I Know You Are the Messiah, BUT...

²¹ “Lord,” Martha said to Jesus, “if you had been here, my brother would not have died. ²² But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask.”
²³ Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.”
²⁴ Martha answered, “I know he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.”
²⁵ Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; ²⁶ and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?”
²⁷ “Yes, Lord,” she replied, “I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, who is to come into the world.”  John 22:21-27

I realized just this week that I am Martha through and through!  I believe that Jesus is the Savior and I also love Him with my whole heart, but at the same time I have felt that He didn't "show up" on time the way in which I felt was needed.  You see, Martha called for Jesus' help, which I do all the time.  What she expected and wanted was for Him to come immediately.  And, that is precisely what I want each and every time I kneel before the King.  

But, just like many areas in my own life, Jesus has not made things better right away.  Take my husband for an example.  He has been battling heart failure and all the terrible side effects that come along with it for over 8 years now.  At the same time, we see how God is healing Brian and doing amazing work in other's lives along the journey.  Then there are other promises that we know God has made to us, we claimed them, and we have waited with little or no results in the physical.  We are like Martha feeling that if Jesus would just hurry up and answer, it would all be so much better.  When all the while Jesus has never left us and has been growing us as His followers.  

The blessing in the waiting and the disappointment for Martha was that Jesus wanted to do a miracle.  He had healed many people who were sick but never had he raised a man from the dead who had laid in a tomb for days.  That was IMPOSSIBLE!  Jesus likes to show up and do the impossible so that it gains more attention and glory for His Father.  So, as I wait on Jesus I am going to try and anticipate the miracle instead of becoming frustrated because He hasn't yet arrived!

Forget All That!

 

"But forget all that--it is nothing compared to what I am going to do." Isaiah 43:18 NLT

 

Ten months ago God moved my family to Lynchburg, Virginia.  This was not the place that we chose yet it has been amazing since the day we arrived!  God chose this place and after ten months it would take us hours to tell you all that He has done for us since.  We have never in our lifetimes experienced and seen the moving of God in such a power way.  Being obedient to Him and His leading has made all the difference.

 

At the same time, the journey has not been without difficulties and hurt.  You see, following the will of God and His plan for your life will not always be butterflies and rainbows.  There will be opposition and it will sometimes come from those you trusted and loved the most.  It is always hard to forget or let go of past relationships when God says to "forget all that" and follow me.

 

I can tell you today without one ounce of hesitation that the end of this scripture is real and true for I am living it today!  God really will do things that cannot begin to compare to what He has done for you in the past.  He has blessings and experiences waiting for us that our minds cannot imagine.  He even says that in Jeremiah 33:3 when He says, "Call to me and I will answer you. I’ll tell you marvelous and wondrous things that you could never figure out on your own." 

 

It is hard to break away from people we have loved for years.  It is hard to move away from the only place you have ever lived.  It is hard to trust God for your provision and protection, but when you finally do whatever God has called you to do... GET READY FOR THE MIRACLES TO BEGIN!

 

Truly I Tell You

“Truly I tell you,” Jesus said to them, “no one who has left home or wife or brothers or sisters or parents or children for the sake of the kingdom of God will fail to receive many times as much in this age, and in the age to come eternal life.” Luke 18:29,30

In August of 2013, I accepted a job with Liberty University and my husband Brian along with our daughter, Taylor, moved from the only home we had ever known to a new town we had never even heard of months earlier.  We knew that God had chosen this location and that He had amazing plans in store if only we would trust Him.  From the start, we could see and feel God's hand in each of the details.  As the months have passed, the Holy Spirit only continues to show us over and over what mind blowing blessings God can bring about when we are obedient to His calling and leading.

I love this scripture above for Jesus gets very real with those who are listening when He explains that in order to truly follow Him they may have to leave their home, their spouse, their siblings, their parents, and even their children.  He tells them that if they do this for the sake of the kingdom God will never stopped blessing them.  This is not only through eternal life but on earth as well.  Our family has definitely experienced this verse in the truest sense and can attest to its truth.  God has blessed us in unimaginable ways over the past 10 months and we cannot wait to see what lies ahead.  

I tell people all the time.  I may love you but I will never go against what God has told me to do for the sake of your happiness.  My desire is to please my Savior above all else.  If I do that, everything else that matters will fall into place.  Today I encourage you to listen ONLY to the voice of God as He speaks through the Holy Spirit.  Others may not understand but God is the only One who matters when its all said and done.

