Posted in Bible Journaling, Christian Service, Life Inspiration, Life's Failures

How To Make a Lemonade Life Out of Lemons

Written by talk2shari Published March 15, 2017March 15, 2017 Discussion Leave a Comment

Solomon is said to be the wisest man to have ever lived, and I don’t doubt it. His words were salve to my troubled soul this morning. I don’t understand why God chooses to allow this world to continue in the state that it’s in. I’ve never seen so much evil. I’ve never felt the fierceness of sin trying to turn my own mind away from God such as I do right now. The closer I try to get to God the greater the oppression of the enemy on my soul and the vexation of my spirit. So to hear that even the wisest of men struggled with that understanding gives me some comfort in the fact that I’m not alone in my search for peace.

There is something about the tartness of a lemon that has always been a metaphor in life. Very few people would bite into that fruit and pleasure in the experience. It’s a jaw puckering, eye quivering, taste like no other. But squeeze the juice out of those babies into a pitcher, dilute it with water and add the sweetness of sugar and it’s a whole new day! The sour is overcome, the taste buds dance and the soul is made happy in a beverage. The lemon is no longer looked upon as a painfully sour fruit but rather something to be savored.

A bite out of life sometimes yields the same result. A piece of my day viewed from the perspective of just a brief period of time is bitter, and harsh. The pain sears my spirit. It’s too much to consume. Broken dreams are like an unsweetened lemon. I try to grab hold of faith, reign in my thoughts but the bitter, sour taste has my eyes closed and teeth clenched. I can’t see anything sweet, I only taste the lemon.

Ecclesiastes 5, the words of Solomon, had a lemonade making effect on my life today and wise advice:

Living the Dream!

Ecclesiastes 5:1-3 Keep thy foot when thou goest to the house of God, and be more ready to hear, than to give the sacrifice of fools: for they consider not that they do evil. Be not rash with thy mouth, and let not thine heart be hasty to utter any thing before God: for God is in heaven, and thou upon earth: therefore let thy words be few.For a dream cometh through the multitude of business; and a fool’s voice is known by multitude of words.

We all long for the dreamlife; the one without heartache, sorrow and struggles. But that dream is almost always mingled with a few nightmares. Stay focused. Keep your footing in the house of God where the Word of God is preached, a support system is in place and an accountability program in effect. Listen more and talk less. Work harder and be idle less. Satan is full of ideas that he loves to share with busy people trying to make things happen. Be not hasty with decisions, it almost always leads to heartache. I have worn that shirt many times!

Leave the Lies

Ecclesiastes 5:4-7

When thou vowest a vow unto God, defer not to pay it; for he hath no pleasure in fools: pay that which thou hast vowed. Better is it that thou shouldest not vow, than that thou shouldest vow and not pay. Suffer not thy mouth to cause thy flesh to sin; neither say thou before the angel, that it was an error: wherefore should God be angry at thy voice, and destroy the work of thine hands?For in the multitude of dreams and many words there are also divers vanities: but fear thou God.

So, so many times I’ve dreamed dreams and said to God, “God, if only You’ll do this, I’ll do this.” God’s not in to empty promises. Solomon words advise us to keep our dreamlife in perspective. Fear God more than fearing failure. Failing isn’t always the problem, refusing to admit you failed and moving on is often the problem. When God doesn’t allow a dream to come to pass, perhaps that was your dream not His. Or perhaps you didn’t work hard enough at the dream. “That” is life in perspective for me. Be honest with yourself. God already knows.

So what then? What do we do when life doesn’t turn out the way we anticipated?

Learning the Lesson

A brief and incomplete summary of verses 8-17 is that even when we do life as best we can, reality can still be harsh, heartaches can still come, and the dream may or may not be fulfilled. Money won’t buy happiness, life is brief, and we’ll take nothing with us when we die. But understand that God was there through it all and through it all there was a purpose.

The lesson to be learned is this, the dream is not the achievement, the dream is the process that leads to success.

