Looking back now on where we are
compared to where we were, I don't know why we hesitated and talked ourselves out of doing Gods will for so long. At the time, moving to CO seemed like such a huge deal; leaving the only area I've ever known, leaving all our family, friends, a good church, stability and good money. I don't know why it seemed like such a hard decision at the time. Maybe we had little faith and weren't spiritually mature enough to make the move. Maybe we were just too comfortable and had our own agenda, trying to get out of debt first before we took the plunge. After all, that seems like a good reason to stay put, and is an honorable goal to work towards.
That's just how the enemy works. He sees what God is calling us to, he sees our potential and what we will become if we follow God and stay on the straight and narrow, and we then become a threat to him and his plans. So, he makes it a point to distract us, to put people, things or circumstances in our paths to discourage us, convince us that following God is too risky, he places words of doubt in our heads saying "what if this doesn't work out, how will you get the money, find a job, a place to live...." and if we are not careful, we will be led astray like a sheep being led to the slaughter.
Most people want the benefits and blessings of following the Lord, but too many people aren't willing to walk in I obedience, forsake ALL others, simply stop allowing their flesh and feelings to control them, and tell themselves NO! We will tell God no or not now...maybe not in those exact words but with our actions or lack thereof we do, therefore obeying the lusts, cravings and desires of our flesh. The bible says we are to be led and controlled by the spirit. Our flesh and spirit are constantly at war with one another. Our flesh never wants to do the things of God or anything good, so it will fight us at every turn and try and convince us just because something doesn't "feel" right or hurts, that we can't possibly do it. I have learned that sometimes things do hurt, especially in Gods kingdom. We are to crucify our flesh, and in doing so we lay ourselves down on the alter. The only problem is that our flesh constantly tries to crawl off the alter! Growth in Gods economy sometimes hurts, is uncomfortable and he asks us to do things that hurt, don't make sense in the natural or that will ultimately break our flesh and the grip it has on us.
My purpose in writing this is to say that we finally crossed over, believed God, fought our flesh and feelings, stood on the thing that is more true than our senses (the word of God) and finally obeyed the Lords leading and calling. What seemed like a big deal at the time actually wasn't such a big deal! Questions that we had and things we needed, God has and still is providing for us! Sure leaving was hard, but our faith, family, marriage and walks with God have never been better or stronger! When God calls you to something bigger than yourself, don't be afraid. He may not show you the whole plan, but he will give you the courage to push through, the determination to stand against opposition and provide everything you need if you are willing and you remain in Him. I can honestly say, without renewing my mind and constantly hearing/speaking the word of truth, I doubt I would've been willing to risk everything for the Lord when he said "GO!" Take God at his word. His word will stand the test of time and will never, ever fail you!
This blog was created to challenge our way of thinking, the way we perceive things, and to ultimately point us towards God. In reading my blog, I challenge you to step outside of your normal way of thinking, expect to see the goodnes of God, to possibly see things in a new light, and to not be limited to our own perceptions.
Sunday, November 27, 2011
Where's Your Treasure?
Tonight, as I lay in bed, I was overwhelmed and moved to tears thinking about my kids. My oldest will be 7.......7 in a week and a half, which means we only have 11 more years left with them, which doesn't seem like enough time at all. There are so many things I wish I could go back and change as a mother; words I wish I could erase, reactions I wish I never had, tones that were never used and even thoughts I wish I'd never thought.
Children are a blessing from the Lord, a gift he has given us. I know I haven't always thought about them in that way, and tonight I felt the Lord giving me a picture of them. I saw them as a beautiful treasure box, God handing them to me, and me wanting to take the very best care of it that I could. In reality, if someone gave us an expensive and valuable treasure, we would do everything in our power to protect it, keep it safe, make sure it was well taken care of, to not let anyone mess with it, put it in a safe spot, and would take any means necessary to make sure nothing by any means would get to it. If we would do that for a material possession, why don't we do it more often for our own children? Why do we misuse them with our words or actions? Why don't we protect their gateways, their eyes, ears, and hearts more, making sure they aren't exposed to things that are inappropriate and being written on their hearts, being a better example to them, acting in love and patience instead of reacting with anger and yelling?
