I Love You

I love you! (Can you receive it?)
There was a time in my life where those words struck my heart and hit a wall! I knew they came from her heart and I wanted to receive them! I don’t just say, “I love you” to anyone. And, not just anyone says they love me. This was a friend I hardly knew but I could tell she was authentic. That’s why her words caused me to examine my heart. I wondered, why does that seem so strange to me? I knew she was authentic and she was only speaking out of the overflow of her heart. Why couldn’t I receive it? I certainly could not authentically say it back to her so I was silent. I know we are called to love one another.
Fast forward to my first visit to the Healing Rooms, I was encouraged to tell the Lord I love Him. I had been walking with Jesus for more than 15 years at that point, like fervently pursuing Him. Yet, it was so difficult! I did love Him. Certainly, He is worthy of my love! I felt I were not worthy enough to love Him. I said it! I did it! Those words rolled off my tongue. As with everything He does, there was purpose in it! He was helping me remove those walls. He was helping me to not just be able to say it but to be able to authentically love Him with ALL my heart.
I had not been able to accept the fullness of His love for me. We have to know the fullness of He who first loved us before we can fully and freely give our love away. He wanted me to confess my love for Him, it needed to be done, to break my walls down.
I had put walls up around my heart because those who should have loved me authentically were not free to do so. So, now I ask you, do you love Him? Say so! Let Him know! If you don’t, it’s ok! Not long ago I searched my heart and found there were still signs of a lack of love for Him. I felt sad. But,  He meets us where we’re at and He helped me. Being authentic is crucial. He does not want lip service!
So, where are you at? Maybe in your mind you know you should “love the Lord your God with all your heart” but in all authenticity, you know you don’t! Ask the Lord to show you, are there walls you have put up to protect yourself? Ask Him to help you trust Him. He is the only one who can really be trusted. Ask the Lord to give you the grace to trust Him and He will help you to break your walls down so that you may give and receive love from others too!
His love is SO AMAZING! I’ll leave you with this sweet hymn:

‘Tis So Sweet To Trust in Jesus

'Tis so sweet to trust in Jesus,
Just to take Him at His Word
Just to rest upon His promise,
Just to know, "Thus saith the Lord!"

Jesus, Jesus, how I trust Him!
How I've proved Him o'er and o'er
Jesus, Jesus, precious Jesus!
Oh, for grace to trust Him more!

I'm so glad I learned to trust Him,
Precious Jesus, Savior, Friend
And I know that He is with me,
Will be with me to the end.

Oh, how sweet to trust in Jesus,
Just to trust His cleansing blood
And in simple faith to plunge me
'Neath the healing, cleansing flood!

Yes, 'tis sweet to trust in Jesus,
Just from sin and self to cease
Just from Jesus simply taking
Life and rest, and joy and peace.

Songwriters: William James Kirkpatrick / Canzetta Staton / Louisa M. Stead

Be still

I was imagining Jesus and saw Him standing on a seashore. I asked Him why is he standing on a seashore and he said this is where we go fishing. I laughed! I had asked Him to teach me to be a better “fisher of men”. People do not live in the sea! He showed me that the sea is where you learn to fish and the same concepts apply in fishing for men. You need bait. You find out what men are hungry for and use that as the bait. Jesus offers everything we need, not like what the world gives. People long to feel deeply satisfied. A meal will satisfy a person’s physical hunger for a few hours. A comedy film may cause us to experience some joy for an hour or two. A family may offer us a sense of belonging for a lifetime. But there is no joy, no satisfaction, that can compare to an intimate relationship with our Maker. We all long to be deeply satisfied in each area of our lives. No one wants to have mediocre relationships, unfulfilled dreams, or only temporary joy. Everyone desires to believe that their time on earth was meaningful.  We want to come the end of our lives knowing that the time we spent here made a difference. As I have entered the second half of my life, I desire to make the most of every opportunity, to not waste my time. I want to live my life to the fullest and experience everything this world has to offer but more importantly, serve the one who put me here and fulfill His purpose for my presence here. There is nothing that can compare to the deep satisfaction that I feel from knowing my Lord. So, of course, I want to share what I have with others. Naturally, I want to see everyone enter into this type of deep understanding, fulfilling, “beyond my wildest dreams”, intimate, love relationship with Him! Like all relationships, and things that matter, they take work. It's not a “wham bam, thank you, mamm” type of deal. To know and be known is the goal. He is worth the work. If you are struggling in your relationship with the Lord, take heart, there is not anything He wants more than to be known by you! I believe that no matter how much you think you know how He loves you, the actual fact, is that He loves you way more than you could ever imagine. The fact that, “bad” things happen in the world, or even to you personally, or those you love, has absolutely nothing to do with it! I hear that all the time. It just deflects from the truth that you were made for a purpose and that purpose is to know your Maker. To know Him is to love Him.

