In Him We Live!

"In Him we live and move and have our being." Acts 17:28
That verse has been ringing in my spirit lately. As I was meditating on it, I sensed the Lord speaking to my spirit, "The opposite is also true. In you I live and move and have my being if you let me!" Wow! That's the desire of my heart! I want God Himself to operate His love through me to others.If you read Acts 17, you will find that Paul said that to the people in Athens after he observed how religious they were with all their idols and even an altar that had an inscription, "TO THE UNKNOWN GOD." Let's take a closer look at what he said to them about that: Acts 17:23-31 (NKJV)

"Therefore, the One whom you worship without knowing, Him I proclaim to you: 24 God, who made the world and everything in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands. 25 Nor is He worshiped with men’s hands, as though He needed anything, since He gives to all life, breath, and all things. 26 And He has made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth, and has determined their preappointed times and the boundaries of their dwellings, 27 so that they should seek the Lord, in the hope that they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us; 28 for in Him we live and move and have our being, as also some of your own poets have said, ‘For we are also His offspring.’ 29 Therefore, since we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Divine Nature is like gold or silver or stone, something shaped by art and man’s devising. 30 Truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent, 31 because He has appointed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness by the Man whom He has ordained. He has given assurance of this to all by raising Him from the dead.”

Some of them "got it"; others still didn't. My spirit leaps within me as I read Paul's words, because I KNOW that God! God in His very nature means that we cannot prove His existence, but He sure proves Himself to those who truly seek Him; I know, because He continues to prove Himself to me everyday! His ways are so past our ways; His thoughts are so higher than our thoughts. That's what makes Him God! That's why you cannot "prove" Him, but He can make Himself known to you.

Thinking about what God spoke to my spirit about Him living, moving and having His being in me, I set out to find the verse that says that. I found it in John 14 when Jesus was talking to His disciples. In verse 23, He said, "Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them." So I am one of those temples not made with hands that Paul talked about in the earlier mentioned passage! Oh that I would let that happen every day! I desire for God Himself to guide and direct me as to...
*what to say
*how to respond rather than react
*when and what to pray
*when and how much to give
*what and how much to eat
*how to not take others' actions stemming from their own issues personally
*trading my perspective for His
*letting go of my expectations on others they cannot meet, therefore freeing me of hurts from unmet expectations
*letting the fruit of the Holy Spirit operate in and through me
*how to show His unconditional love
*letting God Himself illuminate His Word to me
*letting God Himself give me the desires He wants me to have and letting Him fulfill those in His timing

WOW! Is it possible? YES! With GOD, all things are possible! What a joy when I do allow Him to do all that through me! On the other hand, what stress and frustration when I don't let Him! As I have said many times, "I can't do squat without Him!" Yes, He loves me unconditionally even then, but the stress that comes when I try to "do life" on my own just reminds me to get back on track and let God be God in and through me! What peace! Lord, let it be, even today!

This is a Test!

This is a test. This is only a test. For the next 60 seconds...scratch that...for the rest of your life...you will be facing situations that will test you on many different levels! How will you respond? Too many times we are distracted by the test itself to really make any progress toward getting through it. You may have to read that sentence again! It's true, is it not? We also get distracted by how other people involved in the situation are acting...or NOT! We get distracted by how we think God needs to intervene. Yes, sometimes God does intervene and takes us out of the situation miraculously. But, more times than not, He allows us to go through some things to help make us stronger. Think about it. If you are like me, you can think back on some trying times and remember that it was in the hard times that you grew the most spiritually.

In the film, Letters to God, by David Nixon, produced by Vivendi Entertainment, a little boy, Tyler faces a serious test when he battles cancer. Throughout this battle, he poured his heart out to God by writing Him letters. The letters ended up having such an impact on his whole community. At one point in the film he was bothered by the fact that he was made fun of at school. His good friend, Sammy, took him to her grandpa, Mr. Perryman, for advice. Mr. Perryman put on a costume and came out as the wise Dadooska. He told Tyler, "God has chosen you to receive the honor...the honor of being chosen as one of God's warriors. You are God's warrior...which means you can ride forth victoriously in truth, humility and righteousness. Even though you are sick, when people see how strong and brave you are, why it makes them take a look at their own lives. So maybe that's why they make fun of you. But, Tyler, there is a glorious truth, God's truth. And it is your job to point them to Him. If they turn to Him, they find the truth. Wouldn't that be a wonderful victory!" (I recommend you to see the film to get the full story. I love this movie!)

