The Love Chapter

"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.  It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.  Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.  It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres......love never fails." I Corinthians 13:4-7

I had the amazing opportunity to attend the Hillsong United concert in Orlando this week and was blown away by the awesome worship experience I had.  Midway through the concert they flashed on the screen images of people reciting the love chapter.  I immediately realized something.  How many times have you heard the love chapter in Corinthians recited at a wedding, or been referenced as a guideline in your personal relationships?  What if we took the love chapter and also applied it to how we treat perfect strangers or people we may come in conflict with?  I'm preaching to myself here, because my eyes were really opened to this.  

Christ commanded us to "love your neighbor as yourself" (Matthew 22:39) and to "love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you." (Matthew 5:44).  Can you imagine the doors that would open for relationships, the opportunities we would have to witness to others, and the example we would set for all Christians if we just loved ALL people following the guidelines of 1 Corinthians 13:4-7? Really challenge yourself to do this.  Ask God to let you see others the way He sees them.  Remember the things that love is not, and write that on your heart.  

"Give me your eyes for just one second, give me your eyes so I can see. Everything that I keep missing. Give me your love for humanity.Give me your arms for the broken hearted, the ones who are far beyond my reach. Give me your heart for the ones forgotten, give me your eyes so I can see." - Brandon Heath

Anger and Revenge

"Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him; do not fret when men succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes.  Refrain from anger and turn from wrath; do not fret, it only leads to evil. For evil men will be cut off, but those who hope in the LORD will inherit the land." - Psalm 37:7-9

Have you ever been in a situation where someone did something awful, either to you or a friend, and got "away" with it?  The initial reaction of the flesh is to flip out on that person and seek revenge.  It sure does feel good to release the tension of the anger that is boiling inside of you on the person guilty of ruining your mood.  That's where the enemy gets you.  He knows how great it feels inside of us to seek revenge on those who harm us, emotionally, physically, or situationally - and he knows how that will wreck relationships, lives, and ultimately our walk with Christ.  In situations like this we must "Be still before the LORD" and lay it all at His feet, including the anger.  God is in control, even when evildoers seem to be getting away with their schemes.  He may be working in that person's life in ways you may never understand or witness. 

So what are we to do? Love them, pray for them, forgive them.  This is extremely hard to do by ourselves, but with God's perfect strength and grace, we can do it.  What a powerful witness and testimony of His love through us if we can show people we forgive them through our actions and words, even if they don't ask for forgiveness.  He may be using us in that situation to get the person's attention.  If you react in anger, you hinder God in reaching that person at that time.  Don't hinder Him, let Him use you!!

Ultimately, trust God in knowing that those who choose to continually turn their backs on Him and induldge themselves in evil will "be cut off - but those who hope in the LORD will inherit the land."

His Voice

"The rich rule over the poor, and the borrower is a servant to the lender."Proverbs 22:7

"It is the blessing of the LORD that makes rich, and He adds no sorrow to it."Proverbs 10:22

I want to share a bit of testimony on how God speaks in my life.

We have been praying for wisdom on buying a larger home, considering we have 4 of us living in 1000 square feet of space.  On the surface, it seems plausible and necessary.  Our closets are jam packed, cabinets are overflowing, and we share one, tiny bathroom.  At first, we thought God was moving things in our life so we could financially afford to carry the burden of two mortgages  - we bought our house in "05 when the market was about to pop and, like the rest of America, are upside down; leaving us our only choice but to rent out our house if we were to move. We didn't think we were able to use a VA loan again, but to our surprise our lender said we still had VA money to use.  The pre-approval letter was granted in less than 24 hours and only a week from then my husband was promoted.    

Now on the surface, it seems as though God wants us to move.  The more I prayed for wisdom, the more God revealed to me that this wasn't a great idea.

And then He really got my attention.

Ever feel during a sermon that God is shouting at you, giving you your answer LOUD AND CLEAR?  Pastor Steve was completing his sermon series on "In God We Trust".    He noted Proverbs 22:7 - "The rich rule over the poor, and the borrower is a servant to the lender." Wow.  It hit me that it wasn't the wisest thing to take out yet another mortgage and become tied and bound to the banks that we owe money to.  Of course, I sat there and tried to outsmart God, thinking "but we can rent our house out for sure, it's a great area and we are a military town." Ha. You can't outsmart God.  "But God, this is the time to BUY! The interest rates will never be this low!" The sermon just kept hitting point after point and I sunk lower and lower into my seat.  Grr.  