If you haven’t yet given your life to Jesus Christ or your relationship is broken and you are feeling less than satisfied, take a moment to “be still” and know that He is God. Step into a new place with Him right now. He is right there waiting for you.

Mission and About:

The purpose of this group is to train and equip women to be mighty and effective warriors for the Kingdom of God, to be leaders in their communities who stand for morality, justice, compassion, generosity, and self-sacrifice.

We stand for Truth. We stand for Reason. In a world that has lost touch with reality and needs Jesus!

Isaiah 58:6-7 tells us to, “free those who are wrongly imprisoned, lighten the burden of those who work for you, let the oppressed go free, remove the chains that bind people, share your food with the hungry, give shelter to the homeless, give clothes to those who need them, and do not hide from relatives who need your help.

Any individual is not capable of achieving all of these great tasks alone but when we stand together in unity, with Christ as our cornerstone, nothing is impossible!

I originally received the idea for this ministry based off the verse in Luke 10:6 which reads, If a (wo)man of peace is there, your peace will rest on him, but if not it will return to you. At that time, I was not ready, I did not even know what to do. God is saying NOW is the time, I have called you to be a voice among the women, who are my children, to raise them up to walk in My ways.  God says, Peace I leave with you, my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Your heart must not be troubled or fearful (John 14:27). Women are being told that we should be afraid, afraid of man, of our government, of all kinds of evils that are coming against us but God tells us “Do not be afraid” over and over again. We must come to understand who we are in Him and how to live our lives for His glory. We must find our identity in who He created us to be. True peace comes in knowing Him. It is the truth of God which sets us free! Matthew 10:34 tells us that Jesus did not come to bring us peace but division with a sword. That sword is the Word of God which rightly divides truth from lies. Let us break free from the lies that are holding us back from realizing our potential as mighty women of God.

Grace, mercy and peace will be with us, from God the Father and from Jesus Christ, the Son of the Father, in truth and love (2 John 1:3).

Why are emotions frowned upon?

What are emotions and why are they so often looked down on? 

Merriam-Webster reads,

Full Definition of EMOTION

1

a obsolete :  disturbance

b :  excitement

2

a :  the affective aspect of consciousness :  feeling

b :  a state of feeling

c :  a conscious mental reaction (as anger or fear) subjectively experienced as strong feeling usually directed toward a specific object and typically accompanied by physiological and behavioral changes in the body

 

Emotions can be tricky. They can be very intense and powerful. Sometimes they are positive and sometimes they are negative. People are often at a loss when it comes to handling their emotions. Some explode with anger. Some isolate in pain. Some people cry with joy. What happens when people stuff their emotions? They get sick with stress induced illnesses and a lowered immune system. Emotion itself is not what is dangerous; rather, it is the way we react to the emotions that can hurt ourselves and others.

I was in a marriage where my emotions were rebuked and I was ridiculed if I displayed emotion that made my husband feel uncomfortable. I began to stuff my emotions and even began to lose touch with them entirely. I was made to feel that my emotions were inappropriate and it was somehow wrong for me to feel they way I felt. I found myself becoming uncomfortable when others displayed emotion as well.

A wise man once said, “We are only as sick as our secrets” and “revealing our feelings is the beginning of healing”. Just because someone else does not like the way you feel does not mean your feelings are wrong. It is wise to control your feelings but that is different than ignoring them or stuffing them. You can keep it real, feel what you feel, and share it with others in a calm, loving manner.

There are a lot of factors that come in to why we feel the way we feel in any given situation. Ask yourself, “What am I feeling?”, “Where is this coming from?” and “What should I do about it?” Act, don’t react! Let a trusted friend or counselor know what you are experiencing but don’t hold it in or ignore it. Your feelings matter! In the same way that your car has indicator lights on the dash to inform you what is going on emotion is our gauge. Your car will break down eventually if you ignore the warnings as will our bodies. Deal with what is real!

