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Psalm 53 echoes Psalm 14 almost word for word.  Anytime there is a repeating message, resounding theme I take note and pay even closer attention.  A fool says in his heart there is no God.  I have read this verse and heard it shared a thousand times.  Never thinking of how this applies to my own heart, I paused, I prayed, I leaned in, search my heart and see if there is any wicked way in me. 

While I don’t think I have ever actually said these words, I know my actions and words have contradicted one another.  In the past week I have found myself praying a simple prayer that even a man who had perhaps seen miracles first hand and heard about Jesus with his own ears, and stood before him prayed.  Mark 9:24 “I believe but help my unbelief.”  Standing before Jesus with a need for a miracle he openly admitted, "I need help with my unbelief. "

I am discovering I am not as strong in my faith as I thought I was, don’t get me wrong I believe, but I NEED help with my unbelief.  Sometimes my words, and actions don’t always line up with what I “believe”. 

In Psalm 53 the psalmist reminds us of just how wicked our hearts are, and draws me into another familiar verse,

“Then if my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and restore their land.” (2 Chronicles 7:14)

If I allow myself to really look deep and let the Holy Spirit search the inmost parts of my being, I find I am not as righteous as I sometimes think I am. 

Humility draws us into repentance.

Repentance is something I need to do on a daily basis not just when I blow it.

Maybe you are facing an impossible situation and you need an increase in faith.  Perhaps you are like the father in Mark 9, “I believe, but help my unbelief.” 

Perhaps you are in a desperate place and need a touch from the Lord in your own heart, family, home, and need to humble yourself, acknowledge your own wickedness and pray for Christ to come and heal your broken places. 

Wherever you are today, lets join together and hold fast to this faith and promise we possess in Christ Jesus. 

Psalm 14:2

The LORD looks down from heaven on all mankind to see if there are any who understand, any who seek God. (Psalm 53:2)

He looks for us, longs to see if we will seek HIM.

Psalm 53:5

Though we may be overwhelmed with dread, HE is present.

Psalm 53:6

Although our plans may have been complicated, held conflict, and left us utterly frustrated, the Lord is our refuge.

What stood out to you in this passage today?

Have you experienced a need for an increase in your faith?

Do you have a need we can agree in prayer with you over today?

I can quickly loose sight of what is important.  I’m not sure any of us truly like to admit shortcomings.  However, the more I lean into Jesus the more I am ok with relinquishing my faults and embracing his grace.  Reading through Psalm in just the last short two weeks, I feel as though I find the sacred places of my heart laid bare.  It is as if the writer knows me.  With every word, sentence, and lyric penned out I find myself there alone, yet not forsaken. 

There are quiet moments when I see His faithfulness swirling all around me then like the flip of a switch there are deafening moments where all I can hear is the roar of lies and doubt.  This is where I frequently find myself between faithfulness and doubt.  I feel like the boy’s father in Mark 9:24, “I believe, but help my unbelief.”

Maybe you are in the same place as the writer here in Psalm, yet again feeling trapped by unbelief, left devastated by an unexpected outcome, or just plain tired of even trying to hold onto faith.  Perhaps, like me, you seem to fumble around grasping at even the slightest bit of faith. 

I often feel like a delirious woman, in the night, trying to find her way.  As fog fills her mind she desperately reaches out trying to steady herself, before she falls.  In my walk I even as a “pastor’s wife” struggle not to loose sight, and to hold tight to the promises of God. 

BUT……

Psalm 13:5

I trust in your unfailing love. 

I will rejoice because you have rescued me.

I will sing to the Lord because he is good to me.

Do you often loose sight of what is important?

List three things you can look back on and see how God was faithful.

Share a favorite song you listen to when you feel discouraged.

   

Excuses we all have them, we all use them.  I’d say most days I use excuses sparingly.  However, one would think these last few weeks I have been using them at every turn.  Honestly, if you were able to actually hear the thoughts roaring through my mind when it has come to this fast you would probably be disappointed. 

