Tag Archives: Grace

100 Spiritual Walking Steps – #17 What if they TELL you, ‘You Can’t Walk’?

I almost titled this “Step 8 Part 2” because, this sort of comes on the heels of that work in my life.

Step # 8 What if you can’t walk?
At that time(oh so long ago), I was struggling with the what if’s.
Yesterday, I was faced with this conversation with my Dr.
“So, if I have the surgery, what is the downside?”
– if it fails, we will need to fuse your ankle
“So, if this progresses, what will happen?”
-if it collapses, we will need to fuse your ankle
“Fuse my ankle, just what does that mean?”
-you could walk, but you won’t have much mobility

I checked out this stuff online, as every 21st century patient does….and the explanation of Avascular Necrosis on Mercy MD’s site says:
” This is the range of up and down motion (called dorsiflexion and plantarflexion) of the ankle following the total ankle replacement after a fracture of the talus associated with AVN.”

So, I asked “would I ever be able to walk a 5k again?”
Dr. B looked very serious at me, and said, “I’d like to say yes, but the truth is, I just don’t know.”

The “standard of care” is to stay off the ankle/affected area to allow it to heal. In my heart of hearts, I don’t feel that is right for me.
I can use a boot to support my ankle…but the standard of care is non weight bearing – and I just don’t feel right about that for me.
So, I was willing to go through surgery…since the other surgeries on my other foot went so well.
“This is not the same.”

Avascular Necrosis – dead bone from lack of blood.
Osteopenia – not replacing bone
Christi’s prognosis – not a lot of hope to get bone replaced into the dead area, if I’m losing it in the live area! So, why am I so gung ho on traumatizing the good bone to hopefully regenerate the dead bone?

History lesson on MCW –
In 1978, while on convalescent leave from the Navy, a chiropractor measured my legs, and found that one was 21cm longer than the other.
In 1981, Jim, newly Baptised in the Holy Spirit, and wanting to pray for my healing, prayed for my leg to grow. As the leg moved down the towel we placed under it to catch the ‘annointing’ kitchen oil…it was evident that my leg grew. When I stood up, we could see my hips level in the mirror, and he reached down to kiss me, and missed my mouth, as it had moved up…about 21cm.
In 1989, I was seeing a chiropractor for my neck, and he did a full body xray, as chiropractors in that day were prone to do. He mentioned a boney growth on the lower part of my spine. Jim asked him if that was something typical for someone that had one leg longer than the other. “Yes, to brace the spine due to the angle, but Christi doesn’t have one leg shorter than the other.” Jim proceeded to tell him about that night in 1981! That Dr. B said “then you ought to get to praying to get rid of that boney thing…”.
I have had multiple spine xrays and MRI’s and no one has asked about any boney thing on my spine again.

The moral of this story? God can cause 21 cm of bone, tissue and all to grow on His command, and when the leftovers aren’t needed, He can cause them to dissolve as well.

So, you may ask, what’s the problem? It’s DEAD bone, not missing leg! Just believe!!!

Ok, so read Step #8 again…I’ve been struggling with allowing myself to accept that God may not want me to walk again.
IF GOD DOES NOT WANT ME TO WALK AGAIN – I NEED TO BE FINE WITH IT!

Job 13:15 Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him:

Sounds spiritual, huh? I just got smacked in the face with the second half of this verse:

Job 13:15b but I will maintain mine own ways before him. (KJV)
NIV I will surely defend my ways to his face.
NLT I am going to argue my case with him.
NAS Nevertheless I will argue my ways before Him.

Youngs Literal Translation for Job 13:15
Lo, He doth slay me — I wait not! Only, my ways unto His face I argue.

Wow….where does that leave me? This is one of the discourses that leads to Job being reprimanded for thinking he can speak against the whirlwind of God’s Omniscience!!! As a side note…God seems to have been big enough to handle Job’s questions…and I know HE’S still big enough for my questions.

So – is there anywhere for this fatalistic mentality?
The three boys…thrown into the fiery furnace!

Dan 3:18 Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, answered and said to the king, O Nebuchadnezzar, we [are] not careful to answer thee in this matter.
Dan 3:17 If it be [so], our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver [us] out of thine hand, O king.
Dan 3:18 But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.

Ok, wait a minute. No one is asking me to bow down to or serve their gods. This is not a situation with persecution written on it!

What is it?
When I could not walk in the Navy – God gave me Isaiah 40:31

But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint

It was a song from a Christian youth group that held my heart through bootcamp.
It has been a large part of much of my testimony.
And it is my life verse.

It is the basis for this series – 100 Spiritual Walking Steps.
So what am I going to do?
I can’t argue with my own post…I need to find the basis for a solid foundation(other foundation can no man lay than that is laid which is Jesus Christ) – and WALK IT OUT.

Bill Gotherd once said, in a seminar, If God can use you more out of a wheelchair, then nothing can keep you in that wheelchair. If God can use your more IN that wheelchair, then nothing anyone can do can get you out, nor would you want to.

I think God wants me to walk.
I am sure that this promise (Is 40:31) has been a guiding force (solid rock) through out my life.
I don’t expect to be mounting up with wings as eagles…but..
renew my strength? Yes
walk and not be weary? I hope so
run and not faint? He did that for me in the Navy to pass the PT test.

So, what’s my problem?

Heb 11:1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

I HOPE that He wants to make me walk.
I KNOW that HE can make me walk.
FAITH is what bridges those two together.
and right now, my faith is a little weak….

Mark 9:23-24 Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things [are] possible to him that believeth. And straightway the father of the child cried out, and said with tears, Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief.

