I was having one of those days yesterday, you know the kind when you feel like your going to lose it any moment? Do men have those days? Anyway I was on edge and anxious with no apparent reason.
I had to take my youngest daughter to her new High School to meet her teachers and find her classes. How she went from being 4 years old to high school so fast is beyond me. It was hot, I only had an hour, we were in a long line of cars and worse than all we were making a left hand turn.
OK so I'm in my car with my daughter and I'm getting annoyed with the person at the front of the line who is not taking the MANY attempts they had to turn. I start grumbling out loud and I finally say to this person I don't know and can't hear me “don't make me blow this horn!”
At this pressure cooking moment my sweet daughter starts singing “I got the joy joy joy joy down in my heart” she looks at me with a big angelic smile and continues singing “WHERE? Down in my heart to stay!” (if you don't know this popular child song go to you tube and listen to it) I just started laughing and calmed down but then it hit me I did not have joy in my heart.
The second part of Nehemiah 8:10 tells us the joy of the Lord is our strength.
That is a powerful verse and I was living proof of it, on the opposite end I'm afraid. I was not walking in strength because my joy joy joy was apparently no where to be found.
When we have our joy we are able to handle the things life throws at us in a better emotional state. We walk in the understanding that God is in control and Jesus will lead our path. It's the place where we truly are anxious for nothing.
That is an attainable place but if you lose your joy you lose your place.
I did focus on what my daughter said but for some reason I could not seem to beat this feeling I was having. I almost felt numb inside.
Overwhelmed with all the things going on around me and all the prayer request I'm praying for and yet I felt numb.
The truth is the people I'm praying for have far more serious things than I do in my life right now. I felt like a wimp.
I got home from work and my grandson came in a few minutes later excited he had made the soccer team tryouts and would be on the team he hoped for. He's only 7 and has been working so hard all summer. I of course shared in his excitement and told him how proud I was but honestly gems I was responding right on the outside but the inside I was just kinda numb.
I didn't feel excitement or joy or love or anything! What the heck was wrong with me?
Before I went to bed I decided to water my plants on the porch and just call it a day.
I reached up to a hanging plant and as I started pouring the water into it a swarm of wasp attacked my hand. I got about 5 stings before I ran into the house.
The weird thing is although it hurt like a #@##@# it made me cry and that was exactly what I needed.
I went in my room and sat on the floor in the dark and just cried out to God with all the stings I was feeling not only in my hand but in my heart. And believe me I was feeling something now!
My oldest son Anthony, thinking I had gone to bed, came to my room to say goodnight. When he heard me crying he came into my room to see what was wrong.
I don't like to cry in front of my kids or people for that matter when I'm feeling really vulnerable.
I told him about the numbness and how I could not seem to find my joy. I shared how I felt like I wasn't doing the best kingdom work lately and in a nut shell felt like crap. To make matters worse I didn't feel like the Lord had much to say to me, other than the joy thing.
My wise son encouraged me with facts about our family and the seeds I had planted and then he said something very profound to me.
He claims I said it to him years ago so it mush have been a Holy Spirit moment cause not only do I not remember but it was really good.
He said “mom you told me one time that the more time we spend with God and devote ourselves to becoming more like Jesus the less He has to talk to us.”
Follow me here not less time like He's busy but less time reminding us how to behave. He went on to say that when we are seeking the love of God we respond in ways that please Him.
Let's put it in a practical every day way. When your teaching your child, student, sibling or employee something new you have to tell them over and over how it's done. You have to remind them the proper response each time the situation comes up. As time goes by you have to tell them less and less as they figure out what to do.
The more we read the Bible and ask the Holy Spirit for wisdom the more we get it and the less times He has to show us how to behave.
Anthony asked me if I fessed up to anything I did wrong and I said yes. He responded in his most sensitive way “then suck it up, get back on the horse and start riding again!”
He was right. The beautiful part about walking with the Lord is as soon as you repent and move on your done. You only camp out in the joyless zone if you choose to hang out there.
On a more difficult note he said he thought it was important for me to share with people when I'm vulnerable. I reminded him about Gena's Jewels and how many people I share my junk with. It is a humbling experience but if it helps one person I'm glad to do it.
Honestly Gems, I feel bad sharing because I feel like my lack of trust at the time is dissing God. My son reminded me that people need to know that we all feel that way at times.
So here I am AGAIN confessing to you that I lost my joy cause I lost my trust.
The good news is after a good cry, a great talk including a much needed hug and an awesome prayer time I woke up the next morning and what do you think I found?
You guessed it.
I got the joy joy joy joy down in my heart! Where?? Down in my heart to stay :)
None of the circumstances in my life nor in the lives of the ones I'm praying for have changed. It's never about our circumstances it's about our mind set.
I feel so much better today so I'm sending this out to you my Gems to encourage you. If you lost your peace look for your joy, chances are you'll find your strength too!
Gena's Jewels Keeper of The Testimony available on Amazon
Friday, August 20, 2010
Saturday, August 7, 2010
Smudge Proof
I was at work sitting behind my desk when a customer came in to make a payment on his account. The first thing I did was put on my glasses cause I can't see without them. When I looked up at the customer I could only see him clearly with one eye. I had a huge fingerprint smudge on my right lens so he was kind of foggy.
As he was talking my mind started to wander and I'm thinking, I wonder if he can see this huge smudge on my lens. I'm trying not to laugh out loud as I'm picturing what I must look like. In spite of his odd look I continued to act like the professional woman I am :)
As always it got me thinking about our lives.
At times we are walking and talking like we got it all together but there's a big smudge in us. We know it's there because it's affecting the way we handle our life and we don't think others notice. The truth is if we can see it chances are they can too.
If my glasses are usually clean when I'm talking to you and now they have a big fingerprint on it your going to notice.
Taking it to a spiritual level, if I usually act one way and now I'm acting different, something must have smudged me.
I will humbly give you an example.
It's 5:42 am. And I have been up for hours trying to make sense of my recent smudge.
Here's the scenario. I am part of a large church that believes in and utilizes small home groups. This has always been a passion of mine so I have been a leader of a group for some time. I have a coach and I'm part of a small group of leaders.
OK shift gears with me for a minute. I'm going to write this in stages of smudges so you can enter the scary place called my mind (do this at your own risk) and follow my train of thought.
Smudge 1: I need to give a recap for my newer Gems and a reminder for the rest.
As you know I have had a toxic relationship with my parents. There was a time in my life when I had to love them from a distance in order to allow healing in my life. Recently I have become their main caregiver which has required me to spend a lot of time with them.
Smudge 2: I have been under a lot of stress with all the decision making and responsibilities caring for my parents has created. My children have had life crisis which of course affects me. I started a new job so I'm dealing with all the training stuff. I have to move AGAIN and the thought of that process is another source of stress.
Smudge 3: (stay with me) because of my past I used to always feel ugly. My mother constantly reminded me I was in a gawky stage (whatever that means) and my father took care of any high self esteem issues I might have had.
After years of allowing Jesus to love me and falling in love with Him, He has made me feel beautiful on the inside and dare I say the outside too.
Gems that is a powerful statement I just made and it's not made out of conceit. I will stop there cause that's another jewel.
