Tag Archives: scripture

100 Spiritual Walking Steps – #23 – Stuck in the Middle

In Pilgrim’s Progress, there is a point where Pilgrim is faced with two lions ahead on the path. He later learned that they were chained, and if he walked ‘smack dab in the middle’ they could not touch him.
A similar thing occurs when he is going through he valley of the shadow of death…if he stays right in the middle of the path, he will not fall to the left or right and end his journey.

I was thinking of a commercial with Two chips Ahoy cookies – “Squeezed in the middle”
then I looked up the old song “Stuck in the middle with You” – by Stealers Wheel. Wierd music video…but then again, it’s a weird song!

But the verse that was stirring up these middle thoughts was this:

Zephaniah 3:17 The LORD thy God in the midst of thee [is] mighty; he will save, he will rejoice over thee with joy; he will rest in his love, he will joy over thee with singing.

Isn’t that BEAUTIFUL?

The LORD – First…one has to know Who is their LORD…and this promise is made to those that call Yehovah LORD.
Thy God – Second…you can have many lords over you…but this Lord is GOD – meaning ruler, judge, divine one.
IN THE MIDST OF THEE – Abiding within…

Rev 3:20 – Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.

We have to invite Jesus in…within….within the midst of our lives…smack dab in the middle!

As we abide IN Him – He abides in us:

John 15:5 I am the vine, ye [are] the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.

John 15 has much about abiding…and consequences for not abiding.

My thought was about being in the midst…God being in the midst of ME…and the prerequisite that I choose to be in the midst of HIM…such as in Ps 91:1 –

He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most high, and abideth under the shadow of the Almighty….

It’s a choice…and with this choice, the Lord God – the Almighty Creator of Heaven and Earth and all that there is….

shall rejoice over thee with joy
He will rest in His love
He will joy over thee with singing

It makes my heart sing to think that this is what my Father in Heaven wants of me…that THIS is what would bring Him joy…and singing. He wants to be in the MIDST OF ME AND MY LIFE!!!

Is Mighty….The Lord thy God in the midst of thee IS MIGHTY…

1 John 4:4 Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.

This verse is a mighty spiritual warfare verse…and the key is IN US. The Lord thy God in the midst of thee is mighty!

I pray that each person reading this will make sure that they have asked Yehovah God, Yeshua Christ, and the Holy Spirit to dwell smack dab in the middle of their hearts…and that from that day forward, we would choose to dwell smack dab in the middle of His secret place…in His throne room, where His joy abounds, and we are given strength through that joy. Then, we will have the ability to face the trials of the day with JOY.

Stay to the middle of this straight and narrow path…so that when we come to our final destination, the dirt and grime from the world on our left and right will be minimal, and more importantly, we will not fall prey to the lions that try to pull us off our path.

1 Pet 5:8-9 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world.

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!

100 Spiritual Walking Steps – #22 – Sleep Tight

Genesis 2:2-3 And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made. And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made.

Rest is ordained by God.

Ps 4: 8 I will both lay me down in peace, and sleep: for thou, LORD, only makest me dwell in safety.
Ps 127:2 [It is] vain for you to rise up early, to sit up late, to eat the bread of sorrows: [for] so he giveth his beloved sleep.

When God created the world/universe, He created time.
He also created rest.
We are to give ONE day a week to resting in His presence.
I’m not talking about that kind of rest.

God created our bodies with this circadian rhythm that keeps us in balance. This is the rest I am talking about. Sleep is a blessing from God.

Harvard Women’s Health Watch agrees:

Importance of Sleep : Six reasons not to scrimp on sleep
January 2006

A recent survey found that more people are sleeping less than six hours a night, and sleep difficulties visit 75% of us at least a few nights per week. A short-lived bout of insomnia is generally nothing to worry about. The bigger concern is chronic sleep loss, which can contribute to health problems such as weight gain, high blood pressure, and a decrease in the immune system’s power, reports the Harvard Women’s Health Watch.

While more research is needed to explore the links between chronic sleep loss and health, it’s safe to say that sleep is too important to shortchange.