I do HAVE faith – Jesus says so!Well, actually, he says that IF we had faith the grain of a mustard seed…..and in Romans it talks about the measure of faith given to every man….the point is….I have been given faith….Eph 2:8 – faith is a gift!

It needs to grow – like the mustard seed….
and when it is weak, well…
They that WAIT UPON THE LORD SHALL RENEW THEIR STRENGTH – OF FAITH????

If God healed my leg once, or however many times…has HE changed or have I?

There is NO benefit in surgery…or non weight bearing exercise according to the included article…they both end in the same unacceptable thing – fused ankle.
I am confessing at this point that it is easier for me to believe that God will heal the dead bone than to reconstruct an ankle with steel nails and screws in it.

that said – I am confessing here…on August 5, 2011…that I believe that God will restore the dead bone, and not permit my ankle to collapse.
I want to believe that I will be walking 5ks again.
I want to believe that I will be able to do a sprint triathlon – this time with a crowd – again.
I want to believe that I can walk into and out of the Grand Canyon.
I want to believe that I can walk a marathon…well, that I could….not that I would at 4 mph of walking….

To that end, I will take off my boot, and go walking up to the pool today…and have fun.

So – what if they tell you, ‘you can’t walk’? check it out with the Creator first…HE may have other things to say.
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! Or follow me with the RSS feed.

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Depression like Driving Rain

Depression comes like the darkness of night
slowly blinding, and taking your sight.
First it feels gray
in the midst of the day
then it feels thick
like mud with a stick.
for help you reach out
and to others give shout
but the sucking is on
and assistance is nought.

Darkness falls down
scary things all around
Listening for the sound
of one on solid ground
Comes driving rain
cleansing all stains
Lightning strikes again
and illuminates the pain

I kneel before the King
to whom I used to sing
I wonder where His wing
to shelter me from pain?

Muscles grow in pain,
flowers grow in rain,
Sunshine brings the heat
that on the earth does beat.
The rain will wash away
the pains they cannot stay
renewal is my way
neath my wing for you to stay.
Neath the shadow you do sing
and give praises to your King
the scary things are lies
and demons in disguise
I’ll cover you anew
just as you ask me to
give up this fear of yours
and let my love run it’s course.

I love you more than you can know
but my rain disturbs you so
will you let me love you true
and do the things I do?
Let me pour out grace like rain
Let me see thoswe pains again
Let me show you truth alone
and remove those stumbling stones

You are my chosen girl
I know your hair, your curls
I made you as you are
and I think you are a star
You love me totally
and your heart I truly see
Just look up and you will see
you are snuggled next to Me.
I allow only the pain
that will make you strong again
and the darkness that you see
is abiding deep in me
My wings provide the shadow
against the heat of your sorrow
As you snuggle deeper in
I protect you from those sins
those things that make you hurt
those things that burn
those tears that do surround
that mucky mirey ground

Come to me
my precious one
draw near to me
within the Son
Night will pass
and day will dawn
those horrors will soon
be all gone

Your mind will be renewed
and I can wash you through
My grace will set you free
My love will give you wings
And then again you’ll sing
‘neath the shadow of My wings.

written as given – 8/4/2011

To those that read this…this is my heart…please be gentle.
In His hands and under His wings,
~Christi
Ps 67:3 Because you are my help, I will sing beneath the shadow of Your wings.

100 Spiritual Walking Steps – #16 Can you lose your map?

It’s been a rough couple of weeks, with some serious soul searching about several situations.
In the midst of the soul searching, my notes for my path got lost. In them was the main verse for several steps, and the corresponding verses. With multiple hands and multitasking events, the notes disappeared in the midevent cleanup. NOTE to self – write notes down in a notebook, not on a piece of recycled printer paper that looks like trash. Also avoid writing notes on napkins.

So – I lost my map.
Without a map, how does one find their way?
In my experience, I can’t. I have to go back, to back track, until I get to someplace I know…and hopefully it’s a gas station that can sell me a new map! In English!

We don’t have to go all the way back to Darkness – of course, that is where we all began. But we can go back to a common place – the cross.

From Step 12 –

“If you are in agreement as to where we all started, and that we needed to face the cross…then we can go on from there, to determine where are WE starting. At the cross.”

At least, that’s the common ground for every Christian.

Then, I took the step to get rid of baggage that held me back in Step 13.

I can remember that anything that brings condemnation is NOT of God….WAIT…that’s a next step! It wasn’t the next step on that lost set of notes…but, it is the next step for me today.

Rom 8:1 [There is] therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.

NO CONDEMNATION!

Imagine, living a life free of condemnation.
To Condemn:

1.	to express strong disapproval of; censure
2.	to pronounce judicial sentence on
3.	to demonstrate the guilt of: his secretive behaviour condemned him
4.	to judge or pronounce unfit for use: that food has been condemned
5.	to compel or force into a particular state or activity: his disposition condemned him to boredom

Sadly, this is a description of many of my Christian experiences. I have lived with expectations from others about how I should act, dress, eat, look, worship, study, pray, mother, wife, mission, etc. All of these expectations have brought death to my heart.

I don’t want to write an expose’ on the law being death, and Christ being life…because I’m not talking about the laws of the Bible here. I’m talking about the laws placed upon me by other people’s expectations.

John 8:32 – you shall know the truth, and the truth shall set you free.

Know the Truth…My whole walk with Jesus has been about KNOWING JESUS.

John 14:6 Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

I come to the Father….through Jesus Christ.

