We are In This Fight

Remember the cartoons of yesteryear where the character would have an angel on one shoulder and a devil on the other shoulder. Both were intent on speaking their “truth” into the cartoon character’s ear. He would have to decide which voice to listen to. That made all the difference in his outcome.  Who the cartoon character listened to made the decision of his next move and ultimately his success or failure.

We are in this fight. We have the Lord who wants to speak to us and empower us for success. We also have an enemy and he is as shrewd as they come. He ultimately wants death and he works towards that with self destruction and by stealing our birthright.

Oh beloved, who have you been listening to? I understand. We listen to the wrong voice sometimes. Pretty soon we believed the lies of the enemy on the shoulder of our heart. You’ve been told the same lies that all the rest of us women of God have been told.

It’s time to resist the enemy so that he will have to flee! It’s time to completely flick that enemy off your shoulder and rise above the lies he has spread across your history. Because, beloved, you aren’t living in your past and God isn’t talking to you about the things He has placed in the sea of forgetfulness.  All of God’s words, even the corrections, are so filled with love that we always respond in love. He only speaks encouragement, equipping, reconciliation and restoration. We are freedom fighters who have victory written across our foreheads as we go forth with the High Praises of God in our mouths and a two edged sword in our hands!

God loves you and He’s for you! His plan is awesome and He has given you the tools to receive His promises and walk in His victory! Rejoice as you step into the light and out of the lies, living your calling for the rest of your days!

James 4:7 So submit to [the authority of] God. Resist the devil [stand firm against him] and he will flee from you. Amplified

Philippians 4:13 I can do all things [which He has called me to do] through Him who strengthens and empowers me [to fulfill His purpose—I am self-sufficient in Christ’s sufficiency; I am ready for anything and equal to anything through Him who infuses me with inner strength and confident peace.] Amplified

Ephesians 1:18-19 And [I pray] that the eyes of your heart [the very center and core of your being] may be enlightened [flooded with light by the Holy Spirit], so that you will know and cherish the hope [the divine guarantee, the confident expectation] to which He has called you, the riches of His glorious inheritance in the saints (God’s people), and [so that you will begin to know] what the immeasurable and unlimited and surpassing greatness of His [active, spiritual] power is in us who believe…  Amplified

 

The Abundant Life is Yours

Throughout my childhood my dad woke me up each morning with a special song. I admit there were times it irritated me. Sometimes it felt a little over the top. I also know that my dad sang that song, not because I was the perfect child, but because He thought I was perfect to Him and He loved me. As that ritual comes to mind this morning I so wish I could hear him sing it one more time. We take much for granted in life, especially the good things done for us in love. I’m thankful for the good things I remember and feel blessed to know how loved I was.

We take a lot of things for granted don’t we? From waking up in the morning to sleeping at night – all are a love present from our heavenly Father. We get so busy doing everyday stuff we forget how blessed we really are by the Lord.

Oh beloved, you are blessed! God is the One who wakes you up this morning. He is the one that puts your feet on the floor and gives you reason to praise Him for the day.  His love is outlandish. He pours it over your life and never holds back. His love is genuine – He loves you because He is love. When you want to withhold love He is thinking how to multiply it.  When you want to withhold mercy because of people’s actions God’s mercy remains boundless.  When you think you don’t deserve it yourself He increases His love and mercy and grace towards you. At the cross Jesus chose the way of forgiveness for you when you didn’t even know you needed forgiving. He is excessive in all that He does – from kindness, faithfulness and generosity – His well of delights are never running dry for you.  Your life has abundance written all over it because God is abundant with you. He saved you by His mercy, He keeps you by His grace, He seals you by His Spirit and He’s returning for you one day. All because of His amazing love.

He really does love you personally and He is always for you.  Rest in His presence a moment this morning and let that wonder slip over you and raise you up out of your doldrums. Your life may have problems but you are destined to live the abundant life no matter what. Thank Him this morning for all His gifts and His perfection in all His ways. Then run with the eagles as you embrace the abundant life that is yours because you live in the Light of His wonderful ways!

Psalm 145:7-8 They celebrate Your abundant goodness and joyfully sing of Your righteousness.  The LORD is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in love. NIV

Psalm 36:5 Your unfailing love, O LORD, is as vast as the heavens; Your faithfulness reaches beyond the clouds.

Colossians 2:7 Let your roots grow down into Him, and let your lives be built on Him. Then your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught, and you will overflow with thankfulness.

 

 

Travel Through

When we traveled out west on motorcycles with friends we stayed in motels occasionally but mostly we stopped at campgrounds and put up our motorcycle campers. Some campgrounds were wonderful. Some had issues. The one with rattlesnake warning signs made me decide not to get up in the night and walk to the bathroom! We camped in bear country too. When asking the manager what we should be concerned about she responded that we should put any food or snacks on the fence away from our tents. I wanted to stay half awake to listen for a bear in the night. One we had to get tokens for the showers – water was at a premium there. Needless to say we didn’t have to live at any of those campgrounds, we were just passing through.

I can say that although I might not want to return to all those experiences, God is still teaching me truths from them even now.

