my wings are made of faith

We Need To Talk

"We need to talk."

Usually these words preceed a conversation neither party is looking forward to having.According to my husband, it usally means that the bed of roses we were walking on is about to turn to a crown of thorns.

I recently came across a scripture in the bible that had a providencial "We need to talk" stamped all over it. I found it a couple of weeks ago and tried to forget it ever since. But it wouldn't be ignored. So what's the scripture that had me running like Jonah to Ninevah?

1 Corinthians 6:7. The context for chapter 6 verses 1-8 is Paul is writing to the church in Corinth. They have been having a hard time settling disputes amongst themselves. So they started taking each other to court. 

Vs. 1 When one of you has a dispute with another believer, how dare you file a lawsuit and ask a secular court to decide the matter instead of taking it to other believers. (NLT)

Paul's reasoning for why this is a bad idea is found in verse 4. 

Vs. 4  If you have legal disputes about such matters, why go to outside judges who are not respected by the church?

He is saying that the church of believers, which wasn't recognized or respected by the governing authorities at the time, should not go to those who don't share their beliefs to settle matters. Instead, he urged the believers to take their matters before wise men of the church to settle a dispute. 

Here is the verse that I have been struggling with:

vs. 7 Even to have such law suits with one another is a defeat for you. Why not just accept the injustice and leave it at that? Why not let yourselves be cheated? (NLT)

Ummmm excuse me?!

Why not just accept the injustice and let myself be cheated?!??!?!?!

Well Paul, author of 13 of the 27 books in the new testatment, here is my answer....

"Because it is not FAIR!" If we are all believers, then someone else should show a little wisdom or humility and not cheat me or do injustice against me in the first place, right?

If it isn't apparent, the reason I ran away from this scripture was because it touched a sore spot in my heart. It reminded me of the hurts that my fellow Christians bestowed on me. I remember thinking, "if they loved God so much, they should see why they are wrong and I am right."

Like Jonah, I ran away from this scripture because I heard God saying "We need to talk" but I, dreading what that conversation would entail, decided it would be safer to run away for a while instead of listening.

And just like with Jonah, God has a way of getting your attention. So was I swallowed by a ginormous fish?

No! I  heard a sermon by Karen Vaughn. I had never heard of Karen and Linus Vaughn before, but I went to a church this past weekend to support a friend, God showed up again saying "we need to talk".

The reason I didn't want to have "a little talk with Jesus" about this verse was I didn't want to be told my hurt was not valid or that it was immature.

We fear the "we need to talk" conversations because we assume the ending from the beginning. But we forget that at the end of the "we need to talk" conversations comes restoration and deeper connection.

Trusting God 14 Different Ways

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding

Prov 3:5 KNJV

It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man

Psalm 118:8 KNJV

Blessed is the man who trust in the Lord, and whose hope is the Lord

Jer 17:7 NKJV

He will not be afraid of evil tidings; His heart is steadfast, trusting in the Lord

Psm 112:7 NKJV

The fear of man brings a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord shall be safe

Prv 29:25 NKJV

Vindicate me O Lord, For I have walked in my integrity. I have also trusted in the Lord; I shall not slip

Psam 26:1 NKJV

He has put a new song in my mouth--Praise to our God; Many will see it and fear, and will trust in the Lord

Psam 40:3 NKJV

He who heeds the word wisely will find good  and whoever trusts in the Lord, happy is he

Prov 16:20 NKJV

But it is good for me to draw near to God; I have put my trust in the Lord God, that i many declare all Your works Psm 73:28 NKJV

But I am trusting you O Lord, saying "You are my God"

Psalm 31:14 NLT

For the wicked will be destroyed, but those who trust in the Lord will possess the land

Psalm 37:9 NLT

Those who trust in the Lord are as secure as Mount Zion; they will not be defeated but will endure forever

Psm 125:1 NLT

So do not throw away this confient trust in the Lord. Remember the great reward it bring you!

Heb 10:35

But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint

Isaiah 40:31 NLT

Here are (14) fourteen scripture on trusting the Lord. 

For three years, God has been dealing with me about trusting Him. It is so easy to read the words of the scripture about trust. But the real power of the livng Word comes when we apply it to our lives.

It seemed like Lori lived Psalm 112:7 NKV and kept her peace. It seemed Christy lived Prv 29:25 and was kept safe. on a boat. Cynthia shared you and I can live Isaiah 40:31 and be refreshed.

Extending trust is a learned behavior...even to the one person in the entire universe who is the most trust worthy. I don't like that God would put so many scriptures in the Bible about trusting Him if He expected us to get it the first time. If you are struggling, take courage, look at how far you have come and praise God for your growth. Then commit to keep at it. 

Fourteen verses on trust. One a day for two weeks. Which one speaks to you? And why?

Father help us see where we can trust you more. Give us the courage to start extending you the trust you deserve. Give us the peace that trusting you brings. Amen

Learning from our mistakes, or Actively turning to the Spirit of God

We all have to learn from our mistakes. It is a part of growing up. As much as it makes my heart cringe to think of what the consequences could have been, I realized that falling down the stairs was something my grandchild had to do in order to understand why we continuously told him to be careful.  When he rushed for the stairs following anyone who happened to go down them, we jumped, over and over fearing his fall - until the day he actually fell, when no one could possibly get to him. He was so intent on going downstairs, that he would never patiently wait for someone to help him down. But then it happened. His shoe caught in the carpet,. Even though he had been holding the rail, he tumbled, head over feet. His mother scrambled to him screaming from the top, as I ran in terror attempting to catch him before he hit concrete on the bottom.  Both of us calling upon God to help. And there it was. By God's grace he landed on the bottom step in a horribly contorted position, eyes wide open in fear, and looking as though every bone was broken...but he was safe. All I could say was, "Well at least maybe we won't have to constantly tell him to be careful on the stairs. That should have scared him enough to know what can happen."

Yesterday, Ryder headed for the stairs on the deck, 13 in all, when I had my hands very tied up with a large tray of things I was taking back into the kitchen after our dinner. His older brother had already gone down and was watering my plants. When Mr. Independent headed to the top of the steps, he wasn't thinking of his fall.  But the moment I reminded him: "Ryder, stop, you might fall," he stopped.  And he backed up.  I called for Dakota to drop the hose and come help him come down, and Ryder, against his ususal character accepted his brother's help.  In fact, he wouldn't proceed until he had a firm grip on the rail, and his brother's hand. So different than before his fall.

We continue like this into adulthood, doing what we see other's do, going where others are going, being influenced to move out of impatience and desire, driven by a desire to be independent and accomplished - without even realizing that the path the world is on is totally originated and kept by the devil himself.  He loves to see us trip over our own attempts to gain, and grow, to go falling into failure.  If we don't learn from our mistakes he will continue to take us to the same path over and over, telling us to just try harder, that we will finally prevail, if we work at it. Now, there is a great deal of good to be gained by being practiced in doing something which God backs us in...but we tend to do the thing God is steering us away from, over and over, with the anticipation of change for good.

This week we are dealing with how to overcome the past. How to break free of its hold on you emotionally, physically, and of course spiritually. It occurs when you realize and redirect your attentions to the one who is in control of your paths. The choice is yours entirely. I cannot emphasize enough that not making the choice means Satan is making your choices for you. He won't reveal that he is, but scripture says he is.

2.Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now works in the children of disobedience: 4 But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, 6 … hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: 7 That in the ages to come he might show the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.  Ephesians 2 excerpts.

(please note that the author is talking to Christians who are only acting like "children of disobedience" and directs them to see themselves as sitting in heavenly places.)

This very familiar chapter is usually one we look to for understanding on salvation. But if you look carefully, it explains without a doubt that in Jesus we have power to go from constantly having the Spirit calling us back from tragedy and remorse, to living with a listening ear toward the Spirit's direction.  The exact opposite of being towed along mindlessly by Satan and the ways of the world.

On Tuesday, Julia explained how Abraham and Sarah lived out their faith, well aware of everything that seemed to be against them, but wholly on a path to recieve the promises of God.But not without failure earlier in life.

  Noah built an Ark, in spite of the things people said over the great number of years it took for him to build it. Even Jesus died on a cross declaring the injury would bring blessing to all of us, and his disciples had great difficulty knowing how this could possibly be true.  Faith is a separation from everyone, everything, every plan, every belief that has us going back to Satan's paths.  I don't mean going back to sin acts,  necessarily. We can be doing every good work that we can possibly imagine, and still be on Satan's path.  Unknowingly, unwittingly, failing and falling and always rushing headfirst into life that confuses and weakens our faith in God.

Christy is so right! Sometimes it takes severing ties with people to break the power of Satan over our daily walk.  Whatever it takes, BREAK HIS POWER.  Wake up and don't go tumbling down the stairs of life again.  Make an active decision to not go plowing into life without care for the conseqences, like a baby learning why to be afraid. You know why to be afraid.  Why are you more afraid of the consequences of doing what Christ calls you to, by faith, than afraid of what Satan leads you to again and again, which keeps hurting you? Why?

Guest Post: With God, all things are possible.

Image by A Place To Dwell.

Those words —and that truth — are on repeat in my heart today.

And, as I sit here, all cozied up, writing this guest post and reflecting, I’m realizing just how much I need to cling to them, believe in them, speak them, and pray them.

I knew those words before this morning, of course, but He must have known just how much I needed a reminder — because on my way to church, He placed them on my heart. 

And then, amazingly, the same truth was repeated during our Palm Sunday message, as we talked about fixing our eyes on what is unseen, rather than what is seen. We talked about how hard it is to dwell in that unseen place, how it’s easier to put our belief and trust in those things we can see and know and feel and touch.

But this is what I’m learning (and what I was reminded of this morning): when we intentionally focus our hearts and minds on what is unseen, on the invisible spaces in our lives that He is filling up and working in, we experience so much more of His goodness and His faithfulness. 

Because we can trust that He is at work in our lives, even when we cannot see it.

I couldn’t believe the timing of His message this morning. My heart drank in every word, desperate for the reassurance that He is working, and I am not forgotten. 

I’m in a season where it’s often a battle to trust in His unseen work, a season where I often feel caught between waiting for His voice and the weight of the hopes on my heart. 

But then He blesses me with a truth like He did this morning, and I remember who my God is and that truly all things are possible for those who believe.

As we look ahead to Easter and think about the huge significance of the cross and the resurrection and the beautiful redemption we find in Jesus, I’m reminded that this redemption isn’t a one-time thing — it’s something we find over and over again, each and every day, as we continue to put our hope and our trust in Him. 

His mercies are new every morning. 

And when I remember this, and I fix my eyes on Him and on the unseen, I am inspired to keep trusting, keep hoping, and keep believing that with Him as the author of my story, all things are beautifully, wonderfully, incredibly possible.

Katie is a writer, creator, and polka-dot wearer. She believes in living an inspired life of possibility, and she loves to encourage others to do the same through her blog A Place to Dwell. 

