Each time I read one of these devotions, I am forced to pause and  examine myself. With each one I've been reading here lately, I think it is the best yet. And although, I have been reading this book for several years, each date I read- it's as if it's the first time- because the applications to my life are different than they were the year before. The work He's done in my mind and heart are newer and newer everyday.   2 Corinthians 5:17- "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!"

"For I am about to do something new. See, I have already begun! Do you not see it? I will make a pathway through the wilderness. I will create rivers in the dry wasteland." Isaiah 43:19 I am sure that the application is not correct, but I believe I was that dry wasteland...nothing more than rotting flesh, unable to do anything but die. And God did a new thing in me. He made a pathway through the wilderness of my life, and created overflowing rivers of love, peace, joy, confidence, and courage- where there once was only waste...

Hebrews 12:27 "The words "once more" indicate the removing of what can be shaken--that is, created things--so that what cannot be shaken may remain." As He shows me what needs laid down, I reciprocate in my attempt at laying them down and He reciprocates by fully removing the me that needs to go-replacing it with Him. And that's good, because He cannot be shaken, or removed.

We are temporal, we are dust...He is eternal...I don't want anything left of me hanging around that can be swept away. I want it all gone, and only Him to remain... And this, I believe, is where it all has to start. We can't move forward in our relationships or walks with Him, if we are hell-bent (pardon the expression) on reserving our current situations or lives as they are.

February 28th's Walk With God by Chris Tiegreen: When we become Christians, we confessed Jesus as Lord. When we pray, we call Him Lord. But as we live, is He really Lord in our hearts? The words of our mouths do not tell the whole story. There is a depth in most of our hearts to which Jesus' Lordship does not go. As much as we call Him Lord, most of us have held back a corner of our heart to ourselves. His Lordship extends only so far.

The work of the Holy Spirit in bringing us to maturity in Christ- i.e., sanctification- is this: to extend the Lordship of Jesus to every inch of our lives. It is a continuous process. We want the benefits of being a Christian- such as salvation, peace, joy, and the like- but we want to retain a little autonomy as well. We have internal struggles that our friends and family do not see. There are places min our hearts that we guard, holding the Holy Spirit at a distance. We like to control the tempo of our discipleship.

To the extent that we do this, we base our lives on a false supposition- that we have the right to govern ourselves, even after we've supposedly laid our all on the alter. It is an unwise position to try to manage Jesus' Lordship over us. In fact, it isn't His Lordship at all when we control even a portion of ourselves. Its' just an illusion.

Is Jesus Lord of 100 percent of your heart? Your thoughts, your behaviors, your dreams- are they yours or His? What corners of your being have you retained for your self? Whatever they are, they are footholds for the enemy and shelters for the sinful flesh. Jesus desires more of you than you have given Him to this point. He wants it all. This seems like painful surrender to us, but from His perspective, it is a happy day when one of His people lays it all on the alter. Blessing is the result. He is trustworthy with everything we give Him, and He will manage our lives better than we ever have. At no point resist Him; set Him apart as Lord. "In your hearts set apart Christ as Lord." 1 Peter 3:15

"Christ is either Lord of all or He is not Lord at all." -Hudson Taylor

Kingdom Now Authority? Whose Authority Is it....Really?

Here's the beginning of awesome stuff here in yesterday's broadcast for anyone concerned about turning today's churches back over to God and making them HIS as they were commanded to be: RIGHTING THE SHIP: 12 THINGS VISION-CASTERS SHOULD REALLY ADDRESS IN 2015

Today, we see evidence of God's authority leaving many of our churches by the shutting down, and closing of their doors. At the same time many Emergent/Seeker Churches are seeing astronomical growth and 'power' in their churches.

But I ask you, if these churches are not following the plan laid out and designed for the Christ's Bride in the Bible, and yet are still continuing to "serve" and do church THEIR way-how is it that they expect God's blessings and authority to be given or stay there? That just isn't going to happen. Because as we read the Scriptures, we find time and time again, story after story- of the LORD giving those He loves over to the evil desires of their hearts. We see then the consequences that ensue when wanting what they want supersedes in heart and actions, above what He's commanded them to do.

