How He Loves Us!

Psalm 139:13-18

For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place, when I was woven together in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be. How precious to me are your thoughts, God! How vast is the sum of them! Were I to count them, they would outnumber the grains of sand—when I awake, I am still with you.

Hello my beloved,

Today I was thinking how much God loves us. There are times I feel discouraged, wondering if I am fulfilling my purpose in this life. I continue to wonder, "Am I enough?" It is also easy to believe the discouraging words of man that surrounds us. Those negative words so easily make it into our heart, and oh do they hurt. I'll never forget the words of my principal in elementary school. We had assigned seating in the lunchroom, and I sat at a table where the girl did nothing but pick on me every day at lunch time. I had enough, and punched her in the stomach - yeah, probably not the best response. So, she cried, and the teacher sent us to the principal's office. Up to that point I was pretty much a model student, a big time rule follower. So, the principal was quite surprised to see me in her office. When I explained about the daily picking on from the girl, the principal understood. She said that the saying, "Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words may never hurt me," is untrue. Words do hurt, more than anything, especially when you ponder on those negative words. They never leave you, and they feed your insecurities, haunting you in your vulnerable moments of life. I'll never forget the time, my dad called me stupid, or the boy in junior high told me how ugly I was that there wasn't enough plastic surgery in the world to make me pretty. Yep, those hurtful words find their way into your mind, and pop up again when you least expect it. But I know a God that transformed me. He loves me so much, that He created me for a purpose, and he wrote my days in His book before I even came to be. I truly believe that the enemy is terrified of us. The moment we accept Christ in our life and step into our destiny, he is trembling. It is then that he starts firing all sorts of fiery darts our way trying to distract us from fulfilling our purpose. The moment we start focusing on our insecurities and the hurtful words, is the very moment that the enemy finds a way into us to distract us from our calling. Let us cast down those insecurities and hurtful words, so that we can take authority back on our lives. Remember, our goal in life is not to please man, but to please our heavenly Father, and that is quite easy to do once we realize how much He loves us! Read Psalm 139 when you feel discouraged, when you feel rejected by man, or when you are just having a bad day - it will encourage you to know that God cares :).

Worship with me, will you?

Becoming His Delight

Psalm 37:3-7
Trust in the Lord, and do good; Dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness. Delight yourself also in the Lord, And He shall give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord, Trust also in Him, And He shall bring it to pass. He shall bring forth your righteousness as the light, And your justice as the noonday. Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him

Good Morning, my Beloved,
I trust you are having a wonderful day, and an amazing week. I have been spending my week in a lot of deep thought. Thinking is good, but be cautious not to let it consume you. I have a feeling that I was on the verge of consumption, when I realized, God is in ultimate control. We are in a new year, and my thoughts were mainly on the unfinished - the unanswered prayers, the uncompleted goals, and the unfinished tasks. Why do I always feel that I am never enough, do you ever feel that way? Perhaps it's because I try to do everything and anything in a finite time constraint. So, part of my goals for this New Year, is to rest in His amazing peace, realizing full well, that God is in control.

So, why do my prayers remain unanswered? I know that God is full well of doing the impossible, and I trust fully in Him (or at least, I would like to think so). Can God hear my prayers, are my repetitive prayers lacking content, and sound like a broken record - so much that it is tuned out? Perhaps God is trying to teach me patience, or perhaps He is answering my prayers, just not in the way that I would like them answered. Have you ever had these thoughts on the long time awaiting for a prayer to be answered? Let me assure you, that God fully well hears your prayers. He loves it when you talk to Him, so much so, that he collects your prayers in golden bowls:

Revelation 5:8

Now when He had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each having a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints.

So, if God hears our prayers, I suppose the fact that He is tuning me out is the reason my prayers go unanswered. Perhaps it's a faith thing? Do I really trust in the Lord with all of my heart? Do I know full well that God will answer my prayers in His timing and His way?

Luke 1:45

Blessed is she who believed, for there will be a fulfillment of those things which were told her from the Lord.

