Bigger Than a King-Size Bed!

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In Deuteronomy 3, we read about the Israelites (God’s chosen people) destroying those who stood in their way and wouldn’t let them pass on to the land God had promised them.

King Og of Bashan was an evil man. God empowered the Israelites to destroy Og and his entire city. After the destruction, check out what the next Scripture says:

“Incidentally, King Og of Bashan was the last of the giant Rephaim. His iron bedstead is kept in a museum at Rabbah, one of the cities of the Ammonites, and measures thirteen and a half feet long by six feet wide” (Deuteronomy 3:11 TLB).

WOW!
That’s one big bed.
That’s way bigger than a king-sized bed.
Even bigger than a California King-sized bed.

King Og was one of the giants in the land (remember Goliath?).
OK, but why does the Bible record the details of his bed?

It’s like saying, “The Americans won WWII, and Hitler drove a BMW.”

Don’t you think it’s odd that we get such details about something so specific as his bed?

Is it important to know how big his bed is?
No.
Do we even care about the bed this guy slept in?
No.
So why is it recorded?

We won’t know for sure until we get to heaven and can ask God,
but I want to make a suggestion.

God was empowering His people to annihilate everything that kept them from becoming all He wanted them to be.

Could it be that God is telling us that no matter how expensive our car is . . .
OR
how nice our house is . . .
OR
how big our flat screen is . . .
if it prevents us from becoming fully obedient to Him—
annihilate it.

Father, I love the THINGS in my home:
my Coca-Cola collection,
my library,
my fun shoes,
my recliners . . .
But if they keep me from intimacy with You—
if they hold me back from being completely obedient to Your will . . .
give me the power to annihilate.
Smash.
Destroy.
Get rid of.

I want to be full of YOU, Father.
So help me to listen carefully and attentively to Your voice.
And help me to obey You in every area of my life.

 

Anything you need to destroy?

What Does Genuine Praise Sound Like?

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Have you ever thought about what it means to praise God?
Psalm 96 tells us that someday
the seas will demonstrate His glory,
the earth will rejoice,
and the fields will display His greatness.

Let that soak into your brain for a second.
How will the seas demonstrate His glory?
Will trillions of waves simply stand on top of the ocean’s surface
and begin singing?

Or will the plant life and mountains from the very bottom of the sea rise to the top and begin shouting glory?

Will coral hum a praise tune?

Try to imagine how the very earth will rejoice.
Will trees do hip-hop?
Can you see a hill starting the wave?
Maybe every blade of grass will boogie down to some rock and roll! Or the leaves will sing in harmony.
Every grain of sand on the earth may belt out a brand-new praise song to the Creator.

And what about the animals?
They’re part of God’s creation.
You know they’re going to be in on the action.
I can’t wait to heart it!

Hippos, hyenas, hamsters, hawks, hedgehogs, hummingbirds, and horses may have their own “H Choir.”

And I can just hear the cats, chipmunks, cows, canaries, camels, chickens, cheetahs, crocodiles, caribou, chimpanzees, cobras, candors, crows, cranes, and even cockroaches trying to outdo them!

How do you personally praise your heavenly Father?
I’m not talking about being in church and just singing what’s on the screen because that’s what everyone else is doing.
I’m talking about personal praise that comes straight from your heart. It may be through singing or listening to praise music.
Though that’s what usually comes to mind when we think of praise, there are other ways in which you can praise your Father.

Try praising Him by kneeling the next time you pray.
This is an act of humility and reverence.
It shows that you revere Him as your absolute authority.

You can also praise Him vocally.
When you’re having your quiet time with God, interrupt the quiet by saying “Hallelujah” loudly, or “I praise You, Lord!”

Another way you can praise God is by lifting your hands.
This shows you’re sending the praise in His direction.
You’re pointing toward the heavens.
You’re raising your hands in gratitude.

 

Try thanking God in prayer.
This blesses Him. Yes, you can actually bless the Lord.
In fact, it’s scriptural! The proof is found in Psalm 103:1:
“Bless the Lord, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name” (KJV).

We can only imagine what it will sound like someday to hear turtles, wildflowers, and caves praising our God.

I can’t wait to hear the melody of the stars singing in unison.
Maybe the little ants will be singing soprano,
and the queen bees will be singing bass.

But we don’t have to imagine what it’s like for us.
We have the privilege of praising God right here, right now.
Let’s do it!

