My Journey to Bethlehem

As God prepared the road for Joseph and Mary, He is preparing our road.

Our road is our walk through this physical journey of life and our spiritual journey to God.  My walk has taken me to Bethlehem and the Christ Child.  Christ is the Messiah.  He is God’s plan of redemption for each of us as seen throughout the Old and New Testaments of God’s Word.

We are all at a different place in our spiritual walks.

God will help us to walk forward into a deeper place.

How do we get there?

How does our spirit grow?

I have found that God uses the circumstances and trials of life to awaken our spirits and to make us open to what He wants to teach us.

When the situations of life empty our cups of what we think is so important; God then, has the opportunity to fill our cups, our spirits, with the things which are spiritually and eternally important.

The things of this life are temporary.  The physical busyness of getting ready for Christmas is soon over and we are taking down the tree, putting away holiday decorations, and making New Year’s resolutions.

Each of us is looking for more than the temporary.

Scripture has taught me that “faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God”.

As we hear again the Christmas story, as we listen to and read scripture, as we sing songs of adoration, praise, and thanksgiving, as we worship together, and as we share our faith with each other, we grow and move into that deeper spiritual place.

I have found that love is contagious and so is faith.

Faith is a gift from God. 

There is a longing in each and every heart which God wants to fill.  Everyone searches for purpose and fulfillment.  God convicts our hearts and gives us a beginning mustard seed of faith.  It is up to us to seek and then receive God’s gift of faith.

When we believe and receive this gift, our faith will begin to grow.  We are to confess our faith, use our faith, and share it with others.

I have been given the gift of faith.  I would like to share with you a little about my life and my personal faith journey.

To grow in faith is a choice.  How God chooses to bring us to the place where we meet Him is not usually a choice.  I would not have chosen the pain which our family experienced when we suffered the death of two of our children.  I believe that God has a purpose and a plan for each of our lives, whether they be short or long in years.  My spiritual search for truth intensified during this pain filled time and led me into a deep abiding faith. 

Richard and I were married fifty years ago on September 25, 1964.  We had four daughters, Elisa, Erica, Carrie, and Christa.  We lived in West Hempstead for the first nine years of our marriage.  Richie built our home in Dix Hills.  We lived there until we retired and sold it in 2008.  Much happiness and many tears were experienced during those years on Long Island. 

Elisa Lynn was born on May 11, 1970.  She died at 9 years of age in her sleep on the morning of June 27, 1979.

Erica Gayle was born on October 22, 1972.  She and her Husband, Trevor, have given us two wonderful grandsons, Trevor and Hunter.

Carrie Marlene was born on September 25, 1980 (on our 16^th wedding anniversary) She died two weeks later from complications of meconium aspiration.  She never came home from the hospital.

Christa Grace was born on May 25, 1983.  She and her husband, Kris, have blessed us with two sweet little grandsons, Harrison and Brooks.  Their third baby, another grandson, will be born in the spring.

God has brought us through our times of great pain.  Over the years He has also given us so much joy.  We have learned to prioritize our lives.   Faith, family, and friends come before any temporary material things in our lives.

When going through the painful years of loss, my faith was being severely tested.

No physical person could help me.  I felt as if I was walking in a fog.  I was going through the motions of living.  I had to keep going for Erica and for Richie.  Richie couldn’t even function.  My parents and sisters were devastated.   I was searching for comfort and purpose.  Many couples are unable to make their marriage work after the loss of a child because both are hurting so much that they can’t help each other.

Prior to the death of my children my life had been a very stable one. 

Richie did not have an easy childhood but was now settled and happy as a husband and father.  His world came crashing in on him once again.

His spiritual foundation was not strong enough to bring him any peace or comfort.

My friend Bobby said “you have the Lord and Richie has you”. 

My faith gave me strength. 

As God lifted me up I could keep Erica and Richie going.

My foundation of faith was begun and nurtured by God fearing parents who brought me to church and Sunday School at a very young age.  I was baptized at Bethelship Methodist Church in Brooklyn.

I was confirmed at Gloria Dea  Lutheran Church in Huntington.

I attended and taught Sunday School as a teenager at West Hills Methodist Church.

While living in West Hempstead, I attended Hempstead Methodist Church.  This is where Elisa and Erica were baptized.

When we moved to Dix Hills in 1974 we attended the Dix Hills Methodist Church.