Today, I am highly concerned, and my heart is breaking for those who are following blindly- and for those 'Shepherds' who are leading them into experiencing this new, and monumental shaking of "kingdom authority" ...I'd strongly encourage repentance and a monumental pleading with the LORD- to come back and forgive them for thinking they knew how to "do church" better than the Creator of it... and them....as they have no idea, what "authority" it is that they are really indeed exercising.

I found this documentary this morning: The Real Roots of the Emergent Church  found here: http://standupforthetruth.com/2014/05/real-roots-emergent-church-movement/  I haven't had a chance to watch it, but it may just be my New Year's Eve Highlight Film! I was SO excited to finally find so much information on the Emergent Church in one place...a 3 hour documentary. Super Excited! Yes, I'm a Truth Nerd..Bible Geek- call me what you want... I've been deceived and led astray once, by a group of church pastors and a church who we loved and trusted more than we did our own blood family at times, and so when you've been wounded like that, and deceived like that, you tend to not ever want it to happen again. 

I could sit around and cry everyday about how I've been wounded and how wronged I was...or I can learn everything I can about the Truth- and fix my eyes on Scripture and my LORD.  In seeking after Truth, sometimes more lies fly up at you-and in that, I'm reminded of all those who we love, all those who are still there, being led like blind lambs to the slaughter...and once again-I see, and I'm reminded, of what I do not want to be a part of....ever again, but it also reminds me of how in sharing the Truth, maybe one or two or even 50 can come to a knowledge of it as well, LORD willing. 

God is not in the business of hiding His Truth from us, it's just that sometimes we are so content with the lies, and we like them...they suit our desires and our goals in life- that we choose to believe them, and so our eyes are veiled. It's been my experience that God doesn't reveal truth to those who are hellbent and content in living and believing a lie- lies are from the father of lies...Scripture tells us that. Truth has always been my life preserver, though, and so for that, I am thankful for my messed up childhood and all the traumas that came with it and the rest of my life. All that pain made me seek and fight for the truth, at all costs, and that is something the Lord knows, that He can trust me with....until my last dying breath. 

Pride is our enemy. If it is what made the devil the devil, and kept him out of heaven, trust and believe, it will keep us out of there as well. I was blessed this past summer with a regenerated heart...something I never thought was possible- something I didn't even understand at the time-I didn't know what was happening to me. But for it, I am so eternally grateful, and now I intend to use it to serve the LORD my God, with every ounce of Love that's in it- by fighting for His Truth. 

It's my prayer everyday, sometimes many times a day, that my pride never gets in the way, or keeps me from seeing His Truth. To be spiritually blind, and have a hardened heart, is not something I desire- ever again.... If hearts continue to harden themselves to truth and continue to choose lies to suit the pride of self, God will come along and He Himself, will cement that heart...and that's something that should terrify each and every one of us. This world is nothing, it is so fleeting, everything in it can be blown away in one breathe by Him...I pray we as a people stop believing the lies, seek Him, and in doing so, are given the eyes and hearts to see the Truth.  

Director Elliott Nesch of the Church of Tares video (another must-see!), says this about his film,The Real Roots of the Emergent Church:

Because diversity characterizes the Emergent Church movement, it is difficult to paint everyone in the movement with a broad brush. Some have observed that defining the Emergent Church is like nailing jello to a wall. All participants agree on their disillusionment with the institutional church, but do not all agree on where the church is destined to go from here. They share a common concern with many evangelicals over the state of the modern church, especially the mega-church phenomenon and “seeker-friendly” churches. For this reason, many evangelicals who observe the Emerging Church are fascinated by it, drawn to its creative approaches to worship, genuineness of many of the leaders and desire to reach Gen Xers. However, these evangelicals fail to look beyond it to understand its underlying theology, or lack thereof.

This Christian documentary film The Real Roots of the Emergent Church will take an honest look at the leaders of the Emerging Church movement such as Brian McLaren, Doug Pagitt, Tony Jones, Rob Bell, Tony Campolo, Steve Chalke, Peter Rollins, Dan Kimball, Richard Rohr, Phyllis Tickle, Spencer Burke and others. Who are they and what are they teaching? Become familiar with the postmodern Emergent Church and its popular tactic of literary deconstruction applied to the Bible. This film takes an in-depth look at what the Emerging Church believes concerning the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the Scriptures, absolute truth, hell, homosexuality, mysticism, contemplative prayer, other religions, and eschatology in comparison to the Bible. Much more than candles and couches!

