Message From Cindy

I received the following message from Cindy late Thursday night/early Friday morning…. Please join me in prayer that God would touch her body!!!

Diane I had to go back into the ER with chest pain and pain down my arm with ringing and pins and needles late today. They have made me stay tonight w/a stress test in the am and hopefully go home after please pray and ask others also I asked Cheryl who had just written me to do the same Will let you know ASAP after Love you
Btw the orderly who brought me to my room prayed w/me to receive Christ before he left. I hope that was the only reason I was here!

MR. WONDERFUL

I do praise my husband! I think he is God‘s gift to me-and certainly the other half of my heart! There is nothing that he has not done for me! And I do mean nothing! From taking care of me physically after surgeries and sicknesses to what he does in our home in care of that and all that goes with it, I am amazed and forever grateful. And now as we start on a new chapter in our lives, moving back home to Atlanta, he again has taken the brunt of the responsibilities in the packing and arranging for the move. What a very long month this has been for him! I know he is going to be so glad when we arrive on the 31st to family who have made arrangements for professional movers to unload us and as they will be there to help us unpack and settle in-at least the greatest physical part of his job will be over.  Then starts his

Cindy/honey-do tasks as he calls them where he hangs pictures and draperies and fixes hooks in closets and whatever else he can find to make this a comfortable home. Yes, I would call him, Mr. Wonderful.

 

I wrote that in January and here is it the first of April and if it were the thing to do I would take pictures to show you the home God has given us!  It is amazing because

Mr. Wonderful has been at it again. He hasn’t stopped as he has figured out how to make the best use of the space we have-sometimes I see pure genius at work. My sister visited recently and was amazed at how everything fit so well and was so cozy. I think I have already said how much I like everything!

 

And now as he had tenderly cared for me after this latest stroke—was so loving and patient with me because I was slow in the beginning, but now I am SO much better. I know that our Lord is answering our prayers, prayers of all of you as well, and I do thank you from the bottom of my heart. God wants us to pray. He had Jesus Himself show us how to pray and we have Jesus as an example of how important prayer is –so don’t let that part of your life ever go!

But tonight I am thanking God for MY MR.WONDERFUL

Joyful Joyce and Amazing God

This past week has been such a roller coaster week of emotions, duties, responsibilities on so many levels. I have wanted to write every day, but no time. 

First, so thankful for the healing words of the Lord from my friend Calvin who assures me that the Lord has justified me and loves me and that I should follow His precepts which I have tried to do before and especially this week going forward. Sometimes, I realize I get a little zealous in my conversation from the every day to world events-last week was a biggie if you were watching Obama and Israel-to my own conversations and revelations from my Lord God and also from fellow bloggers. We don’t meet up ahead of time and all same we are going to blog on the same subject and have the same opinion but it happens over and over. And because we all are Christ followers led by the Spirit,  I believe the Lord is speaking through all of us to the world, so as I said last week, Take Heed!  All of us should be examining our lives to see if we can offer ourselves as living sacrifices to our Lord. And even as I say that, I am wondering if you know what I mean or what the Word means as it is written?  Of course everyone knows what living is, but the dictionary defines sacrifice as the offering of something precious to  deity; loss,deprivation.  Ok , so I am offering my Precious self to my Lord-He says I am precious to Him. and then secondly, the loss and deprivation part: well, that’s exactly what nobody wants to do anymore. We want what we want, when we want it, how we want it; no doing without it, or waiting on it. No having it and losing it.  All of this is one of His precepts for me, besides the trust factor! And guess what this is a hard one too! I am used to going and getting just what I want, when I want it. Now I am in a position where I can not do that in regards to physical possessions. But I have found that even in regards to those that I can have, I am really careful and selective now. I ask myself, what do I really need? Not just want? And I have found that as I am faithful to Him in the small things, He is so faithful to me in the BIG things. Just this week, one more time I was amazed at the overwhelming care of people for my needs that I truly had no expectation of except advice, not tangible help–but even the way that it was given, with such love and care and assurance, it alone brings you to your knees. Thank you Father!!

