 |
| voila, it's roses.... Some days I drive thru very poor parts of town. I often pass thru areas that look spiritually and emotionally lifeless... Weeds.. I see an abundance of weeds.... I have often wondered if a person's yard or home have any relfection on thier spiritual life... Does that sound silly? I guess it does..but have you ever seen a yard with weeds to your knees and wonder about the emotional state of the person living amongst the weeds.? I used to live amongst weeds. Literally. My house and my yard reflected who I was on the inside...Everything was all grown over...In disarray... No flowers bloomed. Everything appeared to be a chaotic mess. In essence, it was.. I was too worried and too lost to bother about changing anything... So the grass became unkempt..the laundry piled up...and my house soon began to look like my life... Since then, I have cleaned up.. I no longer live in that house... . I associate it with bad memories and hard times. I'm grateful that God gave me my life back.. But there are those who still don't have life...they mete out thier days in yards with weeds to thier knees and they wait and wait and wait for change.. I guess they don't realize that God is the giver of life..He can transform..He can clean up a dusty life and put things in order..... He can make the flowers bloom again...the ones that live inside us..dormant sometimes... His life giving water can make them live. I'm sad for people with dilapitated yards and weeks worth of dishes. I'm sad because I know that a lot of messes aren't made in happy, innocent frivolty.. Some messes accumulate out of complete and total despair. Some people just quit caring about thier lives altogether.. One day, I want todrive thru these areas...Find the houses that look really sad....and make it rain roses in the yard... I want to remind people that there is life..and that it is fragrant and beautiful. I could drop thousands of roses into thousands of yards.. but there is that part of me that knows that even though it would be a nice gesture.. Only God can give people thier lives back... all they have todo is ask.. Hmmm..that's an idea.. maybe I will attach a little note to the roses.. God wants you live...Ask Him for life.. So those are my thoughts on how I have always wanted to make it rain roses... What is something you have always wanted to do? Share your thoughts with me.. |
Thursday, February 23, 2012
It's Raining Roses
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
Jake's Cakes
 |
| Brendan enjoying the flower |
 |
| a scene from Jake's Cakes |
Today, I went a little off the beaten path into a local bakery who happens to serve coffee...
I don't typically blog about places I go..but today I decided to do something different...
Jake's Cakes is located in Sulphur on Ruth Street...
anyone who is familiar with Sulphur knows that unique places are few and far between....
I walked into Jake's Cakes and asked for an iced coffee...The place is relatively new so I was informed that they don't yet serve iced coffee...
So I ordered a cafe latte with vanilla.... It was delish..
I then walked into a little side room ...and all I can say is... I was impressed to discover a welcoming little nook.
The atmosphere was quaint and cozy...there was jazz music in the background....making the entire experience , a pleasurable one...
As I was leaving I saw that the company had been started by a nineteen year old boy. I was impressed..
jakes cakes serves king cakes, hand dipped strawberries, novelty desserts, soups, salads, and a bevy of other things...
I will definity be a regular.
Jake's Cakes was a nice surprise....
__________
an afterthought...
I like small business.... I like places with unique flair and personal touch....
there don't seem to be too many places like that anymore..they are few and far between...
the chain has taken over..
strip malls often cookie cutter our daily experiences.....
I like it when the little guy succeeds... but all to often...I see places like this close down after about a year..
It's almost as if people are afraid to try something new. It's almost as if familiarity opens its big, wide arms and we all fall into to it's abyss like cattle..
Familiarity is boring.
We should take more time to venture off the beaten path...
--------
another afterthought..
Today, I was thinking of success....
I was thinking that I hope this little business is sucessful...
Then I began to think..what does it mean to be successful?
I know that in the world's eyes, success is often equated with having nice things and loads of money.
I recently wrote a post about the prosperity gospel and how I don't believe that God wants us to be rich.
I want to slightly revise that statement.
Sucess is a natural part of some very brave endeavors.
God doesn't fault money. He faults greed.
To me, success is making others around me feel rich... To make others feel special...That is success...
It can be achieved whether someone has millions of dollars or just a few...I don't think our purpose in life is make money, as many would lead us to believe...
I think it would be interesting to own a coffee shop...
Not for the money..but because hundreds of strangers would pass through the door..
Hundreds of lives could be intertwined..
It would provide a chance to minister to hurting people...It would be a chance to be real and get to know people...
Life is too fast paced...
I hope that Jake of Jake Cake's touches lives with his business... I hope that Jake doesn't become greedy and vain and lose focus on the things that really matter in this life....
I am praying for this Jake character....
That he sees always remembers quality is better than quanity
That he come to truly grasp the meaning of success....
and that he come across an outstanding iced coffee recipe..just kidding..
yesterday cade and I went to the nursing home. Jesus has been dealing with for some time to go, but truthfully I haven't felt like it. For a week, I dealt with severe vertigo. I felt that my strength was sapped. But we walk by feelings and not by faith. We went anyway.
I am glad we did. We met so many amazing people that needed some cheer for this Christmas season.
We met a lady who kept thanking us for coming to visit her. We prayed with her and told her how much she means to our Savior. She kept doting over Cade. She relentlessly thanked us for coming.
One thing I have noticed about the residents of the nursing home is that they are desperate for prayer. Every time I ask anyone there if they would like me to pray with them, they empathically nod thier heads.
Yes, please pray with me.
Yesterday we prayed for a man stricken with illness and a dear woman who said that none of her family even acknowledged her existence on Christmas day. She was heartbroken.
We met a man who told his that his family was dead. I bought him a Bible and told him of this brilliant place that I dream about sometimes called Heaven.
We passed out honeybuns. Next time we go, I would like to hand out a few cd players. Many of the residents don't have cd players. Their senses are often dulled with the monotony of television. I want these people to live again. To have music. To have renewed faith. To find hope again.
I want people to begin bringing Jesus to the nursing home. I am truly sad for people that are confined and forced to mete out thier time in lonliness and despair. These are the forgotten.
As I am writing this post, I feel as if I have too much to say and I don't really know how to say it.
If there is one thing that I want to convey thru this post...It is this: OBEY GOD.
After we left the nursing home, I felt renewed. I felt restored somehow. I felt as if God was once again shining His light upon me. When we listen to the still small voice of God, we are restored.
God tells us in His Word to be doers of the word and not hearers only.
Doing is a way to exercise our faith. It increases our love and our capacity to love. It brings us closer to the Father. I have found that the more I do for Him, the more I understand.
The more I obey His voice, the closer I am to Him.
Sometimes His voice calls us to do things that are difficult. He will often call us out of our comfort zones.
If you are stuck in a comfort zone, trust Him to move you out of it.
These days we are too concerned with comfort. There is a lost and dying world that needs Jesus.
I once thought that God existed to meet my needs. I once wondered why certain things cards always seemed stacked against me. I once used God for joy and then blamed Him when something didn't go right. I once prayed. God would answer my prayer and then I would go right back to living my heinous, sinful life.
But I have since humbly learned that I am here to meet His.
If anyone would like to donate a cd player that you aren't using, message me. If not, that's ok too.
Much love
I am glad we did. We met so many amazing people that needed some cheer for this Christmas season.
We met a lady who kept thanking us for coming to visit her. We prayed with her and told her how much she means to our Savior. She kept doting over Cade. She relentlessly thanked us for coming.
One thing I have noticed about the residents of the nursing home is that they are desperate for prayer. Every time I ask anyone there if they would like me to pray with them, they empathically nod thier heads.
Yes, please pray with me.
Yesterday we prayed for a man stricken with illness and a dear woman who said that none of her family even acknowledged her existence on Christmas day. She was heartbroken.
We met a man who told his that his family was dead. I bought him a Bible and told him of this brilliant place that I dream about sometimes called Heaven.
We passed out honeybuns. Next time we go, I would like to hand out a few cd players. Many of the residents don't have cd players. Their senses are often dulled with the monotony of television. I want these people to live again. To have music. To have renewed faith. To find hope again.
I want people to begin bringing Jesus to the nursing home. I am truly sad for people that are confined and forced to mete out thier time in lonliness and despair. These are the forgotten.
As I am writing this post, I feel as if I have too much to say and I don't really know how to say it.
If there is one thing that I want to convey thru this post...It is this: OBEY GOD.
After we left the nursing home, I felt renewed. I felt restored somehow. I felt as if God was once again shining His light upon me. When we listen to the still small voice of God, we are restored.
God tells us in His Word to be doers of the word and not hearers only.
Doing is a way to exercise our faith. It increases our love and our capacity to love. It brings us closer to the Father. I have found that the more I do for Him, the more I understand.
The more I obey His voice, the closer I am to Him.
Sometimes His voice calls us to do things that are difficult. He will often call us out of our comfort zones.
If you are stuck in a comfort zone, trust Him to move you out of it.
These days we are too concerned with comfort. There is a lost and dying world that needs Jesus.
I once thought that God existed to meet my needs. I once wondered why certain things cards always seemed stacked against me. I once used God for joy and then blamed Him when something didn't go right. I once prayed. God would answer my prayer and then I would go right back to living my heinous, sinful life.
But I have since humbly learned that I am here to meet His.
If anyone would like to donate a cd player that you aren't using, message me. If not, that's ok too.
Much love
Monday, February 13, 2012
why we fight, thoughts on spiritual warfare, what God showed me I am going to be doing, how the walk resembles the story of the Karate Kid??, the lesson of the rose oil, crying in the cashew butter aisle, why we need to help each other in this race, are you the tortoise or the hare? and yes, you really need to read this post..
Lately, I haven't felt like writing. I have actually sat at the computer a few times and tried to write...I felt as if I had too much to say...so therefore, I said nothing. I listened to the lies that I would have to please others with painted words and feel good doctrine. I listened to the lies that it doesn't really matter what I do one way or the other.
Lies.
the reason why we spread the Truth is to drown out all of the lies. Jesus said, I am the Truth, the Life, and The Way...
we walk by faith and not by feelings......We spread the Truth by allowing ourselves to be molded into the image of Christ...The image of Truth....
So today, I write anyway.
I have much to say.
Do you ever feel as if all you do is fight? Do you ever feel that as soon as one mountain comes down..another one more massive just seems to rise up? Do you ever wonder when the path will straighten and you can walk with ease?
I do. I feel as if I am in a continual struggle.
Sometimes I cry out to God...God, when will the paths be made straight?
I ask Him why I feel as if I am continually fighting...
Before He can even answer, I already know what He will say...
"Rachelle, the things of Heaven are worth fighting for.."
And yes, they are....
The things of God are worth the struggle.
those moments of divine clarity....are worth it...those moments of seeing the miraculous hand of God in what others consider ordinary...is worth it..
the hope, the promise ...it's all worth it....
