I know you were expecting Thanksgiving and you will probably get that, thanks I mean. On Thanksgiving you will either be cooking or eating someone else’s cooking and you will be thankful for your meal. I know I will because I will be doing the eating part and not the cooking part (thank you Linda.).
True story when I first got married I decided to do the whole traditional Thanksgiving meal, so I bought the turkey, got completely nauseous having to take the bag of gook out of the turkey and then read the directions to wash the turkey. I literally washed the turkey with soap. You see now why I let my friend Linda cook.
Some people will go around the table and share what their thankful for or some other family traditions. I like to have baked ziti no matter what holiday it is. Some people will be feeding the less fortunate and helping them to have a good day. Some of you will park in front of the TV with your jeans undone watching all the football games and be thankful that it’s a day you won’t have to explain why you’re watching TV all day. Hopefully we will give thanks to God for all the blessings He has given us and most of all to Jesus for what He did on the cross. There are a lot of things that will happen on Thanksgiving, good things, treasured things, expected things. At the end of the day you will be thankful for it and most likely thank the person or people you shared it with then you’ll go back to your world and Thanksgiving will be just a memory until next year.
I decided to start this Holiday by looking into what the Bible has to say about thanks. I also decided to find the original Greek meaning of the word so I looked it up. Thanks Greek root word yaw-daw’ - especially to revere or worship (with extended hands) intensely to bemoan (by wringing hands)
That has a much more intense meaning than just your common thanks.
For example:
I really don’t like turning left, I don’t know what it is, if I have to pick between going right or left I will always pick right. I know God was messing with me about this the other day, He does that you know. I was going to a store and I had to use my GPS because I’m still learning the roads here and it said turn right at the light. I was actually glad that I was going right and didn’t have to turn left. So I turn right and immediately the GPS says “make a U-Turn” it was going to make me go left anyway. I was like what the heck. The only thing worse than making a left at a light is making a left on a busy road and you are at the mercy of the other crazy drivers to let you out. When a nice person finally does I’m grateful, wave the official “thank you wave” and move on. I’m thankful they let me out but I don’t spend the rest of my day being grateful. Ya know what I mean? I don’t get to work and through out the day stop and think, I am so thankful that guy let me turn left today. I don’t think about it at all.
When I say thank you to someone I know I am not feeling all the emotion the Greek word implies. Wringing hands? You know when someone is so overcome with emotion and they are wringing their hands, that’s the magnitude of this word thanks in the Bible.
Now let’s look at Thanksgiving, Greek root word to-daw’ - adoration specifically a choir of worshipers, confession, sacrifice of praise, thanks.
A choir of worshipers.
So basically if we had a biblical Thanksgiving Day it would be children of God so filled with emotion, gratitude and thanks that we would literally be wringing our hands or lifting them up to the Heavens praising our Lord like a choir of worshipers. WOW!!!
I pray this Thanksgiving with all our traditions we will make a commitment to have gratitude for all God does for us 365 days a year and that we will be truly grateful for the sacrifice God made in order for us to have Jesus Christ. I pray that we will be so grateful that we will follow Christ command to love others, that we will offer a sacrifice of praise by scarifying our time and agenda to bless someone else.
1 Corinthians 8:3 But if one loves God truly [with affectionate reverence, prompt obedience, and grateful recognition of His blessing], he is known by God [recognized as worthy of His intimacy and love, and he is owned by Him]. Amplified Bible
I want to be owned by God!!! Happy Gratitude Day gems, and Thanksgiving too :)
Gena’s Jewels
Gena's Jewels Keeper of The Testimony available on Amazon
Sunday, November 22, 2009
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Let's Talk Poop
I talked to my 4 year old grandson on the phone today and he asked if I knew what Holy Ghost wind was and I said no. He said it’s when the Holy Ghost farts, he then laughed hysterically. I had never thought about the Holy Ghost farting…
What is it about kids and bodily functions? They love talking about them, especially poop. Walk up to any group of preschoolers and just say poop and they will all start giggling.
One day I was playing outside with Lucas (he was 3 at the time) and when we were done I told him I was going home to go to the bathroom. It was a really nice day so most neighbors were outside doing their thing and Lucas waits till I get a couple of houses down from his and he yells really loud “NANA WHERE ARE YOU GOING?” mind you I told him where I was going. I yell back, not quite as loud, “home” he responds “WHY?” I respond “cause I have to go to the bathroom” Lucas says “ARE YOU GONNA POOP?” all my neighbors seem to look at me, and I yell back “NO!” but the truth is I was gonna poop. I got embarrassed and lied right there in public, like none of my neighbors poop.
You may be asking yourself where is she going with this. Good question.
Let’s talk poop. Right now the poop is hitting the fan in some people’s lives. They are going through some really tough times, some self induced some not. The thing is we don’t want to talk about it. Like no one else has bad times. Why is that?
One reason is you mention your poop to the wrong person and they’ll start yelling about it to everyone and you get embarrassed or ashamed because you don’t want everyone knowing your poop. So now not only do you stink but everyone knows it.
We don’t have to worry if we’re Christians because you know if you got poop we’re here to help you clean it up right?
Oh how I wish that were true but as you know it’s not.
We have worked hard at becoming who people think we are and we don’t want to ruin that. So we either lie to ourselves or the people around us until one day the poop hits the fan and you have no choice but to deal with it.
Proverbs 12:9 better to be a nobody and yet have a servant than pretend to be somebody and have no food.
I think people who pretend to be a somebody are people who think their poop doesn’t stink. We all mess up, the more the poop the bigger the clean up. But it’s at the moment that the poop hit’s the fan that our true colors show. Is our talk about love, mercy, forgiveness and grace true or are we full of poop?
I think the only thing the devil loves more than when we screw up is when our so called church family treats us like poop.
Proverbs 12:18 reckless words pierce like a sword, but the tongue of the wise brings healing.
I pray we will be there for each other in times of need. It’s when we stink the most that we need each other the most. We need healing so we can get through a dark time in our life and if we confess and repent than no one but God is allowed to bring up the poop.
Isaiah 43:25 “I even I, am he who blots out your transgressions, for my own sake and remembers your sins no more.”
Gems, if we’re not part of the healing we’re part of the poop.
Don’t talk poop.
