Jesus in disguise…

English: Homeless man in New York 2008, Credit Crises. On any given night in USA, anywhere from 700,000 to 2 million people are homeless, according to estimates of the National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

“A cheerful look brings joy to the heart, and good news health to the bones.” Proverbs 15:30

You have seen him or her. You know the person whose clothes are in dire need of a clean. Their face is equally dingy.  They stand on the corner of Main Street, USA.  Their eyes are downcast and hollow.  You know who I am talking about, right?

I challenge you today, because from my vantage point, I see this person almost daily as I leave my comfortable neighborhood to do my everyday things.  I see them, not as battered human beings…which they are; rather I see them as Jesus in disguise.  Do you past them?  Do you judge?  Do you figure they just need money for drugs or alcohol or something other than what you think they should use money for?  Do you act like God when you see them…judging?  I used to. He changed my heart…He always does.

We live in a time where people are poor.  Really poor.  Mostly poor of spirit, but of pocket too. We live in a country that is rapidly declining…we have lost God.  We have forgotten what we were created upon… fundamental Christian ideals.  LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR!

I am not saying you need to hand out a dollar bill to each one you see on the street…or pound the pavement with toiletries and Bibles…if you do, you are answering a great call.  I am challenging you to be kind. Smile. Wave. Say “How are you?”  “Jesus, loves you.”

When we get to Heaven, we will be held accountable for every action and word spoken.  When the good Lord asks “Did you take care of the least of these?” How will you answer? I pray that I can say with confidence and resounding “YES!”

Remember…Jesus is in disguise all around you.  Be willing to be His hands and feet and heart.  Make a difference in the face of one person today…it may heal their bones and change the course of their life.
Be blessed but most of all be a blessing!

Heavenly Father,
You are all around us. Help us to see Your needs here on earth.  Help us to care when we are dry and to love when we are hurting.  Help us to understand the difference between a hand-out and a helping hand.  In Jesus’ mighty name, Amen.

beloved…

“Be still and know that I Am God.” Psalm 46:10To bask in His glory is where my soul longs to be.  

He weaves me together with His unfailing love and mercy.  He washes over me with Love.  I am His…His beloved.

I press into His grace like a child with her nose against a cold window pane.  I wait on Him.  

He is around me and in me and shrouding me under His wing….shielding me and protecting me from trial.

I am grateful…my heart beats for Him.  I am made whole in Him.  He heals me.

I will rejoice in His creation.  The dew on the grass reflects His Light.  It is brighter than the sun. 

I will not fear.  I will rest in His amazing grace knowing that He is the great I Am.

 

He has my heart…

“For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.” 2Corinthians4:8a

My testimony is simple; the Lord has changed my heart. He has given me new life in Him.  He has made me a new creation.  I see the world through His eyes. I am grateful.

He has allowed for some changes to occur in my physical heart, too.  While the news was not what I expected…I am eternally grateful to the Lord for revealing the abnormalities and allowing the changes to occur.  When He allows trial, He allows us to grow deeper in His amazing Love.

He is mighty to hold us in the palm of His hand.

We serve a God who promises trials and tests to be a part of our lives.  He allows for the uncomfortable so that we may find comfort in Him.

I got the news yesterday that I will have to have a cardiologist.  A new addition to my life.

I am blessed for these new changes because:

1. I am in His hands.

2. I am being given abundant opportunities to share God’s unfailing mercy and grace.

3. I am saved by grace and washed in the blood of the Lamb.  I am His.

4. Through my trial, He will be glorified.

 

I can’t not worry.  I will not be anxious.  I know His plans for my life and they are good.  He is the God of HOPE.  He will never tempt us, but He will test us.  I know I will pass.  The Lord is equipping me with the knowledge and wisdom I need to usurp any trial. I am firm and steadfast in His Word.  There is nothing that happens in this world that He does not ordain.

If He allows for the trial, He will equip us to walk through it…with Him at our right hand.