The sweet moments of rest and prayer and feeling the loving hand of mercy wrapped around you...it's worth it...
The moments of solitude, indescribeable peace, ...the realization that you are a part of something much larger than yourself..
Getting to know Him and discovering the powerful, loving person that is God...
It's worth it...
There are some Christians out there who paint the walk as easy. There is even a book for Christians called, "Make every day a Friday.." meaning that the Christian life is characterized by a life without trouble, without tribulation, without turmoil...I'm not critcizing the author....but...
Jesus tells us to expect trouble..expect hardships, expect to be Hated because of Him....The only Friday we are supposed to be living is Good Friday..the day we take up the Cross and march to Calvary to die. Not the day when school lets out and we are free to relax for the rest of our lives...
It's not always easy and to paint a picture of easy street is a lie.
The path is narrow.......and few will ever find it...
Are you being tested and tried?
If you are working for God, then chances are that you are....
I want to share something that God showed me last night.....
Do you remember the movie, The Karate Kid?
For part of the movie, "Daniel son" is angry.
Mr. Miyagi is having him wax on..wax off...paint the fence, do this...do that...
Daniel is angry because he doesn't understand why he is being asked to do these things...
But he does them anyway...
The whole time, Mr. Miyagi knew what he was doing. He was preparing Daniel. He was molding him into a fighter. Daniel didn't understand, but without the instruction, he would have failed miserably.
Instead, he fought his way to victory and became a champion. Mr. Miyagi had a plan the entire time...a plan to mold Daniel into a warrior..
....
As Christians, we are like Daniel.....We are being trained for something greater than ourselves.
We are called to be warriors in the greatest Army ever known....
and the training part is never easy...
God longs to strip away our dead parts to mold us into the image of His Son.....
And it often hurts...
It is not easy..
It is not a Friday type of thing.
The other day I spoke to a lady that I deeply respect. I was sharing some things with her that I have gone through and things that I still struggle with...
She responded with something beautiful...and I would like to share it with you...because I think we can all relate..I think we have all been there...
She said, "Rachelle, you are walking through the desert." She said..struggling is like Noah sending out the dove....we are waiting and waiting for it to return. everything seems uncertain. We grow impatint. We long to walk amongst the rainbows....
She then said the most amazing thing... Rachelle, your branch will come.
Friends, readers, whoever you are..sitting at your computer..reading these words ....across this screen......Your branch will come, too."
The branch that tells us that the waters have receded and that it is safe to walk upon the dry land.
The branch will come....
Wait upon the Lord...you shall renew your strength and rise up with with wings as eagles.....
God showed me something else....
Does anyone know what deliverance is?
It's a term that isn't used much......
I've recently come to understand deliverance as being free from the powers of darkness....
The other day God showed me what deliverance is...
My son Brendan..dropped one of his little toy soilers in my bath water....I looked at this plastic man in the water...It looked as if he was drowning. Brendan kept saying, Mama, mama,...get my man out of the water....Get him out...
Even a two year old boy recognized the danger...the peril..the choking, deading effect of water in the lungs...
So I pulled the man out of the water and , at the moment, God spoke to me and said, "Rachelle, that is deliverance."
It is Me pulling the drowning soldier out of the water. It is me giving Him his life back...It is Me, becoking Him to breathe and removing the water from his tired lungs. It is Me providing the relief and the much needed rest...
Rachelle, That is deliverance....
The truth is...and this will sound strange...but we live in a world of spirits. We live in a world of the unseen.
This is a truth that I am faced with on a daily basis. I have seen the supernatural in very real ways....(anyone who would ever like to talk about your experiences with me, message me or would like to hear my experiences...)
Demonic forces are real. And as Christians, we fight against them...We are solidiers..
Sometimes, I think the term "enemy" is overused.
I know that to an unbeliever, it must seem very strange to hear people talk about darkness and evil...I know that to some, it must sound strange....The term has almost become cliche, in a sense.
And it is sad to say..but things of a spiritual nature are largely mocked by society. People often embrace parts of the Bible and toss out others like yesterday's trash.
Many of the people that ask for prayers are the same ones spewing out gossip, creating strife with words....cutting others in half with thier tongue. It's not right! If this is you..you are better than that :)
Many people are running after a feel good doctrine, but what people need is the Truth......
Hear me out on this....
I have truly seen how the enemy creates strife in people's lives. My own life was nearly destroyed.
I've seen how the forces of darkess can affect moods and even come against the physical body.....
They create feelings of chaos, lonliness, torment, despair, depression, anger, hostility, lust....
I know that this goes against the argument of science...I know that scientific journals will tell you that depression is caused by low levels of seratonin in the brain..I know that science has an explanation for almost everything...I'm not against science...
Many people think that science is a way of refuting the things of God.....but to me, science only reveals the complexity of our world. To me, science is a way of explaining the physical universe.
Science falls short because it doesn't recognize the spiritual world....because to live according to spirit is to live a life of faith.
Today I will breathe in 1100 liters of air...(yes, I got that fact from Anne Voskamps book)....
Today, my heart will pump blood through my veins a tenth of a million times...
Have you ever seen a grain of sand up close?. Neither had I until yesterday...
Look closely...
Even the sand is structured. All is ordered....all is designed by a loving God...
Look at these grains of sand...magnified 250 times... I am thankful for science...because without science...I would never have seen this type of organized beauty up close....
I could sit here and spit out mathematical numbers about how the possiblity of our world forming by chance are near remote...or I could tell you simply to have faith...to take God at His word...because He is real.
And His love for you is unfailing.
Even the most educated scientists agree on one thing...something can not come from nothing...We are not accidents...We were created for a purpose...
.....I digress....
I've seen how darkness, in its working ways, can bring a person to the brink of despair and helplessness.
I"ve been in the center of the vortex.
It feels like emptiness.
But one thing that God taught me how to do....is to fight the lie with the truth.
The very nature of demons and darkness is lies. Lies are the bitter poisoned fruit of this life...but we are not of this world... we fight
We fight the lies with the truth..
Read these lies...I'm sure you will all recognize them..they have all crept into our lives at some point in time...
( Insert your name here)...you are a failure. You will never amount to anything. -THE LIE
You are more than an overcomer through Christ Jesus who strengthens you - THE TRUTH
I, (insert your name here ) am too afraid of God. I am afraid of the Christian walk.-THE LIE
I have not given you a spirit of fear, but a spirit of power, of love, and of a sound mind -
In all of your ways, acknowledge me, and I will direct your paths -THE TRUTH
No one loves me -THE LIE
The very hairs of your heard are numbered...
My banner over you is love
For God so loved the world that He sent His only begotten son ...that whosever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life -THE TRUTH
God will never forgive me. I have done too many things. God is not for me. -THE LIE
He has removed our sins as far from us as the east is from the west -THE TRUTH
Then David said to Nathan, "I have sinned against the LORD." Nathan replied, "The LORD has taken away your sin. You are not going to die -THE TRUTH
I accept this depression for my life-THE LIE
The enemy comes to steal, to kill and to destroy, but I have come that you might have life and have it in abundance ...
This is the day that the Lord has made, I will rejoice and be glad in it..
I give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he might be glorified - TRUTH...beauty for ashes is a promise I want to hold on to...
I am too shy to reach out to anyone -THE LIE
I have not given you a spirit of fear, but a spirit of power, of love, and of a sound mind -THE TRUTH
Heaven won't be that great, anyway -THE LIE
"No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him"--
I have all the time in the world. I can accept Christ into my life tomorrow. He's not going anywhere. I like the way I'm living. -THE LIE
Well, this one is pretty obvious...this could very well be our last five minutes on earth. Every day, thousands of people die..are we listening to the lie that we have time?
I will never beat this addiction. -THE LIE
A friend of mine and I were talking today. He is my coworker at the plastic plant. We were talking about working overtime. He said that working overtime is like shoveling a pile of plastic pellets. You don't think about it..you just do it...He said that sometimes you don't look up..you just keep working and working until eventually, you look up and notice that the pile has seemingly melted away...
Life and the Christian walk is almost like shoveling...You work..and work......you see a huge pile in front of you..the troubles of life...but you keep shoveling...because you know that when you look up...you will see order...the mess will be gone.. you keep pushing forward..you move....you dig..you dig deep...with bended knees..and a head bowed low...you dig deep into the very Word of God... you keep your head down.....you dig deep and you find roots.
Roots. He is the vine and we are the branches.....when we dig deep..He gives us roots...and there is pure light flowing in our veins...
Finally, we look up from the shoveling and we can see beauty...the oil of joy for mourning...He calls us oaks of righteousness. He longs to make us strong. And any fighter knows that in order to be strong, you have to work......
You fight..and you keep fighting...
Lately, Jesus has been pouring insight into my spirit...He has given me countless thoughts and ideas. I can hardly keep up, and for that, I am grateful..
In the Bible, God tells us that we are in a race... " Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? "Run in such a way as to get the prize." 1 Corinthians 9:24
Does anyone remember the story of the tortoise and the hare? The tortoise and the hare were involved in a race. The tortoise pushed forward. He was slow, but his pursuit of the goal was steady. He had keen focus. He saw the finish line in his mind, and he pursued it relentlessly. He did not waver. He just simply kept going. Everyone laughed and thought he would fail, but he kept on....He didn't give up despite the jeers..the taunts....He didn't give up even though it reason deemed it impossibe for him to win...
Then there was the hare...The hare is a natural born runner. The hare has legs equipped for running. His entire body is designed for speed. Running is the hare's purpose....But the hare became overconfident. He alluded himself that he had all the time in the world to reach the goal...he became preoccupied with other things..He set his eyes on frivolous things and, in the process, nearly forgot about the race, altogether... In the end, the hare never made it to the finish line. .....The hare alluded himself that he had time........
If we look at this story from a spiritual perspective, we can clearly see that this story resembles the Christain walk. Of course, if God had written the story we would have seen the tortoise trying to help the hare finish the race. We would see that, in fact, the two were not competing...the tortoise would have done all he could to make sure that the hare finished right alongside of him....When will we realize that life is not a competition? When will we realize that the prize goes to the ones who set aside thier differences and simply trust God and help others along the path?
Who are we in this race? Are we the tortoise...are we keen and sharply focused on our Creator? Are our eyes truly set on the goal..on the things above and not on things below..? Is the arrow of our hearts pointed towards heaven? Are we willing to overcome obstacles and not give up...even when the walk seems impossible..even when our legs are tired? Even when we listen to the lies that we will lose? Will we realize that even if reason spits out the lie that we will fail....that "all things are possible with God"?
