In the last half dozen years of my life, I have really begun to pay attention to how the Lord speaks to me through numbers. I have learned that He is truly One who loves patterns in our lives. He is a very ordered God, and through the use of the numbers in our lives, He speaks directly to us about what is happening and what is going to happen. The big numbers in my life have been 3 (representing the Third Day when it came to events in my life), 5 (for Grace - unearned, exquisite, redemptive), 7 (for perfect completion) and 8 (for new beginnings). Understanding the significance of His numbers in my life was a slow dawning, a growing awareness. Maybe some of you are already advanced in seeing His promises in your life through His use of numbers. I believe that there are others of you though like myself who had been walking through life missing this important device of communication. My prayer is that hearing about numbers will grow in you a new awareness of the ingenuity and faithfulness of our Lord.
God started speaking to me directly with numbers when He told me in January 2004 that it was time to write the book He had shown me prophetically in August 2003. More about that revelation in a minute. First here is the historical framework. The vision He had given to me was in the 8th month of 2003. I moved to Georgia after my divorce in July the 7th month of 2003. The awakening for me to come out of the cocoon of denial of my dysfunctional marriage and the submissiveness of co-dependency to those in my world began in May the 5th month 2000. With hindsight here is the interpretation of those events.
I had been in a cocoon of denial of who I was to become in Christ until grace (5th month) in 2000 lifted the veils for me and allowed me to begin to feel the love of God and His delight in who I was as I never had before. It was a difficult and challenging process as I tried to engage others in my life to see me the way that God saw me with His gifts and talents beginning to come alive in me. As that process progressed it resulted in my acknowledging a closure in that phase of my life as I moved forward. I moved to Georgia to start all over recognizing this phase of my life was over/completed (7th month) of 2003. This would also not be the first time that a 3 year cycle would emerge in my life. Scripturally, third days are very significant throughout both Old and New Testament. More revelation on that later too.
The Lord gave me a vision regarding my overcoming my past and writing a book that would minister to many in the 8th month (new beginnings) August 2003. Notice how new beginnings (August) comes after completion (July). Fast forward to January (which is the first month (Deity - Unity) and therefore in this scenario represented my single focus on the Lord. I had left everything and everyone behind including my sons to obediently pursue whatever God was directing. He had literally become my "everything". Now in this month He tells me that the book I will write is my poetry and that it will have 5 chapters (which He named) and each chapter will have 5 poems each. At this time I did not understand the significance of 5 (grace). I began work on my book.
January 2005 I completed the manuscript for my book and invited friends to come to my home to dedicate it to the Lord. 5 women and 2 men were present. The Lord called me to honor Him through serving communion to everyone there. Then He began speaking to all of us about the significance of numbers. He explained that this was like the meal with fishes (2) and loaves (5) and just as that was multiplied so will my ministry through Him. At first I thought he was referring to my book, but the next month the folks that came together in my home to worship and fellowship doubled and thus began a small group ministry that would continue for three more years. At that same dedication meeting, one of the women present exclaimed upon viewing the manuscript that the Lord had prophetically called for Grace for everyone reading this book - 5 chapters and 5 poems in each chapter.
Remember that the year is now 2005 - 5 years since the Lord began his release of divine love through me in a miraculous healing way. July of this same year, the Lord proclaims to me that I am healed (completion) and it is time for me to see the husband that He has placed in front of me. He gave me 2 Kings 20:5 "Go back and tell Hezekiah, the leader of my people, 'This is what the Lord, the God of your father David, says: I have heard your prayer and seen your tears; I will heal you. On the third day from now you will go up to the temple of the Lord. I realized that when He gave me that scripture, I had just begun my third year of living in Georgia. This was His prophetic proclamation to me that this year would bring my husband, resolution to my financial distress and blessings that I could not begin to imagine. I had not been seeking any relationships because I was so satisfied with the way the Lord had fulfilled me. But suddenly on July 8th (seriously I am NOT kidding you), I find myself having dinner with an amazing Godly man who is passionately seeking the Lord. God's hand was so clearly in this meeting and the relationship that quickly evolved that in August (new beginnings) we were married. By the way this was just over 7 weeks later. It would have been exactly 7 weeks except that Pastor Perry Keyt was off that day and could not marry us until a few days later.
