Encouraged by His Truth

"Now David was greatly distressed, for the people spoke of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was grieved, every man for his sons and his daughters. But David strengthened himself in the Lord his God." 1 Samuel 30:6

David didn't come from a victorious battle, instead he had just been rejected by the Philistine army from going to battle alongside them, because of his national heritage as an Israelite. Though he had gained favor with Achish, the King, he had not gained favor with the Philistines. They still viewed David as an enemy and a threat. Chapters before this, David is fleeing for his life from Saul the King of Israel who has been pursuing David to kill him. Here is David, the next chosen King of Israel to be appointed, yet he is fleeing for his life and has now allied with the enemy. He has been rejected and shunned by his own people and has been misunderstood in so many ways. Fast forward to our key verse, in Chapter 30, as David and his men return to Ziklag, upon arrival they find that the Amalekites invaded and attacked Ziklag, burned it with fire and taken their women and children captive. And because the people were grieved, they talked about stoning David. So now, his own men have turned against him. 

Talk about rejection and defeat. I can only imagine what David may have felt. 

Nevertheless, David does something amazing; in the very same sentence, the bible says David was distressed, but he strengthened himself in the LORD his God. How amazing is that? In his distress, he strengthens himself, some versions say he encouraged himself in the LORD.
One must wonder how David did this in such a place of defeat, despair and distress and with his back up against the wall.

 In my own walk with God, I've strived to be a peacemaker as the Word instructs however I have been in positions were my back was up against the wall. The more I may have yearned for peace within my family, my marriage, my job, etc. it seemed as though the enemy came to attack even more in those areas of my life. I have often felt misunderstood, rejected and shunned. Even when the intention of my heart was aligned with the Word of God, opposition came full force. I have realized that my hope cannot be based upon the circumstances around me but only in Christ alone. That is where I find true peace and rest for my soul. I may not understand all that is before me but I can trust that God will lead and guide me. 

 As I look back at the life of David from the early time of his life as a young Shepherd boy. He was a young man minding his own affairs and tending to the sheep of his pasture. Yet during that time, Gods eye was upon David and He was shaping and molding a tenderhearted and zealous warrior to sit on the throne of Israel one day. Little did David know that God would use him as a chosen vessel and that through his loins a Messiah would come forth. I'm sure there are times, he may have looked back and thought, "Oh how I wish to be in the pasture again tending to my father's sheep..."
But little did David know that the time of his caring for the sheep, he was being sharpened as a tool for God's Kingdom, and sharpened for the battles that lie ahead. Even in his own flight from Saul, this too was being used as a weapon to sharpen David for his Kingly enthronement.

In David's afflictions, he learned to rely and trust in the LORD and in Him alone. He tasted and drank from the rivers of God's Grace and Mercy during the times of his spiritual drought. And he learned to take refuge under the shadow of the Almighty. It was truth that David sought. It was truth that he held onto during the hard times. David learned that throughout all of his afflictions, God could be trusted and was faithful to His word. My hope and prayer is that you too will encouraged by His Word, and be strengthened in the Lord.  God is shaping and molding us even in the most difficult seasons and we can trust and believe that God has a bigger plan even in the midst of discouragement, defeat and uncertainty. 

The Goodness of God in the Land of the Living

“Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good,

Blessed is the man who trusts in Him!” 

Psalm 34:8

What is the goodness of God? Is it simply finding happiness here on earth; a nice family, career, a great marriage, success, etc.? Many of us strive for these things in our lives. It’s not wrong to desire these things, however is this all God truly intended for us? So, this brings us back to the question again, “What is the goodness of God?”

When God created Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. He created male and female in His image. No other creature on earth but humanity, was made in the likeness of God. He created man to have perfect union with Him, perfect relationship. Later in the story  (Genesis 3) Adam and Eve fall away from this perfect union by disobeying God’s command. And because of their disobedience, man fell from Grace. Thus each of us have been born into a life of sin, separated from God. The bible says that the wages of sin is death. (Romans 6:23)

  

While the pleasures and successes of this life bring us happiness here on earth, we must look to the Creator who has given us life and has made a way for us to have eternal life. The same breath that God breathed into Adam, breathes in you and me and His desire is that we would seek a life in Him. God, in the richness of His Mercy, Grace and infinite Love, has reconciled us back to perfect union with Him, through the precious sacrifice of His son Jesus Christ on the cross. That is if we choose to receive Christ as our Lord and Savior. Each of us must choose to surrender to Him and choose life. It is the goodness of God that leads us to a true heart of repentance that we may trust and believe in Him, whose blood was shed for each of us. (Romans 2:4) Oh, how precious is the blood of Christ!

In Matthew 5:6 Jesus said,"Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled." It is in Christ alone that we can find this sweet perfect union with our Creator and find the fullness of life here on earth.

