"The whole earth is filled with awe at Your wonders; where morning dawns, where evening fades, You inspire songs of praise."
Psalm 65:8
If you would've asked me a few months ago if I believed that Jesus heals, I would've said yes. With complete assurance in my heart, it would've been yes. Not because I've had it happen to me personally, but because His word assures me it is possible. So I would've said yes based on that fact alone. Now, fast forward to today. If you ask me that same question, I will wholeheartedly declare a resounding YES, because not only does His word assure me of it, but I have now seen His word in action in my life personally. I have been a recipient of His touch. And let me just tell you, its one thing to know it based off of reading His word and hearing stories from other people. It's a completely different thing to know it based off a personal experience of it. And THAT my friends, is the inspiration for this blog tonight.
For the past several weeks I have been battling an extremely intense illness. To make a long story short, I'll just give you the cliff notes. I was sent to UAB in Birmingham this past Wednesday for what was thought to be a hepatic liver abscess. Doctors found a lesion on my liver that instigated several imaging scans and with my symptoms continuing to worsen by the day, they felt a transfer to UAB where people experienced in infectious disease could do a biopsy and treat me would be the best possible solution. No one in our area was experienced with it, and so off we went.
When we left that day, I have to admit, I was scared. We were faced with the uncertainty of what was going on, with an uncertainty of what was going to happen. My eyes were clouded by the fog of my current circumstances. I knew God was with me, but still my heart began to fear. However, I belong to a faithful God, and He knew what my heart needed, exactly when it needed it. And so after getting the news that I was being transferred and admitted to UAB, I began sending out messages to everyone I knew. My church met with us and prayed over me before we left. Everyone I know began praying and calling on other people to pray. Word spread quickly and before I knew it, I was surrounded by an army of believers, locked arm in arm, crying out to God on my behalf.
I don't know about you, but I've never walked through anything like this that required such faith and prayer. Up until this point in my life, I had never battled serious physical illness, so I really didn't know how to walk in this. But as people began to pray, things began to change. My heart was encouraged and strengthened. And before we left for Birmingham, my husband and I both agreed, we weren't going to Birmingham for my healing, we were going to bring glory to God. We were going to make much of Jesus through this. If I was healed in the process, great. If I wasn't, that was ok too. We knew God was in this and we trusted Him to lead us through. And He didn't leave my side the entire time.
There were moments as I lay in the hospital bed that as I closed my eyes, I could sense Him standing at the foot of my bed, just smiling over me. Like any good dad would do for his kid. Here stood my Dad, standing at the foot of my bed, smiling over me, giving me the constant assurance that He would never leave my side. And He never did. His presence filled my room every moment I was there. My phone would constantly be going off with texts and messages coming through of people telling me there were praying and just encouraging me in my faith. When I say it was an army, I'm not kidding. I saw the army suit up and go to war on my behalf. THAT is humbling.
A few days prior to this, I saw a movie about war. It was about Sparta and a group of soldiers who were defening Sparta. They were fierce soldiers, who marched into battle with no fear, but always arm to arm in battle. It was no coincidence I saw this movie when I did. Because little did I know I was about to experience an army of believers suit up on my behalf and push back the enemy who was coming against me. And that is exactly what happened. People I knew, people I didn't know, all on their knees, crying out to God, swords drawn, shields raised, running onto the battlefield for ME. I'm still in complete amazement by it.
Well, I'm happy to say, it was a battle well fought. I was admitted on Wednesday and Thursday late afternoon my doctors came into the hospital room and told me this..."you came in with all the signs and symptoms of a hepatic liver abscess. Yet now your blood work shows nothing abnormal. Our radiologists have looked at all your scans and imaging, and they believe this spot on your liver to be just a benign hemangioma. Your liver is normal and healthy." And shortly after I was released from the hospital.
In the course of my stay I began to continuously improve. The doctors had done nothing. I had recieved no medicines. Nothing. And yet I was improving. The pain was subsiding, I was coming back to life. My symptoms began disappearing. Thursday morning a friend of mine had sent me a post on facebook that said this...
"
"The whole earth is filled with awe at Your wonders; where morning dawns, where evening fades, You inspire songs of praise."
Psalm 65:8
He is a mighty God. He is a Healer. His name is Jesus. He has the power to do the impossible my friend. Throughout this journey, He has indeed inspired many songs of praise. His hand has moved on my behalf, and because of it, I have a facebook page that is lit up with nothing but songs of praise to my Jesus. Post after post after post, all declaring the greatness of my God. So yeah, this whole sickness...was it worth it? Absolutely. Because my God was glorified through it and at the end of the day, His great Name has inpsired many, many songs of praise.
I'll close with a few of the lyrics to one of my favorite songs, which, by the way, now holds even greater meaning for my life. It's "Your Great Name" by Natalie Grant. May these words take root in your soul and may you find all the treasures your heart needs found in the dark times of your soul as well.
