Tag: Created for Him

Posted in Bible Journaling, Eternity, failure, Faith, Grace, Uncategorized

I’m a Blessed Mess

Written by talk2shari Published Discussion Leave a Comment on I’m a Blessed Mess

2 Corinthians 12:9 KJV – And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

If God’s strength is made perfect in my weakness, He is REALLY rollin’ in perfection. There’s nothing like a little alone time and reflection to make you realize how very imperfect you are. Or at least so is the case with me. It seems of late that every art project, writing project, music project etc. that I have worked on, I’ve thrown my hands up in defeat and picked it to pieces. It ain’t easy bein’ me. 

This isn’t a post in hopes of having the world tell me how wonderful I am. I have great encouragers in my life.  The only real discouragement I get is from me. I grow weary of myself. Perhaps you can’t or possibly can identify. But today I turn to the scripture in hopes of finding a happy medium for myself that will restore in me my creative flair in a way that comes with a little more confidence and assurance that what I’m doing makes a difference. It’s not just fluff.

God’s Grace… God’s Riches at Christ’s Expense. Great acronym and great truth.

I love the scripture that leads me away from an identity crisis and into who I am in Christ. That’s the part that I forget when I’m picking myself apart. That’ I’m actually being critical of God’s gifts placed within me. I’ve never liked my self criticism nature. I just don’t do a very good job of shutting her up, even though I have that power in my arsenal of Christian defenses by using the word of God. So, let’s do that today! 

Follow the word of God as it tells us who we are “in Christ.” Those of us who know that we know we’ve been saved by the blood of Jesus Christ.

We are Justified! (Just as if I’d never messed up)

Romans 3:24 KJV – Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:

He knows my weakness! (And loves me anyway)

Romans 5:6 KJV – For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.

There is no condemnation of those who are Spirit lead! (Satan may point a finger, but God never will)

Romans 8:1 KJV – There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.

I feel the Spirit of God with me. (Confirming that I am a child of God)

Romans 8:9 KJV – But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.

He is my defender! (Everyone needs a Hero)

Romans 8:34 KJV – Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us.

Nobody or nothing can separate me from God. (He’s within my heart)

Romans 8:39 KJV – Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

We are separate from this World. (We are the Saints of God, not a statue on a church lot)

1 Corinthians 1:2 KJV – Unto the church of God which is at Corinth, to them that are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, with all that in every place call upon the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both theirs and ours:

We are the complete package. (Completed by Christ at the Cross)

1 Corinthians 1:30 KJV – But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption:

We have hope eternal. (Even in death)

1 Corinthians 15:22 KJV – For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.

We have purpose! (He has anointed us to fulfill it)

2 Corinthians 1:21 KJV – Now he which stablisheth us with you in Christ, and hath anointed us, is God;

If Satan brings up our past (and he will) Remind him of his future.

2 Corinthians 5:17 KJV –  Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

Our surety is in the word of God. (Stay in it!)

2 Timothy 1:13 KJV – Hold fast the form of sound words, which thou hast heard of me, in faith and love which is in Christ Jesus.

Glory! Just wrote myself happy. Hoping you just read yourself happy!

Shari – The Jesus Chick

Posted in Bible Journaling, Christian Service, Life Inspiration

A Good Day to Look Backward and See Forward

Written by talk2shari Published Discussion Leave a Comment on A Good Day to Look Backward and See Forward

By far one of my favorite verses is Jeremiah 1:5

Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.

Long before Gene Hardway and Violet Spencer , became Gene and Violet Hardway, God knew me. That alone blows my mind. But greater than that is the fact that He knew “me.” The bad, the good and the ugly. And actually Christ says there is none good but God (Luke 18:19); so that just leaves the bad and the ugly. And yet He still chose to save me, use and free me in this wicked world. Amazing.

You too can stand amazed, because He has an amazing message for us in those 31 words. One for each day of any month. There is not a day that goes by that God doesn’t haven a plan. We may choose to ignore it, or perhaps you’re not even in the place to discover it because you’ve never accepted Him as Savior and Lord. But regardless, He has plan.

In a few weeks I’ll turn the double nickel. Where did 55 years go? Much of it wasted, but much of it was in preparatory times for days like these. Even the bad and ugly days have created me to be who I am. The hurts of the past help me love the hurting. The mistakes of the past helped me forgive the mistaken. The brokenness of the past… well you get the picture. Everything has purpose. I won’t say it was all of God, because there were times I was doing anything but listening to God, but He used it. My mistakes didn’t catch God off guard. He did not say, “Oh my stars! She’s beyond anything I can do.” No, He knew me, He loved me anyway and He uses me any way.

He Knew Me

Somewhere in the portals of time, I was. I don’t have a clue as to what form I was, body or spirit. But I was. I was who God created me to me. The drawing I doodled last night that began this thought was a caricature of me as a child. Weird child that I was, speaking into hair brushes, pretending I had an audience of ten. I really didn’t have too big of dreams about it then. But God did. I wasn’t singing, like other little girls. I was speaking. I had important things to say that I was sure the whole world needed to hear. That experience had all but left my mind until a speaking engagement a few years ago when it flooded back into my soul and God said… this is what I created you to do. That’s amazing!

He Loves Me

Long after the hair brush in the mirror days, I had a lot of ugly times. I didn’t know God until I was 34 years old. So that left a lot of years of just me. And I messed up a lot of those years. From 34 to 55, I’ve walked with Christ, but many of those days I’ve walked ahead and had to retrace my steps back to Him and ask once again for Him to take the lead. Life is tricky. But even with all the mistakes, getting off track, feeling frustrated and failure upon failure… He loves me.

He Uses Me

That’s the most amazing thing of all! That I’m on staff for God. Have you ever thought of it like that? That’ll blow your mind away! We all like position in life and recognition, but we take the greatest position in life for granted. That we work for God. That we have a position, a job and goal in life that He instilled in us as a children, and many people just throw it away like it was yesterday’s newspaper. Perhaps you’ve not even discovered yours. Today would be a good day to look backward and see forward