A few weeks ago, I was flying to Denver on a flight by myself. Before I got on the plane, I told the Lord I was available to speak to someone if He had anyone in mind! I sat in a window seat, and as the plane filled up, a young man sat down next to me!!
He had a big smile on his face and asked,"Have you ever been to Grand Lake, CO?" I had been to Grand Lake, so our conversation began! As it turned out, this young man was taking his wife and his 5 month old baby girl to a dude ranch he used to visit when he was a child. What a blessing for all of them!
Throughout our conversation, this young man told me much about his life! He had just been married due to the birth of his daughter. He had been living a "wild life" and had given it up to be a husband and father. In his youth, he had been raised in the church and Christian school, but had walked away in his teenage years. Lately, he had been seeking God! He had been praying, and God had been answering him. (That is why I was in the seat next to him!)
I told him how proud I was of his commitment to marry his girlfriend and not to leave his daughter, and that a man like him is rare in this generation!! I explained to him he was vital to the life of his wife and daughter, and being the husband and father to them was something only he could do!! I also proclaimed to him, he did not stand a chance to keep this commitment without the supernatural power of God! He agreed and began to disclose to me another reason for this trip to Colorado!!
This young man was addicted to drugs. He had spent years of his life addicted to many different drugs and was now addicted to prescription drugs. He was terrified about spending his life high, and missing out or not being present for his wife and daughter! He had always known God was going to give him a daughter! He did not want to miss this blessing and this responsibility God had entrusted to him!! He wanted to be the man God had created him to be, and he knew this did not include drug addition. So he prayed and God gave him a plan to overcome his drug addiction.
He told me there were three drugs he was addicted to. He had left Phoenix with only one of the drugs. He felt this would help him adjust to having less drugs in his body. I agreed! He had thrown the others drugs away!! He planned to take this last drug each day until he ran out and had no where to get more. His wife and daughter were staying with him until the day he ran out of his drugs and then he had scheduled them on a flight home. He was staying for a longer period in the mountains with a friend who was 90 years old and loved Jesus! She was a close family friend from his childhood who was going to help him through this hard time!
When I heard this plan, I told him I believed it was from God!! It was a balanced plan that was gentle toward him and his problem! It took some of the burden and shared it with a mature believer. It protected the innocent in the situation! It gave time for healing! It connected him with a place where he had peace, fond memories, and felt closeness to God!! There is nothing in our life that can not be overcome with God! He has a plan for victory!!
Is there something in your life that is not right? Maybe you have always felt you were supposed to be a mother or a father? Maybe you have a dream unfulfilled in your life? I promise you, God has a plan for victory in this area!! First ask Him what is standing in your way!! Then ask Him for the first step to the victory of your destiny! I know He will lead you with divine wisdom and revelation!! God has given us ...the Spirit of divine wisdom and revelation...Ephesians 1:17!! Why not use it?! We have the victory!! Let us live in it!
Monday, October 28, 2013
Saturday, June 15, 2013
Fighting for the Promised Land!
For the past two years, I have felt a burden in my soul about the place my oldest daughter and grandsons were living. I can't explain it other than to say, it was often on my mind and I was determined they were supposed to move. This burden lead me to a two-year prayer and exchange with Jesus about where they would live and how He would make it happen.
When I began crying out to God about this topic, there were many obstacles standing in the way. Over the two-year period, four battle plans fell through and it seemed like she would never move. During this period, I did not allow discouragement to win this battle!!! I kept praying, "Lord, do a miracle to make this plan happen or give us something better!" I refused to believe this promise would not come to pass! The only thing I knew was the Lord had spoken, so I continued to fight for this promise God had given to me!
As this summer began, I felt lead by God to read the book of Joshua in the bible. I have read this book before, but I never noticed an obvious lesson. When God spoke to Joshua after Moses had died, He said in verse 2; "...the time has come for you to lead these people, the Israelites, across the Jordan River into the land I am giving them." God was giving them this land. It was a promise God had made to Moses over 40 years before. This land was a gift from God!!
But the thing I had not realized came up in verse 6; "Be strong and courageous, for you are the one who will lead these people to possess all the land I swore to their ancestors I would give them." I had never thought of this before!! Joshua had a role and God planned to use him to bring forth His promise.
And, so Joshua began his journey into the Promised Land. There were many battles, but the battle did not depend on Joshua, the battle depended on the Lord!! In all of the battles, Joshua followed the Lord's battle plans! God did supernatural things like confuse the enemy's camp and cause the sun to stop in the sky until the Israelites won the battle!! He also gave instructions that made no human sense like march around Jericho blowing trumpets!! But, no matter what, Joshua clung to the Lord and believed Him. He did exactly what he was told and lead Israel into the land the Lord had promised them! And they had victory after victory as they began to possess their gift from God!
As I read through this, I saw similarities to my fight for the promise God had given me! In the beginning, I cried out to God about the burden in my heart for my daughter to move. I asked God about the move!! Was this His plan? I felt confirmation that He had put this burden in my heart and this was His plan!! I prayed each day for the outcome I believed was a promise from God. I asked the Lord where? I drove through the neighborhood I believed He had given to my daughter! I walked and prayed through the neighborhood. I asked God how this would happen because the obstacles required a creative plan. I keep my eyes open and searched for the answer on the streets of the neighborhood, on Craigslist, and other websites I felt lead to use as a tool in my battle. I watched as He did supernatural things to lead me to the promise!!
I kept this up for two years!! And as I read about the Isralites being given their Promised Land in the ending chapters of Joshua, my daughter and grandsons moved into their Promised Land too! God had chosen me to be used as a leader to fight the battle to receive this promise! It was so exciting to find myself reading the journey of Joshua as I saw the fulfillment of the journey the Lord had taken me through! It was a beautiful thing!!!
My heart is filled with gratefulness and joy!! The move for my daughter and grandsons has propelled them into so many beautiful promises God has given me beyond what I had imagined! It has made a huge and positive difference in their lives and the lives of my whole family!
This recent battle has built my faith to a greater level. I am so confident in sharing all burdens that arise in my life with the Lord! He is so worthy to trust and depend upon! I knew this when this all started, but with each day, I believe it more and more!
I am so sure that no matter what battle lies ahead, I will fight with the Lord to receive each and every promise He gives to me. I will do exactly as He says and depend on Him completely! I will tell Him of the burdens in my heart. I will trust Him to right the wrongs. And I will participate in the battle in anyway He chooses. It is a joy to be part of God's plans here on earth. It is hopeful to trust in Him. He is worthy of all of my praise! He is God!!
When I began crying out to God about this topic, there were many obstacles standing in the way. Over the two-year period, four battle plans fell through and it seemed like she would never move. During this period, I did not allow discouragement to win this battle!!! I kept praying, "Lord, do a miracle to make this plan happen or give us something better!" I refused to believe this promise would not come to pass! The only thing I knew was the Lord had spoken, so I continued to fight for this promise God had given to me!
As this summer began, I felt lead by God to read the book of Joshua in the bible. I have read this book before, but I never noticed an obvious lesson. When God spoke to Joshua after Moses had died, He said in verse 2; "...the time has come for you to lead these people, the Israelites, across the Jordan River into the land I am giving them." God was giving them this land. It was a promise God had made to Moses over 40 years before. This land was a gift from God!!
But the thing I had not realized came up in verse 6; "Be strong and courageous, for you are the one who will lead these people to possess all the land I swore to their ancestors I would give them." I had never thought of this before!! Joshua had a role and God planned to use him to bring forth His promise.
And, so Joshua began his journey into the Promised Land. There were many battles, but the battle did not depend on Joshua, the battle depended on the Lord!! In all of the battles, Joshua followed the Lord's battle plans! God did supernatural things like confuse the enemy's camp and cause the sun to stop in the sky until the Israelites won the battle!! He also gave instructions that made no human sense like march around Jericho blowing trumpets!! But, no matter what, Joshua clung to the Lord and believed Him. He did exactly what he was told and lead Israel into the land the Lord had promised them! And they had victory after victory as they began to possess their gift from God!
