Why not me?

He said, “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, And naked I shall return there.  The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away. Blessed be the name of the Lord.~Job 1:21

Why not me?  That is the question I ask myself whenever my mind begins to try and figure out why I am going through this trial.  Intellect wants to understand why, if I am living a life that seeks and honors God, would I have to deal with the tough stuff.  Why should I experience strife and suffering?  As soon as these thoughts present themselves, grace responds why not me?

I may not, in my little understanding, think I should have to struggle.  But as it often said, how would I know if I was strong, if I never had to wrestle? Better yet, how would I know just how amazing God is if I never had to be humble enough to see how limited I am and witness the unlimited power of God?

Why not me?  Why would I want to not understand that even in the pain and struggles that God is ever present.  Why would I not want to know for myself that I call Him Lord and yield to His will in every circumstance?  Why would I not want to be a platform where He is glorified and praised?

I don’t like to suffer.  I don’t like loss.  I don’t like pain.  But I will count it all joy if it draws me closer to Him.  If this rain waters the seeds in me that will produce shade for another then I say why not me?  

Father, everything I have is yours.  I desire nothing more than I desire You.  Thank You for revealing yourself in the midst of the storm.  Thank You for being my peace.  When my mind starts to question bring me back to a place of praise and trust.  May I be still and let You fight this battle for me.  In Jesus name. Amen

I look to the Cross

He was despised and rejected by mankind, a man of suffering, and familiar with pain. Like one from whom people hide their faces. He was despised, and we held him in low esteem.

Surely he took up our pain and bore our suffering, yet we considered him punished by God, stricken by him, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed. ~Isaiah 53:3-5

What does one do with suffering?  How do you deal with wounds on this side of life?  How can one be like Job and bless the name of the Lord when things you are dealing with loss( Job 1:21)?  How does one stand secure in the midst of the storm? How do you recover and regroup?

What is the answer to these questions?  What is the way of escape?  I can go around it and try to use intellect to give a lofty answer, but the truth, and the only answer is Jesus.  Jesus knew suffering.  Jesus knew rejection.  Jesus knew pain.  Jesus knew what it felt like to be rejected and cast aside.  He knew what it felt like to be crushed and bruised.  He was pierced and punished for no other reason than His love for me.  He bore my sin and my shame.

So I look to the Cross when I am suffering.  I look to Jesus and remember the wounds He bore for me, the suffering He bore for me, and the love He has for me.  I look to Jesus because He is the way through the suffering.  He is how I overcome the suffering.  He is my praise because by His wounds I am healed.  Wounds of sickness and disease, financial hardship, rejection, and struggles with day to day life.  Wounds come in many shapes and sizes , but this pain, this  suffering, can’t compare to the glory that will be revealed in us later (Romans 8:18).  Christ in me, the hope of glory ( Colossians 1:27).

Jesus is the answer. He is the source of strength.  The reason to get out of bed and face the day.  He is my portion.   This Friday is good and every day is good because of Him and the blood He shed on the cross. So whatever He gives to me and whatever He takes from me I will bless His name. 

Father, may I be a witness to your love and grace during my times of suffering and hardship.  I want to be a living testimony of your love and truth.  Use my suffering for your glory.  Jesus thank You for dying for me.  Thank You for giving me access to the Father.  Thank You for ripping the veil so that I can come boldly to the throne of grace and receive comfort and mercy.  Thank You for conquering death so that it has no sting.  Thank You for your sacrifice.  You are Holy and worthy of all my praise.  Keep my eyes on You.  Help me to endure this test and walk away from temptation. In Jesus name I pray. Amen

He went back....

and then he said to his disciples, “Let us go back to Judea.”

8 “But Rabbi,” they said, “a short while ago the Jews there tried to stone you, and yet you are going back?”~John 11:7-8

This week is often referred to as Holy Week.  A week were we remember the sacrifice of Jesus.  We remember how He  entered Jerusalem with crowds cheering and blessing His name and in less than a week they were cursing His name ( John 12:12-13 & Luke 23:21)

 It is a week where we remember how He broke bread with the very one who would betray Him ( Luke 22:21). It is a week where we remember how He was mocked, spit upon, beaten (Luke 22:63-65)  and hung on a cross for the sins of the world; my sin.