After the death of my children, I went back to West Hills Methodist Church to be with my parents and to be spiritually fed by a wonderful pastor who helped me through a very difficult time.

 

In my search for deeper understanding, increased faith, and spiritual growth, Erica and I began attending The Commack Church of God. God used the preaching and the loving congregation of this church to feed my spirit and to bring me into a deeper dimension of faith.

It was during this time that I continued to pray for another child.  I had had two miscarriages.  My prayer became, “God, if it isn’t in your plan please take the desire for another child away from me”.  I had submitted to his will.  He did not take the desire away. He gave us the desire of our hearts on May 25, 1983.  Christa Grace was born.  I thank Him every day for giving us another child and for giving Erica a sister.

In 1984 our family joined St. Luke Lutheran Church.  It became our church home for 23 years.  I taught Sunday School for 10 years and as a family we grew in faith and in greater love for our Lord.  Pastor Froehlich baptized, confirmed, and married Christa.  Pastor confirmed and married Erica and baptized her two sons.  The people at St Luke were our extended family.

In 2008 we sold our home of 35 years; I retired from Oncology Nursing at Huntington Hospital; and we moved to Orefield, Pennsylvania.  Our new home is one mile away from Erica and one hour away from Christa.  We had purchased a house in The Florida Keys in 1991.  Again, God has given us the desire of our hearts.  We are spending our retirement between sunny Florida in The Keys and Orefield, Pennsylvania near our children and their families.  

I can only remember one time in my life when I questioned God’s existence.  It was after Baby Carrie died.  I couldn’t believe that a second child would be taken from me. When she died, others including Richie questioned how I could maintain my faith.  How could a loving God have allowed this to happen again?  Maybe the God, whom I’ve always known, was not really there.  It was the loneliest time of my life.  Who could I turn to if He wasn’t there, if He wasn’t walking with me. 

This dry period only lasted a few weeks.  I searched the scriptures.  Where else could I go for answers?  I would sit in my yard with my Bible.  God led me to the Book of Job.  Job was God’s most beloved servant and God allowed him to loose everything including his children.  Job never lost faith.  I wasn’t going to either! God loved Job and I knew that He loved me too.  I was reminded of the poem, Footprints in the Sand.  God was there and He would continue to carry me through the tough times in life. 

When I read 2 Corinthians1: 4, 5, I knew that the words in this passage were meant for me.   “God helps us in all of our troubles, so that we are able to help others who have all kinds of troubles, using the same help that we ourselves have received from God”.

He spoke to me through His word. I would continue to search and believe!  I was sure of His words and I was sure that He was present in my life!  His word told me that He would use me in the lives of others and He has.  By God’s grace alone was I brought into this deeper place as I walked my spiritual journey.   I will continue walking it with Him to His Glory in my life. 

Faith is an awesome gift but with that gift comes responsibility.  To he whom much is given, much is required.

Jesus is the Lord of my life.  I love Him with all of my heart, mind, and soul.  I am able to love others because He loved me first.

I pray for wisdom and discernment daily, asking God to use me to His glory in the lives of others.  My trials have given me spiritual strength and understanding. God in me, through The Holy Spirit, gives me the ability to know what He would want me to do or to say to help others.  He has touched people through me in my personal life and in my professional life as a nurse.  I want to be His vessel and I know He hears my prayer. 

Nothing is more important to me than being in God’s will.  What I do for Him is the only thing that will last throughout eternity.

The Bible is my road map and GPS.  It gives me direction.  It is God’s love letter to each of us.  God’s promises are real.  Jesus is the Savior.  The Holy Spirit is our comforter, our guide, and God’s power within us.

We are God’s children and He calls each of us to come to Him just as we are.  He draws us to Himself; asking us to believe and to receive the gift of faith.  Anyone who truly confesses, believes, and receives Christ will never want to turn back from their walk to Bethlehem.   

By sharing myself with you, my hope is that your faith will be encouraged.

If anyone is going through a difficult time in their lives, you are not alone, God is with you.  Ask for and seek His presence.  He will make His presence known and give you His peace.

As we walk the road to Bethlehem this Christmas; may we grow in the love of Jesus, may we grow in faith, and may we pass on our increased love and faith to others.

I pray that the lights of Christmas will glow through each of us all year long.

