Working On A Building

Lately I have been watching some folks build a building. They started with the foundation and then build outwards. These men have been diligently working on this building now for several weeks and have now got it all framed in and to me it looks quite ugly because what I am looking at is the strength of the building and not the beauty.

 We all know that when the building crew finishes, then the exterior guys will show up to finish what they call the facade. The exterior, what we all will look at and say oh that is a pretty building. After that facade goes up we will no longer be able to see what is on the inside, the strength that makes the building be able to withstand hard storms and the day to day beating of the sun and the wind. We don't see that part because it has now been covered up with the pretty part, the part that everyone wants to see.

Isn't that the way it is in life as well? People want to look on the outside of a strong person and say oh wow! she really has it together, she never seems to sweat or have hard times and if he/she does they really are STRONG!!! That is because they are just looking on the outside, they don't understand what has been built in, on the inside the strength that only comes from the maker, the original designer, the Holy Spirit of God that builds that foundation of truth upon the word of the living God. The word tells us that if the Lord isn't building the house then the ones that are building it are laboring in vain. To be able to withstand the storms of life and to be able to bear good fruit for the Lord, I must allow Him to build my house. Allow Him to furnish it as He sees fit that will bring the most honor and glory to Him.

I'm not too prideful to admit that although I had a really good foundation from Him, I have tried in the past to build my house and do it my way and then when the storms came, it wasn't a pretty sight. He has even had to send in the demolition crew on me a couple of times and tear the building all the way down to the foundation and start back over again. I believe the old-timers called that going back and doing your first works again. Nevertheless now I am allowing Him to build my building inside and out. These days I am for sure more concerned with the fruit that I bear more than I am about the gifts that He gives. I am working on cultivating as much good fruit for Him as I can. I want Him to look at my house and say well built and Wow look at all of those fruit trees!

There's an old bluegrass song called working on a building and I have sang it many many times and loved it all of these years and although at times it may seem repetitious, if you let it minister to you, you will be able to understand that the old timey folks sure had a much better grip on this building thing than we seem to today. Check out this version from YouTube:  Bill Monroe from back in the day.          https://youtu.be/wM3GICtYNAo  I pray today as you are working on your building for the Lord that you consider the fruit trees out front in the yard. They sure do get a whole lot of attention to folks and make them want to work on their building too.

Tears For Rain

 
Psalm 126:5 tell us that they that sow in tears, will reap in joy. The word also tells us in Psalm 56:8 You keep track of all my sorrows. You have collected all my tears in your bottle. You have recorded each one in your book. So..... me being the thinker that I am, I got to thinking about these 2 scriptures and said to myself well if God collects our tears and He does and they that sow in tears shall reap in joy, and they do then I think that our tears could be stored up for when we are in those dry and weary places and He just says let me pour out some rain (tears) because you dear child are now traveling through a dry and dusty place on this journey. 

Apposed to what some T.V. ministers will teach you every day is not your best day and every day is not all joyous and full of wonderful surprises and happiness and love and joy. That is just not true and the word does not bear it out to be true. There are times that we will go through places on our spiritual walk with the Lord that it is just as dry and parched as it can be and we are saying oh Lord help me!!! I need the rain, send down the rain, send down the rain, open the floodgates of Heaven and let it rain. Don't we sing these type of worship songs? But for some reason people still buy into this every day is just a bag full of roses gospel and it is just not so, we find many stories in the word that lets us know that some days are just plain ole tough and it is just us and the Lord and in the midst of these times we may feel lost and alone.

