Tag: Holy Spirit

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A Suspended Blessing

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A suspended coffee – a Facebook post which touched my heart with yet another desire for God to use me to bless others. The premise is to pay in advance for a coffee for someone who could use the help; they can order a suspended coffee free of charge should a restaurant allow it.  I long for the day that I’ll live daily with a “suspended coffee” frame of mind. Not just Holiday time which always brings it to mind, but 365 days a year, edifying through word and deed the body of Christ and the lost. As I read Romans 15 this morning I realized that Jesus had paid for a suspended cup of my own. My first thoughts in the morning gravitate to that splendid brew and aroma of coffee wafting from the kitchen as I prepare my mind and heart to write this blog. I’m serious about coffee, and not the fru-fru k cup stuff. Just give me a plain ol’ cup of coffee with cream, no flavors other than that of a God created Arabica bean in a medium weight ceramic cup. Back to my free cup…

Romans 15:1-5 ~ We then that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak, and not to please ourselves. Let every one of us please his neighbour for his good to edification. For even Christ pleased not himself; but, as it is written, The reproaches of them that reproached thee fell on me. For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope. Now the God of patience and consolation grant you to be likeminded one toward another according to Christ Jesus:

My reproach fell on Him. Only Heaven knows what I’ve been saved from, what it was exactly that He paid for. I have no doubt that I’ll stand with jaw dropped silence when I discover what Christ shielded me from in this life. But here it is written in the scriptures for me this morning, to stumble upon that suspended cup of comfort and hope, the same cup that I’m to offer my neighbor who is weak.

  • A cup of encouraging words to warm a troubled heart…
  • A literal cup of coffee to warm someone who can’t afford it…
  • A coat to warm the body of a child in the cold…
  • A cup of compassion to someone who thinks nobody cares…
  • A shared cup with someone who’s lonely…

There’s a long list waiting for me because I’ve been given so much. I hope the words from Romans 15 encouraged you as they did me this morning, and that something written here edified your soul. I encourage you to look for a way to pass that cup today into the life of someone else today. Christ will be well pleased and God will be glorified, and that’s what it’s about.

Mark 9:41

For whosoever shall give you a cup of water to drink in my name, because ye belong to Christ, verily I say unto you, he shall not lose his reward.

I think it goes for coffee too.

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I Was Once God’s Weird Science Experiment

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The story goes of a young woman who has another broken relationship in her life finalized and she’d concluded in her heart that she’d had enough. There was no way she’d have anything to do with God again. But, not long after this she finds herself standing in the Jewish Holocaust exhibit and before her the pile of Holocaust victims bones. That settled it, no loving God would allow that to happen! If she’d ever doubted it before she knew it now. But then she heard a still small voice whisper in her soul, “Don’t leave Me… This is what happens when I’m rejected, darkness reigns and lives are destroyed, please… don’t leave Me.”

The story hit me like a ton of bricks as I was driving down the road yesterday listening to a podcast. I’ve asked that question myself. “Why?” Especially over broken relationships or harsh conversations when a dull knife stabbed into my soul and twisted would surely have been less painful. But looking back on those experiences they were nothing in comparison to the Jewish Holocaust. Not even worthy of being in the same sentence.

It is said that Ezekiel 37:1-14 the story of the dry bones, is a prophecy of the Holocaust and the rebuilding of the Nation of Israel. Whether it is or not, I’m not a Theologian, so I’ll leave it to their debate, but regardless the similarities are there.

Verses 1-5 ~  The hand of the Lord was upon me, and carried me out in the spirit of the Lord, and set me down in the midst of the valley which was full of bones, And caused me to pass by them round about: and, behold, there were very many in the open valley; and, lo, they were very dry. And he said unto me, Son of man, can these bones live? And I answered, O Lord God, thou knowest. Again he said unto me, Prophesy upon these bones, and say unto them, O ye dry bones, hear the word of the Lord. Thus saith the Lord God unto these bones; Behold, I will cause breath to enter into you, and ye shall live:

Those bones that God brought back to life, rewrapped them in muscle and breathed life into their bodies may look like something out of a science fiction movie but it’s very much how God works in our lives. Only God can take broken lives that are shattered beyond recognition and restore them. It wasn’t happenstance that God revealed Himself to the woman in the story at the Holocaust exhibit; it wasn’t happenstance that he revealed Himself to me at Victory Baptist Church in 1996. God manipulated the circumstance in my life that caused my dead, dry bones (that did not know Jesus) to walk into a valley of restored bones in a church that was alive.

