The STORMS of LIFE

"Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you!" James 4:8

The effects of Hurricane Sandy came through Philadelphia, PA and left us in a windy, rainy, and power outage state. The warnings never really prepare you for the actuality. I'm one who is an overall SAVER...Literally and Spiritually...always putting away for a rainy day...so most of what I needed for the storm I already had on hand...just needed to have it READILY AVAILABLE.

After two power outages and a scramble for all the candles and battery operated flood/flashlights, I realized how much we DEPEND on things...things that really do not amount to a hill of beans in the Kingdom of God. While my household & I sat in the candlelit room trying to FIND the unusual things to do with our now forced QUIET time together, I realized even with the simple things in life, we have all that we need when we STOP and take a moment to reflect on it. 

The time that we usually would be watching TV, surfing the internet, playing with some type of an electronic gadget or on the phone, could be better spent reflecting and talking to God through these storms. We really don't need much for Time with God just the WILLINGNESS to draw closer to Him by READING His Word, the WILLINGNESS to PRAY about what strikes our HEART, the WILLINGNESS to WAIT and LISTEN to what He has to say about it, and the WILLINGNESS to OBEY what He has to say about it.

The Storms of Life have their purpose...they are meant to keep us CLOSE to the One who can get us PREPARED for, AWAY from, or THROUGH the Storms of Life! So I ask you...How much are you DEPENDING on Him Who is Able, Ruler of All Things, and The One Who Never Leaves Nor Forsakes Us? Why not SIT STILL and try it for yourself? I know He will make Himself KNOWN to you when you commit to do it!

Faith....Your Ready to Go Without the Training Wheels!

  

2 Corinthians 5:7 (AMP)

 For we walk by faith [we regulate our lives and conduct ourselves by our conviction or belief respecting man’s relationship to God and divine things, with trust and holy fervor; thus we walk] not by sight or appearance.

Wow..."But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty: the foolish things of the world are meant to confound the wise!" (1 Corinthians 1:27) Boy, am I FULLY understanding this more and more as I walk with Jesus! We think we know God when things are COMFORTABLE and things are the way we would prefer them to be. But, we REALLY don't get to KNOW God until we have nothing but Him to lean on...Shoe leather FAITH where we have to truly WALK it out with every uncertain step.

Be careful what you pray for because what you THINK you are praying, will usually not manifest the way you thought. God's ways are above our ways, and I'm realizing this the more I walk by FAITH and not by what things LOOK like.

We humans seem to think we can imagine something, but by the time God puts His Precious Touch on it, it's always bigger and grander than we can ever imagine. What we prayed for will usually come by way of PRACTICE to get us where God wants us. We think it's going to be SMOOTH sailing because we PRAYED about it; however the complete opposite usually happens from what our finite minds can imagine. We want more favor…God TEST us to let us see what our RESPONSE is to the little things in life. We get to see if we can be TRUSTED with the BIG FAVOR that He wants to give us.

Oh, yes God wants to give you what you want as soon as you request it, but are you MATURE enough to handle it? We are just like the 14 year old boy who wants to drive, but he's not mature enough to handle the responsibility that comes with driving. So he has to wait...watch others do what he wants to do, read up and learn the laws that go with driving, take a written test to make sure he knows the rules, PRACTICE what he knows intellectually to get the HANDS-ON-EXPERIENCE that gives him a BETTER understanding, and then the BIG DRIVING TEST to be eligible to drive alone. 

 God is holding our hand a little more in the beginning of our FAITH journey to eventually allow us to be less supervised because we've proven we are TRUSTWORTHY to go along without Him instructing us as much. We are GROWING up when we have stayed close to Him enough that we KNOW His Character even when we don't hear Him instructing our every step. Thank God He knows when to take the training wheels off our bike of FAITH to test us for a while to help us know we are mature enough, responsible enough, and READY to ride without them!!!

Are You Ready???

(Proverbs 30:21-23) 'Under three things the earth is DISQUIETED, and under four it CANNOT BEAR Up... Under a servant when he reigns, a [empty-headed] fool when he is filled with food, AN UNLOVED and REPUGNANT WOMAN WHEN SHE IS MARRIED, and a maidservant when she supplants her mistress.'

 
When I read the above scripture verse this morning, it seemed to JUMP off the page straight to my heart. I now look back over my life and realize that when I really was aching to be loved and married, I WAS NOT READY! I've since learned that God postpones our desires when we are not delighted in Him first. Psalm 37:4 reminds us of it...."Delight yourself also in the Lord, and He will give you the desires and secret petitions of your heart."