Or..
Are we the hare? We have the tools before us..We have the living, breathing Word of God..We have His spirit longing to get close to us... we have all the weapons we need to fight...but we decide that we have all the time in the world to pursue the things of God...
Are we the hare? Losing focus.....stopping along the path to smell the roses, but in the meantime forgetting that we are even in a race.... Are we losing time? The sands of our lives will one day run out...our hourglass will reach the last grain of sand..and we will see that time has shut the window of our days...will we stand before our Maker..as one who made the most of our time?..or will we be the hare in the story?
We need to quit looking at race, religion, and things we percieve as differences and just start helping people in this race. It's time to leave our comforts, get on our knees, and seek the face of God....We start the race on our knees. We put on the boots of peace, (they are our running shoes)... and we fight...
Last night I had a dream about a kitten. A very small, helpless kitten. It was looking up at me with sad and desperate eyes. I could see that the small creature had been abused and neglected. She was broken and beaten down by life. I took her in...I gave her food and love. I gave her warmth and comfort.
The kitten left for a while. But later, she came back.
God showed me something...He showed me the reason for the fighting. This world is full of world weary, tired, neglected people. Many have been abused. Many are desperate, searching..looking for answers with helpless eyes...Many look at the lives of Christians...hoping to see the image of Christ.....It is our duty to feed them, care for them, love them....They may go back into vain pursuits, but, in the end, many will recognize the taste of love and crave the spiritual milk. As Christians, we are to provide spiritual milk for the lost "kittens" of this world.
We become the hands of Christ as submit our lives to Him, in humilty...We humbly hold the bowls of milk.
____________
Tonight, a family member was breaking a bag of ice. I was watching him from the corner of my eye, but not really paying much attention. Suddenly, I heard a very loud bang as the ice cracked against the floor. For a split second, my spirit filled with fear. I could see big hands coming down forcefully cracking the ice against the floor....
It scared me for a moment, becasue it was as if, for a brief moment, I felt the fear of abuse victims... I could feel the fear as hands slowly crushing hope and dignity....
The other night, I was at work and a coworker showed me a video...I didn't want to see it, but he started playing it on his cell phone. It was some sort of morbid real underground video. The video took place in Africa. It was captured on video by a cell phone or video camera....It showed a man running through the streets. I asked my coworker why they were chasing him. He said that the man had gotten caught stealing a necklace. The men in the video are relentlessly pursing another man...Finally, they catch him. They begin to beat the man with tire irons. The man struggles to get away. They pour gasoline on him. The man desperately tries to escape.....by now, the pursuit is taking place in the middle of the streets. Cars are going by...no one has stopped to help the man getting vicously beaten....Before long, the man is down..He is lying helpless in the middle of the street. By now, a crowd has gathered round. Still, no intervention. The next part of the video, gave me chills that I still cannot forget. The men light the man on fire. Cars are still going about thier daily business. People are watching as if they are cheering on the brutalilty of it all....The man burns to death right there in the middle of the street.
After I watched that video, I became sick to my stomach. Hell made complete sense after watching that video.
The truth of the matter is that we live in a very dark world. We live in a world where many children do not have the security of loving parents. We live in a world where men are burned and left to die in the middle of the street. We live in a world where children are brutally beaten. Many atrocities are not even an afterthought....
People need Light. That is why we fight. The only way we can ever overcome the darkness is to spread the loving Light of God...People need love......People need to begin to heed the voice of the Holy Spirit, the voice of overwhelming rightness sent by God..that leads us into love and Truth
The other day, I was at work and I was speaking to a coworker about a disciple group, in which he participates. I asked him what they were learning about. He told me that they were working on a question. "What question," I asked. He replied, "Why is it important for God's children to hear His voice?"
Immediately, I knew the answer. There are several reasons actually. but I will only touch upon a few...
It is important that we learn to hear the voice of God....When we hear His voice, we will find that it leads us into humilty. His voice, when heeded, causes us to strip away our self... Heeding His voice ultimately carves us into the image of His only son. Heeding the voice of God leads us into love. God said that there is no greater love than someone who is willing to lay down his life for his friends.
We need to hear the voice of God because this world needs THAT kind of love. This world needs Jesus. Heeding his voice could have implications that go further than we know or even realize.
Once I was driving through the Wal mart parking lot...I saw a man sitting in the break area...Immediately, I heard the voice of God, His sweet Holy Spirit beckoned me...Rachelle, this man needs to hear of my great love.
"Tell him that I am real. Give him something..."
So, I did....I stopped my car... I beckoned the man to come to my window...With tears in my eyes I told him...how much God loved him...It's all real, I told him...I handed him some money that I had nearby. The man began to cry..... It was as if years of torment just fell away from this man....and it was all because I heeded the voice of God.....God heals us....God heals.
The truth is...I don't know what sort of implication this had...What if this man had children that he abused and because of that encounter, his actions stopped? What if he had died that night after accepting Christ?
The truth is that we often try to silence the voice the God....But it is important that we seek His Voice now more than ever....
"MY sheep know my voice"
And that is another reason why we fight....To hear the voice of God...To fight the darkness with the goodness and the love of God..
There are days when I am thankful to Hear His voice.....
A few nights ago, I had a dream about my grandmother. It took place at a grocery store I haven't been to in years. I walked into the produce aisle and there she was.......At first, I thought...That can't be you gran...You are gone....But there she was..shopping for fruits and vegetables. In the dream, I walked up to her without saying anything. I wrapped my arms around her very tightly. I held on.....Immediately, the scene changed. I was holding on to her very tightly but we were no longer in the store.... We were reuniting for the first time in Heaven...
God spoke to me and said, "Rachelle, this is what is like to reunite with someone in Heaven."
I haven't stopped crying since. God's voice, although it often leads us into the hard places of sacrifice, will lead us into beauty. Life altering beauty, hope giving beauty...the reality of knowing that when this life ends, the real life begins...the life with no pain, no sickness, no death, and no disease.
Today, my mom ironically directed me to go to the store in my dream. I didn't tell her where the dream took place, but apparently the grocery store in my dream is one of the only ones in town that sells cashew butter.
I walked in the grocery store. I was sad because I half expected to see my grandmother standing in the produce aisle. I found the cashew butter aisle and I began to cry because I was standing dreadfully close to the produce and I knew that gran would not be there....but then, I remembered the next part of my dream....I recalled the voice of God...and I became thankful....thankful for the hope that He gives....thankful that I fight for something worth fighting for....thankful for the reward that he gives when the battle is over..when the day of death comes and the crown of glory is won. Thankful that death is not the end of life for those who lived a life of fighting.
The other day I went to the health food store. I often like to purchase natural oils. I love things that smell good. I love things that are natural. I often use lavendar oil because I love the smell...
But one of my favorite scents is the scent of the rose. The other day, I inquired about rose oil. I learned that pure rose oil is very expensive. It costs a couple hundered dollars for a single ounce of pure rose oil. I asked why it was so expensive. I learned that it takes thousands of roses to make a single ounce of oil. Thousands. It takes nearly thirty roses to make a single drop. I also learned that there are many dishonest dealers of rose oil often who try to cheat customers by mixing the product with other additives and chemicals in order to save money. The result is an impure product that they try to pass off as something pure.
Jesus spoke to me about the rose oil. The rose oil is so pure and so valuable because of the immense sacrifice. It takes thousands of roses to make a single ounce. The result is something very valuable, very real, and very pure. The beauty of Christ and the Christian walk is in the sacrifice...because without it, something would be deeply compromised....
The rose is a symbol of love. What greater love is there than sacrifice?" What greater love is there than a man lay down his life for his friends"?
As I read about the rose oil, I learned that dishonest dealers often try to cheat and swindle thier customers by mixing the product with additives. They use trickery and try to pass off the rose oil as pure, when in fact...people are often left with a product that smells like the real thing, but, in fact, is not.
Jesus showed me something about that too. Many false religions attempt to offer peace and beauty and all of those wonderful things....but they are in fact, impure. False relgions are not the real thing. They use trickery, but speak nothing of the pure love of sacrifice. Christ is the only one who died for our sins...He laid down His life for us. Christ is love in the purest form.
As warriors in the greatest army ever known, our fighting often seems like sacrifice. But it is a step towards purity. It is embracing the very likeness of Christ. It is walking the narrow path, the path paved with thorns..but we keep walking because we have seen a Great Light, and we have learned that the path into Truth is to follow in His footsteps.
Fighter, don't give up! Fight with all you have. You have the tools that you need. Pray. Seek. Fight.
The reward is too valuable to lose. ..and it is certain that many will never achieve it...
Good things are always hard to come by...Good things are worth the effort, the strife, and the "I'm so tired Lord, I can't take it anymore"..fight!
You are more than a conqueror through Christ who strenghens you -THE TRUTH
God is real no matter what this world says. If and when you truly begin your pursuit of Him, you will know it too...
The goal of the enemy is to destroy us..to render us useless to the Kingdom of God...the goal of the enemy is for each of us to fall into the trap of worry, fear, and desperation.. ..or to cause us to have our hearts and mind on anything other than the Kingdom of God...
He uses trickery..deciet....He is nasty and underhanded and will use anything to cause us to fall.
But we fight.
The Bible tells us to put on the whole armor of God so that we may stand against the tactics of the enemy. We have the helmet of salvation...we must be believe in our hearts and confess with our mouths....
We have the belt of Truth...We pursue Truth, we turn our backs against darkness and lies..
We have the boots of peace...Part of our warfare involves brining peace to us wherever we go...
We have the sword of the Spirit, the Word of God, ..we fight the lies with the Truth...
We have the shield of faith...so that whenever the wind does blow our way,..we have confidence in the One who calms the storms...we aren't shaken..we have faith.
We have the breastplate of righteousness....the armor that protects our hearts..we wear it with pride. We seek the purity of Christ, overcome evil with good, and seek Truth and purity at all costs.
We are warriors in the greatest Army ever known. We fight. ...We wrestle not against the world but against the unseen....
We must realize that in order to have victory in our lives, we must fight battles.
Without the war, there is no victory.
One final thing that I would like to speak is fasting and prayer. I have fasted quite a bit in the past, but I never really understood. I have come to realize that when I fasted in the past, I didn't spend much time in prayer. The two go hand in hand....
A few weeks ago, I felt God was calling me to fast and pray...I was reluctant. I didn't want to do it. But I prayed, "dear God, if you really want me to fast, please show me.."
The next day, I click on to my favorite blog and there is a post about fasting and prayer...It was a nice post, but I still didn't think it applied to me...