The Lord not only gives them to us, but he entrusts us to take good care of them as he would us. I love my kids, but I haven't always valued them the way they should be with my actions or words. I am still working on my words, trying to speak life and encouragement, not reacting when I'm feeling upset or mad, and trying to let the Lord love them through me. Some days are good, other days my flesh gets the best of me and I blow it, like today. Even when I do blow it, I know God isn't condemning me, his mercies are new everyday (and thank God because I used all of today's up), that I get another chance tomorrow, and that his grace will cover over any mistakes I made.
Time flies by so quickly. There's nothing we can do about the past mistakes we've made, things we've done or said that we wish we could do over again.....BUT there is a tomorrow, and the day after that and so on. I pray that we will truly value others, especially those closest to us, and that we will cherish them more than any earthly possession, that we would value them with our words and actions, and that we would soak up every bit of time the Lord has given to us to be with them. After all, in a few short years they will be leaving the nest, and what memories will we have imprinted on their hearts and ours? A time that was treasured and sacred or a time that was wasted and misused? I want to be a good steward of everything the Lord has given me, especially the ones he has given to me and entrusted me with!
My challenge to you and myself is to get a new perspective about people, be more conscious of the things we do/say, how are our tones and actions impacting others, what are the words we are speaking and writing on our spouse's/kids hearts, what are we really doing with our time, and are we really valuing and treasuring the gifts God has given us?
Children are a blessing from the Lord, a gift he has given us. I know I haven't always thought about them in that way, and tonight I felt the Lord giving me a picture of them. I saw them as a beautiful treasure box, God handing them to me, and me wanting to take the very best care of it that I could. In reality, if someone gave us an expensive and valuable treasure, we would do everything in our power to protect it, keep it safe, make sure it was well taken care of, to not let anyone mess with it, put it in a safe spot, and would take any means necessary to make sure nothing by any means would get to it. If we would do that for a material possession, why don't we do it more often for our own children? Why do we misuse them with our words or actions? Why don't we protect their gateways, their eyes, ears, and hearts more, making sure they aren't exposed to things that are inappropriate and being written on their hearts, being a better example to them, acting in love and patience instead of reacting with anger and yelling?
The Lord not only gives them to us, but he entrusts us to take good care of them as he would us. I love my kids, but I haven't always valued them the way they should be with my actions or words. I am still working on my words, trying to speak life and encouragement, not reacting when I'm feeling upset or mad, and trying to let the Lord love them through me. Some days are good, other days my flesh gets the best of me and I blow it, like today. Even when I do blow it, I know God isn't condemning me, his mercies are new everyday (and thank God because I used all of today's up), that I get another chance tomorrow, and that his grace will cover over any mistakes I made.
Time flies by so quickly. There's nothing we can do about the past mistakes we've made, things we've done or said that we wish we could do over again.....BUT there is a tomorrow, and the day after that and so on. I pray that we will truly value others, especially those closest to us, and that we will cherish them more than any earthly possession, that we would value them with our words and actions, and that we would soak up every bit of time the Lord has given to us to be with them. After all, in a few short years they will be leaving the nest, and what memories will we have imprinted on their hearts and ours? A time that was treasured and sacred or a time that was wasted and misused? I want to be a good steward of everything the Lord has given me, especially the ones he has given to me and entrusted me with!
My challenge to you and myself is to get a new perspective about people, be more conscious of the things we do/say, how are our tones and actions impacting others, what are the words we are speaking and writing on our spouse's/kids hearts, what are we really doing with our time, and are we really valuing and treasuring the gifts God has given us?
Sunday, November 20, 2011
The Voice of One...
"May Your voice be louder
May Your voice be clearer
Than all the others"
-Jeremy Riddle
Lately I have heard a lot of people doubting and questioning God's voice, leading, and promptings saying things like "This can't be God because it doesn't make sense," or they are simply afraid to do something for fear of what others will think, say, or having to leave the comforts that surround them.
God has an individual plan for each of us, a mission he has for us to accomplish that will most definitely call us to action, call us to leave the very things and people that we have become comfortable and complacent around, and to ultimately draw us into a more intimate relationship with him so that he can pour out ALL his blessings, promises, provision and love into our lives.
Matthew 22:14 says "Many are called, but few are chosen."
Matthew 16:24-26 says "Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it. What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul?
God has not called us to be comfortable, but to deny ourselves, our flesh, our feelings, our wants/desires and follow him. Many people look at giving up these things as an inconvenience to their flesh and/or lifestyle and therefore they choose to stay where they are; unfulfilled, unhappy with their life, struggling in many areas of their lives, and "asleep" in the spirit to what God has and wants to do for them.
