A Real Prayer

How long, O Lord? Will you forget
me forever?
How long will you hide your face
from me?
How long must I wrestle with my
thoughts
and every day have sorrow in
my heart?
How long will my enemies
triumph over me?
Look on me and answer, O Lord
my God.
Give light to my eyes, or I will
sleep in death;
my enemy will say, "I have overcome
him,"
and my foes will rejoice when I
fall.
But I trust in your unfailing love;
my heart rejoices in your
salvation.
I will sing to the Lord,
for he has been good to me.
Psalm 13

I love this prayer. The psalmist starts out sad and feeling betrayed by God. He cries out what is truly on his heart. I can really relate to the part where he asks, "How long must I wrestle with my thoughts?" When life is hard my thoughts are always trying to go down the wrong path. It is a battle to keep remembering the truth. Notice that by the end of the prayer the author can again praise God.
God wants us to speak what is truly on our hearts. I have done this and seen that God actually changed the circumstances. God is faithful. He will bring us back to being able to praise him. I love that the psalmist can be totally real. This is what God wants from us. I remember one time trying to be stoic about a situation. Then finally it got the best of me. I cried out to God, "I want out!"
His answer was, "Finally, you asked." Then he rescued me.
I am going to add a song that I have used before, but it fits so perfectly. The musician sings about how the honest cry of a breaking heart is sometimes better than a hallelujah.

True Repentance

Remember, O Lord, your great mercy and love, for they are from of old. Remember not the sins of my youth and my rebellious ways; according to your love remember me, for you are good, O Lord. Psalm 25:6-7
O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing. Matthew 23:37

The other day, I had true repentance. You see, shame has been a major issue in my life. So I was always apologizing to God and people just because I even existed. I would read about revivals and the people that fell on the ground weeping because they felt so bad for their sins. I knew this was true repentance. It had nothing to do with shame. Shame is looking at yourself and feeling bad that you aren't a better person. It is a form of pride because it has to do with hoping in yourself rather than God. In my life, shame is so oppressive that when it comes over me I am rendered useless. It is shame that wants to rob life itself from me.
When I had true repentance, I cried because I could see how much God loved me and wanted the best for me. The above verse where Jesus is weeping over Jerusalem kept going through my head. Jesus was weeping for me. He wasn't condemning me and calling me defective. He was grieving because I was missing out. It broke my heart. I wept right along with him. I didn't feel ashamed, I felt loved. I had such joy and hope.
Maybe this has never been an issue in your life. I truly thank God for that. Will you join me in praying for our brothers and sisters that only know shame. Let's pray for true repentance for the body of Christ and for the whole world. Let's ask God for revival in our lives and the lives of the whole world. Then we will begin to know how much God really loves us.

Lift Your Soul To God

To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul;
in you I trust, O my God.
Do not let me be put to shame,
nor let my enemies triumph over
me.
No one whose hope is in you
will ever be put to shame,
but they will be put to shame
who are treacherous without
excuse.
Show me your ways, O Lord,
Teach me your paths;
guide me in your truth and teach
me,
for you are God my Savior,
and my hope is in you all day
long.
Remember, O Lord, your great mercy
and love
for they are from of old.
Remember not the sins of my youth
and my rebellious ways;
according to your love remember
me,
for you are good, O Lord.
Good and upright is the Lord;
therefore he instructs sinners
in his ways.
He guides the humble in what is
right
and teaches them his way.
All the ways of the Lord are loving
and faithful
for those who keep the demands of
his covenant.
For the sake of your name, O Lord,
forgive my iniquity, though it is
great.
Who, then, is the man who fears
the Lord?
He will instruct him in the way
chosen for him.
He will spend his days in
prosperity.
and his descendants will inherit
the land.
The Lord confides in those who fear
him;
he makes his covenant known to
them. My eyes are ever on the Lord,
for only he will release my feet
from the snare.

