I can do all things...

I have found myself leaning on Philippians quite a lot lately, but this verse especially. Chapter 4, verse 13 states "I can do all things through Him who strengthens me." (ESV) Even when I remind myself of this verse every morning, I still find myself stressed out at the end of the day wondering what I am going to do about the very things I should not be stressing about!   It is the very statement of faith in Christ. That we can do all things through him, but not WITHOUT him. I've already accepted that, but like many people, the stress of the day gets in my way and I get home in a ball of nerves. What makes us fall back on our own strength (and weakness!) rather than being steadfast in leaning on HIS strength? It also becomes an endless cycle - I fall back, then I beat myself up for falling back, and then come back full circle with being reminded by the Word that his strength is there for me and feeling full of faith once again.   I think it is a normal cycle for any Christian, because we are but human. Even the strongest in faith falter. Look back at David. Or at any of the Disciples. The only one to never falter was Christ. Because well..he is Christ. :) And that is what makes the whole cycle of faith a learning process, a strengthening process. I find myself wondering if I will ever reach a point where my faith does not falter, but I suspect that will only happen when it is time for Him to call me home.

Epiphany

So I was hit full force with a realization this morning, while I struggled to wake up over a cup of coffee. I was reading posts on facebook, and I sort of zoned out on something. I think I might have been daydreaming. But it is the end result that got my attention:

There was a man, and he was preaching. Or maybe just yelling. But the point of his statement was this: Belief in God, Belief in Jesus - these are not enough. Salvation comes from deeper within.
He was preaching that it had to be like a full immersion baptism, something that covered us from head to toe. And I thought to myself, but how do I do that?  And it hit me.

Belief isn't enough. It has to be a full immersion of SELF. Belief is thought. Faith is heart. It takes both. Salvation does not come from the mind, but from the heart - from full immersion and surrender to Jesus.

Storms

Storms

In direst need I did cry,

On my knees I did pray.

And the Voice said to me try,

Oh the birth of a new day.

Through storm clouds it did rain,

Thunder rumbling from on High.

Floods cascaded through my brain,

To escape my lips in a sigh.

And though the boat it did rock,

I did not plunge into the waves.

On my Savior's words I did lock,

Boasting now of how He saves.

Author

Me                          -

Flashes of Lightning

What some people might think frightening, I find refreshing: the act of God making Himself known, visibly.

I experienced one of those indescribable moments of awe Friday evening, and I finally have the time to write and share.

On Friday evening, it was flooding rain, and I was driving home from work and trying to make it to an appointment at 5. Due to the rain and traffic, I was already running behind. Now, this is January in South Carolina. We don't normally see lightning in January, but as I was sitting at a traffic light on the phone (I use blue tooth thankfully) I saw a quick flash and thought to myself, no way. This is January! The light changed, and I got through the intersection and up the road, only to find that the next intersection where I needed to turn to get to my appointment was completely blocked by an accident. I said a quick prayer for those involved, and like all the other folks trying to turn left there, turned in to the little store and gas station, only to find that way blocked by about 10 cars with the same idea. By this time I was frustrated, and about 8 minutes late. There was nothing to do but put the car in reverse, back up all the way through the parking lot, and drive behind the building to go back and back down the road I just drove up and go around. It was about 8 miles out of my way to go that direction and I was NOT happy. And then, as I was coming up on the Subdivision I would have to use as a shortcut, it happened.

I listen to WMHK, a Christian radio station. At the time, Revelation Song was playing. This was the verse playing:

Clothed in rainbows, of living color                        
Flashes of lightning, rolls of thunder
Blessing and honor, strength and
Glory and power be
To You the Only Wise King,
Yeah 

At PRECISELY the moment of 'Flashes of lightning' in the song, the entire sky lit up. My jaw dropped. Had this been any other thunderstorm during the stormy season, I might not have thought anything of it, but the timing had to have been intentional. I can't begin to explain the Awe I felt at that moment. It was like God was yelling, "I am here! Stop worrying about the time!".

I finally did make it to my appointment. I was 20 minutes late, but they didn't care. The accident in the intersection still had the roads clogged and I expected to find another long wait when I turned back onto the road, but at that moment I turned, it was all clear, all the way up to the parking lot I needed. And then it backed up again. :)

I am one of those odd people who love a good thunderstorm. But this was not a thunderstorm..this was a rain storm with a few flashes of GOD. :)

Get Out Of The Boat!

I wrote this piece as a submission for our church's Advent Devotional booklet. Now that Advent is passed, it is still a matter of deep spiritual awakening for me and I still want to share it. So I am posting it to my Faith blog here to share. I know some people who are currently going through what my family endured in the year of 2010. It was a dark period, but it strengthened my faith and is part of who I have become. We are all products of our experience. When we have Faith in God, he uses that experience to shape us into stronger individuals and Disciples. There is also a song by Casting Crowns that is dear to me and in line with the verse below and the sermon I mention below. The song is The Voice of Truth. The lyrics are at the end of my posting.

Matthew 14:30-31 ESV
But when he saw the wind, he was afraid, and beginning to sink he cried out, "Lord, save me." Jesus immediately reached out his hand and took hold of him, saying to him, "O you of little faith, why did you doubt?"

The story of Peter walking on the water to Jesus was just an abstract story until I heard it told by Gerald Watford in a sermon at our church. At the time, I was going through one of the worst storms my family and I had ever faced. My husband had been unemployed for several months, with only a few sporadic contract jobs to keep us afloat. I had faith that God would bring us through it, but there were times when that faith waned. During that year, there were weeks when we survived on grilled cheese and ramen noodles, months when I ran to the door every time I heard a loud truck pass the house, fearing it was the repo man coming for our cars. For the first half of that year, we seemed to be one step ahead of disaster; there was always just enough to put food on the table, keep the repo man at bay and the lights on, but the mortgage was beyond our means. We very nearly lost our home.

