Day 5

Jonah 2 (re-written for you to use as a prayer tonight)

“In my distress I called to You Lord,and You  answered me. From deep in the realm of the dead I called for help, and You listened to my cry. But yet, because of my disobedience,You still hurled me into the depths, into the very heart of the seas, and the currents swirled about me; all your waves and breakers swept over me. I said, ‘I have been banished from your sight; yet I will look again" toward your holy temple.’ The engulfing waters threatened me, the deep surrounded me; seaweed was wrapped around my head. To the roots of the mountains I sank down; the earth beneath barred me in forever.
But you, Lord my God brought my life up from the pit.


As you are praying for what it is you are supposed to do for God; don't let shame or guilt of your past or wrong doings keep you from thinking that God could never use you.  That is the work of Satan if you allow that way of thinking keep you from doing what God has planned for your life.

Day 4

 Day 4
So has God spoken to you?

Here is a prayer from James 1 that I wrote...

Oh Lord I need your wisdom,and you say I can ask You for it. Your word says You will give it  generously to all without finding fault.  Lord, You do say though that when I ask   I must believe and not doubt.  Lord you say the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind, Lord I do not want to be that person.  Lord I am expectantly wanting to receive from You my marching orders as to what You want me to do.  Lord I do not want to be a person that  is double-minded and unstable in all I  do. Lord, may I get still before you and listen. Amen

As God is speaking make sure you are listening and obeying....or you might just find out you are more of a double -minded person than you thought. 

Day 3... May I Walk

Day 3

This terrified them and they asked, “What have you done?” (They knew he was running away from the Lord, because he had already told them so.) Jonah 1


When we are praying for God to use us and we run the other way because we don't want to do what He has asked or we think it will "cost" us....

Don't forget all the other people that might get caught up in your aftermath of disobedience.

Day 2...May I Walk

Day 2

Part of this journey will be to pick a day to fast.  Fasting is a time to give up something (food, tv, technology)... No one needs to know what you are doing.... But it is a time that you give up to spend time in specific prayer...getting before your Creator and asking Him to show you what it is that He would have for you to see.  This is also a time to be quiet...ask The Lord to show you and then just listen.

  “When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show others they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face,  so that it will not be obvious to others that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.  Matthew 6


But again you need to be willing to follow through.

Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up James 4

May I walk Day 1

In December my husband spent 4 specific weeks praying and fasting seeking God in 4 different aspects of his life.

For the next 4 weeks if you choose to take the challenge, I will use this blog as a guide.

Week 1 What does God want from me?

Our prayer this week will be:

Lord I am letting go of my preconceived ideas of how I am to serve.  Please open my heart to Your prompting and may I act when You tell me to walk.

Day 1:

The word of the Lord came to Jonah son of Amittai: “Go to the great city of Nineveh and preach against it, because its wickedness has come up before me.” But Jonah ran away from the Lord and headed for Tarshish.  Jonah 1


Just let your thoughts go and start to journal as you read the scripture and pray the prayer

How did I get here?

How'd I get here? I'm a father of two beautiful children, my wife is the most amazing woman I know.  So why? Why do I feel like nothing matters anymore?  How could I have let this happen.  I was so careful.  I knew the warning signs, yet I ignored every single one of them.  Now how  can I be honest with my staff?  I'll have to step down. I'll just walk with my head down.

Shame....Guilt.... 2 of Satan's biggest weapons to get us to give up.

Repentance absolutely love Psalms 51. David wrote this after Nathan came to him about his adultery with Bathsheba

10 Create in me a pure heart, O God,

    and renew a steadfast spirit within me.

11 Do not cast me from your presence

    or take your Holy Spirit from me.

12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation

    and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.

13 Then I will teach transgressors your ways,

    so that sinners will turn back to you.

14 Deliver me from the guilt of bloodshed, O God,

    you who are God my Savior,

    and my tongue will sing of your righteousness.

15 Open my lips, Lord,

    and my mouth will declare your praise.

16 You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it;

    you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings.

17 My sacrifice, O God, is a broken spirit;

    a broken and contrite heart

    you, God, will not despise.  

Don't let Satan use shame and guilt to keep you from seeking the forgiveness that God will extend to a repentant heart and life.

Put on your happy face ...we're going to church

As she walked down the sidewalk the sounds of vehicles engines permeated the arctic blast that found its way to the South.  Hurrying across the street she contemplated a tall, decaf, peppermint soy mocha, but as she walked up to  the door she second guessed herself.  What would he say? Would he ask why she felt the need to spend $5 on that stupid drink?  

The two boys were still sitting outside on the sidewalk trying to get people to say hi or at least smile.  She didn't feel like smiling. She felt like screaming. Tomorrow was church and she would have put on her happy, everything is ok face.


