Articles by Kathy Bailey at Heartlight

Let's Not Be Deceived!

zoeboboey@rocketmail.com (Kathy Bailey) — Tue, 20 Mar 2007 00:00:00 -0500

What is the best way to tell a lie? When I was a kid, for example, I would sometimes tell Mom or Dad that I was staying with Mandy overnight. Then, when I was out, Mandy would call and ask for me. Whoops! No wonder my parents had "eyes in the back of their heads"! I was a bad liar! Had I actually been hanging out with Mandy, my parents might not have found out I was trying to deceive them!

The greatest strategy in deceit is knowing this: The closer the lie is to the truth, the less chance there is of being caught. The devil knows this. He will present you with enough truth that you will believe him. Jesus said, "For many will come in My name, saying, 'I am He,' and will deceive many" (Matthew 13:6 NKJV).

How many of us believe that we will be one of the "many" who are deceived?

I suspect that most of us here think, "Oh, not ME! I would know Jesus if I saw Him! I would know a lie if I heard it!" However, the Bible says that the devil will slip in under our radar. He's very, very good at pulling the wool over the eyes of God's sheep -- pun intended.

The devil is ALREADY making us numb to the truth. Without knowing it, we're gradually cooperating with him or refusing to deal with sin, even in our own homes. We are numb to TV, numb to the influences that are destroying our children, and often numb to the sin that we rationalize in ourselves.

Our children watch their peers or whatever is on TV -- as we watch with them watching TV -- and they think about what they are missing. They desire the freedoms and the things they see presented to them by many of the most creative minds in our culture. Satan tells them these things are good, pleasurable, and many others are enjoying them. The world tells them that their parents are square, stuffy, mean, hypocritical, and bigoted.

Do our kids see us avoiding the seductive and the worldly? Or do they see us skirting along the edges. If they don't see us actively guarding ourselves, they are taught by our behavior that honoring our faith is not that important.

Jesus answered Satan with the following when being tempted:
"It is written, 'Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God'" (Matthew 4:4). When He was tempted by the devil, what did the Lord use as an effective tool against the temptations of the devil? The written Word of God. Where are these words written? They are found in the Bible that often sits on our coffee table or in its protective case, often unopened and unexamined. We would be better armed to have it in our hands.

The Bible is alive! Knowledge of God is within its pages. It is a true love-letter to each of us. As we read and study, we should be praying for discernment and be determined that what we read determines how we think, act, and speak. This way, when the devil tempts us, then we will be able to respond the way that Jesus did, using the Scriptures. The apostle Paul reminded Timothy of the importance of Scripture when he wrote the following to him:

"All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work" (2 Timothy 3:16-17).

Let's not be deceived by the evil one. We know his purposes, but we know Jesus' purposes for us even more!

"The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly" (John 10:10 NKJV).

Failure Notice

zoeboboey@rocketmail.com (Kathy Bailey) — Sat, 18 Mar 2006 00:00:00 -0600

Ever get something like this in your email?

"Hi. This is the qmail-send program at fluffystuffyworld.com. I'm afraid I wasn't able to deliver your message to the following address:
Sorry, I couldn't find any host named whatdoyouthinkyouaredoing.com. This is a permanent error; I've given up. Sorry it didn't work out. Here's your original message back."

So what happens to the messages we send into cyberspace that can't find an address home? We get a "failure notice" that says it can't find any host named thus and such. THEN what happens? We get our message BACK! Boy, talk about rejection, our message isn't even good enough to get lost in cyberspace!

What if we got this kind of response when we prayed? "Failure Notice. I can't find God, sorry. We have given up. Here's your prayer back!"

Thankfully, that doesn't happen with prayer. When we speak in prayer to God, our prayer-mail "server" is JESUS! He is at God's right hand serving as our helper. (1 John 2:1-2) We will NEVER get a Failure Notice from Him! He is our direct link to God, and GOD HEARS all of our requests. We are promised that because Jesus is at the Father's side, we will be heard and "we can feel free to come before God's throne where there is grace (forgiveness). There we receive mercy and kindness to help us when we need it." (Hebrews 4:16 ERV)

Said the Spider to the Fly

zoeboboey@rocketmail.com (Kathy Bailey) — Thu, 19 Aug 2004 00:00:00 -0500

There is so much difference between a walk early in the morning and a walk at dusk. There is a quality to the air where even the noise of cars going by is muted. This morning as I crossed the bridge on my daily walk, I was amazed at how much more noticeable the things of nature were. Cares of the day had not yet set in. There was no need to hurry. Thickets of wildflowers lined the near banks of the river, and I wondered how God could have known what colors to use to delight my eye.

