Tag: god

Band-Aids Don’t Heal

“He was wounded for our transgression, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by his stripes we are healed.” (Isaiah 53:5)

Some wounds bleed longer than others. Some heal overnight, but I have found in my life, many take time and simply covering them up with whatever your band-aid may look like NEVER works. Back in the day my band-aid was “self-medicating,” some days that looked like drinking alcohol, just to relax you know; that’s what I would say to whomever might be watching. Some days it was a little bigger band-aid, a drug of choice, just so I didn’t have to feel the pain, again that was my coping mechanism. Coping is not a form of healing, nor are band-aids. Bandages are used only to stop the immediate bleeding while confronting the cause of the injury and finding the appropriate prescription, the one that actually brings healing. I’m definitely not suggesting or promoting that you use alcohol or drugs or any other thing to stop the bleeding. I only shared that as an example of what I did before I knew how to stop the bleeding and receive my healing in the correct way. Unfortunately I see people everyday doing just what I did and it is heartbreaking. I still bleed at times when I’ve been wounded, but now I address the wound differently. I take it to the “Lord Who Heals,” He can and will heal both my body and soul and He does it through compassion and authority, not by the other things I mentioned above. Wounds can be physical, spiritual, and emotional and Jesus can heal everyone of them if we will go to Him with faith believing that He can and will, if we will receive our healing. Faith says, yes He can; belief is receiving what He will do. Jesus is the healer of both the physical body and the “sin-sick soul,” offering us peace, comfort and forgiveness. Your bloody mess may be caused from sin, and you need forgiveness. Are you bleeding out to the point that others are wearing it to? I try to be transparent in my writings, in my past I was the person that bled all over innocent people. I let the bleeding go for so long that everyone around me had to feel my injury. And you know what? I found out in several different occasions that sin was holding me back. Sometimes it was the kind of sin like we all know; doing the wrong thing, but more times than not it was the sin of guilt, shame and unforgiveness. I needed a savior, I needed a real physician, I needed HEALED! As most of us dealing with any kind of hurt or injury we find that rarely is there complete restoration, just temporary relief, Jesus offers us complete restoration; wholeness. His atonement on the cross covered both the forgiveness of our sins and healing in our body. Doctors are part of God’s plan for our healing just as direct intervention in response to our faith, so I am not saying that we stop seeing doctors and only believe by faith for our healing. We must use wisdom to know if what we need requires immediate assistance or can we call out directly to God for our healing. Even when seeing doctors of all kind; physical, mental even spiritual advice, always pray to the One who directs the steps of the hands you are putting your life in. For their gifts and talents were given by God to begin with, He is working through them. Jesus is considered the ultimate healer, operating above and through the skills of earthly doctors. I’m not a doctor, I’m not Jesus, I’m not a Preacher, I am a believer. I talk to God about EVERYTHING, He is my Healer, my Savior, my confidant, I share my deepest, most intimate problems with Him. I know He is trustworthy, for He is not man that he should lie, He is always listening, always present with me, I am safe with Him, He doesn’t share my private information with anyone. And He doesn’t mind cleaning up my bloody mess, matter of fact, that’s just what He does.

Lord God, my Father, my Savior, my Healer, my Comforter in times of pain and suffering. I pray that whoever is reading this, whatever the pain or suffering is they are going through, that you Lord would meet them right here, right now, let them feel your Holy Presence through this prayer. I ask in the name of Jesus the Christ that you would remove all sickness; mental, physical, spiritual and emotional from them. Restore them completely, bring hope and comfort to them knowing that You are who You say you are. You are the Great Physician. If there be any unrepented sin in them I ask they bring it before you right now. Cleanse them from all unrighteousness. Cause the bleeding to end, and the healing to begin. It’s in Your Name, I ask all these things, Amen.

