Blessed New Year!

Tomorrow starts a new year.  I think most of us go in with expectations or wishes for a better year, less sadness, less troubles.....But only God knows what will actually come to us.  We don't even know what will come in the next ten minutes let alone the  next year!  LOL

But we go in hopeful.  Hoping for change, hoping for better habits, hoping for smooth sailing.  We make resolutions.  Eat better, exercise we promise ourselves.  Maybe save more, spend less, be kinder, more patient, etc.  These things are all good.  And we should always strive to do better, (under the Lord's guidance and power), to take  are of ourselves and treat others better.  

My Pastor brought up a good point though about New Year's resolutions last Sunday.  What if we make spiritual resolutions.  Many people decide this is the year they will read through the Bible.  That's a great start.  But there are others we can do as well.  How about reading a Proverb a day at the beginning of the day each month?  How about praying each day for the fruit of the Spirit to be manifest in our lives that day?  Galatians 5:22-23 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.   Read through the Psalms at bedtime.  Make the habit of a daily prayer time each day....start with 10 or 15 minutes each day.  Make a list so you have an idea and a focus for that time.  I don't know about others, by my mind tends to wander when I sit without a focus.  But don't forget to allow for the Holy Spirit to change it up if He decides to.  LOL   How about starting the morning with a worship song each day?  Maybe gratitude needs to increase.  Think of 3 (or more!) things you are thankful for each morning when you wake up and each night before you go to sleep.  Lamentations 3:22-24 The faithful love of the Lord never ends!  His mercies never cease.  23 Great is his faithfulness;   his mercies begin afresh each morning.  24 I say to myself, “The Lord is my inheritance; therefore, I will hope in him!”  That's a good start for the morning.  And for bedtime: Psalm 4:8 In peace I will lie down and sleep, for you alone, O Lord, will keep me safe.  

I'm sure you can think of many other "resolutions" to grow spiritually this year.  Here's one more.  If you don't belong to a church or meet with other believers that might be a really good place to start.  

I'm a kind of "pray as you go" girl.  So one of my resolutions will be to make that specific time of prayer each day.  I am going to get back into the habit of reading Proverbs in the morning.  I do the Psalms at night.  A long time ago I set the alarm on my phone during the day to have "gratitude breaks."  I think that is a good habit to start up again, especially since I find myself complaining too often.   I also want to do the exercise and eat right thing.  LOL

Growth and change for our bodies and minds is great.  And we don't want to neglect those.  But as the days get darker and darker here on earth, I believe we need to work with the Lord to make our light shine brighter and brighter.  We also will need strength, boldness, wisdom and discernment for the days ahead.   Spiritual discipline is needed to do that.  My prayer is that you will sit with the Lord and ask Him what He wants you to do.  Where He wants to lead you this year.  

Lord, we all need to grow.  We all can use a little change.  Show us what You want in our lives.  We may not know what the future holds, but we ask that You prepare us for whatever lies ahead.  Help us to be disciplined and be ready for whatever you have for us, both good and bad.  Let us go deeper with You this year than ever before.  We worship You, our all knowing, loving Father.  We are so thankful for the salvation You provide for us in Jesus and for the strength and leading of the Holy Spirit.  You alone know what we need.  We await Your instructions and leading.  In Jesus Name, amen. 

Take some time today and tomorrow to seek God and His will for you.  

I truly with you a happy and blessed new year filled with the Presence of our Lord.  

Merry Christmas

 

Merry Christmas to all of you!   We are so blessed in the gifts we give and receive

this time of year.  The greatest of these being the reason we 

celebrate, Jesus, Himself.

As much joy as we get from blessing one another, I can only imagine God

the Father's joy in giving us His Son.  God the Father

gave Jesus, wrapped as a present 

in human form, to save us all.  John 3:16 tells us, "For God so loved the

world, that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever

believes in Him shall not perish but have

eternal life."  Imagine that!  The Creator of everything wanted our 

fellowship so much, loved us so much, that Jesus willing

came to earth, loved perfectly, died 

and rose again to bring us to Himself.  So I pray for you, my dear ones, that during 

all the wonderful fun and bustle of this season, that God

warms your heart with His love for 

you, and that you remember the greatest gift of all.

Have a great holiday! 

Obedience

I've been doing a Bible study called "Seeking Him.  Experiencing the Joy of Personal Revival by Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth and Tim Grissom.  It's a great study of examination and  growth.  My goal is to draw closer to our Lord, and shine brightly for Him with a fire that only comes through His Presence in my life.  

One of the questions today was based on Moses' building of the Tabernacle.  The Scripture references given were Exodus 25:1-9 and Exodus 39-40.  The whole story is in 25-31, and 37-40.  

Exodus 25:1-9 The Lord said to Moses, 2 “Tell the people of Israel to bring me their sacred offerings. Accept the contributions from all whose hearts are moved to offer them. 3 Here is a list of sacred offerings you may accept from them: gold, silver, and bronze; 4 blue, purple, and scarlet thread; fine linen and goat hair for cloth; 5 tanned ram skins and fine goatskin leather; acacia wood; 6 olive oil for the lamps; spices for the anointing oil and the fragrant incense; 7 onyx stones, and other gemstones to be set in the ephod and the priest’s chestpiece.  8 “Have the people of Israel build me a holy sanctuary so I can live among them. 9 You must build this Tabernacle and its furnishings exactly according to the pattern I will show you.

On through the following chapters we see the Lord give instruction, minutely detailed, in the building of the Tabernacle and everything in it.  

The question given in my study was "What lesson did you learn from the account of Moses building the tabernacle?  

I have to include a couple of more verses in order to fully answer this question.  One being, Exodus 31:1-11 Then the Lord said to Moses, 2 “Look, I have specifically chosen Bezalel son of Uri, grandson of Hur, of the tribe of Judah. 3 I have filled him with the Spirit of God, giving him great wisdom, ability, and expertise in all kinds of crafts. 4 He is a master craftsman, expert in working with gold, silver, and bronze. 5 He is skilled in engraving and mounting gemstones and in carving wood. He is a master at every craft!  6 “And I have personally appointed Oholiab son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan, to be his assistant. Moreover, I have given special skill to all the gifted craftsmen so they can make all the things I have commanded you to make: 7 the Tabernacle; the Ark of the Covenant; the Ark’s cover—the place of atonement; all the furnishings of the Tabernacle; 8 the table and its utensils; the pure gold lampstand with all its accessories; the incense altar; 9 the altar of burnt offering with all its utensils; the washbasin with its stand; 10 the beautifully stitched garments—the sacred garments for Aaron the priest, and the garments for his sons to wear as they minister as priests; 11 the anointing oil; the fragrant incense for the Holy Place. The craftsmen must make everything as I have commanded you.”  The other I want to include is Exodus 40:1 Then the cloud covered the Tabernacle, and the glory of the Lord filled the Tabernacle.

So the answer I gave to the question was twofold.  1. God gave everything the people needed in order to be obedient to His design and plan.  2. When the people had been obedient, even down to the smallest detail, God's Presence filled the Tabernacle. 

And so it is with us.  Obedience brings the Lord's Presence in our lives.  And He gives us all we need to be obedient.  2 Peter 1:3 By his divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life. We have received all of this by coming to know him, the one who called us to himself by means of his marvelous glory and excellence.  John 14:21  Those who accept my commandments and obey them are the ones who love me. And because they love me, my Father will love them. And I will love them and reveal myself to each of them.”  John 14:23  Jesus replied, “All who love me will do what I say. My Father will love them, and we will come and make our home with each of them.

Obedience brings blessing!  Obedience brings glory to God!  Obedience opens doors for us to be a light to others, bringing them to Christ.

Lord, give us hearts of obedience.  Let us not talk about how much we love You, but show it as well.  I know my greatest desire is to make Your heart happy.  Help me, and all of us to lay down our own ways and follow You. I know we all struggle with dying to our flesh.  We all fail sometimes, and thankfully You are a patient and forgiving Father.  The sanctification process is lifelong!  Help us to grow in obedience every day.   In Jesus' Name, Amen

Good Advice

 When God speaks, we need to listen and obey.  That's my advice.  Follow directions!

Last week I was sicker than I ever remember being in recent years, and years.  What an awful week.  Thankfully I am about 95% better now.  What a relief.

But here's the thing.  God had been warning me for weeks I was headed for a break down.  First it started in a couple of sermons by our pastor where he mentioned the need to slow down while driving.  Then another teacher said the same thing.  Well I kind of drive a little fast, so I thought that God was telling me to watch my driving speed.  Ok...I'm trying to do better on that.