Looking up the river, I marveled at how the water could be so still, belying the fact that there was abundant life underneath its glassy surface. The river stretched to the horizon ahead of my gaze, lined by deep green trees on either side of it.

The bridge, with its metal guardrails seemed ordinary enough, but a glint reflecting the morning sun caught my attention. As I looked closer I could see a phenomenon almost as old as time.

Between each rail was an ornate spider web, each one easily ten inches around, the beautiful pattern repeating itself in concentric circles. Move a slight bit forward and the web was invisible. Move back, and I could see this marvel. I was reminded of Charlotte's web, a book that had been read aloud to me when I was a child.

I walked slowly past each spider web, making a cursory glance at some, stopping at others to admire them closely. It was as if I were viewing an art show. I wondered at how much smaller a spider's brain must be from my own, yet there was no possible way I could duplicate its talents. Some of these webs held a snack to be saved for later; most were in good repair. One spider wrapped its prey as I watched.

Some scientists say that a single strand of spider silk, as thick as a pencil, could stop a 747 jet in flight. A famous warrior, Gingis Kahn, used armor said to be woven out of spider silk. It is said that spider silk is the strongest and most elastic material on Earth. It was not hard for me to compare these innocent looking snares to the web of deceit woven by our foe, Satan. Strong threads -- fragile silk, stretching like the sinuous grasp of a python -- only broken by God and His Word.

Webs are sticky on part of the snare and silky smooth on other parts. Insects climb onto the web and find that this high wire act is safe. They become complacent. Ah, but one step further, and these insects are goners. In fact, when they struggle, they only become more deeply ensnared.

Isn't Satan a lot like that?
Doesn't he catch us unawares, when we tiptoe around the edges of his web?
Many of us fail to see him coming; then, a paralyzing bite, a quick spin of the silk, and we are left waiting to die, now comprehending our folly.

A sure sign that we are treading in dangerous territory is when we venture out alone. Maybe we remove ourselves from the family of believers. Maybe we shirk the fellowship by showing up at worship less and less often. Maybe we are involved in conflict between members. Maybe we are wandering onto the edges of sin. Maybe we rely on our own memory of scripture, instead of reading the Bible. Yet we know that each time we read, the Scripture is broken open for us, sometimes in a way that we had never understood it. We may say "This is not so bad, it's not a real sin, I can pull myself back in time." We forget to lift each other up. We forget to notice our brother's hard work. We forget to tell people what they are doing right.

Satan loves it when we go it alone. He loves when we become separated by misunderstanding. He loves when we hate the sin and the sinner. He loves when we deny that we still sin. He rubs his hands together with glee, wraps the silk around us a little more tightly, and watches us squirm.

And what is most important? What is the thing we must agree upon, wholly and completely?

We agree that Jesus died for us on that cross, for the big and little sins we all have, will have, and ever have had. Is God finished with us? Have we arrived? We know we have not; and if we DON'T know this, we are placing one more foot on the edge of Satan's web.

No wonder the apostle Paul told us, Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. (Ephesians 6:11) No wonder he talked about his evil and deceptive schemes. (2 Corinthians 2:11; 1 Timothy 4:1)

When some of us fall away, members of a community must be willing to help that person, and accept them as a member of the family that is just "away." If we see error, we must gently rebuke them. If they feel unloved, we must remind them of God's love, and our love, for them.

In my depression, I had stopped going to church. My minister met with me and listened much. He always had the right Scripture to call to my attention. He did not lean upon his own understanding, but called upon the Word to enable my healing. He answered my desperate emails, even though often I was despairing of the same old things.

One member continued to call me and encourage me to attend our "small group" sessions, and listened to my woes. She prayed for me and let me know that I could come anytime I was ready.

I also received almost weekly emails from another church member who once said, "I know of a really good church, out on 302, next to the drive in. You are most welcome there." And of course, that was my church. He also would use Scripture, and it was apparent, even in my debilitated state, that God was working through the Word and through him. This man continued to consider me a member, no matter how far down the road I might have gone. They sought to reclaim me as an away family member who needed help to come home.

Ah, we would do well to admire God's intricate handiwork. The water, the trees, and the wildflowers all remind us of the Father's love. Even the quiet deception of the spider's web reminds us of the love the Father has for His most troublesome creation ... his human children.

