Tag Archives: Change

Nov4

EVERYDAY!

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EVERYDAY!

a new dayEvery morning when we wake up, we have a fresh opportunity to do something new.

To make change happen.

To right a wrong; whether it is in our hearts or a relationship close to us.

Today is a NEW DAY!

What can you do to cause change in your realm of influence today? Here are some ideas:

  1. Invite a friend that you haven’t seen for ages to lunch or for coffee
  2. Volunteer for an outreach project at your church or in your community
  3. Send a card to someone who is sick, sad, or just plain needs encouragement
  4. Sit quietly with someone you love and enjoy what God has placed before you. Shut out the constant onslaught of life and just simply be together. Watch the sunset or birds go about their business. The idea is to just be together.  It can totally change your relationship!

These are just a few ideas of simple changes that you can make in your day, and possibly someone else s. Be resolved to change….today…..tomorrow….and everyday that you are given on this earth!  Have a beautiful life ~ today!

Soli Deo Gloria!

Mar14

dear vanessa ~ death and fear

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Fear is a very destructive force in our world and can reek havoc on our lives, our relationships and our very beings. Vanessa addresses an important aspect of conquering this; by filling the darkness with light.

Dear Vanessa,

My son has been stricken with fear and panic attacks since Christmas. He’s terrified he’s going to die or someone will kill him. It all started after the school massacre/shooting in Newton, Connecticut, right before Christmas. We shielded him the best we could from the news, but of course they talked about it in school and his friends were also talking about it. My husband and I have hit a brick wall. How do you tell a 9 year old that “yes, there are bad people out there, who do bad things, but you can’t let fear take over and keep you from living and doing what you enjoy doing everyday”?  I have had extreme anxiety in my life as well, and I feel for him, I don’t want this to paralyze him.  Do you have any advice here?

Sincerely concerned parent,

Charlene

Dearest Charlene,

Have you spoken with your child about heaven?   I remember as a child I was so scared of dying, I would pray every night for our house not to start on fire.   I don’t think my parents knew…  I cannot even remember where the fear and anxiety came from.  But you know, maybe you can give him a picture of heaven for him to understand.   It is often difficult to bring the images of heaven down to a childlike level.  

This place of heaven is designed for us; I imagine that it is full of light, love and warmth.   Because I had this fear of death, I wanted my children to understand death is not the end, but the beginning.  It has taken me a good portion of my adult life to understand the concept of death, and to let go of the fear.    Something to keep in mind Charlene, is that God smiles on us when we let go of the fear.  

When I hug my baby boys (yes I still call them babies now 5 and 8) I have an overwhelming feeling of peace and love.   My children feel the same too; a parent’s hug warms the heart and soul from the inside out.   One night I said to my boys that heaven is like the same feeling of a hug multiplied by a million.  They were in awe, and said “really mom? Is it that good?”  I replied by saying, “It is better than that, beyond our understanding. It is a place where all we feel is love.”  I then went onto explain that Lions are our friends, that there are rainbows and colors beyond our comprehension, and heaven is a place where faith, hope and love are one.  

In bridging my understanding I have read a couple of books (which have calmed my soul):

  • Heaven is for real http://heavenisforreal.net/  - a book about a young boy visits heaven and comes back.  This website has some interesting resources, and if you look online – there is an interview with the boy.  This might be a good starting point as well.

  • To heaven and back by Mary C. Neal   - interesting account from a physician’s perspective

Charlene, you have a lot going for you, the fact that you suffered from anxiety reveals that you have experienced this but have grown beyond.   Deep down I can tell that your fear is that your child will not be able to cope with this, but who is better than you to enable your son in dealing with this anxiety or fear?  How have you coped?  What strategies have you put in place to deal with your anxiety or fear?  

