Nov12
Tag Archives: spirituality
May26
Dear Vanessa ~ A Messy Life
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Dear Vanessa,
I don’t know if others feel this way, but sometimes when I look around, in this crazy world, I feel overwhelmed. I see pain, I see illness, I see starvation, young children dying, and people broken. I don’t understand it, how can a God that loves us allow such pain? I am on my own journey of faith, and have questioned this for some time. Does God love us?
Confused,
Victoria
Dearest Victoria,
The short answer to your question is YES! God loves us so much that He gave His only son so that we would be saved. As Jesus was on the cross He said,
“Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” And they divided up his clothes by casting lots. (Luke 23:34)
This statement from Jesus just takes my breath away. In His last moments of human life, He asks our father to forgive. After the people nailed Him to the cross. Forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.
I am sure in those last moments of life, as God looked down on His son, and shed a tear. Thinking about this moment as a mother who also has a son, I feel the pain and sadness of these last moments.
Jesus knew that through his death would come life and renewal for us all. He knew that he would bridge the relationship with our Father in heaven and that we would be forgiven for our sins.
I am thankful for the forgiveness……
We all need forgiveness in this life…..
God loves us Victoria, He loves us so much that He gave His only son.
I too have wondered about the crazy pain in this world; I think many of us have.
God allows us to have free will in this world, but through Jesus we are set free.
Hebrews 10:36-39
You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised. For in just a very little while, “He who is coming will come and will not delay. But my righteous one will live by faith. And if he shrinks back, I will not be pleased with him.” But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who believe and are saved.
There is pain in this world, but there is so much hope.
God always uses these situations for good, He brings hope in the pain, and light in darkness.
He does not make the bad things happen in this world; bad and evil are not part of Gods will. God is love. In the situations where there is pain or disaster God will bring goodness, understanding, hope and love.
He brings light…..
He has shown me so much amazing kindness in this life, and as I look back in time I know He was carrying me. There have been times where I have thought “Why Lord, why is this happening?”
But we don’t know what we don’t know…..
We cannot see the picture or plan completely, only He knows.
Perhaps through the pain comes healing of many, maybe relationships get stronger, maybe the pain causes others to come together in faith?
This much I do know, in my pain and through the biggest struggles, He has brought me so many gifts. He has given me perspective, has brought me so many to love, and has healed me beyond words. He has given me inner healing and a sense of peace.
Psalm 6:6-9
I am worn out from my groaning.
All night long I flood my bed with weeping
and drench my couch with tears.
My eyes grow weak with sorrow;
they fail because of all my foes.
Away from me, all you who do evil,
for the Lord has heard my weeping.
The Lord has heard my cry for mercy;
the Lord accepts my prayer.
He hears our prayers and knows exactly where the pain is. His healing may not be in our time, or in the way that we believe it should be, but He hears and He heals. He loves us beyond comprehension.
When I see pain now, I look for Gods hand in the pain.
A child is hungry – people reach out to help.
A family member passes away – families who have been broken come together to heal.
A child of God is injured physically – the time allows the child to heal and rest in soul and body.
A natural disaster happens – communities come together to rebuild, love, encouragement and perspectives are changed.
People learn reliance In and Through HIM.
It is all in the perspective my friend, perspective is everything.
May I trust in You, Lord, and do good;
May I dwell in the land and feed from Your faithfulness.
When I delight myself in You,
You will give me the desires of my heart.
I will commit my way to You and trust in You,
And you will bring it to pass.
You will bring forth my righteousness like the light,
And my justice like the noonday.
May I rest in You and wait patiently for You;
I will not fret because of those who prosper in their way,
Because of those who practice evil schemes. (Psalm 37:3-7)
Victoria, come to Him and rest your mind my friend. He is there through the storms in this life, He is the light that shines through the darkness.
Dear Lord God,
I pray for understanding in the pain for all of those that know you and those that do not. I pray for your healing in the pain, physically, spiritually, emotionally. We are broken Lord, and live a messy life. I pray for you to show us rest. I pray for this in Jesus Name Amen.
Blessings to you beautiful lady,
Vanessa
If you have a question for Vanessa please email her at [email protected]
You can also visit her personal blog page at www.nesschesters.wordpress.com
May6
She Weeps!
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a beautiful life marketplace
I have another painting for you today ~ simply because, to my chagrin, I simply did not get the project finished that I have been working on.(next week!) This is a watercolor that I painted back when I was just developing my love for Jesus. Music has always been a huge part of my life and an inspiration for me. I realized when I sat down to write this that….I already did! This is actually a re-post of a sort, from back when I first started this blog.