All the weak; find their strength; at the sound of Your great name
Hungry souls; receive grace; at the sound of Your great name
The fatherless; they find their rest; at the sound of Your great name
Sick are healed; and the dead are raised; at the sound of Your great name
Jesus, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain for us, Son of God and Man
You are high and lifted up; and all the world will praise Your great name
Redeemer, My Healer, Lord Almighty
My savior, Defender, You are My King
I love you all from the bottom of my heart,
Stacy
Friday, November 11, 2011
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
Hidden Treasures
"We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed. We are perplexed, but not driven to despair. We are hunted down, but never abandoned by God. We get knocked down, but we are not destroyed. Through suffering, our bodies continue to share in the death of Jesus so that the life of Jesus may also be seen in our bodies." 2 Corinthians 4:8-10
So it's after midnight. I should really be sleeping. My body tells me to. But my mind just isn't having it tonight. So I get up and Father leads me to actually a different verse in 2 Corinthians 4 than the first verse I just posted...verses16-18....
"That is why we never give up. Though our bodies are dying, our spirits are being renewed every day. For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever! So we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever."
You know, I don't know about you, but I kinda like the whole "mountain top" spiritual times. The times when we are winning battle after battle. When Dad is speaking constantly and we are learning, growing, being changed from the inside out. When we see Him moving in our lives, through our lives. I really, really like those times in my life. Alot. It's those crazy valleys that just get me everytime.
You know the valleys, those times when all hell seems to break lose against you. When the enemy of your soul unleashes an all out attack on everything about you...your health, your strength, your witness, your life, your heart, your everything. When he is on a mission to destroy you. Period. THOSE kind of valleys.
So I start reading all of this about not giving up. About how what we are going through now is temporary. Did you catch that? TEMPORARY. That means, according to Websters, "lasting for a LIMITED time." Limited means "confined with limits; restricted." Are you getting this? It means, what we are going through now is not ALWAYS. It's temporary. It's like a limited edition...only here for a short period of time. Now, I know, short period of time can seem like forever when you're in the midst of it. But in the scope of eternity, it's short. Trust me on this.
I love how those verses just ooze hope within them. I love how we find things "unseen" in our valleys. In our darkest moments really. It's what I like to call hidden treasures. Those things that we can only find in the dark times of our lives. It's in the darkest times of our lives that we find out what faith in Him truly is. It's in dark times that we find out how good He is, even when life doesn't always agree. It's in dark times that we learn the value of pressing through, seeking His face and finding His heart. For THAT, my friend, is the greatest treasure of all. When we find His heart through the dark valleys, we have found our pearl of great price. And sometimes those great pearls come at the expense of our comforts. They come when we are the weakest. But they DO come...when we are seeking Him through it.
Verses 8-10 give me even greater hope. Battles may get intense. They always do. There's always blood shed in war. There are casualties. There are injuries and wounds inflicted from enemy fire. There are times when the soldiers grow weak and tired and weary. There are times when daylight never shines because the enemy fire is intense and keeps the sun hidden by all the artillery being unleashed, by all the smoke from the fire. BUT, here's where we find hope....we may be pressed in on every side by enemy fire...but we aren't crushed. We may be filled with uncertainty and facing difficulties in our lives by what we are going through, but it does not have to drive us to despair. We may be hunted down day and night by our enemy...but we are NEVER abandoned by our great and mighty Warrior...Father God. We may get knocked down...ALOT...but it does not destroy us. We get back up. Why? Because greater is He Who lives in us, than our enemy who lives in the world.
Bottom line...HE is stronger. He is able. And He fights for us. He is our great Defender.
I write all of this tonight with a heart that is screaming...."fill me with THIS hope in the midst of battle". To stand on the battleground and lean on, rely on the fact that never once will He ever leave us in the battle. He gives us the weapons to use to fight our enemy, and then He gives us the strength and wisdom to fight according to His ways, not ours. Oh, and one more thing...He will Always come through.
I'll leave you with this thought tonight. It's an old song that my heart is singing as I write this....
"Turn your eyes upon Jesus,
Look full in His wonderful face;
And the things of earth will grow strangely dim
In the light of His glory and grace."
Search for your hidden treasures friend. They are treasures waiting to be found that are hidden in Him. And to find them, you must seek Him to find HIM.
Happy hunting....
~Stacy
So it's after midnight. I should really be sleeping. My body tells me to. But my mind just isn't having it tonight. So I get up and Father leads me to actually a different verse in 2 Corinthians 4 than the first verse I just posted...verses16-18....
"That is why we never give up. Though our bodies are dying, our spirits are being renewed every day. For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever! So we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever."
You know, I don't know about you, but I kinda like the whole "mountain top" spiritual times. The times when we are winning battle after battle. When Dad is speaking constantly and we are learning, growing, being changed from the inside out. When we see Him moving in our lives, through our lives. I really, really like those times in my life. Alot. It's those crazy valleys that just get me everytime.
You know the valleys, those times when all hell seems to break lose against you. When the enemy of your soul unleashes an all out attack on everything about you...your health, your strength, your witness, your life, your heart, your everything. When he is on a mission to destroy you. Period. THOSE kind of valleys.
So I start reading all of this about not giving up. About how what we are going through now is temporary. Did you catch that? TEMPORARY. That means, according to Websters, "lasting for a LIMITED time." Limited means "confined with limits; restricted." Are you getting this? It means, what we are going through now is not ALWAYS. It's temporary. It's like a limited edition...only here for a short period of time. Now, I know, short period of time can seem like forever when you're in the midst of it. But in the scope of eternity, it's short. Trust me on this.
