Declutter

I enjoyed cleaning out our spare room today. The girls are coming home in a couple weeks and I have to make room for their storage. It is good to go through all the stuff that I tend to just shove in that space. It makes me think about all the stuff in my past that I just shove back and think I will get to later. I am comforted by Paul's words to forget that which is behind and to press forward. The past is good if we remember it is the past. God takes us from that past and moves us forward. He doesn't leave us in the space we are in. He does what I did in that spare room today. He takes out the garbage. It is not that we forget the past, even though that is the word Paul uses. We still remember it. It is just that God tells us that He removes the garbage. I kept things. I kept what is useful. I kept good memories, pictures and a treasured book or two. I kept important papers. God keeps things too. He keeps our gifts for us to use. He keeps the memories of how He has worked in our lives. He keeps His word that we have stored in us. What He gets rid of is that which is of no use or is garbage. He does not do this unless we cooperate with Him in the process. We often opt out, choosing to keep things that are useless, sinful, or painful memories. It is those very things that Paul wants us to reckon gone. He wants us to picture them as finished and over and then to have us press forward and use the good things we have left. After getting rid of clutter and garbage my room looks nicer and I have room to work and enjoy the space. God calls us to clean out our past and go forward. My house is calling me to do likewise.

Battle

Life is a battle. Tonight I heard about 3 young kids who are sleeping in cars out of just one teacher's classroom. 3. 3 kids who don't feel safe, battle fear, perhaps hunger, and who question the future. Tonight I sat in a room of great kids and had to hear them tell me they aren't quite ready to serve God. Tonight a dear friend was struggling. Tonight I know that someone I am learning to love is struggling with a huge adjustment in her life. Tonight I am going through my own personal battle. I felt the warfare all around me tonight. I felt the enemy as he tries to take us, snatch us and our children, fill us with doubt and despair. I felt it and went to the prayer room because God is bigger than the enemy. I am going to pray for these young kids and who knows how many more that are like them. I am going to pray for my small group like never before because time catches us to everyone and the moment of salvation is now. I am going to pray for my dear sisters because I love them. I am going to take my struggle to the Lord. All around us a war is waging. Have you entered the battle or are you content on the sidelines watching. Are you struggling with your fellow soldiers or are you ready to lead a batallion. I am weary but ready. God is stronger than my weariness and his power is make perfect in my weakness. I am plenty weak so I know he can use me as a soldier. Please enter the battle, you are all needed. There is a lost and dying world at stake and wounded soldiers who could use your help and encouragement. Press on, never surrender.

Close your Mind (A Little)

I loved our Pastor's sermon on temptation yesterday. It was relevant to everyone. One part that I especially loved was when he talked about not watching programs that talk about Christianity from a skeptics viewpoint. I have done some of that this year, reading debates between believers and non-believers about evolution and the existence of God. I have to tell you, it is dangerous. It opens up little places of doubt in you about what you believe. When you have truth, study truth. The Bible tells us to be students of the Word for a reason. When you study what is true it becomes alive in your spirit. When you read what is false, done logically, it opens up doubt that God never meant for us to wrestle with. The Bible says that when we come to Him we must believe that He is who He says He is and that He will do what He says that He will do! Amen! When you study the truth it is truth that grows in our hearts. When we study falsehood, doubt will creep in. I am making it a point to reject that which isn't true. I will live my life a little close minded. Being open minded can be a tool of the enemy. Not about everything, of course, but about God. My mind is made up and it is closed to other competitors!

Deep Waters

"Agree together, my friends, to follow my example. You have us for a model; watch those whose way of life conforms to it. For, as I have often told you, and now tell you with tears in my eyes, there are many whose way of life makes them enemies of the cross of Christ. They are heading for destruction, appetite is their god, and they glory in their shame. Their minds are set on earthly things. We, by contrast, are citizens of heaven, and from heaven we expect our deliverer to come, the Lord Jesus Christ." Philippians 3: 17-20

You have to be careful today, dear brothers and sisters. Not everyone who calls themselves a believer is conforming in life to Christ. In this day, those who are not focused and passionate about God are being attacked and they are falling. Many is the believer whose life is about earthly things, and not set on our God. You must be careful who your example is. You must watch who you pattern your life after.I want to be able to say with Paul, "Follow my example." I know I have said this before but it is something I am most passionate about.

I am wading through deep waters. The waves of life's trial dash so high there are times I think
I might sink, but it is in those moments that I feel the hand of God gripping me and holding me tightly.

