I hope you are all having a wonderful Celebration of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!!!!!!
Hope.....Faith is the hope of things to come. But when suffering pours in like a flood and your head is barley above the water...do you find, like me, that your faith has a tendency to waver. When my faith is weak and shaky I usually feel like I'm even less deserving of Christ’s incredible promises to me. Promises like that all things work together for good to those who love Him and are called according to His purposes; and He desires to give me a hope and future. Our enemy loves when our struggling to hang on in the storms of life and our shaky faith during those times lead to even more weaker faith with this way of thinking. Do you find yourself caught up in the same boat? The amazing thing we must always remember is that Christ doesn't ask for perfect strong faith He only asks for faith as large as a mustard seed. And when I find myself here....angry at myself for my lack of faith in the amazing resurrection power of our beautiful Savior.....I turn my mind to the story of His resurrection.
As I sat listening to the pastor deliver the Easter service this morning, he shined light on a part of the Easter story many over look. He pointed out that despite the fact that the followers of Christ had seen so many unbelievable miracles to enhance His divine power over life and death as He lived and served His heavenly Father on earth, and despite the fact that He told them not just once but several times that He would indeed die but on the third day rise from the grave.....who of His followers were there waiting outside of the tomb the morning of His resurrection??? Let that sink in beloved. Not one of His followers were camping out waiting for what they should have known was coming....if they would have had the faith to believe what He promised. But yet they came that glorious morning to the tomb...not with banners welcoming the risen King, but with burial spices to put on His dead body....they really should not have been surprised when His body was not found in the open tomb. Does this lack of faith hit a familiar nerve for you? Well it does for me! Lord forgive my misbelief!!!
When my head is barley making it above the waves.....I choose to have faith as small as a mustard seed and hang on to the promises I don't deserve and can't see but are meant for me....for you. Hold onto the hope of those promises.....the promise that we have salvation in His brutal death and glorious resurrection!! That we can call upon that very same amazing power that raised Him from the grave and will one day raise us as well, to get through each and every storm!! Our sin, our sorrow and our suffering can not and will not hold us back from the faith we have in His saving power and the hope we have in our living Savior!!! Thank You Yeshua!!!!! The enemy is never the victor and we are never without hope when we put our faith in You!!!! Amen!!
We do not need to live defeated....yes it is what we deserve--I deserve to succumb to the storms and not reach out for my Saviors hand reaching down to me, for its I who broke His law! In my mind I deserve the pain of the storm...yet this is what our Savior says and offers:
"And you, being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses, having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross. Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it."
~Colossians 2:4
Have faith!! Christ did not die and rise again so we could live defeated by our sin or the storms of life! Thank you Lord!!!!!
"Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth!"
~Colossians 3:2
Christ died and was raised so..."that you may Know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places..." ~Ephesians 1:18b-20
Sunday, April 24, 2011
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
Keep Breathing
"THE LORD PROVIDES!
God is not a deceiver, that He should offer to support us, and then, when we lean upon Him, should slip away from us." ~Augustine
"Today God promises us grace!
Grace for every moment and every need--a marvelous sufficient grace that can turn confusion into clarity, fear into courage, inactivity into blessing, doubt into decisiveness, and trouble into triumph. With hands and hearts open wide, may we receive all that we need--the shower of His amazing grace!"
~Matt Anderson
Sometimes the only thing we can do is to remind ourselves to just keep breathing. God continually awakens me to the amazing fact that life is not about me! We must come to the end of ourselves. It is and always has been about God! We were created and we breathe for one soul purpose, to praise honor and glorify Him. How incredibly easy it is to lose sight of this vital truth. Pain is sometimes the most potent emotion and resource God uses to awaken us to His heart and overall plan and desire for us. In a way it sounds cliché...yes God has a plan for me so I may be asked to give up so very very very much and go through so much pain and suffering in order to fulfill His plan. But when God allows or asks us to go through the kind of pain that He has allowed me....I must hold onto Hope. God does indeed have a plan. HE is in charge. My heart may be shattered...I may have bled out...but my hands are up, in surrender. I must trust my desires to Him. I will not give up. I will never stop holding onto hope and Gods promises to me. For it is truly His promises that are the guiding light directing us out of the storms we must walk through in order for God to make us into the men and women He desires us to truly be.
"In the storm, in the darkness I clung to Your love,
Your promises and Your sovereign power.
Like a raft in a raging sea, keeping my head above the water.
The unabated flames of pain and sorrow were the refining fire
removing my faded passions~
revealing Your love more fragrant,
Your strength more enduring,
Your power more comprehensive
Making who You are more clear,
removing all of my fear.
When I can't pray, When I can't cry anymore,
When my spirit is heaviness, I lift my eyes to You~
open my heart in worship and am renewed
with the garment of praise.
The fire of life not only reflects the Masters face
and aluminates His craftsmanship in us,
but it reveals what we're made of
and exposes our true color so everyone can see
the real me.
"For You have been a strength to the poor, a strength to the needy, in his distress, A refuge from the storm, A shade from the heat; For the blast of the terrible ones is as a storm against the wall."
In the pain remember...Wait on God! There may be a storm blasting against the walls...but God has already sent His rainbow of hope and promise to guide us to His perfect path and purpose! Thank you God!!
"Nothing happens in vain or for any other purpose than to conform us to Christ."
~Luci Swindoll
PROMISE:
"And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose!"
Romans 8:28
God is not a deceiver, that He should offer to support us, and then, when we lean upon Him, should slip away from us." ~Augustine
"Today God promises us grace!
Grace for every moment and every need--a marvelous sufficient grace that can turn confusion into clarity, fear into courage, inactivity into blessing, doubt into decisiveness, and trouble into triumph. With hands and hearts open wide, may we receive all that we need--the shower of His amazing grace!"