Second roller coaster was finding out that the gamma globulin that I get monthly for my immunity disorder does have a very rare side effect. Guess what it is? yep, you got it! Clots! And here, supposedly,  I have had  2 in the first year of taking it!  Of course, now the doctor can not raise my dosage either as he was going to do because I have continued to catch the bacterial infections, virus’, and  mold infections that come with this immunity. so what to do? After talking and prayer, we are going to ask to be taken off of the drug.  We will consult with both the MS neurologist and the immunologist who both have said this side effect is so rare ,  but then neither of them know me very well yet, do they? I was also supposed start testing in April for food and drug allergies because for months now I have been waking up with severe itching and hives. It started off that I could just take a couple of Benadryl tablets and go back to sleep but now I usually awaken 2 or 3 hours later and have to take more. Not good. Last night, I tried an experiment. I didn’t take anything except my Coumadin. “that’s the blood thinner I ‘ve been on since last July when I had that embolism–and yes I’ve been itching at least that long.” And sure enough, here it came, very strongly last night. so here is another one to talk to the doc about. Finding out I have sticky blood wasn’t the greatest thing either, but it certainly explained a lot of things-the multiple miscarriages and the tendancy to  make clots. Lots of up and down emotional moments in the decisions, in the new knowledge, in the gratefulness for the new knowledge.

And then there was Joyful Joyce!  Joyce Zahner was the 85 year old mom of my half/way adopted sister Julie. Julie is the same age as the sister who lives in Orlando and has done so much for me and with me. She and Julie were inseparable from the moment they met and their friendship has stood the test of time. And to me, Julie was a little sister and then a friend and babysitter for my two children when they were little before I married my husband. So the Zahners have been in my life, one way or another since I was 16. In the years past when we were visiting in Atlanta, we were often invited out to Julie’s house where she lives with her 2 children and great husband and very often Joyce would be there too. Over the years, Joyce began the same decline that my mother did. She had dementia. It was hard for her as she had been a very smart professional woman. But Joyce never dwelt on circumstances, she drew from within that joy that only comes from the Lord and had peace as she drifted more and more into another realm. She always had a smile on her face. She always was telling you she loved you and you knew that she meant it. And then on her 85th birthday, not long ago, God did a wonderful thing-a little extra birthday present-He gave her a day of clarity. How wonderful that was! And most of it captured on video to be visited and revisited time and time again. At the end of it all, Joyce let her family know that she knew she was going home to her Savior soon.She was tired and so she was ready. She was very careful to give her last instructions about her grandchildren to her daughter whom she loved so much-holding her face between her hands, looking her in the eye and speaking! How very, very precious is that? How amazing is our God to know that we still need our moms to tell us stuff, important stuff? And we all know that after months and years of decline with less and less moments of clarity–to be given a DAY!!  Our God is such a Loving FATHER and He Knows Just What We Need.

On Saturday, March 16th at 11:45 am, Joyful Joyce went home. This past Thursday and Friday there were joyous celebrations of her life at two churches that we attended. I am very sure that Joyce was watching and laughing and smiling as we all talked of our memories of Joyce. And I am sure too that she would have loved the message of hope and salvation given by the pastors and by the family and friends through the scriptures read and the testimonies given that faith and hope and love were so important to Joyce. Of course, Joyce was warmly welcomed by so many friends in heaven, my parents among them. I am sure they are all up there telling there stories about all of us. 

The glory in all of this to me is that God was so kind to me to let me experience growing up in a family that taught me faith-whether I embraced it or not immediately-I KNEW what was true. He has surrounded me throughout my life with family and friends who love me and whom I love dearly. And now he has placed me back home to be in the middle of them. I say perfect timing, Lord! Thank you!

Jeremiah 29:11-13  For I know that plans I have for you , declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”  Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with your whole heart.

Our God Is Faithful! Psalm 145:13-18

 

a picture of the lake of Ohrid by Sunrise (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The Lord is faithful to all his promises and loving toward all he has made. The Lord upholds all those who fall and lifts up all who are bowed down…You open your hand satisfy the desires of every living things. The Lord is righteous in all his ways and loving toward all he has made. The Lord is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth.

There are so many verses that are in God‘s Word about His Faithfulness. But let me tell you how He demonstrates them to me.

