Thanksgiving to the Lord for His Great Works of Deliverance

Happy New Year!

This is the first official post for 2015!

So much excitement & anticipation for the coming year.  God is doing mighty things in the lives of his children.  I believe that He is just anxious to pour out His blessings on those who are obedient and living in the will of God.  I’m definitely excited and looking forward to the New Year and all that God will do. However while I may be excited and in anticipation of what’s to come, that wasn’t always the case.  For most of my life I was in a state of hopelessness and I just couldn’t see any light, only tunnel.  This post is meant to inspire hope in those who may have lost it or never had it to begin with.  I wish I could share with you exactly where I was before my hope was restored, but that would take an entire book! What I can do is share Scripture with you that describes exactly where I was and how God delivered me from that place of desolation and hopelessness.  I believe that He is waiting to do the same for anyone and everyone who is in need of His great deliverance.  I encourage you to read this passage of Scripture and if you can relate to it, please know that you are not alone and that there is great deliverance for you in the name of Jesus!

Psalm 107

Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good!
For His mercy endures forever.
Let the redeemed of the Lord say so,
Whom He has redeemed from the hand of the enemy,
And gathered out of the lands,
From the east and from the west,
From the north and from the south.

They wandered in the wilderness in a desolate way;
They found no city to dwell in.
Hungry and thirsty,
Their soul fainted in them.
Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble,
And He delivered them out of their distresses.
And He led them forth by the right way,
That they might go to a city for a dwelling place.
Oh, that men would give thanks to the Lord for His goodness,
And for His wonderful works to the children of men!
For He satisfies the longing soul,
And fills the hungry soul with goodness.

10 Those who sat in darkness and in the shadow of death,
Bound in affliction and irons—
11 Because they rebelled against the words of God,
And despised the counsel of the Most High,
12 Therefore He brought down their heart with labor;
They fell down, and there was none to help.
13 Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble,
And He saved them out of their distresses.
14 He brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death,
And broke their chains in pieces.
15 Oh, that men would give thanks to the Lord for His goodness,
And for His wonderful works to the children of men!
16 For He has broken the gates of bronze,
And cut the bars of iron in two.

17 Fools, because of their transgression,
And because of their iniquities, were afflicted.
18 Their soul abhorred all manner of food,
And they drew near to the gates of death.
19 Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble,
And He saved them out of their distresses.
20 He sent His word and healed them,
And delivered them from their destructions.
21 Oh, that men would give thanks to the Lord for His goodness,
And for His wonderful works to the children of men!
22 Let them sacrifice the sacrifices of thanksgiving,
And declare His works with rejoicing.

23 Those who go down to the sea in ships,
Who do business on great waters,
24 They see the works of the Lord,
And His wonders in the deep.
25 For He commands and raises the stormy wind,
Which lifts up the waves of the sea.
26 They mount up to the heavens,
They go down again to the depths;
Their soul melts because of trouble.
27 They reel to and fro, and stagger like a drunken man,
And are at their wits’ end.
28 Then they cry out to the Lord in their trouble,
And He brings them out of their distresses.
29 He calms the storm,
So that its waves are still.
30 Then they are glad because they are quiet;
So He guides them to their desired haven.
31 Oh, that men would give thanks to the Lord for His goodness,
And for His wonderful works to the children of men!
32 Let them exalt Him also in the assembly of the people,
And praise Him in the company of the elders.

33 He turns rivers into a wilderness,
And the watersprings into dry ground;
34 A fruitful land into barrenness,
For the wickedness of those who dwell in it.
35 He turns a wilderness into pools of water,
And dry land into watersprings.
36 There He makes the hungry dwell,
That they may establish a city for a dwelling place,
37 And sow fields and plant vineyards,
That they may yield a fruitful harvest.
38 He also blesses them, and they multiply greatly;
And He does not let their cattle decrease.

39 When they are diminished and brought low
Through oppression, affliction, and sorrow,
40 He pours contempt on princes,
And causes them to wander in the wilderness where there is no way;
41 Yet He sets the poor on high, far from affliction,
And makes their families like a flock.
42 The righteous see it and rejoice,
And all iniquity stops its mouth.

43 Whoever is wise will observe these things,
And they will understand the lovingkindness of the Lord.

How Long Will You Stay Down?