If you are shaking your heads in disbelief, there is still more. On July 7, 2000, I had written a poem about God's perfect vision of marriage - His kind of covenant marriage. At this time, I was still married to my first husband and was just coming into the realization of my gifts and who I was in Christ. This poem was not a picture of what I was living but was a promise that someday I would experience this love. I had no idea of divorce in my mind any more than that I would someday be an astronaut. The poem depicts a prism and light and how they accidentally come together and then eventually understand that the rainbows they create are meant to bless the world as well as themselves. Literally, exactly 5 years later (Grace) Holy Spirit has me move a prism in my living room as I am preparing for this first date with Glen (my incredible husband now). The entire living room broke out in rainbows.
May (Grace) 2007 the Lord instructs us to move closer to our Tabernacle. We were commuting 35 miles one way for church and activities. August (new beginnings) 2007 we move to our new home here in Powder Springs, GA which was exactly 5 miles from our church and get this, the house number is 1555. In the midst of the real estate downturn, the Lord sells our condo and we are able to make this move.
I could continue to blow you away, but permit me to return to the main theme of this blog today - Seeing the Promise in Our Own Lives. In the last few months as I have been struggling with my mission for Him, which you all have witnessed through these blogs, He has given me incredible new encouragement. Here is the latest numerical assessment of my life. I have just completed 6 years of living in Georgia - I have now entered my 7th year perfect completion. My precious husband just celebrated his double grace birthday - 55. Next month I will celebrate my 57th - grace and completion. Yesterday we celebrated our 4th anniversary which means we have now entered our 5th year of marriage - grace! The icing on the cake is that this October 10th (10 + 10) I will celebrate my 20th (redemption) anniversary of my salvation.
I am so excited about what God is going to unfold in my life in the coming year. I am expecting God without expectations. I have learned through this walk of mine that I cannot begin to imagine the future that He has for me and more importantly for me to try and second guess Him would be putting limitations on His extravagant love for me. My prayer is that this journey through these last few years and how God has spoken to me through His numbers and patterns will open your eyes to some amazing things in your life. Don't try to predict Him but seek to understand how He is communicating with you through the dates and events of your life. You will find that He is amazingly faithful and so passionately in love with you!! Blessings to you on your journey...
Monday, August 24, 2009
Monday, August 17, 2009
Real Joy - My Choice
Joy or the lack thereof seems to be a recurrent theme in the conversations I am having recently with many people. The circumstances of our daily lives seem to predisposition us to feel as if there are dark clouds hanging over us at all times. The "world" in which we currently reside is not exactly a safe and rosy place right now and too many of us are allowing that to direct our state of being. The Lord has much to say about joy and its source. Why is it that more of us are not paying attention to what He has to say but rather are believing the lies being perpetrated by our adversary, the enemy?
The very first mention of the source of joy for us comes in Nehemiah 8:10 later part of verse: "This is a sacred day before the Lord. Don't be dejected and sad, for the joy of the Lord is your strength." Nehemiah was speaking to the Israelites who had yet to experience the Savior, Jesus Christ. They had returned from captivity and were hearing the Law of God being read and wept as they realized how far they had wandered from the Lord. But Nehemiah through the speaking of the Lord reminded them that they were now in His presence and were to honor Him and His faithfulness. This was indeed a sacred day before the Lord because His chosen people were now choosing to honor Him through the decreed festivals and we hear the result of this obedience in focusing on the Lord. Nehemiah 8:17 So everyone who had returned from captivity lived in these shelters during the festival, and they were all filled with great joy!
How about Job? We all should be familiar with Job's tremendous trials. Many of you have probably been told at one time or another, "Consider Job! If Job could live through what he did and still love God and understand God's faithfulness, surely you can do it!" Early on in the book of Job, he acknowledges the source of joy. Job 8:20-21 "But look, God will not reject a person of integrity, nor will he lend a hand to the wicked. He will once again fill your mouth with laughter and your lips with shouts of joy." King David is another who knew his share of heart ache and wilderness travels. Yet in an early Psalm he too acknowledges the source of joy. Psalm 4:7 You have filled my heart with greater joy than when their grain and new wine abound. He directly compares earthly reasons to be joyful with the true source of joy and proclaims how great joy is. I could continue sharing each of these examples with you, but there are 165 entries in the Word for the single word joy. So let's fast forward to the New Testament and listen to what Jesus has to say.
