Wait For It!

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Habakkuk 2:3 (NKJV)
“For the vision is yet for an appointed time; But at the end it will speak, and it will not lie. Though it tarries, wait for it; Because it will surely come, It will not tarry.”

This is the promise you’ve been waiting for.  I believe strongly that this message is for many of us.

We get all messed up with expectations from our instant society.  We want what we want.  And, as if that were not bad enough, we want it now.  Period.  No deviations.  Nothing else will do.

How many times have you looked back on your past and realized the very thing you knew you had to have, and you actually got it, turned out to be a sham, a disappointment, sometimes a total disaster?  If only I’d waited with a bit more patience, if only I’d not pressed so hard.  If only…  I can feel my cheeks flush as I consider this truth in my life.

God wants to give us the desires of our hearts but He’s set on it coming about in His way, in His timing.  His ways don’t usually follow exactly what I had in mind however, when I’ve set myself to not “make it happen,” the Lord has never once disappointed me.

He’s my good Father in heaven and He wants to give me good gifts.  His heart is set on helping me grow and my growth comes about as I learn to wait on Him.  Seems to me that every time I bolt ahead, I fall down.  When I wait, I realize the amazing gifts of love He’s had planned all along.

I looked up the root words in this passage from Habakkuk.  Interesting.  Every word there translates pretty much as it is written.  No hidden meanings, no surprises.  The visions from God are indeed for an appointed time and they will come exactly at the appointed moment.

John 14:27 (NKJV)
“Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.”

Be peaceful as you wait for Him to bring about His gifts for you, to you, and through you.  Don’t worry.  They will not tarry; they will come in just the right time, in just the right moment.  His moment…and it will surely come!

God Loves…You!

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There are a number of keys hidden away in the Bible.  It used to seem odd to me that the Lord would hide things in the Bible however, over the years, I’ve discovered a few of them and I think I have better understanding as to why they were hidden in the first place.  When something is given to us, we tend to not take as good care of it as something we’ve had to work for.  Now I realize that may be an overstatement because there are always things given to us in our lives that become treasures.  But, as a general rule, I’ve found I take better care of those things I’ve worked and/or searched for.

When it comes to my faith, I feel I’ve had to scratch and work at every bit of truth I’ve learned along the way.  I was one of those skeptics; “Lord, you prove to me that you’re real and I’ll follow you!”  Yes, I was a hard case.  But, true to His nature, He actually answered the hard cries of my heart and my skepticism melted away.

So this is it. God loves me.  Not because I worked for it, but because He loves me and He gave the gift freely.

Let me explain. The Bible is full, literally overflowing with God’s feelings toward us:

-You may not know me, but I know everything about you. Psa. 139:1
-I am familiar with all your ways. Psa. 139:3
-Even the very hairs on your head are numbered. Matt. 10:29-31
-I chose you when I planned creation. Eph. 1:11-12
-You were not a mistake, for all your days are written in my book. Psa. 139:15-16
-And it is my desire to lavish my love on you. 1 John 3:1
-Every good gift comes from my Hand. James 1:17
-My plan for your future has always been filled with hope. Jer. 29:11
-My thoughts toward you are countless as the sand on the seashore. Psa. 139.17-18
-I will never stop doing good to you. Jer. 32:40
-I desire to establish you with all my heart and all my soul. Jer. 32:41
-If you will seek me with all your heart, you will find me. Deut. 4:29.
-I am able to do more for you than you could possibly imagine. Eph. 3:20
-For I am your greatest encourager. 2 Thess. 2:16-17
-When you are brokenhearted, I am close to you. Psa. 34:18
-One day I will wipe away every tear from your eyes. Rev. 21:3-4
-And I’ll take away all the pain you have suffered on this earth. Rev. 21:3-4
-For in Jesus, my love for you is revealed. John 17:26
-Jesus died so that you and I could be reconciled. 2 Cor. 5:18-19
-I gave up everything I loved that I might gain your love. Rom. 8:31-32
-If you receive the gift of my son, Jesus, you receive me. 1 John 2:23
-My question is…will you be my child? John 1:12-13
-I am waiting for you.” Luke 15:11-32
Excerpts taken from “Father’s Love Letter” by Barry Adams

I could go on and on, quoting scripture after scripture of what God has to say about us. He didn’t say it just to me, but to you too!  And while I was the hard case, I really didn’t work for this truth…it was there all along, just for the acceptance.

