He sees on the Heart-level

1 O LORD, you have searched me
and you know me.

2 You know when I sit and when I rise;
you perceive my thoughts from afar.

3 You discern my going out and my lying down;
you are familiar with all my ways.

Psalm 139:1-3

This makes me so happy,the God of the universe loves me and knows me intimately. There is nothing I can hide from Him and I perform for an audience of one.

The problem is that perform doesn't even say it correctly... perform implies I can do something on the outside that I do not feel on the inside which is untrue. God sees our heart and truly, the sorry state of our own heart can negate all that we do!

So many superstars and politicians and pastors seem to be apologizing for what they have said... but truly, I think most people aren't sorry they said it, they are sorry that they were caught and others didn't like it.

We tend to say what we mean and the human heart is pretty mean. Are most of them truly sorry... maybe for the consequences but I don't know about what they said.. that is for God to judge.

It is getting past the facade that it the challenge.

Knowing that God sees our heart and we cannot hide a thing from Him. He sees what we are when we lean back in our bed at night and look at the ceiling and think for a moment... that is where he sees. The other stuff doesn't really matter a lot -- he's not a macro level or even micro level observer... he is a heart-level observer and that is the scary part.

When we realize that, we know that nothing we could ever do would be good enough for God and that we are in dire need of a Savior. We know that we need God.

I'm so thankful for a heart-level God that loves me as I am and helps me through this struggle of a life because yes, this life is a struggle.

Keep the Faith in the One who Answers Prayer.

tag: Jesus, God, Christian, faith

When does He heal?

27As Jesus went on from there, two blind men followed him, calling out, "Have mercy on us, Son of David!"

28When he had gone indoors, the blind men came to him, and he asked them, "Do you believe that I am able to do this?"
"Yes, Lord," they replied.

29Then he touched their eyes and said, "According to your faith will it be done to you";

Matthew 9:27-29

Oh, what words. These words have caused many tears and consternation for many and when I come across them, sometimes I have to pause and look.

Always look at the context

1. These men were in the presence of Jesus - They were right there. He was there.
   
   
2. The Will of Jesus - The way Jesus asked the question showed that Jesus was willing to heal them. Jesus would never have asked this question and then said, "Psych" and rubbed his hands through his hair and walked off. Jesus doesn't do that.
   
   Sometimes Jesus doesn't heal because "man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment," (Hebrews 9:27) - Death will not be eliminated until the return of Christ. Sometimes he doesn't heal because it is time for that person to die.
   
   Living forever in this current, corruptible body isn't an option. The thing is it is NEVER Ok with us for someone in our lives to die. We love them and we want to hold onto them forever. Granny died last summer and it is NOT OK with me.
   
   Poppa D (my husbands father) died a year and a half a go and my son and I cried about it two days a go. It is NOT OK. Death is never OK. We hate it and we don't like it.
   
   It comes down to God's will. I do not profess to understand it. I do profess that He can heal whomever He wishes however He wishes. It is His choice.
   
   
3. It was private - I'm not saying that the loud healing services don't happen. I just find it very interesting how Jesus never healed out of showmanship... he was very wary of making a spectacle and didn't like an audience for his healing. Healing was a personal, private thing that was through faith in Christ.
   
   
4. It was semipermanent - I don't see either of these men running around today... they died eventually. Healing can happen but often because it is not permanent we negate that it happened at all. God may heal for a season because He has a further purpose for a person and then he calls them home.

This is such a personal issue because it comes squarely in the face of two things that both we and God detest: death and pain. Death and pain are a result of sin in this world and our sinful natures. We hate them and yet we know that God will help us through that.

" 15 Precious in the sight of the LORD
is the death of his saints."
Psalm 116:15

"the day of death better than the day of birth."
Ecclesiastes 7:1

I don't understand it and yet I believe it. My view of death changed fundamentally when I went through labor and delivery of my first child and each child after that (I have three) I came to a closer realization that Jesus Christ will NEVER leave me nor forsake me.

When one has a child, you truly feel as close to death as you could be. And yet, God was with me -- I felt his presence. He did not leave me. I was never alone.

And the day I die, it will be the same. He will be there beside me, holding my hand and I will not be afraid.

That is easy for me to say now, as I sit here in my office chair getting ready to go on vacation and waiting to have a conference call. And yet, the truth of it is burned onto my very soul.

