I LOVE music with a beautiful message...regardless of genre. I enjoy the TV show Nashville, not just for the story line, but for the beautiful music that is showcased week after week. God often speaks to me through music and even more so through the story behind the music. Once particular song stuck out to me this morning as I watched my recording of the show. It is called, "It Ain't Yours to Throw Away". The part of this song that grabbed me... "What if you're just a vessel and God gave you something special? It ain't yours to throw away. It ain't yours to throw away. Every time you open up your mouth, diamonds come rolling out, It ain't yours to throw away..." Please listen to the song before continuing...
Have you ever wanted to give up in the face of adversity? Have you ever had a moment so tough that it caused you to rethink everything you believed about yourself? Have you ever been told to stop dreaming about making it big and get a real job? Have you ever felt like what you are destined to do may just be too big for you to handle? When those moments of destiny homicide arise, remember this, you're just the vessel....It's not yours to throw away!!! Get up, dust yourself off, take up your cross and move towards your destiny! How can you give up on (throw away) something that is not even really yours?!?!? YOU ARE JUST THE VESSEL! The wine bottle doesn't say it can no longer hold the wine right? How then can you say you cannot carry something that you were created to hold until the appointed time and then release into the atmosphere!
That's what we are all created to do...hold, guard, nurture, protect our perspective destinies until the appointed time. When that time arises we MUST release that which we have carried! Just as in a natural pregnancy the final month is often the most uncomfortable. Expectant mothers are often anxious to give birth if for no other reason, they are excited to see their baby. Imagine the outrage at a mother that decides to "throw her baby away" in the 9th month! That's the equivalent of what we do when we throw away the seeds God plants inside of us when life gets difficult. Those seeds are precious and needed to impact this world! While we are the vessels, what is inside of us do not belong to us and therefore are not ours to throw away!
Thursday, May 15, 2014
Tuesday, April 8, 2014
He Leads Me to His Best
"He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake" - Psalm 23:3
Have you ever wanted something so badly that the idea of God not doing it for you never even entered into your mind? Have you ever prayed, fasted, and stepped out on faith only to have the door slammed in your face? Well I have, and let me be the first to acknowledge this one truth everyone seems to shy away from...IT HURTS! It hurts when you feel like God did not give you the one thing you so earnestly desired. But allow me to let you in on one little secret; if God shuts a door, He does it so that He can point you in the direction of another one. He blocks door number one because while what lay behind the door may seem like it's good for you, He knows this door is not His BEST for you! His ultimate desire is for you to walk in His perfect will and experience His very best in every area of your life!!!
We often think of God leading us as Him speaking every direction into our spirit, but sometimes His leading comes in the form of a denial. He didn't allow you to get the $15/hour job, because he knew He had already prepared the $30/hour position. Your first record contract fell through because He knew the record label was filled with crooks and thieves! Your first business failed because God saw the direction you were headed in was not His plan for your future. Even in God's denial or blockage of what appears right in our own eyes, He is leading us to the prepared place which contains the blessings He has stored up for us!
It's easy to recognize His leading when it comes in a way you can understand, so let's start by understanding this...in all things God is leading you towards the path that was designed for your greater good. He loves you and desires to see you whole and complete. Instead of shedding tears when the next door slams shut in your face, understand that is God's way of letting you know that door was not His best for you! I am learning to stop crying over closed doors that are at best sub-par, and start looking for the doors that God is trying to lead me to! In all things, He leads me!
This is not an easy process because it requires a re-programming of my brain. It requires a consist reminder that the pain and disappointment that often accompanies a closed door is a humanistic reaction to a spiritual decision. We know God's ways are not our ways, yet we often expect Him to prepare things the way we would prepare them. When we want to teach our children a lesson, we often sit them down and talk to them. We express what we want them to learn and expect them to just "get it". God however, understands that in order to truly learn a lesson there must be some sort of application of the knowledge gained. This means when you hear a word from God concerning your future, there has to be some sort of corresponding action to put that word into practice. When it is time to begin making the steps towards positioning ourselves to receive what it is that God has spoken, we try to act based on how we "think" the plan should go. We often forget His ways are not our ways. So instead of rejoicing when He leads us by closing all of the wrong doors, we listen to the negative thoughts and ideas presented by our limited humanistic understanding rather than relying on the truth of His word! Instead of rejoicing at the closed door, which by the way is a beautiful example of the process of elimination, we become sad and disappointed. I am attempting to grow into a place of maturity that will enable me to recognize the closed doors as a sign of God's process of elimination. When the wrong doors are closed around me, eventually I will be left with the right door! As this lesson is learned (through practical application) I will then be ready for God to simply point to the door and I walk right through it!
