Monthly Archives: October 2013

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Our covering


He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. He shall cover you with His feathers, And under His wings you shall take refuge; His truth shall be your shield and buckler. (Psalms 91:1, 4 NKJV)

Do you ever feel exposed, un-covered, vulnerable? I know I have. The main fear of women is being unsafe in any/all areas of life. Above all we want to feel safe, secure and taken care of. We go from being taken care of by our parents to being taken care of by our husbands. I know that’s how it was for me anyway. After 30 years of marriage it is scary being on my own. God is working with me in this area. Soon after I came back to the area God gave me a close circle of friends, that I spent a lot of time with, who helped me deal with problems that would arise. But now it feels like He is slowly separating me from them. Some are recently married, some have moved or are moving, and the rest are just really busy. I feel like He is setting me apart to be completely dependent on Him. Right now it feels uncomfortable but I know that as I grow stronger in Him I will learn to rely on Him on a much deeper level.

Recently, during prayer with a few friends, The Lord told my friend that He had some instruction for me. She said that The Lord said 1) there was tempering to be done in me 2) leave behind the anxieties of yesterday 3) be patient because He is changing things in me and teaching me and 4) I am a woman of God. I didn’t exactly know what tempering meant so I looked it up.

Tempering:1) to dilute, qualify, or soften by the addition or influence of something else- moderate. 2) to exercise control over. To cause to be well disposed-mollify.

So to me that confirms my recent realization that I am being set apart I equate it to being on a shelf. I believe He is gently moving into a place where I can begin to rely on Him and Him alone. Isn’t it interesting to see how He treats us differently depending on our own insecurities or individual proclivities? How He knows us intimately. He knows where we need work in order to have the character and maturity to fulfill our destiny for the Kingdom. I just have to open up and be willing to let Him do what needs to be done. To change and mold me like the potter does to the clay.

Thank you Lord for your loving kindness. You meet me exactly where I am with all my faults and shortcomings. You are my trustworthy potter and I am Your willing clay.

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Draw near


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John 10:27 My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.

Jesus talks a lot about us being sheep and him being our shepherd. The beginning of this verse reminds me of when my children were little. We would be walking through the store. The grocery isles are not wide enough for me and 3 children and they always wanted to argue about who got to walk next to me. So I instituted a new rule. I would quack like a duck and they were to follow behind me in single file so we weren’t obstructing the grocery isle. It was great at getting their attention.

That reminds me of what it says in Isaiah 30:21 Your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying,“This is the way, walk in it,” Whenever you turn to the right hand or whenever you turn to the left.” Sometimes it seems so hard to hear Him. Doesn’t it? I know that the bible is full of promises of Him being present, and active in my life but I don’t always feel or hear Him.

When you feel like He is far from you what do you do?

Do you rely on what you feel or what you know?

I wish I could say that when I feel farther away from God my first reaction is always to go to the bible and encourage myself with the Truth. That even though I don’t feel Him He is right beside me holding my right hand. (Isaiah 41:13) I am not as consistent as I want to be in this but I’m still breathing so there is time to change. I think it would be helpful to have some scriptures written down and easy to access so I’m going to list a few for me and you to refer to when we need encouragement.

Isaiah 41:10, 13 Fear not, for I am with you; Be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you,Yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.’ For I, the Lord your God, will hold your right hand, Saying to you, ‘Fear not, I will help you.’

Psalm 73:23-24, 28 Nevertheless I am continually with You; You hold me by my right hand. You will guide me with Your counsel, And afterward receive me to glory. But it is good for me to draw near to God; I have put my trust in the Lord GOD, That I may declare all Your works.

Psalm 27:4-5 One thing I have desired of the Lord, That will I seek: that I may dwell in the house of The Lord all the days of my life, To behold the beauty of the Lord, And to inquire in His temple. For in the time of trouble He shall hide me in His pavilion; In the secret place of His tabernacle He shall hide me; He shall set me high upon a rock.

Psalm 42:11 Why are you cast down, O my soul? And why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God; For I shall yet praise Him, The help of my countenance and my God.

Psalm 27:14 Wait on the Lord; Be of good courage, And He shall strengthen your heart; Wait, I say, on the Lord!

