The Small Words

Day 46...2 Corinthians 1:20 For ALL the promises of God find their YES in him. That is why it is through him that we utter our Amen to God for His GLORY. 

I was asking my mom the other day, "have you ever noticed how, when we read the Bible, we tend to skip over the small words?" Words like all, yes, amen, find or phrases with small words like I will, he has, we are. I tell you this because I've been focusing on the small words lately and find that they have great power.

ALL the promises of God FIND their YES in Him. Do you know the promises that ARE given to you? We FIND them in His Word! And then there's that word, amen. Amen means so be it. So when we read His Word and we Amen (so be it) His Word in our life, we are coming into agreement with God about His promises for us and when we come into agreement with His Word, we are coming into agreement with God and Oh the GLORY that we give to Him! 

I encourage you today to FIND out in His Word what He WILL DO for you and AMEN it!

Do You see....

.....or do you SEE?

Like most churches, my church, Life Church Salisbury, begins a reading plan every January through YouVersion. This year they are doing the chronological reading and I have determined in my heart to read with them. Now, let's be honest, reading through the Old Testament has been a struggle for me in the past. I had a tendency to just skim over some of Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy, but this time I prayed....God SHOW me what You want me to SEE and the importance of it all. Open my eyes to things that I have never noticed before because "I've read this before or I've heard this story my whole life." All you have to do is ask and God will do.

This morning is a prime example of some things that God has been showing me. We are beginning in Deuteronomy 1-2, where Moses is reminding the children of Israel of their journey and why they are in the wilderness. As I read these verses, the word SEE kept jumping up at me.

Deuteronomy 1:8 See, I have set the land before you. Go in and take possession of the land that the LORD swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give to them and to their offspring after them. 

Deuteronomy 1:21 See, the LORD your God has set the land before you. Go up, take possession, as the LORD, the God of your father's, has told you. Do not fear or be dismayed.

Deuteronomy 1:35 'Not one of these men of this evil generation shall see the good land that I swore to give to your fathers.

Deuteronomy 1:36 except Caleb the son of Jephunneh. He shall see it, and to him and to his children I will give the land on which he has trodden, because he has wholly followed the LORD! 

God had told them time and time and time again, "SEE, I have set the land before you. Go in and possess it." What was the difference between Caleb and the other ten spies? I believe it was the size of their see.

The see of the ten spies was on what their physical eyes were seeing. They were seeing the land as good but they weren't seeing God as good. They were seeing that God told them this is the land I've told you that I'm giving to you, but they were also seeing the people in the land and their size, and they chose to see that they were as "grasshoppers" to them. They were seeing with their physical eyes. But Caleb!

Caleb had a bigger SEE. Caleb could SEE that the land was flowing with milk and honey and that it was good and that God had promised to give it to them. He SAW and held fast to the promises of God! Caleb was SEEING with his spiritual eyes! He was choosing to SEE beyond what his flesh was saying to him and to SEE what God was saying to him––SEE, I have set the land before you. GO IN take possession!

I could hear God say, "SEE, I have promises that are for you. Your SEE needs to be on the promises of My Word, not on what you see in the natural. Your SEE can be bigger. SEE Me in every situation! Don't just see My Word, but SEE My Word as truth. SEE My Word as healing. SEE My Word as salvation. SEE My Word as redemption. SEE that your sins are forgiven and that I don't remember them any more. SEE that their is no condemnation in Me. SEE that you are a new creation in Christ and that old things are passed away and all things become new. SEE! My child, SEE that I am good and my promises are yes and amen. SEE!"

Brett and I are in the midst of fundraising, getting health insurance and preparing to head back to South Africa. I could get discouraged with the size of the budget as "it like a giant and I am like a grasshopper," but I have chosen to SEE what God has promised us. I chose to SEE that my Father owns the cattle on a thousand hills and this budget is nothing to Him. I chose to SEE that He makes all things work together for my good. I chose to SEE that He is the King of kings and I am His beloved daughter!

I chose to SEE!!

Bless the Lord!

