Would You Shun Her or Help Her?

I awoke before the sun to have, "Coffee with my King", my time with my Savior and His word. I realized I was out of sugar so I decided to take a trip to our 24 hour Wal-Mart. I didn't tell my husband because it was just down the road and I would be back before he would wake up.
My daily prayer is that the Lord would empty me out completely of self, fill me with His Holy Spirit and use me for His glory. I prayed this simply prayer on the way to the store. I pulled into the barren parking lot about 4:45 am and as I walked toward the entrance, there was a young lady standing in front of the store. I smiled and said, "Good morning." She then stopped me and asked if I would buy her a pack of cigarettes because she was caught shoplifting and couldn't go back in the store. I hesitated for a second and the Lord prompted me to do it. I obliged and asked what kind she needed. She handed me some money for the purchase and I walked into the store.
My mind was going crazy! "I can't believe this is what You want me to do, Lord!" I proceeded to the sugar isle all the while thinking this was not right. I hate cigarettes and what the harm they cause! But the Holy Spirit was ever present!
I purchased my sugar, her cigarettes and met her outside the doors. She thanked me and I simply said, "You're welcome. God bless you." I then headed towards my van and suddenly I felt as if God had a Holy Spirit lasso that grabbed hold of me and He said, "You're not done! Give her a ride."
I got in my van, bowed my head and prayed. "You want me to give her a ride? Okay whatever You say, Lord."
I pulled up to the entrance, rolled down my window and asked if she needed a ride.
"No. My boyfriend is coming back to get me."
"How long have you been waiting for him?"
"About 30 minutes."
"Honey, he's not coming back to get you. God told me to give you a ride."
She hesitated but took me up on the offer.
"Where do you want to go?"
"I live in Hillsboro which is about 30 miles south."
"Okay. Just show me how to get there."
On the way to her house she shared her life story. How she grew up in an alcoholic and abusive home, that she really doesn't have a place to live but she stays with her mom from time to time when she isn't living with her boyfriend. She admitted that she carries a knife for protection because she's a prostitute. She's also an alcoholic and drug addict and she was stealing to support her habit.
My heart broke for her as I listened to her story. Her pain! Her brokenness! Only Jesus can heal her!
I shared a little of my testimony and how I was raised in a broken home but that when I surrendered my life to Jesus, He began healing my heart and turned my pain in to a beautiful story.
"I went to a church camp when I was younger but never felt welcome at a church" she said.
My heart was crushed even more!
I shared the Gospel with her and how Jesus wants her to come to Him with her pain and surrender it all to Him. She began to weep. When we finally pulled up to her mom's house, I would call it a shack, I asked if I could pray for her.
I grabbed her hands and the Holy Spirit said what He needed to say to her...We both wept and then embraced. She continued thanking me as she got out of my van and stood before my headlights. As tears rolled down both of our cheeks, I drove off and headed home.

I know what some of you are thinking but your thoughts don't matter. My God was pleased that I obeyed Him and loved on this beautiful broken soul! I was blessed by being a blessing to this woman I will call, Beautiful. Beauty is in the "eye of the beholder" and since God sees us through the eyes of Christ, no matter how ugly our lives appear to the human eye,  we are all made beautiful because of His suffering.
Her face is forever etched in my heart and I often pray that she is free from the bondage of sin. Pray for her. Pray for me that I will continue to see others through His eyes and not my own. Pray for the Body of Christ to stop shunning people who don't fit their "perfect American Christian standard" and start embracing people as Christ embraced us.

1 Corinthians 9:19-23 (The Message Bible)
"Even though I am free of the demands and expectations of everyone, I have voluntarily become a servant to any and all in order to reach a wide range of people: religious, nonreligious, meticulous moralists, loose-living immoralists, the defeated, the demoralized—whoever. I didn’t take on their way of life. I kept my bearings in Christ—but I entered their world and tried to experience things from their point of view. I’ve become just about every sort of servant there is in my attempts to lead those I meet into a God-saved life. I did all this because of the Message. I didn’t just want to talk about it; I wanted to be in on it!"

I'm Holding On, Lord!!

I'm Holding On, to the One Who is Holding Me!
Psalm 18:16--
 "He reached down from on high and took hold of me;
    he drew me out of deep waters."

