer for myself and for you too.

(The next chapter deals with being thrown by someone else into the pit. Next post.)

Pray with me:
Father, we need You to lift us up and out of the miry pit. We need Your Light and fresh breath of Truth to flood our hearts. We need Your help to withstand and aggressively stand up and against the attacks of Satan to keep us trapped. Please put our feet on the Rock and give us a firm place to stand. We need You, Father. We stretch our hands to You. Our help comes from the Lord who made heaven and earth. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

Scripture:Psalm 40:1-3 (The Holy Bible, NIV version)

I waited patiently for the Lord;

He turned to me and heard my cry .

He lifted me out of the slimy pit,

out of the mud and the mire;

He set my feet on a rock

and gave me a firm place to stand.

He put a new song in my mouth,

a hymn of praise to our God.

Many will see and fear

and put their trust in the Lord.