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LIFE..... LIKE A MUSICAL

{I'M CHALLENGED}
I have been challenged today.
I've been challenged by the Word of God, and encouraged all at the same time.
By a verse that I've read hundreds of times.
That is 1. Why I am so thankful for the Bible. 2. How I know that it is living!

It was the verse of the day. An app on my phone. The simplest thing. Yet I find that somehow it always has to do with what I am going through or with what God is really trying to teach me at the moment.

{WHAT GOD SAYS}
Here is the verse:
Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.
Colossians 3:16

{BREAK IT DOWN}
Let's break this down simply. What a great encouragement.

Let the WORD --- (That is The Bible--- also Christ is also known as "The Word"- they are one in the same; but that is for another blog) -- we are to let it DWELL {to live or stay as a PERMANENT resident: to settle or inhabit} in us RICHLY {using valuable materials or characterized by  elaborate workmanship-- lavishly, completely, properly}

. . . teaching and ADMONISHING --- now this word is fully loaded... apparently there are a lot of ways to admonish... the main definition is as follows- {to reprove or scold, especially in a mild and good-willed manner- to urge to a duty} But here are some synonyms:{ to rebuke, reprove, reprimand, condemn, let one have it, point the finger, strongly criticize etc---then there is; encourage, counsel, exhort, guide, instruct, prepare, recommend etc}

I would consider that Paul was probably meaning the latter. Rebuke and reprove is very important, but I think the way we apply this is very crucial- which is why this scripture exists! Let's see as we look into the next part of the verse.

So we are to- let God's Word dwell in us, using wisdom, teach and encourage one another (now this gets interesting to me because it is so anti- our culture)
in psalms, hymns and spiritual songs....

{REALLY?}
Woah... So instead of arguing and disputing (which Paul clearly also says not to do)- life should be like a musical?!?

I love God! This would be hilarious! But I bet, it would change our culture, if we'd just listen... let's see what these things mean...

a psalm...  a song of praise, a hymn, a verse, a melody, singing, worship song, -- or a poem of a similar nature.

a hymn... a song in honor of God, to praise or celebrate.

and spiritual songs.... haha- you can't get much more out of that! And we are to do it ALL with GRACE in our hearts!

{AGAINST OUR FEELINGS}
WHOOO! SOOOO not our flesh or our culture!

I'd like for us to seriously just take this as a challenge. The next time we have a quarrel with someone- TRY what GOD says to do... I don't know about you, but I'd say God's wisdom far surpasses our own.

Our flesh wants to blame, point the finger, defend ourselves, let other people know just how wrong they are... but what if we tried it God's way?

{WHAT IF?}
Seriously!

What if, I was hurt or upset with something my husband did? And instead of saying "Why didn't you put the laundry away like I asked?!?"

I began reading a psalm. Or I began singing a song about God's GRACE (because I'd probably really need it right about that time!)...

I wonder if, instead of remaining upset, fueling my anger or frustration, and letting something small or big, ruin my day.... I might be released from those negative feelings? I might gain a softer heart? I might come across as loving, gentle, kind, and full of GRACE and WISDOM? I might also come across as silly- so maybe we'd even end up laughing about it... but I just wonder...

{WALK IT OUT}
I know people like this. They walk in such peace. Every word from their lips is God's word, love, and grace. A spirit of Peace, and love, and joy, and wisdom completely RADIATE from them.

I aspire to be like this, and I think this verse is a secret key that God desires to give us, if we would only apply it to our daily lives.

Some people would think that is crazy, or would overlook the verse, like I did; hundreds of times.
But you see, I believe that things are far more spiritual than we realize. There is an invisible battle going on, and there is nothing the spiritual enemy of our soul loves more than to cause havoc between people who SHOULD be getting along.

I don't know about you, but any time I'm feeling down, frustrated, lost, or lonely.... I sing. I sing songs to God. And the negativity melts away. I regain my peace. I allow that Word of Christ- that dwells in me, to regain it's ground in my heart- and the lies of the enemy no longer have any place.

I have also written a lot of poetry in my life. Many people do, and mostly to express emotion! Why? It is a healthy way of expressing emotion and releasing your feelings.

God is smart!

I'm challenged to give this a try. Before I react to a stressful situation with Lincoln, James or anyone else... I will TRY what God says here...

Why not? What do you really have to lose?

Let's try it God's way!

A Hope For Your Future . . .

For I know the thoughts and plans that I have for you. Says The Lord, thoughts and plans of abundance and peace and not for evil, to give you a hope for your future. Jeremiah 29:11

God is a planner.

He's got a design.

He's perfectly and intricately "knit" us in our mother's womb (ps. 139:13).

And He has a purpose for us all.

It is our job to take a hold of that. Our job to ask God what our tasks, purposes, objectives are... etc.

And it is our job to follow through with obedience.

Because our plan does not simply affect us. It does not simply affect our family. It doesn't even simply effect our circle of influence.

It effects the entire world.

There are intricate and elaborate ramifications for everything we do. And do not do.

I think of the show: TOUCH. A perfect example of how our world works in so many incredible ways.

We tend to play off incredible miracles as "coincidences" or by saying "it's a small world"

Sure, it's a small world to God! But to you, come on. Not really.

The truth is: God has a plan. And we are ALL a part of it weather we want to be or not.

The good news is, He is clear that He has GOOD plans for us and that WE get to decide to be a part of those good plans! ... or not.

What's on my heart today is a call.

A call to all those who have been complacent. A call to all those that have been unsure, skeptical, doubtful, lazy, or procrastinators.

And the truth is, I'm sure we all have at one point or another.

Well it's time to end our own self destructive ways!

Our world is rapidly changing. There is a bigger picture. We are called to higher things than we can fathom. And I don't want to live my life and find out I completely missed my objective here on earth. Or even partially missed it!

When I see our awesome God, I want to find out that I did what I was called to do- that I was obedient- that I was able to be a helper to God. That I was loving His people, helping those in need, being His hands and feet here on earth.

We are called to be world changers! And I know that everything I do, or don't do. Big or small. Will ultimately affect the world somehow, someway, someday.

It might not be a fun word- but it's time to be RESPONSIBLE. With our time, our resources, our energy, our family, our friends, our influence, and just our entire lives!

You are more than your past mistakes. You are more than a daily grind. You are more than the turmoil. Those things do not define you. Those things make you stronger, and can mold you into more of the person God has created you to be.