I have known since I was a little girl that God had a very specific calling on my life. I knew that it was only a matter of time before God called me out of my comfort zones; the very place I grew up, leaving my family and friends, all the comforts of the money we were making to follow him. I, for over 7 years, allowed money, circumstances, pregnancies, family/friends to discourage and talk me out of what God was so very clearly calling me and my family to. I allowed fear and my emotions to control me instead of letting God's word ring more true in my life. We left and gave up a business we owned, sacrificing the comfort of our income. Upon moving to Colorado we took a pay cut of almost $5k a month. We left a church that we were part of the core team that helped to start it, where I was pretty involved in the women's ministry, to come to a land of the unknown. We left many things and many people, denying our flesh to follow the Lord, knowing that he will bless our obedience, sacrifices and bless us more than we can even fathom because we were willing to step out of the boat. If Jesus himself left the comforts of his home to follow the will of the Lord, and he is our example, how much more is he calling us to leave the comforts of our lives to follow him? Nothing in the natural makes sense about the bible or miracles. It all goes against or senses, so why do we think his calling us will make any sense? I don't know about you but I do not want to get to heaven and see all the things God had for me here on earth, that I missed out on, simply because I was too scared to follow him and do some things that looked crazy to everyone else on the outside.
1 John 15: 5 says “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing."
Are you trying to do life on your own apart from the Lord? Are you listening to your family and friends, looking at the circumstances of life, your finances, relying more on your feelings then you are the Lord? Are you trying to "store up for yourself treasures on earth where moth and rust destroy," rather than treasures in heaven? Do you only "need" God when something bad happens in your life? God has such a great life in store for each and every one of us that will only work when we are truly seeking, following and relying on Him! Even though we made many sacrifices to come to Colorado, I can honestly say I am the happiest I have ever been in my entire life. God has blessed us with amazing friends, has already proven himself faithful and provided for us in so many ways, and I wouldn't have it any other way! I know our harvest is coming!!
Whatever God is calling you to do...don't let the voices of others drown out that still small voice of the Lord. Stop asking God for a "sign," stop wanting everything to line up and make sense because it never will. We are not waiting for God, he is waiting for us to take a step, do what he's told us and simply wait/trust him to provide everything we need. You take a step, and then God will reveal more of the bigger picture to you. Trust the Lord and lean not on your own understanding. He knows what's best for us and wants to bless us more than we want to be blessed!!!
Friday, November 11, 2011
Taking Inventory
I love how patient God is with me and how he will keep repeating the same thing over and over to me until I finally get it. The last week I have written about the power of our words and that God has really been speaking to me about them. The last 2 mornings in particular I have read devotionals speaking verbatim what God has been so gently speaking to me. Coincidence? I think not!
Words have the power of life and death. God created the entire universe with just his words. When God changed Abram's name to Abraham, every time Abraham spoke his new name, he was speaking over himself "I am a father of many nations." When the fig tree died, it was because Jesus spoke to it and cursed it. When Lazarus was raised from the dead it was because Jesus spoke out loud and called him to come forth. Any time something amazing happened, it was all because of the words someone spoke to a person, a situation or over themselves. If God himself created things into existence with his very words, what are we creating with ours?
I often just sit and listen to people talk. I listen to how much negativity, death, and discouragement people constantly speak about themselves, situations, how they are feeling, and others without even realizing it. I, at times, catch myself getting ready to, or in the process of speaking negatively. People not only limit themselves by their words, but they limit God and the potential he sees in them.
I hear people say things like:
"I can't or we will never be able to afford..."
"I can't do..."
"My kids are such brats!"
"I hate my job!"
"My life sucks."
"I'm so scared about..."
".....makes me so mad!"
"You never listen!"
The list could go on and on. The absolute worst is when I see people absorb the words others speak to/over them, particularly family members. They let other peoples words penetrate their very soul, taking their words not as face value, but rather holding more value and power to them than Gods word. They ultimately allow others words to persuade and control them into doing or not doing something God has so clearly been speaking to them about...I should know because I allowed other peoples words to hold me back from Gods calling for many years. I have seen this in my own family and friends and it breaks my heart and infuriates me at the same time. If I believed every negative, selfish, condemning word people have spoken over me, I'd be a complete mess, confused all the time, trying to please people rather than God, and definitely wouldn't be where I am now. I have by no means arrived, and this is not a blog about being positive, it's about letting Gods word be more true and everyone else's rub off us like water on a ducks back. Gods written word is important, but it's in speaking his word and promises over and over that gives us results!
