Where You Are

The blood shall be to you for a token upon the houses where ye are:  and when I see the blood, I will pass over you. 
Exodus 12:13

How many times have we heard or read that verse, and just skimmed right over those three words, "Where ye are."  ??   The Holy Spirit gave me a "pause here" moment a while back when I read that verse, and it made an impact on me.  Seems like I had never noticed those words, "Where ye are," and I've missed the importance of their meaning. 

Haven't we all felt at one point or another in life that we'd "do better" once we "got out of this situation" or "if only our circumstances were not so bad" we'd be different.  ??   

"Deliver us from this, Father, so that we can be free
to serve You (in the way that we think's best.")
(ever felt that way before?)

We need to realize that no matter where we find ourselves, God wants us to NOT WAIT "til things get better."  He wants us to become fully dependant upon Him, right here, where we are ~ the way we are!  

Sure, we all would like to have a fresh start, and a clean slate.  But the chance to "start over" doesn't depend upon OUR circumstances changing.  It does, however, depend on one "Thing," and that is the shed blood of the Lamb of God.

                                                

God told the Israelites to apply the blood upon the houses WHERE THEY WERE at the moment, not where they were GOING to be in  a year or so.  And that's what He wants us to do today.  Whatever our situation may be today, we shouldn't wait for "things to change" or for "God to move us out of this circumstance" before we come to Him through Jesus. 
    

              

 There is power in the blood of the Lamb.  Because Jesus willingly paid the price for our sin by shedding His pure blood in our stead, we can be reconciled to God from right where we are. 

We can come to Him, serve Him,
and grow "right where He's planted us."

Whatever you're going through, don't wait for things to change.  Go straight to the Savior...the Lamb of God!  The answer to your need is found in the precious blood of the Lamb.  He is the only One Who has the power to change our circumstances, when we fully rely and depend upon Him.  The One Who passed over the houses that had applied the blood of the lamb on their doorposts is THE One Who wants to transform your life.  What are you waiting for?  :)

Just as I am, without one plea,

but that thy blood was shed for me,

and that thou bidst me come to thee,

O Lamb of God, I come, I come.

 

A.S.K.

Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 

  Matthew 7:7

Been thinking about the progression of Ask, Seek, Knock in the above passage of Scripture.  Can you see it too? 

A.    Ask.  When we're lost, and not sure which way to go in order to get to our destination, we generally ASK someone who does know the way, in hopes of them sharing their knowledge and pointing us in the right direction.  

                        

S.  Seek.   This is after we've ASKED for the directions, and now we're on our way. . or as Strong's puts it:  "to go about, endeavor. . . " 

      

K.  Knock.  The final step.   First we were lost, and then we asked for directions; after that, we began to seek (or "go about") on our journey to our destination.  Now we've arrived, and we just have to "knock" on the door. 

The next verse says, "For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened."  This makes sense, doesn't it?  In order to receive, you must first ASK.  Then what will we do with the directions we've received?  We will seek to follow them, right?  We better seek, or that's the end of our quest.  When we continue to seek (and endeavor to follow the directions), that's when we will FIND what we were looking for:  which is our destination.  Once we arrive at our destination, we must not just stand there, on the outside, but we must KNOCK on the door. . .and God says it will be opened unto us.  Even after seeking and getting closer to our destination, once we arrive, we must still knock on the door.   This implies a continual process, a gradually "getting closer" to our destination, until it's opened to us.

 

           

The gradual process of Asking, Seeking, Knocking, requires increasing faith on our part.  I can finally arrive at the door, but become afraid to go ahead and "knock on that door," because of a lack of faith.  I might begin to worry, "What will happen?  Will He even open the door?"   I wonder how many times I've arrived at a door that I sought, but because of a lack of faith, I never knocked, and that's why it was not "opened unto me."



Doubt keeps doors closed.

We can be "lost" in so many different ways.  Of course, to be lost in the ultimate "spiritual sense" is to be headed in the wrong direction~our final destination will be eternity in hell, forever separated from God, if we're lost in our sin.   Are you this person, lost and on the road to hell?  You must ask someone who knows THE way to get to heaven, and do it now, before it's too late.  Jesus said, "I am THE Way, THE Truth, and THE Life, no man comes to the Father, except by Me." John 14:6  Since Jesus is THE Way, Seek HIM.

          

Even for us who are already saved, there are times when we can feel as "lost as ever."  Maybe we need guidance regarding an important decision, or just with the challenges that life can bring.  Let's remember to A.S.K.    Ask God.  He certainly knows the answer, because His way is always best.  Seek His wisdom, seek His way, continue on "going about" His business in your life.  Soon you'll have the destination in sight, and don't stop there.   Go on and knock.  He will open the door of opportunity for you.  