Have you ever felt like you’ve fallen outside of God’s grace?  You’ve messed up, done something wrong, sinned against your Everything, the very One who gives you your life and breath, your true love.

It can be difficult to get back up after you’ve fallen especially when you’ve tripped yourself.  It’s easy to beat yourself up and start to believe the lies that the enemy wants you to believe.  It’s easy to stay down because it’s comfortable, it takes no effort to stay down.

I’ve fallen, and I’ve stayed down long enough to realize that if I don’t get up and run back to the arms of my Saviour then I’m just giving up on everything that His Love has accomplished for me. I would be throwing away my inheritance.  His free gift to me of His grace which He shed His very own blood to give me.

The bible says that the enemy comes to steal, kill, and destroy. I realize that while I may have messed up, he jumped on that opportunity to steal my joy and excitement and to kill my dreams and destroy my relationship with God.  I refuse to give up and  instead I give in and surrender to Jesus and I cry out to Him and ask Him for a hand to help me get back up.  I don’t need to stay down – it’s a choice – I choose to trust in the love and forgiveness of God.  I don’t even have to get back up by myself because He is there to give me a hand and through His strength I am able to get back up and move forward.

If you’ve fallen and need a hand getting back up please join me in this prayer:

Dear God,

You are awesome and faithful.  You are love and I am so thankful for your mercy and grace.  Father I cry out to you in repentance for the sins that I have committed. Jesus I believe in my heart and I confess with my mouth that you are Lord and you alone have the power to save me and set me free from sin and death.  Please have mercy on me and forgive me for my sins.  Please create a clean heart in me and restore my fellowship with you.  Please fill me with your Holy Spirit and help me to walk in your will for my life.  Lord I surrender all of me to you including my emotions, my guilt, my shame and I ask that you renew me.  Please restore my joy and excitement so that I may live life with anticipation of your goodness while trusting in your promises. I love you Lord and I thank you for your forgiveness and salvation.  Please draw me closer to you Lord and please protect me from the enemy and help me to sin no more.  Thank you Lord.  In the precious name of Jesus I pray, Amen ❤

 

 

I Give Myself Away… for Glory!

“We are the women who make our lives about the cause of Christ, not the applause of men, live to express the Gospel, not to impress the Jones’, live not to make our absence felt, but to make Christ’s presence known.  We are the women who know it’s not about us and all about Glory.” ~Ann Voskamp (The Song For All The Women)~

God is very much present and active in our relationship with Him.  I’m in complete awe at His mighty works.  I had a brush with the fear of death tonight.  For a long minute, this fear came over me that God was going to take my life because maybe He no longer has a purpose for me being here any longer.  Honestly my first thought was a selfish one – will “I” be missed?  I couldn’t quite understand why this fear suddenly came over me, but after some prayer, I opened my book (Love Idol by Jennifer Dukes Lee) and God answered through the quote above written by Ann Voskamp.  When I read the words “live not to make our absence felt, but to make Christ’s presence known.  We are the women who know it’s not about us and all about Glory.”, it all made sense.  God revealed His truth to me in a real way that I could understand.  We are to offer ourselves as living sacrifices to God.  Romans 12:1 says, “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God…”  1Cor6:19-20 says, “Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own?  For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.”

Once again, God is teaching me that it’s not about me, my very life is not about me but about Glory – His Glory ❤

Matthew 10:39 says, He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it.”

When I read that quote earlier my first thought was in the form of a dream – a dream to be the woman this quote speaks of.  To die to me, myself, and I and live for the glory of God through Christ Jesus by the power of the Holy Spirit.

My prayer tonight:

Dear God, thank You dearly for this revelation and for teaching me that truly Jesus You are the Way, the Truth, and the Life.  Please forgive me for my selfish response to the fear of death and thank you for showing me that I need not to hold on to my own life but instead to turn it over to you and hold on to You for life.  Lord I offer myself to you as a living sacrifice and I ask that You would grant the desire of my heart to walk in Your freedom.  Lord thank You that Your perfect love casts out fear.  Father for every day, hour, minute, second that you bless me with life I pray that You would be glorified.  I pray that fully knowing that I am not perfect but that even when I stumble or fall, in my failures and mistakes that even in that Lord You will be glorified.  Help me to live every second free from fear and regret and enjoy the abundant life that You have intended for me.  I pray that You will bless me with a teachable spirit so that I can continue to learn and grow in You.  I love You Jesus & I thank You for fulfilling Your Word & Your promises. In the precious name of Jesus I pray. Amen ❤

