Its Been A While...

Its been a while since I last shared my thoughts,
Its been a while since I last saw you...
Its been a while since I last shared what was going on in my heart;
Its been a while...
But God is still at large in me!

Every day that I feel broken,
Every day I feel lost and confused;
Every day I wonder where my Lord has gone
I realize He is right with me just waiting me for to see...

Its been a while since I last shared my thoughts,
Its been a while since I last saw you...
But I want you to know that in that little while
My God has shown me how to surrender all...

And now my heart is filled with power,
The power that comes from knowing He is here with me;
The power that comes from a faith that cannot be broken
No matter what happens around me!

It may have been a while since things last seemed clear and simple,
It may have been a while since you believed you could overcome
All the things that are falling apart all around us
But take this time to know that God is very much in charge!

Thank You Father for the strength that comes from knowing that no matter

what I do, no matter how little I deserve Your love - I am YOUR masterpiece!

You created me for a purpose and a future and a hope and You aren't going anywhere!

You're right here with me!!!

In Jesus' precious name I pray,
Amen!

God's Better Way

Micah 4: 1-13







Its a New Year, we have a new President- its a time that we all try to talk about the spirit of Hope and opportunity that the New Year brings.




But in truth, its a very difficult time in the world! The Global Economy is terrible, people around the world are suffering, many are jobless, have serious financial problems; relationships are affected, health is affected - there are alot of negatives out there!




And the truth is that many of us, despite our talk of hope and excitement about all the New Year has to offer, many of us are very scared and very worried...




Micah 4: 1-13 talks about such a time... a time when things seemed hopeless and any kind of end to the hardship and suffering seemed impossible! Micah 4: 11-12 says:

"But now many nations are gathered against you. They say, 'Let her be defiled, let our eyes gloat over Zion!'

But they do not know the thoughts of the Lord; they do not understand his plan..."

Jeremiah 29: 11. The Lord tells us:

"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 a hope and a future."

So what am I trying to say? Well, time has proven again and again that there have been MANY periods where we have to go through difficulty to serve God's plan. This may be the result of our needing to learn something; or maybe He is working out His better plan and its a part of the process to get us there.




Time has also proven again and again that He is ALWAYS there and ALWAYS is faithful and NEVER lets us down! His plan always proves to be the better way - even though during the hard times, we can't begin to see it - it always proves true in the long run!



Let me share with you one of my personal experiences: I consider my life to be very blessed! I have things better than countless people - and yet I worry, fret and complain about what to many would seem like insignificant things...



As a child, growing up, we were never wealthy. We had many tight times, but we always had enough. More importantly, we had great parents who taught us to have faith and to trust God in all things.



As an adult, I was lucky enough to go through some of the best times in my Real Estate career when I started. It seemed like I was born to do this and I, along with my husband, grew very successful! I don't want to imply that we never worked hard at it, because we did - but in truth, it was very easy then... We began to take alot for granted!



The past two years have been two of the toughest in our business... Alot has changed, nothing is easy anymore! But out of that high and then that low, something amazing happened: I found my way back to God!



That was His plan - if I continued to ride that high horse, I would have continued to fool myself that our success was our doing and not realised it was His blessing!



In the midst of the dark, low period, a brilliant light came into my life - I realised that though I had messed up and lost my way, God was there, waiting for me to wake up and come home! That started me on this journey to find and reach my God-potential; this journey of a committed relationship with my Lord and Saviour.



I was no longer a child in faith, believing in words only because it was what my parents taught me... I was now an adult, who took a step towards God and He reached out and caught me! What better plan could there have been? I can't describe to You how much that has impacted my life!



So here we are, at the beginning of a New Year, and its a period of hope, yes, but its also a low point, in that there is alot of uncertainty; alot of fear about the direction we need to take now in our business; about the future...



This Scripture today in Micah 4: 1-13 reminded me that sometimes the things God promises for our future don't seem evident or likely in light of what we're experiencing today. But the truth is that whatever is going on today is preparing the way for God's better plan.



