Monday, January 31, 2011

An offer I can't refuse!

Isaiah 14:3- And it shall come to pass in the day that the Lord shall give thee rest from thy sorrow, and from thy fear, and from the hard bondage wherein thou wast made to serve.

I want us to understand the context of this verse.  This chapter is talking about the fall of Babylon and the assured future for the Antichrist, Satan himself!  Read the entire chapter to learn about that.

However, I want to focus on the 3rd verse of this chapter.  There is a promise in it to the people of God, and it is a promise that should give us hope.  We don't know when that day will come- but do not worry, it is highlighted and circled in God's calendar.  He has a day set aside where we will finally be delivered from all the sin and corruption of this world and we will no longer struggle in the spiritual battle between us and the powers of darkness.

But, if your like me, you may sometimes find yourself saying....."But what about today"  I believe even today Jesus is saying to us let me give you rest from your sorrow, let me give you rest from your fears.  After all, it is Jesus who said "Come unto me all ye who are weary and heavy laden and I will give you rest."  It is God who reminded us that we have not been given the spirit of fear but of  power and of love and of a sound mind. (II Timothy 1:7)

This has been a trying week for both me and my husband.  It started on Monday early afternoon and just never stopped after that.  I have to confess that everything that happened to us brought me both some fear and some sorrow.  From the probable loss of my job contract, that was Monday, to finding out that my mother in law is possibly on her deathbed, it just never quit.

I have really had to remind myself of what my Heavenly Father is saying to me.  If I lose my job, I should not fear, for as a child of God, I operate under the economy of God, which, by the way, has never faced a recession!  If my mother in law passes away, I don't have to grieve as those who have no hope.  She is a Christian, and to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord.!!  Hallelujah!

Today, let's look at those things that are causing us fear or sorrow and give them to the Lord.  He has an amazing way of turning our sorrow into joy!  Let's work on resisting the temptation to pick back up the fear and sorrow we give Him.  He wants to carry that for us....and that my friend, is an offer I can't refuse!

I don't know who reads this, but I want you to know that I pray for you and I can honestly say that I love you with the love of the Lord.  Stand strong today- More often than not, to stand strong means to kneel in weakness, receive the strength of the Lord and then He will pick you up!

To God be the glory!

Saturday, January 29, 2011

It is well with our soul

Romans 10:9- That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised Him from the dead thou shalt be saved. (KJV)

My mother in law is 90 years old, in eleven minutes she will turn 91.  She has dementia and 6 years ago she had a stroke that left her paralyzed on one side.  She resides in a beautiful facility in near Anaheim, Ca.  We go visit her often, we never really know if she knows us or even knows that we are there, but that doesn't matter to us.  For 6 years her bed as been her home.  She is put in a wheelchair and rolled out into the hallway once a day and she is faithfully turned every 2 hours by such hard working caring servants- (evidenced by not one bed sore in 6 years of being confined to the bed!)  Each day her food is the same. Pureed food thickened to a "honey" consistency.  I often feed her and I will usually taste the food just to get some idea of what she is served 3 times a day.  I personally would get sick of it after 1 or 2 meals- but she has been eating it 3 times  a day for 6 years!  Yesterday we got a phone call that she was throwing up and then things just kind of snowballed.  It looks like some of the gastric contents got into her lungs when she was vomiting and now she has what looks like an "aspiration pneumonia".  This is not good.  We just got home from spending the day with her and she looks perhaps the worst I've ever seen her.  We got ready to leave, and I looked at her closely, not so sure I would see her alive again this side of heaven.  We laid hands on her and my husband prayed.  One thing for sure- It is well with our soul because it is well with her soul!  We know that if the Lord called her name tonight, she would enter into an eternity with Jesus Christ, her Savior!  I believe that body that has laid in a bed for 6 years will soon be leaping on streets of gold.  The paralyzed body that denied her the privilege to kneel before the King of Kings or sing praises to His name will soon give way to a new body that will give her that freedom and privilege.  The pureed thickened "food" that has filled her plate for 6 years will not be on the menu in heaven.  No one will come to turn her every 2 hours for she will be able to somersault and turn cartwheels down the mainstreets of her heavenly home!

