Lately, I have been feeling like my life is just a great big prayer list! As I go through life, I pray for many miracles! I ask God for help, and I trust Him to answer as I cry out to Him! My prayer list is added to as things are answered and it seems to stay in a balance of about 7 things in 8 categories. So I pray for about 56 things on a regular basis. My idle minutes are transformed into effective prayer time as I share my days in conversations with Jesus! I wonder if the last day of my life will be directly related to the list I have been praying. When the list is done and my time to pray is over I will go to my home in heaven and enjoy God's presence for all eternity!
As I was thinking about prayer and its huge part in my life, I began to ask the Lord to remind me of how He taught me to pray. It amazed me when I noticed the foundation of my prayer life is rooted in my two greatest weaknesses! When I first surrendered to the Lord, my life was filled with fear and anger! I was scared to death of even the most routine parts of life. I worried so much about everything and I thought that the worst things would happen to me and the people I loved! I also carried a deep well of anger from the things that happened in my life. I had anxiety and physical symptoms related to my anger and fear. And this is where the supernatural strength of my Abba, Father (Daddy) in heaven came to transform these weaknesses into powerful gifts and blessings to the world around me.
As I surrendered to God, He met me where I was! He worked with me in my weakness. He showed me a new way to live. He gave me "...a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair...!" (Isaiah 61:3) He "perfected His strength in my weaknesses!" God did things in my heart I did not think were possible! Now instead of worrying...I pray! When fear rises in my heart, I pray! I still have these weaknesses in my flesh but the result of them is for the kingdom purposes of God. Instead of being paralyzed by these weaknesses, I respond with prayer! Jesus has taught me to depend on Him in everything! I pray often because of my weakness and as I pray, I am convinced it is the most powerful thing I can do on earth! It changes everything! And so I spend my days watching with awestruck eyes, as the Almighty God who created everything we see answers my prayers! This is amazing! This has built a faith in me which has caused me to really believe, "NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE WITH GOD!"
Jesus is the God of transformation! I have watched Him transform me and I believe Him to transform the situations and people around me! There is no limit to His power! There is no limit to His love! He is available to turn our weaknesses into strength! Thank you Lord for teaching me to pray!
Tuesday, September 4, 2012
Friday, August 24, 2012
"Delizioso!"
My four year old grandson and I went on an adventure the other morning. When we came back into the house, he was hungry. It was mid-morning so he started searching the kitchen for a snack. First he went into the pantry. Then, he proceeded to the snack drawer and then looked into the refrigerator. When nothing was to his liking, I saw him swing open the door to the freezer. I thought he was going for the ice cream but to my surprise, he announced, "Grandma, I want lasagna!" So I looked into the freezer and saw enough lasagna to feed at least 15 people. And it was frozen like a rock.
I made several other suggestions to him including ice cream, but he was set on the lasagna. Although this did not seem reasonable to me as I looked into his precious face, I could not deny him this request. So I proceeded to thaw the entire lasagna! He stood below the microwave asking every few seconds if it was ready yet. It took several minutes before I could cut and pry a frozen piece out and then defrost and heat it. As I watched him wiggle and sigh with anticipation, I could not help chuckling. Eventually, he sat down and began to eat his lasagna.
From the first bite to the last, he enthusiastically declared over and over, "Delizioso!" He did it with passion and an amazing Italian accent. He even emphasized the word by lifting his fork free hand in the air. It was hilarious! (Where he learned this, I have no clue.) I was laughing out loud and he was laughing with me. He was so grateful for the lasagna! I thanked the Lord I did not miss this joyful and memorable moment by being sensible. And also I thank the Lord that my grandson asked for the lasagna! I would have thawed 100 lasagnas to reach this priceless moment. And for the two days following, this little guy has asked for lasagna for breakfast! And with each bite he declares, "Delizioso!" Heaven on earth!
This got me to thinking about all the extravagant ways my Father in Heaven blesses me! When I turn to the right, He is pouring out blessings! When I turn to the left, there He is blessing me! And these blessings are not reasonable or sensible! They are given from my Father who has the endless resources of His universe! The generosity of God is incomprehensible! He blesses me beyond anything I could ask for! He blesses me to the point of awe on a daily basis!