God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble. Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts ... (James 4:6-8)

Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened. (Matthew 7:7-8)

Take Notice of Grace

zoeboboey@rocketmail.com (Kathy Bailey) — Sun, 01 Aug 2004 00:00:00 -0500

Have you ever noticed that ...

the more cat litter you put in the box, the more frequently it has to be changed?
small creatures like spiders are more menacing than big creatures?
flowers go to sleep at night, waking sturdy and bright the next day?
the more money you make, the more you need more?
the minute you get on the phone, the baby wakes up?

We take notice of things all the time. And sometimes, what we notice isn't all that great. Our spouse doesn't love us the way he should. The boss is piling on too much work. The new choral director has no taste in music. The government is a mess. NOTHING is working as it should!

Sometimes instead of minor irritants we can have major difficulties. The director's taste in music isn't an issue, our survival is. The spouse isn't irritating, he's leaving. We've been laid off. Our adult child isn't speaking to us, and we don't know why. Or maybe Mom has moved in and requires a lot of care.

Eventually, these good hard knocks "upside the head" can lead to bitterness, depression, anxiety. Maybe we are entrenched in substance abuse, or we are feeling just plain hopeless. Life is too hard, and we can't go on for another minute.

Well, God notices things too:

And the sons of Israel sighed because of the bondage, and they cried out; and their cry for help because of their bondage rose up to God. So God heard their groaning; and God remembered His covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. God saw the sons of Israel, and God took notice of them. (Exodus 2:24-25)

In the same way, when we are in dire straits and reach out to Him, God notices. He hears the wordless cries of our souls. At times we cannot pray; God hears our unspoken need. Even the small things that knock us down like ocean waves are not too small for Him. What a marvelous thing, when there are greater tragedies in the world than our own.

To top it all off, He promises that one day, "He will wipe away every tear from our eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away." (Revelation 21:4)

We can never take this for granted. We notice our blessings, but when the crisis is over, we may think we effected the change. It was our perseverance, our ability. It was the fact that we prayed so hard. Or maybe we used those communication skills from that expensive two-day conference, and POOF! Problem solved! We did it! Horaaaay!

Well, yeah, it's good to recognize our assets and how changed we are, but we must give credit where credit is due! We must notice, no, we must take a good hard look at the fact that it is grace that set us free from our despair.

So yes, Lord, we praise and thank You for our deliverance from whatever bondage we were in.

Being thankful to God, that is a wonderful thing. But, gratitude is SHOWING our thankfulness to God. God gave us the desire to serve and God gave us the strength and ability to do so.

Who knows? We may be God's vehicle to answer someone's prayer! Why? Because you have a gift that you didn't have before. You have experienced the grace and power of the Lord in relieving your distress. And the next time you see your friend, that someone whose prayer you help answer, you may have the words that she needs to hear.

Oh, but speaking of "next," I notice that the next thing on MY list is to change that litter box I mentioned! As Wilfred Brimley would say, "It's the right thing to do." When the cats look at me strangely, it's a sure sign that it's due.

I do wish that those cats would show THEIR gratitude and quit kicking litter onto the floor! Maybe I should put up a notice.

[Jesus said] "Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened."
(Matthew 7:7-8 NIV)

Unforgiveness

zoeboboey@rocketmail.com (Kathy Bailey) — Thu, 01 Apr 2004 00:00:00 -0600

Jesus said, "Father, forgive these people, because they don't know what they are doing." And the soldiers gambled for his clothes by throwing dice. (Luke 23:34)

Many of us have hurtful relationships from which we are unable to escape. Though the person may have technically left our lives, are they really gone? Not if we still carry unforgiveness, anger, and even hatred in our hearts.

Whose job is it to judge? Is it ours? We sometimes ACT like it is!
Ever have this conversation in your head? "If he would only ... " "If she would just ... " or "(Expletive deleted) "That stupid (*&^%$) (*%$@#)!!!"

That, dear Reader, is resentment and judgement at its finest. Sometimes, we even augment our criticisms with our actions, or by poisoning anyone close enough to hear, especially children, against another person.

Oh, so they deserve our wrath? My, my. Guess you will have to pray for that person all the harder.

Yeah, you heard me right. That pain in your stomach, those migraines, the barely contained urge to cave in someone's head, THAT is unforgiveness. And the remedy of course is prayer.

One way to relieve oneself from wrath (churning, churning) IS to pray for the person who is renting space in your head. Not saying it's easy, you may have to do it with your teeth gritted at first, but you cannot simultaneously pray and hold a grievance.

