Month: June 2017

It’s About the Journey. Fight For It.

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June 13, 2017

 

Dear God,

Good morning and thank you for waking me up for this time with you. I realize I drag my feet sometimes dear godand I pray that you will help me to eagerly approach our time together. Once I am here, I am always blessed and filled. Yes, Lord, it is in You that I desperately want to invest, not my flesh’s desire to sleep or spend time on trivial things.

Today is a big day for me and for mom, both for the same and different reasons. I pray that you keep Your hands on both of us as with traverse what lies ahead, and that you guide not only us, but those people with whom we are dealing. My interview. Mom’s closing. My test results. Our dealings regarding mom’s chair. You know our individual needs, Lord, and I pray Your blessings and mercies over each of us, that Your will be done and Your Glory shine through us as we interact and react in ways that are reflective of who You are and who we are in You. Amen and Ehmen.

 

Dear Child,

I am so pleased with your desire to follow me and to fulfill the purpose and plan I have mapped out for you. But, I admonish you to follow through on the commitments you make to Me in your efforts to follow this path. As long as you are on earth, you will always have to fight against your flesh, but you have everything that you need to win this battle. You have Me.

Let’s start with the obvious. Your flesh wants to sleep or wants to wallow in bed and be lazy. You can’t alarm clock redcater to your flesh and meet with Me at the same time. But, how do you combat this? Follow the schedule we worked on yesterday. Go to bed on time. Don’t get caught up in all the things you still need to do. There will always be things to do and satan will happily try to keep you awake thinking about each one of them. Picture a hamster on a wheel. This is not necessary. You need proper rest to stay on your journey, but it is up to you to get that rest.

Physical exercise is another necessity. Go for a walk, child. Oh, how I have loved our walks together and I know that you have too. I am blessed when you include me and I am just waiting for you to receive the blessings that I desire to pour over you. I want to douse you in love, in wisdom and all the many beautiful facets of your inheritance now. You don’t have to wait until you get to heaven, my child. Heaven, after all, is not just a destination. Heaven is the journey you take with Me. Look around, take it all in and thank me. I love you, my dear child. Stay with me and know that I am with you always till the end of time…

 

 

There is Direction in Connection

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dear godJune 11, 2017

Dear God,

It’s been a tough few weeks. Well, actually, while the situation has been tough, my reaction to it has surprised me. Never in a million years would I expect to be this calm and, dare I say even excited, about being unemployed for the first time in almost four decades. I can see Your beautiful fingerprints all over this and I know that I know that THIS is the answer to my prayers and to the many prayers spoken on my behalf during a most tumultuous year. Finally, I am forced to settle into the faith that resides inside; to nestle into Your lap and watch you work. It’s time to put my faith where my mouth is; to practice what I preach; to trust You unconditionally. I am ready, but ask that You help me along the way. I am sure I will have my moments, but I know that with You by my side, I can do anything that You lead me to do. Help me, Lord, to remember that and to keep my eyes fixed on You as I continue this exciting journey into your will and my purpose. Amen and Ehmen.

Dear Child,

You are right to see this situation as an answered prayer and am pleased that you are committing to following my lead into your future. So many of my children, you included—despite desires otherwise—tend to see living by faith as a risky investment. The fact is I Am the only sure thing you will ever encounter prior to arriving in Heaven.

Jobs end. People leave. Money and things disappear. But, I, My dear child, will always be here and am the same loving parent as I was yesterday, am today and will be tomorrow.

Brenda, it has grieved My heart to see you go through such pain and suffering with your job. It especially saddened Me to lose connection with you as you struggled to keep your head above water this past year. This was never meant to be. Remember, My dear one, that nothing can ever separate us. I simply cannot and will not allow it.

Romans, 37-39: No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor principalities, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.…

And, so, here we sit. You are right where I want you, child—right beside Me. Close enough that you can feel My heartbeat and hear My voice. Your future of prosperity is wrapped in peace and your purpose contains more joy than you can imagine, and are all found in Me. I am the safety net for which you have always dreamed. All I ask of you is to connect with Me continually and to know that it is in that connection that I shall give you the direction and wisdom you seek. I love you, child

Tribe of Thorns

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With time not my own this past year, I have let most of the flowerbeds around my house Thorny weedgo. Thisthorns week I decided to tackle them, one by one, starting with a particularly unruly looking bed alongside the fence.

The first thing I noticed as I surveyed the situation was a growing number of prickly vines. Armed with thorns, they infiltrated the fertile ground and stood watch over a second army of unwanted weeds.  They looked like green goliaths wielding tiny swords ready to pierce the skin of any intruder that threatened their mission to overtake the flowerbed.

Standing between and behind these evil, self-proclaimed soldiers were other thorny vines that had certainly seen better days. Brown and brittle, it was obvious that they were the senior ones amongst this tribe of thorns. I reached in to grab one of the weaker ones, but quickly pulled back as a river of red broke through the surface of my skin and rolled down my arm. Ughhh! I guess Grandpa had a little life in him after all. Ornery old thorn.

It is then that I heard God whisper deep into my spirit:

“It is not just the thorns of today that can hurt you, my child; the thorns of your past will continue to hurt you as long as you leave them unattended. You must suit up and face them; cut them off and throw them into a pile to be burned. They may look dead, brittle and harmless, but looks are deceiving. If you will let Me, dear child, I will help you tend the garden of your soul—pulling up the old and new vines of thorns and allowing the beautiful and the fruitful to flourish.”

Sigh. Thank You, Lord, for these special teaching moments and, above all, for loving me unconditionally. I ask You now, Father, to help me rid my soul of weeds and thorns, both the new and the old. I want nothing more than to be fruitful; a beautiful garden for which you are proud to call Your own. I am Yours. Amen and Ehmen.