What you need to concentrate on is that God loves you and your child.  He is here to protect you.  Sometimes bad things happen, but good always comes out of it.   In this case, it is a learning opportunity for both of you, which will bring you closer.   The root of dealing with this is bringing a new level of understanding for your young child.  Speak his language… Get him to write down his fears – give him a few magazines and show him how to put together a collage of it all.  That way you will be able to see exactly as he is seeing the fear, and this exercise will also help you navigate through the discussion.

Fear is something that the devil feeds upon, so bring your anxiety to God, and he will help you through it.  

A few things I want to leave you with:

  • God is good, He is here for us to present our worries to Him, He will help us through, He is infinite. 

Cast all of your anxiety on him because he cares about you.  (1 Peter 5:7)

 

  • You love your son, just as God loves you.  In all things where love is present; evil cannot exist.

There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love. (1 John 4:18)

  • Finally, remember the evil one is always lurking, waiting to prey upon our minds, souls and bodies.   I have practiced prayer in the morning, and throughout my day, to help ward off his attempts to control me.

                Submit yourselves, then, to God.  Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. (James 4:7)

You are a mother that loves her son, and you can help him through this little bump.   Prayers for you beautiful lady.

Dear Lord God, I ask that you bless all of the parents and families dealing with uncertainty in this world.  Bring them peace, understanding and discernment in the uncertainty, so that we can enable our children to walk in your ways.  I ask this in Jesus’ Name.  Amen

-Vanessa

Mar11

A Father’s Love (part 3) ~ Worry and Fear

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“Do not be afraid, for I am with you” Gen.26:24

Fear is the #1 evil spirit that affects our lives. The specific command to not be afraid appears in the bible 9 times, and “do not fear”, another 5. Jesus tells us in Luke 12:5 that the only fear that we should have is of “him who, after your body has been killed, has authority to throw you into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him.”

Do you know why we have been commanded not to fear? It is because fear is an extremely destructive spirit, which seeks to destroy us and make us into its image instead of God’s image.

Science has proven that when an extremely tense situation happens in our lives and we need to react quickly, there are certain metabolic responses that happen within our brains and glands(chemicals that are released), that allows our bodies to deal with the immediate danger and do what is needed to survive or deal with that situation. This is a fear response and is normal and expected. But when we have constant fear in our lives, there is a perpetual drip, drip, drip of these chemicals keeping our bodies in a continual state of action and reaction. The long term effects of this constant state of non-peace causes blood cells, and consequently all cells, to form rigid membranes around them (like a callous), in response to this constant affront. This in turn can cause all sort of problems such as nutrients not being able to be absorbed, or the toxins that our blood is responsible for filtering out the body are not released as they should be. This is when sickness and disease is allowed to take over.

You may think that you are not afraid because you don’t have any distinguishable fears that come to mind, but the enemy is very sneaky. Do you experience any of these things in your life?

  • ·        Chronic headaches
  • ·        Worry about your job; like if you will have one tomorrow or some other aspect of the job and your responsibilities within it.
  • ·        Concern about your children’s future, where will they go to college, will they be able to get a job, they haven’t called – are they okay?
  • ·        Stress about how you will pay the mortgage. Stress comes from how we accept fear as just a part of living ~ The American Way!
  • ·        Dread about visiting a family member who pushes your buttons.
  • ·        Lack of confidence about something that you need to do, or that God has asked you to do. God wouldn’t ask if He didn’t know that you could do it!
  • ·        Fear of the food you eat, that it contains harmful things. Read Mark 16:18
  • ·        Concern that your kids look perfect for church; basing your self-worth on them and not where it belongs – in who you are in God.

These things in our lives are so common that we don’t recognize them for what they are…sin. The enemy disguises itself as something that we perceive as common and normal, but God did not make us to be in perpetual fear. 1 Peter 5:7 says this: “cast all your care upon him; for he cares for you.”  Fear keeps us thinking inward instead of looking to God for our care. Remember: perfect love casts out fear. And God is the only one capable of perfect love.

