Words

My LORD is good with words. Not only is He good at communicating, He is the master. The ways in which He speaks to my heart are amazingly unique to me. But the ways that He can speak to you, are so directed towards you and not anyone else. I love that.

I have such peace in knowing that the one true God is capable of such great things. Things far greater than I know at this time in my journey. I pray as I grow in grace, I come to realize these "great" things, as not me just knowing he is capable, but experiencing it in my own life. I want to experience his greatness more than I already have. The good news, he wants to share it with me, and you too.

I started reading 'Victorious Christian Living' by Alan Redpath, today. Thanks to my dad and his supply of books, I didn't have to go out and buy it. I know that this is going to be a blessing to read. In the first chapter he says this, "My dear readers, at the very outset of your consideration of this book, I ask you to consider carefully your own spiritual experience. Are you in the wilderness of defeat, or in the land of victory? Is your life a constant struggle against the powers of darkness, with constant defeat, or is it a victorious war waged in the power of a Risen Lord?" Am I willing to go there? My first response is "Yes, I want to go there!" I want to live that victorious Christian life, where there is no denying that Christ lives in me. Where there is no denying that He is a great God.


Right now, I feel like the rich young ruler in Mark 10: 17-22. I am ready and willing to step out and say "Yes, I want to go there!", but am I willing to count the cost? Are you willing to count the cost? I was talking with a very dear friend on mine on the phone earlier today, and we were talking about wanting all of these results in our lives. For example, wanting to be healthy and fit, wanting to be a prayer warrior, wanting to be successful at this or that, wanting, wanting, wanting.... And we came to the conclusion, that yes, we do indeed want all these things, but we really don't want to go through the process of getting there. We just want to be there already. God designed life in such a way whether in the spiritual or physical, that you don't just "arrive". It requires discipline, it requires giving up of your time, it requires a whole lot of "dying". *Sigh* But dying is no fun....no it's not that great, but living, truly living as God planned, is so much better. It is so much better than living that old dead life because it is freedom, and that is were we experience God's power. Taste and see that the LORD is good. Just a taste and we will know that that life, that resurrected life, is the one we are meant to live.

Thank you Jesus, for being so good with words.

Be Still

"Be still and know that I am God"

Some devotional books that I've been reading (again), really jumped out and grasped my heart this morning. Just wanted to share them.

From Streams in the Desert:

"I do not believe we have even begun to understand the wonderful power there is in being still. We are in such a hurry, always doing, that we are in danger of not allowing God the opportunity to work. You may be sure that God will never say to us "Stand still", "Sit still", or "Be still," unless He is going to do something. This is our problem regarding the christian life: we want to do something to be Christians, instead of allowing Him to work in us."

From My Utmost for His Highest:

"Suppose God wants to teach you to say, "I know how to be abased"- Are you ready to be offered up like that? Are you ready to be not so much as a drop in a bucket- to be so hopelessly insignificant that you are never thought of again in connection with the life you served?"

That one hit me real hard, I don't know if I am ready to be that "poured out". My spirit is willing, but my flesh is not. Lord, help me.

And lastly, from one of the most blessed little books that I adore so much called 'God Calling' by two listeners. Each day is something that the Lord Jesus spoke to these woman who remain anonymous. Here is today's entry:

"Walk with Me. I will teach you. Listen to Me and I will speak. Continue to meet Me, in spite of all the opposition and every obstacle, in spite of days when you may hear no voice, and there may come no intimate heart-to-heart telling.
As you persist in this, and make a life-habit of it, in many marvellous ways I will reveal My will to you. You shall have more sure knowing of both the present and the future. But that will be only the reward of the regular coming to meet Me.
Life is a school. There are many teachers. Not to everyone do I come personally. Believe literally that the problems and difficulties of your lives can be explained by Me more clearly and effectually than by any other."

Just give Him a chance. Call out to Him. He so desperately wants to speak to us in our present lives.

Individuality

Psalm 139:14 "I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well."

I LOVE this scripture. It just speaks volumes to me. When I stop to think about all the people that I have been privilege to meet, I love how each one is so uniquely made by the hand of God. I just adore how no one person is the same as the other. Just think God formed YOU in your mothers womb. AMAZING.

On a related note, baby Eden was born today, to my cousin Shazia! Congrats to them :) Praise God for that precious new life.

Overwhelmed

Psalm 61:2,3 "From the ends of the earth I call to you, I call as my heart grows overwhelmed; lead me to the rock that is higher than I. For you have been my refuge, a strong tower againt the foe."


It seems lately that the Lord Jesus has been calling me back to times in my life that he has spoken amazing truths to me. I have shared a few on here already, and again I am priveledged to share something else. I know it's not just for me. When the Lord speaks, he speaks to all of his children.

