Faith...

Lately, God is just really opening my eyes to the church... God's bride, the world wide church, I mean the WHOLE body of Christ... the church of America and surrounding... I've been wrestling with so much asking God why people just can't "see it", why they don't "get it" and why things have to be so hard... Every church comes with issues because every church is run by sinners. Yes, we are the body of Christ, but our sin natures play a part in every thing that we do! It can be destructive in many situations because where there is sin, God can not dwell. Understanding this and realizing the importance of our OWN repentance constantly as Christians, seeking His face, becoming more and more Christ like every day... it's crucial! There is no gray... only black and white before the eyes of God... but we as Christians often live in the gray...

I have so many thoughts running through my mind lately... so many desires... so much longing to just see clearly what God has...

Galations 5:4-6

"You who are trying to be justified by law have been alienated from Christ;

You have fallen away from grace.

But by faith we eagerly await through the spirit the righteousness for which we hope.

For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value. The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love."

The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love... Searching after "law" and I'm not talking obeying the law set before you... I'm talking about the "law" that comes from any thing other than scripture... man made beliefs/doctrines... truths stretched to form what MAN believes christianity should look like... it's a stumbling block. There is no book, no law, no anything that can draw you close to God outside of FATH EXPRESSING ITSELF THROUGH LOVE. God is love and when He is in us, love is expressed. My prayer is we as Christians can find ourselves not being justified by "laws" but waitng through the spirit for the righteousness we hope for so that we could have what COUNTS: FAITH EXPRESSING ITSELF THROUGH LOVE. Only when we have what counts will lives around us can be truly changed. Love is a drawing factor for those who are lost... not law.... hurting and broken and lost hearts seek out love...

Arise, shine!

Today's verse:

Isaiah 60:1-3

"Arise, shine, for your light has come,

and the glory of the Lord rises upon you.

See, Darkness covers the earth

and thick darkness is over the peoples,

but the Lord rises upon you

and his glory appears over you.

Nations will come to your light,

and kings to the brightness of your dawn"

The opposite of light is darkness. The Darkness that surrounds us is sin. The light within us is Jesus! If we could just put off the "darkness", if we could just soak ourselves in who He is and allow ourselves to be drawn in and changed by the light of HIS glory, the light would shine in us! As HIS children we need to arise with out shame! For our light has come and the glory of the Lord rises upon us!

I hear so often that our churches of America want God to draw near, they want to see Revival! They want to feel him & see Him! But for this to happen, it takes action! We must ARISE! We have to get up! We have to let His light shine. If we want this nation to change, if we want our churches to change, we have to let that light grow in us! For our nation to be changed, it's automatic... "Nations will come to your light..." It is really rather simply put in this scripture, if there is no light, they don't come. Change won't happen. But if your light out shines the darkness, they will come to your light... they will naturally be drawn in!

My heart is so torn by the church of America! I am grieved as I watch sin clutch and darken the light of who God has called us to be. It isn't too late! We are not too far gone! Later in this passage it says "though in anger I struck you, in favor I will show compassion." The Lord's compassion is great! If your life has Darkness in it, even just what you think are areas of small dark places, the light that arises in you is dimmed. We say we are good people, we say we love God, but there are no good people! We are born into sin and only God is good! Only with Him fully dwelling in your life do you become good because then at that point, His light is upon you and shines bright! May we arise, may we put off the dark things and may we take hold of His feet so that his light, the glory of WHO HE IS may rise in us.... "Arise, shine, for your light has come....."

Are you wise?

Today's verse:

Proverbs 14:1 "The wise woman builds her house, but with her own hands the foolish one tears her's down."

Reading this today... as you look on through the chapter, it carries on in talking about "a fools talk brings a rod on his back but lips of the wise protect them." etc. More or less, it's a chapter on what happens when you live good and what happens when you live wrong. In looking at this first verse, After reading this whole chapter, it struck me the power that we have in the direction of lives. If we chose to live honest, pure, loving, forgiving lives... we build our "houses" up. If we chose to live lying, impure, hateful, bitter lives, we are like the foolish woman and we tear our "houses" down with our own hands.