We must remember who we were created to be and focus on the one who can sustain us instead of the world that threatens to tear us down.

Focus

Here are a few things that we can do to combat the evil one when fear rears its ugly head:

  1. 1.     Recognize – first we need to recognize it for what it is….sin, and then also where it comes from…the evil one. “…for whatsoever is not of faith is sin.” Romans 14:23

  2. 2.     Responsibility – Once you see an area that you are wrong, take responsibility for the problem and then repent. Let God know that you are sorry for participating in something that you now recognize as sin. “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. `1John 1:9

  3. 3.     Renounce and remove – the thing that you now recognize as sin must now be viewed as your enemy and removed. This is the action that must take place…we must actively get rid of our enemy. “…and I would not that ye should have fellowship with devils.” 1 Corinthians 10:20b

  4. 4.      Resist and rejoice – Once you have removed your fear, resist the desire to entertain it again. God will help you if you ask….then rejoice and give thanks that you have been set free. Even if you have not seen the change yet, rejoice in the faith that it will come to pass. “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” James 4:7 

The effects of fear in our lives can be very real, and cause real problems. I say flee….flee from the desires of the enemy and only entertain things of God. Then we will live in righteousness and splendor! Peace is the goal…let us aim for the winning side!

Next Monday: An Unloving Spirit

My Prayer: Lord I pray that I may recognize that spirit of fear in my life and take steps to banish it. Give me the strength I need to be who you desire me to be and not who the enemy would like me to become. I wish to not live in fear any longer but only in love.  In Jesus’ great name.

Reflect His Light!

Lisa

Feb25

A Father’s Love

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1 Thessalonians 5:23

“And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.”   KJV

“I pray that God, who gives peace, will make you completely holy. And may your spirit, soul, and body be kept healthy and faultless until our Lord Jesus Christ returns.” CEV

I think that it is interesting that two version of the same verse, can bring about a different picture in your mind.  A common complaint that I hear is that the bible can be very difficult to understand, and I agree with that on many levels. Depending on which version you are reading, things can come alive and be so real for you and your life.

People differ in their opinions of whether to take the bible literally or just symbolically. If we read it to be a literal representation of what God has to say, I think that the message is cut and dry. If we choose to see it symbolically, then it is left to the interpretation of the one who is reading it and at that point it ceases in it’s accuracy, for each man will see what they want to see and leave out what they perceive as distasteful.

Many have trouble accepting that God breathed His words into others so that we could reap the benefits of His plans and desires for us, His perfect creation; but I think that this shows His unfailing love for us. God is love: perfect love. He loves as a father loves his child, completely and without fail. He wants us to know His plans for us and how to live them out. It is our job to seek the truth and apply it, and in that we will be made whole; spirit, soul and body.

I think a great first step is understanding our Father’s love and accepting it as a baby accepts the love of it’s parents; without question or reservation. We have a tendency to think that if we are good, if we become Christians, or if we go to church; then God will love us.  I’m not saying that these things aren’t important, they are, but it is not what makes God love us.

We are ALL loved by God, every one of us. The good, the bad and the ugly. We are, everyone of us, His creation and He loves each and every one of us without fail and unconditionally. I think that this is the most important thing for all of us to remember.

“For God so loved the world that He sent His only Son…” John 3:16

He loved the WORLD, not just the Christians, not just the Jews, not just those who were good, not even just those who believed in Him.  He love the world…all of His creation. Now that is not to say that they will all have eternal life, we have already been given the direction on that and it is not the subject of this writing. But we do need to understand that we are ALL His creation and we are ALL loved by Him.

A great first step into understanding God, His heart, and what He wants for us.

Accept His love as unconditional and go to Him as a child, with arms wide open, ready to accept a great big hug!