This is probably more for the ladies but you know when you have ugly days. You just don't feel like you look good so you either add a little more makeup or go the other way and stay in sweat pants for the day. Having ugly days is not unusual but having them more and more often is.
I even said something to my daughter that I felt like every time I looked in the mirror lately I looked ugly. At first I thought it was because I'm turning 50 soon. I figured it must be bothering me more than I realized but I was wrong.
OK back to the small group point. My coach had been emailing me to set up a time for us to get together to follow up on my small group. She also wanted to talk about some of the upcoming meetings.
Smudge 4: I kept putting it off because I was feeling overwhelmed. And did I mention I have been feeling ugly.
I had this smudge growing on me and I'm sure by now someone has to notice.
Smudge 5: My coach was persistent and the more she tried to reach me the more aggravated I was getting with her. I felt like I couldn't commit to one more thing! Our emails began to get a bit more challenging, the smudge was getting bigger. Didn't she know I was stressed? Did I not tell her I could not add anything else to my plate?
Had I actually talked to her she would have. I was letting the enemy translate our conversations for us.
I decided to resign as a group leader which was a sad decision for me. I love the ladies in my group and I love the time we spend together but I knew I needed to step down for a season.
My coach still wanted to meet with me. WHY?????????????
She was persistent and it paid off because I finally made the appointment.
I went into the meeting exhausted and wounded from battle and just wanted to get it over with. I was ready to admit defeat, there I said it. Not out loud of course but it was looming in my head. I knew my coach expected something of me and I couldn't provide the goods. I failed at something I thought I was good at.
This of course was the lie I was hearing from the devil.
I walked into the meeting room expecting to come face to face with this monster I had created in my mind. What I found was a confused woman that I had convicted and her crime was trying to help me.
What was happening here? How did this smudge get so big that I didn't even know I wasn't seeing clearly.
Hence the 2 am. Counseling with the Lord.
I'm going to give you the inside scoop here on what the Lord revealed to me.
The amount of time I have been spending with my toxic father was beginning to take it's toll. His constant verbal abuse and daily doses of how worthless and stupid I am was making it's way through my armor. I will spare you the other hateful and harmful things that were said but I will tell you they brought me to tears on more than one occasion.
I had been drinking poison for months and it was changing how I saw myself.
When your sick you look sick. What I was seeing in the mirror was the reflection of satan's work not God's.
I didn't realize it at first, that's how the enemy does it. It's like cooking a lobster. They put it in a pot of cool water and it doesn't climb out. Then they put the flame on low and the water gradually gets hotter and hotter til they eventually boil it. (I have read this I have never cooked one) I was allowing myself to get boiled again. I needed an l exam/new glasses.
Smudge 6: Back to the coach scenario. Every time I got an email from her I felt more pressure. I didn't respond because I didn't wan to deal with more pressure.
I saw her emails as more poison instead of a life line.
I didn't want to face her because I didn't want to see the disappointment in her eyes when she looked at me. I was seeing enough of that from my father.
I was feeling ugly enough.
This is where I allowed the enemy to mess with me.
I was confusing my lenses and not seeing clearly.
When I walked in that room prepared for battle I found a woman who thought enough of me, in spite of the fact I was hurting her feelings, to still want to reach out to me.
The ironic thing is at that point I still didn't understand what was happening. I really didn't know why I was avoiding her, it didn't make any sense to me.
She was trying to get past the emails and phone calls so we could SEE each other face to face, clear glasses, and the truth is once I saw her face I recognized her for the woman she was not the one I made up.
That was the enemies concern, he knew once we were face to face the light would shine through and the truth would be revealed.
The Holy Spirit showed me this morning I had to put my pride aside. I had to allow my coach to see a very vulnerable side of me that I tend to guard pretty well.
If guarding your pride causes dissension in God's family you become the smudge and eventually the poison.
I honestly had no idea I was in that lobster pot. It all came together and made sense.
I understood that I allowed the enemy to use my weakness to manifest a huge smudge. My coach was an innocent victim in my smudged glasses.
So to my coach, sister and friend I say I'm sorry for the smudge and thank you for pulling me out of the pot.
Gems electronics are great for quick communication but they will never replace the gift of human companionship.
This was a great reminder for me and I pray it will be for you too.
Let's not get so busy that we can't turn off the burner. Take time to shut everything off and see each other face to face, to make sure our glasses are clean and if not allow our friends to help us clean them in love.
My advice for the day, clean your glasses before you become the smudge and end up in boiling water.
No one is smudge proof.
As he was talking my mind started to wander and I'm thinking, I wonder if he can see this huge smudge on my lens. I'm trying not to laugh out loud as I'm picturing what I must look like. In spite of his odd look I continued to act like the professional woman I am :)
As always it got me thinking about our lives.
At times we are walking and talking like we got it all together but there's a big smudge in us. We know it's there because it's affecting the way we handle our life and we don't think others notice. The truth is if we can see it chances are they can too.
If my glasses are usually clean when I'm talking to you and now they have a big fingerprint on it your going to notice.
Taking it to a spiritual level, if I usually act one way and now I'm acting different, something must have smudged me.
I will humbly give you an example.
It's 5:42 am. And I have been up for hours trying to make sense of my recent smudge.
Here's the scenario. I am part of a large church that believes in and utilizes small home groups. This has always been a passion of mine so I have been a leader of a group for some time. I have a coach and I'm part of a small group of leaders.
OK shift gears with me for a minute. I'm going to write this in stages of smudges so you can enter the scary place called my mind (do this at your own risk) and follow my train of thought.
Smudge 1: I need to give a recap for my newer Gems and a reminder for the rest.
As you know I have had a toxic relationship with my parents. There was a time in my life when I had to love them from a distance in order to allow healing in my life. Recently I have become their main caregiver which has required me to spend a lot of time with them.
Smudge 2: I have been under a lot of stress with all the decision making and responsibilities caring for my parents has created. My children have had life crisis which of course affects me. I started a new job so I'm dealing with all the training stuff. I have to move AGAIN and the thought of that process is another source of stress.
Smudge 3: (stay with me) because of my past I used to always feel ugly. My mother constantly reminded me I was in a gawky stage (whatever that means) and my father took care of any high self esteem issues I might have had.
After years of allowing Jesus to love me and falling in love with Him, He has made me feel beautiful on the inside and dare I say the outside too.
Gems that is a powerful statement I just made and it's not made out of conceit. I will stop there cause that's another jewel.
This is probably more for the ladies but you know when you have ugly days. You just don't feel like you look good so you either add a little more makeup or go the other way and stay in sweat pants for the day. Having ugly days is not unusual but having them more and more often is.
I even said something to my daughter that I felt like every time I looked in the mirror lately I looked ugly. At first I thought it was because I'm turning 50 soon. I figured it must be bothering me more than I realized but I was wrong.
OK back to the small group point. My coach had been emailing me to set up a time for us to get together to follow up on my small group. She also wanted to talk about some of the upcoming meetings.
Smudge 4: I kept putting it off because I was feeling overwhelmed. And did I mention I have been feeling ugly.
I had this smudge growing on me and I'm sure by now someone has to notice.
Smudge 5: My coach was persistent and the more she tried to reach me the more aggravated I was getting with her. I felt like I couldn't commit to one more thing! Our emails began to get a bit more challenging, the smudge was getting bigger. Didn't she know I was stressed? Did I not tell her I could not add anything else to my plate?
