Say It!

I just have to share with you all about the concert/church service that I was blessed to be a part of tonight.  It was Mandisa, Laura Story, and Jamie Grace and they were all wonderful!!!!  I went with a group of women, but sharing this night with my daughter was the best thing ever!  So many things happened tonight----great music, touching testimonies, praising, singing, dancing, but a couple of things were true God-moments.  The first is that my daughter, who has been wanting to adopt a child from another country for a long time now, got to sponsor a child from Burundi.  She has his picture and can’t wait to send him a letter---thank you God for giving us this opportunity!  She finally has a name and a face to pray for and we did just that tonight after I tucked her into bed.  And then on the way home we had such a wonderful prayer and then a very powerful discussion on who Jesus is to us!  Our dog, who is a big part of our family, has been sick the last couple of days and she was extremely worried about him.  On the way home I thought I heard her crying and when I asked what was wrong, she said Brady, what if something happens to him.  So we prayed immediately for him which also led to the deep discussion.  I told her that some people may think we are crazy for praying for healing for our dog, but that was alright---many people in this world think we are crazy just for being a Christian.  You know it may be ‘just a dog’ to some people, but we love him and God loves us and my Bible tells me that God cares about the things that his children care about and he knows just how much we love Brady.  We are his children and he will take care of us and the things in our lives.  I reminded Haley that we have to always remember that God is always, always in control of everything in our lives, that nothing happens to us without him knowing, and that even when we find ourselves in difficult situations he is right there----whether we can feel his presence or not, never doubt that he is there!  I was also reminded of what Mandisa had said during the service tonight----God has never, ever failed us!  So as I was saying this to myself on the way home God also reminded me of the scripture that was used at Wednesday night’s  Bible study---“You don’t have enough faith,” Jesus told them. “I tell you the truth, if you had faith even as small as a mustard seed, you could say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it would move. Nothing would be impossible.”  Matthew 17:20.  And so there it is…have faith enough to say it---speak to that problem and proclaim it to be resolved, have peace about it and be reminded that God is never not in control!  So we spoke healing over our precious little Brady, we proclaimed it, and we acknowledged that it is God who is in control of everything in our life!  I don’t know about you, but I believe that God can do anything, but when I start to pray about certain things I doubt---I definitely don’t do this intentionally, but I have to be honest and tell you that I begin to think well maybe it is not meant to be, and then I will begin to think about the worst scenario when things go really wrong.  Why do I do this?  I know it is a tactic of Satan, but I have got to work on getting out of this mindset---I have got to let go of what I know and trust God to fill me with his ways that will increase my faith and decrease my doubt.  You know I might have been the one telling Haley these things tonight, but I was just as amazed at the words coming out of my mouth because God was also sending me a message as well.  God did so many things tonight, but building my daughter and I’s spiritual connection, our faith in who our Jesus is was mind-blowing!  I had the opportunity to tell my daughter to never let go of Jesus, that no matter where she found herself, no matter what was happening in her life to never forget that Jesus is right there beside her, that he is in complete control, and no matter what happens, no matter what anyone says to never, ever let go of Jesus!  Thank you God for this very special day and for revealing yourself so mightily tonight!

This Generation

Luke 7:18-35

After reading these scriptures I was reminded of the old saying ‘there is nothing new under the sun’ and just to be perfectly honest I didn’t realize that it came from scripture until I looked it up tonight.  Ecclesiastes 1:9 says… What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again;
there is nothing new under the sun.  There was only one John the Baptist and there is definitely only one Jesus, but people’s ways of thinking are nothing new---it seems that some people can never be satisfied and some people can never see the truth even when it is right in front of them.  The Pharisees and the experts in law did not see what was right in front of them, the truth.  It is no different today, Jesus is all around us and we will see that, we will feel his presence if we will just look for it.  It is no different today than it was then, there were those that believed and those that didn’t.  I want to always stay on the believing side.  Jesus refers to the ‘people of this generation’ basically complaining to each other about what they did and no one responded---no different today.  We worry too much about why people are not responding to what we are trying to do, why people don’t realize what we do, why people don’t understand us, but quite honestly that is just a waste of our time.  Our focus should always be on Jesus and his will for our life.  I know that I have been so consumed with myself that I miss what Jesus is trying to show me, I worry about what everyone thinks and don’t concentrate on Jesus is trying to tell me.  So many times I let myself get in the way of hearing the voice of Jesus.  I can only speak for myself, but when Jesus speaks of ‘this generation’ (my generation)  I want him to say ---‘the people of this generation sing songs to me, they praise me in the streets, they serve me with their whole heart’.  I know what you are thinking because I am thinking the same thing---we need a huge change in our generation to get to that point…so with that I say we better get to work!

