Transparent Provision

I believe that I shall look upon the goodness of the Lord
in the land of the living!

Wait for the Lord;
be strong, and let your heart take courage;
wait for the Lord! Psalm 27:13-14

There is one who scatters, and yet increases all the more, and there is one who withholds what is justly due, and yet it results only in want. The generous man will be prosperous, and he who waters will himself be watered. Proverbs 11:24-25

Three years ago, God gave me a promise that He would give me a vehicle. He, of course, didn’t say how or what kind, just that at the end of three years He would supply. It’s one of the craziest things I have held onto and I view this as my Abraham experience. I have had, since that time, a car that was bought for me by my mom, the use of her car and even funds to rent a vehicle for about a year. (Yes, I know the money scholars are doing the math on that one, the money spent to rent could have been saved up to buy. S/N It’s funny how people who already have are quick to give advice to those who don’t have yet not help to attain that which they need. If I already HAD a car, then yes renting one would be silly, but as I had none and the bus was not an option due to my hours, renting was my best bet. And God provided faithfully during that time! Okay, S/N out and off of my pedestal.) I’m not sure of the exact month, but I know that 3 years is nearly up and I am wondering, was that God? Did I hear Him right? Should I just go and buy a car? Do I not have the faith I need to receive my blessing? And that led me to pray to Him this morning and ask, “God did I hear You right? How do I place my faith in action when I pray constantly and thank You in advance for my vehicle?” The answer He gave was to tell people. Tell my story so in its unfinished version so that He can turn it into a testimony when it is time!

I have personally witnessed God’s goodness in my life more times than I can count! His healing, financial, physical and spiritual faithfulness still blows my mind every time He moves on my behalf! When I found the verses to write this post, He had just blown my mind again! I was down to $6 and some change in my account with bills due and one morning after praying, I looked in my account and where there should have been a payment from Unemployment for just over $200, there sat in my account a payment of a little over $1000!!!! Let me type that out!! A LITTLE OVER A THOUSAND!! My patience and endurance while struggling with just child support (yes I am being so transparent) was rewarded and they back paid me!!!! Wow GOD!!! I had enough to bless others and pay bills!!! He is now showing me that He is my provision, He is the Signer of my “paycheck.” And as hard as it has been, I know that to be true. He has provided for my daughter’s tuition at Omaha Christian Academy and I believe He will continue by paying her tuition for this year in full!!

Psalm 27 says that we WILL SEE the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. That means now!!! Yes it will be according to our measure of faith, where He has us, but if we stop complaining and look, I believe we will indeed see this goodness! I love that promise! How many times do you go through something, He brings you through and the next issue or trial you have, you find yourself in the doubt pool crying and telling God about your problems again? I am learning that the saying, “Stop telling God about your problems and tell your problems about your God,” is so true! God knows what we go through! His Word says He has ordained our days so how would He not? Jesus warns us, kind of like a ride operator warns us about the ride we are about to experience, that we WILL have hardships and trials in this life but to “take heart”, that means to have confidence, do not be afraid, be strong; He has overcome the world. (John 16:33) Do you believe that? To waver in whether you believe that or not is to waver in your faith in Christ at all. I mean think about it, He was sent here for us to overcome so that we could overcome. How could we believe that He came and not the reason? That’s like believing that there is a cure for cancer but when you are diagnosed, you don’t take it. Now that’s crazy!! HE IS THE CURE!! Won’t you take your Medicine today?

Let’s pray. Oh God, that we would so believe in what You promise us. That we would walk in victory during the storm and not just after it. That the storms of this life would not drench us to the point that our affect is changed and we wallow in disbelief until the storm is actually over. NO! That we would sit in the confidence You have for us (Job 1:8) and when the storms, attacks and persecution comes we would stand firmly on the Rock by which Your Church is built. Lord speak to each of us today and replenish the confidence that has been taken or given. Thank You that You are Jehovah Jireh; You are my Provider and my Provision. I trust You Lord. In Jesus name. Amen!

Just a Transparent Thought

Here recently there has been a big stir, a funk if you will, surrounding our president’s latest decision regarding same sex marriage. This post, which has nothing to do with the content, is just my transparent thoughts on paper…. Well blog. I may have a few standing with me and few more that will attack me. I am now okay with that.

