Truths to Set You Free!

From the book, "Lies Young Women Believe". My response/reaction in italics . . .

Truths to Set You Free!
(more to be found in the book, which I haven’t bought yet!~B~)

When I feel far from God and am tempted to feel He doesn’t love me - God loves me and wants me to have His best (Rom. 8:38–39) I am reminded daily of His love for me when I read his Word each morning.

When I feel ugly and fat - God created me a masterpiece (Ps. 139:14) I have to remind myself of this daily, due to a lifetime of listening to the world view of beauty. That world view is vanity, which is itself a sin.

When I feel rejected - God accepts me through Christ (Eph. 1:4–6) God’s acceptance is the only one that matters!

When I feel anxious about my circumstances - God can be trusted (Ps. 37:5) I have no fear of what the future holds, because I know that God is in control of my life. He does what he must to refine me like silver.

When I feel like I can’t handle a problem I’m facing - God’s grace is enough for me (2 Cor. 12:9) Again, God is in control! I don’t have to like what’s happening, but I know He has a purpose.

When I feel like my potential is limited by my past - My past does not have to control my future (2 Cor. 5:17) My past is exactly that - the past. It is not who I am now, nor what I will become. I have learned from my mistakes and am determined not to make them again. {I Corinthians 15:10(a)But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain . . .", Luke 7:47}

When I want to blame others for my responses - I am responsible before God for my behavior, responses, and choices (Ezek. 18:20) Playing the blame game is not for Christians. We all must choose, and thus suffer the consequences, but praise God! He is willing to forgive once we confess & repent. {Psalm 86:5, I John 1:9}

When I feel that submitting to an authority will steal my freedom - The greatest freedom I can experience is found by submitting to God-ordained authority (Titus 3:1) Submission does not mean being a slave or doormat or punching bag for someone. Submission is part of obedience. Once we put aside our fear of domination and the arrogance of pride, submission comes easily.
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I love all my girls - those to whom my body gave life, those who were born of the man I love, and others who I have come to know over time, no matter your age. You ALL have value; you are ALL precious, not only to God but to me. I would give my life for any of you, if I knew it would bring you into God’s arms. I’ve been down the rough road of life, living without Christ and the guidance of the Holy Spirit. But now I have the power that comes from relying on the Almighty God, my Creator, my Protector, my Healer, my Deliverer, which enables me to greet each new day with a smile, regardless of circumstance. I know He is by my side all through the day, ready to help me face whatever obstacles come my way.

You can have that, too! If you are too ashamed to ask me or anyone else how, just talk to Him! You don’t have to pray a formal prayer; just talk to Him and ask forgiveness. Let Him lead you. It’s easier than you think.
<3

Half a Life

I do several devotions, and one really stood out today. It had a quote from Phillips Brooks, who said, "When you discover you've been leading only half a life, the other half is going to haunt you until you develop it." That was ME as little as 4 years ago. I was incredibly lost, filling my days & nights with as much activity as possible (much of it unwholesome), yet I still felt that something was missing. Until that day on my back porch when I was all alone and God softened my heart & opened my eyes, and I was filled with His presence. My life was forever changed that day, Praise God! Oh, not all of my former self fell away at once (still dealing with some of that!), however major changes took place, and I began to feel that I had value (not as a prideful thing), and that things would be okay. Jesus filled the void in my life, and I no longer feel like something is missing. Thank You, Lord, for saving my soul. Thank You, Lord, for making me whole. Thank You, Lord, for giving to me Thy sweet salvation so rich and free! -"Thank You, Lord", Words and Music by Mr. and Mrs. Seth Sykes

Francine Rivers "Unafraid"

My sister just got me hooked on an author, Francine Rivers. With one novella, she captivated me for two days, I cried, and I got a fresh perspective on the life of Jesus and his mother, Mary.

