ALL THE SINGLE LADIES...

If sex is the highest good in life, the greatest pleasure we can experience, we're in trouble.

As a single woman (since 27, now 49) who is committed, by God's grace, to saving sex for marriage, I've often felt, very much, like a caged lion. Sometimes my physical drives were so strong, I despaired—the long, intense fight for purity in a sexually saturated culture seems impossible. And while there is constant dialogue about men's sexual struggles and temptations, and "Men in White" Conferences, there is this eerie silence in the church when it comes to women.  

However, the more I opened up and shared my struggles with other women, the more I realized I was indeed normal and in very good company. So why isn't anyone talking about it?

Or maybe the greater question is, Why do we even want to fight for sexual purity when our desires seem so natural and good—and often feel too powerful to control?

Christ Is a Better Treasure

If I can testify to anything, it's that I found Christ to be a far greater treasure than my sexual desires.

I'll never forget a conversation I had with  my nurse practioner, who was, once again, giving me grief about not "getting laid."  She simply could not get with my lifestyle.  I hadn't kissed a man in 20 years, or even held hands, for that matter.  It ended by me saying, "Carla, Jesus is better than sex." And by the way she looked back at me, I could tell she desperately wanted to know if that was true.

I think we all want to know that is true. 

If sex is the highest good in life, the greatest pleasure we can experience, we're in trouble. Yes, sex can be amazing, in marriage, I can testify that God created a really good and pleasurable thing. (I was married for 3 years from age 24-27) But it doesn't begin to compare to the infinite pleasures we have in God.

God created sex, then told us to enjoy it only within the context of marriage between a man and a woman; so if He has us wait an excruciatingly long time for it, He is (mercifully) teaching us to meet our very deepest desires in Him alone. That's easy to say; it's incredibly hard to live.

In fact, it's impossible to live. 

Oftentimes,  my fight against temptation brought me to the end of myself and reminded me that "You are my Lord; I have no good apart from You" (Ps. 16:2). I could not boast in my own strength; I was so keenly aware that God Himself was sustaining me, and apart from Him I would quickly lose the battle.

Listening to His Promises

During these long years of singleness, this is where the rubber hits the road:

Will I listen to my passions, or will I listen to His promises?

I remember pounding my pillow, crying out in anguish, even yelling when the flesh seemed too strong to fight for one more day. But it was in those desperate moments that I found God to be exactly who He claims to be. It was in the trenches of the fleshly fight that I learned to take my Commander at His word.

And His Word says that He "makes known to me the path of life; in His presence there is fullness of joy; at His right hand are pleasures forevermore" (Ps. 16:11).

So how can a single woman walk in His fullness of life and joy in the midst of sexual frustration? Here are a few of the ways that helped me:

1. Memorize and meditate on Scripture. 
   I can't overstate this enough. God's Word has strengthened, sustained, convicted, encouraged, and changed me. Unless we're constantly in the Truth, we'll easily fall for lies.
2. Be accountable. 
   Keep talking! Be open and honest with godly, safe, and wise women in your life. When sin is brought into the light, it loses its power and stops condemning you.
3. Exercise and eat well. 
   Run or cycle or take a dance class. Feed your body good stuff. Sitting in front of chick flicks and eating chocolate cake is not going to help the cause.
4. Serve others. 
   Channel your frustrated energies into caring for the people around you. Send an encouraging text to someone who's hurting today. Have frieds over for dinner at your place. Deliver Starbucks coffee to a mom who's at home with four kids. Something. Anything   
5. Don't compare. 
   Don't keep looking at what your married friends have. Their challenges and sufferings are different. God knows how to make all of us need Him desperately in very different ways.
6. If you're creative, make sure you have a creative outlet. 
   At the end of one particularly rough bout with my former church, I realized I'd given up theater and writing and all of the colorful, creative expressions that make me tick. As soon as I began creating again, I revived!
7. Don't borrow tomorrow's troubles. 
   God has given plenty of grace for TODAY. "I'm going to be single for the rest of my life!" Don't go there . . .
8. Take stock of your cultural diet. 
   Evaluate and re-evaluate your movie-watching, music-listening, clothes-wearing habits. Are you feeding or starving the lust of your flesh?
9. Set hard-and-fast boundaries with men—for your sake and theirs. 
   Hanging out alone with a man never helped me; it usually stirred up desires unnecessarily.
10. Keep a thankful heart. 
    I can't tell you what a powerful tool this is. Thank God for everything you can think of, big and small—it's like instant heart surgery!

