He is doing a new thing!

There are times in your life where God is moving in big ways but you don't always recognize it at the time. Then there are times where He gives you an inkling. I feel as if I am in one of those times right now. I can see the LORD moving in me and my life... stirring up things, good things, God things, change. As if a fresh wind is blowing through and pushing out the old stale air and new life is breathed in. Revival, refreshment, challenge, change and in it all His plan and purpose is for me to thrive, to glorify Him.

I am not saying all this is easy. There have been hard moments in this season, in fact I am still walking through something, but I KNOW, I TRUST - GOD has got this! He has me and He does work all things together for good... He does! Believe it, not just for me but for you. There is a purpose for your life and it is completely tied up in Him. You are part of something bigger, you are part of His grand, awesome story!!! Exciting, isn't it! And in it all I desire to be fully His, to be faithful, trusting and loving Him with all I got! I don't want to complacently walk through this life, I want to really live it. And that is what I feel He is doing... bringing me lovingly to the end of myself. The end of my selfishness, my pride and showing me a better way. Helping me to hunger more for Him, for kingdom things, helping me to love others, and to seize the day He has given me. To not just exist in it but to thrive! To seek out and seize every opportunity He has for me in each new day and to trust Him that He is enough! He is enough, for me, for you - for all we need, for every circumstance, for every pain. He will see us through, even more He is our strength! He fights for us and He is victorious, and so are we in Christ Jesus! Praise Him!

Have you read through Romans 8 lately? If not, and even if you have go back to it and meditate on it! Man is it loaded with some good stuff! Promises, truth, life! My prayer for you is that whatever you are encountering right now that you will believe God and trust Him. Trust Him to be enough for you. Wait on Him and cling to His promises and above all keep your eyes, your heart laser focused on Him! If you do that - wow! Our God is incredible and there is NOTING He can not do!!!

I am not who I was - praise Him! And I am not who I am going to be, but He is in me, He is working and I am more! And He is more than enough! Blessings!

Waiting and Believing

Wow, it has been a while huh!?!  To say the least, though I have been silent on this blog God has not been silent in my life... He has kept me busy & growing.  He has been challenging me and showing me things about myself, sin, love, faith, trust, forgiveness, patience, humbleness, persistence, perseverance, helping, abiding, knowledge & understanding and so many other things in between. 

Does God sometimes seem to be silent to you, especially when you want to hear from Him?  The prophet Habakkuk felt the same way.  Sometimes He is speaking and we are not listening, sometimes He is active all around us but we overlook His hand, sometimes we have to wait because He is waiting on us to have ears to receive what He wants us to know... It may be a hard lesson, it may be difficult for us to understand.  But His word reminds us that His ways are not our ways, His thoughts are not our thoughts (Isa. 55:8).  We are told to wait on Him, to believe Him, to rest in Him, to trust Him, to be strong and courageous... Yet are we? Are we doing those things or are we impatient, unbelieving, and set on things going the way we want them to? 

The waiting can be hard, but that might be why we should be strong and courageous, patient and keeping the faith.  Waiting, because in the waiting God can mature our faith and walk, He can change our hearts and our minds, He can do any number of things that seem impossible or unfathomable at the time... The main thing is HE CAN!  Do you believe that?  Do you believe that He hears you; that He cares; that He answers; that He desires what is above all best and right?  Do you believe Him, His Word, His promises?  Because without faith we are told we will not receive.  And even more if we don't believe He will answer us then how will we listen to hear Him?  I just started (as in finished the 1 chapter of) Discerning the Voice of God by P. Shirer.  If you open this book up it will speak to many of these things...  Several months back I read her book, One in a Million - fabulous and God so used it to speak to me over and over again! 

One thing I know is I do not want to stay where I am, I want God to continue to grow and mature me in Christ and His Word assures me that He will. He's not done with me yet.  I want to hear from Him. I want to obey Him. I want to be strong and courageous... and so I chose to be.  I chose Him, to believe Him and to let Him be my strength and the one who enables me to be more than I can be on my own.  I can do all things through Him who strengthens me, and so can you...