Psalm 103:1-5 Bless the LORD, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless His holy name! Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not ALL His benefits, Who FORGIVES ALL your iniquity, Who HEALS ALL your diseases, Who REDEEMS your life from the pit, Who CROWNS you with STEADFAST LOVE and MERCY, Who SATISFIES with GOOD, so that your youth is RENEWED like the eagle's. 

Look at His benefits towards us in the first five verses! He FORGIVES ALL! He HEALS ALL! He REDEEMS! He CROWNS you with LOVE and MERCY that is STEADFAST! He SATISFIES with GOOD! He RENEWS our youth! 

What awesome promises! What good, good promises! Let's remind ourselves today of HIS benefits!!

Love and Good Works

Hebrews 10:24-25 And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the day approaching.

Let's face it, the world is today is full of hard stuff. I very rarely even watch the news because I can not handle all the negative that goes on in it. So, when I read this scripture today, I started asking myself, "What do I do to encourage others to love and good works?"

Do you ever wonder what it is, in you, that encourages others? We all have gifts and talents woven into our very DNA that God put there to encourage others. (Psalm 139 ) Mine will be very different from yours because God created us each with our own unique skill set.

I am a very social butterfly! I love encouraging people in the Word. I love giving gifts to lift someone up in a rough patch, but I especially love giving "just because" gifts! Brett, however, is wired completely different. His giftings are more along the lines of teaching and discernment. He loves to give as well, but it's a little lower on his list, which is great because it keeps me from giving away everything! Man, God sure knows what He's doing!

If you don't know what it is that "makes you tick," I encourage you to go to this link http://www.spiritualgiftstest.com/test/adult and take this test. Remember, it's only one resource that's out there. After you take it, spend some time talking with God about the results. Send it to your pastor or your best friend and talk about it. I'm pretty sure they'll see it right away. Why? Because others can see things in us generally before we do.

Have a great day and remember to encourage someone to love and good works!

Convincing Ourselves

Mark 5:28 For she said, "If I touch even His garments, I will be made well."

Imagine having a disease for twelve years that, under the law, you weren't allowed any human contact. Do you think that there would come a point where you might say, "I'll be this way the rest of my life." Or, "Why, why, why doesn't God love me?" Having a disease for twelve years, we could all come to a place where we convinced ourselves, "Things will never change and I'll be this way forever."

Now imagine hearing about a man that was going around healing everyone He touched. Do you think she went through the law in her head? Do you think she thought to herself, "If I go out there, I could be stoned?" Do you think she allowed her physical condition to rule her? Honestly, I don't know, but I do think she began to hear the stories of Jesus touching and healing those in her town and she began to say, "If I touch even His garments, I will be made well." I think, as she walked through the streets trying to get just close enough, that she repeated that phrase over and over again, convincing herself!

If I touch even His garments, I will be made well.
If I touch even His garments, I will be made well. Oh! There He is!
If I touch even His garments, I will be made well. So many people!
If I touch even His garments, I will be made well. Let me just squeeze in right here.
If I touch even His garments, I will be made well. Just a little further!
If I touch even His garments.....there! I touched His hem! Oh! My!

The Word then says in verse 29 Immediately the flow of blood dried up, and she felt in here body that she was healed of her disease. Immediately!!

It is my belief, that as she walked through the streets repeating the words of her heart, she began to convince herself that she would be made well. You see, God, our good, good Father, doesn't need convincing that we should be healed. It's His desire! He sent Jesus to the cross to bear ALL our sickness and disease. Jesus took them ALL! So, thought....if Jesus took all our sickness and disease, why would God want to give them back to us....let that simmer just a bit.

We are the ones that need convincing! We are the ones that need to repeat to ourselves, If I touch even His garments, I will be made well. We are the ones that need to reach out in faith to touch His garments. The best way to convince our hearts and our souls that, If I even touch His garments, I will be made well, is to continue to speak His Word of LIFE over our lives. The more we speak His Word of TRUTH and LIFE over ourselves, the deeper into our spirits it gets and then one day....IMMEDIATELY happens!

Absolutely Nothing!

Jeremiah 32:27 Behold, I am the Lord, the God of all flesh; is there anything too hard for Me?

