Protection

journal 2002

I know that we do not fight against flesh and blood,  but I forget so often and think it is the person that is hurting my feelings or making me mad.  Sometimes, it's me. I'm the selfish one, wanting my own way. Either way, I have to remember to fight with the armor that God has given me.
Who could my enemy be:  Spirit of Control,  Spirit of Fear, Spirit of Gluttony, Spirit of Willfulness, Spirit of Selfishness, Spirit of Deception,

I need to know how to fight these enemies.
1.  Know the truth - The  Truth will set me free.
            I am a child of God, I have the spirit living in me, I can do all things through Christ, these are just  
            some of the truths.                                

2. Find protection in righteousness
               tell the truth, make restitution if necessary, forgive

3, Keep your faith strong - the enemy does not play fair.  He will tell you things to try to weaken your faith,
             and make you doubt yourself and God.

4.  Helmet of Salvation to always remind you that you are protected because you are a child of God.

5. Most important - Know the Word of God-  whatever the enemy says to throw you off balance ( you
              know -make you mad, or depressed, or selfish or a know-it-all) There is a word of truth to
              to counteract that dart.

You have to know the word of God to fight against the evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against those mighty powers of darkness who rule this world  and against wicked spirits in the heavenly realms.
             

Who is Your Enemy?

Journal 2002

Have faith that I will drive out the enemy still living in your promise land. Do you believe I can do what I say I will do?  Who is your enemy? Hint: It is not a person.  You don't fight against flesh and blood but against the evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against those mighty posers of darkness who rule this world and against wicked spirits in the heavenly realms.

Now, answer. Who is your enemy?  Fear.  Fear kept me from doing the right thing is college, now Fear is keeping me from moving forward in my calling.
" Do you think I am greater than Fear?"    "Yes, I do?"
"If I live in you and I am greater than Fear, then what is stopping you from moving forward? " " I don't have the knowledge or the know-how.  And I don't want to look stupid."
"Then I will place people, and opportunities for you to learn in your path. Look for them. Watch for them so you do not miss your opportunity."

Fear has no leverage on you. Nether does Control. No person has control over you unless you give them control.  Don't worry about any one person. Give them to me and do what is right. Then you will have peace. .

My Dinosaur Dream - Journal Nov. 1995

In a dream I had,  My family and I were living in a Jurassic age with dinosaurs yet with modern amenities.  I was watching several children play in my backyard, but had to leave to deliver papers. (strange, I know)  One parent, in particular, began fussing at me because she felt I did not keep her son safe from the dinosaurs. She did not like the way I protected the children.
I finished my paper route and as I approached a place (not sure where or what place) there was a T-Rex standing at the door. I entered through the back door and ran to find my children. (I remember feeling scared for their safety thinking they had been left alone). But as I entered, the placed changed to a sanctuary. There were many friends, family and strangers gathered here. I found my family and hugged them all and told the "Momma's back".

There are many things in the world and in our life that are ready to devour our children, our family, even us. We've got to watch for the dinosaurs in our lives that will hinder our relationship with God. The sanctuary represented that.  Though I was distracted for a bit, I'm back  and watching for the dinosaurs.

What dinosaurs are in your life ready to devour your relationship with family, friends and God.

Mercy

Love is great, grace is good and mercy is precious!

A while back,I wrote about grace. God's grace covers our sin but so does mercy. So what's the difference between grace and mercy. Grace covers our first time sins.  That sin that we didn't know was sin until it was revealed.  Then Mercy takes over.  We know about that sin now. We really don't have any excuse for committing that sin again but if we do God's mercy covers us. We repent, and we continue.

Here is something now the God has shown me. Mercy continues to cover our sorrowful hearts, but if we continue the same sin, discipline will be inevitable. Our flesh is strong and a bad habit is hard to break, God understands that.  But we can't become complacent trying to break it thinking always mercy will cover it.  God does not want us to continue in that sin.  Love Him and seek His wisdom.  He will show you the way out from understand your sin.  

"Seek Me and know me."  says the Lord. 

Keep Reflecting

Daughter, I have called you by name.  I have created you for my glory. Keep reflecting my light.  Don't be afraid, I am with you.  Don't let it flicker in the darkness, but let it shine as bright as the sun itself.  I'm here with you, in you, and beside you...day and night. How I long for time with you. Don't forget in the mist of your shining, you make time for me. I enjoy you taking time to be with me. I enjoy you!

Sin and Grace

All my life I have heard grace explained as 'God's riches at Christ expense'. But, I'm sorry, what the heck does that mean.  It's a cute allegory of GRACE but I don't think it explains what grace is very well. I thought I had an understanding when I heard a preacher explain grace. He said that when we sin, we fall down, we fall short of God's standards. But then Christ comes along and picks us up, brushes of the "dirt", and tells us 'Ok, now, no more of that. Continue doing my will.'"  I like that. But lately God had been giving me a knew understanding of grace.  

