Waters Will Flow

In the day of great slaughter, when the towers fall, streams of water will flow on every high mountain and every lofty hill.~Isaiah 30:25

When I Woke Up

When I woke up this morning, I thought of you...I thought of you...I thought of you...

The Holy One, the Great I AM, the King of all, the One True God

You have drawn my attention to you and your will for my life. Some days I resist, other days I am just grateful to be called your own. For all that you have done and all that you are doing, all that I cannot see or fathom, I am thankful. I know that you are looking out for me. You watch over me and place me in situations, surrounding me by those to whom I need to give, from whom I need to take. You guard and guide my days...and I am thankful. Without you I would be lost...so lost...so very lost. In you I am at peace. I can rest despite the whirlwinds of life.

Others of you, will you hear my heart and know: Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life. Jesus loves you and longs for you to know him, just ask him.

I woke up this morning thinking of you, longing to be in your will, longing to be in your arms, longing to hear your voice...and you spoke:

Remain in me and I will remain in you. Apart from me you can do nothing. I love you.

Sheila Walsh - Beautiful Things Happen When a Woman Trusts God (book review)

When I received "Beautiful Things Happen When a Woman Trusts God" by Sheila Walsh, I was quite excited to read it because I, too, am on a journey of learning to trust God and I was anxious to find any pearls of wisdom that Ms. Walsh had to offer based upon her experiences. I wasn't disappointed.

 Sheila Walsh shares with us a part of her journey where her faith in God and her understanding of her worth in His eyes are transformed.  She challenges us to trust God despite our brokenness. In this book, Shiela continues to tell her story that left off from her previous book Honestly  where she shared how she went from TV hostess and singer to spending time in a mental health institution. It is in this new book that she continues her story of coming out of that dark period realizing that God could use her regardless of what she thought or what she thought others might think, and still fulfill her dreams!

 Sheila uses her experiences interwoven with lessons directly from the Bible to create an interesting and inspirational account of the Lord at work. I also enjoyed the fact that Ms.Walsh didn't just use scripture to support her experience, but she expounded on historical significance where appropriate.

"The Scriptures don't detail Joseph's story between the Sanhedrin events and those after Christ's death, but Mark makes note of something remarkable: As Jesus breathed his last breath, the centurion standing as his executioner announced, "truly this Man was the Son of God" (15:39). And then Joseph goes to Pilate to claim Christ's body.

Do you see the unmistakable mercy here?

At the moment and place of Jesus' deepest pain and shame, he allow sfor a Roman executioner to proclaim trust at his feet, a man who did not speak up when he could have now has the chance to take his life and reputation in his own hands and ask for the battered body of Christ.

That is one of the most powerful effects of Christ's life--how he show us what is in us. You see, Jesus bring all that is good and bad, fearful and courageous, compromised and steady into the light. Then his grace allows us to change, to trust. He never reveals our flaws to sham us, but to redeem us.

Do you see the grace here? Do you see that no matter how often you fail, it is never too late to take your place at Jesus' side, never too late to trust him? Do you see that God's love for us shows up more powerfully in our failures than in any of our greatest successes." (pg.188 hardcover)

Beautiful Things Happen When a Woman Trusts God by Sheila Walsh is a book I would highly recommend! It also includes a free, in-depth Bible Study that is appropriate for individuals and small groups!

You can find Sheila's new book at Amazon, Christianbook .com, and Chapters 
Enjoy!

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Trust Me

It has been too long. My muse has gone and now I must search deep within. In many ways, I am becoming more and more guarded I realize. I also realize that it is necessary for me to admit that I am guarding myself. I don't want to reveal my weaknesses and my concerns and be humiliated, I mean, who wants that?! So, what do I write about?  Trying to come up with pearls of wisdom or anything remotely helpful is lost to me, but then again, I started writing this blog to express my perspective on my walk so I could look back objectively and learn, grow, and be encouraged.

Right now, I am completely humbled by my lack of employment. I finished my degree and had 3 different job offers. I was so proud. Strangely, they all fell through and I haven't been able to secure a job since. This is partly because there are major cutbacks going on in this city and newbies are being pushed to the back of the line...seniority rules, and partly because, I believe, God is doing something. I am not just saying that flippantly or as an excuse. Throughout this time of unemployment, my walk with God has been a continuous mountain climbing adventure. Sometimes it has been a nice paced climb with decent terrain, but interspersed between the rough and raw terrain that left me relying completely on my Guide. It hasn't been all sunshine and rainbows as far as the weather goes either. Regardless, I have learned many things about myself, about what I really want and really don't want. I have also learned that when God says, "Trust Me" I am being forwarned that my trust in Him is going to be (usually severely) challenged.