I come to the Father through Jesus Christ.

The relationship with the Father in the OT was through the law – so that His people knew there was a standard of morality. Before you can hold someone to a standard, the only just way is that you let them know the standard. And – as Paul and all the others shared, it was impossible. But Noah, and David and Moses and Elijah and Isaiah KNEW that God had a greater plan than just the law. In Hebrews 11, they died knowing that a great hope was coming.
JESUS!

There is now no condemnation … for whom?

to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.

IN CHRIST JESUS – know Jesus -> know truth = truth sets you free.

And yes, there is a stipulation…a condition…or, a proof that one IS in Christ Jesus:

who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.

When I was full of trying to please man’s teachings…women’s critical eyes and words…I was, in a way, walking after the flesh. As Paul said:

Gal 1:10 Am I now trying to win the approval of men, or of God? Or am I trying to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a servant of Christ.

While I was trying to please man…even under the guise of Christian teachings…I was not pleasing Christ…I was not serving Christ…I was trying to win the approval of men. And when I didn’t get it, CONDEMNATION!

Rom 8:8 So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.

One of the beauteous things of walking with Jesus is that when you get off the path, you can always call out, and find your way back.
In fact, even while a person is in sin, or confusion, or misguided, I believe they can still be walking in the Spirit…if they are desiring to walk with Jesus.

Prov 11:23 The desire of the righteous ends only in good, but the hope of the wicked only in wrath.

My concept of righteous is desiring a right relationship with Jesus.
David was righteous…but he messed up.
Moses was righteous…but he messed up.
Paul was probably righteously killing Christians when he was Saul…out of his intense desire to serve the Lord…and because of his desire to have a right relationship with God, he had a blinding enlightening moment.

IF…IF is a big word.

John 2:1 My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.

IF we sin…he knew we would…then WE HAVE AN ADVOCATE…that is what Jesus does for us daily! Not condemn…but advocate on our behalf!

2 Chron 7:14 if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.

MY PEOPLE
CALLED BY MY NAME
This is written to believers....both before Jesus, and through Jesus it applies to those of us who are called Christian.
This is a call to repent…and be forgiven…and be brought back into the fold.

CONDEMNATION – that’s final. It’s DEAD.
But desiring a right relationship…I’m not good at the proper grammar words…but that is an ongoing action…it’s ALIVE!!!
It leaves room for grace, forgiveness, mercy and love.
It leaves room for growing, by pruning off the old stuff, and putting on the new stuff…and moving…walking…taking steps towards ‘perfection’.

Rom 8:2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.

Rom 8:11 And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit, who lives in you.

While my walk with Jesus may not look like YOUR walk…the point is, that OUR CHRISTIAN walk SHOULD keep taking us closer and closer to Jesus. It is my desire is to be right with Jesus – and my heart is desiring to seek HIM for my path….and these are my prayers:

Ps 73:25 Whom have I in heaven [but thee]? and [there is] none upon earth [that] I desire beside thee.
Ps 119:105 NUN. Thy word [is] a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.
Ps 37:23-24 The steps of a [good] man are ordered by the LORD: and he delighteth in his way. Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down: for the LORD upholdeth [him with] his hand.
Ps 16:11 Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence [is] fulness of joy; at thy right hand [there are] pleasures for evermore.
Ps 37:4 Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.
Ps 27:4 One [thing] have I desired of the LORD, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the LORD, and to enquire in his temple.

And when I am tempted to fear condemnation, or messing up by not meeting MY standards…these verses give me comfort:

Is 41:10 Fear thou not; for I [am] with thee: be not dismayed; for I [am] thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.
Is 41:13 For I the LORD thy God will hold thy right hand, saying unto thee, Fear not; I will help thee.

He has never let me down…He has never left my side…and I owe HIM my all.
So, if I lose my map…MY map, I just need to go back to MY guide…

Prov 8:17 I love them that love me; and those that seek me early shall find me.
Deut 4:29 But if from there you seek the LORD your God, you will find him if you look for him with all your heart and with all your soul.

And then, by the grace given to me through Jesus Christ, I just start putting one foot in front of another all over again.

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! Or follow me with the RSS feed.

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 – #14 – Whose path am I walking on?

I think this will be very short.

2 Cor 10:12 For we dare not make ourselves of the number, or compare ourselves with some that commend themselves: but they measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves, are not wise.

This scripture is dealing with boasting…but I think it also applies to comparing yourself to others, and allowing that to drag you down.

When Jim and I were doing races, he could run them, and I could only walk. I would see him running past me, and I had not even made it to the 1/2 way point. I had to remind myself that I could not run…and that I was doing my best, and yet, I often felt my best was not good enough.

Sometimes the 5k races were coupled with 10k or marathons…and each had it’s own path. If a 5k person got off onto the 10k, or worse, the marathon path, there would be no support to get back to the real path…and someone like me could be overcome with fear, and regret, shame and sadness, and just quit.

With some physical things coming up in my life…I am having trouble believing that my path is actually a path.
I have friends that are missionaries to the Phillipines, in Naomi’s Heart Mission. I always wanted to be a missionary with children.
I have friends that have been able to GO to mission fields, or participate in Compassion’s Sponsorship tours. My heart has broken to go to meet the children we have sponsored.

There are people that go speak to churches, sing, perform, and bless people.
I have friend that have multiple children that do amazing things…all over the country and world….
I have friends that have homeschooled and done amazing things with their children, and seemed so together doing it!
I have friends that have children that have grown up in the church, taken part in the church and eventually become leaders in the church.