God loves you. Tomorrow marks the day that Love came down, from heaven to earth, to serve us and become the sacrificial Lamb so we all might live. I pray that this, the Christmas truth, will somehow touch you. Is there more to this story? Oh yes there is. But you must make the first move.

He’s waiting for you. Will you come?

Merry Christmas my friend.

Let the Past be the Past!

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New things are coming.  I’m getting really excited about 2015.  If you follow the many prophetic voices around the world, the word is that 2015 will be a year of battles won, restoration from battles lost, and that signs and wonders will reappear.  These are no small matters to consider.  Personally I’m looking forward to a year of realizing all three areas.

We all have pasts.  Buried in our pasts are dreams that have died and the disillusions that came about as a result of those losses.  There is one particular dream of mine that almost died completely this past spring.  After most of my lifetime spent on pursuing (albeit slowly, ever so slowly) one particular dream, I came very close to laying it down completely this year.  My logic was simple; after all these years the dream was nothing more than an illusion.  If it were going to happen, surely it would have after 60-odd years.  I was perfectly willing to let it go.  There just comes the day when you’re tired of nursing the dream along and nothing much was happening.  “Maybe I’ve just been fooling myself,” “what is wrong with my will power Lord?”, and other such thoughts brought me to the edge of the decision.  And, just as I was ready to thrust the dream into oblivion, God intervened.  He showed me that my dream was truly part of who He made me to be and that He had others waiting in the wings, needing to receive the gifting He implanted in me.  He let me know He would end up using someone else if I really didn’t want to go forward, but if I still wanted to pursue the dream, He was behind me.  Humbling that one was!

So I’ve committed to long term classes in 2015 as a student in two arenas.  Part of me is terrified but the other part is ecstatic.  Being a student again requires time, discipline, and effort.  I tend to try to fool myself into believing I don’t have time.  That’s a lie.  The discipline and effort parts?  Well, those scare me the most.  As I look back, the effort kicks in and discipline follows – for a short time.  Then when the unplanned distraction or unavoidable pop up in my life, the discipline crumbles and the effort just can’t muster picking it up again.  That’s been the pattern.  I’m pressing into the Lord in earnest this time around.  He’s helped me in the past accomplish things I didn’t think I could and felt I had no “willpower” to pull off.  It’s time to go there again, realizing that my strengths lie in Him and, just as I posted the other day about stepping over the fence, it’s time I get on with this.  I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me!

Is this stirring something in you?  I don’t particularly like New Years resolutions and I’m not considering my plans as such.  This is something else.  This is a stirring in my spirit to follow Him.  To cry out to Him when I feel weak and to give Him praise when I go forward in a straight line.  I will press in to the One who has been molding me all these years, whose plans are for me not against me, and who amazingly still believes in me after all these years.

Anyone up for the adventure?

 

 

It Was All Carter’s Fault!

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Sometimes the most wonderfully unexpected things happen by means of surprising circumstances!

Our grandson came to stay with us this past summer.  He’s 12 1/2 years old and quickly approaching the age when it just won’t be cool to hang out with Mamaw anymore.  At least this is what my logical mind keeps telling me.  I cherish my time with this young man for he is quite wonderful and amazing.  We both love to laugh at things.  When he was little, I would often launch into absolute buffoonery just to make him and his sisters laugh.  Carter has the greatest dimples and when he laughs long and hard, he often says he’s having a dimple freeze meaning his face hurts from so much laughter.  That’s what I always hoped for; dimple freezes translating into we are having laugh attacks together.

