Psalm 50:1-6 - "Gracefully Broken"

The Lord woke me up once again with "Here I am Lord, arms wide open..." going through my mind. They were going through it all day yesterday with a feeling of contentment. At first I thought maybe I was doing something wrong or not doing something I should be or not having the right attitude of submission. Then my spirit felt a completion or contentment that made me realize He was just blessing me. Psalm 50 is about the glory of God that will come on the day of Judgement. This is where He took me this morning. He stopped me to ponder on the first six verses. I read the words of Matthew Henry on this Scripture...

This psalm is a psalm of instruction. It tells of the coming of Christ and the day of judgment, in which God will call men to account; and the Holy Ghost is the Spirit of judgement. All the children of men are concerned to know the right way of worshipping the Lord, in spirit and in truth. In the great day, our God shall come, and make those hear his judgement who would not hearken to his law. Happy are those who come into the covenant of grace, by faith in the Redeemer's atoning sacrifice, and show the sincerity of their love by fruits of righteousness.

It is interesting that Henry says "the Holy Ghost is the Spirit of judgement." In thinking of the Trinity I never thought about the Holy Spirit being a part of judgement. I always thought God the Father would be the One to give judgement. Jesus died for everyone's sins to be in submission to His Father God and Jesus would be the One to come back to give judgement.  This is just another aspect to think about in studying the Trinity. The most important thing is not which part of it will bring judgement but that I am ready for Him. I want to be sure I am "aligned" with His will. That is why I pray every morning for Him to cleanse me so He can fill me. It is why I desire to worship Him "in spirit and in truth" (Henry). It is why I strive to love with His love so fruit will show through my life. 

Dear Jesus,
Thank You for Your love, mercy and grace that enable me to be Your servant. Thank You for yesterday and the laughs we had around the dinner table as we shared stories with dear friends and family. Thank You for the sunshine that is shining today but most of all for You being the Sonshine of my life. Father, I pray for a cleansing in my spirit so You can shine from me in a mighty way today. Thank You for improvement in Beth. I continue to pray for a healing in her spirit. Thank You for improvement in Jerry who I continue to pray for strength not only for him but his family. Thank You for the physical strength You will give me today. Thank You for being My Sonshine. Amen.

Galatians 5:25 - "Gracefully Broken"

As I went over the bridge last night on the way back home from having ice cream with Miss Beverly and the girls I broke out repeatedly with...

Here I am, God
Arms wide open
Pouring out my life
Gracefully broken

I was in awe of the way the Holy Spirit's presence came down over me in such a powerful way. These words just kept coming out of the me over and over. I felt such a sense of excitement. I am so blessed to be living in His presence. He continues to give me not only physical strength but mental, emotional, financial and most of all spiritual. He knows what I need and gives it to me at the exact time I need it. He blesses me in ways I would never have thought of. The word 'broken' is often associated as being a negative but it is a definite 'positive' when it comes to what God in and for us. The song starts...

God will break you to position
He will break you to promote you
And break you to put you in your right place
But when He breaks you He doesn't hurt you, He doesn't
When He breaks you He does it with; grace
Anybody been gracefully broken?

"Right place"...that does not mean just the physical place He puts you but it means the right state of mind, the right desire in the heart and spirit, the right attitude...the right everything. There will still be times one's humanness will come out but they will be less and less the more one allows Him to break them. I love these words in this song...

My heart stands in awe of Your name
Your mighty love stands strong to the end
You will fulfill Your purpose in me
You won't forsake me, You will be with me

This is the emotion I went through last night. I was in awe. I was surprised by the outburst of the song yet I was blessed. I desire for Him to fulfill His will in my life. I feel His love in a mighty way throughout my day. I know He is always with me. We are in constant communion. As Doc said the other night, that is the key to be in relationship with Him. My physical body may be tired and feel worn but my spiritual body is on fire. There is such freedom in such relationship with Him. 

