Transparent Journey

“Go in through the narrow gate, because the gate to hell is wide and the road that leads to it is easy, and there are many who travel it." Matthew 7:13

This journey called life is full of ups and downs. It can be uplifting and full of awesome markers such as birth, graduations, weddings, celebrations, promotions and just plain laughter. It can also be full of heart breakers such as death, divorce, suspension or termination, back stabbing and the like. Then there seems to be the mediocre. The ups and downs of emotion: joy, happiness, love, laughter, depression, hatred, loneliness, etc. This is the journey we call life and there is no way to jump off the train without getting hurt or dying (attempted or successful suicide) as well as there is no way to bear it all without the Conductor of our lives to reassure us of the bumps and bruises we may get when we are pushed, forced or fall down. 

The verse today speaks so much to me. I picture this very narrow but worn path met with distractions, vines in the way, hanging limbs that look as they may fall at any time and a dusty, sometimes uncomfortable road leading to the Way, the Truth and the Life; Jesus. But in all actuality He is the reason that path is worn. He walked that path centuries ago to pave the way for us, to make it a little bit easier to see this very small, very narrow path. The three years of His ministry was marked with ups (deliverances, miracles, little children, converts) and downs (death, denial, lies, ignorance of his own disciples, abuse, slander and eventually his own brutal death). But the miracle of His story, of his life on Earth is that it didn't stop there! He rose again 3 days later!!! That can be the truth for us as we who continue to walk, stumble and even fall on this very narrow path, we too can take heed and rise as well. The point is not that you have fallen; the point is that God loves you regardless and you can raise back up as Jesus did as a Holy Example!

The opposite of the narrow path is that wide, very traveled path that everyone who does not care to be careful, all those that have traveled the road that is less comfortable and those who don't know there is another road are content to walk on. The road is made in such a way that many can fit on it at a time. It's made to be more comfortable and there is less bumping into folks, less stepping on shoes, less chance to ruffle someone's feathers on the journey. Who wouldn't want this path? I walked this path for 38 years. It was comfortable, it had tents in case I wanted to rest or give up for a while. There were pit stops to sit and drink, mingle and even meet up with desirable people. What it didn't have is Jesus. I could tell there was something missing. Even when I was young. I tried talking to this God I had heard about from different churches but couldn't seem to yell loud enough over the crowds of people walking with me, and I certainly couldn't hear what He was saying to me. That became irritating and I would eventually say, "Oh never mind!" each time I tried to start this conversation. All the while the only thing He was saying was, "I love you, beloved child. Come walk with me." But that wide road looked so much more comfortable than the narrow one He was walking with those few worn, tired looking, sometimes carried people. I didn’t want to leave this road and lose my place on the road to "success" just to go over and see what He was saying to me!

What road are you on? Little do we know, the wide road has its bumps as well. Those bumps are messages sent from the One who longs to walk beside us on the narrow road. It's His way of saying, "Come to me and I will give you rest." We are so busy walking that we don't realize we need rest. We don't realize we are more tired looking than the few on the narrow path. They just don't seem to be having fun and He has to carry them sometimes! We never have to be carried on the wide road, do we? Or maybe it's that we have no one to carry us and so we just keep moving. Aren’t you tired of walking? Don't you desire rest? His arms are waiting. Walk the path of Jesus and get that rest you need! Its okay that you fall, He will catch you. He won't condemn your fall. He will only brush off the dirt and either carries you or set you back on the path, depending on the pain from that fall.

Have you been on the narrow path and gave up because you couldn't "see" God from where you were? There is a popular poem called Footprints that says on the times you only see one set of footprints, those times when you don't feel Him near, it's because He is carrying you. I like to say when I can't feel Him or He seems far away, He is preparing my table in the midst of my enemies! But I forget that and want to look to the right and the left and that's when I lose my footing. Come back to Him. His arms never get tired of being wide open for you. Walk, run, and jog.... come to Him. After all, Jesus walked this road initially and paved the way for us. He made it and He was on earth as flesh just like us, why can't we?

Jesus, thank you for marking this hard to walk road for us. Thank you for not stopping at dying for us but also rising again with all power to then give us that same power in you. This road is hard to stay on. It seems to be filled with distractions to trip us up and knock us down. Those on the wide road have their eyes always on us waiting for us to trip and fall. Give us strength to continue this journey and show them the way to walk it victoriously. In Jesus name, Amen!