Friends, there is so much at stake in our battle for purity. And if you have blown it, join the club. Every last one of us has fallen short of God's purity in one way or another, and we all are in desperate need of His grace. Keep returning to the Lover of your soul. Keep fighting and trusting by the power of the Spirit that is at work within you. God is good, and what He does is good (Ps. 119:68). As I reflect on my 20+years of being happy in Jesus, I am stunned at God's goodness to me, even when—no, especially when—it took me to the end of myself.

I continue to fight the good fight of faith, with each and every one of you! 

God is most glorified in us, when we are most satisfied in Him. 

Grace be with you,

Robbs

NO KNOCK-OFFS

For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps (1 Peter 2:21, ESV). Authentic: it’s the real thing, not a knock-off or cheap replica. And authentic is one way we describe a life worth living. A person living out who they are meant to be is the best sense of the idea. Genuine people are often hard to find. The ultimate standard for authenticity is Yeshua Christ. He’s the real original. This is true because He is not only our Maker and therefore qualified to tell us how to live authentically, He is also our example. Humanly speaking, He was in every way our perfect model. In fact, the Christian life could be described as learning to live faithfully as an authentic imitation of Yeshua. That’s why the apostle Peter, no stranger to hard lessons and humiliating failures, was told in no uncertain terms by Yeshua, “You follow me” (John 21:22). It’s also why Peter passed on that same wisdom to us: “For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps” (1 Peter 2:21). We can’t duplicate what Yeshua did, but we can imitate Him. Authentic Christians don’t drift in His steps, or wander in roughly the same direction—we follow Him. We love like He did, serve like He did, and live sacrificial lives like He did. The world sits up and takes notice when people who call themselves Christians actually behave like Yeshua. There are some things you’ll need to learn and other things you will have to leave behind if you’re really going to “follow in his steps.” To know what these things are, you literally have to walk in the Word. Your daily decisions need to be directed by what God says, not your own whims. The One who left you an example can help you follow it. Philippians 2:13 includes a great promise: “For it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.” Your very desire to follow in Christ’s steps is evidence of His work in you. To more closely identify with Yeshua, make it your goal to read through the four Gospels—there are eighty-nine chapters in all. If you read just a chapter each day, you will have finished the four biographies of Christ’s life in three months. As you read, ask God to help you see the example Yeshua left behind and give you the courage and strength to follow in His steps. The pursuit of authenticity is about the steps you take as God works in you, conforming you to His Son—“For to this you have been called.” Pray with me: Lord, The Holy One and The True One, thank you for revealing that following Yeshuas steps in an authentic way is the best way to be myself. You designed me and intended that the real me would be capable of authentically representing Your Son in the world. How I long for that to be more true and less obscured by my sin and selfishness. Thank You for the reminder that You are working in me both to will and to work for Your good pleasure. Your grace be with me in the Life-Giving name of Yeshua, amen.