If you happen to read this before you go to church in the morning.... Watch for this girl... She may be 15, 25 or 55....

Romans 12...don't just pretend to love others...really love them.  

Church is to be a safe place.  Ask God to make you aware of your surroundings and watch for the hurting people that are sitting in the pew next to you. Pray for them and maybe, just maybe through your touch tomorrow they will feel the presence of The Lord.

Ask God to use you.  

10x10 and Orange

He walked into the room months ago angry.  Angry at the Sgt. For not putting him on the roster sooner. I apologized and said it was my fault, I  was trying a new system. He sat in the back row arms folded, which sent the message " I'm here,but not here, because I am mad at you.

As a couple more classes passed his arm folding became less and less.

Fast forward to yesterday. He walked in, still in the same orange jumpsuit he's had on for months, but today he sat on the front row.  The class was full of men in the same orange jumpsuits. They had all came in single file with different cares on their shoulders but soon the walls they had built would come crashing down.

I started to speak.  Asking how their week had been? Some may think that was a rhetorical question seeing they found themselves living in a 10x10 grey cinder blocked room.

Then I asked the question:  finish this sentence....if I asked your friends who or what you are what adjectives would they say?

After a few moments of silence, faces buried in their books, words being written, then erased, then more words written... I asked the second question...who or what do you say you are....what adjectives would you use to describe yourself?

The young man looks up and asks..."what if I'm all bad? I don't have any good words".

I told him just to be honest with himself.  A few moment later as I am addressing the whole class with this question... What happened in your past to make you who you are today?

I jump as I hear the book being slammed down on the table.  His voice as confidently as he can speak says "I can't, I can't do this now".  His body is shaking with anger... But I've seen this shake before.  He wants to let it out but he can't.. It's not manly to...  I walk over to him studying his mannerisms and watching for any detail that may say "get him out of here before he explodes".

Even this man who has tattooed himself, along with the tear drop tattoo by his eye is hurt by his past and wants a hope for a better future.

As I stand next to him getting ready to speak, he says " I'll be ok, I'll just listen".  And back to arms being folded.

As gently as I can without sounding condescending, I ask him to just breathe and let it out.  Just breathe, I say.

Just breathe... What was I thinking?  Well crisis diverted and the rest of the class was awesome.  We talked about our past and a new future.  I even say "you know God makes no junk".  A couple of the new guys look at each other and I  hear "hey, thats good write that down". Then I paraphrase Ephesians 2:10.... We are Gods masterpiece, created to do good things.. And before you were even born He had that all planned out.  I go on to say, but this and I point to the cinder blocked room with no windows.... This was not it.  So what are you going to do about changing and getting back on track with what God wants to do with your life?"  

We then finish the session with an  action plan on how we were going to get there.  I am honest with who I am, my struggles, my own self- sabotage and self doubt.

90 minutes is over and class is done.  Master control tells me hallway is clear and ready for male movement.  As I stand at the door telling everyone see you next week, there he stands, a foot from me apologizing, wiping tears from his eyes.

I speak to him just as I would if I had a son, "it's ok to cry, it's ok to have feelings.  You don't always have to be tough".

What is it that you are still holding onto, that is holding you back from the life God wants for you?

Do you continue to wrap yourself around the tree?

Today, while teaching I used the following analogy to explain the cycle of letting life happen.  Pretend you are a dog tied to a tree. There is a squirrel that knows exactly where your rope ends, so he stays just to the outside of your reach but gets you to start going in circles and you get wrapped around the tree.  Now your owner sees that you are wrapped around the tree and comes to untangle you. Round and round you go.

You lay there minding your own business and once again the squirrel comes and gets you to start the chase again and before you know it you are right back against the trunk of the tree, stuck. Your owner, seeing you are stuck, once again comes and gets you untangled from the tree.

It's not until your owner actually leaves you wrapped around the tree for a while, will you be receptive to CHANGE.


And if you want change bad enough, answer these two questions and then make the necessary changes.

What is your squirrel?

And who is it in your life that makes those excuses for you and gets you "untangled"?

I Wanna Do It

"I wanna do it".

"I do it all by myself"

These are statements made by 2,3 and 4 year old as they get older and want to attempt simple acts like getting dressed or even feeding themselves.

When dealing with a group of people that my husband in his seminars* calls the "don'ts", we treat them as the "cant's" (another phrase my husband uses in his seminars).

Let me explain.

As your child grows up, you go from dressing them (because they CAN'T), to teaching them to dress themselves. "Left arm, right arm, left foot, right foot." Slowly you raise your child to become a  productive member of society.