Only God’s Unconditional Love Can Satisfy the Deepest Craving of my Heart

“As long as I keep running about asking: “Do you love me? Do you really love me?” I give all power to the voices of the world and put myself in bondage because the world is filled with “ifs.”  The world says:  “Yes, I love you if you are good-looking, intelligent, and wealthy.  I love you if you have a good education, a good job, and good connections. I love you if you produce much, sell much, and buy much.” There are endless “ifs” hidden in the world’s love.  These “ifs” enslave me, since it is impossible to respond adequately to all of them.  The world’s love is and always will be conditional.  As long as I keep looking for my true self in the world of conditional love, I will remain “hooked” to the world – trying, failing, and trying again.  It’s a world that fosters addictions because what it offers cannot satisfy the deepest craving of my heart.” ~Henri Nouwen~

I am so thankful for having come across this quote tonight. It both whispered gently and firmly shouted truth into my soul.  This was me for so long – addicted to trying and failing and trying again to satisfy my deepest craving through the world and myself.  I was “hooked”!  I just feel led to pray right now and if this quote speaks truth to your soul then I invite you to join me…

Father,

In the name of Jesus and through the power of Your Holy Spirit I humbly approach your throne of grace and mercy tonight and confess that I have been hooked and addicted to seeking satisfaction for my deepest craving for unconditional love and acceptance from the world and myself which offers merely a false substitute of what only You alone can provide.  I ask for your forgiveness and receive it in faith knowing that Your Word says that You will forgive my sins if I repent and confess.  Lord, I ask that you free me from this bondage as I surrender myself to You.  I ask that You take Your rightful place and be seated in the throne of my heart so that You will forever be my King and that I will worship no other.  I acknowledge that I am completely loved and accepted unconditionally by You and that Your love is more than enough.  Lord, please help me live out this truth daily resting in the assurance that I am completely safe to be the person you created me to be and that  I am free to live a life that isn’t driven by fear but by the power of Your love.  You are awesome God and I thank you for the freedom that You have provided for me through Your Son Jesus.  My heart longs to fall deeply in love with You, to trust You and follow You wholeheartedly all the days of my life and forevermore.

Love Always,

Your precious daughter

Amen ❤

Isaiah 61 reads:

The Year of the Lord‘s Favor

“The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me,
    because the Lord has anointed me
to bring good news to the poor;
    he has sent me to bind up the broken hearted,
to proclaim liberty to the captives,
    and the opening of the prison to those who are bound;
to proclaim the year of the Lord‘s favor,
    and the day of vengeance of our God;
    to comfort all who mourn; to grant to those who mourn in Zion—
    to give them a beautiful headdress instead of ashes,
the oil of gladness instead of mourning,
    the garment of praise instead of a faint spirit;
that they may be called oaks of righteousness,
    the planting of the Lord, that he may be glorified.
They shall build up the ancient ruins;
    they shall raise up the former devastations;
they shall repair the ruined cities,
    the devastations of many generations.

Strangers shall stand and tend your flocks;
    foreigners shall be your plowmen and vinedressers;
 but you shall be called the priests of the Lord;
    they shall speak of you as the ministers of our God;
you shall eat the wealth of the nations,
    and in their glory you shall boast.
 Instead of your shame there shall be a double portion;
    instead of dishonor they shall rejoice in their lot;
therefore in their land they shall possess a double portion;
    they shall have everlasting joy.

 For I the Lord love justice;
    I hate robbery and wrong;
I will faithfully give them their recompense,
    and I will make an everlasting covenant with them.
Their offspring shall be known among the nations,
    and their descendants in the midst of the peoples;
all who see them shall acknowledge them,
    that they are an offspring the Lord has blessed.

 I will greatly rejoice in the Lord;
    my soul shall exult in my God,
for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation;
    he has covered me with the robe of righteousness,
as a bridegroom decks himself like a priest with a beautiful headdress,
    and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.

For as the earth brings forth its sprouts,
    and as a garden causes what is sown in it to sprout up,
so the Lord God will cause righteousness and praise
    to sprout up before all the nations.”