Sin is ugly. I, personally, don't like thinking about it, so often I don't. But today I am.  I love my Jehovah God. He is good and holy and righteous - aka perfect. I - am not.  Being human I fall short of his standards.  I just can't meet them.  But it is a goal to continue to reach for. In the mean time, God can't look on my sin. In a nut shell- He hates sin, but he loves me to much to leave me hanging.  In the old testament, people would have to kill  and sacrifice animals to cover their sin and God would pardon them. But that way had it's problems, God people saw it as a tradition, a have-to, practice to make God happy. They would bring their sacrifice and nothing would change inside of them.  So.... God had a better plan for man to atone of sin. His son, Jesus, would sacrifice himself.  Now, all people needed to do was repent, no more bundle-some animal to carry around.

Now, think about this, Jesus said I am the vine and we are his branches. He plucks off the branches that aren't doing anything for him; and he fine tunes those that are loving him believing him, trying to succeed so they will love him more,believe him more, and succeed at trying. 

Here is what he has been showing me.  Grace covers the pruning time. Many think they are doing OK.  They go to church, tithe, pray, do good for others, but God says we can do better. Because we didn't know we could do better, HIS GRACE was covering us then. Now he is pruning us, so we can believe greater, pray greater, love greater, but it is still not going to be as great as HE, so until that day, His grace will be sufficient. 

Christ blood holds alot DNA for our SIN.  His blood covers much!  Thank you, Lord, for your grace. 

Speak Truth

For  my morning devotions, I am going do to a study on Character traits. I want to be a good branch on the Vine.

Truthfulness - Ephesians 4: 25(NIV)  Therefore, each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to your neighbor, for we are all members of one body.

(The Message)  What this adds up to, then is this: no more lies, no more pretense.  Tell your neighbor the truth.  In Christ's body we're all connected to each other, after all, When you lie to others, you end  up lying to yourself.

Being truthful 100% of the time is a goal to reach. It's being honest on a consistent bases. Be honest with one another, be truthful.  Just keep trying, and grace will cover you for the times your not.  When you wake in the morning determine in your heart, today I will be truthful in all occasions, whites lies included.
God desires us to be truthful in all that we do. We don't have to be hateful or hurtful but we do have to be honest.

God, give us the words to speak as we learn to speak truth to our fellow man, especially in times when we feel fearful of backlash or we want to save face.  We want to be better people in your sight. I love you, Jesus.

Listening to God

As the eagles soars over the mountains so I soar with you. 

So as the moon reflects the sun's light so I reflect in you. 

You are my beloved daughter, How proud I am of you.

How glad I am to know you. So much I want to share with you.

Come up, Daughter of Zion, Come up.

The mountain awaits where Love and Tranquility lay waiting for you.

Where my peace is absorbed in your very being.

Know that I love you, MY daughter, and I have called you by name.

Hear Me.....Listen......

Hollow Be Your Name

Prayer:  The Lord's Prayer

From Matthew 6: 9-13  “This,then, is how you should pray:  “‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name,

Daughter, I want you to remember that I am your Father, I am the one who cares for you, provides for you, loves on you, I am looking down from heaven on you. When you come to me in reverence and respect, you show me your childlike character and I am pleased. I have many names. Each name represence My character and nature.  I am Jehovah, God. I am above all, There is no other god. When you come to me and you hollow my name , you are giving Me the respect and place of honor that I deserve.  I turn My head to listen, I give ear to hear you.  Get to know me I love You!

From Blue Letter Bible:

THE NAMES OF GOD OLD TESTAMENT NAMES FOR GOD

ELOHIM......Genesis 1:1, Psalm 19:1 meaning "God", a reference to God's power and might.

ADONAI......Malachi 1:6   meaning "Lord", a reference to the Lordship of God.

JEHOVAH--YAHWEH.....Genesis 2:4   a reference to God's divine salvation.

JEHOVAH-MACCADDESHEM.......Exodus 31:13   meaning "The Lord thy sanctifier"

JEHOVAH-ROHI......Psalm 23:1   meaning "The Lord my shepherd"

JEHOVAH-SHAMMAH.......Ezekiel 48:35   meaning "The Lord who is present"

JEHOVAH-RAPHA.........Exodus 15:26   meaning "The Lord our healer"

JEHOVAH-TSIDKENU......Jeremiah 23:6   meaning "The Lord our righteousness"

JEHOVAH-JIREH.........Genesis 22:13-14  meaning "The Lord will provide"

JEHOVAH-NISSI.........Exodus 17:15   meaning "The Lord our banner"

JEHOVAH-SHALOM........Judges 6:24  meaning "The Lord is peace"

JEHOVAH-SABBAOTH......Isaiah 6:1-3 meaning "The Lord of Hosts"

JEHOVAH-GMOLAH........Jeremiah 51:6  meaning "The God of Recompense"

EL-ELYON..............Genesis 14:17-20,Isaiah 14:13-14  meaning "The most high God

EL-ROI................Genesis 16:13  meaning "The strong one who sees"

EL-SHADDAI............Genesis 17:1,Psalm 91:1 meaning "The God of the mountains or God Almighty"

EL-OLAM...............Isaiah 40:28-31  meaning "The everlasting God"

Do Not Worry About Tomorrow.