A few days later I spoke with a friend...I told her that I needed guidance in a specific area of my life..She began to tell me about the fasting and prayer...She explained that fasting is a way of killing the flesh so that our Spirits can be in complete tune to the Father....She told me about a three day fast that she does regularly.
She said, "Rachelle, I believe that God is really wanting you to fast and pray.." ...
After I hung up the phone, I thought..wow..that's pretty amazing God...but I still wasn't ready to fast..
That night I went to church and our preacher preached about Ester Chapter 4. Truthfully, in my entire 35 years I don't think I have ever heard anyone preach from the book of Ester.. Ever...
Guess what Ester Chapter 4 mentions? Can you guess?
A 3 day fast...
After the service, I was convinced...Ok, Lord...I will fast and pray..diligently seeking guidance for these three days..... All I can say is that during those three days, I truly felt as if I had reached a new plane in my spiritual life. Even now, I feel more confident in my faith. I feel closer to God. I am at a point where I know that He hears me.
I often experience very strange supernatual things. Very disturbing things...but during these three days...It was as if God was holding me..It was as if, by sacrificing my flesh, the enemy could not touch me.
Those three days of fasting made me stronger.
And that is what He is calling us toward...
Being stronger. God is not calling for a weak Army...God is calling for us to be strong...
This week I have tried some fasting and I have failed..I have failed time and time again...But, we pick ourselves up..we dust ourselves off...and the next time we don't fail..We just do it..
We don't think about...We just do it...It's like shoveling... You keep at it and when the pile is clean. and the mess is gone..
You look up and you see a Hand...pulling you out of the water..
And you say...
Oh yes. Lord..this is deliverance!
The darkness is deafeted and I walk amongst the rainbows...
I believe in the God of miracles. The other day He whispered into my spirit..."Rachelle, read the book of Acts...So I did... I noticed that before the disciples went out into the world..they fasted and prayed..
And I wondered....Is the reason we don't see many miracles simply because there are so few disciples?
Few people really give God much of anything..and yet we expect everything from Him...
He is looking to raise up and Army of disciples.... and miracles will follow. My God has not changed.
Dear Reader,
God longs to draw you out of your darkness, out of your depression, out of your despair. He longs to heal your addiction and the hurts that have plauged you for your entire life. He longs for you to become a warrior...He longs for you to come to Him as you are..broken and weary and weak..
And then He longs to take those things...all that brokenness and heal you. He longs to make you beautiful. He longs to make you strong.
He longs to pull you up out the water and give you your lungs back...
Breathe, friends...Breathe Him in.....
He loves you, Now seek Him...
Cry out for your deliverance and know that your branch will surely come.
One night God gave me a dream that He would use me in deliverance. He used my hands to help others remove the darkness from others lives. Two people who knew nothing about this dream came up to me and said, "Rachelle, God is telling me that He is going to use you in deliverance."
Uncanny? Strange?
No, to me,, it only confirms what God showed me. He is very real. If we open ourselves up to Him, our lives will look anything but ordinary.
I have come to a place where I realize that I am powerless. But I have seen the power of the name of Jesus. He is so real to me now...I have seen darkness leave at the very mention of His name...
We live in a world of spirits and the most beautiful, the most real, the most powerful,,,is the Spirit of the Lord...Once you come into the prescence of His Spirit..nothing else will matter...You will see Truth..you will look into the face of beauty and, through faith...
see that the branch was in your hand all along.....
1 Timothy 6:12 Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses.
Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. 1 Corinthians 9:25
"Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 13 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. "
Lies.
the reason why we spread the Truth is to drown out all of the lies. Jesus said, I am the Truth, the Life, and The Way...
we walk by faith and not by feelings......We spread the Truth by allowing ourselves to be molded into the image of Christ...The image of Truth....
So today, I write anyway.
I have much to say.
Do you ever feel as if all you do is fight? Do you ever feel that as soon as one mountain comes down..another one more massive just seems to rise up? Do you ever wonder when the path will straighten and you can walk with ease?
I do. I feel as if I am in a continual struggle.
Sometimes I cry out to God...God, when will the paths be made straight?
I ask Him why I feel as if I am continually fighting...
Before He can even answer, I already know what He will say...
"Rachelle, the things of Heaven are worth fighting for.."
And yes, they are....
The things of God are worth the struggle.
those moments of divine clarity....are worth it...those moments of seeing the miraculous hand of God in what others consider ordinary...is worth it..
the hope, the promise ...it's all worth it....
The sweet moments of rest and prayer and feeling the loving hand of mercy wrapped around you...it's worth it...
The moments of solitude, indescribeable peace, ...the realization that you are a part of something much larger than yourself..
Getting to know Him and discovering the powerful, loving person that is God...
It's worth it...
There are some Christians out there who paint the walk as easy. There is even a book for Christians called, "Make every day a Friday.." meaning that the Christian life is characterized by a life without trouble, without tribulation, without turmoil...I'm not critcizing the author....but...
Jesus tells us to expect trouble..expect hardships, expect to be Hated because of Him....The only Friday we are supposed to be living is Good Friday..the day we take up the Cross and march to Calvary to die. Not the day when school lets out and we are free to relax for the rest of our lives...
It's not always easy and to paint a picture of easy street is a lie.
The path is narrow.......and few will ever find it...
Are you being tested and tried?
If you are working for God, then chances are that you are....
I want to share something that God showed me last night.....
Do you remember the movie, The Karate Kid?
For part of the movie, "Daniel son" is angry.
Mr. Miyagi is having him wax on..wax off...paint the fence, do this...do that...
Daniel is angry because he doesn't understand why he is being asked to do these things...
But he does them anyway...
The whole time, Mr. Miyagi knew what he was doing. He was preparing Daniel. He was molding him into a fighter. Daniel didn't understand, but without the instruction, he would have failed miserably.
Instead, he fought his way to victory and became a champion. Mr. Miyagi had a plan the entire time...a plan to mold Daniel into a warrior..
....
As Christians, we are like Daniel.....We are being trained for something greater than ourselves.
We are called to be warriors in the greatest Army ever known....
and the training part is never easy...
God longs to strip away our dead parts to mold us into the image of His Son.....
And it often hurts...
It is not easy..
It is not a Friday type of thing.
The other day I spoke to a lady that I deeply respect. I was sharing some things with her that I have gone through and things that I still struggle with...
She responded with something beautiful...and I would like to share it with you...because I think we can all relate..I think we have all been there...
She said, "Rachelle, you are walking through the desert." She said..struggling is like Noah sending out the dove....we are waiting and waiting for it to return. everything seems uncertain. We grow impatint. We long to walk amongst the rainbows....
She then said the most amazing thing... Rachelle, your branch will come.
Friends, readers, whoever you are..sitting at your computer..reading these words ....across this screen......Your branch will come, too."
The branch that tells us that the waters have receded and that it is safe to walk upon the dry land.
The branch will come....
Wait upon the Lord...you shall renew your strength and rise up with with wings as eagles.....
God showed me something else....
Does anyone know what deliverance is?
It's a term that isn't used much......
I've recently come to understand deliverance as being free from the powers of darkness....
The other day God showed me what deliverance is...
My son Brendan..dropped one of his little toy soilers in my bath water....I looked at this plastic man in the water...It looked as if he was drowning. Brendan kept saying, Mama, mama,...get my man out of the water....Get him out...
Even a two year old boy recognized the danger...the peril..the choking, deading effect of water in the lungs...
So I pulled the man out of the water and , at the moment, God spoke to me and said, "Rachelle, that is deliverance."
It is Me pulling the drowning soldier out of the water. It is me giving Him his life back...It is Me, becoking Him to breathe and removing the water from his tired lungs. It is Me providing the relief and the much needed rest...
Rachelle, That is deliverance....
The truth is...and this will sound strange...but we live in a world of spirits. We live in a world of the unseen.
This is a truth that I am faced with on a daily basis. I have seen the supernatural in very real ways....(anyone who would ever like to talk about your experiences with me, message me or would like to hear my experiences...)
Demonic forces are real. And as Christians, we fight against them...We are solidiers..
Sometimes, I think the term "enemy" is overused.
I know that to an unbeliever, it must seem very strange to hear people talk about darkness and evil...I know that to some, it must sound strange....The term has almost become cliche, in a sense.
And it is sad to say..but things of a spiritual nature are largely mocked by society. People often embrace parts of the Bible and toss out others like yesterday's trash.
Many of the people that ask for prayers are the same ones spewing out gossip, creating strife with words....cutting others in half with thier tongue. It's not right! If this is you..you are better than that :)
Many people are running after a feel good doctrine, but what people need is the Truth......
Hear me out on this....
I have truly seen how the enemy creates strife in people's lives. My own life was nearly destroyed.
I've seen how the forces of darkess can affect moods and even come against the physical body.....
They create feelings of chaos, lonliness, torment, despair, depression, anger, hostility, lust....
I know that this goes against the argument of science...I know that scientific journals will tell you that depression is caused by low levels of seratonin in the brain..I know that science has an explanation for almost everything...I'm not against science...
Many people think that science is a way of refuting the things of God.....but to me, science only reveals the complexity of our world. To me, science is a way of explaining the physical universe.
Science falls short because it doesn't recognize the spiritual world....because to live according to spirit is to live a life of faith.
Today I will breathe in 1100 liters of air...(yes, I got that fact from Anne Voskamps book)....
Today, my heart will pump blood through my veins a tenth of a million times...
Have you ever seen a grain of sand up close?. Neither had I until yesterday...
Look closely...
Even the sand is structured. All is ordered....all is designed by a loving God...
Look at these grains of sand...magnified 250 times... I am thankful for science...because without science...I would never have seen this type of organized beauty up close....
I could sit here and spit out mathematical numbers about how the possiblity of our world forming by chance are near remote...or I could tell you simply to have faith...to take God at His word...because He is real.
And His love for you is unfailing.
Even the most educated scientists agree on one thing...something can not come from nothing...We are not accidents...We were created for a purpose...
.....I digress....
I've seen how darkness, in its working ways, can bring a person to the brink of despair and helplessness.
I"ve been in the center of the vortex.
It feels like emptiness.
But one thing that God taught me how to do....is to fight the lie with the truth.
The very nature of demons and darkness is lies. Lies are the bitter poisoned fruit of this life...but we are not of this world... we fight
We fight the lies with the truth..
Read these lies...I'm sure you will all recognize them..they have all crept into our lives at some point in time...
( Insert your name here)...you are a failure. You will never amount to anything. -THE LIE
You are more than an overcomer through Christ Jesus who strengthens you - THE TRUTH
I, (insert your name here ) am too afraid of God. I am afraid of the Christian walk.-THE LIE
I have not given you a spirit of fear, but a spirit of power, of love, and of a sound mind -
In all of your ways, acknowledge me, and I will direct your paths -THE TRUTH
No one loves me -THE LIE
The very hairs of your heard are numbered...
