Saturday, August 29, 2009

He is....especially when I am not


As a woman I am often at the mercy of fluctuating hormones, mood swings, and "gut feelings".
One thing that I have been trying to remind myself of every day is that God is constant, consistent, and exactly the same....no matter what mood I am in.

When I feel completely insignificant and unappreciated, I still serve El Shaddai:“God Almighty.”

When I feel like I am worthless, I am still a daughter of El Elyon: “The Most High God.”

When I am in need and cannot help myself, God is still Yahweh Jireh (Yireh): “The Lord will provide.”

When I need to make a decision and my choices are confusing, God is still Yahweh Ro’i: “The Lord my Shepherd.”

When I am anxious and frustrated and irritated and basically hard to get along with, God is still Yahweh Shalom:“The Lord is Peace.”

When I am afraid, God is still Yahweh Shammah: “The Lord is there.”

When I am at my worst, God is still at His best.

When I am in the pits of despair, Christ is still the Bright and Morning Star (Revelation 22:16).

When I am lost and tossed about, Christ is still the Cornerstone (Matthew 21:42; Ephesians 2:20).

When I do not behave in a manner that reflects the love of God, Christ is still the Faithful and True (Revelation 19:11).

When I am weary, worn out, out and tired, Christ still promises "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light." - Matthew 11:28-30

When my world seems to be falling apart and I am confused and scared to death, God still promises “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand."John 10:27-30

The bottom line is simple. God is. Christ is. Scripture is true. These are not dependant on my feelings or my mood or even my belief. It is when I can see past myself and beyond my current mood or circumstances that I can take hold of the promises that are mine to claim.

I am God's child.

I am a warrior in God's army.

I have nothing to fear because the one thing that is eternal is already mine and no one can take that from me. “No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”Romans 8:37-39

I have said several times recently that my favorite people in all the world are under attack daily right now. We have declared war on the enemy and he is not going down without a fight. We must must must remember that "in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us." and lean HEAVILY on HIM that loves us.

Most of all, in every single situation, no matter what Satan throws at me, no matter what I FEEL.....

God still is.

He is still good.

He is still all powerful.

He is still ruler of everything.

He is still victorious.

And I am His precious daughter whom He loves....LOVES!

I am wise to bask daily in the fact that I belong to the LORD Most High, Creator of the Universe, the Alpha and Omega....

And He still is....even when I am not.

Sunday, August 23, 2009

Farther down the road

Funny how things affect a person.
We did Heaven's Gates and Hell's Flames at Pearson, oh, I guess it has been 6 years ago now. We did it 2 years in a row and I was sent to hell both times. Go Figure! One year my sweet hubby played Satan. We still tease each other about him being bad for me....so bad in fact that he landed me in the pit.

But that's not what I wanted to write about. I hope I can put my thoughts into words.

When we did HG/HF at Pearson, we were told that the revival HG/HF started would not be in the people in the audience...that the ones who would be MOST effected by the drama would be the cast. We found that there is life before and after marriage, before and after High school, Before and after College, Before and after Kids, and there is life before and after Heaven's Gates/Hell's Flames.

Today I was reminded of that the experience and how much it impacted me.

My character was the secretary that goes to hell. In my role, after my friend and I die, we stand at the Pearly Gates and she goes up the steps into the arms of Jesus and on into Heaven while I am left at the bottom of the steps. In my desperation, I beg Jesus not to leave me alone. Because I did not accept Him as savior prior to my death, He leaves me...and the demons come and drag me into hell.

Flash forward 6 or so years to this morning. I was in church singing "Amazing Love" When we got to the part where we sang "You are my king...Jesus, You are my King". My mind traveled back to that first night of Heaven's Gates/Hells Flames.... specifically the moment when I fell to my knees and begged, "JESUS! Come back! PLEASE DON'T LEAVE ME!!!!!! JESUS! PLEASE! I BELIEVE IN YOU NOW!"...just before my character was taken over by demons. My heart was pricked by the reality that there are people in my life everyday who will meet Jesus for the first time after their death and they too will scream "Jesus! Please! I believe in you now!"

I am SO thankful that Jesus IS my King. I am so thankful that my sin is forgiven, my past forgotten, that my name is in the book of life and that One day I will meet Him face to face and will be able to fall at His feet and worship Him.

Our sweet little church has embarked on a road that has put our leaders in Satan's cross hairs. My dearest friends, my husband, our kids....have all been brutally attacked spiritually over the past few weeks. I believe that God Himself brought the memory to my mind from HG/HF.... staring into heaven, begging Jesus to please give me one more chance, to please not leave me alone. That's what we are doing this for. We are in the battle. We are fighting for those that will come to know Christ. We are fighting so that fewer will stand at the gates of Heaven and beg for a second chance. The people I love most in this world are on the front line, and here lately, we have been getting hammered.


For the briefest moment this morning I felt like I was in the presence of His Glory. This was different than the times I have felt Him near me personally. For the briefest moment I felt His Glory...and it was overwhelming. It was as if He wanted me to know that He is with us and, more importantly, He's in control. He's got this. All we have to do is follow and not lose heart when we get wounded...In the battle.