Photo By LuSarah SEAS Photography 

You can also find Katie here:

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/aplacetodwell

Twitter: twitter.com/letterbirdart

 

God is able, but even if he doesn't...

"If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us
from it, and he will rescue us from your hand, O king.

But even if he does not, we want you to know, O king, that we will not serve
your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up."

Daniel 3:17-18

Our God is able but even if he doesn’t….

What a powerful statement made by young believers in the face of certain death. Picture it. You are young, you love God and doing everything seemingly RIGHT and because you are doing the right thing, you get in trouble
with the highest authority in the land. I can’t imagine being sentenced to death for following
Christ.

And yet, those guys boldly declared a truth that highlights two lesson for me:

1. Just because He doesn’t, doesn’t mean he can’t
2. My faith isn’t predicated on things going my way
   for me to believe. 

We have all had situations where we prayed in faith for something and didn’t get it. The “accuser of the brethren” likes to take those instances and try to convince us that is was too hard for God. The devil will suggest it enough times that we subconsciously begin to believe it. We show this belief by not praying for the “little” things anymore. We justify that God is too busy or that we can cover the small stuff ourselves. These actions say, we might not believe he is able. He is able. He can. You many never see me do 25 push ups, but that doesn’t mean I can’t do it.

If you want to see if you are mature in your faith, take a look at how you respond when you pray and you don’t get your way. Do you question yourself? God? What is the point of having faith if you can see how everything is going to work out?!?!

Here is where I am challenged. I think, well if he is able, they he should do things the way I want them. Right? NO! He is able but I have to show my maturity in faith by accepting that things won’t always go my way.

I am not moved. I am thrown of course. My faith is based in love and acceptance. God is holy and just and can’t stand sin. Sin has to be punished and can’t be overlooked. So God punished his son Jesus so that it could
be possible for sinful me to have relationship with Holy God. By accepting this sacrifice that Christ made, I am no longer viewed as sinful but forgiven. As a forgiven, I can  have an abundant life. There are many rights to being forgiven but there are responsibilities to. We have to grow up! We have move past the “God-is-a-genie-who-fixes-all-my-problems” mentality. We have to grow into the “God-I trust-you-regardless-of-outcome” maturity.

Prayer: Lord, help us to grow up! Mature us to say that you are not only able but even if you don’t we refuse to be doubt our relationship with you.

 

 

 

Give up empty to get full

A recent conversation with my kids went like this:

Me: Would like some peaches with your lunch?

Kids: Yes, please.

(I take their plates to put peaches on it. In unison, they both begin to protest and cry.)

Kids: Mommy!!!!! Don’t take my plate.

Me: I have to take your plate in order to put the peaches on it.

This made me think...we don't want to give up what we have even when it means getting something better. There is something frightening about letting go or releasing something. The truth is release can bring many benefits.

I was reading a Joyce Meyer commentary on Joshua chapter 1. Joshua had just inherited Moses’ job and after a time of mourning, it was time to move on. It was time to move forward. It was time to let go of the past and embrace the future.

“Don’t be afraid to release and walk away from what God is finished with; He has wonderful new things waiting for you!” ~Joyce Meyer

The plate is empty. There is nothing left on it. We have asked God for more and He has said yes. Now we have to let go of the empty in order to get full.

Consider this: holding on to that thing (pride, unforgiveness, anger, fear) is keeping you from moving forward and if you release it, you can make room to gain (peace, joy, contentment, increased faith...or even peaches!)

Prayer: Lord you know the end from the beginning. Help us trust you to give us what we need exactly when we need it. Let us not be afraid to end a season when it is the right time. Order our steps in your word and give us peace. Amen

The King's Food

Images courtesy of my son, Chris Wilkerson. My thanks.

And the king appointed them a daily provision of the king's meat, and of the wine which he drank: and so nourishing them three years, that at the end thereof they might stand before the king. Daniel 1:5

Sounds like an excellent idea, right? Who wouldn't like to be fed like a king? So why did Daniel ask to be exempted...?

When I read this verse, my mind went straight to thinking that the verse was going to be a picture type for how God would have us come daily to his table of spiritual blessings and be fed. *But when I read the story, (read the verse in context,) I recognized it immediately. In this story, Daniel risked a great deal not to risk his health.

• Know the source of your provision:

This is the story of the four children of Judah who, when brought into captivity, were chosen to be served the best the king had to offer, so they would be capable of serving this king. As it turnied out, Daniel chose not to take the King's bountiful food, which might include pigs and exotic meats that were against the Jewish law, and chose instead to eat only a porridge made of veggies. After a 10 day test, they were allowed to continue their chosen diet. Also they drank water, for 3 years! All while they were being groomed to serve the king. (Almost like going to college for an official job.) The result was they were clear minded and healthier looking (which by the way was FATTER) than the others who ate the meat. These 4 men, were Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego. You might remember the childhood Bible stories of Daniel in the Lion's Den and The 3 Men Who Wouldn't Burn.

The king, who only wanted them to look like they were being well fed, since they would appear in his court on his behalf, was none the wiser.  They were not trusting in the food, but in God for their health. In any exercise to find healthy boundaries, don't fall into trusting the food. Remember the source of your health is faith in God and in choosing to live by his word. Choosing what and how you eat is a commitment to live in your faith, standing on your faith. It's a choice to do whatever, even if sacrificial in nature, to give God reigns in your life.

 

• Imagine yourself....

Note that these young men, having been taken into captivity, were probably too thin, just as we see of people, possessed by other countries on the news today -starving or hungry. Living a Godly life doesn't guarantee  you will have the food you would choose to eat. If they became captive as young men, what occurred in their lives was an incredible shake up of their expectations of life. Perhaps all their dreams had come crashing down. Perhaps, they had gone through a trauma unlike many of us will ever experience - taken from their homes into a foreign environment against their will. If so, asking permission to take control of their eating habits was a small battle Daniel hoped he could win. It was a step in a direction to their own healing process, and step one to finding a new way of life. But understand that there could have been a period of time in their lives that they could not make a healthy choice, and could not eat what they would have chosen to eat due to their captivity. They were at the mercy of their circumstances, as many budget conscious persons are today. But when given opportunity, they were faithful to prepare themselves for the task presented them. There are times in our lives that we will be in the "could not" stage. It is then that our faith will be all that can sustain us.

Having Done All, Stand

This week I continue to follow the scriptural path through the many chapters and books, as the Lord gives guidance through the word “STAND.”  Since we are instructed to stand over and over throughout the scriptures by different authors who were given grace to understand God’s will for their lives, the recurring theme takes on significance.The value of understanding what exactly that term means for sanctified service, is that we learn to take
less on ourselves, thus letting God’s power be the driving force in our lives.That is exactly the opposite of a do more, pray more, strive more, give more, etc. – whatever “more” we try to take on in our lives to please God.  The
value of learning to stand is that we can actually do less - do only that which God is leading us to do.

 It is totally up to God to bring our battles into perspective, to show his own power to overcome the biggest obstacles. It becomes our blessing to make use of that power when we have become totally ingrained in the
immensity of that power. To do that, we must step back and STAND, watching what God will do to make himself known in our circumstances, and then listen carefully to know his guidance.  Charging at our battles dressed in our armor and all prayed up, will result in failure every time. That is until, as we learned last week, the Lord has gone in before us. Then, on the proverbial second day, he says: “Now go in and defeat the enemy, for I have gone before you, and I now go with you.” Only then do we cease to stand.

This week’s verses tell us what to do once we have learned the importance of how to stand. I am skipping the verse #12, which is Daniel 1:5, to use to complete my discussion next week.  It is a great story that applies directly to
Christy’s Wholly Healing series.  So the next verse in line will become our new number 12:

12. LISTEN AND LEARN

I will stand upon my watch, and set me upon the tower, and will watch to see what he will say unto me, and what I shall answer when I am reproved. Habakuk 2:1

13. BECOME AWARE OF RESISTANCE AND ITS SOURCE

And he shewed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the Lord, and Satan standing at his right hand to resist him. Zechariah 3:1.

14. CLEAR THE SLATE

And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses. Mark 11:25

No distractions from the bitterness of life when your life is on the line. Search your heart.

15. HEAR AND OBEY HIS VOICE

But he knew their thoughts, and said to the man which had the withered hand, Rise up, and stand forth in the midst. And he arose and stood forth. Luke 6:8  

16. ACCEPT THE HEIGHTENED AWARENESS, COMMUNICATE WITH HIM

Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man. Luke 21:36  

_______________

From this point forward the scriptural emphasis is on standing by faith, not by sight.  When things look like they aren’t going the way we expected them to, when it looks as though God really didn’t go in ahead of you, when it looks like your faithful friends don’t support you, when it looks like you are alone, when it looks like you misread something God told you, when the battle seems bigger than your faith, when fear threatens to loom bigger than your peace…whenever, things look like they might overwhelm you…you must stand by faith.

Don’t look to others for your faith. Their unbelief will break your ability to stand. No one’s faith is like your own. 
And remember it needs only to be the size of a grain of mustard seed. Faith doesn’t have to be BIG. You just have to STAND on the faith you have. Pray that God will help strengthen your faith. When your faith is wavering, call out to God with the truth. Be honest with God that you need his help to even have faith, much less stand on it.

 (And straightway the father of the child cried out, and said with tears, Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief. Mark 9:24)

17. STAND BY FAITH ONLY

Well; because of unbelief they were broken off, and thou standest by faith. Be not high-minded, but fear: Romans 11:20  And-

 That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God. I Corinthians 2:5

Stand only in faith, not in an increase in wisdom and understanding.  

18. 4 SIMPLE STEPS

Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit you like men, be strong. I Corinthians 16:13KJV

 or to sum upeverything so far-

BE ON GUARD.  STAND FIRM IN FAITH. BE COURAGEOUS. BE STRONG.  New Living Translation (even as sons of God.)

The Victim Mentality of Believers

Recently, I was sitting in church listening to a sermon called How to fight like a champ. The preacher was encouraging the congregants on how to fight and win. So often we see ourselves as lovers not fighters.We are both!

That is when I thought "we have a victim mentality plaguing the believers of God". It is hindering us from living that abundant life that Christ died so we can have. We play the powerless victim. We are treated unfairly and what are we to do? We whine and say, "there is nothing that can be done." Woe is me....BLAH BLAH BLAH!

You are of God and have already defeated and overcome them because He who lives in you is greater than he who is in the world. 1 John 4:4

Do you realize what the scriptures says? It says there is an adversary at work in this world. It also says he is already defeated. It screams we are not victims! Yes, there are Christians being persecuted to varying degrees all over the world. Jesus was persecuted but he was not a victim! Even in his persecution, he was a victor.

In John chapter 11, we find the familiar story of Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead. There is an interesting detail in that story that applies to this topic.

vs 44 And he who had died came out bound hand and foot with graveclothes, and his face was wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, “Loose him, and let him go.”

Isn't it interesting that after Jesus raised him from the dead, he instructed him to be loosed from from his burial cloths and go free! 