Subjects of this film were contacted for direct interviews. Doug Pagitt, Tony Jones and others were contacted in April 2011. No response. At a Love Wins book signing, Rob told us he would be willing to do an interview and to contact his church which was done several times with no response. We do not fault them for that knowing they are all probably very busy people. But for this reason we have resorted to their own public statements. This film is our way of joining the conversation.

Participants: Eric Ludy, Joe Schimmel, Chris Rosebrough, Bob DeWaay, Gary Gilley, Ray Yungen, Robert LeBus, Jay Peters, James Sundquist, and Elliott Nesch.

Another Emergent Video, found here: http://standupforthetruth.com/2012/11/church-of-tares-a-must-see-video/   Link: Church of Tares:Purpose Driven, Seeker-Sensitive, Church Growth & New World Order:

The Vine and the Branches

Yesterday, I was working in my garden and with all the recent rains we've had, my plants had all grown so much,that I was amazed! But I quickly realized, that I had planted too many cantaloupe and watermelon way too close together. They had all vined out everywhere and had gotten so large- that the 4 to 5 foot distances I'd originally planted them in was definitely not enough to keep them from climbing on top of one another. So here I was, trying to move all the vines into opposite directions so that they'd have more room when they grew even larger, later. (I've never planted melons before:)
Well- the vines were still pretty thin, but very long and very heavy from all the young fruit and large leaves on them. And it wasn't long before I felt one vine snap and I cringed thinking of all of that fruit...getting cut off from the root system and dying...all that fruit that was just going to waste away. This immediately reminded me of John 15-“I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing." 
Here I was sitting in my garden moving vines, snapping them one after another- competing against nature with my nurture and it just wasn't working. It reminded me of life. How often do we live day in and day out frustrated by things we have no control over? Other people, traffic, gas prices, the weather, grocery prices, people's moods or their agenda's, etc.?
Ephesians 6:18 tells us: "Pray in the Spirit in every situation. Use every kind of prayer and request there is. For the same reason be alert. Use every kind of effort and make every kind of request for all of God’s people." and 1 Thessalonians 5:17 says: "Never stop praying" 
So I began praying- right there in my vegetable garden, while on my hands and knees-covered in dirt, with vines in my hands-asking the Lord to move my hands so I didn't loose anymore vines-to help me to turn them the right way- to put them where they needed to be. Apologizing to Him for thinking that I could do even such a thing as this by myself. And that's when it hit me- we can't. Or we shouldn't. We weren't designed to. How many times have I ministered to other women- telling them that we were never designed to be our own Saviors? That doesn't just mean when it comes to our salvation. It means in our day-to-day lives as well.
My devotion from the day before was still ringing in my ears saying: "Stay calmly conscious of me today, no matter what...I will not allow circumstances to overwhelm you, so long as you look to Me. I will help you cope...Collaborating with Me brings blessings that far outweigh all of your troubles. Awareness of My Presence contains Joy that can endure all eventualities." I wonder how much of our lives would be so much more simplified if we'd stop trying to do everything on our own and turn to God to help us with it all? We humans have a habit of getting too self-reliant, too self-confident. We like to do things on our own, we like to do life on our own. Even my one year old says "Me do" as he snatches things from the hands of older siblings to.... do it on his own. So that tells me that from a very young age, our flesh is engraved with a characteristic of self-sufficiency.
God wants us to depend on Him for all things and to pray to Him for everything. Every single place you go, every single minute of every single day- everything you do, everything you say-before all these things- consult God- pray to God- ask God.  We need to stop depending on ourselves and other people. We need to stop thinking that we know what we're doing and we've got it all figured out and then getting upset when our lives fall apart or when things don't go the way we want them to go. 
We're all very fortunate to live here in the USA- we all have a Bible-or maybe even two or three.  And we all have two knees to get down and pray with- and so we need to use them! Remember, apart from Him we can do absolutely nothing...