When our children were little and something scared them, they would either jump into mine or my husband's arms and squeeze our necks as tight as they could. In turn, we would hug them and reassure them they were safe in our arms. The more scared or unsure of what was going on, the tighter their grip...their holding on eased their fears.

Lately, God has been reminding me to hold on to Him as my children would hold on to me. I know I'm not the only one who needs this reminder. I am safe and secure in the arms of my Lord!
I keep waking up to David Crowder's song on my heart, "I am Holding on to You". God keeps saying, "You forget to hold on to Me." I thought about that and realized this was true. I know He is holding on to me but I need to remember to hold on to the One holding me. This brought instant peace to my aching, stressed out heart. Like a child who is scared, holding tight to their daddy's neck, I too can "climb in my Daddy's lap and squeeze His neck" as tight as I need to, any time I need to!

His Position Never Changes

“His Position Never Changes”

Isaiah 59:1-2 "Indeed, the Lord's hand is not too short to save, and His ear is not too deaf to hear. But your iniquities have built barriers between you and your God, and your sins have made Him hide His face from you so that He does not listen."

If you ever feel God is far from you, this truth says, He is always close enough to help and hear you...but it is our sin that causes a "wall" to be built up between us and God. WE, not God, distance ourselves from Him because we choose to sin. How often do we say things like, “I don’t feel God anymore” or “I feel as if God has left me”? These are just a few lies Satan wants you and I to believe so that we walk away from God and continue living in sin. The truth is God’s position never changes! He will never leave you nor forsake you. It is our unconfessed sin that separates us from God.

Now imagine with me building a brick wall. Each brick represents our sins. Brick by brick, sin by sin, we build this wall between us and God. Some walls are neatly assembled with care and others are built in a rush and look horrible. However, a wall is a wall no matter how neat it looks. Just as sin is sin no matter if one sin seems more offensive than another. Suddenly we realize there is a massive wall separating us from God and what is our first reaction? We blame God. Your sin, my sin, our sin causes God to hide His face from us and it is quite easy for Him to do so because of our wall of sins!

One thing we must do today is ask His Holy Spirit to reveal any sin that is causing a wall to be built up between us and Him. He is on the other side waiting for us to call out to Him for help! I envision Jesus behind our wall of sins, kneeling down, weeping over our behavior and praying to Father God on our behalf. He doesn’t want to keep hiding His face from you. He wants to break down the barrier so that we are living face to face with our Savior. Repentance is the “dynamite” God uses to break down our wall. What are you waiting for? Simply say His name, “Jesus”! He will do the rest, if you are truly sorry for your sins.

Honestly, this should be done on a daily basis so that we do not build up a barrier between us and our Savior. Sometimes there are unintentional sins, such as not following Jesus’ command to go to all nations or having an unforgiving heart. These are just a few examples and yes I know no one is perfect but we must commit our lives to being a living sacrifice holy and pleasing to the Lord. I don’t know about you but my desire is to see His face beaming with delight, not hiding with disappointment!

This week take the time to allow His Holy Spirit to search your heart. In order for this to happen you must have alone time with your sweet Jesus. Allow Him to speak to you about any sin that is causing a barrier to be built up. Then be honest with God because He already knows who is on the other side. Until we meet again, remember His position never changes! 

Christian, Have you Had a Garden of Eden Experience?

Christians around the world have heard the creation story. We know God created the heavens and the earth and all living things in it by speaking them into existence. He then created Adam and Eve with His very hands that would later be pierced for all mankind's' sin. Then God placed them in the Garden of Eden to live face-to-face with their Creator. They had a relationship with God that was unhindered by sin. They walked in the cool of the night and day with God, naked and unashamed(Genesis 2:25).

Then one day they chose to disobeyed God. Once Adam and Eve ate the fruit from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, they saw and experience evil for the first time. They only knew what they had lived; a good, peaceful, perfect life with God and all His creation. But at that very moment they saw God as GOOD and themselves as evil. Suddenly there was an invisible barrier between them and God. Isaiah 59:2 says, "But your iniquities have built barriers between you and your God, and your sins have made Him hide his face from you so that He does not listen."

Adam and Eve realized they had sinned against God and were ashamed, humiliated and tried to cover their butts (no pun intended) by placing blame (Genesis 3). Adam blamed Eve and even God for giving him "the woman", Eve blamed the serpent, and IF the serpent could have blamed someone, he probably would have pointed his finger at God and said, "You created all of us, so it's Your fault."

