Posted in Eternity, Faith, Fear, Leadership, Life Inspiration

Don’t Fear the Grasshoppers

Isaiah 40:21-23 KJV

Have ye not known? have ye not heard? hath it not been told you from the beginning? have ye not understood from the foundations of the earth? It is he that sitteth upon the circle of the earth, and the inhabitants thereof are as grasshoppers; that stretcheth out the heavens as a curtain, and spreadeth them out as a tent to dwell in: That bringeth the princes to nothing; he maketh the judges of the earth as vanity.

I’ve talked to adults, I’ve talked to children, and the consensus of both is one word… I’m afraid. 

My heart is broken for our country. I’m concerned that this path we’re on is impossible to get off of. I keep asking myself, “Shari, are you just too stupid to fear?” No. I just believe in God’s divine providence and I believe He’s going to bring us through. But I do understand the fear that being felt. Because there are weak times when for a moment I’ll succumb to the liberal information out there that is set to destroy America. And then I remember… I’m a citizen of Heaven first. America 2nd. And of course I live in West Virginia which is almost Heaven, so it’s a win win!

Isaiah 40:21-23 gives such great encouragement to the child of God. It reminds us Who exactly is in control. It doesn’t matter what the world tells you. Those grasshoppers across the United States who have strategically placed their minions in political positions and truly believe that they control this world, are going to have a harsh reality when God finally says,

“Hey Gabe… get that trumpet polished up, you’re gonna need it today.” 

It’s why their arrogance doesn’t bother me. Because I know God is going to wipe it off their face. And I’m on His side, so I’m going to be okay. But it’s the folks who aren’t on His side that I worry about. Those who do not know Christ as their Savior. 

But when I sat across from the folks who expressed their fear, it wasn’t because they were lost, I know their life; they believe that Jesus Christ died for them, they believe He arose the third day and now sits beside God in Heaven making intercession for His children. They believe! But it was because they were not staying in the word, but rather tuning into the world. That’s a bad idea! We have to do our best to plug every hole in the galaxy that allows the world to undermine the Spirit’s work in our life. The Spirit gives you hope and security, God’s word tells us that He never gives us the spirit of fear, but Satan and his minions do at every opportunity. 

One way that I can fall prey to the liberal agenda, is to believe that because I live in a nowhere zone of America (Calhoun County, West Virginia) I cannot make an impact in the world for the cause of Christ. It’s easy to see yourself as a speck on the map. I may be a speck on the world map, but I’m a pretty big deal in Heaven. And so are you! 

The publisher of the world’s most read and sold book (God Himself) is on a first name basis with us and speaks to us every day. Oh… my … stars. Why are we fearing these people. Why are we not praying? Why is the altars across America not lined with children of God calling on ABBA. Our Father. Don’t think it wouldn’t changes things. Because it would. But it’s going to take more than a couple of dedicated people of prayer. God wants to see His Nation arise. 

I know this is a short blog post today. But I just wanted to encourage you to turn off the news. Unless it’s BlazeTV. The only truth out there as far as I’m concerned. But tune into the Spirit of God. Listen to His guidance. Be bold in the face of adversity and liberalism. Defend your President. 

God Bless you! And remember He knows everything about you!

Luke 12:7 KJV

But even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not therefore: ye are of more value than many sparrows.

Posted in Bible Journaling, doodles, Uncategorized

God’s Recipe for Earth

There’s this image I have of God because of the images that I’ve viewed since childhood. A painting that will no doubt pale in comparison to His beauty in Heaven. But that image sticks in my mind; so that when I read a verse like Isaiah 40:12, I have to rethink my image of God.

Isaiah 40:12

Who hath measured the waters in the hollow of His hand, and meted out heaven with the span, and comprehended the dust of the earth in a measure, and weighed the mountains in scales, and the hills in balance.

Measured the Water

About 71 percent of the earth is water, with every single drop created and placed by God at creation and distributed in such a way that it sustains life here on earth. Random explosion or intelligent design? Insert rolled eyes here…How could anyone think other than God? And God measured it in the hollow of his hand! That’s where my image of God gets messed up. I’ve seen the ocean, that’s a lot of water! But with His hand He measured the amount as if pouring it in to a recipe for perfection.