Transparent Time..... Keeps On Slippin

And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? (Matthew 6:27 ESV)

I'm finding out that time change is a hot topic to discuss. Some enjoy it, some don't like it at all and some don't care one way or the other. I really don't care for it and don't see the savings it brings. It feels more like someone is trying to play God. But because my state does it, I need to adjust. This is the hardest thing to do! It seems that one hour change has such power over me and I am weak to fight the fatigue that surrounds me.

Its crazy how just one hour can bring about such confusion, sluggishness and loss of time. This year seemed to be worse than others I woke up dazed and even though I know April 21st is the shortest day of the year, it seemed to dredge along so long!

I realized that waiting can be that way. When we wait, especially when we really need the item right away, it seems so long from the beginning till the end of waiting. For example, my daughters both have their hair in micros. For those who don't know, micros are tiny individual braids that are done by adding hair to your existing hair, i.e., extensions in the form of braids. Anyway, they now both have these micros. I want them because it gives hair a rest for up to 3 months! The wall between me and my braids is my impatience, my inability to sit still. Let me explain, the braids can take anywhere from 4 hours (with two people) up to 18 hours with a really slow person taking breaks. The woman that does their hair, Ms. Sheeda, takes an approx. 9 hours to get their hair done. Sometimes a little less but never more. That is an issue for me! I cannot, no; I will not sit for 9 hours!! Now she takes a couple of 2-3 minute breaks of course for her and her clients but I just can't seem to muster up the nerve to do it! Its 9 hours!! I don't have that attention span to do it! Shucks, it's even taken me all month to do this post! But the end result is beautiful and lasting! Think about it, 9 hours to do the hair for 3 months of freedom to NOT do your hair... well except the occasional washing, but then its wash and go even then!

We take time for granted a lot. We use it to twiddle our thumbs when we could be busy promoting God's Kingdom, we use it to scroll and stalk on Faceboook (guilty) when we could be cleaning a room, writing a note to someone or even talking with or listening to God. 9 hours is a lot of time but compared to the 3 months I wouldn’t have to do my hair, it's minutes really! Four minutes per day for 3 months to be exact! Wow!! How much time are we wasting and investing? I challenge you to not only take a look at your time, but do a chart to see where you can change it! I did one with IBloom a few months back and it has revolutionized how I spend and look at my time!! 

This is not even just a suggestion from me, but a command from our God! The verse I began with not only works when you begin to worry about something, but when you look back at time wasted, you realize you can't gain that time back. We are also told NOT to have idle time in Ecclesiastes 11:6 (Sow your seed in the morning, and at evening let not your hands be idle, for you do not know which will succeed, whether this or that, or whether both will do equally well.) and 1 Timothy 5:13 (Besides, they get into the habit of being idle and going about from house to house. And not only do they become idlers, but also gossips and busybodies, saying things they ought not to.) Let's honor His Word by doing and not being idle today. 

Lord, forgive my idleness today. I get caught up in the moment of what I am doing.... or not doing and lose track of time easily. Holy Spirit would you so nudge me with little things or big things to let me know I'm being idle with my time. Lord, would You show me what You would have me do with my time and give me the wisdom to be a good steward of my time as well? After all, it's on Your time that I breathe. In Jesus name, Amen!

Transparent Peace

Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth. Psalms 46:10 (ASV)

My last post was 5 months ago at the end of August. I had just been through a near eviction and right after that having my water shut off for about 3 weeks. Needless to say, it was a hard and almost overbearing time. I had no income; unemployment seemed to be taking its sweet time coming and a very outstanding water bill, not to mention my children who God sent to me to lift me up in times just like this. I was broke AND broken yet it seemed this time all my broken pieces were held in the Hands of a very loving, very powerful Father. He told me each morning to be still. He told me every morning that He is God. Never did it become redundant to hear these words. He seemed to know exactly when to say them and each time, every morning they were sweet to my ears. I love my Dad!

Around this time, now that I think back, I was in the wilderness being sifted. During that time some uglies came out of me that I am not very proud to say even resided in me, but I gladly say that because of Who is in me, not what! He was continuing my healing process from the Heart transplant I had asked for not much earlier than this. I believe if He had revealed to me what He had planned to take me through, I would have opted out of it. I would have said, “No thanks. I appreciate what you are trying to do God but I can’t go through all that, not again. My kids can’t handle that again and they may even leave this time to go stay with their dad. Then where would I be? No, no thanks.”