 

 

 

 

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The law


Matthew 5:17-18 “Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill. For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled.

Thank you Jesus for fulfilling the law as no other man could.

Did you know that from the time of Adam until Moses came down the mountain with the law, given to us by God, sin had not been held against mankind? Paul says in Romans 5:13 For until the law sin was in the world, but sin is not imputed when there is no law. There was idolatry, murder, adultery, and every other form of sin being committed but none of them were being held against the perpetrators. When I first read that I was astounded! Do you mean to tell me that when Lots two daughters got him drunk and had sex with him so that they could get pregnant, that wasn’t a sin? Or when Simeon and Levi killed all the men of the city because Shechem defiled Dinah, their sister, that wasn’t a sin? Oh it was sin alright, but it wasn’t counted against the sinner.

Why? Because there was no standard. There was no law. If God had counted mans sin against him with no criterion upon which they would be judged He could not be called a just God. So when God dictated the law to Moses and he brought it down to the people they began being judged based upon that law. And since there was no way for man to keep every law the blood sacrifices were instituted to atone for their inability to keep the law. Ever since God killed the animal to clothe Adam and Eve, after the original sin, blood has been necessary to cover our sins.

So fast forward to the New Testament. The law in still in effect. Jesus is born a Jew and is taught the Tanakh which is the canon of the Hebrew bible or our Old Testament. He went to school with his peers as was expected of every Jewish male and was taught the law. In the scripture I referenced above (Matthew 5:17-18) Jesus is saying that He kept the law, the only man, since Moses brought the law down the mountain, that was able to abide by all the rules and regulations. Some may say that He could keep the law because He was God. But I believe that when He stepped off His throne, in Heaven, He took off His godly power and majesty, entered Mary’s womb, and became fully man. The same as you and me. Yes, His DNA was different because of His father, but He was fully human with all of our shortcomings and weaknesses. Paul says in Hebrews 4:15 For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. So it wasn’t like Jesus was walking around, a foot off the ground, with a pious look on His face saying “thus says The Lord”… No He was a man like any other man. Going about His life, doing His job, eating, sleeping and doing it all without sinning so He could be our perfect and spotless sacrificial lamb. The only One who could take away the sins of humanity once and for all. Almost two thousand years ago He died for my sins past, present, and future. He was such a perfect sacrifice that there is no need for animal sacrifices anymore to atone for sin. I love the way it’s put in Hebrews 10:11-14 And every priest stands ministering daily and offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. But this Man, after He had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down at the right hand of God, from that time waiting till His enemies are made His footstool. For by one offering He has perfected forever those who are being sanctified. Because He loved us so much He fulfilled the law so we could get out from under it. That’s my Jesus, my Savior, my groom! Isn’t He marvelous?

 

 

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Live abundantly!


Deuteronomy 6:10-12 “So it shall be, when the Lord your God brings you into the land of which He swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give you large and beautiful cities which you did not build, houses full of all good things, which you did not fill, hewn-out wells which you did not dig, vineyards and olive trees which you did not plant—when you have eaten and are full— then beware, lest you forget the Lord who brought you out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage.

Isn’t that just like God? He is so good to us. He knows what we need even before we do. I guess that’s the advantage of omniscience…

I work for a furniture manufacturing company. I have been there for about a year and a half. I am also involved in helping my friend, who has been directed by The Lord to open a new women’s center in the Daphne area. We have incorporated and are in the process of applying for our 501c3, which is a form that qualifies you for non-profit status with the IRS. Once we get our non-profit status we will be able to accept tax exempt donations. Also, The Lord told my friend that once that is accomplished He will show us the building we are supposed to have and begin bringing donors, and volunteers to us. It occurred to me today the reason God put me at my current workplace, other than the obvious need for a steady income, is so I will have access to purchase the furniture that we will need to furnish the women’s center. I was talking to a co-worker today about it and she told me that the company I work for has been known to donate furniture to worthy local causes. Wow…isn’t God so smart!?

God is in the details of our life. He is concerned and wants to be involved is the circumstances of our lives. He wants us to be happy, healthy, and whole. Jesus said in John 10:10 “The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.” He came so that we could live abundantly in this life. He gave us everything that we need to do that. So let’s trust Him and have what is ours!

