Last night in Paris, 158 people were killed in cowardly terrorist attacks by the radical, extremist Islam group Isis. Innocent men, women and children just out enjoying a normal Friday night with each other like they usually do. My heart is still broken today. It brought back so many feelings of 9/11 here so many years ago.
My heart ached for those hurt by this senseless tragedy. Then fear set in. We could be next. This could happen to us yet again. Tears and fears all over again.
I started praying. Then I started reading God's Word. I needed to find something that would be speak to me, something to get me out of this funk.
Jeremiah 3:13 spoke to me regarding our Lord's comfort.
Then young women will dance & be glad, young men and old as well. i will turn their mourning into gladness, I will give them comfort and joy instead of sorrow.
The Lord wrapped His arms around me and comforted my heavy heart and soul. While there may be initial sorrow and weeping, this will soon be turned into joy & dancing!
My fears were calmed by Deuteronomy 3:22
Don't be afraid of them, for the Lord your God fights for you.
God is in control f this. The world came together last night in unity for Paris. The prayers being spoken were heard. These terrorists will not win a war they claim is for their "god".
The real, only, one true God would never ask His children to kill the innocent in His name. My Lord & Savior is not about hate, war and control.
He is about love, joy, and peace. He wants us to love others as He loves us. With forgiveness, grace, and mercy.
I am reminded, there is a new world on it's way, a new kingdom is coming! Jesus will be here again, and yes, I'm praying that day is coming soon!
A gentle answer deflects anger, but harsh words make tempers flare.
Proverbs 15:1
Something I need to work on and pray about. I need to start thinking more before I speak. When someone comes to me in anger, I don't have to answer in the same way.
I need to think, What Would Jesus Do?! My Lord doesn't answer me in anger. He remains the calm, diligent, Father, speaking to me with peace and love. I need to be more like that.
So from today on, I will try to be more like Jesus when I speak. No more angry words spoken. I don't want to create more anger, I want to create peace, joy, and happiness. If the other party wants to remain angry, well, that's in their heart, but my heart will rejoice in the new peace I have found.
Thank you heavenly Father for always speaking to me in a kind and gentle way. I yearn to be more like you Father. Please give me the words you want spoken, and give me peace to give to others when in a heated moment.
Now you are no longer a slave, but God's own child. And since you are His child, God has made you his heir.
Galations 4:7
No longer a slave to this world! A child of God! An heir to all that God has to give. What a wonderful and glorious feeling it is to know that I am no longer controlled by this world, but belong to my Heavenly Father who is waiting to give me all of His blessings and treasure in Heaven.
Reminds me of another great Kutless song. Not What You See
I am not what you see. Nothing more a slave I will be!
I will be a slave & servant to my Lord Jesus Christ. I will surrender my all, listen & do what He asks. God's Will will be done!
Use me dear Father as you see fit into your plans. I will serve you & only you. Your plan is greater than my own Lord, and I trust you with everything I have.
You may ask, what will we eat in the 7th year if we do not plant or harvest our crops? "I will send you such a blessing in the 6th year that the land will yield enough for 3 years."
Leviticus 25:20-21
If we trust the Lord totally & completely without question, He will provide over and beyond for our needs.
Why do we question His word? his plans are not our own. Blind faith is very hard to do, but to reap His rewards and blessings, that is exactly what we need, Blind Faith. We need to put our blind faith into the one who has always provided, and will continue to provide. He may not always give us what we think we want or need, but He always gives us what He knows we need. Or He will provide a way for us to get what He knows we need.
Thank you Lord Jesus for always knowing my needs, and for providing exactly what I need when I need it. I put my complete faith in you Lord.
God answered, "I will be with you and this is your sign that I am the one who has sent you. When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you will worship God at this very mountain". Exodus 3:12
This verse to me means God will always be with me. He will never leave me or abandon me. It's true that when we need Him the most, He carries us. He has been with me throughout this whole ordeal for the last 2 years, I just had to ask for Him, had to seek Him. I had to give up all of my worry & anxiety to Him. I have to trust in His plans, even though I don't know what they are. His plans are so much greater than my own.
Kutless' song "When You Come Back Home" really hit me tonight. I had moved away & turned my back on God. But when I sought Him again, He was still there, waiting for me, His lost child.