TIRED CHRISTIANS

For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. Now if I do what I do not want, I agree with the law, that it is good (Romans 7:15–16, ESV). Many Christians are tired; some are exhausted. Are you an exhausted Christian? Here's a measuring stick: You don’t have the passion for God you once had and feel a vague guilt about it. The sequence follows a predictable pattern: seasons of renewed expectation and energetic pursuit, followed by encroaching disappointment and, finally, utter exhaustion. You wonder, What’s wrong with me? Why don’t I learn? Why don’t I change? Will things ever be different? You have tried serving, spending yourself working "for Christ" as you search for a fuller Christian experience through "doing" ministry.  Exhausted, you pull back for awhile and pursue knowledge, digging into Bible studies, committing to new quiet-time schedules, and reading books about spiritual disciplines. That too lasts for a little while, and some good certainly comes of growth through serving and focused time in God’s Word. Yet, too often you feel like the joy you were promised at rebirth is still eluding you. Other seasons of worthy pursuits may come and go—getting more into worship services, hanging out with your small group, serving the poor, sharing your faith, praying more, etc. All of it fueled by a sincere intent to live as God desires, followed by failure, frustration, and exhaustion. Does any of this sound familiar? The apostle Paul faced the same dilemma: a desire to do good but an inability to get it done. What Paul described in Romans 7:15–18, and what many of us experience too often, is the exhausting Christian life. The joyous Christian life was eluding Paul, however, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit he admitted it. Paul acknowledged that at a certain point in time his Christian life was not working. For him it was a "temporary" problem, but sadly, for many of Christians it’s all they ever experience. Having precepts without power, rules without resources, good deeds without grace, laws without life is exhausting and ineffective. It is the powerless-graceless Christian life. Forgiven? Yes, but slipping into a lukewarm mediocrity, you begin to view the dynamic, Spirit-filled, satisfying Christian life that God promised as if it was a carrot on the end of a stick. Though well-intentioned, your faith turns out to be, well, it's really nothing more than self-powered sanctification, and it always leads to exhaustion. This dilemma plays out week after week. You go to church already exhausted, having failed at living the Christian life in your own strength the week before. You hear the Word and feel guilty about your disobedience, or you feel nothing at all.  You promise God you will try harder, and some weeks, when you're really serious, your promises will last till Tuesday or Wednesday before you fail again. I just don’t have what it takes, you conclude, and settle into a numb, passionless, *pseudo-Christian experience. (pseudo - not genuine but having the appearance of...) This kind of living is a knife in the heart of Yeshua Christ, who not only died to remove the wrath of God from your life, but also rose again that He might live His life through you. Just imagine if He was to look at your exhausted Christian experience and think, This is it? This is what I rose for? This is the degree to which you are going to draw down upon My resurrection power? This is the extent to which you’ll let Me live My life through you? This is as good as it gets? Why are you trampling on God's grace?  It’s time to make a once-and-for-all decision to be done with the exhausting Christian life. Just as you cannot  experience a regenerate heart (to become Christian) until the grace of God enables your heart to SEE and SAVOR Christ,  you also can’t experience the true Christian life until you come to the end of your own efforts, and rely more on Gods grace -moment by moment with faith- to empower your sanctification and much needed holiness.  We need to recognize we are the problem—we are the reason Christ is not seen in us. And we must stop trying to live in our own strength. Until we let Christ live His life through us, by confessing our depravity and pleading for grace, we will always be exhausted.  If you woke up this morning still believing and trusting in God, it is His grace presently, right now, at work in you. For by grace, are you saved (being rescued) through faith (believing/trusting in Him to consistently rescue you from Rom 7:15-16). Paul understood that.  Now.... Grace be with you, to live Holy, to live like Him where you will find great satisfaction, peace and rest.  The best part of waking up, is the Spirit in your cup!  Robbs Pray with me:  My Father, God of All Grace and Goodness, forgive me for trying to live the Christian life in my own strength. No matter how hard I try, I come away feeling exhausted and defeated. Lord, forgive me for thinking I need Your grace to save me, but I don’t need Your grace to empower and change me. I can’t live in my own strength. I’m at the end of myself, and I need You. I admit the ugliness of sin rest on me daily, and I have a depraved mind. Will You please live Your life through me? Will You gently show me the ways I rely on my own resources and teach me to live for and by and through You? Thank You for raising Yeshua from the dead, not only to give me hope for the next life, but also to give me power for this life. In His powerful life giving name I pray, amen.

JUST KEEP WALKING!

Just Keep Walking!! 

Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him (Colossians 2:6, ESV).

The writers of Scripture use many vivid pictures to describe the Christian life. It’s called working in a vineyard (Matthew 20), building a house (Matthew 7), and running a race (1 Corinthians 9). But by far, the most common New Testament image of living the Christian life is a walk.

