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!

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!

Trust in Him

The LORD is so good to me... I cannot even fully wrap my mind around the vastness of His love, grace and mercy. Even when I am not, He is always faithful! Praise Him!

I sat down today and wrote in my journal before opening up my Esther Workbook and listening to Session 7. I don't know if what I am going to say will touch you as it does me but I feel the need to share this.

As I sat down I thought where has the time gone... I am almost to the end of this study! Not only that but just a brief thought to how quickly my life is flying by. It seems as if it wasn't that long ago I was in college or then a newlywed or even still that my son was just born... I thought Lord where has the time gone?! It goes by so quickly.... and I wrote: ...As I sit here LORD I think of how true Your Word is... Our days are fleeting, we are but dust. Why worry and be anxious, what does it gain us?! Trust in the LORD O my soul - all my being, trust Him and praise His Holy name... for He alone is worthy! LORD forgive me and my earthly (now) focus, help me to remember I am but dust and to live for Your glory.
Amen.

Even now as I sit here and type it brings tears to my eyes... I am so touched by how much the Lord loves me (and you)... by how He knows and works all things out for good... by how He ordained today that after this was upon my heart I would listen to Session 7... the timing, wow - glory to Him!

As I listened to Beth speak at the intro to the Session she reminisced over these same thoughts of how quickly time has flown... and then the lesson began. We had previously learned about reversal of destiny and today looked at how every turn around starts with a step... So as we looked more closely at what this means and at Esther 7-8:2 so many things came to mind... I felt at one part the Spirit opening my heart and mind to thoughts that were triggered by things she was saying but were not what she was discussing. I wrote in the margin: Think of others in terms of all eternity... Love them! Love them to Jesus! (How many times do I try to logic them to Jesus and well if their heart is hardened and their mind closed it isn't going to happen... LOVE THEM!!! Love them as Jesus would - hate the sin but love the person).

Later in the Session Beth is discussing how trust reverses the detours of adversity into the highways of destiny. So here begins the trust part... so key! Trust the Lord O my soul... He is so faithful! She brings up what we had mentioned at the end of last session: It is tough being a woman who feels responsible for the "how". Then she brings up some verses:
(May this bless you!)

"The Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials and to keep the unrighteous under punishment until the day of judgment." 2 Peter 2:9, HCSB

"For He knows how we are formed, he remembers that we are dust." Ps. 103:14

Please remember my journal entry! If not most of the session speaking directly to me ... this verse leapt off of the page at me!!! Wow! The chance of me writing that in my journal twice and in conjunction with trust and that verse being in the lesson... It had to be God! I got chills just now thinking about it. Beth went on to say that we should remember that God knows how - Trust Him! Faith is the victory...Trust comes before it happens - it is saying I believe you now (even when you can't see it/how)!!!

She then brought up Isa. 30:18. And talked about how longing and waiting are the same word in the original language and how when you are waiting longing is part of that...just as we wait on the Lord and long... He is waiting and longing too ... If we are waiting there is something we are waiting for - God has a reason, a plan... He knows and we need to trust and wait on Him. She said "Trust turns it all around"... as I even sit here thinking about that statement it occurs to me how true it is... because as we trust and wait on the Lord, He is faithful to not only bring good out of the bad, etc. but He is faithful to turn around/change us, our heart, our minds... that we can even yet praise Him in the storm we are in ... in our current circumstances. Even though nothing has changed yet outwardly - inwardly our faith grows and we are being transformed. We turn from thoughts that lead to a destructive pattern and turn to thoughts that are truth and life and give us peace and joy amid the circumstances we are in!

Wow! I know that it has been true in my life. How about yours? If not will you choose today to say "Lord, I will wait upon You. I will trust You and believe you are at work!"

One more thing, this is my verse of the day that was emailed to me from K-Love:
     Be still in the presence of the Lord, and wait patiently for him to act. ~ Psalm 37:7, NLT

As I said, this may seem like a jumble of random thoughts but I pray the Holy Spirit will pull forth from them a gleaming truth and plant it in your heart and mind for His glory.

Digging In with Excitement

I am sooo pumped... Have you ever started a bible study and right off the bat you know this is exactly what you need to hear & learn about, etc... It strikes a deep cord within you. Well that was me yesterday... I read through the forward and the introduction to Beth Moore's bible study on Esther and then listened to the intro session.

