The killer of the tongue

Good morning all-

I'm praying this is a wonderful morning wherever you are.  Today's title is not what most of us want to admit or even talk about.  It's an age old problem and the God warned us from it.  There is power in the tongue and when people are hurt their tongues wag. 

The tongue can do many things.  It can praise you, it can encourage you, it can fill you with joy but it also can destroy.  We must watch our tongues.  Beyond a bullet or a bomb, there is no greater threat to human life.  The tongue has turned people from Christ, who is the only living water.  It has crushed the weary and penetrated the heart through careless bullying.   It has caused marriages to fail, children to turn away and countless people from coming to church.  So why do we continue on a path of destruction?

If at this point your checking out, don't.  This is a valuable lesson all of us could use.  I can tell you that I wish my tongue had been very quiet over the last months and days.  Actually, I did stay quiet for a long time because it was the best for all.

However, like everyone else, I am a girl and I have said things I shouldn't.  The older I get the more I am learning not to do that and to ask God to thwart my tongue.  I have used my tongue in anger and it never sounds very edifying.  The tongue was meant for communication, uplifting encouragement along with praise and worship.  Instead, it is used to destroy.

I have learned that it's better to stop and think before you act.  I have also learned that people hear what they want and that's the cause of so many arguments and hurt feelings. At the same time, I now believe the tongue has the capability to encourage and to lift people up when they're down.  I know that's hard for all of you to believe but its true.  We are One with God and if we are telling him all our woes do we really need to tell others?  That's a question for another day.  My point today is to say, be careful with lying, berating or just being mean with your tongue.  You never know who is listening or your ability to crush someone when you actually should be lifting them up.  It may also come back to haunt you!

Be well my sisters and watch that tongue.  Ask God to tie it up so that it won't say things its not supposed to say.  Have a great day and know that God is near!

Proverbs 15:4 (NIV)
The soothing tongue is a tree of life, but a perverse tongue crushes the spirit

Until tomorrow...

To be one with You....

Good morning all-

I hope you are waking up to the sounds of birds calling and the sun rising from the East.  That's how I woke up this morning and it brings joy to my heart just listening to God's creatures as they cry out in praise to Him.

I was blessed enough to see Beth Moore last weekend and to see someone very real who is doing God's work with a passion that inspires.  My daughter-in-law bought her new book, which I will finish today called Audacious and you should definitely get a copy.  Its inspiring me to step out in faith, live for the moment and to watch and anticipate the adventures ahead.

During the conference, Beth went through six things we should really be thinking about and I have.  I've actually read my notes every day since the conference.  The one that stands in my mind is making Jesus my supreme romance.  Now that takes energy and an open heart, don't you agree? I'm not sure I've ever had a supreme romance, not even with my husband.  I'm not the most open person in the world and I can't say I'm always willing to let the flood gates of my heart open wide.  I like to control and keep things close to my breast and yet, I feel called to let all of that go and really experience a romance with Jesus.  Now, I've always loved Him but I've never thought of Him as being my unseen supreme romance.  Doesn't it make you think about your relationship with Him?  It did for me.  Beth has put this in her heart and Jesus is her supreme romance. The emotion that washed over her on stage was witnessed by thousands as she grabbed for her Kleenex and wiped away the tears.  They weren't tears of sorrow, they were tears of joy.  She loves Jesus and there's nothing wrong with that.

I'm working on opening my heart that wide.  I have always been in love with Jesus.   He saved me during a time in my life no one else wanted to.  He believed in me when I didn't and He pursued me when I walked away.  He hasn't left me because I like to be safe or because I'm not the most fun.  He doesn't make fun of me because I can't joke or because I'm so serious.  He loves me for who I am and that's what's going to make it easier to make Him my supreme romance.  He is worthy.

I hope you take time to read Beth's book.  It's an easy read full of information that will impact your life.  If you learn nothing else from this post, remember this, God is your unseen supreme romance.  He's waiting and He's worth it.  Give Him your whole heart and He will give you His love.  Ask and you shall receive!

"Ask(Greek word: sheel)the LORD your God for a sign, whether in the deepest depths or in the highest heights." Isaiah 7:11 NIV

All I ask Lord is to be one with YOU, in Jesus name.

My eyes are on You!

Good morning all-

I can honestly say this is the first morning in months I feel like myself again.  Without being too specific I have had what I would call a desert season.  I have felt weak, powerless and often sad.  I am an optimistic person by nature.  I love life and people.  I trust probably when I shouldn't and I love with all my heart.  But in the last months, my eyes have fallen on me more and more and in those days and hours all I could do is reach for Jesus.