I know that her loved ones here will face a loss but we will also rejoice knowing she ran the race and crossed the finish line!  All because of Jesus!! And because of that day when she invited Him into her heart.  She confessed with her mouth the Lord Jesus and believed in her heart that God raised Him from the dead.  At that moment she passed from death unto life.  Don't miss out on eternal life.  Invite the Lord into your heart today.  Then you, too, can truly say "It is well with my soul"

Wednesday, January 26, 2011

Giving God His Rightful Place in Our Hearts

I John 5:21 "Dear Children, keep away from anything that might take God's place in your hearts. Amen" (Living Bible)

What a tender verse with such great advice.  The King James uses the word "idol"  but the Living Bible really cuts to the heart.  "ANYTHING THAT MIGHT TAKE GOD'S PLACE IN YOUR HEARTS"

A few words stand out here.  The first one is "anything".  Sometimes we think the obvious, we don't go to bars, we don't party whatever we may come up with.  But, it can also be something like a TV program, a job, it is ANYTHING.  That ought to cause us to make an appointment with the Holy Spirit and evaluate our lives carefully.

The next word is "might"- To me this means don't walk near the edge.  When I think of a Biblical character that walked near the edge, I think of Lot.  If you read his story, you will see that first he just gazed at Sodom, the grass was greener over there.  The next thing you know, you read that he has pitched his tent "near" Sodom.  Next, you will find him in Sodom and in a heap of trouble.  Don't even take the time to gaze at something that has the ability to take God off the throne of your heart

Lastly, I look at the words "God's place"- You see, it is not a question of if God has a place in your heart as a believer, He makes it clear that He is to have first place.  If you are a believer, make sure you are giving God the throne in your heart.  If you are not a Christian then why not right now, ask God to take His rightful place. He does not rule with an iron fist, He just stands at the door waiting for you to open it.  Your opportunity is now, you may not have tomorrow.  Once you die it will be too late.  You can make God the King of your heart and spend eternity with Him or you can allow satan to take the seat and you will pay the high cost of meeting up with him in hell for eternity.

Accept Christ as your Lord and Savior and then stay away from anything that might take Him off the throne of your heart.

Saturday, January 22, 2011

Complicating Things

Deuteronomy 10:12- He requires only that you fear the Lord, and live in a way that pleases Him, and love Him and serve Him with all your heart. (NLT)

Do you ever find yourself complicating what God has stated so clearly.  God clearly tells here what He requires. Basically, it can be summed up in that last part....love Him and serve Him with all your heart.

What have I learned from this verse?

1.  This is what God REQUIRES-  This is not a suggestion from God, it is a must.  Now that He settles that upfront, lets look at it with that first lesson in mind.

2.  With all YOUR heart-  I love this!  Sometimes we look around and we see people in our church or in Christian media and we somehow think we would gain God's approval if we did it like they did it...so we try to become them, in so doing, we become someone we are not.  God doesn't ask us to be someone else.  He says love me with all YOUR heart, serve me with all YOUR heart.  Now perhaps you are thinking like I have thought, "I don't have much to serve Him with"  When we serve God with all our heart then God shows up...and you know what happens when God shows up?

3.  He begins to grow you, He expands that heart of yours and suddenly you begin see a transformation.  It is a transformation that did not come from you, but from God.. That's the best kind of transformation you can have.



Today, don't look at what you don't have within yourself, don't look at someone else and wish you had what they have.  Just give God what you have and give it to Him with all your heart.  In no time at all, you will see God working!  Let me know how it goes!




Friday, January 14, 2011

Perhaps the scariest prayer a Christian will ever pray!

Psalm 139:23-24 (Good News for Modern Man translation)

Examine me, God, and know my mind; test me, and discover my thoughts.  Find out if there is any deceit in me, and guide me in the eternal way.

