I can't help telling what I have seen and heard.

Acts 4:20 But we (ourselves) cannot help telling what we have seen and heard.

This is a bold statement that Peter and John made before the High priest and the Military commander.  This statement was made in regards, obviously, to Jesus, and speaking about him, but more specifically to the healing that Peter and John had just done in Jesus’ name outside the temple named Beautiful.

Peter and John were headed into the Temple and came across a man who for forty plus years has been crippled.  It was this man’s daily ritual to go to the Temple and beg people for money.

On this day he saw Peter and John, the apostles of Jesus, and he locked eyes with Peter.  Peter and John came over to him and as it reads in Acts 3:6 Peter says,  Silver and gold (money) I do not have; but what I do have, that I give to you: in (the use of) the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk!  7 Then he took hold of the man’s right hand with a firm grip and raised him up.  And at once his feet and ankle bones became strong and steady.

This to my knowledge is the first act of healing that an apostle has done, through the name of Jesus Christ, since Jesus was taken to Heaven on a cloud, after His was raised from death.  

As I am sure you can believe this caused a stir of excitement and wonder around the Temple and quickly news traveled of the miracle that was performed.   This is news that is going to travel quickly as the man, has been crippled since birth.  Just as I am sure this caused a stirring in the body of Christ, and brought new believers to God, I am sure this was not something that the priests and the hierarchy of those days appreciated. 

They probably thought, where is this all coming from, I thought we crucified Jesus, the one who was preforming miracles.  I am sure they were very confused and maybe even a little scared and threatened of such news. 

These things, feelings and emotions, whatever you want to call them, still exist in today’s world.   People still feel threatened and feel the need to lash out to people who are devoted to following God.  We are still fighting today the battles that the original disciples and apostles battled over two thousand years ago. 

Though the battles might come in different packages and the miracles are seen in different ways, the feelings and disdain are all the same.

After arresting Peter and John and having them spend the day in prison, they decided to have a chat with them.  The priests, magistrates, elders and scribes all knew that they couldn’t deny that they had witnessed a miracle, and the word had spread so quickly that there was no way to talk away what had just happened.  They didn’t know what to do, so that’s why they chose to speak with Peter and John.  They were trying to understand or have wisdom on what they are doing, and how this all has happened.

This to me was not a smart move on their part.  Here they are trying to diffuse the issue, but in fact they are actually bringing more attention to the issue.  Their fear was working through them and entering them into an even harder situation to come out of then what they already had been in.

After speaking with Peter and John and hearing the passion that Peter was speaking with, because at the time Peter was no longer speaking for himself.  Peter was no longer allowing his brain to make his decisions; he was now following, fully, the leadership of the Holy Spirit that lived inside of him.  Peter told them that they shouldn’t be surprised by what has happened as they themselves chose to crucify Christ, for doing what Peter and John had just done.

They were not quite sure how these men were so dumbfounded by the healing that had just taken place, when in fact this is the same things that Jesus had done.

Acts 3:13 is awesome.  If this was a movie, this is the part where the audience would cheer, in my mind, because the underdog proves his point.  13 Now when they saw the boldness and unfettered eloquence of Peter and John and perceived that they were unlearned and untrained in the schools (common men with no educational advantages), they marveled; and they recognized that they had been with Jesus.

There was nothing they could do.  Just like you and I, there is nothing we can do.  When Jesus shows up and shows out, there is nothing you can do to stop His works.  You really should at that point, whether you are a believer or non-believer you should throw your hands in the air and take a seat and watch what is going to take place in front of you.  I promise you by the end you and all the people around you will walk away with a deeper faith and awe of Jesus then you had before.

All these men could do was try and force Peter and John to no longer speak of Jesus and teach about Him.  Ha!  That’s what I think Acts 3:20 is.  I think this is Peter’s polite way of saying HA… in their faces.

Acts 3:20 But we (ourselves) cannot help telling what we have seen and heard.

I love this verse, because it is so true. 

When God reveals himself in your life and He starts to take all the broken pieces and mends them back together, all you want to do is speak about Him.  When God says, ok, now is the time for me to make a change in a person who was broken, afflicted and cast aside and change them from the inside out, how can you ever expect the person whose life was just changed to be keeping that secret? 

This is how Peter and John felt.  How are we to keep quiet about a Man who has changed our lives?  How are they supposed to contain the love they have for Jesus.  How are they to go against the words that Jesus spoke to them, when He called them into relationship with Him, and after His resurrection?

I couldn’t do that… could you?

When Jesus starts to, as I call it, show up and show out, in your life, there is no possible way that anyone would be able to contain the amazing things that are happening to them.  Jesus knows this and that’s why He does it.

That’s why Jesus chooses the Meek and lowly of the world and uses them to change the world.  The person you would never consider is the person that Jesus say’s alright; I can work with and through this person.

I can take this life, change it, mold it, repair it, restore it and put it on show, and show the rest of the world, that I am!   God doesn’t take the one that you expect to be used to bring souls to Him, no, He uses the one that no one would ever expect. 

I couldn’t imagine someone telling me that I can’t speak of my God.  That I can’t share my overwhelming love and admiration for my Lord and Savior.   I speak of God everywhere and anywhere, and that’s exactly what Peter and John were doing. 

They saw a need and a way to bring glory and awareness to Jesus, and they took it.  They did what God expects us to do.  They didn’t do it in their ability.  They didn’t take the credit for the works.  They weren’t boastful or inflated by the healing that they helped usher into the world.  No, they were humble and excited.  They were expectant and honored all at the same time.

These miracles are not forgotten or past our abilities.  These miracles are still happening today, we can make them happen today.  We can call on the name of Jesus, and through His ability we can also make the crippled walk, the blind see and heal the brokenhearted.  We too can take part in the healing powers of Jesus. 

Anyone who has had a touch of God’s love for you will never be able to hide it or behind it.  God will shine brightly through you and people will seek you out as they too follow the Holy Spirit inside of them.

We are to be God’s eyes and ears on this earth.  We are His feet and we are who He works through.  We are the vessels that God uses to bring the unsaved to Him, so they, just like us, will speak openly and proudly of Jesus the Messiah.

Acts 3:20 But we (ourselves) cannot help telling what we have seen and heard.

Are you part of the can’t keep your mouth shut club… I am!!

 

Are you comfortable?

I have never been a big fan of mystery novels or even a who done it television show, so just imagine, if you can, my excitement when God decided to take me on this current journey.

I come from, please notice I said I come from, not I am, a place of abuse, so I crave stability and routine.  I always have.  I never could quite understand why I was a creature not only of habit, but of even the smallest routines, and when one of them was thrown off of course, it was enough to send my entire day into a tail spin. 

I desired, craved, sought after routine, stability, that feeling of being normal and safe.   I can count on one hand the people in my life that have made me feel safe and protected, so just imagine how intensely I hung on to each one of them.   I never understood that the reason why I needed stability to such a large degree was because I grew up amongst chaos.

