Category: Spiritual Growth

Instructions for a Captive Daughter

He longs to set you free.

Hello Everybody! Maybe I should introduce myself… It’s crazy, but my last blog was July of 2020. Here I am sheepishly sitting down at my dusty desk to type again. Where have I been? “Uhhhhhh……. Well, see………. No, not covid related……” Let me cut to the chase, I’ve been right here, but not “write” here. No excuses, I just put down my keyboard for a short break that turned into a year. I’ve cleaned out closets, and drawers, took a few road trips and even flew to D.C., kept the books at church and actually subscribed to Netflix. Life. That’s what’s been on my plate. But let’s push the plate aside and jump into some sweet scripture that God gave me this week. So sweet, I just had to log back into my old friend, “JustBreadCrumbs.com”. Thank you for joining me.

Wake up, wake up, O Zion!
    Clothe yourself with strength.
Put on your beautiful clothes, O holy city of Jerusalem,
    for unclean and godless people will enter your gates no longer.
2 Rise from the dust, O Jerusalem.
    Sit in a place of honor.
Remove the chains of slavery from your neck,
    O captive daughter of Zion. Isaiah 52:1-2

I know this is a scripture rarely quoted or memorized. I’m guessing you may not even have this one underlined in your Bible. I didn’t either until recently. It was a scripture that the Lord had me read and reread until the words spoke to me.

It is addressed to Jerusalem, the captive daughter of Zion. It is a prophetic admonition to her people. And while I am not Jewish; nor can I boast of Jerusalem citizenship, I am a child of God. “For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile—the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him,” Romans 10:12. This message called to me.

Wake up!

Wake up!! No one really enjoys those words. Here it is two times. Wake up! Wake up! Something needs to change. The Lord is calling us to be aware and come out of the fog. Clear the drowsiness and wipe the eyes. He has something to tell you.

“Clothe yourself with strength.” Well, this spoke to me that weak wills and timid convictions weren’t going to work here. Put your strong arms on. There are days and seasons in life that require strength. Teenage battles, sick parents, unjust bosses, or a husband that prefers football to family or wifi to wife. These take strength. Where do we get said strength? Yes, the joy of the Lord is our strength. His strength is made perfect in our weakness. And sometimes, as the Word here. You put it on. It’s available. You’ll never know how strong God has made you until you put it on. It’s that look at the giant in front of you and picking up the 5 smooth stones you have in front of you and call on the Lord while you swing.

“Put on your beautiful clothes, O holy city of Jerusalem.” So the Lord knows how to call out to the spirit and the flesh. Sometimes we have to get dressed. As a matter of fact, most of the time you need to get dressed. I’m not trying to start an argument here, but I can’t get serious about my day until I’ve got my clothes on. I’m not even talking about spiritual armor here, either. For me, that includes shoes; but I understand that’s optional. Are you caught in a trap of lazy days? You just can’t seem to get the house clean and supper made? Get dressed. Furthermore, God is saying put your good clothes on. Now, I know there are appropriate clothes for all occasions but sometimes we never find the cause sufficient to dress.

I’m a t-shirt girl and would never be described as fashionable. Honestly, my favorite outfit is elastic waist capris and a very loose top. But I can tell you that there have been times that dressing up just a bit has helped. It’s not just job interviews either. Often putting on your good clothes, brushing your hair, and a touch of makeup gives you just the confidence you need to meet your neighbor, speak to the grocery checker, or talk to your kid’s teacher. Don’t believe me? Wear a dress to the grocery store and see if you don’t get more assistance. Throw on a string a pearls and all of a sudden you have stepped into the polite society of Leave it to Beaver.

I’m not trying to be a “clothesline” preacher here, but sometimes life just requires us to put on our beautiful clothes.

You are the keeper of your gate.

God follows that with the declaration that “unclean and godless people will enter your gates no longer.” This was spoken to a city that had been ravaged by the enemy. Godless Assyrians had come and taken the holy things and taken many of the holy city into slavery. While we may not have lost homes or treasures to invading armies, some have lost hope and peace to the enemy. God may be saying to you, “Clean out your guest list.” Who are you letting in the gate? Do you have “friends” that are godless? I’m not talking about those you are actively witnessing to. I’m talking about those friends and maybe family that have the key to your door. They are always inviting you over to BBQ early Sunday or late night fun Saturday night. Church is never on the radar for them. When you try to talk about the Lord, they’re politely not interested. Maybe they continue to walk in the same addictions that you struggled to overcome the last 9 months and they bring that habit right up inside your gate. No more. Let me just throw this in here too. Your houseguests may be digital. How many teenagers have I prayed with over the years that sleep with their light on because they watch a constant stream of crime scene shows and a little paranormal here and there. God says don’t let them in to destroy. You are awakening to His call.