The Harvard Women’s Health Watch suggests six reasons to get enough sleep:

Learning and memory: Sleep helps the brain commit new information to memory through a process called memory consolidation. In studies, people who’d slept after learning a task did better on tests later.

Metabolism and weight: Chronic sleep deprivation may cause weight gain by affecting the way our bodies process and store carbohydrates, and by altering levels of hormones that affect our appetite.

Safety: Sleep debt contributes to a greater tendency to fall asleep during the daytime. These lapses may cause falls and mistakes such as medical errors, air traffic mishaps, and road accidents.

Mood: Sleep loss may result in irritability, impatience, inability to concentrate, and moodiness. Too little sleep can also leave you too tired to do the things you like to do.

Cardiovascular health: Serious sleep disorders have been linked to hypertension, increased stress hormone levels, and irregular heartbeat.

Disease: Sleep deprivation alters immune function, including the activity of the body’s killer cells. Keeping up with sleep may also help fight cancer.

There is a reason that sleep deprivation is a huge part of brain washing and torture! Wikipedia has an article on Sleep Deprivation with more than you’ll ever want to know. My point for including it here is that there is a section that discusses sleep deprivation as a from of Interrogation.

In my personal life, with a depressive disorder, if I do not sleep well for a period of time, I have had psychotic events that have caused various difficulties.
I have also had times, because of dreams or night terrors that I have been afraid to go to sleep. I have cried out for those promises.

In order to be able to walk, one must have the strength to walk, whether mind or body. Sleep is God’s way of restoring our bodies. How can we restore what we may have lost?
In this Helpguide about Sleeping, it talks about paying off the sleep debt:

Sleep debt is the difference between the amount of sleep you need and the hours you actually get. Every time you sacrifice on sleep, you add to the debt. Eventually, the debt will have to be repaid. It won’t go away on its own. If you lose an hour of sleep, you must make up that extra hour somewhere down the line in order to bring your “account” back into balance.

I have never seen a plan for paying off the sleep debt, but this makes sense to me. Find time that you can go to bed at the normal time, and then, wake up with no alarm clock. They recommend a two week period, but not everyone has that flexibility. So do it on the weekends.

In the end – a good night’s sleep makes the next day much better.
And in the consideration of walking, every thing is much steadier.

The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.
He makes me to lie down in green pastures, and leadeth me beside still waters.

My Shepherd leads me to rest BEFORE I walk into the valley of the shadow of death! Not after.

In the creation story, a day is described Evening and morning were the first….day.
Rest comes first – then the strength to walk through the day.
Rest is ordained by God.

Ps 4: 8 I will both lay me down in peace, and sleep: for thou, LORD, only makest me dwell in safety.
Ps 127:2 [It is] vain for you to rise up early, to sit up late, to eat the bread of sorrows: [for] so he giveth his beloved sleep.

Sleep is a blessing from God.

I am walking a race – and I do not want to become weary in well doing, and faint…therefore, I need to take care of this body, and rest as God has instituted.
Good sleep every night, and resting in His presence every week(another post later).

So – good night! Sleep tight! and love the Lord with all your might!
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!

Battle Plan for Comparison Blues – part 2

Battle Plan
An Antidote for Post Conference Blues or any Comparison Blues!

Every time I go to a conference, I come back with Post conference blues. I am so quick to compare myself and my children and my efforts with everyone else, and to take the talks terribly personally, that I am overwhelmed with my conviction, and am tempted to give up.

This year I recognized it a bit before going…with the issue of dress, and looks, and expected appearance. After we arrived at home, the blues hit again, and this time, I cried out.

Here is the antidote that God gave me: Part 2

I needed a battle plan….I was definitely in warfare!
I went to the obvious warfare passage:

Eph 6:11 Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high [places].

I was fighting with my husband’s flesh, my children’s flesh, and my own flesh (the latter being the most difficult!). I was falling prey to those fiery darts big time…and they were coming so fast and so furious, and I was so beaten down, my shield was almost too heavy to lift up.

