I just love when God uses His Word to speak to my heart. I love when He takes my current circumstances and begins to weave stories from the bible through them so that they are relevant to what I'm going through today. Really, I'm just so grateful that He speaks to us.
I've been reading in Deuteronomy lately. Today I was reading in chapter 7 and He just began to show me some truths through what He was speaking to the Israelites as they were just on the verge of entering the Promised Land. He had shown them places they would go in and occupy. He was instructing them to completely destroy all the nations that He handed over to them. He wasn't telling them that it was going to be an easy, no-work-required task of inheriting the promise, but rather He was preparing them that they would have to fight for it. Yet even though they would have to fight, He assured them that He would be with them, He would go before them, He would deliver them from their enemies that stood in their way.
He promised them, He assured them of victory when they were obedient to what He said, and what He LED them to do.
“When the Lord your God brings you into the land you are about to enter and occupy, he will clear away many nations ahead of you: the Hittites, Girgashites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites. These seven nations are greater and more numerous than you. When the Lord your God hands these nations over to you and you conquer them, you must completely destroy them." v.1-2
“You must destroy all the nations the Lord your God hands over to you. Show them no mercy, and do not worship their gods, or they will trap you." v.16
So we see that He has already promised them victory because He will hand the nations over to the Israelites. All they must do at this point is be obedient. They must go in and conquer and completely destroy them.
Why wouldn't He just GIVE them the Promised Land instead of having them go up against the nations that were occupying it? What was the point of the battles? I believe it was to continue showing them again and again His faithfulness. With each victory and each enemy destroyed, they would be able see once again that God was true to His Word. And each victory could have the potential to be yet another stone in the wall of their faith. Stepping stones, building blocks, you name it. Each battle provided an opportunity for God to give them a victory, and each victory showed the power and faithfulness of God.
He even used the previous battles to help strengthen their faith as they prepared for the new battles before them...
"Perhaps you will think to yourselves, ‘How can we ever conquer these nations that are so much more powerful than we are?’ But don’t be afraid of them! Just remember what the Lord your God did to Pharaoh and to all the land of Egypt. Remember the great terrors the Lord your God sent against them. You saw it all with your own eyes! And remember the miraculous signs and wonders, and the strong hand and powerful arm with which he brought you out of Egypt. The Lord your God will use this same power against all the people you fear. And then the Lord your God will send terror to drive out the few survivors still hiding from you!
“No, do not be afraid of those nations, for the Lord your God is among you, and he is a great and awesome God. The Lord your God will drive those nations out ahead of you little by little. You will not clear them away all at once, otherwise the wild animals would multiply too quickly for you. But the Lord your God will hand them over to you. He will throw them into complete confusion until they are destroyed. He will put their kings in your power, and you will erase their names from the face of the earth. No one will be able to stand against you, and you will destroy them all." v. 17-24
And this is where I have been camped out at today.
He was reminding them of all He had done for them up to this point. They had seen His power at work. They had seen miraculous signs and wonders in their deliverance out of Egypt and in their crossing the Red Sea. They had seen the mighty arm of God at work with their eyes. Now He was telling them to remember it. And He tells us the same thing.
When we are faced with new enemies, new challenges, and new trials, we must go back to those places where we have seen Him at work in our lives before. If He was faithful yesterday, He is still faithful today. If He had the power to heal you yesterday, He still has the power to heal you today. He is the same yesterday, today and forever! (Hebrews 13:8) He doesn't change. His power doesn't diminish over time. He was, He is, and He will be.
We MUST remember what He's done for us. We must remember how He has provided for our needs, how He has carried us through difficult times, how He has answered our prayers, how He has came through every single time. That's why it's so important to build altars in our lives every time we see the hand of God move. Every time He reveals Himself to us and we see Him, we build an altar. We mark those times in our lives when He shows us another part of Him, whether it's His strength, His healing, His power, His comfort, His provision, His mercy, His forgiveness, His love...you get the picture. Etch them into your heart, build your altar at those places so you can always go back to them and remember that you saw the heart and the hand of your God.
I love how He says, He will use the same power that He used when He brought you out of Egypt. He will use that same power against the people you fear. What more do we need to know? He is still able to deliver you from bondage, He is still able to part the Red Sea, He is still able to provide manna in the wilderness times, He is still able to drive out your enemies. HE IS ABLE!
So here's where I'm at today...what is it that I'm facing right now that I need to go back and revisit His faithfulness so that my heart can be strengthened and encouraged and my faith can be made stronger? I have seen Him move in my life in the past, so what do I need to remember about Him when I'm facing the new enemies today?
And I encourage you to ask yourself the same questions. And above all, ask our Father to reveal and bring you back to those times when He has delivered and sustained you in all things that you needed. Ask Him to bring back to your mind all the times when He has shown Himself strong in your life. Then, declare His faithfulness, declare His goodness, declare that He is able to meet whatever challenge or enemy you are facing today. The best place you can start is in His Word. He will reveal Himself through the pages of His Word to show you He is the Great I AM in all things for your life.
