Wednesday, November 23, 2011
Follow My Steps
Follow Me one step at a time. That is all I require of you. In fact, that is the only way to move through this space/time world. You see huge mountains looming, and you start wondering how you’re going to scale those heights. Meanwhile, because you’re not looking where you’re going, you stumble on the easy path where I am leading you now. As I help you get back on your feet, you tell Me how worried you are about the cliffs up ahead. But you don’t know what will happen today, much less tomorrow. Our path may take an abrupt turn, leading you away from those mountains. There may be an easier way up the mountains than is visible from this distance. If I do lead you up the cliffs, I will equip you thoroughly for that strenuous climb. I will even give My angels charge over you, to preserve you in all your ways.
Friday, September 16, 2011
A Modern Day Psalm
The other night was a night of unceasing prayer. Between praying sessions, I was writing, which isn't all that rare, however things were just flowing at this moment, and about who or what specifically? I have no idea...here is the result.
A Modern Day Psalm
Why, why, why is there so much pain?
Why do people tell me of sunshine yet all i feel is rain?
Why Now? Why this? Why does it have to be so hard?
-God you are greater, and in this I have Hope-
But why does it sometimes have to be so difficult to cope?
Why does it have to hurt so much?
Why is it so hard sometimes to hear your voice, feel your touch?
-Lord, you are greater and I am here, I move on with your strength, not my fear-
Turn off the music, but the notes still play in my head
Close the book, but my mind still sees the words I just read
I try not to think, but just then a thousand more thoughts come flooding in
I try to sleep, have peace, to rest, but all I get is darkness and silence at best
I am here, I am here
Speak, I am listening
Or am I?
Have you been speaking all along and that's what I've been missing?
Have I drifted that far away? Have I completely lost touch?
Is there nothing left to say?
Have I fallen that much?
NO! NO!
I am here, I am here
Speak! God, everlasting through the years
You are Lord, Redeemer, Savior over all
I am here, I am here
I am waiting on your call
There is a song I recorded of this...if you want to check it out...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jPblZCrCij8
A Modern Day Psalm
Why, why, why is there so much pain?
Why do people tell me of sunshine yet all i feel is rain?
Why Now? Why this? Why does it have to be so hard?
-God you are greater, and in this I have Hope-
But why does it sometimes have to be so difficult to cope?
Why does it have to hurt so much?
Why is it so hard sometimes to hear your voice, feel your touch?
-Lord, you are greater and I am here, I move on with your strength, not my fear-
Turn off the music, but the notes still play in my head
Close the book, but my mind still sees the words I just read
I try not to think, but just then a thousand more thoughts come flooding in
I try to sleep, have peace, to rest, but all I get is darkness and silence at best
I am here, I am here
Speak, I am listening
Or am I?
Have you been speaking all along and that's what I've been missing?
Have I drifted that far away? Have I completely lost touch?
Is there nothing left to say?
Have I fallen that much?
NO! NO!
I am here, I am here
Speak! God, everlasting through the years
You are Lord, Redeemer, Savior over all
I am here, I am here
I am waiting on your call
There is a song I recorded of this...if you want to check it out...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jPblZCrCij8
Friday, July 1, 2011
"Made Perfect Through Suffering"
Here is a excerpt from the devotional "Streams in the Desert"
Made Perfect Through Suffering
"For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us" (Rom. 8:18).
I kept for nearly a year the flask-shaped cocoon of an emperor moth. It is very peculiar in its construction. A narrow opening is left in the neck of the flask, through which the perfect insect forces its way, so that a forsaken cocoon is as entire as one still tenanted, no rupture of the interlacing fibers having taken place. The great disproportion between the means of egress and the size of the imprisoned insect makes one wonder how the exit is ever accomplished at all--and it never is without great labor and difficulty. It is supposed that the pressure to which the moth's body is subjected in passing through such a narrow opening is a provision of nature for forcing the juices into the vessels of the wings, these being less developed at the period of emerging from the chrysalis than they are in other insects.