Over the weekend I was blessed in ways that I hadn’t even imagined possible. I attended a class that I thought was going to teach me one thing, but in the end it was so much more, providing foundational things that I am just now beginning to unravel in my mind. It all started as a visit to a church on Sunday and below is the message that was given in the service.  My life has been changed and continues to change as I unwrap the gifts that were given to my spirit. If you are interested in seeing what it is all about, the video of the service is below. Watch and receive!

I pray that you are blessed today, know that the Father loves you always!!

Lisa

Feb12

A Lenten Fast

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Lent is a time to remember. To remember how Jesus lived and how He died, why He came and what that means for us as a body of believers; as His bride.

 fAsting pic

Fasting as a spiritual discipline has lost its popularity and practice over the years, but is founded in  biblical teachings as far back as the beginning of the Old Testament. Prophets of old used this practice to further develop their relationship with their creator and to experience profound transformation through humbling themselves before God and allowing the Holy Spirit to reveal their true spiritual condition.

This opportunity is available to us too, as believers, through the practice of fasting. When implementing this discipline, prayers have been answered as well as questions of the spirit through the repentant heart of the fast-er, and lives have been changed.

Over time, we have become a self-obsessed people, dispelling the notion that we should ever deprive ourselves of anything we desire including food, entertainment, clothing or the latest technology. Our “gimme” society is so accustomed to having it all; that the notion of doing without is the farthest thing from our minds… it is time to change that.

Have you asked yourself what is keeping you from a deeper relationship with God? Possibly, there is a part of your life that you have worked to reform, with little success, a habit that you can’t seem to let go of, or a discipline that you have tried to learn but continually seems to escape you. Discouragement can be devastating to your resolve and your strength wanes with each moment of perceived failure. Fasting done as a spiritual discipline could be your answer.

The practice of fasting separates you from an inner desire, denying the body of what connects it to the world and therefore separates you from your father. 2 Chronicles 7:14 says:

“If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.”

There are a lot of action words in that sentence. Not only are we to pray, repent and look for God, but also humble ourselves. How do we do that?

King David humbled himself through fasting (Psalms 35:13); Moses fasted at least twice for 40 days each as did Jesus and He then instructed His followers, “but when plateyou fast, put oil on your heads and wash your face.” You notice that He said when not if. In Jewish culture, fasting was expected along with prayer, especially when a reformation of the people was needed. The people would dress in sackcloth, put ashes on their heads and fast until their situation was changed. This action showed God a humble heart, the sorrow of the people and a desire to change. We are still living in biblical times(we have not yet experienced the second coming)…fasting, therefore, is still necessary and expected. Change can happen with the right heart and the right petition.

Fasting today can have the same effect for change, but it doesn’t necessarily have to be done in the same way. The point is to deny yourself…make a sacrifice. There are numerous ways that this can be accomplished.

  • ·         a partial fast (like the Daniel Fast, or from a meal 1-2 times a week, possibly just a dessert or treat that you like)

  • ·         A full food fast (water only – check with your doctor before doing this please and only undertake this if you know that it is the will of God)

  • ·         a media fast (facebook, twitter, computer activities, phone texting)

  • ·         an entertainment fast (movies, tv, video games)

  • ·         a  music fast (from secular music primarily)

These are the things that, today, separate us from having a more intimate relationship with our Father. They are worldly influences that threaten to replace God in our hearts and time,

I think that it would be valuable for most people to experience all of these options as the majority of us today indulge in most of these activities, and spending a period of time in denial of them, will be beneficial in discovering which truly present a problem for us. We all have different trouble areas, and some could be problematic and we aren’t even aware of it.

I propose that during the 40 days of lent (that is Monday through Saturday, Sunday being your day of rest from the fast) we devote ourselves to (4) 10-day periods, fasting from a different aspect of worldliness each period, and placing that concentration on God himself. The results could be astounding, life altering even. God desires this, but it is up to us to take the first step.