“Rise from the dust, O Jerusalem. Sit in a place of honor.” This is a dual action command. The first thing we are called to do is rise from the dust. This speaks of stagnation to me. You have sat in one place so long that not only does the Lord say, “Wake up!” but He also requires you to dust yourself off. Now yours might be a light dusting of nonuse of those talents or could be just straight up grime and dirt of sin. I don’t know and surely all of us have had both. Either way God says rise up out of the dirt and….”sit in a place of honor.” The NIV says, “sit enthroned”.

Followers of Christ have been given seats with Him. Jesus said He gave us His authority to cast out demons, heal the sick, and produce lasting fruit, among other things. Your place of honor or enthroned seat is just that. I am learning in life that authority has to be used. Our authority over satan will be tried and you will grow in strength and power as you operate in the authority given. Take your seat.

As Americans, haven’t we all wondered exactly what authority Queen Elizabeth actually has? I mean, she can’t “lop off their heads” as all the fairy tale queens could do. She seems to keep a “raised eyebrow” over the royal family, though there always seems to be an errant prince or princess. We don’t know her authority over England because she never uses it. She might make a speech or an appearance. I presume she will write a letter. But her authority is really questionable. I have never even seen her sit on her throne, have you?

That’s not how I want the devil to see me. He should be very aware of the authority God has given us. God says to us get up and sit down. Get up out of the doldrums of captivity and sit down in a seat of authority given by Him. This takes action and faith. Think about it. This captive girl has been sitting low so long that she’s gotten dusty. It’s gonna take some faith to stand, much less take your seat.

Then finally, the words that gripped me the most. “Remove the chains of slavery from your neck, O captive daughter”. This is where it got personal. You see, I have been on a quest to identify anything in my life that keeps me from pursuing God to the fullest. In other words, bondages. I am a Christian, through and through. I love Him, trust Him, and have a daily, rich relationship with Him. I am a daughter…yet, captive. As I sit with Him each day and in each circumstance, He is gently (oh so gently) showing me the shackles. I’m guessing you have them too.

Let me name of a few: fear (how many of our illnesses are linked to anxiety?), people pleasing (in a word, this is not possible as your ultimate goal), money (again, you’ll never have enough if you’re a slave to it), addictions (even the world will tell you this is bondage), and pride (no wonder God hates it). This is just a few. God has shown me others. If you ask, he will show you too. You will never take off a chain you can’t recognize. If you think pleasing people is a gold necklace around your neck, you will never yank off that shiny shackle. It takes real honest talks with the Father to see what you’re wearing. And I have never known a captive He didn’t desire to set free.

So allow me to encourage you. Wake up! Put on strength and wrap it in pretty clothes. Things are about to change. Clean your house of bad guests. Dust off the grime of life and take your authority provided by God. Then reach up there and break the chains that have suffocated you for years. You are free to be His daughter, no longer captive.

God’s Presence or His Plan?

What is key to successfully navigating this life? God’s plan or His Presence.

Good question.

I’m going to ask you a question that I felt the Lord was asking me the other day. I was reading about Gideon. Israel had been warned by an unnamed prophet that idolatry was the cause of their repeated defeat by the hands of the Midianites. It seems that every time there was a harvest, Israel’s enemies would swoop in and steal the fruits of their labor. It is the long told story of bully versus weakling. Israel was the weakling; and according to Gideon he himself was the weakest of the weakest clan in the weakest tribe of this weak nation.

You know how God sees the things we miss with our eyes wide open. He called Gideon “mighty man of valor” and challenged him to defeat those vicious Midianites. Did I mention this conversation happens while Gideon is hiding down in a wine press trying to thresh wheat? It always makes me smile to know God chooses the underdog.

This blog isn’t about Gideon though. It’s about the question. When God first assures Gideon that he can do this and be victorious, this is his promise:

“The Lord is with you, mighty warrior.”

Judges 6:12

Gideon responded with all his excuses. He was weak. His clan was weak. Blah, blah, blah…

“The Lord answered, ‘I will be with you, and you will strike down all the Midianites, leaving none alive.'”

Judges 6:16

There is something missing here. A plan. The Lord did not roll out a battle map on a large rock showing troops here and there spotted around the Midian encampment. No hidden weapon or secret information about their weak spots. It was just, “Do this. I will be with you.”

So as I sat at my desk and considered this, the question came to mind. “If you were going into battle against an undefeated enemy and you could only chose one or the other, would you want God’s presence or His plan?”

