STRIPES = HEALING

Gabby, my niece, said her prayers with my sister last night, which is a rare occurance these days as she doesn't get to go downstairs to put the girls to bed right now. She decided to say them with her Mom upstairs before she went down to bed. This is here story....
She prayed her normal little prayer, then finished up by saying, "and God please make everyone who is sick to feel better and make everyone's boo-boos all better, because we know that by the stripes of Jesus Christ, we are all healed." I sat in awe as she said "Amen" and pecked me on the cheek, then ran off down the steps to bed. Of course, my emotions are in overdrive right now, but tears rolled down my cheeks as I sat there thinking about what she had said, knowing that she said it, meant it, and believed it was true, with all her heart. It convicted me to the core, knowing that we pray things like that all the time, but I can honestly say, we probably don't necessarily believe it to be true with all our heart. There is something to the scripture that tells us to come to God as little children, and that a little child shall lead them, because there are days my children teach me more about Jesus than I have learned in a lifetime. Her prayer changed me, it changed my heart, because I know those are more than just words we say, I truly believe that by the stripes of Jesus Christ, I am healed. It may not be the physical healing I am looking for at a particular moment, but I am convinced the spiritual healing of a heart is of far greater significance to God than these earthly vessels we posses that will pass away!

Just another "tiny confirmation" from God that I do hear His voice when I stop long enough to listen, and sometimes it comes in the form of my children!
ALL FOR YOU

Loving Jesus....living like it!

Hosea says, let us press on to know the Lord….
He will come to us like rain.

We have been praying that the Lord would rain. We have begun to see a sprinkling in some lives of the just that. I love the first part of that passage... The word for Press….is to harass. I LOVE THAT WORD. Cause it describes me. I can be down right annoying, harassing. In fact, for most people…I am just TOO much. Too many words, too much attitude, too pushy, to fast, to edgy…whatever…just Too much.

But, while I am more than most people can handle….I have the same desires as any of you.....All of us were created with a desire for intimacy. To be fully known and to fully know. We all long for relationships where we can be ourselves and still be fully loved, not having to pretend or hide. We all long for relationships where we are not just the known, but we know. Where we are trusted and where others reveal themselves to us.
We all long for relationships where we are not just NEEDED but wanted. I have tons of relationships because people need me. Church, friends, family, children, even my spouse at times. But what we long for is not to be needed. It is to be wanted….wanted just for ourselves. Loved….and wanted-for NO REASON or need.

Although, we have this desire-to be fully known and to fully know, the world that we live in has messed with our idea of intimacy. We live in a world of messed up relationships. We have seen intimacy go a rye. We have watched the love between husband and wife be far from what we would call intimate. We have seen our mom’s and dad’s live lives that we want nothing to do with. We have heard of or maybe experienced the hurt of a parent not loving a child as they should. Or perhaps, you were lucky enough to miss all of those, but somewhere a friend wounded you deeply. We have all been wounded by relationships.

And so all of us….in some way, shape or form, have decided to build a wall around our hearts to keep from getting hurt. We have garrisoned ourselves behind this wall, allowing some closer than others, but even then, we are afraid of the risk of being known fully and knowing fully because of the hurt that has come. We all miss out on the joy of intimacy. For some of us it is missing in our marriages, others with our parents or children. For a lot of it is with friends.

The enemy of our souls is at war to make sure you don’t have intimacy.
The devil is not really concerned with making you bad or making you sin. He isn’t all about tripping you up. He does all those things….but the ultimate question is WHY?

From the beginning God created man for relationship…for intimate relationship. It is not good for man to be alone. Man spent his days enjoying the fruit of GODS labor and walking with Him in the cool of the day. He could talk with Him and enjoy Him. Then God gave Him a wife….to continue intimate relationship with. A physical oneness that further pictured the intimacy God created for man to have in relationships.

But then the serpent entered the picture. And he deceived Eve with his crafty questioning. And sin entered our world. For most of us, we have thought that was Satan’s main objective. To cause us to sin. But do you really think that he is interested in making us bad people, sinful people? Could it be that the plan was much deeper than that….and we have not seen it.
From the beginning, it was the enemy’s plan to use sin to break intimacy. It has always been and will always be his desire to steal, kill and destroy our relationships with God and with man.
John 10:10 "The thief comes only to steal, and kill, and destroy; I came that they might have life, and might have {it} abundantly.

And so, his plan was not to make us sin, but to use sin to break our intimacy. God created us for fellowship with Him. He does not want duty, religion, church or even obedience. He wants an intimate, passionate, thriving, love relationship with you. He wants to be fully known by you. He wants to reveal Himself to you. He wants to walk with us in the cool of the day. He wants us to love Him….
Not just NEED HIM…although we do…but to WANT HIM.