Thick Skin

You have heard that it was said, An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. But I say to you, do not resist the one who is evil. But if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn him the other also. And if anyone sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. (Matt. 5:38-40)

Tough hide and a tender heart. True love is an essential component of thick skin. God guards our hearts and gives us the power to forgive those that have wronged us. I’ll just let you in on a little secret, it is going to take Jesus residing in your heart to be able to do this. This is a supernatural kind of love that comes from Him. It is our greatest defense against feeling overwhelmed when being criticised or having someone attack us personally. We need thick skin to not hold a grudge or try to retaliate. “Jesus said love your enemies and pray for those that persecute you.” (Matt. 5:44) You are developing thick skin and a soft heart all at the same time when you pray like that. Prayer doesn’t just change the situation, it changes us. I have prayed for people for long periods of time, years even, not feeling like it …sorry, but true. But then one day God replaced the grudge, animosity, with compassion. Regarding prayer; just keep doing it, the weaker our prayer life, the thinner our skin, and the harder our heart. The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak (Matt. 26:41). Prayer will change the attitude of you heart if you don’t give up. I also am not saying that this anger will not creep back in at times, that’s why we have to learn to master this thing called prayer, temptations to fall back in our old ways are always there. Learn to leave a closed door closed. Here is a little prayer you can pray for yourself to help you walk with a spirit of humility and compassion.

Lord Jesus ….Forgive my hardness of heart and my selfishness. I am weak, but you are strong. Strengthen and protect me from my natural ways of responding to situations. Teach me how to walk in the Spirit rather than in the flesh. Grant me your peace, wisdom, love and compassion. Wash away my sins with the blood you shed for me by the Holy Spirit, make me more like Jesus every day. Please give me thick skin and a soft heart, especially when my natural impulses flare up under pressure. In your holy name I pray. Amen.

Gonna Let it Shine

“You are the light of the world-like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden.” (Matthew 5:14)

The Lord has been pouring oil in my lamp in preparation for an outpouring of the Holy Spirit in others. I am being very intentional about having my lamp full of oil, so that the lamp will give light to everyone that comes near me. I spend a lot of time around people who are living in darkness, it is a scary, hopeless, desperate & desolate place to be. As a child I was extremely scared of the dark. I never wanted to be alone when it became dark and even in the daylight there were times I could just sense the darkness. I don’t have to fear the dark now because there is a light that burns continuously inside of me. Now that I have this light I’m gonna let it shine, shine for others to be able to see. My goal is to help others light their wick right off of mine. Sharing is caring, right? I want to share the good news of living in the light. I want to see the people blessed and living in their blessings. Have you ever had a gift for someone and you were just so excited about giving it to them because you knew it was just what they needed and you could hardly hold back? That’s how I feel about my light; Jesus. When they see me, or hear me talk, or watch me emulate Jesus I want to be able to hear them say, “Hey that light your wearing is so bright, I couldn’t see anything but the light, why is that? Where can I get a lamp like that? Be prepared to light the fire in their soul. They have been in the dark so long that they can barely see the light flickering at times when it passes by. The naked eye can detect light approximately 1.6 miles away. Yet there are things that can cloud that vision such as haze & air pollution. When people are going through things such as job loss, living on the street, addictions of any kind, relationships that are beyond repair, bad experiences even in the church, so many things I can’t possibly list them all. Everyone has their own story. Their vision gets clouded, blurred, in some cases close to blindness. It’s important that we who hold the candle make sure our wick is lit, our lamp is full of oil and ready to let our light dispel darkness. Scriptures calls us believers the “light of the world,” and urges us to shine as lights in the world of a crooked and twisted generation. All of this for the sole purpose to give glory to our Father in heaven. For at one time we were in darkness, but now we are the light in the Lord, so we should walk as children of light. So Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you.” (Is. 60:1)

Coat of Many Colors

…in God I trust: I shall not be afraid. (Psalm 56:11a)

