DRAW NEAR: Week 3 - MONDAY

// Monday //

Read – Psalm 19:7-9, Jeremiah 15:16

SOAP – Psalm 19:7-9

"The instructions of the Lord are perfect, reviving the soul. The decrees of the Lord are trustworthy, making wise the simple. The commandments of the Lord are right, bringing joy to the heart. The commands of the Lord are clear, giving insight for living. Reverence for the Lord is pure, lasting forever. The laws of the Lord are true; each one is fair."

In the NLT the words of Proverbs 19:7-9 are a little different, but still the same meaning... "The instructions of the Lord are perfect, reviving the soul. The decrees of the Lord are trustworthy, making wise the simple.The commandments of the Lord are right, bringing joy to the heart. The commands of the Lord are clear, giving insight for living. Reverence for the Lord is pure, lasting forever. The laws of the Lord are true; each one is fair.

Of course I pulled out how God's Word was described, the nature of it and of God, & what it gave us or received from it.

Get into the Word • Know the Word • Obey the Word • Live the Word

1) Instructions - perfect - revives our soul

'Instructions' defined: a direction or order. Detailed info telling how something should be done, operated or assembled.

2) Decrees - trustworthy - wisdom to the simple

'Decree' defined: an official order issued by a legal authority

3) Commandments - - joy to our hearts

'Commandments' defined: a divine rule, especially one of the 10 commandments. A rule to be observed strictly.

4) Commands - clear - insight for living

'Commands' defined: an authoritative order

5) Reverance - pure - everlasting (the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. Proverbs 1:7).

'Reverence' defined: deep respect for something or someone. Regard or treat with deep respect.

6) Laws - true - fair/just

'Laws' defined: the system of rules regulating which a particular country or community recognizes as regulating the actions of its members and which it may enforce by the imposition of penalties.

So many facets of His Word... but it all relates to each other. Our Bible... 'Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth'... how to get our earthly spiritual bodies ready for our heavenly spiritual home.

...and the verse in Jeremiah 15:16 "When I discovered your words, I devoured them. They are my joy and my heart’s delight, for I bear your name, O Lord God of Heaven’s Armies."

Putting the two readings together, I pulled this out... His Words (whether they be Instructions, decrees, commandments, commands, laws or the pure reverent words) are our daily bread... we can "eat" His Word daily and digest and understand it and it can fill us with the spiritual nutrients we need. Just like breakfast is said to be the most important meal of the day... the morning Scripture is the most important spiritual meal. Clearly at this quarantine time, we enjoy snacking throughout the day, just like we can glean from the Word throughout the day. We think on what we read & God sends more Scriptures, revelations and thoughts our way. I love a late-night snack as I don't like to go to bed on an empty stomach, and so a Word from the Lord before bed helps me sleep as well.

When I hear the word "devour" -- I immediately jump to the verse in 1 Peter 5:8 describing our enemy who prowls around like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour." He prowls LIKE a lion, as he wants to be like Jesus the Lion of Judah. If we DEVOUR the Scriptures, the enemy cannot DEVOUR us! As Jesus fought temptation from the enemy with the Word, we can do the same!

"Devour" (for our purpose I skipped the eating definition) is defined as: from Latin devorare "swallow down, accept eagerly," ... Read quickly & eagerly....To absorb or engrossed wholly... To enjoy avidly.

(Source: Different online dictionaries)

Eagerly and avidly read the Word. Absorb it... into our spirit man. Get engrossed wholly into it! WOW!

We can trust fully in the Word and the words of our God. His nature is spoken through His word - as it says "for out of the heart the mouth speaks" Luke 6:45. ♡

He is making us more like Him as we read and glean from His Word. We need to guard our gates for sure. We are Ambassadors for Him. We have to walk in reverence (holy fear) of Him, His Name and His Word. This is a BIG eye-opener to the importance of this in these times. Defintely makes me wanna kick my butt into gear. Obey and live the Word!

"Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it." Proverbs 4:23

Sidenote: Some people just think the Bible/the Word is a list of rules and regulations, of don's & don'ts... thinking that much of the Old Testament doesn't apply to us today. That we don't have to follow the laws because Jesus came. But it says Jesus came to FULFILL the Law. His Word is more than just rules and regulations. It does show us the way to live. But it is a CHOICE. There are way more Do's than Don'ts... and IF we do... He promises to 'do' as well. But we aren't just to 'do' like a rule or law... we are to 'be'. When we become who God made us to be and walk in truths of His Word and His nature (as concluded above) we will naturally just 'do' as Jesus did, & 'be' Jesus with skin on... and then eternally in Spirit.