My God is faithful to accomplish what concerns me today. He just is.

tag: Jesus, Christ, Christian

Know Thine Enemy (it is not who you think!)

10Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. 12For 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. 13Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.

Ephesians 6:10-13

Know against whom you struggle.

When you can see that it is not people who are your enemy but rather, it is Satan, our ultimate enemy, it is freeing.

It is not that person who is so hard headed and arrogant that he will not listen to you nor acknowledge your presence.

It is not that person who "hates your guts" and no matter what you do will not even think there is a shred of decency in you.

It is not that person who misunderstood something you did and saw it for true evil incarnate.

It is not that person who is just selfish and will take everything from everyone.

It is not that shortsighted corporate executive who closes plants just because that is what he was taught to do in business school.

It is not that boss who passed you over for promotion because she wanted you to continue to be her personal lackey.

It is Satan.

We must remember that how we act towards others as a Christian is how people judge Christ. If people know we are a Christian (as they should) -- people paint Christ with the brush we use.

We must continue to be kind, decent, patient and have all of the fruits of the spirit as we deal with others, but how?

At the toughest times in my life, I literally wrote down all of the armor -- studied it and prayed through it, something like this:

Lord, help me know that my true enemy is Satan and to know that I must love people as your creation. Help me to stand.

Put upon me the shield of faith that I may deflect the flaming arrows of doubt, unkindness, and struggle that come my way today.

Put upon me the helmet of salvation so that I may know in my mind the assurance of my salvation and not doubt. Help my unbelief!

Let your breastplate of righteousness cover my sinful heart because truly, there is nothing good in me and I do not deserve to go to heaven.

Let me have upon my feet, the shoes of the preparation of gospel of peace so that I am always willing to go wherever you wish me to go to share God's word.

Let me know your word so that when I have to go on the offensive it is in your power and your words and not mine. (sword of the spirit) For it is only through your name that I can be saved and through your name that the enemy must flee.

The darkest times of my life have often been cloaked with such prayers.

See:

14Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
Ephesians 6:14-17

tag: Jesus, Christian

I Gotta Be Free

1It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.

Galatians 5:1

Can Christians be in Captivity?

According to this verse, Yes! We are to not let ourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.

But notice, the verse says "a" yoke of slavery not "the" yoke of slavery.

"The" yoke of slavery is sin. As Christians, we are forever freed from sin, it can never again ensnare us.

We can, however, be snared by addiction (alcohol, drugs, violent video games, pornography, eating), selfishness, poor money stewardship, poor stewardship of our own time, over committing ourselves, laziness, whining, gossip... goodness and we could go on, but we won't.

The point is that we have to ask ourselves... "What do I spend the most time thinking about?" "What do I spend the most time doing?" "When I'm awake at night, what am I thinking about?" "When I cannot sleep, what am I pondering?" "when I get off on Friday after work, what is the first thing I want to do?"

For, often it is in answering these questions that we realize that we have a yoke. I have to reject the pull and desire to spend all of my time blogging over at Cool Cat Teacher. I love to blog and I love teaching. But, I have three children to raise and a husband to take care of and home to manage. If I put my blog above everything else even if God called me to it, it is His to handle.

I got quite bummed yesterday when my Technorati ranking dropped below 10,000 for the first time in a year. (It is based on how many bloggers link to your blog.)

Then, I had to remind myself of who I am. That blog is Gods and it is His to bless and His to take away. If I am doing that which He called me to do, the popularity contest is not going to distract me from His purpose and plan.

This is hard for me and for who gets caught up in such popularity contests, but I have to give perspective to it. In a world where most students cannot even remember the presidents -- supposedly the highest power in the land... who on earth will remember me? My family and those individuals who I have helped or touched.

And I want to be remembered for loving others and being Jesus Christ to others. I want to be kind and loving and more like Him every day.

Most importantly, I want to know and do his will. He is the way the truth and the Life and no one comes unto the Father except through Him.

Take a look at your life... Examine the yokes and pray through them so that you may be truly free! Take a moment to bow your head now and ask God to help you get rid of those yokes -- you were set free a long time a go!

Some choose their way but I choose THE Way

19 God is not a man, that he should lie,
nor a son of man, that he should change his mind.
Does he speak and then not act?
Does he promise and not fulfill?

Numbers 23:19

God is worthy of our confidence.

Beth Moore, in her great study Breaking Free says that "if we think we've discovered unfaithfulness in God, I believe one of three conditions has resulted:

• We misinterpreted the promise
• We missed the answer.
• We gave up before God timed his response."