Since the day of my grandson's "snack" of lasagna, I have been focusing on my response to these blessings! I have tried to be descriptive in my words of praise! Some words are coming to my mind even as I write! "Molto Belle, Lord, for the 5 fawns in my yard yesterday morning!" "Fantastico, God, for the great teacher my oldest grandson has this year in 4th grade!" "You amaze me, Lord, for bringing my Great- Grandmother's pizza recipe to a shop two miles from my house!" I want to respond to my Father in Heaven with the same enthusiasm and passion as my grandson responded to his blessing of lasagna! I want to shout to the Lord about His extravagant generosity in my life! I want to make my grateful moments memorable to my Father! Just as I will never forget...."Delizioso!"
Psalm 86:12- "I will praise you, O Lord my God, with all my heart; I will glorify your name forever."
I made several other suggestions to him including ice cream, but he was set on the lasagna. Although this did not seem reasonable to me as I looked into his precious face, I could not deny him this request. So I proceeded to thaw the entire lasagna! He stood below the microwave asking every few seconds if it was ready yet. It took several minutes before I could cut and pry a frozen piece out and then defrost and heat it. As I watched him wiggle and sigh with anticipation, I could not help chuckling. Eventually, he sat down and began to eat his lasagna.
From the first bite to the last, he enthusiastically declared over and over, "Delizioso!" He did it with passion and an amazing Italian accent. He even emphasized the word by lifting his fork free hand in the air. It was hilarious! (Where he learned this, I have no clue.) I was laughing out loud and he was laughing with me. He was so grateful for the lasagna! I thanked the Lord I did not miss this joyful and memorable moment by being sensible. And also I thank the Lord that my grandson asked for the lasagna! I would have thawed 100 lasagnas to reach this priceless moment. And for the two days following, this little guy has asked for lasagna for breakfast! And with each bite he declares, "Delizioso!" Heaven on earth!
This got me to thinking about all the extravagant ways my Father in Heaven blesses me! When I turn to the right, He is pouring out blessings! When I turn to the left, there He is blessing me! And these blessings are not reasonable or sensible! They are given from my Father who has the endless resources of His universe! The generosity of God is incomprehensible! He blesses me beyond anything I could ask for! He blesses me to the point of awe on a daily basis!
Since the day of my grandson's "snack" of lasagna, I have been focusing on my response to these blessings! I have tried to be descriptive in my words of praise! Some words are coming to my mind even as I write! "Molto Belle, Lord, for the 5 fawns in my yard yesterday morning!" "Fantastico, God, for the great teacher my oldest grandson has this year in 4th grade!" "You amaze me, Lord, for bringing my Great- Grandmother's pizza recipe to a shop two miles from my house!" I want to respond to my Father in Heaven with the same enthusiasm and passion as my grandson responded to his blessing of lasagna! I want to shout to the Lord about His extravagant generosity in my life! I want to make my grateful moments memorable to my Father! Just as I will never forget...."Delizioso!"
Psalm 86:12- "I will praise you, O Lord my God, with all my heart; I will glorify your name forever."
Saturday, August 11, 2012
Other Good Qualities!
Yesterday, I took my grandsons to the park. They rode their bikes as I walked. My younger 4 year old grandson still has training wheels on his bike. My nine year old grandson was totally independent on his ride. He rode up ahead and back to me just like I have taught him. He was riding steadily as he kept his bike on the side of the road to stay out of the little traffic that passed by. During this trip, he was absolutely perfect! I was very impressed.
The same thing could not be said for my younger grandson. He has not made as many bike trips to the park with me. He was unaware of the rules of biking to the park. He was testing the limits and I was being patient as I instructed him over and over. At one point, he began to go really fast. I told him to put on his brakes and he did so with his usual vigor. He pressed so hard, he caused a skid mark on the sidewalk behind him. The problem is I love skid marks and I found out he does too!
When I saw the skid mark, something happened inside and I was so proud. So I proceeded to have him turn around and look. When he saw it he was just as impressed as I was. And for the rest of the mile to the park and the two miles back, he made skid marks. He would ride so fast I had to run next to him and then he would stop abruptly making "really sick" skid marks. Needless to say, this racing and stopping got old!
At some point in our trip which was designed to bless my grandsons, I was annoyed. So I had to remind myself, "He has other good qualities!" I even thought to myself how much he was like me. My grandmother had to endure all of my skid marks when I was growing up! So I began to think of all of the good qualities about my grandson whom I adore. I even thought maybe this excitement over skid marks could be used by the Lord for great things some day. Maybe this was not a bad quality although it was annoying to me at the time. This helped to ease my annoyance and I enjoyed the rest of our adventure.
I developed the saying, "I have other good qualities!" years ago when I had someone in my life who was very critical. This person criticized me all the time. The truth is some of the criticism about me was wrong but others were right on. I can tend to lean toward perfectionism so the criticism bothered me a lot at first. But as I prayed about it with the Lord, He reminded me of my good qualities. He also reminded me of the verse in Romans 3:23 which says, "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." Jesus is the only perfect person who ever lived.
