Heavyweights

No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon. 

(Matthew 6:24-25)

 If you aren't in opposition to something then you are for it, right? Right! 

The bible says that you can not serve man AND God.    I am finding out the hard way that just because you are saved and on your way to Heaven, does NOT mean you can't still be trying to do just that...the flesh fights and kicks on it's way out...It's a battle that goes on within the spiritual realm ...

"For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places."  (eph 6:12)

And if for one second you think your are impervious to it then you better start praying cause something is surely amiss.  I had a friend send me a quote one day that read something like this...

"if you aren't FACING the devil each day then you two are going the same way" 

...You see, the devil knows He has just a short time until He is cast into the Lake of Fire for the rest of all time

"Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time.

And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever." (Revelation 12:12, 20:10-11 )

...He also is very very aware that Christ has already fought AND won the battle over death and hell when He completed  the work of Calvary;

"Be  it known unto you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom ye crucified, whom God raised from the dead, even by him doth this man stand here before you whole.  This is the stone which was set at nought of you builders, which is become the head of the corner.  Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.  I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death."  (Acts 4:10-12 ,Revelation 1:18-19)

...And because of his defeat, he is gonna do his best to throw you off your game ... So pad up... For you are in for the heavy weight fight of your life!

He is the Sugar Ray to your George Foreman...I know I know, there is much debate in the sports arena as to who would win and who's the best...for the sake of argument, I am just gonna say this...MAN'S OPINION DOESN'T MATTER...it is all in how much you train for the fight...knowing your opponent! ..

"Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made" (gen 3:1a)

...he floats like butterfly, but boy, given the opportunity he WILL sting like a bee!

So..."What do I do?" , this is question that goes over and over in my head as I stand in my corner pounding my gloved fists together, gritting my teeth and dancing from side to side as I stare my opponent down.  

When the referee rings the bell to the first round, I barely have begun to take the first swing and...UGH! A swift jab comes outta nowhere! ...I fall to my knees reeling from the doubt and fear.  Filled with confusion,  I am disoriented for a moment seems all I can hear is the jeers of the crowd...and I feel like throwing in the towel, I start to hear a cheer of reassurance coming from MY corner saying... 

GET UP!...'What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?' ( Rom. 8:31)...

GET UP!!...'For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.' (2 Tim 1:7) 

FIGHT!...'Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.' ( Rom. 8:37-38) ... 

I feel my heart begin to pump with life...

'"The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusted in him, and I am helped: therefore my heart greatly rejoiceth; and with my song will I praise him' Psalm 28:7-8)  

I begin to focus on my training...

Trust  in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the Lord, and depart from evil. It  shall be health to thy navel, and marrow to thy bones. (Prov.  3:5-8)

 I  begin to feel strength find it's way to my legs...

'My heart is fixed, O God, my heart is fixed: I will sing and give praise. ' (Ps 57:7)... 

I KNOW this player! He fights the same dirty way every single time...

'because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour,   (1 pet. 5:9)

He is a tempter and a deceiver... my BEST  bet is to "bob and weave" 'cause the punches are gonna be quick and sneaky!  ... just as the bell of the round was ding-dinging I remembered the awesome combination punch of truth (ps. 37:3-7) I had been taught  and he's down for the count...

Trust in the Lord..BLAM, left hook to the kisser!...1-2-3

Delight in the Lord...UGH, punch to the gut!  4-5-6

Commit unto the Lord...WHAM!...he is on knees now...7-8-9

Rest in the Lord....KAPLOW!...10 -- knock out!!

The world and the flesh are always in the devil's corner and all around the ring taunting you, trying to distract you from your goal...you see, the world WANTS you to fail...your flesh WANTS you to give way to the punches of sin and doubt.  When you trust in any other opinion in spiritual matters other than the Lord's,  it's like asking your opponent's coach to train you for the fight...makes NO sense at all!  Giving in to fear, indecision, self pity, lusts, vanity, pride and a whole host of other sins will allow your opponent to beat your spiritual  man to a bloody  pulp in the ring of life. You will find yourself confused and ready to throw in the towel. :-/

But, when we rely on the Lord's game plan and Pad up with the whole armour of God...

STAND therefore, having your loins girt about with TRUTH and having on the breastplate of RIGHTEOUSNESS  And your feet shod with the preparation of the GOSPEL of peace;  Above all, taking the shield of FAITH, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.  And take the helmet of SALVATION , and the sword of the Spirit, which is THE WORD of God PRAYING always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and WATCHING thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints.  (Ephesians 6:13-18)

Then and only then can we find total victory time and time again and we WILL BE able to stand against the wiles of the devil...

so, the next time you find yourself in the ring with a swollen lip, sweat pouring down your face, confused and ready to give up...remember your training...

"faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the word of God" (BOB))...

God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power and of loveand of a sound mind  (WEAVE) 

and "the effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much" (COME UP SWINGING)!

Just DO it!

Nike had a slogan several years back where they encouraged people with a catchy little phrase... " Just DO it!". Now, when I was faced with an heart-wrenching hurt this past week,  this ad came to my mind.  I was reading about Solomon's prayer for wisdom and knowledge.  It was NOT just a vain prayer that he THOUGHT God wanted to hear, NO, Solomon pursued God...he sought Him out ( 2 chron. vs 6,8)  God saw that it really WAS the desire of his heart to do right unto Him ( v.10) therefore, He granted Solomon what he asked of Him and so much more (v11-12)   God wants to give us the desires of our heart and He will... He knew what Solomon needed...yet He asked him...'what shall I give thee'... Delight thyself also in the Lord; and He shall give the desires of thine heart (ps 37:4) is a promise for those who truly seek the Lord in our lives. He desires is for us to pray and ask!!  Now, this got me to thinking about my prayer life.  Do I pray with this kind of sincerity? Do I pray with all faith BELIEVING that I have the power of Christ inside me to even change God's mind? Whoa! "Strange concept", you say? "Impossible!", you chide.  well, not so my friends... There are too many instances in the Bible where the prayers of a saint change the mind God. One such instance was with Hezekiah.   It was his time to die, but just listen to what unfolds because of His prayer of faith... 2 Kings 20:1-6 (KJV) "In those days was Hezekiah sick UNTO DEATH, And the prophet Isaiah the son of Amoz came to him, and said unto him, Thus saith the Lord, Set thine house in order; for THOU  SHALT DIE AND NOT LIVE.  Then he turned his face to the wall, AND PRAYED unto the  Lord, saying, I beseech thee, O Lord, remember now how I have walked before thee in truth and with a perfect heart, and have done that which is good in thy sight. And Hezekiah wept sore. And it came to pass, afore Isaiah was gone out into the middle court, that the word of the Lord came to him, saying, Turn again, and tell Hezekiah the captain of my people, Thus saith the Lord, the God of David thy father, I have HEARD thy prayer, I have SEEN thy tears: behold, I WILL HEAL thee: on the third day thou shalt go up unto the house of the Lord.  And  I WILL ADD unto thy days fifteen years; and I WILL DELIVER  thee and this city out of the hand of the king of Assyria; and I WILL DEFEND this city for mine own sake, and for my servant David's sake." The scripture says he was SICK unto death.  I am sure that his body was trying to fill his mind with doubt and fear. Yet, he put his face against the wall and cried out to the one He KNEW could change it!  It says he 'wept sore'...see, that is where we miss the boat.  We don't pray with THAT kind of conviction and fervency, the bible says that the 'effectual, fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.  Prayers are powerful people! We reason and plead our case when we cry out to Him to help us and it CAN change your circumstance!  No matter how impossible it seems.  Do you think for one second Hezekiah didn't recognize this? Of course he did. But, he believed in God's  power to heal and in the end got even more than he had originally asked for...not just healing, but...FIFTEEN years ADDED to a life that was already settled to be over AND deliverance from his enemy AND  a defense of his city...so you see, your prayer of faith can change the lives of those around you as well!  And not only did God grant Hezekiah's request to remember him, just as he did with Solomon, he gave him even more than he had asked in the first place.   Hezekiah personified the kind of guy Nike execs would have loved...Because, even while up against enemies, his body wracked with illness and facing death, he poured it all out and took a chance, believing God could change his situation.   Just like with Solomon...he knows our hearts intention ...He knows what you need, but He wants YOU to seek it out! and He, just like with Hezekiah, knows if you are gonna waste the wisdom and possiblities that come with an extra 15 years or not.  Hezekiah's heartfelt  pleas didn't go unnoticed, neither will yours...Are you willing to be obedient unto the call of our Savior? He is watching and waiting for your cry...He will meet you in the midst of your storm...listen to Him, seek Him and  " just DO it"!!