I happened to witness the first efforts of my prisoned moth to escape from its long confinement. During a whole forenoon, from time to time, I watched it patiently striving and struggling to get out. It never seemed able to get beyond a certain point, and at last my patience was exhausted. Very probably the confining fibers were drier and less elastic than if the cocoon had been left all winter on its native heather, as nature meant it to be. At all events I thought I was wiser and more compassionate than its Maker, and I resolved to give it a helping hand. With the point of my scissors I snipped the confining threads to make the exit just a very little easier, and lo! immediately, and with perfect case, out crawled my moth dragging a huge swollen body and little shrivelled wings. In vain I watched to see that marvelous process of expansion in which these silently and swiftly develop before one's eyes; and as I traced the exquisite spots and markings of divers colors which were all there in miniature, I longed to see these assume their due proportions and the creature to appear in all its perfect beauty, as it is, in truth, one of the loveliest of its kind. But I looked in vain. My false tenderness had proved its ruin. It never was anything but a stunted abortion, crawling painfully through that brief life which it should have spent flying through the air on rainbow wings. I have thought of it often, often, when watching with pitiful eyes those who were struggling with sorrow, suffering, and distress; and I would fain cut short the discipline and give deliverance. Short-sighted man! How know I that one of these pangs or groans could be spared? The far-sighted, perfect love that seeks the perfection of its object does not weakly shrink from present, transient suffering. Our Father's love is too true to be weak. Because He loves His children, He chastises them that they may be partakers of His holiness. With this glorious end in view, He spares not for their crying. Made perfect through sufferings, as the Elder Brother was, the sons of God are trained up to obedience and brought to glory through much tribulation. --Tract.
Made Perfect Through Suffering
"For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us" (Rom. 8:18).
I kept for nearly a year the flask-shaped cocoon of an emperor moth. It is very peculiar in its construction. A narrow opening is left in the neck of the flask, through which the perfect insect forces its way, so that a forsaken cocoon is as entire as one still tenanted, no rupture of the interlacing fibers having taken place. The great disproportion between the means of egress and the size of the imprisoned insect makes one wonder how the exit is ever accomplished at all--and it never is without great labor and difficulty. It is supposed that the pressure to which the moth's body is subjected in passing through such a narrow opening is a provision of nature for forcing the juices into the vessels of the wings, these being less developed at the period of emerging from the chrysalis than they are in other insects.
I happened to witness the first efforts of my prisoned moth to escape from its long confinement. During a whole forenoon, from time to time, I watched it patiently striving and struggling to get out. It never seemed able to get beyond a certain point, and at last my patience was exhausted. Very probably the confining fibers were drier and less elastic than if the cocoon had been left all winter on its native heather, as nature meant it to be. At all events I thought I was wiser and more compassionate than its Maker, and I resolved to give it a helping hand. With the point of my scissors I snipped the confining threads to make the exit just a very little easier, and lo! immediately, and with perfect case, out crawled my moth dragging a huge swollen body and little shrivelled wings. In vain I watched to see that marvelous process of expansion in which these silently and swiftly develop before one's eyes; and as I traced the exquisite spots and markings of divers colors which were all there in miniature, I longed to see these assume their due proportions and the creature to appear in all its perfect beauty, as it is, in truth, one of the loveliest of its kind. But I looked in vain. My false tenderness had proved its ruin. It never was anything but a stunted abortion, crawling painfully through that brief life which it should have spent flying through the air on rainbow wings. I have thought of it often, often, when watching with pitiful eyes those who were struggling with sorrow, suffering, and distress; and I would fain cut short the discipline and give deliverance. Short-sighted man! How know I that one of these pangs or groans could be spared? The far-sighted, perfect love that seeks the perfection of its object does not weakly shrink from present, transient suffering. Our Father's love is too true to be weak. Because He loves His children, He chastises them that they may be partakers of His holiness. With this glorious end in view, He spares not for their crying. Made perfect through sufferings, as the Elder Brother was, the sons of God are trained up to obedience and brought to glory through much tribulation. --Tract.