Dear Jesus,
Thank You for last night's experience. Thank You for the full night's rest. Lord, I pray for more of Your Holy Spirit to take over me. I desire for a cleansing in my Spirit so that can happen. I also desire You to ooze out of me in a different, new way. Father, I thank You for the answer to many prayers for my dear friend Norma. I thank You for her faith that opened these doors. Father, I pray for more people to have such faith. I pray for more people to have experiences like I had last night. I continue to pray for Beth and Bill who not only need a physical healing but most of all a spiritual healing. I also pray for Betty, Jerry and Mike who need a physical touch from You. Lord, wherever You lead me today I pray You will use me to be a beacon of light for You. I pray for Doc to be beacon of light in the workplace today. Lord, use us to make a difference in our little world. Thank You Jesus for being My Breaker. Amen.

Joel 2:28/Acts 2:17-21 - "Believer"

Last night in Bible study Doc gave 'homework' to take a step closer to God this next week. He talked about communication being key in our relationship with God. He gave the example of how we, as parents of adult children, desire to have communication with them. God is the same with us. His desire is to be in communication with us all the time. There are some barriers to such communication. Sin in our lives can be a barrier. Another barrier is our 'busyness' which is a sin in itself. Another one can be unbelief or lack of faith. It is important to daily ask for a cleansing of any such barriers so He can fill us up with His Spirit. I started thinking about what it would look like if all believers took a step closer to Him. What it would look like in a corporate body of believers if all the members took such a step. It would look like the early church in the book of Acts. There would be excitement and anticipation of gathering together instead of feeling like it was something that had to be done. There would be sharing with all in His love. There would be new converts regularly. Miracles would no longer be few and far between but instead would flow fluently. People would not shy away from prayer meetings but instead there would be multiple ones throughout the week. Clocks would no longer rule church services but instead the Holy Spirit would have free reign. Worship would no longer be just for Sundays but instead would happen 24/7. It also would no longer be dead but would be joyful. The prophecy of Joel and later proclaimed by Peter would happen. I know of some bodies of believers who are experiencing this type of setting on different levels. Some have seen a glimpse of it while others seem to be getting the just of what it means to be living close to God. I desire to not only be in such a relationship personally but also with my Christian brothers and sisters. The end goal for all should be living for eternity for the Lord. I can't see any better way than starting such living while on this earth.

Dear Jesus,
Thank You for the Bible study last night. Thank You for leading Doc to this teaching. Father, I pray for a cleansing in my spirit so Your Spirit can fill me to over flowing. I pray for more believers to have such desire in their heart as well. Lord, set hearts on fire for Your glory. I pray for those who are dealing with pain to have relief. I pray for those recuperating from surgery to have Your strength. I pray for those grieving to have Your peace. Most of all I pray for those who do not believe to have someone go before them today so they can come into relationship with You. I also pray for those who do believe to take a step closer to You. Father, thank You for being My Now and Later. Amen.

Psalm 51 - "Find You On My Knees"

The Lord took me to Psalm 51 this morning to ponder upon. This Psalm is significant for anyone who has repented and accepted Him in their life. Verses ten is one I remember from Sunday School growing up. I love the word picture The Message gives in verses ten through fifteen. The cleansing one receives when allowing God into their life is complete. They are given a 'clean slate' so to speak. The past is just that...the past. Once accepting Him, the enemy tries to get them back by bringing up things they previously did. As a new believer it is hard. But we must remember that God has taken those things away. He desires to make something new in our life. He gives us the opportunity to see our life in a different way. We just have to accept it. There are many who say they have too many bad things or are too unloveable for God to accept them. That is the furthest thing to the truth. He already knows our sins. He already knows how far we have gone into the depths of hell. In this Psalm, David wrote of receiving the joy of salvation. To receive such joy one must realize it cannot be achieved by their own power. One can look around and see people seeking joy through others, money, prestige, career, etc. But true joy cannot be found except through Jesus. Once again the enemy does not like when we have true joy. He chisels away on us trying to take our joy away. One must stay strong in their salvation. The only way to do that is to stay strong in relationship with God. Daily soaking in His Word is key. The beginning of this passage in The Message reads, "Soak me in your laundry and I'll come out clean, scrub me and I'll have a snow-white life." Yes! I want soaked every day! Every morning I pray for a cleansing and a filling of Him. The enemy uses guilt, God cleanses guilt away. The enemy uses shame, God cleanses shame away. God is greater than anything the enemy can put before us. My prayers have been so heavy recently for many who need to come to this realization....