This painting has, for me, been a symbol of my transition from lies of the world into truth and was inspired by a verse from “Revelation Song” which is what this post was about! So, here is the picture and the re-post. If you have never heard the song, there is a link at the end to watch it on you tube. It is beautiful and worshipful and I think you will love it as much as I do!
(~we are also continuing, for the month of May, all sales from our etsy shop will go to benefit a dear friend with breast cancer, to help her with the medical expenses of and upcoming treatment. Thank you for all of your prayers for her and her family! Katherine, we love you!)
“She Weeps” by lisa evola
https://www.etsy.com/listing/150414351/she-weeps-limited-edition-print
The Book of Revelation is without a doubt, my favorite book in the bible. I love the imagery that is used and the best part: We Win! The artist in me wants to paint it all, all of the colors, all of the creatures, all of Jesus! Everything about it draws me in. One of my most favorite songs that we sing in worship on Sunday is Revelation Song. It reflects some of the very best parts of that book, and never fails to make me cry (not hard to do if you know me at all!) But truly, it is a beautiful song with beautiful words and I imagine that these are words we will all be singing one day to the
King of Kings and the Lord of Lords!
Revelation Song
Worthy is the,
Lamb who was slain
Revelation 5:11-12 ~ Then I looked and heard the voice of many angels, numbering thousands upon thousands, and ten thousand times ten thousand. They encircled the throne and the living creatures and the elders. In a loud voice they sang: ”Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise!”
Holy, Holy, is He
Sing a new song, to Him who sits on
Heaven’s Mercy Seat
[Repeat 2x]
Revelation 5:13 ~ Then I heard every creature on earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all that is in them singing: “To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and honor and glory and power, for ever and ever!”
(Chorus)
Holy, Holy, Holy
Is the Lord God Almighty
Who was, and is, and is to come
With all creation I sing:
Praise to the King of Kings!
You are my everything,
And I will adore You…!
Yeah!
Revelation 4:8 ~ Each of the four living creatures had six wings and was covered with eyes all around even under his wings. Day and night they never stop saying: “Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord Almighty, who was, and is, and is to come.”
Clothed in rainbows, of living color
Flashes of lightning, rolls of thunder
Blessing and honor, strength and
Glory and power be
To You the Only Wise King,
Yeah
Revelation 4:10-11 ~ The twenty-four elders fell down before Him who sits on the throne, and worship him who lives for ever and ever. They lay their crowns before the throne and say: “You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power,”
(Chorus)
Holy, Holy, Holy
Is the Lord God Almighty
Who was, and is, and is to come, yeah
With all creation I sing:
Praise to the King of Kings!
You are my everything,
And – I - will - adore You!
Revelation 11:16-17 ~ And the twenty-four elders, who were seated on their thrones before God, fell on their faces and worshiped God saying: “We give thanks to you, Lord God Almighty, the One who is and who was, because you have taken your great power and have begun to reign.”
Filled with wonder,
Awestruck wonder
At the mention of Your Name
Jesus, Your Name is Power
Breath, and Living Water
Such a marvelous mystery
Revelation 1:17 ~ When I saw him, I fell at his feer as though dead. Then he placed his right hand on me and said: “Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last. I am the Living one; I was dead, and behold I am alive for ever and ever!”
(Chorus)
Holy, Holy, Holy
Is the Lord God Almighty
Who was, and is, and is to come, yeah
With all creation I sing:
Praise to the King of Kings!
You are my everything,
And – I - will - adore You!
Revelation 19:16 ~ On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written:
KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.
Holy, Holy, Holy
Is the Lord God Almighty
Who was, and is, and is to come,
With all creation I sing:
Praise to the King of Kings!
You are my everything,
And – I - will - adore YOU…
if you would like to hear the song, click the link below!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dsiDukXIeVY
Apr8
Catching Fire!
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I love fortune cookies. My kids love fortune cookies. I remember racing through my meal when I was younger, just to get to the little folded cookie at the end so that I could see what the future had in store for me! Would the tiny slip inside tell me that I would be rich? Famous? Beautiful? Or would it give me some tiny bit of wisdom that would enrich my life immensely if I applied it to my life?
I can’t say that I ever received any profound thoughts or advice in all of the years that I ate Chinese food, but as I sat in church on Sunday and listened to the message, when the subject of a fortune cookie came up, it peaked my interest. Maybe someone else had received some noteworthy message inside of the sweet little folded goodness.
He unfolded a fortune that said this: “Catch on fire with enthusiasm and people will come from miles to watch you burn!” Of course, this elicited giggles from the congregation. How funny! The first thing that I thought of was someone standing in the middle of the street all aflame, and people gathering to watch….maybe a few even pulling out the marshmallows and weenies! Then I got real….
As the speaker continued with his message, it turned out that this quote was originally written by John Wesley, the founder of the Methodist church. How interesting. All of a sudden the quip took on a whole new meaning for me. “Catch on fire with enthusiasm, and people will come from miles to watch you burn!”