Leads into the 'be'attitudes...

Wow! God is so good!!

Have a happy and blessed week ahead!

BE BLESSED TO BE A BLESSING!

Draw Near: Week 1 - TUESDAY

TODAY'S READING & SOAP Verse: 

// TUESDAY //

Read - Job 12:7-10, John 1:1-3

SOAP - John 1:1-3

"In the beginning, the Word already existed. The Word was with God, and the Word was God. He existed in the beginning with God. God created everything through him, and nothing was created except through him."

Wow... so many revelations... so many bunny trails through the Scriptures/Word... Job's verses were good of course, but it was the ones in John 1 that hit me...

One main thing I pulled from our SOAP verses was originally nothing new as I have been a Christian forever... so I know and have studied & taught on the verses in John, so I know that Jesus is the Word and that He is God and was at the Beginning... and was at Creation. Everything was made through Him. But it was just made more clearer to me about the ACTS of the Trinity: God the Father, God the Son- Jesus and God in Spirit- Holy Spirit. Jesus ONLY did that which He saw the Father doing... and basically SAID what the Father was doing. Holy Spirit is His POWER & WISDOM. (& more)

God is ALWAYS working as we know and has been referred to already a few times in our study notes/revelations... but these verses led me to John 5:16-30 & John 14:10-12... and then to Romans 10:17 & John 10:27...(see my notes or check out the Scriptures yourself if you wish.)

The Word!! Why is 'the' Word and 'THE' Word so important?? Exactly this... our faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God. Not just 'the' Word (His Bible) but 'THE' Word (Jesus). Do we KNOW His voice? Do we just HEAR it or do we LISTEN to it and OBEY it?? God speaks through HIS WORD (Bible and His Son) which is LOGOS (Ya I love doing word studies too! It's GREEK) but we have Holy Spirit with us to reveal and interpret the Word which is RHEMA (again Greek)! God doesn't just give His Word, He allows us to understand and interpret it and apply it to us.

In this time, my prayer was to OPEN THE EARS OF MY HEART to KNOW, HEAR, LISTEN & OBEY (& now the word RESPOND TO is coming to me)... Jesus SAID/DID what the Father did... and He told His disciples to 'do the work they saw Him do and that they would do greater things than this'... WOW!

SO THANKFUL FOR THE WORD and THE WORD!

Be blessed everyone! Thank you for sharing your thoughts, insights and revelations too! This is a time of GROWTH for us all. Love & Hugs!

SOCIAL DISTANCING... a time to come SPIRITUALLY CLOSER to GOD!

*Please Note: All links open in another window, so you can click & look and not lose this blogpost*

SOCIAL DISTANCING... such strange words in a difficult and different time... since the last time I wrote in February... who knew that all this would happen between then and today...

My last blogpost was 'Are you ALL IN or are you IN AT ALL??' With SOCIAL DISTANCING, we may not be doing the 'norm', or we may feel that we aren't in it at all...  but for many of our essential workers, they are giving their all... thank you to ALL essential workers, but especially our healthcare workers.  The rest of us who are quarantined at home, only to go out for the essential and we have been given the gift of TIME! How are YOU using this TIME?? 

Some of us yes, still have to work from home, or do our schoolwork... but think of your EXTRA time... How are YOU using your extra time? 

Are you...

* Spending time with family (in your home, on the phone, or on social media); 

* Staying connected with extended family, church family and friends on social media (or e-mail, snail mail or porch drops, etc...) 

* Staying busy focusing on some hobbies (crafts, reading, puzzles, video games, cooking/baking, etc);

* Relaxing and watching TV or NETFLIX or MOVIES (either alone or with family)

* Doing nothing much... trying to keep from going crazy, and being depressed.

* Staying busy and catching up on chores & sanitizing your home (laundry, dishes, vacuuming, cleaning, grocery shopping, etc.);

* Cleaning, organizing, purging your home;

* And more... 

