Stillness In The Lord

January 5, 2013

Gary J. Borgstede Faith And Family , , , , , , Leave a comment

Scripture

Psalm 37:7 “Be still in the presence of the Lord, and wait patiently for Him to act.”

Observation

In this psalm, David encourages people of God to be still in the presence of the Lord and wait patiently for Him to act on their behalf. At this stage of his life, David has witnessed the faithfulness of God to deliver him from the hand of all his enemies, provide for him in the most troubling times, and uphold him even in his failures. Through it all, David grew strong in the Lord because he learned how to be still in the presence of the Lord.

Application

Like David, in my personal walk with God, I must learn how to be still in the presence of the Lord if I am going to grow strong in Him. Regardless of the troubles I encounter in life, the opposition I face along the way, or the personal failure I experience on the journey, I can have perfect peace if during those times I am still in the presence of the Lord and my mind stays on Him. I am even reminded that when the storm was raging around Jesus as He and His disciples were crossing the sea, Jesus stayed in perfect peace because His trust was completely in His heavenly Father and His word. In fact, the word of God declares in Psalms 89:9, “You rule the raging of the sea; when its waves rise, You still them.” When I am still in the presence of the Lord and place my complete trust in Him, He is well able and faithful to still any raging sea around me.

Prayer

Heavenly Father, I praise You for You are El Elyon, God Most High, Creator and Possessor of Heaven and Earth! Thank You Lord for teaching me how to be still in Your presence even during the most difficult, trying times in life. As I learn to place my trust in You and You alone, I praise You for calming the raging seas of life and being faithful to complete the good work that You began in me when I first placed my trust in You. I love You Jesus! Amen!

Stillness In The Lord Copyright 2012, Gary J. Borgstede.  You have permission to reprint the personal devotion, Stillness In The Lord, in its entirety only, and forward to your colleagues and friends, provided the copyright notice remains part of the reprint and transmission.  All other rights reserved.

The Make It Happen Moment ® Embrace Life

February 12, 2012

Gary J. Borgstede The Make It Happen Moment ® , , , , , 3 Comments

Quote: “Look forward to the harvest, and remember, where there is struggle, there is life!” – Zig Ziglar

One day I was struggling with some difficult life circumstances, so in my office at work I inquired of the Lord about the matter.  “Lord, why is this happening to me?  I know that You are building my character in this situation, but I don’t understand why it has to be like this.”  Before I could descend too far into a pity party, I heard the Lord respond in His still small voice, “This is happening to you because through it, I am putting a message in you that when it comes out, it will be all Me!”  Now that gave me something to seriously ponder…the Lord wanted to use me (Wow!), but He needed to work out some things in my character before He could do so (Ouch!).  Furthermore, in the midst of my troubling circumstances, the Lord encouraged me regarding His perfect plan and purpose for my life, and even though I didn’t fully understand the struggle, with His abiding presence, I knew I could rest in the peace of Psalm 18:3 as the Psalmist David, declaring in my spirit, “I will call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised!” 

The Lord is so awesome that He has since helped me to even better understand what He was talking about when He spoke to me on that day in my office. In a teaching, Jewish Rabbi, Curt Landry, shared that the making of a Jewish Shofar – a holy trumpet – actually represents how the Lord shapes and molds each of us into a holy vessel separated unto Him for His kingdom use and glory.  In Rabbi Landry’s lesson, he taught that in order for a Shofar to exist, an animal has to first give its life so that the horn can be cut away for use as a Shofar.  This symbolizes the death that each of us experiences when we first give our life to the Lord and are spiritually born new in Jesus Christ.  The Apostle Paul clearly explains this in 2 Corinthians 5:17 stating, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.”  Then, after the horn is cut away, the priest puts the horn in boiling water so that it will become soft and malleable – able to be shaped by his hands.  This represents how the Lord, our Perfect High Priest, will allow the tests and trials of life to soften us, shape us, and develop a teachable spirit within us.  Once the horn is taken out of the boiling water, the priest then twists and turns it in a special way so that it will be able to produce the right joyful sound unto the Lord.  This represents how the Lord will allow difficult life challenges like the one I was experiencing to directly prepare us for His specific calling and perfect purpose for our lives that will bring Him glory. 

Lastly, the priest puts the handcrafted vessel in a dry wilderness place to let it properly dry out before drilling the small pointed end of it to complete the mouthpiece necessary for making the joyful sound for which the Shofar was created.  This represents the lonely time period when the Lord is perfecting our total dependence upon Him before He fully releases us into our anointed calling for which He created us.  While such a time may feel like the Lord has abandoned us, I have found that it is in this time that we actually discover His faithfulness to His promise in Hebrews 13:5 that He will never leave us nor forsake us as well as learn the benefits found in James 1:4 of letting patience have its perfect work in us so that we may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing in God. Therefore, with a spirit of faith and commitment, embrace life and all its struggles because God is in complete control, shaping and preparing us for His perfect plan and destiny in His kingdom.