Then there was the construction sign that I was seeing every few days.  "Please slow down" it said.  Yup, same thing...I thought God was talking about my driving.  

Well I was wrong.  It was my schedule God wanted me to slow down with.  It's been so crazy lately.  But I wasn't listening.  And so what happened?  God slowed me down...in fact, he stopped me completely!  And it was exactly what I needed but didn't really want to hear, let alone do. 

He is so good to us that even when we are living unbalanced, disobedient lives, He makes a way for our good.  What an awesome Father we have. 

Lord, help us to listen.  Help us to obey.  In the Name of our Savior, Jesus Christ.  Amen!  

Give Thanks!

The Lord has done great things for us and we are filled with joy  Psalm 126:3

I wish each of you a blessed and happy Thanksgiving.  

One night last week I was having trouble sleeping.  I tossed and turned, got up and read, tossed and turned some more...frustrating!  Usually I will pray as well.  It's a good time to be quiet with God.  Then God spoke something to my heart that I had not considered before. 

Most people have heard the expression of "counting sheep" when you have trouble falling asleep.  But the Lord gave me another idea.  He "told" me to go through my house, room by room (this is in my mind, not physically) and think about things I'm thankful for there. Count my blessings!  In my bedroom, my husband, my comfy bed and soft blankets.....Then I moved onto other rooms.  The kitchen where we had enough to eat.....my office where I meet with the Lord, my Bible, books.....On and on I went until I drifted off.  I gave thanks specifically.  Down to the smallest details of each room.  Things that made me smile, that I could do in each room....

In thinking about this throughout the following days I realized it can be expanded even further.  In your mind you can take a walk outside, giving thanks for various things in nature.  You can "go" to your church, your job, your town....wherever and find the things to be thankful for in those places.  

This isn't just an exercise in sleep therapy, but an honor to our Father that we our grateful to all He provides.  You can even take yourself to Heaven and focus on the reasons to be thankful there.  Walk back in time to when Jesus was here on earth and pick out the things you are thankful for about Him and what He did.  So many, many blessings to remember.  Large, small, people, things, experiences, animals, God's grace and mercy.  Get specific.  And this doesn't have to just be done as a way to fall asleep.  Any time during the day is a good time to give thanks!  

So give thanks!  Praise God from whom all blessings flow. 

Lord, all good things come from You.  All the blessings in our lives are gifts You bestow.  Even the hard times contain Your blessings.  We thank You for all of them.  But most of all we thank You for You.  For Your love, Your kindness, Your mercy and Your salvation.  No one is more blessed than Your people!

Happy Thanksgiving to all of you!  I am thankful for you.  

Worship Him

Imagine the scene in Revelation 4.  And now think about this: Every moment of every day the angels cry holy.  Our God is being worshipped.  No try to imagine the Being that is worthy of this kind of adoration. Human language, human thought, all fail to get to the immensity of our Lord, our God, our King.  Human design on earth can't come close to comparing to His dwelling.  No man or woman can come close to His character.  We can't reach the level of love, holiness, righteousness, kindness, wisdom, knowledge, creativity, on and on and on...that makes up our God.  

While we are told to come boldly before His throne of grace, we need to remember Who we are coming before.  He is our loving Father, our Redeeming Savior and the lover of our souls, but He is also this almighty, omniscient, omnipresent, eternal Being that we must bow in reverence before.   So often I treat Him in a way to casual way.  I repent of this.  I ask forgiveness of the only One who can grant it.  He is not a cosmic genie or Santa Clause.  He is God.  Our Creator.  The One to whom we must give account.  He holds all things in His hands.   We, like the angels, are His servants.  We live to glorify Him.  Yes, we are His adopted sons and daughters, chosen before the beginning of time to be His heirs and children.  But we need to remember that our God is worthy of all our respect, awe, and worship.  He is worthy of all praise.  

I so often take all of this for granted.  I take the Lord for granted.  I act like He owes me!  Well, God is now calling me to account on this.  He has given me a glance into His throne room and a conviction as to how absolute He really is.  Like Isaiah says in his writing, "It's all over!  I am doomed for I am a sinful man.  I have filthy lips and I live among a people with filthy lips.  (Isaiah 6:5a)  

Thankfully we can come into God's presence through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  He has redeemed and purchased us, delivering us from sin and guilt.  He has clothed us in His own righteousness, so we now have access to our Father.  He did this!  But we can never forget the majesty of our God.  He is both Father and King.  Loving and sovereign.  He holds us as dearly loved children, but He also holds all the universe in His hands.  What a beautiful and wonderful and awesome God we serve. 

Cry out with me, with the angels and citizens in Heaven, HOLY, HOLY, HOLY!   You alone God are worthy to receive all honor, worship, power, glory and praise!!  

Revelation 4  After these things I looked, and behold, a door standing open in heaven. And the first voice which I heard was like a trumpet speaking with me, saying, “Come up here, and I will show you things which must take place after this.”  2 Immediately I was in the Spirit; and behold, a throne set in heaven, and One sat on the throne. 3 And He who sat there was like a jasper and a sardius stone in appearance; and there was a rainbow around the throne, in appearance like an emerald. 4 Around the throne were twenty-four thrones, and on the thrones I saw twenty-four elders sitting, clothed in white robes; and they had crowns of gold on their heads. 5 And from the throne proceeded lightnings, thunderings, and voices. Seven lamps of fire were burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God.  6 Before the throne there was a sea of glass, like crystal. And in the midst of the throne, and around the throne, were four living creatures full of eyes in front and in back. 7 The first living creature was like a lion, the second living creature like a calf, the third living creature had a face like a man, and the fourth living creature was like a flying eagle. 8 The four living creatures, each having six wings, were full of eyes around and within. And they do not rest day or night, saying: “Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, Who was and is and is to come!”  9 Whenever the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to Him who sits on the throne, who lives forever and ever, 10 the twenty-four elders fall down before Him who sits on the throne and worship Him who lives forever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying: 11 “You are worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power;  for You created all things, and by Your will they exist and were created.”

Isaiah 6 1-7 In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lifted up, and the train of His robe filled the temple. 2 Above it stood seraphim; each one had six wings: with two he covered his face, with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. 3 And one cried to another and said: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of His glory!”  4 And the posts of the door were shaken by the voice of him who cried out, and the house was filled with smoke.  5 So I said:  “Woe is me, for I am ]undone!  Because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; For my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts.”  6 Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having in his hand a live coal which he had taken with the tongs from the altar. 7 And he touched my mouth with it, and said: “Behold, this has touched your lips; Your iniquity is taken away, and your sin purged.”  

One of the things I believe God is leading me to do, is to reread these verses, and others like them, often.  To remember and picture these scenes in my head when I go into my prayer and study time.  Maybe you'd like to incorporate that in your "God time" too.  😊

Trust the Timing

Have you read the story of Lazarus' resurrection?  Have you ever wondered about why Jesus didn't go as soon as He was asked to come?  Jesus had healed so many people.  If He has gotten to Jerusalem earlier surely He could have and would have healed His dear friend Lazarus.  

Listen to Mary's painful plea, "Lord, if only You had been here my brother would not have died."  (John 11:32)  Accusation?  Confusion?  Faith seeing fact?  I don't know what motive or motives behind that statement we can attribute to Mary's heart, but we can hear her pain and anguish.  

Why didn't Jesus come right away?  Why doesn't He answer our desperate prayers as soon as they leave our lips?  Why does He leave our hearts in turmoil and need when we cry out to Him with everything that we are?  I think we've all faced and asked these questions.  

Look through the Bible and you will see the "greats" of faith experiencing the same faith-stretching waits.  Moses waited for the deliverance of the Israelites as they continued to languish in Egypt.  Before their exit from the land of their slavery, God chose to take time to display His great power to them and the Egyptians.  They needed to know that this God who would deliver them, had the power to keep them in the wilderness and in the Promised Land before He would set them free.  The Egyptians needed to know that there was only one true God.  This story is in the book of Exodus.

John the Baptist, the forerunner and cousin of Jesus.  Fearless in the face of the Pharisees.  Preacher and baptizer, calling for repentance and turning back to God.  When imprisoned by Herod for challenging his marriage to Herodias, John, in his own words to Jesus asked, “Are You the Coming One, or do we look for another?” (Luke 7:18)  Did John's pain and confusion cause him to doubt his mission?  Doubt Jesus?  I can hear the sadness and desperation in his words.  