Perhaps that’s too “churchy” of a conversation for us to have this morning. Maybe God manipulated your bones into this cyber place this morning because He wanted to conduct a little science experiment on you. Have you all but given up on God, life, love, or family? God’s telling you right now, “Don’t leave me. Without Me there is no light to be found, only darkness.

That morning that God manipulated me (and that’s a whole other story!) into Victory Baptist Church, I didn’t realize that there was no life in me, until the Spirit of God began to stir in my soul. I didn’t know what that was either, I just knew I felt “something.” And as I heard the Word of God preached it was like there was an inner strength welling up inside of me. I found three things in that valley that caused me to never want to leave it again.

Strength (the struggles were not over, but I had the power to fight)

Connection (my bones knit with the bones of other believers and I had stable support)

Breath (I found air to breathe that had not been there for years. The pressure of the world on my chest more often than not felt like a literal weight shutting down my ability to breathe and move. I just existed)

That’s what God does. He takes a weird concoction like me and makes sense out of it.

Listen… are you in that valley this morning? Hear the Savior calling… Don’t leave me.

I can promise because I’ve experienced it, He’ll never leave you!

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A True Come to Jesus Moment

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In a secular setting a few weeks ago I heard a woman discussing something that had happened in her office that had upset her. She was displeased with a staff member and as she put it, they were going to have a “Come to Jesus” meeting. My first thought was “If only you would.” (insert rolled eyes here) Her come to Jesus meeting had nothing to do with the Lord, and more to do with her yielding authority. The world takes the name of Jesus far too lightly. A real come to Jesus moment has nothing to do with anyone yielding authority, even under chastisement God’s Word is not condemning; convicting… yes. Jesus told the woman caught in adultery “Go and sin no more.” The stone throwers walked away with no entitlement to casting even one. Her “come to Jesus moment” was not the Lord berating her for a mistake, but rather the Lord lifting her up from ground with compassion and the defense of a Father who had just shielded her from being stoned to death. She knew she’d done wrong, He knew she knew. That was enough.

There’s a song lyric from Daystar that says “When I see you standing near me, shining with compassion in your eyes;” that is the image I have when I think of a “come to Jesus” meeting. That’s the meeting I have about every day when I’ve let the Lord down in service and I’m beating myself up and frustrated that I don’t live nearly as close to the foot of the cross as I should, or when I’ve let yet another person down and I’m just waiting for someone to hurl the first rock and then Jesus steps in. It’s actually the same look that we should have in our eyes when someone lets us down, but because we are so often in the flesh, that’s seldom the case.

Acts 15:10-11 says Now therefore why tempt ye God, to put a yoke upon the neck of the disciples, which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear? But we believe that through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we shall be saved, even as they.

At this time in Acts there were saved Jews adding back in law to the grace of God and confusing the members of the new church. Even though that’s still happening today I’m not speaking of that in this context. We’re not so much adding works to salvation but rather adding works to our conditions of grace. We have expectations of friends, family and coworkers and when they’ve fallen short, our “come to Jesus” moments don’t look anything like Jesus but border more on the Pharisee rock throwing. Where is the compassion? Sometimes the yoke we put upon people has been hand crafted by us with unrealistic expectations or people just flat out fail us. Either way God has expectations of us.

If we expect grace we must give grace, else how will anyone ever have a true “come to Jesus” moment?

Guard your witness today… Satan’s out to get it.

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Finding Hope and Healing in Heartache

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I have several friends who are going through or have gone through serious heartache. The kind that rips the heart out of the person who hears, one can’t imagine what it’s like to be the one who experiences it. And yet many of them if you didn’t know their story, you’d never know their heartache because by all appearances their life is “all that and a bag chips” as the saying goes. But in reality it’s filled with broken pieces of shattered dreams.  So how do they do it? We’ll get to that but first let me say that I also have friends who have experienced the worst of the worst and just can’t move past it. Day in and day out they relive the heartache, the pain consumes and yet it doesn’t; they’re still here, but every day is an uphill battle against depression, blame and angst. I don’t dare look upon them with judgment, ere it may be me tomorrow. But I look to the source. It’s not that both friends don’t walk in pain daily, they do; but there’s an obvious difference of effect.