Well, during that week he showed signs of wanting to hang out with Papa some and so they did some landscaping work with a bobcat tractor that Carter got to drive for the first time.  He was loving it and I might add, he took to it more readily than grandpa did when he learned!  Not surprising with today’s youth who grow up on technology, video games and joysticks.  He rambled around the yard with absolutely no problems!  Then Papa gave him a few lessons in the art of the golf swing and they spent a few hours throughout the week up in the shop, swinging away at the little white ball into papa’s golf net setup.  Seems Carter has his daddy’s natural ability to have a pretty hefty golf swing; Papa was impressed.  They also shot at targets with a 22 pistol and all these things added up to wonderful “guy time” for Papa and Carter.

As usual Carter and I had a few laughter moments (the old girl still has the knack!), but sadly, I had to work a bit harder to find the silly space between us.  My moments with him came in dreaming up meals that I knew he would appreciate or at the very least like, helping to plan out what we were all doing, and in confounding the boy by trying to turn facts into secrets or silly untruths.  He’s got me figured out pretty well at this age!

Then came Saturday.  Papa was going to be gone at a golf tournament that had been planned prior to our knowing Carter was coming to stay with us.  What were we going to do for the day?  Carter was pretty agreeable to most anything we discussed and then he had an idea.  “How about we do another one of those treasure hunts Mamaw?”  This statement caused no small amount of contemplation on my part.  You see, a treasure hunt is something of a spiritual exercise.  You pray beforehand and ask the Lord for clues to help you find people who need prayer.  Clues can include such things as colors, locations, body parts (meaning a limp, a cast on a wrist, a brace of some sort, anything physical that can be seen), specific articles of clothing, or any other thing to help you find God’s treasure (the person) for prayer.  We had done one of these with all three of our grandchildren about three years before; the results were pretty outstanding and the day made a lasting impression on these kids.  Shucks, they made a lasting impression on us adults as well!

So, Carter wanted to do another treasure hunt.  As wonderful as they are, treasure hunts can cause issues.  Issues like fear, insecurities, and other such distracting things to surface.  And, since it had been quite awhile since I had participated in a treasure hunt, all the uncertainties of treasure hunts started screaming in my head.  “Oh my goodness, I have to muster up courage to approach people!”, “what if someone yells at me?”, and a myriad of other objections wouldn’t leave me alone.  And yet, here is this 12-year-old looking at me with all the confidence in the world that his grandmother is going to take him out on a God adventure and we’re going to pray for people’s needs.  I simply could not let this moment and opportunity pass.

So, off we went into town, armed with our individual lists of clues that included mostly colors, articles of clothing, and a person with a limp.  First we went to one of the grocery stores in town that is situated in a strip mall.  We took our dog with us since she usually is a people magnet.  No one approached us; the dog was not working her charms that day!  We spotted a couple of people with the right color or piece of clothing, and even a man with a limp, but I couldn’t bring myself to chase them out in the parking lot as they approached their cars.  With much frustration, we commented to each other that this was turning out to be harder than the last time we did this.  Finally, we saw a friend leaving in her car and we promptly waved her down to talk.  We told her what we were doing and she told us we could pray for a need she had this day.  With our pump primed now, she drove off and we decided to go to another store in town.

We left Sophie in the car and went inside.  Looking down the aisles, we finally noticed a woman with a gray sweater, two of the clues on our sheets.  We approached.  I excused my intrusion and waited for the woman to acknowledge me.  She continued staring at the shelves of items in front of us.  Inside, I was dying!  “Oh my gosh, this woman thinks I’m a fruitcake!  We should just walk away,” I bemoaned to myself.  Out of the corner of my eye I could see Carter, waiting for his grandmother to launch into action.  How could I bolt with those eyes upon me?  And so I launched into my speech: “Hi, this is my grandson and we are on a treasure hunt today from the Lord.  You are wearing a gray sweater and that was a clue He gave us this morning as we prayed about how we were to find folks who need prayer.  We believe you are one of God’s treasures.  Do you by chance have a need today that we could pray about for you?”  The woman had remained looking straight ahead at the shelves until I finished talking.  She finally turned to look at me, smiled, and said, “oh I don’t think I have any needs today.”  I thanked her, apologized for interrupting her shopping trip and wished her a blessed day.

