The devil Lurks in the Shadows

The cross, it is the very symbol of God's love for his people. It is the sacrifice made so that we could be save and our sins washed away. Thank you Jesus for the cross!! Without we wouldn't have the salvation we do with it.

A life built on the foundation of God is a life filled with possibility. Our God rules with love, yes there is discipline for when we do wrong, but it is done in love.

The devil Lurks

There is one thing I can tell you for certain, the devil is lurking, looking for a way in. He wants to separate us from the cross and lead us down a path of darkness and loneliness. The devil will only keep you company until you start to follow him and then his job is done. God's love never leaves us, even when we leave Him, He is still trying to get us to come back to Him. The book of Jeremiah is about God's judgment on His people, people He loved, who turned their backs on Him and worshiped idols and other gods.He brought famine, drought and sword to Judah.. He says in Jeremiah 14:12 - Although they fast, I will not listen to their cry; thought they offer burnt offerings and grain offerings, I will not accept them. Instead I will destroy them with the sword, famine and plague. Seems kinda harsh to us, however, Judah time and time again turned from God and did their own thing. They made the devil happy and angered, as well as saddened God.

All the devil wants is for us to turn our backs on the one who created us. The one who gave us life. He doesn't love us, he doesn't want to heal and protect us, he wants to keep us bitter and broken. He wants to destroy relationships that God put together. As I write this, I can attest to this. I won't use names, but there is a relationship that God wants together, I know, because I have prayed about it for numerous hours, and the devil is doing his best to destroy it. He has blinders on and she is doing her best to be patient and not lash out in anger, like the devil wants her to do. She has to daily plead the blood of Jesus over this relationship, speak biblical scriptures over it and spend a lot of time on her knees fighting for this relationship. Have you ever heard the saying, nothing worth doing is ever easy? This is so very true. God will test us, and she has been tested numerous times. They have both been hurt by past relationships and her goal is to prove that she is not going anywhere. Nothing is more important to her than her relationship with Jesus Christ, Not even him, but she will fight for him, she will love him and she will pray daily for him. The devil lurks in the dark corners trying to convince her that she is not worthy of him, that he will never love her, and that they will never be. The devil lies. He is here to steal, kill and destroy (John 10:10) He wants nothing more than to take our joy, destroy our relationships and kill our faith.

God's Timing

God's timing is the best there is. If we never give up on our faith in Him, He will reveal His plan to us. For us humans, it is a lesson in patience and faith every time. There is a reason for God's timing. We need to work on something inside ourselves, someone else needs to work on something, or there is a piece we are still missing. Whatever His reasoning is, you can bet that His time is the perfect time. The girl I mentioned above, she can wallow in a broken heart or she can be filled with joy knowing that her Heavenly Father has this. She has decided to let go and let God be the driver in this situation. That doesn't mean she will sit idly by, she will be praying, and she will be reading the word and living her life. She will love him from the sidelines. 

Remember the book of Jeremiah I was talking about? The first part is about judgement. God was angry, but there is hope restored in Jeremiah. 30-33. The cross is also a symbol of hope, at least it is for me. It tells me that there is something bigger than myself out there. God is bigger than anything this world can throw at us, and sometimes it feels like it throws a lot. The devil is lurking in those dark corners just waiting to drag us under. He wants us to fail. He wants us to ignore the cross and turn away from God. I promise you, nothing good comes from turning away from God, and everything good comes from our faith, trust and hope in God. It is a relationship I promise you that won't fail you. Yes you will still get hurt, you will still struggle and have difficult times, but God is always there, holding your hand and guiding you through it. 

Gods Not so Little Reveal in My Little Mistake...

Good Morning,

Yesterday I was ready to go hear a friend of mine speak (normally I just call him Preacher Boy, but since he hates it and may one day read this, I will refrain from doing that). I was so excited to hear what God had been wanting him to say, what message God was revealing through him. I was so excited. I wore a really cute dress, (had to make an emergency stop for tights on the way) and then realized that I didn't know what street the church was on. I messaged him, only to later realize that he had broken his phone and didn't respond. In all my excitement and hurry to get to the church on time, (no matter how organized I can be, I am usually late). I ended up at the wrong church.