• the older gentleman with health issues, living in blatant sin, and refusing to accept the Lord
• the young gentleman who was raised living for the Lord yet as wandered away
• the lady who was raised knowing who Jesus was yet took the road of drugs and is now fighting for her life
• the man who was raised living for the Lord yet has lived a life of sin for so many years and pretends he is spiritually OK
• the mother separated from her children as she is in prison who needs to feel Jesus' love...oh how I pray someone will share Him with her
• the young lady with multiple issues who knows Jesus yet has not fully relied on Him
• the mother who was raised in and out of church and continues to make bad choices with her children
• the mother living with another man instead of her husband

I also am praying for many who are going through tough days but continue to rely on the Lord's strength. I pray they will not only keep their joy but realize it in a mighty way...

• my sister Linda who is awaiting hip surgery and in pain
• my friend Mike who had knee replacement
• a pastor couple who recently had a new baby and the same week the Daddy was diagnosed with a brain tumor
• the Knox family as they continue Jerry's health battles
• the Flack family as they continue the grieving process over the death of Baby Everly
• a dear friend as she deals with issues with her parents; another friend as she deals with failing health of her Mother
• the Armstrong family on the mission field

Dear Jesus,

Thank You for the way You answered my prayers with a difficult situation yesterday. I realize how important it is to wait on Your time and not try to manipulate situations. Thank You for the time we had with the children and teens last night. Thank You for my Momma getting to experience them. Lord, this morning I pray for a cleansing in my spirit. I pray for a renewal in not only my physical body but most importantly my spiritual body. I pray for a sweetness of You to overtake me today. May You ooze out of me in a way so great that people will not only see and hear You but also smell You. Thank You Jesus for being My Aroma. Amen.

I John 4:4b - "Your Love Defends Me"

I woke up during the night and then again this morning with these words to "Your Love Defends Me" going through my mind...

Surely my God is the strength of my soul
Your love defends me, Your love defends me

The word defend means to protect. I know the Lord protects me in more ways than I can even comprehend. There are ways I do know such as the deer who stayed beside the road instead of going in front of me last night. I am sure there are also unknown ways. I do know His love surrounds me at all times and protects me from things that will pull me down into the depths of hell.

Day after day, night after night
I will remember, You're with me in this fight
Although the battle, it rages on
The war is already won
I know the war is already won

My God is greater than anything! He is greater than issues with people. He is greater than physical, emotional, or financial issues. He is greater than dealing with the 'junk' of this world. Plain and simple. He is greater! Woo hoo!

Dear Jesus,
Thank You for the reminder this morning that You are greater than anything that comes my way today. I pray for a cleansing in my spirit so You can fill me to overflowing with more of You. I pray for Your words, actions, and attitude to take over my entire being. Keep my focus on You so I do not miss any opportunity to share Your love with all I meet today. I also pray for Your wisdom as I do my school work; Your strength in my physical body; and Your discernment as I deal with a situation. May You empower me in every aspect of life but especially the spiritual. Thank You Jesus for being My Greatest! Amen.

Ephesians 6:10-17 - "Point To You"

It has been a night of praying. The first time the Lord woke me was at midnight. He told me to pray for one who was contemplating suicide. I prayed and prayed for quite awhile and then fell back to sleep. He woke me up a couple more times and now here it is 4:30 and I'm still praying. Sometimes I do not understand when someone's soul is teetering on heaven and hell why He doesn't just snap His fingers and 'fix it.' The words to a We Are Messengers song keep going through my head...