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He first loved us…


1 John 4:19-20 We love Him because He first loved us. If someone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen?

There are countless scriptures about love. Well, not countless, but a lot! I checked my concordance and there were over 500 times that love is mentioned in the old and New Testament. Do you think there would be so many if we “got” it? If we understood how important love is? I have found, in my bible research, that God repeats Himself when the topic is dear to Him. It says in 1 Corinthians 13:1-3 that if you do great things for people but aren’t operating in love it’s counted for nothing. That’s strong…

I knew I wasn’t operating in love when I did things for other people or in my interactions with people, so I starting praying about it. Each day I ask God to 1) show me how much He loves me, 2) show me how to love Him the way He loves me, and 3) show me how to love people the way He loves them. He has definitely softened my heart in that area but I’m not going to stop praying those prayers yet because I still have a very long way to go. I’m still way too selfish and self centered.

It is easy to love the people you are close to like your friends and family. You know, nice people. The people you have picked and choose to be around. But what about the people that grate on your last nerve? What about the surly cashier, the guy who cuts you off in traffic, or your boss? Jesus said in Matthew 5:44 “love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those that hate you, and pray for those who use you.” Wow! Just WOW! Is He kidding?! No I don’t think He is.

So, how do we do this? Good news…we can’t. Not in our own strength or our own wisdom. So we pray and ask Him to fill us up with His love. He has an infinite supply and daily He gives us what we need for that day if we ask Him. We can’t give what we don’t have.

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He brings us out to bring us in…


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Deuteronomy 6:21-23

“We were slaves of pharaoh in Egypt, but The Lord sent signs and wonders-great and terrible-on Egypt and pharaoh and his whole household. But He brought us out from there to bring us in and give us the land He promised on oath to our ancestors.”

What are you a slave to? What burdens are you laboring under? What lie has the enemy told you that has caused you to doubt the love and grace of our Father and His Son Jesus the Christ?

I was enslaved in 2010 and the beginning of 2011. I was living, in Pensacola, in an abusive relationship with a man who was not my husband. I had been unemployed for 16 months and the repo man was looking for my only transportation. I was basically estranged from my three children because of the choices I had made. Even though my life was awful I felt like it would be impossible to leave.

Then The Lord began courting me. He began reminding me of my true identity in Him. He quietly but persistently pursued me. I picked up my bible for the first time in years and was reminded of the prodigal son in Luke 15:11-24. I was the prodigal, as I looked around I realized I had to find a way to get out of the pig pen I found myself in.

So I packed my stuff in my car and came back to the Spanish Fort area. I was basically homeless and on public assistance but I was out of the pig pen. Then God started restoring me. I got a job and an apartment. I repented to my husband and my children for my behavior. When my car was repossessed God provided me with the funds to pay cash for a vehicle. I was desperately lonely so God lead me to a singles group at Bay Community Church. They loved me back to life.

In the last two years God has done so many miracles in my life it would take a book to recount them all. The most amazing and the one I treasure above all the rest is that my relationships with my children have been restored. But not just restored, they are all better than they were before. I am so thankful to my Abba Father, my Redeemer who has brought me out to bring me in…to an unbelievably blessed life full of peace, joy and hope.

The best part is that if He did it for me He will do it for you! Isn’t that good? He does not play favorites. He loves you just as much as He loves me and wants to bring you out of whatever bad situation you have gotten yourself into so He can bring you in to the life He planned for you before the creation. All you have to do is let Him. He stands at the door and knocks, but He is a gentleman, you must ask for Him to come in and take over.

So what are you waiting for? The best is yet to come if you give your control away to the One who knows you, the One who created you. Go ahead, open the door.