Since January, I have been working on memorizing scripture.  I'm still not great at it but I'm getting better.  I make them images in my Bible app to remember my path.  Each verse has helped me take my eyes off me to the eternal and I am so grateful.  The word isn't just something we read, it's living.  I never needed it more than I have the last five months.

If you're depressed, I know where you are.  If you're weak and weary, I know where you are.  If you feel like the whole world is out to get you, I know where you are.  But leaders, teachers, preachers and those of us that have been saved need to take heart for He is with us, He is for us and He will deliver us, even from ourselves.

I was born for this time.  I was born to lead women to Him.  I was born to live my life not for myself but for Him.  Often, I wake and wonder how will this be done.  I don't know.  I do know I have been through a tremendous personal trial.  I do know that every day it took the hand of God to bring me out and make me move.  I do know that my eyes have been opened wider, my heart healed in ways I couldn't imagine and my fingers are typing for Him more steadily, more honestly and more boldly.

I could choose to stay down but I won't.  Why?  Because as I prayed and prayed, God lifted my eyes to the hills.  He lifted my eyes to the red tail hawk. He lifted my eyes to the doves sitting on an electrical pole.  He lifted my eyes to a sunrise.  He made me listen to the crickets, the birds and the bees.  My senses became overwhelmingly loud and my heart began to soar with something besides worry, fear and rejection.  My mind became strong in Him.  I called to Him day and night and in the dark, I cried out with thanksgiving.  I was made for this trial.  I was made for this season and I am blessed.

Take heart my sisters for He is with you.  I didn't need medicine to get out of this; I needed Jesus.  Don't hear me saying medicine is wrong, some people need it. However, for this trial, I needed to go to the spiritual realm not the physical realm.  Souls are won and lost between these two worlds and my soul was fed with the power of the Holy Spirit.  I was reminded daily that He was all I needed, that He had gone before me and that He is for me and not against me.  I'm not naïve to think this is the last of my journey but now  Ihave gained new insight to when David called to God and put his eyes on the Holy One. 

I have cared too much about the things I can't control.  I have worried needlessly about situations I can't impact.  I have spent hours blaming myself for things I can't control and I have learned that all that was for nothing.  When I take my last breath, I won't care about the things I worried about or the bills that have to be paid. I won't be thinking about my career or the things I've achieved.  I will be thinking about the love that was spread by my heart and the people that I was blessed to minister to.  I also will be thinking about my husband and my beautiful boys and how they have impacted my every step.  And finally, I will be lifting my eyes to Jesus, my maker and friend.  Not money, power or prestige can take the place of one minute, one hour, one day spent praising and lifting my eyes to God.

I've realized a lot about myself and about people in general.  We sin, we fall down, we get sad, we get mad and we have the ability to stay that way unless we are willing to forgive and to put our eyes on Jesus.  Being a teacher, a preacher or a leader, is not easy.  It comes with many disappointments, mainly in people.  I'm sure even Jesus had that from time to time.  He pursues us, He loves us and He forgives us and we stand there not accepting, making fun and pushing Jesus out of every aspect of our lives.  My brother said it all yesterday without knowing it.  He said my mantra was, "I've got this."  There has never been a situation I haven't said that to myself.  I realize that thought pattern can't be farther from the truth.  I don't have anything, Jesus does.

Don't be ashamed if you feel like you can't get out of bed.  Don't be ashamed if a trial brings you to your knees.  Don't be afraid if your life is crashing down.  Take heart good and faithful servant and turn your mind, your heart and your eyes on Jesus.  Our only shame is when we don't and even then, we are forgiven.  This is not a religion we worship, this is a God who loves us, who gave His life for us and all He asks in return is for us to love Him.  I don't have to be on my knees for hours.  I don't have to fast for 40 days.  I don't even have to pray day after day.  I' m not relegated to do anything but to be in relationship with my Savior, which means I pray, I love and I read the word of God.  It means I forgive those that I normally wouldn't and I allow myself to be transformed through my failures.  I understand I am weak and through my weakness I am made strong and in every moment I remember that all of this life is for nothing but one day it will be for everything.

May this blog bless you. May you read these words and hear the heart of a warrior.  May you receive the love, the life and the word our Lord and Savior died for.  May you know Him as deeply as I have these past months and may you realize that you are blessed!  IN JESUS NAME I PRAY!