Psalm 25:1-15

Remember The Wonders He Has Done

Remember the wonders he has done. 1 Chronicles 16:12

Time after time there is a need to remember what God has done. When we are filled with joy, we shout praises and remember. When we come to an obstacle that looks too big, we remember how God got us over obstacles in the past. Over and over God told his people to remember. Today, is like that for me. Maybe that is the weapon that God has given me this day. All I know is that this remembering is so sweet. I remember driving in freezing rain with my two best friends. God instructed us when to pull over, change lanes, everything. The whole time we were singing, OUR GOD IS AN AWESOME GOD. I remember being on an airplane where the turbulence was so great that even the crew were scared spit-less. The plane was full of Christians and we prayed and sang out loud. You forget to be invisible at times like that. Afterwords, the crew and passengers thanked us for our prayers. I remember being by my Grandma's bed when she was dying. We worshiped, and prayed the 23rd psalm. My Grandma, who had been silent for hours, joined in. I remember putting the last package of meat in the microwave to thaw and praying, "Well Lord, we are out of meat and money. We need some help here." My husband came home with an unexpected $20 tip from a customer. I remember being in terrible pain and feeling God's arms holding me and comforting me. I remember praying for barren women who were pregnant within a month. I remember the time God healed me instantly from a nasty rash. I remember..... I could just go on and on. The memories are so sweet. God is so good. So today, this is what I would encourage you to do, remember. By the way, you might need a pack of tissue handy. All this remembering brings tears of gratefulness and joy. Have a good day of remembrance. In fact, while you are at it, have a good life of remembrance.

Love Is Powerful

And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.
1 Corinthians 13:13

There was a time in my life that I was struggling with my self worth and the love of God. At that point, God sent a person that had a very deep faith and a great love for God. This love overflowed with love for me. One night, the darkness kept trying to get the best of me. Then I would remember that the person loved me. The darkness disappeared. This happened over and over.
Sometimes, God's love is invisible to us and it is so helpful to have our Christian brothers and sisters to love us. I don't really understand, I jut know that to love your neighbor is really powerful. It can become a powerful weapon to show God's love.
This reminds me of a quote from St. Francis of Assisi. "Preach the Gospel at all times. Use words if necessary."

We Are Part Of A Victorious Team

For he will command angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways; they will lift you up with their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.
Psalm 91:11-12
Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life.
Psalm 23:6
we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses. Hebrews 12:1
No, in all things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.
Romans 8:37

This morning we read about the death of King David's son, Absalom. David had a mighty victory and yet all he could think about was that Absalom had died. He was oblivious to God's help and all the help and support from the people in his life. Thankfully, Joab came to him and made him aware of his wrong thinking. This story made me realize that I do the same thing. I am looking at what I perceive to be wrong and this overwhelms me. Today, God is making me aware of what a huge team that we each have that are helping us and cheering us on. We have God, angels, the victorious Christians that have gone before us, and the body of Christ. I found it refreshing and encouraging to ponder these things. We are kings and priests of the Most High God. We are being offered the opportunity to live in victory and be part of a powerful team that are all watching out for us and helping us. Thank you God, angels, and fellow Christians.

Strange Suffering

Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed.
1 Peter 4;12-13

The part of this verse that really strikes me is, "as though something strange were happening to you." There are the obvious sufferings that come when we are rejected in some way because we are Christians. They are rejecting Christ in us, just like they rejected him when he walked on this earth. Then there is another suffering that most of us recognize. This is when we go through trials like car accidents, identity theft, poison oak etc. We know that suffering does good things for us, even if it is not fun to go through. To me, those kinds of sufferings don't feel so strange anymore. I have become aware of a suffering that I guess I didn't actually know what to do with. This is when I am overcome with a horrid attitude that I know isn't in agreement with God. I repent. I declare the truth. I do everything I can to get rid of it, and yet it sticks to me like glue. This is what happened to me last night. It seemed like the more I fought it, the worse it got. Of course, then along with that came shame that I had this attitude and that I couldn't make it go away. This morning, God and I have been having a discussion about it. I learned that instead of trying to fix it myself, I needed to bring it to God. He had allowed this attitude for a variety of reasons. One was that I actually was being given discernment. Another was that I was being shown that I am not any better than anyone else. Another is that I was being protected. The last is that I needed to bring it to God and see his heart. I can't have his heart in this situation, but it helps to know his heart. I am to put my hope in his attitude. It is such a relief. He has compassion on everyone. Nothing can separate me or anyone else from his love.
When you are suffering because you can't get yourself to have what you perceive to be the right attitude, take it to God. Get his take on the matter. Quit beating yourself up and hoping in your ability to be good.
Jesus, who in the Gospel compares Yourself to a most tender mother, I trust in your words because You are Truth and Life. In spite of everything, Jesus I trust in You in the face of every interior sentiment which sets itself against hope. Do what You want with me; I will never leave You, because You are the source of my life.
(Divine Mercy In My Soul, Diary of Saint Maria Faustina Kowalska)