Here’s to your emotional health!

Living

 

I recently watched the documentary Farmageddon about how the government over-regulates and tries to prevent people from selling, buying or consuming raw milk and other healthy products that bring health and restoration to our bodies.  The claims they make regarding raw milk are outrageous: it cures asthma and eczema!  They could not seem to understand the motive of these government agencies. Why would the government make false claims and treat organic dairy farmers like terrorists?  They seem to think the United States of America would want its people to be as healthy as possible.  They did not seem to understand that the money they have invested in pharmaceuticals….I do not even pretend to understand that whole concept….but what I do understand I will share with you!  Imagine the government as The Enemy….satan and his emissaries.  Consider Ephesians 6:12, which say’s, “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms”.  It is not the people working for the government that are our problem, rather it is, an invisible army, with the same agenda it has had since the beginning of time using government agents to “kill, steal and destroy” (John 10:10)  Jesus came to bring LIFE! In the same way that Raw Milk restores health to the body, Life (Jesus) restores our soul! We need to embrace the things in this world that bring life and take our stand against those who try to take it away.  Think about this. Think about your life. What things restore your body? What things refresh your spirit? What things bring peace to your mind? Don’t be fooled by the great deceiver (2 John 1:7).  Anything that is not of Christ is against Him and against anyone who is of Him.

Who among us are truly alive?  It is those who have adopted Truth as their life, the Prince of Peace, who sacrificed His life so that we may live……truly come alive in Him.

Imagine - Part 1

      Have you ever heard yourself or someone else say, “I can’t imagine!” Usually it is upon hearing something unimaginable. I have never been one with a big imagination until I started believing the bible was true. One needs a big imagination to believe that they can move “mountains” and “uproot trees” (Matt. 21:21).  Actually, it was only recently that I came to learn what these scriptures were actually referring to which is truly amazing and was incredibly insightful. Not having a big imagination was part of my problem. I guess I take things too literally!  I thought moving a mountain meant literally making plates in the earth shift. Hey! By faith ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE!  Ok, so maybe I need some lessons in imagination to “Dream the impossible dream…” like Don Quixote or dare I be mocked by the unbelieving and deemed insane.

      We can see that God had quit the imagination when he made the universe and everything in it and we’re told that He is eternally unchanging so why should we believe He is finished being creative.  His Word says that He is faithful to complete the work that He started.  His work is done through His people. As He is working in us He is working through us too.  He is changing us and He is changing the world around us all the time.  The more we understand how He is doing this and become willing to be used by Him the more we see His imagination flow in, through and around us.

Lord,
        I pray that you would open up our eyes to see things the way You would have us see them, open our ears to hear Your voice guiding us, open our hearts to be willing vessels for You to work through, open our minds to understand that Your ways are higher than our ways and Your imagination is still as rich and full as it was when You created everything. Forgive us for our doubts and help us BELIEVE! Teach us Your ways O’Lord (Psalm 25:4).
In the precious name of Jesus, Amen!

Press On

 

When I was young I once tried press-on nails. In a matter of seconds at least a few of them popped off. So, in an effort to not waist my money, I got the nail glue and tried to secure them with a stronger adhesive. That did not work either so I lost hope and gave up. Today I am not even that persistent with vain attempts to impress but I do press on in my faith.  Our faith is something worth our persistence and it’s not something we can do alone.

Who in your life is an instrument of peace? Who supports you in your efforts to grow in godliness? If I were to ask your spouse if he would refer to you as an “instrument of righteousness”(Romans 6:13) or a “woman of peace”(Psalm 37:37), would he say “yes”? I know my husband would have laughed and mocked, “Not even close!” I assure you, you do not have to have a hundred percent already obtained “godliness with contentment”(1 Tim. 6:6) to be considered a woman of peace.  Women of peace are women whose heart (motivation) is to grow up (mature) in godly character.

The way we do this, besides reading the bible and praying, is by surrounding ourselves with others who have that same goal. These people encourage us in our faith, forgive us in our weaknesses, and believe in us that we “can do all things through Him who gives us strength”(Phil. 4:13). So I encourage you now, my sisters in faith, to “press on” (Phil. 3:14) toward the goal to which Christ Jesus has called you!