Domino Effect

TRUST....DELIGHT...COMMIT...REST From Kings to servants to prophets to ole sinners like myself, this question has been posed..."what should I do Lord?" Well here we go...  8He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the Lord require of thee,  but to do justly, and  to love mercy, and  to walk humbly with thy God? (Micah 6:8) I had not remembered reading this scripture until yesterday. I  know  I make my life so much more complicated than it should be. He has shown us what is good...to behave JUSTLY (Fair, morally right in weighing out decisions),  to LOVE MERCY( to pleasure in being Compassionate and lenient toward others ) and to  HUMBLY (with submissive  respect, modesty, not arrogant in behavior) walk with Him!!   Now some of you may be just like me and at first say, "well I get WHAT you're saying, but HOW am I supposed to DO this?" my friends, believe me when I say this, He NEVER leaves us without perfect instructions on the " how to's..."   Number one...TRUST... trust in the Lord, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed (ps. 37:3) Now I know that some of us have a difficult time putting our trust in anyone or anything.  It's a personal battle...but, my friend, we can't base our decision to do this on the way others have let us down or disappointed us, because He ain't like that! He is God...the creator, the one who CHOSE to leave all of Heaven to take on the lowest estate of man; to suffer the  ridicule and  shame of Calvary and ultimately sacrifice His life for you and I! The stripes he bore upon His back, the times he faced mocking and betrayal of those He loved...can you just stop, take a moment and breathe that thought into your soul? If you will, I promise it will change the way you see trusting in Him...it won't be so hard anymore! He is the Master of bringing the impossible to pass! And we are promised when we trust in Him, we will always find refuge and an ever present help!...He will NEVER fail. Number two...DELIGHT... Delight thyself also in the Lord; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart. (ps 37:4 ) If you are like me, sometimes finding delight in anything can be a challenge.  This is sad, but true! We get so distracted by the effects of sin; that to experience sadness, anger and doubt is easy.  These emotions flow out of us naturally...but, to take great PLEASURE in the beauty of God's instruction and grace is, well, quite frankly, a struggle! I am finding out more and more that when my life is upside down, it is because my delight isn't in the right place.  Instead of finding honesty, loveliness  virtue and just living (phil4:8), just to name a few; I am enjoying the sins of the flesh far too much and far too often. D'oh! Did I strike a nerve ? Well good! Because, when the Lord struck mine, it began to change my way of thinking about delighting in Him...think back about the Cross again for a minute...no, I mean REALLY consider the work of Christ.  "Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the JOY that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God." (Hebrews 12:2-3) Our Savior DELIGHTED in doing the will of the Father so much that he saw His suffering and sacrifice as a JOY! He WAS the epitome of mercy! Now can you start to see how our hearts should delight in the LORD.  It really isn't difficult to find great pleasure in loving and living for someone who JOYFULLY gave his life so that you can have life, for without HIS delight in you, you wouldn't have that precious gift! How can We NOT find ourselves take great pleasure and comfort in that! Number three...COMMIT... Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass. (ps. 37:5) In today's cynical "does love exist" world where the grass is always greener on the other side;  people find it difficult to decide on what to do for dinner and make a decision, let alone pledge their whole path in life to someone they can't physically see and feel...lots of doubting Thomases live here...we don't see how true love has existed before creation! It was His love that brought us INTO existence. When your fears and prideful doubts give way to the gravity and grace of the Cross, you won't find it so hard to bind yourself to Him.  Your behavior will begin to unfold with His character when you meditate upon the love and power displayed at Calvary. He has a perfect plan for our lives.  When we seek him, we WILL find Him and all goodness the world could never offer, HE will bring to pass...it's a promise!  And finally...REST... Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for him: fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass. (ps.37:7) In the hurried society we are faced with, it is easy to just exist and not actually LIVE! It seems the demands that we place on ourselves AND others just set us up for failure! Rest seems to elude us. But, it is just like steps one, two and three...it's a choice! I know, I know...how can a person rest with the weight of day's problems on their shoulders? Well, it really is much simpler than you think...TRUST, DELIGHT, COMMIT ! Because, when we do these, we behave justly, mercifully and humbly; therefore we do good and no matter what comes, how busy we are, what adversity we are facing, we will surely run and not grow weary, walk and not faint because we have the promise that HIS yoke is easy and HIS burden is light! So, if you are overwhelmed to the point of no peace...examine your burdens, see what you are yoked up to because God does NOT lie! You will find that there are some chains no doubt that you need to ask the Master to free you from.  Give Him your worries and fears, let Him replace them with the peace of trusting in His will to come to pass! I guarantee that no matter WHAT the days bring, His grace is sufficient to give your the strength to choose rest!  11Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted within me? hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him, who is the health of my countenance, and my God. (ps. 42:11) A humble walk with God in the cool of the Garden of grace, filled with the fragrance of mercy and justice, is where we do good! So, heed to the instructions of truth and...trust, delight, commit and rest in the powerful and completed work of the Cross! His life for ours...He came so that we could have, not only eternal life to come, but an ABUNDANT one while we live here on earth... One of blessings beyond our finite imagination...One of a peace that passes all understanding...One where joy can be found in the midst of struggles. I like to think of it like this...There is  a domino effect that kinda happens when you begin to trust in Him...True trust brings a joy and peace that births a delight in serving Him which only encourages a commitment to the one who keeps you...Jesus and when you truly know this truth, then rest is an absolute! 

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