I have said before that I write just like I talk. Did you ever think what that might really mean? Because when I am writing, I am talking  about my Lord; usually about some new lesson I have learned, or something I have discovered new and fresh in His Word that I have read a thousand times, but only understood just today. So if I talk like I write, I am talking about Jesus, I am talking to Him and with Him all day long. I need His advice every step of my way and I have only to ask and it is given. When I am speaking with someone for someone, I just try and get to know them a little the first time we speak. I never have an agenda, other than basic contact information, maybe business numbers, something about their life, family, and if they could describe the perfect job, what would it be? Now granted God and faith can come up at any time in that conversation-often does. But again, I am just gathering information my first go round. Sometimes God has a different agenda than I do-and it is His voice after all, so He gets to speak if He wants to. But it is done so carefully and casually that again, anyone I have spoken with is so happy to talk and ready to talk about this particular subject!

So today, I had a referral call and we chatted a bit and then the floodgates opened  and I shared a little about why I work at a home office, the work and connections that I have. And then we began to talk about all the commonality that we had together, so many very personal, deeply wounding experiences-but I shared the great solution to all too. I promised to send her resume to an attorney friend of mine to see if they had any needs for a paralegal and that I would be in touch.

As soon as we were off the phone, it rang again. It was another lady that had been referred to me last week. She wasn’t someone I could place, but I could tell her how to get a new job. She was very depressed-had been looking for at least a couple of weeks and discouragement had set in. So I told her that she needed to make a list of all her blessings. Then she needed to make a list of all of her good qualities. And third she needed to make a list of companies 5-6 of them that were just like the one she had been laid off from and were in the same state of disorder, disrepair, horrendous receivables. Nothing was going right with that company when she got it-and then proceeded to turn it completely around to now the company is managing leasing for other companies. She was then to take that list and call each CEO and introduce herself as the woman who had turned around ABC company–but that when she had it up and running on its own, the owner let her go and put his son in her place. SO that made today the luckiest for XYZ Company, because she was sure that she could do the same thing for them. When would they like to meet her??????

She said I am calling you to tell you that everything you told me to do worked. And not only that but I have a great new job as of today as Director of Real Estate. Then she said, what was amazing to me was how God and Jesus were just a part of your conversation. I thought it was fantastic-but I had never had a business conversation  like that before. And now I want all of my conversations to be just like that. If you can do that I can do that. What do you do special to make that happen?

After I got off the phone with her, I had an email from the first one I had spoken with. She was thanking me for the time but mostly for our CONVERSATION. How do you do that? she asked. I have never had a business conversation about God or Jesus Christ or how any of that fits into the business life and always wanted that part to be different. Of course I told her the same thing.

So twice in one day I am explaining that I don’t do anything except tell the Lord in my early quiet time that this voice is His. This person is His-to do with whatever he sees fit. That if He will bring me prepared people to speak with I will open my mouth. And that’s about it. Except for praying as I am talking of course.! As I read the email to my husband and then told him of the phone call, I cried in amazement-more validation, more confirmation that I am doing exactly what God wants me to be doing. And I don’t take that lightly. Too many of my candidates really don’t know what the right thing to do is! What would I do without Jesus? I don’t ever, ever want to find out.

So after Supper tonight when I am still making a few calls and about to call it a night, I hope my email again and what do I get but a Liebster award  and because I show and speak the Lord!! Three time today He has shown me-Speak my word. I asked Him just last Friday if I should sign up with the speakers bureau here in FL. I guess I got quite an answer.

Last Night, Obedience & Holiness, Tonight Righteousness

2nd Timothy 4:7-8 I have fought the good fight. I have finished the race. I have kept the faith. Now, there is in store for me the crown of righteousness which the Lord , the righteous Judge will award to me on that day–and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.

This scripture has a lot of meaning to me. First, it is how I would have described my mother and her life in Christ. This was read at her funeral, just a few 3 1/2 years ago. I still miss her every day, but I know that when I am taken to heaven one way or the other, I will see my parents and so many who have gone before me. If she has not already laid her crown at Jesus’ feet, she will be wearing it and because I too long for His appearing in that day, I will be given one–still that is not exactly the righteousness I want to talk about tonight.