“You are pregnant, it’s just a pregnancy craving.”

“I didn’t get any sleep last night, it’s ok if I lost my cool.  I’m not to blame.  Sleep deprivation she stripped me of all my patience.  If I wasn’t so tired I wouldn’t have been short.”

“If he wouldn’t have done ___________________, said __________________, then I wouldn’t have responded that way.”

“I can’t handle their lack of planning, it’s not my fault.  Why should I bend over backwards to accommodate them?”

“I don’t feel like cooking, we can just go through the drive through, I know it’s not really in the budget but it’ll be ok.”

“I’m sorry I didn’t get ______________________ done.  I didn’t have time.”

“I’ll just read a scripture on my You version app, that’s got to count for something right?  It’s better than nothing.  Some people don’t even take the time to read a verse of the day.”

“Here take the ipad a few more minutes an electronic device isn’t going to kill you.”

Excuses. Excuses. Excuses.  I have come to realize excuses run rampant in my life like the moles in my backyard.  (Which by the way is a serious problem any tips would be gladly welcomed on how to get rid of them.)

I have come to realize, throughout this fast, I live in the dangerous land of excuses.  I yield to excuses.  I don’t exercise self-control, and I have been in denial for quite some time. 

During my fraction of a quiet time this week, 

the Holy Spirit graciously led me to a scripture.  

He remained silent.  I pondered, re read, pondered some more.  

He let the living Word do the work in my heart. 

 “So what do we do?  Keep on sinning so God can keep on forgiving?  I should hope not!  If we’ve left the country where sin is sovereign, how can we still live in our old house there?  OR didn’t you realize we packed up and left there for good?  That is what happened in baptism.  When we went under the water, we left the old country of sin behind, when we came up out of the water, we entered into the new country of grace --- a new life in a new land.”

Romans 6:1-3 MSG

I’m going to be a hundred percent honest in this post.  When I read this verse my immediate reaction was to list several people of which this verse applied!   I was not among the list.  The really long list had my name nowhere on it.  Love keeps no record of wrong. I am by default a great score keeper of others wrong.  I am a selfish lover of myself.  I have no problem of keeping no records of wrong when it comes to myself.  Excusing my behavior, comparing my sin I justify and ease my hurting heart.  I wholeheartedly believe the best in myself and make excuses after excuses for my sin.  I lavish grace upon my filthy sin ridden heart. 

Sisters, ladies, friends this has by far been one of the hardest weeks for me as I had to take a real hard look at my inward self.  I finally humbled myself and like David said, “Ok. Search me.  Reveal to me my inmost part.”  This is not an easy prayer.  BUT, can I say in this safe place, “it hurt so good”. 

If you are humble.  If you are willing. Holy Spirit will lead you just as he led Jesus into the desert.  HE will guide you into a new land, of no excuse but responsibility HE will lead you to place of utter dependence upon Him alone.  He will correct you, love, and heal you.  He will lovingly wash you clean.  A broken heart and contrite spirit He has yet to deny.

I don't want to go on living in the old country of sin and excuses rather I want to live in the Land of the living, like the Psalmist speaks of in Psalm. 

"Yet I am confident I will see the LORD's goodness while I am here in the land of the living."

Psalm 27:13

I have had the privilege of getting to know Wendy Speake over the last year and a half via her Facebook Group (click here).  She is filled with wisdom, gracious, and kind.  I recently had the honor of meeting Amber Lia, who is also knowledgeable, fears the Lord, and who is generous with her insight into raising children.  These two ladies are the forerunners of a movement, leading women out of frustration and anger, into love and kindness enabling us as mothers to lead our children to Christ and repentance.  

I have been able to work behind the scenes with many others as they prepare to release their book TRIGGERS.  Humbled is an understatement when I was invited to participate in a pre release study with them.   As they dissected chapter after chapter and led hundreds of women through TRIGGERS, (we all have or will face at some point in our parenting journey) I slowly found the atmosphere of my heart transforming along with countless other mothers.  It is with great joy that I join in celebrating their labor of love.  Prayers have been whispered tears have been shed and our greatest desire is that TRIGGERS will empower you as a mother, restore the joy and honor of parenting, and transform your heart and home.