God Has A Weapon For You

Now in those days the advice Ahithophel gave was like that of one who inquires of God. 2 Samuel 16:23a
No weapon forged against you will prevail, and you will refute every tongue that accuses you. Isaiah 54:16b
For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. 2 Corinthians 10:3-5

This morning I woke up being accused by the enemy in areas where I am vulnerable.It sounded so rational because it was familiar to me. I had been listening to it and believing it my whole life. Then my husband read the above scripture from 2 Samuel. Ahithophel gave bad advice that had nothing to do with the truth of God and yet it was received as if God, himself had spoken it. I realized that I was doing the same thing with the familiar accusations that I was hearing. As I prayed, the other two scriptures came to mind. So I asked God what weapon he had for me. I thought I heard him say, "Praise." Then I saw myself walking down a road with a rod in my hand. I was filled with joy and worshiping God because he is good. The enemy was still all around me throwing stones, shouting accusations, and giving bad advice. I was on a safe path from God, and the enemy couldn't touch me. I no longer felt the need to respond to him in any way. I was free.
God has just the right weapon for what ever enemy you are facing. Go to him and ask him what it is. It will be just right and you will conquer. In fact you will more than conquer.

Worship The Lord

Shout to the Lord, all the
earth.
Worship the Lord with gladness;
come before him with joyful
songs.
Know that the Lord is God.
It is he who made us, and we are
his;
we are his people, the sheep of
his pasture.
Enter his gates with thanksgiving
and his courts with praise;
give thanks to him and praise his
name.
For the Lord is good and his love
endures forever;
his faithfulness continues through
all generations.
Psalm 100

Are You Too Busy To Be You?

Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations. Jeremiah 1:9

God knew you before you were even conceived. He knew you , not what you are trying to make of yourself. He knew and still knows the real, beautiful, wonderful you.
I am being set free more and more of striving to be "the perfect Christian." Yesterday, I pushed myself too hard, which resulted in lack of sleep and waking up depressed. So I worshiped God, declaring the truth. Then depression began to be pushed back. I started looking for songs on the internet and singing along. As I did this, I remembered how much fun I have had in the past with finding a wonderful song and singing it again and again until I had it down pat. So I started learning a song that I love. Then the depression just had to pack up and leave.
Music has always been in my blood. When I was being created I was given music. To not be musical is to not be part of me. Who are you? Who did God set you apart to be? I am sure that the more you seek God and know his love, the more you will be set free to be you. The more you are you, the happier you will be. Have fun rediscovering yourself.

Jesus I Trust In You

I have been crucified with Christ and no longer live, But Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. Galatians 2:20
I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit;apart from me you can do nothing.
John 15:5

Fruit on a tree doesn't make it a fruit tree. It's a fruit tree, therefore it has fruit. I am remembering someone that I have known since they were a little child. They were free spirited, creative and fun. One day, their family started getting very legalistic. Because she has a pure heart she truly tried to toe the line. It robbed her of joy as she sought the fruit rather than the fruit giver. The message she received constantly was, "Be good. Try harder. Be legalistically self controlled like me, and then you will be acceptable." Depression became an issue for her and a deep sense of shame. If you meet her today, she looks like the others. She even acts like them, but none of that can hide her sweet pure soul.
God is showing me that I am like her. I have imposed the same thing onto myself. I believed the others that said that it was bad to be me.God is setting me free to be myself with dignity.
Jesus wants us to rest in his love. This burden of trying to be good is heavy and not from God. We live by faith in the Son of God, not legalism. He promised that if we abide in him, we will bear fruit.

Here is a song that has meant much to me for years. It makes me think that the musician got worn out by legalism and is returning to trusting in God.

My Eyes Are Dry by Keith Green

My eyes are dry
My faith is old
My heart is hard
My prayers are cold
And I know how I ought to be
Alive to You and dead to me

But what can be done
For an old heart like mine
Soften it up
With oil and wine
The oil is You, Your Spirit of love
Please wash me anew
With the wine of Your Blood

The Desires Of Your Heart

Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart.
Psalm 37:4

Yesterday, before we went to a restaurant, I was thinking that it would be neat if they had refills on ice tea. Then I thought how it would sure be nice to have my last refill in a paper cup, so I could take it with me. I never said this to anyone. I also never asked God for it. When I asked for my second refill, the waitress saw that my husband was done with his meal. Next thing I knew, the waitress brought me a double paper cup filled with ice tea. There was even a straw and lid. This is the second time recently that God gave me something just because I wanted it. I am so blessed to be a child of God.