How wonderful it is to know that our Heavenly Father will always forgive us, will always welcome us back into His arms. He will always run out to greet us when we come back to Him.
Thank you Jesus, for your love and mercy and your grace. Thank you for always accepting us back into your arms, even when we have turned our backs on you and left your fold.
I did not grow up in a religious home, my parents rarely spoke of God, they still don't. I started attending church when I was a child after some youth ministers came to our neighborhood. I loved it. I was saved when I was 8 years old.
I attended church off and on for several years, well into my teen years. I even went to a Baptist High School. I was trying to cling to my faith in a world where no one else did. And that started the love affair with Jesus.
I grew up and life happened, and while I never lost my faith, I stopped practicing it. I had a family to raise and my husband was not religious at all. Somehow though, my faith never left me. After being in a near fatal accident, I turned back to the church.
An abusive marriage, divorce and marrying a second time has brought me where I am now. And I have rekindled my love for Christ.
I am raising my 2 young grandsons. Our baby is a special needs baby. We have had them for almost 2 years now, since the baby was 5 weeks old. This has been one of the worst and trying trials in my life. No one can ever imagine the hate, the tears, the verbal abuse unless they actually go through this.
While I have searched for a church for several years where I felt I really belonged, I decided, I don't honestly need a church to experience Christ. All I need to do is seek Him and His word. I will be led to the right place to worship in due time.
My Father has never left me. He is not angry at me for not seeking him all the time. He has forgiven me.
I was sitting in my desk chair trying to work and I just told myself, I needed to start listening to music again. I haven't listened to music for almost 2 years. But I didn't want to listen to a normal radio station so I decided to find my local Christian/Gospel station. I listened for a while, and decided I really liked the music I heard. I listened for a few more days feeling much better about my decision.
Then it hit me. My "soul" song. I heard the most beautiful voice singing to me. Exactly the words I needed to hear. I had never heard this song or this voice before. But it hit me like a ton of bricks. This one song had me in tears, on my knees, begging God to lead me where I needed to be. Begging to hear His word, begging to have him start a fire in me and create the person he wanted me to be. This one song changed my life forever. That song, "What Faith Can Do" by Kutless has now become the most treasured song in my life.
After picking myself back up, I wiped my tears, and I have been on a quest to learn God's word more indepth. I read my bible several times a day now, I am back in prayer with my Father, I can feel his love and peace over my life. I gave everything up to Him. He is now back in control. That one song started a fire in me. I love to spread the word of God and show others what He means to me. I don't preach, I don't condemn, I don't judge. That is not my place.
I'm just trying to love everyone like Jesus loves me. I want it so that when people look at me, they can see Christ working in me. I am not perfect, He is still working on me I know. But I know He will never leave me, He will always be here, and if I just follow Him, listen to Him, He will guide and direct me to His plans for me, for they are much greater than my own plan.
I thank God for sending that song to me that day. I thank Kutless for that heavenly voice that changed my life. I have since become a huge fan of this wonderful band and you will find me tweeting and facebooking about them and their music on a daily basis. Their songs seriously have touched my heart and soul in depths that I had no idea existed.
It's funny to think of the things that God uses to get our attention. Music has always been a big part of my life. I have always sang and danced, ever since I was a child. So music was the perfect avenue to use to get my attention.
Don't ignore His calling. He will find you when you least expect it, and it could be in a way that you never realized He would use. Have an open heart, and really listen for Him to speak to you. We are forgiven! Everything has been forgiven. We get to live an eternal life because our Savior paid the price for our sins. We will be with our Heavenly Father in Heaven for eternity because of the cross!
I will always Praise His Holy Name!! I will always make a joyful noise and sing out to my Savior!!
I am a firm believer in Faith first, Family second, all else after.
I want this blog to be about just that. My Faith I have in my Heavenly Father, Jesus Christ first. How I celebrate that faith, how I worship and devote time to Him. How I manage to keep the faith, through daily living and all the trials that may come my way.
Family comes second. There is nothing more special here on earth than our family. I have a unique family life, not one that is unheard of, but it is different to me. My family is my world. Just like every family, we have our ups and our downs. We have laughter, tears, and every emotion in between.
This is my place to celebrate the 2 most important things in my life. This journey is never easy, no one ever said it would be. But it will be one heck of a ride!
