believing God

My life has been so full and hectic these last few months. It seems like every time I turn the corner there is another crisis just waiting to jump on the journey that I am currently on. I suppose it might as well just join in with the rest of the crises and perhaps I can just get them all over with at one time. Even though I seem to be just trudging along at times, I know that this path that God has ordained for me is one that is meant to grow me and stretch me and perfect me. It is a path that is building my faith in Him. It is calling me to live out that faith in Him that I claim to possess. It is putting reality to what has always been my theology. 

"Do you really trust me, Beth? Do you really believe that I am who I say I am and that I can do what I say I can do?"

Oh, yes, Lord. I believe. I have no doubts whatsoever that what is your intended will in any situation is exactly what will take place. No doubts. 

I am unwavering in my belief system. If I didn't have full trust in my God and my Savior, I wouldn't be able to walk this walk that I am on right now. It is ONLY by His sweet merciful Hand and His generous grace that I can wake up every day and be thankful for the very breath of life that He has bestowed upon me. It is only because of that delicious daily manna that He feeds me so lovingly that I can function day after day. It is only Him.

These past months have found me coming and going so much that at times I don't know if I am packing or unpacking. My clothes just seem to rotate in and out of the suitcase to the washer and dryer and back in again. My heart is torn between so many places and so my body is weary at times from trying to be all things to all people. But Jesus is just so sweet. He has raised me up when I thought I would sink. He has carried me through when I didn't think I could. He has cradled me in His loving arms when I needed a tender moment with Him. He has empowered and strengthened and enabled me during those times that I needed Him most. It's no wonder we call Him our Savior. He truly is my saving grace and I love Him so. 

My time with Him lately has been little snippets here and there during the day as opposed to my usual regulated time with Him. I have been craving some time just to sit in His presence and just let Him do His thing in my Spirit. Today was that day. I was able to just sit and be still and let Him be God. He rejuvenated my spirit in a way that only He can do. He spoke some things into my spirit that did some restoring. He allowed to me to feel His presence and to know that above all else, He is still on the Throne. He is still the God of all flesh. He is still in control. And that He still loves me very, very much. 

So, as I continue on this journey of the unknown, I stand firm on what I DO know.

There is nothing that is too hard for my God. He is the author and finisher of our faith. He is the alpha and the omega. The beginning and the end. He is who He says He is. He can do what He says He can do. I can do all things through Christ. His Word is alive and active in Me. 

And I am believing God.

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Continue to pray for my sister, Cari. She has a few weeks of blood work and the dreaded waiting on results. She will see her doctor on the 4th of December and then we may have a better idea of where we are headed next. She finished her last chemo of this phase and will be headed to the stem cell transplant process soon. All in the Lord's timing.. Pray that we will continue to let Him lead us in this journey and that we will keep our focus on Him and not waver. Believing God for a miracle and for sweet VICTORY!

grace

Christianity is not the sacrifice we make, 

but the sacrifice we trust. 

(P.T. Forsyth)

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I just love to read and study the Word of God. There is so much to learn in the scriptures that we can never get to the end of it. Each day that I spend digging hungrily into the precious pages of the bible, God never fails to show me something. Even if it is just a small nugget of truth, it is always something huge to my spirit. Each revelation that my Lord gives me leaves me desiring another and another. 

I had been pondering 'grace' several weeks ago and even though we all know what grace means, I daresay that we really don't fully understand grace in its entirety. I don't think that we fully comprehend just how amazing the grace of God is to us.  I fear that we take it for granted so many times and that we don't spend near enough time thanking Him for His amazing grace in our lives. 

Grace is God giving us what we don't deserve and Mercy is God NOT giving us what we do deserve. 

The pure water of God's grace flows over our sins and washes them away. God's grace in our lives is that He not only forgives us of our sins, but that He has already redeemed us from those sins.

God's grace is sustaining. It meets us at the point of our need. It equips us. It gives us courage. It gives us wisdom and it gives us strength.

God's grace promises us the presence of God in our lives. 

Grace changes us.

"But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior

Jesus Christ. To Him be glory both now and forever. Amen"

(2 Peter 3:18)

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We are sinful, weak and fickle.

He is holy, strong and faithful

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Confession isn't confined to expressing sin. We also confess God's name. His truth. Our faith. Confession is simply agreeing with God or telling the truth in a matter. Confession gets us on the same page with God. 