There is a story in the word that tells of the children of Israel after they had left Egypt and were Canaan bound. It's just a little seemingly insignificant story to some but it struck me as quite profound. The story is found in Exodus 15,the story of the bitter waters of Marah. Now God had led them this way and they get here after 3 days without water only to discover that the water is so bitter that they cannot drink it at all. Now wait a minute, am I to understand this? God led them this way? Why? Why in the world would the Lord God lead them this way knowing all along that the waters were bitter? That just don't seem right. Doesn't sound like most of the teaching/preaching I hear so much of but it still is the truth. Sometimes God will lead you through a circumstance that is just bad but He knows that you will come out stronger on the other side. What is so funny to me about this is that earlier in this same chapter they are singing and dancing before the Lord because He had destroyed their enemies and now they are beginning to grumble and gripe because the waters are bitter. Like the same God that had just destroyed their enemies couldn't make the bitter waters sweet?

Isn't that just like us? Oh we love us some Jesus as long as everything is going along just fine. As long as we are healthy and well and wise. As long as our bills are all paid and we are prospering, we are just the happy little followers of Jesus but as soon as we hit a major bump or curve in the road we fall to the wayside like a spoiled child that didn't get there way. The Israelites were no different, I can assure you. They grumbled and griped constantly about any of a number of things but in this particular story it was the water but what did God in His gracious way do for them? He turned the bitter waters to sweet.

What I am saying today is this. When we are only following Jesus when things are going good and we are happy and well, then are we true followers? But, when we follow Him through the dessert places and we follow Him when the waters are bitter and we follow Him when our finances are out of wack and when our bodies are hurting and when our kids are not acting right and we follow Him through it all, then that says to a lost and dying world that we are true followers and there really must be something to this Jesus stuff. When they see us in the midst of the storm keeping our cool and with unwavering faith hanging on to the only one that can help us through it, when we are happy no matter what our circumstances then and only then are we truly being a shining light to a lost and dying world.

The Apostle Paul wrote 2/3 of the New Testament and most of it was penned from a jail cell. He said these words Rejoice in the Lord always and again I say rejoice. From a jail cell he wrote that and meant every word. He also said in Philippians 4:12
I know both how to have a little, and I know how to have a lot. In any and all circumstances I have learned the secret of being content--whether well fed or hungry, whether in abundance or in need. From a jail cell he said these and many other things and here we are well fed, with a roof over our heads, clothes to wear and not once have we been stoned, left for dead, and beaten. Not once. We are wimps in comparison to the Bible saints, to say the very least. We have bought into this comfortable Christianity that says as long as you say the right things, you will get the right things and as long as you have the faith you will always prosper and have lots of money. But see the word doesn't tell us that. The word, in fact, does say I would that you prosper even as your soul prospers. Noone wants to talk about the prosperity of the spirit or soul, just the physical prosperity that brings riches and land and honor and prestige, power and titles.

Of course I am not excited, elated or thrilled to be the next in line to suffer but I do live with a reality that lets me know that in a fallen and sinful world there are times that I will and I still have a wonderful and mighty God that is in complete and total control of all of it and He loves me enough to capture my tears in a bottle for a day that I need rain.

Getting Perspective

Lately so many different things have tried to overwhelm me. I allowed myself to become frustrated with situations, people and the presence of sickness and ailments in my body. I had, shall we say, lost my perspective. I had forgotten, if only for a moment, that I am seated in Heavenly places with Christ Jesus. Which means that from that Heavenly perspective I have dominion and authority over the things that try so hard to overwhelm and overcome me.

When we try to sit in a place that wasn't designed for us to sit, we become frustrated at best and lose our God given perspective. For instance, if I am seated on the floor, although I am an extremely large and tall woman, I feel very small and insignificant while I am on the floor. Even a small child could walk past me and drop something on my head and it would harm me because I am seated somewhere that I don't belong. Likewise when we allow ourselves to become dislodged or displaced, our perspective changes and we begin to feel overpowered, overwhelmed, insignificant and at times we may even feel completely unnecessary in the grand scheme of things.

