Wait...

Wait on the LORD; Be of good courage,
And He shall strengthen your heart;
Wait, I say, on the LORD!

~Psalm 27:14~

"In times of uncertainty, wait. Always, if you have any doubts, wait. Do not force yourself to any action. If you have restraint in your spirit, wait until all is clear, and do not go against it."

~ Streams in the Desert ~

We Are Daughters...

I was reading the other day in Genesis chapter 30 and my heart was touched by the fact that Leah so desperately wanted to be loved by Jacob, that she would do most anything for him to love her. I couldn't help but think of some women today, doing whatever they can do to earn the love of a man...or anyone. If only we could learn at a young age that we are Daughters of the Most High God and we never have to sell our selves out or compromise ourselves for love.

I think there are many women who feel that they have to be something other than what or who they are, to earn love and acceptance. It’s sad, but I must say I have been there. Although I learned an earthly example of my Heavenly Father’s love through my husband, I felt I always had to earn love from other people by what I did.

There were some hard lessons through the years, but God taught me and worked with me to see that I was of value to Him just because I was His Daughter. I still can fall into the Enemy's trap of wanting to be loved and feel like I have to do things to earn it. When that happens, the Lord will prick my heart and remind me that I don't have to do that because love should be given freely.

Poor Leah, she was never loved they way that she desired. She wasn't a perfect woman she certainly did many deceitful things. She reminds me of the woman who is unlovely, difficult to love, the woman who is always left out.. the underdog. The kind of woman who always strives to be loved and yet is always on the outside looking in. These are the kinds of women that always touch my heart and I find myself drawn to them.

Oh, please if you find that I have described you in this post won't you please realize that you are of value and you are LOVED because you are a Daughter of the Most High God...He created you!

"He created us because He delights in us."

~Beth Moore~

Run After Jesus...

"And He will give you everything you need from day to day if you live for Him and make the kingdom of God your primary concern."

Matthew 6:33 NLT

"Jesus is life, Girlfriends, Jesus if Life. Let's run after Him with every ounce of energy we have."~Beth Moore~

I've asked myself so many times what am I running after. In years past, I remember running every day working for Jesus and each day got busier and busier. One day many years ago, I realized that all the different ministries I was involved in kept me so busy that I didn't have time for Jesus. I have always been involved in a women's study, but to me that wasn't necessarily sitting at His feet sharing intimacy with Him.

I learned a very valuable lesson..it isn't so much what God wanted me to DO for him, but it's what He wanted me to BE. Doing and being both take energy..and at different seasons in our lives, God may ask us to do more for Him. God is always asking us to BE..Be in love with Him, Be in His Word, Be at His feet, Be hopeful, Be merciful, Be everything Jesus sets the example to BE.

Running after Jesus with every ounce of energy that I have, means being careful and being wise on how I use my energy. A friend of mine who also has chronic illnesses, says she has a teaspoon of energy with a cup full of things to do. That's how I feel...and if I didn't already have a cup full of things to do..there's plenty more things I dream of doing.

If you find yourself in this place today...Seek first His Kingdom...and run after Jesus with all the energy that you have. Run after Him and then you'll know what things He wants you to DO. But always remember..He always wants You to..BE!

God bless your day!

Jesus Can..

"No storm is so great, no wave is so high, no sea is so deep, no wind is so strong, that Jesus cannot either calm it or carry us through it."

~ Anne Graham Lotz ~

The Father's Chisel...

"The present circumstance, which presses so hard against you (if surrendered to Christ), is the best shaped tool in the Father's hand to chisel you for eternity. Trust Him, then. Do not push away the instrument lest you lose it's work."
~Streams In The Desert~

I can think of so many times in my life that I didn't recognize that the greater work would be done in me, if I just surrendered to the instrument that God was using to chisel me. One time in particular, I thought I was surrendered, but in reality I was just existing in a state of emptiness. I was empty because I was wounded and filled with hurt, self pity, resentment and bitterness. When wounds get that infected, God needs to take a chisel to scrape them before the healing can begin. I did as the quote above states, I pushed the instrument away....growth was delayed and the healing process took longer.

That was a long time ago, but if I could change one thing, it would be that I would soak myself in the Word yielding myself to the deeper work God wanted to do. I didn't fall away spiritually, I just didn't let the healing balm of Jesus comfort me. All I could think of was how much I hurt and wanting it to go away.

The deeper work was done. I let the chisel do its work and there was healing. Sometimes those deeper works can't be put into words because they are so profound in your heart. That was one of those times. I might have delayed the healing, but healing eventually came. The Father was waiting for me to trust Him....if you find yourself in this place today, won't you trust Him to use His chisel to shape you for eternity? The longer we put it off and push the instrument away, the more there will be to be chiseled and the longer it will take to heal.. Start the process...surrender.

" My heart trusts in Him and I am helped."

Psalm 28:7

Originally posted in 2008

His Grace Sustains...

"You and I may indeed find ourselves overwhelmed at times – at the end of our rope and beyond.But we will never fall farther than the palm of His hand.

And where He has called us, His grace will sustain us."