Gena’s Jewels
What is it about kids and bodily functions? They love talking about them, especially poop. Walk up to any group of preschoolers and just say poop and they will all start giggling.
One day I was playing outside with Lucas (he was 3 at the time) and when we were done I told him I was going home to go to the bathroom. It was a really nice day so most neighbors were outside doing their thing and Lucas waits till I get a couple of houses down from his and he yells really loud “NANA WHERE ARE YOU GOING?” mind you I told him where I was going. I yell back, not quite as loud, “home” he responds “WHY?” I respond “cause I have to go to the bathroom” Lucas says “ARE YOU GONNA POOP?” all my neighbors seem to look at me, and I yell back “NO!” but the truth is I was gonna poop. I got embarrassed and lied right there in public, like none of my neighbors poop.
You may be asking yourself where is she going with this. Good question.
Let’s talk poop. Right now the poop is hitting the fan in some people’s lives. They are going through some really tough times, some self induced some not. The thing is we don’t want to talk about it. Like no one else has bad times. Why is that?
One reason is you mention your poop to the wrong person and they’ll start yelling about it to everyone and you get embarrassed or ashamed because you don’t want everyone knowing your poop. So now not only do you stink but everyone knows it.
We don’t have to worry if we’re Christians because you know if you got poop we’re here to help you clean it up right?
Oh how I wish that were true but as you know it’s not.
We have worked hard at becoming who people think we are and we don’t want to ruin that. So we either lie to ourselves or the people around us until one day the poop hits the fan and you have no choice but to deal with it.
Proverbs 12:9 better to be a nobody and yet have a servant than pretend to be somebody and have no food.
I think people who pretend to be a somebody are people who think their poop doesn’t stink. We all mess up, the more the poop the bigger the clean up. But it’s at the moment that the poop hit’s the fan that our true colors show. Is our talk about love, mercy, forgiveness and grace true or are we full of poop?
I think the only thing the devil loves more than when we screw up is when our so called church family treats us like poop.
Proverbs 12:18 reckless words pierce like a sword, but the tongue of the wise brings healing.
I pray we will be there for each other in times of need. It’s when we stink the most that we need each other the most. We need healing so we can get through a dark time in our life and if we confess and repent than no one but God is allowed to bring up the poop.
Isaiah 43:25 “I even I, am he who blots out your transgressions, for my own sake and remembers your sins no more.”
Gems, if we’re not part of the healing we’re part of the poop.
Don’t talk poop.
Gena’s Jewels
Thursday, November 5, 2009
Bird Assignment
I started working at a printing company a few weeks ago and things did not begin very well for me. Just the whole getting into the work groove was a bit of an adjustment and the people I was with were not the nicest to put it nicely. I was not used to working in such a hostile environment and I’ll be honest at first I cried out to the Lord ’NOOOOOO! Let’s go back home to you and me again.”
The first few weeks were tough and I really didn’t want to work there. I’m a people person and organization is not my strong suit, ask anyone I have worked for. I like to blab and don’t like being in one spot all day and here I am working in an office as an administrative assistant. It was like putting a square peg in a round hole. I said to the Lord "I appreciate having a job but how can I reach people for you when they don’t seem to like me and I’m stuck at a desk all day?" I know it’s hard to believe that someone might not like me. :)
I was complaining to the Lord one morning on my drive to work and as I was passing an open field I noticed a bunch of white birds eating. As I got closer I realized there were black birds mixed in I just didn’t notice them from a distance because the white ones were so bright. The Lord told me this is how we, His children, are supposed to be. Even if we are working in a hostile environment or among non believers the light should always outshine the darkness. He reminded me that a pitch black room doesn’t stay that way if you light even the smallest candle. Petty much He was telling me to suck it up and go shine.
I apologized to the Lord for being such a wimp and not being more grateful.
I was still feeling bad that I had to, what I felt, waste 8 hours a day doing silly paperwork when there was Kingdom work that needed to be done. God showed me my problem wasn’t the job it was my mindset. He told me I needed to stop thinking of it as a job and start thinking of it as an assignment. Kind of like that old TV show Touched by An Angel, the Angels showed up at an assignment did their work then moved on. This was what God was going to do with me. I know this is not a place I will stay forever but while I’m here I need to help change some peoples forever’s. This was so comforting to me and it really did change my whole attitude. I liked being on an assignment much better than being on a job.
I figured I would start with the kill them with kindness approach and that did start the ball rolling but it was still slow getting opportunities to talk about my sweet Jesus. But God is faithful and eventually opportunities opened here and there and I was beginning to give some testimony. I was happy with this small result and then once again God blew my mind.
Before I tell you how He did that I want to tell you how I got this job. As you know I moved to the Tampa area and when I first got here my youngest daughter and I joined a soup kitchen ministry feeding the homeless once a week. We were living with very dear friends Cathy and Fritz and I mentioned to them that the Lord wanted me to publish Gena’s Jewels and I asked if they knew anyone in the printing industry. Fritz said there was a man at our church who owned a printing company. So for the next few weeks I was trying to figure out who this man was. Finally I asked Fritz to point him out and he said “what are you talking about, you see him every week at the homeless ministry.” I had been driving to the homeless site for weeks with the very man that owned the printing company and had no idea. God just cracks me up. So I ask Bill, the owner of the company, about printing the book. He tells me to call his office for an appt and he would take a look at it. So the next week I head to his office and as I’m driving I ask the Lord how I’m going to pay for the book. I can’t expect this man to work for free and I have been out of work for over a year and had no money to pay for it. I starting praying and asking God to show me what to do, I thought maybe I could clean Bill’s office or something, you know do a barter type thing. The Lord told me not to worry about His job. I met Bill and after we got things settled and I was ready to leave the Holy Spirit prompted me to pray for him so I did. As soon as I finished praying Bill looked at me and said “are you looking for a job by any chance?” He said he hadn’t hired anyone in a long time and business was slow but he felt like he should ask me. I just smiled and said “as a matter of fact I am.” Doesn’t God just blow your mind? When He has a plan all you have to do is go where He tells you and He will do the rest. OK, now back to our story.