We all have had times and circumstances where God left us waiting.  Our hearts troubled and afraid.  In our difficulties we forget that Jesus told us not to be troubled.  We easily forget He left His peace for us to rest in.  Our faith wanes and we struggle to believe.  But there's so much more.  God's answer may not come in our timing, but it comes at the right time.  Look at the above examples!  The Israelites and Egyptians saw God great power, and now knew that He was Lord over all.  The Israelites saw they could rely on Him, and the Egyptians saw there was only One powerful God overall.  Did they stay true to these beliefs, no....we forget often too, so I don't condemn them.  Look at John the Baptist.  Jesus reassured Him and after his death John gained Heaven!  

And lastly, Mary.  She looked for healing and Jesus had so much more to offer.  I think we do that too.  We look for the smaller when God has so much more.  She had come to expect the healing of the Lord, but needed to know that resurrection was the true gift Jesus brought.  

Oh, that we would seek God's heart and not His hand.  He has so much for us, but it's in His timing and ways not our own.  Does it hurt to wait?  YES!!  But is it worth it?  Double yes!!  We had a friend who was sick for most of her life.  These last months have gotten increasingly hard for her.  And her husband.  Everyone prayed for healing, prayed for God's hand to raise her up from her sick bed.  But He had a different plan.  He took her home.  Now, for the first time ever our friend is not suffering from any illness, any pain.... she's free.  She is missed, but we rejoice in her gain.  

Today, let the Lord's peace fill your heart as you wait on Him.  Romans 8:35-39 35 Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death? 36 (As the Scriptures say, “For your sake we are killed every day; we are being slaughtered like sheep.”) 37 No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us.  38 And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. 39 No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Lord, remind us that You have given us Your peace that we may rest in You.  Help us to stand on Your promises and hold onto our faith.  Our faith is based in Your character and we know all Your ways are good, kind and loving, filled with wisdom and perfection....even when we don't understand and it hurts.  We can't see the future.  Things may look dark and dead, but you are the light and the resurrection.  Let us rest in these truths.  In Jesus most powerful Name.  Amen.  

John 14:27 Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.

Fig Leaves

On Friday mornings I get together with a group of ladies for prayer and study.  We are working on a book "Seeking Him, Experiencing the Joy of Personal Revival" by Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth.  

As we were discussing the readings and questions in the workbook today there was a section that brought up Adam and Eve.  The discussion revolved around the question, Ddo we try to hide our sin from God instead of being honest with Him".  

The story of Adam and Eve is a human tragedy.  We know they had a beautiful garden with only one rule to follow.  They broke the one rule God gave them.  Genesis 2:15-17  The Lord God placed the man in the Garden of Eden to tend and watch over it.  But the Lord warned him, "You may eat the fruit of every tree in the garden--except the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.  If you eat its fruit, you are sure to die. 

Well we all know the how the story goes from there.  Adam and Eve listened to the serpent, ate the fruit, and perfect fellowship with God was broken.  And here we are thousands of years later living in brokenness and chaos as a result of man's first sin.

God and his human children had beautiful, unadulterated fellowship.  They walked together in the garden.  I can imagine Adam and Eve listening as the Lord talked to them about all the beauty they saw.  I can see the Lord teaching them about their world and themselves and sharing Himself with them.  Nothing was between them to blur their vision of God.  And then the fall.  They were ashamed of what they had done, their failure.  They tried to hide and cover themselves.  The sewed fig leaves together to hide their nakedness and shame.  And them came God's question to Adam in Genesis 3:9: "Where are you?"

I never thought of those words this way, but they were the first indication of the separation between God and His creation.  It was all the evidence we need to see the broken fellowship between God and man.  When you're in the house with your spouse but not in the same room you may say, "Honey, where are you?"  You are separated so you seek to find them.  Now, we know God knew where Adam and Eve were, He knows everything.  But I have to wonder if this question was asked and put in the Bible to show that God and man were now separated.  If it was a metaphor for that separation.  

We do the same thing.  Oh, we may not sew together fig leaves but we do try to hide our sin and shame from God.  We sew together our excuses, wrapping them around us like a coat thinking it hides our flaws and failings.  But we don't realize that those flimsy excuses we hide in are just that, flimsy as those fig leaves.  God sees right through them.  The excuses, the lies we tell ourselves.  His Word says in Hebrews 4:12 For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.  His Word and His eyes cut through our hidings.  He sees the innermost part of our being.  And because our Father sees us, He can fix what is causing our dysfunction...in other words the parts of us that are unsubmitted to Him and cause our sinful nature to rise up and lead us astray.   Some people may find this very uncomfortable, this being fully known.  But I find it comforting.  I want to God fix me!  So His knowing me completely means He knows exactly what needs to be done!  

Thank You Lord for knowing us.  I am so grateful that nothing about me is hidden from You.  That may seem scary, but it is really a safe place.  Please help us to be honest with You...and in doing so become honest with ourselves.  We know that "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."  1 John 1:9  What a blessing to be known and not have to hide or cover ourselves.  The only covering we need is the blood of Jesus.  That is the only thing that covers our sin and shame and enables us to come humbly and boldly into Your Presence.  We now have fellowship restored!  Amen!! 

What are you making excuses for?  What are you trying to hide from God?  

Confession Is Good For the Heart

Psalm 32 Oh, what joy for those whose disobedience is forgiven, whose sin is put out of sight!  2 Yes, what joy for those whose record the Lord has cleared of guilt, whose lives are lived in complete honesty!  3 When I refused to confess my sin, my body wasted away, and I groaned all day long.  4  Day and night your hand of discipline was heavy on me.  My strength evaporated like water in the summer heat.  5 Finally, I confessed all my sins to you and stopped trying to hide my guilt.  I said to myself, “I will confess my rebellion to the Lord.”  And you forgave me! All my guilt is gone. 6 Surround me with songs of victory.  8 The Lord says, “I will guide you along the best pathway for your life.  I will advise you and watch over you.  9 Do not be like a senseless horse or mule that needs a bit and bridle to keep it under control.”  10 Many sorrows come to the wicked, but unfailing love surrounds those who trust the Lord.  11 So rejoice in the Lord and be glad, all you who obey him!  Shout for joy, all you whose hearts are pure!

So you've sinned.  You've done something awful, terrible....maybe something you deem unforgiveable.  I've been there.  I pretty sure many of us have.  David had.  He took another man's wife.  He impregnated her.  He then had the man killed.  He tried to hide his sin, from others, from himself, and from God.  None of that worked.  As the months went by he grew weaker and more burdened.  When we carry our sin, hide it in our heart and put it "out of sight" as it were, we do not go unscathed.  We do not walk freely or joyfully away from doing wrong and hiding it.  Eventually the prophet Nathan confronted David.  David then admitted his sin, he confessed before the Lord his guilt.  

Rather than rejecting David, the Lord forgave him.  When we think of our most grievous sins, it's hard to imagine forgiveness.  But our Father offers it when we come to Him.  And there is even more than that!  Today, as I read this Psalm I saw so much more blessing from confessing.   There's joy (v 1).  Our guilt is gone (v5).  The floodwaters of judgment will not overwhelm us (v 6).  The Lord is our hiding place, we don't hide our sin, He hides us and protects us from trouble.  (v 7).  We are given songs of victory.  Christ is our victory, He has won it for us. (v 7).  The Lord will come along to guide us and steer us in the right direction (v 8-9).  We will be surrounded by unfailing love (v 10).  

Confession brings more than just forgiveness (although that in and of itself is enough).  It brings God's Presence, His joy, His protection, His guidance, His victory and His unfailing love.  Are these not all good reasons to confess, to stop trying to cover up our sin, hiding it even from God and ourselves?  This does not mean you need to shout it from the rooftops.  Some things we are to confess to others, some things are just between us and God...but bringing our mistakes and sins to Him, we receive so much in return.  He lifts the burdens of our heart, lifts His heavy hand that is upon us and leads us with His righteous love.  Don't be afraid to come to Him with your worst.  This Psalm gives us the comfort and assurance that we need to face our Lord with our barest heart.  

Lord, thank You.  Not only are You faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9), You give us beauty for ashes (Isaiah 61:3) when we bring our sin to You.  There is none like You.  I am so grateful to be Your child.  

Do not be afraid to confess.  

Waiting for Clarity

Waiting on God.  We hear that term thrown around so much.  "I'm just waiting on the Lord...."  And none of us like to wait.  And even less than liking to wait is the trusting God for the answers, even when it doesn't line up with mine. I think of the people Jesus healed that had been blind from birth, plagued for years with crippled legs, bleeding diseases, and other infirmities that they carried until the Savior touched them.  

