All Articles on this page by Victoria Kaye.

Forgive & Forget
A New Take On Thought Warfare
by Victoria Kaye

As a born again child of God, one of the most important things to remember is that when we ask God to forgive us for something, He forgives it – instantly. Of course there are certain times and some circumstances that require us to make amends to someone or some organization – but over all God’s forgiveness is absolutely free, completely based on His unconditional love for us.

Forgiveness is generally easy for us to understand, it’s the next part that most of us struggle with. That’s the part where God FORGETS about that thing for which we have just asked forgiveness (1). Yes, forgets. Forgets so instantaneously that if we ask for forgiveness for the same thing twice in one sentence His reaction to the second request is “Forgive what?”

The reason this is so hard for us to understand is because our brain really isn’t set up to forget things. Well, I know as we get older we all tend to forget stuff, like where we left our keys, where we parked our car, why we got up and headed down the hall, you know – stuff like that. But the important stuff, the things that effect our lives, or our families or careers, these things we seem to never forget. Sometimes that’s good – if a lesson has been learned through the event, but when our brain starts playing reruns of hurtful events in a negative attacking manner, well that’s NOT good.

In order to successfully deal with a problem you first need to understand the root or cause of the problem, or at least have some knowledge that the problem exists. So how do you deal with something that you think you have no control over – like your thoughts? Well, first you need to understand that you DO have control over your thoughts. Then you need to get some type of knowledge as to how a particular thought process works.

So let’s put this “forgetting” thought process into terms that most of us “twenty-first century thinkers” can understand. Let’s liken ourselves to a computer. I’ll be a laptop, because they are small, thin, light weight, and easy to carry around. You can be a desktop, or a laptop, or whatever type of computer fits you best, just pick one. Now, picture your body as the computer because it performs the dictated actions – the required input and output. Our brain is now the memory chip, controlling the actions of the computer (the body). The hard drive is then the storage device where all of our memories, good and bad, are stored.

We all know that the more information stored on your hard drive, the slower your computer operates. (No, this is not a reference to age. Well… maybe it is.) Sometimes defragging the hard drive helps, but at some point it becomes necessary to start physically deleting some of the older files, especially the corrupted ones, in order to make room for new stuff. Well, just like our brains, when you delete a file from your hard drive, it doesn’t actually disappear. An image of that file is stored in some unknown archive buried deep in the recesses of the disks contained within the drive. The average user cannot retrieve these deleted files at will, but you can hire an expert with the proper tools and software to retrieve this information should the need arise. Identity thieves are big fans of this type of technology, using it to retrieve information from stolen or refurbished computers of every age and type. They use the technology to dig up “dirt” on the previous owner(s) of that particular computer.

Although the file recovery software resides on some type of external disk drive, it uses the computer’s memory chip to retrieve the data hidden away on the hard drive. While the data is being retrieved, random images of the collected information are sent to the computer’s visual output device (the monitor) where these images are monitored by the person searching for the information. Does this sound familiar? It’s like some of the reruns that our brain plays while we lie in bed at night desperately trying to get some sleep. Images randomly switching between the events of that day, and events of the past – good and bad.

What’s even worse than intentional file retrieval is when one of those old deleted files randomly resurrects itself, corrupting your newly created, good files and causing the computer to do strange and completely unexpected things. In a computer this is called a “bug.” In life this can turn into chaos! And you can’t reboot your life. There are no do-overs.

Even if you completely reformat a computer’s hard drive – give it a new life – you can never really get rid of all the information once stored on that drive. The only way to ensure the data can never be retrieved is to physically destroy the actual disks contained within the drive. You can do that with a computer hard drive, but you can’t do that with your brain. So how do you combat those barrages of unwanted memories and thoughts? Since the thoughts can never really be deleted, the only thing you can do is reprogram your memory chip – your brain – to stop it from retrieving those old files. Stop it from digging up those files for which you have already received God’s counsel and forgiveness. But how?

Fixing a “bug” in a computer program entails reviewing the code, finding the error and correcting it. Reprogramming a computer, on the other hand, entails completely re-writing the code with new and hopefully better and cleaner code. This takes someone with a clear and concise knowledge of the computer’s operating system, and the proper programming language used to run that system. Well, who knows your operating system best? The One who designed the machine, of course – God! And where do we learn the “programming language” God created to run our operating system? The Bible. And how do we activate the language that operates that system? With our mouth! With our spoken words!

