Thursday, August 6, 2009

Love & Hate

21 Do I not hate those who hate you, O LORD,and abhor those who rise up against you?

As in my favorite caveman saying, "Uh, What!" As Christians, are we suppose to hate? According to what I have read in the Bible, have been taught in Sunday School class and church, I don't think so!
First, God never hates anything or anyone whom He has created. If He hated anything He created, it would not have been created in the first place. Genesis 1 states, "And God saw that it was good." after each He created. No hate there. For Him to hate what He has created would mean He made mistakes and cannot correct it. He is a Mighty, Holy God who cannot make mistakes or hate what He has created. Yes, there are things God cannot do!
Secondly, if God does not hate that which He has created, we should not hate His creation either.
So why does David say this? Have you ever heard the statement, "Hate the sin, not the sinner"? Sin is just as much a verb as love. Just as love is an action, so sin takes action. Both love and hate are choices we make according to what we believe.
I will use myself as an example:
I love my country! I believe in her. I believe we are the greatest country among all the nations! I even love and pray for President Obama! Some of my friends would say, "WHAT! I thought you were a conservative Christian!"
I am, however, I hate some of the things President Obama has said about our country. I abhor his bowing down to an Arab leader. I detest his health care proposal for I feel it is wrong to socialize our health care. It unnerves me to know he does not care for our military men and women. These are his actions and choices which affects the whole country.
President Barak Obama is created in the image of God. When God created him, He saw that he was good. That alone gives me reason to love him enough to pray for him. I may not have voted for him, but I can respect the position given him BY GOD. The President of the United States is a highly stressful job and not one I would want to endure. This man educated himself with the desire to enter politics. Do you think he developed this desire by himself? God knew this before He created this man---way in advance. President Obama's victory was not just by vote, but by the authority of God. Does this mean God elected him to be president? God allowed the vote of the people by the people. For this reason, I will not read inflammatory emails, news, or cartoons about him.
We should not be using language of hate, but we should be crying out to God concerning him, his cabinet, and our governing officials! We should be speaking out against those things we know are wrong to our representatives, not bashing our President. We should not be shouting hateful things to him while he is giving his speeches. If we disagree, we should pray about what we need to say to him. He has an email address that he will read if we disagree respectfully.

El-Elyon, Lord God Most High,
We need Your forgiveness for hating people because of their actions instead of seeing them as You see them---flawed individuals like ourselves. Everyone You have created You have seen as good. Even though we have submitted to sin, You still love us and desire for us to draw closer to You. You desire fellowship with Your creation is the reason You created us. We need Your protection from Lucifer's hate for us, especially since he uses us in his hateful, contempt toward You and in his envy to who You are. Teach us that we do not have to be tolerent of sin, but can speak against it in Jesus' name as humble servants of His. All sin is what Jesus Christ died for as it says in John 3:16 "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life." May those who shun this truth learn this truth through the agape love You have shown to us. May Your grace and mercy shine forth that the lost may see Your true, pure mercy in Jesus' precious name, Amen!

Tuesday, July 14, 2009

Intentional Speech

20 They speak of you with evil intent; your adversaries misuse your name.

I recently read a blog from my friend, Nancy Arant Williams that I printed out because I despise reading on the computor unless necessary. I quote the very first sentence: "You and I are God's mouthpiece in the world today."
I stand guilty of not being God's mouthpiece in this world. My greatest problem is emotion. Today I listened to Granddaddy Stanley who through the Holy Spirit, examined my heart concerning how I look at my circumstances. Little Miss Victimized was exposed! Yet in his kind, loving speech, he took me to a new found affection for the Apostle Paul and his writings. The Apostle Paul's writings use to be a jaw-tightening experience for me which toned down to an abandoning as I recognized the truth behind his words as God speaking through him. Now this new found affection only impresses me to desire his courage to look past his circumstances in all things and focus on the purpose God called him.
Now is the time of decision which I need to make concerning the words I use in the circumstances. Do I look at the circumstances returning to Little Miss Victimized looking within, or do I move forward focused on God with His opportunity in sight. Admitably, Little Miss Victimized is far easier especially when I am exposed to this characteristic everyday.
Now I will place an example before me. Usually, I would place my mentor, Gay in this position, but this time, I will use Michael J. Fox. He has written books I should read. He has Parkinson's Disease which is an a chronic and progressive degenerative disease of the brain that impairs motor control, speech, and other functions. (Wikipedia) If this man, who has more to loose than I, can see past his circumstances and deteriation, what is wrong with me? ME, Little Miss Victimized!

El-Elyon, LORD Most High,
I stand before you guilty of evil intent in my speech which comes from my heart Little Miss Victimized waiting to become angry at You or anyone else of MY bad attitude toward circumstances surrounding me and those with the same character. I use this confession to not only ask for forgiveness, but to also ask Your help in changing this attitude by looking to You. This is a lesson needed continually for it is a tough nut to crack to get to the fruit. Crack my hard shell developed over years of not thinking, but sharing my feelings. Take away the shell so others may enjoy the fruit of this nut. Take out the dryness of this voice replacing it with the sweet taste nestled in the meat of a hazel nut. Replace the woman of harshness with a woman of Your intention, in the precious name of my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, Amen.

Friday, July 10, 2009

Heart Words

20 They speak of you with evil intent; your adversaries misuse your name.

Have we ever considered how we talk to God when we pray or even refer to His name in certain moments? I have to think about these things because often God has to convict me of my thoughts and words, especially when I speak these words to others!
Like last night when God had to convict my heart about an evil thought about a co-worker; an thought of an event that would send that disagreeable co-worker packing. I expressed this evil thought to a co-worker with whom I enjoyed working. I get in the car and WHAM! God convicts me of my words; not like a lightning volt, but like a pang in my heart. "Did you just hear what you just said about this person, Nancy? How is this going to help in your prayers for your workplace? Is it your decision with whom you work? How do you think the co-worker you just spoke to sees you now? Was I glorified? Did you show MY love?"
OOPS!
It is so easy to speak against someone we do not like and want to see them gone, but what is not so easy is praying for the person seeking God's love for them. He does love them, you know.
I am including in this writing a prayer I sent to someone I have never met and want to meet one day for they have suffered much. I am including this because this should be the prayer I need to pray for this co-worker with whom I disapprove:

Jehovah-Jireh, LORD our Provider,
Show Your power and love for Your children when we wait on You. As you provided for Your children, Israel food, protection, and shelter, so You do so today. We praise the name of Jesus!! We thank You. We praise You. We cannot but believe. But when we falter, forgive us when do not act or talk like Your presence is not near. Help us in our unbelief in the scary times. And in the times of comfort, let us not alone when we get too comfortable who has provided what we have. Thank you for Elizabeth and Katy who are willing to be transparent about what they are going through so others can be blessed as they pray for them. To God be the glory great things He has done! Amen and Amen!

