Refreshing Showers

There truly is a God-given law of…sowing and reaping. So…What is that we are planting in our lives?

I (The LORD) said, 'Plant the good seeds of righteousness, and you will harvest a crop of love. Plow up the hard ground of your hearts, for now is the time to seek the LORD, that he may come and shower righteousness upon you.'
Hos 10:12 NLT

For years…I mean years…I planted the world’s way of thinking into my soul: my heart and my mind. Yes, most certainly I loved the Lord Jesus, but the stuff of the world…you know…self-seeking, appearance, possessions, the enemy’s definition of success, and just plain…stuff of life…well you know. I allowed the lies the world spoke to me through media, my brokenness, even the church at times, to fly in the face of the truth that Jesus IS all that I need. His presence and His Word are the only fountain of life filled with significance and purpose, His power and love…for His glory alone.

Yes, lies are so much easier to believe (read about them a few verses further in Hosea). It takes faith to fully trust God…but oh…when we do…we harvest a crop of the purest, richest, and unfailing love. His love.

As the verse above states, “NOW is the time to seek the LORD.” It is never too late for His Holy Spirit rain to reign in our lives and soak the hard ground of untruths that have maybe hardened our hearts…about ourselves…and…about Him.

Do you have some “stoney ground” is your heart and mind? Open up and let Him pour in.

Photo: Serendipitous Romance

Knowing When To Quit

My husband loves to tell our church staff one of his favorite phrases from another pastor: “I love to STOP stuff!” In other words…know when it is time to “drop” something.

“Don't wear yourself out trying to get rich. 
Be wise enough to know when to quit.”
Proverbs 23:4 NLT

Solomon most definitely has a point. Though he is speaking to us through the millennia in regard to gaining wealth above all else in life, the principal applies to many other aspects of our journey in Jesus.

No…I am not giving license to quit your marriage or give up on your family members! I am talking about those business, ministry, shoot…even a kitchen remodel type endeavor…you fill in the blank…whatever it is that is just plan running you ragged, because He is not in it. It may be time to examine your heart, your motives, and what the real reason is you are wearing yourself for something that feels dry as a bone.

Yes. So much of the Scripture tells us to persevere, endure, and be steadfast. Nevertheless, there are times when the Holy Spirit is just trying to get through to us that enough is enough. I am SO grateful for His brakes on my life through the years. I've already wasted a lot of time leaving skid marks on the road because I wasn't willing to hear Him say, “It is time to stop this child, I don’t have this ______ in mind for you, at least not now.”

So. If this is for you…go to prayer. Wait for Him. Hear Him. If this doesn't speak to you currently, I’ll bet you know someone it does. Maybe it’s time to have a loving heart to heart and go to Him prayer together. Stopping is hard…but the new, open doors He brings are oh…so…delightful.

photo: Latte Art

In the secret place

I don’t know about you, but I came to know the Lord Jesus because of great need in my life…

“He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall remain stable and fixed under the shadow of the Almighty (Whose power no foe can withstand).” 
Psalm 91:1 AMP

You know what? That is okay…yes, for a great while that is okay…our need is fulfilled in His ability to turn our “mountains” into level plains, to heal our sickness (physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual), and our need for His love to fill our lives…however…somewhere…

…The Holy Spirit nudges us to love the Lord Jesus…simply for Who He is…not what we can get from Him. That “somewhere” happened for my not so many years ago…and I never want to go back. I want to live, dwell, abide, and linger for eternity in the “secret place” of the Most High. 

Yes, life gets in the way, I get distracted…but when my heart, mind, and spirit are in His presence, whether at work, home, church, or at play…the big stuff…the overwhelming stuff that comes my way (and believe me, there has been plenty!), just doesn’t have the ability to bowl me over like it once did…

Yes, all of Psalm 91 is awesome…and its promises are for everyone…but the condition is a daily, deeply abiding in-love relationship with the Creator…what could be more glorious or wonder-filled?

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With your heart

Okay...I am adding an addendum to a post earlier today...about...

Trusting the Lord with all of our emotions...when choosing to trust Him with our thoughts and actions (our understanding of the situation, person, thing, and or event we are laying before the Lord.) Well...

Just one step further...

“Trust in the LORD with all your heart,
And lean not on your own understanding;”
Proverbs 3:5

This is the verse...yet what the Lord seems to be whispering to me now...is trusting Him WITH my heart. (Please notice the emphasis...it is most important!)

This is for all of my single friends out there...and...those struggling in marriages right now. And...everyone else.

Trust the Lord WITH all of YOUR heart. Trust Him to take care of your heart. Trust that His love IS enough...more than enough...for your heart. Trust that He is worthy of all your affections. All of your desires. All of your dreams. Find yourself lost in Him...it will take the pressure off of others...who alone cannot satisfy your...heart. Only HE can.

Yes...trust Him WITH your heart. Your whole heart.

At the start of this week...

At the start of this week…

If you should be bearing a load of guilt…and you have confessed your sin or failing to the Lord…yet you still seem overcome. Remember! His sacrifice was given once for all! You are forgiven! Don’t let the enemy lie to you! 1 John 1:9 and a multitude of other passages are the truth and go…and sin no more in HIS power.

