Devotion: The Pause: Silence before the Next Step Up

Rusty A Lang (Pseusonym for Marlene Anne Morphew@AnneMorphew)

Mark 8:31, ‘And He (Jesus) began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes and be killed, and after three days rise again.’ NASB

If transitions are like hitting the white water of life then seasonal changes can affront our senses.

They move us from what is comfortable, known and packed full of memories to what is new, unknown, uncertain and often fraught with anxiety and insecurity. They are the inevitable sometimes unscheduled leaps from one season to another.

This is when we come face to face with what I call, THE PAUSE. Oh, how we wrestle with the pause. We fight it, we try to avoid it by filling our time with trivial things. We fret and worry to no avail. We wonder about all the “what ifs”.

Is God still speaking to me? Why is he silent concerning his future plans for us?  We become challenged as to our purpose in life, and hunger for the next step as though our worth depends upon what we are doing.

The pause is a no man’s land. We know we are moving forward but we lose sight of the shore and are unable to see the next landing spot. It is the time in between the old and stepping into the new. We have a sense of being unarmed.

                                    

A season of the heart.

Pauses are for the internal adjustment; a season of the heart. The pause always brings focus; a time for reflection as metamorphosis is taking place.

During a pause it is not time to try to make plans for the next move but time to go deeper into the Word, strengthening our intimacy with our Saviour and speaking with honour to the Holy Spirit. The Father has the next plan well in hand.

What we do during this stage will affect our next step up. Cherish the pauses. Look beyond the silence of ministry activities and begin to pray for the vistas afar off. Take a step up into new territories of trust and faith.

Jesus had his pauses tool but for different reasons. The most significant is between his death and resurrection (Mark 8:31).

Lean into the pauses. Thank God for each day he is preparing you for something greater.

 About the Author -

Rusty A Lang is author pseudonym for Marlene Anne Morphew. Schooled in brokenness, Marlene has served the Christian Church internationally for over 40 years. With a heart for the nations, her passion is for people to be released into the Kingdom of God, living a natural supernatural life for Jesus Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit. Living in Australia she can be followed on Facebook and through a regular blog on her website rustyalang.com. Her autobiography, Good Things Take Time: Metamorphosis of a Damaged Soul and subsequent non-fiction publications Timeless Treasures: Digging for Gold Daily, Hour of the Owl: Living Life with Wisdom and Warrior Bride: Building Women of Strength are laced with the spirit of prophecy. Details found on her website. They can be ordered through her website in Australia and booklocker.com internationally.

Devotion: Breaking the Rules

Rusty A Lang (Pseudonym for Marlene Anne Morphew | @AnneMorphew

Don’t mix genre

My logic mind screamed, “I can’t do that!”

God had given me an idea for my third book and I was not sure if it was okay by the rules of writer engagement with the world. He wanted a fictional story included in a non-fiction book on wisdom.

Have a clear outline

A writer is to know the direction of the proposed fictional manuscript. But my fictional part started as an allegory, and ended up a full blown story of a relationship between a grandfather and his grandson.

I learned the characters could go any direction - people come and go - circumstances and events ebb and flow. As I kept in mind the purpose of the book, living life with wisdom, the concept fell into place.

As the characters lived through the highs and lows of everyday existence, I was swept along with the practical wisdom oozing from an older man overflowing to his grandson.

Instead of a set outline, I chose to trust my characters to direct me. I love this photo. I do not know the man but he is so like my main character I wanted to share it with you.

Write from experience

I am a nonfiction writer so this was new territory for me. I am not a grandmother. I have never had children of my own. I argued with God that it is best to write from experience. He reminded me Jesus was not a grandparent or father yet he understands the hearts and minds of all God’s children.

Christian writers have God’s Word stored in our hearts so it is from there he brings forth words he wants us to write, whether we have experienced the emotion, event or circumstance.

Deuteronomy 11:18, ‘You shall therefore impress these words of mine on your heart and on your soul, and you shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontals on your forehead.’
I hope you sense the wonder of this young boy discovering God in the pages of the bible - as my boy in the book did.

Format material for easy reading

My book was to fill a void between the shallow and superficial and deeper theological treatises on wisdom - each chapter in three parts. This format sounded confusing to me but for a teaching book to be interesting to time poor readers it had to be different. God reminded me he compiled the Old Testament and it is not arranged in chronological order.