If we could get one thing down in our hearts and spirit, this would be it. Nothing, absolutely nothing, is too hard for God!

This scripture says, "The God of all flesh." He is our creator, He created every cell, every organ, every blood vessel, He created them all. Since He created them all, don't we think that He would know how to fix it?!

God is truly aware of all the things that come across our path in any given day. He knows about that awful person you work with that needs Him. He knows about that Doctor report. He knows about that child that is running wild. He knows! And this morning, I believe He is saying, "Beloved, there is nothing too hard for Me!

Pinpoint your focus today on the NOTHING is IMPOSSIBLE GOD and begin to see the things in your life turn around.

The Cost

Yesterday I had a conversation with someone and this morning I continued to have it in my head. This morning, while I was having said conversation, the Holy Spirit dropped five words into my heart....You don't know the cost. That's it! You don't know the cost. 

We complain about someone, usually a preacher we don't like, because they fly first class instead of coach.....you don't know the cost.

We complain because "they" drive a nicer car than we do.....you don't know the cost.

We complain when people we KNOW aren't perfect get blessed.....you don't know the cost. 

 

We, as Christians, complain an awful lot about others being blessed.....you don't know the cost. 

We recently met a man who has diamond status with the airline that he flys. He frequently gets bumped to business class and, even better, first class. I found myself a little, OK, a lot, jealous. "God," I thought, "why don't Brett and I ever get bumped?" Rabbit trail warning!! Brett and I needed to fly to Baton Rouge for an interview with the ministry that we are hoping to become a part of. Having flown with American for several years, we had miles that we could use. So! When Brett booked our seats we were on....wait for it....the first row! This was a puddle jumper, so it wasn't first class, just the first row. We have never been at the front of any plane! Here we were, enjoying the extra leg room of the front row, when the stewardess asked for a volunteer to move to the back of the plane to even out the plane. It became obvious that the two fellas on the opposite side of the aisle were not going to move, so Brett went to the very last row of the plane. Bumped backwards! I guess that's why this hit me a little hard....end rabbit trail.

As the person continued to talk about getting bumped to first/business class, I began to hear the "you don't know the cost" part of the story. This person flys more than 200,000 miles a year. He flys to every country that they are in to speak with country directors. He flys to churches all over to talk about and raise money for the ministry. He flys a lot! Now, do you want to know what the cost is? He is married and his wife doesn't travel with him because she taking care of the ministry and their three children. Do you want to know the cost? His time with his children is probably about 1/4 of the time you get to spend with yours. 

You see, what we don't see when we are judging others and how God blesses their lives, is the cost that they are paying. We're not seeing the years of flying in coach and not complaining. We're not seeing the time spent before the Lord to preach that sermon. We're not seeing how many times they got a phone call in the middle of the night to go to the hospital for a birth or a death. We're not seeing the hardships that they endured planting a church and only having 20 people in the first service.

So, the next time you want to judge whether or not that person deserves that blessing they're telling you about, remember these five words....

You. Don't. Know. The. Cost

Renew Your Mind

Romans 12:2a Do not conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind.

The definition of renew in the Greek is to renovate. Since we've been in the states, one of my favorite shows to watch is Fixer Upper with Chip and Joanna Gaines out of Waco, Texas. They don't build new houses, they fix up old ones. The process generally goes like this...

1. Find a house. They look in different neighborhoods to find the house that the client thinks would work for them. Once they decide and purchase the home, demolition starts.

2. Purchase the house. In the natural, we would need to go to the bank and purchase the house that we have our eye on. In the spiritual, our houses are what God purchased on the cross through Jesus. 1 Corinthians 6:20 for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body. Guess what? Our brain is a part of our body and by renewing our mind to the Word of God we are glorifying God!

3. Demolition day. Demolition day is about tearing out the old, corrupt, dilapidated stuff and preparing the house for the renovation. It's dirty, hard, time-consuming work, but only when it's completed and all the junk moved out of the way, can you renovate. I'm going to stick right here a minute. Do you realize that our minds are filled with old, corrupt ways of thinking from our past? Whether it's words we've spoken over ourselves or words others have spoken over us, we've believed the lies of the enemy. It's time we did a demolition day on our thoughts! Get in there and tear out the old kitchen sink of sickness. Tear out the old wall of brokenness. Rip up the old carpet of defeat. Strip the old wallpaper of unloved and fill it back up with the new beauty of the who God says we are in His Word by renewing....renovating....our thoughts!