“But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh” (Galatians 5:16).

“If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit” (Galatians 5:25).

“I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called” (Ephesians 4:1).

“There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit” (Romans 8:1, NKJV).

The theme of walking echoes throughout Ephesians: “Walk in love” (5:2), “Walk as children of light” (5:8), “Look carefully then how you walk” (5:15). Remember, the Holy Spirit inspired the writers of Scripture to express the very words and thoughts of God.

Walking depicts the course of an individual’s *whole* life: Enoch and Noah “walked with God” (Genesis 5:22, 6:9); King Jehu did not (2 Kings 10:31). It is a dominant, inspired metaphor in Scripture and a picture of what our relationship with God should look like. God hasn’t called you to an Olympic decathlon. Nor has He asked you to scale the Himalayas to find Him. He has invited you for a "walk" with Him on the journey of life, in a fallen world. 

And along the way, God is changing you. 

Sometimes you may grow impatient and want instant, complete victory over all your sins and problems. (Especially problems because we love comfort and despise suffering at any measure.) 

Sometimes you’ll grow discouraged; a lifetime of battling sin and seeking victory can seem overwhelming. But as you walk with Him and grow spiritually, you will see change begin.

If you are ever going to be the person God intended you to be, your focus must be on the next step. 

Just that step and nothing else. 

When you strain to see the future or fear you won’t have the energy or strength for tomorrow, the enemy will have succeeded in intimidating you—and you'll have missed the opportunity to live for Christ in this moment.

“Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him” (Colossians 2:6).

As you walk with God today, rather than scanning the horizon (such as things are tough at home, unethical & immoral people at work, financial resources depleted, relationship issues) for whatever lies ahead, just focus your eyes on the next step and live fully for Him. 

Be sure not to allow any Holes in your Holiness! 

This cup of mocha java...is on the house. Because its the beginning of your better day! 

Just Keep Walking! 

Robbs

Pray with me: 

Heavenly Father, thank You for the invitation to walk with You. I want to be a person who walks with God, like Noah and Enoch. I will trust You to lead, and I will focus simply on my next step. Please show me what You want me to do today. Help me to quiet the other voices vying for my attention and to listen for Yours. Thank You for the intimacy of walking with You, because of Yeshua. In His name I pray, amen.

SOUL: WORK

The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul; the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple (Psalm 19:7,ESV). God’s Word transforms me. It changes and renovates me. And according to Psalm 19:7, it converts death into life and spiritual ignorance into wisdom. I need wisdom. The word law in “the law of the Lord” translates the Hebrew Torah as the law for life, the rule for living. God’s Word is the absolute norm. His statements are never guesses or suggestions. The Bible is the standard by which every other truth is measured or assessed. (like it or not) Notice the claim of ownership. Scripture is “the law of the Lord”.  God claims clear authorship of His book. Throughout history, people have written and established laws and rules; governments have imposed structure on society. Nations come and nations go, but the Word of God remains—timeless and enduring because it is His. The verse also describes God’s law as “perfect.” That word perfect literally means all-sided, many-faceted, all-encompassing, and comprehensive. The utter perfection of God’s law is linked to “reviving” (ESV) or “converting the soul” (NKJV). The soul is the inner, immaterial part of you. You are not just primarily a physical person. Part of you is spiritual and will live forever, and that’s the part of you in need of being converted—your soul. God’s Word demonstrates its perfection by making you a new creation. This transformation is a fascinating, supernatural process, exemplified by “Robbie Rebel"  This girl invariably appears in churches across North America and is somewhere in the process of life-change. A regular girl who works in an office, just trying to get by and figure out life, Robbie shows up at church—often against her will, at least at first. She begrudgingly attends because she lost a bet with her friend or decided to find out what was going on in her life. But she’s not sure—about any of it. Her body language communicates her resistance. The first week, she sits cross-armed and leans back, observing. Though she is there, she refuses to participate. She projects, I’m not singing. I am flat-out not singing. I may be here, but you can’t make me sing. I’m going to show you I don’t like what’s happening right now. Yet as much as outer evidence points to the contrary, we begin to see little signs of God at work. As weeks become months, God’s Word transforms Robbie Rebel. First, she unfolds her arms. She relaxes. She begins to lean forward. While we watch and pray and wait, we have a front-row view of the conversion process as God softens and changes her heart, by grace alone through building her faith. Just as Psalm 19:7 describes, God’s perfect, powerful law converts an unsaved, unregenerated, uninterested, hardhearted Robbie Rebel into a new person. His Word spins this woman completely around. Robbie unfolds her arms and lifts them in praise . . . she unseals her lips and worships the Lord. God’s Word has the power to transform anyone. He can soften even the hardest heart. The regenerative work in Robbie's life is a process, and it doesn’t end with conversion. God continues to change and sanctify us through His Word. In what ways can you say, “I’m a different person because of the impact God’s Word has in my life....daily?!"  Just as we can trace the effects of Scripture in the lives of others, so we should be able to see the persistent, guiding, transforming work of “the law of the Lord” in our own. Soul work. Under Construction. Read daily. Meditate day and night. Over Coffee. Robbs "keep depending on grace"

