Jesus Culture - You Won't Relent - Kim Walker & Chris Quilala

An Unrelentling Groom

Have you ever watched one of those corny romantic comedies where the lead male realizes that he can't live without the female lead, and he goes chasing after her to win her heart? I love those movies! It is funny because, it is the same age old story retold over and over via a different venue every time. I have often thought after watching one of those movies that things don't happen like that in real life. Or, do they?
What if I told you that we each have a Bridegroom chasing us, trying to win our heart, and that He won't relent until He succeeds? What would you say in response to that thought? I know women would be gushing to know someone cared about them enough to chase them until they captured their heart. But, men how would you feel? Are you thinking first of all a Bridegroom is a man, and second of all romance yuck?
I have discovered some new treasures in the Word of God, that speak to me in such a dramatic way.... I wanted to share them with you. There is a song by Misty Edwards that I love called "You Won't Relent". Actually the Jesus Culture version of the song is absolutely amazing. I love the music of Misty Edwards and her contemporaries, because the lyrics are either scripture or are based on scripture references. After, I had listened to "You Won't Relent" during a period of quiet time one day a few months ago, I decided to look up one of the phrases from the song in my trusty Strong's Concordance. This is what lead me to the treasure I want to share with you.
"Set me like a seal upon your heart, like a seal upon your arm; for love is as strong as death, jealousy is as hard and cruel as Sheol (the place of the dead). It's flashes are flashes of fire, a most vehement flame [the very flame of the Lord]! Many waters cannot quench love, neither can floods drown it. If a man would offer all the goods of his house for love, he would be utterly scorned and despised." Song of Solomon 8:6-7 (Amplified version)
A seal here is like a mark, or tattoo and was used as a sign of ownership. The seal is a symbol of intimacy and belonging. God loves us so much He wants to "mark" us, so that others know that He is our Lord. "Behold, I have indelibly imprinted (tattooed a picture of) you on the palm of each of My hands; [O Zion] your walls are continually before me." Isaiah 49:16(Amplified version) Think of it this way, we tattoo loved ones names on our bodies; God wants to do the same in a spiritual way. He wants to tell the world, you belong to Him.
Love is as strong as death....that is quite a strong statement. But, we serve a jealous God who created us to fellowship with Him. All he wants is to know that we love Him, too!! The Lord wants our hearts to burn with an "all consuming fire" only for Him. "For the Lord is an all consuming fire, a jealous God." Deuteronomy 4:24 (Amplified version)
If you do not yield into God, do you ever wonder what He feels in response. "Shall we thus provoke the Lord to jealousy and anger and indignation? Are we stronger than He [that we should defy Him]?" 1 Corinthians 10:22 (Amplified version) God is calling you to Him, Beloved. Do you hear Him? He is beckoning you to Him. Do you feel Him? He desires to capture your heart for Him, so that He can fellowship with you for eternity.
"Many waters cannot quench love, neither can floods drown it...." Song of Solomon 8:7 (Amplified version) Love cannot be destroyed. Yet, if a man were to sell all he had for love, he would be made fun of and hated. Why? God created us to love....so why despise someone who wants to give everything away for love? Solomon saw deep into God's heart and knew that love is why we were created. But, for some reason we choose to disregard this purpose and look past God to all the things of earth to fulfill our desire to be loved.
God is beckoning us to Him, so that we can fellowship Him, not just now but also in Heaven. There will come a day when Jesus comes back to earth to reign and He will meet His Bride at the alter. On that wedding day He will come into Holy communion with the Church. Are you ready for your Bridegroom? Are you giving Him your all? He won't relent until He has it all. Your heart, your body, your spirit, your soul....beloved are you ready for that great and glorious day?
It's not too late. Though time is running short, it has not run out. All your Bridegroom wants, is to win the heart of His bride. Go to Him....because He won't relent until He has it all!

Oh, Smell My Fragarance!