Wishing you a Merry Christmas and a Happy and Healthy 2015

Thoughts from my Kitchen

I spend a lot of time in my kitchen; not because I have to, because I want to.  It has always been my pleasure to make a meal for my family.  It still is, even though it is just Richie and me. 

I am standing by the sink looking out my kitchen window.  It is 79 degrees without a cloud in the striking blue sky.  A warm Keys Tropical breeze flows through my open windows.  Richie is sitting outside on our balcony which extends over the canal at the rear of our home.  We have just finished our lunch sitting under the umbrella at our outdoor table.  The view is beautiful and the site so peaceful. The fish are jumping in the canal.

God has been good to us and we are so very grateful for these years of retirement in the Florida Keys.  As we look around, we are reminded of the previous years and all of the loving work Richie has physically done to accomplish the repair and renovation of each room in this home.  We bought this house twenty three years ago.  I always say, “We make the plans but God has the final say”.  God has been so faithful and has heard our many prayers and has honored our many plans.

Most of all, God is growing each of us spiritually. We have always felt closer to Him in the Florida Keys.  Here; the sky is bluer, the clouds are closer and more three dimensional,  the water is clearer and more vibrant in its blue green color, the night sky is blacker, the moon and stars shine brighter and seem more plentiful,  the fish are jumping, and there are so many species of birds flying overhead or landing in our yards.  His creation is all around!

The world seems to be spinning out of control but I know that God- IS- in control.  By faith, I know that He is still on the throne.  He loves each one of us individually.  In the name of Jesus, God is Glorified.  In the name of Jesus, the Holy Spirit is given to each believer.  Jesus is the incarnation of our God.  Jesus is the One who gives us new life.  God has always demanded a pure unblemished sacrificial lamb to be sacrificed for the atonement of each person’s sins.  Jesus is the final sinless, pure, sacrificial lamb.  He is the long awaited Messiah.  He is the way to the Father, our creator.  Jesus is the Resurrection.  Jesus is life.  Jesus is the way. Jesus is the truth.  Jesus is The Word.  Jesus is love.  Jesus IS God.  He is the same, yesterday, today, and forever.  Believe in and call on the name of Jesus and you will be saved!  You are saved from eternal death into life forever with God (the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit) throughout eternity.  This New Life starts Now.  It begins at the moment one says yes to receiving Jesus Christ into his or her heart.  The Kingdom of God starts Now and lasts throughout eternity in a believer’s life.

I couldn’t sleep last night.  During a sleepless night I usually choose to get up for a while to read.  Last night I was led to a little book, “The Wonders of the Holy Name” by a Catholic Priest, Father Paul O’Sullivan.  The simple truth of this book taught that there is power and victory in a simple prayer that should be repeated often by believers who want to pray without ceasing as commanded to us by God.  As you say, “Jesus, Jesus, Jesus” you call upon the Savior and enter into His presence.   

As I stood there in my newly renovated kitchen with the aroma of a pot roast in the oven and the soon to bubble pudding for a flan on my stove, I prayed for Richie, myself, and each member of my family saying, “Jesus, Jesus, Jesus”.  I asked for God’s mercy in our lives.  I prayed for our family and the specific people for whom I have been interceding.  I lifted up Aileen and Naomi and their daughters Linda and Robin.  God has promised that He hears the fervent prayers of a righteous person.  It is in Christ’s righteousness that I pray.  I pray in the name of Jesus.  God’s promise says that whatever we ask the
Father, in the name of Jesus, we shall receive.  God will not fail to keep His Word.

As I looked out my kitchen window I saw a bright red Cardinal pecking at the ground.  The sight of a Cardinal always reminds me of God’s presence and gifts.  He hears my prayers, sees my tears, and knows my joys.  Two weeks ago He gave me another sign of His beauty and presence.  While in my morning quiet prayer time He placed a rainbow over the canal as I looked out my living room glass doors.  I captured the rainbow and the memory with my camera.  “Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, I love you and thank you for your love, the gift of faith, and for my family and friends.”  Amen

Wisdom, Discernment, and Choice

A quote which I recently heard made an impression on my mind and heart; “He is no fool who gives up what he cannot keep for that which he cannot loose”.  God chose to give to us, to give to me, His son to suffer and die.  I am, we are, His beloved children.   God IS love (1 John 4:8).  We are His beloved (Colossians 3:12).  He became flesh and dwelt among us (John 1:14).  We are His pearls of great price (Matthew 13:46).  He gave His life as ransom for each of us.  In my life He is the most precious pearl.  How do I know this?  I read these words in the scriptures.  I have chosen to receive the gift of faith which He has freely given to you and to me.