In the fifth novel of the series, entitled "Unafraid," Ms. Rivers delivers the imagined life of Mary, who was to become the mother of Jesus Christ. Mary is depicted as a devout Jewish girl with a hunger & thirst for God. While I am not of the Jewish faith, I can certainly identify with her desire to be close to God, to understand to will for our lives, for the struggle between flesh & spirit. Mary is depicted as human, yet willing to trust in God.

Some things that stuck me as I was reading:

Mary to Joseph, "Hasn't God always chosen the weak to confound the strong?" and "Think of him. God never chooses as a man would choose." These two sentences grabbed me & made me think. God chose ordinary people, sinners, the most unlikely characters on earth to be his messengers. Why did he do this? to teach us that one need not come from a high station in life, nor have worldly goods or knowledge in order to be effective in His service. Ordinary folks such as you & I are able to carry out His will as well as anyone willing to heed the call of His voice. God's choices confound the world (and often the saints) because we think within the confines of what we "know" - our earthly knowledge & experience. We place boundaries on what we think can be accomplished, not realizing that with God, ALL things are possible!

Joseph speaks of " . . . a return to the relationship Adam had with the Lord in the Garden of Eden." This is what we all desire, whether we're aware of it or not. That communal relationship with our creator is what is missing in our lives. Even though we can enjoy His presence through prayer & reflection on His Word, we have so many other things clamoring for our attention that we do not fully focus our attention on Him. How wonderful it will be to simply bask in His presence, sitting in adoration worshiping him constantly and being filled with joy!

Jesus has told Mary, "Each must choose." She struggles between physically following her favored firstborn and remaining with her other children, who doubt Jesus' claim to be the Son of God. "She must say yes to God and stop counting the cost. Even if it meant giving up her children." She has reached a point where she must follow her heart and hand over her grown children to God, trusting Him to open their eyes & hearts to the truth. This is not an easy thing to do, as many of us parents know all too well!

As Jesus is in the temple, "calling out," so to speak, the scribes & Pharisees: "Mary had never seen Jesus angry, and she trembled a the sight of his wrath." His wrath. These two words reminded me in a HUGE way that Jesus is God! And God's wrath is not to be taken lightly. His wrath destroyed entire cities, tribes, and nations, even the world, save Noah, his sons and their wives.

As Pilate is forcing the masses to choose which prisoner to release: "'Barabbas!'" They wanted violence and bloodshed. They wanted rebellion & hatred against Rome. 'Barabbas!'" The Savior, the Redeemer, the King that most of Israel was anticipating was expected to be a leader of bloody revolution, not of peace & love & righteousness. Ms. Rivers also makes a statement about Pilate's washing of his hands as a mockery of the Jewish ritual of hand washing. I had never thought of it that way before, and while I'm not certain this is historically accurate (the meaning, not the actual washing), it certainly lends a new perspective to the incident. Something to think about and possibly research.

Mary is contemplating the journey of her life, and determines that she is no longer impetuous & impatient, but simply eager for what God will do. We often desire a hasty reply to our prayers & pleas, forgetting that everything happens in God's time, not ours, for He knows what is best. She reflects: "Will you obey, no matter the cost?" "Today I say yes. And today, and today, and today, until there are no more todays left." How profound! An excellent illustration of how we must daily choose to say, "Yes!" Daily we must choose to submit ourselves to His will.

Mary comes to the realization of "How small her dreams had been." This goes back to what I mentioned earlier, that we cannot in our human frame of mind, fathom all that God can do. We can only imagine so big, but He is capable of so much more than that! I, for one, and excited to see just how big He can be!

This book is a very good read, and I highly recommend it. I can hardly wait for Susie to finish the one on Bathsheba so I can start it!

God Answers Prayer

I had been praying for quite a while for relief for my husband with regard to his work and our finances. I was also asking God to bless AC in all he did. Right before Christmas, we were presented with an opportunity that seemed too good to be true - a job for AC with my brother-in-law's company, the chance to learn a new trade, and a place to stay during the transition.

