Time is Running Out

 

In J.R.R Tolkien's book, The Fellowship of the Ring, when the final war for Middle Earth was at hand, Frodo has the following conversation with Gandalf:

"I wish it had not have happened in my time," said Frodo. "So do I," said Gandalf, "and so do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us."

And so, I pose that same question to any who dare to consider, What are you doing with the time given you?

As mentioned in a previous blog, I have encountered a bend in the road that has caused me to come to a dead halt for what I believe is a very specific time and purpose. As the prophetic clock is ticking away, many choose to look the other way, remain stuck thinking only about their desires, rather than the good of all. They are totally missing what is actually in play. The eyes of many have been so blinded spiritually that it makes me wonder just who is paying attention to what God is saying, especially as it relates to the church. Now I am not an ordained minister, but I do know what the Bible says, and rather than consult man when I need an opinion, I choose to look at the infallible Word of the Lord, and more specifically, I ask what does God have to say about the subject. I have been saying all along that the warning bells are ringing. But it continues to go unheeded by many who choose to look the other way when God is very clear on what He thinks. As a favorite pastor of mine says quite often, "God has spoken and He has not stuttered."

 I was reminded in a message recently that there are numerous promises about the faithfulness of God, and yes, they are true, and we can find comfort. But, they are true for the believer and follower of Jesus Christ, not the unbeliever and not for those believers who are not adhering to His Word. It can't be both ways, as Israel, God's chosen people found out on more than one occasion. I know that Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever, as I alluded to in my previous blog. But I also said that God will not be mocked. In the book of Revelation, Jesus speaks to the seven churches, and He is doing so at this time. Although I am part of more than one international prayer groups, and I am standing in the gap, praying for repentance individually, as a part of the church, and for the nation as a whole, God may not stay His judgment on this nation. I have never witnessed such a growing apathy and apostasy in the faith, outright rebellion of the laws of God. But many true disciples are praying, repenting, interceding for the nation to come back to God, and it is my prayer that this is a sweet smelling savor unto the Lord. In one circle there are over 88,000 praying daily, continuously, and I know there are many more such groups. The Scripture says that "The fervent, effectual prayer of a righteous man avails much." (James 5:16)

At the same time, the chaos in the nation continues to spiral out of control, and do you notice that most of the evil and destruction is occurring in the wee hours of the morning while the rest of the nation sleeps? That is not surprising to me. In fact, nothing that is happening today is surprising to me. We are in intense spiritual warfare, but it is not spoken of in the light of day or by many pastors, because it seems scary. You bet it's scary, and it will become more so in days to come. This is why the church needs to awaken to the clarion call. But none of this is new. The Apostle Paul was sent to preach to the Gentile nation, because Israel, the chosen people of God, had closed their minds to the truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Before his death, Paul tried once more to preach the truth to the hardhearted Jewish leaders of his day. Listen to his words in Acts 28:24-27:

     Some were persuaded by the things he said, but others did not believe. And after they had argued       back and forth among themselves, they left with this final word from Paul: "The Holy Spirit was right when he said to your ancestors through Isaiah the prophet, 'Go and say to this people, when you hear what I say, you will not understand. When you see what I do, you will not comprehend. For the hearts of these people are hardened, and their ears cannot hear, and they have closed their eyes - so their eyes cannot see, and their ears cannot hear, and their hearts cannot understand, and they cannot turn to me and let me heal them.'" (Isaiah 6:9-10)

The other day I watched a movie on Pure Flix, a Christian alternative to Netflix. The movie was called In the Blink of an Eye, and it was about an unsaved man who repeated the events of the Rapture over and over. Each time, his wife and friends disappeared, while the man and the other people around him remained. The man was a detective who had shunned his friend's sharing of the gospel on many occasions, but as each disappearance occurred, he began to take note of specific events before and after, futilely attempting to manipulate the results. Each day after going through these disappearances and the resulting confusion, he would be awakened again by his wife, and the events would play out again, and again, until the end. This man was given four opportunities to understand the reality of what was happening before it was too late. In the end, he even attempted to contact his police supervisor, an atheist, and share the gospel with him. When he did not accept the gospel message, the man warned him not to take the mark of the beast. Of course, the supervisor had no idea what this meant, but sadly, he was about to find out. He even sat down with another person involved in the secondary plot of the movie, and he gave her a Bible and pointed her to the appropriate scriptures, in the hope that she would accept Christ as Savior before the Rapture. In the end, the man is on the beach with his wife and friends, and at the appointed time, the Raptures occurs. Sadly, in real life, God does not give rehearsals for the Rapture. When the appointed time comes, Jesus will return. But God does give warnings and specific signs in His Word. In fact Jesus encourages His disciples about the coming events and warnings.