I serve an amazing God.
Father,
We may never understand the trials we face, but we can rest secure in your provision. Your will is greater than an abnormality.  I trust that this, too, will be used for your glory!  In Jesus’ name, Amen.

I am safe in Him…

overflow (Photo credit: jordandouglas)

 “Keep me safe, my God, for in you I take refuge. I say to the Lord, “You are my Lord; apart from you I have no good thing.” I say of the holy people who are in the land, “They are the noble ones in whom is all my delight.” Those who run after other gods will suffer more and more. I will not pour out libations of blood to such gods or take up their names on my lips. Lord, you alone are my portion and my cup; you make my lot secure. The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; surely I have a delightful inheritance. I will praise the Lord, who counsels me; even at night my heart instructs me. I keep my eyes always on the Lord. With him at my right hand, I will not be shaken. Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will rest secure, because you will not abandon me to the realm of the dead, nor will you let your faithful Holy One see decay. You make known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.” Psalm 16

I know that no matter what, the Lord is at my right hand.  He is covering me in His mercies.  Lavishing me in amazing grace.  Loving me beyond words.  I am His.  He is mine.

I will sing praise to the One who created life in me.  I will sing praise to the One who fills me to overflowing with joy…even in the midst of trial.

I give my life to Him to live fully in Christ.

Father,
We may not always understand why things happen.  Why there is heartache and trial.  We do not understand your plan, but it is sovereign.  You are in control.  You make my heart calm.  You fill me with a peace that surpasses understanding.  My heart sings songs of praise and thanksgiving.  In Jesus’ name, Amen.

I trust the One True God…

“I know that you can do all things; no plan of yours can be thwarted.” Job 42:2

God is in control.  I must remind myself of that daily.  I must remind myself that any affliction we face, the Lord ordained long before we were created.  He knows all things. He does all things. He is the Master of our lives.  I trust God.

I trust God with all the fiber of my being. But, I still get scared when faced with obstacles out of my control.  But, I am quick to remind myself that He is in control.  When that feeling of uncertainty washes over me and I begin to rest in fear and trepidation, I am reminded that He created me for His purpose.  I am reminded that no matter how difficult the times I face may be; He is sovereign and that in All THINGS HE WORKS FOR THE GOOD.  He is so amazing.

I trust that no matter what, He is with me.  He loves me so much that He gave His one and only Son to die on the cross for my life, so that I would have eternal life in the Father…salvation.

I talked to my husband about death last night.  I am not dying.  Yet, in the face of any medical abnormality, the idea of death swirls about in my head.  I told Rick that I am not afraid of dying; I know that when I die, I will go to heaven. I am secured in the knowledge that accepting Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior I will rejoice with the angels.  I am secure in the knowledge that I am not promised an easy, trouble free life here on earth, but rather perfection when I enter through the gate of His kingdom.

So, here on earth things will bubble over and spill messy into my life and yours.  We will be afflicted, heartbroken, exhausted.  We will go through trial and tribulation.  But, when we know and believe that Jesus took all of our troubles that day on the Cross, when we die we will live with Him as He is…perfect.

Until that time, I will wait on the Lord.  I will be His hands and feet.  I will love the unlovable.  I will trust Him fully.  Until the day of my last breath I will live for Him; praising Him in all His glory.

Father God,
Please forgive me when I fear…that is not of You.  Place in my heart a desire to serve You and live in You all the days of my life.  I trust that You created me with great purpose.  You are my Rock and Salvation.  I will trust you all the days of my life.  In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Be still my heart…

“To whom will you compare me? Or who is my equal? Says the Holy One.  Lift your eyes and look to the heavens; Who created all these? He who brings out the starry host one by one, and calls them each by name. Because of His great power and mighty strength, not one of them is missing.” Isaiah 40:25-26

I trust the Lord.  I look up into the night’s sky and cannot believe that maker of heaven and earth created a palate of beauty to gaze upon as I drift to sleep.  Each star he created to light the night sky.  He gave each starry host a purpose, to burn brilliantly.  He has given me purpose.

