What Brings You Comfort?

Have you ever been in a cave? We went to the Shasta Caverns several years ago as a family.  It was quite an experience, but yet a little scary.  It's a little scary when you have the tendency to be claustrophobic.  I've toured inside of a mine shaft as well.  The deeper inside the shaft the darker it gets and the light from outside dims and seems farther and farther away.
Have you ever felt as if you're inside an emotional dark cave?  You see the light.  You know the path that leads to the light but no matter what you do, you can't seem to make any progress to the light?  You're in emotional despair.  If one more thing were to happen your cup would runneth over. 
It was one of those days and it felt like I was in an emotional dark cave.  So much was being thrown at me and I had decisions to make that weighed my heart and soul.  Some of the decisions were being made for me but not necessarily the ones that I would of chosen or selected for my life.  You know the truth and you seek the truth but its not giving you the answer YOU want.  In this emotional state I actually told someone, "I wish God would speak to me.  I wish the sky would open up and He would speak to me and tell me what to do."
Hours later at home when I was beginning to get ready for bed I glanced over at my nightstand and started looking at the stack of books that I have there.  I have several stacks.  Each stack has a different level of reading priority.  As I glanced over the books (I read 3-4 books at one time...I am a glutton for punishment) they just didn't seem to fit where I was.  I knew I had to study for that week's Bible study but I was in my cave.  I saw Elyse Fitzpatrick's book, "Steadfast Love" in one of my stacks.  I didn't really know what it was about but I grabbed it only because nothing else in my current reading stack seemed to fit the emotional dark cave I was in.  As I opened the pages and began to read, His grace became so apparent to me.  The words coming off the page were as if I was the one writing them.

Psalm 57

Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me, for in you my soul takes refuge;

in the shadow of your wings I will take refuge,

till the storms of destruction pass by.

I cry out to God Most High,

to God who fulfills His purpose for me.

He will send from heaven and save me;

he will put to shame him who tramples on me.

God will send out his steadfast love and his faithfulness!

My soul is in the midst of lions;

I lie down amid fiery beasts-

the children of man, whose teeth are spears and arrows,

whose tongues are sharp words.

Be exalted, O God, above the heavens!

Let your glory be over all the earth!

They set a net for my steps;

my soul was bowed down.

They dug a pit in my way,

but they have fallen into it themselves.

My heart is steadfast, O God,

my heart is steadfast!

I will sing and make melody!

Awake, my glory!

Awake, O harp and lyre!

I will awake the dawn!

I will give thanks to you, O Lord, among the peoples;

I will sing praises to you among the nations.

For your steadfast love is great to the heavens,

your faithfulness to the clouds.

Be exalted, O God, above the heavens!

Let your glory be over all the earth!

David wrote this Psalm Elyse's describes, as 'he was running for his life,

hiding in a wilderness, in a cave.'

His grace came pouring out of the pages and onto my soul.  It was as if this book was written for me and only me.  As I put down the book and opened up my Bible study book, in the opening page was

 Psalm 57:2, "I cry out to God Most High, to God who fulfills His purpose for me." 

The sky opened up and the light shined right on my me and He spoke to me. I asked for Him to speak and He did, right from His Word.   He knew exactly how to comfort me in the midst of my storm and pour out His grace.  He is in the boat with me in the midst of the storm (Mark 4:35-41).

Elyse takes us to the Heidelberg Catechism -

Question 1. What is thy only comfort in life and death?


Answer: That I with body and soul, both in life and death, (a) am not my own, (b) but belong unto my faithful Saviour Jesus Christ; (c) who, with his precious blood, has fully satisfied for all my sins, (d) and delivered me from all the power of the devil; (e) and so preserves me (f) that without the will of my heavenly Father, not a hair can fall from my head; (g) yea, that all things must be subservient to my salvation, (h) and therefore, by his Holy Spirit, He also assures me of eternal life, (i) and makes me sincerely willing and ready, henceforth, to live unto him. (j)

This is what gives me comfort. This is what sheds light and grace on my soul.
 What brings you comfort?

God's Recipe

I love recipes! No really...I seriously do. Recipes saved me when I was first married. I had no idea how to cook so I began with Hamburger Helper and I evolved to recipes. I know how to follow directions well. As we'd spend time with friends and share a meal I would ask for their recipes or ask, "how did you make that?"

I began to venture out and cut out recipes out of magazines that would look and sound good. I loved trying new recipes on friends who would come over for dinner. We'd have friends over and my hubby would ask, "what are you making?" I'd share the fact that I was making a new recipe. The look on his face would be classic. Shock and freight is the mixture I would see on his face. Little did my husband know at that time, I follow directions well.

