YO-YO

Reading 1 Peter 3:15, pulling it together in the morning here, "but in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect. NIV

Just the first six words gripped me, drew me in, brought a spark in my gut, a flame was to come next. It's my spiritual food, a good thing.

"But in your hearts revere Christ."

Let me back up.

Heavy emotionally from yesterday "stuff", I was struggling getting out of bed. But I knew "to go to the throne before the phone (or really anything). I felt the tug, get up, trust me, the next thing you will be prompted to do will come. Just get up. Each thing made me come alive, I get to straighten my husbands clothes, i get to make my bed and I like the bedding and cozy pillow, i get to put on the radio (Karl and crew will help me), I get to pray to my Almighty Father in heaven for guidance and direction for the things weighing heavy on my MIND.

The key to the mind, I learned this a long time ago, "Paul's sanity was protected by His certainty." The things I know for sure from the Lord will jump start my day. I read a text from a beloved friend she sent yesterday (but I really needed it today) "Good morning Jesus! Knowing You are beside me is all I need to begin my day. 

Reflection: Do I believe that is all I need?

As I write this the chick-a-dee that has been visiting me for about a month appears. When this happens to me it means, "pay attention!" Slow down, sit down, quiet down! Listen to me. What does God do to get your attention and Thank God he keeps trying and He never gives up on me. For me it is birds, deer, nature and songs (lots of songs), Christian radio. Friends I have been wanting to get to typing this message to boast about our Father in heaven. He so desperately is rescuing me from the demise of my thought life. The things that weigh me down. 

I persevered through finding a lost item (long story, long process all in a 1/2 day) but right when it was found, the chick-a-dee appeared. To me it meant perseverance, joy, energy! Zoe-life! God gets my attention.

Friends, everything matters to God, but it is our choice  on what to fix my mind on. I get caught on the negative, sometimes the smallest things. I know someone who got hit by a car he said, "The big injuries healed fast (hip, broken bones), it was my pinky finger that would not heal after months. It was all I could think about is that small finger. It distracted my joy everyday!"

 Snap out of it, God is beckoning! Two women sitting at a diner counter were singing< WE GO TOGETHER, a song fun and meaningful to their long time friendship, I discovered. Then I shared I use songs to snap me out of things also, like recently singing, "QUE SERA, SERA", with my dad fretting over moving. Or the time I was driving, fretting and the license plate on the car in front of me, "ZIPPITY Do Dah"

WHATEVER WILL BE, WILL BE, the future is not ours to see! Just as God led the faith followers, many had to move and wait for God to reveal what's next.

As I stop and reflect my encounters with Jesus are plentiful, I must take the time to put those in the front of my mind rather than the heavy weigh down of the world.

A verse came to me recently,

"Watch out! Don't let your hearts be dulled by carousing and drunkenness, and by the worries of this life. Don't let that day catch you unaware, like a trap. For that day will come upon everyone living on the earth. Keep alert at all times. And pray that you might be strong enough to escape these coming horrors and stand before the Son of Man." Luke 21: 34-36

So the accuser says to me you are like a yo-yo, you go up and down! I take it in, "Yah, I am not an example to others, which shows the power of Christ within me."

Friends, I came upon the 1 Peter verse and God cleared that up right away by saying, "You are not a yo-yo the devil can not accuse you of being like a yo-yo, I have my hand on you and I am guiding you."

His right hand is always guiding me. "even here your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast." Psalm 139:10 NIV

"Yet I am always with you; you hold me by my right hand, You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will take me into glory." Psalm 73:23-28

Lord let me hold fast to the truth that you are a protector that you care and am holding my with your right hand. Thank you for rescuing my mind today. Amen

COME DOWN vs. IT IS FINISHED

 "Those who passed by hurled insults at him, shaking their heads and saying, "So! You who are going to destroy the temple and build it in three days, come down from the cross and save yourself!" Mark 15:29-30 NIV

"He's the King of Israel! Let Him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in Him." Matthew 27:40

"From the sixth hour until the ninth hour darkness came over all the land. About the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice-Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani? -which means, My God, my god why have you forsaken me? Matthew 27:45-46 NIV (from noon to 3p.m.)

Luke and John record the death and happenings but especially when the Jews yelled out, "Crucify Him!"

But the do not record the base of the cross and the jeering, insulting comments of the chief priests, the teachers of the law and the elders mocked Him.

