Jack in the Box

"Don't be surprised by these fiery trials you are going through, as if something strange were happening to you." 1 Peter 4:12. Just like a Jack in The box when we were little, we knew what to expect. We knew that while we were going along our merry way and bobbing our head to the music that that scary little joker was going to jump out at some time. It's the same with life. We're going along and up pops Satan. We never know when but we have to learn to expect it. And we have to become people who act according to God's word and his love and not people who react to surprises that pop up. It's no surprise that we are going to share in the sufferings of Christ, 1 Peter 4:13, Romans 8:17, Philippians 3:10. Satan is going to pop up and if he can't get us one way he'll come with another strategy to attempt to take us down. We have to be a people that expect that and are ready for it. In Genesis it says, "What Satan intends for evil God will work out for good."  That is our confidence! That is the rock on which we stand. Though I tremble upon the rock the rock never trembles under me. Be ready, watchful, alert knowing that our enemy is seeking daily to destroy, divide and devour 1 Peter 5:8. If we are not grounded in God's word and have a closeness and intimate relationship with our God we will be taken down by those tactics and evil intentions. 

We are not little vulnerable sheep out here alone trying to survive. We belong to the shepherd and he watches over his flock day and night. He fights off the attacks of the bears and the lions that try to hurt his flock. We have to ingrain a mindset into our brain that though we feel alone sometimes we are never alone. His presence and his power, his might and his love are not only surrounding us but indwelling in us. The same Spirit that Rose Christ from the dead dwells in us. Romans 8:11. I know it sounds trite but when these trials and storms come we must keep our eyes on the Lord and his promises. The minute we take our eyes off of him we are swept over by the winds in the waves. Only he can command the storms to be calm. However, he will allow storms because that's what grows us. He knows that when we grow in him we will not be victims in this life but victors in him. 1st Thessalonians 5:17 says to pray without ceasing. That means to be constantly, moment by moment plugged in to God. Being thoughtful, prayerful, mindful... Rejoicing and praising him in the confidence of knowing that he is in control. 

Do not be surprised, be ready.

Colossians 3:15

"Let the Peace of Christ rule in your hearts... " Colossians 3:15 

The key word here is " let". In my daily devotional today it said, "The command is to “let the peace of Christ rule.” Another way to say that is to surrender, yield to the direction of the peace of Christ. So much of our anxiety is because we are grasping for control rather than learning to surrender." Isn't it amazing how one little word can create a paradigm shift so profound that your viewpoint on a subject goes from impotent to potent! 

"Let", infers that the peace is already there in Christ. It's just making that decision to stop, relax our shoulders, unclench our teeth, breathe and accept the gift of peace that is readily available for us. So many of us think that peace is like a carrot dangling from a stick and if we're good enough we will get some. That's not God's character at all. I believe that every gift from God can be received with Grace if we were to deal with our preconceived distorted images of him first. Then, the walls come down and we, like children, grasp at what we already know he wants us to have. We have so many walls built up because we don't believe that he could love us as much as he does. That's why he calls us to be innocent like little children. (Matthew 18:3).

Today, let's keep prayers poised and ready to offer up to him repeatedly. Lord God, let your peace flow into me right now. Lord God, let your wisdom flood my mind right now. Lord God, let your unconditional love replace my shame and guilt. Lord God, let your faith and joy overcome my feelings of doubt or depression. Lord God, let your hope reign in my mind and heart as it suffocates any discouragement. Lord God, Let.....

Our God doesn't just ask us to bow our heads in prayer but he also asks us to reach our hands out and up like little children. It's okay to reach up and ask him to pick you up and hold you for a bit. It's okay to open up your hands to him and tell him that you need wisdom for a decision. It's okay to humbly and innocently with palms up ask him to let his peace flow into your troubling circumstances. His heart longs for us to want to be with him and receive his gifts. So let him.

James1:5 "who gives freely to all without finding fault"

Heavy Wet Blanket

It's our human nature to default into a mindset of hopelessness when we are in a time of waiting. When everything around us seems to be falling apart, and dark clouds are looming we can succumb to that easily. Especially when the time of waiting is long. Our only hope is in Christ. To read his word that speaks so lovingly over us. As his children we are set apart in him completely forgiven and completely loved. There is no condemnation in Christ. (Romans 8:1)

Like a caterpillar that is bound by a cocoon we must push and exercise and be relentless in our transformation. In Christ we have the hope of becoming a butterfly. However, we sometimes feel that that freedom will not happen until he comes for us. But it is available to us in the waiting. We don't wait passively but through him we confidently and strenuously push through our feelings and circumstances. Our freedom is in our believing. It is in our hope in Christ. 

Feelings are a powerful force but our mindset, that we choose to have and the power of Christ in US is much more powerful. The key to our prison cell is the words of hope that Christ spoke in the New testament. It's in the words that the prophets spoke of in the Old testament. We have the key, the word of God. We just need to make sure to leave the cell and to walk in his power, going forward relentlessly in his strength, love and Hope. Throwing off that heavy wet blanket of emotions that are deceitful and putting on the robe of Glory and light is what gives us the courage to walk into freedom.

Train your mind to choose our hope in Christ over any lies that our mind or the enemy tells us. It's a moment by moment choice to rewire our thought patterns. We have several acres of property and every spring the grapevine starts taking over every plant and tree. If we don't cut it down at the root it will destroy everything beautiful. That's how we must think when it comes to our thoughts. Destroying lies at the root and creating new thoughts filled with hope and beauty. It's a choice but if we stay faithful in fighting this battle with the Holy Spirit we will see the fruit of that work which is Hope. Never give up and never stop pushing through. As hard as it is to get out from under a big, heavy wet blanket, Romans 5:3-5 says, "Suffering produces perseverance, which in turn creates character and Hope."

John 16:7 says, "It is better that I leave you now because I will send you the Holy Spirit, the Helper, the Comforter." Jesus was physically present with the disciples but the Holy Spirit  indwells us. We are not alone and he has given us everything we need to survive this earthly terrain. And not just this earthly terrain but to battle the powers and principalities that are constantly at war to derail us.

I encourage all of us to daily put on the Armor of God (Ephesians 6:10-20) and draw our sword of the spirit which is the Word of God to slay any lies or emotions that get in our way. Is it exhausting? Yes, but Christ empowers us not only by making us soldiers who battle in His strength as he goes before us. But, also by the blessings of rest and the joy of our salvation. Walk with him 24/7, 365, keep your lamps full (Matthew 25:1-13) and your eyes gazing upward. For he is coming soon. (Thessalonians 4:16)

Come on in

    2 Corinthians 1:4-12 says,

"Therefore, since through God's mercy we have this ministry, we do not lose heart. Rather, we have renounced secret and shameful ways; we do not use deception, nor do we distort the Word of God. On the contrary, by setting forth the truth plainly we commend ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God. And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the Gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. For we do not preach ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus's sake. For God, who said, "Let light shine out of darkness," made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.

    But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all surpassing power is from God and not from us. We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed."