I have always tried to seek God’s wisdom and direction in my life.  I do not say that I haven’t strayed but He has always repositioned my compass back to Him.  I do not want to be the fool who makes the wrong eternal choice.  It is OK if others think I am foolish.  The one thing that is important to me is that God knows where I am spiritually. He knows that I love Him with all of my heart, soul, mind, and strength.  He is the final say.  My belief in Him and in eternity is the one thing which I cannot loose.

As I look back on my life and my spiritual journey I can see how His Word, His wisdom, and His gift of discernment in my life have led me through the circumstances of my physical existence.  Each of us is a spiritual being on a physical journey.  I would feel so very lonely if I didn’t have the assurance that God was walking this journey with me. 

When we seek, we find.  Wisdom is the beginning of knowledge.  If you haven’t read the scriptures, pick up the Psalms or the book of Proverbs.   God’s Word is alive.  He will speak to your heart.  Faith is not logical.  Faith is a gift (Ephesians 2:8).  Ask and you will receive (Matthew 7:7,8).  God is the one who convicts our hearts.  He stands at the door and knocks.   To receive or not to receive is a personal choice.   When God births a new spirit and understanding within us we have the choice to stay at that place or to keep growing in our new found faith.  Our spiritual birth is not the end point of a search for truth.  It is the beginning of an adventure.  We come to believe in Father God, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit.  He is the one triune God with whom we now have a personal relationship.  He knows us and loves us.  We want to know Him and love Him more.  In order to do this we must spend time with Him.  I cherish my quiet time with Him.  He walks with me each minute of each day. 

I want Him to keep filling me with His Spirit.  I want Him to reflect His light and love through me.  I want Him to be able to use me for His Glory.  I want others to see Him in me.  I want others to want to have a personal relationship with Him too!  It is worth letting go of the temporary for the Everlasting (John 3:16).  I pray for continued wisdom, discernment, and spiritual growth in my life.  I will live in anticipation of where He will be leading me.  He is at work in my life and in my family’s lives.  He hears my prayers.  He knows my needs and He knows the needs of those I pray for.  Dear Lord, continue to teach me, fill me, and use me.  Thank you for working in my life and hearing my prayers.

One Body, One Church, One Lord

There is one Creator.  I worship Him in Spirit and in Truth.  Our God is One.  He is the Beginning and the End; the Alpha and the Omega.  He IS, WAS, and IS to come.  He is ever-present in my life.  Our God, the I AM, comes to us as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  He is the Trinity; the three in One.  He is Omniscient (all-knowing), Omnipresent (everywhere), and Omnipotent (all-powerful).  He has convicted my heart.  He teaches me His Word.  I have received His gift of Faith.  It is His Grace alone that has brought me into greater understanding of who I am in Him.  I know that He is directing me and that He has a purpose for my life.

I see Him in the Scriptures, in Creation, and in the Love of others. I feel His presence in prayer, worship, and praise.  He is present in Church, on the bike path in the evening, and in a quiet spot in my own home or yard.

Today I was reading 1 Corinthians 12.  I am one member of the Body of Christ which is His Church on earth.  Verse 18 tells us that “God has set the members, each one of them, in the body just as He pleased”.  He has different roles and jobs for us according to the talents which He has given us.  Some of the necessary parts of the Church listed in verse 28 are: apostles, prophets, teachers, administrators, and caring helpers of others.  Various members have the gift of miracles, the gift of healing, and the gift of speaking in unknown languages.  We should desire the most helpful gifts.  Our talents are a gift from God.  Using our talents for God’s Glory is our gift back to Him.  As we read on into 1 Corinthians 13 we are told that of all the gifts which we receive, and in turn give; the greatest one of all is Love. 

Just as God made our bodies with many parts, His Church, the Body of Christ has many parts.  We have eyes, ears, hands, feet, etc. but we still are only one body.  All believers together are Christ’s body. Each of us is a separate and necessary part of it.  In the Body of Christ are, Jew, Gentile, slave, free, rich, poor, weak, and strong.  We are to love and care for each other.  Each one of us is a separate and necessary part.  Verse 26 says that “If one suffers, all parts suffer, and if one part is honored, all the parts are glad”.