His Right Hand

My soul follows close behind You;
Your right hand upholds me. Psalm 63:8

Just this week the Holy Spirit impressed upon me the word "hand" in a very real and profound way. I went online and began to search for scriptures containing the word "hand".  I was amazed at how many times references to the right hand of God and the hand of Jesus appeared.  It was definitely a common thread throughout not only the Old Testament but the New as well.

The hand of God is seen as a help, protection, defense, love, and salvation offered to us all.  The Bible told me as I read how not only is my time in His hand but also the fate of my enemies.  I then read that His right hand holds me with great gentleness, which  I loved!

Over and over I discovered scriptures about the hands of Jesus, too!  When Jesus touched someone with His hand they were immediately healed.  The scriptures tell us, "immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and caught him..." which I absolutely love.  What a very real picture of what Jesus did, does, and will continue to do for us with the power of His hand.

Stop Judging What You See

 But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” 1 Samuel 16:7

While scrolling through Facebook today I began to notice several very judgmental posts from Christian people I know.  Each of these people were ranting about some group of people and how what they were doing was wrong.  Some of them I even had to agree with, yet I then realized as a victim of judging I couldn't go along with them.  I couldn't encourage them the way others were doing.  

Since my husband was diagnosed with heart failure 8 years ago, we have experienced great struggles with being judged in numerous ways.  The worst has been due to Brian not "looking sick" as many people comment.  You see, in our society you must look the part in order to play it or be recognized.  Because Brian has chosen to live life to the fullest and not sit at home feeling sorry for himself most people never even realize the great struggles he faces daily with his health.  Due to the severity of his condition and the amounts of medication he takes daily, he really should not get out of the bed, but with the power of God and a determination like no one else I know, he does and with a smile.  

Years ago it started when one day, while Brian was very sick, we were at a gas station and I was pumping gas as Brian sat in the car.  I didn't notice what was happening until I was finished and found Brian crying in the car.  He explained that a man getting gas across from us starred at him the entire time he pumped gas and then shook his head at him before getting in his car.  It was as to say to Brian, "You sorry man.  Allowing your wife to pump gas and you just sit in the car."  From that day on Brian asked me to get gas while he was home or he would lay his seat all the way back so people could not see him.  

Just recently we visited Disney World and once again this happened to Brian.  We had read before visiting that the parks now had something called the "Disability Assistance Card" for people with conditions such as Brian's.  You don't cut people in line but instead if the wait is one hour, cast members sign your card and you can return in one hour.  This keeps the disabled person from having to stand in the heat.  Well, because Brian didn't look sick, the person who assisted us was very rude and tried to refuse us the card.  Brian was very embarrassed.  I have since written to Disney World and they personally called us to apologize but it's still not okay.  Brian was judged as a person trying to just get a card who wasn't really sick.  

Please, consider all I have shared today before you judge the next person.  Thanks so much.

Obedience Sounds Good???

 We use our powerful God-tools for smashing warped philosophies, tearing down barriers erected against the truth of God, fitting every loose thought and emotion and impulse into the structure of life shaped by Christ. Our tools are ready at hand for clearing the ground of every obstruction and building lives of obedience into maturity. 2 Corinthians 10:5,6

These scriptures sound really good until we have to actually make them a reality in our own lives.  When we have to leave our comfort zone it doesn't seem quite as beautiful to be obedient to our Savior.  We all want to use "powerful God-tools" in order to fight the corrupt culture we are all living within, but going against the grain of this world is never easy.  We love the idea of tearing down barriers and sharing the truth of God but what if this means our family won't like it?  Will we still like it if our friends think we are crazy and even turn their backs on us?  This passage ends very clearly by stating that we are to build lives of obedience to God.  

If you are like me, this was a frightening thought. God told me to go to a place I didn't choose to live.  Since that time many relationships with family and friends were damaged and even lost.  I had to answer the question,  "Do I love the Lord enough to actually put Him and His will before my ideas and what makes me and others happy?" My answer was "YES!"  God came before what others thought or how they treated me.  Even now friends that were my very closest can't understand and cut contact with me.  Many times the very ones you think will be the happiest and most supportive will be the total opposite.  Because they are Christians will not mean they will understand.

Let me tell you that for years, I lived to make people happy.  I really believed I was doing the right thing until I realized everyone else was happy and I wasn't.  I began to grow closer to the one who was my true help and source of strength, who was Jesus Christ, and one day He told me to move to a town I had never even visited or much less heard of.  I actually listened. There isn't time enough for me to share all the mind-blowing blessings and experiences I have had since being obedient.   I tell you today, PLEASE, don't allow fear and opposition to stop you from being obedient to God!  You will NEVER regret it for one moment.