    Jesus is the only person who has ever chosen to be born. He left his father's side, through great compassion, to have a relationship with us. His plan is to be the light that guides us to our eternal Heavenly home. To gather us into relationship with the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. For God to enjoy his children and for his children to enjoy their God. Jesus is the Light of Life.

    Do you feel oppressed by darkness around you. Is there fear in your heart? Does the pressure seem insufferable? Is there confusion in your mind? Is your grieving for the Lost overwhelming? Take heart children of God, for he has overcome the world. 

    "These things I have spoken to you so that in me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but have courage; for I have overcome the world." John 16:33

    We may feel or be hard-pressed, abandoned, perplexed or even struck down, but the compassion, comfort, guidance, kindness and love of the Holy Spirit is available to us every moment. Like a fresh spring well that we can dip into whenever we are parched or weary. My gut was twisting with some emotional pain the other night and I quickly called upon the Holy Spirit to comfort me. The comfort of the God of the universes was upon me instantly. He never fails to be faithful.

    Do we still feel fear at times? Yes. It's an emotion that can be used to warn us or to make us change for the better. When God says do not fear, I imagine him asking me why I'm standing in the storm trembling, cold, wet, and terrified. When, I have an open invitation from him to come under his wing of protection to find shelter, refuge and peace amid the storm. I envision him saying, "Do not fear, come in here." 

Ask and it will be given to you, seek and you will find, knock and the door will be open to you. Matthew 7:7-8

I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore, with loving kindness I have drawn you. Jeremiah 31:3

With his feathers he will cover you, and under his wings you will find refuge. His truth will be your shield and armor. Psalm 91:4

'Do not fear, come in here."

Falling Apart or Together?

When caged by a problem, we have a choice. We can flap, panic and break a wing or we can choose to trust and sing. D.A.H.

Praise will change your troubling circumstance faster than worry and doubt. Do you trust God? 

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not upon your own understanding, but submit to him in all your ways and he will make your paths straight.

Proverbs 3:5-6

When you see a situation that you're praying about looking worse, remember that you have to make a big mess when you clean out a closet before you can put it back properly. It's the same with the human heart. Trust the process and trust The Loving hands of your Lord. 

Catch and Release

How many times have you given something to God and then took it back? It seems like we cast it out and tell him it's all in his hands. Then, we reel it back in so that we can toy with it, worry over it, fret over it and try to use our own wisdom to figure it out. It doesn't take too long though to realize that we can't figure it out or work it out because it's only something that God can do. So, we cast it out to him again telling him that we trust him to work it all together for our good, only to reel it back in again. 

The pain of unresolved issues seems to torment us. We get this idea that if we just put our hand in front of God and tell him to step back because we've got this handled, that we can fix it. It doesn't take long for us to realize that we can't. We can't change a person's heart or mind. We are not equipped to know a person's deepest hurts or what lies in their heart. We want so badly to fix the situation but it is so hard to just leave it before him and trust him. We simply just want the pain to stop. 

What we forget sometimes is that God can fix anything in a blink of an eye. However, he has to work with stubborn people who want their own way and they want it now. In reality, God is never working on the people that we're having problems with without working on us at the same time. Now he has two people that want their own way and all involved are getting mad at God because he's not answering their prayer the way they want him to. 

I have been learning a deep lesson recently concerning all of this. I keep giving this situation to God but it feels like it just jumps back in my boat, which is my mind, and it flops around driving me crazy. The lessons I have been learning is that God wants to change me as much as he wants  to change other people.

When we reel it back in it's because we want control. We have not learned to still our heart and our mind and to trust that God is going before us to win the battle. It's an issue of lack of trust and control. 

When it jumps back in your boat that is God saying I need you to look at this more closely. You're blaming and pointing fingers but are you showing this other person the grace that I've shown you when you were unsufferable? Are you open to loving this person like I have loved you unconditionally?

Practicing self-righteousness or seeking God's righteousness is a choice that we have to make. If the fish keeps jumping in your boat it's because GOD wants to deal with your heart. If you keep reeling the fish in it's because YOU want to deal with someone else's heart. 

We are all sinners and we all fall short of the Glory of God. (Romans 3:23). But Lord, what are we to do? His answer is clear and that is to repent of our own judgments and to forgive the other of any transgressions. 

Boundaries regarding abuse or molestation are a whole other conversation. But when it comes to being obedient to Christ rather than our own pride we are called to act like Christ did. He sought his Father's counsel, spoke the truth in love, forgave his enemies, whether they accepted his grace or not and he moved on in love, grace and mercy.

It says in 1st Corinthians 13:4-8, Love is patient, love is kind, it does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud, it does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs, love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.

I've read this scripture hundreds and hundreds of times yet, I fail at perfecting these qualities.  It's because Christ is the only one who is perfect. Our life here on earth is about surrendering to him and asking him to bless us with a mind and heart that are more like his. Each time we choose to surrender to him he grows us a little more into his image. Our desire should be to have a hunger and a thirst to be more like him and less like us. That fulfillment comes when we open our Bibles, spend time with him, pray to him, and desire his will more than our own.

We can do it the easy way or the hard way. We can change or remain. We can grow or we can be stagnant. We can be filled with joy and goodness or we can be filled with resentment and anger. Like mother Teresa said, "It is never between us and the other person, it is always between us and God." 

This world right now is filled with so much division and hatred. But God is very clear in his word that people will know us by our love for each other. (John 13:35). God is urging his children to put aside our petty differences and quarrels. He's asking us to examine ourselves first and then to forgive others for their shortcomings. May we all take this to heart and desire this with all of our heart.

Luke 6:7, Forgive and you will be forgiven. 

Matthew 6:14,15, Forgive others and your Heavenly Father will forgive you.

We have to answer these simple questions, "Would we rather be right or loved?" "Would we rather have peace in our mind and heart or turmoil and angst? Will we choose resentment over Joy?" "Do we want to be right with God or just right?" 

There is no honest and pure conversation while someone is holding a sword. Both parties need to set down there weapons and choose love, resolve and forgiveness or there will be no healing.

At the Cross

The depth of our guilt can never be understood except from the foot of the cross. It is also there that we understand the depth of his love and forgiveness.

God Always Picks Up the Call

You may not see or feel the workings of God's silent power, but rest assured it is always at work in a mighty way. And it will work for you, if you will only quiet your spirit enough to be carried along by the current of his power. 

Hannah Whittall Smith

Yesterday it felt like I was on stormy open seas and my emotions were the waves. I felt so overwhelmed with this sadness regarding a situation that is going on. I finally just laid on my back and floated in this vision. I couldn't stop the pain in my heart but I just laid back and trusted God while the storm was going on. Sometimes we just have to rest in the fact that he is in control and he is working even when we don't see it. He is in the boat (Matthew 8:24...).

This morning however, before my emotions could get a hold of me I sat up in bed and opened my bible. I asked the Lord a specific question and as usual he was totally faithful to answer it through scripture. Here are a couple of the things that he said to me. 