Jehovah-Mekaddishkem, LORD our Sanctifier,
So have you loved me so much that You sent Your only Begotten Son, Jesus Christ, to die for my sins, so you have done the same for those with whom I work, agreeable and disagreeable. Thank you for lovingly reminding me of the way my heart should speak to You and others about Your saving grace, Your provision for their lives, but most of all, what You had to suffer for our sins. Forgive me for my evil thoughts and words revealing my evil heart. I truly do desire to transform this heart to a heart like Yours, but I need to commit this heart always to You, everyday and every moment. Thank You for this lesson. Thank You for Your forgiveness for even this, in Jesus' precious name and for His sake, I commit to glorify Him with my thoughts and words, Amen.

Sunday, July 5, 2009

Rocket Tongue

19 If only you would slay the wicked, O God! Away from me, you bloodthirsty men!

Sometimes I think about these very words when I watch the news, go to work to hear gossip mixed with observing the idleness in other's work, then to sometimes be left with cleaning up the mess left by co-workers. (I'm not just refering to another shift.) Sometimes this offensive stress is tripled by the fact I am coming in on my fifth day and already very tired only to realize I will be working with fewer co-workers or less experienced co-workers. Then I come home with nothing left to give only to be confronted with the mess of idleness again. This is when I have to eat the inside of my jaw to prevent Rocket Tongue from presenting herself.
Oh, you have never heard of Rocket Tongue. Why she is my fleshly sin! She is quick to judge, short of temper, impatient, gossipy disgruntaled, edgy in action. She has eyes that cut through your soul chilling you to the bone. She is Judge Judy with a very bad disposition and bad hair day waiting for someone to do or say something dumb so she can lash them with her Rocket Tongue thus giving them no defense from the flying debri in the explosion. She will stand there panting watching you bleed. She is a bad as the very people with whom she becomes angry all because she takes this stress personally.
I try desperately hard to avoid this woman at all cost, but she still welds up inside me and tries to justify why I should become her once more. "These things will never change to your satisfaction," she says coaxing my eyes and ears. Unfortunately, she is right, but not to the point I should turn to her ways of handling the situation. She is of no comfort to me, but a hindrance to my relationship with God and others.
How I long to become a woman of gentle spirit like my friend and mentor, Gay. She is such a wonderful example of meekness and the fruit of the Spirit. When she speaks, even in rebuke, she yields fruit with a smile. She is the Proverbs 31 woman I cannot but dream of becoming. She would rebuke me for making that last statement for she would inform me God is not done with me yet and I should not limit myself in such a belief. Alas, she is able to speak to me in my heart without even knowing I have typed these words. And she is absolutely right!

Jehovah God,
I am thankful You are not through with me yet. I am so very thankful for Your Word taught through those You place before me as mentors of my faith in You. From my family, to friends, to church members, members of this community, and even those people at work, You use imperfect people to grow me to the person I want to be instead of living out the person I despise, O' Rocket Tongue herself, the very person I would prefer You to slay out of me so I can be more like Christ who draws all people to You. Don't just shut her up in me, but destroy her will to live in me. Cast her out in the name of Jesus! I hate her with a holy hate. I want to become that Proverbs 31 woman. I need Your help everyday to achieve this goal of a lifetime. Place Your Words always before me as though I am speaking to You instead of what and who triggers my stress, in Jesus' name and for His sake I make this committment. Amen.

Wednesday, June 17, 2009

Thought comparison

18 Were I to count them, they would outnumber the grains of sand. When I awake, I am still with you.

Can you imagin the countless thoughts that have run through you head since the day you opened your eyes and saw the very first person in your life? Is it possible thoughts ran through your head while in the womb? Science has proven that classical music, when played soothenly near the pregnant mother, has a beneficial effect upon the fetus helping the child to come into the world calmer and more intelligent when born. I don't know if I have experienced this myself or heard testimony of such results, but if true, then possibly a child in the womb can experience thoughts in the womb. Let's see the abortionist counter that one!
Let's see. I am 49 now which if I were to take every thought, starting with my very first and ending with the very last one of tonight, how much beach could I cover if my thoughts were a grain of sand---good thoughts, bad thoughts, thoughts that didn't make sense? I might be able to cover the first inch of a good size sand box. You think I may think too much?
Now think about God who is the Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the End. He is Omnipresent which means He was always around. God was never brought into His creation; His creation was brought because of Him. Now measure His thoughts to my one inch covering of a good size sand box. No comparison. From the time I wake in the morning til my mind goes into realm sleep, I am conscious of my thoughts. In realm sleep, I am not conscious of my thoughts other than a dream or two (which can be just as senseless as some of the conscious thoughts). With even this extra activity of thoughts going through my brain, I may be able to add an extra thin layer of sand, but still not be able to compare to God's continual conscious thoughts. The end of the verse says, "When I awake, I am still with you. " God's mind is always on me and on everything He has created. Can you imagin that vastness?
So what does this have to do with the price of eggs in China, Nancy? Place my sandbox in the middle of a vast desert and make a comparison. No comparison. My point is this: Read the Bible from the first word written in Genesis to the very last word written in the Book of Revelation and you will see how God has placed His thought about every part of His creation into action using His creation according to His purpose and will; whether that created person wanted such action or not. No, this is not a control thing, but God is in control thing. Since He created me and He is in control of what He has created, then should I not be able to take every thought captive?

Jehovah-Elohim, Eternal Creator,
My range of thought cannot even come close to what You have, even to this moment. Since You are in control of every thought and You created my capacity to think any thoughts, certainly I can take the time to take captive every thought as though it is from You. My every thought should be used to glorify You and not myself. Since I am still a sinful person in need of a Savior, Jesus, my example of taking captive every thought, help me to do so in order that You may be glorified in my life, in His most presious name, Jesus Christ, Amen.