Above all, don't look at new battles as hinderances. Look at the battles before you as just another place you will be able to stand and see the hand of your God move on your behalf. Trust in His Word, lean on His promises, and REMEMBER all He has done.
Tuesday, March 27, 2012
Monday, February 20, 2012
Show Me How to Die
I haven't blogged much lately. For several reasons, but one being that I have tried to just take time away to reflect. He has done so much in my life these last few months, but thankfully He's not finished with me yet! Can't say I always enjoy the process of growth and purging, but I love the transformation I see take place when He's finished working on a certain area of my life.
There's one word that's been at the center of His activity in my life lately. Death. It's a word I don't particulary like to say or experience, but it's become one that I am hearing over and over in my spirit in regards to what is happening in my life. Death has taken on a new meaning for me. Not physical death, but death in terms of dying to myself and allowing Him to replace my life and my self with more of Him. It's that kind of death.
I never realized how much junk I had lurking in my heart. I consider myself a good girl. I don't do the gross and horrid sins that we put so much emphasis on in the church. I regularly attend church. I'm a just a good ole Christian girl. But in the last few weeks He has begun to shine a light into the depths of my heart and I'm seeing that while I may be a "good" person, I have much to let the Holy Spirit do in my life.
As I've started studying these things, I notice one main theme in His word regarding it. He addresses the roots of sin in our hearts. While He hates sin, what we do is just a result of roots that we harbor in our lives. He addresses some specific things here....
Can He get more clear than this? Wow.
He seems to have taken a spotlight lately and began to reveal to me some things I had hidden within my heart and had filed away as those things that aren't really "that" bad. You know, things like.... pride, fear, selfishness, greed, etc... THOSE things. I've never seen them the way He looks at them so clearly as I do now. And can I just say that it makes me sick to see these things operating in my life? I see how they cause me to withhold a large percentage of my heart to abandoned faith. I see how they cause me to live a life less than what I could be living because these things hinder me from walking in purity before Him.
The worst part? I see how these things are in His eyes. I see how they appear to Him. And they aren't pretty. As a matter of fact, they pretty much stink. They don't produce a fragrant aroma around His throne. Quite the opposite actually. They create a stinch. And the pride? Well the pride is just the worst smelling thing ever to Him. But to know that He hates these things and they operate in my life? I can only fall upon His grace and mercy and run to His mercy seat to find forgiveness and the strength to overcome. It's nothing I can do. He has already paid the price with His life. He does the work of transformation. Our part? Well, we have to die. We have to surrender.
I want a holy visitation from His Spirit. I want to be ready when He comes to visit His church. I want to be a pure vessal that He can pour in and through to others. I don't want to be a 80/20 christian. I can give Him 80% wholeheartedly, but that other 20 belongs to me. You know what you get when you mix hot and cold together don't you? Lukewarm. And do you know how He feels about lukewarm christianity? He spews it out of His mouth. I don't know about you, but that's not the kind of offering I want to give Him. One that makes Him vomit it out of His mouth? But that's what a lukewarm heart will do. I don't want any lukewarm water lurking in my heart. I want my heart set ablaze for Him in all things.
He's the creator of the universe. He spoke and the world was formed. He breathed and stars and galaxies went into place. Those same stars and galaxies are all singing praises to their Creator constantly. So who am I, this piece of clay, to think I am of such great significance to withhold not only my praise from Him, but to also withhold even the smallest part of my heart? He is worthy of my everything. Not my partial. He's worth my all.
So, here we are. My prayer? Show me how to die. Less of me, more of Him. I must decrease, He must increase. My utmost for His highest. All of me for all of Him.
There's one word that's been at the center of His activity in my life lately. Death. It's a word I don't particulary like to say or experience, but it's become one that I am hearing over and over in my spirit in regards to what is happening in my life. Death has taken on a new meaning for me. Not physical death, but death in terms of dying to myself and allowing Him to replace my life and my self with more of Him. It's that kind of death.
I never realized how much junk I had lurking in my heart. I consider myself a good girl. I don't do the gross and horrid sins that we put so much emphasis on in the church. I regularly attend church. I'm a just a good ole Christian girl. But in the last few weeks He has begun to shine a light into the depths of my heart and I'm seeing that while I may be a "good" person, I have much to let the Holy Spirit do in my life.
As I've started studying these things, I notice one main theme in His word regarding it. He addresses the roots of sin in our hearts. While He hates sin, what we do is just a result of roots that we harbor in our lives. He addresses some specific things here....
These six things the Lord hates, indeed, seven are an abomination to Him:
A proud look [the spirit that makes one overestimate himself and underestimate others], a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood,
A heart that manufactures wicked thoughts and plans, feet that are swift in running to evil,
A false witness who breathes out lies [even under oath], and he who sows discord among his brethren.