God already has defined you perfectly. He's designed you for something so special, and so powerful, and so wonderful! It's time to match up with His design and begin to truly fill our place in His good plans.

And it's so easy to get distracted. It's so easy to get discouraged. It's so easy to procrastinate. And there is an enemy of your soul who loves to get in the way of God's good plans. Who will try and HELP you WASTE your life here on earth- doing nothing of real significance. Or maybe you are doing things of significance, but you aren't utilizing the wonderful GIFTS that God has imprinted in your soul!

That is when we need to guard ourselves. Guard our minds, our hearts, our souls! (Eph. 6:16-18)

Friend, I encourage you to seek God and His perfect and good plan for your life. And once you find out, just run with it, and keep it in front of you daily to remind yourself of your bigger purpose!

Imagine the incredible things that could happen in this world if we all were empowered to know our objective and were steadfastly walking in it!

God can see it! It's time for us to see it too!

A CALL TO BE SCROOGED !

I guess today I feel like Ebeneezer Scrooge. But not in the way you may think.

I'm not grumpy. I'm not "Bah- Humbug"ing ... Actually today is already a productive day on the right path! I got up at 5 am- drove to the gym (while having an awesome time with God) for my cardio and came home, brewed myself some Starbucks, and now I even get to write!

No... I'm not grumpy... but I am Scrooged.

Sometimes we just get fed up with ourselves and our lack of motivation, or stick-to-it-iviness.

Sometimes it takes a "view" of the alternative route to draw us to the life we should have been living all along.

Like Scrooge.

I get restless with my complacency sometimes. I get sucked out of my "super woman" ultra productive routine and into my apathetic "I just don't want to do anything" routine.

And it feels good... for a little while... then it starts to feel like a prison. A procrastination prison!

When I know deep down I'm capable of SO much more. When I know deep down that I have SO much more to offer. When I know deep down that I was called to something SO much greater!!! And yet... I let time tick and waste away in my procrastination prison...

Sometimes it can take a lot to get out of it.

Sometimes it takes that Scrooge moment... When you realize the repercussions of staying in the procrastination prison. When you realize not just the repercussions, but then you realize the implications of stepping out into your calling. Of stepping out and being Super Woman. When you realize God has given you GIFTS and you are to USE THEM!

Maybe it was the Veggie Tales, Lincoln and I watched yesterday! hah.

"Lord of the Beans"... About using your gifts for every one's benefit. Not letting them be wasted.

It's like the parable of the talents that Jesus spoke of. Each person was given something from God- the one who buried it- was the wicked one. If we stuff away our gifts and never reach our full potential..... LISTEN TO ME HERE...

**THERE ARE IMPLICATIONS THAT WILL AFFECT THE ENTIRE WORLD**

God has given you gifts NOT for selfish gain. He has given you gifts to help affect every single person you ever come in contact with, and it spreads like wildfire through each individual life reaching the ends of the earth.

This is a call to be SCROOGED! -- Let God show you the WONDERFUL implications of utilizing your gifts for the world... STOP letting your hour glass run out in your procrastination prison.

If you aren't sure what your gifts are, ask The One who gave them to you! He won't let you go through life without knowing

ATTITUDE OF GRATITUDE

We NEVER know when our time is up on this earth... We aspire to live long healthy fruitful lives, but the Bible says our life is a vapor... regardless of if we live it until old age or not... The reality is- there is an end.

Have you been REALLY {LOVING} the people God has given you? The people that hurt you? That blame you? That you may not see all the time? That you may take for granted? Or that maybe take you for granted?

This week I have been even more-so praying for my loved ones. We have been called to love.

{FORGIVENESS THROUGH HEARTACHE} 

Two of my most AMAZING friends- who are wonderful young women of God have gone through some very difficult (to say the least) things within their families. Some of you may relate- others may not. 

Each of these people have had to really forgive people in their lives for hurtful things they have done or said.

Although it was difficult, I saw these women walk in love, act in love, and forgive in love; these people who hurt them- and PRAISE GOD for that!

Doing this is NOT an act we can do on our own as people. We need God's supernatural help!

The incredible thing to me is this- Within the SAME WEEK. The people who my friends had forgiven: One of them had to have quadruple bypass open heart surgery (with only a 10%-25% chance of survival)- Thankfully this person survived... And the other person was tragically and unfortunately killed in a motorcycle accident.

My heart goes out to these women- and the pain, I know they are, and will experience- I cannot imagine. My heart grieves with you.

{ARE WE LOVING THOSE WHO GOD HAS PURPOSEFULLY PLACED IN OUR LIFE?}

To see the PURE AGAPE LOVE  (LOVE OF GOD) pour out of these women for the people experiencing these difficult things showed me how much God loves us-

Through hurt, pain, struggle difficulties, or offenses.... FORGIVENESS is so important.

We NEVER know how much longer we will have to just simply ENJOY the people God has given us.

Even if you don't have to forgive the people you have in your life- ENJOY THEM... BE GRATEFUL- ... We just simply do not know how long we have on this earth- or how long our loved ones have...

Make the most of your time. LOVE PEOPLE- Don't hold grudges- don't be angry- don't keep offense in your heart. LOVE THEM... Ask God to help you forgive them if you can't yet.

{REMINDER} 

Just remember, that as YOU were STILL a sinner and still hurting God... Christ died for you- and forgave you.

We should remember this and treat others the way God treated us...

There is NO greater love than to lay your life down for a friend. And that's what Jesus did for you.

He laid His life down.

I pray today that you would receive and understand His love in a fresh way- and that you'd be sure to outwardly love someone in action and truth- that maybe you haven't been lately...

Let us not take for granted the breaths we have left...

IF I DON'T HAVE {{LOVE}} I AM NOTHING

{THE GREATEST GIFT}

Though I speak with tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing. (1 Corinthians 13:1-3) 

This is my theme this morning! I heard this beautiful song on the radio for the first time: "The Proof of Your Love"- by King & Country

A beautiful song! > If I sing, but don't have love, I waste my breath with every song.... If I give to a needy soul, but don't have love, then who is poor? ....So let my life be the proof, the proof of Your love, let my love look like You and what You're made of... How You lived, how You died, Love is sacrifice- so let my life be the proof, the proof of Your love. . . <   You Tube the song so you can hear it! its wonderful :)

And right after the song finished the verse of the day came up on my phone and it was the verse I shared above: 1 Corinthians 13: 1-3

Again--- I don't believe in coincidences... I know how much God loves me :) How much He loves you... I know that He gives me inspiration to write so that I can encourage the people who will read what I have to say.