Can you imagine saying no to God? Yet we do that very thing every day by choosing our ideas and ways of doing things over His. As if we know so much more better than He does. As if WE were the ones “sitting high and looking low” and He was the apple of our eye! How crazy is that? Yet look at how gracious He is! He knows our hearts and the lust for control in our lives yet He loves us! Oh how He loves us! His grace and mercy IS everlasting!

During this hiatus, I have learned a lot about myself and about God. I have learned how imperfect I really am, no matter how many times I try hard to be “perfect.” I realize how much I needed saving when He reached down in the mess I made and saved me. I realize that I need that same Savior everyday to not only save me from myself and my frienemies but to be Lord of my life. Jesus is Lord and Savior of my life like keys and an engine is to a car. It won’t move without them. I also learned that His grace and mercy are everlasting. I screw up every day. I am an example of how far out His grace and mercies go and believe me, they are still going stronger than the Energizer Bunny!

I also learned that in order to hear from God, I must be still. I must listen. I must know that He is God. If an unknown teacher came into your town professing to be able to answer all your questions and help you in your daily life and finances, will you go hungry to hear his words? I don’t think so. You may go, you may even listen but it will not be with the intensity and hunger as if that teacher was TD Jakes or Dave Ramsey or even Mother Teresa (that would be weird). In order to listen intently, you must be still. If you are listening to the radio and a breaking newscast comes on, you stop what you are doing to really listen. In order to be still you must know that He is God. If a stranger comes towards you waving a gun saying be still or they are going to shoot you, what would you do? Likewise, if a friend comes towards you shouting get down and be still, waving their gun, you would do it because you trust them. In order to know that He is God, you must trust Him.

I believe I am in a “be still and know” moment in my life. I’m still not working, I still have needs that I lift up to Him but I now choose to “know that He is God” and let Him do the rest. I know when it’s time for me to act on the gifts He has given me, He will tell me. Until then, I won’t budge a muscle except to minister to those He sends my way. You see my job right now consists of being a godly woman, mother, daughter, sister, aunt, friend and even stranger. Colossians tells me to do whatever I do to the glory of God (Colossians 3:17, 23). And at the exact moment that He lifts me to the ministry that He has given me, I will be so ready that I spring into action. I still need a vehicle, I still need clothes for my family, and I still even need food for the most part. But what I need the most is God and I am so thankful that I have Him in Christ Jesus!

Oh God, thank You for Your wonderful grace and mercy. Thank You for showing me what I am not so that I could accept the love You give to me anyway. Without You I am unworthy, dirty and useless. But with You I am made whole! Help me to be still and know that YOU are God even when I feel like I need to move forward. Close doors that only You can close and at the right moment, bust doors wide open that only You can open! Until then, Your grace is sufficient. In Jesus name, Amen!

Transparent Waiting

Isaiah 40:31 "They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run and not be weary; and they shall walk and not faint."

Isaiah 49:23 "You will know that I am the Lord: for they shall not be ashamed that wait for Me."


Waiting is something we all have to do. I said it before, we have to wait for birth, we have to wait for meals and we have to wait in line at grocery stores when someone is pricing comparing. The funny thing is I don’t mind waiting sometimes! When I am baking a cake, I don't mind. When I am in a long line, I don’t mind... as long as I am not in a hurry. But for the most part, we all have to wait every day of our lives. You would think we would learn how to wait patiently after a while. Yet when God calls us to a time of waiting, we begin to sound like J.G. WENTWORTH screaming, "I want it now!" How dare we, as the created, demand "our due" from the Creator! All of these "name it, claim it" prayers we do aren't giving Him glory, they are seeking glory for us and then we just put a "God stamp" on it saying He blessed us. If we take account of all that we have named and claimed until we got it.... essentially whining like spoiled toddlers, we could write a book and tell of how it so was NOT worth it!

Now, don’t get me wrong. I have been there. I have had a detailed description of the car, the house, the HUSBAND, the job, etc that I want "now." I actually had the nerve to assume my God's was Burger King and I could "have it my way." Uh uh! He does not say I will give you glory. No, He says that HE will get the glory. This sometimes means at the expense of us if we are too proud to back down. His Word is clear, and because He never changes, we can rest assure that He will get the glory... at all cost. He is a jealous God (also in His Word Exodus 20:5) and He WILL have His way!