If you know me, you know me. I am much like the cat in the picture. I’m charismatic, outgoing in every direction, have a style of my own and not afraid to wear it. I love the fluffy feeling of being complete in my attire, all the accessories. The colors in this cat make me feel happy, relaxed and comfortable. I’m just not sure about the look on her face though. She almost looks frightened, or surprised. Then I thought about that for a bit, I wonder if anyone notices that in me when I’m dressed in my coat of many colors, all fluffed up? Do they see the hurt, or fear that I sometimes feel, the shock or overwhelming feeling of life in the moment? Can they see the burdens that I am carrying that are woven so intricately into the fabric of my being, that I try to disguise as some form of accessory? I have hidden things in my attire in the past because I didn’t want people to see the deeper parts of me. When you are the one that people look to for a smile, a touch, a word of encouragement, the last thing you want them to see is what you are going through. We can do pretty good at hiding those things from other people, but we can’t hide them from God and honestly he does not want us too. God is my Father and a Good Good Father at that. He cares about EVERYTHING I care about. He knows my every thought, every happy, sad moment, he even knows every hair on my head and He collects every tear I’ve ever cried and puts’ them in a bottle, recording them in His book (Ps. 56:8). He knows my pain, sorrow, and struggles and he won’t ever forget them. He is aware of every burden I’ve had to bear, from the sleepless nights to the quiet unseen sorrows wrapped in my “Oh I feel so good” outfit I’m wearing. So when I look at this cat, what I see is beautiful on the outside, but on the inside is a different kind of beauty. It’s not a form of weakness because of that look in her eye, or the look in my eye, rather it is a need to give it over to the One who sees and remembers. Those feelings on the inside I call them beautiful to because I am created by a God that does not make mistakes, therefore, He wanted me to feel or He wouldn’t have given me the emotions to do so. What He doesn’t want is for me to be in bondage to those feeling and feel the need to hide them or hide from them nor does he want you too. So, get out your best outfit, accessorize, put a smile on your face and let the light shine down upon you with confidence that what others see you wearing on the outside, is the same thing you are wearing on the inside.

Rain On Me

“I will make them and the places around My hill a blessing. I will send down showers in season-showers of blessing.” (Ezekiel 34:26)

I was at a prayer meeting for revival. As much as I tried entering in to prayer asking for the Spirit of God to pour down on us as a city, a nation, the world in whole I found myself drawn to repentance. Repentance for not loving others like Jesus, for the times I felt selfish or conceited, how much more I needed to look at others with a greater significance. I became very humbled in my spirit asking instead that I could have a mind more like Christ Jesus. When he was here on earth in human form, being he was born in the likeness of men through the Virgin Mary, he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death on the cross. Of course I know I will never be able to compare to the One whose name is above all names, but I’m always going to try and when I fall short which is most days, I’ll seek His face in forgiveness. After that I was able to pray for revival again, first in me. I asked the Holy Spirit to shower me with abundance, a refreshing and divine favor that would bring forth more productivity in the things God had already called me to. To reach more souls in the streets, the stores, the churches, everywhere I am, including those of you reading this. I wanted new growth in me. I wanted to have everything I needed to do more good works for His glory. I wanted Him to pour down blessings on me like the rain, like spring showers, which as I’m writing this right now the rain outside is pouring down and I have had to restart my computer 3 times already due to the power flickering off and on. Maybe God and I got our wires crossed in what kind of rain I was asking for …haha, just kidding, but it really is raining outside I just thought that was rather interesting being I was writing in regards to rain. So my prayer for revival ended something like this; asking for an abundance of grace, mercy, and prosperity that would exceed what I had already been given, allowing me to be a blessing to others in new ways. Of course I did pray for others to receive those same things. Once we left the church I began sharing with my husband in the car what I had experienced in our prayer time being we were all praying individually, when I began to cry because I was still in that humble spirit state of mind and heart. The tears made it hard for me to speak, so I stopped talking and just rested in His presence the rest of the way home. I would have to say, my prayers were answered tonight, He poured down the rain like spring showers both in the spiritual realm as well as the natural.