I became so weary of the storm, that there were days I just didn't want to keep going. But these words saved me: "Get out of the boat!" It became a mantra. It became a daily reminder, to be strong in my faith, to trust Jesus, for he would not let us be lost in the storm. And we were not lost. I have no doubt it was God who kept disaster at bay. It was a tough year, but we came through it, and the lessons God set out to teach us hit home. We are much stronger now as a family, with a clear realization of what is really important, and what is just 'fluff'. I learned how to let go, and let God lead. One of the hardest things for me in my life has been worrying and stressing out when I am not in control. Well, that was an entire year that I was not in control, and it was hard. But when the storm passed and we saw the sun again, I knew it was God who brought us through it, and not I. There is a poster on my cubicle wall at work: "If God leads you to it, He will lead you through it." Absolutely He will.

The story of Matthew 14: 22-33 was brought to life in that sermon by Gerald,  and has been one of those messages in the Bible that will stay with me now forever. When I feel myself being drawn into a storm, or feeling worried or stressed, I remind myself: Get out of the boat. Step out on faith and trust Jesus. He will not let me sink. I have learned that there is no storm as big as my God, and no ocean strong enough to sweep me out to sea as long as I stand on the rock that is Jesus. I know now that I have more blessings than I could ever count, and our Church, the Church family and its leaders are some of the brightest jewels in that bag of blessings.


The Voice of Truth by Casting Crowns

Oh what I would do to have
The kind of faith it takes to climb out of this boat I'm in
Onto the crashing waves

To step out of my comfort zone
To the realm of the unknown where Jesus is
And He's holding out his hand

But the waves are calling out my name and they laugh at me
Reminding me of all the times I've tried before and failed
The waves they keep on telling me
Time and time again. 'Boy, you'll never win!'
"You'll never win"

But the voice of truth tells me a different story
And the voice of truth says "Do not be afraid!"
And the voice of truth says "This is for My glory"
Out of all the voices calling out to me
I will choose to listen and believe the voice of truth

Blessed are the meek....

Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the Earth. Matthew 5:5

The dictionary defines 'meek' as: humbly patient or docile, as under provocation from others; overly submissive or compliant; spiritless; tame. And then number 3 described as 'obsolete..gentle; kind.

How do Christians define 'meek'? Especially in the context of Matthew 5:5?

I've had a bookmark with this verse on it on my home office desk for weeks, and it has nagged at me. What does it mean to be meek? I don't think Websters defines it in the biblical context, except in that 'obsolete' definition, and I find that bothers me more than the question. That the definition of 'gentle' and 'kind' are obsolete, while the more current definition is 'spiritless' and 'tame' says something about the state of society in our times.

People think 'meek' is synonymous with 'weak' and that just is not true. That is letting society dictate our beliefs and not the Word, and not God. Matthew doesn't say the weak will inherit the Earth - Christians are not weak. They are the persecuted, yet the ones that must always stand up FOR the weak. Christians with Faith are STRONG. Why then should we fear being meek? Why do so many Christians fear being 'gentle and kind' when it comes to certain situations that involve sacrifice.

It bothers me when I hear people bashing on the homeless or the jobless, the hungry and the poor. Because I don't think even one of those who look down on the less fortunate, could be strong enough to live in those circumstances. I wonder if they would have the courage to be meek.

One act of kindness can change a person's life. It can save a person's life. And it can save a soul, maybe even yours. Recently I saw a video of a story, of a middle school football team who, on their own initiative and behind their coaches backs, designed a play to give a special needs player a moment in the spotlight. THAT is being meek. Our children have the capacity for so much grace, if we just LET them, and encourage them. Especially in this day when the concept of God and Jesus are all but forbidden in our schools. Where are the meek that shall inherit the Earth? I think they are the unspoken heros; the kid who walks an elderly woman across a busy intersection; the youth that volunteer, despite the school district's rule against anything linked to religion, to run a food drive for a Christian assistance organization; the kid that stands up to a bully to protect another kid he doesn't even know. These are the meek. The ones who stand up for what is right, not because they want publicity, but because it's just the right thing to do in their heart.

We need more of the meek my friends.

Forgiveness

To forgive is to be free of the guilt..but it does not take away the pain. We fool ourselves if we believe this, because it will come back to haunt us later, and then we feel betrayed. Hurt is hurt. Faith in God sets us free from that hurt, but he does not remove the memories of that pain, because those memories are also building blocks of our character, of our faith, of so many things. But those memories can also reopen wounds, even if for a short time.

I was sharply reminded of this this morning, as random thoughts floated through my pre-caffeinated brain. Memories of my brother came flooding through, and along with those, memory of being compared to him in a derogatory fashion by my parents. I was shocked afterward at the feeling of anger and pain just those few moments left behind; the passion with which I mentally voiced my fear, anger and hurt. I was shocked. Because in my mind, I had forgiven all of this. But in my heart..did I really? Maybe I just forgave the wrong...wrong?

When we make a decision to forgive a person, we also have to forgive the deed, the words - the Event and all of its participants. Likewise, when we forgive for an Event, we must also forgive all of those who were involved. It is not so easy to give total forgiveness, is it. And yet our God gave it to us.

And so I borrow words from Matthew West in a prayer this morning, as I tackle this particular demon of memory again, and pray I can finally put it behind me and totally forgive. Let us all tackle Total Forgiveness. It truly is the hardest thing to give away.


" I want to finally set it free

So show me how to see what Your mercy sees
Help me now to give what You gave to me
Forgiveness, Forgiveness"

-~Matthew West - Forgiveness