Many signs, called birth pains by Jesus, have and continue to occur in rapid succession. These warnings are becoming so blatantly obvious that they cannot be ignored, and yet, they are. The heart of many have waxed cold. Sadness fills my heart as I watch as people try to destroy themselves and hurt others for no apparent reason except that they hold differing opinions. I am not surprised as the Gospel message is not being preached in the churches, and the prayer altars are closed. Communion has become a ritual rather than the holy remembrance of Jesus Christ it was intended. The words of great hymns like Amazing Grace and What a Friend We Have in Jesus are sung without meaning. Perhaps I'm just so grateful that God pursued me and accepted me and forgave my sins and saved my wretched soul that to this day I weep when I sing these hymns. I can never forget what my Abba Father and my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ has done for me. And I will continue to stand in prayer as an intercessor in repentance for my own sins and the sins of our nation, beginning with the church, to return to God and make Jesus Christ Lord over all, as it was ordained to be since the birth of Creation. Scripture says in Proverbs 14:34 that, "Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people." Sadly, God is not pleased with this nation, and we are seeing the fruit of evil playing out before us in unprecedented ways. But God is raising up an army of believers in Christ who are not afraid and who are not ashamed of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We are standing, fully armored, crying out as one Body for righteousness and justice. We are standing for reformation and a revival that will shake this nation from it's sleep before it is too late.

I don't know all the Lord has to say to me in this of isolation, but I do know that I will do, I will say, and I will go wherever He leads. Even if it means the threat of death. Think I'm being dramatic? Read your Bible, then pray God opens your spiritual eyes while there is still time. God is asking us to choose life, so my response is simply this:

My Vision

 

Before the nation was aware of the rise of the coronavirus outbreak, and before the beginning of the racial unrest, the Lord spoke to me saying to arise and pray as something was about to be unleashed, and He needed my full attention. Instantly, the strongholds that had attempted to keep me bound were broken, and my eyes were opened to the battle already ensuing. Prior to this I had already been engaged in spiritual warfare, but the enemy fought frantically to keep me under his thumb of condemnation. I can always clearly see his tactics, as I know the enemy well, so he could not succeed in keeping me from prayer. In 2 Corinthians 10:3-5 we are instructed: "For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ." Further, scripture tells us in Philippians 4:4-8: "Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable - if anything is excellent or praiseworthy - think on these things." My focus became more centered on what my Father was showing me, my eyes fixed on Jesus Christ alone. 

It has been my daily practice to put on the whole armor of God as instructed in Ephesians 6, but I began to understand that words must become life for those for whom I pray. So as I prayed for others the Lord would bring to mind, and as I asked for divine protection and revelation knowledge be given to each, I could sense the presence of the demonic entities assigned. Ephesians 6:10-18 instructs: "Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then with the belt of truth buckled around your waist with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints."

I have been urging true disciples of Jesus Christ to arise and shine, rather than fall to the enemy of defeat and acceptance. Now the Lord urges me to say, "Wake up, O sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you." (Ephesians 5:14) This is a clear mandate to fellow believers to rise to action, put off lethargy and advance the kingdom of God on this earth. The battle going on is far worse than mortal eye can see, but God will have His way. For the past two weeks the Lord allowed me to be "quarantined" for His purpose. I developed a case of Shingles that I am told is rare, as it attacked my face, mouth, ear and ear canal, as well as the entire half of my head. Touching a single hair on my head is actually painful. Although I am healing, this time has been spent listening to the voice of my Father, instructing me, showing me how to pray. The enemy does not like defeat, so he also threatened my daughter's life, not once, but three times in the past two months. The enemy cannot destroy a child of the living God. While speaking with a friend of mine, who often questions where God is in the midst of suffering and chaos, I had to silence the enemy when asked where is God in my and my daughter's battles. My entire life, as has my daughter's, has been riddled with pain, physical abuse, and various torments, but we will never say that our Father is not present with us each step of the way. My Abba Father stands right beside me, our Lord Jesus Christ does not change, and Holy Spirit remains within us strengthening us come what may. Whereas the enemy has tried on numerous occasions to put a wedge between my daughter and myself, this is yet another battle he cannot win. The Lord holds us in His righteous right hand, and NO weapon that is formed against us will prosper! (Isaiah 57:17) I don't ask God "why," rather I ask Him to speak to me and teach me. As with Job's trials, God has a plan and purpose for everything. This time is a holy time, and we choose to see it as such. So no, my friend, He never leaves us, and we trust Him with all things that concern us. God is very much present right beside us, and however He chooses to get my attention, I welcome it.