Recipes used to spaz me out. I would fear that my measuring wouldn’t be exact and I’d mess up the recipe. Over the years I’ve adapted the God and my mother method of measurement. A cup or two of this or that, a spoon or two of this or that, measured precariously. For the record, that doesn’t always work for me. But it worked for God, because He’s God.

Meted Out Heaven

Again. God is amazing! With His hand He meted (measured Heaven) with the span of His hand! It blows my mind. I recently sewed my very first quilt, which required a lot of measuring. It also required a lot of attention to detail. Praise God, God did not measure out Heaven as I did the seam allowance on my quilt, else Mars would be sewn into Jupitar’s part of the sky. My quilt is far from perfect but it was created with love and a passion to glorify God. The quilt blocks don’t line up as they should, my artistic endeavors in the center have missed stitches and bad stitches, but with the time I had in, and the missionary thoughts, I understand God’s frustration with the way we take care of His earth. What must He have thought when He finished placing the stars and planets in orbit? Wow…

Comprehended the Dust

He knew the numbers of the grains of sand on every beach in the world. Even Munday Beach, West Virginia. Amazing right? He took that very dust and formed man as an artist in clay and then breathed life into Him. God comprehended, but I cannot. He’s just too big! The good news is, I don’t have to understand it. I just have to believe it! I’ve heard enough intelligent scientist who believe the Word of God, back it up with evidence. And if they didn’t, I still believe it. Because the Word of God tells me so.

Weighed the Mountains

Everything in balance. And the world keeps spinning on. It’s like a giant mixer, spinning and spinning and spinning. Eventually it will be time to go in the oven.

Scripture says the things of this earth will be tried by fire.

2nd Peter 3:7 ~ But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men.

God’s waiting patiently. I’m a little less than patient when making something scrumptious. I keep checking and testing and often times that alone is its own destruction. If you’re a baker, you know. But just like God had perfect measurements, He has perfect timing. I’d have put this cake in the oven a long time ago as wicked as it is. But God’s not done with us, Hallelujah. There’s still more stirring to do.

He’s still pouring into us with gifts immeasurable, like His word, and His people. I’ve been blessed this week with a missionary in my home and I’ll tell you more later on that. But for now, take a look at the world around you… What’s God stirring in you today?

Posted in Bible Journaling, Christian Service, testimony

You Need To Hear This

isaiah 40

I certainly needed to hear it.

This is a somewhat vague story for the sole purpose of not telling tales. It’s one of those “the names have been changed stories to protect the not so innocent.” Actually there are no names, which much like the parables of the bible, may allow you to place yourself inside my day and encourage yourself in my discovery.

I was almost in shock, but not entirely. The evidence had been there before but not to this degree. It involved people I cared about as well as people I didn’t really care about if I’m honest. Both people had hurt me, one unknowingly, one intentionally. One I knew to be a Christian, one I wondered. How vague is that! Both events in one day and by days end I was left lifeless on the ground. Weary, oh so very weary of sin.

The sins were such that they would cut at the very core of a Christian testimony. One was the sin of prejudice and the other the sin of entitlement, arrogance and self-righteousness wrapped up in a package. To the unsaved looking at either of these lives with the notion of being drawn to Christ, was ludicrous. Neither of them would leave anyone feeling the need to be saved, being that their version of saved was very, very jaded.

Their behavior cut me. I fought back the tears thinking about the damage to the name of Christ in their behavior. I wanted to lash out, but I just couldn’t. It wasn’t the place to draw attention to someone else’s sins. And so I sat in silence, hurting. Hurting for Jesus. Hurting for someone who might hear and not understand that these people are “just human” with human flaws and all. Later in the day I talked to God, but to no avail. The knot in my stomach was still there. I spent a restless night and awoke with a feeling of despair and of nothing getting fixed. I can’t fix a brokenness in the spirit of other people, especially when they don’t acknowledge that it’s even an issue.

I complained to God and then I heard this:

“That feeling you have Shari… that’s the same feeling I have when I look at your sin. Hurt. Knowing what you know, how you could ever feel your behavior is acceptable or excusable because you are human. Remember that before you judge someone else.”

