He's Got the Whole World in His Hands

Remember this old song, "He's Got the Whole World in His Hands"?  I remember singing this over and over in Sunday school as a child, not having an inkling of what this truly means.  Oh the depths and the riches of the fact that God is in control! Bill and I are on vacation and God's peace and presence have been so special for me. It has been like heaven on earth (on the Gulf for a few days and at the Atlantic beach since! PTL!)  As I opened my Bible this morning, God began to show me something amazing! I'll give you a little back ground first.  When I became a born-again Christian at age 22, I decided to live the rest of my life for God. At that point I made the decision to give everything I am or ever will be, all that I had or ever will have, to Jesus and His purpose for my life.  I decided that I would work for Him to the best of my ability. I do believe that although I'm not perfect, my heart has been steadfastly centered on that goal from that time and continues to be. Ironically, over the past 30 plus years, I've often felt like a hamster on a wheel going nowhere.  I've often felt overwhelmed by all the needs in the world, and despite my well meaning efforts, it doesn't appear to me that I've accomplished much for Him.  Yes, His presence and blessing have been there for me.  Yes, I've seen how I've help some individuals in some way come close to Him and experience His love. But has it been enough?  It seems that when most people hit mid-life, we many times want to evaluate our life's accomplishments.  We want to see if we need to make any changes to make our life count for something. Maybe it's because we realize more than ever how precious time is. Maybe we more than ever realize how amazing strength and physical ability is. In John 6:29, Jesus speaks about "the work of God".   Somehow when I read this passage this morning, I saw everything in a new and brighter light.  I saw how important it is to do the work of God more than ever before, but with a different perspective. The right perspective to have is to rest in the fact that He is a great God and He is sovereign. HE HAS THE WHOLE WORLD IN HIS HANDS AND HE IS IN CONTROL! WE ALL HAVE A PART TO PLAY IN HIS PLAN.  BUT, WE NEED TO WORK HIS WORKS, NOT OUR OWN WELL INTENTIONED WORKS! In John 6, we see a crowd of people following Jesus around because they had seen the miracle of the multiplied bread. In vs 26, He rebukes them for only being interested in Him because of His provision.  He exhorts them to "labor not for the food which perishes, but for the food that endures unto ever lasting life...".  They then asked, "What should we do that we might work the works of God?"  Jesus responded, "This is the work of God, that you believe on Him whom He (God) has sent."  That's easy!  (or is it?) In other words, when we look at the Greek translation we find that it means to be loyal to, adhere to, and  trust in Jesus, the Messiah, the Son of God. Notice that it's not just a mental belief. He doesn't give us a "to do list".  He wants our heart, the core of our being! He wants us close to Him, loving Him and cooperating with Him.  He says in another passage that "eternal life is to know Him". When we're walking and talking with Him, we naturally work His work. That's how we experience the depth of His rest and peace which He promises.  He works it all out.  We don't have to. His work is different for all of us. I have a friend, Lee Grady, who continuously travels all over the world and ministers to people. He seems to want to do this and enjoys it.  He is blessed in his work.  I have another friend, Judy Foster, who has given her life to the people of Haiti as a missionary.  I see both of their amazing works and could easily ask myself, "What in the world am I doing for God?" Anything that you and I do for God is between us and God. Only He knows what He created us for with our particular gifts, callings, and abilities. Only He knows how we fit into His plan for this world.  I see now more clearly than ever that we need to truly trust Him, love Him, and enjoy our life with Him. We must find confidence in the fact that our life is all that He wants it to be by hearing His voice each day telling us how much He loves us and that He's got us in the palm of His hand. I know that God is good and loves His children.  His grace is sufficient to do what we must, but He will never call us to work under a burdensome obligation.  I submit to you that He will always supply the ability, the heart, and the joy to do His work, even as far as laying our life down for Him, if it be that. I know God wants us free and happy in Him.  If we're struggling and oppressed, we need to reevaluate our works.  God has called us to peace.  Enjoy Him today and everyday!!  (2 Thessalonians 3:16), "Now the Lord of peace Himself give you peace, always, by all means.  The Lord be with you all."