Sunday, June 26, 2011
Cannot Wait till you come, Jesus
I'm holding on, here doing your work Lord, striving to glorify you, enjoying all of your many blessings, but my heart rejoices in the thought of you coming. I can't wait to be home with you Father. You have my heart completely.
Thursday, June 23, 2011
"Forsake Me Not When My Strength is Spent"
Definition of STRENGTH
1
: the quality or state of being strong : capacity for exertion or endurance
3
: power of resisting attack : impregnability
4
a : legal, logical, or moral force b : a strong attribute or inherent asset <the strengths and the weaknesses of the book are evident>
Sometimes I just feel so exhausted, as if i'm lying on the shore, bruised and battered after the tidal waves of life have pulled and pushed me in every direction and then slammed me to the ground without warning. Early in my life, I HAD to be strong. After my dad passed away from cancer I had to be strong for my mom, for my siblings (even though all 4 of them are older than me). It wasn't a "i was their solid rock" kind of deal, it was more of a quiet strength, that I was the "normal" one who was the youngest and who wouldn't understand, so for everyone else's sake, I had to be normal, had to be strong. Dad was the family's rock, and now in a way, I had to be some sort of symbol of steadiness and noramility while everything around me was crumbling. That wasn't difficult for me, I had always been a closed off, internal person wanting the best for others and doing whatever I can to serve them anyways. But the Lord works in amazing ways, eventually the strength that I "had" to have, I now wanted and joyfully accepted my role as a steady rock in many people's lives. But I had finally realized the lesson God had been whispering in my ear: I AM your rock. You are not anyone's rock, your dad was no one's rock, I AM the rock and refuge, rely on me and lead others to me. Even still...there are many times where I feel weak and inadaquate to do anything, yet there are ample opportunities to serve and glorify the Lord. But what about when my strength is spent? Call on the Lord, He knows your limits, He knows right where He needs to step in, when you've reached your limit...but do you? Do we really know when to stop, throw our hands up and say "here God...take it...I can't handle it anymore". Well, truth be told, that should have happened a looooong time ago before the now "to hard to handle" situation even started. It is a daily decision to lay down yourself, call on the Lord for strength, joy...etc. and to commit to glorifying Him no matter what. First though, to call on Him in such a way with the true power of the Lord, we must be intimate with God first, how can we call on One we do not trust? We must be intimate with God, trusting in Him, walking in a striving relationship with Him, in His Word, in prayer. One of my favorite passages is Psalm 71. I love the title "Forsake Me Not When My Strength is Spent", how fitting?! When we have nothing to give, no words to say, no actions to perform, no strength left, let's call on the Lord for HIS words, HIS actions, HIS strength...but wouldn't it be great if we asked Him for that BEFORE we get ourselves run down to the ground? I'm as stubborn as I'll get out, but fully realize, this life cannot be lived on your own. God is ALWAYS there, and ALWAYS greater than any situation and He even blesses us by bringing others up around us to encourage us and lift us up. How great and incredible is our God? pretty darn... :)
Psalm 70:4 "May all who seek you rejoice and be glad in you! May those who love your salvation say evermore, "Our God is great!"
By the way, Psalm 71 is in the favorite passages section right there -->
READ IT! ALL OF IT! :)
By the way, Psalm 71 is in the favorite passages section right there -->
READ IT! ALL OF IT! :)
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
Trusting God: do you just know He'll work it all out, or do you believe it wholeheartedly too?
Definition of TRUST
1
a : assured reliance on the character, ability, strength, or truth of someone or something b : one in which confidence is placed
2
a : dependence on something future or contingent : hope
-merriam webster
hmm...trust is a funny thing. For some, trust is given almost in full right off the bat, others hoard and guard trust, not giving it out, as if it's in short supply in the world. Many say, "trust is earned"...truth is...trust has to be given first, the only way for a relationship to truly work is if both sides give 100% not just 50-50.
