Celebrating Fourth of July with Faith Deployed...Again

Jocelyn Green writes to, for, and about military families, so I thought it would be appropriate to highlight an excerpt from her latest release, Faith Deployed...Again, as we head into this Fourth of July weekend. Thank you, Jocelyn, for your support of our brave men and women in the military, as well as their families! And for anyone who might want a copy, there's ordering info below PLUS you can leave a comment (and become a follower if you aren't already) with CLEAR contact info (email is fine) for a chance to win a free copy. Blessings!

By Jocelyn Green

Happy Independence Day! As we celebrate our nation’s birthday and all that America means to us, let’s also remember our military families who sacrifice daily to keep our country the “land of the free.” The “homes of the brave” need encouragement now more than ever, as we are approaching a decade of deployments since the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, almost ten years ago. As a former military wife myself, I understand the strain on military families, and I know that the best source of encouragement comes from applying the Word of God to our lives. The Bible is relevant, no matter the situation. Illustrating this truth has been the driving passion behind both of my devotional books for military wives, the second of which just released: Faith Deployed . . . Again: More Daily Encouragement for Military Wives (Moody Publishers). While my husband is no longer active-duty, my heart remains with the heroes at home.

The following is an excerpt from Faith Deployed…Again:

Vision Check

By Jocelyn Green

Taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in him.
Psalm 34:8

When Rob and I married, we chose the hymn “Be Thou My Vision” to be played while we lit our unity candle. I had always loved the lyrics, but I had no idea how perfect they would prove to be not just for a single moment during a wedding ceremony, but for the day-to-day military lifestyle I was entering into.

So much of how we think, feel and live depends upon our vision—what we choose to see in any given situation. In fact, I believe that the difference between being simply concerned or being consumed by worry rides on where we to focus our sight.

In her book Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World, Joanna Weaver says, “Pastor and teacher Gary E. Gilley sums up the difference like this: ‘Worry is allowing problems and distress to come between us and the heart of God. It is the view that God has somehow lost control of the situation and we cannot trust Him. A legitimate concern presses us closer to the heart of God and causes us to lean and trust on Him all the more.’ Concern draws us to God. Worry pulls us from Him.”

Military wives (indeed, everyone on the planet!) will always have something to be concerned about. There are issues which simply cannot be ignored. But if we have done everything we can to help solve the problem and still find ourselves obsessing over it, we’ve crossed that line from concern to worry and find ourselves in dangerous territory.

The key to banishing worry from your heart is surprisingly simple. I look at it this way: your heart (and mine) has a limited capacity. The best way to get rid of the negative thoughts is to crowd them out with something else bigger and more beautiful: worship of the One who holds everything in His powerful and capable hands. In other words, stop focusing on the root of your worries and shift your gaze to the Lord. It won’t make the troubles disappear, but it sure will help you to stop staring at them all day long!

King David was a master at this. Psalm 10 begins with “Why, O Lord, do you stand far off? Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble?” But by the time he gets to the end of the chapter, he changes his tune to: “You hear, O Lord, the desire of the afflicted; you encourage them, and you listen to their cry, defending the fatherless and the oppressed, in order that man, who is of the earth, may terrify no more” (verses 17-18). Did you see that? He turned his worry into worship.

The next time your heart is troubled, check your vision. Focus on God and on His unchanging character. Trust in who He is and the promises He provides in Scripture, rather than what is going on around you.

Ask

What am I most worried about today?
What can I praise God for instead?

Pray

Lord, please forgive my tendency to worry about things I can’t control. Help me draw closer to You and replace my anxiety by meditating on Your Word. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

For more information about Faith Deployed…Again, visit: http://www.faithdeployed.com/coming-soon/

Jocelyn Green is an award-winning author, freelance writer and editor. A former military wife, she authored, along with contributing writers, Faith Deployed: Daily Encouragement for Military Wives (Moody 2008) and Faith Deployed . . . Again: More Daily Encouragement for Military Wives (Moody 2011). Jocelyn is also co-author for Battlefields & Blessings: Stories of Faith and Courage from the War in Iraq & Afghanistan (AMG Publishers 2009), which won the Gold Medal from Military Writers Society of America in 2010. She is the editor of www.WivesinBloom.com, the online magazine of Christian Military Wives, and maintains her own award-winning Web site for military wives at www.faithdeployed.com. She holds a B.A. in English from Taylor University, and is an active member of the Evangelical Press Association, the Advanced Writers and Speakers Association and the Christian Authors Network. She and her husband have two children and reside in Cedar Falls, Iowa.