First of all, he put 2 Timothy in my brain and I couldn't shake it off so I knew that's where he wanted me to go in his word. Secondly, my question was very direct and his answer was also very direct. 

My question to God was, "How do I act when someone is not filled with God's Holy Spirit and they are stirring up dissension?" His answer was in 2 Timothy 2:22-26, " Flee the evil desires of youth and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart. Do not have anything to do with foolish and stupid arguments, because you know they produce quarrels. And the Lord's servant must not quarrel; instead, he must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful. Those who oppose him he must gently instruct, in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth, and that they will come to their senses and escape from the trap of the devil, who is taking them captive to do his will. "

Sometimes we become so exhausted mentally, emotionally and physically when there is something overwhelming happening in our lives. Like last night, I just had to float on my back in the storm and trust that Jesus was there and I would be okay. But then we have to rise and trust him as he takes us for a walk on the water. That's where we hear him so clearly because we have nothing else to hold on to. We can walk boldly before the throne and ask anything and he will give us an answer if we seek him with all of our heart (Jeremiah 29:12-14). We just have to still ourselves to hear his voice. 

I knew that I was called to forgive my enemies but I did not know exactly how to handle when the enemy breaks into my camp. So what I did was simply call God and he picked up. He said, "Oh hello my daughter! This is a frequently asked question so I'm going to email you the book of 2nd Timothy. Check it out and listen carefully because your answer is there." 

God is faithful and you must believe that with all your heart. He never stops caring, he never stops interceding and he never stops working. His work is usually unseen. But we must trust and never doubt him. When we can smile, rest and be still knowing this, that's when we truly find peace.

It's okay to fall back into the waves and trust him, but it's even more important after you've gotten a little rest to get up and search his word. Ask him to engrave his truths on the tablets of your heart and mind. Even in the darkest of nights and the most turbulent seas he is holding you and he is faithful. It's in quietness and stillness when we hear his vioce and direction clearly.

Psalm 46:10, Be still (in your heart, your mind, your life) and know that he is God. 

Exodus 14:14, Deuteronomy 1:30, 31:8, Be still, for I the Lord go before you and fight your battles. 

We must always remember as in Job 7, that the enemy cannot do anything unless it goes through God first. So, love your enemies and pray for them, but do not engage in foolish or stupid arguments. Be kind to everyone and gently instruct those who oppose you, hoping that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth, and that they will come to their senses and escape from the trap of the devil, who has taken them captive to do his will. 2Tim 2:23-26

Rest, be still, quiet yourself, trust God completely, then, give him a call (pray) and he will always pick up and he will always direct you to the truth. 

Check out: Psalm 120:1, Jonah 2:2, Psalm 18:6, Psalm 34:17

Psalm 120:1, I call on the Lord in my distress, and he answers me.

This is my personal favorite. Psalm 116:1,2, I love the Lord, for he heard my voice; he heard my cry for mercy. Because he turned his ear to me, I will call on him as long as I live.

Repurposed

Have you ever felt like someone through you in the trash? It's so painful to bear such rejection. Well, just remember that Jesus searches in those places because those are his peeps. He will open that trash can in the alley and see you! He will reach down and with gentleness, pull you up and see how he can fix you, polish you and give you a new purpose. When someone discards you it's not that you are useless or purposeless or unlovable. It's that they make you feel that way. When we cry out to Jesus he will always come and pick us up and clean us off. He'll clean us on the inside and the outside of the nastiness that gets thrown at us and hurts us so deeply in our hearts and minds.

Never let anyone but Jesus define you. Never allow someone else to calculate your worth. If you've been kicked aside, rejected, told that you are broken or no longer wanted, or anything that made you feel unworthy or unloved... Just turn and face Jesus. He will never do that to you, he will never leave you or forsake you, he will never let you become useless or purposeless, he will never set you aside and forget about you, he will never say words that break your heart, he will never not be there when you need him, he will never not see great worth in you, and most of all he will never ever stop loving you. 

Matthew 5:44, "But I (Jesus) say unto you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to them who hate you, and pray for them who despitefully use you and persecute you."

Eye Roll

You know that certain kind of breath that especially teenagers take where they breathe in and at the same time their eyes are rolling back and then the exhale comes out as like a huff? You know that kind of sound and gesture that makes you feel unheard and that you have nothing of value to share in life. Well, the Lord pointed out to me last week that I do that all the time. Whether it be in traffic which is where it happens the most. Or, how about if you're sink is full of dishes and you pump the dish soap and it's empty! What about a family member that disagrees with you on everything and all you want to do is have a nice meal but it never turns out that way. It could also be your spouse or your child when they hear something and it's so profound to them that it's life-changing but you've told them the same thing a thousand times in the past. It happens a hundres times a day when you drop something or can find what you're looking for... This list could go on and on and I encourage you to write down your personal "eye roll" experiences. God doesn't care for the eye roll or the huff. He wants a whole different attitude from us and toward others.

For the past week the Lord has been using his Holy Spirit to shine a light on all of my "eye rolls". Because I have surrendered so many times for so many things that I want him to change in me I pretty quickly asked him what he was trying to tell me. It was pretty simple, he wanted me to exude joy instead of frustration and apathy. What really drove the message home from God was a certain situation. The other day a friend popped by and said that they would text before they were coming which they did but I didn't hear it. I was in my grungy cleaning clothes and about to clean this disgusting shelf unit that I brought up from the basement then, the doorbell rang. You would have thought that something devastating happened by the way I reacted. I usually wake up every morning and put on the armor of God, say good morning to him, ask him to fill my thoughts and then I pray and ask him to make my Divine appointments for the day. Well that's exactly what he was doing but at that moment I was just not having it. I was so upset that I got interrupted. I pulled it together went down put on a smile and greeted my friend. She had brought her mom with her who is 101 years old and she had her out in the car. It was a gorgeous beautiful sunshiny day, the leaves had just a little touch of the morning Frost left on them and the trees were in full color. I had put on my cozy blanket fleece and wrapped my big wool scarf around me. It was like something you would see in a movie, a gorgeous fall day with a friend stopping by. However, in my heart I had this angst about being interrupted. Then my friend who is so perky, fun and lovely asked me to come and pray with her mom who was in the car. Of course I wanted to do that and see her mom who I've known for years and years. We stood by her mom's car door talking but I could tell she was getting cold so my friend said let's sit in the car, you sit in the front seat by my mom and you can say a prayer. I sat in the car and as I started to pray my friend was asking all these questions about God. The Holy Spirit was speaking through me all these beautiful scenarios and scriptures about God's love. Her mom kept looking over at me and smiling and I just reached over and held her hand. My friend is the best daughter I've personally have ever seen. She loves her mom so much and dotes on her by taking care of her so beautifully. It was a Divine appointment when she invited me into the car to pray. I was able to answer all of those questions and talk to them through the Holy Spirit about God's love and salvation. The entire experience, from the crisp fall morning, being bundled up in tartan, my fiends bubbling personality, her precious and fragile sweet mom, God fulfilled his purpose in our lives that day, which made that time irreplaceable and holy.