{I AM BLESSED} 

I truly am blessed to be surrounded by the people that I have in my life. The friends The Lord has given me in my life and especially in my church are just simply amazing!

Of course nobody is perfect, but when I see these people in action when they let God move through them, it inspires me!

Now, we have a nice little church, maybe about 20-30 people consistently coming to services. And I truly believe that I have seen almost each and every one of them (if not all of them) operating in their gifts that God has given them. And most importantly, LOVE.

I have been behind the scenes, and know the incredible heartfelt prayers prayed and tears cried by our wonderful Pastor and his wife. And the passionate prayers shared by the wonderful leaders in our church.

{AUTHENTICITY} 

What stands out to me MOST about these wonderful people God has placed in my life, is their authenticity. Their willingness to be humble, vulnerable, and to walk in compassion. To see someone hurting and embrace them and minister the LOVE of God to them. To NOT PRETEND TO BE PERFECT.... To admit publicly when they make a mistake- apologize- repent- and do what they can to fix that mistake. To be hurt, slandered, practically abused by someone- and STILL love them and walk in forgiveness. To operate in and use their gifts and talents for the encouragement of each other and other people in their lives. To build real, meaningful relationships with others in the church, and strangers who visit, and people outside of the church. Their friendship is real. And more importantly their love of God is real. Their desire to see HIM glorified and not themselves- is real. They are not a vain and puffed up people. But they walk in LOVE. I watch them POUR OUT God's LOVE on people constantly. Weather it is people who need help in the church, who are struggling, emotionally, financially, spiritually, etc... Or maybe it's people on the streets. Offering prayer, food, or simply warmth and kindness.

Watching their LOVE in action inspires me, and I know this is JUST THE BEGINNING...

{GROWTH OF DEPTH} 

Our church may be small now, but I believe without a shadow of a doubt that it WILL CONTINUE TO GROW... How could it not?

Churches shouldn't grow because of the personality of the Pastor.... or because of the smoke and mirrors and the awesome band.... or because of the "tingly" feeling you get when you are in the building.... (which I'm not saying is wrong-- unless that's the single reason)

They should grow because of the authentic spirit of the people--- The HOLY SPIRIT working IN and THROUGH the people in the church... AND because it doesn't ONLY manifest IN the church, but OUTSIDE the church.... That is what I LOVE about being a part of Abundant + Life.... They STRIVE to be the HANDS AND FEET OF JESUS.... in and out of the church building- every day of the week.

And God is doing a GREAT work in us to develop an EVEN DEEPER walk with Him- so I KNOW GREAT things are in store... and NOT so that our church would simply grow in number...

I am reminded of the scripture in Zechariah I shared in my last blog... Not by MIGHT NOR by POWER... but BY MY SPIRIT--- Says The Lord!

It's not in our own strength that we as The Body of Christ will build great churches - it's by GOD's SPIRIT ACTIVELY MINISTERING TO PEOPLE...

And WE are His conduit!

What an honor!! :)

Without LOVE .... WE ....ARE....NOTHING....

{LOVE IS . . .} 

PATIENT
KIND
NOT ENVIOUS / BOASTFUL
NOT ARROGANT / RUDE
IS NOT SELFISH / INSISTENT ON IT'S OWN WAY
NOT IRRITABLE
NOT RESENTFUL
DOESN'T REJOICE IN WRONGDOING
REJOICES WITH TRUTH
BEARS ALL THINGS
BELIEVES ALL THINGS
HOPES ALL THINGS
ENDURES ALL THINGS
NEVER ENDING

Love is a difficult thing to measure up to... but there is our standard.... The Bible also says, GOD IS LOVE... He is the perfection of LOVE... The personification of LOVE.... HE is our standard.... So when we minister.... let THIS be our standard... When we LOVE other people... let's make sure this is how we determine how we TREAT others, how we THINK toward others, and how we ACT toward others.

{{{WALK IN LOVE TODAY}}} 

THE COMPASSIONATE EYES OF JESUS

{IS GOD REALLY THERE??}

Sometimes we can go through something that is tough to go through and wonder where God is. And sometimes it is only until after we have successfully made it through the tough times can we see a glimpse of God's purpose in it and find comfort and peace.
Yesterday was an emotionally difficult day for me. Without going into detail, basically it was MULTIPLE big and small LET DOWNS from people I love and trusted. Looking at it from someone else's eyes it may seem silly to be upset about the things that happened. But for me, in that time, it was an overwhelming amount of emotion for me to handle. Thing after thing continued to pour into my lap in an already fragile state and I continually tried to carry the load by myself. I tried to give it to God, (Because His Word says to cast ALL your cares upon HIM because He cares for you- - - Its what Jesus died for! To carry the load!!) ... but I was unsuccessful in giving it all to Him... I needed Him to heal my heart and give me strength.

Sometimes a girl's just gotta cry it out!

So that's what I did. I went to a separate room to be alone and just weep in the arms of my Heavenly Daddy. It was wonderful. Although even after I came back into church to worship, I still wept, being comforted by The Holy Spirit. Through my tears God was healing me. There were many thoughts going on in my mind. I wondered if I was invisible, no one seemed to notice or really want to confront me while I was in such a blubbery state...

It wasn't until communion that my wonderful friend and sister in Christ, Rosie came to me and looked me in the eye with concern and compassion and asked me what was wrong. I fell in her arms and began to weep some more... I was a mess. Thank GOD for her!

Not just her-- Thank GOD for people that are SENSITIVE TO GOD's SPIRIT! ... We need more people like this!

We prayed and God further comforted me through her wonderful prophetic words. She didn't know what was wrong, but God did- and He spoke through her.

{DOES GOD SPEAK?}

When I got home I just wanted to take time to feel better. So I cleaned my home, so that I could feel peaceful :) Then I laid on my bed and prayed. I opened up my Bible and it just opened to the book of Zechariah. This was actually the 2nd or 3rd time I had just opened up to it in the past couple of days....

Have you ever done that? Just opened up your Bible and let The Word speak to you? ... I like to do that a lot. Some people might think that is silly or irresponsible, but I trust that God will speak to me every time, and the more "random" it is, the more I hear God's voice! :)

There was a reason I kept opening to Zechariah... but I didn't know it. So I read it and I fell asleep- and took a nice little nap.

