A Call to Repentance

I was thinking today about the word (or idea) that is going forth into the congregation of which I am a connected. The word is relationship. The idea is relationship leads to desperation and that desperation leads to revival. When I hear the word revival, many thoughts come to mind. I think of energetic services where people are uninhibited in their praise. I think of excitement and enthusiasm and people passionate for the things of God. And I think of what it will take to bring revival into my life and into the lives of those around me. I truly wonder how many people are willing to pay the price in order to receive revival in their lives. Or is there a price to pay?

Often times when I hear the word revival it is followed by a well known scripture from Joel that states, "And it shall come to pass afterward That I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh; Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, Your old men shall dream dreams, Your young men shall see visions. And also on My menservants and on My maidservants I will pour out My Spirit in those days. And I will show wonders in the heavens and in the earth..." Joel 2:28-30

Verse 28 begins with these words, "And it shall come to pass afterward..."

After what?

To find that answer we must look back to verse 12 in that same chapter. It states, "Now, therefore," says the Lord, "Turn to me with all your heart, With fasting, with weeping, and with mourning." So rend your heart, and not your garments; Return to the Lord your God..."

It is a call to repentance. Anytime we are turning to the Lord, we are turning away from ourselves. We choose Him, His thoughts, and His ways. God is asking us to turn to Him with all our hearts. It's so easy to say He has all my heart when in reality He does not. I have to ask myself what I truly spend most of my time doing, what are my loves, and how do I spend my money? That will give me a good idea of what my heart is truly set upon.

The scripture also states we turn to Him with fasting, weeping, and mourning. True repentance is not merely an outward demonstration, but an inward heartrending brokenness for our sins. True repentance leads to holiness. Weeping and mourning will come as we cry out for His mercy and forgiveness after realizing our desperate need for salvation. We turn our hearts to Him and He pours out His Spirit upon us.

My Friends

Friends are so very precious and I am so honored to have some of the best people in the world as my friends. We have laughed together, shared together, and fought together. We make one another better and have the honor of praying for and empowering each other. It's great having friends to minister the gospel with. I have no doubt that God has brought us together for His purpose and a great purpose that is. He must love us to give us such great friends.

Wholeness

I'm always to thankful and grateful that there is wholeness in our Lord. When the apostles healed the lame man at the gate called Beautiful, they stated that by the name of Jesus, and faith in His name, the man stood before them whole. He was healed. Only a few minutes before he was lacking and in great need, but because he came into contact with the One who could heal, he was made whole.

I love Isaiah 9:7 in the Message Bible. It states that God's wholeness is unlimited. I love it! No matter how ugly our sin is or how many times we've committed that sin, we can receive wholeness from our Jesus. He never runs out of forgiveness when we are truly repentant. AND He never runs out of wholeness. I can be whole in Him always!

Blessed Indeed

Isn't great to know that regardless of life's circumstance, how you feel, and/or what you think; if you are a child of God and you have accepted His son as your personal Savior, you are blessed! Sometimes we think we're blessed if we have what we want in life. If I have the right car, right spouse, live in the right house, etc., I'm blessed. But God's Word tells us that we are blessed simply because Jesus has forgiven our sins. Let's read it together. Acts 3:26 states, "To you first, God, having raised up His Servant Jesus, sent Him to BLESS you, in turning away every one of you from your iniquities." (Caps all mine:)

Iniquities according to the Greek word means unrighteousness and wrongfulness. Acts 3:26 is telling us that Jesus was sent to bless us by turning us away from our wrongs. Having our sins "blotted out" as Acts 3:19 states, is the greatest blessing we could ever receive from our God. No matter what car we drive or if we even have a car determines our blessing. Even if we are sick in our bodies and we need God to touch us physically, we are blessed if our sins have been forgiven.

I love that God sent His son to allow me to live a blessed and abundant life. Jesus is the Prince of life (Acts 3:15) and He came to give us life and life more abundantly (John 10:10). I may not feel blessed or even believe I am living an abundant life if I look around me and see the material items others may possess. But I promise you that material items do not give life. That is given only to us by our Lord Jesus Christ. He came so that I may live. He came so that you may live.

Thank you Lord for your sacrifice. Thank you that when we repent, you not only forgive us, but allow us to be refreshed in Your presence. You are the Life Giver and we are blessed indeed !