Thursday, May 21, 2009

Hearing From God

17 How precious to me are your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them!

Today I heard the Lord speak through Dr. Charles Stanley about what I have been struggling with for some time. I am not a supernatural person, but I worship a supernatural God who knows my thoughts before I think them. He knew I needed to hear Grandpa Stanley's (both my grandfathers are dead so I adopted Dr. Charles Stanley) message and his words caught my attention of God speaking directly to my heart. Phenomial how the Holy Spirit works. As of right now I find myself wanting to hear the message again because I want God to be specific in what He wants in my heart, basically, I am in the right place, but I have the wrong attitude. God wants to do something through me for the purpose of serving Him, but all I see is what I see with my eyes--the wrongs of those taking advantage of me. I cannot get over this wall of what I see so I can serve God in the right attitude here at home. Unfortunately, I hate conflict, especially inside myself because I don't think I should do such and such in order to serve God. My trouble is, "I do this and I do that and why should I do more? I cannot do everything so if I don't want to do this, I'm not." God is trying to take me to that next step and all I can say is, "That is not satisfactory so I'm not going to do it." And then there is a side of me that says, "I want to do exactly what You want God, but how far do I go? To what extent? Death? To where I cannot go anymore? I cannot do it!"

Lord God Almighty,
Truly in my heart I want to serve You (and You hear that "but" in there.) I know I let my eyes and my emotions prevent me from developing the right attitude toward what You will have me do. I want to stop saying, "That is not satisfactory or I don't deserve this." All I want to say is, "Yes, Lord, no matter what You place in front of me; Like it or not."
This is painful, Lord.
This is something else You want me to let go and give to You--my attitude, my whole attitude, and nothing but my attitude. Is this not something I have controlled and developed through the years? You know this will have to be a daily practice of giving over my attitude everyday, every moment, every breath I take. I have to commit my attitude over to You if I want the best of what You can do through me. I am going to do it, but You know I will need to rely on You to take me through this.
I'm scared, so I look to You to work through me and I must leave all the circumstances up to You. I deserve nothing, but Christ makes me deserving of Your best for me. My status is in You. Take my attitude and make it Your own. Help me in Jesus' name, Amen.

Monday, April 27, 2009

My Worth to God--Part 3

16 your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.
Sometimes I have to talk to myself about what I am worth because what is going on around me does not always show. Like right now, I'm not feeling the worth due to the decisions of others. This may sound weird to some, that the decisions of others can have a major affect on me, but unfortunately, it happens. Now an infinite decision has to be made on my part: Do I believe what I see or what I know? This is where it is tough on the feelings. (If you think this is not going in the right direction, stay with me.)
When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body.

Science has taken a significant jump in watching the development of the fetus in the womb to the point of showing the eggs develop in the ovaries. These eggs, as well as, the sperm that enters the egg which causes the process of division and forming a human being are made up of cells. Each cell has the DNA makeup within the nucleus. This DNA makeup (the chains that make up the DNA) is what determines who we are physically (the outward appearance) and sometimes our physical health. Science has been able to determine what causes some genetic diseases and deformities through our DNA. However, science has not been able to determine a person's purpose in life beyond the physical. Science can make an estimate, a theory, or a prediction using the DNA of the mother and of the father, but they cannot predetermine who a person will turn out to be or their purpose. Even psychiatrist and psychologist will tell you they cannot predetermine a person's future purpose, but only theorize.
Jeremiah 1:4&5 says:
4 The word of the LORD came to me, saying, 5 "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations."
God is telling Jeremiah He knew him before he was formed in his mother's womb. This is how well God knows me and everyone born on this earth. He sees each future person until there is only eternity in Heaven or in hell (the final destinations) for those who have lived on earth. God created the first man and He knows the last man who will enter earth as a conceived human in the end day.
This is the reason I do not believe in abortion or human selective breeding or cloning: Created beings should not play with what they perceive as creation because created beings stand flawed next to the Creator.
Do we not remember what happened in history and the Tower of Babel? Why did the Bible call it the Tower of Babel (should be Tower of Babble)? God caused man to speak in different languages and dialects to disrupt man's ability to communicate and finish building a tower to where God sits. He did this to protect man from his self destruction due to his own arrogance and pride. Man did not know there was no air up there and that building such a tower would eventually collapse killing many. Arrogance plus pride plus ignorance equals flawed intelligence which will always equal disaster.

Jehovah-Elohim, Eternal Creator,
You are infinite. You are the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. I may not be able to control what is the decisions of others, but I can control what I believe and my behavior will follow. Yet I still have these bouts of feeling worthless allowing my focus to leave You temporarily and become sad and sometimes angry. I praise You because this is only temporary and because You cause me to remember the truth of Your Word so You can raise me back up from the pit. I must give my feelings over to You for I allow them to overwhelm me, but You have overcome that which I see in the physical world. Thank You Father God that You also remind me I was worth dying for and that death has no grip on me. This is because of Your Son, Jesus Christ, whose love did this for me and the sins of the world, Amen.
PRAISE GOD FROM WHOM ALL BLESSINGS FLOW!
PRAISE HIM ALL CREATURES HERE BELOW!
PRAISE HIM ALL OF YE HEAVENLY HOSTS!
PRAISE FATHER, SON, AND HOLY GHOST!
AMEN!

Thursday, April 23, 2009

My Worth to God--Part 2

15 My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth,
7Then the LORD God formed man of dust from the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.

The first man, Adam was created from the dust of the ground and God performed the miracle of breathing into a formed piece of dirt life. Evolutionary thought cannot bite on that nor can they conceive this for they are too busy evolving us from apes, fish, reptiles, and slime. They cannot agree from which we came!
The Bible is specific: Adam was formed from dust by the hand of God. God breathed His breath into the nostrils of this formed piece of dust. God did not draw the figure of a man in the dust giving him a face and a nose to breath into; He formed the man. That means God took His hands, formed every intricate detail of this man, far too many details to write, from the dust. Adam is the only human never conceived from another body, but the only man formed from the dust of the ground.
Now read the second chapter of Genesis verses 5 & 6:

5Now no shrub of the field was yet in the earth, and no plant of the field had yet sprouted, for the LORD God had not sent rain upon the earth, and there was no man to cultivate the ground. 6But a mist used to rise from the earth and water the whole surface of the ground.

God took dust moist with dew to form Adam so the dust would stick together. Ever tried to form something out of just dry dust? Not that God could not bypass this being the Creator of everything, but used the resources He created. A lesson to us all.
Also notice that no plant, shrub, nor rain had come upon the earth when Adam was created, but just a mist that rose from the earth and water from the surface of the ground. He was created as the Lord was preparing the ground for growth.
So what does this mean to me or anyone else for that matter?
We are all direct descendants of Adam because from Adam's rib was formed Eve and from her all mankind was conceived.