It hit me in a personal way and I knew the Lord was using it to speak to me, to my heart. This doesn't always happen when I start a study but I love it when it does... I am sooo excited to dig into the Word and this study and to see what He wants to show me about Himself, about me... to learn, to grown and to praise Him. I just know He is up to something good (isn't He always) ... what I mean is I know He is going to do something amazing through this time - to me, to my heart... in revealing more of Him in a unique and special way.

As you may realize God isn't really mentioned in the book of Esther or as it is also known as the Megillot (The Five Scrolls, Megillah). Even though He isn't mentioned His hand is obviously at work throughout the book... it is showing us the character of the unseen God. In a way this book should help us to look at our lives - the ordinary days and see that God is there as promised, He is very involved and is working all things out for good according to His plan and purpose for those who love Him. (See Romans 8:28). Praise Him!!!

Ok, I just had to share & now I am off to dig in!

Joyfully,

Changed Life or Just Words

Just some thoughts that have been running through my mind of late... I was thinking about how often we read the word of God and we in our minds believe it... but do we believe it in all truth? Do we believe it in our hearts?

For example read the following verse in the NIV & NASB:

Psalm 138:8, NIV -The LORD will fulfill his purpose for me; your love, O LORD, endures forever — do not abandon the works of your hands.

Psalm 138:8, NASB - The LORD will accomplish what concerns me; Thy lovingkindness, O LORD, is everlasting; Do not forsake the works of Thy hands.

Do you believe in your heart, your subconscious: that God will fulfill His purpose for you, that He will accomplish all that concerns you in this life? That no matter how many time you stumble and fall you are secure in His love? That He will not forsake you? I ask this because as you may certainly realize what we really believe, deep down - that is what we live out. Our beliefs affect our thoughts, words, actions... So when it comes to crunch time and things are out of control... does your life reflect that you are rooted in your faith, secure in His love and your salvation? I ask this because sometimes I get so frustrated with myself... I believe it, I believe it and yet I say Lord help me with my unbelief!!! I am like Paul when he says he does what he doesn't want to do but what he wants to do he doesn't do... in other words I am not perfect. I have my moments where I am standing/walking in the light and reflecting Christ... and I have my moments where I am not reflecting my beliefs... I have come to realize, at times it is perfectly clear that my faith is so small... and my God is so big! However He is faithful to remind me and encourage me in this ...(See Luke 17:6 & Matt. 17:20) that He can take what is small and do wonders... that His power is made perfect in weakness... For if I will realize it, confess it and let Him ... what I can't do on my own is possible to overcome, to do in His strength! Praise Him!

Believe me I am not saying that we will not have our moments, our failures... I will say that when we do we can confess and have the assurance that we are forgiven. I am not saying that we can use this as an excuse to sin either because we know that is not right (See Romans 6:1-14) ... I am just trying to provoke some thought here, some soul searching... because there are many who may profess to know God but by their deeds they deny Him (Titus 1:16) ... and might I add make nonbelievers think what is the big deal about Christianity - they are no different than me. Well in our flesh we are all sinners but in Christ we are redeemed, saved and empowered to overcome sin... to live righteously! In a nutshell remember it is always about Him not us! And in saying that when we have the Holy Spirit in us we should be different... we should have a changed heart, life... if there is absolutely no change then we might want to question ourselves as to if we are in the faith - or if what we have is a head knowledge but not one that penetrates our heart - faith? As it says in James even the demons believe there is a God and they shudder... while mentioning James I should add to check out James chapter 2 on faith without works... Our changed condition (salvation) should not only propel us, it should absolutely bring about fruit! There should be action ... not just words but deeds born of this love and faith we have. Not because the actions save us but because what saves us propels us to act!

As I said earlier, I am not perfect but praise the Lord I am a changed person! I give no credit to myself for this for it is entirly by the power of the Lord that I live differently. This dying to my fleshly self is hard but it is not impossible - because with Him anything is possible!!! Step by step He is leading me, teaching me, showing me, changing me... I am saved but I am in the process of being sanctified moment by moment, day by day... all to the glory of God. I can never get over how amazing is His love for us... We have an awesome, mighty, loving God! Thank you Jesus ... you are my Savior and the lover of my soul, I rejoice in You!

Let me know your thoughts ...

Lastly a few verses to encourage you in all wisdom - Proverbs 3:5-6; 4:23-26.