SOCIAL DISTANCING requires us to spend time away from those who do not live in our household. We need to stay at least 2-6 feet away from others if we go out of our home. BUT, social distancing doesn't include GOD. NOW is the TIME to get CLOSER to God. ONE STEP in any direction takes us into the arms of GOD. Even IF you are NOT a believer... He is HERE with YOU! You just need to TAKE a U-TURN and come to Him. He hasn't moved away... it's only us who move away. NOW is the TIME to take time out for GOD.  Social Distancing brings Spiritual Awakening...

We may have to stay apart from each other, but NOW is the time to grow CLOSER with God! However you want to do that... however you want to START... DO IT! It could be as simple as listening to WORSHIP music... listening to ONLINE services (yes there are MANY out there on Facebook, YouTube and Instagram - my church Faith Tabernacle London's YouTube channel is found here and our FACEBOOK is here)... BUT the most important is spending TIME in HIS WORD (The BIBLE) and PRAYING to Him. PRAYER is the way you can communicate with GOD, and THE BIBLE is His way of communicating with you along with PRAYER. His WORD is what will stand true in these difficult times! There are THANKFULLY online Bibles if you don't have a physical hard copy at your home. (BibleGateway.com online or the YouVersion APP are my fav's)

GET CLOSE TO GOD! Draw near to God and He will draw near to you! 

"Come close to God, and God will come close to you. Wash your hands, you sinners; purify your hearts, for your loyalty, is divided between God and the world." James 4:8 NLT 

"For the law never made anything perfect. But now we have confidence in a better hope, through which we draw near to God." Hebrews 7:19 

"You are only as close to God as you want to be."

So on this GOOD FRIDAY, celebrate the GOOD... that Jesus came to DIE FOR YOU AND YOUR SINS... God had a PLAN to RESCUE and SAVE us.  Jesus only had to die ONCE for ALL! Continuing in Hebrews 7 v24-28 "But because Jesus lives forever, his priesthood lasts forever. Therefore he is able, once and forever, to save those who come to God through him. He lives forever to intercede with God on their behalf. He is the kind of high priest we need because he is holy and blameless, unstained by sin. He has been set apart from sinners and has been given the highest place of honour in heaven.[f] Unlike those other high priests, he does not need to offer sacrifices every day. They did this for their own sins first and then for the sins of the people. But Jesus did this once for all when he offered himself as the sacrifice for the people’s sins. The law appointed high priests who were limited by human weakness. But after the law was given, God appointed his Son with an oath, and his Son has been made the perfect High Priest forever." 

MAKE SURE YOU AREN'T SOCIAL DISTANCING FROM JESUS, OUR HIGH PRIEST!

Remember, inviting JESUS in is as easy as ABCD...

A - ADMIT you are a sinner (we all are - only JESUS was perfect! See Romans 3:23)

B - BELIEVE that JESUS died for YOU (His death paid for our sin! See Romans 6:23)

C - CONFESS that SIN and REPENT (and CONFESS that you want JESUS to be the LORD of your LIFE and YOU will be SAVED. See Romans 10:9&10)

D - DECLARE you are a CHILD OF GOD (See John 1:12)

Now, as I have said before, being a CHILD OF GOD doesn't make your life perfect, nor does it take away all your STORMS, but now you KNOW for sure that GOD is WITH you in your STORMS and can SAVE and PROTECT you!

Be blessed in this TIME! Be Blessed to Be a Blessing!

"Finding Fulfillment"

Day #9 (Catch-up) - "A Woman of Faith" Devotional
Verse: John 16: 24 ~"You haven't done this before. Ask, using My name, and you will receive, and you will have abundant joy."

There are soooooo many promises in God's Word, as many of these 'A Woman of Faith' devotionals of mine have already quoted (and other devotional thoughts as well). There are however some of those promises that require us to act or to do our part, for those promises to truly be fulfilled.

I want to live a fulfilled life when I come to the end of my life here on earth, I don't want God to say great, you went part way with me, but what about the rest. I had a whole 'arm-full' of blessings for you, but you just got from one hand. (example, as God's hands and arms stretches farther than we can even imagine) The world tries to promise 'fulfillment', but it is just temporary. God's promises fulfilled, and our life living fulfilled is eternal. Our physical/natural bodies will be fulfilled temporarily... lasts a moment basically. But we don't take those bodies with us, when we face God in heaven.