The hard part in all this is that taking this job meant leaving the only place he'd ever called home. AC's family has lived for generations in Cleveland, TN, and they're all pretty much still there. We prayed, and God opened every door that needed to be opened to enable us to make this change. The one part that was hardest was figuring out how to do this with Megan, my 16 year old step-daughter, who lives with us. We ran through several scenarios, and while each one seemed feasible at the time, one by one they all fell through.

Still praying, and enlisting the prayers of even more believers, Megan has finally decided to move to Loganville to be with us on a permanent basis. She believes this is where God wants her to be, and I feel the same way. (Although I must admit that the selfish flesh part of me wants her here regardless.) There are so many opportunities for her to grow in her faith, through church, her music, and the new friendships that are developing with girls her own age who share her beliefs.

I know God's hand is in this. Too many good things have already happened for it NOT to be His work. Oh, Satan is hard at work, too, trying to steal our joy by manipulating circumstances, but we're not letting him get in our way. We're going to continue to praise God for the good he's doing in our lives, and for the lessons learned through the hardships, too. We'll keep praying for the chance to give God the glory & honor He so richly deserves.

Today I spoke w/Meg, & she's wanting to stay in TN & get a job at Target. I don't feel like it's the right thing for her to do, but I'm going to PRAY & let her father handle this. I understand her wanting to stay near her family, but I feel she's not giving God a chance to work the way He wants to in her life.

Megan is now in GA with us. I'm hoping that the reasons she gave for making this decision are not impulsive. There is so much for her to experience, so much possibility for growth as a Christian as well as a person in general. The exposure to people & experiences she would never have in Cleveland are such that many would gladly trade places with her. There is a tremendous positive influence available that I hope she will welcome.

My God is so good! I cannot begin to say how much I love Him! I know that he is working in our lives in a powerful way. I only hope that I can bring him honor & glory, that he so richly deserves! My heart is full to overflowing with thanksgiving and love for him.

Selfishness

This devotional was in my inbox last week. The colors on the words are my addition to Dr. Dollar's exposition. The comments at the end are mine.

Wednesday, February 13, 2008

Yield To Love Dr. Creflo A. Dollar Love and selfishness are the two greatest forces in life. A person chooses to walk in one or the other every day. What many people call love really isn't love at all. Real love-which is agape love or the God kind of love-is unconditional, limitless, selfless and is not based on emotions. It is extremely tolerant. Unfortunately, most people operate in selfishness. They live in human, emotional love, which has limits, is conditional, requires pre-qualification and has to be loved before it can love. Selfishness is the root of all sin, which is based in fear. As a result, our society is experiencing a tremendous amount of lawlessness, perversion and sin. Families are being destroyed because people are engaging in human, emotional love rather than taking the time to learn about and develop in agape love. Selfishness in the home can creep up in so many subtle ways, particularly between a husband and wife. If you are married, here's a newsflash-it's not all about you! Everything in life should not focus around you and your needs, but rather the needs of your spouse. It is important to find balance and compromise within relationships in order to maintain peace in the home. You can kick selfishness out of your home. How? Yield to love. Jesus gave two commandments that are the foundational principles for every commandment in the Bible: "...love the Lord thy God with all of thy heart, and with all thy soul and with all thy mind... love thy neighbor as thyself" (Matthew 22:7,39). When you keep the law of love, you fulfill all of the laws written in the Bible. Have you made the decision to walk in love so that you will fulfill Jesus' commandment and allow God's spiritual principles to work in your life? Or have you chosen to operate in your own way of doing things? Things don't just happen. Life is a series of decisions that ultimately determine your future. One very important decision every person should make is to be an expression of God's love on the earth. There are two laws that govern life: the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus, which is love; and the law of sin and death, which is selfishness (Romans 8:2). Like curtains on a curtain rod, your deliverance, answered prayers, healing and faith all hang on the rod of love. If you are not walking in God's agape love, then you are limiting what God can do in your life. I encourage you to take the love test by reading 1 Corinthians 13:4-7. After reading this portion of Scripture, you will know to what extent you have-or have not-yielded your life to love. .. BEGIN MP3 FOOTER - Creflo Dollar --> ..> ..> .. Dr. Creflo A. Dollar is the senior pastor of World Changers Church International, 25,000 member church in College Park, Georgia. He is committed to changing the world one person at a time, and his award-winning "Changing Your World" television broadcast reaches nearly one billion homes worldwide. Visit www.CrefloDollarMinistries.org to learn more.