Proverbs 6:16-19 Amplified
Can He get more clear than this? Wow.
He seems to have taken a spotlight lately and began to reveal to me some things I had hidden within my heart and had filed away as those things that aren't really "that" bad. You know, things like.... pride, fear, selfishness, greed, etc... THOSE things. I've never seen them the way He looks at them so clearly as I do now. And can I just say that it makes me sick to see these things operating in my life? I see how they cause me to withhold a large percentage of my heart to abandoned faith. I see how they cause me to live a life less than what I could be living because these things hinder me from walking in purity before Him.
The worst part? I see how these things are in His eyes. I see how they appear to Him. And they aren't pretty. As a matter of fact, they pretty much stink. They don't produce a fragrant aroma around His throne. Quite the opposite actually. They create a stinch. And the pride? Well the pride is just the worst smelling thing ever to Him. But to know that He hates these things and they operate in my life? I can only fall upon His grace and mercy and run to His mercy seat to find forgiveness and the strength to overcome. It's nothing I can do. He has already paid the price with His life. He does the work of transformation. Our part? Well, we have to die. We have to surrender.
I want a holy visitation from His Spirit. I want to be ready when He comes to visit His church. I want to be a pure vessal that He can pour in and through to others. I don't want to be a 80/20 christian. I can give Him 80% wholeheartedly, but that other 20 belongs to me. You know what you get when you mix hot and cold together don't you? Lukewarm. And do you know how He feels about lukewarm christianity? He spews it out of His mouth. I don't know about you, but that's not the kind of offering I want to give Him. One that makes Him vomit it out of His mouth? But that's what a lukewarm heart will do. I don't want any lukewarm water lurking in my heart. I want my heart set ablaze for Him in all things.
He's the creator of the universe. He spoke and the world was formed. He breathed and stars and galaxies went into place. Those same stars and galaxies are all singing praises to their Creator constantly. So who am I, this piece of clay, to think I am of such great significance to withhold not only my praise from Him, but to also withhold even the smallest part of my heart? He is worthy of my everything. Not my partial. He's worth my all.
So, here we are. My prayer? Show me how to die. Less of me, more of Him. I must decrease, He must increase. My utmost for His highest. All of me for all of Him.
Saturday, January 7, 2012
Caught In the Middle
A good friend of mine introduced me to a new song today. It's apparently been around for a while because it was an older Casting Crowns song. Just as the blog title reads, that is the name of the song as well. Before I post the lyrics to this song, let me give you a glimpse of where my heart is today.
Earlier today I was having a conversation about this same thing with another friend altogether. We were talking about how we are always so eager and willing to say yes to God when it is about something big. Like, something that involves our grand destiny. He asks us to go to Africa and we say yes because it's in our hearts and we want to do something big for Him. He asks us to commit our lives to full time ministry and we say yes because it's big and its' what our hearts have always wanted to do since the first time we felt His call on our lives. So we say yes and we then naturally feel we have our yes on the table when it comes to God. We say we are radically obedient because we said yes in the big things.
But as I've started thinking about this, it's not the big yeses that make us radical in our obedience. It's all the little yeses along the way. You know, the saying yes to Him asking us to walk in forgiveness. The saying yes to Him asking us to stop and help the wounded traveler like the good Samaritan. The saying yes to what seems like an interruption to where we are going, but in all reality is the reason we are going where we are. The saying yes to putting comfort and selfishness aside and allowing ourselves to hurt with the hurting and sympathize with the broken and those in need.
It's so easy to look past the need of others. Especially when they aren't necessarily close to us or personally in our lives. And even when they are a part of our lives, it's so easy to overlook those hurting around us so that we don't have to get dirty and mixed up in their problems. And we totally miss the point and purpose of why Jesus called us. We missed the reason of why He came to us in the first place.
I think about the people I met in Africa. Those children who were starving and who were orphans. Those people who had nothing. As time and distance came between us, it became easier and easier to forget what we saw there. To forget the needs of those we met. You know the saying, 'out of sight, out of mind'. Yeah, that's how it is.
But what if it's not time and distance that caused the lack of identifying with them. What if it's simply that our hearts grow cold because we quit saying yes along the way. What if our surrender turns cold because we begin to neglect the gentle call of His voice in all things big and small. We end up wasting time in our preparation stages because we get so focused on the big things He has called us to do, and when the time comes for Him to bring about our destinies, we aren't ready because we hindered His plans by our lack of total surrender in all things.
It breaks my heart to think of all the missed opportunities I've had before me but failed to notice or respond to because my lips said yes but my heart said no. I don't want to be "that" person. I don't want average and mundane to ever be able to be used to describe my faith or my obedience when it comes to Father. I want to be the one who jumps out of the boat and goes running to Him in the middle of the storm instead of having to be persuaded.