I used to love going to my grandmother's house because I knew exactly what I was getting.  I knew if she wasn’t there that there would be a note telling me where she was, and when she expected to be home.  There was no element of surprise with her, and I loved that! 

Now that I have set the scene, so to speak, I can enter into where I am going with all of this.   On February 2^nd God decided to pull the rug out from underneath my spiritual feet, when He started to reveal to me the direction that He wanted my life to go in.

Now, I should say, I am a church goer, a Bible reader, a Spiritual book reader, a prayer, a television preacher watcher, but I was comfortable in all of those things.  I was very content in the routine I had established for me and God.  I would get up, pray, thank God for the day, get ready for work, watch Joyce Meyer and Creflo Dollar as I was getting ready, and then leave for work.  As I was driving to work I would ask God to bless by day and to help me do this day to the best of my ability.  Oh, and I always asked God to watch over my house and protect my girls, while I was gone. 

I was really happy with this.  I was comfortable.  I felt like I was getting from God what I needed and He was getting from me what He needed.  I was saved and a believer but I was good with my level of commitment.

And back to February 2^nd… this day will forever go down as one of the days that changed my life.   On this particular day everything was normal. Routine in full effect and then as I was drying my hair I felt a need to pray.  I felt an overwhelming desire to pray and to pray for my ex-boyfriend, who I knew was struggling at the time.

I was obedient to the feeling I had inside of me and sat on the floor of my bedroom and began to pray the prayer I had been praying for him, since December 1^st, when the shift started in our relationship.  In the midst of this prayer time, I felt a strong pulling to grab my phone and go to the note section and begin to write.  I didn’t know what I was writing.  I knew the words that were coming to me, but I had no idea what they meant.  I didn’t know what was happening and wasn’t able to really think on my own, and before I knew it, in a matter of minutes, I had written the paragraphs that started me on this journey.

I sat there on the floor of my bedroom and wept.  My close Godly friend was on a much needed vacation and I couldn’t call her, so I just prayed, God please have her call me!  I didn’t know what just happened but I knew as surely as I have ever known anything that God just spoke to me and in His speaking He revealed His plan for me.

Spooky, crazy and sure… I know you will never be able to say words about this that I have not said myself, trust me!   I read and re-read the words, that sounded nothing at all like me and to be honest some of them I had to look up because I didn’t fully grasp their entire meaning, and now that I was being told these things personally, I better know what they mean. 

I will never in my entire life forget that moment!  I will never forget how it felt when God turn my life upside down.   It has been a very difficult road these past couple months, and I have cried more tears than I care to remember, but I’ve never been closer to God in my life.  I’ve never desired for the things I now desire for, and I never thought some of the things I am currently doing, or attempting to do, would have any association with me.

I say all of this, or some of my story, because trust me there is soooo much more to come on this front!  But I say this because God has a knack, a habit, a talent for taking the person who was comfortable where they were and pulling them into an area they never desired to be.

Jesus took Saul, from his comfortable life, filled with hate, evil, anger and disdain, and flipped it upside down, so much that Saul had to have a new name.  Saul’s old man had changed in such an amazing way he couldn’t identify with his old name, and God knew that and he became Paul. 

I am sure if you would have spoken to Saul before the road to Damascus he would have told you a very similar story that I just have.  He would have told you that he was content.  He was satisfied with what he was doing… but you see it doesn’t matter if we are satisfied with what we are doing, if God isn’t.

When Jesus revealed Himself to Ananias in Acts 9, do you think Ananias was overjoyed with the task to go heal Saul?  I wouldn’t think he would be.  This was the person who had hurt, killed and chained so many Christ followers, that I am sure all he wanted to do was stay away from Saul.  In fact Ananias tries to explain himself to Jesus in verse 13.  But Ananias answered, Lord, I have heard many people tell about this man, especially how much evil and what great suffering he has brought on Your saints in Jerusalem: (14) Now he is here and has authority from the high priests to put in chains all who call upon Your name.

These two verses, to me, are Ananias way of trying to change God’s mind.  He wanted God to let him stay in his comfort zone.  He was happy being a disciple and bringing people to know Jesus, but please don’t call me to help heal a man who has brought pain to your followers.   Granted, this is a little more of an extreme example, but the underlying truth is still there.  God called him out.

We see the response in Acts 9:15.  But the Lord said to him, Go, for this man is a chosen instrument of Mine to bear My name before the Gentiles and kings and the descendants of Israel.

Ananias did as he was told, and he went to Saul.  He was obedient to the calling of His Lord and Savior.  Ananias didn’t follow the directions he received for himself, he followed them because he loves God and God had called on Him for help.

You never know when God is going to call your name, tug on your heart or change your desires, but it’s probably going to happen to us all, at some point.  The difference is how we respond.  Are we going to respond by staying trapped in our routines, as I was, or are you going to respond by staying trapped in your hate, as Saul was, or are you going to respond by staying trapped in your fear, as Ananias was?

The similarity here in the three of these stories, and yes, I do realize I am comparing my journey to those of Saul and Ananias, but the similarity here is, we didn’t stay trapped in our gut reactions or what we were.  We stepped out.

God called our names individually and said here is the purpose I have for you today, tomorrow, or for next year, but this is the plan I have for you, I need you to complete it. 

I guarantee you that God will turn your life upside down, if you give Him the chance too.  I promise you that one day you too will be thinking, how did this happen, I was comfortable with where I was.   Comfortable seems to be a code word for God and it doesn’t mean the same thing to Him that it means to us.  Comfortable to God means, it’s time to shake things up a bit… I think they are ready and can handle it!

So I ask you... Are you Comfortable?

  

God will shake your foundation.

I work by a very busy highway and on the other side of the road is new construction and they are always banging something or digging up something.  The other week it was a normal day just like any other and suddenly I felt the earth move below me, and a crash so loud I thought someone had drove their car into the building. 

Immediately you hear people shouting, you okay?  And what was that?  There were many speculations to what the noise and movement was until we looked outside and realized that it was the construction across the road, they were preparing the ground for the foundation, and that’s what we had experienced.

In those couple seconds I was afraid, confused, worried and concerned all at the same time.  The flood of emotions and adrenaline that surged through me, and I would imagine the rest of the people I work with, was quick but forceful.  I am a jumpy person by nature so this took me a couple minutes to settle my nerves down.

In re-reading Acts 16:26 tonight, I thought about this moment in time at work and how quickly a normal day, with normal emotions, went to a moment of uncertainty.  Now, thankfully this was not a disaster and everyone was fine, and actually we got a chuckle out of it afterwards, because it stirred us all up.  But I was drawn back to this verse tonight because God will often times shake our foundation to get our attention, or to pull something out of us, to make us change.

Verse 26 says Suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the very foundations of the prison were shaken; and at once all the doors were opened and everyone’s shackles were unfastened.