Ecclesiastes 5:18-20 ~ Behold that which I have seen: it is good and comely for one to eat and to drink, and to enjoy the good of all his labour that he taketh under the sun all the days of his life, which God giveth him: for it is his portion. Every man also to whom God hath given riches and wealth, and hath given him power to eat thereof, and to take his portion, and to rejoice in his labour; this is the gift of God. For he shall not much remember the days of his life; because God answereth him in the joy of his heart.

Posted in Bible Journaling, Christian Service, Evangelism, Leadership, Life Inspiration

A Nice Thought To Begin the Day

Written by talk2shari Published March 5, 2017 Discussion Leave a Comment

Nobody is any more surprised than we ourselves when something we’ve said ends up being the start of a pathway to destruction. Yet, there it is in James 3:5

Even so the tongue is a little member, and boasteth great things, Behold, how great a matter a little fire kindleth!

As I read through James last night and this morning, preparing my Sunday School lesson for the teen department; I am reminded that the same tongue that can start a fire of destruction… and we all know it can! Can also start a fire for the cause of Christ that will burn until His return and God won’t mind in the least! As a matter of fact He’ll reward us for the effort. I pray that my thoughts and God’s words unite to ignite my youth. I pray that’s true in your church too.

The tongue is such a small portion of the body, and yet yields so much power. So do each of us in the body of Christ. That’s a nice thought to begin the Lord’s Day with. Encourage one another today!

Posted in Bible Journaling, Christian Service, Leadership, Life Inspiration

Don’t Wear Someone Else’s Armor

Written by talk2shari Published February 14, 2017 Discussion Leave a Comment

He was the runt of the litter, his brother said he was an arrogant, bad hearted, rubber necker and the enemy said he was as threatening as a stick. That’s the “Shari version” of I Samuel 17 as David is about to face off with Goliath. How on earth did he get there? Nobody had any faith in him, his Dad gave him the worst job on the farm and used him as an errand boy to find out what the real soldier boys were doing. I love any story of David, but the history of his battle with Goliath is no doubt in my top three favorite reads. By all accounts of his peers, he shouldn’t have been there. The sum of who David was is written in the words of Abner in verse 55:

And when Saul saw David go forth against the Philistine, he said unto Abner, the captain of the host, Abner, whose son is this youth? And Abner said, As thy soul liveth, O king, I cannot tell.

O king, I cannot tell… Abner had no clue who David was. But God did. The day that Samuel anointed David to be King in Saul’s stead, obviously his brothers took no note of it. Does that not strike you odd? It did me. If someone had come to my house and said one of my siblings was going to be President one day, I think I’d take note of that day. Abner wasn’t there when Samuel anointed David, so he’s excused of his ignorance, but not his brothers, they should have known there was something special about David. David was the forgotten anointed, the waylaid leader, the king in coming and nobody too note… except God!

Scripture is clear that God does not look on the outside but on the heart of man. That scripture too was from the anointing of David. Samuel looked at David’s rugged big brothers and thought surely they were king material. But king material is more looks, its being in touch with those you serve. David shows up on the battle field and hears Goliath mouthing his country and his blood boils!

That’s how I feel about America. That’s how I feel about my church. That’s how I feel about my family and friends. I take it very personal when someone is attacking my people. It’s even worse, when it is my people who are on the attack.

Goliath wasn’t one of David’s people. He was flat out the enemy. His disdain for Israel was to be expected. But David’s brothers… They may not have been mouthing Israel but they weren’t defending her either and they were mouthing their brother who was defending Israel. Unbeknownst to the brethren their little annoying brother had a King sized heart that got him noticed by the King of kings.

God’s not looking for a king but He’s still in the business of noticing hearts.

I have days, multiple lately, when I think my work is in vain. I feel like I have shown up on the battle field of life and one of my people called me an arrogant, bad hearted, rubber necker because I was on their playing field. (For the record, nobody has) that’s just how I feel. I talk a lot… and I’ve been known to say “Is there not a cause,” and be frustrated when nobody was taking off Goliath’s head.

And this morning I heard through God’s word… “I see you. Yes, you annoy the brethren. But I know your heart and I know that you want to help. But you need to spend more time defending the fold before you face the giant.”

