Christmas Special

Merry Christmas

Many years ago, on a Christmas Morning, I sat opening gifts. Slightly less gifts than in years before, but I didn’t care because right in the middle of all the wrapping paper and boxes sat my very own Television! It was the best Christmas ever and probably one of the few gifts I remember. My mother, however, had a concerned look on her face as she kept watching me. She came over and ask, more than once, are you happy? Of course I was! A TV!! That many years ago, it wasn’t common for every room to have a TV, so this was a really cool gift. My Mother, however, was so concerned that I had less gifts under the tree. She tried to explain that the TV took most of the money they would have spent on me. Again, I was fine, because, I got a TV and could not begin to tell you what else I got. Unless that was the year they bought me, The Little Mermaid, on VHS?

Now, years later, I find myself counting gifts under the tree, adding the money we spent, and worrying that it is not enough. It’s always too much and way more than any child should get. Maybe I should have started with the, Jesus got three gifts, and that’s all you are getting rule? Seriously, I know people that do it and they don’t seem to be as stressed at Christmas as I am.

For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon

His shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty

God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.

Isaiah 9:6

It is so easy to get caught up in finding the perfect gift that we forget about The Gift. The Good News, of our Savior, whose birth we celebrate. Take a moment or two and remember the reason you are gathering this season. Hope was born on Christmas Eve. New Life for all that accept Christ as their personal Savior. Grace came down with a promise of eternal life. It’s not the gifts that matter this season, it is The Gift.

Precious Lord, who gave his only son, Holy Holy Holy are you! We give you praise and glory forever! Let all remember the reason we celebrate. This is a season of miracles and Father, you know my heart and the miracle I pray over all gifts under the tree. For others that need a miracle, I pray they receive. For those that do not know you, my prayer is that the gift they receive is one of eternal life, secured by the very Saviors birth we celebrates, death on a cross. Amen.

Repost from April 30th

Blessings

Philippians 4:6

 Don’t worry about anything, but in everything, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.

As anxiety found me again, I walked up the stairs to my prayer room, determined to hear from God. With expectation, I laid my bible and journal on the bed and I lowered to my knees. I said, as humble a prayer, as possible, with no emotion. I challenged God, by telling him I would not leave that room until I heard from him. All while my brain played all the things I had to do that day. Once my prayer was complete, I rose from my praying position, sat on the bed, armed with pen and journal and began to flip the pages, looking for a clean sheet to start.

Instead of beginning a new page, I began to read all of the old pages. It did not take long for the humbleness I had lacked during prayer to overtake me. How long had I begged God? How many times had I promised to leave my request at the cross? Oh God, I know you can do this, I trust in you and I leave it to your will? A sadness hit my soul as I realized I had allowed myself to turn God into a sounding board for my pain with expectation of my prayers being answered in my time and in my way.  I began to hear myself asking God why he was punishing me and if He can, why won’t He ease my pain?

I searched the scripture I had wrote and realized that I had a good foundation, but I had filled the journal with begging instead of faith and belief. Where was my praise and thanksgiving for all of the great things my God had done?

With that, I began to write out all of the things I was thankful for. The list continued to grow and my hand grew tired. I did hear from God within those moments. He reminded me of all of times He had seen me through. I felt shame in my lack of trust. I speak to friends in their times of need and tell them to trust in God and know that He will see you through. Know He has a plan, yet I am not living the very life I tell those around me to live. How easy I fell victim to the enemy and his pain.

As I was reminded of all of the times God has blessed our family and turned hardship into testimony, I began to feel strong. I still do not see how this season of hardship will work or how we will make it through. I do not know what will happen of my top three prayers. I do know that God has a plan and I will keep that faith. I pray that when I start to beg for answers that God continues to humble me, after all, I am but flesh.

Matthew 7:7

⁷ “Keep asking, and it will be given to you. Keep searching, and you will find. Keep knocking, and the door will be opened to you.

I love this scripture and at the same time I find it gives me false hope. Let me explain. When I read this, my human self takes it to mean that whatever I ask for, will be given. So if I ask God to fix this situation in my life, I should look up and it is fixed. Right? God is telling us to come to him with our needs and he will open the door. The other side of that door may not be what you had planned out in your mind, but it will be much better. We have all heard that the grass is not greener on the other side, well with God, the grass is always greener.

I don’t know who this was for but I do know it was for me. I pray you were blessed by reading this and I thank you for humbling this Christ follower by reading what the Lord has ask me to do. I pray he continues to give me words to write and people to read them.

Lord, I pray for everyone reading this today and throughout the week. If they are struggling with a need that seems so far out of reach or if they question why they cannot see your hand in a tough situation, my prayer is that your give this peace by reminding them of all the times you have blessed them.  Amen.

Repost

Jehovah-Rapha: The Lord who heals

The only sound I could hear was the pounding of my own heart and that still small voice pushing me forward. I questioned it shaking it off and ignoring it as I watched 9 people make their way to the front of the church. I watched confused as I heard that urging to walk forward and stand at the front of the church. It was so odd for our Pastor to call people to the front, even the day I accepted Christ I had raised a hand in blind view of a congregation. Now, as 9 others stood I knew I was number 10, as  her name came in audible sound and I realized with humbled understanding, that I did, in deed hold anger in my heart and I needed to release it by forgiving her.

For God was pleased to have all His fullness dwell in Him, and through Him to reconcile everything

to Himself by making peace through the blood of His cross- whether things on earth or things in heaven.