My night was wonderful. All things that stirred up during the day had calmed and I was finally healed and resting in God's arms.

{OK, GOD- YOU'VE GOT MY ATTENTION}

I woke up today to come and write. Of course before I began I opened up my Bible... Guess what I opened up to?

You guessed it! Zechariah....

Now by this time....GOD'S GOT MY ATTENTION....

And as always... God is NEVER late with getting through to His people... He knew how many times I'd need to see this random page opened up for it to catch my eye.... He also had a perfect plan with WHY He was showing it to me and WHY I had the experiences I had the previous day...

Before I tell you how God spoke to me through this. . . I'll tell you this: My experiences the day before led me to believe God wanted me to share my experience with our Pastor. Our Pastor is also one of our closest longtime friends, and a wonderful understanding man. I felt God had given me that experience for a reason- and now it is confirmed...

In March God had given me a WORD of GROWTH about our church. God laid it on my heart to pray that it would grow 5 times in 6 months! ... Now I didn't know for SURE if that was GOD speaking, or if I just "randomly thought of some numbers".... Well after a couple of months of just trusting it was a word from God and praying it into existence. God showed me something significant about it. . . 5 times would equal about 100 people-- (and once you break 100 the growth explodes- which I didn't know) ... and the 6 month mark would be our ONE YEAR mark of the birth of our church! .... Now TELL ME that's not significant.... and I'm telling you- its NOT a coincidence... as I continued to pray about this growth- God also spoke to me about how He was going to grow the DEPTH of the church... That He wanted the people in leadership of our little church to grow in great depth before He would expand the church. There was a period of time shortly after this prophecy that our church began to grow rapidly. In one month we went from about 20 people, to 35, and the next week to 48! It was amazing! And after this, it was back at a steady 20.... But it didn't discourage me. As I prayed about it God spoke to my heart and said ' I was showing you how rapidly I will be growing your church- now it is time to focus on your depth' ...

{BEING HIS HANDS AND FEET}

Woo! Believe me, we want DEPTH! What's the point of the Christian life without depth!? We don't gather every Sunday to PLAY CHURCH- We are called to LIVE LIKE JESUS.... which leads me back to what I felt like God wanted me to share....

I felt God wanted me to encourage our Pastor to encourage the flock to not be afraid to be the hands and feet of Jesus... going through my distraught state was an interesting experience. Now I'm not sure if most people didn't really notice, or if they were too afraid. I don't know for sure. But I know that I am close with MOST of them- and I know I was trying to avoid them because I didn't want to disturb their time of worship or preparing to worship... BUT... I felt that I had an encouragement for our small body of believers. That we need to have the COMPASSIONATE EYES OF JESUS...Because even though I was close with them I was STILL trying to avoid them, even though deep down I wanted their comfort.

If I were a stranger in that service, I could have felt alone, or ashamed of my uncontrollable weeping and may have left because of my discomfort. And how much more awkward is it (IN OUR FLESH) to approach someone who is broken or crying when we don't know them? BUT.... here is the wonderful thing. God used Rosie to comfort me. And not only her, at the end of the service I was approached by a wonderful woman in our church, Dana. She approached me with a big hug and an invitation to prayer. God does work wonderfully through His body if we allow Him.... Again- it's that sensitivity to The Holy Spirit...

Now I'm not expecting every person to come running to me asking me what was wrong. But God gave me HIS eyes this morning... what if a seriously hurting person walked through the doors of our church? What if they didn't know the power of God? What if they were hurting much worse than I was? Would they KNOW the LOVE of GOD through our actions? Most hurting people would try their hardest to mask it- they would put their guards up- they would probably not admit their hurt even if you asked how they were doing.... Now here comes our job as God's people to put on the COMPASSIONATE EYES OF JESUS.... If we allow The Holy Spirit to lead us, He will show us people who are hurting. Body language can tell you a great deal!
I urge you my brothers and sisters- WHEN you see a hurting person (not if you do) ... Don't be afraid to approach them with boldness and a hug. Don't be afraid to say, "ok, let's go pray-" or "whats going on".... Just REACH OUT... because PEOPLE NEED THE LOVE OF GOD!!!!

{THE WORD OF THE LORD- ZECHARIAH} 

{{. . . Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, saith The Lord of hosts. . . 'when you fasted. . . did you all fast unto me? . . . for the seed shall be prosperous; the vine shall give her fruit, and the ground shall give her increase and the heavens shall give their dew; and I will cause the remnant of this people to posses all these things}}Zech. 4:6, 7:5, & 8:12}
As I opened up my Bible to this one place again- God had gotten my attention, so I began to ask Him why He was showing this to me?

I looked and saw there are 3 main underlined sections that I had previously marked. Briefly looking I saw this theme.... Not by might, nor by power, but BY MY SPIRIT, says The Lord.... Fasting for God.... and INCREASE....

As I looked at these 3 areas on the page in front of me, it was suddenly illuminated. God was telling me something... .That the prophecy was again confirmed... He WAS going to bring INCREASE to our church- He would do it by us FASTING as a church, and it wouldn't be by our might or power, but BY HIS SPIRIT! ... WOW!

{AN EVEN DEEPER REVELATION} 

As I read more thoroughly an even deeper revelation began to reveal itself! In Chapter 7 verse 1 it says "...The Word of The Lord came unto Zechariah in the FOURTH day of the NINTH month" ...

Guess what today is? .... June FOURTH.... and it is our NINTH MONTH of the existence of our church! ....

SERIOUSLY?????

Tell me that doesn't spark your interest?? Tell me you don't get chills...

GOD IS ALIVE!

As I read further He spoke even more... In the same chapter in verses 9-10: "Execute true judgment, and show mercy and compassion- EVERY ONE to his brother (or sister) ... and do not oppress the widow, the fatherless, the stranger, nor the poor; and let none of you imagine evil against his brother in your heart" ...

Now I don't know about you, but I'd say that ties in pretty well with what God already laid on my heart about having the COMPASSIONATE EYES OF JESUS...

The Battle Rages On...

