Afraid of the Dark? ... Grab Hold of the Father's Hand!

 

 

         As I was enjoying my quiet time outside this morning, I sat there for several silent minutes just watching the beautiful soaking rain, feeling the cool air hit my face. The darkness was settling in and the thunder was rolling as I began pouring out my broken heart to my ever listening, oh so patient God.

As I begin casting my cares on Him, ( sick friends, lost family and friends, those in dire financial need, my country, my world ... the list goes on ) I began to feel overwhelmed, and helpless. I looked out at the heavy rain, and suddenly didn't think it would ever end! My heart cried out to God,

 

         " Where are You Lord, will the rain ever end? How can I not be overcome by all the brokenness in this dark world? I just can't see You right now Lord! Where are You?!

 

          Have you ever felt like this? Have you ever felt like your feet were stuck in quicksand? Have you ever felt momentarily overcome by the darkness around you, brought to your knees by your own brokenness? Please tell me that I am not alone! If by chance, you are that one person in a million who has never felt this way, then clearly, you must not live on this planet!

               The truth is, from the time sin entered the world, with Adam and Eve, it has been a broken world, full of broken people, and the devil is desperate for you and I to camp out on that truth. The longer I focus on the darkness, the deeper I sink into that spiritual quicksand!

           The only true  " happy pill " in this broken world, is the Truth of Jesus Christ, hung on a cross, buried in the grave, and raised on the third day,( for you and me, and anyone else who will receive that life giving gift! ) and the only way out of that paralyzing, mind numbing spiritual quicksand, is to take my eyes off the darkness and look up to the Light of the cross!

        While I sat there, impatiently waiting for God to speak healing to my hurting heart, a childhood memory came flooding my thoughts. I was reminded of the many times my parents took my three brothers and me on cave tours as youngsters. ( I mean the big ones like Natural Bridge, Carlsbad etc. ) It was always so fascinating to me to descend down intot he depths of those caves, feel the temperature change and see all that hidden beauty below the surface. We would travel further and further down, until we would finally reach the farthest point before heading back up, and ( without fail ) the tour guide would always turn the light off for a minute. ( I was sure it was much longer ) And let me tell you, it was dark! It was the kind of darkness that didn't allow you to see your hand in front of your face ... that paralyzing, panic inducing darkness that you just know is never going to end! During these times, I would scoot up as close to my dad as I could just before the lights went out. ( I tried to be very subtle about this so my brothers wouldn't think I was afraid ) In my child mind, I believed that if the lights didn't come back on, my dad would know how to get us out of there. I'd hold tight to an arm, hand or belt loop till the lights were finally turned back on.

   My dad is, of course, only human, and I now realize, that had those lights, in fact gone out and stayed out, we would have all been in trouble. ( Dad included! )

                    That is however, not the case with my heavenly Father! He is never bound by darkness! He knows the way out, ( He made the way out! ) and He only asks that I stick close and hold tight while He leads me through the dark! I don't need to see, or even know the way out! ( That's a very good thing because I happen to be terrible at directions! ) I only need to grab hold of the One who does know, allow Him to lead me, and hold on tight! (  My amazing God doesn't need maps or a GPS, and it is so sweet to know that I can kick back and let Him drive with confidence! )

           God's Word tells us that it is going to get dark out. We are told we will have trials, suffering and persecution in this life. We can be assured these things WILL happen, in fact, we are even told we will be hated for His name's sake .... BUT ... God gives us some other awesome promises as well!

 

            ~ If your hope tank has been running on empty, and you desperately need it refilled, listen closely, and take heart! This part is for you my weary friend! Take a moment ( or even two ) and meditate on, and relish in some of these wonderful promises from our generous heavenly Father! (  Really let your heart take it in  .... the goodness of our loving God! ) ~

 

" Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go."

- Joshua 1:9

 

" The Sovereign Lord is my strength;

                                         he makes my feet like the feet of a deer,
                                         he enables me to tread on the heights."

- Habakkuk 3:19

 

^"  “I, the Lord, have called you in righteousness;
    I will take hold of your hand.
I will keep you and will make you
    to be a covenant for the people
    and a light for the Gentiles, to open eyes that are blind,   

 to free captives from prison
    and to release from the dungeon those who sit in darkness....