My banner over you is love
For God so loved the world that He sent His only begotten son ...that whosever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life -THE TRUTH
God will never forgive me. I have done too many things. God is not for me. -THE LIE
He has removed our sins as far from us as the east is from the west -THE TRUTH
Then David said to Nathan, "I have sinned against the LORD." Nathan replied, "The LORD has taken away your sin. You are not going to die -THE TRUTH
I accept this depression for my life-THE LIE
The enemy comes to steal, to kill and to destroy, but I have come that you might have life and have it in abundance ...
This is the day that the Lord has made, I will rejoice and be glad in it..
I give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he might be glorified - TRUTH...beauty for ashes is a promise I want to hold on to...
I am too shy to reach out to anyone -THE LIE
I have not given you a spirit of fear, but a spirit of power, of love, and of a sound mind -THE TRUTH
Heaven won't be that great, anyway -THE LIE
"No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him"--
I have all the time in the world. I can accept Christ into my life tomorrow. He's not going anywhere. I like the way I'm living. -THE LIE
Well, this one is pretty obvious...this could very well be our last five minutes on earth. Every day, thousands of people die..are we listening to the lie that we have time?
I will never beat this addiction. -THE LIE
A friend of mine and I were talking today. He is my coworker at the plastic plant. We were talking about working overtime. He said that working overtime is like shoveling a pile of plastic pellets. You don't think about it..you just do it...He said that sometimes you don't look up..you just keep working and working until eventually, you look up and notice that the pile has seemingly melted away...
Life and the Christian walk is almost like shoveling...You work..and work......you see a huge pile in front of you..the troubles of life...but you keep shoveling...because you know that when you look up...you will see order...the mess will be gone.. you keep pushing forward..you move....you dig..you dig deep...with bended knees..and a head bowed low...you dig deep into the very Word of God... you keep your head down.....you dig deep and you find roots.
Roots. He is the vine and we are the branches.....when we dig deep..He gives us roots...and there is pure light flowing in our veins...
Finally, we look up from the shoveling and we can see beauty...the oil of joy for mourning...He calls us oaks of righteousness. He longs to make us strong. And any fighter knows that in order to be strong, you have to work......
You fight..and you keep fighting...
Lately, Jesus has been pouring insight into my spirit...He has given me countless thoughts and ideas. I can hardly keep up, and for that, I am grateful..
In the Bible, God tells us that we are in a race... " Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? "Run in such a way as to get the prize." 1 Corinthians 9:24
Does anyone remember the story of the tortoise and the hare? The tortoise and the hare were involved in a race. The tortoise pushed forward. He was slow, but his pursuit of the goal was steady. He had keen focus. He saw the finish line in his mind, and he pursued it relentlessly. He did not waver. He just simply kept going. Everyone laughed and thought he would fail, but he kept on....He didn't give up despite the jeers..the taunts....He didn't give up even though it reason deemed it impossibe for him to win...
Then there was the hare...The hare is a natural born runner. The hare has legs equipped for running. His entire body is designed for speed. Running is the hare's purpose....But the hare became overconfident. He alluded himself that he had all the time in the world to reach the goal...he became preoccupied with other things..He set his eyes on frivolous things and, in the process, nearly forgot about the race, altogether... In the end, the hare never made it to the finish line. .....The hare alluded himself that he had time........
If we look at this story from a spiritual perspective, we can clearly see that this story resembles the Christain walk. Of course, if God had written the story we would have seen the tortoise trying to help the hare finish the race. We would see that, in fact, the two were not competing...the tortoise would have done all he could to make sure that the hare finished right alongside of him....When will we realize that life is not a competition? When will we realize that the prize goes to the ones who set aside thier differences and simply trust God and help others along the path?
Who are we in this race? Are we the tortoise...are we keen and sharply focused on our Creator? Are our eyes truly set on the goal..on the things above and not on things below..? Is the arrow of our hearts pointed towards heaven? Are we willing to overcome obstacles and not give up...even when the walk seems impossible..even when our legs are tired? Even when we listen to the lies that we will lose? Will we realize that even if reason spits out the lie that we will fail....that "all things are possible with God"?
Or..
Are we the hare? We have the tools before us..We have the living, breathing Word of God..We have His spirit longing to get close to us... we have all the weapons we need to fight...but we decide that we have all the time in the world to pursue the things of God...
Are we the hare? Losing focus.....stopping along the path to smell the roses, but in the meantime forgetting that we are even in a race.... Are we losing time? The sands of our lives will one day run out...our hourglass will reach the last grain of sand..and we will see that time has shut the window of our days...will we stand before our Maker..as one who made the most of our time?..or will we be the hare in the story?
We need to quit looking at race, religion, and things we percieve as differences and just start helping people in this race. It's time to leave our comforts, get on our knees, and seek the face of God....We start the race on our knees. We put on the boots of peace, (they are our running shoes)... and we fight...
Last night I had a dream about a kitten. A very small, helpless kitten. It was looking up at me with sad and desperate eyes. I could see that the small creature had been abused and neglected. She was broken and beaten down by life. I took her in...I gave her food and love. I gave her warmth and comfort.
The kitten left for a while. But later, she came back.
God showed me something...He showed me the reason for the fighting. This world is full of world weary, tired, neglected people. Many have been abused. Many are desperate, searching..looking for answers with helpless eyes...Many look at the lives of Christians...hoping to see the image of Christ.....It is our duty to feed them, care for them, love them....They may go back into vain pursuits, but, in the end, many will recognize the taste of love and crave the spiritual milk. As Christians, we are to provide spiritual milk for the lost "kittens" of this world.
We become the hands of Christ as submit our lives to Him, in humilty...We humbly hold the bowls of milk.
____________
Tonight, a family member was breaking a bag of ice. I was watching him from the corner of my eye, but not really paying much attention. Suddenly, I heard a very loud bang as the ice cracked against the floor. For a split second, my spirit filled with fear. I could see big hands coming down forcefully cracking the ice against the floor....
It scared me for a moment, becasue it was as if, for a brief moment, I felt the fear of abuse victims... I could feel the fear as hands slowly crushing hope and dignity....
The other night, I was at work and a coworker showed me a video...I didn't want to see it, but he started playing it on his cell phone. It was some sort of morbid real underground video. The video took place in Africa. It was captured on video by a cell phone or video camera....It showed a man running through the streets. I asked my coworker why they were chasing him. He said that the man had gotten caught stealing a necklace. The men in the video are relentlessly pursing another man...Finally, they catch him. They begin to beat the man with tire irons. The man struggles to get away. They pour gasoline on him. The man desperately tries to escape.....by now, the pursuit is taking place in the middle of the streets. Cars are going by...no one has stopped to help the man getting vicously beaten....Before long, the man is down..He is lying helpless in the middle of the street. By now, a crowd has gathered round. Still, no intervention. The next part of the video, gave me chills that I still cannot forget. The men light the man on fire. Cars are still going about thier daily business. People are watching as if they are cheering on the brutalilty of it all....The man burns to death right there in the middle of the street.
After I watched that video, I became sick to my stomach. Hell made complete sense after watching that video.
The truth of the matter is that we live in a very dark world. We live in a world where many children do not have the security of loving parents. We live in a world where men are burned and left to die in the middle of the street. We live in a world where children are brutally beaten. Many atrocities are not even an afterthought....
People need Light. That is why we fight. The only way we can ever overcome the darkness is to spread the loving Light of God...People need love......People need to begin to heed the voice of the Holy Spirit, the voice of overwhelming rightness sent by God..that leads us into love and Truth
The other day, I was at work and I was speaking to a coworker about a disciple group, in which he participates. I asked him what they were learning about. He told me that they were working on a question. "What question," I asked. He replied, "Why is it important for God's children to hear His voice?"
Immediately, I knew the answer. There are several reasons actually. but I will only touch upon a few...
It is important that we learn to hear the voice of God....When we hear His voice, we will find that it leads us into humilty. His voice, when heeded, causes us to strip away our self... Heeding His voice ultimately carves us into the image of His only son. Heeding the voice of God leads us into love. God said that there is no greater love than someone who is willing to lay down his life for his friends.
We need to hear the voice of God because this world needs THAT kind of love. This world needs Jesus. Heeding his voice could have implications that go further than we know or even realize.
Once I was driving through the Wal mart parking lot...I saw a man sitting in the break area...Immediately, I heard the voice of God, His sweet Holy Spirit beckoned me...Rachelle, this man needs to hear of my great love.
"Tell him that I am real. Give him something..."
So, I did....I stopped my car... I beckoned the man to come to my window...With tears in my eyes I told him...how much God loved him...It's all real, I told him...I handed him some money that I had nearby. The man began to cry..... It was as if years of torment just fell away from this man....and it was all because I heeded the voice of God.....God heals us....God heals.
The truth is...I don't know what sort of implication this had...What if this man had children that he abused and because of that encounter, his actions stopped? What if he had died that night after accepting Christ?
The truth is that we often try to silence the voice the God....But it is important that we seek His Voice now more than ever....
"MY sheep know my voice"
And that is another reason why we fight....To hear the voice of God...To fight the darkness with the goodness and the love of God..
There are days when I am thankful to Hear His voice.....
A few nights ago, I had a dream about my grandmother. It took place at a grocery store I haven't been to in years. I walked into the produce aisle and there she was.......At first, I thought...That can't be you gran...You are gone....But there she was..shopping for fruits and vegetables. In the dream, I walked up to her without saying anything. I wrapped my arms around her very tightly. I held on.....Immediately, the scene changed. I was holding on to her very tightly but we were no longer in the store.... We were reuniting for the first time in Heaven...
God spoke to me and said, "Rachelle, this is what is like to reunite with someone in Heaven."
I haven't stopped crying since. God's voice, although it often leads us into the hard places of sacrifice, will lead us into beauty. Life altering beauty, hope giving beauty...the reality of knowing that when this life ends, the real life begins...the life with no pain, no sickness, no death, and no disease.
Today, my mom ironically directed me to go to the store in my dream. I didn't tell her where the dream took place, but apparently the grocery store in my dream is one of the only ones in town that sells cashew butter.
I walked in the grocery store. I was sad because I half expected to see my grandmother standing in the produce aisle. I found the cashew butter aisle and I began to cry because I was standing dreadfully close to the produce and I knew that gran would not be there....but then, I remembered the next part of my dream....I recalled the voice of God...and I became thankful....thankful for the hope that He gives....thankful that I fight for something worth fighting for....thankful for the reward that he gives when the battle is over..when the day of death comes and the crown of glory is won. Thankful that death is not the end of life for those who lived a life of fighting.
