Day Twenty-Eight and Day Twenty-Nine
"who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory."
Ephesians 1:14
When Jesus went to the cross, he paid for your sins and bought you back from the destruction of the world and all that is in it. Because of it, you now share in his inheritance of all of the spiritual blessings and, yes, heaven itself. The guarantee, that shows the world that you are indeed God's son, daughter, prince, or princess, is the Holy Spirit. And, that was given freely to you the moment Jesus breathed his last, forgave your sins, and you accepted him into your heart.
That "until we acquire possession of it" is up to us. Salvation is a free gift based on the sacrifice of his life that Jesus paid for our sins. But, he gives us the free choice to turn from our wickednesss and turn to him and receive forgiveness, healing, and wholeness. So, is that worth it to you? Give you your pet sin for the reality of eternal communion and relationship with the Father. Your choice? The offer stands today...
Know that, you, even before choosing him, are the praise of his glory. That as you go about your day, in every circumstance, he sings love songs over you and praises your creation. He knit you together in love and patiently awaits for your heart to turn to him and come to him. His arms are wide open. Receive him today, and be free from your suffering.
"We have spoken freely to you, Corinthians(insert your name here); our heart is wide open. You are not restricted by us, but you are restricted in your own affections. In return, (I speak to you as children) widen your hearts also." 2 Corinthians 6:11
Showing posts with label wholeness. Show all posts
Showing posts with label wholeness. Show all posts
Thursday, December 29, 2011
Saturday, December 3, 2011
God The Healer: Day Three: God is with you
Day Three
“Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ, by the will of God” Ephesians 1:1
I believe wholeheartedly that recovery can only come through the work of the Lord working in us and revealing to us our shortcomings and sin. God alone can take a hurting lonely person and transform them into one that is whole, healthy, and of use to the kingdom of heaven. Furthermore, you need God to make you a new person
If in the midst of your pain and suffering you feel distance from the Lord, know that He is Emmanuel, God with us. Trust in the promise of Jesus’ words that He will never leave you nor forsake you. Trust in His words in Matthew 28:20, “And lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” He is the eternal present and is with you right now in this moment. Study Philippians 4:6-7, “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” Believe that God has sent the Holy Spirit to dwell within you and He will bring to your remembrance the truths that you need for each moment. Pray these promises and scriptures into your heart so they can become the air that you breathe.
Now, turn to Psalm 139:7-12 and meditate on the meaning of these verses, what God is speaking to you. Then, cry out to the Lord and ask for relief from your pain. Be honest, for he hears you and is attentive to your cry.
“Where can I go from Your Spirit?
Or where can I flee from your presence?
If I ascend into heaven, You are there;
If I make my bed in hell behold, You are there.
If I take the wings of the morning,
And dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,,
Even there your hand shall lead me,
And your right hand shall hold me.
If I say, “Surely the darkness shall fall on
me,”
Even the night shall be light about me;
Indeed, the darkness shall not hide from You,
But the night shines as the day;
The darkness and the light are both alike
to You.
Psalm 139:7-16
Write out your prayer on the lines below.
“The Lord is near to those who have a broken-heart, and saves such as have a contrite spirit.”
Psalm 34:18
Friday, November 4, 2011
In Spirit and In Truth
Dinner time approaches and I haven't even practiced my singing for my audition next Tuesday, not enough hours in the day. Every time I look for work, the door seems to get slammed shut, for no apparent reason. Or, its just more of the waiting game. The waiting game. Don't you just love the waiting game? Whatever your spiritual belief or in fact if you have none, you still hate the waiting game. Its like waiting room, where you keep waiting for your name or number to be called, so you can just get the hell out of there and get on with your life, because of course your mind races with all the other things you have to do that day. Well, that reminds me of something that Bill and I have been reading in our daily devotionals: Be still! and KNOW--I AM--GOD. Notice, the emphasis on the word "still", and how often do we complain, bipolar or no, how unstill our minds are.
Whatever the emphasis of spirituality, all those in leadership say that there should be some emphasis on stillness, prayer, readying your heart to hear from God. And that God is not this grand explosion we should all be looking up for, but that something that starts calling us from the inside, tugging at our in most heartstrings. Is he tugging at yours? He's tugging at mine. It reminds me of a scripture I read this morning:
"But the hour is now coming, and is now here, when true worshipers will worship the Father in Spirit and in Truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship Him. God is Spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth."