Colossians 1: 19-20

Right after church I drove to her house with a peace I had not felt since the day I accepted my Savior. I walked with boldness to her door and she opened it as if expecting me. I sat with her and apologized for the anger I had, explaining why and releasing a weight I never realized I held. She looked at me astonished and only said she had no idea I was angry. She never acknowledged her part, but that was okay. I was not there to hear an apology, only to give one.

Therefore, God’s chosen ones, holy and loved, put on heartfelt compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience,

Accepting one another and forgiving one another if anyone as a complaint against anther. Just as the Lord

has forgiven you, so you must also forgive.

Colossians 3: 12-13

We, as followers of Christ, as expected to forgive others. The harsh reality of it, as flesh, we expect to receive the same from the person we are forgiving. We see this in movies and TV shows as the characters all huddle in a hug of compassion, forgiving each other and going off into the sunset to live happily ever after. The truth is, in life that is not always the case. Christ does not ask us to forgive so we can watch as the other person realizes their wrong and ask for forgiveness, instead he ask us to forgive, so that we can be realized from the anger it causes us.

Do you ever find yourself thinking about a person that wronged you and having a heated conversation in your head, proving over and over again why you are right and they are wrong? Do you find that you feel better when that imaginary conversation is over, or do you find that you are angry, sad, or just defeated? Holding on to that does nothing but hurt you. Not everyone needs to have a moment like I had, for some of us the person we need to forgive is gone or unavailable. Find a way to forgive them. Write them a letter that you never mail, go to your knees in prayer and tell God all that you wants to say and then succumb to forgiving release.

I realize that some wrongs are too hard to forgive and go back to a loving relationship with someone. There are those situations where you forgive someone, but due to the circumstances of the wrong doing, it is better to forgive and then let God do the rest.

I know that the day I forgave, was a turning point in my life. I was able to move past a part of my life that had so much control over me. The really scary thing is, I never realized how much control that part of my past, controlled.

Above all, put on love-the perfect bond of unity. And let the peace of the Messiah, to which you were also called in one body,

Control your hearts. Be thankful.

Colossians 1: 14-15

Jehovah Rapha, my Father who heals, I pray you heal the wounds of those reading this. Give them the ability to lay it at the cross and let go of anger in their lives. I lift up each person that is reading this and pray it finds the right audience, for your glory, not mine. Amen.

Broken Hallelujah

Broken Hallelujah

I downloaded a new Christmas album on my IPhone, Sunday morning and over cereal I listened to the main reason I purchased the album. I wanted to hear the group, Pentatonix, remake, Hallelujah, by Leonard Cohen. I don’t believe I had ever heard the whole song, but the chorus is beautiful. I listened, as very secular verses were sang to a chorus of Hallelujah. The song brought tears to my eyes and then streaming down my face as I thought of people searching for joy in other things. Searching for happiness and only finding temporary pleasure. This, after some research, is some of what this song is about. The artist wanted to show that, it is not just worship of God that can bring a Hallelujah to someone. What his song said to me was that we have so much work to do.

Later in church, I found myself reading from Philippians 2. I felt that the two go together, somehow. While this song represents joy in things of the world, this scripture gives us encouragement while on this earth in the knowledge of and the relationship with Christ.

If then there is any encouragement in Christ, if any consolation of love, if any fellowship with the Spirit,

If any affection and mercy, ² fulfill my joy by thinking the same way

, having the same love, sharing the same feelings, focusing on one goal. ³ Do nothing out of rivalry or conceit,

 but in humility consider others as more important than yourselves.

 ⁴ Everyone should look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.

Philippians 2: 1-4

There is a line in the song mentioned above that says, “It doesn’t matter what you heard, the holy or the broken hallelujah.” This line is what made me begin to think of the world and sadness that it can bring. In the fourth verse of the scripture above, Paul tells us to look out not only for our own interest but also for everyone else. How often do we as, followers of Christ, put the needs of others ahead of our own? Do we, do things without expectation? Without hope of recognition? Looking for a way to shine above others? In verse 3, Paul tells us to do nothing out of rivalry or conceit, but in humility.

Once a quarter, the team of people I work with goes out and does something good for our community. Last month, we fed people waiting in line for financial assistance and them we sorted donations for 2 hours. I found myself disappointed that I was a few minutes late and missed out on the picture that will be posted on our company internet. I should be disappointed in myself. Those people were grateful for what we were doing and I, after all that good, was disappointed over a picture. Now, I’m glad that I will not be in the picture. It will be a reminder to focus on the task and not the recognition.

As followers of Christ, we have an example to live by. Though we can never live up to Him. We are to love one another no matter where we are in life. We are to love the sinner, because after all, we are all sinners.

⁵ Make your own attitude that of Christ Jesus,

⁶ who, existing in the form of God,
did not consider equality with God
as something to be used for His own advantage.^[a]
7 Instead He emptied Himself
by assuming the form of a slave,
taking on the likeness of men.
And when He had come as a man
in His external form,
⁸ He humbled Himself by becoming obedient
to the point of death—
even to death on a cross.
⁹ For this reason God highly exalted Him
and gave Him the name
that is above every name,
¹⁰ so that at the name of Jesus
every knee will bow—
of those who are in heaven and on earth
and under the earth—
¹¹ and every tongue should confess
that Jesus Christ is Lord, ^[b]
to the glory of God the Father.

Philippians 2: 5-11

Read verses 6 and 7 again and then pause and let it sink in. The only person that has ever walked this earth that was equal to God, did not consider equality with God as something to be used for His own advantage. He, instead, emptied Himself by assuming the form of a slave. How powerful are those verses. Now, read all of it, starting with verse one, again. Take a moment to ponder what it is to be truly, Christ like?

