Patience in the Pain

Yesterday, chatting with Kendall, I was telling her that the Lord had planted a thought in my heart. That we need to have

Patience in our Pain.

We chewed on that for a while, as we can often see that as contrary to what the Scripture wants

We believe that the Lord's Will is to heal
We believe we have an enemy

But my thinking was
WHEN WE HAVE PRAYED
WHEN WE HAVE BELIEVED
WHEN WE HAVE PRAISED AND THANKED

we MUST walk in the Patience and Perseverance that HE KNOWS "the way that I take..." That He watches me carefully, nothing escaping His Attention.   That His Timing in the Process is impeccable.

So Friend, if you are experiencing pain today, physically, mentally or emotionally....take the Truth personally,
HE KNOWS
HE'S WORKING HIS LIKENESS IN YOU
IT WILL NOT LAST ONE SECOND TOO LONG

And as James 1 says ~ you WILL become "mature and complete in Christ Jesus" when perseverance has completed its work in you

Chosen for Affliction
      Alistair Begg
I have tried you in the furnace of affliction.  
Isaiah 48:10

Comfort yourself, tried believer, with this thought: God says, "I have chosen thee in the furnace of affliction" [KJV]. Does not the Word come like a soft shower, assuaging the fury of the flame? Yea, is it not a protective shield, against which the heat has no power? Let affliction come--God has chosen me. Poverty, you may stride in at my door, but God is in the house already, and He has chosen me. Sickness, you may intrude, but I have balsam ready--God has chosen me. Whatever befalls me in this vale of tears, I know that He has "chosen" me.

If, believer, you require still greater comfort, remember that you have the Son of Man with you in the furnace. In that silent chamber of yours, there sits by your side One whom you have not seen, but whom you love; and often when you do not know it, He comforts you in your affliction and softens the place of rest. You are in poverty; but in your lovely house the Lord of life and glory is a frequent visitor. He loves to come into these desolate places, that He may visit you. Your friend sticks closely to you. You cannot see Him, but you may feel the pressure of His hands. Do you not hear His voice? Even in the valley of the shadow of death He says, "Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God."1

Remember that noble speech of Caesar: "Fear not, you carry Caesar and all his fortune." Fear not, Christian; Jesus is with you. In all your difficult trials, His presence is both your comfort and safety. He will never leave one whom He has chosen for His own. "Fear not, for I am with you" is His sure word of promise to His chosen ones in the "furnace of affliction." Will you not, then, take hold of Christ and say:

Through floods and flames, if Jesus lead,
I'll follow where He goes.

1) Isaiah 41:10

Mad to Missionary

Luke 8 recounts the story of the naked demoniac in Gerasenes.
The guy who had enough resident demons to enter and send a "great herd of swine" plunging to their deaths

Long story short...Jesus commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man making this once insane man one of us ;)
Crowds came to see the miracle of restoration.
V38  this man, now sane, kept "begging and praying Jesus to be able to go with Him and be with Him"
BUT Jesus sent him away saying"return to your home, tell your story of the many and great things that God has done for you"
The man departed, proclaiming throughout the whole city what Jesus had done for him"

How about you?
How about me?

Have you told? Have you spread the Good news that once you were blind but now you can see?  You were lame but now can walk?
The Scripture admonishes us to let our light shine, to not hide our Source of Life.
You know....

SO THAT THE WORLD MAY KNOW!

Shine. Friend. Shine!

AUDIT

To many people that is a word they would rather never hear.

A friend shared with me that he was being audited....the word automatically strikes dread if not fear.  He complained that he knew that his bookkeeping was not the best and getting ready was going to be a NIGHTMARE!!


Once again it brought me back to the 10 virgins at the end of the age...you know all waiting but only 5 ready.
Seriously that is one nauseating feeling!  
you know what it sounds like...

"OH DARN I MEANT TO BUY OIL!!!!"

Friend   Don't put off today doing first things first!
"People get ready, the songs says, Jesus is coming"

That statement should strike such excitement in the depth of your being and if it doesn't

ASK YOURSELF WHY

and I just pray

you will DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT!!

The scripture says He will come like a thief in the night......to tell you the truth ...I don't care how He comes..Im ready!

blessings

My Life

The other day I bumped into a friend for a few minutes on my journey.  She was walking with her Grand Baby.  We had only a few minutes as she quickly shared with me her current situation of Care giving for her parents, ending with the somewhat exasperated words,  "I Have No Life"

Those words were on my mind as I woke.  
How often have I felt that? 
Declared those very words over myself? 
Frustrated, tired, short sighted, envious as I look at others  ~ Live.