Had I actually talked to her she would have. I was letting the enemy translate our conversations for us.
I decided to resign as a group leader which was a sad decision for me. I love the ladies in my group and I love the time we spend together but I knew I needed to step down for a season.
My coach still wanted to meet with me. WHY?????????????
She was persistent and it paid off because I finally made the appointment.
I went into the meeting exhausted and wounded from battle and just wanted to get it over with. I was ready to admit defeat, there I said it. Not out loud of course but it was looming in my head. I knew my coach expected something of me and I couldn't provide the goods. I failed at something I thought I was good at.
This of course was the lie I was hearing from the devil.
I walked into the meeting room expecting to come face to face with this monster I had created in my mind. What I found was a confused woman that I had convicted and her crime was trying to help me.
What was happening here? How did this smudge get so big that I didn't even know I wasn't seeing clearly.
Hence the 2 am. Counseling with the Lord.
I'm going to give you the inside scoop here on what the Lord revealed to me.
The amount of time I have been spending with my toxic father was beginning to take it's toll. His constant verbal abuse and daily doses of how worthless and stupid I am was making it's way through my armor. I will spare you the other hateful and harmful things that were said but I will tell you they brought me to tears on more than one occasion.
I had been drinking poison for months and it was changing how I saw myself.
When your sick you look sick. What I was seeing in the mirror was the reflection of satan's work not God's.
I didn't realize it at first, that's how the enemy does it. It's like cooking a lobster. They put it in a pot of cool water and it doesn't climb out. Then they put the flame on low and the water gradually gets hotter and hotter til they eventually boil it. (I have read this I have never cooked one) I was allowing myself to get boiled again. I needed an l exam/new glasses.
Smudge 6: Back to the coach scenario. Every time I got an email from her I felt more pressure. I didn't respond because I didn't wan to deal with more pressure.
I saw her emails as more poison instead of a life line.
I didn't want to face her because I didn't want to see the disappointment in her eyes when she looked at me. I was seeing enough of that from my father.
I was feeling ugly enough.
This is where I allowed the enemy to mess with me.
I was confusing my lenses and not seeing clearly.
When I walked in that room prepared for battle I found a woman who thought enough of me, in spite of the fact I was hurting her feelings, to still want to reach out to me.
The ironic thing is at that point I still didn't understand what was happening. I really didn't know why I was avoiding her, it didn't make any sense to me.
She was trying to get past the emails and phone calls so we could SEE each other face to face, clear glasses, and the truth is once I saw her face I recognized her for the woman she was not the one I made up.
That was the enemies concern, he knew once we were face to face the light would shine through and the truth would be revealed.
The Holy Spirit showed me this morning I had to put my pride aside. I had to allow my coach to see a very vulnerable side of me that I tend to guard pretty well.
If guarding your pride causes dissension in God's family you become the smudge and eventually the poison.
I honestly had no idea I was in that lobster pot. It all came together and made sense.
I understood that I allowed the enemy to use my weakness to manifest a huge smudge. My coach was an innocent victim in my smudged glasses.
So to my coach, sister and friend I say I'm sorry for the smudge and thank you for pulling me out of the pot.
Gems electronics are great for quick communication but they will never replace the gift of human companionship.
This was a great reminder for me and I pray it will be for you too.
Let's not get so busy that we can't turn off the burner. Take time to shut everything off and see each other face to face, to make sure our glasses are clean and if not allow our friends to help us clean them in love.
My advice for the day, clean your glasses before you become the smudge and end up in boiling water.
No one is smudge proof.
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
How's My Driving
A few months ago I had a car accident. I was in the far left side of a double turning lane. There was another car in the right lane and no one in front of either one of us. As I went to pass the car on the right, still in my lane, he decided to join me. He hit my passenger door.
I was so baffled because I couldn't figure out why he decided to change lanes when they were both turning lanes and neither one had a line of cars ahead of us.
We both stopped and I said to him, still confused, “you just hit me” he answered back, just as confused, “I know” I said “I just washed my car!”
Thankfully no one was hurt and I ended up sharing Jesus with the adjuster who came to look at my car, thank you Lord!
I tell you this because before the accident I didn't pay a lot of attention to the car next to me when I was driving down a road. I was pretty confident in my driving skills.
Since the accident I find at times I'm almost paranoid when I see a car come too close to me or the line dividing us.
I mean really, how is that one white line or two yellow lines going to stop a car? I get a bit nervous when I'm changing lanes and I triple check before I move over.
I hope this will eventually go away because it's, well it's annoying .
It got me thinking about people. You know people you meet and get close to and before you know it someone has gone over a line and you crash.
Either one of you is injured or both of you are.
Some crashes are worse than others. Sometimes you have an incident with a friend, relative, loved one or coworker and you lick your wounds and move on. Other times the injury takes a little longer to heal and sometimes it's a fatality and your relationship is over.
What happens when your on the road again? When you meet someone else do you become paranoid that they are going to cross the line and you will crash with them too?
Do you double and triple check before you let them get close to you to avoid another “accident”?
I wondered in my own life how many people I passed by because there was a chance I might get injured.
How many people took the hit for the person that actually caused my emotional wreck?
Do we get paranoid and think someone right out of the possibility of having a friendship or relationship with them?
If your not careful your life can become more like bumper cars, just slamming into one relationship then into another. Taking or giving a hit then moving on as fast as possible.
Or maybe your more like a NASCAR driver. Looking all spiffy and cool but never slowing down long enough to actually meet the other drivers.
I wonder what kind of lines we have drawn that a person cannot cross over. Some are good lines made by past experience but others are more like road blocks.
Life is a ride there's no doubt about that. We definitely need to exercise caution but let's not decide everyone is a wreck waiting to happen.
Years ago my friend and I were sharing stories telling the reasons we broke up with men we were dating. It seemed there was something wrong with every man we went out with. She was telling me about a guy she ran into that she dated and how he looked so great and what a nice guy he was. I asked her “why did you break up with him again?” and she said “because he had a post office box.” I said “didn't he work for the post office?”
We both laughed and laughed at how crazy that sounded. She went on to explain, but it's one of those you had to be there kind of stories.
I tell you this because there wasn't something wrong with every guy we dated, there was something wrong with us.
We were driving with hazard lights, bright lights and sirens. We were more like a tow truck hauling our past wrecks along with us. No one had a chance.
Gems I guess what I'm trying to say here is use wisdom in all your relationships but don't be such a defensive driver that you miss out on meeting some amazing people.
Don't junk a perfectly good vehicle just because it occasionally breaks down. Even the most dependable car needs a tune up.
Slow down and enjoy the ride. It's always better to share it with someone, whether it be a friend or possible spouse.
Allow yourself to take new journeys with a clean slate and allow others to have a clean slate too.
Everyday with Jesus is a new ride. Thank God He doesn't bail on us every time we need an ambulance to pick us up or the person we ran over.
If your not ready to get back in the driver seat that's OK. Just pull into the nearest rest stop and spend time healing.
When your ready, get back on the road and flow with the traffic. Be courteous to your fellow drivers and let people in when you can.
Before you decide to get back on the road of life ask yourself, how's my driving? And if you get the green light proceed with caution but don't be a traffic jam.