Answered Prayer & the LORD's Provision

I was crying earlier as I thought upon the LORD's faithfulness... His love, answered prayers, provision... Below you will see the verses I have been getting lately, (I get verses sent to me daily from K-LOVE)... any way I wanted to share what I have been getting ... just follow the flow and let the Scriptures speak to you! They have been speaking to me!

And even more so after I realize the Lord has been providing me ahead of time with the verses I need for the events of today (and always really). Doesn't He do that for us... For He knows what is coming and He knows what we need... and He wants to prepare us (Spiritually) to be ready!

Today a huge storm hit our area... There are accidents all over... I am praying for these people and their lives, health & safety... I and others were praying too for my husband to make it home safely. After road closures, accidents, the weather, etc... about 2 hours later he made it home safe! The Lord totally showed up right when he needed Him and opened up a path & provide away for him... not once but twice! I would go more into detail but I think suffice it to say that without the Lord's perfect timing and provision my husband would not be safely home now... This brought me to tears! The LORD is near... The LORD is listening, He answers ... at times even before we know to call out! Praise Him for He is soooo worthy! Praise Him for who He is! The Everlasting God, Jehovah-Jireh (The Lord Will Provide), Jehovah-Shalom (The Lord Our Peace), The God of Miracles, a Forgiving God, a Faithful God, the God who answers prayer....

To Him be the glory forever!

Then when you call, the Lord will answer. "Yes, I am here," He will quickly reply.
~ Isaiah 58:9, NASB

I will answer them before they even call to me. While they are still talking about their needs, I will go ahead and answer their prayers!
~ Isaiah 65:24, NLT

Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.
~ Jeremiah 33:3-4, NLT

The Lord is my shepherd; I have everything I need.
~ Psalm 23:1, NLT

But this precious treasure-this light and power that now shine within us-is held in perishable containers, that is, in our weak bodies. So everyone can see that our glorious power is from God and is not our own.
~ 2 Corinthians 4:7, NLT

Don’t hide your light under a basket! Instead, put it on a stand and let it shine for all.
~ Matthew 5:15, NLT

You will keep on guiding me with your counsel, leading me to a glorious destiny.
~ Psalm 73:24, NLT

How precious, sweet and powerful is the Word of God!!! Think upon the goodness, kindness, love, mercy & grace of the LORD... and praise Him!

A Patient & Forgiving God

As I was praying & praising God, praising Him specifically that He is a Forgiving God. There is a reference to Neh. 9:17, that I looked up. It says:

"And they refused to listen, And did not remember Thy wondrous deeds which Thou hadst performed among them; So they became stubborn and appointed a leader to return to their slavery in Egypt. But Thou art a God of forgiveness, Gracious and compassionate, Slow to anger, and abounding in lovingkindness; And Thou didst not forsake them. ~Nehemiah 9:17 NASB

God's love and forgiveness is so amazing! I think sometimes it is taken for granted... we understand but give it fleeting thought... when if we really meditate on it, we are stunned, astounded, in awe, humbled and moved beyond words.

There is so much that came to me as I read this verse... Starting with And they REFUSED to LISTEN! These are God's chosen people, who saw amazing wonders... All the signs and plights God sent to the Egyptians to free them... The passover... The Red Sea being parted... A pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night... the bread of heaven, water from a rock... on & on...

Yet they refused to listen AND they became stubborn (original word meaning - bitterness, rebellion - a masculine noun meaning obstinacy, stubbornness, rebelliousness). They decided to rebell against God!!! God who had done all these things for them! They decided to appoint their own leader & RETURN TO THEIR SLAVERY!

Wow, just let that sink in... Do we not at times do the same thing? God shows Himself to us (to me) in big and small ways... He is faithful, loving, forgiving... if we were truly to meditate on all He has done for us the list would be too long. And maybe that is part of the problem we stop focusing on what God has done and instead focus on what we think He should be doing, what our problems or circumstances are... We forget that we are not promised that this earthly life will be easy... we forget we have to be refined and sanctified... to continually put off the old self (the sin & flesh) and to put on the new - to be made more and more like Christ. Not that we will attain perfection on earth but on the day that we go Home we will be all that we were created to be. We forget in Christ we are a new creation... we sometimes still see ourselves and our life through human/temporary eyes instead of eternal ones.