Have you ever thought about what you smell like to others? Most of us have a "signature" fragrance that is the one perfume/cologne that we use the majority of the time. Have you ever wondered what you smell like to God, or even if our earthly smell is something that affects God? What if I told you that each of us has a "signature" fragrance that belongs only to our Heavenly Father. This fragrance is the extraction of our praises to Him....the more you worship Him, the more you release that fragrance to God. There is a song I like that says, "If praise was like perfume I lavish mine on You, I pour my love out on You." Are you pouring your fragrance out on Jesus?
Before, modern machinery was invented perfumes and colognes were made by pressing the flowers, or plants to express their oils. The oil was then used as a base for the fragrance being created. The process has changed somewhat, but the main process remains the same. First the plants are macerated, or crushed and the oil is extracted. Then the oil is distilled under very high heat. The next step is that of compressing and expressing the more concentrated product from the heated oils. The process of enfluerge is next, in which the oil is absorbed into a fat substance and then extracted.
The process of making a fragrance is long and difficult. But, when you smell the many beautiful fragrances in the world it makes it worth the process. The process of extracting a fragrance from it's source and then making a perfume/cologne could be compared to the process God desires us to go through in order to praise Him. He wants to press us in order to extract all of our sweet fragrance for Him. We serve a jealous God, who wants to fellowship and commune with us....one of those ways is through our worship. Jesus, desires for us to worship Him with abandon to all else, and in complete freedom.
Beloved, please listen to me...this is so important...because of the great sacrifice that God made for us by sending His son to die on the cross for us, He wants us to praise and worship Him with all we have. If we do, it is returned to our sweet, loving Heavenly Father in our fragrance...a signature fragrance.
Sometimes, we don't know how to worship God. Other times we don't feel like worshipping God. Then there are times when we are afraid to worship for fear of what others might say. Still yet, we hold to tradition and routine are afraid to break out and follow the leading of the Holy Spirit. We are to praise God truly, and we are to bring Him a sacrifice of praise even when we don't feel like worshipping Him. "A time will come, however, indeed it is already here, when the true (genuine) worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth (reality); for the Father is seeking just such people as these as His worshipers." John 4:23 (Amplified version) "Through Him, therfore let us constantly and at all times offer up to God a sacrifice of praise, which is the fruit of lips that thankfully acknowledge and confess and glorify His name." Hebrews 13:15 (Amplified version)
Let, me remind you of the woman in Luke 7:37-38, who used her expensive perfume and her own hair to wash the feet of Jesus. She brought out an alabaster box full of ointment, or perfume. This ointment was very expensive, and was usually saved for special occasions, normally a wedding day. The woman, (who is nameless) wet Jesus feet with her tears, washed His feet with her own hair, and then annointed His feet with her ointment. What an example of how we are supposed to worship our Father in Heaven!!! No cost was too great, and nothing meant more than to love Him with her all!!
He is jealous for you, and He won't relent until He truly has all of you. God loves you so much, that He will chase you and pursue you until He has every part of you surrendered to Him. This includes worshipping Jesus with abandon, without fear, and by the leading of the Holy Spirit. Beloved, don't be afraid; don't pay attention to what others might think. Be free! Allow God to beckon you, and listen to how the Holy Spirit may be leading you to worship Him. Let Him smell your sweet fragrance, of praise and worship. Your fragrance comes at a high price and costs much, but give it anyway. "The secrets of his heart are laid bare; and so, falling on [his] face, he will worship God, declaring that God is among you in very truth." 1 Corinthians 14:25 (Amplified version)