The other day I went to the health food store. I often like to purchase natural oils. I love things that smell good. I love things that are natural. I often use lavendar oil because I love the smell...
But one of my favorite scents is the scent of the rose. The other day, I inquired about rose oil. I learned that pure rose oil is very expensive. It costs a couple hundered dollars for a single ounce of pure rose oil. I asked why it was so expensive. I learned that it takes thousands of roses to make a single ounce of oil. Thousands. It takes nearly thirty roses to make a single drop. I also learned that there are many dishonest dealers of rose oil often who try to cheat customers by mixing the product with other additives and chemicals in order to save money. The result is an impure product that they try to pass off as something pure.
Jesus spoke to me about the rose oil. The rose oil is so pure and so valuable because of the immense sacrifice. It takes thousands of roses to make a single ounce. The result is something very valuable, very real, and very pure. The beauty of Christ and the Christian walk is in the sacrifice...because without it, something would be deeply compromised....
The rose is a symbol of love. What greater love is there than sacrifice?" What greater love is there than a man lay down his life for his friends"?
As I read about the rose oil, I learned that dishonest dealers often try to cheat and swindle thier customers by mixing the product with additives. They use trickery and try to pass off the rose oil as pure, when in fact...people are often left with a product that smells like the real thing, but, in fact, is not.
Jesus showed me something about that too. Many false religions attempt to offer peace and beauty and all of those wonderful things....but they are in fact, impure. False relgions are not the real thing. They use trickery, but speak nothing of the pure love of sacrifice. Christ is the only one who died for our sins...He laid down His life for us. Christ is love in the purest form.
As warriors in the greatest army ever known, our fighting often seems like sacrifice. But it is a step towards purity. It is embracing the very likeness of Christ. It is walking the narrow path, the path paved with thorns..but we keep walking because we have seen a Great Light, and we have learned that the path into Truth is to follow in His footsteps.
Fighter, don't give up! Fight with all you have. You have the tools that you need. Pray. Seek. Fight.
The reward is too valuable to lose. ..and it is certain that many will never achieve it...
Good things are always hard to come by...Good things are worth the effort, the strife, and the "I'm so tired Lord, I can't take it anymore"..fight!
You are more than a conqueror through Christ who strenghens you -THE TRUTH
God is real no matter what this world says. If and when you truly begin your pursuit of Him, you will know it too...
The goal of the enemy is to destroy us..to render us useless to the Kingdom of God...the goal of the enemy is for each of us to fall into the trap of worry, fear, and desperation.. ..or to cause us to have our hearts and mind on anything other than the Kingdom of God...
He uses trickery..deciet....He is nasty and underhanded and will use anything to cause us to fall.
But we fight.
The Bible tells us to put on the whole armor of God so that we may stand against the tactics of the enemy. We have the helmet of salvation...we must be believe in our hearts and confess with our mouths....
We have the belt of Truth...We pursue Truth, we turn our backs against darkness and lies..
We have the boots of peace...Part of our warfare involves brining peace to us wherever we go...
We have the sword of the Spirit, the Word of God, ..we fight the lies with the Truth...
We have the shield of faith...so that whenever the wind does blow our way,..we have confidence in the One who calms the storms...we aren't shaken..we have faith.
We have the breastplate of righteousness....the armor that protects our hearts..we wear it with pride. We seek the purity of Christ, overcome evil with good, and seek Truth and purity at all costs.
We are warriors in the greatest Army ever known. We fight. ...We wrestle not against the world but against the unseen....
We must realize that in order to have victory in our lives, we must fight battles.
Without the war, there is no victory.
One final thing that I would like to speak is fasting and prayer. I have fasted quite a bit in the past, but I never really understood. I have come to realize that when I fasted in the past, I didn't spend much time in prayer. The two go hand in hand....
A few weeks ago, I felt God was calling me to fast and pray...I was reluctant. I didn't want to do it. But I prayed, "dear God, if you really want me to fast, please show me.."
The next day, I click on to my favorite blog and there is a post about fasting and prayer...It was a nice post, but I still didn't think it applied to me...
A few days later I spoke with a friend...I told her that I needed guidance in a specific area of my life..She began to tell me about the fasting and prayer...She explained that fasting is a way of killing the flesh so that our Spirits can be in complete tune to the Father....She told me about a three day fast that she does regularly.
She said, "Rachelle, I believe that God is really wanting you to fast and pray.." ...
After I hung up the phone, I thought..wow..that's pretty amazing God...but I still wasn't ready to fast..
That night I went to church and our preacher preached about Ester Chapter 4. Truthfully, in my entire 35 years I don't think I have ever heard anyone preach from the book of Ester.. Ever...
Guess what Ester Chapter 4 mentions? Can you guess?
A 3 day fast...
After the service, I was convinced...Ok, Lord...I will fast and pray..diligently seeking guidance for these three days..... All I can say is that during those three days, I truly felt as if I had reached a new plane in my spiritual life. Even now, I feel more confident in my faith. I feel closer to God. I am at a point where I know that He hears me.
I often experience very strange supernatual things. Very disturbing things...but during these three days...It was as if God was holding me..It was as if, by sacrificing my flesh, the enemy could not touch me.
Those three days of fasting made me stronger.
And that is what He is calling us toward...
Being stronger. God is not calling for a weak Army...God is calling for us to be strong...
This week I have tried some fasting and I have failed..I have failed time and time again...But, we pick ourselves up..we dust ourselves off...and the next time we don't fail..We just do it..
We don't think about...We just do it...It's like shoveling... You keep at it and when the pile is clean. and the mess is gone..
You look up and you see a Hand...pulling you out of the water..
And you say...
Oh yes. Lord..this is deliverance!
The darkness is deafeted and I walk amongst the rainbows...
I believe in the God of miracles. The other day He whispered into my spirit..."Rachelle, read the book of Acts...So I did... I noticed that before the disciples went out into the world..they fasted and prayed..
And I wondered....Is the reason we don't see many miracles simply because there are so few disciples?
Few people really give God much of anything..and yet we expect everything from Him...
He is looking to raise up and Army of disciples.... and miracles will follow. My God has not changed.
Dear Reader,
God longs to draw you out of your darkness, out of your depression, out of your despair. He longs to heal your addiction and the hurts that have plauged you for your entire life. He longs for you to become a warrior...He longs for you to come to Him as you are..broken and weary and weak..
And then He longs to take those things...all that brokenness and heal you. He longs to make you beautiful. He longs to make you strong.
He longs to pull you up out the water and give you your lungs back...
Breathe, friends...Breathe Him in.....
He loves you, Now seek Him...
Cry out for your deliverance and know that your branch will surely come.
One night God gave me a dream that He would use me in deliverance. He used my hands to help others remove the darkness from others lives. Two people who knew nothing about this dream came up to me and said, "Rachelle, God is telling me that He is going to use you in deliverance."
Uncanny? Strange?
No, to me,, it only confirms what God showed me. He is very real. If we open ourselves up to Him, our lives will look anything but ordinary.
I have come to a place where I realize that I am powerless. But I have seen the power of the name of Jesus. He is so real to me now...I have seen darkness leave at the very mention of His name...
We live in a world of spirits and the most beautiful, the most real, the most powerful,,,is the Spirit of the Lord...Once you come into the prescence of His Spirit..nothing else will matter...You will see Truth..you will look into the face of beauty and, through faith...
see that the branch was in your hand all along.....
1 Timothy 6:12 Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses.
Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. 1 Corinthians 9:25
"Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 13 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. "
Saturday, February 11, 2012
all things lovely
 |
| blowing bubbles |
 |
| ballons |
 |
| dancing |
 |
| running free |
 |
| love |
 |
| Jesus |
Whenever I think about Heaven, this is often what I think it will be like. Freedom, dancing, love, Jesus......they are all intertwined somehow. When I was younger I thought heaven was really going to be a boring place with a bunch of chairs where we all sat around and sang church songs. One day my son was laughing in the backseat. He was smiling from ear to ear and laughing a very real and pure laugh...Jesus spoke to me and said, Rachelle, that is what Heaven is like......
laughter, purity, wonderment, ...........I've learned enough of Jesus to know that He is the source of all things good. He is freedom, love, innocence, and purity. He is beautiful. His love endures forever. As I take time to get to know Him, he unfolds the most amazing and dazzling mysteries. He is shrouded in beauty and clothed in lovliness.
Philippians 4:8
New International Version (NIV)
8 Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.
Thursday, February 9, 2012
supernaturally wonderful night
Last night's church service was amazing. Do you ever have those moments when you are truly amazed by God? All I can say is that if you are truly pursuing Him, then those moments will inudate your life....Your life will begin to look less ordinary and you will stand in wonder.
Some of the things that happen the way they do are almost uncanny. Well, uncanny is a word I would use if my faith wasn't strong...
I guess the word I'm looking for is supernaturally miraculous. When we truly pursue God, our lives begin to enter the realm of the spiritual world of the miraculous..
One thing that I have learned is that God longs to speak to each of us.....Reader, He longs to speak to you.
He speaks to me because I ask Him...In between the fighing and the warfare, He speaks. And His voice makes the fight worth it.
Let me tell you a little bit about what happened last night.
I'm working on a blog post about spiritual warfare. I often feel as if I continually fight.. Don't get me wrong, fighting is our job, as Christians...The Bible tells us that we do not fight the natural ...we fight the unseen.....And I have experienced enough of the unseen to know that it is, indeed, there.
Ok..... without even being aware of it, I have felt like I have to continually earn God's love. He tells us the path is narrow so I try to work and work....and continually do things. I actually make to do lists in order to please God. Yesterday, I was beginning to get a little depressed during the latter part of the day. I felt as if God was asking me to give something up....something I worked hard for....and it was causing me distress.
The thing is...I don't want to be tied to "things." I have seen how the love of things can ruin people. I have seen how things can shift one's focus away from Christ. I"m sad that there is so much waste in the world and I'm sad that some Christians have way more than they need while the person next to them is struggling to put shoes on their kids feet. It hurts to watch sometimes.
I have often condemned myself for "not doing enough for Christ", but in reality I run around busy trying to change things and attempting to work and work and work to make life better for people. It's harrowing and, at times, exhausting.
Last night, when I felt the need to give away something that I worked so hard for...I just slipped into depression.
I prayed. Dear God, is this what you want? You know that I love you. You know that I would give anything to you. If this is what you want God, speak to me? Speak to me, Jesus, I need to hear your voice.
I went to church with the faith and the expectaion that Jesus was going to speak to me.