Yes, we often get both. Even Gideon received instruction after God scaled back his army and even told him the odd “weapons” that he was to use. I’m thankful that God has plans for me. But as I sat there talking to the Lord, the question was A. Presence or B. Plan. What do you choose?

Choose one.

I knew what Moses would choose. When God told him to go on into the Promise Land but He wasn’t going with them, Moses said no way. “If your Presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here.” Exodus 33:15. Of course that’s wisdom and the right answer.

But, honestly, I leaned toward the plan. How about you? How many times have you called out to the Lord, “What do you want me to do? I need a billboard with step by step direction. A sign in the clouds.” We know His plan will be successful and all that stands between us and victory is the Plan. Right? Right?

Yet, it seems that what the Lord promises over and over, as if it’s all we need (hint…hint), is His presence. Even Jesus when giving us the Great Commission, closed it with this:

“And be sure of this: I am with you always, even unto the end of the age.”

Matthew 28:20

So I am challenged and I hope so are you to think on this. Is my faith in the plan or His Presence. Do I think I can pull this situation off with just the right divine guidance? Am I comfortable going in my own strength as long as I know what God would have me do? Furthermore, can I just walk with Him as Abraham did not knowing where the road would take me, resting assured that His Presence makes it home?

I know you have situations. You’re breathing, right? How do I parent this child? How do I find a job when there are 20 million out of work? Wouldn’t you love a 12 Step Program to alleviate all marriage disappointments? A plan to lose weight, a plan to overcome shyness, a guide to build wealth and retire strong… It seems we just need the right plan.

Better than a good plan.

Actually, we need Him. Allow Him today to fill your arena with His Presence. Sit before Him for a WHILE and worship, pray, and listen until you know He is there. He may tell you to wait. Rest may be the word you hear. You might not hear anything at all. It’s okay. Just remember His Presence conquers armies, delivers Promised Lands, shares the gospel with the world, and gives rest in the middle of it all. This is what God spoke to Moses as He sent him on ahead to conquer the land of milk and honey. No strategic plan, just…

“And He said, ‘My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.'”

Exodus 33:14

Get up and seek Him. It won’t feel like your gaining ground at first. Just do it. But you will get up and know that you have spent time with the King of the Universe. He enjoyed His time with you and will not leave you as you walk out the day. There is a hope that will arise and a road that will open before you. Sometimes you will feel as the fog has lifted and there is real reason to smile. Just look at this promise:

“You will show me the path of life;

In your presence is fullness of joy;

At your right hand are pleasures forevermore.”

Psalm 16:11

Jesus, Our Gardener

My husband loves spring when all our local nurseries start selling fruit trees. For twenty-five or thirty dollars, he can bring home a green stick in a bucket with great potential. Over the years we have purchased the equivalent of an orchard. I’m only kidding a little bit. We currently have orange, grapefruit, plum, lemon, and fig trees….all living. The number of trees that we watched slowly dry up and die is beyond my memory. But let’s not dwell on the failures.

God is a Patient Gardener

Let’s talk fruitfulness. Jesus mentioned it often. They say Jesus was a carpenter, but he surely must have plowed and planted at some point. And like any tree planter, he knew the patience it takes to wait on fruit, the thrill of watching it ripen, and the disgust of having a tree that does everything but produce. Often he used those experiences to explain a spiritual truth. One of his lesser mentioned parables is found in Luke 13.

Then Jesus told this story: “A man planted a fig tree in his garden and came again and again to see if there was any fruit on it, but he was always disappointed. Finally, he said to his gardener, ‘I’ve waited three years, and there hasn’t been a single fig! Cut it down. It’s just taking up space in the garden.’

Luke 13:6-7

In this story, a fig tree is planted. This was the desire of the land owner. It was no accident of nature or wild fig bush that sprung up overnight. It was planted. Work done by the land owner with no effort by the tree. The tree planter anticipates the fruit. He comes “again and again” to see if there is anything. I’ve been there. As mentioned before, I have a fig tree. I walk the path to that tree daily during spring and summer to check on it. Maybe…could it be…possibly…is that a…? I’ve never yet seen a fig. “Always disappointed.”

Not mine, but I so wish it was!

That was the land owner. Patiently waiting for years. The Bible uses the word, “Finally” to describe the end of his patience. He had given it ample time to prove itself. Yet the tree had three years of only taking and never giving any fruit in return.

It seems to me the parable tells the story of The Father as the landowner, and Jesus as the gardener. The Father has planted that “tree” and He desires the fruit He made that “soul” to produce. And He is patient. He does not nag or threaten. He patiently, and I mean patiently, checks on the tree in great anticipation. He knows what it is capable of growing figs.