I needed to hear that. It was a stark reminder that my name is nameless too in the book of God when it comes to sin. But I still felt weary. Now I was not only weary of their condition but my own condition felt heavier still.  But God lured me into His word as He often does to seek strength for the moment.

His understanding

Isaiah 40 28 Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of his understanding.

God’s ways are not my way nor are His thoughts my thoughts. How good to know that even when I am weary, and not from well doing but rather from evil doing, God understands. He sees human nature for what it is. It is what He died for. But in my human form I cannot search long enough to understand it, because I am not God. And unlike me, God is not weary. Not even weary of me. So I must rely on His understanding.

His Strength

29 He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength.

He knows my utter human frailty. I have no might and He knows I will fall and faint. But through His Holy Spirit He encourages my soul. How awesome that gift is. So I must rely on His strength.

His Forgiveness

30 Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall:

Probably the hardest of all to understand. The people in my story hurt me a few times. How many times have I hurt God? Countless. Multiply that times all His people. All the people for whom He died. Now imagine that pain. We can’t. Nor can I imagine how Almighty He assuredly is that He can take that hurt and love me anyway. So I must rely on His forgiveness.

His Wings

31 But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.

Even with His wings, the word doesn’t say we’ll soar, it says we’ll walk. We won’t fly, but we won’t faint. That’s good news! I’ve heard the word “Wait” preached not as the meaning to delay, but rather to serve. As a waiter would wait (serve) a table, which puts a whole other perspective on that scripture. As we “serve” the Lord our strength is rekindled. So I must keep serving. Keeping God’s word in my heart so that I do not faint on days like that mentioned in this story. When people fail me, I can draw strength to forgive from the endless well of forgiveness that God has in supply for His children… for me.

Posted in Christian Service, Life Inspiration

Did you think that God had forgotten you?

isaiah 40

I must confess there have been times that, although I didn’t think the Lord had forgotten about me, I may have thought He was tired of hearing from me. After all, I grow weary of people whining, just think about how many whiners the Lord listens to each day! I was in one of those modes yesterday… whine, whine, whine… I got sick of listening to myself. Praise the LORD it’s Sunday! I needed a spiritual kick in the pants and Isaiah gave me one this morning when I read his words in chapter 40.

Isaiah 40

21 Have ye not known? have ye not heard? hath it not been told you from the beginning? have ye not understood from the foundations of the earth?

22 It is he that sitteth upon the circle of the earth, and the inhabitants thereof are as grasshoppers; that stretcheth out the heavens as a curtain, and spreadeth them out as a tent to dwell in:

Have ye not known? That was a real bell ringer for me this morning. “You know the answer to this Shari, you’ve heard it again and again from the beginning of your salvation and from the beginning of time God has preached it to men. I understand everything you’re going through.”

And He does! The ignorance of men never ceases to amaze me, self-included. We think we catch God off guard by our day to day musings of life, and the scientific world thinks that the answers to creation lies in a text book, when there in verse 22, long before Christopher Columbus sailed the ocean blue and they thought he would surely sail off the end of the earth; Isaiah proclaims that God “sitteth upon the circle of the earth.” Hmmmm…. and exactly how did he know that. And how is it that Job said that God “hangeth the earth upon nothing” In Job 26 verse 7? That coming from the oldest book in the Bible. Oh how I need this reminder this morning!

God knows everything I’m going through. He doesn’t mind if I whine… well maybe He does, but He tolerates me just the same, I’m not the first He’s heard. You really should read all of Isaiah 40 for your own encouragement today, but by way of brevity to start our day I’ll skip to verse 28-31. The latter of which is one you’re most likely familiar with. But listen to the words leading into it…

28 Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of his understanding.

29 He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength.

30 Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall:

31 But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.

Have we not known and heard that that God is eternal? You can’t get to be eternal by growing tired… that’s a long time. We grow weary, even the young grow weary and some just collapse along the way but God does not. He is there listening to us, encouraging us and cheering us on until we reach the day that we shall be with Him.

Are you waiting? As in serving not as in sitting. It is those who serve God that renew their strength. I’m headed to church today to serve Him in whatever capacity He will allow. It is there that I get my battery recharged and refueled for the week to come. I hope today finds you in the house of the Lord!