Well here's the deal, when it comes to trusting God, we often hold pieces of ourselves or our dreams, or even others back from God...as if He doesn't know everything already...sheesh...but we lack complete trust in Him... saying things like "i trust you God...i give everything into your hands and know you will provide" yet we still worry over how financially ends will be met... or "i trust you with everything in me...i give everything to you...just not this family member...not that friend...you can't take them like that...not that disease". What i'm trying to say is, there is a major disconnect today in knowing "God's got it all covered" and fully believing that the Almighty, Infinite, Father and Creator will work and is working everything out for HIS glory, which ultimately is for our best. We read passages in scripture like Jeremiah 29:11 "For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." we all nod our heads in agreement and maybe even believe it in our hearts at that time...but when it's US in that situation, we lose sight. "God, i know you got this, but i really don't see how this is gonna work out, how can i pay for this? how can i go there?". Many begin to question, "why God?" instead of questioning, "God, how can i be used to glorify you in this? Help me to trust and rely on you no matter what, Lord i'm in your hands, you are greater than any situation, always". we lose sight of what matthew 6 says.
Matthew 6:25-34
New International Version (NIV)
Do Not Worry
25 “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? 26 Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27 Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life[a]? 28 “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29 Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 30 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? 31 So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own."Truth be told, God really truly does have it all in His hands, He knows the end results, so lets put our everything into His hands, relying on Him fully and completely...easy? no... worth it? yes... trust me... better yet, trust God.
Saturday, June 18, 2011
What does it mean to live "Coram Deo" in a "non Psalm 118:24" world?
Psalm 118:24
"Today is the day the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it!"
Coram Deo: something that takes place in the presence of, or before the face of, God. To live coram Deo is to live one’s entire life in the presence of God, under the authority of God, to the glory of God.
Something people often forget is that every moment of our lives is lived in front of God and in His Holy presence...they think 'oh...i'll come to you with that issue later', or 'yeah i know i shouldn't be doing this, but i'll talk to you about it later', or 'i'll come when i have time'. Hmm...why is it then, that when in desperate need we yell out, "God! Where are you???!!!" When He's been there the whole time...and we are the ones that have moved. I think that if you asked anyone who had a good knowledge of Bible stories what happened to people when they were in the presence of God, they would all say something to the affect of, "they died", "they fell in shame because they were not worthy enough", "they had to look away"...which at different points, those were all true...God is Holy, infinite, all powerful, all present, Creator, just, loving (with an unconditional love) and perfect in every way...so...how would we act or respond if we were directly in His presence? umm well...considering we are sinful creatures whose natural tendency is to run away from God?? well probably (purely in my opinion) we would die on the spot, or melt in utter and complete shame. Well...after Christ's death on the cross and Resurrection, we were given direct access to God, to be able to be in His presence...Which begs the question...why are we not in fear of God (not fear as in terrified to death...but fear as in being in complete awe of who He is and what He does) . If people acted everyday, in every moment as they would act if they were in the presence of God...well things would be alot different... no, not perfect...because us sinful beings cannot be perfect (only Christ)...but they would be different, we would all be alot more sensitive to God's timing and to glorifying Him no matter what...how awesome would that be?? :)
ok ok...this is sounding confusing i'm sure...
to live Coram Deo in a non Psalm 118:24 world is to live everyday and every moment fully realizing and understanding that we are in the presence of the one True, Most High, Holy Abba Father, God...and we need to commit every day to Him...it's already His, so let's commit our lives to Him...it's not a one time deal, it's a daily choice to lay down our lives for His sake and glory... Praise the Lord!
ok ok...this is sounding confusing i'm sure...
to live Coram Deo in a non Psalm 118:24 world is to live everyday and every moment fully realizing and understanding that we are in the presence of the one True, Most High, Holy Abba Father, God...and we need to commit every day to Him...it's already His, so let's commit our lives to Him...it's not a one time deal, it's a daily choice to lay down our lives for His sake and glory... Praise the Lord!
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