There will be times when things get rough and we don't understand why God allows somethings to happen, we may become weary in doing good but let us not!!!! God knows what is best... God knows where He is taking us & what He is preparing us for... and it is of far greater value than our temporary pains. Let us not forget - and fall back to our old fleshly/sinful ways. To desire to be slaves again to what Christ has set us free from!!! We can choose to be free & in Christ we have the power to live free! It is like a child who wants to only eat junk food... when the parent knows it is not healthy for them... and they have for them the finest foods, healthy, tasty, filling... Our lives are like that we can try to fill ourselves up with "junk" which never satisfies us or we can let God grow us and fill us with what sustains, what strengthens, what enables, what gives us all we will ever need.

Our perception...what impact! Our faith... what is faith? Hebrews 11:1 tells us "Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen." Do I live my life with & in my heart is that the kind of faith I have? It is a eternal, God perspective. That is my desire.

If you get a chance take a look at Philippians 2:5-11. It is one of my memory scriptures... and is something to really meditate upon.

LORD, I praise You - You are a forgiving God, Gracious and compassionate, slow to anger, and abounding in lovingkindness. You do not forsake me - You do not forsake those called by Your Name. How sweet is Your love and mercy towards me... it fails me not. You are the Giver of every good gift - The One who saves and redeems me... Who prepares a place for me to dwell with You forever. You know my name, You know everything about me & you love me, bless me, chose me and forgive me. Your Word is a lamp unto my feet Lord - You light my path & give me the hope, strength and peace to do so. Praise be to You forever - You are the Everlasting God, the King of kings, my Prince of Peace! Praise You! To You be the glory forever & ever - Amen.

Beloved Children of God

I want to share something so sweet that has touched my heart ... If you are in Christ you are God's Beloved!!! You are a child of The Living God!!!

“I WILL CALL THOSE WHO WERE NOT MY PEOPLE, ‘MY PEOPLE,’AND HER WHO WAS NOT BELOVED, ‘BELOVED.’” “AND IT SHALL BE THAT IN THE PLACE WHERE IT WAS SAID TO THEM, ‘YOU ARE NOT MY PEOPLE,’THERE THEY SHALL BE CALLED SONS OF THE LIVING GOD.” - Romans 9:25-26

Oh please let that sink in to your heart!

Now take a look at these verses (emphasis mine) from Eph. 1:3-14:

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will–to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace that he lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding. And he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, to be put into effect when the times will have reached their fulfillment–to bring all things in heaven and on earth together under one head, even Christ.
In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will, in order that we, who were the first to hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory. And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God's possession–to the praise of his glory.

Oh sweet one you are God's Beloved, He loves you! He chose you, you are God's special possession - His treasure! He has redeemed you, you are forgiven, adopted, and richly blessed in Christ Jesus!!! You have a inheritance, an eternal home, you are cleansed from all sin and have been made holy, set apart... you are part of a royal priesthood to the praise of the Father!

Oh sweet ones rest in Him who loves you... Seek Him and draw near to the One who knows your name and who desires an intimate relationship with you. It is not by our works and busyness that cause Him to look upon us with favor (remember Martha and Mary)... it is by grace, it is by faith...

What shall we say then? That Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, attained righteousness, even the righteousness which is by faith; but Israel, pursuing a law of righteousness, did not arrive at that law. Why? Because they did not pursue it by faith, but as though it were by works. They stumbled over the stumbling stone, just as it is written,“BEHOLD, I LAY IN ZION A STONE OF STUMBLING AND A ROCK OF OFFENSE,AND HE WHO BELIEVES IN HIM WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED." Romans 9:30-33. Please also see 1 Peter 2:4-8!

Sweet ones He has done it all! His grace embraces us and we are set free from works... the works we produce are not to attain but out of love and thankfulness. May His love and kindness touch your heart in a special way today and always.

A hope and understanding that fails not

Psalm 25 -
2in you I trust, O my God. Do not let me be put to shame...3No one whose hope is in you will ever be put to shame...4Show me your ways, O LORD, teach me your paths;
5guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long...
7Remember not the sins of my youth and my rebellious ways; according to your love remember me, for you are good, O LORD.
8Good and upright is the LORD; therefore he instructs sinners in his ways.
9He guides the humble in what is right and teaches them his way.
10All the ways of the LORD are loving and faithful for those who keep the demands of his covenant.
11For the sake of your name, O LORD, forgive my iniquity, though it is great...
15My eyes are ever on the LORD, for only he will release my feet from the snare.
16Turn to me and be gracious to me, for I am lonely and afflicted.
17The troubles of my heart have multiplied; free me from my anguish.
18Look upon my affliction and my distress and take away all my sins...
20Guard my life and rescue me; let me not be put to shame, for I take refuge in you.
21May integrity and uprightness protect me, because my hope is in you.

