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Thursday, January 24, 2013

that is who He is

God  never ceases to amaze me. He is just so good in all He does. Even when you find yourself on the other side of where you want to be, He is good. Even when the path of life you were on suddenly detours and takes you in a different direction, He is good. Even when you don't know which way to turn, He is good. You know how I know I this? Because it isn't about what God does. It isn't about what is happening in your life or my life at any given time. It isn't about circumstances. It is strictly about the fact that God is good because that is who He is! 

Our God desires the best for us. That doesn't always line up with what we think is the best for our own selves, but it always lines up with His divine plan and His purpose for our lives. And we just have to know that and embrace it and be satisfied with it. It's not always easy, but in His goodness, He makes a way for us. He is there to shelter and protect and guide and comfort. He is there to cover us and give us that calm assurance that only comes from Him. 

When we are children of the King, there will be times of testing. There will be trials and temptations. There will be detours. And crossroads. His Word tells us this. And His precious Word also gives us instructions that we need to be able to navigate those rocky roads and those uncertain twists and turns along life's highways. Because He is just that good.

Our Father is the Potter. And as the clay in His mighty hands, we simply have to yield to the demands put upon us by His powerful grasp. And once those amazing Hands have molded us to the shape that He desires, there is still more to the process that must take place. Before the molded vessels that we have become emerge sturdy and stable, we must tried by fire. 

"But He knoweth the way that I take,
when He hath tried me, I shall come
forth as gold"
(Job 23:10)

There are many reasons that Christians go through times of testing and trial. Reasons that are very important and vital at times for our spiritual progress. Because the truth of the matter is that it's in those uncertain and unsettling times that we grow. That is where God can do mighty things in our lives. That is where God can stretch us. But most importantly, it is during those times that we begin to really seek God and His face. Any time we are facing mountains that seem too high to climb, we seem to more diligently search for a more intimate relationship with our Lord. Those trials cause us to realize how much we need our Savior and at the same time they cause us to realize just how little we know Him.

 So we seek. And we go face-down in desperate search for a revelation of spirit. We begin to crave a deeper relationship with the King of kings. We delve into the depths of His precious Word and we glean amazing nuggets of truth that move us. We begin to desire to know Him like never before. And when He begins to speak to our hearts, it just whets our appetites for more of Him. 

Soon, those times of testing just don't seem nearly as scary and unsettling as they did before. And they don't seem nearly as impossible to navigate through. And we seem to be handling those road bumps in a very different way than ever before.

We sense a new calmness surrounding our hearts. We feel a warm blanket of serenity wrap around us. We begin to trust our Savior in ways that we could never imagine would be possible. God begins to speak to our spirits and we begin to recognize that voice and hear it! 

And then we see His purpose for our rough journey. We embrace it. We welcome it. We learn to put our trust and faith in Him. We surrender our lives to our Jesus and rest in the assurance that indeed, He is good.

Because that is who He is.



Friday, January 18, 2013

I can rejoice

Still, I trust You.

Although my heart aches and the burden feels almost too heavy to bear, I cast my eyes toward the heavens and look to You for sweet peace.

The pain I feel deep inside can only be erased with Your touch. The uncertainty and fear that grips me can only be replaced by Your loving Hand of comfort.  

The questions I have are answered with Your Holy whisper - " I AM the Lord, and there is none else."

I surrender my fear to Your mighty Hands. I place my complete trust in You. I bow my heart in awe of You and sense Your presence settle down upon me. It flows through me and permeates every part of my body.

I rest in the solace that floods my soul as I recognize that unmistakable serenity that I know can only come from You.

I praise You for who You are and I praise You for Your goodness and Your grace. For Your kindness and Your power. I praise You because You are worthy of my praise.

Even when things don't go the way we planned, I can rest in the knowledge that You, our Father, knows best. I know that Your plans reign Sovereign. Your plans are made to fulfill Your divine purpose in our lives. We simply must trust in what You are doing, and follow the path that You are paving for us. And I know that wherever this journey takes us, You will be there every step of the way.