Should you be confused about a situation you are finding yourself in. Well…God is not the author of any confusion. Take some time with the Lord Jesus, quiet your heart and mind, and open His written Word. Your God will guide you out of your confusion into HIS peace.

Should the coming week seem daunting…at work, school, or family…Jesus tells us to take one day at a time. Listen to this instruction! HIS daily grace and power will be more than enough to meet your daily demands as you lean wholly into Him.

This is a week of new beginnings, hopes that will be realized, and miracles to watch for. Keep your eyes open, your heart tender, and your mind from distraction. This week will be awesome in Jesus because Who is in you is greater than anything! 
1 John 4:4

In His Time

Someone reading this has been praying about something for a long time, too. You need to know TODAY that your prayer HAS been heard. God has not forgotten you.

"...for your prayer is heard... which will be fulfilled in their own time."
Luke 1:13, 20

These phrases from the Scriptures are taken from the story of the angel's announcement to Zechariah regarding the birth of John the Baptist. Zech and his wife had prayed their whole married lives to be able to bear a child...and now...old... and well beyond child bearing years...their miracle was to take place. The Lord has heard you, too...

And, yet...

Notice the second phrase...the Lord has His timing. He is never early, He is never late. He works outside of time, He understands time, He created time, and He holds time in His hands. Often, His timing is not our timing...

Just know that there are other factors and aspects of your prayer that He is working on...other pieces of the puzzle that you don't see. There are other people involved that need His touch before they can be moved into place to be a part of your answered prayer.

Many times...He is waiting for us to take our stance against the enemy in His name...the answer to our prayers lies in our taking authority over Satan, as Jesus has told us to do (Luke 10:17-20).

...Often...WE are not ready to have these prayers answered. He still has much to do to rid us of ourselves and replace our brokenness with His healing to bring us into His image.

Regardless...know TODAY, that your prayer has been heard. Unlike Zechariah, BELIEVE that this is true. Give Jesus praise, adoration and be filled with His joy. For in HIS timing, you WILL receive your miracle!

photo: Well and Good NYC

New Wineskins

The Lord recently spoke something to my heart. Okay. It was just a few minutes ago while out for a jog/walk/run/walk/pant/let’s-sit-down kind of event.

"But new wine must be put into new wineskins, and both are preserved.”
Luke 5:38

Jesus was speaking to me about becoming a new wineskin. Letting some old patterns of doing and thinking about my life in Him…well…He was whispering that I can’t allow myself to get in a rut in this journey in Him that He has called me to.

I think He wants someone who reads this to hear this as well…

New wine is ALL about the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives. For new wine to completely saturate, satiate, and fill us to over-flowing…we just can’t rely on old patterns that have worked in the past. Because…we do just that. We start to “rely” on our efforts...often missing the voice of the Holy Spirit when He is wanting to do something extraordinary. And…I truly want to live…

…an extraordinary…significant life for my Lord…IN my Lord.

So…I am gonna pray on this some and hope that you will, too. I desire to be a continually new wineskin who is continually filled with His presence. Settling for less…well…I just don’t want to do that. How about you?

Abide in His love

I spent most of my adult life living for the future...

I kept looking to the future when I wouldn’t feel so insignificant and unfruitful. I looked forward to the time when I had my act together and all of my ducks were in a row.

Life was slipping by…I could only look forward and hope…

"As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you.NOW remain in my love.”
John 15:9 NIV (emphasis mine)

I always say the Lord must been tired of my internal drama and He finally said one day about ten years ago, “Enough!”

Somehow, I heard Him. I started to live in the NOW. 

These have been the ten most fantastic, rich, significant and fruitful years of my life...despite cancer, death, miscarriage, finances, people drama at work, church, and family...The Holy Spirit is helping me to live in His love NOW. 

And no…I still don’t have my act totally together.

This is the invitation in the verse above. He is inviting you NOW to join the party. He doesn’t want any of us to wait any longer. NOW is the time to come and remain and never let go of His presence.

Now is the time to abide in His love.

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He alone is all we need

The Book of Job is one of my favorite passages in the Bible…however, that wasn't always the case.

I mean…who wants to read doom and gloom, heartache and despair, death and loss…and more…loss?

Really now. What was God thinking it when He included Job in the canon of Scripture? Not a big selling point or PR move on His part!

The “Job for Dummies” is this: Satan accuses the Lord of protecting Job and gains the Lord’s permission to “test” this man. Job loses children, possessions, the respect of his wife and friends and finally, he has catastrophic health issues. Think worst case scenario a hundred times over.

There are literally thirty-seven (yes! thirty-seven!) chapters of anger, arguing, accusing, defending, whining (and yes…Job had plenty to whine about!), denial, and self-righteousness.

Then the Lord shows up.

That’s it…God Himself shows up…He asks a few questions…and Job comes to the one only conclusion that a person can come to: God is the only thing that matters…He is …the bottom line…to everything.

"I have heard of You by the hearing of the ear, But now my eye sees You.”
Job 42:5 

We just desperately need to…see Him…too. I don’t know what you are facing, but HE is the answer…no, not so much what He can do for you (or I), but…HE…alone…is all that we need. Enough said.

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photo: Latte Art