You Want Me to Do What?

He didn’t want to dig it up after the first year with no fruit. As a matter of fact, Levitical law taught to leave a tree unharvested for three years after planting it. Man, that’s hard to do. I bought, actually my fruit farming husband bought a peach tree last year. We thought this was a sure thing. Not because we have great history with peach trees, but because it had an abundance of tiny peaches already hanging from its’ thin limbs when we brought it home. We were going to be picking peaches soon! Then my brother came over. He is a tried and true, green thumb, just plant it and it will grow, farmer. I proudly took him to see my cute little peaches. They were about thumb size now and numbered around 15! His response: “You’re gonna need to pick most of those off. Maybe leave one or two. This season needs to be about growing the tree.”

Picture this: I’m rolling on the ground pulling up grass and throwing it over my head and groaning, “No! No! There has to be another way!” Then I get up and say to myself, ‘That’s just not happening. I’m not pulling the fruit that God has given me. Not happening.’

True confession: What the birds didn’t poke holes in and destroy eventually fell off after breaking the weak limbs that were trying to hold them. I didn’t get a single peach and my tree lost most of its limbs. The jury is still out as to if it will have another spring or if the mulch pile will be its grave.

Can you see the comparison to our souls? God plants us in the soil of His Kingdom and allows us to grow. He keeps a close eye and desires growth and allows time for fruit. When we put too many demands on ourselves or others before allowing a growing season, limbs break, arms fold under the heavy burden and burnout and spiritual death is common. God may be calling us to a season of sitting at His feet and listening. He may ask you to study His Word and NOT teach it somewhere else. There may be a season to fill your time with seeking Him and soaking in His presence and being quiet. This will produce fruit later.

Jesus, Our Interceder

In the parable, after three years and still no figs, the land owner tells the gardener to cut it down. It is only taking up space. Oh me. Don’t let it be said that I merely took up space in the Kingdom. I won’t try to explain the useless spiritual tree. Let’s just leave it as the one who just takes and never gives. The Gaither Vocal Band sang a song a few years ago about Givers and Takers. You could divide the world into just those two groups. Uselessness invites disaster. The Land Owner declared that a tree that just takes nutrients from the earth and fills up space was useless and must be cut down.

But here is where our sweet Savior steps in.

The gardener answered, ‘Sir, give it one more chance. Leave it another year, and I’ll give it special attention and plenty of fertilizer. If we get figs next year, fine. If not, then you can cut it down.’

Luke 13: 8

The Gardener of our Soul intercedes for us. Romans 8:34 tells us that Jesus sits at the right hand of the Father doing just that. When the Accuser stands before God telling of all your fruitlessness, Jesus leans in and asks for another chance. He asks for one more year and the opportunity to give us extra attention. He is not walking away from the empty tree, but rather blocking out some special time just for it.

It gets real right here.

Notice the mention of fertilizer? Ever the Carer of our Souls, Jesus knows that fertilizer is needed and just the right kind…like it or not. I’ve had a few years I felt like I was being surrounded by manure…ahem, fertilizer. Little did I know Jesus was trying to produce more fruit in my life.

God of Another Chance

Then Jesus tells the Father that if after another year there are figs, great! And if the opposite is true, then the tree is a goner. Of course, the Father is willing to give another year. Remember, “He is not willing that any should perish.” 2 Peter 3:9. Don’t think that God is the heartless one here. They are a team in perfect agreement and always love you.

One more thought about fruit bearing. Don’t despise the small beginnings. Our orange tree puts out what seems to be thousands of little tiny white flowers that quickly fall off and leave behind the tiniest little oranges you can imagine. The thing is they are dark green just like the leaves. You can stare at that tree for five minutes before seeing a single orange and then all of a sudden your eyes stop playing tricks and the hundreds hanging there become visible. It is covered with pea size dark green oranges.

A Process that Pays off Sweetly

In our own lives and honestly others, we just don’t see the fruit yet. It’s not the right size, wrong color, and not the least bit tasty. At a quick glance it doesn’t exist at all. But it’s there. The Land Owner and Gardener are watching it daily. With special attention from Him and a little extra “fertilizer” applied that fruit is going to be wonderful. The limbs have grown for seasons. The roots are firmly established. Soon the tree will be heavy with fruits of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22, 23). It’s not figs the Master wants. He enjoys the fruit of love, joy, peace, long-suffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control. Let it grow. Don’t get discouraged with your own or inspect too closely others small fruit. They’re growing. Give it time. There’s nothing more sour than unripe fruit. Allow the Gardener free access and you and I will one day savor the sweetest, juiciest, bowl of goodness ever picked.

Yum! Yum!

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