I slept horribly as I couldn't get over the tension I was feeling in what God was telling me to do, and was woken up at 3 am with the Lord hitting me with more points to ponder. I woke up sad because I knew I had to be obedient and I knew that meant no new house right now.  We have all of these carrots dangling in front of us, yet we must step out in fatih and obedience. Our needs are abundantly met right now, and there is nothing we need, even a new home.  God is so loving, though, and I was reminded that "it is the blessing of the LORD that makes rich, and He adds no sorrow to it." Proverbs 10:22. If it is going to add more burden to your life, then it's probably not a God thing.  Avoid it like the plague! Be obedient! God's timing is perfect timing.  It is moments like this that we must step out in faith in recognizing our source.  Even though it may stink now, what God has for you up the road will smell so much sweeter. :)

Lifting Hands

Because your love is better than life, my lips will glorify you.  I will praise you as long as I live, and in your name I will lift up my hands.  My soul will be satisfied as with the richest of foods; with singing lips my mouth will praise you."

Psalm 63:3-5

I was raised in a very traditional, southern church where we sang out of a gospel hymnal to the tune of a very seasoned piano player.  Our song list usually involved "I'll Fly Away", "He Set Me Free", and "Washed in the blood?"  Most of us were out of tune with each other, yet I am sure that God still enjoyed it.  Even still, I was never taught to raise my hands in praise nor was it something that was often done in my church.  Many people may disagree to what I am going to write, and that's perfectly ok.  But I want to share in something that has changed my walk with my Father and has brought me closer to Him.  

Worship. Worship that has required me to break outside of my comfort zone and do things I may have not been taught to do growing up.  Like raising my hands in praise.  This was extremely hard for me to do.  I was very stubborn about it, thinking "I shouldn't do it just because everyone else is doing it, I can praise God just fine without it."   You can, indeed...and no one should judge you for not raising your hands.  But there is something to be said about surrendering yourself and your pride to the Lord by raising your hands in a love gesture towards your Father.  The blessings you receive from surrendering your will to Him is truly remarkable.  

Our pastor just finished a sermon series called, "Why Worship?"  I just didn't get it until after this sermon.  Pastor Steve alluded the gesture of raising our hands to giving a hug to someone you love.  We can't physically touch him, so we raise our hands to him as to say, "I love you." Wow.  And "because [His] love is better than life" I want to "praise [Him] as long as I live.  In [His] name I will lift up my hands."

God's love is amazing and I want to show Him how grateful I am and how much I love him back.

 

Perfect Strength

"If the LORD delights in a man's way, he makes his steps firm; though he stumble, he will not fall, for the LORD upholds him with his hand." 

Psalm 37:23-24

I think this is a psalm of encouragement for many of us out there.  God's way is very simple - love Him and others, follow His commands, and spread the gospel.  We may hit potholes along the way, but if we are diligently seeking to live our lives the way He has instructed us, He will not leave us or let us fall.  We may stumble, but He protects us.   We experience His AWESOME, perfect strength.  If we choose a life outside of His will and choose to turn our backs on Him, we may come upon those potholes and fall flat on our face.  Ouch.  Then it's time to tend to our wounds and deal with that by ourselves.  Not fun and extremely difficult, if not impossible without His perfect strength.  2 Corinthians 12:9 - ...my strength is made perfect in weakness..."

Does that mean there's no hope if you are living a life outside of His will? Absolutely NOT!  God's patience and love is simply amazing.  Turn to Him, seek Him, trust in Him.  You will begin to experience blessings that man could never give you.  Especially when you come across those potholes.  

Fear and Shame

"I sought the Lord, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears. Those who look to him are radiant; their faces are never covered with shame."

Psalm 34:4,5

Everyone fears something.  Some fear thunderstorms, heights, snakes, you name it.  For me, my fears have always involved a great deal of anxiety.  I can get so worked up over the thought of something bad happening that it greatly affects me emotionally.  My eyes are no longer focused one the One with all the power, but to the thoughts that captivate my mind.  Fear can, in fact, bring upon yourself a great deal of shame, especially if it is something that another person may not fear.  You may feel ashamed that you aren't emotionally strong enough to battle that fear, or are ashamed that what you fear is just silly in another person's eyes.  It wasn't until I began seeking the Lord with all my heart, soul and mind that He delivered me from those fears.  When you seek Him, He is faithful. He answers. He wants you to be in His presence so He can deliver you from things like fear.  

v. 5 "Those who look to him are radiant; their faces are never covered with shame." 

There is a two-part interpretation to this verse.  With something like fear, looking to Him and being delivered from fear also delivers you from shame.  

