You Are Loved!

  

It has almost been a year since Tim came to Indiana to begin his new job.  I had to stay back in Texas to finish up the school year.  I missed him alot.  He would call in the evenings and we would talk. Every three weeks he would fly in to Austin.  We could not experience the comfort of being together everyday because of the great distance between Indianapolis and San Marcos.
  Sometimes I think we feel that way about our Father God...  He is way out there in heaven and I am here on earth. We do not feel the comfort of God... But I have good news! Nothing can separate us from the love of God! He will never leave you or desert you! I like what Romans 8 in the New Living Translation has to say about this.

38 And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons,neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love.
39 No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.

The enemy wants us to wallow in inferiority and insecurity...  Once we realize that NOTHING separate us from God, we will realize who we are in Christ and be mighty warriors in the kingdom of God.  Repent from believing the enemy's lie and realize that you are loved and valued by the Most High God! Declare that nothing can separate me from God's love!

Believers, Let's Have a Tea Party!

   In the recent months, we have seen the citizens of the United States organize in order to share their concerns about what is going on in our government.  In honor of the Boston Tea Party during the American Revolution war, these meetings are labeled "tea parties".  The people are uniting and demanding, on the authority of the constitution, that the politicians adhere to the principals set in the constitution.
   I read  Nehemiah today and saw how Nehemiah was grieved and concerned about what was happening  to the people back in Jerusalem. He prayed and fasted for that city and the people. If you read the prayer you see it contains repentance of sin...
  In my spirit, I think it is time that the body of Christ to have a spiritual "tea party". First, we need to repent to God for our sins as Nehemiah did. Then we need to  unite and demand, with the authority of the name of Jesus,  His precious blood, and His Word that the enemy, the devil, get his hands off our nation, finances, and families! 

Nehemiah 1:5-11

“O Lord, God of heaven, the great and awesome God who keeps his covenant of unfailing love with those who love him and obey his commands,
6 listen to my prayer! Look down and see me praying night and day for your people Israel. I confess that we have sinned against you. Yes, even my own family and I have sinned!
7 We have sinned terribly by not obeying the commands, decrees, and regulations that you gave us through your servant Moses.
8 “Please remember what you told your servant Moses: ‘If you are unfaithful to me, I will scatter you among the nations.
9 But if you return to me and obey my commands and live by them, then even if you are exiled to the ends of the earth, I will bring you back to the place I have chosen for my name to be honored.’
10 “The people you rescued by your great power and strong hand are your servants.
11 O Lord, please hear my prayer! Listen to the prayers of those of us who delight in honoring you. Please grant me success today by making the king favorable to me. Put it into his heart to be kind to me.”

It's a New Season of Change!

  The leaves have changed colors here in Indianapolis.  There are leaves everywhere. These leaves are signs of a change... a change of seasons.  We will have to do things differently than we did during the summer.
  I believe God uses the things in the natural to reflect what is going on in the spiritual.  I have  friends that are going through  changes in their lives.  Some are moving to different states while others have had to change jobs or they are still looking for a job.
  I am going through a season of change.  I am living in a new state. I am working in a totally different type of job with less pay.  I feel like a tree with all it leaves falling off!  All that was once there is gone...  The question I have had to ask myself is do I believe that God is my source or am I looking at things in the natural as my source?
   I know God has been there in the past and He will lead me and guide me during this adventure of faith!  I am determined to seek God and spend time with Him.  If you are going through a season of change, here is a word for you... Trust God! He loves you with an everlasting love and He will never leave you or forsake you!
Hebrews 13:6 (New Living Translation)
6 So we can say with confidence,
“The Lord is my helper,
so I will have no fear.
What can mere people do to me?”

The List

  Today, Twitter came out with a new gimmick to keep members engaged. They invited us to create lists of followers and you could place them in any category.  I came up with several categories of lists: friends who inspire, artists, muscians, writers, politics, pets, and business.  It was interesting to see what categories other people created.  Some were very complimentary and some were not very cooth. 
  God has 2 lists. One contains names of those who will live with Him forever.  The other contains the names of those who will be seperated from Him forever and will be thrown into a lake of fire.  Now I have heard accounts of people who have visited heaven and came back to give an account.  Heaven is a wonderful place... It is where God lives... Imagine living in His presence forever!
  If your name is not on the list to go to Heaven, there is good news!  Jesus has already paid the price for you to be able to go to heaven.  Call on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and your name will be put on the list to go to heaven!
Romans 10:9-10 (New Living Translation)
9 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.
10 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. 