It takes a great deal of faith to reprogram your life. Sure, we already have enough faith to be assured that we are born again. But after that there are actually different levels of faith, according to the task set before us. The bigger your battle, the more faith that is required. Faith comes by hearing the Word of God (2). I’m not just talking about that message you heard preached at church (or on TV) last Sunday. There are certain times in your life where you will need constant, repeated infusions of faith, and this can only be obtained by YOU continually speaking God’s Word over YOURSELF. This is especially important when you are trying to cast down those thoughts and imaginations that are trying to contradict, or interfere with, your knowledge of God’s truth for your life (3).

The spoken word contracts thought. You cannot think about one thing while you are speaking about something else. This type of multi-tasking is not possible. What is coming from your mouth, good or bad, will always win out over what you were thinking about. So, reprogramming your thought life begins with speaking scripture that contradicts the thoughts you need to cast down (4, 5).

In computer programming, critical decisions are made by the use of what is called a “loop.” In simple terms, a loop tells the computer, “If this is true, then do this. Else if this is true, then do this. Else if (neither of these are true) then do this. End If.” Our thoughts do the same thing. They come at us and, depending upon our reaction as to true or false, they either continue to fester – or move on to the next subject. You can stop a thought loop dead in its tracks by telling that thought that what it just said (or asked) is false! Then tell it the truth – God’s truth, scripture – out loud, verbally. The faith required to win a battle with thought warfare comes only by actually hearing yourself speak the Word of God (2).

So, the lesson here is easy - a sin forgiven by God is also forgotten (1). You know, God is a busy guy. He doesn’t have time to dwell on the things of the past. He already has far too much on His plate taking care of all the stuff that hasn’t happened yet. So when all those old memories start cropping up you can be sure that it is not God who is bringing them up. How can God bring up something that He has no knowledge of (6)? No, it is Satan digging up the dirt of the past trying to keep you in bondage to the pain, depression, anger, addiction, or whatever it was that you used to turn to for escape from those memories (7). Just like Christ used “It is written…” (8) to defeat Satan in the desert, we can use God’s Word to defeat Satan in our thought life, not to mention every other area of our life.

“Do not remember the former things, nor consider the things of old. Behold, I will do a new thing, now it shall spring forth; shall you not know it?” Isaiah 43.18,19(a)

Notes
1) “I, even I, am He who blots out your transgressions for My own sake; and I will not remember your sins. Put Me in remembrance (of this); Let us contend together; State your case, that you may be acquitted.” Isaiah 43.25,26
2) “Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God.” Romans 10.17
3) “For though we walk in the flesh we do not war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ.” 2 Corinthians 10.3-5
4) “A man’s stomach shall be satisfied from the fruit of his mouth; from the produce of his lips he shall be filled. Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit.” Pr 18.20, 21
5) “For the Word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edge sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” Heb 4.12
6) “Do not remember the former things, nor consider the things of old. Behold, I will do a new thing, now it shall spring forth; shall you not know it? I will even make a road in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.” Isaiah 43.18, 19
7) “Then I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, ‘Now salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ have come, for the accuser of the brethren, who accused them before our God day and night, has been cast down.’ ” Revelation 12.10
8) “And when He had fasted forty days and forty nights, afterward He was hungry. Now when the tempter (Satan) came to Him, he said, ‘If You are the Son of God, command that these stones becomes bread.’ But He (Jesus) answered and said, ‘It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.’ “ Matthew 4.4

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Giving Thanks
by Victoria Kaye

Each year our church has a Testimonial Dinner to celebrate all the good things that the Lord has done in our lives. For more that a week I had been trying to single out one specific thing from amongst the many wonderful things that the Lord has done for me this past year. I could declare my thankfulness for my home, or my job, or my friends, or my family, or my church, or – well the choices are just innumerable. But when it comes right down to it, the greatest and most obvious choice would have to be that God still loves me. I am reminded of this with each and every breath that I take.

You see, in October of last year my life was so absolutely trashed that I just didn’t care any longer. I was swimming in debt. I had gone from being a faithful, long term employee in a prominent position, to clawing my way through five jobs in a brief eighteen months – each one crappier than the one before. My husband had turned on me. I had alienated all my friends. I was in the midst of an undiagnosed nervous breakdown, yet even my doctor was doubting the sincerity of my cries for help. I would literally wake up in the morning and say, “What’s the use?” The habit of surviving was my only motivation.