A Beautiful Illusion

Our greatest dreams and desires can be forthcoming blessings or they can be trouble going somewhere to happen! I want to explain what I mean by this in sharing with you what was recently revealed to me while on a cruise with my daughter in the Caribbean.  First of all, anyone who knows me very well, knows that going somewhere in the Caribbean is always a thrill for me.  I love swimming in the beautifully colored water!  As I stood on my balcony one evening, our ship swiftly cruising to our first destination, I noticed the beautiful water churning below.  It was a combination of deep sapphire blue and a luminous turquoise.  My first thought was how delightful the water looked!  I would've jumped into those luscious waters had I not rationalized the horrible consequences of that choice!  I chose to stay on board, understanding and accepting the fact that jumping into the water at this time, in this place, and in this way would prove to be dangerous and most likely fatal! (Good thing I did! Ha! I ended up having a dream vacation!  Thanks Lord!!)  Was swimming in these waters my heart's desire?  Yes. Was swimming in the beautiful Caribbean part of the plan? Yes. Then what's wrong with this picture?  I submit to you that it was the wrong time, wrong place, and wrong way to go about it!  I believe that as we adhere to these following three keys, God's good plans and dreams for us will be activated and trouble will be evaded. In order for everything to go as God has planned, we must consider and infuse these very important keys continually into our life:  #1-WE MUST PATIENTLY WAIT ON GOD'S TIME>RIGHT TIMING (Phil. 4:6 "...be anxious for nothing..");  #2-WE NEED TO POSITION OURSELF IN THE PLAN OF GOD BY OBEDIENTLY STAYING WHERE HE WANTS US TO STAY AND BY FOLLOWING HIM TO WHERE HE WANTS US TO GO (Jn 10:1-14) THE RIGHT PLACE;  #3-WE NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE LIVING WITHIN THE PERIMETERS OF A GODLY LIFESTYLE (Ps. 25:20-21) THE RIGHT WAY.  The children of Israel saw God's miraculous favor and blessing as they obediently exited Egypt (symbol of misery and lack) to go into the PROMISED LAND (symbol of abundance and blessing) that He had for them.  Did they all make it to the Promised Land?  No!  In the Exodus account, we find that many suffered and even died horrible deaths due to their disobedience and discontent. I have seen so many people come short of realizing their blessed destiny because of poor choices they've made. The Bible makes it very clear that our choices dictate our destiny>Deuteronomy 28-30. I believe God's grace and mercy carry us in our ignorance and imperfect faith, but intentional resistance and self-will gets us into trouble. Granted, this world is not perfect and there are many obstacles that we must overcome, but with total trust in and whole hearted  dependence on God, we can experience His good plan for our life!  There are countless beautiful illusions in this world that entice many wonderful and godly people down the hellish path of misery and disappointment.  To name a few illusions: vanity, greed, lust, self-sufficiency, bitterness, and pride.  They appear to be amazing and some are so convincing, but they all  leave their victims in a state of disillusionment and confusion.  I believe that this is why so many people question God's goodness. When we read in the Bible that God's plan is good and that He loves us,  but then we see so many people living a sad and bad life, we might be tempted to question the validity of this belief.  Humbling ourself and trusting God (James 4:10) is the only way to find out just how much He does love us! We must seek Him and stay with Him through the difficult times.  If we do, we will see the goodness of our God! Be encouraged with this verse>(Amp) Psalms 27:11-14 "Teach me Your way, O Lord and lead me in a plain path...what would have become of me had I not believed that I would see the Lord's goodness in the land of the living...WAIT AND HOPE FOR AND EXPECT THE LORD, BE BRAVE AND LET YOUR HEART BE STOUT AND ENDURING.  YES, WAIT FOR, HOPE FOR AND EXPECT THE LORD."  I want to end with this declaration:  Ephesians 3:20-21 (Amp. version)  "Now to Him Who, by the power that is at work within us, is able to do superabundantly, far over and above all that we ask or think (infinitely beyond our highest prayers, desires, thoughts, hope, or dreams)-TO HIM BE GLORY IN THE CHURCH AND IN CHRIST JESUS THROUGHOUT ALL GENERATIONS FOR EVER. AMEN."