BEAUTIFUL By Bethany Dillon

The Island of Misfit Toys

Do you remember the Island of Misfit Toys from the old Christmas TV classic, "Rudolf the Rednose Reindeer? Have you ever felt like you belong on that island? Do you ever feel like one of those toys that was mistakenly made with some kind of scar, or mark on them that was then tossed off to the side and forgotten? I can tell you for the majority of my life I have felt like one of those misfit toys. I have often felt imperfect and not good enough. Until just a few years ago I did not feel good enough to be serving God.
I cannot tell you what moment, or event in my life might have triggered how I felt about myself. But, I can tell you that for most of my life I have struggled with feeling as though I was a misfit. My parents divorced when I was 7, and both remarried soon thereafter. I lived with my mother and stepfather in Arizona, and only saw my father who lived in Virginia in the summer. My stepmother came into the marriage with two children. As a pre-teen I recall feelings of insecurity when visiting my dad. At times I even felt like I had been dicarded and replaced by a newer and better version. My dad had a new family, that for most of the year did not include me. As I grew into a teenager I would just make an excuse like cheerleading camp, etc. as to the reason why I could not go and visit my Dad. This way I was protected from feeling any hurt or rejection as I watched him interact with his "replacement" family.
As I journeyed into adulthood my insecurity worsened as I experienced rejection from every longterm relationship I ever had with a man. It is one thing to be rejected by a man, for personal reasons. But, I was tossed aside by not one, but two boyfriends for a "newer and better" version. By the time I met my husband and we got married I was pretty scarred in the self-worth department. Until about six years ago I struggled with my self-worth and image tremendously. But, God started to allow me to see myself through His eyes. Once I surrendered to that Godly image and recieved it for who I truly am, then God began to tear down the walls of lies I had built around myself throughout my life. In doing that I allowed my Heavenly Father to mold me into the person He wants me to be.
I know I may be striking a cord with many of you. Know that Jesus, wants to start a similar journey in you today. God has revealed to me that people deal with insecurity in different ways. You may be a person who does not identify with the misfit title, but you may identify with the "beauty queen" or the "bully". Unless you have perfect humility which comes from Jesus Christ being evident in your life, then you are insecure. Insecurity manifests in different ways in different people. Just because you think of yourself as self-confident does not mean that it is acceptable. If you were to look at yourself deep down inside would you be able to say that you are humble. Either looking at yourself too lowly, or too highly are both considered sin.
"For by the grace (unmerited favor of God) given to me I warn everyone among you not to estimate and think of himself more highly than he ought [not to have an exaggerated opinion of his own importance], but to rate his ability with sober judgement, each according to the degree of faith apportioned by God to him." Romans 12:3 (Amplified version)
No amount of confidence can ever be undershadowed by our humility. Humility is true when the person who is humble strives for the qualities of Christ. A person cannot be seen as humble if Christ is not shining out of them. On the otherside of the coin a person cannot think so low of themselves that they are not aware of the person they are in Christ Jesus. A person with no confidence needs to find Godly ordained confidence in thier Lord and Savior.
Many people try to find thier worth in the things of this world. People are broken, and have this idea that they can find thier worth in men/women, the media, money, drugs, alcohol, elicit sex outiside of marriage, and even witchcraft. All these things give you a temporary and invalid feeling of self-worth. But, all these things combined could never take the place of the worth you have in Jesus Christ.
"For we [Christians] are the true circumcision, who worship God in spirit and by the Spirit of God and exult and glory and pride ourselves in Jesus Christ, and put no confidence or dependence [on what we are] in the flesh and on outward priveleges and physical advantages and external appearances-" Philippians 3:3 (Amplified version)
God and only Him, can make a person whole. It takes great humility to get to the place where you realize that truth. When you do get to that place you need to take the next step and surrender fully, so that it can be applied to your life. If there are things that are not Christlike in you, allow Him to help you remove those thigs from your life as He reveals them to you.
"And I am convinced and sure of this very thing, that He Who began a good work in you will continue until the day of Jesus Christ [right up to the time of His return], developing [that good work] and perfecting and bringing it to full completion in you." Philippians 1:6 (Amplified version)
So, get off the Island of Misfit Toys and lay your confidence in Jesus!