The Quilt

  My mother and her friends sewed a quilt for my husband and me. I was quite excited about the quilt because we were moving to Indiana where it gets quite cold. It was just perfect for our new home!
  Today, I was thinking how a quilt and the body of Christ are similar. As I was observing the quilt, I noticed that there were many pieces of material used. The pieces of material contained various colors and patterns. The material was then cut into uniform sizes and sewn together to create a recurring pattern.
  Each piece of material was quite ordinary. Nothing spectacular... But sewn together it becomes a beautiful work of art! The quilt also is useful because it keeps you warm.
  What if I decided that I did not like some pieces of the material and I decided to cut them out? The quilt would not look quite so beautiful. It also would not be useful due to the holes.
  Friends, this is going on in the body of Christ... We discard or cut out believers who are not just like us because they make us uncomfortable. God has designed the body of Christ,like the quilters, to fit together even though we have different functions.
  Join me in asking God to help us to see our brothers and sisters in the Lord through the Father's eyes! Jesus is coming soon and we need to work together to share the gospel of Jesus Christ.
1 Corinthians 12:12-13 (New Living Translation)
12 The human body has many parts, but the many parts make up one whole body. So it is with the body of Christ. 13 Some of us are Jews, some are Gentiles, some are slaves, and some are free. But we have all been baptized into one body by one Spirit, and we all share the same Spirit.

Listen and Obey

   Recently, I sowed some money into a ministry that helps the homeless. I told my husband that I felt led by God to do it and what if it was one of our family members that became homeless? Little did I know, shortly after that one of our children became homeless and he failed to call us. He panicked and needed help desperately. A ministry in a central Texas town took care of our son and encouraged him to call us. He is home now! I believed God took care of my son because I obeyed and sowed into this ministry.

  I believe that you should follow the unction of the Holy Spirit.  When I was a young mother, my highlight was to be able to go to the grocery store alone.  I had my regular stores that I would go to, but one day I felt an unction or prompting to go to another store.  (Earlier in my walk with the Lord, I would have probably not recognized it as an unction.  But as I read the word and listened to godly men and women's testimonies, I learned the Holy Spirit speaks to you.)  I went to this store and I "ran" into a young lady that God had put on my heart.  I was able to speak words of encouragement. 
  I have learned from experience that if you do not follow the prompting, no matter if it does not make sense to you; you will miss a divine appointment or face great disappointment.  That is why I obeyed in giving to the ministry above.  As you spend time fellowshipping with God, you will learn to recognize His promptings.  Talk and listen to God... He is waiting for you!
John 16:13 (Amplified Bible)
  But when He, the Spirit of Truth (the Truth-giving Spirit) comes, He will guide you into all the Truth (the whole, full Truth). For He will not speak His own message [on His own authority]; but He will tell whatever He hears [from the Father; He will give the message that has been given to Him], and He will announce and declare to you the things that are to come [that will happen in the future].

Bed of Roses

   When writing this blog, I like to share positive experiences that have happened in my life.   I do this in order to encourage people who may be going through difficulties. If God can work in my life and He is not a respecter of persons, He can work in anyone's life!  This brings me to this statement:  My life has not been a bed of roses. 
   Now, I am not complaining, but what I am saying is that I have experienced sorrow, rejection, disappointments, betrayal, loss, making wrong choices and then facing the consequences.  My life has not been perfect... 
   One thing that I have observed in my life is that the enemy wants to keep on reminding me of the past in order to keep me under condemnation.  He wants to paralyze me so that I will not fulfill the destiny that God has for me.  I do not know about you, but I am tired of the enemy's antics!
   Enough is enough!  I am the daughter of the most High God!  I am forgiven! I am determined to walk in love and be what God has called me to be... His daughter!
James 4:7-10 (The Message)
   So let God work his will in you. Yell a loud no to the Devil and watch him scamper. Say a quiet yes to God and he'll be there in no time. Quit dabbling in sin. Purify your inner life. Quit playing the field. Hit bottom, and cry your eyes out. The fun and games are over. Get serious, really serious. Get down on your knees before the Master; it's the only way you'll get on your feet.