The problem with victimized believers is that we have been proverbially raised from the dead but are still bound in our burial clothes. We are "clothed" in circumstances and situations that say we should by all accounts be "dead" and we believe the circumtances and situations. We are walking and talk but in our minds we still look at our selves, and live our lives as if we are dead with no hope.

But we aren't dead.

We are alive because greater is He that is in us than he that is in the world.

A fellow Wings of Faith blogger recently said we have trouble with this line of thinking in part because we don't know what the word says. We don't know these scriptures or if we know them we somehow get convinced that they are too radical or that they don't apply to us. Scriptures like:

Romans 8:37 ...we are more than conquerors through him who loves us

John 3:33 ...In the world you have tribulation and trials and distress and frustration; but be of good cheer [take courage; be confident, certain, undaunted]! For I have overcome the world. [I have deprived it of power to harm you and have conquered it for you.] amplified bible.

Psalms 23:4 Yes, though I walk through the [deep, sunless] valley of the shadow of death, I will fear or dread no evil, for You are with me; Your rod [to protect] and Your staff [to guide], they comfort me.

1 John 4:4 ...Greater is He that is in you, then he that is in the world

The bible tells us in Ephesians 6:12 that.. our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms..

and my favorite verse to throw back in the devil's face when he tries to tell me what an embarassment I am to God is

Col 2: 15  [God] disarmed the principalities and powers that were ranged against us and made a bold display and public example of them, in triumphing over them in Him and in it [the cross].The same Jesus who lives in your.

Does this mean that all believers are entitled to a life of perpetual winning? Yes and no. No in the sense that just because we are believers doesn't mean we will all win the publishers clearing house sweepstakes or never face sickness or tradegy and only have good things happen to us. However, yes we can win in Christ. If we listening to his daily call and be lead in His ways, regardless of the outcome, we can win. Christ disarmed the principalities adn and powers that we against us. Just like Lazarus He borught us back to life and we have to be bold enough to take off the grave clothes, put on the armor of God, wage war and stand our ground.

That doesn't sound like a victim to me. What do you think?

Father in Psalms 24:8 David declares that you are the Lord God stroing and mighty and the Lord God mighty in battle. You fight on our behalf and you have already won. Father deliver us from the lies of the enemy that keep us think we are weak and powerless. Holy spirit open our eyes to see the provision and strength you provide to us. Amen!

 

52 WEEKS OF WHOLLY HEALING (WEEK FOUR): Do Not Fear

Road closed. Blocked by big orange cones with fear written all over them. Forced by fear to to take the detour, the longer route and perhaps the slower, safer route. i kid myself, convinced that taking the scenic route will be more peaceful, easier to navigate, and not rushed.

Days, months, years go by and i look back on those road blocks asking why God didn't move them. What He said to me ...

Child, they were never there. Your fear and inability to trust Me created the road blocks you thought you couldn't get through. I encouraged you to move forward in faith and you just couldn't see past the road blocks ... 

Fear. It is mentally paralyzing. It prevents you and me from living completely in faith and trust. It robs us of joy, hope and peace. It delays God's will. And our dreams never move past dream state when fear is present. 

i look at all the things i haven't done in my life and all the things i want to do. When i visualize all those things, i see them all behind a road block of fear. i want to press forward, break through this mental barrier, but i'm stopped. Cold in my tracks. i look ahead, i look up at the heavens and i see glorious things, and yet i stand still, unable to move. 

The dictionary can define fear any way it likes, but what i really think the definition of fear is:
Lack of trust is God.  

i wouldn't fear if i trust: that God will provide • that God wouldn't let me get hurt • that God has a purpose and a time for everything • God to heal me • God to bring me peace • in God's unfailing love • that God wouldn't fail me • ...

IF ONLY I TRUSTED GOD. Fear and the Spirit of God cannot co-exist peacefully. There isn't room for both in my life. So in those moments of fear, i get to choose who to give power to: the spirit of fear or the Spirit of God. When i choose fear, i disobey God's Word. For He commands many, many times Do Not Fear ...

Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom. —Luke 12:32 NIV

So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows. —Matt 10:31 NIV

I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid. —John 14:27 NLT

This is my command—be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go. —Joshua 1:9 NLT

One night the Lord spoke to Paul in a vision and told him, “Don’t be afraid! Speak out! Don’t be silent! —Acts 18:9 NLT

Such love has no fear, because perfect love expels all fear. If we are afraid, it is for fear of punishment, and this shows that we have not fully experienced his perfect love. —1 John 4:18 NLT

Do not tremble; do not be afraid. Did I not proclaim my purposes for you long ago? You are my witnesses—is there any other God? No! There is no other Rock—not one! —Isaiah 44:8 NLT

But Jesus overheard them and said to Jairus, “Don’t be afraid. Just have faith.”—Mark 5:36 NLT

Say to those with fearful hearts, “Be strong, and do not fear, for your God is coming to destroy your enemies. He is coming to save you.” —Isaiah 35:4 NLT

Do not be afraid of them; the LORD your God himself will fight for you. —Deuteronomy 3:22 NIV

Jesus told him, “Don’t be afraid; just believe.” —Mark 5:36 NIV

Then he placed his right hand on me and said: “Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last.—Revelation 1:17 NIV

So, let me ask you, what would you do if you weren't afraid? If you weren't standing in front of a blockade of fear? Would you follow God's will for your life? Would you follow your dreams? Would you allow yourself to be fully immersed in a life of joy and perfect love?

Fear is a LIE from the enemy, holding you back from the life you have been given. Take up the shield of faith and the sword of the Spirit and do not fear. This week, journal your fears and pray to God, asking Him to help you remove the mental block of fear in the areas of your life that you listed. It's time to move past them so that healing can take place.

Download Wholly Healing Journal_week four

Father God, thank you for giving me a spirit of power, love, and self-discipline and not a spirit of fear (2 Timothy 1:7). i don't know why i let fear control me, paralyze me, but i recognize today the hold that it has on my life, and i desperately want to LET IT GO. i want to fully trust You, Lord so that i can do your will without hesitation. Show me what a life without fear is like, Lord. Put a hedge of protection around me so that the spirit of fear cannot come near. i come boldly before your thrown rebuking fear in Jesus name and claiming victory over my fears. Thank you Jesus for nailing my fears to the cross. 

Lean In

It seems like we are all waiting for something.  Some people are waiting on a job while others are waiting on a spouse.  Some people are waiting for test results for school or health issues.  Some people are waiting on family situations to clear up or change.  Waiting is not a bad thing.  Philippians 3:20-21 says,

“But our citizenship is in heaven.  And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body.”

While we are waiting, well, on heaven, God has put dreams into our hearts to live out between the now and forever.  Luke 1 falls after a time when God’s people had been waiting, for 400 years, actually, for Him to speak to them, and He did that through the birth of Jesus.

I am always intrigued with Mary, His mother.  What was it like for an angel to visit her to tell her she would become pregnant with God’s Son?  What did people think?  Was she embarrassed to be pregnant before marriage, even though she knew the truth?  Interestingly enough, Mary said, 

“I am the Lord’s servant.  May it be to me as you have said,” (Luke 1:38)

At this point, she wasn’t promised that Joseph would still marry her and everything would be fine.  The angel didn’t assure her that her society wouldn’t turn their backs on her, but yet her attitude was that of obedience.  What did Mary do?  She leaned in to God and waited for the hope the Holy Spirit had birthed in her heart.

I believe there is a message here for us.  No matter what we are waiting on: God’s grace is sufficient for the waiting. (2 Corinthians 12:9)  The key to this is to lean in to the Holy Spirit and trust that God will work everything together for our good. (Romans 8:28)

My Prayer:  God, thank you for reminding me that even the mother of Jesus had to wait in uncertainty.  We praise you for the record of Scripture that shows us her heart.  Lord, may our lives be according to your Word.  Remind us to lean in and trust, Father, sometimes our faith is so weak.  We lay our hopes and dreams at the foot of the cross in expectation of Your precious will.  In Jesus Name!

 

Turning the Corner

Everyone faces pivotal points in life; some we dread, some we anticipate.  They begin when we are young with our entry into school for instance.  Each time our life takes on a new dimension, there are reasons why we must find the strength and wisdom to open the doors and pass through.  We talk a great deal here about looking to God for our strength, our renewal, our passion, our pathway...our reason to move forward.  It is an active decision we make, but not always and easy one.  We are no different than anyone who reads our posts.  We sit down in the presence of God and wonder if we are doing what God really wants of us. We desire something more than faith, and decide to honor our loving Father who never leaves us and resolve to go on by faith regardless. 

This month is a "change point" for me.  I have always called them that for some reason.  Just because it reminds me that things are changing I suppose.  Each time I have reached one, I have experienced the emotions that things changing bring.  I have made decisions that were often not productive.  I have wondered where God was leading me to the point of failing to follow.  I have been approaching this month for several years.  I have not clear direction from God. I don't even know yet which way to turn.  Or if it will merely be a pause and continue kind of thing.  I only know that I am here.  A few things must come to pass, some good, some not so good.  And I am choosing to walk through the doors to just see what God is up to. I am stressed. I admit it. I wish that knowing that God was leading and that he will ultimately take care of my needs would relieve my stress.  But it hasn't. 

I will begin reading the great verses about not being anxious, and focus on God being in control.  But I jsut wanted to say that he has made it clear that he is walking with me. He has put me in waiting mode, so I should read about waiting on him and stay focused.  But while I wait, the Lord gives encouragement.

My favorite minister, Joseph Prince, put up a scripture that may become my favorite verse.  Sometimes we need a new one.

 Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert. Isaiah 43:19

At the major change points in my life, there has ususally been a scripture the Lord has given me to cling to.  Most of us look for our personal word from the Holy Spirit.  But this verse is not my only encouragement. Everywhere I look there are encouragements.  My favorite TV shows tonight all had something about being encouraged to move forward, about a way being made, about there being people in your life who will support you. A number of pastors I like to follow have a similar message, and a calm begins to come over me as I relate that fact to you.  Sometimes a testimony of God's goodness goes as far for us, as for the hearer.

I am so beginning to look forward to God doing a new thing, seeing it spring forth like the bulbs in my bulb bowls, and knowing it when I see it.  That has to be the best part. Knowing it when I see it.  Then watching God make a way in my wilderness, and providing rivers in my desert.  Moses was an antithisus of Jesus. He was fearful, hesitant, anxious, slow to respond, a whiner, and a person who saw and participated in God's miracles on earth and still wasn't sure he was the man for the job.  Jesus, was positive and steadfast, faithful and quick to share God's goodness, to trust to the point of miracles, and things happened in moments.  Moses faltered for 40 years, Jesus had completed his ministry before he reached 40.  We are Mosses.  We will never be Jesus, but I would like to open myself totally to him to be himself through me.  Pray for me,  and for your self that as you approach the next turn in your life, that the Lord will send encouragement, and replace anxiety with anticipation.