The mind is a beautiful thing isn't it?  In our humanness we have all thought "If they only knew what I was thinking right about now!"  However, "they" can't.  Oh, they can speculate, but by no means could they know 100% what I'm thinking....off the hook?Absolutely not!  Our Heavenly Father knows exactly what we are thinking at any given moment.  In fact, He is more interested in this than He is actions.  He knows full well we could at times win an Oscar for our ability to think one thing and act out another.

We would be wise to follow in the steps of King David when he prayed, search me O God and know my MIND, test me and discover my THOUGHTS.  Other translations exchange mind for heart.  Is this saying that God has to search my thoughts to see if they are are wicked.  No! At the beginning of this Psalm King David acknowledges this:  "....from far away you understand all my thoughts....even before I speak you already know what I will say.

But when we bring a prayer like this one to our Heavenly Father, it is so that He may reveal to us what is in our heart.  The Bible says that we can't even know our own hearts.  He will be faithful to reveal the illnesses that reside in our thoughts and heart....that's not the fun part, perhaps that's why this is a scary prayer.  Knowledge always brings us to a crossroads, and we must respond.  We think ignorance is bliss.  Not so, at least not in our Christian walk.

However, there is good that comes out of this prayer.  God doesn't reveal the sin within us and then leave us on our own or get angry with us.  Instead, He will guide us in the way He wants us to go.  Guides are big helps.  I enjoyed going to Washington DC on several occasions and having the opportunity to go to the Smithsonian Institute.  I went on many tours, allowing the tour guide to help me get the most out of my time there.  Well, we also need a guide here on earth.  I am basically just a tourist here on this earth for a short time.  I need a guide to help me get the most out of my time here.  My Heavenly Father is my tour guide.  He keeps me from getting sidetracked, getting slowed down by my sin.

Today take a moment to pray this prayer.  Let me know how it goes.


To God be the glory

Tuesday, January 11, 2011

Craving More of Jesus: No wonder my heart is glad!

Craving More of Jesus: No wonder my heart is glad!: "Psalm 16:1-11- New Living Translation Keep me safe, O God, for I have come to you for refuge. I said to the Lord, 'You are my Master! ..."

No wonder my heart is glad!

Psalm 16:1-11- New Living Translation
Keep me safe, O God, for I have come to you for refuge.  I said to the Lord, "You are my Master! Every good thing I have comes from you."  The godly people in the land are my true heroes!  I take pleasure in them!  Troubles multiply for those who chase after other gods.  I will not take part in their sacrifice of blood or even speak the names of their gods.  Lord, you alone are my inheritance, my cup of blessing.  You guard all that is mine.  The land you have given me is a pleasant land.  What a wonderful inheritance.  I will bless the Lord who guides me; even at night my heart instructs me.  I know the Lord is always with me.  I will not be shaken, for he is right beside me.  No wonder my heart is glad, and I rejoice.  My body rests in safety.  For you will not leave my soul among the dead or allow your holy one to rot in the grave.  You will show me the way of life, granting me the joy of your presence and the pleasure of living with you forever.

King David's life was not always an easy one.  He often was on the run for the safety of his very life.  King David's life was not always a perfect one.  The man known as "a man after God's own heart" slipped big a few times and his sin cost him more than he ever wanted to pay.  King David struggled  at times in his faith, just like you and I do at times.  Yet, when King David took inventory of his life, he was able to say "No wonder my heart is glad!"

Our lives will not always be easy, we will struggle in many ways.  We will slip in our Christian walk and find ourselves being picked up and dusted off by the mighty hand of our Heavenly Father.  At times our faith will shake a little and we may be entertained with the thought of "Is it worth it?"  "What is going on here?!"

I can say for my own life, I have experienced all of this.  But we must not let Satan's lies penetrate what we know to be true.  When I take inventory of my life, I am left with the statement, "No wonder my heart is glad"  God has been so good to me.  He rescued me from hell- I could stop right there and He would be a great God!  But God goes beyond that.  He has blessed me with a wonderful husband, a church with a pastor that encourages me and instructs me, a job that allow me to pay my bills, a wonderful place to live,  the list goes on and on.  Look at your life today.  If you have been saved by the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ then you should be able to truly say:  No wonder my heart is glad!