The last few weeks I've been overwhelmed with this reoccurring message that I see, hear and experience in my Christian life and in the lives I interact with. Do we look at your faith and walk with the Lord like a "recipe"? Is there a list of "ingredients" that you put apply to your life that you feel will result in godliness, righteousness and/or to be pleasing to God? Does this ingredient give you an end result that is pleasing to God? Maybe you don't see it in your life but you look at others from a far and believe if you do the same as they do, this "ingredient" will give you the result that you're seeking for your Christian life.

I remember being in a parenting class with my husband when our first son was under a year old. This parenting class was to prepare us for toddler life. The teachers were talking about the everyday items around the house that you should or not should not allow your children to play with so that when you'd be in someone else's home your child wouldn't think it was a toy. The teachers recommend that you as parents needed to decide what those items were for our individual families because we all would have different preferences. A young father raised his hand and asked, "do you have a list of items for us?" The teachers reiterated that each family needed to figure that out for their family because it's different for each family. The struggle on his face was evident. He wanted a list!

Our flesh fights and yearns for a list of "ingredients" that guarantee us assurance with our God. If we just do these things and apply these actions we are right with God and assured acceptance from Him. This is a lie.

One of the boy's friends was over recently and he asked me a question that lead me to recite to him Ephesians 2:8-9, "For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one can boast." It hit me like a ton of bricks...the word "grace" came alive. "Grace" is an undeserved gift; free gift. I can't do anything to gain or attain my faith. Its a free gift from God. No works! I said, NO works I can do. No ingredient or action I apply to my life will obtain faith or favor. It's all God and none of me. That's because so I can't boast or breed pride.

Matthew 22:36 40 "Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law? And he said to him, You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the greatest and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two depend all the Law and the Prophets."

The Pharisees knew Scripture. They were under the assumption that they had their spiritual life in order and were right with God. They had long list of ingredients that they did and applied everyday but God's recipe wasn't about the ingredients they applied, it was about their hearts. It was about what their hearts yearned and loved. What do you love? What consumes your heart? Love for God? Love for people?

My pastor has been in Romans on Sunday mornings and I continue to see how God used the Law to show the Israelites their need for the ULTIMATE SACRIFICE because they couldn't keep the Law. God doesn't care about what you do....He cares about what you love and is it HIM!? If you love Him what you do follows and it produces godliness. Doing doesn't produce godliness, loving the Creator and who He is in Christ with all your heart, mind, soul and strength does.

John MacArthur says this in his message, "The Glory of the Lord", "In the temple and in the tabernacle, there were no seats. You read the description of the tabernacle, you read the description of the temple, there were no seats nowhere. Why? Because a priest never finished and so he never sat down. Sacrifice, sacrifice, sacrifice by the millions and they never sat down because it never ever was a finished work. Jesus made one sacrifice and when it was finished He sat down. He sat down. It was over. There was nothing more to do. He finished and sat down. Hebrews 10:12, what a great verse, 'But this man....that is Christ...after He had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down at the right hand of God.' He sat down because HE was finished."

Sister, no need to work any longer. Christ finished the work. God doesn't need our work. He completed it on the cross. What He wants is our hearts. What He wants is your life. What He wants is ALL of your love. Be consumed with what you love more than Him, not what you do for Him. Your love for Him will consume what you do for Him.

Whom Do I Fear?

I have been blessed with the ability to work anywhere as long as I have my laptop and a phone. A printer and a fax helps as well but not always necessary.

Earlier this week, I sat at my dining room table staring at my inbox, three consecutive emails came through that would deliver the news that the three of my files that I have been working on were no longer viable deals which would result in no income for my family for the following month. As each email hit and I opened, the anxiousness and fear began to well up in the pit of my stomach. I could feel the fear moving its way up inch by inch up from my stomach into my throat. I felt the need to throw up, but I didn't. As quickly as I received those emails I received another email from a fellow Christian blogger who just posted a blog on "Fear." I couldn't open the blog post fast enough. Thinking to myself, "I need this right now, Help me Lord! Because I'm beginning to spiral into the pit of fear and worry!"

As I began to read the blog, I grabbed my Bible and look up the Scripture references given.

I opened up to Mark 4: 35 - 41........

"On that day, when evening came, He said to them, 'Let us go over to the other

side.' Leaving the crowd, they took Him along with them in the boat, just as He was;

and other boats were with Him. And there arose a fierce gale of wind,

and the waves were

breaking over the boat so much that the boat was already filling up. Jesus

Himself was in the stern, asleep on the cushion; and they woke Him and said to Him,

'Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?'