Lord, I am standing on the promise you are giving me.  To go before me to make my way in the wilderness, and produce rivers in my dessert.  Give me a spirit of anticipation, and open my eyes to see and know when the new thing you have for my life shall spring forth.  In Jesus name, AMEN. 

 

A look of hope - Joy restored.

Maybe this post is more for me than the rest of the world, but i feel the burden to share because it's a big part of my journey. Maybe it will touch another heart or give hope or maybe it's for me to look back on someday and see how far i have come (especially in the last year). Whatever the reason for this post, i pray it will be a visual testimony of the love the Lord has for me. 

i look at these two photos (below), one taken about two months ago (on the left) and the other one taken in early 2011 (right). The one on the right, taken in early 2011, reveals to me how dark my life was at the time and how void of myself i really was. i look at this photo and i don't see me. i see a very lost look in my eyes, a deep sadness, and a burdened heart. They say the eyes are the window to ones soul. And while i still see some joy (which came only from the Lord), i don't see much else. 

By the time this photo was taken (intended for use on this blog), i was unknowingly a few months away from filing for divorce, losing a battle i had fought for so long, beat down, stressed out, losing hours and hours of sleep, and crying out for Jesus to rescue me from a battle i no longer had the strength to fight. This photo reminds me how empty i felt at the time. And it reminds me a person cannot continually and selflessly pour into someone else without being filled up in return. i see a small glimmer of hope still exists, but there's a great and desperate need for restoration ....

And then i look to the photo on the left with great joy because in a year and a half to two years, i see this radical change in myself. i can see that i have found me again, complete with a newfound joy in Christ Jesus. i see bright eyes full of rest, rejuvenation, and peace. i see an inner smile that shows on the outside and a heart that is full of new life. And even though i have a few more wrinkles than before (lol), i love this photo because i see myself restored in a way that only God can restore ...

He mended my broken heart. He gave me rest. He filled my soul with peace. He breathed life into a weary body. He fought my battles and defeated the enemy. He rescued me from my troubles. He restored my life. He gave me the desires of my heart. He protected me. He filled the emptiness with His love and His light. He gave me a new song to sing and has filled my life with hope. He covered me with the blood of the lamb. He blessed me with compassion and grace. He surrounded me with people who lifted me up. He loved me. He cherished me.

He made me feel like the daughter of a King, again.

I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten, the hopper, the destroyer, and the cutter, my great army, which I sent among you. “You shall eat in plenty and be satisfied, and praise the name of the Lord your God, who has dealt wondrously with you. ..."—Joel 2:25-26

i look at these two photos with tears in my eyes because there would be no healing without the mighty love of my Lord and Savior. His love and compassion transformed my life. At a time when i thought i had lost what made me me, he restored what the locusts had eaten. He restored my hopes, my dreams, and He showed me that His strength was perfected in my weakness. He gave me stronger wings of faith ... 

Thank you, Lord Jesus, for giving me a visual of what you've done in my life the last few years. Thank you for restoring the joy in my life and for helping me find myself again. Thank you for seeing in me what i couldn't see in myself and for giving me back much more than what i lost. Your promises are true and forever. 

Facebook: My Wings Are Made Of Faith
Twitter: CCotterman32 

Obedience Always Brings Blessing

What does it mean to be obedient? This story, of Abraham taking his only son, Isaac, to sacrifice him, is a perfect example ...

Some time later God tested Abraham. He said to him, “Abraham!”

“Here I am,” he replied.

Then God said, “Take your son, your only son, whom you love—Isaac—and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on a mountain I will show you.” 

Early the next morning Abraham got up and loaded his donkey. He took with him two of his servants and his son Isaac. When he had cut enough wood for the burnt offering, he set out for the place God had told him about ....

“Do not lay a hand on the boy,” he said. “Do not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son.”

The angel of the Lord called to Abraham from heaven a second time and said, “I swear by myself, declares the Lord, that because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, I will surely bless you and make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the skyand as the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will take possession of the cities of their enemies, and through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed me.” —Genesis 22:1-3, 12-18 

i can't even begin to tell you how many times i've questioned, over-thought, pretended i didn't hear, dragged my feet on ... what God has asked me to do. i've been disobedient many, many times and i think it's mostly been out of fear. i didn't trust that God's plan was safe, good, or would bring blessing because a lot of the things He asks of me are not easy. i can come up with a million and one reasons as to why i shouldn't be obedient immediately. 

But, oh how i want to be blessed like Abraham was for being obedient. Abraham didn't wait to do what God told him to do. He went the next morning and did just as the Lord said. Abraham didn't understand God's plan, but he also didn't question it or hesitate. He trusted God completely. 

This story reminds us that obedience always brings blessing. If only we had the courage, faith, and trust to push aside our fears and do what the Lord asks of us as soon as He asks. 

Lord, i ask your forgiveness for not being obedient when you have asked things of me. i'm sorry i let my insecurities and fears stand in the way of Your will. Sometimes the things you ask of me are so big, that i am overwhelmed and some so small that i dismiss them because i don't think i can make a difference. i really want to reap the blessings of being obedient, Lord. Please help me to find the quiet time i need to clearly hear from you so that i know Your will ... i truly want Your will, not mine. Thank you for your patience with me as i continue to navigate through this journey of faith and i come to trust you more and more every day. In Jesus name!

Honeymooning in the Path of Hurricane Sandy

The last thing you really want to hear on your Jamaican honeymoon is that a hurricane (Sandy) is gaining strength and headed toward the island. Beautiful, blue, clear skies about to turn rainy and grey.

The thing about a storm is that it's really hard to tell what direction it is going to go and how bad it could get. While it would have been easy to go into panic mode, i had two huge blessings on my side. Number one: My God is bigger and greater than any storm. And, two, my husband, a former marine who's been through plenty of typhoons while stationed in Japan, was cool as a cucumber. So what is there left to do besides pray and enjoy the beautiful beach with my husband? Sounds easy ...

Now, i've been through my share of storms and there are two important thing i've learned — that God answers prayer and God protects me. So naturally i prayed that God would move the storm East and off the mainland (even though it was predicted to hit all of Jamaica full force) and i continued to pray until there was no threat. Can i tell you that i was both humbled and unbelievably grateful when hurricane Sandy only brought high winds, rain, and flickering power on the west side of Jamaica where my husband and i were! Even though we were stuck inside our cozy room when Sandy passed through, we did not get the destruction, significant rainfall, and high tides like the eastern side of the island and the Bahamas got. Praise the Lord! And, while clouds covered the other end of the island the following day, we got to enjoy a beautiful sunset.

Once again, God proved His faithfulness to care for me, even on an island many miles from the security of home. It reminded me that no matter what storm i face, it does me no good to panic or worry — all i need to do is pray to the One who can calm the storm.

 The thing about hurricane Sandy is that we escaped her path once by the grace of God, but as she moved North and up the US coast, we were concerned we might meet her again on our way home. We flew out of Montego Bay en route to Baltimore on a Sunday when Sandy was out at sea along the US coastline (scheduled to make landfall on Monday). We had a smooth flight until we got close to the US and then we hit some light turbulence the rest of the way. That was not my favorite part of vacation, but getting a breathtaking view of all these puffy clouds over the ocean and watching the sun set was memorable. 

We applauded the pilot upon landing for getting us into Baltimore safe. And sure enough, the hurricane started to make landfall along the coast that evening and next morning. We boarded our flight home to Dayton thankful for the our Father's divine protection. 

You know, it's times like these that i am reminded that God has a purpose for my life. He's with me before the storm, in its midst, and after the storm. It took me a long time to learn to trust God to get me safely through the storms in my life, but He has proved faithful every single time. 

i want to encourage you today ... maybe you are not literally flying through a hurricane or cleaning up after the effects of one, but maybe your hurricane is a failing marriage, an addiction, job stress, or loss of a loved one. And you can't see in front of you and you wonder how the heck God is going to see you through this chaos. Trusting God is not always easy, but it's where rest and peace is found. Focus on He who stands still and above the storm, not the pounding rain, dark clouds, and potential destruction. God is so much bigger than any storm you will ever face and He will see you through safely. 

A Metaphor of Wind and Water

When Jesus' disciples awakened him in the ship when they believed their lives were in jeapardy because of the violent storm and the high waves, what do you think they were expecting him to do to save them? 

In Jesus' day, boarding a ship for transportation across the lake was as common as us getting into our car. It was no less or more risky.  It was just what they did. Why if Jesus cared enough to quiet the storm for himself and the disciples, why would he not do that for storms of today? Because it is not about the storm, it is about the perfect will of God.

Jesus stopped that storm, because he and his disciples were not supposed to die in a boat on the lake. In order for the perfect will of God, and all the prophecies that Jesus was intended to fulfil, to be carried to full term, they must not die in the storm.  When Jesus prayed before his death in the garden he said to the Father that he had not lost any of his disciples, except the son of perdition, so that all could be fulfilled.  Jesus knew the job he came to do, inside and out, and dying in a ship on a lake in a storm did not fit.  So he just commanded the winds and waves to be still. Wouldn't you just love to know the perfect will of God in your life with such assurance? There have been times in life I was so assured, and have known the comfort that nothing else could befall me, regardless of what Satan threw in my path, even the the storm in which it appeared I would surely die.  It is easy to have faith while knowing God's perfect will.  What about when you don't? Aren't we more often exactly like the disciples, who go to Jesus, feeling more like he doesn't care that the waves are crashing about them with threats that overwhelm.  At least they sought Jesus to know what he would do.

 And when they had sent away the multitude, they took him even as he was in the ship. And there were also with him other little ships.  And there arose a great storm of wind, and the waves beat into the ship, so that it was now full.  And he was in the hinder part of the ship, asleep on a pillow: and they awake him, and say unto him, Master, carest thou not that we perish? And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. And he said unto them, Why are ye so fearful? how is it that ye have no faith?  And they feared exceedingly, and said one to another, What manner of man is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him? Mark 4:36-41.

Have you ever thought that Satan sent that storm to Jesus when he was weary, just as he sends storms into our own lives. He hoped to catch Jesus off guard perhaps? Satan certainly hopes to catch us off guard. No doubts. But Jesus doesn't always calm the wind and waves. Instead, we are allowed to know the great power of these elements. The Spirit of God is compared to both the wind and the water. Knowing how these elements can move huge stationary things, helps us have a clear understanding why the comparison is made.*

 Imagine what we might move forward to do, if we totally believed that the Spirit of God was able to move in our lives with the power of a Katrina or a Sandy. Is there something stationary in your life, in mine, an obstacle that we have just decided can't be moved.  Envision the Spirit of God being incredible enough to do what has never been done before, able to move upon our circumstances with a mighty force.