I lift up my eyes to the mountains— where does my help come from? Psalm 121:1 NIV

Pray for Israel...

Good afternoon all-

I want to leave you with one thought today, pray for Israel and the Middle East.  Time is showing signs of war, poverty and destruction.  Political agreements are being made that change the course of those areas.  Please join Anne Graham Lotz in praying for God's country.

I know I am!  Prayer heals, Prayer intercedes, and Prayer brings the power of our Father to earth.

Be well as we remember the place of our Saviors birth.

I am who God made me to be...

Good morning all-

Have you ever wondered who you are?  Have you questioned whether you are worthy?  Have you worried about what people think of you?  Do you feel defeated often?  If you can answer yes to any or all of these questions then your just like me.  Oh how I want to be liked, loved and honored. Unfortunately, that is not always the case.  You could be misrepresented, misunderstood or just not liked.  God promised that we would have hardships and that people wouldn't always agree with what we think and the fact of the matter is; most won't understand you, believe in you or when times get tough remember who you are.

What's our recourse when times get hard, when we're misunderstood?  Do we defend ourselves?  Do we attack?  What should we do?  We should be still.  We should take every negative thought and capture it. We should pray for our tongues and we should repent, over and over again.

Wouldn't it be great if we could do that?  Instead, most of us would defend ourselves, get angry, say things we don't mean and at the end of the day, no one suffers but us.  We suffer because instead of remembering who we serve, what our purpose is, we fall on the world and the world's sword.

When we fall, how do we get back up?  We stop, we listen and we reflect.  We don't judge, we don't get angry, we react the way Christ would have.  I've thought about that a lot in the last weeks.  Like anyone else, when I get angry or I don't feel heard, I react.  I have always hated to be ignored, pushed aside or thought unworthy.  And yes, I am full of myself in those moments.  But over the last weeks and months, I have realized something very important; I am who God made me to be.

I am human.  I have feelings and emotions. Lately, too many to count.  I think I have held my emotions in for so long, they have been coming out in a flood.  That's okay though because in order for me to really be a Godly woman, I have to be washed clean.  I hate being weak.  So why have I gone through a journey of being weak?  I have asked myself that over and over and I have come to one conclusion, for the sanctification of my life.

Christ healed the masses.  They followed Him wherever He went.  So much so, that He had to escape to the mountains just to get some peace.  He was adored, loved and worshiped.  And yet, those same people crowded around Him and humiliated Him.  When Pontius Pilot let the crowd decide, they chose to save a murderer over Him. When He was asked to defend himself, He said nothing.  I think we can all learn from that.  He had every right to be hurt, angry and frustrated.  He had every right to defend His honor and to say to all, "Are you kidding me? I saved you all and this is how you treat me." He never spoke a word.  Oh how I wish I was more like Him.  I wish that I could sit back and be the same way.  He died for us. He was beaten for us.  He was crucified for us.  It's very humbling, don't you agree?

Whether it be in marriage, relationships or with people we don't even know, is it worth justifying yourself?  I really don't think so anymore.  Do we really ever justify what we've done for others?  Will anyone really ever see who we are?  No one knows us but Jesus and He's trying to purify all that green sludge that lives inside of us.  You know, jealousy, envy, anger, frustration and pride just to name a few.  The question shouldn't be how do I justify myself, it should be how do I become more like the person God made me to be.

Our lesson is in Jesus.  His behavior should be a light.  Most of the time, we participate in our downfall, Jesus didn't.  He helped people, even the ones that would betray Him.  No one knows better than Jesus, who you are and why you're here.  In the last months, I have asked Him to reveal Himself to me.  I needed to understand my path and understand why I had to be broken.  Pride, envy, anger and the tongue, do not belong in a woman that God has made to love, encourage and to spread the word.  How can any of us spread the word if we are looking for every one's acceptance?

Being God's woman means I must take the correction, move on and become the person He made me to be.  I can't be defined by the world in anyway.  I must be defined by the Word of God.  It's His favor I seek.  So for the last months and days, I have repented and tried to remember who God made me to be.  After the flood gates were opened wide, I found her.  Jesus and I walked hand and hand and I have her back.  Now I just need to walk daily, pray a lot and remember that I was made for this day.  I'm real.  I have faults and I am very aware of them.  But in the end, I am God's child, chosen to love and encourage and with all my heart that's what I hope to do.