Sometimes as parents we think its faster and easier just to do it for ourselves instead of allowing a child to finish a task we asked them to do, (this creates the group called WONT'S).

The challenge comes when we take this mentality into working with the population group called "DONT'S.

 "Relationship building" takes time, instead we just "DO".  We then make people, who really want to be taught, feel like charity cases, so therefore they become a "won't", because we do a good job at just giving instead of investing.

So next time you want want to give money or gifts....ask yourself... "What if I invested in this person through a relationship, would they be able to help themselves?"  If the answer is yes....then ask God what would he rather you do....walk with this person, or continue to throw money at the person?  Because your answer if you are a Christian comes with answering what would Jesus do?

Consider joining us this Saturday to become an accountability partner for a man, woman, or teen.... Who wants a relationship that is healthy to walk with them as they break free from destructive life cycles.

***for more information about the seminar called "Breaking the Broken" please contact Rob@atghope.org****

The victim is not the only victim

About 4 years ago the economy was not so hot and things were changing in the non- profit world. Rob, my husband, wanting to provide for the family took a part- time job at a little family owned pizzeria.  It didn't pay a lot but every little bit helped. In about 2 months time he was managing the restaurant. Then January 20th 2011, while eating lunch, he gets the phone call that no husband wants to get.... I call him and say " honey, I've been mugged, and you need to cancel my phone". At this point I had 2 phones one for personal and one for work. We hang up, and he calls back.  Do I not need to cancel anything else? Nope, I said.  Just my cell phone.   Not making sense, he calls a friend who works around the corner to come check on me.  The friend gets there as I am being taken to the hospital in the back of an ambulance.

Nothing in life can prepare you for a phone call of:  I'm sorry..... Or, honey....are you sitting down....

I'm not going to give you any scriptures to be able to say to a friend or family member.  What I want to share is the forgotten person in all this mess....the spouse.

When people would see us who knew what happened, they would instantly ask how I was?  But the silent killer in this is for the other person.  The emotions that they are flooded with.  The, if only I had been there.  The why God?  The going over and over in your head, how could I have changed this so she did not get hurt.

How do you minister to the other person without emotions adding fuel to the fire, of let's get revenge or let's go make them pay.  How do you minister in someone else's pain, especially if that other person is a male?

The male will become the caretaker or the major workaholic. He will drown his emotions to make sure his wife is taken care of.  He will also drown his emotions so she doesn't have added guilt of doing something wrong. But how long until these unaddressed emotions become anger, guilt, madness?

So how to minister to a male in this time.   Don't open your mouth and say, well you know she never should have been down there in the first place.  Or well you know God's got a plan.   Wrong answers just saying.

First the male will not leave the women's side, so if you plan on taking the male somewhere, you had better bring a female companion for the women.  Or you can just show up to watch football, NASCAR, basketball, baseball, or hockey.

The biggest thing is showing up and saying, " I'm here if you want to talk, I DON'T  know how you are feeling, because this has never happened to me, but just know, I am here".

When you are in tragedy you do not wanting someone who has read books, or helped others going through something similar to say " I know what you are going through".... Unless you have been through the exact same thing you can't even imagine.  So the best advice is to actually show up and do something normal.   Not showing up or not even making a call, shows you don't care in the eyes of the person.   You may think, "lets give them space", but what they need more than anything is to know, they aren't alone.

Now fast forward to 3 years later.  God in His infinite wisdom did 2 things: 1) cancelled all my classes including the Nashville class and 2) our manager was put on kind of a bed rest on Sunday not to return to work til Wednesday....so I was not only able to, but now had to go to the store and work side by side with my husband.  Which is what he needed because even 3 years later, he thinks, what could I have done differently, and grateful it didn't turn out worse.

I hope this helps you remember the other party in the story of someone becoming a victim.... Because they both become victims in different ways.  So as Christians love them well, just leave the scripture verses at home.

And remember even trauma causes grief and triggers come at the most in opportune time.  

Celebrate Freedom

Everything in time can be measured by Pre or Post.  For me today is one of those days... 3 years ago is a day that changed my life. And I think it is ironic that this year it falls on a very celebrated day, MLK day.

Three years ago started just like today. I got up, got my coffee, was reading my Bible and got ready for work. What I did not know that in just a few short hours life would take a turn that would shake my very core.  It would make me question why I was doing the things I was doing.  Did I care or not to ever help another person, especially in the community I was in, to ever see their self worth as something different or just say "screw you and good luck with that".

Many of you know my story and my journey.  Today, 3 years ago at 11:29am I was beaten up by a lone African American male.  He had no special features of tattoos nor did he smell of cologne nor smoke.  He was just there.  He was never caught.  He still runs the streets and I still have to daily deal with the decision I made to go back and still teach self worth and you can make something of yourself.