I was truly at the point where I just couldn’t take it any longer. There I was, habitually driving to crappy job number five. I had an open bottle of water between my knees, a full prescription of sedatives in one hand, and the car steering wheel in the other. I was going to take the handful of pills, set the cruise control, and just go.

Well, for some reason that morning I had tuned my car radio to a local Christian station. The minister was teaching out of Deuteronomy 32.11, “As an eagle stirs up its nest, hovers over its young, spreading out its wings, taking them up, carrying them on its wings…” The minister was describing the eagles referred to in this scripture. These eagles, the ones indigenous to the time and area, had a wing span of ten feet from tip to tip. That’s twice as wide as I am tall. In order to protect their young from predators they build their nests on ledges near the top of mountain cliffs – hundreds of feet above the valley floor.

When the time comes for the young eaglet to learn to fly, the mother walks him out to the edge of the ledge and shoves him off. The young eaglet plummets toward the valley floor, scratching and clawing at the air, screaming and trashing, tumbling head over heels, seeing earth then sky – earth then sky. He watches as the moments of his oh so brief life flash before him while he plummets to his death. Then, just as the eaglet is about to be smashed to pieces on the rocks below, the mother swoops up under him, wings fully outstretched, catches him on her back, and gently carries him up to the safety, security and comfort of the nest above.

As the minister was describing all this, I was seeing it not only in my mind, but also in my heart. Just as I approached the southern edge of the local airport, I looked up and to the right. There on the side of the freeway I saw the church I had seen so many other mornings. But that day what caught my attention, perhaps for the first time, was the Cross, standing tall and strong, and at it’s base a sign that read, “Jesus Saves.” At that very instant something inside of me broke. The spirit of death that had mastered such a tight grip on my soul fled instantly. It was as if God had grabbed me by the scruff of my neck, pulled me out of that dark pit, and set me down right at His feet.

Then I felt the Lord say to me, “Do I have your attention now? Because I simply cannot bear to watch you suffer any longer. I am not done with you yet. If you’ll let me back into your life I will finish the work I started within you all those years ago. If you’ll just give yourself over to me, I will restore everything that has been stolen from you. Not just that, but I will restore double what was taken. You of all people know that there is a much better way. Take my hand and I will guide you back to your intended path.”

I really don’t remember how I got the rest of the way to work that morning. However, I do remember rolling down the car window and throwing those pills out onto the freeway pavement – to be crushed by the tires of the passing cars. Even though I spent several more weeks at that crappy job, the Lord soon led me back into my desired career at a place with a very supportive boss. He has released me from the torment that once controlled my home, He has given me some brand new friends, my debt is diminishing more and more with each passing month, and by some small miracle I have actually been able to put some money into my savings account.

The Lord has restored my self-confidence and dignity. I am, once again, walking with my head up, looking forward instead of behind. He has gone out of His way to show me just how special, and important I am to Him. He has even softened my heart and given me the ability to see just how special and important everyone is to Him. He is slowly revealing His plan for my life, and giving me the strength, wisdom, courage, and enthusiasm to carry it out. Every day I wake up looking forward to what the Lord has in store for me next. Yet, even with all the wonderful things God has done in and for me during this past year, I can honestly say that the best thing of all is that I am still alive, and with each new breath I thank my God for yet another chance at life.

Now that I have read this through a couple of times, I realize that God actually did more than just save my life (again) on that dismal October day. He reinforced – literally set in stone – His faithfulness to His Word. He had promised never to leave me or forsake me. Even though I had walked away from Him and tried to do things on my own, at that very moment when I was about to be smashed on the rocks at the bottom of that pit, God swooped down, stretched out His wings, caught me on His back, and gently carried me back to the safety, security and comfort of His love.

God is still carrying me today. Right this moment He is leading me, restoring me, and preparing me for what lies ahead. Even though my nest may get stirred up again, or there may be more “flying lessons” in my future, I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that God will be there, hovering over me, and spreading out His wings to catch me long before I hit the bottom.