DID YOU R.S.V.P?

Come, let us return to the Lord; for he has torn us, that he may heal us; he has struck us down, and he will bind us up. After two days he will revive us; on the third day he will raise us up, that we may live before him. Let us know; let us press on to know the Lord; his going out is sure as the dawn; he will come to us as the showers, as the spring rains that water the earth. —Hosea 6:1-3  At the bottom of every page of Scripture, the Lord could have noted, “R.S.V.P.—please respond.”  From the moment our earliest ancestors walked away from the Garden of Eden, to the amazing vision of the new heavens and the new earth at the end of Revelation, if we are watching and listening, we will hear God beckoning. Time after time He invites us to come to Him, regardless of how far we’ve wandered or how long we’ve been gone. No matter how great the distance between you and the Lord right now, passages like Hosea 6:1 issue His surprising summons—especially to the torn and struck down to return. God admits He hurts us for our good.  The open door, the light left on, and all of His gracious approaches haven’t worked. Those who've not responded have an opportunity to hear His invitation through the pain of their continued wandering.  It’s time to R.S.V.P. “Come, let us return to the Lord,” is the response God wants to hear and the first step to spiritual revival. Notice the invitation, “Come.” You have a choice to leave the unfulfilling location where you are. It’s a tender-hearted pleading.  Doubt can become faith. Discouragement can become joy. Despair can become purpose and deep satisfaction. Defeat can become victory. But you have to come. And you are not alone—notice Hosea says, “Let us.” You may feel alone, but you're not. Others are hearing the invitation, and when you come, you will discover they’re coming, too. “Let us return to the Lord,” admits our mistake. Our problems began when we turned away, so let’s turn back. Right now is not too late. Returning to the Lord is a decision made at a particular point in time.  Do you sense the Holy Spirit drawing you? Are you ready to make that choice in these moments? You gain no benefit if you don’t begin by responding to Him. Responding includes recognizing some things have to change. Think about your life and ask God to shine the light of His Word on your attitudes and activities. He will show you what is wrong. And He will help you repent of sin. (Sin=all rebellious acts towards Him).  When you see through His Word what got you where you are and the damage it's caused, God will help you turn away and develop a new thought pattern. "I’m wrong God. I’m sorry for what I’ve done. I have no excuse for acting and choosing as I have. I’m unworthy, but I’m returning." Turning to the Lord is often actually re-turning. If you want to experience a fresh downpour of God’s mercy, you have to come back to the place where the water flowed previously. This is not just an emotional response and a change of mind; it’s also an exertion of your will (by His grace) to get moving again in the right direction. Invite the Lord to listen in on your thoughts as you identify specific sins you’re leaving behind. Plan to turn away from opportunities to sin and reject habits that involve putting yourself in tempting situations. Choose healthy alternatives. Ephesians 5 speaks much of substitutions. Don't do that, instead do this.  Taking these positive steps will put distance between you and past sin, and move you in a new direction. You will be returning to the Lord. And every time you make a choice that honors Him, you're deepening your commitment to wanting all He has for you. I hope you find this cup of theology to be the best part of waking up! I know it's one of my favorites, and will be until He returns to make me perfect!  RSVP with me?  Father, I deeply regret how often I have read Your Word with little effort to hear Your invitations to respond. I’ve followed the words on the page without hearing Your voice. And because of that, Your invitations which could have kept me close have had to travel farther since I have wandered unnecessarily away. You are so faithful in Your guidance and persistent in Your warnings. Father, open my ears to hear even the whispers of caution You utter in my life. I know responding to You continually will make all the difference. I thank You for Your gracious invitations. Here is my R.S.V.P! "I'm Yours!"  In the name of my relentless, loving Savior, Yeshua, I pray, amen. RobbRobb