It’s that peace of God, which passeth all understanding found in Philippians 4:7

So how did they find it? I believe one answer is found in 1 Peter 5:6-11 ~

Surrender to God

Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time: Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.

We think of surrender as if it’s a loss, but in the truth of this circumstance it’s a win! You’ve likely already came to the conclusion that you do not have the answer to the reason behind the tragic circumstance of your life. There are some questions that just will not be answered in this lifetime. So how can you go on? In the knowledge that the Creator of all the earth has a plan that allowed you a temporary heartache that will be followed by an eternal healing. In due time He’ll exalt (elevate) you to a position of understanding. But for now He needs you to trust Him.

Stand Guard of Satan

Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:

That heartache, anger, frustration you feel is Satan at his finest. He loves nothing more than to defeat you by undermining hope. He knows that if you experience hope, you’ll get past this tragedy and be stronger for it. He will no longer have the power of persuasion on your mind and you can continue on knowing that there’s a better day ahead.

Secure your Confidence

Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world.

There’s heartache in the lives of those who know Jesus, and those who don’t. But there’s a stark difference in their spirit. Those who know Jesus and have surrendered all to Him, know that when He was upon crucified on the cross of Calvary every sin and heartache in the world was placed upon Him. It’s hard to wrap your mind around that, but it helps somewhat to understand the pain you feel and then multiple it times every soul that’s been born since creation. Yea. He did that. So you wouldn’t have to bear it. Consult League City Integrated Counseling and Wellness specialists, who will take care of your health and mind.

Settle the Matter

But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you. To him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.

Don’t take it back. The reality is we’re going to have heartache while we’re here, Satan’s going to make sure of it. But if you know Christ you have that hope settled in Heaven that one day this is going to be over, and then we’ll have an eternity of no pain, sorrow or heartache. Amen!

Struggling? I’d love to lift you to the Lord. Comment below or private message me at talk2shari@gmail.com.

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God’s plan at the pumps…

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As a retired police officer, correctional officer and administrator of both juvenile and adult criminal populations, my friend Ed is no stranger to confrontation, nor has he ever been shy of its approach. I don’t have space on this blog to tell you how the Lord has used this man in the ministry and not because he’s wonderful (although he is), not because he’s talented (although he is) but because he’s willing.

After leaving the adult prison facility for which he is now Chaplain, he pulled into a 7Eleven Convenience Store for fuel. And then it happened… he noticed the nicely dressed man and his children exiting the store. It was a Wednesday night and Ed figured that they were likely going to church. It was then that God spoke to his heart, “Talk to them.” It was a gentle nudge in the beginning but grew more demanding as Ed argued with God that surely this man would think he was nuts to stop him and his children on a cold winter evening when they were obviously on their way somewhere. But after a brief debate, Ed surrendered to the Lord’s desire…

“Hey are you a Preacher?” Ed asked.

“Why yes I am he replied…”

And then God unfolded the plan.

Ed had been tirelessly working as Chaplain to a new facility of inmates with groups arriving each week needing his attention. He studied, preached, provided counseling and handled the administrative duties of his position as well. His active farm took its toll physically on his body and the pressure was mounting. He knew he needed help but unfamiliar with the location of the prison, and very much understanding the accountability of ministering the gospel “correctly”, Ed wasn’t about to hand the reigns over to just anyone.

But God had a plan.

The Preacher who Ed spoke to at the 7Eleven was a part of ministry team looking for a mission field opportunity in their area. Within a few minutes Ed was invited to meet their team; a doctrinally sound group of believers who have now offered to take on his Prison Bible studies as their mission.

They were looking, Ed was asking and God set up the meeting.

But… if Ed had not being willing to hear the Holy Spirit when He said “Speak.” God’s business would have been undone and Ed would have continued on, worn and tired.

Listen…

God may be just about to bless you.

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Have You Heard It?

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Galatians 4:6

And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father.