The Lord has been speaking to me about perspective for quite a while now. Getting me to even move furniture around in my own little tiny apartment to get a different perspective or outlook. I had been complaining that there wasn't enough light in the apartment and that I couldn't grow anything and it was depressing and dark and the Lord said change your perspective. Do what you can in the natural. So I actually changed the furniture around and moved my desk to the other end of the apartment by the window and now I can look out the window while I write. I live on the third floor so needless to say, there is a completely different perspective from the third floor while looking out the window. Much better than before. When my desk was at the other end of the apartment. Yes it was still in front of a window but all you could see at best, if the curtains were opened was a wall and maybe a noisy neighbor or two LOL.

I am one of those people that just has to have music, light, plants and animals. I adore living things. I love to grow things, to create things, to cook and to feed folks. I had actually allowed myself to get depressed living in this tiny apartment with no access to grow anything or to have much light coming into the apartment. I have now changed my perspective and have learned to compensate for what was lacking. I have extremely bright colors in my apartment, which is part of my personality yes but it also helps to lighten things up in here. Sometimes when problems arise we allow ourselves to forget who we are in Christ Jesus we lose our perspective. We forget that we are the head and not the tail, that we are above ONLY and not beneath. That we indeed are seated in Heavenly places with Christ Jesus and that He loves us with an everlasting love and has us on His mind continually.

When you are overcoming a people-pleaser mentality, as I am sometimes you forget who you are and try to be who everyone wants you to be. Let me just say one word about that: STOP!!!! God has created you in His likeness and in His image and you don't have to be like anyone else at all. He has created you with your own brand of uniqueness and with your own special qualities, talents and abilities. Love who you are, love who He created you to be. Get some perspective.

Today if you are feeling overwhelmed, or are feeling burned out or frustrated just remember your Heavenly Father has you on His seating chart in Heaven. All you have to do is take your seat and use your God given authority and dominion and rise above any and all obstacles that might be trying to hinder your goal or destiny.There is only one you and only you can fill your seat.

The Life and times of a people pleaser

 
For the last few weeks I have isolated myself on purpose to get closer to the Father and to let Him heal me physically and in every way. I have cut off facebook, actually deactivated my account, have cut some life-sucking people out of my life and I can't even express how much better I feel and how much more productive I have been. I have been a people-pleaser for most of my life and I am just now truly feeling that it is ok for me to say "NO" and not feel bad about it. In the past I would always do whatever my friends or family wanted or expected me to do. Of course that was wonderful for them, but not so good for me.

I am learning that it is ok to love myself, it is also ok to pamper myself. To make sure that there are fresh flowers in the house, to make sure that the things that I love to eat and to cook are here and not to care what others think about how I decorate my apartment, what I wear or how I choose to wear my hair. Lord have mercy, it has literally taken a lifetime to come to these realizations and now here I am 54 years old and just now no longer struggling with these things.

Why? why did it take me so long? Why in the world would a person feel the need to put their own needs and desires to the side and feel the need to make sure that everyone in the room is happy, except for me? Why? well it started at a very early age. Trying to keep everyone from arguing, I would dance and sing and tell jokes and do just about anything to keep everyone happy. This formed a very bad pattern, needless to say and hence just now realizing that I am ok without all of that drama in my life.

I really don't have to be where I am just tolerated, I can go and be with people that celebrate me just me, for being me and for no other reason. Being around people that just want to be around me because I am good company and am a very interesting person. Not so I will do something for them or give something to them. I have had good friends for years try to tell me that I didn't have to please anyone but the Father and myself and I would hear them and nod and keep right on doing my same ole dysfunctional junk to keep the ball rolling.

I am finally to a place with the Father that as long as He is pleased with me, I am super happy and couldn't care less what others think. I have been just super soaking in worship music and the word and good books and just doing what I want to do. Cooking, reading, watching you tube videos, playing with my little dog and just enjoying being with the Father. Noone else needed or wanted at this time for that matter. I am not saying that I don't love people, because I do love people but I have had to let a whole bunch of folks go out of my life in order to maintain a peaceful existence and keep my sanity.

