Ever Wonder What God's Plan Is For You?

Kindness and goodness is part of the Fruits of the Spirit.  God loves us so much, just as we do our own children.  I know in my heart that I am learning about God's love for me through my job as a parent.  I love being a parent.  Yes, it can be difficult many times and other times so wonderful that you feel as if you have a dream life.  Most of the time I am somewhere in between.  As I listen to my children, laugh one minute and argue the next, I know God has those moments with us too.  How many times have we said, "No God!  I am not doing that!"  Or "No, not my job."  "God, I don't want to go up to that person and talk to them."  It is the adult equivalent of our children.  God has a plan for you.  You may know what it is and you may not.  I know many days I have absolutely no clue what the Lord wants me to do with my life here in Fernley, Nevada.  "By the way, why do I live in Nevada anyway?  I am a Northwest girl, God.  Don't you know that?"   He wants me here for a reason and just recently I have begun to embrace that with open arms.  

He has a time and a place for each and every one of us.  Does that boggle your mind?  Does it blow you away that the Lord of Heaven and Earth, Creator of all things, knows little old me?  It is even more amazing that He has a plan for little old me.  He has saved us to do very specific works in this world.  We have a job to do.  Whether it is as a parent or the bread winner of the family, you have a job.  But there are other jobs He has for us.  They are His gifts He bestows on us through His Holy Spirit.  My prayer is for each and every one of you to sit down in a quiet area, no distraction whatsoever and open your heart and mind to the Lord Jesus Christ.  Ask Him to reveal to you what it is He wants you to do in this specific time in spiritual history.  It would be so nice if we had a definitive answer in our minds but most of the time we don't.  We have to rely on Faith.  He made us with free will.  So we have to take that into account when doing what He wants us to do.  I wish I knew all the things the Lord has planned for me to do as a job for His kingdom.  So today or in the next few days, I am going to reflect on His life for me and ask Him point blank, what He wants me to do.  I would love to know why the dark clouds of life seem to come in through windows I thought long closed.  I would love for Him to open the big French doors to the life He has made for me.  But for right now, I need to leave the porch light on and hope that soon I will have that answer with the opening of my front door.  I don't want to rush into my house and quickly close the garage door behind me.  I want to know so that I can start living my life with more divine purpose.  He is our Creator, our Father, our Guide.  I love Him for that.  I hope that you too can see the path He has for you.  Step out of your house, into the garden and follow the path He has set before you.  (If you live in Nevada, yes, you will find spiky tumbleweeds along the way, but it is temporary.)  He has such a wonderful life for you.  Give Him your time and your Faith.  

Dear Father, I pray that you show us the purpose you have for each and everyone of us.  I pray for better understanding of how to recognize this "job".  You are all knowing and also so loving Lord that you want what is best for us even if we don't know what it is.  I thank you for your love.  In Your Son's name, Amen