This little phrase the Lord revealed to me has changed my life. And I love that I can use it both ways. If someone is upset with me for being imperfect, I remind them, "I have other good qualities." And if I find myself annoyed by what I deem as imperfect in someone else, I remind myself, "He/she has other good qualities." Life is much more peaceful for me and for those around me if I am not expecting perfection from them or myself.
I am not suggesting we accept our bad qualities without taking responsibility. Each day, we need to present ourselves before the Lord to deal with our sinful nature. We need to read our Bible, pray, and ask for grace and mercy. When things are not right in our lives, we need to cooperate with Jesus to change them. But even with this practice, we are not going to be perfect in the eyes of those around us and they are not going to be perfect in our eyes. One thing is for sure though, we are loved. Jesus was willing to die for us! We are loved deeply by our Father in heaven even with all of our imperfections!
So I don't know who is making skid marks right now in your life, but I know they are created in the image of God. I know you can love them if you are willing to pray for them. And I know you can recognize their good qualities as you forgive their not so good qualities. Take the pressure off of yourself! Realize no one is perfect other than Jesus! And if you are ready when you see imperfection in anyone else or when they see it in you, you will respond by remembering, "Other Good Qualities!"
Genesis 1:27- So God created human beings in His own image. In the image of God He created them; male and female He created them.
The same thing could not be said for my younger grandson. He has not made as many bike trips to the park with me. He was unaware of the rules of biking to the park. He was testing the limits and I was being patient as I instructed him over and over. At one point, he began to go really fast. I told him to put on his brakes and he did so with his usual vigor. He pressed so hard, he caused a skid mark on the sidewalk behind him. The problem is I love skid marks and I found out he does too!
When I saw the skid mark, something happened inside and I was so proud. So I proceeded to have him turn around and look. When he saw it he was just as impressed as I was. And for the rest of the mile to the park and the two miles back, he made skid marks. He would ride so fast I had to run next to him and then he would stop abruptly making "really sick" skid marks. Needless to say, this racing and stopping got old!
At some point in our trip which was designed to bless my grandsons, I was annoyed. So I had to remind myself, "He has other good qualities!" I even thought to myself how much he was like me. My grandmother had to endure all of my skid marks when I was growing up! So I began to think of all of the good qualities about my grandson whom I adore. I even thought maybe this excitement over skid marks could be used by the Lord for great things some day. Maybe this was not a bad quality although it was annoying to me at the time. This helped to ease my annoyance and I enjoyed the rest of our adventure.
I developed the saying, "I have other good qualities!" years ago when I had someone in my life who was very critical. This person criticized me all the time. The truth is some of the criticism about me was wrong but others were right on. I can tend to lean toward perfectionism so the criticism bothered me a lot at first. But as I prayed about it with the Lord, He reminded me of my good qualities. He also reminded me of the verse in Romans 3:23 which says, "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." Jesus is the only perfect person who ever lived.
This little phrase the Lord revealed to me has changed my life. And I love that I can use it both ways. If someone is upset with me for being imperfect, I remind them, "I have other good qualities." And if I find myself annoyed by what I deem as imperfect in someone else, I remind myself, "He/she has other good qualities." Life is much more peaceful for me and for those around me if I am not expecting perfection from them or myself.
I am not suggesting we accept our bad qualities without taking responsibility. Each day, we need to present ourselves before the Lord to deal with our sinful nature. We need to read our Bible, pray, and ask for grace and mercy. When things are not right in our lives, we need to cooperate with Jesus to change them. But even with this practice, we are not going to be perfect in the eyes of those around us and they are not going to be perfect in our eyes. One thing is for sure though, we are loved. Jesus was willing to die for us! We are loved deeply by our Father in heaven even with all of our imperfections!
So I don't know who is making skid marks right now in your life, but I know they are created in the image of God. I know you can love them if you are willing to pray for them. And I know you can recognize their good qualities as you forgive their not so good qualities. Take the pressure off of yourself! Realize no one is perfect other than Jesus! And if you are ready when you see imperfection in anyone else or when they see it in you, you will respond by remembering, "Other Good Qualities!"
Genesis 1:27- So God created human beings in His own image. In the image of God He created them; male and female He created them.
Wednesday, June 27, 2012
Have You Ever Chased A Train?