I love how those verses just ooze hope within them. I love how we find things "unseen" in our valleys. In our darkest moments really. It's what I like to call hidden treasures. Those things that we can only find in the dark times of our lives. It's in the darkest times of our lives that we find out what faith in Him truly is. It's in dark times that we find out how good He is, even when life doesn't always agree. It's in dark times that we learn the value of pressing through, seeking His face and finding His heart. For THAT, my friend, is the greatest treasure of all. When we find His heart through the dark valleys, we have found our pearl of great price. And sometimes those great pearls come at the expense of our comforts. They come when we are the weakest. But they DO come...when we are seeking Him through it.
Verses 8-10 give me even greater hope. Battles may get intense. They always do. There's always blood shed in war. There are casualties. There are injuries and wounds inflicted from enemy fire. There are times when the soldiers grow weak and tired and weary. There are times when daylight never shines because the enemy fire is intense and keeps the sun hidden by all the artillery being unleashed, by all the smoke from the fire. BUT, here's where we find hope....we may be pressed in on every side by enemy fire...but we aren't crushed. We may be filled with uncertainty and facing difficulties in our lives by what we are going through, but it does not have to drive us to despair. We may be hunted down day and night by our enemy...but we are NEVER abandoned by our great and mighty Warrior...Father God. We may get knocked down...ALOT...but it does not destroy us. We get back up. Why? Because greater is He Who lives in us, than our enemy who lives in the world.
Bottom line...HE is stronger. He is able. And He fights for us. He is our great Defender.
I write all of this tonight with a heart that is screaming...."fill me with THIS hope in the midst of battle". To stand on the battleground and lean on, rely on the fact that never once will He ever leave us in the battle. He gives us the weapons to use to fight our enemy, and then He gives us the strength and wisdom to fight according to His ways, not ours. Oh, and one more thing...He will Always come through.
I'll leave you with this thought tonight. It's an old song that my heart is singing as I write this....
"Turn your eyes upon Jesus,
Look full in His wonderful face;
And the things of earth will grow strangely dim
In the light of His glory and grace."
Search for your hidden treasures friend. They are treasures waiting to be found that are hidden in Him. And to find them, you must seek Him to find HIM.
Happy hunting....
~Stacy
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
Relentless...
Websters defines Relentless as "that does not relent; unyieldingly severe, strict, or harsh; unrelenting: " It means to be "rigid, unbending, obdurate, adamant, unyielding."
My heart is on a road I've never really been down before like this. I mean, I've loved Jesus and purused Him, but I've just seen something in Him in the last few months that has altered me. Altered my perceptions of life. Altered my perceptions of being a Christ follower. Altered my perceptions of the battle we are involved in. Altered my perceptions of HIM.
The last several months have brought on much craziness in our lives. From issues we are dealing with in our children, to this crazy, amazing trip across the world to Africa, to selling our house, to moving, to.....there is a long list of things I could keep naming. Bottom line, in the midst of it all, there has been a battle going on. It is a battle for my heart. There are 2 battles really. One is being waged by the enemy of my soul. He wants to destroy my heart. He wants nothing less than to destroy me, to knock me down, to knock me out of the battle altogether. His attacks are fierce at times. But they haven't destroyed me yet, and by the grace of God they won't. But he is relentless in his attempts to destroy what Christ has done in me. To destroy the works that Christ is doing in me now. And to steal and destroy my destiny in Christ.
The other battle is one being waged by Father. It's not even close to the same kind of battle, but it is a battle nonetheless. It's a battle FOR my heart. He WANTS my heart. And not just part of it....He wants all of it.
I am learning through all of these different things, that in order for me to continue on the journey, I MUST be relentless in my pursuit of Him. I must be rigid when it comes to how I live my life. I must be adamant and unyielding to what I will and will not do. To how I will determine to go after His heart with all that is within me. I must be Relentless. I want to be unyielding to the ways of the flesh in my life, to the ways of the world. I want to be anything but status quo when it comes to how I pursue Him.
On the flip side of this, I am learning that His pursuit of me is the same...it is relentless. He is jealous for me. He doesn't want part of me. He doesn't want half of me. He wants ALL of me. And so out of that intense love He has for me, He pursues me...relentlessly. In His pursuit He allows me to walk through different valleys, periods of darkness, periods of sorrow. Why? Because He knows that when I walk through those times, when I find Him in the midst of it, my heart is forever changed. He knows that during those times, He becomes my all in all. And so He pursues...relentlessly.
You see, in His relentless pursuit of my heart, and by allowing me to walk through the valley, when I have tasted Him, when I have tasted His goodness in the darkest of times, He knows that it will turn my heart to pursue Him. And the more I see His goodness in the darkness, the more relentless I will be to pursue HIS heart. See the connection? Friend, there are some priceless treasures to be found in the darkness. (that's a whole nother blog right there!)
He pursues me, so that I will pursue Him. He draws me so I will seek. It is relentless. And I want to be relentless in my devotion to Him. He loves us, oh how He loves us......relentlessly.....
My heart is on a road I've never really been down before like this. I mean, I've loved Jesus and purused Him, but I've just seen something in Him in the last few months that has altered me. Altered my perceptions of life. Altered my perceptions of being a Christ follower. Altered my perceptions of the battle we are involved in. Altered my perceptions of HIM.