God promises healing, provision, protection, comforting, unconditional love, mercy, and soooo much more. However, some of us just seek Him at bedtime, or mealtime... or even just in 'times of trouble'. Some of us call on Him all the time, but definitely not in the manner we are to... (as in OMG!) We cannot just live our lives wiithout daily living for Him. "Sometimes, amid the inevitable hustle & bustle of daily life, we can forfeit--albeit temporarily-- the joy of Christ as we wrestle with the challenges of daily living. Yet God's Word is clear: fulfillment through Christ is available to ALL who seek it & claim it. Count YOURSELF among that number. See first a personal, transforming relationship with Jesus, and then claim the JOY, the fulfillment, and the spiritual abundance that the Shepherd has to offer His sheep." ('A Woman of Faith' Devotional. Day 9. ©2007 Freeman-Smith, LLC. Nashville, TN. 37202)

So step out TODAY and seek Him for yourself. I can't seek Him for you, yet I can intercede for you, as you make this decision that will TRANSFORM your life forever (not just a temporary 'fix').

Be Blessed & Be a Blessing!

"Solving Life's Riddles"

DAY #6 -- "A Woman of Faith" Devotional
Verse: "But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peace-loving, gentle, compliant, full of mercy and good fruit, without favouritism and hypocracy." James 3:17 HCSB

Life is full of problems, and other trials that come our way... yet God offers us a way out of them, if we choose to live the righteous life. Part of that entails using wisdom... wisdom from God above, not worldly knowledge. As the verse above in James says, it is first pure... same as we are to be. We are to be holy as He is holy, part of holiness and righteousness is made of of purity. Wisdom is to be sought after, and then our lives will be pure, peace-loving, gentle, compliant, fully of mercy & good fruit. We will show love and mercy to all, no matter who they are or what they've done. This allows us not to show favouritism or hypocracy. We cannot talk the talk, and not walk the walk. We can't be pure in one instance, and yet not merciful or peace-loving as well, it's all or nothing.

When facing 'riddles' or dilemmas, first seek answers from the Word of God... but after that God has given us many mentors, teachers, pastors and other Spiritual leaders who can impart some of their knowledge, and they can also be praying for you to gain wisdom.

Remember that God is God alone... here's a little song we are doing on our worship team, I love it!! "You are God Alone"


Be blessed and be a blessing!

"Living Righteously"

DAY #3 - "A Woman of Faith"


Verse: "But now, you must be holy in everything you do, just as God--who chose you to be his children--is holy. For He Himself has said, 'You must be holy because I am holy." 1 Peter 1:15-16 NLT

When we seek righteousness, or the act of trying to live righteously, or when we seek to maintain the company of those who do we reap spiritual benefits or rewards. (found in the devotional book & paraphrased.) We can honour God by the way we live our lives. If we try to live righteous, but not self-righteously, God can and will bless us. We will never be perfect, nor should we think we can be in this day and age on this earth. But we are to be pure and holy, as God has called us to be his children. We need to live our life worthy of the calling of our Father.


Corrie Ten Boom once quoted, "Do nothing that you would not like to be doing when Jesus comes. Go no place where you would not like to be found when He returns." WOW! What an eye-opener! Back some years now, a phrase was made popular, 'WWJD' (What Would Jesus Do), it has been now mocked and made into a joke by both Christian and non-Christian... but when it first came out, it made you think... what would Jesus do? Where would Jesus Go? Some movies, and TV shows we find ourselves 'protecting' our kids from, whereas we should also be protecting ourselves from it.


For example, one of my friends daughter's was having a innocent birthday party at the movie theatre. They didn't check into the previews or whatnot off all the movies, but read some summaries, and checked ratings of course. So they allowed the 'party' children to go to view the movie 'Burlesque' which was WRONGLY rated as PG... well first of all, 'Burlesque' the word seems dirty to me, yet I also saw previews and heard about it. (Unfortunately the parent's didn't). These children (ages 9+?) went into the theatre, unknowingly, and sat for the previews and the first 5-10 minutes... they were shocked at what they saw, and wondered if they should be watching this. Well, anyway long story short, they left the theatre, and waited to see another more age appropriate movie, 'Tangled'. When the mom was recounting the story, and when I have recounted the story to others, I said that I myself wouldn't even go to watch that movie. We do also need to protect our selves from the world's garbage. Sexual innuendos being mistaken as innocent 'dancing'... and this is rated as 'PG'... where is our world's standards? It was based on Christian standards, yet this no longer is applicable due to free speech, etc... No one wants to see a movie of you in the bedroom with your husband, so why would you want to watch someone else doing this... especially in most cases when it's not husband and wife.