“All the earth worships you and sings praises to you; they sing praises to your name” (Psalm 66:4 ESV).

How do you most often express your praise to God?

Get Away!

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Every now and then we all need a break.
Even Jesus made time to get alone.
He loved to receive strength and renewal from His Father.

If you’d like to really get away . . . like all the way to the Caribbean . . .
seriously consider joining me on the cruise I’ve put together through
Susie Shellenberger Ministries.

The dates?
May 28 to June 4.
We’re going to Grand Cayman, Cozumel and Montego Bay.

If you want to swim with dolphins,
enjoy some inspired speaking,
great Bible study,
lots of laughter,
the best food you can imagine,
wonderful music
and spiritual growth—
then come!

The cheapest room is $836 for two people—each person paying $836.
It’s a seven-day cruise departing from Galveston, TX.

If you’d like me to mail you the complete informational brochure,
send me an email and include your mailing address.

susieshell@comcast.net

Time is almost up!
Because we’ll be departing May 28, the complete price has to be paid in March. Yes, you still have time—but not much.

So act quickly.

Anchors away for an amazing spiritual retreat on the water!

What’s YOUR favorite way to retreat and renew?

Forgiveness

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I’ve been reading the Old Testament book of Job this week.
Are you familiar with this true story?
Good man goes through horrific times.
His 10 children die, his ranch full of animals die.
His wife suggests he turn his back on God.
His three best friends tell him the reason he’s experiencing such horrific physical and emotional pain is because of his sin.

But Job is a godly man.
He has been obedient to God.
And he’s not bitter. But he IS confused.
He can’t understand why he’s experiencing such pain.
Still . . . he remains faithful to God.

The bulk of his story are his three best friends belittling him for days and trying to persuade him to admit that he’s done something wrong.

Friends?

I don’t know where the saying “If you can’t say something nice, don’t say anything at all” came from . . . but it could have birthed itself here. Wouldn’t it have been great if his friends would have simply sat with him? Put their arms around him? Prayed for him?

Check out what’s said in the last chapter of Job’s book:

“After Job had prayed for his friends, the Lord made him prosperous again and gave him twice as much as he had before” (Job 42:10 NIV).

Did you catch the key?
After Job had prayed for his friends.
He forgave them, and he prayed for them!
We can’t imagine the emotional pain his “friends” dumped on him.
But Job forgave, AND he prayed.

Wow.
I want to be the kind of friend . . . the kind of disciple . . .
who will forgive those who hurt me—
and even pray for them.

Maybe that’s the key to God’s blessing of peace.
And contentment.
And deep joy.

Why not go to YouTube and listen to Matthew West’s song “Forgiveness.”

If you haven’t heard it yet, I’ll give you a sneak preview of the beginning:

 

It’s the hardest thing to give away
And the last thing on your mind today
It always goes to those that don’t deserve

It’s the opposite of how you feel
When the pain they caused is just too real
It takes everything you have just to say the word…

Forgiveness
Forgiveness

 

 

Is there someone you need to forgive?
Go ahead.
It takes too much energy to hold a grudge.
Enjoy God’s deep settled peace by forgiving!

Hero

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We tend to label someone a hero who does something specific to help another in a world-changing way. But even these acts are only temporal. The heroism makes someone’s life better today, but not eternally.

The greatest heroes are people whom God uses to changes lives forever—people He uses as instruments to bring others into His kingdom. And we also know that God specializes in using unlikely heroes—people we wouldn’t ordinarily select.

I think of 11 disciples, ordinary men who were used in extraordinary ways to usher in the church and to spread the gospel throughout the known world.

And I think of a man we don’t have a lot of information on. His name is Enoch. We find him listed in the “Hall of Faith Heroes” in Hebrews 11:5-6:

“By faith Enoch was taken up so that he should not see death, and he was not found, because God had taken him. Now before he was taken he was commended as having pleased God. And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him” (ESV).

The only other time we read about Enoch is in Genesis chapter 5. In Genesis 5:21, we discover that he was the father of Methuselah (the man who lived longer than anyone else—969 years). And though we don’t have much history on Enoch, we know that Scripture describes him as a man “who walked with God.”

What a description!

Wouldn’t you love for people to think of you that way?

How wonderful it would be if above all your accomplishments, your family, your career, your personality, the thing that stands out most is that you walk with God!

“Enoch walked with God; then he was no more, because God took him away” (Genesis 5:24 NIV).

Enoch never died. He walked so closely with God, that he simply walked right into heaven!