So why not wait? This is what I have learned while waiting on God. When I step out of line, His longsuffering allows for me to try it "my way" while knowing I am bound to fall at some point. He then picks me up and holds me as a mother holds a crying child. He is also just so there are consequences I may have. Much like a baby learning to crawl or walk, He will pick me up and put me back where I started until I get it. One of MY consequences is just the starting over. I hate to do things over! I would rather just pass over it than start again! Whenever my teachers would take my work and tell me to do it over, I'm sure if we were a cartoon strip I would have steam coming from my head and flames from my eyes! Yet His gentle and firm hand picks me up and places me back where I was to begin. Not to laugh while seeing the flames and steam emerge from me, although I used to think so, but to give me another chance! I have NEVER thought of it that way! He gives us multiple second chances yet we see it as more needless waiting. If we would only learn the first time and heed His instructions and warnings, which are clearly on the Label, we would only have a short wait versus "40 years of wandering."

Don’t you desire to be the fullest for God? Don’t you desire to be all that you can be for Him? No? You have too much to do you say? You can’t seem to find enough hours in the day to spend time with Him you say? Perhaps that’s why you lost your job and are now applying furiously and impatiently, while He waits patiently for you to seek His will for your life. Perhaps you had a bad break up from a relationship that was not only draining YOU but draining your relationship with God. If only we would look at our lives as His creation and here for His glory instead of Him being here for us.

 
There is only one thing that should be swift, one decision we should be making quickly, and that’s surrendering our lives to Jesus and asking Him to come in our hearts. Once we declare Him as Lord and Savior and believe that God sacrificed His only Son for us and then raised Him from the dead for us, the same people who live in vain every day, the wait is over! We could live our whole lifetime, whether that is seven days after surrendering or 70 years, learning to love Him as He loves us. We could then begin to see ourselves as He does, holy. The waiting.... would be worth the wait. It will be when we see Him face to face.

Father God, I thank You for Your tremendous, never ending grace and mercy You bestow on us. I thank You that You are an ever loving example of how we are to be with You as well as others. I thank You for Your patience with me God, for I certainly am in need of it every day! We are an impatient group, Your children, Lord and I just ask You to teach us how to be more like You when it comes to waiting. Bring us to the place where we can sit in Your presence and be content while waiting on You to deliver, to save, to bless, to call us. Give us Your purpose for us Lord and with that purpose give us the strength to wait on You. When we don’t want to wait Lord bring us to our second chance with a gentle reminder that You are God and You are still on Your Throne. I pray this in Jesus name, Amen!

What are you waiting for? If you have not yet surrendered your WHOLE life to Christ, now is the best time to do it! It's the only thing we should NEVER wait another day to do! Say this prayer after me, "Lord, I am a sinner, forgive me. I don’t like to wait for anything yet I make You wait for me to invite You in. No more. I repent of all my wrongdoings and acknowledge, God that You gave Your only Son as a ransom for me and then raised Him from the dead for me. Jesus I speak that YOU are the Savior (saving grace) and Lord (Head) of my life. Take over, I give you my burdens and take on Yours. Thank You for waiting on me even when I wouldn’t wait on You. In Jesus name, Amen!

Transparent Bags

"And David put his hand in his bag and took out a stone and slung it and struck the Philistine on his forehead. The stone sank into his forehead, and he fell on his face to the ground." 1 Samuel 17:49

"In their sight you shall lift the baggage upon your shoulder and carry it out at dusk. You shall cover your face that you may not see the land, for I have made you a sign for the house of Israel." Ezekiel 12:6

So it's 6:15 am here and I am listening to my kids get ready for school. I see as they get older, their morning routines get easier, or maybe it’s because I make them get their things ready at night, who knows! But then I look at the things my youngest has to get ready for school... the baggage she is taking to school and it hits me. We all have baggage we carry around! It looks heavy and unnecessary to most but to us, there are things that we need in there. For instance, my daughter Naria has a total of 3 different bags she takes to school daily. She has her backpack full of books, homework or papers to display on the refrigerator, pens, etc. She has a duffle bag that she takes for her volleyball practice filled with shoes, knee pads and change of clothes. And then she has a purse. She is known in Omaha for her purses! If you know Naria, you know her purses are nothing normal! They are huge and baggy themselves! All this for such a small frame of 5'1 (even though she will tell you 5'1.5).