I recently had the pleasure of visiting Disneyland with my two grandsons and my oldest daughter. What a joy it is to watch the excitement and wonder in the eyes of my grandsons as they experience "the happiest place on earth." One example is when my four-year-old grandson turned to my husband while watching the fireworks and said, "Grandpa, this is one of my dreams and it is coming true!" Days like this are beautiful memories we will cherish forever! And sometimes after a high, God allows us to go to the valley for a while to build our faith.
The day after our beautiful Disney experience, we had a few valleys to say the least. But even in the valleys, our God can do a miracle. Sometimes we make plans and things don't turn out the way we want them to. But in the middle of chaos, we need to "keep our eyes on Jesus who is the Author and Perfecter of our faith." Here's what happened:
We had a plan to drop our oldest daughter and grandsons at the Amtrak station in Los Angeles to catch a train back to Flagstaff! My husband and I had reservations to go up the coast of California to celebrate our 25th wedding anniversary. So at promptly 5:15pm, as we were arriving at LAX, I called Amtrak to get specific directions. Well to my surprise, I was told that the "LAX" on the train ticket did not mean LAX the airport. I assumed they were the same and boy was I wrong! The LAX on my ticket meant Union Station in downtown Los Angeles. The train was leaving at Union Station at 6:15pm and was rarely late according to the woman on the phone. Our plans were changing quickly.
So with hope in our hearts, we began to make our way to Union Station in downtown LA. Well, guess what was happening at 5:15pm in Los Angeles. We were experiencing a major traffic jam. And we were 20 miles away in stop and go traffic. In heavy traffic it is said to take 4 minutes per mile. This puts us at 80 minutes when we have only 60 minutes! Everyone in the car was praying. I was praying out loud, "Lord, you are our only hope!" and He was! So we prayed and drove and when we were about 5 miles away at 6pm a car came from nowhere and hit us. It was just a fender bender, thank God, but it still required us to stop. Since no one was hurt, we exchanged information and continued our journey. We arrived at Union Station at 6:20pm and found out the train had left.
I talked to the lady at the counter and she informed me the next available train for three people was in 2 days. By then we would be in the hills of Santa Barbara and our daughter needed to work the next morning. That is when I got the idea to chase the train. I expressed this idea to the woman, and... if looks could talk! I calmly asked her to print out directions to the San Bernadino station. She let me know I had 60 miles to go. This would take at least 1 1/2 hours in traffic. The train was scheduled to leave at 7:59pm and it was 6:38pm. So, again, our only hope was Jesus.
He opened space before our eyes and lead us on paths we did not know existed (like a carpool lane right put of Grand Central with no traffic on it for 20 miles!). And we made the station right at 7:59pm. And to add to our miracle, the train that was never late, was late. When we got to the station we had a few minutes to get our things together and say good-bye! Our train chase ended in victory! And all the glory goes to Jesus! He was our only HOPE!! Amen.
The day after our beautiful Disney experience, we had a few valleys to say the least. But even in the valleys, our God can do a miracle. Sometimes we make plans and things don't turn out the way we want them to. But in the middle of chaos, we need to "keep our eyes on Jesus who is the Author and Perfecter of our faith." Here's what happened:
We had a plan to drop our oldest daughter and grandsons at the Amtrak station in Los Angeles to catch a train back to Flagstaff! My husband and I had reservations to go up the coast of California to celebrate our 25th wedding anniversary. So at promptly 5:15pm, as we were arriving at LAX, I called Amtrak to get specific directions. Well to my surprise, I was told that the "LAX" on the train ticket did not mean LAX the airport. I assumed they were the same and boy was I wrong! The LAX on my ticket meant Union Station in downtown Los Angeles. The train was leaving at Union Station at 6:15pm and was rarely late according to the woman on the phone. Our plans were changing quickly.
So with hope in our hearts, we began to make our way to Union Station in downtown LA. Well, guess what was happening at 5:15pm in Los Angeles. We were experiencing a major traffic jam. And we were 20 miles away in stop and go traffic. In heavy traffic it is said to take 4 minutes per mile. This puts us at 80 minutes when we have only 60 minutes! Everyone in the car was praying. I was praying out loud, "Lord, you are our only hope!" and He was! So we prayed and drove and when we were about 5 miles away at 6pm a car came from nowhere and hit us. It was just a fender bender, thank God, but it still required us to stop. Since no one was hurt, we exchanged information and continued our journey. We arrived at Union Station at 6:20pm and found out the train had left.
