Tag Archives: God

28 Days of Grace – day 11: The folded napkin

I got this in my email today, and it really hit me in the context of meals, eating, lifestyle, etc. I have reprinted it here:

So Why Did JESUS Fold The Napkin?
Do you know why? This is just beautiful.

Why Did Jesus Fold the Napkin?

This is one I can honestly say I have never seen circulating in the e-mails so; I’ll start it.. If it touches you , You might want to forward it.

Why did Jesus fold the linen burial cloth after His resurrection? I never noticed this….

The Gospel of John (20:7) tells us that the napkin, which was placed over the face of Jesus, was not just thrown aside like the grave clothes.

The Bible takes an entire verse to tell us that the napkin was neatly folded, and was placed at the head of that stony coffin.

Early Sunday morning, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and found that the stone had been rolled away from the entrance.

She ran and found Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved. She said, ‘They have taken the Lord’s body out of the tomb, and I don’t know where they have put him!’

Peter and the other disciple ran to the tomb to see. The other disciple out ran Peter and got there first. He stopped and looked in and saw the linen cloth lying there, but he didn’t go in.

Then Simon Peter arrived and went inside. He also noticed the linen wrappings lying there, while the cloth that had covered Jesus’ head was folded up and lying to the side.

Was that important? Absolutely!
Is it really significant? Yes!

In order to understand the significance of the folded napkin, you have to understand a little bit about Hebrew tradition of that day.
The folded napkin had to do with the Master and Servant, and every
Jewish boy knew this tradition.

When the servant set the dinner table for the master, he made sure that it was exactly the way the master wanted it.

The table was furnished perfectly, and then the servant would wait, just out of sight, until the master had finished eating, and the servant would not dare touch that table, until the master was finished..

Now if the master were done eating, he would rise from the table, wipe his fingers, his mouth, and clean his beard, and would wad up that napkin and toss it onto the table.

The servant would then know to clear the table. For in those days, the wadded napkin meant, “I’m finished..”

But if the master got up from the table, and folded his napkin, and laid it beside his plate, the servant would not dare touch the table, because……….

The folded napkin meant,
“I’m coming back!”

AND SO HE SHALL!!!

And so He shall return –

Luke 18:8 Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?

Why is that in red? Because those are the words of Jesus as told to us in the book of Luke.
Jesus has just proclaimed that:

And shall not God avenge his own elect, which cry day and night unto him, though he bear long with them? I tell you that he will avenge them speedily. (Luke 18:7)

Prayer….
Though HE bear long with them….
God will avenge…

Mary Magdalene, along with all the others, felt that the Lord had left them all alone.
Jesus had told them about this judge that didn’t fear anyone, even God, but a widow had come to him over and over and over to be avenged of her adversary…and he chose to do so, because of her constant appeals.
Jesus said that we should pray like that widow.
In fact, Luke says:

And he spake a parable unto them [to this end], that men ought always to pray, and not to faint; (Luke 18:1)

The point of the email was that Jesus is coming back…there is another meal being prepared…who is going to be found ‘worthy’ to sit at that table?
Servants of faith! (not fear – not to self)

Hebrews 11:1-3 says

Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
For by it the elders obtained a good report.
Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.

By FAITH the elders obtained a good report!

Hebrews 11:6 But without faith [it is] impossible to please [him]: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and [that] he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

Without FAITH – it is impossible to please God!

I wrote a series of blogs about Giants in my land, and one of those giants was the Giant of Fear.

Fear and Faith cannot co-exist.
Fear holds me back,
Faith propels me forward.
Fear steals my happiness,
Faith impels me to joy.
Fear makes me paralyzed,
Faith compels me to LOVE.

(mcw 6/8/2012)

Why do I continue to climb my way forward?
Because I have faith that HE is coming back for me!
He folded His napkin!
By His GRACE, I’ll be ready!

Thanks for joining me in this journey,
In His hands and under His wings,
~Christi
Ps 63:7 Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings.

I’d love to hear what you think – please leave a comment!
Or ‘like’ me!

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Soon, we will have a gallery for the art I have created by the hand of God.

Naomi's Heart Mission

Help a child in need. Check out Naomi’s Heart Mission or Compassion International. The life that changes will be your own!

28 Days of Grace – day 9

Today is the first day of the rest of my life!

I stole this image from a blog called Today is the First Day….

I don’t know anything about this person, except what is in this blog.
She and her husband have health issues.
They are tackling them with diet.
They are having some success.
It’s not easy.
The point is, I have made a connection!

In the midst of checking her out…I am amazed at her blogging connections.

Connections….do they help or hinder our desire to move forward?

For the last few years, because of homeschooling and T-Tapping connections, I have been listening to a friend of mine talk about several diets that have changed her life:

The Schwarzbein Principle

The GAPS Diet

And then, I have shared, and now am sharing, my own personal experience with The Yeast Connection

Some friends have also shared their experiences with gluten free, with one even doing a review of gluten free products on facebook.