As I read through this, I saw similarities to my fight for the promise God had given me! In the beginning, I cried out to God about the burden in my heart for my daughter to move. I asked God about the move!! Was this His plan? I felt confirmation that He had put this burden in my heart and this was His plan!! I prayed each day for the outcome I believed was a promise from God. I asked the Lord where? I drove through the neighborhood I believed He had given to my daughter! I walked and prayed through the neighborhood. I asked God how this would happen because the obstacles required a creative plan. I keep my eyes open and searched for the answer on the streets of the neighborhood, on Craigslist, and other websites I felt lead to use as a tool in my battle. I watched as He did supernatural things to lead me to the promise!!
I kept this up for two years!! And as I read about the Isralites being given their Promised Land in the ending chapters of Joshua, my daughter and grandsons moved into their Promised Land too! God had chosen me to be used as a leader to fight the battle to receive this promise! It was so exciting to find myself reading the journey of Joshua as I saw the fulfillment of the journey the Lord had taken me through! It was a beautiful thing!!!
My heart is filled with gratefulness and joy!! The move for my daughter and grandsons has propelled them into so many beautiful promises God has given me beyond what I had imagined! It has made a huge and positive difference in their lives and the lives of my whole family!
This recent battle has built my faith to a greater level. I am so confident in sharing all burdens that arise in my life with the Lord! He is so worthy to trust and depend upon! I knew this when this all started, but with each day, I believe it more and more!
I am so sure that no matter what battle lies ahead, I will fight with the Lord to receive each and every promise He gives to me. I will do exactly as He says and depend on Him completely! I will tell Him of the burdens in my heart. I will trust Him to right the wrongs. And I will participate in the battle in anyway He chooses. It is a joy to be part of God's plans here on earth. It is hopeful to trust in Him. He is worthy of all of my praise! He is God!!
Tuesday, April 9, 2013
Faith Like A Child!
On Sunday after church, my husband and I hiked up Mt. Eldon with some friends. It was a beautiful day! I so enjoyed being outside, doing a bit of rock climbing, and the conversation was great! At one point in the hike, I twisted my ankle. I was involved in a conversation so I ignored the pain in my ankle and continued skipping, hopping, and jumping along the trail.
When I returned home, my daughter and grandson were working on a project in the kitchen. I joined in, standing and walking around the kitchen for the next two hours. All of a sudden, I realized my ankle was screaming at me! I looked down and showed it to my daughter. Her eyes became wide as we saw the swelling. At that point, it was getting hard to put pressure on it, so I left the kitchen and went into my room. I changed my clothes, and headed upstairs to sit down and elevate my ankle.
As I tried to walk, the pain was extreme especially now that my shoe was off. I began to wonder how I was going to get through the week! I even had to crawl up the stairs because hopping was hurting my throbbing ankle. As I reached the couch, my younger grandson, who will be 5 this month, came to sit next to me on the couch. "I am sorry your foot is hurting, Grandma!" he said.
At this point, I began to pray for healing. The pain was really strong and I began to think it might be broken. I was telling the Lord I could not possibly get done all that I needed to do this week, when I heard Him make a suggestion that caught me by surprise. The Lord spoke clearly and said, "Have your grandson pray for your ankle!" Wow! I had not thought of that.
So I asked my young grandson to pray for Jesus to heal my ankle. And he prayed this way, "Heavenly Father, please heal my grandma's foot. In Jesus Name, Amen." As he was praying, he rubbed my ankle starting out softly and then going deeper and deeper until I had to tell him to stop. Then He got up, smiled at me and began to play basketball.
As I sat on the couch, I could feel the swelling in my ankle going down. I looked at it and began to move it a bit and it was HEALING! As I talked to my grandson about it, he said, "Yeah, it is healing because I prayed for it to be healed. Jesus healed it!" I know this is a moment he will remember as he goes through his life! By the time I went to bed, I could walk! The next morning the pain was completely gone. I even worked out yesterday!
I love the faith of children! My grandson had no doubt that Jesus could heal my ankle, so he said a simple prayer and believed! God used his little hand to heal my ankle. He used this little boy because he was willing and had faith! I want to always be available to distribute the miracles of God to those around me in my life! I want to have faith like a child and in all circumstances know Jesus can do all things! Knowing nothing is impossible with God, and everything is possible!
Luke 18:16. "Then Jesus called for the children and said to the disciples, "Let the children come to me. Don't stop them! For the Kingdom of God belongs to those who are like these children. I tell you the truth, anyone who doesn't receive the Kingdom of God like a child will never enter it."
When I returned home, my daughter and grandson were working on a project in the kitchen. I joined in, standing and walking around the kitchen for the next two hours. All of a sudden, I realized my ankle was screaming at me! I looked down and showed it to my daughter. Her eyes became wide as we saw the swelling. At that point, it was getting hard to put pressure on it, so I left the kitchen and went into my room. I changed my clothes, and headed upstairs to sit down and elevate my ankle.
As I tried to walk, the pain was extreme especially now that my shoe was off. I began to wonder how I was going to get through the week! I even had to crawl up the stairs because hopping was hurting my throbbing ankle. As I reached the couch, my younger grandson, who will be 5 this month, came to sit next to me on the couch. "I am sorry your foot is hurting, Grandma!" he said.
At this point, I began to pray for healing. The pain was really strong and I began to think it might be broken. I was telling the Lord I could not possibly get done all that I needed to do this week, when I heard Him make a suggestion that caught me by surprise. The Lord spoke clearly and said, "Have your grandson pray for your ankle!" Wow! I had not thought of that.
So I asked my young grandson to pray for Jesus to heal my ankle. And he prayed this way, "Heavenly Father, please heal my grandma's foot. In Jesus Name, Amen." As he was praying, he rubbed my ankle starting out softly and then going deeper and deeper until I had to tell him to stop. Then He got up, smiled at me and began to play basketball.
As I sat on the couch, I could feel the swelling in my ankle going down. I looked at it and began to move it a bit and it was HEALING! As I talked to my grandson about it, he said, "Yeah, it is healing because I prayed for it to be healed. Jesus healed it!" I know this is a moment he will remember as he goes through his life! By the time I went to bed, I could walk! The next morning the pain was completely gone. I even worked out yesterday!
I love the faith of children! My grandson had no doubt that Jesus could heal my ankle, so he said a simple prayer and believed! God used his little hand to heal my ankle. He used this little boy because he was willing and had faith! I want to always be available to distribute the miracles of God to those around me in my life! I want to have faith like a child and in all circumstances know Jesus can do all things! Knowing nothing is impossible with God, and everything is possible!
Luke 18:16. "Then Jesus called for the children and said to the disciples, "Let the children come to me. Don't stop them! For the Kingdom of God belongs to those who are like these children. I tell you the truth, anyone who doesn't receive the Kingdom of God like a child will never enter it."
Sunday, March 24, 2013
The Sand, the Seashore, and my Earring!
I had the pleasure of spending the last week on the beach in Southern California with my family and my sister's family! I love the ocean! Its power, vastness, beauty, and exhilaration remind me constantly of God! As I took walk after walk on the beach, I asked God to bless me with special things reminding me of His presence. In the days I was there, I saw surfers trying to "walk on water," pelicans scooping fish from the sea, dolphins playing in the waves, seals looking curiously at me, lots of seaweed, and beautiful sunsets painted on the horizon! In all of these views and more, I talked to the Lord about feeling His presence and His love for me!
Something about His greatness and His constant presence with me melts my heart and makes me feel warm and protected! Psalm 139:17-18 says; "How precious are your thoughts about me, O God. They cannot be numbered! Were I to count them, they would out number the grains of sand--when I awake, I am still with You." God is thinking about me more than the grains of sand. As I sat on the sand, I thought about this and felt it in my soul! WOW! I can't even count the grains in my hand! But, God can think of me more than all the sand! This thought comforted me as I realized the broken nature of this earth and the struggles going on in and around my life. In these moments, my soul was at peace! My soul was safely surrounded by the love of Jesus! And in only a few days, the Lord had answered my request! I had seen many special things and was feeling His presence, but with Him there is always more!
One afternoon on the beach, my family was participating in a game of Frisbee. One person threw the Frisbee into the group of the rest of us. Whoever caught the Frisbee three times took the place of the thrower and we started again. Well, due to my competitive nature, the game got a bit rough. Fun, but rough! I found myself on the sand on a few occasions. Usually with the Frisbee in my hands:) Anyway, we had a great time!
After our game we walked a long distance down the beach and up a long staircase to "The Shake Shack" for dinner. As I was in the bathroom washing my hands, I noticed my earring was missing! My diamond earring that my husband got me for Christmas a few years ago. (I am sure he did not envision the beach when he bought these!) These were my favorite earrings! They have a safety clip and are very secure! These were my everyday, running, jumping earrings! I could not believe one was gone! I was bummed!