What happens, when God has answered our prayers, but it's not the answer we were looking for? Have you ever prayed for the healing of a loved one, only to have them taken from you before you are ready? Have you ever had the worst nightmare become a reality? It's not always fun to go down this path, but sometimes it is much needed. It makes you wonder, when your world is falling down around you, how can this work out for my good? The Bible says in Romans 8:28: And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. However, how can the valley of the shadow of death lead to good? We have to get out of the tunnel vision, the vision of the here and now, and look at the eternal perspective. That is when you see the good out of the bad. Sometimes, it is the choices we make... we have to live through the consequences of our actions, so if we ask God to take away the consequences, it may never happen. There is hope though, but sometimes, the answer to our prayers is right before our face, but because it is not the answer that we want, we don't see it.

Take a moment, and allow God to speak to you. Delight yourself in Him. Psalm 37 tells us that if we delight ourselves in the Lord, He will grant us the desires of our heart. Perhaps, we have to allow Him to transform us in a way that our desires are His desires, only then can we really live. Allow God to tear away your hopes in dreams, so that His hopes and dreams become a reality for you.

Jeremiah 29:11

"For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."

I love you all, and I pray that you will find the answers God has for you in your prayers.

Christina

 

A Blessed New Year!

Isaiah 55:10-13

“For as the rain comes down, and the snow from heaven, And do not return there, But water the earth, And make it bring forth and bud, That it may give seed to the sower And bread to the eater, So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me void, But it shall accomplish what I please, And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it. “For you shall go out with joy, And be led out with peace; The mountains and the hills Shall break forth into singing before you, And all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.  Instead of the thorn shall come up the cypress tree, And instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle tree; And it shall be to the Lord for a name, For an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off.”

Greetings My Beloved!

I hope you are having a fabulous week! We are wrapping up this Isaiah 55 message this week. Isn't it so encouraging to have such a blessed word to start out the new year!. I can't wait to see what the Lord has in stored for us all. Isn't it awesome, How God's word never comes back void! How his promises endure forever! Why then, are we so quick to discredit God, or put our faith in someone or something else? I've noticed how many times I've been let down, simply because I put my faith in someone else rather than God. God is in control of our lives, as long as we trust Him. What has the Lord promised you lately? Don't think that your prayers have gone unanswered, it may just take time for you to be in the right place to receive His promises.

On Sunday, the pastor spoke about blessings, and said that blessings and adversity are not polar opposites. James tells us in James 1:2-4, "My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing." I truly believe, that 2013 is going to be a year of blessings and fulfillment. Things not turn out as we planned, as remember from last week, God's ways are not our ways. But I truly believe He intends it for our good, Romans 8:28, "And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose." What do you think God has planned for you this year? I believe our mourning will turn to dancing, and that the joy of the Lord will be instilled in us! I think that what was intended ill for us will turn good. Last year was a year of walking through the valley of the shadow of death, but we learned so much, our faith increased, and we are in a new place with our relationship with the Lord. We shall see what 2013 brings, but it seems that instead of the thorn, a cypress tree will come forth, and instead of brier, a myrtle tree. In other words, instead of fear, we'll have peace from God, instead of sickness, we'll have health, and instead of curses, we will have blessings. I truly believe that this is the year we will, "go out with joy, And be led out with peace; The mountains and the hills Shall break forth into singing before you, And all the trees of the field shall clap their hands"

Trusting in God this New Year!

Isaiah 55:6-9

Seek the Lord while he may be found; call on him while he is near. Let the wicked forsake their ways and the unrighteous their thoughts. Let them turn to the Lord, and he will have mercy on them, and to our God, for he will freely pardon. “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord. “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.

Greetings, my beloved,

I hope you are having a wonderful week. Today is all about trusting God. Last week we spoke about God being our source. Part of allowing God to be our source, is trusting in Him. Proverbs 3:5-6 tells us, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths." So, how do you trust in the Lord? I love the first part of our scripture reading today, "Seek the Lord while you can find Him, Call on Him now while He is near" I believe seeking God is a form of trusting in Him. If you seek God with all of your heart, calling on Him for every aspect of your life, knowing and believing that He knows what is best for you - how is that not trusting in God? Knowing that God's thoughts are not ours, and His ways are higher than ours, what do we have to fear? This is a new year, let us throw off the anxieties and fears that bind us up. We may have anxieties and fears hidden deep inside of us, and we aren't even aware of it. I know one thing I've always been afraid of, and that is the unknown. Snakes, spiders, and rodents don't scare me, but not having control over a situation frightens me out of my mind. Prime example, last Sunday at church, the pastor asked if anyone likes to take tests. I surely never really liked tests - why? I get test anxiety like nobody's business - mainly because, I have no control over the test. I'm not sure what answer they are looking for, and my mind goes into overload trying to find every answer possible. I've passed up becoming certified in my career, simply because I'm scared of the test. Let us put aside our anxieties and fears, as we learn to trust fully in God. I've been listening to Kari Jobe's song, "Steady my Heart." There is so much truth in that song. I'm not sure what tomorrow brings, but I know that God is in control, so what do we have to fear?

