Tag: Christ

Posted in Christian Service, Grace, Life Inspiration

Our Role in Speckled Christianity

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chick speckle

Matthew 1… a genealogy of Christ our Lord, but oh the story it does tell and how it stirred my soul this morning. Christ, the perfect Son of God Who came to earth to take the sins of the world upon His shoulders on the cross of Calvary had a family line that was as speckled as the coat of a leopard. And why did that stir my soul? Because if God would use this bunch to be in the story of His Son, there is hope for me to be used in the ministry of Christ as well.

I imagine (in my puny mind) of days in Heaven when Christ will show us the works of our ministry and how His hand was in it all the time stirring and guiding to work things (all things) for good. A look at the behind the scene shots that we were not privileged to understand while here on earth. We’ll be shocked just as I’m sure these characters would have been, when living out their lives, shocked to know their story was written down for eternity to be studied by man. We look at fame today as a Hollywood noteworthy or even with fame at its best we’ll look at a war hero. And while there will be some who will talk about these in ages to come if the Lord tarries, none will be talked about as the characters in God’s word. That is true fame! But not always for what they would have liked.

  • Abraham lied
  • Jacob was known as the deceiver
  • Judas thought he slept with a harlot (his daughter-in-law that he’d lied to)
  • That daughter in law, Thamar, is mentioned in Matthew 1
  • Boaz married Ruth (a Gentile) not a Jew at all, yet there she is in this story.
  • King David, known and loved as a man after God’s own heart… yet he murdered Urias after an affair with his wife, and God mentions it in this story, and the list goes on and on…

Character after character, flaws and all, there they are in the story of Christ our Lord. It had to be so, most likely because of us. If God had used, good, godly men and women to fulfil the story of the coming of the Lord, those good, godly men and women or their ancestors would have worked themselves into the story of Christ as being “worthy” to have been there. But as God would have it, there were none found worthy, and God made sure we knew that.  Because none of us are worthy of being listed as a part of His family… except through the blood of Jesus!!! Oh glory to God on that!

That is what stirred my soul today.  For me it is another day of feeling like a constant failure… but God said through His word, “Yes you are… and so were they… and yet I used them. Now suck it up and get back out on the battle field we have work to do.” And so I will… unworthily. It is no wonder we sing “Worthy is the Lamb.”

Revelation 5:12

Saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing.

… and though He was slain to receive it, we receive it as heirs…

Romans 8:17

And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.

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Posted in Christian Service, Church attendance, Evangelism, Leadership, Life Inspiration

IT’S THE SEASON OF VBS!

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chick crayonThere is for certain a soldier within me, and if you strive to serve the Lord there is no doubt one within you too. Every day – day in and day out we’re on the battle field; however some days our weapons are crayons and glue. Those are serious tools in the ministry if you are a Sunday School Teacher. The subtle words that are uttered during a coloring session in the preschool class are the foundation for which ministry leaders are born. As we advance into early elementary we’re introduced to scissors and it is there that the Lord begins to cut a servant from the cloth of ministry. Markers are mayhem for middle-schoolers but as they create with newly discovered boldness it is also a time that they become vocally bold, for good or bad… they   want to be heard. Crayons and markers are childish tools in the hands of Junior and Senior High, or so they think until you show them that they no longer have to stay within the lines but can cast their own vision on the paper and go places they’ve never been before.

These are my thoughts as we prepare to go into Vacation Bible School at Victory Baptist Church this week. I’ve once again been on the edge of exhaustion and was about to give way to it today until these words rallied my mind. Exhaustion is a dangerous thing. It allows Satan to bully his way into your mind and get your mind off God’s intended purpose, sucking the creative fun right out of your world like a giant vacuum. Thursday of this week I was to the point of going through the motions of ministry as we so often to do because it has to get done. But Friday came and I’d had a little rest under my belt and renewed my vision as the stage was set for VBS! Suddenly my adrenalin was moving again.