FOR GOD SO LOVED...WHO? ME?

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. —John 3:16

One verse has been considered by believers throughout history, as the most important statement in the Bible. It’s the centerpiece. It summarizes what God has done and highlights an unavoidable decision YOU must make. 

Everything starts and flows from its truth.

Nothing in this life truly makes sense until John 3:16 makes sense. In order for that to happen, both your ability to think [mind] and your capacity to feel [heart] have to be fully engaged in the choice God offers in this verse. Choosing to believe requires your whole heart and mind.

This crucial message from The Father of all creation starts with His love. This action on God’s part should never be taken for granted. There’s nothing that requires God to love us, and at times there is very little about us that’s loveable. He loves the world as only our Creator can—despite our rebellion and rejection. “God so loved the world” because He chose to do so. (Let that really sink in.) 

In order to effectively doubt or reject God’s love, we have to ignore its ultimate proof: “he gave his only Son.”  Yes, He sent His Son, and the Son willingly came. But here is the truth that God gave His Son, in order to demonstrate His love. 

Gave also means “allowed Him to perish.” The crucifixion of God’s Son came at the hands of men, but under His permission. The Father's love allowed that terrible act because the death of His Son makes life "possible" for many. Jesus became the propitiation [wrath remover] for our sin on the cross. Because God loves, He gave.

God’s choice places our most important decision before us. The phrase “whoever believes in him” actually divides humanity into two groups: those who choose to believe in Him and those who choose not to. 

Whoever believes receives one result; whoever doesn’t believe receives a different result. Just as those who believe in Jesus receive eternal life, those who reject [ignore] Jesus are subject to eternal death.

The phrase “shall not perish” reminds us of our fate if God doesn’t intervene. The reason we perish is sin. Acknowledging our sin-full  reality is called repentance. 

It’s more than regret or feeling sorry; it’s a deep-seated desire to turn from deeds of death to life. . We turn away from sin so we can turn toward the One who loves us.

Agreeing with God’s accurate view of your sinfulness (which deserved his wrath) is the repentance part of trusting Him. Believing in Him means you put your full weight down on His love for you. 

It's choosing to believe with your whole heart not just that God loves, but that He truly loves you as you are, with full knowledge of your inabilities, sins and shenanigans. 

Beyond an intellectual agreement [mind], you must embrace God’s love for you [heart] as your ultimate source of forgiveness, hope, direction for living, and eternal life. 

In John 3:16, God's truth comes close and confronts you. You can’t remain neutral about the choice to believe in [God with skin on] Jesus. Either you do or you don’t. And it’s the most important decision you will ever make. 

Care to Pray with me? 

Lord, the familiarity of this verse sometimes keeps me from stopping long enough to appreciate again its essential message for my life. Your love is not only expressed most powerfully in giving Your Son, it is also expressed clearly in recording this verse. You inscribed Your love for me and Your Son signed the declaration with His own blood on the cross. Eternity will not be long enough to express my love for your love that surges through me each time I realize how unlovable I am, yet You loved and rescued me. My heart, soul, and mind bow in worship and seek to love You in response. In the life giving name of Jesus, I pray, amen.