12 years, and more to come

August 10th, 2001 - This day is the day I made the most important decision of my life; the day I received hope, forgiveness and eternal life. 12 years ago today I realized my wickedness kept me from God and my weakness hindered me from ever being able to reach Him. But most importantly, I also realized the unconditional love that God extends towards me and the forgiveness He offers. Not only did I realize what He was holding out to me, but I also chose to receive it. I repented and asked for forgiveness for my sins and became a child of God.

I have not been as loving, faithful or forgiving as I should be, but I thank the Lord I am not what I used to be.

Because of Jesus:

I am a child of the King.

I am a new creature.

I am a sinner saved by grace.

I am forgiven.

I am accepted.

I am seen as spotless.

I am more than a conqueror.

I am loved.

I am still in awe at the love Christ shows to me when I am so undeserving. His unending mercy and forgiveness overwhelm me. I am thankful for my mom whom God used to bring me to the foot of the cross where I left my sins and follow Christ.

"Because He lives, I can face tomorrow. Because He lives, all fear is gone. Because I know He holds the future. Life is worth the living just because He lives."

Thank you Lord for loving me and saving me. Help me to continue to grow in You and reflect your light for your glory. May I love You more and more and may my life be a living testimony of You.

I want the same prayer that was Betty Scott Stam's to be mine:

"Lord, I give up all my own plans and purposes,

All my own desires and hopes, and accept Thy will for my life.

I give myself, my time, my all,

Utterly to Thee to be Thine forever.

Fill me and seal me with Thy Holy Spirit,

Use me as Thou wilt,

Work out Thy whole will in my life at any cost,

Now and forever."

Looking back on the last 12 years in Christ, what can I do to make the next 12 count for eternity?

"That all the people of the earth may know that the LORD is God, and that there is none else."
-I Kings 8.60

I Don't Know What I Am Waiting On!!!!!

Waiting...ugg!!! They (whoever "they" is) say patience is a virtue, I say it is a virtue I do not have. Very few people are experts in waiting. Just go to any place with a line, whether it be a restaurant or a store, and you will hear people complain, mumble and grumble about the wait. The majority of these people know what they are in line for, therefore, they will stay until they get their product. But what if the people did not know what they were waiting for? Most of them would undoubtedly leave. The few remaining would stay out of curiosity.

What are we waiting for? When we do not know what we are waiting for, we do not see the value in waiting. How many times have we found ourselves saying, "I'm waiting on God?" But in reality, we do not know what we are waiting for. Perhaps we wait on getting the answer we want, or for things to go our way, or we wait on our own selves, our desires...not on the Lord.

Use Your Heart, Not Your Head

As children we have all heard it before, and as adults, Mom's saying continues to ring in our minds: "Honey, use your head!" She was and continues to be right. We could have avoided so many things if we would have just used our common sense.

But sometimes God calls us to do otherwise.

Proverbs 3.5
"Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding."

We spend so much time and effort into studying God's Word and developing our knowledge of Christ. This is not wrong, but many times we neglect our hearts. God wants us to trust Him with our hearts, not our heads.

How many times have we told ourselves, "I shouldn't eat this" or "I shouldn't do this?"
Our reason can be correct, but it does nothing for us if we do not apply it.

Our knowledge of Christ is so very important and we should never cease to further develop it. But all our knowledge and reason do nothing for us if it stays in our heads. The Lord warns against leaning on our own understanding. When the Lord asks us to do something that seems unreasonable, do we refuse because of the lack of reason in it? How does our reason reason with the Lord?

He tells us, "I know it does not make sense, but that is why you must TRUST me!"
Trust God with your HEART!
Though knowledge and reason are important, let us not neglect our hearts' fellowship with the Father!

Weakness vs. Power

“Once someone gets used to something bad, he no longer hopes for something better.”

This statement was made about the poverty in India. People were refusing to have better things because they were comfortable with what they had. Even if these things would have made their life easier, healthier and better, they did not want it. They were used to their poverty and never hoped for anything better.

We have gotten so used to our poverty. By “poverty” I refer to our lack of strength, our weakness. We forget we can be strong. We forget we can have Christ’s power and live an abundant life.

The Beautiful Sound of Silence - we have missed out on being deaf

Silence can be many things.

For a mother, the sound of silence can mean either her children are asleep or getting into trouble. For some, it can mean peace and a time to think. For others, the sound of silence is too loud and they need something else to drown it out. I suppose it depends on your preferences.