My challenge to you and myself is to start taking inventory of not only the words we speak, but the words we allow others to speak into/over us. Confessing God’s Word does not move God to do things for us. It is not a magic formula. God had already moved when He gave up Jesus to die for you. However, when we confess His Word, it moves us from a position of doubt to faith. Whatever we speak will produce a harvest, either good or bad. If you are wondering why things aren't going well, change the way you talk about the situation, stop listening to everyone else's opinions, and expect God to move on your behalf! God honors His words, so start speaking them!!
Words have the power of life and death. God created the entire universe with just his words. When God changed Abram's name to Abraham, every time Abraham spoke his new name, he was speaking over himself "I am a father of many nations." When the fig tree died, it was because Jesus spoke to it and cursed it. When Lazarus was raised from the dead it was because Jesus spoke out loud and called him to come forth. Any time something amazing happened, it was all because of the words someone spoke to a person, a situation or over themselves. If God himself created things into existence with his very words, what are we creating with ours?
I often just sit and listen to people talk. I listen to how much negativity, death, and discouragement people constantly speak about themselves, situations, how they are feeling, and others without even realizing it. I, at times, catch myself getting ready to, or in the process of speaking negatively. People not only limit themselves by their words, but they limit God and the potential he sees in them.
I hear people say things like:
"I can't or we will never be able to afford..."
"I can't do..."
"My kids are such brats!"
"I hate my job!"
"My life sucks."
"I'm so scared about..."
".....makes me so mad!"
"You never listen!"
The list could go on and on. The absolute worst is when I see people absorb the words others speak to/over them, particularly family members. They let other peoples words penetrate their very soul, taking their words not as face value, but rather holding more value and power to them than Gods word. They ultimately allow others words to persuade and control them into doing or not doing something God has so clearly been speaking to them about...I should know because I allowed other peoples words to hold me back from Gods calling for many years. I have seen this in my own family and friends and it breaks my heart and infuriates me at the same time. If I believed every negative, selfish, condemning word people have spoken over me, I'd be a complete mess, confused all the time, trying to please people rather than God, and definitely wouldn't be where I am now. I have by no means arrived, and this is not a blog about being positive, it's about letting Gods word be more true and everyone else's rub off us like water on a ducks back. Gods written word is important, but it's in speaking his word and promises over and over that gives us results!
My challenge to you and myself is to start taking inventory of not only the words we speak, but the words we allow others to speak into/over us. Confessing God’s Word does not move God to do things for us. It is not a magic formula. God had already moved when He gave up Jesus to die for you. However, when we confess His Word, it moves us from a position of doubt to faith. Whatever we speak will produce a harvest, either good or bad. If you are wondering why things aren't going well, change the way you talk about the situation, stop listening to everyone else's opinions, and expect God to move on your behalf! God honors His words, so start speaking them!!
Wednesday, November 9, 2011
Stay with the Pack!
The Lord always seems to speak to me in terms of subjects, not as in math or history, but the subjects of my life. If you have read my last couple posts you will see that one of the subjects he has been teaching me about is words and their power. Another one he has been speaking to me about is distractions. God is often the teacher and we are the student learning the lessons of his word, his promises, his deliverance and, in turn, having them become life to our bodies, minds, and circumstances. I believe God uses his word to teach us things, to teach us truths, to open our eyes to our own carnality, how much we truly need him, and to prosper us both in the spiritual realm and the physical.
Contrary to popular belief, I do not believe God puts sickness, disease, poverty or anything else on us. God IS love. God IS good. He is our father, our protector, defender, deliverer, provider, and every good and perfect gift comes from him (James 1:17). If, then, God is our father, and he is the very essence of love, why do we believe otherwise? Why would he want, cause, or make anything bad come upon us or happen to us? Matthew 7:11 says "If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give what is good to those who ask Him!" We, in our human nature are evil, there's no other way to say it. We are prone to sin, to do or say bad things, hence our need for a savior. There is no part of our flesh that wants to do good. Without God, and apart from him, we can do nothing (John 15:5).
So then the question becomes if we (who are evil) can love and give good things to our children, why do we think our creator is any different? He created us with those intentions, to love and to do good. Would you as a parent or even a friend put cancer or some other horrible thing onto someone you love to "teach them a lesson," to make them want to be closer to you, or to show them how much they actually need you? Absolutely not, and if you would, I suggest you find the nearest psych ward and check yourself into it! If we wouldn't will that onto someone we love, why in the world do we think, blame, and accuse God of doing the same thing to us or someone we love?