Now, think about the line to the song that I referenced above. Christ, hears our broken hallelujah’s just the same as He hears our holy and reverent ones. The broken ones, are the ones that we, as His hands and feet should be on the lookout for. The broken hallelujahs are from those that have no hope and only short lived joy that comforts only as long as the feel good moment they are in. People are broken and they run from us, because they are afraid of judgement. They don’t want someone else telling them, they are wrong. What they need is love. Love heals the broken and mends the defeated.

I ask you, to go back and read Philippians chapter 2 again. Really search the scripture and figure out how you can humble yourself and listen for the broken hallelujahs.

Father God, I thank you for the broken hallelujah that led me to you. That in a moment of tears, I sought you and you were there to dry my tears and give me eternal life. I pray, Father, that we don’t pass by those that are in need. Help us to see the person and not the life-style. Help us to love the person and look past the choices. Give a heart to love the broken. Amen.

Face Down

Face Down

A few weeks ago I drove by a church and I saw  man lying face down in the park lot. No other cars were there and he appeared to have been walking. A back pack lay close beside him and his head was on his arm. I turned around and drove by again. He appear to either be hurt or praying. I didn’t feel the Lord asking me to stop, so I turned down a side street and called 911. I told he operating that the man was either hurt or praying. As I drove back by, I watched as a fire truck turned in and two men on a motorcycle had stopped and they were talking to the man. I realized, that I had been right, he was praying. Tears were streaming down his face and the look of despair brought tears to my own eyes. I began to pray for the man. I still can’t shake the question of what would bring a man, face down in a church parking lot, to pray. The backpack makes me think he could be homeless. Maybe he has nothing left and he found himself walking by a church and lay face down to pray to God. I don’t know and may never know. I do know that the men that stopped were at that place at that moment to do exactly what they were doing. I know that God allowed me to witness it and he is preparing my heart to help those in need.

The Lord helps all who fall, He raises up all who are oppressed.

Ps 145:14

I don’t have a devotion planned out for this week. The one I am working on is not complete, so I thought I would share this quick story with you. Who knows, maybe it will turn into a devotion one day. I do ask that if you can, to give a little more this season. Christmas is a time to celebrate our Savior and what better way, than to care for his children

Father God, thank you for eyes to see the work that we have to do. So many in need and so few hands to help them. Give the church a heart for those in needs. Bless the man I saw Lord. I pray he has found help and his life if improving. I pray he finds Salvation and the joy that comes with a relationship with you. Amen.

Merge

Merge

Recently I heard a radio DJ talking about a survey that showed, people that merge late in traffic and people that don’t allow those merger in, are what contribute to most back-ups. A story like this never would have caught my attention 6 months ago, but now that I commute to work, daily, I found myself agreeing. I am no longer an aggressive driver. I don’t know if that comes with age, wisdom, or the most likely, watching one of my babies become a driver. I watch every afternoon as cars to the left, ignore the warning signs that tell them the lane will end. It infuriates me to see a car in the safety of one far left lane that is not ending, to get back into the ending lane, because their lane is moving slow. They wiz past 10 or more cars and then expectantly turn on their signal to be let, back in.  It burns me up to watch, as I slowly progress in the middle lane, safe from the stop and go in the far left, and protected from a last minute merge. Most of the time I shake my head and wonder, what makes them better than me, that they think they can by-pass all this traffic and then swing into the safe lane, last minute?

For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire workers for his vineyard.

After agreeing with the workers on one denarius for the day, he sent them into his vineyard. When

he went out about nine in the morning, he saw others standing in the marketplace doing nothing.

To those men he said, ‘You also go to my vineyard, and I’ll give you whatever is right.’ So off

they went. About noon and at three he went out again and did the same thing. Then about five

he went and found others standing around, and said to them, ‘ Why have you been standing here all

day doing nothing?” “Because no one hired us, ‘they said to him. ‘ “’You also got to my vineyard, ‘

he told them.

Matthew 20: 1-7

The early morning workers remind me of the folks that stay in the right hand lane all the way to their destination. They don’t worry about the lane merge because they have a safe shot all the way. Then there are those like me in the middle lane. We know that we may have to weave in and out, but we get to go at a faster pace and the exit ramp isn’t too tough to get to. Then, there are those that wait until 3 and 5. Those are the, mergers. The folks that want to wait until the last minute to get over. They go through life fast, trying to by-pass all the rules and then when the lane ends, they expect to get over in front of the rest of us.

When evening came, the owner of the vineyard told his foreman, ‘ Call the workers and give them their pay,

starting with the last and ending with the first. ‘When those who were hired about five came, they each received one denarius.

So when the first ones came, they assumed they would get more, but they also received a denarius each. When they received it, they began

to complain to the landowner. These last men put in one hour, and you made them equal to us who bore the burden of the day and the

burning heat!

Matthew 20: 8-12

God revealed to me that some people live their life like they are in the merging lane. They drive fast through life and know that the end is near, but they wait until the very end to accept Christ. For some, it may seem unfair that their reward is the same as those who gave their life to Christ at a very early age. I do believe some will be shocked in Heaven when they see the mergers walking the same streets of gold as them. Honestly, I hope not. My prayer is that in Heaven, we finally understand Jesus’s lessons on love, but that is a story for another blog.