 

.....I will lead the blind by ways they have not known,
    along unfamiliar paths I will guide them;
I will turn the darkness into light before them
    and make the rough places smooth.
These are the things I will do;
    I will not forsake them. "

- Isaiah 42: 6-7, 16

 

                                        even the darkness will not be dark to you;
                                              the night will shine like the day,
                                                 for darkness is as light to you.
                                                                    - Psalm 139:12

                              Trust in the Lord with all your heart
                              and lean not on your own understanding;
                                             in all your ways submit to him,
                               and he will make your paths straight
                                                               - Proverbs 3:5-6

                              " But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God's special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. "
                             - 1 Peter 2:9
         
                             " In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind.  The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it."
                          - John 1:4-5

                        All these are promises from our faithful God who cannot lie! They assure us of His power and presence! They give us confidence and boldness in the midst of whatever circumstance we find ourselves in! The Truth is, our God has already won the victory through the person of Jesus Christ! His blood, shed on the cross, His body broken, and raised from the grave was for you and for me! Once I hand my life over to Him in faith, I am already victorious! ( So get behind me satan, and thank You Jesus!! )
                     Life may get hard. Our hearts may break. We may feel like we can't go on another step at times..... In short, it may get very dark out, but no matter how dark it gets around us, our victory has been purchased and is sure! 

                            " So we say with confidence,
                 

                            “The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid.
                               What can mere mortals do to me?”
                                           -  Hebrews 13:6

                      

^{.                                           "}  On the contrary:

                     ^{If your enemy is hungry, feed him;
                if he is thirsty, give him something to drink.
         In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.}

        ^{Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. "}

                                                          - Romans 12:20-21 

 

                     In peace I will lie down and sleep,
                         for you alone, Lord,
                           make me dwell in safety.
                                     - Psalm 4:8

 

          To put it in laymen's terms : We know how the story ends! With our eyes fixed on the cross, and our hearts resting on the promises, we have every reason to be hopeful, and every reason to rejoice! If there is any sadness, it must be for those who don't have this hope. That sadness should drive us to our knees on their behalf, as we ask God to use us to shine His light in a dark world! The purpose of our lives is to grab hold of the hands of those fumbling in the dark around us, those who are blinded by the things of this world, and as we grab hold of their hands, may we lead them to the only way out of the dark:  JESUS!!

                   ~ Dear friend who is struggling to see the light today, I pray that you will not find yourself overcome by the evil of this temporary world, but that you will overcome evil with the beautiful light of Jesus!

Does Your Blessing Hose Have a Kink?

    I was feeling very Monday-ish this morning as I fought with a horribly kinked up garden hose. It seemed like no matter what I did, I could hear, and feel the water running inside, but not a drop would come through the hose! There I was, feeling less than joyful, rebuking the rebellious hose in the name of Jesus, when God spoke to my heart ....

" You are like this garden hose, " He said
" The blessings are all around you, just as sure as there is water flowing beneath that kinked up hose, but your poor attitude and less than grateful heart keeps you from seeing and receiving them. If you will open your spiritual eyes and see me, you will see all the love and blessings that I have lavishly poured out in your life. "

And then, I looked at my garden, and saw little plants coming up from the gound, fruit trees in bloom, grapes on the vines and all this in my garden that hadn't been watered by my hand in a week! ..... All around me is God's goodness!

....... Thank You God for patiently taking time, with Your master hands to work out the kinks in my heart! Help me to have an attitude of gratefulness and eyes to see the showers of blessings in my life! ♥

" You gave abundant showers, O God;
you refreshed your weary inheritance.
 Your people settled in it,
and from your bounty, God, you provided for the poor. "

- Psalm 68:9-10

“He draws up the drops of water,
which distill as rain to the streams ;
 the clouds pour down their moisture
and abundant showers fall on mankind. "

- Job 36:27-28

" The desert and the parched land will be glad;
the wilderness will rejoice and blossom.
Like the crocus, it will burst into bloom;
it will rejoice greatly and shout for joy.
The glory of Lebanon will be given to it,
the splendor of Carmel and Sharon;
they will see the glory of the Lord,
the splendor of our God. "

- Isaiah 35:1-2

Lord, May We Always Run to You

 

 

    Dear Lord, tonight I will hug my children a little tighter and be a little more thankful. Tonight I will be praying a little harder and a little more somberly. As I pause before You and struggle to wrap my mind and heart around what happened in Boston yesterday, I know the world is pausing with me ......