Desperate for Jesus!

Luke 7:1-17

Although most of us know how fragile life can be, we don’t feel it deep inside until we find ourselves in the middle of a crisis.  We think about it, but until a sudden illness or an accident takes place we usually go throughout the day in our usual routine.  It is amazing how desperate I become when I find myself in great need---shouldn’t I be that desperate for Jesus all the time?  It is Jesus that holds my life in the palm of his hand, it is Jesus that wakes me each morning, it is Jesus who knows what each day holds for me, and it is Jesus who has the answer to every question or need that I may have.  So with all this, why would I not look to him constantly---be constantly desperate for my Savior?  The centurion was desperate for Jesus to heal his servant, a man that he truly valued and loved.  He sent word to Jesus, but then when Jesus came closer to his home, he showed not only his desperation for Jesus, but his faith in Jesus through his humbleness.  He knew that Jesus did not have to touch his friend, he knew that Jesus did not even have to be in the same place to heal him, his faith showed that he knew all the things that I described earlier---he knew that Jesus was in complete control of the situation no matter where he was, and it was the faith of the centurion that healed his servant.  Now the story of the widow and her son is a little different---we don’t find her verbally desperate for Jesus, but I have to believe that her heart was desperate for Him---so many times in difficult situations we can find no words, but our hearts are crying out to Jesus.   I find it so interesting that before Jesus raised the man from the dead that he comforted his mother first---just one more thing that reminds me just how much Jesus loves each of us.  In fact, the scripture says that his heart went out to hear and he said ‘don’t cry’. 

So while these two stories contain two of many great miracles that Jesus performed while walking this earth, it is so much more than the healing---it is the truth of who Jesus is and I not only saw the desperation of the people in these stories, I see how desperate Jesus is to gather his children in his arms---he wants us and he wants to take care of us.  It reminds me that when I hurt, Jesus hurts.  It reminds me that he is a father like no other, He is Jesus and He is My Father!

Know and Do!

Luke 6:1-48

Yes, lots of scriptures in today’s reading and lots of different stories in this one chapter, but one message…listen to Jesus and do what He says!  It may not be what the world thinks you should do, it may not even be what your friends and family think you should do, but if you are truly following the leading of Christ than it doesn’t matter what everyone thinks.   I think in all these stories he is telling us the same thing…listen to him, trust him, and do what he says no matter what situation arises.  I love the beginning of verse 27… “But to you who are listening I say:”----I believe he is making a strong point here by reminding us that he is speaking to those of us who are truly listening and it doesn’t matter if we just know what he says, it matters that we know and do!  Which makes me think of verse 46… “Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say?”.  Now think about that, what good is it to call him our Lord and not do what he says.  What kind of witness am I if I proclaim to be a Christian and do not do what Jesus Christ tells me?  Really as a Christian I should behave so differently from the norm that people wonder what makes me different and then I can tell them that it is not me, but it is the Spirit of Christ that lives within me.  Am I that different?  Sometimes, but not nearly as often as I need to be---I have to better about loving those who hate me, better at giving, better at praying for those who curse me, and better at listening to the Holy Spirit.  I heard someone question why we are here and stated that we are basically just here to eventually die, I was very disturbed by this and also motivated by it.  I don’t just want to be here I want to make a difference for Jesus, I want Him to be able to work through me so that I can make that difference, because no matter how many people know me at the end of my life the only thing that will matter is how many people got to know Jesus because of how I lived my life.

Confidence!