I have been doing some research lately, on this subject and would love to have you participate if you are willing. If you would like to participate in the research, I have a link below for you to follow to download a 40 day guide to journal in while fasting your way through lent. At the end of your fast, if you could simply email the journals back to me so that I can review the results for an upcoming book on media fasting, I would be very grateful. If you do not wish to share your journals, I understand and would love for you to participate anyway. Feel free to download the journal for your personal use.  Consider sending me a simple message about how your fast went and how it enriched your relationship with God. Also, I welcome comments or suggestions about the fast itself.

Regardless of how you decide to spend your Lenten time, I pray that it includes thoughts of our Savior and leads to a deeper and more spiritual relationship with Him.

Reflect His Light!

Lisa

Download The Fasting Journal ~ fasting journal 2013

Feb11

Life’s Blood ~ Part 3

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“When the power of the holy people has been finally broken, all these things will be completed.”  

 Daniel 12:7b

At the end of the book of Daniel, he is given a vision of many things including things that have not yet come to pass. In the above passage, Daniel sees a man clothed in linen, hovering above the waters with his hands raised towards heaven, swearing by Him who lives forever. No reference is made as to who this man in linen is but the point to understand here is that God’s will, will be done, when our power has been finally broken. If we look back on history we see that many times over this has happened. Persecution of God’s people, near destruction of the remnant…our power seems to be crushed over and over again.

God has a recurring purpose here, and that is to break the pride and self-sufficiency of his rebellious people.

We are not just talking about the Israelites here.  We are His people, His rebellious people. Many times we don’t see it, but when we worry about losing our job, we are telling God that we don’t trust His provision. When we pass judgment on someone who wronged us and harbor hate in our hearts, we become judge and jury instead of trusting in God’s perfect timing for retribution or judgment of the sins of man.  We don’t look to God anymore to improve our situations, we don’t count on Him for the things that we need, we don’t ask for His guidance in decisions we need to make, we just make them ourselves.  Self-sufficiency. Then we wonder why we experience trials and tribulations, when we should be wondering when we stopped trusting in our Father.

Growing up we placed our very lives in the hands of our parents, the ones we knew loved us. We trusted that they would feed us, clothe us, provide love and security and we never doubted their sovereignty over our lives. This is what God wants…to love us and provide for us, to be our “go-to” guide and to be the sovereign Lord of our lives. But somewhere in our rebellious teenage years, we started to think that we were all grown up and didn’t need our parents anymore, that we could make all the decisions and provide all that was necessary for our happiness and security. Just as a loving parent lets their child experience independence, God lets us decide for ourselves whether we need Him or not, if we want to trust Him or not. Sometimes we take enough rope and hang ourselves with it, causing troubles in our lives that sometimes could have been avoided if we had only listened and obeyed.

Self-sufficiency, relying on our own power and capabilities to navigate through this life, is something that we all are guilty of, and also something that we are all capable of giving up.  Prayer and petition and reliance on our Father doesn’t make us weak. Jesus relied on the Father for everything; I doubt anyone would call Him weak.  Many other biblical giants trusted in God’s provisions, and while they may have faced trials and adversities, they ultimately had the favor of God and they lived a fruitful life.

The second step in our journey to our Life’s Blood is to relinquish our control; give it to God. Self-denial is a good place to start. This would mean giving up our desires for God’s. How do we do this? Biblically speaking, many of God’s people achieved this by fasting; denying themselves what their bodies craved.

We are leading into the Lenten season on Wednesday which is a perfect time to enter into a period of self-denial or self-sacrifice. Tomorrow (fat Tuesday) I will present a lesson on fasting. This is not just a fasting of food, but much more, it is a fasting of the mind and of what is replacing God in our lives. There will be a downloadable booklet for you to use to track your fast which will be broken down into (4) 10-day periods, concentrating on different aspects of secular concentrations that are not of God. This should make the experience more manageable and hopefully lead to a closer understanding of the things that separate us from the Father.