As we walked off, Carter said, “well, that was awkward, wasn’t it?”  I couldn’t have agreed more.  I felt that this was a bust idea, but for Carter’s sake I never let on how insecure I was feeling at the moment.  We looked for more treasures for another ten minutes or so and I finally said we should head for home.  I was so disappointed.  I had been sure the Lord would use us because He knows how tentative a 12-year-old’s faith is and I didn’t want the enemy to win.  Somehow my disappointment was quickly being transformed into thoughts of failure, all tied up with my fears and doubts about my own courage in this experiment.  We slowly walked out the door.  Off to my right was a pharmacy walk-up window and there, standing against a short wall waiting her turn at the window, was an older woman in a blue shirt and a flowery, knitted cap, more of our clues.  I knew in my heart that this was a woman going through chemo and the hat was covering her bald head.  I motioned to Carter that she was one of our treasures and he agreed; we approached the woman.

Once again, we introduced ourselves to her and told her of our purpose; “…you are wearing a blue shirt and a flowery cap, two of our clues this morning as we prayed and we wonder if you have a need we could pray for today?”  She looked at us and quickly answered, “I do have a need.  I have cancer.”  I asked if we might pray for her there and she told us yes.  And just like that, the day was transformed from an awkward personal challenge into a total victory for the Lord.  Did He heal her?  We don’t know.  But did He touch her?  I think so.

My day began as most others save for the fact that our grandson was visiting with us.  Carter, with a childlike faith to be used by God and his trust in his grandmother’s ability to lead the way, transformed the day into something magical.  I have every confidence that the Lord smiled down on all of us that day.  The woman in the gray sweater may or may not have had any needs, but I’m positive God will use the moment to cause questions to rise up in her thoughts about people, their willingness to reach out, and about this God who gives them courage to do so.  For the woman with cancer there may be healing or any other number of possibilities only He knows, the least of which could be encouragement on a rough day from two strangers.  For a grandmother with a very trusting grandson, I am humbled.  I wasn’t sure I wanted to go on the treasure hunt.  Once begun, I felt I was failing God miserably with my fears and lack of courage.  But in the end, the Lord turned it all into victory.  A glorious, full-of-God possibilities, wonderful, victory for two women, a hesitating grandmother, and a brave hearted, God loving 12-year-old.  It was all Carter’s fault!

Step Over the Fence

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Today a friend called. She was struggling with fear and hoped I might have something to say about the subject. Yes, I had something to say. Fear is a monster, brought about by our own false notions. I love what Dr. Henry Cloud has to say about the matter:

“Make sure you scare yourself today by stepping out of your comfort zone somewhere.  Life only gets bigger by walking through fear.  Fear is a fence.”

Fear is a fence. Does that say it all or what? If allowed, fear rules us. It confines us. Strips us. Stops us. And I believe that is exactly what the enemy of our lives had in mind when he created fear. Fear has this incredible strength to stop us dead in our tracks.

I’ve had a lot of fears in my life. Some were actually quite silly but they stopped me nonetheless from doing or accomplishing various things. I’ll never forget the sage wisdom of a counselor in my life many years ago. My problem concerned a job I was working in at the time. This job, while fulfilling at first, became my nemesis. I allowed it to eat me up inside because I didn’t know how to handle the stress of the job. And after doing it to the very best of my abilities at the time, I wanted a change. But, I didn’t know how to make a change.

I sought out and went to this counselor. Saw him exactly one time. I told him the dilemma.

“So what do you want to do about this?” he asked.