Many say I am nuts.  They say they would have quit.

I can't tell you how many times I have wondered "why"? Why do I care.  Then I get told things like:

"Your a good all around teacher, and you make the Bible make sense".- county male inmate 2012

"Because of your class, I have given my life to Christ"- State male inmate 2012

"When I get out I want you to help me start talking to the youth, so they don't make the same mistakes I did" - County inmate 2012

Why do I write those quotes.... Because based upon the description of the man who beat me up and left me with NO FEELING still to this day in my face.... 2 out of 3 could be him.

I have to deal with the fact that at any given time this man could come up to me in a class and say "it was me".

Also last week that percentage increased seeing we started classes in DCSO, the same county where the attack to place, Davidson County.

So why do I do this, it's definitely not for the pay, because I do not get a paycheck.
I do this because Satan meant for this to be bad, BUT God....is using it for good.   And at the time, I definitely did not want to hear scripture from well meaning Christians: "well you know, all things work together for those who love Him". Then in the next breath "I can't believe you are going back to teach".

But if you know my life verse and put it with 3 more verses you will know why I go back.

My life verse is:

For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago. Ephesians 2:10

Now put that with these scriptures:

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose Romans 8:28

But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth Acts 1:8

The hardest thing I had to deal with a year later was to realize that it could happen again and again and again, BUT God gave me Acts 1:8 on New Years 2012 and said re- read and study that word "witness".  So I did and it means "martyr, up to death".
I realized that by freeing men, women and youth from the bondage of Satan, meant I had a bulls-eye on my back.  Are you a threat to the work of Satan?

Then we have the Great Commission

Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,  and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.    Matthew 28: 19-20

So today as I celebrate being alive and being given the opportunity to serve God even more...

What is it that God is asking of you, but you are allowing fear to stop you, because it might get messy?



 

Lie, cheat, disrespect

This morning I saw a post that said:

Being single is much better than being 

lied to

Cheated on

And disrespected

That post made me say "thank you to my creator".  Because on a daily basis IF we are honest with ourselves we

Lie

Cheat

And disrespect Him

How do we lie?
We go to church on Sunday and have a great time and during communion we say "yes God this week will be better.... I will rely on you for strength to say no to my sinful desires that still hold me in bondage and yes to more time in the Word with You Lord guiding me"

And Monday night comes, the phone rings, and you hear God saying, " you promised it would be You and me tonight". Looking at your Bible sitting next to the chair, you whisper, later....you don't understand I've been waiting for this________________ for a long time.   You close the door and walk away, and into.....

CHEATING!

The desires of me are so strong when I am going it alone.  I know Lord I said, no more clothes, no more make up, no more buying ___________ to make me feel good, but God, don't you understand how good this will make me feel......

How is this cheating?  Anything we put before God to find our self worth....is an idol.... And that is a no no...

DISRESPECT

God made you and me.  We disrespect HIM and HIS love for us when we try EVERYTHING: sex, drugs, money, clothes, cars, houses,work, ________________, for our happiness.

But why do I have to say thank you even though I do these things: because HE still would rather be in relationship with me than be single.

 
Now here is the disclaimer:

God blatantly asks that when we choose to become a follower that we do some heart change.  So these things: lying, cheating and being disrespectful are no longer a lifestyle. We do not choose to live this way any longer because we have a new focus.  But as I have said before Satan and sin is beautiful, it has to be, to be enticing, BUT the aftermath is not so pretty. So remember this:

Romans 12:2 don't copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. 

Pride?

Tonights blog is actually very short and sweet or may be hard to swallow... We all have our favorite verses here is a well known one:

1 Corinthians 10:13 is a well known scripture that we quote, The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure

Now look at the verse prior:  look at verse 12
If you think you are standing strong, be careful not to fall.

Pride is a huge mountain to fall off of.

He Chose Me...

I remember being a young girl and picking up  wild Daisy flowers and picking the petals one by one...he loves, he loves me not, he loves me, he loves me not....
As I was driving myself to work yesterday morning I was looking at all God had made and done, I was reminded...He Chose me.

I did not choose God in the beginning, but He in His infinite wisdom, wooed me and called me.....He chose me....

Ephesians 1:4-5 Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes. God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure.

Ephesians 1:13-14 And now you Gentiles have also heard the truth, the Good News that God saves you. And when you believed in Christ, he identified you as his own by giving you the Holy Spirit, whom he promised long ago.  The Spirit is God’s guarantee that he will give us the inheritance he promised and that he has purchased us to be his own people. He did this so we would praise and glorify him


But I had a job to do in this...I had to accept the proposal:

Romans 10: 9-10 If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.  For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by confessing with your mouth that you are saved.


