FAITH HICCUPS...

I, myself, am overcome with the burden to help someone when they are hurting. I pray to say and do the right thing that might uplift them in some small way...I quote comforting and strengthening verses from the Bible, lend a listening ear, give pep talks...but what happens when the shoe is on the other foot and it's myself that needs the pep talk? I somehow develop spiritual amnesia! For about an Hollywood hour, I forget every comforting and strengthening truth I know! Crying and inconsolable...jumping to every fearful conclusion that my silly mind can muster up, I develop a case of the faith hiccups! "really, It's all good...hiccup, oh no, I can't do this, hiccup, well, something good will come, hiccup, ummm, yea, this must be cause of my past..." blah blah blah... fears -HICCUP! doubts -HICCUP! and confusion -HICCUP, all ensue until... The God of all truth and light calls to my heart all those wonderful scriptures that He has been hiding within my soul...ahhh, water...LIVING Water! The cure for my hiccups of doubt, fear and anxiety... be strong and of GOOD courage... He is an ever present help in time of trouble... Weary not in well doing, for in due season... He never leaves nor forsakes... Blessed is the man that trusteth in the Lord... be not afraid...be not afraid....DO NOT FEAR!!!... Brethren count it ALL joy... I can do ALL things through Christ... Be anxious for nothing... So, why did I almost lose it today when faced with potentially scary news. As one of my new favorite preachers, Eric Ludy, says...LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION... I almost stepped outside the fortress! I, for a moment, cracked the door, looked out and saw the fiery darts begin to assail...and, had it not been for my fellow warriors pulling me back in, I might have been quenched by them. I tend to make things waaaay more complicated than they are, dream up the worst case scenario; but when I am walking IN Christ and living out His Word, there is nothing I have to fear...IN Him, I am given the power to hold captive all those scary thoughts and cast them down back to their owner where they belong! I am instructed to do so ... "Casting down imaginations and every high thing that exaltheth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity very thought to the obedience of Christ" We are to submit ourselves unto God...not just our fleshly bodies, but our minds as well...when someone is in prison, they are not at leisure to do as they will...there is no freedom to just do as they please...consider that for just a second...step back behind that inpenatrable wall that is covered by the blood of our Savior...when we take our thoughts captive and place them unto the obedience of Jesus, they no longer hold any sway over us. When our thoughts and lives are truly given to HIS will, fears and doubts that would otherwise bring confusion, only bring us closer to Him and strengthen us because they make us realize just how big our God is to deliver us from ANY thing that comes our way!! It isn't that we won't ever have fears or doubts...it's a fact that we will "In this world ye SHALL have tribulation, (hiccup)... relax, take a deep breath... ...be of good cheer for I (Christ) have overcome the world!!!"... Now what happens to those old hiccups of faith when ya guzzle that Living Water of truth? Why, gone of course! :)