So if things are scary or difficult or uncomfortable, don't give up hope! This time is a momentary detour leading us to God's best for us!

Thank you Lord, that even though we are always letting YOU down, You never fail us and are always merciful and are always planning for our good, for our hope and our future...

God Bless!!!

Happy New Year

As we go into 2009, I wanted to wish everyone a Renewal in Jesus... A renewal that will bring you so much joy, peace and LIFE in this New Year!

Some of us may have ended last year with a feeling that all is lost - but I want each of us to enter this year with a sense of HOPE - a HOPE that comes from the knowledge that NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE FOR GOD, a HOPE that comes from knowing that God is able to resurrect dead dreams, missed opportunities, defeated finances, dying marriages and terminal friendships!

ALL we have this year is HOPE and FAITH... God will take care of the rest!!! Trust that God can energise you with new life and purpose and look forward to all that is to come...

Happy New Year!!!

Today's Prayer...

Philippians 4: 4-7

"Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus."

Lord, You know the petitions in my heart... You know my fears and anxieties! I surrender them to You Lord - in Jesus' name.

Amen...

Faith not Fear

Luke 12: 22-28

22)Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life,

what you shall eat, nor about your body, what you shall put on.

23) For life is more than food, and the body more than clothing.

24) Consider the ravens: they neither sow nor reap, they have neither storehouse nor barn, and yet God feeds them.

Of how much more value are you than the birds!

25) And which of you by being anxious can add a cubit to his span of life?

26) If then you are not able to do as small a thing as that, why are you anxious about the rest?

27) Consider the lilies, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin; yet I tell you,

even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.

28) But if God so clothes the grass which is alive in the field today and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will he clothe you, O men of little faith...

Have you been anxious this week about life? Have you spent time wondering how you're going to pay the bills; pay the mortgage; about how much your taxes may go up; about the future?

I have!!! I've spent time worrying about my business - what can I do to build it? How will I pay the bills? About the future and what it will bring... About my Mom and sister and what will happen to them!

But in the midst of all I worry about, God has nudged my heart to stop worrying about today; stop worrying about my own needs, for He has that covered!!!

Instead, He is calling me to go do his work to help others who have needs and worries - be the arbiter of change in someone else's life -

• Through prayer for their needs, not mine!
• Through sharing a smile, a moment or two talking about their problem and not mine!
• Through investing in His Kingdom by investing in someone else's financial need and not mine!

I don't mean to make this sound easy - its NOT!!! Its our nature to think ME FIRST, ME FIRST - WHAT ABOUT ME???

But Jesus tells us clearly - don't worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will wear!!! That's not your job - its God's! Instead, we need to focus all or thoughts and actions on serving HIM!

If you think about your life honestly, you and I are very blessed! Sure, there are things that are uncertain - but we are very blessed!!! We often don't know how it happens, but things seem to work out...

We're very, very blessed and fortunate! Look instead at those who have not been so fortunate! Who don't have as much as we do - whatever that may be!

Think about what Jesus said to his disciples after washing their feet:

John 13: 13-17

"You call me 'Teacher' and 'Lord', and rightly so, for that is what I am.

Now that I, your Lord and Teacher have washed your feet, you also should wash one another's feet.

I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you.

I tell you the truth, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him.

Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them."

I have been blessed - its my job to go out and share that blessing with others...

Father, help me to serve You and You alone as I go out and seek to serve others...

The Rock

As I was reading this morning's devotions at http://frcliveonline.blogspot.com/2008/11/rock-devotional-for-thursday.html, I started to think about what the ROCK means to me...



For me, God is my Rock - He is the foundation of my life. If my life shifts off-center, it means I have shifted away from God, because He is the center of my being!



I can always tell when my life shifts off-center, because I feel it! I feel lost, a bit disconnected - and sometimes I can't even identify why!