These are paths that I have always wanted to walk.
But, when I try to go down those paths, I soon get weary, overwhelmed, and discouraged.

My path is writing and art. Not organization, not performance, not leadership.
When I write, I feel alive, I know the presence of the Lord is with me, and I dwell in His joy.
When I paint, I can feel the power of HIS creative forces flow through me, and I can touch a little of His artistic bent.

There is ONLY ONE path to Heaven – and that is through ONE door, JESUS Christ Our Lord, as the Son of God, who lived, died and rose again to pay the price for our sins.
Whereas the world would have there be many paths to the door, and then we will all be alike on the other side, the Bible has it ONE path to ONE narrow gate, the door Jesus Christ, and then, we are individuals on the other side.

I’m not going to be a Kay Arthur or a Beth Moore. I won’t dress like Joyce Meyer, or wear make up like some of the 700 club women.
I am me.
Jesus knew who I was before I did.
Jesus knows what my ‘bent’ is, because HE bent me this way!
I made it through the narrow gate…because HE chose ME!
Now, I have to choose to be ME – and walk on the path HE sets before me…
So, #14 is – walk on YOUR OWN path…knowing that others are walking their own paths in God’s time!

Here’s a neat song..”Walkin down Heaven’s Road“…I wish I could find a better version:

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! Or follow me with the RSS feed.

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 – #13 Baggage Claims

When traveling anywhere, my husband Jim tries to have as little baggage to carry as possible. In fact, if he can take a computer bag, with a change of underwear and socks, he will do so.
When I flew to and from Germany, I had no choice but to take two pieces of luggage. Two VERY HEAVY pieces of luggage! But for my carry-on…I only wanted to deal with ONE if I could manage. I had a service dog to handle with my left hand. So if my right shoulder could bear the weight of everything else so that my right hand was free…that would be the perfect situation!
On the other hand, when we go to a hotel, I would rather have everything in as little amount as possible, though we STILL seem to fill up those luggage dollys in the lobby.

Marathon runners run LIGHT

People that walk to walk, or run to run, try to eliminate weight in every way possible. The shoe and athletic industry have created many many ways for runners to run without carrying anything. Shoes are lighter, the racing clothes are lighter, and there are belts that one can wear to carry drinks for the run. There are carrying cases for your mp3 player, keys, and some cash so that your hands are free. Race Organizations prepare watering spots, refueling spots…of course, bathroom stops all along the path of a race course. The point is to help the runners finish the race, as quickly as possible, and as unencumbered as possible in the process.

Between our start and finish points, we are in a race.

1 Cor 9:24KJV Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain.

New International Version (©1984)
Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize.

It is assumed that we KNOW we are in a race…and therefore Paul is telling us to RUN in order to obtain the prize!

The Author of Hebrews says it this way in Heb 12:1:

New International Version (©1984)
Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.

First, we have to commit to RUN THE RACE.

Gal 6:9 And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.

What IS the RACE? Obviously, it’s our lives, between birth and meeting Jesus. It is also WHAT we do WITH our lives in that in-between times. Linda Ellis wrote a poem, entitled, The Dash.

It’s appropriate, because, well – we DASH to the finish line!

To enter the race, to have a hope of enduring the race, we need to PUT OFF…Throw off….everything that hinders us…..

Heb 12:1 New Living Translation (©2007)
Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us.

BECAUSE we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses….of course those in Heb 11 – but what about Eric Liddell?
His stand of faith was the topic of the movie Chariots of Fire.
Eric refused to run on Sunday, risking his chance for a medal in the 1924 Paris Olympics.
In his case, NOT running the race wass running THE race. Eric Liddell is one of our current heroes of faith – and I believe he is one of the ones in the cloud of witnesses.

Eph 4:22 New Living Translation (©2007)
throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life, which is corrupted by lust and deception.

The Bible even mentions some things to be thrown off…
Col 3:8 New International Version (©1984)
But now you must rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips.

Brother Eric did so by putting aside the pride and arrogance of a gold medal. Noah put it aside by being willing to be made fun of as he built a ship to protect him from something no one, not even he, had ever seen. Moses put aside being the son of Pharoah to be the mouthpiece of God. Paul(also not in Heb 11) put aside his cushy prominent Pharisee position to be a preacher for outcasts.
We cannot race with baggage. And God has provided the way for us to release this baggage to Him, through repentance, confession, forgiveness, letting go and releasing things to Him. But it is a fight…Paul told us so….in 2 Tim 4:7 :

New International Version (©1984)
I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.

The race is a FIGHT.

The race is to the FINISH.

The race is a race of FAITH.

Eric Lidell fought and finished as Paul described.
His life continued to be a race for God’s Kingdom, as he ministered in China. It is said “The entire camp, especially its youth, was stunned for days, so great was the vacuum that Eric’s death had left.”

I pray that when my life is over, I will have touched so many lives by God’s light and grace, that somewhere, someone will notice a vacuum. I pray that my DASH affects others to the glory of God. May my light shine brighter and brighter as I learn to run my race, fight my fights and keep the faith…in Jesus’ name.

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! Or follow me with the RSS feed.

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 – #10 – May I sit here?

Have you ever flown somewhere on an airline that just opened the door and let everyone go in and choose their seats? No assigned seats. So the biggest, strongest and fastest can get to the bestest seats first.
Have you ever ridden a bus or train, where it was mostly full, and the empty seats were all next to someone? You had to choose who looked like the best candidate to sit next to, and ask permission, out of courtesy.
May I have this seat? May I sit here?