My personality is one that can tend to get overwhelmed easily. One night as I was sitting in my Philippians class at the Bible college, around eitgh years ago, I started to feel overwhelmed, one of the many times this has happened to me. I was completely overwhelmed with the thought of all the people who had yet to hear the gospel, overwhelmed with the "work" that needed to be done. I don't know how to explain this feeling other than it seemed like a real heaviness upon my shoulders. And then came words from my sweet Savior, "Don't be overwhelmed with all of that, be overwhelmed with Me".

My primary goal, as Paul wrote in Philippians 3:8-10, needs to be to Know HIM. As I become overwhlemed with him, all of the other "stuff" faids away.

If you find yourself overwhelmed today, turn to the rock that is higher. He will overwhelm you with his goodness, his grace, his power, and so much more. All that he is, He wants to pour out on you, to fill you to overflowing. Praise God. He is all we should overwhelm ourselves with!

You're Beautiful

A song by Phil Wickham:

I see Your face in every sunrise
The colors of the morning are inside Your eyes
The world awakens in the light of the day
I look up to the sky and say
You’re beautiful

I see Your power in the moonlit night
Where planets are in motion and galaxies are bright
We are amazed in the light of the stars
It’s all proclaiming who You are
You’re beautiful, You're beautiful

I see you there hanging on a tree
You bled and then you died and then you rose again for me
Now you are sitting on Your heavenly throne
Soon we will be coming home
You’re beautiful, you're beautiful

When we arrive at eternity’s shore
Where death is just a memory and tears are no more
We’ll enter in as the wedding bells ring
Your bride will come together and we’ll sing
You’re beautiful, You're beautiful, You're beautiful

I see Your face, You're beautiful, You're beautiful, You're beautiful
I see Your face, You're beautiful, You're beautiful, You're beautiful
I see Your face, I see Your face
I see Your face, You’re beautiful, You’re beautiful, You’re beautiful


Today I remembered something. The week before I got married, I was trying to wrap my mind around the amazing fact of Christ being our bridegroom, and the church being the bride. As I was praying, it came to my attention how sad if a bride were not completely and utterly captivated and so much in love with her soon to be husband. And so lovingly, I felt that the Lord Jesus allowed me to feel for a brief second that that is indeed what He has felt so many times. It broke my heart, and if you are a born again Christian it should break yours too. He gave up everything for us, and loves us far beyond anything we could ever imagine in this life. Do you love Him back? The Bible says we love him because he first loved us. I think it's time that we allow the love of God to flood our lives so that we can love him in return. "I want to know you" should be the cry of our hearts. When we see him all we can say is "you're beautiful". That is the response when we allow God to infiltrate our lives. But it's a choice. And, just like in any relationship, it involves giving up of ourselves and our own desires.

Lord, reveal to us how great your love is. How wide, how deep, how far it reaches, beyond all we could ask or think in our finite minds. You are great God, and your love towards me is great. God I pray our desire would be to know YOU. In Jesus name, Amen.

1 John 4:9 "This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only son into the world that we might live through him."

Out of the mouth of babes

This morning Nathanael grabbed my bible and started "reading" to me. He is three and can not read. But I'm pretty sure he gets the idea of what the Bible is all about, after hearing this statement. He said "Okay mom, say this after me, The Lord is God, and Jesus loves me". He just melted my heart, and I had to share. Happy Saturday everyone, have a blessed day!

Living Victoriously

What a week. WOW. Where to begin.

There have been some mountain high times to this week, and then some all time valley lows. BUT God is still God. Regardless of circumstances, HE IS GOD. That seemed to be the theme of this week.

I keep hearing Him whisper in my ear, "Remember who I am." And He keeps reminding me that He created the heavens and the earth. He is the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. It is He who split the Red Sea, so that His people could walk through on dry land. He is Almighty, powerful God. Jesus, who conquered sin and death; He is my God, and I am His child. What an amazing thing. If that doesn't blow your mind, than what will?

What do you fear? That question kept coming up throughout this week as well. Another theme. But really what do you fear? Psalms 111:10 says "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom..." It was brought to my attention that I was fearing other "things" in this life. The truth is there is nothing to fear, except God. Fear God. Do not fear poverty, sickness, or even death. None of these things can separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus, our Lord.
This is how we live a victorious life. We are not shaken when things happen because our hope and foundation is in that which can not be uprooted. Romans 15:13 says "May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit." That is my prayer for us all, that the hope we have been given with overflow into our everyday lives. We don't have to wait to get to heaven in order to be victorious, we can be victorious right now.

I am rejoicing because I have been given an amazing gift of hope. I see God's hand in ways He is providing for us. Our heavenly Father is holding our hands as he leads us along this journey of life.

One last thing to share that was such a blessing for us to hear is that some of our dear friends were graciously and miraculously given a house to rent. And it's very close to us :) Thank you Lord for providing this place for them!

Well, that was a bit all over the place, but I hope it is an encouragement to someone who reads this. God blessings to you until next time, Joanna