Consecrated and Set Apart

This past week has been a hard one for me....but I am trusting in God. Last Thursday my family and I departed Maryland on a trip to take my daughter to St. Louis, where she will be attending school this year. She is going to a non-conventional college called The Ministry Academy which is part of the St. Louis Dream Center. While attending The Ministry Academy she will not only participate in classes, but she will have the opportunity to be a part of some of the ministries of the Dream Center and work as an intern. This is an amazing opportunity that she has been presented with to go deeper into the things of God and to learn more of how He wants her to serve Him in ministry. Though I knew all of that, and even believed it...I was apprehensive having Meghan leave home. I discovered that my apprehension was not because I did not understand where she was going, or what she would be doing there. My apprehension was simply coming from not being able to let go, not being able to let my child go out into the world. In that I realized that if I was apprehensive, that I was not trusting in God and in His plan for her.
After, seeing the Dream Center and being exposed to some of the things they do for God's people I developed a peace that I had not had before concerning the situation. As, I have reflected on the situation since I have been home, God has reminded me of the things He has been teaching me and revealing to me. I realized He was not only teaching me these things to apply to my life, but to also apply them to Meg's life.
God brought me to Ephesians chapter 1 recently, through a blog post I had read. This chapter spoke volumes into my spirit about how we are each chosen, and picked for a specific purpose by God. I have an amplified Bible that has devotions every couple of pages and there is a devotion on the opposite page of Ephesians chapter 1, entitled "You Have Been Chosen". This article spoke to me, because it talked about not only being chosen, but that God chose each of us despite our faults and weaknesses. Rejection, acceptance, and reproach are big things that God has helped me work through over the years. I realized that I needed to start to share the things that God has taught me so, that others may learn from my testimony. I cannot sit and receive and not give anything back out from the Holy Spirit that lives in me. We as believers are not called to make a collection of tidbits of wisdom and knowledge, and then not do anything with that exhortation. We have to step out and share those pieces that God reveals to us with others so that they may grow too!
"Even as [in His love] He chose us [actually picked us out for Himself as His own] in Christ before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy (consecrated and set apart for Him) and blameless in His sight, even above reproach, before Him in love. For He foreordained us (destined us, planned in love for us) to be adopted (revealed) as his own children through Jesus Christ, in accordance with the purpose of His will [because it pleased Him and was His kind intent]- [So that we might be] to the praise and commendation of His glorious grace (favor and mercy) which He so freely bestowed on us in the Beloved." Ephesians 1:4-6 (Amplified)
I could quote the whole chapter, because there is some good meat and truth here that we need to take to heart. I do want to share verse 13, because it ties it all together. "In Him you also who have heard the Word of Truth, the glad tidings (Gospel) of your salvation, and have believed in and adhered to and relied on Him, were stamped with the seal of the long-promised Holy Spirit. " Ephesians 1:13 (Amplified) Listen to me, you are saved, you believe, you rely on Him...and you have been stamped with the "long-promised" Holy Spirit. Receive it!!! This is where holding your head up high in Him comes from; you my dear one have been foreordained and consecrated. He chose you!!!
How does this all tie in to my recent experience with Meg? Go with me to Jeremiah 1:5, "Before I formed you in the womb I knew [and] approved of you [as My chosen instrument], and before you were born I separated and set you apart, consecrating you; [and] I appointed you as a prophet to the nations." In, February I had the opportunity to travel to Haiti to participate in medical clinics. While there God revealed to me this incredible fear that I had of letting Him down. After I returned home, I continued to process what God was showing me and He lead me to this verse in Jeremiah. On the opposite page of verse 5 in my Bible is a devotion entitled "You Are Chosen". It talks about how even though we are not perfect that God chooses us. It also talks about Jeremiah's fear, and how God tells Jeremiah to not be afraid of being accepted.
I shared about my experience in Haiti and what God had showed me about my my fear of failure at church shortly after I returned home. Afterwards I received a word of exhortation from someone, and one of the things she shared with me was that God had revealed to her that I not only had a fear of man, but a terror of being rejected by God. I treasure this word, and I often go back to the words she had penned in purple on a piece of notebook paper. I realized that my fear of sending Meg out into the world was also apart of this terror I had of letting God down.
Yesterday, God brought me back around full-circle to Proverbs 22:6, "Train up a child in the way he should go [and in keeping with his individual gift, or bent], and when he is old he will not depart form it." (Amplified) When, I read that I was reminded of a study I had done a few years ago. I had written two words in Hebrew in the margin of my Bible. One of the words chanak means to dedicate, and a root of the word chanukkah means consecration. The dictionary defines consecration as being set apart for a specific purpose. I realized that this was what God was trying to tell me... that not only was I set apart, but that so is Meg! And, that I need to trust in that consecration. He knows what purpose He has set her apart for, and I need to trust in Him! How freeing that realization has been, and how awesome our God is that he brought me through those steps so that I can pass the knowledge onto my children, and also onto others. So, my dear one please do not ever forget you are consecrated and set apart by God for a Holy purpose, that only you can perform!