Have you come to a point in your life where you felt as David did? Have you ever had a time in your life where you wondered "Why God?"... why me (as maybe Moses wondered), why now, why here, WHY....? David cries out to God... he places his hope and trust in Him and he tells us that no one who does so will ever be put to shame (v. 3). He prays for the LORD to guide him and teach him to walk in His ways and His truth... to teach him. He prays and ask for forgiveness and declares that the LORD is good and upright... that all of the LORD's ways are loving and faithful for those who keep His covenant. ALL of the LORD's ways are loving and faithful for those who are truly seeking Him and endeavoring to walk in His ways! ALL OF THEM... even if we can't see it at the time. Even if we like David feel lonely and afflicted and have great troubles upon our heart... God can and will free us - He is the only one who can, the only one who saves.... He is who we take refuge in and trust in and hope in ... He is all that we need, because our hope is in Him we will not be let down!!! Trust Him!

That is what I keep hearing from the Word and what the Spirit keeps leading me back too... Trust, hope, faith... love. I keep getting another reminder... His ways are not our ways, His thoughts are not our thoughts (Isa. 55:8). He is not a human that He would think like us; that He would become tired or weary in doing good ... we cannot fathom His understanding (Isa. 40:28). He is the LORD, the everlasting God, the Creator... his ways are not ours...

I say all of this to say... we cannot always know or understand why we are going through what we are going through, or where the Lord has us today... but that we can trust Him to do what is best for us, as we are seeking Him and following His ways (Rom. 8:28)... He desires the greatest good for our lives... not the fleeting temporary happiness, but our greatest good - for all eternity and upon this earth.

Do we think that we serve a Lord who does not understand? (Heb. 2:10-18; Heb. 4:15-16). I say to you He not only understands... for us He endured much more! (Isa. 52:13- Isa. 53:1-12). Are you lonely, despised, afflicted, rejected? Are you suffering? Oh beloved He understands!!! Cry out to Him, cry out to Jesus! May He comfort you, free you from your anguish and be gracious to you. May you rest and take shelter in Him who intercedes on your behalf and who has endured and done much for you to live free, to know and to love him! Call out to Him today... He is near!

Oh most gracious and loving Father, come and comfort us now and draw us ever closer to you. Help us to trust in you to guide us and to provide for us and to lead us...even when we cannot see what lies ahead... let your Word be a lamp unto our feet and a light for our path; that with each step we take, we take it in faith and following so closely to you that we cannot stumble. Hold us close and bring us LORD deeper and deeper into a loving, growing relationship with you. For you oh LORD can do anything! Nothing is impossible with you!!! You can even bring life to dried up bones! Breathe a fresh word of hope and life into us today! Amen. (Ezekiel 37:1-14; Psalm 119:105; Luke 1:37).

Storms in our lives

I was reading last night and today about Jesus calming the storm... (see Matt. 8:23-27; Mark 4:36-41; Luke 8:22-25) and it struck me things happen, life happens without warning or suddenly things change. In the blink of an eye our circumstances can change... but does our peace, our faith all of the sudden flee us? In these times do we hold fast to what we know to be true? (Isaiah 54:10) Do we keep our focus on Jesus? (Heb. 12:2) Do we panic; is our faith shaken? Or as Jesus put it: "You of little faith, why are you so afraid?"

You understand that a good number of the disciples had been fishermen, they had endured storms... I am sure this one was a sight to behold! However, had they not been with Jesus, witnessed miracles? Was he not even then among them!?! Yes! And that applies to us as well... for we know that He will never leave us or forsake us (Heb. 13:5). As a believer I am sure you can testify to times you have seen the Lord at work in you and your life... but some how, just like the disciples, when the storms come they can overwhelm us and make us forget all of that.... Of course this isn't always true ... but we each have our moments, right?

Yes, we should go to the Lord and cry out to Him in our distress... that is not the issue. The issue is when we cry out to Jesus are we crying out in fear or in faith? Do we believe in our God more than we do our circumstances? Are we believing in His promises and believing that we have nothing to fear? (1 Jn. 4:18; Rom. 8:31) We should because the God of all Creation is on our side!!! And he has told us not to worry or be anxious, not to fear... (Matt. 6:25-34; Phil. 4:6).