Monday, January 10, 2011

Craving More of Jesus: Heart Surgery

Craving More of Jesus: Heart Surgery: "Romans 2:29 A true Jew is one whose heart is right with God, true circumcision is a change of heart produced by God's Spirit. And a person w..."

Heart Surgery

Romans 2:29
A true Jew is one whose heart is right with God, true circumcision is a change of heart produced by God's Spirit. And a person with a changed heart seeks praise from God, not people.

One thing I have learned over the years is that if I allow God's Spirit to change my heart then a change in my actions will follow.  If I just seek an outward change then I will not have an inward change.  God works from the inside out.

Let's dig a little deeper.
1.  This change of heart is produced by God's Spirit.- It is not something I can bring about on my own.  This change will be done by the Holy Spirit if I submit to His working and remolding in my life.  It is literally a surgery.  If you have ever had surgery, you know that it hurts!  From start to finish it is not any fun.  First you get an IV, then they give you some drugs to knock you out and the next thing you know you wake up in pain! Does that mean the surgery went wrong- NO, does it mean that you had an incompetent surgeon- NO, does it mean that you should not have gone through with the procedure and chosen an alternative method?  NO. Does the pain last forever?  NO.  In fact, we are willing to go through the pain knowing that the end result will be a good one.  The surgery actually HELPS us.

Well, God is the most gentle surgeon I know, yet when He begins surgery on our heart, it may hurt.  But we will recover and  the pain produces a good result.  We have a changed life and a new heart!  There is no alternative treatment for our sin problem other than the mighty hand of God performing surgery on us.

2.  A person with a changed heart seeks praise from God, not people-If one desires to seek praise from man, they can actually just change their actions when they're around the person from whom they seek praise.  They can basically put on a show.  Man can not see through into the heart as God can.  Therefore, it is easier to fool man, at least for a period of time.  But if one desires praise from God then they must have a changed heart.

Today, right now, admit yourselves into God's hospital.  Sign the consent giving God permission to do a heart operation on you.  Don't tie God's hands with your schedule or plans- just clear your schedule and let Him do what He needs to do.  All that matters in life can be summed up in just a few words:  "Well done, thou good and faithful servant!"

Tuesday, January 4, 2011

With all my heart

Deuteronomy 11:13  And it shall come to pass, if ye shall hearken diligently unto my commandments which I command you this day, to love the Lord your God and to serve Him with all your heart and with all your soul.

Jump ahead to the New Testament where the apostle Paul writes God knows how often I pray for you, day and night I bring you and your needs in prayer to God whom I serve with all my heart by spreading the Good News about His Son. Romans 1:9

Deuteronomy 11 starts with an admonishment to obey God, and with good reason!  They had witnessed the power and mighty acts of God!  They had front row seats to the awesome power of God!  This should result in them serving God with all their heart

Romans 1:9 says he serves God with all his heart by spreading the good news of the Gospel

What about us?  Though we were not there to witness what they saw, we all have witnessed the mighty power of God in our lives in one way or another- in fact I venture to say that we have seen this several times!
Based on that, I ask myself am I serving God with all my heart?  My life is one big story of mighty acts of God, yet I can easily slump back into lukewarm service if I am not careful.

What about us when it comes to spreading the Gospel-  The apostle Paul related serving God with all his heart to spreading the Gospel.  See, the two go hand in hand.  When I serve God with all my heart, telling others about salvation will be an automatic thing. 

What does "with all your heart" mean- This is what the Lord shared with me on May 27th, 2007, please let me tell you.

When I love God with all my heart, then I will love  His ways, His works, His wisdom and His war.  Let's look at each one separately to get a better idea of what I am saying

I will walk in His ways-I will want His ways to become my ways.  I will find myself asking "what would Jesus do?"  I will yield to the Holy Spirit and allow myself to be placed on the potter's wheel to be made into something that resembles Christ so that I may glorify Him while I journey through this earth.