More importantly, forgiveness is not something you can just "say" and have done with. Nor can you just "decide" to forgive -- otherwise, many of us would be "tra-la-la-ing" about our daily lives with nary a care. Nope! "Ya gotta wanna" if you are going to forgive when it's hard.

In my case, my un-forgiving, self-righteous attitude, and yes, judgement of others, especially people I believed had harmed me, began to grow like a cancer for which there is no chemotherapy. But I discovered that there WAS something I could do, and I discovered it quite by accident. I had tried the other methods -- the "deciding" and the "I swear to ..." They were good for a couple of hours, but not for the long haul.

Then finally one day, I realized that this unforgiveness was something that was eating me alive. Not the other person; they were totally oblivious to the fact that I mentally murdered them or assassinated their character.

So in despair one day I cried out to my Lord: "Help me Jesus! Free me from this. I am so sorry! Please Lord, I want so much to please you, to do the right thing, and this poison I am holding inside is KILLING me. HELP me Lord! YOU forgave ME, help me to forgive others!"

I cried. I begged. I spoke aloud. I prayed, "Lord, let those people have peace, love, and understanding. Let them have what I so desire, but PLEASE FREE ME from the prison of my unforgiveness!"

Then came the peace ... slowly ... and the knowledge ... surely, that God had heard, and was doing a work in me. It didn't come overnight. But, I continued to pray for those whom I perceived had harmed me, to ask everyday to forgive them, and to thank Him for forgiving me.

And after that?

Why, what could be more "one with our Creator" than to have a truly, inside and out, clean heart? And as an added bonus, we get some of what we'd prayed for our antagonists brought into our lives -- love, life, understanding, peace!

Might we also more likely have time and energy to do those things we've been putting off when we give up this unforgiveness burden? Things like ... improving ourselves, going back to school, going to church, spending time with our kids, walking the dog a little further?

Wouldn't we quit having an excuse for our behavior, and thus feel better about ourselves?

Wouldn't we have more to give to others?

Wouldn't we be more desirable without that nasty look on our face, with a lighter heart, and with more room in that heart to really have relationships, instead of hostages trapped by resentments that come out of us sideways.

There IS that nasty "plank/speck" story in the Bible, about not pointing out the speck in another's eye, when we have a giant plank in our own. You see, Jesus is serious about unforgiveness!

Unforgiveness hurts; it hurts us more than "them." Wouldn't it be nice not to carry the burden of anger, hurt, and guilt?

Ask God to intervene. Forgiveness is a job too big for a mere mortal, but one in which God specializes. Is He not the One who gave us forgiveness, in the flesh? What could be more fitting than to ask that He help us forgive others?

Your ulcer, your high blood pressure, your depression, and those loved ones around you will thank you. And, you will be more like your Lord!

Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander, as well as all types of malicious behavior. Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you. (Ephesians 4:31-32)

Where I Am Going

zoeboboey@rocketmail.com (Kathy Bailey) — Fri, 12 Dec 2003 00:00:00 -0600

Tonight, I was on Classmates.com editing my photo album when I came across a picture I took of a plaque. The plaque depicts John 3:16 "God so loved the World that He gave His only Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal Life."

Jesus' death on the Cross changed everything for me. You see, I have depression, anxiety, and bipolar disease. Since my original diagnosis in 1985, I have gradually gotten better. My episodes don't last as long or get as bad.

This year (October 2003), however, I had to leave work for a while because of my challenges. It was taking longer for me to get back to where I wanted to be and things were worse than they had been in a long while. I had to have a brain scan due to some physical symptoms. The scan indicated I was having seizures and perhaps even a brain tumor. I was then sent for an MRI. The results are not back, but I can't help but think, "Is this it?"

However, I am not devastated. For one thing, I have asked numerous people to pray for me. Some of these folks I hardly know, but met on the web. My church, my personal friends, and my family are all praying for me.

I still have difficulties. So the prayer isn't working, right?

No, not right!

The focus of prayer is not that Jesus will take away all troubles, but that He will give me what I need in order to deal with my difficulties. He has sent many blessings my way -- like friends who show up at just the right time, guidance to those who care for me, and strength for me so that I know I am in His hands and that I don't need to be afraid. "I CAN do all things through Christ who strengthens me," including facing the prospect of dying, because I know He is there to help me.

It is not so much the intensity of what I am facing that makes things tough for me -- a hangnail can devastate me on some days when I go it alone. Other times, I can have an inability to work, suffer from a lack of funds, battle emotional insecurity, and wrestle with a lack of knowledge about the outcome of my diagnosis, yet be stilled by the presence of Jesus in me and know that all is well. It is called grace. Grace says, "Yeah, it's hard, but it could be worse. Grace says, "You are not alone." Grace says, "What can I do to help YOU?"