Jesus, the Messiah, is from the Jewish lineage of David as was prophesied in the Old Testament.  The first Christ Followers, Christians, were Jews.  Today, many Jews have come to know Christ, the Messiah.  The first Christians became the Roman Catholic Church with Peter as the first head of the church.  In the 16^th Century Martin Luther and the Protestant Reformation divided the Christian Church.  The Protestants, led by Martin Luther believed that we were saved by Grace only; justified by faith, not by works.  Lutherans became the first of the many Protestant Denominations.  We are many parts but only One Body and One Head which is Jesus Christ, our Lord.  The Bible is the Word of God.  When we choose a church we must know that the central teaching of the church is Christ crucified, Christ given to us by the Father to redeem our sins, and the Holy Spirit given to us by Christ to help us to do the Father’s will.  The Holy Bible is God breathed and inspired.  It is taught and believed.  I have been fortunate to have attended a number of Churches in different locations in my spiritual journey.  I have grown and continue to grow in relationship with Jesus, my Savior and my friend.   I have been taught by spirit-filled pastors in various denominations.  “The Church” is not a building.  It is not a specific Catholic or Protestant building or denomination.  The Church is made up of people, each, a member of the body of Christ.  He is our head.  As a believing Christian I have a role to play in Christ’s Church on earth.  I would hope that my words, as I reflect on my faith, will be a help to someone.  In my Blog, I find purpose in the small role which I might play in Christ’s Church.  May God be glorified in my life and in my words!

Lost and Found

In my quiet time this morning I was reflecting on God and how He works in the little and big things in my life.  My Blog has been silent over the past few months.  It is not because God has been silent in my life.  I have been reading, studying, and practicing His presence.  The more I yield to His presence, the more He is able to teach me.  He shows me His favor as I walk in obedience.  As I listen to His direction and honor His leading in my life, He honors me.  He takes care of me.

We are all in a different place as we walk through the spiritual journey of our lives.  I am 72 years old.  The Lord has always been with me.  I can look back and remember when I have had times of spiritual growth, times of spiritual doubt, and times of being unaware of God’s activity in my life.  Over the years I have grown from a baby Christian to a mature Christian; feeding on the milk of the word to being in a place where I feed on the meat of the word.  The more I know God and His word, the more I realize how much I don’t know.  I have a hunger and a thirst for God, for His word, and for His teachings in my life.  I know that I will never “arrive” but I will keep on walking my spiritual journey until it is time for this life time to end. 

I have always tried to be very sensitive to the place where others are when they read my Blog.  God has used my journaling to mature me in my faith and to increase my own understanding through my writings.  I never want to come off as being self-righteous.  I would never try to judge anyone because they are in a different place than I am.  We are all in a different location on our spiritual journeys.  I just want to share with my family, my friends, and my readers who I am in Christ and be able to reveal how He is working in my life.

I went into Marathon yesterday to do errands.  I needed gas so I filled up my tank and proceeded to go to the bank which is on the other end of town.  As I parked, a man knocked on my window asking me if I had just come from the gas station.  He said, “I hate to be the barer of bad news.  Your gas tank door is open and your gas cap is missing”.  I thanked him, did my banking, and headed back to the beginning of town to the Shell station.  I do pray about everything!  Of course I prayed all the way there.  I had left the cap on my trunk so it could have been anywhere along Overseas Highway going south.  I parked my car at the gas station.  I looked near the pump which I had used.  I went inside the station to ask if by chance someone had brought it in.  No one had.  I walked where I had driven, going up the road to where I had made a turn to go back south into town.  Up until now I was so sure that the cap would be there.  I just knew that God heard my specific prayer and would direct my steps.  I got into my car, continued to pray, and left the gas station to follow my previous route.  I drove north so I could make the next left turn into the southbound lane.  As I drove, I looked on the road and to the side of the road.  Something black caught my eye.  I was able to safely pull over on to the shoulder.  I walked back a few feet.  There it was, on the grass along the side of the road.  I lifted up a prayer of thanksgiving!  A police car with two officers pulled up behind me as I was covering my gas tank with the cap.  I told them my story.  “Pull out safely”, they said.  I was safe and my gas cap was back in place.  I was grateful to God and also grateful that I didn’t have to go home and tell Richie that I had lost the gas cap.  God is Good, All the time!  All the time, God is Good!  