I don’t know exactly what that means. But I know in my heart that there was a day when God anointed me to do what I do, and some took note, and some didn’t. I have a King sized heart because the King gave it to me. I can’t shut it off like a water faucet, it flows freely. Unfortunately so does my mouth. All I know right now is, I have some rocks in my pocket but I need to be careful about where I’m throwing them.

My lesson today was this:

God knows my heart and sees my frustration, the people need to see the victory, not the complaint.
When I throw stones, I need to make sure it’s at the enemy and aim well.
Don’t wear someone else’s armor. God created me just the way I am. Vocal.

Posted in Bible Journaling, Life Inspiration

From Wreck to Rest

Written by talk2shari Published January 24, 2017 Discussion Leave a Comment

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Hebrews 4:12

For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

I have often heard and occasionally said the statement, “God knows my heart.” Those words usually come at a time in a person’s life when their purpose or intention is brought into question. And as a rebuttal to the doubt of another soul they will say “God knows my heart.” And I can almost hear out of Heaven, “Yes, yes I do.”

When I truly take those words to account it weakens my knees a tad bit if I dwell on the knowledge that God knows me inside and out; dividing asunder (meaning into parts) of soul and spirit, joints and marrow. It’s why my knees weaken, because when the Word of God convicts the soul and the spirit speaks to the heart, and the body reacts in kind. I told my teens Sunday that the Bible is a spiritual wash cloth, it will clean you up! But perhaps I should have also said that it was a sword to dissect your day and your ways. The word of God is amazing how it can expose what we’d rather stay covered.

I hate dealing with life. Many, many days drain me. So when I write, as I did a day or so ago on fleeing from God, I’m not blowin’ smoke. If I could get into my car and drive somewhere that God would not be, I would likely try. But that is not possible. And so I trudge on through life and daily get into His word and ask God for mercy on my soul to bring me through a dark time.

Sound dramatic? I have a feeling that the air over my head is dramatic and that there are angels battling the demonic forces of the night to keep my mind focused on the word of God. Else I’d be in the car. The spiritual world is as real as the chair I’m sitting in and this morning I can feel it. But I can also feel the Word of God slicing through the discouragement and fears in my heart to expose the tender part to words that need to be soaked in and rested in. Word like the preceding 3 verses in Hebrews 4: 9-11

⁹There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God. ¹⁰For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his. ¹¹Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief.

Working for rest? Sounds pretty oxymoronic. But getting to the point of resting in God is most definitely work. I’ve had to unpack Hebrews 4 and repack it a time or two this morning to find my rest. I had to wrap my mind around the fact that I have to cease from my own works and rely on the works that was done on the cross by Jesus Christ. In verse 13 it says that “¹³Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do.” Exposing yourself is laying everything on the table with God. He knows it anyway, but it’s putting it out there and saying “God, help me with this. I can’t do it.”

¹⁴Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession. ¹⁵For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. ¹⁶Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.

God does know my heart. It’s full of infirmities (deteriorated vitality, feeble, weak of mind, will or character is how Merriam Webster described it.) I’d describe it pretty much the same way. And God says “I get it. I understand because I’ve been there and have overcome. So bring it boldly not ashamedly. Lay it out before me and let’s work on it together so we can get you to a place of rest.”

I needed to hear that today. I need to remember that God knew how very messed up I was and He chose to call me into His service anyway. But the only way to get to place of rest in my life is to rest in Him.

Posted in Bible Journaling, Grace, Life Inspiration

Every Day is a Good Day to Listen

Written by talk2shari Published January 11, 2017 Discussion Leave a Comment

a-good-day

Habakkuk 2:1

I will stand upon my watch, and set me upon the tower, and will watch to see what he will say unto me, and I shall answer when I am reproved.

As a child of God we all want to hear from Him, or we should. I talk to God, a lot! I seriously do, if only I listened. My conversations with God are far too often one directional. I tell Him what I need and then wait for Him to deliver. That’s what faith is, right? That’s only half of what faith is. Habakkuk said he who go upon the tower, literal or figurative I do not know, but he was going to a place that he could meet with God and he would watch and wait to see what God said. But what truly caught my eye on this scripture this morning was “an

d I shall answer when I am reproved.”