Jim, because of Nerd Fitness Connections, has been checking out The Paleo Diet
Robb Wolf explains it better, What is the Paleo Diet?

Recently, a friend shared prayer concerns for a little girl that was having seizures every 5 minutes and there was no solution. Until The Ketogenic Diet was recommended. The episodes subsided and eventually left, unless she is given sugar! All because of connections!

I have done various diets in the past, and the times that I’ve been the most successful is when I have connections with others doing the same thing. We can share ideas, products that help, recipes, whatever. We can share our struggles and our successes.

I’ve done various types of counseling in the past, and the most successful was when there was a group session aspect that let me know I wasn’t the only one suffering. We shared ideas, medications that help(info about, not the meds themselves), and doctors, whatever. We shared our sadnesses and our joys!

The church is made of connections.
Without them, it is very hard to walk as a Christian.
We can wake up each morning, with His mercies being new, but without someone to hold our hand, it’s very lonely.

Not everyone is going to find the same diet is the right diet for them.
In the case of the Ketogenic Diet, it is said 1/3 have no response, 1/3 have some response, and 1/3 seem cured. Praise God this little girl, Autumn, is part of the last 1/3!
Not everyone is going to find the same church fits for them.

But everyone needs connections.

Those folks that I met in the counseling sessions? I’m in contact with two of them only.
Folks on the email lists? Some have come and gone.
Co-Dieters in WW, JC, and other varieties come and go.
Churches? Things change, folks move.
There is only one connection that can help us with all our needs – and that is Jesus Christ.

I thank Jesus Christ for the connections that I have obtained over the years…a steady diet of some foundational friends sprinkled with the sparkle of short time friends that enter and leave for whatever reason.
Even more so, I thank Jesus Christ for giving me the opportunity to constantly grow stronger and healthier and more like Him. Whatever diet he puts in front of me!

Today is the first day of the rest of your life!
What are we going to do about it?

Thanks for joining me in this journey,
In His hands and under His wings,
~Christi
Ps 63:7 Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings.

“The Lord does not give me rules, but He makes His standard very clear.
If my relationship to Him is that of love, I will do what He says without hesitation.
If I hesitate, it is because I love someone I have placed in competition with Him, namely, myself.” – from My Utmost for His highest

I’d love to hear what you think – please leave a comment!
Or ‘like’ me!

If you like The WildBerry Patch, follow me with the RSS feed.

We have email subscription! Or sign up for an account and you can manage your subscriptions by password and the dashboard!
Soon, we will have a gallery for the art I have created by the hand of God.

Naomi's Heart Mission

Help a child in need. Check out Naomi’s Heart Mission or Compassion International. The life that changes will be your own!

28 Days of Grace – day 8

Week 2….one week down.
Cold sore….garbage coming out.
Causing me pain and a reminder of what I used to put in my body.

Old sin habits stick their ugly heads up..
Causing me pain to recognize what I used to do.

Cleansing repentance should bring godly sorrow.
Godly sorry

2cor 7:10 For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death.

Hebrews 12:11 Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby.

Today was a day that kind of exploded….like pus out of a zit…I was overwhelmed with what I should do and what I could do and the vast chasm between them.

I won’t go into the gorey details, but I was freaking out.
So I did something I have been learning to do these last three years…I asked for help.
There are two women in my life right now that are calm in the face of everything….Carole and Mitzi. Usually, I grab Carole to calm me down but this time I felt I needed double duty.

Lunch meeting at Olive Garden.
I could work the menu for yeast free and still talk with my ladies.

Garbage comes out when garbage has been put in…and I had some expectation garbage that was oozing out! In their minds, my issues made so much sense, the solutions were so clear. They weren’t subject to the cacophony that was in my head making things so chaotic.

Sometimes when we are so set in our ways we need some one from the other side to deliver us from ourselves.

That’s what Jesus does and did for us at the cross.

2 Cor 5:21 For he hath made him [to be] sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.

freedom from the old way..grace to embrace the new way…forgiveness when we mess up.

Romans 6:13 Neither yield ye your members [as] instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members [as] instruments of righteousness unto God.

I am learning that feeding my flesh is like, well, feeding my flesh!
What I eat truly does determine who I am.
I AM WHAT I EAT!
Physically – weak, sick and needy, or strong, healthy, able to minister fully
Spiritually – double minded, chaotic, fearful and fretful, or full of love, power and a strong mind!

Romans 6:18 Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness.

So – now that I have experienced a week of freedom from the bondage of the garbage I had eaten, I am experiencing a freedom and an energy I had not previously enjoyed!
If the principle of cause and effect, choices and consequences fits in the spiritual world, the parenting world, the dog training world…then, why not in the body fueling world?

