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Walking on Water!

19 Mar

Walking on Water!.

Walking on Water!

19 Mar

Walking on the Water!

"Come, Walk on the Water with me!"

“Come, Walk on the Water with me!”

 
Have you ever noticed that when good things start happening to you that others will gather around and cheer and celebrate? But, how many of them stick around when you are going through struggle? Isn’t it amazing that many times the people who you thought would celebrate with you suddenly disappear. Well, friend this is the time that you have to learn to encourage yourself. Yes it is great to have cheerleaders to cheer you on, and I thank God I actually have a few sincere cheerleaders, however, more times than not, the cheerleaders are nowhere to be found or heard. Then what do you do? This is when you must learn how to encourage yourself in the Lord. You must learn how to be your own cheerleader and to throw your own pep rally!
David had to encourage himself in the Lord and dance his own dance, shout his own cheers and rejoice even when others were not to be found. I have been there many times it seems. Not that there were not people who I could confide in, but sometimes I had places to walk in my journey that I feel I’ve had to walk by myself. How else do you learn the Lord’s voice and know his leading. I found it is just the nature of people sometimes to jump on board the ship when they can go with you, but the moment you cross over into a place that is unfamiliar and uncomfortable to them, they abandon the ship in a quick hurry! When this happens, I know that the enemy will come immediately and try to convince you that you’ve missed GOD. He lies to you by telling you that you should just quit and do what everyone else is doing. He tells you that you’re too radical and that no one understands you. This is where you have to make a choice. You either, decide to take a stand, set your face like a flint, and say to yourself and to the enemy of your soul, though none go with me, I’M GOING! Or….You may listen to the lie and give up and go back to the familiar and to the crowd.
Matthew 14: 28-“Lord if it’s you,” Peter replied, “tell me to come to you on the water.”
29 “Come,” he said. Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus
30. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, “Lord, save me!”
The Lord never intended for us to stay in the boat with the crowd. Frankly, He doesn’t want us to be crowd pleaser either! He intended for us to walk on the water and step out into the deep things of GOD. I refuse to stay in the boat and go through the motions of “acting like a Christian.” No, I may be out here at times by myself in a place that’s unfamiliar but this is where life is. This is what makes it exciting to be a Christian! This is also where I learn who the Lord is and how he wants to direct me and use me. I may even began to sink , as Peter did, when I get out of the boat, but I’ll get out again and again until I don’t sink and the water is solid under my feet. There may be those who are laughing at me, just like I am sure the other disciples who stayed in the boat laughed at Silly Peter, but which of them got to stare into the gaze of the Master and have Him to stretch out his hands to them? Only Peter got to have that experience while the others sat in the boat! Yes some may call me radical but I long to see the Lord’s gaze and have Him to reach for me and bid me to come! I want to be brave and get out of the boat, even if I have no supporters in the boat to cheer me… I will say to the Lord, “I’m coming Lord, I’m coming!
I write this blog today to cheer you! Come on you can do it! Whatever the Lord is asking you to do; He is extending his hand to you and saying “Come trust me!” He will never let you sink! Although Peter may have taken his eyes off Jesus for a brief moment, notice that the in Matt. 14:30 Peter was only beginning to sink when the Lord saved him….Be encouraged, He will not let you sink either, go for it! I would rather get out of the boat and try then to sit in the boat and always wonder if I could have done something differently!

God’s Not Through With Me Yet!

12 Mar

God’s Not Through With Me Yet!.

God’s Not Through With Me Yet!

12 Mar

God Is Not Through With Us Yet!

Isaiah 64:8 But now, O Lord, thou art our father; we are the clay, and thou our potter; and we all are the work of thy hand.

Baby-Cardinal-in-Hands_iab

Can you guess what kind of bird this is? Below are several hints:

  1.  It is the official bird of at least 7 states.
  2. These birds do not migrate, but have adapted to northern and southern climates.
  3. They frequent birdfeeders
  4. Unlike some birds both female and male birds sing.
  5. The male bird has  a brilliant red color and the female is an attractive brown
  6. A baseball team has been named after them!
  7. They usually have three eggs at a time.
  8. The male often feeds the female especially when she is on the nest.

 

Have you had enough hints to guess the type of bird? If you guessed the Cardinal you are correct.  I wanted to put this little homely looking bird up as a visual lesson, because all too many times we look on the outside of a thing and judge it before we even know what is on the inside. While looking at this little gray mass of feathers with its little pump knot, it is hard to believe how something so unattractive could become something so beautiful! This bird in my opinion is one of the most brilliant and beautiful birds.  When it comes to my birdfeeder or sets in a blooming dogwood tree, my breath catches in my throat for a second because it is so exquisitely gorgeous! When it sings its song, I have to stop and think about the many songs that the Lord gave his creatures to sing his praise!

I know that when people look at me, they may not see beauty, but please don’t judge me yet!  God is not finished with me. Like this little bird, I may not be the most attractive thing, but what the Lord is making me into is breathtakingly beautiful!  You may say, “well that is a very conceited thing to say!”  But I say unto you, I am on the Potter’s wheel, I am being made into his image and his image is indeed perfect and beautiful! You too are on His wheel!

7.Jeremiah (KJV) 18:2 Arise, and go down to the potter’s house, and there I will cause thee to hear my words.

