Just Because

I was having a tough day yesterday. I haven't been feeling A+, so I'm more tired than usual and my "woes me" was on over drive. I spent a good part of my day crying with my buddies; pride and self pity.
I cried some more until I was just too tired to even bother. I found it so difficult to find something to praise God for since I had let my heart convince my mind that all was in vain and of no use. I knew in my mind that there must be something but my heart was running the show. (Jeremiah 17:9 "The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?")
In the evening, I was reading through some Psalm and the Lord stopped me on verse 17 of psalm 7, "I will praise the LORD according to his righteousness: and will sing praise to the name of the LORD most high." ... "according to His righteousness"
All of a sudden, there was lots to praise God for. Even though I might not like how God is working in my life and/or those around me, He is full of righteousness. He knows what He is doing.
I like the next Psalm in verse 3. Psalm 8:3,4 "When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained; What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him?"
Really, when you think of the detail and the function of this universe, and to think He cares about our little problems.
Have YOU ever had a project or craft YOU'd like to be bragged up on? Still nothing compared to the solar system eh?
The the clincher was Psalm 9:1 "I will praise thee, O LORD, with my whole heart; I will shew forth all thy marvellous works."
Now.... I'm not sure about you but after the way I was feeling yesterday, not being able to think of SOMETHING to praise God for, just to bathe in my own self pity, I read that passage and felt REALLY convicted.
Have you ever had God sort of tap on you on the shoulder with His hand, not just a one finger tap? Then He gave you that look. You know the one we give our kids when they've been caught; your eyebrows are up, your lips giving up a sarcastic smile... YA! That one!
I sat there looking like what our kids look like; sorry and pitifully gulping the "awwwwwh man!" feeling. I messed up again.
I asked my Father to forgive me and thanked Him for softening my heart.
I would encourage you to underline those 3 passages of God's word, so it may encourage you and remind you of God's holiness.
Praise On!

Just water?

I remember the first time this scripture spoke to me in a deeper sense than usually.

Psalm1:3 says, "And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper."

This scripture was already underlined in my bible but in this particular instance I was being given a deeper understanding.

We had just finished purchasing an air purifier, that also emits negative ions without ozone. I was reading the pamphlet that came with it and it said this, "High amounts of these ions are found in certain natural settings. They increase in forests and near waterfalls. A walk through a forest or by a mountain stream feels soothing and relaxing — the Japanese regard this as therapy for mental stress, which they call shinrinyoku, “forest-air breathing.”"

That's when the Lord reminded me of Psalm 1:3 "And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper."

A piece of the puzzle was added to the "ginormousness" of this earth and all that God created.

When He wrote that passage, He knew what he was referring to. He knew He created the environment that helps us relax and He knows why it does just that. No surprise that He often uses water for an analogy of who He is.

I can't shake the thought that this is what I am to study for the next little while. In the old and new testament, there is a specific significance to water and God, so I am going to be sharing what the Lord shows me, so if you don't like water, well.... you might get a new appreciation for it.

8 glasses, don't forget! Drink up!

A Hardened Heart

To avoid today's blog being too long to read, I am going to put most of it in point form ok?

Jesus had sent out His disciples two by two to draw people to repentance.
Mark 6:12-13, "And they went out, and preached that men should repent. And they cast out many devils, and anointed with oil many that were sick, and healed them."
Jesus wanted them to rest after they had come back.
Mark 6:31, "And he said unto them, Come ye yourselves apart into a desert place, and rest a while: for there were many coming and going, and they had no leisure so much as to eat."
As they were just about to leave for some R'n'R, Jesus saw a crowd of people arriving.
Mark 6:34, "And Jesus, when he came out, saw much people, and was moved with compassion toward them, because they were as sheep not having a shepherd: and he began to teach them many things."
The disciples are not happy. I mean... what about their need????
Mark 6:36"Send them away, that they may go into the country round about, and into the villages, and buy themselves bread: for they have nothing to eat."
Jesus feeds the 5000+ with 5 loaves and two fish, leaving 12 baskets full.
Mark 6:38-44"He saith unto them, How many loaves have ye? go and see. And when they knew, they say, Five, and two fishes. And he commanded them to make all sit down by companies upon the green grass. And they sat down in ranks, by hundreds, and by fifties. And when he had taken the five loaves and the two fishes, he looked up to heaven, and blessed, and brake the loaves, and gave them to his disciples to set before them; and the two fishes divided he among them all. And they did all eat, and were filled. And they took up twelve baskets full of the fragments, and of the fishes. And they that did eat of the loaves were about five thousand men."
They finally get away to rest, and Jesus goes alone in the mountain to pray.
Mark 6:46, "And when he had sent them away, he departed into a mountain to pray."
Jesus sees them in the boat having a hard time because they were going against the wind.
Mark 6:48
Jesus walked on the water and into their boat, instantly the winds stop.
Mark 6:50-52, "they all saw him, and were troubled. And immediately he talked with them, and saith unto them, Be of good cheer: it is I; be not afraid. And he went up unto them into the ship; and the wind ceased: and they were sore amazed in themselves beyond measure, and wondered. For they considered not the miracle of the loaves: for their heart was hardened."