The puppets were stage center. Their little lifeless bodies, or in the case of Kodijack the Bear’s big body, were propped up into position for the children to see on Sunday morning and like a kid with my first box of markers I found myself ready to make stuff happen! This is a week that we rally the troops; people who generally don’t teach, do. And kids who generally don’t come, get to and it’s an opportunity to stir hearts for Jesus and hopefully by week’s end our people will come to life like those puppets do when someone takes control.

Bring on the Holy Spirit and let’s have church! Yes I have big expectations! The battle is raging when Satan sees the church getting excited for any reason, even crayons and markers.

1 Corinthians 1:27

But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty;

The world sees no power in crafts and crayons. But put it in the hands of a child and not only is their soul touched for Christ, but quite possibly the adults in their life will see Christ through the eyes of that child and have a desire to know Him as Savior.

And the weak things might just be the VBS leaders who have come home from their day job tired and exhausted and have two hours of rowdy VBS children before them and they’re not sure it’s going to end well. But it does! Because in their weakness they are made strong in the eyes of a child who may not have ever known love until a VBS worker introduced them to the love of Jesus.

Yes I have big expectations because I serve a big God, and I want the VBS workers of Victory Baptist Church, (or your church) to know that crayons and markers may be washable but the blood of Jesus is eternal and so is the difference you will make in their lives. I hope you’ll pin 1 Corinthians 1:27 on your wall this week and that you’ll act like a fool for Christ!

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Posted in Christian Service, Church attendance, Heaven, Life Inspiration

God’s Means May Not Mean Money

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chick trust

I heard someone say, not long after I was saved, that we live far beneath our means. And it’s true. But I fear sometimes that prosperity gospel teachers and the flesh itself convinces believers that as children of God the world is our oyster and because of that we have a right to all we want. God’s means may not mean money. By definition the word means is resources, which could be financial or assets of an entirely different kind. It could mean that we survive by the skin of our teeth for a better day in glory where His world will be our oyster.

But until that day let’s take a reality check.

Romans 8:12-17

12 Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh.

“Brethern.” A reminder that they and we are no longer viewed by nation or blood but as children of God. Bought with a price and no longer ruled by the flesh but by the very Spirit of God, leaving us without excuse for falling to the flesh when it says “You deserve…” No, I deserve Hell. But because of the Almighty God engrafting me into His family as an adopted child of grace, I can live above my means. Because I now depend on His resources, not my own.

13 For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live.

People who live after the flesh are the walking dead. They are not living in the newness of Christ. It’s the same people that show up to church as 11:00 sharp and leave at 12:00 dull, having received nothing from the service because they had not yielded to the Spirit. They didn’t come at 10:00 sharp for Sunday School because they get “enough” God during the worship hour. Whew! If I stepped on your toe I’m not the least bit sorry. I love ya… but I’m not sorry.

14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.

Being led by the Spirit of God is tapping into those resources, those means that God grants to every believer for the asking. The resources that fill your heart with so much gladness you don’t have time to notice anything missing from your life.

15 For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.

God didn’t take us to raise because He needed someone to take care of. He took us into His family because He had that much love. He created us… “the Uncreated Creator” as my Pastor says and filled us each with resources to be a blessing to Him. How awesome is it as a parent when your child returns to do something kind for you. It’s not that we need it… but it sure feels nice, doesn’t it? When is the last time that we’ve taken the gifts and talents that God has blessed us with and returned home… not in bondage because God controls us, but because He’s our Father and we love Him like that.

16 The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:

If you’re a child of God, my words should have pricked your heart. It did my own.

17 And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.

Whether or not you have a dime to your name or a matched wardrobe of Loui Vuitton it matters not. Because everything here pales in comparison to what’s there. But everything here has a purpose. Are you using it?

Posted in Life Inspiration

I was in the wrong spot!

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chick tetelestai

Do you ever get so tired of the battle that you’re ready to throw your hands up in the air and cry uncle, or aunt, I surrender or Calgon take me away! The Lord knows I’m there. Everyday there are decisions. I understand the words of Joel when he said in Joel 3:14

Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision: for the day of the Lord is near in the valley of decision.

Those who had come to fight against God’s people would meet with the Lord’s decision, but in the meantime…the Lord’s people are still caught in the decisions of others and perhaps decisions of their own. Which way to I go?