One commentary said that it was possibly because Habakkuk was too bold with God and that God was under no obligation to give an account as to why the children of Israel were in such dire straits. After all, it was they who turned their back on God. Isn’t that the truth, or at least it is with me. Why am I here God? Please fix this God. God are you listening? And I’m pretty sure I would have heard His answer if I had stopped talking.

Before God was going to give an answer to Habakkuk’s dilemma, he needed him to listen to what God had to say. This morning as I read those words, “things” popped into my mind. “Things” I hadn’t taken care of, things I could have done better with, things that were stumbling blocks to getting to the place God wants me to be.

When the Lord answered in verses 2-4 he said “Write the vision, and make it plain upon the tables, that he may run that readeth it. For the vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the end it shall speak, and not lie: though it tarry, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry. Behold, his soul which is lifted up is not upright in him: but the just shall live by faith. ”

The vision that God was about to give Habakkuk, God wanted him to write it big enough so that even if someone was going really fast, they could read what the word said. In my 2017 *pursuit of God, I need to remember that though I am pursuing, He’s not running. He’s as steadfast as He ever was or ever will be. He is waiting for me to catch up to where He’s leading me. I need to listen in this journey and wait in faith for God’s response…

That’s a good word for me today. Listen. What about you? Have you stopped to listen to what God’s plan is for you today, or where you may need some improvement before the plan can continue? Join with me in the *pursuit of God’s design!

*My personal 2017 word of the year

Posted in Bible Journaling, Evangelism, Life Inspiration

Revealing the Cause

Written by talk2shari Published January 5, 2017 Discussion Leave a Comment

But, O Lord, of hosts, that judgest righteously, that t riest the reins and the heart, let me see thy vengeance on them: for unto thee have I revealed my cause. ~ Jeremiah 11:20

It’s not a shocker that many people hate the truth. It’s not new news. Now, the devices of the day have changed in how people handle the truth spewers. In the eleventh chapter of Jeremiah, his life has been threatened: okay maybe things haven’t changed so much. But, more often than not in America today people aren’t lying in wait for you at the supermarket to overtake you in the produce aisle and pummel you with stones because you told someone about Jesus. You’ll likely just be shunned and talked about as an oddity of the community. A Jesus freak. I don’t mind that, it’s a gauge of sorts on my spirituality. If people are talking about how weird it is that I can’t carry on a conversation without dragging Jesus into the middle of it, then I think I’m right on target for my cause. And God is working on the enemy.

As I read Jeremiah and prayed that God would reveal to me a blogging thought that would minister not only to you, but to me, this scripture leapt from the page. It brought to mind David’s question to his brothers at the battle of the Phillistines, “is there not a cause?” Were they not willing to fight for Israel?

Jeremiah said to God “unto thee have I revealed my cause.” He was taking the word of God to the people and they weren’t happy about it. Jeremiah was just doing what he was told. Our message has been clear from the cross…

The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill and to destroy. I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly. I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for his sheep. – John 10:10

Old Testament and New Testament the enemy’s story is the same. Stop the messenger. God’s story is also the same …

For we know him that hath said, Vengeance belongeth unto me, I will recompense, saith the Lord. And again, The Lord shall judge his people. – Hebrews 10:30

The Lord will avenge the enemies of God and His people, but for our time here, we have a cause. A cause to get up in the morning and tell people about Jesus. A cause to pray for our families, friends and nations. We’re going to have unhappy people in our lives when we share the gospel, the truth hurts but that is not our problem. God will judge righteously and try the hearts of the people. Both they and us will stand before God one day, but we only stand accountable for us and what we did for our cause.

Have you talked to God about your cause today? Have you talked to someone about Jesus?

Posted in Bible Journaling, Christian Service, Church attendance, Life Inspiration

When Is Nothing Enough?