I will love His works- His works are people.  He created us.  I will find myself loving others, desiring to help others, forgiving others and showing the compassion of Jesus Christ.

I will seek His wisdom- I will find myself seeking advice from the Lord and His Word.  I will allow it to be the lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path.  I will obey His Word and meditate on it day and night (Psalm 1)  It won't be just head knowledge in me, but rather a heart knowledge. A heart knowledge means I will live it out, not just leave it in my head.

I will be willing to boldy enter into the spiritual battle between darkness and light- Most people know the song "Onward Christian Soldiers, marching as to war, with the cross of Jesus going on before"  You see, as believers, we are engaged in an invisible yet obvious war against the prince of the power of the air, satan himself!  He is out to destroy anything that has to do with God.  Guess what, that means he is out to destroy us, for we belong to God.  We must be prepared to enter in to battle.  Understand the battle will go on whether you're ready or not.  It will go on until the return of the Lord and the final binding of Satan once for all.  So, the question is not "if" there is a war, but rather are you braced for it?  Dressed in the armor of God as described in Ephesians 6.  We are not just fighting this spiritual battle for ourselves but also for those around us and those who will come after us.  It is a war for the souls of the lost, as we witness and try to snatch them out of the fire.  We will find ourselves interceding on the behalf of someone else, or witnessing to those people God places in our paths. The minute we become a Christian we receive our marching orders and enter into the war.This is not a war of hating and condeming others who are blinded by the darkness, rather it is loving them and taking every opportunity to share the love of Christ with this world.  It is a tough battle and I believe with all my heart it is about to get even tougher.  But the greatest thing is, do not fear!  As the song says:  "With the cross of Jesus  going on before.  Jesus is there, the Captain of our army and He has yet to lose a war. (click on the tab "Psalm 18" on homepage)

In 2011, why not serve the Lord with all your heart!  He will help you, take a moment right now to ask for that help you need that you may come to the end of 2011 saying "I served God with all my heart"

If you do not know the Lord please click on the page that asks if you have a personal relationship with God

Monday, January 3, 2011

A Heart Check-up

In 2007 I did a word study of all the verses in the Bible that contain the word "heart". It was quite an amazing journey! I took a journal and first wrote out every verse page by page and then I went back to the beginning and meditated and journaled on each verse. I often go back to this journal and that is what I am going to do now- except I am now sharing on my blog what was a personal study for me. May you be blessed, encouraged, and may God use this to draw you closer to the One who resides in your heart.

Deuteronomy 6:4-"The Lord is our God, the Lord alone, and we must love Him with all our heart, all our soul and our strength.

The Lord has to take precedence over all, over everything else in my life.

The Lord is my God, the Lord ALONE. God knows who He is- He knows that He is supreme over any other god. I must understand who He is.  It is important that I understand and acknowledge that He alone is my Lord. I can say that I love Him but if I don't put Him first then I am only fooling myself.

What does it mean to love the Lord my God with all my heart, soul and strength?
It means I must give God first place in

1.) My time- God must be priority over recreation, relaxation, being with my friends. I must start each day with the Lord. I should feel no shame in inviting Him into my activities. If I am turning on the TV before I take time with the Lord then I am not giving Him first place with my time

2.) My thoughts- My thought life is not as secret as I may think. What I spend time thinking about will sooner or later reveal itself in my actions and my speech. That is why we are to wear the helmet of salvation as laid out in Ephesians 6. Satan's primary work begins in our minds. He places thoughts there, they lay as bait as he waits to see if we will chomp on it! When I have a thought that does not come from God I must renounce it immediately. Sometimes Satan plants a thought and we claim it as our own and fall into self condemnation. This is exactly what he wants us to do. When we are walking with the Lord and we are surprised with a bad thought that just came out of no where- renounce it, rebuke satan and move on. At the same time, we must do what we can to guard our thought life. We do this by what we watch on TV what we listen to from the lips of others, what books we read, etc. If I am watching the wrong stuff on TV then I have only myself to blame when an evil thought enters my mind. God has given us great advice to guard our mind, it is found in Phillipians 4:8-9 "Finally brethern, whatsoewver things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report, if there be any virtue if there be any praise, think on these things


