What or who is your stronghold?

"The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?"  Psalm 27

When I picture a stronghold two things come to my mind.  First, my own strongholds, those things can have a hold on me.  Second, a strong fortified city, or a tight grip.  What has a hold on you?  Is there a stronghold in your life that is not the Lord?  Have you ever thought about the Lord being your stronghold?  You see, this world has so much that can take our eyes off of Jesus.  It offers things that look appealing, even more appealing than holding on to Jesus.  We get afraid when we are not holding on in the right place and out of desperation crawl back to Jesus.  Yes, best place to go, yes, he is always there, but I don't know about you but I spent way too much of my life doing this.  Crawling back when I let go of him and realized that I can't do it alone.  Always feeling like something was missing that I sought him mainly when I got desperate but never knowing what to do to change it.  Remember, when Jesus is our stronghold we don't have to be afraid.  This is a promise - believe it, his promises are true.

Later in Psalm 27 David writes "You have said, 'Seek my face'.  My heart says to you. 'Your face Lord, do I seek.'"  Seek his face - just keep seeking - surrender all of who you are to him - open up every part of you to him - but just keep seeking him.  Having trouble with this?  Are you desiring more?  Wow, Jesus loves this.  Just keep on coming.  Reach out your hand to him because you see, his hand is reaching to you.  His hand is strong and steady.  He loves you.  I still fail - I still come crawling back to him when I do, but my  relationship with him is much stronger and I desire to seek him in all life situations, not just when things get tough. 

Slow down today and seek his face.  Close your eyes and begin with this song.
You are not condemned but free and forgiven.

It Never Stopped!

We all have hurts in our life, some now, some from the past and there will be more in the future.  Some have come from within our own family, some from friends...etc.  They just come.  I am sure that we would all love to live a life without them.  You know, when Jesus went to the cross he took all of our hurts on the cross with him.  Here he was, dying the most tortorous death, while being riduculed by those watching.  Yet what does he say: "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do."  He forgave, while hanging on the cross, while blood was pouring from him, while nails were spiked through him, while he was being mocked - HE FORGAVE!  I cannot comprehend this kind of love but I can learn from it.  I can learn to live this kind of love and I desire to be his vessel and offer forgiveness to others. 

Jesus says in Matthew 6:15 "For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.  But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins."  This is not something to take lightly.  When we don't offer forgiveness we live in bondage don't we?  That's what the enemy wants us to do, to live in bondage.  I look at Jesus example of continually forgiving - over and over - it never stopped.  He forgives me - over and over - it never stops.  Lord, may my forgiveness daily flow - over and over - and never stop. 

I ran across this short clip this morniing.  Freedom in forgiveness.

God is moving!

Sometimes I don't know where God is going to take me when I start writing in my blog.  Like right now, I knew that I wanted to blog today but will see where this goes.

God has been doing some serious moving in the past days/weeks.  We have been working for months to bring the city of Toledo and the surrounding area together in prayer, beginning with the GAP (God Answers Prayer) Seminar.  Up to the registration deadline date we had about 30 people signed up but last week the registrations and phone calls kept rolling in and on Saturday we had 85 people gathered together hearing a teaching on Intercessory prayer.  It was powerful and my husband is excited to spearhead prayer in the area.  Just in the beginning stages there are already 49 names ready to get involved in some way or another.  God is moving in our little church gathering too and giving us some direction.

I was thinking about the song "God Moves in a Mysterious Way".  Doesn't he?  I think about my life, I think about how he has moved in the past, how he is moving in the present and how he will continue to move in the future.  When God is moving in your life it can do a couple of things.  I think that it can stir an excitement and a joy.  Other times when he is moving it can stir up anxiety, even fear because we don't know the outcome of what he is doing and he might be taking us places we don't want to go.  I personally want the first to be what shines in me.  I want to recognize that it is the enemy who wants to steal my joy.  Remember that he is a thief.  Jesus said "The thief comes only to steal, kill and destroy; I have come that you may have life, and have it to the full."  A full life - can you imagine this?  A full life doesn't not mean an easy life, a perfect life, or one without pain.  We cannot find those things in a world full of sin.  But we do have a place to go.  In the arms of Jesus.  That is where I want to be.  As long as I have Jesus I have what I need and my life is full.  Circumstances will come and go but Jesus will always remain the same.  Sometimes I just have to close my eyes to put everything else around me aside, and draw near to him and come into his presence.