Yesterday was a restless day for me, and as the day progressed to evening, I spoke to the Lord, and I asked how to direct my prayers. I had been listening earlier to a pastor speak on listening prayer, and I am fully aware of how God speaks to me in this way. I know His voice, but it was extremely quiet yesterday at this time. Before drifting off to sleep I remember looking at a live stream of a prophet speaking about the current uprisings within our United States and prophesying what is to come. I drifted asleep near the end of it into a peaceful sleep. At some point in time I remember being shaken awake to hear and see people on the screen raging and threatening all the people who voted for President Trump in this election. A woman said that Trump supporters did not deserve to live. The hatred and venom continued to spew from the mouths of the media and the political leaders I witnessed before my eyes. Now whether this actually played on my computer or whether it was a vision, as with the young man I saw on the streets of the city near me awhile back, I do not know. But the message was very clear. After this, I could not go back to sleep, so I began to talk to the Lord. I felt such sadness for the ugly and vile things being spewed, which were like in kind to those I actually did hear for myself on social media by a US Representative threatening similar vengeance  against all who did not stand with the Democratic Party. The enemy roams around in the darkness of the night using those whose eyes have been blinded to the Light of Jesus Christ. They are to be pitied, not scorned, or feared. The demonic spirit of Jezebel has been loosed upon our unsuspecting nation, but the prophets of Elijah and Elisha are likewise present in this age.

The Lord is clearly speaking. The church of Jesus Christ, the disciples who are not cowering in their homes, or depressed, or otherwise incredulous, are being instructed to wake up!  Jesus is coming back, and He is coming for a church, a bride without spot or wrinkle, a unified church. God wants His people to speak out for righteousness and justice, standing on the infallible Word of the Lord. No more lukewarm sermons and avoiding the message of the Gospel. This fight is not about a man or a party. This is about God as the Head of all Government. He alone puts leaders in place, and He alone takes them out. We may be given a say, but He will not be mocked. He is removing His hand from this nation, so if we believe in One Nation Under God, then we had better stand up as the Body of Christ and proclaim it as such. But, just be aware, if God in His mercy spares us for a season from total judgment, what comes next will not be pleasant. He has warned, and the church has not heeded! But, also be aware, repentance and revival will shake this land.

This morning in my devotional time, I read the following, and this is how I feel about my life. It belongs to Jesus, and my eyes will stay fixed on Him alone as the Author and Finisher of my faith. I pray you heed this clarion call:

"The apostles and disciples in the book of Acts saw themselves as expendable in the service of their Lord. Self-preservation was the last thought on their minds. They were totally, unreservedly available to their Lord. You can see that attitude in a number of verses from Paul's letters: 

    "It is no longer I who live but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son         of God who loved me and gave himself for me" (Galatians 2:20).

    "For to me, living means living for Christ, and dying is even better" (Philippians 1:21). 

 

"If self-promotion or self-preservation is your goal in life, you have yet to discover the liberating power of expendability. But once you see your time, talents, and treasure as 100 percent available in the service of the Lord, then you'll be able to say with Paul: "But my life is worth nothing to me unless I use it for finishing the work assigned me by the Lord Jesus - the work of telling others the Good News about the wonderful grace of God" (Acts 20:24)."

           

Arise and Shine!!

 After a week of abject horror, amidst a sea of slander, libel hurled at our country's leadership from pastors and pulpits, amidst personal off-color remarks, persecution and harassment, as foretold by Jesus Christ Himself, from friends, family, the workplace, so much so that I almost seethed with anger, the Lord heard my cry! I am a part of intercessory prayer groups who repent, pray, seek God's face continually in the earnest hope of God turning His wrath from this nation and world. Many say they pray, but they turn back to their everyday life and seek ways to escape, so much so that they are oblivious to sheer evil in their midst. The Lord spoke to me a few weeks ago, beginning with, "As in the days of Noah...." Over the days and weeks He has continued to speak to me, until this week He allowed me to witness heightened injustice in a brief span of time.

I have had to fall on my knees and repent for my anger and hurt countless times this week. I would wake up, praising His Name, only to fall into this period of sadness as I read His word in the mornings. Last night, after witnessing further hypocrisy firsthand, I asked Abba Father to please speak to me and show me something. I fell into a deep sleep of dreams or visions and awoke to these words: "Arise and shine for the Glory of the Lord has risen!! He repeated it to me over and over again upon rising. I literally danced in praise to my King, the Great God of all Creation! 

My fingers flew to the passage in Isaiah 60 to record in my heart the message Abba was giving to me:

  “Arise, shine, for your light has come,
    and the glory of the Lord rises upon you.
² See, darkness covers the earth
    and thick darkness is over the peoples,
but the Lord rises upon you
    and his glory appears over you.
³ Nations will come to your light,
    and kings to the brightness of your dawn.