There are a lot of people who have survived a mighty storm, and possibly are in limbo as to what their futures hold. The need of the people who were victims of Sandy, is a metphor for the greater need of our nation.  We need a shaking from the Spirit of God.  Not a disciplinary shaking, but rather an empowering grip on our spirits to cause us to want to know the best God has planned for us. There is one thing that I would hope to think of if I were one of those incredibly injured people.  I would want to believe that if God brought me through that storm, he could bring me through anything. And also that if God brought me through that kind of devastation alive, He had a future for me, and was waiting with grace and power to set me on the path to that plan. There it is! A reason to have faith, the kind that you have when you know that God will take you there no matter what Satan throws at you. True faith is faith without a reason, but God wants us to know that his plan for us is worthy of the faith he asks us to place in it.

Please Lord, give these dear people, whatever their heart needs to strengthen their faith. And may they see the Holy Spirit as able to move upon their storm ridden lives with something far greater. But send to us leaders with a heart secure in your will for our country.  May they seek the plan and the power that will bring a change worthy of our Faith. Make your will clear to the people of this nation. Let us not be decieved. by the evil one. In Jesus name, AMEN

*The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit. John 3:8

*For I will pour water upon him that is thirsty, and floods upon the dry ground: I will pour my spirit upon thy seed, and my blessing upon thine offspring: Isaiah 44:3

 

Guest Post: A New Adventure

A year ago or so, I was planning to move to Cleveland, Ohio, to be closer to the young man I was dating. If you’re a quality time lover, like me, you understand the need of being close to the ones you love.  Sadly, our relationship ended before the move and I was left living with mom and dad in Cincinnati.  Now don’t get me wrong, I love my parents, adore them actually, but I was really ready for a new adventure and to grow my relationship and this put a damper on my plans. 

But God …

Whenever we read but God in the bible, we should all exhale slowly and say thank You Lord!  But God in the bible almost always refers to His sweet mercy, grace, justice or redemption. God had a different plan up His sleeve for me. You see, prior to that relationship He had been stirring up a desire to move somewhere different, to have a new adventure with Him. I didn’t know if I’d actually do it, of course, but it was sure fun and easy to think about. I assumed when I was in that relationship that my new adventure was Cleveland, pursuing the Lord and being close to a man I deeply cared about.  But God, knowing the true desires of my heart and knowing what makes my eyes sparkle with laughter and giggle with complete giddiness had a different, much better plan.  He created me so unique and precious, that certain pleasures and joys in life would bring only me great peace, hope and abounding joy.  He knew long before I was in that relationship that something else would stir my heart more. 

Several months prior I had visited a small town called Redding, California.  Redding is a beautiful city where you’re close to the mountains, breathtaking lakes and have numerous olive orchards at your disposal.  I visited for a conference called Jesus Culture and fell in love with the area.  I had never felt so inspired, hopeful, and creative.  I was simply in awe of His beauty and felt such peace overwhelm my soul.  I remember sitting in the Sacramento Airport thinking but I don’t want to leave, God, how cool would it be to live here, what do you think Daddy God?  Deep in my heart, I knew this would be my next adventure.  

Now, how to share this with family and friends?  “Hey guys, I just got back from California and now I want to move there!”  I knew this would not be an easy thing to share with my parents as I already have two older sisters that live in San Francisco and now their third daughter moving to California, what?  My parents are incredibly loving and supportive but I knew it would be difficult and I felt so sad thinking about leaving them to have my new adventure across the country.  But God gave me the courage to share my heart with them and provided the grace and strength for us all to move forward with my big adventure!  For the next six months I began planning, praying and packing; I didn’t know how God was going to provide or work things out but I knew He would.  God can’t lie and therefore, everything He says in the bible is true; if He says He will provide all my needs then He will, if He says He will heal my broken heart then He will, if He says He will lead and guide me then certainly He will show me the way!  Our Father in Heaven, whom I like to call, Daddy God, is wild about us, He loves His kids and of course wouldn’t send me on my way without numerous good things in store. 

So, with a date set and bags and belongings packed, my Dad and I had it on the calendar to leave August 19^th, 2012.  It was later than I had hoped to leave but a delay in receiving my California RN license pushed back our venture.  Little did I know, God had a purpose even in this!  On July 25^th, I was job hunting and randomly found a school health consultant job near Redding that sounded right up my alley; I would have taken any RN position but I was hoping for one where I didn’t have to work weekends and could attend church regularly.  Of course the application deadline was July 25^th at midnight so I had several things to send in asap.  By the grace of God, I got everything they required sent in.  The job seemed to good to be true and I hoped and prayed this was what God had orchestrated but I chose to trust either way.  A week later, they called me to schedule for an interview and week after that I flew to Sacramento and drove to Redding for my interview and two weeks later they offered me the position.  I was elated and so thankful that God had this all in His plan and in His timing.  At this point, it was time for the adventure to begin; Dad and I packed the car, drove across the country arriving on a Thursday and starting work Friday.

I’ve now been in Redding two months and I am happy to report that I love it!  God has provided beautiful, precious friends, an exceptional church community, and beauty all around.  I’ve fallen more in love with Him in the process and know that this season is all about our love relationship.  He simply asked me to take a risk and go on a new adventure with Him, I extended my hand, said “yes” and followed His lead. 

While there is sacrifice in taking risk and following Jesus, there also is great reward and blessing that follow.  Taking risks with Jesus and going on new adventures with Him, little or big, are worth every sacrifice.  Our lives are all about knowing Him and loving Him but even more receiving His radical love for us.  Who knows if your next big adventure is simply to take you to a place where you can receive and experience more of His radical and furious love for you; the question is are you willing to take the risk?

Dear Daddy, God, thank you for setting my heart of fire with your love and master plan. I had a broken heart and you mended it. I needed a place to settle and be closer to you than I have ever been and you provided. I didn't have a job before I decided to move and you provided a dream job. I didn't know anyone in Redding, but you provided beautiful friendships. I've never been more aware of your love, sovereignty, and plan for my life as I am now. Thank you for blessing my trust in You. May my story be encouraging to someone who's considering an adventure with you, but is afraid to take the first step. In Jesus name! 

Blessings, 
Kami 

 

Faith Is Looking Up

I saw an interesting sign at a church that said, 

“Regret is looking back.

Worry is looking around.

Faith is looking up.”

This saying prompted me to take a look at my life and closely examine my focus.

Hebrews 12:2 says,

“Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”

I’ll admit that when my world is shaken, I may look around to get my friends’ advice.  There are times when I look at my previous mistakes with deep sorrow and regret.  My guess is that these are fairly normal responses; however, a life with the lens centered on Christ immediately reacts by looking up in faith.  Ouch!  

Our challenge is to keep our focus on our Savior, align ourselves with His Word, and allow Jesus to define our responses to life’s circumstances.  

My Prayer:  God, thank you for reminding me to fix my eyes on you.  Thank you for your grace when I allow the world to determine my response.  Holy Spirit, prompt me when I stray.  Jesus, we praise you for modeling the perfect example of a righteous life.  In Jesus name!

The incredible greatness of God's power

i find that certain books of the Bible help me get through very specific seasons in my life. While i don't limit my reading to only one book during a season of my life, i focus on the book that God leads me to (spending most of my time in it). i read and re-read until i feel like God's message is clear and i understand what it is He wants me to learn from His Word so i can apply it to my life. i've been in Ephesians for quite awhile (a few years). It's become one of my favorite books in the Bible to read. This makes sense, as i've been in a state of spiritual growth and awarded spiritual blessings as i pray for spiritual wisdom. 

There are so may verses in Ephesians that are powerful, encouraging, and full of hope, but i want to share just a few with you that i believe are very important to believe and memorize because it's a promise from God that His mighty power is available to us who believe in Him..

I also pray that you will understand the incredible greatness of God’s power for us who believe him. This is the same mighty power that raised Christ from the dead and seated him in the place of honor at God’s right hand in the heavenly realms.—Ephesians 1:19-20

This verse really makes me pause to think about the incredible greatness of God's power. Incredible greatness. i keep coming back to those two words. Being a follower of Christ gives us access to the incredible greatness of His power. 

What i understand this verse to mean is ...

Sick? You have access to the incredible greatness of His healing power.

Weary? You have access to the incredible greatness of His strength.

Guilt-ridden? You have access to the incredible greatness of His forgiveness.

Anxious? You have access to the incredible greatness of peace.

Stressed? You have access to the incredible greatness of His rest.

Broken-hearted? You have access to the incredible greatness of His loving touch.

Lonely? You have access to the incredible greatness of His presence.

Poor? You have access to the incredible greatness of His riches.

Impatient? You have access to the incredible greatness of His patience.

Sad? You have access to the incredible greatness of His healing joy.

Incredible greatness. i find this so humbling. God calls us to come boldly before the throne of grace to find the help me need during times of trouble (Hebrews 4:16). It is at the throne of grace, in the presence of God, that we can ask for the incredible greatness of His power to be manifested in our life. Whether God works a miracle in your favor the moment of asking, or He takes you down a journey to grow spiritually, you can rest assured that God is using His mighty power i your life simply because you called upon Him and believe. 

Incredible greatness. Apply this scripture to your life this week. Believe and watch God work.

Hi, God. Wow, thank you for this scripture that gives me hope and a glimpse of your incredible greatness. It's humbling to know that you make your power available to those who believe in You. i'm really, truly grateful. Plant this scripture deep inside my heart so that i may never be afraid of what lies ahead of me. Darkness cannot be feared when the incredible greatness of your power lights up my path. In Jesus mighty and glorious name, amen!

 

Proclaim Peace Unto It

One of my favorite humming songs is "Peace Like a River,"  which simply says:

"I've got peace like a river, I've got peace like a river, I've got peace like a river in my soul...(repeat)." Verse 2 uses the word love, and verse 3 uses joy. There is no better place to be, in my mind, than in that place.  When you can be at peace with God and about his plan for your life, you know you are loved - no matter what, and you can count it all joy, life is where it should be. Not perfect, just balanced and fully in God's control. 

Sometimes in life we are facing a battle, where as we approach the expected we may be fearful of the results. We face a real obstacle to our peace. 

Here's what is known as the "law of warfare" - a principle that might work when facing any battle in life.

When you come near a city to fight against it, then proclaim peace unto it. Deuteronomy 20:10  

This reference goes on to say that if "you" propose peace to the city and they accept your peace, then treat that city as such and enter it in peace; but if it refuses to accept your offer of peace, then beseige it until the Lord gives it into your hands.

Sometimes, we could pause and proclaim peace over our situation. Then approach the situation offering peaceful solutions.  If peace isn't possible, then we should put on the armour and hit it hard with God's blessing.  I have some times preferred to just walk away when my battles can't be won with peace. I just hate fighting for what is mine by God's grace.  I hate the battles. 

But some people have the problem of approaching every problem with no thought of stopping to ask for peace up front.  I wonder how many problems could be diffused by claiming peace over the situation first? Emotions get in the way, so finding peace is not just a prebattle offering for someone else, it is to benefit us first.  If we can have peace in our hearts and find it for our minds before going directly into battle, we gain an inner strength that anyone in opposition may not have.  That calmness may give us victory in unexpected ways.