Is God choosing you today? Is He asking you to make a commitment for the first time? Or  a commitment to go deeper in your walk with Him?

Talk to Him....He's real easy to talk to...I promise.

I don't care just love me

There was something about her that made me gravitate towards her.  Maybe it was the way she walked into the room: earbuds in trying not to care that she was different on the inside, or so she thought.

She had been thrown our like the trash by her mom and a return to sender label stuck to her forehead.

No one loves me- no one cares about me. I can't wait til I'm 18 and I can do what I want.

As the class bell rang; introductions were made, I started to speak.  For the next 45 minutes I spoke of my childhood, my low self- esteem, the meeting of my husband and how he became the person in my life that showed me how to make life happen instead of letting life happen.

The bell rang and the class got up to leave except for one.

The tears that were brimming threatening to break down the Dam, had now been open by the Army Corp of Engineers and the tears were flowing freely.

The low self-esteem with the need to be loved was a recipe for disaster. As she spoke, I realized the earbuds and "I am tough, don't care" attitude she came in with was just a wall of protection to get through the day. 

The bad part for me: I can only show her Gods kindness, love through actions.

I can't tell her that that emptiness, that void can only be filled by God.

We all want to be loved, needed, respected, fulfilled.

The problem is if our self- esteem and or self- confidence are low we will take whatever comes our way.

It's the old parenting adage, even negative attention is better than no attention at all.

God reminded me of this today:  if you are a believer in Christ....show love, you don't always have to have a scripture to back it up.

Preach the Gospel at all times, use words if necessary.

  --  Saint Francis of Assisi 

Who's influencing You?

As I was teaching yesterday I asked the classes to  pick who influenced them: family or friends and write their names down.  Then I asked them to write down the good
and the bad characteristics of everyone they wrote down.

I asked them them why they thought that mattered in a career and leadership.

As most high schoolers do...they just looked at me like I had 2 heads.

I then proceeded to tell them that the people they are around will influence who they
become if they don't know who they are in the first place.

We then talked about the fact that many people think that if they can just leave this
place or that place; if they could get a better job, if their kids would just behave....

Well it all starts with YOU.

I tell people during teaching if they want to move somewhere or do something different they first need to make sure they are not running away from something but yet to something. They also need to be clear with why they are running to something, but as we delve into it we find that they are still running away
but the issue is that the very thing they are running away from is the very thing you
always take with you.....it's YOU.

So back to influencing... Who's influencing you and do you even know who you are and
do you even care?

Example my oldest daughter....I could tell every time she got new friends.... How? She
changed her music.

What is it that you change every time you have a new influence come into your life?

Know what you believe

Ephesians 4:11-14. So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists the pastors and teachers, to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of 
Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the 
Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of 
Christ. Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and
blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and 
craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming.

and who you are or.....you might just find yourself caught up in:

2 Timothy 4: 3 For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. 
Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of 
teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear

Now back to the YOU  part.... You always take you with you...so you can change the
outward appearance, (new clothes, new hair style), but until you change the heart....

Proverbs 27:19 

As a face is reflected in water, so the heart reflects the real person.

Shame on....

People who are Christians use pat answers, take scripture out of context to make their point.  But they also use scripture to shame you.

I wasn't a bad kid or a bad teen mom, but it just seemed that I was constantly given the label " not good enough".

The shame that came from being looked at differently from church people when they did the math in their heads and realized I was pregnant on the day of our wedding, ( I'll save you the suspense, I was 5 months along). 

Now, not being a bad person: but yet it always seemed church people were saying" well you know the bible says, you're not supposed to have sex before marriage, you're not supposed to do this or that".

I think it's funny that I never heard this part of the scripture:

1 Corinthians 5:9-11

When I wrote to you before, I told you not to associate with people who indulge in sexual sin.  But I wasn’t talking about unbelievers who indulge in sexual sin, or are greedy, or cheat people, or worship idols. You would have to leave this world to avoid people like that. I meant that you are not to associate with anyone who claims to be a believer  yet indulges in sexual sin, or is greedy, or worships idols, or is abusive, or is a drunkard, or cheats people. Don’t even eat with such people.

So my charge to you today is to re-look  at your life ( if you call yourself a Christian)with the backdrop of 1 Corinthians before you shame a non- believer for the things they do.

Y.O.U.

God made you and made me. He made us with unique qualities.  Yesterday I wrote about labels and if you have read all 12 of these blogs this year you will have also seen, I was trying to fit into a "mold"; a label, a way of living.  I wanted to be prim and proper because I thought that was what it meant to be a Christian. Then I thought I needed to be quiet and submissive because the Bible said in

Ephesians 5:22-24 and this was the only part that was being preached:

 Wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands as you do to the Lord.