Recently I received some jarring news.  My heart may have a bit of an abnormality.  Further tests will reveal the true issue, but until then, I trust God.  From before I was created He knew the trials I would face. He knew that I would be drawn closer to His lap through struggle.  I know that He has created me with a very important purpose.  He has given us all purpose.

Since the time I was a little girl, I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt, that I wanted to be a wife and mother.  My own mother desired me to be a doctor.  I went through pre-med classes, then pre-nursing classes, and finally I found myself undegreed and working in the medical field.  I am now a wife and mom.  The Lord answered the desire of my heart.

When I heard the news that my heart was not working exactly right, the breath, all of it, was taken out of my lungs.  My heart cried “What about my children? My husband?”  What about my purpose?

I called a friend on the way home.  I cried.  She let me.  Tears flowed like a raging river. My heart squeezed tight as I thought of the ‘what ifs’ and ‘how could this be-s’.  I called out to the Lord in praise, for we are brought closer in our afflictions.  I cried to her of the fear of not being present for my children.  She stopped me…she reminded me that the Lord has called me to be a wife and mother.  That’s it…my purpose is to care for the family the Lord has so beautifully gifted me.

I trust God.

I do not fear.  I am in His hands.  He knows the desires of my imperfect heart.  He knows how much my family needs me.  He is with me always.  I will not worry.  I will put my hope in the Lord.

The God I serve is so much bigger than any heart issue, He is my HEART.  He gives me breath and life and LOVE.  I will pour into Him thanksgiving and praise.

Perhaps this ‘abnormality’ is simply a wakeup call to take better care of myself.  Maybe it’s to remember my purpose and to not take my family for granted.  Perhaps it is for me to meet people who do not already know the love of Christ.  I will be a messenger of His love and peace.  I will stand firm in His strength.  I will ask to be a beacon of HOPE to all who I encounter.  I will not be afraid; my strength comes from the Lord.

Dear Father,
You knew us before you created those beautiful starry hosts.  You knew the trials and triumphs we would face.  I seek to gaze upon Your face in the midst of uncertainty.  I will reach for Your hand and hold it tight as we go through this journey that will only draw me closer to You.  In Jesus’ mighty name, Amen.

Give thanks and praise

English: Oil painting, “Praying Hands” by Peter Paul Rubens (1577–1640) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

“Praise be to the Lord, for He has heard my cry for mercy. The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in Him, and I am helped.  My heart leaps for joy and I will give thanks to him in song.” Psalm 28:6-7

I will give thanks and praise to the Lord. He has given me life.  He has set me on the Rock that is Jesus.  And though trouble and trial may come my way, I will trust in the One true God.  He is bigger than any obstacle we face.

I am blown over and humbled by the way the body of Christ cares for one another.  When we are weak and weary, the Lord sends His saints to cover us in prayers, praising the Lord for the afflictions of this world, for they allow us to press into Him even more. He is so good.  He plants people in our lives with just the right words to encourage us and lift us up to Him.

I think of the prayer warriors I have in my life.  I can call on them any time, day or night.  They are willing, with joyful petition, to pray and intercede.  This is of God.

There are angels among us.  They walk in the beauty of Christ.  Their purpose on earth is to stand in the gap.  Fill the spaces when we are unable to utter a word.  The Spirit of God is the supreme gap-filler.  When we are lost in our woes and worries and have no idea how to pray, we may call upon the Spirit of the Lord to speak directly from our heart to the Lord’s.  We serve an amazing God.

Many of His angels have been interceding for me lately. I am humbled.  I am blessed.

“Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; His love endures forever.” Psalm 118:1

Father,
You are the master of provision.  You know exactly what our hearts desire and you meet us where we are at.  Thank you, Lord, for those who stand in intercession.  You have created in us a desire to love and be love.  May I spend my days worshiping You and praising You for Your goodness.  In Jesus’ name, Amen.

He is bigger than the storm

“He will command his angels concerning you to guard you carefully; they will lift you up in their hands so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.” Luke 4:10-11

I take great comfort in knowing that I am guarded over by the Lord’s angels.  It gives my heart great peace knowing that no matter what the situation the Lord is with me.  I am humbled to know that I am so important to the King of Kings that He intercedes in every facet of my life. Even in the most troubled times, I am not alone. He receives me in His arm and gives me comfort. A comfort greater than any human heart can offer.  He is mighty to ease our worry.  He fills us with His Spirit.  When we trust in the Lord, He will cover us.

Each night as my husband and I tuck our little ones in they are comforted by the prayers of “Jesus, please send your angels to fill this room.  Please fill their dreams and thoughts with the sweetness of Jesus.”  They are sent off to sleep secure in the knowledge that the Lord is present.  They know that they are protected.  They are children and their faith is great. They only know to trust that their prayers and petitions will be answered by God Himself.

As adults, when did we stop trusting…when did our ‘child-like’ faith give way to skepticism? God has not turned from us, but we from Him.  It’s easier than we imagine, easy to fall away from the Lord.  But, He is amazing in His mercy and grace and reaches out His hand to us to walk us through life.

Sometimes it takes something to shake us up to turn our face back to the Lord.  Illness, job loss, crisis, relationship troubles.  It is in these times that we remember that He is there.  But, He is there in all circumstances, good and bad.  He is the good.  He is good all the time. He will take our hard situations and redeem them for His glory.  He sets on the Rock that is Jesus.  He cements in our hearts a desire to serve Him and love Him and press into Him.

I challenge myself to press into the Lord.  I challenge myself to have ‘child-like’ faith.  I challenge myself to not take my gaze off of His face and to know that while sometimes ‘the Lord calms the storm; sometimes He lets the storms rage and calms His child.’

Father God,
You are in control.  You know the days you have set out before me.  I thank you and I praise YOU.  I pray that I am always seeking Your face to guide me through the trials and triumphs of life.  In Jesus name, Amen.

His Spirit is upon me…

Day four of homeschooling.  They have been the craziest, most exhausting, joy filled, introspective days of my entire life.  I am overcome, overwhelmed and overjoyed by the grace of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.  He is the ultimate to fill us when we feel inadequacy setting in.

He has graciously enlightened me as to the kind of person I am.  He has revealed that I am rigid.  Really, very rigid.  And here I thought all these years that I was a ‘go-with-the-flow; fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants’ kind of gal.  I’m not.  I have never been flexible.  I have wished myself to be flexible, but nope…I am rigid. But, that is completely fine, because the Lord uses this for His glory.

As I accept this realization, I am filled with a joy I have never felt…I usually just feel the pressure of anxiety.  Even rigid in my emotions…tisk, tisk!

Anyway, as I accept this realization I find myself giddy after the Lord.  I am overcome by His presence.  I am basking in His warm and encouraging glow.  He lights on me.  This has happened more and more; the lighting of the Lord’s Holy Spirit on my being.  It is an amazing feeling.  Perhaps the same feeling a flower has as a butterfly sweetly rests to take in nectar.  “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit is upon you.” Acts 1:8

The power of the Lord is palpable.  When we call on Him to be upon us, it is different than when we first accept Jesus Christ as our Savior; then we are filled with the Holy Spirit, the Holy Spirit is in us.  I have been experiencing the power of the Holy Spirit upon me.  The difference?

Well, from what I can tell, as the Holy Spirit is upon me, I feel an immense sense of peace that fills my Spirit.  It is a calming peace, an ‘I can do all things through Him who gives me strength’ (Philippians 4:13) kind of peace.  I am overwhelmed by his presence.  I can feel His breath; the tingle of my spine tells me He is surrounding me in His LOVE.  He has covered me under His wing and I chose to dwell there as I go through my day.   I chose to remain shrouded in His wisdom and understanding.