Jehovah-Hoseenu, Lord our Maker,
I praise You for making Adam from the very dust You created from nothing. You are Jehovah-Elohim, our Eternal Creator. From nothing You formed everything with Your Mighty Hands which makes everything a miracle of life.
I pray for the folly of those who claim otherwise trying desperately to run and rebel against You. They do not know what they are doing for they are blinded by the father of lies, the devil. I grieve their passing to come face-to-face with You knowing they have spread the lies into the minds of others, especially the young. I pray they will feel the millstone of the lies around their necks as a warning and receive the revelation of their fate in following the father of lies so they can look up to You, not with a raised fist of defiance as he does, but a raised hand of seeking Your love and mercy for them to follow in the truth. May they praise You for sending Your Son, Jesus Christ, to die on the cross for these sins forgiving them from that cross. May they praise You because of His resurrection by Your Power so they can be raised to the life of Your Truth. And I ask this in His name, Jesus, Amen


Thursday, April 9, 2009

My Worth to God

14 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.

I have never been one to understand just how worthy I am until I met the Lord God. Not that I have never known from my parents how important I am to them, but worthy of what I can be. I guess this is one of life's mysteries one must find out for themselves. Unfortunately, I still struggle in this area, but God is not done yet!
In the Book of Genesis chapter one these words were written:

26 Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground." 27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.

What an amazing statement of what we look like as human beings! This is definitely NOT evolution because evolution says something has to evolve from something for man's evolution came from any one of the theories one can come up with (apes, sea creatures, etc). Creation says we are created by the Creator and in His creative power created people (man) in His image. God spoke the words and it was done. He then gave His creation purpose and authority which only He can.

If you read the first few chapters of Genesis you find that God created everything and that everything He created was good.

31 God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning—the sixth day.

This shows that God does not make junk. Junk is worthless that's why we throw it away. The devil likes to make junk of God's creation so he can try to take away from God. The devil is jealous of God and wants to be God, but even though he knows he cannot, it does not stop him. The only way the devil can make junk of us is if we give him the authority to do so. You see, God has all authority, but the devil has none until given authority, even by us. To God's authority over the devil, read this section from the Second chapter of Job:

1 On another day the angels came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan also came with them to present himself before him. 2 And the LORD said to Satan, "Where have you come from?"
Satan answered the LORD, "From roaming through the earth and going back and forth in it."

3 Then the LORD said to Satan, "Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil. And he still maintains his integrity, though you incited me against him to ruin him without any reason."

4 "Skin for skin!" Satan replied. "A man will give all he has for his own life. 5 But stretch out your hand and strike his flesh and bones, and he will surely curse you to your face."

6 The LORD said to Satan, "Very well, then, he is in your hands; but you must spare his life."

7 So Satan went out from the presence of the LORD and afflicted Job with painful sores from the soles of his feet to the top of his head. 8 Then Job took a piece of broken pottery and scraped himself with it as he sat among the ashes.

Notice the language used concerning the conversation between God and the devil. Does this sound like the devil has any power to do anything he wishes? The devil is a created being who use to be an angel, but as depicted in Isaiah fourteen:

12 How you have fallen from heaven, O morning star, son of the dawn! You have been cast down to the earth, you who once laid low the nations! 13 You said in your heart, "I will ascend to heaven; I will raise my throne above the stars of God; I will sit enthroned on the mount of assembly, on the utmost heights of the sacred mountain. 14 I will ascend above the tops of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High." 15 But you are brought down to the grave, to the depths of the pit.

The devil was an angel known as The Morning Star until he started his boasting in the fateful statements of the, "I wills." Rebellion against God states, "I will," called "sin." This is the only power we give the devil, but other than that, he has no hold on us. We actually have the power to tell him,"No!" James chapter four says:

7Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

Such authority, but we lost that authority by becoming a slave to sin, therefore making junk of our lives. In Romans chapter three it says,

10As it is written: "There is no one righteous, not even one; 11 there is no one who understands, no one who seeks God. 12All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one."

Then God performed the greatest miracle that saved the lives of all mankind according to the statement of Jesus Christ to Nicodemus:

16"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. 18Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son."

Jehovah-Eloheenu, Lord our God,

You are Jehovah-Elohim, our Eternal Creator. I am worthless nothing without You, a mass of nothing for evolution to evolve me from itself. But according to Your Word in Genesis chapter one, You created the world out of nothing. There was no "big bang," but Your Spirit which is eternal.

Lord,You created the host of heaven, Jehovah-Sabaoth, even those You had to cast from Your heaven into the pit. I praise You none of these hosts has no power over me than what You give them permission and that You give me authority to resist the devil because You created me in Your image and because of Christ's love for me. This is no epiphany, but an actual fact written in Your Word. Your creation who believe in You can only praise You for what You have done, but of mankind, You give the free will to love You. Choosing to love You is the best choice I can make everyday. To You I give the glory for all You have done and all You will do in my life because of the name of Jesus, Amen.




Sunday, April 5, 2009

How Well God Knows Me

13 For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb.
Let's start from the beginning.
Genesis 1:
1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
God, the Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the End did this very action for He is action. From that very beginning, He saw me for who I am--my inmost being, ie. my personality, my character traits, my flaws, and my temperament. From that which He created, He performed the miracle of my purpose in life which He created me to live. My purpose is to love Him and to obey Him--submit to His will--surrender to Him fully my everything. I can say my inmost being came from Daddy and Mama's genes, but my genetic makeup comes from the Lord God who created me. He destined my life according to His will, not the will of the genes Daddy and Mama made up together when I started out as one of Mama's fertilized eggs. Therefore, God knitted me together in my Mama's womb by the natural action of the splitting of cells which turned into me growing in my Mama growing womb.
This is the reason I am so against abortion. I know for a fact where I came from (and no, the old adage of baby souls waiting to be placed in a woman's womb from a waiting tank is absolutely false.), God created me out of nothing. I am, therefore, nothing without Him. Mama and Daddy were the vehicle by which God brought me into the world. I am a miracle of birth.
There is one more miracle which affects this life God has given me: The miracle of rebirth. Part of the conversation between Jesus and Nicodemus in John 3:
4"How can a man be born when he is old?" Nicodemus asked. "Surely he cannot enter a second time into his mother's womb to be born!" 5Jesus answered, "I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit. 6Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spiritb]">[b] gives birth to spirit. 7You should not be surprised at my saying, 'Youc]">[c] must be born again.' 8The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit."
What Jesus is explaining to Nicodemus is the difference between natural birth and spiritual birth after He tells him, "You must be born again."
May 5, 1991 is my spiritual birthday when in my bosses office at the bakery at 2:35am, I agreed with Christ Jesus that I was a sinner and that I needed to be saved from myself. I let loose of the rope of control of my own life and committed that little bit of life I had left to Him. I was suicidally depressed and too scared to die by my own hand, but had that rope snapped before I let loose of it, I would had fell into that pit I had dug for myself and the devil's retirement plan of suicide would have been easy. God gave me a second chance in life, but this time to live that life under His terms regardless the fact I am a control freak. He is still working on that aspect and He has come a long way with
me.
Jehovah-Elohim,My Eternal Creator,
Blessed be Your name for You know every aspect of my being. I praise You for Your knowledge of me bringing me life twice. I continue to commit my life to You, My Savior and Redeemer for Your love and mercy which I am not deserving, but through the death and resurrection of Your Son, Jesus the Messiah, I am made worthy. You created me to love You from the beginning and now I am Yours for the action I am to be for You completely and totally throughout eternity, in the name of my Messiah, Amen.