Christ Himself was tested to a degree that we will never know. Because of that, He makes the best foundation. If we place our faith in Him, we will always be secure with our lives built upon that sure foundation. "Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD, Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner [stone], a sure foundation: he that believeth shall not make haste." Isaiah 28:16 (KJV) In the New Living Translation, it says he who believes in the cornerstone "will not be disturbed."

That's what I want! I want to not be disturbed while being tested. I want to remember that God is making me stronger through it all. I want my faith and trust in God to grow, knowing that in Him I am always secure!

Do WHAT?

The Christian faith is full of paradoxes. What is a paradox? The first definition on dictionary.com is "a statement or proposition that seems self-contradictory or absurd but in reality expresses a possible truth."

Think about it...

I am to die to my self in order that I may live.

I am to give so that I can receive.

I am to humble myself to God, and He will lift me up.

I have found all of these seemingly absurd statements to be very true. They are not easy to do in the natural, but once you can get past the natural and allow God to give you a supernatural desire, a life of satisfaction is the result. There is another paradox in the Bible that seems harder than any of them. We are told to bless those who persecute us. WHAT?!

Let's look at this closer...

Romans 12:14-19 (NIV) - "Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited. Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God's wrath, for it is written: 'It is mine to avenge; I will repay,' says the Lord. On the contrary:
'If your enemy is hungry, feed him;
if he is thirsty, give him something to drink.
In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.' Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good."

Another passage says...

1 Peter 3:8-10 (NIV) "Finally, all of you, live in harmony with one another; be sympathetic, love as brothers, be compassionate and humble. Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult, but with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing. For,
'Whoever would love life
and see good days
must keep his tongue from evil
and his lips from deceitful speech.' "

What if more people did this? How would the world change? That would definitely be walking out the talk. Jesus was our example. Isaiah prophesied Jesus, the Messiah's death many years before it actually happened when he wrote

"He was oppressed and afflicted,
yet he did not open his mouth;
he was led like a lamb to the slaughter,
and as a sheep before her shearers is silent,
so he did not open his mouth." (Is 53:7 NIV)

Even in the worst of persecution, Jesus did not try to defend Himself. Yes, His accusers seemingly won the battle when they killed Him. However, three days later, look what happened! He was resurrected from the dead and conquered death, hell and the grave! I don't care what the enemy tries to do to silence God and His people. God always has the last word!

I recently told a friend this who is facing some crazy accusations that have gotten out of hand. She responded, "That's Jesus. He's God!" I replied, "Yes, but where does Jesus live?" She knew when she said, "In me!"

Lord, help us to look to You for our approval instead of people. Their unkind words will not hurt as bad if we do not need their approval. That way when they persecute us, we will have what we need to show them grace and repay their evil with good. Help us to show them Your goodness. May our actions be the seed that draws them to Your kindness which leads them to repentance. Help us to have the grace to release them to You, knowing that You can take care of the situation much better than we can!

Continuing to Give Thanks

Oh, give thanks to the LORD, for He is good!
For His mercy endures forever. Psalm 107:1 (NKJV)

Thanksgiving Day has passed, but the reason we can be so thankful endures forever! What is that reason? God's mercy. Another verse says that His mercies are new every morning. Talk about second chances! We have offered to us a fresh start every day, if we'll just take it.

The whole chapter of Psalm 107 is a great read. It goes on to talk about redeemed, how before they cried out to God, they wandered aimlessly in a wilderness with hunger and thirst. However, when they finally cried out to God, He delivered them from their despair and fulfilled their deepest longing.

The chapter even talks about those who knew better, but rebelled against God. They were "bound in affliction and irons" because of their rebellion. Even then, when they came to their senses and came back to God, He "broke their chains in pieces" and set them free! That's mercy!