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When we confess the faithfulness of God, we are reminding ourselves that He is the one who can handle those things that we can't. He is the one that is in control of those things that we aren't. We only have to believe in the One who can do all things.

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A faithful heart is not necessarily a perfect heart.

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Our part is to be faithful.

His part is to be a covenant God.

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God's laws exist so we can know life in its truest sense - not to void us of pleasure.

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Many times, we aren't growing spiritually because we aren't willing to change the way we are living. True repentance ALWAYS bring about change. Always. Our circumstances are never going to change if we aren't willing to. Sometimes we have to do the moving. Away from sin and toward a holy God.

Our failures can move us to tears and even bring us to despair, but in the end if we don't quit doing the things we are doing, then they are for nothing. 

If we desire to be who God wants us to be, we must be moving toward living a life of righteousness and holiness. If we truly strive for this in our everyday lives, it will change the way we act and the way we think. It will empower us and enable us to be like Christ. And we will grow in grace and wisdom and truth. 

"God, you are awe inspiring in your sanctuaries.

The God of Israel gives power and strength to

the people. May God be praised"

(Psalm 68:35)

the only One who is cling worthy

Being molded and shaped is painful. The whole process of being made into a beautiful piece of pottery that can be used of the Lord hurts at times. Those hurts come in the form of growing pains. They feel injurious to the spirit when they are taking place, but it is in those seasons of hurt that we are drawn into such marvelous communion with the Potter. We tend to seek Him more in those difficult journeys of our life. I think sometimes that is why He allows those tedious walks to be bestowed upon us. Perhaps it is the only way He can get some of us to seek Him with such fervor and desperation. Sad but true.

These painful journeys feel excruciating to our hearts, but at the same time it is what causes us to learn to depend solely on our true and faithful God. He shows us how very merciful and kind He is when He brings us to that place of dependence upon His Sovereignty and His Power. We begin to truly see that He is who He says He is and that He can do what He says He can do. We begin to lean on Him in a way that brings strength to our weary spirits and hope to our tired souls. We begin to see Him in all His fullness and glory.

When things get so heavy on my mind that I feel I will crumble beneath the weight, I cry out to Jesus. And the beautiful thing is I know that He hears me. I never feel alone. Not for long anyway.  Oh, I don't mean that I never have hard times. Or that I never just break down into tears and feel like I am totally losing it. But I do mean that He never fails to bring me the comfort that I seek when I call His name.  Almost immediately I can feel Him wrap His loving arms around me and grant me peace. It is overwhelming to experience. He is overwhelming. 

One year ago today, my precious granddaughter Mercie, who was 3 at the time, received an amazing healing from my God. He reached down from the portals of heaven and touched that baby girl and brought wholeness and restoration to her little body. I will never forget it as long as I live. I thank Him and praise Him for that time and time again.

Today, I am praying for that same miracle in the body of my precious sister, Cari. From the beginning of this harrowing journey with Multiple Myeloma, I sought a very needed Word from the Lord. He granted me that. He gave me a Word of hope. A Word of Victory. One that I cling to and remind my Savior of daily. As my oldest daughter, Megan, told me, "He is the only one that is cling worthy". Indeed He is.

"But He knoweth the way that I take;

when He hath tried me, I 

shall come forth as gold"

(Job 23:10)

So, as I tiptoe through this winding path filled with thorns and thistles, I find myself drawing closer and closer to my Lord. My dependence upon Him only grows stronger as time marches on and for that I am so grateful. It is hard to watch someone you love walk this treacherous path. It is heartbreaking to feel so helpless. As we pick our way through the briers hanging in the pathway and as we encounter the seeming setbacks along the way, I can look back and see the reality of His goodness embedded in each one of them. Even though the path we wouldn't have chosen is the one we are on, I see Victories along the way that I praise Him for continually. Things don't always seem to go smoothly, but then again, things that could have been, haven't been... Praise the Lord for those small baby steps toward a huge victory.

When all this is said and done, and the Victory is my sisters for the taking, I, for one will be shouting a HUGE Hallelujah to an amazing God and King and I will be giving Him praise and glory and honor forever for the healing in her life. I look forward to that coming day with sweet anticipation of an amazing Victory through Him. He is our hope.  He is our joy. He is worthy of all our praise. 

Oh, He is so worthy. And I can truly say, that's my God... that's my King. The only One who is cling worthy. And oh, how I love Him so...