Levi

Just wanted to show off my little Levi. He's so precious and I love him SO much!

My Story

On Sunday Elder Burden began discussing the fact that each of us has a story. A story of redemption and that story is a story that will give God glory. I want to write about my story. I hope you are encouraged.

In 1996 my cousin and I were looking for a church to attend that we both liked. Though I was looking for a church to go to, it was only for the purpose of attending because I knew it was the right thing to do in my life. I really can't say that I was a miserable person or that I was searching to make life better in some way. I wouldn't have said that I was lacking in joy or peace. I was existing and I really didn't have any complaints. I was working a full time job, living on my own, and making life happen for me and for my then 2 year old, Seth.

After a few months of searching, God led me to a church through my neighbor (who is now my husband) and after attending for 6 weeks, I accepted Jesus as my personal Savior. I knew about the Lord, about what He had done for me, and basically what I needed to do to live my life according to His word. I had been reared by a father and mother who loved the Lord, and as a matter of fact, I was a preacher's kid !

In June 1996, exactly 14 years ago, I surrendered my life to my Mighty Creator. I knew there were some areas I needed to change, but I loved the peace of having accepted Jesus and knowing that my sins were forgiven. I look back now on my life then and I am so thankful that those "things" I had to give up didn't keep me from seeking a relationship with my Father in heaven. I would give up those things over and over again to have the joy, peace and hope that I have today. I never realized there could be such overwhelming joy in life. The overwhelming peace truly does surpass all understanding. It's an amazing peace and it is indeed joy unspeakable!

I have been married for 13 years and all that my husband and I have gone through (which has been much) has only strengthened my faith and hope in my Jesus. We have had to deal with the circumstances of a blended family, serious health issues, death of our loved ones, broken hearts and betrayal by our friends, a growing personal business, and a bankruptcy (to only mention a few :) But regardless of those issues and situations in our lives, we have overcome. We can overcome because Jesus Himself overcame the world. He promises to never leave us nor forsake us - no matter where we are in life and no matter our circumstance. He is an everlasting God. And His love NEVER fails. NEVER. He is such an amazing and incredible God.

If you haven't experienced His love, His peace, or His joy, then I encourage you to open your heart to His and welcome Him in. You will not be disappointed by His peace or joy. There is no God but Him and no peace or joy like His. His grace is for you and His mercies are new every morning. God bless you and may you be overwhelmed by your Mighty Creator !

Serve the Lord

I was reading in 1Samuel today and discovered a scripture that I find very intriguing. It is 1 Samuel 12:20-21. It states, "Then Samuel said to the people, 'Do not fear. You have done all this wickedness; yet do not turn aside from following the Lord, but serve the Lord with all your heart. 'And do not turn aside; for then you would go after empty things which cannot profit or deliver, for they are nothing.'"

I have seen a mindset in people for years. The mindset that they have committed so much evil and sin that God will not forgive them. I know for some it is an excuse for not following or surrendering to God, but others truly believe that God could not possibly forgive them for their wrongdoings. Their sin in their own eyes is so great that they can not forgive themselves and they are sure God can not and will not forgive them either. To forgive such great sin is mind boggling to some. Why would God forgive such evil? Why?

Well, let me answer that question for you - God is a loving, caring, compassionate God. His desire is to have relationship and communion with his creation. Sin in God's eyes is equal. What I'm saying is that a "little" white lie to God is as great a sin as murder. He does not measure sin the way man measures sin. The Bible tells us that we have all sinned and fallen short of God's glory. When God sent his son Jesus to die for the sins of mankind, He did not categorize which sins would be forgiven and which sins wouldn't. God's word tells us that we are to repent (turn away from our sins) in the name of Jesus for the forgiveness of sin. We are to confess Jesus as Lord and we will be saved. Nowhere have I ever read that God only forgives someone if they've committed a "small" sin or if they committed only unknown sin. God forgives our repentant hearts even when we knowingly committed the sins. The key though is that we are repentant. Our hearts are broken with Godly sorrow and we turn from that sin. We must also realize that God's forgiveness never runs dry. As long as we are repentant and our hearts are turned toward God, He is willing to forgive us. He WANTS to forgive us. That's the kind of God He is :)

According to Samuel, regardless of our sins and wickedness, we must still serve the Lord with all our hearts. Yes, we fail. Yes, we fall short. Yes, we do stupid things, but God wants us following Him. We are not perfect and we never will be. We can not save ourselves. Only God is perfect and only God can save.