“I want to quit the job.”

“And so why don’t you?”

“I’m afraid to. I’m afraid of disappointing my boss and leaving her with the mess of finding someone else to do the job. I’m afraid of disappointing my parents and family because they’ve been so proud of me for my accomplishments in this job. I’m afraid of disappointing my husband,” and my voice dropped off.

He looked at me. “So if you quit your job, what would be the worst thing that could happen?”

“Well, I wouldn’t work there anymore,” I replied.

“And what’s the worst thing that can happen after that?”

“I wouldn’t have the money from working there?” I asked.

“Yes, that’s true. Can you think of anything else?”

“Um, no, that’s pretty much it,” I replied.

“So, if you quit and these things happened, would you die?”

I was shocked by his question. What kind of a nincompoop did he think I was? “No of course I wouldn’t die!” I stated.

“Then what’s the problem?” he asked.

And that was it. The crux of the problem. I was allowing fear and probably a bit of pride to stop me from doing what I wanted to do. Of course the financial ramifications were something that would have to be worked out between me and my husband, but we had already talked it over and I knew we’d get through that part. Fear was stopping me. Fear had indeed fenced me in as Dr. Cloud so eloquently stated.

The reality became clear. Fear was nothing but a thought that I had given permission to mess with me, a notion I wrongfully gave too much power to and it was smothering me. And it was that thought, that lost power of mine that gave the enemy permission to torment me with this job. I’ve never forgotten this lesson in my life.

Remember truth. Fear is a thought. Fear is not from God. God loves me and He wants the very best for me. He says it over and over, in countless ways throughout the Bible. God is for me, not against me. When I allow fear to rule, I’m trapped within the confines of the thought. Frozen, unable to move. Fenced in.

2 Timothy 1:7 (NKJV)
7 For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.

Step over the fence and see what happens. Will you die? More than likely not and you might just find the freedom you’ve been looking for. Brilliant! What’s the worst thing that might happen? Power…to live a life full of all the possibilities!

A New Day

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This was my devotional this morning by Joyce Meyer:

“For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. (Romans 8:5 NKJV)”

As Vital as Your Heartbeat

As believers, right thinking is something that is so important we simply can’t live without it. Just like our heartbeat, it’s vital because many of the problems we deal with in our lives are rooted in wrong thinking patterns, which are not based on the truth.

Right thinking is a result of regular, personal fellowship with God through prayer and the Word. It is important for us to come to grips with the fact that our lives will not get straightened out until our thinking gets straightened out. Thoughts bear fruit. When you and I think good thoughts, our lives produce good fruit. When we think bad thoughts, our lives produce bad fruit.

The longer I serve God and study His Word, the more I realize how important it is for me to be aware of what’s going on in my mind. Where the mind goes, the man follows. Continually watching over our thoughts is the only way we will ever be able to keep them in line with God’s Word and win our battle against the enemy.

Prayer Starter: Holy Spirit, You have shown me that right thinking is absolutely vital. I will seek You regularly so that I can think the right thoughts. Joyce Meyer
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

After a day of overcast skies and snow and rain, the heavens cleared last night. When I went out with my dog at 11 pm, I looked up and the heavens were breathtaking! I recommend you watch the video “How Great is our God” by Louie Giglio. You can watch it on YouTube at http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=iCrvibgo1LM. It is an amazing DVD to help get our perspective in order. Last night the heavens were brilliant, the night sky awesome.

Sometimes, when our thinking gets cloudy, we succumb to live there. It is so easy to forget the promises of God during such times. We get caught up in our doom and gloom and soon find ourselves deep in “stinkin’ thinkin'”! I hate that this is an easy place to dwell and I am guilty of this phenomenon.

The heavens last night caught my attention. This morning, I am struck by the brilliance of the new day. It is a morning dawned bright and blue, with a wispy wash of white clouds, as if the God of my life had dipped His Hand into white paint and then pressed it to the canvas of a new day and swiped it lightly from west to east. The trees stand tall, not a breath of wind. There is a robin sitting on a high branch of one tree outside my window.