I talked to the lady at the counter and she informed me the next available train for three people was in 2 days. By then we would be in the hills of Santa Barbara and our daughter needed to work the next morning. That is when I got the idea to chase the train. I expressed this idea to the woman, and... if looks could talk! I calmly asked her to print out directions to the San Bernadino station. She let me know I had 60 miles to go. This would take at least 1 1/2 hours in traffic. The train was scheduled to leave at 7:59pm and it was 6:38pm. So, again, our only hope was Jesus.
He opened space before our eyes and lead us on paths we did not know existed (like a carpool lane right put of Grand Central with no traffic on it for 20 miles!). And we made the station right at 7:59pm. And to add to our miracle, the train that was never late, was late. When we got to the station we had a few minutes to get our things together and say good-bye! Our train chase ended in victory! And all the glory goes to Jesus! He was our only HOPE!! Amen.
Saturday, June 9, 2012
The Supernatural Abundant Life!
One of the things I love about Jesus is how He shows up in my life with miracles and wonders! It is profound and especially fun to have a Father who created everything and loves to give me amazing gifts. Something Jesus said in John 10:10; ...I came that they may have life and have it abundantly." Jesus is constantly giving me this abundant life! The word "abundant" means "superabundant, excessive, overflowing, surplus, over and above, more than enough, profuse, extraordinary, above the ordinary, more than sufficient!" This is what I expect as a child of the LIVING, ALMIGHTY, LOVING, GRACIOUS GOD! As I walk through life, I am looking for this abundant life and expecting to see God do miracles. One such miracle happened last week.
For the last 6 months, my daughter has been focusing on finding an internship for college credit. It is part of the requirement for graduation for her degree and a great opportunity to get some real work experience. When I heard about this, I started praying. I knew this internship was going to take her away from our city this summer, but I trusted God to lead her to the perfect place. So I started praying daily for His internship for my baby! As I was praying one day, the Lord impressed upon my heart that Laura should look into a possible internship in Nashville. Her close friend, whom she has known from birth, was going to be doing her own internship there and I felt the Lord might be leading Laura in the same direction. So I expressed this to my daughter and she made some connections.
Well, in March, she received an offer from Nashville. My heart began beating because it is hard for me to think about my baby being so far away. As I prayed, I had; "the peace of God which surpasses all understanding." Philippians 4:7. Laura got several opportunities closer to home, but in my heart as she made her decision, I knew she was going to Nashville. Jesus says in John 15:15 that we are His friends. He has revealed to us all that the Father has told Him. When I hear the Lord in my heart, He gives me insight into His future plans. I love this quality of my friendship with Jesus! I am in touch with the Master Planner and I can walk in confidence as He brings forth His plan.
Last week, we dropped our daughter off in Nashville. And as we got there, we could see the city preparing for something big. Stages were going up and people were buzzing all around. Laura's close friend and roommate let us know Nashville was preparing to host the CMT Awards. The best country music singers were preparing to come to the city to receive awards and perform in downtown Nashville. Laura and her roommate had a wild hope that somehow they could get tickets to the show. It was sold out except for a few hundred standing room tickets which were being raffled and handed out throughout the city. Laura's roommate had done her homework and had already been entering raffles and finding places to get tickets. This would be a dream come true, for they are both huge country music fans.
I told them I would pray, and as I prayed I knew in my spirit they would be going. It was just like God to blow their minds and show Himself big just to satisfy the girlish desires of their hearts. He is so sweet and so interested in all the details. So I encouraged them as many times as the topic came up and they kept trying without losing hope. By the morning of the event, all of their attempts to get tickets had failed. But they got up early to stand in one more line. Tickets were handed out and then they were told there were no more tickets available. Right at that moment, when their last hope was crushed, a small batch of tickets were produced after the announcement. Our girls received literally the last remaining tickets! Wow! God was BIG and He came through at the last minute.
When they arrived in the building after standing for hours to get in, they heard a disheartening announcement that standing room space was at capacity. But the lack of space turned into a blessing when they were given instructions to find a seat. They could stay in their "found" seat as long as no one with a ticket showed up to claim the spot. So they ran through the Red Carpet event determined to find an open seat. Instead, they found a small space located some distance from the stage. But they were happy to be in the building. Well, God knew this spot would blow them away. It was within arms reach of Carrie Underwood, Lady Antebellum, and many other stars. I even got a glimpse of them on TV when Carrie Underwood received an award. They were in the perfect spot!