After they left and I went back into the house. I stood there looking out the window at the beautiful nature scene before me and thinking what a lovely moment in time I just had with my dear friend and her mom. I felt so ashamed because of that angst that stirred up inside of me making me feel so disrupted and inconvenienced at the moment of her arrival. Then, the Lord asked me, which would you rather do, clean a filthy shelf from the basement or have the experience of this Divine appointment that I just gave you. And he basically told me that he doesn't want me to act the way that I did anymore. The Spirit spoke to me for quite a few days about huffing and puffing, rolling my eyes, shaking my head and busying myself to the point of missing what HE has for me. 

This whole experience, tied in with something I've been struggling with for the past few years. That is how everyone is so busy! We don't do a lot of the friend or family stuff that we used to do. Those moments are far and few between. Life seems to be in hyperspeed. It feels like I'm choking back a sadness, it feels like grieving. I became, like the others, so immersed in projects that I didn't feel the absence of the human touch till it was acute. Here I was, too busy cleaning a filthy shelf to actually see the gift that was in front of me at the time. 

Brothers and sisters, I encourage you to not start your day without the Lord. To have an open heart, to let him love on you and remind you what is really important before your feet hit the floor. Grace, Grace, Grace. Give it to others, give it to yourself. Ask God every morning to fill you to overflowing so that it spills out over you. Ask him for a soft heart to accept his plans over your own. Our job is not to judge but to love. We are to bring people into the presence of God through prayer and ask God to convict their hearts and show them his lavish love. That's the work HE does inside of people. The outside work is when he calls on us to surrender our own time and to be his hands and feet. Showing others that they are important, seen and heard. To serve others when he calls on us to do so. So take a deep breath in the morning and let him turn your raging river of thoughts, errands and duties into still waters. Sit there with him in the green pasture. Let him calm you and invite him to go before you into that day. Never forget that HE IS plan A. Our agenda is Plan B. God is in the detours so don't freak out (like I did:) A spirit of peace, joy, gratitude and thankfulness will keep him first in our lives.

Note: We all have those "off" days where we are tired, overwhelmed, distracted, not feeling well.... We all fall short sometimes. Tell God you're sorry, learn from it, grow from it and do better next time.

Matthew 11:28-30, "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest...

2 Corinthians 12:9, His grace will be sufficient for me for his strength is made perfect in my weakness.

Matthew 6:33, "But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness: and all these things shall be added unto you.

Wait For It...

There is a GLORY STORY in every situation. Nothing happens apart from God's plan. It may be exciting or it can be painful. But, God has a GRAND PLAN. We will see the other side of the tapestry one day and we will understand. However, until then, he will be with us through it all. His Spirit, his presence, his love, his comfort... He hates to see us suffer but we are called to share in the sufferings of Christ (1Peter 4:13). When pain comes and it will (John 16:33, 1 Peter 4:12), be sure to blame the enemy and not God. There will be Justice one day. I think the worst pain is to lose a loved one but we must find our comfort in Jesus. We will enter into Paradise and see our loved ones again. There will be no more tears, pain or suffering.

If you think that they weren't saved when they died then you have to remember that God visits everyone before they die (psalm 48:14b). I know this from experience and from stories from many people. He visits them because he desires that no one should perish. Find comfort in that. If your loved one died but they suffered, remember that when Steven was being stoned (Acts 7:56), heaven opened up and he saw the face of Jesus. Your loved ones are no longer in pain and they wouldn't want you to be in pain, so miss them and grieve their loss but don't feel their pain. They are free now. Rejoice in that for them. And above all, we will all be together again one day living in his glory! So, take your pain and sorrow to him and let him comfort you. The sin of this world is what causes pain but Jesus is coming back, Justice will be done and we have eternity to be together basking in nothing but joy. 

Psalm 34:14, God is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.

Revelation 21:4, He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain...

2 Peter 3:9, .. God is patient and desires no one to perish...

My mother died when I was young and I miss her everyday. I used to blame God but in his great loving kindness he showed me the truth I spoke about above. He showed me his enduring love that pursues us until the very last chance for people to accept his gift of salvation. He never ever ever gives up on a soul. People may reject him even until the end but he never stops pursuing his creation with his love. No one is ever hopeless as long as God is there. 

Shalom

Kind Love

 I have a saying, "If you are doing ungodly speech and behavior with less intensity and less frequency then you are growing. Praise God for that growth. If you're anything like me, you probably put too much pressure on yourself to be perfect. When we constantly feel like we are letting God down, we are actually giving glory to the enemy. God never expected us to be perfect! That's why Jesus went to the cross. This sounds like such a simple message but think about how many times you choose to live according to your own abilities and strengths. That is pride. We are called to live in God's grace. It's such a beautiful word filled with so much kindness.

Have you ever gone to church and for months they will talk about what we need to do, what we should be doing, how we are not living up to the standard of God's Word, etc... Then, this special gift shows up one Sunday morning and some guest speaker will simply talk about God's grace. You feel your shoulders relax, a smile forms on your face, you feel this spring of refreshment bubbling up in your spirit and your heart feels loved and happy for the first time in a long time. 

Today, have your own service with God. Look up scriptures about his love for you and about His grace. Soak it in and carry it in your heart and mind all day. Memorize the words he speaks over you about his unconditional love. He is the Savior NOT you. Release it all unto him and feel the freedom of living under grace and not legalism. Breath deep, in then out, over and over, play worship songs, dance, sing, relax... Don't worry about ANYTHING but trust him with ALL your concerns. This actually sounds like something we should do often. Giving ourselves a break from it all once in awhile. That's how we think but God actually wants us to live like this everyday. 

Why is it so hard for us to feel this freedom? Why is our default to always go back to stress, control, juggling too many things, worrying... Spend time with your friend and Savior and let him speak to you through his Word about this. We should all be growing and changing in ways that please our Lord but not under a cloud of shame. We should be doing it in a Spirit of Joy. Pull away from the world and draw near to God. He is waiting for us with open arms and a heart of pure, tender love.

John 1:16, From his fullness we all received grace upon grace.

2 Timothy 2;1, You therefore, my child, be strengthened in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.

Romans 6;4, Sin will not have dominion over you. For you are not under law, but under grace.

Galatians 2:21, I don't reject the grace of God, for if righteousness is through the law, then Christ died for nothing!

1 Corinthians 15:10, But by the grace of God I am what I am. His grace which was given to me was not futile...

Jeremiah 31:3, ...I have loved you with an everlasting love: I have drawn you with unfailing kindness.

Lamentations 3:22-23, The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases: his mercies never come to an end: they are new every morning: great is his faithfulness.