If you are tired of the emotional roller coaster that comes along with closed doors, I encourage you to go to God and ask Him to give you personal revelation of how and where He is leading you. In all things, His desire is for your best life here in the earth and after you take your final breath. Following His leading even in the painful places, puts you in a position to live as He originally intended...perfect and complete, lacking nothing!!! Stay in the process. The closed doors do not feel great, but eventually you will learn how to be guided to the right door the first time around!
Have you ever wanted something so badly that the idea of God not doing it for you never even entered into your mind? Have you ever prayed, fasted, and stepped out on faith only to have the door slammed in your face? Well I have, and let me be the first to acknowledge this one truth everyone seems to shy away from...IT HURTS! It hurts when you feel like God did not give you the one thing you so earnestly desired. But allow me to let you in on one little secret; if God shuts a door, He does it so that He can point you in the direction of another one. He blocks door number one because while what lay behind the door may seem like it's good for you, He knows this door is not His BEST for you! His ultimate desire is for you to walk in His perfect will and experience His very best in every area of your life!!!
We often think of God leading us as Him speaking every direction into our spirit, but sometimes His leading comes in the form of a denial. He didn't allow you to get the $15/hour job, because he knew He had already prepared the $30/hour position. Your first record contract fell through because He knew the record label was filled with crooks and thieves! Your first business failed because God saw the direction you were headed in was not His plan for your future. Even in God's denial or blockage of what appears right in our own eyes, He is leading us to the prepared place which contains the blessings He has stored up for us!
It's easy to recognize His leading when it comes in a way you can understand, so let's start by understanding this...in all things God is leading you towards the path that was designed for your greater good. He loves you and desires to see you whole and complete. Instead of shedding tears when the next door slams shut in your face, understand that is God's way of letting you know that door was not His best for you! I am learning to stop crying over closed doors that are at best sub-par, and start looking for the doors that God is trying to lead me to! In all things, He leads me!
This is not an easy process because it requires a re-programming of my brain. It requires a consist reminder that the pain and disappointment that often accompanies a closed door is a humanistic reaction to a spiritual decision. We know God's ways are not our ways, yet we often expect Him to prepare things the way we would prepare them. When we want to teach our children a lesson, we often sit them down and talk to them. We express what we want them to learn and expect them to just "get it". God however, understands that in order to truly learn a lesson there must be some sort of application of the knowledge gained. This means when you hear a word from God concerning your future, there has to be some sort of corresponding action to put that word into practice. When it is time to begin making the steps towards positioning ourselves to receive what it is that God has spoken, we try to act based on how we "think" the plan should go. We often forget His ways are not our ways. So instead of rejoicing when He leads us by closing all of the wrong doors, we listen to the negative thoughts and ideas presented by our limited humanistic understanding rather than relying on the truth of His word! Instead of rejoicing at the closed door, which by the way is a beautiful example of the process of elimination, we become sad and disappointed. I am attempting to grow into a place of maturity that will enable me to recognize the closed doors as a sign of God's process of elimination. When the wrong doors are closed around me, eventually I will be left with the right door! As this lesson is learned (through practical application) I will then be ready for God to simply point to the door and I walk right through it!
If you are tired of the emotional roller coaster that comes along with closed doors, I encourage you to go to God and ask Him to give you personal revelation of how and where He is leading you. In all things, His desire is for your best life here in the earth and after you take your final breath. Following His leading even in the painful places, puts you in a position to live as He originally intended...perfect and complete, lacking nothing!!! Stay in the process. The closed doors do not feel great, but eventually you will learn how to be guided to the right door the first time around!