Daughter, don't worry about tomorrow. It'll come soon enough with all its joys and woos. Think on this day. I haven't just ask you, I have told you to do this. For this is the day I have given you. I am not in yesterday, It is gone, it's done, fini nor am I in tomorrow. It has n't come yet, but I am here today. My presence is in the present. = )  I know you are concern for the future, but when you worry about it, you heap on yourself all the troubles of that day as well as todays troubles. Your human being was not meant to carry such a heavy burden. In spite of what you think, you are a frail child and you will stagger under such weight of days  ahead. I never intend that for you.

Throw off that blanket of worry, doubt, frustration. How?  Trust Me with it. Give it to ME to carry. I've got your future. I know your days. Trust Me. I see what's head and I will not let you fall. I've got you in a safe place. A place of peace and calmness.  My Presence is a place to protect you from Frustration, Confusion, Anxiety.   Come to ME, daughter, and I will give you rest.

 Matthew 6:34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself.  Each day has enough trouble of its own.
Psalm 118:24  This is the day the LORD has made; We will rejoice and be glad in it.

Be Full of Joy

Daughter, I am here, I am yours for all eternity.  Nothing can take ME away from you. I am here when you lie down at night and I am here when you wake in the morning.  My ever-loving presence is with you always.  Focus on Me. Focus on being in my presence during this day.  The more you spend time in my presence the more you will enjoy your day.  I made you to enjoy life.  Walk through this day with childlike  anticipation of things to come. It please me so much to see you happy and full of joy.  This is a gift.  My heart hurts when my children walk around with sour faces and a hardened hearts. They do not recognize or acknowledge the blessings I have given them as special just for them. When they walk with a disheartened attitude they are showing the world they do not trust ME.  But when you, daughter, smile and acknowledge the blessing I have given especially for you,  you are showing the world your trust in ME, That pleases ME and fills ME with joy for you.  When you glorify MY name and and speak of my gifts for you, then you are proclaiming MY presence to the watching world. Know, daughter, that I love you!

John 10:10   The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.

In Weakness and In strength

Daughter, remember that in your weakness, I am made strong.  Come to me when you feel week.  Snuggle with me and feel my strength.  Do not despise your weakness, embrace it.  Come to me, child, and let me shine through your weakness.  Your weakness draws me closer and brings out the compassion in me.---my yearning to help. I see your journey and understand how difficult it has been for you.
Accept your weakness and do not compare yourself with others who seem to have it together, who can to what you can not.  Their journey is their own. You, you have your own journey. This path that I have you own will allow Me to show my power through you. This path will allow your spirit to grow and blossom in My presence. Rather than trying to hind it and pretending in doesn't exist; rather than being frustrated with your weakness, allow my love for you bless you greatly through it.

Romans 9:17  For the scripture says to Pharaoh: I raised you up for this very purpose, that I might display my power in you and that my name might be proclaimed in all earth. (NIV)

Isaiah 54:10  Though the mountain be shaken  and the hills be removed, yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken nor my covenant of peace be removed, says the Lord. (NIV)

Praise Day and Night

My dear darling Daughter,  I love you so much. I LOVE You. I have created you. You are my special one that I love. You are a rose among thorns; a lily of the valley. You are MY beautiful one. And I adore you. You are mine. I have written your name on the palm of my hand.  And no one can take you away from me.  I want to spend time with you. Come to me and lets spend time together. Let your praise rise up.  I love to hear you sing, see you dance, laugh with your laugh. Bring your praise in the morning, afternoon, evening, anytime.  I will be hear listening to you. I will even listen in the night when all is quite. When you praise me, I will protect you, I will avenge you, I will provide for you. My work has no end. When you praise me, the evil one runs, he can not be where I am. I am in your Praise day and night, daughter! Come!