Lights...Camera...Action

We should take great comfort in knowing that He's GOT THIS! But, truly we are only human,and when hurt or shadows of loneliness combat us, we startle. It's like that goofy airhead in a scary movie that you yell at because she goes LOOKING for monster...we see what she SHOULD do, but she ends up in a bad way no matter how much we scream at the screen. We say that we would NEVER do that...oh but we do! Every time we revisit the past and get stuck there...LOOOKiNG! Every time we doubt His goodness is for us...LOOOKING! Every time we act upon our fears and not out of faith...LOOOKING! When we actually entertain a conversation with the old enemies of self doubt and self pity...LOOOKING! When we place our confidence in man instead our Savior...LOOOKING! When we believe more in our potential to fail than the power of God to keep us...LOOOKING! And with all that looking, we WILL find the monster...And he's ugly...his name is defeat! but don't fret...there is always a heroin in the movie...she stays alive because she is resourceful. The monster chases after her too guys! She just fights back! Every time time you study the Word...FIGHTING! Every time you seek forgiveness and walk in it...FIGHTING! When you begin to truly see your worth in Christ...FIGHTING! IEvery single time you fall to your knees in brokenness and seek Him...FIGHTING! Every time you surrender to His will instead of your fears...FIGHTING! And you will survive the night and THAT is called VICTORY! So, when you are trying to decide rather to go looking or stand and fight, consider these truths... (1)It is what it is... "If the clouds be full of rain, they empty themselves upon the earth: and if the tree fall toward the south, or toward the north, in the place where the tree falleth, there it shall be." Eccles 11:3 No matter what comes our way or what decisions are made...at the end of the day, what will be will be. God numbers every hair upon our head, bottles the very tears that spill over from a broken heart and hears even the unspoken prayer. You need to trust Him to bring what is best for you to pass. (2)Don't get distracted... "He that observeth the wind shall not sow, and he that regardeth the clouds shall not reap." Eccles 11:4 When doing the right thing in obedience to Christ doesn't necessarily FEEL right and the winds of fear and clouds of doubt assail, Lean unto Him. If you don't, you render yourself unusable and the harvest of blessings will be delayed. (3)We don't know anything... "As thou knowest not what is the way of the spirit, nor how the bones do grow in the womb of her that is with child; even so thou knowest not the works of God who maketh all." Eccles 11:5 I don't EVEN know why we get so caught up in tryin to figure things out...analyzing every single detail of life's nuttiness, when HIS ways are higher than ours. He brings things about in His time and in His way and for His glory. (4)It is outta your control, so just LIVE... "In the morning sow thy seed,in the evening withhold not thine hand: for thou knowest not whether shall prosper, either this or that, or whether they both shall be alike good" Eccles 11:6 If the Lord grants you the privilege of awakening to a new morning, what a blessing! We do NOT know what will happen within the span of one day, so just live for Him and experience all of life...laugh,cry, be happy, be sad... He never said we wouldn't do one and not the other! Life is all kinds of crazy! There is only ONE who can maintain total control of it and make something beautiful from such a mess...and guess what...It ain't You! and my friend the wonderful comfort about your life that is NOT like a movie is that you don't fight alone! He IS the friend that sticks closer than a brother and He stands making intercession for you... So, Lights, Camera and ACTION!

Impossible Possible...

As I faced what seemed to be an impossible situation and my heart was breaking, God gave me such peace in His Word.  I would love to share that with you right now.  I pray it will be a blessing to you as it has been to me....

 But now thus saith the Lord that created thee, O Jacob and he that formed thee, O Israel Fear Not; for I have redeemed thee I have called thee by thy name; thou art mine.
When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee; when thou walkest throught the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee.
Yea before the day was I am he, and there is none that can deliver our of my hand; I will work, and who shall let it?
I am the Lord your Holy One, the creator of Israel, your King. Thus saith the Lord, which maketh a way in the sea, and a path in the mighty waters;
Remember ye not the former things, neither consider the things of old.
Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it? I will even make a way {an opening for passage} in the wilderness {an empty or pathless area}; and rivers {natural stream of water of usually considerable volume}  in the desert  {such land having a very warm climate and receiving less than 25 centimeters (10 inches) of sporadic rainfall annually}
Is. 43:1,2,13,15-17 


When I read these scriptures this morning, I wish I could tell you that the hurt I was feeling went right away, but it didn't.  I cried even harder because  I felt that I was somehow letting God down by not letting go of it.  But the truth of these verses began to work on my heart and they soon became a balm for my soul...
 
When we feel our hearts are overwhelmed with the pain from reaping what we have sown; rather it is an emotional consequence, physical or both; we can take comfort that God's chastisement is given in measure {jer 30:11} ; that it is neither too much or too little, too long or too short... it is just what we will need to learn the lesson that will strengthen us for the journey.  His promise is that He WILL redeem us, heal us and bring forth a new  song...a life full of making the impossible possible.  
 
Think about this for a second (longer if ya REALLY wanna blessing), He says that we need to forget the former things... to not even consider the old.  Now, when I started to think about the word consider it brought a new light to this truth.  When we consider something, we really think upon it, weigh it out...the very definition of the word is... to think about carefully: as  to think of especially with regard to taking some action.  I don't know about you, but I don't want my present actions to based on analyzing my past behaviors and sins.  
 