Intimacy can not be forced….that is called rape. True relationship is forged from freedom-to choose because you WANT-not need. It comes through unplanned, unforced time, walking in the cool of the day. And so God allows us choice….the ability to choose to walk with Him or not. The ability to choose to have intimacy with Him or not. He will not rape you.

The dilemma is that we think we have intimacy with God….and we don’t. The enemy again keeps us from intimacy not merely by our sin, but also by deception. (just like Eve.) True intimacy can not take place…is not real when we hold back, are not honest, fully given, abandoned, all in, transparent, vulnerable, consumed, passionate, made accessible/not hiding.

Intimacy can’t happen as long as we are hiding behind walls. Look at what happened with Adam and Eve.Intimacy was broken…they hid. With God….with each other.
So many of us are hiding. And miserable. We desire intimacy, but the very thing we desire is what we fight against because we are afraid of the risk. And the enemy wins again. For that is what he wants…to destroy intimacy with God and with one another.

You see, this Jesus put it this way….everything is summed up in ONE Word…LOVE. Love the Lord and Love one another. And so the enemy is standing against those two things….trying to destroy love and intimacy between God and man.

And so God sent His Son to restore the relationship that was broken. To restore the intimacy. However, the battle still rages….the enemy trying to keep us from that. This is the battle….not just sin….but over relationship…over intimacy with God.
It is why he longs for us to engage in religion and miss intimacy.
It is why he tries to deceive us into thinking just a little of God is enough.
It is why he works to try to satisfy our soul with other things.
Anything…to keep us from pursuing, harassing, pressing in to KNOW God more.

There is NO drive thru window for intimacy. It takes time to fall in love…to give oneself to another and to abandon everything and everyone else for what you set your heart upon.

So Set Your heart, covenant to love God and others...and don't be deceived. Intimacy is far more than just loving something. It is being joined to it. The two becoming one. It is what we were created for, with God and with man. Don't miss the joy of intimacy because you are afraid of being naked....get real, get honest, get undressed and quit hiding behind those walls. And know that you are loved, known fully and still loved. And then start loving others that way!
ALL FOR YOU

backwards and forwards

Looking back is not a bad thing...going back is a whole other deal. Scripture is very plain about us leaving markers of rememberance so that we can see, know and remember what God has done in the past. But Scripture is also very plain about us moving forward.
I think of the children of Israel constantly wanting to go back to Egypt-to slavery-instead of moving into the Promised Land. What a stupid thought! And yet, we are just like them...not looking back to remember, but wanting to go back. God is not about the rerun, the past or keeping things the same. God is the God of the create, the new thing and the future. All of time is marching towards His return-not going back to the way things used to be.
In fact, Jeremiah puts it this way....You have forsaken me, you keep going backward, so I will stretch out My hand against you and destroy you. I am tired of relenting.
Wow...that is pretty plain...going back is a matter of forsaking Him...because He is going forward.
So, if we are going with God...we are going to be moving forward...not back!

ALL FOR YOU

Pass us by?

Jesus put the disciples in a boat and sent them out on the water to strive against the wind. The WORD actually says that they were harassed, striving against and fighting the storm. Jesus, seeing them fighting against them, walks out on the water-INTENDING TO PASS THEM BY. Is that possible? Jesus sees us in our sinking ship, fighting against the waves, harassed by a storm and all He intends to do about it pass us by.
I don't know about you, but I have been struggling with that thought. That is, until I realized that Jesus is not interested in saving my sinking ship or helping me strive against the wind. The WORD tells me that HE is in charge of the wind. He can hurl one or stop one. He is sovereign and puts us in the boat to strive against the wind. Why? So that we will cry out to Him. It wasn't until Peter cried out to Jesus...Lord, if that is you, let me walk on the water with you! I want out of the boat...I just want walk with you.
For most of us, we want Jesus to save us IN the ship. But Peter understood what Jesus was doing...Jesus intended to pass them by if they stayed in the ship. He was waiting for someone...anyone to cry out and get out of the boat and walk with Him. Sure that seems risky...the waves are just as rough outside the boat. But Peter understood that waves outside the boat WITH Jesus were better than waves inside the boat without Him.
Jesus intends to pass us by...unless we will cry out and get out of the boat and walk with Him. We can sit in our sinking ship or we can walk on water. But the choice is ours...
Jesus...don't pass me by...I will cry out...I will get out of the boat and walk with you. I will abandon the ship and run to you.

ALL FOR YOU