When I gave my life over to Jesus, or honestly, each time I renew my commitment to give my life over to Jesus, I am set free from some sin that has held me back, held me down. I experience freedom and joy that had not been there while I was bound by the besetting sin.

Phil 1:11 Being filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise of God.

Basically, this yeast free emphasizes GOD MADE food…un processed, un contaminated – in its most basic form, not the adulterated processed junk from the past. PURE!
Basically, my walk with Christ emphasizes being filled with HIS word in my heart and head, in its most clear form…not the tainted voices from the past. PURE!
The fruit of righteousness is definitely PURE!

As a Christian, in order to move forward, I have to leave the past in the past.
I have to give up past options that hinder future success for the Kingdom of God.
I have to give up lies from unknowing others from my past, to embrace the truth of Jesus Christ and His Word.

As a person desiring health, in order to move forward, I have to leave some favorites in the past.
I am going to have to give up some things from my past that will hinder my health in the future.
I have to give up some lies that have been taught me for years about nutrition, health, and food, and embrace the truth of REAL FOOD.

I have a choice…mentally, physically and spiritually.
I choose to move forward, by the grace of God!

Romans 5:1 Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:
Romans 5:2 By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.

Thanks for joining me in this journey,
In His hands and under His wings,
~Christi
Ps 63:7 Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings.

I’d love to hear what you think – please leave a comment!
Or ‘like’ me!

If you like The WildBerry Patch, follow me with the RSS feed.

We have email subscription! Just sign up for an account, and you can manage your subscription from the dashboard!
Soon, we will have a gallery for the art I have created by the hand of God.

Naomi's Heart Mission

Help a child in need. Check out Naomi’s Heart Mission or Compassion International. The life that changes will be your own!

28 Days of Grace – day 7

Yes, day 6 is missing….it’s sitting in it’s draft position because we had a wonderful day yesterday with a new church and a new group of people.
that post will be coming(just out of order)

Today, I woke up feeling great!
Nice, since this is DAY 7 of the YF diet…no symptoms.
I was realizing – I hadn’t taken Robaxin or Mobic to sleep for several nights! That IS a big change.
That means, no muscle spasms and no pain…at least not that I thought would keep me up!

Here’s another PRAISE!
I walked down the outside steps like a non handicapped gimp! as in, using my left foot with full motion and strength!

This morning my friend and I walked Gabriel 1.11 miles.
By the program I used to track it, we did it in…35 minutes….but we stopped to talk with friends for a few minutes, and Gabe kept slowing us down. On Monday, he has to smell all the smells from all the dogs that stayed in the RV park that weekend…no walking along on Monday!
That to say, I may have actually walked 2 mph!
and I don’t hurt!

What if, by choosing to take care of my body, my body is able to start taking care of itself????
By nourishing my body with GOOD things, everything is able to work together!

The Body of Christ is the same!

Eph 4:16 From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love.

Huh????

NIV From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.

Everyone in the Body of Christ is needed in order to grow and build itself up in love!

1 Cor 12:12 For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also [is] Christ.

Last night’s study was on 1 Peter 4:7-11

1 Pet 4:10
As every man hath received the gift,
[even so] minister the same one to another,
as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.

Each person has received a gift – a job to do – and we need to recognize that this gift, this job, is in essence, the GRACE of GOD!
We must be good stewards of this GRACE of GOD!

NIV says it this way:

Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms.

I have a saying when I offer something to someone, and they try to refuse it:
“Do you really want to steal my blessing?”
Why does someone refuse a gift? Pride? false humility? fear of obligation? Socially expected response?
But, it prevents the giver from enjoying the blessing of giving!

Last night, I saw the other aspect, the other side.
I have gifts that I have held inside because of fear – fear of rejection, ridicule, or failure.
Nah, I say it’s because I’m not ready, I’m not good enough, I’m not needed, or whatever false humility statement fits the bill.

I have buried these gifts, and kept them from being shared with others…
I have prevented others from receiving the GRACE of GOD that HE planted in me, in order that I would walk in good works, and bless others, to the GLORY OF HIS NAME!!!

That’s like burying your hand in the freezer because you don’t want to seem prideful that it is pretty….or something like that.
Oh, I know…it’s like having a surgery that removes parts of the body, and sends other parts reeling trying to make up the difference.
No matter that the removed part was going to destroy my life…the after affects caused my physical body to be ravaged.
My body didn’t have an extra that could step in…though my Thyroid and Adrenals tried to…they just couldn’t keep up.

In the Body of Christ, God is not going to let His body suffer and not move forward, but those that try to fill in the gaps of others burying their gifts can be burned out.
There may be other toes in the body, to help bring balance.
There may be another spleen, kidney, liver…whatever….but there is something that is lost because the person burying the gift did not GIVE it to the body.

As I ponder on GRACE – I realize that my gifts are FOR ministering the GRACE OF GOD TO THE SAINTS!