     And I wonder if we, as the human race, have yet come to the place where we can acknowledge and understand how very fleeting life is, and how very much we need you! In a world that works so very hard to push you away, evil will inevitably be present, and there will be no shortage of people willing to use that evil to destroy what You have created!

   Yet, how faithfully You love us Father! Your heart cries out for us to come to You, and when we are hurting, You hurt with us! The desire of Your heart is to be our God, our strong tower! You long to hide us beneath Your wings, and be our provider! Your Word tells us time and time again how much You love us

  " The LORD appeared to him from afar, saying, "I have loved you with an everlasting love; Therefore I have drawn you with lovingkindness " - Jeremiah 31:3

" For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. " - John 3:16-17

    It seems that so many times lately, I look at the broken and hurting world all around me and think:  

        " Come quickly Jesus! "

       Then You speak to my heart with the  gentlest of whispers Father, reminding why You are  waiting ......

.
" The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance."
- 2 Peter 3:9

    And then,  with sweet understanding, and a deeply grateful heart, it seems I can't help loving You even more! This, unfortunatly leads my heart to another, much more convicting thought, the thought that I have not loved as You love Father. Your heart is that all should come to repentance and I wonder, is this my heart?! When I look at a lost world, do I love as You love? ....

    Father, please forgive me for the countless times I have been selfish with my salvation! Help me to love this perishing world enough to share this hope I have within me! ( a hope that was freely given to me at the foot of the cross! ) When I take the time to let You lead my eyes and heart, I see a world that is desperate for hope and meaningThey are looking for something to believe in!
  
   Lord, I pray that You would use my life in some way to lead them to the only true and lasting hope in this broken and dying world. Jesus is the most beautiful, precious gift I have ever received! He is the reason I live an abudant life, free of all the chains that once weighed me down! ( and this amazing gift was only given to me by Your grace! ) How can I possibly look at broken, dying people and not share Your sweet Son, my wonderful Saviour?

          God, I am Yours no matter what ( for all time! ) Teach me to trust You and share Your love with those around me while I wait patiently for Your return! ♥

Spiritual " Super Powers " on Hyperdrive?!

 

      My life before Christ was nothing at all to brag about! I certainly had no "power " of any kind, in fact, upon looking back, I was actually weak (... though I never thought so back then... ). So, as you can imagine, having been made into a new creation in Christ, there are certain verses of scripture that thrill me.

      " I can do all this through him who gives me strength. "  - Philippians 4:13

      This is one of those wonderful verses that, (... in my sometimes " over " enthusiasm... ) makes me feel as if I am able to leap tall buildings in a single bound, rescue every scared cat out of every tall tree, slay fierce dragons and solve the problem of world peace, all before finally hanging up my cape, kicking up my tired feet and calling it a day!
 .... Ok, Ok, I know I am never going solve the problem of world peace, (... but I sure do know the one who will. Thank You Jesus!... ) I can't leap over tall buildings in a single bound, (... I can't even manage to leap over a toddler safety gate... ) and I have yet to come across (... much less slay.. ) any dragons. (.. unless you consider my morning encounters with my mirror before my two cups of strong coffee.. ).... And yet, there are many challenges I do face in the course of my day that require nothing short of " super hero powers! " ( ... I'm so glad I have Jesus on speed dial!... )
       I am a stay at home mom with three kids, so some of these challenges are just a given, ( ...if you are a stay at home mom with no challenges, we have GOT to talk!... ) but way too often, I find myself in the midst of not just challenges, but  (full blown, all out ) struggles that I have created ( ...or even worse... ) gone looking for! These are not ordinary challenges that were placed in my path by my heavenly Father, these are situations that I either took upon myself " just because I could ", or they were " good things " that I told myself needed to be done by somebody! ( ... Never mind that God never directly told me that I was that somebody!... ) After all, (... I convince myself ...) doing a good thing can never be a bad thing, right?! ..... Wrong!
       Just because I can do all things through Christ, doesn't mean I should do all things! Yes, I should most definitely allow God to use me to accomplish those things that He has called me to! God's word confirms this.What I should NOT do is something that He has not called me to .... something He has, in fact, purposed for someone else to do!