There are many points and lessons I believe in this one verse.   The use of suddenly here tells us that there doesn’t have to be a warning to when things in our lives are going to happen.  You can be going about your day like it’s a normal day and suddenly everything changes.  These suddenly's can be for the good, or for the bad.  I think many times we associate change and things happening quickly as negative, when they can very easily be positive as well.

God never promised us that He would give us forewarning to life’s changes and suddenly, what He has promised us is that He will be with us through them all.  In the case of Acts 16:26 this suddenly was beneficial for all involved.

The next thing that stood out to me was the great earthquake.  That whatever God is going to do in your life to provoke the change or transition is going to be done with great force, wisdom, insight or blessing.   An earthquake can have many different levels of destruction, but anything strong enough to separate the ground from its core, is not a small force.   There are also many times things that need repaired, fixed or cleaned up in the aftermath of the earthquake. 

Again, this doesn’t mean that God will literally cause an earthquake to happen in your life, but it also doesn’t mean He won’t, but don’t miss the message that is being given to us here.  It’s going to take a mighty force, whatever that may be to cause the foundation of your life to shift, change, erode or for you to become aware of it.

God shakes our foundation, to shake us.  He uses these things as a way to say, hey, what’s going on right now is not ok, and I need you to recognize it.

You know many times you will hear a person needs to hit bottom before they can accept their actions, problems or addictions.  I think this is God’s way of bringing that bottom about and quickly.   Many times in our own lives we don’t recognize the warning signs.  We don’t see what’s right before our eyes, because we don’t want too.  We will even run from people who open our eyes to the truth of our lives because it’s too painful, or we are not ready to change and accept the responsibility of our actions.   

God is only going to let you go on so long that way before He pulls the rug from underneath you and causes you to take a look.   We need to see our lives through the eye of truth and also through the eyes of God.  We need to see the mistakes we make instead of covering them up with another poor decision, or running from the truth.   But we also need to see ourselves and our healing through God’s eyes.

As we see in verse 26 after the foundation shook, all the doors were opened and everyone’s shackles were unfastened.  This is the rainbow at the end of the storm.   This is to tell you that yes, it might take something quite uncomfortable to happen to bring about your change or eye opening, but…BUT God is right there waiting, with the doors open and the shackles unfastened. 

God is standing there beside you through everything.  Through the bad Doctor reports, the divorces, the miscarriages, the loss of loved ones and the loss of your job.  God is standing there to heal you while you make another bad mistake after bad mistake and He will cause the earth below you, figuratively, to shake so you can see your truth before your eyes.  He does this because He loves you.  He does this because He wants your life to be the best life it can possibly be.  He doesn’t want to see you in pain, on drugs, struggling with life, no, He wants to see you free, without shackles and walking through all the open doors He has opened for you.

Verse 26 symbolizes so many things but mainly, to me, it symbolizes transformation, freedom and hope!   All these things can be found in God, if you look for them.  You will find Him in every low place and every high place.  In every door that has closed and every door that has been opened.  He is there. 

I have felt the ground move below me figuratively, and literally, and each time this has happened there is a release inside of me, of my need to be in control and surrender to God that He is in control.   When we acknowledge the changes that God is trying to do in and through us, the process of the change isn’t as painful or scary as we imagine it to be. 

Sometimes when God moves your foundation, I’d actually say most times, when God moves your foundation, it’s because He’s moving you to something better in your life.  Just allow the foundation to shake for a moment, hold on tightly to God and then look for the open doors that lead to freedom!

 

An expectant heart.

There are many times I wait for God to give me an answer to something that is happening in my life or something that He has asked me to do for someone else.  Many times I will go to God and ask Him to almost give me an explanation of why He has requested, asked or called me to do something. 

I am the need to know kind of person.  It doesn’t mean I won’t do what I am being led to do, but it makes me feel a lot better when I know the back story to why I am doing what I am doing.  A lot of times, like right now in this season of my life, God is not telling me why He is doing some of the things He is doing.

In reading Matthew 2:12 tonight the word expectantly came to my mind and then I thought of myself, and if when I ask God a question or for something do I do it expectantly, and I couldn’t answer the question.  My not being able to answer the question would lead me to believe that I am not waiting expectantly for God to respond. 

Verse 2:12 states And receiving an answer to their asking, they were divinely instructed and warned in a dream not to go back to Herod; so they departed to their own country by a different way. 

In my head the wise men, which this verse is referring to, went to God with a question and they expected to receive an answer.  They were hopefully, they were aware and not casual with their conversations with God, they were speaking to Him on purpose.   They expected an answer!

At this point in the chapter, which I am newly in, as you can see, Jesus has just been born and Herod had been informed by the wise men that the King of the Jews has just been born, and they were asking Herod where He was.  Herod obviously didn’t know, and with all the accolades that had been put on this child, he was immediately filled with jealousy of Jesus, at least that’s what I believe. 

Herod had done some back work on Jesus, and what everyone was speaking about, and found that this was in fact a prophecy that was coming true, so Herod sent for the wise men.  Herod had asked the wise men to give him information on the star that would lead them to baby Jesus.  He wanted to know how long the star was visible and when the star had appeared.  He wanted as much information as he could get on Jesus. 

His intent, as he stated to the wise men, was to visit Jesus, and shower Him with gifts, and worship Him as well, but the truth is, that he intended to harm Jesus.  He wanted to kill Jesus, so that there was not any competition for him as King.

This story is one that we are all familiar with, but it’s so easy to sometimes glance over small details when we are so familiar with something.  That’s what I have done, until tonight, when I saw verse 2:12. 

I love that the verse tells us that God will divinely instruct us and warn us on how to go.  To me, this means, that you don’t necessarily have to have asked God a question that day but maybe at some point you did, and He can answer you at any time.  Or maybe you don’t have to ask Him a question at all.  Maybe He will bring you a warning in a time when you weren’t seeing clearly and He will send you the help you need, and you didn’t even know you need it.

That’s why we are divinely instructed.  

We are given information when we don’t even realize we needed the information.  God is able to see the end from the beginning, so He can see the entire puzzle already put together, while we are still trying to find the edge pieces, to create the boarder.

God knew the intention of the wise men’s hearts.  He knew they were going to praise and worship Jesus, and to praise and worship Him, so He knew He needed to keep them protected.  These were men being put in a situation where they were being manipulated and their beliefs were being used against them, for harm. 

Remember God has told us that whatever is meant for our harm, He will make it work for our good.  We have a perfect example of this right here.  Herod was lying to the wise men and saying that his intentions were to celebrate, as were theirs, and God knew his heart, and protected not only the wise men, but also Jesus, Mary and Joseph. 