Oh beloved, God wants you to know this morning that He knows what you are going through. He sees the hardship and the harsh circumstances. He understands your heartbreak. He knows you prayed one way and you still found yourself in harsh territory. You may even be reliving a past experience that is full of heartache. He says this morning that it’s time to move on! He never intended you to camp there indefinitely. As a child of God you will go through things. But the power of the Cross has redeemed you and you can indeed Go Through. Your destiny is to look to Him for lessons in every situation but be assured that no situation lasts forever. Your messy campground is the beautiful territory of God’s redeeming love! What looks insurmountable now will be the mountain you take for the Kingdom and the testimony of the Power of God in your life!

God loves you and He’s for you! Run to Him this morning and ask Him to help you see life through His eyes. This is your finest moment to live and move on and have your whole life in His tender loving care. Always know your testing ground will become your testimony to share with others who will receive help because you made it through!

Psalm 121:3 He will not let you stumble; the One who watches over you will not slumber.

Psalm 23:4 Even though I walk through the [sunless] valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod [to protect] and Your staff [to guide], they comfort and console me.

Isaiah 55:12 “For you will go out with joy and be led forth with peace; The mountains and the hills will break forth into shouts of joy before you, And all the trees of the field will clap their hands.

Three Things

Have you thanked the Lord for fleas?

I really can’t think of anything more insidious than a flea infestation. We’ve been through that a couple of times along the years. Even our courthouse had to deal with fleas not long ago. As I stepped into the elevator to go up a flight to the clerk’s office I saw the sign telling the story. Thankfully that sign is now gone. Relief has come. 

I am reminded of Corrie Ten Boom’s sister Betsy. In the concentration camp their building was horribly infested with fleas. Betsy told Corrie they should give thanks for the fleas. Corrie could not believe such a ridiculous proposal. But Betsy explained that because of the infestation none of the guards wanted to come into their barracks, thus they had complete freedom to pray and share the Gospel.

Oh beloved, God wants you to know three things this morning. Nothing you are going through, no infestation or problem, will ever separate you from His love. Also In His Hands, even the things that want to plague you can be used by Him to give you a platform of glory. Finally, relief will come. I may not have gone through what you have, but I can tell you that God is faithful and He proved to be just who He says He is and that He will do just what He says He will do. Your present situation may be awful, hurtful, mournful and infested with all kinds of troubles. You will run the enemy off as you begin to thank God in the middle of it all. This is where your power for living lies – in trusting every circumstance to Him. Whatever is lost or broken, whatever is plaguing your heart – you can praise Him ahead of time that His relief is on the way. Your present mess is going to become your message – the very one that others need to hear so that they too can find relief! Give thanks – for God’s love that covers it all, for God’s care that proves faithful over and over and for the broken places that are becoming stepping stones of glory for your good and His Kingdom!

God loves you and He’s for you! God won’t just send relief, He IS your relief! Rejoice in His promises and tell the wondrous story as you live in the Light of His Loving Care!

Romans 8:38-39 And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Psalm 121:2 My help comes from the LORD, Who made heaven and earth.

2 Corinthians 4:17 For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever!

Your Story is a Best Seller!

The school’s Book Fair just happened to coincide with Grandparent’s Week. That’s pretty good planning I think. As we took the three youngest grands into their elementary school and down the hall into the library we discovered they had already spied the book each one wanted. It didn’t take any time at all to purchase those stories and write their names in them.

God wants us to know this morning that He purchased our stories for us before the foundation of the world. We may shop for what we think we want in life but when we find out what He has already bought for us we can quickly take that story, our personal story of faith, without need to spend money or worry if we can afford it. It is finished.

Oh beloved, your story is outstanding! On the shelf of faith it is a best seller! Every story line and twist is tailor made for your walk of faith. Even when the plot thickens and you don’t know how things will turn out, God says I am that I am. I work all things together for your good and My glory! The story of your life began before you were even born. It was formulated in the Mind and Heart of the One who knows you best and loves you most! Father God is the Author and Finisher of your faith story! Jesus is the Hero who died for you and rose again so you would have resurrection days all through your story! The Holy Spirit within you makes beautiful music for you weaving His miraculous, extraordinary essence throughout! This is no ordinary tale of woe, heartbreak, fear, worry, and it never finished with a sad ending. No, beloved, your story is full of intrigue, victory, courage, faith and it will finish well because God says so!

It’s time for you to lay aside the false story that the enemy has tried to get you to keep reading over and over.  The enemy wants to rewrite the fictitious story of your life and make you believe it’s true!  But this is your day to embrace the truth about your life and live it with all your heart!

God loves you and He’s for you! That’s your destiny in writing – God breathed in the Word and performed by Him throughout your life. Rejoice as you let God arise and believe with your whole heart as you live out the story God says about you all the rest of your life!

1 John 5:4 For everyone born of God is victorious and overcomes the world; and this is the victory that has conquered and overcome the world—our [continuing, persistent] faith [in Jesus the Son of God]. AMP

Romans 8:28 And we know [with great confidence] that God [who is deeply concerned about us] causes all things to work together [as a plan] for good for those who love God, to those who are called according to His plan and purpose. AMP

Psalm 139:16 Your eyes have seen my unformed substance; and in Your book were all written The days that were ordained for me, When as yet there was not one of them.

Psalm 34:22 The LORD redeems the soul of His servants, And none of those who take refuge in Him will be condemned.