Who do you trust?

A few years ago when I was volunteering in a Vacation Bible School at St. Peter’s, we taught the kids a very catchy tune to the words of Proverbs 3:5,6 ”Trust in the Lord with all your heart, lean not on your own understanding, in all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your paths.”  As I have sung that song from time to time, it finally occurred to me, in what areas of my life do I trust God?  For my health, I was trusting the doctor and pills.  For my business success I was trusting my own efforts of self promotion.  For my marriage and parenting I was trusting in self-help books.  Where was I trusting God?  The answer was “nowhere”.

I have a great relationship with my husband and son and when they tell me something I believe them.  No questions asked.  As I started reading what God says in the Bible, I wondered …could I could really believe Him?  He says things like…”I forgive all of your iniquities and heal all your diseases” Psalm 103:3, “Commit your way to the Lord, trust in Him and He will do it” Psalm 37:5,  “There shall no evil befall you or any plague or calamity come near your house” Psalm 91:10, “I cried out to You and You have healed me” Psalm 30:2, and so much more.  Wow!  Could this be true?

After meditating on the incredible things God said, I decided I was going to start trusting Him.  This has been a process, but some amazing things have happened over the years.  I no longer have to take a daily dose of Excedrin for  chronic headaches that I have had for over 20 years, frequent bladder infections have disappeared, as well as I no longer have to take allergy pills because I have no more symptoms.  This has been amazing to me!  There are lots of small things that have tried to make me sick, but I have begun to speak the Word of God out loud, trusted in what He said and they have disappeared.  Situations have also been working out for me and my business has prospered.

God has been faithful to me in every area that I have trusted Him, but there are still lots of places in my life where I am still in control.  As I begin this new year I do so with a repentant heart.  I agree with Isaiah and pray, “Let the wicked forsake his way and the unrighteous man his thoughts; and let him return to the Lord, and He will have love, pity, and mercy for him, and to our God, for He will multiply to him His abundant pardon.” Isaiah 55:7

I am so sorry God.  I trust my husband more than I trust You.  This year I will read what You say, meditate on it and wait until You make it happen in my life.  I give control of my life over to You.  I am so thankful that You have said “What is impossible with men is possible with God.” Luke 18:27  I look forward to the miracles that You have in store for this year!

The Gift

Now that Christmas has passed, I am sure that all of your decorations are put away and I bet you don’t have any unwrapped gifts still waiting to be opened.  What if I told you that there is an incredible gift that is still waiting for you?  It is a gift that has been waiting for you to open for years.

What am I talking about?  It is Psalm 91, found in the Bible.  You probably are thinking “oh brother”.  Well can I ask you a question?  How are things going in your life?  Are you sick?  Do  you consistently have ”issues”  like home repairs or car problems?   Then I suggest you read Psalm 91 and treat it like a gift from God.  You will find promises of God’s protection in all areas of our lives: promises to protect us from pestilence (disease), calamity coming against our house and so much more.  God even promises that angels will guard over us to preserve us in all our ways.  If you are not experiencing the protection of God, you need to take this gift seriously.  Meditate on it.  Ask God to show Himself to you.  That is exactly what He wants to do.

This year my son received an incredible gift that was sitting right in front of my neighbor’s house for 2 days before Christmas.  My son walked right past it and it didn’t even register in his mind, because he didn’t have any idea that it was for him.  Sometimes that is the way we are with the promises of God.  They are right in front of us, but we need to claim them as our own.  When we do, they are even better than the gift my son received because they are eternal.

Does God just do this arbitrarily for everyone?  Obviously not.  The Psalm starts out saying that this promise is for those who dwell in the secret place with God, who are keeping themselves under the shadow of His wings.  God loves you and He has a wonderful life planned for you.  Are you living it His way or are you doing things your way? 

I pray that you ask God to show you how to live your life in the secret place so that you can experience all the promises found in Psalm 91.

God is faithful to His promises!

Grief Matters

A few weeks ago I had the opportunity to attend a Grief Matters seminar at Annie’s Hope.  They are an organization, based in St. Louis, that help kids who have experienced a loss.  The services they offer are incredibly worthwhile, plus they are a non for profit so there is no cost to their clients.

After a death, whether anticipated or not, there remains a wide range of feelings and emotions plus lots of unanswered questions.  Annie’s Hope helps families work through their grief by offering one on one counseling, small groups and many activities in which families can participate.  