The wise men had an expectant heart for God, not just in the moment of verse 2:12 but always.  They expected God to fulfill the prophecy, they expected God to give them a guide, (star) to find Jesus, they expected that they would arrive there safely, they lived in a state of expectancy with God, so when He diverted their plans, and gave them wisdom, this wasn’t something opposing to them, because they lived expecting to hear from God.

What if we did that today?  What if you woke up tomorrow and announced to God, I expect to hear from you today.  What if you continued to make that declaration all through the day, and then gave Him the opportunity to do as you declared.  Do you think you would hear from God?

I do.

I think if we start to have a heart of expectancy, like we have seen here in Matthew 2:12, we would start to see and experience, a lot more than God speaking to us.   I think if we start to state every day ok God, here we go, and I expect to hear from you today.  I expect to see you show up in my life today.  I expect something good to happen today.  I expect to be a blessing to someone else today.  I expect to draw nearer to you today.  I expect to be blessed today, and the list goes on and on, but I truly believe, with all of my heart, if we started to make this our mantra, anthem, our battle cry ,our one true desire from God, we would see Him show up!

An unexpected heart doesn’t change or stop God, but it does change or stop us.  It stops us from receiving, it keeps the lines of communication blocked, and it changes our view of what we think God can do or handle and what we think we need to take care of.   

Let’s take God out of the box, open the windows, let our hair down and say… I expect to hear from you today God!!!

And then allow Him to speak…

 

We all have seasons in our lives...

Every day we are given a certain amount of sunlight and then night comes.  We are given this same sunlight and night on a daily basis, that we become accustomed to having this available to us daily.  We start to take for granted that this will take place in our daily lives.  As the seasons begin to change so does the amount of daylight we receive.   In Spring and Summer, we are given abundant sunshine and things become new a kind of rebirth into the world.  During Fall and Winter, we experience the opposite effect.  We lose the amount of daylight we receive and begin to see the withering of nature around us.   

There are some people who actually experience sadness around Fall and Winter, due to the lack of sunlight they are being exposed to daily.   They crave the sunlight, as most of us do.  They crave to feel the warmth of the sun on their faces and to see nature blooming around them.  There is nothing like driving on a warm day with the windows down, sun piercing your skin and wind whipping around.  This makes you feel alive.    

There is a process with every season we experience.  There is a reason for the four seasons we have in a year, and there is a reason we begin to feel sadness and lack in the Winter.   

Jesus said to the people in John 12:35 You will have the Light only a little while longer.  Walk while you have the Light (keep on living by it), so that darkness may not overtake and overcome you.  He who walks about in the dark does not know where he goes (he is drifting).  

Do you think there could be any correlation between the changing of the seasons, and what Jesus was experiencing?   I see this as Jesus is forewarning us that we are given a limited period of time, meaning our span of life, to get to learn about him, and believe in him.   Just as the abundance of sunshine only happens during two seasons of the year, there will only be a limited amount of time for you to learn about Jesus, have a relationship with Jesus, and then do his work in the World.   

We as people live our lives in seasons.  We have the Spring of our lives, where we are born into the world, grow and learn about things in the world.  We enter into our Summer of life where we are learning about who we are in the World, and why God has purposed us into the world.   The Fall of our lives is when we are living in harmony with our purpose and in harmony with ourselves and with our Maker.  Winter enters and we begin to see our lives in a different perspective as most of our days are behind us, and I believe desperation can begin to set in for people who have not come to know God.  

I think this is why Jesus was warning us to take advantage of the opportunities we are given when we can.  Open your eyes to the things happening around you and more importantly open your hearts to the God who created you.   We are each given a measure of Faith and if you don’t activate your Faith, and allow it to flourish in your life you are missing out on coming into a closer relationship with Jesus.  

Jesus says that we should believe in him like Children.  We should receive him with the eyes and hearts of Children.    As children, we are open to learning and experiencing life from an untainted mind.  We are fresh and moldable.  We haven’t experienced the cruelness of this world and can freely believe in what we feel.   It’s easier to be in Faith when you are open to it, without any preconceived ideas or fears.  Our knowledge is limited so it is easier for us to be molded as children.  As we progress in life, we begin to experience the darkness that is in the world and it begins to change our hearts and minds.  

Jesus wants to capture you while there is an abundance of light in your life.  Jesus wants to fill you up with his love and bring you into relationship with him while we are moldable and easily transformed.  That is why, I believe, it is so important to start educating your children when they are young on Jesus, the love of God and the Character of God, so they can build their foundation on the Rock of God.  

Now, after saying all of this, I am sure many of you, like me, have not had this head start in life.  It is not too late for us either.   You can come to Jesus at any season of your life.  You can choose at any time to take the hand of God and allow him to be the Lord and Savior over your life.   We as older humans have more baggage we carry around with us.  We have been exposed to the fear, hurt and cruelty the world has to offer.  The process is a little harder for us as we come to God with experiences and ideas.  We come to God with plans already formed in our minds, and expect God to fulfill them.   Our patience for the process of life can be shorter and we expect to receive things at a faster process, due to this.   

Jesus is still reaching out his hand to you no matter what age you are.  No matter what shape, form or religion you are, he is standing there reaching his hand out to you.  Jesus wants to be your light.  He wants to enter into your life and Light it up.   There is nothing that you can do in this lifetime that will separate you from the love of God.    There is no pit to deep, no river to wide, or sin to big, to separate you from God’s love.   

Jesus died on the cross for all of us.  There is not one person in this world that could have paid for the sins that we have done in our lives.  There is no amount of effort, sacrifice or pain that anyone of us could endure to equal the blood of Jesus.  We enter into relationship with Jesus, by believing in him.   

You may be in the Fall of your life and have been struggling for years, filling a void in your life.  You may have been, like people I know and love dearly, who have tried to fill that void with drugs, alcohol, sex, money, food, work… and the list goes on and on.    As I am sure you have experienced, if you traveled down any of these paths, they have all left you feeling empty, lost and maybe even ashamed.  They have left you feeling incomplete in your life and you know there is more to life than this.  

You know that the emptiness you feel on a daily basis isn’t how you are meant to feel.  You might not know why, understand why, or be able to really articulate how you feel, and all of that is ok.   You don’t have to have all the answers for everything.   Let me say that again, you don’t have to have all the answers for everything.  You were not created to be in control of your life.  You were not created to be controlled by your emotions.  You were created to be a Child of God.   

You were created to glorify him and praise him.   You were not created for a religion, rules or regulations.  You were created to have a relationship with God the Almighty.  You were created to live in the Light and Love of Jesus, and accept that he Loves you so much he died a death that was so humiliating and horrible our minds can’t even conceive of the torture he experienced.   He did it for you.  He died for you, so that you can know him and the power of his resurrection.   

He rose again, three days later, to show you that when you come accept the gift that Jesus gave you, and you believe it, confess it with your mouth, you too will rise again.   We all will come into the Winter of our lives.  Every one of us will enter into this season, we will come in different ways and at different ages, but we will all come to this end.   Jesus has given you a way for you to rise again, and for your spirit to live for eternity in Heaven with him.   

