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!

The Gift

Hi! Wow, I know it has been a while since I have posted. But hopefully what I have to share with you today will touch you as much as it did me and make up for my silence. Life is a series of choices... To me life is trying to listen to God and follow His lead. Last night God not only laid someone upon my heart but something He wanted me to do for this person.  A gift He wanted me to send them.  So I contacted an old friend and asked them via messaging for their address, so I could send them this gift. At first this person seemed a little skeptical that this was for real.  And it got me to thinking... First, how sad it is that we can't trust that someone would contact us and really want to give us a free gift.  I mean in this world that does seem highly unlikely right? Now a days there are all these scams and such.

But all of this got me to really thinking... And I thought about how God must feel. Here He is with the most awesome, free gift ever and so many people reject His gift. Reject Him. Reject His love Just put yourself mentally in this situation, that you have a free and awesome, exciting gift to share but the person you most want to share it with won't accept it.

God wants the absolute best for us. He wants to share His love and blessings with us for all eternity. The greatest gift ever! I don't know that we can fully grasp this but let us try... After all we might have to sacrifice a little money or time with our gift but in no way can our gift and giving compare to His.  He who left heaven (perfection, joy, peace...) to come to earth and be in flesh.  To endure all that that we humans endure here... to be among the ugliness and sinfulness of this world. He not only did that but he suffered rejection, torture and death to bring us this gift. He battled death and rose from the grave to give us this gift of life. This amazing gift cost us nothing but cost Him so much. I can only imagine how it grieves Him when His creation rejects Him. Rejects love!

Let us think on His goodness, His love, and let us treasure Him and the gift He has given us. This is not a gift for us to horde but to share. So though we too may face rejection in sharing this gift, trust me the greater rejection and pain is felt by Him. Let our pride not hold us back.But let love lead us forward.Love truly does conquer all.

Just so you know my old friend did not reject the gift God desired to send... And I rejoice with Him in that and cannot wait to see the blessings that will come forth from this. He is good, all the time He is good.  Let love be ever before you and let love (Him) be your guide.

From tragedy arises the miraculous & extraordinary

From the horror of the CO shooting, stories are surfacing about the heroic actions of many & testimonies like this story below are surfacing. This is truly an amazing testimony to God's goodness, power, mercy, & more. He is incredible! You have to read this one... Wow, how awesome is our God!

http://bstrait.wordpress.com/2012/07/22/a-miracle-inside-the-the-aurora-shooting-one-victims-story/

Related stories:

http://www.breakingchristiannews.com/articles/m_display_art.html?ID=10365

http://www.breakingchristiannews.com/articles/m_display_art.html?ID=10366

http://www.breakingchristiannews.com/articles/m_display_art.html?ID=10368

Even amid horror & tragedy God is with us. He cares. He is good. He is love. What the enemy intends for our harm & for evil God can bring good from it. Cling to Him & let Him bring beauty from ashes.

His love, His glorious and amazing love

Upon awakening this morning the Spirit guided me to read Psalm 65. Specifically starting in verse 7 - confirmation and an interesting follow-up to yesterdays post.  Read it all if you have a chance and praise Him, He is so worthy!

Just a little while ago while I sat to spend time with Him and hear from Him, He showed me something.  Yes, maybe something you know or have heard before but it so resonated with my heart today.  I was thanking Him for my children and telling Him that though they each have their "issues" I wouldn't trade them for anything, I love them so! They are my beloved, little ones, precious in my sight and no matter what they may do or say, I will always love them. 

And here it comes - He loves me & you like that!  Steeped in sin, failing, falling, lazy, anxious, sick, you name it - whatever, we come with - He takes us as we are and He loves us.  No, because He loves us so much He will not leave us that way... He will in every way possible seek to teach us; guide us to live righteously; to make right choices; to be and live healthily; to love - Him & others; to care for others and their needs; to be healthy in every way.  That is His desire and heart for us and for any good parent - right!?!

He loves us. He loves YOU, let that sink in. He loves us so much that He planned from before time a way to have me and you with Him forever.  He came to the cross knowing my sin and your sin.  Having that sin laid upon Him, He took it and then carried it away - away, as in as far as the east is to the west.  As my Pastor once pointed out... You can travel north and at some point you start going south or the other way around BUT if you travel east you will always be heading east, it does not become the west.  You can not do it! Our sins are so far away we will not even have a chance of running into it again!  Amazing is it not!!!  Back to what I was saying - He loved me and you there in our sin, He didn't love us only after He removed our sin and carried it away - the bible says that while we were STILL in our sin He died for us.  Think about it... while in our sin we are separated from God, enemies - and yet, He chose to come and die for us that we might be with Him forever, that He might save and redeem us, ransom us from the captivity we were in... THAT IS LOVE! 

He did all of that to call us beloved, the apple of His eye, His child, precious, wanted, accepted, embraced, forgiven, cared for ... He will NEVER leave me (or you), nor forsake me.  His Word tells us that as a nursing mother cannot forget the child at her breast nor can He forget us.  When I think of the amazing love and bond between a mother and child - wow! YET it PAILS in comparison to the love He has for us!!!

How can you not sing His praises, love Him, worship Him - our Redeemer, Creator, Provider, our ABBA!?!  How can you not want to please Him?  Young children seek and long for their parents praise and approval, should we and do we not also want to hear that from Him?!  Affirmation, well done... What great, amazing, unfailing, faithful, never ending, hard to fully fathom love He has for us, His children!