I went out to our table to sit with my family as we waited for our burgers, fries, and shakes. I told them what happened. They asked, "Why were you wearing your diamond earrings on the beach?" I explained how secure these earrings are. They are my "most likely to not get lost earrings!" They know me and understand me, so they accepted this answer. Anyway, we prayed for God to help us find the earring. He was our only hope! And we proceeded to enjoy our dinner planning to search for the earring afterward.
As I ate my dinner, I reminded God that He made me this way! I told Him I needed Him to help us find my earring. I knew He could see it on the beach, so I trusted He was going to show me where it was! Without God, it would have been hopeless! But I know and believe nothing is impossible with God! And then I relaxed and enjoyed the best chocolate shake I had ever tasted!
As we left the restaurant, we noticed the sun was setting. So we quickly went down the steps. Then we jogged along the beach as we realized the tide had come in! We were having fun as we made our way back to the spot where my earring was waiting to be found. I had told the group where I thought it was! I was sure it would be found! The Lord was with us. As my nephew approached the area of my earring, he saw something that looked like a rock washing back and forth in the surf. He went over to investigate and he picked up my earring. It took him about 30 seconds to find it. He arrived first and by the time the rest of us where there, he walked over and handed it to me! I washed off the sand and put it on! Then we all rejoiced and praised the Lord together!
And Jesus added another special thing to the long list of ways He made His presence known to me during this week at the beach! He is so big and powerful like the ocean! He is incomprehensible! He is Almighty! But He is always SO CLOSE! Right next to me! Waiting for opportunities to bless me and be gracious to me! Opportunities to remind me of His presence! And show me His everlasting love!
Isaiah 30:18. Therefore the LORD longs to be gracious to you, And therefore He waits on high to have compassion on you. For the LORD is a God of justice; How blessed are all those who long for Him.
Something about His greatness and His constant presence with me melts my heart and makes me feel warm and protected! Psalm 139:17-18 says; "How precious are your thoughts about me, O God. They cannot be numbered! Were I to count them, they would out number the grains of sand--when I awake, I am still with You." God is thinking about me more than the grains of sand. As I sat on the sand, I thought about this and felt it in my soul! WOW! I can't even count the grains in my hand! But, God can think of me more than all the sand! This thought comforted me as I realized the broken nature of this earth and the struggles going on in and around my life. In these moments, my soul was at peace! My soul was safely surrounded by the love of Jesus! And in only a few days, the Lord had answered my request! I had seen many special things and was feeling His presence, but with Him there is always more!
One afternoon on the beach, my family was participating in a game of Frisbee. One person threw the Frisbee into the group of the rest of us. Whoever caught the Frisbee three times took the place of the thrower and we started again. Well, due to my competitive nature, the game got a bit rough. Fun, but rough! I found myself on the sand on a few occasions. Usually with the Frisbee in my hands:) Anyway, we had a great time!
After our game we walked a long distance down the beach and up a long staircase to "The Shake Shack" for dinner. As I was in the bathroom washing my hands, I noticed my earring was missing! My diamond earring that my husband got me for Christmas a few years ago. (I am sure he did not envision the beach when he bought these!) These were my favorite earrings! They have a safety clip and are very secure! These were my everyday, running, jumping earrings! I could not believe one was gone! I was bummed!
I went out to our table to sit with my family as we waited for our burgers, fries, and shakes. I told them what happened. They asked, "Why were you wearing your diamond earrings on the beach?" I explained how secure these earrings are. They are my "most likely to not get lost earrings!" They know me and understand me, so they accepted this answer. Anyway, we prayed for God to help us find the earring. He was our only hope! And we proceeded to enjoy our dinner planning to search for the earring afterward.
As I ate my dinner, I reminded God that He made me this way! I told Him I needed Him to help us find my earring. I knew He could see it on the beach, so I trusted He was going to show me where it was! Without God, it would have been hopeless! But I know and believe nothing is impossible with God! And then I relaxed and enjoyed the best chocolate shake I had ever tasted!
As we left the restaurant, we noticed the sun was setting. So we quickly went down the steps. Then we jogged along the beach as we realized the tide had come in! We were having fun as we made our way back to the spot where my earring was waiting to be found. I had told the group where I thought it was! I was sure it would be found! The Lord was with us. As my nephew approached the area of my earring, he saw something that looked like a rock washing back and forth in the surf. He went over to investigate and he picked up my earring. It took him about 30 seconds to find it. He arrived first and by the time the rest of us where there, he walked over and handed it to me! I washed off the sand and put it on! Then we all rejoiced and praised the Lord together!
And Jesus added another special thing to the long list of ways He made His presence known to me during this week at the beach! He is so big and powerful like the ocean! He is incomprehensible! He is Almighty! But He is always SO CLOSE! Right next to me! Waiting for opportunities to bless me and be gracious to me! Opportunities to remind me of His presence! And show me His everlasting love!
Isaiah 30:18. Therefore the LORD longs to be gracious to you, And therefore He waits on high to have compassion on you. For the LORD is a God of justice; How blessed are all those who long for Him.
Saturday, February 23, 2013
Convinced!
Last week, I was a greeter at church. I was standing at the door, greeting when a man came in. Immediately, I could smell alcohol and realized he was intoxicated. This blessed my heart to know he had come to the right place.
Church is not a country club for people who all look the same and act in similar ways. Church is not a place to hide our deepest struggles! Church is a place to come for healing! It is a hospital where we should run to find help from Jesus! It is a place of healing and restoration! It was refreshing to me that this man had the courage to openly display his weakness and his need!
As I greeted this man, I felt the love of God flowing from me to him. I was so clear to me how much God loved him. He was so happy to tell me his name, Lester, where he was from and the struggles he was going through! He asked me for some bus money to get across town for lunch. I agreed to give him the money after the service. He seemed surprised that I was spending so much time with him. I introduced him to a friend of mine and they talked for awhile.
I went in and sat down as service started and Lester came in and sat in my row. As I worshiped, I was feeling the Lord's love for Lester. It was overwhelming! The love was so rich and deep, I could feel it all around me! So I prayed Lester would feel it too! At one point, I noticed Lester was crying so I went to the back of the church and got him a box of Kleenex. He looked at me with wide eyes and said, "Thank you!," as he continued to weep.
After worship at our Sunday Service we take a break to talk and greet one another. Our pastor calls it "Halftime!" This gives us a chance to get to know one another and the visitors at church. Then we come back in for the sermon. I love this tradition!
As we broke for halftime, I saw a hard look on Lester's face. He said he would like his bus money and wanted to go now. I have been studying the Gospel of Mark this year with my College Study. As I looked at Lester, I realized he was going to end up like the crowds Jesus was faced with when He was on earth. They came to get the physical benefits He offered, but they missed getting to know Him and the greater forgiveness He was offering! I realized Lester was in danger of this same tragedy!
God gave me boldness and I said to Lester, "Do you know how much God loves you?" He said, "Yes." but I did not believe him. I explained how God had been telling me of His love for him as we were worshiping. I told Lester I did not want him to receive the benefits of Jesus without receiving Jesus Himself. I explained our pastor had a special message prepared and I was sure God would speak directly to his heart. Lester was still ready to go, so I went to get change for him.
As I was walking back into the sanctuary to give Lester his bus money, I saw my husband talking to another man from our church. I explain Lester was waiting for the money but needed them to pray for him too. Then I said a silent prayer and left Lester at the altar of Jesus! I knew my part was done and I talked with other people until halftime ended.
When I came back into the sanctuary, I saw Lester sitting in his seat and he greeted me with a big smile. His whole countenance had changed! He stayed for the service and raised his hand to confess and receive Jesus at the end. Then I saw my pastor praying with him and then another member of the church prayed with him. It was a beautiful picture of the whole body of Christ working together to express God's love to Lester!
All week, I have been praying for Lester! I pray He will believe deep in His heart how much God loves him. I know from personal experience this is the healing he needs to change his life. Each day, I am convince of the love God is pouring upon me! This belief has healed me, my relationships, and my circumstances. And it is what gets me through the hard parts of life. It is what brings me joy, love, peace, and fulfillment! I believe God loves me deeply! God loves us no matter what! I love to pray this prayer! "I don't know much, but I know You love me! And this may be all I need to know!" Believe with me!