The last several months have brought on much craziness in our lives. From issues we are dealing with in our children, to this crazy, amazing trip across the world to Africa, to selling our house, to moving, to.....there is a long list of things I could keep naming. Bottom line, in the midst of it all, there has been a battle going on. It is a battle for my heart. There are 2 battles really. One is being waged by the enemy of my soul. He wants to destroy my heart. He wants nothing less than to destroy me, to knock me down, to knock me out of the battle altogether. His attacks are fierce at times. But they haven't destroyed me yet, and by the grace of God they won't. But he is relentless in his attempts to destroy what Christ has done in me. To destroy the works that Christ is doing in me now. And to steal and destroy my destiny in Christ.
The other battle is one being waged by Father. It's not even close to the same kind of battle, but it is a battle nonetheless. It's a battle FOR my heart. He WANTS my heart. And not just part of it....He wants all of it.
I am learning through all of these different things, that in order for me to continue on the journey, I MUST be relentless in my pursuit of Him. I must be rigid when it comes to how I live my life. I must be adamant and unyielding to what I will and will not do. To how I will determine to go after His heart with all that is within me. I must be Relentless. I want to be unyielding to the ways of the flesh in my life, to the ways of the world. I want to be anything but status quo when it comes to how I pursue Him.
On the flip side of this, I am learning that His pursuit of me is the same...it is relentless. He is jealous for me. He doesn't want part of me. He doesn't want half of me. He wants ALL of me. And so out of that intense love He has for me, He pursues me...relentlessly. In His pursuit He allows me to walk through different valleys, periods of darkness, periods of sorrow. Why? Because He knows that when I walk through those times, when I find Him in the midst of it, my heart is forever changed. He knows that during those times, He becomes my all in all. And so He pursues...relentlessly.
You see, in His relentless pursuit of my heart, and by allowing me to walk through the valley, when I have tasted Him, when I have tasted His goodness in the darkest of times, He knows that it will turn my heart to pursue Him. And the more I see His goodness in the darkness, the more relentless I will be to pursue HIS heart. See the connection? Friend, there are some priceless treasures to be found in the darkness. (that's a whole nother blog right there!)
He pursues me, so that I will pursue Him. He draws me so I will seek. It is relentless. And I want to be relentless in my devotion to Him. He loves us, oh how He loves us......relentlessly.....
Monday, September 12, 2011
A trip to the other side of the world....
If you would've asked me a few years ago, "would you like to go to on a mission trip to Africa?" I would have happily answered NO WAY. "I'm not called to missions", I've always said. So I never gave it much thought. Sadly, anything that had to do with missions has never really interested me. I thought it was great if someone went on a mission trip or moved across the world to be a full time missionary, but personally I never had any interest in doing anything even remotely close. Until this year.
In January of this past year I made alot of decisions in my life. One of those was to pursue Christ deeper than I ever have. I wanted to dig deeper, to dive deeper, to live deeper than what I had known before. I was tired of being normal as it pertained to me spiritually. I wanted something more than what I had, more than what I had ever known. And I went on a journey to pursue just that.
And while I don't feel a call to sell all of my belongings and move halfway across the world, I have felt a call to do something else, which I believe is what Father calls each of us to do. Say YES. Put our yes on the table and let Him decide what that means, where that leads us. We say yes before we even know the question. And that's what I've done. I've put my yes on the table and said whatever, whenever, whomever, however, whereever.
I started reading the book Radical a few months ago. It changed my life completely. It turned the whole "yes" into something deeper. And it challenged me to go deeper in so many ways. While reading that book I felt such a strong calling to go on a mission trip. I didn't know where, I just I wanted and needed to go. And it was a strong desire in my heart. Actually a very foreign desire because I'd never really wanted to do that before. So as it all turns out, I found out about a trip my church was taking to Zimbabwe on a Friday, 2 weeks before they were scheduled to leave. Turns out God had that trip in mind for me because 2 weeks later I had a passport, a plane ticket, and was on my way halfway across the world to step into something I'd never dreamed possible.
To say that this trip was life changing is an understatement. I saw things I never knew. I saw God in ways I had never had before. I saw Him in a different people group as they worshipped Him in their tribal tongue. I saw Him in glorious creation through wild animals and majestic waterfalls. I saw Him in the eyes of children who had nothing, yet had everything. HE was all they had. And He was enough. It was a humbling thing, needless to say. Here in America, we have all we need. Our faith doesn't cost us anything, really. Maybe our pride at times. But its not at a point where it costs us our lives.
One thing that has stuck with me is desperation. How desperate am I to see Him? Not just see Him, but to see Him around me in ways I've never looked for before. To see Him in the people I meet. To see Him in His creation. Just to SEE Him. Theres a song that's near and dear to my heart, "The More I Seek You" by Kari Jobe. That song came to life for me in Africa. Because I went seeking Him, and I found Him in so many unexpected places. And the more I found Him, the more I fell in love with Him. It's hard not to fall completely head over heels in love with Him when you start seeing Him, seeing Who He is. Who He REALLY is.
There's so much I could say about Africa. It's hard to put into words sometimes how amazing that trip was. It has put a love in my heart for a people group I never even heard of until those 2 weeks in August of this year. And now the people of Zimbabwe are forever etched into my heart, into my soul. If you're my facebook friend you can view all of my albums from the trip. If not, I'm attaching a few of my faves here.