Enoch was definitely God’s friend. Wherever Enoch walked, God was there. If we desire it, plan for it and ask for it, God will be constantly in our company as well.

Ask God to deepen your walk with Him in 2016. Tell Him that you want Him to do more IN you and THROUGH you this year than ever before. Determine to walk so closely with God that you see Him in your actions, thoughts, dreams, plans, hobbies and activities.

Make this the year that you live in His presence 24/7 . . . 365.

Strange

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Imagine: A young lady becomes engaged to the love of her life. She spends several days searching for the perfect wedding dress. Hours are spent trying on dress after dress. She finally discovers the one-in-a-million dress that seems to be made just for her.

She marks the days off on the calendar; it seems her wedding can’t come fast enough. Soon the big day has arrived. Her hair is styled perfectly. The pedicure and manicure have been completed. She pulls on an old pair of jeans and grabs the sweatshirt she wore to breakfast that morning (with pancake syrup on it) and walks down the aisle to be pronounced her husband’s wife.

Something’s missing, right?

The wedding dress!

As weird as that would be, God hints that forgetting to spend time with Him every day is even stranger than a bride who would forget her wedding dress. Check this out: “Does a young woman forget her jewelry, or a bride her wedding dress? Yet for years on end my people have forgotten me” (Jeremiah 2:32 NLT).

We often make excuses about not spending time reading the Bible each day:

“I don’t need to actually read anything; I’ll just chat with the Big Guy.”

“I have too many other things to get done today. If I stop and make time to read the Bible, I may not have time for my friends.”

“Ahhh, God knows I love Him. I don’t think I really need to spend time with Him to prove it.”

Yet we’d go nuts if God ever used one of those excuses on us, wouldn’t we? Imagine asking God for help and getting one of these responses:

“Seriously? I have people praying from a war zone right now!”

“It takes a lot of strength to be attentive to bazillions of prayers around the world. I just need to take a quick nap.”

“Get in line. Others were praying before you bothered to send me yours.”

Aren’t you glad that when we call on our heavenly Father, He’s always there? And He’s always ready to meet our needs, hold us in His lap, and listen to everything we say.

What’s the most recent excuse you’ve given for not meeting with God? With His help, you can determine to make your daily quiet time with Him part of your lifestyle. Will you do it?

As we continue into 2016, commit to spend time with your heavenly Father every single day.

 

Try memorizing this:

“I love those who love me, and those who seek me diligently find me” (Proverbs 8:17 ESV).

MARY Christmas (Part 3)

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(Part 3)

 

I hope you’re having an amazing Christmas today celebrating our Savior’s birth.
To think that the King of kings
chose to leave the perfection of a grandiose kingdom
and invade our sinful world with love
and a plan for redemption is mind-boggling.

I’m still thinking about Mary and want to pass on some lessons
I’m learning that I hope will challenge you today:

• Mary allowed God to make good things from her mistakes.
Twelve years after Christ was born, Mary lost Him!
She and Joseph thought Jesus was somewhere in the caravan of family and friends they were traveling with, but she soon discovered He was missing. Yet Jesus was exactly where He was supposed to be—at the temple. Mary maintained a teachable spirit and learned more about her Son from this incident.

Will you, too, have a teachable spirit?
I’m guessing this has to be one of the most important things to God. Obedience and a teachable spirit.

• Mary pondered things and kept them in her heart.
What’s inside YOUR heart?
Will you determine to make time to ponder some stuff this Christmas?

Instead of doing all the talking, consider being quiet for a while.
Think about Christ’s birth and all that it means.

Be willing to ponder some things as Mary did.

Learn to become comfortable with silence.

Start a journal.
Memorize some Scripture.
Learn to truly meditate on God’s holy Word this Christmas.

God’s best servants are often plain people who are available to Him. Mary was available. Are you?

God’s plans involve extraordinary events in ordinary people.

This Christmas, will you let Him use you in a way He’s never used you before?

Give God a merry Christmas by asking Him to help you celebrate a Mary Christmas.

And if you’re wondering what to give the King of kings on His birthday . . . the very best gift is always yourself.

 

Thoughts?

MARY Christmas (Part 2)

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(Part 2)

As mentioned last week, I’m trying to have a MARY Christmas this
year. In thinking about her life, I want to pass on what I’m learning
and hopefully challenge YOU to establish a Mary Christmas as well.