Romans 8:38-39- For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Church is not a country club for people who all look the same and act in similar ways. Church is not a place to hide our deepest struggles! Church is a place to come for healing! It is a hospital where we should run to find help from Jesus! It is a place of healing and restoration! It was refreshing to me that this man had the courage to openly display his weakness and his need!
As I greeted this man, I felt the love of God flowing from me to him. I was so clear to me how much God loved him. He was so happy to tell me his name, Lester, where he was from and the struggles he was going through! He asked me for some bus money to get across town for lunch. I agreed to give him the money after the service. He seemed surprised that I was spending so much time with him. I introduced him to a friend of mine and they talked for awhile.
I went in and sat down as service started and Lester came in and sat in my row. As I worshiped, I was feeling the Lord's love for Lester. It was overwhelming! The love was so rich and deep, I could feel it all around me! So I prayed Lester would feel it too! At one point, I noticed Lester was crying so I went to the back of the church and got him a box of Kleenex. He looked at me with wide eyes and said, "Thank you!," as he continued to weep.
After worship at our Sunday Service we take a break to talk and greet one another. Our pastor calls it "Halftime!" This gives us a chance to get to know one another and the visitors at church. Then we come back in for the sermon. I love this tradition!
As we broke for halftime, I saw a hard look on Lester's face. He said he would like his bus money and wanted to go now. I have been studying the Gospel of Mark this year with my College Study. As I looked at Lester, I realized he was going to end up like the crowds Jesus was faced with when He was on earth. They came to get the physical benefits He offered, but they missed getting to know Him and the greater forgiveness He was offering! I realized Lester was in danger of this same tragedy!
God gave me boldness and I said to Lester, "Do you know how much God loves you?" He said, "Yes." but I did not believe him. I explained how God had been telling me of His love for him as we were worshiping. I told Lester I did not want him to receive the benefits of Jesus without receiving Jesus Himself. I explained our pastor had a special message prepared and I was sure God would speak directly to his heart. Lester was still ready to go, so I went to get change for him.
As I was walking back into the sanctuary to give Lester his bus money, I saw my husband talking to another man from our church. I explain Lester was waiting for the money but needed them to pray for him too. Then I said a silent prayer and left Lester at the altar of Jesus! I knew my part was done and I talked with other people until halftime ended.
When I came back into the sanctuary, I saw Lester sitting in his seat and he greeted me with a big smile. His whole countenance had changed! He stayed for the service and raised his hand to confess and receive Jesus at the end. Then I saw my pastor praying with him and then another member of the church prayed with him. It was a beautiful picture of the whole body of Christ working together to express God's love to Lester!
All week, I have been praying for Lester! I pray He will believe deep in His heart how much God loves him. I know from personal experience this is the healing he needs to change his life. Each day, I am convince of the love God is pouring upon me! This belief has healed me, my relationships, and my circumstances. And it is what gets me through the hard parts of life. It is what brings me joy, love, peace, and fulfillment! I believe God loves me deeply! God loves us no matter what! I love to pray this prayer! "I don't know much, but I know You love me! And this may be all I need to know!" Believe with me!
Romans 8:38-39- For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Wednesday, January 16, 2013
The Fear of the Lord!
I was in church recently, and our pastor preached a wonderful sermon which included a great definition of the fear of the Lord. I am convinced many people misunderstand what it means for a believer to fear the Lord. It is the only good kind of fear I know! Although this is not a comprehensive study of the fear of the Lord, I wanted to share my perspective.
The definition our pastor gave for the fear of the Lord is "an earnest desire to have God's approval." When he said this, I felt it! With every beat of my heart, this is how I try to live. As I live with the fear of the Lord in my life, I love the grace of God that protects me in my imperfection! I love living in the passion of Jesus' sacrifice on the cross for the moments when I fail! Jesus loved me so much, He died a brutal death to be able to offer forgiveness and love in my weakest moments! I am forgiven in all of my failure! God does not expect me to be perfect. What a relief! I am loved no matter what! Each day, it is my desire to bless the Lord with "an earnest desire to have God's approval!"
I try not to live in fear of anyone aside from the Lord! No one in the world is worthy of my fear. No one else takes my best interests to heart. No one, aside from God, loves me at each moment. No person has the power to perform miracles in my life! No man or woman has the wisdom to direct my steps and guide me in living my life. Only Jesus has died for me--this makes Him, and Only Him, worthy of my fear!
Proverbs 9:10 says; "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding." I love this verse because these concepts go hand-in-hand. The more I know God, the more I understand Him. And the more I understand Him, the more I am convinced of His love for me. Even in my worst moments, I am never separated from the love of God. God is love. So in every moment of my life, I feel loved! This is why I have an earnest desire to have God's approval! He has won me over by His love. I trust that living my life according to God's plan is far greater than living my life according to my plan! His way leads to peace and joy while my way leads to emptiness and confusion. Believe me... I have tried both ways.
So as I live my life, I do the things which are pleasing to God. If I am not sure about something, I check with Him before I act. This has led me to a life filled with wisdom and actions that have brought blessings to me and my loved ones. The fear of the Lord is not the same thing as terror for those who believe! The fear of the Lord brings protection, fulfillment, and freedom! A life lived to the fullest! A life filled with the love of God! In the fear of the Lord, I have found a rich and satisfying life!
John 10:10- Jesus said; "...My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life."
The definition our pastor gave for the fear of the Lord is "an earnest desire to have God's approval." When he said this, I felt it! With every beat of my heart, this is how I try to live. As I live with the fear of the Lord in my life, I love the grace of God that protects me in my imperfection! I love living in the passion of Jesus' sacrifice on the cross for the moments when I fail! Jesus loved me so much, He died a brutal death to be able to offer forgiveness and love in my weakest moments! I am forgiven in all of my failure! God does not expect me to be perfect. What a relief! I am loved no matter what! Each day, it is my desire to bless the Lord with "an earnest desire to have God's approval!"
I try not to live in fear of anyone aside from the Lord! No one in the world is worthy of my fear. No one else takes my best interests to heart. No one, aside from God, loves me at each moment. No person has the power to perform miracles in my life! No man or woman has the wisdom to direct my steps and guide me in living my life. Only Jesus has died for me--this makes Him, and Only Him, worthy of my fear!
Proverbs 9:10 says; "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding." I love this verse because these concepts go hand-in-hand. The more I know God, the more I understand Him. And the more I understand Him, the more I am convinced of His love for me. Even in my worst moments, I am never separated from the love of God. God is love. So in every moment of my life, I feel loved! This is why I have an earnest desire to have God's approval! He has won me over by His love. I trust that living my life according to God's plan is far greater than living my life according to my plan! His way leads to peace and joy while my way leads to emptiness and confusion. Believe me... I have tried both ways.
So as I live my life, I do the things which are pleasing to God. If I am not sure about something, I check with Him before I act. This has led me to a life filled with wisdom and actions that have brought blessings to me and my loved ones. The fear of the Lord is not the same thing as terror for those who believe! The fear of the Lord brings protection, fulfillment, and freedom! A life lived to the fullest! A life filled with the love of God! In the fear of the Lord, I have found a rich and satisfying life!
John 10:10- Jesus said; "...My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life."
Thursday, January 3, 2013
Happy New Year!
I love celebrating! For the past 14 years in Flagstaff, our city leaders have created a tradition of dropping a pine cone from one of the old hotel balconies in the center of town. This event has grown from a real, large-sized pine cone found in the forest to a giant metal pine cone with blinking lights. The Pine Cone Drop has become known around the country and the world. For the last few years, the streets have been closed to handle the thousands of people who gather at 10pm (coinciding with the New York City Ball Drop) and then again at 12am to cheer and sing and dance in celebration of the new year. Somehow the dropping of a pine cone has inspired people to come and celebrate together.
In the last few years, I have devised a plan to be able to see both the 10pm and 12am Pine Cone Drop without freezing to death! We have collected some friends to join us at a local restaurant for dinner at 9:30pm. At 9:50pm we step out the door of this restaurant and we are looking right down the street at the pine cone. And then we turn around to see fireworks soaring off the roof of another local hotel. When our dinner is over, we step outside again at 11:50pm and do it all over again. It has been suggested to me that we could eat a bit earlier and head home after the 10pm drop, but I can't imagine sitting on my couch when I could be cheering with my neighbors in downtown Flagstaff. It is so much fun to feel the excitement and energy of the New Year's Eve cheer!