The Holy Word talks about righteousness a great deal, going all the way back to Genesis, when He God credited it (faith) to him as righteousness. 1st Samuel says the Lord rewards every man for his righteousness and this is the way the world will be judged–in righteousness.

So what exactly is righteous? Webster’s dictionary says it is acting or behaving in accordance with what is just, honorable, and free from guilt or wrong. then it adds the words virtuous, noble, moral, ethical. I would disagree a bit with that definition in light of what God says about it. Because I have personally known people that were perhaps virtuous, but not exactly what I would call sterling character. So maybe Webster’s is a little off too. I think you can be ethical, moral, noble and even virtuous without any relationship with God our Father. I know people who are tremendously good people who are all those things but without a Savior.

In 2nd Corinthians 5:17 It says that if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come. All of this is from God-nothing we did ourselves. He reconciled  the world to Himself in Christ, not counting mens’ sins against them. Or to make this very personal, not counting my sins against me! And so if we are now reconciled, then we are Christ’s ambassadors…. as God was making His appeal through you.  I have to stop here again and say, yes that has happened to me numerous times, when He has just taken over, given the message, and then reconciled that person to Him. That is an awesome thing to be a part of!  The appeal is to be reconciled to God. God made Him who had no sin to be  sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.  2nd Corinthians 5: 18-21

But still what is this righteousness? Well it is described as Robes of Righteousness  and also a necklace of Righteousness which can become tarnished because of  lack of obedience. Faith is also credited as righteousness. He credited Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham that by their faith, became heirs of righteousness that comes by faith. Then Issac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses’ parents, Moses, the prostitute Rahab, and even more with Gideon, Samuel, David, the prophets–they too were credited by their faith to righteousness.  And so then I must ask what is faith?  Hebrews 11:1 gives us the perfect definition.  Faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.

So I see a pattern. Do you? Faith which leads to obedience and obedience which leads to holiness and holiness to righteousness which is defined by us as the Lord’s Righteousness, The robes of Righteousness, and the Righteousness that has been credited to me because of my faith!  I’d call that a perfect circle, a double whammy! The more you do, the more you do.

And that is true for me, the more you study God’s Word and talk with Him, the more you want to. I used to wonder what anyone could pray about to God for a whole night. Now I know.

I told someone earlier tonight that until the last 2-3 years, I thought I could choose when to be obedient and when to pursue holiness, but it doesn’t work like that! When you give your heart to Jesus, He is going to uphold His part of the covenant. That part is to refine you like gold and make you ready for heaven. So no, you don’t get to choose, once you’ve made the choice for HIM, eventually He will get you in a place where you can’t do anything but obey Him and once you are, you’ll find it rather pleasant, because His burden is light, remember, and then it is so easy to start pursuing holiness, excellence, faith.

HOLINESS, OBEDIENCE, and RIGHTEOUSNESS-RELATED?

I read a post this week by a young man named Chris Vennard.

This posting gave me two ideas that have been rolling around in my head for at least 3 days. I kept going back and re-reading to make sure that I was not misunderstanding but was indeed in total agreement with this writer! The ideas so boggled my mind that I couldn’t imagine that if indeed they are true, why in the world our Righteous and Holy God has not just zapped most of us. He certainly had the legal grounds to do. And isn’t that pitiful for God’s people to learn. THAT EVEN THOUGH JESUS DIED  and WAS RAISED AGAIN, there is still so much work to be done by His followers to tell the message and to live the message. ere now before you read what I say or after. It doesn’t make any difference. You see one, you will see both. his title was “Struggling for Holiness”. I am paraphrasing a bit, but here is he said:

Struggling for holiness–Our problem is that our attitude towards sin and  our victory over it is what we are commanded to do. So we look….and never do find it (that  we should ). but it is right there for us. First let’s look at Romans 6:16  “Don’t you know that when you offer yourselves to someone to obey him as slaves, your’re slaves to the one whom you obey–whether you  are sins to sin, which leads to death, or to OBEDIENCE which leads to RIGHTEOUSNESS?  and then in 2 Cor 7:1 let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting HOLINESS out of reverence for God.