It was heart breaking to hear some of the stories about children they have served, but comforting to know that there is a group of incredible people to help walk through the hard times with hurting kids and their families.  They also offer a camp in the summer where kids can gather for fun with other children who have also been through a death in the family.

If you live in the St. Louis area, I highly recommend Annie’s Hope if you know of any children who have experienced a loss.  Their website is www.annies hope.org.  They are not specifically faith-based, but there are many day-to-day issues that kids go through that Annie’s Hope can help with.

The hope that Jesus Christ gives is the ultimate answer to all of life’s struggles.  Without Him there will never be true peace or lasting happiness.  It is nice to know that there are people who have a heart to help those on the broken road as they make their journey to wholeness.

God is faithful to His promises!

Talking to God

This morning in my prayer time, I admitted to God that I am afraid of a few things.  I know that I am not supposed to be afraid, because fear opens the door for the devil but sometimes I am weak. 

Today my situations just became so pressing that I finally admitted it – yes – I am afraid.  Now what?  Frankly, it was a relief to admit my feelings.  A burden seemed to be lifted off my back as I handed my fears over to God.  I don’t know who I was fooling anyway.  God knows everything!

As I opened my Bible to continue reading from where I left off on Friday, I come to a part in Jeremiah where he asks God why he is in such perpetual pain and why his wound seems incurable.  Wow, that is exactly how I have been feeling.  Here is what God said.  “Therefore thus says the Lord:  If you return (and give up this mistaken tone of distrust and despair) then I will give you again a settled place of quiet and safety, and you will be My minister; and if you separate the precious from the vile (cleansing your own heart from unworthy and unwarranted suspicions concerning God’s faithfulness), you shall be My mouthpiece.  Jeremiah 15:19

I don’t know about you, but I think that was an exact response from God to my thoughts!  It never ceases to amaze me how a book written thousands of years ago could still be so fresh and relevant to my exact needs and situations. 

Thank you God for encouraging me this morning!  I will trust You and won’t give in to despair.  I will continue to press forward knowing that You are with me and I won’t be overwhelmed by my circumstances.  I will walk by faith and not by sight.  I will commit my way to You and I know that You will perfect everything that concerns me.  Just like Jesus did in the desert when He was being tempted by Satan, I will speak Your Word to the devil as he tries to get me off track.  Your Words are so powerful!  They change the atmosphere and the situation.

 Thank You for bringing me back to a quiet and settled place.  I truly don’t have anything to fear because You are with me!

God is faithful to His promises!

Trusting God

Lately I feel that God is asking me to trust Him on a deeper level.  Years ago I trusted in Jesus as my Lord and Savior so I know I have eternal life, but I think there is so much more of God to be experienced right now.

One of my favorite Scripture verses is Proverbs 3:5,6 “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, lean not on your own understanding.  In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your paths.”  I feel that I trust in the Lord and that I acknowledge Him, but I have a hard time not leaning on my own understanding.  I am working on it!

One major decision I made was to limit watching the news and news talk shows.  They seem to be preaching a message of doom and discouragement.  Instead I have been reading and listening to what God says.  He says that there is good in my future as well as health and prosperity.  As I have turned from what the world/media is saying and started believing in God’s Word, I have seen my business prosper in a declining economy, and I have experienced healing of an infirmity that I have been struggling with for over 20 years.  I even managed to avoid the Swine flu without getting the flu shot!  I have an inner peace and joy that keeps growing and growing.

Yet even after experiencing all of these blessings from God, I feel there is more.  In fact I think I am only limited in what God has for me by my level of trust and faith.  In Mark 11:23 Jesus says, “Truly I tell you, whoever says to this mountain, Be lifted up and thrown into the sea! and does not doubt in his heart but believes that what he says will take place, it will be done for him.  For this reason I am telling you whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that it is granted to you, and you will have it.”  Do you have mountain moving faith?  We will never have it until we get to know Jesus.  We can’t trust someone we don’t know.

I have made another important decision.  My life is now centered around strengthening my relationship with God.  I spend time with Him, worship Him, read His Word and talk to Him.  It is awesome that He talks to me as well – mainly be revealing truth to me during my Bible reading!

Be bold!  Join with me in seeking a closer relationship with God.  Let’s ask  Him to bring about His promises for our lives.  The world is looking for something real and true.  What better than to see believers walking in the power of the Holy Spirit with signs and wonders following?  I am confident we will see the goodness of God in the land of the living!