We are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.  Ephesians 2:10

Lukewarm Christianity

These past couple of weeks I have been faced with something that I have been guilty of in the past and hope to never go back to in the future.  That would be being a "lukewarm Christian".  Lukewarm, what does that mean to you?  Well it means to me that it is not quite a hot and on fire Christian and not quite a cold, distant, uninvolved Christian.  It is one that thinks that their walk is just fine, thank you very much.  One that doesn't want to get too involved lest I be known as a "Jesus Freak"!  It is one that doesn't make a commitment to come to a Bible class because it just isn't convenient or my favorite, I don't know what is going on in the study so I don't want to come.  Lukewarm people are all over church.  Lukewarm people are all over society.  I remember being a lukewarm Christian.  I would sit in church, pregnant and uncomfortable, thinking that this church is nice but don't really want to get too much involved.  We would come in the door, listen to the sermon, make an excuse to go to the restroom during greeting time, and then wait to exit the side doors as quickly as possible before we were invited to a potluck.  (All seriousness aside, I am not a potluck person.....never will be.)  I remember going to Bible study with some amazing women, who are still very good friends of mine, and thinking, I really don't want to be here.  I need to be at home doing chores, playing with the kids and whatever other excuse I could think of at the time.  You know, that Bible study book does look interesting, but I can't remember what page they are on now.  I don't think I would be accepted if I didn't have my homework finished.  Okay, well that is a bunch of, shall I say, hooey!  Yes, I remember being that way but now I feel that my walk has come so far with the help of some amazing friends.  It is amazing what the Lord has done through me and is doing through me.  I love being a Bible study teacher.  I feel that my life, although very busy, is fulfilling.  The fellowship and sisterhood I get there is needed and wonderful.  Yes, I have sisters all over the world, but when we are in that little room studying the Word of God, it is just as if He is there sitting in a chair with us.  I love that feeling when we get to vent and talk about our week and then tie it all into what we are studying.  I love being a wife an amazing man.  He was baptized a couple of years ago and I am so happy that I have him on my side.  Going to church alone was really hard and I think it contributed to my lukewarmness but I can't put all the blame on that.  It has to do with the state of your heart.  Having him with me on my walk with Christ is awesome!  More than I could even imagine.  We love our church.  We love our friends.  We love each other.  Our children are getting a great education through our walk as well and it is amazing to see their growth.

Nope, being a lukewarm Christian is not for me!  No way!  As God stated, He would rather spit out the lukewarm Christian because it is not something pleasing.  Who wants to be wishy-washy anyway?  What sort of example is that to our children?  We need to make a commitment to the Lord and stick to it. We owe Him that.

May God bless your week this week and may your walk be as hot as your morning coffee.  Let it permeate through your life.  Savor the flavor.  God loves you.

Standing up for our Faith

Recently I got on this "ancestry" kick where I have been researching both sides of the family.  It is amazing what I am finding and there is so much more to discover.  The one person that I knew was a notable ancestor was William Brewster, of the Mayflower.  Growing up, we would listen to my grandmother talk about how our family can trace its roots straight back to 1620 and the landing on Plymouth Rock.  I remember sitting there just entranced as I took it in that he was someone I was related to and learned about in school.  How many First Graders can stand up in their class to give a report on their ancestor during Thanksgiving?  But as I became older and life got in the way, the memory was put on the back burner.  We always knew about it but it was just history.  Since I started this genealogy search, originally to help my in laws find their side of the family tree, I have been blown away by my side of the tree.  William Brewster was an amazing man.  He worked for the Archbishop of York as a bailiff and was in charge of all the daily things that the Archbishop had to do during the day.  But what I didn't know until recently was that behind that facade, he was a strong believer in something more than what the Church of England was offering.  He was a "religious rebel" I guess you could say.  He was incarcerated for his beliefs and had a family during this time.  His beliefs in the fact that Jesus Christ is our Savior and we should be able to worship the way we want caused many upheavals I am sure in his family life.  How hard it must have been for his wife Mary to go through this and see that her husband was a wanted man.  Of course, we all know the story of the Mayflower making it to Massachusetts in 1620.

The amazing part of this story is I can see his complete and utter faith in the Lord.  He was so led by faith that all the things that happened to him, he let it happen because he knew God was in control.  No king, queen, archbishop or the like would make him falter when it came to his faith.  He literally put his life and his family's life into the Lord's hands.  That complete faith and trust my ancestor had is the kind of faith and trust that I hope to have in life's difficulties and in life's praises.  We think that we have horrible things happening to us now for God's sake.  Persecution by friends, family members that tell us to go leap off a bridge before telling them your testimony, the world telling us that we are horrible people because we don't "include" everyone and Satan telling us that we are bad.  Persecution is hard for a Christian.  But imagine having the sort of persecution that would land you in jail because of your solid beliefs in the Lord Jesus Christ.  I couldn't imagine not being able to go to church on Sunday mornings and worshipping my Lord and Savior freely but there are those in this world who could be killed for doing that very same thing.  I just ask that we have the faith and the trust in Him enough to get us through our Christian lives.  It may not be easy but we also need to be in prayer for those who don't have the same opportunities we take for granted everyday in our country.  I hope and pray that we will be allowed to worship the way we do in our country for a long time and that our children are allowed to but it is up to us to stand up and make sure that that right is not taken away, just like William Brewster.  He believed in something so powerful and life changing that he threw away his comfortable life in another country to bring freedom to those in his inner circle and ultimately in our nation.  I want to have a faith like him.  I am so thankful for the things I am learning about my brave ancestor and one day would love to embrace him in heaven.  God bless and have a wonderful weekend in Him.