I say to those who are skeptical, unsure or maybe even confused about all of this, what do you have to lose?  You have come to this place for a reason.  You are reading this for a reason.  You are not a mistake, nor are you the sum of your mistakes.   So, what do you have to lose?  Give it a shot.  Try this Jesus thing out and open your hearts and say, here I am, take me as I am and make me new!!  Give me a rebirth, as you do every year when we enter into the Spring season. 

If you are ready, to give Jesus a shot at filling all those holes you have been walking around with for so many years, say this prayer out loud, right where you are.  Believe it, know it, confess it with your mouth and let the Love and Light of Jesus your Savior fills your heart.   After you read the following prayer you are what we call “Born Again or Saved”.    What that means is you are washed clean and new with the Blood of Jesus.  Your sins have been forgiven and you are a new creature in Christ.   I would urge you to pray, talk; communicate with Jesus, start reading God filled books, including the Bible.   Give Jesus the chance you gave everything destructive in your life and see where this Beautiful Season of life, leads you.  God Bless and Welcome! 

 

Prayer of Salvation

Dear Father

Thank you for Jesus.  Thank you for the sacrifice Jesus made, for me, on the cross.  Thank you Lord for sending your one, unique son, to die so that I may have life, for eternity, with you, in Heaven.  Lord, I believe that you sent your son to die on the cross for me.  To shed his blood for me, so that my sins are forever more forgiven and forgotten.  I ask you God to come into my life and change me Lord.  Send your Holy Spirit to come and live in me and change me from the Inside out.  I commit my life to you God and I thank you that my name is now written in the Lambs Book of Life.  I thank you God that I am now yours and you are now mine, and I am never walking alone in this life.  I ask for all of these things in Jesus’ Name.  Amen. 

 

Jesus made a way for you...

Have you ever had that moment in church, seminar or gathering where someone was speaking and you knew they were speaking right to you?  You felt as if they were able to read your mind and search your heart to gather information about you, and then tell you about it.   This has happened to me a lot recently, and though it still freaks me out for a bit, it always makes me stop and think what I need to learn from what the person has just said.  What is the hidden, or not so hidden, message that was meant for me?

I know I am not alone in this happening, as I have not only heard my mom say it has happened to her, but I have heard people at church say, that was for me.  It always makes me feel good when things like this happen, especially at church, because to me it’s a confirmation that I am where I am supposed to be.

In Acts 2:37, made me think of when situations like this happens, what are we truly to do with the aftermath, or message we have received, and what should you do if you are not a believer and this happens to you.

Acts 2:37 Now when they heard this they were stung (cut) to the heart, and they said to Peter and the rest of the apostles (special messengers), Brethren, what shall we do?   38 And Peter answered them, Repent (change your views and purpose to accept the will of God in your inner selves instead of rejecting it) and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of and release from your sins; and you shall receive the gift of the holy Spirit. 39 For the promise (of the Holy Spirit) is to and for you and your children, and to and for all that are far away, (even) to and for as many as the Lord our God invites and bids to come to Himself.

Luke is telling us a teaching from David, and how people felt when they realized that Jesus was raised up to be with God, and sit at the right side of God and share His throne.   They said that the words cut them, they stung them.  I am assuming that this could be because they didn’t really believe whole heartily that Jesus was exactly who He said He was.  I believe the reason for the deepness of the pain, was for the disbelief they carried, and now they are seeing and hearing, that their disbelief was futile.

They are experiencing first hand that Jesus was exactly who He claimed to be all along, and these people have lost the chance to commune with Him one on one.  Their hearts are heavy with remorse, but also with gratitude, because even though they might not have surrendered themselves completely to Jesus, while He was on the earth, He still made a way for them with His death and resurrection. 

Maybe you, like the people over two thousand years ago, are unsure of Jesus or where you stand with Him.  Maybe you have always doubted or weren’t fully devoted to the life that Jesus has called you for.  Well there is no need to worry, or wonder any longer.  For every question, God always gives us an answer, and He did so in Acts 38.

All you need to do, to set yourself right with Jesus, God, and the Holy Spirit, is to repent.   What exactly does repent mean you ask?  Change your mind.  Change your thinking.  If you were an unbeliever before, you change your mind, and you now believe that Jesus came, and died for you on the cross, and rose again.   It’s simple; you change your mind, ideas, thoughts and words, and align them with the truth that is Jesus. 

Do you know that it says that Jesus revealed Himself over three hundred times, to random people, not just His close friends, after His resurrection?   Do you wonder why He did that?  He really didn’t need to reveal Himself so many times, wouldn’t you think showing yourself a dozen or so times after your resurrection, would be enough?   I think Jesus, knew that there will always be doubters.  There will always be someone that says, like doubting Thomas, who was a disciple, and walked with Jesus for almost three years, I won’t believe until I see for myself.  Or, I won’t believe until I put my fingers in the holes in His hands, feet and side.  Do you know how Jesus changed Thomas’s mind?  He revealed Himself to Thomas and said here Thomas, put your finger in my side and see for yourself that I am. 

That might put my mind to ease… How about you?

Jesus knew there would be doubters and people who come to believe in Him later, so He made a way for us to receive all that He is through believing in Him.  When you confess and believe in Jesus Christ you receive healing, forgiveness and hope.  There is a new quality to life that you probably didn’t experience before.   It says in Acts 2:39 For the promise (of the Holy Spirit) is to and for you and your children, and to and for all that are far away (even) to and for as many as the Lord our God invites and bids to come to Himself. 

The promises of Jesus Christ, God, and the Holy Spirit, are for you, and me.  The promises are for those who believe, those who are unsure, and those who don’t believe.  The promises are for your children, your grandchildren and your great grandchildren.  The promises are for everyone, all you have to do is believe and confess. 

I don’t know any human being who would still give you a promise of a changed life, while you don’t believe in them.  I don’t know any human being who would still extend their hand to you, when you continue to turn your back on them.  I do know one supreme being who does all of those things and so much more, and He is waiting for you to come to Him, so He can fulfill all the promises He has waiting for you.

The promises of God are for whom so ever will.   It doesn’t matter who you are, what you have done or how you once felt.   All that matters is when you feel that tug on your heart, those words that cut through you like a sword, take heed.  Listen to the words that are being spoken to you and know that this is God trying to get your attention and bring you back to Him.  His promises are just waiting for you to believe!   

This little light of mine!

I recently attended a funeral and viewing for a dear friend of mine.  This funeral was nothing like I have ever experienced, and to be honest, I wouldn’t have been able to imagine this funeral in my mind. 

Here is a bit of a back story on my friend.  She was 24 years old than me, has children older than me and has lived!   Her passing was very sudden and has been very difficult for me to process and make a reality.  She was not only my friend, she was my security blanket, in a way, she protected me from the world, and most importantly, from myself.

