All My Heart

I love waking up in the morning and having my "Jesus time" right away. I love sitting in the sunroom with my cup of coffee and my bible. It has become the best part of starting out my day. This morning is a blessing because I have the house to myself. I can play my praise music as loud as I want and blog as the Spirit leads.

I smile as I write about one of my readings this morning. Verses most of us have heard our whole life. In Mark, Jesus said the greatest commandment is to "Love the Lord your God with all your heart with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength." Has anyone else spent their whole life knowing this but really never feeling it? Sure, I've always loved Jesus - but I think that we miss out on this so much. To love Him to this depth is a gift that he wants to give us. You may ask - How do I get that deep with Jesus? I want to love him to my very core but how do I feel it there? I would answer you by saying that you have to deny yourself completely. Lay aside everything that you have, get down in prayer, I mean deep prayer, lay every part of you before Him. Hold nothing back - NOTHING - He knows it already anyway.

He promises us "Draw near to me and I will draw near to you". When we draw near to Him, then he will draw near to us - it is in these moments when we can sense his presence. The more we spend time with Him the more we can feel the love that we have for him and most important, His amazing love for us. Remember though that our love for him is not based on our "feelings" alone. Feeling change all the time but His love never changes. "When we are faithless he is faithful."

Get alone with Him - he longs for a close communion with you - yes you - no matter where you are in life, not matter what sins you have done. That's why he died on the cross for you and me.

One more thing about our love for Him. The following song says it all. We will show our love for Him. Can't you tell I love music to honor and prasie Him!

I love blogging in the Spirit - with him guiding me. He makes me smile!

He loves you and me so much it brings tears to my eyes.

The healing process!

This morning I couldn't help but relate God's healing of us and his shaping of us to my experience today.

As I said before, I am going to PT to correct a long time issue. What I am dealing with is not a very commom issue. Fortunately my PT, Sherry, will not give up in solving my issue. She will use the gifted mind that God has given her along with continuing to research the issue. All to end my visit today with some searing pain. As I held my muscles while she inflicted more searing pain I finally came to a mental point to just relax all the muscles. Her ultimate intension is for my pain to be gone.

As I was driving home I thought how very much that is the way the God works with us. We have a problem that we want fixed, we go to him in prayer asking him to fix it for us. As he begins to work it in our life we begin to feel the pain - we can tense up and refuse to let him work or we can take a deep breath - relax - and let God do his work. It may continue to hurt but in the long run we will be better than before.

The key is - we have to allow God to work us through even though there is some pain involved. I am suppose to do some exercises in between visits. Doesn't that sound a alot like God working on us. Here, I'm going to help you fix your issue, but you will need to participate in it as well. There will be things that I need to show you in your life that you will have to change. You will not be the same as you were before - but trust me - it will be worth it in the long run.

I look back on my journey these past years. I look back and I can see the pain and hurt. I remember it well, but it doesn't stay there causing more pain anymore. It was a part of my life that God used to shape and refine me. Thus bringing me to where I am today and even to blogging. Seriously, I would NEVER have opened up my heart like this before. EVER! Isn't God funny:)

I think that people are looking for "real people". Here is an excerpt from a book, written by an athiest (now a Christian). He states "Call me a crazy-maker but when I am real, all I want is for someone to be real with me. The fact that someone would show a superhuman side all the time is both maddening and frustrating. If every conversation simmers to me and the problems I face, it's as if I am the only one in the room who struggles with life. We are all broken; just some of us are willing to wear it on our sleeve." (by James Lander; Running @ the Speed of Life") Can't you hear the Holy Spirit already working on this man?

I believe that is what God is trying to teach me. BE REAL!
I don't have it all together; although I feel wayyyyy more together since God has shaped me so much. Being shaped by the hand of the Almighty is both painful and beautiful. (Sort of like having a baby - without an Epidural)

We have to stop fighting the shaping that God wants to do in our life. Give God complete permission to come deep into your core to refine you. Fire will come but oh is it worth it!