I need to ask God's blessing on helping me hang in there sometimes. Usually, when I do face the fight, I fall into a whirlwind of emotions and abandon my peace. To be fair, stress will alter our human efforts. So what I really need to face my battle is something from God. A divine intervention. Proclaim is a word that means to back it up with power and to make it known.  Not my peace, but his.

Now it seems that we are talking entirely of confrontational battles, but it could be applied to any battle. My daughter used to hate testing. Being an excellent, intelligent student didn't calm her fears when it came to facing the tests. What she needed before taking her seat, first and foremost, was peace. We face all kinds of tests - battles of proof. When we are facing our inner battles, claiming peace is getting the biggest part of the battle out of the way.  Sure we have to prepare and go in and take the test, but our instructions are to "beseige it until God gives it into our hands." Its a two part process, and in the real battle situation, God wanted his people not to back down. In my daughter's case, when she didn't feel the peace of God, she faced her battle with his blessing anyway.  Sometimes we claim the peace, even when we don't feel the peace.  And act upon it. I never knew a soldier who entered a place where the enemy was, who felt safe even when the white flag was flown.  Feelings are not  a guarantee of peace, peace is peace. And you never know if there will be peace until afterward. You enter by faith, not by feelings.

 Claim peace, and tackle the problem until God gives ownership.

Precious Lord, I pray that you will help me face my battles by reminding me to proclaim peace over it first. Then, help me also claim the strength to tackle the problems with a commitment - to see it through until you have given the solution, and have restored peace on your terms. You never promised me that my circumstances would yeild to my plea for peace, but you did promise that I might have peace to enter my circumstances and hang in there 'til you say the battle's won.  Help me to see it as a process, and not be afraid to besiege the object blocking my way to full blessing. From Peace to Peace...and for the battle in between, I commit to face my battles by faith and  in Jesus' precious name, AMEN

Leadership - Of Love and Faith

 Now when he had ended all his sayings in the audience of the people, he entered into Capernaum. And a certain centurion's servant, who was dear unto him, was sick, and ready to die. And when he heard of Jesus, he sent unto him the elders of the Jews, beseeching him that he would come and heal his servant. And when they came to Jesus, they besought him instantly, saying, That he was worthy for whom he should do this: For he loveth our nation, and he hath built us a synagogue. Then Jesus went with them. And when he was now not far from the house, the centurion sent friends to him, saying unto him, Lord, trouble not thyself: for I am not worthy that thou shouldest enter under my roof: Wherefore neither thought I myself worthy to come unto thee: but say in a word, and my servant shall be healed. For I also am a man set under authority, having under me soldiers, and I say unto one, Go, and he goeth; and to another, Come, and he cometh; and to my *servant, Do this, and he doeth it. When Jesus heard these things, he marvelled at him, and turned him about, and said unto the people that followed him, I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel. And they that were sent, returning to the house, found the servant whole that had been sick. Luke 7: 1 - 10

I like to analyze things. It is just how my mind works.  So, when I read this passage, a number of questions formed in my mind. Have you ever read a story and wondered why the author focused on certain things?  Luke must have had similar interests in details, because he gave us some interesting ones when writing this story.

First of all, isn’t it interesting that this centurion was so interested in getting help for a servant? I can’t remember another instance where Jesus healed when someone requested it for a *servant.  Most were close friends or family.  We would like to think he was not only a servant, but a friend, but it seems that the centurion did this almost out of
sense of duty.

Secondly, the messengers came with an unusual set of reasons why they believed Jesus should be convinced to respond to the centurion.  I wonder why they thought they needed to have  reasons? They obviously had discussed at some point that they believed Jesus healed some and did not heal others. It appeared that, although the throngs brought dozens of persons in need, he never just lifted his hand and said, “be well” to all.  He was selective, and they thought it was because the person asking was somehow uniquely worthy.  Do you pray that way?  Do you believe you need to prove to God that you are worthy, or need to be? Do you find yourself promising that you will be, if God will only hear you?

Worthiness, certainly becomes a theme when Jesus does come, but the messengers meet him and say that the centurion does not feel worthy for Jesus to come into his home.  Now it is understandable, given that a king would probably not be called to the home of a soldier, not of any rank.  Most certainly the soldier would be called to the king. The centurion had a military mindset, and it is clear in most everything else in this story.  So what clued Jesus that the centurion did this out of faith?

Some of us want to feel all warm and fuzzy, knowing  that Jesus is close. I have known some who only believe that Jesus hears their prayers if they feel like shouting because they know they are in his presence. Many ministries focus on those “feeling/response”  assurances of faith.  There was definitely none of that here.

What a curious phrase – Jesus…marveled at him.  Can Jesus actually know so much about us and find reason to marvel at our faith?  Lots of things in the Bible stories tell us that Jesus did not claim to be a mind reader.  In fact, he seemed to indicate that he left that to the Holy Spirit.  Think about what the look on Jesus’ face might have been.  Did he lift his eyebrows, or in some other way make it clear to Luke that he marveled at the man.  Curious word Luke chose.

I could go on analyzing for there is so much more that I see in the story, but the point I wanted to make here, is that it doesn't matter how we come to Jesus with our requests.  The centurion was definitely unique in his approach if Jesus marveled at him.  Certainly most of the people who sought his help did it out of desparation. Many were in despair, having lost someone they loved. But all believed.

Have you already picked up on the commonalities in all the stories where Jesus chose to do a miracle of healing, even when it was from death itself?  All, to whom he responded, had love and faith. They acted out of love for someone, and they had genuine faith that Jesus was the source for an answer to their prayers. The more I read the stories, the more I realize, there were no alterior motives.

In all the miracle stories, I find it interesting that none of those who followed Jesus thought it unusual to have such high expectations of a human. What about their culture and teachings made them believe there could be such a human who could represent God even to the ressurecting of the dead? Would you go out today, to see someone whom everyone claimed could raise the dead - by taking their hand only. All of these people were seeking someone exactly like that.

When you pray, think, what are my reasons and expectations when I come before Christ? Is there an object of love involved in why you are seeking a miracle of God? How do you express your faith? Are you aware of your faith? I have difficulty relating to the "I am not worthy," concept, only because I have lived long enough to know that worthiness is not why the Godhead responds to our needs. I no longer feel small and scared when I approach my savoir in prayer.  I have learned to come boldlly to the throne. In this case, something is revealed about the heart of the centuion. Had he sent to Jesus saying, You should do this for me because I am a high ranking man, with power, and authority he would have revealed that he had not submitted to the person Christ really was.  In submitting, he revealed that he believed Jesus to be what he said he was...the King of the Jews.  And he understood something about the power that gave Jesus to represent God on earth.  That was a remarkable thing, in a world where the church and the government were considered the sources for anything and everything that a nation of people had. In the end, this man considered himself to also be a servant - of the people. He placed himself on the same level as those who served him. 

In case you didn't notice, I am comparing our nation to theirs.  WE give our churches and government more power in our lives, as a nation, than we give God.  When I pray these days, I try to consider in whom I am placing my faith. God or my earthly resources. Americans are setting themselves up for a culture just like the one of Jesus' day. Why, because it is a marvelous thing to have wisdom enough to know how to say to Jesus..."just say the word, and it will be so.." No matter how much they claim to be Christians, I don't see many of our leaders knowing they are not our resource, but our fellow servants. It is hard for me to see how they genuinely love our nation any more.

Lord give me that kind of wisdom when I pray, that came from the heart of the centurion. Help my expectations of how you will answer prayer always be as positive as it was with this man. May love and faith be the over riding reasons why I call upon you to make your presence known in my circumstances. Open my eyes, so that my prayers might be as selfless as this centurion.  It was said of the centurion, that he loved their nation...and had built them a synogogue. Please give us leaders of this kind. I hear polititians say they believe in our nation.  I wish I was hearing men who said, they are asking God to heal our nation because they love the people and have faith in God's power to bring change.  Give us such a man in the leadership niches of our land. AMEN

 

Take Courage!

From time to time in our lives, we all face fear.  Fear of the future. Fear of the past.  Fear of the unknown.  Fear is real and can suck the life out of us but, as Christians, we must realize that fear is the opposite of faith and must be dealt with swiftly and severely with God’s Word.

In John 16:33, Jesus says,

“These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage ; I have overcome the world.”

The words, “take courage” really prick my heart because there are times that I give in to thinking about my fears.  Jesus uses the words, “take courage” as a command to act boldly and confidently.

Bruce Lee said, “Courage is not the absence of fear but the ability to act in the presence of fear.”

Jesus knows we have fears, but He expects us to trust in Him and His plan in spite of our fears.  This simple act of surrender at the foot of the cross begins to shape our heart into that of a faith filled one instead of a heart ruled by fear and anxiety.

As Christians, we should surround ourselves with other people who are encouragers (people who speak life and love into our lives).  Then it is crucial to create an arsenal of truth- Bible verses, note cards, wise statements about our situations so that when we become more emotional than rational, we have something tangible to refer to.  Those truths can bring us back to our rational minds when we are overwhelmed by fear.

Dear friends, I do not stand before you saying that I have overcome my fears, but as a fellow sojourner, I understand how you feel.  When you have lived a life where fear is your first response, it takes a lot of retraining to turn that default around, but with God, all things are possible (Matthew 19:26)

My Prayer:  God, thank you for reminding us to take courage!  We choose to walk in obedience to Your Word.  Holy Spirit, bathe our hearts in truth and faith today.  Spirit of fear, we command you to go to the foot of the cross.  Lord, send comfort and peace in abundant blessings today to those who pray this prayer.  Fill every empty space with your presence.  Your children choose to walk in truth and light courageously and boldy.  We nail our fears to the cross and will focus on truth,  In Jesus name!

 

A Testimony of Answered Prayer

If you've hung around this blog for awhile you know that the content has revolved around 2 primary things: walking with God through the struggles and praising God for answered prayer. i have shared my personal struggles so that just maybe i could give hope that God always helps us through (no matter how dark the path may be). It's not always flattering to me to share my weakest moments and my hardest struggles, but it is what makes me real ... a human with a heart and a deep need for love and encouragement. 

i find that it's so important to not only share the struggles and heartaches, but to also share the way God moves in amazing ways through the difficult times ... and to be a living testimony to answered prayers. You see, prayers are always answered, it's just that some aren't always in the way we dream because God knows what is best for us. He never ever gives us less than His best, even though sometimes His best seems like our absolute worst nightmare. 

Divorce was my absolute worst nightmare. But it was also God's best for me—something i cannot fully explain to you because it's difficult to understand when you aren't in the thick of the battle. It almost killed me ... and it's not too far fetched to say literally. My spirit was already gone, my identity was so wrapped up in someone else that is was gone. And my physical health was fading fast ... intense stress for three years slowly starts to shut down the body. But God's grace was sufficient to keep me going. And i can joyfully praise Him for rebuilding my entire self, emotionall, spiritually, and physically, in 365 days. i am me again and words cannot express how amazing it feels to be healthy and whole again. 