There's been a theme in my week so far...
I've seen it in many different lives, of people unrelated to each other, talked to people about it. It's been interesting.
I know that it is CONSTANTLY happening. But seeming as I've seen such very vivid examples and received a very good piece of wisdom from my husband, as I sat thinking this morning about what to write, and I prayed about it, this is the topic that came to mind:

{SPIRITUAL WARFARE... }

For those of you who know me- you know I'm PASSIONATE about this topic, and I could go on and on. I could maybe write an entire BOOK about war in the Heavenlies.

This post will be more narrow (at least I'll try) haha.

{MY OWN EXPERIENCE}
This week what I've seen is what I believe to be a spirit of STRIFE. . .

Strife is simply put: conflict, controversy, disunity, quarrels. . . basically what SPIRITUAL STRIFE really is... is the ENEMY OF YOUR SOUL- LURING YOU INTO A FIGHT ... mostly with someone you love or someone very close to you- at least this week in the people I've seen...

In my own home I will confess, there was really no reason, but I was extremely VULNERABLE to anger. I was easily frustrated, had almost no patience. Even though I was experiencing a wonderful healthy prayer life, in some way I was being lured into taking up my flesh instead of leaving it at the CROSS. . . and it definitely affected my family / home life.

There was nothing that anybody did that warranted the kind of anger or frustration I was experiencing. I knew I had to get rid of it. But before I did, my actions ushered in a spirit of STRIFE in my own home. Once one person gives into sin, flesh, etc... IT BECOMES A GATEWAY for the enemy to STRIKE!

My own selfishness had opened a gateway for STRIFE to come in my home. The atmosphere changed. Even though I may have been outwardly expressing the frustration I felt inside, the SPIRITUAL atmosphere in our home changed dramatically.

James and I began to butt heads constantly over nothing. We both immediately recognized something must be wrong. When you become sensitive to The Holy Spirit and spiritual things you gain more clear discernment and can definitely sense the spiritual atmosphere in your home, good or bad.

Remembering back I remember the very day while I was driving in my car and The Lord spoke to my heart and told me "Be ready. There WILL be resistance when you return home" . . . The Lord even WARNED me of what was coming. Looking back I believe that God was preparing me to go through this small battle so that James and I could encourage others and I could now write about it.

We aren't perfect. And as humans we never will be until we are with Jesus in the afterlife! :)
(But God does have a process of refinement and preparation for that day while here on earth that is never ending!)

Since we aren't perfect, James and I fell right into the TRAP OF THE ENEMY. . . We fought with EACH OTHER...  instead of fighting the spiritual battle

{WHAT GOD SAYS ABOUT THE BATTLE}

{ FOR WE WAR NOT AGAINST FLESH AND BLOOD (JUST THE PHYSICAL) BUT AGAINST PRINCIPALITIES, POWERS, (MASTER SPIRITS), RULERS OF THE DARKNESS OF THIS WORLD, AGAINST SPIRITUAL WICKEDNESS IN HIGH PLACES (HEAVENLY REALM) } EPH. 6:12

OUR BATTLE ISN'T WITH THE PERSON WE ARE FIGHTING WITH...


EVEN THOUGH WE WALK IN THE FLESH, WE DO NOT WAR AGAINST THE FLESH (IN THE PHYSICAL) . . . FOR THE WEAPONS OF OUR WARFARE ARE NOT CARNAL (PHYSICAL / HUMAN/ TANGIBLE) , BUT MIGHTY THOUGH GOD TO THE PULLING DOWN OF STRONG HOLDS. . .  2 COR. 10:3,4


The enemy of our souls HATES us, and wants to use any means necessary to bring us down. He uses spiritual weapons and tricks against us. He uses lies. And GOD IS TRUTH... so we are equipped with THE WHOLE ARMOR OF GOD (another whole blog) that can CONQUER the enemy and his tactics!

{WHAT I SAW THIS WEEK}

I saw a precious daughter of God with hatred in her heart toward her earthly father, and because of the anger, hatred, and unforgiveness she had, there was a lack of respect for the spiritual laws of his authority as her earthly dad, regardless of his sin against her or others. As tough as it is to hear, as CHRISTIANS--- WE have a larger responsibility to uphold the RIGHTEOUSNESS of GOD...  Though in her flesh she could justify being disrespectful or disobedient to her dad, it was HER who allowed the gateway of STRIFE to remain open. SHE is the SPIRITUAL LIGHT in her home in the midst of darkness. But even in the darkness our little light of CHRIST will ALWAYS OVERPOWER THE DARKNESS - WHEN we are OBEDIENT! She was breaking a law of God... to honor your father and mother. Because she was willingly stirring up quarrels, she was getting MORE STRIFE... As the spiritual light in her home, God COULD (and will) reward her for her obedience- despite the other sins/ darkness in her home... SHE HAS THE HIGHEST AUTHORITY..


 I was another precious daughter of God who experienced the same type of situation. She is the spiritual light in her home. After experiencing her husband who expressed his anger in a way she didn't approve, she returned his anger with MORE ANGER...

Can you see the PATTERN OF STRIFE??

The devil will take someone who is NOT walking in obedience to God..... who maybe doesn't know Him.... or who is weaker in their flesh- and will USE THEM AGAINST YOU- to STIR UP YOUR FLESH...

We need to understand the BATTLE IS NOT WITH THEM...

{VICTORY IN SURRENDER}

I'm glad to tell you ALL THREE of these very recent stories ended up in VICTORY...

First, James and I came together and agreed NO MORE STRIFE. We repented to GOD and EACH OTHER for allowing it in our home, rebuked it, and forgave each other. Immediately the atmosphere changed in our home... AND IN OUR HEARTS... I no longer felt a quickness to anger / frustration in my own emotions / heart.

The precious daughter of God who had a heart of hatred and rebellion toward her dad, repented of allowing the door of strife to be opened, began to ask God to HELP HER SEE HER DAD THROUGH GOD'S EYES....

(This is what we must do!)

The other precious daughter of God asked God to help her forgive, prayed for her husband, and then told her husband she forgave him- and now healing and peace is happening in all of these homes. Even though these were shortlived experiences, it is definitly an example to show how the enemy works, and as a FOLLOWER OF CHRIST- WE HAVE THE POWER TO CHANGE THE ATMOSPHERE IN OUR HOME...

We need to realize the enemy isn't the one standing before you in the flesh... its the enemy of our soul...

{WE RAISE OUR WHITE FLAG}

The song that came to my mind while I was typing this is my current FAVORITE!