Written by talk2shari Published November 19, 2016 Discussion Leave a Comment

To tell you “I struggle with contentment” could quite possibly be the understatement of the year. And while there is a spiritual truth in the fact that we should be constantly growing toward Christ and never content with our spiritual state, there’s also a very humanistic ideal that nothing is enough. What an oxymoron! How could nothing ever be enough?

I’ve heard it again and again that God put the emotion of desire in our hearts, but the first mention of desire in scripture is in Genesis 3:6 where woman saw that the tree was “a tree to be desired to make one wise,” and so she took the fruit. Well… that didn’t end very well for us did it? Obviously there are boundaries for which our desire should or should not be acted upon. The world tells us to “go for the prize,” which I guess that’s okay if it’s the “prize of your high calling which is Christ Jesus” spoken of by Paul to the Philippians, but what about the desires in life of a non-spiritual nature. It’s where guilt enters the picture for me.

I am blessed beyond ridiculousness when it comes to having the desires of my heart met. And yet I have things in life that seem to be out of my reach at all times. Spiritually speaking I feel like I need to “drain the swamp” in my own life and get rid of some things that have me bogged down and fighting to stay afloat. As you can tell, my mind this morning is a battle between the principalities of the air and the Holy Spirit within. God set me on a journey and in this present state of mind I feel like the path is a thick brush that I’m having to hack my way through; I’m so tired from hacking away at it that by the time I get to a clearing I collapse… and the brush has time to grow again. Dramatic? Yeah, I guess so. But that’s life too, always dramatic! So I determined this morning to slow down… not let the monotony of life take the few minutes that I have this morning, and make it mayhem.

Hebrews 13:5-8

Look at what you have

⁵Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.

Looking around my home this morning I can tell you that there are things I want. I can also tell you that there is nothing I need. That statement can lead a conversation in two directions: covetousness or contentment. One will lead to a feeling of resentment and the other will lead to a feeling of resolve. It’s not hard to see which conversation is healthy, but we know it’s not that simple. It would have been healthy for me this morning to have oats and toast for breakfast, and yet I chose a cherry ®Pop Tart. Healthy isn’t as convenient is it?

Look at Who can help you

⁶So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me.

My time lately hasn’t been mine. And I’m not speaking of the time I spend serving others… although that is a decent portion of it. But I speak more to the time that I spend trying to figure out life. Oh my stars! It’s insane how much time I waste pondering what to do, what not to do, what I should have done, how I’ve failed, how I’m going to fix my life… Ha! And then I read verse 6 and see “the Lord is my helper.” Boy, have I missed the mark.

Look at who you’re listening to

⁷Remember them which have the rule over you, who have spoken unto you the word of God: whose faith follow, considering the end of their conversation.

I spend way too much time listening to Satan and his minions tell me I’m a failure to which I reply, “Yes, yes I am.” Why do I do that? Because it’s convenient. I can go there and it costs me nothing. But in order to hear the positive words of positive people that God has sent into my life I have to put forth an effort. Read the word of God, find a sermon podcast, etc. Church is a no brainer for me. I wouldn’t even consider not going to church, but come Monday… it’s Satan’s playing field.

Look at the Real Reality

⁸Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day3, and for ever.

Back to my first thought, “how can nothing be enough?” The reality is, no “thing” will ever create contentment. Only Christ leads to contentment because He never changes. There’s always an upgrade on the things of life, but it gets no better than Jesus. So this morning as I try to make sense of the chaos I call life I need to look:

Look at what I have – Jesus (all knowing) He understands where I am

Look at Who can help – Jesus (all powerful) He understands what I need

Look at Who I’m listening too (all present) He understands I am weak

Look at Reality – Jesus is all. He Understands

Posted in Bible Journaling, joy, Life Inspiration

Is the Gate in View?

Written by talk2shari Published October 22, 2016 Discussion Leave a Comment

I wonder if the man at the gate of Beautiful ever stopped being lovely for the Lord? I hope the excitement that he felt that day never dulled. His lame lifestyle had vanished, and he was living victoriously! But if life did to him what it does to most of us, I’m sure he had days when his step was not high and the gate was far in the distance.