So I’m walking to the back of the factory praying and thanking God for the opportunities He has given me to share, even if they were small, and I get to where they put the books together and there’s my book being worked on. I was so excited I about screamed. Once I got myself together I stopped by the ladies who were working on it and they started asking me questions about the book and before you know it I’m doing my favorite thing in the whole world, telling God stories. I gave them my testimony of how God brought me to Tampa and how I got the job and how good God is, it was awesome. The next day I’m in the break room and one of the guys from the back walks in and tells me he’s reading my book and the two other guys in the room start asking what it’s about!
I had once again underestimated my sweet Jesus. He didn’t just send me to this place to have the book printed He sent me there so the people I was working with could read Gena’s Jewels. They would have pages of testimony of our great God and could ask me questions right on the spot. Is God good or what!!!!
Here again was another reason the Lord sent me to Tampa. He moved me here to the very place He wanted His book published and to the very people He wants saved.
Every place God puts us is an opportunity to further the kingdom. You are never somewhere by accident.
So remember wherever you are working or whoever you’re around right now be the white bird. Stand out and know you’re on an assignment.
Gena’s Jewels
The first few weeks were tough and I really didn’t want to work there. I’m a people person and organization is not my strong suit, ask anyone I have worked for. I like to blab and don’t like being in one spot all day and here I am working in an office as an administrative assistant. It was like putting a square peg in a round hole. I said to the Lord "I appreciate having a job but how can I reach people for you when they don’t seem to like me and I’m stuck at a desk all day?" I know it’s hard to believe that someone might not like me. :)
I was complaining to the Lord one morning on my drive to work and as I was passing an open field I noticed a bunch of white birds eating. As I got closer I realized there were black birds mixed in I just didn’t notice them from a distance because the white ones were so bright. The Lord told me this is how we, His children, are supposed to be. Even if we are working in a hostile environment or among non believers the light should always outshine the darkness. He reminded me that a pitch black room doesn’t stay that way if you light even the smallest candle. Petty much He was telling me to suck it up and go shine.
I apologized to the Lord for being such a wimp and not being more grateful.
I was still feeling bad that I had to, what I felt, waste 8 hours a day doing silly paperwork when there was Kingdom work that needed to be done. God showed me my problem wasn’t the job it was my mindset. He told me I needed to stop thinking of it as a job and start thinking of it as an assignment. Kind of like that old TV show Touched by An Angel, the Angels showed up at an assignment did their work then moved on. This was what God was going to do with me. I know this is not a place I will stay forever but while I’m here I need to help change some peoples forever’s. This was so comforting to me and it really did change my whole attitude. I liked being on an assignment much better than being on a job.
I figured I would start with the kill them with kindness approach and that did start the ball rolling but it was still slow getting opportunities to talk about my sweet Jesus. But God is faithful and eventually opportunities opened here and there and I was beginning to give some testimony. I was happy with this small result and then once again God blew my mind.
Before I tell you how He did that I want to tell you how I got this job. As you know I moved to the Tampa area and when I first got here my youngest daughter and I joined a soup kitchen ministry feeding the homeless once a week. We were living with very dear friends Cathy and Fritz and I mentioned to them that the Lord wanted me to publish Gena’s Jewels and I asked if they knew anyone in the printing industry. Fritz said there was a man at our church who owned a printing company. So for the next few weeks I was trying to figure out who this man was. Finally I asked Fritz to point him out and he said “what are you talking about, you see him every week at the homeless ministry.” I had been driving to the homeless site for weeks with the very man that owned the printing company and had no idea. God just cracks me up. So I ask Bill, the owner of the company, about printing the book. He tells me to call his office for an appt and he would take a look at it. So the next week I head to his office and as I’m driving I ask the Lord how I’m going to pay for the book. I can’t expect this man to work for free and I have been out of work for over a year and had no money to pay for it. I starting praying and asking God to show me what to do, I thought maybe I could clean Bill’s office or something, you know do a barter type thing. The Lord told me not to worry about His job. I met Bill and after we got things settled and I was ready to leave the Holy Spirit prompted me to pray for him so I did. As soon as I finished praying Bill looked at me and said “are you looking for a job by any chance?” He said he hadn’t hired anyone in a long time and business was slow but he felt like he should ask me. I just smiled and said “as a matter of fact I am.” Doesn’t God just blow your mind? When He has a plan all you have to do is go where He tells you and He will do the rest. OK, now back to our story.
So I’m walking to the back of the factory praying and thanking God for the opportunities He has given me to share, even if they were small, and I get to where they put the books together and there’s my book being worked on. I was so excited I about screamed. Once I got myself together I stopped by the ladies who were working on it and they started asking me questions about the book and before you know it I’m doing my favorite thing in the whole world, telling God stories. I gave them my testimony of how God brought me to Tampa and how I got the job and how good God is, it was awesome. The next day I’m in the break room and one of the guys from the back walks in and tells me he’s reading my book and the two other guys in the room start asking what it’s about!
I had once again underestimated my sweet Jesus. He didn’t just send me to this place to have the book printed He sent me there so the people I was working with could read Gena’s Jewels. They would have pages of testimony of our great God and could ask me questions right on the spot. Is God good or what!!!!
Here again was another reason the Lord sent me to Tampa. He moved me here to the very place He wanted His book published and to the very people He wants saved.
Every place God puts us is an opportunity to further the kingdom. You are never somewhere by accident.
So remember wherever you are working or whoever you’re around right now be the white bird. Stand out and know you’re on an assignment.
Gena’s Jewels
Monday, October 19, 2009
Let's Get Naked
Mark 14:51 a young man wearing nothing but a linen garment was following Jesus. When they seized him, he fled naked leaving his garment behind.
This is one of those verses that you read and think, when did they put that in the Bible? I don’t remember reading this before and why is it in Mark but not Matthew, Luke or John. It doesn’t seem to go with the rest of the story. Why did God put that verse in the Bible? I thought about it for a few days and this is what I came up with. I’m not saying its right but hear me out.
The only way to leave after an encounter with Jesus is naked. What do I mean? Glad you asked.
When I was on the founding board of Life’s Choices a Crisis Pregnancy Center with four other amazing women we met weekly and prayed together for a whole year before the doors opened. One night while we were praying the Lord told me we had to get naked before Him. We had to be totally open and honest with one another so there would be unity. We could have no hidden agenda or “personal opinion.” The only way God was going to lead us was if we were in agreement as one. Getting five independent strong willed women to be in agreement was not always easy, but if we weren’t we did not move ahead, we waited.