May we all learn to LIVE IN HIS GRACE and stop trying to earn it. Breath in JOY. In Jesus name. Amen

He is in it

Today's message is going to be short but powerful. In my study this morning it asked me if I believe what God says. And then it asked me if I believe what God says when I am in pain. I had to think about that. My pain always triggered my immaturity that God was not with me. That he pulled away because I wasn't Worthy or I wasn't important etc. But through pain God has taught me and matured me in his Word that he never leaves me or forsakes me. That I can crawl under his wing and that he is a refuge for me! That I am so worthy he gave his life for me. That his thoughts toward me everyday are more than the grains of sand. That I am the apple of his eye. That the Son of God literally intercedes on my behalf and prays for me everyday, all day.

Think of the Bible stories that go with these examples. God is in the Lion's den. God is in the prison. God is in the fire. God is in the open sea. God is in the pit. God is in the desert. Reading and understanding your Bible every day is what will make you fearless in those times when it looks or feels like God is not there. 

2 Timothy 2:13, "If we are faithless, he remains faithful. For he cannot deny himself"

James 4:8, "Draw near to God and He will draw near to you." 

Silently Screaming

In my quiet time with the Lord last night I felt like he was pouring this message into me.

When I enter my day and I give it to the Lord making his will above mine, he will many times make Divine appointments. He will have a certain person cross my path and I always thought it was because I needed to tell them about the Lord. However, he has been showing me that we have to be very sensitive to not speak what we WANT to say but speak to THEIR emotional needs.

The Lord has been teaching me that these Divine appointments are usually because someone needs to be seen or heard. Inside they are silently screaming for someone to see them, hear them or care about them. When we come across these people during our day we need to silently ask the Lord, "You know what this person needs. I am asking you to use my mouth to speak to them or my ears to listen to them or my arms to help them. Let your will and your purpose be done right now." 

My first instinct was always to jump in to their emotions and immediately share a story of mine to let them know that I empathize with them and they're not alone. That might be something that you can share later but I've come to learn that it's more important just to focus on their need in the beginning.

I once read that " Hurt people, hurt people." Romans 12:15 also says, "weep with those who weep and rejoice with those who are rejoicing." Most people that I come across just need someone to see them. They want to be heard and acknowledged.  However, there are times when a person is hurting and they may not be acting very nice. I would have to say though that most times I can break through that with love and get them to smile, talk or accept a compliment. There are very few people that are hard as Stone but I still say something nice to them and I know that God will send someone else to keep trying to make them feel loved. Sometimes it's simply just not our job that day. The Lord may only want us to start the softening process and leave the rest to someone else.

As you reach out to people you start to sense what God wants in the situation. Sometimes I come across people that are broken. They are emotionally distraught about something and they just need someone to listen or be on their side. They need to not feel alone, abandoned or deserted. They simply need someone to care. 

I've come across angry people, wounded people, joyful people and apathetic people. I just make sure that I make them feel loved and heard. I don't let their attitude trigger me to become defensive anymore because the Lord has made it very clear that he wants me to go out there and love people the way that he loves. Every situation is different. There will be times where I will just listen and other times where I will pray with them, or put my hand on their arm and comfort them or hug them if they give me permission. I always leave them with a scripture of Hope. I look with sincere love deep into their eyes and I tell them that I heard them and I see their pain. I'll ask their name and I put it in my prayer list on my phone right in front of them and tell them that I will be praying for them. 

I'm just a person that has a lot of empathy and thanks to God I have good boundaries also. I finally understand that it's not about going out there and giving what I think people need but just doing for others what he did for me.  He sees me, he hears me, he comforts me, he changes me and then he asks me to go out and love people that same way. I know people that could never go out and talk to people the way that I do. But they serve in their own quiet way by helping others through acts of service.

We have to stop being so busy that we don't see the needs that are all around us. Make someone feel seen today.

The Triune God

I've often wondered how this Triune God is to be looked at. How the three function in our lives. How is God present as we go through this life? I asked him and I asked for Grace to write and this is what came out. 

God the Holy Spirit enables us to press on through life and it's trials. God appoints his angels to fight spiritual battles around us! His Son Jesus is interceding with prayer on our behalf. And Father God is working all things together for the good! That is the God that is for us!!! And all he asks from us is to believe and have faith that he is in control. He also loves when we throw in some praise even when we're in the thick of it all.

Now you know how God is for you, so, will you trust him? Will you speak his name in authority to strike down doubt and fear? Will you finally put on the armor of God and know that Satan is the one responsible for everything bad and stop blaming God? If you believe this then, now is the time to turn our complaining into prayers! Because there will be no better feeling than crossing that finish line and running into his arms and he tells you, "Great job my good and faithful servant!" Life is not easy, it's not fair but we have a God who loves us and who is sovereign and wants the best for us. When life gets tough the tough get going in Jesus name 👍💞

Broken Mirror

I was reading my daily devotional on the Bible app this morning and it said something I found to be striking. It said that self-deprecation is pride also. I never thought about it like that. When we talk negative about ourselves whether it be about our weight or saying things like,  "I'm such an idiot."... It's still focusing on self. Both angles put the focus on ourselves and not on God. Whether it's puffing ourselves up OR self- deprecation we are focused solely on self. I didn't understand it fully but it hit me hard. So I laid my head down and just started to meditate on it. You just lay there sometimes begging God to heal you but it feels like your prayers are hitting the ceiling. You actually stop asking and believing. You start to think he's going to do what he wants to do anyway so why bother. All of that creeps in so slowly. That's when we unknowingly start focusing on OUR FEELINGS and not on HIS PROMISES AND POWER. 

I just started to have this vision,  there was a mirror and it was all smashed. I looked into it and I was all distorted so I picked up all the pieces and put them in this basket and I lifted them up to God but even all of the little tiny glass mirror fragments rose up at the same time and it was all sparkly. He took all of the pieces even the little micro broken pieces and next thing I knew he lowered it down and he had put the mirror all back together but all the cracks were filled with gold and he had put this pure gold frame around it that was beautiful. But here's what I learned, when I looked in the mirror and focused on me I was all distorted and it was disturbing and nothing made sense. But when I looked at the mirror and focused on the beauty of what he did there was a sense of elation, joy and completeness! And it goes back to what I said in the beginning if we're focused on our performance OR lack of, if it has anything to do with self, if it's about what a great job we did on our own or how we failed and put the focus on us as what a failure we are, we will feel distorted and not complete. But if we focus on the work that he does and the work that he's doing in us and in our situations, like how he filled all the broken places with gold. Then, we see him and his majesty, his power and his love instead of our failures, brokenness OR our self-worth. We can do nothing apart from the Vine. All glory is his.

Don't focus on your brokenness OR self-help.  Focus on what he does. We so often think that we figured our way through something but it was him who got us through. Other times we beat ourselves up because of our weakness and see ourselves as failures. Both are pride. Our brokenness is Holy and sacred ground where God sits with us as he teaches us, restores us and redeems us. It's where he fills all of our cracks with gold and turn us into his image. It's all about him. 

After thinking about all of this I realized that he has the wisdom and the power to orchestrate a much larger picture then we could ever imagine. So many times we activate our need to control and that also is pride. We have to learn how to trust, rest and be still, knowing just one thing, that he is God and we are his sheep and he loves. 