4. Renovation takes some time as well. During the renovation stage they have to seek out the things that will refill the house to make it complete and beautiful. Hmmmm....what does that mean for us? We renovate by getting in the Word and discovering what God says about us and we read it over and over again, until it gets down in, what I like to call, your knower. You know, that place where you know that you know that you know it's truth. It's also the place where our focus shifts from the old to the new. Instead of having our focus on the broken parts of ourselves, we begin to focus on Jesus and the renovation ahead. 

So, we've torn out the old kitchen sink of sickness and we need to replace that kitchen sink. Let's replace the old one with the brand new sink of I am healed by the stripes of Jesus (Isaiah 53:5, 1 Peter 2:24). Those walls we tore down? Let's build them back up with I am complete in Him Who is the Head of all principality and power (Colossians 2:10). That old, ragged carpet of defeat, we'll replace with the beautiful hardwood of I can do all things through Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:13). Now we need to paint those walls with the amazing color of love! I am more than a conqueror through Him Who loves me (Romans 8:37). 

5. The big reveal. This is the part of the show where Chip and Joanna take the couple out to the finished house and reveal it. The catch is, they have a giant picture of the "before" house for the couple to see before they show them the finished house. This is to remind them of "what was before." 

As we reveal the new that God is doing in us, we will inevitably run into people who can only remember you "before." They'll want to put that sink right back where it was. If we're not careful, we'll allow their words to override God's words. This is place where we need to guard our heart. 

Back to Chip and Joanna. After they've shown the couple the before, they pull apart the picture and the couple gets to see the finished product. Remember when I said that Jesus purchased us? Well, this is the point where God sees us through the finished work of Christ! The FINISHED work of Christ! 

These are some scriptures to get you started in your renovation! I copied this from Joyce Meyers and I encourage you to write them, not only on paper, but on your heart. 

Not sure who you really are? Read this list of Biblical truths that reveal who God made you to be.

I am complete in Him Who is the Head of all principality and power (Colossians 2:10).

I am alive with Christ (Ephesians 2:5).

I am free from the law of sin and death (Romans 8:2).

I am far from oppression, and fear does not come near me (Isaiah 54:14).

I am born of God, and the evil one does not touch me (1 John 5:18).

I am holy and without blame before Him in love (Ephesians 1:4; 1 Peter 1:16).

I have the mind of Christ (1 Corinthians 2:16; Philippians 2:5).

I have the peace of God that passes all understanding (Philippians 4:7).

I have the Greater One living in me; greater is He Who is in me than he who is in the world (1 John 4:4).

I have received the gift of righteousness and reign as a king in life by Jesus Christ (Romans 5:17).

I have received the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Jesus, the eyes of my understanding being enlightened (Ephesians 1:17-18).

I have received the power of the Holy Spirit to lay hands on the sick and see them recover, to cast out demons, to speak with new tongues.  I have power over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means harm me (Mark 16:17-18; Luke 10:17-19).

I have put off the old man and have put on the new man, which is renewed in the knowledge after the image of Him Who created me (Colossians 3:9-10).

I have given, and it is given to me; good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over, men give into my bosom (Luke 6:38).

I have no lack for my God supplies all of my need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:19).

I can quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one with my shield of faith (Ephesians 6:16).

I can do all things through Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:13).

I show forth the praises of God Who has called me out of darkness into His marvelous light (1 Peter 2:9).

I am God’s child for I am born again of the incorruptible seed of the Word of God, which lives and abides forever (1 Peter 1:23).

I am God’s workmanship, created in Christ unto good works (Ephesians 2:10).

I am a new creature in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17).

I am a spirit being alive to God (Romans 6:11;1 Thessalonians 5:23).

I am a believer, and the light of the Gospel shines in my mind (2 Corinthians 4:4).