Can you see it now? A sidewalk preacher standing on his soapbox, preaching the good news of the gospel? An animated bible teacher excitedly telling her class the message she is there to convey? Maybe a high school student retelling an event in his life that somehow changed him, due to God’s hand in that situation?
When we are on fire for Jesus, it shows. Our light begins to blaze the message that was put within us; that God is always there for us, guiding us, loving us. There are many who need to hear this, who need the comfort that accompanies the message. Sometimes we don’t even know that we need it, but when we see someone that is excited about something that has happened to them, don’t we take notice? Do you pay attention to what they are saying while their hands are waving around and their voices are raised in animation of the story? If you see a noticeable change in someone, and they tell you it is due to something that has happened to them, don’t you want to know what it is? Don’t you want that too, for yourself?
Everyone wants to be happy, to have comfort, to have good things happen in their lives. If you knew how to do that, wouldn’t you want to share that secret? So why do we keep our stories to ourselves? Have we become too good at keeping secrets? If everyone around you were happy, how much happier life would be! Isn’t this what we want?
The message of Jesus is a happy message, a powerful message. It is loving, peaceful, encouraging and life giving! It has the power to transform the world. Why wouldn’t we want to tell others about the things that it has done for us? Maybe you don’t see true change in your life coming from God. Maybe you still need to take that first step, have that relationship with your Savior, and put God first and the rest will follow.
Don’t keep it all to yourself…. catch on fire with enthusiasm for God and what he has done for you; people will come from miles to watch you burn!
My Prayer:
Lord, help me to be on fire for you, to show others the excitement that you have placed within me. Let me shine like the stars in heaven so that others may see your goodness and power and seek you as they watch me burn! In Jesus’ name I pray!
Reflect His Light!
Lisa
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):
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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.
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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:
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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)
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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:
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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
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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
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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
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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
Feb26
bible study tuesday: Genesis ~ Are we alone?
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Bible Study Tuesday
I would like to undertake an in-depth study of the book of Genesis….well, the first chapter anyway and we can decide where to go from there. Anyone who knows me knows that long term projects aren’t my forte, but I think that this is so ultimately important that we are going to get started on it and see where it goes.
Now when I ask the question “are we alone”, I am not talking about alien encounters.
I think everyone generally accepts that Satan exists and he has a body of followers called spirits or demons that seek to bring evil into the world…yes? I heard a message some time ago that got me thinking. This brief sentence rocked my world and engaged my curiosity to the point that I could think of nothing else. The sentence was, “I’ll bet you didn’t know that there was a world that existed before this one, right here on earth” And this was coming from a pastor. Needless to say, I had to know what he was talking about. He said all of the evidence was right there in scripture if we just would read it literally and choose to accept it. I started to explore genesis and I have to admit that I still did not see it, until I went to the “get whole” class and this very subject was discussed.
Too often we read through the bible, just skipping the things that we don’t understand, which for most of us is, like….all of it! Or we will try to make sense of a concept based on our own human understanding. I don’t believe that this is how we are supposed to do this. If the bible is the word of God, I would think that He would write it in terms that could be proven and researched, or understood, not in some vague, poetic form that would leave too much to be interpreted by anyone who wanted to…Godly or otherwise. He would want us to be able to discover His truths. So, I also believe that it is our duty, if we really want to know what we are here for and what God wants from us and for us, to do what we can to discern its meaning.
So I embarked on a path to figure out exactly what this pastor was talking about. I read and reread Genesis 1 and honestly I didn’t see anything there that I hadn’t seen before.
“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless
and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.” Genesis 1:1-2
Let’s stop here for a minute…I think that “in the beginning” is pretty self-explanatory…before there was anything else but God, He “created the heavens and the earth”. Do you notice the plural use of heaven? This implies that there is more than one. Keep that thought on the back burner for now though….it would be confusing to discuss that here. The next part of the verse says this: “Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep”… stop. The word we are going to look at here is was. “Was” in Strong’s bible concordance is number 1960 (Hebrew) in case you would like to look it up- it was not easy to find….for me anyway! It says this: to fall out, come to pass, become. So if we replace the word was in the verse it now says: Now the earth became formless and empty. Looking at this logically, it tells us that the earth was not formless and empty before. Before what? Before God created Adam and Eve, because that comes later in the next chapter of Genesis.
Does this rock your world? It did mine! Truly I am not making this up or twisting words. It’s in the bible if you choose to see it. Proverbs 3:5 says this: “trust the Lord with all your heart; and lean not unto your own understanding.” 2 Timothy 2:15 says, “study to show yourself approved unto God…rightly dividing the word of truth.” –We are to discern the truth from what God has given us…His word. It is all there right from His mouth. We just have to see it and discern the truth.