What does Samuel say will happen if we turn away from the Lord? He says we will go after empty things which cannot profit or deliver. Why not? Because they are NOTHING. Are you wondering what "empty" things Samuel is talking about? Well, I can think of a few. Let's see; a few would be drugs, sex, perversion, money, material items, the opposite gender, and alcohol. When we turn aside from God, from His ways and from His direction, we will look for "things" to fill us. These "things" will only bring us emptiness. Only God can fill us. Only God can make us whole. Only God redeems and only God forgives.

Turn aside to the One who is the giver of life and let Him fill you up.

Emotionally Driven

Good evening everyone :) I'm very much addressing the women with this post, but you men may very well be empowered by it as well.

How is it that we as women can have an issue for 18 years and not ever really address it? I'm talking about an open wound, an emptiness, a lack within ourselves. We deal with so many emotional pains in our lives and I'm wondering to what degree do we allow healing? Have you ever been hurt by someone or something and when you get the courage to talk about it or share it with someone close to you, you're shut up; either by someone's words or by their obvious body language? We women are emotional beings. It's true. We hear with our emotions, we respond with our emotions, we deal with life through our emotions. I've had to tell myself on many occasions in my life to stop being emotional, to think with my head instead of my heart.

This is what I want to speak into you today: allow God to heal you. Seek direction from Him about your healing and He is sure to lead you.

I believe many of you who are reading this right now know exactly what healing needs to take place in your life. I believe there are those of you who have repressed and suppressed for so many years that you don't even realize that who you are today is a reflection of the pain within you. We become angry because of our pain. We become bitter, hateful and ugly because of the pain in our lives that we have never dealt with. Our family members hurt us, our husbands, our friends. Sometimes intentionally, but most of the time unintentionally. But the hurt is the same. We tend to define ourselves by our emotions, by our feelings, or by who has and who hasn't loved us. We place value upon ourselves based on how we've been treated rather than what God's word says about us.

Do you know that it takes 50 positives to cancel out or destroy one negative? It's true. That's why it's so difficult to overcome those painful words and actions brought on us by others. But let me encourage you today to encourage yourself. If others aren't speaking those 50 positives into you. Then do it yourself!!! Do you need some help? Ok, repeat after me.

Say this:

I am an incredible woman.

I am fearfully and wonderfully made.

I am created for greatness.

I am beautiful.

I have gifts and purpose for which I was created.

I have power and authority given to me by Jesus Himself.

I am a child of the Most High God; a daughter of the King, a princess.

I matter. My thoughts matter. My emotions matter.

I deserve to be whole and healed in Jesus name.

I have the right to grow and to go.

I have the power to become all God has created me to be.

WOW. That feels great! And guess what? It's true. Say that a few times a day and you're sure to begin living it.

Be blessed. Be healed!!!

The Reigning Authority

I am so overwhelmed by this mighty and awesome God that I serve. How blessed it is to be in His presence. How comforting it is to know that absolutely nothing in life is bigger than He is. Do you know that nothing is impossible for our God? Nothing. He is and has the reigning authority. Man's authority and power are limited. Not our God's! He always has the final say. Thank you Lord.

Last spring/summer (2009) Phillip and I went through the worst financial time of our lives. Every material possession other than our home we lost. Everything Phillip had worked for in his business was taken. The reputation we had built in the community was at stake by the words spoken against us by selfish, hard-hearted, bitter men. We came to understand that the loyalty we gave to the business world was not reciprocated. The world around us was more unstable than it had ever been. There were days of fit throwing, kicking, and screaming. Days were spent questioning God about our circumstances. Days (months rather) when our 6 figure income had decreased to zero figures. How did this happen? How could this happen? WHAT was happening? We were devastated. Life as we knew it was no longer. I spent hours crying and Phillip spent hours burdened and suffocated by life's issues.