Now, I say that, tongue and cheek, I wasn’t a physical harm to myself or anyone else, but she was my covering in life.  Her friendship filled me in ways, I didn’t even know I needed, and she came at a perfect time in my life.  We spent countless hours on the phone discussing our lives and would speak five to six times a day, so you can begin to see the significance this woman played in my life.

She changed me… forever!

When I was getting ready to attend the funeral, I was hoping that I was going to be taken to “church” instead of a boring “typical” funeral service.  My friend was anything but typical, so a normal funeral would never do her justice.  She had a heart for God and would let anyone know it, and if you didn’t like it, that’s on you, but she’s not changing for nobody!   She understood me in ways no one else ever has!

This service had me laughing, crying, smiling, clapping, dancing, ugly crying and praising God.  This service was a testament to the life she led.  She wasn’t perfect, she made many, many mistakes, but the one thing she knew, and knew it to the core of her being, was that God loved her.    She had faith that could move a mountain, and from what I hear, just about did!  She held on to the word of God, and through that, I was affected, and transformed, by her diligence and deep rooted love.

Tonight when I read Matthew 5:4 I thought of my friend.  I thought of the many times I would tell her, if only I could have your faith.  If only I could believe the way you believe, and trust the way you trust. 

Verse four states, Blessed and enviably happy (with a “happiness produced by the experience of God’s favor and especially conditioned by the revelation of His matchless grace) are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.

This verse to me is how I feel about her attitude towards the Lord, how the Lord did indeed bless her, and how He comforted her, and will comfort me.  When I read this I thought of her laughter during painful moments of life, how she would tell me over and over again, have faith, just have the faith, that God will do this for you.   That was who she was.  She had the faith that God would take care of her, because He always did. 

My friend experienced a lot more with God, than I have experienced, so far in my walk with Him, so our experience of His greatness is not on equal footing.  She experienced His miracles for twenty plus more years than I have, so she has had more time to grow her faith in God.  Where my faith is hobbling along, often tripping over itself trying to learn which way to go.

I was trying to achieve something, level or experience with God, that I hadn’t earned through trial and error and time put in.  I haven’t earned my stripes so to speak, but she had.  She has scrapped her knee more times than she would ever like to mention building her relationship with God, and that’s what I must do as well.

While verse four is a verse that lifts our spirits and gives us comfort right where we are, we can’t expect verse four to comfort us at the same level that it would comfort a person with a  seasoned relationship with God.   I was expecting the same blessings, grace and comfort that my friend had experienced in her life, without putting in the time with God to achieve it.

We are not going to establish, grow or ripen our relationship with God, or anyone for that matter, by wishing.  I am not going to wake up tomorrow and say I wish I had a relationship with you God that my friend had, after 63 years of serving you.  God’s going to laugh at me and say, you have to go through what she went through, and she had gone through, to get what she got.

God will love us and comfort us, and give us favor, where we are, but it’s going to be equal to your relationship with Him.  It’s going to be an equal relationship, so what you deposit, you will receive, but don’t plan on advancement without your investment.  God doesn’t work on a layaway plan.  God works on payment of Faith and Grace.  You receive by how much you have and what you plan to do with what you have.

I know that God is comforting me in my time of mourning for me dear friend, but He is only doing what I allow Him to do.  It works both ways.  I get what I give.   

My friend gave all of herself to God and He used her to serve His people, and serve she did.   She served Him, His people and people who have yet to know Him.  She had a ripple effect that changed many lives and the trajectory of their lives, I know she did mine.

While I stood there in the pew clapping my hands, with tears streaming down my face, singing this little light of mine, I am going to let it shine… I watched her casket being escorted down the hallway and I thought to myself, she is this song.   This song is perfect for sendoff, for her celebration of life.  It’s simplistic.  It speaks of love, obedience, fighting and diligence and that was her.

Her little light, that small flicker of light that God put in her heart for Him, she let that light shine and she let it shine brightly, boldly and lovingly.   Her little light, that one little light, showed hundreds if not thousands of people that God is Able… if you give Him you!

God is Able to take that light and make it shine so brightly that the condition of your heart brings envy to those around you and comfort to your soul!  God is Able...

This little light of mine, I am going to let it shine, This little light of mine, I am going to let it shine, This little light of mine, I am going to let it shine, Let it shine, let it shine, let it shine….

God will rescue you!

Have you ever sat in a busy area and taken a good look around at the people moving around you?  Have you ever wondered what their stories are or what burdens they carry with them? 

I do this often, probably every day.  When I am standing in line I will often wonder if the people around me know the love of God.  If they are content in their lives and understand that they don’t have to walk in such pain every day. 

We are taught, or most of us are taught, to hide our feelings, to mask our pain.  A lot of people are not allowed or encouraged to vocalize their worries, fears, anger or concerns.  Even things that make people happy, they generally don’t share them with each other.  When someone asks you how your day is and you’re having a good day, you tend to say its ok; instead of I am having a great day!

We have become so sensitive to the other persons feelings that we are blocking our own.  We are inhibiting our own emotions for fear that we might upset the person or persons we are speaking too. 

I personally don’t think this is a good idea. 

I don’t think we should wallow and become self-indulgent in our pain but we should be able to share it with people who love and care about us.  We should be able to say, no, I am not having a great day; this is what happened, can you pray with me about this, or for me about this.  When you hold your emotions inside they begin to fester and I believe this gives the enemy a foot to stand on.  He can take your emotions and twist them whether they are negative or positive.  He can use your way of trying to protect other people as a way to attack yourself. 

We are meant to share, commune with not only God but each other.  That’s why we have churches.  Church is a gathering place for people who want to draw closer to God, and do that around like minded people. 

In Acts 16:18-29 If Paul and Silas had decided to keep their feelings and emotions to themselves we would never have seen the blessing that happened in verse 30.

(30) And he brought them out (of the dungeon) and said, Men, what is it necessary for me to do that I may be saved?

This verse is in reference to the fact that Paul and Silas were praising God in the dungeon and God sent an earthquake to free them, and after the foundation was shaken their shackles were broken off of them, and all the doors were opened.  The jailer, who is speaking in verse 30, takes his sword to end his life, fearing that all the prisoners had escaped.  Paul yells out to the jailer, no, don’t kill yourself, we are all still here.

If Paul and Silas were quiet about their love for God and Jesus, and had continued to ignore the slave girl, they would never have found themselves in the dungeon.  They would have never been able to show the jailer the grace, mercy and love of God.

When we as Christians show the people around us that we too have bad days, meh days and good days, we are showing them that we are just like them but and it’s a big BUT we have a savior who will lead us out of the situations. 

If we suppress our feelings and life’s challenges and rewards we are not giving God the opportunity to work through us.   We are in fact joining the rest of the world and numbing ourselves to get through the day.

