Friday, August 29, 2008

Seeds Planted Part 2

God is very interested in my family. At a meeting, my other daughter and son-in-law were given a word of encouragement. They were already at a place where God was leading them and they were given a confirmation that they were going in the right direction.

Almost immediately, what was spoken to them came to past. They were ready! God wanted to teach them a lesson about authority: what it meant to be under someone and what it meant to be over someone. I think of the book "The Tale of Three Kings" This book gave insight to authority from the eyes of King David. His experiences under Saul and his experiences over his kingdom and his sons. The son-in-law learned his lesson well and has been blessed because of it.

My daughter has put herself in place for God to bless her as a wife and mother. She is growing spiritually and in confidence.

In the past she has struggled with things that had taken her self esteem and she had forgotten that she belonged to the Living God. She reacted in her flesh and it brought her sorrow. Today, she walks in the knowledge that she is a daughter of the Most High God. It is a difference of night and day!

She is confident in her role has a mother and wife. As a couple, they are seeking God for their family and as the scriptures say, when you seek, you will find.

God has touched all of my children with His presence. It is a great joy to watch Him work in their lives and the lives of my grandchildren.

Sunday, August 24, 2008

Harvest of Seeds Planted

About a year ago, a prophecy was given to one of my daughters and sons-in-law. They were told that in the next year that a great change in their life would come to past.

Almost immediately, things began to happen. The son-in-law lost his job! He was able to find a job that he liked but it paid less money than he had been making. So the family under went many changes and struggles for this past year: to top it off, he was told that this job was to be ending soon. Once more, the family had more pressure add to what was all ready happening.

Our very faithful God took control of their situation once they came to a place of realizing that even though things were tough: they had each other and that they were not alone in their struggle.

Exactly one year to the date of the prophecy, the son-in-law was hired at a job that promises a future and good pay with benefits. Not only that, they were able to move into a good school district and neighborhood after selling their house.

I am reminded of the verses in Daniel. You know where the angel appears to Daniel and told him from the first moment he prayed that his prayer was answered;but he (the Angel) had to fight with the king of Persia. That is what I feel took place in this situation: Spiritual Battle had to be done. Not only was spiritual warfare involved; but it was a time of character and faith building.

Faith building because one becomes aware that God is interested in their life and that He will do as He has promised. You have to stretch yourself and BELIEVE! Character building because in trials we learn things about ourself. We learn what is of God and what part of the world we still have in us. We learn who is truly on the throne of our life: God or our flesh.

I pray that all have learn that blessings just don't happen by some circumstance: that they occur when we are in communication with God. Just like seeds planted so long ago that were nurtured and water, our garden is full and ready for harvest.

I praise God for His loving kindness toward each of my children as I watch them harvest blessing from seeds planted in faith

Sunday, August 3, 2008

What is it that I am to learn?

This past week, my husband broke his right leg. He has several fractures on the tibia and fibula above the ankle.

For a man who thinks working at his computer while sitting in a chair is resting, so far it has be real tough. Willie is the type of guy when he sleeps he makes lists for the next day ! He is a very social person and enjoys having fellowship with those who like doing the same things as he does. In fact, this guy just enjoys people and soon after meeting someone, he can add them to a list of ever growing friends.

As a Preacher's Kid, he moved several times in his youth, acquiring the skill of making friend quickly. He enjoys learning about new a different things and will research subjects until he gets a good idea what they are all about. He is a good friend that is loyal and willing to go the extra mile to help another.

His greatest joy however, is his family. Willie is very proud of his children and absolutely adores his grandchildren. He is often sharing with them various experiences and encouraging them to learn from life, as well as the fact, one should never stop learning.

God allows us to be put into a place or situations sometimes that requires us to learn something new. Willie might be learning how to slow down and rest a little. But what is it that I am to learn?

I believe it is to learn how to be cheerful as I serve him ( or anyone): how to express not only my love as I care for him; but to express the love of Jesus toward him as well.

I am to pray for his healing not because i am tired but because it will relieve his pain. I am to seek his comfort and realize that as I comfort him, God is adding to our relationship a new area of trust that will last us through our old age. Everyday, I learn patience and realize that God has chosen to use Willie to work them in me at this time. I am learning that when I pray to be more like Jesus, opportunities open up for me to experience the chance to learn how to serve and do it joyfully.

Please pray for Willie to be healed so that he might continue in the things that bring him joy and for me be a better servant: one who finds joy in the opportunities that God place before her.

Friday, June 27, 2008

Waiting on God

"for the revelation awaits an appointed time...though it linger, wait for it; it will certainly come and will not delay!"
Habakkub 2:3-4


Often we believe that God has spoken to us through others and the scriptures. We believe that He has given us a promise and then we believe it will come to past instantly. We find ourselves disappointed because this promise has not been fulfilled when we think it should be or as we would like it to be.

One thing I have learned through the years is that everything has an appointed time. Our very existance is filled with appontments. There is a time to be born and a time to die; a time laugh and to mourn. I am sure yyou get where I am going. The government even has appointed times that affect our lives: legal ages for voting, driving,marriage and so on. We know that they are coming but we are in such a hurry to make and pass those appointments that we forget about the preparation that we must put into meeting requirements for the appointment.