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

     ....It could be that He has called Mr. Anonymous to it, but Mr. Anonymous is just a little bit harder of hearing, and a little slow to get up and going. ( ... He has yet to come to recogize his own Christ given " super powers ..." ) In my over eagerness to please God, (... He is constantly reminding me that I already have His undivided attention and love ... ) I rush ahead of poor Mr. Anonymous and get the job done. Now ( ...I congratulate myself... ) the job is done, ( ...never mind that it could have been done better by someone else. Never mind that I cheated Mr. Anonymous out of a blessing ... ) and I can rest easy! Or can I?
       I come to the end of another Sunday, feeling completely spent, disheartened and (  ..dare I say it .. ) grumpy! I get home, kick off my super hero boots, hang up the " wonder woman " cape, and check in with my heavenly Father to give Him a run down of all the things I accomplished with my day. I am convinced that I have done good, and He will be pleased ....... and yet, He is not!
     How could He not be pleased, I wonder?! I worked so hard! ..... It was never God's plan for me to " work" so hard that I lost my joy! It was never His plan for me to " work " in my own strength, and it was never God's plan for me to do someone else's work and steal their blessing! Though in my heart I was ' working ' out of love for my God, I was not working within His will, and I may have caused someone else to miss their calling in the process!  ( ...God, forgive my arrogance and blind enthusiasm... )
    ..... God is so patient with me, and I am definitely a work in progress! He is teaching me to slow down and listen! These are two very important   'super hero '  qualities! ( ...Which I do not possess apart from Jesus Christ!... ) He is also teaching me that, while passion is good, blind and undisciplined passion is not only bad but could be potentially harmful!
         God never calls me to a task so that I can prove to Him how good I am. ( ...Btw: Humility is also a  "super hero " trait found only in Christ... ) He calls me to a task so that He can remind me ( ...and the world... ) how good He is! God does not love me more or less in accordance with the amount of  "work " I put out! He loves me unconditionally, and eternally! He loved me even before I knew Him! Even in the deepest pit of my " old self ", before He ever cleaned me up He loved me! God's love is perfect and complete, ..... and all He asks from me is obedience! He calls me to the tasks, I obey, and He works through me to complete the task! 
....... God alone is to be my direction and my source of power. If my direction and power comes from any other source, it will leave me feeling used up, frustrated and joyless! That was never God's plan for me! (.. or you... ) God tells me that I can do all that He has called me to, and not only can I do them, but I can do them well, with His love in my heart and a joy that will be evident to all those around me! If I am busy doing, but I have no joy in the doing, and love is clearly absent from my actions, ...... maybe God is nudging me to examine the path I am on. We will always be able to find love, joy and peace on God's path for us ..... His word promises it!

 ^" Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”  - Matthew 11:29-30

" You will go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and hills will burst into song before you, and all the trees of the field will clap their hands. " - Isaiah 55:12

" Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. "  - John 14:27

   God, in His infinite wisdom, and great love for me, knew there was no way I could ever be all that I needed to be! ( ...because I am human and therefore, sinful... ) Yet, it is His deepest desire to have a relationship with me! ( ...I am His treasured possession and His love for me is complete... ) So God gave me all that I would ever need, to be all that He longs for and calls me to be! ( ...He longs for me to be His child... ) He sent His beautiful, perfect son, Jesus, to die for me while I was still separated from God the Father, by the ugliness of my sin!

" For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.  For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him."  - John 3:16-17

" For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—  not by works, so that no one can boast. "  - Ephesians 2:8-9

.... God is so good to us! Not only that, but He tells us that once we are in Christ, we are a new creation!

" Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!"
- 2 Corinthians 5:17

..... So, will Christ empower me with His strength? Yes! Can I really do all things through Christ who strengthens me? Yes! The power of Christ in us, arms those of us who are His, with Christ's own " super powers! " (... I love that! God is so good to us!... )

........ We just have to make sure we're not working a route that God has assigned to someone else!

" It is God who arms me with strength and makes my way perfect. " - Psalm 18:32


     
   

Grow Little Garden .... Grow!

 

 

 

 

 

    I am listening to the heavy rain hit the roof this morning, watching as it falls against the window, and thinking of my sweet little garden, and feeling so blessed to know that God is taking care of it by His own hand this morning! He is so good to me!

   Anyone who truly knows me, knows that I am NOT a farmer, and generally speaking, plants come to my yard to die .... That being said, in the fal...l, my husband and I decided to take the plunge and prepare a garden for the spring. We pulled weeds, put up fencing, laid down mulch, planted seeds, and then, we committed our garden to the Lord in prayer.

