Jana Spicka

Get Dressed

/ Jana / Leave a comment

Last night at WGR Weekly, we talked about the armor of God. For some of you, the Ephesians 6 passage is almost ho-hum. You have heard it a 1000 times. But do you actually wear it?

For some, you didn’t even know you had supernatural equipment. Here is the list:

Belt of Truth
Breastplate of Righteousness
Feet shod with the gospel of God
Shield of Faith
Helmet of Salvation
Sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God

I have itemized it for you on purpose. I want to you ask God to help you get dressed just like you do in the physical. Go down your own mental list in the natural: brush teeth, lotion, eye shadow, mascara, lipstick, deodorant, etc.

In the same way in the spiritual, “put on the full armor of God” so that you will be able to stand.

We keep talking about divine power. Let’s wear the divine equipment that goes along with the divine power.

Lord, give eyes to see and faith to believe that You are greater and more real than the world with see with our eyes. Help us simply to follow You and to wear the armor You Yourself have provided for us. Amen.

Divine Power

/ Jana / Leave a comment

Sometimes I get twisted about the things of God. I see so much mayhem and dysfunction. I hear stories that make you want to weep. Not stories of “people out there,” but stories of people sitting in my living room, across from me at coffee. I experience in my own life, and see in others’ lives, circumstances that don’t add up. We are not the pagans, but still life feels confounding, complex, and often painful. Our stories simply defy gravity.

In these twisted moments, I wonder where is the reality of God? The prophet Isaiah declared that His “arm is not too short to save,” (Is. 59:1). So where then is the saving?

Do you really believe that God will save you in your circumstances, from your circumstances, through your circumstances? Do you? Really?

I don’t want to diminish the pinch of this question with Christian Band Aids. God does not mind our inquiries, nor does He need us to defend Him. His reputation is secure. Instead, it is what we believe about His reputation that is at stake.

Two thoughts here.

First, I have been asking the Lord for more of the supernatural. More of Him. If He is who He says He is, then I want the “divine power that has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and goodness.” (2 Peter 1:3)

I don’t want to memorize it. I want to live it.

Second, the place I go to in the “twisted moments” is to reflect on the wonders of God. King David said, “I will meditate on Your wonderful works,” (Psalm 145:5). It is hard to have a God box and then say His arm is too short to save.

Today, ask for divine power. Today, meditate on His persistent, loving work in your life. Today, declare to your own heart, and to the hearts of others, ‘His arm is not too short to save.’

Father, Son and Spirit, we submit our understanding to You. We declare that we trust Your heart, Your way, Your sovereignty and Your tender embrace.  Amen.

On My Mirror

/ Jana / Leave a comment

Here’s the verse I have written on my mirror:

“His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and goodness.” 2 Peter 1:3

More to come….

Rain on Us

/ Jana / 3 Comments

It rained really hard in the middle of the night.  It woke me up of out a dead sleep and I remember rolling over and praying, “Rain on us, Lord. Water Your land and wash Your people.”

Today I heard the song “Barren Land” by Shane and Shane. One of my favorites. Its summary message is we can do all kinds of tilling the soil and planting the seeds, but if God doesn’t rain on us – on His land – on the seed we’ve sown, nothing will happen.

Nothing.

Thus said, I can’t believe all that God is planting these days. There are three books being flushed out and edited and refined. And a new worship CD with a shocking cover. (Heh heh heh.)

And I wondered. Will you pray for rain with me? Will you pray that God pours out all the help, all the funds, all the prayers and time it will take to bring a beautiful harvest?

Lord, You are the father of the rain. Please pour down on me and those who help me so that we might produce a harvest to feed many.  Do what only You can do. Come and fill everything in every way. Amen

Let the Redeemed Say So

/ Jana / 1 Comment

Somebody challenged me the other day, If God is so good, and so powerful, then why do Christians sound so miserable?”

Ouch.

I had to think about it. I mean, really. And you know, a lot of Christian music IS often about lost people getting saved, desperate cries of “God are You there?” and pleas of “Help me-help me-help me.”  No offense intended. And yet. . . where are the testimonies of healing? Provision? Comfort and wisdom? Not just salvation, but everyday intervention in our lives?

Is God living and active in our lives or not? Do we see Him, acknowledge Him, give Him the credit He deserves?

Graham Cooke made this great distinction in his sermon “God is the Kindest Person I Have Ever Met.” He said that who we were Before we met God was our History. But who we are Now and what God has done in our lives Since we met is our Testimony.

And since you know how I love definitions: Testimony is defined as evidence or witness. And blow my hair back, look at what it used as examples of testimonies:

  1. a.) the tablets inscribed with the Mosaic law, the ark containing the tablets, b.) a divine decree attested in the Scriptures
  2. a.) the firsthand authentication of a fact, b.) an outward sign, c.) a solem declaration made under oath
  3. a.) an open acknowledgement, b.) a public profession of a religious experience

Can I get a Yes and Amen?!! A Holy Wow?