Back in October i wrote this post about leaving Cincinnati and not wanting to come back. i really wanted to leave the mess i was in far behind and i never wanted to look back. i was convinced that my home was not here—i had convinced myself that i hated this place to the point of believing God didn't want me to stay either. A few months earlier than that trip, when i found out i was getting divorced, i prayed for two main things: for God to completely heal me from the stress, the anger, hurt, and broken heart and for God to bring me a husband who i can walk with through life with. i prayed, with the deepest part of my heart that God would spare me from the dating scene, that he wouldn't allow any man into my life that would use me, hurt me, belittle me. i prayed this prayer (for a Godly husband) often and it became the prayer of my heart. 

God did not delay in answering this prayer. He knew the deepest longing of my heart was a family to call my own. And He knew the loneliness i'd felt for so long. He knew i tried to do the right thing for so long and He knew how faithful i was to Him. He honored the prayer of my heart.

i met jason on 11/11/11. At a time when i wanted to move and start over, God revealed something to stick around for. God gave me, not only a best friend, but a faithful companion to walk with. A protector, provider, helper, friend, and leader in the home. Someone to grow with and someone to pray with. Jason asked me to be his wife and i said yes.

i praise Him daily for this gift of love that my heart cherishes. That smile on my face (one that has been in hiding for quite some time) is a smile of pure joy that radiates from deep within the depths of my soul. It's a smile that's grateful to God for answering my prayer without delay and it'a smile that is grateful for the sweet way that Jason loves me. 

photos by Lauren DiFulvio

If there is one thing i want you to know about my journey the last few years is that God does not waste a single moment of the bad days. My heart always felt the joy of His presence and i knew, without a doubt, that my God would get me through. All i had to do was trust Him, follow Him, believe in Hope, and see it through. He turned what was intended for evil into something good and beautiful ... and i came out a better person for all i endured. i'd never change a moment because it taught me who i wanted to be and who i didn't want to be. And, it got me to this moment where i feel the warmth of his presence and blessing on my life. 

Father God, i don't have enough words to exclaim the overwhelming gratitude i feel. i never doubted you and the path you laid before me. Even though i didn't see Your purpose while in the valley, i see it so clearly now. Thank you for helping me understand so that i could heal completely. Thank you for hard times because they made me a stronger, better person. Mostly, though, i praise you for showing me that you are faithful to those who are faithful to You. Thank you for answering my prayer, for showing favor upon me and blessing me. Only You really know the true joy i feel and that joy comes from You. Thank You for providing for my need for love and companionship.Thank you Lord for all that you have given me and for a fresh start. Thank you, thank you, thank you. In Jesus name!

Dealing with Life's Issues God's Way

Philippians 4:6 says,

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.”

Sometimes when life is difficult, we often forget the pattern of dealing with anxieties set before us by the Lord.  God asks us to pray and petition with thanksgiving.  This prescription is usually the opposite of what our flesh tells us to do which is worry and become anxious. 

The key is to take all thoughts captive to the obedience of Christ (2 Corinthians 10:5).  In other words, when challenges present themselves, we begin to pray and ask the Lord for His will and solution.  Then we spend time in thanksgiving, instead of grumbling.  For me, I turn on my praise music and sing to the Lord with all my heart.

There are times when I honestly struggle with God’s method.  I worry or allow myself to become anxious.  These are the times when I ask my faith-filled best friends to pray for me.  

In the midst of the turmoil that life tosses our way, there is a victorious path we can choose:  God’s way-pray, petition, and giving thanks.  When we chase after the Lord’s way, we know we are in His perfect will for our lives.

My Prayer:  Lord, thank you for reminding me that your way of dealing with anxiety is best.  I repent for worrying and panicking.  Holy Spirit, remind me to stay on the course for God’s best for me.  Prompt me when I look to the right or left.  Jesus, thank you for modeling this pattern while you were on earth.  In Jesus Name!

 

Clear Guidance

I have only once been in a fog so thick I couldn't see where I was going and was terrified to move forward.  Knowing fogs, you go through them fully expecting to pass through them to a place where the view is clearer. But on this night, it was an unwise decision to drive into it.  My children were young, and there was an important event at their school.  We lived a distance from the school, in the country, where even at about 55 miles an hour, it took 20 minutes to get there.  In that distance, I was just sure we would break through the fog and find clear or at least cloudy skies. So we got into the car and off we went.  However, I couldn't see the side of the road looking straight down from my seat in the car.  We felt our way down the back road on which we lived, and I began to pray.  Lord, keep us safe. Please, keep us safe.

When, after going about three miles out the the main highway, the fog was no less dense, I truly considered going back home. But in my mind it had to be safer a mile or two down the highway than trying to creep back to the house through that soup.  So I rolled down the windows and listened for cars approaching on the highway, and cautiouslly entered the road and increased my speed to about 45 mph.  Surely no one could come up on us and overtake us at that speed.  My fog lights and the fact that a few cars had punched a hole through the fog earlier, made it a little easier to see the road sides and I progressed along. Anxious, never the less, and growing more so, as the fog simply was not getting any better as we traveled toward town, I grew concerned that I had made a mistake to not have gone home.  Once we arrived at the school, now about 15 minutes late, I was surprised to find NO ONE ELSE WAS THERE!

I didn't want to believe I was the only one who had supposed that the fog would not be covering "the whole world." This was obviously a cancelation of the event, and if anyone else had come anyway, they had left by now.  I felt alone and foolish. And now I faced driving that nightmare back all those miles in the dark, because the winter night had fallen early.  Oh how I wished there was somewhere else to go besides back to where I started. So many miles of fear, and facing all those miles of risking my children's lives was not my idea of being a good parent at this point.

How, with 3 children, and so many neighbors with children in this same school, did I miss out on the cancelation message? Well, it was a time when there were no computers or cell phones. In fact it may have been a time when we didn't even have a phone. I am not sure. What's more I was not big on watching TV news or listening to local radio. It was also a place where we didn't live close to one another. I am sure families all called one another, but my only close family wasn't home.  So we just missed recieving the word. What's more, I totally missed the report that we were going to be hit by a dense slow moving snow storm, arriving about dark. 

As we returned home, creeping along, often unable to see the edge of the pavement, and nothing of the houses and businesses to give me an indication of how far we had traveled, I watched carefully for intersections.  I finally was able to read a road sign which allowed me to know we had traveled about half the way. My fog lights made something about the fog to glisten with tiny sparkles.  It was so pretty, I had to concentrate on driving. The hour long trip had made me a little weary of straining into nothingness looking for indications of where I was on the road. But then, there was a little openess in the fog, and it was merely very low clouds. What a relief, I thought until my lights came glaring back at me to blind me from reflecting off this huge white wall.  My first thought was that I had left the road and was headed straight into a white concrete block wall. I had only seconds to recover from the adrenaline rush and blink twice to refocus on what I was driving right into.  "What is that?" I startled the kids. I heard gasps and echos of my question from the back seat as my children became excited, and I slowed the car to a near crawl. Then out of the fog emerged a pure white wall of the biggest densest snowflakes I ever saw.

Know when you look out over a landscape in summer and see the wall of rain falling from the front of a stormcloud, and you are glad it is out there, not where you are driving?  That is what this was - a wall of snow announcing the storm behind it. Just as dense rain would hamper your driving, dense snow is totally a wipeout.  Imagine going from believing you were colliding with a block wall just seconds before, to colliding with a wall of snow instead. Even now it gives me a surreal feeling. That feeling of having left reality and being in a dream - where things are never what they seem and change as quickly as thought. We immediately changed everything about our environment. Although driving in the snow was challenging, possibly as dangerous as being in the fog, I suddenly could look out past the edges of the road to the houses and see porchlights.  I believed we could make it home alive. It felt like something from a movie, where the characters jump through the mirror or black hole into the unknown, only we were living it.

The thing that I learned from that night, was that God is always with us, even when we make some really big errors in judgement and move forward without his guidance. When we are facing decisions in life that are important destinations but we are moving through as if in a fog - without clear guidance, sometimes, it is better to move forward slowly until God gives us a clear word of instruction. Often, it is far better to go nowhere until God clears the fog.  I hope it is obvious I mean this metaphorically in reference to understanding his perfect will.  If however, we have already moved forward, then realize God has closed the doors, sending us back to start again,  we may face some pretty scarey situations. We may kick ourselves for not "going home" when we first understood how foggy our path really was.Sometimes we get mad at God. It is imperative to not make the destination of so great importance that we deny our circumstances and move forward, unless God tells us to. In other words, sometimes God tells us to enter the storm. If so, we can count on Him to be present every step of the way.  But sometimes, he says to go another day; wait upon him to clear the fog. 

I truly love morning fogs that lift off rivers and lakes. It evokes a calmness that driving in a night fog did not. Because I have assurance that as the sun warms the air, the fog dissipates. But until it does, it is a magic world, especially  behind the lense of a camera. It is an everchanging world that moves forward at a rapid speed. Each moment may feel like, "I wish I could capture and hang on to this image forever." Every moment is new but fleeting. When life is moving like that, it really helps to remember that the Son of God is burning away the fog. If we are unclear on where life is going, and we remain calm in the peace of knowing who is in control,  we can actually enjoy the foggy times in life.  It is often said that what we don't know is what scares us most. It becomes an act of will to acknowlege that life is going to have some fog. It is therefore wise to turn on the "God radio" often enough to hear the weather forecasts on life frequently, and then let God tell us when it's safe or imperative to move forward. Waiting on the Lord to burn away the fog, can be a beautiful experience if we stop to watch the magic. I believe God enjoys painting the picture of our future stroke by stroke.  We should enjoy watching him do it!

Now the Lord is that Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. But all we, with open face, beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord ...But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost. In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ who is the image of God should shine unto them. For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord: and ourselves your servants for Jesus' sake. For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of knowlege of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the powe rmay be of God and not of us. II Corinthians 3:17, 18 & 4:3-7.

Lord I need to see your plan before I enter the fog, but if you take me into the fog and the storm and darkness, I am so thankful that you are there.  If I stumble there unexpectedly, harness my fear and turn the fog into beautiful snow every time! I praise your name for the times you have sent angels to direct me through the fog.  And for every time you allowed me to go to a place where I cannot clearly see with my thinking eyes, but that you gave me new understanding in that unsure place, I stand amazed that you cared for me.  Do as much for my family and friends, bless them with your leadership each and every day.  In Jesus Name, AMEN

Repentance and Renewal ~ how to live in a state of repentance

Each and every day a multitude of cells, hair strands, and chemicals either die and fall away from our bodies, or are processed through and discarded.  It is a state of constants death to life to death to life process. As the earth turns on its axis and and circles the sun, from our point of view there occurs a contant light to dark to light to dark. And we say each new morning is a new day, beginning a fresh opportunity to have a bright new future.  If we examine any thing that is a part of the cycles of life, we see the pattern of renewal that God set in place.  Renewal is something we can count on.  It is as sure as the sun rising each morning. We should take comfort in knowing that one of the anchors of God's plans in our lives, is a schedule of renewal.