And He got up and rebuked the wind

and said to the sea, 'Hush, be still.' And the wind died down and it became perfectly calm. And He said to them, 'Why are you afraid? Do you still have no faith?' They

became very much afraid and said to one another,

'Who then is this, that even the wind

and the sea obey Him?"

Romans 15:4 says,

"For whatever was written in earlier times was written for our instruction, so that through perseverance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope."

I was transposed into the pages of my Bible and God showed me that I was just like the disciples. I was fearful as the waves of the storm were coming over the sides of the boat. I began to fear the threats of this world. I'm not alone! Jesus is with me in the boat, why do I fear? I fear because He's not doing anything to stop the waves from crushing down on me! Why Lord are you doing this? My inner voice is screaming this as my mouth keeps silent. To perfect your faith. Trust me Jesus is saying. But I trust in my flesh, but He wants me to trust in Him. Not when I want the storm to stop but when He is ready to stop the storm from crashing onto me. The Creator who has the ability to calm the sea is in the boat with me and I am fearful of what mere man can do to me?

Matthew 10:28

"Do not fear those who kill the body but are unable to kill the soul; but rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell."

Romans 8: 35

"Who can separate us from the love of Christ? Will tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?

v.37-39 "But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord."

I've been reading, studying and leading a group of ladies through the book, "Trusting God" by Jerry Bridges. My boat is being rocked and in the danger of possibly being tipped over but I will not fear because I am HIS and HE is MINE. I will not fear because nothing can separate me from my SAVIOR, LORD JESUS. I will not fear man but I will fear GOD. And whatever storm that comes is to build my FAITH in HIM not in my flesh...and it will prepare me for the day when my FAITH will become SIGHT and I will be made COMPLETE. Thank you JESUS!

In the Desert.....

What does your desert look like? I think our deserts may look different but I have a feeling that our deserts are quite the same.

I've often thought about Moses and how he spent 40 years in the desert in Midian before the Lord called him to his ministry of leading the Israelites out of Egypt.

Moses lived in Pharaoh's digs for 40 years. He lived in the lap of luxury for his first forty years of life. He was at the top of his game. Was it enough for him? Acts 7:23 tells us, "But when he was approaching the age of forty it entered his mind to visit his brethren the sons of Israel." Was he curious how life was on the other side? Did they know or have something that he was missing as a prince of Egypt? His excursion lead to the death of an Egyptian by his own hands. (Exodus 2:15) He tasted injustice in the life of an Israelite and intervened. He had a heart even than for his people. He yearned for justice but it ended in a way that wasn't in his plan.....so he ran. He ran into the desert and fled from his life that he knew. Escaping the consequences of his actions. He was able to start anew. His life looked and felt very different from what he knew to be true in Egypt. His fresh start on life was at the bottom of the totem pole as a shepherd in the desert. Not a shepherd of his own flock but even a notch lower working as a shepherd watching someone elses flock.

I don't know first hand what its like to be a shepherd in the desert outside of Egypt but I can imagine what it might of been....long hot days and frigid cold nights alone. Watching, waiting, on guard for predators, decision making that effects your flock.....but the loudest and prominent occurrences is the long periods of time of silence on the outside but how you hear your thoughts arguing with your heart in the inside.

We all experience time in the desert. Whether you like to admit it or not. Like I said before, all our deserts may look different but I think they all are the same. It's what we do and think about when we're in the desert that determines how we come out. What do you feed yourself when you're in the desert? Do you feed yourself TRUTH or do you feed yourself the lies of your thoughts and regrets? The times in the desert are barren and no where else to run but to dig deep into your heart and see what is there. You figure out that you have nothing and nothing to give but yourself which is your soul. You can look back and remember the high life and live the life of regret or you can look around and see how God carried you there to the desert to meet Him. His glory is there in the desert. Do you see it?

Jeremiah 17: 5-10

"Thus says the Lord,

Cursed is the man who trusts in mankind

And makes flesh his strength,

And whose heart turns away from the Lord.

For he will be like a bush in the desert

And will not see when prosperity comes,

But will live in stony wastes in the wilderness,

A land of salt without inhabitant.

Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord

And whose trust is the Lord.

For he will be like a tree planted by the water,

That extends its roots by a stream

And will not fear when the heat comes,

But its leaves will be green,

And it will not be anxious in a year of drought

Nor cease to yield fruit."

Numbers 12: 3 tells us that "Moses was very humble , more than any man who was on the face of the earth." Living in the desert for forty years, I can imagine being there can do that to you, but only if you feed yourself the TRUTH. It was in the desolate desert that God was able to get Mose's to be quiet and still. He was able reveal to him his idols and bring him to the depths of his heart and humble him so that Moses could see His glory.