Witnessing to the Lost

Today in church we were learning about being witnesses here and now to people that are lost and in grave danger of eternal hell.  I know that isn't "politically correct" these days but it is the truth.  The whole Bible, from beginning to end, is true and God's word never falters.  All that it says has happened or will happen.  How could we refute what it says?  We are just mere mortals, mere humans who don't know the first thing about life and the divine nature of God.  Witnessing to those we don't know is hard but I feel witnessing to those we know and love can be harder.  For some reason, you get comfortable with your friendship and don't want to rock the boat.  You want your friendship to not be filled with uncomfortable moments.  But there are times when you just can't help it.  You may not be ministering to them directly but indirectly as I do with many of my friends.  I am not an "in your face" sort of person.  My outlet and way to get the Word of the Lord out there is by writing.  It is what I love to do and what I feel comfortable doing.  But persecution can happen when you least expect it.  Just this last week, I fell under attack for doing what I love to do.  My views, sayings, and personal witnessing on my Facebook page made someone decide after 8 years of being friends, that they didn't want a friendship anymore.  The reasoning was that they haven't changed and don't want me to make them change.  They felt that I was hanging out and too involved with my "churchy friends" and family.  The cutting out of our friendship happened literally overnight.  It wasn't even a personal, face to face encounter but rather one that involved no words at all.  It hurt to the very core of my being.  It hurt so much that my eyes were puffy from crying last night and I didn't know what to do except call my mom.  (Moms are good for that.)  My mom said now I feel just an inkling of what Jesus felt after Peter denied him.  Or just a microscopic portion of how God feels when we turn our back on Him or sin.  We are in essence rejecting Him.  That really put things into perspective for me.  I know that my friend, in rejecting me, is also rejecting my Lord and Savior.  That really makes me sad and want to all the more pray for her and her family that their hearts will soften towards the Lord and that whatever seed that was planted the years we were friends didn't land on hard rocks but rather fertile land waiting to sprout in His time.  It is so hard to witness because you know that you could be rejected.  But you know it is the most important thing we need to do as believers.  Make sure that no one is left behind at the end of days.  God doesn't want anyone to perish and I pray in my heart of hearts that my friend turns to the light rather than the darkness.  Materialism is their God and I hope and pray everyday that love of Jesus Christ will overcome her and they will be saved.  So it is our duty to witness to everyone.   Just hope that one day you will see faces in Heaven that you touched long ago.  How glorious that day will be.  The smiles will be everlasting!  Praise God!

I Need Patience NOW!!