John 15:11 I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. John 16:22, 24 "So with you: Now is your time of grief, but I will see you again and you will rejoice, and no one will take away your joy......Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete." John 17:13 "I am coming to you now, but I say these things while I am still in the world, so that they may have the full measure of my joy within them." Then the disciples of Jesus further instruct us. Romans 15:23 May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Once again I will stop because the entries are so numerous. I pray that you are getting the general idea though. Joy is not something that we obtain through our own efforts or through the events of our lives. True joy - the kind that permeates our very being to our core - is received through the Lord Himself. Too often we seek joy through these other means and then are disappointed when we don't feel it. The Lord however is quick to instruct us where to look and what must happen if we want our lives to both exhibit and experience His true joy. Considering then that the Lord is the source of true joy, why is it so many of us are struggling to live in it?
One explanation is based in the comment I hear way too often. "The enemy stole my joy." I immediately refute this exclamation with this statement. No one can steal your joy; only you can give it away. Look at the source; look at what the Lord tells us. Do you really believe the defeated enemy has the power to interfere with your relationship with the Lord? Only with your permission. Only you can open the door and hand him the gift that has been given to you by your loving Lord. If you have the power to give it away, then logically you have the power to retain it too. This is all about your focus on life and where you are willing to center your attention. Will it be on the Lord as the source of your strength and joy or will it be that defeated foe who knows only how to lie to you?
I have been down this road and I understand what it is like to not awaken every morning filled with excitement and anticipation for the day that awaits me. Fortunately I have a God who did not give up on me during those times and I came to realize that I had to take action to get to that juncture where I would once again be filled up with Him. God is a gentleman and He will never force His love on any of us. He will patiently wait while we turn back towards Him and draw near to Him to experience once again the wonderful infilling of His peace and joy. Make a decision today to guard this incredible git He has given to you. Make a choice today that will fill you to overflowing with the Son-shine of your life. Experience anew this awesome spiritual fullness called the Joy of the Lord!
The very first mention of the source of joy for us comes in Nehemiah 8:10 later part of verse: "This is a sacred day before the Lord. Don't be dejected and sad, for the joy of the Lord is your strength." Nehemiah was speaking to the Israelites who had yet to experience the Savior, Jesus Christ. They had returned from captivity and were hearing the Law of God being read and wept as they realized how far they had wandered from the Lord. But Nehemiah through the speaking of the Lord reminded them that they were now in His presence and were to honor Him and His faithfulness. This was indeed a sacred day before the Lord because His chosen people were now choosing to honor Him through the decreed festivals and we hear the result of this obedience in focusing on the Lord. Nehemiah 8:17 So everyone who had returned from captivity lived in these shelters during the festival, and they were all filled with great joy!
How about Job? We all should be familiar with Job's tremendous trials. Many of you have probably been told at one time or another, "Consider Job! If Job could live through what he did and still love God and understand God's faithfulness, surely you can do it!" Early on in the book of Job, he acknowledges the source of joy. Job 8:20-21 "But look, God will not reject a person of integrity, nor will he lend a hand to the wicked. He will once again fill your mouth with laughter and your lips with shouts of joy." King David is another who knew his share of heart ache and wilderness travels. Yet in an early Psalm he too acknowledges the source of joy. Psalm 4:7 You have filled my heart with greater joy than when their grain and new wine abound. He directly compares earthly reasons to be joyful with the true source of joy and proclaims how great joy is. I could continue sharing each of these examples with you, but there are 165 entries in the Word for the single word joy. So let's fast forward to the New Testament and listen to what Jesus has to say.