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Slow Fade


Slow fade by Casting Crowns

Be careful little eyes what you see
It’s the second glance that ties your hands as darkness pulls the strings
Be careful little feet where you go for it’s the little feet behind you that are sure to follow
It’s a slow fade when you give yourself away
It’s a slow fade when black and white turn to gray
And thoughts invade
Choices are made
A price will be paid when you give yourself away
People never crumble in a day
it’s a slow fade
It’s a slow fade
Be careful little ears what you hear, when flattery leads to compromise the end is always near
Be careful little lips what you say, for empty words and promises lead broken hearts astray
The journey from your mind to your hand is shorter than your thinking
Be careful if you think you’d stand you just might be sinking
It’s a slow fade when you give yourself away
It’s a slow fade when black and white turn to gray
And thoughts invade
Choices are made
A price will be paid when you give yourself away
Daddies never crumble in a day
Families never crumble in a day
it’s a slow fade
It’s a slow fade
Be careful little eyes what you see
Oh be careful little eyes what you see
For the Father up above is looking down in love, oh be careful little eyes what you see

If you have been reading my blog you might have seen a pattern. It seems like I am a broken record talking about staying close to Jesus. That is because I have experienced the slow fade…away from Him and into a very bad place.
I was saved on Valentines day in 1999. I was on fire! I was in love with The Lord. I had quiet time each morning, listened to Christian radio, went to church every time the doors were open, and was evangelizing my workplace. During one of my morning times with The Lord, He showed me my calling by illuminating the scripture! It was most exciting!

Around 2002 personal events and a church split stopped me from going to church. I still kept in touch with my church friends, for a while. I kept my quiet time up for a while and then that went by the wayside. Since my mind was not focused on Jesus and His word, like it should have been, it began wandering to places it should not have gone. Thoughts gave way to conversations, which gave way to meals, which gave way to an affair. Culminating in me leaving my husband, of 28 years, and 2 teenage children in 2009.

I cannot stress this enough!
You must stay connected with The Lord!
It takes intentionality and it will be well worth all your efforts.

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The world, the flesh, and the devil


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2 Corinthians 10:3-4 For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds,

The three things we war against once we decide to follow Jesus. The world, the flesh, and the devil. Not necessarily in that order that’s just the order they were given to me today to write about. It seems daunting, definitely not a light-hearted writing.

In the scripture above I have typed the New King James Version. I find it interesting that in the New International Version the word “flesh” is replaced with the word “world”. It reads (2 Corinthians 10:3-4) For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. It states clearly in the bible that we have to physically and consciously “put on” the full armor of God (Ephesians 6:13-17). So that we can stand against the schemes of the devil. That takes intentionality.

We are in a battle.

Once we are saved Satan has lost the prospect of taking us to hell with him but he makes it his goal to try to keep us confused. He is very subtle about it. One of his favorite things is to get us distracted by the things of this world like television and the internet. Another of his tactics is to distort God’s word. Go back with me to the garden of Eden in Genesis chapter 3. Satan is talking to Eve about what God said and what God meant by what He said. (Genesis 3:2-5) The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, but God did say, ‘You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.’” “You will not certainly die,” the serpent said to the woman. “For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”  That didn’t sound so bad did it? Those sound like things that would be good to have in this world, don’t they? The point is she is using her own reasoning in determining right from wrong. She should have trusted God and His direction. If she had not doubted that God had her best interest at heart when He made that rule she would have never sinned. Do we do that? Do we doubt that God has our best interest at heart when He gives us direction? Satan hopes so. I believe he uses the same tactics he used with Eve. We come to church and hear an inspiring message using Malachi 3:6-11 as the basis, for example. You leave thinking I need to tithe, it’s Gods will, it says in the bible that God will bless me if I test Him in this, I’m going to begin tithing! You are convinced that it is the thing do! You are pumped! You go about your week and little thoughts begin plaguing you like “I heard a noise what if my car breaks down and I have to repair or replace it…I can’t tithe” or “my bills are really tight I can’t afford to tithe”. Satan comes and distorts then steals that fabulous truth you heard and you begin reasoning based on the worlds standards.

So how do we fight against satans schemes? I believe that we first must recognize them. We need to be so familiar with the Truth that when the lie comes into our head we recognize it for what it is and cast it out. Immediately. Did you know that a Secret Service agent is trained to recognize a currency forgery by becoming intimately familiar with legitimate currency? That is what we must do. We must be so familiar with Gods character and will for our lives that we recognize the lies of satan immediately. How do we do this? Well, we read the bible and pray. Regularly. Daily.