Could it be our problem that our attitude towards sin and our victory over it is not what we are concerned about? I mean, we all are sinners, going to be sinners until the day we see Jesus. So we try to a degree to not do the overt horrible sins…perhaps never thinking that God, our Creator, our Father, our Deliverer might consider that sin is sin is sin; that there is no “good” sin and then ‘really bad’ sin; that any sin at all is repugnant to Him because He is HOLY. Do we not know that our sins grieve the heart of God? We are a success-oriented people so we don’t want to fail in our struggle, not because we know it is offensive to God, but because of our image of our success.

God wants us to walk in obedience-not victory, victory is a by product.  We do not take some sin seriously. We categorize some as unacceptable, some as tolerated. But that is not what His Word says. Even in the Old Testament, in 1st Samuel 15:22 God said to obey is better than sacrifice, and in those days, sacrifice was necessary for forgiveness of your sins! So how could it be Better? Obedience is better because if one is living in obedience, there isn’t the need for sacrifice!  Wait, Cindy, everyone sins! yes! But the SACRIFICE has been made; the DEBT has been paid.  What is left but obedience to the Lord’s laws and ways?

If obedience were not still important, then why is it spoken of so many times in the Word? Lot’s of times promises are given, that if you are obedient, then I will do this for you. Obedience is important to God. And there is no choice in the matter-I knew this instinctively at age 9 when I told Him He couldn’t tell me what to do any more than my daddy.  But eleven years later, I gave HIM that right to tell me what to do. I thought I got to pick and choose what it was that I wanted to be obedient about!! HA! He’s let me think that for far too long! I know now that I have to be obedient in all things if I am obedient in one thing!! and that is very very hard?

How can I do that? Of course, only by His Power, His Grace-not mine. And if Obedience leads to Righteousness which leads to Holiness…then He does have a plan to make that happen as they are intertwined-separate, but intertwined. That’s the part, that when you and I get there, He will be there to lead us to the next thing and the next thing, because He has a plan.  

His plans have always worked better than mine. His have been made since before the foundation of the earth. His are made knowing past, present, and future and everything that will impact those times. Whereas if I went by my plan which if I try for one day to have a plan and it gets off kilter for one reason or another, I am supposed to base my whole life and my eternity on this? I don’t think so. I have given it to the One Who Holds It All In His Hand-Who Keeps All Things (such as atoms) Together By His Very Thought. I am ok with being obedient to such a One as this, Who has told me that I will be His Righteousness.

 

A NEW AWARD!! READER APPRECIATION!!

 

AKA THE ENCOURAGEMENT AWARD

Many thanks http://writerwannabe763.wordpress. com

A CHILD OF MY HEART

Brand new 2 (Photo credit: Andreas-photography)

I was recently asked to write about my experience with adoption. I had written a little of this in an earlier post, if it sounds a little familiar. 

In  1974, I was 22 years old and had an emergency hysterectomy. I was told how fortunate I was that I was already married and had a child. But I didn’t feel very fortunate! I had wanted 3 or 4 children, now that was obviously not to be. I wasreally confused. I thought that I had done everything in the world that would make God choose to bless me. He Had with the miracle birth of our daughter who was 13 months old at the time, but I couldn’t understand what I had done wrong. Oh I had so much to learn!!

 But then in January 1976, in my quiet time of the morning, He spoke to me through scripture and told me to “prepare for the child He was going to give us!” I was thrilled, excited, overwhelmed and yes, scared all at the same time. Scared because what if I was imagining this? And if it is true, how were we going to pay for it?—minor details I hadn’t worried about when I was praying my desire! Still, I did what God said to do. I prepared.

We got down the crib and the baby clothes from the attic. And I washed and ironed everything. Put the clothes and blankets away in the drawers. Had the crib all set up, made curtains for a nursery and created that room for the baby to come. I know everyone thought I was nuts, but humored me.   

 Then in April I got a phone call from a friend. She had a friend who was pregnant and wanted to give up her child for adoption. Would we be interested??  Oh yes! We would be interested I told her and explained exactly how prepared we were and would she please tell the birth mother this. It might make her feel better knowing that this child was not an accident, but planned for me.