God's peace!

Blown Away!

Wow - God is soooo HUGE and he is so FAITHFUL. Today has been a beautiful day in the Lord. I began my day with a phone call from a dear friend asking me to go to bible study with her. She shared that is was a Beth Moore study on the book of Esther. I quickly jumped at the opportunity to go, both to see Deb and also because I love Beth Moore studies. She teaches right to a woman's heart and right from Scripture. We learned today how brave Esther was to go to the King. She had a choice, go and talk to the King or not, both she would face death. She said "I will go before the King, even though it is against the law. And if I perish, I perish."

We too can be courageous. Fears will overtake us, no doubt of that. But what do we do when the fears come? Do we cower and hide or do we face them with the word of God. "Do not fear" is all over scripture. The enemy is forever trying to find any fear we may have and make it huge, remind us that it's really bad. Been there, done that many a time. How many "what if's" plague you? When they come we have the sword to fight them off - the word of God. In his power he will win every battle that we face!

One of Angela's teachers has just finished treatment for cancer, which has recurred for the third time. She is an inspiration in faith - she posted on her Facebook
"Motto of a strong woman:
Live your life in such a way that
When your feet hit the floor in the morning,
Satan shudders and says "oh crap....she's awake!"

Sounds good to me.........

This time these past months that we have had to get "close" with God, to seek his face and his direction have made us stronger than ever before to face the unknown. When you see that God's hand is in even the tough times, walking in His will gets fun! I arrived home after having lunch with my friend to find a few "gifts from the Lord" sitting on my desk. Tears filled my eyes as I felt so humbled that God has so gently and lovingly nurtured and cared for us these past months. I spoke the words "why me?" a number of times - then I realized that when we were facing hurt after hurt before I spoke those same words - "why me?".

God's answer? "To shape you into who I want you to be - Trust me with all that you are, trust me with your life - I've got it!"

I can almost hear God speaking those words to me.

As we sit at a crossroads - pray that the Lord would clearly show us which road he wants us to take. If you are at a time in your life when decisions need to be made -gaze upon the face of God. As Beth Moore reminds us "Take your places on your faces". The way up is down!

Isn't our God so amazing?
Smile today at his love for you!
By the way, I have the love of my life by my side every step of the way, hand in hand and face to face.

This song goes with my last blog!

Close your eyes and worship the King!

Tender walking together!

My grandson, Zechariah is sitting on my lap as I write this blog. He's eaten not too long ago so the burp cloth is close by. I am amazed at the Spirit of Christ already present in this little boy. He will be a great man of God!

Yesterday was a full day. It was good to hear Tim preach yesterday. (That didn't take long, Aunt Emily just swiped Zechariah!) He filled in preaching for a good friend. Again a confirmation that he is to be in full time ministry. He has the gift of preaching/teaching and a Spirit that can communicate the power with which God has and wants to give to us, his saints. Soon! God is truly stirring up the church today to see him in the power that he really is. God is not this God that we can just take out now and then. God is HUGE and his power is HUGE.

I just finished reading Leviticus - whew! I am so thankful that I don't have to follow all of those rules, I would really fail. I began reading Numbers - another whew - but I was thinking this morning about how many people Moses was leading. 603,500 men age 20 and over. This does not even include the women and children. Mega church pastors should not complain. haha But seriously, imagine Moses trying to lead all of these people and give all of the Lord's direction to this many people. He must have been under a lot of pressure. We do know that he took time out to be alone with God. He sought the Lord's direction. He knew that what he was doing was led by God, so he continued to find his next step from God.

Ok, so this is where I am. Excerpt from a book! "God doesn't simply want to get you on the right path, He wants to enjoy you throught the journey. He doesn't want you to find His will and then take off running, leaving Him in the dust. God's primary desire for your life is not that you discover His will and walk in it; His primary desire is that you draw near to Him and come to know Him. God wants to be know! And then He desires that from that knowing relationship there comes a tender walking together in His purposes."