First, we need to look, and choose WITH WHOM we should sit on this path of life.

Ps 1:1 – Blessed is the man that walketh not, standeth not…SITTETH NOT in the seat of the scornful.

NLT says it this way:

Ps 1:1 NLT
Oh, the joys of those who do not follow the advice of the wicked, or stand around with sinners, or join in with mockers.

New International says “sit in the seat of mockers”

King David proclaimed his choice:

Ps 26:4-5 I do not sit with deceitful men, nor do I consort with hypocrites;
I abhor the assembly of evildoers and refuse to sit with the wicked.

Choices determine the outcome:

Ps 107:10-11 Some sat in darkness and the deepest gloom, prisoners suffering in iron chains,
for they had rebelled against the words of God and despised the counsel of the Most High.

1 Cor 15:33 Do not be misled: “Bad company corrupts good character.”

Prov 23:1-3 When thou sittest to eat with a ruler, consider diligently what [is] before thee: And put a knife to thy throat, if thou [be] a man given to appetite. Be not desirous of his dainties: for they [are] deceitful meat.

Next, we have to know WHERE to sit down!

I have painted many rooms…and often, while I’m painting one wall, I will choose to step back, and check it out, to make sure I have gotten everything covered. Many times, I am so caught up with the wall I am working on, that as I back up, I lean against the previous wall, AND IT WAS STILL WET! For this reason, I have MANY painting clothes, which bear many of the colors of our homes! I did not check to see where I was sitting into!

Luke 14:8(-11) When thou art bidden of any [man] to a wedding, sit not down in the highest room; lest a more honourable man than thou be bidden of him;
10-11 But when thou art bidden, go and sit down in the lowest room; that when he that bade thee cometh, he may say unto thee, Friend, go up higher: then shalt thou have worship in the presence of them that sit at meat with thee. For whosoever exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.

Col 3:1-3 If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God.
Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.
For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God.

Eph 2:5-6 Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)
And hath raised [us] up together, and made [us] sit together in heavenly [places] in Christ Jesus:

This combines the where with the whom. The permission is granted through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, saved by grace! Asking Jesus to be your Lord and Savior is like asking “May I sit in this seat next to you for eternity?”

Then, we have to know WHY.

Sitting has various reasons.

Rest – after a long walk or standing day, one would like to sit down to rest
Judgement – sit back to contemplate the direction being taken
Finished – the job is complete, sit and take in the joy of the work
Reward – which could also be rest – the reward of hard work is rest

REST –

When God Almighty was finished creating the universe, He rested. He looked back at all He’d created, and declared “It is good.” His reward was the fellowship with Adam and Eve in the Garden. (Gen1,2&3)

There are many verses about God sitting on His throne…Is 40:22; Ps 29:10, Ps 47:8, Ps 99:1 and Is 6 describes the Lord on His throne. I like this description:

Rev 4:2-4 And immediately I was in the spirit: and, behold, a throne was set in heaven, and [one] sat on the throne. And he that sat was to look upon like a jasper and a sardine stone: and [there was] a rainbow round about the throne, in sight like unto an emerald. And round about the throne [were] four and twenty seats: and upon the seats I saw four and twenty elders sitting, clothed in white raiment; and they had on their heads crowns of gold.

Rev 4:10-11 The four and twenty elders fall down before him that sat on the throne, and worship him that liveth for ever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying, Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.

This is rest – their lives are over, they are sitting in the heavenlies with GOD Almighty, worshiping at the throne! God ordained rest – by resting on the 7th day. It is the third commandment –

Ex 20:8-11 Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: But the seventh day [is] the sabbath of the LORD thy God: [in it] thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that [is] within thy gates: For [in] six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them [is], and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it. (Ex 31:12-18)

But, there is no benefit to sitting around…doing nothing….

Prov 6:6 – Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise:

Prov 6:10-11 [Yet] a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep: So shall thy poverty come as one that travelleth, and thy want as an armed man.

Prov 20:4 The sluggard will not plow by reason of the cold; [therefore] shall he beg in harvest, and [have] nothing.

Rest, because of walking the walk, is a blessing from God:

Ecc 5:12 The sleep of a labouring man [is] sweet, whether he eat little or much:

JUDGEMENT –

When God was done with creation, He “sat back” and judged it. We have the responsibility to sit back, and judge our own walks.

Ps 139: 23-24 Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: And see if [there be any] wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.

God’s Throne is for Judgement:

Jer 17:10 I the LORD search the heart, [I] try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, [and] according to the fruit of his doings.

Mal 3:1-3Behold, I will send my messenger,………….And he shall sit [as] a refiner and purifier of silver: and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the LORD an offering in righteousness.

Matt 25:31-45 When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory: And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth [his] sheep from the goats: And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left. Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:
Matt 25:46And these(goats – on the left) shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.

Matt 26:64 Jesus saith unto him, Thou hast said: nevertheless I say unto you, Hereafter shall ye see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven.(lk 22:69)

Micah 4:1-3

FINISHED –

When God was finished creating the universe, He rested. Since He has a throne, we can assume that He ‘sat’ down.

2 Chronicles 18:18 Again he said, Therefore hear the word of the LORD; I saw the LORD sitting upon his throne, and all the host of heaven standing on his right hand and [on] his left.

When Jesus finished his work here on earth – His words to the Phaisees, as He was looking forward to the other side of the cross were:

Matt 25:31 When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory:

When we have finished our work…whether daily, weekly, monthly or for our life…we can sit when it’s finished. The Glorious Finish will be when this earth is finsihed.