The very first time I heard the word “homosexual” was with the actor, Rock Hudson, dying from AIDs, this new disease to which a frenzy was created. I can remember parents running to schools and snatching their kids out because of children who contracted this scary disease by way of blood transfusion. It seemed that even the smallest baby had done something to catch this “gay disease.”  People became instant doctors and judges when it came to who had and why they had AIDs. It was a sad time for this country.

What I also saw was an enormous amount picketing, screaming, judgmental, holier than thou Bible beaters that hid behind the name Christians. Funny that I always said to myself, “Self, remind me to never be one of them.” I had tolerance for those who were sick; those who America had assumed had started this epidemic, the homosexual community. I wasn’t that old (nice try) but I knew I did not want to be part of a people who only had hatred dripping from their lips. It was “homo this” and “gay that.” Let’s not mention the multitude of abortion clinics blown up or at least the women who were pushed into having abortions because they would rather be in the clinic than with the poison spewing folks outside the doors calling them baby killers and announcing that they and the clinic workers inside were ALL going to Hell. I began to think that maybe people with money and high positions in the church could change not only your departure time from this earth but also your destination, thank God they can’t!

I said all that to say, here is my standing ground on this subject. I DO believe that most are born “that way”, but not the “way” they are thinking. I believe there is a spirit that is assigned to some of us to make us completely miserable with life and relationships until we come to the conclusion that we are a certain way, accept it and then live what I call the death style. It’s not enough to accept that you are attracted to the same sex as you, it’s not enough speak it out loud; this spirit is not doing its job unless we are walking this out. I call this a death style for one reason, God is against it. If my Father is against the lifestyle, then so am I.

Please notice that I did not say I am against the people who live this style of life, and neither is He. He loves them regardless. He is not pleased, He does not like what they have chosen, and because of that He has given them over to their sin, much like a parent does a wayward child, BUT GOD does NOT hate the person!! There is a saying that goes, Hate the SIN, love the SINNER. So many in the Church, including my pre-saved and newly saved self, have gotten the two mixed up and even put their own spin on things. They have begun to hate other SINNERS while loving their own SIN.

This is what I feel the Church needs to begin to cry out for forgiveness. We have turned a generation of people against us, not because of the things we do like Jesus, which He has said would get us persecuted, but because we have poured more hate on these lost souls more than the world has. And now the world has begun to embrace them in an effort to keep them bound! What are we doing about it? Sitting on the sidelines drawing in the sand, when we have no idea what it was Jesus was even drawing, and it’s in the wrong context! We need begin loving each other first, because if we can’t love each other, how will we love anyone else? Once we get that, we need to be reaching out into the very places we have frowned upon and judged to snatch our brother and sisters out of there. And for those that decide to stay or run back, we need to show them love as well.

Listen, I have friends and family members who are homosexual. There is NO way I will turn my back on them! I support them to the fullest! What I do NOT support is their way of life, for no other reason than when they die, that’s it! I will never see them again! I can’t stand to think of that. I do not support what God does not support, but the people living that way or doing that thing, I will continue to love based on the fact that while I was yet a sinner, in the deep thick blackness of my sin, Christ died for me. Not because he was told to, not because he knew he had to, not because it was the only way to save me, but because he loved me!

Know this; my love will not stop flowing with those living this style of life on my page and in my life. I will not turn my back on them and there is NO way I will abandon them! That does NOT make me tolerant or accepting, it makes me obedient to His command for us all. To love my neighbors. Will you do the same?

Now here is a couple of housekeeping items, as they are often called. I do not accept profanity from anyone. If you disagree with this post, message me. Know that I operate with discernment and Proverbs 26:4-5 guides when it comes to answering or not. Also know if you are living this lifestyle and choose to copy and paste this blog to spew out poison against me, I, like my Lord and Savior, will NOT be moved! And I STILL love you! This is not to force or scare you into a relationship with Christ, it’s not to condemn you or to point fingers. It is merely to say I love you as Christ loves you and I am so sorry for what the imposter pew dwellers and surface Christians have done and said! Jesus is NOT like that! He loves you just as you are; He also loves you enough to want more for you!!