Such confidence as this is ours through Christ before God. Not that we are competent in ourselves to claim anything for ourselves, but our competence comes from God. II Corinthians 3:4-5

 I cannot believe that it has been a year since I posted this scripture on my very first blog post.  At times it seems like I just started the blog and then other times it seems like I have always been doing it---so weird how that happens, but it is like a good friend, the friendship seems so new at times and then at other times it seems that you have never been without them.  When I think back on the last year of my life I am amazed at how God has truly changed my life and I believe writing this blog has been a huge part of that.  Have I done everything I needed to do?  Have I always been disciplined with my writing?  No and no, but I have learned so much from this experience and I know that God will only bless me even more through this tool, as long as I do my part by studying His Word and writing about it.  I have let the busyness of my life hinder me over the last few months from writing regularly, so with that I once again am setting a higher goal of writing more often----you see Satan knows that God reveals himself to me through writing and he knows that with every word my faith deepens and so he uses every tool to hinder me from reading and writing, but it is my responsibility to recognize that and do what I am called to do.  You see, just like the scripture says I don’t find any competence within myself, but I find my competence in Jesus Christ.  I could not do anything that I do without Him leading the way, in fact I shudder at where I would be without him in my life.  I stand amazed at the blessings that surround me and I owe everything to my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ----he is it for me, he is truly all I need!

I would also like to thank everyone for all the encouragement over the past year, you will never know how much your words and gestures have meant to me.  I have made so many new friends, rekindled old friendships, and deepened relationships with so many friends and family through this blog.  I am also excited that people from 28 different countries have read my blog at some point over the past year----wow, look what God can do if we just obey Him!  My heart is overflowing tonight because of what God has done and continues to do in my life.  I am so thankful that my confidence lies in Jesus Christ---I recognize that I am nothing without him and He is truly the only thing that I can put our complete trust in.  If you don't know him as your savior, I ask you to seek him out tonight, just call upon his name and he will be there.  Tell him anything you want and he will never betray your trust.  Give him your soul and he will guard it for all eternity.  He will be more than you can ever expect or deserve and he will show you things that you have never seen.  No matter what you are going through he will give you a peace that is indescribable.  He is God and he wants you to become his child!  And I say all this with all the confindence in the world!!!!!

Open Eyes

Luke 5:27-39

I don’t know about you, but I am ecstatic that Jesus came for the sinners and not the saints---due to the fact that I cannot classify myself as the latter!  These scriptures make me think of the song Jesus, Friend of Sinners by Casting Crowns---funny thing that my daughter and I have been listening to this cd for the past couple of days and then these scriptures are the next ones that I am to read.  There are truly no coincidences in this life, if we will just open our eyes to what God is trying to show us.  You know that is the difference between the ones that questioned Jesus and the ones that followed him---their eyes were open to the truth that was before them.  Jesus was that truth right before their eyes and instead of seeing that they saw what was wrong with him and everyone around him---they saw the outside not the inside.  Jesus will show us the inside if we will allow him and when we do, he gives us the task of showing that to others through the light that he shines through us.  It is so easy to judge the outside of what you see, but we have to look with spiritual eyes to know the true picture.  I am guilty of looking at situations and judging what I think is going on, or looking at people and think I know who they are, but that is when I let the human part (the flesh) come first.  We have to, as the song says…
Open our eyes to the world at the end of our pointing fingers
Let our hearts be led by mercy
Help us reach with open hearts and open doors
Oh Jesus friend of sinners break our hearts for what breaks yours

Jesus, Friend of Sinners by Casting Crowns

He Is!

Luke 5:1-26

I have to wonder what Simon Peter, James, and John had to be thinking after witnessing Jesus perform all these miracles.  Just think 3 people that did not know Jesus prior to him stepping onto the boat and now they are following him and witnessing these miracles.  How does that happen?  How does three men drop everything they are doing and follow someone that they just met?  It happens when Jesus comes by.  It happens when the Savior comes in and saves not only the day but saves your soul in the process.  These 26 verses contain so many stories, but what I see, what I feel when I read this is….this my Savior, this is who he is, and this is what he does.  He blesses us tremendously, he saves our soul, he calls us into servanthood, he leads us, he heals us when we are ill, he reminds us that we are his, he confronts those who question who God is, he shows us how to stand up for our faith, he shows us how to be bold, he reveals the truth in everything and he does all these things while loving us so immensely.  The last verse sums it up perfectly…Everyone was amazed and gave praise to God.  They were filled with awe and said, “We have seen remarkable things today” (vs. 26).  Quite honestly there is not a day that goes by that I am not in awe of my Savior, Christ Jesus, for the simple fact that he chose me to be his child, he chose me to bless, he chose me to love, and that is truly all I need to know!