Saturday, April 4, 2009

I Need To Stop!

12 even the darkness will not be dark to you; the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to you.
I am famous for buying trouble and grappling with what God is trying to say to me. If the path is not absolutely clear, I think, "Well, if He really wants me to do this, He will make it crystal clear." This is me trying to walk in the darkness of somewhere I have never been or not use to penetrating my soul to the foundation of my faith. Is God suppose to take me by the hand like a child and walk me down the path to where He wants me to travel? I suppose seeing as I am a child of God.
Worrying about what has not happened and grappling with a decision takes far more energy than getting up and doing something. Sometimes God has to say to me, "Just do it, Nancy because I love you."
Confession time:
I buy trouble because of past failures. I still have not forgiven myself and my family problems which affected my efforts to go to school educating myself for a better future.
I am grappling with the decision to take a home course in writing for children due to these past failures, financial constraints, and constructing my time for the extra work. I was never good at planning for future events.
Now that I have revealed my little, black hole, time to see what God has to say about all this.

Ephesians 1:7 (NIV) 7In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace
God through the redemptive blood of Jesus Christ has forgiven me of all my sins through the riches of His undeserved pardon.

2 Corinthians 5:17 (KJV) Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

I am a new creation in Christ! Forgive the past,the old nature is forgiven, let the new thing God is leading you begin. Your past problems are in the past; keep them in the past or at least, learn from them.
I am struggling with the fact I don't have a good enough education to be an effective writer. What is the same advice you keep hearing in all the resources you have about writing:
You are not alone. Take the course. It's affordable now, it's at your own pace, and you will have your own tutor which is how you learn better anyway. Face it, Nancy, you are not good at self-starting and you could use the discipline. Remember Smiley's motto for adult birthday parties, "Organize them like you would a children's birthday party; No one will know the difference." You can always improve your vocabulary for adult writing along the way. And stop wishing for a laptop until you develop the discipline of using the one you have as the word processor it was intended when you asked for it. The other laptop will come. Just remember, the past authors had far less than you yet they were passionate enough to follow in God's will without the new technology. Are you sure you are passionate enough or are you acting like a spoiled brat?

Father God,
I have made my confessions within my little, black hole with one more admission: I want an easier life. I am a brat resisting Your call on my life because I am lazy when it comes to disciplining my given life. You provide all the time, but I waste it or procrastinate until You make it difficult for me to resist (like now). Help me in my unbelief. I commit myself to forgive the past so You can lead me by the hand to You future glory for me, in Jesus name and for His sake, Amen.

Friday, March 27, 2009

Take Time To Pay Attention

11 If I say, "Surely the darkness will hide me and the light become night around me,"
Evil loves darkness. I cannot express the absolute truth in all this for that darkness of evil lives in me. It lives in the dark recesses of my heart like a criminal waiting to spring an assault on a unsuspected victim not paying attention to the dark alley they are approaching. In this darkness, I tell myself, "God loves me anyway and will forgive me," but in the true light of this truth, I am blinded by the darkness of my evil heart. I am not paying attention to the night around me. I am submitting to a lie and I will face God in this because He does not want me believing this lie. I become a hypocrite.
God loves me and is willing to forgive me, not because of my performance or the fact I am good (which I am not), or just because I am part of His family of believers. He loves and has forgiven me knowing I am doing these things, true, BUT He does not condone this sin and will allow me to find out why I should not believe this lie. He is not going to take this sin from me, I must turn from this sin by coming to Him in true repentance (admitting my sin in desperation because I cannot cleanse this sin from my heart on my own). By His Grace I am saved in this true repentance like the Lost Son in Luke 15:

17"When he came to his senses, he said, 'How many of my father's hired men have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! 18I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. 19I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired men.' 20So he got up and went to his father.
God wants me back and will run to greet me before I get to where I think home is. THAT IS THE GOD WHO LOVES ME!
Father God,
You are so merciful and loving. I do not deserve Your mercy or your grace, but because You are who You say You are, You do. Your Son, Jesus Christ died for ALL SIN, especially those hypocritical ones You hate that I have hidden within me because I refused to trust in the light of Your Truth. Thank You for forgiving me every time You have convicted me and have brought me back into Your arms when I have turned away from the sins in true repentance so You can continually grow me in Your love. Continue in this process of cleansing my heart to Your glory and for the sake of Your Son, Jesus so I will not continue to sin against You, Amen.