Micah 4:4-5 But they shall sit every man under his vine and under his fig tree; and none shall make [them] afraid: for the mouth of the LORD of hosts hath spoken [it]. For all people will walk every one in the name of his god, and we will walk in the name of the LORD our God for ever and ever.

If there is sitting, when the final regeneration is done…then we know that there is sitting when we finish any job…to reflect, and prepare for the next task. This life is really a HUGE job interview for the new world created after this sin struggling creation is finished:

Matt 19:28 And Jesus said unto them, Verily I say unto you, That ye which have followed me, in the regeneration when the Son of man shall sit in the throne of his glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.

(Luke 22:30, 1 Cor 6:2, Rev 3:21, Matt 8:11)

REWARD-

When I finish a painting…well, when I quit doctoring up a painting and say I’m done…I sit and look at it. If I’m standing…I’m still working on it. If I’m moving around, I probably still have a brush in my hand. But, when I feel that I’ve have done all that I can do on this particular painting…I sit. I look at it. The reward is the knowing I’ve done all that I can do to create this painting. And, then, I am rewarded by the folks that enjoy it..sometimes enough to pay for it. The joy on their faces is the reward. I like to sit and watch them enjoy the painting when they first get it. Their joy is my reward.

God has joy as a reward…but, I’m talking about sitting as a reward. As a reward for the finishing the walk with HIM…there are GREAT rewards!

Luke 12:37 Blessed [are] those servants, whom the lord when he cometh shall find watching: verily I say unto you, that he shall gird himself, and make them to sit down to meat, and will come forth and serve them.

Rev 3:21 To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne.

Psalm 23

THE LORD is MY Shepherd – I shall not want. – WITH WHOM I SIT

HE MAKETH ME to lie down in green pastures –
HE LEADETH ME beside still waters. – WHERE I SIT

HE RESTORES MY SOUL. – WHY I SIT

HE LEADETH ME in paths of righteousness for HIS name sake. – THIS IS MY PATH

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil:
FOR THOU ART WITH ME!
Thy rod and Thy staff they comfort me! – THIS IS MY COMPANION ON THE WALK

Thou preparedst a table before me in the presence of mine enemies:
THOU annointedst my head with oil
MY cup runneth over – THIS IS MY REWARD

Surely GOODNESS and MERCY shall follow me all the days of my life:
And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. – THIS IS MY DESTINATION

We are to walk the walk, run the race, stay the course and stand in our most Holy Faith. But there are times when we may sit…even lie down…in green pastures.

When we get tired, we may need to sit down.
When we are finished, we may need to sit down.
When we sit, we MUST ALWAYS KEEP OUR FINAL DESTINATION IN OUR SIGHTS.
Because of that, we MUST choose with whom, where and why we sit, so that we will be sure to end up seated in the heavenlies with our Savior!

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! Or follow me with the RSS feed.

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100 Spiritual Walking Steps – #9 Where do we stand?

I’ve been going through a bit of a down time lately…and I was asking the Lord – PLEASE bring me up out of this down time….and, as HE ALWAYS DOES…He answered me.

I awoke to this song this morning:

This is Holy Ground
We’re standing on Holy Ground.
For the Lord is present
and whre He is, is holy.

Last night, I was praying that Father would draw me into HIS secret place…and hold me close under His wing….(Ps 91)
A few days ago, I was asking Father to help me to not sin against Him, because I really want to please Him, and make Him smile.
This morning – He reminds me that IF I am dwelling in the secret place, IF I am abiding under the shadow of the Almighty….I am on HOLY GROUND!

When Moses was told he was on Holy Ground…he was ordered to take off his shoes.

EX 3:5 And he said, Draw not nigh hither: put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest [is] holy ground.

Interesting…..when you tie that with Jesus’ washing of the feet….

John 13:5 After that he poureth water into a bason, and began to wash the disciples’ feet, and to wipe [them] with the towel wherewith he was girded.

Jesus cleansed my feet so that I CAN stand on Holy Ground!

MORE IMPORTANTLY, I AM STANDING IN HIS PRESENCE ON HOLY GROUND!!!

Heb 10:19 Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus,

Eph 3:12 In whom we have boldness and access with confidence by the faith of him.

Eph 2:18 For through him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father.

Heb 4:16 Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.

I am in His presence…and He is on His thrown of GRACE – no judgement…no condemnation….GRACE.

Ps 84:11 For the LORD God [is] a sun and shield: the LORD will give grace and glory: no good [thing] will he withhold from them that walk uprightly.

John 1:14, 16-17 – 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. For the law was given by Moses, [but] grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.

Rom 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.

2 Cor 9:8 And God [is] able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all [things], may abound to every good work:

Acts 20:24 But none of these things move me, neither count I my life dear unto myself, so that I might finish my course with joy, and the ministry, which I have received of the Lord Jesus, to testify the gospel of the grace of God.

Something I was forgetting…besides being in HIS presence…He has assigned His ministering angels to me…here’s the song lyrics:

We are standing on Holy Ground.
And I know that there are angels
all around.
Let us praise Jesus now;
We are standing in His presence
on Holy Ground.

I know that in His presence, there are angels…

1 Kings 22:19 And he said, Hear thou therefore the word of the LORD: I saw the LORD sitting on his throne, and all the host of heaven standing by him on his right hand and on his left.

and we have some interesting descriptions of those angels by Ezekiel – in Eze 1 and Eze 10

He has given the angels a job, in regards to us!

Ps 91:11 For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways.

Where am I standing?It depends on whether I have recieved the gift that Christ purchased for me!