“Have you not known? Have you not heard? The everlasting God, the Lord, the creator of the ends of the Earth, neither faints nor is weary. His understanding is unsearchable. He gives power to the weak, and to those who have no might He increases strength. Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall, 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 40:28-31

“’Now therefore,’ says the Lord, ‘Turn to me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning.’ So rend you heart and not your garments; Return to the Lord your God, for He is gracious and merciful, show to anger, and of great kindness; and He relents from doing harm.” Joel 2:12-13

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The Cookie Jar
by Victoria Kaye

My Grandmother made the best cookies around, and she always made sure to have plenty on hand for when the neighborhood kids would visit, which they often did – because of her cookies. I had a major sweet tooth when I was a kid, and we lived with my Grandmother. Thus the cookie jar was a constant temptation for me. So much so that at one point my Grandmother tried to hide the cookie jar in order to keep me out of it.

Her plan worked extremely well for a couple of days, but I was desperate. I needed a cookie and I needed it bad. So I followed her every move until one afternoon I finally caught a glimpse of her hiding place while she was putting away the week’s groceries. There it was, that shiny brown jar, sitting on the top shelf of one of the kitchen cabinets well out of my reach. A dilemma, some would say, but desperation often brings out a person’s creative side. Especially when it involves cookies!.

So there I was, at six years old, learning my first lesson in creative problem solving. I wanted a cookie – but my height (or should I say, the lack of) stood in my way. Well, it didn’t take me long to realize that the drawers in the cabinet sitting just below my prize would make a nice step stool up to the counter top. Once on the counter top I could stretch up my hand and oh so diligently wiggle that cookie jar back and forth, and back and forth, until it reached the edge of the shelf where I could . . . .

Crash!.

I hadn’t taken into account the fact that my Grandmother had just baked a new batch of cookies and the weight of that jar would be a bit more than I could handle. I didn’t get a cookie that day, or the next. No, I got something completely unexpected – a whooping. But you know what, I had achieved my goal. I saw something I wanted really bad, and I was going to do anything within my power to get it.

Have you ever wanted something so bad that you could literally taste it? Some vision, or dream, or achievement, or prize? You know, something that tugs at your heart with such a loud voice that you would do just about anything to grasp hold of it.

Professionals spend years studying to achieve their degrees. Doctors and lawyers go beyond that by submitting themselves to grueling tests and lengthy internships. Athletes torture their bodies, whipping them into prime condition, sometimes spending years preparing for just one competition. Yet they all have one thing in common – a great desire to achieve their goal, no matter the cost, no matter the pain. It doesn’t matter what they have to sacrifice, because they know that achieving that goal is the only thing that will satisfy the calling within them.

So what’s in your heart? What is calling to you? How bad do you want it? Are you willing to sacrifice everything in order to reach your goal? Even spiritual goals come with a price. Often times the calling of God comes with a very heavy price. That price is your life. Are you willing to pay that price? More than that – are you READY to pay that price? For “He [Jesus] must increase, but I must decrease.” (John 3:30).

I am not just asking this question of you, I am also asking this question of myself. For there comes a time in the life of every Christian when we need to decide if we are going to stay in the comfort of the present, or are we willing to take the chance and step out into that which God prepared for us before we were even born. I for one am a risk taker, and I am willing to take the risk of giving it all up for Christ. Because I know that the reward at the end of this journey is going to be far sweeter than anything I could achieve staying in the present..

How about you?.

“[For my determined purpose is] that I may know Him – that I may progressively become more deeply and intimately acquainted with Him, perceiving and recognizing and understanding [the wonders of His Person] more strongly and more clearly. And that I may in that same way come to know the power outflowing from His resurrection [which it exerts over believers]; and that I may so share His sufferings as to be continually transformed [in the spirit into His likeness even] to His death, [in the hope] that if possible I may attain to the [spiritual and moral] resurrection [that lifts me] out from among the dead [even while in the body]. Not that I have now attained [this ideal] or am already made perfect, but I press on to lay hold of (grasp) and make my own, that for which Christ Jesus, the Messiah, has laid hold of me and made me His own.”.
Philippians 3:10-12 Amplified Bible Translation

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The Prodigal Quilt
by Victoria Kaye

I love to create things. I love to sew. I especially love to quilt. I love to take big pieces of fabric, cut them into little pieces, then sew them back together in interesting and attractive patterns. Quilting is an art form. Just like life, the possibilities are endless, and each quilt is a reflection of its creator.