I would be so happy with this gift alone. What a great and awesome gift. But, Jesus didn't stop there. He didn't say, "OK, that's all you get." He gave me His life -- His whole entire life. He gave me the 50 or more years He would have had left to live -- He gave those years up for me.

Can you even begin to think that you could do the same for all kinds of people, knowing that most of them would not receive your gift? Could you die a death of torture? Could you leave your beautiful mother and your dad? Could you let go of the possibility of having children? Could you do it? Could you ... for folks who don't deserve it?

Jesus' sacrifice sure wasn't something that I deserved. He did all this for me because I did NOT deserve it. I had done little to help God's kingdom. I was certainly no angel. It doesn't matter that I wasn't horrible-horrible. I had sinned and He didn't deserve to die for that ... for me.

But, He did. That is why I'm not too afraid of what the doctor will say. I have lived a great life. The last 45 years have just been phenomenal. I have a beautiful 16-year-old son. I have the Lord. I have his grace. I have His promise to go through this with me. I have His example. I have His future.

So if it has to be, and it may, I have to tell you that I am not afraid. I know where I am going.

Will you come with me too?

Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits at God's right hand in the place of honor and power. Let heaven fill your thoughts. Do not think only about things down here on earth. For you died when Christ died, and your real life is hidden with Christ in God. And when Christ, who is your real life, is revealed to the whole world, you will share in all his glory. (Colossians 3:1-4)

Dry Spells

zoeboboey@rocketmail.com (Kathy Bailey) — Tue, 14 Oct 2003 00:00:00 -0500

There are times when we find ourselves in a spiritual "dry" spell. No rhyme or reason to it, just something that happens to us all. Some of us call it "depression," others of us just are tired and uninspired.

Sometimes it is like slogging alone through the desert under a hot sun, nothing to drink or eat, not even knowing at times what it is we need. We just know that we need SOMEthing.

Sometimes in those times we forget to pray, or we are too discouraged to pray, but TAKE HEART! The desert experience is actually a POSITIVE thing!

When I am in the desert, feeling spiritually dead, God is watching over me EVEN MORE:
Deuteronomy 32:10 -- "He found him in a desert land, And in the howling waste of a wilderness; He encircled him, He cared for him, He guarded him as the pupil of His eye.

When I am in that "desert place" and nearly defenseless, God is protecting me, ready to do battle with anyone or anything that may do me harm.
Joshua 8:14 -- It came about when the king of Ai saw it, that the men of the city hurried and rose up early and went out to meet Israel in battle, he and all his people at the appointed place before the desert plain. But he did not know that {there was} an ambush against him behind the city.

The Devil is at the ready when I hit these times in my life; I need to be extra vigilant and keep God close at hand, using the tools He has given me, such as the Bible, close friends, worship, and prayer.
Luke 4:1-2 -- Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led around by the Spirit in the wilderness for forty days, being tempted by the devil. And He ate nothing during those days, and when they had ended, He became hungry.

We are to prepare a way for God to pass through our desert, which we can do by "making smooth". We do this by resting in Him, by knowing that God is in control and has our best interests at heart. We can also "make smooth" by remedying any wrongs that we may have done, through confession or by making amends.
Isaiah 40:3 -- A voice is calling, "Clear the way for the LORD in the wilderness; Make smooth in the desert a highway for our God.

With God, all will be made new, alive, fresh as the morning. In other words, tremendous spiritual growth can happen in the midst of our dry desert. I have found this to be especially true for me.
Isaiah 43:19 -- "Behold, I will do something new, Now it will spring forth; Will you not be aware of it? I will even make a roadway in the wilderness, Rivers in the desert.

We can look forward to a period of richness and EXTREME joy if we rest in the knowledge that "this too shall pass". God is with us.
Isaiah 51:3 -- Indeed, the LORD will comfort Zion; He will comfort all her waste places. And her wilderness He will make like Eden, And her desert like the garden of the LORD; Joy and gladness will be found in her, Thanksgiving and sound of a melody.

So there you have it. We can praise God in our "desert storms"! We are not alone, we are protected, we are vigilant, we prepare, we are be reborn, and we REJOICE!

And when others wonder about the sparkle in our eyes and the spring in our step, we are more than happy to give God the glory!

But sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence. (1 Peter 3:15)