I think one of the most grievous sins is blame! It's easier to blame others instead of taking responsibility for our own actions and acknowledge our sins. We even have the audacity to walk around with our noses stuck in the air as if our sin don't stink! I say this with all sincerity, until you and I understand that we have sinned against God alone, stop blaming others, stop rationalizing in our minds that our sins are "not as bad as...", and stop justifying sin because "everyone else does it", we are harming ourselves, our fellow man and hurting the heart of God!

God listened as they played the blame game and then He disciplined each one of them which resulted in a broken relationship, demonstrated by Him kicking Adam and Eve out of the Garden. However, before he did that, He provided clothing for them to cover their nakedness, which I believe represents God's willingness to forgive their sin. The consequences for their sin could not be stopped, and sin entered the world like a plague!

So I ask, have you had a Garden of Eden experience? Have you, His child, been so close to the heart of God, living in relationship with your Father in Heaven and then suddenly there was a barrier because of sin? Realizing sin is sin and it is against your God, have you been humbled and ashamed of your sin? You see that "little white lie" isn't so little in the eyes of Jesus who took our punishment for sin. He was beaten for that "little white lie", lustful eyes, prideful heart, prejudice, hatefulness, grudges, bitterness, drunkenness, sexual immorality, disrespect of God...
Isaiah 53:5 "But He was pierced because of our transgressions, crushed because of our iniquities; punishment for our peace was on Him."

When we allow His Spirit to show us our sin in comparison to His Holiness, we will be broken and ashamed of our sin. We then humbly cry out to Jesus for forgiveness, He will once again clothe us with His righteousness and wash our sins white as snow! Saved people must remember to repent.
1 John 1:9 "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."
Daily, I want to be reminded that I too am a sinner, my sin is no less or worse than yours and sin has consequences...

If you have never come to Jesus as your personal Savior, repent and turn to God. Call on Jesus' name, for there is no other name on earth or in Heaven by which you can be saved (Acts 4:12). I pray today is the day of salvation for you because no one is promised tomorrow.

Praise God, Praise God! He is close to the humble!

Jesus' Mercy Compels Us to "Go and Sin No More"!

John 8:3-11, "As he was speaking, the teachers of religious law and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in the act of adultery. They put her in front of the crowd,“Teacher,” they said to Jesus, “this woman was caught in the act of adultery.The law of Moses says to stone her.What do you say?”
They were trying to trap him into saying something they could use against him, but Jesus stooped down and wrote in the dust with his finger. They kept demanding an answer, so he stood up again and said, “All right, but let the one who has never sinned throw the first stone!” Then he stooped down again and wrote in the dust.
When the accusers heard this, they slipped away one by one, beginning with the oldest, until only Jesus was left in the middle of the crowd with the woman.Then Jesus stood up again and said to the woman, “Where are your accusers? Didn’t even one of them condemn you?”
“No, Lord,” she said.  And Jesus said, “Neither do I. Go and sin no more.”
  *******************************************************************************
No one knows for sure what Jesus was writing in the dust of the ground when the Scribes and Pharisees threw the woman at His feet. Many speculations have been made and so I will add my two cents based on what I know about God and His word.
 
Jesus being 100% God, when He stooped down, MAYBE He was writing each name of the woman's accusers, beginning with the eldest...and then MAYBE he wrote her name? After all, the Son of God knows every person's name (read Psalm 139 and Isaiah 43:1). Knowing one's name is a sign of relationship. So maybe Jesus was wanting to convey, "I know YOU and desire a relationship with you. I did not come to condemn anyone, for all have sinned. I desire to show MERCY and GRACE to all who believe in Me." 
If He was spelling out each person's name, did they watch in disbelief and wonder what was going on? Did they whisper to one another, "How does He know my name?" Again, if this was the case, I can only image what was going through their minds.
Not recognizing His mercy, these men were bent on pointing their finger, judging and condemning this woman. After all, The Law of Moses permitted them to stone 'such a woman'...Their religious pride blocked them from seeing their own sin and it demanded an answer from Jesus.
Jesus stood up, looked them in the eyes and spoke, "Let the one who has never sinned throw the first stone."
One by one these religious men dropped their stones and the people in the crowd dropped their heads, because they were SINNERS too. Jesus was the only One in the crowd that had NEVER sinned.  So being without sin, He was the only One with the right to throw the first stone... As a matter of fact, He had the right to condemn all who were in the crowd that day. But instead Jesus, sinless Son of God, showed them all mercy. Mercy rippled through the crowd that day and the woman, broken and ashamed, immediately felt His mercy and recognized Jesus as Lord when He said to her, "Nor do I accuse you. Go and sin no more." I wonder how many others HEARD his words of mercy and were impacted for all eternity that day?