John 15:11 I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. John 16:22, 24 "So with you: Now is your time of grief, but I will see you again and you will rejoice, and no one will take away your joy......Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete." John 17:13 "I am coming to you now, but I say these things while I am still in the world, so that they may have the full measure of my joy within them." Then the disciples of Jesus further instruct us. Romans 15:23 May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Once again I will stop because the entries are so numerous. I pray that you are getting the general idea though. Joy is not something that we obtain through our own efforts or through the events of our lives. True joy - the kind that permeates our very being to our core - is received through the Lord Himself. Too often we seek joy through these other means and then are disappointed when we don't feel it. The Lord however is quick to instruct us where to look and what must happen if we want our lives to both exhibit and experience His true joy. Considering then that the Lord is the source of true joy, why is it so many of us are struggling to live in it?
One explanation is based in the comment I hear way too often. "The enemy stole my joy." I immediately refute this exclamation with this statement. No one can steal your joy; only you can give it away. Look at the source; look at what the Lord tells us. Do you really believe the defeated enemy has the power to interfere with your relationship with the Lord? Only with your permission. Only you can open the door and hand him the gift that has been given to you by your loving Lord. If you have the power to give it away, then logically you have the power to retain it too. This is all about your focus on life and where you are willing to center your attention. Will it be on the Lord as the source of your strength and joy or will it be that defeated foe who knows only how to lie to you?
I have been down this road and I understand what it is like to not awaken every morning filled with excitement and anticipation for the day that awaits me. Fortunately I have a God who did not give up on me during those times and I came to realize that I had to take action to get to that juncture where I would once again be filled up with Him. God is a gentleman and He will never force His love on any of us. He will patiently wait while we turn back towards Him and draw near to Him to experience once again the wonderful infilling of His peace and joy. Make a decision today to guard this incredible git He has given to you. Make a choice today that will fill you to overflowing with the Son-shine of your life. Experience anew this awesome spiritual fullness called the Joy of the Lord!
Monday, August 10, 2009
The Process of Equipping
"God does not call the equipped: He equips the called." I have quoted this to more folks than I could possibly begin to recall. I have used the many notable historical figures in the Word to support this statement. Just look at Moses, David, Daniel, Joseph son of Jacob, or even for that matter, Mary and Joseph, Jesus' parents. Throughout the Word, we see over and over again that God chooses those with a heart for Him and then sends them out to accomplish the unbelievable. This belief in how God operates can provide great comfort to those who are wondering, "Why me, Lord?" Clearly a mission was given and then He equipped the "missionary" to do His will. Sometimes though we don't have a clear mission from Him and are not in the midst of being sent out. What does that say about us? Is He not using us?
Recently I began to reassess what this statement means and the Lord has given me some interesting perspectives that I need to share with you. As some of the postings on this blog have intimated, I am not real clear in this season of my life, what He is doing or why He is doing it. I am trying very hard to be faithful to hear His voice and very patient to not start running ahead of Him. However our conversations have been very different than they were several years ago. This season is new territory for me and hence I have had to go to Him for understanding.
I have found that I was making certain assumptions about my life and about what God was up to. I truly believe Romans 8:28 And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them. I kept looking back at my life and assuming that everything I had experienced, everything that I had learned, would be indicative of the direction that God had for my life. I reviewed my "resume" of life and concluded that the formal education I had received, the several jobs I had held, and the mountains and valleys of my personal life would all add up to a predictable outcome that would use all of these various components of who I am. A predictable outcome would include the book I had published, the public speaking and training experiences I had mastered and then of course my spiritual growth that had expanded exponentially in the last 6 years.
I am beginning to believe that I have this understanding of equipping and calling backwards. Listen to Jeremiah 1:7-8 But the Lord said to me, "Do not say, 'I am only a child.' You must go to everyone I send you to and say whatever I command you. Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you and will rescue you," declares the Lord. Jeremiah was a grown man, yet the Lord was calling him a child because that was how he saw himself ~ totally inadequate for what the Lord was going to do with him and through him. Moses was the same way. He did not see himself as the appropriate choice for God to use in His work in the way He was describing to Moses. God equipped both of these great men as they traveled the path He had chosen for them. Neither of them were handed a transformed identity that moment. They had to begin walking in the identity God was creating for them as their obedience was manifested. Obedience was the key. Trust Me, God says, I know what I am doing.