WHITE FLAG- CHRIS TOMLIN

This song says it all: THE BATTLE RAGES ON...... WE RAISE OUR WHITE FLAG, WE SURRENDER ALL TO YOU, ALL FOR YOU... THE WAR IS OVER... LOVE HAS COME... YOUR LOVE HAS WON...

THE ONLY WAY WE CAN WIN IS WITH THE LOVE OF GOD- WHEN WE FULLY SURRENDER TO HIM- THEN THE VICTORY IS IN SIGHT!

Fight the GOOD fight of faith Brothers & Sisters!

If you need prayer or are facing your own spiritual battle (who isnt?) please post on here how I can pray for you!!

LET'S PULL TOGETHER AS IRON SHARPENS IRON TO STAND STRONG IN THE VICTORY THAT IS OURS THROUGH GOD!

DRAWING CIRCLES--- AUDACIOUS PRAYER

“Prayer is so powerful. Prayer is simply talking to God. Open up your heart. His love never fails and NEVER gives up. He will keep all of His promises for hope and a future.” Mickayla Josephine <3

I love it! Mickayla’s words are simple but so true! (And based on 1 Cor. 13, Hebrews 6:12, & Jeremiah 29:11)—This girl has the WORD in her heart- <3 Thanks for the encouragement and inspiration Mickayla!

Prayer is as simple as just talking to God. Opening up from our heart, and even deeper our soul…

Pastor Becky (ECC) said yesterday at Bible study, “Pray from your soul, not from your head”

She gave a great example of a simple grace prayer before a meal.

Head prayer: “ Dear God, please bless our food and the people who made it, amen”

VS.

SOUL Prayer: “Precious Heavenly Father, Thank you so much for who you are, Lord please bless the time we have with these people as we share a meal together, Lord bless this food and the hands who prepared it, and be glorified in our conversation and in this home always, In Jesus Name, Amen”

It’s not necessarily that one is right and one is wrong.

This is an exhortation to expand your prayer life. How many times have you just “Talked at God” ?

You see, prayer IS as simple as talking to God… But it is also much more complex.

Prayer is the most intimate contact we have with THE LIVING GOD of the Universe! … Prayer is quite amazing if you fully understand and grasp it’s power.

In the Old Testament (before Jesus came to bridge the gap) – the people couldn’t talk with God (notice I said WITH)… Oh I’m sure God could probably hear them- He’s God… but the prophets were the only ones who could hear from God… After Jesus came- He became to us, a DIRECT LINE TO THE HOLIES…. I mean- someone who will be tortured, beaten, bruised, broken, bleeding, and then die for you- That’s pretty intense! … And it comes with some equally INTENSE PRIVELAGES!

Including PRAYER…

{Prayer is our DIRECT COMMUNICATION to God…}

I want you to understand it’s vitality.

Imagine a marriage. At first, the husband and wife are crazy for each other, they can’t stop calling and texting each other during the work day, If they are apart they are talking to each other all night, falling asleep on the phone together, and they CANT HARDLY WAIT to just WAKE UP IN THE MORNING and get to talk again! They may lay awake at night or in the morning thinking of how LUCKY they are to have this special ‘perfect’ person in their lives. How could they be so blessed?

They think of all of the adventures they will go on. They can’t wait to be told how WONDERFUL the other person thinks they are and to tell them, themselves! …

After a while, it begins to fade. Soon they come and go without speaking to each other much. Just maybe a goodbye in the morning, a hello in the evening, and maybe a phone call through the day to complain about something the other didn’t do. . . They’ve become complacent. Lazy. Disinterested. And they probably blame the other person for not fulfilling everything they once did. When really they should be asking themselves when they gave up. Marriage is something worth fighting for.

And this is equally true for prayer. You see God didn’t send His only Son to DIE for you- so you could simply “go to heaven”. God intended for us to be in constant FELLOWSHIP, or RELATIONSHIP from the beginning! It’s what He created us for! To be in a constant MUTUAL, BACK AND FORTH (not just forth)… relationship WITH HIM!

You are missing the intimacy and the WONDERFUL POWER of prayer if you are simply “talking at God” … He IS speaking BACK! He IS answering! … The question is are you listening?

{**God doesn’t answer vague prayers**}

(if its vague how can you be sure He’s answered it or not?)

My prayer life has grown over time. Everybody’s evolves and grows, probably for their entire life.

Somehow, either we aren’t taught fully about prayer, or we have a skewed view from an experience or from someone else’s opinion.

{Oftentimes we think these things:}

-         Prayer is a one way street- If I’m lucky- God will hear me – and He might answer or not

-         God is too busy to hear me

-         My prayer isn’t as important as that person’s prayer

-         God doesn’t care about the little things like helping me get good grades, helping me find a job, or getting that awesome parking spot that I want.

-         I haven’t prayed long enough

-         I don’t pray “good” enough

-         God didn’t answer my last prayer- so He doesn’t care about me

-         God doesn’t answer prayers

-         I have to be good before I can ask God for anything

It could go on and on. But I must tell you that every single one of those thoughts is a LIE… It’s a FLAT OUT LIE… if you have thought any of them- CLAIM IT DEAD- AND A LIE IN JESUS NAME…

If you look in God’s WORD that’s NOT who He is! That’s NEVER what He says!

If these are some of the thoughts you have had, I pray you would get a NEW REVELATION of the LOVE that God has for you… Until you begin to understand His LOVE for you, you may never understand WHY prayer and HOW prayer can be so intimate or why you’d even want to have that relationship with God…

Jesus died for you. So that you could have LIFE AND LIFE ABUNDANTLY (John 10:10)

I can attest in my own life, that God DOES care about the little things JUST AS MUCH as the big things!

The Lord has challenged me this past year to really stretch my faith.

This may sound silly to you, but I have and DO ask God to provide for me things like, a cup of coffee.

When I ask I believe that I receive (1 John 5:14-15)  And what happened this week when I asked for coffee?

Not only (just yesterday) Did I receive a gift card from a friend equal for 2 specialty coffee’s- but I also then was taken out for coffee by another friend who insisted on paying!

God is good. And He DOES care about the seemingly “small” things.

Matthew 7:11 “ If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more will your Father in Heaven give good things to them that ask him?”

{My challenge is this:}

Pray AUDACIOUS prayers. This requires God’s divine intervention & allows Him most glory!