~Joni Earekson Tada~

I was thinking this morning that I just couldn't get caught up and thoughts of being overwhelmed set in. Living with chronic illnesses can feel like your feet are stuck in the mud and every step can be an effort. That's where I am at and I fee like I have been for weeks..ever since the tea. Wait, maybe since Christmas. I manage to keep on top of things, but I want to do more...I want to reorganize the entire house, spring clean..it would be summer clean at this point, read, study, socialize, be more involved, have unlimited energy for my grand girles, answer emails promptly, ride my bike....Sounds of discontent are echoing, I hear them. The thing of it is..I didn't feel completely this way yesterday. So, it's the fatigue talking and maybe a few whispers of the enemy.

This quote says, where God has called us His grace will sustain us. I know I am where I am suppose to be, doing what I am suppose to be doing...His grace is enough and tomorrow will be another grace filled day.

"My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me."

2 Corinthians 12:9

Quote For Today...

"Nothing happens by happenstance. I am not in the hands of fate, nor am I the victim of man's whims or the devil's ploys. There is One who sits above man, above Satan, and above all heavenly hosts as the ultimate authority of all the universe.That One is my God and my Father."

~Kay Arthur ~

Our Journey...

"God doesn't always take us on the shortest route on our journey."

~ My friend, Honey ~

Amen, Amen Amen....

God's Curriculum...

"God's curriculum for all who sincerely want to know Him and do His will, always includes lessons we wish we could skip...With intimate understanding of our deepest needs and individual capacities, He chooses our curriculum."

~ Elisabeth Elliot ~

We have all experienced things in life that we wish we could skip right over. Maybe you are in that place right now. When I look back over the difficult things that have happened in my life, those very things I thought would kill me, actually made me stronger. I never realized it at the time that I was growing stronger, but when the next trial came a long..I was stronger and it was then, that I saw the growth in me.

God has a curriculum written for each one of us. He alone knows what it will take to do that deeper work in us and to be an example to others. If all we do is grumble at how hard life is, we will be missing those deeper things He wants to teach us.

Part of the curriculum that God has chosen for me is living with several chronic illnesses. I can't even list all the things that He has taught me the last 16 years as I have made the journey through illness and pain. I have been discouraged more times than I can remember. God has always faithfully picked me up and and encouraged me in one way or another. He's been faithful at every turn and every trial. The trial or illness didn't always go away, but He was faithful to give me the strength to press on and press through each and every time. If you think about it, what choice do we have? We can either go through the things in our life with God or without Him. We can choose to grow closer to Him or to be mad at Him.

I only want to go deeper with the Lord. Things are difficult enough in this life... I don't want to go through things more than once to learn the same lesson all over again because I missed it the first time. I have done that before. Things were almost more painful the second time around. My prayer is, "Lord, don't let me miss what it is you are trying to teach me. Pleassssseeeeeee I don't want to have to do this again." (:

God loves us so much that He writes individual curriculum for each one of us...pretty cool when you think about it!

"And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose."

Romans 8:28

Godly Character...

Godly character...to react to people NOT according to how they act towards me.

~ Pastor Greg Laurie ~

Over Our Heads...

Girlfriends, Jesus is so worthy of our trust no matter what has taken us by surprise. Picture that, when the enemy asks for a little extra access to you, the only reason why God may have given him permission is because He knew you'd prove faithful. Do the thing. In the unseen realm, angels are cheering and demons are jeering. You are in the stadium and the bleachers are full. (Hebrews 12:1) Take one for the team if you have to. Be strong and courageous. Be willing to show people how it's done. Don't look for a leader. You are the leader. People are looking to you. Be deliberate. Make sure they see Jesus. We're not here all that long and then there's BLISS. Forever bliss. Till then, we're over our heads. But we can dang-well decide what kind of over-our-heads we're gonna be.

~ Beth Moore~

Simplicity...

“This week, aim for simplicity. The last few weeks may have been filled with baking, shopping, concerts, gift wrapping, and dinner parties, but today, celebrate simplicity as you fix your eyes on Jesus.”

~ Joni Eareckson Tada~

Quote For The day...

"When we are set free from the bondage of pleasing others,

when we are free from currying others' favor and others' approval....then no one will be able to make us miserable or dissatisfied. And then, if we know we have pleased God, contentment will be our consolation."

~Kay Arthur~

Only God Can See...

"Every experience God gives us, every person He puts in our lives,
is the perfect prepartion for the future that only He can see."
~Corrie ten Boom~

Wouldn't it be such a victory in our lives if each and everyday we would look at every experience as from God Himself? Knowing that He has a purpose and a plan for every detail and that each one, was hand designed for our lives. We may not know how or why some things happen, but God knows how He will use them one day in our life.

The same goes for every person in our life. Only God knows why our paths cross in life. Could it be so they would see Jesus in us? Maybe it's the sand paper of difficult relationships smoothing out the rough edges on us.We can find such comfort in knowing that our God orchestrates the details of our lives in preparation of our individual futures.

Will you trust Him with that?

2 Corinthians 5:7

"For we walk by faith and not by sight"

Cherish What You Have...

"Make the least of all that goes, and the most of all that comes.
Don't regret what is past. Cherish what you have.
Look forward to all that is to come.
And most of important of all, rely moment by moment on Jesus Christ."

~Gigi Graham Tchividjian~

We should make the most of all the things that come into our lives... we shouldn't live in the place of regret...what is past, is past. Look forward to all that is to come. In each new circumstance, there are opportunities for God to show Himself strong on our behalf. It's another opportunity to live for Him! Moment by moment reliance on Jesus Christ, is trusting Him with your past, present and your future. He was with us yesterday, He is with us today...and our future? He is already there waiting! Cherish what you have...