We are not meant to be numb and we are not meant to just get through the day.  We are meant to glorify God and what He is doing in our lives.  So maybe you have had a string of bad days, well so have I, but we have the hope that people who don’t know Jesus don’t have.  We can say, yeah, I have had some pretty bad days lately, but thank God I know that He is working everything out for my good.   I know that God will take care of whatever is happening in my life and I trust Him to make a way out of this.

You see every situation can glorify God.  You can be locked in a dungeon like Paul and Silas, or feel like you are locked in a dungeon, and show God throughout your struggle to the nonbelievers around you, and then when God makes a way out of the struggle they will see the victory God has given to you, and hopefully, want to know Him intimately.

We have the opportunity as God’s hands and feet in this world to stand out to the people around us, to bring light into their dark worlds.  We have the opportunity to show them that we have the same problems as they do, but we have a God who will carry the burdens for us…and they can have Him too.

We are here to be like Paul and Silas and have the jailers asking us what is it necessary for me to do that I may be saved!!

 

Show them God in you!

Everyone’s path to Jesus is different.  There is not one particular way to get to Jesus, but there are many different roads that we must all travel as individuals to get us to that place of surrender.

Some people might have a road that brings Jesus to them early in life.  Some might grow up understanding and having a relationship with Jesus, and then there are some people who have that exposure, but turn away, to find Him again in their own way. 

We are all created to be individuals and to me that means that we have an individual road map to Jesus.   One day while I was at work I was cleaning off the face of my cellphone and saw my thumbprint, and I was awestruck by the fact that no one else in this entire world has the same thumb print as mine.  That I am truly not just one of a kind by my name, but I am one of a kind by my creation as well.

I have seen my fingerprints more times than I can count, but on this particular day I just sat there thinking how amazing it is that God goes to such in depth detail to distinguish us from each other.  Hair color, body shape, skin color, facial features and names, I think would be enough, but I guess not, because He gave us all, our own personal design.   No one can recreate your fingerprint, it solely belongs to you, and this is how your path to Jesus works.

There are a thousand roads you must travel in this life and one of those roads is sure to bring you to your Lord and Savior.  Some of us come to Him in sadness, grief, a birth of a child, confusion or a longing to be connected to something bigger than ourselves.  Whatever your road that brought you, it has brought you to the door of Jesus.

What we know is the only way to get to God, is through Jesus.  There a few things we know for sure, we know that to get to God you must go through Jesus, we know that to have access to Jesus, you must believe and confess that He is and we know that you must have a true heart to that confession.  Meaning I can say that I believe something with my lips and that can make me “born again” but if my heart doesn’t back up what my mouth has just said, I am truly not a new creation in Christ.

All of these things need to be working together to enter into God’s kingdom.  In Acts 15 I thought it was interesting that people were arguing about whether or not the Gentiles, who had accepted Jesus, needed to be circumcised to indeed, accept Jesus.  This was coming from some of the Pharisees, who thought that since the newly converted Gentiles were not circumcised by the laws of Moses, that they were not really saved.

Now, two things pop out to me here, one being the laws were put into place to help people understand that they needed a savior, AKA, Jesus, and now He has come, was crucified, and resurrected, so why are they still fighting over laws of Moses?    I think that it’s hard for a leopard to change their spots, so to speak.  I believe completely that people can change, but they have to want to change.

The Pharisees, though some of them are being converted into believing Jesus, they still are holding on to their old ways and doctrines out of fear to change and conform.  When you surrender completely to something you give up the comfort and control of what you once knew, and this can be extremely difficult.

My second thought is, why or is it my place to judge whether someone else is saved or not?  Is it for me to test their hearts or their faith, or their relationship with the Heavenly Father?  Isn’t this between them Jesus, God and the Holy Spirit?  They, and in saying they, I do mean, we, have become so engrossed with testing people’s faith and whether they are saved or not saved that it’s like a job interview.

Hello, my name is Mr. Christian, oh, so you’re a Christian? How do I know you are a real Christian, and not just playing one for the day?  I mean come on people!  We really have nothing better to do with our lives then second guess the purity of someone else’s heart to God.

In Acts 15:9-11 Peter says the same thing, but much nicer.  (9) And He made no difference between us and them, but cleansed their hearts by faith (by a strong and welcome conviction that Jesus is the Messiah, through Whom we obtain eternal salvation in the kingdom of God). (10) Now then, why do you try to test God by putting a yoke on the necks of the disciples, such as neither our forefathers nor we (ourselves) were able to endure? (11) But we believe that we are saved through the grace (the undeserved favor and mercy) of the Lord Jesus, just as they (are).

EXACTLY!!                                               

Why is a person who is circumcised or not circumcised any less saved than I am, who by the way would never be circumcised, because I am a woman, so am I already less saved just by default of sexual orientation?  Do you see how silly that sounds?

People we have actual problems in the world.  We have people who have never heard the name Jesus and we are telling people who love Him and have devoted their lives to Him they are not good enough because of a piece of skin.  Sorry, for being graphic, but that’s what it is.

Why don’t we try to take our conviction we have towards proving that people are saved, correctly, or not, and start just telling people about Jesus and where to find Him.  If we would take all of that energy that we put into finding the fakeness in someone and put it into finding the good in someone, imagine how wonderful the kingdom of God would be.

Do you know that we, the Christians, circumcised or not, we are to be God’s hands and feet in the earth.  Do you think that He would be proud of the petty little arguments we get into with each other, or the judgments we make of each other, when we are to be the role models for the world. 

We are to be the light into the dark world.  We are to be the salt that makes the rest of the world thirsty for what we have.  No wonder people question “religion” and its pretenses wouldn’t you, if you had a chance to listen to a group of Christians talk.   We really need to get it together; me included, and shape up our walk, not just because we need to put on a good show but because we serve a GREAT God.

God deserves for us to give the world our best.  God deserves to be represented in the best light possible.  Yes, we are going to make mistakes and that sometimes is better than being perfect.  When you make that mistake and you know you have made it, go over to the person and apologize, ask for help, do whatever needs done to right the mistake that you just made.   This is how we can show the world God in us.

We don’t need to be perfect, but we most definitely don’t have the quality of heart to judge another person’s heart for God, while we walk with our light turned off.  Plug back in; reconnect with your Lord and Savior. 

Start again, right now, change your mind about the person you’ve been giving the side eye to at work or church, the gym, I don’t care where, but change your mind about them.  Do your job as God’s disciples in this world and show them God in you!!!

Her Serving Spirit...

As I sit here at work with the lights shinning above me my heart is numb, my mind is racing and having a very hard time putting the words together that I just received an hour ago.   My friend, My dear friend, My loyal friend, My friend who was always there when I needed her has passed away. 

How is this possible... Is the only thought that keeps going through my mind.  How is it possible that two weeks ago was the last time I spoke to her and heard her laugh.  This friend, this beautiful spirit that I became so incredibly attached to, had a tremendous impact in my relationship with God.   She led me closer to my Father and let me know that no matter what I did He will always love me.  She told me to always have Faith in my Lord and Savior and that my calling is bigger than me. 