I have learned that waiting is a great opportunity to see God grow me, change me; to see God do things I couldn't have imagined and to even know He is right there with me and He is working on things, on me and He is faithful.  I have no idea where all this is going except to say, He prompted me to write today and I am being obedient to do so.  Maybe in some of this rambling is encouragement to you or for someone you know... I am not sure but what I do know is that God can use anything or anyone to serve His purposes.  May you be blessed today - seek Him, believe Him, trust Him, listen and obey... wait at His feet.

I am waiting on Him, I am believing Him and I am being changed... Praise Him!

Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.

And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.

Hebrews 11:1,6 - NASB

There are so many thoughts swirling through my head…Thoughts of scripture urging me to live the life Christ set me free to live upon this earth – to live for eternity. Thoughts of where I fail and yet reminders that His grace is sufficient and it is He who strengthens, lifts me up and leads me on.

I haven’t written in a while, I haven’t felt too up to writing as I have struggled with morning sickness that seems to be now passing. And today I felt the urge to write… First to be honest and transparent with you because I struggle and struggle with perfectionism… and in its own way it is pride asserting itself because I want to be in control, I want to do it! Just like a two year old tells you at times – no, I can do it by myself! But I can’t… I can’t do (as Paul describes) what I want to do, instead I do what I don’t want to do… You know why – because I am trying to do it in my own strength! And I am weak! It is Christ in me that makes me strong. It is through Christ that I can do all things, nothing is impossible with Him. On my own I can do nothing… I cannot change my heart – positive think all you like but that isn’t what changes you from the inside out, it is the Spirit at work in you – It is Jesus! All this striving to do right, to love others on my own – I can’t do it! Not in a perfect love, not in truth… it is futility at work in my strivings.

When I let go and let God step in things happen; amazing, wonderful things happen! Not out of my own strength or ability but knowing as I do that it is all Him who enables me to walk rightly, to love, to serve… in truth and love. Sure I will mess up but He is faithful to be there to redirect me and lead me in the right direction, at times He has to carry me in the right direction but I know this, He is faithful and He will not leave me where I sit, He will not fail me, He will get me going in the direction I need to go. My future is secure in Him.

Do you have that assurance, that hope, the absolute conviction – faith – believing Him and His promises are true… not just in general but for you?! All His promises are true – ALL of them. Do not let the enemy or yourself convince you otherwise… do not let fear hold you back. Be strong and courageous and walk by faith not by sight! He is right there with you every step of the way! He is there!

I have been reading Hebrews 11 and it is perhaps such a read or known chapter that you can over look the significance, the promise, the hope, the truth that it teaches… God has again used it to speak to me in a new and fresh way… yeah, some of it I have gotten before… but maybe just in my head and not in my heart (?). Take a look at it for yourself with fresh eyes, pray for the Spirit to speak to you through it… to show you, teach you, rebuke you and mature you in your walk, in faith, to go deeper with Him… Because to these men and women listed in Ch. 11 God was much more than a religion or a standard of living – He was LIFE! They were surer of Him than of anything they could see, feel or have upon this earth. They knew Him, His Word – His promises and they believed God. They chose Him, they chose faith, they chose even in the face of pain and death to cling to what is true and lasting than the pleasures and sin of this world. They believed in our promised future that is with Him, our great reward that is everlasting. A far greater treasure than the fleeting and often harmful (to ourselves) pleasures of this world, that do not last but are here today and gone tomorrow. The world and what it offers cannot fill that void in you, it cannot transform you into the perfect you… it is surface and shallow and you will find it to be empty. For only God can and does complete us, make us whole, healthy, transformed… Only He can bring about true and lasting peace and joy. He is the real deal and yet often we choose what we see (this world) over Him, we lack faith, we lack focus, and it is heartbreaking.

Maybe that is enough of my wandering thoughts for today… I will ended it saying this – I don’t want it to be for earthly praise or reward that I live but for LOVE – for GOD… in the end it is not the praise of men I want to hear but the praise of God – well done My good and faithful servant. For those of you out there living it – press on… for those of you who struggle – seek to draw closer to Him and holdfast to what is true… for those of you who do not know Jesus – seek Him in truth and you will find Him – and there is no greater reward than to know Jesus! He is life changing!

Thank you Jesus for loving us so!