I do know that I have watched movies or TV shows that aren't always as 'clean' as they should be, but I still do have some standards. We also have walked out, or shut off, changed the channel, etc of other movies. Some movies I have even sat through, yet prayed in the Spirit, or prayed over the minds of us and those watching... especially when I see young children watching somewhat scary stuff.


As I said, no one is perfect... only God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit are truly 'holy', but we are to live our lives as one who takes responsibilities for their actions. We choose the way to behave, we don't just do it. It's NOT genetics, or hereditary... or always ADD or something that we can 'try to' control with drugs/medicine. We need to put our FULL trust in JESUS, and lean not on our own understandings of circumstances around us, and acknowledge HIM as Lord and Saviour, and He will make straight our paths, and direct us in the way we should go!


I am looking forward to a GREAT year ahead, IF we do our part, GOD is more than willing to do His part.


Be blessed, and be a blessing!

PS - Editor's note: This was not completed on the 3rd, as I didn't come to write it due to worship practice, and playing the WII when I got home... which shows we ALL make mistakes, and yet God is faithful, and willing to forgive! THANK YOU LORD! <3

Happy 2011~~ New year, New blog posts... New fun!

So, this year I am going to try to continue with my devotional thoughts, and try to keep them more up to date. I have a 'A Woman of Faith' Devotional book that I have been reading this past year (again not faithfully), so this year I thought I would read the devotional and then comment on the verse or the thought of the day and share it with you, instead of in a notebook/journal form.

Today's 'DAY 1' entry was rightly called 'A Woman of Faith' and the verse was found in Matthew 21:21 -- "Jesus replied, “Truly I tell you, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only can you do what was done to the fig tree, but also you can say to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and it will be done."

Earlier in the book of Matthew in 17:20, Jesus also uses the mountain analogy, "He replied, 'Because you have so little faith. Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.'" The last sentence in this verse is what should be a resounding truth in our hearts and minds, but we somehow cannot let this truth really manifest itself in our lives. That little thing called 'doubt' and one called 'fear' get in the way of us truly believing that 'nothing will be impossible for you'. We try to pray and live with FAITH... and then a little pinch of doubt creeps in, and throws us for a loop. Somehow the promise of 'nothing will be impossible for you' just doesn't hit home with us. Why we can let ourselves get so worked up over sometimes little things, and not truly believe that God can and will do what He promises makes God sad I'm sure. Sometimes we even try to make it work on our own, and try to do things our way, since God is obviously not listening to our prayers and our hearts cries and desires. (Truly He is listening, but we try to make ourselves feel better thinking we can do it for Him.)

Sometimes God promises us something, but we have to wait for it, but we don't desire to wait any longer and patience and endurance are not gifts that we want to utilize. Like Abram and Sarai, when God told them He would make Abram (Abraham) the Father of many nations. How was he supposed to be a father of many nations, when he didn't have any children to call his own. He was getting older, and so was Sarai, and so they took their 'promise fulfillment' into their own hands and allowed Abram to sleep with Hagar, and she bore a son, Ishmael. Later Sarah and Abraham did conceive the 'promised' son, yet Ishmael was there as 'thorn in his side'. Isaac was conceived in 'due time'... every promise in the Bible belonged to those in the Bible, and also to each of us. We just need to read, meditate and claim the promises... However, in most cases it says "God will..." and that's what we as readers of the Bible dwell on. Different people (not just Christians) can quote different promises of God from the Bible. They then question why God isn't granting them that promise. If you look closer at the Scriptures, there are two little words usually in front of the promise (or just after)... "If you..." We have to do our part too. I can't just walk through life expecting God to bless each and every thing I do, I need to do my part too. For example, one of the well-known Scriptures in the church is found in 2 Chronicles 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 I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land."

What does it take to be a 'woman of faith' (or a man of Faith)... technically it's easy for me and other members of my church, as our church is called Faith Tabernacle. So being of that church makes me a woman of Faith... LOL! However, it takes much more than that! Believing and not doubting... not letting fear or guilt get in the way of receiving the full blessings of God. We need to LIVE out our FAITH. The Bible also says that Faith without works is dead... (James 2:17)


This day is a NEW BEGINNING... a FRESH start at living a life of FAITH. Come join the journey with me...