 

• Mary trusted in the midst of discomfort. In Bethlehem, Joseph and
Mary soon discovered the inns were filled with other travelers who
had reached the destination much earlier. Mary was reduced to
giving birth to her first child in a cold, dark, damp cave.

No medical staff.
No medicine or sterile environment.
Just a frightened young girl, her frightened husband
and a few noisy animals.

When we don’t understand to begin with,
and when our situation becomes uncomfortable on TOP of that,
we often tend to question whether we heard God correctly,
or maybe we question God Himself.

Mary simply continued to trust.
If YOU can learn to trust in the midst of hardship and discomfort,
God will bless you by teaching you things you couldn’t have learned otherwise.
God doesn’t always reveal His plans right away.

Often, when it sees as though everything is going wrong,
He is quietly working behind the scenes.
Can you trust Him when you can’t see what’s ahead?

Ask God to deepen your faith this Christmas.

Imagine the letdown after traveling for 70 miles in the condition
Mary was in, only to find out there were no more rooms available
and she’d have to give birth to her first child in a cave.
Do you really want to have a MARY Christmas this year?

Then we have to realize when we do God’s will, we’re not
guaranteed a comfortable life. We’re promised only that even our
discomfort has meaning in God’s plan.

We like to think that Mary was comfortable, because most of the
popular Christmas scenes picture her kneeling serenely by a manger
with a baby who’s glowing.

Chances are good that the King of kings was crying and
uncomfortable Himself. Stables were often crude caves with feeding
troughs (mangers) carved into rock walls.

Though Christmas cards picture a clean atmosphere with happy
animals in the background, the truth was that Jesus was born in an
extremely unsterile and filthy environment.

This certainly wasn’t the atmosphere the Jews expected as the
birthplace of the Messiah. They thought their promised Messiah
would be born into royalty.

But Mary didn’t limit God by her expectations, and neither should
we. God is at work wherever He’s needed in our sin-darkened and
dirty world.

That night, the world’s greatest birth announcement took place.
The greatest event in history had just happened:
The Messiah had been born!

For ages the Jews had waited for this, and when it finally happened,
the announcement came to some humble shepherds.
They were terrified, but their fear soon turned to joy.

First they ran to see the baby, and then they spread the word.

Jesus Christ is YOUR Messiah,
YOUR Savior.
Do you look forward to meeting Him in prayer and in His Word each day?
Is your relationship so special that you can’t help sharing this joy
with your friends and co-workers?

How do you see Jesus?
Do you still picture Him as a baby in a manger,
or is He your absolute Lord?

Let’s not underestimate Christ. Let Him grow up in your life!

One of the best ways to do this is by exercising a mature faith in His
plan—even in the midst of an uncomfortable situation.

Jesus may not meet the specific expectations you have for your life.
He may want to move you beyond your own dreams.
Again: can you trust Him?

Give God your human expectations and ask Him to replace them
with His dreams, plans and vision for your life.

They may not be more comfortable, but they will always be better!

Thoughts?

 

 

MARY Christmas

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This year I’ve decided to have a MARY Christmas.
I’ve been thinking about her recently . . . and here are some things
I’m learning that I want to challenge you with, OK?

• Mary trusted God for the impossible.
When the angel announced she’d deliver the Messiah, she didn’t understand it. It seemed ridiculous, but her response was,
“I believe. It is as you say.”

This Christmas will you, too, trust God for the impossible?
Is He calling you to do something that seems ridiculous?

Even though you don’t understand and can’t see what’s ahead,
you have the opportunity—like Mary—to respond in simple faith:
“I believe. It is as You say.”

• Mary was obedient. 
Her obedience to God required her to risk disaster.
In her culture, an unmarried pregnant woman was shunned. And unless the father of the child agreed to marry her, she’d probably remain unmarried for life.

If her own father rejected her, she could be forced into begging or prostitution in order to earn her living.

And with her story about the Holy Spirit impregnating her, she risked being labeled crazy as well. It must have seemed as though everything was against her.

But in spite of the risks, Mary responded in obedience: “I am willing.”

In spite of the possible costs, will you be obedient this Christmas? Will you ask God to help you overlook the risks and simply say yes to His holy will?

When Mary said, “I am willing,” she didn’t know about the tremendous blessing she’d receive. She only knew that God was asking her to serve Him, and she willingly obeyed.

Will you react the same way? Don’t wait to see the bottom line before obeying God. Offer yourself as a wiling servant—even when the results of doing so look disastrous.
• Mary allowed herself to be accountable.
She made herself accountable to her spiritually wise and older cousin, Elizabeth.