I am a doer of the Word and blessed in my actions (James 1:22,25).

I am a joint-heir with Christ (Romans 8:17).

I am more than a conqueror through Him Who loves me (Romans 8:37).

I am an overcomer by the blood of the Lamb and the word of my testimony (Revelation 12:11).

I am a partaker of His divine nature (2 Peter 1:3-4).

I am an ambassador for Christ (2 Corinthians 5:20).

I am part of a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a purchased people (1 Peter 2:9).

I am the righteousness of God in Jesus Christ (2 Corinthians 5:21).

I am the temple of the Holy Spirit; I am not my own (1 Corinthians 6:19).

I am the head and not the tail; I am above only and not beneath (Deuteronomy 28:13).

I am the light of the world (Matthew 5:14).

I am His elect, full of mercy, kindness, humility, and longsuffering (Romans 8:33; Colossians 3:12).

I am forgiven of all my sins and washed in the Blood (Ephesians 1:7).

I am delivered from the power of darkness and translated into God’s kingdom (Colossians 1:13).

I am redeemed from the curse of sin, sickness, and poverty (Deuteronomy 28:15-68; Galatians 3:13).

I am firmly rooted, built up, established in my faith and overflowing with gratitude (Colossians 2:7).

I am called of God to be the voice of His praise (Psalm 66:8; 2 Timothy 1:9).

I am healed by the stripes of Jesus (Isaiah 53:5; 1 Peter 2:24).

I am raised up with Christ and seated in heavenly places (Ephesians 2:6; Colossians 2:12).

I am greatly loved by God (Romans 1:7; Ephesians 2:4; Colossians 3:12; 1 Thessalonians 1:4).

I am strengthened with all might according to His glorious power (Colossians 1:11).

I am submitted to God, and the devil flees from me because I resist him in the Name of Jesus (James 4:7).

I press on toward the goal to win the prize to which God in Christ Jesus is calling us upward (Philippians 3:14).

For God has not given us a spirit of fear; but of power, love, and a sound mind (2 Timothy 1:7).

It is not I who live, but Christ lives in me (Galatians 2:20).

God Will Supply

Philippians 4:19 And my God will supply every need of yours to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.

Making this very personal today, and I encourage you to do the same.

Wendy, God WILL supply....make available....EVERY. SINGLE....large or small....need you have by His riches....NOT my way and NOT my riches....in glory in Christ Jesus. Wendy, Jesus supplied your HEALING....every healing, arthritis in thumb, HEALED! Bone on bone in left knee, HEALED! Restless legs, HEALED! Sore muscles, HEALED! Jesus supplied my salvation, completely, fully, IT. IS. FINISHED! Jesus supplied my righteousness! Jesus supplied my new creation...I am no longer who I was, but I am new! God gives in SUPER ABUNDANCE! He is MORE THAN ENOUGH!

When we say things like, "God put this sickness on me to teach me something," we are saying, "Jesus' blood was not enough." When we say things like, "I'm not sure God wants to heal me," we are saying, "Jesus' blood was not enough." When we say, "My need is too great for God," we are saying "Jesus blood was not enough." When we say, "God won't put more on you than you can handle," we are saying, "Jesus' blood was not enough." Anytime we come to a place where it's about our works, our deeds, then we are saying, "Jesus' blood was not enough." God supplied everything we will EVER need through Jesus!

Today, remember that God loves you and His desire is to supply you with MORE. THAN. ENOUGH!

Father, thank you that through your Son, Jesus, you have supplied all that we need. Healing, peace, joy, forgiveness, financial needs, mental needs, bodily needs. You have supplied what is needed for us. Thank you that you are the God of more than enough! Thank you that when we ask, you are there and you will answer, because you said you will never leave us or forsake you! Thank you for the gift of abundant life, for sending Jesus and for sending the Holy Spirit to guide us in our day. In Jesus Name!

Lists....

....I don't like them! I don't like making them, especially for the grocery store. When I go to the grocery store, I like to just roam the isles and buy what catches my eye. Yes, yes, I know! That is NOT the best way to shop! I know that a list helps you make sure you get all you need and not the stuff you don't need, but I feel so boxed in by a list!