Would you welcome Amber and Wendy today as we get an inside look into their hearts and lives.

WHICH OF THE TRIGGERS IN THIS BOOK CHALLENGES YOU THE MOST?

Wendy: Without a doubt, it’s chapter 15, sometimes daily. It’s easy for me to get into a negative pattern, wondering, “When will my children ever change?!” Writing this chapter was absolutely me preaching to my own heart. What I’ve learned is that I’m the one in need of change, over and over again. Does anyone remember the song, “Let there be peace on earth, and let it begin with me”? Yes, that!

Amber: Sibling Rivalry in chapter 7! I feel myself immediately tense and prone to react when they fight amongst themselves, especially if they get physical with one another. It sets me off like nothing else can. I think that the hardest part is taking the time to calmly investigate, and to release the old pattern of thinking that I have to fix everything. Instead of rushing in with a quick punishment, I want to take the time to ask them probing questions that get them thinking about their behavior and reach their hearts. I don’t want them to get along to avoid my angry reactions. I want them to have harmony in their relationships as siblings because they love and respect one another. That can often take an entire childhood.

WHAT DO YOU DO WHEN YOU MESS UP?

Wendy: Goodness, couldn’t this be a whole chapter in a whole other book? Of course, the right answer is that I confess my sin to the Lord, and remember that this is why He came — to die for my sin-stained tendencies. Then I humbly go to my kiddos and ask them for their forgiveness, too. We talk about how to treat one another better and then we work to shift our gaze away from those problematic trigger areas and turn purposefully back to the light of our very blessed days! That’s the Sunday School answer, the parenting book answer. However, in real life, sometimes I forget, and I have to put myself in time-out for a bit so that I can calm down first. This is huge for me. When I sit in my “time-out chair,” I can meditate on what is true and lovely and right and pure in our sweet family.

WHAT INSPIRED YOU TO WRITE THIS BOOK?

Amber: Wendy and I were leading a series about the most common triggers toward anger in our private Facebook group for moms who struggle with anger and yelling. It was clear from the get-go that this was a huge need! Moms needed a good balance of biblical insights and practical helps to combat their most common triggers—like back talking, messy houses, and exhaustion. We all needed to rewire our thinking to consider that triggers could equal opportunities instead of temptations that set us off and harm our kids.  Every day, we felt the Holy Spirit moving in the group, and the women responded so transparently and honestly to our encouragement that we knew early on that we wanted women outside this group to be blessed by Triggers, too. As soon as I mentioned the idea to Wendy, she immediately agreed, and Triggers was born!

AMBER LIA

A former high school English teacher, Amber is a work-at-home mom of 3 little boys under the age of 8. She and her husband Guy own Storehouse Media Group, a faith-friendly and family-friendly TV and Film production company in Los Angeles, CA. When she’s not building sand castles with her boys on the beach, or searching for Nerf darts all over her house, you can find Amber writing to encourage families on her blog at Mother of Knights.

WENDY SPEAKE

Wendy Speake is a trained actress and heartfelt Bible teacher. She tells stories both on page and stage that allow her to point women toward Jesus on their hardest mothering days. You can follow along at WendySpeake.com or find her regularly as a guest at The MOB Society. Wendy resides in sunny San Diego with her handsome husband and their three ruddy boys. 

I hope you have enjoyed getting to know the authors a little bit better.  Don't forget to purchase your copy at any of the links below, and share with another mom.  

To purchase your copy you can go to: 

The Mob Society
Amazon
(all links to purchase book are affiliate links)

Join me tomorrow as I share another inside look, Chapter 16: Lack of Faith, and how lack of faith can diminish our influence over our children and how we lead our homes.  Did you know your lack of faith could be one of the main TRIGGERS in your heart and home?