Have you heard it? The Holy Spirit within your heart desiring to be in the presence of Almighty God? It’s Sunday morning and I’m thankful for the Spirit that dwells within in me, the One that reminds me that I have been adopted into the family of God and that His desire is to commune with me as Father and child.  I am reminded of the feeling of hopelessness that filled that spot prior to salvation, when Sunday mornings didn’t matter in more than Saturday morning; both were just the weekend. That feeling makes me nauseous. The feeling of “not belonging.”

We all have that desire within us to belong, do we not? We may squelch it down beneath the pride of “I don’t need anyone to make me happy,” remarks but if we’ll allow ourselves to get real for just a minute we know that it’s a lie. A lie fabricated by Satan himself to make us feel that we are responsible for our destiny and happiness.

This morning you’ll find me in the fellowship of my brothers and sisters at Abba’s house. It’s a place I’ve called home since 1996 and I love even the aroma of the building, because I know that it is where I first met God. Where I first felt a part of the big picture of creation. The world had let me down, I was frustrated with the circumstances of life and then in one sparkle in the eye of my Heavenly Father, the feeling of disconnect was gone. I belonged!

I’ve always been a part of an awesome family; parents and siblings who loved me, a husband and children, and now grandchildren! But it’s not the same. It’s not the same as realizing that you are a child of the Creator of the universe and that He now travels with you where ever it is that you go. Hearing your heart cry… “Abba, Father, are you there?” and your soul answer “Yes, I was waiting for you today.”  Oh, my soul leaps within me!

What about you, have you heard it? If not then you need some one to One time with the Lord. Here’s how the adoption conversation goes:

God, I can look at creation and know that it didn’t “just” happen. (1 Corinthians 11:14) I can feel love and know that it didn’t come from an organism that evolved into something else. I believe You are the creator of all. And I want to be Your child and feel a part of that wonderful family of God. You are a holy God that I’ve been separated from by the rejection of Your Son. (John 12:48) I believed I could do it on my own. But I was wrong. (Romans 3:23, Romans 6:23) I need You and I realize that the only way that I can come to You is to accept the sacrifice that made it possible. I believe Your Son died on the cross of Calvary to pay the debt I could not pay, I believe He rose again the third day and ascended back to Heaven to be my intercessor. I don’t have to understand it all, I believe that because I hear You speak to my soul. (Romans 10:9-10)

If in reading that statement you believe it and you felt your heart leap within your chest you’ve just received your adoption certificate. I encourage you to click on the scripture links and read what God says, don’t take my word for it! And then you need to go meet your family at a good bible believing, Spirit filled church that preaches the Word of God. As Preacher T.D. Jakes put it, they preach “Hell hot and in 15 minutes.” And I’d love to know, please message me below and let me know of your decision or find me on Facebook and private message me there. God Bless you!

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Hold My Mule… I’m About to Get Happy

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Proverbs 23:16

Yea, my reins shall rejoice, when thy lips speak right things.

When reminiscing about the spiritual joys in my life I can seldom go too far without having Preacher Walt come into my mind. Many people have touched my life but only a few have left a thumbprint on my heart because they touched me so deeply. Walt was one such individual because he taught me how to let go of the mule. One of his favorite sayings was “Hold my mule, I’m about to get happy!” Walt was relinquishing the reins and allowing the Holy Spirit to take charge, and sure enough as soon as he did, we had a time in that service! This morning as my eyes opened at 4:30 a.m. I began to pray that God would lay a scripture on my heart that would encourage my brothers and sisters in Christ. One that cause them to be happy in the Spirit of the Lord. And as always, God is faithful. The word “speak” has been on my heart for days. But not necessarily in a good sense; more aptly thinking on how the thoughts of a person’s heart are betrayed by their lips. When I speak what’s on my heart, it’s not always the right thing to say. God said in Proverbs 23:16 that He would rejoice when we spoke right things. I have to wonder if when His reins rejoice, if they don’t loosen a little.

We are held back by the reins

I hesitate to ask some people how they are because it’s often followed by a twenty minute dissertation of how terrible their life is. They’ve made up their mind that they’re going to be miserable and they share that misery with everyone who dare to ask. I don’t want to discourage someone from asking a brother or sister for prayer because they’re going through a rough spot, that’s not what I speak of. I’m talking about ‘those’ folk, and you know who they are, that seldom ever have a good day. They don’t speak right things. They won’t let loose of anger, or bitterness and because of it their reins are held tight. They aren’t allowing God to have control, else they’d have to forgive and forget. You’ll not likely see them get happy in the Lord because their content at being miserable and their speech reflects it.