I Dreamed a Dream

When I awoke this morning, I woke with a feeling of uneasiness.  I very seldom remember my dreams but this morning the pictures in my mind were very clear.  I had been dreaming just prior to awakening.  I thought about the scenes and just had to write down what I remembered and what the pictures in my mind seemed to mean to me. 

My Christian friend, and former nurse co-worker CC, and I were in a subway station.  In order to get our tickets we each had to fill out a form.  We filled them out and handed them to the man in the ticket booth. I paid him $15.00 cash for the two tickets.  Everything seemed to be vague and in confusion around us.  Only CC, the ticket taker, and I were in focus.  I think the haziness of the area around us was what gave me the unsettled feeling which I felt when I woke up.  I was carrying a bouquet of white flowers.  The ticket man wanted to take them away from me.  I refused and covered them by wrapping them in a scarf which I took from around my neck.  Some small blossoms came off the flower bunch and fell in two rows on a shelf in front of the ticket booth.  I looked at them and left them there.  Then the ticket man offered me another stemmed flower.  It was a wilting white and purple flecked lily.  I refused to take it.  At that point my dream was over.  I woke up.  I started to brew my coffee and sat quietly to reflect upon the dream which I dreamed. 

I ask myself, “Why was this dream so clear when I do not unusually even remember my dreams”? 

1-CC and I were both very sure of where we were going.

2-We did what we had to do to get to our destination.   We filled out the forms and paid for the tickets.

3-I wasn’t willing to give up my flowers.  I wrapped them and protected them.

4-Some small budded flowers had to be left behind.

5- Everything around us was hazy and vague with a sense of business and confusion.

6-We refused to take the wilting stemmed lily with us.

Could the following thoughts explain these 6 points?

1-Eternal Salvation.  CC and I are sure of our eternal destination.

2-Jesus has already paid the price for our entrance into eternity.  We will trust and obey.  We will do what He asks.  We will be obedient and generous.  We are living in God’s will and plan and He will be glorified in and through our lives.   

3-The only treasures that we will be able to take with us into eternity are our family members and others who know Christ as their Savior.

4-We do not want anyone to miss the train to eternity.  We do not want anyone to be left in the world without the hope of Eternity.  God convicts us.  We choose to believe or not to believe.

5- Living in the world, not knowing God by choice or because no one has shared God’s Love in Christ with them causes confusion and a sense of being lost.  The lost are busy without purpose or priorities.  They ask, “What is life all about”?  We can tell them!

6-“Now is the Day of Salvation”(2Corinthians 6:2).  Tomorrow, in earthly time, may never come.

All are welcome into the Kingdom of God; individuals from all nations, all races, all backgrounds, and all economic positions.  Our outward appearances or positions in life have nothing to do with our inward, heartfelt relationship and connection to the one and only True God, the Creator of all.  “For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life” (John 3:16).  If we “believe in the Lord Jesus Christ we shall be saved, and our household” (Acts 16:31).  I believe God’s promises.  I find these promises in His word.  I love the Lord, His word, and His promises.  My heart has been convicted by His Holy Spirit.  It is not formal religion or a denomination that I am talking about.  I speak of a personal relationship with a personal God; the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.  I believe and I have received Him into my heart.  May He keep filling my human spirit with His Holy Spirit as I study His Word and draw nearer to Him.  I feel His presence and am in constant communication with Him in prayer, praise, worship, and thanksgiving.

He is omnipresent with me.  I know He can speak to me in my dreams.  He wants my life to be a witness for Him.  This dream convicts my heart and gives me a sense of urgency to share my Lord with others.  I am better at writing then speaking so this blog is an attempt to tell others about God’s Love; a love which I have experienced personally.  God IS standing at the door of your heart knocking.  Ask Him in.  If you are right and He is not who He says He is; you have lost nothing.  If He IS who He claims to be in His Word, and if “NOW IS the day of Salvation”, you have gained everything.  He WILL make His presence known and your life will never be the same. 