There is a lot to be said about the Lord telling the children of Israel to let go of it and move on.  They had let him down a lot and He had to chastise them much...but, here He is telling them to LET IT GO...He had!! He had new and more wonderful things in store for them...and He does us too.  He says "I will even make a way in the wilderness, I will make rivers (PLURAL) in the desert"... A desert is, by very definition, not a place where water flows. It is arid and dry with such little rainfall (less than 10 inches a year) so, how can not just one natural large stream of water, but MANY run through it?  Folks this IS making the impossible happen.   That is HIS promise not mine. 
 
When my life seems so confusing and navigation is so difficult ... His promise is that He will open a path in pathless place ! WHAT A BLESSING and comfort to know... you see where the balm for my soul began? And, he just keeps soothing... as I cried those many tears, the seemingly impossible began to take place... peace, sweet peace that all would be ok and that He will make even the driest of deserts a place where refreshing rivers flow... when I think that life is just too painful , he sends relief.... in many unsuspecting ways if I just stay open to them, I will see them and find joy in the midst of sorrow.  
 
Life sometimes can seem cruel and so unorganized...it just doesn't make any sense to our souls.  What we can or can not do sometimes makes us sad and the devil wants us to feel inadequate or defeated.  But oh, how we need not let this kind of thinking take hold.     He created each of us with such love and as I told a friend, He NEVER makes a mistake.  I know by His word that I am "fearfully and wonderfully created by his own hands"  and  I took joy in that.  I am not perfect by any means, but I have purpose and that is to praise Him with all I've got. 
 
 This morning I was reminded once again that I am not in control of anything.  His ways are not mine and THANK SWEET JESUS FOR THAT! Cause I would only mess it up.  We have a Savior, like none other, and He has a plan... and how could I not just love it when a plan comes together!!

tlb

" I will cry unto God most high; unto God that performeth all things for me" Ps 57:3

we may not understand things sometimes; but, we can find assurance that HE KNOWS what is doing ...

Lord help me to trust in this and walk in peace and joy even in the midst of pain. You DO perform all things for me for my good. Help me wait with character so that you can be glorified through my life's testimony. In Jesus name, Amen

Be Still...

Our mind is a constant battle ground.   The devil taunts and tempts us in all sorts of different ways and we DO listen to him.  I can’t tell you a time when I DIDN’T hear his little sneaky voice.  It is easy to believe the negative things about ourselves and our lives; his lies are easy to believe.    The devil doesn’t make bad things happen, he just brings them to our attention over and over until we begin to become so confused…and the lines between the past, present and future blur.   Remembrances …we all have them.  They can either encourage us or keep us stuck.  If we look at the hand of God in all those situations, we will be overwhelmed with gratefulness.  I know myself that I could NOT have the life I do now, without Him.

Thomas could believe Christ was never coming back; but to have faith in His resurrection? No! Not even when others , that he trusted, had already seen Jesus.  He had to have proof.{ The other disciples therefore said unto him, We have seen the Lord. But he said unto them, Except I shall see in his hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and thrust my hand into his side, I will not believe. John 20: 25 }

He spent eight days of his life sad and doubting Christ had done just what He said He would do.{ And he began to teach them, that the Son of man must suffer many things, and be rejected of the elders, and of the chief priests, and scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again. MARK 8:31.}

Are we not like this as well?  We want God to sky-write the answers to our prayers and when He doesn’t, we think He hasn’t answered and never will.  And we waste valuable time not serving the Lord with the confidence and joy that we could have had if only we had the faith to believe in ALL the goodness of the Lord.  Why are God’s truths so HARD for us to believe and act upon?

Jesus had a little something to say about those who have true faith. {Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.}   He calls them BLESSED (divinely favored, protected, prospered). 

 When I don’t understand my life, when I am in the midst of decision and so uncertain of what is the right thing to do is; He shows up and brings peace.  The condition of that peace is keeping my heart and mind fixed upon Him and seeking the wisdom that is from above.  And wow, does He ever supply… He is speaking to me all the time, rather or not I am listening.  If I would stop listening to the devil… and, with trust, patience and character, wait upon Him and believe that He IS, then He WILL bring all good things to pass...

³ Trust in the Lord, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed.⁴ Delight thyself also in the Lord: and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.⁵ Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass.⁶ And he shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy judgment as the noonday.⁷ Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for him…(Psalm 37:3-7b)

 I believe one of the reasons the Lord has told me many many times to just “be still” is because when I am quite in my spirit, then I HEAR HIM speaking to my soul.   By his grace and through His WORD we can find the answer to any of our questions.   So, the next time you are finding yourself to be a little like Thomas;  be still and listen…He is waiting on you!!