Not only was it the only  part of the verse that was being preached, but it was being  proclaimed loudly from the pulpit.  Being a new Christian at the time I thought " ok, well he's the preacher and he knows what God is saying so I guess I had better obey".  And this preacher was preaching that submit meant "women, be quiet, do what your husband says even if it means losing yourself". Well this is a recipe for disaster and in some homes, especially if the man of the house is abusive, controlling and not reading the rest of the verse,this can end up with awful consequences.  Now for the rest of the verse which says....

For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior.  Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything

So first things first Christ and His ways are to be followed.  And I am going to tell you that men are the head of the house but in our house for smaller issues and things, my husband knew I was better suited to do certain things, but when big decisions were to be made my husband was and is the final authority.  Why do I not have a problem with being submissive today?  Because we are walking the whole verse as husband and wife. The rest of the verses go on to say:

Ephesians 5:25-33

Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her  to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word,  and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless.  In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself.  After all, no one ever hated their own body, but they feed and care for their body, just as Christ does the church—  for we are members of his body. “For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.” This is a profound mystery—but I am talking about Christ and the church.  However, each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband.

  

Now back to your uniqueness.  God made YOU...Your Own Uniqueness.  So don't try to fit into a mold, don't try to be someone else, Be Yourself.  And remember that God makes NO JUNK; my paraphrase to Ephesians 2:10

For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do

Before we end I want you to also embrace where God has you in your local church serving.

1 Corinthians 12:15-20

Now if the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason stop being part of the body.  And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason stop being part of the body.  If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? But in fact God has placed the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be.  If they were all one part, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, but one body

And if you aren't serving in your local body of believers  then ask God what He has for you and what you are supposed to be doing. 

Labels

Labels?
This has been a constant theme running through my head since before the New Year.

Starting a New Year with resolutions it's easy to start the mental process of Who am I?

So I started a list of my labels that I wear now, and very quickly I came up with over 20.   Reading over my list I realized that I let some of the negative ones define me more than the good. I also realized that some of these labels have been put on me by others.

But I also realize that I let people put labels on me especially negative ones if my self- esteem is not where it needed to be.

So very quickly make a list of labels that you carry around. The labels that you are carrying around are they good, bad, depends on the minute?

But I need you to hear me...there is only ONE label...read that again...there is only ONE label that matters.
The rest of the labels need to be filtered through this label...

That label is "Child of God" or some may have written "son/daughter of the King".  

1 John 3:1-3 See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him.  Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when Christ appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is.  All who have this hope in him purify themselves, just as he is pure.

So your job this week is to rid yourself of allowing the labels you have allowed or even placed on yourself, and work on allowing the label "child of God" define who you are and what you are about.

If you see me do you see HIM

Today Mark 5 will be our scripture. 

They went across the lake to the region of the Gerasenes. When Jesus got out of the boat, a man with an impure spirit came from the tombs to meet him. This man lived in the tombs, and no one could bind him anymore, not even with a chain. For he had often been chained hand and foot, but he tore the chains apart and broke the irons on his feet. No one was strong enough to subdue him. Night and day among the tombs and in the hills he would cry out and cut himself with stones.

When he saw Jesus from a distance, he ran and fell on his knees in front of him.  He shouted at the top of his voice, “What do you want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? In God’s name don’t torture me!” For Jesus had said to him, “Come out of this man, you impure spirit!”Then Jesus asked him, “What is your name?”

“My name is Legion,” he replied, “for we are many.” And he begged Jesus again and again not to send them out of the area.A large herd of pigs was feeding on the nearby hillside. The demons begged Jesus, “Send us among the pigs; allow us to go into them.”  He gave them permission, and the impure spirits came out and went into the pigs. The herd, about two thousand in number, rushed down the steep bank into the lake and were drowned.

 Those tending the pigs ran off and reported this in the town and countryside, and the people went out to see what had happened.  When they came to Jesus, they saw the man who had been possessed by the legion of demons, sitting there, dressed and in his right mind; and they were afraid. Those who had seen it told the people what had happened to the demon-possessed man—and told about the pigs as well. Then the people began to plead with Jesus to leave their region. As Jesus was getting into the boat, the man who had been demon-possessed begged to go with him. Jesus did not let him, but said, “Go home to your own people and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you.” So the man went away and began to tell in the Decapolis how much Jesus had done for him. And all the people were amazed.

So what's in this for us:

What has Jesus done for you? Has he taken away an addiction? Changed your attitude about yourself so you don't keep getting into abusive relationships? Or for right now in your walk with The Lord, all you can say is that He has entered your heart and you will spend eternity with Him because He died to take away your sin. 