It is also a week where we praise Him and lay prostrate before Him as we remember that He stayed on the cross for you and for me.  We remember how even while He was dying He saved the criminal that was willing beside Him ( Luke 23:40-43).  We grieve the agony of His death, but rejoice in the hope that it brings. We exalt our Lord and Savior as King and Victor because He conquered death bringing life to us ( Revelation 1:18  & 1 Corinthians 15:55).

It is a Holy Week, a time of reflection and celebration of joy because of our Lord Jesus.  We have this week and this life because even in the face of all the rejection, the cold hearts, and stubborn minds He went back. In the eleventh chapter of the gospel of John we find that Lazarus has died.  Jesus loved Lazarus ( John 11:36) and He goes back to the place where they want to stone Him for speaking the truth and calling men to repentance.  He goes back to give Lazarus his life back, to wake him up. He calls Lazarus, a dead man at this point by human understanding, out of the tomb and sure enough he does ( John 11:43-44).  

This miraculous sign, this demonstration of His authority and power and love really angered the Jewish leaders and they plotted to kill him. They succeeded, but never realized that this was God’s plan all along-to provide this world with a Passover Lamb that would not just cover our sins but cleanse us from them if we only believe.  

Jesus went back for Lazarus and He came to this earth for you and me.  He went stayed on the cross for you and for me.  He was buried in a tomb and rose up for you and for me.  He gave us a Holy Week and a  whole life , eternal life, if we believe and receive.  We too can be called out of the tomb because He went back and He is coming back again soon.

Father thank You for the sacrifice of your life.  Thank You for loving me enough to call me out of death and into life.  Thank You for your grace and mercy because I too have once blessed and cursed You.  I too once rejected You, but You loved me anyway.  You saved me so that I could know your love.  Thank You God.  In Jesus name. Amen

I trust Your work Lord!

for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose.~Philippians 2:13

It is God who works in me to will and to act in order to fulfill His good purpose.   Even with all that I have come to know and understand about God, I sometimes still forget that the work that is being done in me is being completed by the One who can not, does not and will not fail.  In all my getting and desire to be pleasing to God I can get ensnared into the trap of thinking that it’s all on me.  That I am the one who is responsible for the outcomes of the missions that God sends me on.  I can forget that my work, the real work, is trusting and believing in God.  My work is not to change hearts and minds.  My work is not to be perfect.  My work is not to be holy.  My work is to seek the One that is Holy( Matthew 6:33)because when I seek Him, stand in His presence, and stay in His presence I am changed and the result will be a holy life. My work is to worship Him in Spirit and in truth( John 4:24).

There is no way you can stand before God and not be changed.  He is God!  He lives in me and when I get out of the way.  When I remove my agenda of wanting to be this perfect representation of what  I think a godly woman should like and just sit at His feet then I become the clay that He can mold; the clay that He can transform into the image that represents Him.  I have to and must learn to trust His work and not my own.  

This is not always an easy task for someone who has been wired to achieve and excel.  For someone who has had an habit placing her identity in what she does and does not do rather than in what He does.  But it is possible in Christ Jesus because He is the One doing the work in me.  He is the One who works in me to speak to the hearts of others, but He is the one that changes them because all power belongs to God ( Psalm 62:11). He is the One who takes nothing and turns it into something great.  This is why all the glory belongs to Him because He is glory.  He does the work and lets me to participate by allowing me  to humbly submit to His will.  

He is the One who works in me to think a new way and do a new thing.  I can trust Him.  I can trust Him to free me from the traps of discouragement and inadequacy that enemy sets for me.  I can trust Him with my life because He is the way, the truth, and the life( John 14:6). It is God who works in me  to will and to act in order to fulfill His good purpose.  I trust Your work Lord ( Philippians 2:13).