Truly my soul waiteth upon GOD: from HIM cometh my salvation.  He ONLY is my rock and my salvation; he is my defence; I  shall not be greatly moved.

My soul, wait thou only upon God; for my expectation is from him. (He only is my rock and my salvation; he is my defence; I shall not be moved.

In God is my salvation and my glory: the rock of my strength, and my refuge, is in my God.

Trust in HIM AT ALL TIMES; ye people, pour out your heart before Him; God is a refuge for us. Selah

Psalm 62:1-2,5-8

JUST GOOD

And said unto him, Hearest thou what these say? And Jesus saith unto them, Yea; have ye never read, Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings thou hast perfected praise? Matthew 21:16

I truly am gonna have to start keeping a notebook on all the great things these kids say... I’m either laughing or reflecting... God is good!

My nephew, Obadiah, who is now six and a half, drops a piece of popsicle in my floor and this is the candid conversation that followed...

Me: “Glad ya didn't eat that”
Obadiah:” I started to but decided I better not “
Me: “Why's that?”
Obadiah: “You never vacuum the floor”
Me: “Well, Obadiah, I do too”
Obadiah: grinning sheepishly... “Ok Tonn Tonn Oooookaaay! ;-)”

I am just the BEST housekeeper EVER! baaahaahaa LOL, I do promise I vacuum... just not when I have my kiddos around!  They grow up waaay to fast and the time I have with them is so precious that I refuse to spend it cleaning when I can spend it playing and reading and laughing! 

My youngest nephew, Silas,  who is almost five ,  prays at bedtime this prayer: "Pray for my family, pray to stay the night with Aunt TonnTonn, pray for the libary tomorrow, that it don't rain, pray for the have a good day, AMEN"

 (oh that I would have that innocent faith in God that He cares about EVERYTHING that's on our minds and in our hearts... )

Silas at bedtime:  “Will you sing us a song and pray Aunt TonnTonn?”
Me, beaming from ear to ear: “You bet!”
Silas: “I meant just a song, I don't want you to pray, well I mean I do, but NOT. J”

(I think it was because he knew my prayer would be longer than 30 seconds) LOL LOL LOL

Once more I find myself just so very thankful for all the kids the Lord has blessed my life with.  I am an Aunt TonnTonn, Aunt Tonnie and Miss Tonya to babies from birth to 25!  I know Mom’s say that hearing their kids say Momma the first time is precious…and oh, I have NO DOUBT that it truly is, I just happen to think the same way about that little one calling out  TonnTonn or Tonnie and when a young one from church comes running up to me and jumps in my arms and says “I love you Miss Tonya, look at my new shoes! “ I am on cloud seventy million ! ;-) 

My heart just melts and becomes so full that I sometimes have to take a second look in prayer to make sure that this is MY life… J  A wretched ole sinner like me has a beautifully forgiven and free existence to go and live abundantly with joy! WOW!

Yeah, I am blessed and VERY thankful to HIM for filling my life with family, children, godly friends, a Church and  love  that I never expected to have in this lifetime.

 So, rather it’s ‘Poppin’ Jacks, or ‘Neckflits’, or an occasional “Haaaay Gurrrr, whatcha doin? Or WUB you,  I pray God will help me to take the “Mackifier glass” (the Word ) and look at all things carefully and see them for the blessings they truly are… HIS promises fulfilling everyday!

I had fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living.  Psalm 27:13

unwavering

It was the dead of winter last year when the Lord was gracious enough to teach me a couple much needed lessons on faith.  I pray you will be blessed when you finish reading this today….

After standing outside in the cold weather for over 40 minutes, the little lady politely, or rather kinda politely, told me my paper work from this year was going to have to be changed.  This meant a 45 minute delay because I had to run to the office where I could get the right information required.  Now, in being totally honest with you guys, I was upset.  Because, I just knew that by the time I returned , they would have no more availability and I would be delayed once more. 