Psal 3:2 (KJS) Many [there be] which say of my soul, [There is] no help for him in God. Selah.
3 But thou, O LORD, [art] a shield for me; my glory, and the lifter up of mine head.
4 I cried unto the LORD with my voice, and he heard me out of his holy hill. Selah.

Somewhere I was missing something…but that goes back to part one…I was missing my promises! As my dear husband meditated on 2 Pet 1, he taught us on these verses – more promises to add to those God gave me (mentioned in part one)!

2Pet 1:2 (KJS) Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord, 3 According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that [pertain] unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue:
4 Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.

Promises:

11) Grace
12) Peace
13) both of those Multiplied through the Knowledge of God and Jesus!
14) I’ve been given All things that pertain unto life and godliness (I can do it through Him!)
15) other exceeding great and precious promises that will make me to be a partaker of the divine nature
15 b) and to escape the corruption of the world through the lust thereof

So, God has provided a way, and I just have to wait, and rejoice. I was already crying!

Phil 4:4 (KJS) Rejoice in the Lord alway: [and] again I say, Rejoice.
(James 1:2 always comes to mind when choosing to rejoice!)
Phil 4:6 (KJS) Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.
7 And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

Ok, so I am taking thought, caring for my children’s futures, how to schedule our days, our seemingly endless failure to complete wisdom books(homeschooling) on time, and the fact that our marriage is not the ideal marriage, our life is not always lining up with what we say we believe…all this added to the health issues….whew. I needed to just get quiet! Rejoice?!? Count it all joy?!? I was trying hard not to grumble and complain!

So, how do I take on the enemy? Well, I’ll have to tell you that in Part three!

PART THREE

PART FOUR
BACK TO PART ONE

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 – #21 Let go of those broken chains

What do I mean by ‘let go of those broken chains’?

Ps 2:3 Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us.

I told my friend Mark that I was working on binding my will to God based on his comments in his Bible Study for Tuesday morning, on Genesis 12:1-3.

God moved Abraham. Literally. He told Abraham to move from the land and people he knew. In our moving away from that with which we are comfortable, God is able to bless us. It is our movement toward his will for our lives that becomes a blessing for us. Our own wills becoming bound to the will of God is what brings us happiness.

This 100 Spiritual Walking Steps has been all about moving towards God – and being IN the presence of God, IN His Will – is the fullness of Joy. (Neh 8:10)

I said I was trying to bind my will to HIS…but that I also need some work in James 1 – Counting all Joy when encountering trials.

He told me to watch out for the waves!
What waves? I had to go back to James!

James 1:6 But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.

Wow…that smacked me in my face…
I’ve been struggling with this new injury to the old issue of my left ankle.

I told Mark “I feel like I’m seasick!”

I’ve been struggling with the old injury with my hips, the old injury with my lower back, middle back, and neck. I’ve been struggling with the newer injuries of my forearms(stress from walking and mobility devices) and now my elbows and wrists. I’m struggling with more and more medicine and why don’t I have the faith to do without? I’m struggling with daily disciplines that keep me in contact with my Savior. I’m struggling…and yes, I feel like waves keep overtaking me, and knocking me under…and I’m struggling to stay afloat.

Funny thing is, I love to lay on the water and just ride the waves. In fact, my husband was afraid the last time I did that I would be pulled out to sea by the tide. With each wave, I floated farther and farther away from the beach! I was so relaxed, I didn’t care! I told him that we’ll buy a long leash and tie it to my ankle so he can pull me back in!

Chains…we all started with chains that pull us back, pull us down, and keep us from soaring, or riding the waves.

James 1:2-4
Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds,
because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance.
Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.

That passage describes being set free to me.
Mature and complete, not lacking anything!
When Jesus died on the cross – He paid the sin price for me!
When Jesus rose from the dead – He defeated death and sin for me!
When Jesus ascended into Heaven – He became THE advocate for me!
I am set free!
And that is the truth…and the TRUTH shall set ME FREE!

