Keeping it fresh and new

There are two doors to our Master bedroom. One is a pocket door and the other a regular bedroom door. The other morning as I was sitting in the room reading our dog began to whimper and whine at the closed pocket door for access. 

I had already been up and about and I had gone back to bed to read. He however still wanted my attention. He wanted to be where I was and he was getting quite upset that he couldn’t get it in. 

I had a couple of choices, I could just get up and open the door and let him in or I could call out to him to go away. The yelling wouldn’t work because he is an older dog now and has lost his hearing.

All of the sudden I was in a “God” moment. That’s when things are happening around you and you get a nudge that says stop there’s something to learn here. 

So I stopped and observed. You see the interesting point was not that our dog wanted in through the closed pocket door, he just wanted to be with me, where he felt the action was and where he might get some attention. 

The interesting point was that the other door was wide open! But this wasn’t the door he normally came through to see me.

God tugged at my heart and said that’s what so many of His people are doing today. They’re looking for Him and trying to get to where He is, where He is suppose to be, but are trying to get in the same old way that is familiar and getting discouraged and frustrated because they can’t get to Him.

Are you looking for a fresh and deeper relationship with God but saying the same old prayers using only what’s familiar to you? Maybe reading the Bible the same way you have all of your life. The Spirit of God is constant yes but He is a Living Being Who is always moving around in our lives. 

It’s good that we want to be where He is, to hear His Voice, to read His Word but we need to be open to see that He may also have some other ways for us to get to Him.

Years ago I was in a Bible Study and a woman mentioned that in her quiet time she would often just play worship music in the dark, sit and wait on God.

I thought this was interesting so I tried it, and it worked for me too. I could feel His Love pouring all over me. I was getting His attention. Or should I say He was getting mine!

There have been other times when I felt I needed to hop in the car and go for drive and commune with God. There would be no particular destination but usually it would be somewhere in the hills or to the beach, closer to the beauty of His Creation. And guess what He was there too! I’d have the worship music playing, singing of my love to Him and He was right there with me.

I would see the beauty of His creation and watch His breath on the leaves of a tree in a distance.

By my willingness to respond to His prompting and try whatever it takes to get closer to Jesus to search Him out and spend time with Him, my relationship with Him has remained fresh and new over these 33 years of walking with Him.

It’s not to say that there haven’t been deserts in my walk and times of me banging against a closed door to get close to God but it’s been through those times that I have had to learn other access points to get to Him. 

How about you, do you need to experience the Presence of God in your life in a deeper way? How about adding a Sunday School class or Bible Study to your Church morning? How about trying a Home Group to get deeper in God’s Word and learn from others. 

How about hopping in the car, taking a pad of paper with you and your Bible and listen for that still small Voice as He leads you around.

17 I love those who love me, And those who seek me diligently will find me. Prov 8:17

13 And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart. Jeremiah 29:13

After seeing this revelation from God I got up and went out the opened door and peeked around the corner to see our pup sitting and waiting by the closed door. I tapped him on the shoulder, he jumped up and was thrilled to see me standing there, tail wagging away with a bounce in his step.

Is God tapping on your shoulder? Are you eager to be with Him? 

It’s time brothers and sisters to see where He is moving in your life, press in and look to see if there are new ways He wants to reveal Himself to you.

7 "Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. Matt 7:7

In His Loving Arms

A message of Hope for the parent of the wandering child...

Some words from our Father,

My heart aches with yours as your children stray from the teachings of Me that you so lovingly instilled in them. My eye has not turned away from them. There are lessons each one must learn so that they will come to better understand Who I am and who I have created them to be. Just like you, they will come back. I have them in My Loving Arms. Trust Me and draw hope and faith from My Words.

Prov 22:6 (MSG)

Point your kids in the right direction - when they're old they won't be lost.

Isa 43:4-7 (MSG)

That's how much you mean to me! That's how much I love you! I'd sell off the whole world to get you back, trade the creation just for you. So don't be afraid: I'm with you. I'll round up all your scattered children, pull them in from east and west. I'll send orders north and south: 'Send them back. Return my sons from distant lands, my daughters from faraway places. I want them back, every last one who bears my name, every man, woman, and child Whom I created for my glory, yes, personally formed and made each one.

Isa 43:1b (MSG)

Don't be afraid, I've redeemed you. I've called your name. You're mine.