A friend from church gave me a bracelet yesterday with the Greek word “Telelestai” on it. That is to say “It is Finished!” Christ’s final words on the cross of Calvary. Joy floods my soul to think of the meaning of those three words, a song fills my heart; I strummed it for a while on the guitar last night. I’m not sure if it will be a song for the ears of others, or just from my heart to God’s, but I needed it. I needed to hear those words… for I am in the valley of decision. I need to know, and perhaps today you do as well, that “IT IS FINISHED!”

The decisions that lie before me are old news to God; He knows the end result. What stresses me out is that I am in the valley and the enemy may or may not lie in wait on the other side of the hill. I just don’t know. Because that’s how Satan and his band of warriors work, in the dark shadows of the mountain. We’re not only not promised a rose garden, we may have a few briar patches to fight our way through. When God is about to do something amazing the powers of Hell work to thwart it, God works in the Light and His work is made manifest to all who desire to know. If you can’t see God at work you’re probably not looking in the right spot.

I’ve realized today the valley of decision is not mine. That’s the enemies spot. My spot is just below the crest of the hill, right under the Lord’s wings as He makes way for whatever lies ahead. I’ve read and heard that “valley of decision” verse forever and a considered it a passage for the life of a Christian, for we too have decisions to make, but not from a valley vantage point.

It is finished! The battles that we fight are but sign posts along the route to victory. Stick with the plan… His plan!

John 19:30 ~ When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost.

Posted in Eternity, Heaven, Peace, salvation

Heaven’s Post Master Has a Message for you Today

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CHICK POSTAGEAs I ran along in the sermon of my friend Roger Carter…(I say “ran” because you’ll not likely walk through one. Once he starts preaching it’s like he’s been shot out of a cannon. He’s not stopping until he reaches his destination. He’s fun like that!), but along the way he said this, “Death is a change of address.” He had to run ahead without me for a little while because my mind got stuck on that thought and I couldn’t let it go. When someone we love moves a distance away we may be sad for a little while, but most of us adjust to the idea. We talk to them on the phone, or correspond by other means and plan for the next time we see them again; and we get excited in the planning process. But when someone dies the conversation is lost… and that’s tough. I don’t make light of it.

When I lost my Dad, I missed those conversations; his sense of humor, his love of family and music and most of all, his love of God. But because of his love of God and his personal testimony of a relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ, I might have moments of sadness but I have I eons of hope! My Dad simply got a new address, and I know that I know that I’ll see him again in glory and that makes this journey bearable. And in the mean time I ask God to tell my dad “Hey,” and go back to planning our reunion.

So what about that address?

Living in rural West Virginia has many advantages, but one advantage is our source of entertainment… each other. As I began this blog, my mind drifted back to the 1980’s when I worked as an ad manager for a local newspaper. The editor of that paper had moved to our area after retiring as an editor for the New York Times. He absolutely fell in love with West Virginia! But he did have days which caused him ponder his decision. One such day was when he went across the street to the local post office to mail a book to a friend in Canada. He was informed by our elderly post master that you couldn’t mail anything out of the country (and he was serious). After a lengthy argument with the old man, the editor returned to our office, half angry and half in hysterical laughter. I’m not sure if he ever convinced the post master that you could mail things out of country, or if he took his book to another post office, but none the less made for a great story and one we laughed about for years to come.

There’s no physical address for that country where God dwells with my friends and loved ones who have died, but there’s a spiritual address and it’s every bit as real as Grantsville, West Virginia. Are you planning for the trip?

RETURN TO SENDER

A child of God will return to sender in the blink of an eye when their day comes to leave this world. Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 15:52 “In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.” That speaks of the day that Christ will call His church home. Many of us will go at once and a lost world will be left in turmoil. That day is likely very near. But for those who pass away before that day Paul said in 2 Corinthians 5:8 “We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.”

Confident that he would be delivered, postage paid by the blood of Jesus Christ who paid the price for us to be able to dwell in that city not made of hands but by God Himself.

But what about those who haven’t made preparation?