We have a very real enemy who absolutely hates and despises us more than anything. John 10:10 says " The thief comes to steal, kill and destroy, but I have come that they may have life and have it to the full." 1 Peter 5:8 says "Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour." These verses clearly state that we have an enemy, and he is always roaming around in search of someone to prey on and devour. He watches us intently, learns our weaknesses and studies us on purpose.
In the wild, the predator always seeks out the weakest, littlest and sometimes youngest animal in a group/herd. Once it has spotted the weaker one, his goal is to first separate it from the pack, and then go for the kill. If the predator can manage to separate if from the pack, then it will be defenseless, an easy target, and an easy kill. The enemy is the same way with us. His goal is to first seek out those who are weak; weak in spirit particularly. If he can find people who not only don't believe in God, but who aren't really standing in, believing on, and relying on God alone, then he has found his target. His next goal is to separate the pack, to draw out those who either don't really believe or who are weak in their spiritual lives. He will use people, circumstances, finances, worry, doubt, fear, hurt feelings, or anything that holds value in our lives to come against us, bring us down, and ultimately cause us to blame God. Once he can get us to blame God, we will then be separated, be weak, weary, not want to fight him, and then he goes in for the kill.
My charge to you (and myself) is to:
1)Stay alert at all times. I have just recently began to see all the many ways the enemy tries to distract me from not only getting into the word, but to become lazy and complacent in other areas of my life. He will use anything he can to distract us; things we feel have to get done now, the tv, music, video games, facebook, addictions, phone calls that can wait or be returned later, or anything else that seems urgent or important to us. Busyness is a huge one. I once heard before that busyness really stands for Being Under Satans Yolk...ouch!
2)Seek the Lord with all your heart. Ask him to show you His goodness and expect to see it. If we are looking for Him, he will show up and reveal it to us! He is not withholding anything from us, nor is he waiting for us to beg and plead, get 100 people on a prayer chain to pray for us before he decides to move. God is not sitting in Heaven with his arms folded, holding out on us until we do a, b, c, and d. He is also not a schizophrenic one day being nice and good, and the next day being angry and mean. He is the same yesterday, today and forever (Malachi 3:6, Hebrews 13:8). We and our emotions change so often and frequently it's hard to imagine God being any different, but he is!
3) If/when trials and hard times come, stay with the pack! That is when we need each other, and more importantly, we need God the most. Don't allow the enemy to draw you away with his enticements, to make you focus more on the circumstances than God's goodness and his willingness to deliver us from it, and to speak lies to you. Take every thought captive, don't believe just any thought that pops into your head, and surround yourself with people who will lift you up, encourage you, help to sharpen you, and who will cover/protect you should the enemy try and separate you.
4) We, as women in particularly, are lionnesses, strong, majestic, beautiful and fierce! We serve our king, the lion of the tribe of Judah, and just as lionnesses stay together, hunt together, groom together, and take care of each other's young, we need to do the same thing. We are strong, majestic, fierce and need each other to fight against any enemy who tries to come against our pack!
We all need each other. We all need the Lord. We need to know and understand the power and authority he has already given us and that the enemy is a defeated foe! Let's join forces together and help those who are weak, weary and defenseless!
Contrary to popular belief, I do not believe God puts sickness, disease, poverty or anything else on us. God IS love. God IS good. He is our father, our protector, defender, deliverer, provider, and every good and perfect gift comes from him (James 1:17). If, then, God is our father, and he is the very essence of love, why do we believe otherwise? Why would he want, cause, or make anything bad come upon us or happen to us? Matthew 7:11 says "If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give what is good to those who ask Him!" We, in our human nature are evil, there's no other way to say it. We are prone to sin, to do or say bad things, hence our need for a savior. There is no part of our flesh that wants to do good. Without God, and apart from him, we can do nothing (John 15:5).
So then the question becomes if we (who are evil) can love and give good things to our children, why do we think our creator is any different? He created us with those intentions, to love and to do good. Would you as a parent or even a friend put cancer or some other horrible thing onto someone you love to "teach them a lesson," to make them want to be closer to you, or to show them how much they actually need you? Absolutely not, and if you would, I suggest you find the nearest psych ward and check yourself into it! If we wouldn't will that onto someone we love, why in the world do we think, blame, and accuse God of doing the same thing to us or someone we love?