I recently watched a video on a friend’s Face Book page and the gist of it was the man was going to let God chisel away the things in his life that didn’t glorify God but first he had to admit what those things were. He had to get naked.
In order for us to allow God to heal us or grow us for that matter we have to reveal everything in our heart to Him and sometimes to others. I think that’s one of Satan’s greatest tools, telling people they can’t possibly go to God because “their” sin is unforgivable.
Adam and Eve got to experience this first hand. Genesis 2:25 The man and his wife were both naked and they felt no shame.
They started out great, they were naked in front of each other, no lies no deceit no hidden agendas they were completely honest to each other and to God. But they ate the forbidden fruit, they were disobedient to God and watch what happens.
Genesis 3:8-13 Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the LORD God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the LORD God among the trees of the garden. 9 But the LORD God called to the man, "Where are you?"
10 He answered, "I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid."
11 And he said, "Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?"
12 The man said, "The woman you put here with me—she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate it."
13 Then the LORD God said to the woman, "What is this you have done?"
The woman said, "The serpent deceived me, and I ate."
What were the effects of their sin? First off they feel naked.
Genesis 3:7b they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves.
They knew they messed up and they were having a feeling they never experienced before, guilt. What a powerful emotion, so strong it made them hide from God. God the one they walked with in the garden every day. They KNEW Him personally and knew of His provision first hand. They got to experience God’s love daily. Can you even imagine what that must have been like?
The door was opened for Satan and he didn’t waste any time. The next thing that happens is the blame game. Adam blames God for “this woman you gave me” and Eve blames satan.
If we don’t take ownership of our faults we can’t fix them and one of satan’s most powerful tools is guilt.
They could no longer stand naked before God so they hid behind satan.
Not much has changed, we still don’t want to get naked before God and we still play the blame game. The problem is if we’re not giving our sin to Jesus to help us we’re letting satan use it to harm us.
We all think ours is the worst scenario but God has no sin gauge, if it’s keeping you hiding and wearing fig leaves to cover it up then it’s got to go. I know in my life my fig leaf is humor. If you’re getting too close to something I’m not allowing God to work on I will start making jokes to draw attention away from the subject. Some people get mean; some people exercise or make themselves vomit. Some people become workaholics or they cut themselves or do drugs. These are all things Satan uses to keep us hidden. As if our fig leaf was really hiding our sin from God.
I found this verse so odd at first and obviously I’m using the Gena translation but here’s this guy wearing a linen garment, he’s following Jesus, the enemy shows up and tries to seize him and he takes off running NAKED. Chances are he ran into someone, he may have been the first recorded streaker.
My point is he was a follower of Jesus and rather than get caught by the enemy he was willing to run away naked and he didn’t care who saw him.
I have to give you a warning now. Sometimes if satan suspects you’re getting ready to repent before God and he’s going lose his guilt hold he may use well meaning Christians to help you feel guilty. Remember the woman in the bible who was caught in adultery? Those holy people dragged her to Jesus because they knew according to the law she should be stoned. Can’t you just see them standing around her in a circle with their self righteous attitude glaring at her and saying “that’s right HO we caught you and now Jesus is going to take you out” The story tells us that Jesus bent down, they must have thought he was bending down to pick up a good size rock. But as always Jesus did something unexpected. He started writing in the sand with his finger. I wonder what he was writing. Maybe He started listing all the “Holy people’s” sins.
The Bible just says, then he stood up and said whoever is without sin throw the first stone. One by one they walked away. Maybe there are some Holy people in your life that need to start walking away.
Jesus sees all of us good and bad but you can’t experience God’s forgiveness if you don’t get naked before your God and King and let him clothe you in His righteousness. Don’t let the enemy convince you that your sin is unforgivable. There are 10 commandments and I have broken them all. I don’t say that with pride I say it with a grateful heart. If the enemy is coming after you, take off running to Jesus and don’t be surprised if when you get there He says “let’s get naked.”
If you are carrying around a sin take this time to confess it before God and ask His forgiveness.
Romans 8:6 So letting your sinful nature control your mind leads to death. But letting the Spirit control your mind leads to life and peace.
Gena’s Jewels
This is one of those verses that you read and think, when did they put that in the Bible? I don’t remember reading this before and why is it in Mark but not Matthew, Luke or John. It doesn’t seem to go with the rest of the story. Why did God put that verse in the Bible? I thought about it for a few days and this is what I came up with. I’m not saying its right but hear me out.
The only way to leave after an encounter with Jesus is naked. What do I mean? Glad you asked.
When I was on the founding board of Life’s Choices a Crisis Pregnancy Center with four other amazing women we met weekly and prayed together for a whole year before the doors opened. One night while we were praying the Lord told me we had to get naked before Him. We had to be totally open and honest with one another so there would be unity. We could have no hidden agenda or “personal opinion.” The only way God was going to lead us was if we were in agreement as one. Getting five independent strong willed women to be in agreement was not always easy, but if we weren’t we did not move ahead, we waited.
I recently watched a video on a friend’s Face Book page and the gist of it was the man was going to let God chisel away the things in his life that didn’t glorify God but first he had to admit what those things were. He had to get naked.
In order for us to allow God to heal us or grow us for that matter we have to reveal everything in our heart to Him and sometimes to others. I think that’s one of Satan’s greatest tools, telling people they can’t possibly go to God because “their” sin is unforgivable.
Adam and Eve got to experience this first hand. Genesis 2:25 The man and his wife were both naked and they felt no shame.
They started out great, they were naked in front of each other, no lies no deceit no hidden agendas they were completely honest to each other and to God. But they ate the forbidden fruit, they were disobedient to God and watch what happens.
Genesis 3:8-13 Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the LORD God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the LORD God among the trees of the garden. 9 But the LORD God called to the man, "Where are you?"
10 He answered, "I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid."
11 And he said, "Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?"
12 The man said, "The woman you put here with me—she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate it."
13 Then the LORD God said to the woman, "What is this you have done?"
The woman said, "The serpent deceived me, and I ate."
What were the effects of their sin? First off they feel naked.
Genesis 3:7b they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves.