I GET IT......

I suspect that each and every reader has muttered those 4 words at one time or another.

As I muse I come to realize it's an accurate statement.
I'm reminded that I traded MY  life... I gave my rights over to serve a King and become one of His Family.
We must work Daily, moment by moment, to not let the mundanity of this "life" suck us dry.  It is "our job"to keep correct perspective by the Power of the Holy Spirit.

I can just see those gazillion Israelites trudging endlessly.....I wonder if they realized "hey! Haven't I seen that before?! This looks strangely familiar "

Friends I DON'T WANT TO GO IN CIRCLES!  
I don't want to live in the rut of my short sighted, small existence.  That IS NOT God's will for us!
He, The Creator, has So Much More for us!  
He says "Come child, move Forward with me, I'm wanting to show you BRAND New Things....right where I have you"

Beloved....LIVE YOUR LIFE...squeeze out every bit of what God has for you!  It's in there...ask for the Light of His Presence to shine on The path so you can see it

Father Please lift my head.....I want to see Your Glory, Your Provision, Your Beauty, Your lessons, Your Faithfulness! 

I WANT IT ALL!

Help me, Jesus, to live this life,You have chosen for me, to the fullest I pray...resting in Your Timing and the Knowledge that You hold my days...every second!

Love you lord!

Riding the Break

Today I was chatting with Wes as we drove to an appointment.  I was telling her that I knew that the Lord was asking me to "Embrace" my current situation.   I could feel my "hackles" rise even as I said it.  
The Lord showed me that I was living out His call on my life with the emergency break on. I remember,years ago, my dad warning me about that as I first started driving.  "Take your foot completely off of the break Marnie when you are moving forward"    
Have you ever had your emergency break "in gear" and tried to drive?  Do you remember the resistance and or perhaps the grinding noise that kept you from moving forward with ease?

Well the Lord is patient and slow to anger. He loves me and wants me to experience His best ..all that He has for me...TODAY.

Father,  Thank You for Your Kindness and Your Grace and Mercy.   

You are ever faithful to show me what I need to see.  

I see.

Please help me to understand.  I call out to you for what I need to truly embrace the place that You have me in.  I want to surrender, to be pliable and flexible in Your grip.

Help me Lord....I truly want what You want...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7x2IpLSfqp8

okaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay

Moms tucked in and I'm walking in circles. You know ~ many things to do but the energy for none.

Well it's been many weeks since you have heard from me.
A baby shower and a new baby
A bridal shower and a new bride/son in law
A speaking engagement and  ALL that those entail have filled my past weeks to the brim.

But now the fury and the flurry have passed and it is quiet.

I've been having a nagging thought. I find often that that is the Wonderful Patient Holy Spirit trying to get my attention.  Tonight I am thinking about giving in.
"thinking about it" you say?  Why?

simply put..

because it seems 

 too big for me!  

I will have to be on my toes, tape fingers together to remember and get my nose in the Word more ~ to name a few.

I do know that I will not progress hanging back.  I know He has more for me and to put in me and I need to go unearth my white flag and shoot it up the pole.

I give up!   

Take me I'm Yours!

Maybe you too are feeling the nudge from the Lord about something.  Let me know and I'll pray for you if you'll pray for me

Later we'll compare notes

:)

stretching

m

But It's Hard

I hear this OFTEN....

and I just want to say that ....that is beside the point!!
The Scripture has made  it very clear that this life will hold trouble. Job 14:1, John 16:33, Psalm 34:19

Life is hard whether you are a Christian ~ OR NOT!!
How quickly we forget!

So I guess I can "deal with hard" and go to heaven or I can "deal with hard" and go to hell.

Jesus gave His ALL..

it was hard.....

He did it so that we would have all we need to live fruitful 

and victorious lives in the here and now.   

Yes life is hard 

and disciplining ourselves unto holiness is hard

BUT not impossible!  

and there are so many benefits!!

So lets stop saying that...
We have the Holy Spirit to help us on all levels.  We need to exercise our faith muscles and learn to Trust and Obey.  As the song goes "to be happy in Jesus is to trust and obey!"

Onward Christian Soldiers!