Father, I trust your work Lord.  I trust You.  Empty me of myself and my agendas and fill me with Your Spirit.  I am ready for whatever You have for me today because You have already declared it done.  My trust is not what I see with m

Power belongs to God

One thing God has spoken, two things I have heard: "Power belongs to you, God, and with you, Lord, is unfailing love”; and, “You reward everyone according to what they have done.”~Psalm 62:11-12

Power belongs to you Lord.  Your love is perfect and enduring.  Your love never fails.  Your love heals and restores.  Your love keeps our minds in perfect peace as turn our face and minds to You, the One that Saves.  You, Jesus, are life.  You are hope.  You are our reward.  So let us be diligent in well doing. Let us not get weary in loving You and our neighbor.  Let us not get weary in doing the right thing when all around us are people choosing to go their own way.  Keep us on the right path and let us not be tempted by vain riches and glory.  Father, keep our hands to the plow because we know that in due time, the time You have set, we will reap a harvest.

Lord let us not worry about what man can do to us because all power and authority is in your hand.  Father, keep our bows straight and our aim steady as we walk this life.  Keep our trust in You.  Let us believe without doubt.  Let us not waiver in our commitment to live this life according to your will and your way. Let us not fear or worry because You are God.  You are Lord and all power, majesty, dominion, and honor belong to You. We believe in the promises that You have made to us.  We know that they are true.  Giants may be before us, but You are Lord.  And by your power they will fall.  

Father we love You.  We thank You and we praise You for being God.  Thank You for your unfailing love and kindness towards us.  We lift our hearts to You giving You all the glory, honor and praise.  In Jesus name. Amen

I love God and I desire to serve Him with my whole heart, but I cannot do that in my own strength  or in my own power.  I can only do that through the power of the Holy Spirit that He has allowed to live in me.  Outside of God, I have no power. I can fool myself into thinking that I do if I am not careful.  So I am grateful for His Word that reminds me that power belongs to Him.  I am grateful that I don’t have to try to live this life in my strength.  I am grateful that because power belongs to Him I don’t have to fear the actions of man.  I am even more grateful for His unfailing love that keeps me and gives me grace.  His love opens my eyes to Him.  His unfailing love let’s me see the beauty in the storm.  His unfailing love allows me to forgive myself and others.  His unfailing is hope.  His unfailing love is why He stayed on the Cross and shed His blood for me.  His unfailing love is why I live because His power caused Hin to rise and conquer death for me.  So I pray that all that I do is for Him alone because I want to lay crowns at His feet.  Knowing Jesus and His unfailing love is my reward, one that I did not earn. 

I am changed

But thanks be to God that, though you used to be slaves to sin, you have come to obey from your heart the pattern of teaching that has now claimed your allegiance. 18 You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness.~Romans 6:17-28

Why am I so happy? Why am I so full of joy?  It is not because of me, but it is because of the evidence I see of the One who lives in me.  I rejoice in His goodness and mercy because He has given me a new heart and a renewed mind.  The patterns of my thinking and my actions have been changed by the miracle working power of Christ Himself.  An operation as been performed on my heart and I have been given a “pacemaker”, the Spirit of God and now I move to a new beat and a consistent rhythm.  I have been changed and I have been set free.  I can’t help but be glad in the Lord and grateful for all that He has done and for all that He continues to do in my life.

I once looked at people who were always cheerful and hopeful with envy and sadly sometimes resentment because I didn’t get it.  I didn’t get how one could always be so positive and uplifting even when everything around them would suggest otherwise.  I didn’t know at the time what they knew.  I did not truly know God.  While I had been around Him all of my life, I lacked an understanding and the intimacy of His love.  Now I know for myself.  The glass is not as dark and everyday I see Him more clearly.  