I am always seeking the perfect spot as I walk through life. I define this spot as the center of God's will for me. My life is filled with the supernatural presence of God because that is His will for me! He wants me to live the abundant life of Jesus and I want that too! So it happens! And life over-flows around me! And now that I have lived this way, I will never go back! I will live the abundant life and keep my heart and life wide open to His blessings! He is pouring them out from the flood gates of heaven and I am a willing receiver of His grace and mercy! I am living in the supernatural! After all, it is His will for me!
For the last 6 months, my daughter has been focusing on finding an internship for college credit. It is part of the requirement for graduation for her degree and a great opportunity to get some real work experience. When I heard about this, I started praying. I knew this internship was going to take her away from our city this summer, but I trusted God to lead her to the perfect place. So I started praying daily for His internship for my baby! As I was praying one day, the Lord impressed upon my heart that Laura should look into a possible internship in Nashville. Her close friend, whom she has known from birth, was going to be doing her own internship there and I felt the Lord might be leading Laura in the same direction. So I expressed this to my daughter and she made some connections.
Well, in March, she received an offer from Nashville. My heart began beating because it is hard for me to think about my baby being so far away. As I prayed, I had; "the peace of God which surpasses all understanding." Philippians 4:7. Laura got several opportunities closer to home, but in my heart as she made her decision, I knew she was going to Nashville. Jesus says in John 15:15 that we are His friends. He has revealed to us all that the Father has told Him. When I hear the Lord in my heart, He gives me insight into His future plans. I love this quality of my friendship with Jesus! I am in touch with the Master Planner and I can walk in confidence as He brings forth His plan.
Last week, we dropped our daughter off in Nashville. And as we got there, we could see the city preparing for something big. Stages were going up and people were buzzing all around. Laura's close friend and roommate let us know Nashville was preparing to host the CMT Awards. The best country music singers were preparing to come to the city to receive awards and perform in downtown Nashville. Laura and her roommate had a wild hope that somehow they could get tickets to the show. It was sold out except for a few hundred standing room tickets which were being raffled and handed out throughout the city. Laura's roommate had done her homework and had already been entering raffles and finding places to get tickets. This would be a dream come true, for they are both huge country music fans.
I told them I would pray, and as I prayed I knew in my spirit they would be going. It was just like God to blow their minds and show Himself big just to satisfy the girlish desires of their hearts. He is so sweet and so interested in all the details. So I encouraged them as many times as the topic came up and they kept trying without losing hope. By the morning of the event, all of their attempts to get tickets had failed. But they got up early to stand in one more line. Tickets were handed out and then they were told there were no more tickets available. Right at that moment, when their last hope was crushed, a small batch of tickets were produced after the announcement. Our girls received literally the last remaining tickets! Wow! God was BIG and He came through at the last minute.
When they arrived in the building after standing for hours to get in, they heard a disheartening announcement that standing room space was at capacity. But the lack of space turned into a blessing when they were given instructions to find a seat. They could stay in their "found" seat as long as no one with a ticket showed up to claim the spot. So they ran through the Red Carpet event determined to find an open seat. Instead, they found a small space located some distance from the stage. But they were happy to be in the building. Well, God knew this spot would blow them away. It was within arms reach of Carrie Underwood, Lady Antebellum, and many other stars. I even got a glimpse of them on TV when Carrie Underwood received an award. They were in the perfect spot!
I am always seeking the perfect spot as I walk through life. I define this spot as the center of God's will for me. My life is filled with the supernatural presence of God because that is His will for me! He wants me to live the abundant life of Jesus and I want that too! So it happens! And life over-flows around me! And now that I have lived this way, I will never go back! I will live the abundant life and keep my heart and life wide open to His blessings! He is pouring them out from the flood gates of heaven and I am a willing receiver of His grace and mercy! I am living in the supernatural! After all, it is His will for me!
100 Shades of Purple
As I have been walking, hiking, biking, running, and driving around my town this spring, I have been completely fascinated with all of the shades of purple in my view. I love the color purple! It is my favorite! And I love it in every shade. For some reason, we have extra purple flowers this spring and I see them everywhere I go. How many purple colored flowers are there in the world? I am sure I can not even begin to count.
It is endless to think about shades of purple when even one flower can be in different shades. For example, there are lots of Irises blooming in my neighborhood right now. The shades of purple of the Irises vary in different gardens. This lead me to think about how hard it is for me as a human to define the wonder of God. All I can say about the Irises is that they are purple. I can say, some are lighter purple or some are deeper purple. I can describe some of the other purple flowers as lavender, others as magenta, and some are periwinkle, but I run out of words and descriptions for the shades in between!