Be Transformed, Not Conformed

It has been a while since I have written a blog post. It has been a hectic summer, which is no excuse I must say to not share what wonderful things God has been revealing to me. In June my husband and I travelled to Kenya. It was a wonderful trip and a huge blessing in my life. It was my third time to Kenya, and I was able to see people I had meet last summer while there in the same area. These people I can confidently now call friends. Thank-you so much to those of you that contributed to our being able to go on the trip, and also to those of you that prayed for us while we were there.
I have been doing a lot of processing since my return from Kenya, which is one reason why I have not posted in so long. It was a different trip for me, one of almost confusion. It has been hard to discern what God was trying to teach me and show me while in Kenya and in the subsequent two months.
When I was in Kenya, one of the men who was instrumental in making the medical clinics we participated in, kept calling me Lt. Colonel. At first I laughed it off, but he kept calling me Lt. Colonel and saluting me. When I questioned him about this he told me that I carry myself like a general and that I should have been in the military. (Well, little secret I was in the military) I began to be taken aback by this, and realized that I may need to change the way I approach others. I started to seek God as to how He wanted me to change and how I could maintain being a Godly leader.
In, the time I have been back from Kenya I have taken the time to seek God concerning my mouth, and have asked Him to show me how to be a Godly leader. I have realized that God has programed me to be a leader, but that He does not want me to act like a military dictator. He wants me to lead in love and in grace. If I continue to seek Him as to how to lead others in a way that is Christlike, I think that I can find a way to not come across as a "general". Romans 12:7-9 says, "[He whose gift is] practical service, let him give himself to serving; he who teaches, to his teaching; He who exhorts (encourages), to his exhortation; he who contributes, let him do it in simplicity and liberality; he who gives aid and superintends, with zeal and singleness of mind; he who does acts of mercy, with genuine cheerfulness and joyful eagerness. [Let your] love be sincere (a real thing); hate what is evil [loathe all ungodliness, turn in horror from wickedness], but hold fast to that which is good." (Amplified version)
Essentially, I need to embrace the gift of leadership that God has given me, but I need to not be a dictator about the way I lead. God wants those He has placed in leadership positions to be loving to others and to treat them with grace. I have realized an effective Godly leader is not one who tells everyone what to do and shouts out orders, but who suggests in love the order of business. People take instruction so much better when it is spoken in kindness and with suggestion, than when it is an order that is barked at them.
I have come to the revelation that the orders that are barked come from my flesh and not from Christ. I need to lay down myself and be transformed into the leader that God wants to mold me into. In reading Ephesians 5 I came across verses 13-15 that really explain what I am trying to say, "But when anything is exposed and reproved by the light, it is made visible and clear; and where everything is visible and clear there is light. Therefore He says, Awake O' sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall shine (make day dawn) upon you and give you light. Look carefully then how you walk! Live purposefully and worthily and accurately, not as the unwise and witless but as wise (sensible, intelligent people)". (Amplified version) God desires me to be clear and be able to reprove the light, so that Christ's light shines out of me. I think of it like a prism....what light shines in, is reflected out. So, therefore I need to reflect Christ in all I do.
Romans 12:2 states, "Do not be conformed to this world (this age), [fashioned after and adapted to its external, superficial customs], but be transformed (changed) by the [entire] renewal of your mind [by its new ideals and its new attitude], so that you may prove [for yourselves] what is the good and acceptable and perfect will of God, even the thing which is good and acceptable and perfect [in His sight for you]." (Amplified version) I used to look at this verse in a rather legalistic way, thinking that pretty much everything of the world was off limits. But, if you are dead to sin and alive in Christ do you really want to conform to this world? I have been asking God to make me more of Him, and less of me. And, He has been answering my prayer....opening my eyes to many things I need to change. Just like the verse says it is not what is acceptable to you, it is what is perfect in his sight.
God, does not expect us to be perfect. What He does expect is that on a daily basis we go before Him and surrender to Him and His will. He also expects that we confess our sins to Him on a daily basis, and in doing so that we "crucify" our flesh. It is not our job to be "perfect" and "sinless". What is our task is to take up our cross daily, to confess our sin regularly, and to look at ourselves through Jesus eyes and to see Him in us. In order to do so, it may require you to change. It may also require you to see some things in yourself that you may not want to see. What is your true desire? Do you want to be more like Jesus? Or do you desire to not grow and progress in your walk with God?
The choice is up to you... Walking means that you are moving forward, and that you are not staying in the same place. So, if you want to progress in your walk with God then you need to give of yourself. Eventually you will have to surrender your person to God, in order to continue to walk with Him. In, order to do so you will have to choose to no longer accept conforming to the world. If you desire to continue to grow in Christ then you will have to transform yourself to His ways, His desires, His word, and His will.

No More Backup Plans Needed!!