Wherever you are in your walk....new or old.... What have you done with what He has done for you?

The man who HAD been demon-possessed wanted to go with Jesus....but what was Jesus's response: As Jesus was getting into the boat, the man who had been demon-possessed begged to go with him. Jesus did not let him, but said, “Go home to your own people and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you.

Jesus said "I need for you to go back to town and show and tell".  Why? The answer is a few verses back: Those who had seen it told the people what had happened to the demon-possessed man—and told about the pigs as well. Then the people began to plead with Jesus to leave their region.

The townspeople were scared and didn't want Jesus in their town. But Jesus knew they needed what He had to offer, so he left a person who could testify as to what Jesus had done for him.

Do you testify?  Is your life a living,walking testimony or

1)    Are you hiding your faith because you are afraid what people will say?

2)    Are you walking around defeated because God answered part of your prayer but not all or not as you wanted it to be answered...so you are angry?

If God has done ANYTHING for you...just even one little thing....then you need to be like this man that Jesus left in his town to testify.

My Name is Desire?

Today we are going to break down The beginning of James 1

Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds,

Ok stop there:  consider it JOY when we face trials of many kinds?
What kind of trials have you been facing lately?  Health, monetary, children, work, relationships?

because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.  Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.

Not lacking anything.... This does NOT mean you will instantly be a millionaire and no longer have issues in life, but God will be your focal point not the issue. You will be mature in your faith to handle it as God would have you.


If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind.  That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all they do.

Believers in humble circumstances ought to take pride in their high position.  But the rich should take pride in their humiliation—since they will pass away like a wild flower.  For the sun rises with scorching heat and withers the plant; its blossom falls and its beauty is destroyed. In the same way, the rich will fade away even while they go about their business.

Think about someone who is so worried about their wealth... They have their life, their identity, tied up in the stock market.  It says here the rich will fade away even while they go about their business.  Thinking about the fluctuation of the stock market on a daily basis...do you get the picture.

 Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him.

Your reward for standing firm is...the crown of life, eternal life, HEAVEN.

But we are still human and make mistakes so when things don't go as plan as you are trying to produce a new life....don't say:


 When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; but each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.

Do you see the natural progression as to how people walk away from God.... It starts with us continuing to want our desires and not God's.  Desire turns into SIN and then DEATH.  And this death can be physical or eternal or both.

Don’t be deceived, my dear brothers and sisters.

Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of all he created.

People and things on earth change....God does NOT change nor does His word.
So as you look at your day, week,and future....what desire is it that you need to look at  before it turns into full-fledged sin.

Daily To Do List

Now that we have looked at Exodus as "does your face light up".... Lets look at just a couple of verses that can help us get started on the right track.

Romans 12:1&2  And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him.

Ok so that's verse one..I PLEAD with you to give your bodies to God because all HE has done for you.....

What has God done for you?

That is the first and most important question, because if you think God has done NOTHING for you then we have a bigger issue that we need to deal with.

Secondly let them be a LIVING and Holy sacrifice...

We are to be a DAILY living, holy sacrifice to God...not just on  Sunday.

Now how do we do that?  In verse 2 you find that answer.

2 Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.

So what are the customs of this world that you are following?  Are they taking you farther away from where God wants you to be?  Are you listening to people who like the serpent in Genesis 3 are saying

 He said to the woman, “Did God really say,...."

And here found in Galatians 5 you will find a list of the acts of the flesh:

The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery;  idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions  and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.

But those who are walking by the Spirit of God.... James 1 says

 My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry,  because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires. Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you.

Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.  Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror  and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like.  But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it—not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it—they will be blessed in what they do. Those who consider themselves religious and yet do not keep a tight rein on their tongues deceive themselves, and their religion is worthless. Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.

So what is it that God is working on you about?  What is it that He is asking to you change to start living a life that more reflects HIS IMAGE on a daily basis? 

Does your face light up when He speaks?

Church-church became a part of the schedule. Just like work. Kids sports,or doctors
appointments, we blocked out the times when we were supposed to be I side the
building doing church.

This became the norm for many years. Sunday morning, Sunday night, Wednesday,
Tuesday Morning Bible Study, Monday night, and don't forget life groups. BUT the rest
of our time was ours, we only had to get our Bibles out during Church times.

This went on until 2002, when I finally had heard enough sermons about what Jesus
would and would not be doing if he were here on earth. Enough sermons about how
Jesus would not be caught dead in our churches today, yet we continued to build bigger
better looking churches with more technology to keep up with the "church next door".