As I look back now on those months of confusion and uncertainty, I can see the mighty hand of a very powerful God. At the time I saw and felt only my situation and the pain it was inflicting upon me. I saw one possession of mine go from my hands to someone else's. Either because we had to sell it to pay the mortgage or because the bank repossessed it. My children lost their possessions too and this was a hard sight for me to see. The most amazing thing to me now as I look back on it all is the grace my children gave to Phillip and me. I never saw an attitude from them when their toys were taken by someone else. They just seemed to accept the fact that mom and dad needed the money and that was that for them. How truly precious they are to me. My sweet little (or not so little) boys. How could I be more proud of them?

Now - a whole year later and I can tell you that God is a God of restoration. Have you ever heard the lyrics, "God will make a way when there seems to be no way. He works in ways we can not see. He will make a way for me"? And that He did. He has restored. He has opened my eyes to so many things. I see now how foolish Phillip and I were in so many areas and how life goes on no matter the situation.

My very wise mother wrote in my 6th grade autograph book these words, "What the caterpillar calls the end of life, the Maker calls a butterfly." What a truth to hold onto. When it seems the darkest and there appears to be no way out - God performs a miracle! Even in death - God performs miracles. That's just the kind of God He is. He never leaves the lights turned out too long. My Dad used to tell me, "why complain about the darkness when there's a candle in the house?" Thanks Dad! Today, I choose to light the candle. And I thank my ever amazing Savior for being the Reigning Authority. I'm so glad He has the final say.

And hold on to this truth - He has the final say in your situation too ! Hold on for He WILL make a way when there seems to be no way.

What God Really Thinks About You.

From Great by Design Bible Study

You are precious to God.

This is a word that must go straight to your heart. This is the time to apply His word. It will change your life.

A. Your Formation
Psalm 139:13-16

Not too many years ago you were conceived. From the point of conception, your growth into a child was carefully hand crafted by your Creator. As your vital organs began to grow and your limbs began to form, you were being watched very closely by your loving Father. Every second of every day, He found himself watching with excitement as you formed into the perfect child. He had begun to dream of your time together before the foundations of the earth and as each day passed, His dream of your being together was one day closer. The Creator found himself in love. He had loved you from the day He first thought of you. That day so many years ago. Then His dream of your birth became a reality and on that chosen day, a precious baby was born. The Creator had already chosen the color of your eyes and hair and had given you a very special name. A name by which He would call to you. A name that would cause Him to smile. He gave to you the very special name of Daughter or Son.

Psalm 139 states,
For He created your inmost being
He knit you together in your mother’s womb
Praise Him for you are indeed fearfully and wonderfully made
His works are wonderful - know that full well
Your frame was not hidden from Him when you were made in that secret place
When you were woven together in the depths of the earth
His eyes saw your unformed body
All the days ordained for you were written in His book before one of them came to be

Friends - you are no accident. If your parents didn’t plan you - God did! He couldn’t wait until you were born.

He sits on the edge of your bed waiting for you to wake every morning.
He hangs out with you in the kitchen while you cook your favorite meal.
He sits across your desk from you at work and admires all you do.
He holds you every night when you lay down to sleep.
He made you just the way your are. And He loves you with His whole heart.

B. His Great Treasure
Exodus 19:5, “Now therefore, if you indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be a special treasure to Me above all people; for all the earth is Mine.”

Friends, because you have chosen to follow God, you are His child and you are so very precious to Him. It doesn’t matter how you feel, what you think, or what your circumstances are in life.
Remember you must combat how you feel with God’s Word. Your reality can not be how you feel or what you think- your reality must be based on the word of God. When God says you are a special treasure - the you ARE a special treasure.

You can not focus on what man has said to you. Man is a liar. God is truth.

You are special and you are precious to your Heavenly Father. There is none on earth quite like you. He molded and made you from day 1 and because you choose Him He gives you favor.

Acts 10:15 and Acts 11:9 states, "What God has cleansed you must not call common."
Friends, you are not common. You are not average. You are not middle of the line.
You are not ordinary. You are extraordinary.
You are not less than. You are more than.
You are the head. Not the tail.
You are above and not beneath. (Deuteronomy 28)
You do no have to settle. You get to soar.

The day I accepted this love from God I changed. The day you accept this love from God you too will change. Well, what are you waiting for?