Everyday He reveals more of Himself as I surrender myself to Him.  Everyday I find my true identity in Christ and it feels me with joy to know Who He is and who I am in Him.  A smile breaks across my faith and my heart is full because everyday I see how much He loves me.  I see how He has pursued me with His faithful love and made me His own.  My pattern is His pattern.  My heart belongs to God.  “So I sing because I am happy and I sing because I’m free.  His eyes are in the sparrows and I know He watches me.”

Father thank You from freeing me from the wages of sin that leads to death and giving me life instead.  Thank You for your Spirit that breaks up the hard places of my heart and gives me a new song to sing.  Thank You for breaking the old patterns of the flesh and removing those things that would corrupt me.  Thank You for giving me a clean heart so that I can worship You for You are worthy of every drop of praise.  Thank You for being God. Thank You for loving me.  Keep me humbled and surrendered to You.  Decrease me and increase You.  In Jesus name. Amen

Stand firm!

Moses answered the people, “Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the LORD will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again.~Exodus 14:13

I am excited this morning and I am full of joy.  By human standards I shouldn’t be, but I am not standing on my emotions, my thinking, my plans, nor man’s ways.  No this morning, by the grace of God,  I am standing on the truth of who God is and His Word.  I am expecting to see the deliverance of the Lord.  

I too have a “Red Sea” in front of me.  I too have the enemy trying to chase me from the rear and box me in.  But I can’t be hemmed in by the enemy because I am covered and protected by God who is boundless.  So, this morning, I count it all joy! I count all these trials I have faced, am facing, and will face joy (James 1:3).  Not because of who I am, but rather because of who I am in Christ Jesus.

When I look back over my life in just the past month, I can see how the testing of my faith has prepared me for the dilemma before me.  I can also see how the seeds that God has sown in me have rooted me in the truth; how they have girded me (Ephesians 6:14) so that I can stand and testify to His goodness. His Word strengthens my core and resolve so that I can stand firm with all assurance.

I can stand without fear about what faces me or what is behind me because I know no matter the outcome it is for my good.  I know the outcome will bring Him glory.  I can stand knowing that as long as I have Jesus I will see the goodness of the Lord.

I am blessed and His word says “Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him” (James 1:12).

I stand because of His mercy.  I stand because of His grace.  I stand because I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me ( Philippians 4:13).  I stand because I am seated with Christ in heavenly places( Ephesians 2:6).  

This won’t make sense to everyone.  Some might even think I am dismissing reality, but God is my reality and He is truth.  Jesus Himself told me to Have faith in God ( Mark 11:22).  I believe Jesus.  My needs, earthly and spiritually, will be met because He is Jehovah Jireh, my provider ( Genesis 22:14)

This declaration of faith is not just for me.  It is also for you.  If you are facing a Red Sea today. If you trouble at your back.  If you have a Goliath in front of you or mountains that seem impossible to move.  Have faith in God.  Look beyond your circumstance.  May God open your eyes to see the truth  ( 2 Kings 6:17)

May you realize just how mighty a God we serve.  God will take your faith and multiply it if you give it to Him.  I am no one special or significant, but I am a daughter of the King.  The same Spirit in me is in you.  So you too can experience the victory that is in Christ Jesus.  He will part your “Red Sea” and have us both walk on  dry ground.  His promises are true! He will deliver you. 

Father, I thank You for the joy of your strength.  I thank You for victory.  Father, just help me to stand in You and on your truth.  I thank You for the joy of You.  Lord, I know that You will deliver me and that your deliverance will be good.  I trust You.  In Jesus name. Amen

God is our defense!

What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? ~Romans 8:31

The wind outside of my house this morning is wailing.  It sounds like it will knock anything down that is not anchored by a weight or rooted in the ground.  As I listen to the wind, my mind is taken to a childhood story-The Three Little Pigs.  

The story illustrates a key point of making sure you build your house with the right materials so that when the wolf comes to blow it down, seeking to have you for dinner, you will be protected.  One pig used straw and the wolf blew that down easily.  The other pig used wood, better, but still it fell down with the puff of the wolf.  The last pig, the wise one, used brick and it stood the test.  The wolf, thinking he is smart, tries to enter in by the chimney, but is burned up by the fire prepared just for him.