I find these words so incredibly comforting. This goes along with what I said in my previous blog about Job. The difference between knowing of God and actually knowing him personally. I am blown away at the beauty with which he reveals himself in my life when I seek to draw closer to him. I love him so much!

Close your eyes right now and just think of his love pouring over you. No matter where you are in life he desires to just pour His love all over you. Seek His face this day and allow Him to guide and direct your path. He is doing that with me every day and he will with you too!

Seeing God in the difficulties

I am convinced that no matter what we are going through in life that we can see God's hand in it. Sometimes when it's really hard it is so hard to see that God's hand is in it. I've learned that when something "comes up" in life, to stop and look for God's hand in it. It's so much easier to see God's hand when things are going good, everyone is happy, bills are paid...etc. But what about when it seems like things are crumbling, money is running out and so much seems confusing. What about then, do you see God's hand in your life then?

I've learned this the hard way many a time. "Neither heighth nor depth nor anything in all creation can separate me from the love of God in Christ Jesus." It doesn't matter what we face, Jesus' love is always there. We know that God has our life in his hands, right? But actually think about it - close your eyes and picture God's hand encompassing you. Good times and hard times cannot separate his love for me.

Job questioned God big time about his terrible circumstances - I love how God comes back to him to say "Who is this that darkens my council with words without knowledge? Brace yourself like a man and I will question you, and you will answer me. We're you there when I laid the earth's foundation? Tell me if you understand. Who marked out it's dimensions?Surely you know....Have you ever given orders to the morning, or shown the dawn it's place?" Later Job replies to God "Surely I spoke of things I did not understand, things too wonderful for me to know...My ears had heard of you, but now my eyes have seen you."

Look what Job learned! He knew of God, but he learned to see him. Let's look to the eyes of God when we are facing difficulties. Stop - listen - pray - be silent - close your eyes - mediate and ask him to pour his Spirit all over you. He will when you seek him with your heart. Then your eyes will see him. Note this - it was after Job saw the face of God that he was healed.

It's so awesome to gaze upon his face! :)

Being fickle!

I am so fickle sometimes. I am thankful that God has lifted me up to a point of trust in him that my fickless doesn't last too long. Last night I was so at peace and sure of God's direction. (even though I'm not sure what it is) This morning I woke up with thoughts of the "what if". What if we don't have insurance, what if God doesn't open up something new soon, what if, what if, what if...the enemy does not want me to live in the peace and confidence of Jesus Christ. The "what if's" needed to go, and go quickly. In his awesome love for me he took care of that. I am sure that they will bounce back here and there but hopefully they will be just fleeting thoughts.

God has not done all the work he has in our life and the lives of our children to drop us now. He is a God that knows our plans and our future. He has equiped us to serve in much deeper ways. Relationship with Jesus is what matters. All the other stuff is just stuff, but Jesus love for us is so deep. I heard a preacher once say "imagine that the Almight God is proposing to you"! He wants to be so close to us. That is what I long to grow even deeper in.

This morning I went to physical thereapy for an issue that has nagged at me for two years. I finally went to see Sherry, the best PT around. She has taken my pain level from an 8 down to a 3 in two visits already. I love how God gifts people to help others. She is a Christian and as she was working on me she noticed Tim glancing through a book that she had in her office. She began to tell him that the young man that wrote the book was an athiest when he wrote the book. (she knew him well) He took off for Alaska to see the world, hiked, went off into the wilderness, hitch-hiked and met many people. It was on this journey that he discovered God. He is now a born again Christian and even feels embarassed by the book he wrote before.

Sherry let Tim borrow the book to read. Funny though, as he is reading it today, he can tell by his writing that the Holy Spirit was already working on his heart while he was writing the book. He just didn't know it yet:)

So here I am, blogging and watching "Dances With Wolves". (I'm a multi-tasker) Smiling again at the way God works in my life. Making me stronger each day and the patience that he has with me.
We never know how the Holy Spirit is going to work in our lives. Ask him to come into your life and you better watch out...it will be amazing!