TURNED TO CINDER

Jesus told a religious crowd the fate of a rich man who died without knowing God in Luke 16:23 when He said “And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments”. God doesn’t sugar coat Hell, and just because someone doesn’t believe it exists or chooses not to make a choice doesn’t make it an untruth and their choice is made. Hell is eternal separation from everyone. Look at the people in your life that you care about. Are you prepared to never see them again? It’s not only separation it’s also a place of fire, torment and gnashing of teeth and totally unnecessary. That address was never meant to be on the map, but because of sin and our rejection of God’s forgiveness by and through the sacrifice of His Son Jesus, it’s there.

Have you been marked postage paid, or are you lost in transit; having never accepted God’s gift of salvation? It’s the best gift ever! And it’s never undeliverable. No matter where you’ve been in life or what you’ve done, God’s grace is sufficient for all. Don’t spend another second in time without making that decision. Watch the news… and more importantly read the Word of God. Written thousands of years ago and yet they line up together with God’s warning that He’s going to return. Don’t miss the Post Master to Heaven!!!!

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Posted in Christian Service, Church attendance, Life Inspiration

Don’t Walk Away From the Father’s Table

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chick dinner

Although we are far outside the days of Old Testament Law, and we’re now living in the age of grace, there’s still much to learn from the Old Testament Word of God. Grace certainly doesn’t make it irrelevant or null and void, it simply means that rather than working for salvation we now work towards a relationship with Christ.  Salvation comes from the sacrifice of Christ alone. Nothing else. But relationship… that’s where many Christians miss out.

A Levitical law for the children of priests found in Leviticus 22:12 rang out in my heart this morning.

If the priest’s daughter also be married unto a stranger, she may not eat of an offering of the holy things.

Meaning this: If the priest’s daughter married outside of the priesthood she was no longer allowed to eat of the holy things and was cut off from the family of priests. Although this sounds harsh by today’s standards, on this Sunday morning I feel that they’re have been many children of the High Priest (Christ) who have willingly walked away from His table today to link hands with the world and have been cut off  from the holy things of God.

Sunday’s are the best! I long for fellowship with other believers and to hear the Word of God as preached by the man of God. My soul feeds on the all of it and carries me through the coming days. My heart has been broken on numerous occasions as brothers and sisters in Christ have walked away from that same blessing and married themselves to the world, forgetting the cross and the cost for which our Savior made. If they were truly saved it doesn’t change the fact that they are still children of the Most High God, but it stops the blessings received at His table.

No more hor s’oeuvres  – The communion with brothers and sisters in Christ, that precious friendship of the saints is no longer enjoyed and thus giving Satan an avenue to implant all kinds of notions into your mind about those friendships that you once treasured.

The Meat of the Word – The Sunday School hour where the Word of God is expounded on in detail and a time that you never outgrow. To say that you no longer need to study the Word of God is to imply that you have learned enough… dangerous, dangerous ground.

The Main Course – 1 Corinthians 1:21 says that “For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe.”  It was the means to our salvation and it is the means to our continued growth in relationship with Jesus Christ. How wonderful it is to sit in a service and listen to the Word of God, that whether there be twenty or two thousand in attendance, the same Word is something different for everyone and exactly what they needed. It never ceases to amaze me!

And then there’s dessert! – That time when the service is coming to a conclusion, you’ve received the meat of the Word, God is working in your heart and then He places the icing on the cake when you feel the stirring of the Holy Spirit as God lays out His best made plans for you today. You step out and kneel at the altar and God meets you there. Oh Glory!!! I love that time.

Has it been a while for you? I hope today finds you in the house of God. If you know what I mean… Praise Him today!!!

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Posted in Life Inspiration

His Wonderful Word!

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chick word

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.

The Air I Breathe

It wasn’t long after salvation that I realized the Word of God was as vital to my spiritual growth as air was to breathing.  If I was going to understand God, I needed to read His Word. As I began to read it, something else happened; I realized it was alive! That’s what the word quick means – Alive! The very breath of God breathed into my life and as He did a passage would come off of the page and take root in my heart. Something I had just experienced in real time would be written in historical time on those pages just like my experience. It was amazing… I was hooked!