   You may think it is silly to pray over a garden, but we have learned from much experience that the only way things grow in our yard is by the hand of our merciful God! ( Sad but true ) God knows that I am not a farmer, and I know that I am not a farmer, all He calls me to do is plant the seeds! With that in mind, we planted bunches of plants, realizing that only some would grow and bloom. Now, as I watch the rain, I can't help but look forward to the spring to see what God will do with my garden!

   People are like a garden, they are waiting for YOU to plant the life bringing seeds of Jesus Christ that will potentially spring up into a beautiful kingdom plant! It is not up to us to decide where to plant our seeds. We are to plant kingdom seeds everywhere we go, knowing that God is the master gardener, and under His loving care, any seed can grow anywhere He chooses! We are only to plant the seed and pray for the harvest!

   I am very hopeful for the seeds I have planted in love and will always pray for them! ~ May we never stop planting seeds and praying for the harvest! ♥
 

" I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow. So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. "

- 1 Corinthians 3:6-7
 

" Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously." - 2 Corinthians 9:6

Spring is in the Air!

  I love spring, and all the wonderful things it brings with it! It seems there is just something about

it that gives me a renewed sense of hope, as well as a much needed replenishment of joy and hope.

When I feel the warm sunshine on my face, or enjoy spring rain from the safety of my window, I feel as if I have made it through a long winter, and God is gently, and lovingly reminding me that He never left me. Just as He is waking the sweet trees and plants from their winter slumber, and giving them

light and life, He is also refilling the very depths of my soul with His light, and life, and bringing me a renewed sense of purpose.
                              Yes, I do love the spring! The wonderful rays of sunshine trying desperately to creep their way around my curtains, the joyous little birds letting me know ( incase I missed it ) that spring is definitely here! With a child like joy in my heart that seems to make it's way even to my toes, I pull back the curtains, open the windows, and take a deep breath as I step back to take it all in in the beautiful light of day. As I gingerly open my eyes, ( gingerly because I know what I am going to see ...I see it every year! ) I glimpse a familiar sight ....dirt, dust, a floor that needs mopped, windows that need washed, slipcovers that need a desperate cleaning... ( the list goes on ) Everything that was hidden in the cozy darkness of winter is now being exposed to the light. ( and let me tell you ....it's not pretty my friends.) With three kids and two dogs, there is not a clean square foot in our little house. Even the kids and critters need a bar of soap and a good hose down!
                    It would be very easy to take one glimpse around at all that dirt and work, and lose that hope and joy that I was just telling you about. I could very easily become overwhelmed by the mess and choose to close those curtains back up, pretending I never saw the sun, deciding to live out my days instead, in the comfort of the dark, where my dirt can stay hidden. Now I am not going to pretend that those thoughts have never crossed my mind. Sad, but true, there have been times when I have closed those curtains right back up .....letting go of any hope, and succumbing to the dirt and misery. This is the way it was for me before a wonderful change occurred in my life. You see, the older I get, the more I have learned to love the light, and look forward with longing, to the spring! I want the curtains pulled back, windows wide open, and I am willing to do what it takes to get my house, kids, and critters in order so that the warmth and beauty of the sun is welcome in even the darkest corner of my house. I don't want to miss one moment of spring by hiding myself, or my kids behind any dark curtains simply because I am unwilling to do what it takes to get my house clean!
                 Friends, my Jesus is like that wonderful, life giving sun. He wants so desperately to pull us out of the darkness we have hidden ourselves in, and bring us out into the glorious light, and give us hope and a future! He is like those little birds sitting right outside our windows, beckoning us to come out or we will miss it! He so wants to give us life, and He will never be content to let us sit in the dark. He will never stop calling us out into the Light! ( Thank You Jesus! )

                 John 8:12 says:
"When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

       What a wonderful promise from my wonderful Lord! He tells me if I will just follow Him, I will never walk in darkness! ( Don't miss the NEVER bit! ) He promises I can have the same hope, joy and light that I have in spring all year round ...if I will follow Him! ( sign me up!! ....Oh wait, I already am signed up! Well, I would do it all again )

      He does tell us that we have to follow Him to walk in the light, and to follow Him, we have to be willing to allow Him to make us clean, and bring the darkest corners of our souls out into the light. This is the hard part ....it is so hard to confess and reveal dark areas ( areas of sin ) in our lives. For those of you who are feeling discouraged before you even begin, take heart my overwhelmed friends .....it is not you who will do the cleaning! You heard me right ......Jesus only asks you to bring it out into the light so that He can clean it! ( I LOVE Jesus! )