Run to Him today - cry out to Him, Abba! Fall into His open arms and love Him.  Sit with Him and listen to Him, lean on Him and obey Him.  Bask in the glow of His love and affection for you, His grace, mercy, peace and joy!  He shines so much brighter than the sun... true warmth that fills and transforms and saves!

May He be your first love and may you love Him with the child like faith and love that children have... How wonderful and precious that is. 

Riding out the storms

Earlier, there came a sudden storm.  The wind was blowing & some rain was splattering about and I felt God was speaking to me through it.  There is no storm now.  It is as if God whipped up one to teach me something and then once I got the gist of it the storm stopped.  However, He kept right on showing me things... and I just kept writing it all down. And at the end the tug came on my heart to write it out for you here. 

First off let me ask - when the storms of life hit you, where do you seek shelter?  Are you already sheltered under His wings or are you running in the opposite direction hoping you can ride this one out on your own?

I love storms... that was my first thought strange as it may seem but I do.  There is something about sitting safe and sheltered inside and watching a storm (rain, snow, wind, whatever it may be) raging outside.  Storms can be beautiful and tragic.  But what came to my heart was the beauty of watching a storm while safe & secure, with peace & calm surrounding and filling me.  It is a poetic example of our spiritual life in and apart from God.  With God we are sheltered under His wings, safe, secure, at peace, calm in the midst of a storm raging around us.  Whatever those storms may be (uncertainty, loss, confusion, etc.).  Whatever comes against us we are sheltered, shielded, safe and surrounded by Him who loves us, who is faithful, sure, true, strong - Mighty is my God to save!

Now without Him, you are out in the storm... needless to say let your imagination run with what all that means.  It brings to mind the story of Jonah who instead of obeying God ran in the opposite direction and well a big storm came a brewing!  (Just read through Jonah ch. 1-2).  It is amazing to me that even when we have deliberately disobeyed Him, He still will look after us.  Yes, there may be consequences - being thrown over board into a raging storm, that suddenly stops and being caught safe in the belly of a fish.  Um consequence - your in a fishes belly surrounded by stomach acid, stink and ... ugh!  But you are still alive and once repentant and willing to obey you are spit up safely on land back where you need to be to get going in the right direction!  How awesome is our God! 

It also brings to mind other stories of storms raging & Jesus calming them.  Check out Matt. 8:23-27, 14:23-33. It even reminded me of Elijah when all the "storms" came by but God was not in them... He was in the gentle blowing. (1 Kings 19)  God made sure Elijah was cared for, He came and spoke to Him and told Him what to do... He provided.  God is near, are you listening expectantly?  Do you believe He cares about you and will take care of you? In Christ we are His beloved, cherished, the apple of His eye... How amazing is His love!  How great is His faithfulness!  How tenderly He deals with us... we who are not deserving are chosen, blessed, redeemed, forgiven, adopted, accepted and continually being transformed to be more like Christ Jesus! Amazing! Inspiring!

But will this do more? Will it... Not only amaze and inspire you but also provoke you to action?! To love? To faithfulness? To obedience? To not stand still in complacency? Will it get you moving, going forward to walk with Him, follow Him, obey Him?!  There is so much more - are you ready?!  Can YOU wait EXPECTANTLY on Him?  Will YOU CHOOSE TO OBEY?  When all is said and done and you leave this earth what will be said of you? What will be remembered? What is your legacy?  Where did you invest your heart, time and giving...?  Was it in the eternal, the lasting? Was it in doing Kingdom living? Was it for Him? Loving and serving others? I am not by any means where I would like to be or think I have attained it... oh no, but God is working on me!  And what I cannot do, what you cannot do on your own - we have a God who can!  He can do anything! And we can do anything through Christ who strengthens us!

Jesus - God made flesh, came to earth - amazing in itself is that fact, but even more He came for us! To serve us. He lived for us. He came to teach us, to save us, to heal us, to help us, to redeem/ransom us.  He literally gave His life while living and in death and in rising again to life for us.  What is my response to that?  How will I live? Love? Serve?  Where is my treasure?  Is my greatest treasure Him or in earthly things?  I know and you should know that He is our greatest treasure!  Will I, will you - choose Him? My portion and inheritance - all I ever want and need... all you could ever want and need too!

He who paid so great a price to ransom us all - to call us His children, His beloved, to take away our sin and make us pure, holy and right before God.  In Christ we are a royal priesthood, given power and authority to bind up the enemy, to tear down strongholds, to fight the good fight (that is not against flesh and blood), to stand firm and be equipped with every offensive and defensive weapon and shield we need - we are victorious!!!  We can be strong and courageous because God is for us, so therefore who can stand against us!  Certainly not the defeated enemy... Think about it!  Believe it and live it out!  Through Him we can do the impossible because we are not doing it, He is!  We are partnered with Him and a vessel used to do the miraculous!  What is more, He does the miraculous in us... making us a new creation in Christ Jesus... free from sins hold and alive, victorious - free! Wow!  How much better can it get!

In this world let me not cling to old ways, thoughts or be held back from full out victorious, abundant living!  Not because I can do it but because He who is in me is greater & HE CAN!  Let's do it - no holding back, but holding on to Him as we take the most exciting and wildest, most wonderful ride of our lives!  And the thing we cannot even imagine or fathom is there is soooo much more ahead.  When we see Him face to face, when we are with Him in His kingdom - everything we now know or see pales in comparison!  Are you ready - grab on and hold on tight to Him, cling to the Rock and follow Him for the greatest adventure and more to come!  To His glory and for His name and His purpose and plan and Kingdom...  Come Lord Jesus, come!