Tuesday, March 24, 2009

My Shack

10 even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast.
Lately I have been reading the book, The Shack, and it is really having an impact on my life. It is the story of a man whose family has experienced a tragic murder of their youngest child. Mack, the main character, is driven to return to the shack where his daughter was murdered to meet God in the Trinity so God can heal his heart. (A note to those who want to read The Shack: The book does not advocate that God is a woman, but the explanation of God revealing Himself as a woman is explained to Mack. Read it carefully.)
Although I have not experienced this tragedy, The Lord has taken me to my own Shack through this book for my own encounter with Him which is much different from the Psalm Prayer Blogs. Recently, I have received a short devotion from David Wilkerson:
I CAN'T TALK TO YOU...UNLESS!
Sadly, great numbers of Christians do not know God's voice. Some can go for months, even years, without ever receiving an intimate word from the Lord in their inner man. Oh, God did speak to them at one time. But over the years, they've learned to silence His voice in their hearts. Others have been turned off by so much foolishness among those who believe that every word that pops into their minds is divine Such people boast, "God told me"---yet the "word" they hear is only their covetous flesh taking voice.
If you want to know and hear God's voice in the days ahead, be ready to have Him speak of cleansing before He speaks of direction. Many Christians want God to tell them how to hold on to what they've earned, how to provide for their family, how to keep their business or career afloat. But the truth is, before God gives us a word of direction in any of these matters, He'll speak to us about His commands.
"These things I command you, that ye love one another" (John 15:17). God will first speak to you about your actions at home with your wife and children--- about your quick temper, your grudges, your unforgiving spirit. He'll point out every hidden, secret thing in your life---and He'll lovingly tell you, "I want to be your adviser, your counselor, your guide, your protector, your provider. I want to walk with you through every trial and hardship. And I want to favor, bless and keep you by my Spirit. But first, you have to get honest with me about the hidden idols in your heart. Right now your're holding on to them---but you must give them up! We simply can't walk together unless we agree on these matters of your heart!"
This is a harsh reality that needs to be faced in order that God may be able to reveal a clear picture of His direction for me. Dr. Charles Stanley always says, "Trust God and leave all the consequences to Him." I don't have to trust Him; I want to trust Him!

Adonai-Jehovah, Sovereign Lord,
This is what I need from You, therefore, I will continue to allow You to search my heart to be used for Your glory for I really want to walk with You on all matters of the heart. I know I have a long way to go, but I will go with You for You have given me everything. There is no life without You. I commit myself to let go of what You reveal to me, not so You will give me fleshly heart desires, but so I can have the servant's heart of Jesus. I want to glorify the name of Jesus, my Savior, Amen.

Friday, March 20, 2009

Where I am to where God wants me.

9 If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea,

There are times when I feel like I am drowning in the Sea of Forgetfulness instead of my sin. That is what I am going through right now. During and just after the revival, I felt like I was rising on the "wings of the dawn" and of the past few days I have feet of hardened clay and joints of rust. Settling "on the far side of the sea" sounds very pleasant right now. I am more tired than what I want to admit, but why? What am I doing that is exasperating these effects?
In the short time of the day that I am not at work, where do I spend my time?
>It isn't on my house (unless it is a necessity), for it shows. The job takes more out of me as each day passes of the five day work week. I just do not have the energy to buy the bacon and fry it up in a pan, then to show my husband how much he is a man. Am I an out-of-shape, slothful working-woman?
>It isn't on my writing, (except now on this blog) because there are projects waiting to rise again from the slush pile. At least I have one project waiting to rise in the hands of a publisher to be made alive by an illustrator.
I know I am tired and the aches come from exerting myself more at work yesterday along with the strong emotions of holding back outward grief of the death of a favorite resident and helping a family member to remove her mother's belongings. I know this is just a part of life in my maturity and the fact I am out-of-shape.
Does this mean I should stumble and stay in the depths of the sea thinking God has forgotten me? NOT THIS LITTLE RED HEN! I give up and allow the circumstance of life (stress, which is the
exasperation of my symptoms) to keep me down, I will die emotionally, mentally, eventually, spiritually, then physically.
I love it when "
I rise on the wings of the dawn," but it is easier when I actually feel that way. It takes more work, but I can feel that way no matter what my body tells me. The body aches can be treated with pain medication which will take care of my mental and emotional maintenance to continue on. The Lord has provided every source needed for my body, mind, and spirit to keep going so in the end I can reach that goal. He is teaching me my strengths and limitations so with the knowledge, I can use the imagination He has given me to meet goals in a better way.

El-Shaddai, God Who is Sufficient for the Needs of His People,
Thank You for the knowledge that has turned to wisdom within my heart that what I have learned may be shared with all who choose to read this blog. May their hearts be opened to Your heart desire for them that they too may
"rise on the wings of the dawn" and not grow tired. Let not stress enslave Your people to discouragement, but place their focus and faith on You and the sources You have already provided as a gift of Your love, in Jesus' name who relied on You only, Amen.







Monday, March 9, 2009

Not Giving Up

8 If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.

Father God,
Help me with this one for right now I am struggling with a decision. Help me to put together the words because my thoughts are jumbled. You want a commitment from me and that commitment is not quite clear right now so the first commitment to You starts from the beginning: I commit myself this day to You and what You want for whatever You are trying to say to me. Show me the obstacle I have set in front of this path in Jesus' name, Amen.

Recently, I found out a truth that hit pretty hard. I was deceived by some folks who said they liked my work and wanted to help me sale it. The excitement of hearing this really builds the esteem of a person which extends to those encouraging them. It is much like hearing the cheers from heaven! Unfortunately, the lie plummets all this excitement into the depths of despair like
sinking and drowning while taking others with you. You almost wish you never involved yourself in the venture making the temptation to give up quite pleasant.
But this is not what God has in mind. He lead me to go back to my author website "Why I Took Up Writing." This is only part of what I wrote (using my own words to convict me so to speak):

Then there is the many family members, friends, co-workers, and my agent driving me on, bugging me, praying for me, and ensuring I am fully committed in doing the work so they can get down to the business of reading the stories God has inspired me to write. They allow me to sometimes tantalize them with tidbits of the stories just for their feedback which helps me know if I should go ahead with that part of the project. They are the crowd of cheerleaders whose cheers ring in my ears as I pound out what God gives me and finish the race of completion for them. They love me, not because they think I will become famous, but because they believe in me.

What more can a writer want?

What more can a writer want? Recognition? Does not my statement already say I have it? To be famous? Isn't that worldly? I use my own words again from my home page:

I will be occasionally writing in this web site for you to read, but I do warn you, I am a Christian and I desire to glorify God with the gift of writing He has given me. I hope you will find this web site a blessing.

"I desire to glorify God with the gift of writing He has given me."

Father God, my Creator,

I got in the way again; no wonder my mind was jumbled! Like I just heard in Dr. Tony Evans' sermon on the radio, what I must do must be like popcorn, "a growing expansion of the inside to the outside." As I use my own words: This is the way I have decided to grow as a writer--Just grow and watch what happens.

I continue to commit this gift as Yours through me not to make me great, but to show Your greatness to others. Thank You for being there while I was walking in the clouds and when I sunk Twenty Leagues Under The Sea. Take this gift and make it Yours as I commit it back to You again, in Jesus' name who saved me for Your purpose, Amen.