I Am Looking at Your Heart

Dear Darling Daughter, I love you and this is a new day.  A fresh day to start things new. I am looking at your heart. You physical heart is pumping the fresh new red blood through your veins to nurture each part of your body. But by the time it reaches the heart again, your blood is tired and depleted of the oxygen your body needs. So it gets pumped back through the heart to get a "refill" of oxygen. Take care of your physical heart so you will have plenty of rich, healthy oxygen to supply to your body.  It has a long way to go before it reaches your heart again.
Your emotional heart is depleted and is in need of refreshing. You've been living off of what was and you're tired. So when emotional situations comes along, you can't or won't help as much as you desire.  How can you?  There isn't much "red oxygen" left. Take care of your emotional heart, so when you need to stand strong, you can. COME TO ME with all your aggravations, disappointments, hurts, confusions, and worries and feeling of sadness.  I can replenish you with encouragement, beauty, joy, love, kindness.  Let me be the one to refill you with hope and  joy. Come to me. Let me be the one to refresh you and replenish you so you can continue to give comfort and hope to others how need it.
I see, too, your spiritual heart. I see your are trying to replenish the old spirit with a new and fresh spirit. You know you are in need and on the brink of drying up. Praise me, daughter, praise ME.  Praise is the heart. Praise will bring you the new and fresh "red oxygen" your spirit needs to keep on keeping on. Praise in ME is your lifeline to spiritual revival.  Praising ME is like taking a shower after treading through mud all day. IT will refresh your soul, and spirit.
Come to me, Yesterday is done, gone, all your fresh new blood of yesterday has been used up. If you don't come to me, then you are riding on empty and where are the nutrients in that. There is none. I AM your heart.  I will give you what you need for the day. I will equip you for this day.

Praise as a Protector

2 Samuel 22:4:  "I call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised,  and I am saved from my enemies. 

He is so worthy of praised. I really don't do it enough throughout the day to tell him how great he is. We praise the works of great men like Albert Einstein, Thomas Edison, Mark Twain, doctors, lawyers, writers, inventors, but hasn't God done all those things and more. Hasn't He written books. He had scribes to write for him, nevertheless, He wrote them. He created/invented the Heavens and the Earth, all creatures,  and ME and You. He's a doctor, a lawyer, a counselor, a parent, a friend, a protector and a banker.  He is the Great I AM.  He is so worthy of praise.  Praise causes him to look on us with pleasure!

Here is something I learned a while back. The more we praise, the more his presents is revealed.  Psalm 22:3  But Thou art holy, O Thou that inhabits the praises of Israel.

I had a crazy vision one time, during my quite time when I was thinking about this verse.   I remembered a song by the Christian group, the Imperials. Russ Taff sang the song,  Praise the Lord;  He can work with those who praise Him,
                  Praise the Lord;  For our God inhabits praise,
                  Praise the Lord;  For the chains that seem to bind you
                  Serve only to remind you that they drop powerless behind you
                 When you praise him.
Suddenly, I could picture God surfing a wave of praises and with his sword in his hand and He's is calling back to his army of angels warriors, "Come on boys, the praises are high."  I realize this may sound childish,even foolish, to many but there is a verse that God uses the foolish things of the earth to teach those wise in their on eyes. I can picture Fear, Anger, or  Depression turning and running for its life when I praise God and give Him something to ride on.   God showed me that when I praise,  he sends his angel army  to defend me and protect me from the enemy. That is so exciting for me. I don't have to suffer with depression or anxiety, or anger, and self-pity. That is where the enemy, Satan, wants you. Then He showed me this verse,  Form the lips of children and infants, you have ordained praise because of your enemies, to silence the foe and the avenger. Psalm 8:2.  

How glorious  to know we have a God that will protect us in all circumstances.

Praise as a weapon

Psalm 149:6-7   May the praise of God be in their mouths and a double-edged sword in their hands, to inflict vengeance on the nations and punishment on the peoples. 

Praise is a powerful weapon in the battle for our emotions.  Lifting our hands, singing shouting, crying to the Lord can be a humbling experience. But when we do choose to praise him, we are inviting him to work through us, to battle for us. Having praise as a weapon is exciting to me.  I have a weapon against against fear, anxiety, insecurity, depression, anger. Those emotions don't hurt anybody except me. I've realized that they are not part of my personality, why would I want to hang on to them.  When a situation in the physical realm rears its ugly head to cause us to feel those ungodly emotion,  a battle for dominance begins in the spiritual realm.  I have to choose to pick up my weapon of Praise.  It is greater then any two-egde sword.  My circumstances may not change right away, but my attitude will.

Not to long ago, my mother and I had a fight that caused us not to speak to one another for several days.  We both had said things that hurt each other.  One evening, as I was wallowing in my own self-pity, I began to feel" the nudge".  You know the nudge from God when he wants you to do something.  "No way. God, you heard the things she said to me. I am too angry."  I felt the feeling in my spirit to pray for her. "I don't want too pray for my mother. I just want to stay here in my anger, hurt and miserable feelings for a while longer". (Like that would fix her -right?)   Can you picture this argument?  Can you guess whose going to win? Still the burden to pray for her would not let up, instead it just got stronger. So I started of grudgingly. "I praise you." I praise you." "I praise you."  This went on for several minutes. Now granted not everyone has this experience, but this is what helped me.  Then I started in on the things that were good in my life; praising and thanking him for who he is and want he has done.  The next thing I knew I was praising him for my mother and that led into praying for her the way he wanted me to pray for her.

Have a blessed day!

Thoughts on Praise -Part 1

Acts 16:26  About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing praises to God, while the other prisoners listened.