My oldest carries a Buzz Light-year backpack around because she hates purses. But even to her, this is a necessary item. Makaila has always been a packrat and what she deems important is in her bag, no matter how much like trash it looks to mom. We have had plenty of go rounds about that thing! Yet she carries in it her camera, her magazines, gum and/ or candy and loose papers she feels she needs. Among all of that is her wallet.... It's crazy!

My son is the one who carries least. He has a sling back he carries around only when he is doing parkour or running track. But oh in his pockets! I find the most in there during laundry day! Anything from food wrappers (he is a tapeworm sufferer), candy... no not the wrappers, 3 and 4 chapsticks, folded paper with his drawings among other things. THAT is his baggage!

Recently I was a Women of Faith conference and person they had doing drama did a skit on baggage that Saturday. There could not have been a dry eye in the building when she was done! Not even her! Her skit began as a child and the baggage from divorce (the similarities were haunting to my own childhood and my children's) and went on to teen years with relationships that scar, teachers that demand, jobs that call up until she met for herself the One who could carry these bags for her.

We all carry baggage that can be things or habits or even people. We carry them into new relationships; we carry them into new homes and new jobs. We carry them into new walks of life and even into a new life in Christ as a new believer. No one is exempt from carrying these bags at one point. Some of us then take our baggage handling to a new height when we publicly display what we are carrying. We display bitterness, we display complaining spirits, eating disorders, past pain, scars, hurts and some even display children as baggage (usually those who become parents too young, mothers left to raise them alone or fathers who abandon in some form or another). My baggage is no different. I even display mine at times when my anger stems from something in the past not resolved or I don't trust someone who God places in my life. I also display my hurts by overprotecting my heart and trying to overprotect my children, but they let me know and God lets me know that He has them.

How do we get rid of these heavy burdens we call baggage? In Ezekiel, he was commanded to "lift the baggage upon your shoulder and carry it out at dusk." David "put his hand in his bag and took out a stone and slung it and struck the Philistine on his forehead." These are two different variations of what was done with baggage but I say they are one in the same. We, too, can lift up our baggage and carry it out AND reach in it to use what's in it for our giants. Interested in knowing how?

The first thing we need to do is hand over our bags to Jesus. He said "Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest." (Matthew 11:28) Picture a bell hop for a second. Their whole purpose in their job is to carry your luggage.... and then hold out their hand for a tip! But picture the "carry your luggage part". They wait either by the door, if it is a lush hotel or apartment, or by the lobby just for YOU to come in and take your heavy luggage to which you probably carried through the WHOLE airport, while waiting for a cab or car to retrieve you and then into the hotel! Isn't it refreshing to know someone is waiting just for you?! That is what JESUS does! He is waiting for you to give Him your burdens/ baggage. He is the One who can give you rest. That's what He does; it's His job and oh is He good at it! Give your baggage to Him! Aren’t you tired of carrying it?

The second thing we need to do is use what is inside to fuel us towards the goal God has made us for. What I mean is coal is one of the ugliest things on earth! I mean I used to get threatened as a child to behave or I would get coal as a Christmas gift! Ugh! But coal is very useful to us! It is used as fuel, and when crushed just right creates a diamond! Did you catch that? Woo!! Let me repeat that last part for you. When coal is given the high temperatures (fire, as in being in a furnace) and has the right amount of pressure (have you ever felt pressed in stress?) it becomes a diamond! Oh em gee!! That just made me smile figuring that out! Use your past hurts, scars, pain, trials, disappointments as fuel to strive for God's best for you! Do you know you are more worthy than rubies to God? (Proverbs 3:15) So making your trials into diamonds is NOTHING to Him!! Oh just to know there is a diamond coming out of this makes me rejoice! Also, you are able to strike the giants in your life with these same stones! Can you believe it??

So, how about now? Are you now ready to release the baggage or the baggage claim tickets to Jesus? He is waiting for you; won't you trust Him with your bags?

Oh Heavenly Father, You are so good to us! Your constant supply for our needs includes Your Son taking our baggage and giving in return His own which is "easy and light." Thank You for making available to us the experience of carrying light loads. I ask Your forgiveness in light of my own baggage that I still carry or pick up from time to time and ask You to continue to be patient with me as I learn to trust You more and more that You will not only carry mine but take care of it and me. Give us, Lord the load of peace and rest while You deal with unloading our baggage. I trust You to know just where to put each item in there. I pray this in Jesus name, Amen!