As a minister it is hard at best to be able to have peace in your life if you don't put boundaries around people. They always step too far into your personal space. Calling, texting and messaging at all hours of the night, never realizing that you need sleep and rest just like they do. They feel, I supposed, if they are up everyone should be up. I have tolerated this type of behavior out of folks for quite some time now and I am finally putting my foot down and putting a stop to all of it. I have to get rest, I have to let the Father restore me or I will fall apart. For the last few months I have literally felt like I was having a nervous breakdown because I was trying to please people and to be what others wanted me to be. I finally had to put the breaks on and pull aside and let the Lord minister to me, just to me and restore my weary soul.

I feel so much better now and will be making even further changes to bring order, peace and happiness to my own life. As soon as my health is better, I am going to start traveling and just soaking up the Father's great creation. He is so good and there are so many places that I have never seen and I am going to enjoy my life while there is still some life left to enjoy. We are not promised tomorrow and I have spent far too too too much time making everyone but me happy. Now it is time for me to please me. 

Being Still

The verse most quoted when a person is feeling frustrated or finds themselves in a place of indecision, stress, or transition is Psalm 46:10 Be still and know that I am God. This verse is so easily quoted but not as easily implemented into our own lives. The knowing that He is God part doesn't seem to be the problem at all, it's the being still part that really sticks it to us. Right in our flesh. We live in a fast paced society that wants to microwave everything, have instant gratification, and fast growing everything. Children are not taught delayed gratification like saving for that bike and paying it out slowly making it all the more of a treasure when it is finally all there's. I know folks that don't even want to cook something if it involves more than just a few ingredients because, "Oh, that is just too much trouble." Well...here is what I am going to tell ya, anything that is worth having is worth waiting for.

God brings those be still moments into our lives because in the quiet and the still He can more readily teach us something, or reveal things to us. When we are in constant motion, talking, planning, organizing and trying to just fit in quiet time with Him, our lives run off course very badly. But, it's when we take that time to say ok Father, I am here. I am alone with you, I am just going to thank you and praise you and worship you and just sit here with you and be quiet and listen..........................listen for your still small voice and receive whatever it is that you want me to have. Those moments are growth moments, those moments are perfecting patience moments and they are imperative to the Christian walk, if we expect to walk in integrity and in maturity.

The word tells us that we are seated in Heavenly places with Christ Jesus, which speaks to me of perspective. When we consider ourselves from the viewpoint of being seated in Heaven, we are sitting above the problem or circumstance and can get clarity, wisdom and understanding about how to handle a situation. Some situations that we find ourselves in seem impossible, but when we take time to be still and realize that we are joint heirs with Christ Jesus and seated in a place of honor with Him and that He is in complete and total control, it is then that we can gain that much needed Heavenly perspective and take our hands off of the situation and just watch how He does what He does. We can then basically just be still and let Him be God.

Sounds so simple doesn't it? Why then are we wrestling day in and day out with every little aggravation that comes our way? I say no more! During this physical down time for me I have for sure gained a much needed new perspective from the Lord and have sure enough been able to just chill, and calmly watch as He is God and does what needs to be done in each and every situation. Now mind you I am not saying for us to sit on the stool of do nothing and become lazy complacent and not move a finger but what I am saying is, to do like the word says when you have done all to stand, then stand! God is the one that causes the seasons to change, God is the one who causes the seeds to sprout and to grow to full fruition, God is our defender, healer, deliver, strong tower, protector, savior and Lord, He is everything that we need and is in full control of all things.

I am learning more each and every day how to just be still. So peaceful really..........just being quiet and listening to his voice. Listening for the answer for any problem, listening for any instructions that He might have for me. Such a peaceful life in comparison to rushing around trying to fix things on my own. Some times He has to pull me aside and say hey sit down right here and let me talk with you, I sure am glad that I listened. Now I crave the quiet times, I am eager to go into the secret place and have an audience with my Heavenly Father, He is a good Father and has good gifts. I never walk away empty handed, He always gives me something but first.......I must be still and just know that He is God and has it all under control..................