Friday, March 6, 2009

Where Can I Go But To The Lord

7 Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence?
It is amazing how amazing God has changed me from last year and a couple of years before to this year. He had to change my home life in order to change my opinion of who He is and what He can do.
A few years back, my life was school trying to get that education that will take me and my family into a better financial situation. Unfortunately, it took us into a worse situation we are trying to climb out of today.
During my second try in school and working at the same time,
the family, the transportation, and even the occupation along with the schooling came to a tragic halt. My world careened into hopeless desperation of holding onto something God was trying to tell me was all wrong for me. When I saw my family falling apart, I became angry and resentful of what God was doing when all along, I was the one who set myself up for our failure. I came to the idea that I had lost everything and that the only way out was to go backwards: Work my way back to a loving relationship with the Lord, my family, and return to that work I was trying to work my way out of. Today I can tell you the Medical Field can become an obsession instead of a career.
Back in 1991 when I came to the Lord in faith, He introduced me to writing, but I did not pursue it seriously for I did not think myself worthy. While trying to work and going to paramedic classes, He re-introduced me using the medical field as His format, but I still did not want to take the writing seriously thinking it was just another medical avenue. In 2008, He helped me understand there is a passion in what He has purposed me so this year, He is now teaching me I should hold on to what He guides me for He is my strength and I do not have to sacrifice anything that He has given me.
Passion has replaced obsession; life sacrifice replaced by self sacrifice to God's good. Deep down, I wanted to save lives through an avenue I thought the way to save lives (nothing wrong with that), but I was running away from God's way of saving lives for me; ie. what He purposed me to save lives.

Learn from my experience those of you trying to pursue what you think your purpose, especially you who love the Lord. You can tell if your pursuit is more important than God when it is all you think or talk about; ie, your life's worth. It is cardinal and worldly. It will take everything God has given you as a blessing. (Notice I call self pursuit, "It.") Turn around, return to your first love, Jesus Christ, who saved your life from sin, and allow Him to lead you to that pursuit that is bigger than yourself and all about Him, instead of you.

Heavenly Father, my Creator,
Thank You for saving me AGAIN from myself by taking me from my own pursuit (due to being deceived) to what You planned before my conception. Thank You for loving me when I was running from Your purpose, when I blamed You for my life falling apart, and when I stubbornly tried to hold on to that which was leading me back into the sin of the world (even though it was something good). Thank You for bringing back to a loving relationship with You placing YOUR passion in me replacing my obsessions. Thank You for running after me while I ran proclaiming I loved You. You ran after a hypocrite and I am grateful You did not leave me alone to continue to pursue my death. I commit myself to pursue only those things that are of YOU. I want to stay dependent upon You, in Jesus' name, Amen.

Thursday, March 5, 2009

Sweet Conviction

6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain.
I just learned the truth about some people I thought were interested in my children's story, but were only interested in my money in the publishing world. As I write this, I am still kind of achy from the blow, but I am keeping my heart open to the Lord for healing and guidance. I will not blame God for leading me to writing or publishing, but thank Him for sending me the truth through a wonderful Christian sister who is also a writer. She is a wonderful blessing!
God will do this for He knows all things, ie. Omniscient. He knows me so well He guided me to a writers' prayer group who prays and advices me in His new thing. He uses them to be a spiritual life-line, ie. God's vine for this talent. I am most grateful for they are a blessing. They help me remain in His strong arm. (Refer back to the blog message before this one.)

Father God,
Everything You do is good for You are Good. I have nothing good in me, but You. You are too wonderful, too lofty for me yet You look at me as one of Your very own. I may run ahead of You not waiting for Your guidance and instruction because of my impatience, but You work ahead of me anyway setting things up to protect me and to fall into the protection of Your arms AGAIN. I shudder where I would be if I ignored or blamed You again. I love You, Daddy! Thank You! In Jesus' name, Amen.

Sunday, March 1, 2009

Created in Protection

5 You hem me in—behind and before; you have laid your hand upon me.

This is what the verse says in the Contemporary English Translation:

5and with your powerful arm you protect me from every side.
To those of us with a strong man who loves us know, that when that man places his arm around you, you feel the strength and the security of having that arm around you. There is no need to fear anything or anyone harming you. What a good feeling!
Along with that strong arm comes the knowledge, not only at a time of danger, but of preventing dangerous situations. A protective, strong arm will not take you into a dark alley where danger may lurk, but keep you in a place where you will less likely to face danger. Basically, the protective, strong arm has a brain and uses it. Now am I going to do something so dumb as to leave the protection of that strong, protective arm? Not this little, red hen!
God Almighty is very protective of His children, but we have to remain within His protection by not straying off, lead away by the temptation of our self-desires. And how do we do this?
>Remain in church fellowship with other believers: This is probably one of the biggest ways of straying. Don't let any excuse come into mind about leaving your church unless they stop teaching the Bible (and I don't mean your interpretation of the Bible).
>Remain in the Word of God: How else are you going to be able to test and approve the message delivered is from the Word of God, the Bible?
>Remain in constant communication with God through prayer: If you stop talking with Him, how will He stay in communication with you? Remember, prayer is a two way communication along with studying your Bible. You pray to the Lord and listen to Him.
>Remain in constant communication with the mature Christian mentor God has entrusted to lead you: If you do not have a mature Christian to mentor you, ask the Lord to send you someone. This person will pray for you, listen to you, encourage you, and gently guide by pointing you always to the Lord for answers in life's difficulties. He will use this person to grow you in your Christian walk. I have had and now have wonderful Christian mentors who have prayed me to the maturity I have today and I do not want to think where I would be if it were not for them. They are such blessings!
>Remain sensitive to the leading of the Holy Spirit: I cannot stress more the absolute importance of this last piece of advice. Sometimes the Lord uses His Spirit to warn you of impending danger, like an alarm going off inside your head. Life is not like a horror movie where there is a strange silence or music warning you of danger. Danger strikes suddenly. Much like my husband use to say, "When you least expect it, expect it," that is how danger comes upon us. God sees all that goes on way before we are involved, so when He leads you to do something or go somewhere you do not plan (or not), just obey! It may just save your life!

Father God, my Protector,
I commit myself to follow my own advice and remain in Your protection. You have shown me time and time again how You have protected me from danger, not having any idea danger was lurking and waiting for me to fall into it's grasp. Thank you for this love you have for me that You have also seen fit to teach me how to prevent stepping into danger by using the brain You created for me to learn. I would much rather look foolish in Your protection than to be foolish outside of Your protection. Thank you in Jesus' name, Amen.