Tomorrow: A 40-day Fast

My Prayer: Lord guide me in your will for this coming Lenten season, I wish to honor you and your sacrifice with my desire to give up my self-sufficiency. In Jesus’ great name I pray.

Reflect His Light!

Lisa

Jan29

Intentionally Chosen Words

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unglued~ In the fifth session of our “UNGLUED” bible study, we are asked to consider what we want to be remembered by when we leave this world. What about your life, your accomplishments, do you want to be the lingering impression, the lingering words that define you and what you are about.

It’s easy to be self-condemning in the way we view who we are, based upon our reactions to external content. The problem with this is that we tend to think that God views us that way as well. A self-condemning attitude can easily turn into a self-fulfilling prophecy. “I did _________so I must be_______, and will always be….I’ll never change.” When we tell ourselves that we are failures, we will be. If we label ourselves with terms like angry, or screamer, or control-freak, it is likely that, over time, we will not make the needed adjustments or improvements that need to be made, and can confine ourselves to that distinction.

We read about bible heroes and heroines and assume that they did it all right because God called them “mighty”, or a “friend of God”.  But that is not true, these biblical examples of God’s beloved, are human, they had human tendencies and human failures, just like you and I. So why did God call them friends? Because He knew that their failures were only a small imperfect part of them. God saw the bigger picture. And these biblical giants chose to see what God saw. They set their focus on Jesus and asked for needed help, an adjustment in their understanding of themselves.

Let’s look at a few examples:

  • Joseph: “ The Lord was with Joseph and gave him success in whatever he did” (Gen 39:23)
  • David: “God testified concerning him: ‘I have found David son of Jesse, a man after my own heart’” (Acts 13:22)
  • Abraham: Friend of God (James 2:23)
  • Gideon: Mighty warrior (Judges 6:12)
  • Joshua: “As for me and my household, we will serve the Lord” (Joshua 24:15)

These are all great examples of humans with a heart for God; humans with faults, but a prayerful, joyful and thankful outlook.

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 tells us to…Be Joyful…Be Prayerful…Be Thankful. This, I believe, is God’s vision for us all. If only we could let these words define us, define our lives. Placing our focus on this aspect of ourselves can create lingering words, lingering views of who we are in God, and allow us to fulfill our callings. We need to intentionally write godly words into the script of our lives; live intentionally with intentionally chosen words.

My Prayer:

Lord, show me who I am in you, who you see me to be. Help me to be joyful, prayerful and thankful, even when my circumstances don’t want me to be that way. I don’t want to feel justified in the ways I react, I only want to be righteous in the right choices that honor you daily. Help me to remember who I am; your son/daughter, and let that guide my steps. Today I only want to live life giving words, words that will bring me closer to you and define who you see me to be. Be my word.

Reflect the Light!

Lisa

~If you have not yet joined this bible study, please do! There is SO much more to learn than what I am posting here. If you would like to get the UNGLUED bible study material, visit www.proverbs31.org

Nov1

Hitting the Refresh

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Have you ever had to hit the refresh button on your computer to update the content that you are reading?  Sometimes your page will get stuck during an upload or, as in the case of Facebook, there is new external happenings merging constantly from  others on the system.  So a simple hit of the refresh button is needed to see the whole picture, in essence to start over, start anew.

Starting over is not one of my favorite things to do, especially when I have already committed a fair portion of myself to something.  My thoughts is to always try to make what I already have, work. The thought of starting over is a daunting prospect.  Starting from the beginning …God did it once.  Sin had become so terrible in the world that He took the one remaining family who was faithful and destroyed everything else, leaving the remnant to start over with a clean slate.

Starting over can be, at times, scary, and at other times a blessing.  Jesus wipes our slate clean; this is a blessing.  He removes all of our sin and lets us hit the refresh button. We then upload new content so that we can proceed in faith with as much information as possible.  The information that we have coming in, although, needs to be helpful and different that what was there before. If it is the same content that we have always had, we could end up right back at the beginning, needing another clean slate.