My day started out pretty well and then I went to the gas station.  That pump was the bane of my existence!    It hurts enough to fill my car with gas but to have a gas pump laugh at you while you are pumping is not my idea of a sense of humor.  I tried and tried to lock the handle of the pump but it wouldn't lock.  Mind you, it was cold and windy and I didn't much want to stay standing out there in the elements.  But unfortunately I had to stand there and baby this pump through gallons and gallons of gas.  Okay, I hate to admit it but I talked to the pump.  Yes, I thought I lost it too.  A lady on the other side looked at me and told her friends that I was talking to the pump.  A teensy bit embarrassing.  I was just out of patience and by the time I hit the "help" button to let the attendant know that their pump didn't work right, I was finished with pumping the gas.  By the way, the button to call the attendant didn't work.  I could have gone in but I had the kids and the dog in the car.  I just couldn't leave them in the car.  Needless to say my patience was thinner than paper, thinner than air, thinner than thin!  I was angry and I needed to be filled with Patience and quickly.  I bowed my head and prayed a short prayer and knew that God would fill me as long as I let Him.  (He was most likely laughing too at my behavior or crying.)  Whichever, I knew that only my Father in Heaven above could give me Patience through the Spirit He so freely gives me.  I have the Spirit in me. Why don't I rely on the Spirit I already have in me that I received after I accepted Jesus as my Lord and Savior?  We think that we can do things on our own.  How ridiculous this illustration is on patience, it made me think about all the things in life that I think are not important, really are to Him.  He loves me no matter how small I think my situation is in life.  He is our biggest cheerleader, cheering us on to the finish line in the race of life.  He wants us to work on our endurance, our perseverance and our maturity.  Like a good running coach, He is one that makes sure we train through our trials.  Yes, I may not be fast or able to leap tall buildings on my own but with Him on the sidelines, watching my every move, I can do anything.  That hurdle down the straight away looks daunting but all I have to do is run, set myself up for it and go over it when He says. Yes, He could easily move the obstacles out of my life but He doesn't always.  It is for us to go through it with His direction.  As long as we see Him out there saying "I am here.  I am.", our race is successful even if there are some stones and holes on the path to get there.  I am looking forward to the day that all that I went through reveals His glory ultimately and I can look on His face in Heaven and know that His love and direction was what got me to where I am forever.  Think of the ending of the great race of life.  How glorious it will be to go through the ribbon at the finish line with our Heavenly Father waiting on the other side with open arms and words of love.  I can't wait for that day. Yes, life on Earth is hard and it will get harder but my eyes are firmly planted on my coach, my creator, my Father in Heaven.  My hope lies with Him.  May you find that Hope in your life and may His light shine on your situation.  Give it all to Him.  God bless.....

The Stillness of Peace

Think about life without peace.  Many of us have experienced that, are experiencing that, or will be very soon.  It can be a daily thing, coming and going for hours on end.  Life without PEACE is empty, frustrating, scary, uneasy, downright sad.  I look at all these people that say that they have everything they need in life, yet they still feel as if they are missing something.  You could have all the celebrity, money, things in the world but if you don't have the Almighty God fully in your life, you will have no PEACE.  Seems that is what we all want.  PEACE.  PEACE.  PEACE.  Just the sound of the word makes me think of a time when I was at the beach listening to the sounds of the surf coming in over the sand, very softly and gently, brushing my feet as I walked.  PEACE, a calm that carries us into complete serenity.  The sound of a whisper in the wind, the sound of your child's small breath as they breathe in and out while they are sleeping.  PEACE is so still, that it just takes your breath away.  Your heart feels so full of the LOVE of the Lord, the JOY of the Lord and the PEACE and stillness of the Lord.  I find it fascinating that almost all the time God reveals Himself in quiet situations, whispers, gentle breezes....that to me makes me think of PEACE.  Our world is a very unPEACEful place.  It is no wonder there is so much unhappiness in our world because there are a lot of people, sadly, who do not accept the Lord as their Savior and haven't felt the PEACE that only He can provide.  Just yesterday I felt the PEACE I felt after church and my personal time with God get pushed to the side because "life" takes over.  It does take over but you know we are the only ones who can choose to let "life" take over or let PEACE that He is providing to us prevail.  When I feel that PEACEfulness creep into the background of life's noise, I have to hold strong to my Savior's hand and let His PEACE come back into my soul, my being.  Many of us have had things happen in our lives that just strip us of PEACE.  They leave you helpless, weak and spent.  We have to be like Job and look up out of the muck and mire of this life and let His PEACE just pull us out.  To go through trial and tribulations is a part of our life here on this mortal earth.  Just let PEACE be with you always so that you can get through those times in one piece and you will find yourself growing in Him.  Your walk will get stronger, your time with Him will get longer, your outlook on this life will grow brighter.  I wish that bad things didn't happen to people, but it is what it is.  God can bring us through those times.  Only He can bring us through those times.  God is all powerful, loving, awesome and there for us to give us His PEACE and serenity.  Just like the JOY and the LOVE that He so freely gives, we have to accept this gift as well.  Dear Father, I just thank you so much for your peace.  It is only with you that I get through my day.  I don't know how I did it before I knew You.  You are my everything.  You are my Peace.  May you just cover us with your royal robes, keep us wrapped up in Your arms.  Even if the storms are raging around us, calm the sea for us.  We lift our eyes to you Lord Jesus.  Thank you for all that you do.  In Your Son's Name, Amen