(1) This line hit me pretty hard. Selfishness is something I've been fighting with my entire life. As the eldest of 5 children, I had nothing of my own,a nd was always made to share. As a parent, you naturally give/share everything you have. I like to share, but it's kinda nice if folks share back (not that I "do" in order to receive - it's just the flesh nature to say, "What about me?") and I seem to know a lot of people who are takers, not givers. I realize that my selfishness comes from fear - fear of having nothing, fear of being alone, fear of not being accepted. Therefore, I pray daily for God to help me in this area; I have to yield my self over to Him so He can love others through me.
(2) So true! I've said many times throughout my life, even before I was saved, that the things I went through shaped the person I became. There are SO many decisions I wish I could have a "do-over" on. The fact is, however, that those decisions eventually led me to accept Christ, for which I am eternally grateful! I am able to identify with others - both lost & saved - and because of my life experience I am able to minister to them with compassion instead of judgment.
(3) Without love for others, everything we do is in vain. The world will still turn, the sun will still set, people will still do what they do & be who they are, even if we do not love them. But how many lives could possibly be changed if each of us took just one day to be kind to EVERYONE, even those whom we usually avoid or casually dismiss simply because it's easier to do so than to try to love them as Jesus would?
I want to learn to love others well, following in the footsteps of my Lord & Savior, Jesus Christ!

Roasted Marshmallows

Last night was so much fun. After dinner, we all went outside & my wonderful B-I-L made a fire in the fire pit. AC & I, along with Dan, Susie & the boys roasted marshmallows, talked & laughed, and we even tried to get some songs going, until about 11:30; that's when we girls decided to call it quits! The guys stayed outside until the fire died down.

The point is that in doing such a simple thing as making a fire outside, we were able to enjoy not only the company of one another (which we do already) but also the outdoors - the fresh air, the night sky, Melody & Chloe chasing whatever dogs chase outside in the dark. God's creation is a marvelous thing, most of which we quite often take for granted. I'm thankful for the opportunity we had to enjoy a bit of it last night.

Losing a Son

My friend Sarah lost her son, Kelly at 2 a.m. this morning. Not a great way to celebrate Valentine's Day. There is a measure of comfort in knowing that he was a believer and is now in heaven. At 40 years old, he had just started a new job a few months ago, and was a newlywed of only 2 months. He suffered 3rd degree burns over 70% of his body in the Dixie Crystals plant explosion last week.

I cannot imagine losing my son. I have my daughters and my step-children, but Eddie is my ONLY son. There are times when I'm reading my Bible and meditating on God's sacrifice of his only Son, or of Abraham's willingness to give up his cherished son, and my simple human mind finds it hard to grasp.

My son, while not walking in the path of righteousness, is still a joy to me. We have had our ups & downs, especially through his early teens, but we are closer now than we have ever been. He has never been ashamed to say he loves me or show affection, even in front of his friends. He's quite handsome and charming, is blessed with a good sense of humor, possesses tremendous creative artistic talent, and uses his manners (at least when he's around me and my family). I cannot imagine my life without him, even though he lives in another state.

I know I would lay down my life for any of my children (including my steps), but to permanently give them up on purpose? I like to think that if God asked me to make that sacrifice, I would have the faith to do as He asks. It's hard enough to step aside when they are in trouble after I've asked God to do what He must in order to bring them to Him.

My heart goes out to Sarah, as well as her new daughter-in-law, her other children, and everyone else who lost Kelly as a vital part of their lives. My thoughts are with them as they grieve, and I pray that they will have the strength to cope with their loss. Perhaps they will even be able to celebrate that Kelly is now with our heavenly Father. Nothing happens without cause, and it is my hope that through this tragedy someone will come to know Christ, or come back to Him.