I hope this post encourages you, especially if you've been struggling with any or all of these emotions.  God warns us against gossip, anger, envy and our tongues.  I think women do this more then men but we all have our sins.  I hope you really think about how you were wonderfully made.  I hope you capture a glimpse of who God made you to be.  I hope that you see the beautiful person God has made and I hope He corrects you the way He has me.  I've learned more about life in these last months, maybe more than my entire life. I'm a warrior who needs a Savior!

Be blessed because you are wonderfully made!

• Psalms 139:14 (KJV)

  I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well.
  

Grace and Favor....

Good morning all-

Here are the things we must contemplate today:

Love
Death
Mercy
Grace
Favor
Redemption
Joy
Restoration


These are the words we must contemplate in the sight of our Savior.  He was our example and we must follow the steps of Jesus.  His love redeemed us.  His death gave us eternal life. His mercy forgave our sins.  His grace bestows more than any material possession on this earth.  Favor is the way to God.  From all of these, we were given redemption, joy and restoration.  I don't have to bow down to any man; I'm only required to believe in Jesus.  I have His divine favor, His divine love, His divine grace!

I am blessed and so are you!

Can you all say, "AMEN!"

Isaiah 65:16 KJV

That he who blesseth himself in the earth shall bless himself in the God of truth; and he that sweareth in the earth shall swear by the God of truth; because the former troubles are forgotten, and because they are hid from mine eyes.

Believe Jesus that He's gone before you all the way! 

385...

Good morning all-

Well I have just completed the outline for the book I will publish.  God gave me a word and I'm moving with it.  Now that I have my chapters together, it will be a matter of time and effort and with all luck, grace and God's divine provision, the book will be published this year. That's my goal but time is ticking.

Whether it's a number or time, we can procrastinate, wander and never get to our goal or we can scrap all that and be on God's hour, God's time and God's number.  We don't know the number of days left on the earth, how many of those we have or when He will decide to take His bride. He's waited along time.  As humans, we can use all kinds of excuses around time, when in reality, we waste time doing fruitless things that just don't matter.  I know I have for the last couple of months but the tide is changing in my life and for that, I am so grateful.  God is good and He is forgiving, compassionate and thank goodness, patient.  I have needed every ounce of His patience the last couple of months and like the merciful God He is, He gave it to me.

As you all know, I'm far from perfect.  Like you, I struggle with day to day concerns.  I work too much and am often so tired I can't find the energy to even go for a walk.  God knows that, so as I come to Him, He provides the rest and sets me back on a path toward Him.

Just like this morning, work wants to pull me away from my purpose.  And it might of but I made sure that I did my work first and then fulfilled my promise to God.  I wrote down all the things He has shown me the last week and then I got on the blog and my fingers typed this message.  I've been at it since 7 am but I can honestly say, I feel more energized, more purposeful than I have felt in months.  My strength does not come from me and time just doesn't matter.  My time, my strength, my mission comes from a God that is out to win souls and every day, He is.

My prayer for you today is that you don't look at the clock or see the days blowing by.  My prayer is that you will be in today, do what your called to do and let Jesus worry about the time, the days and the hours.  I am and as I write I'm smiling.  Why?  Because I'm under authority and He knows what's best for me and right now, what's best is to let you know how much He loves YOU!

Be well my sisters and get into the Word.  A number means nothing to heaven.

I rarely go to the AMP version but this fit. So here you go! Bible.com rocks!

• John 7:6 (AMP)

  Whereupon Jesus said to them, My time (opportunity) has not come yet; but any time is suitable for you and your opportunity is ready any time [is always here].
  

Being the best...

Good day to all-

I'm sitting at the airport and I can't really concentrate on anything but the noise, so work is not going to happen right now.  I'm taking a moment to write another blog because I realize one thing today and that's to be the best; I need to glorify God.  So, today, as I ran around trying to get to my destination, I stopped, laughed and said, "Thank You Lord."  The day comes and goes and many challenges come your way, just write a blog and you will see.  It typically holds challenges that you just thought you conquered or had overcome.  Well you can't do anything about planes being canceled, air traffic control having problems or having to go to another terminal to retrieve your luggage.  All you can do is thank the people that help you, thank God and train to be His hands and feet.  I kept my composure, thanked everyone and was able to get on a flight.  Not sure I will get downtown by 6 PM but I'm going to try, without getting in an accident.

I'm in training to remember that God is in control of everything under the sun and really above it.  It is good.  Didn't He say that at the creation of the world.  He said it was good many times and we are to remember that every day we are training to be the best in Him, for Him and by Him.  Our thoughts must align, our hearts must yearn and our lives must rejoice in the good and bad times.  For now, it is good.