Slow it down

 
Although I have not enjoyed the pain I have had to endure over the last few days, I have however, enjoyed the time alone with God. He has spoken to me so very clearly in these last few days. I am grateful for His abiding presence of course but those moments when He is right there in your face, speaking to you, revealing to you, correcting  you and encouraging you, those moments are priceless.

He has been dealing with me about slowing down, getting alone with Him and shutting it all off, shutting everyone and everything out and just seeking Him. In this society we seem to think that if we don't have the phone ringing, the door bell ringing, and 5 appliances going at once and multi-tasking to the hilt that we aren't doing anything. I beg to differ. Once I remove myself from the hustle and the hassle I tend to get more done because my mind is alert, fine tuned to His voice and I can write better, and do everything better from a position of love than I can when I am stressed out and trying to do everything and be everything that everyone wants me to be.

I grew up as a people pleaser trying to be the tom-girl for my dad to be his fishing and hunting buddy and work on cars and then be the fashionista for my mother and look good and act perfect all of the time and of course I failed on both counts. That was only the beginning of the people pleaser mentality that has followed be doggedly for years. I have just recently learned that I could say no to ministry and not be displeasing to God. Lord have mercy if I did everything that I was asked to do or that was expected of me, I would absolutely lose my mind and I guess as a younger Christian that is exactly what I did. I lost my mind. I lost me! Where did I go? What am I supposed to be doing? Am I never to have a say in my life? Or am I to be at the beck and call of everyone for the rest of eternity?

I formed a really bad pattern in my life trying to be the be all, end all, fix all for my friends, my family, my church and my bosses. In turn all I managed to do was wear myself out and when I was completely broken down and could no longer do all that was expected I was cast upon the heap of all of the other unwanted things. People will do that to you, if you let them. They will pull on you, they will pull on your anointing, they will just pull and push and pull and push until you are just worn out and then add a sickness, ailment or disease to all of that and you have the perfect storm for burn out, to say the very least. Well.....I have finally learned over the years when He is saying to slow it down, pull it to the side and park here for a while, I better listen or I will be in a BIG MESS!

He has spoken some very clear things to me in the last few days and I have immensely enjoyed our time together just worshiping Him and getting instructions, and seeing a glimpse of things to come and they are all so very good. I just have to keep myself focused on Him and not on all of the other things that want to pull on me. Whether it is my wayward child and all that concerns him or ministry in general or neighbors, friends or other family, I have to sometimes pull this BIG BUS over and just be.
Not go anywhere, not do anything out of the ordinary, not even leave my apartment, other than to go down and check my mail and come right back. I am happy to say that I am genuinely happy being by myself just me and God and don't feel a compulsion or don't feel a need to have people around me all of the time and for me that is a major feat. For that I have to say hallelujah and thank you Jesus!

There was a time that I just could not function if I didn't have people around me constantly because I truly didn't like myself and so I tried to fill every second of every day with something or someone so as not to have to be alone but praise be to God those days are over and pulling aside is just fine with me now. I have been immersed in His presence for days now and I feel like I could fly without wings and although my body is acting up, my spirit is soaring. He is doing a great work inside of me and I am excited about His process and about this journey with Him.

I know it sounds cliche but it really isn't about the destination, it is about the journey, the every day journey with Him and His creation. Taking time to see His beauty in everything and to enjoy all that He has given us in the now and seeing His glory in it all. Whether it is a beautifully colored leaf, or a bird singing or a stream of water or a mountain range, or even a dark valley, He is the Creator of it all and it all works for our good and for His glory. I am grateful for all He is speaking and all that He is showing me in this season and I look forward to even further instruction and release from Him.