The psalmist in Psalms 51:10 asks God to renew a right spirit within him. Isaiah says that if we wait on the Lord, our strength will be renewed. (Isaiah 40:31, my personal favorite verse.) But the verse I love the most that expresses this truth is:

The inward man is renewed day by day. II Corinthians 4:16

If something in life appears to be dying, count it as a good thing. And look forward to the time of renewing, because you can count on it. Don't trust feelings, because they will lie to you. Trust the processes of a timeless God.

On the flip side there are certain things that God wants us not to return to and try to remake. Because "renew" is not the same as "remake." Some people would be surprised to hear me say that "re"pentance is one of them.  Lest you question, hear me out.

Hebrews 6: 4-6 says:

For it is impossible for those who were enlightened and have tasted of the heavenly gift and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, and have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come, If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance, seeing they crucify unto themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to open shame.

Now what on earth does all that mean?  Should we then not go to prayer with a repentant heart? Is there no remedy for when we have gone much deeper into sin than we ever thought we could?  If we sin are we just stuck there?  I am amazed how many times these verses are used to implant these very same falsehoods into the hearts of seeking saints.  These verses were never meant to run over Christians with guilt trips.

Instead, they embody a truth that is a simple as this.  Consider this example: God made the earth and set it in place to operate within the renewal principles.  But each time the darkness engulfs a part of it, he does not intervene and make the earth all over again in order to bring light back to its surface.  That seems ridiculous doesn't it.  The earth simply turns until some part of it faces the light of the sun once again. It is expected and constant. Our prayers of repentance after salvation serve only to renew in our minds the fact that we are already made in the image of God and now we have the power to live like it by continually turning toward him.  

Once we were placed into the newness of life in Christ, and begin our walk with the power of the Holy Spirit in our lives, repentance is a given.  It is as stable and accepted as the earth in its place. We are a part of the principle of repentance and are to live our lives as if we are in perpetual repentance. But what that really means is that we are in a constant state of forgiveness as well, always returning to the light of day, renewed day by day. We are to behave as if dead in sin, but in a state of expectation that a new day will always dawn, and life will be renewed.

Hopefully, I am not beating you over the head with this if I give one more example.  Our bodies require sleep to be renewed.  Without it we will falter during waking hours, and struggle. So, does God turn us back into a tiny dividing cell and start from scratch to remake us everyday? NO.  Once we were born, we became a living being. And the cycles of life began to occur day after day.  And each day was meant to include a time of rest.  Scientists say that the mind uses sleep time to reboot, and make sense of what happened during the day. It is a time that our subconcious even has to take a look at the day and make choices that prepare us for a new day of doing it all over again.  This truth is laid out in full in the 4th Chapter of Hebrews, and the discussion is bracketed by the first and eigth verses:

Let us therefore, fear, lest a promise being left us of entering into his rest, any of you should seem to come short of it. Vs. 8. For if Jesus had given them rest, then would he not afterward have spoken of another day? 

We are admonished to take a rest from sin and start fresh. 

My father once told me that if he had to go back to the cross every time he sinned and do that over and over, he would have none of that. He didn't want to be a Christian. He had been taught as a child, he said, if you die without repentance, you were going to Hell anyway.  Since he just couldn't figure out how often he needed to keep going back to the cross, he just gave up. What was the use?  My father may have indeed died in his sins because his mind grew weary trying to resolve his sin issue by constant repentance, and it may have been the fault of Christians who lived as if that is how God meant it to be.  My friends, it is not!  Repentance is a constant state into which we enter through the cross, and renewal is a constant state wherein we act out that truth because of the resurrection. Instead of living in fear, returning to the cross daily is like going to sleep and letting the renewal take place.  Natural, God ordained, simple, healthy. At any given time during the day, we can put our sin nature to bed and rise from prayer like sun on a new morning.     

Our lives should portray the surety of the power of renewal on our lives. Not a fear of constant condemnation for our sin. As there is a time for night and a time for day, there can be a time when we rest in repentance, and a time when we can live and move forward in the strength of being renewed by that. If I say "Rest in Repentance," can you understand that I am not driving you to go repent, but rather am encouraging you to live like you are well rested in his forgiveness? How do you see yourself most often, as sinner or saint? 

There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God.  For he that is entered into His rest, also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from His. Hebrews 4: 9-10.

Heavenly Father, help us to live as if we can sleep soundly because we know our sin is resolved, and can anticipate the dawn with joy, knowing the inner man is renewed and clean, and strengthened for the challenges of a new day.  Help us to walk away from the  life that dreads the night to fall upon us fearing the wrath of God upon our sins, and dreading the new day as if we carry our own burden of sin.  Help us to not keep trying to recrucify Christ.  Turn us about in our thinking, and also in our appearance to lost seeking souls.  Help us live like we are at rest from our sin, so others may want what we have. AMEN

God Provides.

Not too long ago I put a bird feeder on the tree outside my kitchen window. It's main purpose was to attract birds so they would eat the bugs in my vegetable gardens. I'd get a few little finches at first, but then red-winged black birds and cardinals started to show up at the feeder. I've been more than enjoying their presence, especially when the windows are open and i can hear them singing little songs. 

While making breakfast and watching the bird activity a few mornings ago this scripture came to mind:

Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?—Matthew 6:26

Let's look at the verses surrounding the verse above:

“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?  Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?

 “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these.  If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’  For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. —Matthew 6:25-34

i've been thinking about the birds that visit my home for feed and shelter in the tree. They have no permanent home and no constant source of food or water.Yet, they do not lack anything they need to survive. The birds don't stress—somehow they know they will be taken care of.

The scriptures tell us that we are much more important to God than the birds, so why do we worry so much? Sometimes i think my problem is that i focus too much on the what-ifs  and the thoughts of not having enough of what i need instead of focusing on trusting God, the One who feeds the birds and clothes the grass of the field. Even though there has never been a time in my life where God didn't provide my every need, i still have to make sure i know where my focus is at all times — on God, not my circumstances. 

There's a promise in these verses, you know. Did you catch it? But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.  We're told that worrying doesn't add any years to our life. In fact, stress takes away years. Trusting in Him and finding rest in His arms is where we will find all our needs being met in His timing. 

Thank you, Lord, for providing our every need. Help us to put our trust completely in You alone. In Jesus name.

The Reentry to My Life

As most of you know, I just got back from my second trip to Lima, Peru to do mission work.  On this particular trip, my fifteen year old son went with me (his first mission trip).  Both times after coming home, I want to shout, “Wait! I have a story to tell!”  If you’ve ever been on a mission trip before, you know that reentry to your regular life is the hardest part.

During this trip, we visited with our sponsored child (whom I met on my first trip) and her family for several days in her village.  We also distributed 300 personal water filters to the children.  My son worked on a lighting project for the homes that have no natural light at all.  These simple contraptions were made from an empty two liter bottle, tin, and Clorox water. 

 

Part of our team painted and refurnished the room of a local worker who lives at the childcare center and cooks for nearly 300 children each day.  But mostly, I played with the kids: teaching Bible stories, helped with crafts, served food, held a jump rope until I thought my arm would fall off, and just built relationships with the children and their families.  

 

Many people ask me when they hear about our trips, “Aren’t you scared?  Do you get nervous?”  The answer is an astounding, “YES!!”  However, my obedience to the Lord trumps any anxiety I have about my trips.

 

Mark 16:15 says,

“He (Jesus) said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation.”

As we reenter our normal lives, parts of our hearts will never be the same.  We will long to hug the children that we played with.  We will want to talk to the precious Pastor’s family that we got to know better.  We won’t forget the happiness that we saw on the faces of the children who get to drink the local water without worrying about diseases or parasites.  I will never forget the scream of joy, like Christmas morning, when I gave my sponsored child her gifts from home.

You see the world is so much bigger than what we see each day.  There are children who only eat five meals a week in Lima if they have a sponsor.  Our challenge as Christians is to support missions by going or helping those who go.  Our prayers should go out to those who are hungry around the world.  May our hearts never lose sight of Jesus’s command.

My Prayer:  God, thank you for the opportunity my son and I had to visit with the villages in Peru.  I pray for abundant provisions for these two child care centers.  Let our hearts not become darkened to the needs of the world.  Reveal to us ways to pray or support missionaries.  In Jesus name!

Chasing the Kingdom

In January, I was asked the question, “What would you do this year if you knew you couldn’t fail?”  As I began really praying about my answer, I knew clearly that I would go back to Lima, Peru where I have been once before to do mission work.  

Since January, the Lord has confirmed my dream many times over.  We have even had the pleasure of hosting in our home the Pastor and his dear family from Lima.  Long story short: my son and I are leaving on Friday to go back to Lima.  We are thrilled to see the child that we sponsor whom I met on the first trip.  We ask for your prayers from this Friday, May 25th to next Thursday, May 31.  

As I have sought the Lord over the details of this trip, I recognize that I have lived Matthew 6:33-34 which says,

“But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.  Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself.  Each day has enough trouble of its own.”

In closing, I challenge you to examine the question, “What would you do, dear friend, if you knew you couldn’t fail?” God opens huge doors when we seek His kingdom first. 

My Prayer:  God, thank you for the opportunity to go back to Lima.  I praise you for preparing my heart over the past few months.  We rejoice that we will see our friends and fellow Kingdom workers again.  Holy Spirit, I boldly ask you to show others how to impact the world with just a dream or vision without the possibility of failing.  In Jesus Name!

When life circumstances are a burden too heavy to carry—pray!

“Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.” An angel from heaven appeared to him and strengthened him. And being in anguish, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground.—Luke 22:42-44

i read these verses the other day and i haven't been able to stop thinking about them since. The courage, heart, emotion, and strength of Jesus to be able to say these words—wow— i can't even begin to tell you how much they encourage me. Jesus submits completely to the Father. When Jesus is tired and overcome with emotion, God sends an angel to strengthen Him. And, even though the pain seemed too much to bear, making it easy to want to give up, He didn't stop praying. Scripture tells us that he prayed more earnestly, knowing deep down that God had a beautiful plan for His life. 

We can learn so much from Jesus in just these couple verses. 
• When we submit to God's will the outcome is always good, even though parts of our journey are difficult.
• God knows when the load we are carrying is too heavy to carry alone. He sends Jesus and angels to lighten the burden.
• Even though life gets difficult and it's easy to throw in the towel, God wants us to persevere, He helps us move through the dark valley. It may seem like prayers are not being answered, but now is not the time to stop praying. We must pray our way all the way through the valley. And every day we might need to pray a little harder than the day before. But, rest assured, the Lord answers prayers! We have to trust Him and wait patiently for Him.

Don't give up, don't ever give up. The Lord has so many beautiful plans for your life. Pray harder and rest in His arms—it's safe there.

Jesus, thank you for allowing us to read about one of your most vulnerable life moments. We find ourselves in these situations often, but it's hard to see a way out. You show us a way out, though. We can be encouraged by your courage, strength, and your heart to serve the Father.  This scripture is a reminder that we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us.