Opportunities to be Present

Hi!  I know it has been a while... lots going on lately and not too much spare time for postings.  I just wanted to drop in and share a few things that have been on my mind of late.

My Pastor recently challenged us to be very PRESENT in this New Year... I won't give you the whole sermon, but the jest is to be present - involved, available, open, serving, loving, etc with your family, friends, church, and beyond.  We are the Church and as such we are to be the hands and feet of Christ... He is our example and who we should imitate ourselves after. 

Maybe that seems overwhelming to you?!  But in truth it should be like breathing... it should become our nature... For we are not, nor can we be all that this encompasses on our own, in our own strength it is not possible.  However, we are not to rely on our own strenght but on the strength, the power, the nature of the Holy Spirit who indwells in us.  Through Him all things are possible, not through our own efforts...

I am not striving here for perfectionism... I am striving to be pleasing to God and to glorify Him.  I admit now that on my own I can't do it!  It is by His grace, love, and Spirit that if anything I write (or do) resounds with you on a deeper level, it is all Him. 

So basically it comes down to keeping your eyes on Him, loving and growing in your relationship with Him and allowing His love to be poured out through you onto others... Be open, available; & take the opportunities He gives you.

Which brings me to another thing I have been thinking about... Opportunities.  Sometimes opportunities come to us in joyous occasions, in new friendships, births, ministries, jobs... However, sometimes opportunities, maybe more than sometimes they come in the times of loss, trails, temptations, broken relationships, sickness, and such.  In these times if we can look beyond our present pain and grasp and cling to the hand of God, He will not only carry us through these times He will grow us, He will show us more of Him, of His glory.  Maybe at the time we can't see that He is there but He is... He is present... maybe we are standing in the cave and His hand covers us so we cannot see His face, but when the time is right He will reveal to us that He has been with us all along.  He is present.  He does not forsake... When we grieve He grieves, when we are rejoicing He is too! 

Opportunities... We don't often think of them as such.  We want to quickly get through these times ... we want that mountain top experience... we want to have a pain free, easy life.  A life like that does not produce within us the character of God because we then come to rely on ourselves and we can become prideful... stop seeking.  In the hardships of our lives we are given opportunities to grow... Closer to God, to grow our character to be more like Christ.  Opportunities to deepen our faith and to bring Him glory. 

Don't get me wrong... I am not perfect and I do not always grab at these opportunities as I should... I don't always acknowledge what they really are and I bemoan them.  But there are times that I recognize them even when I can't see the fruit... I choose to trust and to believe and cling to my Rock.

So it comes down to this... we have rung in a new year... many are making goals and promises that they will not keep... but let us do the one thing we can do - choose to be fully PRESENT in this year, choose to keep our eyes on Him and to believe Him, in all the opportunities we are presented with - the hopes, the challenges, the ups and downs.... Lay it all down at His feet and choose to walk with Him this year. 

It will be a journey you will never forget.  Right now pause, close your eyes and envision a road ... You can't see where all it will take or how smooth or bumpy it will be but you can see who you will travel the road with - Jesus.  Do you see Him standing there with His hand stretched out, inviting you to come and walk with Him... take that hand and never let go.  It will be a walk to remember, to cherish, to celebrate and to give much praise for.

Remember you are His.

Boldness in Truth

Hello! I hope you had a blessed Easter - praising our Risen Lord!!! I have been reading in Thessalonians the last few days... and many things have stuck out to me. Alas, I do not have time to really get into the meaty stuff right now with you... but there are some awesome insights and instructions!

I just wanted to share with you briefly a few that stood out to me...

"but after we had already suffered and been mistreated in Philippi, as you know, we had the boldness in our God to speak to you the gospel of God amid much opposition. For our exhortation does not come from error or impurity or by way of deceit; but just as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, so we speak, not as pleasing men, but God who examines our hearts." 1 Thessalonians 2:2-4

"But examine everything carefully; hold fast to that which is good; abstain from every form of evil." 1 Thessalonians 5:21-22

These verses made me think about how we (in the US) as Christians have so much freedom to be bold in speaking the gospel... it shamed me to think how weak I have been at times - letting myself, fear, or something hold me back from what I should share. I have no excuse... How I pray for a boldness from God to speak Truth in Love no matter the circumstances, the person... to do as He has commanded. After all what we are sharing is GOOD NEWS! It brings life to those who embrace it... and even if they do not we at least in hope and in love shared... & hopefully planted a seed that will bloom later in their heart.