And He did. He always does. We only need to have the faith that His voice will come at the time when we need it most. Press on. Push forward. Don't give up.
Last night was one of those nights that I am thankful for obedient children of God. I am thankful for people that sacrifice so much of thier time pursuing God. God can speak through His children. He tells us, "My sheep Hear My Voice."
Last night, a very spirit filled man began telling people in our church things only God could've known. He didn't condemn anyone. He reached out with the love of Christ and encouraged.
This man told me very specific things that only God could've known...
He answered my question.
This is what he said: Keep in mind that I don't know this man...He knows NOTHING about me. He doesn't know my name, even. He was a guest preacher from another city in another state. I'm inserting my name for reading purposes.
"Rachelle, you do not have to earn God's love. It is already there. You are the type of person who runs around trying to please God...You are like a wife who is so busy that sometimes she just forgets to rest at His feet." You are the one who makes "TO DO" Lists...!!!!! Slow down, rest at His feet.
Rachelle, I can see how much you love Him. You are a pleaser. He longs to be closer to you. You don't have to earn His love. Jesus is showing me how you have been hurt by the people that you thought loved you. He is healing you. He is not only healing you, He is giving you a new heart..... He says, ENJOY ME, Rachelle... Remember, he said, that you can't change things....You try to change things..but God is working...let God do the work. Be still and know that He is God.
He also said that God had a ministry in store for me and not to give up on it.
He is the third person to tell me about a ministry that God has for me...that is another story altogether...
SO reader, today....Rest in Him, Lean on Him..
Enjoy Him...
God hears you...
Come to church with me. God is moving there. God longs to heal you and speak to you. Come expecting.
Please know that I don't want to take you away from your church or your religion, I am just very in awe of some of the things that have transpired lately ....I want you to be a part of it....
Reader, I love you and I want the best for your life. I want us all to make it across the finish line and to help as many others across as we possibly can.
Seek the face of Jesus today,
Sometimes we fight by simply resting.....
Some of the things that happen the way they do are almost uncanny. Well, uncanny is a word I would use if my faith wasn't strong...
I guess the word I'm looking for is supernaturally miraculous. When we truly pursue God, our lives begin to enter the realm of the spiritual world of the miraculous..
One thing that I have learned is that God longs to speak to each of us.....Reader, He longs to speak to you.
He speaks to me because I ask Him...In between the fighing and the warfare, He speaks. And His voice makes the fight worth it.
Let me tell you a little bit about what happened last night.
I'm working on a blog post about spiritual warfare. I often feel as if I continually fight.. Don't get me wrong, fighting is our job, as Christians...The Bible tells us that we do not fight the natural ...we fight the unseen.....And I have experienced enough of the unseen to know that it is, indeed, there.
Ok..... without even being aware of it, I have felt like I have to continually earn God's love. He tells us the path is narrow so I try to work and work....and continually do things. I actually make to do lists in order to please God. Yesterday, I was beginning to get a little depressed during the latter part of the day. I felt as if God was asking me to give something up....something I worked hard for....and it was causing me distress.
The thing is...I don't want to be tied to "things." I have seen how the love of things can ruin people. I have seen how things can shift one's focus away from Christ. I"m sad that there is so much waste in the world and I'm sad that some Christians have way more than they need while the person next to them is struggling to put shoes on their kids feet. It hurts to watch sometimes.
I have often condemned myself for "not doing enough for Christ", but in reality I run around busy trying to change things and attempting to work and work and work to make life better for people. It's harrowing and, at times, exhausting.
Last night, when I felt the need to give away something that I worked so hard for...I just slipped into depression.
I prayed. Dear God, is this what you want? You know that I love you. You know that I would give anything to you. If this is what you want God, speak to me? Speak to me, Jesus, I need to hear your voice.
I went to church with the faith and the expectaion that Jesus was going to speak to me.
And He did. He always does. We only need to have the faith that His voice will come at the time when we need it most. Press on. Push forward. Don't give up.
Last night was one of those nights that I am thankful for obedient children of God. I am thankful for people that sacrifice so much of thier time pursuing God. God can speak through His children. He tells us, "My sheep Hear My Voice."
Last night, a very spirit filled man began telling people in our church things only God could've known. He didn't condemn anyone. He reached out with the love of Christ and encouraged.
This man told me very specific things that only God could've known...
He answered my question.
This is what he said: Keep in mind that I don't know this man...He knows NOTHING about me. He doesn't know my name, even. He was a guest preacher from another city in another state. I'm inserting my name for reading purposes.
"Rachelle, you do not have to earn God's love. It is already there. You are the type of person who runs around trying to please God...You are like a wife who is so busy that sometimes she just forgets to rest at His feet." You are the one who makes "TO DO" Lists...!!!!! Slow down, rest at His feet.
Rachelle, I can see how much you love Him. You are a pleaser. He longs to be closer to you. You don't have to earn His love. Jesus is showing me how you have been hurt by the people that you thought loved you. He is healing you. He is not only healing you, He is giving you a new heart..... He says, ENJOY ME, Rachelle... Remember, he said, that you can't change things....You try to change things..but God is working...let God do the work. Be still and know that He is God.
He also said that God had a ministry in store for me and not to give up on it.
He is the third person to tell me about a ministry that God has for me...that is another story altogether...
SO reader, today....Rest in Him, Lean on Him..
Enjoy Him...
God hears you...
Come to church with me. God is moving there. God longs to heal you and speak to you. Come expecting.
Please know that I don't want to take you away from your church or your religion, I am just very in awe of some of the things that have transpired lately ....I want you to be a part of it....
Reader, I love you and I want the best for your life. I want us all to make it across the finish line and to help as many others across as we possibly can.
Seek the face of Jesus today,
Sometimes we fight by simply resting.....
The Lord is my shepherd
I shall not want
He leads me beside the still waters
He leads me beside green pastures
He restores my soul.
He leads me into paths of righteousness for His names sake.
Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of Death,
I will fear no evil
For He is with me
His rod and HIs staff, they comfort me..
He prepares a table before me in the presence of my enemies
My cup runs over
Surely goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life and I will dwell in the House of the Lord
FOREVER.
Wednesday, February 8, 2012
Big Brothers, Big Sisters,
The other day, I had good news from my Big Brother/Big Sister case worker. She had scheduled an interview for meet a parent for a potential match.... I have been waiting for quite a while to be matched to a little sister....
I signed up for the program in hopes of giving time, hope, and love to a child who needs attention and a little TLC.
The case worker asked me if I would mind being matched with a black child. "Of course I don't mind, I replied."
To me, love sees no color. I could love a black child just as easily as a white child.
Love sees no color.
So I met with a mother yesterday. I thought everything went fine. I told her that I am a very caring person. I calmed her fears and let her know that I would do everything I could to make her child feel comfortable around me. I told her that I love both indoor and outdoor activities and that I am very laid back and easy to get along with.....
Today, I got a call from the BBBS caseworker. Apparently, the mother I met with has decided that she would like her child matched with someone "younger" and without any other children...
I couldn't help but wonder if my race was an issue for her.... And I don't know what she means by "younger"
I guess my feelings were slightly hurt. Apparently she had a visual image of the kind of person she wanted to be her daughter's big sister...someone "young" and "without child"
How often do we fail to learn from others because someone looks different than we do? How often do we put people in boxes and let our expecations destroy opportunities?
There is a small part of me that wonders if my race was an issue for her. I don't want to play the "race card" but it made me sad that racism still exists. I felt sad because I felt as if I understood how black people have felt all those years when they were unable to get jobs because of thier race.
.....When will we learn that love comes in all kinds of packages...black packages..white packages...fat packages, skinny packages... "old" packages....( i guess that would be me..lol) and young packages...
My initial reaction when I heard the news was one of hurt and disappointment. My first instinct was simpy to give up...to quit Big Brothers/Big Sisters altoghether...
I thought of all of the people who have quit God because they were hurt.
So, instead of feeling hurt....I have gleaned from the lesson....Sometimes life throws us punches. We pick ourselves up, we dust ourselves off, and we keep going.
We simply learn to let it go.
There is a still a child out there who really needs a Big Sister and I know for a fact that I will be a good one.
We don't quit. We just keep going.
I meet with another mom tomorrow. If God wills it, then it will be...and if not,,,then, we try again.
I signed up for the program in hopes of giving time, hope, and love to a child who needs attention and a little TLC.
The case worker asked me if I would mind being matched with a black child. "Of course I don't mind, I replied."
To me, love sees no color. I could love a black child just as easily as a white child.
Love sees no color.
So I met with a mother yesterday. I thought everything went fine. I told her that I am a very caring person. I calmed her fears and let her know that I would do everything I could to make her child feel comfortable around me. I told her that I love both indoor and outdoor activities and that I am very laid back and easy to get along with.....
Today, I got a call from the BBBS caseworker. Apparently, the mother I met with has decided that she would like her child matched with someone "younger" and without any other children...
I couldn't help but wonder if my race was an issue for her.... And I don't know what she means by "younger"
I guess my feelings were slightly hurt. Apparently she had a visual image of the kind of person she wanted to be her daughter's big sister...someone "young" and "without child"
How often do we fail to learn from others because someone looks different than we do? How often do we put people in boxes and let our expecations destroy opportunities?
There is a small part of me that wonders if my race was an issue for her. I don't want to play the "race card" but it made me sad that racism still exists. I felt sad because I felt as if I understood how black people have felt all those years when they were unable to get jobs because of thier race.
.....When will we learn that love comes in all kinds of packages...black packages..white packages...fat packages, skinny packages... "old" packages....( i guess that would be me..lol) and young packages...
My initial reaction when I heard the news was one of hurt and disappointment. My first instinct was simpy to give up...to quit Big Brothers/Big Sisters altoghether...
I thought of all of the people who have quit God because they were hurt.
So, instead of feeling hurt....I have gleaned from the lesson....Sometimes life throws us punches. We pick ourselves up, we dust ourselves off, and we keep going.
We simply learn to let it go.
There is a still a child out there who really needs a Big Sister and I know for a fact that I will be a good one.
We don't quit. We just keep going.
I meet with another mom tomorrow. If God wills it, then it will be...and if not,,,then, we try again.
7 days of Heaven, Day 5
One day I was driving through a neighborhood and Jesus impressed something upon my heart... I imagined myself knocking on doors, visiting people.....
My initail reaction was, "Jesus, who does that anymore?" Most people these days don't even know their own neighbors.
Lately, God has really put many people on my heart. Lately, I've found myself praying for people in my neighborhood that I haven't seen in years.
The other day I felt the need to go pay a visit to an elderly man that I haven't seen in years. It was very refreshing and already I am looking forward to going back.