I'm getting ready to leave beautiful Dallas, Texas.  Thank You Jesus for reminding me that every moment I can learn something new.  Be well trained by praying, reading and loving our God for He is good!

Have a great day and God bless you.

To the top...

Good morning all-

When was the last time you thought you were on the top of your game?  Your probably wondering what I mean by this question.  It's simple.  When was the last time you felt the best about yourself, your life, your body, your partner, your ability to mother or your career?  It's a simple question with an obstacle course full of things not of God.

I have been struggling with  myself lately.  Can I climb back on top of the mountain and trust that God has gone before me?  Can I believe that God is enough?  Can I believe that problems are opportunities for promotion?  I love strategy and solving those problems but in this, I am not in control.  I don't have a strategy great enough.  No man has a great strategy to solve the problems of this world.  Do you know who does?  The answer is the Son of God.

For some reason, I had forgotten that I will suffer for the Word of God.  I purposely thought that I was whole and could trust God through anything and then the last couple months happened and my trust was barely hanging on.  I was trying to fix my problems and I was going to climb that mountain and conquer every fear and every frustration.  Do you see anything wrong with that statement?  I is not in Christ.  This world is not mine.  I am not mine.  My job, husband and children are not mine.  Nothing belongs to me and there is no way in heaven or on earth, I will ever overcome.  I don't have the intelligence, the stamina, or the ability to overpower darkness without the Son of God!

I am a mixture of the good, bad and ugly.  I am full of the Holy Spirit and when I trust, no man can overcome me.  No man will be able to crush me when I take "I" out of the equation.  Getting on top does not mean running as fast as I can, climbing with barely enough breath to breathe.  In order for me to rise above and conquer my fears, failures and future, I must put Jesus at the top of my list.  It is by Him, through Him and for Him that I remain on this earth.  It is not for me to be liked, loved, adored or lifted up by man.  It is only by His grace that I'm saved, I'm worthy and I'm His.

There is nothing I have earned here on earth that is worth anything.  My money, my children and my husband could be taken away without a moments notice.  I could be running a company one minute and without a job the next.  I could be revered as a great mom and my child could end of doing something that impacts his whole life and by the worlds standards is immoral.  All that I hold dear will not make me a great leader of women, only Christ can do that.  He is who I must hold above all things in this life.  It is by Him that I will go through trials and I will come out victorious.  My battle to be on top with me, myself and I, as champion, will not win.  Putting Christ as the focal point, pursuing love and not hate and walking by the word daily will be the only way I will win souls for Him.

I am not perfect.  I am a sinner and I am redeemed.  The climb over the past months has been rocky and very slippery.  The slope was often too treacherous and scary but I have overcome through the blood of the lamb.  He has my future.  All my problems have not been resolved.  There are issues I can't post on a blog but I can tell you that I will see the promise land and He will fulfill in me His purpose, not because I'm perfect but because I'm not.  Do you know any other religion that believes that?

My goal is to be His.  My mission field is to preach to women all over the world.  My next steps aren't clear but I know that the power that brought me to Christ will bring millions to Him too, with or without me.  I may have felt like I was at the bottom in the world but today I feel like I'm at the top because Christ picked me up, dusted me off and has purpose for this sinner!  I hope today's post encourages you to get out of the way and let our Savior take you to the top.

"for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith." 1 John 5:4 NIV.

"I have seen and I testify that this is God's Chosen One."

For all that believe and for those that don't, here is my prayer:

O, Mighty Lord of Israel, I come before You today asking that You alone fulfill your purpose for my life.  I ask that You would hold out Your hands and save millions.  I pray that through these words You will be glorified on earth.  I thank You for the trial and for helping me come through it.  You go before me and I am blessed.  Please bring women from every nation to You and help us all to love with Your heart.  In Jesus Name I pray. AMEN

Until tomorrow... 

Being an Israelite...

Good morning all-

I hope you are well.  I have been in a state of finding myself, finding my path and finding God. These last months have held some times of stress,worry and fear.  I have fought down panic, provision, worry, anger, and depression.  I have lived in the world and not in God.  Now, you might be wondering what I mean by living in the world.  I'm talking about forgetting the power of the cross, spending to much time whining about things I can't control and losing who I am in Christ.