I have struggled with the concern that I am burying my gifts…sometimes by life situations…sometimes purposefully…sometimes in fear.
But until last night, I didn’t realize that by burying my gifts…odd gifts that many are not interested in accepting…I am robbing the Body of Christ the gifts of GRACE that GOD preordained to be shared by me.

I’ve been trying to place my giftings out for availability for several years now…though not all have been exposed.
Maybe that is part of the fear in obtaining this studio…
I’m coming out!
I’m coming out of my basket!!!!
I’m already out of the boat!

I wonder what will happen as I take my walks with Jesus farther and farther…growing stronger and stronger?
That basket will disintegrate in the face of HIS GLORY AND GRACE!!!

John 1:14,16 And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.
And of his fulness have all we received, and grace for grace.

1 John 1:4 And these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full.

Thanks for joining me in this journey,
In His hands and under His wings,
~Christi
Ps 63:7 Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings.

I’d love to hear what you think – please leave a comment!
Or ‘like’ me!

If you like The WildBerry Patch, follow me with the RSS feed.

We have email subscription! Just sign up for an account, and you can manage your subscription from the dashboard!
Soon, we will have a gallery for the art I have created by the hand of God.

Naomi's Heart Mission

Help a child in need. Check out Naomi’s Heart Mission or Compassion International. The life that changes will be your own!

28 Days of Grace – Day 4 – it hits!

Ok, today I have a funky headache like thing going on…not quite painful like a migraine, but with all the pressure of a migraine.
Light and noise don’t bother me, but I am having trouble focusing my eyes.

The only thing I have right now is “I can do all things through Christ Jesus who strengthens me”
And, if hanging on Jesus is the only thing I have…then I have everything I need.

Cleansing my life from toxins is painful….
For years I didn’t take getting rid of grains, sugar and dairy seriously!
Cleansing my life from besetting sins would be painful if I would work on it…seriously,
Cleansing my life from besetting sins IS painful…the reason those sins are besetting is that we are drawn to them…

So, today, I am suffering the pain of toxins washing out of my system.
Do I like it? No.
Can I see the benefit? Yes.
Will I stay the course? By God’s grace, yes I will – both physically and spiritually.
I just need to remember that this is part of the storm…and I’m supposed to be keeping my eyes on Jesus!

Not sure what else I’ll post today, but at least, I have posted for the day!

Evening Addition:]
What else?
well, we ran to WalMart, and they had a sweet lady handing out samples….and I caved!
what were the samples?
chocolate?
Cake?
no – fresh fruit! I forgot that I was not to be eating fruit yet on these 28 days….
I suppose that tiny cup with a blue berry, a black berry and two slices of strawberry won’t totally derail my program.
But, I thought it…I really did think it!
Therefore…I had to lean on God’s GRACE to let it go!
If this wasn’t these 28 days, that would have been one of the best samples to pick up in a grocery store!

In His hands and under His wings,
~Christi
Ps 63:7

28 Days of Grace day 3

Take a little wine for your stomach

1 Tim 5:23 Drink no longer water, but use a little wine for thy stomach’s sake and thine often infirmities.

Yesterday, I was reading about the GAPS diet.
One of the differences between the GAPS diet and the YEAST FREE diet is the fermented items in the Introduction Diet…

“Increase daily amount of homemade yogurt and kefir, if introduced. Increase the amount of juice from sauerkraut, fermented vegetables or vegetable medley.”

Dr McManus warned me that the GAPS diet was MUCH more strict than the Yeast Free diet I am on, but the principles are the same:
Heal the Gut so that the Body can be nourished.

Paul’s exhortation to Timothy may very well have been to avoid the water….as in Montezuma’s Revenge…and drink fermented grape juice(what wine was back then). The goal was to help Timothy be healed so that he could be used for God’s glory.

verse 22 says:

Lay hands suddenly on no man, neither be partaker of other men’s sins: keep thyself pure.

verses 24-25 say:

Some men’s sins are open beforehand, going before to judgment; and some [men] they follow after.
Likewise also the good works [of some] are manifest beforehand; and they that are otherwise cannot be hid.

It’s as if, in the middle of exhorting Timothy in his ministry, Paul remembered and just said, “Oh, by the way – stop drinking that water, dude! Drink some wine and heal that stomach so that you can get over all these infirmities! We gotta get you better, man!”

I was asking God yesterday, after the whole discussion about Peter getting out of the boat, should I ask you to ask me to get out of the boat?

now, understand, I had an hour drive…and I use this time to listen to the Lord…so, He had time to deal with me!

I could hear a faint ‘yes…..here I am’
I didn’t want to ask…
I didn’t want to hear “come”.
I knew what getting out of the boat meant…
It meant moving ahead with the art and writing!
It meant challenges to face,
It meant scary opportunities,
…people saying no…
believing for funds and helpers and provisions and ideas and HEALTH!!!