~Matt Anderson
Sometimes the only thing we can do is to remind ourselves to just keep breathing. God continually awakens me to the amazing fact that life is not about me! We must come to the end of ourselves. It is and always has been about God! We were created and we breathe for one soul purpose, to praise honor and glorify Him. How incredibly easy it is to lose sight of this vital truth. Pain is sometimes the most potent emotion and resource God uses to awaken us to His heart and overall plan and desire for us. In a way it sounds cliché...yes God has a plan for me so I may be asked to give up so very very very much and go through so much pain and suffering in order to fulfill His plan. But when God allows or asks us to go through the kind of pain that He has allowed me....I must hold onto Hope. God does indeed have a plan. HE is in charge. My heart may be shattered...I may have bled out...but my hands are up, in surrender. I must trust my desires to Him. I will not give up. I will never stop holding onto hope and Gods promises to me. For it is truly His promises that are the guiding light directing us out of the storms we must walk through in order for God to make us into the men and women He desires us to truly be.
"In the storm, in the darkness I clung to Your love,
Your promises and Your sovereign power.
Like a raft in a raging sea, keeping my head above the water.
The unabated flames of pain and sorrow were the refining fire
removing my faded passions~
revealing Your love more fragrant,
Your strength more enduring,
Your power more comprehensive
Making who You are more clear,
removing all of my fear.
When I can't pray, When I can't cry anymore,
When my spirit is heaviness, I lift my eyes to You~
open my heart in worship and am renewed
with the garment of praise.
The fire of life not only reflects the Masters face
and aluminates His craftsmanship in us,
but it reveals what we're made of
and exposes our true color so everyone can see
the real me.
"For You have been a strength to the poor, a strength to the needy, in his distress, A refuge from the storm, A shade from the heat; For the blast of the terrible ones is as a storm against the wall."
In the pain remember...Wait on God! There may be a storm blasting against the walls...but God has already sent His rainbow of hope and promise to guide us to His perfect path and purpose! Thank you God!!
"Nothing happens in vain or for any other purpose than to conform us to Christ."
~Luci Swindoll
PROMISE:
"And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose!"
Romans 8:28
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
Hear this from God; Let Him speak directly into your hearts
I know your frailty
Weakness
Efforts
Failures
You're turning toward and away.
You are secure.
I am not waiting for your wholness
Completeness
Perfection
I want you as you are.
Come into My Arms.
Rest your head on My shoulder
Feel My warmth and security.
It is yours, belongs to you.
Forever.
I embrace you as you are now.
I rejoice over you now.
I delight in you now.
Not some future you.
Come as you are...
No resistance
No hesitation
No anxiety
No fear
Total acceptance
Total Love
No "if"
No "but"
You are all I want
Doubts will come--they are part of growth
As is fear
But you have courage to keep on.
You have faltered
Misstepped
Fallen.
Yet you kept on--you didn't quit.
That makes Me glad
Smile
Laugh with joy
Relax in Me
My embrace of you
My love for you
My joy in you
I love you desperately!
Weakness
Efforts
Failures
You're turning toward and away.
You are secure.
I am not waiting for your wholness
Completeness
Perfection
I want you as you are.
Come into My Arms.
Rest your head on My shoulder
Feel My warmth and security.
It is yours, belongs to you.
Forever.
I embrace you as you are now.
I rejoice over you now.
I delight in you now.
Not some future you.
Come as you are...
No resistance
No hesitation
No anxiety
No fear
Total acceptance
Total Love
No "if"
No "but"
You are all I want
Doubts will come--they are part of growth
As is fear
But you have courage to keep on.
You have faltered
Misstepped
Fallen.
Yet you kept on--you didn't quit.
That makes Me glad
Smile
Laugh with joy
Relax in Me
My embrace of you
My love for you
My joy in you
I love you desperately!
What is True Beauty Defined all about??
Beauty is an attitude, NOT a standard. It originates deep within and manifests itself in ways far beyond the realm of genetics. The way you feel about yourself is what the world sees. BE BEAUTIFUL!
"Your God will rejoice over you." Is. 62:5
Our world today survives on its insatiable hunger for artificial beauty and perfection. Many women face the struggle of not meeting the impossible standards our culture places on us for beauty. As women we also often faulsly believe that we must justify being loved and accepted by how beautiful or attractive we are--hence we often find an equal stuggle in accepting love from those around us and even from our heavenly Father. So if you have ever found yourself caught up in this struggle or one similar I am writting this blog for you! Its my small way of not only sheading the light on the Lords amazing truth but aslo boldly taking a stand against the lies we all to often believe! So you wanna hear one womans genuine thoughts, struggles and revelations on all the little daily struggles we face trying to maintain a healthy view of ourselves, confidence, self esteem and holding tightly to the precious treasure of how God veiws us....then you're at the right place girl! I hope and pray the Lord encourages as we take this journey.
"Your God will rejoice over you." Is. 62:5
Our world today survives on its insatiable hunger for artificial beauty and perfection. Many women face the struggle of not meeting the impossible standards our culture places on us for beauty. As women we also often faulsly believe that we must justify being loved and accepted by how beautiful or attractive we are--hence we often find an equal stuggle in accepting love from those around us and even from our heavenly Father. So if you have ever found yourself caught up in this struggle or one similar I am writting this blog for you! Its my small way of not only sheading the light on the Lords amazing truth but aslo boldly taking a stand against the lies we all to often believe! So you wanna hear one womans genuine thoughts, struggles and revelations on all the little daily struggles we face trying to maintain a healthy view of ourselves, confidence, self esteem and holding tightly to the precious treasure of how God veiws us....then you're at the right place girl! I hope and pray the Lord encourages as we take this journey.
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