John 3:16-18 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.
He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

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

On Holy Ground, I’m standing on Holy Ground…with my feet washed by the blood of the LAMB, and surrounded by HIS angels sent to keep me in all my ways. Whom shall I fear?

Rom 8:15 For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.

Heb 13:6 So that we may boldly say, The Lord [is] my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me.

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.

It is only a gift to the one that receives Jesus Christ as their Lord and Saviour….

John 3:19 And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.

Ps 27:1 The LORD [is] my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the LORD [is] the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?

Where do I stand? On Holy Ground…by the Grace of Jesus Christ, through faith, NOT OF MY OWN, but by a gift from the Almighty God, Creator of Heaven and EARTH – to invite me into HIS presence…to walk with me and talk with me, as HE did with Adam and Eve before sin. To walk with me and talk with me as if I had never sinned.

You are holy, God,
a Perfect and Holy God.
We will come before YOU
with hearts made clean
by Jesus’ blood.
You are Holy, God,
A Perfect, and Holy God.
We will come before You
with hearts made clean
by Jesus’ blood.

We are standing on Holy Ground.
And I know that there are angels
all around.
Let us praise Jesus now;
We are standing in His presence;
We are standing in His presence,
We are standing in His presence
on Holy Ground.

Make sure that you are washed in the blood of Jesus, your feet are washed by the water of the Word…and that you have entered into the Holy of Holies…dwelling in the secret place, under the cool shadow of HIS wings…..

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! Or follow me with the RSS feed.

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100 Spiritual Walking Steps – #8 – what if you can’t walk?

Walking.
From birth, everyone strives to walk.
First, you roll over. And the rolling over is sort of surprising!
Once you can roll onto your belly, you can start picking up your head, and see things in a different way.
Then, when you find yourself sitting up..what’s with this view!
Rolling leads to crawling which leads to standing which leads to walking.
Sometimes, walking too fast can lead to sitting back down on your rump!
Sometimes, the person walking just needs to rest – and needs to sit down to take stock of what is going on around them.
A child moves in one direction, because it is their destiny to grow from one point to another. The goal for a child is to grow into an adult.

1 Cor 13:11 When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a MAN, I put away childish things.

Ps 1:1 Blessed [is] the MAN that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly,
nor standeth in the way of sinners,
nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.

My life verse, since being in Navy bootcamp in 1978, has been Isaiah 40:31:

But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew [their] strength;
they shall mount up with wings as eagles;
they shall run, and not be weary;
[and] they shall walk, and not faint.

I have wanted to walk with Jesus since my salvation day, and I have wanted to be an example of walking physically – to share what HE has done for me. And as I wait, I am less and less able to walk.

But what if a person cannot walk? What if a person is disabled, and unable to “run with the horses” as Elijah asked?
What can someone do, if they cannot use their legs?

They can stay out of the counsel of the ungodly…even if they aren’t walking with them.
They can stay out of the way of the sinners…even if they can’t stand.
They can sit in the seat of the wise and faithful, not in the seat of the scornful.
But that seems very passive. It’s full of NOT being able to do something…even though it’s written with the language of “they can”.

What can they do – to take down the counsel of the ungodly? Seek Godly counsel.

Prov 19:20 Hear counsel, and receive instruction, that thou mayest be wise in thy latter end.

Is 9:6 For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.

Prov 9:10The fear of the LORD [is] the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy [is] understanding.

What can they do affect the path/way of the sinners? Choose another path, and shine the light.

Prov 4:26 Ponder the path of thy feet, and let all thy ways be established.

Prov 4:18 But the path of the just [is] as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day.

Ps 27:11 Teach me thy way, O LORD, and lead me in a plain path, because of mine enemies.

Ps 119:105 NUN. Thy word [is] a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.

Ps 16:11 Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence [is] fulness of joy; at thy right hand [there are] pleasures for evermore.

Matt 5:16Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.

How can one that cannot walk choose to affect the seat of the scornful? By choosing a different seat.

Eph 2:5-6 Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) And hath raised [us] up together, and made [us] sit together in heavenly [places] in Christ Jesus:

Matt 5:14 Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.

Matt 5:16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.

My physical walking days are few and far between right now. I thought that Is 40:31 would be a manifested reality in my life, but my body is not showing an agreement at this time. I still am believing that God can heal my body, but in my life, I know that God uses the troubles in my body to purify my spirit and soul.

So, what if I can’t walk? There are many things that I can do…writing is one of them. And as long as I don’t focus on what I can’t do, I CAN focus on what I CAN do through Christ Jesus Who STRENGTHENS ME…as in, renews my strength! And, the JOY of the LORD is MY strength! I get that by abiding in HIS presence, where JOY abounds! (Phil 4:13, Is 40:31; Neh 8:10;Ps 16:11)

Who would question that Joni soars with eagles? Her life and ministry, Joni and Friends, gives hope to all with differing abilities.

Have you heard about Nick Vujicic? No Limbs to No Limits…his videos put my whining to shame.

We must choose to walk, stand and sit in the presence of GOD, and do what HE puts in our hands to do. HE is the one that is in charge, and HE is the one that takes what we offer Him, and makes it glorious.

Choose to Abide in the shadow of the Almighty today!
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! Or follow me with the RSS feed.

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

Hidden Snares! Guest Blogger Beth Blair

Sometimes someone else writes something that is so perfect for me, that I ask them to share it here…my friend Beth shared this the other day, and I hope anyone that reads this hear will be as blessed as I am!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This morning as I was coming back into the house after taking my husband to work, I noticed on the bushes to my left was a nice-sized spider web. (see pic below)

Dewy Spider web on bush

Now I have been past that same bush many times over the past several days, and I never noticed that web. This morning, however, is a particularly humid morning, and the dew settled on the web and made it visible.