I never thought I would say this but I'm that Israelite waiting for Moses to come down off the mountain.  I am that person who wanted more than the manna He provided.  I am that person that believed that what worldly people said and felt about me mattered.  I was that person and I didn't like it one bit.  It's taken months of prayer, many Scriptures and the power of the Holy Spirit to pull me out.  This was not a personal battle it was a spiritual battle for my mind and my heart.  Who was going to win?  I know I wasn't during the last couple of months.  I was full of feelings and my sight was clogged up with the mud of the world and then, through prayer I started to see the unseen.  I'm sure about now your thinking I'm crazy but that's exactly what happened.

This week as I have been diving into Scripture, listening to a wonderful minister on the web and praying alone, I found me again.  I wasn't wallowing in things I couldn't control; I was giving them to God.  He was fighting my battle, going before me, renewing my mind and fixing me.  He was with me in my pain and He was present when I finally saw the path before me.  I have always wondered why the Israelite's weren't grateful to God for His provision.  Unfortunately, I found out.  We are all human and when we get caught up in the world, it will catch you, shake you and try to destroy you.  That's not God's way and that's not the message of the cross.  The message is that we are chosen to be warriors for God.  We were put on this earth for a purpose and He will use us if we let Him.  I have struggled to regain my confidence, which is really sad because my confidence comes from the Lord!  I have struggled with my pride.  What does God say about pride?  And I have struggled with believing for myself that He will go before me and that His provision is enough. 

I'm ashamed and rejoicing all in the same moment, am I crazy?  No.  I am a warrior for God. I have spent many days in the seen to be awakened by the unseen.  I've been carried on the back of Jesus and washed from blindness to light. I can see better today then I've been able to see in months, all because of Jesus.  I owe Him my life, my heart and my mind.  I might have walked like an Israelite but my heart is a heart that yearns after my Savior.  Through the storm, I feared, fought and challenged everything I knew to be true and when it calmed, all I saw was Jesus.  The stories in the Bible are about real people, real feelings and real trials.  We can say, "That won't happen to me."  I beg to differ.  When God is calling you, the attacks on your mind will be sharp.  The devil can't penetrate the heart, it belongs to Jesus but He is a great deceiver and that's how the Israelite's lost their focus.  They lost sight of God.

Fear is not from the Lord!  Worry is not from the Lord!  Defeat is not from the Lord! Depression is not from the Lord!  However, He can use all of it for His glory.  The battle was tough and I'm not totally out of the woods yet.  I have come to realize that my manna is the Bible and meditation.  If I'm not in it, I will be attacked.  I must renew my mind, put on my spiritual armor and sing praises to the Lord.  I'm praising Him today.  I feel as though I've been in the desert and have been taken to the promise land.  My path, my purpose and my life is to proclaim the word of God.  In the last couple months, every insecurity I have has tried to beat, brake and crush my spirit but God has redeemed me.  He has pulled me from the pit and given me eyes to see Him.  Do you ever wonder why John had the experience He writes about in revelation?  I don't anymore.  He was given the revelation because He could see what most couldn't.  He was looking with his spiritual eyes.  That was his path and now I have mine.  I am giving God all the glory.

If you're going through a battle that just doesn't seem to end, then get with someone to pray for you.  Take time away from everything and go to your bed and pray.  And no matter what, pick up your Bible, get on the web, go to your minister and immurse yourself in the Word of God.  I feel like I've died to every insecurity I've ever carried and am free.  The power of the cross is real, speak it out loud and the power before you will not be your will but His.

Glory to God in the highest, who was and is and is to come!  Thank you Jesus for taking me to all the places I've been in the last weeks and winning me back, hook, line and sinker.  Be aware that our feelings will get us in trouble.  Looking at only the seen will make you feel fear, frustration, hate, and worry.  The signs the Lord is breaking you out are: Hope, Love, Peace, Quiet, and Understanding.  That's why He came, that's who He is and that's who we need to bow down to.  He's already made His decision, have you?

But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen.  Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.  Matthew 6:6 NIV

Glory to God

We must look with our spiritual eyes if we fully want to see Him!  Glory to God who was and is to come!

Open our eyes Lord to the majestic wonder of Your word. Renew our minds and spirits to believe that You are God and that you can do immeasurably more than we can see. We believe that Your love bears all things, believes all things and can be spread far and wide. You are holy!

I'm in awe today. Be in the world spreading Your wisdom, Your power and Your glory!

In Jesus Name we pray! Can I have an Amen!

What's in the unexpected...