But it's not just physical healing we wait for.  It's answers to God visits!  Sometimes our Father comes along and shows us a sign, but we can't figure out what  He is wanting to say.  That happened to me yesterday.

I went for my annual mammography.  The practice of this facility is to give you a card with the name of the person who checks you in and the person who does the mammo.  The ladies sign their name to the card and you are asked to do a short survey on the care you received while there.  

As background for the day I was meeting a friend to go to another friend's house so we could clean for her.  She has cancer and would be having houseguests the next day and wanted the place spruced up.  She is unable to do this as the cancer has really taken a toll on her body.  The doctors feel there is nothing left to do for her.  

At the mammo center I was talking to the technician about how my cousin/godchild had just rang her bell after finishing a years worth of treatment for breast cancer.  She was cancer free!  Thank You Lord.

All this to say, when I walked out of the facility I looked at the card they ladies had signed.  Strangely enough, the woman who registered me was named Fran.  And the technician was named Brenda.  I did a double take.  

The woman whose house I was headed to clean is named Fran.  My cousin is named Brenda.  This was just the oddest coincidence.   I really don't understand what it means.  Will it be a miracle, a lesson....whatever it is or will be I don't think this happened by accident.  This is a God thing.  He has something in store.  

Of course I know what I'd like to see.  I'd like to see our friend Fran restored to full health like my cousin was.  But God is God and He has the best plan.  I look forward to seeing it unfold.  

Lord, You do nothing without a reason.  I don't know what this all means, but I know that You are good and wise and loving.  Please take care of Fran today.  Give her Your peace, Your healing and Your hope.  Let her body be free from pain today.  I thank You for Brenda's healing.  I thank You for allowing her to stay here on earth with us, especially with her daughter.  You are so good to us.  Glorify Your Name in all of this.  It's in the Name of our Savior we pray.  Amen.  

Be at peace in the waiting.  

Curiosity Killed the Soul

This week's woman of the Bible in our ladies study was Herodias, the infamous woman who told her daughter to ask for the head of John the Baptist on a platter.  This woman was filled with wrath and a lust for power that rivaled Jezebel's.  We are never told what happened to her but I don't imagine she met with a good end...or a good eternal destination.  

In reading the story of Herod and Herodias my interest was stirred when I looked at the relationship Herod Antipas had with John the Baptist.  Herod knew that John was a good and holy man, and he respected John.  Yet that's as far as it went.  John told Herod what was right and wrong.  He told Herod what God desired, and what God abhorred.  I can only think that deep down Herod knew he was wrong in marrying Herodias.  He may have respected John, but he didn't listen and believe enough to change his heart.  He didn't go any further than mild curiosity.   Matthew 14, Mark 6  

Herod also had an opportunity with Jesus Himself.  He had heard about Jesus and was delighted at the opportunity to see Him for himself.  He was curious and wanted to be entertained.  But even with hearing John and seeing Jesus, Herod's only goal was to satisfy his curiosity and gain favor with the people.  He never let either man's message reach his heart.  Luke 23:7-12 7 When they said that he was, Pilate sent him to Herod Antipas, because Galilee was under Herod’s jurisdiction, and Herod happened to be in Jerusalem at the time.  8 Herod was delighted at the opportunity to see Jesus, because he had heard about him and had been hoping for a long time to see him perform a miracle. 9 He asked Jesus question after question, but Jesus refused to answer. 10 Meanwhile, the leading priests and the teachers of religious law stood there shouting their accusations. 11 Then Herod and his soldiers began mocking and ridiculing Jesus. Finally, they put a royal robe on him and sent him back to Pilate. 12 (Herod and Pilate, who had been enemies before, became friends that day.)

This all made me think of other's in the Bible that were curious about Jesus, but never seemed to go beyond that (That we know of, but maybe we will be surprised when we get to Heaven).  The first that came to mind was Felix and his Jewish wife Drusilla.  Many times he listened to Paul's story and heard the truth about Jesus.  But it seems he never turned his heart to God.  The same could be said of Governor Festus, King Agrippa and his wife Bernice.  All listened to Paul.  All had a curiosity about him and his claims, but it seems that none made a true commitment to Christ.  These stories can be found in Acts 24-26

Who had a bigger opportunity than Pilate?  He had a personal audience with Jesus Himself.  He knew Jesus was innocent by listening to him and because his wife had told him she was warned in a dream.  He listened to Jesus and was in the very Presence of God Himself.  Did he ever go beyond political expediency and intellectual curiosity to true salvation?  We will not know in this lifetime.

How about you?  Is your relationship with the Lord based on saying a prayer and then just living your life as you were doing?  Is it based on an intellectual agreement but not on a heart commitment?  Do you spend time seeking His face? Learning His desires?  Do you spend time in His Presence in prayer and study of the Scriptures?  Or do you say a quick prayer before bed and occasionally watch a TV preacher...basing your faith on someone else's work and relationship with the Lord?  All of us need to drink deeply of the Living Water, Jesus Christ.  John 7:37-38 On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink.  He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.” John 4:10 Jesus answered and said to her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, ‘Give Me a drink,’ you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water.”  

We are looking for a deep, abiding relationship with Jesus, not a passing acquaintance.  One of my favorite verses is Revelation 3:20 “Look! I stand at the door and knock. If you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in, and we will share a meal together as friends.  This verse speaks of opening our hearts to Jesus and spending time with Him as a friend.  Time together.  Fellowship.  Sharing life with Him.  And He with us. I can picture this as a time of laughter, talking, and sweet comfort.   This is not a quick pray and goodnight. It's a time of togetherness, of bonding. 

I felt really impressed to share this visit here.  God wants people to come into relationship with Him, not just be mere visitors.  He wants family.  He wants us to be that family.  

Lord, give us hearts to go past intellectual knowledge of You.  Go down to our hearts and souls and spirits.  Let us open up to You completely and do what we need to do to be in this loving relationship with You.  We don't want a passing acquaintance, but a living, breathing fellowship with You our Creator and Savior.  Convict us if we are treating You casually, as a curiosity and not the King of the Universe Who loves us and desires our company.  I pray this in Jesus Name, amen.  

Isaiah 55:6 Seek the Lord while you can find him. Call on him now while he is near.

Individual

Do you ever feel like a blurred face in a sea of other blurred faces?  Blending into the crowd, unseen, unvalued, unheard?  In this world that is pretty common and in some cases very true.  Even in churches-especially larger ones, people can be lost in the shuffle.  It can be sad, empty and lonely.  

Our Father does not see us that way.  In Him we are seen.  We are heard.  We are loved and valued.  Last season's Bible Study Fellowship was in John and that was what the Lord impressed on my heart the most.  God's individual, personal, love for me.  It wasn't just He loved His church and I was part of that.  No, it was He loved me, Madeline, intimately, all-knowingly and personally.  His care was geared to my personality, my needs and my heart.  This season's BSF is in Revelation and I was struck again by this deeply personal level of love my Father and Savior have for me.  

Revelation 2:17  Anyone with ears to hear must listen to the Spirit and understand what He is saying to the churches.  To everyone who is victorious I will give some of the manna that has been hidden away in heaven.  And I will give to each one a white stone, and on the stone will be engraved a new name that no one understands except the one who receives it.  

A name that only I would understand.  God sees exactly who I am.  He knows exactly how I think, how I feel and what I need.  And He gives me that name.  A new name, for the new creation I am.  INDIVIDUAL!  Isaiah 43:1 But now, O Jacob, listen to the Lord who created you. O Israel, the one who formed you says, “Do not be afraid, for I have ransomed you. I have called you by name; you are mine.  He calls us by name!  

There's a deep peace and appreciation for being fully known and fully loved that is only found in our God.  In all our flaws and failures, He sees beyond and sees who we really are. His beloved child.  I can't find the words to describe the depth of His knowing and the immensity of His loving---in spite of what He sees, beyond what we feel.  

As we read through the Bible, we see God dealing with people as individuals.  There was never "one size fits all" with Him.  He met Moses' feelings of inadequacy with someone to help him speak to Pharoah. (Exodus 4:1-17)  He told Jeremiah not to fear being too young, God Himself will fill His mouth with the right words. (Jeremiah 1:1-10)   Go to the Gospels and see how often Jesus dealt with people in a highly personal way.  Meeting them exactly where they were. The Samaritan woman at the well.  He specifically went through Samaria, at a specific time because He knew she would be there. (John 4:1-30)   Even Peter, who He personally and lovingly restored after He failed so miserably when Jesus went to the Cross. (John 21:15-21)

God loves you.  Specifically. Deeply.  Knowingly.  Eternally.  Personally.   Don't fail to miss this message and eternalize it's meaning.  You are not a face in the crowd.  You are the apple of God's eye.  He sees you and hears you.  You have been engraved on the palms of His hands.  Isaiah 49:16 See, I have written your name on the palms of my hands.  Always in my mind is a picture of Jerusalem’s walls in ruins.  Trust this!