I am so grateful for His grace though. I'm learning that His grace far exceeds my lack of obedience. His grace far exceeds anything I can even comprehend. I don't want to lose the sense of awe at His marvelous gift of grace towards my life. I don't want to expect Him to bestow grace upon me regardless of how I act. He doesn't have to bestow mercy and grace upon me, but yet, He chooses to because of His indescribable love for me. When we come to a place where we expect Him to give us grace, we've moved from walking humbly before our God into pride and nothing will cause His presence to flee from our lives than rotten pride. He resists the proud, but He gives more grace to the humble. God keep our hearts humble before You.
I'll close with the lyrics to this song. If you're like me, I relate so much to these words and I don't want them to define me. I don't want 2012 to be one of those "caught in the middle" years. I want it to be radical faith, radical obedience, radical abandonment to ALL of His Word. All of me for all of Him. My best for His glory. My utmost for His highest in all things.
Somewhere between the hot and the cold
Somewhere between the new and the old
Somewhere between who I am and who I used to be
Somewhere in the middle, You'll find me
Somewhere between the wrong and the right
Somewhere between the darkness and the light
Somewhere between who I was and who You're making me
Somewhere in the middle, You'll find me
Just how close can I get, Lord, to my surrender without losing all control
Fearless warriors in a picket fence, reckless abandon wrapped in common sense
Deep water faith in the shallow end and we are caught in the middle
With eyes wide open to the differences, the God we want and the God who is
But will we trade our dreams for His or are we caught in the middle
Are we caught in the middle
Somewhere between my heart and my hands
Somewhere between my faith and my plans
Somewhere between the safety of the boat and the crashing waves
Somewhere between a whisper and a roar
Somewhere between the altar and the door
Somewhere between contented peace and always wanting more
Somewhere in the middle You'll find me
Just how close can I get, Lord, to my surrender without losing all control
Lord, I feel You in this place and I know You're by my side
Loving me even on these nights when I'm caught in the middle
Caught In The Middle, Casting Crowns
Earlier today I was having a conversation about this same thing with another friend altogether. We were talking about how we are always so eager and willing to say yes to God when it is about something big. Like, something that involves our grand destiny. He asks us to go to Africa and we say yes because it's in our hearts and we want to do something big for Him. He asks us to commit our lives to full time ministry and we say yes because it's big and its' what our hearts have always wanted to do since the first time we felt His call on our lives. So we say yes and we then naturally feel we have our yes on the table when it comes to God. We say we are radically obedient because we said yes in the big things.
But as I've started thinking about this, it's not the big yeses that make us radical in our obedience. It's all the little yeses along the way. You know, the saying yes to Him asking us to walk in forgiveness. The saying yes to Him asking us to stop and help the wounded traveler like the good Samaritan. The saying yes to what seems like an interruption to where we are going, but in all reality is the reason we are going where we are. The saying yes to putting comfort and selfishness aside and allowing ourselves to hurt with the hurting and sympathize with the broken and those in need.
It's so easy to look past the need of others. Especially when they aren't necessarily close to us or personally in our lives. And even when they are a part of our lives, it's so easy to overlook those hurting around us so that we don't have to get dirty and mixed up in their problems. And we totally miss the point and purpose of why Jesus called us. We missed the reason of why He came to us in the first place.
I think about the people I met in Africa. Those children who were starving and who were orphans. Those people who had nothing. As time and distance came between us, it became easier and easier to forget what we saw there. To forget the needs of those we met. You know the saying, 'out of sight, out of mind'. Yeah, that's how it is.
But what if it's not time and distance that caused the lack of identifying with them. What if it's simply that our hearts grow cold because we quit saying yes along the way. What if our surrender turns cold because we begin to neglect the gentle call of His voice in all things big and small. We end up wasting time in our preparation stages because we get so focused on the big things He has called us to do, and when the time comes for Him to bring about our destinies, we aren't ready because we hindered His plans by our lack of total surrender in all things.
It breaks my heart to think of all the missed opportunities I've had before me but failed to notice or respond to because my lips said yes but my heart said no. I don't want to be "that" person. I don't want average and mundane to ever be able to be used to describe my faith or my obedience when it comes to Father. I want to be the one who jumps out of the boat and goes running to Him in the middle of the storm instead of having to be persuaded.
I am so grateful for His grace though. I'm learning that His grace far exceeds my lack of obedience. His grace far exceeds anything I can even comprehend. I don't want to lose the sense of awe at His marvelous gift of grace towards my life. I don't want to expect Him to bestow grace upon me regardless of how I act. He doesn't have to bestow mercy and grace upon me, but yet, He chooses to because of His indescribable love for me. When we come to a place where we expect Him to give us grace, we've moved from walking humbly before our God into pride and nothing will cause His presence to flee from our lives than rotten pride. He resists the proud, but He gives more grace to the humble. God keep our hearts humble before You.
