Journey Of Joy

"I felt a strong urge to break down all those walls of fear, convention, social expectations and self-deprecation. .... 'If you really want it, you can do it. You don't have to be the victim of time and money...You should claim your deepest desire and do what you really want to do....time and money aren't the real issue. You are. Everything is possible for you....Why let the world squeeze you in? Why become a victim? You are free to do what you want - if, that is, you really want it!" from LIFE OF THE BELOVED by Henry Nouwen

God is calling me on a journey of joy. I see a picture of Jesus trying to entice me to follow him. He is filled with joy and keeps laughing and looking at me with love. He is leading me to places and experiences that bring me joy.

Yes, there will be suffering. Jesus endured the cross because of the joy set before him. He is setting joy before me. I am afraid of the cross. So I am finding every excuse in the book to not move forward. There will be a cross. He said,"If any man come after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross and follow me." "The joy of the Lord is my strength." "We go from strength to strength." So, we go from joy to joy. Step out today, and begin your journey of joy.

God Will Meet All Your Needs

"And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:19

I don't have to be intimidated by the belief system that says that I have to know, be capable of and have everything. God is my source. He has all of this. He is all of this. I am a little, well made, human. God knows everything. God is my capability. God supplies all my needs. The world can point at me and call me a failure. I am, by their standards. They want to be a little god. God just wants me to be little and let him by my God.

I Will Not Forget You!

"Can a mother forget the baby at her
breast
and have no compassion on the
child she has borne?
Though she may forget,
I will not forget you!
See, I have engraved you on the
palms of my hands.
Isaiah 49:15 NIV Bible

The theme that God is emphasizing for me today is that he is always there for me in whatever way I need him. Today, each time I thought of something that seemed lacking in my life, by my standards, I declared that God is that for me. All morning I was praying things like, "God, you are my health, you are my sanity, you are my joy, you are my strength, you are my love etc." I have found it comforting and inspiring.

I heard this song on the radio that really touched me

Walk The Way Of Hope

"O Lord, how many are my foes!
How many rise up against me!
Many are saying of me,
'God will not deliver him.'
But you are a shield around me,
O Lord;
you bestow glory on me and lift
up my head.
To the Lord I cry aloud,
and he answers me from his holy
hill.
I lie down and sleep;
I wake again, because the Lord
sustains me.
I will not fear the tens of thousands
drawn up against me on every side.
Arise, O Lord!
Deliver me, O my God!
Strike all my enemies on the jaw;
break the teeth of the wicked.
From the Lord comes my deliverance.
May your blessing be on your
people."
Psalm 3 NIV Bible

I have found that I have been stockpiling evidence of why I should be afraid, sad and discouraged. This morning I have been using it as evidence against God and myself. I became aware that I am being led down the wrong path. All evidence against God is false. Also, he says that I am hand made by him, and he did a good job. I am not to accept evidence against myself either.

I don't want to pile evidence against hope. The truth is that there will be trials the rest of my life. People will suffer that I love. Things will not go according to my plans. God wants me to follow him through this. He has a hope that is bigger than all this. I would walk the way of hope

God Has The New Cool For You

"I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does." John 5:19
NIV Bible

It is crucial that we be led by Jesus. He is going to do something new in our lives. He is the only one that knows what it is. He is the only one that understands. God has the new cool for you. It may not be cool to anyone else. You need to follow him, because it is especially designed for you.

He is asking us to follow him in every area of our lives. God has a variety of adventures for us. We are not a failure when we don't fit in some else's mold. We are free to follow Jesus.

The cool thing is that we will start to be at peace being ourselves. We will stop feeling inadequate like we don't measure up. We will be able to be in a variety of situations and be at peace because we are comfortable with who we are. Hallelujah! God is good!

My Heart Will Trust In You

"For just as the sufferings of Christ flow over into our lives, so also through Christ our comfort overflows." 2 Corinthians 1:5 NIV Bible

Life has been a bit rough these days. I am thankful that in the night and throughout the morning God has been giving me words of encouragement. I thought that this one would speak to you too.

"My Little One, I am so proud of you. I see your suffering, and yet you cheer me on and call me good. I am proud of you. You have not betrayed or denied me. You have held steady in the midst of this pain. Hold fast to your Savior. He will see you through. The storm is mighty, but you won't drown. You will come out victorious. I have conquered your enemies for you. I will see you through this pain and suffering. Don't give up. Hold on, deliverance is coming. I will be with you through thick and thin. Don't give up. I am pleased with you. Don't let anyone or anything tell you differently."

Here is a song by Hillsong that is good to sing when you are in the midst of trials.

Hillsong

Follow Jesus

"When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life." John 8:12 NIV Bible

Jesus is asking us to give up trying to "be good". He is asking us to give up our "if onlys". We are to lay it all down and come and follow him. We don't need man's acceptance and approval. We don't have to prove anything to them, or even ourselves.

It is actually a relief. Jesus has what we truly want, a deep relationship with and dependence on the Father. He has joy. He has peace.

There will always be rejection and suffering. He is the way through it. We can't stop to try and get rid of it. We must follow him through it. We can only have one master. He is Jesus. We are weary from trying to serve all the other masters. Jesus is asking us to give it up and come and follow him.