I hear the calling of my Lord. “See this new day I’ve brought forth! It is my gift to you. Do not waste it by allowing the enemy of your soul to have access to your thoughts any longer. Take a deep breath of my new day! Clear your mind. Breath. Do you see? The cloudiness was necessary in order for you to witness the contrast of my hope.”

The contrast of His hope. “Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things. The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do, and the God of peace will be with you. Philippians 4:8-9 (NKJV)”

This new day I will think on the things of God. Yesterday was not a good representation of obedience in me; I fell to the thoughts of my own making. Today I will follow Paul and his very clear, very specific instruction. This new day I choose to take my mind off of my own flesh and it’s skewed way of thinking and I will think on the things from above. It’s a new day…thank God!

Happy New Year

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It’s a fresh year.  New beginnings.  Standing slightly past the crossroad of a new time, a scripture comes to mind.  “Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls.”  Jeremiah 6:16

This scripture offers a key for us, given to us by the ancients.  Stand at the crossroads and look.  Oh I look all right, but all too often I leap before I’ve taken proper bearings on where I’m going this day.  I’m often in too big a hurry to get on with things and I fail to notice the subtleties of my surroundings.  Yet if I would but look, I might see the person who needs attention, the dog who would love to go for a walk, encouraging me to take in my surroundings and breathe, the situation that needs attention and if I would just do it, I wouldn’t have to look at it any longer.  Look…

Ask for the ancient paths.  We are reminded over and over in the Bible to “ask”.  How often do I ask for help, for directions?  Certainly not often enough.  It is so easy to get lost these days.  The pace sweeps over us, leaving too busy and technological vapor trails swirling around our heads.  When the cloud settles, it can become a chore to get your bearings for the day and to know which way you are to turn.

Ask where the good way is.  Sometimes we might ask for the way, but I believe that the Lord wants us to ask specifically for things.  Am I asking for the good way?  There are a thousand ways out there, most of which will delightfully take you down paths that either lead nowhere, to destruction, or lead you far astray from where you intended to go.  There are prices to pay to travel on enticing roads ; it seems the Lord generally leads us down the roads less traveled.  Ask…

Walk in it.  Walk in it is a directive, a command.  One foot in front of the other, over and over again will take you down the road less traveled.  I need to keep moving.  The movement keeps my momentum up.  The definition of momentum is the strength or force that allows something to grow stronger as time passes.  Growing stronger, walking in it.  This is good.  Walk in it…

Find rest for your soul.  When I listen and look carefully, ask for directions along the way, and walk it out, there’s a promise connected to it.  I’ll find rest for my soul.  How restful am I feeling these days?  Taking the pulse of my days, I am feeling rested.  Oh this is so good Lord.   Find rest for your soul…

I believe Jesus followed ancient paths, laid out for Him in the long ago.  He established a life rhythm, fixing it as our model for spiritual health.  His principals are always relevant, irreplaceable and void of improvement.  He knew what Jeremiah had to say in this section of scripture and I think He added one more important ingredient:  spending time with His Father.

Jesus was a very busy man once His ministry started.  Think about a modern day idol, star, or sports figure.  They have a hard time getting away from the crowds.  Jesus was much the same.  He knew He had to get away somewhere to regroup, get rested, and receive new marching orders from His Father.  While different than us in that He knew the exact path He would be following, nonetheless Jesus found it absolutely necessary to check in with His Father…often.  And so off He would go, to some quiet place, away from everyone, to get rested, filled, and back on course.

I believe we would do well to follow this key, presented to us very specifically in the Word of God.  Look carefully, ask for the ancient paths, the good way to go and take bearings often.  Ask Father God for His directions and make sure your map is updated (check in with your Father) often.  Then walk in it.  The rest and peace of His plans will become a welcome friend.  Hello 2014…it’s time to get my bearings.