I was so baffled because I couldn't figure out why he decided to change lanes when they were both turning lanes and neither one had a line of cars ahead of us.
We both stopped and I said to him, still confused, “you just hit me” he answered back, just as confused, “I know” I said “I just washed my car!”
Thankfully no one was hurt and I ended up sharing Jesus with the adjuster who came to look at my car, thank you Lord!
I tell you this because before the accident I didn't pay a lot of attention to the car next to me when I was driving down a road. I was pretty confident in my driving skills.
Since the accident I find at times I'm almost paranoid when I see a car come too close to me or the line dividing us.
I mean really, how is that one white line or two yellow lines going to stop a car? I get a bit nervous when I'm changing lanes and I triple check before I move over.
I hope this will eventually go away because it's, well it's annoying .
It got me thinking about people. You know people you meet and get close to and before you know it someone has gone over a line and you crash.
Either one of you is injured or both of you are.
Some crashes are worse than others. Sometimes you have an incident with a friend, relative, loved one or coworker and you lick your wounds and move on. Other times the injury takes a little longer to heal and sometimes it's a fatality and your relationship is over.
What happens when your on the road again? When you meet someone else do you become paranoid that they are going to cross the line and you will crash with them too?
Do you double and triple check before you let them get close to you to avoid another “accident”?
I wondered in my own life how many people I passed by because there was a chance I might get injured.
How many people took the hit for the person that actually caused my emotional wreck?
Do we get paranoid and think someone right out of the possibility of having a friendship or relationship with them?
If your not careful your life can become more like bumper cars, just slamming into one relationship then into another. Taking or giving a hit then moving on as fast as possible.
Or maybe your more like a NASCAR driver. Looking all spiffy and cool but never slowing down long enough to actually meet the other drivers.
I wonder what kind of lines we have drawn that a person cannot cross over. Some are good lines made by past experience but others are more like road blocks.
Life is a ride there's no doubt about that. We definitely need to exercise caution but let's not decide everyone is a wreck waiting to happen.
Years ago my friend and I were sharing stories telling the reasons we broke up with men we were dating. It seemed there was something wrong with every man we went out with. She was telling me about a guy she ran into that she dated and how he looked so great and what a nice guy he was. I asked her “why did you break up with him again?” and she said “because he had a post office box.” I said “didn't he work for the post office?”
We both laughed and laughed at how crazy that sounded. She went on to explain, but it's one of those you had to be there kind of stories.
I tell you this because there wasn't something wrong with every guy we dated, there was something wrong with us.
We were driving with hazard lights, bright lights and sirens. We were more like a tow truck hauling our past wrecks along with us. No one had a chance.
Gems I guess what I'm trying to say here is use wisdom in all your relationships but don't be such a defensive driver that you miss out on meeting some amazing people.
Don't junk a perfectly good vehicle just because it occasionally breaks down. Even the most dependable car needs a tune up.
Slow down and enjoy the ride. It's always better to share it with someone, whether it be a friend or possible spouse.
Allow yourself to take new journeys with a clean slate and allow others to have a clean slate too.
Everyday with Jesus is a new ride. Thank God He doesn't bail on us every time we need an ambulance to pick us up or the person we ran over.
If your not ready to get back in the driver seat that's OK. Just pull into the nearest rest stop and spend time healing.
When your ready, get back on the road and flow with the traffic. Be courteous to your fellow drivers and let people in when you can.
Before you decide to get back on the road of life ask yourself, how's my driving? And if you get the green light proceed with caution but don't be a traffic jam.
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
The Purpose Of A Gift
I was reading in Exodus 25 (New JPS translation) this morning and the first few verses really got my attention.
The LORD spoke to Moses saying: "Tell the Israelite people to bring Me gifts; you shall accept gifts for Me from every person whose heart so moves him. And these are the gifts you shall accept from them: gold, silver and copper; blue, purple and crimson yarns, fine linen; goats' hair, tanned ram skins,dolphin skins, and acacia wood; oil for lighting, spices for the anointing oil and for the aromatic incense; lapis lazuli and other stones for setting, for the ephod and for the breastpiece. And let them make Me a sanctuary that I may dwell among them. Exactly as I show you- the pattern of the Tabernacle and the pattern of all its furnishings-so shall you make it.
God was telling the Isrealites what supplies they would need to build the ark of the covenant. This is where He would dwell as they traveled.
The blueprint for the dwelling place was divinely given by God. The part I want to talk about is the free will gifts to build it.
The materials used came from every person whose heart so moved him to give.
Today, because of Jesus Christ, God's tabernacle is us. He dwells in us but the same rule applies. The tabernacle is built by each person who is so moved to invite Him in.
The part of the verse that really hit me was God asked the people to bring gifts. It's not like God needed man, He could have built it Himself. He was working with man, co-dwelling with him. Allowing man to work with God for a divine plan. He is still doing that today.
We are to use (bring) our gifts today for Kingdom building. The blueprint is still divinely ordained by the word of God but the materials are still mans gifts.
A few years ago I was at a Pastor's conference and the speaker asked what was an acceptable number of people I thought should go to hell? Was it 100, 50, 25 even 1? My answer of course was 0.
The Holy Spirit then said to me “Gena you have talents that you use in the business world to make money. You use them to some extent for reaching the lost but mostly you use them to make a living. I need you to use those gifts to share Jesus with others.”
I'm not saying it's wrong to use your gifts and talents for work it's actually the best thing to do. If your working in a place where you naturally fit you'll enjoy your job a lot more.
The above scripture listed some of the types of gifts the people should bring like gold, silver, copper, achaia wood, fine linen and goats hair.
You may think the person who had the gold was way more important than the person with the goats hair since gold would appear to be more valuable, but you would be wrong.
If God asked for goats hair then it was still NEEDED in order to complete the divine blueprint. All the materials were created by God but man had possession of them so what you had was needed.
Today the gifts are a bit different.
1 Corinthians 12:4-11 There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but the same God works all of them in all men. Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. To one there is given through the Spirit the message of wisdom, to another the message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues. All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he gives them to each one, just as he determines.
You have one of these gifts whether you admit it or not. If you have asked Jesus to live in your temple (body) then you were given the Holy Spirit and He gives the gifts as He determines.
You may be saying I have faith but I definitely don't have the gift of miraculous powers so I better leave the evangelism thing to those more qualified.
If that's what you think than again you would be wrong.
Every gift is NEEDED to build the Kingdom of God.
1 Corinthians 12:14-20 Now the body is not made up of one part but of many. If the foot should say, "Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body," it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. And if the ear should say, "Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body," it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? But in fact God has arranged the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. If they were all one part, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, but one body.
Bottom line here Gems is you have a gift to give and no one is more important than another.
I want you to imagine for a moment God speaking to you directly and asking you this question.
Your name “what is an acceptable number for you of people that should go to Hell?
Will you bring me your gift? If you will, I will accept it and use it to bring people to Jesus?”
There will be a day when we will ALL see Jesus face to face and He will asks us what we did with the gifts He gave us. What will your answer be?
What's the purpose of a gift? Could be the difference between someone having eternal life with God or not.
Please open your gift, give it to God and allow the Holy Spirit to do amazing things with it. You are the building material God is asking to use!
