Life is crazy, and I’m about to speak out about it!

Some days I don’t even know where to begin. Life is crazy, the kids are crazy, the dogs are crazy, work is crazy, the house is a crazy mess, and my emotions are a crazy reality! The important piece, is that my heart is crazy….crazy for Jesus!  Let’s be for real here, when push comes to shove, He is where my peace lies. As I have shared before, I have struggled with depression, anxiety, etc But I’m proud to say I am working through it, and am coming out victoriously on the other side….but no matter how emotionally entangled my heart becomes, my joy ALWAYS rests in Jesus Almighty!

I often forget or am too afraid to give God glory for all he has done for me. Not that I discount what He has done. I just don’t want to feel as if I’m “tooting my own horn” for the things I’ve done in life. But really, I need to be realizing that God has done it for me. I couldn’t have done ANYTHING without His help, and guidance. So I am tooting His horn, NOT my own!!! It’s a humbling expression to step out, step up and finally begin to share these truths. I have firmly believed for many years that God was calling me to speak and write, only I have been sitting around waiting for God to plop it in my lap! Well guess what? He aint gonna!

So look out world, I’m taking God serious, and by the reigns, I’m going to be stepping out, and stepping up….to the platform that is!

Now, if that wasn’t a bunch of random, I don’t know what is!

Read 1 Corinthians 4:1-13

(good stuff)

God is my protector.

And so it is, God is my protector. 

I recently found myself in a near dispute over the chaos that has occurred in Japan. The days before I was trying to be an encouragement to a lost friend who found herself in some despair over “car trouble”. My encouragement to her was to speak out her prayer, but that the trick was to speak it in belief! You see, her car wouldn’t start, and when it did the battery would instantly die. She was very fearful that it would require a new alternator, etc. (Costly repairs) I explained to her to drive it to the auto store in the morning and have it tested (for free) so that they could tell her that it was just her battery (not so costly repair)I repeatedly reminded her that she not only had to speak it out, but she had to BELIEVE it! That’s the hard part….even as I was offering her this promise in God, the devil added doubt to my heart. I began to fear…”oh Lord, if you don’t do this for her, then she may not believe” Well, regardless of how I felt, the Lord DID work for her. She replaced her battery and is now in good running condition! How awesome that I was obedient to the Lord, I stepped out in faith, believed God for his promise, shared it with another, and it came through!!!

Now the dispute, this same friend had posted on her social network how she was weeping about the car troubles she had when she turned to the tv and seen the devastation occurring in Japan. In her words, she said she had to apologize to God. It’s a good thing to be broken in others tragedy, but not to a point that we feels as if we can’t continue to ask of God in our own behalf. No she didn’t suffer an earthquake, or a Tsunami. But in her world, her issues were important. It does not make us selfish to ask of God in others time of need, just so long as we continue to ask in their behalf as well. So, her friend replied to her post…..”did God apologize for the devastation in Japan?” Well, it is a public social network, so I found myself at liberty to respond. I replied “no, but he did warn us….just read his book” Apparently I hit a nerve, and this man has a very hardened heart. His response was that he “did read the book, and that he prefers non-fiction, and that most of Japan probably didn’t believe in MY God and the sinners probably had it coming” Oops….sure didn’t mean to open up THAT box! My heart instantly broke. For this man that seems so lost. Maybe God did bring this devastation to Japan. Did he not do the same in Egypt? When they refused to listen to his warnings? Look at the story of Sodom and Gomorrah, What about the time of Noah? I am no Bible scholar….but these recent devastations are no accident, or freak of nature. God has been in control since the beginning of time. But he warns us, he commands us and He protects us! That doesn’t mean that no devastation will come to believers in Christ, but we have peace in knowing who is in control!

I do pray fervently for those affected by these recent events. I pray that they will come to a place to realize who is almighty, who is sovereign and who is in control! I pray that this nation will drop to its knees and cry out to God! For it is God and God alone that can rise them up from this! Let us continue to pray together for this nation, and all of those that grow hard hearted, looking to blame God and become angry with him. Not just for their physical lives, and earthly troubles, but for their eternal lives, their hearts, their salvation!

In the name of Jesus!

What’s your Egypt?

 

What’s your Egypt?

Yes, it has been some time since I have last blogged. A bit too long perhaps. What an irony, that I use blogging as a sort of “escape” and yet, I have allowed this “oppressive” state refrain me from doing the very thing that helps me. I guess we all behave that way sometimes. We often know that God is the answer for our troubles, and yet we run from Him, rather than toward Him. Yet, no matter how long it takes us to get our head on straight He awaits us with His arms wide open. God wants to free us from the things that oppress us, but He loves us so much, that we are able to make our own decisions. He does not force Himself, or anything upon us. He is gentle, loving, and merciful! We are undeserving, unworthy, and often ungrateful.

The Israelites were oppressed by slavery to the Egyptians when God called upon Moses to go and set them free. Even as oppressed as they were, they doubted Moses, doubted God, and many times throughout their journey cried out that they wanted to return to Egypt. Why? It was familiar territory, a land of certainty. Yes, they cried out to God when they were there, and yes they slaved hard day and night. But they were familiar with the situation. Oppression was all they knew.

Often times, breaking free is painful. There are many obstacles in our way. Many trials to face. Sometimes we even have to take the long route, as the Israelites did. But the finish line is like no other. The freedom we feel internally is indescribable. So, I ask you….what’s your “Egypt”? What oppresses you from moving to the next level with God? For me, I have many “Egypt’s” Some could even possibly be narrowed down to excuses. No more excuses! Yes, the obstacles will remain, we aren’t fooling anyone. But I am choosing to press on, move forward and reach my promised land!