It takes some longer than others to accept that Christ loves them. They want to live their life free and without restriction. To some they just do not believe that they are worthy of Christ free gift and for others, they just don’t understand and believe it’s all a fairy tale. We, the workers, need to stay busy doing God’s work, so we can bring more into the vineyard with us. If they see us working hard and in love, they will want to join us. For some, that means a nice long road with no bump ups, but for others, it means a merge at the last minute.

So what happens to those that wait too long to merge? Well for me, it normally means longer traffic jams, because a wreck has happened and prayerfully the car is the only thing damaged. For Christ, it means the opposite. They waited too long and now eternity is lost to them.

The next time you see someone trying to merge last minute, let them in with a smile. It may be their last chance.

Father God, thank you for your mercy that saved a sinner like myself. That brought me out of the fast lane and allowed me to merge over to a safer lane. I pray Lord that you allow us to show love to those hurting in the world, that they will merge with us. Amen.

One of my Favorites

Why would a loving God….

How long, Lord, must I call for help and you do not listen or cry out to You about violence and You do not save?

Why do You force me to look at injustice? Why do You tolerate wrong doing? Oppression and violence are right in front of me. Strife is ongoing and the conflict escalates.

This is why the law is ineffective and justice never emerges. For the wicked restrict the righteous; therefore, justice comes out perverted.

Habakkuk 1: 2-4

The lobby was packed full of customers on a busy Friday afternoon. This was before Wi-Fi connected at every store and direct deposit was required by most every employer. Customers still walked into the bank to make deposits, open accounts, and apply for loans. I sat with a man, trying to make heads or tails of his checkbook, patiently, I helped him as the clients piled up. Once we were done, I started to stand to hurry him from my desk and help the next customer. He remained seated and began to talk about his wife. My wife, he said, is the one that always handled the bank book, but she has been sick and I’ve had to take time off from work to take care of her, he explained.

This man smelled of many cigarettes smoked over many years, his skin was like leather and his hands showed hard working years with callouses upon callouses. He wore a well, worn plaid shirt with an equally well, worn pair of jeans. His hair had not been cut in a while and he shook a little as we talked. He began to tell me of his wife’s illness and how there was no hope of her recovering. They were in the final days and he had left her side for a little while to refill her medicines and get things to make her comfortable. I began to shuffle in my chair, not sure what to do. We were in the middle of the lobby and others were impatiently listening to our conversation as he spoke of his wife like we were the only two there. He began to look past me as he spoke, no longer speaking to me, just speaking. I listened until I could no longer make the others wait and stood. I told him I would keep her in my prayers and patted his arm.  

It was at that moment his thoughts came back to the lobby and he ask me a question I could not answer and one I have never forgotten. I still hear his broken voice, “What am I going to do? She’s the only woman I have ever loved. “With that, he turned and left. I found it hard to swallow and made my way to the next couple that had been waiting. My eyes filled with tears and I apologized as I looked away for a moment and made time to watch him leave.

Have you ever been ask, how could a loving God allow bad things to happen? If you haven’t, just wait, you will. The Profit, Habakkuk, ask God these question. Why Lord, How long Lord? All questions, I myself ask when the storms roll in. How long Lord, will you allow this oppression. Why, God, do you allow the wicked to prevail? It seems that we are not the first to ask God these questions.

For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age,

against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.

Ephesians 6:12

I do not have the answers you seek with this with this blog. I do not know why one woman can bear children, while another cannot. I do not know why people die young, and others live to be 100. I do not know why bad things happen to some and others seems to have a golden life. I can tell you that this is not our permanent home. This land we live on is the Principality of the enemy and he will stop at nothing to make followers of Christ miserable.

 The enemy uses others to come against us. Try looking at the person causing you pain as a person being used by the enemy. That will make you pray for that person a lot differently. I had a Pastor, tell me stop envisioning the person hurting me, as flesh and start seeing that person in a way that would cause me to pray for them. Now when I pray for someone coming against me, I see them covered in a dark tar, choking them and preventing them from seeing the light. The tar represents the evil spilling out over them. I being to pray that the Light break through the dark, thick, tar and allow them to be used as vessels of the King, not the enemy.

Why do bad things happen? Look at the scripture. Bad things happen because we fight against powers, rulers, and spiritual hosts in wickedness. There is a lot going on in the heavenly realms. God’s forces are surrounding us to protect us. When I go through a storm, I try to remember how much worse it would be without God’s hedge of protection around me and my family. There is a reason for everything we go through and a testimony waiting to help another.

I encourage you to read the book of Habakkuk. It is a great read that goes through a conversation with God.

Lord, I lift up those asking you, why? I pray for those that seek answers for the bad things that have happened in their lives or the lives of those around them. I pray as they seek answers, they find peace in knowing that you have already won. Lord thank you for the opportunity to minister to others. May these words touch someone, today. Amen

Morning Light

Morning Light

Even the darkness is not dark to You.

The night shines like the day; darkness and light are alike to You.

Ps 139:12

I pull out of my driveway and notice the moon still high above the earth. As I merge onto the highway I notice the sky begin to turn pink and orange as the Sun ascends. It struck me the other morning as I watched, the moon disappear, that morning darkness, is different from night darkness. Have you ever been outside as the sun beings to descend and notice how dark it is? The darkness surrounds you thick and your eyesight becomes foggy as you try to see in front of you. With the morning, though it is dark, the darkness doesn’t seem to have that same fog?