They knew they messed up and they were having a feeling they never experienced before, guilt. What a powerful emotion, so strong it made them hide from God. God the one they walked with in the garden every day. They KNEW Him personally and knew of His provision first hand. They got to experience God’s love daily. Can you even imagine what that must have been like?
The door was opened for Satan and he didn’t waste any time. The next thing that happens is the blame game. Adam blames God for “this woman you gave me” and Eve blames satan.
If we don’t take ownership of our faults we can’t fix them and one of satan’s most powerful tools is guilt.
They could no longer stand naked before God so they hid behind satan.
Not much has changed, we still don’t want to get naked before God and we still play the blame game. The problem is if we’re not giving our sin to Jesus to help us we’re letting satan use it to harm us.
We all think ours is the worst scenario but God has no sin gauge, if it’s keeping you hiding and wearing fig leaves to cover it up then it’s got to go. I know in my life my fig leaf is humor. If you’re getting too close to something I’m not allowing God to work on I will start making jokes to draw attention away from the subject. Some people get mean; some people exercise or make themselves vomit. Some people become workaholics or they cut themselves or do drugs. These are all things Satan uses to keep us hidden. As if our fig leaf was really hiding our sin from God.
I found this verse so odd at first and obviously I’m using the Gena translation but here’s this guy wearing a linen garment, he’s following Jesus, the enemy shows up and tries to seize him and he takes off running NAKED. Chances are he ran into someone, he may have been the first recorded streaker.
My point is he was a follower of Jesus and rather than get caught by the enemy he was willing to run away naked and he didn’t care who saw him.
I have to give you a warning now. Sometimes if satan suspects you’re getting ready to repent before God and he’s going lose his guilt hold he may use well meaning Christians to help you feel guilty. Remember the woman in the bible who was caught in adultery? Those holy people dragged her to Jesus because they knew according to the law she should be stoned. Can’t you just see them standing around her in a circle with their self righteous attitude glaring at her and saying “that’s right HO we caught you and now Jesus is going to take you out” The story tells us that Jesus bent down, they must have thought he was bending down to pick up a good size rock. But as always Jesus did something unexpected. He started writing in the sand with his finger. I wonder what he was writing. Maybe He started listing all the “Holy people’s” sins.
The Bible just says, then he stood up and said whoever is without sin throw the first stone. One by one they walked away. Maybe there are some Holy people in your life that need to start walking away.
Jesus sees all of us good and bad but you can’t experience God’s forgiveness if you don’t get naked before your God and King and let him clothe you in His righteousness. Don’t let the enemy convince you that your sin is unforgivable. There are 10 commandments and I have broken them all. I don’t say that with pride I say it with a grateful heart. If the enemy is coming after you, take off running to Jesus and don’t be surprised if when you get there He says “let’s get naked.”
If you are carrying around a sin take this time to confess it before God and ask His forgiveness.
Romans 8:6 So letting your sinful nature control your mind leads to death. But letting the Spirit control your mind leads to life and peace.
Gena’s Jewels
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Winner Takes All
Gems, there is so much I want to share with you and my mind is racing so I pray you will be able to follow me. I would like you to take a journey back in time with me so some of these events you will remember from past jewels. It began about a year ago when the Lord told me to honor my father and mother. As you know from that jewel that was tough for me but if there’s one thing I know about God, obedience is key. His word says obedience is the sacrifice and I want to take every opportunity I can to make a sacrifice for God. Over the next year and a half the Lord took me out of the work place, through obedience I learned how faithful God is to provide for His children. Again obedience was key to this situation as well. I need to remind you jewels, just because I said I did it does not mean it was easy.
OK fast forward to about 6 months ago when the Lord told me to move to Tampa. As you know at first I did not understand this request and I’ll remind you some of the reasons why. I would have to leave my 17 year old son behind his senior year in high school. He is with his father but I don’t get to see him very often which leaves a void in my heart not to mention at times mommy guilt. I would be moving 2 hours away from my daughter, son, daughter-in-law and grandsons. We use to live 2 houses apart so this was a HUGE adjustment. I would have to be away from my youngest daughter for longer periods of time and deal with an ex-husband that doesn’t handle compromise very well. I was also moving in with a couple I hardly knew to a town where I had no friends. Now that you are up to date I need to remind you it was all about obedience.
I have already seen many reasons why I’m here and met some of the people the Lord has asked me to minister to but tonight a huge part of the Lord’s plan was revealed to me.
My father has been in and out of the hospital the past few months and most of the burden/responsibility has been on me. My parent’s home is about an hour and a half away from mine but my father was recently transferred to the VA Hospital. Where is that you ask…. Tampa. To be honest at first I felt it was yet another thing on my plate that I would have to deal with because he was now about a 20 min. ride from where I live. I went to the hospital the first few times to the usual scene of my father’s hateful yelling and all the drama with my mother. Trips back and forth to Davenport trying to get power of attorney papers and banking needs in order are just a few of the things I have been dealing with. Of course my father has still not agreed to sign these papers making my life that much more difficult. I’m going to get really honest here with you gems, as far as I was concerned my father was a huge pain in the ass and I was really done with him. The ONLY reason I was going to continue was because of Jesus’ words to me to honor my father and mother.
A couple of days ago my friend Cathy told me she felt in her Spirit like she should ask me if my dad had a relationship with the Lord and about my relationship with him. I told her I had come to terms with my non relationship with my father years ago. I also remembered a long time ago my mother telling me a Pastor came by their house and my father prayed to receive Christ. No sooner had I said those words I heard the Lord say “And you shall know my children by their fruit.” I had NEVER seen any fruit in my father’s life but pushed the thought out of my mind.