I know a lot of single mothers (myself included) who are now or were left alone raising children mainly because they were looking for some man to fulfill a space that only God can fulfill. We often look outside ourselves to fulfill our desires for love, when LOVE is activated best when we are IN-Love with the One who is LOVE. How can we attract love when we don't actually have it from within first? Every physical manifestation of this life starts from within first. God wants to do the HEART work ON YOU FIRST so that you will be ready to attract what you REALLY desire. So I ask you have you done the HEART work to be ready for him who you desire?

If you haven’t, let's dig deeper and LOOK at the two words that God's Word says about women that DISQUIETS the earth and it CANNOT BEAR UP....

RE•PUG•NANT (r-pgnnt) adj. 1 Incompatible, Inconsistent 2 Hostile 3 Arousing disgust or aversion; offensive or repulsive

UNLOVED (unˈluvd) adj. 1 not loved or cared for 2 feeling neglected

Now, let's LOOK at the word we all desire....

LOVE (luv) n. 1. a person who is the object of deep or intense affection or attraction; BELOVED. Often used as a term of endearment. 2. a strong affection for another arising out of kinship or personal ties

LOVE (luv) vb. 1. to hold dear, cherish 2. to feel affection or experience desire

LOVE (1 Corinthians 13:4-8) 4 LOVE endures long and is patient and kind; love never is envious nor boils over with jealousy, is not boastful or vainglorious, does not display itself haughtily. 5 It is not conceited (arrogant and inflated with pride); it is not rude (unmannerly) and does not act unbecomingly. Love (God’s love in us) does not insist on its own rights or its own way, for it is not self-seeking; it is not touchy or fretful or resentful; it takes no account of the evil done to it [it pays no attention to a suffered wrong]. 6 It does not rejoice at injustice and unrighteousness, but rejoices when right and truth prevail. 7 Love bears up under anything and everything that comes, is ever ready to believe the best of every person, its hopes are fadeless under all circumstances, and it endures everything [without weakening]. 8 Love never fails [never fades out or becomes obsolete or comes to an end].


God's LOVE REQUIRES A LOT!!! More than most of us as mothers are NOT ready to give this kind of love. We say we desire love but are we LOVE? God EMPOWERS us to give the LOVE that He wishes for us to experience. If we go after love WITHOUT Him, we become REPUGNANT and UNLOVED. This makes us DISQUIETED in our hearts and spirit. We then display it on the earth for the man that arrives into our lives. When he then experiences your display he CANNOT BEAR UP under it to be all that you desire him to be. It’s no wonder so many of us are left alone because we have not tapped into the POWER SOURCE to sustain us to give and experience love in a way that is BELOVED as God sees it.

So, I ask you again are you ready for LOVE? Have you done the HARD HEART work that is required to arrive to the place you desire? Are you willing to put in time to STUDY GOD and His ways by getting to know Him better through reading His Word and asking Him to guide your steps and keeping you in the shadow of His wings until you are ready? Being alone is an opportunity to PREPARE ourselves for the One our heart desires. We can then receive the one God has prepared to LOVE us as we desire.

Be encouraged and EMPOWERED moms, he is on his way to you as you move closer to the One who will send him. But God first desires to shower His Love on you so that you will be able to recognize him when he shows up. Remember….without God we are “repugnant and unloved”… not too appealing to him who is God sent. So, go and prepare for him, then you will be READY!

"Is Your Love REALLY Love or is it Manipulation?"

(Acts 17:28) - "For in Him we live and MOVE and have our being....We are his offspring."

(1 Corinthians 13:4-8) - "LOVE is PATIENT, LOVE is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love NEVER fails..."

Have you ever tried to get someone to do something you want them to do? Do you believe your actions are best for what you want to achieve? Have a seat and let's examine what may be the root of the issue for this action. 

Quite often we try to move others by our efforts rather than by the efforts of the Spirit. If we are not careful, we may show disrespect to others and to God by not allowing others to be moved in their heart first. Trying to be "Holy Spirit Jr." makes us tired, frustrated, and most of out of the will of God. It proves we are unable to handle what is meant to be done in God's power. If we don't pray and seek God first, we can be tempted to try to manipulate or control others into doing what we want in the time and plan we desire. So why do we do it given the destructive results?

We as women have a big temptation to control things/people in order to get things done in our timing. It is part of the curse placed on us in the garden when God said, "Your DESIRE will be for your husband, and he will RULE over you.” (Genesis 3:16) This scripture shows a biblical example of the submission we are to have towards a higher authority beyond what we want/desire.

There is a reason Self-Control is part of the Fruit of the Spirit. Quite often we try to control others when we are actually called to control ourselves. Maybe we are being called to pray about it instead of say anything about it. Or act loving towards someone who has hurt us. Or maybe patiently listen when we are in a hurry to respond with our answer. Or submit our prayers to the Lord for Him to protect and guide our teenager's choices versus trying to control their every move.