For those not knowing personally that Jesus is the only One who can carry your burdens perfectly until now, repeat this prayer, believing that He will carry you as well. Dear Jesus, I am a baggage carrier, a sinner. I am tired of carrying such a heavy load, Lord. I am asking your forgiveness as I place my bags down and turn and walk away from them. Please take them and give me yours in their place. I believe, God that You sent Jesus to die on the cross for me. I believe that You love me that much, no matter what is in those bags. I confess that Jesus is my Lord and my Savior, and ask You now Jesus to come into my heart. In Jesus name, thank You for new life, Amen.

For those who said, believe and confessed this prayer, welcome to the Family!! For those still struggling with that Truth that God loves you and waits with open arms for you, do not haste in running to Him, for we are NOT promised to wake up tomorrow!

Transparent Sacrifice

"He said to his servants, “Stay here with the donkey while I and the boy go over there. We will worship and then we will come back to you.” Abraham took the wood for the burnt offering and placed it on his son Isaac, and he himself carried the fire and the knife. As the two of them went on together, Isaac spoke up and said to his father Abraham, “Father?” “Yes, my son?” Abraham replied. “The fire and wood are here,” Isaac said, “but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?” Abraham answered, “God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.” And the two of them went on together." Gen 22:5-8

Abraham was the Father of faith. Even in the New Testament, his faith is counted righteous. But I am human, and so much like humans do today, I read Hebrews 11 and wonder, "How is he so righteous?" He lied about his wife more than once, he laughed at God's promise for him because of his circumstances, even after God's promise, he and Sarah took matters into their own hands, virtually causing Hagar to be the first recorded single mom. How could he be so righteous? How could God forget this other stuff? But, He does. Not only does He forget, but He keeps His promise to bless Abraham with "descendents as numerous as the stars in the sky and as the sand on the seashore." Gen 22:17a. But still I wondered, "How could this be?" Well, today after reading this chapter again, I understand.

I am a toddler in my faith. I surrendered June 29, 2008 in my bathroom, on my way to church to sing on the praise team. Before that day, before that minute, I was lost. There were things I thought I understood in the Word of God, things I could even relate to. My Bible looked the part of a saint's Bible. It was well used, well highlighted and well marked. It looked like a sword that had been in and won many a battle. But it had not, I had not. I was a wandering sheep and up until the year before, I hadn’t even known I was lost! I had my own daycare, car, independence... everything that I needed, or so I thought. In 2007, things spiraled out of control fast when unexpected circumstances took one of my own out of my hands and I was left helpless. It was the worst feeling in the world to me. That year, I closed my daycare without blinking my eye and this started my journey, unbeknownst to me, to Damascus.

This year has been a struggle for me. I have made decisions no one in THEIR right mind would make because it would take control out of their hands. This summer, alone, God has prepared me for what He has in store for me, His promises to me. I am in the middle of training even as I write this blog! I have almost no money, almost no food, no car and nowhere to turn but to God. My bills almost landed my family homeless, we could still have utilities shut off and my children have needs I cannot supply right now. BUT GOD has made me a promise, the same promise He made to each one of you reading this now. He promises to NEVER leave us, nor forsake us. He promised to be our Strength, our Shelter, our Help in the time of need and our Portion/ Provider, among others. I cannot make a move right now without Him. I can’t afford to! You cannot afford to! Yet we do it every day.

Abraham has taught me today that trust in Him, He will supply my needs! If I have faith as small as a mustard seed, I can tell these mountains to move out of my way! But he has also taught me that I can do ALL things through Christ who gives me strength! Abraham heard the Lord call his name. He ANSWERED the call and without question, obeyed. Not because he had to obey, not because he didn't know what else to do, but because he had faith and God's promise to see him through this tough journey he had to make with his only son. In that, he was counted righteous! His past failures were thrown "as far as the east is from the west." They were forgotten, only to be remembered by humans who knew him "back then" or read his story.

God is doing great things in this evil time today! He is calling us to worship, to trust, to endure, to have faith. Oh if only we could do that to the extent of Abraham, who had nothing but God's promise of "descendents more numerous than the sand" to hold on to. Dear heart, hold on.