I later learned that the Living Word of God would become my counselor, friend and confidant. When it seemed the whole world had walked out on me, God never left my side; speaking peace to my soul day in and day out. If I was living in a manner that did not please God, His Word became brought conviction into my heart and the peace would be gone until sin had departed. It was never any wonder to me why Satan has used every method possible to destroy it in futility. He can no more destroy the Word of God as he could destroy God, for they are one in the same.

The Awe I Believe

Powerful! Oh my goodness. Just by speaking His Word deliverance can come. By uttering nothing, God can answer the unspoken cry knowing just what’s needed. I’m in awe at the prayers that I have had answered. From the serious cries in the darkest times of my life, to the silliest prayer of asking for a parking spot close the mall ~ God has answered. God’s not in to formality. A prayer is a conversation between you and the best friend you’ll ever know. Have there been occasions where my prayer was not answered as I had desired, oh yes. But not one time has God’s answer been wrong, but my request on more than one occasion was not as it should have been.

I’ve asked in pure selfishness that God leave people on earth that needed to go be with Him. I’ve asked Him to pull someone from a fire that needed it for purification and the end result would have been disastrous. I’ve also prayed for innocent people to be delivered from ugly circumstances and they were not… and I cried in frustration. But I still believe that when I get to Heaven I’ll stand in awe of why it was so.

The Armament I Brandish

From nothing of my own I have been given the Words of God to share and encourage others.  A task that I’m more than a little uncomfortable with knowing that the weight of my words can serve to discourage as well as encourage if I’m not tuned in to God’s plan. Praise Him that He is the discerner of my own heart and that even when I fall short, He fills in the gaps because I’m a willing vessel. I pray that the words I write are forever His.  And I pray that they bless your soul.

Thank you for the past responses and the use of your words to encourage my soul in return. I’m grateful. I don’t need them to be “puffed up” in pride but they sure come in handy on the days I’m discouraged to feed my soul with your goodness.

I hope this morning finds you blessed!

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Posted in Leadership, Life Inspiration, Peace

There’s a Rumor Goin’ round… and the Lord started it!

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CHICK VICTORY

Turn on the news, listen in on any number of conversations or watch the trending topics of the internet and it’s bound to be there…any number of headings meant to incite fear or at the least cause alarm; end time warnings, antichrist theories and terrorist threats. Our minds are pummeled with images of destruction and yet those of us in America are blessed to live on a soil of peace, at least for today. I’m dumfounded by either the ignorance of leadership or their willingness to hand over the keys of freedom to a liberal, ungodly lot who have no conscience of evil. That’s a pretty harsh statement, but I’d argue its truth and win. I’m not saying that everyone in Washington is on board… but if they’re not, where in the world are they?

For quite a while it’s been on my heart to blog on this incitation of fear that my own heart has fell to upon occasion, but the words didn’t come until today.

2 Timothy 1:7 says “For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.” So how is that we can have a sound mind in this chaotic world? Only through the Word of God because it is the only true peace on earth.

In the book of Obadiah, in it’s one and only chapter we find the continuing saga of two brothers at odds; Jacob and Esau. A story that began in the book of Genesis and continues through to today, with Edom (the descendants of Esau) being viewed as an example of the antichrist and Jacob (Israel) the chosen nation of God. A little piece of ground that God chose as His own and is still desired to be the possession of anyone at odds with God. And at the root of it all – the pride of men.

Obadiah 1:1-4

The vision of Obadiah. Thus saith the Lord God concerning Edom; We have heard a rumour from the Lord, and an ambassador is sent among the heathen, Arise ye, and let us rise up against her in battle. Behold, I have made thee small among the heathen: thou art greatly despised. The pride of thine heart hath deceived thee, thou that dwellest in the clefts of the rock, whose habitation is high; that saith in his heart, Who shall bring me down to the ground? Though thou exalt thyself as the eagle, and though thou set thy nest among the stars, thence will I bring thee down, saith the Lord.