Yahweh, as He always does with me, related a lesson to me through that visible web. He told me that we MUST be aware of the hidden snares of the enemy!
Just because we cannot always see them doesn’t mean they aren’t there. We can walk by them time and time again and not realize that we are only inches away from being caught up in them!
It is only when we walk in the Ruach (Spirit) that the dew of His discernment can illuminate those hidden snares for us so we can avoid their trap!

And notice the hole at the top in the middle of the web pictured.
He also spoke to me of His grace.
If circumstances or temptations don’t allow us to see the snare of the enemy and we get caught up in his trap, Yahweh has provided a way of escape! There’s a hole in that snare!

1 Corinthians 10:13 No temptation has seized you beyond what people normally experience, and Yahweh can be trusted not to allow you to be tempted beyond what you can bear. On the contrary, along with the temptation He will also provide the way out, so that you will be able to endure.
Psalm 124:7-8 We escaped like a bird from the snare of the fowler; the trap is broken, and we have escaped. 8 Our help is in the name of Yahweh, the maker of heaven and earth.

In Messiah’s Service, Mrs. Beth Blair

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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! Or follow me with the RSS feed.

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 – Step 7- Feel the Rain

I like to think of myself as someone that shares her walk with the Lord, and invites others to join me in the journey.
In that regard, I have some preconceived ideas about what I should write about, and what should be referenced.
The thing is, I live in the world, even though I choose to not be OF the world, and there are some songs IN the World that have really struck a chord with me lately, pun intended.

Step 6’s was “The Rose”
Step 7’s is “Unwritten”
First verse:

I am unwritten,
can’t read my mind, I’m undefined
I’m just beginning, the pen’s in my hand,
ending unplanned

Theologically – this is not true, if you believe in a divine plan from the beginning of the earth. I am not writing to discuss the theological aspects of predestination and election. IF one is so interested in that discussion, Wikipedia has a general article on Predestination(Calvinism). Since I am a mix of Arminianism and Calvinism, I have the challenge with believing that all things are preordained, and at the very same time, I have free will in every aspect of my life.

While I believe that all things are known to God from the beginning…Acts 15:18…I also belive that I am responsible for my own choices…Joshua 24:15 and I choose LIFE in Jesus Christ.

2 Cor 3:2-3 You yourselves are our letter, written on our hearts, known and read by everybody.
You show that you are a letter from Christ, the result of our ministry, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts.

I am a letter…written on the tablet of my heart…sharing what Jesus has done in my life.
Today, at this moment, everything that has past is past, and written down in the Lamb’s book of life.

Rev 20:12 And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is [the book] of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.

Yesterday, every moment that is past, is already written down.
Now, I can focus on that…but the beauty of living in Jesus’s Love is that He doesn’t choose to remember the bad:

Ps 103:12 As far as the east is from the west, [so] far hath he removed our transgressions from us.

So, with that under my belt, I can lay yesterday, last night, this morning, at the feet of Jesus, and look forward, not bound by the baggage of guilt and condemnation.
But what about the song?
The rest is still unwritten!

Staring at the blank page before you
Open up the dirty window
Let the sun illuminate the words that you could not find

Reaching for something in the distance
So close you can almost taste it
Release your inhibitions

Feel the rain on your skin
No one else can feel it for you
Only you can let it in
No one else, no one else
Can speak the words on your lips
Drench yourself in words unspoken
Live your life with arms wide open
Today is where your book begins
The rest is still unwritten

It has been so long since I felt rain on my skin…I had forgotten how refreshing that was. I can see a child dancing in the puddles, smiling up at the rain. That child was me.

I have been told many times, in many ways, that I have a book to write. The book is about my life..and the lessons I’ve learned through trail, trauma, tragedy, and tribulation. It’s not written. This is a physical example of how I have held back the words, kept them unspoken…and that is not what Jesus, The Word of God, would want from me.

I have spent many years living my life the way other people have told me to.
I have spent many years of NOT drenching myself in the words unspoken.
Here are the lyrics that struck me:

I break tradition,
sometimes my tries,
are outside the lines
We’ve been conditioned to not make mistakes,
but I can’t live that way

I am not the typical Christian, Mom, wife, daughter, sister, friend. I don’t do things the way others do. I am different, but, that’s not so bad!

1 Peter 2:9 But ye [are] a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:

The “Peculiar” designation goes back to Deuteronomy 14:2 and Deuteronomy 26:18

There is a Voice inside me that tells me which way to go – and I need to allow that Voice to drench me with Words unspoken – and feel the rain of HIS grace and mercy fall upon me.
I’ve been hiding behind a dirty window – looking back at all my mistakes – and I haven’t always been able to see the Light of the Son shine into my being.
No one can do this for me…I need to open my arms up wide…and embrace what God has put before me…and choose wisely the path on which I tread. My future is still unwritten, but I desire to have my life be written boldly, clearly, and decisively in the Lamb’s book of life.

I pray that each one that reads this will take all that is past this moment, put it in Jesus’s hands, under His blood, and put it up on a shelf…or better yet, let Him carry it…and then, listen for His voice.

Is 30:21 And thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, This [is] the way, walk ye in it, when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left.

Ps 37:23 The steps of a [good] man are ordered by the LORD: and he delighteth in his way.

credits – AZ Lyrics

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.