Most of the time, I like the sound of sounds: children playing and laughing, music, the water boiling in the pot, the knife chopping vegetables on the cutting board, the breeze through the trees, the ocean waves, the sound of the cars' wheels in the driveway announcing someone's presence, book pages rustling, the keyboard clicking...the list is endless.

Though I occasionally enjoy silent moments, I cannot imagine never hearing the simple sounds listed above. Many of them bring back a certain memory.

What about the deaf? They have never heard the sounds I have described and some only have their memory to remind them of the sounds heard long ago. There are 100 million deaf in Africa and only 20 missionaries reaching them. Think about that statistic for a while...

Walking Away From Your Order

"Waiter...excuse me? Waiter? Yes, is my meal almost ready?"
"Ma'am, you just ordered it. It will be out in a few minutes."

I am sitting in a restaurant sipping on my never-failing "water no ice." I had ordered my meal 30 seconds ago.  I review my meal in my mind. For starters I had ordered a fresh salad with strawberries, blueberries, apples, roasted pecans and a raspberry vinaigrette dressing. Then follows a nice juicy steak (medium well) topped with grilled onions and mushrooms. Sides? Grilled asparagus with lemon pepper dipping sauce and soft fluffy mashed potatoes with cheddar cheese and sprinkled with crispy bacon bits. Never forget dessert!!! Dessert is a slice of chocolate mousse cake and vanilla bean ice cream. These are garnished with chocolate shavings, strawberries, a mint leaf and a drizzle of chocolate syrup.

I excitedly wait for my delectable meal. I cannot wait to feast! After a while, I start getting impatient. I have been here 1.38 minutes and have not yet received my salad!!! My response? I take one more sip of water, get up, grab my purse and sunglasses and strut out of the restaurant.

Faith(Affliction+Suffering)=Perfection

You know those verses that we have heard of and memorized? When people say them we can finish it for them. But then there are times when you read them prayerfully and they bring comfort. It is as if you are reading them for the first time! It makes so much sense!

I Peter 5.8-10

Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about seeking whom he may devour: Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world. But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you.

Many times we do not realize we are being attacked by the devil. He uses the most subtle ways to influence our thoughts and decisions. That is why it is so important to be vigilant and on the lookout for his traps.

The only way we will know if we are being tempted to pull away from Christ and from what is right, is to know Christ and what is right. This comes through being saturated with the Lord and His Word.

We are never guaranteed a life without affliction and suffering, but we are guaranteed that "the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you."

Being in a world and an environment that constantly tempts us to fall is the devil's way of afflicting us and causing us suffering. But with faith in Christ's strength we can resist and the Lord will perfect us.

Job 23.10

"But he knoweth the way that I take: when he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold."

Stillness of God

I look outside and the trees are perfectly still!!!! Having just come from Lancaster, California where the wind dominates the land, this Florida stillness is an unusual sight to see. I enjoy it! Then, I think about how God's presence stills a restless heart.

He maketh the storm a calm, so that the waves thereof are still.

Psalm 107.29

Now my mind cannot help but to go to Mark 4.37-41 where a storm arises and the disciples are frightened. Verse 39 paints the beautiful and mighty picture of Christ rebuking the wind and saying, "Peace, be still." There is peace and stillness in the presence of God! Enjoy God's peace; let it rule you.

And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body: and be ye thankful.

Colossians 3.15

Thank you God for the stillness You bring!

List of Things I Want

Last night was my first night in Florida for the summer break. I flew in Thursday and was excited to catch up on some sleep! I was so tired that my eyes were closing on their own. I did my nightly reading standing up so I did not fall asleep. After putting down my books, I laid down excited to get some rest. But even in my exhaustion, I could not sleep. I tried praying, but in this, the Holy Spirit prompted me to pick up my Bible again. It was like He was saying, "Hey! I'm not done talking to you yet!" I rolled over, turned on the lamp and grabbed my Bible letting it fall open. It opened to a passage I had been reading several times in the last week: Psalm 73.25-28. I read it once again:

"Whom have I in heaven but thee? and there is none upon earth that I desire beside thee. My flesh and my heart faileth: but God is the strength of my heart, and my portion for ever. For, lo, they that are far from thee shall perish: thou hast destroyed all them that go a whoring from thee. But it is good for me to draw near to God: I have put my trust in the Lord GOD, that I may declare all thy works."