As I reflected on this celebration and my exuberance in the anticipation, I ran across a scripture in my Bible that spoke to me. I was reading in 1 Chronicles 15 about the time King David brought the ark of the Lord back into Jerusalem. The ark of the Lord was the place the people associated with God's presence in the Old Testament. So the ark represented bringing God's presence back to Jerusalem. As you can imagine, quite a celebration broke out in the city as the ark came in.
It says in 1 Chronicles 15:28 "...with shouts of joy, the blowing of rams’ horns and trumpets, the crashing of cymbals, and loud playing on harps and lyres." In verse 29, it says in the Amplified Bible that King David was "...leaping as in sport..." I especially love this visual because often time the joy of life and the Lord causes me to jump in the air and click my heals together! We are created to celebrate! Yes, bad things happen, but in the mix are many reasons for joyous celebration!
In this New Year, I am going to take the opportunity to demonstrate the joy in my heart! There are so many moments worthy of shouting, singing, and jumping for joy! God has filled our lives with reasons to celebrate! And the greatest reason to celebrate is His presence in our lives! And maybe in the exuberant celebration, someone will learn all the Lord has done for me! So join me this year in the celebration!
1 Chronicles 16:8-13. "Give thanks to the Lord, call on his name; make known among the nations what he has done. Sing to him, sing praise to him; tell of all his wonderful acts. Glory in his holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice. Look to the Lord and his strength; seek his face always. Remember the wonders he has done, his miracles, and the judgments he pronounced, O descendants of Israel his servant, O sons of Jacob, his chosen ones."
In the last few years, I have devised a plan to be able to see both the 10pm and 12am Pine Cone Drop without freezing to death! We have collected some friends to join us at a local restaurant for dinner at 9:30pm. At 9:50pm we step out the door of this restaurant and we are looking right down the street at the pine cone. And then we turn around to see fireworks soaring off the roof of another local hotel. When our dinner is over, we step outside again at 11:50pm and do it all over again. It has been suggested to me that we could eat a bit earlier and head home after the 10pm drop, but I can't imagine sitting on my couch when I could be cheering with my neighbors in downtown Flagstaff. It is so much fun to feel the excitement and energy of the New Year's Eve cheer!
As I reflected on this celebration and my exuberance in the anticipation, I ran across a scripture in my Bible that spoke to me. I was reading in 1 Chronicles 15 about the time King David brought the ark of the Lord back into Jerusalem. The ark of the Lord was the place the people associated with God's presence in the Old Testament. So the ark represented bringing God's presence back to Jerusalem. As you can imagine, quite a celebration broke out in the city as the ark came in.
It says in 1 Chronicles 15:28 "...with shouts of joy, the blowing of rams’ horns and trumpets, the crashing of cymbals, and loud playing on harps and lyres." In verse 29, it says in the Amplified Bible that King David was "...leaping as in sport..." I especially love this visual because often time the joy of life and the Lord causes me to jump in the air and click my heals together! We are created to celebrate! Yes, bad things happen, but in the mix are many reasons for joyous celebration!
In this New Year, I am going to take the opportunity to demonstrate the joy in my heart! There are so many moments worthy of shouting, singing, and jumping for joy! God has filled our lives with reasons to celebrate! And the greatest reason to celebrate is His presence in our lives! And maybe in the exuberant celebration, someone will learn all the Lord has done for me! So join me this year in the celebration!
1 Chronicles 16:8-13. "Give thanks to the Lord, call on his name; make known among the nations what he has done. Sing to him, sing praise to him; tell of all his wonderful acts. Glory in his holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice. Look to the Lord and his strength; seek his face always. Remember the wonders he has done, his miracles, and the judgments he pronounced, O descendants of Israel his servant, O sons of Jacob, his chosen ones."
Monday, December 3, 2012
A Legacy of Prayer and Thanksgiving
I received a card in the mail from my aunt and uncle for Thanksgiving. It is not unusual for me to receive a card from them at Thanksgiving as they are very close to my heart and very gracious people, but when I looked at this card there was something different. The card I received had the picture of a little girl kneeling down in prayer with fruit all around her. She was wearing an apron and had her hands folded and her gaze was focused in a direction off to the side. It was clear that her focus was not on anything in the picture, but something beyond her natural surroundings. As I pondered the front of this card, I thought to myself, "There is something familiar about this card. It seems like it is from someone other than my aunt and uncle."
This peaked my interest as I opened the card. Why had my aunt picked this particular card and why was it so different from the others I have received over the years? When I read the words of the card, tears flowed down my face. This card was purchased by my beloved grandmother! My aunt had found it in a box and blessed me so much by sending it to me this Thanksgiving. My grandmother is the woman who raised my sister and me for the first ten years of our lives as our mom worked long hours to support us. She is the one who introduced me to Jesus and modeled the life that I live to this day. Not only did she buy this card, but she blessed me with a reminder of the legacy of her life which beats in my heart and runs through my veins with each breath I take.
My grandmother was a woman of prayer. Each morning when I woke up, I would find her sitting at the kitchen table with her Bible open and her long prayer list in front of her. My grandmother had an 8th grade education so she kept a dictionary on the table with her Bible in case there was a word she needed to look up. I believe her day started much earlier than mine as she diligently sought the Lord and trusted Him with the many prayers she prayed. The circumstances of her life were not perfect and as I look back, many were painful, but her morning time with Jesus led to days filled with joy, generosity, service to others, and so much love.
Often as we were going about our day, my grandmother would spontaneously dance with joy as she kicked her feet and clapped her hands. She was the only grandma I knew who played baseball in her dress and ran the bases in record time as her hard hit ball sailed over the school yard fence. She made my sister and I hand-stirred milkshakes upon our request. And we ate dessert left-over from the previous night for breakfast! She played cards with us, she laughed with us, and she cooked and baked all of our favorite foods daily. She made sure we worked hard at school to gain the education she lacked. She gave her life to us on a daily basis and was a picture of the love of Jesus! It is through her prayers and faith and the way she lived that I was won over to the kingdom of Jesus!
She was not a Christian speaker, a ministry leader or an author. She was not the most popular woman in her church, but the friends she had were close. She was a lover of her neighbors, a generous giver, and a humble woman. She was a person who lacked nothing because of the gift of Jesus she carried in her heart. She gave and gave with a gracious heart and an unlimited supply of love and resources! She was a picture of the unlimited provision of God which exceeds our own needs and overflows to share with our neighbors, family, and friends! Her life was a legacy of prayer and Thanksgiving. And she lived this legacy everyday! Everyday with my grandmother was Thanksgiving.
On this day I received my card, many miles away, my sister was praying for an encouragement from the Lord as she was preparing to speak at a "Thanksgiving Tea." The topic of her discussion was the legacy of my grandmother. My grandmother has grandchildren and great-grandchildren who carry her name. She is often a discussion at our family gatherings. She has left much love, joy, prayer, faith and thanksgiving to the generations that have followed her. As my sister prepared to share these things, she received her own card in the mail. A card my grandmother had purchased more than 25 years ago. A card that might have seemed lost in a box, but was divinely set aside through prayer and faith! A card from my grandmother to be the encouragement my sister needed and asked for!
Thank you, Jesus, for my grandmother. Help me to live a life like hers! I pray Lord that long after I am gone, my life will be an encouragement to the generations to come. Let my life be remembered as one lived with thanksgiving, joy, love, prayer, and great faith! I love you, Lord! Thank you for the precious encouragement You sent through two simple cards in the mail this Thanksgiving! And please give my grandma a hug and kiss from me today in heaven! In Jesus' precious name, Amen.
This peaked my interest as I opened the card. Why had my aunt picked this particular card and why was it so different from the others I have received over the years? When I read the words of the card, tears flowed down my face. This card was purchased by my beloved grandmother! My aunt had found it in a box and blessed me so much by sending it to me this Thanksgiving. My grandmother is the woman who raised my sister and me for the first ten years of our lives as our mom worked long hours to support us. She is the one who introduced me to Jesus and modeled the life that I live to this day. Not only did she buy this card, but she blessed me with a reminder of the legacy of her life which beats in my heart and runs through my veins with each breath I take.