Father God, even as I am writing this blog, You see my mixed tears. Tears of pain and struggle and frustration yet tears of rejoicing for the revelation I got even from the last paragraph. God, You hold to key to my heart. You are the reason I endure, the reason I breathe daily. I ask forgiveness and repent of mistrust, mishandling and misrepresentation of You, Your Word and Your provision. Forgive me even for praying "safe" prayers instead of bold ones. Lord, for every person You direct to read this blog, I pray that Your Holy Spirit would move in them as He just moved in me. Move them to trust and have faith in You. Move them to endure the rough times knowing that You are with them and in their weakness is when You are strong. Allow them peace and joy through those times and shield them from those who would scoff and ridicule their choice to remain in You and not in the world. I speak blessings of wisdom, discernment, peace, joy, patience, love and favor over each of them. Remember them Lord as You remember Your people. Remember me Lord, as You remember Your people. Thank You that You called me. Thank You that You provided for me and thank You that You are moving me to my destiny through this hard path. I ask for endurance, patience and joy as I walk it and for You to carry me when I can't. I praise You Lord because You are Holy and worthy to be praised. In Jesus name, Amen.

Transparent Tongue

"Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruits." Proverbs 18:21

We all go through life at some point unknowingly speaking life and death to people close to us. "You are gonna catch the death of you," was one I heard a lot growing up. Or something like "Why are going to go to that school? They can't do anything for you." Another one that I heard which was so harmless you would think it couldn't affect a child, "Don't sing! Keep your day job!" That one is still affecting me. I have heard I have a great voice but never believed it because of the damage done early on. No fault of the one delivering one of the many fatal blows to my esteem.

As a child, I was tall and lanky. I heard everything from "Your neck has funny rings around it," to a blatant "you are ugly." I wish I could make words ring out in echo like on the movies! That's how it sounded to me. Even my "friends" made fun of me from time to time in what we used to call "bag sessions" or "cut downs." I hope I didn't just give my age away!

In the Bible, Scripture speak about how much power the tongue has (Proverbs and Isaiah) and then James 3 speaks about taming this same tongue. James breaks the tongue down to a simple muscle that has so much power. How can so much power be in this one small seemingly helpless muscle? We use it to voice our opinions, taste our food and drinks and even to stick it out at people. But how can this small forgotten muscle be so powerful? Let me help you understand. The tongue, James likens to a rudder in a ship. As small as this rudder is, it directs where the ship will go. So goes it with the tongue. It is a "small member" with big power. Before those of us who are in Christ come to Him and surrender, we are also directed by our tongues. We said what we felt needed to be said and never "held our tongue." We lashed out at the cashier that didn't greet us or help us to our likings. We tore down strangers who might have been having a bad day and lashed out at us. And our children, we really let them have "tongue lashings" any time we were in a bad mood, when they made us mad; some of us even cussed them out. What a weapon of choice we used!

We lie with our tongue; we make deceiving statements to get things to go our way. We tear down sisters who are not as eloquent or able to dress as Christ would have them because they do not know. We make plans that are not pleasing to God all with this small muscle! I was no different! Mine was a weapon of choice indeed! In my teen years I could put a grown, retired sailor to shame. I carried this and other tricks in my tongue for years! I could tear a person down faster that a Maserati reaches 100!! If I wanted, I could make a grown man cry within minutes of me speaking to him. Now, don’t get me wrong, I am by no means bragging! I have repented and am forgiven for the many things I did/ and slip up and do. I can remember a time when I wrote a rap about a young girl in my school that was less than honorable to her. I'm not sure if she ever heard it, it was pretty popular, but if she did... I apologize.

One of my many performances my tongue made was lying. I would lie about anything I thought was conceivable! If I dint think you could see my cars color was red, I would tell you it was orange to fit in. I was famous for making up stories and coloring the truth to get attention for years, but mysteriously never got caught up in the web of lies, that is until God saw fit for me to be firmly caught in it. There I sat, smack dab in the middle of this huge web waiting to be devoured by the enemy I didn’t really think existed.

I am free from this bondage of my tongue now! It no longer rules me; Holy Spirit rules it for me! I am free of it! And you can be too! Surrendering to Christ totally means you give Him reign over all of you, including your tongue. Watch what you say to others or watch it return to you! Season your speech with (good) salt and watch goodness flow back to you!

Father God, thank You for delivering from this bondage muscle! Thank You for convicting me every time it tries to take control again and delivering me when I resist the devil! Thank You for life filling words that you give to me! I pray that I will always bring about good fruit from my mouth to Your children! In Jesus name Amen!

"Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things" Phil 4:8