If you haven't figured it out yet, I DO NOT get a happy, happy, joy, joy feeling when I mark something on a list complete. I don't like them! But here's the funny thing that is happening to me right now...I've been noticing list in scripture! Almost every scripture that I'm writing has a "list" in it. I'm beginning to think that God is trying to teach me something about list and their importance in life. I do believe He's taking me to a new level in list making. With all of that said, let's look at the scripture that I wrote yesterday.

Colossians 3:12-17 Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your heart to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him. 

So here goes, the list of what we He wants us to put on....

Compassionate hearts
Kindness
Humility
Meekness
Patience
Bearing with one another
Forgiveness
Love
Thankfulness
Peace of God rule

That list leads to this list....

Let the word dwell in you
Teaching
Admonishing you

Which leads to....

Sing
Thankfulness of heart
Do everything in the name of Jesus

Now this is a list that I can work on! My challenge to you today is this, ask the Lord if you are putting these things on each and every day. Ask Him where you're leaving Him out of the process and ask Him to help you in all these areas.

Father, today we ask that You help us put on all these things. Help us to have compassion on those that need You. Help us to be kind to those we just don't like. Fill us with humility and help us give You our pride. Remind us that being meek is not the same was wimpy. Being weak is walking in Your strength. Help us be patient in the line, in traffic, with our spouses, with our children and as we're patient, we come to the realization that when we are patient it's much easier to bear with them and love them. If we have someone that we need to forgive, help us to be quick with our forgiveness as You were with us. We are so very thankful for You and Your peace that rules in us even when we don't feel like it. Holy Spirit, we study Your word, thank You that You teach and admonish us gently. We sing praises to You. There is no one like You! You are our all in all. Everything we need is in You. We are complete in You! In Jesus Name!

Reminders

Have you ever had a day that didn't quite go the way you planned, however, by the end of that day you can see the hand of God on everything that happened? Yep! I had one of those days on Tuesday, but by the end of the day I realized that it really went the way it was supposed to go.

You see, I've been trying my best to get myself up between 6:00-6:30, get ready, make my coffee and sit down to have my quiet time. Tuesday....well, let's just say the snooze button got a work out! When I finally got up it was 7:15 and got my day started, it didn't start with quiet time. 't started with picking up my dad for breakfast, an 11:00, hour and half meeting, lunch, an impromptu meeting with Pastor Chris, picking up mail at Melissa's, home at 6:00, supper, a little TV and then, finally, at 8:00 my quiet time.  I started to give myself a hard time, at least until I started to write out my daily scripture. This is when God really began to speak to my heart and I'd like to share it with you.

1 Chronicles 16:8-14 Oh give thanks to the Lord; call upon His name; make known His deeds among the peoples! Sing to Him, sing praises to Him; tell of all His wondrous works! Glory in His holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice! Seek the Lord and His strength; seek His presence continually! Remember the wondrous works that He has done, His miracles and the judgements He uttered. O offspring of Israel His servant children of Jacob, His chosen ones! He is the Lord our God; His judgements are in all the earth. 

Wow! What reminders were in this scripture! 

Give thanks! Do you ever get so caught up in the day and what's gone wrong, that you forget to thank Him for the things that went right....or even the things that went wrong? I'm not talking about saying things like, "I'm thankful I was in an accident," but things like, "I'm thankful that no one got hurt." I hope you're following this line of thinking. Not thankful for the wrong, but thankful in it. I am thankful that dad called and wanted to have breakfast. I am thankful for some time with just him. I love my dad. I'm thankful that when he fell the other week, he didn't break any bones. I. Am. Thankful!*****

Call upon His name! Have you ever looked up the many names of God and their meanings? If not, I encourage you to. He has such beautiful names! Adonai....Lord over all. Jehovah-Shammah....the Lord who is present. Jehovah-Rapha....the Lord our healer. Jehovah-Tsidkenu....the Lord our righteousness. Elohim....God is creator, powerful and mighty, Lord of lords. My favorite one is this....I AM. This one, to me, encompasses everything. I am your healer. I am your provider. I am your comforter. I am all you need. I AM!