Hold my mule, I’m about to get happy!

We are Lead by the reins

When our heart is right it’s also reflected in our speech. We speak truth and encouragement; and we can feel the reins loosen a little and God working in our lives. He starts directing us and putting words in our mouth. His words. And joy begins to multiply in our heart and rather than focusing on the negative things in the world we begin to look for the good, and that too encourages us and before long we’ve thought and spoken ourselves happy! And then one day we find ourselves in the Spirit of the Lord, happy for no other reason than God gave us one more breath. Life’s not perfect, but God is. He has a plan, go with it.

We are loosed by reins

If the driver of the buggy never let loose of the reins he’d never travel very far. The horse doesn’t need the reins off to get where he’s going he needs them cracked! That’s how I feel this morning. I feel like God has cracked the reins and I’m moving. He’s doing something in my life, taking me to the next leg of the journey. A mule is said to be stubborn and content to stay put. I don’t want that.

Here, hold my mule, I’m about to get happy!

 

 

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Another Spirit… and it’s excited!

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Numbers 14:24 ~ But my servant Caleb, because he had another spirit with him, and hath followed me fully, him will I bring into the land whereinto he went; and his seed shall possess it.

To set the stage for my message today, the children of Israel had just come upon the Promised Land. Two groups of men went out to spy upon the land and bring a report to Moses and the people. Joshua and Caleb returned full of excitement for they’d seen a land flowing with milk and honey, with food in abundance and all the provisions they would need. But the other men who went brought an evil report, seeing only impossibility and trials. Guess which report was received by the congregation of the Lord?

Why is it that within our churches an evil report is so much easier to believe and spreads like wildfire? It is that report which will be accepted and embraced for absolute truth while a spirit of revival in the soul of the saint, a good report, will be looked upon as a fleeting notion that surely will pass and takes far too much effort for everyone else to get on board that train.

One of my greater frustrations in the ministry is trying to drag people to the party; after all, it will surely end. Can you hear them? “Yes there’s joy in the camp, but we all know that when you go camping you’re not planning on staying, it’s just a vacation that will surely end with the reality of a world full of giants.” For fresh drinking water, make sure to bring the right type of water jugs. Well, me and my cockeyed optimism or my “Caleb-ism” believe that the reason those giants are in my world is help me carry the fruit God’s going to provide. Caleb had “another spirit.”

Their’s was a spirit of discouragement and defeat. They’d given up on the idea of the Promised Land before they even sat foot in it themselves. Neal A. Maxwell was quoted saying “Discouragement is not the absence of adequacy but the absence of courage.” Caleb wasn’t worried about the size of the giant, he was excited about the size of the fruit! He knew God would take care of the giant. He had courage!

What about you? Do you have “another spirit?” The children of Israel were living in a camp, and I’m sure the conditions were not the best. The comforts of home were gone, and the menu of life had limitations. But here they stood on brink of happiness and contentment like they’d never known and they believed the evil report over the good. That’s not good enough for me. I refuse to allow the evil report of the day, that I see on the morning and evening news, to discourage me and plant a seed of despair in my mind. I know the obstacles that are before us are big, but I serve a bigger God.

I want revival in my soul; the “other spirit.” I spoke over the weekend at a ladies retreat with a goal to stir them up, and I hope I did. But what happens when you stir the pot is that the aroma comes wafting up and into your nostrils, and that thing that you’re cookin’ smells good, and excites your soul with the joy of what’s to come. My friend Loretta, who also spoke, read this scripture about Caleb and the other spirit. It added to seasoning to my soul this weekend and I could feel that spirit of revival stirring again in my soul. I know what’s to come!

This world is temporary– we are in tents. But that other land, that Promised Land is coming. Don’t spend your time in the tents discouraged, enjoy the journey. When adversity and opposition come against you, think of it as a strength building exercise to carry the fruit God’s going to provide. We’ll have battles, there can be no victory without it. When the naysayers come and tell you that it’s no use to get excited about what the Lord is doing, tell them you have “another Spirit.” The Holy Spirit! The naysayers among the children of Israel died without receiving their reward. Don’t do it.