I'll leave you with this, if you haven't put your yes on the table yet with God, do it. Throw caution to the wind and let yourself jump into complete abandonment to Him in every way. I promise you won't regret it.
In January of this past year I made alot of decisions in my life. One of those was to pursue Christ deeper than I ever have. I wanted to dig deeper, to dive deeper, to live deeper than what I had known before. I was tired of being normal as it pertained to me spiritually. I wanted something more than what I had, more than what I had ever known. And I went on a journey to pursue just that.
And while I don't feel a call to sell all of my belongings and move halfway across the world, I have felt a call to do something else, which I believe is what Father calls each of us to do. Say YES. Put our yes on the table and let Him decide what that means, where that leads us. We say yes before we even know the question. And that's what I've done. I've put my yes on the table and said whatever, whenever, whomever, however, whereever.
I started reading the book Radical a few months ago. It changed my life completely. It turned the whole "yes" into something deeper. And it challenged me to go deeper in so many ways. While reading that book I felt such a strong calling to go on a mission trip. I didn't know where, I just I wanted and needed to go. And it was a strong desire in my heart. Actually a very foreign desire because I'd never really wanted to do that before. So as it all turns out, I found out about a trip my church was taking to Zimbabwe on a Friday, 2 weeks before they were scheduled to leave. Turns out God had that trip in mind for me because 2 weeks later I had a passport, a plane ticket, and was on my way halfway across the world to step into something I'd never dreamed possible.
To say that this trip was life changing is an understatement. I saw things I never knew. I saw God in ways I had never had before. I saw Him in a different people group as they worshipped Him in their tribal tongue. I saw Him in glorious creation through wild animals and majestic waterfalls. I saw Him in the eyes of children who had nothing, yet had everything. HE was all they had. And He was enough. It was a humbling thing, needless to say. Here in America, we have all we need. Our faith doesn't cost us anything, really. Maybe our pride at times. But its not at a point where it costs us our lives.
One thing that has stuck with me is desperation. How desperate am I to see Him? Not just see Him, but to see Him around me in ways I've never looked for before. To see Him in the people I meet. To see Him in His creation. Just to SEE Him. Theres a song that's near and dear to my heart, "The More I Seek You" by Kari Jobe. That song came to life for me in Africa. Because I went seeking Him, and I found Him in so many unexpected places. And the more I found Him, the more I fell in love with Him. It's hard not to fall completely head over heels in love with Him when you start seeing Him, seeing Who He is. Who He REALLY is.
There's so much I could say about Africa. It's hard to put into words sometimes how amazing that trip was. It has put a love in my heart for a people group I never even heard of until those 2 weeks in August of this year. And now the people of Zimbabwe are forever etched into my heart, into my soul. If you're my facebook friend you can view all of my albums from the trip. If not, I'm attaching a few of my faves here.
I'll leave you with this, if you haven't put your yes on the table yet with God, do it. Throw caution to the wind and let yourself jump into complete abandonment to Him in every way. I promise you won't regret it.
Sunday, September 4, 2011
Always....
Well, it's been a while since my last post, but my heart is full tonight and I want to write. I've been doing alot of thinking lately about our stories. God really opened up my eyes last week to how everyday of my life and what I'm going through is just a page in the book of my life. I never know what that page is going to say, what that chapter is going to be about, what the details that will be surrounding it. Sometimes its good and fun and joyous. Then other times it's challenging. And painful. But the best part of all...I know Who wrote the book. I know the Author of my life. And His endings are always redemptive. They are always glorious and holy. They are always beautiful in every way. And He has an ending for my story. He has an ending for this chapter of my life right now. And though the pages from start and the pages in between may be filled with hard days, I know there is an end in sight that is beyond my mind to comprehend at how beautiful and redemptive it will be. He will bring about His purposes. And His great Name will be glorified.
I guess thats why it makes it easy to serve Him, to love Him. Because no matter what, He always has my best interest at heart. He is always working the circumstances of my life to bring me to Him, to draw me to His heart and to ultimately bring Him glory. Is it always fun? No. Sometimes the journey is tough. But when I keep my eyes fixed on Him, the waves don't seem so big. The storm doesn't seem so strong. There's something about looking at Him that makes everything around me seem so small and insignificant. Do I always keep my eyes focused on Him during the storm? No. Sometimes I take them off and look around. That's when is start to sink. Like we all do, really. I forget Who I am looking at. But if we could just realize the power to His gaze...wow. There is so much in His gaze. Look into His eyes and you'll find courage. You'll find strength. You'll find love. You'll find peace. You'll find the I Am. The Great I AM.
Theres a new song out by Tricia Brock. It is beyond amazing. It's called Always. The chorus says,
"Oh my God, He will not delay, my Refuge and Strength always...I will not fear, His promise is true, my God will come through always...always." That song has become my life. I have kept it on repeat this last week. It is a breath from Father Himself to my spirit. He knows all that we go through. He knows every struggle-big and small. And He will not delay in coming to our side. He will not delay to bring us strength, to be a refuge for us in times of trouble. And He will ALWAYS come through. ALWAYS. What a comforting thought.