As a child, I feared the night. I would lay in bed and listen to every noise, I had to know exactly what each sound was. I remember I had this clock that would, tick tock, and I knew down to the second when I would hear it. Sometimes a new sound would enter the darkness and I would lay in bed afraid. I would stare into the darkness trying to figure out what the noise was. I was too afraid to get out of bed and turn on the light, so some nights I would lay until shear exhaustion would finally take over and I would wake to my alarm in the morning. As a young child, I would lay in bed and cry out for my mother, until she would come and take my sister to her bed to sleep beside my dad and then she would crawl in bed with me. As a young girl, I had nightmares that would wake me, but as a teen-ager, it was the darkness that caused me fear.

When I moved out on my own, I learned to sleep in a house with just myself and my son. The darkness didn’t bother me as much, but those nightmares followed me. Then, I gave my life to Christ and the Holy Spirit in me, gave the enemy a run for his money. I can remember one nightmare I was having was so disturbing that I woke myself up, shouting scripture! Praise God! The scripture I had learned as a child was flowing from my mouth. I sat up and shouted the words….

“For the Lord has given his Angels charge over me and they will keep me in all my ways, and in my path there is life and there is no death!” Over and over again I said it, until I was calm and dark, was no longer as dark as it had once been.

It stuck me that it is like that for those lost. When darkness comes it surrounds them with no hope, only pain and despair. For followers of Christ, we know that darkness cannot overcome the light.

That light shines in the darkness,

yet the darkness did not overcome it.

John 1:5

Rarely, I still have nightmares. Now that I am married, I normally snuggle up to my husband and I still say scripture over and over again, until the enemy flees and my mind is clear of the nightmare that woke me. When we have a relationship with the Father, we don’t have to worry about the darkness. Like John says, the darkness did not overcome the Light. You see, where there is light, there is no darkness. Darkness by definitions is void of light. That is what happens to nonbelievers.

Lord, You light my lamp; my God illuminates my darkness.

Ps 18:28

Being a follower of Christ does not mean that we will not have dark days, but it does mean that the darkness cannot overcome the light in our lives. . Let me say that again, the darkness in our lives, cannot overcome the light in our lives. We are never void of light, praise God, we always have the light, guiding us through.

                                                                   

Our Father who is in Heaven, Holy is your name. Lord, I come to you with thanksgiving in my heart for the light in my life. The light that shines when the darkness begins to fall and the enemy starts to take my down a road of fear. I praise you for scripture held dear to my heart that causes the enemy to flee as even in sleep I know to call out to you for protection with your living, breathing word. Lift up those reading this that have fear in their hearts and show them the Light. If any does not know you as their personal Savior, then Lord I pray they desire a relationship with you and give themselves to you. Amen.

Glory in Tribulation

Glory in Tribulation

Two years ago my family went through major changes. The enemy attacked my husband and me, twice within a 6 month period. Both attacks involved our children, one was partially expected, just not as soon, the second came out of nowhere and shook our foundation. My husband took a 6 month break from teaching the Sunday school class he loves and I went into a downward spiral of depression.  I spent a lot of time trying to find the perfect prayer. I watched the movie, War Room, and immediately created a war room of my own. I started a journal like the movie suggested. When that didn’t “fix” things. I tried to find the perfect prayer and pray “correctly”. I thought if I used the right words, God would fix everything and when that didn’t work, I became angry and cried out in frustration to God.

Over the last two years, our family has done some amazing things. My husband went to Honduras on a mission trip and has committed more time to work in the church. I started reading my bible daily and working in different areas in the church. God, has blessed us beyond measure. At one point, all I could do was cry as God poured his blessings on us. We had no explanation for most of what was happening and still don’t. I remember looking at my husband and saying through tears, it is too much, we are not worthy.

We are still in the storm and still praying for restoration. We know that God is protecting us. We know that God allowed each thing to happen when it did to protect us from further hurt from the enemy. So, while our hearts ache, we rejoice in the knowledge, that God saw this attack and placed angels around to prevent something more.

When the enemy attacks all we can think about is the pain we are feeling at that very moment. I have had time to look at the last two years and realize that God used these last two years to build a stronger relationship with me. I love more. I don’t judge, as much. I’ve learned that all sin is sin and I thank God that he does not judge one sin more than another. I try to see past the sin and look at how the enemy is deceiving someone. If we search deep down at sin, that is what we will find deception. The promise of something better, but it never is.

5 Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,

 ² through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God

. ³ And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance;

 ⁴ and perseverance, character; and character, hope.

Romans 5: 1-4

It took a long time for me to, glory in tribulation. What tribulation are you going through? Have you found glory or are you allowing the enemy to steal your joy? Nothing makes the enemy angrier than to see you grow in character and hope, when he tries to steal, kill and destroy.

If you are going through a storm today, remember, God knew this would happen. He saw it and He is with you. He will see you through and you will come out of it. We are not promised a perfect life, but for those of us that have accepted Christ as our personal Savior, this, is the only Hell we will ever know.

Father God, Thank you for sending an army of angels to protect when the enemy attacks. Thank you for your word that reminds us that it is through these times we grow. I pray for those going through the storm right now. I pray they glory in the tribulation and know that you have already won.

#PRAYFORCHARLOTTE

#PRAYFORCHARLOTTE

Behold how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity.

Ps 133:1

I live on the outskirts of Charlotte NC. As a young adult the city lights amazed me and I loved driving into and out of Charlotte, late at night, and seeing the tall buildings lit up. At one point, I thought nothing would be better than to live in an uptown apartment, walk to work, and enjoy Charlotte night life. I am far from that 20 something girl, full of big city living dreams, but I still love to see the Charlotte skyline. Now, I drive into Charlotte early every morning. I enjoy watching as the skyline comes into view and as I turn onto Morehead, the street is alive with people jogging, walking to work, parking, and just getting ready for their day. It is, the Queen city, and to me, it is a place of imagination. It is the home to my Carolina Panthers, Charlotte Hornets, Charlotte Knights, and The Charlotte Checkers. She, is a diverse city, where people from every walk of life end up, either on purpose or by chance. People migrate to her with big dreams and unfailing dreams. I have friends that were just passing through and never left. She, Queen Charlotte, is full of life, love, and hope.