⁴ “Lift up your eyes and look about you:
    All assemble and come to you;
your sons come from afar,
    and your daughters are carried on the hip.
⁵ Then you will look and be radiant,
    your heart will throb and swell with joy;
the wealth on the seas will be brought to you,
    to you the riches of the nations will come.
⁶ Herds of camels will cover your land,
    young camels of Midian and Ephah.
And all from Sheba will come,
    bearing gold and incense
    and proclaiming the praise of the Lord.
⁷ All Kedar’s flocks will be gathered to you,
    the rams of Nebaioth will serve you;
they will be accepted as offerings on my altar,
    and I will adorn my glorious temple.

⁸ “Who are these that fly along like clouds,
    like doves to their nests?
⁹ Surely the islands look to me;
    in the lead are the ships of Tarshish,^[a]
bringing your children from afar,
    with their silver and gold,
to the honor of the Lord your God,
    the Holy One of Israel,
    for he has endowed you with splendor.

¹⁰ “Foreigners will rebuild your walls,
    and their kings will serve you.
Though in anger I struck you,
    in favor I will show you compassion.
¹¹ Your gates will always stand open,
    they will never be shut, day or night,
so that people may bring you the wealth of the nations—
    their kings led in triumphal procession.
¹² For the nation or kingdom that will not serve you will perish;
    it will be utterly ruined.

¹³ “The glory of Lebanon will come to you,
    the juniper, the fir and the cypress together,
to adorn my sanctuary;
    and I will glorify the place for my feet.
¹⁴ The children of your oppressors will come bowing before you;
    all who despise you will bow down at your feet
and will call you the City of the Lord,
    Zion of the Holy One of Israel.

¹⁵ “Although you have been forsaken and hated,
    with no one traveling through,
I will make you the everlasting pride
    and the joy of all generations.
¹⁶ You will drink the milk of nations
    and be nursed at royal breasts.
Then you will know that I, the Lord, am your Savior,
    your Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob.
¹⁷ Instead of bronze I will bring you gold,
    and silver in place of iron.
Instead of wood I will bring you bronze,
    and iron in place of stones.
I will make peace your governor
    and well-being your ruler.
¹⁸ No longer will violence be heard in your land,
    nor ruin or destruction within your borders,
but you will call your walls Salvation
    and your gates Praise.
¹⁹ The sun will no more be your light by day,
    nor will the brightness of the moon shine on you,
for the Lord will be your everlasting light,
    and your God will be your glory.
²⁰ Your sun will never set again,
    and your moon will wane no more;
the Lord will be your everlasting light,
    and your days of sorrow will end.
²¹ Then all your people will be righteous
    and they will possess the land forever.
They are the shoot I have planted,
    the work of my hands,
    for the display of my splendor.
²² The least of you will become a thousand,
    the smallest a mighty nation.
I am the Lord;
    in its time I will do this swiftly.”

Awake, children of God! He is speaking to His people!

After reading these words I thought certainly something has happened in the world, so later I decided to check Google. All I saw was social news of CMT awards highlighting the revealing  outfit of a defiant youth, celebrity gossip, the newest movie to be streamed and other such notices, "As in the days of Noah...." This apathy, discord and chaos or sheer blindness to the spiritual battle that is being waged in the heavenlies at this moment in time will not succeed in diminishing the vision I received and the words God Almighty has spoken to me! I know my Redeemer lives! Regardless of what I see, hear, or experience over the next days, nothing and no one will steal my joy or damage my faith. If anything, it will become even stronger! You see, I choose to not look at the things before me or doubt that God hears my prayers and those of my fellow intercessors, the remnant standing in the gap. Because I know that faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence not YET seen! I also know that the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds! This is His battle, and He has already won!

If anyone reading this blog identifies with anything I have testified of here, then rather than listening to biased media or engaging in meaningless conversation and media posts, fall to your knees and seek God's forgiveness and repentance and stand in the gap in prayer. Instead of reading the papers or social media, seek the Word of the Lord! All the answers to any question is found in the pages of the Bible. Jesus says that even the elect, meaning those we would look to for truth, like pastors, will become blinded and deceived and will turn away from His Word. I have witnessed this in many I respected as men and women of God. When I have been accosted by anyone, I offer all I know, the Word of the Lord. I do not need to defend my belief in God or discuss my thoughts other than offer this explanation of God being the final say in all things.

My daily Bible reading further confirms the message Abba spoke to me as I read from Matthew 21:25-28:

"And there will be strange signs in the sun, moon, and stars. And here on earth the nations will be in turmoil, perplexed by the roaring seas and strange tides. People will be terrified at what they see coming upon the earth, for the powers in the heavens will be shaken. Then everyone will see the Son of Man coming on a cloud with power and great glory. So when all these things begin to happen, stand and look up, for your salvation (redemption) is near!"