 Now, I said all this  to give you a little background as to why I began to pray.  I wish I could say that I prayed  honorably and patiently in the Spirit; but at first, I was complaining.  Within  a few minutes, God gently reminded me that life is sometimes hard and most often we get ourselves in those predicaments.  That thought changed my course of action.  All I could think of then was just how good God was in allowing me to even HAVE the opportunity to meet with these people.  My past circumstances had led to right where I was.  It was my mistakes that led me here.  NOT His.  And, even though I fail Him… he NEVER rejects me.   He will ALWAYS guide me in every situation.   He knows all my thoughts and has me in the palm of His hand.  As I made to the other side of town; satan once more chimed in, taunting me …”This place doesn’t open till 9… you will definitely lose your spot now, see, how’s that new attitude working now?” 

 But, my Lord is bigger and HIS WORD is where it is at!!!  So, I reached for the little pocket Bible I sometimes car.  Sitting there in the car waiting for them to open, I began to read and pray that God would give me the guidance and answers I was desperately seeking in ALL areas of my life:  Finances, health, family relationships, my friendships and most importantly, my walk with God. What HE showed me was beyond anything I could deserve.  There were three places He took me to …and I would love now to share those with you…..

 I began to flip through the pages and the first one I came to was the passage of the woman with this issue of blood.  Now I have read and listened to sermons on this lots of times.  But, on this particular morning, God, in His grace, gave me a new truth.   

(And Jesus immediately knowing in himself that virtue had gone out of him, turned him about in the press, an d said, WHO touched my clothes? And his disciples said unto him,  “Thou seest the mulitiude THRONGING thee, an d sayest thou, WHO touched me?”  And He looked round about to see her that had done this thing. But the woman fearing and trembling, knowing what was done in her, came and fell down before him and told him all the truth and he said unto her “Daughter, they faith hath made thee whole; go in peace and be  whole of thy plague.”  Mark 5:30-33)

Now, I have always seen this as a miracle and it still is; but, this time when I read it I saw a truth that shed a light in my heart that I had never picked up on before.  Jesus said “Who touched me?”  and the disciples, like we are many times , were oblivious- caught up in the commotion of life and basically said , “why would you ask  who touched you when there are multitudes touching you Master?”.  But Jesus KNEW there was something different … her FAITH!  WOW!  I want to have that kind of faith.  The kind that makes Him stop and take notice over all those other people.  Can you imagine just how many people are crying out, talking to Him EVERY MINUTE OF EVERY DAY… the number is not even fathomable. 

When He is listening to all the prayers that go up; I wanna be that woman so full of faith that He says “Wait, someone is talking to me.  Who is that with so much faith, I want to see and listen" … Oh that my Savior would say of me…" Your faith  is what will make you whole”    This has encouraged me to work at not wavering in that same faith… 

"If any of you lack wisdom let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. BUUUUT let him ask in FAITH , NOTHING wavering.  For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind an d tossed:  for let not that man think that he shall receive ANY thing of the Lord.  A double minded man is unstable in all his ways".  James 1:5-8

The answers sometime are much easier than we could ever imagine.  I tend to say  “Lord, help me know what to do”  But, often I have not really wanted to see the truth because of my own selfish desires that may not be bad ones, just not what is meant to be.  I don’t want to waver from my faith in HIM to have faith in someone else.  When I try to lean only to what seems to feel right and ignore the Lord gently leading me, all because I think I know what is best; I can’t blame God when hurt comes my way.  God will ALWAYS lead us… often he speaks volumes in silence.  When we have searched and searched for God to basically sky write his answer to a certain dilemma, we miss what is right in front of us in the small things… because we waver… we want what we want and we get so scared to just trust that he may be leading us  to a new adventure away from our comfort zone. 

I know that I often have thought  when I pray that I am praying openly to God;  that I am intently listening to His answer. Even though I say, ”God, I pray for your will to be done”  my mind and heart are wanting his answer to be what I WANT them to be….  And even though my desires may be good ones and totally what is natural to feel, they just may not be what HE wants. 

 Often when I don’t see Him moving in the direction of where my heart is, I think, ‘Well, I guess I will just stay put because he hasn’t given me an answer yet’.  All because I am not getting the answer that I want.  Many times I miss out on secret blessings that He has in store for me;  because, I don’t close my eyes and look within and hear the words in his silent movement.  