Throughout this day, I have dealt with enough tension to drive even my 6 month old kitten away from my presence, and yes, the attivan helps get through the day, but it wasn't until I quieted myself with a good book and a glass of Cranberry juice. (All natural, no sugar, organic, can we say, Cranberry cleanse?) I picked up The Feminine Face Of God and was taken to their chapter on tools for the sacred garden. This book inspired me when it said:
"Just as any plot of soil with seeds and sun and water can become a garden if there is a gardener, so can our lives come to spiritual maturity if we are willing to cultivitate them. To cultivate, in its root form, means to inhabit, to dwell within. Learning how to live the dailiness of our own lives while opening continually to the sacred seems to take practice--practice in opening, practice in listening, practice in waiting. Practice also in obeying our inner direction,in speaking out when we are moved to do so, and in accepting responsibility and authority when we are called upon to be bold. And practice also means celebrating and expressing gratitude and "making a joyful song unto the Lord". When we enter such practices wholeheartedly, we bring to life another root meaning of cultivate: worship."
One thing that surprised me, well actually, it didn't. See, my time in the Calvary Chapel world was spent mainly on my knees, not in sexual posing, but in prayerful repentence for that act. I think many of my friends of that age were doing the same thing, just not admitting it. And, yet, we pretend to be super spiritual and not talk about our indiscretions in anyway, that might damage our image of perfect sainthood. So, we don't talk about what is really going on, which for the most part is, sex. We don't talk about what is really going on in our heads, which for the most part is, sex.
This book writes: "I think the big, awful secret of the church and the synagogue today is that many of the religious don't know how to pray. Sexuality is a minor issue next to this. And, indeed, we seem to be much more comfortable talking about our sex lives than we are sharing information with each other about how we pray. Perhaps this is because praying may be the most personal and intimate thing we do. To pray is to be vulnerable. And in deep, personal prayer we come to know our vulnerabilities in a way that strips us of all our defenses and pretenses. That which is our very essence calls us into communion with mystery, and this joining is a supremely intimate experience."
So, the church should be more open about their sex life. Most of you readers know that I had illicit affairs before marriage and because of the church held great shame in my heart because of that. Well, this all changed when I met my husband, who I did have sex with before marriage...but with him, it was truly like saying a prayer. There were some times when we were making love where we were united with God and could feel his presence with us.
But, to be clear, sex doesn't mean love and I had to kiss a lot of frogs before I found my prince, also I had to wait eight years for that prince to come back to me. But, girls, please don't think that because I say that prayer is like sex to go off and have sex with anyone and everyone. That isn't the point, and I can assure you, will only end in pain.
But, what I want you to understand is this, I wish I had waited, not with my husband, but with the guys that came before him. Because, and here we go back to the waiting room, I sat in that room and didn't look around for one guy for threee years. I chose celibacy in order to get healthy and be whole. I chose to focus, to pray, to meditate, and to listen for the Lord to bring the one into my life. (And I can go back to the days before, when I swore the Lord gave me a promise that this one was the one I would marry). But, still I had to wait, in that waiting room, with the old magazines with the perfumed ripped out of them and the crying babies, well, I learned to always take a book. And I read, and read, and read. And I learned a little something about myself, and about God, and about Jesus, and about others, and I also learned that I have way more to learn.
"And thus Abraham, having patiently waited, obtained the promise."
And in the waiting, I learned that the waiting is sometimes the best place for us, the most growing place. Its the place that prepared me to be a wife because even with the trials I went through this last week, the attacks, and the tension, I know who my God is and I know that when trials come, as they do, you get on your knees and you pray, and when you do, God hears. Well, God heard my prayers this week, and lots of doors got open with my mind, heart, and emotions, but also with our finances. A job hasn't dropped into my hands yet but we will pray about that too. And it'll come. Good things come to those who wait.
And when I get downcast, weary, or depressed, I can turn to Hebrews and hear God tug at my heart, saying:
"We who have fled for refuge might have strong encouragement to hold fast to the anchor of our soul, a hope that enters into the inner place behind the curtain."
So, dear friends, remember I am praying for you, drop me a line if you need a prayer...oh, and remember when you pray, remember to listen.
Whatever the emphasis of spirituality, all those in leadership say that there should be some emphasis on stillness, prayer, readying your heart to hear from God. And that God is not this grand explosion we should all be looking up for, but that something that starts calling us from the inside, tugging at our in most heartstrings. Is he tugging at yours? He's tugging at mine. It reminds me of a scripture I read this morning:
"But the hour is now coming, and is now here, when true worshipers will worship the Father in Spirit and in Truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship Him. God is Spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth."