Perhaps then what this means to us is that God has used everything in our lives to get us to this exact moment in time when He can move us forward into the new territory that He has designed for us. Without the intricate history of my life, I would not be in exactly this place in this time. Without the education and the professional experience, I could have never accepted job opportunities that continued to move me to this moment. Without the emotional trauma of my past, I would not have moved to Atlanta to be positioned for Him to move me into the next spiritual dimension of my life. Without everything happening just as it did, I would not have the trust, the healing, the intimacy with Him that I do at this very moment.
So how do I translate this revelation into meaning for my "today" life? I have realized that I am to shift my expectations of what God is up to. First let's all acknowledge that we really don't have a clue anyway! :-) Second I know from personal experience that His plans for my life are incredibly greater than anything I could dream up. What if the visions and dreams that I have had previously were meant to stimulate me into moving forward in preparation for something else, something so big that my brain cannot wrap around it? Now that is the reality of my God. When I dreamt of peace in my life, stability, a good relationship with a spouse chosen by God, I did not fathom that my life would be what it is today. Reality today so far surpasses anything my brain imagined that I am still in awe of His blessings in my life, and that is just today. So what about tomorrow?
I believe that I have been handcuffing God's efforts in my life by looking only at what I have been told by Him previously and imposing my interpretation of those things on the direction of my life. I have counseled many individuals to not "settle" for less than God's best in their lives. His desires for us are infinitely grander than what we wish for ourselves. Please don't misunderstand me; I am not saying that He desires to lavish us with worldly wealth beyond our expectations. I believe that He wants our earthly needs met, and He has demonstrated to me time and again that He is very capable of handling that. More importantly He wants our eternal wealth to be grand and that is triggered by our obedience and surrender. The more we trust, the more He can do with our lives. I am a testimony to that.
Not too long ago I lived in eager anticipation of what He had waiting for me around the corner. I knew always that something awesome was about to happen, I just needed to be open to it and ready to move with it. I have come to realize that due to the unexpected and for me miraculous events of my life, I was subconsciously thinking, "It can't get better than this. I should be content and thrilled that God has blessed me with what He has. Say thank you and settle into being obedient in my daily life." Now I understand that is limiting Him and in essence saying He is finished with this project. What little credit I give to my God who is my Lover and my best friend!
My prayer for you and for myself is that we stop limiting God in our lives. Let Him be the marvelous Creator that He is and have at it with our lives. Join me in stepping into an eager anticipation of something new from Him everyday of your lives. Believe that He is in the process of equipping you and you will not know what you need until you are in the moment and He provides you with the power and the tools that you need to accomplish His will. His heart's desire is for us to have the most indescribable journey with Him from this moment and throughout all of Eternity. Won't you come along?
Recently I began to reassess what this statement means and the Lord has given me some interesting perspectives that I need to share with you. As some of the postings on this blog have intimated, I am not real clear in this season of my life, what He is doing or why He is doing it. I am trying very hard to be faithful to hear His voice and very patient to not start running ahead of Him. However our conversations have been very different than they were several years ago. This season is new territory for me and hence I have had to go to Him for understanding.
I have found that I was making certain assumptions about my life and about what God was up to. I truly believe Romans 8:28 And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them. I kept looking back at my life and assuming that everything I had experienced, everything that I had learned, would be indicative of the direction that God had for my life. I reviewed my "resume" of life and concluded that the formal education I had received, the several jobs I had held, and the mountains and valleys of my personal life would all add up to a predictable outcome that would use all of these various components of who I am. A predictable outcome would include the book I had published, the public speaking and training experiences I had mastered and then of course my spiritual growth that had expanded exponentially in the last 6 years.