Blessings for Obedience

Hello My Dear Friends,

I want to discuss a bit with you today that God's blessings come to us based on our obedience to Him. Many times in our lives we do not receive His blessing because of our disobedience/our sin.

My pastor was preaching a few weeks ago about faith. That we all have the measure of faith that we need to move the mountains in our lives. We don't have to pray for more faith because God wants us using the faith He has given us. Pastor asked me what I think hinders the ability to use that faith or keeps us from seeing our prayers answered. My response was our sin. Our sin keeps us from #1 believing we will receive and #2 receiving what we believe.

I was reading the book of Micah this afternoon. I went there because that's where my book mark was! In chapter 6, God is letting His children know that He had a complaint against them. As I continued to read, I became aware of some of those complaints. They were wickedness, deceit, violence, and lies. Because of these sins in their lives, God was withdrawing Himself from them. He withdrew health from their bodies, satisfaction, protection, the law of reaping and sowing, and they became a reproach. They were to bear the shame of their sins. If you've ever bore your shame you know that it isn't pleasant.

We must understand that if we are committing sin against our God that He will withdraw Himself from us. We cannot expect God to provide His blessings to us that are so abundant if we are in willful sin. There can be many things in our lives that we tend to overlook as sin such as jealousy, gossip, pride, covetousness, idolatry, little white lies, lack of submission, and I could go on and on.

If you're talking about someone and it isn't any of your business, you better stop. If it is your business then you better be talking to the right people, not your next door neighbor or your friend on the phone!!!

If you can't talk about someone without feeling bitter or ugly inside then you need to confess your jealousy and repent. Why make yourself miserable? Bitterness only hurts you - not the person with whom you're bitter.

The Bible states in Proverbs that every man is right in his own eyes. Does your pride and lack of submission categorize you into this type of person? Because if it does, destruction is sure to come (Proverbs 16:18).

I know these words may be tough for you, but God expects us to live pure lives. If you want His blessings, His abundant blessings, then check your heart. He'll reveal anything to you that may be hindering those blessings.

1Corinthians 6:23 - For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Love you all! Be blessed!

The Trade

Oftentimes as a Christian we are bombarded with questions from our family and friends about how to take care of certain issues in our family or friends' lives. It can be intimidating at times because we (or at least I) feel like we have to have some super spiritual answer to their problem or circumstance. Have you ever noticed how many issues our friends and family members can have? Those don't even include the issues we are dealing with in our own lives. Some situations seem to have an easy fix, others don't. Some issues we feel are much bigger than we are, some we feel like we can handle rather easily. Some circumstances we have dealt with previously, others we haven't. With all the issues in life (our own and everyone else's) it is easy to become overwhelmed if we are caring the burdens ourselves.

This is where the good news comes in:) I realize that I do have the answer to every situation, every circumstance and every issue. His name is Jesus. He has all the answers to every one of life's problems. Not just my problems, but your problems. Not just the easy to fix problems, but the hard to fix problems too. Those issues that are bigger than we are? They are nothing for Him. He knows the answer prior to the onset of the situation. That's COOL! Do you realize before He ever created you, created Adam and Ever or created the foundations of the earth, He had the answer to your issues? He already has everything worked out for you, for me, and for our friends and family. He is the Answer and when we seek Him to be so, He will give us the direction and guidance we need.

Levi recently gave his friend Luke a birthday gift of a Wii game. The game though it was originally Levi's is now Luke's. It is no longer in Levi's possession and Levi gives no thought to it. He doesn't walk around worried about how Luke is taking care of the game, if he's playing the game or if he's keeping it in its case. Levi makes no claim to the game whatsoever. It's Luke's game even though it was first in Levi's possession.

Matthew 11:28-30 tells us to take our burdens to the Lord for He will give us rest. We can learn from Him when we rest in Him. All our issues and life's circumstances can be traded in for His rest and for His wisdom. Are you heavy in heart? Are you burdened with life's issues and you can't seem to find the solution? Have you asked for a trade? His rest for your circumstance? His wisdom for your lack of? Ask Him today. And remember, when you trade with Jesus, the issue is no longer yours to be concerned with. He will take better care of you and your struggles more than you can within yourself. He's the BEST! I'm not sure how well Luke takes care of his gift, but I promise you that God will take great care of yours!

Be blessed my friends. Be burden traders!