The LORD spoke to Moses saying: "Tell the Israelite people to bring Me gifts; you shall accept gifts for Me from every person whose heart so moves him. And these are the gifts you shall accept from them: gold, silver and copper; blue, purple and crimson yarns, fine linen; goats' hair, tanned ram skins,dolphin skins, and acacia wood; oil for lighting, spices for the anointing oil and for the aromatic incense; lapis lazuli and other stones for setting, for the ephod and for the breastpiece. And let them make Me a sanctuary that I may dwell among them. Exactly as I show you- the pattern of the Tabernacle and the pattern of all its furnishings-so shall you make it.
God was telling the Isrealites what supplies they would need to build the ark of the covenant. This is where He would dwell as they traveled.
The blueprint for the dwelling place was divinely given by God. The part I want to talk about is the free will gifts to build it.
The materials used came from every person whose heart so moved him to give.
Today, because of Jesus Christ, God's tabernacle is us. He dwells in us but the same rule applies. The tabernacle is built by each person who is so moved to invite Him in.
The part of the verse that really hit me was God asked the people to bring gifts. It's not like God needed man, He could have built it Himself. He was working with man, co-dwelling with him. Allowing man to work with God for a divine plan. He is still doing that today.
We are to use (bring) our gifts today for Kingdom building. The blueprint is still divinely ordained by the word of God but the materials are still mans gifts.
A few years ago I was at a Pastor's conference and the speaker asked what was an acceptable number of people I thought should go to hell? Was it 100, 50, 25 even 1? My answer of course was 0.
The Holy Spirit then said to me “Gena you have talents that you use in the business world to make money. You use them to some extent for reaching the lost but mostly you use them to make a living. I need you to use those gifts to share Jesus with others.”
I'm not saying it's wrong to use your gifts and talents for work it's actually the best thing to do. If your working in a place where you naturally fit you'll enjoy your job a lot more.
The above scripture listed some of the types of gifts the people should bring like gold, silver, copper, achaia wood, fine linen and goats hair.
You may think the person who had the gold was way more important than the person with the goats hair since gold would appear to be more valuable, but you would be wrong.
If God asked for goats hair then it was still NEEDED in order to complete the divine blueprint. All the materials were created by God but man had possession of them so what you had was needed.
Today the gifts are a bit different.
1 Corinthians 12:4-11 There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but the same God works all of them in all men. Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. To one there is given through the Spirit the message of wisdom, to another the message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues. All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he gives them to each one, just as he determines.
You have one of these gifts whether you admit it or not. If you have asked Jesus to live in your temple (body) then you were given the Holy Spirit and He gives the gifts as He determines.
You may be saying I have faith but I definitely don't have the gift of miraculous powers so I better leave the evangelism thing to those more qualified.
If that's what you think than again you would be wrong.
Every gift is NEEDED to build the Kingdom of God.
1 Corinthians 12:14-20 Now the body is not made up of one part but of many. If the foot should say, "Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body," it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. And if the ear should say, "Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body," it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? But in fact God has arranged the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. If they were all one part, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, but one body.
Bottom line here Gems is you have a gift to give and no one is more important than another.
I want you to imagine for a moment God speaking to you directly and asking you this question.
Your name “what is an acceptable number for you of people that should go to Hell?
Will you bring me your gift? If you will, I will accept it and use it to bring people to Jesus?”
There will be a day when we will ALL see Jesus face to face and He will asks us what we did with the gifts He gave us. What will your answer be?
What's the purpose of a gift? Could be the difference between someone having eternal life with God or not.
Please open your gift, give it to God and allow the Holy Spirit to do amazing things with it. You are the building material God is asking to use!
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
Whose On Your Ark?
A couple of years ago I was at a church service and the Pastor used a clip from the movie Evan Almighty in his message. At the end of the service the Holy Spirit said “Ark” to me. I was like yea I saw the movie it was pretty funny. The Holy Spirit again said “Ark.” I got a little nervous this time and said “yes I heard. I know your not telling me to build one, ha ha.. ..RIGHT???
He went on to ask me what the Ark represented and I said it saved Noah and his family's life.
I knew the Holy Spirit wasn't asking because He hadn't heard the story so I wondered where we were going with this.
He reminded me the sad part of that story is, other than the animals, it only saved Noah and his family.
The Lord kept that word in my mind and heart for a few days and showed me many different situations that could represent an ark. He said every time we help each other we are helping to save a life. By giving a person hope when they feel there is none.
It could be as simple as a kind word or helping a person move. Visiting someone in the hospital or consoling someone who just lost a family member.
I didn't share this conversation with anyone and just looked for different ways to be an Ark to someone.
My oldest daughter Amanda had a friend she was bringing to church at the time. He was a baby Christian and was having a hard time understanding the concept of God talking to him.
He called me one day and was so excited because it happened, God spoke to him!
I was like that's great! What did He say?
He went on to tell me he was in Orlando at City Walk and he saw something in a gift shop and God told him to buy it for me.
I of course told him he was right. Anything that had to do with buying me gifts was definitely from God :)
I asked him what it was and he said he wanted to wait and show it to me.
A few days later Amanda came by my house and said she had the gift her friend bought for me.
She held out her hand and guess what was in it?
A leather bracelet that said ARK!
I couldn't believe it. They had no idea about my conversation with the Holy Spirit!
It gets better. I wore this bracelet all the time. I hardly ever took it off.
It was so special to me that the Lord sent it and it confirmed to me that we really did have the whole ark conversation.
Gems, I sometimes think I might be crazy so I need these confirmations.
Like I said I wore my Ark bracelet everyday and one day I looked at my arm and it was gone.
I couldn't believe it, I was heart broken.
I searched for days every where I could think of but couldn't find it. I didn't want to tell my daughter I lost my Jesus bracelet, I felt so irresponsible. I finally went to Amanda practically crying and confessed I lost my bracelet.
She just looked at me kind of puzzled and said “don't worry about it, he bought 2 of them you can have the other one now.”
That's how well Jesus knows me, He knew I was going to lose that bracelet and how upset I would be about it. Is God good or what?
The Lord later went on to share with me the importance of the Ark in Noah's day but more importantly the ark, so to speak, in our current day.
Telling you about the bracelet is a cool God story but if I don't use it as a reminder to reach people for Jesus then it lost it's true meaning.
Matthew 24:36-44 "No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left. Two women will be grinding with a hand mill; one will be taken and the other left.
"Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.
Gems, I know I have said these things to you before but I don't think it can be said enough.
God put it on my heart that each one of us is building our own personal Ark and we should all be getting as many people on board as possible.
We don't know when Jesus is going to return but we do know HE IS!
God gave me this visual of being in a boat and there's people floating in the water and I'm trying to pull as many in the boat with me as I can.
People are still living their lives, working, vacationing getting married, eating and drinking, just like in Noah's day. They still have no idea that Christ is going to return. When they figure it out it will be too late, they will have missed the boat.
How are they going to feel if they find out their best friend is gone and didn't bring them along?
I'm not saying they will have lost their only chance to live in Heaven with you, but they will have to go through the last days and if you actually read Revelation you know they won't be fun.
I wear my bracelet often to remind me I'm the captain of my Ark and I want to make sure it's jammed packed with people.
Don't be like Noah and just have you and your family and a bunch of animals on your boat. Start asking yourself today, whose on my Ark?
He went on to ask me what the Ark represented and I said it saved Noah and his family's life.