I expect my deliverer to come to my rescue. I know and wait expectantly for God to work. This is what I know. There is a God and He loves me. He is personal and He cares for me. He is big enough and rich enough to supply all that I need. He makes me wait a lot. I sometimes feel discouraged. I battle the flesh and doubt that comes with it. I wish I didn't but I do. I get overwhelmed if I look very far ahead. I want to see how He makes this work to my good. I battle fear way too often and have much to learn of trust. It amazes me that most of every day I feel at rest. He is God. He knows that I am but dust. He understands.

Love without Conditions

The idea of unconditional love is far more attractive that the actual practice. Think about it. Love without conditions, whatever the circumstance, whatever the cost. I am amazed that our God offers this to us every day. The only condition required for the love of God to triumph in our lives is for us to offer our lives to God. Even without that condition being met God loves us. The word of God says that "while we were yet in our sins" Christ died for us. What does that mean for us? We are called to love like Christ, to love our children, our mates, our neighbors, our friends, our enemies when they hurt us, in betrayal, in their sin, in whatever place they are in. I have had the opportunity lately to see how far I am from hitting that mark in my own personal walk. It is hard to react in love when you are reeling in personal hurt. It is hard to not make everything about me. It is hard because I am selfish, I count the cost to me. People are messy and their sins and failures affect everything around them and regardless of that, God calls us to love. We walk through a minefield in this life, with storms threatening all around us at any given moment. We know we have been translated from death to life when we can walk through those minefields and commit to that same love to each other that God gives to us.

A Great, Good Friday

Good Friday, what a name. Good. It was truly good, it was, in fact a great day for all humanity. We who were lost in our sins and our shame. To us, who had no way out a bridge was built, one man, Christ Jesus our Lord, fully God and fully human rescued us, through the deep love of the Father. What a precious day. I hope you all had opportunity to go to Good Friday Service somewhere. The girls and I went to Tricia's church, Cascade and had a glorious time of reflection and worship. I was reminded of these words from Phillipians tonight ad we walked through the stations the church had set up. Easter is a day of victory but Friday is no less. Without the sacrifice there is no Easter victory. To get to the empty tomb Christ had to go to the cross. I thank God for that sacrifice. I thank Him that we can meet beyond the veil, that our God is accessible, that He hears us when we call. Whatever you need today, He longs to hear from you. Whatever struggle you are going through He died for that struggle and He live to make intercession for you.

"But whatever was my gain I count as loss for the sake of knowing Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord for whom I have lost all things. I consider them rubish that I may gain Christ and be found in Him." Phillipians 3: 7-9

Abba Father

I was reminded today of how personal our God is. He is our Daddy, our Heavenly Daddy. He is always accessible and He never turns His back on the child that seeks Him and needs Him. When we ask for bread He will not give us a stone. He may ask us to go through the fire but He will not let it destroy us. He may take us throught the flood but it will not overwhelm or drown us. How good our God is! How gracious and kind. He sends the sun to warm us and when the rain comes He is there with us. He loves us without conditions and only asks that we give our lives to Him. When I think of how we mess it up on our own it seems like such a small thing. When life does not go according to plan, which is most of the time, He uses that time to refocus our attention on Him. He knows that when we are doubleminded we are unstable in all of our ways. How He loves us, ever loves us. How grateful I am for His care. He gives at least one smile to us each day if we will but take it. He sends a friend to pray and encourage just when we need it most. He calms our anxious hearts and hears us when we cry. He saves each of our tears and treasures every heartfelt prayer. What a Mighty God we serve and what a Daddy He is to His children.

A Very Present Help

God is a very present help in a time of trouble. I have heard those words this week and they have ministered to my heart. I have found them true and to be a companion for this week soul. My God will supply all your needs in Christ Jesus. I am believing for this word to be just as true and am trusting in Him. I don't know what place in life you are but there is a promise for it. The promises of God are true and in Him Amen, which simply means that they are going to happen, they can be counted on. Whether in a happy place or a difficult one the promises of God are there for you. I am so blest to be the daughter of a King and even though some days are darker than others He takes good care of me. It reminds me of that kids song I used to sing with my girls, My God is so big, so strong and so mighty, there's nothing my God cannot do! Believe it, cling to it, be comforted by it. Amen

I have been distracted of late with the crud that is going around. Hubby was home most of a week and is still in grumpiness, poor thing. He does not handle sickness well. It has been a chore of late to focus on Christ and this with Easter coming. I am excited about Easter and am praying for a full house both at home and at church. We have some surprises planned at church that are going to be exciting and I am praying that we have lots of people here to enjoy it. The presence of God has been amazing lately here at Mountainview and I can't wait to see what God does next and I am so glad that God has placed me here. Even with all this rain and snow and gloppiness I feel Spring coming and am excited to see the flowers, plant a garden, and watch the amazing things that God is doing and will be doing! If you don't have a church home come join us at Mountainview! It is an exciting time!