But what if you aren't battling fear?  What if you are battling the memory of a shameful past that the enemy likes to attack you with?  What if the memory of that past brings upon your spirit a great deal of shame that just simply depresses you?

Look to HIM - and your face will never be covered with shame.  His strength IS PERFECT.  Trust me, I know from experience.  

Hillsong - With Everything

Still stuck in my head from Surrender worship Thursday!

Love this song....

God is faithful

God is faithful....~1 Corinthians 1:9

I am amazed at the work of God's hand in my life.  He has blessed my family in so many ways and He never ceases to amaze me at how He works.  I am happy to announce that my husband got a promotion after only being with the company for 7 months.  Things have begun to fall into place for us to have a larger home with more room for our growing family.  We are searching and looking, and searching some more, but here is one that we have begun to fall in love with:

Is this our new home? Only the Lord knows.  I must say though that things have worked out in a way for us financially that can only come from God.  He is our source.  I'm so excited to see what he has in store for my family.  

On another note, I couldn't sleep last night.  I think I was worked up from the awesome worship experience I had and continue to have at Destiny.  I was so happy to be back at Surrender (our young adults group) and be around my church family again.  There is something to be said about surrounding yourself with believers and sharing in the love of Christ.  Sure, you can be a Christian and worship from home and never attend a church.  But what a great blessing it is to have the emotional and spiritual support from your brothers and sisters in Christ.  Just another blessing I can count each day - an amazing church family that fills my spirit with joy every time I walk through the doors.  

I have grown so much in the year that I have been at Destiny, it is amazing how my love for my Father has gone from 0 to 60+.  Before, I always knew I believed that God existed, but I honestly was never able to say that I 'loved' Him.  I never had a passion to know Him nor did I ever feel a 'love'.  After much prayer God has given me that passion and I am so in love with my heavenly Father.  I cannot wait to see Him face to face. 

And...I cannot wait for the Motion Student Conference in Birmingham:

Psalm 20

Ok, life has been crazy the past few months - I have had a lot on my plate and haven't been able to dedicate any time to this blog.  I am going to try harder - for real this time.  It is my goal to blog at least once a week, maybe more. 

I was reading a few passages in Psalms today and came across a few that I'd like to comment on :

 Psalm 20 (New International Version)

 ¹ May the LORD answer you when you are in distress; 
       may the name of the God of Jacob protect you.

 ³ May he remember all your sacrifices 

       and accept your burnt offerings. 
       Selah

 ⁴ May he give you the desire of your heart 
       and make all your plans succeed.

 ⁵ We will shout for joy when you are victorious 
       and will lift up our banners in the name of our God. 
       May the LORD grant all your requests.

 ⁶ Now I know that the LORD saves his anointed; 
       he answers him from his holy heaven 
       with the saving power of his right hand.

 ⁷ Some trust in chariots and some in horses, 
       but we trust in the name of the LORD our God.

This really got my attention today as I have been praying diligently for the Lord's wisdom in searching for a new home.  At times I feel guilty of asking God for more, but in this case our current home is tiny and we are literally busting at the seams.  It is comforting to know that God wants to bless you, that He wants to give you the "desires of your heart.".  I certainly don't wish for extreme luxury, just space!  I know His will is perfect and even if we don't get more space immediately, I know He will bless us with that desire eventually.  

Another point about this Psalm I'd like to point out is v. 3 - "May he remember all your sacrifices and accept your burnt offerings."  My husband and I just started tithing recently and this was a reminder to me that God does not forget that, that He will honor it in due time.  Our tithe is an act of our worship, recognizing where the source of our finances come from.  If we can't give back to God in faith that He is our source, then are we truly worshipping Him?

Psalm 20 was brought to my attention by a leader of our church, so I felt led to start reading Psalms from the very beginning.   Today I read up to Psalm 12 and this verse stuck out for me:

Psalm 12:7-8

"O Lord, you will keep us safe and protect us from such people forever.  The wicked freely strut about when what is vile is honored among men."

What a perfect picture of how our society looks today.  There is a lot going on in our country and around the world that wouldn't have dared happen 50 years ago.  What we are allowing to happen is indeed "what is vile is honored among men."  People like to think we are more "enlightened." Are we?  Or have we (not specifically Christians, but "we" in general) become more stupid, for lack of a better word?  

What a blessing to read this:

Psalm 11:7 - "For the Lord is righteous, he loves justice, upright men will see his face."

A reminder that even though there is a lot of garbage happening around us, some of it impossible for Christians to put a stop to, we are comforted in knowing that justice will be served and that God is righteous.