We're Only Human

I'm writing this from a very troubled place in my life right now. I'm not writing from the Pinnacle of joy but from the valley of despair. I signed up to do this 4 month cleanse and it goes down to a cellular level and cleans out your cells and then fills them with good things. However, it's a long process. The first two phases went great and I loved what I was eating and I had tons of energy. I was really feeling like I was finally out of my bed, accomplishing things and feeling creative again! I was feeling joyful. Then I started phase 3 which is a detox phase and it has taken me to a very difficult place. Having all of these toxins released from my cells and they're loose in my body which is what makes you not feel well. There are binders that you can take that pull these toxins out but sometimes there's a backup of toxins in your body and it affects you mentally, emotionally, spiritually and physically. My niece and I have been helping each other go through a hard time right now. She's been committing herself to taking these walks and just talking to the Lord. She records them and sends them to me everyday and I've been gleaning so much from that. As I was sitting here in bed feeling terrible, not only physically but all of this is stirring up a lot of emotional turmoil and old thoughts. You start to ask God all kinds of questions of why you have to go through something like this. I remembered a metaphor that I gleaned from the movie Shawshank Redemption. I think I wrote a blog post about this. Tim Robbins plays an innocent man who was convicted and inprisoned in a maximum security prison. He went through hell there but all along he was planning an escape which took years of planning and execution. He dug a tunnel behind a poster in his cell and that tunnel led to the main sewage pipe that let out of the prison. The day came when he did his escape and I can't remember exactly but there was probably about 250 yd of sewage pipe that he had to go through and when he emerged outside of the prison walls it was pouring rain. He raised his hands up and the rain was just washing the sewage off of him. 

That story has been something that I have shared with so many people. How many of us would have just given up and never started digging a tunnel? How many of us would have never even formulated a plan to escape and just curled up in our prison cell and lived a life of despair? This story reminds me of the story in Song of Solomon. Where the Shulamite maiden made herself very comfortable in a cave but her lover who represents God went up ahead and found a beautiful place, he would call down to her trying to encourage her to leave the cave, the comfort zone and to follow his voice up to freedom and sunshine! These two stories are so representative of where we want to stay and where God wants us to go. If we stay in our comfort zone we never change but if we go and follow God's voice we arrive to that sacred ground not as our old self but as a new creation in Christ. 

My niece told me today we need to keep our minds off of the why's and how's of the journeys that God calls us to and to just stay focused solely on the God who is calling us. 

I don't even want to admit this but I have backed out of the sewage tube and I have crawled back to my cell, my comfort zone and I'm basically curled up in a ball crying to God telling him just to leave me there. I can't go in that sewage tube again I'm not strong enough, I don't even feel committed enough. It's almost like in the movies when someone says, "Go and save yourself just leave me here." It really is a cry of desperation, self-pity, weariness, lack of faith etc. But you know what, we're only human. We may cry and kick and scream but the bottom line is he wants to rescue us. He wants to give us something better. He wants to build a character and a mindset and a determination in us that cannot be destroyed by the enemy. When we say it's a comfort zone we're not really happy there we're just not challenged there. We're in a place where there's no growth, no hope, no reward. I'm thinking right now how many people live their life like that everyday. But I'm not that kind of person. I may be kicking and crying right now but I'll go back into the sewage tube. I will become fully aware of my pity party and my immaturity right now. I'll realize which I already know that I don't want to stay here and I don't want to stay the way that I am. I want what he has ahead for me. This is a rough one right now but I'm recommitting. I have to depend on him for every breath and every step. I have to lean on him and trust him and believe him. Yes, I am only human, but in Philippians 4:13, it says,  With Christ I can do all things! Luke 1:37, Nothing is impossible with God! Jeremiah 29:11-12, For I know the plans he has for me plans to prosper me and not to harm me. Plans to give me hope and a future. And if I call out to him he will hear me. John 4:4, Greater is he that is in me than he that is in the world. 2 Tim 1:7, God has not given me a spirit of fear, but of power and love and a sound mind. Isaiah 40:31,Those who trust in the Lord will renew their strength, they will rise up on wings like eagles, they will run and not become weary, they will walk and not faint. 

We serve a God that empowers us, he stands with us when we're weary and gives us HIS strength. When we say, "Just leave me here and go save yourself." He looks at us with compassion and probably a little smirk as he holds back the words, "Why do you have so little faith my child." Then, he empowers his Holy Spirit within us to press on toward the goal that is set before us (Philippians 3:14). We need him and we just have to make the choice of whether we want to be immature children or wise adults.

How far are we willing to go to be where our Lord is? Yes, again, we are only human and we will have our tantrums, meltdowns, come aparts, we will doubt and overthink and spend more time in the why's than the what's. We will sit in our fears and allow the enemy to kick us around when all the while Jesus is standing there with his hand held out telling us," Come to me, you who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light. Matthew 11:28-30

You see, no matter what we go through he wants us to share his yoke. When we go through the sewage tube he goes with us! We may not see him or feel him but he's there. He's there through all the sewage and he's there at the end to celebrate over us and wash us. Life is dirty and hard, but it's also a terrain that has highs and lows. Every Joy is a road to sorrow and every sorrow is a road to Joy. That's just life and to think otherwise leads only to disappointment. He knows that we're only human that's why he went to the cross. When he pleaded with the Father in The garden of Gethsemane to remove the cross experience, I think a lot of us forget that even though he sweat blood in his pleading, his prayer was not answered with a yes. When he carried the sins of the world on his shoulders he was separated from his Father for the first time and cried out, Father, why have you forsaken me? When the Bible says he did that for the joy that was set before him - we were that Joy! 

So, when we think we can't go through something, when we shimmy backwards into our prison cell, it's only because we have not spent time with him, basking in his promises and truths, recalling every blessing that he's ever done for us, having fellowship with a dear friend to help us straighten out our thoughts and feelings. We haven't sat quietly and let his peace soak into us. He is more than human, he is the God of the universe who came down to earth as a man to die for our sins. He understands our humaneness completely. He's patient with us, he comforts us while we struggle, and he gives us courage to walk through the fires. 

My favorite verse is from James 4:8, "Draw near to me and I will draw near to you." When we have to go through trials we have to recall his Word and in it we will find Jesus, who has all of these beautiful things to say to encourage us and remind us that he will never leave us or forsake us. He's in it with us, interceding for us, his Spirit is inside of us guiding us and comforting us, the angels he has appointed to watch over us are fighting battles all around us on our behalf and the Father is cheering us on every step of the way! Our God is for us not against us! We are his precious children and he will never abandon us.

Let it Go

If the Son of God can go through what he went through prior to the cross and on the cross. Forgiving a bunch of sinners simply because he loves us. Can't we also forgive  and offer a sacrifice of self. Putting our needs aside and desiring instead the unity that Christ asks us as his children to have toward each other? I want to encourage us this Holy week to humble ourselves and go and make peace. Forgiving others as Christ has forgiven us. 