The root of manipulation is fear. Fear that breeds selfishness and power. Fear is an evil lurking in our hearts seeking whom it may devourer. Did you know that manipulation or as the bible calls it the Jezebel spirit is a form of withcraft? Seems a little shocking doesn't it? We don't like to look at for what it truly is. Witchcraft is the practice used to control or have power over others/things. Since God is the only Sovereign being, we were best designed to submit our control over to Him. When we manipulate, we are trying to stand in the place that is reserved for God and His Power.

Manipulation is a tactic of the enemy and will always be revealed for what it is...a deception. When other's realize they are being manipulated the temporary power one believes they have will burn up against the flame of God's Love. Where there is manipulation there is no Peace. There will be evidence of anger, frustration, worry, and all the things that are not part of the Fruit of the Spirit. Peace is from God and is another ingredient of the Fruit of the Spirit. 2 Kings 9:22 tells us, "When Joram saw Jehu he asked, 'Have you come in peace Jehu? HOW CAN THERE BE PEACE,' Jehu replied, 'as long as all the idolatry and witchcraft of your mother Jezebel abound?'”

God often allows frustrations in life as an opportunity to bring us to a point of submission to Him so that we can then be a greater overflow of His Love to others. If this article is speaking to your heart, go before the Lord and ask for His forgiveness and repent. Ask Him to help you to change from this action and begin to reflect the character that looks like His image. Look up scriptures related to Love, control, & power to see what speaks to your heart on the subject. May your search for God's Love enrich and encourage you to a life that has BEAUTY for the ashes of your past actions. STAY in His Blessing!

Serving the Lord With Your Health

We do not lag behind in diligence, we are fervant in spirit, and serving the Lord. (Romans 12:11)

BLESS (AFFECTIONATELY, gratefully praise) the Lord, O my soul; and all that is [deepest] within me, bless His holy name! Bless (affectionately, gratefully praise) the Lord, O my soul, and forget not [one of] all His benefits-- Who forgives [every one of] all your iniquities, Who heals [each one of] all your diseases, Who redeems your life from the pit and corruption, Who BEAUTIFIES, dignifies, and crowns you with loving-kindness and tender mercy; Who satisfies your mouth [your necessity and desire at your personal age and situation] with good so that your youth, renewed, is like the eagle's [strong, overcoming, soaring]! (Psalm 103:1-5 AMP)

"The thief comes only in order to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance (to the full, till it overflows)." (John 10:10 AMP)


Do you know that you serve the Lord by being diligent about your physical health? Have you noticed when you eat certain things, they have an adverse affect on your mind and/or your body? We must pursue physical exercise, and eating healthy as if we are serving the Lord. Our lack of diligence keeps us from having a body that is energetic, vibrant, and healthy. When we are physically healthy, we can do the work of the Lord with full endurance and power.


Take a moment and take stock of your physical activity and your eating habits. What things need to change? Are you facing ailments? Could you stand to have a healthier blood pressure? Do you eat too many processed, fatty, fried or sugar loaded foods? Sickness is not meant for a child of the MOST HIGH GOD...HE is a HEALER.


I must admit I have not been the best steward of the body God has given me over the last seven to eight years. I let the demands of life distract me from what I know is important. I didn't want to take full responsibility for what needed to be done. First, I said it was stress from a job in which I was not totally happy. Then it was, "I just have to have my chocolate" or "I'm not cooking tonight, let's go to Burger King. At least the burgers are flame broiled". And the big one, "I must be going through perimenopause, because I can't seem to lose any weight no matter how hard I try to stop eating the wrong things."


It's amazing how we can lie to ourselves about what we don't want to do...what we know we should be doing. See the thing is it takes WORK to get the results we say we want. All the talking in the world, and excusing it a way does not change the requirement of discipline, diligence, and determination. Hopefully, we will get sick and tired of living this way and make a conscious effort to get back on the path of Life....the best life God intends for us to have.


So today, we pray to ask God for His power and strength to be victorious and to see His vision for our health. We look up scriptures related to healing, diligence, body, etc. We confess and pray the scriptures out loud. We write out a plan. We commit to the plan. We recognize our weaknesses ahead of time. We have an escape route when we are tempted to help us stay the course. Step by step, we'll be back on the road to better bodies and a better us before we know it. We won't let the enemy steal, kill, or destroy another moment of our lives by continuing down the path of early death. God wants us to have life and to have it more abundantly in every area of our life....especially our health!


Off to get my exercise in. Here's a little motivational music I use to get me started....