Sometimes things seem overwhelming. We all encounter things that are bigger than us. More than we can handle. But that's when He steps in. He shows Himself strong. He shows Himself true in every way. And He shows us that He is God, that He is good even when the circumstances are not. He is still holy. And more than that, He shows us that He is able. Our God is able.
He is the place our soul finds rest in the battle. Sometimes when the battle is most intense, when we have been injured from fighting, when we are deeply wounded, He steps in. He becomes that shelter. He cleans us up, and fills us with strength to go another day. To keep fighting. I know in my life, the battles are raging. Some days they are more intense than others, but one thing remains the same....He is my refuge and strength always. And He WILL come through. Always.
So I want to encourage you. If you are in the midst of a battle, if you are wounded, if you are just tired from it all, then do this...lift up your eyes, for your help comes from the Lord. He will be your refuge and strength. You can rely and stand on His promise. He WILL come through. ALWAYS.
I guess thats why it makes it easy to serve Him, to love Him. Because no matter what, He always has my best interest at heart. He is always working the circumstances of my life to bring me to Him, to draw me to His heart and to ultimately bring Him glory. Is it always fun? No. Sometimes the journey is tough. But when I keep my eyes fixed on Him, the waves don't seem so big. The storm doesn't seem so strong. There's something about looking at Him that makes everything around me seem so small and insignificant. Do I always keep my eyes focused on Him during the storm? No. Sometimes I take them off and look around. That's when is start to sink. Like we all do, really. I forget Who I am looking at. But if we could just realize the power to His gaze...wow. There is so much in His gaze. Look into His eyes and you'll find courage. You'll find strength. You'll find love. You'll find peace. You'll find the I Am. The Great I AM.
Theres a new song out by Tricia Brock. It is beyond amazing. It's called Always. The chorus says,
"Oh my God, He will not delay, my Refuge and Strength always...I will not fear, His promise is true, my God will come through always...always." That song has become my life. I have kept it on repeat this last week. It is a breath from Father Himself to my spirit. He knows all that we go through. He knows every struggle-big and small. And He will not delay in coming to our side. He will not delay to bring us strength, to be a refuge for us in times of trouble. And He will ALWAYS come through. ALWAYS. What a comforting thought.
Sometimes things seem overwhelming. We all encounter things that are bigger than us. More than we can handle. But that's when He steps in. He shows Himself strong. He shows Himself true in every way. And He shows us that He is God, that He is good even when the circumstances are not. He is still holy. And more than that, He shows us that He is able. Our God is able.
He is the place our soul finds rest in the battle. Sometimes when the battle is most intense, when we have been injured from fighting, when we are deeply wounded, He steps in. He becomes that shelter. He cleans us up, and fills us with strength to go another day. To keep fighting. I know in my life, the battles are raging. Some days they are more intense than others, but one thing remains the same....He is my refuge and strength always. And He WILL come through. Always.
So I want to encourage you. If you are in the midst of a battle, if you are wounded, if you are just tired from it all, then do this...lift up your eyes, for your help comes from the Lord. He will be your refuge and strength. You can rely and stand on His promise. He WILL come through. ALWAYS.
Thursday, July 21, 2011
A Running Leap...
So years ago when I was dealing with infertility, it took a toll on me spiritually. I was so hurt and angry and sad and just down right depressed. It was all I wanted in this world. Just to have a baby. But it just wasn't happening. Through my journey, I ended up at a scary place in my walk in with Christ. There came a point that I found myself at the edge of a very dangerous cliff. This cliff was a place where I could jump and turn my back on Christ, or could I turn around and go back to what I knew to be truth about Him. I have to be honest...I looked over the edge. I thought seriously about jumping. My heart had so many questions and was so hurt. I had allowed the enemy of my soul to sneak in and whisper lies to my heart about the goodness of my Father. And the sad thing...I was believing them.
So I stood on the edge of that cliff, pondering what it would mean to jump. What I would really lose if I did. What would really be the consequences. And I looked down into a bottomless pit beneath me. Pitch black, and bottomless. But after looking for some time, I decided to turn around and begin the journey back. The journey that took me back to Him, to His truth, to His embrace.
When I began that journey back, I wasn't alone. He came running to meet me. Just like Father....to come running after us when He sees us on that journey back home to Him. And through that He transformed my heart completely.
Well this leads me to the current time in my life. I have been on a passionate pursuit of Him for some time now. Since January I have put on my spiritual running shoes and started running after Him. And it has just progressed to such a degree that the same high I used to get while doing a physical run, I now get when I am running with Him each day. I am obsessed with Him. With finding His heart.
For the last few weeks my heart has really been stirred. Stirred to a point that it is new territory for me spiritually. I've never walked in such a way with my Father. And now I find myself at another cliff in my life. More like the grand canyon type of cliffs this time. And what I see when I look out is the sky and a vast sea of opportunities in Him. And this time, HE is calling me to jump. Not just jump, but to take a running leap and fly with Him. To soar on the wings of Him, to fly so high I can feel the wind in the trees, to see leaves dancing. To take a running leap and not knowing where the wind of His Spirit will take me, but to just trust His ability to get me there. And so I did it. With no hesitation, I have taken off running as hard as I could, and I leaped off the edge of this cliff. And let me tell you, I'm flying.