In this relationship, we may partake and eat of the fruit in the land of the living. Let us savor the flavor of a life hidden in Christ. The temporary things of this world shall soon fade away. But in Christ, we will taste and see the goodness of God. It is a fruit that does not perish but rather eternally satisfying. 

Let us seek the goodness of God in the land of the living, let us seek Christ.

“The Lord upholds all who fall,

And raises up all who are bowed down.

The eyes of all look expectantly to You,

And You give them their food in due season.

You open Your hand

And satisfy the desire of every living thing.

The Lord is righteous in all His ways,

Gracious in all His works.

The Lord is near to all who call upon Him,

To all who call upon Him in truth. He will fulfill the desire of those who fear Him;

He also will hear their cry and save them.” 

Psalm 145:14-19

Chasing after the wind....

"Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom." Psalm 90:12

"Time well spent"

There are days where everything goes so fast, that life seems a blur.
We may even forget what day it is. The monotony of life becomes toilsome and vain.
Solomon describes it best in Ecclesiastes 1:14, he writes, " I have seen all the things that are done under the sun; all of them are meaningless, a chasing after the wind."

It can all seem so repetitive at times, months fly by, and another year has passed and nothing really meaningful seems to be taking place. The relationship between Christ and yourself, can seem to be growing further apart, because busyness has taken it's toll, and other priorities have taken precedence. The hunger you once had, has diminished and the savor for Christ seems to be losing it's flavor. The once longing thirst for Him, has been fulfilled by meaningless things and the Spirit of God has been quenched. Ouch, that hurts! But it's the truth for many of us.

We get so confined in our daily lives, it can almost seem like a daily prison of mundane activities. We wake up, thank the Lord for another day, get the kids on their way to school and head to work and then it's dinner, homework, along with Facebook posts and tweets in between and a whole of list of other things. Before you know it the day is spent. And once it is spent, it is gone and cannot be counted again. It is "spent", like the loose change in a corner pocket, or the bottom of the drawer, or sometimes just completely forgotten and left behind. I'm reminded of this as I dig into my drawer or as I walk my daughter to school and see loose change in the street that got left behind. I think about value, is my time being valued or is it being spent foolishly? Am I wasting my days away chasing after things that don't matter?

In Psalm 90 Moses writes, "Teach us to number our days, so that we may gain a heart of wisdom." Here, he is praying to God, to teach them to number their days. Moses in a sense is saying, teach us the worth of our days and to value each day, that we may spend it well and gain a heart of wisdom. Help us to recall the former days, that are no more, that once flourished but withered away in labor and sorrow.
Moses understood the value of each day and knew that it was only the provision of God and His daily mercies that were sure to satisfy him all the days of his life. Everything else was in vain if God wasn't in it. Where do you place your value? Are your hours, and days spent well?

Our days are fleeting, and we are but a vapor in the wind, here for a short while. Many times we are our own worst enemy. Because we rely on our own strength and flesh to get us through the day instead of relying on God's truth. One of man's biggest downfalls is time, we are limited by time. If the enemy of our soul can keep us busy then we will be easily ensnared and fail to see it. I have been guilty of this so many times and this is the reason for me writing this. It is important to invest time in our families, our marriages, our relationships with others, to share the light and love of Christ with those around us. Am I investing my time and spending it well?
Really examine your life and ask yourself this.

Though we are frail human beings, limited by time, God is not. Our purpose should not lie within the boundaries of this world, yoked by the superficial things of society. But rather we should seek a heart of wisdom and saturate ourself in God's Truth and make the most of every opportunity. He has called us into a deeper relationship with Him and to have true meaningful relationships with those around us.

I say all this, because we can get complacent in our walk and lose out on meaningful time. Although, we might not be called to serve great missions in other countries, we are always called to serve and love one another. Look at the neighbor next to you, what about the poor and hungry in your neighborhood, what about the brother or sister in your church.
 James 2:27 says pure and undefiled religion is to visit orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world. John 15:12 says His command is that we love each other as He has loved us.
Ask yourself is my time well spent or am I chasing after the wind?

Prayer for a Heart of Wisdom

"Help me Lord, to gain a true heart of wisdom, teach me to number my days, and make the most of every opportunity, just as Your Word says. Lord to be a doer of Your Word, to be filled with Your Wisdom and Love, to love others as You have loved me. To be that light in the darkness. And to spend meaningful time with those around me, redeeming the time that You have entrusted to me. Remove selfishness and anything that does not align with Your will. Remove the need to be accepted by others on social media, but rather that I would seek Your acceptance. Let my time be well spent as You lead me into a heart of wisdom. And forgive me for looking to other things that have no real value. Oh Lord, let me not forget what You have done for me, and continue doing in me. Lord, that it is only by Your undeserving Grace that I have been saved. Lord, when the flame for You, begins to die out, remind me to fan the flame, remind me to reconnect 

and remain in You, so that You would always remain in me, and that in You there is where I find the fullness of joy, not in people, not in work, not in temporary things, but only in You, in the mighty name of Jesus I pray. Amen."