I sought His word this morning to guide me to what I'm doing or am not doing and came across these scriptures:



Ezekiel 11: 17-20

"This is what the Sovereign lord says: I will gather you from the nations and bring you back from the countries where you have been scattered, and I will give you back the land of Israel again.

They will return to it and remove all its vile images and detestable idols.

I will give them an undivided heart and put a new spirit in them;

I will remove from them their heart of stone and give them a heart of flesh. Then they will follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws.

They will be my people and I will be their God."

Scattered - that's how I feel this morning...

I need to find my ROCK and rid my life of the things that have shifted me away from Him!

1 Corinthians 15: 2

"By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you.

Otherwise, you have believed in vain."

Otherwise, you have believed in vain - wow!!! It's not enough to say you are a God-Follower... You have to live the life of a God-Follower.

Its time for a reality check - what am I doing? Where am I going wrong?

I'm not sure but what I do know is when you have moments like this, even greater prayer and time spent in the Word is needed.

"Father, help me to see where I have shifted off-course and guide me back to You, my Rock and Foundation!

In Jesus' name I pray..

And I thank you Lord, for always hearing and listening to my cry!"

We've been talking this week at my church about ensuring that our lives are built strong - on solid ground/foundation and with the strongest materials - ensuring our lives are founded on God's word and centered on that...

As I was praying this morning and trying to center my life on God, I thought about the fact that each morning, my devotions are just that - a time to try to center that day correctly, to center my whole focus on God so that as I go forward during the day, that basis I established in the morning will guide me through...

Some days I follow through well; others, not so much! Those days that are not so good made me reflect and really ask myself the key questions we discussed at Church:

Who am I listening to?

Who am I following?

Who do I trust?

Basically, what is my real foundation - what are my real goals for life? I know what I say they are -but am I living that?

Hmmm.... The answer to that last question comes to me very quickly - I don't think I am really living it! If I were, why am I so dissatisfied with things about myself?

There's so much I know I want to see changed in my life, and I don't mean things outside of me - things inside of me! I pray about it, but am I opening my heart to God's work to transform me - am I letting go of the wheel - or am I fighting Him?

Who am I really following? God - or the material world? Am I really motivated by God or am I motivated by stuff...

Do I show God's love and power to others around me or do people see someone just after the same stuff they all are - nothing new, nothing different; just one of the same!

Every year, people usually make New Year Resolutions. They take some time to analyse the past and plan and prepare for the new! Businesses also have planning time - time to reassess the past, see what has been working, what hasn't and plan how to go forward!

Being a Christian is very challenging, because I think as a Christian, your reassessment and planning needs to happen each day and needs to be vested in God's word...

Each day, one day at a time, we need to take time each morning to review how we served or how we failed our Lord the day before...

We need to plan and prepare how we must go forward that new day - and we need to PRAY with our whole hearts to God for His strength and His power to take charge in our life that day - and then, we need to let go and let God!!!

"Father, I know I fail you constantly... I know I want so badly to be a good steward and to really live a life centred completely and wholly on You!!!

Some days I do okay Lord, but I have a long way to go to let go so that You can transform me and use me for your kingdom and for your glory!

Today, Lord, please help me to let go of the wheel! Take charge today Father - transform me, melt me, mold me and use me to share Your love to each person I come into contact with...

Guide me in every situation so that everything I do is Your will and is pleasing to You...

In Jesus' precious name, I pray...

Thank You Lord, for this day!"

Challenges

I had a very challenging week this week, and in many ways, became overwhelmed by life. It came out of the blue, all of a sudden on Tuesday morning as I was rushing along to an appointment, all the while, praying for God to help me overcome my obstacles to fully reaching my God-potential, to help me to be better and do more...

Blazing blue lights behind me signalled the beginning of my challenges... What started out as the possibility of an irritating but simple speeding ticket quickly unravelled into the fact that my drivers' license had been suspended, unbeknownst to me, because we had paid our insurance late and they had notified the State that our policy was cancelled or some such series of events... Who knows!