Way to go Me!!! :)

As I stood in the parking lot, I froze. I did not want to enter this church and yet I did. Immediately I knew that I was so far out of my comfort zone that I could no longer see my comfort zone. It was long gone. It was no where to be found and there was nothing I could cling to, except God. I was uncomfortable, I was uneasy and I wanted to be anywhere but where I was. Little did I know that I was exactly where God wanted me to be at exactly the moment that God wanted me to be there. (Still sad I missed my W's message.

How can one be uncomfortable in a church? Good question. Just read on, I am getting there....

I was so caught up in my discomfort and unease that I missed what God was actually showing me. I missed what in that moment He was trying to reveal to me. Only to realize it today as I read through my bible study. What God revealed to me after I left the church I understood immediately. I might be just a little stuck up and judgmental. Okay maybe more than just a little.

As I sat here reading the words in Lysa TerKeurst's book, What Happens When Woman Walk in Faith, I was struck with this awesome revelation that I completely missed last night while in the middle of it. Literally. Lysa tells us in chapter 14, to look for God in the little things and not be consumed with the bigger picture, with the big reveal or resurrection that God has in store for us. Well my revelation was not small, but these words hit home and brought to light what I should have seen last night.

I was not in my comfort zone, I was definitely out of place here. Anyone looking in, would notice me right away. The pastor looked at me several times during his message and I swear the look, was 'who is this girl sitting here, who is definitely not one of us.' In fact it reminded me of  a time I was in Montana in a town called Three Forks, (cutest little town, but again I was totally out of place). In both situations I was out of place, not in my comfort zone and I was way over dressed. Seriously. Here I was i a cute little black dress with a red belt, heels, tights, every hair almost perfectly in place and I was the only one dressed up. Everyone else was in shorts or jeans, tank tops, or tee-shirts. Even the pastor was in jeans and a polo-esque top. Needless to say I got some weird looks.

I am sure that the pastor was wondering who I was and why I was there, but I am positive my unease and discomfort at being in this church was showing. I didn't belong there. I was an outsider and yet I was exactly where God wanted me to be.

God revealed so much to me that I missed when I was seeing it. My "death phase," as Lysa calls it in her book, is hard. It seems like one major thing after another. One struggle after another. I finally found a job I love, only to discover it was temporary, like everything else seems to be lately. Temporary. Okay God, I get it, life is temporary, our time here on Earth is temporary. Everything actually is temporary. Except God. God is forever! God's love is never ending, never failing and forever. It is the furthest thing from temporary.

I know, you are waiting for me to get to the point.

These people are not (and I know how this is going to make me sound), the type of people I would willing and intentionally spend time around. (Yup, I know exactly what you are thinking). Let me explain, I grew up with a dad who was never there, who thought drugs and criminal behavior were more important than his children and wife. Who was never there when I needed him or wanted him to be. This lifestyle I witnessed all throughout my childhood, with many members of my family falling down this road. I can say this for my mother, with all the drugs and criminal activity going on around us, she did a pretty good job of sheltering us from this. I never experienced it too much first hand. I saw things I shouldn't have, but it would be impossible for any one to keep everything from touching us. Some things were impossible to hide. Like the guy who came to our home looking for my father with a gun. He could have killed my mother, (my brother and I were hiding). Instead he shot out her car windows, as a message to my father, who, HELLO, was not around.

So as I sat in this church I was reminded of my dad and the life he led. The drugs that consumed his life and left me fatherless. I hated drugs (still do) to a point that I wanted nothing to do with them or the people attached, associated or dwelling in them. You do drugs? Stay away. You did drugs or spent time in prison? Stay away. I want you no where near me, or my children. Even to this day, I keep my dad a safe distance away from myself and my children. I don't want this life to touch them, and here I was sitting right in the middle of this lifestyle.