Friends,

Let us approach this cross and examine the attitudes of the leaders. I repeat the soldiers, romans, the Jews all mocked and hurled insults to our Savior.

We are now on the other side of the cross. Would we ask such a thing, "Come down!"

I just sit now staring at the cross with humble, complete sadness that God thought of me that He let His son die for me. He had to go to death to come to new LIFE.

We would not cry out, "Come down"!

He was the final sacrifice. Every Jew must know that sacrifice with the spotless lamb must be done yearly, but God was saying stop!, no more, my son finishes it all.

Therefore, Jesus cries out, "It is finished!"

It is finiahed!

I thank God that it is finished and we know the whole story and I live in the victory fully knowing that Christ is the Savior!

Friend right now pray:

I pray for_____who needs to understand the work of God and the finished story of the cross. His wonderful love and grace! Open the eyes of their hearts so they can see. In Jesus name!

He could not come down from the cross to show He was the son of God! They needed no more proof.

It was finished! Amen

GREEN WITH ENVY

"I'm proud to tell you my friend will be spending a month away fulfilling her life dream!", declared the post on a persons Facebook post.

I had been good about blocking out Facebook, but sometimes I have to go on and then I saw the above post, I was green with envy. I felt it hit my gut and my own imagination of dreams came to the forefront of my mind.

OCD, obsessive comparison disorder, It's a Snare to Compare, the cute sayings I always passing on to others, comes to my mind. "Do not envy", a biblical truth. I ran to Jesus. 

Lord can I ask you to help me with this reaction. I don't want to loose my joy and what you are doing in my life. 

I'm in my own personal time out! Asking God to restore, renew, help me.

I find a worship song! Hallelujah Our King by Jordan Feliz. 

My grateful cry for this song and the worship of  Spirit and truth this song brings. 

My commitment to the Lord is real. My walk Lord define.

Only God, only God can grab, change, open, restore.

My heart is His.

Focus on the here and now I hear in my head.

A verse, "But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well."

Does that mean a trip, a high paying job, an adventure. I don't have that answer.

In Nehemiah 6 some mean were trying to distract Nehemiah by wanting to meet with him. They gave some story of why they should meet. Nehemiah being a leader knew what God had him doing at the time of this request and he felt inside that meeting with these men was not a good enough reason to take time out to stop doing what God had given him to do. (build the wall) Four times he told these men that and they persisted to try and get him to stop. Their motives were not genuine. It was tempting for Nehemiah to stop but he finally, directly said to the men, "Nothing like what you are saying is happening; you are just making it up out of your head."

These men were jealous trying to get Nehemiah off track. But Nehemiah prayed, "Now strengthen my hands."

Friends when we see a post that is a status and we react to it, we must go to the Lord and ask Him about it. 

What are we doing with our time, talents?

Lord give me some assurance. As I looked up the word imagine the Nehemiah 6:8 popped up so I renewed my mind with this story. I originally was looking for the verse, "Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us, to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen." Ephesians 3:20-21 NIV

Let's go to prayer:

Lord forgive me for reacting, Lord thank you for helping me to hear from you. Now strenghten my hands just as the Lord did for Nehemiah. What a good prayer. Help me. Amen.

REPLACEMENT THERAPY

 Another, Another, and there is another!

Therapy clinics line up along the major roads as I drive down the main street near my home.

Many Children therapy clinics have popped open recently. I use the word popped, it's just so many since covid. I know the increase of anxiety, depression, stress, burnt out, overload, and exhaustion. It's all real but I have to say, I myself in my twenties, thirties have been twisted up with the above.

The word therapy an approved service that clinics are have waitlists to get into. My mom born in 1938 lived in times where therapy was possibly a bad word. Life was so full of secrets and keeping hush about it the way of the world.

I am not writing this to debate the effectiveness of therapy. I have seen the greatness of both sides of therapy. 

I am writing from my own personal journey where my life has been transformed by replacement therapy, a termed that I blurted out while chatting with friends about my experience.

replacement; the action or process of renewal.

I referring to my thought life. When I really began to THINK ABOUT WHAT I AM THINKING.

John 14:26 states, "But the Counselor (capital C) the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you."

I poured out my heart and asked God to help me with my anxious thoughts, panic attacks. I heard the whisper in my soul as I was sitting at the kitchen table. "You will be healed, you won't know how long it will take, but learn as much as you can along the way." So the time to heal began and with God I was determined to see it through.