I can imagine these two women praying and rejoicing together in their godly obedience. Make it a point to share your deepest questions, needs, requests and victories with another Christian who’s solid enough to ask appropriate questions and who’s willing to pray with you.

• Mary never lost faith that God was in control.

When Caesar Augustus, the Roman emperor, decreed that a census must be taken throughout the nation, it meant that Joseph and a pregnant Mary would have to make the 70-mile trip from Nazareth to Bethlehem.

Mary knew the trip wouldn’t be easy, and she could’ve easily begun questioning God’s plans. But she trusted that God was in complete control.

Can you trust that God controls ALL of history—even when you don’t understand it?

Because of the degree of Caesar Augustus, Jesus was born in the very town prophesied for His birth (Micah 5:2), even though His parents didn’t live there. God was quietly working behind the scenes, even though Mary and Joseph couldn’t see His hand.

Like Mary, I want to trust, obey, be accountable and remain faithful.

How about you?

 

Thoughts?

 

 

Embracing Hope When Life Hurts

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“Is your life full of difficulties and temptations? Then be happy, for when the way is rough, your patience has a chance to grow. So let it grow, and don’t try to squirm out of your problems. For when your patience is finally in full bloom, then you will be ready for anything, strong in character, full and complete” James 1:2-4 The Living Bible).

—James 1:2–4

Last summer—right after she came home from experiencing the spiritual high of church camp—Denise experienced the sudden loss of her 47-year-old brother, Davie.

“He was an alcoholic,” she says. “I prayed and prayed for years and never saw him get saved. “He had been drinking and climbed onto a large lawn mower and started to drive. It soon tipped over into a fifteen-foot ditch and crushed him.”

Denise was brokenhearted over the fact that she didn’t know where her brother would spend eternity.

“I hoped and hoped that he had prayed before he died. I know if he had simply called on the name of Jesus, that Jesus would have saved his soul. But I just didn’t know.”

Denise knelt at the place where Davie died, and she cried out to God. “I didn’t know how I’d continue to live with the loss of my brother and with not knowing where he was spending eternity,” she says.

While praying, Denise heard God’s voice. “Do you trust Me, Denise? Do you love Me?”

“I answered, ‘Yes, Lord. I love You with all my heart. And I do trust You.”

“I’m the only One who knows where your brother is. Leave it with Me. Trust Me.”

Denise was able to leave the issue with God right there. “He gave me His indescribable peace,” she says, “and He restored my confidence in Him. I’ve been at peace over my brother ever since that moment. And I have more confidence in God today than I ever have before. I know my Redeemer lives, and He is trustworthy!”

Just three years earlier, Denise’s mom died. “She was my best friend,” Denise says. “She had an aneurism that eventually took her life seven months later.”

After the death of her mom, both of Denise’s grandparents passed away, her dog died, and then Davie was gone. To add to the grief, two of Denise’s siblings are in jail.

“I lost weight, lost my joy, lost my sense of humor, lost friends, lost a sense of reality, lost my self-worth . . . maybe it was because the grief hit me so fast and so hard that I just didn’t know how to handle it all. I pulled back from people and became distant.”

But God didn’t leave Denise in that dark spot. Through it all, He made His presence known. “Even when I felt I had hit rock bottom, I felt Him,” she says. “I know God was with me. And He was building back my confidence in Him.”

During the darkest moments in our lives, if we have a relationship with Christ, we can still cling to the fact that we have heaven waiting for us!

“There’s a lot I don’t understand,” Denise says. “But there’s one thing I know for sure. The same Jesus who saved me and forgave my sins when I was eight years old, and the same Jesus who has set me apart for His glory, is the same Jesus who has never left me and who has always loved me.

“He has been intimately near to me through every painful moment of the unexpected. He is speaking, teaching, and patiently helping me laugh and love again.”

 

Excerpted from Susie’s latest book:

40 Days to Complete God Confidence: Stories that illustrate the liberating words of assurance from 1 John 5:13-15

 

If you’d like to purchase this book for yourself—or as a Christmas gift—it sells for $8, but you can actually get it cheaper directly from Susie.
She sells it for $5 (plus $2 shipping. ) This is cheaper than anywhere else you can get it.

Make your check to: Susie Shellenberger Ministries, and send it to Susie at: 3128 N. Timber Avenue, Bethany, OK 73008