Acts 3:8-10

And he leaping up stood, and walked, and entered with them into the temple, walking, and leaping, and praising God. And all the people saw him walking and praising God: And they knew that it was he which sat for alms at the Beautiful gate of the temple: and they were filled with wonder and amazement at that which had happened unto him.

Is the gate still in view for you? Do you remember the feeling of fresh salvation? I sometimes have to work to remember and you no doubt do as well if it’s been very long. For me it’s been 20 years, but if I get my mind in that “Beautiful” place my praise is once more restored. Life has a way of causing us to suppress that beautiful memory into the recesses of our mind while the problems, guilt and frustrations of life over shadow how wonderful salvation is. Four things can happen when we the gate is too far in the distance.

We lose our joy

David said in Psalm 51:12 Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation… Life had gotten on him. Sin and the guilt it creates has a way of sucking the joy out of your life quicker than anything else. But it’s not exclusive. Debt, health issues, heartache… oh the list is long that can cause us to lose our joy.

We rely on others to provide our joy

The man at the gate had once relied on people for his life’s provision. But no more! The Lord had now provided a way for him to take care of himself. I was once in a conversation with someone who ask how I kept my soul nourished. They were frustrated because spiritually, life wasn’t going the way they desired and they were depending on one person (the preacher) to nourish their soul. Well, it’s true that that is the preacher’s job; but again not exclusively. If we rely on the preacher to keep our heart happy Monday through Saturday with what he stirs up within us on Sunday, we’re going to be let down. Life is too harsh for that. The same is true when we expect friends and family to keep us encouraged and never let us down… it just won’t happen that way.

People can’t see our joy

When the people saw that the lame man was lame no more, and that he leaped for joy and praised God, they were amazed! Why are our friends not amazed at what Jesus has done… could it be because our praise was left at the gate?

God doesn’t get to joy in us

Psalm 21:1 says The king shall joy in thy strength, O Lord; and in thy salvation how greatly shall he rejoice.

This broke my heart above all when I realized that God loses joy because I lose mine. Yes He understands… but that still doesn’t justify it. And it especially doesn’t justify it when we get so far from the gate of Beautiful that we might as well be lame again because our joy has been gone for a long time. I know Christians that (if I didn’t really know them) I’d never guess that they had ever been at the gate of salvation. Likely you do too!

So what are we to do?

Revisit the gate
Recall the day of salvation
Rejoice, and again I say Rejoice!

You, your people and your Savior need it.

Posted in Bible Journaling, Forgiveness, Life Inspiration, salvation

Do you remember the day you knew?

Written by talk2shari Published October 12, 2016 Discussion Leave a Comment

I wrote yesterday on being under attack and it was a well-read blog. I guess there are many people feeling that way! Because of that, it’s very easy to get into a Debbie Downer attitude which puts you on easier ground for Satan to attack and it’s why you need to know that you know. As I read of the woman with the issue of blood this morning who reached out to touch the hem of the Master’s garment, it brought to mind the early days of my salvation when that touch was so fresh…

The scripture read in Mark 5:33 “But the woman fearing and trembling, knowing what was done in her, came and fell down before him, and told all the truth.”

The words that drew my mind into a place I loved being was “knowing what was done in her.” It’s knowing that I know that gives me a leg up on Satan. It’s having that place that I can return to in time when I knew something had happened with in me.

When I first attended Victory Baptist Church, February 18^th, 1996 I went with a chip on my shoulder and ready to shrug off another church attendance, but something happened. I wasn’t saved that day, but I knew something had been stirred in my soul that caused my mind to shift to a new place and I would never be the same. Several weeks of going to the altar and begging God to do something, I finally realized He already had. He had changed me and introduced me to the Holy Spirit. I feared God, but not in a way that I feared judgement, I respected Him and longed to be the friend that I knew He’d been to me with His ultimate mercy. I told Him the truth; that I was a blood stained sinner just like the woman, and He healed that issue of blood by covering my wound with His own blood.