My grandmother was a woman of prayer. Each morning when I woke up, I would find her sitting at the kitchen table with her Bible open and her long prayer list in front of her. My grandmother had an 8th grade education so she kept a dictionary on the table with her Bible in case there was a word she needed to look up. I believe her day started much earlier than mine as she diligently sought the Lord and trusted Him with the many prayers she prayed. The circumstances of her life were not perfect and as I look back, many were painful, but her morning time with Jesus led to days filled with joy, generosity, service to others, and so much love.
Often as we were going about our day, my grandmother would spontaneously dance with joy as she kicked her feet and clapped her hands. She was the only grandma I knew who played baseball in her dress and ran the bases in record time as her hard hit ball sailed over the school yard fence. She made my sister and I hand-stirred milkshakes upon our request. And we ate dessert left-over from the previous night for breakfast! She played cards with us, she laughed with us, and she cooked and baked all of our favorite foods daily. She made sure we worked hard at school to gain the education she lacked. She gave her life to us on a daily basis and was a picture of the love of Jesus! It is through her prayers and faith and the way she lived that I was won over to the kingdom of Jesus!
She was not a Christian speaker, a ministry leader or an author. She was not the most popular woman in her church, but the friends she had were close. She was a lover of her neighbors, a generous giver, and a humble woman. She was a person who lacked nothing because of the gift of Jesus she carried in her heart. She gave and gave with a gracious heart and an unlimited supply of love and resources! She was a picture of the unlimited provision of God which exceeds our own needs and overflows to share with our neighbors, family, and friends! Her life was a legacy of prayer and Thanksgiving. And she lived this legacy everyday! Everyday with my grandmother was Thanksgiving.
On this day I received my card, many miles away, my sister was praying for an encouragement from the Lord as she was preparing to speak at a "Thanksgiving Tea." The topic of her discussion was the legacy of my grandmother. My grandmother has grandchildren and great-grandchildren who carry her name. She is often a discussion at our family gatherings. She has left much love, joy, prayer, faith and thanksgiving to the generations that have followed her. As my sister prepared to share these things, she received her own card in the mail. A card my grandmother had purchased more than 25 years ago. A card that might have seemed lost in a box, but was divinely set aside through prayer and faith! A card from my grandmother to be the encouragement my sister needed and asked for!
Thank you, Jesus, for my grandmother. Help me to live a life like hers! I pray Lord that long after I am gone, my life will be an encouragement to the generations to come. Let my life be remembered as one lived with thanksgiving, joy, love, prayer, and great faith! I love you, Lord! Thank you for the precious encouragement You sent through two simple cards in the mail this Thanksgiving! And please give my grandma a hug and kiss from me today in heaven! In Jesus' precious name, Amen.
Saturday, November 17, 2012
Holding it all together?
In a conversation with my friend the other day, I noticed she kept putting herself down for being disorganized and forgetful. She was very upset with who she was in her weakness and she was speaking very badly about herself. I realized she was being attacked and felt the need to testify! So I shared with her my similar struggles in this area and a smile came to her face. She looked at me in disbelief and said, "You have it all together! I can't believe you struggle with disorganization or forgetfulness!" (Boy, did I wish I had a tape recorder to play back her words to my husband! We would laugh hysterically together!)
When she said this, I realized I needed to take this opportunity to give credit to God! She perceived me as being strong in the area of organization, when that is not the case! I am dependent on God to help me each day hold my life together and make things run smoothly! He has taught me how to use the calendar on my phone to remind myself where to be and what to do at what time. This gives me freedom to daydream, think, and pray in my spare moments! God is the rudder in my life and directs me as I go through my days! I prefer a spontaneous path and He knows that! After all, He made me this way for a purpose! I trust Him to be strong in my weak areas so I can thrive in the gifts He has given me!
I don't have it together, but He is holding my life together! Colossians 1:17 says, "He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together." My life and the details are part of what Jesus is holding together. I love resting in the knowledge of His amazing power holding my body as well as all of my situations together. Make no mistake, I know who is holding my life together and it is not me!
As my friend and I talked, I saw her burden lifting! I explained to her how we are all made differently for different reasons. I found out her boss at work was putting her down for some of her differences and this was leading to her self-loathing! I challenged her to believe the beautiful things God says about her in His Word rather than the ugly words of her boss! I encouraged her to be at peace with her weaknesses and to laugh at herself in moments of struggle. Although we are imperfect, we are useful and loved deeply by God and others! We are a masterpiece of God created to do great works on the earth! He is our maker and helper.
Often when I get annoyed with my disorganization and forgetfulness, I remind the Lord, "Lord, help me! You made me this way!" And I feel His gracious presence and power come in to save me! Thank God for my imperfections that lead to a closeness to Jesus! I am leaning on Him continually and I feel His arms around me holding it all together! I would not want it any other way!
When she said this, I realized I needed to take this opportunity to give credit to God! She perceived me as being strong in the area of organization, when that is not the case! I am dependent on God to help me each day hold my life together and make things run smoothly! He has taught me how to use the calendar on my phone to remind myself where to be and what to do at what time. This gives me freedom to daydream, think, and pray in my spare moments! God is the rudder in my life and directs me as I go through my days! I prefer a spontaneous path and He knows that! After all, He made me this way for a purpose! I trust Him to be strong in my weak areas so I can thrive in the gifts He has given me!
I don't have it together, but He is holding my life together! Colossians 1:17 says, "He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together." My life and the details are part of what Jesus is holding together. I love resting in the knowledge of His amazing power holding my body as well as all of my situations together. Make no mistake, I know who is holding my life together and it is not me!
As my friend and I talked, I saw her burden lifting! I explained to her how we are all made differently for different reasons. I found out her boss at work was putting her down for some of her differences and this was leading to her self-loathing! I challenged her to believe the beautiful things God says about her in His Word rather than the ugly words of her boss! I encouraged her to be at peace with her weaknesses and to laugh at herself in moments of struggle. Although we are imperfect, we are useful and loved deeply by God and others! We are a masterpiece of God created to do great works on the earth! He is our maker and helper.
Often when I get annoyed with my disorganization and forgetfulness, I remind the Lord, "Lord, help me! You made me this way!" And I feel His gracious presence and power come in to save me! Thank God for my imperfections that lead to a closeness to Jesus! I am leaning on Him continually and I feel His arms around me holding it all together! I would not want it any other way!
Thursday, November 8, 2012
God Idea!
On Saturday evening, I received an email that inspired me. A friend of mine had encountered a woman who was two months behind on her rent. This woman was a single-mom of three children, a full-time teacher at a school with a 90-mile commute, and a master's degree student in the evening. WOW! It was clear to me this woman was not behind on her rent due to a lack of motivation or effort! She was working hard!
When my friend heard her situation, she boldly spoke up saying, "Twelve hundred dollars is not a problem for God! He created the whole universe. Let's ask Him for an idea to get the money for your rent." I can't tell you how this blessed my spirit! I agreed completely with my friend and immediately wanted to participate in the answer to this prayer! God is huge and we should boast in His power! He is the answer to all of our needs and situations! He can be trusted with our concerns and desperation. Whatever the idea, I was in!
Anyway, as my friend asked the Lord for this idea, she remembered a wall hanging she had been making that was stuffed in her closet at home. She had been working on it slowly for 10 years. The Lord suggested to her to have a raffle with the wall hanging as a prize and sell tickets to raise the money for the rent. This solved two problems. It would raise the rent money and it would get my friend motivated to finish her artwork. So, my friend wrote this idea in an email, sent the email out to everyone she knew, and began working to finish the wall hanging.
On Sunday morning at church, I found my friend to buy some raffle tickets! I was excited to hear the outcome of God's idea! I love when God gives us ideas because they are supernatural and work even better than we might expect! When I greeted her with the money to buy my raffle tickets, she said, "I have a problem. So many people have responded to this raffle! I have raised over two and a half times the money needed." This brought a smile to my face! I answered with, "You don't have a problem! You have a God who is in the habit of giving us "more than we can ask or imagine". You have a God who can't wait for us to trust in Him in faith and loves to "open the floodgates of heaven" in our lives! You have a God who gives us "a double-portion and even a triple portion"! Let's just enjoy His benefits and praise Him!"