Monday, March 17, 2014
Sure!
Welcome to 2014! Oh, is my welcome a tad bit delayed? Well, here is my explanation...
In November of 2013, my husband and I began to walk through the most difficult time in our marriage. We did not have marital issues, but we had plenty of life issues. The death of a parent, diagnoses of an illness in a child, a job lay off, financial strain....the list piled high! In December the Lord spoke to us and told us to uproot our family and move from North Carolina to California. California is the one state I specifically asked the Lord NOT to send us to...I should have known it was coming! The move was orchestrated in a way that let us know... God is definitely behind this. Then we arrived and things got WORSE!
I went through the toughest mental battle that I can remember in recent years. I wanted to lash out at my husband as the enemy threw thoughts and ideas at me that said he wasn't good enough, wasn't doing enough....basically nothing he was doing was right in my mind. In actuality my husband was doing everything in his power to hold it together, but the frustration of our situation was an open door for the enemy to toy with my mind. As I fuddled through my thoughts, God would whisper the truth to me which would keep me from going too far off of the ledge so I kept my mouth shut and my relationship with my amazing God-given husband in tact. But as the enemy often does...he would return a little while later to temp and torment me further. What makes the enemy's lies believable is the way he uses just enough truth to make you think everything he's saying is correct. Some of the thoughts he threw at me were rational and played to the weaknesses of my flesh. I allowed those things to stick and thus put me into a very negative head space.
Part of what led me to such a state was my desire to remain a stay at home mom. I prayed to God earnestly to remove me from my last job and fear made me believe going back to work meant going back into the same bondage and discontentment. My husband spoke to this fear and assured me it would be different this time, but all I kept thinking was, "Would God move me all the way to California just to go back to a job?" The idea both scared and infuriated me. I started to wonder if everything I'd heard from God concerning my career as a writer was my own wishful thinking. I cried and pleaded with God for guidance and reassurance, but He said nothing. I will share revelations I've learned regarding the delayed response in a different blog, but for now just know...that delay spoke VOLUMES!
When I felt I could not go on another day, a dear sister of mine asked me to call her. I'd avoided calling her because my own fear about going back to work made me think she'd judge me for my decision. In fairness to her, she's only shown me love and support in all of the years that I've known her, but again the enemy was playing in my mind. When I called her and told her about my job, she instantly said, "The Lord showed me a job for you, and I thought it was weird, but that's what He showed me." That's all I needed to hear to silence the fret inside of me that was consuming me daily over going to work. Let's be clear, I don't mind working, but I MUST first fulfill my duties as a wife and mother. It's difficult to work full time and take care of the home, but as long as I'm in the grace of God, I know I can do it. My fear was living outside of His grace.
Once I tackled the ridiculous fear of working again, God started to deal with me on other emotions that I was bottling inside; resentment, frustration, doubt...all were taking turns in my mind. When I realized it was starting to consume me I reached out to another sister and asked for her prayers. The very next day I heard God speak to my heart and I felt the spirit of torment BREAK! The prayers of my sisters found me at my weakest point and helped me over the hurdle of deep distress, sadness, and fear. I can't stress the importance of reaching out to like minded believers, but again...another topic for another blog posting.
The day the Lord spoke to me wasn't this huge event. I was driving and crying to Him saying, "Lord, I do not understand this. I know you, you know me. We talk. What's going on." In that moment the Lord spoke to my heart and said, "Yes, you do know Me!" I began to weep at that simple reply because He was right, I do know Him and to know Him is to know that NO MATTER WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE, HE WILL ALWAYS TAKE CARE OF ME! I felt an assurance rise up in me that I have never experienced before. He comforted my soul and gave me peace! I know Him. He is ALWAYS in control! Whatever He wants will happen!
The very first scripture I learned when I came into relationship with God was Proverbs 3:5-6 "Trust in the Lord will all your heart and lean not unto your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your path." I never thought this scripture would speak so clearly to me all these years later, but it did! All I had to do was trust Him! I may not have understood everything, but I understood the One who controls everything! From that day to this one I have watched God fulfill promises concerning our lives and one word has remained alive and well in my spirit... SURE! I am SURE I know my God and He will always deliver!