Make known His deeds! Tell your story of redemption! Tell how God brought you out of addiction and that you are a new creation in Christ. Tell how God saved your marriage. Tell it! Revelation 12:11 says, we overcome by the blood of the Lamb and the word of our TESTIMONY! This is how we overcome! Also, don't just tell your own story, make known His deeds in others lives....with their permission of course! Talk about God and what He's done!! 

Sing praises to Him! I can already hear you, "I don't like to sing because I don't have a great voice." So what! God doesn't say only those with great voices can sing to Him. NO! He says sing praises. In case you don't know, I'm passionate about this one. I love to sing and lift high His name and I really don't care what I sound like doing it. Yes, God blessed me with a voice, but there have been days when it sounded like a frog. But when I got in church and the praise team started to sing, I just had to lift my voice. Trust me, you may feel like you are the worst sounding person in the room, by worldly standards. But by God's standards?! Beloved, I believe that when God hears you lift your voice, He turns to Jesus and says, "My Son, listen. Do you hear that beautiful voice singing? Doesn't it sound amazing?" This is not to make Him feel good, but to fill our heart with hope and joy!

Seek the Lord! Seek His strength and His presence! When we seek Him, when we look for Him, He will be found! This is a promise! My favorite way to seek God is worship. For you it might be while you read His word. For others it may be walking in nature. None of these is right or wrong. Just seek Him because with Him comes His sweet healing, saving, joyous Presence and His strength for the days ahead. 

These are just some of the reminders that I found in this beautiful scripture. I encourage you to read it and find the reminders that God would have you be reminded of.

*****If you find that you have trouble being thankful, I challenge you to the Thankful Game! Every time you get in the car...YES, every single time....you say, out loud, three things you are thankful for. There are only 2 rules to the thankful game. 1. Everyone must play. Basically, my car, my rules, you play. Everyone of us has something to be thankful for! 2. No interruptions, or as some would call it, the Wendy rule. Once the thankful game has begun, you must hold any questions until everyone has been thankful. Yes, it is named after me and I own it, because sometimes I get excited and want to know all the awesome details. So, when someone starts to interrupt the thankful game, a loving shout of "Wendy Rule" must be shouted.

I am thankful for my amazing husband!

I am thankful that God gives us sweet reminders right when we need them!

I am thankful for John, Milo, Amos, and Rin...the most amazing grandchildren ever!

A New Heart

Ezekiel 36:24-28 I will take you from the nation's and gather you from all the countries and you into your own land. I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleannesses, and from all your idols I will cleanse you. And I will give you a new heart and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules. You shall dwell in the land that I gave to our fathers, and you shall be my people and I will be your God. 

When you read this does your mind not go straight to Jesus and what He did for us on the cross?! Mine certainly does! John 19:34 But one of the soldiers pierced his side with a spear, and at once there came out blood and water. This word does not tell us which side the soldier pierced, but I like to believe in my heart that it was His left side. Why? Because that's the side where our hearts are.

Ezekiel says I will sprinkle clean water on you and you'll be clean from ALL uncleannesses and from all idols. In Ezekiel, sacrifices had to be done over and over again for this to happen, however, with Jesus, it was once and done because He was the perfect Lamb. The perfect sacrifice! The water flowed from His side to cleanse us!

God promised them that He would give them a new heart. When we accept Jesus, He gives us a brand new heart. His heart, I believe, was pierced so that our hearts, hearts that were once stone, could be made flesh. Sin, unforgiveness, guilt, our past, tends to harden our hearts and turn them to stone so that we don't allow anyone in, we don't forgive, we don't care. But! When we ask Jesus into our lives, He gives us a change of heart! His Spirit begins to live within us and begins to break up those areas of our heart that needs healing.

He also promised them a new spirit. When we accept Christ as our Lord, the Holy Spirit comes to take up residence in us. The person of the Holy Spirit, yes, He is a person, is our comforter, our advocate, our teacher. You know that "nudge" that you get when you "feel" like you're to buy someone lunch, give someone a call or encourage someone? That's the person of the Holy Spirit living within you!