The Tin Man

Do you recall in the movie, "The wizard of Oz" when they came upon the tin Man? His first words that he tried to utter were, "oil can". He had rusted up as he was working because a rainstorm moved in. Frozen in mid swing he stayed like that until some kind people came across and offered assistance.

Have you ever felt like you needed an anointing from God because some situation had Frozen you. Whether you feel unjustly treated, confused, frightened, perturbed or wounded. You feel Frozen physically but your mind is running in high gear struggling to make sense of it all and trying to manage all the emotions that are stirred up. 

I've had such a situation and I do feel physically Frozen. I've been unable to sleep because my mind won't stop. My emotions are hurt. I felt left in the dark and when I expressed my feelings I received no understanding. There's nothing worse than feeling unjustly treated and then dealing with a troubled mind. 

When a disturbance threatens our peace, as a Christian we struggle because our natural instinct is to defend our self. However, the Holy Spirit constantly prods us to forgive the offense, to be kind and compassionate to the offender. Even though we want to do the right thing, our mind has to go through a process of giving up the struggle for what we feel Justice would be and simply surrender and let it go. 

There is nothing more painful in life than to feel rejected or unjustly treated. It hurts and those feelings roll around causing a clenched jaw, sleepless nights, tears and pleas for peace. We become Frozen in that state until someone kind comes along and offers to oil us with compassion. But the final unfreezing comes through the anointing oil of the Holy Spirit. That is a penetrating oil that finds its way right to the heart. After our exhausting battle in the mind of what is fair and what is not, the Holy Spirit, if we allow, will anoint us with the truth. The truth that though we were yet sinners Christ died for us. (Romans 5:8) and we are to show the same Mercy to others that Christ showed to us (Matt 18:33, James 2:13-18). It doesn't have to be in person but it does have to be in our heart. We must remember that the battle is not ours. It is God's. (Joshua 23:10, Duet 3:22, Deut 20:4). Like Mother Theresa says in her famous quote, Love them Anyway, "For you see in the end, It is between you and God. It was never between you and them anyway."

Everything in us wants to scream, "But that's not fair!" Was it fair that Christ went to the cross for us and bore our sins upon his innocent body? We are called to set down our selfish pride and allow the Holy Spirit to soften us and build the character of Christ in us. Until we do that we will be frozen on the outside but tumultuous on the inside. Once we surrender our pride and take on the humility of Christ then, peace will flood our mind, and our hearts will be transformed. Our jaw will unclench, we will sleep sweet and our mind will have peace and rest. Forgiveness will have done its work in us. The situation may not change but God will have changed us. We can't control the world around us but we can remember that God is in control. Ask God for his anointing over your mind. Life is not fair. Storms will come and we can become paralysed but our God has the anointing oil can.

Mercy triumphs over judgment. (James 2:13b)

Love covers a multitude of sins (1 Peter 4:8)

Forgive, just as you have been forgiven.(Ephesians 4:32)

In closing, we have to take into consideration how our emotions can get the best of us and overreact. Most times it's not an offense it's just humans being humans. And we must always remember to turn the mirror upon ourselves to make sure that our own hearts are right. 

Shalom Shalom 

Forgive and you will be forgiven. (Matt 6:14-15)

Chin Up

I'm feeling a little downcast today. I'm trying to pray but sometimes I think of all the pain and suffering in the world and I get overwhelmed and I feel very sad. I was sitting here during my Bible time unable to concentrate and then I took my hand and put my fingers under my chin and gently lifted my head up. As I held it there I pictured it was the Lord gently encouraging me to look up at him. As I pictured him being there and completely representing unconditional love I heard a quiet voice in my spirit say, "We will get through everything together. My children are never alone." I felt the sadness leave me and a smile came upon my face. 

It always surprises me how a few minutes in his presence can change the entire paradigm. Sadness can turn to Joy, sorrow to comfort, hopelessness to Hope, discouragement to encouragement... 

I encourage you today to enter into his presence and not to leave until you have that moment with him. If you have to, put your fingers under your chin and lift your head up and picture him being the one doing that. Then, after you have your moment with the King of the Universe text someone or call someone, email them or write them a letter and share the beauty of Christ in an honest and simple way. That's what will change our world. 

Psalm 42:7-9, Deep calleth unto deep at the roar of thy water spout, thy waves and thy billows have swept over me.

Psalm 3:3, "But you, oh Lord, are a shield around me; you are my glory, the one who lifts my head high."

Living on the Fence

I lived on the fence most of my life. Even though I asked Christ into my life when I was 18 I never wanted to give up my earthly ways completely. Each year I would pull out my old journals and read excerpts out of them. I would think to myself, how can I still be dealing with the same problems 10 years 20 years 30, 40 years later! I spent time with the Lord whenever I could. More than most people did. I went to my Bible studies and attended church. I had Christian friends and was a part of prayer groups. But I couldn't for the life of me figure out why I was still struggling with the same old things. 

Surrender, repentance and obedience. That's why my life never changed. I lived a life that secretly held on to habits. I didn't want to repent because that meant that I had to give up those habits. The result of that mindset meant that I was not being obedient to God. I would often cry out to him and ask him why he wasn't healing me and why my life and my health were so bad. I'm embarrassed to say that it took me years and years to really make that simple choice to jump off the fence and give all of me to God. 

The Lord used me in mighty ways in other people's lives and it was exciting and wonderful to see him work through me. That's what's so amazing about him. He uses however much we will give him and then he will wait patiently for us to give him the rest. Even if it takes years. 

I didn't realize how beautiful a full blessing would be. As I have mentioned in other posts I have just recently had an Awakening. I surrendered all to God and ever since I did I am overflowing with hope, energy, Joy, wisdom and praise! God will never leave us. He will wait patiently while we try to do it our own way. He'll be with us as we struggle and cry and do most things the hard way. However, the moment we decide to give it all to him and surrender our control, there is a flood of joy and peace that rushes in immediately.

I encourage you today to get off the fence. I can tell you the truth about surrendering, it brings freedom. Satan wants to keep you on that fence because he owns it. You will vacillate in your mind and be tossed around by the waves of your emotions. You will be ineffective and unwell as long as you sit there. But I promise you that if you jump on God's side you will be astounded at the freedom and joy. 

By no strength of my own did all these wonderful new things happen to me. All I did was ask God with a willing heart to change me and he did. Every day new things are being revealed to me and we're working on things together. I love that about him. His patience and unconditional love cannot be matched. Once you crawl under his wing and understand how much he loves you and wants you to grow in him, there's no going back. 

Lord, whoever is reading this right now I pray that you would give them courage. I pray that you would free their mind and clean their heart through your Holy Spirit so that their life can begin to reflect their relationship with you. As they surrender and your beautiful fruit starts to grow in their life I pray that you would be glorified and you would use them to tell others about the goodness of God. Amen

Galatians 5:1 

• "For freedom Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery".