With spiritual things, we are in a hurry for the blessing or promise to be fulfilled that we forget that in the waiting there is a gift. That gift is having fellowship with God. In the waiting, we can have conversation with our Father and learn what He desires for us as Hs children. As the "revelation" lingers, we can gain strength and understanding as we wait. We gain wisdom as to how to be at peace and our faith grows in a new way.

In the waiting, we are changed: we have learned to rest and trust and truly believe that God knows what is best for us. Some of my best times in life have been waiting on God simply because I get to know HIm in a new light and find something new about His nature.

In the waiting, God is the same; but we begin to see Him with new eyes and our heart begins to yearn for His company. We learn what it is like to be in His presence and we cling to this time of fellowship.

God is faithful and brings to pass all of His promises; but when you are rejoicing in the fulfilment of the promise: remember to thank God for the gift of waiting

Friday, June 6, 2008

Vacation

Vacation is a time to get away from the usual routine of life: to relax and refocus the direction you are going.

About every two years, we take a long vaction to do such. The vacation happend to coinside with one of my husband's favorite things : the Texas Star Party. So naturally, we decided to enjoy the Davis Mountains and all that is available around us.

The night skies at the Davis Mountaiins are some of the most beautiful that we have ever seen. Th skies are very dark and because of this one can see the heavns on great display. Men, women and children from all areas over the world come to the Prude Ranch every year simply to enjoy the handiwork of God.

After the Star Party ends, we will be enjoying one of God's greatest wonders: our beautiful grandchildren! They will be travelling to join us here, We will get to share with them this wonderful place in the Ft. Davis, Balmorhea, and Big Bend area. Willie and I so enjoy coming to this area whenever we can. The canyons and valleys remind us of how small we are and how great God is.

Whenever I am here it reminds me of the Scripture that if we do not praise God that the rocks will cry out in praise. Here even when we sing praises to the Lord, the rocks are singing in harmony in order to give God full worship.

Vacation here does relax and bring refocus of life. That focus is to worship our Creator and remind us that if we are moving toward God in all areas of life, we are headed in the right direction!

Sunday, May 11, 2008

Amazing Love

I keep thinking of what Jesus said to the disciples: " Love others as I have loved you"

As I meditate on this , I realized that the LOVE He is talking about is a love in which one where you must lay aside a fleshly thing called "personal rights". You know "Personal Rights"! The list of what one is entitled to as a human being and make sure that your comfort zone is always in tact. Those wonderful self indulging rights where you always get what you expect from others and allows you to demand your own way. These "rights" even allow you to feel offended and carry a grudge when wronged or preceived wrong occurs.

When Jesus said to love as He has loved, He issued a challenge to set aside these rights and to follow His example. Jesus set aside His "rights" when He came and dwelled among us. He had the right to wear the crown and robes of royality, yet He wore the clothes of a carpenter. He had the right to have people serve Him and wait upon Him,yet it was He who served others. He did good to all,yet He was despised and beaten. He was sinless and yet He bore the sins of all mankind.

I think on this whenever I start to feel that I have not received my "share of the pie" or that I have been wronged in some way. Then I feel ashamed that I have not surrended my "personal rights", but instead held tighly to my dear old flesh. Often I struggle in this area. Struggle with the idea that by surrendering these "rights", I am surrendering control of my life. I am giving up the right to be offended. I am giving up the right to hold a grudge when someone hurts me. I giving up the right to have life be all about ME!

But by surrendering, I am gaining the right to let forgiveness and mercy rule my relationships. I am gaining the right to love as God as loved me: unconditionally. I am gaining the right for life to be about others and not focused on me. My "tent" is greatly enlarged and joyous blessings are multiplied.

I pray that everday, I find myself surrending my "personal bill of rights" that I might gain what God has planned for me.

Tuesday, May 6, 2008

Looking For A Miracle

Many of us spend our days looking for a miracle to happen in our lives. We are looking so hard for something to happen to us or others that cannot be explained away by science....something that we know could only be the work of God.

I challenge you to look in the mirror! For most of us, a mirror is th last thing we want to look at. In a mirror, we see staring back at us all our precieved imperfections: our nose is either to small or too big...just does not go with out face or we see ourselves too fat, too skinny,too short, too tall....you get the picture. We are our own worst critics .

What if when we look into the mirror instead of seeing the "mess" we precieve ourselves to be. we see a creation of God in its total prefection? What if we realized that God created us to be the mirror? That's right, we are the mirror that God looks into every morning and we reflect Him.

So the question now is, Do we reflect His compassion and love toward His creations? When others look at us do we reflect the love that God has for them so that they are encouraged to receive all that He has for them? When we look into the mirror, are so worried about how our flesh looks or do we fade away until the only reflection we see is God?

Were we not created in His likeness? I hope that when you look int the mirror, you do see yourself: you are a miracle that was created to bring joy not only to God's heart but to His planet and all that He created for your pleasure. You are the miracle for whom He created all of the universe. It is you that He longs for fellowship and company. It is you He chose to bring His Only Son to deliver from sin and it will be you that He will spend eternity with.