Life is good, right now. No drama from my middle schooler. No car accidents from my college kid. And my husband's chronic back pain is manageable. Praise the Lord. My husband received a bonus not too long ago. PRAISE the Lord. And our 23 year marriage is pretty good, no major meltdowns from my 14 year-old and the 20 year old recently got a job! Praise the Lord.


Not too long ago, it wasn't so easy to praise the Lord.  Within a 3 month period,  my son was in his second car accident, (fender bender, his fault, but not hurt) and received another speeding ticket. He's a great kid but his head had come unscrewed.  Then my daughter's best friend of 11 years decided she did not want to be her friend at all anymore. I cried with Laura for a day or two then we had to say enough and move on. Then this same "friend"  started bullying, total change of personality.  My daughter and I had to keep reminding ourselves of God's love for her.   There are other things too, money doesn't seem to stretch as far as it once did and of coarse all the cars had problems that needed fixing at the same time.   Needless to say, praising God was tougher. (i know they are those in worse situations,  put yourself here as you read. I hope it will give you encouragement)


Acts 16, Paul and Silas found themselves in a unforgiving situation.  Because they casted out a demon in a servant girl, her master brought charges against them.  They were whipped and thrown into a cell.  Not just any cell but the inner cell with no windows therefore no fresh air and  they were chained. Ca you inagine the filth, the stench in the air and the pain from the chains?  Yet scripture tells us that about midnight they were sing praises, songs and praying when suddenly God brought on an earthquake.  Their chains fell off, their jail doors swing open and they have the perfect opportunity to escape yet they choose to stay saving the life of the guardsman who was about to kill himself.  Instead Paul and Silas told him about the love of God and that night this guardsman and family receieved Christ as Savior.
Now, there are a ton of lessons one can learn from this passage but since we are talking about praise, I want to focus on the fact that Paul and Silas were praising God, singing songs, and praying inspite of they horible situation.  What a great example of praising God when life is not exactly Mr. Wonderful.  Praise is an expression of gratitude to God for all the wonderful things he has done. Praise is expressing thankfulness. It's, also, Showing Him how much he means to me.  Praise can be a song, a dance, hand motions, words of exaltation. Praise can be a quite smile given to Him or music from a quitar, piano, drums or the beat of spoons.


Praise is a choice; it's not a command. God doesn't need my praise to make him feel more Godly. (He can't be anymore God than he already is) but rather praise is for me to remember who God is. Praise is a reminder that in difficult situations, God is still in control. We have to remember all the good that is around us. (Look around and see the good.)


More about Laura and her "Friend." The very night her friend broke off relations, Amy, her brother's girlfriend, called to invited Laura to see a movie with her. Her treat. Laura loves Amy and Amy had no idea of 'broken friendship' situation.  Laura was glad to think about other things.  Another time when "Friend" was causing trouble, God showed up again.  This time, her brother, invited her to go with him to Sweet Frog , a favorite yogurt shop. "YES"  God did this 2 other times for Laura, until she could stand on her own.  She is still singing his praises for the comfort He brought her during those trying days.

Have Hope

Dear Friend,

Wow, life is tough sometimes, isn't it.  One minute everything is peachy with the wind at your back and the next minute you feel like the rug has been pulled out from under you. Do you ever feel like just throwing your hand up in the air and say, " Forget it, why try so hard?",  Sometimes, I'll go get into my SUV and just scream.  I feel better and more level head to face the challenge. But I have hope. Hope that the sun will rise tomorrow. Hope that things will get better.  Hope that I am not be the same person I was 10 years ago. I've several speakers say the phrase, " I'm not where I want to be but thank God I'm not where I used to be.  I surely don't measure up to God's standards but every morning I wake up, and I look outside at the beauty of the would, and thank him that his mercy is made new in my life  again.  I've put both feet on this side of the fence to follow him.  Yeh, sure, living with Christ will be scary, even frustrating at  sometimes. I don't know where he is taking me but I have to trust him. Lord knows, I don't dare trust myself anymore.  I can't count the many times I've made bad decisions and wrong choices only to end up flat on my face.   He's the only one who knows my path that I am to follow. AND because he's a good, no, a great God, I can trust that his  plans for me  will give me a future and hope. If I find myself on my face again, it'll be to give him all the praise and worship I know how to give him.

" 'For I know the plans I have for you,' says the Lord. 'They are plans for good and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.' "  Jeremiah 29:11

A Time to Reflect-

 I drove by a church one afternoon with a display of a rock and in front stood 3 'Roman Soldiers'.  They were young-looking gentlemen that must have been there for a while for they were laughing and clowning around. (Did I mention it was cold and rainy.)  The first thing that came to mind as I drove by, was "Oh, I need to come back Sunday morning to see what happens."