God has turned my life topsy-turvy as of late. He really has been getting my attention and and turning my life upside down (maybe it's right side up!). God is taking me to places I have never been before and revealing things to me that I need to change in my life. He is molding me into more of Him and less of the world.
In this journey He has been taking me on, I have continued to seek him with a fervor I have never had before. Of course at the same speed God is revealing new things to me, there Satan appears ready to sabotage what I am learning. Speaking in my ear trying to get me to believe lies!
As some of you know my hubby and I are going to Kenya next month with International Christian Resources. While there we will be participating in medical clinics and reaching the unreached and hopeless with the Gospel. I am very excited about this trip because, this is the first international trip my husband has gone on, and this is the first international trip we will have gone on together. I have prayed for many years for God to open the door for my husband and I to be on the mission field together.
Fundraising is a very difficult task and rather exhausting, especially when you have double the money to raise. I have shared in past blog posts about obedience, faith, and trust. These have never meant more to than they do today. My husband and I have only raised enough money for "almost" one of us to go on the trip to Kenya. We leave in almost exactly one month. We need a miracle in order for both of us to be able to go on the missions trip!!!!
I am trusting God for that miracle!!! Until yesterday, I could not say that truthfully. Until yesterday I had a backup plan in the back of my head. Until yesterday the backup plan would have been put into effect soon. But, there is no more backup plan, the backup plan is not needed. Not because we have the money, no we still need a miracle. But, because I am trusting God FULLY for that miracle!!!
God showed me yesterday that I cannot have a backup plan, because if I do I am not trusting Him fully and completely! In Genesis 12 when God tells Abraham to take his family and leave Haran, he does not question God. Abraham left and did what God told him to do, and he had no backup plan to fall onto "just in case". In Genesis 15:6, "And he [Abram] believed in (trusted in, relied on, remained steadfast to) the Lord, and He counted it to him as righteousness (right standing with God)." (Amplified version) Abraham did not say to God, "Now wait a minute let me formulate a what if, just in case you don't give me a child." He just trusted and relied on God's word, and God's promise to him that Sarah would conceive.
I was lead to a passage in 1st Corinthians yesterday, when I found the scripture in chapter two I had at some point previously circled it and written my name above verse nine. "But, on the contrary, as the scripture says , What eye has not seen and ear has not heard and has not entered into the heart of man, [all that] God has prepared (made and keeps ready) for those who love Him [who hold Him in affectionate reverence, promptly obeying Him and gratefully recognizing the benefits He has bestowed]." (Amplified version)
As I further cross-referenced Genesis 15:6, I found a nugget of scripture in Romans that really cemented what I felt God was trying to show me. "No unbelief or distrust made him waver (doubtingly question) concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong and was empowered by faith as he gave praise and glory to God. Fully satisfied and assured that God was able and mighty to keep His word and to what He had promised. That is why his faith was credited to him as righteousness (right standing with God). Romans 4:20-22 (Amplified version)
I have "The Everyday Life Bible", it features notes and commentary by Joyce Meyer. On the same page that Romans 4:20-22 appears Joyce comments by saying, "Look beyond where you are and see with the eyes of faith, believing God for even the impossible!". That got to me when I read it! Was I seeing with the eyes of faith? Was I believing God for even the impossible? No! I had a backup plan. Either my husband, or myself would stay behind and not go to Kenya.
Isaiah 44;20 says, "That kind of man feeds on ashes [and finds his satisfaction in ashes]! A deluded mind has led him astray, so that he cannot release and save himself, or ask, Is not [this thing I am holding], in my right hand a lie?" (Amplified version) Yes, that thing I was holding in my right hand was a lie. And, that thing called "control" is a lie, and I was hanging on to it.
I am standing on faith, and relying on God to come through for my husband and I; He will provide a miracle and we will BOTH go to Kenya. If you are waiting on God today for a miracle, I encourage you to know that if you completely surrender to Him, and stand on faith you will receive that miracle you are waiting on. Trust on, rely on, and have faith in our almighty God.