It had gotten to the point where everytime I heard God say "Trust Me" I would inwardly groan looking forward to nothing but hardship ahead. Now when I hear "Trust Me," I am comforted because I know I can trust God. Proverbs 3:5-6 Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight. He really does this! Not necessarily in my timing (we are usually on time different schedules...my clock is faster than His), but that is part of trusting Him. He has perfect timing.

I will leave it at that. I am in the process of learning, living, growing, just like anybody else and I trust that what good works God has begun in me, He will be faithful to bring to completion, just like he will for anyone of you. (Phil 1:6)

Those who know your name will trust in you, for you, LORD,

 have never forsaken those who seek you.

~Psalm 9:10

This Can't Be Right!

You know, I didn't think it would happen this way. I thought that it would have happened like _____ , I mean, it would make sense...But the way it has happened...well...Who would have thought it?!

"For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways," declares the LORD. "As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts." ~Isaiah 55:8-9

So often we get stuck in a mindset that we deem to be correct, yet when it doesn't come to fruition as we assumed it would, we fight it, trying to bring it to how we think it should be.

We reject the leading of the Holy Spirit. We justify with our own logic. We become rebellious.

Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight. ~Proverbs 3:5-6

Sometimes we cannot explain why things turn out the way they do, look at Moses - he never, after all he had done, entered the Promised Land. But what Moses did do was repeatedly look to God, even after he made mistakes...and God was there for him. For no one has ever shown the mighty power or performed the awesome deeds that Moses did in the sight of all Israel.~Deuteronomy 34:12

God is here for us and He will provide what we need. Though we can't fathom the ways that God will bring about the answers to our needs, we steadfastly trust Him to do so.

If you are disappointed with how things are in your walk, do not try to force the circumstances by using your own logic. It will not work and it will cause you much heart (and head) ache. Instead, turn to God, submit your frustrations to Him, ask for forgiveness for placing God in the tiny box or your understanding and let Him be the perfect, glorious, beyond-our-imaginations God that He truly is! And listen. Let the Holy Spirit speak to you...and if you cannot hear anything, know that in that silence is an answer that you could have never imagined - and rejoice! God will provide.

But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. ~Matthew 6:33

God Beside

Gentle morn

God afar

God within

God beside

O Holy  silence do you hear my cry

When I awoke I rejoiced

Throughout the day I oscillated

When nighttime came I solemnly prayed

God

The trail of prayer is scattered with bodies celestial and not

The answer prolonged

Hear O Isreal, the Lord our God is One!

God afar

God within

God beside

Shalom

Being Self-Aware

Last night, or rather, in the wee hours of this morning, I had lots of time to think. I drove my mom to the airport so she could catch her flight and on the near empty highway, I found myself reflecting on an exprerience that I had earlier that day.  I encountered a person from a church that I used to attend in the past.  The conversation was polite, but even as I was talking with them I felt my guard go up. Then the condescending tone creeped into their voice and the enemy of my soul began to play upon all my insecurities. It was a well arranged script to instill oppression upon my being.  The good thing was that I was aware of what was going on and I was in constant prayer throughout (and after) the encounter.


You see, in the past, I would let an encounter like that completely get to me, wallowing in self-pity and playing victim to the devil. I would strengthen his army by allowing his lies to get to me. However, by resisting him, he must flee. James 4:7


Being self-aware it so very important in our walk with God. I am not talking about a new-agey kind of self-awareness, but rather an awareness that means to be cognitive of how you are responding to the environment around you - mentally, emotionally, spiritually, and physically. This is not something that usually comes naturally, but it is something that you can learn and apply to every situation that you encounter. Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.~1 Peter 5:8


Next time you start to get your defenses up, put yourself in check. Pray. Breathe. And remember that we are at war. The enemy of your soul wants you to be distracted from the Love and Truth of Jesus Christ, to the point of destroying you any way he can. But, you - if you believe Jesus is who He says He is and have asked Him into your Life, to forgive you and be your Lord and Saviour - you are more than conquerors. Romans 8
You are equipped: Go here to find out how.

Communication: The One-Sided Conversation

Hello! How are you today?
Hello...I am (yadayadayada)
...I see...
yadayadayada
...umm, that is unfortunate...
yadayadayada
...well, I pray things will improve for you...
yadayadayada
...ahh, I see...
yadayadayada...I have got to go now.
Take care.