How is God moving in your life right now?  Or do you even sense him moving?  Good questions to ask ourself, good ones to pray about.  Some of you have a sense of God moving, others have no idea.  Just seek him in prayer.  He will show you, but in HIS TIME!

Today let us bask in him.  Close your eyes and listen to this song as a prayer.  Invite the Holy Spirit to fill you up.

Hungry? Thirsty?

This is Sunday morning and I cannot remember the last time I missed church.  It has been a whirlwind couple of day traveling back to Michigan for my daughters baby shower.  Lots of prep, two grandchildren, family and I woke up this morning not feeling well at all.  So I stayed home!  Strange but much needed.  So to rest I had some eggs, toast and started to watch the movie "The Gospel According to John."  My daughter had it in her stash of movies.  I have stopped it for a while so I could watch it with my husband later.  As the movie follows the life of Jesus many things struck me but one thing in particular has stuck with me today.

Before I started the movie I had gone into the refrigerator and noticed that I had left some beef steaks in the meat drawer while we were gone and it has now gone past the expiration date.  I was mad at myself because they were rather expensive.  I had meant to put them in the freezer before we left but just plain forgot.  Now I have spoiled meat.  Bummer.  John 6:27 says "Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you.  For on him God the Father has placed his seal of approval."  As I heard these words in the movie I couldn't help but think of my spoiled meat in the fridge.  I could not help but be reminded of where I spend so much time.  I could not help but be reminded of what is most important.  What are we working for?  Where do we spend most of our time?  Is there something else in our lives that should go in order to work for the food that will last?  You see, I can spend so much of my day working for this life here (not that I don't have responsibilites) but is what I do more important than working for the food that Jesus has to offer?  Have we made our business, our plans, our desires, our pleasures, top priority? 

vs. 35 says "I am the bread of life.  Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty."

Jesus continues to change my life, he continues to change me.  He continues to love me and I long for more of him.  He is calling each and every one of you.  He is calling you to come to him.  He gives eternal life.  Thank you Jesus.  I love you Jesus. 

Marveled

Unbelief...
Been there?
When Jesus went into his hometown he taught in the synagogue but the people who heard him were astonished.  "Where did this man get these things?...How are such mighty works done by his hands?  Is not this the carpenter...And they took offense at him. . . and he could do no mighty work there, except that he laid his hands on a few sick people and healed them.  And he marveled because of their unbelief."

I was thinking about myself as I read the above underlined words.  I was thinking about how Jesus marveled.  When we marvel at something there is surprise, disbelief, awe and sometimes just can't believe it, shock.  I think how often I am the one in unbelief.  How often I am the one who doesn't believe, deep down, and even on the surface, that God will come through, that he will do what I cannot see.  That he will perform a miracle.  You see, in the story above the reason he could not do much was because they did not have faith.  How many times have you limited in your mind what God will do in your life.  Will I ever be rescued from this situation?  Will I ever...etc.

Yesterday I was concerned about something and the more I thought about it the more I became concerned and before I knew it it was causing a heavy anxiety.  Until.......the man of God in my life prayed with me and I released it in the hands on Jesus, trusting him that he will handle it, HIS WAY!  I love the freedom that release brings.  I love the freedom that having faith brings.  Not a weak faith but a believing faith.  Think about times in your life when your faith was so weak.  Now think of what God did and was doing in and through your weakness.  "When I am weak, then he is strong."  For me, those times always make me stronger and when weak times comes, which they will, my faith is getting stronger and those weak times don't last as long.