The next part of the chapter talks about fools drawing "near to the gates of death" and even then the Lord saved them when they finally surrendered to Him. Another Psalm says that a fool is one who says there is no God. I am so glad He is there at the point the atheist gives up and realizes there is a God. There's not only a God, but there's a Creator who loves him/her even when he/she denied Him and is more than ready to bring that true satisfaction that only comes through His free gift of redemption through Christ's sacrifice on the cross.

As Christians, are we living our lives in such a way that desperate people are drawn to the Christ in us? Are we showing that unconditional loving kindness that loves and receives all--even those who deny Christ? Lord, help us to be ready to bring those who don't know You to You when they are ready to come, and not condemn or push them away! We need to keep in mind that we didn't always know that He was there for us either, but now we do, and it is GOOD! That's why we should be ready to share with others when they are ready to listen what verses 8-9 of this chapter say:

Oh, that men would give thanks to the LORD for His goodness,
And for His wonderful works to the children of men!
For He satisfies the longing soul
And fills the hungry soul with goodness.

EQUIPPED: Ready for Battle!

That is the title of our VBS going on this week at the Legacy Equipping Center. What a blessing it has been! Just to see the excitement on the kids' faces as we learn about the Armor of God is worth all the many hours we have put into it. One mom told me that her son said, "I can't wait to see what part of the Armor we learn about today!"

We started at the top and are working our way down:
1st day: The Helmet of Salvation
Yesterday: The Breastplate of Righteousness
Today: The Belt of Truth
Tomorrow: The Shoes of Peace and the Shield of Faith
Friday: The Sword of the Spirit and a PARTY!

The kids made Gospel Bracelets and learned how to share their faith with their friends. They also made Breastplates of Righteousness out of brown paper bags and foil. They loved it! They learned lessons about doing what is right. I wonder who is getting more out of this, the kids or the workers! What a blessing to pour into young lives how they can put on the Armor of God and STAND STRONG! (Read Ephesians 6 starting in verse 10.)

Pray and ask God how to reach children in your life. According to George Barna, 85% of Christians in America come to Christ between the ages of 4 and 14. Wow! Do you want to reap a harvest? Consider children's ministry!

Daily Audio Bible....a MUST Listen!

Some of you know that I am a big fan of the Daily Audio Bible. It is a daily podcast that has the Bible read (with nice music in the background) from the Old Testament, New Testament, Psalms and Proverbs read by a record producer from Nashville. If you listen every day, you will hear the entire Bible read to you in a year. Brian (the narrator) also gives his comments and prays after he reads. He also posts comments from listeners who call in prayer requests and praise reports. You can get the podcast downloaded to your mp3 player or ipod every day for free. You can also just go to the website and listen.

Today I heard a praise report at the end of one of the podcasts that you HAVE to hear! It is on the April 4th broadcast. (OK, I'm a little behind, but that doesn't stop me from getting it all!) It is one of the most exciting testimonies I have ever heard. As those of you who know me know, that's saying a lot! I've been in this journey with God a LONG time and have seen Him do MIGHTY things! I see it in the inner healing prayer room at the Legacy Center almost every day...people getting set FREE from addictions, wounds they've been carrying for years, etc. I say, "God, you NEVER cease to amaze me!!" Anyway, I'm not going to say anything more about this testimony you are about to hear...I'll let you hear for yourself.

Here's what you do:
1. Click on the title to this blog post to go to the Daily Audio Bible website.
2. Scroll down to the bottom of the home page where it says "Listen Now."
3. Click on the red box that says "Daily Audio Bible."
4. Scroll down to April 4 and click on it to listen.
5. Start listening! The testimony is about the last 8 to 9 minutes of the podcast. Those of you who are computer savvy and know how to drag the player to the end can start the player at the testimony, but I recommend listening to the whole thing. It's only about 30 minutes and you'll be able to hear what I'm talking about that happens on this daily podcast.

Listen and let me know if you get as excited as I did when I heard it!