Lord, I am so glad You've been taking patient time in teaching me this.  It's something I so desperately need and want.  I know I am not alone in feeling like You love me because I am Your child--in a group.  But it's so much more than that.  You love ME.  You love each of us as INDIVIDUALS.  I've heard it said that if I was the only person on earth, Christ would have still gone to the Cross.  That is how You love us.  As if we were the only person on earth.  And yet You knit us together with others to be Your church and family.  You are awesome and I am so beyond blessed and thrilled.  Lord, please plant this truth in each of our hearts.  Let us believe beyond what we feel to the truth of Your Word and the power of Your love.  In Jesus' holy and precious Name.  Amen.  

Believe.  

Thirsty

We've been doing a Bible study on the Women of the Bible by Ann Spangler and Jean E. Syswerda.  This weeks lady was the Samaritan woman at the well.  

I believe this woman was empty.  Dissatisfied with herself and life.  She looked to the world to fill the empty longing in her soul.  I've done that also.  I've looked to drugs, alcohol, food, coffee, entertainment.  Sometimes I still look to coffee or food in times of stress.  And it never works!

Reading about this woman, I see her hiding.  She felt too ashamed and shunned to come to the well in the cool of the day when they other women came to fill their buckets and socialize with each other.  So she came in the middle, hottest part of the day when she go complete her task alone.  Can yo just feel her loneliness?  I can.  I have often hidden how much I eat in excess, how many cups of coffee I have.  When I was an addict and alcoholic, life was a constant, daily, day after day time of hiding myself and my addictions.  This woman sought her worth, her satisfaction in relationships.  It made her a social outcast in her society.  It did the opposite of what she was seeking.  She was lonely and in hiding.

Now along comes Jesus.  A Jewish man walking in Samaria!  (Most Jews avoided this area as they despised the Samaritans who they considered unclean half breeds).  And He walked specifically to this outcast Samaritan woman and started a conversation with, breaking all societal rules and customs.  

Jesus had a mission.  He was looking for this woman and looking to claim the Samaritans as part of the family of God.  He knew exactly where He was going and what He was going to do.  Nothing is ever left to chance with God!  He came to fill the Samaritans with Himself.  This woman was the one sheep.  Jesus left the ninety-nine to find her. And He had a purpose for her as well.  She was to be His messenger to the Samaritans of her village.   Luke 15:3-7 3 Then Jesus told them this parable: 4 “Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Doesn’t he leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? 5 And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders 6 and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.’ 7 I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.

Where are you looking for your satisfaction?  We are you looking for acceptance, belonging?  There is nothing on the earth that will fill you.  I could never get more that an momentary satisfaction from drugs, food, coffee, etc.  Shortly after I was finished I'd want more.  These things left me feeling empty and guilty.  I can so relate to this woman.  But Jesus offers true satisfaction.  Lasting, eternal fulfillment.  John 4:13-14    Jesus replied, “Anyone who drinks this water will soon become thirsty again. 14 But those who drink the water I give will never be thirsty again. It becomes a fresh, bubbling spring within them, giving them eternal life.”

The Lord desires to satisfy us.  We need only to come to Him and believe.  He promises!  Matthew 5:6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled.

Can you imagine being this woman?  Nothing she could do would ever earn her the acceptance and belonging she sought.  Nothing could erase her past in the eyes of the people in her village.  Nothing humanly possible that is.  But Jesus saw her heart, her need and He reached out and changed her life.  

We never hear about this woman again in the Bible.  But we see in this passage a whole town that was changed because Jesus sought out this one lonely, broken outcast.  He can and will do this for us too.  he seeks us, and all we need to do is open our hearts to Him.  Psalm 90:14  Satisfy us each morning with your unfailing love, so we may sing for joy to the end of our lives.

John 4:4-42  4 He had to go through Samaria on the way. 5 Eventually he came to the Samaritan village of Sychar, near the field that Jacob gave to his son Joseph. 6 Jacob’s well was there; and Jesus, tired from the long walk, sat wearily beside the well about noontime. 7 Soon a Samaritan woman came to draw water, and Jesus said to her, “Please give me a drink.” 8 He was alone at the time because his disciples had gone into the village to buy some food.  

9 The woman was surprised, for Jews refuse to have anything to do with Samaritans.  She said to Jesus, “You are a Jew, and I am a Samaritan woman. Why are you asking me for a drink?”  10 Jesus replied, “If you only knew the gift God has for you and who you are speaking to, you would ask me, and I would give you living water.”  11 “But sir, you don’t have a rope or a bucket,” she said, “and this well is very deep. Where would you get this living water? 12 And besides, do you think you’re greater than our ancestor Jacob, who gave us this well? How can you offer better water than he and his sons and his animals enjoyed?”  13 Jesus replied, “Anyone who drinks this water will soon become thirsty again. 14 But those who drink the water I give will never be thirsty again. It becomes a fresh, bubbling spring within them, giving them eternal life.”  15 “Please, sir,” the woman said, “give me this water! Then I’ll never be 9thirsty again, and I won’t have to come here to get water.”  6 “Go and get your husband,” Jesus told her.  17 “I don’t have a husband,” the woman replied.  Jesus said, “You’re right! You don’t have a husband— 18 for you have had five husbands, and you aren’t even married to the man you’re living with now. You certainly spoke the truth!”  19 “Sir,” the woman said, “you must be a prophet. 20 So tell me, why is it that you Jews insist that Jerusalem is the only place of worship, while we Samaritans claim it is here at Mount Gerizim, where our ancestors worshiped?”  21 Jesus replied, “Believe me, dear woman, the time is coming when it will no longer matter whether you worship the Father on this mountain or in Jerusalem. 22 You Samaritans know very little about the one you worship, while we Jews know all about him, for salvation comes through the Jews. 23 But the time is coming—indeed it’s here now—when true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth. The Father is looking for those who will worship him that way. 24 For God is Spirit, so those who worship him must worship in spirit and in truth.”  25 The woman said, “I know the Messiah is coming—the one who is called Christ. When he comes, he will explain everything to us.”  26 Then Jesus told her, “I am the Messiah!”  27 Just then his disciples came back. They were shocked to find him talking to a woman, but none of them had the nerve to ask, “What do you want with her?” or “Why are you talking to her?” 28 The woman left her water jar beside the well and ran back to the village, telling everyone, 29 “Come and see a man who told me everything I ever did! Could he possibly be the Messiah?” 30 So the people came streaming from the village to see him.  31 Meanwhile, the disciples were urging Jesus, “Rabbi, eat something.”  32 But Jesus replied, “I have a kind of food you know nothing about.”  33 “Did someone bring him food while we were gone?” the disciples asked each other.  34 Then Jesus explained: “My nourishment comes from doing the will of God, who sent me, and from finishing his work. 35 You know the saying, ‘Four months between planting and harvest.’ But I say, wake up and look around. The fields are already ripe[e] for harvest. 36 The harvesters are paid good wages, and the fruit they harvest is people brought to eternal life. What joy awaits both the planter and the harvester alike! 37 You know the saying, ‘One plants and another harvests.’ And it’s true. 38 I sent you to harvest where you didn’t plant; others had already done the work, and now you will get to gather the harvest.”  39 Many Samaritans from the village believed in Jesus because the woman had said, “He told me everything I ever did!” 40 When they came out to see him, they begged him to stay in their village. So he stayed for two days, 41 long enough for many more to hear his message and believe. 42 Then they said to the woman, “Now we believe, not just because of what you told us, but because we have heard him ourselves. Now we know that he is indeed the Savior of the world.”

Lord, thank You for this beautiful story.  Thank You that Your love knows no boundaries.  You love envelopes each and every one of us right where we are.  Help us to seek only You for our fulfillment.  Psalm 119:37  Turn my eyes from worthless things, and give me life through your word.  There is life and satisfaction only in You.  I am amazed at how you seek us.  And so very grateful.  Let us seek you the same way!  In Jesus Name.  Amen.  

New Song Alert!

 

I heard this song today for the first time.  I want this to be my prayer, my hearts desire, my life.  I prayer for all of us that this would be true.  Take some time today to sit with this song and rest in the Presence of God.  