I think of our brother Job. After all he went through and wrestled with, it wasn't till God responded and told him who He truly was. At that point, Job was able to say, "I have heard of You by the hearing of the ear; But now my eye sees You; there I retract, And I repent in dust and ashes (Job 42:5-6)." After forty years in the desert Moses came out the most humble man on earth. He was able to see God's glory and live, but most of all he was used by His King for HIS GLORY and HIS GLORY alone.

I don't know about you....BUT I don't want to be the bush in the desert that lives in stony waste. I don't want to miss out on seeing HIS GLORY when its before me. I want to be the tree that is green and yields fruit even in the year of drought. To be that tree I need to TRUST when I am sitting in the desert because and realize that God brought me there to rid me of the idols that I held so dear so through the time of drought I can rid the idols from my heart so that I can see HIS GLORY instead.

What do you see in the desert of your life and heart? Are you the tree or the bush?

Undefiled Religion

I am mother of three boys. If you count my husband that's four boys. I'm smiling. Are you smiling? My boys have asked for a little sister throughout the years. As they grow older or should I say...as my husband and I grow older they're asking for a little sister via adoption. Our friends have adopted a little girl from Haiti after the devastating earthquake that occurred there. Since than the boys have beg for us to do the same.

My friend Shanley left for Bombo, Africa on a mission type of trip to help Align Ministries with their blog, website and social media. Their desire was to bring the local needs of the people of Bombo to the world via the Internet and social media so that the people of Bombo, Africa who are in need may be sponsored by others. Shanley has gone to Africa before and had an idea of what to expect when she arrived but her expectations didn't come close to the reality of what is truly going on in Bombo, Africa.

My only way of communicating with Shanley were her daily posts to Facebook. Earlier in the week I woke up to a post of hers basically saying that she was discouraged because she met an eleven year old little girl who suffers with AIDS. Both of her parents have died with AIDS and she is being raised by her grandmother. She travels an hour each way by foot to go to school where they beat her for poor grades and/or lack of payment for her schooling. She has to travel 3 hours by foot each way to pick up her medication for her AIDS. She has sores all over her skin from the disease. Without hesitation I responded that I would sponsor her. All my boys are without disease. I can't imagine this little girl suffering with a disease that had nothing to do with her but yet she is called to suffer with it.
Shanley was brought to tears on how quickly someone responded to sponsor this little girl. I quickly had questions too. Can I get a picture of her? Can we write letters to her? I want her to know that she's not alone and that someone does care. Not just me but Jesus cares! I was told that I cannot communicate with her. They want the locals to know that their needs are being provided by the local church in Bombo not by some American. I will be sponsoring her through Align Ministries.
One of Shanley's observations of being in Bombo is that the believer's faith is so basic. "Childlike" would be an appropriate word for it. They believe in the simple terms of faith. They just BELIEVE.

Matthew 18: 1- 5

"At the time the disciples came to Jesus and said, "Who than is greatest in the kingdom of heaven?" And He called a child to Himself and set him before them, and said, "Truly I say to you unless you are converted and become like children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven. "Whoever than humbles himself as this child, he is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And whoever receives one such child in My name receives Me;"

Whether you are a believer or not, what hill are you willing to die on to make your point OR why you believe or more importantly why don't you believe? God calls you to "humble" yourself. What does that mean to humble yourself? Definition of humble - "to lower your pride or arrogance; to reduce your self sufficiently of; to make meek and submissive." Being stripped of everything you hold dear will make you experience humility quickly. Humility in any form will teach you what you hold close or better yet what you TRUST. What have you lost that you will fight with all your might to win it back? When events or situations in your life aren't going the way you thought or liked, what are you most upset about? That is where you will find your first love, what you trust and what you hope in. Who or what is it? Do you know? Why do we complicate life with all our STUFF? If you were in Bombo, Africa living in a hut with no food and riddled with sores all over your body with a disease given to you by your parents who are no longer are with you....what would you hold dear? Would you be able to say, "I love God with all my heart, mind, soul and strength?" They do. What do they have that we don't? An undefiled religion? They have nothing to give BUT their soul. What will it take for us to give up our idols and just humble ourselves to BELIEVE with "childlike" faith?
The next day I received a picture of Safina. She is so beautiful. We will more than likely never meet or know each other. Her picture will be in my home like there are of my boys. I will provide her with support but also my love & prayers. All she knows is that the church is providing for her....BUT I know she's the little girl God gave me to take care for. My daughter ...SAFINA.