Turn the Page

“For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.” (Jer.29:11)

Like most people my life is a storybook. There is a beginning, a middle, and then there is the end, with a whole lot of pages in between. I had nothing to contribute in the beginning, the middle became my learning experiences, and the end will be determined by, if I walked in wisdom from the things learned in the middle of my story. Life can be full of twist and turns, highs and lows, good and bad. Times of sitting still or times we are on the move. Comical or serious, guess work, clockwork, does anything work? I believe for most people, and I would like to reiterate the word most, because I realize it does not apply to all, I believe the latter years to be a bit more comical than serious. We’ve already done the majority of our stressing over choices like; schools, home to buy, marriage, raising kids, how to keep up with the “Jones’s,” funny when I think about the things and people we worry about comparing ourselves too. Now I certainly cannot deny there are serious days, real concerns, and hurdles to get over, that is life to, but as we age we tend to have a different perspective about things than we did in the middle of our story. The younger me was a true believer in an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. The older me, nearing the end, sees grace or ignorance depending on who or what, just being honest. Which brings me to being honest, younger people don’t appreciate honesty as much as older people in my opinion. I am prepared now to hear the truth, nothing but the truth, so help me God. Younger me, “Just lie to me, I can’t bear to hear the truth.” The younger me didn’t want to be lectured on what’s right and what’s wrong, the older me gets annoyed at wrong doings and tries to right every wrong. The younger me was okay with what I considered “fire insurance” rather than a real relationship with my Lord and Savior. Now, He’s the first one I talk to when I wake up and the last one I talk to before going to sleep. As you can see a lot of pages have been turned in my storybook. I believe or at least pray that I have another chapter or two still left. Right now I’m on a page that the things I am doing are bringing glory to my Heavenly Father and for the first time in my life I can say with all certainty, I am loved, I am valued, and my story matters. What chapter in your story are you on? Is it time to turn the page? Do you have any idea how your story ends? You might be thinking, how is it that I know my ending is going to be okay? The answer to that is easy, it doesn’t end. I have been promised an everlasting life by the One who conquered hell and defeated the grave. My story just gets better and better, turn the page.

I can’t end today’s story without offering an open invitation to all who are reading this; you are welcome to come and be a part of my story. Jesus is the ONLY way to get there. If you don’t know the end of your story yet and would like to, just say this simple prayer:

Dear Heavenly Father, I come to You in the Name of Jesus. I confess that I am a sinner, and I believe that Jesus you died on the cross for my sins and rose from the dead. I ask you Jesus, come into my heart and be Lord over my life. I repent of my sins, and I trust in You alone for my salvation. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

“If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved” (Romans 10:9-10)

If you said this prayer I just want to say to you “you have turned the page and now you know the end of your story.”

The Test of Free Will

And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “You may eat of every tree of the garden, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.” (Gen. 2:19-20)

We have all been created with free will. According to theological perspectives, God generally does not override human free will to protect us from our own choices. God can however intervene in circumstances and influence hearts, I know that personally because He has done it in me. Free will is considered essential for genuine love and moral responsibility. This is actually a gift from God that allows us humans to choose to love and obey God, rather than being forced to do so. We are free to make choices, just like in the Garden of Eden, but remember we are also responsible for the consequences of those choices just as Adam and Eve were. I have recently had to make a choice on to how to handle a situation based off of my free will, not a heaven or hell issue, but a moral response that I would have to live with for the rest of my life here on earth. I will say it was definitely a life altering one. This choice was going to permanently change my life, my perspective as well as my future path. On the other hand it was going to be a positive, transformative moment in my life, allowing for more spiritual growth, rest in my spirit, knowing that I had made the right choice for me. I am learning the importance of true rest, not just sleeping, but resting. I have spent a lot of my life restless, tired, worn out all due to choices I have made, that thing called free will. Free will if not taken seriously, is not free at all. The older I get the more peace means to me. Peace of mind, the restfulness of knowing I’ve made right choices regardless of the outlook of others. God tells us in (Joshua 24:15) “choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve.” Decide your own path. I’m choosing the path He is directing me in. I highly advise getting to know the promptings of the Holy Spirit, though God does not stop us from making bad choices, He does influence, nudge or create circumstances that will steer us toward making good decisions if we are paying attention. God is sovereign, and he does protect believers from harm, but it doesn’t mean every bad choice is blocked or reversed, so we still have to be careful when making choices. Again, it’s so important to be still and quiet and listen before making a choice. Remember bearing the responsibility of our choices whether good or bad is ours to bear. That’s the gift of free will. What sort of choices do you need to make today?