Trust God...BYSSIW

Lately it seems that God is bringing up the topic of trusting Him quite a bit. I know it's on our money (at least for now!), "In God We Trust," but do we? I have many friends who are going through circumstances of monumental proportions that consequently are bringing them to a test of their trust in God. The circumstances I know of include court hearings, cancer, wayward children, possible foreclosures, divorce, death of loved ones, and on and on the list goes.

One of my friends I am asking you to pray for, Dick Bowley, has a blog on which he journals his journey through leukemia. God is pouring through him as he writes his entries. I feel as though I'm praying for a miracle for my daily devotional author. He calls those of us who read the daily posts and pray for him his POP team (power of prayer). (You can join the POP team by going to http://www.carepages.com/carepages/DickBowley) I read it to see how to pray for him, but I find myself encouraged and ministered to each time. On today's entry, he retold the story of Jesus telling Peter who had just toiled all night fishing and catching nothing to launch out into deeper waters and cast his net. Peter responded with BYSSIW - Because You said so, I will!

Then I read a blog entry by another friend, Amy Woods, about the same subject. (You may read it, too by going to http://life275style.blogspot.com/2008/12/life-275-stylepsalm-275-that-is.html.) On the blog post, she talks about Psalm 27:5 -"For in the day of trouble he will keep me safe in his dwelling; he will hide me in the shelter of his tabernacle and set me high upon a rock." There it is again...a reminder that we can trust HIM! He is our only sure foundation TO trust. Thank God, we have Him!

As I go about God's assignments for me today, I will be praying for you and all my friends to be strengthened to go through the trusting test. Please join me in prayer for one in particular, my good friend, Claude Parent. He has recently found out that cancer that he got through once has returned. Thank you for joining with me to pray for wisdom for treatments, endurance for the race and healing for every fiber of his body.

Lord, all our hope is in YOU! We proclaim today that in You, and in You only, we place our trust!!

God Is Working When We Don't Even Know It!

I think this is the first time I have posted on my blog for the second time in less than 24 hours. The reason is I am so excited about what God is doing in my life right now, I cannot sleep! It is 1:33 AM. Anyone who knows me knows I am not a night owl. I usually start shutting down at 9:30 or 10:00.

Rather than continue lying in the bed with a thousand thoughts racing, I decided to get up and go to www.crosswalk.com to read my assignment for my daily Bible reading plan. Today's scripture included the story about Jacob having the dream about the ladder going up to Heaven with angels going up and down it (Gen. 28). It goes on to say, And behold, the Lord stood above it and said: "I am the Lord God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac; the land on which you lie I will give to you and your descendants. Also your descendants shall be as the dust of the earth; you shall spread abroad to the west and the east, to the north and the south; and in you and in your seed all the families of the earth shall be blessed. Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land; for I will not leave you until I have done what I have spoken to you." Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, "Surely the Lord is in this place, and I did not know it."

As I read I thought, "That's it! I know how he feels!" Lately God has shown me that He has been working when I did not even know it. I can think of recent examples about Him doing this concerning contacts about my book, Loving God With All Five Senses, my ministry (Legacy Ministries), and the 1st Women's Conference Legacy is presenting on the 31st of this month called Lighten Up! Going Deeper!

If you would like to see what all is going on with any of these things, I invite you to visit my website at www.legacyministries.info. Thank you for allowing me some time to unload some of my excitement so I can go to sleep now!

New Year - Fresh Start!

Can you believe it is already a new year? I'm looking forward to what God has in store for us in 2009! I'm so glad God gives us new beginnings. Now is the time to re-evaluate. How is my relationship with God? with Bill? with the girls? with fellow believers? with others? How do I manage my time? How much time do I waste? Where do you draw the line between relaxing and wasting time? Hmmm....so many questions go through my mind every January.

Here are a few things I'm going to try to follow through on for this year...