Do you know that you know? Then you should celebrate that truth today! The reason being, that in an attack that knowledge is a shield Satan cannot penetrate. Jesus told the woman upon her confession “Daughter, thy faith hath made thee whole, go in peace, and be whole of thy plague.” That place of peace that I long for was restored in those words when I recalled the day I found the power of faith. Jesus saved me, I couldn’t do anything but reach out to Him. But my faith is what puts into action an army of abilities to make life better.

So what about you? Can you recall that day when you reached out to touch the Lord, and He acknowledge your touch with one of His own? Glory!!!!! That’s a good word for me today.

Posted in Bible Journaling, Life Inspiration

Do You Feel Under Attack?

Written by talk2shari Published October 11, 2016October 11, 2016 Discussion Leave a Comment

A few days ago a friend asked, “Do you feel under attack?” My first thought was “do I? O my stars, I feel like an army has been unleashed on my home, in my mind, on and in my body. Everything is a struggle. Physically, emotionally, relationally and spiritually I am under siege. So I now ask you, “Do you feel under attack?” If the answer is yes, come along with me on this journey of reclaiming the ground that’s been taken.

That’s how it feels to me when Satan robs me of the peace in my life and I feel like I have to fight for every inch of ground in the day. Peace is not only an emotion it’s a physical place for me. It’s where I feel happy and secure. And it’s a very easy ground for Satan to claim from me, but not so easy to reclaim. Getting into a cycle of depression, frustration and aggravation is a slippery slope and I go down fast. And coming out of it is like trying to walk up a muddy, slippery bank… every step is a struggle and gravity is not my friend.

The gravity of the matter. . .

Why we have to get back on solid ground?

A couple of reasons really, People are watching and People need us.

The writer of Hebrews 10 says this:

³²But call to remembrance the former days, in which, after ye were illuminated, ye endured a great fight of afflictions;

³³Partly, whilst ye were made a gazingstock both by reproaches and afflictions; and partly, whilst ye became companions of them that were so used.

³⁴For ye had compassion of me in my bonds, and took joyfully the spoiling of your goods, knowing in yourselves that ye have in heaven a better and an enduring substance.

In a conversation with myself this morning I told myself, “Child of God, your people need to see you victorious.” Yes, I’m a gazingstock,” and no I don’t like it. It’s hard enough going through the trials without feeling like you’re in a fish bowl. But it’s a truth I needed to hear. And the second part of that conversation was, I’m not alone.

My friend was under attack and so were many other friends. And praise God I didn’t have to buy the lie of the Devil that I was on my own. God knows we’re in this battle, He did not leave us nor forsake us, nor is it without purpose. And so the writer reminded me to think back about other times that I went through a harsh time; what was the end result? I was victorious. This time will be no different. And regardless of the struggles that I face down here, there will be a day that I’ll have the perfect life I long for; and if I want my friends and family to join me (who are lost) they need to see the difference being a child of God makes in the struggles of day to day living.

How we get back on solid ground?

Read on:

³⁵Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompence of reward.

³⁶For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise.

³⁷For yet a little while, and he that shall come will come, and will not tarry.

³⁸Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him.

³⁹But we are not of them who draw back unto perdition; but of them that believe to the saving of the soul.

Confidence is not my strong suit… unless it’s when I’m confident I’ll fail. So Satan has me on shaky ground and it’s a part of my battle. So how do I reclaim my home, my mind and my emotional and spiritual state? How do I climb back up that slippery slope?

I have to get some traction and I have to quit pulling back. Confidence is that stick-to-itiveness that I can do all things through Christ Who gives me strength. It’s planting your feet in the word of God and standing there (patience) until God starts pulling on the rope, and then rather than falling backwards, (don’t draw back) Believe that God is going to bring us through and be glorified in what we’re struggling with.

I know… that’s not easy when you’ve just been slammed with another reminder that life is harsh. But this morning as I read these words I was encouraged that this is not forever. And regardless of how much or how long we endure hard times, Satan cannot remove us from the family of God. It may feel like the world is against, But God owns the world. Think about that!!!