I am beginning to believe that I have this understanding of equipping and calling backwards. Listen to Jeremiah 1:7-8 But the Lord said to me, "Do not say, 'I am only a child.' You must go to everyone I send you to and say whatever I command you. Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you and will rescue you," declares the Lord. Jeremiah was a grown man, yet the Lord was calling him a child because that was how he saw himself ~ totally inadequate for what the Lord was going to do with him and through him. Moses was the same way. He did not see himself as the appropriate choice for God to use in His work in the way He was describing to Moses. God equipped both of these great men as they traveled the path He had chosen for them. Neither of them were handed a transformed identity that moment. They had to begin walking in the identity God was creating for them as their obedience was manifested. Obedience was the key. Trust Me, God says, I know what I am doing.
Perhaps then what this means to us is that God has used everything in our lives to get us to this exact moment in time when He can move us forward into the new territory that He has designed for us. Without the intricate history of my life, I would not be in exactly this place in this time. Without the education and the professional experience, I could have never accepted job opportunities that continued to move me to this moment. Without the emotional trauma of my past, I would not have moved to Atlanta to be positioned for Him to move me into the next spiritual dimension of my life. Without everything happening just as it did, I would not have the trust, the healing, the intimacy with Him that I do at this very moment.
So how do I translate this revelation into meaning for my "today" life? I have realized that I am to shift my expectations of what God is up to. First let's all acknowledge that we really don't have a clue anyway! :-) Second I know from personal experience that His plans for my life are incredibly greater than anything I could dream up. What if the visions and dreams that I have had previously were meant to stimulate me into moving forward in preparation for something else, something so big that my brain cannot wrap around it? Now that is the reality of my God. When I dreamt of peace in my life, stability, a good relationship with a spouse chosen by God, I did not fathom that my life would be what it is today. Reality today so far surpasses anything my brain imagined that I am still in awe of His blessings in my life, and that is just today. So what about tomorrow?
I believe that I have been handcuffing God's efforts in my life by looking only at what I have been told by Him previously and imposing my interpretation of those things on the direction of my life. I have counseled many individuals to not "settle" for less than God's best in their lives. His desires for us are infinitely grander than what we wish for ourselves. Please don't misunderstand me; I am not saying that He desires to lavish us with worldly wealth beyond our expectations. I believe that He wants our earthly needs met, and He has demonstrated to me time and again that He is very capable of handling that. More importantly He wants our eternal wealth to be grand and that is triggered by our obedience and surrender. The more we trust, the more He can do with our lives. I am a testimony to that.
Not too long ago I lived in eager anticipation of what He had waiting for me around the corner. I knew always that something awesome was about to happen, I just needed to be open to it and ready to move with it. I have come to realize that due to the unexpected and for me miraculous events of my life, I was subconsciously thinking, "It can't get better than this. I should be content and thrilled that God has blessed me with what He has. Say thank you and settle into being obedient in my daily life." Now I understand that is limiting Him and in essence saying He is finished with this project. What little credit I give to my God who is my Lover and my best friend!
My prayer for you and for myself is that we stop limiting God in our lives. Let Him be the marvelous Creator that He is and have at it with our lives. Join me in stepping into an eager anticipation of something new from Him everyday of your lives. Believe that He is in the process of equipping you and you will not know what you need until you are in the moment and He provides you with the power and the tools that you need to accomplish His will. His heart's desire is for us to have the most indescribable journey with Him from this moment and throughout all of Eternity. Won't you come along?
Monday, August 3, 2009
Walking "It" Out
I was watching the face of this precious sister in Christ hoping, praying, to see the breakthrough come. I knew the moment would arrive when the joy would burst through the heartache and a smile would beam from her beautiful face, but it just wasn't manifesting. My own heart was aching for her... Then I heard His voice, "Patience, Janice, she has to work through this to get to that place...." We all have our own pace of getting to the place where we can experience His peace and His joy, and it certainly is very different for every single one of us. The question remains always, can we endure through the process to get to that place?
I am incredibly blessed to be involved in numerous individual lives where struggles are being walked out. However, the blessing is a mixed one because I travel alongside these precious souls and feel their pain. I know the victory that awaits them further in the journey if they will only choose to not abandon this road. I also know what trials are part of this journey simply because they choose to forge ahead. I am the living embodiment of the power of walking out trusting God with your life in spite of all odds that appear to be against you. I have only to look around me and marvel at the outcome of my life so far and realize that only through His miraculous hand in my life could I possibly be enjoying the path I am exploring today. Does that mean that the trials and tribulations have stopped in my life and I don't have to walk "it" out any longer. Hardly.