I'll close with the lyrics to this song. If you're like me, I relate so much to these words and I don't want them to define me. I don't want 2012 to be one of those "caught in the middle" years. I want it to be radical faith, radical obedience, radical abandonment to ALL of His Word. All of me for all of Him. My best for His glory. My utmost for His highest in all things.
Somewhere between the hot and the cold
Somewhere between the new and the old
Somewhere between who I am and who I used to be
Somewhere in the middle, You'll find me
Somewhere between the wrong and the right
Somewhere between the darkness and the light
Somewhere between who I was and who You're making me
Somewhere in the middle, You'll find me
Just how close can I get, Lord, to my surrender without losing all control
Fearless warriors in a picket fence, reckless abandon wrapped in common sense
Deep water faith in the shallow end and we are caught in the middle
With eyes wide open to the differences, the God we want and the God who is
But will we trade our dreams for His or are we caught in the middle
Are we caught in the middle
Somewhere between my heart and my hands
Somewhere between my faith and my plans
Somewhere between the safety of the boat and the crashing waves
Somewhere between a whisper and a roar
Somewhere between the altar and the door
Somewhere between contented peace and always wanting more
Somewhere in the middle You'll find me
Just how close can I get, Lord, to my surrender without losing all control
Lord, I feel You in this place and I know You're by my side
Loving me even on these nights when I'm caught in the middle
Caught In The Middle, Casting Crowns
Saturday, December 31, 2011
Milestones and Altars
I've been thinking alot about this past year. I'd have to say, 2011 was one of the worst years of my life, but it was also the greatest year of my life. I've never seen the hand of God at work so much in my life personally. It's always cool to watch Him doing stuff in other peoples lives, but when He brings it to you personally, it will just shake you to the core.
My year started out on a 21 day fast. It was incredible. I learned the value of disconnecting from the world and connecting myself to God through prayer and fasting. It was one of the most intense and spiritually defining times of my life. It became one of those altars in my life that I'll always go back to and remember meeting with God at this place and time in my life.
The rest of my year was no different. If I had to give this year a name, it would most definitely be "Milestones and Altars", just as the blog title says. I say that, because my whole entire year was filled with one of these. The fast was both. I had never done a 21 day fast before, so it was a milestone. But I had also never met with God like that either, and therefore it became an altar, and it was truly a meeting place with Him.
During our Kingdom Advancement Conference at our church I had an altar moment when I wholeheartedly put my "yes" on the table with God. Whatever, whenever, whomever, however, I say Yes. I want all that He has for me and I want to walk every path He has laid out for me, no matter where the journey's lead me. I want to spend my life pursuing Him. Afterall, is a life that is not spent wholeheartedly pursuing Him really a life at all? I want to waste my life knowing Him in everything. All the depths and riches of Him, I want to spend my life searching them out. I say Yes.
Reading "Radical" changed my life this year. I realized that Christianity was meant to be much more than what we think. It was meant to be lived radically. Yeah, you can live your life as a Christ follower and play it safe. You can stay in the boat when something, Someone, calls you to come out of the boat in the most extreme of circumstances. You can live your Christian life following all the do's and don'ts that you've been taught all your life. You can settle for ordinary and nothing out of the box. You can sit back and watch others be "extreme" or "free spirited" in their faith and think "that's just not me". But can I tell you something? You're missing out. Jesus didn't endure a cross for you to live casually. He didn't give up His life through a cruel means of torture for you to hold on to yours. He didn't live His life as an example for you to think it was just good teachings. On the contrary, He did everything He did so we would have an example to follow, a compass for how to navigate life....His way. And that's what Radical did for me. It caused me to examine my walk, in great detail, to see just how committed I was....in every area. It fueled the desire in my heart to go on a missions trip. It ignited a holy fire within me. It brought on another altar with God. Another place of meeting.
I completed my first ever prayer journal this year. I have always started one and would eventually jump on the spiritual roller coaster that we fall prey to sometimes, and I would never finish it. I had mounds of unfinished prayer journals. I'd always just start a new one when I got back on track. Except for this year. I started it and finished it. MAJOR milestone, but also a sweet altar.
In August I was blessed to go on my first ever missions trip. We went to Zimbabwe, Africa, and I have to say, I fell in love. My heart was changed by what I saw there. My life was put into perspective. I came to a personal realization that "For God so loved the WORLD that He gave His own Son..." I saw Jesus in the faces of beautiful little African children who had absolutely nothing. I saw people who lived in conditions I could never dream of carry a smile on their face simply because they had Jesus, and they knew He was all they needed. I took God out of my box in Africa, for it was here that I come to understand He truly doesn't fit inside of my neat little box. He's much bigger than I ever give Him credit for. And the way He operates is so outside of my understanding. Trying to keep God in a box is kinda like keeping a male lion in popcorn bucket. He won't fit. He wasn't made to. And God wasn't made for the little boxes we create and put Him in either. He is the Potter, WE are the clay. If anyone was going to be in a box it would be us, but thankfully He doesn't work that way either. Yep, another altar for me.