I remember the first time Jesus asked me to pray with a lady that I hardly knew. She lives close by...At first I thought,,,how intimidating....but I prayed with her anyway...She began to open up to me...I learned many things about her life. She shared many of the tragedies that she has faced and opened up about God for the first time in a long while. We need that kind of dialogue with the people around us. We need to be the healing, loving hands of Christ. We need to listen to people's stories and help them in this race of life. We need to set aside differences, put down our gavels of judgement, and simply take the time.. We need to obey the voice of God.
I follow a blog written by a lady from a very beautiful family. In one of her posts she spoke of how she made chocolate chip cookies and went around her very hurting neighborhood. She introduced herself and she loved on strangers that she doesn't even know. During this time, she met widows and hurting people.
I know that we should all exercise caution in some areas, but I was deeply inspired by this kind of love...
The kind of love that actually gets to know the people in the neighborhood....
The other day I read something that made sense...Today we see so many problems in society. Drugs, Suicide, Child Abuse, and the list goes on and on....
The problem with many churches is thier outlook. Many churches limit the movement of God. Churches are set up to where they beckon the lost to come to them.,,,,... Many of the lost will never step foot inside of a church...
In the Bible, the church actually went out into the world. Not the other way around. The disciples went out two by two....into people's homes....The disciples sought out the lost of the world. They didn't build an epicenter and wait..."Build it and they will come.."
They simply just went. They put on the boots of peace and they went.
I like the idea of getting to know the neighbors. I like the idea of bringing cookies to someone's home. It's a romantic notion that seems to have died. I say we bring it back to life.
Today, go visit someone that you haven't seen in years. Walk over to the neighbors house and introduce yourself. Spread a little light and a little bit of Heaven to this dark earth.
My initail reaction was, "Jesus, who does that anymore?" Most people these days don't even know their own neighbors.
Lately, God has really put many people on my heart. Lately, I've found myself praying for people in my neighborhood that I haven't seen in years.
The other day I felt the need to go pay a visit to an elderly man that I haven't seen in years. It was very refreshing and already I am looking forward to going back.
I remember the first time Jesus asked me to pray with a lady that I hardly knew. She lives close by...At first I thought,,,how intimidating....but I prayed with her anyway...She began to open up to me...I learned many things about her life. She shared many of the tragedies that she has faced and opened up about God for the first time in a long while. We need that kind of dialogue with the people around us. We need to be the healing, loving hands of Christ. We need to listen to people's stories and help them in this race of life. We need to set aside differences, put down our gavels of judgement, and simply take the time.. We need to obey the voice of God.
I follow a blog written by a lady from a very beautiful family. In one of her posts she spoke of how she made chocolate chip cookies and went around her very hurting neighborhood. She introduced herself and she loved on strangers that she doesn't even know. During this time, she met widows and hurting people.
I know that we should all exercise caution in some areas, but I was deeply inspired by this kind of love...
The kind of love that actually gets to know the people in the neighborhood....
The other day I read something that made sense...Today we see so many problems in society. Drugs, Suicide, Child Abuse, and the list goes on and on....
The problem with many churches is thier outlook. Many churches limit the movement of God. Churches are set up to where they beckon the lost to come to them.,,,,... Many of the lost will never step foot inside of a church...
In the Bible, the church actually went out into the world. Not the other way around. The disciples went out two by two....into people's homes....The disciples sought out the lost of the world. They didn't build an epicenter and wait..."Build it and they will come.."
They simply just went. They put on the boots of peace and they went.
I like the idea of getting to know the neighbors. I like the idea of bringing cookies to someone's home. It's a romantic notion that seems to have died. I say we bring it back to life.
Today, go visit someone that you haven't seen in years. Walk over to the neighbors house and introduce yourself. Spread a little light and a little bit of Heaven to this dark earth.
Tuesday, February 7, 2012
7 Days of Heaven, Day 4
The other day I was at a family member's house. When I walked inside, I saw a lady and her son were visiting. I don't know the lady too well, but I have talked with her on a few occassions....
Sometimes, I can feel God's great love for specific people. Today, I felt his love for this lady and her son. I have no idea what thier life looks like. I have no idea if they know God...or if they have faith.....
Every now and then I can hear the voice of the Holy Spirit.....It comes as a sense of overwhelming "rightness"...
I knew that I was supposed to tell this lady just how much God loved her and her son....
I imagined myself walking up to her and saying, Mrs. _____, God loves you so much. I don't know what your life looks like, but He is telling me that soon the dark clouds of your life will fall away...He is showing me His great love for you and your son....
I imagined myself speaking to her without hesitation and without fear......There were other people in the room and I'm not accustomed to speaking in this way...so I wrote it down...
I have a stack of journals in my car. Lately, I have given these journals to women in women's shelters, along with an encouraging message...
I chose a journal because a journal is place for thought....and I wanted to remind these women that thier thoughts are important. No matter how much abuse they have suffered, no matter what thier lives look like...thier thoughts matter...
I told the lady how much God loved her and her son. I told her that her thoughts matter....
But I was disappointed that I didn't speak it........
The Bible tells us that in order to be saved we are to believe in our hearts and confess with our mouths....
We speak our faith.....To confess with our mouths is an action. It is something that we are to do.....
We speak. I don't know if writing qualifies as speaking, but I am praying that God will give me greater confidence to speak. Beliving simply is not enough...we are to speak...
Let's shout it from the hilltops....Jesus Christ is Lord..
" If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved." Romans 10:9
When we confess our faith..when we speak..when we obey the voice of the Holy Spirit, we bring a little bit of Heaven to this dark earth......
I started thinking about our comfort zones. God moves when we allow ourselves to move out of our places of safety. Some of the most amazing times in my Christian walk have been the times when I listened to the voice of the Holy Spirit. I have always considered myself shy...but I have learned that God gives confidence..all we have to do is ask.......Speak! We need to learn to speak!
There have been times when I truly felt like God was asking me to do something specific, like pray with someone. I always imagined the worst possible scenario...I always imagined that the person would look at me strange and tell me to go away... but that has not happened...I have found that the people that He has asked me to pray for have been grateful. He has led me into love and He showed me that there is nothing scary about love.
Love is the tie that binds together. God is love. He has shown me that relationships on earth are meant to be meaningful and deep. They are meant to be more than what we have made them. Only God can ever truly lead us into love. His love is the love that loves us no matter where we are or what we have done. His Love hopes all things, endures all things, believes all things...His love believes in us, even when no one else will....
Love is not scary. Speaking love is not scary. Next time, I speak!
Sometimes, I can feel God's great love for specific people. Today, I felt his love for this lady and her son. I have no idea what thier life looks like. I have no idea if they know God...or if they have faith.....
Every now and then I can hear the voice of the Holy Spirit.....It comes as a sense of overwhelming "rightness"...
I knew that I was supposed to tell this lady just how much God loved her and her son....
I imagined myself walking up to her and saying, Mrs. _____, God loves you so much. I don't know what your life looks like, but He is telling me that soon the dark clouds of your life will fall away...He is showing me His great love for you and your son....
I imagined myself speaking to her without hesitation and without fear......There were other people in the room and I'm not accustomed to speaking in this way...so I wrote it down...
I have a stack of journals in my car. Lately, I have given these journals to women in women's shelters, along with an encouraging message...
I chose a journal because a journal is place for thought....and I wanted to remind these women that thier thoughts are important. No matter how much abuse they have suffered, no matter what thier lives look like...thier thoughts matter...
I told the lady how much God loved her and her son. I told her that her thoughts matter....
But I was disappointed that I didn't speak it........
The Bible tells us that in order to be saved we are to believe in our hearts and confess with our mouths....
We speak our faith.....To confess with our mouths is an action. It is something that we are to do.....
We speak. I don't know if writing qualifies as speaking, but I am praying that God will give me greater confidence to speak. Beliving simply is not enough...we are to speak...
Let's shout it from the hilltops....Jesus Christ is Lord..
" If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved." Romans 10:9
When we confess our faith..when we speak..when we obey the voice of the Holy Spirit, we bring a little bit of Heaven to this dark earth......
I started thinking about our comfort zones. God moves when we allow ourselves to move out of our places of safety. Some of the most amazing times in my Christian walk have been the times when I listened to the voice of the Holy Spirit. I have always considered myself shy...but I have learned that God gives confidence..all we have to do is ask.......Speak! We need to learn to speak!
There have been times when I truly felt like God was asking me to do something specific, like pray with someone. I always imagined the worst possible scenario...I always imagined that the person would look at me strange and tell me to go away... but that has not happened...I have found that the people that He has asked me to pray for have been grateful. He has led me into love and He showed me that there is nothing scary about love.
Love is the tie that binds together. God is love. He has shown me that relationships on earth are meant to be meaningful and deep. They are meant to be more than what we have made them. Only God can ever truly lead us into love. His love is the love that loves us no matter where we are or what we have done. His Love hopes all things, endures all things, believes all things...His love believes in us, even when no one else will....
Love is not scary. Speaking love is not scary. Next time, I speak!
Monday, February 6, 2012
the ugly rock
the other day, while at work, I needed an ink pen....I was outside and realized that I had left my pen inside the building. That's no surprise since I am always deficient in this area...
I didn't have anything complicated to write..I simply needed to check some items off of a sheet of paper...so I reached for a rock...
The ground is littered with rocks...rocks of all shapes and sizes..rocks of all colors and textures...
I happened to pick up the ugliest rock I could find...
I knew that the ugly rock would be able to complete the specific task in the best possible way...
As I was checking off items with the ugly rock, I noticed the smooth lines it made across the page.
None of the smooth, prettier rocks could have done that...the smooth, pretty rocks would not have been able to leave the same mark as the ugly rock...
Leaving our mark on the world...
sometimes, don't we think we have to be beautiful or look a certain way to leave
our mark on the world..
I used to strive very hard to obtain an image. I never felt like I matched the standards of what is considered beautiful in this day and age.
Today beauty is often associated with thick, shiny hair, certain body types,
the best clothes....
I often wanted to change myself to conform to this image. I thought that love was a shallow thing that depended upon whatever level of beauty one possessed.
Of course, I was grossly wrong. Even the most beautiful girls get hurt and trampled underfoot.
I have since learned that true beauty is of the heart...
Since, my walk in Christ, He is making me into the woman that I am supposed to be.
He is giving me confidence in who I am..
I now see that life is necessarily about how much I am loved,
but measured in His eyes by how much I love others..
So, today, if you are feeling ugly..
You can still leave your mark on the world.
God loves you so much and He longs to transform you
into the person He wants you to be.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)