Each day I learn more about the promises of God - what they are and what they are not. I am learning not to believe the "promises" that have been passed on by hearsay and instead to stand on those promises that I find written in the Word itself. Sadly there are many theories that have been passed down to us through the pulpits of our lives that have no foundation in scripture. Instead they have been formulated by individuals' interpretation of scripture. Then when times get rough, these interpretations fail to hold up under the trial and then questions are thrown at God and His faithfulness. False idols arise that are more palatable and comfortable for our lifestyles and what we want to believe. We cannot choose which verses we want to believe and which ones we want to ignore. We must take the Word in its totality - Old and New Testament - and understand what God is speaking to us about our lives and how to live them.
So what does He promise us? The Lord's message throughout the Word is consistent whether He is talking to the People of Israel in the days before Christ or to His grafted in church. He passionately loves us and wants our love in return. The way that we demonstrate our love to Him is through our obedience. Without our obedience and our surrender to Him, we are rebellious and in that rebellion we will suffer sure consequences. One example: Isaiah 50:11 But watch out, you who live in your own light and warm yourselves by your own fires. This is the reward you will receive from me: You will soon lie down in great torment. Pretty clear, wouldn't you say? How about from the New Testament, James 1:6-8 But when you ask Him, be sure your faith is in God alone. Do not waiver, for a person with divided loyalty is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is blown and tossed by the wind. Such people should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. Their loyalty is divided between God and the world, and they are unstable in everything they do. We cannot walk a fence with the Lord, believing when it is convenient and then leaning the other way when it is not.
Getting back to my opening scene of the precious lady for whom I was awaiting breakthrough. She is just starting to really walk out taking the Lord's hand in discovering how He can free her and release His peace in her life. It may take a while for her to journey with Him through the mountains of junk. She will not be alone. God will be providing awesome traveling companions for her both human and spiritual. Once we tell Him we want to travel with Him on this journey He rejoices and says, "I am here with you, all the way!!!!" The intensity of His love for us is evident throughout scripture. 1 Peter 1:2 God the Father knew you and chose you long ago, and His Spirit has made you holy. As a result, you have obeyed Him and have been cleansed by the blood of Jesus Christ. May God give you more and more grace and peace. Isaiah 43:2 When you go through deep waters I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty you will not drown. When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up: the flames will not consume you. What powerful strength in those words from Him! He will be there for us even though He is also warning us, it can get pretty tough as you travel this journey with Me. Can you think of a better traveling companion?
Breakthroughs do eventually come for all of us. Sometimes it feels as if it is taking forever. Sometimes we wonder if we can continue to endure the pain - physical, emotional or both. Sometimes we question our sanity or God's purposes in all of this. Sometimes we just want to give up because we simply do not understand and are exhausted with trying to hang on. Sometimes we look around us at everybody else who "seems" to be holding it together and feel as if we are a total failure. (By the way, that is a real ploy of the enemy because usually none of us are really holding it together!) And then sometimes it finally happens, somebody we know experiences their breakthrough and we have renewed hope. God is the hero of the stories of our lives. It is just that each of our stories is so very different. As I struggled with my heartache over this precious lady I was watching, another dear friend came up to me and shared that she had finally gotten her joy back! Breakthrough that had been months if not years in the making! God is so faithful!
I do not know where your story is in its writing with our faithful Lord, author, producer and Hero of our lives, but I can assure you this. As long as you have not abandoned your journey with Him and you are keeping your focus on Him, not being seduced by the ways of the world, He is faithfully fighting for your heart and will not abandon you. Keep on "keeping on" walking "it" out and one of these days, the brilliant sunshine will break through the dark clouds of your life. The rainbow that you see will stun you beyond your wildest imagination. That is His promise, not mine......