I finally got quiet…
“If it’s you Lord….”
‘YOU ARE ALREADY OUT OF THE BOAT – STOP LOOKING AT THE STORMS!”

WHAT???? When did I get out of the boat?
“when you signed the lease to the studio! STOP LOOKING AT THE STORMS!”

WHAT???
“When you said you trusted me with your whole heart, now STOP LOOKING AT THE STORMS!”

Stop Looking at the storms – WHY?
THEY ARE MAKING ME SICK!!!
…WITH WORRY
…WITH FEAR
…they are paralyzing me!
…they are preventing me from moving forward to do the work that God has prepared beforehand that I should walk in them! (Eph 2:10)

What about the wine?????

Psalm 4:7 Thou hast put gladness in my heart, more than in the time [that] their corn and their wine increased.

Then, HE reminded me of this verse:

Isiah 61:3 To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he might be glorified.

The point is, I have a job to do, I have good works that I am supposed to be doing so that God would be glorified. I have words that God has placed in my heart that need to be shared…
I’m NOT Christ, but I am CHRISTI, AND:

The Spirit of the Lord GOD [is] upon me;
because the LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek;
he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
to proclaim liberty to the captives,
and the opening of the prison to [them that are] bound;
To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD,
and the day of vengeance of our God;
to comfort all that mourn;
To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion,
to give unto them beauty for ashes,
the oil of joy for mourning,
the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness;
that they might be called trees of righteousness,
the planting of the LORD,
that he might be glorified.
Isaiah 61:1-3

I’m already out of the boat – it’s my old nature that is looking around at that storm…
DRINK NO LONGER WATER – don’t pay attention to the things of this world…they are NOT PURE!
TAKE A LITTLE WINE FOR YOUR STOMACH – get your body healthy, with what I say!
AND FOR YOUR OFT INFIRMITIES – One preacher defined infirmities as those things that constantly come up and we constantly struggle with.
Mine is fear.
Lack of self confidence, even in my ability to hear the voice of the Lord.

Matt 26:27-28 And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave [it] to them, saying, Drink ye all of it;
For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.

The woman at the well asked Jesus for the Living Water, from which one would never thirst.(John 4:10ff)

Here is His reply:

John 14:14 But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.

My Father has provided, by His grace, a physical program to heal my stomach and gut. I need to follow it.
My Father, through Jesus Christ, has provided cleansing for my sins, and living water, pure and alive, for my ability to do HIS WILL to HIS GLORY.
I need to drink of HIS wine daily. I need to drink ALL OF IT!

I need to remember that sin is all around me, and always needing to be dealt with,
but in the middle of the storms of life,
God has provided me with PURE WATER – Water that HE turned to WINE by HIS BLOOD at the cross.

In a way, I need to give up my whine for HIS WINE…and drink freely from the fountain of living water!
And HE has provided the strength by HIS grace!

Thanks for joining me in this journey,
In His hands and under His wings,
~Christi
Ps 63:7 Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings.

“The Lord does not give me rules, but He makes His standard very clear.
If my relationship to Him is that of love, I will do what He says without hesitation.
If I hesitate, it is because I love someone I have placed in competition with Him, namely, myself.” – from My Utmost for His highest

I’d love to hear what you think – please leave a comment!
Or ‘like’ me!

If you like The WildBerry Patch, follow me with the RSS feed.

We have email subscription! Just sign up for an account, and you can manage your subscription from the dashboard!
Soon, we will have a gallery for the art I have created by the hand of God.

Naomi's Heart Mission

Help a child in need. Check out Naomi’s Heart Mission or Compassion International. The life that changes will be your own!

28 days of Grace – day 1

This morning, I went to get blood drawn…and before I even got to eat, I was confronted with temptation.
TRIAL/TEMPTATION #1
Fear.
I have written before about the giants that tend to attack me, and one that I wrote about is the giant of fear.

In that blog, I said this:

Another of my favorite verses about fear is this:

2 Tim 1:7 For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.

When someone is standing up to the giant of fear, 2Tim 1.7 is the perfect stone to throw. What fears are not covered by power, love, and a sound mind?

This morning, I wrote my dear husband Jim and said
“I’m scared of failing or quitting”
Jim replied:
“You have not quit, therefore you won’t fail”

smart man.
love, power and a sound mind. I talk about it in that blog…but,
Jim’s text back to me gave me love.
The music that Jim had uploaded to my phone gave me power….Here I am to Worship
And with that love and power, I gathered myself up, and trusted in a sound mind!

I was able to pack my little cooler(I bought a cute one) with a breakfast, and head out to my blood letting session.

TRIAL/TEMPTATION #2 –
ENVIRONMENT – or location, location, location!
The corner of 6 Pines Drive and Research Forest is a very favorite place for me. In fact, I have used this medical building’s parking lot frequently!
Let me show you!

The Temptation!

See the hint?

There's one of my tables...Culver's!