Don’t Mistake a Blessing for a Curse

Nehemiah 13:2b -yet our God turned the curse into a blessing.

If you are living in misery, you are NOT living in your blessing. If you are feeling condemned, lacking favor, desolate, unhappy, forsaken, damned, cursed or living in unforgiveness, you are NOT living in your blessing. There have been times in life I have felt all the above, certain I had missed out on or even had had my blessing taken from me, and actually I have had things taken from me more times than I can count, yet I realize the things I thought should have blessed me, were NOT the blessing at all. I also realize that God is the giver of ALL good gifts. He is the only One that can turn a curse into a blessing and I know I am blessed beyond the curse for His promise will endure and JOY, is gonna be my STRENGTH! You can find it all over in the Bible; Numbers, Lamentation, Joshua, Nehemiah, 2 Corinthians, Galatians are just a few place. Maybe you lost your job due to someone else’s actions or you applied for a job and was turned down for a reason that makes no sense to you. Both of these things actually happened to my husband a few years back. Here’s a personal testimony of mine I’ll share; I was robbed several years back. I had four of my grandchildren living with me at the time, I was also a substitute teacher at our local public school where my grandchildren attended when the robbery occurred, which is where we were at that very time, my husband was at his job as well. So the first blessing was that no one was home at the time of the break-in. When the kids and I got home the front door was still open, so I took the kids back to the car, called 911 and waited. My husband got home about the time the police arrived and they had the kids and I stay outside until they searched the house and found it to be safe to enter. When I got in there I was in shock at the things that were taken. It was EVERYTHING of mine. EVERY sentimental thing I had, an early 1900’s safe that had been in my family for years, all my jewelry, things of my childrens and grandchildrens memabillias I had been holding on for my entire life, the lamp beside my bed which the necklace I wore when we were married hung from the switch that turned it on. Right down to my clothes, including undergarments, along with some other things such as guitar and computer, etc. but mostly EVERYTHING that was gone was mine. I was devastated to say the least, because I am a very sentimental person. For the next 48 hours I was a mess, I couldn’t see how I would ever get any peace about this, I had been violated once again in my life and why? Was there a curse on my life? The questions that were going through my mind were of course due to shock and well of course fear which is nothing more than lies from the devil. After that 48 hours I heard the Lord tell me I was blessed. You can imagine what that might have been like, hearing I was blessed after all that. But this is what I heard God say as if He were standing right beside me. “He had protected my family, none of us were harmed and as for all of my belongings; I wasn’t going to be able to take any of those things with me when I leave this world, the ONLY thing I was going to be able to take were other souls and at the time the souls He was talking about were my four grandchildren that I was raising at the time.” Blessed I was; all four of my grandchildren ended up receiving the Lord as their personal Savior and were ALL baptized while in my care. When you’re not feeling blessed, give those feeling, thoughts, and circumstances over to God. God’s ways and our ways are not the same. What looks like misfortune or a curse to us, He says is a blessing. When in question, I just pray and I don’t act until I have a knowing in my spirit what will lead me to my blessing. Trust me there is a blessing. Have I ever missed it, sure, who hasn’t? Misfortunes happen to us all in some form or another, but so do blessings. Thank you Jesus for redeeming me from the curse of the law and may the LORD bless each person reading this and keep you and make His face shine upon you, Amen.