God his not human.

I remember hearing about a famed atheist who completely turned against God after seeing a picture of a starving mother and child in Africa. He thought that God was not just and he would not serve him if He allowed such things to happen.

Those who question the justice of God are not taking a look at the big picture. God allows free choice of human beings... a choice to serve Him or not. And if to not follow God is sin, then sin is allowed in the world so that we may choose. Earth is NOT Heaven, or it would be called heaven.

It is earth. It is a messed up place full of sin where mothers in Africa watch their children starve to death and mothers here watch their babies die of cancer. God is not the problem... we are.... He is the answer.

As I study the Bible, I am affirmed and confirmed. As I come to know God, I know that he is not some holy, controlling Santa Clause... I have my share of heartaches and heartbreaks. He is my BEST friend and Savior and everything good comes from Him.

It breaks my heart to see those who reject God and yet, I rejoice in a God that does not want puppets but allows us to choose. He has made an amazing creation that has a free will to choose. And I will always respect the right of others to choose their way although I truly Know THE WAY and could never go back!

" 6Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."

John 14:6

Have a great day!

What you believe IN makes all the difference.

6 Abram believed the LORD, and he credited it to him as righteousness.

Gen 15:6

Abram had no Bible. He had no pastor. He had no training in God's divine providence. He had none of the things that we have... and yet God credited Abram's belief in him as righteousness.

We cannot understand how our God works... only that He works and we are NOT God.

We are to BELIEVE. In fact, Jesus prayed for us specifically before he went to the cross. He had his eye not only on those who walked the earth with him and their souls, but on You and I. (I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message. John 17:20)

Now some people have this nebulous, namby pamby, "Just have faith and it will work out" kind of attitude.

That is NOT what we're talking about here.

Abram Believed the Lord. We believe IN Christ.

It is not Abram believed. It is not they believe. The phrase after the word believe is important.

I can believe all day long that the rock on my doorstep is going to bring me luck, but it is a rock. It is inanimate. It cannot stop me from throwing it into the ditch, the toilet, or through someone's window. It is not having faith it is putting faith in that (or in this case the One) who is reliable. THE Rock of Ages, THE Prince of Peace, THE King of Kings and Lord of Lords, THE Savior must become MY Rock of ages, MY Prince of Peace, MY King of Kings and Lord of Lords and MY Savior.

Jesus Christ is the Lord of my life and King of my soul. I am not perfect, but I am His. My faith and belief is firmly in Him.

Jesus: apart from me there is no savior

10 "You are my witnesses," declares the LORD,
"and my servant whom I have chosen,
so that you may know and believe me
and understand that I am he.
Before me no god was formed,
nor will there be one after me.

11 I, even I, am the LORD,
and apart from me there is no savior.

12 I have revealed and saved and proclaimed—
I, and not some foreign god among you.
You are my witnesses," declares the LORD, "that I am God.

13 Yes, and from ancient days I am he.
No one can deliver out of my hand.
When I act, who can reverse it?"

Isaiah 43:10-13

I love this passage. We are witnesses. We are chosen.

We are to KNOW and BELIEVE him. Not just blindly believe Him but know him.

When people ask me how I could believe in Christ since I'm supposedly an "educated" woman -- my answer is always that I believe and KNOW Him.

To have head knowledge is one thing, but to intimately know Jesus Christ. To have him be your best friend.

To be in the throes of labor pains, looking at that picture on the wall and wondering if you will go through death's door or have this baby at some point and then know that your husband beside you nor your family in the hallway can be there with you... that you are completely alone. Then to realize and feel the entire, total presence of Jesus Christ who promises that "he'll never leave nor forsake you" -- then you know.

I've not just believed, I have KNOWN.

Some people struggle because they want God to show up in their way... they want to see him (blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed John 20:29) -- they want him to put a sign in the sky (this foolish generation seeks a miraculous sign Luke 11:29), they want him to let their love one live forever (man is destined to die once Hebrews 9:27).

I think the operative word is "they want" or if I make it more personal ... "I want."

The point is that we are his witnesses and He is the ONLY Savior. Those who put themselves in God's shoes and believe that there are multiple paths to heaven are not accurate. There is no room in a Christian's belief system for this if we study the Bible.

I love this verse... in it I see the awesomeness of my Savior and King! Wow!

tag: Jesus, Savior, Christianity