First part was the allegory. The second teaching on wisdom from the Word of God and the third included optional questions for personal or small group study.

The multipurpose format makes people stop reading and think about the contents. Learning rather than getting swept along by the story alone.

Cover design relate to topic

In this I did err on the side of common sense. But the full meaning of the reference to the owl only comes to those who take the time to read the preface. I was told nobody reads the front matter. So at book signings I guide people towards the preface.

Building perusers and scanners into readers is part of a writer’s job.




Obey the rules for success

Breaking man’s rules if binding on creativity is okay, for obedience to God counts for eternity.

‘But Peter and the apostles answered and said, “We must obey God rather than man”’ (Acts 5:29).

Are you writing by the rules or for the glory of God?

About the author

Marlene Anne Morphew/Rusty A. Lang – healed from dyslexia, schooled in brokenness, writing is in her DNA. Discover her testimony in her autobiography, Good Things Take Time: Metamorphosis of a Damaged Soul. Explore her other non-fiction publications on her website rustyalang.com. Her international ministry takes her away from her writing desk throughout the year but her heart home is still Australia with her husband, Ray.

DEVOTION: Spiritual Vagabonds.

Rusty A Lang (Pseudonym for Marlene Anne Morphew |@AnneMorphew)

Wriggling worm

When have you noticed life going along well and we let an offence wriggle in?

There are people who are actually treated unjustly and then there are those who believe they have been treated unjustly. The latter thinking is a subtle snare that evil thrives on. This happens when we draw conclusions from inaccurate information and deception takes hold. We begin to make bad decisions and incorrect assumptions based on unrealistic expectations. We rely on how we perceive things to be or hearsay and dwell on our hurts and disappointments.

But it gets worse, if we let it. Protective bars go up, which lead to isolation, we become consumed by the offence, inward focused and full of self-pity. Finally it saps our energy, affects our emotional stability and peace of mind.

Oh yes, Satan’s tool of offence causes cat fights, quarrelling and strife as well if we let it.An offence is like a worm that is working its way out from the middle of an apple, eating us from the inside out, causing bitterness, anger and even physical disease. People who refuse to let go of an offence, become spiritual vagabonds.

Other side of the coin

How often have we offended others? 

“Do not pay attention to every word people say, or you may hear your servant cursing you – for you know in your heart that many times you yourself have cursed others”  (Ecclesiastes 7:21). 

Did you know offending someone intentionally is the same as cursing that person?

Then we are faced with the reality:

 “An offended brother is more unyielding than a fortified city, and disputes are like the barred gates of a citadel” (Prov. 18:19). 

Fault Boxes

A couple married for fifteen years began having more than a few disagreements. They wanted to make their marriage work and agreed on an idea. For one month they planned to drop slips into fault boxes for each. The wife was diligent in her efforts and approach: leaving the top off the vegemite jar, wet towels on the bathroom floor, dirty socks not in laundry basket, leaving the toilet seat up. 

At the end of the month, they exchanged boxes.

The husband reflected on what he had been doing wrong according to his wife. Then the wife opened her box and began reading. They were all the same. The message on each slip read, ’I love you.’ (Original author unknown)

Anecdote to Offence

Love and forgiveness takes the sting out of offence. 

Is there someone today God is asking you to forgive?

How do you deal with offence?

Timeless Treasures: Digging for Gold Daily

This devotion is edited from Daily No. 289 titled Spiritual Vagabonds: Offence

 

Are you tired of the same old devotionals?
The ones that once met your daily needs but now seem shallow because you have moved on and long for a deeper daily feed? 

I wrote Timeless Treasures with you in mind. It has 366 one page daily studies of topics from A-Z. Not dated, you can choose what you need for the day from the list of subjects in the back.

About the author

Marlene Anne Morphew/Rusty A. Lang – healed from dyslexia and childhood abuse, schooled in brokenness, writing is in her DNA. Discover her testimony in her autobiography, Good Things Take Time: Metamorphosis of a Damaged Soul. Explore her other non-fiction publications on rustyalang.com

Her International teaching ministry takes her away from her writing desk throughout the year but her heart home is still Australia with her husband, Ray. Connect with Marlene to follow her updates and daily posts on Facebook.