Good morning all-

This is my fourth day off and it's been renewing in a way I couldn't imagine.  There's something about going out to the country and listening to God's wonderful creatures.  I woke up yesterday to every kind of noise imaginable and to be honest it was unexpected.  Your probably asking yourself how that could be.  Well, most of us run through life, I know I do.  The days fly by without even a thought to what God created or why.  I get up at 5:30 am and finish the dishes about 9 pm.  I sit down for an hour, fall apart and am in bed by 10 pm.  I do this every day of my life but this weekend I stayed up until 1 am, woke at 5:30 am and sat for two solid hours watching and listening to every creature stir, sing, crawl or meow.  It was wonderful and very unexpected.

I'm one to go until I can't go anymore.  It's what keeps me from getting depressed and worrying about tomorrow.  I get antsy if I have an hour with nothing to do.  I've always been this way and even though I'm getting older, I still am who I am.  Yet yesterday morning, I sat and watched as a huge family sleep and the activity around me wasn't people but the sheer joy of being alive.  The trees were full of sounds and actions that were so surreal.  I found myself hoping for the unexpected.

My personality is such that I have always taken care of everyone else.  I am responsible and if I had a wild moment, it wasn't long.  I learned from early on that I was going to have to work harder than most and in order to be the best I had to persevere.  When my brother and parents died, it was my responsibility to take care of them and my family and I did it.  I have always been proud that I was strong and resilient.  I knew that God had made me for such a time but I have forgotten a very important lesson, to rest and listen to God's creation.  Watching the wind blow, seeing a hummingbird feed, listening to the cows moo as the sun comes up or watching the moon rise above the sunset; these are the things that remind us that God is good and that He is with us.  In this life, we know what to expect but we forget to watch for the unexpected.

I thank God for the unexpected.  Those hours re-fueled my soul and gave me ideas, desires and a renewed passion for His passion.  His creatures are the most important thing to Him.  He has waited thousands of years to bring us back to Him and we run so fast, with so much human emotion that we forget to sit and listen to the orchestra He created.  If God so loves these little creatures, imagine how much we're loved.  I can still worry, have prideful moments and wish the day away but God sees the purpose of my life and yours and He's trying to get us to look for him in the unexpected.  Will you join me in asking the Lord our God to show us the unexpected and to rid us of what we believe is true.  Our lives are a moment compared to the nurturing He has done over thousands of years.  He is waiting for His bride to repent, to cry out to Him and to trust Him.  His creatures do.  They sing to Him in the morning and they cry out from the fields.  They are provided for and there anticipation of dawn is filled with song.  What do we anticipate at 5:30, is it work, school, the kids or is it God?

Those few hours reminded me of my purpose.  I was to raise my boys and to help them carry on the generations.  I am to be a helpmate to my spouse and help him with his business and I am to pursue Christ with unexpected anticipation every day, waiting, watching and loving Him.  I started my book yesterday.  I'm not sure how it will go but I'm excited about the unexpected moments with Christ.  I've missed Him through this trial.  He's been silent and I've been faithful to cry out but it's taken a  lot of energy to get on this blog.  What do you say to encourage people when you find so little to be excited for?  That's how every trial is and then there's the moment that you're sitting on a porch watching the life around you sing with such unexpected anticipation for the day ahead and you say, "I see you Lord and know you're near."  Look for the unexpected and never settle for what's expected.

Be well my beautiful sisters.  I'm praying for you and for the future of the men, women and children who give their lives every day to promote the unexpected.

Jonah 2:2:10 NIV

He said: "In my distress I called to the Lord, and he answered me.  From deep in the realm of the dead I called for help, and you listened to my cry.  You hurled me into the depths, into the very heart of the seas, and the currents swirled about me; all your waves and breakers swept over me.  I said, "I have been banished from your sight; yet I will look again toward your holy temple." The engulfing waters threatened me, the deep surrounded me, seaweed was wrapped around my head.  To the roots of the mountains I sank down; the earth beneath barred me in forever.  But you, Lord my God, brought my life up from the pit.  "When my life was ebbing away, I remembered you, Lord, and my prayer rose to you, to your holy temple.  "Those who cling to worthless idols turn away from God's love for them.  But I, with shouts of grateful praise, will sacrifice to you.  What I have vowed I will make good.  I will say, 'Salvation comes from the Lord.' " And the Lord commanded the fish, and it vomited Jonah onto dry land.