 

What I Am Re-learning - Read it to See

The majority of the people who really know me would probably testify that I am an extremely intense person when I get on my soapbox about something. Actually, there are some things that I stand on the soapbox about all the time. Whereas I may appear as somewhat as an extrovert to some, in fact, I am more of an introvert when it comes to sharing, as opposed to the extrovert who loves an audience. That's why it is so hard for me to blog and put it "out there" for people to read. Although I realize that I may get some flack from things I say, I do make every effort to post things that are kind and compassionately written, even if they may be controversial. I prefer to edify rather than tear down, so I will never intentionally offend someone. When I am passionate about an issue or concern, I share information in the hope that someone will be willing to talk things out, communicate, rather than post opinions. I try to post not from my opinion, but from God's heart. He has a lot to say about everything that goes on in our lives, and He cares about everything. Some think He doesn't act like He cares, or that He doesn't hear or answer prayers, but He always does. Don't believe me? Check out the Word. I've been on this earth for almost 70 years now, and I have seen, been through, and am finally beginning to overcome much! It has been a difficult struggle, but God has been walking through it with me, so I am more than a conqueror through Christ Jesus my Lord who loves me and relentlessly chases after me. I have purpose! So do you!

This year has been quite the challenge on more than one level as we face a pandemic of health, social unrest, and economic change. Although man tries unsuccessfully, these issues cannot be overcome by man. This is not a political arena. This is a spiritual crisis on every level. Sunday I listened to a sermon preached by Dr. Tony Evans from the book of Genesis, Chapter 11 about the Tower of Babel. He began by quoting a well-known nursery rhyme, Humpty Dumpty. I believe it is very relevant to this modern pandemic, and I challenge you to listen to what Dr. Evans is saying (posted on my page). This is something I have been saying since the beginning when the first pandemic hit the fan. We need to wake up and pay attention, because just as the Lord said, "Come, let us go down and confuse their language so they will not understand each other," in response to the Tower of Babel, so He is trying to show us that going against what He instructs will not work. Just like Humpty Dumpty who called on "all the king's horses and all the king's men," our problems cannot be solved by government or man on any level. Our world needs God's solution, and the church needs to rise up and be the church. Much change is needed that has gone unheeded not really that many years ago, because it was happening during my generation. But, if we humble ourselves, seek God's face and repent, then He'll answer. Problem is that no one wants to repent, because if you repent, then you must have done something wrong. News flash!! According to scripture, we have all sinned and fallen short of His glory, and contrary to popular belief, we do it every day. My eyes have been opened to the fact that I am not the only sinner in this universe, and I refuse to accept any more condemnation or "curses" against me and my family. Anyone who really knows me, knows me!

The one thing that has not changed in my life is my passion for Jesus. During this time, I've been listening to podcasts by Christine Caine and following her on Facebook, and she calls herself intense, and she certainly is. I love her passion and enthusiasm in sharing the gospel message, because she reminds me so much of my younger self. God bless her. We need to be passionate in our walk with the Lord. And we need to be sharing our faith with others, particularly during this time where so many people are losing hope, growing weak, faint, afraid, no - terrified. This is the time when we, as the disciples of Christ, His followers, need to be spreading the Good News! People don't just want to hear about our trust and hope in Jesus, they want to see it, and to see Christ's love in action. So we can't just casually talk faith, no, James says that faith without works is dead (James 2:14-17). We may be shut in, but we don't have to shut up! The Kingdom of Heaven is not filled with the disgruntled or complainers. We can be victorious, even in these troubled times. So, suit up! Put on your whole armor of God and stand against the demons of Fear, Anxiety, Doubt, or whatever is knocking on your door. This battle is already won! Time to do our part. God's done His.

What I am Learning - I Care Therefore I Speak

Why do I care so much? What is the true cause of the restlessness in my heart? Perhaps, it is because I want my life to reflect the love of my life, and I want the world to know the one I love. I want to demonstrate His love to a hurting world in everything I say and do.

The enemy has been trying to knock me down on my face again. He's been doing a real good job of it this morning. Each morning the first words I speak when I open my eyes are from scripture, and the first words I read are in scripture. I have several verses of the day that come regularly to my email, plus daily devotionals from powerful men and women of God. I share these on Facebook, as I want others to be encouraged by Jesus. How can we face the day otherwise?

Still, the enemy worms his way into my thoughts, hounding me with memories. Most days I am successful at silencing him quickly, as the Lord silenced him, with the word of God, and through music and praise. But this morning was one of the days when the noise in my head and the sorrow in my heart was so overwhelming that I allowed him more access to torment me. When I cry out to God for answers he often cannot break through in His still, small voice, because the noise is too loud. So this morning I felt I needed to turn to a friend, a friend who himself is struggling with some things, but a friend who is strong in his faith and who can help me not only listen, but hear. Not realizing it, he helped me with two huge issues in my life. After I hung up the telephone I asked God why He couldn't tell me directly what I needed to understand. But God let me know that although I was reading the words, I could not understand until my mind cleared and the enemy was silenced. He also uses people sometimes to get the point across. And He did that with me this morning.