I feel God wants to encourage you dear friends today, especially during this Christmas Season not to loose heart. God is at work in your child’s life. He has not given up on them. Draw on His strength that He gives you from the Holy Spirit. You are His instruments and have had to make some tough choices on their behalf. The road of a parent is not an easy one and sometimes it can be very lonely.

Don’t let the enemy consume you with despair, hopelessness and fear. Don’t let him distract you from the Word of Truth. God’s promises are Yes and Amen. Rejoice in the Lord, in His Faithfulness. Remember we walk by faith.

Hebrews 11:1 (NIV)

Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.

Still in His Loving Arms

Love unconditionally with His Love. Entrust your child with Jesus. Continue to pray for their protection and their hearts to be turned back to Him, step back and worship Him for He is worthy to be praised.

Nothing is too difficult for our God. He loves them and us so much that He came down to earth to reconcile us back to Himself. Don’t give up, don’t loose heart and remember they are Still in His Loving Arms.

Love and Blessings from your sister Pam.

Is the cost too high?

Do you do what you say you're going to do or do you rationalize your way out?

Hannah was a barren woman and constantly ridiculed by her rival Peninnah, Elkanah’s other wife, who was fruitful with many children. Hannah’s husband loved her dearly and gave her extra portions of food because she was without children.

One day Hannah went to the sanctuary and prayed in earnest to God petitioning Him to give her a son, with the promise that she will give the son back to God for His service. The Priest Eli agreed with her prayer and sent her off with a blessing from God.

11 Then she made a vow: Oh, God-of-the-Angel-Armies, If you'll take a good, hard look at my pain, If you'll quit neglecting me and go into action for me By giving me a son, I'll give him completely, unreservedly to you. I'll set him apart for a life of holy discipline. 1Sam 1:11

God heard Hannah’s prayers and gave her Samuel. God provided the very thing she had been longing for but she had made a vow to God, so now what would she do?

What will you do if God answers your prayer with a yes and grants your hearts desire? 

I think Hannah’s motive was primarily linked to the customs of their time. The chief value of a woman in biblical times was first her chastity and, after marriage, her reproductivity. If a woman was barren she had no value.

Hannah didn’t know at the time what role Samuel would play in God’s plan for mankind, a Priest, a Judge, the one chosen to identify King David in the great lineage of Jesus our Savior. All Hannah knew was that she wanted a child more than anything, if only just to find value as a human being.

How many times have you bargained with God? God, if You will save my child then I will .... God if You will heal my father then I will ... But do you follow through with your part? Do you try and justify your way out of giving up the thing that you bargained with because the cost seemed too high? Or when you do respond in obedience is it begrudgingly?

I think we can learn something from Hannah’s response. After her son was weaned she responds with a beautiful prayer of thanksgiving and sacrificially gives her only son back to the Priest to raise and serve God. Read 1 Sam 2:1-10

Granted, now she had value as a woman, but I’m sure there was a connection with her child and the sacrifice of letting him go must have been torturous. We don’t read that part but as women we can only imagine the agony she must have experienced.

So how does God respond to her gratitude and sacrifice? He blesses her with 3 more sons and 2 daughters. More than she could have dreamed possible.

I believe God is always searching our hearts. He wants to bless us. He wants to grant us our hearts desire as long as it's in line with His Word. He also wants people who will serve Him, obey Him, honor Him, trust Him, love Him and be thankful whether we see the response we want or not.

Can you trust God with your hearts desire? Will you follow through with your end of the bargain?

It’s a matter of integrity. I think too often we rationalize our way out of doing what we have promised; not only to God but to others and we limit the possibilities of further blessings in our lives. 

We have a New year coming and many resolutions will be given which often we ask for God's help with. How about this year we follow through with our part with a thankful heart and just see what will happen. 

Prayer:

Lord, I pray that we will be people of integrity. I pray that You will help us to honor our promises and commitments to You and others. Help us to receive all You have for us with an attitude of thanksgiving. In Jesus Name, Amen!

It doesn't go there!

Are you struggling today with what you should be doing next in your life? Maybe there is a big decision looming over your head. It’s so important to be willing to let go of all of our own preconceptions of what we think we need to do or how things should happen and trust in God’s Higher plan. 

The Spirit of God has been speaking to me over and over this year that He is in control and He has a plan. He knows the Big Picture. I believe it but do I live my life like I do?

In a recent conversation with my Prayer Partner we talked about our plans vs God’s plans. A visual was shared straight from God of our lives as a big puzzle thrown up in the air and in our quest to help Him we try to grab a piece of the puzzle and place it down where we think if should go. While God is saying, It doesn’t go there, let it go!