I am overjoyed.  I have no doubt that this journey into homeschooling is going to have days that are less than joy filled, and that’s fine.  As long as I serve the Lord and act in accordance to His call on my life, I will walk in His joy.  I will choose to rely fully on God.  I will trust that by asking in His will for my Spirit to be filled with His Fruit, even the most tiresome days will be wrapped in His glory.

As for my rigidness?  This too shall change. I am a work in progress, we all are.  He uses all of our experiences to refine and grow us.  I trust that He is working in me to give me hope and a future.   He is with me always.

“I am the vine; you are the branches.  If a man remains in me and me in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from ME you do nothing.” John 15:5

Dear God,
Thank you for firmly cementing in our hearts the desire to homeschool our children.  Thank you for the overflowing and abundant filling of our love buckets with Your Fruit.  I pray peace upon my home and all homes…whether homeschooling or not.  I pray that all parents would have a renewed peace knowing that You are all sufficient.  In the glorious name above all names, Jesus.  Amen.

The gift of a friend…

“Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.” 1 Corinthians 1:3

This was the greeting from Paul the Apostle to each church when he wrote to encourage them in their faith.  Whether his letter was instruction to press harder or a pat on the back for deeds done in Christ, he always offered grace and peace.

What if we offered grace and peace to those we greet?  What if we spoke life into the hearts of our families, friends and even strangers?  What if we really, really, stopped long enough to extend the LOVE of Christ to everyone we encountered?  What would our world look like?

I imagine very little conflict.  But hasn’t that been the desire of many a heart since the beginning of time?  Haven’t we hoped for peace and grace to lie upon us like a warm blanket? Covering our sins and softening our hard edges?

I have a lovely sister in Christ who strives daily to walk out ‘peace and grace’.  It is evident in the way she reaches for her husband and children.  She walks in beauty…the beauty of Christ.  She delights in the Lord in ways that I never knew possible until the Lord cemented our friendship with His seal of love.  She has taught me to have grace in all circumstances.  Do I? Certainly not.  I am a work in progress. However, my friend silently and softly encourages me to seek His grace and peace when I am empty…parched…desert dry.

I recall years ago catching her on the phone while she was doing laundry for her family…seven children and two adults.  I said, “Wow, it must really overwhelm you to have to do that much laundry.” She simply replied, “Isn’t it a blessing to have clothes to wash?” GRACE.  She is filled to overflowing.

My friend and her family walked out a very difficult time this past year or so.  She fell mysteriously ill for a few months.  Her husband, a teacher of the Word, fell under severe persecution.  While they walked through this most difficult time, she walked in the PEACE of the Lord, knowing that He is sovereign and always with us. (Matthew 28:20)

I have learned a lot from her, about her and because of her.  I learned that the Lord never leaves and He always is replenishing our GRACE and PEACE.  He fills us to overflowing when we ask in His name to be filled with His grace and peace.  And, even when we don’t feel gracious and peaceful, He is…and that is enough. His grace is sufficient in our weakness.  Always.

I love my friend; everyone should have a Helen in her life.  She walks out her life as a Proverbs 31 woman.  She encourages, loves and trusts in the Lord always.  She has lifted me high to the Lord in more ways than I can consider. I am humbled by her Godly submission to serve in GRACE and PEACE even when it’s difficult.

She walks in beauty…the beauty of Christ.

Lord God,
I offer thanksgiving for the women in our lives that walk in obedience to Your call.  Who care and love in the most straining and stressful times.  I thank you for the example to pray for and love our enemies.  I thank you for my friend.  She embodies the Fruit of the Spirit.  I pray that all women would have a friend like mine, who will encourage, pray and love us in all times.  In Jesus’ name, Amen.