This morning, after my head cleared, the first thing I read in my daily devotionals was from Max Lucado. In his book, And the Angels Were Silent, he writes: "Reach up and take your Father's hand and say what my daughter Andrea said to me, 'I'm not sure where I am. I'm not sure which is the road home. But you do and that's enough.'" The scripture he chose was from Isaiah 41:13: "For I am the Lord, your God, who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear, I will help you."

Many times I have written about crawling into God's lap where I can feel secure and loved. Some may feel this is a childish practice, particularly because I am nearing my seventh decade of life. Well, it's what I do, and I'd rather be in His lap than any other. He's faithful, and He has never left me or forsaken me. I can trust His every word. I can feel His Presence.

Many things are happening in the world known and unknown. I care about them all. What I care about most is the way people are responding to current events. Many people are indifferent saying it doesn't concern them, others are saying things are out of control, and others simply want to be heard. Nothing will change unless we listen and communicate. It's about developing relationships. The dictionary defines relationship as: the way in which two or more concepts, objects, or people are connected, or the state of being connected. We need to communicate honestly, without taking offense. That requires more than opening our ears, it means opening our hearts. As followers of Christ isn't this what it means to love your neighbor as yourself?

I'm privy to a lot of information, and there is so much going on while people backbite and name call and criticize. Lives, more lives than you know, are on the line. Our children are suffering. I receive so many emails from causes and prayer chains, and the needs are overwhelming. We need to get our act together, and love each other.  I was listening to a conversation between Emmanuel Acho and Matthew McConaughey on YouTube, Uncomfortable Conversations With a Black Man, this morning, and Matthew shared a portion of Langston Hughes' poem, Let American be America Again that is powerful. Please listen: "Oh let America be America again--the land that never has been yet--And yet must be--the land where every man is free." This is a powerful poem and should be compassionately considered.

This world is in crisis with the pandemic and racial unrest. This is an election year, and it's dog eat dog, so to speak. Why can't debates and news media, and advertisements stick to the issues and stop the ugly words and inflammatory remarks. When the pandemic first broke out it appeared that everyone was working together, but now more accusations and finger pointing. It is all so ugly. God's heart is broken. I know, because I ask Him each day to break my heart for what breaks His.

Right now while the focus is on other things, there are people working behind the scenes who continue their work in harming innocent lives and stealing childhoods. I know quite a bit about this personally. There are also scammers trying to take advantage of the elderly. Evil never sleeps. There are dear ones who are battling with cancer, other debilitating medical conditions, and dementia and Alzheimer's disease. This is why we must keep our focus on what God says and how we are to respond as His believers and His disciples. We must respond with compassion, kindness, understanding, love, acceptance, and we must be willing to hear, ask questions, learn and apply wisdom. Please don't close your hearts. As a part of the Body of Christ, we are all called to function as one, working together for His purpose and glory. Let's honor and serve each other.

Let's Dance!!

Today is Saturday..."Satisfaction Saturday" according to my dear friend, Wayne! We have a game we are playing in our daily correspondence where he must come up with a descriptive adjective (preferably) for each day that is positive and uplifting. The exercise was birthed to recognize each day as a "good day" the Lord has made, because each new day is good. Bad things can happen and challenges will arise, but each day is good!

Music fills my heart, and each day I must sing, worship, praise and dance! My day began this morning with Lauren Daigle's song, Still Rolling Stones. Although she is much younger than I, my exuberance is no less than hers in the video I shared on Facebook from Klove Radio. I can spin, dance and leap for joy in praise with the best of them! Listen to the words, and you'll understand:

"Out of the shallows

Bound for the gallows

A dead man walking

Til love came calling

Rise up (rise up)

Rise up (rise up)

Six feet under

I thought it was over

A answer to prayer

The voice of a Savior

Rise up (rise up)

Rise up (rise up)."

When you hear His voice, and then are privileged to see His face, you run out of the grave! The passion pumps you up, and your heart races:

"All at once I came alive

This beating heart, these open eyes

The grave let go

The darkness should have known

You're still rolling stones...." 

As one whose journey has seen depression, failures, separation and isolation, all the lies satan uses to keep one trapped, exuberance does not adequately describe the joy Jesus brings me. I have to dance!!