Finding the right information, that is the key. The only way to discover what is the right information for you, is to spend time with the Lord, he will guide you.  Let go of all of the preconceived notions that you have of what is needed and let the spirit fill you with its truth.  It sounds easy doesn’t it?  I had thought so.  As time goes by I am discovering that the journey is the whole point….not the destination.  It’s not the end result, it’s the path that you walk as a means to that end that is important.

I’ve always been the type of person that would want to read the ending of a book, right after I finish the first chapter.  I’m impatient and too curious for my own good.  Knowing the ending can definitely affects how you see things along the way.  Sometimes it shines a light on the more obscure things, which can be good.  Other times it can ruin the excitement of the story.  I think that this can be true of our story with Jesus.  Knowing what he wants of us can be good in the you can focus on specifically what he wants of you.  But it can also ruin the story.  It can keep you from laying the paving stones along the path in front of you, and you could end up wandering off into the rubble.  I find that I have to continue to hit the refresh button… over and over in order to keep my feet on the pavers.  Can I break this pattern that I seem to be so set on repeating?  I’m not sure that I am meant to.  The journey is the point and with prayer and guidance from Him, I believe that He will show me the way.

So, again I will hit the button and refresh in my Lord and pray that He will effect real change in me and help me to lay the foundation upon which I will walk on.  I pray that He will do the same for you.  Journey well, and remember to lay that solid footing.

Walk in His light, Lisa

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Oct8

God Change!

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“Therefore if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come. The old has gone, the new is here!”          2 Corinthians 5:17

 

            When I first put my faith in Jesus, I expected my whole life to be different.  I expected to see a change from what it was, to what I thought that it should be.  Paul tells us in Corinthians that “we are not to see others from a worldly point of view, that we are part of God’s new creation, and therefore are changed”.  So I looked for this change. When I looked in the mirror, I saw the same face that I always saw, my job was the same, I said the same things, had the same attitudes.  I didn’t see how I was different.  Yet, in the still places of my heart, there was a small warm flame that over time, continued to grow.  I fanned the flame every time I read a devotion, attended a bible study, and helped a person in need.  Every time I gave selflessly, kindling was added to the flame and before long I had nurtured a merry little fire. As time went on the fire grew, till it became a blaze within me.

Believing that Jesus is your savior will change your life, but the kind of change that is visible to those around you, the kind that makes them ask you what is different, requires obedience on your part.  If we listen closely, God guides us in His ways, encourages us to be His hands and heart, to be there for the ones that He loves.  Show others the way to a relationship with Him. Then, the visible change takes place.  It is true that our deeds will not save us; only Jesus can do that. The gift is given to you unconditionally, by the One who loves you so much.   But as Jesus’ brother James said in 2:26: “As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead.”  This does not mean that you need to run out and perform random acts of kindness. As I said, you can’t earn this.  All that is required of you is to spend time with the Lord, as often as possible.  When you develop that loving relationship with the Savior, the rest comes as a natural result of that relationship, and different people are asked to do different things.  One persons relationship with Him will look much different from someone elses’. It is not something that you even consciously think about, it is just who you are… a child of God with the heart of God.  A heart for what breaks His.

For a long time I didn’t see this change, I didn’t know that I was even different. Till people began to ask me what was different, what gave me such hope, what drove me to want to encourage others to fight the good fight.  Now when I look in the mirror I see a new person.  I still have the same reflection, but somehow it has changed. I don’t focus on the way I look, or the imperfections, I look at my innermost being.  I see the person that I have become and am thankful.  I want everyone to know this change, to see the happiness that it can impart.  This is what drives me to do what I do.  It is life giving and completely fulfilling.  Develop that relationship that God wants to have with you, and ask yourself the next time you look in the mirror:

Do people see a change in you?

God bless you in all that you do today!

Lisa