Indiana Jesus

I had a wonderful experience about a month ago where I surrendered everything to God. I gave him full access to me and I finally gave him permission to clean out some dark ugly closets in my life. It felt so good to finally do that. The main reason being that God does not condemn but he loves us. When we ask him into those dirty places he comes in with pure love and no judgment as he helps us clean up some messes. The last week or so some really bad feelings were stirred up in me. Those feelings triggered reactions in me of anger and judgment... I realized this morning that the enemy was spinning me around by the tail so I ran to Jesus and asked him to help me. I opened my Bible and my journal and the Lord revealed to me that there was a treasure chest buried behind the wall in the closet that I just let him clean out a month prior. I didn't even realize it was there. I gave him permission to pull it out and go through it with me. 

As he opened it up, sealed inside were deep resentments. Strongholds that were robbing me of my freedom in Christ! I immediately asked him to clean me out. All morning he spoke to me through scripture and through my journaling. In short, he revealed to me that I needed to forgive some people, I needed to pray for them that God would bless them with spiritual Awakening.

I prayed that he would give them freedom from the strongholds that they were suffering from. Next, I had to repent as I listed all those feelings. I had to pray for myself that I would have freedom from that self-bondage.  I asked that I would be robust with the Fruit of the Spirit and that the Lord would continue to heal me of my bruises that could be triggered to make me act ungodly. I asked him to give me his Spirit of love and peace. 

Don't be afraid to open yourself up to Jesus. He doesn't judge you or condemn you, he simply loves you and wants you to be free. Find the courage to ask him to do an extensive archaeological dig into your heart, mind, soul and spirit. Then, trust him to excavate the contaminants out of you and to create a rich fertile soil for his fruit to grow in your life. 

1st Timothy chapter 2, "He gave his life to purchase freedom for everyone. I urge you, first of all, to pray for all people. Ask God to help them, intercede on their behalf, and give thanks for them." 

Ephesians 4: 31-32, "get rid of all bitterness, anger and slander... Be kind, compassionate and forgiving.

Refining

Trials are crucibles where God forges our character to reflect his. He is in the fire with us. He never leaves us or forsakes us (Deuteronomy 31:8). When we emerge, the strongholds will have burned off and we will find that each time we pass through the fire our freedom in Christ grows exponentially. 

Ref: Daniel 3, Malachi 3:2, Zechariah 13:9, 1 Peter 1:7

Balancing Prayer

Lord of all creation, balance me today. Balance my thoughts, my desires, my cravings. Balance my relationships and the choices that I make in every aspect of my life. Balance my responses, my reactions, my interactions. Lord, balance my heart today from where all things flow. Balance my mind, my body, and my soul. You, oh Lord, who holds the endless universe in perfect balance, the Lord who can suspend planets in mid air and who tells the sea where to stop, balance me today. Make my will your will, my desires your desires, remind me all day through your Holy Spirit that anything that comes into my life has to come through you first. Everything is a lesson to grow from. Let me not expect life to be easy but to know that it will be interesting, exciting, sometimes puzzling and even painful. Remind me that everything is a lesson to grow from. Open my eyes that most of the circumstances I pray for you to remove are places that you want me to be. Places that you want to change me in. Life is a journey of joys and sorrows but you walk with me every step of the way. Keep me mindful that every bad thing has goodness to be found in it if we will only look for you in it. Our purpose here is not to be comfortable but to be comforting, not to be stuffed with delicacies but to be content and share with others. Lord balance me today in every way. Encourage me to release the things I covet and to desire above all that you alone fill my wanting hands, heart and body. Make my day a prayer to you so I can connect to you every moment. Let not my pride think that I can do anything apart from you. Give me a constant hunger to be satisfied and filled only by you. Be my full portion. Above all, reveal and cement in my heart your deep and committed love that you have for me. Let me thirst for your Word and be quenched by it. Let no one or nothing rob me of my peace. Give me wisdom generously to stand in hope of all that you promise. You are My Redeemer, My Savior and the lover of my soul. Whatever shape each person's emptiness is fill it perfectly with all that you are. Whenever someone finds themself alone, may your presence comfort them. And Lord show the lost that you are the way. May your truth and light guide us today and give us hope. Make my desire be to glorify you in all that I do. Amen

Bruises

I often remind myself to act the way Jesus has taught me and not to react to the world. We head out into our day with the best intentions but then something happens and it triggers a reaction from us that we're not very proud of. I call those bruises. If we have unhealed emotional, mental or spiritual bruises then we are vulnerable to being more sensitive. When I was younger, I was a professional with a master's degree in hypersensitivity. My emotions ran my life and as I look back I sadly regret many things.

I learned a lesson many years ago that you can live your life with your emotions controlling you or God's Spirit controlling you. This topic can be very complicated and I could go in depth but I'm going to make this very simple. Today you can choose to get a journal and write down the things that trigger you (your bruises). Then, start reading your Bible and highlight the things that God says to you. Find scriptures that fight those triggers and write them down. They will be the balm that will heal those bruises. They will be the Sword of the Spirit that is part of the armor of God you should be putting on every day (Ephesians 6:13-17). People or Satan will not be able to send you into an emotional frenzy anymore as you grow in this practice.

Allow God's Word to heal those sensitive and wounded parts inside of you, and unsheath God's Word rather than verbalizing your emotions. Day by day you will see yourself maturing in your faith and standing with a posture of a warrior of God rather than a victim. Anger and pity are characteristics that children have. That's why they have tantrums. Our goal should be to grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ (2 Peter 3:18). In 1st Corinthians 13:11 it says, "When I was a child I spoke like a child, I thought like a child and I reasoned like a child. When I became a grown up I put away childish ways." The more we avoid maturing the longer we and those around us suffer. It's best to jump in with both feet and just start. 

I know that is easy to say but hard to do. It took me years to mature but I will tell you what finally gave me the courage. We need to know two things for sure before we can trust God. The first is how unconditional, magnificent and precious his love is toward us. And second, we have to get rid of our distorted images of God. Find books on these topics. Google scriptures about God's love and write them down in your journal. Do whatever you have to do to keep growing because there is nothing worse than becoming stagnant and apathetic. Whining, having pity parties, lashing out at people, being hypersensitive, angry, combative.. Oh, how I could go on and on and rally behind you regarding this topic! But let's just start with you getting some paper or journal, a pen and some highlighters, post-it notes, your Bible (any Bible will do but I really like the, Life Application Study Bible.) You can find a special place in your house where you can set up or you can put it in a tote bag and take it with you to the park or to a coffee shop, do it by yourself or find a friend to do it with.. I personally like sitting in my bed. I also like to set a timer because you will realize that whether you set it for 5, 15 or 30 minutes it will never end up being enough time. The timer will go off and you will feel like you don't want to stop yet. Once you begin to see how God speaks back to you during your times of study you will want to return to it with enthusiasm. 

So let's get these bruises healed so that we can go out there in the world and instead of being hypersensitive and reactive we can do what we were created to do which is to share the good news and reflect the love of God!

Let's be actors for Christ and not reactors to this world.