Where am I flying? Well, apparently my Father has seen fit to carry me to a place I never dreamed. I'm leaving for Africa in less than two weeks. I have no idea what to expect. I only want to go into this trip with the expectation that He has brought me to this place for His kingdom purposes. It is certainly not of my doing. It's all Him.
So, I'm cutting loose every tie I have with the things of this world. I'm leaving them all behind. Anything that weighs me down or keeps me from leaping off the edge, I am counting as loss. I count everything as loss compared to the awesome priviledge of knowing Him, of flying with Him. I want to soar. I want to experience everything He has destined for my life. I want to be radical in how I live my life for Him. What others may think is crazy or insane or a waste, I want to give to Him. It's His anyway. My life, your life, everything. It all belongs to Abba.
Let's fly...
Stacy
So I stood on the edge of that cliff, pondering what it would mean to jump. What I would really lose if I did. What would really be the consequences. And I looked down into a bottomless pit beneath me. Pitch black, and bottomless. But after looking for some time, I decided to turn around and begin the journey back. The journey that took me back to Him, to His truth, to His embrace.
When I began that journey back, I wasn't alone. He came running to meet me. Just like Father....to come running after us when He sees us on that journey back home to Him. And through that He transformed my heart completely.
Well this leads me to the current time in my life. I have been on a passionate pursuit of Him for some time now. Since January I have put on my spiritual running shoes and started running after Him. And it has just progressed to such a degree that the same high I used to get while doing a physical run, I now get when I am running with Him each day. I am obsessed with Him. With finding His heart.
For the last few weeks my heart has really been stirred. Stirred to a point that it is new territory for me spiritually. I've never walked in such a way with my Father. And now I find myself at another cliff in my life. More like the grand canyon type of cliffs this time. And what I see when I look out is the sky and a vast sea of opportunities in Him. And this time, HE is calling me to jump. Not just jump, but to take a running leap and fly with Him. To soar on the wings of Him, to fly so high I can feel the wind in the trees, to see leaves dancing. To take a running leap and not knowing where the wind of His Spirit will take me, but to just trust His ability to get me there. And so I did it. With no hesitation, I have taken off running as hard as I could, and I leaped off the edge of this cliff. And let me tell you, I'm flying.
Where am I flying? Well, apparently my Father has seen fit to carry me to a place I never dreamed. I'm leaving for Africa in less than two weeks. I have no idea what to expect. I only want to go into this trip with the expectation that He has brought me to this place for His kingdom purposes. It is certainly not of my doing. It's all Him.
So, I'm cutting loose every tie I have with the things of this world. I'm leaving them all behind. Anything that weighs me down or keeps me from leaping off the edge, I am counting as loss. I count everything as loss compared to the awesome priviledge of knowing Him, of flying with Him. I want to soar. I want to experience everything He has destined for my life. I want to be radical in how I live my life for Him. What others may think is crazy or insane or a waste, I want to give to Him. It's His anyway. My life, your life, everything. It all belongs to Abba.
Let's fly...
Stacy
Monday, July 18, 2011
A Holy Embrace....
I am a hugger. I love to hug. I don't like those little "pat" hugs either. If we're going to hug, then let's hug. I want to squeeze your head off your shoulders. If I hug you, then when we're done hugging, you're going to know that I love you. Period! Hugs make me happy. I am a touchy person for the most part and a hug to me just says "I love you" better than anything sometimes.
There's a big difference between a hug and an embrace though. A hug is good, but an embrace, well it's full of many more emotions. If we embrace, then we are sharing more than just a small hug. We are sharing an intimate moment. Understand? I love the sweet embrace of my husband and kids. We hug and it becomes an embrace out of our deep love for one another. LIke when I have been gone and haven't seen my kids for a few days, when we finally see each other we share a very sweet embrace. It says "I love you, I have missed you and you are mine!" I love a sweet embrace of a friend. When a hug becomes an embrace out of sharing difficult battles together or just sharing Jesus with each other. Recently I had been talking with a sweet girl all week via text because she was out of town. We had shared some sweet, sweet moments together about what God was doing in her life. And so we decided when she got back we would meet together and talk about all that happened that week. When I pulled up to meet her, she came barrelling across the yard and we hugged for what seemed like an eternity. That hug became a very sweet embrace. An embrace that spoke much love. Those kinds of embraces are what makes my heart skip beats. But as great as those embraces and hugs are, I love the embrace of my Father even more. There is no embrace on earth quite like the sweet embrace of my heavenly Father. It's in an embrace with Father that we come to see the meaning to Abba Father in our lives. It's through an embrace with Him that we come to "know" His radical love for each of us.
I've recently come to a very real realization of this in my life. Through spending time with Him and pursuing Him, I have been swept away and into the arms of the greatest Love I've ever known. I have crawled up into His lap and spent many, many moments there in His sweet embrace. And THOSE moments with Father radically change our lives. Those moments cause your heart to abandon all that it once held dear in order to pursue more passionate moments with Him.
Through these embraces with our Father, we come to real heart of worship in our lives too. I think of Mary when I think of worship. Remember the story? It's found in Mark 14....
3 Meanwhile, Jesus was in Bethany at the home of Simon, a man who had previously had leprosy. While he was eating,[a] a woman came in with a beautiful alabaster jar of expensive perfume made from essence of nard. She broke open the jar and poured the perfume over his head.