Music has always stirred my soul, but worship music bring me alive, and, like King David, I sing, dance, shout, and leap for joy! I pray that whoever enters my home can feel the Presence of the Living God. Although cluttered and full of boxes, I pray the love of God infuses every molecule of space, because I love Jesus! Lauren Daigle calls her new life "a song of revival," and that is my testimony! 

During this time, with church buildings closed, I still find joy and encouragement from online services. I have made new friends, connected with more prayer groups, have an online church group with whom I meet weekly. Although the buildings are closed and people have not assembled, the Body of Christ has been active and alive as always. Daily time with the Lord, developing relationship, is something a virus cannot disrupt. 

As Jesus entered Jerusalem, riding on a donkey, the crowds cried, "Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord." The Pharisees commanded Jesus to rebuke his disciples, and Jesus' response was, "I tell you...if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out. (Luke 19:37-40).

Jesus is everywhere I go. I can't keep silent. So if you're riding down the road one day, and you see a pearl white Nissan Sentra pulled over on the side of the road with an ole lady in a blue hat dancing, jumping, twirling around, and singing with arms waving, that's me! And if you can't stop and join me, honk as you go pass by! Better yet, snap a photo and post it to social medial entitled "God's Great Dance Floor." I'm sure Chris Tomlin won't mind. We are created to worship God. He is Elohim... El Shaddai...Adonai and even more! Thank you, Jesus!

 

Lessons I'm Learning - 6

Over the past few weeks there have been waves of unexpected "situations," some may call calamities, crashing down on me and a couple of others. The tides are receding in an ebb and flow dance, but the aftermath lingers. Nonetheless, I am still standing. I still have a smile on my face, praise on my lips. My arms are uplifted in worship as I sing and dance!

As I began my annual walk through the Bible at the beginning of this year, I realized even more that there are no coincidences. Reading each day about the rise and fall of leaders and kingdoms, while we traverse a modern day trial of immense proportions, gives me more confidence in the God in whom I trust. When we belong to Him, no weapon formed against us can prosper (Isaiah 54:17; 2 Corinthians 10:3-5). And His mercies never fail (Lamentations 3:22-23)!

I'm standing on behalf of my family, as well as many others, for answers to prayer. Armed with God's Word and the support of certain intercessors, we are united in our resolve. This infuriates the enemy, because one of his main snares is discouragement, and although we all fall prey to that to one degree or another, it must not defeat us. So, when the battle is raging, and you feel your knees growing weak, hold on, because help is on the way! Psalm 121 reminds us that God neither slumbers nor sleeps. Psalms 91 comforts us with God's abiding Presence in the words:

"He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High 

will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.

I will say of the Lord, 'He is my refuge and

my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.'"

Psalm 91:1-2

When you feel outnumbered, ask God to remove the veil from your eyes, so you can see the Army of the Lord camped around you (Psalm 27; Psalm 91; 2 Kings 6:16-17).

Each morning, before your feet hit the floor, thank God for the new day, even if you don't feel like it (Psalm 118:24). Lastly, mediate on Psalm 23 and spend some time thinking about what the words mean to you. Several pastors I know have been teaching on this very subject of the Lord as our Shepherd, in the hope of bringing much-needed comfort. On one of Michael W Smith's weekly concerts, he quoted Psalm 23 from the Passion Translation that breaks it down in modern day vernacular:

The Lord is my best friend and my shepherd.

I always have more than enough. 

He offers a resting place for me in his luxurious love.

His tracks take me to an oasis of peace, the quiet brook of bliss.

That's where he restores and revives my life.

He opens before me pathways to God's pleasure

and leads me along in his footsteps of righteousness, 

so that I can bring honor to his name.

Lord, even when your path takes me through

the valley of deepest darkness,

fear will never conquer me, for you already have!

You remain close to me and lead me through it all the way.

Your authority is my strength and my peace.

The comfort of your love takes away my fear.

I'll never be lonely, for you are  near.

You become my delicious feast

even when my enemies dare to fight.

You anoint me with the fragrance of your Holy Spirit,

you give me all I can drink of you until my heart overflows.

So why should I fear the future?

For your goodness and love pursues me all the days of my life.

Then afterward, when my life is through,

I'll return to your glorious presence to be forever with you!

Today my reading takes me to the book of Job. I can hardly wait to see where the journey takes me in the lessons I am learning! 

Lessons I'm Learning - 5

Yesterday, as I awakened, I quoted the scripture from Psalm 118:24, "This is the day the Lord has made, I WILL REJOICE AND BE GLAD IN IT!!! (capital letters and exclamations are mine)." I was determined to keep my focus on the Lord. This has been my habit for quite some time, but I am more mindful of it now. Later in the morning and into the afternoon and evening, the enemy tried not once, but three times to bring me down, but he did not succeed. I recognized his tactics, the ones he has used so many times, but I stood my ground and conquered him with the word of God.