I am incredibly blessed to be involved in numerous individual lives where struggles are being walked out. However, the blessing is a mixed one because I travel alongside these precious souls and feel their pain. I know the victory that awaits them further in the journey if they will only choose to not abandon this road. I also know what trials are part of this journey simply because they choose to forge ahead. I am the living embodiment of the power of walking out trusting God with your life in spite of all odds that appear to be against you. I have only to look around me and marvel at the outcome of my life so far and realize that only through His miraculous hand in my life could I possibly be enjoying the path I am exploring today. Does that mean that the trials and tribulations have stopped in my life and I don't have to walk "it" out any longer. Hardly.
Each day I learn more about the promises of God - what they are and what they are not. I am learning not to believe the "promises" that have been passed on by hearsay and instead to stand on those promises that I find written in the Word itself. Sadly there are many theories that have been passed down to us through the pulpits of our lives that have no foundation in scripture. Instead they have been formulated by individuals' interpretation of scripture. Then when times get rough, these interpretations fail to hold up under the trial and then questions are thrown at God and His faithfulness. False idols arise that are more palatable and comfortable for our lifestyles and what we want to believe. We cannot choose which verses we want to believe and which ones we want to ignore. We must take the Word in its totality - Old and New Testament - and understand what God is speaking to us about our lives and how to live them.
So what does He promise us? The Lord's message throughout the Word is consistent whether He is talking to the People of Israel in the days before Christ or to His grafted in church. He passionately loves us and wants our love in return. The way that we demonstrate our love to Him is through our obedience. Without our obedience and our surrender to Him, we are rebellious and in that rebellion we will suffer sure consequences. One example: Isaiah 50:11 But watch out, you who live in your own light and warm yourselves by your own fires. This is the reward you will receive from me: You will soon lie down in great torment. Pretty clear, wouldn't you say? How about from the New Testament, James 1:6-8 But when you ask Him, be sure your faith is in God alone. Do not waiver, for a person with divided loyalty is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is blown and tossed by the wind. Such people should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. Their loyalty is divided between God and the world, and they are unstable in everything they do. We cannot walk a fence with the Lord, believing when it is convenient and then leaning the other way when it is not.
Getting back to my opening scene of the precious lady for whom I was awaiting breakthrough. She is just starting to really walk out taking the Lord's hand in discovering how He can free her and release His peace in her life. It may take a while for her to journey with Him through the mountains of junk. She will not be alone. God will be providing awesome traveling companions for her both human and spiritual. Once we tell Him we want to travel with Him on this journey He rejoices and says, "I am here with you, all the way!!!!" The intensity of His love for us is evident throughout scripture. 1 Peter 1:2 God the Father knew you and chose you long ago, and His Spirit has made you holy. As a result, you have obeyed Him and have been cleansed by the blood of Jesus Christ. May God give you more and more grace and peace. Isaiah 43:2 When you go through deep waters I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty you will not drown. When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up: the flames will not consume you. What powerful strength in those words from Him! He will be there for us even though He is also warning us, it can get pretty tough as you travel this journey with Me. Can you think of a better traveling companion?
Breakthroughs do eventually come for all of us. Sometimes it feels as if it is taking forever. Sometimes we wonder if we can continue to endure the pain - physical, emotional or both. Sometimes we question our sanity or God's purposes in all of this. Sometimes we just want to give up because we simply do not understand and are exhausted with trying to hang on. Sometimes we look around us at everybody else who "seems" to be holding it together and feel as if we are a total failure. (By the way, that is a real ploy of the enemy because usually none of us are really holding it together!) And then sometimes it finally happens, somebody we know experiences their breakthrough and we have renewed hope. God is the hero of the stories of our lives. It is just that each of our stories is so very different. As I struggled with my heartache over this precious lady I was watching, another dear friend came up to me and shared that she had finally gotten her joy back! Breakthrough that had been months if not years in the making! God is so faithful!
I do not know where your story is in its writing with our faithful Lord, author, producer and Hero of our lives, but I can assure you this. As long as you have not abandoned your journey with Him and you are keeping your focus on Him, not being seduced by the ways of the world, He is faithfully fighting for your heart and will not abandon you. Keep on "keeping on" walking "it" out and one of these days, the brilliant sunshine will break through the dark clouds of your life. The rainbow that you see will stun you beyond your wildest imagination. That is His promise, not mine......
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