I've heard it said that FAITH can be described as...
Forsaking
All
I
Trust in
Him

So trust Him today, and lean not on your OWN understanding (stop trying to do things your own way), and He will direct your paths (He will bring you to where you are to be!)

BE BLESSED, and BE A BLESSING!

Spread your wings & fly...

 "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation;

the old has gone, the new has come!" 2 Corinthians 5:17 (NIV)

So, because I am playing catch-up on my blogs, I just completed a post here regarding 'Then Sings My Soul Saturdays', a fun blog meme that I joined a while back. I haven't really kept up with it though, so yesterday and today I thought I would. I chose the song, 'COCOON' by Jack Johnson. (You can read the lyrics and hear the song on my other blog site.) So as I was thinking about what to write for the song, a cool devotional came out of it. THANK YOU LORD! So I thought I would share it here too!

This song is really about a tough break-up between a couple, which does seem rather sad. Yet the man (as it is a male-Jack Johnson, that's singing) wants the woman to see him as more of a cocoon than a regret. A cocoon is a place where growth (sometimes undesired) happens, and something great comes out of it in the end. A regret on the other hand is a thing that has happened to you, that you wish didn't happen.


Life is made up of all kinds of choices, and the choice to date is an option facing many people young and old. Not all relationships have fairy-tale endings, whether they be dating or just friendship, accquaintance, co-workers, etc. Every relationship that people are involved in will most likely have some type of conflict come, because we are just that human people. However, we do have the choice also to see our obstacles, problems or conflicts as a time to whine, complain & 'wish it didn't happen' (regret) or a time for growth (cocoon). I have been meditating on this thought, as I have been reminded during Sunday School & Sermon/Teachings at church, as well as living it out in my own life. Paraphrasing a quote from the teachings, and from a status line I have posted on my FB page, 'STOP LOOKING AT YOUR PROBLEMS AS OBSTACLES, LOOK AT THEM AS OPPORTUNITIES FOR GOD TO DO SOMETHING BIG IN YOUR LIFE!'

A cocoon itself, is something that requires 'patience & waiting'.
Caterpillar - a time of growth
Chrysalis - a time of change
Butterfly or Moth - a time of rebirth & flight

Taking another look at this idea, we found a huge green caterpillar (which we were told was a Cecropia Moth Caterpillar) at our daycare on a Friday in August. So we thought it would be cool to keep him inside our aquarium for the weekend, so that we could show our other teachers & friends (who didn't get to see him). I didn't have my camera with me on Friday, so because my daycare is also in my church, I was going to get a picture of him on Sunday. So on Sunday when I went to see him in the aquarium I couldn't find him anywhere. I opened the lid carefully, and there was already a brown cocoon made and attached to the top of the lid. WOW! God is amazing! Since I couldn't get pictures of the caterpillar (and I didn't think to take on of the cocoon) I found some online to post here.

So, because we had studied some info from the internet, my co-worker decided to take our friend home and keep it in cold storage for the winter, and then we will release him in the spring. I am so excited to see the transformation. The kids were all a part of it, so they are excited as well. (Assuming we don't forget all about him) =)

This is what he/she will look like when he/she emerges and spreads her wings...


He/She will be able to take flight and soar after many months 'trapped' in his/her cocoon.
(I will try to remember to post pictures if we can get any, and link them here.)


Anyway, every thing that may come our way, whether positive or a challenge/conflict is a time where we can grow our character. God is busy at work in us, and as with the caterpillar, it's not a one-day event. It takes time for our real character to emerge, and soar beyond our wildest dreams. God wants you to become the M.E. (Maximum Effectiveness) He has created you to be. He wants you to live a life to the MAX!

So I pray that you will receive these words of instruction and encouragement, and let God 'challenge, grow, change & give you wings'! I know I am excited to see the transformation of the Cecropia Moth, but I am even more encouraged and excited about my own transformation, and you should be too (about yours)!

Be blessed & Be a blessing!

LOST... what's the BIG deal??

Now that LOST has had it's Season Finale, and SURVIVOR is on it's way for another season... I thought I would blog a little on the theme of 'LOST'... I have been wanting to do this blog for a while, yet have never worked on it. Actually I haven't done a lot of blogging as of late. Summer fun, a wedding and work have taken their places on the priority list. I have done some stampin' and craftin' (which I still have to post), yet I haven't had thoughts together to sit down and relax and blog. Yes, I hear you... NO EXCUSES! LOL!