A New Revolution

I have been pierced..... God has taken my heart and plunged a knife right through it..... I will never be the same!!!! I am reading a book called "Revolution in World Missions", by K.P. Yohannan. Dr. Yohannan is the founder of Gospel for Asia a ministry that supports, sends, trains, etc. indigenous missionaries to Asia. I am only half way through the book and already know that it is causing a "revolution" in my own life. I am shaken and cannot believe what my eyes are being opened to see! I have prayed and asked God to forgive me for my shortcomings.... I have also asked Him to show me how I can simplify my life and support world missions even more than I do now. I look around my home, that God has blessed me with and see so many things that are not needed and are unnecessary! If I had never bought the $15 tart burner on my counter that I never use, how many people could I support? This is what I did last night as I scanned my home and realized how much I have that I truly don't use and do not need. My husband reminded last night as I looked upon him with tear filled eyes that God places us in our lives for a reason. What I have realized is that I could be a nurse in India and still have the same calling on my life to live on the mission field and meet the practical needs of the people I am called to serve. But, I am not! Instead I am a nurse from the US with that call on my life.... I say again, I am a nurse from the US with that call on my life. I was fortunate to be born in the most affluent country in the world. I have resources available to me that a nurse from India could not dream of having at their fingertips. Do you get it? Do you see it? As Christians in the richest country in the world we have a responsibility to those in the world that are less fortunate.
"Jesus answered him, If you would be perfect [that is, have that spiritual maturity which accompanies self-sacrificing character], go and sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have riches in heaven; and come, be my disciple [side with my party, and follow Me]." Matthew 19:21 (Amplified version)
"But if anyone has this world's goods (resources for sustaining life) and sees his brother and fellow believer in need, yet closes his heart of compassion against him, how can the love of God live and remain in him? Little children, let us not love [merely] in theory or in speech but in deed and in truth (in practice and in sincerity)." 1 John 3:17-18 (Amplified version)
I will continue in my journey to simplify as I finish reading the book that is "revolutionizing" my life. All I ask you, as my reader to do is to think, reflect, and meditate upon your life and pray about how you can help make a difference and reach others for Jesus Christ!

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Time, Time Time

I have been thinking about time, and timing over the past week. It almost sounds cliche now to say, "it all happens in God's timing". But, that statement is so true. It does all happen in God's timing, we certainly are not in control of something so important. Why do things happen when they happen? Why do things not happen when we desire them to happen? Or, why do things happen when we are not expecting them to happen? Most everyone knows Ecclesiastes 3...."To everthing there is a season, and a time for every matter or purpose under heaven. A time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to pluck up what is planted...." The most known verses of this chapter are verses 1-8. But, last week as I read this chapter I found some new precious nuggets of scripture I had never noticed before. "He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also planted eternity in men's hearts and minds [a divinely implanted sense of a purpose working through the ages which nothing under the sun but God alone can satisfy], yet so that men cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end. I know that there is nothing better for them than to be glad and to get and do good as long as they live. And also that every man should eat and drink and enjoy the good of all his labor- it is the gift of God. I know that whatever God does, it endures forever; nothing can be added to it nor anything taken from it. And God does it so that men will [reverently] fear Him [revere and worship Him, knowing that He is]." (Ecclesiastes 3:11-14, Amplified version)
I love that! What and when God does what He does, just is! There is no philosophical theory, it just is! And we need to accept it, so that we can worship and understand Him as our God. Tough stuff to swallow, I know! It proves we have NO control. That is the beuaty of it, especially for those of us that are type A....we just have to accept and trust and LET GO!!! Wow! When you get to the place when you can do this, it is such a relief, to let the reigns of control go and to just allow things to happen in the timing of God. He knows His plan for you, and He even knows the outcome so just let Him do His job!

Barefoot Easter | Samaritan's Feet

Barefoot Easter | Samaritan's Feet

You'll Come!

I love the song "You'll Come", by Hillsong. If people can have a personal anthem it is definitely mine. As I was flipping through my Bible this am I came across a Dove chocolate wrapper I had stuck in there while on a missions trip in Kenya last summer. The wrapper says "Go Against the Grain". In our society today people want what they want when they want it. No one wants to wait for anything anymore. We definitely live in a world of instant satisfaction. The passage I had the used this chocolate wrapper to mark is Psalm 62. Verses 5-8 are my favorites..."My soul wait only upon God and silently submit to Him; for my hope and expectation are from him. he only is my Rock and my Salvation; He is my Defense and my Fortress, I shall not be moved. With God rests my salvation and my glory; He is my rock of unyielding strength and impenatrable hardness, and my refusg is in God! Trust in, lean on, rely on, and have confidence in Him at all times, you people; pour out your hearts before Him. God is a refuge for us (a fortress and high tower). Selah [pause, and calmly think of that]!" (Amplified version) When I turned to this passage this morning I was reminded of my "anthem". It has been a comfort to me when I felt as though I could not wait any longer. I ahve felt the call to live on the missions field for several years now, but there are things that God has made clear I have to complete before that time will come. For a long time I was retless about the impending future and had a difficult time living in the now and completing things God was asking me to do. I was always thinking, dreaming, and praying of the future. God revealed to me while in Kenya last summer that I needed to be completely surrendered to Him and His plan in order for all I was waiting for to come to pass. I realized a peace in my waiting that I had never had before, and fully surrendered to wait on God. As of late I have felt that restlessness, building inside of me again, but not about His plan for the future. I have been restless waiting on Him to provide the money we need for our trip to Kenya in June. I have realized that I need to continue to wait on Him. He will provide if we are obedient and if we trust Him. The money will come in His timing not in ours!! I had forgotten that! I have felt pressed and felt like I needed to hurry up and raise the money. The first line of "You'll Come", is "I have decided, I have resolved to wait upon you Lord!" I need to embrace that....and go against the grain! If I do, He'll come!