The Make It Happen Abundant People Value: “Make It Happen” People Possess A Positive Attitude!

Have a blessed “Make It Happen” day!

Edited by The Make It Happen Moment ® Editorial Team

The Make It Happen Moment ® Embrace Life Copyright 2010, The Make It Happen Learning Institute.  You have permission to reprint The Make It Happen Moment ® Embrace Life, in its entirety only, and forward to your colleagues and friends, provided the copyright notice remains part of the reprint and transmission.  All other rights reserved.

Related articles

Inheriting The Promises Of God

February 5, 2012

Gary J. Borgstede Leadership Insights , , , , , , 4 Comments

Hebrews 6:11-12 “And we desire that each one of you show the same diligence to the full assurance of hope until the end, that you do not become sluggish, but imitate those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.” NKJV

Do you know that inheriting the promises of God in our lives is more like a marathon race rather than a sprint race? Not sure. Well then, let me ask you to consider Noah. He didn’t build the ark in a day. It took more like 100 years to build the ark. Or what about David? He didn’t become king overnight. No, it took many years of running for his life before he became the king of Israel. Or how about Abraham? Did he become the father of many nations in a week?  No, he didn’t.  For each of these heroes of faith, it took a long time for the promises of God to be fulfilled in their respective lives.  Unfortunately, it is no different for you and I; therefore, the sobering reality is that inheriting the promises of God in our lives is definitely more like a marathon race and not a sprint race.

If you have ever run a 10k race (6.2 miles), a half marathon (13.1 miles), and a marathon (26.2 miles), you quickly discover that there is most definitely a difference between each of these races. In fact, running a marathon race versus a sprint race requires another whole level of discipline and painstaking diligence in order to successfully run the race to the end.  With that said, it’s interesting to me that the writer of Hebrews 6:11 says that we “should show the same diligence until the full assurance of hope until the end” indicating that the race of faith will require diligence to finish.

Miriam-Webster’s Dictionary defines diligence as: persevering application; being diligent is characterized by steady, earnest, and energetic effort : PAINSTAKING

In other words being diligent is not easy. Notice that I didn’t say doing diligence. Being diligent is not a doing work, but rather a PAINSTAKING being work in and through us as we run the race of faith and persevere in our faith to the full assurance of hope until the end. Furthermore, being diligent in a persevering application of faith requires patience. For example, constructing  a new building  takes a persevering application of faith and patience. Launching a new campus or a new business takes a persevering application of faith and patience. In fact James 1:4 states, “But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.” NKJV

In my devotional studies, I’ve learned from Rick Renner’s, Sparkling Gems From The Greek, that the word patience comes from the Greek word hupomeno which means “having the kind of attitude that hangs in there no matter what, never gives up, refuses to surrender to obstacles, and turns down every opportunity to quit.” So then, let me ask this question. Where do you think this kind of staying power or patience comes from?  The Bible says that it comes from the Holy Spirit and is in fact one of the fruits of the Holy Spirit. Galatians 5:22-23 states,  “But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!” NLT 

When we have the Holy Spirit fruit of patience operating in our lives, nothing can stop us, nothing can break us, no challenge is too difficult for us, no opposition is too fearful, and no dream is too big…because God is WITH us and He is FOR us!

As an illustration let me share how the Holy Spirit fruit of patience helped me to successfully complete the 2007 Florida Ironman triathlon. In the days leading up to the race, I have to be honest that I was a little nervous and a lot afraid, especially when two nights before the race at the kick-off dinner for the athletes, a short video was shown of the prior year race.  I’m not sure if it was meant to encourage me or what, but what it did do was scare the heck out of me.  After watching 2,500 people run into the water like penguins at the north pole and start swimming out into the deep blue ocean one on top of the other for 2.4 miles, I thought…I’m gonna die.  And if I don’t die in the water…how in the world am I going to ride my bike 112 miles and THEN run a 26.2 mile marathon.  I couldn’t help but think, WHAT WAS I THINKING?

Seriously though, I had intimidating thoughts that I might not be able to finish the race. I also had fearful thoughts that my body might just shut down and quit on me.  Did I properly count the cost in my training or was I going to look foolish by not being able to finish what I started? Did I really hear from the Lord about doing the race or was I just trying to find my identity in something outside of Him? As I was wrestling with these questions in my mind the day before the race, the Lord encouraged me that He was with me and that the whole thing was about learning to be patient in Him…learning patience in the 3 years of training that it took to properly prepare for the Ironman and learning patience during the most significant physical challenge of my life at that time.  