Who do you want to look like?

After a somewhat grueling effort, I am back to writing my blogs. My blog account got hacked somehow and I'm bursting at the seams! I'm so excited to share with you some of the encouraging and amazing things the Lord has been speaking to me recently. Some girlfriends and I have decided to do a study on the book of James. So, I turned to James this morning to get the gist of the book again. I love this book!! The main thing that stood out to me in chapter 1 was the fact that if we Christians don't watch it, we can delude our heart into thinking that our relationship with God is just "hunky-dory" (just fine), when in actuality it isn't. James 1:22-26 says that we need to carefully look into the faultless law of liberty (the Bible), be faithful to it, persevere looking into it, and be an active doer of it. Otherwise we are like someone who looks into a mirror, walks away from it, and then forgets what he was like. When I'm going somewhere in my car, I catch myself checking my make-up and hair over and over before I arrive at my destination. (I sometimes need to tweak it!) When I arrive, I feel confident that I am presentable. This is how we should care for ourselves spiritually. We should examine our heart and life continually by comparing our thoughts and behaviors with what God's word says is acceptable and tweak as needed. THEN, we will see God's blessings in our life of obedience (vs 25 Amplified version). Every morning I lift up my day to the Lord. I ask Him to lead me in His path. Most mornings I spend some time reading the Bible and I pray about how the passage I read applies to me. I also try to spend the day thinking about it. I then consider and include Him in everything I do. I can truly say that this is why I'm so blessed! I know that as I emulate Him through His word and personal direction, I can enjoy my life. Who do I look like? I want to look like Jesus! I want to look like my Father in heaven! I want to be presentable to Him and I want Him to recognize me as His child when I come before Him in heaven someday. How about you? Who do you want to look like?

THE BOLD VENTURE

I just came back from Lee Grady's Bold Venture women's conference and I want to share with you the fact that my life has been transformed! I don't say this lightly. This conference was probably the most effective and productive conference that I have ever been to. The reason I believe this is because I saw with my own eyes a transformation, not only in myself, but in every one of those women. I saw a purity of transparency. I saw a hunger for God like never before. I saw godly humility. And most of all, we experienced the presence of God in such a magnificent way that I will never be the same again! I will never again be satisfied with the status quo. It truly was heavenly! I hope that I will be able to impart to you, in some way, this power of God that makes a person become radically and totally committed to His purposes for their life, less likely ever again to be discouraged, disheartened, or doubtful of God's amazing love and power! It's so easy to get caught up in the mundane things of life and forget what Christianity is all about. It's about having a relationship with God. It's about KNOWING GOD and getting close to Him. It's about developing the intimacy He so desires to have with His children. One of the speakers at the conference talked about having intimacy with Christ. She mentioned an old hymn that gives us a picture of what it can be like to be close to the Lord. It's called, "In The Garden" and it was written by a man named C. Austin Miles. He had a photographic dark room and would go in there to spend time with the Lord in prayer. One day, he had a vision of Mary Magdalene going to the garden with Jesus after leaving His tomb. Mr. Miles said that he was deeply and physically shaken. He immediately began writing down the lyrics as quickly as he could. The song goes like this: "I come to the garden alone; and the dew is still on the roses. And the voice I hear, falling on my ear, the Son of God discloses. And He walks with me, and He talks with me, and He tells me I am His own. And the joy we share, as we tarry there, none other has ever known..." (google "hymn history" for more info.) Our walk with Jesus is acknowledging His presence in the everyday things that we do. It's in the place of desperation for intimacy with Him, that we find Him. It's when we spend time seeking the face of the Almighty, searching out His Word for truth, and clinging to Him for life, that we come into the fulness of His power to overcome in this world. We will then experience His presence and proceed in grace to fulfill His great plan for our life. The conference speaker emphasized the need for not only walking in an awareness of His presence all day long, but having a designated place to seek Him daily. We must wait faithfully on Him in expectation. I pray that this blog will help stir you up to press on and press deeper into intimacy with our creator, Father, and lover of our soul. I want to leave you with the lyrics of another old hymn that touches my heart and I pray will touch yours too! "Turn your eyes upon Jesus. Look full in His wonderful face. And the things of earth will grow strangely dim, in the light of His glory and grace." Oh for more of the light of His glory and grace in my life! Have fun on your BOLD VENTURE! It will be the journey of a lifetime! I love you all and He does too!