One thing for certain is if God starts a rumor, it still truth. The antichrist, the “heathen’s ambassador” is for certain in our path. Much speculation has occurred on who it is or will be, but he has yet to be revealed. We are however primed and ready to accept the god of lies because we’re allowing ourselves to be engulfed in this fear that the world would have us fall to. The world is looking for a Savior, Who’s been there all along, yet they desire one with cape and crown that they can see. And Satan will provide it. He’ll provide it by two methods: Fear and Pride.

Fear will come to those who do not know the Word of God. And they outnumber those who do. Pride is the political hierarchy that believe that “they” are the solution.

God says of pride in Proverbs 6:16-17 – These six things doth the Lord hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him: A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood,

The pride of man says “I am in control,” but the wisdom of God says, “I know Who’s in control.”

It was pride that caused Lucifer to be kicked out of Heaven, caused Eve to want to be as smart as God, caused the tower of Babel to be built which got the nations scattered, caused Herod to kill all those innocent babies trying to exterminate Christ, and will cause the antichrist to demand to be worshipped in the end times. But it is the humility of the Christian faith, that acknowledges the power of almighty God and His sovereignty that will bring peace to the soul in this world of woe.

Obadiah 1:18 – And the house of Jacob shall be a fire, and the house of Joseph a flame, and the house of Esau for stubble, and they shall kindle in them, and devour them; and there shall not be any remaining of the house of Esau; for the Lord hath spoken it.

History has proven God’s word again and again and will continue to do so. Yes we live by faith, not sight. But we also have the historical facts as evidence.

When God said that there would not be any remaining of the house of Esau He meant it. The Edomite extinction began around 300 A.D. when a group of Arabs conquered their capital city Petra and continued through other tenemies until they were completely destroyed by the Romans around 70 A.D. And no one today can tell where an Edomite is located.

The spirit of fear that the world would desire Christians to have shouldn’t be there. If we read and understand the Word of God we can know, regardless of what appears to be going on in the world, God still has FULL CONTROL. And there will come a day that the pride and arrogance of those in the world who desire evil against the nation of Israel and the people of God will be as Esau. None remaining. Amen.

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Posted in Life Inspiration, Peace

The Ultimate Storm Shelter

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chick shelter

On Tuesday May 27, 2015 I had places to go and people to see… and a flat tire. A fact that I had been alerted to by a light on my dashboard (a symbol I had known from before.) But when I looked at the tires a day ago, they were Rall round, so I “assumed” a tire was just a little low on air and I’d get to it eventually. Eventually came as I prepared to leave for a revival where I would be singing and my husband prepared to leave for a motorcycle ride before the looming storm was to hit. He happened to notice that my tire was no longer round! So being the dutiful husband he is, he frustratingly desired my presence at the Fire hall (Where he is chief) to put air in my tire. After 34 ¾ years he still has yet to figure out that car maintenance is not my forte. Turns out there was a nail in the tire and that was the prelude to things to come. After my hero husband fixed my tire I left for the my own church to pick up a sound system that I had left there, and seconds before arriving at the church heaven opened up! I could barely see to pull onto the church lot, quarter size hail began pummeling my Jeep, winds whipped this way and that, moving my car more than a little. I couldn’t get out of the car or the hail would get me and even though I was parked just a few feet from the door I was helplessly stuck. So I waited out the few minute storm that felt like several. The damage was horrendous all around me. Four trees had been snapped off like twigs on the hill above the church. One toppling across the church van and taking out a transformer. New spring leaves were everywhere! And when I say everywhere I mean they plastered every vehicle and home in the area. You couldn’t tell if you were driving on the highway or a lawn. A few homes in the area were damaged, power was knocked out and several roads shut down by falling trees, but praise God, no injuries. Until my husband got hit in the head and knocked unconscious later in the evening by a large branch while moving debris. Don’t worry, my hard headed husband is fine! I made it to revival and it was quite a night of rejoicing.

If I were building a house, that paragraph would be the front porch. But don’t fret, it’s a small house and I have just a few points  to make on a lesson in the storm. Perhaps you’re having one in your life.

Isaiah 25:4

For thou hast been a strength to the poor, a strength to the needy in his distress, a refuge from the storm, a shadow from the heat, when the blast of the terrible ones is as a storm against the wall.