When I say pray AUDACIOUS- I mean to pray SPECIFICALLY… It takes WAY more COURAGE to pray specifically than it does to pray vaguely. If I pray for a cup of coffee- and I get a cup of coffee- I KNOW it’s GOD who gave it to me! (x 3 by the way! God ALWAYS multiplies! And goes ABOVE AND BEYOND what I can ask think or imagine!)  (Ephesians 3:20)

If I pray for healing from cancer I must follow what the Book of James says:

“But let him ask in FAITH, NOTHING WAVERING. For he that (continues to) waver is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed (all around). Don’t let that man think that he will receive ANYTHING of the Lord. A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.” (James 1:6-8)

** {WOAH… James didn’t mess around! I love it! Embrace it! And if you are worried about your faith read my blog about “The Mustard Seed”- Its all about faith! And I pray it will increase yours! } **

{SEEK GOD MORE THAN YOU SEEK HIS ANSWERS}

Another place we can fall short is we tend to seek God’s ANSWERS MORE than we seek GOD HIMSELF…

It’s a part of us being a fallen people. To be selfish. But again, if we are missing this, We must re-evaluate our understanding of our relationship with our Creator. It’s easy to get caught up in just wanting to see the result, wanting our prayer answered WHEN and HOW we want. And we can be very “need driven” … When we are faced with a hardship we turn to God to FIX IT… NOW! (please)…  This can be our attitude. . .

When our heart should be to seek to KNOW HIM MORE. He WANTS to be sought. God tells us to “Draw close to me and I will draw close to you”… (James 4:8)

God doesn’t FORCE His perfect love upon us. He wants to know that we care, and we WANT to know Him… He gives us a choice… and to take that step forward toward Him is the best decision you can ever make.

{THE LEGEND OF HONI} 

All of my thoughts on prayer have been inspired by God and His Word and through others. Initially it was when I heard Pastor Becky talk about the book “The Circle Maker”.

I haven’t read the book yet, but I’m going to. So I will tell a very brief summary of what I’ve heard.

The legend of the circle maker came from old Rabbi stories. Honi lived the generation before Jesus came. The last of the prophets died 4 generations earlier. So no one was hearing from God at this time and there was a massive drought. . . Honi had determination to SEE GOD MOVE--- He KNEW God could still hear him--- so he became bold.

He took his 6 foot staff and drew a circle in the dirt completely around himself. He dropped to his knees and prayed by the power of the prophet Elijah and told God that he would NOT MOVE until it rained. He didn’t ask wavering. He asked with AUTHORITY not a HINT of doubt… this prayer didn’t originate from the vocal chords. It came from the soul. He asked God for rain and it began to drizzle. Honi told God he was not satisfied and asked for more rain. It began to pour. He then explained he wanted a calm rain, at which point the rain became normal.

Some may look at Honi (and did) as disrespectful to God. How could you DARE demand of God? But this is called, in the Greek, “aiteo” kind of prayer. To ask or demand… to dwell, continue and remain in constant union with …

Honi’s example should be an inspiration. Especially because we TOO have a special relationship with God because of what Jesus did. Now it is more accessible!

We must pray: Specifically, with Authority, and with Expectancy that God will answer!

Remember that God is God. And He will give you the answer that is the BEST for your life. It may not manifest how you think it should look. But do not doubt God…. He will answer. 

IN HOT PURSUIT

{VEHEMENT PURSUIT}

There is one thing I’m sure of today. God passionately….. I mean- PASSIONATELY pursues us… sometimes we blind ourselves from it- but He is vehemently in pursuit of our hearts on the daily.

Because I have asked Him to- I hear Him more clearly today and I know He has a message for you, who is reading this.

{MY AWAKENING} 

I awoke this morning with condemnation looming over my head from my sins. (check yourself- if you aren’t convicted (not condemned) of sin- its time to soften your heart)

The condemnation was weighing on my heart. But my true Hero Jesus was right there, ready to pierce the darkness of condemnation and slay it where it stood.

Holy Spirit quickened in my heart and empowered me from within. I knew I needed to get up and pray. My son then (3 years old) came in my room very early crying and I could tell his throat was dry and soar from his coughing.

The one who condemns was telling me it was my fault. My sin had caused my child to be in pain. I see now I should’ve begun my battle at that point and rebuked those disgusting lies immediately. But instead God led me to my closet to pray.

I anointed myself with oil and said a prayer of consecration and healing to myself and then did the same for my son. I then rebuked any so called sickness and claimed it gone in Jesus name.

The Lord kept putting a verse in my mind—“ There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus who walk not after the flesh but after the Spirit”  Romans 8:1

Jesus did NOT come to condemn the world- but to set it free and save it (John 3:17)

So I knew that although I felt condemned, Jesus was telling me ‘It has already been covered by My Blood’ … I believed Him.

{WALKING IN CONDEMNATION?}

He then showed me several other passages this morning and I believe He is trying to get a point across to me, that I will do my best to reiterate to you.

He first showed me Luke 6:37-38

Judge not and you shall not be judged condemn not and you shall not be condemned; forgive and you shall be forgiven:

Give and it shall be given to you; good measure pressed down and shaken together and running over shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use it will be measured back to you.

Now I didn’t know why this verse was speaking to me today but I knew it was important. When I read it again I realize that God is so simply saying that whatever we dish out we will get back the same measure of that thing. Good or bad. Which is why He starts by saying not to judge, condemn, nor walk in unforgiveness.

This verse was fitting since I was feeling condemnation from the enemy this morning. It got me thinking about judgment and to make sure not only that I do not judge others but that I do not judge or condemn myself. That is not to say that I don’t hold myself accountable or examine my heart. But like I said earlier: condemnation is much different than conviction. Condemnation slanders you and gives you a hopeless feeling of never being enough. Conviction is the inward inkling that guides your right vs. wrong meter. It is like an alarm system that goes off in your spirit that says hmm, maybe I shouldn’t do this, say this, watch this, listen to this etc. As a Christian our conviction should continually reach new heights as we grow in our daily walk. We should never be satisfied or settling for where we are but always hunger and thirst for more of God, to have more of Him in our lives, to hear more from Him, and to BE more like Him. If we are not pursuing this, we are blinded and it leads me into the next thing The Lord showed me this morning.