I knew I should go to the hospital after work today because there is a chance my father will be transferred back to a hospital in Haines City for rehab and there was no excuse for me not to. I had a long day at work and was already tired so I planned on doing my obligation and heading home quick. Of course the Lord had other plans. I walked in the room and there was a noticeable difference in the atmosphere. My father was lying there asleep and he looked so helpless. We were there alone for the first time without my mother or any other visitors. For the first time in months I was seeing my father, the man and not the responsibility. I don’t know if that makes sense. I suddenly realized how frail he was, he was so thin and small. Who was this man? A flood of emotion came over me as I walked over and touched his hair. I ran my hand over his head like a mother does with a sick child. I had never touched my dad like that before. My heart is pounding just seeing it again in my mind. He woke up slowly then asked if my mother was with me, when I said no he seemed surprised that I was there. As I stood there I realized I was the one the Lord chose to care for my father. Me of all the children, the one he seemed to dislike the most. It was awkward at first and then he said he was hungry. I pointed to the food tray that must have come in while he was sleeping. I walked over and cut up his food and he asked me to make his tea for him. My dad is a huge tea drinker one of the things he has passed onto me. I knew exactly how he wanted it after years of watching him make it. I got a chair and sat down near the bed but before long I was sitting on the bed next to him. The Lord was moving and I was just in the flow of it having no idea where we were going. All of a sudden in a loud voice, because my father is close to deaf, I heard these words came out of my mouth, “dad, have you given your life to Jesus?”
I was just as surprised as he was and I immediately felt weird wondering how many people heard me yelling about Jesus. It all happened so fast and I certainly wasn’t ready for what happened next. I saw a tear slowly slide down my father‘s cheek and the eyes that once looked at me with such contempt were now filled with pain and fear. It was like the whole world and all its craziness stopped for a moment. He said it was too hard to talk about and I told him it was too important not to talk about. At that point I didn’t care who heard me. I would scream from the rooftop if I had to. I asked him if he wanted me to pray with him and he said no, he would have to meditate on it for a while. He told me he was worried about “us kids” as he put it. My dad was worried about us? The conversation went on from there. It was one of the most precious times in my life, a time I never thought would happen. I waited a while then asked him again and this time he said yes. I sat on that hospital bed and led my father to the Lord.
I looked over at the night table and there was a deck of cards there, I asked my dad if he wanted to play. We sat there for over an hour playing cards. Me and my dad playing cards!! We played till he was tired then he laid his head down on his pillow. I asked him if he wanted me to leave and he yelled “I don’t care” I smiled and said “yes you do” and for the first time I knew he did care. I shut off the light as my father curled up to a fetal position. I sat with him for a while then kissed him on the head and left.
As I was driving home thanking God for what He did He gave me the name for the jewel. You see God dealt the cards, He asked me to play the hand He gave me knowing down the road I would be in Tampa right where He needed me when my father arrived ready to give his life to Jesus. He allowed me to be the one to do it and I cannot put into words the emotions I’m having tonight.
So my gems whatever you have been through or are going thru whether it makes sense or not be obedient to what God asks you to do because in this game the winner takes all.
Gena’s jewels
OK fast forward to about 6 months ago when the Lord told me to move to Tampa. As you know at first I did not understand this request and I’ll remind you some of the reasons why. I would have to leave my 17 year old son behind his senior year in high school. He is with his father but I don’t get to see him very often which leaves a void in my heart not to mention at times mommy guilt. I would be moving 2 hours away from my daughter, son, daughter-in-law and grandsons. We use to live 2 houses apart so this was a HUGE adjustment. I would have to be away from my youngest daughter for longer periods of time and deal with an ex-husband that doesn’t handle compromise very well. I was also moving in with a couple I hardly knew to a town where I had no friends. Now that you are up to date I need to remind you it was all about obedience.
I have already seen many reasons why I’m here and met some of the people the Lord has asked me to minister to but tonight a huge part of the Lord’s plan was revealed to me.
My father has been in and out of the hospital the past few months and most of the burden/responsibility has been on me. My parent’s home is about an hour and a half away from mine but my father was recently transferred to the VA Hospital. Where is that you ask…. Tampa. To be honest at first I felt it was yet another thing on my plate that I would have to deal with because he was now about a 20 min. ride from where I live. I went to the hospital the first few times to the usual scene of my father’s hateful yelling and all the drama with my mother. Trips back and forth to Davenport trying to get power of attorney papers and banking needs in order are just a few of the things I have been dealing with. Of course my father has still not agreed to sign these papers making my life that much more difficult. I’m going to get really honest here with you gems, as far as I was concerned my father was a huge pain in the ass and I was really done with him. The ONLY reason I was going to continue was because of Jesus’ words to me to honor my father and mother.
A couple of days ago my friend Cathy told me she felt in her Spirit like she should ask me if my dad had a relationship with the Lord and about my relationship with him. I told her I had come to terms with my non relationship with my father years ago. I also remembered a long time ago my mother telling me a Pastor came by their house and my father prayed to receive Christ. No sooner had I said those words I heard the Lord say “And you shall know my children by their fruit.” I had NEVER seen any fruit in my father’s life but pushed the thought out of my mind.
I knew I should go to the hospital after work today because there is a chance my father will be transferred back to a hospital in Haines City for rehab and there was no excuse for me not to. I had a long day at work and was already tired so I planned on doing my obligation and heading home quick. Of course the Lord had other plans. I walked in the room and there was a noticeable difference in the atmosphere. My father was lying there asleep and he looked so helpless. We were there alone for the first time without my mother or any other visitors. For the first time in months I was seeing my father, the man and not the responsibility. I don’t know if that makes sense. I suddenly realized how frail he was, he was so thin and small. Who was this man? A flood of emotion came over me as I walked over and touched his hair. I ran my hand over his head like a mother does with a sick child. I had never touched my dad like that before. My heart is pounding just seeing it again in my mind. He woke up slowly then asked if my mother was with me, when I said no he seemed surprised that I was there. As I stood there I realized I was the one the Lord chose to care for my father. Me of all the children, the one he seemed to dislike the most. It was awkward at first and then he said he was hungry. I pointed to the food tray that must have come in while he was sleeping. I walked over and cut up his food and he asked me to make his tea for him. My dad is a huge tea drinker one of the things he has passed onto me. I knew exactly how he wanted it after years of watching him make it. I got a chair and sat down near the bed but before long I was sitting on the bed next to him. The Lord was moving and I was just in the flow of it having no idea where we were going. All of a sudden in a loud voice, because my father is close to deaf, I heard these words came out of my mouth, “dad, have you given your life to Jesus?”