However, the police officer was unnecessarily harsh and as a result, I had to get the car insurance issues resolved, go and get my license re-instated, and hire an attorney to deal with the ridiculous tickets the officer issued...

The thing is, the payment of our car insurance was a task that my husband is responsible for - in my being overwhelmed by how quickly and dramatically things had gone from a quiet day to one of chaos, I blamed him for everything that had happened...

I went from moments of peace in prayer to chaos and feelings of abandonment and surprise... and I failed this test!

Ezekiel 24: 15-27 teaches us that God can call on us, at times, to be used in tremendous moments of chaos to be a sign to others of the difference being a disciple of Jesus makes in us...

Ezekiel 24: 15-18

"The word of the Lord came to me: Son of man, with one blow I am about to take away from you the delight of your eyes. Yet do not lament or weep or shed any tears.

Groan quietly; do not mourn for the dead. Keep your turban fastened and your sandals on your feet; do not cover the lower part of your face or eat the customary food of mourners."

18 So I spoke to the people in the morning, and in the evening my wife died.

The next morning I did as I had been commanded."

Can you imagine how overwhelming that must have been for Ezekiel - to lose the delight of his life and not give in to grief... Not accept the love and support of family and friends, not show the tremendous loss he felt?



Yet this is what he was called to do - and he did what he was commanded to do!



For me - God gave me an opportunity to be better and do more and show my husband and others faith, strength, charity and gentleness in times of challenge; instead I showed anger, resentment and frustration and missed that opportunity entirely!



It's taken me days to even see it that way! Job, in the midst of incredible testing, covered with boils and sores, ripped of his family, stature and basically all he had, told his wife, "Shall we accept good from God and not trouble?"



Psalm 51: 1-4

"Have mercy on me, O God,

according to your unfailing love;

according to your great compassion

blot out my transgressions.

Wash away all my iniquity

and cleanse me from my sin.

I know my transgressions,

and my sin is always before me.

Against you, you only, have I sinned

and done what is evil in your sight..."

Psalm 73: 21-26

"When my heart was grieved

and my spirit embittered,

I was senseless and ignorant;

I was a brute beast before you.

Yet I am always with you;

you hold me by my right hand.

You guide me with your counsel,

and afterward you will take me into

glory.

Whom have I in heaven but you?

And earth has nothing I desire besides

you.

My flesh and my heart may fail,

but God is the strength of my heart

and my portion forever."

Lord, I pray that I will serve you better the next time life throws me a curve ball...

I pray that my reaction and response will be a testament to others

of the power, peace and strength I have in You...

Renewal

As I've been sharing my quest for my God-Potential; to step up and step out as God calls me to, I've also been thinking about my obstacles and praying for renewal through Jesus' work in me...

As I said yesterday, Jesus is still in the miracle business and I've been praying for HIS miraculous work in me so that all that holds me back from being better and doing more can be overcome through faith and His Power...

This morning, I came across this scripture:

Ezekiel 37: 1-6; 14

The Valley of Dry Bones

The hand of the Lord was upon me, and He brought me out by the Spirit of the Lord and set me in a valley; it was full of bones.

He led me back and forth among them, and I saw a great many bones on the floor of the valley, bones that were very dry. He asked me, "Son of man, can these bones live?"

I said "O Sovereign Lord, you alone know."

Then He said to me, "Prophesy to these bones and say to them, 'Dry bones, hear the word of the Lord! This is what the Sovereign Lord says to these bones: I will make breath enter you and you will come to life. I will attach tendons to you and make flesh come upon you and cover you with skin; I will put breath in you and you will come to life. Then you will know that I am the Lord."

14. "I will put my Spirit in you and you will live, and I will settle you in your own land. Then you will know that I, the Lord, have spoken, and I have done it, declares the Lord."