TODAY IS THE BEST DAY OF MY LIFE

"The Best Day of My Life" is the title for a little poem I found on a piece of paper on my desk this morning. I don't remember where it came from. I love it and this is the state of my heart today! "Today, when I awoke, I suddenly realized that this is the best day of my life, ever! There were times when I wondered if I would make it to today; but I did! And because I did I'm going to celebrate what an unbelievable life I've had so far: the accomplishments, the many blessings, and, yes, even the hardships because they have served to make me stronger. I will go throughout this day with my head held high, and a happy heart. I will marvel at God's seemingly simple gifts: the morning dew, the sun, the clouds, the trees, the flowers, the birds. Today, none of these miraculous creations will escape my notice. Today, I will share my excitement for life with other people. I'll make someone smile, I'll go out of my way to perform an unexpected act of kindness for someone I don't even know. Today, I'll give a sincere compliment to someone who seems down. I'll tell a child how special he is, and I'll tell someone I love just how deeply I care for them and how much they mean to me. Today is the day I quit worrying about what I don't have and start being grateful for all the wonderful things God has already given me. I'll remember that to worry is jut a waste of time because my faith in God and His divine plan ensures everything will be just fine. Tonight, before I got to bed , I'll go outside and raise my eyes to the heavens. I will stand in awe at the beauty of the stars and the moon , and I will praise God for the these magnificent treasures. As the day ends and I lay my head down on my pillow, I will thank the Almighty for the best day of my life. And I will sleep the sleep of a contented child, excited with expectation because I know tomorrow is going to be....the best day of my life!" Author unknown

GIVING UP?

On the Christian journey you can bet that there are going to be times of testings and trials. These are to prove you, to see whether or not you're genuine (1 Pet.1:7; 4:12). If you've done every thing you know how to, to be faithful, and yet you feel that it has been somewhat inconsequential, what then? One common temptation is to get discouraged. Another might be to question your convictions or even question God. The end result of unrestrained negative thoughts when in this "proving process" will always cause one to GIVE UP!!! Give up what? Give up the challenge that Jesus has given to follow Him at all costs. To follow Christ is to forget the path we want to take in life and take the path that He wants us to take (Matt 10:38; 16:34). He didn't say it would be easy. He likened it to our DEATH. We must know God's word and His specific will for our lives. We then commit ourselves to obey Him at some point in time and then retain that commitment forever. It's a daily decision (. This is what I call CHRISTIANITY 101.) When facing difficult circumstances, we all get attacked emotionally. It's what we do with those thoughts that matter. (Joyce Meyer's book called "The Battlefield of the Mind" is a good read to help you understand this). It is a great teaching on the fact that our thoughts are what make or break us. Agreement with and action on the thoughts that take us from the center of God's will, take us from Him. When we face what SEEMS to be overwhelming circumstances, do we question our previous stance? Do we instead STAND on the promises of God and stay on His path? Hebrews 13:5-6 says that God will never leave us without support. It says that we should be encouraged knowing this and boldly say, "The Lord is my Helper!" There is ALWAYS a breakthrough for the person that cries out to God from their heart for Him to help, waiting expectantly for Him. We may need to humble ourselves at that point and ask God to forgive us of our doubts, fears, anger, etc. Always remember Psalms 103:8, "The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and plenteous in mercy and loving kindness." Since this is the case, I am counting on His love and shed blood for forgiveness and renewal (Rev. 1:5). When we cry out for His help, He will hear and deliver us from all of our distress and troubles; He is close to those who are of a broken heart and saves those who are crushed with sorrow for sin and thoroughly repentant; many evils confront the righteous, BUT the Lord delivers him out of them all (Ps. 34:17-19).