Regardless of the storm we need not fret that God has it under control.

Financial trouble? He is strength to the poor. It didn’t say that He would make us rich, but that He is our strength. Being low on funds usually lends itself to being low in spirit. It takes a toll on you emotionally, spiritually and can even affect you physically… unless… you turn it over to God. And though it can still be an up and down struggle, for we are human; the load gets lighter, and if we can master faith it can dissolve completely. Because God owns the universe, and our struggle didn’t come without His approval. It has purpose. Perhaps to draw our eyes to Him.

Distressed? Be it literal or in the spiritual sense the Lord is our strength. He hears your every prayer and knows your ever need. He strengthens our hearts with His own grace if we’ll allow.

In a storm? Storms come in varying degree and much like the one that I sat through they can leave us feeling stranded yet not alone. That storm quickly came and went without warning giving little time for fear. It was more of a contemplation of action. That’s what needs to happen in our life storms. Start looking for God’s plan of action… He’s not going to let you be destroyed.

Feel the heat? The heartaches of life can feel like the sun is bearing down on you inches from your brow. But there’s a shadow you can run to that will cast shade over your life and give you a refreshment like a glass of lemonade on a hot summer day. It’s called the Word of God. It’s being in the presence of God whether reading His word or attending a church service. You need that filling station!

Because the “blast of the terrible ones” can come at any time from any direction we have to be prepared. If you’re going to stand like a wall in the face the adversity that’s coming your way you need to know where your salvation lies.

And that my friend is in the arms of God. He’s the ultimate storm shelter! I pray you know Him… if not, please, please ask me to introduce you!! Comments are always desired and responded to. I’d love to hear from you today.

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Shari har

Posted in Life Inspiration

The Invisible Jesus

Written by talk2shari Published Discussion Leave a Comment on The Invisible Jesus

chick invisible

Someone becoming aware that I’m “The Jesus Chick” usually brings three typical reactions:

  1. Joy from fellow believers (I love that!)
  2. Rolled eyes from people who believe I’m a fanatic
  3. Changed conversation from those who don’t want to talk about Jesus

I’m okay with all three because it doesn’t change who I am, and it certainly doesn’t change who Jesus is! It also doesn’t change the truth; which is what everyone says they want, and yet they really don’t. In John 8 we find the story of the woman caught in adultery, and the religious sect that wanted to stone her. But when Jesus challenged them with the truth “…and said unto them, He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her,” (vs. 7) We find the world walking out. They knew the truth… we all sin!  We just don’t like to name it.  I always wondered if what Jesus “wrote with His finger on the ground” was their sins. Jesus knew them too. Conviction is a powerful tool of the Lord. That’s why when people hear the truth their reaction is much the same as the typical reactions to me. They love it, ignore it or change the conversation!

What I found interesting in John 8 this morning were verses, like so many others, that I have previously just skimmed over.

John 8:58-59

Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am. Then took they up stones to cast at him: but Jesus hid himself, and went out of the temple, going through the midst of them, and so passed by.

Convicted by Jesus’ words the religious sect picked up stones to kill Him. But it wasn’t His time. So Jesus hid Himself. Literally vanished from their sight. But an invisible Jesus didn’t change the truth, whether or not they wanted to hear it they were still held captive.

In verse 32 Jesus said, “And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” On the counter side of that, if you ignore the truth you’re willingly being held captive by a lie.

The Invisible Jesus. He’ll eventually stop revealing the truth to you, and salvation will be further and further away; just where you thought you wanted it. And Jesus will have “passed by.”  The two saddest words ever.

Failing to acknowledge Jesus may make Him invisible, but it doesn’t mean He doesn’t exist. And what you’ve allowed to pass by is what you know you’re looking for and why I love being a Jesus Chick:

  • Peace (regardless of circumstance)
  • Love (when nobody’s around to love on you)
  • Healing (even of a broken heart)
  • Answers (to every question)
  • Solutions (to every problem)
  • Insight (to the mysteries of God)
  • Oh the list is endless…

Do you see Him?   He’s precious… and so  worthy of following.

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