You see, people have not changed. We are quick to point the finger and judge someone else's visible sin, all the while acting as though we are innocent because our sins have not been exposed. We are quick to say in our condescending voice, "I can't believe they did that! I would never do such a thing!" or "She thinks she's holier-than-thou". People, no matter which direction you are pointing, it's still a judging finger!

Nor had God changed! Through His Holy eyes, "All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23). “For God loved the world in this way: He gave His One and Only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send His Son into the world that He might condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through Him" (John 3:16-17). 

Jesus' words of mercy echoes throughout all time and humble, repentant hearts will hear Him say, "Go and sin no more." This doesn't mean we will never sin again, it simply means that we desire to turn from our sin and live according to God's will, not our own. I know personally, when I sin, it breaks His heart and therefore, breaks mine. However, when we continue a sinful lifestyle, it magnifies US and diminishes Him! The watching world only sees, "God doesn't have the power to change lives." Mercy changed the adulteress woman that day! Mercy gave her a new identity when Jesus compelled her to turned from her sinful life and follow Him.  Mercy calls each of us to do the same! After all, we are all "adulterous" people in need of His mercy!

Mercy is not giving people what they deserve. Grace us giving us what we don't deserve.
"But when the kindness of God our Savior and His love for mankind appeared, He saved us, not  on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy" (Titus 3:4-5).
"For by grace you have been saved through faith" (Ephesians 2:8).

Father God, forgive me for pointing my finger and acting as if I do not sin. I know I am a sinner saved by Your grace. Forgive me of my hidden sins and the sins that are exposed. Help me to go and sin no more so that the world watching sees the power of Your saving grace! Empty me of self, filling me with Your Holy Spirit so that I can be used by You to draw others to Your Majesty!
Lord, help me to extend mercy and grace to others and love all people as You love a sinner like me. In Jesus' Name I pray!

A Christmas Miracle!

Around this time 5 years ago, my mom was diagnosed with with stage IV lung cancer. The Doctors only gave her 6-8 months to live so I was determined to be with her as long as I could, no matter the cost. My husband and children stayed in Florida while I traveled to Missouri to be with my mom. I was truly blessed by my work which allowed me to transfer to a center close to my mom :)

As many of you know with Christmas, there is an added pressure to work more so that you are able to buy your loved ones gifts. Well, all our money went to me traveling and helping my mom with her prescriptions. On top of that I was only able to work about 20 hours a week because I took mom to her doctors appointments, radiation treatments, and to the hospital.  

With Christmas just a few weeks away, I was going to have to tell our kids that they wouldn't have any Christmas presents. I remember talking to my daughter on the phone and telling her that I was praying for a miracle and that we simply couldn't afford gifts this year. She said, "Mom I just want to see grandma and you for Christmas. I don't need any gifts."
I,of course, cried! I said, "Baby, God knows our heart's desire and He will provide according to His will. If He wants you all to be here, He will get you here!"

A few days later I received an email from my daughter's cheer-leading coach. She asked,"How can we pray for your family and what is one thing that each of your kids really want for Christmas? We want them to have something for Christmas so where can I send the presents? We know your family is going through a lot right now and we want to help lighten your burden."

I was humbled and began to weep. This woman barely knew us. We had only been in Florida and at Westminster Academy a few months. "Why would this family want to do this?" Many thoughts went through my mind. What can I ask her to pray about and what do my kids really want...I replied to her email with a few prayer requests and a couple items my kids had on their list. 

The only thing I wanted for Christmas was to have my family with me in Missouri. The reality of this happening seemed impossible! I prayed and others were praying for God to make a way...and I'm here to SHOUT IT FROM THE ROOF TOPS, He made a way! My husband was called to the office of the Head Master, and the school provided the money for us to purchase plane tickets for all four of our kids! That's right! GOD MADE A WAY! Not only that but within a week, a package came to my brother's home for my kids! 