Being a Christian is not for sissies. Jesus is very clear about following Him. (Matthew 12:30) “Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters.” There is no gray area with Jesus. Either you are for Him or against Him. You can’t be a little bit saved or a half-hearted Christian. I think this is what scares the world. You can’t do just a little bit of Jesus. You have to go all the way. That also puts a bulls-eye on us in the spiritual realm. Which is another really good reason to put on the full armor of God during your prayer time each morning. Don’t leave home without it…

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Our unchanging God


Not only does He not change (Numbers 23:19) neither does His plan for our lives….

We can go back to Abraham to see that His plan to make Abraham a great nation never changed. Even after Abraham listened to Sarah and conceived a child with Hagar, Sarah’s servant. That was one of the biggest blunders made by mankind thinking they needed to help God. You can read all about it in Genesis. Don’t miss the part where they probably delayed the promise by thinking they needed to help God.

Then there was Moses, who definitely had a call on his life. Saved as an infant, when they were killing all the Hebrew boys of his age. Raised in the palace alongside the king he would later confront. After killing one of the Hebrews’ taskmasters he runs out into the desert, surviving against all odds. He carves out a life, marries a local girl, and while he is performing his job, one day, gets the “call” from God to go get His people, the Hebrews, out of bondage. He argues with God, explaining to Him that he didn’t speak well and wouldn’t God rather choose someone else. Can you just see it? The scene is set. The bush is burning. There is the booming voice from heaven saying, take off your shoes because you are on Holy ground. Then God tells him His plan. And Moses argues with God. All because he was insecure. I do feel like I should give Moses a little break here because he didn’t know much about God. He hadn’t been brought up being told the stories of the Hebrew heritage. He had been brought up in the palace being taught customs and heritage of the pharaohs. As far as how he was brought up goes, he was used to the Hebrews being around doing all the work and there were at least hundreds of thousands of them. He had to be thinking that pharaoh was NEVER GOING TO LET THEM GO! If he did, who would do all the work in Egypt? I think it was partly insecurity and partly knowing his adversary and what he was up against.

But I digress.

The point of today’s blog is…God and His plan NEVER changes.
The words He has spoken to us over the years NEVER change.
The visions He has given us are still in effect.
The plans He has for us haven’t changed.
The promises He has made to us haven’t changed.

So go back and remember the things He has told you and be reassured. He hasn’t forgotten you or His plans for you. Hold on to them with your whole heart and know that your God WILL bring them to pass. Don’t go out and try to make it happen on your own. You know you don’t want your own “Ishmael” situation.
Wait, wait, wait for The Lord! And while you wait praise Him for the plans He has for you and for what a good, loving, faithful Father He is to us! His timing is perfect! If you are still breathing you haven’t completed His plans for you!

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God’s priorities


2 Peter 3:9 The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.

Matthew 9:37 Then He said to His disciples, “The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few.

Sometimes I get frustrated because I don’t feel like I have enough time to spend with God.
I know He wants me to make Him a priority not because the bible, or my pastor, or my peers say that I should. But because it’s the best thing for me. When I am close to Him He leads me to the best choices for my life. One step at a time. So when I have time how do I choose the best way to spend it.
I know God is into relationships. Not only does He want to have an intimate relationship with me, but He wants me to have intimate, loving, caring relationships with believers so that we can encourage each other. Even further He wants me to have loving, caring, relationships with non-believers so that I can witness, through the way I live my life, to help draw them to the light that shines through me. My Jesus.
So, back to my original question. How to spend my time? I believe that 2 Peter is true and that it’s not Gods will that “any should perish but that all should come to repentance” so it must be pretty important to God that we, believers, do everything we can to draw people to the saving knowledge of our lord Jesus Christ. How? Well, since I can’t see into people’s hearts I need to stay close to the One who can. He will show me how to talk to a person. He will show me who to talk to. He will show me what they need from me so I can minister to them in the way that will soften their hearts and help them be more receptive to His love and grace.
So I guess the answer to my question is as I get closer to Jesus, He will show me how to spend my time. He is ever present in our lives. He shows us just enough for our next step (Psalms 119:105). He will guide us as we choose the next thing we should do in any circumstance (Isaiah 30:21).
We are so blessed in all that we do if we will just tune our ears in to His still small voice and become sensitive to His will. He will never lead us wrong.