I pray we will boldly ask God for ideas when faced with the struggles of life today! I pray we will not shrink away from any problem! After all, we have the supernatural power of heaven on our side. Jeremiah 32:27 says, "I am the LORD, the God of all mankind. Is anything too hard for Me?" Let's believe together and boldly act on knowing "nothing we encounter is ever too hard for our God!" Just ask Him and He will give you the "God idea" you need! And we will spend our lives praising Him together!
James 1:5-6. "If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind.
When my friend heard her situation, she boldly spoke up saying, "Twelve hundred dollars is not a problem for God! He created the whole universe. Let's ask Him for an idea to get the money for your rent." I can't tell you how this blessed my spirit! I agreed completely with my friend and immediately wanted to participate in the answer to this prayer! God is huge and we should boast in His power! He is the answer to all of our needs and situations! He can be trusted with our concerns and desperation. Whatever the idea, I was in!
Anyway, as my friend asked the Lord for this idea, she remembered a wall hanging she had been making that was stuffed in her closet at home. She had been working on it slowly for 10 years. The Lord suggested to her to have a raffle with the wall hanging as a prize and sell tickets to raise the money for the rent. This solved two problems. It would raise the rent money and it would get my friend motivated to finish her artwork. So, my friend wrote this idea in an email, sent the email out to everyone she knew, and began working to finish the wall hanging.
On Sunday morning at church, I found my friend to buy some raffle tickets! I was excited to hear the outcome of God's idea! I love when God gives us ideas because they are supernatural and work even better than we might expect! When I greeted her with the money to buy my raffle tickets, she said, "I have a problem. So many people have responded to this raffle! I have raised over two and a half times the money needed." This brought a smile to my face! I answered with, "You don't have a problem! You have a God who is in the habit of giving us "more than we can ask or imagine". You have a God who can't wait for us to trust in Him in faith and loves to "open the floodgates of heaven" in our lives! You have a God who gives us "a double-portion and even a triple portion"! Let's just enjoy His benefits and praise Him!"
I pray we will boldly ask God for ideas when faced with the struggles of life today! I pray we will not shrink away from any problem! After all, we have the supernatural power of heaven on our side. Jeremiah 32:27 says, "I am the LORD, the God of all mankind. Is anything too hard for Me?" Let's believe together and boldly act on knowing "nothing we encounter is ever too hard for our God!" Just ask Him and He will give you the "God idea" you need! And we will spend our lives praising Him together!
James 1:5-6. "If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind.
Saturday, October 20, 2012
Expectancy!
Recently, I was asked to come to a meeting and share the signs of transformation in our city. As I pondered about what to speak, I wrote a list of things by which God has been encouraging me. Then I sent the list to my host and he asked a question. "What if someone questions these changes? What are the sources for this information?" And I had a simple answer, "Our local newspaper, The Daily Sun." I regularly read the newspaper looking for answers to my prayers.
I started praying for transformation in our city over 15 years ago. As I prayed, I looked around for answers to my prayers. For the first 9 years, I saw lots of transformation in individuals (including myself). Starting in 2006, I began to see major changes in our city in general. What drove me to pray was a firm belief that the transformation of our city was an idea from God. It was His idea, not mine. The success of this transformation rests solely on His shoulders and my part was just to believe "Nothing is impossible with God." So, from that point forward, I had an expectancy! I have seen in significant ways how God is working toward transformation. My part is to watch with expectancy and pray! And also ACT on anything the Lord asks me to do!
This journey of learning to wait with expectancy has been a battle for me. If you know me very well, you know that patience is not one of my strong points naturally! I pace in front of the microwave! I drive different routes in my car to avoid waiting at lights! Just ask my husband! This lack of patience has often caused me to get caught up in a specific expectation when praying. I have learned that praying requires me to let go of control. My part is crying out to God for His answer not expecting Him to answer in the way I would. When I am stuck on planning HOW God should answer my prayers, I am trapped in pride and frustration. This takes away my expectancy, my joy, and my freedom. When I am locked into a one-way outcome, I am in danger of losing my faith! My faith needs to rest in the Almighty God and His incomprehensible wisdom, rather than in my faulty and limited human plans.
Praying is not about giving an order to God. It is about surrendering a need to God and then waiting for His response. It is about reading my Bible to find revelation from God's Word. It is about understanding how mighty and great He is! It is about knowing He is better suited to decide how to meet my prayer requests. And often when the answer comes, I would not have done things the way He did. This is because my perspective is too small compared to His vantage point. He sees the whole picture and I only see the part. But as I pray and accept His answers, I am awestruck and humbled! The Almighty God of this universe cares for and communicates with me. He listens to and answers my prayers! He invites me into the great things He is doing in the world today! I can expect Him to listen, answer, and sometimes even invite me into the answers!
So as I watch and pray, I will wait with expectancy! I will live with joy, freedom, and great faith! I will believe God for the answers to my prayers! I will keep my ears and eyes wide open as I expect the answer to my prayers in whatever dynamic way my Lord chooses to answer them. And I will watch in awe and praise as He continues to transform our city! And sometimes His answers will be written as headlines in the newspaper.
Ephesians 3:20-21:"Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us, to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen."
I started praying for transformation in our city over 15 years ago. As I prayed, I looked around for answers to my prayers. For the first 9 years, I saw lots of transformation in individuals (including myself). Starting in 2006, I began to see major changes in our city in general. What drove me to pray was a firm belief that the transformation of our city was an idea from God. It was His idea, not mine. The success of this transformation rests solely on His shoulders and my part was just to believe "Nothing is impossible with God." So, from that point forward, I had an expectancy! I have seen in significant ways how God is working toward transformation. My part is to watch with expectancy and pray! And also ACT on anything the Lord asks me to do!
This journey of learning to wait with expectancy has been a battle for me. If you know me very well, you know that patience is not one of my strong points naturally! I pace in front of the microwave! I drive different routes in my car to avoid waiting at lights! Just ask my husband! This lack of patience has often caused me to get caught up in a specific expectation when praying. I have learned that praying requires me to let go of control. My part is crying out to God for His answer not expecting Him to answer in the way I would. When I am stuck on planning HOW God should answer my prayers, I am trapped in pride and frustration. This takes away my expectancy, my joy, and my freedom. When I am locked into a one-way outcome, I am in danger of losing my faith! My faith needs to rest in the Almighty God and His incomprehensible wisdom, rather than in my faulty and limited human plans.
Praying is not about giving an order to God. It is about surrendering a need to God and then waiting for His response. It is about reading my Bible to find revelation from God's Word. It is about understanding how mighty and great He is! It is about knowing He is better suited to decide how to meet my prayer requests. And often when the answer comes, I would not have done things the way He did. This is because my perspective is too small compared to His vantage point. He sees the whole picture and I only see the part. But as I pray and accept His answers, I am awestruck and humbled! The Almighty God of this universe cares for and communicates with me. He listens to and answers my prayers! He invites me into the great things He is doing in the world today! I can expect Him to listen, answer, and sometimes even invite me into the answers!
So as I watch and pray, I will wait with expectancy! I will live with joy, freedom, and great faith! I will believe God for the answers to my prayers! I will keep my ears and eyes wide open as I expect the answer to my prayers in whatever dynamic way my Lord chooses to answer them. And I will watch in awe and praise as He continues to transform our city! And sometimes His answers will be written as headlines in the newspaper.
Ephesians 3:20-21:"Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us, to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen."
Friday, September 28, 2012
Fear Struggle!
The other day I was sitting on a plane with my husband when I began to have some chest pains. I have a fear of flying but usually the Lord helps me overcome this when I am on planes. So the chest pains surprised me since I was feeling peaceful at the moment. As I sat in my seat wondering what the best thing to do was, I began to pray.
In my moment of prayer, God reminded me to depend on my husband in these moments of fear. He is a levelheaded man and makes good decisions. Despite my feelings of desperation, I calmly told my husband, "I am having chest pains. They are about to close the door to the plane. Do you think we should get off?" He reached over to rub my head and said, "Honey, you are going to be fine. Lay your head back and rest for a while." I did not agree with him! I was sure I was going to die in the air! But it was the Lord's idea to ask my husband in the first place. As I realized I have been in this position before, I did what I was told even though everything in me said to get up and get out quickly! I have learned that sometimes things are not as they seem. Feelings of fear can be very deceptive! I trusted my prayer and my husband and my Father in heaven! So I closed my eyes, laid my head back, and surrendered!
