Free from the Storm

Matthew 8:25 "The disciples went and woke him, saying, "Lord, save us! We're going to drown!" 26 He replied, "You of little faith, why are you so afraid?" Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm. "

The disciples and Jesus were struck suddenly by a storm and it must have been pretty bad. A few of them had been fisherman by occupation and understood sailing and storm conditions. This was no little storm. It was serious enough that they believed they could lose their lives.
Jesus on the other hand was asleep. He was at perfect peace. Why? He understood that He was not subject to whatever life brought Him but that He has the power to turn any situation around. Jesus asks them why they are afraid and had little faith, because He had demonstrated this power before. This same power has been given to us.

This morning I had a dream reminding me of past pain. I asked God a familiar question, why do the innocent suffer? I needed to remind myself of the answer. We all have choices in this life and, no, it is not the innocents fault for the wicked choices that others make against them. However, we do not have to just sit and die in the storm. I know a God who has the power to remove storms and restore peace. I make the choice to call out to Him and speak to the storms in my life in Jesus name.

I am not a victim of the past and I am not bound by its wound, I am free by the Almighty power of Jesus Christ and CHOOSE to live and walk in that freedom. I may not be able to stop all the wicked people in the world, but I am not subject to them either.

Lord, You are an awesome God and I love You for being my everything. Thank you for reminding me of the great freedom I have in You. I praise You for giving me peace and a life of joy. I pray for those who are hurting and do not have freedom that they will call out to You and find You. Amen

Priceless

2 Corinthians 9:10 Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness. 11You will be made rich in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God.

Giving is something I have always loved to do. However, with the move and me making so much less things are tight and Christmas has me worried. I want more than ever for the people I love to know that they are loved and appreciated. But I am not sure how to do that without gifts. It is apparent that I am were Isaiah has gotten this concept and I have never said it, but my actions obviously have.

What am I sowing? Ant and I were talking about how my Christian friends that are my age don’t stay close to me, and yet I make good non-Christian friends. I pray that it is the love of God that draws them to me. I can give love in my actions and speech and it costs me nothing, but the end result is… priceless. I have adopted many young people at church and at work and it is the unconditional love that brings them.

I am truly rich and have so much to be thankful for. I have a fun husband, and inspiring son, a beautiful daughter, an amazingly supportive family. The clock is ticking as my last Thanksgiving and Christmas in California close in. I feel my heart squeezing and yet I am over joyed to have you all in my life.

Giving is so much more than material. The memories, the words of encouragement, the laughs, the smiles, the tears, they will carry on. They fill our hearts and change our lives forever.

Give yourself away this season, you won’t regret it.

What is your view?

1 Corinthians 16: 8-9” But I will stay on at Ephesus until Pentecost, because a great door for effective work has opened to me, and there are many who oppose me.”

Paul had an awesome view of obstacles. He is a pioneer in his own right. Here he is in Ephesus and he describes the situation as a great work. This gives an impression that revival is breaking out, that the people are earnestly receiving his message and running with it. Then in the next breath, he says that “many oppose me”.

What?

This is not a picture of opportunity. This does not sound like something inviting that he should desire to stay around. However, Paul understood that greatness has nothing to do with ease.
I have been listening to Focus on the Family in the morning on the way to work and they have been playing a Thanksgiving reenactment of the first Thanksgiving. (It is pretty good.) Anyways, the Pilgrims looked at their hardship as God’s provision in this new land. They lost 50% of their colony and praised God for their life, realizing other colonies had lost 90%.

Our outlook determines our success. God has doors open for us, but if we only focus on the difficulties we will never know the greatness beyond. Difficulties come and go. Let’s count on out lasting the trouble. I am encouraged to press forward and leave a mark of greatness behind me.

What will you do with your difficulties?

Not Ashamed

2 Samuel 6:16 "As the ark of the LORD was entering the City of David, Michal daughter of Saul watched from a window. And when she saw King David leaping and dancing before the Lord, she despised him in her heart."

This weekend was an incredible encouragement to my spirit. I felt God confirming me and strengthen me to take my rightful place in the kingdom. Yesterday morning in worship the presence of God filled the sanctuary with His glory. As the worship team praised God from the depths of these soul the power of God began to squeeze me. "like a fire shut up in my bones" kind of squeeze. The Lord gave Troy a song and he sang a new song to the Lord. Then Ant made a statement that set me free. He said, what would your worship look like if you had 30 days to live? That was it.

I could not contain it anymore and I didn't want to. I got off the altar, threw my heels under the first row and let out a war cry from my inner most being. I jumped, I yelled, I spun, I went crazy for my God. See I have much to praise Him for.

Later, Isaiah said one of the kids was laughing as I worshiped and I asked him how he felt about it. He said he was a little embrassed cause he didn't know why I worshiped this way. It was ok if his brothers did it, but why was mama? I realized I have not worshiped this way for years and Isaiah has not see me freely worship, boldly and uninhibited.

I began to tell him all the wonderful things that I have to be thankful for. All that God has done for me. Then, I asked him what has God done for you? He wasn't sure, so I told him the miracle of my pregnancy with him, the miracle of his birth, how God healed him completely in five days and he has no side effects from a collapsed lung and meconium aspiration. I asked him," how we got Leia?" " I prayed for her to come for a long time", he replied. As we counted his blessing he felt excited that God has worked in his life and that he has something to be thankful for too.

I will never be ashamed of being crazy for God. On the contrary, it is the greatest compliment I could receive. Not only did God receive my praise but he gave me an opportunity to show how God is active and alive in our lives. Lord, thank you for this teachable moment with Isaiah and thank for you setting me free.

Refer to the plan

Have you ever had a morning that was just horrible? Where you woke up with so much weight on your shoulders? Well, I have been there. Last Wednesday was like this. I remember driving to work just feeling so overwhelmed and than I began to count my blessings. I said them one by one and as I did I heard God's voice breaking through. I watched a sermon from Pastor Wayne at New Hope and this scripture stuck with me.

Habakkuk 2:2 Then the LORD replied: "Write down the revelation and make it plain on tablets so that a herald may run with it.”

When I am down or weak I need a reference of the blessings and plan that God has for my life. See in the down time all kinds of crazy thoughts go through our minds. We lose our focus and can not see the finish line. But God says that we are to write down the revelation. Some people have never sat down and asked God for the revelation. You will go nowhere and make little of your life if you are aimlessly wondering. First, hear from God when you are in a good frame of mind, and write His plan down.

I love this part, "so that a herald may run with it". A herald is an officer that delivers messages and aided the knights or men of war. God has a message for you and I. This message has been told to the spiritual knights in heavenly places. Man, that fires me up.

God is fighting for you and His army is aware of the battle plan for you to accomplish His work. How strange that the heavens know our value but we don't see it. This is why it is so important to get with God, hear His plan and WRITE it down, so that the heavenly realm can run with it. They can position the ranks for our success.

I don't know about you, but this is exciting to me. The plan is laid out, the troops are in place and all that is left is, YOU. Take your place in the battle, know that victory is yours, and remind yourself when the battle seems to hard.

By the end of my day, I could not wait to write down the plan and get to work. What about you?