                    

God the Father has already opened the door of heaven to us through His only begotten Son's shed blood on the cross.  Surely He will continue to open the doors of increasing wisdom, strength, comfort, understanding, knowledge, opportunity and spiritual growth on our behalf . . .if only we'll just A.S.K.

What "Door" are you seeking?  I pray you've already sought and found THE Door---the door to heaven:  Jesus.

                           

                              

Have a wonderful week everyone!  Thank you all so much for your thoughtful comments. . they've been such an encouragement to my heart, as always! :)

Love and prayers for all of you.  

Heavenly Father, we thank You for always answering our prayers. . . You've said no good thing will You withhold from those who walk uprightly.  Please enable us to let go and quit trying to walk uprightly in our own strength. . . but to just allow YOU to live and breathe through us.  Touch others' lives through us this week, Father. . in a mighty way.  Equip us with Your strength, Your power, Your wisdom, Your love and understanding, and enable us to be on guard, for our enemy seeks to devour us.  We thank You for the privilege to A.S.K. You for whatever we need. . and that You have promised to meet our every need, by and through Christ Jesus.  In His name we pray, Amen.

 

God Cares for You

God Cares for You

There is no sorrow God doth not bear.

There is no grief He will not share.

He sees and knows when your heart is aching,

And understands when it's nearly breaking.

He'll give you comfort, peace and rest;

And help you through this hardest test.

He'll never fail you.  His Word stands true.

I know He'll sustain and strengthen you.

Trust in the Lord

a simple child-like faith;

He's here, He's there, He's everywhere,

And He is never late.

Trust in His Word,

It gives such sweet relief-

In sunshine or rain, sickness or pain,

And in our deepest grief.

Trust with all thine heart.

Hold nothing back from Him-

Every thought and deed,

even smallest need.

The way is never dim.

Lean not upon the flesh

for it will surely fail.

To understand is sinking sand

Along this Pilgrim trail.

written by my grandmother,

Belle Sandefur

March 7, 1980

Trust in the Lord with all thine heart

and lean not unto thine own understanding.  Proverbs 3:5

What an Award!

I recently began my fall semester which includes none other than physics!  :)  Thankfully, God has given us a wonderful instructor who, so far, has made learning physics fun.  Anyway, adjusting to the school schedule for not only me, but also for my two "kids," I've not been able to post regularly, as well as blog-hop with everyone as I'd like to. . . so imagine my surprise when I check email and find that this blog has been given an award!

Maria, over at Life Lessons, was so kind to have awarded this blog with the Liebster Blog Award.   It's an award that is presented to bloggers with fewer than 200 followers.  When I looked up the meaning for "liebster" it means "beloved, darling, dear, dearest, love."  

It is an honor to "share the love" of the Lord by sharing special blogs with our friends.  This award is like a "word of mouth recommendation."  Each recipient graciously accepts it, and then awards it to five of their fellow bloggers.  The key is those blogs must have less than 200 followers.

My prayer is for the Lord to use this opportunity as a way to shine the light of His love for us, and on those who share His love through their blogs. 

Thank you, Maria, for sharing this award with me.  It's truly an honor, and may the Lord receive all the glory, because if He weren't my Beloved, and Dearest Friend, I'd surely break while He's molding and shaping this vessel of clay.  :)

Okay, on to the specifications of the award!  :)

There's just a few "rules:"

•  Thank the person who gave you the award and link back to them.
•  Give the Liebster Award to five bloggers and let them know by leaving a comment on their blog.
•  Copy and paste the award on your blog.
•  Have faith your followers will spread the love to other bloggers.
•  Thank the Lord for this opportunity to be a vessel in His hands, and enjoy His blessings!  :)
  
  * Special note:  For some reason the links to each blog do not show up, but you can click on either the blog name or the name of the writer and that will take you to their blog or profile.  :)

1.  Cherie, over at Journal of Faith, has been such a blessing to me.  She writes from the heart of experience.  Walking by faith, in the midst of sorrow and trials is not easy...but Cherie allows the Lord to offer you encouragement and see things from a new perspective:  His.  God has equipped Cherie with the ability to write and minister to many through not only her blog, but her books as well.  :)

2. Karen, over at Hallelujah Anyhow, has such a wonderful attitude, and is such a talented writer. She is able to express things that my heart is feeling, in ways that I'm not able. One thing I remember about Karen is that she listens to the LORD...even if it means put bloggin' aside for a while. If we're not careful, our ministry of sharing the lessons God is teaching us through our blogs can actually become more of a top priority than seeking God Himself. Then we're headed straight for a "Burn-out!" There've been times that she'll take a "Brief Bloggin' Break." Don't we all need to come away, by ourselves, with the LORD and get some rest? Thankfully when Karen comes back, she's refreshed and ready to pour out what the Lord is pouring in: His Refreshing, Living Water. :)


3.  Lidj, over at Crown of Beauty, may live all the way around the world from me (She's in the Philippines) but whenever I read her blog posts, it seems as if she's right here, in the very same room.  Her humble spirit seems to "beam right through the computer screen" and straight into my heart.  :)  God has taken her through some deep waters, such as losing her husband, yet she continues to seek His will for her life; and it's exciting to see how God is unfolding each new page in her life as she dedicates each day to Him. 