Secure

We started Bible Study Fellowship yesterday.  The book we are going to be studying this year is Revelation.  We are looking to see God's love and faithfulness while diving into this book this season.  As a start off we were asked to read Romans 8:31-39 and share our thoughts and impressions on this much loved passage of Scripture. 

Romans 8:31-39  31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32 He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things? 33 Who shall bring a charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. 34 Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us. 35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? 36 As it is written:  For Your sake we are killed all day long; We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.”  37 Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. 38 For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, 39 nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.  NKJV

31 What shall we say about such wonderful things as these? If God is for us, who can ever be against us? 32 Since he did not spare even his own Son but gave him up for us all, won’t he also give us everything else? 33 Who dares accuse us whom God has chosen for his own? No one—for God himself has given us right standing with himself. 34 Who then will condemn us? No one—for Christ Jesus died for us and was raised to life for us, and he is sitting in the place of honor at God’s right hand, pleading for us.  35 Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death? 36 (As the Scriptures say, “For your sake we are killed every day; we are being slaughtered like sheep.”) 37 No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us.  38 And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. 39 No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.  NLT

31-39 So, what do you think? With God on our side like this, how can we lose? If God didn’t hesitate to put everything on the line for us, embracing our condition and exposing himself to the worst by sending his own Son, is there anything else he wouldn’t gladly and freely do for us? And who would dare tangle with God by messing with one of God’s chosen? Who would dare even to point a finger? The One who died for us—who was raised to life for us!—is in the presence of God at this very moment sticking up for us. Do you think anyone is going to be able to drive a wedge between us and Christ’s love for us? There is no way! Not trouble, not hard times, not hatred, not hunger, not homelessness, not bullying threats, not backstabbing, not even the worst sins listed in Scripture:  They kill us in cold blood because they hate you. We’re sitting ducks; they pick us off one by one.  None of this fazes us because Jesus loves us. I’m absolutely convinced that nothing—nothing living or dead, angelic or demonic, today or tomorrow, high or low, thinkable or unthinkable—absolutely nothing can get between us and God’s love because of the way that Jesus our Master has embraced us.  MSG

One of the things I like to do is look up verses in multiple translations.  My favorite version to use is the New Living Translation.  But I also like to see what other versions say.  Sometimes they have a way of putting things that puts a light on something in a new or clearer way.  This was the case with these verses.  

I loved the way The Message Bible put it. "Do you think anyone is going to be able to drive a wedge between us and Christ's love for us?"  Think about that, God holds us so tightly, so securely, that no one and nothing any where, place or time can separate us from His love.  We are tightly held!!  

There is so much security in these words.  And it really spoke to my heart this week.  God wants us to know, that no matter what, He doesn't let go of us.  Even if we are walking in the darkest circumstance, the most difficult of times, we are still tightly and infinitely held by Him.  He wants YOU to know that today.  So go ahead and soak that truth up, bury it deep in your heart and let it transform the way you think about yourself and our Father.  You are secure.  Tightly held.  Forever!

Lord, thank You for this simple, yet profound and comforting message .  It's something I forget and take for granted.  So often when things are not going the way I want I question Your love and commitment to me. We can look through the whole Bible and see Your faithfulness.  You never forget Your people.  Psalm 118:1 Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good! His faithful love endures forever.  What a joy for us!  Praise You!!  

Memorize Psalm 118:1  Remind yourself when you feel forgotten or unloved by God.  Feelings aren't fact!  Meditate on the verses in Romans for a while.  There is so much great stuff to unpack in there!

Living Prayer

God builds another lesson and blessing into my life.  It's hard to call a specific God visit a favorite, but one of my favorite ways He visits is when our Father "says" or reveals something and then He builds on that with another revelation or word, and then another... Whether it be in a sermon, a reading, a song, something someone says, God is painting a complete picture of what He wants me to hear and know.  

So, I think I've mentioned that I am doing a study called "Growing Grace."  In the section about  prayer, one of the questions I had to answer was, "How can you intentionally pursue community where regular prayer takes place?"  I answered that I believe I am in a community the regularly prayers. We pray at church, in our Bible study, we have a ladies prayer group.  I have been blessed with the beautiful group of people who believe they are called to pray and that it matters when we pray.

So I was actually going to meet up with a friend to visit another friend who was sick so we could pray with her.  And then we would head off to another friend's house to do the same while dropping off a meal.  Imagine my pleasure and amazement when the radio station I was listening to said something just blew away.  The deejay said, "Do you realize that the life you are living now may be the result of a prayer you prayed long ago."  

Well, I never thought about it before, but yes, that is absolutely true.  Almost a year before we moved from NY to TN, I would pray to the Lord to send us to a place of prayer and a place we could serve Him.  And that is exactly the place He sent us to.  I was indeed living the prayer I had prayed almost four years ago, the prayer He had placed in my heart to pray!  How utterly exciting and amazing is that!  WOW!!  God is so faithful to answer the prayers we pray when we seek to honor and serve Him.  

Lord, wow!  Just wow!  Thank You for answered prayer.  Let us ask for big things, small things, all things that glorify You.  I want to ask for things now that I will be grateful for in the future.  I want to come to You, in humility and in my neediness to know that You alone have the answers I desire, need and seek.  You alone have the future in Your hands and the perfect plan for it.  Direct our prayers so they will be fruitful and a blessing to You and others.  It's in Jesus Name I pray, amen.    

The more we come to God in prayer, dependent and needy, the more we acknowledge Him and place Him on His rightful place as King.  Prayer is a sacred expression of our union with God and with other Christians.  

Fan or Follower

Fan or follower?  I just finished listening to a teaching from Priscilla Shrirer and that was one of the questions she posed.  She also directed me to the question from Jesus.   When Jesus came into the region of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples, saying, “Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?”  14 So they said, “Some say John the Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”15 He said to them,  BUT WHO DO YOU SAY THAT I AM?" (Matthew 16:13-15)  I coupled this message with the woman of the week in our "Women of the Bible" study we've been doing.  We are studying the Shulammite woman of Song of Songs.  

This was quite the convicting message.  Some days I am definitely more like a fan than a follower.  And when I look at the Shulammite woman's longing and seeking her lover...I know I fall short of seeking my God that way.  Do I search for Him with all my might?  Does He consume my thoughts and heart.  Or do I like, Priscilla said, not allow Him to inhabit parts of my heart.  Do I keep them like treasures not to be touched.  

The thoughts of the Shulammite woman were consumed with her lover.  Paul tells us in Philippians 4:8And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.  Who is more true, honorable, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent and worthy of praise then our Lord and Savior?  

In Luke 9:23, Jesus said: Then he said to the crowd, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross daily, and follow me.   Do we want to truly follow Him?  Then we must give up our own way, put His ways and plans first, meditate on Him, on His Word.  

A fan knows about Jesus.  Knows about God the Father, and the Holy Spirit.  A following knows Him.  Personally.  Seeks Him daily, moment by moment.  A fan attends church, maybe once a week, once in a while.  A fan makes his or her own desires and needs a priority.  A follower looks for fellowship with God and other Christians often.  He spends time with the Lord.  Puts God's plans in front of His own.  

I was convicted in this message.  Sometimes I act more like a fan.  I make idols of other things, like "downtime."  I put my own desires first.  This was a great question that cleaned out my heart.  

I'm so grateful Lord that You ask the tough questions.  I am so grateful that You work with us all the time to bring us upward and onward in the journey with You.  We so often need reminders and some heart sweeping out.  I love how You gently do that with Your probing, poignant questions and messages.  Thank You.  Please keep our walk with You moving forward and our hearts in the right place.  In Jesus' Name.  Amen.

Check your heart today.  

2 Corinthians 13:5   Examine yourselves to see if your faith is genuine. Test yourselves. Surely you know that Jesus Christ is among you; if not, you have failed the test of genuine faith.

Through the Eyes of Our Father

Isaiah 61:10  I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for He has clothed me in garments of salvation, He has covered me with the robe of righteousness.  As a bridegroom decks himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorns herself with jewels. 

Continuing on with this string of visits!  God is making jewelry for us again!  

As I was progressing on through the spiritual discipline study, I came to the chapter on memorization.  Dreaded and feared with great trepidation...Scripture memorization!!  Oh when I see those words, my heart freezes and my mind wants to run away.  I feel so inadequate of this monumental task.  LOL  But onward I wade into the waters of the memory.  

So the first thing I needed was a Scripture to focus on.  The book recommended something we were presently studying in our lives, or a verse that spoke to something we needed topically.  Like, if you deal with anger...then Scripture on that.  If it's addiction, then maybe something on how God breaks chains...You get the idea. 