We have a very real enemy who absolutely hates and despises us more than anything. John 10:10 says " The thief comes to steal, kill and destroy, but I have come that they may have life and have it to the full." 1 Peter 5:8 says "Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour." These verses clearly state that we have an enemy, and he is always roaming around in search of someone to prey on and devour. He watches us intently, learns our weaknesses and studies us on purpose.
In the wild, the predator always seeks out the weakest, littlest and sometimes youngest animal in a group/herd. Once it has spotted the weaker one, his goal is to first separate it from the pack, and then go for the kill. If the predator can manage to separate if from the pack, then it will be defenseless, an easy target, and an easy kill. The enemy is the same way with us. His goal is to first seek out those who are weak; weak in spirit particularly. If he can find people who not only don't believe in God, but who aren't really standing in, believing on, and relying on God alone, then he has found his target. His next goal is to separate the pack, to draw out those who either don't really believe or who are weak in their spiritual lives. He will use people, circumstances, finances, worry, doubt, fear, hurt feelings, or anything that holds value in our lives to come against us, bring us down, and ultimately cause us to blame God. Once he can get us to blame God, we will then be separated, be weak, weary, not want to fight him, and then he goes in for the kill.
My charge to you (and myself) is to:
1)Stay alert at all times. I have just recently began to see all the many ways the enemy tries to distract me from not only getting into the word, but to become lazy and complacent in other areas of my life. He will use anything he can to distract us; things we feel have to get done now, the tv, music, video games, facebook, addictions, phone calls that can wait or be returned later, or anything else that seems urgent or important to us. Busyness is a huge one. I once heard before that busyness really stands for Being Under Satans Yolk...ouch!
2)Seek the Lord with all your heart. Ask him to show you His goodness and expect to see it. If we are looking for Him, he will show up and reveal it to us! He is not withholding anything from us, nor is he waiting for us to beg and plead, get 100 people on a prayer chain to pray for us before he decides to move. God is not sitting in Heaven with his arms folded, holding out on us until we do a, b, c, and d. He is also not a schizophrenic one day being nice and good, and the next day being angry and mean. He is the same yesterday, today and forever (Malachi 3:6, Hebrews 13:8). We and our emotions change so often and frequently it's hard to imagine God being any different, but he is!
3) If/when trials and hard times come, stay with the pack! That is when we need each other, and more importantly, we need God the most. Don't allow the enemy to draw you away with his enticements, to make you focus more on the circumstances than God's goodness and his willingness to deliver us from it, and to speak lies to you. Take every thought captive, don't believe just any thought that pops into your head, and surround yourself with people who will lift you up, encourage you, help to sharpen you, and who will cover/protect you should the enemy try and separate you.
4) We, as women in particularly, are lionnesses, strong, majestic, beautiful and fierce! We serve our king, the lion of the tribe of Judah, and just as lionnesses stay together, hunt together, groom together, and take care of each other's young, we need to do the same thing. We are strong, majestic, fierce and need each other to fight against any enemy who tries to come against our pack!
We all need each other. We all need the Lord. We need to know and understand the power and authority he has already given us and that the enemy is a defeated foe! Let's join forces together and help those who are weak, weary and defenseless!
Monday, November 7, 2011
Unpolished Gold...
Anyone who really knows me would probably call me "opinionated," but let the truth be told I am just very passionate about my beliefs. Sometimes, most of the time, it comes across wrong. I seem to always say things at the wrong time, the wrong way, with the wrong tone of voice or somehow manage to stick my foot in my mouth yet again.
Ever since I was a little girl, I have always felt different, like the "black sheep" in my family, the odd man (or in this case woman) out. I remember as a little girl committing my life to the Lord, telling him I would go anywhere and do anything for him. I have always been "set apart," never hanging out with the "in crowd," being teased and mocked because of how I looked or simply for reading my bible in school. All the mistreatment not only from my peers, but almost every relationship in my life has made me want to stand up for "the little guy," and to defend those who are defenseless, broken down, worn out and just plain tired of fighting.