And I don’t know about you, but that makes me want to dance!

It’s a choice…hold on to the chains that USED to describe me…or agree with the one that broke the chains and freed me.

I’m dancin’!!! Sing with me?
Take the shackles off my feet so I can dance….
I just want to praise You!
I just want to praise You!

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!

Battle Plan for Comparison Blues

Battle Plan
An Antidote for Post Conference Blues or any Comparison Blues!

This year I recognized it a bit before going…with the issue of dress, and looks, and expected appearance. After we arrived at home, the blues hit again, and this time, I cried out.

Here is the antidote that God gave me:

Ephe 6:10 (KJS) Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.

Who can be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might? Those that are the saved, called according to His purpose.

1John 5:4 (KJS) For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, [even] our faith. 5 Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?
Luke 10:19 (KJS) Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you.

He kept telling me to wait

(Isai 40:31 (KJS) 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. )

and in meditating on that verse, I also came to:

Psal 27:14 (KJS) Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD.

So, what was I doing? My soul was disquieted…cast down, despairing!

Psal 42:11 (KJS) Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted within me? hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him, [who is] the health of my countenance, and my God.

And God says to me:

Isai 41:10 (KJS) 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.
2Tim 1:7 (KJS) For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.

As an aside, I have been struggling with many health concerns. So, here I have God’s promise to

renew my strength
mount up with wings as eagles
run, not be weary
walk, not faint
strengthen my heart
my countenance shall be healthy through Him
strengthen ME
help ME
uphold me with his right hand
give me power, love and a sound mind

All of these promises spoke to specific items of prayer that I have had, that had burdened me down, causing me to believe that I was not capable of attaining the certain high standard.

I’m going to do this in sections…but God gave me a battle plan that may encourage some of you. Take it one part at a time!

Christi’s Bible Study Page

Graphics by Free Bible Studies

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 – #20 – watch for signs of dehydration

WE NEED WATER!!!
I laid out the seriousness of the need for water in my post “Water, Water, Water!”

I have trouble recognizing that I am losing water.
Oh, the sweat the pours off my body is an irritation, so I just wear a bandana to keep it out of my eyes!

Sweating is a good thing…it cleanses the body…but it also takes the water, AND electrolytes OUT of the body. And the body needs electrolytes and water to keep things in balance!
What are the signs? The University of Arkansas lists these signs:

MILD:

flushed face
very thirsty
weakness
headache
cramping in arms and legs
dry, warm skin(no sweating)
crying with few or no tears
dizziness
small amounts of dark yellow urine

We have been given the water of the Word to keep us hydrated….but here are symptoms of being dehydrated from the water of the word:

flushed face – easily embarrassed by your recent behavior. Ezra 9:6
very thirsty – seeking something – Isaiah 55:1
weakness – from no time in God’s presence – Psalm 6:2
headache – no peace from activities – Psalm 7:16
cramping in arms and legs – No strength to DO for God Eze 7:17
dry, warm skin(no sweating) – life has ebbed away Ez 37:2
crying with few or no tears – no remorse for sins – Eph 4:19
dizziness – playing in multiple playgrounds – James 1:8
small amounts of dark yellow urine – intensify sinful acts – Eph 5:3-5

If not taken care of…dehydration leads to death.

MODERATE TO SEVERE:

FAINTING
SEVERE MUSCLE CRAMPS
BLOATED STOMACH
DEEP AND RAPID BREATHING
POOR SKIN ELASTICITY
SUNKEN EYES
CONVULSIONS

Moderate to severe dehydration includes death. It is best to deal with dehydration when you see the early signs.

If Spiritual Dehydration is not taken care of…it can lead to spiritual death.

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 – #18 – Stop and smell the roses

smell the roses

I was reminded today of a post I wrote about embracing minimalism.

I had started a series at the beginning of the year called the First 100 days.
I was not able to keep up with a blog a day for 100 days. I need to go back and count how many of that series I DID get written.
I quit, because I couldn’t keep up,
I couldn’t keep up because I did not plan well enough for expected events.
The expected events had to do with minimalizing our life!
Very possibly, I should have MINIMALIZED my expectations of being able to write, even while packing(expected), physical therapy(unexpected), and travel(very happy event!).