This week, Charlotte has been rocked by violent riots, hidden under the name of protest. I’ve seen and heard evil, hate, and hopelessness. Hope, that is what a very good friend of mine said. The people out there have lost hope. This is what happens, when people lose hope.

Jehovah (the Lord) will be a refuge unto his people and a stronghold to the children of Israel.

Joel 3:16

Our society looks to the US government for hope, instead of looking for hope in the One from which all blessings flow. Instead of getting on our knees and praying for love, peace, and hope, we stand firm in our belief that we are right and all other opinions are wrong. I have a very good friend that is probably as far left, as I am right. I love her and I respect her opinion more than most people in my life. When something bad happens, I know I can go to her and she will love me without judgement. I can only hope I provide the same to her.  I know, I can go to her and say, why do people feel this way, and she will give me an educated response. That’s not something, I can always do, however, she has taught me to educate myself and to not just believe something, because a certain news station is reporting it. When the riots started in Charlotte, I sent her a crying cat emoji, with no words and no prior conversation about the riots. She responded, “I know girl! I feel the exact same way!!” We know each other and we have both learned from each other. We often joke that we should go to Washington and show them, that you can achieve bi-partisanship. Just look at us! Maybe we should start a podcast?

So then, as we have opportunity, let us work that which is good toward all men, and especially toward them that are of the household of the faith.

Gal 6:10

But if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him to drink.

Rom 12:20

I’m in a funny place this week. I see a city that I love in pain and I want to help her. I ask you, to Pray for Charlotte and don’t just stop there! Pray for this country. Pray for those that have lost hope. Don’t watch TV and read the comments and start calling people animals. Instead, me included, let’s rise above that and start calling out unity in Jesus name. Let’s speak peace and hope over these cities that are being violated by the enemy. Look past the people and remember that our fight is not with flesh and blood and remember who the ruler of this world is. The enemy has to flee at the name of Jesus! Stand in your home and just shout His name, if you don’t know how to pray for this world. JESUS, JESUS, JESUS!

Father God, humbly I come. Humbly I pray. I ask for guidance over how to pray for the evil our enemy is bringing against us. I pray for hope for the hopeless. I ask your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. In Jesus Christ name. Amen.

And we desire that each one of you may show the same diligence unto the fullness of hope even to the end.

Heb 6:11

Directions

Directions

 

 

I had made the drive to and from Raleigh, NC, a few times now and I had become confident that my directionally challenged self, could find my way home without assistance of the Garmin, sitting in the front seat. This was a few years ago and I did not have an IPhone to correctly direct my path, nor did my car have Blue Tooth or my phone for that matter. I headed home, feeling good as we had gotten out of the meeting, early, and this meant I would be home around 7 and not the normal 8 p.m. About an hour into my drive, I realized that I had missed an important exit and decided to stop and ask for directions back to I-85.The person at the convenience store was not much help and sent me on a wild goose chase down a back road that led me once again to another store. By this time I was so far off track the store clerk did not have clear understanding of where I-85 was. I was completely thrown off guard by this, as I have always lived close to this interstate and this made me realize exactly how far off course I had been led. Finally someone from the area told me to turn left out of the parking lot and it would take me to I-85. Relieved, I hopped back in the car and began a terrifying trip down a two lane road, in the dark. I called my husband, but he was unable to help me as he had no idea where I was either. He was just as worried and worked with the little he had to try to help me. Of course, my phone battery was getting low. In an effort to save my battery, we hung up and I continued to drive. I turned the Christian station I was listening to up and cried as I realized I had no idea where I was and the only light I could see was from the houses far off the road, mingled between long stretches of farm land. At one point I was hysterical in my pleas with God to help me find my way. I just drove through the darkness, frantically looking for the familiar road signs that would point me toward the highway I so desperately sought. Finally, I saw a sign that pointed I-85 forward. I was so relieved that again, I cried. I was shocked to see that I ended up in Burlington, NC, only an hour and a half from home. I made it home around 9:00 that night and hugged my husband, thankful to be home.

“Lord,” Thomas said, “we don’t know where you are going, how can we know the way?”

John 14:5

Have you ever been invited to a meeting, but didn’t know the way to the conference room referenced in the invite? What about dinner with a group of friends and everyone knew where the “usual” place was, except you? You are not alone! The disciples had been a privileged group of men that got to walk with the Savior for 3 years, yet when Jesus sat with them during Passover and began to prepare them for his death and then told them not to worry, that he was going to prepare a place for them – they were clueless! Thomas, innocently ask, what I am sure the rest of them were thinking. Um, Jesus, are you going to give us directions to this place you are “preparing”? I know I would have been, clueless, as well. I’m pretty sure that if I was in the, Christ is the son of God circle, and not the,  this man is crazy, circle, that I would have believed He was here to prepare an earthly Kingdom. You know, like King David and He was going to save us from the Romans? Right? I can imagine the confusion in the room as the disciples start to realize that He was talking about His death. I am sure that some shook it off as more parables He would explain later.

Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.

If you know Me, you will also know My Father. From now on you do know Him and have seen Him.”