Here Paul mentions after being mistreated & suffering they were still bold even amid much opposition! Desiring to tell others the great gift and message we as Christians have been entrusted with - and they spoke not as pleasing to men, speaking words that make them feel good about their sinful state... but speaking truth that has the power to save & bring good to those who believe. They spoke not for their own glory... they spoke to please God who examines and knows our hearts.

There are those (as I have mentioned before) who like to take bits of truth and mix it with deception... misleading people away from the Truth. I love how we are exhorted to examine everything carefully! EVERYTHING! And to hold fast to that which is good - not meaning that which we like to hear but that which is truth- good. Too many times we can become guilty of just believing whatever we hear, read or are taught... Humans are fallible... and some seek to deceive (knowingly or unknowingly). We have to examine what others claim to be truth against what is truth - the Word! If you hear something in a sermon and get this feeling like it just doesn't sound right... check things out for yourself... If you are reading a book and it is instructing you or teaching you something that does not coincide with Scripture even though it says it is a Christian book... put it down and search out the truth of the Word. Whatever the case may be (by hearing, reading, seeing...) check it out, examine it carefully. Not seeking to find or prove what you want to hear but what is the black and white truth of the Word. Remember to always look at the Word in context... There are those who like to take a verse and twist it this way or that so that the way they interpret it does not even resemble the intent and meaning of the verse.

I know I may seem to be stressing this point a lot but I really don't think you can stress it too much. In our current times we are being bombarded with half truths, deception, lies... We have to choose to search out for ourselves, to educate ourselves - that we may know and understand and have great insight into what is TRUTH and what is best... Not what the world or even those who claim to be shepherds say.... because there are false teachers out there! Believe me I have heard them speak, I have seen their words... and it doesn't line up with the Truth!

This is something that troubles me, that really gets me going... these false teachers. When I think of the many who are seeking and are being mislead it just tears me up. Please, please read the Word for yourself. Study it, know it, live it! Cling to what is good and abstain from every form of evil, as this is right & pleasing to God. Not to mention it is so much more freeing living in the Spirit than living a life of the flesh/sin.

Seek, Study, Know & Live it!!!

PS- ok I know I said briefly, but - well I tried!

Healing... and the Word

First let me start off by asking you to pray for me... I am not feeling very well today and so this will be a brief post. Also I would love to encourage you to scroll down on the right side of my page to Things you should check out and take a listen to Walk in the Word (James MacDonald's message) from yesterday and today. Also interestingly enough John MacArthur has a message that ties into it - see the link Grace to You and go to today's message. Or click on the titles I listed and that should take you there too.

Feeling as I do ... how appropriate for God to take this opportunity to point a few things out to me in Scripture... I was reading Matt. 9:1-8 earlier, when it came to me in regards to this passage... What do I desire more of God... to be healed (physically) or spiritually? When I am seeking after God what am I seeking after Him for? Is my prayer time and time in the Word constantly for myself (my current condition, circumstances) or is it for eternal purposes? I know that the Lord cares about me and about my day and the things I am going through... but what do I care more about? Myself or Him? I guess what I am trying to say is that the heart of the issue that is bugging me is am I seeking God out of wrong motives? Am I seeking God for what He can do for me, through me, or in me; more than I am just seeking to know Him and love Him more?

LORD forgive me for those times when I am so self-focused and my motives are wrong as I come to you... I can be so selfish and fleshly at times and it grieves me because I know it grieves you. Lord I stand back and question myself ... what is it that I do for you? Do I love you wholeheartedly? Honor you? Obey you? Serve you? Live for you? LORD I want too do all those things and I pray and ask for you to empower me to do so! Help me to daily die to self and to live for Christ. Gal. 2:20. LORD let it all be for the glory of YOU!!! Amen.