Her friendship will forever be locked in my heart and her words of encouragement and sometimes challenging words lifted me up to becoming a better person.   Her calling in life was to serve and serve she did.  She helped everyone she could one way or another and always gave of herself. 

My dear friend's spirit could be felt before she walked in the room and an emptiness was felt when she exited, and that is how I feel today, right now, there is an emptiness that is in my heart that will never be filled.  I will hold a spot for her always in my heart, mind and soul and when I see her again in Heaven, because I will see her again in Heaven, we will pick up right where we left off, but this time all our questions will be answered.

My request in sharing this with you all today is to ask you all to lift my dear friend Sharron's family up in your prayers.  Her passing was very sudden and has come, I am sure, as a complete shock to all those who have loved her so.  Please raise them up in your prayers and your thoughts and ask God to bring them peace and comfort in their time of pain and sorrow.

Thank you and may God bless each one of you with the kind of friendship that I had with my beautiful friend Sharron.

GPS...God's Protective Services

The walk as a Christian can sometimes be a difficult one to travel.  As things start to change around you and your desires start to change, without any effort from you.   It can be a very overwhelming, stressful, scary but yet very beautiful time in your life.

As God starts to transform you into the image of His son Jesus, you will start to see things in your personality change and align more with the word of God and not the person you once knew.  People might start to notice a change in you and how you handle situations.  They might notice a calmness that is now resting in your soul.   This is the work of God in your life, and know that He is making all the changes He needs for you to fulfill the call He has on your life.

As Christians we are to be salt and light in the world.  We are to make people thirsty for God and reveal their brokenness and the way to healing, through our words and actions.

I personally have always been one who believes the actions of people over their words, as words are easy to believe, but action takes effort.  They do go hand in hand but the follow through is so very important to me.  When I see someone stepping out to right a wrong or make a change in their lives, something inside of me changes for them.  My heart softens for the person who can align their words with their actions.   I will do anything I can to support a person who can stand in the truth of their words and actions.

Not that long ago, I was the person who cut you out of their life on mistake number one.  I was the one who says, you have one shot, make it a good one.  And when you messed up, because you would mess up, I proved myself right and moved along in life without you.   I would allow you the opportunity to show me who I assumed you were all along, and again, most times, I was right.

I am thankful for the internal GPS system that God has given me, GPS standing for God’s Protective Services.   God has graced me with an internal knowing about people.  I get a sense about people and their intentions and can see through the facade of their words and into the core of their motives.  I believe God gave this to me as a way to shield myself from additional harm in my life.

As I have eluded in other writings I come from a pretty tough background.  My childhood was very abusive and I saw many things that I would not wish on another human being in life.  I have lived in fear for most of my life and have craved security and stability.  I have found these things in very few people in life, but I am finding them all in God.

I was getting ready for work the other morning and the initials GPS popped into my head, and then God’s Protective Services came right after that.   I thought isn’t that cool, and went about my day.  This has remained in my head for days now, and still has not gone away, to the point I wrote it in my Bible tonight before my nightly reading.

I feel like God gives us all an internal knowing, a way to keep us from fear and harm, and some of our knowing is stronger than others.   To me this was God’s way of saying, I know that you are not in a great place right now, and I can’t change that or deliver you from it, but I can protect you from having any more of it.    I think that’s why I have always had a feeling about people whether it is good or bad.

I don’t have many memories of my childhood, very few photographs, and even less happy times that I can recall.  I think this is my brains way of shielding me from pain that I am not able to bare.  God has revealed things to me over the course of my adult life that have been very difficult, but He has also walked me through each step. 

Abuse can come in many forms, you can have physical, sexual, mental and spiritual abuse, and unfortunately I have experienced them all.   I was placed in situations that were extremely unsafe for me and have shaped me into the person I am today.   I was watching Dr. Phil one day, not a show that I watch often, but I remember he was talking to a family about the abuse that their child was being exposed to and he made this statement and it has stuck with me ever since. 

He said, and I am paraphrasing, but he said, when a child comes into this world they have a clean blackboard.  There is nothing written on their blackboard, they are fresh, and the people in their lives will write on the wall of their blackboard, and that is what they identify themselves to be.   So when a child hears that they are loved, valued, wanted, desired, cherished, appreciated, special, beautiful, smart and worthy all those words are being written on the blackboard of their identity and they will grow to accept and become those words.  In a sense they will adopt those words as who they are. 

When a child grows up hearing you are stupid, ugly, I don’t love you, I don’t want you, abandoned, neglected, hit, called fat, worthless or unworthy, they adopt those words as who they are meant to be.

This was a very profound moment for me and a way for me to understand one of the reasons why I have always felt less than in life.  The people who wrote on my blackboard didn’t write words to edify me they wrote words that described them.   They transferred the feelings they had about themselves on to me.

I think this is why God tells us in Romans 12:14 Bless those who persecute you (who are cruel in their attitude toward you); bless and do not curse them.  And in Romans 12:18 If possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. 

Now, as a young child this is hard for us to understand, let alone do, but as an adult we have decisions we can make.  We can decide if we are going to allow ourselves to take out our anger on others, or allow for God to make amends for the wrong that has been done to us.

Romans 12:19 Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave the way open for (God’s) wrath; for it is written, Vengeance is Mine, I will repay (requite) says the Lord.

God gives all of us an internal GPS (God’s Protective Service) to protect us from harm and devastation or from being the one who brings harm and devastation to another person.   We decide whether we want to heed the internal sensing or continue to walk in the ways we think are best for us. 

God protects all of His children, as we are the apples of His eyes; we are the rhythm of His heart.  He doesn’t want to see any of us harmed, but if we don’t listen to the promptings from God He can’t shield us from ourselves.

What is wonderful is that even if you have lived a life full of horrible decisions, or like me had a bad start to life, and had their blackboard filled with words that tore me apart, instead of building me up, we have a savior that can wipe that blackboard clean. 

We have Jesus.  Jesus came to save us from any shame, sin, doubt or fears that we had.  He came so that we can flourish in the Grace, Mercy and Love that He showed us on the Cross.   Jesus took my sins and yours and made them white as snow. 

What this says to me, is that Jesus can take that blackboard, that has words that describe your old life and wash them away with words that describe who you are created to be.  Jesus can wash those words away, not only from your mind but from your soul and your heart.  Jesus can take everything that was broken and make it brand new.

If you take the GPS that God has given to you internally, and combine that with the sacrifice that Jesus gave you on the Cross, there is nothing that can hold you back from living a life that is full of abundance and hope.  Allow Jesus to wash away the despair and sadness from your blackboard and let Him write a new story for you.  One that is filled with His Grace, Mercy, Love and Peace.