Yesterday was Good Friday.  The day we remember in our Christian faith, that Jesus, son of God and son of man, was crucified. Tomorrow will be the reason for our Christian faith, He rose from the grave conquering sin and death. Makes me feel a little choked up with praise for my Savior. But today, this day, the middle day, I wondered how Jesus' friends handled this day.  They had buried their friend the day before. Anyone who has buried a loved one will tell you, the day after feels numb.  You don't know what to feel. For the friends of Jesus, I think it might have been a time of reflecting, each with a favorite memory of their friend. For Mary Magdalene, perhaps she reflected the first time she meet Jesus.  The pharisees threw her at his feet.  Thinking she was going to be stoned and instead she was forgiven. For John, perhaps his reflection was of the day he saw Jesus transformed on the Mount of Transfiguration.  He couldn't believe his own eyes at the radiance of Jesus and seeing Moses and Abraham.  He was so awed stuck, overwhelmed with great emotion. (I think I would be too!) Perhaps John thought about the time just recently, when Jesus tried to tell him and the other disciples of the things that were going to happen, and they did take place. How he got in Jesus's face and told him he would not let it happen. And how Jesus, got upset with him and told him that these thing HAD to take place.  Perhaps John was thinking, "Now what, Jesus?"  For Peter, he was thinking about the time he saw Jesus walk on water.  He remembered how amazed he was at seeing him and how he wanted to do that. He remembered he tried to walk on water, too and almost drowned.  And how Jesus had to pull him out and save him.  Maybe Peter was thinking about how he told Jesus he would never deny him, and then he did.  And what made  this memory worse was Jesus told Peter he would deny Him(Jesus).  He loved Jesus how could he have done such a thing.  For Mary, Jesus' mother,  a mother's broken heart for her son.  She must have reflected on the day Jesus was born. How he was born in that smelly, small manager. How she counted his perfect, little 10 fingers and toes. How she wrapped him in those blankets and Joseph took care of them.  She thought about how an angel of the Lord came to her just 9 months early, to tell her she was chosen to be the mother of the Savior of the world. Did she understand then what she understands now.  Nevertheless, a mother's loss and a broken heart. Perhaps she, also, reflected on His first miracle.  A friend's daughter's wedding, no more wine for the guest;  she just knew she was supposed to tell Jesus. What was it He said? "It's not my time, yet."?  Still, He took water and turned it into wine, the best!  Did Mary reflected  on all time when she was with him and listened to him talk as if the very words He spoke was from God himself. How she wishes she could have understood her son better,  but how could she understand the very son of God.

What are your reflections, today, about Jesus.  What are your favorite memories of him: a story, a pray, a dream,  a miracle.  Today, make it a time of reflecting on His love for you.  Happy Easter, my dear friend!

Adventures in an Old Barn - An Early Memory

I was young, maybe 5-6 when I first ventured to the barn. This old barn had definitely seen better days. The peeling red paint and boarded up windows made this place as mysterious as the creature in 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. The place called to me  "Come play, come climb, explore...."  Walking up I imagined the barn was guarded  by a fire-breathing dragon protecting its treasures inside.  l looked for a way in, then I spotted a place where the door and ground would meet but the ground had been worned away and created a slight dip in the earth.  It created a space just big enough for a slender little body to squeeze under.  I took the challenge. Taking a deep breath, I dove under the fire-breathing dragon and crawled under the double doors.

The space inside the barn was huge - at least two football fields side by side.  I stood in awe and wide-eyed trying to see everything at once. It was one massive playground. The ceiling seemed to reach heaven.  There were lofts and two huge doors where hay was once stored.  There were two windows in the loft area where sunlight was streaming and the rays showed the dust floating trough the air like miniature kites in a soft sea breeze.  There was an intense smell of stirred up dust  and  motor oil from the tractors. I could see the black thick goo under one of the tractors.

My eyes grew large and my heart pounded with the thought of getting caught.  Over in the far corner there were shelves of oil cans, a stuffed burlap bags, a rope, a large, metal hook, rakes, shovels, and  a ladder  and other stuff I didn't know. There were three big tractors and one small tractor in the barn and oddly a table with chairs around it. I went over to take a closer look and found cigaret butts. I sniffed one and choked on the terrible smell. I quickly put it back.

Suddenly, with a little help from my imagination, I climbed the nearest tractor but it wasn't  just a tractor . It was my get away car from The Evil Mother who grounds little children for not taking a bath.  A rope hanging from the center beam of the ceiling became my airplane crossing a river filled with hungry crocodiles and pirañas. When the engine of the plane began to sputter and stall,  I fought to land safely on the other side. Whew!  Something caught my eye and I  looked up to see a tiny bird had found its way into the barn. Suddenly, it's no longer a sweet little bird but a giant terradactile in search of food. It spots me and I run for cover under the table. I take the chairs to beat him off. He finally gives up and flies off in search of another little girl. I come out from under the table slowly  and  cautiously. As I point to the rafters , I shout, " GO eat some other little girl but you're not  having this one,not today!"