4.  Michele Katherine, over at Straight from the Heart, has allowed the LORD to transform the difficulties in her life into a stepping stone to bless others.  She writes poems that are exactly as her blog title says, "Straight from the Heart."  If your schedule is hectic and there's very little time to blog-hop as you would love to do, you can hop to Michele's and find that her posts are straight from the heart, and right to the point.  :)  Refreshingly crisp and heartfelt. 

5.  Nancy, over at Created for a Journey, has a heart for her sisters in Christ.  God uses her and her ministry, to be a blessing and offer refreshment to ladies who may be exhausted from their journey.  She and her family are currently enduring a heartache though.  They certainly would benefit from your prayers.  Hop on over and send her some encouragement.  I have no doubt that God will use HER to be a blessing to your heart too.  :)

There are so many other blogs that are special to me; and I must confess, with this new journey of me going back to school--only several months after I had begun a blog??-- I miss having the time to post and blog-hop. . . .but one thing's for sure:  GOD uses each blog, but even more importantly:  He uses the special hearts behind the blogs, to bless my heart and the good thing is:  no matter how long I may be "away from the computer desk," i.e., blogger, they will always be here waiting to share something special that they are learning from the LORD!  :)

A great big thanks to each of you and Maria too, for being a blessing to me!  :)

Thorns and Crowns

I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. ⁸ Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. ⁹ But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. ¹⁰ That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.  II Cor. 12:7-10

Does it seem like more and more Christians you know are being persecuted in some form or another?  Maybe you are having to endure some "seemingly-never-ending" battle with the enemy.  Sometimes it seems like the persecution has become a thorn that is stuck in your flesh.  No matter how many times you plead with God to remove it, for some reason, He will not remove it.

         

Ever been there?      

I have.  In fact, recently I begged God to remove not just one thorn, but SEVERAL, that torment me and have crushed my spirit.  "This just doesn't make any sense, Father!  This hurts so badly!  It seems as if these thorns in my flesh will never be removed!"

But then the Holy Spirit began to gently reply, "To him who overcomes, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I overcame and sat down with my Father on his throne. (Rev. 3:21) 

            

Then He began to "paint a mental picture" by saying, "Take these thorns that I have allowed, and imagine them to be woven into a crown, dear child. 

                                

I wore a crown of thorns too. . . but I overcame.   If you overcome (and you will, through Me) I will turn each and every painful thorn into a beautiful jewel, and each of those jewels is woven into an eternal crown.  You will share My throne with Me." 

                                 

Jesus allows the painful thorns in our flesh for a specific reason.  Maybe it's to allow us to fellowship with Him in His suffering. . but it doesn't stop there!   In our weakness, His power will rest upon us, just like a crown rests upon a person's head.  He turns the crown of thorns into the resting place of His power!    

                      

Each trouble, storm, and "thorn from the enemy" is painful and difficult to bear, yes, ~ but when I realize Jesus has allowed it, and by His grace I'll someday trade this "crown of thorns" for a beautiful crown in heaven, my heart is humbled.  There is nothing in me that is worthy to even partake of His suffering.  

            

Looking to Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.  Hebrews 12:2

        

Dear Heavenly Father, why should You even allow me the privilege of wearing a crown woven full of thorns?  Even though these "thorns" hurt, and are in the form of being ridiculed,  despitefully used, misunderstood, insulted, hated and rejected, help me remember You are giving me a chance to understand more of Your Son's suffering that He endured on my behalf.  He kept His eyes on the joy that was set before Him. . . so please help me keep my eyes on the joy that is set before ME too.  The Joy of Knowing You, the Joy of Becoming More Like Your Son, the Joy of being broken and spilled out.  The Joy of one day ruling and reigning with Jesus.

Just like the bubbling brook that laughs and sings as it splashes over the rocks, and goes lower and lower, help me find this Joy that only comes from You so that I may be a blessing to others who come in contact with me.  I picture a babbling brook and someone dipping their tired feet in the cool water, just to find refreshment.  The brook is low, at the feet of others.... a picture of humility.  But on its way down, the babbling brook laughed and sang joyfully, as it overcame the rocks and "obstacles" it faced.  Please help me be joyful as I'm on my way "down."  Make me a channel of blessing to others.  Thank You, Jesus, for wearing a crown of thorns for me!  May Your power rest upon my head, just like a crown. 

In Your lovely name I pray, Amen.