I knew the Holy Spirit wasn't asking because He hadn't heard the story so I wondered where we were going with this.
He reminded me the sad part of that story is, other than the animals, it only saved Noah and his family.
The Lord kept that word in my mind and heart for a few days and showed me many different situations that could represent an ark. He said every time we help each other we are helping to save a life. By giving a person hope when they feel there is none.
It could be as simple as a kind word or helping a person move. Visiting someone in the hospital or consoling someone who just lost a family member.
I didn't share this conversation with anyone and just looked for different ways to be an Ark to someone.
My oldest daughter Amanda had a friend she was bringing to church at the time. He was a baby Christian and was having a hard time understanding the concept of God talking to him.
He called me one day and was so excited because it happened, God spoke to him!
I was like that's great! What did He say?
He went on to tell me he was in Orlando at City Walk and he saw something in a gift shop and God told him to buy it for me.
I of course told him he was right. Anything that had to do with buying me gifts was definitely from God :)
I asked him what it was and he said he wanted to wait and show it to me.
A few days later Amanda came by my house and said she had the gift her friend bought for me.
She held out her hand and guess what was in it?
A leather bracelet that said ARK!
I couldn't believe it. They had no idea about my conversation with the Holy Spirit!
It gets better. I wore this bracelet all the time. I hardly ever took it off.
It was so special to me that the Lord sent it and it confirmed to me that we really did have the whole ark conversation.
Gems, I sometimes think I might be crazy so I need these confirmations.
Like I said I wore my Ark bracelet everyday and one day I looked at my arm and it was gone.
I couldn't believe it, I was heart broken.
I searched for days every where I could think of but couldn't find it. I didn't want to tell my daughter I lost my Jesus bracelet, I felt so irresponsible. I finally went to Amanda practically crying and confessed I lost my bracelet.
She just looked at me kind of puzzled and said “don't worry about it, he bought 2 of them you can have the other one now.”
That's how well Jesus knows me, He knew I was going to lose that bracelet and how upset I would be about it. Is God good or what?
The Lord later went on to share with me the importance of the Ark in Noah's day but more importantly the ark, so to speak, in our current day.
Telling you about the bracelet is a cool God story but if I don't use it as a reminder to reach people for Jesus then it lost it's true meaning.
Matthew 24:36-44 "No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left. Two women will be grinding with a hand mill; one will be taken and the other left.
"Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.
Gems, I know I have said these things to you before but I don't think it can be said enough.
God put it on my heart that each one of us is building our own personal Ark and we should all be getting as many people on board as possible.
We don't know when Jesus is going to return but we do know HE IS!
God gave me this visual of being in a boat and there's people floating in the water and I'm trying to pull as many in the boat with me as I can.
People are still living their lives, working, vacationing getting married, eating and drinking, just like in Noah's day. They still have no idea that Christ is going to return. When they figure it out it will be too late, they will have missed the boat.
How are they going to feel if they find out their best friend is gone and didn't bring them along?
I'm not saying they will have lost their only chance to live in Heaven with you, but they will have to go through the last days and if you actually read Revelation you know they won't be fun.
I wear my bracelet often to remind me I'm the captain of my Ark and I want to make sure it's jammed packed with people.
Don't be like Noah and just have you and your family and a bunch of animals on your boat. Start asking yourself today, whose on my Ark?
Monday, July 5, 2010
Life On The Rock
Is it a coincidence that the word life has the word if in it? There's a lot of what ifs in our life. What if I can't find a job, what if I lose my home, what if my spouse leaves, what if I can't find a spouse, what if I get sick, what if I don't get better, and so the list goes.
I have my own share of what ifs. The ones at the top of my list right now are what if I lose my mind dealing with my mothers Alzheimer. What if my father actually hears what I say under my breath :)
What if I can't find help for my parents.
I have shared in other jewels my dilemma with my mothers condition and my father being extremely hard of hearing and beginning dementia.
My father's doctor had me take him for a hearing test. If you have any dealings with the VA system you know any day at the VA is a long day...
My conversation with my father goes like this (me) I need to take you for a hearing test. (him) what? (Me) we need to go to the VA for a hearing test (him) I don't need rest. (me in a loud voice) A HEARING TEST (him) why the beep beep are you yelling I can hear you. (Me) get in the car (him) what's too far? What the beep beeps the matter with you?(me) saying something under my breath.
The end result, we go to the appointment and they tell me my father needs the hearing aids (he has and doesn't wear) because he has a hearing loss.... No kidding.
He also had to have an eye test in order to keep his drivers license.
As he's sitting in the exam chair with this contraption attached to his face the letters show up on the wall. My father is struggling to see and complaining that the beep beep signs on the road are not that small. At the same time my mother is sitting next to me thinking the test is for her so she is saying out loud “A,V,M, 3,T.” My father still failed because he could not hear her.
Conversation with my mother is a bit more humorous but just as frustrating.
My mother has an appointment for cataract surgery, the problem is she needs eye drops put in 3 days before and 2 days after surgery.
This means someone has to be at my parents house a total of 6 days.
My father insist he can do it because he's not a beep beep idiot and doesn't want to pay for someone to come and help.
My mom needs one eye drop three times a day and the other one 4 times a day. I have the bottles marked with 3x and 4x in black marker.
We were supposed to start on the 4th so I call to remind them.
Our phone conversation goes something like this. (me) mom you need to start the eye drops today. One eye drop 3x a day and the other 4x. (mom) on the 7th? (me) no today, the surgery is on the 7th. (mom) You mean start on the 3rd and 4th. (me) no on the 4th 3x a day (mom)what about the 1st and 2nd? AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!
It truly is an Abbott and Costello “whose on first” every time I talk to them.
(for you younger gems go to YouTube and type “Abbott and Costello whose on first” you more seasoned gems will get a good laugh too )
I think of this skit every time I talk to my parents.
I am working again so being able to go to my parents house every time I'm needed is not possible as they live over an hour away from me.
To add to my situation a kind hearted soul felt the need to turn me into the Elderly Services abuse hot line. The case worker went to their home and saw it was in order and my parents are not being neglected but now he calls me weekly to find out how I'm going to “fix” the situation.
I asked if them moving in with him was an option.
After another frustrating conversation with my mother this morning I cried out to the Lord that I needed help.
As always the Lord starts by giving me good advice. The scripture I got was Matthew 7:24-25 "Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock.
The verses before these are Jesus giving us instructions in relation to money, anxiety, judging and prayer among other things. Any answer you need on the what ifs is in the Bible.
Jesus says if you not only listen but put into practice what He's telling you, then when the storms of life or what ifs come you won't fall because your house is built on the rock.
It doesn't say if they come it says when.
The first thing you have to do is make sure your relationship with the Lord is on a solid foundation.
I know I have that relationship and it's solid.
For me it was a great reminder that this storm of what ifs may beat against my house but I will not collapse.
I don't have the answer right this minute to what will happen with my parents but I know God does.
My part is to read the Bible and make sure I'm following God's teachings ,that is my responsibility.
I need to focus on the things I can do not the things I can't.
I'll be honest with you, I was really freaking out this morning. I called one of my sisters and told her I could not handle this on my own. Actually what I said was “I'm done!”