Septemeber held quite the milestone. I turned the big 40 this year. Yes, big milestone. In October we sold our house and moved to a quaint little 3 bedroom apartment while we build. Milestone.
November would have to be the month I say that holds the greatest altar of all though. It was November 9, 2011, that I personally met Jehovah Raphi, the God Who heals. That story is detailed a little more in a previous blog post, but I'll just say this....I still go back to that day alot. I remember specific moments in great detail. I can almost smell certain things from the day. I relive that day alot in my mind. Sometimes something will happen that will trigger a memory from the day and it never fails to make me sit back and just stop and reflect on the fact that I saw God do an actual miracle. And it wasn't for someone else. It wasn't for someone I didn't know. It was for me. ME. I met Jehovah Raphi that day and I made an altar in that place so that I never forget the power, and grace, and mercy, and completely unfailing love of my God that was shown to me.
The first of December I had major surgery. A total hysterectomy to be exact. It has been life altering as well in a different way! It was a kind of milestone, I guess, but it is becoming another altar along the way. That's for a blog post later :-)
Today is the last day of 2011. For the first time in my life, I have completed reading through the entire bible this year. And I can't wait to start all over again tomorrow. This has also been both a milestone and an altar. Through reading through God's Word, I have come to know Him like I haven't before. I've learned things about Him. I've discovered His ways are not like mine. I've discovered that He was....He is....He will be. I discovered I Am.
Here's what I'm taking into 2012: I didn't do everything right last year. I won't do everything right next year. What I have to focus on is simple really...obedience. I need to focus on being in obedient in the small things He places before me. I want ears to hear, eyes to see, a heart that is always open to His leading, and lips that speak His truth with conviction. I'm so thankful that He is a Father Who makes all things new. He cleanses our past and gives us a new future. No matter what we did in the past, nothing is so big or horrible that His grace, mercy and forgiveness cannot cleanse and make new. He washes, He restores, and He gives us a future.
I'm so grateful for 2011. I am expectant for 2012. And not just expectant, I'm packing my bags and setting sail to embark on the discovery of a lifetime. This year I am going after His heart....the deepest parts of His heart. I want to know HIM. Every part of Him that I can find and that He will reveal.
Thanks for journeying with me in 2011. Lets all set sail together in 2012. Happy New Year!
Stacy
My year started out on a 21 day fast. It was incredible. I learned the value of disconnecting from the world and connecting myself to God through prayer and fasting. It was one of the most intense and spiritually defining times of my life. It became one of those altars in my life that I'll always go back to and remember meeting with God at this place and time in my life.
The rest of my year was no different. If I had to give this year a name, it would most definitely be "Milestones and Altars", just as the blog title says. I say that, because my whole entire year was filled with one of these. The fast was both. I had never done a 21 day fast before, so it was a milestone. But I had also never met with God like that either, and therefore it became an altar, and it was truly a meeting place with Him.
During our Kingdom Advancement Conference at our church I had an altar moment when I wholeheartedly put my "yes" on the table with God. Whatever, whenever, whomever, however, I say Yes. I want all that He has for me and I want to walk every path He has laid out for me, no matter where the journey's lead me. I want to spend my life pursuing Him. Afterall, is a life that is not spent wholeheartedly pursuing Him really a life at all? I want to waste my life knowing Him in everything. All the depths and riches of Him, I want to spend my life searching them out. I say Yes.
Reading "Radical" changed my life this year. I realized that Christianity was meant to be much more than what we think. It was meant to be lived radically. Yeah, you can live your life as a Christ follower and play it safe. You can stay in the boat when something, Someone, calls you to come out of the boat in the most extreme of circumstances. You can live your Christian life following all the do's and don'ts that you've been taught all your life. You can settle for ordinary and nothing out of the box. You can sit back and watch others be "extreme" or "free spirited" in their faith and think "that's just not me". But can I tell you something? You're missing out. Jesus didn't endure a cross for you to live casually. He didn't give up His life through a cruel means of torture for you to hold on to yours. He didn't live His life as an example for you to think it was just good teachings. On the contrary, He did everything He did so we would have an example to follow, a compass for how to navigate life....His way. And that's what Radical did for me. It caused me to examine my walk, in great detail, to see just how committed I was....in every area. It fueled the desire in my heart to go on a missions trip. It ignited a holy fire within me. It brought on another altar with God. Another place of meeting.
I completed my first ever prayer journal this year. I have always started one and would eventually jump on the spiritual roller coaster that we fall prey to sometimes, and I would never finish it. I had mounds of unfinished prayer journals. I'd always just start a new one when I got back on track. Except for this year. I started it and finished it. MAJOR milestone, but also a sweet altar.