Elijah was in danger and fleeing from enemies that were seeking to kill him.  Take into account he had just witnessed the powerful hand of God set fire to a waterlogged altar and yet he STILL was overwhelmed with fear and sadness that he prayed for God to take his life.  But our God is faithful.  He sent an angel to minister  to him while he slept and he made his way to a cave and lodged there for safety.  But when God showed up, he questioned Elijah.   He tries to explain everything to the Lord but the WORD of the Lord was leading Elijah to come out and stand on the mountain out in the open for his enemies to see… wouldn’t you think twice?  That would be scary! Elijah didn’t immediately do this…  he was still waiting for the Lord to SHOW up in mighty way but the Scriptures says this…

 “and a great and strong wind rent the mountains and brake in pieces the rocks before the Lord; but the Lord was NOT  in the wind; and after the wind and earthquake; but the Lord was NOT  in the earthquake and after the earthquake a fire but the lord was NOT  in the fire  and after the fire, a still small voice and it was so when  Elijah heard  it, that he wrapped his face in this mantle and went out and stood in the entering of the cave and there came a VOICE  unto him and said.... “  I Kings 19:11-12

The same question came to Elijah from before; but, THIS time it WAS God showing up and speaking to him.  But, it was NOT in a thunderous way;  it was in the small still voice. Only  then was Elijah able to have that whole conversation over again and find peace. (I kings 19:13-20) He almost missed it by trying to find Him in all the loud and obvious places.  But, because he took the time to listen to God’s voice and not JUST look for signs and wonders to build his faith, he found peace and ultimately victory.  And his ministry continued.  He even came to a place where he was able to humble himself and listen to Elisha, the younger prophet of God…(I kings 19: 1-21) WOW… what a blessing all because the trial and fear he faced was finally overcame through the small still voice of the Lord.  

I, just like Elijah, want to sometimes read God’s Word and be surrounded with this burning bush type of moment to know what to do.  But, oh, if I could just listen to that voice that beckons me in the simple ways and truths that I often overlook because they seem so ordinary.  He  has such blessings waiting on me;  and  fear or lack of faith to chase after Him holds me in place; and, I will never learn to truly hear the beauty of His answers coming in  His quiet way.   

I go back to James 1:5-8--  God can not give me wisdom to know what to do if I only want Him to dole out what I want to hear.  That is selfish of me.  Yes, he says that if we seek him and ask , it will be given unto us… but, ask ye not amiss!!!  Many of us forget that last part.  Sometimes we want something soooo badly that it seems like we just can’t get peace about it. We can’t move past the fact that He has already spoken and said differently than what WE wanted.  We believe our intent is pure…how could it not be…”Lord, I am asking for a good thing to be done; so why won’t you give me peace about it one way or the other?’” And the whole time…he already has tried... the answer has already been given.  

Satan used what Eve knew to get her off course.  Why would we not think he does the same to us… “ Oh, well, now, that’s not wrong… you are asking for something honorable so …surely He doesn’t mean for you to do anything about it” , this just adding confusion to our plate.  While the whole time God DOES want us to make a move FORWARD in HIS grace and take steps to better our walk and live within HIM.  He fills or lives with GOOD things the psalmist David says in Psalms 103 verse 5.  But often, I don’t see them for what they really are: and, I miss out because I am just not listening.  It isn’t what I wanna hear.  Sad, I know!  But, true …for many of us.  I want to hear His voice.  

The world is so loud and it is easy to think I hear Him in the noise of others because it seems like good advice and sometimes it IS; but often it is tempered with human emotions and bias; because, they love us and don’t want to see us hurt.  Don’t get me wrong… Godly women are a major asset in this young christian’s life; and, I listen and heed to their wisdom.  But it is so important to take that sage advice and couple it with your own study of the Word, bathing it in much prayer, to find where God wants you to be. 

 His plan for me is different than someone else’s. That is where I am going with all of this… Daily prayer and studying of His Word is where it is all at.  FAITH, DILLIGENCE and a heart that is steady and open to listening …even when it is something you don’t want to hear about yourself or your life’s choice.

