Monday, June 25, 2012

Things I am Thankful For

I reflect over the past happenings in life. The joys, the sadness, the debt, the provision, the people who care so much, and the many many miracles! There may be something in life that is always somewhat off or simply out of your control but God is always there. I love how His blessings are always overflowing if you are willing to see what they are. You can always Trust Him.

Just today, my hubs did the simplest gesture yet it meant the world to me. He picked me flowers from around the grassy area where God has blessed us to enjoy for a couple weeks. He intentionally stopped what he was doing, picked the flowers with me in mind, and then hand delivered them to me. Although simple, and a small bouquet, I cannot tell you how much it meant. Purchasing a bouquet of flowers is something that my husband would love to do if we were able to spend money on such things for each other. And still God cares for such things.

This love gift reminded me just how much God loves us! God intentionally does things for us that He knows we will enjoy, need, and love because He not only knows us but He loves us more than what we can ever comprehend. Even when we have nothing God still provides a way for something great. He feeds those who have no money; He gives them a drink when they are thirsty and every now and then even gives them flowers! I love it!

This time in our lives, although as tiring, hard, and uncomfortable as it can be, God is revealing himself in so many ways. He is increasing our faith. He is deepening our trust. He is smoothing out our rougher edges and refining us to be as beautiful and strong as pure gold. And as He does such things, as much as it may be draining, there is still so much rest in Him. God restores so many things to those who are seeking Him with all they are. He can restore things instantly and mend the most torn apart heart. Some things can take more time but with Truth forever shining, and Love always pouring itself out to you, there is nothing too big or too hard for God to do in your life. And He will never ignore you, nor will He walk away from you. He is the Truth revealer, the Life giver, the strength, and confidant anyone will ever need. Truth is a person and in Him all lies and darkness will have to flee. Praise His name!

I have found that in the midst of heartache God brings us into such a secret, divine place. It truly is the most amazing thing ever. The fact that God desires to be so close and intimate with us makes my heart flutter and feel as if it is soaring. My heart and body feel like they could burst at the seams just thinking about how good God is and how much I love Him and how much He loves me! Nothing else matters but Him. And yet there are still so many yet to experience how amazing God is. I pray late into the night for several dear to my heart to experience this. There is such healing, restoration, and transformation; such Love, glory, and power in what God will do in our lives when we allow Him into our secret places. It is a beautiful process.

Allow Him in dear one. Keep pressing into Him. Hold onto Him for He surely will never let you go. You are precious and valued. Do not worry. Trust Him, for the walls of distrust will keep you from enjoying life full and free in Him. Lies will only tear apart your life but Truth will always set you free. Rebuke the enemy, state who you are in the Lord, and dance with joy. You are beautiful, you are valued, you are precious, you are needed, and you are LOVED! 

His Love Never Fails.

Every tear that falls
   can water a garden
       deep within your heart
          where the Lord will meet you
              and turn all things beautiful in time
He Loves you
     He wants you
          You are more precious to Him 
               than anything in all the world and universe
                   You are His favorite one that He pursues
                       Accept His embrace and enjoy this dance with Him
Truth
    Trust
        Joy
           LOVE.... 
                  HIS LOVE NEVER FAILS
                           
 
 

 

Tuesday, June 12, 2012

Faithfulness


Miracles. Goals met. Dreams fulfilled and beginning at the same time. Astounding breakthroughs and bondage breaking off of me. Healing. Passion. Grace. Forgiveness. Love. Amazing support. Huge growth.

This pretty much sums up the last two weeks of life for my husband and I. We indeed are learning more and more what it means to live by faith. We are learning what it means to allow the Lord to weld us further together so that in Him we defeat the enemy and give glory to God in all that we do. Praise His name!

Most recently I have made the connection that much of what I have struggled with has been that my perception of success and my responsibility towards others has been slightly skewed. I have lived most of my life thinking that being “responsible for” was what I was supposed to be doing without even realizing it. I look back now and realize that if I had seen that I am only “responsible to” people it would have eliminated a lot of hurt and confusion between both parties. When I am only “responsible to” someone I know that I can do my part, the part that God has asked me to do, and leave the rest up to the other person. I am not responsible for their actions or lack thereof. I am not responsible for what they say or may not say.

I used to think that I failed or could not seem to communicate in the right way because no solution came afterward. Now I realize that I had the wrong perception on my role. It was not that I failed necessarily, but as long as I did what God had called me to do, I succeeded greatly whether anything changed thereafter. With this realization, a huge load is taken from my shoulders and no confusion ensues when what I do is not working or nothing seems to change.

But I will continue to remain faithful to all that the Lord is asking of me. I will continue to allow God to change me, to transform my heart to reflect His own. My greatest desire is to please Him and Him alone. When I hear Him whisper amazing truths in my ear, and I see the look of Love for me in His eyes, nothing else matters but Him.

Galatians 1:10 states it best, “Obviously, I'm not trying to win the approval of people, but of God. If pleasing people were my goal, I would not be Christ's servant.” (NLT)

Wednesday, June 6, 2012

Book Review: The Ministry of Christ, 1000 Days


Jonathan Falwell does a good job writing about the ministry of Christ in his book, The Ministry of Christ 1000 Days. If you are looking for a book that goes into more depth about this topic you may be a little disappointed. I know that I was. I was hoping to hear more insights into the deeper meanings of Jesus, his ministry, and the connection between Jesus and Father God as well as His power and authority through His Spirit. Much of the information that I read in this book was not knew but that could merely be from the education I received with my major in Bible and Theology.

Although, I must admit that if you are looking for a book that can spark deeper discussion, this book may just do the trick for small Bible study groups. Each chapter has a set of questions that you can answer and discuss, as well as a Bible study guide in the back of the book intended to help leaders. Because this book is like walking through the gospels, it would also be a good book for those interested in Jesus or who have just started their journey as a follower of Christ.



Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com <http://BookSneeze®.com> book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”