I could feel my heart begin to race and I had that overwhelming feeling come over me. The I have no money thing came into my mind and the what if's began. I had taken the situation out of God's hands and put it back into mine.
God is so faithful. After I read my Bible I got the daily word on my email. This is what it said.
July 5, 2010. What is going on? You are searching for answers. But confusion has come. This has affected your peace of mind. You have begun to rely excessively upon your intellect and reason. The Lord says rely not on your own thinking or wisdom. You have been given the mind of Christ. You are hidden in Him and He lives within you. Therefore, your resources are without limit to gain supernatural knowledge of all things pertaining to you. God's wisdom is a free and an abundant gift. Settle down here beside Me. Everything is alright in the Father's house. You are here with Me and I am with you.
Ras Robinson
It was instant smile time. I just laughed and thanked the Lord for speaking to me so quickly. I needed conversation and He provided it. God is so good.
FYI the verses following come with a warning 26-27 But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash."
It would make sense that the results of our decisions will have different outcomes.
How many times have you felt like your world was crashing? How many times have you gone to friends and they are so overwhelmed with their own storm they can't possibly help you?
The difference between the 2 decisions could mean more or less of a peaceful life.
So Gems my word of wisdom for you today is read Matthew 7 and put into practice Jesus' words. When your next storm of what ifs hits your foundation wont fall because you are standing on the rock.
If your life isn't built on the rock, better known as Jesus Christ I encourage you to change that.
If it is let me remind you there's no ifs ands or butts to big for our God.
Let's all live life on the Rock!
I have my own share of what ifs. The ones at the top of my list right now are what if I lose my mind dealing with my mothers Alzheimer. What if my father actually hears what I say under my breath :)
What if I can't find help for my parents.
I have shared in other jewels my dilemma with my mothers condition and my father being extremely hard of hearing and beginning dementia.
My father's doctor had me take him for a hearing test. If you have any dealings with the VA system you know any day at the VA is a long day...
My conversation with my father goes like this (me) I need to take you for a hearing test. (him) what? (Me) we need to go to the VA for a hearing test (him) I don't need rest. (me in a loud voice) A HEARING TEST (him) why the beep beep are you yelling I can hear you. (Me) get in the car (him) what's too far? What the beep beeps the matter with you?(me) saying something under my breath.
The end result, we go to the appointment and they tell me my father needs the hearing aids (he has and doesn't wear) because he has a hearing loss.... No kidding.
He also had to have an eye test in order to keep his drivers license.
As he's sitting in the exam chair with this contraption attached to his face the letters show up on the wall. My father is struggling to see and complaining that the beep beep signs on the road are not that small. At the same time my mother is sitting next to me thinking the test is for her so she is saying out loud “A,V,M, 3,T.” My father still failed because he could not hear her.
Conversation with my mother is a bit more humorous but just as frustrating.
My mother has an appointment for cataract surgery, the problem is she needs eye drops put in 3 days before and 2 days after surgery.
This means someone has to be at my parents house a total of 6 days.
My father insist he can do it because he's not a beep beep idiot and doesn't want to pay for someone to come and help.
My mom needs one eye drop three times a day and the other one 4 times a day. I have the bottles marked with 3x and 4x in black marker.
We were supposed to start on the 4th so I call to remind them.
Our phone conversation goes something like this. (me) mom you need to start the eye drops today. One eye drop 3x a day and the other 4x. (mom) on the 7th? (me) no today, the surgery is on the 7th. (mom) You mean start on the 3rd and 4th. (me) no on the 4th 3x a day (mom)what about the 1st and 2nd? AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!
It truly is an Abbott and Costello “whose on first” every time I talk to them.
(for you younger gems go to YouTube and type “Abbott and Costello whose on first” you more seasoned gems will get a good laugh too )
I think of this skit every time I talk to my parents.
I am working again so being able to go to my parents house every time I'm needed is not possible as they live over an hour away from me.
To add to my situation a kind hearted soul felt the need to turn me into the Elderly Services abuse hot line. The case worker went to their home and saw it was in order and my parents are not being neglected but now he calls me weekly to find out how I'm going to “fix” the situation.
I asked if them moving in with him was an option.
After another frustrating conversation with my mother this morning I cried out to the Lord that I needed help.
As always the Lord starts by giving me good advice. The scripture I got was Matthew 7:24-25 "Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock.
The verses before these are Jesus giving us instructions in relation to money, anxiety, judging and prayer among other things. Any answer you need on the what ifs is in the Bible.
Jesus says if you not only listen but put into practice what He's telling you, then when the storms of life or what ifs come you won't fall because your house is built on the rock.
It doesn't say if they come it says when.
The first thing you have to do is make sure your relationship with the Lord is on a solid foundation.
I know I have that relationship and it's solid.
For me it was a great reminder that this storm of what ifs may beat against my house but I will not collapse.
I don't have the answer right this minute to what will happen with my parents but I know God does.
My part is to read the Bible and make sure I'm following God's teachings ,that is my responsibility.
I need to focus on the things I can do not the things I can't.
I'll be honest with you, I was really freaking out this morning. I called one of my sisters and told her I could not handle this on my own. Actually what I said was “I'm done!”
I could feel my heart begin to race and I had that overwhelming feeling come over me. The I have no money thing came into my mind and the what if's began. I had taken the situation out of God's hands and put it back into mine.
God is so faithful. After I read my Bible I got the daily word on my email. This is what it said.
July 5, 2010. What is going on? You are searching for answers. But confusion has come. This has affected your peace of mind. You have begun to rely excessively upon your intellect and reason. The Lord says rely not on your own thinking or wisdom. You have been given the mind of Christ. You are hidden in Him and He lives within you. Therefore, your resources are without limit to gain supernatural knowledge of all things pertaining to you. God's wisdom is a free and an abundant gift. Settle down here beside Me. Everything is alright in the Father's house. You are here with Me and I am with you.
Ras Robinson
It was instant smile time. I just laughed and thanked the Lord for speaking to me so quickly. I needed conversation and He provided it. God is so good.
FYI the verses following come with a warning 26-27 But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash."
It would make sense that the results of our decisions will have different outcomes.
How many times have you felt like your world was crashing? How many times have you gone to friends and they are so overwhelmed with their own storm they can't possibly help you?
The difference between the 2 decisions could mean more or less of a peaceful life.
So Gems my word of wisdom for you today is read Matthew 7 and put into practice Jesus' words. When your next storm of what ifs hits your foundation wont fall because you are standing on the rock.
If your life isn't built on the rock, better known as Jesus Christ I encourage you to change that.
If it is let me remind you there's no ifs ands or butts to big for our God.
Let's all live life on the Rock!
Thursday, June 24, 2010
I'm Dying Of Thirst
Have you ever been so thirsty you feel like your tongue might stick to the roof of your mouth?
I'm going to tell you yet another embarrassing Gena story.
When I first moved into my apartment complex I started taking long walks. It's a really big complex with lots of lakes and trees, it's really very pretty. So I'm out there one morning enjoying the scenery, praying and singing and as usual not paying much attention to my surroundings.
I had a bottle of water with me and it wasn't until the water was gone that I realized I had no idea where I was. Did I mention it's on 500 acres and all the buildings look exactly the same?
I was out there for hours trying to figure out how to get home. It was getting hotter and hotter and I was getting more and more thirsty. The fact that I was lost seem to make me even thirstier.