This morning as I began my day, the enemy once more attempted to stick his toenail into my path in an attempt to steal my joy. Once more I focused on what the Lord has to say. One of the verses that keeps me grounded is found in Philippians 4:8. Although I memorized it as a child from the Kings James Version of the Bible, here is how The Message Bible puts it in today's vernacular:

 

Summing it all up, friends, I’d say you’ll do best by filling your minds and 

meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious—

the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse.

When the battle becomes intense, I also speak these words:

For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war

after the flesh; for the weapons of our warfare are

not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down 

of strongholds. Casting down imaginations and every

 high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, 

and bringing all thoughts captive to obedience in Christ.

2 Corinthians 10:3-5

 

Hard times will come, and our enemy does not want us to be victorious, especially in this season of life, but we must be vigilant and press on. I encourage everyone to memorize scripture and be armed when any attack comes. And praise the Lord. The enemy of lies and deception cannot stand in the presence of the Lord. Fill your days with inspiration from scripture, devotionals, music, inspirational videos from YouTube, anything that exalts Jesus Christ as Lord. Your day will be so much better, and you will become stronger as you wait to see the glory of the Lord. Remember the battle belongs to the Lord! We do our part by trusting Him.

Lessons I'm Learning - 4

Today, as I worship, praise, and listen to God, I am being stretched. Thinking back over my life, I see much wasted time. Although there may be some who know me, and who may view my life differently, I see missed opportunities.

Growing up in the south there was always the unspoken pressure that a woman's role is to become a good wife. Even vocational callings were defined.  Always someone else's idea of what my life was destined to be. As a child, I ached to be a missionary doctor. As a teenager there were many times when I attempted to respond to God's call on my life, only to be put in my place. Now that I am older, I'm told that I'm too old for certain things - that it is time to retire and do what I want to do. But, even when I did retire, I realized that in order to help others, I would have to continue to work.

This morning as I listened to a message from the pastor at Hillsong Church in the UK in London, my heart was stirred again. A pastor in Uganda, reporting on what has been happening there during this crisis, shared about the affect of the virus and forced shut downs on the poorest of poor. He spoke about a dear lady who has been sharing her 10 x 14 feet living space with her children and six others who are not her own, making a total of fourteen people in one small space. When asked how she was doing, she stated that when she worked, the family ate, but when she was not working, they went hungry. Since she's been quarantined as has the entire world for several weeks, the family has been hungry. Fortunately, the organization Compassion has been providing food. I follow this organization as I have supported through the local church here in New Mexico two Compassion children who live in Kenya and Ghana. I thank God for the ministries of Compassion, Samaritan's Purse, Billy Graham Rapid Response Team, and many others who reach out to serve others, not just at this time, but all the time. Although our nation has been hard hit, it does not compare to the daily struggle of third world countries who can barely survive on a "normal" day. It was equally encouraging to hear the testimony of this Ugandan pastor who had been supported by the very church through Compassion who helped him when he was a child. God continues to do great things.

The pastor at Hillsong UK asked a question that I have been asking myself for several months, but especially during this time. He asked how we wanted our life to be after we emerge from this battle. How do I want my life to be? As for me, I want my life to follow Jesus Christ's example, not the world's idea of how things should be. In Romans 12:1-2, Paul tells us:

So here's what I want you to do, God helping you:

Take your everyday, ordinary life - your sleeping,

eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life -

and place it before God as an offering. Embracing

what God does for you is the best thing you can do

for him. Don't become so well-adjusted to your

culture that you fit into it without even thinking.

Instead, fix your attention on God. You'll be

changed from the inside out. Readily recognize

what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it.

Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you

down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best

out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you.

The Message Bible

I don't know what tomorrow will bring, I only know that I don't want to waste any more time. I am so excited to see how God will answer my prayers for myself, my family, and this world.

Pastor Brian at Hillsong in Australia spoke about waiting on the Lord, and he gave examples from Hebrews 11 of those who waited on God during desperate times. Again, his message the same...how will our lives emerge?

Interestingly, when I tuned into Flatirons message this morning, Ben, our teaching pastor, spoke along the same lines as the Hillsong pastors, when he spoke about our "new normal" and how it compared to our "normal" before the virus. Basically, Ben said that if our life was like his, that the "normal" life was not where he wanted to be. Now is the time to be listening to God, praying, seeking Him for what comes next. I know that I have been dissatisfied with my own life for a very long time. I retired so that I would have time to do some things I felt I was called to do. But instead of doing that, I have myself back in a place where the needs of others are holding me back. Good things, valuable things, God-honoring things, but not what I am called to do.

I know God is speaking to me, that He has a new life for me, and I want to emerge victorious for Him.