Marriage and Restoration

My heart absolutely breaks for those who are going through marriage problems and one's who are separated or on the verge of divorce. My husband and I have been there, we know how devastating it can be. We know how to hurt and we used to hurt well- because its all we knew. But by the Grace of God- He showed us how to fix it all, how to turn it all completely around and MAKE IT WORK. He turned it from being the hardest thing in the world we've ever tried to do into one of the best gifts we've ever been given!

Today our marriage is one of the strongest relationships we've ever had, besides our own individual relationships with the Lord- and just like that one- its beautiful, its real, and its true. It requires honesty, forgiveness, grace, and an open heart and mind- and in return it produces comfort, security, and peace.("Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken." - Ecclesiastes 4:12) Getting to this point didn't come from me sitting around pointing fingers and saying, "If he would just CHANGE then everything would change." The first thing I had to do was stop blaming him and focus on what I COULD do. (Jeremiah 26:13 Now reform your ways and your actions and obey the LORD your God. Then the LORD will relent and not bring the disaster he has pronounced against you)

Then, based on past experience-you'll be left with nothing, so you hit your knees and say, "I realize now that whenever I've been in control- I make a mess of it each time." You see, I couldn't fix my marriage, and I needed a Savior- and I had to admit that! ("For I know the plans I have for you, 'Declare The Lord,' plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."- Jeremiah 29:11) My lack of a happy marriage had effected each and every other aspect of my life- from the time I woke up til the time I laid down and cried myself to sleep. But when I asked God to come in and take over, He did!

When we give our marriage and our spouses over to God, it feels amazing because we are in fact- giving the burden, the future and the worries of our marriage over to Him as well. We are doing what Philippians 4:6 instructs us to do which is to, “Not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” And when we do this, we feel an overwhelming peace knowing that it is in His hands, which is what the next verse explains will happen…”And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

But remember, it doesn't work if we ask Him to take control when we're devastated and then as soon as things begin to get better we take back that control and begin to once again start doing things OUR way- it won't be too long before our circumstances will revert back, too.It's about giving Him access to YOU so that in YOU He can change all the ashes of what was left of yourself into beauty! (Isaiah 61:3 "and provide for those who grieve in Zion-- to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the LORD for the display of his splendor") That beauty will penetrate into everyone and everything around you. God will change your heart which then can produce a change in your marriage. 

Sometimes, some people will try all of this- they will do everything the Lord asks them to do- but their spouse has completely shut down. They've closed off their hearts and hardened them to the point of not even allowing an ounce of truth to penetrate. (Ephesians 4:8 They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts.) But God, in His awesome Power and Majesty, will have changed you from the inside out. He will have made you so new- that regardless of what your spouse does or does not do- you will have the peace that surpasses all understanding! All you have to do is keep having faith in Him that the work He began in you- will continue!  (Philippians 1:6 "For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.") 

Addiction: A Disease Only God Or Death Will Cure

I used to be an Addict-and when I couldn't get drugs for whatever reason- I got alcohol and I became an Alcoholic. Sometimes I'd drink from sun up til pass out- sometimes I'd wait til 5 pm and only have 1-2-But regardless of the consistency, or the quantity, or the drug- this is basically what Addiction is: It's "I don't like the way I feel, and I want to feel better." I had an excuse- I was young and stupid- and then again later in life- I had another excuse-that almost anyone could understand- my child was hurt by a monster- and I used the guilt I felt from that to lead me to that way of life- yet again.

For some rehab works, for some jail works, or moving, or even losing your job-your car-your kids- or your home. But NONE of this works for EVERYONE. It's all temporary, subject to change, and dependent on others or yourself and your emotions...people change-emotions change, things change,circumstances change, but God NEVER changes. "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever"-Hebrews 13:8 “For I the Lord do not change; therefore you, O children of Jacob, are not consumed.-Malachi 3:6 There IS A CURE for Addiction-other then death-and that CURE is GOD!

Today I thank Him- that I didn't have to move, I didn't have to lose my kids, I didn't have to go to jail, I didn't have to go to rehab, I don't have to watch for triggers, or avoid people or places...I just had to hit my knees and ask God to come into my heart and take control over my life. I always made a huge mess when I was in control of it up to that point anyways! It's about quitting thinking you know what's right and you know how to fix it- or that you even HAVE the ability to be ABLE to fix it. It's trusting in what you have never seen- but always have known to be in your heart and at the core of who you are.