So early in the morning around 4 am on Race day, I got up and went on the balcony of our condo overlooking the beach to spend time with the Lord and pray for the patience and strength I would need for the day in order to finish the race. I asked the Lord to be with me throughout the day and I prayed Isaiah 40:31 for His supernatural patience and strength during the race.

“But those who wait on the Lord, Shall renew their strength;

They shall mount up with wings like eagles,

They shall run and not be weary,

They shall walk and not faint.” Isaiah 40:31

All through-out the race, I prayed this verse in my spirit, took my thoughts captive, and enjoyed my race with the Lord.  When I finished the swim, I was so excited that I had not actually drowned, I couldn’t stop thanking the Lord for being done with that stage and actually being alive… I finished the swim in 1 hr 18 minutes which was a great time for me.

On the bike, I was trained well and was staying disciplined to my heart rate training…no more than 78% of my maximum heart rate; however, 70 miles into the race, I experienced a sharp opposing headwind which caused me to have to drop my pace to around 15 mph instead of the 20 mph that I trained for and had set as a goal.  In fact, at mile 90, the headwind had been so persistent for 20 miles that I had to stop on side of the road to take a short break and eat a peanut butter and jelly sandwich to get some needed strength and refreshment.

Do you know that when we are taking steps of faith and begin moving in the direction of God’s promises for our lives, it is very likely that we may experience opposition from the enemy; therefore, we must be prepared for it and respond with a continued persevering application of faith and patience. Plus, when we are in a long enduring season of faith, we have to remain disciplined in persevering applications of faith and patience if we are going to inherit the promises of God…because all seasons eventually change if we don’t give up. Daily prayer, bible reading, small group, fasting, praise, and refreshing in the Holy Spirit are all great spiritual disciplines that can help us build faith and patience on our journey towards the inheritance of God’s promises in our life. 

At mile 106, the headwind turned into an awesome tailwind and I finished the bike stage at 6 hrs and 15 min which was about 30 minutes later than my training goal.

As I started into the 26.2 mile marathon run, my wife and children along with my mother-in-law and father-in-law were all there to encourage me and cheer me on which was a huge boost for me.  And then 6.5 miles later, my parents, my sisters, my brothers-in-law, nieces and nephews were all at the other end of a 13.1 mile loop to continue cheering me on and encouraging me to finish the race.  Their encouragement and support reminded me of the great cloud of witnesses mentioned in Hebrews 12:1 that watch us as we run the race of faith in Christ.  Hebrews 12:1-2 states,  “Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us.” NKJV

Having my family cheer and support me at critical stages of the race was a huge encouragement that helped me run the race with endurance.  It is the same way for each of us in our personal races of faith in Christ.  Having spiritual family there to support you in the midst of life’s challenges, obstacles, hopes, and dreams is a huge part of the endurance success factor.  As I ran and took each step towards the finish line, I continued praying in the spirit as I thanked God for my family, thanked God for the beautiful sunset, and thanked Him for the ability to actually run the race. In fact, when I crossed the finish line after a long race of 12 hrs and 53 minutes, I walked across the line with my arms raised in the air giving all praise and glory to my heavenly Father for being with me the whole way and giving me everything I needed to strongly finish the race. And lastly, it was a great joy to see my training partner also finish strong and cross the finish line fulfilling our mutual commitment to run the race of life together in the wisdom of Proverbs 27:17 which states in the New International Version of the Bible that “As iron sharpens iron, so does one man sharpen another.”  

Finishing Is Better Than Starting. Patience Is Better Than Pride

Topping it all off as God generally likes to do, later that week after the race was over, in my devotional time with the Lord, He led me to discover the scripture verse of Ecclesiastes 7:8 in the New Living Translation of the Bible which states, “Finishing is better than starting. Patience is better than pride.” How awesome is that?  As a certified finisher of the 2007 Florida Ironman, I can personally testify that finishing is certainly better than starting and patience is certainly better than pride. How much more awesome will it be when you and I inherit the fullness of the promises of God through faith and patience as we cross the finish line of our race of faith in Christ? So my prayer is that you will inherit the promises of God in your life through faith and patience by hanging in the race of faith no matter what, never giving up, refusing to surrender to obstacles, and turning down every opportunity to quit because God is with you and He is for you! Amen!

For a cool short video recap of the 2007 Florida Ironman race, Click Here.

Inheriting The Promises Of God Copyright 2012, The Make It Happen Learning Institute.  You have permission to reprint the leadership article, Inheriting The Promises Of God, in its entirety only, and forward to your colleagues and friends, provided the copyright notice remains part of the reprint and transmission.  All other rights reserved.

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