Well, since this "way God sees me" thing has been so big for me, I wanted something that spoke to this area my Father was working on.  I knew that there was Scripture about our "robes of righteousness" and this is where I felt led to go.  What came up on my Bible Gateway search was Isaiah 61:10, the beautifully affirming verse above.  It's exactly what I wanted (or should I say what God wanted for me).  

I mentioned that it would take me some time to unpack this whole thing about how God sees me (and you) through eyes of mercy.  And this is part of that unpacking.  In order to move forward with soaking this all in, I need His Word to water the seed that was planted through the video and song of Chondra Pierce.  Matthew 13:23 But he who receives the seed on good ground is he who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and produces: some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.  I'm determined to have a heart of good ground, and even more determined that these God visits would bear good fruit to the glory of God.  

To that end, I will carry His Word in my heart, I will practice this memorization thing.  I may not be perfect at it, but I will do it anyway.  Jesus doesn't seek our  perfection, but our willingness.  I love how our Father is working this into the soil of my heart.  I hope and pray that it is happening for you dear readers as well.  I pray that you will start to understand (along with me) that we are seen through eyes of mercy not judgement.  Because of Jesus we are seen as beautiful and loved.  

Lord, lead us I pray in Your love.  Let us walk, knowing how much we are loved and adored by You...so much so that You see us as beautiful and righteous every moment of our day.  You willingly and lovingly wrap us in Your arms when we fail, seeing our repentant hearts and knowing that we need growing not condemnation.  You bless us with correction, but never turn Your back.  Lord, You Yourself have provided the garments of salvation and the robes of righteousness.  We didn't earn them.  I praise and worship before You as the merciful, tender loving Father You are.  Help us to hold onto this truth so that we don't become discouraged, but continue to grow in You and abide in our Lord and Savior Jesus.  It's in His Name I pray.  Amen. 

Trust God's love.  

Psalm 31:21  Praise be to the Lord, for He showed His wonderful love to me.

Jeremiah 31:3  I have loved you with an everlasting love.

Zephaniah 3:17 The Lord your God is with you, He is mighty to save.  He will take great delight in you, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing. 

Blocking/Unlocking/Tearing Down

The morning after I wrote last week's "Beautiful" entry, me and my coffee went to sit with the Lord for a while before starting the day.  I try to remember to come before Him with thanksgiving in my heart and enter His gates with praise, because I have a habit of just jumping on the prayers to be said, study to be done or reading to read.  I don't want to treat my time with the Lord as an item on  my to do list, so my goal is to develop better "God time" habits. I want to grow my relationship with Him, sitting as friends sit, while still honoring Him as the Almighty Creator, Savior and King of the universe.  Praise and thanksgiving first!  That being said, I started thanking Him for the gift He had given me in the Chondra Pierce session from the ladies night. Right away, I started to feel the "you're not worthy, God can't possibly see you as beautiful....." thoughts start to arise.  The battle is on!  

The first thing I needed to do was to block these thoughts, these negative voices that start whispering the lies of Satan to me.  Whether they are coming from demonic forces, or even my own inner voice that's been conditioned to repeat the lies, I don't know.  I only know they are counter to what my Father has told me so they need not allowed to enter into my heart.  

Secondly, I needed to unlock my faith.  Sometimes I think faith is locked out of my heart.  I can have faith for others.  I can have faith for salvation.  But I cannot take hold of the faith to believe the good things God says about me, or how He sees me, or that He wants to bless me.  And that brings us to the wall.

The wall around my heart has been there a very, very long time.  Sure I've made some progress over the years chipping away at it.  I've also spent time rebuilding it.  A wall made up of guilt, shame, failures, sins condemnation, low self-esteem, low esteem of God's ability to love and forgive.  A long time ago a friend told me she "saw" Jesus outside this wall around my heart trying to get in.  I can "see" Him there as well, trying to be fully enthroned upon my heart, while my wall blocks the way to this throne.  So this wall needs to be torn down.  Completely.  Permanently.  And that time is NOW!

What are you being told, telling yourself and believing about you?  Where is your faith for you?  What are your walls made of?  These are all questions we need to ask ourselves if we are feeling stagnated in our walk and relationship with the Lord.  I believe God gave this visit to me to share with others, because I know I am not alone in this.  I also know I've been hearing a lot lately, the verse in Esther 4:14 For if you remain completely silent at this time, relief and deliverance will arise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father’s house will perish. Yet who knows whether you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this?”  The Lord needs people who know who they are and are strong in their faith for the times we are in.  As the days on earth grow darker, we need to be built up to be warriors in the kingdom of God.  We can't be that if we are wallowing in guilt, shame, self-pity, sin....I pray for all of us that we will be built up in the power of the Lord to be His light in this dark world where we are pilgrims and sojourners.  It's time for me, and for anyone who carriers negative baggage to leave that baggage behind and run the race God has set before us.  We have work to do!! 

Matthew 11:28-30  Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”  Lay down the junk we carry and take up the yoke we share with Jesus.  

Thank You Lord for this visit that reaffirms Your words to me.  We all need to accept that You see us through eyes of love and mercy and relish that truth, revel in it and let it heal us of the past, of guilt, shame and condemnation so we can be strong in You and the power of Your might.  Let us not dwell on our sinfulness, our mistakes or our past, but let us dwell on You, Your love, Your work of salvation, Your mercy, Your kindness.....Let us dwell on You!  Be glorified!  Teach us, lead us and equip us to be Your warriors and Your servants.  Humble and strong.  It's in Jesus' Name I pray.  Amen. 

Romans 8:1 So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus.

2 Corinthians 10:4-5  For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, 5 casting down arguments casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ,

Beautiful

 August 9, 2024

Yesterday was an amazingly freeing and heart touching day for me.  God was so beautiful and so reflecting of His lovingkindness to me.  I am blessed and peaceful and feeling loved like I could not believe.

For many years I’ve carried the guilt of my past, and my present.  I’ve never realized until last night at the Neighborhood Ladies Meeting where we watched a Chondra Pierce comedy video, that a lot of what I was carrying besides the guilt and feelings of “never good enough” and unworthiness, was shame.  I see myself as shameful.  She talked about not liking what we see in the mirror, of even hating it.  And when I look at myself, with all my unbelievably dark stains of sin, and the way I still behave today….I really don’t like myself very much.  And so of course I transfer that way of looking at myself to how God Himself sees me.  

No matter that He told me years ago that I could never “out sin” His love.  That day in the car when He told me this I wept and repented.  I saw my wretchedness as bigger than Him, bigger than His love and bigger than the Cross.  He corrected me that day, convicting me of idolatry.   I’ve had trouble hanging onto this message from Him, still seeing myself as ugly in His eyes.  When I screw up, I let this truth slip from my grasp, reverting the the "I'm never good enough." refrain.  

No matter about 18 months ago when He told me through our BSF facilitator that He stopped remembering my sin, why was I still bringing it up.  This too, I have trouble hanging onto. 

Fast forward to yesterday.  One of the questions in a Bible study that I am doing was, “What are some things that might keep you from studying Scripture with others?”  Well, I actually like to study Scripture with others, but that doesn’t mean I open myself up completely, unashamedly.  I wrote as part of my answer that I am fearful of studying with others, or I should really say, fearful of sharing myself with others because if they saw the true me, the deep down, failing, and ungodlike parts of me, they would run.  They would judge and reject….just the way I myself do when I “look in the mirror.”  If they knew the things I’ve done, the unkindness that roams my heart….These are the things I hide behind the “Christian face” I put on. 

And so seeing myself that way, I assume that God, even though He loves me, does not really approve of me or see me as beautiful.  

But last night, at what was supposed to be a light hearted gathering of ladies, God reached me in the deepest way.  He even had Chondra mention the specific sin I feel most guilty about (the "big" ones, the ones I have so hard a time forgiving myself for).  That’s how I knew He was speaking to me.  She said, He sees me through eyes of mercy.  He sees me as beautiful.  He says I am His Princess.  His beloved daughter.  

She told a story of how when her own daughter was at that "awkward age," all acne faced and gangly looking, they went to a medieval times performance.  As the knights fought pretend battles, the one who was representing their section of the audience, won.  As he came to their section, riding his trusty steed, he reached up and bowed before her daughter.  He then took her by the hand, and placed her on his horse.  After parading around the arena, he brought her to a set of stairs leading up the royal “palace” area where the king sat.  The knight then walked her up the stairs and presented her to the king, who place a crown on her head and presented her to the audience.  