4 Some of those at the table were indignant. “Why waste such expensive perfume?” they asked. 5 “It could have been sold for a year’s wages[b] and the money given to the poor!” So they scolded her harshly.
6 But Jesus replied, “Leave her alone. Why criticize her for doing such a good thing to me? 7 You will always have the poor among you, and you can help them whenever you want to. But you will not always have me. 8 She has done what she could and has anointed my body for burial ahead of time. 9 I tell you the truth, wherever the Good News is preached throughout the world, this woman’s deed will be remembered and discussed.”
Mary's worship has echoed into eternity. She gave all she had in her worship of Him. It was extravagant. And the fragrance of her worship still fills the earth today. Think of every time you've heard this story. It's a radical form of worship that still is talked about to this day. Mary radically cut away what the world thought was security and of great value. She wanted to "waste" her life at the feet of Jesus. Wow. Just think about that statement! She was radical in her worship and it was beautiful in the Father's eyes. Her worship was a fragrant offering to Him. I wonder, is that how our worship is? Is our worship such that it creates a fragrant aroma when we pour it out? You can't give God your life in heaven. You can only do that here on earth. He is worth giving up everything we hold dear to pour our lives out for in complete worship while we are here. Worship when worship costs us something. That's a worship that touches Father's heart.
Mary found the treasure of His heart and she knew it was something worth losing everything for. Have we found the treasure of His heart yet? If so, are we willing to pour out everything we have in order to give our worship back to Him? I don't know about you, but I want a holy embrace to define my life. What the world sees as a waste, I want to pour over His feet. He IS someone worth giving up everything for. And He is worth our fragrant offerings.
There's a big difference between a hug and an embrace though. A hug is good, but an embrace, well it's full of many more emotions. If we embrace, then we are sharing more than just a small hug. We are sharing an intimate moment. Understand? I love the sweet embrace of my husband and kids. We hug and it becomes an embrace out of our deep love for one another. LIke when I have been gone and haven't seen my kids for a few days, when we finally see each other we share a very sweet embrace. It says "I love you, I have missed you and you are mine!" I love a sweet embrace of a friend. When a hug becomes an embrace out of sharing difficult battles together or just sharing Jesus with each other. Recently I had been talking with a sweet girl all week via text because she was out of town. We had shared some sweet, sweet moments together about what God was doing in her life. And so we decided when she got back we would meet together and talk about all that happened that week. When I pulled up to meet her, she came barrelling across the yard and we hugged for what seemed like an eternity. That hug became a very sweet embrace. An embrace that spoke much love. Those kinds of embraces are what makes my heart skip beats. But as great as those embraces and hugs are, I love the embrace of my Father even more. There is no embrace on earth quite like the sweet embrace of my heavenly Father. It's in an embrace with Father that we come to see the meaning to Abba Father in our lives. It's through an embrace with Him that we come to "know" His radical love for each of us.
I've recently come to a very real realization of this in my life. Through spending time with Him and pursuing Him, I have been swept away and into the arms of the greatest Love I've ever known. I have crawled up into His lap and spent many, many moments there in His sweet embrace. And THOSE moments with Father radically change our lives. Those moments cause your heart to abandon all that it once held dear in order to pursue more passionate moments with Him.
Through these embraces with our Father, we come to real heart of worship in our lives too. I think of Mary when I think of worship. Remember the story? It's found in Mark 14....
3 Meanwhile, Jesus was in Bethany at the home of Simon, a man who had previously had leprosy. While he was eating,[a] a woman came in with a beautiful alabaster jar of expensive perfume made from essence of nard. She broke open the jar and poured the perfume over his head.
4 Some of those at the table were indignant. “Why waste such expensive perfume?” they asked. 5 “It could have been sold for a year’s wages[b] and the money given to the poor!” So they scolded her harshly.
6 But Jesus replied, “Leave her alone. Why criticize her for doing such a good thing to me? 7 You will always have the poor among you, and you can help them whenever you want to. But you will not always have me. 8 She has done what she could and has anointed my body for burial ahead of time. 9 I tell you the truth, wherever the Good News is preached throughout the world, this woman’s deed will be remembered and discussed.”
Mary's worship has echoed into eternity. She gave all she had in her worship of Him. It was extravagant. And the fragrance of her worship still fills the earth today. Think of every time you've heard this story. It's a radical form of worship that still is talked about to this day. Mary radically cut away what the world thought was security and of great value. She wanted to "waste" her life at the feet of Jesus. Wow. Just think about that statement! She was radical in her worship and it was beautiful in the Father's eyes. Her worship was a fragrant offering to Him. I wonder, is that how our worship is? Is our worship such that it creates a fragrant aroma when we pour it out? You can't give God your life in heaven. You can only do that here on earth. He is worth giving up everything we hold dear to pour our lives out for in complete worship while we are here. Worship when worship costs us something. That's a worship that touches Father's heart.
Mary found the treasure of His heart and she knew it was something worth losing everything for. Have we found the treasure of His heart yet? If so, are we willing to pour out everything we have in order to give our worship back to Him? I don't know about you, but I want a holy embrace to define my life. What the world sees as a waste, I want to pour over His feet. He IS someone worth giving up everything for. And He is worth our fragrant offerings.
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