In the post, The First 100 days – day 63….I wrote about minimalism. I quoted froma book, and recommended a blog post, A Short Guide to Consumer Disobedience..
I seriously need to read that specific blog EVERY DAY.

What does this have to do with stop and smell the roses? Sometimes in our lives, God gives us roses…and we look at them, nod, maybe even take a whiff, but we don’t go back and enjoy them. Days or weeks later, we walk by and notice that all the roses are gone, and wilted, and we wonder about the time we lost. We didn’t lose time, we gave it to something else…not the roses.

A dear friend, Trisch, reminisced about her daughters growing up in her blog “They Grow Up To Fast”. Our children, our relationships and our faith are roses, flowers in our garden of life, and we need to remember, that while we walk along, we need to take time to stop and smell the roses!

Drink from the flowers

I referenced another of Francine Jay’s blogs, “The Year of the Butterfly”.

The small butterfly
moves as though unburdened by
the world of desire

-Haiku by Kobayashi Issa
Today marks the first day of the Chinese New Year, which according to their lunar calendar is the Year of the Rabbit.

Well, I’d like to propose a special New Year for us minimalists: let’s make this the Year of the Butterfly.

Because I was ‘rushing ahead’ on my walk…writing down plenty of stuff about how I am growing…I had missed one of the roses God had given me at the beginning of the year.

“The year of the Butterfly”

A year, where the caterpillar turns into a beautiful Butterfly.
Her reference to her own book, The Joy of Less, A Minimalist Living Guide is a beautiful explaination of being a butterfly in the area of caring for the earth:

“As minsumers, we want to do the opposite. Instead of being bulls, we strive to be butterflies—living as lightly, gracefully, and beautifully as possible. We want to flit through life with little baggage, unencumbered by excess stuff. We want to leave the Earth and its resources whole and intact, as if we alighted just for a moment and barely touched them.”

I find this concept very much in keeping with the Genesis command to care for the earth in Genesis 1&2. In fact, the Bible sort of implies that God created man to till the earth….
Gen 2:5 And every plant of the field before it was in the earth, and every herb of the field before it grew: for the LORD God had not caused it to rain upon the earth, and [there was] not a man to till the ground.
Gen 2:7 And the LORD God formed man [of] the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.

Chief Seattle said “Take only memories, leave only footprints”

As we walk along our path, we have a responsibility to care for what has been given us.
Sometimes, it’s people, and the relationships we have with them
Sometimes it’s beauty – like a rose or a butterfly.
Sometimes it’s wisdom – written in a blog that touches your heart.

This year is not over – so even though I forgot my commitment to make it the Year of the Butterfly…I still have time.
In addition to time before me, I have changed over this year, and I now choose to work on being more like that Butterfly!
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!

Guest Blogger – Trisch – What about Job?

My friend Trisch shared this today, in light of several of us having multiple crises in our lives. I asked if I could put it here…I want to keep this thought around forever! At least, while the internet exists! ~C

I used to wonder how Job did so well then spent 30+ chapters whining!

Almost 7 years ago, when Dallas nearly was killed in his bad accident (caused by a driver on cocaine and marijuana), I found out and understood Job better!

Worship is just what you’re saying, C(another person’s comment). Saying, “I might not understand, I might not like it or feel good, but I believe You are still on the Throne, and although it doesn’t make sense in my world, You have a greater plan and it will be beautiful in Your plan.”

We can’t make sense of things here, because we’re seeing them temporally and through finite eyes. We need His “eyes” to see the Eternal and the infinite. By worship we say I trust You in this.