Jesus always left to be alone in the wilderness, do you know why?  He needed to see the unexpected.  He knew the ending but He also knew He needed His Father to lift Him up, guide Him and love Him until the end.  Jesus cried out when His Father did leave Him on the cross because He felt alone but through His sacrifice, none of us will ever be alone.  This beautiful prayer from Jonah shows the emotion of a lost man coming to his maker and his maker hearing him.  If you feel like life is the same old boring routine and God is barely in it, say a prayer that will renew your heart with Him.  We expect to be deflated and defeated so why don't we expect to see Him, now that would be truly unexpected!  Be well and let Jesus bring you out of the pit and onto dry land where the creatures of this earth sing to Him!  In Christ we live!!!!

The Voice of the Martyrs...

Good morning all-

We are approaching the 4th of July where the US celebrates freedom.  I have to question if we have any freedoms anymore.  We have free speech but we remove hundred year old monuments.  We have free commerce but China owns us.  We have the right to worship but we choose not to.  And finally, we have the right to vote but we choose to neglect it.  We have rights just like the Romans did and yet, being a Roman citizen holds no weight today.  Will we be like the Roman Empire, casualty to our own stupid pride?  Let's be real, we have no power.  We are just another country who was founded on Godly principles that has lost all conviction to what we once knew.  Our currency is marked with "God We Trust." Do we?  I have many doubts on that subject.

Here is what I know for sure; we must turn back to God.  Our teenagers are being deceived and so our the adults.  We are all skirting issues that will impact our lives and those generations to come.  We need to unite and pray.  I'm tired of being afraid.  I see the warnings just like anyone else.  I'm watching radicalism sweep Europe.  There are so many defenseless countries.  What are we waiting for?  Why do we continue to pursue the things of this world over the things of God?  Even I have been chastising myself for not buckling down more.  I have made excuses about my busy life and my personal trials and still, Jesus listens to me.

Our freedoms in this life have come from provision.  There are men and women risking their lives for the Gospel.  They sneak into villages and countries just to spread the good news.  They risk everything to build a church and to get the word out.  People are being blessed because of these unknown soldiers.  They are faceless but their hearts beat for Jesus.  These men and women care more for the lost soul than their own.  People that were once lost are saved due to the dedication and passion of those mighty warriors.  

Men, women and children are dying for the Gospel.  In 2015, who would have thought that people would be tortured, beheaded and persecuted for believing in Jesus.  You can close your eyes to it but it's happening.  We may not live in one of those countries now but we are brothers and sisters with these people and we must pray for the workers.  The voice of the Martyrs is calling out to all of us and asking us to re-dedicate ourselves to the cross.  The cross was not just a despicable torture device.  The cross symbolizes the true sacrifice of the Almighty.  Paul was not afraid to die and Peter was prepared to die.  Why?  Because Christ died for them.  I often wonder if I'm prepared to die for what I believe.  I hope that if I ever face that day; I will say yes to Jesus and no to myself.  But for now, I have a choice to lift up those that are sacrificing their lives for the Gospel.  I must pray that the hearts of those that don't believe will change and that Jesus will defeat those that hate Him.  I must pray that His united body will repent and turn away from our selfish ways and that we will put him first in our hearts and minds.  Finally, I must pray that I will lead women to the cross with the passion I have for my own life.  These are our defenses.  These are our freedoms.  We can choose to stay silent or we can shout to the world that Jesus came and died for our sins.  It is by His faith alone that He became one with His father.

Love heals all things.  Love never ends.  I hear these words in my head over and over.  These are the words left to us in the Bible.  Hate destroys and is a characteristic of the evil one but love never fails. My love for you will remain always and so it was of the disciples.  Through their love we now know love, not in the romantic sense but in the commitment sense.  God loves us.  A rainbow is the symbol of God's covenant to His people.  Why then do we turn away?  It's time to really buckle down and ask God to help us to remember His words and not the laws of this earth.  The Martyrs knew His word and died for it.  Please stand with me this 4th of July all over the world and ask the God of Abraham to heal the hearts of those that hate Him.  We must stand in love for all people and let God judge.  We are not judge and jury.  We are His chosen people, scattered among the nations with one voice and one faith in our mighty Savior.

This message is not just for the US.  God's message is for every nation and every tongue all over the world.  Please ask God to protect His workers and please continue to pray for those that hate all things biblical.

The Lord God Almighty who was and is and is to come!  He is real; He is power and He is love!  Pray this with me my sisters and unite to love the world.

1 Samuel 2:2 NIV  

"There is no one holy like the Lord; there is no one besides you; there is no Rock like our God."