Though I had been reading it for a while and God had brought it to my mind several times, I now understood what God wanted from me. He asked me, "What do you desire beside me? You say I am all you need; I am here if you look for me. What more are you searching for?"

I instantly thought of several things I had been desiring besides God. They are not bad things, but I had put them above God on my "List of Things I Wanted." As I surrendered those things to the Lord and put Him back on the top of my list, verse 26 reminded me that God is the strength of my heart, and my heart was light. In my own strength I fail and I need God to strengthen me so that I may fulfill what He has for me. Verse 28 encourages us draw near to God; it is GOOD!!!

Draw near to God...desire Him above all!

What is on the top of your "List of Things I Want"?

God's Listening Ear

I had my phone in my hand and was scrolling through my contacts. I just wanted to talk to someone...anyone. There was nothing in particular I wanted to talk about, but I just wanted to chat. I was not sad or upset; it has just been one of those days.

Please tell me I am not the only one who gets moments like these!!!!!

Anyway, God said, "Put away your phone, and don't you dare look at facebook! Talk to me!"

Psalm 116.1-2
"I love the LORD because he hath heard my voice and my supplication. Because he hath inclined his ear unto me, therefore will I call upon him as long as I live."

Yes, God listens when we are in trouble and need comfort and strength; but He also listens when we just need to talk. So many times we think God is only interested in the big things of life. He wants to be our friend and companion.

I am so thankful for a God that not only hears me but also longs and desires for me to talk to Him!

My Hiding Place

When a bull is charging at you, do you run towards it? Do you attack it full force? No one in their right mind is going to do that!
So when difficulties and trials come, what makes us run towards them? It is so much easier to find shelter in God. You may think that that is something weak and cowardly people do...you are right. There is no way you can face all that life brings without God. If you think you can, you are filled with pride. I cannot live life and all its difficulties in my own strength; I NEED God! I NEED His shelter! I NEED Him to be my hiding place!
Abide in Christ...hide in Him.
Psalm 32.7Thou art my hiding place: thou shalt preserve me from trouble: thou shalt compass me about with songs of deliverance. Selah.
My Hiding Place
In the distance I can see the storm clouds coming my wayAnd I need to find a shelter before it starts to rainSo I turn and run to You Lord, You're the only place to goWhere unfailing love surrounds me when I need it most.
You're my hiding place, safe in Your embraceI'm protected from the storm that ragesWhen the waters rise, and I run to hideLord, in You I find my hiding place
I'm not asking you to take away my troubles, Lord'Cause it's through the stormy weather I learn to trust You moreAnd I thank You for Your promise I have come to knowYour unfailing love surrounds me when I need it most
So let your people seek YouWhile You may be found'Cause You're our only refugeWhen the rain comes pouring down
-Steve Curtis Chapman

Clinging to God is not enough...

Have you ever felt that you cling to God so much but it does not seem like it is enough? You know you are weak and you know you need His strength, but it does not seem like He gives it. You pray but don’t feel like you are being heard. You seek Him and don’t seem to find Him. You know in your mind that He is taking care of you, but in your heart you don’t feel Him. You feel frustrated because He promises to hold you, to care for you, to comfort you, but since you don’t feel it, it seems like He is failing you. You feel like you are swimming in a fog and you cannot get out no matter how hard you try.

Two weeks ago, I started to study John 15 again. It is one of my favorite chapters. It speaks of abiding in Christ, having our full dependence on Him and allowing Him to abide in us. Before I got past verse 4, I asked the same question I started out this post with: “Have you ever felt that you cling to God so much but it does not seem like it is enough?” I got my answer reading the first part of verse 4 again: “Abide in me, and I in you.”

“God, I know to abide in you…and I am trying but I don’t feel like you hear me or hold me,” I told Him. I could see God shaking His head at me saying, “You just don’t get it! Do you? Abide in me.”

That night, I asked someone else the same question and here is the answer I got: “Clinging to God is great and everything, but resting takes so much less effort.”

That is when I mentally slapped myself as God said, “Finally, you understand!”

Here is an excerpt from Andrew Murray’s book “Abide in Christ:”

“Does it weary the traveler to rest in the house or on the bed where he seeks repose from his fatigue? Or is it a labor to a little child to rest in his mother’s arms? Is it not the house that keeps the traveler within its shelter? Do not the arms of the mother sustain and keep the little one? And so it is with Jesus.”