The experienced quilt maker knows that in order to create a beautiful quilt that will survive everyday use, you need to start with a good, solid foundation. Therefore, when I create a quilt, I use special tools designed specifically for that task. I have a special cutting board, special rulers, special templates, and special cutting tools. All these tools are designed to ensure that the pieces I cut are accurate. The cutting procedure takes patience, accuracy, and attention to detail. If I get rushed or sloppy, the pieces I cut won't be accurate, and they won't fit together properly.

If you've been careful and remained patient while preparing the pieces for your quilt, they will produce a wonderful pattern that will last forever. However, if you're like me, you get impatient sometimes. Everything seems to be fitting together perfectly until you get to that last batch of pieces. Suddenly you run into difficulties. “But, darn-it! I've already put so much work into this. These pieces are going to fit, even if I have to force them.” So I trim a little here, trim a little there. I twist, and distort, and manipulate those pieces until they fit just right. Then I get out the iron and use the heat to "fuse" them into place. A few hours later, after I've sewn all the blocks of pieces together, I finally have what appears to be a beautiful quilt top. A few hours, or days, or weeks, maybe even months later, once I've put all the layers together, done all the pattern stitching, and bound the edges of my creation, I lay it out on the bed, stand back and admire the results of my hard work. I am so proud of my accomplishment. Look what I have created.

It's a wonderful feeling to see something you have put so much time and effort into finally come to completion. It's extremely fulfilling. But what is more important is how your creation can stand up to time. Sure, my creation keeps me cool in the summer, and warm in the winter. It's wonderful to cuddle up with it on those rainy nights. It's there when I need it, and not there when I don't. But eventually, the soil of everyday life starts to collect on it - and as with all things it eventually needs to be cleaned. So into the washing machine it goes. As the threads of the fabric of my creation soak up the water they soften and start to expand. Then the agitator starts to pummel the fabric back and forth - and up and down - and all those little threads start to return to their original form. The fabric literally settles back into it's original shape. With the wash cycle complete, and unaware of the changes that just occurred, my creation goes into the dryer where it's tossed to and fro, and heated to temperatures far beyond human endurance. The once king size mass, now comes out in a tightly wadded up ball, and I hurry to lay it out on the bed before the wrinkles set in.

As I carefully spread the still warm quilt on the mattress the results of the wash cycle become evident. I notice that all those pieces I had forced and manipulated into place have now taken over. They have twisted and distorted everything around them. My beautiful creation is an absolute mess! Oh, man! I put so much time, so much work, so much love, into creating this thing. What am I going to do now? There is no way I am going to give it up. Well, there's only one thing I can do - fix it.

So I get out the ironing board and iron and start in. Even though it takes every last little bit of strength and patience I possess, I work all those trouble making pieces back into their "proper places." A couple hours later my creation is looking good as new. Then, just to be sure that nothing gets out of line again - I get out the starch and give it another good ironing. Once again my creation meets my needs. Yet, once again the dirt of every day life starts to collect. On top of that, time starts to have its way with my creation. The fabric gets weaker with each washing. Finally, the thin threads holding the pieces together start to put stress on the fabric. The weaker fabrics start to give way and tear. Eventually my beautiful creation begins to look more like a toddler's battered old security blanket. It's tattered and torn, dirty, and even a bit stinky. But it's still warm, and it's comfortable. I know it will be there when I need it, and not there when I don't. I know I should get rid of it, but it has become such a part of my life that I choose to just overlook its short comings. I'm afraid to wash it again, because I know it will just fall apart, so I just make sure to be really careful with it so I don't cause any more of the fabric pieces to rip.

You know, this tattered, torn, dirty and stinky quilt really does exist. It's folded up on the back of my couch right now. I keep it around as a reminder of what happens when we get impatient with God and take things into our own hands. Sure, we can manipulate people and circumstances in order to make things happen in our life. But when we chose to become the sole creator of our own destiny, rather than letting God take control, we wind up with an inferior product.

I tell you this story as an example of how God works in our lives. First He created us - a big piece of fabric. Then He recreates us - rearranging all the little pieces in our lives until He has them all just the way He wants them. And finally, He gives us a very special set of tools to accomplish our daily tasks - the Bible. If we utilize His tools properly, and use them to build our lives on a solid foundation, no matter what type of agitator comes against us, we will be able to endure. We will be "wash and wear" so to speak, and more than able to endure when life turns up the heat. But most importantly, if we believe God's Word, we will soon realize that He is always there when we need Him (there's never a time when we don't), He'll meet our needs, and He's really wonderful to cuddle up with on those rainy nights.