Encouraging.
Enabling.
Empowering.

Embracing us in Your mighty and secure arms. Holding us tight so we know the Truth of Your promise to never leave us or forsake us. (Hebrews 13:5)

I am overwhelmed by the Truth of Your Word. You always do what You say You will do. When the testing comes, You are there and You anoint me with the power of Your sweet Holy Spirit. Thus giving me the ability to stand firm and walk in Your ways.

You help keep my feet planted securely on the Rock and prevent me from sinking into the pit of despair. When I falter, You are there to give me just the nudge I need to go on. You are so good to me.

Step by step. Moment by moment.

Strength to strength.

You carry me. You draw me close. And I rejoice.

I can rejoice because my Savior is something to rejoice about! I can rejoice because I know You are my refuge and my fortress. I can rejoice because I know that You are my deliverer. I can rejoice because I can remember where You have brought me from thus far.

I can rejoice simply because I can say, "I know Him and I have personally experienced His loving touch and power and might in my live over and over again"

I can rejoice simply because, You are who You say You are. And I love You with all of my being. 

You are so good.
~~~~~
"Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face
trials of many kinds. Because you know that the
testing of your faith produces perseverance."
James 1:2,3

Tuesday, January 8, 2013

to KNOW Him

When we accept Christ as our Lord and Savior, it signifies the beginning of new life in us. New life that is possible because of the precious blood that Jesus shed on the cross at Calvary. New life that enables us to have a new relationship with Him. A relationship that is unlike any other relationship we could possibly form with another. 

Our relationship with our Lord is one that is to be continually growing and progressive because it is one that has to change us. Change doesn't come all at one time but happens as we grow in Him and through Him. Our encounters and experiences with Jesus are meant to transform us from what we were before we knew Him to what we are on our way to becoming now that we have met Him. Transformation certainly doesn't happen overnight but happens gradually as we learn to let Jesus do mighty works in our hearts and souls little by little. 

"My aim is to know Him, to
experience the power of His
resurrection, to share in His sufferings,
and to be like Him in His death..."
(Philippians 3:10)

You see, we will be transformed when we "know Him" because that is when our relationship becomes so personal. To walk in intimacy with Christ is to desire to be like Him. To want to obey Him. To strive to do what He would do. It is to seek Him in all things and to want so badly to glorify Him in all we say or do. As we do these things, we will begin to draw closer and closer to Him and our knowledge of Him will deepen. It deepens because we begin to know Him for who He is in our lives and not just who He is in the lives of others. It becomes about who is to us! It becomes about what He has done in us and for us. And that my sweet friends will always transform us!

As our relationship with our sweet Jesus matures, we will begin to see and experience the power of His resurrection. We will begin to see Him in ways that we never did before. He will become so alive in our hearts and our spirits and we will begin to tap into this power in ways that we never imagined. The same power that raised Jesus Christ from the dead is available to us. It is what is at work in our lives when we are His children. It is what strengthens us and gives us peace and authority. This power is what enables us to be like Him. To know the depth of His love for us. This resurrection power is what transforms us. And it will keep transforming us until He comes to take us home to live with Him forever.

As our lives are being transformed, we will also come under attack by the enemy That is why the same verse that tells us we will know Him and His power also tells us that we will share the fellowship of His sufferings. We will experience persecution, but any suffering that we endure for the cause of Christ will not come without reward. Those attacks of the enemy also serve to transform us. We will grow in our dependence upon  Christ. We will be strengthened in our Faith. We will develop a deeper love for Him. We will begin to seek His Word more fervently and seek His Face more desperately and we will grow.

In the end, we will have gained so much more than we have lost. We will be transformed forever unto eternal life with our Almighty and Sovereign God. And we will know Him in every sense of the word. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sustaining grace...........
 meets us at the point of our need.

Equips us with courage....
wisdom.... 
strength....

And promises us the 
Presence of God.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Seeking Him more each day,
Beth