That was my turning point that there had to be more to church than the social time it had
become. Great music, especially living in Nashville- you never knew who would be on
stage singing, playing keyboards, guitar or the drums, or who was sitting in the row next
to you.
Dynamic preachers, ministers, and teachers....who could fire you up to do
something but when you asked " then what's the follow through"? Everything had to do
with making the inside of the church run more smoothly. Don't get me wrong there is a
need for children's programming, youth programming, etc...BUT follow through for
Sunday at 2pm thru next Sunday morning at 9am?

Once again I didn't fit in to church. Once again I was searching to be more like what
Jesus would be doing if he were here.
That led me to ask, no BEG my husband to lead us Spiritually, and lead us he did.

As he started learning, he was so excited about what the scriptures had to say but yet
he was getting more and more upset with the way we were living. We had walked away
from the Holiness, the pure awe of who God was. The awe that was so blinding that
when Moses came down from the mountain after his encounter with God he had to put
a veil over his face.

Today we are going to look at that encounter:

Exodus 34

Then the Lord told Moses, “Chisel out two stone tablets like the first ones. I will write on 

them the same words that were on the tablets you smashed. Be ready in the morning 

to climb up Mount Sinai and present yourself to me on the top of the mountain. No one 

else may come with you. In fact, no one is to appear anywhere on the mountain. Do not 

even let the flocks or herds graze near the mountain.” So Moses chiseled out two tablets of stone like the first ones. Early in the morning he climbed Mount Sinai as the 

Lord had commanded him, and he carried the two stone tablets in his hands.

Then the Lord came down in a cloud and stood there with him; and he called out his 

own name, Yahweh.The Lord passed in front of Moses, calling out,

“Yahweh! The Lord! The God of compassion and mercy! I am slow to anger and filled 

with unfailing love and faithfulness.I lavish unfailing love to a thousand generations.

I forgive iniquity, rebellion, and sin.But I do not excuse the guilty. I lay the sins of the 

parents upon their children and grandchildren; the entire family is affected—

 even children in the third and fourth generations.” Moses immediately threw himself to 

the ground and worshiped. 

So stop there for just a second: when we get before God today do we expect Him to 

show up to the point where we throw ourselves on the ground and worship?

Watch what God says he will do.....but then watch what he tells us NEVER to do.

And he said, “O Lord, if it is true that I have found favor with you, then please travel with

us. Yes, this is a stubborn and rebellious people, but please forgive our iniquity and our 

sins. Claim us as your own special possession.” The Lord replied, “Listen, I am making 

a covenant with you in the presence of all your people. I will perform miracles that have 

never been performed anywhere in all the earth or in any nation. And all the people 

around you will see the power of the Lord—the awesome power I will display for you. 

But listen carefully to everything I command you today. Then I will go ahead of you and 

drive out the Amorites, Canaanites, Hittites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites.

 “Be very careful never to make a treaty with the people who live in the land where you 

are going. If you do, you will follow their evil ways and be trapped. Instead, you must 

break down their pagan altars, smash their sacred pillars, and cut down their Asherah 

poles. You must worship no other gods, for the Lord, whose very name is Jealous, is a 

God who is jealous about his relationship with you.

 “You must not make a treaty of any kind with the people living in the land. They lust 

after their gods, offering sacrifices to them. They will invite you to join them in their 

sacrificial meals, and you will go with them. Then you will accept their daughters, who 

sacrifice to other gods, as wives for your sons. And they will seduce your sons to 

commit adultery against me by worshiping other gods. You must not make any gods of 

molten metal for yourselves.

Now that you have read that is there a part of your life that you need to get right before 

God? You see we want the blessing of God but we don't want the rules He set up. 

Sorry but you have to have them together because God said.

29 When Moses came down Mount Sinai carrying the two stone tablets inscribed with 

the terms of the covenant,he wasn’t aware that his face had become radiant because 

he had spoken to the Lord. So when Aaron and the people of Israel saw the radiance of

Moses’ face, they were afraid to come near him. But Moses called out to them and 

asked Aaron and all the leaders of the community to come over, and he talked with 

them. Then all the people of Israel approached him, and Moses gave them all the 

instructions the Lord had given him on Mount Sinai. When Moses finished speaking with

them, he covered his face with a veil. But whenever he went into the Tent of Meeting to 

speak with the Lord, he would remove the veil until he came out again. Then he would 

give the people whatever instructions the Lord had given him, and the people of Israel 

would see the radiant glow of his face. So he would put the veil over his face until he 

returned to speak with the Lord.

Now I know that God may not show up like he did on the mountain.... But have you ever

seen someone's face light up when they talk about the fact that they have been with 

someone they really like, have an infatuation for or are in love with? 

That is the face you should have when you talk about your time with, your love for 

Yahweh,Jehovah, the Lord.