         1 John 1:9 says
" If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. "

      Colossians 1:13-14 says
" For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins "

       God the Father loves us so much, and He longs for us to be in the Light! He created us with the desire that we would walk in the Light, and not just have life, but have it in abundance. This thought and hope was ( and is ) so much on His heart, that He sent His one and only son ( Jesus ) to die on the cross ( John 3:16-17 ) , be buried and rise again, ( victorious over death and sin ) to be the Light of the world! Wow ..... God sure does love us! And a little bit of dirt ( or even a lot of dirt ) is not going to scare Him away! My Jesus is not afraid of getting His hands dirty, and He is the best at cleaning up tough messes! ( ...better than any Mr.Clean magic eraser out there! ...What can I say? You write what you know! )

                  Psalm 51:7-10 says:
 " Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean;
wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.
Let me hear joy and gladness;
let the bones you have crushed rejoice. 
Hide your face from my sins
and blot out all my iniquity.
Create in me a pure heart, O God,
and renew a steadfast spirit within me. "  

     If you are tired of stumbling around in the dark, and find yourself longing for hope and purpose for your life, then let me encourage you by saying that I have been where you are. There was a time in my life that I was so deep in the dark that I was sure no light would ever find me. I had no hope, and no future, an no ability to pick myself up from the deep pit I had landed in, but my God was so good to me, and He brought light and life that I had never known before! He gave me hope, and a future. He loved me when I was an unlovable, filthy mess, and I am confident that He can and will do the same for you my friend! Now that I have walked in the light and been washed in the blood of my beautiful Saviour....there is no way I could ever step out of the light and go back into the dark He found me in! So, I will gladly step into the light, and whatever dirt that light reveals in my life and heart, I will confess it, and allow God to clean it up, and I will do so with joy and thankfulness in my heart, because there is no way I could do anything less for my God who I am so in love with!

                 Isaiah 2:5
        " Come, descendants of Jacob,
   let us walk in the light of the LORD. "

               Isaiah 60:1-2
“Arise, shine, for your light has come,
and the glory of the LORD rises upon you.
See, darkness covers the earth
and thick darkness is over the peoples,
but the LORD rises upon you
and his glory appears over you. "

   This spring, I pray that you will step out into the Light, and find hope and purpose for your soul! May you never have a desire to retreat back into the dark!

If the Son has set us free, why do the bill collectors have us on speed dial?

  So here we are friends, already a month into 2012...Wow! I don't know about you, but I feel as if 2012 snuck upon me with a retrospective bang that I was not prepared for. It forced me to take a long, hard look in the mirror of self-examination, and face the reality that I have come up sorely lacking. ( Please tell me I am not alone! ) Each day that I am alive brings a new day for me to discover how little I know. ( You may think this is false modesty, but I assure you it is not. This is truly the way God teaches me .. ..) It is good for us to see ourselves in the light of Truth, and times of self examination can be the best things that ever happen to us, if we allow ourselves to be refined, and changed by them! ( If they don't change us, then they were nothing but a waste of time, and who has that much time to kill? ) 
       There is a movement sweeping across our nation that excites me. It is a movement (more like an abrupt shift ) to simplicity, frugality and ingenuity. I want to say that this shift thrills me to no end, ( perhaps this is because simplicity and frugality are two things I am very much at home with out of necessity, and am therefore, glad to finally be in style ) but my excitement is also very much tempered by the circumstances that brought about the need for this movement. I am not insensitive to the financial hardships that some around me have had to suffer. This has been a painful time of loss, and self examination for so many of us in this country. ( ...I might even say in our world ) It seems as if the ground has shifted ( is still shifting ) uncontrollably under our feet, and we fear we may never get our financial footing again. Some of us have been moved so far out of our financial comfort zones, that it feels as if we are no longer even in the same zip code as comfort. I am acutely aware that this could be a time of great heartbreak for us if we find our identity, self worth, and treasures in the wrong places. ( I would have lost all hope long ago if mine were in my possessions or my bank account! They are NOT praise God! )
      My prayer is that I can give you ( through scripture ) a little bit of hope today. The hope and treasure you find in scripture is not dependant on the economy, and it is something you can take to the eternal bank!( which is in NO danger of ever shutting down .....Yea, God is good! ) There is a quote floating around out there that goes like this: ( I so wish I knew who said it first so I could give them credit ... ) " When we are down to nothing, God is up to something " (- Unknown ) I LOVE this, and I can testify that this has been so very true in my life. So many times in my life God has torn down certain areas of my heart in order to rebuild them in His beautiful image. Many of you right now are thinking that you are down to nothing. You are thinking the well has gone dry, the flour has run out, the bank account is empty....if this is you, then take heart my weary friend .....when we reach the end of ourselves, and reach for Him, He is faithful not just to hear us, but to answer us! Remember, His faithfulness is assured ( because He is God, and cannot be any less than all that He is .....and all that He is is good! Thank you God! )
             Matthew 7:7-8 says :
            " Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.  For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. "
     This is a promise that if we truly seek Him, and desire to know His will, His heart, and His plan, He will be found by us. Not only will He be found by us, but He will give us the ability and provision we need in order to walk in His will. God promises us that if He is our heart's desire, and we will trust Him, He will provide everything we need to live the life He calls us to live! ( When you walk with Him, allowing Him to use you for His glory, you will receive direct deposits of daily manna from His eternal bank account! Wow! )
            James 1:9 says :
      " Believers in humble circumstances ought to take pride in their high position. "