John 14: 6-7

Um, what? I think that would have been the thought in my head? What did He just say? I’m just being honest, friends. Especially that last line? So, if I know you, I also know your father and from now on I have seen Him? I don’t think the disciples got it either.

“Lord,” said Philip, “show us the Father, and that’s enough for us.”

John 14:8

If I’m Peter, I’m like, thank you, Philip! Whew, so happy I am not the only one that needs to see the Father. Okay, I’m getting a little silly, but if you read this conversation, without the benefit of the knowledge of the Cross and Resurrection, one can image how confused they were. Remember, this was before the Holy Spirit had come on them. They did not fully understand what Christ was telling them.

Jesus said to him, “Have I been among you all this time without your knowing Me, Philip? The one who has seen Me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? Don’t you believe that

I am in the Father and the Father is in Me? The words I speak to you I do not speak on my own. The Father who lives in Me does His works.

Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father is in Me. Otherwise, believe because of the works themselves.

John 14: 9-11

When I talk to people that are not Followers of Christ, I find myself sad that even though they have been shown the directions to eternal life, they still have a hard time following them. Before that faithful, Easter Sunday, when I accepted Christ as my personal Savior, I would have told everyone that I was saved and eternally secure. I had been raised with a good knowledge of the Bible, I knew that one must believe in Christ to enter the Kingdom, and of course, I had been baptized. I was not following the directions. To know who Christ is, to know the sacrifice He made on the cross, to be baptized, are just landmarks on the map. To follow the directions one must understand that Christ is the, Way, Truth, and Life. One must accept that to go to the Father, they must go through Christ. When your heart fully accepts what that means. Only then, have you followed the directions. The other, is just stuff. For me, it was a moment that stood still in time when my heart understood why my Savior was on the cross. I, had put Him there. The choir sang, Behold the Lamb, and I watched on a screen, a Hollywood portrayal of Christ crucified on the cross. In that frozen moment of time, I was transported to the cross and fully understood the consequences of my flesh. My very nature to sin, had created a need for a perfect sacrifice. One that could redeem me from past, present, and future sin. Christ understood before we were created, that free expression, freedom to choose, meant the inability to remain sinless. He choose, before Creation, to die. He could have chosen another plan or cease all together. Instead, He created a world, destined to fail, and prepared a way for those that accept Him, to have eternal life.

I am the vine; you are the branches. The one who remains in Me and I in him produces much fruit, because you can do nothing without Me.

If anyone does not remain in Me, he is thrown aside like a branch and he withers. They gather them, throw them into

the fire and they are burned.

John 15:5-6

Abba Father, my Savior, my redeemer, my eternal hope. I pray for all of those that do not believe this road is for them. Those that find the directions too simple and reject the idea that they are worth saving. I pray for those that sit in pews each Sunday, separated from the vine and unable to see this. Father, I have friends that do not believe they can be forgiven. I write their names in my journal and I lift them to you. Show them the Light, which has already forgiven them. Amen.

Uprooted

Uprooted

 

I felt the familiar tug on my heart, as I collected dirty clothes, dreading where the Lord was leading me. I knew what I needed to do- you see I heard, God loud and clear, this morning during worship. The Preacher, in an effort to answer the question around why terrorist attached during 09/11, took us to James chapter 4. Scripture that was intended to talk about evil in the world and the reason other countries hate us, had instead stabbed me.  

What is the source of wars and fights among you? Don’t they come from the cravings that are at war within you?

James 4:1

There it was, that stab that I talked about. The word cravings stood out to me and spoke to my heart in a place I thought I had long since felt peace and forgiveness. I knew what I would have to do, even then, and I blocked it out and tried to listen to the rest.

You desire and do not have. You murder and covet and cannot obtain. You fight and war.

You not have because you do not ask. You ask and don’t receive because you ask with wrong motives, so that you may

spend it on your evil desires.

James 4: 2-3

There it was, the stabbing that continued. “You ask and don’t receive because you ask with wrong motives…….” I put my shield of dirty laundry down, grabbed my bible, pen, and made my way for my prayer room. I closed the door and looked to the night stand for the prayer room journal and flipped to the next empty page. I wrote out the scripture above and then without hesitation I began to write truth. I began to write the real desire in my heart surrounding what I really want to happen to the person in this world that the enemy has used to tear apart my family. It wasn’t hard, the pen flowed quickly, as I knew exactly, the revenge I wanted to see my God strike, with the full force of His Angel army, on them. I wrote on and on and then I stopped. I took a deep breath as the revenge seeped from the ink. I didn’t need to go back and read it; that revenge has rooted in my heart for years. I exhaled, and began to ask God for forgiveness. I’ve been asking God to restore my family, when in my own heart, what I am really asking for is, to win. I had to take a minute to write down what I really want. That was the revolting part. The revenge came so easy, but to write out what I really wanted, the healing, I really want for my family, well, that took a little time.

 A prayer warrior and friend from church told me that God had laid it on her heart to pray specially that the darkness rooted in the heart of the person that has caused our family to be torn apart,  be pulled out. Confirmation of this prayer has come from a weekly devotion I read. I never thought that any of the conversation around evil taking root was for me personally.  I had allowed the enemy to root such revenge in my heart that God had to show me what it was doing to me. I explained it away by reading the Psalms and seeing how King David ask God to strike down his enemies. The difference was that God knew David’s heart; just, as God knows mine.

Teach me Your way, O Lord: I will walk in Your Truth:

Unite my heart to fear your name.

Ps 86: 11

We must trust that when we confess He is our help – that He will help no matter what happens. We must trust that He will make what is wrong, right. We must also recognize when we have allowed evil thoughts to take root in our own heart.