A childhood story, yes, but so very applicable for today.  The enemy loves to blow hard against us.  He wants to tear down our defenses and discourage us.  We won’t let him in by the door of our hearts so he attacks another way.  The howl of the wind, the lies of the devil, will make you think that you have no defense.  So many attacks swirling around from so many directions.  You don’t know exactly where it is coming from, but you know it’s origin and purpose is to devour you.  But we must stand and be anchored in the truth.  We must build our house on the solid foundation of Christ and with the right materials, the truth of His Word.

The devil can huff and puff all he wants because the truth is that God is our defense and if He be for us ( and He is) no one and nothing can stand against us (Romans 8:31).  So our response to tribulations, the clanging noise of the wind and the huffs and the puffs of the enemy is No.  No, to a spirit of discouragement.  No, to a spirit of defeat. No, to depression.  No, to suicide.  No, to anger and bitterness. No, to hate.  No, to financial ruin. No, to strife and discord.  No, to any and all of his lies because God is our strong tower.  God is our light.  He is my salvation and I will not fear. ( Psalm 27:1)

I will wait on Him.  I will trust in Him.  I will wait for the gentle breeze of His truth( 1 Kings 19:11-12). I will pray without ceasing, giving thanks for it all( 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18) because prayer is my offense ( Ephesians 6:18) Prayer allows me to lay it all at the feet of the One who will fight my battles( Exodus 14:14). It allows me to be still and see the goodness of the Lord.  

Lord may thine will be done on earth as it is in heaven.  Give us this day our daily bread so that we can do what You have called us to do.  Lord,  give us the wisdom to seek You and stand firm in the days of double.  Increase our faith as we trust You.  In Jesus name I pray.  Amen

God cares about you!

Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father’s care. 30 And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. 31 So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows~Mathew 10:29-31

Speak this truth today over your life.  God cares about you.  He knows your every need.  He knows every detail about who you are and He loves you.  You matter to Him and the challenges you face matter to Him.  You are not alone.  You will overcome them because He has overcome ( John 16:33).

His word tells us that the sparrow, a bird that is not worth much in value by man’s standards, does not fall outside of His care.  So the least is cared for and we are worth more than many sparrows.  We are worth so much that He sent His Son Jesus to die for us.  He sent His Son to meet a need that we didn’t even we had yet.  So yes, you matter to God.  Your struggles matter to God and just like the sparrow you will not fall outside of His care.  

You are beloved and cherished by our Creator.  You are a child of the living King, God Himself (Romans 9:26). You are wonderfully and fearfully made ( Psalm 139:14).  So don’t fear and don’t worry our Father has you safely in His arms.  He will take care of you.

May you feel the peace of His presence today as your mind is stayed on Him.  In Jesus name. Amen

When the lightbulb turns on!

Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.~Hebrews 2:18

Aha!  I just love Aha moments. You know when your mind is sitting in the dark trying to figure something out and then boom you get it!  The light bulb is in on and a big smile comes across your face as you gain the light of understanding.  It is an amazing feeling and it is amplified when God sheds His light of understanding on my soul.  Today, this week, God in His great mercy did that for me.  

This week was a doozy of shadows for me.  I was dragging physically and spiritually. I was experiencing a type of suffering that frankly I did not expect to come my way.  I was shocked by my level of weariness and I was shocked by my thoughts.  I looked at the cup that I was being asked to drink from all of a sudden I was like “ do I have to?”  I started thinking and saying things like “this cross is to heavy for me” and “how can I pour into someone else when I am empty.”

Yep, the enemy was pitching perfect balls of temptation and instead of knocking the lies out of the ball park I was striking out.  Well, the Spirit called foul on the play.  Yes, I know I am mixing metaphors.  Remember, I am the corny girl.  But anyway, the point is I was caught up in my emotions.  I was caught up in my feelings.  I was talking at God, but not with God.