Slow it down. Turn off the television, turn off your phone, put a do not disturb sign on your door and just get into His presence, where there is fullness of joy. Worship, rejoice, praise, rejuvenate, refresh and watch Him pour out His spirit and His power and His glory. He is so good to us, all He wants is time with us. He is a good father and He loves us.

Way back when.......

She put him in a little basket, a miniature ark really, and then she put the lil' ark into the water and watched it carefully floating on down the river. I am sure as she followed she was praying to God that he would be safe and protected and that someone good and kind would find him and take care of him. But I am sure that she probably thought, they won't love him like I do. He is my sweet lil' baby brother. I will miss him, oh God I will miss him and as he floated away, she followed on foot down the riverbank to make sure that he was ok.

Then a beautiful, well dressed and elegant lady with all of her female attendants were there in the water and she saw the baby boy and picked him up out of the basket. She was the daughter of the rich Pharaoh, the ruler of all of Egypt and now she had her baby brother. To her great amazement and great joy, the fancy lady said can you find me a Hebrew woman to nurse this child for me? So she ran to get their very own mother to nurse baby Moses.

Wow! Isn't God good to us today? He is not only saving Moses' life but He is going to make sure that we get to feed and nurture him, for a while anyway. After he was weaned he was taken back to the beautiful Egyptian princess and she took him to the splendor of the palace and he was brought up as an Egyptian. He had the best of everything. Fine clothes, wonderful food and drink. The greatest teachers in the entire empire were at his disposal. He was being raised in majesty and wealth and honor............................................

She hadn't seen him in all of those years, she had prayed for him and wondered what had become of him and she had laid awake during the night trying to imagine the life he was living, and jealousy had taken root because she just couldn't understand why he was rescued and taken into wealth and riches and honor and although she was a prophetess and heard from God in her dreams and visions, she had lived in poverty all of her life as a slave to the Egyptians. She never thought that she would see him again but now............................................

Who is this guy talking about deliverance of his people? Who is this man that looks like he is weathered and worn? Who is this intense man that has such a magnetic pull on the people? WHO IS HE??? WAIT!!! Could it be? Could it be? No....there is no way....that couldn't possibly be my brother? really? how in the world? what? Oh my, oh my......really? Oh MOSES!!!!! I love you, I have missed you, I can't believe it's really you!!

The people are drawn to him, they listen to him and he has taken Aaron now to be his right hand man to be his helper, his mouth piece.......wow! now isn't this something? I am the one that rescued him, I am the one that made sure, he made it to safety and into that wealthy place and now he chooses Aaron? and discards me as if I don't even hear from God??? What? really? and the jealousy grows and becomes more intense..

The Lord God does many marvelous and miraculous things through Moses and everyone is astonished and amazed! The Lord frees them from the bondage and the oppression of the Egyptians and they are now on the move, going through the desert and Pharaoh is in hot pursuit and the murmuring against Moses begins......God rescues them from the Egyptians in such a marvelous and spectacular way and Miriam dances and sings before the Lord with great gladness and on the surface all seems well......

Finally she begins to speak out against her leader, the brother that she rescued, she begins to say "Does God only speak to Moses?" she is offended and she carries the offense to her brother Aaron and he also speaks against Moses and without them realizing that the God of all of Heaven was listening to every single word spoken against His Prophet, His man, His friend, they get called out by Almighty God Himself, openly rebuked and Miriam gets stricken with Leprosy!!! not just Leprosy but it was white, which means that it was in the final stages just before death and the brother that she spoke out against, is now her Intercessor, the one crying out to God to spare her life!!

How did she get to this place? How has this evil come into her life? Where did she go wrong? She had allowed that jealousy to take a hold of her and form an offense and then a root of bitterness had formed and grown and spread and become a terrible and ugly SIN in her life....................that started way back when.............

Are you bearing an offense today? Are you angry at someone? Are you jealous of someone's success? Please I implore you, REPENT!!!! Do not allow those things to ruin your life, your ministry, your calling and ultimately take your life.