Com’n In A Shout’n

Let them praise his name with dancing, making melody to him with tambourine and lyre! (Psalm 149:3)

Sunday morning worship is the BEST. I’m not a good singer nor do I have instrumental talent, that’s why I love Sunday morning worship, these people on stage do. They are prayed up and anointed to bring the congregation into His presence. I’m not shy when it comes to worshipping my Lord and Savior. I throw up hands, I will jump, sway, stomp a foot all the while thanking God that no one else can hear me, but Him. Now at home or in my car it’s a whole different story, I let it rip. I’m all in. I love that no matter what I sound like, to God it is beautiful and He delights that my heart is focused on Him and He thinks this is the sweetest sound ever. Isn’t that just like a father? Always seeing the best in his child even when no one else can. Sometimes I just can’t help myself, I get this beating in my heart and overwhelmed sense of gratitude, for how much He loves me. I become so humbled before Him for all the goodness He has done for me, I mean geez …He saved my life! He set my feet upon a rock, He turned my life around, broke the chains that once had me bound, brought joy in the morning after nights of darkness, delivered me from SOooo many things, healed the deep wounds within me, gave me a reason to live, He set me FREE! It makes me want to SHOUT! I feel new strength and hope once I have been in His presence through worship. That is my best description of “JOY.” Nobody can love me like that and I’m gonna let Him know! You know God doesn’t just love to hear us sing praises to Him, it is a declaration of our trust in Him. It shows Him our surrender when we will humble ourselves and worship Him. He actually views it as an act of obedience, adoration, and a pleasant offering. God “inhabits” or dwells within the praises of His people (Psalm 22:3), affirming His presence. It shows Him that Jesus Christ really does dwell within us. So if you ever see me shouting praises to God, just know God is rejoicing over it.

Always …Everywhere

Proverbs 15:3 (“The eyes of the LORD are everywhere”)

Psalm 121:8 (“The LORD keeps watch over you as you come and go”), and Psalm 32:8 (“I will guide you with my eye upon you”). The Bible teaches that God is constantly watching over people as a protective guardian who never sleeps or looks away. Psalm 33:18 (“But the eyes of the Lord are on those who fear him, on those whose hope is in his unfailing love”). Psalms 139:1-12 describes God’s intimate knowledge of a person’s actions, thoughts, and movements, indicating he is always present. Hebrews 4:13 (“Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account”).

Knowing God is watching is meant to bring a sense of peace and comfort to believers during our difficult times. Yet, it also brings about accountability; we are warned that this watchfulness means God sees everything done in secret and that people will answer for their actions, which brings me to another area of who else is watching? We should live with integrity, because the Bible also talks about others watching us. We should set a godly example to everyone; I have to repent because I miss it in this area quite often. I do want to live in such a way that when people see me, they see Jesus and that my Father in heaven would be glorified. That it would also bring encouragement to others to live a right life before the Lord, seeing God’s work being done in my life, which is a work in progress, it would bring hope to them. God is not a respecter of persons, what He is doing in my life He will do in theirs. Baby Christians: people new to their faith in God, a younger generation, they need to see our life, our actions, aligning with our claims of faith. In Hebrews 12 it speaks of a cloud of witnesses, people witnessing our life. Not only is God’s eyes ALWAYS on us, but others are watching too. We are to witness to others by doing right especially to those that accuse us of doing wrong, that they would glorify God on the day he comes to visit them (1 Peter 2:12). We are called to be an example to those observing us (1 Ti. 4:12). It is also true that some will simply watch you to find fault or catch you making a mistake, just as how spies watched Jesus to find something to use against him (Luke 20:20, Mark 12:13, Luke 6:7). This is where I will end. A Prayer: Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! And see if there be any grievous way in me and lead me in the way of everlasting! Amen