Just Do It!

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A couple of weeks ago, for the first time, I acted on a thought in the presence of a stranger. It sounded like my thoughts do. Just, you know, a thought. At first I hardly gave it another thought (no pun intended!) but it persisted. Suddenly a new thought crossed my mind: “what if The Lord means for me to speak this out to this person?” I want you to understand something here; this was not any special thought for this person. It was simply information about her: she is a single mom with a little girl. That was it. Nothing profound, nothing special.

For a moment, I brushed it off, but it would not stop in my head. “Well Lord, is this You? Do you want me to do something with this? Is there something you want me to get across here to her Lord?” And just like that a new thought came: “there is something going on between her and her mother.”

I’ve spent enough time with women to know that this thought could mean there’s trouble in this camp. It can indicate bitterness or forgiveness issues, two things that will wreak havoc in a person’s life.

So the important thing for you to understand here is that this particular thing has not happened to me before, this getting information about a person from whom I believed was The Lord. I took about five minutes to chew on this one and then knew there was only one way to know for sure if it was indeed The Lord; I would have to test this one out. Finally, I threw it out there.

“I don’t mean to get personal, but are you a single mom?” I asked.
“Yes,” she replied.
“And do you have a little girl around 6?”
“Actually she’s 8.” Hmmm, ok, I missed the age but I was very encouraged that the child was female.
“Is there something going on between you and your mom?”
She looked at me and hesitated before answering, “I was taken from my mom when I was a little girl.”
“I’m sorry to hear that. Are you in relationship with her now?” I probed.
“Well I see her about once a year, usually around Christmas.”
Now the hard part. “I hope you won’t take offense at this, but I believe The Lord wants you to work on this situation.”

And as easily as it began, we were done. I thought I saw her eyes welling up with tears just as she said, “Thank you,” and then left the room (she had just given me a massage and I had waited until the end to bring this up).

Now I panicked. “Was that You, Lord? I didn’t do that very well, did I? I didn’t get a chance to say anything else to her, to help her know what to do!” Inwardly I was feeling very awkward about this, like I had bumbled it terribly. Just as quickly, I felt a calm reassurance inside about what the next step might be.

After dressing quickly, I walked out of the room we had been in and quickly asked the receptionist if my young mom was still there (it was the end of the day). She told me that the woman had left for the day. OK, so now I knew what to do. I asked for a piece of paper and an envelope and quickly wrote a note to my young masseuse. I told her I hoped I hadn’t upset her but that The Lord wanted their relationship healed. I can’t quite recall how this all came out, but I told her that if there was bitterness and/or unforgiveness involved between them, The Lord had a plan for it all to be healed, that all she needed to do was to confess it to Him and ask His forgiveness and He would show her how to proceed with getting her and her mom’s relationship to a very different place than it was. I gave her my phone number if she wanted to talk briefly about this. I sealed the note inside the envelope and left.

I haven’t heard from my young masseuse but I am at total peace with this situation. As I’ve pondered it, I believe The Lord gave me a Word of Knowledge in order to plant some seeds or to confirm in this young woman’s life that truly God does exist and He has a plan.

I don’t need to know the outcome.  Sometimes we get to sow, sometimes we get to reap.  But always, I believe, we need to be listening for the still, small Voice.  In this instance, I thought it was me until that no longer made sense.  Once heard, we always have a choice, to act on the word or not.  I’m so glad I acted on this one in spite of the fact that this was new for me.  His Voice becomes more and more familiar through each encounter and it so comforting.  Our Father in Heaven wants us to listen carefully and act.  I haven’t always done that, but I’m learning to just do it!

He Has a Lot of Provision!

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Haven’t had a cell phone for 6 days now. It’s interesting. I am missing a few people, but I don’t miss the intrusion that being connected brings. At this moment, I’m sitting in a screened porch and the only sound I can hear is that of the wind blowing through the trees. Ahhhh. Longed for silence.