Back Down Devil, and Get Off My Back!

The Devil is on my back! I have had a hard time with a fear of failure almost my entire life. Recently, while on a missions trip in Haiti God revealed to me that it was time to let that fear of failure go! I have always been worried of what others would think, and if I would be accepted. God reminded me recently as I shared with some of the women at church of Jeremiah 1:5-10. "Before I formed you in the womb I knew and approved of you, and before you were born I seperated and set you apart, consecrating you; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations." (verse 5, Amplified version) In these verses Jeremiah is realizing the call that God has placed on his life as a prophet and he is telling the Lord he can't do what He is asking of him. Wow! How these verses speak to me...how often have I been there having a similar converstion with God. I have realized that God created me and that He knows what I am capable of; if He asks me to do something He will equip me with the instruments I need to succeed! I have been fooled for so long by the devil, into believing that I could not do, was not worthy to do, or was capable of doing. Thank the Lord that He has shown me that with Him I can do all things. "I have strength for all things in Christ Who empowers me." (Phillipians 4:13, Amplified version) I like how the Amplified version puts it, that Christ empowers me. He makes me able to do, ALL that I do!

I have been thinking about obedience, and what it means to me to be obedient. In life each of us finds that we have to be obedient to something. Yet, the world looks upon obedience as submitting and giving in to authority. As a believer of Jesus, I feel as though my acts of obedience are not giving in but surrendering to God. I want more of Him and less of me and in order to do so, I have to be willing to give my self wholly to Him and allow His will to unfold. It is not a matter of self-sacrifice, but of giving of myself for something bigger and better than me. In 1 Samuel 15:22, Samuel responds to Saul as he boasts of all the sacrifice he has made for the Lord. "Samuel said, Has the Lord as great a delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken better than the fat of rams."(Amplified version) When God asked me to go back to school and become a nurse, what would have happened if I was not obedient? I may never have received my calling to missions! Granted God may have used a different situation to speak to me, but who knows? I can tell you, until God changed my heart towards nursing I had no desire to be a nurse. I was not one of those little girls that put my dolls in the "hospital" and bandaged them up. I could not even stand the sight of blood. But, it was actually on my first missions trip to Guatemala that the Lord began to speak to my heart about nursing. I love being a nurse and know now that it is part of the calling that God has placed on my life. I am so thankful I surrendered and submitted to that call. If God is speaking to you today, listen to Him and be obedient to whatever it is you feel He is asking you to do. You have no idea what bearing that may have on your life and of those around you.

It has become apparent to me over the past week that God REALLY wants me to trust Him more in all I do. My husband and I are in the preparation process for a missions trip to Kenya in June. We have quite a bit of money still to raise, and I have often wondered where in the world this money is going to come from. God keeps on reminding me to trust Him and only Him. I have been reminded that the measure of faith I have, can have a bearing on how God answers my prayers....meaning the more I am surrendered to Him and the more of myself I am willing to give Him, the more He will give me.
I have also been reminded of the fact that if I am willing to step forward and say, "Here am I, send me!", that God will honor my willingness to be used by Him. In, Isaiah 6:8 the writer sees the Lord and God is asking him who would go and minister to the people and Isaiah says he will go. "Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send? And who will go for Us? Then said I, Here am I; send me." (Amplified version) When your heart is willing and true God will use you. You do not have to be perfect, or sin free! He just wants you to take the opportunities He places in front of you to be used by Him. It is very simple, and yet somehow we complicate it. (I could go on, but this is a subject for another post, on another day.)
"Look at the proud; his soul is not straight or right within him, but the just and the righteous man shall live by his faith and in his faithfulness." Habakkuk 2:4 (Amplified version)