In August I was blessed to go on my first ever missions trip. We went to Zimbabwe, Africa, and I have to say, I fell in love. My heart was changed by what I saw there. My life was put into perspective. I came to a personal realization that "For God so loved the WORLD that He gave His own Son..." I saw Jesus in the faces of beautiful little African children who had absolutely nothing. I saw people who lived in conditions I could never dream of carry a smile on their face simply because they had Jesus, and they knew He was all they needed. I took God out of my box in Africa, for it was here that I come to understand He truly doesn't fit inside of my neat little box. He's much bigger than I ever give Him credit for. And the way He operates is so outside of my understanding. Trying to keep God in a box is kinda like keeping a male lion in popcorn bucket. He won't fit. He wasn't made to. And God wasn't made for the little boxes we create and put Him in either. He is the Potter, WE are the clay. If anyone was going to be in a box it would be us, but thankfully He doesn't work that way either. Yep, another altar for me.
Septemeber held quite the milestone. I turned the big 40 this year. Yes, big milestone. In October we sold our house and moved to a quaint little 3 bedroom apartment while we build. Milestone.
November would have to be the month I say that holds the greatest altar of all though. It was November 9, 2011, that I personally met Jehovah Raphi, the God Who heals. That story is detailed a little more in a previous blog post, but I'll just say this....I still go back to that day alot. I remember specific moments in great detail. I can almost smell certain things from the day. I relive that day alot in my mind. Sometimes something will happen that will trigger a memory from the day and it never fails to make me sit back and just stop and reflect on the fact that I saw God do an actual miracle. And it wasn't for someone else. It wasn't for someone I didn't know. It was for me. ME. I met Jehovah Raphi that day and I made an altar in that place so that I never forget the power, and grace, and mercy, and completely unfailing love of my God that was shown to me.
The first of December I had major surgery. A total hysterectomy to be exact. It has been life altering as well in a different way! It was a kind of milestone, I guess, but it is becoming another altar along the way. That's for a blog post later :-)
Today is the last day of 2011. For the first time in my life, I have completed reading through the entire bible this year. And I can't wait to start all over again tomorrow. This has also been both a milestone and an altar. Through reading through God's Word, I have come to know Him like I haven't before. I've learned things about Him. I've discovered His ways are not like mine. I've discovered that He was....He is....He will be. I discovered I Am.
Here's what I'm taking into 2012: I didn't do everything right last year. I won't do everything right next year. What I have to focus on is simple really...obedience. I need to focus on being in obedient in the small things He places before me. I want ears to hear, eyes to see, a heart that is always open to His leading, and lips that speak His truth with conviction. I'm so thankful that He is a Father Who makes all things new. He cleanses our past and gives us a new future. No matter what we did in the past, nothing is so big or horrible that His grace, mercy and forgiveness cannot cleanse and make new. He washes, He restores, and He gives us a future.
I'm so grateful for 2011. I am expectant for 2012. And not just expectant, I'm packing my bags and setting sail to embark on the discovery of a lifetime. This year I am going after His heart....the deepest parts of His heart. I want to know HIM. Every part of Him that I can find and that He will reveal.
Thanks for journeying with me in 2011. Lets all set sail together in 2012. Happy New Year!
Stacy
Saturday, November 19, 2011
What is Worship?
With Thanksgiving fast approaching this week, it seems an attitude of thankfulness is all around. I've seen so many posts on facebook since the start of November, all declaring some they are thankful for on each day of the month. I love it!
I have lots to be thankful for in my own life. It goes without saying, I am very thankful for my family...for my boys...my amazing husband. I'm thankful for my job I'm thankful for my friends. Not just my friends....I'm thankful for my God fearing, Jesus loving, power praying friends in my life. I'm thankful for a beautiful and amazing church family. I'm thankful for freedom. I'm thankful for the little things in life too/ You know, things like....cool breezes on a hot summer day....breathtaking fall colors as the seasons change...drenching spring rains that cause dead and dried up things to live again...a baby's giggle....a chids smile. And lets not forget the things like.....warm, gooey brownies and a cold glass of milk....reese cups of any kind...and chocolate. Yes, I'm really thankful for chocolate.
While all of these things are great and good, I'm thankful for other things that go above and beyond all of this. I'm thankful that circumstances of my life allow me to experience God in different ways. I'm thankful that God loves me enough to give me the opportunity to find Him in the most unexpected places. I'm thankful that I've come to know God in new ways recently, like Healer, Defender, and Daddy. I'm thankful that even when I'm most unlovable in myself, He still loves me just the same. I'm thankful that He is unchanging. I'm thankful that He is never ending. I'm thankful that He operates in redemption. I'm thankful that He gives me more grace than I deserve. I'm thankful that His mercies are new every morning. I'm thankful He pursued me and drew me to Himself, and in my search for Him, He adopted me and brought me into His eternal family. I'm thankful for Jesus and the sacrifice He made on my behalf.