God's Word, Our Greatest Asset

The law of the Lord is perfect,
reviving the soul.
The statutes of the Lord are
trustworthy,
making wise the simple.
The precepts of the Lord are right,
giving joy to the heart.
The commands of the Lord are
radiant,
giving light to the eyes.
The fear of the Lord is pure,
enduring forever.
The ordinances of the Lord are sure
and altogether righteous.
They are more precious than gold,
than much pure gold;
they are sweeter than honey,
than honey from the comb.
By them is your servant warned;
in keeping them their is great reward.
Psalm 19:7-11

Wanted: All Weaknesses

Blessed is the man who has regard for the weak; the Lord delivers him in times of trouble. The Lord will protect him and preserve his life;he will bless him in the land and not surrender him to the desire of his foes. The Lord will sustain him on his sick bed and restore him from his bed of illness. Psalm 41:1-3
For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are- yet without sin. Hebrews 4:15

I am beginning to see weakness from a different angle. I have despised weakness in myself and others. On the other hand I was taught to embrace my whole self, even my weaknesses. Last night God was asking me to offer up my weakness as a gift to him. He wants to use our weakness for his glory. He has compassion on us in our weakness and he wants us to have compassion for others in their weakness. When you find yourself aware of a weakness in another, use it as an opportunity to ask for help with your own weaknesses and to pray for that other person. God will bless you and you will be a much happier person.

What's In A Name?

She gave birth to a son, and they named him Solomon. The Lord loved him; and because the Lord loved him, he sent word through Nathan the prophet to name him Jedidiah. 2 Samuel 12:24b-25

Names are very important. When my son was born, we picked a name for him, and it is a very good name. On the other hand, God picked the name David for him. David was a man after God's own heart and David danced before the Lord in worship. As I pray for my son, I remember that this is who he is. He may not know it and I may not see the fruit of this name, but if God gave the name then this is who my son is.Solomon was given the name Jedidiah by God. It means loved by God. Today, I was praying for a young man that knows legalism, but doesn't know the love of God. God asked me to name him Jedidiah, loved by the Lord. My heart lifted and I started to get excited about this man's life. What is your name? I bet if you research the name your parent's gave you, you will find a key to your identity. God was there when you were named. I am convinced that he helped pick that name out. Ask God if he has any other names for you. I bet he does. Then claim that name. Believe that you are who God says, even if it doesn't seem like it. God is speaking life over you. Accept his gift. Remember, he is the truth, and the truth sets you free. He wants to set you free to be who you really are.

Come To Jesus

Untitled Hymn (Come To Jesus) By Chris Rice

Weak and wounded sinner
Lost and left to die
O, raise your head, for love is passing by
Come to Jesus
Come to Jesus
Come to Jesus and live!

Now your burden’s lifted
And carried far away
And precious blood has washed away the stain, so
Sing to Jesus
Sing to Jesus
Sing to Jesus and live!

And like a newborn baby
Don’t be afraid to crawl
And remember when you walk
Sometimes we fall…so
Fall on Jesus
Fall on Jesus
Fall on Jesus and live!

Sometimes the way is lonely
And steep and filled with pain
So if your sky is dark and pours the rain, then
Cry to Jesus
Cry to Jesus
Cry to Jesus and live!

O, and when the love spills over
And music fills the night
And when you can’t contain your joy inside, then
Dance for Jesus
Dance for Jesus
Dance for Jesus and live!

And with your final heartbeat
Kiss the world goodbye
Then go in peace, and laugh on Glory’s side, and
Fly to Jesus
Fly to Jesus
Fly to Jesus and live!

God's Word

Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path. Psalm 119:105
Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever. Amen!
Ephesians 3:20

God spoke and created the world. The Bible is a powerful tool that he has given us. He wants us to read it, memorize it, believe it, consume it, declare it and much more.
I remember one time when we were struggling financially. I spent a day crying out to God what he had promised in his word. Before the day ended miracles began happening. God provided everything that we needed and even more than we hoped for.
Another time I walked through a dormitory where children were having nightmares and bad experiences, declaring Psalm 91. Then I went to the classroom and read it over the children. The nightmares and evil stopped, and one boy even totally gave his life to God. He was so in love with God that he kept his family up until 2:00 A.M. talking about how wonderful God is.
God wants us to utilize this amazing gift that he has made available to us. We have the Bible and we have God speaking to us in other ways. He wants to do more for us than we can even imagine. I encourage you to take God up on his promises. You will be amazed at the miracles that begin happening in your life.