All that I am saying is that something was here before us. If you think about it, this would explain tons. God created the heavens and the earth, something happened and then the earth became formless.
Right after the word was, is “formless and empty”, or if you read the King James version it is “without form and void.”
Formless is; confusion, unreality, emptiness – or chaos. Void also describes emptiness or a wasteland. So, the world became a barren wasteland, giving the impression that there was a time when it was not that way.
I think that is enough to chew on for today, check it out, think it over…choose to see it or not, it’s up to you. If you would like to continue with me along this path, tune in next bible study Tuesday.
Next Tuesday: we will continue with this line of thinking, but here are a couple of other verses from the bible that can support what we are talking about today:
Jeremiah 4:23-26 and 2 Peter 3:5-7. Don’t just look on the surface of what they say, look at each word and concept that it presents and try to see what the possible implications could be. And absolutely do not read the commentary section if you have a study bible, it will just close your mind to the possibilities. Hint: in Jeremiah, the heavens saw no light in his vision. In 2 Peter look at the word perished and to what it is referring.
My Prayer:
Lord, open my heart and my eyes to see the glory of your words and the life that they can bring to my soul. I pray that you will help me to discern the truth regardless of what my lifelong training has told me, so that I will not be influenced by preconceived ideas and the forces that could have put them there. I wish only to know Your truth as it has been given to me through your word, your good and perfect word. In Jesus’ name we pray.
Feb25
A Father’s Love
Posted on
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
Feb14
Love Never Fails
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In the worldly context of today, love can mean many things. We throw the word out callously to describe something that we want, something desirable to us. We love chocolate, flowers, presents. We love to play games, watch television and the new Bradley Cooper movie. This love, worldly love is self-serving; directed inwards toward ourselves. Lust is another feeling that we confuse for love. Lust is immediate but seldom long lasting, yet we say we love and then when the moment is gone, we take back our love and leave in its place a hole…a God sized hole.
1 Corinthians 13:4-7 describes the qualities of real love; the outward expression of love.
“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking. It is not easily angered; it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.”
This is not what we usually see in life. This is what we see: Love is demanding, love is brief, love is dependent on an action of some sort. It makes us do crazy things and tends to bring out the worst parts of ourselves when it isn’t returned. A pretty sad picture I would say. But we are called to more, to be more, to do more and to give more…more love.
Jesus said that the two greatest commandments are to love the Lord you God with all your heart, all your mind and all your soul; with your whole being…and the second is like it….to love your neighbor as yourself. He only gave us two commandments here, and they are both commands to love. Not as the world loves, but as God loves.
Evaluate the way you love and are loved in the world. Are the characteristics like that of Paul’s description of love in 1 Corinthians 13, or more like the worldly love? Our goal is to be more like Christ, and to do that we need to do really one thing…Love. Love like crazy….. everyone!
It’s easy to love your kids, your husband, your parents, a friend…but do you love the annoying person at church who just rubs you the wrong way, the neighbor whom you know is cheating on their husband, the child that lives across the street who has been breaking into houses. These people may be a bit more difficult to love. We pass judgment on things that honestly we don’t know anything about. That is not our place, it is God’s. Our place is in Jesus’ arms; generously loved and mercifully forgiven! And we are to react in kind to our fellow man.
Let’s look at the way we love today, on this national holiday of love. Are we withholding love in expectation of something in return? Do we let 
anger at a situation keep us from showing love to another who needs it? Have we said unloving words to our neighbor because of our own frustrations? Are we patient in our love, thinking only of the other and their feelings? If this is something that you are experiencing; this type of love, it may be time to re-evaluate.
Let God fill that God sized hole, fill you with His unconditional love, and turn your stony heart to a heart of flesh, so that you may love as he loves and receive love that is life giving instead of self-serving.
My Prayer:
Lord, I want to love others as you love me, with unconditional abandon and completeness. Give me a new heart so that I may show others your great love; that they may fill their God-sized hole with something lasting and fulfilling; your love for them. I want to change the world Lord; one heart at a time!
Reflect His light!
Lisa
Have you downloaded your 40-day fast manual yet? You can get it here…. fasting journal 2013
I am going to have a giveaway for everyone who participates in the 40 day fast from Tuesday’s post and returns the journal to me. I haven’t decided exactly what yet….TBD! So stay tuned! Everyone will be a winner. (please email me and let me know that you plan on participating - [email protected]) If you have started…..how are you doing? I had an awesome, inspiring day yesterday. I decided to start with worship music…..all day! Music so inspires me, I don’t know why I don’t listen to it more! While listening to some great tunes, I came up with 6 new ideas for posts….coming soon to a blog near you!
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.