Bottom line....because of what Christ did on the cross, you have a new heart and a new spirit!

Tests, Trials, and Trust

I am currently challenging myself with reading through the Bible in chronological order with my Life Church family, reading a Joseph Prince devotional and with writing scripture daily from Pintrest, and I am loving it! Yesterday, all three collided with goodness! I'm going to start with Joseph Prince and go from there.

Genesis 15:8 But he said, "O Lord God, how am I to know that I shall possess it?" The devotion started like this...Are you discouraged because a breakthrough that you have been praying for has yet to manifest? Maybe it has been days or even weeks and you are asking, "How will I know that I will get it?" Abraham faced the same situation and asked God the same question. Enter my reading in Job.

In Job 21, Job is basically asking why do those that don't serve God seem to be so blessed? Why do they continue to live like there is no God, and yet, they prosper, their children prosper, their businesses prosper and all I've ever had has been taken away from me? If we're all honest, we've felt those very same feelings, we see people who live like they want to bust hell wide open prosper in their personal life, get promotions that we've been trying to get for years, and we're still struggling. Enter scripture writing.

1 Peter 1:6-7 In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith-more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire-may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. 

Are you catching the similarities? Abraham wondered. Job wondered. We wonder. 

Back to Abraham. When Abraham asked the question, God answered. Genesis 15:9 And God answered, "Bring Me a three-year-old heifer, a three-year-old female goat, and a young pigeon." What kind of answer is that?! It's a God sized answer! As we read further on in Genesis 15, God enters into a covenant with Abraham. Not a contract. A contract is binding only for a period of time, like five years or seven year, or until certain terms are fulfilled. God enters into COVENANT with Abraham. A covenant is perpetual. It is permanent. The only way out is through death. God bound Himself to Abraham with an iron-clad guarantee of His blessings and provision. Abraham still had to have faith that God's promise was going to come to pass through him.

Now we go back to Job. Throughout chapter 21, Job is asking questions of, basically, why. Then in Job 22 we have that "friend" that makes me wonder if the person who came up with the quote, "With friends like these, who needs enemies" had read the book of Job and felt sorry for him. Then we hit the part of Job that is giving me a whole new appreciation for him, Job's recognition of coming out as gold. Job 23:10 But he knows the way that I take; when he has tried me, I shall come out as gold. Wow! Job has lost everything, yet his faith is still saying, "I shall come out as gold." The only way gold comes out pure, is to be tested by fire. 

Abraham went through trials, Job went through trials and we will go through trials. As gold gets more pure the more fire it goes through, so does our faith and our faith is more precious than gold! What we can hold fast to through any trial we face, is this...we are in covenant with God through Jesus! 

When that trial hits you, when that question of "why God" is in your life, when you don't see a way out, when you are feeling hurt, remind yourself of two things...1. This trial is but for a season and 2. you are in Covenant with Jesus and His covenant is one of healing, restoration, reconciliation, joy, grace, mercy and overcoming. 

Hinds' Feet ZA

Hinds' Feet on High Places by Hannah Hurnard is a book that changed my life 15 years ago. It's a beautiful allegory about Much Afraid and her desire to go to the High Places with the Chief Shepherd. It's a story about learning the desires of His heart for her. I read this in the lowest place of my life. In the midst of sorrow and doubt about His love for me. I read it in 2 days, it touched and healed a place deep within my soul. God spoke directly to my heart about who I am In Him. 

With all that said, I am in a place in my life where I want to bound across the craggy mountains and through the lowest valley's on hinds feet and I am learning that the only way to do that is to be in His Word daily. 

On January 1, 2016, I began the journey of reading through the Word with my church, Life Church, Salisbury, and writing down my thoughts. On January 2, I began to write scripture with a group of amazing women and sharing our thoughts on Facebook. The encouragement has been amazing! 

This blog is a place for me to share with you my thoughts and for you to share with me your thoughts. A place to encourage one another through His Word. A place for us to find our hinds' feet....our secure footing in an ever changing world. 

Will you join me? 

Psalm 18:33 He made my feet like the feet of a deer and set me secure on the heights.