I sat, closed my eyes, ask God to remove the root and then I imaged Jesus pulling the root from my heart. The anger is still there and only God can help me with that. I know that God is protecting us and working to restore our family. I am encouraged when He takes time to help me grow through this trial. I see it as one more way God is using something the enemy intended for bad, to be good.

What is the root in your heart? Do you have resentment, jealousy, hate, shame, fear, guilt, pain, etc.… Whatever it is; Jesus Christ can uproot it from your heart.

Father, I thank you for showing me the root of revenge in my heart and for uprooting it. I pray that if the roots try to take hold again, that you are there to weed them out. I pray for those reading today that you show them the roots in their own hearts. Let’s begin to uproot evil so that we can be vessels for you. Amen

Holes

Holes

Yesterday I sat with a gentleman that was out give me an estimate for cleaning out our air ducts and a few other things. He began showing me pictures he had taken under our home of areas that allow for wasted heating and air conditioning. He then took me through pictures of other older homes, showing how a home loses air, which in turn leads to higher heating and air bills. This conversation could not have come at a better time, due to the ridiculous check I just sent to the city for utilities. Of course, it is yet again, a very hot summer in the beautiful South, thus a very high bill to cool my tri-level home. I started to think about all of those small holes in my home that were costing me more than I knew. Is it, like this in our own lives? Small holes, small worldly things that waste energy and cause us to pay a high price?

Even now, I sit alone at the kitchen table, breakfast beside me, computer in front of me, while my sweet 9 year old eats his breakfast downstairs, while binge watching a Netflix cartoon. While it seems harmless, how many evenings are spent with each family member in a separate place eating dinner, scrolling Facebook, watching Netflix or doing something other than eating together? As a child, we never ate a part. Dinner time we sat together in the kitchen eating a dinner my mother prepared. There were normally handmade buttermilk biscuits, a meat, bologna if it was the day before Daddy got paid, and sweet tea to drink. My mother liked it really sweet! If peas were involved, mom always baked potatoes, so I could hide my "yucky" green peas in the empty potato. This was so ,Daddy would not force me to eat them. Thank you Mom. J

This, is a hole in my family. I know that in a few short years, puberty will infect my sweet baby and he will no longer want to tell us the tales from a long day playing at the day-care. Instead, he will want to be alone as his body changes and he is no longer comfortable with the people trying to tell him what to do. Even at 9, he would rather watch TV than to sit and eat dinner with us. My older son doesn’t mind, when he is home, and encourages his younger brother to eat with us.

 He was raised before social media and Netflix. However, I do recall a time, that as a manger, I carried my phone, everywhere. We had stopped at a Pizza Hut for dinner and before we headed in, my son ask me to please leave my phone in the car so that he and I could eat dinner together. I was taken back. I remember a feeling a deep sadness as I realized that he felt like my cell phone came not just between us, but before him. I did leave my phone in the car and it wasn’t long that God placed me in a less stressful job, so I could be with him more.

Fast forward to a few days later….

Unlike, the man, currently under my house, taking pictures of all of the holes and places that energy escapes, in life we don’t have a service provider that can inspect our lives and see where we waste energy. No one can come out and fill in the holes and lay new insulation around us. What we do have, is God’s unfailing Word. We have direct communication to the Father and we have the Holy Spirit, to guide us.

Then Jesus spoke to them again:

“I am the light of the world. Anyone who follows Me will never

Walk in the darkness but will have the light of life.”

John 8:12

In John Chapter 9, our Lord and Savior heals a man blind from birth. The Pharisees, refusing to believe that Jesus is the Savior, question the man many times and his parents, trying to verify that he was indeed blind and that now he sees. The man, frustrated with the Pharisees says:

“I already told you,” he said, “and you didn’t listen. Why do you want to hear it again?

You don’t want to become His disciples too, do you?”

                                                                                                                                                              John 9:27                                                                                                                                                                             

Like with many unbelievers today, the Pharisees ridiculed him and threw him out. The man got another jab at the Pharisees, which is ultimately why they threw him out, but, I’ll let you read that. Soon after, Jesus heard what happened to this man and found him.

When Jesus head that they had thrown the man out, He found him and asked, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?”

“Who is He, Sir, that I may believe in Him?” He ask

Jesus answered, “You have seen Him; in fact, He is the One speaking with you.”

“I believe Lord!” he said, and he worshiped Him.

Jesus said, “I came into this world for judgment, in order that those who do not see will see and those who do see will become blind.”

Some of the Pharisees who were with Him heard these things and asked Him, “We aren’t blind too, are we?”

“If you were blind, “Jesus told them, “you wouldn’t have sin. But now that you say, “We see” – your sin remains”

John 9: 35-41

How many times did the Pharisees use Moses and Abraham to justify their unbelief? The truth was they saw God sending a King that was to be served, not a man, serving others. They had holes in their faith and refused to see them, therefore when they claimed to “see” the truth, they in fact were sinning.

Have you ever wondered which side you would have been on? Would you have believed that Jesus was the Christ or would you have been shouting, “Crucify Him!” I recently had a conversation like this with an Aunt on Facebook. I thought about her comment to me and realized, that I would have probably found going against the Pharisees and the tradition of the day, hard. I tend to be very conservative, (all of my close friends are smiling), and I just don’t know if I would have believed? It scares me to think I may have been crying out for his death instead of following Him as I do now.

Father God, I pray that you help us find the holes in our life. Help us move away from things that are wasting our energy and be a more productive disciple of Christ. Amen.