This is an amazing picture of Christ with me.  He picked me up after His victorious triumph over sin and death, and presented me to His Father.  The Father, instead of seeing a scarred, broken, and ragged little girl, sees HIS beautiful princess.  Me.  His eyes of mercy see me so lovingly, so longingly, so kindly.  Lord, I want to hold onto this.  Even as I drove away from my friends house last night I could feel Satan trying to steal this truth away from me.  Trying to talk me out of what I knew was meant to be a special message for me.  I was reminded of the parable Jesus told about the seed that fell on hard ground and how the birds of the air came and took away the seeds.  That’s what I felt he was trying to do.  I knew I needed to soften my heart to God AND to myself.  I was to no longer be denying myself God’s mercy and grace.  

I am so grateful that God doesn’t give up on me.  I can be so blinded by my own sin, that I forget His grace is greater still.  I forget His love is more then enough to cleanse me and cause Him to look at me with love.  He fights for me, even when I don’t fight for myself.  

Chondra sang a song called “Mercy Saw Me” that just blew me away.  

I can’t put into words the way this message and song reached me last night.  I can’t put into words the amount of gratitude, no words at all, with which I can say thank You to my Father.  I’m still digesting this and want to bury it in my heart as a seed to bear fruit that pleases my Lord, that brings Him glory, that helps others who are stuck like I was.  I know that this will take time to bring the healing my heart needs, but like the song says, God sees what I could be.  I pray that this message can mean to others what it meant and means to me.    

Last night I vowed to God, that I would not let this go.  That I would not let Satan steal it from me.  That is why I have typed this out.  And I pray in the power of the Holy Spirit, through Jesus my Savior that I hold on to this with every part of my being.  Praises to our sweet loving Father, who sees us through eyes of mercy because of Jesus the Son. 

 

Time

I feel like I go through stages.  I have months where I am seeking God, spending lots of time with Him.  My heart is focused and I am enjoying sweet fellowship with the Lord.  But then there are other times....ugh, I get spiritually lazy, over busy and the desire to spend time in God's Presence is clouded out by all negligent habits. 

I've been in one of those times.  Part of it is I've been away more in the last few months.  That definitely puts a hampering on the time I spend with Jesus.  I need to figure out a way for that to be a non issue.  Whether it's getting up earlier, before everyone else starts moving, or using my time before bed to be in the Word, I'm not sure.  But I know that God will give me the solution and the energy.  

My friend and I started a study called "Growing in Grace.  Knowing and Loving God Through Spiritual Disciplines"  We found this little book in a local shop and it is put out by The Daily Grace Co.  It's a gem!!

This is what started me to evaluate my time.  In the first chapter there is a calendar broken down into days and half hour time slots.  It asks you to map out what your week generally looks like.  Boy, was mine an eye-opener.  An uncomfortable, convicting eye-opener!  

Well, I needed this God visit desperately.  Just the way I need my time with Him.  Lazy and neglectful is not the way to strong spiritual growth or a joyful, peaceful life.  

This isn't the first time God has had to correct me in this area.  But I am praying it is the last.  I don't want to take my days and hours for granted, thinking, "I've got this." or I'm busy and I'll get to it later."  I don't want to make excuses and fill my hours with time away from God.  Yes, I can pray as I go through me day, and I do.  But there's more to "God time" then that.  There's worship.  Celebrate our Father!  There's study.  Get to know Him and His heart.  Read the Book!  Learn and grow.  There's memorizing Scripture.  Hide His Word in your heart that you might night sin against Him and have an answer to give to those who ask the reason for the hope in us. Not to mention knowing His promises when you need a life preserver and the strength to take another step!   There's fasting.  Focus your heart away from the physical realm and onto the spiritual.  Prayer and fasting go together like birds of a feather!  I always feel much closer to God when I fast.  And it could be more than just food.  What about phone time, tv time....Go to church.  Listen to good, solid teaching.  Spend time with Christ's people.  We learn from each other, encourage one another, hold one another accountable and build each other up.  Be creative in your time with God.  Just do it.  

I always feel so adrift when I neglect my time with Jesus.  And that is how I've been feeling lately.  But there is something I noticed and it scared me.  I started feeling more comfortable with it.  Like I didn't need it.  This had never happened to me before.  That is terrifying to me.  I'm so grateful God grabbed me before that became the normal way of life for me.  

Lord, thank You for pursuing us, for never letting us go.  It amazes me that You desire our fellowship and I am forever grateful for this.  I confess my neglect and spiritual laziness.  Keep us close to Your side.  Let us let go of excuses.  Let go of the worldliness.  Let go of the things that rise above You in our hearts and become idols.  Make this behavior so abhorrent to us that we run into Your arms every minute of every day.  Lord, we always need You.  No matter what the world says.  No matter even what our mind says.  Keep that and Yourself front and center in our hearts each day.  We love You.  In Jesus' Name.   Amen. 

Lose the excuses.  

Tongue and More on Tone Check, from Mom

I found another short page on "Tone Check" from Mom.  I am combining it with her passage on the tongue as they definitely go together.

Colossians 4:2-6 2 Devote yourselves to prayer with an alert mind and a thankful heart. 3 Pray for us, too, that God will give us many opportunities to speak about his mysterious plan concerning Christ. That is why I am here in chains. 4 Pray that I will proclaim this message as clearly as I should.5 Live wisely among those who are not believers, and make the most of every opportunity. 6 Let your conversation be gracious and attractive so that you will have the right response for everyone.  (New King James Version says: 6 Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each one.)  

Our speech should be graceful, reflecting the beauty of our Savior. 

Speaking before we think, blurt out, too quick to answer.  This is all to normal for us.  Choose to speak less and speak more carefully.  Speak carefully, by choice and discipline.  Nothing can cause more damage than the tongue.  Believers must develop the habit of keeping our speech under closer control and discipline. 

James 1:26  If you claim to be religious but don’t control your tongue, you are fooling yourself, and your religion is worthless.

Hold your thoughts, your tongue and wait for the Lord's direction.  Every time we speak our heart is on parade.  

There are so many Scriptures on the tongue.  Seek God through His Spirit to guide you and let Him, trust Him.  You will be blessed.   Just read through the book of Proverbs--There is more instruction on speech there then anywhere else.  

Also, tone of voice can be effective.  If our spirits are calm and meek, then our words will be also.  Let us watch our words and actions, always careful how we speak.  Talking with unbelievers, as well as believers with the right tone is vital to our witness. 

From me.

Ephesians 4:29 Don’t use foul or abusive language. Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them.

Lord, forgive me for so often be quick to speak and quick to add attitude to my words.  I do this habitually and you know my heart and how it longs to change.  Lord, quicken our spirit every time we get ahead of your plan for our words.  Give us softness, kindness, love and boldness anytime we open our mouths.  Change our hearts so that our words may be seasoned with salt and glorify You.  In Jesus' holy and precious Name.  Amen.  

God through Proverbs and look for verses on speech.  Pick a few to memorize and hide in your heart.  

New Favorite

 

I love this song.  It reminds me of who God is.  How He is.  As wretched as I can be, He shows kindness.  Even in discipline, He shows love.  What an amazing Father we have.  

Psalm 145: 8-9  The Lord is merciful and compassionate, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love.  The Lord is good to everyone.  He showers compassion on all His creation.  

Psalm 145:17 The Lord is righteous in everything He does; He is filled with kindness. 

Psalm 86:5 O Lord, You are so good, so ready to forgive, so full of unfailing love for all who ask for Your help.

Hebrews 12: 5-9, 10-11And have you forgotten the encouraging words God spoke to you as His children?  He said, "My child, don't make light of the Lord's discipline, and don't give up when He corrects you.  For the Lord disciplines those He loves, and He punishes each one He accepts as His child...But God's discipline is always good for us, so that we might share in His holiness.  No discipline is enjoyable while it is happening--It's painful!  But afterward there will be a peaceful harvest of right living for those who are trained in this way. 

This song reminds me I have a loving Father who will never treat me with anything but kindness, who loves and accepts me, trains me and sets me on the right track when I stray.  One who will never leave me nor forsake me.  What a beautiful picture of the God we serve.  Who is more blessed than us, His children!

Lord, thank You is the most inadequate phrase to say when it comes to You.  I'm so beyond mere gratefulness...my words can never express the magnitude of this feeling, of what You deserve.  But I say it anyway, knowing that You will know the depths of my heart's gratitude.  Remind us each day of Who You are.  In Jesus' Name I pray.  

The Cross tells the story of God's kindness. 

Romans 5:8  But God showed His great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.