"But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near through the blood of Christ.  For he himself is our peace."  Ephesians 2:13-14

That Tiny Whisper

This Sunday, our amazing pastor, asked for people to come forward if they felt led to and publicly recognize that they need their walk with the Lord to be on the straight and narrow.  We usually don't have altar calls as a common thing at our church, although people do go up occasionally to get some prayer.  We have been learning about the 7 churches mentioned in Revelations 2 and 3.  He has been talking about the fact that we, ourselves, can be one of these churches but the church we ultimately want to be like is the Church of Philadelphia.  They were faithful, always letting God lead them even in times of trouble.  He looked down on them with favor in His eyes.  He said that if anyone of us felt led to go up and confess, repent for what we are doing in our walk, now is the perfect time.  God loves when we want to make things right with Him.  I was standing there thinking that I am just way too shy to go forward and I think, yes, my walk could use some help but I couldn't figure out in my mind which church in the book I most connected with that day.  As I was standing there, the song was playing, everyone's eyes were closed, I heard a still, faint whisper.  Then I heard it again and I turned to my friend who was sitting next to me.  I knew it wasn't her as she was deep in her own thoughts.  There was no one else close to me.  So I just kept my head bowed and closed my eyes again.  I heard it again, the same whisper, saying "Just trust in me."  "Just trust in me."  Yes, this is something I have been having to deal with for a long time now.  I know to trust in Him, but do I totally give myself over to Him and let Him deal with my life?  Most of the time I want to but I have to say that I don't always let Him.  So as I was there with my eyes closed, the tears started running down my cheeks, fogging up my glasses as I repented.  I repented of the fact that I don't let Him take care of it.  I don't give myself fully to Him to work miracles in my life, although He has done many in my lifetime.  I repented that day to fully give myself to Him and know that my life and whatever is going on in my personal life will be done with Him by my side.  I have to remember to trust that He has my back.  He has me by the hand and is walking me through this wonderful, learning life.  I worry about finances and how am I going to go back to work after being home for 8 years with my children.  I worry about our health and our children's health each and everyday.  I worry about how we are going to do the things we want to do in our lives.  I worry about everyone in my family.  I worry about my friends and what they think of me.  I just plain WORRY!  I am not to worry.  I am to put my complete and total trust in the Lord God, the Alpha and the Omega, the One who created the Earth, made me in my mother's womb.  He is mighty to save and mighty to trust.  Lord I just thank you so much for that powerful message we received yesterday in church.  Oh my heart leaps for you Lord Jesus.  I love you so much.  I know that each and every person that went up to the front of the church had different, personal reasons for being up there with you and it amazes me that everyone in the building could feel Your Spirit moving.  Even if I felt that your tiny whisper on the breeze was intimate and solely for me, I know that you are an uncontainable, powerful God and each and everyone of us can have that same tiny whisper in our day.  We just need to listen for it because You are there with us.  I feel so blessed to have heard You and I thank you for Your convicting words.  I get down on my knees for you Lord.  My life is Yours and always has been Yours.  In Your Son's Name, Amen