{HEART SCAN}

As I was on my knees praying for my son as he lay asleep in my bed I felt like I needed to look down and make sure I had something. I picked up my devotional “My Utmost for His Highest” – Oswald Chambers- a wonderful daily devotional. I brought it with me. When I got to my daily ‘coffee spot’ I read today’s entry : March 16: The Master Will Judge—2 Cor. 5:10 “ We must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ”

A theme? We will see.

Chambers goes on to say we should walk in the knowledge of the holiness He has given us. Tolerating a wrong attitude toward another person or carnal judgment of another person only serves the enemy’s purpose in our lives. He encourages us to bring it immediately into the light and confess it as sin, because if we don’t our hearts will become hardened. He goes on to say that one of the penalties of sin is our acceptance of it, we gradually get used to it until we don’t even realize that it’s sin. The deadliest attitude of the Pharisees that we portray today is not hypocrisy but unconsciously living a lie.

As I observed these first two words of my day, I began to run a “heart scan”. Lord who have I judged or condemned? Including myself. I think it’s just the same if I judge myself or condemn myself, as it is another person. How dare I inflict that on God’s child, I am His and HE HAS PAID FOR MY SINS.

All Jesus wants from me is to LIVE IN THE LIGHT… Jesus is saying STOP JUDGING AND CONDEMNING YOURSELF- AND JUST REPENT- AND SIN NO MORE!

Its that simple. Jesus is saying to my heart, ‘ Oh, you see its wrong? Don’t waste time beating yourself up- just STOP doing it- and move on’

{WHAT GOD PROMISES}

Then I turned to Jeremiah. This is where His promises came alive to me today.

Jeremiah 31:25: For I have satiated the weary soul and I have replenished every sorrowful soul. . . . just below that in verse 31-34 I will paraphrase. God says: Behold the day has come that I will make a new covenant with my people. . . I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts and I will be their God and they shall be my people. They shall know me (an intimate kind of knowing- not just knowing who He is), from the least to the greatest, because I will forgive their wickedness, and I will NOT remember there sin.

WOW… This is in the OLD TESTAMENT. It was a prophecy of what Jesus would do on Calvary. Did you know that? God doesn’t even REMEMBER your sin. Because the BLOOD OF JESUS COVERS YOU COMPLETELY when you receive what He did for you on the cross. So NOW you are NOT condemned but you are made RIGHTEOUS in Christ! Wow, God is just confirming this to me today, He doesn’t see my sin. He sees Jesus. And who He has created me to be in Him, and where I’m going.

Another section in Jeremiah 32: 17-19- Jeremiah says (again in paraphrase) WOW LORD! You made heaven and earth by your great power! NOTHING is too hard for you! You show loving kindness to your people and you give everyone according to their ways and the fruit of their doings. (just like the verse about a good measure pressed down shaken together and running over).

Finally in Jer. 32: 39-41

God says “I will give them one heart, one way that they will respect me forever for their good and their children’s good. I will make a covenant that lasts forever and I will not turn away from them, but put a fear (reverence) in their hearts so they won’t depart from me. I will plant them in the land with my whole heart and with my whole soul.

{A CHALLENGE FOR YOU}

God is PASSIONATLEY PURSUING YOU.

 My friend shared a quote with me last week. “God loves you just the way you are, but He loves you TOO much to let you stay that way”

My friend, if you are not in a place where you feel a conviction in your heart about some area of your life, I pray you would ask God to soften your heart. Don’t be deceived. We are NEVER perfect until we are taken HOME. DO NOT SETTLE.

God is ready to take you to the next level, but it takes surrender on your part. STOP judging others for their sins, and DON’T condemn yourself. BUT EXAMINE YOUR HEART.

Where are you falling short of the awesomeness of Christ? Start at the first thing that just popped into your head. God wants to deal with it now. Don’t ignore it, don’t run. Embrace it. Its much easier to embrace the change God wants to place in your life, than ignoring the God of the Universe passionately pursuing after your heart to belong to HIM.

When we begin to do good to others and through ourselves as a FREE people (not a condemned people) then God will be able to bless us more because we wont be measuring with condemnation or judgment.

Make sure the seeds you sow (which aren’t just financial) are GOOD seeds. Into your own life, and into the lives of others. What you put in you’ll get out! And it MULTIPLIES.

I encourage you to be watchful of the things you say, the things you partake in, the things you watch, listen to, and think over the next 24 hours. If anything makes you feel “icky”. If anything makes you think that God might not “smile” while partaking in these things or thoughts with you. If anything is negative, or just plain AGAINST what and who GOD IS…. Write it down. And STOP IT. It’s time we turn it up a notch if we really want to be the beacons of light in the world we are called to be.

This world needs HOPE, and it wont have it with a bunch of dirty vases walking around blindly wallowing in their own MIRE of sin.

If God convicted you once about a matter and yet you aren’t convicted anymore. Your heart is hardened. And I pray right now that anyone who is reading this would have their hearts softened, no matter how soft or hard their hearts are. That God would be faithful to gracefully convict people in the next area He wants to cleanse. That by HIS KINDNESS He would lead you into repentance.

{A QUICK STORY OF ENCOURAGEMENT AS I FINISH:}

 

A women’s Bible study read the verse: Malachi 3:3 : And He (GOD) will sit as a refiner and purifier of sliver and He shall purify and purge His children as gold and silver that they may offer unto the Lord an offering in righteousness.

Questions began to arise. Why? Why silver and gold? What is so significant about comparing refining us to refining precious metals? So one woman (without telling him the purpose of her curiosity) called a Silver Smith; she asked if she could come and watch the process of refining silver. He also didn’t ask why she wanted to see the process, but welcomed her to come and observe.

First he had to heat the silver. He had to hold the metal right in the MIDDLE OF THE FIRE, where it was HOTTEST… He explained that only when it was hottest would it BURN AWAY ITS IMPURITIES.

The woman began to understand…

As she watched she noticed the man sat in front of the fire intently. She asked if he really had to sit there the whole time. He explained that indeed he HAD to sit in front of the fire and WATCH the precious metal. He in fact could NOT take his eyes off of it or it would be destroyed if it were in the fire a moment too long. . . She asked how he could possibly know when it was ready? He replied that it was easy, it is refined when he sees HIS image in it.

WOO! God is SO good. He is PASSIONATELY PURSUING YOU.

He wants to refine you. He will take you through the fire, but he WILL NOT leave your side, and HE WILL NOT take His gaze from you. When He sees His image is when we become purified.

Don’t fight the fire. Embrace it.