Jesus said, “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”  Acts 1:8

Lord, give us eyes, ears, and Mouths to be receive Your power and be Your witnesses of your goodness even in the middle of our circumstances.
Amen.

When We Get Sick…

/ Jana / 2 Comments

Okay here is a real stretch.  Does God know what it is like to not know what to do? Does he know the feeling of being at the end of His rope? Does He even have a rope?

I would say in the Doctrine World the answer to all of these questions is  a resounding “no.”

But when you have been up for two nights, your youngest has been crooping for three weeks, your husband has been in bed for two days, your oldest is home from school too with first stages of the same crud, your dog is yipping outside the door and you are cramping like crazy from PMS, it really helps to know that God understands.

Really understands.

I was laying on the couch in those first waking moments thinking, “God how am I going to do this today?” And Charis came and snuggled with me on the couch.

“Like this.”  I felt Him whisper in my heart.

Just let Him hold you today. Somehow, no matter how bad it gets, it always feels better when you’re in Their Arms.

As a mother comforts her child, so will I comfort you…” Isaiah 66:13

Lord thank you that You are what’s at the end of my rope. Amen

Face Toward the Sun

/ Jana / Leave a comment

Did you know that sunflowers follow the sun all day long? Their faces follow the pattern of the sun across the sky. If you have seen a field of them, like the one on highway 321 in Friendsville, it looks like the sun has dripped across the field leaving little puddles of sunlight on stalks.

What I love is the notion of faces turned toward the sun. Wherever the sun goes, the plant, without mind, heart or soul, follows. The flower knows the sun is where the nourishment is. The life. And it reflects the golden life so, so well. Then oddly enough, when the seeds are ripening, the sunflower faces only east to protect the seeds from scalding.

If that is not enough, the center of the flowers form circles. Like a crown.

Wonder what God is saying through this simple act of nature?  Follow. Reflect. Glory displayed.

Father, I think You are so smart and so beautiful in how nature teaches us about You. Teach us to look and listen. Warm our hearts and minds, that we would follow You and find life. Amen.

The Master of mastery

/ Jana / Leave a comment

Have you seen the new Karate Kid? There is a scene where  the Kung Fu master tells the boy, “Hang up your coat, take off your coat, drop your coat, pick up your coat.” And repeat. Repeat. Repeat. Not until many days and hours of repetition later did the kid realize the brilliance of the master’s strength, discipline, and character building.

When you are working on mastery, praise and criticism are inevitable. But also irrelevant.

Look to the Master. Let His voice alone be your teacher. Walk through your circumstances with an eye on what He is training in you. Don’t aim for a gold star. Aim for being like the Master. That’s sure His goal…

“A student is not above his teacher, but everyone who is fully trained will be like his teacher.”  Luke 6:40

Lord, I want You to be my first and foremost teacher. I want to submit to Your training, I want to work for Your loving praise alone. Thank You that You are working all things to make me more like you. Amen


Performance vs. Mastery

/ Jana / 4 Comments

Tuesday night in WGR class we talked about Performance vs. Mastery.

Performance always drives us to be approved, by means of pleasing others. At all costs. Even at the expense of our own desires and often at the expense of following God. Performance always wants a grade, a score, pat on the back. When you have to get it right all the time, any criticism becomes an enemy that produces shame. There is no room for growth, experimentation, or lessons learned through  trial and error because there is pending doom of a “hand” hovering over your every move, ready to swat you if you fail. Not fun.

Criticism is usually fatal to the performer’s growth.  However, praise does not offer a much better prognosis. As performers, we have this deep, empty pit in our heart needing to be filled with God’s significance. Apart from His definition of worth, we try to fill this hole with the praise of others. Thus praise becomes the ever-out-of-reach gold ring that the performer continuously strives to get more and more of.  Performance is not so good for our soul.

Mastery however, is the slow, strenuous journey of Learning.

Learning requires the right ingredients, the right recipe, the right goal, and the right teacher. Mastery is having your eye on the right model and then accepting that the “master” is using all circumstances to teach you how to do as she does. Over time. With repetition.

Mastery is not about proving value. That fact is established. Done. Settled. Mastery is literally about refining, unveiling, conditioning the valued person to walk in the master’s footsteps. One life experience at a time. One day at a time with new mercies every morning so that we begin with a clean slate to try again, to learn more, to practice, to improve, even to fail and get back up again.

When Jesus picked the disciples, “performance” would have them trying to validate His selection of them. Instead, He chose them out of His goodness, His significance. Just like He chose us. He said to them, follow in My footsteps, do like I do, and you will see the Father like I do. He says the same to us.

You being valued isn’t the question. You doing life like Jesus does is the life long journey The Master is after. And in.

Need a visual? This is the result of my fourth and fifth batch of bread. See the difference? Flat, heavy, “squished” vs. light, airy and yummy. Performance would have quit after ruined loaf number one. Mastery is continuing to learn, grow and try, try again. Only trying with more wisdom each time. My family is loving my journey into mastery. Smile.