I was just as surprised as he was and I immediately felt weird wondering how many people heard me yelling about Jesus. It all happened so fast and I certainly wasn’t ready for what happened next. I saw a tear slowly slide down my father‘s cheek and the eyes that once looked at me with such contempt were now filled with pain and fear. It was like the whole world and all its craziness stopped for a moment. He said it was too hard to talk about and I told him it was too important not to talk about. At that point I didn’t care who heard me. I would scream from the rooftop if I had to. I asked him if he wanted me to pray with him and he said no, he would have to meditate on it for a while. He told me he was worried about “us kids” as he put it. My dad was worried about us? The conversation went on from there. It was one of the most precious times in my life, a time I never thought would happen. I waited a while then asked him again and this time he said yes. I sat on that hospital bed and led my father to the Lord.
I looked over at the night table and there was a deck of cards there, I asked my dad if he wanted to play. We sat there for over an hour playing cards. Me and my dad playing cards!! We played till he was tired then he laid his head down on his pillow. I asked him if he wanted me to leave and he yelled “I don’t care” I smiled and said “yes you do” and for the first time I knew he did care. I shut off the light as my father curled up to a fetal position. I sat with him for a while then kissed him on the head and left.
As I was driving home thanking God for what He did He gave me the name for the jewel. You see God dealt the cards, He asked me to play the hand He gave me knowing down the road I would be in Tampa right where He needed me when my father arrived ready to give his life to Jesus. He allowed me to be the one to do it and I cannot put into words the emotions I’m having tonight.
So my gems whatever you have been through or are going thru whether it makes sense or not be obedient to what God asks you to do because in this game the winner takes all.
Gena’s jewels
Friday, October 9, 2009
For Crying Out Loud
I have a some friends that cry almost every time you talk to them. They tell me it’s so frustrating they even asked the Lord to help them not to do it. A friend told me the other day she doesn’t like to speak in front of people about personal things because she’s afraid she will cry and it makes her feel stupid. A woman I met recently confessed that she comes from a family of criers and none of them can get through a story without tears flowing.
I was never much of a crier but the older I get the more I seem to do it. Some of these women get embarrassed by crying and feel stupid getting upset in front of other people.
I don’t think crying is stupid, other things maybe, but not crying.
To prove my point I decided to share a story with you about something I did the other day that was the ultimate in stupid.
I went to the Metro PCS store to change my cell phone from Sprint to their company. I was talking to the salesman and going over the paperwork of what I would need to do. As we were filling out the papers he asked me for my Sprint account number. I told him I didn’t have it and he said I would need to get it in order to continue. I was bummed out because I didn‘t know it and really didn‘t want to have to come back. I said I would go home and get it and come back the following day. He looked at me kind of weird which is not unusual; people often look at me that way. I thanked him for his help and told him I would see him tomorrow and left. OK are you ready for this? I drove home, walked in the house, took out my CELL PHONE from my purse and called Sprint for my account number. As the phone was ringing I realized I could have done that AT THE STORE!!! What a ninny head. The guy probably thought I stole the phone or was up to something and that’s why I didn’t call from the store. I was so embarrassed. Luckily when I went back the next day he didn’t recognize me and of course I acted like I had never been there before.
I confessed this because that was stupid; crying in front of people is not. I read this to my daughter and she said” that’s not the stupidest thing you’ve done.” That’s encouraging. As always the Holy Spirit spoke to me about the crying situation.
Have you ever heard people say you should go in the ocean if you have a cut or infection on your body, how the salt water will do you good? Or when you have a sore throat doctors tell you to gargle with salt water.
According to my Google search, in some cases gargling with salt water has a cleansing action. The Lord told me the same rule applies with crying, tears are your own salt water. There is a cleansing that happens when you cry; it gets stuff out of you. He told me that not only does it help the person that’s crying but those tears help heal the people near by that have the same kind of “wounds.” They feel better just knowing someone else understands how they feel and they truly cry with you because they understand what you’re feeling. Tears tear down walls. People stop and listen when they see your vulnerable. It takes a brave person to allow their emotions to flow in front of people.
God says He catches every one of our tears; they are all recorded in His book. He obviously doesn’t think crying is stupid or He wouldn‘t have created it. He tells us in 2Kings 20:5 I have heard your prayer and seen your tears; I will heal you.
So my gems I want to encourage you, if you’re a crier, don’t hold back. Let your tears flow and allow the cleansing to take place. Be the brave one to show emotion so others around you feel safe to do the same. Allow the Lord to heal you with the solution He himself designed, tears. And remember the best news is Revelation 21:3 I heard a loud shout from the throne saying,” Look, God’s home is now among his people! He will live with them, and they will be his people. God himself will be with them. He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever.”Who better to wipe away your tears then God Almighty, so go on, keep crying out loud!!!
Gena’s Jewels
I was never much of a crier but the older I get the more I seem to do it. Some of these women get embarrassed by crying and feel stupid getting upset in front of other people.
I don’t think crying is stupid, other things maybe, but not crying.
To prove my point I decided to share a story with you about something I did the other day that was the ultimate in stupid.
I went to the Metro PCS store to change my cell phone from Sprint to their company. I was talking to the salesman and going over the paperwork of what I would need to do. As we were filling out the papers he asked me for my Sprint account number. I told him I didn’t have it and he said I would need to get it in order to continue. I was bummed out because I didn‘t know it and really didn‘t want to have to come back. I said I would go home and get it and come back the following day. He looked at me kind of weird which is not unusual; people often look at me that way. I thanked him for his help and told him I would see him tomorrow and left. OK are you ready for this? I drove home, walked in the house, took out my CELL PHONE from my purse and called Sprint for my account number. As the phone was ringing I realized I could have done that AT THE STORE!!! What a ninny head. The guy probably thought I stole the phone or was up to something and that’s why I didn’t call from the store. I was so embarrassed. Luckily when I went back the next day he didn’t recognize me and of course I acted like I had never been there before.
I confessed this because that was stupid; crying in front of people is not. I read this to my daughter and she said” that’s not the stupidest thing you’ve done.” That’s encouraging. As always the Holy Spirit spoke to me about the crying situation.
Have you ever heard people say you should go in the ocean if you have a cut or infection on your body, how the salt water will do you good? Or when you have a sore throat doctors tell you to gargle with salt water.
According to my Google search, in some cases gargling with salt water has a cleansing action. The Lord told me the same rule applies with crying, tears are your own salt water. There is a cleansing that happens when you cry; it gets stuff out of you. He told me that not only does it help the person that’s crying but those tears help heal the people near by that have the same kind of “wounds.” They feel better just knowing someone else understands how they feel and they truly cry with you because they understand what you’re feeling. Tears tear down walls. People stop and listen when they see your vulnerable. It takes a brave person to allow their emotions to flow in front of people.