Just recently in my life I was asked a question...."Do you feel you are right where you are supposed to be?" and trust me, the battle that has been going on inside of me is EXACTLY where this study was born from.  I wrestled with my Lord; because all logic and reason were telling me that I needed to rethink the situation...but, God just would NOT let me go anywhere else.  He had been working on me for a long time and the calling in my life was Spiritually evident; but, not in my mind.  I was fearful.  I felt so unworthy to do what God was so adamantly telling me to do.  I second guessed myself...and honestly I STILL second guess ME...but, not HIM!  Everyone around me has said, are you sure it is God and not just you or the devil luring you into something?   Believe me when I say this... I WISH I could have had him sky write my answer, especially when I feel so unworthy of it all.  But, one day, after much prayer and many, many tears, the Lord led me to "BE STILL AND KNOW THAT I AM GOD!!"  I surrendered my will to His and no matter what I have to face... HE has me where He wants me and that my friends is enough for me to take the leap of faith.  

And in reality, it isn't much of a leap.  God doesn't ask much from us.  Just a tiny step.  We don't have to swim in the River Jordan as it is flooding… all we have to do is dip our toe in the overflow!!!

 And as they that bare the ark were come unto Jordan, and the feet of the priests that bare the ark were dipped in the brim of the water, (for Jordan overfloweth all his banks all the time of harvest,) That the waters which came down from above stood and rose up upon an heap very far from the city Adam, that is beside Zaretan: and those that came down toward the sea of the plain, even the salt sea, failed, and were cut off: and the people passed over right against Jericho;  And the priests that bare the ark of the covenant of the LORD stood firm on dry ground in the midst of Jordan, and all the Israelites passed over on dry ground, until all the people were passed clean over Jordan…

Do you get that?  God brings the water to YOU upon the dry bank... you don't even have to put your whole foot in... it is your TOE people...your TOE.  TAKE A CHANCE on God!  He will always make it worth your time and effort!  

The children of Israel walked across while God pushed the waves to the side.  I am sure they were scared to see the waves beside them and above them; but, God had their back!!  As their feet got muddy and maybe sometimes stuck; they had to put a little effort in picking them up and walking on; TRUSTING the water was not going to fall and drown them.  Can you imagine feeling the mist off the wall of water on each side?  That is just the way life is... just because we stepped out in faith once into the water doesn't mean we don't have to KEEP walking in faith!

... Canaan was right ahead... the promise land full of blessings beyond compare.  Victory awaited them.  It awaits you and I as well!  So, come on out of the cave and dip your toe in the water of an unwavering faith!

HOPE

And HOPE {the cherished desire, expectation of obtainment and success} maketh not ASHAMED{restrained by anticipation of shame or feeling inferior}; because the LOVE {assurance of affection and unselfish loyal and benevolent concern} of God is SHED{poured out} ABROAD{beyond the boundaries} of our hearts by the HOLY Ghost which is given unto us.   Romans 5:5

The definitions of those few words within the context of this scripture are really moving. To think that hope makes us free from even ANTICIPATING shame or feelings of unworthiness is amazing.  And all because of God’s love.  That ASSURANCE of His unmerited, completely selfless care and affection that He POURS out BEYOND the boundaries of our hearts is where our expectation of success is founded.  I  about how the verses before this one are ones that people often skip by.  They just want the HOPE and don’t want to see that you MUST go through some things to get THAT kind of  hope! 

And not only so but we GLORY {to rejoice proudly] in tribulations also; knowing that tribulation WORKETH { to bring to pass; to fashion or create a useful or desired product by expending labor or exertion} patience; and patience, experience; and experience, hope!  Romans 5:3-4

  

They each one work out the next and so on and so forth bringing about a life filled with Hope! This is why we truly should REJOICE PROUDLY when we face tribulations. For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end. -  Jeremiah 29:11   This is, and always will be, one of my very favorite verses…. The Lord never does anything without order.  And when my life seems so chaotic and upside down, it is because I am forgetting that HE has a plan and I try to do things on my own; therefore, making things much more difficult.  If I would only just surrender to His will each and every moment of the way; then the “expected” end wouldn’t seem like an impossibility  but more like the promise that it IS… a FULIFILLMENT of hope!