 Our daughter was born in the early morning of August the 8^th.  She came early by a couple of weeks, so I was surprised when I got the call from our attorney (who was the go between). He said your new daughter looks just like you! She has dark hair and eyes and dimples in the same place as yours! He was amazed because of course there was no matching, but here was a baby who looked more like me than my natural child (blonde/blue eyed, and tall-she does have the dimples too). And let me insert here that years later, I am 5’4 and she is 5/2 ½ while my oldest is 5’8. My natural child has a very laid back personality and goes with the flow, but the child of my heart? We are just alike! Emotional, extroverted, service oriented. She has her own story to tell of how she has arrived at 35, almost 36 a professional nanny who specializes in ADHD children and multiples; who finally got everything straight with the Lord who protected her from the moment of her conception-because He had a plan for her life; who has been on 2 mission trips in South America to share the Good News of Jesus Christ and this year will go to Haiti.

 I could tell you that raising a child of your heart is easy, but I do not lie. And unfortunately for my child, her adoptive father left and divorced me when she was 2.

I married again when she was almost 4 and my husband has been her dad for the most part. She tried very hard in her teen years to live with her adoptive Dad, but there were so many issues on both sides, that it didn’t work. When she came home again, she brought the same problems with her and I certainly hadn’t learned the lessons I needed to learn that I have learned by now. So we all struggled, but we all loved, there was never any question of that on either side. I just kept praying and holding on to God’s promises that He has a plan for our lives (Jeremiah 29:11) I knew He had saved her life for a special purpose. It may be to be that all important nanny. It may be that all important person who leads a seeking heart to Jesus. I don’t know. I do know The ONE Who Holds The Future and I am convinced that nothing can separate us from Him and His plan for us and His commitment to finish the work He began in us…whatever it takes.

A New Truth–To Me Anyway Ist Peter 3, 4 & 5

Marble headstone of a couple buried together in Singapore, showing an arched emblem, signifying the reunification with one’s partner in heaven. Within the arch is a statue of Jesus Christ (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Gee, that’s a lot of ground to cover and I don’t have a lot of time tonight either! But I so wanted to share what God is showing me in hopes that if you have not thought of or learned this particular lesson-maybe just knowing about it would lead you to study a little and save you from a lot of heartache and unreal expectations.

I read and hear often about what I’ll call the “prosperity gospel”. God meant for us to prosper-isn’t that what it says in Jeremiah 29:11? yes, but have you ever wondered what His idea of prosperity might be in comparison with yours?  And have you ever wondered why some of the poorest people are some of the happiest, most satisfied people in the Lord? I have!

Even as recently as last year, the first 2-3 months of this year, I thought that I was just “in the desert for awhile”.  Yes, this desert has been going on a long while now, but I always thought I’d come out the other side-like the Israelites did when they reached the Promised Land. Except what did they have to do then? They had to go in and win the land and clear it out per Jehovah’s instructions. There was no rest for the weary! In fact, if you are a student of the Word and you know Israel’s history, when have they ever really “come out of the desert into prosperity and had no worries, no problems holding on to any of it?”  I think the answer to that is “NEVER”

So then we come to the story of Jesus Christ. How God’s Son became flesh and came into our world and walked this earth. When did He have it easy? From the moment of His birth-The King of the Universe/Creator of All Things-was born in a stable. Not very clean, not very comfortable and not long after His birth, His mother and Joseph her husband were fleeing for their lives with a new born across-yes?-a desert! And as Jesus grows in Nazareth as a child, does He have an cushy life of a King? No, his “father’” is a carpenter-very physical labor. I would imagine, a lot harder than that of today. Even later as Jesus began His ministry, did He own anything? get taken care of, carried everywhere? Of course not! Jesus was followed; He was hounded, tormented, criticized, everywhere He went. And yet, the Bible says everytime He looked at the multitudes, He had compassion and love for them and made every effort to heal everyone who needed healing and fix anything that could be and those that couldn’t even by raising  the dead.