I’m taken to Psalm 62:1-2 (NKJV):
“Truly my soul silently waits for God; From Him comes my salvation. He only is my rock and my salvation; He is my defense; I shall not be greatly moved.”

I like the Amplified version: Psalm 62:1-2 FOR GOD alone my soul waits in silence; from Him comes my salvation. He only is my Rock and my Salvation, my Defense and my Fortress, I shall not be greatly moved.

I go to my concordance and look up the various words; this becomes my interpretation: Truly I myself wait in silence for God, because from Him alone comes my salvation (saving grace, aid, deliverance, victory, health). He only is my Rock and Victory; He is my high place, refuge, secure height; I will not greatly slip, shake, or fall.

Note the last sentence; I will not greatly slip, shake, or fall. God’s Word is truth and so from these root words I learn that “I” will not greatly slip, shake, or fall. His truth tells me that I as a human will slip, shake, or fall…just not greatly. The root word for “greatly” is rab which means abounding in, exceedingly, much. While it isn’t necessarily comforting to know that I will indeed slip, shake, or fall, it does speak truth to me because I know me, and I do mess up. But the comfort comes from the Hebrew root that assures me I will not abound in this messing up!

Sometimes reading the Word is, well, just reading the Word. But when I take the time to dig a little into what the original language meant, out jumps a truer or deeper meaning, one that comforts and gives me hope. This is His hope and desire, that His Word will bring truth, comfort, hope, and transformation into our lives as we abide (live) in His Word.

I urge you to get with God. Sit there and be quiet for a time. We don’t have much silence in this day and age, but God knows we need it. As we sit with Him for a little, His truths come. I don’t know what you are facing today, but my hope is that this particular truth will speak to you today as it did to me. He is waiting for us all to come into His throne room, to lay our burdens at His feet, and allow Him to bring provision into the situation. After all, He’s God…and He has a lot of provision!

Freedom vs Busy-ness

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I met a very special woman the other day as the result of a divine appointment, arranged by God for the day. She is married to The Lord now, her husband of many years having passed away and gone home to be with Him a few years ago. I asked her what she might be doing next. She wasn’t sure, but she said she would know when The Lord gave her her next marching orders.

Something in our conversation really stuck with me. As we talked and were getting to know one another, I asked if she participated on Facebook; I was trying to figure out how we were going to keep in touch. “No, I don’t have a computer right now nor a TV.” She kind of laughed about it but her next words really made an impression on me.

“I haven’t had a TV or internet for awhile, something that my late husband got us into. I’ve had both before and I’ll tell you something about them. When you don’t have them, you have a lot more time to spend in the Word and with The Lord. You begin to hear Him better. It’s really quite lovely!”

As I’ve pondered this and why it made an impact on me, I realized something. A lot of my busy-ness is tied to my computer and TV! I’m not a compulsive computer person but it does play a role in my life. I check my email and check out what’s up on Facebook at least once a day. I enjoy spending time writing and inviting Holy Spirit to give me words of encouragement for some of the people my life touches. At the end of the day, after dinner, there are a few programs that we like to sit down and watch most evenings. TV doesn’t control us like it used to, but we do watch television.

John 8:32 says, “…and you will know the Truth and the Truth will set you free.” Simple words meaning that as you spend time in the Word, with The Lord, and pursue His way of life, you will live in more and more freedom. Jesus came to set the captives free and His way of helping us gain that freedom is time spent with Him and in His Word.

Are you feeling the effects of gaining freedom through your relationship with Christ? If not, you might want to take a closer look at what you are giving your time to each day. This simple conversation the other day has caused me to ponder this exact thing. I am feeling more and more freedom in my life however, I know more is available. I’m asking myself whether I need to cut back on TV (hmmm, perhaps even eliminate it for awhile?) and/or whether I might need to disconnect from Facebook. I just might be able to gain some precious time to do something I feel the need for more of…spending more quality time with my Lord!