If ever you thought that all hope was lost or that any hope was wrapped up in your own power to overcome your obstacles, bad habits, or inertia, be assured by this Scripture that God and God alone can renew you, put new breath and spirit into your life...

He can - just ask!!!

Quote For Today

Today I just have a simple message and it is this:

Jesus is still in the miracle business...

So pray!!!

Right Here - Right Now!!!

Matthew 6: 25-34



As I was reading my devotions this morning and the teaching, at http://www.frcliveonline.blogspot.com/, I read on through this chapter of Scripture, and it occured to me...



How much time do we spend worrying about 'tomorrow'? I know I spend way too much time worrying about what the future will bring?



"What will happen with...?" "What will happen if...?" Do you know what I mean? I know this scripture passage so well, and yet, I still am guilty of worrying...



I guess that's the battle with my humanity and my faith - because deep down inside, I actually KNOW God will take care of tomorrow... I know this with a complete certainty that comes from experiencing it in my life time and again! He always does, always has and always will!



So why do I worry? Nothing is impossible for God - there is nothing that's too large for HIM to handle! And it hit me - right there in verse 33:

"But seek first HIS kingdom and HIS righteousness"

Lord, please help me to spend all the time and energy I would normally spend on worrying about tomorrow on living in the moment and in each moment, seeking Your kingdom and Your righteousness in what I am doing right here, right now...

Decisions...

Sometimes we're faced by a really challenging question in life - are we doing the right thing? Is this what God wants us to do; is this the right path for us to take?



Sometimes, its hard to distinguish between that fact and that which we wish to be the case - do you know what I mean?



Let me give you some examples:

Some of us, we make alot of money and we have to file our taxes each year - do we be completely open and honest about it or do we try to find a great CPA (and I do know one by the way ) to limit our tax exposure in the most honest manner, of course?



Some of us are Realtors and if we don't close the deal we don't make money! Do we do whatever it takes to get the deal closed or do we put the clients' interests before our own?



Some of us are single and we're living in a world of complete diversity - especially in the area of BELIEFS and COMMITMENT... Do we hold to the WORD or do we give in to the flow?



Some of us are married and maybe things are not at their highest tide right now - do we hold to the WORD or do we give in to even an imaginary relationship for fulfillment?



There are many ways this question could hit us - and you know, we're HUMAN! We do follow the way we KNOW is right sometimes, and sometimes we mess up and sometimes, the path is unclear...



The only thing I can say is that in each circumstance, if you pray - pray with your true heart for guidance - and if you WAIT and if you LISTEN... God will show you the way... It will APPEAR as the answer, it will FEEL right and it will have a peaceful resolution!!!



I am not a Pastor and I don't profess to know it all or to get it right all or even most of the time - in fact, this BLOG is as much to help me as it is to help others find their way as they struggle towards living in FAITH....



I do know that the times I have acted in faith, prayer and listening for guidance I HAVE absolutely experienced that peace that comes from knowing what I did was the right thing and that peace results - can I tell you - in JOY!!!!



I don't know where these thoughts came from tonight - they just DID!!!! Hope it means something to someone out there - if it does, you don't have to give all the details, just drop me a line, make a comment and let me know...



God Bless!

Spiritual Refresher

Every now and then I get bogged down or overwhelmed by circumstances life throws at me. Sometimes, things seem to be more than I can handle and I forget...

I forget that I have the best defence there is - The Father is right here with me and He is in control! The outcome may not always seem to go my way at first, but in the long run, He comes through for me everytime, even if its not the way I thought was best - He knows best!!!


I made a point of writing some specific Scripture Verses that remind me of this truth and keeping it in my Planner - whenever things get a little crazy, I have His word to comfort me and remind me that He is stronger than any challenge I am up against!

I have my church family, our prayer team, and some really amazing friends who help and support me and a husband who, despite not being a fully committed Christian, is a believer, he helps me put things in perspective, so you know what...

I am so very blessed and so very grateful!!!