No, not the butter burgers…the Turtle Sundae!!! Chocolate, Caramel and Pecans on top of frozen custard. NOT on a yeast free diet!

1 Cor 10:13 There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man:
but God [is] faithful,
who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able;
but will with the temptation also make a way to escape,
that ye may be able to bear [it].

God is faithful.

Amy Charmical, in Edges of His Ways, May 26th writes this:

The pressure of temptation is measured by One who knows what the substance to be tested can stand. The maker of glass would not subject his glass to a weight of 20 tons per square inch. Here lies our comfort. We commit our souls “as unto a faithful Creator. (1Pet 4:19)”
And there is more in this. Sometimes we are tempted to feel that even though the pressure would be nothing to another who is stronger, it is too much for us. But it never is: “He knoweth our frame; He remembereth we are dust. (Ps 103:14)”
The temptation to yield and do what the flesh would naturally do is meant to offer us an opportunity for endurance, and for the exercise of faith. This ‘is the patience and the faith of the saints. (Rev 13:10)”

As I read this the other night, it hit me…it’s not the trial or temptation that is too much…is whether I will choose to endure, whether I will choose to exercise my faith.
My Heavenly Father chooses tests for me that HE KNOWS are not to much for me. Because HE LOVES ME!
He is giving me the opportunity to exercise my faith muscles. Because HE LOVES ME!
I am in the position to CHOOSE whether I will exercise those faith muscles.
BTW, where did that faith come from? My Heavenly Father!

Eph 2:8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: [it is] the gift of God:

Romans 12:3 For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think [of himself] more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.

My Heavenly Father has given me the measure of faith, and with it, if I exercise it, I can move mountains, I can do the deeds of Christ, and even greater deeds (Matt 21:21, John 14:12)! Of know credit to myself…it’s ALL God’s power….given to me by GRACE!

So, first, God so LOVEd me that HE led me to this reading BEFORE I entered temptation!
Then, God gave me the grace to have the POWER to withstand temptation!
And, He promised to make a way of escape( 1 cor 10:13)…He gave me the STRONG MIND to prepare my breakfast and take it with me!

Let me show you the victory!

No milkshake for me!

Roast Turkey for my protein!

TRIAL/TEMPTATION #3
LACK OF PREPARATION
I forgot a drink, but I had a bottle of water in the car….not quite enough!
So, here’s my third TEMPTATION and VICTORY!

I forgot a drink!

so many temptations here!

the price is right...$1!

VICTORY!!!

LARGE UNSWEET ICED TEA!!!

It’s only noon, and I’ve had two trials, but I’ve also had two victories.
I’ve spent an hour writing this photo blog…and that has challenged me.
I give up on getting the photos straight, and the words right…I just want to post this blog…share my thoughts…and go paint.
In the mean time, I am going to be leaning heavily on God’s GRACE to help me through the next 28 days.

5pm add on – today has been great.
The concern about workout recovery was answered with coconut milk!!! Better than anything else I’ve ever done to try to handle the crash when I perspire a lot!
I am behind on my water, but have had unsweetened ice tea twice.
After supper, I’ll do my evening protocols, and day one will be over!

Thanks for joining me in this journey,
In His hands and under His wings,
~Christi
Ps 63:7 Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings.

“The Lord does not give me rules, but He makes His standard very clear.
If my relationship to Him is that of love, I will do what He says without hesitation.
If I hesitate, it is because I love someone I have placed in competition with Him, namely, myself.” – from My Utmost for His highest

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Naomi's Heart Mission

Help a child in need. Check out Naomi’s Heart Mission or Compassion International. The life that changes will be your own!

Day 21 of Psalms and Proverbs 5/21/2012

Psalm 111:10 ESVThe fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom;
all those who practice it have a good understanding.
His praise endures forever!

The fear of the Lord is not obtained once, and then done! It is to be practiced!
I have felt like a failure when I have not “naturally” chosen the way of the Lord.
It doesn’t make me a failure…it just indicates my natural state won.
I have to practice the fear of the Lord!

Practice
Exercise
Choose

It’s a daily exercise.
With practice, it becomes easier.
And sometimes, choosing the fear/way of the Lord becomes the new nature!
With practice, I create new habits!
I am not a failure, I am a work in progress!

My husband, Jim, loves to do weight lifting.
He started out pretty strong, but as he daily practices his workouts, he has gotten his three main exercises over 300 pounds each.
That didn’t happen the first day, it happened by practicing.

We can know when we have stopped our practice sessions!
Something is missing!
Is your joy missing?
When my joy is missing, I know its because my position with God has changed.
My fellowship has changed.

Psalm 51 is the Old Testament ‘sinners prayer’.
Within the prayer I hear David begging to get back into fellowship with God.
That is the focus for repenting of sin!
Repairing the breach between us and God!