This is the point I pondered on. Mark 6:52,"and they were sore amazed in themselves beyond measure, and wondered. For they considered not the miracle of the loaves: for their heart was hardened."
They were so upset about not being able to go alone with Jesus for rest that they never noticed the miracle that Jesus did with multiplying the food. Right over their head. their heart was hardened.
It's possible to be a good servant of the Lord, giving out tracts, witnessing and having a good testimony, then your heart being hardened by pride and miss out on God,s mighty works.

The awesomeness of the birth of a baby.
The beauty of the rain giving drink to the thirsty plants and animals.
The sun giving us heat and nourishment.
Our simple actions in love, that ripple from just one to many.

Miracles are everywhere around us but our hardened heart, our pride, doesn't allow us to see them.
1John 1:9, "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."
It is possible to have our heart softened, we need just to come to God and do what the disciples went out preaching; repent.

Looking beyond

While reading God's word I noticed that Jesus was not only mocked by "His enemies" and at His Crucifixion. All through His ministry, His disciples, who would give Him a sarcastic proud attitude saying, "hummmm HELLO!!!?".
For example, we have the woman with the issue of blood in Mark 5:24 "And Jesus went with him; and much people followed him, and thronged him. And a certain woman, which had an issue of blood twelve years, And had suffered many things of many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was nothing bettered, but rather grew worse, When she had heard of Jesus, came in the press behind, and touched his garment. For she said, If I may touch but his clothes, I shall be whole. And straightway the fountain of her blood was dried up; and she felt in [her] body that she was healed of that plague. And Jesus, immediately knowing in himself that virtue had gone out of him, turned him about in the press, and said, Who touched my clothes? And his disciples said unto him, Thou seest the multitude thronging thee, and sayest thou, Who touched me?"
Another place when in the same chapter was when Jairus, a ruler of the synagogue, asked Jesus to come see his daughter who was dying. When Jesus said,"the damsel is not dead, but sleepeth. And they laughed him to scorn." He went into the little girls bedroom and told her to get up and she did.
It's as if part of them believed He was God but they couldn't look beyond the fact He wore flesh.
I think sometimes we're the same way. We desperately ant a miracle in our life or that of someone else but we can not look beyond the physical aspects.
God is just that, He's God! Money is not an issue for Him for Psalm 50:10 says, "For every beast of the forest is mine, and the cattle upon a thousand hills." Earthly destruction is not an issue for 2 reasons. 1- He is the creator of this earth and the universe, Gen. 1:1 "In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth." 2- The things that have been happening are only to set the stage for when Jesus comes back to get His own. Matthew 24:6-8 says, "And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. All these are the beginning of sorrows."
He is not limited by our stubborn will. Proverbs 21:1 says, "The king's heart is in the hand of the LORD, as the rivers of water: he turneth it whithersoever he will."
He is still God whether this proud world want to ridicule Him or ignore Him altogether.
If there's something in your life that is blinding you from the power and mightiness of God, you should start reading the bible and get a glimpse of it.
Look around, then look beyond.

Do we REALLY want change?

I don't know if you ever read this passage of scripture but it teaches us a lot about us and the Holiness of God. It's very interesting, read on.
Mark 5:1-6, "And they came over unto the other side of the sea, into the country of the Gadarenes. And when he was come out of the ship, immediately there met him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit,Who had his dwelling among the tombs; and no man could bind him, no, not with chains: Because that he had been often bound with fetters and chains, and the chains had been plucked asunder by him, and the fetters broken in pieces: neither could any man tame him. And always, night and day, he was in the mountains, and in the tombs, crying, and cutting himself with stones. But when he saw Jesus afar off, he ran and worshipped him,"
Here's a man who was possessed of the devil. Although we are not exposed to it, to this extreme but, those we know of, their life is in shambles to say the least.
How he got to that point in his life, we'll only know in heaven.
Is there someone in your life like that? Maybe your neigbour's teenage kids?! Maybe the neighbour...?
What really spoke to me is what happens after.
Mark 5:13-17, "And forthwith Jesus gave them leave. And the unclean spirits went out, and entered into the swine: and the herd ran violently down a steep place into the sea, (they were about two thousand;) and were choked in the sea. And they that fed the swine fled, and told it in the city, and in the country. And they went out to see what it was that was done. And they come to Jesus, and see him that was possessed with the devil, and had the legion, sitting, and clothed, and in his right mind: and they were afraid. And they that saw it told them how it befell to him that was possessed with the devil, and also concerning the swine. And they began to pray him to depart out of their coasts."
It is clear in the first passage that some had tried to tame "Legion". Some saw, somehow, that he would cut himself. Some had heard that his cries.
What was life like for those in the nearby village? I wonder if it was like the haunted stories that are written; where the parents warn their children not to go near that place or talk to that person. Maybe the kids played pranks on him by throwing rocks at him or maybe they watched behind the trees or toombstones at night when he would be cutting himself.
The bible gives the account of how God made a difference in "Legion's" life, his friends and the nearby village, the details of the "behind the scenes", we'll only know in heaven, but we can think of how we would react and speculate that they might of done the same.
We do know that when Legion was freed from the bondage, he was dressed and sane. Did the people seem happy about it? You would think that they would be thankful that Jesus changed him and made him whole, but no, they weren't. "And they that saw it told them how it befell to him that was possessed with the devil, and also concerning the swine. And they began to pray him to depart out of their coasts." Why did they do that?
These are the thoughts that were layed on my heart.