1. Give God first fruits of my time.
2. Pray for people as soon as God brings them to my mind.
3. When I win, I'll praise God; When I lose, I'll praise God! (This taken from the movie we watched on New Year's Eve, "Facing the Giants"...I srongly recommend this movie!)
4. Don't jump to conclusions as soon as something happens!
5. Keep hugging my family...one of my favorite things to do!
6. Get in shape. (Read my January column for more thoughts on this one. My article, "A Tasty New Year's Resolution" can be read at www.ithirstnw.net.)
7. Read the Bible through. I listen to the DailyAudioBible podcast, which I recommend: www.dailyaudiobible.com, but this year I also want to read straight through. I recommend www.crosswalk.com. You can register for free and have a daily reading plan with whatever version you choose. You check when you've read the reading assignment, and it keeps track of your progress.
8. Focus!

I could go on, but that's enough!

May God bless you as you re-evaluate at the beginning of another great year! Happy 2009!

Post Thanksgiving Ponderings

Happy Thanksgiving! Yes, the day we call "Thanksgiving" in America is over for this year, but thanksgiving itself needs to abound within us every day of our lives. This should be a reminder for us to show an attitude of gratitude to all with whom we come in contact. God has stirred me to thank my children more when I ask them to do something. Even though they are to obey me, because I'm their mother, it is much more pleasant for all of us if I ask them pleasantly and respond with a loving "thank you." When we stop thanking people we start taking them for granted. I certainly don't want to take them for granted! (I learned that before they ever got here when I experienced years of infertility.)

It is important to thank people in our lives, but it is even more important to thank God. He is the source of our very existence! As Paul said in 1 Corinthians 15:57, "Thanks be to God, who gives us victory through our Lord Jesus Christ." When we spend that time with God in close communion, thanksgiving will automatically flow to others out of the overflow God gives us. It is a cycle: thanksgiving to God leads to thanksgiving to people which leads to thanking God for people which brings us back to God!

Focus on God keeps this thanksgiving cylce going and keeps the motives of our hearts pure. Focus on people will stop the process and choke out gratitude from our hearts. Why? Because God is pure and people are not. God is the only One who will never let us down. Even our closest friends and relatives will let us down even if they don't intend to. When we focus on people, we start dwelling on their weaknesses and how they let us down. That's when seeds of offense start to take root and bitterness begins to fester.

I received a Thanksgiving e-card that had the following scripture passage on it: Colossians 3:12-17, "Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering; 13 bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do. 14 But above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfection. 15 And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful. 16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. 17 And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him."

Notice verse 13 says that we must forgive. We have to if we want that cycle of thanksgiving, that brings peace and joy, to keep going. Hopefully Thanksgiving was a time that reminded us to do a gratitude check. This passage tells us a list of things to "put on" that will encourage gratitude. If while we do our post-Thanksgiving check we find more offense than thanksgiving, we may need to go up a few verses and find out what we have to "put off" before we can "put on" all the good stuff! I'll let you do that for yourself. The whole chapter of Colossians 3 is rich with awesome nuggets of gold! Happy mining!!

We interrupt this program to give you a special report!

Have you ever watched a program on TV and an announcer proclaimed, "We interrupt this program to give you a special report!"? That's exactly what I want to do. I want to get more feedback on my last post about Jesus stirring people and then give my thoughts about it, but I have to wait on that and blog what God is stirring in my heart this morning.

I woke up early (earlier than my flesh would have liked!) to that still small voice saying, "Seek My face!" I went to my computer and did a search in the Bible. Here are the verses I found:

2 Chronicles 7:14 NKJ if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.

Psalms 27:8 NKJ When You said, "Seek My face," My heart said to You, "Your face, Lord, I will seek."

Hosea 5:15 NKJ I will return again to My place Till they acknowledge their offense. Then they will seek My face; In their affliction they will earnestly seek Me."

I know that right now in light of the US presidential elections, we HAVE to do this! It's not just presidential elections, it is elections for congress, laws to protect marriage, the unborn, and may we not forget the future justices of the Supreme Court that will make rulings on many values we Christians hold dear. I pray that God will stir His people (ahh, where have we heard that before?!) and draw us to seek His face.

Now I want to hear from you about what you think that means to "seek God's face" and why that is so important. Hopefully we'll have more people chiming in, so keep your posts somewhat brief. I look forward to reading what everyone says!