I have always been outspoken and stood up for the things, people, and God I truly believe in. I always seem to feel the need to defend God and his word, as if he actually needs to be defended. I appreciate transparency and complete honesty, it's a trait I find most attractive and I myself try to hold fast to. I don't like things to be sugar coated or watered down, just give it to me straight! I know at times my "give it to you straight" thinking can come across as brash, harsh or even judgmental at times. That could be further from the truth. My delivery might not always be right, but my heart almost always is. If you come to me, expect me to give you the truth in love, to talk to you and tell you the things I myself would want to be told, to always pray for you, encourage you and most importantly always, always try and point you back to the word.
I believe God has called each an every one of us to not only be a light to this dark world, but to be the voice of God also. Being used by God to speak life and encouragement into others lives is what I truly feel called to do, no, what I desire to do more than anything. Words have the power of life and death and those who love it will eat of its fruit (Proverbs 18:21). When I speak, may my words be full of life, not death, encouragement not discouragement, be full of Gods word which brings health, healing and wholeness, and know that more than anything my deepest desire is to see every one of you walking in victory and soaring high above life's trials and tribulations. That's my goal. That's my heart. That's the way I want my words to come across now and forever!
Ever since I was a little girl, I have always felt different, like the "black sheep" in my family, the odd man (or in this case woman) out. I remember as a little girl committing my life to the Lord, telling him I would go anywhere and do anything for him. I have always been "set apart," never hanging out with the "in crowd," being teased and mocked because of how I looked or simply for reading my bible in school. All the mistreatment not only from my peers, but almost every relationship in my life has made me want to stand up for "the little guy," and to defend those who are defenseless, broken down, worn out and just plain tired of fighting.
I have always been outspoken and stood up for the things, people, and God I truly believe in. I always seem to feel the need to defend God and his word, as if he actually needs to be defended. I appreciate transparency and complete honesty, it's a trait I find most attractive and I myself try to hold fast to. I don't like things to be sugar coated or watered down, just give it to me straight! I know at times my "give it to you straight" thinking can come across as brash, harsh or even judgmental at times. That could be further from the truth. My delivery might not always be right, but my heart almost always is. If you come to me, expect me to give you the truth in love, to talk to you and tell you the things I myself would want to be told, to always pray for you, encourage you and most importantly always, always try and point you back to the word.
I believe God has called each an every one of us to not only be a light to this dark world, but to be the voice of God also. Being used by God to speak life and encouragement into others lives is what I truly feel called to do, no, what I desire to do more than anything. Words have the power of life and death and those who love it will eat of its fruit (Proverbs 18:21). When I speak, may my words be full of life, not death, encouragement not discouragement, be full of Gods word which brings health, healing and wholeness, and know that more than anything my deepest desire is to see every one of you walking in victory and soaring high above life's trials and tribulations. That's my goal. That's my heart. That's the way I want my words to come across now and forever!
Saturday, November 5, 2011
The "D" Word
Since it has been such a long time since I have posted anything, I have decided to try and start writing more consistently....we shall see how this pans out as my last attempts have failed! I am not good with blogging. I really want to be, but I guess it just all comes down to discipline, which is something I am still learning to do in so many areas of my life.
I have a love/hate relationship with the word discipline, and in our culture it can be a taboo subject. Growing up I was disciplined a little too much over stupid things and sometimes too severely. It broke my spirit in a lot of ways, made me want to do the right things because I was motivated by fear, and put a bad taste in my mouth. Discipline and the word "obedience" were often used as a way of manipulation, a way of guilting me into doing the right thing. My parents often used the verse in Ephesians 6 which says "Children obey your parents for this is right," and that it was "part of the 10 commandments." The pure fear of not only disobeying my parents but letting God down caused some negative, obscured views of discipline and what it really means.
The word discipline is defined as "to bring to a state of order and obedience by training and control, to punish or penalize in order to train and control; correct; chastise," and the one that struck me the most was "training to act in accordance with rules; drill: military discipline." That was certainly the way I viewed discipline. The constant rules and regulations made me want to be a rebel at times and go against the grain, thus resulting in a lot of bad decisions, consequences and ultimately a wounded and scarred little girl inside.
Discipline, if done correctly, and for the right reasons, can actually be a good thing. Now that I am older and have kids of my own, and have a clearer understanding of the word in it's context, I in some ways actually want to be "disciplined"...by the Holy Spirit that is! God is always speaking the word "discipline" to me..hence part of the reason why I cringe inside every time the word comes up. I know in the end it is for my own good, my own personal growth, but I must say the process of getting there, the time it takes, the things I must often lay down, or simply start doing not only go against my flesh, but usually go against most of the world's (and even some "Christian's") standards.