Matthew 19:26, "But Jesus looked at them and said, “With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”

One tradition that our family looks forward to every year; we all gather around the tree and under our tree we have a manger scene. We then read Luke chapter two, praise God for sending Jesus to be our Lord and Savior, and then each of us take a piece of paper and write something we want to give to Jesus for His birthday.

Christmas 2008, in Richmond, Missouri, my kids and I sat in my brother's living room before everyone got up and did just that but without my husband, who was coaching an all-star game in South Carolina, and without the manger. It was sad because he wasn't there but it was still a very special moment. My oldest son read the story of Jesus' birth, we thanked God for all that He had provided us, then we gave our "gift" to Jesus.  After lots of tears my kids opened their gifts from "Santa" and we were all full of joy, unspeakable JOY!

We can never repay the kindness and compassion that was shown to our family during one of the most difficult times of my life! I can never give a monetary amount of money to suffice the purchase of four plane tickets to get my kids to Missouri from south Florida that Christmas day. I will always be full of gratitude towards these "strangers" that took the time to pray for us and then became the vessel for God to answer our prayers and allow our kids the opportunity to spend Christmas with their grandma!

Christmas is about being a vessel to bless another...whether you know them or not...be that vessel for God to answer someone's prayers. Then you will understand that it is more of a blessing to give than receive! Maybe you can be the answer that allows for a Christmas Miracle! 

Blessings to you and yours during this Christmas season!

CHRISTmas for the CHRISTian!

The Lord was speaking to my heart about how we, as Christ followers, celebrate the birth of our Savior that Holy Night thousands of years ago. Why do I get sucked into what everyone else does or expects during a time that should be sacred to the Believer?
The awe of Jesus' birth has been replaced with awe of Santa Claus...the treasured gifts of the wise men have been replaced by mountains of gifts under our trees...the wonder and fear of the shepherds that Holy Night has been replaced by the wonder and fear of missing out on a one night sale...and The Spirit of CHRISTmas has been replaced with the Magic of the Holidays.

We live in a country that has commercialized Christmas; therefore, the TRUE meaning has been belittled and even cast out of our society. We say, "Merry Christmas" or "Happy Holidays" and celebrate with Santa, elves, decorated trees, lights, outdoor pop-ups, and presents galore. We're willing to go into debt, and not pay our bills just to buy more stuff and call it "celebrating" Christmas. Oh, and then, we add a little "baby Jesus in the manger" nativity set and even attend a Christmas service just to suffice our Christian religion.

But what if there were no Christmas trees, decorations, lights, Santa and his elves, no presents...What would the American Christmas look like? Would there be a "Christmas spirit" or would the holiday seem bleak? Unfortunately, I believe that if we did not celebrate the commercialized holiday, there would be a "dark cloud of Holiday despair" among Americans, yes, even Christians.

I have personally experienced this, "dark cloud of Holiday despair" when we couldn't afford the gifts our children put on that infamous list. As a parent of four, I often do whatever it takes to make Christmas special for my kids, and I get stuck in "commercial land" and believe they will only be happy with lots of gifts under the tree on Christmas morning.

I even went back in time to my own childhood, where a single mom on welfare raised her kids to the best of her ability and resources. I remember when we didn't have presents under the tree, and I thought Santa only visited the rich kids, or I must have been on Santa's naughty list A LOT! This commercialized holiday we call Christmas, has become a time of depression for many adults and sadness for children for various reasons.

Worst of all, when people from other countries see our Holiday celebrations throughout the month of December, they believe we are celebrating the coming of the New Year...How sad to think that we have become so materialistic that this once Christian nation is no longer shining forth the birth of God's One and Only Son, Jesus. Instead we scream "Bigger is Better", accumulate as much stuff as you can and if your home can't fit it all, go out and rent a storage unit...SAD!

How do you feel about our commercialized American Christmas? How do you and I make it truly about Christ and His Holy Birth? When it's all said and done, The Greatest Gift you and I can give to a hurting world is the True meaning of CHRISTmas lived out in our lives, after all we are CHRISTians!

I hope I am not the only one who feels this conviction??

"Oh Holy Night, the stars are brightly shining
 It is the night of our dear Savior's birth"