Throughout this day, I have dealt with enough tension to drive even my 6 month old kitten away from my presence, and yes, the attivan helps get through the day, but it wasn't until I quieted myself with a good book and a glass of Cranberry juice. (All natural, no sugar, organic, can we say, Cranberry cleanse?) I picked up The Feminine Face Of God and was taken to their chapter on tools for the sacred garden. This book inspired me when it said:
"Just as any plot of soil with seeds and sun and water can become a garden if there is a gardener, so can our lives come to spiritual maturity if we are willing to cultivitate them. To cultivate, in its root form, means to inhabit, to dwell within. Learning how to live the dailiness of our own lives while opening continually to the sacred seems to take practice--practice in opening, practice in listening, practice in waiting. Practice also in obeying our inner direction,in speaking out when we are moved to do so, and in accepting responsibility and authority when we are called upon to be bold. And practice also means celebrating and expressing gratitude and "making a joyful song unto the Lord". When we enter such practices wholeheartedly, we bring to life another root meaning of cultivate: worship."
One thing that surprised me, well actually, it didn't. See, my time in the Calvary Chapel world was spent mainly on my knees, not in sexual posing, but in prayerful repentence for that act. I think many of my friends of that age were doing the same thing, just not admitting it. And, yet, we pretend to be super spiritual and not talk about our indiscretions in anyway, that might damage our image of perfect sainthood. So, we don't talk about what is really going on, which for the most part is, sex. We don't talk about what is really going on in our heads, which for the most part is, sex.
This book writes: "I think the big, awful secret of the church and the synagogue today is that many of the religious don't know how to pray. Sexuality is a minor issue next to this. And, indeed, we seem to be much more comfortable talking about our sex lives than we are sharing information with each other about how we pray. Perhaps this is because praying may be the most personal and intimate thing we do. To pray is to be vulnerable. And in deep, personal prayer we come to know our vulnerabilities in a way that strips us of all our defenses and pretenses. That which is our very essence calls us into communion with mystery, and this joining is a supremely intimate experience."
So, the church should be more open about their sex life. Most of you readers know that I had illicit affairs before marriage and because of the church held great shame in my heart because of that. Well, this all changed when I met my husband, who I did have sex with before marriage...but with him, it was truly like saying a prayer. There were some times when we were making love where we were united with God and could feel his presence with us.
But, to be clear, sex doesn't mean love and I had to kiss a lot of frogs before I found my prince, also I had to wait eight years for that prince to come back to me. But, girls, please don't think that because I say that prayer is like sex to go off and have sex with anyone and everyone. That isn't the point, and I can assure you, will only end in pain.
But, what I want you to understand is this, I wish I had waited, not with my husband, but with the guys that came before him. Because, and here we go back to the waiting room, I sat in that room and didn't look around for one guy for threee years. I chose celibacy in order to get healthy and be whole. I chose to focus, to pray, to meditate, and to listen for the Lord to bring the one into my life. (And I can go back to the days before, when I swore the Lord gave me a promise that this one was the one I would marry). But, still I had to wait, in that waiting room, with the old magazines with the perfumed ripped out of them and the crying babies, well, I learned to always take a book. And I read, and read, and read. And I learned a little something about myself, and about God, and about Jesus, and about others, and I also learned that I have way more to learn.
"And thus Abraham, having patiently waited, obtained the promise."
And in the waiting, I learned that the waiting is sometimes the best place for us, the most growing place. Its the place that prepared me to be a wife because even with the trials I went through this last week, the attacks, and the tension, I know who my God is and I know that when trials come, as they do, you get on your knees and you pray, and when you do, God hears. Well, God heard my prayers this week, and lots of doors got open with my mind, heart, and emotions, but also with our finances. A job hasn't dropped into my hands yet but we will pray about that too. And it'll come. Good things come to those who wait.
And when I get downcast, weary, or depressed, I can turn to Hebrews and hear God tug at my heart, saying:
"We who have fled for refuge might have strong encouragement to hold fast to the anchor of our soul, a hope that enters into the inner place behind the curtain."
So, dear friends, remember I am praying for you, drop me a line if you need a prayer...oh, and remember when you pray, remember to listen.
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