Whatever you are facing today hold on to Jesus.  Have faith in him - come before him in prayer - and lay it at his feet.  He can do more than we could ever ask or imagine.

This morning I was slowing waking up in bed when my husband walked in with a nice warm cup of coffee, in my new favorite mug.  I must say that this started out my day just perfect.  What that had to do with this blog I have no idea. :)

Bless someone today!

The Impossible

So I am sitting in a hotel this morning while my husband spends the day in a ministry/life coaches training.   We have enjoyed a much needed getaway.  As I was reading my scripture in the old testament I was again reminded of how much of a pain the Israelites were.  Funny how I can relate to them.  You see they had been eating Manna and more manna and were complaining and complaining.  (Can you relate sometimes?)  They were wanting some meat so God gave them what they asked for.  "You shall not eat just one day, or two days, or five days...but a whole month, until it comes out of your nostrils and becomes loathsome to you, because you have rejected the Lord who is among you and have wept before him, saying, 'why did we come out of Egypt?'. . . Now Moses was wondering how this would happen since they were in the desert so he said to the Lord.  "Shall flocks and herds be slaughtered for them, and be enough for them?  Or shall all the fish of the sea be gathered together for them, and be enough for them?  And the Lord said to Moses, 'Is the Lord's hand shortened?  Now you shall see whether my word will come true for you or not."

God was going to do the impossible.  Even Moses was wondering how this would happen.  The Lord send a wind and it brought quail.  I still have trouble with the impossible.  I still wonder in situations that seem impossible if anything will change.  I must hear the Lord's words spoken to me - "IS THE LORD'S HAND SHORTENED?"  No it is not.  This God who provided for the grumbling Israelites is the same God who is there for me.  He is still there in what seems impossible in my life.  I was telling my husband yesterday that I want my faith to be stronger, so strong that I believe without doubting in the situations that seem impossible to me.  I don't want to just "know" that he can and will do the impossible, but I want to believe it deep down within my soul, right down to the core.  I pray that this morning, that all of who I am, all of who we are, deep down, will grow in faith to believe the impossible.  My prayer is that our God - the awesome powerful true God in the bible - who did mighty acts - who constantly did and still does the impossible will continue to show me the impossible in my life.

Remember when Jesus told the disciples that it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kindom of God?  The disciples wondered how then anyone can be saved.  Jesus response: "With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible."

Believe without doubting!  Sometimes even that seems impossible - but nothing is impossible with God. 

You are so good God.  I love you!

RELEASE!

Yesterday my husband turned 50. 

Two weeks ago our daughter and her husband moved in with us. 

They have a baby due in 8 weeks.

Our life never stays the same. 

My husband is working long days - that's good!

Release is a word that God told my husband.  I've been pondering that word for a few days now.  I think it's a word that we should all hear from God.  Life is full of things that can cause worry, concern, fear, wondering...etc.  Yet the word "release" sounds so freeing doesn't it?  My husband has been so much more free of the "what if's".  I watched a short video of my niece bungie jumping.  It was insane!  I think about the feelings that must have been rushing through her.  She is all tied up, nice and secure, but then she must take that first step of actually jumping off the ledge and free fall all the way down, hanging by her ankles.  Once she has taken the leap to jump there is nothing she can do except to feel the exileration and trust that the bungie will hold her.  I think releasing situations and our life to Jesus is like bungie jumping.  We know that Jesus has us strapped secure, we know that he has our life all in his hands, but we have to take the first step to the ledge, we have to release it all to him.  Not until we free fall, trusting him with everything will we know the fun and excitement of a released life.

Ever prayed this? "Jesus, I know you are holding me secure, but I am scared to jump?"
I think that is a beautiful prayer.

RELEASE...
     your situation
     your posessions
     your money
     yourself
     and let go..............whatever it is.