If your life feels like my tattered old quilt, take heart. There is someone who can fix it. Jesus Christ can, and wants, to fix your life. He can cleanse you from the dirt of the world, replace those tore pieces of your life with new ones, straighten out all the seams, and flatten all the creases. He can, and more importantly wants to, make you a brand new creation - and believe me, the creation He makes is far more beautiful than anything we can imagine or create. And all He asks for in return is your heart, and the opportunity to guide you into a more excellent way of living.

You see, Jesus is not just the Author and Finisher of our faith - He is the Author and Finisher of our LIFE! When Naomi sent Ruth to the threshing floor to meet Boaz, she told her to prepare for the blessing, but don't chase it. Be patient. God is preparing you for His blessing. If you are truly and continuously dedicating yourself to Him, you can rest in the fact that He is working in your behalf, and the length of your preparation time is directly proportionate to the blessing that He is preparing for you.

Thank you Jesus, for being the Author and Finisher of my life.

The Designer - God
The Fabric - Our Lives
The Word - Our Tools
Jesus Christ - the Author and Finisher of Us All

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Watch Downhill Speed
by Victoria Kaye

“One thing I have desired of the Lord, that will I seek: That I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to inquire in His temple.” Psalm 27.4

I went on a glorious adventure today. I’ve been feeling the need to get away for a couple of weeks now, but I wasn’t really sure if it was the Lord, or if my flesh was just raging. I haven’t been “away from home” for several years now, so I started planning a mini get away, a Road Trip. I started thinking about places to go and people to see. I asked around for suggestions and started creating a list of locations.

For those of you who don’t know me, almost everything I do is planned. My Road Trip was no different. Yet every time I chose a location, I would hear this little voice say, “Just get in the car and drive.” Over and over, “Just get in the car and drive.” I even answered the voice once, “Well, that’s what I’m going to do. I’m going to get in the car and drive to ___.” And here it came, “Just get in the car and drive.”

Now, I got paid this week and after I paid all the bills I still had a bunch of money left over, so it seemed like an excellent time to get away. I had a destination and an activity planned. The rest was up to God. Well, kind of. As I said, almost everything I do is planned. This was no exception. Even though I was getting away to spend some time alone with the Lord, I still had my agenda – a list of things that I wanted to go over with Him once I got to my destination. And I wasn’t coming back until I got some answers.

Wouldn’t you know it, but the moment I got on the road this morning I heard that voice again, “Just get in the car and drive.” So that’s what I did. I skipped the detour I had originally planned and headed straight south. Almost before I realized it, it was just me and God heading east on the Ortega highway with a brand new Christian Hard Rock CD. I bet you didn’t know that God ministers through Christian hard rock music, did you?. You just have to turn it up really loud!

It was glorious! The Ortega “Highway” is basically a two lane road that runs from the Pacific Ocean through the “mountains” east of San Juan Capistrano and out to Lake Elsinore. It has a couple long straight stretches, but it is mostly curves – twisting, winding curves. People love it for it’s beauty, but most dread having to drive it because of the curves. I adore it, because it’s as close as I came come right now to the mountains of Virginia where I spent my summers as a kid.

I’ve only driven the Ortega Highway once before, and under completely different circumstances. That first time I was running away from some really miserable stuff in my life. My first impression was that when it comes to scenery, Californian’s had absolutely no concept of real beauty. Everything was all brown, dry, and dull. It was HOT, man was it hot! And there were constructions delays almost every five miles. I’m not talking little slow down for the flag man delays. I’m talking about the kind of roadblocks where people turn off the car engine and get out and start socializing with each other. It’s a wonder that I didn’t just turn around and head back to the misery that I was running away from. But I kept on going.

Today was just the opposite. Today I was running TOWARD God, not away from Him! And He met me there in a big way. Everything was lush and green. The temperature was just right. And aside from a lot of motorcyclists and a couple horses, I seemed to have the whole road to myself. No delays, no stops, just open road. I think even my car was having a good time! I know I was. That little act of obedience – listening to that voice and just getting in my car and driving – not to mention the fact that I was doing something that was completely not me, opened up what seemed to be a direct line between me and God.