I was too embarrassed to call someone and tell them I was lost in my own apartment complex. Those of you who know me would not be surprised.
When I finally got home four days later, just kidding I wanted to make sure you were paying attention.
When I finally got home I told my daughter I was dying of thirst which of course was an exaggeration.
It did get me thinking about being thirsty and what do I really thirst for.
I looked up the word thirst in the New King James Bible and it gave me 31 verses so it's obviously a condition God uses as an example for us.
Jesus uses the physical condition of thirst and takes it to a spiritual level. For example:
Matthew 5:6
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, For they shall be filled.
In the book of John Jesus meets a woman at a well that is obviously there for water.
John 4:13-14
“Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life.
Jesus is basically telling us that all the things we look for in the world to fill us will eventually leave us thirsty again. No person or thing can fill the void in our soul that was designed to be filled by the Lord.
There's something important I want to point out to you.
Because we live in a performance driven world we tend to put the same dynamics on our relationship with the Lord as we do with job performance.
We can easily get caught up in the “if I do enough for God He will give me more” type of thinking.
I'm not talking about being obedient to God's word, I'm talking about always trying to do better or do more things to gain more love or favor from God.
It's great to allow the Holy Spirit to mold your life to look more like Jesus but you can't possibly DO anything to make God love you more.
For example there are times in my personal walk with the Lord that I have no income and I live on complete faith. When I say I have no income I mean no income. No child support, welfare, food stamps, unemployment or disability.
During these times I sometimes feel like I need to be serving God as much as possible because I'm not going to a worldly job and I miss the part of Him wanting me to take some of this freed up time to thirst for Him.
Let's pick up where we left off in John.
John 4:15
The woman said to Him, “Sir, give me this water, that I may not thirst, nor come here to draw.”
This living water is free, there are no performance stings attached.
Do we ask for this living water from Jesus? Do we even know what living water means?
Do we wake up and think I need to drink in some of what God has to say to me before my feet even hit the floor? Do I rush home to spend time with the Lord before I play video games or work in the garden or whatever you do at the end of your day.
My daughter has four dogs. I call one of them the beast but her name is Aria. When she comes in from outside she makes a mad dash for the water dish. She will literally knock you down if you get in her path. She will then slurp up the water so fast and loud like she hasn't had a drink in days.
Can you imagine if we were that thirsty for a relationship with God?
If we actually knocked everyone and everything out of the way to get to Him.
God was so thirsty for us He freely gave His son and we sip Him when we have a need or life blind sides us. We sip Him when we hit rock bottom and there's no place else to turn.
We eventually get back on our feet and have a sense of false security and start drinking all the lies the enemy tell us. Things like if you work hard enough or look good enough or know enough of the right people you won't thirst again. You can lower all kinds of things in the world's well but you'll always bring up an empty bucket.
God's not telling us we have to be Bible scholars or we have to do enough charity work or give away enough money He just wants us to be thirsty for Him and allow Him to take care of all our needs.
John 6:35
And Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst.
We may flippantly use the phrase I'm so thirsty I could die but don't for one minute take for granted the fact that Jesus IS so thirsty for you He did die.
In a way you have to die too. Die to selfishness and greed, die to it's all about me and I'm number one. Die to I and think about we.
Thank you Lord it didn't end at your death! We serve a risen Lord a Holy God and a powerful Holy Spirit! How thirsty are you for living water?
I'm going to tell you yet another embarrassing Gena story.
When I first moved into my apartment complex I started taking long walks. It's a really big complex with lots of lakes and trees, it's really very pretty. So I'm out there one morning enjoying the scenery, praying and singing and as usual not paying much attention to my surroundings.
I had a bottle of water with me and it wasn't until the water was gone that I realized I had no idea where I was. Did I mention it's on 500 acres and all the buildings look exactly the same?
I was out there for hours trying to figure out how to get home. It was getting hotter and hotter and I was getting more and more thirsty. The fact that I was lost seem to make me even thirstier.
I was too embarrassed to call someone and tell them I was lost in my own apartment complex. Those of you who know me would not be surprised.
When I finally got home four days later, just kidding I wanted to make sure you were paying attention.
When I finally got home I told my daughter I was dying of thirst which of course was an exaggeration.
It did get me thinking about being thirsty and what do I really thirst for.
I looked up the word thirst in the New King James Bible and it gave me 31 verses so it's obviously a condition God uses as an example for us.
Jesus uses the physical condition of thirst and takes it to a spiritual level. For example:
Matthew 5:6
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, For they shall be filled.
In the book of John Jesus meets a woman at a well that is obviously there for water.
John 4:13-14
“Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life.
Jesus is basically telling us that all the things we look for in the world to fill us will eventually leave us thirsty again. No person or thing can fill the void in our soul that was designed to be filled by the Lord.
There's something important I want to point out to you.
Because we live in a performance driven world we tend to put the same dynamics on our relationship with the Lord as we do with job performance.
We can easily get caught up in the “if I do enough for God He will give me more” type of thinking.
I'm not talking about being obedient to God's word, I'm talking about always trying to do better or do more things to gain more love or favor from God.
It's great to allow the Holy Spirit to mold your life to look more like Jesus but you can't possibly DO anything to make God love you more.
For example there are times in my personal walk with the Lord that I have no income and I live on complete faith. When I say I have no income I mean no income. No child support, welfare, food stamps, unemployment or disability.
During these times I sometimes feel like I need to be serving God as much as possible because I'm not going to a worldly job and I miss the part of Him wanting me to take some of this freed up time to thirst for Him.
Let's pick up where we left off in John.
John 4:15
The woman said to Him, “Sir, give me this water, that I may not thirst, nor come here to draw.”
This living water is free, there are no performance stings attached.
Do we ask for this living water from Jesus? Do we even know what living water means?
Do we wake up and think I need to drink in some of what God has to say to me before my feet even hit the floor? Do I rush home to spend time with the Lord before I play video games or work in the garden or whatever you do at the end of your day.
My daughter has four dogs. I call one of them the beast but her name is Aria. When she comes in from outside she makes a mad dash for the water dish. She will literally knock you down if you get in her path. She will then slurp up the water so fast and loud like she hasn't had a drink in days.
Can you imagine if we were that thirsty for a relationship with God?
If we actually knocked everyone and everything out of the way to get to Him.
God was so thirsty for us He freely gave His son and we sip Him when we have a need or life blind sides us. We sip Him when we hit rock bottom and there's no place else to turn.
We eventually get back on our feet and have a sense of false security and start drinking all the lies the enemy tell us. Things like if you work hard enough or look good enough or know enough of the right people you won't thirst again. You can lower all kinds of things in the world's well but you'll always bring up an empty bucket.
God's not telling us we have to be Bible scholars or we have to do enough charity work or give away enough money He just wants us to be thirsty for Him and allow Him to take care of all our needs.
John 6:35
And Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst.
We may flippantly use the phrase I'm so thirsty I could die but don't for one minute take for granted the fact that Jesus IS so thirsty for you He did die.
In a way you have to die too. Die to selfishness and greed, die to it's all about me and I'm number one. Die to I and think about we.
Thank you Lord it didn't end at your death! We serve a risen Lord a Holy God and a powerful Holy Spirit! How thirsty are you for living water?
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