How can I forgive when I can't forgive myself
How can I move on when all I have is regrets
How can I fix you when I keep turning away
How can I make it past the noise with my shame

I need a miracle
Some healing for my heart
I need a revelation
A brand new start
I want simplicity
Where I can rest
But I need a miracle to put my past to death

This person He has me praying for needs to allow Him to help them. As I prayed, my words kept coming back to this person needing to feel His love. I prayed for them to not only feel it but to accept it. Too many times we, as humans, beat ourselves up to the point where there is no room for the Lord. There must be room in our heart for Him. As I prayed for this person, evil kept showing up in weird ways whenever I fell asleep. There was ugliness shown through people in dreams. There was a sense of evil surrounding people. I don't remember ever experiencing such a night. I prayed the armor of God to take over this person. I prayed for the belt of truth to be around their waist; the breastplate of righteousness to be over them; the shoes of peace to be upon their feet; the sword of the spirit to be in their hands; the helmet of salvation to take over their being; the shield of faith to become real to them; and I prayed they would find a way to pray for the Lord to take over their situation.

Dear Jesus,
Thank You for using me to pray for this individual who is so desperate. I know You don't really need my prayers to take care of the situation but I also know there was a reason for waking me repeatedly. Lord, stretch my faith. Take me deeper in relationship with You. Cleanse me so You can fill me. I pray I do not hear of one today that has been taken over by the evil one. If I do, I pray Your love will be greater than the depths of hell this person has gone through while on this earth. Use me today in a different, new way so people will see Your love flow from me. Thank You Jesus for being My Armor. Amen.

Romans 8:28 - "For The Sake of the Call"

The Lord woke me up at 1:30 to pray for pastors who are filling the pulpit for others today. I know there are many since this is the weekend of the Ministry Retreat here in South Carolina. He had me pray for those who were feeling a little apprehensive over it and those who were feeling very apprehensive. He had me pray for those who were doing it for the first time. He also had me pray for pastors who left retreat early because they felt like they had to be in the pulpit themselves. Some people think being a pastor is easy. Many think being a pastor involves just preaching on Sunday and doing a funeral or wedding now and then. Many do not realize what all a pastor has on their plate nor the hours put into the ministry. I have taken on a deeper respect for bi-vocational pastors since Doc is now one. There are no 'days off' since he is bi-vacational. He has vacation time from the church but only just recently received a few days from his regular job. Being bi-vocational means needing to use those 'vacation' days to attend ministry events instead of using them for a true vacation. Working Monday through Friday at his job and Saturday and Sunday for ministry leaves no regular day off. There has to be creativity to carve out time off. A few hours in an afternoon/evening are one way that can be accomplished. But even then if there is an emergency that doesn't happen. Men and women who are pastoring, finishing up school, and working a secular job have to be very careful to carve out 'down' time. There has to be a time of rest, renewal, and a time with family or one will crash. God did not create anyone to go full steam ahead twenty-four/seven without filling their tank. First, there must be daily time with the Lord. Second, there must be time with family. Third, there must be wisdom on what to put on the calendar. Fourth, there must be boundaries set in relationships. When one is plugged into God, they will be able to accomplish these things in a way that will make it easier than if not. They also will not be frazzled but instead be at peace with life. 

Dear Jesus,
Thank You for waking me to pray for those filling in preaching today. Thank You for being close to them and encouraging them. Oh how I pray for them to realize You are their strength, there is nothing to be fearful of. I pray against the enemy giving doubt or using people to cause them to feel like they have failed when they are done. Lord, I pray for people of encouragement to surround them. Father, I also pray for pastors at retreat to be renewed and refreshed from this weekend. I pray for pastors who are feeling disheartened to be given words of hope. I pray for those who are drained to be filled. Lord, I also pray for the pastor and wife who are on a mission trip to be blessed in abundance. I pray for my pastor friend in Ohio who is recuperating from knee replacement surgery to have Your strength in every aspect of his life. Father, I pray for pastors who are going through difficult times in their church to realize it is only in Your power they will come out victorious. Lord, I pray for my husband who works so hard in his new role as a bi-vocational pastor. I pray for open doors for him to share the Gospel in his workplace. I also pray for open doors with the building project. Lord, I ask for a cleansing in my spirit so I can be filled with more of You. I pray You will give me greater insight into how I can lighten Doc's load. I also pray for a continued encouragement as I work on school. Open my mind up to all You have in store for me to learn. Thank You Jesus for being The One To Call Me. Amen.