A Life Worthy... (Part 2 of Growing in the Knowledge of God)

I hope you have taken the opportunity to read 2 Peter 1:1-12. There is so much here ... I cannot do this Scripture passage justice... I hope you will study it and dig into it for yourself & edify us further.

Let's start at the beginning where it reminds us that it is through the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ that we have received this precious faith... It is not by our own works/good deeds but by His ... and it is precious!!! Let that soak in...all that Christ has done for you and is doing for you and will do for you... We have & serve an awesome & mighty God! Secondly, we can have an abundance of grace & peace through the knowledge (personal knowledge) of God & of Jesus our Lord! Praise Him!

And here is where we need to put forth all effort to know & understand all that God has given us in Christ! We are so blessed, loved and cared for... There is nothing & I mean nothing that He has not done for us or provide us with to live a holy & pure life upon this earth... He has given us everything we need to live godly lives! But in comes our part... do we seek after, pursue, follow, obey, use & employ all that He has given us to do so?

In verse 3 we are reminded that He has supplied us with all we need for life & godliness through our knowledge of Him who called us by his glory & goodness, not our own. First stated in v. 2 & repeated in v. 3, through in greek can be translate to "in" & knowledge in greek, "full knowledge"... would mean that in full knowledge we can have all of this... it is attainable as we grow in our knowledge, understand & relationship with the LORD we will be changed (transformed) to bear much fruit in our lives (See Gal. 5:22-25).

As a commentary pointed out to me on the life & godliness, you 1st need a spiritual life before there can be true godliness. Having knowledge of God is the first step to life (Jn. 17:3) & it is not by godliness that we attain life but by life that we attain godliness! (See Commentary Critical & Explanatory the Whole Bible). We are called by God to live for Him & His purpose, to live lives worthy of God (Rom. 8:28; 1 Th. 2:12), & in doing so He works all things out for good.

In verse 4 it mentions great & precious promises... Can you think about what a few of these are? How about eternal life for starters (Jn. 3:16), an eternal kingdom (2 Peter 1:11), the gift of the Holy Spirit (Eph. 1:13), the promise that we will one day be made perfect (1 Jn. 3:2) like Christ and these are just a few... I am sure you can think of many more. We are through Christ & by the power of the Holy Spirit able to participate in the divine nature and in doing so escape corruption of the world ("moral decay"), caused by evil desires (lit. "lust"). By our relationship with the Lord we can & are enabled to do this... this growing relationship & how it changes us from the inside out is how we keep ourselves from being polluted by the world (James 1:27). We can participate in this divine nature, which means we can become more like Christ because we have as believers the: Promise of new birth - 1 Peter1:3 & 2 Cor. 5:17; Promise of God's protecting power - 1 Peter 1:5; Promise of God's enabling power - 2 Peter 1:3 That is a lot to think about summed up in just one verse! (Also check out 2 Peter 2:19-20; 1 Jn. 2:15).

It then further goes on to state that for this reason (v.4) we should add to our faith (belief & trust in Christ as our Savior)...

• Goodness- (lit., "moral excellency", or "virtue")


• Knowledge- (Spiritual knowledge which come through the Holy Spirit & is focused upon the person & Word of God). (See The Bible Knowledge Commentary) See also Col. 2:2-3.


• Self-Control- (having your passions under control)


• Perseverance- ("staying under" - used in the NT frequently to refer to steadfast endurance under adversity, not giving in or giving up)


• Godliness- (refers to piety, man's obligation of reverence toward God)


• Brotherly Kindness- (care & concern for others and their needs)


• Love - (agape- desiring the highest good for other's, the kind of selfless love God has shown to us).

It is interesting to note how each of these builds upon the other... We must first have faith that causes us to desire to live virtuous lives and seek to know God more... which is where Knowledge comes in, and this then gives us the tools we need to practice Self-Control and in doing so to Persevere, all culminating into a life lived for God, exhibiting godliness! These first five have to do with our inner life & relationship to God and the last two have to do with others... Because we have lives that love & honor God we are now able to love others, not just those that love us but to love others with a true & selfless love, desiring what is best (of the highest good) for their lives. (Check out the following verses in relation to the above: Heb. 10:36; Rom. 12:10; 1 Th. 3:12).