Anyway, I have been doing a lot of thinking about the LOST, and it was encouraged more so when we did Vacation Bible School at our church. The week's Bible lessons revolved around 5 of the Parables of Jesus. The Sower & the Seed, The Lost Sheep, The Good Samaritan, The Friend at Midnight, and The Parable of the Talents. Well, the lessons followed a great pathline... The Word of God gets sowed into our hearts, which may be rocky, weedy or fertile. We are all like lost sheep, when we are separated from the Good Shepherd through sin. The Good Samaritan reminds us that we are all important, and we should help and encourage everyone. Persistance pays off in the end... and we all need to use the gifts and talents that our Heavenly Father gives to us. It will bless and glorify Him in the end, if we use them with the right motives.


The Lost Sheep, the Lost Coin, The Prodigal Son and the blindness of the Pharisees found in Luke 15:1-32 are the basis of this blog. The WORLD is full of LOST people, and the people of the world have a fascination with being LOST. Take for instance the shows LOST and/or SURVIVOR... These reality-based shows were & still are very popular. Being LOST is NOT a good thing. If you are LOST, you need to be FOUND. Every person who does not have a relationship with Jesus Christ is LOST. All these lessons brought back to my remembrance a message that was spoken at a meeting regarding Evangelism. John Mitchell spoke to us regarding how we see the world. We need to see the world with God's eyes. I have a T-shirt that says 'CROSS-EYED', because it reminds me to look at the world and the people (no matter how rich, poor, annoying, dirty, etc) through God's eyes. Using the CROSS to cleanse them from all unrighteousness. God cannot look on us because of our sin, but when we accept Jesus into our lives and ask Him to change us and transform us, we are no longer LOST.


In John Mitchell's message (because I take great notes, and found them recently)... He says:

God's PICTURE OF THE CHURCH ~ He saw them as BLIND!

God's PICTURE OF THE LOST SHEEP ~ He saw them as LOST!

God's PICTURE OF THE LOST COIN ~ He saw them with VALUE!

God's PICTURE OF THE SONS ~ He saw them with CHOICE!

Therefore, we all were once BLIND and LOST... but we need to remember that we have VALUE, and we also have a CHOICE. God would like us to make the RIGHT choice that leads to eternal life, rather than the one that leads to eternal death. Our eyes can be opened, and we can be FOUND!


But what do the LOST look like? At one or more times in our lives we are LOST or can feel LOST...

1. The LOST COIN -- A person who is LOST and DOESN'T KNOW it.

They NEED -- REVELATION!

2. The LOST SHEEP -- A person who is LOST, KNOWS IT, but DOESN'T KNOW what to do.

They need -- REDEMPTION!

3. The PRODIGAL SON -- A person who is LOST, KNOWS IT & KNOWS what to do.

They need -- RESTORATION!

4. The PATHETIC (Pharisees) -- A person who is FOUND, KNOWS IT,
but DOESN'T KNOW why or what for.

They need -- REBUKE!

It makes you think about people you see... what shape is their heart in (rocky, hard, weedy or fertile), yet also where they are on the 'lost scale'? We are sent by God as messengers and Jesus told His disciples in John 20:21, the same thing He is telling us today, "Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you."


Too many people are worried about searching for the 'immunity idol' in life, and about 'trying to not get kicked of the island' rather than worrying about themselves & their friends who are really 'lost'. Put away all idols, and turn back to God. He will never 'kick you off'. The devil comes to 'steal, kill and destroy', but he will never snatch us from the Father's hand. For it says in the Word, "My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father's hand." (John 10:27-29) As in the story of the 'sower and the seed', the enemy can 'snatch' away the message, if our hearts are not in the right spot. "When anyone hears the message about the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is the seed sown along the path." (Matthew 13:19)


So I pray, that your desire for LOST increases... the LOST of the world!


Check out this YOUTUBE VIDEO, playing the songs, EVERYTHING (by Chris Tomlin) and LOVE CAME DOWN (by Ben Cantelon) -- the cool line in the last one is, 'I once was lost, but now I'm alive in you'!

BE BLESSED & BE A BLESSING!