5 Trust God from the bottom of your heart; don't try to figure out everything on your own. 6 Listen for God's voice in everything you do, everywhere you go; He's the One who will keep you on track. Prov 3:5-6 (MSG)

10 Don't panic. I'm with you. There's no need to fear for I'm your God. I'll give you strength. I'll help you. I'll hold you steady, keep a firm grip on you. Isa 41:10 (MSG)

I have found that when I am willing to let go of my own thoughts and desires and entrust them with God, then I am able to rest in His Peace, His Timing and get better clarity of what's going on. I'm able to move forward in my day with confidence knowing that Someone Who's a great deal smarter then me is sorting out all of the details of my life and has my back.

What about you? Are you striving to make things happen in your life that maybe don't belong there? Are you stressing over what the future holds for you? I think it's time to throw the fragmented pieces of your life up in the air and let God put them where they need to be.

There's a phrase that has been used over and over again, but I think it really applies, Let go and Let God!

I encourage you to do it today and just wait and see what He will do in your life. I venture to say it will be more then you ever dreamed possible!

Lord- Please help us to trust You with every area of our lives. Forgive us for trying to cram things in where they don't belong. We choose not to panic about what we think the future holds but to rest in the knowledge that You are in control. Thank You that You know the Big Picture and have the Master Plan. We surrender to You Lord. Have Your way God in our lives today, we pray in Jesus Name, Amen!

Jesus cleared the path

How do you approach God? Do you feel like you have to be all cleaned up, dressed in your Sunday best before you can talk with Him? Do you skulk in, begging and pleading for Him to have mercy on you? Do you cower down while waiting for His mighty fist to pound you to dust because of your sin? Here's what the Word says:

19 So, friends, we can now - without hesitation - walk right up to God, into "the Holy Place." 20 Jesus has cleared the way by the blood of his sacrifice, acting as our priest before God. 21 The "curtain" into God's presence is His body. 22 So let's do it - full of belief, confident that we're presentable inside and out. 23 Let's keep a firm grip on the promises that keep us going. He always keeps His word. Heb 10:19-23 (MSG)

The devil wants nothing more then to convince you that you are unacceptable before God. He does not want you to know who you are because of the sacrifice of Jesus. Once you realize that you can boldly walk into God's Presence you will be changed. When you stand on God's promises that you are a New Creation, Holy and acceptable before Him, you will be changed.

Jesus did it all we just have to believe it!!!!!

Friends we should be walking with our heads held high in a spirit of rejoicing. We should freely dance before the Lord like David did because the path to God has been cleared by Jesus. Our sin is washed clean by His blood.

Quit letting the enemy rob you of the knowledge of what you have been freely given. Run into God's Presence. Live in an attitude of thanksgiving and rejoicing because of the Grace (unmerited favor) He has given you.

24 Let's see how inventive we can be in encouraging love and helping out, 25 not avoiding worshiping together as some do but spurring each other on, especially as we see the big Day approaching. Heb 10:24-25 (MSG)

Do you need to be encouraged today? Seek Him out, seek out His children. Hang out with the Body of Christ, offer your help if it's needed and talk about the goodness of God. Encourage each other about His Promises and share the miracles that He is doing in your life. Share God's goodness with non believers who are searching to be free too!

Read His Word, find out more about Who He is and who you are because all that He has done for you, just because He loves you!!

Brothers and sisters don't walk in defeat today, that is playing right into the devils hand. You are a child of the Most High God. You were bought and paid for with a price, the blood of Jesus. He cleared the path for you to walk continually in God's Presence. As one of our Pastor's at church says, WOW!

Lord please forgive us for listening to the lies that we are no good, that we can't talk with You directly. Forgive us for seeing You as a mean task master at times and not throwing our arms open wide, with a thankful heart and rejoice in Your Presence. Help us to cast off our hesitations and run into Your arms today, confessing those times of missing the mark and graciously accept the forgiveness that You died for us to have. 

Finally remind us to take time and encourage others in the faith. As we share the goodness You are doing in our lives it not only builds others up but it builds us up too!

Thank You Jesus for making a way for us to live today in Victory and spend Eternity with You!

Are you under construction?

30 "Set up the tabernacle according to the plan shown you on the mountain." Ex 26:30 NIV

This is God, The Architect, speaking to Moses, the foreman of the project.