Sunday, February 22, 2009

Know Your Words

4 Before a word is on my tongue you know it completely, O LORD.

Have you ever had someone finish a thought or a sentence for you because they have heard it or know you so well they know what you will say before you say it? This can be good and bad according to the situation and the audience. What if that person could repeat you so well that when you want to say something entirely different, they say what you would normally say--you know, like a child who innocently repeats your words. Really embarrassing!
Unfortunately, I still live with the fact I have said words out of anger that has inhibited my marriage and relationship with my sons which I regret today. These words have taken their toll taking time and prayer to heal in their lives. I was not living as I should during those times, but now the Lord is working in healing us. It is a slow process. So often I have wanted to give up, but the Lord has sustained me and given me the strength to keep going.
I have often wondered why God allowed me to say these evil
things from my heart that has wounded them so deeply. I guess He needed me to see just how evil my heart can be so that I would want to change my heart. It's not like He did not warn me or tried to help me; I guess He had to allow me because I was resisting Him impatient with the craziness going on in our lives. I had to see that although God was the center of my life, I was not living dependent on Him. It's pretty messed up. It's a pit you don't want to work your way out.
First Corinthians 13 says:

4Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. 8Love never fails.
Why I did not trust in these words entraps my heart with guilt and conviction. I cannot take back my words, but I can allow the Lord to change my heart now that I am willing to trust in what He says. The home-life isn't as crazy, but I have lost much.

Lord Heavenly Father,
How I thank You for being there for all those times and did not give up on the situation. You were not always allowed to come in and intervene, but You were there in the mist of it all anyway. What has happened cannot be taken back, but the future has hope because of You. I commit myself to continue to allow You to build up in me who You want me to be and not what I think I should be. Like You did with Ruth, build me in like character so the healing in the lives of my men will direct them to You, in Jesus' precious name, Amen.

Friday, February 20, 2009

Godly Violation-Part 3

3 You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways.

As creatures of habit, we do not always think about being followed by strangers or anyone else for that matter. For instance, I hate having to stop at a bunch of stop signs in order to move on to my destination. From my house to the main street or highway, I will turn the wrong direction or take a few streets up to avoid any extra stop signs. I developed this while working as a Volunteer First Responder in my town so to save time. I learned which streets had the most stop signs and which ones had the least just for that reason. I may not be volunteering for now, but I still resist those extra stop signs. If the local town Marshall wanted to learn my ways (and most likely he already has if I know him), it would not take long for him to learn. Fortunately, I don't give the police reason to learn them.
Knowing this, I have to pay attention to my habits and which ones needs to be rid of and which ones need to be improved or practiced more often. Paying attention to my own bad habits is not especially a strong suit with me, so in order to make this a strong suit, I have to evaluate them. It will suck big time, but it must happen if I want good habits in place of bad. All change must start with the Lord and where He takes me.

Lord God, Heavenly Father,
You created me with every good that is in You, but I allowed bad habits to come into this life You gave me. I commit myself to allow You to lead me in the changes and habits to be practiced according to Your purpose. Thank You for alluding me to writing for You are using it to lead me, convict me, and guide me into Your character for me. I do not want to turn back, in Jesus' name and for His sake, Amen.


Thursday, February 19, 2009

Godly Violation-Part 2

2 You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar.

Have you ever felt like someone was watching you? Kind of gives you a weird feeling all over. You have seen those shows and movies where there is someone watching every move a person makes. This is unlike the "Big Brother" thing where the government or your boss watches to make sure you are not doing anything wrong, but someone watching you for their own pleasure or their own protection. Privacy in today's world is becoming a thing of the past to the point no one will be trusted even when you prove yourself trustworthy. It sucks.
Now think about God who is omnipresent. HE SEES ALL! He takes one more step in this ability: HE KNOWS OUR THOUGHTS! There is nothing we can
hide from God He cannot see or know. Scary, huh!
Now for the sake of argument, let's say there is no God. Then we have to agree there is always someone watching us. Fair statement? What do they see in our actions everyday? This is how they judge who we are. Do we really think in the course of our doing wrong no one is watching? What did I say about "Big Brother" and the boss? We may get away with it for a period of time, but eventually, we get caught. But imagine if they could perceive our thoughts. Real Scary!
Now let's turn this the right way for those who believe in an omni- present God. What better person to see and know us this intimately? If we love Him because He first loved us, most of all, He created us; how much more should we love Him enough to depend on Him all we can muster that is good within us?

Lord God Creator,
You do know my every move and my every thought and I cannot thank you enough for loving me anyway. You are the only good in me through Your Holy Spirit who lives in me. I am His temple, yet I am not worthy to contain Him in this my evil heart. However, if He did not live there, how wicked would I be. I don't even want to go there! I shudder at the thought! Thank you for the creative good given me that I may use it to Your glory and pleasure, but most of all, discipline my every move and my every thought knowing You are watching. I want my attitude turned in gratitude, in Jesus' name, Amen.








Wednesday, February 18, 2009

Godly Violation

1 O LORD, you have searched me and you know me.

I cannot imagine how a person feels after been searched either of their property or their person. What a violation of one's own self-esteem! Yet there will be times when the discomfort becomes a reality within all our lives.
Consider who we allow to see our very best and the worse of ourselves. The spouse or significant other, our children, our best friend, co-workers; far worse and when we are not looking, all those people we encounter outside our four walls. Our actions inside and outside our homes tells people allot about what we do not want to bring out. Admittedly, we try very hard to hide those
shameful things, but unfortunately, these things reveal themselves when we are not conscious of our actions.
Let's take this further: If you are a believer in God for who He really is, Creator of our very selves, imagine what He sees and knows way before we act, especially those actions we try to hide. Then consider this! He still loves us! He sent His blameless, sinless, most powerful child, Jesus Christ to die on the cross for those very shameful actions. That makes me feel better, but it sure hate knowing I am still capable of a sin-choice which my Creator already knows about and sees.

Oh Lord, my Creator,
I can self search and take the Lord's Supper in remembrance of You all I want to, but in the everyday life, I run in and out of my days not always thinking about what I am looking like to Your presence. At least I know that when you search me, You are searching the deepest parts of me and that I can take comfort that You know me so well, none of what You find surprises You. As You deal with the very heart of me and my iniquities, make me hurt when I am about to make sin-choices so I may make that choice not to sin. Use this tactic for even those subconscious, embedded things I do not want to reveal, but reveal themselves in me. I want to be more like Your Son, Jesus. Looks like I will be hurting everyday! In Jesus' name, Amen.