1. We sometimes avoid God because we have sin in our life that we do not want exposed nor do we want to be "freed" from.
2. Sometimes we are praying for people, desiring God to change them and draw them to Him, to save them and make them whole. Then He does, and we don't, then we reject them.

Mark 5:18-20, "And when he was come into the ship, he that had been possessed with the devil prayed him that he might be with him. Howbeit Jesus suffered him not, but saith unto him, Go home to thy friends, and tell them how great things the Lord hath done for thee, and hath had compassion on thee. And he departed, and began to publish in Decapolis how great things Jesus had done for him: and all men did marvel."

I was convincted about the second's group response. I have a few people I am praying for and I now pray that when God answers my prayers, that I will marvel with them and rejoice of the greatness of God and His compassion on us.

Have a good day.

Those Hard Walls

I used to race bicycles, you know, LIKE Tour de Fance. I was not even close to being as good as they were but I did ok.

We had a saying in cycling, "I hit the wall". It didn't mean that we actually hit a wall, that would be very bad and expensive. It meant that while we were racing, we ran out of energy to the point we could no longer even push one more stride.

Have you ever felt that way?

I work out at the gym now and just this morning, I thought I was "hitting the wall". No, not because the exercise bike got off it's base... My cousin who works out a lot told me that when you are on a "plateau" with your weight loss, while you are working out on what ever machine, sprint as fast as you can, as if someone was chasing you down a dark alley, for one minute straight. I was doing that this morning. I was 20 seconds into my 60 seconds sprint and I was already wanting to quit. 30 seconds into it, I was getting really close to that wall. At the 40 sec. mark I told myself that "You're only 10 seconds away! Don't Quit! Don't Quit!" To say that in itself took 10 seconds. I was relieved, and I was proud, I stuck through it and made it!

Now, that 1 minute is long gone and I can hardly remember how hard it was and it didn't seem all that long after all.

Just as Jesus used parables to teach the common people of His day, He uses every day things to teach me.

Yesterday, I was spiritually "hitting the wall". I've told you before that I am in the middle of a storm. Circumstances in my life, that are out of my control, surround me and have become very discouraging at times but, God has been faithful and has given me the strength to get through. Then there was yesterday...

I got to church and my emotions were overwhelming. As we praised and worshiped God, He gave me strength and joy and I made it home again where my circumstances found me and began to discourage me again. I just had my head above water and I felt like I was being dunked back into the water even deeper than I was in the morning. I couldn't take it anymore, I had "hit the wall".

Emotionally and spiritually weak, I went to my room, my spiritual sanctuary. I got on my knees and prayed, more like pleaded to God for refuge. I wanted Him to take away my circumstances and take away the pain and rejection I deeply felt.

When I had nothing else to say, I listened for a while and got back up to face my circumstance. I made it through the day. He did not only give me strength to make it through but He restored my strength; I was out of the water completely. I know that, not only I went to the Throne of Grace, on my behalf yesterday. My brothers and sisters did also, and God answered.

Today, I can look back, and although I can still remember how much it hurt and how tired I was, that day is long gone. I made it to the other side of that 24hrs. I kept pushing and made it to the end of the day.

Today is a new day and God is still there by my side. He never left, it just got dark for a while and it was scary.

I don't know what you may be facing, but don't be afraid if you are about to "hit the wall". He is there by your side, if you are His child. He is waiting for you to get a hold of Him and "hang on for dear life". He wants to be your refuge, your strength and your peace. He waits for you to just cry out to Him. You might have to keep pushing but, you will get to the other side of that hardship and see that He hasn't moved, it just got dark.

Keep pushing.