I did not truly understand that Jesus understands everything that I am feeling and struggling with.  Sure I have heard this s rupture above and read it, but I did not believe it or receive it. ( There us freedom in the truth.). You see I could not understand how Jesus who was (is) God, divine in all His ways could be tempted. I mean   He is God!  He has all of of the authority so the game was over before it even began.  I knew and believed He suffered on the cross, but did He and could even understand the daily temptations and the suffering that comes with it like the mere human? The answer is yes and Amen!

Hebrews 2:14-15 says..” Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might break the power of him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil— 15 and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death.”

See Jesus knew that we are flesh and blood.  He knew and knows the frailty of humanity and He chose to share in that.  He was both God and human.  So all the things I feel like being tired because I lost an hour of needed sleep. Being frustrated by negative people.  Being overwhelmed by my schedule a d feeling like I will never get it done.  Being weary of the attacks of the enemy.  All of these He too experienced.  He experienced the suffering but He also walked in victory and claimed it for you and for me.  

So yes, He is my perfect Intercessor, Priest. Friend and King.  He is everything I need and more.  He is my Aha!  

Father I thank You for your Spirit that shines a light in the darkness.  I thank You for your Word that lights up my path when the shadows come.  Thank You for knowing me and letting me know You too.  In Jesus name. Amen

Comparison...

Each one should test their own actions. Then they can take pride in themselves alone, without comparing themselves to someone else, 5 for each one should carry their own load. ~Galatians 6:4-5

I am a little OCD and like to park my car in the middle of two white lines, assuring that those beside me will have space to open their car doors. Well, sometimes it is a hit or miss for me.  If I don’t begin turn my car at just the right angle or sit up where I can actually see the lines, I struggle and can find myself readjusting for a minute or two, just so I can get it right.  It can be a little frustrating and frankly embarrassing if someone is watching or waiting for me, but I want to do it right.

What does parking a car have to do with testing my own actions and comparisons?  Glad, you asked. ( Yes, I know I am corny.). Well, the other day I parked my car in one swoop of motion.  It looked like I had done so just perfectly.  I was not to close to the car beside me, so I got out my car just full of pride. Then I looked at the actual lines.  I was not parked correctly at all.  I was all on the line.  It only looked that way because I judge or measure by parking by the car next to me.  

The Spirit rang a bell in my heart and this verse came to my mind.  This is what happens when you compare yourself to others rather than comparing yourself to what God says you should be.  Parking is a insignificant thing, but the lines represent His Word.  His Word is where I must align myself. Not too much to the left or right, but straight.  I can compare my alignment based on the position of others.  I am responsible for what God tells me.  Bonus, when I am “parked” right I leave space for others to park right too.

God teaches us amazing things in the most simplest of life’s activities and I am grateful.  Maybe parking is not the analogy for you, but I pray that my little adventure blessed you in some way.  To God be the glory.

Lord, help me not to compare myself to others and only to your word.  Help me to be aligned to your truth and adjust as needed through the leading of your Spirit.  In Jesus name. Amen 

When you fall...

Lord, help me to just keep doing the next right thing. You have given me this day. This day that You ordained for me before it even existed. So let me live this day with hope in You. Let me live this day by faith knowing that what You have planned for me on this day is good. Knowing that even in the shadows of the valleys that I walk in that You are with me and that I am safe in your arms. Father strengthen me. Let me not be weary in my labor whether it be in my home or on my job. May I give You my best and my first fruits. Let me walk in obedience to your Word one step at a time and one choice at a time. Give me You. In Jesus name. Amen

Yesterday, the Lord placed this prayer on my heart.  I was struggling with fatigue and physical pain and I did not see how I was going to be able to give God my best.  I knew I needed Him to help me to do the next right thing according to His Word.  So I prayed the words He gave me and today  I am praying this prayer again.  I pray it with gratitude and thankfulness for the mercy of a new day and another chance.  