I really stand sobered by this. As an individual, my choices aren't just paid for by ME. My family is affected, my husband, my kids... every action that comes from my hands or my mouth has a cause and affect. It can be positive and uplifting, or it can be negative and destructive. Lord, may I be aware of who I am and what I am doing every single moment so that I MYSELF may build my house up and not tear it down!

We are HIS sheep...

This morning, I was reading in Ezekiel 34. This whole chapter is just packed full of awesome! However, the verses that stood out to me the most are these:

"vs. 11 For this is what the sovereign Lord says: I myself will search for my sheep and look after them... vs. 16 I will search for the lost and bring back the strays. I will bind up the injured and strengthen the weak, but the sleek and the strong I will destroy. I will shepherd the flock with justice."

As I read this, I was absolutely reminded of God's awesomeness. He is almighty. He is the beginning and the End! He is Holy! He is SOVEREIGN! But we are important to a God who is so much bigger than anything we could think up in our little minds! He LOOKS for us. My heart leaps as I read that! My GOD looks for me! And continuing... he searches for the lost and brings back the strays! If you don't already know Him, He is searching for you! His heart beats for you and longs to bring you to His side to care for you! If you knew Him, but you don't follow him, you are lost... or gone astray... He searches for you! How humbling that a God who has the power to destroy us because of our sin searches for us and longs to draw us in! Brokenness is nothing before Him! He will bind up your wounds and heal them with His love and steadfast strength! He becomes your strength in your weakness. I don't know about you, but I'd rather throw this whole world and what it offers away... I'd rather give up every thing I could possibly have and run to Him! No person, no thing, no any thing could amount to the Love that God has for us! He's searching for me and He is searching for you.

I'm reminded that some times it hurts to let go of the things in our lives. We don't always see God's goodness as the treasure that it is... If you haven't experienced that closeness, the intimacy that God offers, you may not understand that letting go of what you have, be it hard or be it easy, will not even hold a light in comparison to who God is. I have touched it! I have touched that presence and I have felt that closeness with God! I stand here today to tell you, it is worth more than you could imagine! If we could all just let go and fall into his searching arms, we'd find more than we could ever dream or ask... A perfect love that will never let us down....

every moment...

I have really been struggling with things lately. Wrestling with the term "pastor's wife". Every one who knows me knows... I am NOT your typical pastor's wife. I've been struggling with the home schooling and figuring out our schedule for this coming year and a list of MANY other things I could list, but I will spare you and I won't list them all! Now, these struggles aren't to say I don't want to be or do these things, it's to say... I just need to hear God right now and know what I am to be doing.

When I stopped and focused on the things I'm wrestling with, my light bulb came on! I don't always start my day with God, I just try to squeeze him in some where more convenient through the day! I know God's desire is for my first fruits of my time to belong to him. So... I'm committing to that. If it's a busy morning... I will pray and read a couple of verses, if it's a morning I truly have enough time... I will do more!

This morning, I sat down with my Bible and this is what I read: Ecclesiastes 9:16-18 "So I said, "wisdom is better than strength. But the poor man's wisdom is despised, and his words are no longer heeded. The quiet words of the wise are more to be heeded than the shouts of a ruler of fools. Wisdom is better than weapons of war, but one sinner destroys much good."

I read this, and I felt convicted. I'm usually a very straight forward person in confrontation and I tell you easily what's on my mind. Currently, there is something that is really bothering me. It angers me and I want to dive in and address it... but God told us WAIT. Wait? Why would I wait? Why would I keep silent? Some times, wisdom is silent. Wisdom waits until it is time to speak and then it speaks in love.

I think so many times, we get caught up in what we want and much like this verse says "The quiet words of the wise are more to be heeded than the shouts of a ruler of fools." Shouting isn't what brings God glory. Words of anger change nothing... it's sinning when you reach that point and no matter what you are confronting, even if your intentions are good, your wisdom is worthless at the point of losing your temper. It destroys much good! So, today, my prayer is that God would quiet me and help me to know at what point to speak and may I be able to speak softly but with the boldness he puts in me for His truth and Name sake!