Lord, give me obedience and boldness to do your will and proclaim your plan of Salvation to those I love and to those you place in my life and on my path.  May you be glorified in my witness and in my life.  Amen   

God's Spirit Speaking to My Spirit Through His Word

Last Night, each time I woke up, the words “Psalm 107” would come to my mind.  I went directly to that Psalm when I got up this morning.  God is speaking to each of us.  I will be writing about what He said to me.  In the words of the Psalm, God told me that His mercy endures forever.  He is good and He tells me to always give thanks. 

He reminds me about His redeemed, whom He has gathered from their wandering in the wilderness.  This is the condition of each of us prior to receiving His gift of faith.  We are hungry and thirsty and our souls faint.  As the Israelites cried out to the Lord in their trouble, He delivered them, and He has delivered me.  He leads me and is my dwelling place.  He satisfies my longing soul.  He fills my hungering soul with goodness. 

Not wanting to know God keeps one in darkness and in the shadow of death.  God does not want us to rebel against His Word nor despise His counsel.  He is the Most High and He saves us out of our trouble, afflictions, and distress.  When we believe, He breaks the chains that bind us and He brings us out of darkness.  Our spirits are reborn into His light.  I thank Him for being my light and my salvation.  My spiritual eyes and ears have been opened so that I can see my life and the circumstances of life with a greater understanding and in a greater dimension.  This is my understanding of what I read in verses 1 through 15. 

Verses 16 through 19 speak about God breaking the gates of bronze, and cutting the bars of iron in two.  I have been attending a Bible study on the book of Daniel. Are these verses prophesying about the times of the Greek and the Roman Empires?  At this time Israel was under the rule of the Roman Empire and was being afflicted because of its iniquities and unfaithfulness to God.  The people cried out to God and He saved them from their distress.  He also does this for us when we cry out to Him in our afflictions.    He hears our prayers and our pleas and He will rescue us.  As I looked into the meaning of "gates of bronze and bars of iron" most saw them as God tearing down the prison gates and the walls which bind His people.  Verse 20 says, “He sent His Word and healed them, and delivered them from their destructions”.   Could this verse be talking about Jesus, The Word?  We do see Jesus in the Psalms.  Read Psalm 22.    God’s Word is fascinating and life changing.  If you haven’t experienced it for yourself, start by reading the Psalms and the Proverbs.  The more I learn, the more I realize how much more God wants to teach me.  Learning the Word increases my faith (Romans 10:17).   

The author of Psalm 107 is unknown.  It was written to celebrate the Jew’s return from exile in Babylon.  There are times when God allows us to go into exile where He can get our attention.  During those times we draw closer to the only One who can help us through, and deliver us.  This Psalm goes on to talk about God’s goodness and His wonderful works.  We see the works of God in nature.  God asks us to come to Him rejoicing and telling others about His goodness.  He wants us to come to Him with praise and thanksgiving.  In the last verse of Psalm 107, verse 43, we read, “Whoever is wise will observe these things, and they will understand the loving-kindness of the Lord”.  God increases my understanding as I read His Word and walk in his presence.      

God is Growing My Faith to Meet His Unchanging Faithfulness

This first month of 2014 seems to be slipping away.  In this New Year, I have not been faithful in posting on my blog.  I have been reading the Psalms and going to a Bible Study on the book of Daniel.  As I learn and grow in my faith I want to share God’s love and God’s word with others.  As I study and write about God’s teachings, my faith grows.  “Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God” (Romans 10:17).

The days of my life are always changing.  God never changes.  He is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow.  He is forever the same.  He is always faithful.  He is unchanging.  He wants our faith to grow so that it will come into alignment with His will for our lives.  God is constant.  We are not.  Lives are changed when the Holy Spirit convicts our hearts.  The Holy Spirit enlightens our spirits as we read and study the Word. The Word convicts, changes, and converts.  I want to feed on the Word of God, to consume it, so that it is hidden in my heart (Psalm 119:11).  I want to be able to bring His Word to my mind as I walk my faith journey; a faith journey which will lead me into eternity.

God’s ways are not our ways (Isaiah 55:8).  He wants our will and His to meet.  He is steadfast.  We are the ones who have to grow and move.  He will use the circumstances of our lives to bring us spiritually where He wants us to be.  God opens up our spiritual eyes and gives us spiritual wisdom and spiritual healing.  We realize that His Grace is sufficient (2 Corinthians 12:9) and we can come to Him in worship, praise, and thanksgiving for His blessings and His healing in our lives.  God will be glorified and we will be blessed when our maturing faith meets His unchanging faithfulness.