In the distance, I could hear the lone cry of the mother wolf calling me to dinner. With the Terridactile nowhere to be seen, I felt  safe to start my journey across the desert floor, the baring sun became too much.   Hot and thirst, I barely made it alive to the other side where a little(and I mean little) oasis of a town was. Holding a cup I found, I went to the bathroom pub to get fresh water.  As I approached the pub, I could hear cries of help. I turn to see my little brother being chased  by a man- eating lawn mower which had escaped from its chains.  But that rescue will have to wait for another day.  I heard a second call from the mother wolf and I knew I must hurry. I went to the escape doors fearing what I might see and there he was, just waiting for me.   How was I going to get passed that fire-breathing dragon that guarded the doors to my freedom and return to my homeland. No dragon would stand between me and my mother. I remembered my water bottle from the bathroom pub and quickly filled my container. I threw the water at the dragon and quickly dove under its wings. Safe!  I turned quickly toward the barn. With a sparkle in my eye, I knew I would return someday to save the prince from his demise. Then, with a skip and a hop, I ran down the lane where loving arms, a warm meal and a hot bath awaited me.

Lemonade and Jesus

You've heard the saying when life gets tough make lemonade?  Well, how do you make lemonade?  What if you don't even know the ingredients to make lemonade? No, there is more to this saying than is spoken.  Lemonade is refreshing and quenches the thirst for sure. Here are the three main ingredients: lemons, sugar, and water.  Mix together and stir, and drink. Simple as that.

Your spiritual life is like the making of a good thirst-quenching lemonade.  Your ingredients are God, the Father, Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit.  Now you're asking yourself "How are they like lemonade.?" or maybe you've already figured it out.  Lemonade needs each of those ingredients to  taste good.  One without the other just won't be lemonade and it defiantly won't quench your thirst. You will know that something is missing. The same is true with your spiritual life. You need all three triune to be complete. Each person of the Triune meets a need in your life. Without one your life is incomplete. You'll feel like you are missing something and can't quite put your figure on it. Today, Christ is putting his finger on it.

Do you need a Father figure in your life.  Are you looking for someone to fill that void in your life. You have searched and have choosen people who have not fulfilled that need.  God, your Father can.  He created the heavens and the earth. He created you and placed you in you mother's womb. He knew you before time itself.  AND He loves you. Yes, he really loves you. He will never tell you you're stupid, or hit you, or desert you. He knows what's best for you.  Why not ask him to show you what a true Father looks like and feel his warm of his loving arms.

Jesus Christ said " I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except by me."  Harsh right, not really.  God is holy, man, well, not so holy. Jesus is the bridge that can bring the two together.  You need a bridge to cross a river. In your spiritual life you need a bridge to cross the gap that sin caused separating you from God. So to make it simple, God asked his only son, Jesus, to sacrifice himself on a cross to become that bridge so you can meet your heavenly Father. How can you cross such a bridge?  The bible tells me that anyone who believes on the Lord Jesus Christ and speaks it with his mouth shall be saved. Simple as that.

The third part of this spiritual lemonade is the Holy Spirit. Bible, again, tells me that if we are going to worship God then we must  worship in spirit and in truth. You can't be fake about this. There is no getting around the fact that he is a parent who has eyes everywhere and knows everything before you do it. Christ gave us his spirit, his holy spirit, so we would know right from wrong and have a way to communicate with God, the Father. We receive the holy spirit when we accept Jesus as Savior; when we accept him as our bridge. The Holy Spirit is a person just as God, your Father and Jesus is a person. He will help you to communicate with God and Christ.

I could have gotten into all kinds of theology but that was not the purpose of this post. I just wanted people to know It's simple, not complicated as some people may want you to think: God is your Father, your parent, your guardian,your lover, your protector, your provider.    Jesus is your bridge so you can commune with God and have an example of how to live. And the Holy Spirit lives within you to  help you know right from wrong and help you communicate with God. Mix, stir and you will have peace.  Leave anyone out, and life won't be the same. It will be full of confusion, hardship, envy, malice, and the list goes on. 

Dear Friend, though we've not meet,  I just want you to be happy and at peace with your  surroundings.

Prayer series-Children

So yesterday, I started a series on praying for our children. This parenting job is tiring, and you can get beaten down if you don't have help.  But our Savior is here to the rescue.  We really do have a friend in Him, and He is willing to take on half of this parenting job.

In prayer we can bring him all our issues, not just children, and he will give us the answer.  This is simple christian prayer 101, but sometimes we need a reminder not to make it complicated.

1) Just because we've prayed once over a an issue doesn't mean we won't have to pray over it again.
If you child has a biting issue, are you going to discipline once and think that's the end. Maybe, if your child is an angel, but most likely she will bit again. So you discipline again.  Likewise, you pray again for you child to gain wisdom and understanding, and for you, pray for wisdom and strategy.
Another reason a parent needs to pray often on the same issue is children go through stages. You might have a problem with biting at two, you've prayed, gotten an answer suitable for a two year, and the problem seems to be solved, however at three not only is she biting but now she is kicking. You have to pray again.  What worked at two may not work at three.