 

God - our Source for the New Year!

Isaiah 55:1-5

“Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost. Why spend money on what is not bread, and your labor on what does not satisfy? Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good, and you will delight in the richest of fare. Give ear and come to me; listen, that you may live. I will make an everlasting covenant with you, my faithful love promised to David. See, I have made him a witness to the peoples, a ruler and commander of the peoples. Surely you will summon nations you know not, and nations you do not know will come running to you, because of the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, for he has endowed you with splendor.”

Happy New Year, my beloved!

I hope you had a fabulous Christmas and New Year! I had a wonderful Christmas. I am very excited about the new year. The Lord gave me a much encouraging scripture for this new year. Last year, 2012, was a rough year for us. We faced many challenges, and I wonder if we even passed the tests the Lord set before us. My husband got Psalm 23 for our scripture for 2012. And while that Psalm often seems to be a comforting Psalm (which it is), it also was a description of our year. I really felt like we spent the majority of 2012 in the Valley of the Shadow of Death. We clung as much as we could to the Lord, for what else can you do in the dark valley. However, I feel we are on the brink of a New Horizon for this new year, a new season. I'm not sure what 2013 holds, but I am excited to see what the Lord has in stored for us. Especially, after reading this scripture. I feel that this chapter is broken into 3 points for us. This week, I want to focus on the first part, which is verses 1-5 (above).

This first point is God is our Source. It is one thing to say you completely and totally rely fully on God, and it's another to actually do it. I must admit it is so hard to do. Especially, when being raised in a society, in which you really do not lack anything. If you're hungry, you go to the grocery store to pick up food, or you can go to a restaurant (we have many to choose from), then there is even delivery. Food is so plentiful to us, that it is hard to imagine what it is like to not have any. My son will go a few hours with out food, and think he's starving. Think about the children in Africa that have gone days without food - some even longer. But it goes so much deeper than that - how do you turn to God for every need, every decision, every facet of your life, when we are so used to living in a soceity where there's the internet, books, knowledge - we have information at our fingertips, and it is so easy to fall into the trap of self fullfillment. So, how do we turn to God for our source, when we have everything we need right in front of us? It's when those trials hit, you recognize if you truly allow God to be your source - your life can only come from Him. So, how is he our source? Jesus tells us in the book of John, that He gives us Living Water (John 4:13). In John 6, Jesus tells us He is the Bread of Life (John 6:35). God promises us, if we partake of Him, we will never grow hungry or thirsty again. Is he talking about a spiritual hunger and thirst? I can tell you, when I take out the physical distractions, and turn inwardly seeking God - I can hear God the loudest. That is what is so wonderful about fasting. Silencing the internal chaos and external distractions to focus on the source of our strength, our salvation. It is at that point, that you can go deeper with God. Isn't that what you want? Are we willing to give up to receive? God wants to bless us immensely, but we have to allow Him to be our source. As we live in a time of injustice, where good is called evil, and evil is called good, it is even more important to rely on God to be our source for justice, strength, and salvation!

Isaiah 28:5-6

In that day the Lord Almighty will be a glorious crown, a beautiful wreath for the remnant of his people. He will be a spirit of justice to the one who sits in judgment, a source of strength to those who turn back the battle at the gate.

Hebrews 5:7-10

During the days of Jesus’ life on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions with fervent cries and tears to the one who could save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission. Son though he was, he learned obedience from what he suffered and, once made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him and was designated by God to be high priest in the order of Melchizedek.

Let us learn to silence out our distractions, that we may truly and fully rely on God to be our source - our comforter, our savior. Who knows what tomorrow may bring, who knows what the future holds, who knows what is destined for us in 2013, but let us cling to God as our ultimate source for living. It's the secret of being content in all things.

Philippians 4:12-13

I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength.

Worship with me:

 

I love you all!

Christina