"See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise,

redeeming the time, because the days are evil." Ephesians 5:15-16 

Tired and Thirsty?

The bible says we are the Temple of The Holy Spirit, and no longer belong to ourselves, we were bought at a price, and therefore our bodies should be used to glorify Him. (1 Corinthians 6:19-20)

As a believer, I often find myself going ahead of the plans God has for me. My life becomes so busy that I may neglect the simplest things, all because I'm pushing my body to keep going. My body and flesh are screaming for rest, but I keep going because in my own mind, things gotta get done so I push forward and tread on. The Holy Spirit speaks, "come rest in me.." I might say a prayer, get into the Word, talk to Him throughout the day and keep moving along, thinking that is enough for the day. Throughout the week I'm pouring out to people, which is what God calls us to do. But the more pouring out we do, the more we need to take time to allow Jesus to pour into us, so that the Holy Spirit can move freely within us. The Word of God states clearly to pick up our cross daily, but He doesn't say to pick up our burdens daily. As a matter of fact, 1 Peter 5:7, tells us to cast every care, because He cares for us. It's Jesus that carries our burdens, if we will only give it to Him daily. To take up our cross, means to put on the full armor of God, crucify our flesh, be ready and equipped to go forward doing the will of our Heavenly Father and to run the race set before us. I believe a lot of times as a Christian in ministry, we get it twisted and carry our burdens thinking that is what God meant when He said to pick up our cross.

As a single mother, I find myself trying to fill both roles of a father and mother. It hasn't been easy, but throughout it all God has sustained me and in my weaknesses, His strength is made perfect. So I find myself, leaning on Him more, and though these trials are humbling and sometimes exhausting, the Holy Spirit has been with me, as a comforter, helper, healer, teacher, and redeemer. And I find myself gaining a true understanding of the Love of Christ, the Agape, unconditional, unfailing Love, the kind of Love that no one else can give. I am truly blessed to know Him, and wouldn't have it any other way. But I say that, to say this, that even though I have gained a deeper understanding of who Christ is. I sometimes don't take time to rest in Him, like I should and like I yearn for. Remember this, that the enemy comes to steal kill and destroy, and if he can steal your time, kill your relationships and destroy your joy, he will by all means do just that. He'll have us walking around defeated, and we cannot be be a blessing to others when we are drained, tired and worn out. But Jesus came to give us life, and life more abundantly. (John 10:10)

So, one of my ways that I rest in His Presence, is through worship. Oh how I love to worship. When we offer ourselves to truly worship Jesus for who He is, with all our heart, soul, mind and strength, something in the supernatural realm happens. God's glory falls in that place and begins to fill the atmosphere. If you are receptive to it, He will overflow and consume you with rivers of living water. Jesus says, in John 7:37-38
“Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.”  We are His Temple and should take heed to present or bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is true worship.
Romans 12:1

Just as runner in a race, grows tired and exhausted from the race, we too as believers can become exhausted spiritually, mentally, physically, and emotionally. But God wants us to have balance in our lives and wants us to run the race set before us with endurance and in order for that to happen we must lay our burdens at the foot of His cross. How can a runner run with baggage or without water? He wouldn't make it. He would dehydrate and grow weary and tired and eventually give up. God does not want that for us my brothers and sisters, He wants us to grow in the fullness of His grace and knowledge, to present ourselves as a living sacrifice. So I encourage you all to take time to tap into His Living Water, and rest in the Light of His Presence. There you will find rest for your soul, and there is the place that God wants to fill you.

"Lord, I confess at times, that I don't take that time to rest in You, I get comfortable or complacent and these burdens that I carry weigh me down, then I end up being drained and without joy. But Lord Jesus, I know that it's a sin when I'm not trusting You to carry these burdens of mine, so I ask You to forgive me Lord. I lay every burden right now at the foot of Your Cross, for I know, that I was bought at a price and should not take that lightly.  Lord, bring conviction, so that I may draw closer to You, in every situation. Fill me up Lord, overflow within, and let me be that light in darkness,  the lamp set on a hill, that I may draw others to You and in that, I would bring You honor and glory. I thank You Lord for inclining your ear to me, now please help me be obedient to Your Word in Jesus Name I pray, Amen"

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” Matthew 11:28

"Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,"
Hebrews 12:1

Trust in His Plan

In the midst of adversity, sometimes it's hard to see the plan God has for our lives. We begin to lose hope and our faith seems weak, but through trials and tribulation we can seek comfort and refuge in Him. Take heart and trust in the Lord's Sovereign Plan for your life, God is always at work, even when you can't see or feel Him...He is near.