3.) My talent-God desires to go to work with you in the morning and glorify Himself through your life on the job. Invite Him into that area and allow Him to use you to reach out to the lost or wandering soul you work with day after day. I must also put Him first in my talents by serving the Lord in the areas where He has gifted me. To whom much is given, much is required. As a child of the King we have been given so so much!

4.) My treasure- God demands the tithe. The first 10% of my income must be God's. There have been times when I have been scared to tithe. Money was tight and if I gave that 10% it would really leave me with very little til next paycheck. Yet, I am always reminded by God that He owns the cattle on a thousand hills, the wealth in every mine. I would be a fool to hold back from the One who has immediate access to every resource in this world. We must surrender to God what is already His. We are just stewards of it for a short while as we journey on this earth

5.) Lastly, my tomorrow- I must put God first in my plans- Which really means that I let Him do the planning. I should not come to God asking Him to bless what I have planned out for my life. I must seek Him out and then allow Him to plan my life, all my tomorrows. When God moved me out to California, I didn't understand the timing. I had always wanted to live out here, as a little girl I would say one day I would live here. I loved the mountains and the ocean. Yet, the timing of this move caught me off guard. I had just gone through some major medical problems and surgery. Not even 4 months out, still being monitored health wise, God tells me to move to California. I was excited about the opportunity but didn't understand the timing. I just started packing and moving and trusting God's timing. Within 2 weeks or so of being here, I met my wonderful husband. I would have never guessed what God had in store for me out here. I am so glad I made the move.

In 2011, let's just give it all to God, our time, our thoughts, our talents our treasure and our tomorrows. Though we may not see it immediately, it will prove to be the best thing we've ever done. To God be the glory


Sunday, January 2, 2011

Not by accident

Yesterday I wrote about wanting to be available for God to use me as HE chooses and how that is a costly decision. Today at church Pastor Joe spoke about alligning your vision with HIS mission and how that is costly even to the point of giving your life.

This was no accident or coincidence but rather something the Lord was driving home to me. I can't ask God to bless what I choose to do, rather I must go to where He is blessing.

Pay attention to these situations as they enter your life. Usually, it is no accident, but rather God confirming something in your life.

I want to be a light in this world. If I try to do it myself I will at best be a little tea light and at worst be no light at all.

If I allow the light of the Lord to shine through me then I can be a bright light for the glory of God

To God be the glory

Saturday, January 1, 2011

Happy New Year

My desire for this new year is to make myself available for the Lord to use in whatever way He desires. 
I am His and I want to relinquish my "rights" and desire to be and do what I want to be and do and submit to who He wants me to be and what He wants me to do.

Submission to the Lord will cost everything, but I don't think for one moment that I will ever feel "broke".  Whatever it cost will be worth it.

When we go to make a big purchase we look at several things:  How long will it last, how badly do I need it, is it worth it. Jesus tells us to consider the cost when we make the decision to follow Him, for He does not shy away from telling us that it will cost us everything.

So lets look at the 3 questions I ask myself when making a big purchase

How long will it last?- Well, God's plan is not a 5year,100,000mile warrenty. He is eternal and everything He asks me to do for Him has eternal value---my decision-worth the cost

How badly do I need Him?- Well when I look at this world today, it only takes me 1 second to clearly see I need Him, I see this so badly that I don't understand how people go one day without Him- my decision...worth the cost.

Is He worth it?- He has said that eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor can man comprehend all that God has instore for His children. He has told me He will NEVER leave me nor forsake me. This is a promise that cannot honestly be true of any other being. -my decision---worth the cost

This year I urge you to seek the Lord, accept Him as your Lord and Savior and surrender all to Him. He is worth the cost.