...And how are you?

Isaiah 58...A well watered garden...

1 "Shout it aloud, do not hold back. Raise your voice like a trumpet. Declare to my people their rebellion and to the house of Jacob their sins.

2 For day after day they seek me out; they seem eager to know my ways, as if they were a nation that does what is right and has not forsaken the commands of its God. They ask me for just decisions and seem eager for God to come near them.
3 'Why have we fasted,' they say, 'and you have not seen it? Why have we humbled ourselves, and you have not noticed?' "Yet on the day of your fasting, you do as you please and exploit all your workers.
4 Your fasting ends in quarreling and strife, and in striking each other with wicked fists. You cannot fast as you do today and expect your voice to be heard on high.

5 Is this the kind of fast I have chosen, only a day for a man to humble himself? Is it only for bowing one's head like a reed and for lying on sackcloth and ashes? Is that what you call a fast, a day acceptable to the LORD ?

6 "Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke?
7 Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter— when you see the naked, to clothe him, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?

8 Then your light will break forth like the dawn, and your healing will quickly appear; then your righteousness will go before you, and the glory of the LORD will be your rear guard.
9 Then you will call, and the LORD will answer; you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I. "If you do away with the yoke of oppression, with the pointing finger and malicious talk,
10 and if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed, then your light will rise in the darkness, and your night will become like the noonday.
11 The LORD will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail.

12 Your people will rebuild the ancient ruins and will raise up the age-old foundations; you will be called Repairer of Broken Walls, Restorer of Streets with Dwellings.

13 "If you keep your feet from breaking the Sabbath and from doing as you please on my holy day, if you call the Sabbath a delight and the LORD's holy day honorable, and if you honor it by not going your own way and not doing as you please or speaking idle words,
14 then you will find your joy in the LORD, and I will cause you to ride on the heights of the land and to feast on the inheritance of your father Jacob." The mouth of the LORD has spoken.

Spring is upon us and as we look to the Lord to guide us in this new season, we need to be ever so mindful of staying in His Word...Seeking Him out daily, meditating upon His Word, and putting the Word into action with love. Isaiah 58 holds special meaning for me, but then again, the Holy Spirit speaks to each of us individually according to our heart needs. What is the Lord saying to you today? Are you listening? Are you seeking Him out?

The LORD will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail.

Turn to the Light

The stars gleam in the distance. The Big Dipper...Orion...and Mars...the red planet, they all draw my eyes up - away from the dark shadows of the land. We are so easily drawn to light. When there is darkness surrounding us, it is the light that beckons our eyes to follow, somehow comforting us, like everything will be okay...

You, O LORD, keep my lamp burning;
my God turns my darkness into light.
~Psalm 18 :28
 
It is in the dark places that the Light of the Lord shines bright...the darker the place, the stronger His Light!
When you get to that place of darkness (as we all do), turn towards the Light...

Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.~Psalm 119:105

Everything will be okay...

Stand

The enemy of our souls prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. (1Peter 5:8) Today that someone was me. The battle seems to be intensifying. The enemy is toying with my mind; the more I reveal my heart, exposing the flaws of my existence, the more I am attacked. Even now I struggle to write. It reminds me of what I had set aside out of discouragement many, many months ago...my warrior's heart.

Never let down your guard, never allow the enemy a foothold, never give up or give in. These are the thoughts that seep through the haze on the battlefield of my mind.

Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.~Ephesians 6:13


I was reading over this particular passage when I noticed, "and after you have done everything," Did you see that? I had been feeling horrid for not doing more in my battle...for not overcoming completely at the time...for pulling away from the intensity of the battle. And then, I read this. "...and after you have done everything," ...I did all that I could do and though I thought that I should do more, I couldn't. It required the Lord to intervene.

No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.~1 Corinthians 10:13  After I had done all that I could, God provided a way out so I could continue to stand up even under it. That dark battle cloud still hung thick and low above me; regardless, God mercifully set my feet such that I was able to stand. I was protected from utter annihilation by the enemy.

We have a God that watches over us, that walks with us, that shields us. We can be confident that even when things become overwhelming, He is there for us. Our strategy in those times should be for us to focus on Him intently. That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.~2 Corinthians 12:10

...Strong in the Lord as long as He remains the center of our lives.

Wherever you are today, keep Jesus the focus of your thoughts, words, and actions. Let Him into your day in every way so that when hardships come, you too, when you have done everything, can remain standing.

Peace...

The God of peace be with you all. Amen.~Romans 15:33