God is faithful to His promises!

Cancer

Yesterday, I had the honor to be present by the bedside of my friend as she laid in her bed waiting for Jesus to take her to heaven.  As I looked at her, I thought ”There is no way God was the cause of the cancer that has taken control of her body.”  My friend is a dear, sweet woman who was incredibly thoughtful, always taking the time to pray for you and help you in any way she could.

We live in a fallen world where there are toxins, pesticides, nicotine, etc.  Those are the causes of cancer, not God.   There are things that we can do that open the door for sickness to enter our bodies, like living with unforgiveness or bitterness in our hearts.  That is why Jesus reminded us to forgive those who trespass against us and to pray that God’s will be done on earth as it is in heaven.  There is no sickness in heaven.

I did see God while I was there.  I found Him in her husband as he moistened her lips with water and told her he loved her every time her eyes opened.  I found Him in her family as we all sang “Holy, holy are you Lord God Almighty.”  I found Him in the friends that wanted to be by her side and say their final farewell.

Looking at her frail body may seem like the devil won.  Little does he know that God has heard all of our prayers and will answer them in the most incredible way.  Any moment now my friend will be standing  in the presence of God saying  ”He has redeemed my soul in peace from the battle that was against me.” Psalm 55:18  She will be victorious in her fight against cancer.

Goodbye my precious friend.  You will be missed.

God is faithful to His promises!

Hearing God

How do we hear from God?  God speaks in many ways – through circumstances, people, creation and the clearest way is through His Word.  “For the word of God [is] quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two edged sword… and [is] a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” Heb 4:12 

It is incredible to have God speak to you as you read the Bible.  It is almost as if something will jump off the page that directly relates to your circumstances.  It is hard to believe that something written so long ago can be so relevant to everyday life and the situations we experience.

It doesn’t matter if you start in the Old or New Testament.  I challenge you to start reading and ask the Holy Spirit to open up your heart to hear what God wants to tell you.  He loves you and I know He has a lot to say!

God is faithful to His promises!

Is this God’s will?

Do we have any way of knowing what God’s will is for our life?  Jeremiah 29:11 says “For I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, thoughts and plans for welfare and peace and not for evil, to give you hope in your final outcome.”  That sounds pretty incredible to me!  Is that what you are experiencing – peace and hope?  If not, do you want to?

Did you know that God wants to share with you His specific will for your life?  “The God of our forefathers has destined and appointed you to come progressively to know His will, and to see the Righteous One (Jesus Christ) and to hear a voice from His mouth and a message from His own lips.”  Acts 22:14.

Don’t be afraid of the future.  God has good plans for you – for a life filled with peace not fear.  When we believe more in what God tells us than what the world’s system (media) tells us, we can live a victorious life.  Ask God what His will is for the situation you are in.  He loves you.  He will tell you.

God is faithful to His promises!

God, Why did You let this happen?

Is that a question you ask God?  Why do we blame God for bad things that happen?  You hear people say that it must be God’s will when someone dies or when devastation occurs.  Is that really true?  Is it really God’s will?

In John 10:10 Jesus says, “The thief comes only in order to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have and enjoy life and have it in abundance (to the full, till it overflows).”   It seems to me that God is not the one responsible for many of the things we give Him credit for – especially sickness and death.  It is the thief – Satan – who wants to steal the life God wants us to live and enjoy to the full.

Why is this so important?  If we feel God is responsible for the evil that happens to us, how can we truly love Him and trust Him?  Can we love the Lord with our whole heart, mind and soul when we think He may strike us with disease to teach us a lesson? When things go wrong, it is God who makes all things turn around and work together for our good. Romans 8:28

James 1:17 says, “”Every good and perfect gift is from above, it comes down from the Father”.  Everything that God does is good.  When Jesus was on the earth, He healed everyone who came to Him.  He didn’t say that someone had to remain in their infirmity in order to glorify God.  He healed them so that God would be glorified.

Since Jesus bore all of our sins on the cross, we can now come boldly before the throne of grace and have complete access to the presence of God and experience His love.  The Bible says, “No good thing does He withhold from those who walk uprightly”.

I pray that God would reveal the depth of His love to you so you can fully trust Him.

God is faithful to His promises!

Hello world!

I am excited to be entering a new area of walking out God’s plan for my life.  By adding this blog I hope to bring forth words of hope and encouragement to those He puts me in contact with. 

Feel free to check back often as I share what God is putting on my heart.