8.Jeremiah 18:3 Then I went down to the potter’s house, and, behold, he wrought a work on the wheels.

9.Jeremiah 18:4 And the vessel that he made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter: so he made it again another vessel, as seemed good to the potter to make it.

6.Isaiah 64:8 (KJV)  But now, O Lord, thou art our father; we are the clay, and thou our potter; and we all are the work of thy hand.

We all have our flaws and according to the scripture we are made to be marred in the Potter’s hand!  Why? I think we all have flaws so that we will not be judged by others! This truth puts us all in the same boat if you will!  We all have need of the Perfect One Jesus! If we find out whom we are in Him and that we are made in His image and began walking in that calling or purpose, we are just like these gorgeous Cardinals.  Our life becomes a song of praise to the Master!  So don’t judge me yet!  God’s not through with me! I am spinning on the wheel being made into another vessel that will hold His glory!

I hope that the next time you see a beautiful Cardinal or hear its song of praise to the Master that you will realize that you are a precious vessel of clay in the Potter’s hand and that regardless of what you are going through, that you are valuable.  You’re his greatest creation created in His image!  You are being changed from faith to faith and from glory to glory!

Ms. Suzy HomeMaker

5 Mar

Ms. Suzy HomeMaker.

Ms. Suzy HomeMaker

5 Mar

I am so glad that I turned into Suzy HomeMaker!  Still loving this recipe for Homemade Detergent, read my update at the bottom of the original post!

The Father’s Good Pleasure!

5 Mar

 

via The Father’s Good Pleasure!.

The Father’s Good Pleasure!

5 Mar

The Father’s Good Pleasure!

Little Lamb Luke

Luke 12:32  (KJV) Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.

As I write this, I was thinking about the past few weeks and how the Lord has just blessed my family beyond anything that we really asked him to.   I also thought about people who are still waiting for their promise to come.   Sometimes when it seems the Lord is passing out to everyone but to them, something just sort of rises up in them and mumbles, “Wait a minute, why am I not getting blessed? They are asking the Lord, “When is my season going to come?”  I know about those questions because I’ve been there, and I have asked them myself.  The one thing I’ve really learned, however, is that it is all available to me and has always been available.  I don’t want to get upset because others are getting theirs and totally miss mine because I’m off pouting somewhere. My Pastor calls a pouting mentality an orphan spirit.  If I am a child of God then all that He has is mine!   I’ve learned to rejoice with others, because I know that the same blessings are available to me!

When the prodigal son left the Father’s house to go and “live it up and waste what his Daddy gave him” He had to come to a place of realization.  He had to realize that regardless of what he did or didn’t do the Father’s love was enough and that he could go home to the blessing. His older brother, however, was upset that the Father would just welcome the prodigal son back home and throw him a party, kill the fatted calf, put a ring on his finger, give him His best robe…Why? The older brother didn’t realize that all of it had been available to him all along.  The eldest brother could have lived in a perpetual party, but he let envy and bitterness rob him from receiving the blessing of the Father. How sad it will be that many Christians will get to heaven and only then find out what was made available to them while they lived upon the earth, but they never received it because of envy and jealously.  

When Jesus bled and died, He said “It is finished!” So everything is available to us, but not all things are entrusted to us right away.  Like the prodigal son had to go through some character building lessons, so do we.  My son would love to have a mustang car, he is only 13.  Do you think I will give him a mustang car now?  NO WAY….Why?  Because he is a child and he is not mature enough to handle a mustang…Many Christians are still childish and they are not mature enough to handle all that they want from the Lord.   As the above scripture states, Luke 12:32 (KJV) Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.  The Father is not withholding from you, but maybe he is protecting you long enough for you to build up a strong character, that whatever you want from him will not destroy you, but will benefit you!

 

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A little Spring to Lift the Spirit!

27 Feb

A little Spring to Lift the Spirit!.

A little Spring to Lift the Spirit!

27 Feb

The First Signs of Spring to Lift the Spirit!

First Signs of Spring! 001

Matthew 6:26  Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?

The past few days in Georgia the weather has been simply beautiful, the earth is waking up!  It is amazing to see how green the grasses have become.  It blew me away to see how fast my beautiful jonquils shot forth out of the ground and began to bloom! Less than two weeks ago, we had an ice storm and snow!  Also my wisteria is starting to have little green shoots.  They will probably bloom this week as well.   I don’t know about you, but with the change of season, comes a change in mood!

The mornings are still really cool, but I throw on a flannel shirt and get out on my front porch and just listen to the sounds of the birds singing their songs!  The other day I had the privilege of getting to see a huge flock of Robins land in my yard.  There must have been several hundred of them!  I love to hear them communicate to each other.  I am sure they were saying “Look at what treasures our Father has provided for us beneath all of these dead leaves!” This usually always means Spring has sprung.   Through the signs of Spring, the Lord lifts my spirit!

With everything coming alive and the birds singing their praise to the Lord, it seems as though the following scripture is coming alive! Matthew 6:26  Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?

Why worry, when the Lord has already told us in his Word and showed us that He intends on taking good care of us!   I hope as you hear and see the signs of Spring outside your window or if you are like me, you get right outside in the thick of it, that you will know that you are valued and that the Father is taking good care of you!