For a good year God had been telling me to start fasting. I would start to do it but then talk myself out of it every time, or simply just allow the temptation and the strong hold it had on me to control me. The Holy Spirit would ever so kindly nudge me and tell me to do it again and again, until one day I finally got up the nerve to, as Nike says, "just do it!" The first couple of days were rough, I'm not going to lie. My flesh threw a fit. I began craving the "normal American diet," in particular chocolate, like never before. I had migraines left and right, became very tired and irritable, had no energy and my flesh was fighting me right and left to just give in. You don't realize how much you actually allow your flesh to control you until it starts losing it's control, then it will make you feel like you are going to die if you don't give it what it wants. I finally made it through my first fast, not perfect, but changed from the inside out and had a new perspective on how much I really could do. Since then God has shown me other areas in my life that need to be "disciplined," that I need to be set free from, and "die to my flesh". I understand more and more what Paul said in 1 Corinthians 9 when he said "I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings. Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air. No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize."
Our bodies and minds were not created to control us, rather for us to have control and "discipline" over them. Too often I have allowed my flesh, my body, and my mouth to control me, and I am truly sorry for those I have hurt along the way. Praise God I am still a work in progress and when it's all said and done, my spirit man will not only lead me, but I will allow him to control me as I continue to discipline my flesh. So, if I say or do something that hurts any of you in any way, know that I am in the process of disciplining my flesh and it sometimes gets in way, acts up, and needs discipline!
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I have a love/hate relationship with the word discipline, and in our culture it can be a taboo subject. Growing up I was disciplined a little too much over stupid things and sometimes too severely. It broke my spirit in a lot of ways, made me want to do the right things because I was motivated by fear, and put a bad taste in my mouth. Discipline and the word "obedience" were often used as a way of manipulation, a way of guilting me into doing the right thing. My parents often used the verse in Ephesians 6 which says "Children obey your parents for this is right," and that it was "part of the 10 commandments." The pure fear of not only disobeying my parents but letting God down caused some negative, obscured views of discipline and what it really means.
The word discipline is defined as "to bring to a state of order and obedience by training and control, to punish or penalize in order to train and control; correct; chastise," and the one that struck me the most was "training to act in accordance with rules; drill: military discipline." That was certainly the way I viewed discipline. The constant rules and regulations made me want to be a rebel at times and go against the grain, thus resulting in a lot of bad decisions, consequences and ultimately a wounded and scarred little girl inside.
Discipline, if done correctly, and for the right reasons, can actually be a good thing. Now that I am older and have kids of my own, and have a clearer understanding of the word in it's context, I in some ways actually want to be "disciplined"...by the Holy Spirit that is! God is always speaking the word "discipline" to me..hence part of the reason why I cringe inside every time the word comes up. I know in the end it is for my own good, my own personal growth, but I must say the process of getting there, the time it takes, the things I must often lay down, or simply start doing not only go against my flesh, but usually go against most of the world's (and even some "Christian's") standards.
For a good year God had been telling me to start fasting. I would start to do it but then talk myself out of it every time, or simply just allow the temptation and the strong hold it had on me to control me. The Holy Spirit would ever so kindly nudge me and tell me to do it again and again, until one day I finally got up the nerve to, as Nike says, "just do it!" The first couple of days were rough, I'm not going to lie. My flesh threw a fit. I began craving the "normal American diet," in particular chocolate, like never before. I had migraines left and right, became very tired and irritable, had no energy and my flesh was fighting me right and left to just give in. You don't realize how much you actually allow your flesh to control you until it starts losing it's control, then it will make you feel like you are going to die if you don't give it what it wants. I finally made it through my first fast, not perfect, but changed from the inside out and had a new perspective on how much I really could do. Since then God has shown me other areas in my life that need to be "disciplined," that I need to be set free from, and "die to my flesh". I understand more and more what Paul said in 1 Corinthians 9 when he said "I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings. Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air. No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize."
Our bodies and minds were not created to control us, rather for us to have control and "discipline" over them. Too often I have allowed my flesh, my body, and my mouth to control me, and I am truly sorry for those I have hurt along the way. Praise God I am still a work in progress and when it's all said and done, my spirit man will not only lead me, but I will allow him to control me as I continue to discipline my flesh. So, if I say or do something that hurts any of you in any way, know that I am in the process of disciplining my flesh and it sometimes gets in way, acts up, and needs discipline!
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