Max Lucado says, "worship is the THANK YOU that cannot be silenced." Do you know what I have just done by declaring my thankful heart? I've just experienced worship. Do you know why? Because anytime I start reflecting on Who God is, or What He's done for me, it inspires worship within my heart. I begin to become full of praises because of how good He has been to me. I enter into a private moment with Him, where my heart is consumed with passion for Him....where my gaze is completely occupied with His gaze. When I begin to thank Him, I begin to worship. And as I worship, my heart is changed.
I wonder, what would our lives look like if we walked in a state of thankfulness? What if we walked in a place of "I don't care what my circumstances are or situation I find myself in, I will thank my God continually" way of life? 1 Thessalonians 5:18 tells us to "be thankful in ALL circumstances." That doesn't mean we thank God only when life is good. No, quite the contrary. It means we thank Him even when we are in battle. It means we thank Him even when life is hard. It means we thank Him even when our circumstances don't give us a reason to be thankful. It means we thank Him in ALL things. Remember, thanking Him becomes worship, and when we worship our perspective changes. And when our perspective changes, we walk in freedom. Freedom from being bound by things of this world, whether they be emotions or material. Our gaze is redirected to His gaze through our worship and we begin to lay aside every weight and anything that trips us up or hinders us from walking along the paths of righteousness with Him.
And to think, it all starts with a thankful heart. So,as Thanksgiving approaches, find some time to just sit with Him. And as you are there, begin to meditate and speak out all that you are thankful for from Father. Remember His goodness. Remember His faithfulness. And allow your grateful heart to turn into a moment of worship. Then develop a thankful heart within you and allow it turn your life into a life that sweetly becomes one who lives life on your knees in a state of worship. A life found competely and totally immersed, and hidden in Him.
Let's live thankfully...
Stacy
I have lots to be thankful for in my own life. It goes without saying, I am very thankful for my family...for my boys...my amazing husband. I'm thankful for my job I'm thankful for my friends. Not just my friends....I'm thankful for my God fearing, Jesus loving, power praying friends in my life. I'm thankful for a beautiful and amazing church family. I'm thankful for freedom. I'm thankful for the little things in life too/ You know, things like....cool breezes on a hot summer day....breathtaking fall colors as the seasons change...drenching spring rains that cause dead and dried up things to live again...a baby's giggle....a chids smile. And lets not forget the things like.....warm, gooey brownies and a cold glass of milk....reese cups of any kind...and chocolate. Yes, I'm really thankful for chocolate.
While all of these things are great and good, I'm thankful for other things that go above and beyond all of this. I'm thankful that circumstances of my life allow me to experience God in different ways. I'm thankful that God loves me enough to give me the opportunity to find Him in the most unexpected places. I'm thankful that I've come to know God in new ways recently, like Healer, Defender, and Daddy. I'm thankful that even when I'm most unlovable in myself, He still loves me just the same. I'm thankful that He is unchanging. I'm thankful that He is never ending. I'm thankful that He operates in redemption. I'm thankful that He gives me more grace than I deserve. I'm thankful that His mercies are new every morning. I'm thankful He pursued me and drew me to Himself, and in my search for Him, He adopted me and brought me into His eternal family. I'm thankful for Jesus and the sacrifice He made on my behalf.
Max Lucado says, "worship is the THANK YOU that cannot be silenced." Do you know what I have just done by declaring my thankful heart? I've just experienced worship. Do you know why? Because anytime I start reflecting on Who God is, or What He's done for me, it inspires worship within my heart. I begin to become full of praises because of how good He has been to me. I enter into a private moment with Him, where my heart is consumed with passion for Him....where my gaze is completely occupied with His gaze. When I begin to thank Him, I begin to worship. And as I worship, my heart is changed.
I wonder, what would our lives look like if we walked in a state of thankfulness? What if we walked in a place of "I don't care what my circumstances are or situation I find myself in, I will thank my God continually" way of life? 1 Thessalonians 5:18 tells us to "be thankful in ALL circumstances." That doesn't mean we thank God only when life is good. No, quite the contrary. It means we thank Him even when we are in battle. It means we thank Him even when life is hard. It means we thank Him even when our circumstances don't give us a reason to be thankful. It means we thank Him in ALL things. Remember, thanking Him becomes worship, and when we worship our perspective changes. And when our perspective changes, we walk in freedom. Freedom from being bound by things of this world, whether they be emotions or material. Our gaze is redirected to His gaze through our worship and we begin to lay aside every weight and anything that trips us up or hinders us from walking along the paths of righteousness with Him.
And to think, it all starts with a thankful heart. So,as Thanksgiving approaches, find some time to just sit with Him. And as you are there, begin to meditate and speak out all that you are thankful for from Father. Remember His goodness. Remember His faithfulness. And allow your grateful heart to turn into a moment of worship. Then develop a thankful heart within you and allow it turn your life into a life that sweetly becomes one who lives life on your knees in a state of worship. A life found competely and totally immersed, and hidden in Him.
Let's live thankfully...
Stacy
Friday, November 11, 2011
The Sound of His Great Name...
"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
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
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
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