Ps51.7.ESV Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean;
wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
Let me hear joy and gladness;
let the bones that you have broken rejoice.
Hide your face from my sins, and blot out all my iniquities.
Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.
Cast me not away from your presence, and take not your Holy Spirit from me.
Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit.

The previous verse shows the ‘how’ of repentance:

Ps51.6.ESV Behold, you delight in truth in the inward being,

With that truth in the inward being, God promises to give us something very special:

and you teach me wisdom in the secret heart.

When Jim has not done his weight training exercises, his muscles ache.
He starts to crave going to the gym to work out.
That is a learned response…from the practice of working out.
It’s not ‘natural’ for a body to want to exert energy, endure momentary pain, to reach a goal.
But because of Jim’s practice, he is moving forward, and now, his NEW natural is to desire to workout!

With a pure heart – we can cry out to the Lord for help….based on WHO HE IS!

Psalm 51:1 Have mercy on me, O God,
according to your steadfast love;
according to your abundant mercy
blot out my transgressions.
Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity,
and cleanse me from my sin!

HE knows we are going to ‘fail’…but HE has made a way for us not to become ‘failures’!

Jim talks about learning to fail safely.
Because one has to take risks to increase the weight, one needs to know how to bail and not get hurt.
It is all part of the practice!
Jim has found people that have helped him learn methods to fail gracefully!
And each time we practice and fail, that is one way we don’t have to fail again, later!

We can ask God to help us practice! If we ask!

“Psalm 141:1ESV O Lord, I call upon you; hasten to me!

Give ear to my voice when I call to you!
Let my prayer be counted as incense before you,
and the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice!

Set a guard, O Lord, over my mouth;
keep watch over the door of my lips!

Do not let my heart incline to any evil,
to busy myself with wicked deeds
in company with men who work iniquity,
and let me not eat of their delicacies!

Let a righteous man strike me—it is a kindness;
let him rebuke me—it is oil for my head;
let my head not refuse it.

Jim has told me that he has to fight sometimes to go to the gym in the morning.
The bed cries out to him “stay”!
He has to draw on his practice and choose to get up, and take his flesh in hand, and go do the work.
Sometimes, I have reminded him that he wanted to go.
He doesn’t always take that well – but he always thanks me when he comes back.

Likewise, if we want to practice the fear of the Lord, we have to be willing to crucify OUR flesh, and IF we need a ‘wake up call’ – to be thankful, and not refuse it!

For His help in guiding us along the way – delivering us from the Egypt of our sin, Our God requires that we worship HIM and only Him:

MY/our GOD IS A JEALOUS GOD…He wants to be MY/our all….

Ps81.9.ESV
“There shall be no strange god among you; you shall not bow down to a foreign god.
I am the Lord your God, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt.
Open your mouth wide, and I will fill it.”

AND I GIVE HIM my all…it is foolishness to those who don’t know Him…but to us who know HIM, it is life!
But for the filling of my heart from the fountain of God…it is worth it!

For Jim, that next five pounds, the ache of having worked out, that recognition that he has steadily moved forward, even in the face of injuries, trials, and struggles, he is energized. For clarity, Jim does not worship working out and weight training. He does this to keep his body strong as the temple of the Holy Ghost.
The Bible does use exercise as an analogy for our walk with God – as in running a race.
It’s not who gets there first, it’s who keeps on trodding along and makes it to the finish line!

Proverb 21 has a few verses that combine this thought all together:

Prov21.2.ESV Every way of a man is right in his own eyes,
but the Lord weighs the heart.

To do righteousness and justice
is more acceptable to the Lord than sacrifice.

Whoever pursues righteousness and kindness
will find life, righteousness, and honor.

Whoever keeps his mouth and his tongue
keeps himself out of trouble.

I want to live my life to glorify God.
I want to know the fear of the Lord, and to walk in His wisdom.
I am amazed how often, reading the same ol’ verses brings a new light for a new day.
Reading the Bible daily – practicing the fear of the Lord!
Now, where is that one pound dumbell????

Thanks for joining me in this journey,
In His hands and under His wings,
~Christi
Ps 63:7 Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings.

I’d love to hear what you think – please leave a comment!
Or ‘like’ me!

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Soon, we will have a gallery for the art I have created by the hand of God.

Naomi's Heart Mission

Help a child in need. Check out Naomi’s Heart Mission or Compassion International. The life that changes will be your own!

100 Spiritual Walking Steps #51 – Listen AND WRITE IT DOWN

This morning, in my prayer time, I KNEW I had something I was supposed to write.
I KNEW I had a word from God to share.
I also knew that I have a few things to do in order to get up, and come to my computer, and sit down and type it up.
My problem with that is my mental illness – my mental disability – my ‘handicap’ if you will.
In order to write a blog from the LORD – I NEED TO WRITE IT DOWN WHEN I GET IT!