This mind-provoking dilemma with purple got me thinking about how HUGE God really is. Through the more than 100 shades of purple I have been noticing, He is speaking to me of Himself. Something simple like the color purple can be infinite in shades. God is infinite. He is incomprehensible! He is beyond my understanding and bigger than the universe. I can not describe Him with words. I can't understand Him with my finite mind! Just like I am unable to define completely all of the shades of purple!
The thing I love about the incomprehensible nature of God is the wonder of Him. I feel like He is putting the wonder of Himself all around me in His creation! He is causing me to stand in awe of Him with every turn of the corner. The creation around me is speaking to me of the glory of my Father in heaven. The creation is crying out to me! The creation is saying to me wherever I go, "He is worthy of your worship." God is the only being worthy of my worship. And as I look around I have no problem worshiping Him. When I see the sunlight every morning, I thank Him for another day! When I see the laughter on the faces of my children, I am so grateful and express thanks to Him! When I see the colors of the sunset, I share with Him my joy! "Thank you Lord for making yourself so visible even in your invisible state! I see you! I know you are with me! I know you are there! Thank you, Jesus!"
So let the shades of purple surrounding you, speak to you of your God! He is with you! There are probably flowers popping up in your life everywhere. Sometimes He even gives the flowers the strength to break through the concrete! He is with us! Take notice of Him all around you! He is worthy! Worship Him!
Romans 1:20- For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see his invisible qualities--his eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse for not knowing God.
It is endless to think about shades of purple when even one flower can be in different shades. For example, there are lots of Irises blooming in my neighborhood right now. The shades of purple of the Irises vary in different gardens. This lead me to think about how hard it is for me as a human to define the wonder of God. All I can say about the Irises is that they are purple. I can say, some are lighter purple or some are deeper purple. I can describe some of the other purple flowers as lavender, others as magenta, and some are periwinkle, but I run out of words and descriptions for the shades in between!
This mind-provoking dilemma with purple got me thinking about how HUGE God really is. Through the more than 100 shades of purple I have been noticing, He is speaking to me of Himself. Something simple like the color purple can be infinite in shades. God is infinite. He is incomprehensible! He is beyond my understanding and bigger than the universe. I can not describe Him with words. I can't understand Him with my finite mind! Just like I am unable to define completely all of the shades of purple!
The thing I love about the incomprehensible nature of God is the wonder of Him. I feel like He is putting the wonder of Himself all around me in His creation! He is causing me to stand in awe of Him with every turn of the corner. The creation around me is speaking to me of the glory of my Father in heaven. The creation is crying out to me! The creation is saying to me wherever I go, "He is worthy of your worship." God is the only being worthy of my worship. And as I look around I have no problem worshiping Him. When I see the sunlight every morning, I thank Him for another day! When I see the laughter on the faces of my children, I am so grateful and express thanks to Him! When I see the colors of the sunset, I share with Him my joy! "Thank you Lord for making yourself so visible even in your invisible state! I see you! I know you are with me! I know you are there! Thank you, Jesus!"
So let the shades of purple surrounding you, speak to you of your God! He is with you! There are probably flowers popping up in your life everywhere. Sometimes He even gives the flowers the strength to break through the concrete! He is with us! Take notice of Him all around you! He is worthy! Worship Him!
Romans 1:20- For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see his invisible qualities--his eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse for not knowing God.
Friday, May 4, 2012
Living In Wander Or Wonder?
I was talking with a friend the other day and in our discussion I began to tell her about a miracle I am praying for. She proceeded to tell me why it will never occur. She is a smart woman so she tried to reason with me. She gave much evidence to explain why the miracle I was praying for will not happen. When she was done she paused and waited for my reply. I looked deep into her soul and said, "Nothing you can say will ever convince me that my God will not perform this miracle! My God is faithful and always performs the miracles He promises to me. I understand your lack of faith based on the facts, but nothing will ever take away my faith because my faith is in Almighty God!" Then, I proceeded to remind her of the miracles God had performed in her life. This friend has not trusted Jesus as her Savior yet. I say, "Yet!" because I am praying for the miracle of her salvation too.
This situation reminded me of the story in Numbers 13-14 of the twelve spies from the twelve tribes of Israel who Moses sent into the land of Canaan. God had delivered Israel from Egypt and the Lord had lead them to Canaan which was the land the Lord had promised them. The twelve spies went into the land and spied for 40days. Although the land was good, ten of spies came back and gave a bad report to the people of Israel. They gave this bad report because they saw fortified cities they did not believe they could defeat. They also saw "men of great stature." They were afraid of the obstacles and did not trust God to take care of things for them. Therefore, they believed the physical circumstances they saw above the Word of God. This is tempting to all people. However, two of the spies, Joshua and Caleb, choose to look at the circumstances by keeping in mind that this was God's idea and this land was a gift from God to His people. Caleb answered the bad report of the ten unbelieving spies by saying in Numbers 13:30; "Let us go up at once and take possession(of the land), for we are well able to overcome it." Caleb had this response because he believed God's Word! He knew nothing was impossible with God! The obstacles he saw were so small in comparison to the God he knew and trusted!