That list I mentioned earlier, the list of things I wanted to discuss with the Lord, well, I wound up forgetting that at work. But it didn’t matter, cause the Lord had other plans for today. He just wanted to get me away from all the distractions of my home and chores and people and the computer so that He could get me alone and love on me for a while. The CD I told you about, well that was brand new. I wasn’t even familiar with the band. I had stumbled upon them on a friend’s mySpace page just last night and purchased the CD on line. I was listening to it for the very first time, and every verse spoke directly to the things that I my soul had been raging about for the past couple of months. The trip that I thought I had planned was actually all God’s doing after all. I’m so glad I was obedient to that little voice saying, “Just get in the car and drive.”

About halfway through my journey I stopped at a little roadhouse that sits on a cliff overlooking Lake Elsinor. The view of the lake and the surrounding town is awesome, and that’s what attracts most people. But I was hungry, so I wanted to check out the food. For a place that isn’t even big enough to be called a truck stop, they served me the best breakfast I had had in a long time. I sat by a window (it was a bit to chilly for the patio) and watched the boats on the lake, tiny dots and water trails from that height. I joked with a couple Harley distributors who were also cruising that day, left the waitress – who was also the cook – a great big tip, and then got stopped at the door by some random biker who wasn’t going to let me leave until I ate the fruit that I had left sitting on my plate (yea, that caught me off guard too).

I had stopped at this roadhouse the last time I took this drive, but that time I just bought a soda, took in the view for a bit, then turned around and headed back home. This time I decided to go the rest of the way, finish the journey, and I am so glad I did. You see, it turns out that I really wasn’t all that far from the end of the road, the prize. And even though the Lord had already spoken to me about a number of things, He wasn’t done talking. The best was yet to come.

The drive until then had been extremely pleasant. The road ascends in such a way that you don’t actually realize how high you have climbed – until you stop at the roadhouse, that is. But from the roadhouse on, you are coming around the back of the mountain, which means there are a lot more ups and down, and several blind curves. The ascent becomes a lot steeper, and in certain places is so steep that I imagined older four-cylinder vehicles might have a difficult time making it. At one point I even felt my ears pop, and I could tell that my eight-cylinder Mustang was feeling the burn.

Then as I came around the point of a radically blind curve, everything suddenly opened up in front of me and I started to descend. I had made it. I had reached the top. The car engine relaxed and so did I. Yet just as I passed this point, and started to settle in for the rest of the journey – a huge yellow diamond sign greeted me with the words “Watch Downhill Speed.” As I saw the sign I also saw that in a few moments I would be coming into another rather tight curve, while descending.

That’s when it hit me. Even though I had made it through the hard road and made it to the top, my journey was not yet over. The road ahead may appear to be easy, but I must not let my guard down, because as I descend toward my prize I will also be building momentum, gaining speed. This means that there will be times when I will need to apply the brakes, regain control of the car, and get a fresh feel for the road. If I do not, then my journey will not be completed.

Shortly before the end of the highway, there is a spot where the road descends and turns full circle back upon its self. You then go immediately into another, opposite, hairpin curve, and you’re there – Lake Elsinore. It’s almost like a final test. Had you heeded the warning to “Watch Downhill Speed,” to not to let your guard down? If so, your prize awaits you.

Oh how important this message is to me, and to all of us. I traveled a pleasant road for quite awhile, but recently I have been in full ascension stretching every muscle in my attempt to reach the top of my mountain – pressing on toward my breakthrough. I know for a fact that the greater the prize, the harder the struggle, and I accept that. But I also know that my adversary, the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. Not whom he may toy with, or tease, or chase, or trip up, but devour – completely.

I am beginning to learn that different callings are accompanied by different intensities of attacks. The intensity of the attack seems directly related to the impact one has on the devil’s territory. Those who are on the front line always take the first bullet. Therefore we are the ones who need to remain sober and vigilant, always prepared for whatever the road ahead has in store for us.

A lion stalks its prey, studying it and seeking out its weaknesses. It then lies in wait, ready to pounce on its prey the moment it lets its guard down. I, for one, do not plan on becoming the devil’s boxed lunch. I will not let my guard down again. I WILL Watch my Downhill Speed. How about you?

“Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you. Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world. But may the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you.
To Him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever.
Amen.”
1 Peter 5.6-11

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