Just Friday the Lord showed me how I had a small piece of my heart still hardened from one of my miscarriages that was almost 22 years ago. I felt “dead” emotionally. At the time I just thought it was due to the loss, the hormones, etc. It was right before Christmas, 1989, and of course, right before Jessica’s birthday (24th). It seemed that although I got over it and have even asked God’s forgiveness for my bitterness over the years, I reserved a little piece for me–walled it off. Deep down was the “how could God be good when we’ve given Him total control of our fertility and He keeps taking babies to Heaven?” (I’d lost 4 by that point…..little did I know….)

Friday morning I asked Him to show me, why. Why was there this little “dead spot” within me. He had already told me a year ago my struggles were with His Sovereignty, especially since the last miscarriage (almost 3 years ago) and the unexpected death of my mom.

Ladies, when I asked Him that question, I had just been worshiping Him. I have felt Him drawing me more and more into worship. Worship as the main part of my prayer time. Worship before petition, intercession, supplication. Praise and worship. I’m using Psalms, praying one Psalm a day and sometimes even half a one. Really slowing it down!

I read over the names of God in a little booklet I have–several for each day. To remind me of Who He *really* is.

I’ve been giving a lot of things up to Him, my mom being one of them, and I thought I had given all our losses of babies to Him, too. So when I asked Him that question, really wanting to know, really ready to give it all up to Him, that is what He showed me.

“Thou art good, and doest good; teach me Thy statutes.” Psalm 119:68

The night of Dallas’ accident, when I couldn’t go to sleep in the ICU waiting lounge, I read my Bible and this verse stood out.

That is what I told Him when He showed me my heart Friday morning. YOU are good. EVERYTHING You do is GOOD. Whether I understand it, see the reason for it, like it, whatever, I will speak Truth in my heart.

I can’t trust Him if I don’t speak the Truth about Who He is in my heart. That has really come out a
lot in the past week in my quiet time.

When I make the “faith declaration”, as our pastor calls it, it moves His heart. David made a lot of faith declarations when things weren’t exactly going great!

The feelings come later.

I’ve been making these declarations and feeling a bit freer each time, but Friday it was like I realized that *I* was the one holding the chains on! He had already unlocked them….I needed to speak the Truth to my heart that He is trustworthy, even in tragedy, even in losses upon losses…..then I see that I can walk out of this self-made prison and be FREE and ALIVE!

I can’t begin to explain the LIFE I feel in my heart since Friday!

I am not saying I’m perfected now and will never sin again and not trust Him! 😛 I know it is a constant process. Remember Otto Konig? How he thought he’d learned the lesson of the “pineapples” and then he realized that was first grade, and now he was in second grade?! I think that is how it is. We learn it, then another layer is peeled back. We confess, make a faith declaration of trust and worship, another layer peeled back.

I want to deal with the flesh, because I love Him. Not to get anything from Him other than the openness of relationship with Him.

I can’t make anyone else change, but I can worship Him and pray Scripture for them (that way I don’t pray my own will!).

I am realizing that I am to be lifting Him up, and HE does the drawing of all men. So the first place I need to lift Him up is in my own heart–to worship Him.

I am reminded that there is Eternity to live for–there are rewards and glories there that I can’t begin to fathom! I’ve recently gotten tiny, tiny glimpses of the glory that awaits me there–of course Jesus Himself is enough of a reason! But 14 children with Him….losing both my parents before I am even 50 years old…..the accidents, auto-immune disorders, Dad’s disease robbing me of his relationship for 4 years before he died….

“For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory; while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.” 2 Corinthians 4:17-18

Well, I’m rambling, but I thought it interesting that this came up in light of what He’s been showing
me in my own life lately!

~Trisch
Trisch writes a blog called “Never a Dull Moment”
~ I commented to this thread ~

I have found in my experience that every time I fall down and worship, I have the right response to a situation. I may be able to fake a right response sometimes. I have gotten to the point where I am able to say to Jim, when I am ‘out of sorts’ about something, “I need some alone time with Jesus on this one before I say something I might regret.”

“We enter into HIS presence with praise and thanksgiving – and in HIS presence we find the joy and the strength to deal with the world – which definitely IS NOT in His presence!”

Thank you, Trisch!
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 – #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.