Jeremiah 29:11, James 1:2-3, Romans 8:28

Journey of Faith, Hope and Love

Wow, 2013 has came and went...It definitely has been a journey of faith, hope and love. I never in my wildest imagination, would have thought I would have endured some of the hardships that my life has had this past year.

2013 began with a crushing heartbreak; Last New Year's Eve was a really tough time for me.

It was then in my brokenness that God began to do an amazing work in my life...I had been serving God and didn't understand why God was having me evaluate my heart and motives.

I had been deeply hurt, and my heart was shattered. I needed healing and restoration for my heart and soul. So this journey of faith, hope and love had to begin with me...through His Word, through His presence, through other brothers and sisters He had placed in my life. God began to comfort me and restore me and began to show me His love.

I learned a lot through trial and error and by leaning on my own understanding and strength. Many times I have failed but God has always extended His hand of grace upon me. Throughout it all I have learned to put my hope and trust in God.

Over and over, I learned the meaning of true unconditional love. Over and over, I learned how to forgive. And over and over, God taught me to me to trust and hope in Him alone.
He led me to forgive...
He led me to have hope...
He led me to love unconditionally...

I'm not sure where God is leading me, but I know that I trust Him to lead me. No matter what circumstances life throws at me, one thing will remain and that is His love for me. Although, I endured that pain and heartache this past year, I know that it was for a purpose.
Romans 8:28 "And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose."

I encourage each one of you to embrace 2014 with all its challenges, learn to love unconditionally, put your hope and trust in God, and never take a day for granted.
May God bless all of you in 2014 and the years to come. Happy New Year!!

This is only the beginning of a new chapter in my life journey and yours as well.
(My theme song for 2014)

P.S. Out of respect, I spared a lot of the details of all that happened. 

He came with a purpose

Jesus Christ was born into this world in the most humble surroundings.
Mary gave birth to her firstborn son in the most uncomfortable circumstances one could even imagine.
God's ultimate plan...for His son to take on flesh as a man, and destined to lay down His life for our sins.

It took me sometime to think about this, who do I relate to? Is it Mary? I know what it must have felt like to give birth to a baby boy, after all I am a mother of 6.
And I know the feeling of being afraid and uncomfortable, oblivious of what to expect as a mother for the very first time. Surely, I can relate to Mary in many aspects.

But what rings even more in depth in my heart and soul, was the ultimate divine plan that God had for His son Jesus.
And in many ways I can relate to Him more significantly.

When I first encountered the grace of God for the first time, I was helpless and vulnerable, much like baby Jesus and my surroundings were not so shabby either.
I wasn't sitting in a pew saying the Salvation prayer nor was I at the altar, with someone praying over me.
I was sitting on my living room floor...poor, hungry and helpless.
(Psalm 40:2, sums up my testimony.)
In my own humble surrounding I cried out to God.
I was born again, made new just like a newborn baby.

That was 6 and a half years ago; I have been on this amazing and challenging journey with my Lord and Savior.
And much like Jesus, had a purpose, to be born into this world.
I too, am finding God's purpose in my life.

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Freedom through Forgiveness

Do you know what forgiveness truly means? Have you ever forgiven a person that has done you or a loved one wrong? Does simply saying it, mean that you truly forgive them or is it more than that?
Of course it is. 

Forgiveness is from the heart and is not just a mere term that you say to move on from the past but then continue to hold a grudge against that person. To forgive is to forget, that means to put it aside, hand it over to God and ask Him to remove the dross of bitterness from your heart, to remove the chains and shackles from your hands and feet. 

You might say.."well I'm not the one who was wrong." And that may be true, maybe someone abused you or a loved one, or went beyond what the human heart could handle. I don't know your situation, but I do know that just like Jesus has bore our sins and forgiven us, we should forgive just the same. (Colossians 3:13)
That person may not deserve it...however unforgiveness in one's own heart will only lead to a hardened heart, with no place for spiritual growth. It will consume you and infest you as quick as fleas on a dog.

You see, an unforgiving heart does more damage to yourself than it does to the other person. While we are still on this earth, we will learn that people will fail us, even those that are closest to us. But we need not seek vengeance. For vengeance belongs to God. God's word says to bless those who persecute you. Easier said than done right? But we are up against the enemy, not against flesh and blood. Ephesians 6:12 "For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places."

And while someone may hurt us whether accidentally or intentionally, it is up to each one of us, not to be a slave to the enemy's tactic.

You are only a prisoner of your own unforgiveness, so why not take off the shackles and handcuffs of hurt and pain and give it freely to God.

To forgive wholeheartedly is to have freedom within....