Not every step I made yesterday was the next right thing, but God knows my heart.  His Spirit continued to prick me when I turned my head to left or to the right.  He brought me back to where I needed to be and kept me straight even when I wanted to be crooked  and curvy in my steps.   Abba knows that this daughter He creates hates to mess up.  He knows how I will let condemnation rather than conviction creep in, but He always has a word.  A word that comforts and leads me to refreshing waters and green pastures. Perhaps you can relate to the nagging pain of feeling that  you’ve let down God in some way.  If you fall down like me, something that we all do, may this word bless your soul at it has blessed mine.

Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, 22 set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come (2 Corinthians 1:22-23).

It is God who makes me stand firm in Christ.  Yes, I fall down, but it is God who calls His daughter to stand up.  It is He who gets me up on my feet again to stand in and on the foundation of Christ.  It is Christ who saves me and covers me.  It is Christ who reconciled me and redeemed me.  God makes me stand firm so I don’t have to quiver in my own strength.  I am His daughter.  He has placed His Spirit in me.  His Spirit seals me and reminds me that greater is coming.  Soon, I won’t have to worry about this freshly body.  Soon, I won’t have to worry about the cares of this world that trip me up.  

This is His promise to me and His promises are always Yes!  My response is Amen!  For no matter how many promises God has made, they are “Yes” in Christ. And so through him the “Amen” is spoken by us to the glory of God(2 Corinthians 1:20).

His promises preserve my life(Psalm 119:50) and I am grateful.

So with a grateful heart and with joy I pray this prayer again in confidence knowing that He hears and answers.  I pray it today with a heart ready to respond In obedience to His  commands.  Thank You Jesus.  Amen 

You are my God! Power in praise!

Lord, you are my God; I will exalt you and praise your name, for in perfect faithfulness you have done wonderful things, things planned long ago.~Isaiah 25:1

There is power in praise because when you praise your mind shifts from what you can’t do to what He can do and has already done.  This morning I woke up fatigued and out of sorts.  I knew I needed to connect to and spend time with the only One who could help me and so I prayed.  So I jumped right to it.  I began to pour out all of my cares to God.  Sure, I was saying the “right” things.  I prayed His word, but honestly my prayer was fatigued too. My prayer lacked any real power because my prayer lacked praise.  

Yes, I know my intent was to get what I needed from my God who supplies all of my needs, but I never stopped to acknowledge that truth.  I didn’t stop to praise Him for all that He has already done.  I was in a prayer rut of only acknowledging that I had a problem.  I focused on the problem and not my amazing God.  Perhaps you have been there too.

But God in His infinite wisdom, providence, and timing led me to Isaiah 25:1. Lord, you are my God.  Just reading that one segment of the scripture quickened my Spirit.  Lord, you are my God.  Lord, I will exalt you.  I will lift you up above every problem and circumstance.  Lord, I will praise your name!  I praise You Jehovah Jireh, my provider( Genesis 22:14).  I will praise you El Shaddai, God Almighty ( Genesus 17:1)! I will praise You Jehovah Rapha, my healer ( Exodus 15:26)!  I will praise You for what You have already done and for Who You are!  

My blessings have not been something I have earned.  They are simply the evidence of His perfect faithfulness, His trustworthiness and His goodness.  He is so merciful and He has planned things for me long ago.  My God is intentional and even in this season of fatigue I will praise Him because I know even in this suffering there is a blessing.  The fact that He has given me  a mind and a heart to cry out to Him is a blessing.  

My strength is in the joy of the Lord.  He is my peace and I will praise His holy name.

No matter what we face God is with us and is worthy of praise.

Father I thank You for the grace of your Word and the strength that simply praising You brings.  Forgive me for those times when I have not just stopped to praise You and seek to be with You.  I know You can fix anything, but our relationship is so much more.  You are my God and Yiu are my friend. Lord, You lift me up.  You clothe me with a sound mind.  You restore my soul.  You are breathe of fresh air and I love You.   In Jesus name. Amen

Will you come..