 Every time "IT" (whatever "IT" is to you) raise it's ugly head, you pray. Praying will bring you peace in knowing God's power is at work on behalf of your child.
 
2) Another way to make praying complicated is trying to force our will onto our child in prayer.  We all want the best for our child.  We all want to see them succeed, especially in sports or academics or cheerleading.  Or wish them to be doctors, lawyer, big time accounts.  You know the kind of prayer I'm talking about.  "Lord, please allow Laura to get that big time promotion in NYC", (so I will have a place to stay when I visit NYC)   OR  "Lord, Please help Johnny make a 600 on all his SAT's" (so I can feel good about myself).  Thoughts in ( )'s are our unconscious thought whether we acknowledge it or not. But God might have different plans for them. Remember, He created them, He raised them up for His purpose not so we can have bragging rights. I must confess, I've been there, and I've done that and all it does is cause confusion, frustration and disappointment.

Our children need both parent's and God's guidance to make it in this crazy world. God's power will be working in our child's life as we pray.  It's never to late to get started. Whether your baby is 1 month or 30+ with wife and kids, you can make a difference through prayer.

inspiration -Day 3

I Raised You Up!


......."I raised you up for this very purpose, that I might display my power in you and that My name might be proclaimed in all the earth.  Romans 9:17


For a long time I thought God was comparing me to Pharaoh in this verse.  He gave me this verse after a life altering experience with him.  But Pharaoh was left to his own demise.  I, on the other hand, still had the choice to live my way or to live the way he had raised me.  I have purpose and so do you.  This is it:  so God can display his all wonder working power in you, for you,and around you (and me!).   And to proclaim his name to everyone. That thought excites me to no end that I might display God's power. 


Over the coarse of years, I have seen this power at work.  And I dare not close my eyes for fear of missing his power at work in someone else!   


He has raised YOU, dear friend, also for this very purpose, that he might display his power in you and the his name be proclaimed in all the earth. Where do you see God's power working in your life today?  To God be the Glory.

Prayer Series-Children

Parenting is the Best Job But Why Both to Pray!


*Note* My children are 21 and 15.  They are awesome kids, and while I would like to take most of the credit, I am giving all credit the God, my Father- the awesome parent that he is.  Years ago, He placed Stormie Omartain's books into my hands. And I have prayed each of those prayers over my children again and again as they enter different stages of their life.  It has been my desire to share with you these books and experience of raising Godly Children.  Thank you. 


Parenting is the best job.  It's also the hardest, the most joyous, the most exhausting and the most exasperating job you will ever have.  One minute you feel successful and so proud of your child and the next minute you want to strangle him. And just when you think you have mastered this parenting job, you discover you have a whole new set of rules.  With each new stage comes new rules and new challenges.  Whew! I'm tired just thinking about it.


But there is good news!  We don't have to throw our hands into the air and say "forget it, they will be what ever they will be." We don't have to let our children be left to chance.  We don't even have to be perfect! We don't have to pace the floor wondering where they are.  We don't have to dread the terrible two's or the tortuous teens. The secret.... not trying to do it all by yourself but turning to the Perfect Parent- God, the Father. We don't have to have all the answers all the time if we cover them in prayer to the Father.


I like the way Stormie Omartian put in her book, The Power of a Praying Parent, how we can partner with the Father. By giving our children to God on a daily bases, he will handle much of the burden and give them wisdom, power, protection and ability far beyond our own doing.  Our job is to love them, teach them, discipline them, nurture them and train them up to walk in the way they should go. We depend on God and He will see that our children are taken care of and blessed.

Inspiration
Day 2
                                           


Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.  Psalm 119:105

Have you ever had the electricity go out on you in the middle of the storm at night. Did you have to search for a candle or flashlight in the dark?  Were they easy to find?  Guesses are you had to make your way to their location very carefully, hoping you would not trip on anything.
Once you found them and you were able to turn them on, you had light to see where you were going.

God's word is compared to this situation.  Life can be like a dark room, not knowing where to go, afraid you will get hurt. Maybe you're already hurting.  God's word is a light, a trust source to show you your path. When was the last time you read a passage out of the Bible.  I want to encorage you do so know.

Find 2 verses that will encourage you to walk in the light of the path that God has for you. 

This is the Day!

Inspirational

Day 1

This is the Day!

This is the day the Lord has made,  Let us rejoice and be glad in it! Psalm  110:24

Every day is a gift from God.  He has given you another day to live. Rejoice in that.  He has given you another day to fulfill his plans for you; another day to sing his praises to family and friends. O, sister, you may be going hardships, but God has given you another day to make things right.  Have hope. He sees what is happening and he is greater than all that. 

Find 3 things to be joyful for, then thank him for those things.   

 Rejoice!