Of course we all know where this story goes—right to the cross! There have recently been some magnificent posts written on Jesus’ actual suffering from the beatings to the actual crucfiction. That is not my purpose tonight. My purpose in my long, drawn out way is to offer the possibility that we are not to expect OUR version of Prosperity! I can’t find it anywhere in the Word. What I did find is that from the beginning Jesus’ people have experienced suffering. It says we shall suffer as He suffered. No prosperity there. (the world’s idea of it!) We are to follow in His footsteps.

So you are asking now so where is 1st Peter in all this? There is a place of suffering in the Christian life. You can’t get around it. There are lot’s of kinds of suffering of course. God knows exactly though what will refine you, mold you, make you holy and fit for that day when you are redeemed. You see that is the KEY. GOD KNOWS. You will never get your mind around it, understand it or explain it. You might as well give up and accept it! Let me tell you, I wish I had given up long ago! Thanks be to God that He Never Gives Up and is always there patiently waiting.

So now I know that trials and tribulations are a natural thing of the day. ..but hardship is a blessing in itself; it shows that we are Christ’s and belong to Him. Suffering is also a blessing because of the opportunity it gives to demontrate the strength of God’s grace in both words and by life! So many people have said to me that they are so sorry for all I have had to go through. I reply and I mean this from the bottom of my heart,  that I would do it again, rather than not have the lessons, the fellowship, the RELATIONSHIP that I now have with Jesus Christ, the Son of the Living God, Who Is and Was and Is To Come!

Jesus!!

 

 

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VALIDATION– Something We Are All Looking For

Last week, I “met” someone who responded to a post I had written. I always try to reply as quickly as I can, so that there is some semblance of order or remembrance of the writing. Sometime I get emails that are from something I might have sent out days or weeks or even months ago! There is no way this woman’s memory is that good! So what I try to do for myself, I try to do for others.

I know the Lord was with me writing as I responded to the person. There was definitely a connection. I thought and prayed for that person all week and even mentioned to others about the “meeting”. What was different was that the Lord gave me a Word for the person–who I didn’t know, had never corresponded with, on a subject outside of the realm of my experience–BUT GOD KNEW.  And so I gently, carefully opened my mouth or should I say fingers typed? even now, I find I have a light touch as I write this again, it is so special and incredible.

Today,  I received  a reply back. As I read it, tears came to my eyes and joy filled my heart at the words on the screen. I read them several times. I shared them with my husband and my daughter who knew of the writing and then I wrote back. I asked for permission to share the words with you all my special friends- because I understand now why THIS TOO is a ministry and that our LORD will use every medium, every willing heart to share His Good News. So even when we don’t get feedback, God is working. Even when we don’t see evidence, the Holy Spirit is there. Even when we don’t feel anything, Jesus is right there waiting for you-just reach out, He’ll take your hand and never, ever let you go. I am so thankful for that! Hallelujah! Now for those sweet, sweet words.

Hi, Ms. Cindy. I thought our Meeting” was special too. I’m so excited to hear some of your story and look forward to reading more. It’s on my radar. 

When you first gave me “the word of the Lord”, I’ll confess part of me wanted to ignore it, but something inside made me take a second look. I went for a walk that day and talked it over with God and it was then that He began to show me exactly what …. was in my heart that I had hidden and the truth you spoke when you said I would not be able to progress forward until I had given over that place to be dealt with in the Holy Spirit.

What is truly amazing is that out of nowhere, from someone I never met before, comes a word that will affect the course of my life as I attend to it with God. Have I said thank you? Well please accept my heartfelt thank you for listening to our Lord and being obedient to speak out . Our meeting was truly blessed.

So there it is…just awesome, the Greatness of the One we serve in His Love and Mercy. May you be richly blessed today, dear one.                            

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So is that awesome or what! praise, praise,praise to His Holy Name! I can only praise Him-for this is not of me in any way- I couldn’t have known the words to say. Over and over how I am struck by what means Our Lord will go to

Dove of the Holy Spirit (ca. 1660, alabaster, Throne of St. Peter, St. Peter’s Basilica, Vatican) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

tell us He loves us! How Great and Mighty and Big is Our God! We have NO IDEA truly, but I am thankful that He loves me and HE chose me to be a voice for Him. May I be worthy of that honor!