What I saw (and only today realized) is a group of people who have suffered, struggled and seen more than I could ever have. People who have lost their families, their children, everything to drugs, to their bad choices and walking down a path God never wanted to His children. A group of people who have suffered more than I have. Who have felt more pain that I have. People I can safely say who have had it worse than I have. Who despite their pain, their suffering and their hardships, are clinging to God in a way I never have. In this mistake of going to the wrong church, I learned something I may not have learned had I made it to the right church. (How many Trinity churches can there be in one town....at least 4 in ours). These people are clinging to God, clinging to the hope He provides us. They are not just there listening to a sermon preached to them by a pastor, they are clinging to God, they are holding on to him for dear life. They are there, they are present and they are not afraid to say their faith is in God.

God revealed to me that I am a little stuck up and slightly judgmental. He also reveled to me that I need to cling to Him, to put my faith in Him. I trust God, My Faith is in Him, my Hope is in Him, but I tend to keep Him at arms length. Something else that has been revealed to me through this bible study.

What is God trying to reveal to you that you are missing?

Until the Next Scribble.....

Ready....Set....G....

Ready....Set....G....

     You are all set. You know the plan in your head, and you have everything ready to go, but the moment it is time to go, something stops you. Suddenly that well thought out plan doesn't seem so well thought out. Your not sure the details are right, you're not sure that everything will work out. You sit down and question all the decisions you made that led you to this door. This door that suddenly you can't open. 

     I know this feeling. I know it all to well and I can tell you that, this kind of thinking will get you no where fast. Fear. This is what stops you and fear is not of God, it is from satan. I had things ready, I was set to go and the kids were even on board with this move and suddenly I couldn't do it. What had seemed like a sure thing, a good thing and the best thing, suddenly seemed like the worst thing. I couldn't do it. All these doubts started creeping in. What if I can't do it? What if I fail? What if...what if...what if... The moment I started to doubt, everything fell apart. I didn't know and I wasn't sure. I didn't trust God to provide. 

     Romans 8:28 says, "and we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to His purpose for them." God is our provider and we need to trust in Him and know that He is for us not against us. He wants us to succeed and to prosper. Not to fail, Satan wants us to fail. As a certain preacher I know says in his testimony (it is amazing and everyone should hear it), "Satan comes to steal, kill and destroy". This is satan's plan for us not God's. 

    The other night during a weekly movie night with this certain preacher, we were watching the Giver and I made a comment about how the person's view was a little pessimistic and this certain

preacher looked at me and asked how often I was optimistic. This certain preacher knows me pretty well. Honestly I am more optimistic than I let on, and this was my reply. We need to be inwardly and outwardly optimistic, but we also need to know when God is telling us to go and when he is telling us to sit still.

    Psalms 37:5 says, "commit everything you do to the Lord and He will help you." Amen! The biggest thing we need and it only needs to come in the smallest form; a mustard seed, is faith. Jesus said in Matthew 17:20, "You don't have enough faith. I tell you the truth, if you had faith even as small as a mustard seed, you could say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it would move. Nothing would be impossible." Do you have mustard seed faith? I know this something I struggle with daily. I know in my head, God can move mountains, and He will provide and He can provide, I need to cement it in my heart too. 

     My prayer for today is for God to help me with my faith. I don't need proof He exists, I know He does. I see Him every time I look at my children. In the rain that falls and in the sun that shines. I see Him in the smile of the homeless lady I give a Starbucks coffee and Santa cookie too every year. (I only ever see her at Christmas time). I seem Him in a certain preacher when he smiles. I know in my mind and my heart that God exists, now I need to know in my heart that He will provide the way and the means, even if I can't see them. 

Ready....Set....Go!

     There may be a lot of unknowns, but I know that with God I can do this. I can make this move and everything, even a certain preacher, will fall into place in God's time. I may not know what the future holds for me, I may not see the exact ways it will all fall into place, but my Faith in Him will make it happen. God will make it all work out for His glory.  So I say to you, GO! Don't hesitate like I did. I am not hesitating this time! We are going and God will provide for us! This I know in my heart and in my mind.

Until the next Scribble.....