Its about REALLY being able to let go and say goodbye to all of that pain, hurt, rejection you've carried around for so long- and saying hello to true, real, and LASTING happiness for the first time in your life- and not doing ANYTHING to have it happen- but allowing Him to make it possible. It's real, and I'm proof of His power, His abilities to make it happen in YOUR own life as well. Trust Him today- ask Him to come in today- and watch as your faith allows each and every circumstance you're facing now to change completely!

Fed Up? Or Filled Up?

Fed Up? Or Filled Up?

While driving the 30 minute drive home after picking up my oldest 3 children from youth group tonight- two songs came on the radio that hit me like a ton of bricks over the head... The first was "Steal My Show" and the second was "Let Them See You" - both frequently played by our K-LOVE radio station, but after the mommy meltdown I'd just had from my kids not listening to me, put together with the weight of the news the Dr. had given us about our youngest that day- and I'd lost it.
 "Steal my show" words say: 'Want you to steal my show- sit back and watch it go- if you've got something to say- go on and take it away'- the realization brought to me by the Holy Spirit from these words was that God wanted to live through MY show...MY LIFE. He wanted to be glorified and take over during those teachable moments when we were alone and didn't have the distraction of the world. He wanted me to speak to my kids- or just have a good, quiet time when there was peace and tranquility-----But instead Id blown my top.
The second song similarly screamed to me that in EVERYTHING we do- let others see Him. In our words, and by our actions- let everything we do reflect the light of Christ's love-in us, and through us. Had I shown my kids the love of Christ by having a Mommy-meltdown? I may of been showing them discipline- that I wasn't going to tolerate their behavior and giving them consequences for their behavior. But I didn't FEEL very Christ-like. I felt ugly. I felt like I'd failed them. I felt that their behavior was a direct reflection of me- and in some sense it is-so lets be honest.
Over the past few weeks, I have slipped further and further away from God. Everyone in the family had been sick, the baby was still sick-pressures of life had kept me from doing what I needed to be doing-I had ALLOWED the pressures of life to keep me from doing what I needed to be doing. I'd missed church this past weekend from being "exhausted", I'd been slacking on my daily devotions-maybe only doing TWO out of 14. I have a teaching and a testimony to write for an upcoming Encounter, they've not even been begun. It's been at least two weeks since I'd opened my actual Bible and read more then 3-5 verses that hadn't been on someone's status update on Facebook- and that's the other thing- my laptop had died maybe 3 times today...WAY too much time and attention on the internet (which I justified by the baby being clingy and me having to sit on the couch with him.)
But those songs struck me hard- and they NEEDED to strike me hard because I OWE it to my kids to be spiritually filled up at all times and not drained-to allow them to see Christ in ALL that I say and ALL that I do. My LORD DESERVES for me to be WILLING to come to Him daily on my knees and in the Word to fill myself back up with His understanding, wisdom, love and compassion so that I can be able to show this through love and actions to everyone I encounter. My husband DESERVES me to be spiritual fed and filled up so that I appreciate him daily- so that I can HELP him with the stresses of life- instead of ADDING TO THEM. My sister's in Christ that I minister to daily, DESERVE to have me spiritually full so I can advise them the way God wants them to be- instead of what sounds good off the top of my head based off my emotions at that current time. And that's what I've learned throughout this past year of my walk- is that if you're not walking in the Word- you're walking in emotion. If we aren't grounded- we can short circuit at any time.
It goes back to that old saying- "If you don't take care of you- how can you take care of anyone else?" The same is true in the spiritual way of life-We owe it to ourselves, to our family, to our friends and those we have yet to meet- to STAY spiritually full and on the right track with God-where He needs us to be at according to His will and purpose for our lives. The world we live in is FULL of hurting, lost souls. I am NOT one of the lost. I have FOUND my salvation through the Cross and by the precious blood of Christ- and it's time I learn to STAY there- in that place of peace. Life will happen. Things will get you down and  busy if you ALLOW them to. "LOVE is the greatest of all these"- and what better way to show the Love of Christ then through maintaining an intimate relationship with our Creator so we are then able to show his love to others!