 This verse is so awesome to me! I love it, but it has taken me years to grasp the meaning of it. Simply put, those of us who are blessed enough to find ourselves in humble circumstances ought to rejoice! My friends, when we don't have anything in our bank accounts, we get to see those daily, eternal deposits come in, and when we do, we know that none but the hand of God could have put them there. I consider myself to be highly blessed to be loved by my heavenly daddy in this way. He shows me on a daily basis that I am the apple of His eye! ( don't be jealous that I have such a great daddy .....He wants to be yours too! =-)  )
      Now your next question to me will be,
             " Hey how can I get that kind of promise? I want daily provision from an eternal bank account! " ( I would think you were nutty if you didn't! ) If you are trying to figure out how to get to where I am, I will confess to you that it is as simple as accepting the free gift of grace found in Jesus Christ.
         John 3:16 says :
     " For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. "

 and Romans 8:32 tells us :
  " He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? "

  If God, in His great love for us, did not spare His one and only Son, but gave Him for us, that we might have eternal life, how could we possibly think that He would not also provide such a small thing like our daily needs! ( I can just hear the amens, but may I very humbly suggest what may be a new thought? ) When we finance our daily needs ( and daily wants ) through any bank other than the eternal one, we are showing God that we do not trust Him, and we are robbing Him of the opportunity to be daddy to us! On top of that we are robbing ourselves of blessings, and paying interest on something that God very much wants to give us freely!
     
          John 8:32 says :
" Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

  I believe that Jesus himself is the Truth, and the Way and the Life! ( I believe this because the Bible says it in John 14:6 ) and that in Him we will find the only path to true freedom, a freedom unlike any we can ever possibly experience or manufacture in our own strength. It is a deep and eternal freedom that, for those of us who have experienced it, has filled us with such hope and fulfillment, that we have no earthly desire to ever go back! ( I am confident I am not alone in this conviction! Amen?! )

 John 8:36 gives us another beautiful promise :
"So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. "

 Friend, if you find yourself in a place where you feel anything but free, and you find yourself longing for the freedom, joy and deep contentment that others around you appear to have ......take heart! These verses are for you! There is NO debt so large that my all sufficient God cannot help you achieve freedom from it! ( I am not promising an overnight fix here .......this is a lifestyle, a walk, a relationship.)
   God often uses the consequences of our own decisions to teach us valuable lessons. If you are in the midst of learning these kind of lessons, ( and, if we are honest, who of us isn't? ) then don't get discouraged, though we are utterly and hopelessly flawed, My God is perfect in all His ways, and merciful beyond comprehension! .......My prayer for us today is that we would be brave enough to ask God to help us see ourselves the way He sees us, ( warts all ) and when He reveals all the unpleasant little chinks in our imperfect armor, may we then be brave enough to ask Him to refine us by the fire and remake us into the people He longs for us to be!

                 Isaiah 61:1-2
" The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me,
   because the LORD has anointed me
   to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
   to proclaim freedom for the captives
   and release from darkness for the prisoners,^[a]
to proclaim the year of the LORD’s favor
   and the day of vengeance of our God,
to comfort all who mourn, "

......Thank you Jesus!! <3