Another way to look at this, or example I should say is to look at Luke 1:18-20 & 34-38. As you read these verses do you see the difference? Mary asked a question about what seemed to most an unbelievable thing... but she believed, she just wanted to understand how this would happen to her! However, when Zechariah questioned the angel it was not in faith but in unbelief that such a thing could happen. And that is the point I am trying to make... Cry out to Jesus but do so in faith, believing that He is in control... ( You should check out Daniel 3:16-27, as a good example).

(Prayer) - Oh LORD forgive me and help me to over come my unbelief. Grant me LORD faith that is great enough to move mountains and a steadfast spirit within me. May I not let my circumstances dictate my reactions but my faith in you determine my course. Let it all be for your glory! Amen. (Ps. 51:10; Matt. 17:20; Mark 9:24)

Expectations & Faith

I was reading this morning in Matt. 8:5-13 and a few things hit me... Yes, the faith of the Roman soldier, but also Christ's amazement at his faith... there is more I want to say here but first let me start off with a personal story...

Don't you love how God teaches us in our everyday circumstances. Well, the scripture passage this morning reminded me of one such a time. I remember being at the airport a while back... I was flying by myself and I remember it hadn't been the best of days, so as I stood there I took a moment to look around and people watch. As I looked around I wondered who I would be sitting next to on the plane ... As I was thinking about this there she stood... this young woman, who looked like she lived in a very different world than me. She was dressed in all black (Gothic look), black nails, shoes, clothes (well you get the picture). She had piercings & tattoos all over her body... and I thought oh please don't let me be seated next to her. This was definitely not one of my shining inner-self moments, it was so fleshly. Ahhh... Well wouldn't you know that of course that is exactly who I sat next to on the plane! I am smiling now as I write this...(God I love you!) She sat down next to me - me who had my bible out and wanted some quiet time... She dug through her bag below her feet and I started to notice that her tattoos were all about Christ... and instead of a horrible smoke aroma that I expected, was this pleasant scent. She pulled out her ipod and put her headphones in and leaned back in her seat, I think she closed her eyes. She apparently didn't want to have a conversation either... All of the sudden though I was enthralled by her. I wanted to stare at her and investigate all of her tattoos & I was curious about her, about her life... I wish I could say that I started up a conversation with her but I didn't, apparently I wasn't curious enough.

Any way it was at this opportunity that God taught me I shouldn't judge others by their appearance... Who says that you have to be clean cut to love Jesus, to serve Him or to minister to others. Maybe by her appearance she can far better minister to people that I could not... I say all of this to say that it is not what is on the outside that counts but our heart within.... This girl may have a much deeper knowledge & understanding of Christ, than I do... She may be bearing much fruit in her life for Christ... Sometimes it is the unexpected who have great faith, passion, love, devotion and live very fruitful lives for Christ. This reminds me of the Apostle Paul and the early Church... who when he was persecuting the Church could have imagined all that he would one day do for Christ. What a deep faith and love he had for Christ!

Which brings me back to the passage this morning... Here was this Roman officer coming and saying to Jesus "Lord"...not teacher, healer, etc. He acknowledged him as Lord... and what is even more amazing (because you realize that Christ came and was preaching to the Jews not the Gentiles, although there were Gentiles who believed and were saved) is his great faith & humility! Many times those Christ came to preach to looked down on him and did not offer him even common courtesy. (Example - Luke 7:36-50, [esp. v.46]) They were not humble... Yet, here was this Gentile saying, I am not worthy to have you come into my home but if you say it I believe it will be done! Wow! It is amazing! (By the way check out Luke 7:1-10 for a little more insight).

Here was this Gentile calling Jesus Lord, showing humility and great faith. Jesus is amazed, that here in this Gentile is such a great faith, greater than he has found in all of Israel! He then goes on to say that many Gentiles will come from all over the world to sit down at the feast in the Kingdom with Abraham, Isaac, & Jacob... but that many Israelites, for whom the Kingdom was prepared will be cast out into the darkness... Why? Because they did not believe... they did not have a heart for or faith in their true Messiah! It is not just those who will proclaim a right to be in the Kingdom that will be cast out; there are many others who claim by heritage or by their cultural Christianity that the know the Lord but He will say He knows them not. (See Matt. 7:21-23)

I say all of this to say, do not discount those who seem far removed from what you expect of a Christ Follower... God can save and use ANYONE! In Him we can all be made new (2 Cor. 5:17)! Praise Him!!! Love Him! Serve Him! And love others...