Unfortunately, Israel believed the bad report of the ten spies and did not heed the advice of Caleb, and Joshua. Keep in mind that these were the same people who had been eye witnesses to the parting of the Red Sea! They choose to not believe the God who parted the Red Sea to save them from the Egyptians. Well, the Lord was very angry about this. Because of this rebellion of unbelief these people spent 40 years wandering in the wilderness waiting to die. When they were all dead, then God brought Joshua and Caleb and the younger generations of Israel into the promised land of Canaan! God kept His promise and did the miracles required to give them the land!
This is a great principle to live by. Am I going to live my life wandering through the wilderness waiting for death or am I going to live in wonder as I experience the miracles of my Great and Mighty God? Can you recall the miracles God has performed in your life? Is there a miracle right now He is encouraging you to pray for? Are you living with purpose and passion? Are you attempting and praying for things that can only happen by the power of God? Are you stepping out of the boat in faith to walk on the water? This is the promised land! A life of faith, excitement, risk, great miracles and most of all dependance on Jesus! Are you living in the promised land of your own life? Maybe you are walking on the border of the promised land right now. Maybe you are wondering if God can really bring you to the places you believe you were born to go. Well, I want to encourage you right now! Believe God and take the first step in following Him! He will lead you if your heart is willing! Don't be a wanderer living in the fog of unbelief waiting for death! Be a BELIEVER living in the wonder of our Awesome God of miracles!
Psalm 77:14- You are the God of great wonders! You demonstrate Your awesome power among the peoples.
This situation reminded me of the story in Numbers 13-14 of the twelve spies from the twelve tribes of Israel who Moses sent into the land of Canaan. God had delivered Israel from Egypt and the Lord had lead them to Canaan which was the land the Lord had promised them. The twelve spies went into the land and spied for 40days. Although the land was good, ten of spies came back and gave a bad report to the people of Israel. They gave this bad report because they saw fortified cities they did not believe they could defeat. They also saw "men of great stature." They were afraid of the obstacles and did not trust God to take care of things for them. Therefore, they believed the physical circumstances they saw above the Word of God. This is tempting to all people. However, two of the spies, Joshua and Caleb, choose to look at the circumstances by keeping in mind that this was God's idea and this land was a gift from God to His people. Caleb answered the bad report of the ten unbelieving spies by saying in Numbers 13:30; "Let us go up at once and take possession(of the land), for we are well able to overcome it." Caleb had this response because he believed God's Word! He knew nothing was impossible with God! The obstacles he saw were so small in comparison to the God he knew and trusted!
Unfortunately, Israel believed the bad report of the ten spies and did not heed the advice of Caleb, and Joshua. Keep in mind that these were the same people who had been eye witnesses to the parting of the Red Sea! They choose to not believe the God who parted the Red Sea to save them from the Egyptians. Well, the Lord was very angry about this. Because of this rebellion of unbelief these people spent 40 years wandering in the wilderness waiting to die. When they were all dead, then God brought Joshua and Caleb and the younger generations of Israel into the promised land of Canaan! God kept His promise and did the miracles required to give them the land!
This is a great principle to live by. Am I going to live my life wandering through the wilderness waiting for death or am I going to live in wonder as I experience the miracles of my Great and Mighty God? Can you recall the miracles God has performed in your life? Is there a miracle right now He is encouraging you to pray for? Are you living with purpose and passion? Are you attempting and praying for things that can only happen by the power of God? Are you stepping out of the boat in faith to walk on the water? This is the promised land! A life of faith, excitement, risk, great miracles and most of all dependance on Jesus! Are you living in the promised land of your own life? Maybe you are walking on the border of the promised land right now. Maybe you are wondering if God can really bring you to the places you believe you were born to go. Well, I want to encourage you right now! Believe God and take the first step in following Him! He will lead you if your heart is willing! Don't be a wanderer living in the fog of unbelief waiting for death! Be a BELIEVER living in the wonder of our Awesome God of miracles!
Psalm 77:14- You are the God of great wonders! You demonstrate Your awesome power among the peoples.
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