Sometimes, I have written down the scriptures – but not today.
Even when I write down the scriptures, I may not remember, once things have cycled through my rolodex of daily duties, what it was that God was giving me.
If I don’t write it down – I may as well have not obeyed at all – and forget even sitting down at my computer.

That is why there is such a huge time and date difference between some of these steps…
Some, I started writing, and life happened, and I couldn’t remember what I was writing. Those are in drafts…waiting for my mind to remember.
Some, are in notes on a notepad – when I was obedient and wrote something down – but I cannot remember what my notes meant.
Sometimes, I get so busy editing the blog so it looks pretty, and easy for someone to read, and I forget what God’s voice is saying.

Do I stop hearing God’s voice after my morning prayer time? NO!
This has been a lesson I have had to learn.
But, in the quiet of the morning, I hear so much clearer…when I am lying on my bed, only focusing on Him, and my prayers.
It is then, that the writer in me is able to write what she hears – not being distracted – not having the weeds of the world and life float in and distract.

I need to be quiet, body, mind and spirit, to write.
Writing is an act of worship for me – it’s between me and God…and the fruit is what gets shared with others through this blog.
When I am in the ‘God zone’ – there is something that happens to my hands, and I rarely have typos…and I can type VERY fast.

This blog is an attempt to just be obedient to the call to write.
I can ‘feel’ the message in my mind…but I cannot get ‘eyes’ onto it in order to bring it out and share it…my heart will hold it, I know it’s not lost to me, spiritually, but because of my challenges, I cannot type it out. I cannot get it out of my head, and onto the computer screen – or even paper via pen.

Why would God call someone with such a difficulty to write?
I don’t know…and yet, I do.
Anything that I write comes from the Lord…that is, anything that is glorifying to Him! I do write garbage sometimes, later in the day…but early in the morning, when I write things that are blessings to people, those come from the Lord.

I feel like the full field in which the sower sows seeds.
In the morning – the seed falls on good ground…ground prepared by prayer, and worship.
In the afternoon – the weeds of the world start choking it out…I can’t hear as clearly..oh, I hear the basic stuff…but not the things that folks think are really insightful and gifts from God.
By evening…well, the ground is harder…and this is the time that is hardest for me to hear the Lord’s voice…and, it’s not always because my heart is hard, it’s because my inner voices have been telling me all about the things I failed to do that day, possibly starting with, not writing the blog the Lord laid upon my heart.

Moses argued with God that he was not a good speaker…
Gideon argued that he was not courageous…
Peter argued that he was not worthy….
I know what God has called me to do…I have spent time arguing…HE WINS the arguments with “Who made your mouth, ear, mind, hand, legs, back, neck?”
He wins with “who called you?”
He wins with “Do you love me? feed my lambs”
He wins with “If you love me, obey my commands”
HE WINS WITH “I HAVE LOVED YOU WITH AN EVERLASTING LOVE!”

And how could I say no to that?
Well, I have. over and over.
But, HE continues to reply to me, over and over, with the paraphrases above, and others.

You see, My God is a personal God – and I call Him, Abba, Father!
My Jesus is my personal savior, and HE calls me friend.

Ps 19:14 Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer.

It breaks my heart that I cannot remember what God shared with me this morning…and that I cannot share it with you.
Some will say “Then it obviously wasn’t supposed to be shared” and they will miss the point.
When God calls a person to do His will, and they refuse, or delay, or object, or whatever….His will is going to be done, but not through that person.
The thing is, what if there was someone that would have read this blog – and had their heart turn, and because I did not speak to them, their blood is on my head?

Ez 22:30 And I sought for a man among them, that should make up the hedge, and stand in the gap before me for the land, that I should not destroy it: but I found none.

Ez 33:6 But if the watchman see the sword come, and blow not the trumpet, and the people be not warned; if the sword come, and take [any] person from among them, he is taken away in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at the watchman’s hand.

These chapters in Ezekiel do not give much leeway for the watch(wo)man that does not choose to stand in the gap, nor shout out the warning to draw in the children of God.

On the other hand, maybe this is the blog I was supposed to write…
What has God called YOU to do?
Be about YOUR Father’s business…the time is short…we know not the hour or the day, and it doesn’t have to be the rapture. Every moment of every day, we are called to speak the truth and shine a light….

I pray that my confession has touched your heart…to turn to the Lord – not take your hand off the plow, and to press on towards the mark of the prize of the high calling of Christ Jesus!

Thanks for joining me in this journey,
In His hands and under His wings,
~Christi
Ps 63:7 Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings.

I’d love to hear what you think – please leave a comment!
Or ‘like’ me!

If you like The WildBerry Patch, follow me with the RSS feed.
Soon, we’ll have email subscription, and maybe a newsletter.
Soon, we will have a gallery for the art I have created by the hand of God.

Naomi's Heart Mission

Help a child in need. Check out Naomi’s Heart Mission or Compassion International. The life that changes will be your own!