Come, all you who are thirsty come to the waters; and you who have no money, come , buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost.~Isaiah 55:1

It cost us nothing to come to God.  It cost us nothing to eat of the bread and drink of the water that fulfills every longing and craving.  Freely, He offers us food that will strengthen us and drink that will restore us.  He stands and knocks at the door waiting for us to open the door so that He may dine with us ( Revelation 3:20).  

Do we get that?  Do we understand that He is calling us to Himself?  He is calling us to come and eat and drink freely from Him and to fellowship with Him.  He invites us to meal that He prepares and paid for. We don’t need to do anything but come.

You can come and find mercy. You can come and freely be pardoned for your sins( Isaiah 55:7).  Those who are weary and burdened can come and find rest ( Matthew 11:28). You don’t have to spend your money and waste your time on those things that only patch up your pain without ever healing.  You don’t have to go to search for those things that are temporary and will never fill the longings in your heart or bring real peace to your mind.  But you can look up.

The Lord is near and He can be found.  You can call on Him. ( Isaiah 55:6).  There is nothing too hard for God.  The word that He has placed on your life will come to pass.  His Word never comes back void ( Isaiah 55:10-11).  So you can trust Him.  You can trust that He has a word for every situation and circumstance.  So come, eat, and taste the goodness of the Lord. He stands at the door, knocking, and calling.  You have nothing to lose and everything to gain.

Father may we come to You.  May we trust You.  May we open our hearts to You and be filled.  In Jesus name. Amen

Real Talk..Psalm 73

Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.~Psalm 73:25-26

God is my strength and my portion forever.  Words written and breathed by God so many years ago, but His Word is eternal.  His Word was true then and is true today.  It will be true tomorrow and I thank Him.

Psalm 73 is what I like to call “real talk” because it acknowledges the struggles and questions that we have, at least I have had, as a believer.   The Psalmist, Asphah, begins by acknowledging the goodness of the Lord to His people and to those who are pure and heart(vs 1).  God is good and understanding that He blesses the righteous are easy concepts to grasp right? But what about when you see the wicked prospering? What about those who don’t even acknowledge God?  Why do they look to be doing so well? ( verses 3-12) I am of course, paraphrasing here, but I know I had similar thoughts when I catch myself in a comparison game.  Like Asaph, my foot almost slipped when I take my eyes off of God and let envy creep in (verse 2).

Like Aspah, I have once wondered if doing the right thing was worth.  Was I just wasting my time trying to keep my heart pure.  Everybody is doing just fine, but everyday I wake up to a new problem.  Why does it feel like I am being punished? ( vs 12-14) I was there with Aspah.  I had let the my mind be twisted by a lack of understanding.  Sadly, I was in a hole and I just kept digging...But God.  

While I could not understand, God did.  And again, like Asphah, it was not until I entered His sanctuary that I begin to understand ( vs 17).  It was not until I entered into His presence that the light bulb came on.  I don’t need to focus on the wicked, God will handle them. What they have is merely a dream, but my inheritance from the Lord is eternal.  He is my portion. 

God is so merciful, kind and good.  I had become a bitter woman and grieved with pain (vs 21) I lashed out and acted like I had no sense. There should have been warning signs flashing all around me for my edges were jagged and raw.  I was “a brute beast beast before” Him ( vs22).  But God! He never left me. He allowed me to enter into His presence and stand before Him. He held my right hand and guided me with His wisdom and power ( vs 23-24).  He kept me and keeps me. He is my everything, all that I desire.  He is my portion forever.  

Real talk...yes, my mind and body grows weary.  And yes me  heart  gets faint, but I look to Him.  He is my strength and my hope. He says that He has made me, will carry me, sustain me and rescue me ( Isaiah 46:4). will stay close to God who is my refuge. When this part of life is over He will take me into glory (vs 24).  

Thank you Lord for not letting me fall.  Thank You for being my portion.  Thank You for holding my hand and preserving me.  Thank You for your word that counsels me.  Thank You Lord for being God.  In Jesus name.