Resting really does take so much less effort than clinging.

Then I asked: “What about Matthew 11 when God tells us to take up His yoke?” I thought resting was supposed to just be easy and don’t do anything… “It is not the yoke, but resistance to the yoke, that causes the difficulty; the wholehearted surrender to Jesus, as at once our Master and our Keeper, finds and secures the rest.” (Andrew Murray)

Again…I mentally slap myself. Working for God is much easier than resting and trusting in Him. Many times working for God takes us away from abiding in Him. Verses 4 and 5 of John 15 remind me that only through abiding in Christ can we bring forth fruit. Whatever we do for Him is useless and has no value if I am not doing it in His power.

The first part of verse 7 in Psalm 37 says the following: “Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for him…”

When Christ calls to me: “Abide in me” …let my answer always be: “I do abide in You.”

This Generation

Psalm 71:18 - Now also when I am old and gray-headed, O God, forsake me not; until I have shewed thy strength unto this generation, and thy power to everyone that is to come.

This generation. What do you think of when you hear "this generation"?

I was speaking to a lady yesterday who spoke of teenagers and specifically, young ladies in "this generation." She spoke of how they were immodestly dressed, jumping from relationship to relationship, going to bars, seeming to have nothing to live for but themselves. "What an empty life!" she exclaimed. "It is all in vain!" All this comes from an unsaved woman. Knowing I am a Christian, she wistfully said, "Your lifestyle is so beautiful. It would be wonderful to have a life like yours, to have something to live for." This allowed me to share with her that only because of the grace of God I am not in the same place as those she spoke of.

Now I think...what am I doing to show God's strength to this generation? How much am I allowing Christ to shine through me? If I am not reflecting my Savior and Master, what am I here on earth for? How am I impacting this generation with the Gospel? If I am not...I have no reason to be here on earth.

"We are not saved to sit, we are saved to serve." That is something Dad always said. Are we sitting in our Christian life just watching, criticizing how others work and waiting for something to happen? or are we getting up and doing something to change the direction of this generation?

Pray the Psalm 71:18 prayer: "God, be with me! Do not forsake me until I have shown your strength and power to those around me. Help me to impact this generation with who You are!"

A year ago today...

A year ago today, heaven got sweeter. The man whom the world thought of as an amazing veteran missionary, a preacher touched by God, an instrument through which the Lord worked miracles left this earth to be with his Master who he so faithfully served. Though he was all the things mentioned above, to me he was “Grandpa.” He was the one who told stories for hours, played guitar and sang to us and told the jokes I had heard so many times. I never got them or thought they were funny and he knew it, but he did not care. And that is what made me laugh. Whenever he had finished eating, he would chew on his toothpick and pick up crumbs from off the table and put them on your plate, whether you were done eating or not. Grandpa was the one who took every opportunity to teach us about Jesus.

See, how you saw Grandpa live was not a show. It was what he truly was and it came from a faithful walk and an undying love for God. Every morning he sat in his recliner reading his Bible and praying. He was a man of great faith and immense love. His passion for souls was evident. Everyone he came in contact with heard about Jesus…several times. Grandpa let God use him in so many ways. So many peoples’ lives were impacted and changed by his testimony, my life included.

Today is the day of love. Love is celebrated and expressed. What greater love is there than the one our Heavenly Father gives us? God IS love.

A year ago today, I had read Isaiah 43 and found my Valentine's note from God in the end of the first verse: “Thou art mine.” Today’s reminder is Jeremiah 31:3: “The LORD hath appeared of old unto me, saying, Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee.”

God, the Creator of the entire universe has just told me that He has loved me, still loves me and will forever love me. Not only that, but He wants me to be close to Him. He desires to spend time with me. That is love!

When I tell people my Grandpa died on Valentine’s Day they feel bad and express their sympathy for him passing away on the day where love is celebrated. But God’s love is everlasting and ALWAYS faithful. I miss my Grandpa, but today, I am not sad. God has shown me His love in allowing me to be the granddaughter of Dr. JT Lyons. Today is a celebration that Grandpa has been a whole year in the presence of God. How amazing is it? Frankly, I am jealous. Grandpa had been serving our wonderful Saviour for so long and has finally been able to praise Him face to face.

Thank you God for letting me borrow him.