In November of 2013, my husband and I began to walk through the most difficult time in our marriage. We did not have marital issues, but we had plenty of life issues. The death of a parent, diagnoses of an illness in a child, a job lay off, financial strain....the list piled high! In December the Lord spoke to us and told us to uproot our family and move from North Carolina to California. California is the one state I specifically asked the Lord NOT to send us to...I should have known it was coming! The move was orchestrated in a way that let us know... God is definitely behind this. Then we arrived and things got WORSE!
I went through the toughest mental battle that I can remember in recent years. I wanted to lash out at my husband as the enemy threw thoughts and ideas at me that said he wasn't good enough, wasn't doing enough....basically nothing he was doing was right in my mind. In actuality my husband was doing everything in his power to hold it together, but the frustration of our situation was an open door for the enemy to toy with my mind. As I fuddled through my thoughts, God would whisper the truth to me which would keep me from going too far off of the ledge so I kept my mouth shut and my relationship with my amazing God-given husband in tact. But as the enemy often does...he would return a little while later to temp and torment me further. What makes the enemy's lies believable is the way he uses just enough truth to make you think everything he's saying is correct. Some of the thoughts he threw at me were rational and played to the weaknesses of my flesh. I allowed those things to stick and thus put me into a very negative head space.
Part of what led me to such a state was my desire to remain a stay at home mom. I prayed to God earnestly to remove me from my last job and fear made me believe going back to work meant going back into the same bondage and discontentment. My husband spoke to this fear and assured me it would be different this time, but all I kept thinking was, "Would God move me all the way to California just to go back to a job?" The idea both scared and infuriated me. I started to wonder if everything I'd heard from God concerning my career as a writer was my own wishful thinking. I cried and pleaded with God for guidance and reassurance, but He said nothing. I will share revelations I've learned regarding the delayed response in a different blog, but for now just know...that delay spoke VOLUMES!
When I felt I could not go on another day, a dear sister of mine asked me to call her. I'd avoided calling her because my own fear about going back to work made me think she'd judge me for my decision. In fairness to her, she's only shown me love and support in all of the years that I've known her, but again the enemy was playing in my mind. When I called her and told her about my job, she instantly said, "The Lord showed me a job for you, and I thought it was weird, but that's what He showed me." That's all I needed to hear to silence the fret inside of me that was consuming me daily over going to work. Let's be clear, I don't mind working, but I MUST first fulfill my duties as a wife and mother. It's difficult to work full time and take care of the home, but as long as I'm in the grace of God, I know I can do it. My fear was living outside of His grace.
Once I tackled the ridiculous fear of working again, God started to deal with me on other emotions that I was bottling inside; resentment, frustration, doubt...all were taking turns in my mind. When I realized it was starting to consume me I reached out to another sister and asked for her prayers. The very next day I heard God speak to my heart and I felt the spirit of torment BREAK! The prayers of my sisters found me at my weakest point and helped me over the hurdle of deep distress, sadness, and fear. I can't stress the importance of reaching out to like minded believers, but again...another topic for another blog posting.
The day the Lord spoke to me wasn't this huge event. I was driving and crying to Him saying, "Lord, I do not understand this. I know you, you know me. We talk. What's going on." In that moment the Lord spoke to my heart and said, "Yes, you do know Me!" I began to weep at that simple reply because He was right, I do know Him and to know Him is to know that NO MATTER WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE, HE WILL ALWAYS TAKE CARE OF ME! I felt an assurance rise up in me that I have never experienced before. He comforted my soul and gave me peace! I know Him. He is ALWAYS in control! Whatever He wants will happen!
The very first scripture I learned when I came into relationship with God was Proverbs 3:5-6 "Trust in the Lord will all your heart and lean not unto your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your path." I never thought this scripture would speak so clearly to me all these years later, but it did! All I had to do was trust Him! I may not have understood everything, but I understood the One who controls everything! From that day to this one I have watched God fulfill promises concerning our lives and one word has remained alive and well in my spirit... SURE! I am SURE I know my God and He will always deliver!
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