God says He catches every one of our tears; they are all recorded in His book. He obviously doesn’t think crying is stupid or He wouldn‘t have created it. He tells us in 2Kings 20:5 I have heard your prayer and seen your tears; I will heal you.
So my gems I want to encourage you, if you’re a crier, don’t hold back. Let your tears flow and allow the cleansing to take place. Be the brave one to show emotion so others around you feel safe to do the same. Allow the Lord to heal you with the solution He himself designed, tears. And remember the best news is Revelation 21:3 I heard a loud shout from the throne saying,” Look, God’s home is now among his people! He will live with them, and they will be his people. God himself will be with them. He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever.”Who better to wipe away your tears then God Almighty, so go on, keep crying out loud!!!
Gena’s Jewels
Sunday, September 27, 2009
What Instrument Do You Play?
I was watching an amazing praise DVD from Australia the other night. The music was so powerful that the worship team seem to take you to a place where you could become more in tune with your Spirit being than your physical one.
My attention eventually went to the drummer, as I love the sound of the drums. He was so into the worship that when the song ended he literally fell forward and laid his head on the drum. He had given all he had; you could tell he played from his very soul.
I was so filled with the Spirit as I watched this huge crowd praising the Lord with their voices as their hands were reaching toward the sky as if they expected the very hand of God to reach down and touch them. I had goose bumps. I knew how it made me feel just watching it on a DVD I could only imagine how it must have felt being there live.
I got to thinking about how much it must have pleased God to have so many children praising Him, how He must have looked forward to that night knowing He would be seeing His kids in worship.
Did He get goose bumps too? Was He focusing in on them one person at a time taking in each expression and emotion? Was He being touched as much by their praise as they were by His presence?
Have you ever really looked forward to seeing someone you had special feelings for? You know the whole nervous butterfly in the stomach feeling. I remember in High School my first love, his name was Jimmy, and I would run to my English class early because I knew he had to walk by my class to get to his. I would stand outside the door when the bell rang searching for him down the crowded hall of people and as soon as I saw him I would look away pretending I didn’t see him. Great plan hu? Could explain why I’m still single.
There was a method to my madness. I knew if he thought I didn’t see him he would touch my arm or better yet my face as he went by and say hello. Just that little touch sent my heart fluttering. It was the only reason I went to English.
I wondered if God felt like that when He knew we were getting ready to worship Him. Does he search for us anticipating the moment?
My mind went to that drummer and I envied him, that he could put his whole soul into playing for the King. I thought to myself, I wish I sang or played an instrument so I could praise God like that.
As always the Holy Spirit spoke to me and said,” you do play an instrument it’s just not a musical one.” He reminded me that I write and Gena’s Jewels is my instrument to give praise to the Lord. I never thought about it that way. I started thinking about other people and the instruments they play like making drapes or jewelry. Selling homes or feeding the homeless. Speaking encouraging words or teaching small children. Anything that we do for God is our instrument, it’s just a matter of do we “play” it to honor Him. Do we give Him the praise for the talent we were given.
Psalm 150:6 Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. It doesn’t specify how you praise just that you do it.
I was in Wal-Mart today with my friend Cathy, the woman in front of us didn’t speak English, the cashier didn’t speak Spanish, and there was some confusion with the customer’s gift card. The problem was they could not communicate and you could feel the frustration level rising. Out of nowhere my friend translated for them as she speaks both languages. I heard the Lord say, “She’s playing her instrument.”
Are you playing yours?
I was so filled with the Spirit as I watched this huge crowd praising the Lord with their voices as their hands were reaching toward the sky as if they expected the very hand of God to reach down and touch them. I had goose bumps. I knew how it made me feel just watching it on a DVD I could only imagine how it must have felt being there live.
I got to thinking about how much it must have pleased God to have so many children praising Him, how He must have looked forward to that night knowing He would be seeing His kids in worship.
Did He get goose bumps too? Was He focusing in on them one person at a time taking in each expression and emotion? Was He being touched as much by their praise as they were by His presence?
Have you ever really looked forward to seeing someone you had special feelings for? You know the whole nervous butterfly in the stomach feeling. I remember in High School my first love, his name was Jimmy, and I would run to my English class early because I knew he had to walk by my class to get to his. I would stand outside the door when the bell rang searching for him down the crowded hall of people and as soon as I saw him I would look away pretending I didn’t see him. Great plan hu? Could explain why I’m still single.
There was a method to my madness. I knew if he thought I didn’t see him he would touch my arm or better yet my face as he went by and say hello. Just that little touch sent my heart fluttering. It was the only reason I went to English.
I wondered if God felt like that when He knew we were getting ready to worship Him. Does he search for us anticipating the moment?
My mind went to that drummer and I envied him, that he could put his whole soul into playing for the King. I thought to myself, I wish I sang or played an instrument so I could praise God like that.
As always the Holy Spirit spoke to me and said,” you do play an instrument it’s just not a musical one.” He reminded me that I write and Gena’s Jewels is my instrument to give praise to the Lord. I never thought about it that way. I started thinking about other people and the instruments they play like making drapes or jewelry. Selling homes or feeding the homeless. Speaking encouraging words or teaching small children. Anything that we do for God is our instrument, it’s just a matter of do we “play” it to honor Him. Do we give Him the praise for the talent we were given.
Psalm 150:6 Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. It doesn’t specify how you praise just that you do it.
I was in Wal-Mart today with my friend Cathy, the woman in front of us didn’t speak English, the cashier didn’t speak Spanish, and there was some confusion with the customer’s gift card. The problem was they could not communicate and you could feel the frustration level rising. Out of nowhere my friend translated for them as she speaks both languages. I heard the Lord say, “She’s playing her instrument.”
Are you playing yours?
What instrument do you play
Do you honor God with it everyday
Do you look for places you two will meet
Do you give him thanks, do you keep his beat
Does your heart sing out
Do you make it a goal
To share with another
The song in your soul
Allow God to shine through all that you do
Search for the Lord He’s crazy bout you
So strike up the band
Let’s start the show
Tune up your instrument
And let your music flow!
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