In verse 8 it goes on to talk about us having these qualities in increasing measure... In other words this is not a one day & we are done deal... it is a daily, on going, ever learning and drawing near to God... we will not know all, or be perfect until Christ's return. Verse 8 also states that these qualities will keep us from being ineffective & unproductive in our knowledge of Christ. For we can have a knowledge that bears no fruit (John 15:2)... The more we know the LORD the more we should desire to live lives worthy of the Lord & bear much fruit for His glory! And by seeking to add all the above (daily) we should bear much fruit. (see Col. 1:10 & Tit. 3:14).

However, if anyone does not have these qualities verse 9 then tells us they are nearsighted, blind and have forgotten that they have been cleansed from past sin. Christ did the work...walk in the light as He is in the light! See 1 John 1:7 & 9. Christ came and set you free from the darkness, He gave you spiritual sight, He came to set you free! (See Luke 4:18; Gal. 5:1; 1 John 2:11)

We are then encouraged in verse 10 to be all the more eager in living out our calling and election, that by doing this we will not fall. God is more than able to keep you from stumbling, submit your heart, life & will to Him! (Jude 24) He will bring you into His glorious presence cleansed/pure and with great joy! We have an eternal home with Him! (See v.11; 2 Tim. 4:18; 2 Peter 3:18). It is good for us to be reminded of these things (v.12) even though we may know them... it is good to remember & to let the Word do it's work in us daily... to let it sink deep into our hearts because we are eternal beings and we (should) live for an eternal purpose. What has been entrusted to us lives on forever (See 2 John 2).

In summary... Praise be to our LORD who has so richly blessed us in Christ... who has given us all that we need to know & love Him, and live fruitful lives ... Who protects us, keeps us and enables us as we go through life in this dark world. Who has given us a hope and a future... Do you get how incredibly loved and cared for you are!?! Oh I pray that you do... that you know deep down in your heart and soul the great love of God! He knows you by name... You are His, you are precious in His sight. Praise Him!!! (Eph. 1:3; Jer. 29:11; Eph. 2:4-10; Jn 3:16; Ps. 17:8; Zech 2:8)

Growing in the Knowledge of God (Part 1)

I have more to write on this & will be back later...but for now check out - 2 Peter 1:1-11. Study it & dig in deep... I would love to hear your thoughts!

You can type the Scripture into eBible.com (scroll down to it on the right side of my page) to read it online.

The Narrow Gate

"You can enter God's Kingdom only through the narrow gate. The highway to hell is broad, and its gate is wide for the many who choose the easy way. But the gateway to life is small, and the road is narrow, and only a few ever find it." (Jesus) Matthew 7:13-14 - (emphasis mine)

As I was reading this these words really stood out to me... Many will choose the easy way, it will be a choice they make... because let's face it, in this fallen world we live in it is hard to go the narrow way (to walk righteously, to live for God)... the world entices, it promises us fun, prosperity, and all that our heart desires... it can't fulfill these things (maybe temporarily but nothing lasting).

What stood out even more is that there are the few who FIND the gateway to life... I started thinking about this, what it means to find it. Sure there are those times that we stumble upon or encounter something of great value... but really to find something of great value we search for it, seek it out... there is an action, a choice associated. You actively seek out this great treasure... the treasure that has been there waiting for you all along.
Take a look at these verses: Jeremiah 29:13; Proverbs 2:4; Matthew 7:7-8
God's word tells us that if we seek we will find... that we should search out wisdom/truth (God) as if we were searching for lost money or a hidden treasure. See also Colossians 2:2-3; Matthew 13:44-45. I don't think that we should just write off these verses as if they are only meant for nonbelievers to come to Christ... For those of us in Christ, we have a great treasure (2 Cor. 4:7)... Should we become saved & that is it, we stop seeking to know & love God more? I don't really call that a relationship. Do we then keep to ourselves and hoard this great treasure we have been entrusted with instead of sharing it with others? We should value this great treasure we have and seek to know and love the LORD more and more every day... we should desire for others to hear about & know this great treasure we have found. We still have a choice to make... a daily choice to live for God, to seek to know Him more and to love others. Let your light shine in the darkness!!! God will be glorified, praise be to our Lord & Savior, Jesus Christ!