Being one who has gone through a home remodel project and likely going to go through another, this really speaks to me about trust in someone else's vision and the willingness for construction to take place where I live. As well as the willingness to let go of something that's relatively comfortable to be changed to something spectacular.

God had a plan for His dwelling place. He knew what the Tabernacle etc. needed to look like and what it would take to make it happen. He knew the length of the panels, wood and all. He even SHOWED this to Moses in a drawing of some sort on the Mountain. I have a hard time wrapping my mind around that one. He pulled out the blueprint, maybe drew it out in the dirt and revealed the big picture to Moses.

Throughout Exodus we read all of the specifics of the design. Moses had to trust and obey all of the instructions. God continued to emphasis that Moses needed to solicit the help of skilled craftsmen to do some of the work. God knows all that needs to happen in our lives. He knows what it will take to create the end result that is needed. The work wasn't done over night,  it took along time to accomplish.

How does this affect us today? We must put our trust in Him and let Him take His Temple, where He dwells, and remodel us to look like Him. We need to let Him be the draftsman and follow the blueprint that He has laid out for us in His Word. He has shown us what the Big Picture should look like, in the Person of Jesus.

19 Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; 20 you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body. 1 Cor 16:19-20 NIV


10 and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its Creator. Col 3:10 NIV

15 He (Jesus) is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. Col 1:15

Now it's up to us to respond when He says get rid of this or that and replace it with such and such.
He has provided skilled workers in our lives to help us be all that we can be. People who may have already gone through something that we need to change or learn about like our Pastor's, Bible Teacher's, a mature follower of His that we see His Image, Jesus, revealed through.

Let's let Him be the Architect in our lives. Let's read the plans He's laid out for us and make the changes needed so we can be all that He has created us to be. All leading to the end result of being conformed into the Image of Jesus Christ. It won't happen overnight, it will take a lifetime of construction.

The good news is we don't have to do it alone. He has even given us the Foreman and Workman, His very Spirit, dwelling within us to give us the ability and strength to follow the plans. But we must be willing to surrender our thoughts and will to Him and let Him do the work in us. We must step out in faith and trust that He knows what needs to be done next and then we do it, through His power.

He knows what it's going to take to become the beautiful Image of Himself today, here on earth. His Temple in us; a place where His Spirit freely dwells and is able to move through to reveal Jesus to others.

Are you willing to be a construction site? Are you willing to let Him draw in the dirt of your life the Big Picture and go from someone relatively comfortable to someone spectacular?

Trust Him

The Lord will fight for you and you shall hold your peace. Ex 14:14

When you go through life doing what you feel God has told you to do sometimes it can feel like you’re fighting the gates of hell to move forward. You can feel very alone and isolated. No one seems to understand you and few seem to care. Know this, as a follower of Christ He has made you a promise that He is with you and will fight on your behalf.

This passage in Exodus is referring to God’s hand being at work on behalf of His children as He was bringing them out of captivity. They continued to grumble and complain because it wasn’t happening the way they expected it to. They needed to TRUST God that He was at work.

We, as His grafted in children through the sacrificial blood of Jesus, have a right to the same promise. He will and is fighting for us to accomplish what He has called us to do. What do we do, grumble and complain. Why? Because we don’t understand how He is working. We think we’re battling the situations we see before us but there very well maybe other battles that are going on that we are purposely in the dark on.

12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Eh 6:12

Are you stepping out in faith and doing what you feel God has asked of you? Hold fast and let Him work it out. Let Him fight the battles.

5 Trust God from the bottom of your heart; don't try to figure out everything on your own. 6 Listen for God's voice in everything you do, everywhere you go; he's the one who will keep you on track. Prov 3:5-6

Don’t be discourage brothers and sisters. God has a plan. He is at work in your life. Stop looking at the circumstances you’re in as your enemy and begin to Thank Him for them. He has made a promise to you. As His child He will never leave you nor forsake you. He will give you all you need, when you need it, to do what He has called you to do.

More than anyone this is a strong reminder to me. While I’m in the midst of so much activity, I must hold, treasure and guard my peace and know that I am right where He wants me to be. I need to let Him lead me and fight any battles that need to be fought. I need to stand against the lies of confusion, fear and discouragement. I need to put one foot in front of the other and know that as I press into Him He will lift me up.

Thank You Jesus for this reminder again. Thank you that I must rejoice and look forward with great expectation to the natural and the supernatural victories that are mine as I put my Trust in You!!