God Has Compassion On You

Shout for joy, O heavens;
rejoice, O earth;
burst into song, O Mountains!
For the Lord comforts his people
and will have compassion on his
afflicted ones.
Isaiah 4913

God made us all unique. I have always been impressed with the people that were born cheery and are like the weeble that wobbles and doesn't fall down. Then there are the determined people. No matter what life throws them, they grit their teeth and keep going even if it kills them. Of course there are the ostrich people that cope by sticking their head in the sand and pretending that nothing is wrong. I am not like any of these. I am sensitive and aware of things that aren't right in life. When I fall down, which I do sometimes, I sit and cry. For years I thought that God wanted me to quit crying, think happy thoughts and get on with life. This morning I realized that God wants to comfort me. I guess he wants to be the source of my happy thoughts. He is not asking me to pull myself up by my own boot straps. He wants to comfort me. God has a different perspective on life than you might expect. Remember, he made each one of us unique. It is o.k. if we don't cope like the guy next to us. God is asking us to individually bring our difficulties to him. He will give us his perspective on the situation and whatever tools are needed to get through it.
Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.
Matthew 11:28-30

Happy Birthday

You're my Son,
And today is your birthday.
What do you want? Name it:
Nations as a present? continents as a prize?
You can command them all to dance for you,
Psalm 2 (The Message Bible)

I am remembering when it really was my birthday, and this is the exact scripture that God gave me. It was spoken by God to Jesus, but I claimed it too. I asked God for the nations for my inheritance. I would see everyone come to know God. I would go everywhere that God would send me and lift up Jesus so that everyone that has been bitten by the serpent, the devil, would be healed and follow Jesus.
Today is a birthday of at least 3 people I know two of them are missionaries. I ask God this day that their prayers be answered and that God give them the salvation of the nations.

Be Aware Of How Gifted You Are

Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. James 1:17

Today, be aware of how gifted you are. God is your source. He has showered you with lots and lots of gifts. He is asking us to look up and notice our gifts and to start thanking God for them.

Freedom From Injustice

Is not the kind of fasting I have chosen; to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke?.. Isaiah 58:6

In the above passage God is asking his people to get rid of injustice and slavery in their midst. As I read it this morning, God seemed to be wanting to emphasize another point to me. As long as we live, there will be injustice on this earth. God wants to set us free so that those chains of injustice have no more power over us. It isn't fair that a child is born or marries into a home of rejection, neglect, abuse or abandonment. Yet it happens every day. That person can stay a victim to that their whole lives, always seeking to be loved and approved of and yet never satisfied. God wants to set them free from these chains so that injustice has no more power over them. They are chosen, lovable, nurtured and loved by God. He wants them to know their worth no matter what has been and what is. The other verse that God keeps speaking this morning is; He whom the Son sets free is free indeed. John 8:36
I keep remember a person that I have known since they were a child. They have such a strong sense of their own worth that they are just happy. They don't even see the injustice being done to them. It had no power over them. It seems to slide off like water off a duck's back. They are not victims and yet people do try to victimize them.
God wants to free us from the chains of injustice, and then he has called us to go forth and free others. He is sorry that we have had to suffer. He even apologized to me today for how we have been treated by other people. As long as we live there will be people that do not honor and value us. We can grieve and be victimized by this or we can choose to be free so that they have no more power over us. Jesus wants to set us free. Then we will be free indeed.

You Are Blessed

The ark of the Lord remained in the house of Obed-Edom the Gittite for three months, and the Lord blessed him and his entire household. 2 Samuel 6:11
Don't you know that you yourselves are God's temple and that God's Spirit lives in you? 1 Corinthians 3:16

God dwells in you. You are blessed. This is God's message for today. Each of us needs to look to God and ask him what it means to be blessed. A very popular teaching these days is that if one is blessed they will be rich, famous and healthy. I have a friend that is poor, unknown and senile, and yet it is evident that she is blessed. She has the closest relationship with God of anyone that I know. She is at peace and is confident that she is God's beloved.
All I know is that God is wanting us to be aware that we are blessed if his spirit dwells within us. If we are going through many trials, which everyone I am acquainted with is, then we are tempted to think that we might be cursed. You are not cursed. You are blessed. God is asking us to live our lives knowing that we are blessed. Look for the blessing. It's there in your life. Have a great day and enjoy the many blessings that God is showering on you.