Before take-off, I began working on a project I had brought in my bag. As I became distracted by this, my chest pains eased and I realized a few minutes later, I was actually enjoying the flight. The Lord had helped me to overcome the fear and I had become productive and filled with joy once again.
The thing about overcoming fear is the feelings are still there. The fear still lives in my feelings, but I do not let these feelings control my actions. I don't live in fear although sometimes I feel it. My actions are based on faith in a God who loves me and has done everything to save me from my fear! He has given it all so I can have faith in my weakest moments.
I write this today, because I have encountered several people with life-altering fear this week. I say life-altering because I know they are being inhibited from reaching their dreams because of fear! I am writing this to stand with them as a person with many fears, but a person who has not let fear stand in the way of my dreams! I have overcome these feelings and have walked through them. I am no longer ruled by fear! Yes, I do feel it, but when I feel it I do not let it stop me!
Revelation 12:11 says,"They overcame him (the enemy) by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death." I believe if I had not realized earlier in life that Jesus shed his blood to give me freedom, I would have essentially lived a life dead to my dreams and gifts. I would have been a person waiting for death instead of living in the fullness of life Jesus provided for me.
So today I am testifying. I have gone to the top of the Empire State building although I felt fear. I have confronted people I love although I felt fear. I have flown to China on a thirteen-hour flight although I felt fear. I have spoken in front of groups of 300 or more people although I have felt fear.
I have exchanged my fear for faith! I live today in victory over fear! And my life makes a difference even in all of my weaknesses and fears! Your life is important and your dreams can be realized! Please join me in trusting God to walk with you through your fears! When you feel fear, pray, and walk straight at it until you get to the other side! Your life is worth living! And living is a state that exists in faith not fear!
1 John 4:18- "There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear..."
In my moment of prayer, God reminded me to depend on my husband in these moments of fear. He is a levelheaded man and makes good decisions. Despite my feelings of desperation, I calmly told my husband, "I am having chest pains. They are about to close the door to the plane. Do you think we should get off?" He reached over to rub my head and said, "Honey, you are going to be fine. Lay your head back and rest for a while." I did not agree with him! I was sure I was going to die in the air! But it was the Lord's idea to ask my husband in the first place. As I realized I have been in this position before, I did what I was told even though everything in me said to get up and get out quickly! I have learned that sometimes things are not as they seem. Feelings of fear can be very deceptive! I trusted my prayer and my husband and my Father in heaven! So I closed my eyes, laid my head back, and surrendered!
Before take-off, I began working on a project I had brought in my bag. As I became distracted by this, my chest pains eased and I realized a few minutes later, I was actually enjoying the flight. The Lord had helped me to overcome the fear and I had become productive and filled with joy once again.
The thing about overcoming fear is the feelings are still there. The fear still lives in my feelings, but I do not let these feelings control my actions. I don't live in fear although sometimes I feel it. My actions are based on faith in a God who loves me and has done everything to save me from my fear! He has given it all so I can have faith in my weakest moments.
I write this today, because I have encountered several people with life-altering fear this week. I say life-altering because I know they are being inhibited from reaching their dreams because of fear! I am writing this to stand with them as a person with many fears, but a person who has not let fear stand in the way of my dreams! I have overcome these feelings and have walked through them. I am no longer ruled by fear! Yes, I do feel it, but when I feel it I do not let it stop me!
Revelation 12:11 says,"They overcame him (the enemy) by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death." I believe if I had not realized earlier in life that Jesus shed his blood to give me freedom, I would have essentially lived a life dead to my dreams and gifts. I would have been a person waiting for death instead of living in the fullness of life Jesus provided for me.
So today I am testifying. I have gone to the top of the Empire State building although I felt fear. I have confronted people I love although I felt fear. I have flown to China on a thirteen-hour flight although I felt fear. I have spoken in front of groups of 300 or more people although I have felt fear.
I have exchanged my fear for faith! I live today in victory over fear! And my life makes a difference even in all of my weaknesses and fears! Your life is important and your dreams can be realized! Please join me in trusting God to walk with you through your fears! When you feel fear, pray, and walk straight at it until you get to the other side! Your life is worth living! And living is a state that exists in faith not fear!
1 John 4:18- "There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear..."
Tuesday, September 4, 2012
Using Weakness to Gain Strength!
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!
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!
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.
Sunday, April 15, 2012
Overcoming Depression!
I was walking through Wal-mart yesterday and in passing, I saw the face of a woman. Her face has been with me since then. I have been praying for her although I do not know who she is. Something in her expression touched me deep in my soul. I recognized the face of someone who is severely depressed. I have seen this face in my own mirror in past years. It is not something I feel very often anymore. But knowing depression in my own life, helped me relate to the pain and hopelessness that gripped this woman.
In the last week, I have been reading the Psalms. The Psalms are full of the emotions of man. They range from purely joyful moments to utter despair. It is amazing how the Bible has the answer to every one of life's problems! This is because it was written about real people! God inspired these words to those who have gone before us so we would have a way to deal with all the things that come our way. It is a manual for our life and a love letter from our God. His Word will get us through with grace and mercy.
So as I was reading, I found the answer to heal depression in one verse! It is comforting how one verse can be so packed full of answers for my life. I can testify to the accuracy of this verse because the Lord has used this method to heal my life of depression.
Psalm 42:5 says; "Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise Him, my Savior..."
Here are the steps that I see in this verse:
Step 1: The Psalmist asks himself the questions; "Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me?" It is important to ask yourself these questions so you know what it is that is causing the depression. You can even ask the Lord to help you. You might even want to talk to a friend about it. But figuring out what is really going on is the first step.
Step 2: Put your hope in God! Hope is actually the emotional state that is opposite of despair. So if we spend some time meditating on who God is, we see the hope of Him helping us through the situation. If we remember He parted the Red Sea, He healed the sick, He raised the dead, and He died for us, we have a much better perspective to gaze at our problem. When we consider God, every circumstance has hope. After all, nothing is impossible with God and everything is possible!
Step 3: Make a decision to praise Him! Jesus is our Savior. Often when I feel depression gripping my soul, I get out my journal and I start writing down everything I am thankful for. Sometimes it is hard to start, but as I get going, I feel my soul being lifted and I thank God for all of the beautiful creation around me, the amazing people in my life, and His abundant love for me. I am His favorite! You are His favorite! We are all His favorite! We cannot be grateful and depressed at the same time.
I am blessed to testify to the fact that depression is not something we need to live with day after day. God has given us the answer to dealing with depression. Depression was a daily struggle in my past and now it is just a word on the list of things from which the Lord has healed me.
In the last week, I have been reading the Psalms. The Psalms are full of the emotions of man. They range from purely joyful moments to utter despair. It is amazing how the Bible has the answer to every one of life's problems! This is because it was written about real people! God inspired these words to those who have gone before us so we would have a way to deal with all the things that come our way. It is a manual for our life and a love letter from our God. His Word will get us through with grace and mercy.
So as I was reading, I found the answer to heal depression in one verse! It is comforting how one verse can be so packed full of answers for my life. I can testify to the accuracy of this verse because the Lord has used this method to heal my life of depression.
Psalm 42:5 says; "Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise Him, my Savior..."
Here are the steps that I see in this verse:
Step 1: The Psalmist asks himself the questions; "Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me?" It is important to ask yourself these questions so you know what it is that is causing the depression. You can even ask the Lord to help you. You might even want to talk to a friend about it. But figuring out what is really going on is the first step.
Step 2: Put your hope in God! Hope is actually the emotional state that is opposite of despair. So if we spend some time meditating on who God is, we see the hope of Him helping us through the situation. If we remember He parted the Red Sea, He healed the sick, He raised the dead, and He died for us, we have a much better perspective to gaze at our problem. When we consider God, every circumstance has hope. After all, nothing is impossible with God and everything is possible!
Step 3: Make a decision to praise Him! Jesus is our Savior. Often when I feel depression gripping my soul, I get out my journal and I start writing down everything I am thankful for. Sometimes it is hard to start, but as I get going, I feel my soul being lifted and I thank God for all of the beautiful creation around me, the amazing people in my life, and His abundant love for me. I am His favorite! You are His favorite! We are all His favorite! We cannot be grateful and depressed at the same time.
I am blessed to testify to the fact that depression is not something we need to live with day after day. God has given us the answer to dealing with depression. Depression was a daily struggle in my past and now it is just a word on the list of things from which the Lord has healed me.
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